Journey of the Monkey King
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
#84—Four normal men selling ordinary horses sleeping zero feet apart because they’re not gay
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We get to one of Caoimhe’s favourite chapters, in which the four pilgrims decide to go into completely heterosexual business selling normal horses w...
#83—Bisected Guanyin
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Sun Wukong threatens to sue someone and we learn of the white rodent’s many sickass names. Links: Episode artwork from the 2011 TV ...
#82—Stag Do Behaviour
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wukong tries to free Tripitaka from his would-be wife. Links: Episode artwork is a photo of Xiaozhai Tiankeng from Wikimedia Commons: https...
#81—We Probably Aren’t Going to Play Black Myth Wukong
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We return to the pilgrims, who are currently escorting a demon who wants to fuck Tripitaka. She also attempts to seduce a minor. Not our favourite dem...
#80—Unrealistic Beauty Standards
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe and M.J. talk about ADHD diagnosis before having to dive into a chapter where we have to bring up kidnapping of women and rape again. Links:...
#79—Back Pain
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe and M.J. talk about back pain, unions and at the end, fascists. We talk about some kind of book in the middle of it too? Links: Epi...
#78—Der Roman mit dem Affen
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Pilgrims arrive the the Young Master’s City (né the Bhikṣu Kingdom) where they find a mass of young boys imprisoned and with their lives thre...
#77—Meat Head Buddha
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wukong is tricked into thinking that Tripitaka is dead, but he knows who to blame: Tathāgata Buddha. Links: Episode artwork is a photo of ...
#76—Brotherly Hatred
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims face off against three brothers who get along a lot better than they do. Links: Episode artwork is this Tumblr post: https://w...
#75—I Am so Tired
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The podcast is taking a break till the new year. If you want to hear more of Caoimhe before the first episode of The “the Ring” Podcast is now av...
#74—Monsters of the World, Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Headbands!
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong teaches the monsters of the Lion Camel Ridge lessons in solidarity. Links: Episode artwork is a modified version of the logo of ...
#73—Pepsiman/Sun Wu Karen Fic (w/ special guest Rita)
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two star crossed lovers. Will Pepsiman and Sun Wu Karen be able to make it in a world that wants them kept apart? When the restaurant only has coke wi...
#72—It Is Definitely a Kink Thing
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter the pilgrims find themselves in a sticky situation. Because of the spiderwebs. Because of the spiders. There’s spiders in this one. Al...
#71—My Brother Knows Wukong, Met Him Eating Peaches to Make Him Strong
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We close off our story of the Scarlet-Purple Kingdom and talk about a local mural. Links: Episode artwork is a photo of the utility boxes o...
#70—Going Without Coming
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We continue the story of the Scarlet Purple Kingdom, which unfortunately is going to touch on kidnapping, rape and femicide. Links: Episode...
#69—(Nice!) We Stan a Menopausal King
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wukong continues to perform medical malpractice. Horse piss is involved. Links: “Interesting TCM Facts 101: Pulse Taking with a String”...
#68—Medical Malpractice
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims arrive into the Scarlet-Purple Kingdom where Sun Wukong practices medicine without a license and Zhu Bajie misgenders some eunuchs. Lin...
#67—Meow
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims encounter their worst obstacle yet: A mountain pass completely filled with rotting fruit. Links: Artwork is a cropped and edit...
#66—This Is an Organ-heavy Episode.
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Also a Discworld-heavy episode. Also a technical difficulties-heavy episode. It’s got it all! Including self-disembowelment. So be aware of that. ...
#65—Some Monkeys Have Beaks and That’s Okay
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Or maybe they don’t. Look, we were both very tired when we recorded this. Links: Artwork is a cropped and edited photo of a jolly chimp t...
#64—We Just Skip the Main Plot and Do Cat Facts Instead
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims try to cross the Bramble Ridge but Tripitaka is kidnapped by some vogon ents. Links: “Monk’s Spade” on Wikipedia again: ...
#63—Patreon Bonus Preview: Dragon Ball w/ Jen
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A clip from out Patreon bonus episode where Caoimhe invites her friend Jen on to talk about Dragon Ball. Subscribe to MonkeyKingPod on Patreon to hear...
#63—Nine Heads Are Better than None
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie decide to mutilate some prisoners to send a message to the All Saints Dragon King and Nine-Heads, who does, in fact, have nin...
#62—The Benbo Kingdom of Drinking Games
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims make their way to the Sacrifice Kingdom, where MJ sacrifices their innocence and learns that the Hogfather is not actually a hog. Links...
#61—Brainstorming Future Bull-related Projects
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We can finally put all this bull behind us as Wukong recovers the palm-leaf fan and puts out the Mountain of Flames. Links: You can see Ele...
#60—Happy Year of the Rabbit
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 charac...
#59—It’s Not a Plot Hole!
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
#58—Highly Targeted Parasocial Relationships
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing investigate the imposter Pilgrim, but Wujing doesn’t know which one to shoot! Links: “Puss” on the Online E...
#57—Sus
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#56—A Horse, a Yakṣa and a Léigōng Walk into a Bar
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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: ...
#55—This Is Not a Place of Lovemaking
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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. Lin...
#54—This Man has Never Cum
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#53—The MPreg Episode
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You read the title correctly. This episode was recorded before the United States Supreme Court struck down the Roe vs. Wade ruling. Links: ...
#52—I Don’t Know What You Were Expecting
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 mentio...
#51—50 Monkeys Getting Sucked Off
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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....
#50—The Midway Point 🎉
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are officially half way through the book! 🥳 Links: Episode artwork is a photo of Baily, a Pekingese, taken by Flickr user Dirk DBQ: h...
#49—That’s Why His Hair Is So Big: It’s Full of Soldiers
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
#48—Chen to the Bottom
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 thi...
#47—Patreon Bonus Preview: The Great Tang Records of the Western Regions
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 grues...
#47—Is Child Sacrifice Technically Child Murder?
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Baj...
#46—Don’t Challenge an Immortal Monkey to Any Fights that Involve Doing Yourself Grievous Body Harm
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
#45—That’s Right, Big Smile. Everybody’s Happy.
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
#44—This Podcast Is Now Just About Caoimhe’s Cat
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#43—Fish Nepotism & Character Development
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Red Boy dealt with, the pilgrims face difficulty trying to cross the Black River. Links: Episode artwork is a Ming Dynasty statue of Golden...
#42—[Insert Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Reference Here]
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Guanyin finds out that Red Boy was impersonating her and she is not best pleased. Links: Episode artwork by Aleksis Shi: https://aleksisshi...
Discussion with Journey to the West: The Podcast
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#41—Cuttlefish Commander, Sturgeon Sergeant
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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? ...
#40—We Are Technically Done with Child Murder
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After leaving the Black Rooster Kingdom behind, Sun Wukong starts to get fed up at Tripitaka not heeding his warnings. This episode does not technica...
#40—Patreon Bonus Preview: BBC’s Monkey
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#39—Your Kingdom Ain’t Shit
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 char...
#38—My Dad Would Definitely Still Be Fucking If He Were Alive
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The prince of the black rooster kingdom, investigating the claims made by Sun Wukong, makes enquiries about his parents’ sex life. This episode fea...
#37—Why Didn’t You Just Sue the Guy Who Murdered You?
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tripitaka is visited by a ghost, who was murdered in a somewhat more mundane way than the magical shenanigans we’re used to dealing with. Links: ...
#36—More Reason to Never Trust Monks
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims arrive at the Precious Grove Monastery Built by Imperial Command where the abbot is not quite rolling out the red carpet. Pilgrim Sun tak...
#35—Gourd Measuring Contest
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we finally learn the secret of the Gold and Silver Horn Demons. Links: The Rogue Gallery & Studios on Instagram: https://www.inst...
#34—A Watched Monkey Never Dissolves
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong attempts to defeat the Gold and Silver Horn demons, but tries to be too clever for his own good. This episode features more animal monster...
#33—At the Mountains of Monkey
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We learn about some sacred mountains and Wukong boasts about a feat even he can’t accomplish. This episode features more mentions of cannibalism as...
#32—Kǒng Fūzǐ & Isaacus Newtonus
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong, recently re-pilgrimised, is warned about the Golden Horn demon and the Silver Horn demon, but is more concerned with messing with Zhu Baji...
#31—Return of the Hyper Murder Monkey
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The obvious happens as Sun Wukong is convinced to return to defend Tripitaka. This episode is the last one that features the story of Hundred Flowers...
#30—Caoimhe Was Wrong
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims have all been split up. Sun Wukong has returned to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, Tripitaka is a guest of the Precious Imagelephant Kingdom, ...
#29—Hundred Flowers’ Shame of the Precious Imagelephant Kingdom
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tripitaka meets Hundred Flowers’ Shame and find out how well Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing do without any help (it’s not very well). This chapter cont...
#28—Eatings Sweets While Talking About Flags
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Now that the Monkey King has been banished what will he do? Will he reclaim his throne at the Flower Fruit Mountain? How will the other pilgrims fare...
#27—Monkey Murders the Same Person Three Times and Is Asked to Leave
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the White Tiger Mountain Sun Wukong, faced with the demon Lady White Bone decides to never learn anything ever while Zhu Bajie decides to stir the ...
#26—The White Cloud Dave & The Tank Monk
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Lord Equal to Earth and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven make a deal, a surprising familiar face returns, and a far less surprisingly familiar face ...
#25—Don’t Touch M.J.’s Frying Pan
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wukong, Bajie and Wujing’s attempts to deny that they stole the ginseng fruit are going to go very well. I’m sure the Lord Equal to Earth won’t ...
#24—Evil Baby Slut Fruits
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pilgrims come to the Abbey of the Five Villages, where the Daoist immortal the Lord Equal to Earth has the magical Ginseng Fruit Tree. I’m sure ...
#23—Monkey See, Monk “I Do”
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sha Wujing learns a lot about the people he is travelling with and Sun Wukong reveals that he has no interest in sex. Some stuff happens with Zhu Baji...
JotMK Recap - I Have No Memory of This Novel
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe and MJ reacquaint themselves with Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong, Tripitaka, Guanyin and the horse. Links: “Avalokiteśvara”...
#22—Sandy the Sand Monk of the Sand River
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are reunited with Sha Wujing, who unsurprisingly our protagonists end up fighting for two days instead of just talking to. This episode has mentio...
#21—The Eye Doctor King of the Eye Doctor Cave on the Eye Doctor Mountain
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Yellow Wind King still has Tripitaka captive. Will Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie be able to save him? Of course they will. Obviously. But we’ll have ...
#20—Buy One Get One Free
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With Zhu Bajie now a member of the pilgrimage the group reaches the Yellow Wind Mountain and encounters a tiger. This episode features body shaming, ...
#19—Monkey Destroys a Marriage
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong confronts the pig Zhu Ganglie and finds out something unexpected about him. This episode has frequent mention of rape and occasional menti...
#18—Dear Monkey, My Husband Is Literally a Pig…
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In which the Monkey King tries to break up a marriage (with good reason). The plot of this chapter involves bridenapping and spousal abuse. Links: ...
#17—Goff bear’s birthday bash
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pilgrim Sun decides to confront the Black Wind King over his master’s stolen cassock and ends up ruining a birthday party. This episodes features a...
#16—Never Listen to Someone Who Calls Himself “Big Plan”
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong and Tripitaka decide to spend the night at the Guanyin Chan Hall Temple, where nothing could possibli go wrong. This episode has arson, at...
#15—There Was a Young Dragon Who Swallowed a Horse…
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
…he’s doing community service, of course. Monkey and Tripitaka need to cross the Eagle Grief Stream. This episode features animal death within t...
#14—He’s Back
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Monkey King is back and I’m sure he’ll have no issues taking orders from a lifelong vegetarian pacifist monk. This episode features animal de...
#13—Sometimes You Eat a Tiger, Sometimes a Tiger Eats You
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s get this show on the road. Tripitaka heads out on his pilgrimage. This episode features death and cannibalism as well as animal death. Link...
Special Automatic Transcription Concussion Edition
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe is recovering from a concussion so instead of doing a normal episode she decided to read an automatically generated transcription of the previ...
#12—The Journey Actually Starts
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We finally hit the road! This episode features death prominently and the suicide mentioned in the previous chapter continues to be central plot for t...
#11—I Can’t Get a Ghost Mortgage I’ve Got Terrible Ghost Credit
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week: ghost capitalism. Death is not even a way to escape it. This episode features the torture of the souls of the dead, particularly starting ...
#10—Ghosts in Your Blood
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we return to the plot, but not to the Monkey King or Xuanzang. We head to Chang’an to meet a fisherman, a woodman and an emperor. This ep...
When History is Inconvenient for Your Plot
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
M.J. and Caoimhe talk about some differences between the real and fiction monk Xuanzang and his relationship to the Tang dynasty. Links: “...
Real Person Fan Fiction
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We take a break from chapters to give you a clip of Caoimhe on M.J.’s show, They Did What Now, where we talk about the real life monk Xuanzang, who ...
#9—Skin Quilt & the Return of Embroidered Balls
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we meet a monk named Xuanzang and find out the circumstances of his birth and early life. It’s not a particularly happy story. This episode i...
#8—Diss Tracks
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong is not happy about some poetry about him. This episode features discussion of punishment throughout, including corporal and capital punish...
#7—Numious Brassières
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episodes highlights the long and ongoing tradition of Caoimhe not being able to pronounce anything correctly. The episode starts off with capita...
#6—Avian Slut Shaming & Deification of Hydraulic Engineers
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A battle of the gods, a shapeshifting duel and avian slut shaming. Links: “Erlang Shen” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erl...
#5—How to Deal with a Narcissist in Your Organisation
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe & M.J. discuss the finer points of how to work with narcissists as the Monkey King continues to cause trouble in Heaven. This episode fea...
#4—Earlobe Elongation & Embroidered Balls
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In which Sun Wukong demands a promotion from God. As usual expect fights and violence throughout the episode and the episode also has some digression...
#3—Afterlife Paperwork & Sun Wu Karen
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong demands to see the manager. Of Hell. Content warning for intimidation and threats of violence throughout the episode and for brief mention...
#2—The Secrets of Immortality & Self-replicating Monkeys
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Journey to the West chapter two, featuring immortality, unwholesome meats and the Epic of Gilgamesh being gay. Spoilers for The Good Place between 3:...
#1—Laser Monkey & Chinese Unicorn Giraffe
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe & M.J. discuss the first chapter of Journey to the West and get side tracked by laser eyes and what exactly the word “unicorn” is a tr...
Introductions
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Caoimhe and M.J. talk about the novel Journey to the West and why they wanted to make a podcast about the incredibly famous novel that no one has hear...