#sorry it took me so long to get to this question wiings aaaaaa | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sketching-shark · 1 year ago

Note

It's been a while since the last time I asked you Shark

But I have a new question:

What do you think about the retellings of JTTW, where Tang Sanzang proves to be able to stand up for himself or that he literally can also fight alongside Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and even Bai Long Ma/Ao Lie (who lately I've noticed has started to grab more fame and recognition, being more and more dynamic and part of the group than just being a simple background character)?

I think the most famous version of this kind of retellings is "The Westward" (I like the design of that Tang Sanzang)

PS: It's good to be back

Oh hey! Good to see you again too @wiings-kwami! And in regards to your question, while I fully appreciate that this is a very inadequate answer I guess that depends on how it's used asdfrweadf. TBH the idea that Tang Sanzang can fight back against or at least somewhat defend himself against yaoguai is a potentially really neat idea! As is in the og classic he is the second most static member of the pilgrim group, and this could provide an opportunity for him to be active and explicitly grown and change instead of regularly acting as the embodiment of the "damsel in distress" trope lol. THAT SAID, I can also easily see this being used to shove the monk into the role of "badass fighter" and keep him a static character that way...I know everyone makes fun of Tang Sanzang for crying and falling off his dragon horse, and while some of this is warranted tbh I feel like a more interesting story could be told by addressing WHY he's crying so much rather than putting him in the opposite direction as a stoic fighter. So at the end of the day and as with any other trope out there, I'd say making Tang Sanzang into a warrior monk is potentially a cool idea, but it's less about him being that and more about how it's executed.

#ask answered #jttw retellings #jttw au #tang sanzang #sorry it took me so long to get to this question wiings aaaaaa #but yeah you know tang sanzang as a warrior monk could be really neat!#like it could be a really cool way to delve into the history of China's warrior monks #& how their sect was established from a recognition of a need for monks to protect themselves in a war-torn China #which could also be part of a backstory explaining Tang Sanzang's unrelenting desire to get the scriptures #after all his family was torn apart by bandits #who generally speaking to thrive in war-torn areas #or who are even often made up of former soldiers #it could also be part of why he has such great admiration for Emperor Taizong #who may have had 'countless people' executed while establishing his rule #but who also brought about some measure of stability to China #plus making Tang Sanzang a warrior monk could demonstrate his real adherence to buddhism in the way he only uses it for self-defense #in contrast to his disciples who often used violence to get what they wanted #in a kind of 'I know I'm capable of great violence but I choose not to every day and this is why' sort of way #on the other hand #it could also be used to show how helpless he is against a lot of yaoguai #like yeah the martial arts are good against humans #but idk how effective that's going to be against a guy who can for example breathe fire lol #anyway!#lots of possibilities with this concept

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