#jttw television

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Legend of Flower Fruit Mountain (2021) 花果山传

Genre: Animation

Country/Region of Production: Mainland China

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Date: 2021-04-03 (Mainland China)

Number of seasons: 1

Episodes: 2

Single episode length: 6 minutes

Type: Retelling

Summary:

The Legend of Flower Fruit Mountain has been circulating in the Three Realms. In order to keep the Three Realms safe, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, fought against the world-destroying demon the Six-Eared Macaque. And in the end they finally died together. But is this really the case, and who spread the rumor? What is hidden behind it? Where did the disappearing Monkey King go?

At the same time, Sun Wukong and LiuEr, two god monkeys, were born in Flower Fruit Mountain. The two split up to learn art, however, when LiuEr returned, Sun Wukong has been suppressed by the Heavenly Court under the Five Elements Mountain. LiuEr fights against the Heavenly Court to save Sun Wukong, and Flower Fruit Mountain was in flames of war. At the critical moment, Sun Wukong broke through the shackles of the Five Elements Mountain, and the two brothers fought together.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/35426100/

Link: https://www.bilibili.com/bangumi/play/ep396008?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.-1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk5Dded9MF4&ab_channel=%E5%8A%A8%E6%BC%AB%E9%A2%91%E9%81%93

[quitealotofsodapop]

[bonding experience/enrichment.]

Just food? What about things like theater, since SWK does know Mac was interested in that?

Wait...when did musicals become a thing?

Don't worry! The gang take Macaque out on all sorts of activities when he's up for it, not just food.

Macaque quickly gets a hang of television and films, much to SWK's surprise. ("It's recorded on wax and film and projected using light and electric signals. It's not that hard to understand.") But the second Tang mentions seeing a live version of a musical like say Les Miserables, then Macaque *immediately* wants in.

"Modern" theatre has been around since about 1800s, but theres a lot of variation depending on where you were in asia at the time of Jttw. A lot of stage shows in China during the pre-Tang dynasty were song and dance dramas recreating real life events, or battles. Shadow Puppetry (like with Mac enjoys) became a thing during the Han Dynasty (140 – 87 BCE). Depending on when Macaque passed away, he could have been exposed to the romantic-comedy era of Zaju theatre in the Song (960–1279) dynasty.

Macaque really doesn't like crowds, but he can attend a live show as long as he has someone to ground him. The first musical the others bring him to is one that infamously uses shadow puppetry in it's effects; The Lion King.

Macaque is silent for the entire production, so much so that the others think he's bored stiff - except for Wukong who knows what Mac looks like when he's completely enthralled. And because Mac has been subconciously clutching SWK's hand since "Circle of Life".

The second "King of Pride Rock" finishes, Macaque jumps to applaud and cheer. He gets so excited talking about the effects and music afterwards that he can't stop stimming (hand flapping and jumping into his shadows) and ends up crashing asleep the second him and Wukong get home. He's the kinda guy to bring flowers to throw on stage for the actors.

He gets so infamous at the theatre as a frequent and supportive guest, that he gets offered a job working there. Mac quickly accepts. Macaque presents his first shadow play that very halloween at a children's matinee - a few traditional fairytales (like the story of Chang'e and Hou yi, and the tales of Nuwa), capped off with his infamous "The Hero and the Warrior" story, with a slightly more... hopeful ending. He's gets a little flustered when the kids starts asking "Did the Hero and the Warrior get married after?" at the end. Especially when he remembers that Wukong (along with the rest of the gang + Nezha) came to support his opening show. His shows become very popular for all the effort and heart he puts into them, and his insane shadow puppetry skills. Ends up with a few friends/co-workers from the theatre who kinda know he's The Six Earred Macaque, but they aren't saying anything.

Some extra theatre/musical hcs I have for the LMK characters:

Current favorite musicals/plays of Macaque's include; Wicked (the themes of persecution, the unfairness of history, broken friendships, and grief really speaks to him), The Phantom of the Opera (only he understands the motivations of a drama king), and Mamma Mia (he likes the Abba songs).

Wukong gets bored like... real easily. He's a comedy guy. But he'd rather be bored watching something with Macaque than alone. He tries to underplay how interested he is in things cus he thinks he's just annoying people. He accidentally "WHOA!"ed loudly the first ever time he ever saw the live costume change/transformation in Beauty and the Beast. He got really embarassed, until Mac backed him up with his own excited hooting. He also really enjoyed Great Gatbsy ("That wasnt exactly a musical, peaches." "It had a lot of songs though." "Fair point.").

Pigsy doesn't really care for musicals, prefers straight acting. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't cry during The Waitress.

Tang is a Nerd. A big history Nerd. He has seen almost every historical musical and play there is, and critiques them harshly for accuracy. Except for Hamilton - he will relent for the eye and ear candy alone.

Nezha has really old fashioned tastes. He likes traditional chinese opera. His fave is "The Heavenly Maid Scatters Blossoms". He also liked "Matilda".

Princess Iron Fan and DBK have seen "Romeo and Juliet" like hundreds of times, in multiple languages. PIF stopped seeing the show after her husband was imprisoned. She does however have a ridiculously in-depth knowledge of Shakespeare and other Elizabethan era plays. DBK unashamedly loves sappy romantic musicals, and will sing the love songs to PIF when he can.

So yeah. Lots of theatre enrichment for the drama king himself.

[cloud-somersault]

I agree with your point on wukong having other priorities that aren't just all Maacque. (as much as I love shadowpeach) I want to see wukong just like...fucking gardening, or building a fence, or shit going to his favorite spot off mountain to have a picnic and oversee a town getting sacked by raiders and just steps in cuz they are gonna ruin his lunch! Yeah I agree, they need to also live their life!

aw, that would be cute! Wukong gardening 🥺💕 Like, actually putting in the work instead of relying on magic. But yeah, he should have hobbies outside of his relationships. Aside from just watching television.

And I think he does in the show, though mostly he is just lazing around, we haven't gotten to see a lot of Wukong just vibing aside from in season 1. I think him having picnics and seeing scenic views and vistas is totally something he would do. Wukong has always liked traveling.

Also, just him going to the Celestial Realm more?? He ofc has his reservations, but the Jade Emperor and the gods aren't the only things up there. Wukong likes to just laze about a lot, let him laze about up there.

In Constellations specifically, since he's refocused on bonds, Wukong spends a lot more time with people in comparison to before. Also with his subjects in comparison to before. SWK was pretty social in JTTW, lots of parties and feasts, having over 70 people that he considered to be close friends. I think he'd return to that a bit, not to the extent as before, but he'd remember how fun it is hanging out with others and having a good time.

Because he also has a lot to learn. After being isolated, the world has changed in large ways. The internet??? Also, one hobby I love for Wukong to have is knitting. He's always been picky about his appearance and put together his own outfits or whatever (tiger skins, etc) so I like him making some of his own accessories or whatever.

Combining that with the internet is also just fun. Wukong just seeing all kinds of patterns and yarn and wanting to make new things for people? Let's go, MK has plenty of sweaters now.

And Macaque! He desperately needs more attention and hobbies. Hello, he loves new information! He'd love to see how the world's changed, how things got from point A to point B. I HC he's into musicals, especially historic musicals. I also think he'd be a bit of a film critic. He'd be particular about what movies he watches, often liking those by certain directors whose style he likes or finds intriguing or interesting premises.

Macaque, loving magic and, while getting caught up in what's changed, gets inspired to make his own spells again.

And Macaque has his own bonds to make and friendships to pursue. I'm here for him being friends with Mei and Tang for sure. And lately, I've been thinking of Nezha and Macaque friendship? I think that'd be interesting. And also Princess Iron Fan and Macaque.

Like there's so much untapped potential, and instead of running away from that or thinking that it doesn't serve shadowpeach, can I emphasize that it absolutely does? In developing Wukong and Macaque outside of each other, they can bring those new perspectives, hobbies, insights back into their relationship.

They've changed, so now their relationship can change. It only gives both the characters, and the way they interact with each other, more depth.

[sketching-shark]

In JTTW, while Guanyin is given three circlets by the Buddha, they are used on Sun Wukong, the Bear Monster, and Red Boy. Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie never had circlets. However, in Monkie Kid they did. I'm wondering what you think about this choice?

Thanks for the question @ar-blackshaw! And I'm honestly not sure...given how much Monkie Kid has STILL been keeping many details on what exactly happened during the journey secret I don't want to say whether they're meant to act as binding circlets too. This is especially true since it might just be a callback to the outfits worn by Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing in the 1986 television series, which also had them wearing headbands of a very similar sort but only as decoration.

So in legoland maybe they're meant to be binding circlets. Maybe they're just fancy head decor. And given how widely Monkie Kid has veered from the classic it makes it hard to predict one way or another.

[dorkshadows]

True or False Monkey King

Reporting on another JTTW animated film slated for 2021! The full title is 齐天大圣之真假孙悟空 | Great Sage Equaling Heaven: True or False Sun Wukong (official Eng. title still TBD). 

According to Douban the leading voice actors are Liu Xiao Ling Tong and Ma Dehua, which is pretty big name casting in the world of JTTW! LXTX is Sun Wukong’s original actor from the 1986 JTTW series, the most popular/influential jttw adaptation in the mainland (and the first Chinese television serial based on jttw), and Ma Dehua was the original Zhu Bajie from 1986. 

Summary: 齐天大圣孙悟空保护唐僧西天取经，一行历经磨难，此次却遇到一个和自己一模一样的孙悟空，更匪夷所思的是，这个猴妖神通广大，旨在取代孙悟空。真假美猴王斗得昏天黑地却没人能分辨。这个假悟空到底是谁？他不吃唐僧反要取经？孙悟空跟小白龙一路追查真相，疑点重重，到底是悟空自己幻化出的邪恶一面，还是悟空精神分裂……孙悟空遭遇前所未有的危机与巨大挑战，当所有疑惑解开之时，悟空却无法直面事情的真相与自己。我是谁？谁是我？ 出乎悟空意料的是，这个挑战自己的猴妖并非普通妖怪，而是在花果山共患难的小兄弟六耳猕猴，兄弟情深，小六耳猕猴崇拜悟空，为悟空境遇及花果山愤愤不平，极度崇拜及模仿悟空过程中越陷越深，最终走火入魔迷失自我，试图取代眼前颓废无力的悟空，誓言自成一佛。面对兄弟之情与取经大义的生死抉择，他又将何去何从？

Here’s my rough translation (and yes it sounds like a psychological thriller for some reason LMAO). It’s extremely long in English:

Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, protects the Tang Monk on their pilgrimage to the west, facing many hardships along the journey. This time, however, they come across another Sun Wukong who looks exactly like himself. What’s even more unthinkable, is that not only does this powerful monkey demon want to replace Sun Wukong, but when the true and false Monkey Kings clash, nobody can tell them apart. Who is this fake Wukong? [Who] wants to join the pilgrimage instead of eating the Tang Monk’s flesh?

Sun Wukong and Xiao Bailong search for the truth, doubting every step. Is [the impostor] the evil side of himself that Wukong expelled or is Wukong splitting personalities? Sun Wukong has never encountered such danger and such a great challenge. But when the answers become clear, Wukong is unable to face the true relationship between himself and the truth: I am who? Who am I?

Wukong never expected the monkey demon challenging him not to be a normal demon, but instead a younger brother from Mount Huaguo, the Six Eared Macaque. A bond of brotherhood. The young Six Eared Macaque worshiped Sun Wukong and was greatly aggrieved by the injustices done towards Wukong and Mount Huaguo. Lost in his jealousy, admiration, and imitation of Wukong, the Six Eared Macaque lost himself in the process. Now he wants to replace the “defeated, weak” Wukong in front of him, vowing to become a buddha himself. Faced with choosing between brotherhood or enlightenment [from the pilgrimage], what will he do?

The teaser is out on bilibili, and not gonna lie, the art/design looks... mediocre. But it might still be worth watching just for LXLT and Ma Dehua’s voices.

Teaser Transcript:

Wukong: Liuer (Six Ear), wake up!

Six Ear: You’re the one who needs to wake up! I’m going to win back everything that was lost!

[detectivehole]

whats jttw?

Journey To The West (西遊記)

it's a 16th century Chinese novel, one of the four great classics. you've almost certainly heard of it, and if you haven't, there's no way you've dodged the various adaptations and media's it's inspired; they're absolutely countless

i've been watching the 1986 television version of it recently, as it's been uploaded to yt with english subs. it's good. cheesy as hell what with the very dated effects but very genuinely fun to watch. that's mostly what i've been posting about

[archrui]

I love your artstyle so much! It's so pretty and your detailing is amazing! I've been getting more invested in JTTW the more I learn about it so I was curious about the version you base your drawings on? Is it your favorite iteration of JTTW?

Waa, thank you kindly! :D

Most of my fanart is based on Journey to the West 1996 (西遊記 1996), a Cantonese show made by a Hong Kong television broadcasting company called TVB. I grew up watching HKdrama with my mother so rewatching this show after so many years feels nostalgic even when I don't remember much.

Yes, it is my most favorite jttw adaptation! It highlighted the Beautiful Monkey King's love for his monkey family, Tang Seng is quite a decent father figure compared to the original book and other adaptations, 1900s CGI is terrible but charming, the three disciples act very much like brothers who argue over which one should carry their luggage, who should gather food and other menial tasks I LOVE IT. Our Great Sage Equal to Heaven is also explicitly aroace, which is a bit unbelievable this came out in 1996? I'm very very thankful for the rep nonetheless! I tear up sometimes thinking about it.

One thing though, I still haven't finished season 1. Knowing that Dicky Cheung Waikin (張衛健), who played Sun Wukong, was recast in season 2 made me extremely upset and angry at TVB for screwing him over. Even though the story is barely halfway through, finishing season 1 feels like an ending with no closure to me. So, I'm not planning to watch its version of the Country of Women arc (女兒國) anytime soon. I still recommend this adaptation to anyone looking to watch though!

[tigerseye46]

Red Sand/Shark AU

So this is an au where Sha Wujing is the one who retired and Red is his successor.

I had a lot of amazing help from my anons and others for this au and I just want to thank them for that! You all made the au 100% more awesome! So here’s the au (re-uploaded cause it wouldn’t appear on my dash):

Sha Wujing: Sha Wujing takes Wukong’s place as the teacher and retired hero of this au and is the mentor of Red Son, albeit a reluctant mentor. Sha Wujing, unlike his canon counterpart, has not calmed down and is still rage-filled due to isolating himself for centuries. He has isolated himself due to Tripitaka’s death at the hands of a demon which he believes he, Bajie and Wukong could have prevented even though the other two were nowhere near at the time. He has a strained relationship with them because of this belief. Due to the monk’s death, he started picking fights in the mortal realm with any demon and sometimes human he could. The other three tried to stop him at multiple points but he wouldn’t listen and they had no choice but to give up. Eventually he came to the conclusion that this isn’t what Tripitaka would want and decided to pick one last fight to seal the Spider Queen before retiring.

He has rarely spoken to anyone else in centuries, he is extremely closed off to people. and has a lot of rage pent up. He lives on a mountain around the city that has a small house on his mountain and it has a river. He has the basics, oven, microwave, fridge, he also has a tv. Although he doesn’t use the television as much and considers it good background noise while he’s cooking or training. He absolutely despises it when any trace of his past adventures come onto the screen due to the events that have happened. He has a bunch of training equipment around that he uses to at least better manage his rage. He also builds inventions similar to his counterpart and it is something he and Red have in common. He does love tea and cats in this au but doesn’t own any cats in the beginning. He keeps a shrine of Tripitaka in his home and talks to it at certain points, he also has Tripitaka’s old staff.

Fun fact, he didn’t even want a successor and the only reason Red became his successor is because Guanyin appeared to him a couple years before the au and told him that trouble was brewing. She knows he gave up fighting so she proposes that he find a successor and she knows the perfect candidate, Red. After watching him for a bit, he agreed with her and waited for something to happen but wasn't exactly happy at the thought of having to train someone since it meant having prolonged social interaction, especially someone that almost killed his brother even if he isn’t Wukong’s biggest fan by that point. He is rather grumpy while training Red and they clash at certain points but they do have a respect for each other. He is more blunt and honest here.

Red: Red Son is the successor of Sha Wujing and formerly the disciple of Guanyin who after noticing how far he had come decided to let him go to the city to meet new people. He arrives at the city 2-5 years before the events of the au start and keeps a human form. While they still have somewhat of a temper, it is nowhere as bad as canon. They were initially confused by the city as due to being under Guanyin’s teaching, they weren’t as exposed to technology. It wasn’t until they met Mei who showed them the ropes that they finally got the hang of things. They build inventions like their counterpart but aren’t as skilled as canon Red since they’ve only been doing this for five years tops.

Mei actually gave her a place in the beginning since they didn’t have anywhere to go since they were still new. Red refused at first but gradually gave into Mei’s persistence. They were roommates for a while while the demon figured out where they could work. They noticed Mei’s struggle with her parents and encouraged her to be open about it, resulting in her becoming happier as a person and embracing her dragon heritage. Mei introduced them to Tang and got taken in by the human. Tang gave Red a place at his shop, although he works more at the cover business since he wants some sense of normalcy but he does do things like stock supplies for the magic side sometimes.

He hasn’t told anyone who his parents are nor has he found them again and prefers to keep a low profile. He also keeps the fact that he’s a demon a secret along with his fire powers. The fire powers only show up when he’s overcome with rage but since they aren’t as rage filled as their canon counterpart, that is rare. He isn’t exactly thrilled to be someone’s successor since it meant giving up his normal life but does it to further atone for his actions.

Mei/Long Xiaojiao: Xiaojiao remains here as the descendant of the Dragon of the West and is Red’s best friend. She found Red Son wandering the city one day and allowed him to stay with them until they found a place to work so Red has actually been inside her house before. Throughout his stay, she accidentally vented about her troubles with her parents which Red helped her with and because of that, she is less insecure about her place as descendant of the Dragon of the West. From that point forth, she was more open about her problems. She also obtained the dragon blade relatively early thanks to Red and her parents’ urging.

She, like Red, works for Tang but at his magic business and spends time being Tang’s assistant. Her job is to sometimes collect ingredients and deliver if the client asks. She is more reckless here due to having the dragon blade for years and because of the amount of demons she faced. She is slightly more protective here because of Red since she thinks he doesn’t know how to expertly fight as he hasn’t revealed who he is to her yet.

MK/Qi Xiaotian: Xiaotian is the biological son of Syntax and the only human of the Spider group. After the incident when he was around 12 that resulted in his dad becoming a spider, his life was completely changed and they were taken in by Huntsman and Goliath. Learning of their plan to free the Spider Queen, Syntax offered to help, knowing from Goliath that she would protect his son. They raised him where he turned into a mix of all of them. Since he is Syntax’s son, his father made sure he got the best education and taught him many things because of this, he knows a lot about tech and sometimes uses technology based insults like his dad, the other insults he uses are the more crass ones because of Huntsman. While he knows a lot about tech, he’s bad at practical applications and ends up setting things on fire.

They know how to hunt because of Huntsman and spar with him regularly in an effort to get strong to protect their family. Since they’re the only human, they feel the need to prove themself to the Spider Queen who doesn’t really give them a thought in the beginning as she’s more concerned with returning the spider demons to their former glory. The issue of him as the only human has caused somewhat of a disconnect between him and his father.

He is rather cocky and reckless here because of Huntsman and Syntax who both have massive egos, something that was passed down to him. Although deep down he is a sweetheart thanks to Goliath. He uses the tech insults to insult his rival, Red Son and makes fun of him on a daily basis which is great because Red only slightly knows what those mean. He is still an artist here and was encouraged by his father to pursue his passion, he is also still a slight Monkey King fan because of stories he heard when he was little. While he makes fun of Huntsman for wanting to date his dad, he does want to be able to call him his stepdad one day. He has a staff given to him by his dad when he was around 15 that contains some cool things.

Sun Wukong: takes Tang’s place kinda. Actor and scholar. Sun Wukong in this au is the owner of a theatre that for the most part does JTTW plays, he is also an actor and scholar. He spent about 300-400 years in retirement before finally deciding to enter the world again and do something. He has a rivalry with Macaque since both are scholars and always have academic arguments. He remains king of Flower Fruit Mountain but mainly lives in the city now. He maintains a human form to not attract attention from demons.

Before owning the theatre, he was a big name actor (well still is) that did mostly Monkey King related stuff to honor his past adventures and family. He even directed, starred and wrote stuff for his own movies and tv shows, something he does for the theatre now. He also produced some video games. He used to bring his monkeys on the set sometimes and does that now for his theatre, people have no idea where the monkeys come from. Some joke that he’s gotten really into his role and there are those that call him the “Monkey Actor.”

He carries a good amount of guilt over Tripitaka’s death especially after what Wujing said to him and believes he doesn’t really deserve to be called a hero. He also feels bad that he couldn’t help Wujing and that the incident resulted in the demon closing off. He hides all of this under a confident attitude. He hardly uses his staff anymore but still has it. He’s had off/on contact with Zhu Bajie over the years and misses him and the rest of his family deeply. When they meet up around the time the series starts, the pig informs him that he’s found Wujing but they don’t go talk to him since they know the other doesn’t want them around. Instead, the two hang out again with Wukong absolutely dreading the idea that they’ll lose contact again. Bajie actually introduces him to the kids he sometimes babysits and they eventually begin calling Wukong “yéyé.” He met Tang when he heard a rumor about his magic business and decided to check it out, he stuck around even after finding out the human was harmless because he met Red again, he hasn’t told Red or Tang who he is.

Tang: Tang is surprise, surprise, Tripitaka’s reincarnation. He does get dreams sometimes but he writes them off as fantasies. Compared to his counterpart, he is a lot tougher than his normal counterpart and actually fights. He runs two shops with one that is a secret magic shop (mostly temporary enhancements and minor spells), he’s proficient in both hand to hand combat and magic.

He is slightly more serious in this due to running a business now but not as serious as Pigsy would be. His nerdiness is toned down here but still present. In fact when Red is working, Tang likes to bring up different stories from the past despite the fact that Red knows them already. He gave Red the apartment above the shop and has no idea that the kid he adopted is actually a demon. He is rather annoyed and angry at the fact that Red was chosen by Sha Wujing to be his successor even though he is partially a fan of the demon and totally doesn’t have a celebrity crush on him. While he isn’t aware of everything Red has gone through, he is aware that the kid has had a rough life and wants to protect him.

Zhu Bajie/Pigsy: Zhu Bajie, after years of loneliness, came out of hiding and wandered the mortal world as he needed something to occupy his time. He’s had off/on contact with Wukong throughout the years. Eventually he settled into the city where he’s known as a beloved and involved member of a small part of it. He is seen as an ‘uncle/grandpa figure’ there and is sometimes asked to watch over the kids. The kids absolutely adore him and he in turn adores them. He takes them out a lot to places and spoils the heck out of them. He actually met Wukong again when he took the kids out to see the plays at Wukong’s theatre and enjoys taking them there because he gets to see the king, he’s become a huge fan. He memorized the surrounding mountain range there and partially chose the city as there is a path that leads to Wujing, he hasn’t told Wujing he’s tracked him down. He’s just kept tabs on him, mildly happy with that since he knows his brother doesn’t want to see him.

While he retains his snarkiness here, his temper isn’t as bad here due to not being business focused since he doesn’t own one. He retains his parental instincts here since he’s a grandpa now. He has grown a lot since the JTTW days and is proud of this fact. He is on the more reasonable side of things between Wujing who is unnecessarily angry and Wukong who believes he doesn’t have the right to be considered a hero.

Macaque: Macaque in this au is retired from fighting and does not have much of a grudge against Wukong as he does in canon. Although they do have a rivalry as fellow scholars and constantly complain about each other’s theses suck. They are usually one debate away from fighting each other in the parking lot of Wukong’s theatre.

Demon Bull King: Demon Bull King takes Macaque’s spot as the one who trains and plans to take Red’s powers. After their son became Guanyin’s disciple, the two were extremely worried about their child and held resentment for Sun Wukong and his gang that continued long after the gang defeated him. Princess Iron Fan and him had a falling out that resulted in them parting ways (although still married) but they still love each other very much. DBK heard rumors floating around about someone that had become Sha Wujing’s successor and that someone matched his son’s description. Angered over the fact that his son was forced to become someone’s successor, he found a spell that would take his powers. He crafted a plan to lure his son out to do so so his son could be relieved of that pressure along with protecting him and so he could use that power to take revenge on those around them.

Princess Iron Fan: Princess Iron Fan is the main villain of the Red Sand/Shark au. Due to the loss of her son and the fall out with her husband, Princess Iron Fan has become rather desperate to get her family back and she’ll do it by any means necessary. She has kept herself hidden for years, plotting ways to bring her family together. Once she found out that Red Son became Sha Wujing’s successor, it caused her to lash out as her son was within reach but forced to be what she considered a weapon, a pawn. She took advantage of the blood oath she made, promising the twins that if they joined her, she would make people cower before them. She used them to attack on New Years in the hopes of grabbing her son and taking over the world. While that might have failed, she has other tricks up her sleeve and will make Red join her, no matter what.

Spider Queen: Spider Queen once led a powerful army that threatened to disrupt the mortal realm. She was feared by mortals and respected and loved by her subjects. This ended when she faced Sha Wujing and was actually the last demon Sha Wujing fought before he retired. He decided to seal her, citing her as a danger. Due to her containment, the various spider clans started declining as their royal line had been deposed of. Things have become desperate and it is believed that the Spider Boys are part of the last generation before they are wiped out entirely, although there may be more out there. They have decided to free the Spider Queen as her era was the last time the spiders were prosperous and believe she is the key to saving their future.

Goliath (Strong Spider): Goliath remains a total sweetheart in this au and is one of the reasons Xiaotian contains sweet qualities. He is completely supportive and encouraging of Syntax and Huntsman’s feelings for each other and wishes they would just admit it. He bakes in his spare time and gets help from Xiaotian. He is also the other’s confidant and manages to keep secrets relatively well. He does suggest that they speak about these issues but doesn’t push them.

Huntsman: Huntsman is the same here but has a more fatherly side to him as he’s helped Syntax raise MK and has actually developed feelings for the nerd spider. He taught Xiaotian to be an excellent hunter and spars with him on a regular basis. He cheers the kid on during fights unless he has to do something like go save him for a reckless endeavor. He doesn’t admit how much the kid and the others mean to him often but will slip up and admit it. He and Syntax have snarky banter with each other and have a trusting relationship that neither acknowledges.

Syntax: Syntax is the biological and single father of Xiaotian. He was a relatively hardworking and great father that taught Xiaotian to make different things, gave him the best education he could and encouraged him in art endeavors. He was turned into a spider by a horrific lab accident when his son was around twelve. Resentment, horror and terror piled up in him because of that incident. He had absolutely no idea what to do, he was a human turned spider all because of what happened, there is a possibility that no one was going to treat him the same after this, people would assume he had malicious intent and might try to separate him from his son. After that, he spent a good portion trying to return himself back to normal but no matter what he did he could not. Afraid for the safety of him and his son, Syntax began to research the spiders, learning they were almost gone but there may be some out there. He took Xiaotian with him where they bumped into Huntsman and Goliath who were trying to find ways to bring the Spider Queen back. He joined them as Goliath had assured the queen would offer them protection. Along the way, he had come to see them less as allies and more as family, not that he would admit it. He began falling in love with Huntsman after getting to know him for years and seeing deeper sides of him. When Xiaotian was around 15, he crafted a sci fi tech staff for his son which contains some tricks and traps, including a GPS that can be used for when his son is in trouble.

Yin and Jin: Yin and Jin take Spider Queen’s place here. They trapped Red in the calabash just like they did with canon MK and after that incident, they continued popping up with a variety of plans, most that have failed. Red eventually stopped taking them seriously and treated them more as nuisances than real threats. In an effort to be taken more seriously they created a partnership between them and PIF. They shook with excitement at New Years when they began to topple people around them, this died down when the plan didn’t work but they continued to listen to PIF’s instructions, little do they know she’s just using them to get her son back.

White Bone Spirit and Mayor: These two are nowhere near as dangerous as they are in canon and actually replace Yin and Jin as the comic relief although the Mayor is still slightly creepy. WBS probably has a much older host or has shapeshifted to give herself a human form. She tries to get revenge for her defeat at the hands of Sun Wukong and since Red is the closest thing she messes with him instead. She believes she is a powerful antagonist but is more of the average shape-shifting demon and the Mayor serves as her minion. They come up with schemes similar to Yin and Jin but unlike Yin and Jin don’t ever come up with a way to be taken more seriously.

[lunar-wandering]

Medicine

so, earlier today, I got hit by the thought that, the reason why Wukong is so much... calmer in LMK compared to JTTW is because he’s taking adhd/anxiety meds now. and so, I decided to spend an hour or 2 of my time to write this.

...really this is just me projecting, and i have no other excuses.

Word Count: 1.1k

read on Ao3

---

MK was staying the night at Flower Fruit Mountain, per Wukong's insistence. They had both gotten a little bit distracted during training, and time had flown by far faster than either of them had thought it would. It was already dark outside when they realized what time it was. Not exactly feeling like flying MK back into town, and not really trusting that MK could use the staff to vault back in the dark, Wukong proceeded to call for a sleepover.

Which was how they ended up standing in Wukong's tiny bedroom, with him rummaging around in his drawer.

"I could've sworn I had some pyjamas around your size in here somewhere." Wukong muttered, tail swishing.

"It's fine Monkey King, I can just sleep in my clothes-" MK started to say, but was interrupted as Wukong "aha'd" in triumph, pulling out a set of golden coloured pyjama's with a peach design on them.

"Here you go kid." Wukong said, placing them in MK's hands. MK was surprised to find the fabric was....really soft. Genuinely, this might be the softest fabric he'd ever touched. Without any further protest, MK went into the bathroom to get changed. When he came back out, Wukong was in a matching pair of pyjama's except his were pink.

"Monkey King, I'm gonna be honest, I'm pretty sure these are the most comfortable pyjama's I've ever worn." MK said, "....You might not get this back."

"That's fine kid, you can keep it." Wukong said, waving his hand dismissively. "I can always ma-buy another set whenever I want."

MK paused, catching his mentor's near slip.

"....This wasn't just made by you blowing on a piece of your hair right?"

"Excuse you, I put actual work into making that, and I will not accept that kind of slander." Wukong said, "I don't always take the easy way out you know?"

"Mhm, sure."

".....So! How about we watch a movie!" Wukong said, purposefully changing the subject as he led MK into the living room. "I've got unlimited access to about....pretty much every film that ever existed, so we can watch whatever you want!"

"...Can we watch the Monkey King: Animated Series?" MK asked.

"Kid, who do you think I am? Of course we can watch Monkey King: the Animated Series!" Wukong said, picking up MK with his tail and setting him down on the couch as he grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table, turning on the television to show that he had already had the Monkey King: Animated Series queued up. Selecting episode one, he pressed play.

----

2 hours and multiple peach flavored snacks later, (seriously, there were a lot of peach flavored snacks. MK was going to have to start bringing his own, normal snacks at this rate, because while he like peaches, there is a limit to how much peach flavored food one can eat), and MK was fully ready to just fall asleep where he was sitting. He yawned, tired.

Wukong paused the show.

"Time for bed then, huh?" He asked. MK nodded, drowsily rubbing at his eye.

"...Don't you feel tired too, Monkey King?" He asked. Wukong shook his head.

"No, I don't exactly...get tired normally, I guess. I mainly sleep to pass the time and because it keeps the monkey's happy." He said, standing up, and walking over to the closet, pulling out some blankets and pillows. "If you stand up, the couch folds out into a bed. You know how to set that kinda thing up right?"

MK hummed an affirmative, standing up and pulling the cushions off the couch in order to start the process of turning it into a bed. As he did so, he happened to notice that one of the monkeys was digging through his bag, looking for something. MK momentarily contemplated stopping it and making sure the monkey didn't steal anything, but then thought better of it, deciding that that was something that could wait till morning.

MK set up the bed-couch, running his hands down the sheets that were on it once he pulled it out, checking the bed for anything as a habit. He found a spider in his bed once, and now he couldn't go to sleep unless he'd checked the bed for spiders and bugs beforehand.

He was about to just crawl on the bed and curl up to wait for Wukong to throw the blankets over top of him, when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

He stumbled a little under the sudden weight, but quickly recovered. He turned his head to the side to see the same monkey that had been digging through his bag, holding a small pill bottle.

Oh right, he'd almost forgotten to take his medicine.

Politely, he thanked the monkey, gently taking the pill bottle out of its hands and twisting it open. The monkey, seemingly satisfied in that he was taking his medicine, jumped off his shoulder and ran away. MK watched the monkey as it ran and jumped onto Wukong-

Who was covered with other monkeys. Somehow, while setting up the bed, MK had failed to notice as the other monkeys had basically swarmed Wukong. He was standing still, still holding the blankets and pillows, as the monkeys tugged on his ears and fur.

"Okay, okay, I get it, fine." Wukong said, "Geez."

"Uh," MK said, frozen, pill halfway to his mouth. "What the fuck is happening?"

"Language." Wukong quietly admonished, before sighing. "This happens every night. They're reminding me to take my meds. Speaking of which, hurry up and swallow that pill before you drop it."

MK hurriedly followed through on that, taking his pill with bottle of peach juice that he had left on the coffee table earlier. While he did this, another monkey came in, holding a pill bottle that was rather similar to MK's, and forcibly putting it into Wukong's hands.

"So." MK said, "You uh. You take medicine too?"

"Yeah.....I hate taking it though. I can swallow a pill but that doesn't mean I like doing it." Wukong said, untwisting the cap of the bottle, and dry swallowing the pill. "Tried using the liquid version once, but it tasted gods-awful, so I don't plan on doing that again."

Seemingly satisfied that Wukong had taken his medicine, the monkeys finally got off of him, spreading to curl up in different places around the room. MK, figuring that the monkeys had the right idea, climbed onto his bed for the night, laying down on his side. Wukong dropped a few blankets on top of him, and then proceeded to flop onto the bed himself, curling up beside him.

-----

The next morning, when MK was late to work, his only excuse was that Wukong really didn't like alarm clocks.

(Wukong promised to pay to get MK a new phone, but the damage had been done.)

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Legend of Wukong (2024) 悟空传

Genre: Animation Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2024 (Mainland China) Also known as: The Legend of Wukong animated series / 悟空传 动画剧集版 Type: Retelling

Summary:

The 2023 iQiyi Animation Content Sharing Conference released the film list yesterday, announcing 38 new domestic animation works.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/36403363/

Link: N/A

[the-monkey-ruler]

LEGO Monkie Kid Series (2020) 乐高悟空小侠：英雄出世

Director: Sarah Harper Screenwriter: Jeremy Adams Actors: Jack De Sena / Dave B. Michel /Stephanie She / David Chan / Sean Schmel / Patrick Seitz / Victoria Grace / Steve Blue Tom / Gwendolyn Yeh / Kimberly Brooks / Kyle McCully / Billy Kametz Genre: Animation Country/Region of Production: Mainland China / USA Language: English / Mandarin Chinese Date: 2020-09-12 (Mainland China/USA) Number of Seasons: 4 Episodes: 44 Single episode length: 11 minutes Number of Movies: 3 Also known as: Monkie Kid / 悟空小侠

IMDb: tt12415378 Type: Reimanging

Summary:

Monkey King comes to life as a young boy named MK, obsessed with the legends of old, discovers Monkey King's magical staff. After witnessing Red Son and Princess Iron Fan release the Demon Bull King from his prison under the mountain, MK accidentally grabs Monkey King's magical staff and escapes, sending him on a journey to Flower Fruit Mountain to return the staff to Monkey King. After the staff gets taken away from him, MK meets the Monkey King and is motivated to go back and take the staff back. Using his powers, he was able to defeat the Demon Bull King and save the day.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Monkie_Kid#Overview

Link: https://mk.gary12.workers.dev/0:/LMK/

[the-monkey-ruler]

Non-Human (2018) 非人哉

Director: Zhong Ming Screenwriter: Yi Wang Air Starring: Yang Ning / Shan Xin / Jiang Guangtao / Su Shangqing / Tong Xinzhu / Baomu Zhongyang / You Wu Yue Shan / Ding Dong / Tut Harmon / Yan Meme / Li Lanling / Yan Yeqiao / Chang Rongshan / Liu Mingyue / Ye Zhiqiu Genre: Comedy / Animation / Fantasy Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2018-03-29 (Mainland China) Number of seasons: 2 Episodes: 144 Single episode length: 5 minutes Also known as: Inhuman Type: Reimaging

Summary:

How do the "famous" spirits in Chinese classical myths and legends survive in modern society? They have become housewives, warm men, office workers, and dog dads with fairy characteristics around us. They staged funny and weird episodes in life about happiness and friendship, creating an incredible two-dimensional fairyland in our ordinary and busy daily life.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/27620007/

Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLytMDv2C97saBjVZwkrWwA2lQ_6-KfzhB

[the-monkey-ruler]

The New Legends of Monkey (2018) 新猴王传奇

Director: Gérard Johnstone / Craig Owen / Peter Andkidis Screenwriter: Craig Owen / Jacqueline Peach / Christiaan Van Vuuren Starring: Chai Henson / Lucian Buchanan / Josh Thomson / Emily Cockrell / Josh McKenzie / Jordan Mooney / Jared Blakiston / Fasitua Amosa / Michelle Hong / Jim Cawthorn / Samson Chan-Boon Genre: Fantasy / Action / Comedy / Adventure Country/Region of Production: Australia / New Zealand Language: English Date: 2018-01-28 (Australia) Number of seasons: 2 Number of episodes: 20 Single episode length: 25 minutes Also known as: Legend of the Monkey King / Journey to the West / 新美猴王传奇 / 猴王传奇 / 西方西游记 IMDb: tt6807662 Type: Reimanging

Summary:

The Monkey King was imprisoned under a mountain 500 years ago by his enemies in Heaven. Five hundred years later, the Earthly realm is overrun, and its humans oppressed, by demons. The gods and immortals are in hiding or oppressed by demons as well. A scholar secretly concocts a plan to bring together a few warriors and a monk, named Tripitaka, to undertake a quest to resurrect the Monkey King and find the Heavenly scrolls that were stolen by Monkey 500 years ago and hidden away secretly on earth. Anyone who finds the scrolls would gain unlimited power. However, the night the group is about to start on their quest, a demon attacks the scholar's home and kills everyone inside except for the scholar's adopted daughter, taking the golden crown necessary to revive the Monkey King. In his last moments, the scholar entrusts his daughter with the quest. She takes on the identity of Tripitaka and ventures out into the world, narrowly escaping death herself.

In a town she gives charity to a monk and ends up forced to work for a tavern owner, thus gaining a job and a room to sleep in. When the same demon that killed her adoptive father shows up, she secretly steals the magical crown and makes a run for it. When demons begin searching the town for her and the magic crown, she is disguised as a monk by the same monk she helped and successfully makes her way out of the city. In an opening along the side of a mountain, she finds the stony visage of the Monkey King's face, and puts the crown on his head. Finally, the Monkey King is free but he soon discovers that the crown is repressing most of his godly abilities. The pair return to the town and join up with Pigsy and Sandy, who are also gods, and the four of them begin their quest of finding the lost scrolls and gaining enough power to overthrow all the demons.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Legends_of_Monkey

Link: https://bflix.sx/tv/watch-the-new-legends-of-monkey-36307

[the-monkey-ruler]

Radio Drama Puppet Show "Journey to the West" (1994) 廣播劇布袋戲《西遊記》

Producer: Taiwan Folk Arts and Culture Society Zhuang Juebin Starring: So Chi Wing, So Chun Wing, Lin Yi Yuan, Chen Chi Ching Country/Region of Production: Taiwan Language: Taiwanese Number of seasons: 1 Number of episodes: 100 Single episode length: 47 minutes Also known as: Taiwan Native Radio Drama Troupe, Jin Wuzhou Palm Theater Company, Sujiaban, Mingxing Pavilion, Xiao Feifeng Palm Theater Company, Wuzhou Ruzhenyuan Theater Troupe, Quanlege Theater Troupe Type: Retelling

Summary:

Led by broadcasting master Li Mingzhong - Taiwan Native Radio Drama Troupe, Jin Wuzhou Palm Theater Troupe, Mingxingge Sujiaban, Xiao Feifeng Palm Theater Troupe, Wuzhou Ruzhenyuan Theater Troupe, Quanlege Theater Troupe Puppet Sculpture─Lin Yiyuan Puppeteers─So Chi Wing, So Chun Wing, Lin Yi Yuan, Chen Chi Ching Taiwan’s number one dubbing artist for puppetry──Lu Shouchung (樨子正) Radio drama "Journey to the West" produced by Taiwan Folk Arts and Culture Society

Source: https://glovepuppetry.ncfta.gov.tw/home/zh-tw/TheatricalJ

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@chuang7686/videos

[the-monkey-ruler]

Chinese Mythology Stories (1983) 中國神話故事－西遊記

Director: Chen Lie Screenwriter: Yeung Wai-Man Starrring: Jin Chao-Chun / Chang Fu-Chien / Sun Jia-Lin / Yang Hsiung / Barry Chan / Wu Xue-Fen / Zeng Ya-Jun / Yeung Wai-Man / Wang De-Zhi / Chiang Kuang-Chao / Ko Hsiao-Pao Genre: Fantasy Country: Taiwan Language: Mandarin Date: 1983-05-31 Number of episodes: N/A Also known as: 中国神话故事 Type: Retelling

Summary:

Several folk legends from different dynasties are actually gathered together. Nezha, Jigong, Door God, Xu Xian, Bai Suzhen... Could it be that these characters are going to gather together to perform some kind of comedy?! Don't make blind guesses! They came together just to show some kind of "propaganda effect"; to promote the upcoming "Chinese Mythology Story"; these legendary characters will all bring out a touching Chinese mythology story. "Chinese Mythical Stories" is a unit theater that CTV will open at 1:00 pm on weekends. Currently, the recording of three unit stories of "Nezha", "Ji Gong" and "The Legend of White Snake" has been completed. It is scheduled to start on May 28 or Saturday. Launched on the 4th. Wang Weijiang went from the front to the back, and co-produced the "Chinese Mythology" unit theater with Wei Xin to realize an ideal, that is, to introduce various folk beliefs through the moving myths and stories circulated in our country's long history of thousands of years. In the creation of the protagonist's character, special emphasis is placed on his method of becoming an immortal and attaining enlightenment - inner cultivation and saving people and saving the world, in order to remind the audience that faith should not be turned into superstition. Such a theme has considerable social and educational significance. Wang Weijiang said that "Chinese Mythical Stories" is a social and educational program produced in the form of drama. It is quite difficult for the social education style and drama type to deeply move people's hearts; because this is equivalent to using the strengths of drama - the drama of twists and turns to make up for the shortcomings of social education - the rigid boring feeling; the "Chinese mythology story" The production is exploring such a new route. If successful, it will be a major breakthrough for TV programs. Judging from the production method of "Chinese Myth Stories", this "new line" that breaks the boundaries between drama and social education has great potential and great potential. The legendary mythical story, through DPE's latest TV effects machine, makes the picture show magical special effects, how fascinating it will be! Since it is a myth, it can perform special effects, and the scenes can be as magical and varied as possible.

Source: https://en.hkcinema.ru/film/20385

Link: N/A

[the-monkey-ruler]

Shinzo (2000) 爆裂战士マシュランボー

Director: Tetsuo Imasa / Kenji Nakamura / Haruo Kosaka / Toshiaki Komura / Miyo Sasaki / Mitsuo Hashimoto / Tomoharu Arata Edited by: Izumi Higashido / Makoto Kanjima / Kenichi Kaneka / Hiroyuki Kawasaki / Yukito Nonaka / Kenichi Yamada / Yōmichi Shirai Starring: Minami Takayama / Yuko Minakuchi / Yasuhiko Kawazu / Naosuke Tatsuta / Atsushi Kashiwagi / Kyoko Yamada / Ai Maeda / Tsuyoshi Hisakawa / Atsushi Kashiichi / Tomoe Sato / Junko Shimakata / Michitaka Kobayashi / Hideyuki Hori / Kenji Utsumi / Takashi Nakao / Mami Koyama / Toshio Furukawa / Keiko Han / Hiroo Egawa / Takeshi Aono / Banjo Ginga / Takashi Koda / Koji Fukusaku / Kazuko Sugiyama / Takumi Yamazaki / Horinoku / Nobutake Tatsuya / Tomohisa Aso / Norio Tsukui / Ienaka Hiroshi / Chie Seguchi / Hitoshi Domon / Akira Tahara / Kazuya Ichijo / Masaya Takatsuki / Masaharu Sato / Mitsuo Iwata / Keiko Yamamoto / Kunihiko Yasui / Hikaru Midorikawa / Mami Kanazuki / Hisaya Suganuma / Chigusa Ikeda / Hiromi Konno / Daisuke Nari / Yuko Nagashima / Nobuo Satouchi / Daifumi Tanaka / Naosuki Imamura / Takayuki Inoue / Akiki Chatan / Munehiro Ehoku / Rie Aoki / Yo Murakami / Tsuyoshi Nishi / Tsuyoshi Toshita / Higashi Genre: Animation Official website: www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/mashura/ Country/Region of Production: Japan Language: Japanese Date: 2000-02-05 (Japan) Number of epsiode: 32 Also known as: Mushrambo IMDb: tt0293741 Type: Reimanging

Summary:

In the distant past, the Guardian of the Milky Way galaxy named Lanancuras began to harbor a desire for more power. Because of his connection to the galaxy, he was able to absorb parts of planets and add them to his strength. As a result, he began invading the worlds he was assigned to protect. In the wake of his destruction, a following of creatures from across the galaxy pledged allegiance to Lanancuras and became known as the Kadrians. Taking notice of his ever-growing power and followers, the other Celestial Guardians confronted him; however, he had become too powerful, and they were defeated. Unable to subdue Lanancuras, the Celestial Guardians each gave up a part of their power and combined it into a single new Guardian, Mushra. In a final desperate attempt, they used Mushra's core by transforming it into a powerful card with which to seal Lanancuras in a prison. The prison was created from the remains of planets that had suffered under Lanancuras' tyranny. Because planets are themselves large beings, their combined strength (along with the power of the card) was able to restrain him. Thus Lanancuras was successfully sealed in a large meteorite.

The meteorite was sent off into the galaxy to be sealed forever. Meanwhile, the way Lanancuras had increased his strength had consequences on the planets of the Milky Way On Earth, around the 22nd century, it was in the shape of a virus that merged with human DNA and destroyed the humans that way. In order to eliminate the virus, scientists worked on combining human DNA with the DNA of animals and other creatures immune to the effects. They succeeded and created a sentient race known as Enterrans (a race of engineered Earthlings) which are based on humans, insects, reptiles, birds, sea creatures, wild beasts, and phantom beasts. Eventually, a cure was found and the human race survived.

However, due to Lanancuras' influence, the Enterrans fought their human creators as well as the robots that worked with the humans, driving the human race to a near extinction state. Luckily, a scientist named Dr. Daigo Tatsuro placed his 4-year-old daughter Yakumo in a sleep chamber in hopes that she would save the human race and find the human sanctuary Shinzo and bring peace back to Earth which was then renamed to Enterra. When the meteor that Lanancuras was imprisoned in struck Earth during the earlier parts of the Human-Enterran War, its fragment had struck an infant Yakumo giving her abilities that she would later discover.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzo

Link: https://kissanime.com.ru/Anime/Shinzo-Sub/