#Hua Xiaotian

[the-monkey-ruler]

Monkey King Returns (2020) 大圣重生之斗战逆天

Director: Zhan Bo / Zhang Yongsheng Starring: Dong Haoran / Zheng Zihao Genre: Fantasy Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2020-10-31 (Mainland China) Type: Reimanging

Summary:

Under the guidance of the Golden Hoop Staff, the Stone Monkey was reincarnated as Hua Xiaotian, attracting the covetousness of the giant spirit. The fairy Acuo was ordered to find Hua Xiaotian and persuade him to take on the mission of protecting the people. The giant spirits frequently cast poisonous schemes, repeatedly putting Xiaotian in danger. Acuo's desperate fight made Hua Xiaotian gradually understand the responsibility he must bear, and a generation of war gods was finally awakened.

Source: https://mov-20.chinesemov.com/2020/Monkey-King-Returns

Link: N/A

[battletimewitch]

MK finessing a 4,000 year old Huli Jing.

He’s probably just asking her to turn into her cute fox form so he could pet her. Simple noodle boy

[quitealotofsodapop]

I just had a thought- Spicynoodles in the MKEgged AU would probably want to wait for a bit before giving Haoyu a bio sibling, both because of the initial fear that his pregnancy gave them and because Xiaotian's body needs time to heal because Stone Monkeys aren't really built for multiple pregnancies.

But that doesn't mean they can't adopt!

Now I'm imagining my idea ages ago of Spicynoodles kiddos, but a few are adopted. I did conceptualize them before I thought of Stone Eggs

First set of babus were; Xuancao & Yingsu [#1 & #2], Zishan, Shuixian & Chuju [#3, #4 & #5]. Origin Post.

Then came "Iron Fan drawn from memory" Tiemian [#6]. Origin Post.

Then "You sure Tang didn't just mitosis?" Yinghuo [#7]. Origin post.

And then the "Rambutan babies" Muxi & Mudan [#8 & #9]. Origin Post.

+some unspecified future triplets, and the occasional inclusion of bud's @nem0lux3 oc Hua Jiao!

I can now imagine with Haoyu's creation being unusual + his birth not ideal - MK and Red Son would be more open to adoption than creating a fresh Egg.

MK is hanging out with Nezha - tagging along for the Lotus Prince's regular god-duties of blessing newborns and kids on their birthdays; only for them to encounter an abandoned baby.

Haoyu has been asking for a baby sibling so...

(*MK approaches his and Red's shared home in the city, nervously holding the tiny stray baby in a sling. The baby has reddish-auburn hair, and dark skin that reminds him of his spouse - little vitiligo-like stripes mark her skin. MK breathes deep to psyche himself up before entering.*) MK, walking in: "Heyyy Red, don't be mad, buuuut when I was out with Nezha we-" (*MK stops suddenly at the sight in the living room. Red Son looks a mix of flustered, horrified and hopeful, as he rocks a baby demon in a car seat.*) Red Son & MK: "..." MK: "How about you go first?" Red Son: "Thank you. I was visiting my father's parents in Youdu, and when I brought up the possibility of us adopting a child, they mentioned that the Underworld has a pretty large population of unclaimed young souls so..." (*Red Son guestures to the baby in the car seat; it's a little girl with dark brown hair and skin tone similar to MK. Seems to be mixed human-feline demon.*) MK, realising: "Aw! You thought she looked like me and couldn't even wait to ask?" Red Son, adoring: "Yes! I met with Kṣitigarbha, and they brought me to the banks of the River by Naihe Bridge, and this little angel just... floated to the shore." (*Red Son gently kisses the baby's head*) Red Son: "They said that it's how little ones... enter the Underworld before they have the chance to be blessed. Their souls come to shore when they find someone to claim them." MK, leaning down to meet the baby: "Ohhh, a little floater baby. Hi!" Baby #1: (*barely old enough to smile. makes curious burbling sounds at MK and the other baby in his arms. Her hands have tiny claws, betraying her mixed demon heritage.*) Red Son, fixing on MK's baby: "What's the story with your little one?" MK: "Well now my story seems boring by comparison! Nezha has been helping train my astral projection powers, and he asked me to come along with him in spirit while he did his baby blessings. All was okay - I saw a lot of 100 day parties. But then Nezha got this look on his face, and we like swooped down to this riverbank where-" Baby in MK's arms: (*angry kitten-like sound*) MK, soothing her: "Yeah, baby, I'm telling them... She was all alone and... they tied her up in a bag. A bag, Red!" (*becoming distressed*) "Nezha was only able to sense her cus she just turned a month old and didn't have her Man Yue blessing. If we hadn't found her then-" Red Son, calming him: "Do not think about the buts, sunflower. She's with us now." MK, tear of relief: "Heh. Butts." Red Son, small laugh: "Puerile as ever... have you taken her to a doctor?" MK: "Even better! Your other grandma saw us after me and Nezha had her checked out by Chen Jiggu - you know the paediatric goddess? When I mentioned Haoyu wanted a sibling well... you know Xiwangmu." Red Son: "She shriek-roared, burst into tears, and started hugging you and the baby?" MK: "Yup. I could barely get a word out. She's already started calling her sūnnǚ and demands we organise a proper Man Yue party for her." Red Son: "I hope she feels the same for the stray I acquired."

After tending to both babies, the pair notice that they have eerily similar features to one another... as if they were twins or close relatives. They try not to dwell too much on the possible reasons.

Within a few hours, news of babies Xuancao (named for a flower of remembrance; Poppy) & Yingsu (their little Tiger-Lily who's stripes have only just developed) gets out.

Haoyu arrives home after spending the day with Granddadsy and Gonggong Tang to see a pair of baby sisters in his old crib. He's overjoyed and accidentally wakes them in his delighted hooting (much to MK and Red's dismay).

Pigsy and Tang had been there to drop Haoyu off, and they quickly recognise the little cries that followed the hooting. The poor pig man nearly has a heart attack XD

Pigsy, pointing at the baby girls: "Since when!?" MK, holding one twin: "Haha - would you believe less than a few hours ago?" Tang, joking: "Wow. You two worked fast." Red Son, holding the other twin: "They were not made in that manner!" Pigsy & Tang: "Huh?" Haoyu, excitedly: "Oh! I know! Lǎolao says babies float on the Underworld's river, and they get out when they meet their parents!" Tang: "Well, it's not exactly-" Red Son: "He's actually right in this case." Tang: "EH!?" MK, gesturing to the respective twin: "Underworld freebie. Above-world freebie!" Haoyu, smiling smugly: "Told you, Gonggong!!" Pigsy & Tang: (*both thinking hard*) Pigsy, shrugging: "Eh. I literally picked MK off the street. Finding one or two on the river ain't that odd. Now - let me meet my granddaughters." Both Babies: (*excitedly reach out tiny hands to inspect their grandadsy's face*)

MK and Red Son's phones are quickly blowing up with calls and messages asking "WTF!? Since when you two were pregnant?!" Wukong in particular calls worried out of his mind, asking if MK is ok and getting medical attention. Seems that a wire got crossed with Xiwangmu bragging about her new grandcub to who anyone who'd listen. XD

The bull grandparents, all three great-grandparents, and the extended Monkie Kids gang, happily accept the twin girls into their lives once the Spicynoodles couple finally manages to explain what happened.

Macaque: "You ordered one and got two. A great deal, in my opinion." MK, teasingly: "You're just saying that cus you managed to have twins too." Wukong, holding Rumble & Savage: "It's a fantastic deal either way!"

DBK and PIF in particular are overjoyed. They understand that a biological grandcalf is a huge risk to ask of the couple - so they happily accept the baby girls as if they were blood related anyway. PIF can finally spoil her girls with all the little dresses and accessories they could ever want. And DBK has a pair of tiny girls who have him wrapped around their little clawed fingers.

Any future spicynoodles babies likely have similar origin stories. At least one is a biologically-conceived child, though it's hard to tell when're all together and acting like they've always been together.

The whole family will fight whoever claims they aren't "real" children to them.

[starsfic]

hey can you make a smol what if fic about… What if Wukong had children of his own? (not like mk was his actual kid but he has like a army of children.)

Inspiration for the baby monkey taken from @rain-bow-donkey

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is pregnant.

It's the first thing that Qi Xiaotian notices about him. His stomach is swollen in a way that suggests that he's in the early stages of pregnancy. He would know, Tang made an entire presentation about the stages of pregnancy when giving the sex talk to who they still thought was a preteen girl, and that included a timeline of body changes.

"Hi!" The monkey waves. A basket sits on his arm, full of what looks like herbs. He wears soft yellow robes that look loose, clearly designed for his belly. He also wears a wrap around his chest. "About time you got here, you nearly missed lunch."

Xiaotian blinked. He had never imagined this in his fantasies of meeting the legend. "...lunch?"

"Yeah! Come on. My noodles aren't as good as your father's, but this little one likes them enough." As if that is a cue, a little face peeks over Wukong's shoulder, golden eyes staring right into Xiaotian's soul. He feels himself take a step closer and feels his heart melt.

That little face belongs to the cutest fucking baby monkey he's ever seen.

With that, Xiaotian follows the king inside.

The inside of the cottage is just as homey as it looks on the outside. . However, there are more toys scattered around then planned, and the fridge is covered in children's drawings. Most of them have a yellow figure that he guesses is the king, standing next to smaller white figures that must be the other monkeys. Wukong sets the basket down on the table and reaches around with what must be expert hands.

"Okay, Hua," he coos as he sets the little monkey down in a high chair. It's clearly battered and bruised from years of use but well-loved. "Hopefully, your siblings don't barge in like they promised." He glances at Xiaotian. "Sit, sit, I'll get the food."

Xiaotian sits down. Hua stares at him and he stares back. His heart melts even further. She's adorable, with soft golden fur and even softer gold eyes, resembling the Monkey King, excluding the red mark around her eyes.

"Here we go!" Wukong walks back in with a tray. There are three bowls, two large and one baby-sized, but only one still has steam coming off. "Alright, here we go..." He hands out each bowl. The moment her baby bowl is set in front of her, Hua is digging a hand into the noodles. "Enjoy yourself, sweetie."

"She's adorable." Xiaotian notes.

"She is, and she's one of the reason why I want you to be my successor."

[acoraxia]

BTW BTW BTW!!!

Remember to DO YOUR RESEARCH on Chinese names! A lot of the time people tend to go to Google Translate for names and input hecking “garden of fire” and plop that in as a name — YEAH YOU CAN’T DO THAT FOR NAMES!

Sometimes it’s not even accurate!

Your best friend will be behindthenames’ submitted names and actual blogs/websites dedicated towards names!

FOR EXAMPLE! A lot of people try to use Xiao as a name — you can’t really do that! Xiaotian and Xiaojiao have actual meaning behind their names and use actual characters that make sense as a name! Just using Xiao doesn’t really work! And you can’t use Xiao Xiao either that’s not a proper full name and it’s kinda wack! It’s nice to add as a nickname like Xiao Bai or Xiao Hua but there are other characters you could use for “cute” or “little”.

I am not an expert! But please do your research! I cannot count the amount of times I myself have fumbled and gone “oh i can just google translate this” and ended up absolutely butchering my poor oc’s names and titles

All of them have me held at gunpoint

[hel-the-growl]

Cultural Annotations on New Gods: Yang Jian -Part 1-

This is the companion piece to my long-ass thread about the same topic on twitter.

Light Chaser really outdid themselves with the visuals and research this time, and with Yang Jian out in NA theaters, it's totally worth seeing on the big screen.

There were so many historical references packed into this movie, I thought I'd do a deep dive into the characters, motifs and lore associated with Investiture of the Gods scene by scene.

Background

Yang Jian is the second instalment of the New Gods series of animated films (after Nezha Reborn), that are loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (IOTG). IOTG shares some canon with other Chinese classics like Journey to the West, Classic of Mountains and Seas, Lotus Lantern etc. so there may be crossovers.

The character Yang Jian, better known as the god Erlang, is a figure widely regarded as heaven's greatest warrior deity. He is recognized for having a third truth-seeing eye, and in IOTG, helped bring about the fall of the Shang Dynasty in 1046 BC.

The movie however, takes place during the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties circa 5th century AD, some 1500 years after events of IOTG. We first meet Yang Jian as a rather lethargic but free-spirited individual, 12 years after losing his powers during a great disaster involving the three realms, scraping by as a bounty hunter.

A rough timeline

c. 1075-1066 BC: Yang Jian is born

c. 1060-1050 BC: Yang Jian cleaves Peach Mountain

1046 BC: Battle of Muye (Conclusion of Investiture of the Gods)

c. 9 BC-23 AD: Erlang defeats Sun Wukong (Journey to the West, Chapter 7 - Havoc in Heaven)

c. 405 AD: Disaster of the Three Realms; Yang Chan is trapped under Mount Hua

c. 417 AD: New Gods: Yang Jian

c. 1920s - c. 1930s: Nezha Reborn

Breakdown

Yang Jian’s crew all have backstories. In Journey to the West, Kang Anyu (康安裕) and Yao Gonglin (姚公麟) are two of Erlang’s six brothers of Plum Mountain, both supreme government officials in charge of military affairs. Maybe we’ll get to find out about the other four’s whereabouts in later instalments?

Xiaotian is Erlang’s dog sidekick who helps him subdue evil spirits and never leaves his side. The movie’s version of Xiaotian seems to be inspired by ancient paintings depicting her as a white hound.

The wanted bulletin printer seems to be inspired by a Hu Shi Ren You (虎噬人卣), a tiger-shaped Ancient Chinese wine vessel.

In Chinese mythology, Penglai is a legendary island for immortals. It has been reimagined to be the equivalent of the CBD of the divine realm.

The dice used in the casino are 18-sided Xing Jiu Ling (行酒令) from the Han Dynasty. It has the numbers 1 to 16, along with the characters for "wine" and "arrogance" engraved in gold and silver. The rat is the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac.

Shunfeng’er (顺风耳), who now goes by Old Gao and works at the casino, was usually accompanied by Qianliyan (千里眼). They are two temple guards whose names translate to “all-hearing” and “all-seeing” that could hear and see things from thousands of miles away.

Light Chaser is serious about its monkey business. The way casino monkey grabbed Yang Jian’s tally with his foot, the big ape miming and even in Nezha Reborn where the little monkey imitated Yunxiang.

Fun fact: The monkey is voiced by Yang Tianxiang, the same actor who voiced Li Yunxiang (Nezha) in Nezha Reborn.

Refresher - Primordial Spirit, known in Chinese as yuanshen (元神), is is a concept in Daoism defined to be a level of existence surpassing that of physical existence. In the New Gods universe, they manifest as giant glowing avatars.

New Gods also has a recurring theme of lost Astras - In Nezha Reborn, Wukong’s staff is nowhere to be found and Yunxiang has only recovered Nezha’s Sky Ribbon so far. Among Erlang’s many Astras, three are mentioned in the movie.

Yang Jian’s headdress is designed to resemble his signature trident, the "three-pointed, double-edged lance". Hence when casino monkey asked him where his weapon was, he clinked the headdress.

This weapon was later shown in a flashback:

Another one of his Astras is a golden bow with silver bullets. According to the director, it was melted into his harmonica (although this was probably retconned as in the teaser for the sequel, it was his mother who gave it to him as a child). The harmonica not only has the powers of his bow, but is also the ignition key for his ship.

The third weapon featured is his mountain-cleaving axe (开山斧). It is the axe he used to split Peach Mountain in half to save Yaoji. He is shown wielding the same axe in the opening montage 1500 years earlier and it is currently wedged inside the Lotus Peak of Mount Hua from the events of 12 years ago. Needless to say it is a powerful Astra with earth-shattering capabilities.

The Four Diablo Brothers - Mo Lihong, Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai, and Mo Lishou - were initially antagonists in IOTG, having launched an attack on the Western Foothills. This led to the introduction of Yang Jian, who helped defeat the brothers.

By the conclusion of the novel, they were enshrined as the Four Heavenly Kings - Vaiśravaṇa, king of yakṣas (多闻天王; Duowen Tianwang), Virūḍhaka, king of kumbhāṇḍas (增长天王; Zengzhang Tianwang), Dhṛtarāṣṭra, king of gandharvas (持国天王; Chiguo Tianwang) and Virūpākṣa, king of nāgas (广目天王; Guangmu Tianwang). In the movie, only Mo Liqing was addressed by his title when Shen Gongbao met him inside the lighthouse.

There's a PSA on the noticeboard with a picture of Nezha pissing. It reads "no urinating or defecating here." This might be a piss (pun intended) at the 2019 animation Ne Zha from a rival studio, and its hilarious promo. The shade 💀

Further supporting my theory that White Snake and New Gods are from the same universe, Precious Jade from White Snake is recruiting!!! And medicine boy plugging his illegal business lol.

Jinxia Cave (金霞洞), lit. Gold Sunset Cave is Yuding’s HQ. It is located on Jade Spring Mountain in the Divine realm.

The little disciple playing the flute is a tribute to the 1963 ink animation “The Bamboo Flute” (牧笛) produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Yuding is one of the many disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities of Daoism known as the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Yuding is ranked 10th among the “12 golden disciples”, and among his peers are Jiang Ziya (the main character of IOTG who led the battle against Shang), Taiyi Zhenren (Nezha’s master) and Shen Gongbao etc. They are all practitioners of Chan Daoism, also known as Kunlun Sect, founded by Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun.

In the tale of the Magic Lotus Lantern, Chenxiang was the son of Yang Chan AKA Goddess San Shengmu AKA the holy mother of Mount Hua AKA Erlang’s sister, and a mortal scholar named Liu Yanchang. This parallels the Yang siblings’ own origin story as the children of a goddess and a mortal.

Chenxiang literally means Agarwood. It is a revered wood valued for its use in incense and traditionally burned during meditation.

The place on Jade Spring Mountain where Yuding sealed the sect brother’s Dharmakaya (the embodiment of the truth itself, a transcendence of the physical and spiritual bodies) is based on the travertine pools in and around Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan. Notably, a scene from Journey to the West, a story associated with Erlang, was once filmed at one of the waterfalls here. I’ve been here and yes, it looks exactly like this irl.

Part 2｜Part 3｜Part 4

[666herescared]

Imaginary Shadow Dad)Ch.4: Need a little help?

—☆—

Hello everyone! I finally finished chapter four! In todays chapter: Macaque decides his son needs friends, so he makes a couple mischievous teenage clones and lets them watch Mk. He didn’t tell them exactly where he was going though..

—☆—

  Shadow Dad had to admit it. His son needed friends. He didn’t have any friends his age to have fun with and he didn’t have any teenage bad influences in his life. As the boy's "Shadow godfather" it was his job to grant his wishes to the best of his abilities. 

  Yeah, the kid called him that once and he's not planning on letting him live it down anytime soon. He was resting in the shadow realm, waiting for his son’s next call as he worked on his plan. He was going to give his son siblings. 

  He summoned two shadow clones and started changing their shapes. Meanwhile, his cub was fidgeting in class. 

  He had been getting in fights more often ever since he started practicing his forms during recess.  He was glad he was able to follow his dad's advice and get out fast, but otherwise, he was nearly at a loss for what to do. Shadow Dad told him it was best to deny them the battles, but he wanted to show them he wasn't a wimp! It was getting annoying to run every time. He always had to climb a tree to get away, and even then he had to wait for them to stop taunting to get down. Ugh- 

"Xiaotian!" his teacher jerked him out of his thoughts.

  "Yes, professor?" The boy asked, back to full attention.

  "Can you tell the class who Liu'er was?" the teacher asked, expecting him not to know.

  "Of course, professor! Liu'er was the six eared macaque, and he attacked the pilgrims in "The Journey to the West!"" Xiaotian responded, cheerfully.

  "No, who was he to the Monkey King?" His professor clarified, causing the boy to flush. 

  "Umm.. Enemies?" Xiao-Xiao answered much less assuredly. He had only seen things about him in that TV show, so he didn't know any better. Giggles erupted from the class, making the brown haired boy slip down into his seat again. 

  "No. Jie?" The professor asked someone else.

  "They were friends before the journey." Jie, a major teacher's pet, stated, causing the professor to nod, but a debate suddenly began.

  "No, they were dating!"

  "Weren't they married?"

  "Yeah! The wedding bands were even mentioned!"

  "They're both men!"

  "So are Hua Ping and Li Sheng!"

  And so, our boy slipped into thought about that. They were married? He was so confused. I mean, they could've just been friends. He thought, before resolving to read it at the library later. It was almost lunch, which meant time with his Shadow Dad! He wanted to go practice some techniques with his lantern his dad had taught him. 

  The moment class was dismissed, he dashed to the lunchroom, though it was much more like speed walking because he didn’t wanna get in trouble. Once he was there he sat down in the corner and twisted the release to light his lantern. Like clockwork, his father poked his head out of a portal on the table and handed him his lunch. “Hi, Shadow Dad!” The boy chimed, beaming with glee.

  The shadow shushed him and whispered, “Inside voices. We don’t want people to hear.”

  Xiaotian nodded and switched to whispers. “Hi, Shadow Dad!”

  The monkey whispered, “Hi!” in response with a chuckle. “Anything to report?” 

  “No. I just wanted to talk to you!” The Little sky smiled, though it was clear something was bugging him.

  “Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong?” His father asked and waited patiently for a response.

  The boy pouted when he was caught and answered, “We were talking about Liu’er in class today.”

  A small flinch went unnoticed by the smaller as his father asked, “And what was bad about it?”

  “The other kids all said the Monkey King and Liu’er were friends, or maybe even married! I thought the Six Ear was evil though! Now, I don’t know which of us were right.” Xiao-Xiao explained his worries with his pout still on his face.

  A sudden phantom pain on the monkey’s tail caused him to pause and rub the spot on his shadow form’s tail that hurt, before returning attention to his kid. “Well… you need to understand the nuance of their relationship. Liu’er and Monkey king aren’t human, and that means their traditions are different. The traditions for demons are different for each species, and they both followed demon monkey beliefs.” He began, then awaited his son’s questioning.

  The boy scratched his head and leaned forward, trying to think of what those were. "But, Shadow Dad! What are those beliefs?" Xiaotian questioned, confusion clear. Class never taught him the traditions of demons. 

  Expecting this(The school was known for keeping demon kids out) he continued to explain. "Well, demon monkey beliefs are based around the individual's comfort and the comfort of those they care for. If they fall in love, they will usually deliver food and gifts to court the other; if the other reciprocates, it's considered a proper courtship, and that usually means that they'll start the more recognizable process. Y'know, dates and kissing, and eventually, marriage."

  "Like humans?"

  "Somewhat. The way proposals are carried out is very different though. Instead of a ring, the marital gift is a band of metal that fits on the end of the tail. It's also a personal connection that doesn't need the approval of anyone else. It's only about the love for the other, and families have no place denying that."

  "That’s really different. My parents didn't even decide they wanted to date each other. Their families are really traditional." 

  "Yeah? Well, my point is that they were courted, but humans would probably not have considered it proper at the time. I feel like demon monkey courtship is one of the least problematic traditional demonic courtship methods. For reference, pig demons have the tradition of court-napping, which is literally kidnapping your chosen partner." The monkey finished the oddly timed courtship lesson, but he thought he did pretty well. 

  "Wow! I wish I could do monkey demon courtship. It sounds so much nicer! My parents would kill me though. They don't even want me dating another boy!" his son lamented, causing his father to reach up and caress his face.

  "If it's any consolation, I don't care who you fall in love with. If you love someone, you love them. I think it's best you admit that and be at peace with it, instead of trying to ignore it and thinking there's something wrong with you. No matter what, you're still you. It doesn’t matter if you love another boy or a girl, and I don't care if you decide to date a demon or a human. Now, I have work to do, so you should eat up, alright?" The shadow said and began slipping back into the shadows.

  "Okay, dad. See you tonight!" Xiao-Xiao called with a wave.

——000000——

  When the child got home, he didn’t spare his parents a glance, and instead he made his way to his room in an instant. He sat on his bed and pulled out his lantern. He twisted the release and listened to the 'Pshhhh' noise until his father burst out of it and immediately did a handspring. The cub applauded the shadow’s theatrics, causing him to blush and scratch his head as he turned around. "Heya, kiddo. Excited for tomorrow?" He asked with a smile.

  "Huh?" Xiaotian vocalized, before remembering, "Right! My birthday! I can't wait!"

  His dad chuckled and rebutted, "You say directly after forgetting that it was tomorrow." He called out before picking his cub up above his head and dipping into the shadows to reach his dojo. They landed in the nest and both yelled "Monkey bomb!" with glee as they disrupted the nest.

  The older breathed somewhat heavily for a few moments, then smiled at his son and stood up, putting the boy down. His son noticed and asked, "Are you okay, Shadow Dad?" with great concern.

  The parental monkey immediately denied, saying "Oh, no- Uh- Don’t worry, kiddo! You just run me ragged sometimes!" with a level of panic. He didn’t want his son to get worried, but the cub had been seeing this sort of behavior more and more often. He was getting nervous. His dad had been seeming more and more tired and he was struggling with training. "I'll go start on dinner. Get changed and we'll start training, alright?"

  The kid nodded, but his face showed his determination. He was gonna make his dad feel better, no matter if the monkey didn’t wanna worry him. He's gonna make his dad happy, and find a way to let him rest! The boy ran to the showers and changed into his training uniform, before running out and picking up his lantern. 

  Shadow Dad chuckled as he ran past, already closing the soup dumplings to put in the steamer. Then, a purple thunder strike dashed through the hall as he closed it. He set it up at his max speed, before dashing to the main room. "Xiao-Xiao?! Are you o- whaa~" he was shocked when he saw his son’s eyes glowing and electricity coming off of them.

  "I didn't mean to do that!" The youngling said in a panic, another zap dashing across the room. "How do you do the thing?!" 

  "Wha- Which thing?! Xiao-Xiao, are you okay?!" His dad was even more panicked.

  "The shadow limbs! When you make, like, two extra arms!" The cub replied, turning his head quickly when his eyes started stinging again. 

  Another zap kicked the shadow’s thoughts into high gear. "Alright! Kid, we gotta focus on turning those off first! You gotta calm down and focus on something safe, alright?!" He had to yell over the sounds of the zapping. 

  His son nodded and closed his eyes, having to open them as small zaps hit his eyelids. He looked to the ground, panting from the fear as his heart raced. He tried to calm himself, but the random zaps were scaring him and his eyes were hurting! The monkey’s hand grabbed his shoulder and grabbed the lantern out of his hands, hoping removing the magic item would stop the magic, but the lightning kept coming. 

  He panicked and hugged his son tightly, hoping it would calm him enough but- Wait… Shadow trails? Little wisps of shadow slipped off of the boy as he hugged himself. Every spot that was touched had wisps curling around it. Had he absorbed the power of his lantern? He hadn't ever seen someone else with shadow trails. "You're gonna be okay, kid." The shadow muttered, but he was still concerned about the oddity.

  The boy calmed down a little faster, the lightning stopping as his scleras and pupils returned to normal, but his irises stayed purple and glowing, which was definitely a bit concerning, but the youngling seemed fine. "I'm sorry." Xiaotian murmured, with tears in his eyes. "I wanted to do the thing and make ears and a tail. I wanted to look like you. I'm sorry."

  Shadow Dad looked up with fear. It was his fault? He did this? "I-its alright, Xiao-Xiao. I.. I’ll teach you, okay? Just.. Wait till tomorrow." He hugged his son closer, his son turning around to hug him back. The trails stopped flickering around when he calmed down, which helped the adult relax, but he was still worried. 

  His cub was absorbing his magic. Alright.. that's a little scary. "I'm hungry.. Is the food done?" Right. He had to take care of his youngling first. He could worry about Xiao-Xiao absorbing his magic later. 

  For now, he just had to keep taking care of him. "Sure thing, Xiao-Xiao. Wanna train with a staff today?"

  "YESSSSS!!!" 

——000000——

  "Alright, you two. Don't overwhelm him. He's probably gonna feel a little nervous." The clones nodded, making chittering noises as they looked through the shadows at the cub in Shadow Dad's dojo.

  "He’s adorable!"

  "The boy is an Apricot Boy, for sure!"

  "Your language is definitely gonna confuse him. Oh well. Let's go meet him." the original said as he stepped back out of the darkness. "Alright, Xiao- Hey!" The clones dashed past and grabbed the boy, lifting him up and hissing cheerfully. 

  "Baby brother!" one said, though it just sounded like hissing.

  The child’s still purple eyes lit up brighter. "Skull face!" He pointed at the older as they held him beside their hip. "Weh!" He yelped as the other grabbed them both and chittered.

  "Apricot Boy!" 

  "Rumble! Savage!" the adult snapped his fingers, making the skull faced twins return to his sides after putting the boy down. A loud sigh came from the parent, before he explained, "Xiao-Xiao, these are your new older siblings. Meet Rumble and Savage. They're supposed to be, approximately, fifteen." 

  The two looked a lot like the shadow, though their fur was black instead of purple and they had oddly firm skull-like faces, which were red. Their ears and scarves were red too, and their eyes were very clearly eye sockets. (They honestly looked much more like his physical form, but their outfits actually were purple.) They were both vibrating in place, wanting to hug the adorable Little Sky. "They're so cool!" The boy yelled, causing both to chirp in appreciation and Rumble to run in and hug him, but Savage just stayed where they were. 

  "Gonna warn you; They can't talk." Shadow Dad warned before walking over to the siblings, Savage joining the other two’s cuddling.

  Xiao-Xiao grinned as he was sandwiched between the teens, laughing as their chitters tickled him. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem!”

  “It won’t be!” Rumble chittered.

  “We’ll teach him!” Savage added. 

  The adult sighed and muttered, “Alright then.” before he notified, “They’ll watch you while I’m making food. Should help you three get to know each other.” He placed his hands into his pockets and walked to the kitchen, slipping into the shadows when he knew his sons weren’t following.

  Once their dad had left, the twins laughed in their hisses. Savage summoned text from the darkness, holding it up in front of the younger. “Suggestion?” They chittered as the writing appeared.

  Xiaotian noticed and said, “Sure!” with a smile on his face. That was one way to get past the language barrier!

  Rumble chuckled as their twin changed the text, continuing to hold the boy as Savage stepped away to focus on their writing. “We can Monkey Pile dad when he gets back! It’s sure to cheer him up!” Before their baby brother could ask, the twin still holding him created an image to explain. It showed the three of them, then Shadow Dad exiting the darkness. After that, the images of the siblings jumped at him, pinning him with a hug.

  “Oh!” Xiao-Xiao exclaimed, understanding the explanation. “Yeah! He loves when I hug him, so a hug from three sons should be even better!” 

  Savage did the “Sorta” hand motion, before changing the text again. “Kinda. We’re both demi-boys. They/He/It pronouns, y’know?” They described with a shrug. 

  Rumble subtitled his own chitters as it said, “We don’t mind the term “son” though, so don’t feel bad!” 

  “Okay! Well, three kids then!” The smallest sibling exclaimed, causing adoring coos to sound from both of the twins. 

  “Apricot Boy is so sweet!”

  “Sweetened Apricot Boy!” Both captioned their chitters, but they still noticed confusion in their baby brother’s face. “What is it?”

  Xiao-Xiao snapped out of his thoughtful daze, answering with, “Why are you calling me an apricot?”

  Both twins avoided eye contact very suddenly. Savage was the first to try and explain, “Y’see; Apricots symbolize a lot of good things, so in our language, saying Apricot Boy is saying all those good things about someone at once! Such as, optimistic, positive, courageous, and confident!” He wrote out in bold lettering, explaining the oddly translated compliment.

  The youngest perked up as he found out what it meant, immediately saying, “Oh! Well thank you then!” and causing even more cooing at his cuteness.

  “He’s just too cute!” Savage chittered, not captioning it for fear of embarrassing it’s brother. 

  “I know!” Rumble replied, doing the same. 

  Xiaotian wiggled out of his more touchy brother's arms and ran off to a nearby shelf, climbing it immediately. “Come get me!” He yelled, jumping to the bookshelf next to it and effectively declaring a game of monkey tag. The twins were mischievous little monkeys, and they loved that game, so they immediately started chasing. This… was gonna make a mess. It was really clear. Luckily, Savage was actually somewhat intelligent, and led the game to the training room when it got tagged. 

  The game kept on going for about an hour or two. All three were little balls of energy, so they managed to keep up the game until Shadow Dad came home. At one point, Xiao-Xiao managed to climb on top of the door to the room and nearly gave the twins heart attacks. Then, their dad got back and saw how messy it was in the training room when he came in with four bowls of congee. All three of his kids suddenly stopped their game, and stared at him like they'd gotten caught. Half a moment later, the adult realized what had happened and sighed deeply. "Why am I not surprised?" Rumble picked up Xiaotian as Savage walked over and took the dishes to the main room. "Thank you." Shadow Dad mumbled as the more intelligent twin carried the food to the table.

  Then… once the food was put down and everyone was in the main room… all three kids leapt at their dad and glomped him to the ground. He yelped as they piled on top of him, causing all of them to hit the floor. "Monkey pile" they all cheered, trying to sound excited, but the air had been knocked from their lungs.

  Once he understood what was going on, their dad's face shifted to a goofy smile as he wrapped his arms around all three of his kids. "Oh nooo~ You got me!" he lamented jokingly as he started laughing. He was gonna power through this. It didn't matter that his healing had slowed down.

  He had a son now. That little boy mattered far too much for him to leave, so if he was ever forced to, he would still find someone to keep him safe. Xiao-Xiao was never gonna get hurt on his watch. No matter what. 

—☆—

Alright! Chapter four complete! Also, here's a little doodle of Xiao-Xiao doing the extra limbs thing like he said!

Adorable! >w<

Anyways as I always say,

Have fun, and happy scrolling!

Prev- Chapter 3 and Next- Chapter 5

[jowi8597]

26/04/2024 Sina Movies Weibo update 🔥

The movie "Formed Police Unit" has released the ultimate trailer. In the United Nations mission area, the peacekeeping team encountered many crises while escorting witnesses. Intensive artillery fire continues, and deadly traps are also interspersed. Can the peacekeeping team deliver the witnesses safely?

The film is produced by Liu Weiqiang and directed by Li Dachao. It stars Huang Jingyu, Wang Yibo and Zhong Chuxi, with Ou Hao as a special guest, Zhu Yawen as a special guest, Gu Jiacheng and Zhao Hua as the main actors, and Yin Xiaotian as a friendly star. The pre-sale is now open and will be released nationwide on May 1. 

[qatheauthoress74]

LMK Reincarnated Mom WIP

So, I thought of a wacky Spicynoodles idea (first one I’ve shared with y’all in ages I know), where Xiaotian was a monkey demon in a previous life who was married to Red Son and had a daughter before his untimely death. Now, Xiaotian reincarnated (duh) and it seems only Wukong knows but the twist is that Red Son’s daughter, Hua, remembers Xiaotian and keeps insisting that the noodle delivery boy that’s her father’s enemy is also her long-lost other dad. 

Hilarity and cute-single-dad-trying-to-be-a-good-father-while-also-helping-his-parents-take-over-the-world-and-NOT-fall-for-the-Monkey-King’s-successor ensues. Think The Parent Trap but without the twins. XD

[tamaruaart]

You mentioned that your oc Zhao has a brother in your recent post. Does she have any other siblings?

Well uh... She has like..... 50 siblings

OKAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE- here's some context:

So basically Zhao's family is very upper class (if you will). Her father (Xiaotian) was very much the "womanizer type", (think Zeus from Greek myth for context) he had like 7 wives, and god knows how many mistresses(which was actually pretty common for ancient China).

Zhao is his first and oldest child (She was the child of his first wife, Pangfua-the golden tigress. He essentially married her because her family was very revered and making her his bride would bring a lot of respect to his family bla bla bla..), and the brother I was referring to in my recent post was Syaoran (his mother was Liyin Hua-the peacock queen, Xiaotian's 4th wife, but that's unimportant). Anyways, since Zhao was the oldest she would be the one taking care of the kids most of the time because Xiaotian and Biao-Qi (Zhao's grandfather, but that's also unimportant) were very verbally and mentally abusive(especially towards Zhao), and since they were the strongest family members no one DARED to stand up to them.

Eventually, when Zhao left her family most of the siblings got a grudge against her since she left them alone with their bad family members, everyone except Syaoran who mostly just misses her. Not to mention that Zhao was kind of the "disgrace" of the family, because Xiaotian wanted her to be born as a male(but thats a topic for another time 🙃)

So ye, that's basically it

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

[canary3d-obsessed]

Master Post for Everything Else

Here are links to all of my original content that isn’t covered by my main master posts. Newest stuff is marked NEW.  Other Master Posts (CQL, WOH, DMBJ, etc) are linked up on my pinboard, here.

I watch most of these things on Viki or IQiyi.

Asian TV & Cinema

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assorted

Xiao Zhan going ape shit in Jade Dynasty (Jade Dynasty) (NEW)

Hu Ge Costumes (Xuan Yuan Sword: Rift of the Sky)

Space Bunny Posters (You Are My Glory)

Explaining “Asian Whump” (asks answered)

Hallway Kissing (Bromance)

Trailer Clips (The Rebel)

RingDoll Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, Hua Cheng, Xie Lian (not quite original content, images are from the RingDoll site, cropped and text removed by me)

Wu Lei and Hu Ge, 2015 Photoshoot

Bad Buddy

Youtube playlist of the full series EngSub episodes in order

Douluo Continent

Determined Bunnies (also Nirvana in Fire)

Grandmaster Swole

Voice Actor Wang Kai

Everyone Wants to Meet You 

"I’m undressing”

Eating Noodles

Flavor It’s Yours

Fixing He Buzai’s broken bottle 

Go Ahead

Young He Ziqiu = Young Wen Kexing

Jian Jian and Ming Yue Eavesdropping

This Experience/Not Wonderful

What Did You Do in Singapore?

C-Drama Product Placement

Happy Camp (variety show)

Pink Powder (Gong Jun, Zhang Zhehan, Yin Xiaotian) 1 | 2 | 3

Tongue Skills (Zhang Zhehan and Sun Yi)

Legend of Fei

It’s Hard To Do Things With One Hand

Bathtime

Bedtime

Love and Redemption

Yu Sifeng, Episode 01 

Love Like the Galaxy

Emperor/Empress/Consort 

You Should Buy A Mirror 

Wound Tending 

Story of Yanxi Palace

I'm Not The Egg

Slaps

Single Plank Bridge

Street Dance of China 3

Wang Yibo starting a Team Dance-Off

Other Stuff

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Babylon 5

If You Value Your Lives, Be Somewhere Else

I’m a Telepath

Star Wars

Okay, Hotshot

Broadway

Sutton Foster: Blow Gabriel Blow (Anything Goes)

We Won We Won! (Election 2020 / Hamilton)

Assorted 

Evangeline Lilly (The Wasp) talks about her costume

Sir John's Joke (Sense and Sensibility)

A Friend of the Bosom  (Rebecca)

Personal/Health

Reducing Fatigue: Grocery Shopping Edition

Old Soul

What Happens When I Doodle

[battletimewitch]

A martial arts school Au with Chu Hua and MK’s adopted kid

Qiqiu had a rough day at school and MK is trying to cheer up his daughter.

[quitealotofsodapop]

[The Egg/MK's magic signature is weak enough in the early months that Erlang takes a look at Wukong and Macaque together with a baby on the way like; "FINALLY! They did it!"]

Hey, now,...

My OCS would definitely be laughing at the story, even Jiyu, who still has trauma regarding the celestials..(Hua Jiao and Xci Nicco too I guess but they don't remember their trauma—[not disregarding their trauma tho, trauma is trauma, even if they repressed it])

Akino would BUST down laughing, literally on her knees, struggling to breathe. Carmela would try to be respectful but her wife is just DYING in the corner just absolutely (MA)CACKLING (I'm so sorry, I needed to take the chance for a joke—)

referencing how Erlang found out about MK in the TMKATI au.

Erlang's eye sees all, but not with full context. He legit thought SWK was so bummed about "The Harbinger"-incident that he went and secretly started a family as a coping mechanism. He's not dense, just happy for his old sparring buddy - and ofc the "Congrats on the Sex" cake was a gift from him and the Plum Hill boys.

I feel like Wukong tells that story just to see his friends and/or in-laws crack up at the bluntness of the celestial general. Probably has a photograph of the incident; Macaque staring daggers into Erlang as he's handed the cake, while Wukong smiles awkwardly (Tang took the photo). Cake was half-eaten by Xiaotian Quan when it "accidentally" fell on the floor (Mac wanted to check if it was poison).

DBK bellows with laughter everytime he hears the story.

MK only hears the story for the first time when he's a teenager (and long before shadowpeach admit he was a magic comet-baby).

[starsfic]

So, I saw a few people requested ShadowVenom,, and I was wondering if I could request some too?

And it doesn't have to be set in my Swap au, it could be whatever you want!

Thank you in advance!

So, re-reading that one fic @urlocalllama made of SQ adopting Host Girl. That's also why I'm trying a different name, so... For those curious, this is also related to two fics I wrote where LBD gives Host some of Macaque's power as a twisted gift. Enjoy!

"Macaque."

The theater was empty of visitors. The next shadow play wouldn't be until this evening, so Macaque had time to deal with this.

He looked up from his worktable.

The Spider Queen stood there. There was no sign of her spider legs. She was dressed in a lavender sundress, an umbrella closed and rested on her shoulder. "My lady," he said, standing and bowing. It was mocking and she could probably tell. "How can I help you?"

"Bai Hua."

Macaque sighed. He was honestly sick of this subject whenever it popped up. "I thought her name was Bai He."

"She's experimenting. Look, you-"

"Need to teach her?" Macaque had been hearing this repeatedly. From Wukong, from the kid, the kid's dragon friend, that pig demon, the scholar, hell, even DBK himself! "To control the powers I never gave her?"

SQ groaned. "They're still your powers. She didn't ask for that bitch to give them to her but now she's stuck with them." Macaque glared and she glared back. "She needs help learning control. She threw Red Son fifty feet-"

He paused at that. A burst of pride he was used to Xiaotian bringing had formed in his chest. "On accident?"

SQ paused. "No, I think that might've been on purpose." Made sense, Bai He or Bai Hua or whatever her name had some issues with the Demon Bull Family. "But that doesn't mean there hasn't been other accidents-"

"Fine."

She paused. "What?"

"I'll teach her." Macaque held out his hand. "Deal?"

SQ eyed it.

"Deal."

[italiafilm01-blog]

A causa dei debiti contratti con la sua fallimentare impresa commerciale in Cina, Zong Hua ritorna in Malesia dopo una decina di anni. Demoralizzato, fatica a trovare un posto di lavoro e a tenere insieme la sua vita, segnata dal burrascoso legame che ha con il patrigno Xiaotian, gestore di una compagnia d'opera cantonese, e con la sorellastra Jing Jing. L'ostilità di quest'ultima si deve alla sua convinzione secondo cui la morte della loro madre è stata causata dagli eccessivi scontri tra il fratellastro e il padre.

[endlessthoughtsofafangirl]

UPDATE!!!

Mei Chaofeng is played by Liu Dai’en, who played Xiaoqing in 小戏骨’s Legend of the White Snake and Mulan in their Mulan adaptation. (Her costume design looks like it’s based off the 2003 version.)

Shi Xiaosong, who plays Guo Jing, will also be playing Guo Xiaotian. (His costume looks like it’s from the 1983 version.)

The boy who plays Ouyang Ke is named Dongli Wuyou. He actually plays young Guo Jing in the new Legend of Condor Heroes! (And is it just me, or does he look like a mini Mark Chao?)

Hua Zheng is played by Peng Chuya, who played Granny Hua in their Mulan adaptation.

Bao Xiruo is played by Chen Shuyi.

小戏骨’s Legend of the Condor Heroes!

I know that the new Legend of the Condor Heroes is airing right now, but I am so incredibly excited for the 小戏骨 version.

Guo Jing is played by Shi Xiaosong, a student at Shaolin, and he looks a lot like Felix Wong in the 1983 version!

Huang Rong is played by Tao Yixi, famous for her role of Bai Suzhen in 小戏骨’s Legend of White Snake. (Her costume design seems to be modeled after the 1994 version.)

靖蓉!

Mu Nianci is played by Zhou Zhiying, famous for her role of Xu Xian in 小戏骨‘s Legend of White Snake. (I think her costume design looks like it’s from the 2008 version.)

And Yang Kang is played by Xiaoyang Bohan, who has played many leading roles in the 小戏骨 adaptations, including Jiao Yulu and Lin Xiaocong (补锅). (His costume design is based off of the 1983 version.)

Ge Yide, who played Cheya in 小戏骨’s Mulan adaptation, plays Wanyan Honglie. (His costume design looks quite like the 1983 version.)

Little Bao Xiruo with little Wanyan Honglie!

I don’t know who plays Ouyang Ke, but he looks pretty good as the role.

I don’t the names for who plays the Six Freaks of Jiangnan, but they are also looking good.

Chen Yuheng, who played Fa Hai in their The Legend of White Snake and Mulan’s father in their adaptation of Mulan, plays Yang Tiexin. (He seems to always be playing older characters.)

Rehearsal of the “spar for a spouse” scene. (杨康/肖杨博涵好高啊~)

Since they can’t make a full 50 episode long adaptation (and also due to the fact that kids are acting it out), a lot of the story may be cut and edited, but I can’t wait to see how it turns out!