#he's the Tang Emperor reincarnated my man

[smilesatdawnmain]

Ultimate Au Guide (LMK)

All my Lego Monkey Kid Au’s in one big post. ( i don't wanna talk about how long this took me. don't ask me. I'll cry...)

Warning: this thing is huge

This consists of current Au’s, future Au’s, Au’s of Au’s, and anything in between!

Current Au’s;

Taken

Summary: Wukong and Macaque unknowingly have twins. Before they can realize this miracle, one (MK) is Taken away to the human realm by Nezha. All to prevent the Jade Emperor from killing this child and starting another war.

This story focuses on Qi Xiaotian, the Monkey Prince, and young “human” orphan MK as the two try to reunite while also avoiding every third party force trying to use the two for their own personal gain.

Fanfic: Yes here is the link

Ships:

Red x Xiaoxiao (Xiaotian the twin, not MK) but… you know, there might be some MKxRedSon. (It’ll be dramatic, trust me)

Shadowpeach

FreeNoodles (Tang X Pigsy)

AzureLion x Ao Lie

My art:

First (From old account. It's crazy how much of a change my art and character design has come from this first post)

Older designs I really did love Xiaoxiao's outfit here though. I should bring it back. Maybe as his "he's discovered himself" outfit XD

This should lead to all art

Fanart:

forever-in-dreamland

shiomik

pumpk1nappl3p1

litt1e-prince

litt1e-prince (Xiaoxiao's room!)

sketchskelonkey

cinnamelrollin

jeez-a

clementine-shine

Status: Incomplete

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 6 or 7 /10

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The Day the World Eclipsed

Summary: After losing his Mate and child 500 years ago, a miracle occurs when Sun Wukong is gifted with the return of his child, Qi Xiaotian. His little Star, his everything, Wukong dedicates himself to being a better Father and man. This is all tested when he is reunited with the reincarnations of his companions to the West and his long-lost Mate returned from the grave. Custody battles and shared parenting can be such a messy thing~

Fanfic: Yes, here is the Link

Ships:

-Shadow Peach (past mention, and then very slow burn forgiveness)

Spicy Noodles (possibly future, still under debate)

My Art:

First Piece (Still on my old account)

If I had to pick a cover for this au, it would be this (also on old account)

Older MK sneak peak

This will lead to all other art

Fan Art

lagt-duck

dumbbitch2-0

a-small-tired-lonely-potato 

crypticpaw

litt1e-prince

Status: Incomplete

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 4 or 5 /10

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The First Gift

(One shot) (This does have a sequel underway)

Summary: A peek into Sun Wukong and Macaque's life before they join the Brotherhood to take down the Jade Emperor. Wukong's got a big plan under his sleeve, and Macaque has no idea. With the help of the Brotherhood, Wukong is positive his plan to ask Macaque to marry him will be flawless. (Spoiler; it isn't)

Fanfic: Yes, here it is!

Ships:

Shadowpeach

My Art: Amazingly I've never drawn anything for this one

Fan Art: None

Status: Completed

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 0/10 (it's super Fluff)

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Tragedy of Six

Summary: The world was never the same when The Lady Bone Demon attacked. By her hands, many were injured, and many more were killed. The Brotherhood could not escape this touch, losing their children to her conflict. Yet unknowingly, these same children survived. They are being raised by The Lotus Prince Nezha, who is being forced to train and prepare these children to be soldiers for the Lady Bone Demon. (And inspired Fic on both Taken and "Blood and Bones" by EmerialynCodeVenice)

Fanfic: Yes, here is the link

Ships:

Shadowpeaxh

Azure Lion X Ao Lie

Sandy X The Huntsman Spider

Any future ships with the 6 kids are up for debate and what the audience likes best

My Art:

Link This should lead to all art

Fan art:

violetjedisylveon

Status: Uncompleted

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 9/10

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Fix and Mend

Summary: Macaque is trying to find his way in the world and his current place in life. Getting himself a part-time job at Pigsy's Noodles he discovered two very interesting facts. 1, Wukong clearly has the hots for him, and 2, MK is secretly dating Red Son. Now he just needs to figure out what to do with these two tidbits.

Fanfic: Yes, here is the link~

Ships:

SpicyNoodles

ShadowPeach

My Art:

I amazingly only drew one thing for this one so far

Other Art:

Status: Incomplete

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 1/10

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Choose Your Own Adventure

Summary: This is a Tumblr-focused Choose Your Own Adventure. Completely decided by the votes of the audience. The first two are basically a test to see how well I can do something like this.

Fanfic: No, but it is here on Tumblr

-First Adventure (Completed)

Second Adventure (In Progress)

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 2/10

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Future Au’s:

Fading Moon

Summary: MK believes he is a normal human boy, with a normal human Dad, and normal not ancient Uncles. That is until he meets Red Son, the Demon Bull Prince, and the truth of his heritage starts to unfold. As well as discovering the unfortunate fate of his Baba, a person MK had never had the chance to meet until he was 19.

Fanfic: Not yet? A have a lot written for this though

Ships:

Traffic Light Trio~ (Red Son X Mei X MK)

Sandy X The Huntsman Spider

ShadowPeach (Past mention)

Macaque X Erlang (Not sure what this ship is called. Present mention.. and.. toxic version of it. This story is a whirlwind people)

Free Noodles~ (Slow burn~)

My Art:

I do have a master post just for this au since I plan it to be more tumblr focused for now Link

Fan Art: None currently

Status: Incomplete

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 6/10

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The Second Gift

(Squeal to The First Gift)

Summary: Being together with Wukong could bring Macaque no greater joy. No means or way could make his life better than where it was. After a strange occurrence with his magic, Macaque realizes happiness can always grow.

Fanfic: Not yet but it is slowly getting there~

Ships:

Shadow Peach

Gajasimha shipping (Azure X Yellow Tusk)

My Art: None yet

Fan Art: Nada~

Status: Still in progress

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 0/10 FLUFF BABY~

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Missing the Then and Now

Summary: Macaque wakes up with no memories of where he is, or WHO he is. The explanation for this is a large and very deep injury that wraps around his entire skull. Almost like something squeezed until he popped. Now, however, he finds himself on a ship with some Monkey Kid, his family and friends, and a sun-kissed Monkey King who won't stop looking at him. And what is worse, none of them want to explain how he got this way.

Fanfic: Nothing yet. But man the word doc is getting pretty hefty

Ships:

Shadow Peach (Past mention)

Shadow Peach (Slow burn/One-sided for a time?)

Macaque X The Mayor (past Mention) (this one is really wild guys.)

My Art: None so far

Fan Art: None so far

Status: It's on it's way

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 6/10

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Eternal

Summary: When Macaque was killed, he expected his soul to be taken to the Diyu. Instead, he finds himself stuck to Wukong- the very man who ended his life. When Soul collectors come to see what the hold up is, they inform him that as the two had been tethered in life, so too are they in death. Macaque will only ever be free when Wukong has found peace and moves on. This goes on for a long time, yet when Macaque feels the tether start to loosen, he panics and realizes- he doesn't want Wukong to let him go.

Fanfic: I have too many Word docs and this is one of them~

Ships: ShadowPeach

My Art: None yet

Fan Art: None Yet

Status: Stuck in the world doc abyss

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 7/10

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Torn Between A Star

(A sort of alternate direction for "The Day The World Eclipsed)

Summary: Macaque survives the fight against Wukong, forced to return home. Terribly weakened and knowing he could not defend the egg that housed Wukong and his child, he flees to his Sister- Princess Iron Fan. Together they live there until the child is born. 5 years later, Wukong's Journey To the West is done. Returning home to no mate or child, he is desperate to track them down and bring them home. A certain Bull King and Iron Fan stand in his way.

Fanfic: So... Word doc. Big one. Real sad.

Ships: Shadow Peach (Past mention and struggling with current romance)

My Art: There will be some

Fan Art: Maybe one day?

Status: THE DOC HAS IT IN IT'S CLUTCHES~

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 5/10

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When Lions and Dragons Meet

Summary: Taking place in the years of Wukong's Journey Westward, Wukong stumbles upon his Brothers. Wanting to settle things Wukong meets up with Azure Lion to find peace- and surprisingly finds it. For a second. That is until he finds out that Azure Lion has had... relations, with a certain Dragon that currently accompanies Wukong and the other Pilgrims in the form of a horse. And is not keen on letting Azure continue this courting.

Fanfic: I swear guys- I got- I got soo many words docs. There aint a fanfic but there will beeee one day.

Ships:

Azure Lion X Ao Lie

Shadow Peach (Kind of a mention?)

My Art You are getting some art. It's cute

Fan Art: ...I mean... if ya want to?

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 2/10

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Seen Through My Eyes

Summary: Wukong thought Macaque had abandoned him when he was trapped below the mountain. His Mate never visited, never once showed his face. Then, many years into his imprisonment, someone stumbles into his cave. They blindly feel around, unable to see anything in front of their face. To Wukongs shock, it's Macaque. His Mate's pure white fur is tainted black, his ears bigger than normal, and his eyes- his eyes are gone. He smiles, however, hearing Wukong's heart. "I finally found you".

Fanfic: None yet

Ships:

ShadowPeach

My Art: I personally drew some stuff but never posted it

Fan Art: I dare you all XD

Status: Sitting in a Google doc, festering away from the angst

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 8/10

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The choices we make, and the regrets we take with us

Summary: Lady Bone Demon had whispered a secret into MK's ear just seconds before Wukong arrived. Now safe from her clutches and seeking the Samadhi fire, surprisingly with Macaque helping them out, Wukong notices that MK can't stand to look at him. What had that Witch whispered to make MK's gaze so steely?

Fanfic: Nope~ Not yet~

Ships:

FreeNoodles

ShadowPeach (Past Mention)

My Art: yes!

Fan Art: None

Status: In my Google Docs and covered with sobbing emotions from the one person I let read it

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 9 or 10/10

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Au’s of Au’s:

I'll have you all know that ALL of these were given to me by YOU GUYS. You are to blame for putting these in my head! XD

UnTaken

Summary : A "What if" to my Taken Story. What if MK was never Taken and actually got a chance to grow up with Xiaoxiao and his parents? Xiaotian would probably be called Xiaohua in this one, and MK would go back to being Qi Xiaotian.

Fanfic: No, but it's on its way

Ships:

ShadowPeach

Azure Lion X Ao Lie

Red Son X MK? Maybe Red Son X Xiaohua? Maybe they both fight over him?? Maybe they share him?? I dunno yet.

Tang X Pigsy

My Art

This will lead to all art

Fan Art: Would be cute but none yet~

Status: Tumblr grown so far but I got a good amount of stuff written in a google doc

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 0 or 1 /10

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Taken Apprentice

Summary: Based on Taken once more, but with the twist that instead of taking MK to the human world, Nezha took MK with him to the celestial Realm. From there he raised MK himself as his apprentice. Hiding him with a glamor and instilling a misguided loyalty to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is insistent one of the twins must still die, but agrees to keep MK around, hoping to find a chance to kill the other twin instead and keep the loyal MK as his own bodyguard.

Fanfic: I... I don't think it'll be a fanfic. Like- Oh my gosh, so much writing. I wouldn't know how to stop.

Ships:

Shadowpeach, of course.

Probably Red Son X Xiaoxiao again

Some Azure Lion X Ao Lie

Uuuuuuuuu- other wise I dunno?

My Art

Only one thing so far

Fan Art: I would die if you did

Status: Tumblr based so far. I haven't written anything for this. I will only if begged and bribed.

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 4/10

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Taken Reverse/Swapped

Summary: Another Taken Au. XiaoXiao and MK are born, but instead of MK being taken Xiaoxiao is instead. He would be Xiaohua in this one. Xiaohua, who is abandoned at an orphanage, winds up being taken in by the Spider Queen when he shows promise as a thief. Xiaohua is iving the life of crime, while in return MK (Xiaotian) is being raised to follow in his Father's footsteps as a hero. The two eventually meet and clash.

Fanfic: I haven't even finished Taken there is no way XD

Ships:

Hmmmmmm. Mabe MK X Red Son?

Maybe Enemy to lovers Xiaoxiao X Red Son? I dunno

ShadowPeach

Sandy X Huntsman Spider

My art

The start of the madness

Fan Art (looks into your very soul)

Status: It exists in tumblr and thats it right now

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 4/10

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Parent Trap

Summary: Based on Taken once more. Isn't quite like the normal LMK lore. When MK and his twin brother Xiaohua were babies, their parents separated, each taking one of the infants with them. MK went with Wukong, and Xiaohua with Macaque. When the two get older, they manage to miraculously meet at a Summer Camp and discover the truth. Now these two working on a plan to reunite their parents.

Fanfic .... T-There might be one in the future... maybe...

Ships:

ShadowPeach (Past Mention and reunion)

Ao Lie X Azure (Slow burn)

Macaque X Mayor (The kids are trying to end this one)

My art:

Only this so far

Fan art: None currently

Status: This one is in a word doc, okay?? There is writing on it!

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 2/10

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The cancelled Au’s??

Strange title I Know, but it’s the best way to describe this section

-The Day the World Eclipsed (the Original Plot)

-most may know this, but I changed the plot of the Story within the first few chapters. When Wukong left to head to the City, intent on finding a new home for his son… he was originally intended to go through with that.

I have Many MANY chapters of this unfolding- of Wukong actually going through with abandoning MK.

It was farrrr different than what the story has changed to now. And I love the direction the story is now going, but I had a lot of angst planned for the original :)

One day I might even post what originally was intended to happen.

Angst Rating: (1 being not that bad and 10 being it intending to stab you in the heart and twist)

Angst Rating: 10/10

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You did it! You are at the end! Feel free to either comment here or ask in my ask box about any of these~!

[quitealotofsodapop]

So can we get more context on this situation for the Tang River Water au?

referencing this au.

Literally one of the first things Peng does when they get released from the Scroll is to try and kill who he thinks is Tripitaka [Tang]. Peng presses on Tang so forcefully that the stone around him cracks. Tang doesn't be looking so great afterwards either.

Only reason Tang isn't passing through Diyu after this scene is Azure mentioning that he's just the monk's reincarnation (which 100% must have tickles Peng pink since they of all people know how embarassing it must have been for Buddha's teacher's pet to fail to break the cycle of rebirth). I have seen aus where Tang does die in this scene and his Golden Cicada powers have to come in clutch to keep his soul there. (link to a really cool animatic)

But in the "Mother Child River Tang" au?

Peng immediately takes one look at this *obviously* pregnant monk and just starts screeching with laughter! You know that sound peacock's make thats like a strangled laugh? That is all Peng is doing for their first five minutes out of the Scroll.

Yellow Tusk has already given Azure a warm welcoming hug and gotten caught up on the most recent millenium by the time Peng manages to catch their breath.

Peng: "The- [peacock cry]! The monk is- [more peacock cries!] ahhhhh! I can't even be mad at him right now! It's so funny!" Tang, still a little hurt, now offended: "Rude. A pregnant man isn't that funny." Peng: "But a pregnant monk is! Looks like that vow of chasity didn't stick eh?" Azure: "Peng, they are not the monk." Peng, laughter stops: "...then who the Diyu are they??" Tang, emboldened: "I'm Tang! Reincarnation and/or decendant of the Great Monk! And this is my husband Pigsy, our son MK, and our friends." Peng, tears in eyes: "HE MARRIED THE-!" [peacock cry!] Azure & Yellow tusk: *both sigh tiredly*

On a more serious note, since Sandy was forced to push Tang out of the way of Yellow tusk's attack + Peng pinned him to the ground, the Monkey King's part of the Scroll is damaged, MK is having a mental breakdown, and if we combine this with "Slow Boiled Stone Egg" au - the Brotherhood has taken Yuebei Xing hostage? Tang is in a lot of physical and emotional distress rn.

Like... enough to trigger early labor-level of distress.

Bodhisattva Guanyin is summoned immediately to Subodhi's temple before any actual training can occur. She's (and many other buddhist deities) so preoccupied in making sure that the Golden Cicada and his baby survives that they are distracted from the threat sieging Heaven at that moment...

Pigsy has to be held back from trying to tear the Brotherhood apart himself. Zhu Bajie wasn't *just* "some demon". He used to be one of the most powerful Marshals in Heaven - commanding 80 thousand heavenly sailors/soldiers. In one mythology, Marshal Tianpeng was even a son of Doumu - the mother of constellations (making him the Queen Mother of the West's brother oddly enough).

Whos to say that Pigsy doesn't accidentally tap into the powers of that life? The whole naval power of Heaven is suddenly at Subodhi's school, waiting for the orders to turn the Brotherhood into a fine red smear on the wall. It's only Tang's own pleading that Pigsy doesn't act rashly.

The chaos does lead to an odd conciencidence occuring though...

Nezha, post-s4: "I do wonder... has the Jade Emperor broken the cycle of rebirth? If not, then that means the location of his soul could prove dangerous if left unchecked. I must contact the Underworld." *starts mediatating* MK: "What do you mean?" Nezha: "The Emperor was eons old. That amount of acculmilated divine power needs a host that can handle it. Like-" Tang & Pigsy's baby: *snorts/burps loudly* Nezha, realising: "-the child of the Golden Cicada and of the Doumu herself..." Yama, King of Hell, astral projecting: "You guys are not gonna believe where the Emperor ended up! He's in a half-demon piglet somewhere- oh there she is!" Tang & Pigsy: ( 0_0) (0_0 ) "uh oh"

[thewildfandomwitch]

I can't say definitively whether this is what the show writers were going for, but given how much context is jammed into the JTTW novel this is my personal best guess at to what they might be going for.

In the JTTW novel they give a backstory for the Tang Monk’s parents (evil dude kills Tipitaka’s dad in order to forcefully marry his mom, the mom prevents Tripitaka from getting killed as well via putting him in a floatable basket and hoping for the best as he is set adrift down the river. Then over a decade later magical shenanigans ensue and the dad is revived and able to save his wife from her fate), the most notable aspect of this backstory is that before he was pretty much adopted into a monastery the Tang Monk was the grandson of royalty. Not the lost heir (it would be a different story if that were the case), but a grandson to one of the lesser wives in the royal harem.

Given how many children kings and emperors were able to sire during their lifetime it would actually make a lot of sense if Tang from LMK comes from one of those “old” families who can trace their branch of the family tree back to somebody’s harem (all of those non-heirs didn’t just disappear), so it does make sense for Mister Tang to be a “descendant” in the sense that the Tang Monk could be a many times great-uncle even if his devotion to his faith (and possible abandonment issues) had made him estranged from his branch of the family tree.

Or he could genuinely be a reincarnation and the show was only referring to Pigsy and Sandy being the descendants.

Pigsy being a direct descendant makes a world of sense since in the JTTW novel Zhu Bajie was MARRIED when he was forcefully recruited into the group (though the wife in question had not consented to being wedded to a pig demon, Zju Bajie had disguised himself as a handsome man and only revealed his demonic nature after he was able to imprison her in their wing of the house and refused to let her see her family to prevent them from helping her escape). Plus all throughout the novel Zhu Bajie is kind of a huge slut that constantly needs to be reigned in.

It makes sense for Pigsy to be ashamed of his heritage (hello internalized racism), it is doubtful that any children conceived during this marriage was… you know. I really like that they included this aspect in Pigsy’s arc in the show. The guy did a horrifically crummy thing, he may have changed over the course of the journey, but Pigsy’s many times great grandmother certainly never got any closure or an apology.

Zhu Bajie got to be redeemed as a hero in the eyes of the public, leaving his wife and their child, and that child’s descendants, forced to bear the pain Zhu Bajie left behind in silence. It’s doubtful that Pigsy had grown up with any good stories about Zhu Bajie, to realize that he, Tang, and Sandy are tied in a significant way to these past people, and to have experienced first-hand just how awful Zhu Bajie was before JTTW, must have stung to the core. Especially with how much he cares for Mister Tang, whose expertise is on JTTW, and not wanting his son MK to carry that pain. He wouldn’t be able to talk about it at home. Like, at all. To learn that Zhu Bajie had genuinely changed (maybe even felt remorse enough for his past actions to understand that he needed to stop trying to abandon the journey and go back to his wife), and that Pigsy had been able to achieve something his ancestor hadn’t been able to until later in his life, that’s some cathartic closure right there.

Sandy is the only one I don’t understand how… just… how does a cannibal get a date?

I haven’t watched s4 but I don’t mind spoilers. The other 3 are confirmed to be descendants? How even with tang considering his monk ancestor?

so

in season 3, sandy, pigsy, and tang come to the conclusion that they are most likely reincarnations of the original pilgrims. reasonable idea to think of given uhhhhh everything

in season 4, pigsy and master subudhi refer to the group as descendants, which changes the meaning. a lot actually

i dont think the director/writers thought that bit out, because, uhhhhh tripitaka is a monk sworn to celibacy. bro is not having sex let alone KIDS. originally im p sure the pilgrims also changed their religion to buddhism and followed the same practices that tripitaka did, aka no meat, do no harm, and uhhh no sex. but i think that bit was dropped because ao lie has a long line of family, which is fine! but its still weird for tripitaka to have canonically Had A Family.

so the logistics are uhhh unknown to me . enlighten me

[earl-of-221b]

Xian Dao......made Emperor Taizhong of Tang.....HOT AS WELL. 

Chapter 6 of 21c Jttw updated. (Raw) 

[fukyluky]

Mr. Tang is not poor, he is a descendant of Emperor Tang of the East. (Headcanon )

Nothing is real, it's from fan to fan 👀

Posible Spoilers

In the Monkie Kid Lego series, he introduces us to a Mr. Tang. What would they say yes, this man was as a millionaire as Mei?

It is very likely that the lord belongs to a family of high prestige, his dress betrays him.

An example is, in Mei's family, hey. As descendants of the dragon that accompanied the Tang Monk, their clothing is based on Tangzhuang 唐装 costumes.

Following the Asian philosophy, people who come from an ancient full of fame and history, it is common to see them wearing traditional clothes of their country, the same happens with the Japanese. For those who have seen anime, it makes sense.

Another point.

In the penultimate episode of the series, season 2.

Transformation. (if I remember correctly)

Everyone has gotten up at midnight. We will see everyone's clothes, with bedding.

Tang has full pajamas up to matching slippers. While the others are simple pajamas. (We don't put Mei here, because she prefers to be normal)

SPOILER ⚠️

It is seen that, when the Monk Tripitaka left the East, he abandoned his family, but continued to call himself, brother of Emperor Tang. (I don't doubt it was)

Tripitaka before being a monk, was the son of a family of great wealth, both paternal and maternal.

A mother of a famous family in the East.

A father who belonged to the Court of the Emperor and governor of a city.

The Emperor of the East was also among his relatives.

Since being a monk, he could not have children or descendants.

So, Lord Tang is a descendant of the same Eastern Tang Emperor.

Reason 1: The Monk Tripitaka was very close to him.

Reincarnation is very common among the families of the deceased. I do not doubt that after dying, the Monk Tripitaka wished to be born again, in the family of his closest beings.

Reason 2: If it weren't so important and important family. Why was he invited?

When he is appointed as a food judge. Season 2 Episode 3

The variables are, it's culinary critical, it can be, no one would deny it if it weren't true.

Variable two, they name him: "This guy."

And Tang replies, "Thank you for having me."

In the chapter, those two rascals recruit important judges, but not only them, but also the company.

Princess Iron Fan is invited, one owed something to the demons. Two, he's an important person.

The series focuses on a world where humans and demons coexist in harmony (more or less). So the Princess, with the absence of her husband, was doing something.

A businesswoman. Man!

And also invited Monkey King (more or less) who is also famous.

Tang was invited, because he comes from a wealthy and important family. And for business I had to attend.

Another reason to say that, its relaxed and calm form is justified.

Who wouldn't be relaxed with so much money in their hands?

Xd

Although Pigsy says that he is a profiteer, Tang does not deny it. He is probably a parasitic junior to his parents.

They will say that, Pigsy talks to Tang sombre to pay the rent.

But it is never specified who should pay for it, it is more likely to be Mk.

Since Pigsy somehow knows that, if Mk joins Tang, he will be a 'lazy profiteer'

Possibly Tang studied martial arts in his family, but he didn't have the talent or maybe he didn't have the dedication for it. Staying with books and art. I wouldn't be surprised if he danced.

In conclusion.

Tang is the reincarnation of the monk Tripitaka, who with the wheel of transmigration, was born into a wealthy family.

This is based on Season 3.

Tang says, "My mom said not to hang out with criminals."

In the novel he tells the story of a boy who did not fully enjoy his family, so he was given the opportunity to have one again and grow up as a normal child.

Therefore, Tang had a mother to consent to it, something that the Monk did not experience. Tang is the happy ending that was given to the Monk after being a great virtuous man.

[sketching-shark]

I bet Tanzang is the most hated character in jttw lol

Sorry if went to deep with this rant but I hate tang with a passion XD

I mean he’s emotionally abusive towards wukong and treats him like a scapegoat and believes he’s holier than thou (from my perspective) I know he’s the reincarnation of the golden cicada but that’s no excuse (how did Jesus make it easy when it came to understanding others lol) Like my guy wukong saved your ass, so the least you can do is be more thankful to our monkey man (wukong literally represents the human mind so it be wise to listen to him since he’s the logical one! No wonder he tried to kill him)

he plays the blame game with wukong most of the time only for sha and bajie to join in, even when I he gets his ass into trouble before getting nearly eaten by some demon or nearly killed by a mf ,

If only in a retelling tangzang actually isn’t close minded and actually listens to wukong when necessary instead of being in denial, he’d actually be more likable

Correct me if I’m wrong about all I’ve said since I haven’t read the og novel fully yet, especially my view of tangzang.

Weeellll in all fairness the Monkey King WAS and for a good portion of the journey still is a monkey of ultra violence (in all honestly I'd probably be crying & falling off my dragon horse all the time too if I was traveling with three yaoguai who had expressed a desire to kill and/or eat me). THAT SAID, you would think that after the upteenth time of Sun Wukong being proven right and expending a lot of effort and/or getting seriously hurt to save Tang Sanzang the monk would at the very least be more willing to trust him. This does raise an interesting question though if in the og classic TSZ could be said to have changed in any major way...from what I remember he was quite the complainer throughout, and I don't recall him ever actually apologizing for a number of the times that he used the torture headband against SWK. Not to mention that whole dynamic of him being like "as a monk, I would rather die than kill someone!"/"AAA Monkey save me from the yaoguai through using violence!" & "SWK you suck because you killed a lot of people"/"the Tang emperor is so admirable even though everyone knows he killed countless people to get his way :)" can make him seem a somewhat hypocritical figure. I'd be willing to bet that's why a lot of contemporary versions have done a fair amount of rewriting to soften the Tang Monk's more abrasive traits so that he acts more like the ideal holy man that he purports to be. It's been interesting too seeing a number of more contemporary retellings insert new scenes that are specifically about TSZ apologizing to SWK. The monk giving the monkey his due is something it seems a lot of people want.

This is making me curious though as to whether anyone's actually done something akin to a fan poll as to who their most beloved & most belothed figure from Journey to the West is asdfaesdf.

[empriix]

here’s my addition to JJK Fandom/JJK Lore

Three Great Vengeful Spirits | Onryō JJK Style

Sugawara no Michizane. Also referred to as Kan Shōjō or Kanke. Later deified as Tenman-Tenjin or just Tenjin for short. He was quite famous in his life time as a poet and scholar, having even travelled to China as the ambassador of Japan in the Tang Dynasty. He defended scholars, leading to one of the notable conflicts in his life, against the Fujiwara Clan, specifically Fujiwara no Motorsune who was related to the emperor by marriage. Died in exile, after being accused of not supporting the crown prince. His death coincided with plague, drought, death of the Emperor’s sons who accused him, and weeks of rainstorms and floods. Hence, his deification as a god of sky and storms.

Canonically the ancestor of the Gojō Clan and Okkotsu Yūta, as mentioned in Volume 0.

Taira no Masakado. Famously known for being the first recorded leader of an uprising against the central government in the Heian Period. Notably, his paternal family is descended from the Emperor, though were later demoted to commoners then reinstated as nobility. His placing in his family tree is also not clear, with conflicting records. According to historical records, one of the conflicts that are noted to contribute to his hostility is a dispute over an unnamed woman, against his paternal uncle—some speculate a cousin who he had married. He started a minor revolt in the Hitachi Province, taking the then governor as hostage, and proclaimed himself as the New Emperor. His rebellion later led to a bounty placed on his head, leading to his death via beheading. His rebellion was noted to coincide with a swarm of butterflies plaguing Kyoto. Butterflies, as a Japanese motif. are closely associated with metamorphosis and change, as well as linked to death as representatives of deceased spirits. Interestingly enough, Taira no Masakado’s birth and subsequent life are after that of Sugawara no Michizane. It was speculated when Taira no Masakado died, based on the calamities that followed, that he was the reincarnation of Sugawara no Michizane.

I personally headcanon Taira no Masakado as the ancestor of the Zen’in Clan. The family conflict that is a large part of his historical history and significance really pushed me into believing that he is the ancestor for the extremely conflict-laden Zen’in Clan. I also thought it’d be hilarious if what led to the Zen’in Clan’s vast Cursed Energy came from a man who’s hostility began because of love, especially with Naoya (derogatory). While the butterfly plague may or may not be true, I also thought the animal imagery preluding the rebellion made a link, to me, to the Ten Shadow Technique. Lastly, I liked that he was a rebel—and spiteful over what he loved. It really struck a cord with me, and it strikes me that Tōji, Megumi, and Maki virtually did the same thing: they walked away to do what they wanted. And just like Taira no Masakado ended up important in a way that no one could have predicted. Add on his arrogance to declare himself the New Emperor, and his pride, based on his actions, I’m pretty confident in headcanoning him as the Zen’in Clan’s ancestor. The idea that Taira no Masakado is just the reincarnation of Sugawara no Michizane was just perfect, to me, as fuel for the rivalry between the Gōjo and Zen’in Clans specifically.

Emperor Sutoku. The 75th Emperor of Japan. He doesn’t have many notable achievements during his tenure as the emperor. Notably, his failure as the emperor to quell a rebellion led to his abdication and exile at the age of 37, ending his reign. In exile, it is said that devoted himself to monastic life, devoting himself to scripture. His scripture replications were rejected; the former emperor snubbed. In the end, he cursed the Imperial Court for his misfortunes, leading to him becoming one of the Three Great Onryō.

As you can probably guess, I headcanon Emperor Sutoku to be the ancestor of the Kamo Clan. My main reasoning is that, as a member of the imperial household, it makes it very obvious that his descendants would be very wary of their bloodline. Even more so as descendants of an exiled emperor. His misfortunes and failures, in my mind, could have shaped the highly conscious Kamo Clan of blood purity in the sense that the heir must have the Inherited Cursed Technique: Blood Manipulation. Blood Manipulation is a technique fitting for nobility in general, but even more so a family that descends from the Imperial Family. Kamo Noritoshi’s (the Good One) flashbacks regarding his childhood, also make me speculate that part of the reason the Kamo Clan is so concerned with preserving their Cursed Technique is because of the fear of “failing” or being demoted. Which, for me, is similar to how Sutoku was forced into exile. His dabbling religious activities, at least in JJK, can be used as euphemism of experimenting with Cursed Techniques and whatnot—like with Kamo Noritoshi (the Bad One) and Chōsō have experimented in wildly different ways.

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I hope y’all like them ‘cause like I GENUINELY tried to model them after known members from each clan and used colours that kinda fit each clan. Like Blue for Michizane cause Gojō Muthafuckin’ Satoru. Green for Masakado because Maki-Babe’s hair is a similar shade. Red for Sutoku ‘cause blood. Masakado’s tongue thing is supposed to look like Toji and a bit of Naoya. And hes supposed to look smug....... Ugh. I hate it here.

[girllovescomic]

Winter Begonia Episode 6 recap

One of my favorite episode, it is in my eyes when Cheng Fengtai (Er Ye) truly falls for our little singer, Shang Xirui.  He was already attracted to him, evidenced by the gaze, but this is what tips him over the line from infatuation to love. This is also an episode where you see how the opera lyrics are integral to the plot. 

We hear Er Ye’s internal thoughts as he watches the opera, engrossed in Shang Lao Ban’s interpretation of Yang Guifei. He tells that when one leaves the Palace for Eternal Youth (the name of the Opera), they can see their lives in the story or some similarities between them and the character, but for him it goes deeper.  He sees the helplessness and compromise he and his family had to make due to circumstances.  For him, he had to give up his literary dreams and return home (from Europe, I presume) to take the family business which had been in ruin. He had no idea what he was doing because he was young, having to deal with creditors taking away everything, their employees leaving them and his sister Meixin forced to marry the Commander Cao and leave the man she loved, so they can settle some debts.  Apparently, this was not enough, leading him to marry Fan Xian aka Er Nainai, who turns out had a lucrative career as a businesswoman that she was forced to becoming a housewife, confined inside the mansion walls to raise their children.  By the way, can we command the way Huang Xiaoming speaks English? He even speaks better than the white girl talking to him.  LOL. 

The play, or specifically the way SXR sings it exposes all the emotions he had pushed aside as he realize that in life you cannot always do what you want, that sometimes the hand of fate forces you to make choices that goes against your dreams, making you suffer silently as you bite your lips and trudge through life. Ooof, I felt that one to my core.  We go back to Shang Lao Ban singing what appears to be sad song. CFT is completely absorbed, to the point of tears as he resumes his narration.  

To him, Xirui’s Yang Guifei is unwilling to submit to fate, to kill herself because the courtiers ask her to, but freely choosing to sacrifice herself

In one of the most beautiful sequence that made me weep, we see SXR as Yang Guifei standing afar from CFT talking to each other, the white cloth falling on the floor.  She (talking about Yang Guifei) is reaching out to him, which makes him look around wondering if he is the one she wants. He tells her that it is her life, he can’t help her; she responds that she does not need his help, she just wants to look at her.  He laments that she did not need to die as long as she was willing to accept her status, but she responds what was she supposed to let go of. He replies that should have taken conformed to the hand of fate, like he did,  but to her that would have been meaningless. He tries to stop her from killing herself, but she replies that if she delays it more, she might start to regret it.  We go back to the present time and CFT is weeping, clearly affected.  Sigh, what a scene.  I am crying while typing this.  

SXR is doing his thing, marveling the audience, who are equally moved.  With everyone gone, CFT is alone in his VIP box, thinking of his mother, who left to pursue her dreams as her singer instead of being confined in her role as mother and wife.  CFT finally understands why his mother made that decision to go back to her love of the opera, as he walks dazed.  

SXR watches as CFT walks dazed to his house.  He is so struck, he doesn’t even see or hear anyone, not his wife nor his household manager.  The man is completely gone, his mind still on his vision of Yang Guifei. 

Again, we are privy to his thoughts and he tells us that SXR not only portrays Yang Guifei but embodies her, not simply acting her out, but being a living and breathing embodiment of the tragic concubine, like a reincarnation. OOOOF, this is poetry! As an aside, this scene was in the novel as well, although not as poetic.  He stands in the courtyard as snowfall as if in a dream-like state, stumbling through his house, much to the other’ consternation.  

Still in a daze, CFT is sitting and humming to himself.  Through a conversation between his wife and the annoying maid, it has been a half day he’s been in this position and that he has not gone to any of his social functions, discuss business or play mahjong, for the past couple of days, completely uninterested in anything.  The annoying maid of course has to run her mouth, claiming that at least Er Ye stays at home instead of being seduced by girls. I swear this girl has a one-track mind. He has been seduced, but not some women, but by an adorable opera singer who can lift his soul. Er Nainai responds that she doesn't care about this nonsense, she feels uneasy by this version of her husband. She clearly knows the annoying little maid can’t process such adult thinking and tells her so.  I like this side of Er Nainai. Meanwhile, Er Ye’s mind is still on the songs and may I say, Huang Xiaoming looks absolutely gorgeous in it.

He tries to replicate the experience, but none of the records he pick come close to the original.  Fan Lian is completely confused by his BIL’s reaction, wondering what he is looking for.  Like a lovestruck teenager who has discover her first pop idol, CFT confesses that he wants to hear Shang Xirui. Fanboy Fan Lian tells him that he has some of SXR records, and will lend it to him, but that is not what CFT is really looking for. 

Me, when I hear shitty house music

 He tells his BIL that when SXR is on stage he is a completely different person, as if he just walked out of book or an opera script.  Fan Lian tells him that he said something similar to SXR, “Body in the mortal realm, but spirit in the performance.” Ooof, I wished I could write something like that in my stories. He adds that of course, it’s a simplistic way to describe the singer’s performance, especially when taking into account his irascible personality and his nebulous past with his cousin.  But he adores the man’s talent, so he is able to ignore all that.  I completely understand bro.  I have a lot of celebrities that I enjoy their work, but dislike their personalities.  Sometimes you have to separate the art from the man/woman.  

CFT tells him that is not what he cares about, since he has no understanding of the art form, but he actually cares about the man’s spirit, which he finds special.  Well, someone is smitten. He finds it refined, rich and sensitive.  He is not only a performer who is amazing at what he does, but compare to him, everyone else are mere mortals.  This goes above Fan Lian’s head.  The look on CFT’s face says it all; this is a man who has fallen in love, so yeah, Fan Lian, you can’t understand what he is talking about or feeling. 

Dressed up in a fabulous attire and strutting his stuff, while his wife looks on, relieved that he is finally leaving the house, he goes out to find SXR.  Er Nainai tells Meixin that she used to be uneasy whenever Er Ye left the house, but now she is relieved that he is going out, as long as his heart is with his family. You might end up regretting those words.  

Meanwhile, SXR is facing another crisis as the opera singer who he was replacing while he was out sick as suddenly decided to come back, probably because he is jealous at the success our little divo is having.  Xiao Lai can’t believe this bullshit, especially since they are running out of place to perform.  

Waiting like a teenage boy for his crush, CFT is standing next to his car, when he spots Shang Lao Ban coming out of the theater with Xiao Lai.  He presses on the horn to get his crush’s attention and I swear this is the cutest thing ever.  SXR sends away Xiao Lai who does not seemed to happy that her boss is spending time with the businessman. Shang Lao Ban asks Er Ye how long he has been waiting in the cold instead of coming backstage. CFT looks at him like a man in love looks at his object of affection. I am so jealous of this fictional character! Seriously, he is practically gazing at the other man, who can only smile and asks where they are going.  Oh my, is this their first date? I squeal! He is taking him for an afternoon tea and actually wants to know what he would like to eat. Our little glutton tells him that he wants something sweet and opens the door to let him in.  I need to pause for a second, tis tew much. 

SXR is scarfing down on a chocolate cake and asks where Er Ye went after the show.  He wants to have his opinion about his performance, which CFT tells him it was really great. In other operas, Yang Guifei would be forced to die at Mawei Station, but SXR version sang about willingly giving her life for love, turning the damsel into a hero.  He was especially struck by one of the lyrics, which is the same lyrics SXR loves about the opera, brought to tears.  

CFT flashes a 1000 watt smile upon hearing that and tells him that his performance of Palace of Eternal Youth does not resemble other version of this opera and should be called something else, like the Legend of the Flourishing Tang Dynasty.  A little history background here.  Yang Guifei was Emperor Ming of Tang’s favored concubine, whom he stole from his own son.  Apparently he lavished her with gifts, built an expensive pavilion for her, neglecting his duties as an Emperor, so much so there was a rebellion.  Wanting to stop the rebellion, the courtiers forced the Emperor to demand Yang Guifei to be killed as they saw her and her family as the reason for the unrest.  Unlike the opera, she does not kill herself, but is killed by Gao Lishin and her body brought to the head of the rebellion as proof of her death.  However, the marks the slow decline of the dynasty..

SXR is confused by what CFT is saying, not grasping the meaning behind the title.  CFT explains that Palace of Eternal Youth is a love story between to high status people confined by their roles, that of an Emperor and his consort.  They have to abide to what his expected of them in their respective roles.  The play not only depicts this confinement, but also the rise and fall of a nation.  SXR version of the play since about a flourishing dynasty yet it is focus on a tragedy of sacrifice, which could be reflected in 1930s China before the horrors of the occupation and the valiant resistance from both communists and nationalists to oust the invaders. This goes above the uneducated SXR who explains to CFT that in the second act of the play, Yang Guifei had angered the Emperor in a fit of jealousy , but afterwards made up.  The reason for the disagreement was due to the fact the Emperor was enamored with another woman called JIang Caiping, feeling Yang Guifei sacrificed herself for no reason.  CFT sees a parallel between SXR situation with Mengping and his story.  SXR tells him that indeed he sees himself in the stories he sings. CFT tells him that he understands as he used to see that opera performers were similar to their characters, but when he saw SXR performed Yang Guifei, he was more than a mere embodiment but was the actual person, which makes SXR sees that CFT understands his performance in depth, and adds that he was using his soul to perform.  This gets CFT to smile, one that I bet even his wife never seen.  It is a naked smile what they shows his true emotion.  We are witnessing the connection of two souls here and it's a beautiful thing.  Once again, how this past censorship is beyond me. 

Look at this smile!

Meanwhile the troupe is waiting.  I have a feeling Xiao Lai told the troupe their leader had left with Er Ye.  As soon as the duo appears, everyone stands up in attention.  SXR shouts to Xiao Lai to warm up some wine, while Shi Jiu is trying her best to put her flirt on. Oh sis, you are wasting your time.  The man is not interested. 

She comments that finally her boss is seeing the light, associating himself with Commander Cao’s BIL is the next best thing than getting the actual man to dispel the rumors and help them out of their desperate situation. The duo chat some more, over wine, talking about the difference between Western Opera and Eastern Opera performers, especially the castrato. They talk about skills needed to be a good singer. They get drunk, so much so that SXR and are hilarious.  

SXR is in his first costume he ever used when performing and despite being average compared to now, he considers it his most prized one; it is his armor, his guts.  I have to say it is a beautiful piece, showcasing the meticulous work put in Eastern embroidery and their use of pearls.  

CFT reveals that he wrote a story when he was in school abroad.  SXR says he is not surprised since he can see that Er Ye understands the art on a deeper level and why they are connecting.  CFT tells him of his story, which is about a woman who eloped with a man she loved, but who abandoned.  While she waited at home, she had many lovers, who came and gone, until the woman finally realize that she didn’t need these men in her life.  They were just a passing folly, not dependable to ensure her happiness and that by controlling her fate, she can do so.  She went on to open her own weaving shop, taking in widows and orphans and went on to have great success, so much so, she was asked by the Empress to make her clothes.  Damn, that is a freaking good story! They laugh and SXR thinks the morale of the story is that for a woman to control her fate, she needs money. Hmm.. aren’t we all? Shang Lao Ban reminds might be too progressive for Beijing Opera; instead the protagonist would be killed.  CFT tells him that stories transcends culture or gender which seems to make SXR teary.  As a performer, he is seen as the dregs of Chinese society, lower than a prostitute, despite the fame. I bet he wished to live in a world that would dispense of this hierarchical structure and see his profession respected by those in higher status.  He tells CFT that he would love to play this type of woman, and I am hoping this is a hint of collaboration between the two.  I actually would love to see him play this kind of character.

The troupe is eavesdropping, hoping their leader would hit up CFT’s wallet to help them out when Lao Ge comes in looking for his boss.  They push him out, claiming Cheng Er Ye is not inside.  Shi Jiu says they should keep anyone from interrupting since it might be their only opportunity; Dashen replies that it depends on their leader’s abilities to charm beg Cheng Er Ye for help.  

Meanwhile, the duo is still discussing opera.  Er Ye does not understand that for the sake of expediency, why not only wear a mask like the Japanese kabuki performers do, which would save time on makeup.  This appears to make SXR laugh hard.  He tells Er Ye that it is not the same thing because you will not be able to see the facial expression, which are an integral part of the opera.  Wearing a mask is like being a ghost on stage, a bit like dubbed voices take away the essence of the emotions conveyed by the actors (any C drama fans would understand).  

They drink again and SXR reveals this has been the happiest day since he came to Beijing.  He never expected to become kindred spirits with Commander Cao’s BIL.  CFT ponders about the title, which constrains me like the rest of his life.  But SXR sees through the facade of a man who seems powerful and wealthy, like the fictional character, General Gao Yaonei who took Lin Chong’s wife, but turns out to be a good person, while CFT also had the wrong picture of Shang Lao Ban as an arrogant prima donna on the cray cray side, but is actually a good person as well.  Shang Lao Ban is asleep and he looks so cute.  The troupe is still standing at the door when a drunk Cheng Er Ye stumbles out.  The troupe does not want to let him go back home and convince him to stay by claiming their leader would beat him up if he leaves without saying goodbye.  Lol these sneaky mofos. It actually succeed and Cheng Er Ye returns to sleep with our adorable Shang Lao Ban.  They have no idea they are helping the ship sail.  

Meanwhile, the weasel family(Jiang father and son) are discussing SXR financial problems and the fact he had to pawn his costume to pay the rent. They are jubilating at the difficulties Shuiyin troupe is facing, especially since they are a big one and there are bound to have problems as morale starts to get low and the funds disappears. With losing his spot at the theater and not being shrewd, he will have problems raising money, leading to his own people turning against him.  Its the next day and the member wants to know how his chat with Cheng Er Ye went, in the hope they got themselves a rich sponsor.  SXR is like “the hell are you talking about? What difficulties?” Then it dawns on him what they are asking and that angers him.  He lets them know that his “friendship" with Er Ye is on a different level, one of being kindred spirits.  He wouldn’t dare use him for money. 

They grumble until CFT appears; he looks like he didn’t sleep on a cushy mattress like he has at home.  CFT asks if SXR heard some rumbling noises last night and SXR asks if it hail last night.  Judging from his face, he knows where this noise came from and Dashen confirms it was loud snoring. LOL.  SXR is obfuscated, claiming he never snores. Xiao Lai brings out the rinse and CFT is also given one.  As he is about to rinse his mouth, SXR breaks out in a voice exercise that makes CFT gulped the rinse.  LOL  There’s a competition between him and one of the merchant selling fried pancake.  There’s a knock on the door and the merchant as left a piece of fried dough for Shang Lao Ban, claiming it as gift.  He splits it and gives a piece to CFT, who can’t turn it down, but you can tell has no interest in putting this commoner’s food in his stomach.  So boogie. While CFT struggles to eat the dough, SXR invites to take him somewhere fun, but the troupe goad Xiao Lai to remind SXR they have to clean out the backstage of the opera house, hoping CFT would hear about their troubles.  SXR is having none of that, sending some of them to clean out their stuff.  He clearly does not want to ask money from CFT and I can’t blame him.  Money has a way to create unease and inequality, especially in a budding relationship/friendship.  Once you owe someone money, it causes problem, especially when you have to pay it back.  SXR leaves with CFT in tow, who still has not taken a bite of the fried dough, leaving it behind for the others. The way he drops the pancake and wipes his hand is so boogie, I cannot.

They walk through a street where many circus-like performers are showing their talent. They are walking so closely to each other already, le sigh. The area is called Tianqiao and someone in the Viki comments stated this is the closest to the amusement park date trope so prevalent in Asian dramas, and I couldn’t agree more. CFT compares it to the Shanghai’s Great World Amusement Park, confirming the statement above.  It is apparently an entertainment and amusement arcade, which opened back in 1917.  Shang Lao Ban reveals that he once sang there and despite the place having a roof which would carry his voice better, he prefers the open air of Tianqiao.  Clearly not full from the friend pancake, he goes and buys persimmon cake.  Geez where does the food go?! He offers one to Er Ye who, of course, turns it down. 

Look how close they are walking!!!

 Unbeknown to him, he is the victim of a pickpocket.  Trying to get his money to buy cigarette (hmm... wait, this is far more unhealthy than the greasy food Shang Lao Ban is offering you bro!), he realizes what happened.  Our kung fu penguin goes after the thief and kicks ass.  Seriously, he is amazing.  CFT looks like he is enjoying seeing his crush fighting skill, especially he is far more proficient with a gun than his fists. He gets the money back and tells the thief to leave.  CFT asks why he didn’t take the thief to the cops, but SXR tells him the way of the street is that if a thief got his ass kicked, that is sufficient punishment. CFT asks about his kung fu skills, saying it is is good looking (Ohhh); SXR reveals it is a skill that has been passed down from his father, the Shang Family Rod, a type of martial arts that is different from the fake fighting on stage that can do real damage.  CFT comments that SXR must have been beaten a lot when he was a child, which the singer admits.  If you seen Farewell My Concubine, you know the abuse these kids go through to become performers.  It is gross.  SXR invites CFT to continue with their walk and this is where it ends.

Ooof, this episode was heavy in emotion and exposition. I truly think this is where the infatuation Cheng Fengtai had developed for our little divo turns into love and where Shang Xirui gets to see the shrewd businessman has someone who possesses a similar artistic passion who had to give it up for circumstances out of his control.   He is like the real Yang Guifei who was forced to accept her fate and be killed by Gao Lishi, whereas Shang Xirui of the opera who chose to sacrifice herself for her love, giving himself fully to his passion. We are also seeing how much the troupe is suffering because of the rumored feud with Commander Cao, which sets up lots of conflicts that will set up the end of our act 1 and push our protagonists to make a decision that will forever change their lives. 

[hankguogh]

10 Chinese webnovels I highly recommend

Chinese webnovels are getting popular around the world, this genre of novels is also called Light Novel because of its short chapter size and editing work.As a veteran reader, I have been reading Chinese webnovels for more than 15 years,including most of all genres,such as wuxia,fantasy,romance ... Some of them have really impressed to me,and today I'm very glad to recommend you 10 Chinese webnovels that have been translated to English.I think they are all of pretty good quality.

1.Night Ranger

This fantasy novel has 819 chapters and it is completed now on webnovel.com its original chinese edition has 2.01 million views.

Source:webnovel.com Synopsis: Legendary player Marvin transmigrated to the eve of the Great Calamity. This was the end of the fourth era, all gods joined hands to destroy the Universe Magic Pool. The fourth Fate Tablet had begun maturing and all gods, demons, legends, devils, liches, dragons and other legendary creatures were appearing one after the other. In order to protect his loved ones, Marvin has no other choice but to delve into the shadows. This is the story of a young ranger growing into the Ruler of the Night during the Chaos Era.

2.Godly Stay-Home Dad

This novel has been updated to Chapter 116 on tapread.com (one chapter each day).And now it ranks top 1 among all novels on tapread,very worth reading.

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: After immortality cultivation, he transforms into a daddy. Then he begins to carve out a new field where he opens a restaurant. In his spare time, he would like to compose songs and flirts with his wife ... Let’s see how this immortal daddy plays the city.

3.Martial God Asura

It is an ongoing Chinese web novel by “Kindhearted Bee” with 2900+ chapters. This novel is currently being translated by Yang Wenli (YWL) and flowerbridgetoo (FBT) has translated the first 3 volumes (Chapters 1-1004). On the wuxiaworld website, it is listed in the “Xuan Huan” category and “Eastern Fantasy” as the subcategory.

Source:wuxiaworld.com Synopsis: Regarding potential—even if you are not considered a genius, you can still learn Mysterious Techniques and martial skills. Anyone can be enlightened without a master. Regarding strength—despite having a myriad of artifacts, you may not defeat my army of World Spirits. Who am I? All of the world’s living perceives me as Asura, but I was ignorant to such a thing. I thus ascend to be the Martial God as Asura.

4.Reincarnation - The Divine Doctor and Stay-at-home Dad

This kind of stay-home dad novel is my favorite genre,lol. This novel is also an ongoing one. check it on Tapread.com.

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: As an ordinary human being on the earth, Tang Long was brought to the Cultivation World by a lost immortal, and relying on his amazing talent, he made it to one of the five emperors in that world. However, struck by Thunder of Nine Heavens, he lost his life. It was lucky for him to rebirth in the human world as an intern who was named Qin Haodong. With his excellent medical skills, he became a divine doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and a father of a baby girl, whose mother was as pretty as a fairy. The little girl even asked him to find more lovers. What a cute girl...

5.Trial Marriage Husband: Need to Work Hard

The novel is currently top 1 translation power ranking on webnovel.com now.Highly recommended!

Source:webnovel.com Synopsis: The night before their wedding, her fiancee ran off with his mistress. Out of frustration, she grabbed the man standing in front of the Civil Affairs Office, "President Mo, your bride has not arrived and my groom has run away...May I suggest we get married?" Before marriage, she said, "Even if we were to share the same bed, nothing would happen between us!" After marriage, he said, "If we don't try, how would we know?"

6.The General’s Genius Daughter

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: In her previous life, the woman that her husband cheated on dug out her beautiful eyes, told her that her child was not her husband’s and then tortured her to death. Her six years old son, Tiantian, was harmed by the adulterer while her parents were brutally murdered... Hua Qiyue woke up again and found out that she was now in the body of a famous general’s daughter, who shared the same first name as her. However, she discovered that the body was a useless one as her Qi veins were blocked! Since the heaven did give her another chance of life, she promised herself to destroy the life of her cheating husband, torture the home wrecker, seek revenge and save her son! By accident, she discovered a handsome devil inside her jade gourd and was forced to acknowledge him as her master. What troubled her more was that her first appearance in the public caused her to be surrounded by numerous handsome men such as the cool and mysterious Prince Nan, her cruel but strong master Tianpi, and the kind and graceful Medical Saint... Tianyuan continent was the continent of Qi Art and Spirit Summoning Art... Watch how Hua Qiyue master the two Arts, defeat her rivals and solve one mystery after another...

7.The Love Riots

Very popular on wattpad,editor's choice,the only one in my recommendation list isn't Chinese novel.

Source:wattpad.com Synopsis: Chitralekha Menon, or Chitra as she prefers, is an editor at Delhi Belly, a weekly lifestyle magazine. She lives alone in a flat and enjoys a cosmopolitan life that the city offers. Her days are spent going to the old parts of the town for interviews with interesting but unknown personalities. She loves reading books in her favourite armchair with a cup of cutting chai and discussing Indian politics. One day fate leads her to meet Zahir Hosain, a Political Science teacher, who emanates peace and enigma. She watches him with fascination as he works for an NGO and cares for his students so deeply. However, she realizes that life is not a bed of roses when she has to fight at every turn for her love as the society she lives in becomes more and more radical by the day. After all, does this society have a place for a Hindu woman who has fallen for a Muslim man? Together, Chitra and Zahir embark on an emotional and disastrous journey that takes sudden turns, keeping them on their toes and out of breath.

8.Sweet Chief Secretary

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: The first master in Shen’s refused female secretary to maintain his image. The girl lost her job and crashed into a luxury car of the second master in Shen’s, so she could only work as his secretary to repay the debt. The second master would emerge in the headlines of entertainment news every two or three days due to his gossip!In addition to help him at work, his secretary had to deal with his rotten tidbits?

9.The Medical Guru

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: He was the youngest guru of martial arts as well as the perfect Mr. McDreamy of the most girls. He had mysterious absolute touch, clear-sighted observation ability and various outstanding talents. But now, he was just an ordinary freshman in University of Jiangjing Chinese Medicine, who wanted to learn Chinese Medicine, see patients, and get into a relationship with a girl in a low-key way. However, in a Mid-Autumn Festival party, he was forced to put on a performance, which shocked the whole audience. The shiny and wonderful university life began from then on. In the university, he met a beautiful and smart School Beauty Jiang Miaoyu who shook his heart slightly. But the road of love was never smooth, even to a perfect hero. He also met a kind and friendly teacher Dr. Shen who discovered his excellent technique and gave him a chance to practice. Besides, his three lovely and interesting roommates were indispensable in his life, although sometimes they looked a little awkward. But this young hero’s life was not always full of happiness without a hitch, some trouble still appeared from time to time. The domineering and imperious President of the Students’ Union Li Qingshi purposely made difficulties for him repeatedly. The stubborn and hardworking martial arts practitioner Chen Cong often challenged him in different ways. Just because of these extraordinary personalities around him, this young hero’s road of struggle looked so amazing...

10.Super Urban Master

Source:tapread.com Synopsis: A good-for-nothing man wrote a closed book furiously and ran away from home on the wedding night as he was humiliated by his Kung Fu wife. Unfortunately, he suffered a car accident, but it turned to be a blessing. He swallowed the soul that passed through the outer world, thus obtained superb medical skills and martial arts. Later on，he embarked on the road of counterattacks, and was committed to his great dreams.

Well, above are my recommendations, although some of them didn't get good translations,that doesn't affect its quality at all.As a reader, I'm always passinate about Chinese web novels,and I hope you guys could like my recommendations!

[linoliu]

 Talking about the people in the Ming Dynasty, it was known that Tang Xianzu died of syphilis.

The reason for the death of Tang Xianzu has always been that Xu Yufang wrote the article "Tang Xianzu and syphilis", published in the first issue of "Literature Heritage" in 2000, and later changed its name to "Tang Xianzu suspected of dying of syphilis", but this article was published after the publication. There are not many readers. At the same time, when the collection of his anthology was published, it was edited and deleted, so there are fewer known people.

In the article of Xu, it is not appropriate to argue that Tang Xianzu died of syphilis. That is to say, at best, it can only be regarded as "suspect", but it cannot be confirmed. He is lifting:

Before the death of Tang Xianzu, he said in the small preface of "The Seven Sayings of the World": "The servant is old." Fortunately, two people are big things. It’s impossible to get rid of the disease in the block. Be cautious, still use the linen crown to attack. On the side of the second person, you will see you in the morning. The people are returning to the virtual, and the customs are prosperous. Blame, hate it. For fear, I am forgiven. "With the death of the syphilis, Tu Long, who told his son Yu Heng when he died before his death, was very similar: "I will blame." Its thin and concise, killing the custom, don't yell at me. 』

2 ‧ "Zhang Shizhen" "Yuelutang Collection" Volume 8 "The Sacrifice of the Emperor Lang Linchuan Tang Ruoshi" quoted the teacher's disciple Zhu Eryu as saying: "The disease is caused by ulcers." A general term for tumors or ulcers in ancient times. The latter is a common symptom in the late stage of syphilis patients. 』

3‧Take another "Tang Xianzu has a poem "Seven Years of Sickness and Answers", saying: "If you don't have a disease, you will get a few tons of medicines. You will not be able to get a handful of medicines for a while. The ancient disease is not the same as the new disease." According to "Wild won", Volume 22, "Supervisor and Xu Zhongyu", Zhai Zhongkai is a mountain person in Suzhou, that is, a literati who is a leisurely guest in the government. "The ancient disease is not the same as the new disease," indicating that this is a new disease that has never been found in China. It cannot be effectively treated with traditional ancient methods. This new disease can only be accurately explained by the new syphilis introduced from abroad. 』

4‧ Another year in the year of Tang Xianzu’s examination of the scholar, Wu’s wife died in her hometown. His continued wife, Fu, is a prostitute.

Later, Xia wrote "Tang Xianzu's death test", against Tang Xianzu's death from syphilis, and pointed out that Xu Yufang quoted Tang Xianzu's poem "Seven Years of Diseases and Answers Zhong Zhong", the poem title "Seven Years of Disease" is an allusion from Mencius, not There are seven years of medical history, but "not real". It is also pointed out that Xu Weifang believes that Tang Xianzu’s succession is a prostitute, but it is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the text, because Xu Weifang pointed out in his "Tang Xianzu Chronicle": "The young woman sighs"... Poetry and clouds: 'Dream laughs and wakes up On, the wrong call to send the shadows. In the Ming Dynasty, in the square where Tang Chang’an officials lived, Bai Xing’s “Li Wa Chuan” was equivalent to the Qinglou North, and Fu’s family was also a Chinese. When Xia wrote, he pointed out that the young woman’s surname was wrong. And pointed out: "Determining the young woman's surname, according to what? Determined that this young woman is Tang Xianzu continued to be Mrs. Fu, according to what? The more serious negligence is that the poem of this poem, the apocalypse engraved "The Complete Works of Yuxi Hall" is "Young Women Sigh, Three", and Wan Liben's "Linchuan Tanghai Ruoyu Temple Collection" is "Young Women Sighing Mountains" People, three." Wanli was booked by Tang himself. Please pay attention to the key suggestion of "Showing the Mountain People": Can Tang Xianzu tell some mountain people about his wife's indecent experience and record it? According to this, it can be concluded that the young woman in "Young Women Sigh" has nothing to do with Tang Xianzu's family. Tang Xianzu succeeded with Mrs. Fu’s “Father Fu, Sheng Deshi, and the mother of Beijing”, and was born in innocence; according to Wang Siren, “Shou Tangfu Futai’s wife, 60, 22 rhymes, Mr. Hai Ruo’s succession”, Mrs. Fu’s virtue It can also be circled. 』

He also pointed out that "checking the history of Chinese medicine, ulcer is not only a general term for all kinds of surgical diseases, but also can refer to a kind of head ulcer. It has a long history!" "Said the text": "The ulcer, the head is also created"; "Release the name": "The head has a wound of ulcers." According to "Zuo Chuan? The 19th year of the Gonggong", he was once "born in the head", Shi Jiayu "瘅疽". Hey, the disease is also; hemorrhoids, fever and swollen poison. Referring to the experience of modern doctors in diagnosis and treatment, Tang Xianzu suffers from nothing more than head malignant abscess or tumor. The disease is fierce and the course of illness is short. Not only at that time, even today, it seems to be refractory. 』

When I wrote about Xu Weifang and Xia, the two kings said that Xu Xianfang’s argument about whether Tang Xianzu died of syphilis or not was supported by Xu Weifang. Because I have cited the discussion of the cause of death of Tang Xianzu from the above, in fact, the historical materials cited are not comprehensive, there is a more important historical data, the two kings are ignored, so Xu Weifang’s arguments have to use "doubt" It was sent out, and its essays were very weak, and the sorrow became a deep-spoken ancestor of the ancestor of the ancestors, and Mr. Xia Shi was stunned by the adoration of the idol Tang Xianzu.

In the late Ming Dynasty, Xu Shuzhen’s "Living Buried Xiaoxue ‧ Volume IV" has a record: "If the article of the scholars is not too much in my dynasty, it is a legend, and it is amazing. "Peony Pavilion" is especially Hey. In the text of the old age, Han Qimei: If Russell hates Taicang, the death of this legendary Du Li Niang is even more so, with the condition of Yangzizi, and the Pingzhang is also shadowy. According to the Xiangyang Immortal, Wang Yuanmei made a biography for him, and he also showed his glory. Later, the Taicang people were even more dissidents: after the reincarnation of Fuyang, they were married to the Hui women, and they said that they were ignorant, and if they were true. However, when I heard that if the sergeant died, he would do everything in his hand. If he was not slandered by a proverb, then he should also be ridiculed. However, it is even more sensible if the scholar has this romanticism, and the room has no sputum, and the wife is old and old, it seems that it is not appropriate to get this bad news, set to ridicule the real ear. 』I have mentioned: "When you hear the death of a man, you will do your best." 』

According to the feudal literati from the last century under the worship of Tang Xianzu, there is also a mention of this predecessor's record, all of which are the words of the singer who deliberately slandered Tang Xianzu. However, most of the literati who lived in the late Ming Dynasty were Tang Xianzu fans. Xu Shuzheng was full of praise for Tang Xianzu, not a slander. On the contrary, in this record, he mentioned that he was listening to the literati’s personal confession (“early smell”), which was recorded in the end of the Ming Dynasty. It was rumored that Tang Xianzu died of Hualiu’s disease instead of him. Defamation. According to this record, I also know that it is not Xu Yifang's deliberate nonsense for the later generations, but that people in the Tang Xianzu era knew this. When they died, they were "hands and feet" (the joints of long syphilis are like broken hands and feet). To say that strict defamation is to go to the Qing Dynasty to learn the glory of the road, and some meteorological, such as the Qianlong era Gu Gongyu's "Summer Record": "There were people who traveled to the Hades, see the A-Prison, and the two People, very bitter. Who is it for? Ghosts and paws: This is the yang masterpiece of "The Return of the Soul" and "The West Chamber", never surpassing. Yi Yi. 』

Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, Xu Shuzhen’s text, when he wrote Tang Xianzu’s death, was “hands and feet”. This is the same as Xu Weifang’s poem when he cites Tang Xianzu’s discussion about Tu Long’s death from syphilis. The ulcers, the bones and bones are bad, the pain can not be tolerated, and the teaching order is a little bit fixed. In the "Ten Tens of the Game", when Tu Long, who was suffering from syphilis, died, "the bones are broken" is synonymous. The so-called "when the singer dies, the hand and the foot do their best" is also the same as "when Ruoshi died, the bones and muscles are bad." This is the rumor that Tang Xianzu’s contemporaries in the late Ming Dynasty later appeared in the late Ming Dynasty. It was written on the same day’s notes, not the “doubt” of the later generations of Xu Weifang. However, if Mr. Xu has a more extensive historical data and a record of the people at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it is more convincing for Xu Weifang’s argument that Tang Xianzu’s syphilis has died, and that Tang’s ancestors will not be treated as religious. Mr. Xia wrote the text for the poor. (Liu Youheng: "A Study of the Truth of Ancient Drama History", Taipei: City State Press, 2019)

[l-in-c-future]

Worldviews and the discourse of history 2d: Two heavens view

Going back to my 2a previous post about the Eternal Love TV series, it was an interesting example showing how folklores, fairy tales about deities reflected people’s views of politics and societies in their imagination. The TV series was adapted from a novel  To the Sky Kingdom (in English) by Tang Qi. 

In this Sky Kingdom, there are different tribes but the main antagonistic forces are those categorically belong to the heaven tribes and non-heaven tribes. The Heaven tribes are made up of the dragon clan, the nine-tails fox clan and the phoenix clan. Under the non-heaven tribes are the wings (or ghost) clan, the demon tribe (already eliminated at the beginning narrative of the TV series), the mermaid clan and mortals. The heaven tribes and non-heaven tribes do not mingle with each other as the norm. At the worst time of their relations, wars were fought, typically because either the demon tribe, the wing clan and the mermaid clan rebel against the ruling of all universes. Mortals are the most filthy low capabilities and wisdom creatures. If they want to ascend to become a non-mortal form of life, they must go through vigorous trainings as well as to pass the test of suffering through many Kalpas as described in 2b-2c before they could be promoted to become a junior god/goddess in the heavenly tribe. After becoming a non-mortal, all creatures continue to practice and strengthen their supernatural capabilities for the promotion to the next higher rank through the Kalpas. A clear and vigorous class/caste system exists within the Sky Kingdom. 

The lowest class of these creatures serves as maids and servants in the heaven palace. The most noble class is the ruler of the Nine Heavens and his royal families. In this Nine Heavens, the Heaven Emperor rules by rigid and harsh legalism. Everything is strictly enforced according to the rules of heaven. Anyone being caught of not following the rules of heaven will surely be punished and the punishment they receive depends on the gravity of the breaches. Nobody can be exempted, even the Crown Prince. The justification of strict adherence to the heaven’s laws is to maintain a balance of the universe and the fates of creatures of all realms. The disturbance of such balance will bring chaos in the universe.

Also known as Emperor Lord, one of the oldest five Great Kings of Heaven. He is the ultimate guardian and judge for all  cases involving the heaven’s laws. He is revered by many, but is indifferent to the admiration of any goddess he receives. He does not care about anyone or anything, until the youngest princess of the Fox Clan enters his life and deeply fallen in love with him. However, they could not be together as he had erased his name from the three lives stone (stone that foretold the love destiny and love matches of all beings in the universe).  In order to maintain his absolute impartiality in executing the justice of the heaven’s laws, the Emperor Lord must not be related to anybody. An eternal life of bachelorhood is his trademark.

Life in the Nine Heavens is prescribed by the observation of extensively elaborated rituals, etiquette and procedures that prescribed details of how people behave and wear or live every ‘day’ in the heaven. Inside the harem of the royal family’s palaces, there are severe competition of palace politics between the goddesses to gain favour from the Heaven Emperor and his sons, especially the Crown Prince. Being chosen as one of the concubines of the Emperor or the Crown Prince means a ticket pass for promotion in the class, eventually depends on how much the Emperor and the Prince are attracted by and favoured these women. The Consort becomes the ultimate Queen in heaven. However, this is strictly decided by pre-arranged marriage between the most royal clans within the heaven tribes for the sake of maintaining the balance of power in heaven. In this story, the pre-arranged betrothal was between the Crown Prince of the Nine Heavens and the Queen of the Nine Tails Fox Clan.

Parallel of the Nine Heavens is a Shangri La paradise where the fox and the phoenix clans live. This is a piece of 10 miles of all seasons round peach blossoms in the valley of the green hills. It is ruled by the Fox King and his children and descendants. The current ruler is his youngest daughter, the Fox Queen. The eternal beauty of this paradise is sustained by a phoenix, the first and the oldest one since the creation of the universe.  He keeps out of the affairs of the eight realms, choosing to guard and nurture the ten miles of peach blossoms he planted. He is excellent at wine brewing and also possesses remarkable medical skills.

In contrast to the legalistic life in the Nine Heavens, life in the green hills is free to explore, free to work, as well as free to play. Happiness is the first criteria because the foxes and phoenix clans are famous for their sassy and forthright personalities. The apex icon is the fox Queen, despite her highly revered beauty and the seniority among all heaven tribes, she just loves living out to the maximum of her free roaming style as a fox, a very naughty fox when she was young, most of the time. Even though the fox and the phoenix tribes possess great supernatural powers, they never use any of the magics in daily life. Everybody works as a normal mortal in the absence of wars. The Queen considers that life will become too boring and empty if everyone just exercise their immortal powers to accomplish everything. Out of this philosophy, she always sneaks out to the mortal realm alongside with her elder brother and her niece to find funs and adventures.  Occasionally, she will trespass to other dangerous realms (such as the wing clan territory as they are plotting to overthrow the Emperor in the Nine Heavens) because of her poor directional sense. Nevertheless, blessed by her indescribable beauty and her characters, she steals the heart of almost every man she meets, all deeply attracted by her and eventually fallen in love with her even though sometimes the other party belongs to the antagonistic side. Love affairs in this paradise are characterised by eternal loyalty and faithfulness to only one mate.

It is in this background that her adventures start and her three lives’ love life stories began and ended with her eternal lover- the Crown Prince of the Nine Heavens. 

In the first life: he was a golden lotus (being the younger twin son of the Father God, his mother died from the first heaven war with the demon clan after she exhausted all her energies. She could only give birth to the elder twin with a body form. The Father God collected the spirit and soul of his unborn younger son in a golden lotus nurtured by his elder brother at Kulun Mountain. He was awaiting the right person to be incarnated in a body form) while she was just a young naughty fox princess disguised herself as a young man learning and sharpening her heaven capabilities at Kulun Mountain. One of her most favourable activities at Kulun Mountain was to take care of this golden lotus. The lotus transformed itself into a human shape spiritual figure whom developed a deep acquaintance and affection with the fox princess because of her caring and tendering. In this form, she cannot see him because he was a spiritual being without a body form.

In the second life: the golden lotus has reincarnated himself into the womb of the wife of the eldest son of the Emperor in the Nine Heavens. At birth, he becomes the designated next Crown Prince and the parents of both side had sealed their marriage though they hadn’t met each other yet. 

In this life, the fox princess fought a lonely battle in the second heaven war between the Heaven Tribes and the Wing Clan. In the previous war, the Wing clan lost, resulting in the imprisonment of the king inside a bell captivated by a magic seal. However, the seal would be broken in 70,000 years’ time. Unless someone reinforces the seal to keep the wing king in captivity, the released wing king would revenge by summoning all his evil powers to burn all realms in the universe. The fox princess is the only person who inherited her late master’s skills to reseal the wing king inside the bell. 

After the battle, the fox princess was able to strengthen the seal yet she was cursed by the wing clan king. She lost her heavenly beauty, the supernatural powers and the memory. She was thrown to a remote mountain to live as a mortal.  Out of a very incidental encountering, the fox princess met the Crown Prince in one of the caves where the latter was temporarily injured after a battle with a monster in the region she lived. Because of the injury, the Crown Prince could not transform back to his humanoid form, he was hiding in his minimized true form-a little black dragon. As a mortal, the fox princess could not recognize the immortal nature of the dragon. She mistook it was just a poor little injured black snake. She took the creature home to tender it for 3 months. During which, the Crown Prince was deeply impressed by her endearing caring. He  fell in love with her and eventually married to her.

However, the great difference in class and species makes it extremely hard for them to be together. A normal mortal will never be accepted in the Nine Heavens. If the prince is found falling in love with a mortal, he will be punished by the heaven emperor while his mortal lover will be instantly killed. For this reason, he tried to hide her existence and worked out with a plan to fake a death of himself in order to escape from the role of Crown Prince. Unfortunately, his plan failed. The fox princess was eventually captured and being taken to heaven awaiting the death penalty. Her life was only spared because the heaven emperor was informed that she was pregnant, inside her womb was the great grandchild of the Nine Heavens. i.e. another generation of the Crown Prince. 

Despite this, she was despised by ALL creatures in the Nine Heavens as a filthy low class mortal. For numerous occasions, the concubine of the Crown Prince wanted to set her up so that she would be harshly punished by breaching various heavens’ laws. In one of her plots, the concubine successfully convinced the heaven’s emperor to believe that the fox princess wanted to injure and kill her. Eventually, the Crown Prince sets off the troubles by scooping out her eyes to pay back the concubine’s lost sight in order to keep her alive. 

Having experienced the cruelty and dangerously dirty politics in the Nine heavens palace, the fox princess lost all her hope of having any happy future with the Crown Prince. She decided to suicide soon after her baby son was born. A great leap into the slaughter well (which kills all forms of lives), she meant to return to the mortal realm. Indeed, she didn’t even know the well kills. She was just tricked and deceived by the concubine that she could return to the mortal realm by doing so. Surprisingly, she wasn’t killed. In the process of the leap, the curse spell of the wing king was broken. The fox princess regained all her supernatural powers and memories before she fell unconscious. After being rescued by the old phoenix, she decided to re-erase all her memories in her mortal life as she didn’t want to remember all the sweet, sour, bitter and sad things relating to the Prince.

At the other side, devastated by the suicide of the fox princess, the prince followed suit to leap into the slaughter well. It took him months to recover from the severe injury. In the next 300 years, he exhausted all his means and efforts awaiting for the reincarnation of his dead mortal wife.

In the third life: After experiencing the sufferings of Kalpa in her mortal life as well as the lonely battle with the wing king, the fox princess had long promoted to the most senior rank of goddess among all the heavenly creatures. She is also the current ruler of her paradise kingdom: the Fox Queen. All creatures in heaven are longing for the formal wedding of the Queen and the Prince, only that she has completely forgotten anything about him in her former life. The Prince needed to re-court his lover and hopefully she might forgive him for the lost of eyes.

Before that, the Prince also needed to experience the mortal life Kalpa because he had a minor breach of one of the heaven’s laws during a battle with some monsters and beasts. Apart from that, he has to go through a big Kalpa because he is the next appointed person to permanently defeat the wing king and to eliminate the wing clan once and for all so that they cannot destroy the universe. However, this comes with prices of two deaths in two lives of the Crown Prince. The first death in the mortal realm after his short mortal life ends serving the Nine Heavens’ punishment for the minor breach of the heaven’s laws and the second death through surrendering his own soul as a life sacrifice to permanently destroy the soul of wing king (in this way, the wing king will not able to reincarnate). It takes him 3 years to reborn his soul and to resurrect from the second death before he could finally reunite with his lover of his three lives’ love: the Fox Queen.

If fairy tales and folklore describe people’s cosmetic views from where they live and how they live, how does this fairy tale inspires you about lives on earth that shaped two distinct heavens from differences in societies?

[sketching-shark]

why the fuck do people make sun wukong tall and swoll af in the movies yet he's literally 4'8 XD and why is demonic wukon so popular nowadays?

Lmaoooo well anon I certainly can't claim to be an expert on what's going on in popular perceptions of the Qi tian da sheng but I will give it my best shot!

Haha it is true that there is definitely a tendency to make everyone's favorite monkey a LOT taller than his canonical height, and in a number of cases a lot more muscular as well. I'm guessing that a lot of this is due to common perceptions/assumptions of what heroic figures are supposed to look like, i.e. the classical super tall & super muscular look, as seen in western countries in every character from Achilles to Superman. I do need to admit ignorance as to whether this is also the case in China, but I imagine that globalization & colonial-capitalism from western powers if nothing else has helped spread the idea that tall & buff = heroic build. If this is a cross cultural convergence, of course, please let me know!

THAT SAID, there does seem to be a history in Chinese animation of portraying Sun Wukong not as muscular, but as rather thin & lanky, which if memory serves correctly is in accordance with og classic JTTW. This is only a sampling, but you see it in popular & big-budget films such as:

Havoc in Heaven (1964)

Monkey King: Hero is Back (2015)

New Gods: Nezha Reborn:

and Journey to the West: Reincarnation of the Demon King (2021):

Again, this is only a sampling, but the 1964 version does seem to be one of the most beloved & long-standing animated portrayals of the Monkey King, and at least a number of the depictions created in the 21st century do appear to be following the standard it set of giving Sun Wukong a thin build, rather than the super-muscular frame of a "classical" hero.

As for why demonic Sun Wukong is popular...I'm assuming you're talking about fandom portrayals? At least as far as my own (albeit small) knowledge on this subject goes, many big-budget portrayals, and JTTW itself, do depict Sun Wukong as ultimately a heroic figure, even though he does display many more "unheroic" traits such as selfishness and a willingness to violence than you would find among heroic characters who are portrayed that way from the get-go. But then again that is in accordance with JTTW itself: while I don't think it's correct to say that the Monkey King was ever a figure of pure evil as you find in the western perception of a demon--he does, after all, clearly love his monkey family and goes above & beyond the call of duty to protect them and make their lives better--he was literally a yaoguai warlord and even told Tang Sanzang at the very beginning of their journey, after Sun Wukong beat six robbers to death and was being yelled at by Tang Sanzang for it (the monk literally says that "'as a priest, I would rather die than practice violence'" man no wonder he needed all those yaoguai attendants to be violent for him lol), that "when I, old Monkey, was king on the Flower-Fruit Mountain five hundred years ago, I killed I don't know how many people. I would not have been a Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, if I had lived by what you are saying.'" So we do know that Sun Wukong is a murderer many times over and doesn't feel any remorse for all this death, which is pretty "demonic" in both behavior and attitude. Not to mention that he had to be forced to obey Tang Sanzang through the gold fillet, and would have beaten the monk to death if he hadn't been stopped by it after he was tricked into wearing it. And yet it is true of the story that Tang Sanzang seems of often wield it against Sun Wukong due to misunderstandings and his inability to tell when he's in great danger...

Also, but a short time ago in the narrative one of the ministers of the Tang Emperor T'ai-tsung--the ruler who Tang Sanzang very much respects and who had commanded him to seek the scriptures in the first place--also tells this ruler that "'When you established your empire...you had to kill countless people,'" and further indicates this is something the emperor shouldn't feel even slightly guilty about.

I've read that some scholars think that JTTW works to somewhat criticize the violent mechanisms of empire. At the very least this parallel between Sun Wukong and T'ai-tsung--both former warlords, both mass murderers, both playing a big role in the scripture pilgrimage--does raise the question as to what kind of violence and murder is or is not considered good and why. It might ultimately fall back on the old adage that history is written by the winners, so if you win you're good, and if you lose you're bad. But of course anyone in the know should definitely let me know if there's something more at work here!

But going back to recent wicked demon portrayals of Sun Wukong, I have been told that depictions of him as a figure of pure evil are actually pretty popular in the Chinese JTTW fandom, at least for the edgelords obsessed with grimdark JTTW lol. And it definitely is true that people have a lot of fun across fandoms imagining scenarios in which the canonical heroes are the villains and vice versa. But I think it is possible that there might also be an element of people often feeling very discomfited with dealing with a figure who can't be neatly sorted into the good/bad category, as with Sun Wukong, and so swing towards portraying him as entirely evil due to all the aforementioned murder & the fact that he basically had to be forced to redeem himself. There is also the possibility that the ol' narrative trick of deciding to make certain figures look better than they are by making others look worse is also at work; this does, for example, definitely often seem to be the case when it comes to the Monkie Kid side of the JTTW fandom, with here the Six-Eared Macaque giving a story that portrayed Sun Wukong as ultimately being nothing more than a selfish ass who only cares about getting more power for himself & brings misery to everyone around him, and the fandom at large running with that. Hence a renewed popularity with images of evil demon Sun Wukong.

Again, I'm not an expert on the Monkey King by any stretch of the word, so these are the impressions of an amateur Sun Wukong enthusiast. That said, my personal favorite portrayals of this overpowered monkey are those that let him be a morally complex, mischievous, and intelligent figure, especially when they remember he was the communal grandpa of Flower-Fruit Mountain.