#based on gibbons and mandrill

[cryptobranchiidae]

The emperor

Ancient and moss covered, he never moves from his place in the court of the dead

[violetjedisylveon]

Older gay monkeys*

*i know one of them is an ape

Tongbei Yuanhou(left) and Chikao Mahou(right) are the first celestial primates.

They are much older than Wukong and Macaque. And they're just a gay but much healthier about it.

When the pillar of creation first broke, all the chaos that flooded into the realm needed to go somewhere so boom, you got a gibbon made from the waters flooding the realm and a mandrill made from fires. They literally popped into the end of the world and had to deal with that on their first day of existing.

They are much less problematic than their youngers, they're still nuisances, but they aren't nearly as destructive about it. And they have more useful powers.

Mahou did a lot of work in the underworld cause they're powers are basically being socially aware and a good judge of people. And not dying.

Has knowledge of yin and yang, Understands human affairs, Is adept in its daily life And able to avoid death and lengthen its life.

Yuanhou did work in the celestial realm as basically a glorified moving man, he just moved shit around.

Seize the sun and the moon, Shorten a thousand mountains, Distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious, And manipulate planets and stars

They knew each other before they started their respective jobs because they came into existence the same day and immediately clocked that they're a pair. Somewhere along the line they found themselves in a romantic relationship don't ask them how, neither of them know.

They are on good terms with most people, mostly because they aren't nearly as annoying as their disaster gay youngers, and they like to hang with Buddha cause they don't got much to do that often, their nominal bosses would like to have a word about that but never get their attention long enough.

Buddha sent them to oversee Macaque after his fight with Wukong during the journey, they were basically his parole officers guiding him away from revenge and towards self improvement. Cause they ship the disaster monkeys and need them to talk shit out. It worked and they get a niece out it.

They've been chilling since they let their kids take over their duties, their kids are better at it than they are anyway(cause they actually do it). And now they spend their time hanging with their buds, making Mount Everest taller, and watching their favorite gay monkeys be not disasters and functional for once. (they'll be back to disaster gay status soon enough)

They show up in chapter 13 of Little Star, and I finally got character art done before the chapter they first appear in.

I based Mahou's design on a mandrill even though most of what I've seen is him as a baboon, because mandrills have brighter colored face masks in the references I was looking through. Yuanhou's mask is an upside down five points star because of his whole moving celestial bodies thing.

Yuanhou is also the only one who is not a monkey, he's an ape and therefore the reason why they are celestial primates and not just celestial monkeys.

Cracked Family AU Masterpost

[journeytothewestresearch]

Ty! On that note, what is the most accurate translation when describing the Four Monkeys? The Red-Buttocked Monkey in particular because you’ve got translations like horse monkey, baboon, and possibly mandrill? I’m also interested in their abilities and would please like a reliable source on what each is capable of.

Your best source for the abilities of the four primates is JTTW. I have altered Anthony C. Yu's translation of the names to make them more accurate:

“The first,” said Tathagata, “is the Stone-Monkey of Numinous Wisdom [Lingming shihou, 靈明石猴], [1] who Knows transformations, Recognizes the seasons, Discerns the advantages of earth, And is able to alter the course of planets and stars. The second is the Red-Buttocked Horse-Monkey [Chikao mahou, 赤尻馬猴], who Has knowledge of yin and yang, Understands human affairs, Is adept in its daily life And able to avoid death and lengthen its life. The third is the Long-Armed Gibbon [Tongbi yuanhou, 通臂猿猴], who can Seize the sun and the moon, Shorten a thousand mountains, Distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious, And manipulate planets and stars. The fourth is the Six-Eared Macaque [Liu’er mihou, 六耳獼猴] who has A sensitive ear, Discernment of fundamental principles, Knowledge of past and future, And comprehension of all things. These four kinds of monkeys are not classified in the ten categories [of life], nor are they contained in the names between Heaven and Earth” (based on Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 115). 如來道：「第一是靈明石猴，通變化，識天時，知地利，移星換斗；第二是赤尻馬猴，曉陰陽，會人事，善出入，避死延生；第三是通臂猿猴，拿日月，縮千山，辨休咎，乾坤摩弄；第四是六耳獼猴，善聆音，能察理，知前後，萬物皆明。此四猴者，不入十類之種，不達兩間之名。

One late-Qing source, New Dialect (Xinfangyan, 新方言, early-20th-c.), associates “horse-monkey” (mahou, 馬猴) with various iterations of Chinese terms for macaque monkeys:

"Bathing-monkey” (muhou): “mother-monkey” (muhou); mother-monkey (muhou): “full-monkey” (mihou) – these are called “horse-monkey” (mahou), the sound of each one changing [in turn]. 沐猴：母猴；母猴：彌猴，令人謂之馬猴，皆一音之轉。(the original doesn’t have punctuation)

And since the stone-monkey is Sun Wukong, the celestial primates consist of three macaques and one gibbon.

Here is my article on the four celestial primates:

[lagt-duck]

Day 30 of Monkey May!

Monkey!

Aka

The BEST MONKEYS, celestial kind~ for those of you that have a keen eye you would notice that macaque eyes already made an appearance in this challenge!

More lore about them under read more

Okay so in order they are

Baboon Gibbon Wukong and Macaque

Baboon Is in part inspired by a mandrill but mostly for the dark fur color, he has a yin yang symbol as eye in both eyes, to reference his descriptor by Buddha.

Then Gibbon, mostly I based on aesthetic space art, and how I personally draw sunsets, he even gets sparkly anime eyes because of that XD, again the space/star theme is because of his descriptor, which he shares some parts with Wukong but I think wukong is more defined by his transformations then his planet and stars part.

Then of course we have Wukong

And last everyone's favorite Macaque, who's design is mostly based on vibes EXCEPT the fur.

This is because in my designs all the celestial monkeys were born with white/very light fur, but then after some personal growth they grow into their actual fur color.

Wukong fur is actually golden but he has to outgrow the fact that he is a bit charred by the furnace!

If you guys have more questions feel free to blast me about it!!!

As always the challenge belongs to @vorpaldoodles who deserves your attention!

[rainbow-beanie]

Okay hear my put shadowpeach au Wukong gets pregnant with twins but plot twist the twins are the other 2 spiritual/celestial monkeys The Red Bottom Mandrill and The Long Armed Gibbon. Just a little food for thought because they're both mentioned in the macaque chapter and it could be a hint from buddha. Idk the idea is probably kinda silly with not much base.

Ps: you don’t need to reply if you don’t what to or think this is stupid.

Nah, this idea is actually pretty cool! @pageofheartdj I know you’re busy with toh stuff right now, but what do you think of this?

i really like the twist that wukong would give birth to the finale spiritual monkeys, even more so if they keep the same coloration of one of their parents, the red bottom mandrill having black fur like macaque, and the long armed gibbon having golden/orange fur like wukong

Thank you for the ask! It makes me very happy 😊

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - Zarude

893: Zarude

The last Pokemon until this Fall is another Mythical, by the name of Zarude. And god DANGIT guys. What is with your fascination with Grass type primates??? Now we got two in the very same generation! Oh, but I suppose I'll have to let it slide this time because Zarude is... actually kinda cool? Of course I was a little annoyed when they teased Zarude through a silhouette in a Coro Coro magazine just like the old days. Just because from the on-set you could tell it was yet another monkey. Like, I get it! Primates are neat because they're smart and so much like us humans! But can we chill with the monkey monsters please!

Zarude's design itself actually ends up looking pretty sweet, though. I suppose the head is as good a place to start as any, and what a gnarly looking visage it is. Its face has a cool mask-like appearance between its face markings slightly evocative of a skull, sunk-in mean eyes and bared teeth that would make a Socialist furry squeal. The general shape of its head is neat too.

Reinforcing the mean skeleton look is the rib cage-like pattern on its chest too. This design is so clean in general. No aspect feels like it's taken a step too far or is cluttered. Just the right amount of colors. Good use of design real-estate! My only criticism about the design itself is that it's fairly unambiguously a monkey, but it's still just a really cool monkey design in its own right.

It's also fairly unique in body shape as far as monkey Pokemon go? Not quite as unique as Primape, But nearly all primate Pokemon from Aipom-onwards just about has the same general proportions to them. Pre-evolved form is a tiny cartoon monkey and the evolved form is a bigger cartoon monkey. Zarude here definitely captures the more ferocious side of primates, which can look REALLY frightening when they're angry. They also have proportions, claws, and fangs that closely resemble a mandrill, but with other aspects of monkeys thrown in for good measure. Most notably the long tail and coloration more like a gibbon.

Speaking of colors... the color scheme here is... mwah. Chef's kiss. I DO have an affinity for things in nearly-all-black but the dash of green is a REALLY nice look too. Not to mention the extra splash of menace the red eyes give!

As it turns out, Britain had quite the fascination with monkeys and apes. They were commonly brought back from expeditions, but there was also said to be a moneky cryptid by the name of “Shug Monkey”, which is presented as a half-dog, half-monkey creature that was jet black and lived in a section of the country overgrown with plantlife at the time. While a bit downplayed, you could definitely see Zarude's snout as more closely resembling a wolf's than a monkey's. I'd definitely say that's where the design should've been pushed more if a Shug Monkey was in fact a part of Zarude's inspiration; to lean harder into it being half dog and half primate.

The plant part comes in with its rather obvious vines wrapped around its limbs that it uses for attacks. They evidently have healing properties to them as well, rejuvenating plant life when they fall off and decompose. Despite its Dark type and its mean demeanor, it's surprisingly something of a healer! It has the signature move “Jungle Healing”, which heals itself and an ally of not just HP but also any status conditions.

It's also presented as a pack animal, living with several more Zarude. While a rarity for Mythicals, there being more than one isn't completely unheard of with Pokemon like Genesect or Meltan existing. It also isn't completely out there in terms of the monkey theme either. Many monkey species out there are unfortunately endangered, all the way down to a point where an single social group or pack makes up the entire global population of said monkey species. While a “Myth”, Zarude is moreso portrayed like its pack are the last ones of its kind. Man! Just how many Pokemon in this generation are secretly “sad when you really think about it”? ):

And fitting in one more British myth and story, Zarude also could have some similarities on the story based on good old Tarzan. Though this part is probably gonna be covered in the upcoming movie more than it'll come into play for the game's lore. That said, there is an “alternate form” of Zarude called “Dada Zarude”. Supposedly being the father figure that raised the human child “Tarzan”, or in this case, Koko.

WELL, color me surprised! They made a primate Pokemon that I actually really like. And it only took them twelve tries!

Personal Score: 9/10

[journeytothewestresearch]

I did a quick study of the celestial primates. You can read it here:

https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2022/02/20/a-quick-study-of-the-four-celestial-monkeys-from-journey-to-the-west/

This is what I found:

Anthony C. Yu (Wu & Yu, 2012) calls the horse monkey a “baboon” (vol. 3, p. 115, for example), likely based on the common image of the primate having a red bottom. And while searching “馬猴” does pull up images and articles about the Mandrill, a large, colorful cousin of the baboon (example), I can’t find any reliable historical sources linking the animal with the term. Having said that, this book associates it with the ancient Chinese practice of putting monkeys in horse stables (majiu husun, 馬廄��猻) to ward off equine sicknesses, making it a "horse’s monkey”. This naturally has connections to Sun Wukong’s time as the Bimawen, or keeper of the heavenly horses. This is the most convincing explanation for the horse monkey that I’ve seen, but I’ll make sure to update the article if any other plausible reasons arise. As for the red bottom, this is likely the sexual swelling of females. I’ll spare you a picture; just imagine a bright pink pumpkin that’s about to explode.

and most interesting of all:

The [quoted passages above show] that, at one time or another, all four of the celestial primates are present on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. The Stone Monkey of Numinous Wisdom (a.k.a. Sun Wukong) is born and lives as a king on the mountain. The Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey and the Tongbei/bi Gibbon serve as his advisors and officers. And the Six-Eared Macaque becomes his sworn brother and often visits him there. This might suggest that the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit is the birthplace of all four primates. If one magic primate can be born there, then all of them can.

I only found the horse monkey mentioned in one other novel, but it’s later and has no real baring on JTTW. See note #2 on my article.

Sketch Request for @sketching-shark

I have a lot to say about this one. I'm putting it all below the cut:

Let me start by saying this is the last of the three requests I got before I updated my rules, and I am not drawing a background like this for the others. Ya'll already know how I feel about backgrounds.

And sorry this took so long but I'll explain why below

-

Sketching-shark...buddy...friend...my dude, why you gotta put me back on my bullshit???

"idk if this is something you'd be interested in imagining/portraying-"

DUDE, DO YOU KNOW THE SELF-RESTRAINT I PLACED ON MYSELF TO MAKE THE SHADOW OF THE KING AU CANON COMPLIANT????

I WAS BARELY HOLDING BACK, I HAVE SO MANY CONCEPTS IN MY FOLDERS I WASN'T LETTING MYSELF USE, BUT THESE MONKIES HAVE WORMED THEIR WAY INTO MY HEART AND MIND, HOW DARE-

FUCK IT, THIS IS EXPANDING INTO THE LEGO MONKIE KID TIMELINE. AND I'M SHOVING THESE TWO INTO IT.

I WANT TO HUG YOU AND SHAKE YOU AT THE SAME TIME.

-

Firstly, this drawing was an EXPERIENCE. I knew about the four spiritual primates, but the other two are mentioned once each in the entirety of jttw. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find like ANY other information about like what they're intended to represent/symbolize in jttw, but I came up pretty much empty. Though I did find out that they can also be translated to be called the "The Four World-Wrecking Monkeys."

Anyway, meet Cháng-bì Yuán [left] and Mǎ hóu [right], aka the Long-Armed Ape and Bare-bottomed Horse Monkey. I really hope their names translated the way I wanted them to.

I have spent so many hours trying to figure out their species and designs.

I originally intended to design Cháng-bì off of an extinct species of gibbon, but I was unable to find any reconstructions or artistic renditions of any of the three extinct species, so I decided to leave Cháng-bì's specific species vague.

Mǎ hóu on the other hand was far more complicated. Some translations called her a bare-bottomed ape, or horse monkey, and others said baboon. I have no idea what a "horse monkey" is and my searches didn't yield much. It definitely didn't help that baboons are not native to Asia. I decided to make her a gelada, cause they live in grasslands and eat grass which is kinda horse-like I guess? They also have these gorgeous manes and lion-like tails. (Have you seen their teeth? That shit gave me nightmares as a kid)

Cháng-bì's clothing gave me a bit of trouble. I know gibbons have long arms, but drawing them is so weird since my brain tells me she's heavily disproportionate. I covered her arms with sleeves both because I like the look, and it helps me ignore her arm length.

I looked up a lot of different styles of hanfu before settling on this one for Cháng-bì. I actually finished this pic like two days ago, but I went back and completely redesigned her hanfu cause I really didn't like it. I don't think this will be her final look, same for Mǎ hóu. I have a number of issues with both of their clothing. Cháng-bì's collar and embroidery looks off. And do me a favor and pay as little attention to Mǎ hóu's armor as humanely possible. But this gives me a pretty good starting point.

I am not the best at clothing design, as you've probably noticed by now...

I can't find much information on them outside of their one mention in jttw. I'm not expecting that they themselves appear anywhere, but like what do they mean?? What do they represent? What would be proper powers to give them? Cause currently Cháng-bì's possible abilities sound the most terrifying.

Guys, I need answers, I need information. Or ideas or something. I am not knowledgeable enough in the Chinese mythos to plan these two out the way I want to. I have a very vague idea about their pasts and personalities, but nothing I'm comfortable with solidifying.

Any form of help or resource is very welcome.

Overall, this was a pretty fun mini project. I even got to draw a protective SWK.