#the show actually skews very differently from the rest of jttw

[fluffypotatey]

Talk to us about peachbuds 🎤🎤🎤 (swk and mac’s 2009 version) idk how they end up just that they are also tragic

ok so first off you can watch Monkey King (2009) here where it’s been subtitled in English by the loveliest of fans (bc the show is only out in Mandarin). they have been in a hiatus for a couple years bc there was some issues on finding a beta-reader to help with the translations (HOWEVER IT LOOKS LIKE THEY UPDATED A LOT MORE EPISODES SINCE THEN SO CATCH ME WATCHING MORE OF THIS LATER LMAO)

anyway: Peachbuds 😍

so it’s the ship name between Shihou/Sun Wukong and Liu’Er who are the best of friends during Wukong’s origins. you will also notice that a lot of Macky’s designs in lmk fanart with his ears as well as the drawings of him with white fur, do take inspiration from this show. either bc people watched the show growing up or found it through their lmk pipeline

so Liu’Er was a macaque already in this monkey/simian troop of Flower Fruit Mountain. is also on the younger side of the troop (think adolescence) and is close with the then Monkey King. so that is him home. he was part of them long before Wukong/Shihou joined them.

he also likes to prove himself as being someone next in line for the Monkey King throne. something the Grandpa Monkey King encouraged but the monkey generals always denied. they tend to look down on Liu’Er because of his youth and feel that it should be one of them who takes over after the Monkey King (tho they squabble amongst each other too much)

that’s how he even met Shihou because he wanted to prove himself and show that the magic rock he found was real. he is also one of the only monkeys who doesn’t find Shihou off putting or creepy (sometimes annoyed since Shihou never learned any etiquette). the only other monkey who finds potential in Shihou is the old Monkey King

Shihou (which means stone monkey) really does want to fit in with the troop and finds himself in a very similar position Liu’Er was in with the generals. only, instead of them just not taking Liu’Er seriously, they find Shihou to be a bad omen or a spy (bc he hatched the same day the Monstrous King of Havoc decided to crash their party)

so now it’s Shihou trying to prove himself bc he wants to make friends and Liu’Er and the old Mobkey King are so kind and the jungle is not friendly to those on their own. however, unlike Liu’Er constantly trying to prove himself and going unheard, Shihou does get heard and people’s respect for him rises

which leads us to Liu’Er’s jealousy. all Liu’Er has wanted was to be respected and one of the ways he knew the generals would finally respect him was if he took the throne. he even has a vision (or heard??? idk magic ears you know the drill) of himself obtaining. but then literally the next day, the vision switches to him watching Wukong rush past him to the throne (the, uh, Monkey King got sick and Wukong found the cure before Liu’Er. it’s a whole thing where Shihou won’t say where the cure is bc he promised but Liu’Er thinks Shihou wants to take his glory)

anyway, uh the jealousy eventually leads to Liu’Er throwing away their friendship the second the Monkey King announces Shihou as his successor. he argues against it and tries to place doubts for him even being qualified (i am NOT over it) and woopsie-daisy! he got got in a evil plot and is slowly getting possessed yayyyyyyyyyyy 🫠