#liu sang what are you DOING

[silver-grasp]

I've read so much fic about Liu Sang and yet NONE of you prepared me for his sixth action on screen being to take off his shirt in front of everyone for no reason. I'm Yelling.

[doki-doki-imagines]

I want to make a request ^_^

I have a suggestion where the men come home and the air smells so good! They hear their s/o in the kitchen and they find her cooking… with nothing but an apron on. Can you write how Bi Han, Johnny, Kenshi, Raiden and Liu Kang please?

Bi-Han: -He doesn't even notice you at first, walking to his room to wear something more comfortable. -Then, while Bi-Han walks, he suddenly stops. A cartoon-ish sparks appears and eyes get wide. Are you- -He steps back and finally notices your body, your back…naked. -"Oh, you finally noticed Bi-Han!" You turn around, wooden spoon in your hand and a wide smile adorning your face. -Your front is covered by a frilly apron. Something is written on it, but Bi-Han simply doesn't care. He prefered the back. -"So you have nothing to say? Don't I look good?" You sing sang, twirling the wooden spoon near Bi-Han's face. -"I have a better way to use that spoon." He thinks, imagining your ass already red. -"O-Oh. Well, I suppose it wouldn't be bad." You break eye contact looking down, suddenly shy. -Damn, he must have said that out loud. -Well, Bi-Han would be really stupid to let this occasion slip. "And I'm not" this time, he just thinks, big cold hands already on your waist, lips on yours.

Johnny Cage: -Another one that doesn't see you at first, and then realisation hit him the second he is changing in his room. -Runs to you and bask in the sight. -Fuck, Johnny knows you have a cute ass, but that bow at the top really makes it look like a gift wrapped for him. -He'd like not to say anything, just looking at you while you work in his kitchen, but the desire got him into a chokehold. -"Heyyy" Voice deep and hands sliding down your back. "Hey! Wanna taste?" You say cheerfully, wooden spoon near his lips. -Johnny's eyes widened in surprise but nodded at your proposal, eyes closing to taste fully your scrumptious cooking. -But his lips don't find food, but your lips. Tongue already prodding to open him up. -Things escalate pathetically quick. Don't worry about burning the food! You won't reach the bedroom so you'll notice if something is wrong. -Not that you will be in the right mind to care about it.

Kenshi Takahashi: -When he comes back from work, his nose leads him to the kitchen, sniffing the aroma of delicious food. -"What is my sweet cook making?" He says, mouth near your ear while his hands massage your…bare shoulders? -"Mh? Are you wearing a top?" "No dear. Just an apron. Can you feel it?" You turn around and grasp his wrist, moving his hand directly on your chest. -Kenshi sucks in air before blood starts to flow way too fast to be physiological in his blood vessels. -The apron is all lace, he recognizes the texture, and it must be thin since he can touch your erect nipple underneath. -"Cat got your tongue?" "No, my mouth is watering, I know the sight in front of me is delicious." Kenshi gasps out. -You kiss him, and soon he pulls you down on the floor, but not before groping around to close the handles of the kitchen stove. -You need no distraction.

Raiden: -He walks straight into the kitchen after work, ready to prepare the meal for both of you or help you out. -But Raiden gets zapped at the sight! Your sugar paper colored apron, full of ribbons, catching all his attention. Mostly because you aren't wearing anything else. -"Do you need help?" His voice unaffected, but his eyes are fully concentrated on your body, sharps like daggers (maybe he hopes he'll be able to tear the apron down with his intense gaze). "Yes, Raiden. Thank you." You smile back. -You cook with no interruption, Raiden doesn't help much, his eyes fixed on your body rather than on the stoves. -You both sit, dishes in front of you, warm an inviting. -"Can I compliment you, Raiden?" "For what?" "Your self-control." He chuckles, understanding perfectly. -"What do I have to do to make you lose control? Don't I look nice enough?" Raiden gasps loud at your foolishness. "I just didn't want to cross any boundary, but believe me-" His eyes get darker, pupils black pools you can dive into "You look absurdly hot. Come here." Raiden growls out. -You are ready to sit on his lap, to encircle his hips with your legs, but Raiden stops you, clicking his tongue. -His index finger points at his knee, tapping on it. -"You have to pay for teasing me the entire evening. Show me how desperate you are for me." -You nod, mouth dry. -You don't mind this side of Raiden.

Liu Kang: -He knows you will do that, he saw it. Liu Kang awaits, patience is the virtue of the strong. -And damn Liu Kang is really strong. -So, when it finally happens, Liu Kang's smile goes from one ear to the other, his chest rising up and down after a heavy breath. -You turn around, smirk on your face. Smirk that fades quick when you notice Liu Kang's expression; he knew about this. -"You look wonderful." "And you should stop spoiling surprises!" You say angrily, as scary as a pomeranian showing his teeth in Liu Kang's eyes. -The only scary thing is the wooden spoon you are twirling under his nose that may stain his white shirt. -"You are right, dear one. But it just happened! Me and Geras were looking around-" "No excuses, mister!" Now the wooden spoon point straight at his nose, the surprise silencing Liu Kang. -But not for long. -"You are right, I have to ask for forgiveness." Liu Kang says, getting on his knees, while his hands slide down your waist. -"Liu, what are you- Hey!!" You shout in surprise. You didn't expect your boyfriend to lift up the end of your apron, his fingers pinching the cloth up. -Your naked legs, and not only, are in front Liu Kang, that has to keep himself from licking his lips. -"Now is time for the sinner to pay for his mistakes." Liu Kang's hands rub your legs and his head get close to your sex, your apron now covering his head. -You can feel him, but not see what is going on. -The sinner paid well his redemption.

[astrologysaysno]

You know what would be really fun to do, an AU where for some reason the PIDW world is randomly breaking into song and everyone is conscious of that fact but no one knows how it started or how to stop it.

Like, it's just been a thing in this world. Everyone is just in this state of living through a self-aware version of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

I think what would make it even funnier is that when Shang Qinghua arrived at CQMS, the music suddenly switched up on everyone in the sect.

For like, centuries, the music people sang were of traditional tales and epics likening their plight to them, they would take poems and proses and accompany them to a backing that would usually materialize for the occasion.

Now suddenly there's like this great expansion of musical styles and genres and it has people in a buzz, wondering if this this was a natural evolution of the strange music mandate overarching the world or was this the fault of some great manipulator pulling the shots and deciding to add new material because they got bored listening to people sing the same epic tale for the millionth time.

(The true origin of this is that Airplane in his last life had a personal playlist made that he listens to whenever he wanted to write PIDW and now it has come back to haunt him cause HE RECOGNIZES THESE SONGS)

One of these instances first occurred with Shen Qingqiu (Jiu) and Luo Qingge, with Shang Qinghua as an unfortunate witness as it began a while after that awful mission that expanded the rift of misunderstanding.

Instead of some traditional oration of a story about rivalry, something new began to emerge.

It only takes the first few lines before SQH almost has his eyes pop out in shock when he realizes what was happening

... IS THIS WICKED?!?!

Shang Qinghua watches as the two perform a duet, the younger disciples of Bai Zhan acting as an ensemble as everything played out. LQG and SJ sang as they ran into the mess hall, everyone in perfect harmony raising eyebrows to every witness who hadn't been dragged into the number as an ensemble voice.

The moment the song ended, the two are immediately called by the Peak Lords of the Previous generation, dragging along Qinghua as they are interrogated about this new change in the musical paradigm.

The new mixes in with the old. Though the usual forms of song still occur, every once in a while, the new music appears to change the pace, attracting people with its unusual and exotic melodies.

Qinghua isn't immune to this phenomena.

Throughout his days when he became head disciple and then Peak Lord, he had never broken into song once, something that very much confused his fellows peers, who have at some point in their life belted a number or two. Shen Jiu and Liu Qingge had already over a dozen of solos each.

Shang Qinghua chalked it up to the fact that the universe probably decided he wasn't worth wasting a beat on and lived in second-hand embarrassment watching his fellow peak Lords air out their feelings in song.

But the day finally came when a song spewed forth from his lips...

...running away from Mobei-Jun

After the ceremony and the fight with Linguang-Jun, Mobei thought to leave a trap to his uncle, setting something on the steps to slow his uncle down.

Unfortunately for Airplane, he gets stuck on the trap as he runs away, Mobei-jun on his heels as the last of his strength is used to chase Qinghua.

The moment Qinghua turned around, time froze. Mobei-jun finds himself immobilised as Qinghua began to sing, his body frozen in time as his advisor belted and fluttered his voice, singing about choices.

The song ends, Mobei-Jun finally giving out as Qinghua runs away. Mobei-jun doesn't forget the song, and he understands what he must do.

[I have had "What is this Feeling" from Wicked and "On the Steps of the Palace" from Into The Woods on loop in my phone going platinum in my bedroom.

I made this entire thing from my delusions so uh, bon appetit I guess?]

[restinslices]

My Baby

Bi-Han x Child!Reader (not literally a child. I’m thinking teens - young adult) (no gender specified

Word count: 2475

Summary: This but I made reader less panicked

Warnings: There is no happy ending

Bi-Han always liked to believe that while he is many things, an idiot is not one of them. People could call him rude, selfish, egotistical, bitter, humorless, and whatever other negative words they could think of. What they could never call him was an idiot. 

That’s what he always thought at least. Time seemed to test this theory however. First show of his idiocy was having hope. He had hope that his brothers would embrace the future the Lin Kuei always deserved. He hoped that one day they’d come to him and apologize for their insolence. He’d have to lecture them still and maybe give them some public punishment so the rest of his clan knew to never try what they did, but he’d welcome them back home and they’d begin walking together.

What he hoped most of all, was that you’d come back.

You, his child. One of the few people he smiled at. Few other people could jump on his back with no consequences. Now that he thought about it, you were the only one he wouldn’t immediately throw off. From the moment your mother became with child, he knew he would care for that child deeply. He promised himself that he’d cherish this child until he took his last breath, and even afterwards he’d find a way to still be there for you. You were the home where his heart resided.

And you continued to hold it, even when you left with your traitorous uncles. It left a hole inside him, and he stuffed it with hatred and resentment. He stuffed bitterness inside like one would stuff a teddy bear full of cotton. At least the bear brought joy and excitement. All he had was hate and more hate. Hatred for his brothers who betrayed him. Hatred for the child he had raised leaving him. Hatred for the new clan that dared to challenge the Lin Kuei. Hatred for Liu Kang. Hatred for his father. Hatred for the birds that sang in the early hours of the morning. Hatred towards silence but also towards noise. Hatred towards how loud the rain hit the roof of his home. Hatred towards everyone and everything.

You held his heart in your hands, and without it all he could feel was hate.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate. 

Bi-Han would never know how you felt about everything. He would never know that having to go against him was the hardest thing you had ever done in your entire life. He would never know that when you cooked, you always accidentally made an extra serving for him. He would never know that sometimes you would dream of the past, only to wake up and be brought back to reality. 

Left to his right. Stars to his sky. Day to his night. Rain to his clouds. 

Blood of his blood. The strongest bond of all. Or at least what was supposed to be. 

He hadn't spoken to, or even seen you in months. Mayhaps that was why he was so angry and so eager to jump at the first opportunity to strike at those he deemed responsible. 

His brothers. 

***

Infiltrating the wedding wasn't as hard as it should have been. Kuai Liang must've been too happy to actually think about proper security. It made Bi-Han scoff. Proof that he was the Grandmaster for a reason, and his brother would never survive as one. 

The Lin Kuei clan was hidden as instructed. Far enough to not be seen but close enough to see practically everything. 

That everything included you. 

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't gone out of his way to find you. His eyes scanned the entire crowd until his eyes finally landed on your familiar frame, dressing in what was probably the only formal attire you could tolerate. 

You looked so… 

happy. 

Your smile was wide as you watched Kuai Liang and Harumi join hands. Not a hint of grief in your expression. Only love and joy.

 

“Bàba, do you not like the bracelet I made for you?” The world was extremely beautiful that day. It was the middle of spring and the weather had been exceptionally kind. No storms recently or anytime in the near future. Only cloudless skies and a sun shining down on the Earth below. 

You were only 10 years old then, meaning you were starting to find your own independence but the majority of you still clung onto your father like he personally put the sun in the sky. 

“The bracelet?” Bi-Han thought out loud. Bracelet… bracelet… oh! The bracelet! The one made of rubber bands that you made him a few weeks ago! He had forgotten about it. He set it down on his desk and hadn't looked at it since. “Of course I like it” he replied. He didn't hate it. It was a simple blue and white bracelet. It was fine. 

“Why don't you wear it then?”. 

“It's on my desk. I still have it” he defended. 

Him defending himself against a child? Man, he had changed. 

You mumbled something under your breath, which made him sigh in return. He hated when you did that. “I can't hear you” he reminded you for what had to have been the millionth time. You had a tendency to go quiet at times and he tried not to get frustrated with you. 

You glanced up at him, then back down at your feet as you both continued walking around the lake. Finally you said “I made us matching bracelets. See?” You lifted your wrist to show off an identical looking bracelet. “But you never wear yours…”. 

You hadn't realized how much your words stabbed him in the heart. Hell, sometimes it even startled him when he'd be reminded of how soft he was with you. He thought he'd be strict and full of discipline when he had a kid. Then you came and proved him wrong. 

All he could say was that he hadn't realized you cared so much. Thankfully though, soon after you got distracted by some animals and completely forgot about the conversation. 

He hadn't. 

Infact, the minute you got home he immediately put the bracelet on. You hadn't realized until he was putting you to sleep. 

You gasped and grabbed his wrist, “you're wearing it! You're wearing it!” You exclaimed. “You like it?!”. He simply nodded. You practically jumped up and hugged him. Of course he hugged you back. 

When you pulled away, your smile was spread ear to ear. “You're the best! The best best bestest best! We're gonna be best friends forever!”. You placed your wrist next to his so your bracelets would touch. 

Best friends forever. 

Your smile was exactly like that night. Beautiful, wide, and full of life. It started to break him down on the inside. Maybe he was making a mistake… 

“Grandmaster” he heard Sektor whisper behind him. “The bombs are in place. The Lin Kuei await your orders”. 

No. He couldn't have been making a mistake. He was supposed to turn and tell his clan to leave? No. 

Nothing was gained from sadness. 

But everything could be gained from anger. 

So that's what he forced to the forefront of his mind. Anger. Rage even. His family betrayed him and were here celebrating some wedding like nothing was going on. Was betrayal just a small thing to everyone? Did no one ever wonder what Bi-Han was feeling?

He didn't verbally respond to Sektor. Him raising his hand for his clan members to see was all he had to do. 

They all began to creep closer and closer… 

They had gotten too close. 

For whatever reason, you started to look around. More than likely becoming fidgety. Whatever the reason, you looked in his direction and froze. 

“Bà-”

The walls exploded. People screamed in panic. In the split second it took him to jump from the higher ground, he had lost you. 

Nevermind you. He couldn't be focused on you. He had to remember that you were a traitor just like your uncles. A hard pill to swallow. It nearly choked him as he made his way through his foes. The wedding guests became grass - they were cut down, their numbers growing smaller and smaller. 

1, 2, 3, 8, 12, 20

How many had he cut down before he heard Kuai Liang?

“Harumi!”

He could spot him now. Bi-Han tracked where his brother was looking to see his new bride. Blood soaked her hands and knife, bodies laid on the ground around her - necks broken or throats slit. “Harumi!” his brother called again with his hand outstretched. 

It was bitterness that led to Bi-Han shooting three large icicles in her direction. 

But it was not Harumi that suffered the attack.

You had rushed towards the woman in an attempt to push her towards your uncle, not realizing the danger you put yourself in. 

It was not her skin the ice pierced. 

It was yours.

The ice pierced through different parts of your torso and chest, the momentum of it pushing you back and pinning you to a part of the stone wall that hadn’t been destroyed.

How would Bi-Han say he felt in that very moment? Shocked? No. There had to be a stronger word for what he felt deep in his soul. Even saying he was disgusted with himself didn’t seem like a strong enough descriptor. From the moment he realized that you had been hit, the entire world went silent. Fighting went on all around him but he couldn’t hear any of it. He couldn’t see them. He had tunnel vision and the only thing he could see was realization slowly dawn on your face. 

He hadn’t meant to…

Why would he ever wanna hurt his baby?

He hadn’t meant…

“I’m sorry”

Those words hardly ever left his lips, but it was the first thing he said to you. He scanned you over in a frantic hurry. What was he supposed to do? Why was he freezing? “This isn’t a nightmare Bi-Han!” he thought, “do something! Fix this!”. But how? This wasn’t a small cut. He knew that keeping a object in the wound stopped someone from bleeding out, but fuck. Did your body know that? Blood covered your entire attire in a matter of seconds. It dripped to the ground like some twisted broken faucet. He tried to cover two areas but there was just too much blood. It seeped through his fingers.

A choking noise came from the back of your throat, followed by blood spilling down your chin. “I’m gonna die…” you whispered. The situation finally hit you. You were dying. “I’m gonna die!” your breath hitched. Bi-Han felt your hands grip his forearms tightly, making him finally look at your face. “Don’t leave me!” you cried.

Fuck, he couldn’t breathe. How selfish was he for killing as many people as he did, but feeling like the world was starting to lose its color the second someone he loved was dying? “Stay alive! That’s a command!”.

He knew the cold truth. Peasant, Grandmaster, King, Gods, death came for them all and it laughed in the face of commands. He couldn’t think of any words to ease you. How could he relax you when he himself felt like at any moment he’d throw up? He furiously blinked his tears away and grit his teeth. He wouldn’t cry because you weren’t dying! “Don’t leave me again,” he whispered.

There was so much blood. So much blood…

“What have I done?” he thought out loud in between shallow breaths. “I hurt my baby… I-”.

You began to shush him. Kind and soft your voice was - like you weren’t the one dying. He couldn’t stand it. His head fell onto your shoulder, his own shoulders shook as he tried to hold his sobs in. He was such a coward. He was the reason for his demise but he couldn’t bring himself to look into your eyes. 

“It’s okay”.

Those words surprised him. It was okay? No. Those words sounded too final. Maybe if he prayed hard enough, death would spare you and take him instead. “I forgive you”. 

“I-”

“Shhh” your voice was merely a breath now. Your hand on his cheek was weak. He could’ve easily knocked your hand away. He doubted you could even firmly grasp a cup, but he lifted his head to look at you anyway. He immediately wanted to look away. Blood covered your lips and chin, your eyes looked so hooded and tired. What had he done? “I forgive you,” you said again. How? How could you forgive him for what he had done? He couldn’t stop the tears from falling this time.

Your soft fingers wiped at his tears before cupping his cheek. “I…” you breathed out, then managed a small smile. “I was so happy to see you…”.

You were happy to see him and he killed you in return. 

That thought alone made a sob push past his lips. Those words were uttered, then Bi-Han watched powerlessly as you took your last breath. Your smile faded, your head fell forward, your hand fell from his face and to his shoulder. What he saw when he looked down at your wrist made his throat squeeze more than it already had.

You still had your bracelet.

His? Back home.

“Get up!” he pleaded in desperation. He held your head up and shook you in hopes of waking you up, but all you did was stare back at him. “Please!”. Death laughed at his begging. He placed your head on his shoulder, hands holding you close, sobs taking all the oxygen from his lungs. “Not my baby” the words came out weak. One last plea for death to bring you back and take him. Death just continued to laugh and lead you away. “Please don’t do this”.

“Don’t do what? Die? It’s too late” he thought. “The greatest gift you’ve ever received and you destroyed them. You killed them”.

For the first time since he had struck you, he looked around to acknowledge the world around him. People tore into each other, blood soaked the Earth, the dying screamed and cried. What had he done? What did he do now?

He looked to you again. His perfect child. His perfect baby. He backed away from you and your blood followed him. Your body hung in the air lifelessly. You were gone. Forever.

A large icicle formed in his hand. He looked down at it. Yes. It would do.

He pointed the sharp end at himself.

What did he do now?

Did he continue fighting the war he caused so that your death would mean something, or did he stab himself and hope he had enough of a heart to end his own life?

What did he do now?

“Omg Slices! Were you procrastinating again?” This shit is a disease- An open ending. You can decide what he does after since there will not be a part 2. Hope you enjoy! Also the way I be naming these at the last minute…

[tiredfox64]

Could you pretty please do the lin kuei bros x siren reader 🙏🥺

Bad Things to Come for Travelers

Yip notes: Since when were sirens bird women? I didn't know this. Hope we are talking about the mermaid kind.

Pairings: Lin Kuei Bros x Siren! Afab reader

Warnings‼️: This may be short

It was supposed to be a simple mission. All the brothers needed to do was retrieve an item for Liu Kang. Some jade artifact or something. This mission took them to rocky cliffs and harsh waves. There were points where they had to hug the wall to prevent their deaths. They believed that would be the only challenge they would face while on this journey.

Wishful thinking…

The brothers were reaching the top of the cliff, their bodies somewhat soaked by the waves that were just barely miss them. You hid behind a rock to peek at your new visitors. Three of them? Oooh, this will be a fun challenge for you. Let’s see if you can get all three men.

The brothers got to a spot that seemed relatively safe. A part where there were no waves crashing and the cliffside was flat. They took that as an opportunity to take a breather. You took that opportunity to sing your lovely siren melody. The wind blew your voice into the men’s ears. At first they thought it was the wind itself making that sweet sound. No, that can’t be right. The wind had been blowing nonstop and only made that sound now. Bi-Han was the first to act by covering his ears with his hands.

“Cover your ears.” He commanded.

“Why?” Tomas asked.

Kuai Liang listened and didn’t ask questions, leaving Tomas in a vulnerable place. Bi-Han remembered something that Liu Kang told him before going out. He warned that if he were to hear anything that sounded like singing that he should cover his ears immediately. It’s a sign of a siren trying to lure men to their doom.

That’s exactly what’s happening.

Kuai Liang stared at Bi-Han while in a panic. If they move their hands to cover Tomas’ ears they put themselves at risk. It was too late; Tomas was already in a trance. His pupils were dilated and his eye color barely showed. He walked closer to the edge of the cliff. Kuai Liang called for him to stop. Tomas looked down the cliff and saw you lying on a rock. You looked up at him, giving him a smile. You were happy not because he noticed you but because he was close to his demise.

You don’t know these men, remember? You don’t know what they have up their sleeves. That’s when you saw Tomas pull out his karambit that shined even though it was cloudy. He threw down a smoke bomb and he was gone. You were left confused and wondered what you just encountered. Did you encounter an Enenra that was disguised as a human?

Then you heard the sound of stone being struck. When you looked up you saw Tomas sliding down the cliffside, using his karambit as a way to slow him down. Once he hit the ground he came up to you with that same crazed look you usually see in your victims. Except Tomas was not a victim. Though he was in a trance he was smart enough to not leap off the ledge and be impaled by sharp rocks.

“Wow…you’re even more beautiful up close.” He said with this lovesick tone.

His hand went up to caress your wet hair. You were appalled, astonished, flabbergasted even. Your victims never got this close to you. But now you have a man in front of you who can’t take his eyes off you. He didn’t even comment on your tail. He knelt down in front of the rock you were lying on and had his head in his hands, admiring you like you were a goddess. It was a nice change, you couldn’t lie.

Kuai Liang and Bi-Han stepped closer to the cliffside and stared down. Good to see that Tomas wasn’t dead. Kuai Liang was unsure of what his brother was doing until Bi-Han gave a hint.

“That fool, he fell for the siren’s song.”

“I thought those were myths.” Kuai Liang was surprised.

You noticed that the two were looking down at you. Try your luck again. Maybe this time at least one of them will meet their maker today.

You sang your song once more. Bi-Han was quick to cover his ears again, Kuai Liang unfortunately wasn’t quick enough. Bi-Han knew there was something wrong when he saw his brother wasn’t moving at all. His pupils dilated until there was no more golden brown showing. He tried to take a step forward but Bi-Han used his leg to push him back. He couldn’t trip him because he would accidentally kill him. He tried his best to push him back with his legs or even his whole body. Kuai Liang was fighting back while in this daze. He just had to get a closer look. There was no other option and Bi-Han was so frustrated he decided to grab his brother with his hands and pull him back.

uh oh!

bad decision, bi-han!

The effects of your song immediately got Bi-Han. His eyes grew darker from the dilation of his pupils. The brothers were not fighting anymore but were instead staring at you. You thought this would be the moment you killed two birds with one stone. Nope, you’re in for a surprise.

Bi-Han pushed his brother out of the way before creating steps made from ice down the cliffside. Kuai Liang was not gonna lose to his older brother so he started acting quickly. He stabbed his kunai to the side of the cliff and held onto the rope tightly before taking steps down. You lay there, not angered but disappointed. How did you mess up that badly? When did humans have the ability to do tricks like that?

Before you knew it, Bi-Han slid all the way down to you and Kuai Liang scaled down the mountain. You got three beautiful men in front of you and you have the nerve to complain? Yeesh!

They adored you which was weird. Usually, people look at you with fear but for once you get to see the faces of your victims. Tomas melted every time you placed your hand under his chin. Kuai Liang liked to admire how your scales shine and how flowy the end of your tail is. Bi-Han…he’s already acting up. He’s acting possessive, holding your waist and pressing you against his body. The other two are getting agitated now. They want you just as badly as Bi-Han does.

“I was the first one down here,” Tomas argued.

“I was just as willing to see her up close as you were!” Kuai Liang shouted at Tomas.

“I am your grandmaster! She should be to me!” Bi-Han was shouting right in your ear.

Alright, you see why the other sirens tell you not to let the trance go on for ages. They get possessive and see what they could potentially do you don’t want them turning on you or each other. Nobody wants to handle a burnt corpse or a frozen carcass.

You sighed, knowing that the fun had to end now. Might as well bring them back to shore. You grabbed Bi-Han with your right hand and Kuai Liang with your left. You bit the back of Tomas’ uniform before diving into the sea. One second they were on the rock with you and the other they were being flung up into the air and landing on the wet sand. Kuai Liang rubbed his head after that rough landing while Bi-Han was trying to catch his breath after inhaling too much seawater. Tomas was booking it down the shore and was already jumping in the water to catch you. He grabbed onto your tail and begged you to not leave him. You almost felt bad for doing it but you knew he couldn’t stay with you so you had to push him off. He swam away quickly, leaving them in an uncomfortable situation.

“I think Tomas is still in a trance.” Kuai Liang said.

“No, I just wanted to have her around for a little bit longer,” Tomas replied in a sad tone, the waves pushing his body back to the shore.

Bi-Han finally caught his breath and realized what happened. That was unpleasant and he could not forgive himself for falling for that. He grabbed Kuai Liang and Tomas and started dragging them in the opposite direction of the sea.

“Wait, where are we going?” Tomas asked, “Aren’t we supposed to-“

“I AM NOT GOING BACK UP THAT CLIFF!”

For the first time, the brother will return to Liu Kang empty-handed. Bi-Han can tell Liu Kang to get it himself because he is not going through that again.

Yap notes: I hate posting late I'm sorry. And yes I did make a Mandela Catalogue reference. I don't really have much to say so yeah. Adiós!

[bardofhype]

hi limbus company fandom

so i had a thought. and that thought was "what if the sinners and all their identities had voicelines for when it was your/the manager's birthday" and what was supposed to be a funny "what if" scenario rapidly expanded into me actually thinking about it. so. because it ended up so long, i'm putting all of this under the cut so that no one has to scroll for a mile to read it all in the tag. you're welcome btw /lh

Yi Sang Base LCB: "Another year prolonging your stay in this world… may the rest of it be to your ideal pleasantness, Dante."

Seven Section 6: "The director informed me it was your birthday today, and instructed me to hand you this parcel as a gift. … I cannot tell you why she has it memorized. I try not to bother the director with such queries."

Blade Lineage Salsu: "How old are you now, Dante? … You do not know. I see. Yet another mysterious facet of you to be intrigued by…"

Faust Base LCB: "This is for you, Dante. I hope you enjoy it. … Hm? What is it for? Yes, Faust expected you to ask such a thing. It is your birthday, Manager."

W Corp Cleanup Agent: "Due to the nature of my occupation, personal occasions and celebrations are not common around the work environment. However, I am not bothered with taking a small portion of time to wish you a happy birthday."

L. Corp Remnant: "Birthdays were rarely given much worth in my old place of work- if we were lucky, a few of us would simultaneously take our breaks in order to have a small celebration. Perhaps it may not be so different here… but I hope you have a proper celebration nonetheless."

The One Who Grips: "How fortunate you are, to have lived another full year in this world with your humanity intact! Such a wondrous thing indeed… though, must you still wear that mask, even on such a glorious occasion that's just for you… ?"

Don Quixote Base LCB: "Manager Esquire!! I doth heard today is your birthday! I have collected up the others, and we are planning a stupendous secret arrangement for thee! I hope thee shalt be prepared!!"

W Corp Cleanup Agent: "Doth my ears deceive me? Is it truly your birthday, Manager Esquire?!?! What ho!!! I shall pay for thy next ride on the Warp Train, friend- the greatest gift I could bestow anybody!"

Shi Section 5 Director: "Happy birthday, Manager Esquire!! I have acquired thee a cake and gift! … Ah, I seem to have surprised thee- was I too quiet, walking up to you? Aheh, 'tis a habit of mine!"

Ryoshu Base LCB: "Congratulations. You're now one year closer to the B.D." (boundary of death)

Kurokumo Wakashu: "That's one more year you've survived now. IFFY." (impressive feat for you)

Seven Section 6: "The director told me to give this to you. Use it wisely, or I'll CUT on you." (crudely utilize tranquilizers)

R.B. Chef de Cuisine: "Word travels fast through these streets- H.B.D. I made a special pie this morning, just in case you dropped by… enjoy."

Meursault Base LCB: "Congratulations on another year. … I was only expected to give you a statement like that for today, nothing more."

Liu Section 6: "I was asked to deliver this cake to you. The candles were lit by my flame, so please do not feel obligated to blow them out immediately."

W Corp Cleanup Agent: "I was told today is a special occasion for you. Here- it is a first-class ticket you can use on the next Warp Train you board."

N Corp Groẞhammer: "You may take a day of rest today. For The One Who Grips has deemed it so- and for today is one you must experience in all its purity."

Hong Lu Base LCB: "It's your birthday today? How exciting~! Tell me, Dante- are you going to choose the acres of land, the pony, or the-- Hm? My siblings and I were able to choose between several gifts on our birthdays, was that not possible where you're from?"

Kurokumo Wakashu: "It's a special day today, is it not, Lord Dante?~ Come with me… ah, haha, no need to be so scared. I'm simply going to treat you to the finest dining I know of. Come on then~"

Tingtang Gangleader: "Happy birthday, Manager Dante~ Why don't we hit the casino floor, hmm? I've heard birthdays can be days of immense luck for the fortunate."

Liu Section 5: "Ah, you're just in time- I just finished brewing some high-class tea. Would you like some? I'll even let you have an extra cup for your birthday~"

Heathcliff Base LCB: "Mm. Happy birthday, clockface. As a gift, I'll try not to make too many wounds for you to turn the clock back for today. You're welcome."

Shi Section 5: "If you're expecting much out of me today just 'cause it's your birthday, you can bugger off. I'm not doing anything bloody special for you. … 'Less you're in the mood for some right scran."

R Corp 4th Pack Rabbit: "Oh? It's your birthday today? Bloody brilliant- come with me. As a gift, this hare's gonna teach you how to graze some grass!"

N Corp Kleinhammer: "O-oh- happy day of birth to you. I'll… see if I have time to do something better than that between all the gatherings today…"

Ishmael Base LCB: "Happy birthday, Dante. I'll try to do work without much complaint today."

Shi Section 5: "Happy birthday, Manager. This is for you. … Huh. Did I really catch you by surprise that much?"

LCCB Assistant Manager: "Today's your birthday. An important occasion that's going to make it all the more terrible if one of us slips up… I can assure you that won't be a worry with my presence here."

R Corp 4th Pack Reindeer: "Ah… happy birthday- kgh. Can you make sure not to stir up too big a racket in celebration?"

Rodion Base LCB: "Happy birthday, Dante~ Surprise! I got you something. Open it up whenever you feel like- just make sure to tell me when you do."

LCCB Assistant Manager: "Today's your birthday, yeah? Figured- so I got you something good as a gift. … Hm? Where'd I get the money for it? Oh, don't you worry your silly head about that~"

N Corp Mittelhammer: "A glorious day for you, is it not? The One Who Grips tasked me with delivering you a present today- how lucky for you, fuhu. Treasure it as much as you can, her gifts are worth slaying thousands of heretics for!"

Kurokumo Henchwoman: "Surprise, Dante~ I got you a little something with my protection fee today. Put it to good use now, you hear? Or else my sword will be a bit rash in the next battle~"

Sinclair Base LCB: "Ah- I-I completely forgot it was your birthday today, Dante- I promise, I'll be sure to buy something for you at our next stop."

Zwei Section 6: "I have a package for you, Dante. For all the good you've done for the team… you deserve this gift. Happy birthday, and may I continue being your shield!"

Jefe de Los Mariachis: "I'm doing a special performance tonight- you'll be there for it, won't you, Dante? It's a routine I've been practicing just for you, after all…"

Blade Lineage Salsu: "I hope you have a nice birthday today. I'm afraid I won't be around much- I'm needed today."

Outis Base LCB: "Happy birthday to you, Executive Manager. If you'd like, I will gather the others and have them sing your praises for the rest of today."

Blade Linage Cutthroat: "I see it is a special day for you, Executive Manager. I shall leave you to it, then- I wish not to impede what you have in mind for it."

G Corp Head Manager: "For today, I will grant you a day of rest. Only today, though- try to get out of your duties on any day but this one, and you will regret it."

Seven Section 6 Director: "I'm very glad I was able to catch you- here's some money. Treat yourself to something good today. You've earned it."

Gregor Base LCB: "Oh, hey, happy birthday, Manager bud. You think Vergilius is gonna put a little less pressure on you today 'cause of it… ? Ha, wishful thinking, huh."

Liu Section 6: "Hey, Manager bud. Come find me when it gets dark, alright? It's your birthday and all… and fireworks are much more impressive against a black sky."

G Corp Manager Corporal: "Greetings, Manager Dante, and a very happy birthday to you! I have cleared your schedule for today and have prepared several squadrons to help celebrate this special day of yours!"

R.B. Sous-chef: "Glad you stopped by. I've made a few special pies for a certain someone's special day today- put a little extra love into them, haha. Enjoy."

[witch-hazels-musings]

hi hazel!!!!!!!!! could i get a divination ritual for xiao with lavender, lepidolite, evergreen, and jasmine ? ty and belated congrats on your book!!!!!!!! i am sure it is an amazing read <333

Lavender (comfort, calm), Lepidolite (regulation), Evergreen (the unexpected), Jasmin (love, sensuality) Xiao x gn reader | Divination Ritual warning: fluff, the reader plays the guzheng (plucked string instrument)

The water felt cool against your legs. The gentle, lapping waves caressed your skin as the afternoon breeze ran across the crystal lake. This was one of your favorite places to be, and the perfect backdrop to the sounds of plucked strings.

The guzheng rested comfortably on your lap while you drew the picks over the strings in slow, steady movements. Each note was captured by the wind and floating petals as it drifted across the scene.

The song drifted from your memory as if it were a part of you. its rise and fall coming as easily as breathing and, with it, came a familiar spark in the air. You smiled and continued on even as strings of black and green smoke fluttered in and out of your vision.

"I wondered if you'd come," you hummed into the air, the mist of the Adeptus drifting around you and mixing with the warm waters. Your comment received no answer but you didn't mind. You knew who it was by the way their presence prickled the back of your neck, by the way, their aura lifted the corners of your lips.

You began to hum with the music until it all faded away leaving nothing but the natural cadence of Liyeu in its wake.

"It's been a few days, are you well?" You asked as you looked behind you to the figure standing guard at your back.

Xiao.

The lonely Adeptus who hated humans but found an exception with you.

He hardly seemed to register you but that wasn't abnormal. Xiao's stare was always miles away, lost and focused on something you could never see.

"Will you sit with me?" you asked and he finally looked your way. The gold of his eyes reflected in the sun. "I'll play you a song."

The strings awakened again, singing as they did every time you played them. It drew in the mystical - that's what your parents always said. Their odd child that knew how to call forth the spirits. So when you first saw Xiao you weren't surprised - what was surprising was how close he got to you. Though he said little, his actions were always kind, gentle, and patient, so you made sure to play songs that matched him.

Something pushed against your back. Cool mist and the smell of river reeds. You turned your head and breathed in Xiao's hair as he rested on your shoulder.

You smiled and bumped your forehead against him. "I missed you too, Xiao," you said, music in your voice as you spoke. "Do you have any requests?"

"No," he replied in his familiar gravel. There was a pause. "I like Gao Shan Liu Shui."

A song of friendship and love.

You poised your fingers over the strings and the melody danced on the breeze, shades of rich viridian and the setting sun melting into the sound of your voice as you sang to the spirits of the mountain and they listened.

The Lost Adeptus and the soul who kept him.

Thaumaturgy Anthology (October 11-13, 2024)

This event is based on spells and rituals. Inspiration does not equal understanding; liberties have been taken. All content is owned by Witch Hazels Musings, theft of these images and stories will result in immediate action.

[hils79]

Hils Watches Tibetan Sea Flower - Ep 3

Ah, yes, I forgot Zhang Haike was in this.

Weird and aloof but highly skilled outsider who gets called a jinx. Is this why Liu Sang has a crush on him?

Well, I mean that is Hei Xiazi's nickname for him. But I guess they haven't met yet

Ah, okay. We're skipping over them meeting when they're very little kids then. I mean I get that for the sake of pacing

Okay the upside down room is messing with my brain

Death horse?

Nothing to see here just Xiaoge doing upside down trap disarming surgery on the death horse. I love him.

Oh shiiii! Yeah, no wonder Xiaoge told them not to move or cause any vibrations

This is really making me anxious

We? You just held the rope while Xiaoge did all the work

I'd like to see you do any better, my dude

Hey, at least he's using a rope. Present day Xiaoge would have just jumped straight in the hole while Wu Xie and Pangzi were still getting their equipment sorted

Please let's not have any arm chopping

Uh, mood! I want to know what happens next!

GDI that's it for now! Ep 4 is only available on the WeTV app for now. I think it'll get added to the website tomorrow.

Good start. I have missed these idiots so very much. And, hey, it's not as late as I expected. Maybe I'll do those San gifs after all...

[randomtwinkinthetomb]

Wu Xie: What would you do for me?

Pangzi: Burn the world down.

Xiaoge: Kill anyone who dares to wrong you.

Liu Sang: Tolerate you.

[merinnan]

Re: the ship classifications post you just reblogged (which is sooo accurate I love it!!), if you’re comfortable sharing, I’d love to know what ships (for any of your fav fandoms) fit each one for you :) so, what are you most compelled by? Least compelled by? If the ship makes sense/doesn’t make sense haha

(If that makes sense- I had so much trouble trying to word this question fhsjsjja)

Hahahah, no worries. Let's try to do this! Made a little more complicated by the fact that SO MANY ships fall into the 'compels me' category (the perils of being a multishipper 😂)

Makes sense, compels me. To pick a few: Zhang Qiling/Wu Xie (DMBJ), Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune (Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon), Garak/Bashir (Star Trek: DS9), Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan (Guardian)

Makes sense, doesn't compel me. Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao (MDZS/CQL), Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng (Guardian)

Doesn't make sense, compels me. To pick a few: Zhang Rishan/Liu Sang (DMBJ), Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng (MDZS/CQL), Kira Nerys/Gul Dukat (Star Trek: DS9)

Doesn't make sense, doesn't compel me. Garak/Ziyal (Star Trek: DS9)

[delusinalandpassionate]

Again, I am trying to analyze Don's sins, Blade Lineage Salsu Don edition(I kinda skipped three other ID, and I definitely will do them later. BlaDon ID is just the most interesting one)

Well first sin is Pride. Which, I feel, is mostly for team matching. Like you can't be in Seven without Gluttony, or in Liu without Wrath, you can't be a Blade lineage without Pride. But I guess you could also see in this her disinterest in learning something from Outis. In most of her ID and original state, she's quite fine with authority and actually likes lectures and learning new information. BlaDon, in contrast, dislikes lectures with Outis, prefering to just run away and slash some Kurokumo guys. But maybe etiquette could be just too boring even for her?

Second is Envy. And it's difficult. Mostly because no one is sure what this is representing. The only other BL ID with envy is Yi Sang and with him I guess that could represent how much he looks after their group, with him giving title of leader to Outis but still doing his best to make sure they all will stay alive and well. However, Don doesn't seem as interested in connection within BL. She mostly does her own thing there, to be honest. Or maybe it's about her again following orders? But it's feels a bit conflicting with what I thought in her Pride part.

I also saw a new way to analyze sins and it suggested that Envy could be about desire to suppress, which I guess could suit BlaDon mastering her swordwielding.

Her core sin is Sloth and it makes me a bit insane and that's way I a bit to sure in my theory. With crumbles of information about her past I think that this version of her is the closest to her past. Like she doesn't try to live for some sort of ideal, doesn't try to change her ways(if we think that her attention to justice is something relatively new for her), passively joining organization in which she can keep doing what she already had experience in. In her other IDs she trying something new, being lively and loud. BlaDon? Calmer, sure in herself and interested only in her blade and ways how she could use it. (Kinda parallels with Kurokumo Ryoshu, who's also doesn't really pay attention to anything but fighting)

Do you have other thoughts? Feel free to share them!

[doki-doki-imagines]

Okay so I’m so in love with your fics (especially the mk ones) you don’t even know how much joy they bring me!

I’m in so much pain and I’m quite literally bleeding out, so that leaves me wondering, how would the mk1 men (specifically Liu Kang and Kui Liang, but you can add anyone) react if their lover was very emotionally and physically needy when their time of the month comes around. Like would Liu and Kui use their hands as a personal heating pad? Would they let go easy on me in training? And what would happen if I over exerted myself doing daily tasks, only to be left on the verge of crying? Would they let me be as close as I can to them at night because the warmth helps me with my horrific cramps?

ANYWAY, sorry this is a bit of word vomit, but I wanna see your thoughts on this! Also idc if its just sfw, or both sfw and nsfw. (Love your work!!)

author note: you are so cute!! Feel free to ramble whenever you want, I always chat with pleasure!🫡 It's bloody week for me too, so I understand more or less your pain. Hope you'll enjoy these as much as you enjoyed my previous works! I'm still a puddle from your kind words lol

Liu Kang: "How are you, dear?" It's a rethorical question, Liu Kang knows the answer, and he doesn't like it. He had to leave you early this morning to greet and train his trainees, kissing your forehead and caressing your pelvis with his warm hand, a temporary relief, before leaving your aching body. "I'm a bit better." Liu Kang can feel the pain in your voice and sighs. You are laying on the couch, dragon shaped hot-water bottle settled on your tummy. He kneels in front of you, shiny eyes looking straight into yours. "Do you want something to eat? Maybe soup?" His left hand caresses your cheek; you must have cried from pain since it is moist. "No, just your company is going to be enough before training." He stands up, already sitting next to you, arm encircling your shoulders, making your head rest on his necknook. "No training for you today-" His plush lips kiss your temple, one hand now resting where the hot-water bottle was, tattoos glowing in the dim light of the room "Just rest, dear one." You close your eyes, finally relaxed enough to rest in the arms of your lover.

Kuai Liang: He runs to your shared room, rumours of you passing at the training ground spreading like a virus, each person it goes by making the news more virulent. "I heard there was blood anywhere." "Maybe it's an hemorrhage." "I heard doctors were desperate." This is what arrived to Liang ears, now running, face beaded in sweat and pale, so pale you could see the veins on his face. "How are you?!" The door slams open, onyx strands of hair falling from his high bun. You look at him, tears staining your cheeks, laying on the bed in fetal position. Liang runs toward you, his hand immediately on your forehead, feeling your temperature. "I don't have a fever, Liang." Your voice is barely a whisper, pain clear in your voice, not calming your boyfriend at all. "I've been told that you passed out and that you were losing a lot of blood." Liang voice is hurried, eyes still scanning your face, searching for a potential hint of your condition. You let out a chuckle, now your hands caressing his rough cheeks. "Love, I'm just menstruating." Liang sighs, head falling down, even deeper in the palm of your hands. "I was so worried for you." His eyes finally more relaxed, a smile gracing his face, but it lasts just a second, a serious expression now taking its place. "How many times I told you to take it easy when you are like this." "Many mom, you are right, won't do it anymore." You half joke, sing-sanging as best as you can, cramps still making it hard for you to fully smile. Liang pinches your cheek, laying next to you, your back touching his front, hands on your pelvis, keeping you tight against him in a warm embrace. "Grandmaster, don't you have places to go?" You ask worried, but still making yourself more comfortable in his arms. "Grandmaster had enough stress for today, now it's recharge time." He replies, head in your necknook, eyes closed before giving a butterfly kiss to your neck. Yeah, recharge time doesn't sound bad right now.

[heymeowmao]

2024.02.13 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321325001030558416974

It's the New Year!!!

bgm: 晒Share (live ver.) - Da Zhangwei & Liu Yuning

LYN: Hallo everybody, good evening. I also want to take this time to wish you a Happy New Year. Happy Year of the Dragon~ C: Your hairstyle doesn’t look good. LYN: It’s the new year, do you HAVE to make me sass you? You just HAVE to give me trouble…

LYN: Today I’m a Sunshine, Cheerful, Big Boy. I just wrapped up with work- I was shooting the costume drama earlier in the day, so my hair was flattened under a wig. When I got home I didn’t want to wash my hair and try to style it- it would be troublesome. So I just took the wig I used when acting as Xiao Bei (Cicada Girls). Now I’ve saved two bottles of shampoo. LYN: It’s a wig! LYN: Someone earlier said that this hairstyle doesn’t look good, but I’ve used it to film a whole drama! Are you going to start calling me ugly before it even airs?? C: No, you’re the most handsome. LYN: Thank you, everyone. In any case it’s the New Year and spirits are up, so let’s try not to be too aggressive/angry. See- look at how harmonious I’m being right now. I used to talk back at my fans all the time, but recently I’ve- I’ve gotten better, right? 

LYN: I’m drinking tea. It’s not beer! The color isn’t even similar. Here- I still have the bottle. 

bgm: 热辣滚烫 - Modern Brothers Liu Yuning

C: I went to play mahjong. LYN: Look at you- I’ve started streaming but you’ve gone to play mahjong? I mean, you can play but… you don’t need to tell me about it! Just go play. Why are you telling me?? C: You should still sass us a little. // Your wig’s about to fall off. LYN: It’s okay if it falls off. I’d just be a little bit uglier, is all. Not to say that it falls off and all you see is a bald head underneath- there’s no way that would happen. But.. I’d rather not have it fall off. 

C: We finally meet. LYN: Ah, yes. We have a lot of new fans- and since they've started being my fan they haven’t been able to catch a live stream. Well, that’s why I’m here today, isn’t it? :)

C: The speaking volume is low. LYN: Let me adjust it; I haven’t used this equipment in a long time. LYN: How about now? Is it better? 

C: I’m a 20yuan new fan. LYN: What does that mean? I don’t get it this joke. Does it mean that since you’ve started liking me, I have to give you 20 yuan? In that case… how about we forget it (you can stop being my fan)? Can you earn money by chasing stars? Is it a one-time payment, so you’ll be my fan forever? Or is it a monthly payment? C: Ning-ge, I thought you were up to speed on all the internet memes. LYN: I’m not so much anymore these days… also whenever I do surf the net, nothing I see is related to “Liu Yuning”. So I haven’t been paying much attention, and I don’t know what a “20yuan new fan” is. 

C: How long will you stream for this time? LYN: Don’t ask. That’s a bit of an awkward question. It’s like when you go home for the New Year, and your mom asks you how much you get paid a month. It’s the same as when all your relatives start asking about how much you make. As for how long I’ll stream, it’s not definite. I’ll stream up until the time I leave. “How long will you stream for?” Until I stop streaming.

LYN: The track you’re listening to now is the OST for the movie YOLO (热辣滚烫). I know many of you have gone to watch it, and some of you are fake fans. Because you didn’t even realize by the end that I was the one who sang this song. 

LYN: Of course, I don’t blame you. I did use a different way of expressing myself for this song. From a musical perspective, I used a different method of expression. To be honest, I’m not even used to it myself. C: It’s a totally new style. LYN: Not entirely brand new, but certainly a… unique style. 

LYN: ? Why does this wig make me look really silly? I feel like I look really silly? LYN: I’m wearing a purple sweater and now I have a radish-head (?). I look like a purple radish that’s transformed into a sprite/elf. 

C: Why are you wearing a wig today? LYN: That is… um… what’s it to you? LYN: Nah. X’D I said earlier, that I was shooting the drama during the day and since I have to have te wig on it smashed my hair flat. I figured if I was going to stream I’d have to do my hair so I was thinking about how I should style it. But I didn’t really have the time today- LYN: I also think my speaking voice is a little low. Let me make it louder. LYN: -and then, I didn’t want to waste time. I wanted to stream a little bit longer so if I had tried to make my hair presentable I’d lose a lot of time. Also, I woke up too early today- a little past six. I finished up with work and came straight home to stream. Because it’s really been too long. 

LYN: I was scrolling through weibo and saw people saying that after they’d become my fan they had never once seen me stream. They’d never seen me stream. After I saw those comments I felt a little… guilty. You’d come to know of me through a drama and wanted to become goods friends with me, but I never streamed. Now I feel like I owe you. Im getting yelled at online everyday, because I haven’t streamed for you. That’s no good. Especially since I haven’t streamed solo for you. So since I wrapped up earlier today I figured I would force a stream out. C: Do you really feel guilty? LYN: Um… of course! Definitely. So guilty that I hide in my blankets and sob. LYN: It’s just that I didn’t dare to stream before the Spring Festival. It just seems like everything I say nowadays… (can easily get blown out of proportion). I was afraid, because just one of my streams is three hours long and I’m pretty much talking nonstop. What if I say something and give them opportunity to find some loophole wherein they can stick a label to me and destroy my market value? Wouldn’t that render me unable to attend Spring Festival anymore? So I was just trying to avoid the storm and make sure that I could successfully pass Spring Festival, after which- here I am. I’m sure all my old fans know why I didn’t stream. Of course, it’s also because I didn’t have the time to. LYN: Why did I dare to stream today? Because I don’t have any dramas that are about to air. If I say something (that’s used against me), I can just bear through it- just like catching a cold. I can lie in bed for 5-6 days and the topic would blow over. Spring Festival is over so I came to chat with you, and even if I don’t exactly watch what I say, everyone should turn out fine. C: How was Spring Festival? LYN: I’ll tell you about it later.

LYN: We were talking about this song, 热辣滚烫. It was a perfect timing- Qian Le-laoshi found me and asked if I wanted to sing a song. I asked him “what song?”, and he replied that it was for a movie. I agreed. But the caveat was that I had to sing it as if I was not a person who knew how to sing. When I first heard that request it seemed like a bit of a challenge, to me. I needed to sing this song as if I were someone who didn’t know how to sing. Why? They wanted a more real feeling. They didn’t want any fancy techniques. If you listen, you’ll discover that this song has no vibrato, no strong/soft execution, or emotional singing. There’s none of that. It’s just… Very basic. Sincere. That was the requirement for this song. LYN: When I was recording the song I ended up with head full of sweat. We were working in the middle of the night- because this was a bit of a rush request. I finished up work around 11p and by the time I reached the recording booth it was already past 12a. We recorded and finished up at around 4a, and I continued on my way to work in the morning. It’s a song I recorded very seriously, and it was a new challenge for me. When it was all finished and I listened to it, I thought, “Hmm… It’s a style I’ve never tried before, indeed.” But it was also quite nice. As a singer or an actor, trying out a lot of different styles and feelings you haven’t before is pretty interesting. It’s a unique song and I hope you like it. 

C: It wasn’t easy waiting for you to stream. LYN: There’s nothing hard about it. All you have to do is subscribe to my weibo and you’ll see my streams. Just keep an eye out. - /comments on how he pronounces it “weiber” bc of the Dongbei accent/ - /uses the announcer voice to announce his “2023 Weibo Livestream King” award/

C: Ning-ge, why does it look like you’re wearing a wig? LYN: Your eyes do not deceive you. You really have an eye for detail. It IS a wig. C: Ning-ge, I dreamt that I was shooting a drama with you. LYN: You want to be a celebrity? You’re a friend- we’re the same type of person because we both have dreams of becoming a celebrity. Keep dreaming. LYN: They dreamt of shooting a drama with me… was it a normal interaction, or something… something that if said aloud, would get cut? I don’t know. But in any case, you just want to be a celebrity, right?

C: Where does the sound of laughter come from? LYN: /presses the laughtrack/ LYN: Weibo has a very impressive function, and can tell when your words are funny. If it’s funny, it will automatically play a special effect. It’s just like when you’re sending messages and if you type in a certain keyword, special effects (emojis, stickers, etc.) will pop up. Weibo is high technology. As long as you say something that’s interesting, it will naturally play the laughter. LYN: “Liu Yuning” /presses the laughtrack/ LYN: Is LYN very laughable?

LYN: How are there some people who are so annoying! I only just started streaming and you’re already asking me where Daimi is!! If you really want to see her, when I stop streaming I won’t just log off. I’ll leave the camera on, strap her to this chair and let you see her. I’ll trap her on this chair and let you watch her for another hour. LYN: I’m here streaming, and you’re asking me where my DOG is??? In that case I’ll just make a post. I’ll post some pics of her. I’ll stop streaming and leave. LYN: ~How annoying!~

C: Consider taking part in a long-term variety show. LYN: I’m considering it. There will be, soon. I think I’ll be shooting for a variety show soon, because it’s part of my yearly business plan. At least one variety show every year. Usually either a music-variety or something in which I think I could relax and have fun in if I went. Last year I didn’t record any, though. LYN: Last year, because of some reasons, I didn’t record any. I received a lot of calls, and even booked one. I arranged for time out of the drama crew and everything- and then it failed before it even started. I had already reserved the time! They said, “Soon, soon.” and then later… “We’re not doing this project anymore.” I said, “Alright, then.” LYN: In that case, I figured I should book a variety show for this year. I booked one and then that other show got back to me. “We’re relaunching the project.” They just don’t want to play with me. It’s not that they couldn’t do it in the first place, they just didn’t want to play with me. Ok, then. 

C: It won’t fail again this year will it? LYN: Probably not? Don’t curse me like that!! I’m pretty happy to be recording for this show, too. In the end I don’t even get to start and it fails again? This, at the New Year??

bgm: Fall in Love - Modern Brothers Liu Yuning - /stream lags/ - 27:06 [bgm: 一念关山 - Richie Ren] LYN: It’s still not fixed yet? (the lag) It should be working now, right? - /mic test/ LYN: It’s fixed, right? If you’re lagging, leave the stream then come back in. -- starts singing 一念关山 w/ a rocky start XD LYN: It just landed on that song and I’ve heard it a lot but never sang it, so I thought I’d give it a try. See how well that turned out. These lyrics are so difficult. I couldn’t keep up. I was looking right at them and reading them, but I still couldn’t do that properly. 

bgm: 晒Share (live ver.) - Da Zhangwei & Liu Yuning LYN: This song, also- overturned everything I once knew about how to sing a song. I’m the type who- I’m better at- no, not “better”- OF THE GENRES I SING, are things more like for costume dramas. Something with a strong jianghu style. Or “emotional boy” type songs- or pretending to be emotional. Either that, or more rock style. But for this type of song- like DZW’s- I need to… pinch the tone a little (make it cutesy). I turn myself into Dongbei pincers/clips. You need to “pinch” a little when you sing. - /sings the example between pinched and not/ C: No wonder your stage teacher was laughing. LYN: I can’t even stand the sound of my own voice like that. I’m just a born and bred Dongbei man. My natural tone isn’t like that at all, so I have to “pinch”. When I hear myself- I already don’t possess a young sounding voice- but I have to pretend that I’m younger. 

C: 窝囊废文学 [t/n: loser/wimp/cowardly literature: pretending to be tough then contrasting it with a weak and spineless statement to create irony and self-deprecating humour] LYN: I know there was an interview and they asked me if I had heard of this, and I said no. But honestly, I have heard of it. At this time I would like to apologize to that interviewer- I lied. I didn’t tell you the truth back then, because I wanted to pretend I was a melancholy boy who did not surf the internet. But on the inside my DNA was awakened. I couldn’t contain myself. I hope that this year on the list of “most insincere artist” my name is not on it. Thank you. I’m sorry. I’d like to apologize. LYN: ~ Making me angry, counts as making cotton wool angry ~ LYN: Anyway- people who say that interview couldn’t help but to yell at me for it. Saying, “LYN, you’re a grown man, how could you sound so sissy? Do you think you’re very cute? At your age?? Why are you acting like my second aunt?” I was just imitating an internet meme, and you still have to yell at me for it?? LYN: ~ Excuse me, you’ve kicked me but I’m cotton wool ~ ~ Sorry but yelling at me online only means you’re yelling at a sea sponge. ~ C: I want to hear more. LYN: LOL. LYN: ~ Liking me means you’ve taken a liking to a soft persimmon. ~ Why? Because anyone can ~pinch me around~.

C: I really want to see your inventory. LYN: ~ Sorry. ~ ~ I lied again. ~ There’s really nothing in my drafts- just one or two pictures that I think about posting but don’t. There’s really not much in it. I don’t have things stored up. Not very many, at least. Just the few pictures.

C: How come the program schedule changed for Spring Festival? LYN: These things, how can I say it…there’s no good way to arrange it. The program is one thing. As for which wether we stick to the program is another thing. Because we’re live streaming, so it’s not as if everything can be controlled. As singers and actors, or even stage actors, we need to adapt to changes. I don’t care where they put me, as long as I am able to sing at all. I don’t want it to be the case where they tell me, “Xiao Ning, we’re unable to fit you into the schedule for Spring Festival. Why don’t we see you at the Lantern Festival instead?” That would be the worst. But as long as my good friend DZW and I are able to give you a bit of happiness, that’s enough. C: I was so anxious and scared I almost cried. LYN: You thought my program would be taken out of the lineup entirely? Because it was mostly dancing, you were afraid they would cut us? I’m sure you were worried about that. It’s normal, and these things do happen. It’s okay, though. It’s a first time experience for all of us. LYN: We just go by how they arrange it. If it really were the case that we were unable to perform. They’d probably let us on the 15th of the lunar new year, at least. As long as we’re in the fifteen days, we’re all still celebrating. If we can give you some happiness within the range of the “New Year” it’s all okay. C: I almost smashed my tv. LYN: It’s not worth it! Oh my goodness. Why are you venting your anger on your own stuff?? 

C: Is this a livestream or recorded? LYN: It’s recorded. This recording is so accurate I’ve already predicted that someone would ask me if this was a livestream or recorded. Truthfully this is recorded, everyone. You think you’re seeing the real me right now, but actually this is a recording. Right now I’m playing a video. I’ve already calculated exactly what time to play it, too. The time now is 7:59p. It will soon be 8p.

C: I was watching you stream and got yelled at by my mom. LYN: Why? D: Why did you get yelled at for watching my stream? Does your mother also have an artist that she likes? Someone who I have some friction with? Is that what it is? You and your mother are from rival camps? It’s not worth it. If that’s the case, then please stop being my fan. Go get along with your mom. Don’t let me get in the way of your relationship with your parents. That’s no good.

C: I’m watching with my mom. LYN: It’s good to have common hobbies. C: I grabbed my mom to watch your stream with me. LYN: A lot of you are watching with your mothers? C: My mom says you look foolish/dumb. LYN: Jie. What are you saying, jie? Jie, I’m not dumb. I’m so smart- like a monkey. LYN: Maybe this hairstyle looks a little dumb, though? You think this hairstyle makes me look a little dim-witted? Its like how I sang this song. /sings a line/ Does it give off that feel? Jie, I’m not dumb. Jie- if you really think that way, why don’t I go change my hairstyle? Into something smarter. Wait for me, five minutes. Let me go change my hairstyle. I’ll see if I can change into something smarter. Let me find a video to play for you. LYN: Oh, great. I don’t have any. That’s okay. I don’t have any saved, so let’s look one up right now. LYN: Seriously, though. I’m going to go change my hair. I can’t stand myself anymore. Looking at myself, even I think that I don’t look very bright. Let me play this video for you. -- break #1 (I guess)

LYN: Jie, I’m back. You haven’t left, have you? The one who said I looked foolish- you haven’t left, right? I’m back now. You said I looked foolish, so I went to change for you. Hold on a sec, let me see how to close this… Eh? Oh? Hold on… /finally got it/

LYN: ~Woman. You’re playing with fire but you’ve successfully gained my attention. I need to know everything about you within 3 minutes.~ LYN: ~What? You want to know what my name is? I am Leng Shao.~ C: Oh, my god! LYN: ~I’m sorry. You’ve been struck by me again.~ C: Where did “Leng Shao��� come from? LYN: My streams are like an ongoing drama series. If you miss a few episodes you’ll have no idea what the “Leng Shao” joke is. ~ My cheesiness has caught you again.~ C: This isn’t as good as the previous one. LYN: … Let’s just make do.

C: Put it on properly. LYN: /starts fixing his hair/ Okay, I got it. I was rushed so I didn’t have time to style it any sort of way. Let me fix it a little. C: Can you change it back? LYN: … You think I’m so easy to push around?? I’ll change an outfit just because you say so? - LYN: /sobers/ Is this a little non-mainstream?- C: My mom ran away. LYN: Stop messing around. If she’s old enough to be your mother that means she’s all sorts of things in the world already. I am nothing in comparison to the things she’s seen. Don’t mess around. This is quite fine. C: It’s too late. LYN: She couldn’t take it anymore and left? Okay, then. Let her go. It’s not as if I was planning to go to your house and become her son-in-law, anyway. I was only just trying to respect each and every one of my viewers. You mom deciding not to watch me anymore was her choice. That has nothing to do with me and honestly… I don’t really care. Don’t think you can manipulate me.

LYN: Friends, don’t you think this style is non-mainstream? Now I have to find a non-mainstream song to match. Can you think of one for me? What song is non-mainstream? You can type it into the comments and if I know how to sing it, I’ll see if I can sing a few lines. What song suits this appearance? - I miss you - 我姓石 (My Name is Shi) [ /recites the lyrics/ ] LYN: Is it that one? Oh, I haven’t heard it before. (lies) I don’t really see these things that are trending online, because I am more of a secluded guy. - 玫瑰花的葬礼 (Funeral of Roses) LYN: Are there any others? Let’s sing another one. I’m not really familiar with that last one, so Leng Shao is now a little embarrassed. C: You’re embarrassed? LYN: I can say that I am, but you can’t say that I am. Because I never feel embarrassed. Maybe when doing other things, but I’ve never felt embarrassed when I’m streaming. That word isn’t in my dictionary. Because I can’t afford one. - C: Ning-ge, I’ll exchange ten years of being single for your to look at my comment once. LYN: I saw it. 

- C: 坏女孩 LYN: ? I’ve never heard of that song. C: 不分手的恋爱 LYN: This song’s accompaniment track isn’t available, so please allow me to duet with WSL-laoshi. - 不分手的恋爱 (Never Breaking Up)

LYN: Okay. That’s about enough. C: Suddenly I want to change my QQ ID.

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C: Ning-ge, if you can see my comment, then send me a “yeah~” ^^V LYN: There’s no need to send secret signals in my stream. If I see you, send you a “yeah~”? Forget it. - C: Ning-ge, did you wake up naturally today? LYN: In the world of adults, how many can actually sleep until they wake up naturally? You must be going to school, still? That’s the happiest time of life, when you’re going to school. So… enjoy it. But, adults do get vacation around the new year!

LYN: I used to be in the customer service business- everyone knows this. I used to be a waiter in a restaurant- that’s customer service. Then later I became a cook, and truthfully that’s also customer service based. Later still, I was a clerk in a clothing shop. But these types of customer service-based jobs really don’t have such things as “holidays”. Especially now around the New Year. Everyone has time off and it’s actually the busiest time of the year for restaurants. At this time, pretty much everyone in the customer service industry is working. LYN: You’d think that after all my hard work to become a singer and an actor it’d be different, but it’s the same. We’re in the business of customer service. Actors are here to service the viewers. Singers are here to service the listeners. It’s basically customer service. And what’s the golden rule? The customer is king. That’s something that’s been ingrained into me from my time working in previous customer service industries. - LYN: There was that friend earlier, who said, “If you can see my comment, then send me a “yeah~”. Here it is now.

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C: Did you work today, Ning-ge? LYN: I did. I started working the day after New Year’s. We can’t really stop work in the drama crew, because each day that passes is money spent. Think about all the staff/crew- one day that we’re not working is still a day we need to pay them their salary. All the cameras used to shoot the drama are rented. The longer we rent them, the more money we need to pay for them. The hotels we’re staying in- another night that passes is another night we need to pay for. So it’s… we need to work. All drama crews are like this. LYN: I told you earlier, I woke up at 6am today. I was shooting a day full of fight scenes. I got back home and honestly I was tired and sleepy. I wondered if I should even stream at all. But I thought about it, and if I didn’t stream today I don’t know when the next chance I’d get would be. Thankfully we wrapped a bit earlier today. You don’t know how rare that is. Usually we wrap at around 7-8p, or 8-9p. By the time I’m done getting everything in order it’s already close to 10p, so I don’t stream. Today we wrapped up early so I thought I’d stream a little for you. LYN: Also, to the friends that are asking if I’ll stream until 12a- It’s not likely to happen. Please spare me.

C: Are there a lot of fight scenes in this drama? LYN: Very few. Not much. Because I don’t have very many scenes to begin with. C: Any horse-riding scenes?  LYN: Only once. There’s not many outdoors shots, in this drama. // I’m talking about for MY role. Not much outdoors shots for my character in this drama. C: Youve finished filming? LYN: Not yet, there’s still about a little more than a month left. C: Ning-ge, have you signed a lease in Zhejiang? (?) LYN: For the past four years I’ve spent the New Year in Hengdian. Yeah, just about four consecutive years.

C: Ning-ge, you probably won’t die this time, will you? LYN: Uh… I don’t know. I can’t give any spoilers. But I just want to say- I don’t know why, but the roles I accept are- /thinks about it/ /gets sad/ Why?? /cries/ LYN: From the moment I debuted until now- the death rate for the roles I’ve accepted is about 70%. I was acting as supporting characters before- third, fourth , or even second male lead. They died. After all this time I’ve finally gotten to play a male lead and in the end I was stabbed to death by spears. LYN: As an actor, Liu Yuning very easily dies. There’s a saying that goes “It’s rare to die for once.” For me it should be “It’s rare to live for once.” In any case, please be mentally prepared when you’re watching my dramas. If you get too into it, I’m sure you’re going to be brokenhearted for me later.

C: Ning-ge, if I watch a 20-second commercial, will you be alive then? LYN: Do you think it’s a mini game? (watch an ad for more hearts/lives)

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C: Ge, do you have any varieties this year? LYN: I do. I said so earlier, so you must have just come in. I’m planning to do a variety show this year. … Do you know what it will be? I don’t know- was that interview released? I had an interview earlier and they asked me the same question and I actually responded. Has that interview been released yet? Has it? I don’t think so. C: I haven’t seen it. LYN: Maybe they cut that part. It doesn’t matter. LYN: Right! It’s not that I can’t tell you about it, just that since I actually haven’t STARTED on it yet, I’m afraid to tell you. Based on my previous experience, my mouth’s gotten me in trouble with things like this. I like to share with you when I’ve accepted jobs, and then after I tell you all about it the project/job folds. Either that or I’m replaced by someone else. It’s always like that. So now I… won’t tell you. C: Give us a hint. LYN: A hint? How about the third word in the name? No- I’ll do this, it’s very simple. /^^V/ That’s very obvious, isn’t it? I even responded to that person who wanted to send secret signals in my stream, again. ^^V. Isn’t this hint very obvious? [t/n: what is that, The Voice??] LYN: That’s right. It’s The Voice of China. Isn’t the logo for that show the peace sign with a microphone? I’m going to The Voice of China to audition.

C: Got it. Second concert tour. LYN: No, honestly- and wait until I’m done speaking. The reason why I don’t want to tell you is because I’m afraid that when I’m done telling you some of you are going to have a mental breakdown. It’s like this- /stalling/ I really do want to hold my concert this year, I do. But right now there are some things… that I’m conflicted on. Don’t worry, it’s an internal conflict. If I hold my concert, then I’ll have to accept one less drama. But the projects that have come to find me look pretty interesting and I kind of do want to accept them. So now I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way for me to accept the drama role but also hold my concert. I’m trying to find a way that will allow for both. C: Alright, then. That’s not going to happen. (since he said it out loud) LYN: /laughs/ OMG, I only just gave you this “two” symbol, and you’re saying “Whelp. That’s the end of that.” 去你的! I already asked for leave from the drama crew! I need to go record for it. It should be soon. LYN: There’s a really good project, though. Originally I was intending to finish up this one, and do the next one and I’d finish up around July/August, at which point I can hold my concert. That was my intention. But later some projects came for me that I quite like. I’m still thinking about it. I need to make a decision. C: You can do either.

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LYN: Being a singer, to me- and I said this during that interview, too- it’s something very precious to me. To me, it’s a surprise. Whenever I release a song, or listen to a song, or come across people commenting on my songs- it’s a surprise. But I don’t ever want to lose it. As an actor- really I’ve only just started. My fans all kow that I’ve been shooting dramas for about four years, now. But honestly, I don’t really have anything to show. I’ve really only JUST started being able to accept leading roles. Honestly- let me play some emotional music- LYN: I’ve been in quite a few dramas, and that was because I wanted to learn more and hone my skills more. I wanted to be able to accept all the opportunities that came to me. But now there are some opportunities for leading roles, and some of the projects look really promising and I quite like the roles. I was thinking… I just don’t dare to let myself stop. Those who know me know that I haven’t stopped shooting dramas since I’ve started. Whenever I meet someone and they ask me what I’ve been up to, my answer has always been, “I’m shooting a drama.” You really have to keep it going, because the post-production period is so long. Some dramas are one year, one and a half, or even two years. Something you shoot this year might not be released until at least a year and a half later. If you delay it, then the time when people will see you will also be delayed. I’m afraid to let myself stop shooting dramas. I was shocked, recently by various things. LYN: I feel like I am a little fat, honestly. [t/n: ?!??] Sometimes I’ll take selfies, for fun. But when I look back at the pictures I took I feel like I’ve gotten fatter. I should be more self-aware. As an artist or an actor, I need to be more self-conscious and start losing weight. You all know that I’m down to the thinnest I’ve been in my career. I’m already very thin, though. But your body is bound to be unaccustomed to losing weight out of the blue, so I found that I keep getting sick. I kept getting low fevers that lasted a week. I’d be fine in the morning, but then have a fever at night. I’m not trying to make you pity me; I’m just sharing. I’ve also put in the effort towards being an actor. I’ve also given it my all. Of course, at my age catching a cold is normal- there’s nothing to pity me for. I just want to say that I’ve worked hard, too in order to make myself a little thinner. To not look as swollen-faced on camera.

LYN: I don’t want to let myself stop shooting dramas, but I think it’s also about time that I held my concert. That’s why I’m conflicted. If I hold my concert, the tour would be over in about 2-3 months. 10 stops. At the most 15-20 stops. But I don’t think I would be able to hold that many. I’d be hurting, too. Probably 10-15 stops or so. But if I hold my concert THEN start acting again, the timeline might not be as smooth as I’d like. I don’t know. I haven’t thought it through yet. Let’s put that aside for now. I’ll focus on the drama that’s currently filming first and start thinking about it when I’m in my next crew. There’s no rush on it. There’s just so much I have to think about… Please understand. LYN: I do want to take a break. By that I mean it’s time for me to rest my brain. The past two dramas were too close together. After Cicada Girls it wasn’t a week later that I was in this crew already. 

C: Find some time to have a few kids. LYN: I wish I still was a kid, myself. 

C: It feels like you’re very tired. LYN: I’m okay. It’s not that bad. When I was walking around with FYL, I even said then that I wanted to take a rest, because I haven’t stopped since I started. What I mean by that is not that I haven’t stopped working since, but that mentally, I haven’t let myself stop. I’ve never told myself, “You need to take a break now.” or “It’s time to rest.” I don’t want to let myself take a few days. This isn’t about professionalism. It has nothing to do with that. I just… want to succeed. So I’ve packed my schedule and have tried not to let myself lose that momentum. It’s been more than five- almost six years now. But there are times that I realize that it’s too much and that I really do need to take a break. 

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C: I want to timidly ask: Lao-da, will you release your album this year? LYN: Of course. These days, my album- Really- /cries/. It’s because I sing too many OSTs. You’ve seen/heard a lot of them already but actually there are a lot of songs that I receive but don’t like, so I don’t sing. If I didn’t care about whether I liked them or not, if I just accepted every job that came to me, you’d hear a lot more. But I can’t do that. Most of the OSTs I accept are songs that I like or think are unique. But during this whole process, I am constantly receiving songs and listening to them all has made my brain weary. I just don’t want the songs on my album to sound too much like OSTs. Otherwise they wouldn’t have any meaning. That’s the requirement I set for myself. But I realized that it’s difficult. It is. LYN: At first I started picking some dance songs. Like this- /Fall in Love/. You can tell at first listen it’s nothing like my OSTs. That’s why I chose this one to start, and that’s the direction I started going in. The songs I’ve recently acquired and the ones I’ve already finished recording are all okay. But I’m just missing two more. I need two more before I can release my album. I recently acquired one from a singer- it’s quite nice and I like it, but haven’t recorded it yet. When I finish up this drama I’ll go back to Beijing and record that one first. After I finish that one, I need to find two more and the album will be complete and can be released. I was thinking- if I don’t release them now, they’ll expire. LYN: I mean- the musicality is still there. They’re not what’s trending now, in any case, so I don’t have to worry about that. But think about it- some of these songs I recorded the year before last. For those of us who aren’t singer-songwriters, why do we rarely release music? It’s nothing to be ashamed about, because many singers don’t write their own songs, but it’s because we don’t have the creative ability. It’s not something we can just DO. You know? LYN: It’s like- some people are good at running, and others run for two seconds and their legs are cramping. Everyone has their own thing. So… sometimes when I receive demos I’m not very satisfied with them, and I turn them down. But no matter what, I need to release my album in 2024. By all means necessary. If I don’t release this album then the concert is totally off the table. I need to release this album first, before I can consider holding a concert. 

C: Ning-ge, are your concert tickets free? LYN: Someone come here and kick them out. They came here to mess around. They’re here to purposely start trouble. Moderator- please find that person who asked if my concert tickets are free and kick them out. LYN: My albums are already free. My streams are free and I stream all the time. I don’t even think to ask you to pay to see them. As a singer holding a concert, you want the tickets to be free?? Why don’t I just GIVE you 500RMB and invite you to come watch? Okay? I’ll give you 500, so you can come watch my concert. I’m begging you to come see it. I’ll arrange a spot for you in the front row. I’ll let you sit on stage to watch me sing. How does that sound? Come. I’ll move a chair- move a sofa up on stage for you. I’ll sing right in front of your face. When I’m tired I’ll sit in your lap. I’ll offer that type of service, how does that sound? That customer service attitude. C: Ok. LYN: Kick everyone who says “ok” out of the stream. LYN: /laughs/ Let me tell you, friends. There’s no such thing in this world as a free OST, just like there is no such thing as a free LYN concert.

C: If I bring my kid, can they get in for free? LYN: Um. Here’s the thing. We sell by seat. In this respect, buying a concert ticket is just like buying a plane ticket. Do you need to buy a ticket for your child when you ride a plane? If you do, then you should buy them a concert ticket. 

C: Are there different prices for children? LYN: I don’t know. I know that in my previous concert, there were some friends who brought their kids. I don’t know what type of tickets you bought, then? Honestly the ticketing is not under my purview. For that question, go to the ticketing site and ask them. I can’t answer this question. The tickets and prices are not something I can set. I’m only the singer. If you want to ask me if the venue seats are comfortable or not, I can’t answer that either. I’d like to make it as comfortable for you as possible, though.

C: There’s a baby in my belly, can I go to the concert for free? LYN: Is it free for pregnant women…? It’s like this- it’s free for the baby inside a pregnant woman, but the pregnant woman herself cannot go for free. That’s the only thing I can guarantee. You’re pregnant and you want to watch my stream- I mean, my concert- it’s complicated for the baby inside you, so we won’t ask for any fees for them. But as the pregnant woman herself, as a viewer and listener, you should still pay. I don’t care what you are, you still have to pay.

C: Can people 1.5m and under get in for free? LYN: It’s not free.

LYN: Concerts are like this- every person needs a seat. There are no standing tickets. This isn’t a music festival. It’s in a venue, that doesn’t let you stand. It goes seat by seat. If you don’t buy a seat, you don’t have a place to sit around. There won’t be any situation where you can get in for free. 

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C: Ning-ge, I’m a new fan. I want to meekly ask- if I check in on the Super Topic, can I really claim a bottle of soybean oil? LYN: … Yes. I said before- if you check in 300 consecutive days you can claim a jug of soybean oil. 600 days and you get a 10kg bag of rice. For real.

C: I don’t have anymore soybean oil in my house. LYN: Then start checking in. LYN: If you haven’t subscribed to my weibo yet, please subscribe. From today on, you can start checking in on my Super Topic and when you hit 300 consecutive days you can take home your very own jug of soybean oil. I know that many parents may not understand why their kids would chase stars, and they tell you, “What good is it to chase stars everyday? What good does it do you? What can you get out of it??” Once you start liking me, now you can tell your mom, “I can get a jug of soybean oil out of it. If I surpass 600 days I can even get a 10kg bag of rice home.” It gives you an excuse to do what you want to do. /laughs/

C: But where do you claim it from? LYN: For specifically where you can claim it… I’ll tell you later. I’ll give you an address later, and you can go there. But I’m kind of busy,I don’t have any more time. I’ll tell you later. No rush. You check-in first. I’ll let you know when the time comes. 

C: Ning-ge, you’re trending. LYN: Are you serious? No way~ How can that be?? How can I be qualified to be trending? LYN: What’s the topic, though? Is it “LYN_Livestream” or??? C: The same old. LYN: Then it must be “LYN_Livestream.” Okay. Thank you to everyone in the stream. Thank you to my good friends who are watching. It’s quite nice to be trending- it’s just letting more and more people know that I am streaming. If they have some free time they can click in to watch. LYN: But now that I’m trending, do I have to start speaking Standard Mandarin? ~So that I seem more “proper”?~ // Let me adjust. 

bgm: Ice Paper - 夜泊秦淮 (Ye Po Qin Huai)

C: Stop pretending. You were fine earlier. LYN: ~Who are you saying was “pretending”? /transitions into drama voice/ Let me tell you- there’s no one in this world more sincere than I am. I just suddenly wanted to speak Standard Mandarin- what about it??~ C: I love hearing the Dandong dialect.  LYN: ~If you love hearing it, then go to Dandong to play. What are you telling me for??~ C: You’re a pu-xin-nan. LYN: /laughs/ ~What did you say?? Who are you calling a pu-xin-nan?~ LYN: It needs that extra kick from reciting lines.

C: Why is your face so pale? LYN: I’ve put some powder on. I admit it. Because today- LYN: You don’t need to keep spamming! There’s someone in here who is constantly spamming. “Why is your face so pale? (x3)” As if you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do here?? You don’t know why I’m so pale? Huh? There are a couple reasons: 1. I’ve put powder on. Or 2. The beauty filter’s on. Right? What else could it be? LYN: I know you just want to annoy me.

C: Ning-ge, are you wearing pants? LYN: ??? What do you mean? I look like I’m wearing a normal outfit up top, but I’m actually wearing swim shorts on the bottom? I’m wearing normal pants. Sweatpants.

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C: Ning-ge, do you have an award for this year’s Livestream King? LYN: :) Who is this? Remember this person. You’re a great friend. Remember this person’s name. I’ve been waiting all night for someone to ask me this question and up until now, no one has. It’s an hour and a half later and finally someone asks, “Do you have an award for Livestream King?” - /grabs his award/ LYN: There’s a complicated process for these things. To think, if no one had asked me, what would I do? I’d say, “Friends, did you know? I’m the Livestream King. I even have an award~” ?? That would make me seem super shameless. But since someone asked me, I have to pretend to be humble. I need to make it seem as if it’s not very important to me, but Weibo did acknowledge me, so I have to show my thanks. In that case, I’ll take it out to show you. LYN: Friends. I’ll take away the lyrics to let you screenshot. We need to commemorate this brilliant moment. - /poses for the camera/

LYN: Okay, that’s enough. You got the screenshots, right?

LYN: I suddenly found a problem. I came to Weibo in ‘21- because that’s when my contract with my previous platform ended and I needed to choose a new one, so I chose Weibo. I streamed for the year of 2021, and they awarded me with the title of Weibo Livestream King. Some encouragement. But they didn’t give this award to me in 2022. At the time I hadn’t realized yet. It wasn’t until 2023- the later half of 2023- that I thought, “Eh? I was King in 2021, but not 2022? Who can beat me on stream time on Weibo?” I looked it up everywhere and couldn’t find anything. Then you told me that there was no award in 2022. The category was eliminated, because I was the only contender. I said, “Ohh, there was no King in 2022. Okay, I’m fine with that.” It can only be that no one gets it, but it can’t be that you got it but I didn’t. I won’t fight for anything else, but for Livestream King I want to make an effort for it. That’s the first thing. LYN: The second thing is that the staff at Weibo are all really great. They must have heard me complaining about it. They’re such a big platform that a single award won’t put them out. I’m guessing that while they were making all the other awards, they decided to toss this one in as well. While they were at it. “Why don’t we just make LYN another one? He’s over there complaining about us in his stream, as if he can’t live without it. Let’s just make one for him. We’ll make it and just send it to him. Whatever.” And then- they made me a “2022-2023” award. I mean- if you’re going to make it, can’t you just make TWO?? I can put all three up at home: [2021]-[2022]-[2023]! But now you’ve made it: [2021] - [2022-2023]. Wow, just two. You’re already making them, you couldn’t just make one extra?? LYN: Also friends, you might not know, but these awards are all made with a mold. When you go to the clothing warehouse and buy a single item of clothing it might cost you 100rmb, but it you buy 100 articles, it will only cost you 60rmb per article. By that I mean the more awards you make, the cheaper they are in the long-run. The more stock you buy the cheaper you can get them for. You know- Now it’s just awkward. There’s 2021 over there, but now I have “2022-2023” here to put with it. If they’re going to do that I’m guessing next it’ll be like this: no award in 2024, no award in 2025, then they’ll give me one in 2026 that reads, “2024-2026”. Based on logic, I’m guessing it will go like that. I hope not, though. 

C: Have one custom-made for you. LYN: /laughs/ I- I don’t think there’s a need to. These types of things, there’s no good reason to make one for yourself. That’s not worth it. First of all, I’d feel sad for my money. Secondly, who makes an award FOR THEMSELVES?? There’s no need to do that. 

C: Ning-ge, is it made of gold? LYN: /laughs/ You’re asking if this Weibo award is made of gold? Do you think we’re at the Olympics?? You expect them to make an award/trophy out of real gold? They don’t even want to make me two of them. XD I don’t believe there’s any gold (jin) in it. There’s no way. I’m guessing it’s probably- /stares at it/- alloy (hejin). It’s also a type of “jin”.

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C: Why are there so few strawberries in a box? LYN: I’m not a strawberry businessman, why are you asking me??? I’m only here to suggest that you try Dandong strawberries. Now you want to ask me, “Why are there so few strawberries in a box?”? Go ask an expert. I know that I always tell you that you should try Dandong strawberries, but I am not the customer service agent for the whole of the strawberry industry. Maybe if I were an ambassador and received a commission from it, then it would be my job to ask the experts for the answer. I’d ask for you. But it has nothing to do with me… It’s like I suggest you go to Dandong to try the crab, and you go but it upsets your stomach. Then you tell me, “You made me go to Dandong to eat seafood and now I have the runs. Compensate me.” LYN: “Why are there so few strawberries in a box”? There’s one thing you can do. Buy multiple boxes and consolidate them into one. Let’s say one box has 20. Buy ten boxes. 200 strawberries. Tell them to put those 200 into just one box. Then you’ll feel like the box is full and satisfying. These strawberries aren’t sold by the box, usually it’s by the weight. Fruits, you know, they’re all priced by weight. 

C: Trending in the Entertainment tab at #12. LYN: Really? No way. ~ How can that be? I don’t believe I have that ability. Friends, how does my voice sound? ~ A lot of people say that I have an accent and it’s too strongly Northeastern. ~ Do I? ~ LYN: ~ Id like to welcome everyone to my livestream. My name is Liu Yuning. Currently, I am a singer and actor by profession. Next, I’d like to sing a nice song for you. I hope you like it. If you want to hear something, please let me know. ~ C: I have goosebumps. LYN: Are they the good kind or the bad kind? Because goosebumps can be categorized into good and bad ones. Sometimes you’ll see something really disgusting and get goosebumps. The other kind is if you’re watching a movie and it comes to a really thrilling part, with the music to accompany, you get the goosebumps like, “WOW!” Which kind are you? C: You’re at #10 now. LYN: Alright. Let me play you a video while I use the restroom, and I’ll come back to stream properly for you. I’ll grab a water, too. I was drinking this milk tea but now my throat feels sticky. I’ll play a video and please wait for me. 

-- break #2

LYN: I’m back. I know it’s been a long time since I streamed last, solo at least. The last time I was with Da Fei and Ah-Zhuo and we did the Carnation Music Festival. I think the last solo stream was a little more than two months ago. It’s inexcusable, so I figured I should come stream today. There’s nothing going on- I just want to chat. If there’s anything you want to chat with me about, you can type it into the comments. Of course, try not to mention other artists and cause me trouble. I just want to safely and peacefully stream for once. I don’t want any trouble. 

C: Why do you need to wipe your face? LYN: It’s oily. If you sit in front of the computer for hours, you’re going to get oily too. Or maybe it’s just because I’m rather greasy.  - C: Ning-ge, if you livestream there’s a danger to your life. LYN: What are you talking about? Don’t try to scare me. At most the computer explodes. XD No. I’m only just turning on the stream, not handling a grenade. Why would it?? - C: You’re just a greasy man. LYN: Ok. If you’re going to put it that way, I’m going to start “pinch”ing. I’ll make my voice more “pinched”! LYN: ~ Ahaha~ Sorry- Seems like you were "greased out” by me again. ~ 

C: Ning-ge, can we get the trending topic to #1? LYN: There’s no need and I don’t think it would get that far. My trending topics can’t really make it to #1, because it’s a normal occurrence. At the very beginning, maybe it was something new. But now I stream too much and the “LYN_Livestream” topic is a staple. It’s not fresh anymore. No one is very interested in it anymore. C: You’re at #8 now. LYN: Friends, when I’m trending now I have this senses of terror. Before, I would be trending sometimes too. But as soon as I clicked in to the topic it would be to find a bunch of people cursing me out. I don’t want to really look at the trending topic now. I fear it’s going to mess with my good mood. 

LYN: How about… I take a look? - /browsing/ C: Ning-ge don’t be afraid. LYN: A bunch of you are in here saying, “Don’t get flustered.” C: LYN is the coolest! LYN: Let me tell you- if you say that you’re going to get yelled at. There are going to be people on you, telling you to “eat better.” They’re going to DM you immediately, telling you that you can do better. For example I like eating Lanzhou noodles. I just like noodles, so I say, “Noodles are the best.” Then someone comes up to your door and says, “Hey. Eat better.” Don’t post things like “LYN is the coolest”, because you’re likely to get reported. 

C: Ning-ge, it’s okay. You can look this time. LYN: What they mean by that is it’s okay for me to look in the topic, because everything in there is positive? Another thing is that I’m streaming right now and maybe those of you who are watching have created a blank slate for me. You’ve made it so that I can’t see all the bad comments. This friend is telling me it’s okay to look. But the problem here is that their “it’s fine” is typed as ’没失‘ and not as ‘没事’ as it should be. LYN: … LYN: As in the “失” that means “to die”. As in “to lose”. I guess they mean to say “It’s okay. You won’t die.” LYN: Amazing. /sarcastic/ You sure are talented!

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C: How much are the concert tickets? LYN: The sales haven’t even started yet!! Stop asking, please. The tickets are how normal concert tickets are priced. There are all sorts of ranges. If you want to sit closer to the front it’ll be more expensive. If your luck is bad, just get a cheaper ticket in the back and be done with it. It all depends on your own ability. This is normal. I am unable to tell you how much they will cost at this time. Because I don’t even know if I’ll be able to hold it in the first place or not. How can you be negotiating prices with me already?

C: Ning-ge, did you use double eyelid tape for Spring Festival? LYN: /laughs/ /sobers/ What are you talking about?! It’s like this friends- my friends on the small side, but actually I do have inner double eyelids. I you look at me from this angle- I have double eyelids. But once I open my eyes they turn into monolids. The problem is… maybe I’m getting older? You know how when you age, your eyelids start to… sag? It’s a clear and obvious sign of aging- either they’re swollen or sagging. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and head straight to makeup- there’s four layers.

LYN: In the leaked shots from set, some people comment, “Why do Ning-ge’s eyes look different? Has he used double-eyelid tape?” No. It’s not a double-eyelid It’s a triple eyelid. And then, sometimes as I shoot throughout the day, there will be a close-up shot. I turn my head- this eye is triple-lidded and this eye is single. I look like this:

LYN: One big, one small. The director will see that and say, “Um… Let’s not shoot this scene right now. We’ll wait until nighttime, when your eyes are less swollen. It’s just a simple turn of the head (it can wait).” Yeah. I’m getting older.

C: Ning-ge, you should instantly do some Thermage treatment. LYN: Is that something you can do in an instant? I mean- I know I’ve mentioned Thermage before, but it’s not something that can be- it’s not something that I’m constantly doing. I’m not doing it anymore. The past year- the last time I did it was a year ago. I don’t do it anymore. I don’t need it. Now I do “cao sheng pao”. [t/n: idk what that is.] Now that really hurts.

C: Lao-da, why do you keep squeezing your eyes? LYN: They’re kind of uncomfortable. I have a bit of a bad habit, which is I like to do this: /scrunch his nose, then blink his eyes hard/ Sometimes it itches. I don’t know why but lately the inside of my nose has been really itchy. That’s why I keep needing to twitch my nose a little.

C: Ning-ge, are you flirting with me? LYN: /laughs/ You shouldn’t have such delusions. 

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C: /comment about his red socks on Spring Festival/ LYN: It wasn’t that purposeful, but you have to wear red on New Years, right? But who knew that those pants were- It was kind of cold that day, so- even if I were on stage I’d still wear my thermals. I wanted to wear my thermals on stage, but figured I should also put on some socks. But because of the thermals the pants turned little shorter, so you could see my red socks. I was thinking about changing into black socsks, but we had already reached the stage and it would be troublesome to change, so I just wore the red socks. I figured you wouldn’t be abe to see it so clearly, anyway. Doesn’t matter.

C: What should I do if I can’t finish my homework? LYN: If you can’t finish it, then go do it. Why are you telling me? Do you want me to do your homework for you? There are such things as designated drivers, do you want a designated writer now? You want me to do your homework for you? Why don’t you learn well and do your own homework.

C: What should I do if I’m tired of/at work? LYN: I already said, didn’t I? There’s no such thing as “easy” in the world of adults. We’re all tired. You can… not work. But if you don’t then you’ll go hungry. What else can you do? You can only be tired. I’m not trying to discourage you, but I do think that’s it’s okay for young people to work harder and be a little more tired. If you can work hard while you’re young, you should. Don’t be like me, who’s just started trying at my age- we don’t have hope. Well, I can’t say “at my age”- just, when you’re a little older. I still have a little hope. C: I have to work hard so that I can buy tickets to your concert. LYN: Right! It’s a sort of motivation. Even if you don’t go, you should do well at work so that you can earn more money. Right? I know it’s not easy. When I was working- I was working in a clothing shop during the day and when I got off work there I went to the bar to sing. I had two jobs in a day. For what? To earn more money so that I could live a better life. These two jobs added together earned me a little less than 4,000rmb. Singing at the bar, I only made 800 in a month. 

C: Ning-ge, are there souvenirs from Spring Festival? LYN: You go to Spring Festival and even come back with souvenirs? Actually, there were. Those dragon hats you saw on tv- there were those. Let me see if I can find it, and if I can I’ll wear it for you. If I wear it, it will prove that I was actually there.

LYN: There it is. They gave us this hat and a bunch of other things, like a Lego set. It was of the tv station’s advertising car. All nice. - /starts shaking his head do the puff balls hit him in the face./ LYN: Smacking myself.

C: Raffle it. LYN: Why should I? It took great effort to be on Spring Festival at all and they gave me stuff to commemorate the evening with, and you want me to raffle it off?? One day when I’m old I won’t have any thing to prove that I’d been there! Why should I raffle it? If you want it, buy it yourself.

C: Ning-ge, your dancing has improved. LYN: Save it. The Spring Festival stage was different than stages that I’m usually performing on. How? For example the Weibo World Festival, or Weibo Night- for events like that if I have a performance I will usually spend the day before in rehearsal. During rehearsal, one of my staff will record it so that I can see the overall effect of the stage. If the camera angles change, they might record the monitors so that I’m more aware during my performance where I should stand or when to maintain my expression, or where I should pay attention in singing. Based on what I see while monitoring the rehearsal, I can adjust for my performance the next day. But Spring Festival is different. They do not allow staff to record, so you have no idea how you’re doing on stage. That’s number one. Number two, Spring Festival will not send the video of your performance to you. So that means that even if I went to rehearse four times, I have no idea what I looked like each time.

LYN: I want to say- I thought I was dancing pretty well! I thought, “Wow, I’m so lively!” Because the thing about Spring Festival is that everyone on stage is happy- to bring all the viewers in front of their tvs happiness and harmony. It’s the New Year! People should be having fun! You need that feel, so I was super excited while dancing. Also, there was part of the song- (the shiny, shiny part)- the dance move for this was supposed to be, and you’ll know if you watched the backup dancers- /dances/. Normally it’d be like this- the two legs together. Maybe you can’t see because this camera is too close. Let me adjust. Normally, it’s supposed to be like this- I’ll move farther back (so you can see). - /demonstrates/ LYN: It was supposed to be like that. You’ll know if you saw the backup dancers. But! After DZS and I learned the dance we had to take a moment to self-reflect. Because we thought this move was a little… improper. It just felt like… because the backup dancers had other moves interspersed, it didn’t look as out of place. But DZW and I had to hold a mic and sing too, so twisting like that felt a little… inelegant. Two grown men squirming about like that was kind of girly, kind of- C: Brushing the edge. [擦边 (cā biān)] [t/n: says Baidu: “vulgar behavior that relies on revealing clothing and provocative behavior to attract attention”] LYN: Not that! It didn’t warrant the use of that vocabulary. What the heck are you talking about??! Are you trying to end me? Are you really my fan?? LYN: In any case- it wasn’t brushing the edge. It just felt too inelegant. We didn’t think that would fly. So we communicated with the choreographer, and asked if we could raise the difficulty level up a bit. What does that mean? It means we arranged side steps. Left, right. Left, right. - /demonstrates/ LYN: And we would wave at everyone with this hand. /waves/ Like that. LYN: Isn’t that better? In the end we discussed it and the choreographer agreed to let us change the move. So that’s how we changed it.

LYN: And then- I was telling you earlier- at Spring Festival, there’s no way to watch the playback. I thought it was a super happy performance. I thought I danced so well, and I was ecstatic. I even made the movements bigger. But I never saw the playback. Later- that is, after Spring Festival- I got off work and returned home to watch the performance. Oh my god. Standing at 1.9m tall with legs like chopsticks, and my movements were so big! Among everyone else it felt like two forks dancing across the stage. Like a huge, happy spider. /sigh/ If I had known I would have restrained myself a little. I would have made the movements just a little smaller. You know what it was? Let me imitate it for you. You might not know just from how I’m describing it. It was like this: - /normal ver: small side-step movements/ LYN: But I was like: /starts the music/ Okay. Here it comes. - /lyn ver: huge, happy spider/ - /runs into his chair/

LYN: In order to make it more cheerful I almost flew off the stage. C: Your movements weren’t that large. LYN: Close enough.

LYN: /in pain/ I overdid it and stepped on the chair. I heard my bone crack. LYN: I’m not kidding. Ouch. Hold on, let me play you a song. LYN: Let’s leave it along to let it recover. When I was bouncing around earlier I stepped on one of the wheels. It just happens to also be the foot I broke last year. I think it’s okay- it just hurts. Let me leave it alone for now. - /long pause/ LYN: I’m okay! Let’s leave it. /breathes heavily/ Wait for me a sec. I’ll use the restroom. Let me walk it off. Hold on- I’ll play a video for you. 

-- break #3

LYN: /self-berating/ You’ve done it now. Hm? You’ve done it now, haven’t you? What are you doing all the time, and so improper? I can’t wait to see how you embarrass yourself to death on livestream. Embarrass yourself because you’re trending. LYN: I just checked- it’s not where I broke it before. I’ve just sprained my ankle a little. It’s okay. We’ll leave it alone for now and see how it feels. Later I’ll have a staff bring me some yunnan baiyao to spray on it. LYN: I’m fine. Just sprained my ankle, so let me rest for a bit. /sigh/ Too embarrassing! // It’s not where I broke it- that’s on the foot. I just checked and it’s my ankle. I was bouncing around earlier, and you know how the chairs have four legs? I stepped on one of the legs and the chair rolled away from me. After that it made a cracking sound. My staff has gone to get me medicine. It’s all good. 

C: It’s better to elevate the foot. LYN: ? Really? Does that work? /props his foot on the other chair/ Then, how about this? I’ll stream while laying back. C: You need more calcium. LYN: Yes, I do. I bought supplements but haven’t taken them. I’m afraid to grow taller. That would be bad. I’m already 1.9+m, if I few another 1-2cm I’d be done for. C: Mainly, you need more sun. LYN: I can’t do that because If I do then... I’ll get too tan. I need to be in front of the camera everyday, so If I get tan that wouldn’t look nice. Forget it.

C: Would you still grow taller? LYN: … I don’t know. I’m just afraid to. C: You’re already so old, why would you? LYN: I really can grow taller! Humans are always growing. It wouldn’t be much, but even 0.5mm is still growth isn’t it? Even sometimes when you break a bone and the space between the two pieces heals wider that it used to be, you’d grow a little as a result/ C: Ning-ge, you’re almost 40. Can you still grow taller?

LYN: … /looks into the camera and huffs/ /sighs/ /cries/ If you didn’t tell me, I would have forgtten that I’m almost 40.C C: Ning-ge, you’re 18. Forever 18. LYN: I don’t need that. There’s really no need. You don’t have to use these types of methods to comfort me. “You’re 18. Forever young. You’re a flower.” If I were really to be comforted by such outrageous comments then I would find myself to be outrageous. C: Lao-da just turned 18 this year~ LYN: It’s whatever. Doesn’t matter.

- /puts his foot down/ LYN: I think it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. Don’t worry, friends. It doesn’t hurt. LYN: How embarrassing is this, though? It’d be fine if I were to sprain my ankle while filming- that’d be a work-injury. But to sprain my ankle in my own house, my own room, while jumping around for my livestream- that’s plenty shameful. 

C: Lao-da, you’re trending at #2 now. LYN: Really? I don’t believe you. - /checks it out/ LYN: You must have meant to say #12. I was wondering how I would rise to such a high level. It’s 12, not 2. You missed a “1” in there. C: #9 in My Orbit.// #2 in My Orbit. LYN: Don’t look at “My Orbit”- its because you’re following me, that you see me so high up.

C: You got happy for nothing. LYN: No. I’d feel guilty for having such a high trending topic when I don’t have any songs or dramas to promote anyway. It’s only because I’m streaming and weibo is nice to me, so they recommend my stream to everyone to let them now that I’m live. Weibo is promoting me, so it’s giving me a push. After they recommend it, maybe people who had never seen my stream before just so happen to have opened their apps and can click in to sit for a while. If they’ve got nothing else going on, it’s nice to just sit here for a while. It’s fun, here. I want to thank everyone who came to watch me today, as well. Even if you aren’t my fan, I hope you can subscribe. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning.

C: Were you nervous for Spring Festival? LYN: Was I nervous? I was. Because with Spring Festival it’s… how should I put this… it doesn’t let you feel secure. The rehearsals are in rounds. For example I went to rehearsal the first and second times, but not the third. It felt like our stage was taken out of the lineup and it felt embarrassing. I feel like it’s embarrassing, because you go so many times. People were looking forward to it- friends and family alike- and if in the end the program doesn’t make it in the lineup I would feel like it’s disgraceful. I was nervous up until the moment we performed. But as soon as you’re on stage and performing, it’s not as bad. Once your ON the stage, it’s okay. You just have to have fun. I mean, look how much fun I was having just now. C: I was worried to death when you didn’t go to the third rehearsal. LYN: The third time I really couldn’t get away from the drama crew and the Festival coordinators were really understanding so they just told me to go the next time. They told me it would be okay to rest and I was grateful for it. That time, I couldn’t request any more time away. Of course, my family was also monitoring my appearance, and they were sending me messages to comfort me (thinking he was out of the show). “It’s okay. There’s always next time. If you can’t go this year, you’ll go next year.” To which I had to reply, “No- It’s because I didn’t have time to go to the rehearsal. I’ll be at the next one.” 

C: It’s my birthday. Can you wish me a Happy Birthday? LYN: Happy Birthday.

C: I’ve sent 100 comments already. Look at me. LYN: Thank you.

C: Today is my friend’s birthday. Can you wish them a Happy Birthday? LYN: … :| There’s no need, right? It’s your friend’s birthday and they’re not even watching my stream but you want me to wish them a Happy Birthday? What’s the point of that??

LYN: No one has told me what the “20yuan new fan” thing means. I still don’t get it. But I guess it means that you’re new fans? If I’m guessing correctly they’re a new species of fans. XD At least here with me. They’re a new species. That’s nice. C: You’re so up to speed, you really don’t know? LYN: I really don’t. It used to be that I really enjoyed scrolling through weibo or the short video platforms, to see things relating to me. But then I found out that sometimes after I saw those posts, I would be unhappy. The way I found to fix that was to not scroll social media at all. A lot of the artist friends around me all choose not to look either; and they really don’t. After I stopped looking I became a lot happier. Really. These things can influence your mood. So I decided not to look at them, and my mood has become much better. Truly. I really don’t look at them anymore. I just deleted the apps. They’re not worthy to be on my phone. LYN: When I see bad things, I don’t have much of an interest. Even now, I don’t much look at things relating to me. Sometimes I’ll see the popular and trending stuff but I’ve really cut down on the content and comments related to myself.

LYN: My mentality is already in a good place, so you don’t have to try to comfort me or anything. There’s no need. I’m really doing very well. I think I’ve matured. People go through all sorts of experiences, and it’s only after you’ve gone through them that you grow. If anything I’ll watch some funny clips or cuts from movies, and that’s also fine.

C: Why haven’t they brought you the yunnan baiyao yet? LYN: They don’t live with me. They’re in the hotel, so it’s not a big rush. It really doesn’t hurt much anymore. It was only a sprain. It’s okay. LYN: You know that I’m on the tall side, so I’m prone to twisting my ankle. Whenever I’m shooting for the dramas, I always twist my ankle. It was the worst in the first drama I shot. Then, I twisted it during CGX. Then later, I broke my bone. In any case, twisting my ankle is- /staff arrived/ You’re here?

C: Ning-ge, it’s also my birthday. I want to hear your “loser literature.” LYN: Do you really want to hear my loser literature, or do you want to curse at me? If it’s the former, I already demo’d it earlier. Later when I stop streaming, you can scroll through the playback. I did it quite a few times. LYN: ~ Sorry, I won’t imitate it again. ~

- /someone asks why they’re not applying the medicine/ LYN: It’s okay, they’re working on it. But don’t worry. I’m old enough and can take care of it myself. You don’t need to worry about me. Later, I’ll- how long have I been streaming for? 2hours, 47 minutes. When it’s 3hours, I’ll leave. There are still 13 minutes left for me to chat with you. - /medicine time/ LYN: It’s OK now! I applied the medicine. It’s no big deal.

C: Ning-ge, is your new drama going to air soon? LYN: None of my dramas are going to air soon. I’m still filming the current one. As for the ones that are already done filming I really have no idea when they’ll air. I’m not going to worry about it, and just keep on filming. So- /thinking hard/- we’ll just wait. There’s no rush. I’ll get my album out first, and later I’ll be shooting for a variety show. So you don’t have to worry about not seeing me. I’m going to go record for a variety show; I’ve heard it’s going to be fun. So later you can watch it. LYN: Right now there are… just a bunch of dramas that are waiting to be broadcast and I don’t know when they will be. Some of them need to wait for the right time, because it’ll air on two platforms at once. It’s hard to find a common time, so we’re in a bit of an uncomfortable position. All we can do is wait. But I just need to keep shooting, is all. 

C: Zi Chuan. LYN: I only had around 190 or so scenes, if I remember correctly. It’s 48 episodes, and I only have 190 scenes. Honestly, it’s not that much. I don’t remember if that was the number, but it has to be around 200. Tian Xing (Floating world/Heroes) is also around 200 scenes. I didn’t shoot more than that. I don’t appear very much. C: Cicada Girls? LYN: That was also around 100 scenes? That one was really little, because it’s only 24 episodes long. I finished filming for that in two months.

C: Ning-ge, as long as you’re in it, it doesn’t matter how many scenes you have. LYN: Right. All you have to do is watch. For dramas, I feel like as long as I’ve participated in it, you can take a look. It’s rare that I got the opportunity to be an actor AND actually act in something, so all you have to do is support me and support the dramas I appear in, and respect my decisions.

C: Ning-ge, will you still be shooting dramas when you’re 60? LYN: I don’t know, probably not? I probably wouldn’t be. Let me… not continuously shoot dramas like that. LYN: We’ll see as we go.

C: Keep acting when you’re 60. Then there’s no doubt when you call yourself a veteran actor. LYN: Am I in this until death do me part? It doesn’t matter if I act terribly or how the drama turns out, I should still self-praise and say, “I’m a veteran actor. Because I’m 60!”? LYN: Is that allowable? Let’s forget about it. Let me enjoy my old age. At the most I’ll hold a concert when I’m an old man, at which point I will tear my shirt off for you. I probably won’t be acting, but let’s wait and see. I think I’d be able to pull off a concert at 60, though. All the little old ladies here in the stream can watch an old man go barechested together. LYN: Yes- when I’m 60 and holding my concert I’ll tear my shirt off. I don’t know which song it will be but I will just need to tear it off. I wouldn’t know why. I’m already so hot I’m left in just my undershirt, but it will be so warm that I have no choice but to remove that undershirt. Think about it- I’ll be 60 and probably not have much strength left. For fear that I would not be able to tear the shirt with my own strength, I’ll have to make a cut in the collar in advance. Even if I wanted to tear it, I’d have to cut it in advance. And then if that doesn’t work, I can use me teeth and pull at it with both hands. It’s all possible. LYN: Someone said earlier that my dancing was skirting the edge. I won’t do it now, but save it for when I’m 60. I’ll hold a concert when I’m 60 and skirt the edge then. For my risque performance it will be of a 60 year old man tearing his shirt off. So you can see a barechested old man. LYN: Oh my god, what if my fake teeth fall out? While I’m using my teeth to help tear at the shirt, my dentures fly out and off the stage? Someone picks them up and says, “I won it in the raffle.” I’m sure that’s something you would do, especially at 60. “Oh, Ning-ge’s not giving anything? Then, I won this in a raffle (of my own making).”

C: Ning-ge, you can have Daimi tear it for you. LYN: Don’t talk about such sad topics, okay? Do you think a dog’s lifespan is that long? At that time there probably won’t be a Daimi anymore. /cries/

C: Ning-ge, will you hold a concert when you’re 80? LYN: Enough, already. I have no way of answering these questions. If I told you, “Don’t worry. I live for music. It doesn’t matter if I’m 80 or 90, I will still share good music with you all.” I think saying that is too much. It’s too much. “I was born to make music. For art.” “I shoot dramas so that I can put my everything into the role.” It’s not worth it. I know these words are easily said, but I don’t believe very many can do. I can’t guarantee that I’ll still be singing at 80. What am I?? I just want to live a good life and spend my days happily. I don’t want to torture myself like that. I’ve been tortured my whole life already. LYN: By that time I should be finding free time. I should have a kid who comes home often to visit me. I should be in assisted living and have a kid who, with a smile, brings their significant other to see me. I’ll prepare some topics of conversation. Their mother will prepare a table full of food. You can talk to me about the struggles in life. Discuss your troubles at work.

LYN: It’s not a playback. This is live.

C: Lao-da, you should go for your physical. LYN: I just came back from doing it! I went mid-last year. Basically, I’m healthy. They didn’t find much. The only thing is that I am a bit calcium deficient. Other than that, nothing major. Everything is good and I’m pretty healthy. I know I look sickly/weak but I’m actually healthy. Only lacking in calcium. But you know- the design of their machine- ANY normal person who goes to test will come out calcium deficient. Honestly, a lot of people are. C: About about weight? LYN: 130+ pounds. I think I’m around 132-134.

C: Will you still be recording for The Truth? LYN: Yeah. As long as they’ll be recording for it, I’ll go. As long as they invite me to go play, I’ll go. LYN: I tend to develop an attachment to the shows I’ve been on before- and this includes all of them. I was even on Fresh Chef 100 twice. As long as there’s a second season and I’m invited, I will find the time to go. I went on WMDG twice, and actually a third season also wanted me. They wanted me for a third season! But I thought I wouldn’t have anything to show for a third season. I don’t know. Actually at that point I really didn’t have time- if I’m doing a drama and variety show at the same time the schedule is pretty strict. Music varieties are not like others, because you have to take time to prepare in advance. You have to practice the song, think about how to rearrange it, and actively participate. You also have to think about the next performance. All while doing that, you have to make sure you’re not overworking so that you can sing well for the actual performance. All in all, a music variety exhausts a lot of your mental capacity. You have to think a lot more than shows where “having fun” is the focus, like reality shows. Those are okay. Music varieties are completed with the help of a lot of professionals, so it’s more difficult.

LYN: Anyway! As long as I have the time I’ll use a few hours to stream for you. I know that after my last drama, a lot of you came to like me. I didn’t even believe it at first, because all of the ah… discussion about me online was not exactly ideal. But the fact that there are still a group of people who were able to like me despite that makes me really grateful. With some things, you can only tell with time. Like me- if you’ve been with me for a while you’ll start to understand what type of person I am. So it’s okay. I have a lot of friends who have walked with me on this path until today and they all know and understand me. I want to welcome all the new friends and if you still haven’t subscribed to my weibo, please do so. The next time I stream it will notify you~ 

LYN: Some people are typing a question into the comments in a clear attempt to trick me. You’re not good people. I’m talking to you. You’re not a good person. It’s the New Year. Do good things. There are so many people asking me…

C: Wonderland of Love was the coollest! LYN: I only went there to cameo. Are you saying that the drama was cool, or that you liked my appearance in it? In any case, it was just a cameo, which was fun. And I was happy to be involved, because they were really attentive to my appearance. They carefully selected a wardrobe for me, and did my hair and makeup well. They were serious about it, even if I was just there to cameo. I felt respected. I was happy to cameo and to promote it when it started airing. It’s not as if I had the greatest influence, but I was happy to do what I could to promote it. Even though I was just there to cameo, I felt respected and they were serious about making me look decent so that I could leave a little role there. It was nice. LYN: I feel like the hair/makeup and wardrobe for dramas nowadays is so amazing. It’s good though, and just goes to show how this industry is improving. We’re all striving for the best.

LYN: Sometimes when I’m walking down the street, some people will call me, “Ning Yuanzhou!” I think it’s nice. Before, it would be: “Modern Brothers! Modern Brothers, right? I’ve heard your song- Jiang Zhen De.” They would know me because of that cover; but that was before. Nowadays whenever I go somewhere I will hear, “Ning Yuanzhou!” instead. I think the happy thing about being an actor is that you can become known as an actor for playing a particular role. And as an actor, you really have to thank all of the roles that you’ve played, because really it’s the character that has made more people like you as a person. It’s not because we as actors are charming, but because the drama’s role is charming. That’s why I’m thankful for all the roles I’ve played before that have let more people know of me. Even if the previous character was not very outstanding or from a drama that was not very popular, there can still be those one or two fans who have won the lottery and started to like me. That’s also something the drama brought to me. 

C: I’ve watched all of your dramas and now I’m at a loss. LYN: Don’t make it seem as if I’ve been in very many dramas. The very first drama I was in was Hot-Blooded Youth and honestly I didn’t know how to act back then. Of course, I still only act pretty averagely even now. But then I didn’t know a thing about acting. I was relying on my instincts. The ones after, too. I didn’t really know how to act. I started to get the hang of it- I had an epiphany- for BCF’s role, because I got too into it. I got into it and then it went to my head. I know how some people talk about immersing themselves in the role, and I understood it, but I didn’t really FEEL it until that role. LYN: When I first started people told me that being an actor was an art that leaves you with regrets. No matter what role you play, you will always leave it with regrets. You’ll think about how you could have performed better. It’s an art that leaves you with regret. But BCF was the only role I feel like I didn’t leave with regrets. Why? Because I don’t think that if I had a second chance to play the role I would have done a better job. That’s what I think. Maybe I could do better performance-wise, but in terms of the emotion I don’t think I could do better a second time. LYN: After that role when I acted I started thinking about different approaches to a scene that I could have handled better. I started having my own sense of… what do you call it? My brain’s not working anymore. Sense of… it’s right on the top of my tongue. Sense of self-review. But I really think that if you had me go back to play BCF again- I know I didn’t have all the techniques and acting tricks down but the emotion was real. It’s not a state of mind that I can reach again. 

C: The trick to acting is not acting at all. LYN: Not so. I don’t really dare to talk to you depth about acting because I know that I am just an amateur. If I talk to you about it I’m sure that people are going to ridicule me saying, “Oh, look. This singer thinks he knows anything about acting.” But I’ll learn from the actors I work with. It doesn’t matter how small their role is, I will still observe how they act. If there’s something good to learn, I will absorb it. I’m that type of person. LYN: You say that “the trick to acting is not acting at all.” Really, that’s not completely true. I guess it would depend on what type of drama it is. For example, if you are supposed to be someone who’s been stabbed through with by a spear, tell me how they’re supposed to act that out. How would you know what it feels like to be stabbed by a spear? How would you act? Or for example, you’re walking along and get shot. I know they say to use your real feelings but, are you really going to get shot in order to act that out? So, you still need to act. You still need the element of acting- the performance. Acting is acting. The logic behind “not acting’ is just to make it more lifelike. So that people don’t feel like it’s too fake. C: Lao-da, can you act it out now? LYN: What? Getting shot? I was shot in my first drama- Hot-Blooded Youth, as WCF. He was shot and died. BCF jumped off the building and died- that’s a second way of dying. Another drama, also- oh, forget it. In any case, they all… (died). There’s also death by poison. There’s also death by getting stabbed with ten spears. You can say, “Ning-ge, the secret to acting is by not acting at all.” You’ve been stabbed by ten spears. How do you act that? Get stabbed, so you know what it feels like for real? “Oh, this is how it feels! I don’t need to act now!” C: LMX died from sickness. LYN: LMX just silently passed in his sleep. He fell asleep and was gone.

LYN: I think all that I’ve experienced in these past past five years have, especially in the recent 6-12 months- made me enjoy acting even more. Because now I know what’s good and what’s bad. I can differentiate. Even choosing scripts, roles, and teams. I have an awareness now. I didn’t used to think so much about it. I used to think that as long as the job fulfilled one of the requirements I was satisfied. But sometimes you realize that’s an uncomfortable path to take. Now I’ve gained the ability to distinguish between good and bad, and that’s a good sign of growth for me. C: The script is very important. LYN: Of course it is. The script is number 1. The script is number 1 and without it, nothing else follows. I think it’s very important. I’m talking about the majority of the dramas that are being shot right now- the script is number 1. It’s not like a movie, where you can have a lot of time to build up chemistry. For example, if there are five actors. These five need to work together to flesh the scene out- I say something, then you say something. Or, I’ll add something here, and you say something in reply so that we can have a back-and-forth. There’s a creative atmosphere that’s really great. I’ve had a couple dramas like that, but I’m not going to say which. There was one where the actors present in the scene said a bunch of fun stuff. For example, if there are five-six of us on scene we could create a really fun atmosphere that takes the basic structure of the scene and add that extra layer of character building. I think that’s something we as actors should do, as long as we are given the creative freedom to do so. When you are able to create with your fellow actors you’ll find every day enjoyable and fun. When you get on set you can share your ideas and play off of each other. As an actor, that’s the thing I found most enjoyable while shooting. On the other hand, in dramas where you don’t have that creative freedom, you just act as the script directs. You feel like it’s only work and it doesn’t bring you any joy. So, you really do need to chance upon a good script.

C: BYOL. LYN: For that drama, honestly, I was really… relaxed. Because I hadn’t shot any modern dramas before that, so my only requirement for myself was that I was real and relaxed. Tao-jie was a big factor, since for most of that drama she was the one opposite me. She’s really great, as you know, and led me well. With her, I could act however I wanted to. We added a lot of content- like teasing remarks. For example, the “What’s wrong? You’re screaming so loudly!” in the scene where she sees the two reptiles. I think she says something like, “Take those digusting things away” and I reply, “What “things”? These are my brothers. In English, they’re my homies.” We added a lot of things like that. We played around and were really relaxed. Of course, there’s are certain degrees to a scene so in the end it wasn’t added to the drama but the feel was still there. We were creating nonstop and fitting things together, with very realistic banter. There was a lot that we put together on scene. Sometimes it can be really interesting and meaningful. - (t/n: he slipped while talking and called it YNGS, but really it’s supposed to be BYOL.)

LYN: Sometimes I see people commenting on my acting, and I will also read those comments seriously and accept what they’re saying. If they have a point, it’s something I make sure to work on in the future. I acknowledge what they’re saying. I see the comments on my acting, and- /laughs/- it’s quite interesting. They talk about an actor’s facial expressions, our reactions. It’s like- - /Daimi starts barking/ LYN: Okay, I won’t talk about this. If there wasn’t such a big topic of public opinion, I really would like to share my thoughts about it with you. But if I say anything then there is also bound to be some unreasonable backlash. Honestly, I’m just chatting and I don’t try to speak with any motives. This is just my small and insignificant livestream.

LYN: I think it’s the medicine my staff ordered for me. (The reason why Daimi’s barking) LYN: Daimi. Come here. I’ll give you an opportunity to show your face on camera. Let’s prove that I’m not oppressing you. LYN: Come here. Give your Aunties and Uncles a New Year’s bow. LYN: We haven’t trimmed her fur lately so she’s looking a little haggard. She’s got stray hairs. She doesn’t have any schedules lately so she’s unkempt and there’s hair in front of her eyes, so you can’t really see them. LYN: Here, look here. To the front. LYN: She’s gotten fatter lately. I held her while going up the stairs and I think she’s gotten too fat. Fat and round, like a gas tank. I’m thinking of taking her to see YOLO (热辣滚烫). So she can see other’s determination and self-reflect. D: /barks/ (Don’t talk shit about me, dad.) LYN: Bark, bark. Why are you barking? Shush. LYN: Did you want to say something? Speak. What do you want to say? Speak. Didn’t you have something you wanted to say? Say it. I’m giving you mic, you can speak. Say something. Huh? /gets ignored/ Hey! Speak! LYN: Want. A. Sausage? (x2) LYN: Okay, forget it. I’ll let her go.

LYN: Okay, friends. It’s about time. I should stop streaming now. If you still haven’t subscribed to my weibo, please do so. If I wrap up early in the next few days I’ll stream for you again, okay? Thank you all for keeping me company and I hope you had a relaxing, happy, and wonderful night. It was great to have you, and I hope you had fun. Let’s meet again in the next stream. Goodnight, everybody!

[justawanderingbabbit]

In which the Babbit rambles on...

I said I'd do a background post for the Mer AU I wrote for Liu Sang. But first, here's why there has to be a Mer Liu Sang AU from me.

Sopping wet Liu Chang requires a something, right?

I mean, look at this man. LOOK at him!

The idea for the fic partly came from discussions I've seen about how mer folk might change gender to make sure there's enough of both genders in a group. I took it in a slightly different direction but the result was Mer-ry Mer-ry Month of May.

And, because I went short deliberately, there's a lot of background info that I'm now going to dump. (After the cut because how I do go on.) Suggest you read the story before reading this because spoilers!

Still with me? Right.

First off, the Mer-verse is actually more a spiritual creature universe, so there's probably more than just mer and sirens and other beasties (oh my) in there. But we'll focus on the water breathers for now.

Mer and Siren, as Liu Sang states in the story, are kin but not close kin anymore. There's a third - as yet unnamed species of water spirit - that's closer to the original but they're mostly reclusive and seldom bother with human forms. Mer and Siren both do so.

Mer are the more outgoing of the water spirits. They try to make contact with humans and while they can't interbreed, they enjoy a good fuck as much as the next fish. They're also closer to fish in appearance and lifestyles, having tribes who mimic different species of fish. They're more likely to be found hanging around fishermen and the like and making friends.

Siren tend to be loners and don't need others to breed. Their fish forms are more esoteric and vary by siren; not mimicking specific species at all. They're closer to spiritual energies and between that and their being a bit more violent and stabbity (not to mention given to eating what annoys them) those who know about them know to be careful.

Both mer and siren regenerate, rather like starfish, so they take a lot of killing to stop.

Liu Sang and his twin were stolen from their parent (yes, Yan Sanxing's their parent. He's also Er Yue Hong's 'shark'.) at an early age. Liu Sang managed to escape with help from the Xie family and was sent to train with his soundmapping teacher. Wang Can remained with the Wang and trained as a soldier, until he was captured by Wang Pangzi and the Blue Robed Master and convinced to help Wu Xie's cause. Wang Can is currently living in Tibet with the Blue Robed Master and working as a truck guard.

Discerning readers may have noted that Xiazi is probably Not Entirely Human. Figure he gives gr8 hugs because I do love me cephalapoda.

I haven't thought of much else yet, but I'll update this if I do.

[sunriseverse]

blog announcement: inbox open for prompts

hey! hi! it's been a very long time since i stopped taking prompts—almost three years, in fact. the how and why of it really isn't that important—what's important is that i've decided i'll be taking prompts again! here's some basic rules for what sorts of prompts i'll take, and what you can expect to get in return.

what you can prompt me for and expect:

fandoms: daomu biji/the grave robbers' chronicles (novels and live actions) relationship types: both romantic and gen characters: any* dmbj character prompt types: any type; dialogue, au idea, etc ratings: gen to mature length: 1k+

what i won't write or accept in prompts:

explicit sexual content

liu sang (this is for everyone's happiness, trust me)

wu xie and li cu as a romantic pairing

americanisations (ie, transposing the characters into an american setting for, for example, a college au)

this list is subject to possible updating in the future, so if you're ever uncertain, either click into the original post, or send me an ask—i'll do my best to answer any questions!

[aoioozora]

Liu Kang Tries Earthrealm Activities: The Karaoke.

Characters: Liu Kang, Johnny Cage

Content: singing, joking, memes, friendly LK and JC interactions

Photo credit: your mom

Note: Idk if anyone has done this before, but I thought it would be funny lol. Enjoy!

“Hey Liu Kang! We should totally go to the karaoke!” Johnny Cage exclaimed, barging into the room Liu Kang was in. 

The fire god, not quite bothered by the disruption, patiently looked up from the scroll he was reading and stared at confusion at the actor, trying to process what he just said. 

“What's a karaoke, Johnny Cage?” Liu Kang asked innocently, his glowing eyes gleaming with interest. 

Johnny was about to look at the god with a “are you kidding me bruh?” look, but remembered that Liu Kang was a deity and wasn't fully familiar with Earthrealmer activities. 

“You wanna find out?” asked Johnny, slapping his chest, puffed both with muscle and mostly pride, “Because,” he now sang, raising his arm in the air and slowly swiping it across him, “I can show you the world,” 

Liu Kang, not understanding the reference and taking it literally, smiled. “And I created this world,” he said. 

Johnny clicked his tongue at the other's incompetence in matters of cultural importance. “You say that, but know nothing of what Earthrealmers do in their spare time.” He taunted with a playful smirk. 

Liu Kang smiled again. “That's why I can count on you to help me.”

Johnny laughed. “You came to the right person! Now, off to the karaoke we go!” 

As the two men went, with Johnny leading, Liu Kang silently pondered and was intrigued by this strange sounding place that Johnny was so excited about. When they reached, Johnny booked a room for two hours and before they knew it, they were in a dark room with disco lights and a glittering above, a computer, and television screen. Across the television sat two couches and a table. 

“Well?” asked Johnny, motioning at the room, “What do you think?”

Liu Kang stared confusedly at the room. He had seen all these things separately before, but all of them put together in one room made him wonder how they all worked together. Johnny, seeing his companion's reaction, brought him inside and showed him the ropes. 

Johnny first chose a song; International Love seemed to be his first choice, since a video with the song and his face went viral on the socials, causing the song to be his unofficial theme song. 

“You put it down like New York City! I never sleep! Wild like Los Angeles, my fantasy!”

Liu Kang watched carefully as Johnny sang his heart out and busted out some of his favorite dance moves. The disco lights went crazy on their own, and even in this high strung environment, he was calmly observing the modus operandi of a “karaoke session”. 

When Johnny finished singing, he let out a heavy, but satisfied sigh and handed the mic to Liu Kang.  “Your turn.” he said.

Liu Kang looked curiously at the object Johnny was handing him and remembered that it was a microphone which was handy in amplifying one's voice. He took it, and then looked through the computer screen in front of him, looking at the vast array of songs, none of which he knew. 

After looking in vain for a song he knew, he asked, “Do they have Chinese songs?” 

“Yeah! They got songs in all languages!” Johnny exclaimed and then showed Liu Kang where to find them. 

When Liu Kang saw his native tongue on the screen, he felt at ease, and now put his all into searching for a good song. A lot of them looked like modern songs that hardly made sense to him, but one of them, an old song, caught his eye. 

He declared he would sing it and stood up in front of the television screen where the lyrics were now showing up. 

“Liu Kang! Liu Kang! Liu Kang!” Johnny cheered with a woop, egging him on to start singing. 

He soon did, and Johnny was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Liu Kang's voice was so melodious and soulful. When he had thought of it, he had never really heard Liu Kang sing before. 

Just as Johnny felt like he heard this song somewhere, Liu Kang sang the chorus with passionately, 

“Xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo, tiāndì yīpiàn cāngmáng,”

Johnny chuckled, immediately recognising it. 

When Liu Kang finished his soulful number, Johnny asked him if it was his favorite song. 

“Of course it is. There are very few songs I enjoy and this is one of them.” answered Liu Kang with a wide grin, feeling ecstatic after singing. 

“I've a request for you to sing. It's also a Chinese song.” said Johnny with a mischievous smirk. 

Liu Kang, happy to sing some more, eagerly asked Johnny which song he had in mind. Johnny had to keep himself from laughing as he made Liu Kang listen to it on his phone first. 

“This is a good song! The singer is so kind as to make a song for sad people to feel happy again. Excellent choice, Johnny Cage.” Liu Kang said approvingly. “I didn't know you liked Chinese songs.” 

Johnny flashed an amused smirk, lying straight through his teeth, “Yeah, my recent obsession. I gotta promote my movies in China too, so, I gotta learn Chinese to up my social credits.” he shrugged, smiling. “You got the tune down?” 

“Yes, I think I can sing it.”

He started singing the first stanza, and Johnny sat with feverish excitement for his favorite part of the song to come. 

“Má hái guăn tā gàn má xīn lĭ yào jì de,”

Johnny smirked. It was coming. 

Liu Kang took a deep breath and started singing the chorus. 

“Nĭ shì nèi nèi gè nèi nèi, nèi gè nèi gè nèi gè nèi nèi,”

Johnny lost it. He started laughing hysterically, even falling over on the couch, holding his sides. 

Liu Kang, startled by Johnny's sudden laughter, stopped singing. By this time, Johnny was wheezing, laughing, and coughing all at once. The singer's confusion and concern only added to the other's hysterics. 

“Johnny Cage, why are you laughing?” demanded Liu Kang, now slightly annoyed. 

“It's nothing!” Johnny said through his coughs as he wiped the tears from his eyes, still chuckling. 

“Tell me why.” 

“Ain't nothing but a heartache!” Johnny returned, his hysterics starting again, now louder than the music. 

Liu Kang looked on, his confusion growing by the second. “Did I sing badly?” he asked. 

“No! No, no, you didn't.” Johnny coughed repeatedly. “I just remembered something funny.”

“I want to know what it is.” insisted Liu Kang. 

“Nah, I'm not telling you.” resisted Johnny. He was definitely not yet going to tell him that whatever he was singing sounded like a certain racial slur that started with the letter "n". He wanted to laugh at Liu Kang's innocence a little longer before revealing the truth.

Liu Kang sighed, deciding it wasn't worth his time to know. He was more interested in singing, and continued where he left off. 

When the two hours were up, the two left the karaoke center. 

“So, I see you had fun.” quipped Johnny in a slightly hoarse voice.

“I had the most splendid time, Johnny Cage. Thank you for showing me what a karaoke is.”

“Would you do it again?” 

“Indeed, I would.”

Johnny smirked. “Now let's get some bing chilling!”

“Bing chilling?” Liu Kang looked with confusion at his companion once again, before realising what he said. “You mean bīng qílín, if you're talking about ice cream.” he corrected, “Johnny Cage, your accent and pronunciation are awful. If you're going to promote in China, you should do better.”

“Okay, okay,” Johnny groaned loudly, making a mental note to teach Liu Kang about memes later. 

End.

My other MK fanfiction:

🌸 Johnny Cage sings you to sleep

🌸 Kenshi does your hair