I was supposed to just do a sketch, but it ended up being a rendered drawing akajjajaa, ANYWAY! I like how it turned out
FYI: I was going to go into the chapter to see what flowers Wuk uses for her bouquet, but Ao3 crashed o(--( so I had to improvise hahahaha anyway, see yaaa 🏃🏃 i gonna mimir
I wanted to do a write-up of the info I covered in the Moon Mist/In Orchids podcast for people who can't/didn't listen. Here are the basic points.
This post is VERY long, so I suggest setting aside some time to read it. Also, if you watched the podcast, you might want to look at this as well. I flesh out a few points here and talk about the two things I missed in this summary as well.
In Moon Mist, the reason why shadowpeach's house is more modern and updated and larger is because, once Macaque's curse was removed, he decided to move in with Wukong to make the process of undoing the corruption much easier. And so, he brought a bunch of things over from his place. Primarily, he brought the furniture, appliances and commodities that he finds useful. He did this by using the same magic he used in Season 3 Episode 4: Winning Side when Macaque split Sandy's van into two perfect replicas. I believe he used the shadow of the van to do this, and so, he does the same here: using the shadows of the various things he needs to bring them over to Wukong's house. And it's now actually a house, not a hut. Macaque expanded the square footage of it as well.
I went through a run down of why Wukong is sick in the first place and gave context by explaining the entire plot of In Orchids, We Wither. Here is the plot summarized:
Wukong is summoned to the Celestial Realm because there's movement on his appeal for Macaque's curse to be removed
In order to remove it, he needs the signatures of all the Ten Kings of Hell.
The Ten Kings invite Wukong down for a dinner where they'll sign the document afterwards, giving their authorization for Macaque's curse to be removed.
Wukong is terrified because the Ten Kings hate him (since the fiasco where he removed his name from the Book of the Dead) and he believes this could be a trick.
Wukong also struggles with telling Mac about this; Mac wouldn't agree to him going to this dinner and would prevent from going. He would likely use his favor to keep Wukong in the Mortal Realm.
So, Wukong doesn't tell Macaque, and after much deliberation over three days, he decides he's going to agree to the dinner because it's the only safe way to remove the curse (because the Ten Kings are the only ones who know exactly how to remove it since they put it on Mac).
There's a very real possibility Wukong could die, though, so after a training session with MK, Wukong asks for some alone time with MK to discuss successor things. Mac is suspicious but doesn't pry, and he leaves them alone.
While alone with MK, Wukong explains the situation to him and the threat of the Ten Kings. They could kill Wukong out of revenge or keep him trapped down there. MK pushes that Wukong shouldn't go; Wukong is adamant that he has to because it's the only way to free Macaque. MK understands this but is conflicted because he wants to save Macaque as well, but he doesn't want to lose his mentor.
Wukong takes this time to tell MK important things he'll need to know as his successor. He tells him about issues with certain demons, where some are locked away, things to keep track of, things to check in on, things to look out for, etc. He's basically giving MK this info to prepare for the worst: if he doesn't return from the Realm of Death, then MK will be his successor in every way. This overwhelms MK. Wukong assures MK that he has scrolls tucked away that will explain most of these things and MK can go to Macaque for help.
MK is very shaken and scared. He asks if Wukong has told Macaque about this; Wukong tells him he hasn't. MK KNOWS Macaque wouldn't want Wukong to do this, so Wukong is jeopardizing their relationship and all they've built over the past 10 months for a chance to remove Macaque's curse. It is also highly probably that the Ten Kings won't even remove it.
MK asks Wukong if this chance is worth losing Macaque, because Macaque will be very angry when he learns of this and might cut Wukong out of his life for lying about something so important (and for Wukong not listening to him when he said to not ask Heaven about the curse and to not involve him in this).
Wukong, after a long pause, says that he's still going to take the chance. Even though Macaque won't say it, he's struggling under the curse. It's killing him. He can't sleep. He's having trouble eating. It's a miracle he's survived this long. But he can't keep it up for much longer. So Wukong will take any chance he can get.
MK, though saddened but also understanding, doesn't push Wukong anymore and lets it be. To cheer MK up, Wukong makes a clone that turns into a butterfly that lands on MK's shoulder. Wukong tells him that if that clone pops away, it means that he's dead because his magic will be gone. But if it doesn't pop for three days, Wukong's probably being trapped or tortured. He tells MK that, if that happens, he'll need to tell Macaque everything.
MK agrees and he and Wukong share a long hug. Wukong assures MK that it'll be fine; he's gotten out of tricky situations before, but MK doesn't completely believe him. And he leaves the mountain despondently.
That night, Wukong prepares to enter the Realm of Death for the dinner, but he feels restless. He needs to see Macaque one more time before going. So Wukong flies over to Macaque's place in the Industrial District in the city and knocks on Macaque's door. He realizes this is odd behavior because they haven't hung out together outside of the mountain yet, but he has to see Macaque because he's terrified he might die.
Macaque answers the door in surprise. He asks Wukong what's wrong, Wukong lies, Macaque is again suspicious and pushes a bit more, but Wukong doesn't waver. Macaque invites Wukong inside and offers to give him a tour of his place (since last time, they weren't on good terms.
Macaque shows Wukong around and he is noticeably flirtatious and laid back now. Wukong is flustered most of the time and tries to stay cool despite Macaque's change in behavior. The tour ends in Macaque's bedroom, which brings things to a head. Macaque admits that there's obviously been a lot of sexual tension between them, and Wukong suddenly coming over to his place has made him more lax about it. He gets to see Wukong in his home, in his bedroom - Macaque gets excited about it.
They DO end up on Macaque's bed after making out. And they DO fool around (dry humping or something?). Wukong stays over and takes a shower and Macaque flirts with him more, since Wukong now smells like him.
Midnight is approaching, so Macaque mentions that he'll have to leave soon. Wukong gets ready to leave but hugs Macaque one last time and kisses him deeply. He probably says "I love you" here, which startles Macaque (they might have said it before. I'm still working that out). But either way, it's a very heartfelt moment, and Wukong almost breaks down and cries. Macaque pleadingly asks him what's going on, but Wukong refuses to tell him, pushing Macaque away and saying that they'll talk about it later.
Macaque asks Wukong if he's hiding something from him. Wukong firmly answers that he isn't, telling a huge lie. Macaque kind of senses something's off, but it's midnight now, and he has to go.
They kiss and say goodbye while Wukong holds back his tears. He flies away on his cloud and returns to the mountain, knowing what he must do.
Wukong travels to the Realm of Death by way of magic circle (kind of like how Red Son transported the Monkie Kids to the Celestial Realm in Season 2). He arrives in the Realm of Death dressed nicely (armor, his best clothing, maybe what he was wearing after the LBD's possession went away). Divine beings visiting the Realm of Death do not enter by the gates like mortal souls. There's another entrance that's more welcoming, and Wukong arrives there. He's taken to the Black Spiral Palace where the Ten Kings await him.
During the dinner, the Ten Kings (all who have distinct names and personalities, and who govern different courts) poke and prod at Wukong, hinting that they could kill him if they really wanted to. Their goal is to make Wukong feel as uncomfortable as possible, and it's working. Wukong barely touches his food and instead drinks the tea to show his gratitude.
The Ten Kings also reminisce about Macaque's brutal punishment. Several of them talk about how great it was to hear Macaque's screams - one even plays an echo of Macaque's screams back then, infuriating Wukong, who has to stay calm in order for them to sign the document.
The dinner is very uncomfortable. They discuss mortality and the fall of other divine beings, implying that Wukong's fall is closely approaching. They hint that immortality isn't real, meaning the blue orchids that remove immortality and invincibility. Wukong, at this point, still doesn't know about the blue orchids and doesn't understand what they mean.
Near the end of the dinner (treats and desserts are being served), a servant comes by and tops off their tea cups. All of the kings get their cups refilled and Wukong does, too. Having been fine so far (meaning there hasn't been foul play with the food) Wukong confidently drinks his tea, but this time...something happens to him.
He feels like he's being chocked, like his vigor and strength is being sapped. He's dizzy and his vision is blurry. He starts coughing and notices that the Ten Kings are looking at him closely. Wukong realizes that the tea was poisoned! But he's confused; he saw the servant pour tea for the Ten Kings as well.
It turns out that, this entire time, the teapot that was being used was an "Assassin's Teapot", an ancient relic that can hold two liquids in the pot at a time and, while covering secret holes with one's fingers, can release one liquid or the other. Meaning that it appeared that all of them were getting the same tea, but this time, the servant served the other liquid in the teapot to Wukong. This poisoned tea is infused with blue orchids, meaning that Wukong's immortality and invincibility is being drained away.
Wukong is in horrible pain as his magic is corrupted by the poison. He tries to heal himself, and the healing spell doesn't work. His magic ricochets back at him and burns him. The Ten Kings, witnessing this, are confused. But three out of the seven look very pleased. These Three Kings (LMFAO) wanted to hurt Wukong and strip him of his immortality to kill him. They wanted him to suffer for what he'd done to them in the past and how prideful he was. They never got over that incident and they're taking their revenge now.
The other seven kings are livid! It's stupid to mess with Wukong since he's a divine being and in good standing with Heaven and the Jade Emperor. If anything untoward were to occur during this dinner, the Ten Kings would be in trouble, which is why they settled on just making Wukong as uncomfortable as possible. But three of them hatched a plan without telling the others.
The Ten Kings fight amongst themselves and Wukong escapes the palace. He struggles to walk and he's coughing up blood. His magic is unreliable. He doesn't know how he's going to get out of the Ream of Death. He runs through the city to escape the Kings, but the three that want to kill him are chasing after him. Wukong is forced to fight them with his limited magic and strength. He gets hurt in the process, which triggers a spell that was sealed inside of him.
Macaque, all the way back in Constellations chapter 5, did some kind of magic to Wukong's chest in the alley. Wukong didn't know what that spell did until now. It activates once it senses that Wukong has lost a lot of blood and, using the water in his body and the additional shadows Mac placed in his chest, the spell heals him and gives him renewed strength (this is possible because the magic spell is Macaque's, not Wukong's. Macaque's magic was used, so Wukong's body can receive it safely).
Wukong, deeply touched by Macaque's foresight, uses his newfound strength to escape the city and wander into the outskirts of the Realm of Death. Outside of the city, there's withered trees and cracked earth, a barren and dry land. But in the midst of all that, there's a tree with golden leaves in the distance. Wukong realizes that it's one of the trees that bloomed gold once MK was born. It's still gold now. Wukong runs to it and catches his breath under its boughs.
He tries to cast a spell, it doesn't work. Wukong's scared and frustrated by this. He's trapped in this realm if he can't use his magic. He leans back against the tree and tries to think of something, but it seems hopeless. In the end, Wukong meditates to try and restore his magic. While doing so, he feels a connection to MK through the tree.
MK, after having gotten off work that day, returned to FFM in worry. He sat under the ginkgo tree he grew and waited for Wukong to return (the butterfly clone is still on MK's shoulder) It is through this that Wukong and MK are able to speak with each other through the connection of MK's magic with the two golden trees.
Wukong tells MK the situation and how things don't look good. MK is surprisingly calm and talks to Wukong about it. Wukong laments that this is all his fault. If he hadn't been so prideful back then, the Ten Kings wouldn't have this beef with him. Wukong's pride was his undoing. MK then suggests that: "If pride is what got you into this situation, then use humility to get out."
Wukong is surprised by this thoughtful advice and the connection between successor and predecessor is severed. Wukong hears the voices of the Kings approaching, and he forces himself to stand. He'll fight for as long as he can. He engages in a heated battle between himself and the three kings. The seven kings that were surprised by this, too, step in to fight. Wukong pulls out several great moves and dodges during this part, and takes one of the king's weapons to use against them.
Unfortunately, he gets injured again and has to flee a second time. The three kings have started to use death magic, which makes the corruption going on inside of Wukong much worse. As Wukong flees, he remembers MK's advice. Who can he call to help him? Who will respond immediately? There's only one answer.
Wukong falls as he's slashed in the side by a king's spear. He falls to the ground and, as his vision starts to go black, he cries out Macaque's name. There's no immediate response, so Wukong tries again. This time, he shouts out the word for "Mate" in their tongue and immediately, a shadow portal opens beneath him.
Macaque's hand reaches out of the portal and yanks Wukong through it, saving him from certain death by the hands of (some of) the Ten Kings.
To be continued... (tumblr is getting very laggy. I guess I've reached the text limit 😅)
The only reason I have not had this ice cream since 1996 is because in 1997 I moved away from the east coast of Canada.
It is actually delicious. And the only reason I would go back to the east coast would be to get this ice cream. I mean I guess I'd visit my family members while I was there too, but primarily the ice cream.
