#tight fillet spell

[journeytothewestresearch]

Fun JTTW Text Reference for Artists

I've written at length about Sun Wukong's golden headband (here, here, here, and here). Anyone who has read the novel will know that it is used to rein in Monkey's unruly behavior through the application of pain. Such events have been portrayed by artists like Chen Huiguan in his Newly Illustrated and Complete Journey to the West (Chen Huiguan Xinhui Quanben Xiyouji, 陈惠冠新绘全本西游记, 2001) and Tianwaitang in his piece Tripitaka's Curse (2010).

But I've never seen someone depict the instance with the greatest potential for an everlasting visual impact. In chapter 27, Tripitaka angrily recites the tightening spell 20 times to punish Monkey for killing what he thought was an innocent woman (it wasn't). This causes our hero's head to deform like a cartoon character!

The sight so frightened the Tang Monk that he fell from his horse. Lying on the road, he did not speak another word except to recite the Tight-Fillet Spell back and forth exactly twenty times. Alas, poor Pilgrim's head was reduced to an hourglass-shaped gourd! As the pain was truly unbearable, he had to roll up to the Tang Monk and plead, "Master, please don't recite anymore. Say what you have to say" (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 2, p. 23) 唐僧一見，驚下馬來，睡在路傍，更無二話，只是把緊箍兒咒顛倒足足念了二十遍。可憐把個行者頭勒得似個亞腰兒葫蘆，十分疼痛難忍，��將來哀告道：「師父莫念了，有甚話說了罷。」

The original Chinese lists the "double-waisted" calabash gourd (yayao'er hulu, 亞腰兒葫蘆). I hope this gives artists an idea of what Wukong's head would look like.

I've previously noted how the novel describes Sun Wukong as an actual monkey, and it's because of this that the headband would likely rest on his eye orbits. I imagine his head being squeezed into the shape of a calabash gourd would make his eyes comically (or grotesquely) bulge, too.

[journeythroughjourneytothewest]

Oh, the agony of a monk living in a murderous world trying to explain to a murder monkey who got a lot of what he wanted through murder why he shouldn't murder :(

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 58

In this chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest Sun Wukong faces off against his shadow self. So let's get into it shall we?

So Sandy and Monkey head off together towards Flower Fruit Mountain, with Monkey traveling much slower then his usual pace to keep pace with Sandy who is still suspicious of him. However Sandy's suspicions of Monkey are slightly allayed when they get there and find that there is indeed another Sun Wukong. Monkey takes the presence of this clone just as well as Sandy took it early- which is to say that he attacks the clone on sight.

The two are evenly matched, and even if Sandy wanted to try and get in the middle of that to try and give the real Wukong a leg up, he no longer knows which one the real one is. After watching the fight for a while, Sandy decides to make himself useful by trying to find their stuff, however he's unable to find where the false Wukong stashed them. Eventually Monkey calls out to Sandy to just go report back to Tripitaka, while he battles his way over to Guanyin's place so that she can help tell them apart. So Sandy head's back to Tripitaka, while Monkey, and fake Monkey heads for Guanyin.

The two Monkey's continue brawling in Guanyin's front yard, while one of her servants go to alert Guayin to the situation. When she comes out the two Monkey's give her a rundown of the situation, and ask her to tell them apart. So Guanyin has them separate from each other and has two of her servants grab them both while she recites the tight fillet spell. However when Guanyin starts reciting the spell they both act like they are in unbearable pain and beg her to stop, which she does. Now out of idea's, Guanyin tells them to go up to heaven so they can their problem instead of hers.

So Monkey and fake Monkey fight their way up to heaven, and once they've disturbed the peace enough to garner an audience, the two Sun Wukong's once again explain the situation and ask for an audience with the Jade Emperor, once it becomes clear that none of the gathered gods can tell the two apart either. The gods figure that they don't want to get in the middle of... whatever this is, and make way so the two of them can brawl their way to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor isn't to happy about the two Sun Wukong's brawling in his palace, but since I doubt he wants beef with either of them, he just summons Prince Nezha's father, who brings with him an imp-reflecting mirror. They both stand before the mirror, however even in the reflection they can not be distinguished from each other. Since the Jade Emperor gave it his best shot and failed, it's time to pass the buck once again- this time they're going to go and bother Tirpitaka.

Meanwhile, Sandy has caught back up with Pigsy and Tripitaka and is giving them a run down of the situation. Tripitaka feels bad about accusing Monkey of something he didn't do, but apparently he doesn't feel to badly about, since once the two Monkey's crash down to earth, he has no problem whipping out the tight fillet spell to see if that will help. Which it of course doesn't. Although in his defense I guess he doesn't know that Guanyin already tried that. Anyways, as flattering as it is that they actually thought Tripitaka might be useful in this situation, it is once again time for them to become someone else's problem. Permanently if Tripitaka has anything to say about it, since although he knows about the clone now, that doesn't change the fact that the real Sun Wukong is the one who killed those bandit earlier. So Tripitaka is still mad at him and currently has no plans on taking him back on as a disciple.

That's a problem for later however. For now the two Monkey's decide to take their fight to the underworld to see if the Ten Kings have any insight into this situation. Tripitaka meanwhile tells Sandy that he should go back to Flower Fruit Mountain and check behind the waterfall for their stuff while the two Monkey's are preoccupied. Pigsy however volunteers to go in Sandy's place since he's been behind the waterfall before and will probably have better luck finding it.

Meanwhile the two Monkey's have made their way to the underworld. Some of the spirits manage to alert the Ten Kings about this issue, and the two Monkey's explain the current plot to them. Now knowing the situation the Kings bring forth the registry to see if it can help, unfortunately it's not very useful, partly because this is the very same registry Wukong himself vandalized about four immoralities ago. However unlike the last three groups they asked for for help, these guys actually have a plan B. They call forward a beast called 'Investigative Hearing' who has the ability to perceive true from false. And this beast actually does manage to learn the name of the imposter, but he can't reveal it here. For the imposter is actually as powerful as the real Sun Wukong, and would probably wreak havoc here in retaliation if they reveal him.

So instead the beast suggests that they take this problem up with the Buddha himself, since he'll likely both be able to tell them apart and actually do something about it. Both Monkey's agree to this new course of action and continue their fight to the Western Heaven, where Buddha is currently giving a lecture on why being of one mind is important. The Monkey's arrive just in time for the Buddha to point them out as examples of what happens if you are of two minds instead. Once again the two Monkey's settle down long enough to give the Buddha the recap episode of the last few chapters. And while none of Buddha's cohort's can tell the difference between the two, the Buddha can, and just as he's about to reveal it Guanyin arrives for this surprise lecture from her teacher.

Buddha asks Guanyin if she can tell the difference between the two Monkey's, and Guanyin confesses that she can not, and has come here to ask if Buddha can enlighten them on the situation. Buddha goes on to say that despite everyone's vast power and knowledge, none of them know everything. As they know, there are five kinds of immortals; the celestial, the earthbound, the divine, the human and the ghostly. And there are also five kinds of creatures; the short-haired, the scaly, the hairy, the winged, and the crawling. This imposter however does not fall into any of those ten categories. Instead he is one of four special primates that do not belong to any of these ten species.

The first special monkey is the intelligent stone monkey, aka Sun Wukong himself. Who knows transformations, recognizes the seasons discerns the advantages of earth and is able to alter the course of planets and stars. Next we have the red-buttocked baboon, who has knowledge of yin and yang, understands human affairs, is adept in it's daily life, and is able to avoid death and lengthen it's life. Then there's the third one, the bare-armed gibbon, who can seize the sun and moon, shorten a thousand mountains, distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious and manipulate planets and stars. And finally we have the six-eared macaque who has a sensitive ear, discernment of fundamental principles, knowledge of past and future, and comprehension of all things.

Therefore the Buddha deduces that the imposter must be the six-eared macaque. Knowing that he's been made, the macaque tries to make a run for it, but Buddha's cohorts have him quickly surrounded. And when the macaque tries to shapeshift into a bee to slip past them, the Buddha traps him under and alms bowl. The macaque then reveals his true form, and Wukong immediately kills him. The Buddha isn't to happy about this, but Wukong explains that he was a criminal that assaulted and robbed his master, and would have been executed under the court of law anyways.

And I guess Buddha is willing to accept this logic, since instead of scolding him further he just tells him to go back to Tripitaka. Monkey however explains that Tripitaka doesn't want him anymore, and instead asks that the Buddha remove the fillet so he can just go home instead. Buddha however just says he'll send Guanyin with him to make sure that Tripitaka takes him back. So Guanyin and Wukong head back to where Tripitaka and Sandy are waiting. Guanyin explains about the six-eared macaque and tells Tripitaka to take Wukong back on as a disciple since he won't be able to reach the west without his protection. Tripitaka agree's and thanks Guanyin, meanwhile Pigsy arrives just in time to explain the other half of the situation. He's got their stuff back, and killed the imposter Tripitaka and Pigsy, who were just normal monkey's while he was at it. Which honestly, I'm surprised that Wukong wasn't upset about, those are his people after, and they were kind of forced to go along with all of this by the Macaque. Anyways, now that the story is completely wrapped up, Guanyin takes her leave, and together once again, the pilgrims continue on their Journey to the West.

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 + 94,000 years Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes and Diamond Pupils, intimidating horses, churning large bodies of water, sleeplessness, seizing the wind, enhanced smell, discerning good and evil within a thousand miles, Spirit Summoning, lock picking, object transformation, distance reduction, vanishing in a flash of light, super healing, transforming others, and Invisibility Demon Kill Count: 10 + Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 1039 God's Defeated: 23 + Unknown number Defeats: 7 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason, attempted murder, failure to control or report a dangerous fire, desecrating a corpse, breaking and entering, trespassing, violating Tree Law, looting corpses, trading counterfeit goods, criminal threat, animal abuse, Assisting or Instigating Escape, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption, Identity Fraud, and Disorderly Conduct Cry Count: 9 + 3 fake cries Mountains Trapped Under: 4

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka and the Tang Monk Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras, pretty privilege, memorization, Heart Sutra and Meditation. Cry Count: 30 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 63 Paralyzed by fear: 6 Bandit Problems: 3 Kidnapped by demons: 9 Falling Off Horses: 10

Current Bai Long Ma Stats: Names/Titles: Bai Long Ma (White Dragon Horse), Prince of the Western Ocean, and third prince jade dragon of the dragon king Aorun Abilities: Transforming into a human, a water snake, and a horse, eating a horse in one bite, flight, Magic of Water Restriction, Singing, and Sword Dancing. Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Arson, and Grave Disobedience. Contributions to the plot: 3 Kidnapped by demons: 1

Current Zhu Wuneng Stats: Names/Titles: The Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, Zhu Wuneng (Pig who is aware of ability), Zhu Ganglie, Pigsy, Idiot and Eight Rules. Weapon: Rake Abilities: 36 Transformations, parting water, fighting underwater, cloud soaring, size enhancement and CPR Demon Kill Count/Kill steals: 5 Kidnapped by Demons: 4 Human Kill Count: 1 Failed Flirtation/romances Attempts: 4 Cry Count: 2 Crime List: Sexual Harassment, Murder, Kidnapping, arson, defamation, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption, Identity Fraud, Theft and Forcible entry

Current Sha Wujing Stats: Names/Titles: The Curtain-Raising General, Sha Wujing (Sand Aware of Purity), Sandy and Sha Monk Weapon: Monster Taming Staff Abilities: Fighting underwater, Cloud soaring, and fetching water from a well. Demon Kill Count: 1 + Unknown number of minions. Kidnapped by Demons: 3 Human Kill Count: 1 Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Breaking a Crystal Cup, murder, desecration of a human corpse, Damage to Religious Property and contaminating a substance for human consumption

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[loyaltykask]

Chapter 56

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

I like how Sanzang is usually the first to tell if there is a demon is near and Wukong doesn't listen and in other cased Wukong KNOWS when a demon is in front of him and Sanzang doesn't listen

Like talk about irony. Wukong gave all his monkeys this power damn

I like how Sanzang is so scared for these bandits as well he like 'please I have a disciple that can and will kill you, just let me go'

Wukong thinks he is funny and he is right

Sanzang only remembers later like "FUCK I LEFT THE MONKEY"

THIS IS NOT TIME FOR YOU TO BE SMART

This is why you keep getting sued. I know Wukong always saying he kills for Sanzang but also… he doesn't HAVE to?! Like any time he kills humans it's like a cat playing with mice, he is toying with them as they die and he just takes so much amusement out of it sometimes he wants to say it cause they deserve to die but also he knows he could spare them. It is always a choice for someone that powerful

OOF

Sanzang be begging these people to please house them

I actually like it when Sanznag throws shade, its funny to me

These three I swear

Wukong offering to kill someone's son is not a way to bond or say thank you

What mattered was that he tried

Hmmm maybe showing the decapitated head… wasn't the best idea tbh. Reminds me of a cat showing a dead mouse to show off. Like well-meaning, but… not needed please

So it's been about 4 to 5 years since he used the tight fillet spell Last time I think he used it like 40 times. He used it 10 more times to kill Yang so that is up to 50

;_;

It’s more like he uses it a lot in a single day and then doesn’t touch it for years. Like the huge gaps of time, where he never does the spell. Hell, if I remember correctly, this may be the last time he ever uses the spell. The next seven years I don’t re-call him using it once

I think a lot of people don’t realize how long the journey takes and how big gaps in time there are. Like I just got to the six-eared macaque arc and it looks like it might be eight or nine years into the journey. But overall yeah it really might be the last time. It kind of shows how he uses the fillet spell, in the beginning, a lot, but throughout time that kind of trust and bone grows where he realizes that he not only doesn’t need to use it but shouldn’t use it either I’m surprised he didn’t use it the second he saw Wukong kill it to bandits, and said, just normally reprimanding him. He didn’t even threaten him with the spell… until he came with the beheaded bandit… which I will admit, was unexpected

I like to think that this case Sanzang really wants Wukong to see for himself that life is valued and that he shouldn’t go around killing people just because he knows he can. And it makes it very clear that at this point he’s upset at Wukong for one, for not listening to him, and for saying that he was responsible as well for these people's deaths. I kind of shows like why he got upset and while I don’t think he should have sent Wukong away due to that anger it makes an interesting argument to think that every mistake and every person Wukong kills Sanzang feels responsible for it, because he is the master. And maybe a part of it feels like he can’t be a good Master to Wukong because he still goes around killing and that he blames himself as well

[nikofortuna]

JTTW Chapter 42 Thoughts

Chapter 42 for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

Like last chapter even if it might be traditionally called a tortoise it would still make more sense if it was a turtle if you go by logic. However in this instance you could still go with it, because while tortoise can’t swim they can float and since the poem specifies that the black tortoise has power over winds and waves, it could use that to propel itself.

I wonder how comfortable those transformed swords are to sit on. They must be comfortable enough to not immediately stand out to Red Boy.

Okay birdy, what exactly are you? A cockatoo?

Functional as an image for the reader since they are commonly white, though while technically native to Asia it is very on the fringe close to Australia so I’m a little doubtful about that.

Looking at the Original Chinese with my methods is rather inconclusive, it seems to be in the realm of a parrot or budgie. Parrots are the Order of Psittaciformes, which cockatoos do fall under and so do budgies! So calling it a White Parrot would be the easiest as it is also the vaguest and most generalized. Though of course parrot evokes a specific image, so going with a more concrete bird like cockatoo makes sense.

Though Guanyin perhaps having a cute little albino budgie is definitely an image in my mind I greatly enjoy.

They’re matching even!

We appreciate a person taking care of the little guys and making sure there will be no collateral if it can be avoided.

Neither boy nor girl? Third gender Red Boy real?!

Sun Wukong’s trauma with the fillet is showing.

To be honest still very much not a fan of using pain and the threat of it to punish and subdue someone like this. Especially if it is a kid.

With Sun Wukong at the very start it was kind of seen as a necessity and I have much less of a problem there when it was Guanyin using the Tight-Fillet-Spell since she doesn’t use it when not absolutely necessary. However meanwhile Tang Sanzang has shown quite often to use it due to being prejudiced and downright misinformed, so not having the proper ability to judge when it is appropriate and when it is just cruel and unwarranted.

Now with Red Boy they could have just bound him and dragged him to his father to get scolded, made aware of his transgressions if he genuinely wasn’t before and sentenced to an appropriate punishment like making reparations or being put under Guanyin’s tutelage with the blessing of his parents either longterm or for a while until he learns to do better.

Not harping on the lotus seat sword trick here though, that works fine since it is very much Red Boy’s actions meeting consequence. He chose to take the seat that did not belong to him and got hurt in return, which while not a preferred way of teaching, it will definitely stick in his mind not to try and take what’s not his again.

There’s definitely a discussion that can be had here about appropriate punishment, corporal punishment, possible alternatives and abuse.

[journeytothewest-daily]

In the first part of chapter 56 I thought "no tight-fillet spell! This is going swimmingly!" but then Tripitaka had to go and get his panties in a twist about Wukong killing the bandits... I'm anti-killing as a general rule, but a lot of the people Wukong kills are demons or people who try very hard to kill them! Come on, man! And the torture? Buddha avoided stepping on ants and beetles, and Tripitaka can't just forgive Wukong?

In my subjective opinion he is the worst Buddhist monke ever, he is just compassionate about Zhu Bajie, he has yet to kick him out of the gang once. And you have to learn to forgive. Sure, you aren't supposed to kill anybody, but Guanyin gave him to Tripitaka to help him on his journey. It's not like "if I don't reach Western Heaven because I'm killed that's okay I will die on my mission!" None wants you to fail and that is why you were given 4 companions.

[googleitlol]

HOLD ON

Wait one goddamn minute.

If Macaque’s hearing is so great, is it possible that he could have heard Tripitaka mumbling the Tight-Fillet Spell and be one of the few people that know it.

If so, imagine the chaos of a fight, even if Sun Wukong isn’t fighting Macaque himself. He’s just fighting off some demon when Macaque recites the spell just to troll him and now Wukong is confused on why the hell master keeps disciplining him for doing his fucking job—

[a-ladyman-in-waiting]

Current abilities

Priestess Stage 1 (City story)

Light Discs [subconscious]:

Madeline Rivera can walk on solid discs of Moonlight that she subconsciously summons under her feet. She mainly uses them as automatic chairs and tables for her tabletop hobbies, which includes writing and drawing.

Like this ^

Flight [conscious]:

Using her wings and tail fins, she can fly tight bank turns at high speeds to relive her experience riding their scooter down steep hills.

Time Out (Stage 1) [conscious]:

She clasps her hands once to summon a Moonlight Ring with a short clock hand that stops Time within a large area to hold people in place. A clock hand immediately moves for one whole rotation of 6 seconds. The targets stuck inside are still able to speak (may change this later). Anyone with proficiency of Time Magic remains unaffected by this.

The clock hand doesn’t deal damage.

Abilities earned midway into the story

Moonlight Blade/Clock Hand

A simple stretched out rhombus shape of Moonlight that Madeline had crafted for self defense. It is the same shape as the clock hand for Time Out spell.

Fillet Mignon (Time Out Stage 2) [conscious]:

Madeline clasps her hands together for 3 seconds to summon 2 Moonlight Rings, four numbers, and two clock hands. This time, she moves her hands around the air in a clockwise motion for half a rotation before returning them to their starting point.

The second clock hand is longer and faster than the first, hitting 12 times within the much larger Moonlight Ring that holds the first hand. Additionally, the longer clock hand also deals damage (albeit I may change this later on).

The numbers in the spell are 3, 6, 9, & 12. An indicator of the length of the attack.

Soul Vision ability [conscious]:

Madeline closes her eyes to scan the color and vibrancy of a person’s soul. She can “mark” specific souls for the main goal of avoiding them at all costs to avoid stress.

Queen Species (Future timeline)

- Aka after egg stage —

Accelerometer (Time Out Stage 3) [image below]

Madeline clasps her hands together for 6 seconds to summon 3 Moonlight Rings, 3 clock hands, all of the 12 numbers in a clock, and decoration surrounding the third and largest Moonlight Ring. Where she repeats the same clockwise hand motion for a duration of 6 seconds. (May change later).

The largest Moonlight Ring houses the longest and fastest clock hand, which steals energy from everyone within the large and nearly unavoidable 3rd Moonlight Ring. The 3rd Clock Hand strikes 60 times within one revolution of the 2nd Clock Hand. Therefore, the 3rd Clock Hand strikes 720 times, rendering almost all targets with fatigue to the point of passing out.

However, for the targets within in the range of the 2nd Clock Hand, the combination of blunt strikes and energy absorption will leave targets dead or barely alive depending on whether they escape the range.

But for those stuck in the range of all three Clock Hands die before the spell even finishes half a rotation without ever experiencing the pain.

Personal Domain

A subspace that Madeline created that holds a small waterfall with a lake to match, a tall two story rock formation that consists of living spaces and staircases, a smooth wooden table for table top hobbies, a warm sun, wild grass and flowers and a heated water lake for relaxing.

The subspace has a day and night system.

[theknittingshadow]

A Shadow’s Scattered Thoughts of Journey to the West:

Just finished the chapter with the human thieves and unfilial son and oh my stars! This explains to much!!!

All throughout this book I’ve been thinking “you know, Trip doesn’t seem bothered with Wukong killing yaoguai as opposed to humans (or people Trip THINKS are humans but are yaoguai in disguise). Maybe it’s just because all the yaoguai so far have tried to eat him and no humans have? He can’t be racist (specieist?)” This chapter confirmed my suspicions. These thieves not only try to steal from them but also beat Trip and Wukong (nearly to death, mind you sans Wukong’s immortality) and when Wukong kills several of them…Trip uses the Tight Fillet Spell a LOT and banishes Wukong.

I thought it was strange until Wukong went to Guan Yin and she literally spelled it out. I’ll paraphrase “Killing yaoguai would be your merit for they are fiends. Killing humans is a sin.”

…..

…………………

……………………………………………………

Yeah

As unfair as I believe this is, Someone should PROBABLY have told Wukong this a LONG time ago. Trip, I’m looking at you. You are literally his teacher.

I wonder if there’s some cultural or religious context to this standard? Seriously, if anyone knows, please let me know. I am curious.

[journeytothewestresearch]

Is Six Ears an Aspect of Sun Wukong?

I've seen some people claim that Six Ears is not an aspect of Sun Wukong's mind. They either ignore the references to "one mind" and "two Minds" (and the Buddhist philosophy behind them), or they just say it's allegory and nothing more. Well, there are actually internal story details from chapter 58 that support the close connection between the Monkey King and his doppelganger.

1) The Bodhisattva Guanyin and her “eyes of wisdom” (huiyan, 慧眼) can’t tell them apart:

The various deities and the Bodhisattva stared at the two for a long time, but none could tell them apart (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 眾諸天與菩薩都看良久，莫想能認。 [And later:] Pressing his palms together, our Buddha said, “Guanyin, the Honored One, can you tell which is the true Pilgrim and which is the false one?” “They came to your disciple’s humble region the other day,” replied the Bodhisattva, “but I truly could not distinguish between them …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 我佛合掌道：「觀音尊者，你看那兩個行者，誰是真假？」菩薩道：「前日在弟子荒境，委不能辨 …

2) The tight-fillet spell works on both Monkeys:

Asking Moksa and Goodly Wealth [a.k.a. Red Boy] to approach her, the Bodhisattva whispered to them this instruction: “Each of you take hold of one of them firmly, and let me start reciting in secret the Tight-Fillet Spell. The one whose head hurts is the real monkey; the one who has no pain is specious.” Indeed, the two disciples took hold of the two Pilgrims as the Bodhisattva recited in silence the magic words. At once the two of them gripped their heads and rolled on the ground, both screaming, “Don’t recite! Don’t recite!” The Bodhisattva stopped her recital … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 菩薩喚木叉與善財上前，悄悄吩咐：「你一個幫住一個，等我暗念緊箍兒咒，看那個害疼的便是真，不疼的便是假。」他二人果各幫一個。菩薩暗念真言，兩個一齊喊疼，都抱著頭，地下打滾，只叫：「莫念，莫念。」菩薩不念 …

(If someone disagrees with this one, they need to show where it says Six Ears is faking the pain.)

3) Both the Jade Emperor and the imp-reflecting mirror can’t tell them apart:

Issuing a decree at once to summon Devariija Li, the Pagoda-Bearer, the Jade Emperor commanded: “Let us look at those two fellows through the imp-reflecting mirror, so that the false may perish and the true endure.” The devaraja took out the mirror immediately and asked the Jade Emperor to watch with the various celestial deities. What appeared in the mirror were two reflections of Sun Wukong: there was not the slightest difference between their golden fillets, their clothing, and even their hair. Since the Jade Emperor found it impossible to distinguish them, he ordered them chased out of the hall (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, pp. 107-108). 玉帝即傳旨宣托塔李天王，教：「把照妖鏡來照這廝誰真誰假，教他假滅真存。」天王即取鏡照住，請玉帝同眾神觀看。鏡中乃是兩個孫悟空的影子，金箍、衣服，毫髮不差。玉帝亦辨不出，趕出殿外。

4) Only omniscient beings like Investigative Hearing (Ksitigargbha's mount) and the Buddha can tell the two apart:

[T]he Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha said, “Wait a moment! Wait a moment! Let me ask Investigative Hearing to listen for you.” That Investigative Hearing, you see, happens to be a beast that usually lies beneath the desk of Ksitigarbha. When he crouches on the ground, he can in an instant perceive the true and the false, the virtuous and the wicked among all short-haired creatures, scaly creatures, hairy creatures, winged creatures, and crawling creatures, and among all the celestial immortals, the earthly immortals, the divine immortals, the human immortals, and the spirit immortals resident in all the cave Heavens and blessed lands in the various shrines, rivers, and mountains of the Four Great Continents. In obedience, therefore, to the command of Ksitigarbha, the beast prostrated himself in the courtyard of the Hall of Darkness, and in a little while, he raised his head to say to his master, “I have the name of the fiend …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 112) …地藏王菩薩道：「且住，且住。等我著諦聽與你聽個真假。」原來那諦聽是地藏菩薩經案下伏的一個獸名。他若伏在地下，一霎時，將四大部洲山川社稷，洞天福地之間，蠃蟲、鱗蟲、毛蟲、羽蟲、昆蟲、天仙、地仙、神仙、人仙、鬼仙，可以照鑒善惡，察聽賢愚。那獸奉地藏鈞旨，就於森羅庭院之中，俯伏在地。須臾，擡起頭來，對地藏道：「怪名雖有…」。 [...] Smiling, Tathagata said, “Though all of you [Guanyin] possess vast dharma power and are able to observe the events of the whole universe, you cannot know all the things therein, nor do you have the knowledge of all the species” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 如來笑道：「汝等法力廣大，只能普閱周天之事，不能遍識周天之物，亦不能廣會周天之種類也。」 […] [After the Buddha explains the ten categories of life and the four types of celestial primates (see the introduction here), he says:] As I see the matter, that specious Wukong must be a six-eared macaque … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 115). 我觀假悟空乃六耳獼猴也 …

In short, the twin monkeys are so hard to tell apart simply because they are representations of the true and illusionary minds (refer back to the article) within the same person.

So what does this say about Shadowpeach? I know LMK is a separate entity from the novel, but applying canon to this ship would make it more self-love, right? I'm sure those with creatively perverted minds know what I'm taking about.

[journeythroughjourneytothewest]

Chapter 26 Recap: "Amid the Three Islands Sun Wukong seeks a cure; With sweet dew Guanshiyin revivies a tree"

After presenting a short poem on how for as much as “The proverb says the sword’s the law of life” it’s assured that “The strong man will meet someone stronger still,” this chapter begins where the first volume ended; the Zhenyuan Great Immortal grabs the Monkey King, and tells the simian to stop “playing with your magic” and restore his Ginseng Fruit Tree. As is becoming typical for Sun Wukong, the monkey laughs at hearing the angry proclamation of his foe, and even goes on to state that if the Master Zhenyuan had but made this demand in the first place, “we would have been spared the conflict.” The Monkey King then tells the Great Immortal to untie Tang Sanzang, and that he’ll “give you back a living tree.” Master  Zhenyuan declares that if Sun Wukong manages to restore his tree he’ll become the monkey’s sworn brother.

Reckoning that the other pilgrims won’t be able to escape, the Zhenyuan Great Immortal has Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing freed from their bonds. Zhu Bajie accuses Sun Wukong of wanting to “flee and take to the road all by himself” using the excuse of finding a way to revive the Ginseng Tree. The Monkey King declares he is “speaking…only the truth,” and that he plans to travel to the Three Islands and Ten Islets of the Great Eastern Ocean in order to ask the Immortals and Aged Sages that live there for a way to revive the three. He also declares he should be able to get the job done in three days. Likely feeling a bit suspicious of the monke, Tang Sanzang agrees to Sun Wukong’s three-day grace period, but also states that if the simian doesn’t return by then “I’ll begin reciting that ‘Old-Time Sutra’!” Fearful of the potential massive headache (but not enough to not threaten the Great Immortal’s kitchenware if Tripitaka isn’t given the best of care), the Monkey King sets off on his arboreal mission.

“Moving through the air like lightning and meteor,” Sun Wukong’s first stop in the Great Eastern Ocean is the “immortal region of Penglai,” a series of islands. There, he soon encounters a group of three immortals who look like old men playing encirclement chess. These are the Star of Longevity, the Star of Blessing, and the Star of Wealth. After the old men and the old monkey greet each other, Sun Wukong explains his situation while the immortals call him a “completely ignorant” dumb ape for having stolen the ginseng fruit and acting like it wasn’t a big deal, and of course for having broken the Ginseng Tree in the first place. The crux of the matter is that the “level of cultivation in Dao of the Great Immortal far surpasses” that of these three immortals, and that this is equally true for the Ginseng Tree; while “all you would need is one grain of my millet-elixir” to revive an earthly creature, the ginseng fruit “is the very root of all divine trees.” As such, these more lowly immortals have no way to heal it.

The Monkey King is dejected at this news, but the Star of Blessing encourages him by suggesting that there might be a cure for the tree somewhere else. The three immortals are also delighted upon learning of Sun Wukong’s fillet and the sutra that squeezes his head, for had “it not been for this little means of control, you would be crawling all over Heaven again!” Even so, the Star of Longevity promises that though the Great Immortal is these immortals’ senior, they’ll pay him a visit on the Monkey King’s behalf and also ask Tang Sanzang to not recite the Tight-Fillet Spell while the monkey is sincerely looking for a cure. Sun Wukong thanks them, and travels on.

The Stars mount the clouds and travel straight to the Abbey of Five Villages, where their arrival is announced by “the cries of cranes.” Zhu Bajie acts very familiar with the Star of Longevity, even calling him a “blubbery old codger.” The Star of Longevity calls him a “stupid coolie” in return, and the pig yaoguai and the three immortals get into a small name-calling contest before the arrival of Tripitaka and Master Zhenyuan. The three immortals are then able to give their account of Sun Wukong’s actions, all while being pranked by Zhu Bajie.

In the meantime, the Monkey King makes his arrival at the Fangzhang Mountain. It’s a beautiful place, but the simian is “in no mood to enjoy the scenery.” He is able to find an immortal quickly who we learn is the “Grand Thearch of the East,” said to have “saved the world a few times from distress.” Greeting this immortal “somewhat shamefacedly,” Sun Wukong is soon invited into to the Grand Thearch’s palace for tea. While waiting for the tea, the Monkey King is also greeted by a “lowly immortal named Dongfang Shuo,” who we learn had “palmed from Heaven’s gods’ peaches three times.” After Sun Wukong and Dongfang Shuo greet each other as “old burglar” and “little crook” respectively, the Grand Thearch orders Dongfang Shuo, religious name Manqian, to bring them tea. Manqian leaves, and Sun Wukong makes his request for a cure for the Ginseng Tree. The Grand Thearch calls him an “ape” who has “no care for anything except to cause trouble everywhere.” He also tells the Monkey King that Master Zhenyuan is “the patriarch of earthbound immortals,” and that even Sun Wukong doesn’t have the power to escape him. Furthermore, as the Ginseng Fruit Tree is the result of a “spiritual root that came into existence at the time of creation,” there’s no cure that the Grand Thearch knows of. Hearing this, old Monkey decides to take his leave, not daring to stay for an offered cup of jade nectar.

The next stop is the island of Yingzhou, another lovely realm for immortals. Here he finds nine immortals “with luminous white hair and beards” and “youthful complexion” “playing chess and drinking wine, telling jokes and singing songs.” Sun Wukong walks up to this gathering, and these immortals “quickly rose to greet him.” After the Monkey King and these Nine Elders exchange pleasantries (and Sun Wukong is lightly chided by the Nine Elders because had he “not disrupted Heaven, he would be even more content than we are), the monkey gives an account of his so far fruitless effort to restore the Ginseng Tree. After being told that he causes “too much trouble! Just too much trouble. Honestly, we don’t have a cure” but also being invited to “drink some jade nectar and eat some lotus root,” Sun Wukong swiftly takes his leave of the nine elders and heads straight to the Potalaka Mountain. There he finds “the Bodhisattva Guanyin giving a lecture to the various celestial guardians, dragon-ladies, and Moksa in the purple bamboo grove.” Noticing the Monkey King’s arrival, Bodhisattva Guayin sends the Great Mountain Guardian, formerly known as the Black Wind King, to meet him. After almost getting into an altercation with this yaoguai-turned-divine-guardian because he addressed him too familiarly, Sun Wukong “at once became solemn and earnest” when he hears that Bodhisattva Guanyin had asked the Great Mountain Guardian to greet him, and follows the bear down to have an audience with the bodhisattva. The Monkey King bows down and gives an account of what happened. The bodhisattva scolds him as a “mischievous monkey,” and Sun Wukong agrees that he “was truly ignorant.” Bodhisattva Guanyin also asks the Monkey King why he didn’t come to her sooner, which secretly pleases Sun Wukong as he assumes this means she as a cure. And indeed, the bodhisattva reveals that the “sweet dew in my immaculate vase can heal divine trees or spirit roots.” Declaring himself “lucky! Truly lucky!,” Sun Wukong flies behind Bodhisattva Guanyin back to the Abbey of Five Villages.

Master Zhenyuan was in the midst of “having lofty conversation with the Three Elders” when he notices the bodhisattva has arrived. Soon after all the assembled immortals, yaoguai, and one mortal man greet her, Bodhisattva Guanyin leads the party to where the Ginseng Tree lies dead. She orders Sun Wukong to stretch out his left hand, and, dipping her willow twig into the sweet dew of her vase, she “then used it as a brush and drew on the palm of Pilgrim a charm that had revivifying power.” She next tells the Monkey King to “place his hand at the base of the tree and watch for the sign of water spurting out.” Sun Wukong does so, and soon a “clear spring welled up from the ground.” After making it known that only something made of jade should be used to scoop up the water, Bodhisattva Guanyin then says the tree should be pushed back into an upright position and that this water should be poured over it from the top down. And so the Great Immortal “asked the little lads to take out some thirty jade tea cups and some fifty wine goblets with which they scooped up the clear water. Pilgrim, Eight Rules, and Sha Monk raised the tree into an upright position and covered its base with topsoil. They then handed the jade cups one by one to the Bodhisattva, who sprinkled the sweet liquid onto the tree with her willow branch as she recited a spell.” Before long, “the tree turned green all at once with thick leaves and branches.” Furthermore, twenty-three ginseng fruits ripen as well, one more than they had before.

The Great Immortal is very pleased by the restoration of the Ginseng Tree, and has ten of the fruits gathered so that he could host a Festival of Ginseng Fruits in honor of Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Three Elders. Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing each get a fruit, and seeing a bodhisattva and immortals consume the fruit convinces Tang Sanzang to eat one as well, meaning that he is now quite the immortal monk. After Sun Wukong thanks the Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Three Stars for their assistance they go back to their respective homes. To end the celebration, Master Zhenyuan “also prepared some vegetarian wine for a banquet, during which he and Pilgrim became bond-brothers.” And it is on the note that both Tang Sanzang and his disciples go to bed happy and have a restful night at the Abbey of Five Villages that this chapter ends.

[luminouslumity]

I would've done this way sooner, but I wanted to wait for all of the episodes to come out in English first before I finally did, including the special! So, without further ado, here's a summary on the villains for S4! And much like last time, I'm going off of the order they'd appeared in the book.

YELLOW ROBE DEMON (黃袍怪)

I've actually technically covered Yellow Robe a few times already, but to quickly reiterate, the Pilgrims meet him after Tang Sanzang banishes Sun Wukong for him killing three supposedly innocent people (really the White Bone Spirit in disguise), he quickly incapacitates them, Pigsy goes to get Wukong back, Monkey goes to rescue Sanzang, finds out that he's actually a celestial named Kui Mulang (奎木狼) who wished to be reunited with his beloved Yunü (玉女) after they were separated upon her reincarnation as Princess Baihuaxiu (百花羞), who he had also previously kidnapped. Monkey eventually has Yellow Robe apprehended and returned to Heaven, the princess returns to her family, and Wukong happily rejoins the group.

GOLDEN WINGED GREAT PENG (金翅大鵬雕), AZURE LION, (青毛獅子), AND YELLOW TOOTHED ELEPHANT (黃牙老��)

And now onto the main trio first!

Before the big confrontation with all three, Azure Lion actually appears in an earlier chapter as the Lion-Lynx Demon (獅猁怪), who had killed the ruler of the kingdom of Wuji (烏雞國) after throwing him down a well and ends up impersonating him for the next three years (cue Among Us jokes) before he's finally confronted by the Pilgrims after the king's ghost informs them of the impostor sitting on his throne. After the king's brought back to life thanks to the Lao Tzu's Pill of Immortality, the group go to expose the demon, who then disguises himself as Tang Sanzang, but it doesn't take long for his cover to be blown when he can't recite the Tight-Fillet Spell.

Before any fighting can commence, however, they're interrupted by Lion-Lynx's owner, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, who goes on to explain that his steed was actually meant to be an obstacle for the Pilgrims in order to test their resolve before adding that the king had actually had him tied up and thrown into a river for three days and nights, leading to Lion-Lynx seeking retribution on his master's behalf.

The next time we see him, he's residing in in Lion Camel Cave (獅駝洞) at Lion Camel Ridge (獅駝嶺) with Peng and Yellowtusk. Sun Wukong first learns about them from one of their minions, Xiaozuanfeng (小鑽風), after—say it with me now—the Pilgrims get captured! Unlike the show, however, Peng seems to be the one in charge rather than Azure. Either way, Monkey manages to call upon Ao Shun (敖順), the Dragon King of the North Sea, for assistance, but Wukong is the only one who manages to completely escape their grasp and a rumor quickly spreads that Sanzang had been eaten alive.

After mourning and blaming Buddha for this latest predicament, Monkey goes to ask the Patriarch himself for advice, which Buddha proceeds to explain that not only is the lion demon the same one he and the others had encountered before, but much like Lion-Lynx, Peng and Yellowtusk have a connection to Hinduism as well, with Yellowtusk being the steed of the bodhisattva Viśvabhadra, while Peng is none other than a brother to the peacock Mahāmāyūrī, and long story short, this technically makes him and Buddha family.

For further context, to quote Anthony Yu:

Tathāgata said, “At the time when Chaos parted, Heaven opened at the epoch of Zi, Earth developed at the epoch of Chou, and Man came into existence at the epoch of Yin.

When Heaven and Earth mated,

Then myriad things were born.

The myriad things consisted of beasts and fowl: of the beasts, the unicorn was the head, and the phoenix was the head of the fowl. After having been fertilized by the aura of procreation, the phoenix also gave birth to the peacock and the great roc. When the peacock first came into the world, it was a most savage creature, able to devour humans. In fact, it could suck in a human being with one breath from a distance of some forty miles. I was on top of the Snow Mountain, having just perfected my sixteen-foot diamond body, when the peacock sucked me into his stomach. I could have escaped through his anal passage, but fearing that my body might be defiled, I cut my way out through his back and rode him back to the Spirit Mountain. I was about to take his life, but the various buddhas stopped me with the observation that to hurt the peacock would be like hurting my own mother. That was why I detained him at the mountain instead and appointed him Buddha-Mother, the Bodhisattva Mahārāja Mayūra. Since the great roc had the same parent as the peacock, it could be said that he was somewhat related to me.”

On hearing this, Pilgrim said with a smile, “Tathāgata, according to what you’ve told me, you should be regarded as the nephew of that monster-spirit!”

The three demons are then subdued by Buddha, Mañjuśrī, and Viśvabhadra, and Sanzang of course turns out to still be alive, albeit trapped in an iron chest, which Monkey quickly frees him from. The Pilgrims then carry on with their journey to the West afterwards.

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 57

In this chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest we get to see how Tripitaka and Sun Wukong's second break up is going. So let's get into it shall we?

Last we left off, Monkey had made himself scarce after his fight with Tripitaka. However he doesn't really know where to go, or what to do now. If he returns to Flower Fruit mountain now, it will be in disgrace. And the same goes for hanging out with other immortals or in the celestial realm. Finally he decides that his only real option is to try once again to beg Tripitaka to take him back.

So Monkey returns to Tripitaka and begs him to take him back as a disciple, and promises to not do violence in the future. However Tripitaka's only response is to once again start reciting the tight fillet spell again, another twenty times. After he's done, Monkey tries to reason with him that he won't be able to reach the West by himself, because, let's face it, Sandy, Pigsy and the Horse really are just 'chopped liver' here... Tripitaka however says that whether or not he reaches the west is no longer Monkey's concern, and insists that he does not want him anymore. Once Tripitaka threatens to use the fillet again, Monkey is left with no other choice but to once again take his leave.

This time however, Monkey does have an idea on where he can go- the same place he goes every time he runs into problems, Guanyin's place. Once he gets there he is greeted by Moksa and Red Son, who ask what business he has with Guanyin. Monkey says he's here to tattle on someone to Guanyin, and when Red Son tries to joke around a little with Monkey, Monkey snaps and goes off on him, since he's really not in the mood right now.

Anyways Monkey is finally able to meet with Guanyin, and breaks down into tears, while he explains everything to her. Guanyin listens patiently to his explanation and tells him that he was indeed in the wrong for beating those bandits to death, especially since he easily could have just scared them off instead. Monkey agrees but still thinks he should have been given another chance to atone rather then be banished outright like this.

After that Monkey asks Guanyin if she can recite the loose fillet spell, so he can give the fillet back to her so he can go back home to Flower Fruit Mountain. After she explains that the fillet was given to her by the Buddha and that she doesn't know of any way to remove it, Monkey gets up to leave. He tells Guanyin that he'll go directly to the Buddha instead and ask him to remove it. Guanyin however asks him to wait for a moment while she scans Tripitaka's fortune. His fortune reveals that since it's a day of the week ending in a 'Y', Tripitaka will soon face another calamity, and will need his help with it. At which time Guanyin will make sure that Tripitaka takes him back as a disciple. And with that we leave Guanyin and Wukong for the moment while we check back in on Tripitaka.

Tripitaka is traveling along with his other disciples until he gets hungry and thirsty. And since he apparently hasn't learned his lesson from the last time he had Pigsy fetch him water, he sends Pigsy out to fetch him some. After waiting for such a long time that Tripitaka even takes the time to compose a poem about how thirsty he is, Sandy finally decides to go after Pigsy to see what's taking him so long. Tripitaka tearfully allows him to go, leaving him with only the horse for protection.

He's not alone for long however, for who does he see but 'Sun Wukong' kneeling on the side of the road offering him a bowl of refreshing water. 'Sun Wukong' asks him to take it, and then he'll go and fetch some food for him as well. Tripitaka however refuses, saying he'd rather die of thirst on the spot then take it from him. When 'Sun Wukong' once again insists that he can't make it to the West without his help, Tripitaka once again says that's none of his business and tells him to leave. This enrages 'Sun Wukong' who throws out the water and strikes Tripitaka with his rod knocking him unconscious. After that, 'Sun Wukong' takes their belongings and takes his leave. On that cliffhanger it's time to see what's taking Pigsy so long.

Pigsy has managed to find a human residence, and has even transformed himself into a passable human monk to make begging easier. He's able to get some food by passing himself off as a sickly human, and just as he acquires the food, Sandy arrives to find out what's taking him so long. Pigsy shows off the food, but Sandy says that water is the bigger priority at the moment and they only have the one bowl. Eventually they settle on Sandy carrying the food in his robes while Pigsy uses the bowl for water, that settled the two return to Tripitaka. Only to find him seemingly dead. Pigsy and Sandy panic, and while Pigsy curses out the bandits that probably caught up to them to kill him, Sandy just wails and cradles Tripitaka's body while Pigsy plans the funeral.

Luckily before they can bury him alive or something, Sandy is finally clued in on the fact that Tripitaka isn't dead, just unconscious. Once Tripitaka wakes up, cursing Monkey as he does so, he explains what happened to Sandy and Pigsy. The enraged Pigsy is all for going after Monkey in order to get their stuff back, but Sandy reasons that they should probably make sure Tripitaka is taken care of first. Since leaving him alone on the side of the road didn't turn out so well last time.

So after they settle Tripitaka into the house they found earlier, they decide on which one of them should go after Monkey. Pigsy still wants to be the one to go, since he's already been to Flower Fruit Mountain before and knows the way. Tripitaka however worries that since Pigsy and Monkey have trouble getting alone even during the best of times, that if Pigsy mouths off to Monkey, Monkey might attack him to. So they settle on sending Sandy who has better manners. Tripitaka tells him that if Monkey is willing to give their stuff back then great, if he refuses however, Sandy shouldn't try and fight him, and instead should go straight to Guanyin.

With that said, Sandy takes off for Flower Fruit Mountain. As Sandy begins to approach the cave he begins to hear 'Monkey' reading what sounds like their travel script aloud. Eventually Sandy interrupts asking him what he's doing, however 'Monkey' just immediately orders his minions to seize him, and has Sandy brought before him. Sandy tries to negotiate with 'Monkey', asking him to return their belongings so they can all go West together or at the very least return their stuff while he stays here. 'Monkey' however says that he didn't strike Tripitaka and take their stuff because he didn't want to go to the West. He did it because he'll need the supplies for his own Journey to the West. Once he retrieves the scriptures from the Buddha and delivers them to the East, he'll be the hero, and get all the credit.

Sandy tries to explain that his plan could never work. This whole journey isn't even about getting the scriptures, not really. It's a way for Tripitaka, the Golden Cicada, to go through trials to redeem himself. So Buddha would never hand the scriptures over to just 'Sun Wukong' by himself. 'Monkey' however isn't an idiot, of course he knows that he can't do it without a scripture pilgrim, luckily he already has one of his own. After saying that, Monkey shows Sandy, perfect clones of Tripitaka, Sandy, Pigsy and the horse.

Sandy isn't to happy to see his apparent replacement and attacks it, managing to kill it in one blow. Only to find that the clone was apparently one of the monkey's of Flower Fruit Mountain in disguise. 'Monkey' is also enraged by this and orders the other monkeys to attack, leaving Sandy to fight his way out. Luckily Monkey can't be bothered to actually give chase to Sandy once he escapes, instead, he orders to have the dead monkey skinned and fried so they can eat it later, and just has another monkey transform into Sandy.

Sandy meanwhile has resolved to go to Guanyin about this. So Sandy arrives at Guanyin's place and is greeted by Moksa who asks why he's here, despite already knowing he's probably here about the whole Monkey situation. So Moksa announces to Guanyin, and coincidentally Sun Wukong since he is also here, that Sandy wants an audience. Monkey chuckles at this figuring that the calamity that Guanyin mentioned earlier must have finally arrived. So Guanyin calls Sandy in, however as soon as Sandy see's Monkey he tries to attack him with his weapon. Which Monkey takes surprisingly well, by just dodging the attacks and not fighting back while Sandy yells insults to his face.

Guayin breaks up the fight and asks Sandy to explain himself. So Sandy explains the whole story to Guanyin, who says that it can't be possible for Monkey to have done all of that. He's been here with her for the whole time, and she's been keeping a close eye on him. Sandy however insists that he's telling the truth. So Guanyin suggests that he take Wukong with him back to Flower Fruit Mountain to see what's really going on. So with that Sandy and Monkey leave together to see what the situation is back in Flower Fruit Mountain.

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 + 94,000 years Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes and Diamond Pupils, intimidating horses, churning large bodies of water, sleeplessness, seizing the wind, enhanced smell, discerning good and evil within a thousand miles, Spirit Summoning, lock picking, object transformation, distance reduction, vanishing in a flash of light, super healing, transforming others, and Invisibility Demon Kill Count: 9+ Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 1039 God's Defeated: 23 + Unknown number Defeats: 7 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason, attempted murder, failure to control or report a dangerous fire, desecrating a corpse, breaking and entering, trespassing, violating Tree Law, looting corpses, trading counterfeit goods, criminal threat, animal abuse, Assisting or Instigating Escape, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption and Identity Fraud. Cry Count: 9 + 3 fake cries Mountains Trapped Under: 4

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka and the Tang Monk Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras, pretty privilege, memorization, Heart Sutra and Meditation. Cry Count: 30 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 62 Paralyzed by fear: 6 Bandit Problems: 3 Kidnapped by demons: 9 Falling Off Horses: 10

Current Bai Long Ma Stats: Names/Titles: Bai Long Ma (White Dragon Horse), Prince of the Western Ocean, and third prince jade dragon of the dragon king Aorun Abilities: Transforming into a human, a water snake, and a horse, eating a horse in one bite, flight, Magic of Water Restriction, Singing, and Sword Dancing. Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Arson, and Grave Disobedience. Contributions to the plot: 3 Kidnapped by demons: 1

Current Zhu Wuneng Stats: Names/Titles: The Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, Zhu Wuneng (Pig who is aware of ability), Zhu Ganglie, Pigsy, Idiot and Eight Rules. Weapon: Rake Abilities: 36 Transformations, parting water, fighting underwater, cloud soaring, size enhancement and CPR Demon Kill Count/Kill steals: 3 Kidnapped by Demons: 4 Human Kill Count: 1 Failed Flirtation/romances Attempts: 4 Cry Count: 2 Crime List: Sexual Harassment, Murder, Kidnapping, arson, defamation, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption, Identity Fraud, Theft and Forcible entry

Current Sha Wujing Stats: Names/Titles: The Curtain-Raising General, Sha Wujing (Sand Aware of Purity), Sandy and Sha Monk Weapon: Monster Taming Staff Abilities: Fighting underwater, Cloud soaring, and fetching water from a well. Demon Kill Count: 1 + Unknown number of minions. Kidnapped by Demons: 3 Human Kill Count: 1 Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Breaking a Crystal Cup, murder, desecration of a human corpse, Damage to Religious Property and contaminating a substance for human consumption

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[cave-monkey]

So part of Yu's translation confused me, prompting me to go dig up my Jenner books because sometimes looking at multiple different versions helps clarify matters. It did not actually clarify anything, but I thought the wildly different ways each translator handled this section was interesting.

“...There’s only one thing left for us to settle, and that’s the Tight-Fillet Spell.” The Tang Monk said, “I won’t recite that again.” “That’s hard to say,” said Pilgrim. “For when the time comes for you to face those treacherous demons and bitter ordeals, and when you, because Eight Rules and Sha Monk cannot rescue you, think of me and cannot stop yourself from reciting it, I’ll have a headache even if I’m one hundred thousand miles away. I’ll have to come back to see you, so why don’t you let this matter drop now.” -Yu, Revised translation, Kindle

And:

"I won't recite it again," said Sanzang. "You shouldn't say that," replied Monkey. "If you're ever beset by evil monsters from whom you can't escape, and if Pig and Friar Sand can't save you, then think of me. If it's unbearable, say the spell. My head will ache even if I'm tens of thousands of miles away. But if I do come back to you, never say it again." -Jenner

It's like...*chin in hands* Huh.

[queenofonions]

Love in the Afternoon

Summary: A tender moment between Luna and Ginny.

Ginny fell from the portkey vortex in a dizzied heap. She lay there for several minutes, catching her breath and soaking in the heat from the high afternoon sun. The grass was warm under her hands, leaching away the lingering chill from the sodden quidditch uniform she wore.

The light summer rain they had been practicing in had whipped into a torrential beast that exhausted everyone, but it was only when lightening had obliterated the snitch that the captain finally called it and sent the team home.

Ginny had not even bothered to change before activating her personal portkey. Her wand was strapped to her forearm and she could have easily cast a drying spell over herself, but the relief of being home after such a wretched morning made her limbs and mind pleasantly heavy.

She rested the backs of her hands against her eyes to block the sun. The scent of flowers wafted over her and she took a few moments to breathe it in.

Just a few moments...

...

...

Luna closed the basket on the plimpies she had caught, took up her fishing net and made her way back home, enjoying the feel of the mud by the lake as it squished between her bare toes. She wore a gauzy white summer dress in deference to the heat of the day and left her long blonde hair loose and flowing down her back, her wand tucked behind her ear as usual.

It was a short walk back to the rook-shaped house, where she stowed away her net and set the basket on a picnic table. She summoned a fillet knife from the kitchen and directed it to clean and prepare the plimpies.

As she tucked her wand behind her ear again, she heard the bass-toned gonging of the windchime that announced the activation of a homing portkey.

"Ginny," she breathed, her face beaming, and at once headed down the lane toward the stretch of meadow half a kilometer from the house. Luna easily spotted the small daisies that blanketed the warded area and felt the magic wash over as she passed through, disappearing from view to the outside world.

The sight of Ginny dozing amongst the flowers made Luna's heart clench sweetly in her chest.

She sank down onto the grass next to her and tilted her head quizzically as she looked Ginny over, noticing the state of her uniform and the deep pink of her cheeks and nose.

She dried the uniform with a wave of her wand down the length of Ginny's body, but the redhead did not wake. One kneepad hung loose so she gently unlaced it completely and transfigured it into an extra large beach umbrella to shade them both from the sun.

Luna looked around her and plucked a handful small daisies, placing them one by one in Ginny's hair like a crown. Her fingers stroked through a long lock of red hair and lifted it to brush the silkiness across her own cheek, then her lips. She flicked the end of the lock softly across Ginny's nose and finally Ginny stirred, scrunching her nose and blinking sleepily.

The sight of Luna made Ginny smile and her heart swoop with delight. "Luna, love," she breathed and caught the blonde's hand up to kiss her fingers.

Luna hummed in pleasure and leaned over to press sweet kisses over Ginny's cheeks, forehead, nose, and lips.

Ginny cupped her cheek and pulled her closer, taking the kiss deeper, sipping at her lips and licking into her mouth until Luna was draped over her body and they were both breathing heavily.

Luna pulled back a little and shifted against Ginny with a slight frown. "I'm glad I dried your uniform, but it is quite uncomfortable to lie on."

Ginny freed her wand from its strap and grinned. "I can take care of that." A swish and twirl of the wand removed that obstacle completely.

Luna's eyes danced merrily, "Oh, thank you, that's much better." She stretched her body out over Ginny's again and sighed dreamily as their curves fit snugly against each other. "Mmmm, that's just lovely."

Ginny laughed, wrapped her arms tight around the woman she loved and kissed her again amongst the flowers.

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(pen name Xedra on AO3)

[hadleysmis]

"Le Van Do's (Jean Valjean) situation was no different from Sun Wukong, every time he did wrong, he had a headache because the Buddha's golden ring tightened."

“These treasures are called the tightening fillets (fillet in this context: 'a band or ribbon worn round the head'), and though they are all alike, their uses are not the same. I have a separate spell for each of them: the Golden, the Constrictive, and the Prohibitive Spell.

If you encounter on the way any monster who possesses great magic powers, you must persuade him to learn to be good and to follow the scripture pilgrim as his disciple.

If he is disobedient, this fillet may be put on his head, and it will strike root the moment it comes into contact with the flesh.

Recite the particular spell which belongs to the fillet and it will cause the head to swell and ache so painfully that he will think his brains are bursting. That will persuade him to come within our fold” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 206-207).

For more information on Sun Wukong's fillet:

In the 1926 novel, after Petit Gervais' incident (stealing a rice pot from an old beggar couple), "he heard the bell ring, he shivered, then in his ears he heard the wailing of the old couple". He kept hearing the bells, and his head ached- his fillet tightened.

Oh yeah, the comparison is comparising again.

YES! I'm collecting information about the Vietnamese adaptation of Les Mis (the 1926 novel by  Hồ Biểu Chánh), and I was reading a detailed summary, and YES JEAN VALJEAN IS COMPARED TO SUN WUKONG (THE MONKEY KING)

"Le Van Do (Jean Valjean) knocked on the door of Chanh Tam (Bishop) pagoda, with the arrogant posture of a Sun Wukong, holding a stick in his hand, shouting at the abbot..."

^ (from Thụy Khuê's summary)

Also, pagoda looks like this as a reference. Although many variations exist.