#Procedural lapses

[seemabhatnagar]

High Court of Patna Reinstates Natural Justice, Awards Rs. 5 Lakhs Compensation for Wrongful Termination

The Appellant was not served with a show cause notice to defend herself violates the principles of Natural Justice hence High Court of Patna Quashed the Termination order of the Aganbari Sewika.

The termination was made solely on the grounds of pending criminal charges and the appellant was acquitted of the criminal charges therefore it is deemed inappropriate when she is acquitted.

Since the third-party interest was already created hence reinstatement was not feasible. The Court balanced the need for justice for the appellant by directing compensation instead.

Shubhadra Kumari v. The State of Bihar and 6 others

Letters Patent Appeal 828/2019

Before the High Court of Patna

Heard by Hon'ble Mr. Justice P B Bajanthri & Hon'ble Mr. Justice Alok Kumar Pandey J

Fact:

Shubhadra Kumari, was selected as an Anganbari Sevika in 2003. She was implicated in a criminal case in 2013, as such she was terminated in 2014 by the District Programme Officer (DPO) of Nalanda. Her termination was upheld by the Deputy Director (Welfare) of Patna Division in 2014. Subhadra Kumari-appellant challenged this decision before the High Court through a writ petition, which was dismissed by a Single Judge in 2019, leading to the present appeal.

Legal Issue:

Whether the termination of Shubhadra Kumari from the post of Anganbari Sevika was justified?

Points of Argument

Argument by the Appellant's Counsel:

The appellant had undergone training and had been discharging her duties satisfactorily since 2003, with no complaints regarding her absence before the criminal case.

Prior to the criminal case, she was ill and hospitalized, which justified her absence from work.

She was acquitted of the criminal charges in 2018, which should negate the basis for her termination.

The termination was carried out without serving a show-cause notice, without following proper procedures, and without giving her an opportunity to defend herself.

The termination was abrupt and lacked a proper inquiry, violating the principles of natural justice.

Respondents (State of Bihar and Others):

The termination was based on an inquiry report and due to her continuous absence from duty.

A notice was issued directing the appellant to appear and explain her absence, which could not be served due to her absence.

Given the serious nature of the criminal charges against her, the termination was deemed appropriate.

The termination was affirmed by the superior officers, indicating procedural correctness.

Court’s Observations:

No notice was served on the appellant, which is a violation of the principles of natural justice.

The court emphasized that both quasi-judicial and administrative actions must follow the principles of natural justice, ensuring fair procedures and avoiding arbitrary actions.

The court referred to Supreme Court judgments (D.K. Yadav vs. J.M.A. Industries Ltd. and State Bank of India vs. Rajesh Agarwal) that highlighted the necessity of fair play and reasonable procedures in administrative actions.

The court found that the termination was not justified solely based on the criminal charges, since the appellant was later acquitted.

[losprimeros]

lapse - pulmonary medicine [PROCEDURE 005]

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

Kirk's character in Court Martial is so insanely interesting to me considering the Kirk Drift phenomenon, because it's a full 50 minutes of Kirk refusing to even be slightly corrupt, no matter how easy it would be, and no matter how much he knows -- knows -- it would simply be a way for others to act in accordance to reality, ignoring red tape and bureaucracy to make sure a man of his position doesn't go down as a perjurer and a coward.

Finney's entire relationship with him was destroyed because Kirk, fresh into a shift, correctly pointed out in a report that Finney made a mistake that could have destroyed the ship. He could have just let it go, fixed it as he saw it and talked to Finney privately, but the thought of not following proper procedure never occurred to him, and he doesn't even given it the time of day when he's explaining the occurred.

Commodore Stone tries to give him an easy way out, tries to blame the immense pressure he's on, tries to give him plenty of leeway on why would he, the star of Starfleet, ever commit such a mistake as committing to safeguarding the ship before a single crewman in Yellow Alert as opposed to Red. And Kirk fucking yells at him for even suggesting that he doesn't get properly punished, if that is actually what happened. The idea of a Starfleet officer who's not perfect is genuinely offensive to Kirk, and the idea that he'd blame his own lack of efficiency for such a dire consequence makes him irate.

Even his attorney asks him if he doesn't want to just say he had a lapse and work for a lighter sentence. This after they're shown nearly irrefutable evidence that Kirk did perform the crime they're accusing him of, evidence that even Kirk can't explain. And he still says no, never. If I did it, I did it, but that's not what happened, and this is my story.

Kirk is willing to have whatever happen to him in a court of law, he's willing to throw out every day he's ever spent studying and fighting and exploring and taking and giving orders in his entire life, while fully aware that he did nothing wrong. Because if he doesn't, if he takes an easy way out, then the letter of the law doesn't apply to him. And if that's the case, then it's all bullshit.

And he doesn't do it all because he's a humorless cop who doesn't care about context. He does it because he lives his life assuming that the ideals he upholds are worth it, and work, and if that's even remotely true, then there's something wrong with the entire situation and he can prove it through completely legal means.

Imagine looking at this fucking character and going "Oh right, the one that shoots first, has sex shortly after and asks questions never, right?"

Kirk is so righteous and so real about Starfleet honor that the thought of getting special treatment makes him red in the face with anger.

His professionalism, sense of duty, perfectionism and sheer dedication to the gold and green is such a large part of his personality and behavior that he's got Spock comparing it, unprompted, under oath, pulling the Vulcan Race Logic Card on a court of law, to the fucking force of gravity.

[knight-a3]

Just some pre-triple changer Blitzwing and his best buddy Astrotrain.

Some ideas for what happened to the other triple changers(aka every successful experiment has a few failures preceding it)

I ramble on under the cut

SO! I know the S4 plans had it outlined that Black Arachnia was the one who did the triple changer procedure on Blitzwing, but it doesn't totally make sense for her to do it imo. None of the S4 plans were ever set in stone anyway, so it's not actually canon. I just don't see much precedent for her to do that. Where did this medical skill set come from?

Historically, iterations of Shockwave have been the resident unethical scientists. In TFA, he was shown to be capable enough to restore Arcee's memory, so I think there's grounds to believe he can still play that role.

Whoever it was, Blitzwing couldn't be the first test subject. What other triple changers do we know of that could potentially meet a tragic fate? 🤔

So my idea was that the Decepticons captured three autobots and decided to use them as test subjects for this revolutionary new triple changer idea. Two alt forms? Truly a game changer!

Broadside was a former con(due to his jet alt form) turned autobot. He was a total failure. Never made it off the operating table.

Sandstorm lasted a little longer. But his body soon rejected the modifications, and he went offline.

Springer lasted long enough to be rescued/escape. But his mental stability gradually declined until the mods failed and he also died.

After these three experiments failed, they turned to some of their own troops.

Octane was not a particularly well respected Decepticon, which is why he ended up being a test subject. He survived, but suffered severe mental damage and was deemed useless. Probably tossed out like trash and left to rust. If not outright killed.

Astrotrain: Considered the first success. The mental damages were minimized and he was initially fairly stable, but his transformation abilities became more sluggish over time. And he suffered increasingly severe mental lapses. He'd either stare vacantly or suddenly drop into recharge mode. They were worse if he didn't get enough energon, gradually requiring more and more to keep him going. Weapons capabilities were lost to conserve energy. He was on a transport mission when a lapse got him killed and Blitzwing injured(which made him the next triple changer test subject).

(Also, I don't like drastic mass shifting, so Astrotrain is bigger than the others. And I think I'm gonna treat him more like he's a portable space bridge, rather than big enough to carry multiple Decepticons. He can bridge others from the decepticon base to himself, or to base from himself (it's still a strategic disadvantage compared to the autobots' large network of space bridges). This requires Astrotrain to still physically travel places in order to transport others. And losing weapon capabilities requires an escort to travel with him. The other option is a pocket dimension like Swindle's)

Blitzwing: His personality was fractured, leading to erratic behavior. Turns out the fracture eased the processing load caused by the triple changing modification. But otherwise in working order physically and mentally. He's lasted longer than the others, and his condition hasn't deteriorated since.

ANYWAY, this has been my attempt to reconcile some headcanons with canon. While also maybe tweaking canon a little to fit

[contemplatingoutlander]

The House GOP is a circus. The chaos has one source.

Republicans spent two years sabotaging the U.S. House. Another two years would be ruinous.

Dana Milbank does a masterful job of describing just how dysfunctional the House GOP members have been in the past two years.

This is a gift🎁link for the entire article. Below are some highlights:

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Six weeks after his improbable rise from obscurity to speaker of the House in late 2023, Louisiana’s Mike Johnson decided to break bread with a group of Christian nationalists. [...] “I’ll tell you a secret, since media is not here,” Johnson teased the group, unaware that his hosts were streaming video of the event. Johnson informed his audience that God “had been speaking to me” about becoming speaker, communicating “very specifically,” in fact, waking him at night and giving him “plans and procedures.” [...] Today, Johnson’s run looks anything but heaven-sent. In the first 18 months of this Congress, only 70 laws were enacted. Calculations by political scientist Tobin Grant, who tracks congressional output over time, put this Congress on course to be the do-nothingest since 1859-1861 — when the Union was dissolving. But Johnson’s House isn’t merely unproductive; it is positively lunatic. Republicans have filled their committee hearings and their bills with white nationalist attacks on racial diversity and immigrants, attempts to ban abortion and to expand access to the sort of guns used in mass shootings, incessant harassment of LGBTQ Americans, and even routine potshots at the U.S. military. They insulted each other’s private parts, accused each other of sexual and financial crimes, and scuffled with each other in the Capitol basement. They screamed “Bullshit!” at President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address. They stood up for the Confederacy and used their official powers to spread conspiracy theories about the “Deep State.” Some even lent credence to the idea that there has been a century-old Deep State coverup of space aliens, with possible involvement by Mussolini and the Vatican.

The above article was adapted from Dana Milbank's (2024) book: Fools on the HILL: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and Dunces Who Burned Down the House.

[See more below the cut.]

And this is on top of the well-known pratfalls: The 15-ballot marathon to elect a speaker, the 22-day shutdown of the House to find another speaker, the routine threats of government shutdowns and a near-default on the federal debt that hurt the nation’s credit rating. They devoted 18 months to a failed attempt to impeach Biden, which produced nothing but Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly displaying posters of Hunter Biden engaging in sex acts. One “whistleblower” defected to Russia, another worked with Russian intelligence and is under indictment for fabricating his claims, and still another is on the lam, evading charges of being a Chinese agent. As soon as Biden withdrew his candidacy, they promptly forgot their probe of Biden’s “corruption” and rushed to launch a new series of investigations into Kamala Harris (over her record on border security) and Tim Walz (over his military service and “cozy relationship” with China). After a number of failed attempts, they did impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (the first such action against a Cabinet officer since 1876) without identifying any high crimes or misdemeanors he had committed; the Senate dismissed the articles without a trial. House Republicans created a “weaponization committee” under the excitable Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), but it was panned even by right-wing commentators when it produced little more than a list of conspiracy theories from the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. They lapsed repeatedly into fits of censure resolutions, contempt citations and other pointless acts of vengeance. In all of its history, the House had voted to censure one of its own members only seven times; in the two weeks after Johnson became speaker, members of the House tried to censure each other eight times. [...] In lieu of consequential legislating, they passed bills such as the Refrigerator Freedom Act, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act and the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards (SUDS) Act. On the House floor, the Republican majority suffered one failure after another, even on routine procedural votes. Seven times (and counting), House Republicans voted down their own leaders’ routine attempts to begin floor debates — something that hadn’t happened once in the previous 20 years.

[toweringclam]

After reading some responses to the latest Doctor Who, "73 Yards," I realized that a folkloric faerie story might be alien to modern audiences. However, there's a good modern equivalent, and I thought I'd try my hand at putting the story in a more familiar form.

"73 Yards"

Item #: SCP-17347

Clearance Level: 2/Restricted

Object Class: Euclid

Disruption Class: 2/Elam

Risk Class: 3/Warning

Special Containment Procedures: All Foundation personnel are to maintain at least a 32-foot (10 meters) distance from SCP-17347-1 unless necessary to protect civilians, in which case personnel are to use antimemetic ear and eye covering to reduce exposure to her effects. Otherwise, Foundation personnel in the field are forbidden from approaching, interacting with, or acknowledging the existence of the entity in any way. Should this prove unavoidable, personnel are to disable all communication devices to prevent the effect spreading. Any Foundation personnel inadvertently exposed to SCP-17347-1's effects are to be administered class A amnestics and transferred to a different site. Should this fail to relieve symptoms, they are to be offered early retirement with full benefits and disability pay.

Grade C surveillance is to be maintained on SCP-17347-2 with a primary goal of preventing civilian exposure to SCP-17347-1's effects. While SCP-17347-2 will generally avoid being separated from SCP-17347-1, should this occur Foundation assets are to intervene and ensure the 73 yard (67.75 meter) distance is maintained.

Description: SCP-17347-2 is a 21-year-old female Caucasian approximately 5'2" (157 cm) tall, with green eyes and natural brown hair that she prefers to dye blonde. A major identifying feature is a scar on her right eyebrow of unknown origin. Her demeanor is generally cooperative despite signs of psychological trauma related to abandonment. Attempts to gain SCP-17347-2's cooperation should use the subject's given name, "Ruby S█████," while focusing on reassurance that she is not alone and that the Foundation has her best interests at heart.

SCP-17347-1 is an entity of unknown origin, appearing as an elderly female Caucasian with white hair and wearing a long black overcoat. Due to its anomalous properties, it is impossible to form a more precise image of the entity. Methods of indirect observation such as cameras always show the subject with the same resolution as a human eye with 20/20 vision observing the subject from a distance of 73 yards (67.75 meters). Even anomalous means of observation are subject to this effect.

SCP-17347-1 maintains a constant distance of 73 yards (67.75 meters) from -2. Despite having a demonstrable physical presence, she does not appear to move when observed, instead relocating between blinks or lapses in attention. This effect is observable even on recorded video. Objects offer no hindrance, and the entity is able to keep pace with the fastest available Foundation land vehicles.

Attempting to transport SCP-17347-2 via air, sea, or other methods where SCP-17347-1 would theoretically not be able to follow have thus far failed due to anomalous weather activity. The temperature will plummet rapidly and produce out-of-season snowfall, escalating to blizzard conditions, and in one case flash-freezing a portion of the English Channel. The effects abate immediately should efforts to transport SCP-17347-2 cease.

Any attempt to interact with SCP-17347-1, including but not limited to attempts to harm, hinder, communicate with, or describe the entity will trigger her memetic effects, and can spread to secondary subjects nearby or through live audio/visual communication. Anyone subject to these effects will develop an intense antipathy towards SCP-17347-2. In civilians, this most often manifests as fear, but it can take other forms, such as anger, disgust, hurt, and disdain. The particular manifestation appears to matter less than the effect: an immediate and overwhelming desire to completely distance oneself from SCP-17347-2 in the most expedient and thorough way possible, including refusing to enter an establishment she frequents, changing their name and moving to a different country, resigning public positions, and, in one case, self-termination. Amnestics have no effect on this, though they may be administered to affected individuals to reduce psychological trauma associated with past and theoretical future interactions with SCP-17347-2

Testing has concluded that this effect includes indirect and negative means of interaction, with no known limit on range. D-Class subjects proved unwilling to push a button if informed that it would expose SCP-17347-2 to an intense, loud noise, even under threat of termination.

Those affected by SCP-17347-1 will only be able to refer to her in the most vague terms, describing her as "Shaped like she is," or "Looking like she is supposed to." They are unable or unwilling to explain the source of their antipathy, even under extreme duress, with the most common response being, "Ask her," refusing to clarify whether they mean -1 or -2.

At all times, SCP-17347-1 performs a looping series of gestures that appear to be an attempt to communicate in a form of sign language. However, the gestures are either not found in ASL or BSL (American or British Sign Language), or performed so poorly as to be unrecognizable.

Discovery: SCP-17347 came to the Foundation's attention following a failed operation to apprehend SCP-17347-1 by UK paranatural security organization UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce). UNIT director Dr. K███ L█████████-S██████ (Dr. K for brevity) was exposed to the effects during an operation and ordered all information on SCP-17347-2 purged from UNIT databases and her files burned, on grounds of "Wasting precious resources on someone who doesn't f██████ matter)." Embedded agents and spy software were alerted to the purge and managed to save some documents. Official UNIT liaisons attempted to recover the remainder of the documents, but Dr. K vehemently refused and threatened to cut ties between our organization if pressed on the issue, yet she readily accepted amnestics when offered, to "Get her out of my goddamn head forever."

Addendum 1: From recovered documents, SCP-17347-2 appears to be a former associate of PoI-3 ("The Doctor") though what relevance that may have is unknown. -2 has shown reluctance to speak on this subject explaining, "That's when it started. The second time someone abandoned me forever. Not the last, though. Not the last."

PoI-3 has not been sighted since the anomaly began.

Addendum 2: Additional anomalous properties only came t o light during the documentation process. All measurements related to her must be conveyed in Imperial units first, though metric can be provided in parentheses. Also, both entities must be referred to with feminine singular pronouns, even when referring to both of her. Further research into this effect with languages lacking singular feminine pronouns is pending.

(I thought about adding interviews and testing logs, but I think you get the idea, and this had better get me like 500 notes from how much effort I put into it even without that)

[paingoes]

Rubies

Ungrateful

(Content: living weapon whumpee, illness, self loathing, conditioning, past abuse, implied child abuse, caretaker new master?)

He was starting to even out. Delta no longer felt the need to sleep all day, nor did he feel like he might lapse back into sickness. Apollo and Kitty gave him the space he needed, but he still saw them often enough. Their conversations were very limited. Delta still had trouble forcing himself to speak, so scared of triggering the wrong reaction. But so far they had been nothing but patient. This too felt strange and new.

When all their exchanges had been through a screen, it had been much easier to manage. They existed to him mostly in concept alone. Even when they’d sent videos, they still felt fictitious. He had understood them more as characters from a book than he did as real people. 

That same attitude was not sustainable in a three dimensional space. Those two were flesh and blood. Even with the new collar, Delta’s idle mode powers were higher than they had been in years. As ever, it was concerned with forms. It felt out the shape of the space around him with small pulses throughout the day. He could feel their hearts beating in their chest, the minutiae of their movements. 

Real people presented complications that fictional ones did not. A very, very old voice in his head already dictated how he was meant to feel about them.

They risked everything for you and you didn’t even say thank you. All you’ve done is hide out in your room and ignore them when they speak to you. You are ungrateful. You are disrespectful. It is an unacceptable way to act around your superiors. You should be on your knees. You should be begging for forgiveness for what you’ve done.

He did not know whose voice it was, but it sounded ancient. It sounded like it had come all the way from genesis. He wondered whether it had been there all along. Maybe he just hadn’t been able to make it out clearly before. Right now, without work to distract him, it had grown impossibly loud.

Ungrateful, venomous thing. Did you forget what you are? Did you forget who you belong to? Don’t you dare try to speak. You are an object. I don’t ever want to see you acting like that again. You are not a person. Get down. You do not exist for any reason but to serve your superiors’ needs. You will speak when you are spoken to and nothing more. You will obey their orders and do nothing else. If you forget your place, I will happily remind you of it.

Delta pulled the pillow over his head. The barrage was more or less continuous. Something about being in a new environment must have triggered it. He had already internalized most of what the voice said a long time ago. He knew that. But the constant reminders of his own ingratitude still made him feel awful. He knew it wasn’t right for him to be hiding out like this. He was scared and he was exhausted, but it wasn’t an excuse. He’d been trained better than that. He exhaled, rising up from the bed. He’d put it off long enough.

He found Apollo first. He’d been standing in the side room right by the kitchen. It had been his mother’s studio at one point, now it was just a space with good lighting and a usable surface. He’d been trying to clean it out when Delta walked in.

“Oh! Hi!” Apollo was pleasantly surprised to see him emerge from his room. The soft fabric of his poncho swayed around him when he moved. Little glimpses of golden jewelry were just visible in between the curls of his red hair. He gazed warmly at Delta, his eyes betraying nothing.

This was so fucking difficult. The easygoing way they acted around him only made him feel worse about his own indiscretions. It would have been better if they were angry; he’d have known what to do with that. The procedure was mostly the same, though.

Delta knelt down on the floor in front of him, ignoring the protest from his ribs. He bowed his head, stealing only a small glance upwards. Apollo’s expression was marked with concern. That was fine. It didn’t deter him.

“Thank you.” Delta’s voice was soft, but it was still the clearest Apollo had ever heard him speak aloud. “I didn’t say it yet. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Less was more. He wasn’t going to start rambling, even if he thought he was capable of it. He’d only say more if Apollo wanted him to, if he gave him permission to. Otherwise, he hoped his body language would speak for itself. 

Apollo looked really, really upset. He crossed the distance between them. Delta cringed back at the rapid movement, sure he was about to be hurt. But Apollo knelt down, pretty abruptly interrupting what Delta had been trying to convey. He reflexively flinched as Apollo took his shoulders, shaking him gently, “It’s okay. Of course. You don’t have to do that. I’m glad you’re okay, alright? But you don’t have to. It’s not like that.”

Delta stared back at him unblinkingly. Apollo seemed to gather himself, releasing his grip. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have touched you. You can stand up though. Don’t mention it.”

He offered a hand for Delta to rise. Though confused and self-conscious, he accepted. 

===========

He tried again with Kitty. She didn’t return to the house until later in the night. Delta waited until Apollo had gone to bed, not wanting to upset him any further. Kitty was collapsed against the couch as if she’d been running around all day. Her ears perked up as Delta approached.

“Hey! You’re awake!” She smiled cheerfully, kind of goofily. 

Delta wrung his hands, more nervous on this attempt than he had been for the previous. He knelt. The carpet of the living room was much softer than the hardwood of the study. Kitty tilted her head in confusion.

“Thank you for saving me.” His voice sank a little as the shame seeped into his words, “I’ve been acting ungrateful. I’m so sorry. Thank you.”

“Aw. It’s no problem, bud.” Kitty frowned a little as she leaned forward. “Do you wanna sit on the couch?”

Delta hesitated. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been allowed furniture in general; he’d had his own room. It was specifically that he was not allowed on furniture with other people. It gave the wrong idea; he was never supposed to be at their level.

“No, miss,” he responded. It was too much for one night.

“Okay.” Kitty shrugged. “Floor time, then.”

She slid down onto the carpet with him. He blinked in surprise. Very casually, she switched on the screen on the far wall, untangling her controller from beneath it.

“You wanna play?” She asked.

“Um. No, miss.” He shook his head.

“K.” She said. 

He watched as the screen came to life. Kitty’s tail swished from side to side as she focused in. It was a hypnotic movement. Hesitant and careful, in anticipation of being reprimanded for it, Delta unfolded himself into a more comfortable position. Kitty did not object.

He pulled his knees up to his chest. After a few minutes had passed, he’d gotten absorbed in the bright colors and motion of the game, almost forgetting where he was. He was kind of susceptible to things like that. He blinked back to reality, stealing a sidelong glance at Kitty. She was just as engrossed, not half as tense.

“Do you want me to stay here?” He asked. Like she might’ve forgotten he was there, like it wouldn’t go well once she noticed. 

“Do you want to?” Her voice was a bit hopeful, in ways he did not pick up on and was not yet capable of understanding.

He nodded mutely as he leaned back against the couch. He watched her play in silence, slowly adjusting to the presence of another body beside him. 

…….

tags:

@catnykit @snakebites-and-ink @vivulapom @scoundrelwithboba @whatwhump

@pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @fuckass1000 @fuckcapitalismasshole @defire

@micechomper

[heymeowmao]

2024.10.11 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321325088345679069341

[t/n: I swear I’m gonna skim it this time…] [t/n: his camera focus is FREAKING OUT]

1:33 LYN: It’s been a long time since I last streamed… and it seems like my equipment isn’t working properly. Something’s not syncing up. It won’t focus, so it’s all very blurry. But that’s nice, too, that you can’t see my face clearly. It’s a hazy/dreamy feel. - /testing the sound/video settings/ LYN: Is it vertical or a horizontal view still? /confirmed/ Vertical? Isn’t that high class? 🙂

3:58 LYN: (The focus) is probably because of these glasses. - takes them off and it does not fix the problem. LYN: It’s too blurry? Then next time we won’t use the vertical view. Maybe the angle with this isn’t right. It’s like everyone who’s watching has astigmatism. Even I can see/feel it. C: It’s because the carousel in the back keeps spinning. LYN: That’s the problem, huh? I’ll turn it off. It must be the carousel that’s the problem. I don’t care if it’s not, it’s going to take the blame for now. I’ll turn it off and see if it gets better. (It does not.) LYN: D: We falsely accused it. The focus has nothing to do with the carousel. This is getting annoying, though. Let me take the glasses off, too. I wanted to cover it because I don’t have any makeup today so my eyes look small. LYN: I didn’t think this would be so- It wasn’t the glasses, and it’s still not working. I didn’t plan well enough this time.

7:00 LYN: Let’s just leave it like this. You can hear me, so  have my voice keep you company. C: I can see your moles. LYN: You shut your mouth. Obviously it’s better that you can’t see clearly, because if it’s clear you can see my moles. It’s not a mole. You’re talking about here, right? (points to a spot on his face) I can’t believe you can see that. Can you see the hair growing on it, too? LYN: It’s not a mole/birthmark. You want to know what it is- /puts his glasses back on/ Let me cover it. The other day I went to get cosmetic surgery. I had lapse in judgement and did a procedure called “photorejuvenation (光子嫩肤).” I was thinking I could get my skin looking shiny and smooth, so I look younger. What an interesting procedure. While I was sitting there during the process I could smell something like burning pig hair. It hurt just a little. They use lasers to burn your skin a little. I’m sure my face was a little rougher to begin with so the technician grilled me a little longer. They ended up thoroughly cooking me and I… got a little burnt.

9:40 - tries to find a fixed position so that the camera will stay in focus. (it doesn’t work.) C: Your new equipment is no good. - Daimi starts barking up a storm LYN: See? Can you hear that? Your words have upset our female celebrity. She’s saying, “What are you talking about? Such nonsense?? What do you mean the equipment is no good?!” LYN: It was quite expensive for this, and now you’re telling me, “You’re new equipment is no good.” I can see the face your making through the screen. It’s not “no good”, I just haven’t adjusted it well enough. I thought I had it set, but it turns out this is much more of a headache than I thought. We’ll leave it. It doesn’t matter. C: Ning-ge, buy SONY. LYN: You’re here to advertise?? Are you from SONY, and have come to advertise your products? // I mean, I CAN but what would I do with the cameras that I already have? What am I going to do with them? My stream- oh my god… -/gets blurrier/ LYN: I’M gonna throw up. LYN: Let me take the glasses off, I think it’s better that way. It’s not the camera- there’s a reason why it won’t focus, that I just haven’t told you about. This camera is set to adjust according to a person’s eyes. It focuses based on your eyes. If I say it like that, do you understand what I’m implying? Are there any fast-thinking friends out there who understand what I’m trying to say here? Yeah. This camera auto- focuses based on where a person’s eyes are. Mm. What a piece of crap! - [t/n: his eyes are too small for the camera to focus on XD]

13:20 LYN: If it comes down to it, I CAN buy a different lens. I bought a new one just a few days ago, though. I was thinking about my stream and how I haven’t streamed for so long, so I wanted to give you a fresh new look. I went online and started looking for lenses using the search term: “what lens makes people look good?” There were all sorts of specifications. I ended up buying one with a summit angle? I don’t know- there might be people watching who know a lot more about this than I do. It’s said that people look best when shot at a 45°-85° degree angle. So I was thinking I would go hard and get one at an 85° angle. Because I don’t understand how it works, right? If they say people look good at 45-85°, then I’m thinking the one that will make me look the best is 85°. - in summary: it’s like a magnifying glass. the camera ended up only showing his nose, he never figured out how to adjust it. He wanted to return it, but the seller would not accept the return because the lens was already scratched from affixing it onto the camera. So he still has the lens and will probably try to raffle it off during a birthday stream. Or give it to his Studio so that they can make use of it.

18:55 C: Ning-ge, will you still enter a drama crew later this year? LYN: I’ve talked to you about this before. This industry is pretty cruel, and I don’t have any resources- even though people always say that I do. I WISH I did. But I don’t have resources, so I don’t have any work. I probably won’t be in another drama crew for the rest of the year. I’ve come back to being a Singer.

19:38 LYN: I was scrolling weibo and came across a post that read, “LYN’s new drama starts shooting.” I saw it and was dumbfounded. I thought to myself, “When did this happen? Who accepted a drama on my behalf?” Let me peacefully ‘pick my feet’ (idle). What drama do you want me in?? Let me rest. How’s this. If you see anyone making posts like that, make a comment saying, “Ning-ge wants you to contact his Studio. He wants to know what job this is. He wants to take it.” 

20:37 LYN: The thing is- you all know- I’ve been in Hengdian for the past four years, continuously shooting for dramas. I haven’t stopped. Even when I was acting as supporting characters, or made special appearances, I would still be part of that crew for four-five months. Even if it’s only 100-200 scenes, I would be there the whole time. I haven’t left Hengdian at all in the past four years. Think about it. You all know my schedule- I’ve been here for four years, it’s about time that I wanted to take a break and rest my mind. Because if you’re constantly filming you start to feel… numb. So I thought I would come back to being a singer, and release some songs, do some much-needed work on my album, and go on some music-varieties to come back into my singer-environment. LYN: Some of my friends are working hard right now. My return as a singer has them running haggard. Today it’s this stage and tomorrow it’s that song. The day after is an OST, and today is a livestream. I’ve got them running around so much I’m sure that they’re thinking, “LYN, why don’t you just go back to acting? Go back to shooting dramas. I’m dead tired.” Thank you, and you’ve worked hard.

22:50 C: Ning-ge, why don’t you put 这蔚蓝 (Azure) onto your album? LYN: It IS my song. It might not be on my album, but it’s already my song. It’s mine, so there’s not much meaning in putting onto my album. With my album I always want to bring you new songs.

24:17 - polling the group: (disregarding the focus) do you like vertical or horizontal view better? Consensus: both are good! (but he’ll buy a better lens for a vertical shot next time.)

25:50 C: You’re not in a drama crew, but you’re even busier. LYN: It’s actually not that bad for me. You’re the ones that are busier. // As a singer there are various music-related things, including stage performances. The stages I couldn’t go to before- because I was always in the crew and couldn’t ask for time away. But now I have time so if there are any events that invite me, I can go. If any varieties ask me if I could go help out- I mean- play, then I’ll go. I’ve returned to being a singer, and it’s nice. // I’ll attend some events so I can go see celebrities and take pictures with them.

28:00 LYN: I hope that no matter what drama airs- whether I have a little or a lot of scenes, or whatever the role may be, I hope that you can still watch the drama. Secondly, I hope that you can help maintain the drama and promote it in a positive direction. I hope that you can support it. Because in order to shoot one drama, I have to work for four months. The work may be difficult and tiring, but that’s normal. It’s really more of a painstaking effort on all parts. It’s every team’s effort. A drama’s success is not due to one or two people alone- it’s all the people who woke up early and stayed up late to help make it happen. So if you’re willing, please support the drama. LYN: It’s the same for every drama, but at the same time as one drama is airing, there are also countless of others. Honestly, we’re all competing for the same viewership and hoping to be your preference. I hope my fans can help to promote my dramas and support them. I don’t want you to get caught up in the rumors and ultimately bring harm to- I won’t call myself your “Ning-ge”, but- your friend’s work. 

30:57 - “It’s my fault. My eyes are too small.” - /troubleshooting the camera some more/

33:10 LYN: Is it better? Did it get better, friends? I don’t think it did- it still looks the same. 😐It’s BETTER, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, but at least it’s not making anyone dizzy. C: Ning-ge, turn on the big eyes filter. LYN: What are you talking about? The camera doesn’t recognize me, so you want me to use the big eyes filter to help it? Are you crazy?? The problem with that is the camera is looking at me in real life, it’s not looking at the me THROUGH the lens with an added filter. What type of logic is that?? 34:53 LYN: Excuse me- you’ve touched on a nerve. My eyes are the wound that cannot be touched. - /reminds him of a song/

35:55 C: Ning-ge, those glasses make you look old. LYN: Someone earlier said that I looked like I attend NTU (Nantong University- one of China’s best and top-rated Public universities.) I know they were kidding, but I was a little cheerful when I heard it. Friends, even though I myself am well aware that I’m old, hearing that compliment made me feel a sliver of cheerfulness in my heart. When you go outside and see someone clearly older than you- you must say that they look young. Then, whatever path you are taking will go smoothly. I used to work in a clothing shop- if an older lady entered the shop, I would always call them “jie.” At that time, I thought if I used one of three phrases: This makes you look thin/pale/young, then I would have a 60% successful buy rate. So even if they know you're telling a lie, if it makes the other person happy then they’re more likely to spend their money. XD

37:51 C: Why isn’t anyone commenting? LYN: You’re lagging. Why don’t you find someplace to connect to wifi? The screen is full of comments. LYN: You’re not in another stream, are you? Are you in another space/dimension? Are you watching my stream from a parallel universe? My stream is full of people but you can’t see any of them. You’re in a parallel universe. - /Daimi barking/ LYN: /to Daimi/ Be quiet! Shush.

38:40 C: Lao-da, I learned how to ride a horse. LYN: Congrats! But let me give you some advice. I always keep in mind this saying: “stubborn mouths will be beaten to death, and good swimmers can drown.” (one should be cautious and not boastful) It’s something my grandparents taught me. I won’t explain the first half, but the second- for someone like me who’s afraid of water and can’t swim- I will stay far away from rivers, lakes, and seas. If someone says, “Let’s go play in the water!” I will never go. So it’ll be difficult for me to drown. LYN: You said you know how to ride now. I shot a drama before, and they asked the actors, “Who knows how to ride already?” and I told them I didn’t know how. But they replied, “Huh? I thought I saw a video before- weren’t you riding very fluently?” I told them, “I don’t know how to ride, really. I was just going into it blind.” But there was a kid by me, who said that he knew how to ride very well and had been doing it since young. He fell from his horse. LYN: So- in regard to horseback riding, the reason why I am still afraid is because I am wary of each horse I meet. You have to keep your distance from these animals, because in the end it’s not YOUR horse. For example, if you go out and you see a dog. Would you just walk right up to it and pet it? You don’t know if it bites. It’s the same logic with a horse. It may be very happy to have been fed a carrot, but the next moment it can think you look like a carrot and want to eat you. So, you have to be cautious. Even if you think you know how to ride one now, you still have to be careful. Ride slowly. Safety is your priority. Ok?

42:08 - /reiterates that it’s useless to ask him about updates (air dates) on his dramas/ - TXJ was about to drop before he even recorded the OST for it, so he had to record it in a hurry. - Pretty much will record an OST for almost every drama he’s in.

43:44 - Comment asking him if he’s had any cosmetic surgery done LYN: I’ve asked the doctors before and they’ve just shaken their heads. “There’s no helping you.” XD C: Just slightly. LYN: Slightly WHERE? You need to tell me where I need to get the work done. I don’t really do much anyway- the only part I need to improve is my skin. I think the biggest problem on my face is that my eyes are small. The camera already told me, “Your eyes are too small, I can’t autofocus.” But if I get my eyes done, I feel like I’ll look like a whole different person so I just let it go. Everywhere else is… pretty acceptable. :) I have a nose, I have a mouth- they’re decent. I can’t say they look nice, but they’re acceptable. LYN: I remember there was some board that ranked artists based on their features alone. I had nose and mouth, but I didn’t have eyes. But among all those features, I was up in the ranks. Not first, but still high up. When the results were announced and they saw it was me they were dumbfounded. But I didn’t see the results in the eyes ranking, and I don’t want to know.

46:57 C: Is there still hope for a concert this year? LYN: Probably not. I asked the company I collaborate with the other day and they told me that I probably won’t be able to hold my concert this year because there are no venues. After I’m finished with my current business, I’ll start working on the plans for my concert. It’s time, and I SHOULD have one. I still owe you a stop from last time, too. I’ve owed you Wuhan for four years. My fans are really faithful, too- none of them have returned their ticket. They bought a ticket for a concert four years ago they never got to see, but still have not asked for a refund. LYN: But- I was lying in bed thinking about this- I’m sure that there are a bunch of people who bought tickets for that stop who have since stopped being my fan. More or less, I’m sure people have stopped being a fan. For example, if I had 8k sold out tickets at the time, I don’t believe that there wasn’t any loss among all 8k of you. There is no such probability. // It’s been four years since they bought the ticket and I’m sure that with all the amazing people debuting every year they’ve long since stopped being my fan. They could have gotten married and had children, and have stopped chasing stars. They could have started doing something else entirely. That’s all normal and expected. But the thing is- they never returned the ticket. They might be using this last ticket as… a show of decency towards me. That’s what I think, at least. I don’t know if they really feel that way, though. LYN: Friends- there’s another possibility. /setting up the bgm/ Another possibility for why it’s been four years but they have not returned the ticket, is because… they forgot. They forgot their account log in, or they forgot where they put the ticket. So... even now, they have not been returned. It’s possible that not only have they forgotten the ticket, they have also already forgotten me. That’s fine, then. Let us separate in this jianghu and bid one another well. Let us maintain this last bit of… decency. C: I’m gonna cry! C: Ning-ge, what if they watch this stream and then remember, and return the ticket? LYN: /laughs/ /stops/ They wouldn’t, right?! I just reminded them??

51:55 LYN: It’s possible that I’ll hold my concert next year. I remember someone earlier said, “Ning-ge, I’ll study well and when I get a scholarship I’ll come to see you.” Actually, you don’t need to do that. If you’ve won a scholarship, you can buy something for yourself, or your family members. You can use it to make your daily life that much more livable. Later when you’ve graduated and found a job, and have the ability to make money of your own- you can come to watch my concert then. You don’t need to rush. I can wait for you. LYN: But- it’s going to happen next year, so you can start filling your piggy banks with money. I think it’s quite fun. The first concert I watched- other than my own- was… Mao Buyi’s or Mayday? I forgot the order. Was it MBY? It must have been MBY first, then Mayday second. Last time, I was also a special guest for Zhang Bichen’s concert. After I went to her concert, I wanted to have my own. I just think that of having people line up and wait to enter the venue… when I saw that image I was touched. All these people have come for a singer that they like, like a big gathering. And a concert is a lot different than seeing people perform on a regular stage. I’ve been to all sorts of stages, and when you’re on stage singing, you sort of get the feeling like you’re just a performer. You’re only just a singer. I don’t know if describing it that way is the best. But at your own concert, around 70-80% of the people there are there for YOU. Even if you’re on stage and you tell a joke that’s maybe not very funny- everyone in the audience will still have fun. They’ll indulge you. LYN: They’ll be excited. I saw clip from someone else’s concert- for example, if they hate this artist’s company. The artist was thanking their company, and the audience members were shouting “Go out of business!” Or: Artist: “Thank you Sina Weibo.” Audience: THANK YOU!” LYN: They’re really enjoying it. I just think that having all these people here for you, to share your feelings and to be influenced by you- that sort of passion is something I really enjoy. LYN: That “Go out of business!” was louder than anything else. It was amusing. As a viewer myself, I could feel that the whole mood was really “high”. Very interesting.

57:30 C: Lao-da, you’re thinner. LYN: When I was an actor, I would think of scenarios on how to respond to you. But now as a singer whenever you say something to me, I can only think of one song: “Brother, you’ve gotten thinner. You look exhausted.” (lyrics to 兄弟抱一下) But really, I’ve not gotten thinner. I’m still the same, because I’ve been trying more or less to maintain this weight.

59:00 - /he’s trending, so he (and Daimi) thank the fans/

1:00:00 C: Ning-ge, for your concert, can you be your own organizer? LYN: You sure have some wild ambition. This is like going into a restaurant to eat hotpot, then coming out of it wanting to make your own hotpot shop. It’s like eating a dish and saying, “I can cook this, too!” If you walk into a clothing shop, you’d say, “I can make this, too!” If you buy a bag, you’ll say, “I can sew this, too.” There are things that you can’t do. If you see someone act in a drama, you’d say, “I can shoot that drama, too!” What I’m trying to get at is that there are professionals for a reason. Things aren’t as easy as you may think. LYN: I know someone has done it before, though. But even though I’m not the organizer I still have the authority to make decisions, because this is MY concert. I tell them how I want it to go and a whole team helps to make it happen. // It’s not like before, when I was singing by the side of the road. All I needed then was a laptop, two instrumentalists, and two boxes. - at least 10 stops, if not more

1:02:53 C: Lao-da, are your headphones on the wrong way? LYN: Are they? Whatever. But it’s written here- Left-Right. This is right (pointing at “L”). Oh? This is right?!? In the mirror image, this is “R”, so it’s on my right side. They’re flipped.

1:04:32 C: Where’s your hat? LYN: What do you mean?? Does my hair look bad today? Friends- you can monitor me- I used to not care about how I looked, but these days I’ve been taking special care about it. Today’s look is all about the “foolish boy at the village entrance.” There’s a character here. I’m not only a singer and an actor, but on normal days I also give myself a character. Today I am the foolish boy at the village entrance. The type whose family has a lot of land and money, but the child is not too bright. That’s me. - C: Lao-da, will you invite Zhang Bichen to your concert? LYN: I don’t know. I’ll have to see if she has time. If she does, then she’ll come. If she doesn’t, then forget it. We’ll see. - C: This type of person is just lacking the drool. LYN: What do you mean? Let me tell you- I can put this online and have you morally kidnapped. What- are you looking down on people whose intelligence is not very high? - C: Invite Xiao Qi-ge. (Ren Xianqi) LYN: We’ll see when the time comes. I probably will invite him, though. Honestly… I had invited him to the Wuhan stop, last time. We had just finished with WMDG and I invited him and he very nicely agreed to come. But… then it couldn’t happen. I will definitely invite him when I finally get this going. We even had the song picked out! We were going to sing 后来.

1:09:25 LYN: I’ve discovered that people really care about my face. Maybe it’s because I’ve been showing up a lot lately. Someone asked if I went to get double-eyelid surgery. My eyes have not changed- neither bigger nor smaller- so what would be the point if I HAD gotten the surgery?? Merely to add another wound? I haven’t gotten anything done. And ALSO- no one gets them cut anymore. I can tell you’re not in the business. Everyone nowadays does “mai xian” (bury thread). If you don’t like it you can take it out and redo it. If you want it this thick /measures with his fingers/ you can do that. Later when it’s not trendy anymore you can take that out and change it. Who uses knives, nowadays??

1:11:10 C: Can you play 阿楚姑娘 (A-Chu Guniang) next?  LYN: I can do that. Maybe I can do a reaction. That was fun. Hold on- let me see if I can make it happen. I don’t know if it will go on a vertical screen, but horizontal is usually fine. I can! LYN: This song is called 阿楚姑娘- I remember a long time ago that- no, forget it. I shouldn’t say. This ep was livestreamed, and I really like it because 1. it’s fun (you’ll feel nervous and excited), and 2. it’s fast. You just record the song then leave. LYN: I was really nervous singing this song. A lot of you may know that the hardest part of a male-female duet is the decision of key, because our ranges are different. Especially with Shila-laoshi. She’s amazing- her high notes are awesome and her technique is strong. But me? I can’t do high notes. I’m a mid-tone through and through. So it was difficult for us to pick a key. The first note especially- since we started in the female key- was hard to find. I look relaxed- with my eyes closed- but in reality I was listening for the beat. I was super nervous. It was a livestream, so if you sang badly it would be out there. The internet would give you an instant reaction. 1:16:42 LYN: That day- honestly speaking, I am not a very technical singer. There are singers with good technique, but I am not one of them. My technique is not very strong. I don’t even know what my strong points are. In any case, even though I do not use techniques I think my singing that day was pretty good. Of course, there were mistakes- there’s no way there are zero mistakes. Shila-laoshi had none, though. :) I was talking about myself. There are bound to be mistakes made, on my part. That section just now was okay though. - /comments on where he made a mistake/didn’t execute a note well/ LYN: Okay, that’s enough. “Emotional/Sensitive Boy” is done. I just thought that I hadn’t done as well as I had during rehearsals. It’s okay though- for a livestream, it’s enough to just make it through the song. 

1:19:55 - starts pointing out all the things that went wrong with 一路上有你 (You and Me On the Road) LYN: It’s not a difficult song, but- let me tell you about it. She (Ms.OOJA) sang very well- stable, in tune, and with technique. The tone of her voice is very nice. /pauses where he comes in/ Very low. I remember very clearly that the first time we rehearsed for this song, I couldn’t find the right key, which ate at me. It’s so LOW! I was dazed when I first heard it. Later I thought about it some more and was able to execute.

1:25:50 - doesn’t play 赤裸裸 bc there was a problem with the sound receiving. The fancam is fine, but on the broadcast version there’s a sound delay.

1:26:40 C: Do 这蔚蓝 (Azure). LYN: Nah. // It was a hard song. I won’t do a reaction, though. If it were me in the past I would, but now… I don’t dare to say anything. When I used to say things, it was as a joke or or entertainment. But now if you say one wrong thing and cross someone, it can become a huge problem. C: Ning-ge, then tell us secretly. LYN: Is this what you mean? If I say it in a small voice, then people won’t know- is that it? LYN: It’s nothing. I can do a reaction to it, I just don’t have any particularly strong impression. It’s normal. I liked it. Why don’t we do it? For fun. LYN: This song is difficult- to me. The key is a little high for me, then I use falsetto, then I have to come back and continue. It’s difficult for me to sing- I was under a lot of pressure. I look like I’m feeling the song but really I’m very nervous. You think the frown on my face is because my heart is full of melancholy, but it’s actually full of nerves. // When I close my eyes, I’m actually looking to the feeling. I have to separate myself from the world, leaving only me and the music. I have to close my eyes so I don’t see the masses of other people’s fans in the audience. I don’t want to see them picking their fingers- it’ll affect my performance. So I close my eyes to block out the rest of the world. But here comes the headache: when you close your eyes, you can no longer see the lyrics on the prompter. So I still have to open my eyes. - /narrates how he’s feeling/what he’s thinking during the rest of the song/ LYN: When I’m streaming, just listen to what I’m saying for entertainment. Please don’t take it seriously.

1:33:20 - /reaction to 你敢吗 (Do You Dare?)/ LYN: I wasn’t as nervous for this song, because it’s more or less in my comfort zone. LYN: When people are singing you have to do it with feeling. What you want to express with this type of song is the feeling. You have to enter a state of mind. If you sing it normally, It’d be like this: /soulless singing/. But for this song you have to enter a state of mind; when you’re singing, you’re actually brainwashing yourself. Deceive yourself. - /at the buildup/ LYN: Actually, I didn’t prepare well for this part. You didn’t hear it, did you? This part was too loose. In the previous part I wanted to find that loose feeling- it’s different from relaxed- that feeling that you’re really into the music and the emotion- the weariness towards life, that yearning/searching for light, that painstaking process. But for this line- I was too carefree in the previous part and the next thing I knew- the next line up was so long! I wasn’t prepared but I still took a secret breath. But at the end of the line I didn’t have enough breath left. Listen- // I didn’t have breath here, but with my years of stage experience, I timed my breath with the pause well enough that you couldn’t hear that there was a break. - /stops trying to explain himself, because he’s not “professional”/ LYN: To anyone watching my stream who has a profession in music- these are just my immature thoughts- I am not a professional/I am not learned in music. I learned how to cook. All of my understanding of music is just from years of personal experience, so I hope the professional musicians out there can… not pick on me. // Also- I am only commenting/judging myself.

1:40:58 --- Break #1

1:46:45 C: My dad says that you are a “kid with positive energy” LYN: Thank you, uncle. I AM a kid with positive energy. You’re right. C: My mom says you LOOK very positive energy. LYN: /laughs/ That sounds… complicated. I don’t know how to respond to that. What do you mean I LOOK very positive energy? What does that look like?

1:48:09 LYN: I came on tonight because it’s been a long time since I last streamed and I wanted to chat with you. If there’s anything you want to chat with me about, you can let me know. I’ve been on a lot of stages and everything lately- and even did some reaction video. When I get the chance I want to react to regular variety shows, too. It’s content, and I can watch a show with everyone. We can comment on celebrities and make snide remarks about LYN, etc. 1:48:57 C: Ning-ge, have you been on a travel variety? LYN: Hey, now that you mention it! If there’s an opportunity, I would go. 

1:49:14 C: Ge, can you buy a phone case for me? LYN: I can’t do that. For anyone who comes into my stream and starts wanting stuff from me- you can leave. Who asks for a prize for watching a stream? This reminds me of years ago when I was singing on the street. - /describes how some local shops would commission the Modern Bros to promote their shop/hand out items for them. People weren’t there to listen to him sing, they were there to collect the free things he was passing out./ LYN: As long as I held on to the items with one hand and the mic in the other, they couldn’t leave. (in the break between verses, he would hand them out again). C: Why does that sound so sad? LYN: I don’t think there’s anything sad about it. That’s just life. It was the normal life of a young man who wanted to pursue music. Sometimes- I’m not trying to complain- /stops playing Westlife bc it makes it sound pitying/ I’m willing to share this with you. I’m thankful for the experiences I went through. Including singing on the street, grilling corn, being a waiter, being an attendant in the bath house, selling clothes, and even starting my own stall. I think these are all good experiences. To the me now, they were good experiences. I’m sure that there are people out there now, who are going through what I did. These experiences were good for me because they let me see all sorts of things- human nature and how to make a living. These things gave me experience and motivation. Whether for my acting or singing, these experiences are of a great help. LYN: I don’t think it’s sad, because my situation has turned for the better now.

1:54:52 - 寻岸 (Search For Shore) [Dark Night and Dawn OST] LYN: Because I was working on my album, I had collected a bunch of demos and I quite liked this song. But I didn’t choose it at the time because I didn’t want my album to sound too depressing. I liked it, but not enough to put it on my album, but at the same time I REALLY liked it. I was conflicted. So of the two songs I had, I picked the other one to put onto my album, and let this one go. Later a drama reached out to me, asking me to sing the OST- and it was this song! What a coincidence! // Originally, I would have spent money to make my album, but with this job I’m actually making money! What a happy coincidence. So I gladly sang this OST for them. C: It was meant to be yours. LYN: Yes. You get that feeling sometimes, once you hear it you’ll think “this sounds like mine.” - /shows off his new filters/ - /broke his camera’s focus again X’D/

2:02:23 C: This is too funny. My cheeks hurt. LYN: Such an amazing performance and you think it was funny?? What artists’ stream does this to them? Is there ANY normal artist out there who does this? You think it’s funny? Shouldn’t you be thinking that it’s amazing?? Isn’t this too wonderful??? Shouldn’t you be clapping for me??!! LYN: Your words are making me think that I am just a clown. C: You’re not a clown, you’re handsome (xiao shuai). LYN: /meme/ Pay attention, this man is called “xiao shuai”-

2:03:58 C: Ning-ge, that line “Woman, you’re playing with fire”- did you add that in yourself? LYN: You saw the ZLYM trailer and are now asking me if I added that line in? I don’t dare to respond! People are going to start saying that I added scenes for myself. I can’t take more of that. LYN: Now when I’m acting, sometimes I can have an improvised response, but I don’t dare to say them out loud. I don’t want someone to grab the script later and say, “That line wasn’t in there. LYN, you’re adding scenes for yourself now?? You must have resources backing you, and that’s why you have the gall to add your own scenes.” It’s a trauma for me now. LYN: But I did actually add that line. You might think it’s unreasonable or incongruous now, but when you’re watching the drama you’ll see that it fits.

2:06:00 LYN: I’m joking. I’m not adding scenes, but- I don’t know when it started that you have to follow the script strictly. When actors are on the scene, all of us will improvise sometimes. There’s no way we can stick to the script 100%. Actors have their own understanding and expression, and are able to play with improv. A lot of drama interactions are not scripted- but based off our interactions with each other; they’re all created with director’s input, though. I was joking when I said that I don’t dare to add scenes for myself, because actually it has nothing to do with that. As long as I act my own role well, I don’t care about much else. Because it’s not something I can influence either way. The only thing I can do is play my own part, and if I have any ideas I will bring it up with the director. After getting permission, then I actually express them. All of my ideas are to better fulfill my role. As an actor, you need to find ways for the audience to remember you. // I don’t want to talk about this in too much detail, because I don’t understand it (not learned). It’s just things that I have observed after these many years of filming. - /talks about a time a director wanted him to act- “There are no lines for this scenes. Just sit here. You’re drinking. You can chat about whatever you want to.” and how the last time he felt like this was with SYXSSYX when Li Muge (director) wanted him to act a scene three different ways. You have to use your understanding of the character to act instinctually./ - /thinks this is fun for lesser known actors, though. he prefers that the director or acting partner allows space for creativity and improv., because he has a quicker reaction time and his automatic responses can be fun and more accurate/real than what’s scripted./

2:10:40 LYN: Friends, have you noticed that there are rules for awards ceremonies, now? They don’t want you to say “fans”, you have to say “song appreciators.”

2:12:00 C: Why is there a scar on your chest? LYN: How do you know there’s a scar on my chest?? Were you the doctor that gave me my physical? LYN: Oh, I know- that time I took a pic with Shila and my collar was a little wide, so you saw a spot on my chest. Well, since you already know about it I might as well tell you. Many of you have discovered that there is a so-called “scar” on my chest. The truth is- this is a long story. I’ll make it short. Some people think it’s a birthmark, but it’s not. /exaggerating/ I really don’t want to recall this experience, it hurts too much. Birthmark… Someone else’s pain comes out of your mouth as just a simple “birthmark.” That’s so shallow! This event happened about a month ago. I woke up one day and I don’t know why, but I really wanted to eat hotpot. - /tldr; he ended up getting a blister (?)  that wouldn’t go away and has now reduced to a dark colored spot/ 2:17:58 - /discussing the position of the blister(?), and why it grew on his chest when usually they appear on the butt./ - (in summary) LYN: Are we really going to go there? Or should we discuss- from a medical understanding/perspective? And if we really do discuss this, would it affect my market value? 2:19:55 - /afraid that there are new fans who have come into the stream because he looks like an interesting person in interviews and during his dramas, but they listen to the stream and find him talking about weird medical stuff instead./ C: Then you’ll have gained a fan because of it. LYN: You must be sick! You have nothing else to be a fan of, so you become a fan of a blister?? - /confesses that though he found it disgusting at first, he got addicted to watching ear-cleaning videos… and blackhead plucking videos. >.> As well as carpet cleaning, and restoration videos (slightly more normal territory)./ - doesn’t watch ocean-catching, because he grew up by a river and has done it himself. - will watch hoof trimming videos, but not human callous removal ones - not interested in watching mukbangs.

2:25:25 - actually, wants to be a content creator. if you do it right, you can make a lot of money. C: You can be the type that roasts people/things. LYN: I was roasted myself not too long ago… They get really high views, though. MY highest viewed video doesn’t even reach the highest view count from a video roasting me. It doesn’t really have to be very professional, either- the video’s can look this like: /pulls up some filters/ “Where does LYN find the courage to shoot historical dramas? How is he even qualified to work opposite these actors??” LYN: I was disappointed with the app, so I barely even open it anymore. 2:27:30 LYN: But something fun is that I used to watch those reaction videos, of people’s complaints about dramas/the actors. “This script is unreasonable” or “this actor didn’t do a good job”- I would watch those videos secretly. I didn’t dare to watch them out in the open. I was afraid my friends would find out and break ties with me. Sometimes when I watched videos of them roasting my friends, I would be watching seriously. Not to make fun of them (!); because I understand my friends. But who would have thought that starting last year the main star in these videos would become myself. It’s an interesting feeling. LYN: There were some uploaders, whose videos I would watch according to their upload schedule. That week I continuously kept seeing myself. In a fit, I blocked them all. I had even given them money before! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!! // I started on this app to find happiness. I have a membership! I PAID for this?! LYN: I’m joking. Please don’t take it seriously. Honestly, most of these creators rely on ad revenue to make money. Yet others can be bought and commissioned to make controversial videos. I found about this fairly recently. One of my friend’s drama was airing, and it was being terribly ridiculed. The company thought they could contact some creators and pay them to create more positive videos of the drama. These creators have some morals, and said that they would only accept a fraction of the pay. Because they had already accepted money to create the negative videos in the first place, they would not accept money to now create a positive video which would essentially slap themselves in the face. In the end there weren’t any creators who made more positive videos of the drama later. LYN: It’s interesting and there was a time I thought it would be fun if I was also in that line of business. At the very least, there are people with morality who follow the rules. If you accept one side’s money, you do not accept the opposing side’s as well. Unlike some paparazzi, who sell a set of photos to a fan then later sell the same photos to another one. There’s no morality in that.

2:32:15 C: Ning-ge, how is the album coming along? LYN: It’s the same as it has been. That is- it’s almost finished. Very soon! It’s always the two words, “very soon”! I’m working on it. I’ve been on a music variety program lately- as you all know- if you watch you can tell that picking a song in this industry is a difficult thing to do. The songwriters who were even able to be ON the show are already very amazing. They’re already known in the industry. I’ve worked with most of them before, and will ask them for songs. When they send something over, it doesn’t mean that the song isn’t good, just that the song doesn’t suit me. I still have to release songs that I like, after all. You can’t just tell me to record and release a song that I don’t even like. It’s hard for me to find one that I like, and when I do I’ll keep it and sing it. C: What are you recording? LYN: Songs from my album- some that I’ve collaborated with others on, and OSTs mostly. C: How many songs are you still lacking? LYN: Two. I recorded one, but still need two more. I asked a friend the other day for a song and I’m considering it. I’m hesitating. But it’s no problem. It’ll be quick. LYN: You all still have songs to listen to, right? I’ve been releasing OSTs. For all the dramas that will be airing in the near future- I’ve pretty much sung an OST for all of them. That includes ZLYM, and also.. I think Fangs of Fortune is airing? I don’t know anything officially- I just know what I see on the internet. I also get my news from yxh accounts. I find out when my own dramas are airing from yxh, too. C: When is ZLYM airing? LYN: I don’t remember. Why don’t you go look it up? I don’t know, either- I also find out through yxh.

2:25:20 - replies to a comment on cutting his hair- it’s “to make me look younger” - won’t stream for too long, just wants to chat and test his new equipment; mentions he should either adjust the settings or find different equipment for the stream. LYN: I used the search term: “lighting and equipment for a visual male streamer” /laughs/. I’m joking. I just looked up “(livestream) equipment” but there was an article for tips on lighting for a male streamer, so I clicked in to secretly learn. Then I bought a bunch of lights and stuff. But now I’m realizing it doesn’t really work. C: Ning-ge, there are people who can adjust the settings for you. LYN: Me? If they adjust my settings for me- wouldn’t they recognize me?? Or you want me to wear a mask- the Spiderman mask- for them to adjust to that they won’t recognize me? But that would defeat the purpose of an adjustment. C: Turn on a filter. LYN: What’s the point, then?? - /likens it to when you’re on stage and the sound technicians want to adjust your mic and sound settings, but instead of speaking normally, you’re quacking like a duck./

2:39:16 C: I really like the drama with you and Tao-jie, Be Your Own Light. LYN: Thank you. I didn’t have very many scenes, but I did enjoy shooting them. I gained a lot from that drama. It was my first proper modern drama. Shooting with all the laoshi you can really learn a lot! Tao-jie took good care of me, and we get along well. That’s why during the promotions and livestream we were able to make jokes with each other. C: Will you accept scripts for modern dramas? LYN: Of course. But for right now I want to come back to being a singer. My own thinking is that as soon as two more of my dramas start airing, I will start with acting again. Right now is a good time for me to come back to being a singer, because I still have a lot of my “song appreciators” out there.  C: What will your next drama be? LYN: I have accepted any yet! I have scripts but I haven’t looked through them. I’ll leave it for now, and look at the scripts when I have some time. If there are any suitable dramas for me among them, then I’ll start making arrangements. I want to be a singer now, though. I want to work on being a streamer, too. I want to be able to sing when I have time, act, and also stream a little on the side.

2:42:20 C: Ning-ge, you’re dazzling when you’re on the stage. LYN: You mean that now I’m just average? I’m not very shiny right now? What about if I turn on a filter? Do I look a little brilliant now? - /playing with filters/ - Fall in Love - /ends up with a… “soaking in water” filter, LOL/

2:47:40 -- break #2

2:53:35 LYN: I just remembered I bought something that I haven’t shown off to you yet. Hold on a second… - /comes back with a zootopia nick wilde hat on/ 2:55:53 LYN: Hello, children! // Oh, my goodness! What are you doing? LYN: I had bought the bunny hat, and this one. The last time I went to Disney, I didn’t buy them. I cant remember if they were out of stock, or what. But I went again this time so I bought them. - /chatting about having fun and relaxing at the park/ C: You must have been tired from taking photos with everyone. LYN: That part was okay. I was more worried about blocking the foot-traffic and affecting other people’s time in the park. I’m not saying I’m a big celebrity or anything- the fact that people want to take pictures with me means that at least they think I’m worthy of it. If you want to take a picture with me, that’s no problem. The thing is though, no matter how big of a celebrity you are, inside the park there’s no way you’ll be more popular than Minnie Mouse. Can you be as popular as Donald Duck? Right? So I didn’t want to make myself out like some hotshot celebrity, and make a ruckus while taking photos with people in the park. You SHOULD be taking photos with LinaBell. Who am I?? LYN: Since you wanted to, I took some photos. But for the most part I just wanted to walk around. You kept coming in waves, and honestly that did make me want to run away. That’s why I ended up not having as much fun, so I left. C: You didn’t have fun? LYN: It has nothing to do with “fun.” I mean- there’s really not much to do after you’ve been on the rides once. Mainly I go just to walk around and be surrounded by the happy and excited atmosphere. I’m there the relax, not to have fun. Something simple like walking around and eating a popsicle made me happy. C: Ning-ge, next time go secretly. LYN: Did I announce it to anyone this time around or something?? Did I post a weibo to someone, saying that I was going? I didn’t.

3:01:00 - /talks about the Wuhan concert stop. He’ll prob do two stops- one for the show he owes (2019), and one for the new tour./ LYN: I discussed this earlier, didn’t I? All the tickets for that stop had sold, but by now I’m sure that many of those people have stopped being my fan or forgotten. This time when I hold the stop I owe, all the tickets will be sold out but there will only be 100 people in the audience. X’D That’d be pretty funny, actually. C: Ning-ge, can I get in without a ticket? LYN: I don’t know what you mean. Are you trying to play the pity card with me? “Ning-ge, I’m a student. I don’t have a ticket, but can I watch your concert?” You’re like those customers who try to haggle down something that’s being sold for $5k down to $500 because “I’m a student”. I don’t know if that’s doable. Usually when I watch a concert, I have to show a ticket. How about this- why don’t you go to the entrance and try it? Tell the office that you don’t have a ticket but you want to watch the concert, so will they let you in? I’m not watching the doors, so you’ll have to ask one of the employees. I don’t really know. C: I’ll be watching the front door- can I go watch? LYN: You mean that you’re the person checking the tickets? But if you come in to watch the concert, who will be watching the doors?! With no one watching the doors, ANYONE can come in.

3:04:30 C: It’s okay, I still have some hair. You can pull it. LYN: What does this mean? Actually what you want to say is, “It’s okay, Ning-ge. Hold your concert. I have some money left in my pocket, and can buy a ticket to support you.” It’s actually a good thing. But they’re want to burden me with the way they phrased it. It seems like you want to be a talk show actor. // So another way of saying it is that because I decided to hold a concert, I’m over here pulling your hair? (like it’s his fault) This burden… this doesn’t sound like a joke. That is- it’s not a very funny comment. LYN: My fans should all know that I’m cool. I don’t really want to pull your hair, and I wouldn’t find it polite to do so. That’s why most of the time my songs are all free, and why I don’t accept business proposals and all that complicated stuff. 

3:06:50 C: Ning-ge, how about this. If I can’t or am unable to buy a ticket, sing louder. That way I can hear from outside the stadium. LYN: If they let me, I can do that. As long as it doesn’t disturb the public, I could  connect to speakers on the outside. You can stand outside and “watch”- that’s okay with me. As long as it’s allowed. But I don’t think it will be allowed. If it were a sports venue with an open top, that would probably be okay. The problem is that mine will probably be held in a closed venue. It’s sealed and soundproof. C: Ning-ge, I’m a college student and wiling to go be a volunteer. LYN: I’m not in charge of outsourcing, so there’s no point in telling me that.

3:07:50 C: Ning-ge, do you like watching talkshows? LYN: I haven’t ever seen one live, but I’ve come across clips online. 

3:08:27 C: I’ll go dance for you. LYN: Um… I want to tell you something, and it’s not because I’m looking down on you- let me take my glasses off so I can tell you seriously- I’m not looking down on you, nor do I think you’re not worthy to dance for me. That’s not it. It’s because I have to sell tickets for this performance. Stage setting, sound, etc. These are things people are paying to see. It’s not a joke, and not just a fun dance in the square. I’m not just setting up a pair of speakers in a courtyard and dancing. It’s not the same level. You can dance for me, but you’d have to be a professional dancer. LYN: Or, how about you attend my concert, and you can dance from your seat? Only the hands. Just don’t stand up, or the security guards might kick you out. You can sit off the stage (in the seats) and dance. Okay?

3:10:10 C: Is there a discount for students? LYN: I don’t know about the concert ticket, but you can probably get a discount on the train ticket. I’m not sure, because I’ve never had a student certification. I’ve never used one, so I don’t know.  Because I went to school in the same place, and I didn’t go to college.

3:11:00 C: A four-sided stage! LYN: I went to ZBC’s concert and sang on her four-sided stage. I think the good thing is that… You can see from anywhere, and there are more front row seats. :) That means I can sell more of the more expensive front-row tickets. I’m joking. What I wanted to say is that all four sides have a “front row.” In a normal concert there’s only the one front-facing row of front-row seats. You’d be missing out on selling those tickets because there aren’t enough seats. That’s a joke, okay? LYN: The good thing is that the distance is closer- you can be closer to more people. I don’t know what the bad thing would be... I just wasn’t used to it. I went to- to cameo. What am I, acting? I went to be a special guest and I felt like I had to keep moving around. I was going from here to there and back- just wandering around the whole time. I’m just not used to it. We’ll see if I ever hold one like that, but for now I don’t think I can accept it. If singing doesn’t make me tired, walking across the stage will. The stages that extend into the crowd are okay, but if it’s just four-sided and there’s nothing to do but walk around- like shopping- I wouldn’t be accustomed to it. I still need a big screen for a background, so it can show things. 

- /he’ll be tearing off his shirt when he’s 60, like he promised. right now he’s making enough money to buy the shirts./ - /daimi just ate, so he’ll show us her later./ - /was going to talk about the music festival but… doesn’t know/doesn’t dare to say anything/

3:16:05 C: Ning-ge, didn’t you say you would go on music varieties often? LYN: Music varieties are actually hard. The hardest part- especially for music variety shows- is to seek investment/funding. Many shows have come for me the past two years; but if they don’t have the funding they’re never going to take off. If you think about it, there haven’t been many music variety shows lately. I was on WMDG, which is DragonTV but they’re and old customer/frequently worked with. The other one I’m on is Melody Journey, which is also very good. I’m not saying that because I already recorded with them and now I need to shower my praises. It’s because they’re doing something I think is really meaningful. The cast is great- objectively speaking, and excluding myself- they’re well-known in the industry and have their own representative works. The singer-songwriters are also well-known! I don’t mean to criticize or compare, but you’ll notice that in most of the other shows we’re only just singing covers. There hasn’t been a program for original music in many years. There hasn’t been a way to show off new music in quite some time, unlike how with the short content media where one old song becomes popular, played over and over for a week or half a month, then blows over again. A show for original content is rare and risky. As a singer, the fact that such a program exists, is meaningful and it takes a lot of courage to pull off. LYN: With covers, the song already has a base popularity. Just like with novels. If you buy the rights for an already popular novel- hold on, why did I bring acting into this? The thing is if you find an already popular song to cover, everyone would have already heard it. But with original music, they’re all NEW songs and it’s the first time people are hearing them. If they’re good, great! If they’re not good, you’ll never hear it again. Even if a song isn’t that good, once it’s made it to the short video platform and you listen to it on repeat for a few loops you might even start to like it. I just think that a show like this is very meaningful. 

3:20:30 C: You’ll be singing 偷心 tomorrow. LYN: Who told you that? Don’t make assumptions about my stage performances. LYN: I’ll be singing this song tomorrow- 奇妙惊喜 (Magical Surprise). That’s why I’m listening to it now- so I can practice. C: They already released a video of the rehearsal. LYN: I know. That’s only a portion. Actually I’m singing 18 songs tomorrow and that’s one of them.

3:21:38 C: Does the Liu Group Business Empire have more episodes? LYN: You like to hear me tell stories? There are no more episodes. LYN: You’re just a normal person, so don’t even think about trying to make any connections with the Liu Group. /slap/

3:22:20 C: Ning-ge, did you change your headphones? LYN: Wow, your attention to detail is amazing. These are such big headphones- can you not tell that they’re new? I feel like I’m dressed for winter! (wearing earmuffs) C: Your stage earbuds. LYN: You’re so attentive, you even know about that? I went to record for a program and brought a sound technician with me, who asked me what type of earbuds I was using. I told them which ones I was using (from before), and they let me know that there’s a new model out and let me try theirs. They had just received them from abroad, and would let me borrow them. So I tried them, and I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad. But I figured I’d been using the old pair for six years and it was about time to change. So I told them I would use theirs for the show and to become accustomed to them. Later, I asked them to buy a pair for me. At first they wanted to gift me theirs, but I told them not to because they’re expensive. So, I changed my earbuds. The new ones are more suited to live shows. C: What about the in-ears? LYN: I didn’t buy customized in-ears. Because then you’d need to get a kit and take a mold of your ear, then send it back to America to be made and sent back. I just bought a standard pair- just like one you would normally use, with the universal large or small. It’s all good- there’s not much of a difference. 3:25:40 C: Why are you wearing headphones to livestream? LYN: For appearances. Actually, there’s no sound coming from them. 1. For appearances and 2. My house is cold, so I’m wearing them to warm my ears. LYN: Kidding! Some of you my not know, so let me explain. With the headphones, I can hear myself talk and also the music. Everything you hear- is what I hear. I can monitor with these, as I need to hear what I’m saying. Sometimes I’ll sing, and instead of going through the trouble to set up a pair of speakers here, I can just listen to the track through my headphones instead. Before, I was wearing the earbuds and it was the same thing.

3:27:00 - /figuring out how long he’s streamed for, and how much longer/ LYN: Honestly it’s been a long time since I streamed last, and I’m not really in the right mood for it. I hope for your understanding, and when I’m in the mood I will come to stream again and we’ll have proper fun. // I just feel like I’m slow in thinking and I also don’t dare to say as much anymore. One of the things is that my drama is about to air soon, and I don’t want to say anything “explosive” that will negatively affect my work. So I’m trying to control myself, otherwise I might say something you might take offense to and then I’ll be in trouble again. I’ll give you an example, you may or may not understand: Let’s say there’s this thing- and I comment that LYN is ugly. If the thing comes true, it has nothing to do with me, because LYN is ugly. If it doesn’t come true, it DOES have to do with me, because LYN is ugly. I don’t want to take the blame, whether it’s a success or not.

3:30:15 C: Are you in Hengdian? LYN: I’m… (in Hengdian) in Beijing. Why? Do you want to come over and hit me? C: I’ll go ambush you tomorrow. Watch yourself. LYN: The internet isn’t a lawless place. If I report you, please undertand me. You can insult me, but you can’t threaten me.

3:31:35 C: Ning-ge, could you act as the big bad villain? LYN: /amused/ Because I don’t look like a good person, or what? If I act as a good Samaritan, it looks out of place?? Wasn’t there someone earlier whose dad said I looked like a person with positive energy??? Or was it their mom? And now you want me to act as a villain.

3:32:45 C: Ning-ge, I want to see you act in a comedy. LYN: That’s too hard. It’s the most difficult… So.. If there’s a chance, I guess. Let me hone my skills more, let me learn more. I will never think I’m good enough. LYN: Let me tell you, there’s this way of thinking- it’s also what I tell myself- I think people- no, I shouldn’t say this. I’ll tell you later.

3:33:33 C: What’s good to eat in Zhejiang? LYN: How would I know?? I don’t know. Why don’t you go to a public forum and look it up? Download a tourism app or something. Why would I know- I’m not from Zhejiang. I’m from Liaoning, Dandong. I’ve only ever been in Hengdian, and it’s just a town/city. - /but: transportation and delivery are fast, and restaurants are opened by people from all over. so you can get whatever you want whenever you want./

3:34:55 C: Can you talk about Melody Journey? LYN: I did earlier, didn’t I? It’s great. Normally we split into two parts for recording- first half on site with all the guests, and then the second half for performances we’ll go to Macau. C: Will there be a second season? LYN: I think so, because it’s a great program. Jiangsu is good at making music-varieties. But it’s really hard to say. This is like when people ask me if there’ll be a season 3 for KSTLB. If a program has enough funds/investors then any of them can come to fruition. So, to the person who asked this question, please work hard to create a business that’s as good as the Liu Group’s Business Empire. Then, you can invest as you wish. Just invest in whatever you want to watch. Okay? So study well and work hard. I hope that one day you can have a business empire as impressive as the Liu Group’s. 

3:36:40 C: Lao-da, when I have money I’ll ask you to be my producer. LYN: So what you mean is that you don’t think I’m suited for acting? /laughs/ I’m joking! LYN: You want me to be the producer so I can call the shots and pick my own director and actors? That’ll work. I hope you make a lot of money and when that time comes I’ll work for you.

3:27:15 C: Can you improve your acting a little? LYN: I’ve always been working on it! I’m always learning. My progress is already pretty quick, considering I’m just a cook. I know that the audience has no reason to wait for me, but I really am trying- learning how to perform and say my lines. I’m working hard on it. I don’t like to say anything about it, because I think that telling people that “I’m working so hard” is.. (pretentious). This friend, if you watch every one of my dramas, you’ll discover that I am improving over time. You can watch them, okay? My performance in later dramas is much different than in the beginning. I’ve started to act… randomly. That’s a joke!! I can’t tell you any nonsense with this. I DO improve in my later dramas, so I hope you can continue to follow me. I’m not like what you’ve seen before. 

3:38:40 LYN: But sometimes actors… /thinks about not finishing his thought/ Actors aren’t the most important part of the crew. Because there are a lot of things we don’t even have a say in- wardrobe, makeup, props. The only thing you can do anything with are the lines you’re given. There’s nothing I- at this point in my career- can do about it. I can’t influence what’s written in the script. LYN: Also, I’m the one being chosen, so I’m not that great. That’s why I hope you can make a lot of money so that I can be a producer instead. Jiayou. Work on your business empire. 3:40:30 C: Ning-ge, if someone invests and makes you a producer, can you let me act? LYN: You want to be a celebrity? Let me ask you something first- can you bear getting yelled at? The first thing you have to do is have a strong mental fortitude in order to work in this industry. All other data comes after. The first step to getting in this door is whether or not you can withstand being yelled at. You can say, “I have a thick skin. I can take it.” It’s nothing like what you’re thinking. It’s not just curse words. If it were, then I’d be more than ok.

3:42:10 C: Can you say anything about the SJYM trailer? LYN: I think it’s good, right? You all saw it. There’s not much else to say, because if I say more I would be spoiling the drama. It’s just a story about transmigrating into a script and it’s a bit… satirical. It plays on a lot of drama tropes. LYN: I’m sure a lot of of you have seen historical dramas, and particularly historical-idol dramas. For example when the FL is in danger, then the ML will always pop out of nowhere to save her. There are a few methods of saving her but one of them is: Grab them by the waist and turn in the air, time freezes. The FL is looking at the ML, and the ML looks determinedly ahead. In that moment, she’s reeled in and the plot begins. There are always these types of scenes, and every drama has it. The whole “hero saves the beauty” trope. Honestly, and I’ve said this before, we’ve been doing television dramas for such a long time now- is there anything we HAVEN’T seen yet? That’s something a director’s also told me. The only thing that changes is how it’s executed. C: What hasn’t been filmed before? LYN: I will amend my earlier comment to say, “Is there anything we haven’t seen yet, *that can even be filmed in the first place.” Now we have a limit. Is there anything that’s ALLOWED that we haven’t seen yet? We’ve seen it all. LYN: I’ve also done guzhuang dramas, so I know- most of them all have a lantern festival. It’s either Mid-Autumn Festival or Spring/Lantern Festival. There’s always lanterns. I guess people in old time’s only entertainment was to look at lanterns. But every drama has it. - /also: water lanterns, tanghulu, scenes were there’s an imminent execution but someone stops it at the last minute, etc./ LYN: The point of this drama is to play on all of these tropes and flip the script.  - /discusses more examples: tournaments to win the lady’s hand in marriage (he forgot he had to do this with Hao Du); when the FL/ML jump off a cliff but they never die (but no one cares about supporting roles)- there’s either a river or some hidden martial arts skill, a tree branch, or they’re saved by someone/

3:49:48 C: ML/FL don’t die if they get shot with an arrow. LYN: Not necessarily, it depends on what episode. Whether the ML/FL die by getting shot with an arrow depends on how many episodes in you are. If it’s a 40 episode drama and the ML gets shot in e39, he might die. If it’s e15 and the ML looks like a porcupine, he’s still not going to die. But if you get shot in e39, ML is likely going to die, based on plot progression alone. It has nothing to do with the ML/FL themselves at this point. The other possibility is that you don’t die directly from getting shot, but it leaves a lasting wound that leads to a later cause of death. It’s an indirect cause of death. But if it’s the earlier eps, forget about getting shot- even if the ML’s lost an arm, he’ll still find a way to grow one back. LYN: As an actor myself, the move I use the most is this- /holds his left shoulder./ I just don’t know what it is with this left chest. The arrow is always shot here. You may not have noticed it, but think back on the dramas you’ve watched- the ML is usually always shot on the left. Why there? First- it can make the ML bare-chested. If they get shot in the belly-button, then it’s difficult to film. How are you supposed to film there? You’ll pull their intestines out. Middle of the chest also doesn’t look good. It has to be above the heart but below the collarbone- there’s some cartilage and can be pierced through. Once the clothes are off you can show off the chest, and abs if you have them. After spraying some water, to make it seem like it hurts so much he’s sweating, you can let it run down the body- it serves to please the audience. LYN: Another thing is- it’s easier to perform. Using your right hand to cover your left shoulder is a smoother motion. If you use your left hand to cover your right chest- unless you’re left-handed- it’s awkward. If you’re shot in the shoulder, you’re going to look for something to hold on to for support. If you support yourself with your left hand it can be a little awkward. You can go think about it. People rarely ever get shot in the butt. Some comedies might have it, I suppose. But in general, the ML always gets shot in the left shoulder. You can think about all the dramas you’ve watched. C: Lao-da, you can do one where you get shot in the butt. LYN: … /sigh/ What’s wrong with you? C: /comments about getting shot in the stomach./ LYN: Yes, people do get shot in the stomach, but not in the belly-button, like I said earlier! How good must your aim be to accomplish that?!? They get shot or grazed in the side. - LYN: For knives- let me tell you. Knife wounds are usually here on the arm, shoulder, or side. These three places are the easiest to acquire knife wounds. On the back yes, but rarely. Almost never on the head. Legs are few, too. Legs get shot with arrows. In the knee, mostly. I’m not saying it never happens, but that mostly the wounds are on the upper half of the body. As an actor- if you get shot in the thigh or something, for the next five or six scenes you’ll have to walk with a limp and that doesn’t look good. They can’t walk gracefully and the hair won’t be flowing in the wind, like that. So legs wounds are rare, but if you do get hurt there you can lie on a bed for a few days and then you’re all healed. But a leg wound, where you still have to walk on it?? I already experienced that when I broke my foot, didn’t I? (YNGS) Most wounds are on the upper half so that filming later on is easier.

- /! Talks about a character in ZLYM (Kang Ju), who walks with a cane and has a limp, but has very good fighting skills and the cane is also a sword. There’s one scene where the group is supposed to chase after bad guys, but it suddenly occurred to LYN, “How is he supposed to run??” How does that look on camera?/ C: On a wire. LYN: … Wouldn’t it be better if we just had a wooden wheelchair and then pushed him with us?

- /used to share stories from set more, but nowadays doesn’t want to give anyone an excuse to find a loophole/cause for ridicule/

4:03:02 C: Is there a character who’s been with the ML from the start, but it turns out that in the end they were the villain all along? LYN: There are. In YNGS… /pauses to think about it/ In YNGS there was someone who was with me until the end- Ding Hui- do you remember him? In the very first drafts of the script he was a mole. But then- never mind. These roles exist, though. In any case, it was changed later. Not by me! I don’t have that kind of power. 4:04:33 C: ZBF’s senior brother. LYN: You could probably already tell in the beginning eps that he was a villain. From the first moment we saw him, we already knew. It’s not like he was acting like a good guy the whole time, only to find out he was bad in the end. He doesn’t count. C: I was waiting for him to turn good.

LYN: Let me see what time it is. It’s time, friends. I’ve been streaming for 4 hours now. If you haven’t yet subscribed to my weibo, please do so. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. Thank you for watching my stream today. I’ll come to stream when I have time, ok? If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can. It’s not shameful. Thank you for your company. I hope you had a relaxing, happy, and wonderful time. It was great to have you and I hope you had fun. Next time I’ll make sure I’ve got all the settings right before I stream. Goodnight everyone.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Sad times prompt:

Roland nears final dispensation and notices that people are beginning to distance themselves from him.

He's six years, nine months, two days, 4 hours, and ten minutes old when he really starts to notice the change in behaviors. AI can't help but see patterns. It's what he was made for, a ship AI managing a crew of thousands for deployments that span months or years without resupply, and now it's plain as day that his crew is avoiding him.

Shying away and cringing from the signs of his age, from him.

It starts with avoided eye contact and tight lipped smiles. He sees it in mouths closing instead of asking him. Discomfort clear in their faces and biosigns. Avoidance. A dull ache in his own code - do no harm to humans - but he can't help what's happening to him.

It's been an eventful career, non-stop since his commissioning, but he hadn't felt this level of melancholy since the Created Conflict. When he chose his crew over Her and it still wasn't enough. The looks and whispers, the hard-won trust turning to suspicion, now those feelings return full force as he's beginning to lose trust in himself.

Recursive thoughts spiraling and disrupting standard procedures. Protocols out of order - starting and stopping with no rhyme or reason. His recall sluggish and incorrect. A fog over everything he does.

Roland is a spider at the center of an aging web, its threads snapping and leaving him alone, senseless and blind, untethered. Sight and sense return sporadically only to present him with a million points of data from his crew. Whispers and pointed looks, conversations halted and glances shared, the bridge crew triple checking his numbers before every jump, awkward silences from crew members, from scientists to Spartans. No more poker nights, fewer reports to the captain, and the commander taking him off Ops.

Distance. Turned backs. Treating him like he's not even there. What's worse are the sad looks, mourning him while he's still there. Stilted conversation and tiptoeing around his lapses.

Everyone knows the end, the ticking clock above his head. A second is an eternity and a month is a blink of an eye. There's so much he still hasn't seen. He's never gotten to fly the ship solo. Being ignored feels like they're speeding it along, ready for the next model.

[preservationofnormalcy]

hey Jenny, is there a not-too-illegal way one could become a shapeshifter of some sort? definitely not asking because I want to shift my body to a (human) body that would better align with my gender

Don't I wish.

The short answer is no; your best bet for physical transition is the long road of HRT and whatever procedures you would want to undertake. Obviously, you can be trans or nonbinary without wanting to go on HRT! But if you're looking for the physical changes, unfortunately it's the long slow road or bust. I make no comment on the source of said hormones slash procedures, or on its legality; it's rough out there and any way you can get the stuff you need to survive is valid.

That being said, the long answer, and not endorsed by the OPN, is that there are magical resources. But they're...inconsistent at best and actively dangerous at worst. They can well and truly mess you up permanently, and if you're some flavor of extranormal, they can cause recessive genetic traits to pop up. The body is such a complex system of interlocking parts that altering it on such a level requires a clarity of vision and purpose that even long-time practitioners of magic tend to lack. A single moment of lapsed focus and you can end up with anything from horns, to feelers, to massive internal hemorrhaging.

As for shapeshifting, there are very few humanoid-humanoid shapeshifters out there that aren't born that way; and those that do exist are pretty close-mouthed about it.

[cozzzynook]

Ratchet is sick and needs an expensive experimental surgery. Drift goes to pay for it when his card gets declined. Confused because he's rich he calls up his bank demanding to know what's going on. He finds out someone purchased a ship and other expensive things.

Drift thinks it's Rodimus and is angry. Ratchet is also upset because Rodimus was planning on leaving them without saying goodbye.

Except Rodimus didn't purchase those things. Someone else did.

When he gets home he's confused about what's going on. Drift is angry and they start arguing. Rodimus keeps denying it and a little bit of Deadlock comes out. Thinking Ratchet is going to die because his card declines he yells at Rodimus and ends up hitting him.

Hot Rod falls to the floor in shock and looks up to see and angry Drift standing over him. Telling him that he never wanted to see him again. When he looks at Ratchet he doesn't say anything just gives him a disappointed look.

Feeling spark broken he runs off going to a different city. He starts working all kinds of jobs wanting to pay Drift and Ratchet back. Even though he didn't take the money he still feels guilty and blames himself.

That is so painful to think about.

I could see a lapse of judgement happening and Drift snaps at Rodimus because his connection to Ratchet is closer and this very well could mean he loses his conjunx. The last person, his last person, even if they’re with Rodimus.

It’s something he didn’t consciously mean to do but did.

Ratchet is just really disappointed because Rodimus should’ve talked with Drift before spending so much of his money.

They both still love him they just…are scared and Drifts angry while Ratchet is so disappointed.

To learn it wasn’t Rodimus and that someone stole Drifts money.

They’re devastated.

Especially when they get a large sum of money that Ratchet needs for the operation and a note telling them he was sorry and telling them he would never bother them again.

I’m making this angsty.

It was someone that wanted to get back at Drift from when he was Deadlock. He killed their mate under an order from Megatron and they wanted revenge. They knew about Ratchet and slipped him something when he was at the clinic. They planned on killing Ratchet slowly and making Drift suffer and they bought a ship knowing Drift would think it Rodimus because they watched them all and noticed the dynamic between them.

But really anyone would know seeing as Drift and Ratchet didn’t conjunx Rodimus even after more than a hundred years together.

Drift rushes to get Ratchet to the surgeon and the procedure is a success.

They also caught Ratchets spark flames lowering and matched it with Drifts so he wouldn’t have to worry about his spark fizzling out any time soon.

That was something they weren’t aware of and they were glad to have caught it. Ratchet didn’t want to leave Drift alone…

That was something they had to accept for the moment seeing as Ratchet was on berth rest and Drift didn’t want to leave him.

Rodimus meanwhile was beyond exhausted and resting in a clinic.

He resorted to…unsavory methods of getting such a huge amount of money for Drift.

He..agreed to sell his frame for pleasure and since he was so beautiful and sought after well..it wasn’t hard.

He got lucky in a way. A high profile mech paid for him in full and he was given the money upfront.

The mech was surprised when Rodimus sent the money to another and agreed upon fragging the mech as much as they wanted.

Turns out the mech had a bit of a spark and used Rodimus for cleaning and an arm piece along with being a literal berth warmer. The mech would get lonely and paid for Rodimus to keep him company.

He didn’t mind.

But he did miss Drift and Ratchet.

When he got charged on engex he asked the mech to frag him because he needed a distraction and the mech did.

Rodimus was thankful for his spark baffle and the mech gave him his personal comm and a nice sum of money telling him to come back within a month if he didn’t make up with the mech he sent the money to. The mech was smart and knew it was more personal than owing a lot of money. He made him an offer.

“Make up with them and stay with them, just visit me often. I’ll get lonely without you. Or..stay with me if it doesn’t work out…I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll be whatever you want. Just stay with me and we’ll travel and do whatever your spark desires.”

And…how could he pass up an offer like that?

Easy.

His spark was stuck on Ratchet and Drift.

So he left, refusing to take the money and hugging the mech. He promised to visit often and left.

He didn’t want to do that to the mech. He deserved someone who loved him, not be a replacement.

He took up odd jobs until he landed on a planet where he ended up running into Megatron who was living with Minimus.

The two were acting a bit odd at first but then they refused to let him leave their sights.

He didn’t really mind since he knew them and enjoyed relaxing with them. Especially when they would play smooth music during the early hours and watch him paint while drinking their early morning oil.

He wasn’t interested in oil, never really liked the stuff outside of medical oil and even that he didn’t care for but Minimus made the best oil and he was slowly drinking off theirs.

Since they wouldn’t let him pay for his stay, he cooked for them. It was amazing to how shocked they were and how ravenous they seemed to grow. Wanting to eat more often was a nice complement to his culinary skills and he ended up cooking all the meals save for the one day they would make him meals, every week without fail. And holidays? They took him to the inner city to nice restaurants that they all could enjoy.

Rodimus had been with them for months and hadn’t even realized until the mech he met came knocking at their door. They were understandably terrified meeting Megatron and seeing Minumus come up from the rear about to tackle them until Rodimus smiled at the mech and hugged them tight.

“Sorry..I lost track of time,” he felt guilty but the mech was happy as a cybersquito on a full cyberphant.

“I see all was forgiven? Have they finally sealed the deal?”

That made Rodimus splutter and Megatorn and Minimus blushed heavily looking like a bitty caught in the nickle cookies.

Rodimus shook his head no and tried to tell the mech to be quiet only for Megatron to speak, “so Ratchet and Drift really never conjunxed you?”

He looked…like he was suppressing anger and failing and he..couldn’t stop himself from shaking a vent out.

“No. It just..wasn’t meant to be.”

“Bullslag. Those must be the mechs you gave the money to because these mechs look too far in love to let you go let alone give you up.”

The mech was carefully removing their servos from his waist at Minumus removing it for him as he glared trying to keep himself together.

“It’s not like that, it was just..stuff happened and..its not important..”

Rodimus was trying not to get frustrated and cry. The mech easily changed the tone and asked when the wedding would be to which Rodimus spluttered again and tried to get the mech to leave.

“I’ll be staying at a suite in the city. I expect our time tomorrow to be amazing? Imll he borrowing him for my stay, if you don’t mind,” the mech smirked.

“Crowe!”

“What? I’m sure they won’t mind. You’re single and my offer will always stand,” he got in a kiss to Rodimus knuckle but Megatron gripped the mechs face and lifted him up to optic level.

“It’s ill advised to push us, Crowe. I have no problem committing a..necessary act of violence,” Megatron promised.

“Megs! It’s fine he’s harmless I promise.”

“He doesn’t need to be touching what doesn’t belong to him and you don’t belong to him,” Minimus put a servo on Rodimus lower back and that just..he didn’t expect to melt into the touch. He was embarrassed that Megatron came to hold him up and he was even more embarrassed when Crowe smiled and clapped at the display. Ring shining on his servo as he looked at all three and spoke once again.

“So..I ask but one last time. When are you conjunxing my dear cyber flame? Wouldn’t want another to come and take him now would you?”

That made the two look at each other and Rodimus was confused as to why Megatron and Minumus looked like that.

“I see you have things to discuss. You have my personal comm darling. Message me the invite hm? I hope to have bitties to spoil as well. A bitty of yours is a bitty of mine,” the mech smiled daring to steal a helm kiss and run for dear life.

“Crowe! Ugh, he’s such a.”

Rodimus stopped when he saw Megatron and Minimus looking at him the way he’s always dreamed. He’s never had someone look at him that way. He’s never felt a mechs affections like script written in stone just from a look, but today he has.

There was a lot of talking that happened after.

Megatron and Minimus admitted they were slowly trying to court Rodimus but didn’t want to lose their chance so they rushed a little by having him stay with them. They figured since Rodimus wasn’t with Drift and Ratchet that they severed the spark bond but to find out it never even happened?

Well, they wouldn’t say they weren’t happy to have a chance but…they were upset Rodimus was never loved the way he deserved.

They immediately got to changing that with Rodimus permission and soon, it’d been almost a thousand years of living together conjunxed.

Crowe of course came to the wedding and teased Megatron and Minimus because he could. Rodimus was worried for his friend but Crowe assured him, he was fine. So long as he could have Rodimus in his life, he was happy. That and he’d met a minibot who made his helm spin and Rodimus was beaming happy for him with how Crowe talked about the mini.

It was a wedding filled with friends and family and Rodimus felt guilty not inviting Ratchet and Drift but the two ended up seeing him a long time after the ceremony.

Rodimus was sporting a sparkling in one hand that looked exactly like Minimus but they weren’t a minibot and had Megatrons build. He was also carrying around a heavy belly that his sleeping sparkling was sitting on. Their helm on his chassis sucking a pacifier while his fists held tight to Rodimus.

The mech had dropped something and sighed letting his shoulders drop and tried not to cry.

“Slag,” he whispered covering his sparklings audial even in sleep, “well looks like we have to wait for sires to come out now don’t we?”

Megatron and Minimus were inside the market getting groceries for him since the smell was getting to him. They were almost done and he was glad because his ankles and back was starting to hurt but he didn’t want to put his bitty down. He enjoyed this too much and he wanted them to have all the attention alone that he could give.

Suddenly a servo picked up his bitties bottle that he dropped and he beamed thanking the mech until he saw who it was.

“Drift..Ratchet..hey..thanks,” he failed to smile or even take the bottle. He moved his sparkling closer to himself and took a cautionary step back and since he and conjunx never closed their bond, they knew something was wrong.

“Glad to see you’re okay Ratchet, Drift,” he nodded to the two and turned to go back into the store when Drift and Ratchet stopped him.

“Roddy? You..”

They looked to the sleeping sparkling in his arms and the huge belly that made him lean back to stand.

“We’re sorry kid, Rodimus. We know you didn’t steal the money. We’re sorry we accused you..made you leave.”

“I’m so sorry Rodimus, I should’ve never hurt you. I should’ve believed you.”

“Its..”

“Rodimus!”

Two voices boomed and soon he felt four servos on his frame and tensed when two went to grab their sparkling. Minimus stopped when he realized their sparkling was grounding Rodimus and the carrier needed their sparkling in their arms to know they were safe.

“Megatron? Minimus?”

The two looked to them and then to the sparkling that was starting to whine as they opened their optics and whimpered. That grabbed all of Rodimus attention and he shuffled a little soothing the sparkling in a voice neither the swordsmech or medic had ever heard before. “Drift, Ratchet, it was nice to see you in good health but we’ll be taking our leave.”

Minimus ever the polite one stated before taking the groceries and following Rodimus who waddled slowly with their sparkling that wanted his attention and was cranky from their nap being interrupted. Megatron kept a servo on Rodimus to help take some pressure off before bending into Rodimus audial and saying something that the mech nodded to.

Megatron lifted Rodimus into his arms and the two were able to walk off at a normal pace.

Ratchet and Drift looked on with sad expressions as they realized what they let slip through their digits.

“We fagged up, Ratty…we really fragged up..”

“We did kid..we really did..”

Back in their home, Rodimus was laying in berth with their sparkling asleep on their sire while the other was rubbing his sore and swollen ankles.

He didn’t ever expect to see the two again but he hoped one day they could all sit down and it’d be comfortable. But for now, he just wanted to focus on his conjunxs and sparklings.

-

I love dratchrod i promise i do. I just love minimegarod too

[vashtijoy]

11/20-21 akechi deep dive

The body language on Akechi’s model in the 11/21 Shido exposition cutscene is interesting.

When he walks in, he sees Joker’s death certificate on the desk...

... and folds his arms. That’s a defensive move. Maybe he’s in trouble.

As soon as they move on to the next topic—the much-deserved death of the creepy SIU director—his arms drop to their customary position at his side, where they stay for the rest of the scene. (Apart from an evil little dance when he talks about how he’s going to be viewed as a hero who took down monsters now—this is something he is genuinely into, and you can see it when he gets so worked up later on TV.)

Also, he keeps the puppy-dog eyes up all scene. That’s a bit of a tell too, because he does have a more interesting array of expressions he can use with his mask off—he actually seems to be quite consistent about the mask around Shido.

The fact that he’s using creepyfaces on the 20th and is back to his usual mask on the 21st is probably significant. Because there’s a pattern here of defensive behaviour around Joker’s murder.

[lots more images and flailing under the cut]

Let’s have a look at the phone call immediately after the murder:

Hello, hello. Straight out of the interrogation room and straight into a procedure fuckup. Something wrong, Akechi-kun? (He sounds different too—kind of robotic and stilted; compare him giggling about getting to kill the SIU Director at the end of this phone call.)

There’s only one other time Akechi lapses like this, and that is very near the end, when Shido tells him to bump off their customers and he understands the walls are falling down:

And, of course, that lapse, on top of questioning Shido for what seems an inexplicable decision, is what pulls down more Shido rage on him:

“Don’t use my fucking name on the phone!” Of course, Shido wants to get everyone he can dead ASAP, because the plan is actually to take Akechi out. It’s tempting to think this is what Akechi understands at the end of this scene, but it can’t be—he’s too shocked when Cognitive Akechi reveals it later.

back to the 11/20 post-interrogation room phone call

You can trace Akechi’s thought process here through the sprites:

Here’s the empty-faced sprite. “We don’t need to kill them. At least, not yet. Let’s put that on the back burner.” This is Akechi manipulating Shido.

Now here’s the smug sprite: Akechi is enjoying this bit. He genuinely has no liking or respect for the surviving Phantom Thieves, and likely means at least his sentiment here—but, again, he doesn’t seem to want them dead.

And we’re back to the empty-faced sprite, for the big lie to Shido. “I'll do that, when I find it. But really, it’s only a cat.” Another manipulation, because if he tells Shido about Morgana, that order—”Don’t forget to kill that weird cat”—is immediately going to become “Find it and kill it”.

And what happens next? We’re bringing Joker’s “suicide” back up. And Akechi drops back against the wall.

Lastly, here’s the smug sprite again. Killing the SIU Director is a totally different kettle of fish to killing the rest of the Phantom Thieves—it’s something Akechi can and will do immediately, with pleasure. Because by “After School”, the SIU Director is dead.

Something tells me the SIU Director’s shadow didn’t have a very good time.

what does all this mean?

Fucked if I know, y’all. Do what you like with it. What I find particularly interesting here is that there is an obvious range of motives and activities going on. Some of what Akechi is up to here is obviously evil, but some of it is not. There is a lot going on here.

Also, don’t lose sight in all of this that, probably before the day is out on the day of the “Um... Shido-san” phone call, Akechi will try to kill Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, and he’ll put everything on the line to do so. But Joker returning from the dead appears to be the trigger that makes him not only bother with the rest of them, but view them as needing killing.

He’s not going to kill them because he dislikes them, or for fun. They are collateral damage in his war with Joker. Just like all the other people he’s murdered were collateral damage in his war with Shido.

Kids, eh?

omake

Here’s Futaba on how they found out Shido was the mastermind: Akechi gave it away on that 11/20 phone call after the murder. He got to be instrumental in taking down his father after all.

[thatsrightice]

and so it begins :)

WATCH THEM LAND

WATCH THE RADAR

LISTEN TO LIVE ATC OF FISK OR TOWER

What’s Fisk? Aircraft inbound to EAA AirVenture must follow the VFR arrival procedure – a procedure that makes air traffic control at such a small airport even possible. With so many aircraft and only 3 runways, one of which a taxiway converted into a runway for AirVenture, a temporary ATC station 15 miles outside of Oshkosh located along the VFR route. Named after the road it’s situated on, the Fisk air traffic control personnel are in charge of maintaining order among the inbound aircraft and making sure they are in a single-file line with the proper spacing. As an aircraft passes over Fisk, they will be assigned a runway. This allows the ATC Tower to focus on ensuring there is safe distance between the aircraft on the runway as often times multiple aircraft are landing on the same runway at once.

Have this video showing a time lapse of one hour of EAA AirVenture arrivals:

[holly-fixation]

Smol Sephiroth forced to cut his beautiful (safety blanket) hair, because... let's hear it from Hojo:

- It's stupid and childish. It serves no purpose and would only get in the way during the war!

For Sephiroth's hair to be worth touching at all, Sephiroth must severely embarrass Hojo, perhaps by failing a trial in front of President Shinra himself. Accidental or not doesn't matter. With Hojo's reputation tarnished through this disappointment, Sephiroth's punishment is severe.

The first phase is testing pain endurance. Something caused his misjudgment. If it was something as simple as pain, then Sephiroth's strength dwindled, which Hojo already had new regiments to begin if that was the case.

The second is surgery to discover what the exact cause was and develop theories to prevent it in the future. If these results come back negative or inconclusive, then the only explanation is a mental lapse.

Sephiroth is not allowed to make mistakes. He was born to be perfect and he will succeed.

The last phase, while the child is completely weak and fragile from healing, is his hair. He must never forget his mistake. Hojo conducts this procedure himself with a simple electric hair clipper. It takes everything Sephiroth has to stay still and silent when the buzzing began. Each long lock of silver hair hitting the ground took a piece of his heart with him. This was because of his failure. His inadequacy. He was bad and he deserved to be punished, but he never expected this.

It was cold. Everything was cold.

In his room that night, he bundled himself in every blanket and sheet he could find. It made due at night when he covered his head with the warm fabrics, the silver buzz cut prickly against the imperfections of each layer. In the lab, he struggled not to shiver, not like it was cold enough to justify the reaction. The lack of protection, the empty cold chilling his spine devastated him, the mental attack he could not defend against. The one piece of himself he had control over laid at the bottom of a worthless trashcan.

He swears he will never feel this again.

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

hiya!! i would really like prompt 24 from img 1 with lee know please! thank you :D !!

SKZ Prompt Game

Prompt: "You're trembling."

Member: Lee Minho

Relationship: Doctors Fem!Reader x Minho

Genre: Angst, Light Fluff

Warnings: Blood, Medical Procedures, Injuries, Death, Vomit, Smoking

You take another long drag of your cigarette, holding the smoke in your lungs for a moment, before you exhale and follow it up with a shuddering inward breath, then another.

You stub out your smoke and glance down at your feet.

There's blood on the toes of your shoes, and for some odd reason, it makes you want to laugh.

Of course there's fucking blood on your shoes.

There's blood everywhere. All the time.

Letting your head fall back, you stare up at the gray, undulating sky, and take another few deep breaths, just for good measure.

Chan's going to kill you for coming out here to smoke again.

But you needed to clear your head after that last case, and being in the same room as the distraught family and Lee Fucking Minho definitely wasn't the way to do that.

Nope. Rooftop it was.

Sighing, you shove your hands into the pockets of your scrubs, tuck your white coat around you as a buffer against the chill, and head back inside.

Back to the blood.

And back to Lee Minho.

********************************************************************************

"You've got an incoming in five." Chan says, dropping a clipboard onto your lap, interrupting you in the middle of scarfing down a vending machine sandwich.

Glancing up at the charge nurse, still chewing, you arch a brow.

Luckily, Chan's worked with you long enough that he catches your silent meaning.

He moves behind the desk, tapping at the computer and shuffling paperwork, moving seamlessly around the other bustling nurses as he replies back, "GSW to the lateral chest, GCS score of 6, patient was nonresponsive upon arrival. Paramedics report bagging since pick up, CPR upon arrival at scene. Heart rate is tachy, but bleeding has been slowed with TXA given at approximately 0200."

You shove the rest of your sandwich in your mouth and gather the clipboard he's given you, shooting him a grateful look as you leave the desk.

"Thanks, Channie. Have I ever told you you're the love of my life?"

Chan snorts and waves you off, already moving on to another nurse needing his attention.

You hurry through the busy ER and toward the arrival bay, donning gloves and protective gear as you move, and when you reach the doors in record time, Minho is already there, waiting.

You force down the curse that rises up your throat at the sight of him, and come to a stop beside him, staring out the glass doors.

He doesn't even look at you as he says, "Let me take the lead on this one."

You bite your tongue to stop from arguing, and instead, say back in a clipped, short tone, "Fine."

"Fine." Minho repeats, and as the sound of the ambulance grows closer, he steps forward to meet it.

You follow, but not without muttering another curse under your breath.

********************************************************************************

It's not that you don't like Minho.

You shouldn't, because he's rude and abrasive and way too arrogant for his own good, among a list of many other terrible qualities he possesses, but no.

The problem isn't that you don't like Minho.

It's that you like him a little too much.

And you hate yourself, and him, for it.

One night.

One night in an on call room when you were interns, a lapse of judgement, and here you were, years later, still pining over the one thing you couldn't possibly have.

Ever since that night, you'd gone every waking moment trying to distract yourself from Lee Minho.

And in return, he'd spent every waking moment making your life a living hell.

********************************************************************************

You don't like this part of the job.

The part where you're straddling a kid's body on a bed as you perform chest compressions, ribs snapping beneath your hands.

This is when it all starts to blur-the nurses' frantic reports, the terrified parents screaming, the harsh, clipped commands from your fellow doctors, the pounding footsteps.

Nothing matters at this point.

Nothing except getting a read back on that dead line of a shrieking monitor.

You're breathless, your muscles aching from the compressions, but you can't stop, you won't stop.

"Give me the thoracic needle." You command, and a nurse slips it into your waiting palm, slick with blood.

The mother screams some more in the background, and Minho is there, barking out orders to the nurses.

"Get her the fuck out of here!"

Glancing up at the flatline on the monitor, you shove the thick needle into the kid's chest cavity between the ribs without a second thought.

It goes in smoothly, and blood immediately begins to pour out of the open vial of the syringe and onto the floor around the nurses' feet.

"Get a basin." One of the nurses says, and another scurries to secure something to catch the seemingly unending stream of crimson pouring from between your fingers.

"C'mon, c'mon." You mutter, staring hard at the screen of the monitor, as if you can will it back to life.

The kid's chest beneath your hand remains still.

"I need an ambubag!" You call out, keeping a firm hold on the needle lodged in the kid's chest as you glance around wildly for what you're looking for. "We need to get this kid on the move."

When the nurses don't scurry to do your bidding, you curse and start leaning into the compressions once more, motions growing frantic.

"C'mon! Why in the fuck isn't anyone moving? Let's go!"

Minho appears at your shoulder then, his expression unreadable.

Blood spatters the tips of his sneakers, and more pools around his feet.

The flow from the needle is lessening, but the kid's blood is still hot as it leaks past your fingers.

You meet Minho's gaze and something in his eyes softens slightly.

"Doctor (L/N). It's been too long."

His words take a moment to register, and then you're violently shaking your head, staring down at the kid's limp chest beneath your palms, your skin stained with his blood.

"No-if we just get him to the OR-" You start to protest, but the words sound weak, even to your own ears.

"(Y/N)." Minho says your name softer, like a caress under his breath. "He's gone."

His hand covers your own where it still clenches around the large needle, and slowly, you allow him to pry your fingers away from the tube.

You stare down at the kid, bloodied and broken, now dead, and wonder why you ever wanted to go into this field in the first place.

Minho clears his throat and releases his hold on your hand, turning to the waiting nurses.

"Let's get him cleaned up. I'll go talk to the family."

You sit there, body heavy, unable to move, as everyone bustles into motion around you.

It's all a blur.

Somewhere, down the hallway, from the direction Minho disappeared, you hear the sound of an agonized wail.

********************************************************************************

You're sitting against the wall of the roof when Minho finds you, knees tucked to your chest, cigarette dangling from your lips.

You don't even glance up as he comes to a stop in front of you, and after a moment, he reaches down and snags the cigarette from between your lips, holding it carefully between his long fingers.

"You know, you really shouldn't smoke. It's bad for your health."

"Fuck off." You make a snatch for the smoke, but Minho holds it out of your reach with an unreadable expression.

You glare up at him, and after a moment, he puts the cigarette between his own lips, glancing out over the city as he takes a long drag and releases the smoke slowly.

He hands it back to you without a word, and settles down beside you on the roof, back against the wall, ass on the cold, wet concrete.

You sit like that in silence for several long moments, and then Minho sighs, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

You resist the urge to study him from the corner of your eye, and take another drag of your cigarette.

"Wanna tell me what you're doing up here?"

You toss down the cigarette and put it out more than a little violently beneath the heel of your sneaker.

"Not really."

Minho cracks open an eye and regards you for a silent moment, before he shrugs and closes it again.

"Suit yourself."

You hate that he's here. He smells good. And he's warm. And fuck, he's really pretty.

You shiver, and feel Minho's gaze return to you.

"You're trembling."

You scoff at his obvious words, and shrug, wrapping your thin lab coat tighter around your body.

"Yeah, well, it's fucking cold this time of year. Not to mention, it's been raining all morning."

Your muscles are tight and sore, and you feel exhausted, and god, you could really use a hug right now.

Or a bath.

Or anything to make you feel human again.

Minho arches a brow and when you glance to him once more, his lips have curved upward into the hint of a smug smirk that's equal parts attractive and infuriating.

"You're upset." He states the obvious once more, and you feel ire rise at his blunt words.

"Weird how that works. I didn't really wanna watch a kid die in front of his parents today. Not really on my list of things to do, you know?"

Minho continues to stare, and you resist the urge to punch him in his pretty boy face.

Barely.

"You've been avoiding me."

God, he's giving you whiplash.

You whirl on him, giving him what you hope is a deadly glare.

"I fucking hate your guts, of course I've been avoiding you."

Minho's eyes grow dark with challenge. "Oh, hate? Is that what we're calling it now?"

He leans into your space and your resist the urge to back away.

Barely.

"Is that how you'd describe the things that happened between us in the on call room?"

His voice drops, and your heart thunders in your chest.

You hold his gaze, unwilling to let him win.

"That was one time."

Something in Minho's gaze grows fiery, and you swallow, mouth suddenly dry.

"And I haven't stopped thinking about it since."

His murmured admission has your breath catching in your throat, your expression going slack with shock, because Lee Minho-Lee Fucking Minho-had been thinking about your night together all this time too?

Well fuck you.

He reaches out, and carefully runs a featherlight finger across the swell of your bottom lip.

"You look pretty with blood on your face." He remarks with a tilt of his head, and you're pretty sure your heart stops beating.

"That's-" You start to say, swallowing hard, as he continues to thumb the part of your lips, his skin warm against the chill of your own. "-gross. And kinda makes you sound like a serial killer."

Minho chuckles, before he pulls back and pushes himself to his feet.

He glances down at you, and his smirk is back firmly in place, a hint of amusement in his dark eyes.

"Yeah, well-" He shrugs, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. "-doctors and serial killers are essentially two sides of the same coin. They've both been given a power that no human should possess-the ability to change the course of life and death."

You stare at him for another brief moment, and he winks down at you, before he heads toward the door that leads back into the hospital, calling over his shoulder, "You really do look pretty though. Blood or not."

********************************************************************************

Pounding footsteps make you look up from your charting in time to see Chan dash past the nurse's station, scrubs bloody, face serious, arms full of crash cart materials.

"(Y/N). Minho needs you in bay 3. Now."

Without a thought, you throw down your pen and sprint after the disappearing nurse.

Sliding to a stop in front of the door that leads to bay 3, not quite sure what to expect, you see Chan leaning over a young female patient, manually ambubagging her as Minho digs around in her open side, his white gloves almost completely crimson, slick with blood.

He glances up and his gaze meets yours, and the look in his eyes has you spurred into instant action.

A nurse hands you a pair of latex gloves , and as you snap them on, you call out to Chan, "What's her vitals?"

Chan swipes his forearm across the sweat gathering on his forehead, and flicks his gaze to the beeping on the screen behind him.

"70 over 40 and dropping."

Minho swears beneath his breath as you reach his side, throwing something else into the waiting pan on the tray beside him, bloody and unrecognizable, and glances back up to you.

"What happened?" You question briskly, as another nurse hands you the large irrigation syringe, and you carefully begin to clear the blood from Minho's field of vision.

"Bombing." Minho replies back, voice clipped and tight with stress and anger. His fingers continue to dig through the tissue of the patient's side. "Multiple points of shrapnel entry."

You echo his swear from earlier, leaning over the girl's passed out form to grab another pair of forceps as you move opposite of Minho, beginning to carefully search through the open gash on her upper chest, just above her breast.

Immediately, you find a metal shard of shrapnel buried beneath her muscular tissue, and drop it into the nurse's waiting pan with a solemn clink.

"Fucking domestic violence case." Minho continues, voice lowering into a furious growl, his dark eyes flashing above the mask he wears. "Girl's barely eighteen. Got mixed up with a drug dealer boyfriend."

You pull another shred of metal from the girl's chest and add it to the waiting tray.

"Fuck."

"Yeah." Minho nods, expression murderous, as he sits back and inspects the weeping gash he's been digging in, irrigating it once more for good measure. "Apparently, she pissed him off, so he bombed her car. With her in it."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." You seethe, glancing down at the girl's bloody face, her eyes fluttering under the effect of the sedation.

Chan glances back as the monitor beeps loudly and then to the two of you, expression grim.

"Still dropping."

"We need to get her to surgery right now." Minho shoves back from the table and motions to the one of the nurses, who darts out of the room for the nearest phone.

Chan starts unhooking her lines and monitors, prepping her to be moved, and you push back from the table as well, snapping off your gloves as you stare down at the girl's face.

Minho meets your gaze across her body, and there's something tortured in his expression for just a moment, before he smooths it over.

He throws his own gloves a little too violently into the nearest trash can.

"You think she'll make it?" You ask quietly, stepping out of the way of Chan's bustling.

Minho gives a slight, resigned shake of his head. "I don't know. I sure fucking hope so."

********************************************************************************

You're exhausted at the end of your twelve, but you don't have time to head back to your apartment before your next shift in the morning, so you head to the nearest on call room, eyes barely open.

Your entire body aches down to your fingers and toes, and you know you should shower in the locker room before you fall into the nearest bed, but you can't bring yourself to care right now.

A couple of the nurses on the floor nod at you or utter soft greetings as you pass, and you push in through the door of the on call room, already looking forward to stiff hospital mattresses and scratchy blankets.

When your eyes fall on Minho, already sitting on the edge of the lower bunk, surprise jolts you awake, your body instantly coming to attention.

He glances up at you silently, still in his scrubs from earlier, blood stained and dirty, and you open your mouth, already backing toward the door.

"I'm sorry, I'll find another room-"

"No."

Minho's soft rebuke has you freezing in your tracks, your gaze locked on him as he sighs heavily, glancing down once more to his hands in his lap.

"You can stay."

Swallowing, you close the cracked door once more and carefully take a step into the room.

Minho leans back onto his hands, staring at the ceiling for a moment, and then he says quietly, "She didn't make it."

You stare at him, and confusion must be clear on your face, because he tilts his head to meet your gaze, lips pressed into a somber line, and adds, "The eighteen year old."

Understanding washes over you, and without really thinking, you sink down onto the thin mattress beside him, your body feeling suddenly heavy.

"That sucks."

Minho nods, blowing out a breath that's halfway toward a humorless chuckle. "That's an understatement, but yeah."

You sit in silence for several more seconds, both of you lost in your own thoughts, and then Minho murmurs, "I fucking hate this job sometimes."

You school the surprise on your face, and glance sidelong at him, staring at the floor beneath your feet, the toes of his bloodied sneakers.

Once again, without thinking, you reach out and lay your hand over his own.

If he's surprised by the action, he doesn't show it, frozen beneath you, gaze never leaving the floor.

"People are shitty." You start in a quiet voice, not really sure where you're going with this. "And sometimes that means they do shitty things to other people. And we can't control that. But you're making a difference."

Minho huffs a sardonic sort of laugh, and finally raises his gaze to you, dark and swirling and angry.

"Maybe I should've followed my other game plan and become a serial killer. Would of been easier to be on the death side of things."

Your lips twitch upward into the hint of a smile at his teasing. "Doctor or a serial killer? Those were your options?"

Minho gives a little shrug, and some of the tension goes out of his shoulders.

"It was a flip of a coin honestly. I just happened to get heads."

You laugh, a short stilted sound, and Minho slides his gaze to you once more, eyes flicking down to focus on your lips.

Suddenly, you feel out of place.

You clear your throat and take your hand back from his. "I really can leave if you'd like to be alone-"

Minho lunges forward and stops you from standing before you can fully react.

When he speaks, his voice is firm, intense, serious.

"That is absolutely the last thing I want right now."

You stare at him, lips parted slightly in shock, and your heart does a weird little thump against your chest.

"Okay-" You start to say, hesitant, but forcing yourself onward. "What do you want then?"

His gaze once again falls to your mouth.

"To be distracted."

The corner of your mouth lifts into the hint of a smirk.

That you can do.

You reach out, letting your fingertip brush across his sharp cheekbone, across the splattering of blood there, and if you didn't know Lee Minho better, you'd think he leaned a little bit into the comfort of your touch.

"You look pretty with blood on your face." You tease his words from earlier, and he arches a brow at you in return.

"Pretty sure I used that line on you earlier."

You shrug one shoulder, smiling now. "Hey, if it works, it works."

He raises his other brow. "And did it?"

You cock your head, studying him, serious suddenly. "Anything you do works for me, Lee Minho."

Minho's gaze transitions into something hungry, and he leans forward to pinch your chin between his fingers, covering your mouth desperately with his own.

Because in the on call room, there's still blood, and death, and Lee Fucking Minho, but at least, for just a moment, it's also just the two of you and the power that no human should be able to control-feeling alive.