Pardal, Sparrow or Digital, whichever is your fancy!
sie/hir/they/them - adult (+21) - white brazillian
Welcome to my JttW and chinese animations and mythology sideblog! my focus on it comes and goes so i'll let you know when turning on notifications to know when i'm posting again might be a good idea.
While this blog is mainly focused on JttW, I'll bring up other stories and legends, like Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi) or Lotus Lantern (Bao Lian Deng). this is also for Chinese animations and series as I find and explore them, and i'll occasionally do livereads of books, especially academic ones.
Follow me over at my main @sparrow-in-boots if you'd like my more assorted interests <3
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THIS BLOG IS +21 and will contain: fantasy and realistic violence, gore, body horror, discussion of mental illness and suicide, sexual themes, and other sensitive subjects. They will be tagged appropriately as cw but please be advised and proceed with caution.
PLEASE DO NOT TAG MY AUs AND CONTENT AS LMK unless i do so! LMK content is tagged with #not a lmk blog (head on over to my LMK sideblog @digitaldoeslmk if you want my art and aus)
AU info and tags below!
#Expedition to the West au
my take on JttW if it was (more or less) rooted in the real world and the historical Xuanjang's journey. follows mostly the plot beats as outlined by @journeytothewestresearch's article, so giving it a read will help contextualize where I diverge or fill in empty spaces with my own takes and ideas. full props to OP, their research has been an immense help and inspiration!!
#Sun clan au
[CHARACTER DIRECTORY]
started as my own version of giving Wukong a mother figure, now it's me fleshing out the monkey population of Huaguoshan with ocs to explore Wukong's bonds and filial piety, as well as the repercussions of his actions. expect a lot of family fluff AND angst!
note that both AUs are somewhat connected but I'll tag them separately as needed.
#Havoc in Midgard au (NOW HOUSED AT @fimbulvetrblues)
God of War/JttW crossover AU. Linked to my Fimbulvintr Blues AU where Atreus and Mimir are kicked back into the far past of Kratos' Spartan General days, and have to catch up to his current time the long way. I'm focusing mostly on his trips across the continents and pantheons as he retrieves the giants hidden there by Týr and slowly but surely acquires a veritable arsenal of magical artifacts, special powers and baffling alliances. And of course, his short but chaotic stint in the Three Kingdoms during the time of both Wukong's youth and the entirety of the Investiture of the Gods.
#bell dragon art
my art tag regardless of AU or fandom. i also use it when announcing commissions and sales!
MEDIA TAGS (in no particular order)
1986 series - 1996 series - Conquering the Demons - Demons Strike Back - A Chinese Odyssey movies - Monkey King: Hero is Back - Monkey King Reborn - New Gods movies - NG: Nezha Reborn - NG: Yang Jian - Jiang Ziya - Nezha 2019 - White Snake movies - Tian Zhen Pai: Xiyouji 2019 - Havoc in Heaven 1961 and related movies - Chang'an 2023 - Luoxiaohei - Fei Ren Zai
note: when a movie springs conitnuations or side content, it will still be tagged with the original movie (ie: Nezha 2 (2025) will be tagged #nezha 2019), save a few exceptions
ASSORTED TAGS
jttw liveread: quotes and tidbits from the novels i felt like sharing
fsyy liveread: same as above, but for the Investiture of the Gods (Fengsheng Yanyi)
oedipal god liveread: comments and quotes of the book "Oedipal God: The Chinese Nezha and his Indian Origins" by Meir Shahar
jttw book club: chapter reviews and comments by myself and others who have joined the reading group over at @/journeythroughjourneytothewest
Quick reflection on the usage of 物(Wù) in Chinese:
So apparently 物 means “thing” (a concrete entity that exists in the world and can be categorized, often viewed by its nature or function rather than individuality), and it can be combined with multiple other character to create really useful words like:
食物 (shíwù) — food
食 = to eat
食物 = things that are eaten
动物 (dòngwù) — animals
动 = to move
动物 = living things that move
植物 (zhíwù) — plants
植 = to plant / grow
植物 = things that grow rooted
宠物 (chǒngwù) — pets
宠 = to dote on / spoil / cherish
宠物 = things you dote on
废物 (fèiwù) - useless thing / waste
废 = waste, useless, ruined
物 = thing
生物 = living things / organisms
生 = life, to be born
生物 = entities that possess life
礼物 = gift / present
礼 = ritual, courtesy, propriety, etiquette
礼物 = a thing given according to social ritual
事物 = things / matters / phenomena
事 = affair, event, matter
物 = entity
事物 = things as they exist and change in the world
怪物 = monster
怪 = strange, weird
怪物 = a strange being / strange thing
人物 = character / figure / notable person
人 = person
人物 = a person treated as an entity within a narrative or context
Today on What Am I Researching For Fanfiction, we're covering the history of scissors in China. There are oddly more sources on this than you would think. Scissors were first introduced in China during the Han Dynasty specifically for needlework, and they were big old iron shears that looked like this:
Everyone on Reddit is confused as to how they would work.
Anyway, by the time the Tang Dynasty rolled around the design had been simplified and even prettied up with elegant engravings because the people of the Tang Dynasty had no chill when it came to decorations. Look at them, they're gorgeous:
And apparently at the time scissors came with a chain with tweezers attached. I am yet to figure out what these tweezers were for and how common they actually were but this antiques auctioning site insists that it is very hard to find scissors with the chain and tweezers preserved, which does not make me feel encouraged about future research.
me trying to explain how chinese names work for non-chinese writers: look its very simple. you must NEVER EVER EVER refer to anyone by their last name OR first name ALONE. this is a cardinal sin and will have you laughed out of the rednote comment section. The sequence is SURNAME FIRST NAME, and it is SACROSANCT. unless you're writing dialogue from the 21st century, then most people can refer to your character by their first name in conversation. but only if it's a two-character name. if the name is one character long, the surname HAS to be added, otherwise it sounds Weird. also this only works for dialogue, the narration must ALWAYS use the full name. that is, unless, mayhaps, you're writing about the classical-to-medival period, then historians will sometimes refer to people by their single-character given name. or the person in question will use their single-character name in the third person during a conversation. they will just throw that in when vibes are correct. also, in premodern china, its very common for women to be named shit like "Big [surname of father] or Little [surname of father]" based on birth order and this is the rare instance where the name goes before the surname. look its very self-explanatory, when in doubt you just need to go with your gut. now tune in tomorrow where i explain how courtesy names work--
#wait im chinese and idk this#maybe I need to read more c media#like irl (in sg) its just given name usually#never really really learnt abt courtesy names etc beyond a brief lesson#this is useful advice tho!!
@shrimpsicality dont worry man the courtesy name mainly applies to characters from Ye Olde Times. it started going out of fashion during the latter half of the 20th century, and is almost never used in the 21st century. so good news! you won't really need it unless you're preparing to get waist deep in the historical rpf/fantasy genres.
i, for one, think we should bring back the courtesy name. social interactions simply are not challenging enough, we need to add an extra spot quiz for every person we meet to keep it funky and fresh. the people of tumblr say they are sick of the Pronoun Circle. well, get ready for the Proper Noun Circle. I will be the one to reach across the aisle and come up with a decision that makes everyone equally aggravated. "here is the Backup Name I go by in public, and here is my Real Name. NEVER call me by this. EVER. not even if you're the fucking emperor. unless ☝️ you're older than me." i want the ability to revoke my name privileges. there are too many people in my life that i simply do not want to be Known by. people at work. hiring reps from networking events. everyone from highschool. people who ask to connect on linkedin. those fucking spam emails for services that i have no recollection of subscribing to, but inexplicably have my full name, blood type, zodiac sign and the last three digits of my social security number.*
A Chinese history text: "Big Honcho and Other Big Honcho had a severe falling out after the former referred to the latter in public by his name. This was an offense that Other Big Honcho would never forgive and which led to the fracturing of the Horse Alliance"
Me prior to getting into cdrama fandoms: What does this mean? It's his name? 🤨 Why would he get offended by being called by his name, what else would he call him??
Me after getting into cdrama fandoms: Ooooff big faux pas 😬 honestly Big Honcho was lucky that Other Big Honcho didn't challenge him a duel on the spot. RIP Horse Alliance they're never coming back from that one 😔
Hello! This isn't really ATLA related, but you were the first person I thought of trying to look this up.
I'm trying to figure out the name and purpose of the tasseled stick these women are holding- I see it associated with Tang Dynasty fashion in particular, though none of the resources I've found on the topic mention it at all.
I believe the tasseled stick is likely meant to be a fuchen (拂塵 / 佛尘), also known as a "horsetail whisk" or "Buddha duster". The tasseled part is traditionally made from animal hair such as cow, horse, or yak. The Wikipedia article for it puts it best:
Originally used as a tool to shoo away flies from livestock without injuring them, it eventually came to be adopted by Buddhism and Taoism as it was perceived as having the power to sweep away desires and evil influences both in the environment of the holder and within their own thoughts, bringing them closer to enlightenment (in Buddhism) or transcending the mortal realm (in Taoism).
Since these dusters were able to sweep/swat away bugs without killing them, they came to be symbolic of Buddhism's precept against taking life. It's likely that Tang Dynasty women sought out this accessory as a way showcasing their devotion to the religion and demonstrating a gentle nature. This is also why you see it depicted in illustrations of Chinese deities like Guanyin.
As for why it's specifically associated with the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was strongly promoted during this period, particularly by Empress Wu Zetian. Of the three major religions of China, Buddhism was viewed as offering the most legitimacy to female authority. Empress Wu Zetian promoted herself as a divine, universal monarch—the reincarnation of Maitreya or a Bodhisattva. It is believed that the face of the Vairocana Buddha in the Longmen Grottoes is modeled after her features.
Three yaks dance in Lhasa city (cr 情满拉萨，吉吉)(If you do not reside long-term in a high-altitude environment, please avoid intense physical activity at high altitudes, as it may trigger altitude sickness.)
Just found out about this list and I am obessed with analysing which videogames the buddah would not play, and consequently, which ones he could play.
Tetris (Not buddihst), has 10 columns, here rows may be interpreted as any series of segments regardless of orientations, breaks rule 1.
Doom (buddihst), follows all the rules
Super monkey ball (NOT BUDDIHST), ball game, breaks rule 7.
Stardew Valley (Not buddihst), playing with a toy plough (rule 9.)i.e simulation of farming
Most mario games (Buddihst)
GTA 5 (Not buddihst) Playing with toy cart's Rule 12.
Overall we can conclude that if the buddah was alive today he would rip and tear demons until there is nothing left and jerk off to goombas from super mario brothers. Thank you for comming to my ted talk
