#不落不落

[aworldforastage]

刀斩山河 by 不落不落

不管他是教书先生还是高贵的龙脉，于伏城都没有区别，他只想看看他，告诉他，白鹿城的晚霞，很美。 Whether he is a schoolteacher or noble imperial blood makes no difference to Fu Cheng. He just wants to see him, and tell him the twilight in Bailu City is a beautiful sight.

Synopsis

Liuying Alley, tucked into a dark corner of a small town near the northern borders, is home to many sabre masters of dubious origins. They will accept any hard and dirty job for the right price, except for Fu Cheng, who refuses to kill despite being a formidable fighter .

After a rescue job goes wrong, Fu Cheng's client and a friend go missing, and Fu Cheng is stuck looking after his rescue target, Zhou Xuanyi, a beautiful young man with serious injuries, an insufferable personality, a mouth-watering bounty on his head, and an inconvenient bout of amnesia that renders him incapable of offering any explanations or solutions to this mess.

Zhou Xuanyi offers to help Fu Cheng find his friend and promises a sizable reward for Fu Cheng's continued protection. He settles into life in Liuying Alley with Fu Cheng and his ward, teenage girl Jin Ling. Their investigation into Fu Cheng's missing friend quickly connects their plight in the far north to conspiracies that can rock the very foundation of the Zhou dynasty. And as protecting Zhou Xuanyi forces Fu Cheng into increasingly dangerous scenarios, Fu Cheng is forced to reflect on the demons in his past that has robbed him of a life-saving skill -- the ability to kill in battle.

The Main Characters

Fu Cheng is a versatile and efficient fighter, a "traitor" expelled by a famous sect. However, he literally cannot strike a killing blow due to psychological trauma from his childhood in a destructive cult. Despite his morally-dubious profession and dark past, Fu Cheng is a kind idealist who always wants to help people and give them another chance. He falls in love with Zhou Xuanyi, and even though their social positions mean they have no future together, he wants to make the most of the time he can have with the young man who has given him a new purpose in life.

Zhou Xuanyi is the mysterious young man whom Fu Cheng is hired to rescue from a kidnapping, whose real identity is possibly the Crown Prince Zhou Heng. Zhou Xuanyi is daring and smart, always thinking a few steps ahead, and makes the most of every tool and resource at his disposal. He manages to survive the threats to his life in Bailu City without his memories, but the real challenge is waiting for him in the capital. After falling in love, he is determined to hold onto Fu Cheng for as long as he can, though later he feels guilty for bringing Fu Cheng into the quagmire of imperial politics.

Both are in their early twenties.

The Relationship Arc

This story has my favorite type of sour-sweet relationship arc. Two people get to know each other and admiration develops gradually. The main couple gets together about halfway into the novel, so it has a fair amount of fluff from an established relationship. They love and trust each other so fiercely in the present moment, but they also believe they don't have a future together given their political reality.

Their future (or the lack thereof) and their class differences cause genuine complications to the relationship that never get hand-waved away. Fu Cheng believes people like him won't find a happy ending, especially not with someone noble and royal like Zhou Xuanyi; every moment in the relationship is clouded by his belief that it won't last. Zhou Xuanyi himself also expects to one day marry a woman and produce heirs as his position requires; he can't bear to let Fu Cheng go but feels guilty about keeping him in this limbo state. Their circumstances make them angry and a little resentful, even though they still love each. Until it happens at the very end, even they don't believe they can have a happy ending together.

This is also one of the few truly verse/switch couples I have seen in danmei. They both show traditional gong tropes. Fu Cheng is physically stronger, very protective, and Zhou Xuanyi eventually becomes the top priority in his life. Zhou Xuanyi confesses his feelings first, and have more control over the status and progress of their relationship. They are not shy about sex, and they don't bring any gender and power dynamic into who tops. They start with some kind of turn-taking, but it's generally decided based on their needs and vibes at that moment.

Zhou Xuanyi has no other partners after starting a relationship with Fu Cheng, but he has been attracted to men before, and his male ex-something plays a major role in this story. He also has two concubines in his estate, but he hasn't been intimate with them for years, and they are just bored stuck at home and end up striking up very fun friendships with Fu Cheng.

The Plot

To put it briefly: action-packed and fun, but don't think too hard about it.

This novel is a fusion of wuxia and political intrigue. Most of the conflicts in this story are rooted in political motives, but they are often resolved by wuxia-style showdowns. Fu Cheng's personal arc deeply linked to his past in the martial sects, while Zhou Xuanyi's is all about the court politics.

Personally, I find the plot more engaging in the first part of the story, when it's set up like a mystery trying to figure out Zhou Xuanyi's kidnapping and backstory. The second part of the novel is mostly set in the capital, but instead of elaborate politicking, the story relies on creating incredibly threatening villains to raise the tension.

This novel also stands out for putting its main characters are under more intense pressure/threats than I typically see in works of this genre. Fu Cheng is a strong fighter, but his effectiveness in battle is seriously reduced by his inability to kill. Zhou Xuanyi is smart and have a very important title, but I have never seen a main character in a worse position than Zhou Heng in terms of manpower, resources, and political capital. As smart as they are, it feels like an uphill battle just to survive, let alone strike back against their enemies.

Supporting Characters

The side characters are surprisingly fleshed out in this story. Through their actions and choices, they all have different answers to the question "what is the most important thing to you." Some have surrendered their identity and pride to protect the people they love. Some have given up their personal interests to fight for the greater good. And some choose to trample over lives of innocent people for their own personal ambitions, or break the hearts and trust of people they love out of selfish resentment.

Compared to the "friendly" supporting characters, the villains are more cartoon-ish. This story relies on villains being incredibly powerful and threatening to create tension, which limits the space for nuance and complexity. But it is an effective strategy that keeps the story engaging enough.

Other Thoughts [spoilers ahead]

This is one of those rare stories in which the protagonist ends the story in a much worse mental state than what he starts with -- which is fair, given what Fu Cheng goes through, but still an atypical course of character development. He conquers his inability to kill, but is worse off in every other way. In the final chapter, Fu Cheng is technically living out his dream retirement of running a restaurant, but he seems to be doing it to make a point, not because he is enjoying it. He is not nearly as open or friendly as his initial appearance. This vague ideal of Zhou Heng, being a healthy and wise ruler far away in the capital, is the only good thing in the world that gives him purpose to keep living.

It feels strange to see Zhou Heng, set up as a great emperor, leaving his position to be with Fu Cheng (even though he does a lot of good work in his decade of reign and prepares his successor). They are certainly not the first danmei couple to take this route, but it feels a bit off here. Due to Fu Cheng's state near the end, it feels less like them starting a new chapter/retirement that they both look forward to, and more like Zhou Heng choosing a vulnerable Fu Cheng over his responsibilities. However, from Zhou Heng's POV, the worst of Fu Cheng's trauma comes from the sacrifices he has made to help secure Zhou Heng's peaceful reign. Returning to Fu Cheng is him taking care of someone who has given so much to him and the nation, as much as it is about him reuniting with his lover.

Ultimately, the protagonist loses against the challenges set before him in the story. And as sad as it is, it is sort of comforting to see a character who loses, fails, and despairs, but remains sympathetic. Fu Cheng returns to the battlefield to help Zhou Heng in the final arc, but he is so broken compared to who he was before. Zhou Heng isn't judgemental or disappointed that Fu Cheng hasn't healed; he aches for him and only wants to ease his pain. Healing is difficult, and it takes time and energy and support that are in very short supply for broken people. And even though Fu Cheng's recovery is slow, imperfect, and incomplete, he is still capable and deserving of love.

[harukabluesky-pen]

[a-sea-with-no-shores]

you may be familiar with the first strip of "Pirates" (I always think it's called "Nemesis") by the inimitable Kate Beaton

well

I shamelessly ripped it off

NB: my original fan art is all under #my art stuff now and my original memes/edits/jokes/shitposts are in the process of being tagged #my mlc nonsense, #my woh nonsense, or #my assorted nonsense

[yumingpai]

Freedom

New Single is on the way ... ❤❤❤❤❤ 自由的角落 (M1) ❤❤❤❤❤

[idiotprodigy]

最近在学自由搏击玩，突然想到出国之后如果哪天有机会show off一下的话大概会被误认为是中国功夫

：我去你们中国人果然都会Kung Fu

：非也兄台这是MMA

这会有些喜剧

[tentative-wanderer]

Great books usually have something that catches my eye in the very first chapter/page.

In “Merman’s Fall” by Lin Qian, it is the alpha protagonist’s prompt deference towards his omega boss, who is the head of the International Omega Alliance, the strongest agent and former head of the Pacific Bio-differentiation Base. The boss has bunny ears because of his lop-eared rabbit glands.

That tells me the book contains 1. ABO gender equality, 2. combat, and 3. animal characteristics.

Hello?? A bunny omega boss who is the top dog socially and physically?

(Random tidbit: the prequel, Lop-Eared Butler, is of a very different genre. It has lots of trashy soapy angst and extremely terrible alpha behaviour. I didn’t read it, and it’s very not necessary to read it before reading Merman’s Fall.)

***

In MDZS, it is “Great news, Wei Wuxian is dead!”

I immediately think “why’s he dead and why are people happy” and “that’s an interesting name”. Interesting name because each word in 魏无羡 is full of negative energy: Wei contains the character for ghost, Wu is “no/none”, Xian is envy. Unusual because when choosing names, pleasant/positive words are often preferred (duh). Yet Wuxian combined has a nice meaning, hmm negative+negative=positive, interesting.

***

In Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends from the Trash Bin, it is the protagonist’s quick-witted irreverence and hugely satisfying jab at a horrible person.

***

In 2ha, it is the tyrannical emperor’s stupid names for the years of his reign. (Well, seemingly stupid.)

[light-wisdom]

福音問答集71——我們應該以怎樣的心態來讀聖經？ 請問牧師，您在【我們應該怎樣學習《聖經》】的佈道中， （ https://youtu.be/SMlHJTMJ1ok ） 講到了學習《聖經》的原則，那麼，我們應該以怎樣的心態來讀聖經？ 答：人類是憑藉現有的智慧、德行和生活經驗來理解聖經教義的。 人類對教義的理解程度，首先起決定作用的是人類的智商和德商，智商和德商太低的人，肯定會曲解主基督的教誨。 其次，起關鍵作用的是人類所學習的知識範圍、知識水準和生活經驗。 所以，人類對教義的解讀肯定有不到位的地方，是可以提出質疑的，是需要提升的。 隨著時代的變化，科學的發展，人類在自然科學和生命科學方面，發現了越來越多的真理，人類的智慧得到了較大的提升，人類發現自己原來對聖經的理解存在偏差，需要更正。 現在，禮拜日的時候，教堂冷清，並不是現代人不需要信仰， 而是現在有些牧師缺乏現代科學知識，缺乏理性思維能力，思想僵化而頑固，盲目迷信，對信徒們佈道的時候，都是些陳詞濫調，具有歷史的局限性，缺乏說服力，無法滿足現代信徒們的要求，導致信徒不願意去教堂聽他們佈道。 哥林多後書 3:6 他叫我們能承當這新約的執事。不是憑著字句，乃是憑著精意。因為那字句是叫人死，精意是叫人活。 現代基督徒必須要認識到，自己的智慧、科學知識水準都是很有限的，自己對聖經的解讀是被那些牧師灌輸的，這些先入為主的偏見在你的大腦裏形成了固有的思維模式，凡是超出了自己的理解範圍，就習慣性地一蓋打為異端。 中世紀一千多年，天主教都是這樣走過來的。羅馬教廷那些掌握教權的人由於歷史的局限性，帶著偏見和傲慢，總是自以為是，執著自己一定是對的。馬丁路德宗教改革之後，基督教也存在同樣的問題。

[x751206]

正常人都不應該反日！支持自由民主就應該支持台灣獨立！中國自由派如何落入中共民族主義大一統圈套...【公子精選】

[ame-to-ame]

谢谢你 一直那么温柔地对待那么拧巴的我

我也想要有朝一日可以大胆地接受这份感情

为了可以和你并肩而行 为了可以成为能让你骄傲让你暖心的存在 我会尽量越来越好的

[kyktb]

2024年の米国株市場調整を受け、短期的下落に惑わされず、長期的成長を信じて積立を続け、不動産や安定資産に分散投資が重要。 #米国株 #資産運用 #長期投資 #暴落対策 #投資初心者

[lonelypsychoman]

トランプ大統領パウエル解任しない発言で米株大幅上昇です。社畜の含み損は⚫⚫万円😢

米国ではトリプル安の翌日、トランプ前大統領が「パウエルFRB議長を解任するつもりはない」と発言し、市場は一気に安堵ムードへと転換しました。FRBの独立性への懸念が後退したことで、株式・債券・為替のすべてが買い戻される動きに。とはいえ、まだ完全に信頼を取り戻したわけではありません。トランプ氏の発言が次にどう波紋を広げるか、市場は引き続き警戒しています。 22日のトリプル安を受け、23日早朝にはダウ平均が反発。NYダウは前日比+1.7%高の39,186ドル。ナスダックも+2.7%、S&P500も+2.5%と3指数そろって回復。ドル円も142円台に乗せ、円安が進行。日経平均先物は大幅上昇となり、VIX指数は30台まで低下。市場のリスクオンムードが広がりつつあります 。 この反発を受けて、私のポートフォリオも改善傾向です。米国株は評価損が-62万円と、前日の-76万円から15万円以上改善。…

[lifeisbeautifulbymiyuki]

心を落ち着ける5-4-3-2-1エクササイズ

強い不安感がある時、パニック障害になりそうな時などに使えるセルフケアをご紹介します。 これは治療にも使われている54321グランディングエクササイズです。グランディングとはgroundingで直訳すると「地に足をつける」です。   例えば部屋の中にいるとします。５つ　目に見えるものに意識を向ける（机、カーテン、壁、ペン、PCなど）４つ　触れるものに意識を向けて実際に触ってみる（髪の毛、洋服、鏡、くしなど）３つ　耳で聞こえるものに意識を向ける（時計の音、エアコンの音、外の鳥のさえずりなど）２つ　匂いを感じるものに意識を向ける（アロマ、空気など　なかったら好きな匂いを想像してもいい）１つ　味わえるものに意識を向ける（水、飴など） 感覚を使って「今ここ」に意識を向けることで、不安な気持ちを落ち着けることができるのです。 これは香港のとある学校でも、必要とする生徒たちが実行��ていて手軽にできる…

[haylei-w]

懶人救星/夜來美/GABA輕盈好眠膠囊-內含66種蔬果酵素、天堂椒萃取、摩洛哥血橙、植物乳酸菌、GABA、色胺酸、維他命B6、維他命B12、玻尿酸、穀胱甘肽跟葡萄籽萃取等豐富成分，只要睡得好，也許邊睡邊瘦、變漂亮可能不再是夢～如果有入眠困難的水水們，也許可以來試看看～健康保健/機能補給/營養補劑/藍子愛保養

懶人救星/夜來美/GABA輕盈好眠膠囊-內含66種蔬果酵素、天堂椒萃取、摩洛哥血橙、植物乳酸菌、GABA、色胺酸、維他命B6、維他命B12、玻尿酸、穀胱甘肽跟葡萄籽萃取等豐富成分，只要睡得好，也許邊睡邊瘦、變漂亮可能不再是夢～如果有入眠困難的水水們，也許可以來試看看～健康保健/機能補給/營養補劑/藍子愛保養 本文網址　https://haylei.info/?p=36662 藍子是個非常難以入眠的人，每次想到睡覺這件事，內心總是難以平靜甚至特別焦躁，因為我是那種不論睡前數多少隻羊，睡前吃澱粉或喝牛奶之類的助眠準備，對我來說都沒有絲毫幫助的入眠困難者…… 再加上我非常容易睡眠中斷，曾經帶了電子健康手錶入睡，測出我睡眠過程中醒了15次，而我自己完全沒有醒過的印象耶～ 因為長期睡眠不足，黑眼圈是我身上的固定擺件，脾氣也容易有劇烈變化，總是難以心平氣和的面對周遭生活瑣事，這也給我帶來了不少衝突…

[sumaikizuna]

「横浜・元町に住む」という贅沢。駅近＆ブランドアドレスの魅力とは？

「駅から近いってだけで、毎日がちょっとラクになる」そんな気づきが、クリオ横濱元町通りには詰まっています。 横浜・元町にあるこのマンションは、みなとみらい線「元町・中華街」駅やJR「石川町」駅が徒歩圏。通勤・通学はもちろん、ふらっとカフェや買い物に出かけるのも苦にならない。そんな立地だからこそ、日々の暮らしに“余裕”が生まれます。

「元町に住んでる」それだけでちょっと誇らしい。

歴史ある商店街や観光地の中にあって、落ち着いた住宅街としての顔も持つこのエリア。派手じゃないけれど、ちゃんと“いい暮らし”がある場所です。

実際に住んでいる方の声も印象的。「駅が近くて助かる」「静かで夜も安心できる」「スーパーや病院が全部徒歩圏内」など、リアルな日常の快適さが伝わってきます。 スペックや間取りだけじゃなく、“住んでみてわかる満足感”があるのって、大事なことですよね。

さらに嬉しいのは、将来を見据えた資産価値の高さ。

元町アドレスのように、人気が安定しているエリアは、時間が経っても価値が下がりにくい。駅近という条件も加われば、売却や賃貸の選択肢も広がります。 クリオ横濱元町通りは、そうした「今」と「未来」のバランスがとれた住まい。

子育て世帯にとっては、保育園や小学校、公園が身近で安心。シニア世帯にとっても、坂が少なくて歩きやすく、医療機関も近くにあって暮らしやすい。 単身でも家族でも、「ちょうどいい」と感じられる環境がここにはあります。

「今は買うつもりじゃないけど、いい物件があれば気になる」そんな方も、まずはこちらの特集ページをのぞいてみてください。きっと、気になる理由が見つかります。 https://kizuna.senseproject.jp/?p=8877

情報を知っているかどうかで、選択肢は大きく変わります。 暮らしにフィットするマンション、探している方へ。 「クリオ横濱元町通り」、一度チェックしてみませんか？