Journey of the Monkey King

We are back and continue the story of Lady Iron-Fan and the Bull Demon King. The chapter has a lot of misogynistic language, drunkenness and a character tricking another into thinking they’re their spouse. Links: You can see Elementaller at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin on the 11th and 12th of February: https://smockalley.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873633108 Transy on The UK Comic Datab...

The pilgrims come across a mountain that is four hundred kilometres across and always on fire that proves to be something of an obstacle to progress, so Sun Wukong goes to ask his sister-in-law for help. Links: “Rakshasa” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakshasa Rakshasa Pronunciation Sanskrit राक्षस rākṣasa on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkXq9jVOycg Rakshasi Pronunciatio...

Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing investigate the imposter Pilgrim, but Wujing doesn’t know which one to shoot! Links: “Puss” on the Online Etymology Dictionary : https://www.etymonline.com/word/puss Episode artwork is J.J. Fong as the Librarian from The New Legends of Monkey . Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https:/...

Wukong is banished and comes back angry and jealous. But perhaps there’s something a bit sus about him. This episode features the torture headband and monkey cannibalism. Amogus. Links: “Leigong” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigong “Raikou” on Bulbapedia : https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Raikou_(Pokémon) Bad Book Bash by Betsy Speer: https://badbookbash.buzzsprout.com Clas...

The pilgrims are out of the women’s country, but some resentment might be starting to set in, and the torture headband comes out again. Links: Episode artwork is a section of a painting of Marshal Wang depicting a Léigōng, which Caoimhe thinks is probably the type of thunder god that Wukong gets described as looking like: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/41474 “Leigong” on Wikipedia...

Tripitaka has been kidnapped by a demoness who’s a real maneater. No not like that. Well, yes, actually, like that. But also in the other way. Links: Episode artwork is Zhao Wenqi as as the scorpion demon and Nie Yuan as Tripitaka in the 2011 Journey to the West television adaptation by TVS Television. Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monk...

The pilgrims make their way to the capital of the Women State and Tripitaka faces a threat not to his life, but to his chastity. Will he cum? There is only one way to find out. Links: Episode artwork by Chen Huiguan: https://web.archive.org/web/20190810053814/http://www.innerjourneytothewest.com/english/en-resource.html Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod J...

You read the title correctly. This episode was recorded before the United States Supreme Court struck down the Roe vs. Wade ruling. Links: “Silphium” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium “Omegaverse” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omegaverse “Thomas Beatie” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie Women on Web: https://www.womenonweb.org “Number of...

Wukong is going to need to go the the very top for help with the One-Horned Buffalo. No, not Guanyin. The very top. The episode has some brief mentions of slavery and cruelty, and the torture headband gets brought up again in passing. Links: Clashmore on Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie/gallery/clashmore Clashmore on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/clashmore “Herd of Cork bu...

Sun Wukong’s rod has been stolen by the Great One-Horned Buffalo’s magical fillet and he’s going to need to enlist the help of some old enemies. Warning for brief mention of rape and discrimination against intersex people in an aside about the novel Ring between about 6:30 and 9:45. Links: Episode artwork by Chen Huiguan: https://web.archive.org/web/20190810053814/http://www.innerjourneytothewest....

We are officially half way through the book! 🥳 Links: Episode artwork is a photo of Baily, a Pekingese, taken by Flickr user Dirk DBQ: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bailey_Pekingese.jpg Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e...

What type of creature is The Great King of Numinous Power? M.J. thinks he might be a crocodile, or maybe a newt. Guanyin will help the pilgrims find out. Links: Episode artwork is a Ming Dynasty painting of Guanyin with Fish Basket: https://www.si.edu/object/fsg_F1911.297 Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https...

After having his child sacrifices taken away by the pilgrims, The Great King of Numinous Power decides to set his sights on a new meal. I don’t think you need to be told who at this point. He wants to eat Tripitaka. They all want to eat Tripitaka. This episode also contains spoilers for Riverdale I guess. Links: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994) fansub mentioned in the episode: https://gent...

A preview of our Patreon bonus episode where we read some of Xuanzang’s travelogue written after his return to China featuring one of the more gruesome folk tales recorded in the book. https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Links: Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod M.J. on Insta...

The pilgrims find themselves in a town at the mercy of a cruel local god who demands child sacrifice, but Sun Wukong is here to help and so is Zhu Bajie whether he likes it or not. Links: Episode artwork by Chen Huiguan: https://web.archive.org/web/20190810053814/http://www.innerjourneytothewest.com/english/en-resource.html Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingp...

Just as the pilgrims are about to be allowed to leave the Cart Slow Kingdom, Sun Wukong suddenly faces the one challenge he is incapable of winning. This episode contains some very gruesome deaths, including decapitation, disembowelment and boiling oil. It also features biting insects. None of those are the the challenges Wukong can’t win though. Those are very easy challenges for him. Links: Epis...

To prove their worth to the king of the Cart Slow Kingdom the pilgrims are asked to make it rain. This episode contains people getting tricked into drinking urine. Links: Episode artwork is the Simpsons. I don’t think I need to link to this one. Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingp...

The pilgrims make their way to the Cart Slow Kingdom, where Buddhist monks have been made slaves of Daoists and Wukong has been declared their saviour. Links: Episode artwork is a photo of Caoimhe’s cat, Easóg. Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod M.J. on Instagram: https://www.i...

Red Boy dealt with, the pilgrims face difficulty trying to cross the Black River. Links: Episode artwork is a Ming Dynasty statue of Golden Boy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Attendant to Guanyin (Golden Boy) China Ming Period 1368-1644 CE Wood polychrome and gilt (20147520202).jpg Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on...

Guanyin finds out that Red Boy was impersonating her and she is not best pleased. Links: Episode artwork by Aleksis Shi: https://aleksisshi.wordpress.com/ Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes Caoimhe’s website: https://oakr...

M.J. and Caoimhe appeared on Journey to the West: The Podcast with Richard Tseng and James Young and had a lovely discussion about the novel. We will resume our normal Sun Wu-content in the next episode. Links: Journey to the West: The Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/journey-to-the-west-the-podcast/id1477420265 Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.pat...

Sun Wukong gets his arse kicked for once when Red Boy doesn’t believe that Pilgrim Sun used to be mates with his dad. Can Zhu Bajie fill his shoes? No. Obviously not. Links: “ Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing_(Chinese_philosophy) Episode artwork is a photograph of statues of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas from the Great Temple of Mazu in Tainan: ht...

After leaving the Black Rooster Kingdom behind, Sun Wukong starts to get fed up at Tripitaka not heeding his warnings. This episode does not technically contain child murder, but does feature a monster disguised as a child that is very violently attacked. Murder and kidnapping is also mentioned. So is vaccine scepticism. We have a Patreon now! Links: “Rākshasa” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia....

We have a Patreon now! Subscribers get new episodes as soon as they’re done and as a first bonus episode we have made an audio commentary track for the first episode of BBC’s Monkey. Here’s a preview of it. https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Links: Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monke...

Who can Wukong turn to try and bring the king of the Black Rooster Kingdom back from the dead? Someone who’s annoyed at him for a lot of wasted charcoal. This episodes has mentions of cannibalism, rape by deception, gelding of an animal/animal spirit and use of the corporal punishment headband. Links: “Blue–green distinction in language” on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue–green_dist...