#mike fu

[smokefalls]

But, in a way, this was like all manner of relationships in this world, Meadow thought. People finding you, whether you were ready for it or not. People changing you, and being changed by you.

Mike Fu, Masquerade

[heavenlyyshecomes]

There was a street right in front of my house, and beyond that was the endless desert, smooth and soft, full of serene mystery, stretching out all the way to the edge of the sky. It was a yellowish orange colour. I thought the surface of the moon probably looked pretty similar to this place. I loved how the desert was stained red at sunset. Every day as the sun went down, I’d sit on the roof until the sky was totally dark and feel an immense loneliness, out of nowhere, deep in my heart.

—Sanmao, ‘A Knife on a Desert Night,’ in Stories of the Sahara, tr. Mike Fu

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: October 29, 2024

Middle Grade Sir Callie and the Witch’s War by Esme Symes-Smith This is the third book in the Sir Callie series Being a hero is nothing like the ballads promised it would be. Scattered across the realm, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn have learned that when the fate of their world is at stake, choices are hard and the consequences are harder, even when striving for good. Hunted by both Helston…

[perfunctoryperfusions]

Book Bingo: Masquerade by Mike Fu!

@batmanisagatewaydrug

Thoughts below the cut, will try to be spoiler free.

Trigger warnings can be found on storygraph, here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/389bd147-bb40-4ae2-984f-e7deb779dc94

Ostensibly, this could have also been marked as "Lit Fic" imo but I like lit fic so I'm likely to get that with another book.

I.... really really want to love this book. I love the feeling it has prose wise for me-- like a hazy, summer morning where everything is half dream, somehow. The writing is excellent. But....I think what happened to me is I got pulled into the mystery of the book rather than being interested in the characters, which is where this book really shines. I would say it's a character study disguised as mystery. It's still beautiful and compelling on that merit, and if I think I'd gone into it with that mindset I wouldn't be as....unimpressed with the ending, maybe, is the word I'd use.

This def feels like a book I'd want to be able to highlight and mark passages in to catch stuff in. I may eventually get a copy for myself, since I think I'll want to read it again.

I have The Viral Underclass and Scum Villains Self Saving System also on loan, so I'm going to tackle one of those next.

[ghost-kings-court-jester]

I’ve said this before but you read tgcf and you are like aww Xie Lian saved baby Hong Hong’er and it’s so sweet Hua Cheng fell in love with him and searched for him and gets protective over him. He’s so chivalrous truly a knight in bells booted armour.

Until you read the rest of the books and you realise that Hua Cheng is in fact not acting out of chivalry and must have been going out of his mind for 800 years because every time he and Xie Lian interacted he saw Xie Lian being in a situation and his go to plan was to basically always push the self destruct button and for extra measure throw himself on the chopping block in literal seconds.

Like all his over protectiveness isn’t so much about making Xie Lian a damsel in distress as it is instead a parent taking away all choking hazards and baby proofing the locks except the baby knows martial arts and could kill a man just by twitching his elbow yet he continues to use himself as target practise.

[spaceshiprocket]

Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu by Mike Zeck

[bigbronintendo]

XinXe and her friends 🐱✨

I made a concept for my Kfp5 idea, I'm just in love with this movie and someday i want to heal this story since the 4th one didn't go well. Wish we got a better director.

also shoutout to my friend @/ArbyNewSkiis on Discord for help putting the backgrounds! this means so much and i owe you one 😄

[nocofamilyau]

you see, if I didn't see this image right, this fucking image right here when I was like 11 or 12,, my life would have been normal and not have had any demons

[vertigoartgore]

1978's Master of Kung Fu Vol.1 #64 cover by cover artist Paul Gulacy.

[troublezoey]

Shifu gets kidnapped anyway due to the Chameleon's manipulations, and he's hence present to say goodbye to Tai Lung. The execs loved it but "someone axed it".

[theactioneer]

Master of Kung Fu #97 (Marvel, 1981)

[smokefalls]

All homes are manifestations of the psyche; home is the material expression of one’s state of being, the interior made exterior.

Mike Fu, Masquerade

[heavenlyyshecomes]

Is the desert the panacea for ‘a lifetime’s homesickness’ or is it a metaphor for the restlessness and longing that is germane to Sanmao’s wandering spirit? The desert conveys infinity and mortal threat, boundlessness and the risk–and opportunity–of getting lost. It is a palimpsest of mirages and myths of rescue and no return. Eclipsing romantic love, Sanmao reflects upon how ‘deep in my heart, the Sahara desert had been my dream lover for so long … I’d expected a scorching sun, but instead found a swathe of poetic desolation.’

—Sharlene Teo, foreword to Stories of the Sahara by Sanmao, tr. Mike Fu

[thequeenoffish]

'not my fault' reneé rapp - a song that hua cheng would blast when she's getting ready to see jiejie. Especially if jiejie trash 'friends' are going to be there

[ghost-kings-court-jester]

I find it so interesting that time and time again Jun Wu never considered other peoples kindness and how that foiled all his plans.

Like originally he wanted Xie Lian to fall apart and break like him but Wu Ming was there to be sure he wasn’t alone and to take on all that resentment.

The man with the bamboo hat was there making sure Xie Lian remember that people can be kind.

Like even 800 years later after Jun Wu failed he tries to cause rifts for Xie Lian so that he has no one and becomes isolated and hopefully insane like him.

Except Pei Ming who would have lied and manipulated the situation doesn’t blame Xie Lian for figuring everything out, he knows it wasn’t personal and he’s able to work with him later despite Jun Wu constantly pitting them against each other.

Shi Wudu is the strongest elemental master and while he didn’t ever warm to Xie Lian, Shi Qingxuan did and they loved him for who he was. They always came to Xie Lian defence to give him backing in heaven because they were friends. (Which honestly might be why the Shi Wudu plot was revealed starting the Black Water Arc.) then even after leaving heaven and Xie Lian losing a popular gods backing. Shi Qingxuan is kind and doesn’t hold a grudge and even when they have nothing and can’t be an ally in heaven they still care about Xie Lian and help him when they are literally crippled and mortal.

Ling Wen is shrewd and could have been a very strong antagonist against Xie Lian except he was always polite and kind to her and she respects that. She has no real desire to do him harm outside of protecting herself and doesn’t really consider him an enemy in any way.

Lang Qianqiu should have turned against him and all of the heavens against too except he only wants the truth. He hears the whole story and immediately clears Xie Lians name and makes sure the heavens know it was Qi Rong so Xie Lian can’t be banished again.

He pairs Xie Lian with Quan Yizhen a god known for being confrontational and picking fights except Xie Lian was kind to him and that makes him a for lifer in Quan Yizhen’s mind he literally wouldn’t turn against him or even think about it because Xie Lian proved himself to be a good person and that’s all Quan Yizhen needs to like you.

Yushi Huang happily tried to help Xie Lian with the drought and gives him her spiritual device as a show of kindness. Then she helps him hide Banyue, helps in Tonglu and helps Hua Cheng infiltrate Heaven because she’s a kind woman who gave up her life for her people and understands Xie Lian is the same.

Jun Wu assumes this whole time that Feng Xin and Mu Qing would be resentful because that’s what happened to him with his friends except Feng Xin and Mu Qing are insane and deranged and just want Xie Lian to be their friend again so they make little disguises to help all the time and take some of the scrutiny of Xie Lian because they were there too. Feng Xin pays of Xie Lians huge debt to smooth things over for him with the other Gods. When Xie Lian is “kidnapped” they follow him to get him back immediately because hey wait that’s our friend. Jun Wu tries to bring suspicion between them by making them assume the worst about each other but Mu Qing literally takes a shackle over betrayal. Then both of them go to Mount Tonglu to protect Xie Lian and begin to mend their friendship because that’s how they roll.

And of course we have Hua Cheng who is Wu Ming that constant loyal thorn in Jun Wu’s side because through all of these events he is with Xie Lian. He offers comfort and support and insures that Xie Lian never even begins to spiral down the same dark path by helping him in every situation, acting as a buffer and a confidant and reminding Xie Lian he isn’t alone and he will be there loving Xie Lian more than Jun Wu could ever hate him.

There’s probably more instances but I just love how this all kinda plays out like yes Xie Lian is truly kind and hopeful and that’s why he’ll never fully be Bai Wuxiang anyway but other people are kind too! There is so much more to people than Jun Wu expects and that’s why his plan is foiled over and over again. Not by smarts or by fighting but by simple human kindness and compassion.

[spaceshiprocket]

Shang-Chi by Mike Zeck and John Beaty