[image is a stylized drawing of wei wuxian crawling across a flood of red, bleeding from the mouth, his eyes hidden under his disheveled hair. countless colourless, disembodied hands read out to snatch at his hair and clothes as if meaning to drag him back. near the bottom are written two phrases in bitmap text, formatted like a video game selection field: “be good” and “survive”. the second phrase is in bold, as though to indicate that it’s the current selection.]
it’s wild that there are manga i started reading as a kid and are still running like, i stopped reading them and every once in a while i will be, is detective conan still running? and yeah, he’s still a kid and i am like jfc
nezha, the lotus boy-prince, emerging from a bud of flesh pierced by an imperial sword. nezha, birthed into this world by an act of violence, bearing the mark on his forehead as sacred testament. nezha, a prince, conquering the dragon kings to halt the middle kingdom’s sacrifices of boys and girls. nezha, a son, disrupting the heavenly order.
nezha, whose father’s last words to him are: “we raised you and you pay us back like this – you’d better die.” nezha’s father dropping the sword, unable to take his son’s life with that same tool that bestowed life upon him.
nezha picking up that sword. nezha turning to say, “i alone take responsibility for what i have done. father, i return this flesh debt to you. let it unburden you.”
