I love nezha but man was BUTCHERED IN THE LMK DJSKSJB LET HIM BE A VILLAIN PLS LIKE HE BETRAY HIS FATHER AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS CONTROLLED BY NEZHA AND THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN STOP HIM IS MK PLS NCDKSNXNXKSKSND I NEED MORE VILLAIN NEZHA OK /rant.
TW: mentions of pregnancy, pregnancy complications, death,
Wukong was guided into a private dinner room with a large table with just enough seats for their growing family.
Most of the Plum Hill Boys sat around the table with untouched plates and silverware set before them. Erlang Shen showed Wukong, Nezha, and Red Son to their designated seats.
SWK: How long did it take you to come up with the seating chart?
Erlang: Too long. Way too long.
~~~
Wukong sat with Nezha to one side, and Red Son to the other. There was an empty chair meant for Jinzha between Nezha and Erlang. Muzha sat to Red Son's free side.
RS: Okay, so that one is Yang, right?
SWK: That's Yao. None of them are named Yang.
RS: I still can't get them all straight.
~~~
Nezha sensed Jinzha enter the building, but something was... off. He couldn't tell for certain, but it felt like Jinzha was... farther along than he should be?
Then Jinzha entered the room. Paler than he should be, sweating, slightly out of breath...
... and just noticeably swollen in the middle.
Nezha: Brother?!
Jinzha: *panting* Sorry for my tardiness, it was so hard for me to get out of the door this morning!
Nezha: Apologies aren't needed, Brother! Please, let me help you sit.
Jinzha: Of course. *sits with Nezha's help* Is the food ready yet? I haven't eaten yet.
Nezha: Food will be here soon. Are you feeling alright? You seem quite pale.
Jinzha: *stuttering* I just need food. I just need food.
Jinzha: The little one is growing faster than expected. They're demanding so much of me, it is so hard to keep up. All I do is sleep and eat.
Jinzha: And puke. A lot.
Erlang: Well, food will be here soon. And I don't think the matriarch of our family would mind if you are served first.
Jinzha: It is. I have spoken to my doctor and midwife about it. So far we're doing alright. The little one is safe. They're just growing rapidly. Quite the opposite of you, my littlest brother.
Nezha: But are you safe, Brother?
Jinzha: I'm not sure. I hardly ever feel well, though that might be the morning sickness. It's been hard to tell.
Jinzha: Oh! Brother!
Nezha: What?! What is it?!
Jinzha: *grabs Nezha's hand* *places it firmly on his midsection and holds it there*
Nezha's eyes went wide as he felt the tiniest little something hit his hand from within his brother's womb, likely the little one's foot or hand.
Nezha: Oh... how precious... oh gods...
Nezha: Hello in there, little one! It's your Uncle Nezha! It's so nice to meet you!
Jinzha: *woozy* Yeah... the little one likes y- *passes out* *flops to the side*
Nezha: *catches him* BROTHER!!!!!
Jinzha startled back awake. He was still quite pale and now breathed slow and soft. It took him a few moments to gain enough clarity to speak and respond.
Though he didn't exactly respond to an questions.
Jinzha: Food? Can I have food?
Erlang: Food is coming, I promise! Only a minute more. Here, drink some water.
Li: *hands Erlang a cold water bottle*
Jinzha: Food?
Erlang: Water. Here, drink. *helps Jinzha drink bit by bit*
Yao: The midwife is on her way here.
Erlang: Good. We'll need her advisement.
~~~
Jinzha had passed out likely from a vitamin deficiency, according to the midwife. He would have to be tested for it on a later date and be prescribed supplements.
The midwife explained that vitamin and deficiencies were common during pregnancy and that-
SWK: I could have told you that!
Erlang: Wukong, not now, please.
SWK: My children stole my damn calcium!
Erlang: Wukong.
Nezha: *trying reeeally not to laugh at Wukong's words*
RS: I didn't steal any!
SWK: Oh, yes you did!
RS: I only took what was freely given!
Nezha: *turns around to hide his laughter*
Food was given to Jinzha who, as soon as he realized he was being fed, took and scarffed down every last bite.
Jinzha was cleared to stay for dinner on the condition that he didn't go too long without food. Nezha didn't hear the exact time agreed, but Erlang promised to take point on Jinzha's care.
Muzha: Why can't Mr. Lee's class be this interesting?
RS: Because he teaches literacy.
~~~
Wukong was given a number of gifts by the family. Jinzha received a few gifts too, though did politely inform those who didn't know that he was a Baba, not a Mama.
He accepted them all the same.
Wukong and Jinzha were given necklaces that were nearly identical except for one key detail: there was a charm for every baby they had.
Jinzha's necklace had a small charm shaped like the word "first" on it. Wukong's had charms all around it, each unique, though some were more obvious about who they represented than others.
Yao: We tried to make them accurate to each child, but we didn't get the opportunity to get to know most of them, so we tried our best.
Kang: They're in chronological order if it helps you to tell who's who.
SWK: Aw! You got all of them on there! Even the ones that aren't with me anymore, they're here!
Muzha: Some have passed?
Nezha: Indeed. Wukong made 28 in total over the centuries, but only 17 of them are left. Though we did welcome forth our adopted son, so the number is up to 18.
SWK: And look! He's here too! Look, he's a little moo cow right at the end here.
Jinzha: *slightly horrified* ... How did you do that... also why...
SWK: I've said it before and I'll say it again. *points to Red Son* That is the only one I had on purpose. None of the other ones were my idea.
Jinzha: Sweet Buddha.
SWK: No sane person would make that many children on purpose.
Here are their outfit refs and various head canons and lore ramblings if you scroll further, you know the drill :3
Zhenying is good friends with Longnü and Ao Lie despite being two years younger than them. She's been friends with Longnü since she was two and met Ao Lie after she became an immortal
Zhenying’s design draws loosely from the Chinese Oriole, a bird symbolising joy and friendship
Yes, all of Nezha's siblings knew about his and Ao Bing's friendship when they were younger. It's just Muzha that's oblivious to their current relationship
Jinzha has long since graduated from being Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun’s disciple and now works as a member of the Court of Heaven as one of the Five Wisdom Kings
Muzha is a senior disciple of Guanyin, along with one Ao Cinxin. ‘Senior disciple’ is more a of a courtesy title, as Muzha more of an assistant to Guanyin than a student
Zhenying is currently a disciple of Yuding Zhenren, the same deity that taught Erlang Shen. None of her brothers are thrilled about this
Erlang Shen is the one who recommended Zhenying for the work of a fighter pilot for the Celestial Army. It stresses Li Jing out
Muzha is the one who actually introduced Ao Cinxin and Erlang Shen to each other, having been long time acquaintances with them both. He likes bragging about the fact that he got them together, by complete accident
Nezha loved his mother deeply. She was the person who built his first (and favourite) temple but also she was good and kind and helped his best friend through the worst time of his life when Nezha didn't know how. He'll always respect her for it
Nezha's reasoning for still sticking close to his father despite all the shit Li Jing puts him through is because of how much Lady Yin loved him. There must have been a reason his mother loved his father so much, right? There must’ve been. There must've. Why can't Nezha see it then?
Jinzha looks the most like Lady Yin. None of them look like Li Jing all that much. In fact, they all get very insulted if someone ever says that they look like their dad
Before his suicide and rebirth, Nezha's eyes were brown. They're now more reddish
Muzha has heterochromia, his right eye is grey and and left is brown
Zhenying’s rankings for her brothers goes as such:
Muzha. She and him are very like minded and she gets along best with him as a result. It's also him that she sees most often in the Celestial Realm. He's twelve years her senior
Jinzha. She doesn't see him as much but she admires that he's very hardworking and would stand for the things he believes in. He is sixteen years older than her
Nezha. Zhenying holds a lot of hate and resentment for her third brother. They have an eight year age difference
Jinzha is actually allergic to lotus root. It's nothing serious, he just gets hives if he ingests some, but it sucks because a lot of specialties of Chengtang Pass are made with lotus root
He also gets itchy after he kisses Nezha on the cheek or things like that, since Nezha's body is made of lotus paste. Nezha protests against Jinzha’s affection, not wanting to trigger his allergy, but Jinzha does not care lmao. Muzha even encourages it
Muzha is the one that gets along with all of his siblings' teachers and often has tea with them. Sometimes, Zhenying will also tag along. This is how Zhenying enlisted Taiyi Zhenren’s help in resurrecting Ao Bing
Muzha is the most sociable out of the four of them, and he looks the most approachable by far
Zhenying greatly admires Ao Bing, mostly because of how highly both Longnü and Ao Lie spoke of him. She hates that she does not remember him more
Muzha’s most prized possession is a pair of gold hoop earrings that he inherited from his mother
Li Jing’s favourite child is Zhenying
Nezha still keeps up frequent contact with his older brothers. It's just Zhenying that he doesn't speak to often, not like she wants to speak to him anyway
Zhenying is just a smidgen taller than Nezha. He's the shortest out of the four of them and he's not happy about it
Muzha has a fierce loyalty to their father. To the point where he was injured by Nezha during a fight between him and Li Jing. They’ve long been over that incident and Muzha loves his father and younger brother very much… but even he has to admit sometimes that his father can go too far
On the other hand, Jinzha prefers Nezha over Li Jing. He hates his fathers temper, something that both Nezha and Zhenying inherited, and wishes that he could be more rational at times
Zhenying’s the most doted on by Li Jing. Sometimes, it makes her feel guilty that he loves her so much in comparison with her brothers, especially when Zhenying herself would much rather her own mother than her father
Muzha dresses the most casual since it’s rare that he’s actually attending celestial court meetings
While all the Li siblings are friends with at least one of the East or West Sea dragons, (Ao Bing for Nezha, Longnü for Zhenying, Cinxin for Muzha,) Jinzha is actually friends with both Ao Jia and Ao Mo'ang
Muzha: Wow da ge! How come dad lets you have two dragon friendships?
Jinzha: Diplomatic relations lmao
On second thought, maybe it's just Muzha that doesn't have a second friendship with a royal dragon, since Zhenying and Nezha both knew and were friendly with Ao Lie. But does that count when he's dead?
Nezha and Zhenying's dynamic on the days where they're chill with each other:
It was a strange feeling, Nezha would admit, such a sudden flutter in his chest and how blank his mind would become, whenever he was around Ao Bing. it wasn’t a frightening sensation, nor did it last longer than a few fleeting moments, so he didn’t really question it at first. He believed it was connected to the way he felt guilt and deep sorrow upon the Dragon Prince’s death. A remnant of the fleeting childish wonder and awe from his human youth.
He had thought it would fade with time, and given how rarely the two of them met in the centuries that followed after Ao Bing’s rebirth and Nezha’s ascension to Godhood. The Third Lotus Prince was sure the fluttering would pass.
It didn’t.
Every time they met, Nezha would feel the fluttering in his chest and thoughts would vanish for a few minutes, forcing him to mentally shake himself back into focusing on the conversation at hand. No matter how fleeting and rare their meetings, the Third Lotus Prince was always left questioning why the Dragon Prince’s presence brought him such peace and comfort and why their time apart left a feeling of loss and emptiness in its wake.
Nezha knew what was happening. He may have been the eternal child god, but he was not clueless nor immature, despite what Li Jing would say to disprove these facts. He knew it was love, and he knew Ao Bing was in no better a state than him, if the faint blushes and small stutters and stumbling over words were any indication. But in knowing the truth of it all, Nezha couldn’t help the fear that crept into his mind at the realizations.
Despite the years that had passed, Nezha still suffered nightmares, vivid and clear as if they were instant replays of the very moment he’d struck Ao Bing down. The pain of losing his dear friend all because their peers were cruel and unmoving in their old ways.
Was it right, after all that had happened between them, to love?
He couldn’t find an answer, and while he knew some of the people close to him, trusted people who would never betray his confidence, knew his dilemma, they did not push or pull him in any direction.
The Queen Mother of the West, his grandmother in all but blood and title, soothed his worries with gentle reminders that he is his mother’s son, he had every right to indulge in the human side of himself that he had been denied for so long if he so desired.
Erlang, his close friend and adopted brother/uncle figure, told him that there was no way to deny the hearts desire, all he must do is take care to be sure of his own actions and speak clearly and honestly, both to himself and those around him when he was ready. Lest Nezha make the same mistakes Erlang had made once before.
Chi Yue, sweet friend and gentle confidant, always so kind and so sure, told him to follow his heart, no matter the words or orders of his peers and the man whose name Nezha shared. Encouraged him to listen to what his heart and his emotions were telling him, no matter how small or how soft, because if he didn’t, he would later regret the chances lost.
And Taiyi Zhenren, his master and father in all but blood, gave only the knowing smiles and gentle assurances that whatever happened, it was with his blessings and he would stand by Nezha, no matter the trials that came about from his choices.
It was Taiyi Zhenren who had, in a conversation between the Jade Emperor, His Trusted Generals, the Sages and some Immortals, mentioned that Ao Bing and Chi Yue were in fact looking into new designs for barrier spells and wards, and while Chi Yue was fairing well with the aid of Sun Wukong, hiding away the Mortal Relics, Ao Bing had hit a snag. Due to the Relics he cared for being of the Celestial and Underworld in nature, Mortal Barrier spells did not work well, and even with his strongest seals, the power of a Dragon seal was not able to contain the power of the Relics. Ao Bing had requested aid in designing a Celestial Barrier spell, as his knowledge of such heavenly spells was limited.
The old master had suggested, since Nezha was no longer needed to guard the Scroll of Samadhi Fire and had time to spare, that the Third Lotus Prince might go down to the Eastern Palace and assist Ao Bing in his efforts, since Nezha’s barrier seals were amongst the most powerful and diverse in all the Celestial Realm.
Li Jing had tried to argue, but both the Queen Mother of the West and Erlang had voiced good arguments for such a move. Nezha would not only be aiding in a valiant and meaningful cause, helping to prevent another incident such as the Great City Plague, and also showing good faith in offering Heavenly aid to the Dragon Prince in his efforts to better safeguard the Relics Ao Bing protected.
And so, Nezha was given permission to leave the Celestial Realm and visit the Mortal realm more regularly, and with that permission, Nezha found himself spending more and more time with Ao Bing, and as a result, more and more aware of the unspoken emotions that silently grew and bloomed between himself and the Third Prince of the Eastern Dragons.
Li Jing made sure to remind Nezha of his duties in Heaven often, sometimes going so far as to send Muzha and JinZha to retrieve Nezha personally. But both Nezha’s brothers often arrived to find Nezha and Ao Bing working to create and bend the magic and runes needed for the spells, and so, did not often bring Nezha back until much later in the evenings than Li Jing had requested and much to the Pagoda Bearer’s anger, the times that Jinzha and Muzha did bring Nezha back to the Celestial Realm, they always took their youngest brother to his own personal residence, The Little Lotus Estate, far away from the Li Family Home.
Ao Bing made sure to invite Nezha to stay as long as he wished. He was welcome to remain and enjoy the comfort and luxuries of the Palace and the Realm, even stay a while if he wished. There was even a room set up for Nezha to rest and meditate in for those long sessions when designing the spells took multiple days, or even weeks, forcing Ao Bing to take a night and often a further morning to rest himself.
Nezha would admit that he lingered in the Mortal Realm as long as he dared with Ao Bing, even when not designing spells and barriers. No matter how much it angered Li Jing, Nezha was happy and with the assurance and blessings of those even his father could not argue with, Nezha found it so easy to be selfish with his time in the Mortal Realm, lingering just to enjoy the company of the Dragon Prince for as long as he could.
And if there were days spent, just the two of them silently lent against one another watching the ever changing shimmering of the undersea waters and their enchanting dances of colours and shapes. Afternoons when Ao Bing would gently interlock his fingers with Nezha’s as they listened to the distant whale songs of the deep sea, and evenings when they would lay together, just enjoying the comfort and warmth of each other without worry or care what others might think of such a scene?
Nezha knew there were people who would deal with that if ever someone dared try and make it into an issue.
I'm not sure if there is an official tag or fan tag for the Nezha and Ao Bingpairing in the LMK circles, so I use both 'Lotusdragon' and 'Dragonlotus'.
Or for people who don't know, the place where Redson trains Mei in Season 4, Embrace your destiny, and later in season 5, Claim to Flame
This place-
Now I know I might be reading into it a bit, but like honestly, why does Redson just know about this place that neither of his parents, that's appeared in the show, don't??
Be warned, I ain't a professional on Chinese Mythology and JTTW so this is truly speculation. If anyone has criticism or more info, always share I do like learning and correcting mistakes
Onward- I think it's an old Temple for Guanyin and/or Muzha
For those who don't know, in JTTW, Redboy, not Redson in the book, I think, actually was defeated with the help of several people, including Guanyin (though she helps Wukong like every day this was normal), but this time around Redboy foolishly pretended to be Guanyin and tricked Pigsy (Zhu Bajie). She wasn't having that. So she got a bunch of Celestial swords, turned them into her Lotus platform, pretended to leave, then Redson sat on the Flower because he thought he was the bees knees and ended up going through severe pain (surprise swords hurt). Guanyin then casted the Binding Spell on Redboy, shaved his head, and claimed him as her disciple from then on. Don't worry Redboy became better we see in latter parts.
Summary of the summary- Redboy is a disciple of Guanyin
Now LMK is different so Guanyin prob didn't cast the spell of SNATCHED or used the swords of HAH YOU THOUGHT so here's what I think is their relationship and how it impacts my theory
After the Samadhi Fire incident, at some point PIF asked Guanyin for help in training Redson with his fire powers, and she accepted, mentoring him
Technically, she lives in the Southern Seas and not mountains, so this place is obviously not her home, but it's possibly a training ground. This would also mean that Muzha, Guanyin's other disciple and Nezha's older brother, would train him. Now here's some facts to prove this
The place is found on a mountain, now while Guanyin doesn't have information on living or having temples on mountains, Muzha does
Its guessed, aka im using Google, that Muzha lives in the Western Foothills, which means the mast ranges of Mountains, so him having an extra Temple/House makes sense
Redson goes on to call these "7th century Mo Dao" or something like that was hard to hear. Now JTTW takes place in the 7th century, and Redson admits that it's hard to find these specific spears, so what if they were given him to Muzha back in the day and they've just been sitting the Place. Maybe this is what Muzha also used to teach Redson to fight
Aka the shack we first see Mei in-
Now we see Redson have a more love for meditation than in prior seasons/episodes, which is weird considering his Anger Issues
So what if Guanyin helped him with that? In the Revenge of the Spider Queen, he calms down to ask nicely to steal their ship, which looks like he almost burst a nerve but he tried!!
Is it possible that PIF taught him to control his anger? Yes. But as the goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Guanyin is all about that meditation and calmness, she's a Bodhisattva too.
So in Redson's speech of Meditation later on, it could be the same thing Guanyin told him, except for the smit your enemies prob
Now most Guanyin Statues have her holding a Jar of water in her left with an olive branch in her right.
In fact, the only time we saw Guanyin the show so far is when Tang is describing Redson's story, though it might be different
Also, if you notice on the bottom of the statue, you see a Lotus pattern similar to Nezha's
Now Guanyin is known for sitting upon a Lotus flower, so this isn't far fetched, also Nezha's brother IS Muzha, so maybe they sometimes get mixed up (as siblings do) even with their statues
Now If the statue looks to masculine do remember Guanyin is sometimes seen and as a man and sometimes as a women, and sometimes both or neither, she cool like that
Next, again with the statue, the things being offered, fruit, a candle, and a jar of something, now according to Google, beware yall ITS GOOGLE-
Fruit is one of the five standard offerings made to Guanyin, along with flowers, water, oil or light, and incense
Isn't that cute he's making offerings to his past teacher!!! Now as a demon it's strange to make ANY offerings to gods, so it makes sense if it's Guanyin or Muzha
Now I will say this statue ALSO looks like Nuwa, and there's clay figures in acloves nearby so like I'm not 100% sure
Also the place around the Shack of Meditation is Bamboo, which is common in China but is also a significant plant for Guanyin and Muzha (I think) this is based on interpretations I've seen where bamboo is seen in her place at the Souther Seas (from OSP) or where Muzha's outfits include depictions of bamboo (Art here on Tumblr)
FINNALY, last notes
1. This place is introduced ONLY when the Samadhi fire is included, which is the whole reason Guanyin became Redboy's Master/mentor in JTTW ar all
2. Redson comments that this place is one of the few places LBD has taken, and if it's under protection of Muzha and/or Guanyin, it makes sense they powerful gods/goddesses
3. I just think it's neat and maybe foreshadowing for a future episode where we'll see Guanyin and Redson backstory, maybe a repeat of Redson's lines for thet DRAMATIC EFFECT
That's all have a nice day, my hand hurts:')
Also I'm not sure if anyone knows but like I have a YouTube playlist with all the LMK episodes for free, which is how I learn stuff quickly qnd get the screenshots, if anyone wants it I'll dm the link 👍