#for reasons related to jttw

[mx-paint]

.

#finally got to the jin and yin episode #and like. idk how big the mei and mk ship is but it should probably be one of the lowest ranked ones #like i get that theyre the mcs but like. considering man was Literally trying not to puke when he thought she was confessing #like that doesnt give that much #like its cute! it just. isnt realistic in story #like its clear how they think of each other and how its strictly platonic #like. even wukong and macaque makes more sense (despite how it kind of makes me uncomfortable #since they are technically related in the source material) #(idk about azure lion but if there Is anything there its like. one sided on his part) #(and his teacher swk sees as a father in jttw (theres a play on words on how the word teacher is like father and he says it)) #(and the azure lion bit i dont think hes related to him at all in jttw) #after watching the other movie red son might be added but for her #i mean it could be foreshadowing for if rhey get together #but since the sjow focuses on platonic/family relations i dont think it would fit that well #(it may just be me but. tang/pigsy and pif/dbk makes most to focus on. for obvious reasons) #also id rather them have a platonic trio #bc while rs isnt actually the same age #they all act the same #(and they might technically be the same mentally? if demons age the way i think they do he probably around their age)

[our-happygirl500-fan]

During Revenge of the Spider Queen we briefly see that Sandy has a Raph doll

I have seen a few people point this moment out & it is generally considered as a kind of nice little reference to how Flying Bark worked on both shows but something that I was kind of thinking of was that it sort of makes sense for Sandy to possibly have Raph as his favourite Turtle or at the very least like Raph’s character as both of them sort of seem to fit the ‘gentle giant’ archetype.

Which kind of made me think about which Turtles might possibly be certain Monkie Kid character’s possible favourites

For Pigsy I think that his favourite Turtles could possibly be both Raph & Mikey

Raph: Here’s the plan, we smash our way in and keep smashing until we’ve smashed that armour piece right into our smashy little hands 

For Raph I think that Pigsy might possibly enjoy the ‘smash first, ask questions later’ attitude that Raph can sometimes have as Pigsy seems to sometimes like to display himself as a sort of ‘tough guy’

Mikey: Trust me one satisfying dish is all we need to win this challenge 

Pigsy: I told ya MK, good food takes time

Considering both Mikey & Pigsy are chefs I think that Pigsy might possibly like Mikey as a character due to Mikey’s respect & passion for the culinary arts. I also think that Mikey might remind Pigsy a bit of MK due to their optimism which might possibly be something that endears Pigsy towards Mikey’s character

For Tang I think that his favourite Turtles could possibly be both Mikey & Leo, similarly to Pigsy I think Tang might enjoy Mikey’s character due to Mikey possibly reminding him of MK but I also think Tang might enjoy Leo’s character due to the fact that Tang seems to love stories

Tang: It’s not a diary, I’m writing the next chapter

We’re shown that Tang seems to enjoy stories as shown by his love for JTTW so the fact that Rise Leo’s character is arguably designed to evolve over time might possibly appeal to Tang, it might be possible that Tang would enjoy watching Leo grow & reach his potential as a leader over time.

For Red Son, I think that it might be possible that Red Son’s favourite Turtle would be Donnie due to the fact that they are both inventors.

MK: Come on! Where did you get that?

Red Son: What? You think I drive anything that doesn’t have at least one complex transformation?

Raph: Why are there only two?

Donnie: I’m afraid I have not gotten around to making the rest, maybe they’ll come out during the holiday season, so you’ll know they’re special!

For Mei I think that her favourite Turtles could possibly be both Donnie & Leo, for Leo I think Mei might primarily possibly like the fact that they both use swords & are protective of their loved one and for Donnie I think that Mei might possibly like the fact that they are both technologically minded as Mei enjoys getting new pieces of tech throughout the show.

Mei: I even got a sweet new jet!

Another reason that Mei might possibly have Donnie as one of her favourite Turtles is that Purple Dragon episodes are arguably mostly Donnie centric episodes & Mei might enjoy their dragon motif.

For MK, I think the Turtle that might possibly be his favourite might possibly be Mikey as Mikey might be the Turtle that MK relates to the most as they both try to stay optimistic & keep their loved ones together.

MK might also possibly relate to Mikey in how they both seem to have strong mystic powers which they both need to learn how to master & control.

For SWK while I think he might possibly claim he doesn’t have a favourite Turtle I think SWK might possibly relate to Leo the most.

SWK: You know this is kind of easier than I thought it would be

Leo: What I can’t make a joke in the middle of the craziest thing ever? That’s how I cope

SWK might possibly relate to Leo’s character as their are a few similarities between the two such as the fact that they both seem to use humour as a coping mechanism during stressful situations, as well as the fact that they both seem to be protective of those that they care about.

However what I think SWK might relate to the most about Leo is them both possibly feeling responsible for people they care about getting hurt or being put in danger.

Some parallels could possibly be made between Leo loosing the Key & a piece of The Samadhi Fire getting away from SWK when trying to seal it. 

I’m not really sure if SWK seeing himself in Leo would possibly make Leo his favourite Turtle but I do think that SWK might possibly find himself relating to Leo on occasion.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles #lego monkie kid #lmk #rottmnt #tmnt

[the-monkey-ruler]

Just a random ask, what are some weird JTTW adaptations you’ve seen or heard about?

I can’t even begin to call them all but… if you bear with me, I shall try.

Here are a few games that I always found funny additions!

Starting off strong we have Journey to the West: Undersea Adventure (2021)! I have never seen it but LOOK AT IT.... THEY FISH

Six-eared Monkey (2021) where Six Ears goes back in time, accidentally adopts Wukong not knowing he is his future enemy and gives his life to save Child-Wukong despite knowing who he grows up to be.

Wukong's Christmas Adventure (2019) is like... saving Ruphdolh or something and Wukong is going through a mid-life crisis and also kinda depressed but CHRISTMAS. Also the Erlang and Nezha models in this movies are TERRIFYING... and also they have Wukong rap so take a look.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) is weird but like in a GREAT way like... I love the monster designs they give Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing, it is such a different vibe then any other movie I have seen and Honestly LOVE It for that. Really sells just how HUMAN Sanzang is dealing with POWERFUL YAO that could kill him in a second.

Bling (2016) is strong that it didn't hAVE to be Xiyouji coded characters like the Monkey, Pig, and Frog are robot storage performers, wannabe heroes and they follow their creator who is trying to propose to his girlfriend but there really is not journey or ANY need to have the robot being Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing.

Spark: A Space Tail (2016) is also BARELY a Xiyouji film but like it does have a monkey with a staff and turns out he is the son of a king and a queen of monkey planet. Really more like Lion King with the evil uncle trying to take over but with space monkeys.... and also Bajie is there.

Mo mo King (2011) is something I'm not completely sure what's it about but just that it is like a whole monkey island that Wukong-like protag works at... and also Bajie is there.

Devil's Chip (2002) again NO idea what it is really about but there is space and time travel and for some ungodly reason no wukong from what I have seen but Sanzang and Bajie company the space/time travler

Flying Monkid (1996) I have no idea why this was ever MADE like there is barely a connection to Wukong and every other demon is new or some kind of version that is barely recognizable, not to mention the animation is barely any better than Pixal art.

Flying Superboard (1990) I always just found this one strange from the animation to the art style to the design choices. Like making Wukong some kind of skateboard, nunchuck, mouse-looking creature and giving Bajie a machine gun is.... something. I have no idea what they did to Wujing, made him like a bat, goblin thing.

Midnight Goku (1989) is like a sci-fi detective story where the protag has like computer eyes that can see through people and a bo-staff and honestly, I haven't seen but just the STRETCH they use to make this Wukong-related is so insane like would have never thought of it.

Little Wukong (1987) honestly not SURE what this story is even about but like... it is nearly lost media, this is so obscure and out of the way I have a feeling it was probs a children's education show or something but idk.

The Legend of Red Boy (1989) is something that looks like candy land spat out and while I have not seen it I am so sure that it is filled with nonsensical elements I cannot begin to describe.

King Kong's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace (1959) is... more of a crossover than anything else. Just imagine a movie where instead of Wukong destroys heaven... it is Kind Kong. Legit THE king Kong from the OTHER MOVIES YES.

Pink Journey to the West (2015) is honestly not that strong I would say besides that it is just Journey to the West but they are all girls... haven't seen it but who knows maybe it is good!

Tom and Jerry Chase with Tom as Erlang Sheng and Jerry as Wukong

Fortnite Wukong... that is it

Overwatch with Xiyouji skins just think it is adorable honestly. Love the Winston as Wukong

Plants versus Zombie: Journey to the West addition

Rabbits: Party of Legends

And while this isn't EVERY weird (there is a lot) one these are that I thought were at least interesting enough. Like a lot of Xiyouji movies have strange plotpoint but honestly, they are more boring and confusing than anything memorable. At least these were the ones I always thought were fun!

#anon ask #anonymous #anon #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #sun wukong #zhu bajie #ask

[teddy-bear-queen]

Bro I have to say this I swear-

I see people trying everything to make it seem like Wukong is a lot worse then he is. I understand you like Macaque, I do too! But the entire point of their relationship is that they’re both in the wrong. The difference is, Wukong got, well, character development. It just feels super annoying to discredit Wukongs hard work in JTTW because of things he did prior.

I’m not saying Wukong is some saint, or an amazing person even while the story is taking place, but he is NOT as bad as some of the people in the LMK fandom make him out to be. I assume it’s because Macaque is the goth shy boy (/hj? /lh), but Macaque literally comes out just to manipulate MK and steal his powers. He’s making the exact same mistakes Wukong did, fighting for power so that he can protect himself. Get stronger. Etc.

Season 4 Special Spoilers:

I don’t think Wukong was ignorant in saying that Macaque doesn’t come to help him. I mean, he got beaten by the Jade Emperor and presumably everyone just left him there and ran off. I’d be pretty mad too. Of course, Macaque was hesitant to begin with, and that’s fair. But he was already there, he could’ve tried. But Macaque has a habit of shying away from fights, only really fighting others to settle a score (S1 E9) or if he has to (LBD arc - both working for and against her, but the S1 E9 relates here, too.) I’m not saying this as an insult, more of an observation. He’s not a coward by any means, a coward would be Peng, who leaves mid-battle in fear of being hurt or losing. Macaque finishes his fights (still knowing when it’s reasonable to retreat), but more often then not prefers to prevent them in the first place. (WHICH IS WHY THE DIVORCE SCENE HITS SO HARD, you know he’s been bottling that up ;v;)

ANYWAY back on topic. I definitely think everything Wukong said there was true. I don’t think he was trying to lie or manipulate Macaque by saying “everything I did was for us”. This is further confirmed when we see him later, tired and completely defeated.

He has nothing to hide here. He’s at his lowest point, stuck in a mountain, tensions high from being abandoned by his sworn brothers, being abandoned by people he held dear. Macaque was trying to be nice, but if I were stuck in a mountain and offered food from someone who left me in such a vulnerable state? I probably wouldn’t take the it either. ALSO. We still have NOT seen these things from Wukongs perspective! Every single time something is revealed from his past, it’s narrated by Tang, Azure, Macaque, etc. Wukong has never (from my memory) spoken about his trials first-hand. This is why I love the guy so much!! What’s going on in his head? How does he feel about these things?

These are such complex characters who have been through so much, so it really bothers me when people look at Sun Wukong and decide to demonise him because of the past which, not only has he moved on from, but we have never even seen his side of the story on. Why did he kill Macaque? Did he kill Macaque? (I’ve seen theories he didn’t, we don’t know rn tho)

Wukong went through a lot of pain to change. Wukong is haunted by his past and in genuine distress over it. You can’t tell me this isn’t a man filled with deep remorse for his actions.

He’s not perfect, but he’s a hell of a lot better. It just really frustrates me that people disregard and discredit the work he put in to get to this point.

THATS IT THATS THE POST

This is really disorganised I’m sorry, I just keep seeing people act like Wukong is the scum of the earth and I honestly just do not get it.

Please don’t send asks about this post, just reblog or comment.

I don’t want to deal with passive aggressive (or just straight up aggressive) people.

As a final note: No, Wukong is not perfect. He’s still a deeply flawed character even with his development. No, Macaque isn’t the scum of the earth. They both have their own problems and they both fucked up. They both did something wrong. That’s the point.

#suki speaks #lmk #Lego monkie kid #sun wukong #lmk sun wukong #lmk wukong #wukong #lmk macaque #six eared macaque #analysis #? #more of a ramble #or a rant #it’s 11:30pm

[acoraxia]

Could you, pretty please 🥺, hand over the plot of the new au

"Heavy is the toll that comes from being raised by justice only to break free from his shackles and become a chaotic being alongside your other half."

the premise: What if Erlang took in SWK when he became the Bimawen instead of letting him escape and cause a Havoc in Heaven?

short explanation: Azure Lion tells Wukong that he should go to Heaven and, "Show them what a true king is worth!" only for Wukong to be stopped by Erlang from leaving the stables when he realizes Wukong is upset about being mocked and put into such a low status via tricking him. So Erlang takes him in under his wing and the plot of JTTW does continue but the events that lead up to Wukong being trapped under the mountain are different and QXT is sucked into this story by force.

Long Explanation: BUCKLE UP IT'S GOING UNDER THE READ MORE WIDGET! (WARNING! IT HAS SEASON 4 SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE ENTIRE SEASON YET!)

"Hold on, I'll try to give it another go."

Wukong is raised on FFM by the four stalwart generals Ma, Ba, Beng and Liu (not at all related to Liu'er Mihou/Macaque) and they're the ones who introduce SWK to the stories of the Gods such as Erlang, Nu Wa, the Jade Emperor and several other gods and myths from the Pantheon. Wukong finds them interesting but sees no reason to try and make any moves to invade Heaven or disturb them, seeking only his own immortality and that of his fellow monkies for he believes they should dictate when their time is up rather than succumbing to death just because it was "pre-written by destiny".

This leads to SWK finding his first Master and gaining his name, the events of erasing himself from the book and gaining his staff from Ao Guang, too. (Except, for a brief second as he waits for the dragon kings to finish assembling his weapons, he sees a tiny dragon boy hiding behind one of the stables and he plays with him, helping him adjust his sleeves so he doesn't trip over himself.)

Azure Lion on the other hand, is a general for the Jade Emperor in charge of securing the mortal realm and making sure to carry out his orders as told by the Jade Emperor which then leads to him learning of Sun Wukong and asks to form a brotherhood with him and his companions. (Around this time, Wukong has not yet introduced Macaque to anyone else as the latter is getting adjusted to joining SWK's mountain troop. He does not like the idea of Azure asking SWK to be his "beacon" of hope, though.)

When he asks Wukong to go to Heaven when he's invited by the Jade Emperor himself and, "Show them what a true king is worth," much to the Monkey's delight.

However.

Erlang Shen is present around this time instead of being away with his sworn brothers at his own temple, and he's there to greet the monkey king when he arrives. The two shake hands for a brief second and Erlang yanks his hand away when he realizes how much power Wukong has and wonders why he's being taken to the stables instead of being handed off to the Ivory Lady or himself to train.

The events go as follow:

Wukong meets the Ivory Lady and her War Chief while he's cleaning the stables and surprises her by engaging in conversation with her, stumping her with his own words of knowledge from when he studied under Master Bodhi.

Ivory Lady and Erlang converse about why Wukong might have accepted the invitation to come to Heaven if he knew he'd be given such a low status position.

They learn of Azure Lion being in Wukong's brotherhood from the monkey himself and connect the pieces together.

Ivory Lady suggests to Erlang that he take Wukong under his wing for, "Your plans to overthrow the throne may have to wait until you can get him on your side."

When Wukong learns of his status being the most lowly ranked one he tries to create havoc — only for Erlang to intercept and say, "I'll train you." and Wukong is unsure of this until Erlang says, "I can make you a legend. An actual legend, Sun Wukong. Not a stable boy or a false king."

When Azure Lion learns of this, he decides to send Macaque to convince Wukong to return to the brotherhood... only for Erlang to intercept that as well.

The actual Havoc In Heaven is much more traumatizing than it was in the show, with Wukong being betrayed not once but twice by everyone around him (even indirectly by Macaque).

Canon evens with the LMK timeline still happen with several changes added to make sure they coincide with the change of SWK's upbringing as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

(Hint, hint: he almost tore the Jade Emperor's head off and was only subdued when Erlang caught his wrist and said, "Brother, you're better than this," which allowed for Wukong to be captured :))

Silly funny AU moment :D any other questions?

#requiem au #lego monkie kid au #lego monkie kid s4 spoilers #lmk season 4 #💐🪷🥀 #yes 3 emojis because i am insane apparently #ask #rq au #lmk requiem au #lmk sun wukong #lmk azure lion #lmk erlang shen

[xjulixred45x]

OKAY! I HAVE SUCCUMBED TO THE VOICES OF MY LATEST HYPERFIXATION: LEGO MONKEY KID! UNTIL I SATISFY THEM I WON'T BE ABLE TO WORK ON ANY REQUEST! Get ready for the most absurd rants you've ever heard about Jttw, lmk AND EPIC THE MUSICAL! YOU ARE WARNED!

I find it somewhat funny how the vast majority of adaptations of Sun Wukong leave out that the Monkey King HAD A WIFE. a fucking wife that he KIDNAPPED AND FORCED TO BECOME HIS BRIDE.

She literally appears singing about this :'D before Nezha and his father rescue her.

and while I was learning about this, I couldn't help but think about the songs from Calypso, from Epic: the Musical (another recent hyperfixation) and in some way relate it to Monkey Kid.

after all, LMK's Wukong knows that the things he did when he was young were QUESTIONABLE to say the least (he literally said it) and that he regrets many things, and I wondered what his dynamic would have been like in that case with Jiaozi (his "wife ").

and that is precisely why I relate it to Love in Paradise in a certain way.

Like, we know that this Wukong definitely had good intentions, which were initially driven by good reasons, but which became more and more selfish, so here perhaps he could have brought Jiaozi to Flower Fruit Mountain as a direct response to 1- monkey logic + 2- after his trip to the west he needed a way to deal with loneliness and 3- demonic courtship is WILD.

Anyway, I can see this more (ONLY IN LMK) as a response to mourning and handling loss (the Brotherhood? Macaque? is up to your interpretation) and that he really doesn't know how to manage/communicate his emotions in a healthy way.

Imagine being Jiaozi, being taken from your comfortable princess life overnight, waking up in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE with a monkey man who is too... friendly to be a kidnapper?

Like, lmk's Wukong acts just like Calypso, with a lot of familiarity, his normal confident post-trip to the West self, explains the situation to Jiaozi (but in a much friendlier way than it really is) and she's like "uh HELL NO" but there really isn't much to do against the literal Monkey King, THE SAGE, THE EQUAL TO HEAVEN, and poor Jiaozi is having a full-blown crisis while Wukong doesn't understand why she's so distraught, don't she understand him? They have everything they want and need in the mountains!

Ironically other texts also described Wukong as a "spoiling husband who gave a lot of clothes/food/things to his wife" and that was probably the route he took after the beginning, Wukong has a lot of trash, but he was more than willing to share with Jiaozi as long as she was happy, that she wanted him back...love him Back.

He JUST doesn't understand the seriousness of the matter that KIDNAPPING YOUR SPOUSE REALLY IS...until Nezha and His Father come along.

Now, I don't think Wukong is stupid even before that happens, he would see Jiaozi's clear anguish, her sadness, the desire to return to her old life with her family, and although he consoles her and such, he is having a crisis, This is supposed to be normal, right? So why does he feel so bad when he sees her so distressed?

The glass fills slowly but surely.

I don't think he was a bad husband Per se, like I said, he was very pampering and such (maybe even Jiaozi sees him in a certain positive light, even if not as a husband, because of his good deeds of the past), but he had a big problem with taking things too lightly and not dealing adequately with his emotions.

so when he receives the ultimatum from Nezha and company, he has a very Im not Sorry for Loving You moment.

in which he does just that, he explains to Jiaozi that he let her go with Nezha, that he regrets having made her go through all this just out of selfish fear, and he very much regrets not regretting loving her even so (many years of being alone screwed him up a little head, so this type of interaction definitely marked his isolation even more in the future).

Even if in lmk Jiaozi doesn't keep track of him or anything like that, she makes it clear to him that she couldn't love him the way he wants her to love him. and it hurts, but it hurts good. because he learns from it.

(PS, it would be quite ironical if this Jiaozi marry Nezha of all people lol)

waaaaaaa I just love finding parallels between my hyperfixations, I will soon publish another one, but it will be much fluffier and from this same fandom.

(the songs that give the idea)

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

#drabbles #jttw sun wukong #jttw au #jttw #jttw media #jttw monkey king #lego monkie kid #lego monkey kid sun wukong #lmk #lmk sun wukong #tw kidnapping #i mean he was not exactly malicious #but HELLA incensitive #even if he tryed his best #jiaozi #the poor woman #she would be like “the shit i get into” after realizing WHO HE IS #epic the musical #calypso #SoundCloud

[samadhifired]

In JttW, changing ones name is quite common and usually accompanied by a big changes in their life (mostly for Buddhist reasons). And LMK seems to acknowledge this since they have used both the pre-Journey Zhu Ganglie as well as his later Zhu Bajie names when talking about the Pig Pilgrim.

And with this line of thought: there is no way that Iron Fan is is PIF's birth name.

Not only is it way too on the nose (unless PIF chose/was given her fan because of her name), she also has gone through a huge change in her life: abandoning her life as a Celestial Maiden and marrying DBK.

Which means... There is a huge opportunity for the show (or fanfic) writers to give her a double identity.

And part of me kinda hopes, if canon, that identity will be Yang Chan; the sister of Erlang Shen.

I mean think about it.

As Celestial, she was shown to have an equal standing with nephew and (kinda) grandson of the Jade Emperor. This makes it very likely that PIF is also related to the Jade Emperor in one way or another.

If she is Yang Chan, her mother would be Yunhua (Yaoji?); a goddess whose job by some sources was to "limit the gods' mortal urges such as love, greed, and ambition". Is it just me, or aren't those also major traits of Iron Fan as a character?

You could argue that DBK getting imprisoned under a mountain is loosely inspired by The Magic Lotus Lantern, the main story Erlang's sister is known for (forbidden marriage, parent getting imprisoned under a mountain by their brother, the son getting a weapon linked to Sun Wukong is a key item at freeing the said parent.)

IronBull family has been part of every single season so far. And when the time to choose the next Jade Emperor comes, it would be so easy for the writers to use PIF (who is still Celestial enough for Azure to refer her as such) as an excuse to get them involved in the progress. Double so if it actually turns out that PIF (and Red Son) has a claim for the throne.

The mere idea of Erlang and PIF as siblings is absolutely hilarios

#Lmk #Monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk princess iron fan #Lmk pif #lmk erlang #On the line with the ironbull-lotus lantern theory #Nezha could be PIF and DBK's lotus lantern #He is the lotus prince #And he is close enough with ironbull that he was present at the sealing of the samadhi fire #And the person Red Son run to after the Brotherhood's attack #Plus he seemed to care about Red #so Nezha helping to protect Ironbull in the past in otherways #like keeping the hidden from Celestial realm #could be plausible #Sf rambles

[sketching-shark]

Youve talked a lot about why you admire jttw's redemption arcs for acknowledging how fucked up everyone was beforehand but i just wanna show some appreciation for how everyone still retains parts of themselves that could be considered flaws in other narratives. like when SWK becomes a buddha, he's not a pacifist, he's the *fighting* buddha. and zbj celebrates gluttony and indulgence yet when he attains enlightenment his role still celebrates that as an altar-cleanser :>

Oh you are so genuinely big-brained for this anon.

YEAH YEAH YEAH when it comes to everyone's favorite ex-assholes' attainment of enlightenment and what this could mean for any potential Xiyouji sequels, there is just so many interesting possibilities and implications you can work with when it comes to the pilgrims' post-journey lives! I know they only get their new positions at the very end of Journey to the West--and given the assumedly "great"final" ending that is achieving enlightenment this is probably why a lot of jttw-related media taking place in the future either re-writes jttw in some major ways and/or has it that the pilgrims failed in their mission and/or became basically the complete opposite of who they once were--but as you say there's something really compelling in the idea that they were successful AND retained their core characteristics BUT with all the maturity and desire to do genuine good that they developed over the course of the journey and solidified with enlightenment. I think that's at least why a few people playing around with jttw sequels have the pilgrims' be more like boddhisatvas than buddhas, as from what I understand this means that they DID attain enlightement but have put off entering paradise in order to more actively help others achieve the same. I feel like that makes a lot of sense for the pilgrims too, as they all experienced the wide gamut of pain and desires that can drive a person down the paths of samsara, which could end up providing a strong foundation for compassion for others. Plus there is something very cool with the idea that the same traits--even ones like a willingness to violence, gluttony, etc--can be beneficial or detrimental depending on how they manifest. That really drives home the idea of just how much there's no such thing as a "naturally" wicked individual, but that so much of one's moral character depends on what one actually DOES.

So (just to put it down) with the pilgrims you have:

Sun Wukong as the Victorious Figthing Buddha/Buddha Victorious in Strife, whose role is now that of a great exorcist and a protector of children. Interestingly too this title also suggests his prowess in defeating the emotions that drive negative actions as well as his victory over cyclic existence, something that we definitely see him achieve for himself!

Tang Sanzang is the Buddha of Candana (Sandalwood) Merit, a figure that others call upon to help absolve them of sin and a title that seems to be attached to the idea that the fragrance of sandalwood can help cool the passions of sentient beings and help them settle their minds (i.e. the very reason Xuanzang wanted to undertake the journey in the first place & something that Tripitaka is seen as having a lot of practice with given who his tudi are!)

Zhu Bajie becomes Janitor of the Altars, which is a role indicating that he actually did NOT in the end achieve enlightenment because he is still beholden to his base desires, but that he will now be able to put his appetite to work in a beneficial way. Interestingly enough, it seems to have been partly because of his lowest rank among the pilgrims at the end that Zhu Bajie has recently been adopted as a patron deity for sex workers in Taiwan, as many of them feel that other more "legitimate" deities would but look down on them.

Sha Wujing becomes the Golden-Bodied Ahrat. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find much information on what exactly this role suggests besides that ahrats are perfected people who have freed themselves from the bonds of desire and therefore will not be reborn, so if anyone has more information please let me know!

Bai Longma is made one of the dragons belonging to the Eight Classes of Supernatural Beings, who from what I understand are an interesting mix of entities, from demons to nagas, who all work as Buddhist protectors. For me at least it's kind of neat to think of the possibilities of everyone's favorite dragon horse, after he seems to have been so thoroughly rejected by his own family, found a bigger one both in the pilgrims and then with these other supernaturals.

#anon answered #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #sun wukong #monkey king #tang sanzang #tripitaka #zhu wuneng #zhu bajie #sha wujing #bai longma #jttw au #kind of lol #anyway #moral of the story is that there's a LOT you could do with a post-journey sequel #that still works with what xiyouji set down

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok but extra slow boiled au JTTW gang would be absolutely unhappy with the idea of leaving Wukong all alone up on his mountain, especially after losing his mate. All of them would constantly visit him and for a time after their decendant should as well on the request of their ancestors, just to check up on the Monkey King. Obviously they don't keep it up, but for a good hundred years or so Wukong wasn't alone

Yeah, in the aus where Wukong loses Macaque (either by his hand or anothers), the Pilgrims aren't satisfied leaving him on his own after the Journey is said and done.

They sadly can't visit as often as they'd liked mainly because of their new statuses and readjusting to "normal" life again.

Master Tripitaka is the worst affected; being unable to get a moment of peace as the *new* Golden Cicada among the immortals. It pains him when he's forced to turn down a "mini-journey!" to FFM to visit his student. He regrets it so much that he feels that he's failed his student in this lifetime...

Zhu Bajie often claims that he doesn't care either way, but welcomes his brothers with open arms whenever they drop into Gao Village (now overrun with half-human demon piglets via his ex-ex-wife), and leaps at the chance to have a Boys Trip over to FFM to drink and recite poetry with his eldest bro again. He tries growing facial hair and Wukong roasts him for it every time.

Sha Wujing finds it the easiest to stay by Wukong's side since he can swim/sail across the water much better than any sailor. He recognises that Wukong isn't in a great mental space after such a tramatic loss, and wants to be a shred of normality that the monkey can count on. He rarely leaves the waters around FFM - even if his mode of transport has changed dramatically in last few hundred years.

Ao Lie visits almost literally every day. Evev with his royal duties increasing after the Journey, he ultimately finds ways to slip away to see his fave Bimawen. He eventually can't fly over anymore cus of (Samadhi Fire-related) health reasons, so Wukong changes the meet-up spot so he can Sommersault cloud the dragon over to the island instead.

As the visits got fewer and fewer, so did Wukong's connections to world beyond Flower Fruit Mountain...

#slow boiled stone egg au #century stone egg au #lmk aus #the monkey king and the infant #the monkey king and the infant au #sun wukong #lmk tripitaka #lmk zhu bajie #lmk sha wujing #lmk ao lie #lmk #lego monkie kid

[imminent-danger-came]

So, here's a thought about the idea that Qi Xiaotian is Underworld x Sun Wukong- in the original text, Macaque was a metaphor for a person's darker side, Wukong's darkest impulses. We never even saw what he actually looked like because he spent most of the chapter transformed into Wukong and he died.

So, maybe the whole harbinger thing is a reference to that. Wukong's darkest impulses are killed, maybe without a metaphor, and that part of his soul gets sent down to the Underworld. That part is scooped up, repackaged in the stone egg, and left to soak up Flower Fruit Mountain and Sun Wukong energy for an extra boost.

Dots are connecting, I'm probably not connecting shit, but dots are connecting.

I'm reading a summary of the jttw chapters (ch. 56-58) with the six-eared Macaque in them, and apparently "not even the imp-reflecting mirror [could] tell them apart" ("Origin of the Six-Eared Macaque and the Character’s Influence on Black Myth: Wukong" by JTTW Research). In lmk, this imp-reflecting mirror is the demon revealing mirror from 2x02, which I've had a lot of fun thinking about in reference to MK.

During Wukong and false-Wukong's fight, they traveled down to the underworld, and then they were sent to the Buddha who recognized the imposter immediately. The Buddha then gave an explanation of the 4 spiritual primates (which feels relevant to a conversation around MK and his relation to Wukong for obvious reasons), and he's able to identify Wukong's double as the six-eared Macaque. Macaque senses that he is in danger, and he turns into a bee to attempt to escape.

JTTW Research's article also brings attention to Wukong embodying the concept of a "Mind Monkey" (typically paired with the phrase "Idea Horse"), which is a Buddhist concept describing "restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control in one's thoughts". In the Villains Wiki (which isn't the most reputable source but it brings up an interesting concept), the six-eared Macaque is referred to as representing "what Wukong could become had the latter chose power and chaotic freedom over protecting Sanzang." This is in line with what Macaque highlights in 4x11, "Wukong was on a path of self-destruction—we all were. But when he met the monk, it set him on a different path."

Ch. 58 of JTTW also calls attention to the concept of "non-duality", and as JTTW Research discusses "One mind” (Sk: ekacitta; Ch: yixin, 一心) is a high-level philosophy and core tenet of many Buddhist schools that refers to a tranquil, immovable mind that encompasses non-duality". If an individual has two minds instead of one mind, "disasters he’ll breed; / He’ll guess and conjecture both far and near”. I find this idea of "non-duality" super interesting, especially in context with MK's two distinct identities: his identity as "MK" and his identity as the "Monkey Kid"—his identity as a "Regular Noodle Delivery Boy" and as a "Monkey Demon". MK is constantly at war with himself, and I feel that his path as a "Mind Monkey" involves the restlessness that comes with mental illness and neurodiversity. So MK's own path forward will involve him stepping off the path of self-destruction—which means reconciling the different parts of himself, to be "one mind".

Now, this doesn't offer an explanation for MK's origins, but I do think the concept of pre-stone MK being "what Wukong could become had he chosen power and chaotic freedom" is worth discussing. I've always posited/enjoyed the idea that Wukong gave MK a second chance (with the reincarnations of the pilgrims), just like Wukong himself was given a second chance. With MK being given the title of "Harbinger of Chaos" in s4, and Wukong's original trajectory being one of chaos, MK has the potential to go/have gone farther than his mentor ever did.

#Mind Monkey....Idea Horse....MK and Mei are best friends even in metaphors... #i'm gonna throw up #anyways these thoughts are kinda disorganized but I am losing my shit honestly #lmk #lego monkie kid #asks #eamk theory #lmk theory #jttw #lmk analysis #lmk MK #lmk SWK #lmk Macaque #The lmk writers are fucking geniuses #They made the modern day Tang Sanzang stand in gay and they made MK a mentally ill Mind Monkey #RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[digitaldoeslmk]

This a little too complicated for a ask but, how do Chinese demons work, how do they come into being, how do their powers work, how do they get their powers, what types exist, what is the general feel about them since it not totally extermination, what type of civilization they have, what can they make like how do they get there weapons and armor, how strong are they physically, and for a joke you think the Armstrong canon is a mortal weapon that a author might not have thought of they wrote a demon is immune to all mortal weapons. (This why you don’t power scale historic mythical figures DEATHBATTLE.)

welcome back, bud! and, hoo boy that's a lot of questions ajhdadbjawdw

i'm assuming you mean in my au, but for most of them, i gotta point towards actual folk religion beliefs, since that is what i'm leaning on. and as most thing with real mythology, it's Complicated xvx

so, Chinese demons come in many shapes and sizes and have multiple origins and power levels, sometimes (but not always) related to their origins. i'd have to direct you to my own sources, aka the ever wonderful @journeytothewestresearch and his articles!

this one explains some of the basics and a few nuances of JTTW demons while also offering the book from which the information was acquired, and the one below is a wonderful compilation of a myriad deities in folk religion, as well as some info on how worship and the pantheon functions.

but for the sake of convenience, i'll do a quick run down under the read more uwu

to make a very complicated and deep topic veeery short, though. demons (Yao) are simply one class of being, like mortals and immortals. some demons (Yaoguai) are animals who cultivated (either through the Dao or Buddhist merit) themselves into demonhood. some become cultivated enough to shed their animal form and assume human form, which is generally considered pretty advanced. sometimes, they are just animals that for some reason grew to be Very Old, grew very large, and became demons. sometimes, they are restless spirits who lingered and cultivated into Yaojing. some even, are celestials and immortals who committed some misdeed or crimes, and were punished into being demons, either for a set time or until they've redeemed themselves somehow.

overall they don't have a specific "civilization", they are also part of the Middle Kingdom (the mortal realm) and exist within it or on the skirts of it. most of them are not unlike highwaymen or a very dangerous animal; they attack people on roads, they have mountain lairs and call themselves "mountain kings" over the region they control, etc. as demons, they often are on a bad path, killing and stealing and causing grief wherever they are, and so the locals learn to avoid them as much as possible and call on exorcists if the demons become too much of an issue. but there are demons who seek a better path, cultivate on their own without causing mischief, and those may even gain an appointment in the heavenly bureaucracy.

in very short terms, you were reborn in a lesser tier of the reincarnation realms and thus you have to work your way back into the human path by doing good deeds, or you dig yourself a deeper grave by causing chaos. generally, humans fear demons because they more often than not cause chaos, illnesses, bad luck, etc. and if uncovered, they'll likely be expelled from wherever they are.

as for weapons, some of them are let's say signature weapons. in Esoteric Buddhism and folk religion, how a deity is depicted is imperative to asking for their blessing or summoning them; their pose, colors, clothes, mudras, chants, and indeed even weapons, are very clearly detailed so that you won't be fooled by a masquerading demon impersonating them. therefore some deities are assigned weapons as the signifier of who they are. for example, Sun Wukong has had many forms and depictions over the years, but you Know it's him by the Ruyi Jingu Bang. same for Bajie and his rake.

however, some are weapons that were stolen in some way or another from higher beings. a common trope in JTTW is that demons were acolytes or underlings from higher deities, and left service with a few trinkets from their masters, which are then returned once the demons are defeated.

as for what they can do, a few are depicted as being able to produce pills of immortality for instance, from their own merit as cultivators, so again depending on their level of cultivation, they can accomplish quite a lot.

and if i remember right, Wukong himself is a demon (sorta) who is impervious to mortal weapons. he cultivated to reach Copper Head Iron Arms, a skill that makes him impervious of any attack. he also has his warding circle, in which he draws a circle on the ground with him staff, and everything and everyone within the circle is protected.

EDIT: depending on the region and myth, you might also see yaksha and rakshasa being mentioned. they are imports from India thanks to Esoteric Buddhism, but like demons, there are good and bad individuals among them. i don't know enough about Hinduism and Esoteric Buddhism to go in-depth on the topic, but know that they are Different But Similar xvx

#jttw #journey to the west #chinese folk religion #daoism #buddhism

[ryin-silverfish]

Chapter 19: Pearls before Swine

-Pigsy started off the chapter with a long poem about his backstory, full of internal alchemy jargons that were mostly explained in the footnotes. So, instead of going into details, I'm just gonna talk about the general idea of "Reversal" in internal alchemy, namely, the reversal from Houtian("Post-Heaven") to Xiantian("Pre-Heaven").

-The trigram on the left of this picture is the Xiantian Trigram, aka Fuxi's Trigram, while the one on the right, the Houtian Trigram, aka King Wen's Trigram. Notice how in the former, the north and south position is occupied by Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth), while in the latter, it's Li and Kan (Fire and Water)?

-Well, according to internal alchemy theory, the "Qian" of the Xiantian Trigram represents the primodial state of human existence, where the Spiritual Mind(元神) and Vital Energy(元气, or Qi) are one. Separated after birth, they morph into the "Li" and "Kan" of the Houtian Trigram, after the middle "⚊" in "☰", representing Vital Energy, switches place with the middle "⚋" in "☷" and causes the Spiritual Mind to become Yin-aligned.

-Cultivation is supposed to reverse the Li-Kan of Houtian back to the Qian-Kun of Xiantian through the fusing of the Spiritual Mind and Vital Energy, granting practitioners immortality in the process. Thus, the allusion to the "Li-dragon" and "Kan-tiger" in the poem.

-On a tangentially related note, according to the Book of Changes(周易), the Kan trigram is represented by the pig, which is but another example of the long-lasting tradition of associating pigs with the Water element in ancient Chinese culture.

-Fast forward to Pigsy officially joining the group: his religious name, Zhu Eight Rules, could be a reference to the 8 Buddhist prohibitions against killing, lying, stealing, sexual debauchery, indulgence in luxury, drinking, dancing and music, and eating out of regular hours.

-However, if we look at the sentence before that, Tripitaka states that Pigsy had "not eaten the five forbidden viands and the three undesirable foods"(五荤三厌). The first 5 refers to the Buddhist dietry restriction against five sorts of pungent vegetables, while the 3 undesirable foods are Daoist prohibitions against the consumption of wild geese, dogs, and fish/turtle.

-Personal story—I first read the full JTTW novel while hospitalized, and still vividly remembered how the book I borrowed from the nurse happened to be missing several pages in the Crow's Nest Master section. Anyways, who is this guy that popped out of nowhere just to give Tripitaka the Heart Sutra and make digs at his disciples?

-He appeared to be an amalgation of two figures:

1) The "Bird's Nest Master" recorded in the Buddhist history compendium 五灯会元, who lived atop a pine tree in Hang Zhou and was visited by the famous poet Bai Juyi. After Bai voiced some rather reasonable safety concerns about the whole "living on a tree" thing, he retorted that the poet was in an even more dangerous situation, sth sth being an official of the court is like amidst flames sth.

2) The filthy, sickly man who appeared in Xuanzang's biography, 大慈恩寺三藏法师传, and taught him the Heart Sutra in return for the monk's kindness, which would later ward him from demons and ghosts during the crossing of the desert.

-It's kinda fun to imagine him as an actual cultivated crow, working to attain Buddhahood, tho.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

#journey to the west #jttw book club #xiyouji #jttw reading group

[nikofortuna]

JTTW Chapter 5 Thoughts

Caught up to Chapter Five for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

While Heaven was mostly at fault for the trouble in the last chapter, this time around it is Sun Wukong who messes up plentiful.

But for the time being he’s making friends again! This time travelling around in Heaven!

Related to this I firmly believe they made a mistake assigning him to look after the Garden of Immortal Peaches not just for the obvious reason. He takes his job very seriously much like the previous one and that is kind of presenting as an issue here. He doesn’t socialize as much anymore.

As for the obvious reason this was a clear mistake on Heaven’s part, they put someone, who is very much still a monkey at the end of the day, in charge of delicious fruits. What were they expecting would happen? Him not eating any? Now that was just plain foolish.

There is a much better and somewhat obvious job he could have done instead. Delivering messages, something that has been mentioned by the Daoist disciples in chapter two and that he pretended to do in his scheme towards the Barefoot Immortal. His cloud is faster than most as a matter of fact, something the Gold Star definitely knows. This way he’d also socialize more and would have a change of scenery regularly, so it would be far less likely for him to get bored, which was their concern to begin with.

About the peach trees themselves, those taking thousands of years to ripen, so they mean Earth years or Heaven years? I’d say Earth years as I asked how years are counted in Heaven before and the common consensus was that they are almost always counted in Earth years. So it still takes quite a while for them to grow, but not nearly as long if you live in Heaven as well.

I don’t quite understand why Sun Wukong immobilized the Seven-Gown Immortal Maidens. They didn’t object to staying in the garden for a little while longer until he gets back. In fact he didn’t even give them a chance to respond at all.

At this point I would like to mention what are arguably my favourite designs for the Immortal Maidens, which are from the movie My Son Goku by Tezuka Productions. Though they are missing the White-Gown Maiden, the lady to the very right in the first screenshot being the Lady Queen Mother herself.

Also this perfect screenshot I got by chance.

Since before starting this journey of reading the book only having seen various movies, I used to be under the impression that Sun Wukong took from the Festival of Immortal Peaches, because he was upset that he wasn’t invited. But nope, that is not the case actually! It was simply because he couldn’t restrain himself. Silly monkey, that particular string of trouble he got into was on him and him alone.

He does believe he was not invited, but that is something he only mentioned after the fact, so I’m inclined to believe in the moment he arrived at the banquet without actually knowing if he was invited or not he acted purely on impulse. Back at Huaguoshan he excused his behaviour assuming he wasn’t invited, which he never actually found out for certain.

When the other Demon Kings got captures during the siege of Huaguoshan, I’d like to think Sun Wukong talking about them not being monkeys and thus not really their concern towards his four commanders was more him telling himself that in an effort to cope.

Before, he did already display some troublesome behaviour towards the Dragon King who tried to accommodate him as best as he could. In the last chapter he didn’t necessarily overreact when leaving Heaven for the first time given what we know, and otherwise behaved rather well. However this chapter he stepped out of line in ways that were not okay without proper reason and is dragging his friends and family into it as well. One might have noticed by now that I’m a rather avid Great Sage defender, but I can’t defend actions that are without excuse.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #jttw #my son goku #osamu tezuka #sun wukong #monkey king #immortal peaches #jttw reading group #jttw book club

[jttw-monkeybusiness]

Quick question

Why are you tagging this as “x reader” if it’s just a self insert??

One reason is that Sophie used to represent a reader, the second reason is that her nickname is a reader which Wukong gave her bc she likes to read!

I know it's a bit of a grey area if I should use that # but I feel like even if Sophie has a name and a personality people can still relate to her or maybe see themselves in her someway (at least that's what I hope). I know some people who read fanfictions they don't necessarily read reader or y/n the way as they originally is used. Instead they make a name.

Some people might disagree with me on this one and think that I can't use this # bc I gave personality and background for Sophie and some don't mind. If this causes too much trouble I will think about it to remove that #. But until then I don't feel its necessary 👌

(I mean people tag my JTTW art as Lego Monkey Kid even if it doesn't have anything to do with it but I don't mind it honestly)

EDIT: Also, there is no self-insert in this au on my end. I just want to make this clear bc when I describe the thing I use the narrator's POV. 'Sophie thinks/says/does' 'she thinks / they feel' etc. etc. Altho it might confuse some people bc I can be strict on how realistically I want Sophie to interact or feel, it's just part of trying to make the believable bc she is from our world.! 😌✨

#personal questions

[unsound-unbody]

i think this (chapter 9) is probably my favorite chapter of journey to the west so far. it's the first real human narrative we see, but beyond that, idk, I tried to read jttw on my own a few years ago and this chapter stood out to me even then for reasons I still don't really quite understand. I was talking about this with someone recently, the concept of cultivating merits to neutralize bad consequences from deeds in past lives like what happens with chen guangrui, and there's something really special about it here. i wonder if it's meant to be just an element of the story, or if there's spiritual allegory in it, or both, or just if there are any commentaries about it. but also just the dragon palace as a location has always really interested me because of my parallel interest in underwater cities. but idk, i just have always really like this chapter for some reason.

another thing too is just i think monkey is so relatable. his pride, his inability to really consider consequences, his regrets mostly being tied to other people punishing him. i've always liked him but i never thought trying to read this again i would relate to him so much lol

#journey to the west #jttw #journeytothewest-daily

[acoraxia]

Im not complaining cause i love shadowpeach, but im suprised you didnt take the brothers route lots of people do, especially since youre very big on expanding swk's family. Is there a reason?

“You are such a gem” and “His beloved friend” really struck gold for me

Also I read JTTW before LMK and my vision of SEM being his own character not at all related to SWK apart from being one of the four celestial primates was seared into my brain

Not to mention their adoration and fixation on each other is interesting in a way that reads off as something unique to them but definitely not familial? Idk how to explain it haha

But yeah I really enjoy them as a pair/qpr/ship which is funny because I dislike/cannot digest any other ship on LMK

Not even freenoodles anymore haha