If whoever is behind the Jade Emperor's death is trying to cause the world to spiral into chaos, I think Nezha is the next one on their list, and here's why:
(My theory located below, condensed into occasionally colored bullet points, and with pictures! So you don't get bored :>)
So
Let’s take a look at these pictures:
Here, in this picture, we get to see all of Heaven’s generals gathered to stop Azure’s rebellion in its tracks.
Now look at this second picture. In it, Nezha and Red Son are the only discernible figures standing out from the crowd of Celestial Soldiers. Which to me, points to one thing:
Nezha is the only (or at least most prominent) general left in Heaven. Meaning before the Jade Emperor’s death, he and the Jade Emperor were just about the only ones running the show. Why are they the only ones left? Well there are a few reasons, but they basically all boil down to:
Most of the really important Celestials left
Allow me to provide my evidence by listing several examples we've witnessed in-show via the following bullet points:
Erlang was nowhere to be found during Azure’s second rebellion, implying that he isn’t present in the Celestial Realm (I heard somewhere that he lives in a mountain in the Mortal Realm and doesn't interfere with Celestial Realm business unless asked by the JE himself, though I'm not sure if that's true or not. Regardless, he doesn't seem to be present in Heaven nonetheless).
Iron Fan left the Celestial Realm to be with DBK
Similarly, Kui Mulang sacrificed his position in the Celestial Realm for love as well
Azure Lion, Peng, and Yellow-Tusk are all former Celestials who decided to rebel against the Jade Emperor, getting them kicked out of Heaven
Considering how many instances of Celestials abandoning their duties in the Celestial Realm (or just being kicked out in the Brotherhood's case) we’ve seen in the show, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine that many other unmentioned Celestials also followed suit, until the Celestial Realm became absurdly understaffed.
I think the Jade Emperor and Nezha being basically the only brain cells in charge could also explain a few things as well:
The Celestial Realm’s overall absence from mortal affairs
If the only people in charge were the JE and Nezha (who was also busy guarding an incredibly important world-destroying artifact, the map to the Samadhi Fire), it would make sense why the Celestial Realm wasn’t getting very involved with the Mortal Realm. They were too busy keeping the realm up and running to interfere with mortals.
Nezha’s personality shift from his mischievous, caution-to-the-wind, “LET-ME-AT-’IM!!!” attitude in the book to his responsible, frustrated, “Don’t-poke-a-fucking-fork-in-the-socket” personality in the show
If Nezha had to take on more and more responsibility in the Celestial Realm (what with having to help keep it running and guarding the map of the Samadhi Fire), his personality would likely shift as a result, turning into the personality presented in the show today.
(That’s also another parallel between him and MK, that is being forced to take on a larger role in the world by forces outside of their control, when they’d really rather not).
Nezha wanting to fight Azure to the death
While the main reason for Nezha’s stubbornness seems to be that Azure becoming the new Jade Emperor was a big no-no, it could also be that deep down he knew if the Jade Emperor fell, and Azure couldn’t handle the JE’s power, then the responsibility of keeping the realm together would fall to him. A responsibility he wasn’t ready for.
I’m not as certain about this, however, and it could easily just be a personality thing + Nezha knowing the possible consequences of if Azure failed to keep control of the Emperor’s power.
Why there were only two magic dog statues guarding the Jade Emperor's throne room in Revenge of the Spider Queen (and really just the Celestial Realm's lackluster security overall. Seriously even Jin & Yin robbed the place with seemingly little to no trouble)
If Nezha and JE were basically the only ones in charge, it could explain the poor security in the Celestial Realm. It's not that they're bad at security or anything, don't get me wrong, they're just spread too thin, and have a lot of other things to focus on besides making sure people don't rob them.
My friend suggested this as a possible consequence of a low staffed Celestial Realm when I told them about this theory, and I agree with their idea.
Now here’s the fun part: What Nezha disappearing could cause, because oh boy would it cause a lot! Here’s some possible consequences of Nezha getting poofed:
Celestial Realm on fire
With their basically last leader gone, the Celestial Realm would likely erupt into chaos, which could in and of itself lead to half of the things on this list.
Meeting Erlang
If Nezha disappeared, then the Celestial Realm might end up calling up old generals to help ease the chaos, such as Erlang Shen and Princess Iron Fan. Heck, this might happen even without Nezha disappearing into thin air, considering how much work he’d be swamped with.
Red Son getting some screen time
This might seem a bit arbitrary, but it builds off my last point, because if Iron Fan gets called up to do damage control on the Celestial Realm as a result of Nezha going missing, Red Son would probably take a more active role in the plot.
We’ve seen how he’s basically been recognized as a part of the Monkie Crew now, and we also know that he cares about Nezha, so it's not hard to imagine he'd want to help track down where the missing prince vanished to. Thus, this might be an opportunity for Red Son fans to get their win.
The overarching plot (as well as episodic plots) of season 5
With a Celestial Realm in chaos because nobody’s around to manage it, some demons, animals and artifacts which were being guarded in the Celestial Realm might get loose, requiring our heroes to get them under control before they can cause too much carnage.
This could offer a chance to at least semi-return to our original monster-of-the-week format, albeit with each episode being a bit more connected this time, and there still being an overarching plot (AKA, Operation: Where the Fuck is Nezha).
(And if you're wondering why I also mentioned Celestial animals, in the book, the Goldfish Demon was originally Guan Yin's pet goldfish, who had escaped it's pond and started causing havoc, and the Rhino King originally was a bull(?) that belonged to Lao Tzu, so animals escaping and causing havoc is all too possible)
Obligatory “The gamemaster would gain hold of the Big J’s power”
Probably the first reason that sprang to y’alls minds when I said Nezha was next on the chopping block, but I’ve saved it for last so that you read to the end (hehe I'm so mischievous). Yes, if Nezha gets kidnapped, then the one pulling all the strings behind this would effectively have the JE’s power in their possession.
This is, of course, assuming Nezha doesn’t manage to sneakily teleport it to someone before he gets captured, although it’s possible that wouldn’t keep the JE’s power from our dear gamemaster for very long.
Now, for my final statement, I’d like to turn your eyes to the last scene of the Monkie Crew and the Monkey King in the S4 special.
Here, Monkey King says that whatever our dear gamemaster has planned, the Monkie Crew can handle it. Together. It then cuts to a shot consisting of the entire Monkie Crew, before shifting to the final segment of the episode.
But
Look at this scene.
Look at who’s missing.
In this scene, we can see the entirety of the Monkie Crew. We can see the original 5 members, we can see Monkey King, we can see Macaque, even Red Son is effectively a part of the gang now. Everyone is here.
Everyone except Nezha.
Nezha is not yet recognized as a part of the Monkie Crew.
He’s still all on his own up in the Celestial Realm, trying to hold everything together. The only thing holding everything together.
The gamemaster knows the Monkie Crew can handle their schemes.
Think of it this way: A cafe only needs one barista at a time, but there are multiple baristas who cover different shifts
Scheduling errors where BOTH of them thought they were gonna be Robin that night and the ensuing fistfight
Scheduling errors where both of them thought the OTHER was gonna be Robin and the panic that ensues. Damian planned a trip to the art museum. Tim planned a date with Bernard. Bruce is like “I don’t NEED a Robin” and they’re both like “YES YOU DO”. Jason ends up being Robin. Everyone assumes Robin simply got hit by a magic spell that made him Buff and Twice His Size
Tim and Dami sometimes getting mixed up for each other. Tim is mortified that he’s short enough that people think he might be the same person as his ten year old brother
People who think there’s just one Robin assuming that Robin just brings his sword out when he feels more murdery and his bo staff when he feels less murdery
Bernard being like “I have a conspiracy theory where Red Robin sometimes acts as Robin because of the bo staff, different looks, and different character”. Tim is like. Wow my boyfriend is so smart. Time to gaslight him.
Tim and Dami switching Robin shifts without informing Bruce and letting Bruce be absolutely baffled and off-footed when a different son shows up.
Bruce is like “tonight Tim is Robin so we’ll look into [investigation that requires computer skills]”. Dami shows up and Bruce is like uh oh. This is why Bruce has like 50 different contingency plans, because his children just do stuff without telling him and it destroys all his og plans
One time Tim and Dami switch and Bruce doesn’t notice for a solid 10 minutes because he’s so sleep deprived
Core Four invites Tim to a group get-together so he asks Damian to switch shifts with him, Damian demands a bribe, Tim gives Damian a new set of brushes
Damian wants to go see an animated movie with his art club, tries to ask Dick to ask Tim to switch with him, Tim appears very smug and tries to ask for a favour in turn but then Dick being a DICK says that Tim has to be the “older brother” and “if he’d do it anyways he should just do it” and “as the older brother you can’t take advantage of a ten year old”
Tim: I’m supposed to be MATURE and just allow the switch without forcing you to take my weekend shifts--
Damian: HAH
Tim: --BUT I’M NOT MATURE SO TAKE THE WEEKEND SHIFTS SO I CAN STAY WITH THE KENTS ON THE LONG WEEKEND.
Tim and Damian forming a union and presenting their terms and conditions to Bruce saying that they’ll strike unless he agrees. Bruce, exhausted, points out that he has literally been trying for over a decade to get Robin to stop existing and that THEY were the ones to force him to accept them as superheroes. He gives into the union’s conditions anyways.
Hey, Owl House fans that are looking for other media to get into now that the show has ended: check out the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend!
The series is about a young girl named Morrigan Crow, who is whisked away to the magical city of Nevermoor the night she is supposed to die. Once there, she has to navigate her new home in the whimsical Hotel Deucalion, her education at the prestigious Wundrous Society, and the truth about the mysterious and powerful legacy she belongs to.
The series is categorized as middle grade/~YA, so it's similar in how it can appeal to an all-ages audience. Like The Owl House, it balances lighter moments with darker, more sinister revelations (and they're just getting started!). The author is queer herself and openly expresses her thoughts against + directly confronts bigotry and hatred while also being just an all-around wonderful person.
It contains some classic tropes such as a magical school, found family, and corrupt authority figures, all in unique and fresh ways. There is a diverse cast of characters, including a sapphic couple where one of them works at a magical library (sound familar...? 😉). There are several multi-dimensional antagonists, and they all work to challenge Morrigan and the story in their own unique ways. Also: there's a giant talking cat! Love that.
The series has an interesting magic system + worldbuilding, with tons of lore and history to dig your hands into and theorize if that's what you like. The character development is so fun and interesting as Morrigan and her friends grow up and find their place in the world. The world is so fleshed out that you can easily pick a minor side character or a location that's briefly mentioned, and extrapolate on how and where they fit into the story and themes as a whole.
There are three books out already, out of nine planned books. The fourth book Silverborn comes out in October, so there's plenty of time to get caught up until then! I highly recommend giving it a try.
@stabbystabbyvax3 baughhhhhh thank yooooooou and apologies in advance that it’s gonna take so frigging long, because I’m already drafting a different multichapter. I want so much to do this one justice though!! there is so much potential!
Since I found out steam does a year in review (I had no idea until this year) I have decided that I must play video games more and play every game in my steam library so that my year in review is 100% accurate next year and I don't get told that my top 2 games were Disco Elysium and Baldur's Gate 3 because I would Hyperfixate on one game for a whole month (or three) and play nothing else, and still have my genre graph have nothing to do with those two top games and instead have "cats" as a genre while calling me a fag
Don't mistake this for a tolerance or tier list. I will read and write ships that aren't even on this list, or write ships from the secondary list sometimes, this is just to give you a general sense of the stuff I mainly support/think about and in what capacity. Might be updated periodically. Ranting and comments in the tags.
Re: the Mokuba ships, I only ship them in non-problematic ways, where either the Kaiba brothers are ageswapped, making Mokuba the same age as the rest of the main cast, or where they only get together far post-canon where Mokuba's an adult. We cool? Cool.
Primary Ships
(things I can/want to create content for; this does not include every ship I've ever written, just the ones I care about/are currently engaged in writing/plan to write multiple fics for, or ships I just stan in a way that I know it'll never end)
Euroshipping (Kaiba x Ryou)
Puppyshipping (Joey x Kaiba)
Mumbleshipping (Kaiba x Ryou x Duke)
Teaseshipping (Joey x Ryou x Kaiba)
Snareshipping (Joey x Duke)
Trustshipping (Kaiba x Ishizu)
Polarshipping (Joey x Mai)
Blueshipping (Kisara x Kaiba)
Mizushipping (Kisara x Priest Seto)
Minorshipping (Ryou x Duke)
Mastershipping (Duke x Kaiba)
Puffshipping (Joey x Ryou)
Sweetshipping (Ryou x Mokuba)
Wintershipping (Mokuba x Amane)
Rollshipping (Duke x Ryou x Joey)
Secondary Ships
(things I will read but I don't write {much, or anymore, in some cases} for one reason or other)
Wishshipping (Joey x Yugi)
Powershipping (Kaiba x Marik)
Graceshipping (Ishizu x Ryou)
Doubtshipping (Kaiba x Ryou x Marik)
Petshipping (Duke x Kaiba x Joey)
Axisshipping (Kaiba x Siegfried)
Angstshipping (Ryou x Marik)
Irateshipping (Marik x Joey)
Buddyshipping (Joey x Tristan)
Heartshipping (Yugi x Ryou)
Fragileshipping (Yami Yugi x Ryou)
Changeshipping (Duke x Marik)
Logicshipping (Priest Seto x Priestess Isis)
Gemshipping (Ryou x Thief King Bakura)
Thiefshipping (Yami Bakura x Marik)
Candleshipping (Kaiba x Ryou x Yami Bakura)
Antagoshipping (Kaiba x Yami Bakura)
Corruptshipping (Priest Seto x Thief King Bakura)
Stoicshipping (Kaiba x Priest Seto)
Shimmershipping (Duke x Mokuba)
Guardshipping (Kaiba x Roland)
Senetshipping (Ishizu x Duke)
Angelicshipping (Ryou x Rafael)
Mercuryshipping (Kisara x Kaiba x Ishizu)
Entrepreneurshipping (Duke x Kaiba x Siegfried)
Unnamed (Aigami x Marik x Yami Bakura)
Scholarshipping (Kaiba x Ishizu x Ryou)
There's also plenty of random unnamed poly ships that I want to play around with in one-shots, usually a combo of my top six fave characters.
I need a doctor who has the patience, experience, humor, and directness to listen to whatever new treatment ideas I've concocted, and then either say "Alex, that's a stupid fucking idea, let me explain why," or "The risks are acceptable in my professional opinion. Let's go over pros and cons and then you can think about it and decide what to do."
I just think it would be fun. For me. And I wish I could find a doctor who would also find that fun. I already came up with one fun Treatment for an Illness and have been successfully using it to treat The Illness for almost a YEAR, and all the side effects are awesome so like...I am certainly full of hubris at this point.
You know how whatever Summer's mission turned out to be it's very likely that it went just as good as Qrow & Clover's ordeal in v7 did?
And how Qrow's weapon, a symbolical part of himself, was used that night?
I was thinking through an idea I had on how that could be translated into Raven's situation - where a part of hers is turned around to hurt her & someone she cares/cared about - and, well, what is also a representation of the self?
A Semblance.
The literal manifestation of her bonds might have been turned against her.
Now I'm not saying I'm making a dst roleswap au. But I am saying that I thought of an idea for a sort of take of Walter as Wanda and it's making me spin him a bit in my mind
Man it truly sucks that like. The dude who did Planet of the Bass is a piece of shit LMFAO cause like. I feel like the DJ Crazy Times outfits PERFECTLY captured Moe's fashion sense and doodling those outfits spurred on A Bunch of ideas and I was having a lot of fun and even like an epiphany that spurred on a separate deeply self-indulgent project/concept (complete opposite end of the spectrum of indulgence) and then I find out ohhhhh. You weren't Just making fun of the fashion of the times and like, how it feels when you can't process shit so everything sounds a bit funny, and also just like how early 2000s music Is Sometimes (DEEPLY feel the song itself is SO DDR core ESP like... how it's just a bunch of vague jumbled concepts that's catchy AS FUCK) -- you're also a grown ass man still weirdly fixated on your autistic classmate you had in 3rd grade or some shit (have not looked at the vids myself and don't wish to, but from what I've heard it's essentially that).
(Further clarification -- he's making fun of autistic kids who had like, very typical and understandable Needs to accommodate being autistic in a classroom. As a grown adult. Like why are you even still thinking about this LMFAOOO move on, grow up LMFAOOO)