#Meta nezha

[kickingshoes]

"Following the rules would just hold me back." I love this color palette 💕

[bun-bunmomo]

[esper-union-lounge]

He doesn't like cake...

HE DOESN'T LIKE CAKKKKEEEE!!!!!

[stalkyarsen-ebook]

I wanted to ask this question today, because Nezha 2 is released in the cinemas in China.

How would 2019 or now 2025 Nezha & Ao Bing react to meeting their espers in their meta forms? And how would they react when it was their mentors espers where part of their esper's new dangerous form?

i didn't see nezha 2 yet, so you telling me ao bing and nezha has new forms is pretty exciting hehehhehehehhe

[mothpendragon]

How are Meta Knight’s feet reaching the pedals? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh physics

[syn0vial]

neil newbon also mentioned that, besides the feral cat that visits his house, another inspiration for astarion's physicality was the harlequin mask from commedia dell'arte, which i find very funny given astarion's canonical feelings about clowns

[thymorningglory]

I’m revisiting on old hyperfixation I had

It was a bad decision.

[m0dernchr0n1cles]

Golden Child vs Scapegoat (Pre-Canon)

[set in the Black Myth, New Gods AU.]

I said Fire and Ice was my Catradora.

The main conflict between Ao Bing/De Zheng and Nezha/Li Yunxiang is effectively Adora vs Catra, with a twist.

Basically, Ao Bing is the Adora, while Nezha is the Catra.

To explain this, I'm going to reference somethings I noticed (and used) from Nezha 2019.

[WARNING: mentions of child abuse, racism, infanticide, hints at genocide]

Ao Bing: the Golden Child

Something that was handled really well in Nezha 2019 (and the manhua Ao Bing Zhuan) was the subtle effects of Ao Bing's abuse.

You cannot tell me that what Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao did wasn't abuse.

Raising a child to be a weapon Beating it into his head that he needs to succeed or else Putting the fate & advancement of an entire species on his shoulders Forcing him to kill his friend's family Grabbing & shaking the child Guilt-tripping him into killing people Mocking him on the consequences of his choices (and subsequently mocking his independence)

Shen Gongbao and Ao Guang's reaction when Ao Bing said, "I made a friend" is extremely telling.

First, it's concern that someone might learn about Ao Bing's identity as the Spirit Pearl.

Dragons are seen as demonic/demon-kin (the villagers call Ao Bing 妖龙 yāolóng "Demonic Dragon"), and he is immediately persecuted and threatened. Taiyi even threatens to report Ao Bing to the Heavenly Court, which would mean that the entire Dragon Clan could risk being killed.

But the concern isn't about Ao Bing's well-being, but about how all their plans for the Spirit Pearl could easily fall apart.

Then, it's concern that this friendship is a "distraction" from Ao Bing's purpose.

Ao Guang chastises his son for being "distracted", reminding Ao Bing of his responsibilities and that the weight of the Dragon Clan is on his shoulders.

It's very telling that Ao Bing is hesitant to ask his master and father for anything. Yes, maybe it's the classic "Asian Parent-Child" anxiety.

But it also seems like he's afraid of what his father and master might say. He's immediately grateful, and gets the hell out of there before Shen Gongbao can take it back.

It's played for laughs, but you can see the relief and anxiety in Ao Bing's animation. He genuinely didn't think that his master would accept, and might even punish him for asking.

Shen Gongbao and Ao Guang saw Ao Bing as a tool first, and a person (a son) as a distant second.

Ao Guang’s A+ Parenting!

The post-credits scene cements this for Ao Guang. When he hears of his son’s death, the first thing he laments is that “they’ve waited centuries for this chance” and now it’s gone. Once gain, the concern is about Ao Bing not properly fulfilling a role or performing his given responsibilities. His wellbeing is a distant second.

Shen Gongbao even pushes his insecurities onto Ao Bing, grabbing and shaking a three-year-old for the crime of being confused. He projects his insecurities and his ambitions onto his disciple, which makes Ao Bing both a precious vase needed to be kept on the high pedestal and a scapegoat for his master’s self-hate.

When Ao Bing tries to save Nezha's family, Shen Gongbao mocks him when it goes wrong. Shen Gongbao implicitly puts the blame on Ao Bing, saying that because the boy screwed up, now there will be more casualties, as if Shen Gongbao didn't cause the very problem in the first place.

Shen Gongbao puts all the blame on Ao Bing, making the boy feel guilty, so that Ao Bing is easier to manipulate. He forces the boy to chose between "want (to save Nezha's family)" and "need (to elevate the Dragon Clan)".

Ao Bing is a tyke bomb raised as a weapon with high expectations and a guilt-responsibility complex, to serve the authority figures in their ascension.

Does this sound familiar?

Nezha: the Scapegoat

Nezha and Li Jing have a much better relationship (which I love when it's done correctly) in Nezha 2019 than they did in Investiture of the Gods...

But there is still something to be said about the way he is raised.

He was isolated his whole life, not allowed to interact with other people. He's a three-year-old child, so he wouldn't understand the depth of why he's isolated. Instead, he sees this as an unfair punishment for existing.

Li Jing can be harsh and demanding, but he's also a panicking father who is trying to live with the fact that his son is a demonic entity that is destined to die on his third birthday.

Taiyi Zhenren isn't the ideal mentor, but he obviously cares about Nezha and the Li Clan (probably compounded by the guilt that he was responsible for Nezha "being robbed" of his destiny and he was trying to kill baby Nezha).

But, no one is giving Nezha any direction. They point out his flaws and mistakes in training, but they provide no real direction for how he can improve.

When Nezha gets frustrated and refuses to listen, Li Jing loses his temper and takes away his weapons (his "toys"), forcing his son to sit through meditation to "think about what you've done" (this punishment never works, btw).

In Nezha's mind, this is punishment for "trying".

Based on that training session, it seems that this has been going on for quite some time, meaning Nezha has spent ~2 years being bombarded with criticisms whenever he tries.

As a result, Nezha gives up. He becomes a slacker, seemingly uncaring and carefree. It's a mask to cover how much the criticism hurts.

He's also incredibly lonely, but is unable to ask for companionship. Yes, it's because his father promised to keep the "Demon Child" locked up to keep ChengTang Pass safe. But Nezha doesn’t understand this, so it feels like more punishment.

Nezha wants love, but refuses to ask for it, since it would feel like "giving in", like showing weakness. If he asks and caves in, he feels like he's "losing".

He's been "losing" since day one, punished for existing, so why would he accept more loses?

He also has emotional outbursts in moments of vulnerability (a history of them, judging by the damage to the Li Manor). He's scared of being seen as "weak", and he expects Ao Bing to laugh at him for his display.

Nezha is a child who is never allowed to feel like he's done right, instead he is constantly vilified and punished for seemingly everything, so he pushes back aggressively.

Does this sound (somewhat) familiar?

[shih-coulda-had-it]

hold on, new gods: nezha reborn (2021) note to self --

The soundtrack's available! And the song associated with Sun Wukong is called 面具人的空城计 (mianju ren de kongchengji, pardon the lack of pinyin accents), which loosely translates to "Masked Man's 'Strategem of the Empty City'".

面具人 is the masked man bit, which is Sun Wukong's character. 空城计 is a reference to Zhuge Liang's infamous "fuck you Sima Yi" move, in which he presented himself very casually at the walls, acting like he wasn't bothered by Sima Yi's presence or the soldiers massing outside, which had the effect of convincing Sima Yi that Zhuge Liang was prepping something BIG--even though what Zhuge Liang essentially guarded was an empty city.

The definition of 空城计 is "to present a bold front to conceal a weak defense." In relation to SWK's character, this is just so very true--Sun Wukong has a LOUD personality in front of an audience, and he dresses in hot pink, accessorizes in gold, wears a huge fuck-off mask... A 'weak defense', though? It's probably in reference to his missing staff, but damn...

What a concise way to summarize a characterization!

[monkie-brainriot]

Don’t mind me just thinking a lot about how in DBK’s flashback Wukong looks shady as heck with that expression on his face, while in the unbiased flashback he looks like that, yet again this invades my brain. 

It’s rare he actually makes that expression that we see in DBK’s flashback, but I can think of one other instance that expression shows up

Edit: I’M NOT SAYING THE MONKEY IS SKETCHY, I’M SAYING IT’S WHACK THAT HE NEVER ACTUALLY MAKES THOSE EXPRESSIONS OUTSIDE OF PEOPLES BIASED FLASHBACKS (and when possessed) 

WHEN FIGHTING MAC HE LOOKS LIKE THIS 

SO EITHER THE MEMORIES ARE WARPED BY PERSONAL BIAS OR MEMORIES HAVE BEEN ALTERED BECAUSE NEITHER DBK’S OR MACAQUE FLASHBACK MONKEY KINGS LOOK OR ACT LIKE SUN WUKONG 

[bun-bunmomo]

[stalkyarsen-ebook]

What's LMK Nezha (in human form, not LEGO) reaction to his esper daiting (what is their realtionship?) his former enemy's esper?

and since im so nice >:)

(as for the relationship, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeh let's say it's a secret. in fact, it is a secret relationship)

[ryin-silverfish]

Do you have any thoughts on the dynamics between the generals of the Zhou army? I know JinZha and MuZha are described together a lot. NeZha seems to spend most of his time with YangJian and TianHua (and I’m assuming Lei ZhenZi since they get captured/beaten by the same guys in a few instances). NeZha also seems to shift in personality when TianHua and TianXiang die, making a lot less snarky remarks and killing opponents much sooner in battle (at least in Gu Zhizhong’s translation). Just a few examples

Ohhh, I have a bunch of headcanons regarding their dynamics. But before that, some infodumps:

-Nezha and Yang Jian's close relationship in FSYY may be a result of the novel taking inspiration from the "Emperor Zhenwu Kicks Demon Asses and Takes Names" genre of tales.

-Basically, in those stories, Emperor Zhenwu is sent to the mortal realm during the Shang-Zhou transistion to subdue demons and assist King Wu.

-FSYY kinda makes JZY take over Zhenwu's role. And in Yuan Zaju plays, Erlang and Nezha are often said to work under the Demon-Vanquishing Mansion of the North Pole, which is led by either Zhenwu himself or Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole's Central Sky (going by the variant where Zhenwu is one of the 4 marshals of the North Pole).

-Thus when JZY gains Zhenwu's role, he also gains his two employees from Zaju plays.

-Since Jinzha and Muzha only become a thing after Nezha, likely to flesh out the "Third Prince" thing and fulfill the classic folk tradition need to put characters in groups of set numbers, on a meta level, they aren't that close to Nezha either.

As for HCs, brace yourself, because there's a lot.

Thoughts on the Chan Junior Dynamics

-The Nezha + Yang Jian + Tianhua trio is certainly the most fun dynamic wise. Sadly, Huang Tianhua always end up getting ignored in favor of the Jianzha relationship.

(btw, I really dislike the "Yang Jian is Nezha's mentor/surrogate parent figure" take. Like, Nezha's actual master, Taiyi, is right there, and though these two are senior and junior brothers, they still come off more as equals in terms of status and abilities.)

-Nezha and Tianhua always has that vitrolic best buds vibe to me. Like, it doesn't take much for Nezha to acknowledge Yang Jian as senior brother, because their first interaction is a pretty good one, and his impression of Yang Jian is this polite, but not humorless guy with some OP shapeshifting skills.

-Huang Tianhua, though? They are both hotheaded, prideful youths prone to impulsive behavior, who've butted heads in-story. You bet Tianhua has tried to pull the senior brother card before and gotten a load of snark in return.

-Yep, whether Novel! Yang Jian has a sister or not, he's gotta be pretty skilled at acting the unofficial brother and breaking up arguments before they become too mean and heated.

-Complicating the matter: both Nezha and Huang Tianhua have brothers who fight alongside them on the battlefield, yet these brothers are practically strangers to them.

-Huang Tianhua is…well, spirited away from his family garden by Daode Zhenjun at the age of three, and when he joined the war to assist his family, he learned that his mom and aunt were dead because of Daji's plotting, and he has three younger brothers he'd never met before.

-Nezha's brothers aren't complete strangers, but they are distant enough to be unrecognizable during Nezha's first encounter with Muzha (probably because they spend most of their time away from home and studying under their respective immortal masters).

-And considering how the Patricide Arc went, I'd say Nezha isn't exactly eager to know them, at least during the first few years on the battlefield.

Tianhua: "Wait, why's Tianxiang crying? I'm just trying to lighten the mood!" Nezha: "If my brothers find one more excuse to 'make up for lost time' I'm gonna brick them. Both of them."

-Strangely enough, their mutual awkwardness around their actual brothers becomes something they bonded over, and Nezha becomes quite friendly with Tianhua's younger brothers, to his mock contention.

-Which is my explanation for his angry reaction to Huang Tianxiang's headless body being desecrated by the Shang side.

-Interestingly enough, Nezha says: "He's your enemy, and if it's out of loyalty to your kingdom, decapitation is enough! What has he done to you that warrants hanging his body on the gate tower?"

-My HC is that he has more or less accepted the fact that people he knew might die on the battlefield just because Fate Says So, but isn't quite ready for the depth of personal hatred and cruelty war can inspire yet.

-Also, I feel like the Yang Jian & Tianhua brotherhood is just as strong. Like, when he heard the news that Tianhua had died to Kong Xuan's subordinate, he got pretty angry, if the poetry is any indication.

杨戬听得黄天��已死，正是：道心推在汪洋海，却把无名上脑来。

-It isn't enough to make him lose his cool in his subsequent battle with Kong Xuan, but it's probably the most explicit description of anger we've seen from this guy.

-I can see Nezha and Yang Jian becoming much closer after Tianhua's deification yet also feeling deeply guilty about it, like they are hurrying to fill in the missing space, further complicated by the "deification isn't perma-death yet the person you know is still lost" factor.

-For Nezha specifically: he is destined to be the Vanguard of the Zhou army, but for over half of the novel, he doesn't seem to have that official title, while Huang Tianhua does introduce himself as "Vanguard with the Formal Seal".

-Only after Tianhua's death does JZY give the seal to Nezha and make him the head vanguard.

-Like, imagine if these two have bickered about the vanguard thing before, and Nezha finding out that his destiny——the fated position he always viewed with a mix of pride and entitlement——only comes true at the cost of a friend's life.

-There's probably shared anger and guilt at not being able to protect Tianhua's remaining family, even though their fate is sealed long before the war itself.

-Which is how I read Yang Jian's most ruthless deed, when he tricks Zhang Kui & Gao Lanying into slaying the former's steed and elderly mother while they are attempting to execute him, for the explicit purpose of destroying their morales.

-Like, it actually gets a disapproving line out of the Ming annotator of the novel, who comments that "Those who are the nicest and most obedient are often the most cruel, too." (可见极乖巧之人，是极恶毒之人)

-It also happens right after Huang Feihu, his brother, and the other four future Five Mount Gods died at Zhang Kui's hands. Though Yang Jian rationalizes it as military tactics and psychological warfare, personally, I feel like an element of "an eye for an eye" is at play here too.

-As for Huang Tianhua himself? This piece of old rambling in JTTW Discord pretty much sums up my thoughts.

-Finally, Lei Zhenzi...kinda like Wei Hu, he doesn't get a lot of spotlight or character. But if you wanna expand on his personality, I feel like a potential point of focus will be his relationship with King Wen and King Wu and the Zhou lineage.

-Since he's born from a great thunder, adopted by King Wen (then immediately taken away by Yunzhong Zi as a student), and transformed into a fierce winged warrior via eating magical apricots in order to rescue his father.

-Not only is there awkwardness from meeting the adoptive dad and brother he's never seen before, but also the whole monstrous transformation thing——like, King Wen has 99 sons prior to adopting Lei Zhenzi, yet he'll always be the odd one out.

(His fellow Chan juniors are of no help whatsoever when it comes to learning about normal family interactions. Not that they don't want to, but theirs either have zero presence in their lives until very recently, or are exemplars of How Not To Family.)

-I'd love to read a story where Lei Zhenzi is trying his best to integrate himself into this huge family, during or after the Investiture War, and eventually finds out about Boyi Kao...

-Also, in pre-FSYY novel version of the story, Lei Zhenzi and Yin Jiao essentially serve the role of Nezha and Yang Jian in the novel: both are born to destroy the Shang.

-Novel! Yin Jiao no longer has that association, considering that his destined role and Patricide Arc get taken over by Nezha, and he is rewritten into a tragic betrayer instead.

-But I'd love to see adaptations that add in some interactions between these two sons of opposing rulers——the Thunderborn Child vs. Last Heir of the Shang.

-Both become monstrous warriors via magical consumables. Both oppose the Shang (at least initially, for Yin Jiao). Yet what Lei Zhenzi wants (a father, a brother, a family) is what Yin Jiao can never escape, and it ends up dooming him.

[angstandhappiness]

HOLY SHITE THIS WRECKS

need more big brother nezha contents

@ritzhasmonkeybrain naaah cause like you gave me another big brother nezha serotonin.

hell yeah I nailed the expressions again. (Thought I got rusty).

Please nezha is radiating so much Older sibling vibe fight me if I'm wrong 😭😭😩👌👌

[stalkyarsen-ebook]

Meta Nezha x Meta Ao Bing? 😊😊

i got fuckin' called out-

okay but just a sneak peak

[digitaldoeslmk]

i think what i love most about btb wukong is that the only real reason he can't intervene to beat the shit outta demons if mk is in over his head is because he can't. no shots at lmk, but i really really hate that he didn't do a lot simply because he was retired.

thank you sm, i rly appreciate that!!

the thing about having an All-Powerful Character in any narrative is, explaining why they can't resolve any conflict. it's the age old "why don't use magic to fix XYZ?" but attatched to a character, and usually you need a somewhat passable reason that doesn't make them off to be stupid, wimpy, infuriatingly selfish, or a combination of the previous. and i'll be honest, LMK is really missing out on using the Heavenly Bureocracy to its fullest when it comes to that and so many other issues in their meta!

why can't Wukong or Erlang or Nezha or whoever fix everything? can't, against the rules, sorry. hell, maybe make it more heavy handed if we're gonna reference Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods)! "Trust me kid, when gods start intervening in mortal affairs, you know shit has REALLY hit the fan. Like, it's time to redo the entire heavenly investiture levels of shit and fans. So uh, let's not hope that this is that kind of situation."