#translation devices for conferences

[translationindia1111]

Silent Conference System

Translation India are experts in providing Silent conference systems  with wide variety of experience. We have handled highly complex set ups with over 40 channels and 5000 delegates - all going live under one roof. Our success lies in our ability to understand and implement Wireless systems - RF , UHF , IR depending on the needs of the conference.One of our most successful systems for silent conference has been IR BASED SIlent conference Systems:Ability to conduct 100 channels / tracks/ simultaneously in different rooms/ breakaway sessions Ability to conduct 100 channels / tracks/ simultaneously in different rooms/ breakaway sessions Provides coverage over 900 sqmts The same headphone is used by the delegates as they move from one speaker to another / one room to another. All without changing or handing over the headgear IR technology produces high quality audio and no interference from Cordless Mikes, RF transmitters UHF signals and mobile phones No spillage of sound - helps to maintain privacy and security Easy to use , simple installation and fast pack up Long Battery life and comfortable headbands Silent Conference system is the need of the hour, not only because of the added advantages it provides to the event organizers but also because of the ease and flexibility in the usage and features, it has been considered as a blessing in disguise. We at Translation India are one of the leading service providers of all such your needs at a single stop. From planning of your event to the execution of event, we along with our team of expert’s event planners and technicians are here to provide you with an end to end solution of all events requirements. We deal in high quality Simultaneous Interpretation System, Silent Conference Systems, Silent Conference Equipment as well as multi channel conference system.With the unmatched quality and unbeatable rate throughout the market, we assure you of providing the best quality silent conference system to rock your next event. The unmatched and high quality of our wireless silent headphones allows your delegates to listen everything what’s been said during the event with best class clarity.Silent Conference system is the solution for the problem of space today as it allows you to hold multiple conferences with multiple speakers and multiple delegates in the same hall with small break out at the same time. It has been a boon in the industry especially for such people who use to invest millions of bucks to create a sound proof structure for break out session or rent various conference room in the same hotel and also arrange for the large and complex PA system, other costly equipment and the logistics parts for running any big event with multiple sessions.

[prismaticpollen]

the things we do for friendship (3/?)

original characters, f/f, cold

Wren wakes up sick the day of an important meeting and insists on going anyway. Vul isn’t sure how she feels about it.

psst! read the rest too!

part 1

part 2

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The morning had started cool and breezy, chilly enough that it made perfect sense to wear layers, but it had warmed up by midday. All over the capital, people had discarded their coats, rolled up their sleeves, and thrown their windows wide open to enjoy the weather. Everyone seemed intent on savoring the fresh spring air as much as possible.

Well, almost everyone. Wren was freezing, bundled up in the softest sweater she owned. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed under a heavy quilt and watch old cartoons, but staying home hadn’t been an option. She and Vul had waited almost three weeks for a private audience with Queen Zara; rescheduling would have been unthinkable even if court decorum hadn’t forbidden it. This meeting was way too important to be derailed by something as trivial as a minor head cold.

Fortunately, she hadn’t had to say much after stating her case at the beginning. Vul had been doing an admirable job representing herself, and the Queen had addressed most questions directly to her, only asking for Wren’s input when Vul couldn’t answer adequately on her own. Wren had half expected the reverse, but the Queen had instantly welcomed Vul as she would have any foreign emissary, barely missing a beat once she’d recovered from the initial shock of meeting a real live alien.

That had been a spectacle to behold: the older woman had let out a high-pitched squeal more befitting an over-excited teenager than a sixty-something monarch, eyes bugging out of her head. To her credit, Vul had barely reacted, even though Wren knew the sound must have aggravated her friend’s sensitive hearing.

Regaining her composure, the Queen had promptly apologized and enthusiastically greeted Vul, and the two had been engrossed in conversation ever since. The discussion had touched on everything from geopolitics to theoretical astrophysics, often circling back to the same concept several times to give Vul’s translation device a chance to keep up.

Wren was trying her hardest to follow along, but she’d had a pounding headache for the past hour and it was taking all her willpower to keep from slumping forward in her chair and sleeping through the rest of the afternoon. She was so focused on keeping up appearances that she didn’t fully register the meeting wrapping up until Vul swatted at her thigh with her tail to get her attention.

“…won’t take kindly to us keeping such a big secret,” the Queen was saying. “We’ll have to plan our announcements carefully, but we should move fast. I’m thinking we go public sometime next week, that leaves us enough time to make the appropriate security arrangements and agree on a script.”

“That sounds good,” Vul said.

“Excellent. Wren, what do you think? You made first contact, it’s only fair that you should stay involved.”

“Next week is perfect, your Majesty,” Wren answered.

“Alright then, that settles it. One more thing, then I’ll let you go.”

What now? Hopefully, this would be quick.

“We’ll start recording from the arboretum. You might want to prepare a speech.” The Queen winked at Wren, actually winked at her like they were co-conspirators, then rose from the ornate conference table and left the room.

Oh, wow. Wren hadn’t been expecting that, but she wasn’t about to complain. Smiling to herself, she leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head with a sigh. “Ready to go?” she asked.

“Sure,” Vul chirped. Cheerful as always. “You okay? You sound different.”

Scratch that. She’d noticed, picked up on something with her inhuman hearing, and now she’d be worried and that was the last thing Wren wanted. Everything was fine, nothing worth stressing over, but Vul wasn’t used to seeing anyone in less than perfect health so she was bound to overreact the moment Wren so much as sniffled. The barrage of questions when she’d first discovered allergies had been bad enough.

“I’m just tired. Come on.”

The two of them made their way through the palace in silence, following the same narrow hallway they’d taken on the way in. After a few minutes of walking, they reached a large, heavy door protected by a biometric lock. Wren stepped up to it, leaned close enough to let it scan her eyes, then kept moving.

On the other side, a short set of steps led down into a tunnel. Running between the Queen’s chambers and a public park a block away from the palace, the rarely-used passageway allowed VIPs to come and go unseen; perfect for a secret meeting, but not the most comfortable way to travel. It was always brightly lit, fluorescent lights humming overhead no matter the time of day, and it always smelled like disinfectant.

Normally, none of this would have fazed Wren in the slightest, but this wasn’t a normal day. The sharp scent worked its way into the back of her sinuses almost immediately, throwing open the floodgates her cold had already pushed ajar. She sniffled wetly, scrubbing at her nose with her sleeve.

Vul certainly didn’t mind tunnels, as used to living underground as she was, but she still hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. “Wren?”

“I’b fide.” Ugh, that did not sound convincing. Wren cleared her throat, ready to try again, but it only made things worse. “The air id here does this sobe —SNFF!— sometimes. It’s just the smell, I pro-ohhm… prom-ihhh! HahHH-! AHHTSCHIEWWW!”

Vul stared up at her, tail lashing side to side. “Promise?”

“Yeah, that. I’m okay.” Wren hurried forward, moving as fast as she could towards the exit at the other end of the tunnel. Vul fell in step behind her, uncharacteristically quiet. No questions, no running commentary, nothing. Both girls’ footsteps echoed on the concrete floor, but otherwise their journey was almost eerily silent.

“HAHHTCHUU!”

Make that mostly silent.

Ten minutes (and another half dozen sneezes) later, Wren slid into the driver’s seat of her car. Vul climbed into the back, where tinted windows would hide her from other motorists, and Wren wasted no time turning onto the main road towards home.

She’d made the same trip many times before, and it was never a long drive, but this time it felt like an eternity. When she finally pulled into a parking space in front of her building, she slumped sideways, resting her cheek against the window. The cool glass felt so nice against her flushed skin, she might have stayed in that position for hours if Vul hadn’t spoken up.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” The alien sounded strange, not quite nervous but definitely tense somehow. She stuck close to Wren on the way upstairs, but wouldn’t meet her eyes, and she disappeared into her room the instant they made it into their apartment.

Hazily, Wren wondered if she’d upset her. If she had, it couldn’t be helped now. She’d check in later, but right then she was too tired for any lengthy conversation. She paused in the doorway just long enough to kick off her shoes, then stumbled to her own room for a much-needed nap.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Wren woke up around sunset, roused by the sound of what was unmistakably her blender running on its highest setting. She bolted upright, groaning softly; she’d fallen asleep in an awkward position, and her back and neck were stiff. Her headache was almost gone, though, and tight muscles would loosen up once she got moving.

After a quick detour to the bathroom to blow her nose and fix her ponytail, she entered the kitchen to find Vul emptying the blender into two glasses. The alien had made some sort of frozen drink, bright purple and slightly fizzy. She was clearly eager for feedback, thrusting one of the two glasses at Wren with a toothy almost-smile. “Here, try!”

Hesitantly, Wren took a sip of whatever it was. It was sour, almost earthy, with a sweet aftertaste. She knew her taste buds were a little off, but even under normal circumstances there was no way Vul’s concoction would taste normal. Setting the glass down next to the sink, she tried to school her face into a neutral expression. “What did you put in this?”

“Mostly Sprite and blueberries, a few cherries. Oh, and a little bit of onion. I didn’t know when you’d wake up, so I wanted to help. It’s what we do back home for anyone who can’t get their own food, mix up whatever we have so we can share.” Vul shifted nervously, tail drooping until the tip almost brushed the floor. “Was that wrong?”

“No!” Wren reassured her. “It was sweet, thank you.”

Really sweet, actually. Vul had been through so much over the past month, logically she should be the one seeking comfort, but instead she’d gone out of her way to be useful. Wren never would have asked for help, hadn’t even wanted to admit she wasn’t feeling well and risk stressing her friend out even more, but Vul had seen right through her.

“I really appreciate it. Honest.” What did I do to deserve a friend like her?

“But you don’t want it.” Vul spoke quietly. Her voice was dull, weighed down by the same strange tension as earlier that day, and she held herself rigidly.

“That’s not your fault.” Wren bit back a laugh. “You had no way to know, but just for future reference, onions don’t go in smoothies.”

“Oh! Sorry, is it that bad?”

Wren shrugged, hoping to soften the blow. “How’s about I order takeout, and sometime soon I’ll teach you some better recipes?”

“Okay!” Now Vul was the one laughing, bright and warm. The sound tugged at some deep part of Wren, urging her to join in the fun.

Soon, both girls lay sprawled across the kitchen floor, wiping away tears of mirth while Wren tried to compose herself enough to read a menu.

“How does soup —EHHTCHOO! EHTSCHUU! TCHUU!— Ugh, sorry. How does soup sound?”

“I don’t know,” Vul hedged. “Does it have onions?”

Wren started up again, practically cackling. Her breath scraped against her sore throat, but right then, she didn’t care. “Onions are supposed to go in soup,” she wheezed between giggles. “Soup. Soup isn’t a smoothie.”

“Noted. What about the other things, though? Like blueberries, do blueberries go in soup?”

“No! Definitely not. Blueberry smoothies are good, blueberry soup is just weird.”

Vul rolled onto her side and stretched towards Wren, poking her in the arm playfully. “I don’t know what goes together. We don’t have any of this stuff at home.”

“That’s why I’m going to show you. HAHHTCHU! Hehh… hehh-hehh-ehhtchiew! Hhehtcheeeww!” Wren paused, waiting for her body to make up its mind. When no more tickles materialized, she swiped her wrist under her nose before continuing. “After I get over this cold.”

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Season 2 Chapter 51 Translation (Part 1)

⚠️  SPOILER ALERT  ⚠️ This post contains a VERY HEAVY SPOILER for the chapter that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Pushing open the door in front of him, he immediately saw the girl he had been searching for. 

She's all alone, confined within a glass container secured by layers of locks and cables.

The blinking red lights from the instruments cast an eerie crimson color on her. In that instant, he even felt like she might not be breathing anymore.

It's as if the last thread holding onto something in his mind had snapped.

Previous Lucien’s chapter -> [Here]

[Background Info]

VERY recommended to read [R&S Threshold] first for more pain

Anyway so- recently this phenomenon called space rift suddenly appeared in every corner of Loveland City. Many organizations including NW and STF have been keeping an eye on it. Lucien's chapter in this batch will be focusing on the 'the rifts'

Note that I won't delve deep into the "Odyssey" plot because it'll be the focus of Kiro's chapter. So, I will only write important plot points when the story touches that plot.

[Chapter 51-1]

There's a gaming company called Infinite that recently launched a new game called "Odyssey" and this game has managed to maintain its high level of popularity for several consecutive days. Things that's been happening like space "rifts", or discussions about the conference can't even dampen the enthusiasm about the game.

MC receives an unexpected collaboration invitation from Infinite. As she reviews the proposal, they discover that Infinite plans to use their latest virtual reality device, the Golden Apple3, for the game's promotion.

She remembers that she had experienced the previous version of that virtual reality device, Golden Apple 2 (1st Lucien's company story). In the end, her company quickly agrees to the collaboration because it's such a significant contract.

When MC returns home, it's already close to 10 p.m. And something strange happens after she steps out of the elevator.

It is almost ten o'clock when I return home from work. Just as I step out of the elevator, a sudden sense of deja vu runs through my body.

I hesitate and stop my steps for a moment, but that feeling has already disappeared without a trace.

I notice several packages piled up at my doorstep. As far as I remember, I haven't ordered anything recently.

I puzzledly try to pick up one of them, but my fingertip goes straight through the box!

MC: …!

I blink in disbelief, and the cardboard box lies perfectly intact at my doorstep as if what happened just now was just my imagination.

Am I so tired that my vision is playing tricks on me...?

I cautiously reach out and wave my hand, but the cardboard box in front of me remains untouchable as if it were a mere projection.

MC: (confused) ...What is going on?

The delivery boxes clearly have my name and address on them, but the shipping dates for all of these packages are... ten days later?

Feeling puzzled, a shadow falls beside me. I turn around, and a familiar person is standing behind me, seemingly out of nowhere.

MC: Lucien?

The strands of his bangs obscure the light, casting his already emotionless eyes into deeper shadows. The bandages wrapped around his wrist are soaked with oozing blood, the vivid dark red strikingly catches my eye.

MC: What happened to you!!

My heart tightens, and I hurriedly rush toward him, but my body "passes through" him just like it did with the delivery boxes.

In the next moment, Lucien disappears, leaving only a tightly closed door standing in front of me.

I touch the door in bewilderment; it feels cold and solid.

When I lower my head, the pile of packages at the doorstep has completely vanished without a trace just like Lucien.

MC: What on earth is happening…

??: MC?

I turn around in surprise and see Lucien walking out of the elevator with a smile on his face.

MC: Lucien-?!

I quickly walk over and, to his surprised expression, I push back his bangs.

His smooth forehead shows no signs of injury, and his deep eyes carry a slight hint of confusion, but he cooperates with my actions.

After confirming that there are no wounds on Lucien's body, I finally breathe a sigh of relief and meet his inquisitive gaze.

Lucien: Did this classmate here find something on my face?

I retract my hand from his waist, feeling somewhat embarrassed as I avert my gaze.

MC: It's nothing, I was just... I...

Seeing me a bit tongue-tied, Lucien smiles and soothingly takes my hand.

Lucien: Although I don't know what you were looking for, the hallway lighting isn't great. Come inside, and we can talk slowly.

(Lucien's 5th birthday bgm playing)

I sit on the sofa, cradling the perfectly warm hot chocolate, and take a sip. The sweet, aromatic flavor relaxes my entire body.

MC: I didn't expect Professor Lucien to start drinking this sweet beverage as well.

Lucien: While shopping at the supermarket, I remembered how you couldn't stop praising the taste of this chocolate, so I bought it.

Lucien: After all, if I invite you for tea at this hour, the Great Producer who works hard all day might have trouble falling asleep tonight.

Lucien sets his cup down and gently takes my hand.

Lucien: (getting closer) Now, can you tell me why you wanted to give me a "body checkup" as soon as we met?

I purse my lips and explain the "strange event" I just witnessed to Lucien in detail, my brow furrowing in puzzlement.

MC: Could what I saw just now be one of those "space rifts" that have been appearing sporadically in Loveland City lately?

MC: I got a little panicked earlier and didn't think about it at the moment.

Lucien: I understand. After all, concern can lead to panic.

I hear a low, deep chuckle beside me. I tilt my head slightly and am met with a deep smile, causing my ears to flush.

Lucien: But you're right; it should be one of those "space rifts," so there's no need to worry too much.

Lucien: It's not reality, at least not something happening right now.

Seeing my continued confusion, Lucien continues to speak.

Lucien: Recently, various organizations have been observing it, and I've also gathered some relevant information.

Lucien: It's caused by an unknown energy fluctuation, which tears open a "rift" in the present space and projects a "phantom" from the future.

Lucien: They can't be touched, and they don't affect reality.

Lucien: A more straightforward explanation would be some form of "foresight”.

I nod thoughtfully, grasping a certain point.

MC: So, these images from the future, are they bound to happen later?

Recalling him with bandages earlier, my heart tightens once again. As if he noticed my anxiety, Lucien clasps my fingertips and gently strokes them.

Lucien: (softly) I think the so-called doomed fate has long been shattered by you.

Lucien: Otherwise, the "doomed" comet destined for Earth should also follow its predetermined course.

His voice carries a reassuring certainty that can calm anyone as if nothing that happens can deviate from the path he holds in his hands.

Lucien: So there's no need to worry too much. Since I already know about this "future," I'll be even more careful.

MC: (worriedly) I'm just concerned if there might be any accidents... Professor Lucien, you won't be doing anything dangerous recently, will you?

Lucien: Hmm... (chuckle) Some of the experiments I'm currently working on do involve chemicals that aren't entirely safe.

MC: ... Are they toxic substances? Or the kind that could cause explosions?

Lucien: (chuckle then teasingly says)  Both, actually. But in my case, the likelihood of them occurring is almost zero.

His playful tone eases my concerns to some extent, but I still have a lingering unease. After some thought, I take out a few colorful ropes from my bag.

MC: Just in case, I want to add a "safety net."

MC: Yesterday, I had an interview right next to Grandma Wen's* shop, so I stopped by for a while afterward.

MC: She taught me a new knot, which she said could bring good luck.

Lucien leans quietly against my side, his fingertip lazily twirling the other end of the thread.

Lucien: Today, Pete was showing off the protective amulet he got from the temple at the research institute, claiming it's very effective and recommending it to everyone.

Lucien: But now it seems that I can get a more effective "amulet" without going to the temple.

MC: How could something I make be as good as something blessed at the temple?

Lucien: In Buddhism, the blessings of the Buddha are for all living beings. But what you make, all the intentions and feelings behind it belong to me alone.**

The subtle rise in his deep tone has an intoxicating effect and makes me feel entranced. In that momentary lapse of attention, the threads in my hand have become tangled.

The soft laughter in my ears carries a husky undertone as if he sees through all the restlessness in my heart.

MC: Please don't "cause trouble" Professor.

Lucien: Hmm? (chuckle) I'm just here to observe and learn.

He leans in beside me, watching attentively. After a while, a somewhat decent knot appears in my hands.

MC: (smiles softly) Although a bit superstitious, I hope it can help you ward off disasters.

Lucien: I heard that carrying these lucky charms close to your body enhances their effectiveness.

His fingertip gently traces the lucky charm, and he winks at me.

Lucien: (whispers charmingly) Would you be willing to help me put on this token of luck yourself?

*: Grandma Wen is the same grandma that taught MC to make a peace knot back in S1 chapter 9, she also appeared in Bound by Love SP (Chinese Wedding SP)~

**: This small bit is a nod to his 2023 Qixi Karma Date! 🥺. For him, her blessing and protection far outweigh any blessing that ‘god/gods’ can give him, and he is her most devout ‘believer’.

[Chapter 51-3]

After confirming cooperation with Infinite, MC is invited to experience the game device Golden Apple3 by them at the weekend.

On Saturday, I wake up early, and as soon as I push open the door, I notice that someone is already waiting for the elevator in the hallway.

MC: Good morning.

Lucien is wearing a casual but modest windbreaker. Upon hearing my voice, he turns around and there's a hint of surprise in his smiling eyes.

Lucien: You're up so early on a Saturday. Is there something going on?

MC: (smiles) I signed a collaboration with Infinite for their new game, and today, I'm going to try out their gaming equipment.

Lucien: Is it the game called "Odyssey"?

MC: Oh, you know about it too?

Lucien: Since the first-generation products of GA, they've been using a lot of technology related to brainwaves and data conversion.

Lucien: Today, they invited me to attend an internal neuroscience conference.

I recall the testing of their first-generation product with a little smile.*

MC: It's a shame I won't have another chance to be your “examiner”.

Lucien: So, you really like that role?

MC: Well, it's not every day I can get Professor Lucien to call me "Examiner".

The elevator doors also open as he speaks.

Lucien: Since our destination is the same, how about catching a ride with me, Miss Examiner?

They arrive quickly at the futuristic place. Once they're here, they part ways, and MC shakes her phone to Lucien to indicate that she'll contact him later.

MC is welcomed by the game producer, Bi Fang, who was rescued at the GR auction.

Because the game closed its first beta last week, she can't experience the game yet, however, she still can experience other things with the Golden Apple 3 device. With the accompaniment of a swan AI assistant called "Swan Lake" she experiences "Loveland City" in Golden Apple 3 VR. The technology is pretty great, "Loveland City" in the VR is identical to real-life Loveland City and her experience feels very real.

Guided by the swan, I stroll through the virtual Central Park. The refreshing air fills my senses as I gently run my fingers over the roadside flowers, their soft petals still carrying a cool morning dew, sticking to my fingertips.

I walk all the way from Central Park to my own home. Gazing at the apartment building in front of me, I'm unable to hold back my emotions.

MC: It's truly identical. It's just a bit quiet, a little more liveliness would be great.

Swan Lake: Received the request, I have polished the scene for you.

I haven't reacted yet when suddenly my vision blurs for a moment. When it clears again, there are many pedestrians in front of me.

Someone walks by talking on the phone, and people are playing with children downstairs. I ask the little black bird next to me in a daze.

MC: Are these also data?

Swan Lake: Yes, these scenes are simulated based on the environmental data we have collected.

As I speak, I even see the familiar security guard at the entrance nodding at me.**

The familiarity of the scene made me think that in the next moment, someone should come out of the apartment building, smiling and calling my name.

In the blink of an eye, it seems like there's a blurry figure gradually becoming clear behind the glass door.

I was about to speak when I suddenly heard a somewhat urgent "beep-beep" sound in my ears.

Swan Lake: Administrator permissions detected, experience will be terminated shortly.

The scene in front of me gradually dims, and the surrounding white noise disappears. The helmet is removed by someone, and the glaring light makes me squint.

Bi Fang mentions that the company is facing some issues and they need to evacuate. He doesn't explain more and looks a little anxious. Though MC is a bit puzzled, she quickly sends a message to Lucien and follows the crowds towards the escape corridor.

??: MC.

My wrist is enveloped by a warm palm, and when I turn around, I see that familiar figure.

MC: I just messaged you, did you also receive the notification?

Lucien: It's not clear what's happening yet. Let's follow the staff's instructions and leave this place for now.

??: AH– what's that?

An unknown commotion up ahead makes the orderly crowd move faster. Just as we turn the corner, I freeze in place at the scene in front of me—

An irregular, semi-transparent shadow hovers in the middle of the corridor. A faint mist emanates from it and slowly spreads to the side.

Lucien's brows furrow slightly as he tightens his grip on my hand.

Lucien: It's a rift.

I haven't had a chance to digest his words when the spreading mist gradually creates some kind of shadowy figures of nearby people, the shadowy figures slowly lining up in a long row.

MC: Isn't this rift a bit strange…

Lucien: If I'm not mistaken, it seems to be affecting reality.

*: She’s recalling Lucien’s first company cooperation story - [Simulation Project]

**: That security guard is actually Lucien's spy that often appears in some R&S, especially in [An Elusive Man] and [The Eyes That Witnesses] 😂

[Chapter 51-5]

The sudden appearance of the eerie phenomenon plunged the crowd into chaos. The black edges of the rift in the corridor also slowly expanded outward.

Lucien raises his hand a little towards the rift, and I suddenly feel a slight heaviness in my body. The air around me seems to distort for a moment.

I immediately realize he's exerting gravity, but the rift remains unresponsive.

At that moment, another powerful energy fluctuation sweeps through, elongating those eerie rows of shadows even further.

??: Ahh-!

Amidst the chaotic noise, a scream erupts as someone is pushed to the edge of the rift. In an instant, his body begins to turn transparent.

Lucien reaches out towards him but passes directly through the semi-transparent figure. Seeing this, I instinctively pulled him too.

At the moment of contact, a familiar power within me seems to resonate strangely with the surrounding energy.

Crackle—

A burst noise echoes through my eardrums as if a signal is being disrupted, and a blurry scene flickers before my eyes.

Crackle—Crackle—

A muffled and heavy roar reverberates in my ears as if many cold metal pieces are grinding and rotating.

In the blurry picture, I faintly see some huge, heavy gears surrounding me, slowly turning.

MC: ...Gears?

Lucien: MC!

I hear Lucien’s voice and snap back to reality.

The gears and sounds have all vanished, and in that instant, I feel a tangible sensation in my palm— I’ve caught that person.

Lucien grips my wrist and we pull that person out together. Then, we retreat to a more distant place with the crowd.

Lucien: Are you okay?

I shake my head in disbelief, subconsciously recalling the scene from just now. What were those rotating gears?

I lift my head and meet Lucien's concerned gaze, noticing that his expression hasn't changed. The people around us are still in the same state of panic.

I instinctively ask.

MC: Lucien, did you see anything just now?

He shakes his head, his gaze conveying a mixture of confusion and inquiry, indirectly confirming my conjecture.

I'm the only one who sees those mysterious gears.

At this moment, a resounding and powerful sound echoes down the corridor as a team dressed in Special Task Force uniforms marches through, taking control of the chaotic scene.

STF Member: An Evolver with an uncontrollable ability has appeared inside the building. The Special Task Force has already taken control. Please do not panic and evacuate orderly through the stairs.

After receiving clear instructions, the crowd that was previously in disarray slowly regains order.

As they move further away from the rift, the distortion gradually fades.

STF Member A: The situation here is dangerous. Please cooperate with the evacuation.

The special forces officer stands between us and the rift, not allowing anyone to get closer. Lucien calmly glances at the rift that almost swallows the corridor.

Lucien: This rift is different from what we've encountered before. It just exhibited characteristics of reality interference a moment ago, and it's still expanding its scope.

Lucien: Apart from simply evacuating the civilians and controlling the scene, you might need to prepare additional measures.

The STF officer hesitates for a moment, and it seems that he hears something through his earpiece. After listening, he nods in agreement with Lucien.

STF Member A: Thank you for the information. Please leave this area for now.

I look back at that dark silhouette again before I am led away from the building by Lucien.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the car, I fasten my seatbelt and still feel a bit anxious.

MC: Lucien, what will happen after that rift?

Lucien: I'm not entirely sure, but the Special Task Force should have a plan in place to prevent any major repercussions.

Listening to this, I feel relieved and lean back in the car seat, recalling the sensations I felt when I caught that person.

Like an unspoken connection, Lucien also thinks of the same thing, and he slightly glances at me.

Lucien: How did you manage to catch that person just now?

MC: I'm not entirely sure, but I felt a surge of power resonating with the CORE, and then I can hold that person.

Lucien remains silent for a moment, as if contemplating something.

Lucien: My Evol can't interfere with it, but yours can. Perhaps it's because of the unique nature of your power.

MC: Are you talking about... CORE?

Lucien: This is just my speculation, after all, CORE possesses many powers that we have yet to fully understand.

I look at my palm in silence, carefully recalling the resonance of power I felt when I caught that person.

Lucien's guess is probably correct. But why can the power of the CORE interfere with the rift?

And also, the spinning gears I saw for that brief moment…

In the rearview mirror, Infinite's building gradually fades into the distance, but there's always an indescribable unease lingering in my heart.

The car comes to a slow stop at a red light, and a hand gently covers my cold hand.

Lucien: Everything happens for a reason.

Lucien: Don't worry too much, every problem has its corresponding solution. It may just take more or less time to find it.

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The sunlight casts long diagonal shadows through the window, spreading across the papers strewn on the floor.

The young man with green hair sits on the floor, scribbling furiously. Messy equations occasionally fly off the edge of the paper, getting written halfway on the floor.

"The results will vary based on the change in C, but each time, it only gets infinitely closer to the threshold..."

Suddenly, a shadow appears on the windowsill. Joker doesn't pay it any mind, he just moves his papers to where there's more light and continues writing rapidly.

Along the windowsill, a young boy swings his legs and pouts.

Uno: Joker, how long do you plan to stay cooped up in here? Something interesting happened outside today.

[Chapter 51-7]

After close monitoring by the Special Task Force, the rift that had taken hold in the Infinite building completely disappeared after one day.

MC: "According to the investigation, the rift inside the Infinite building was caused by intense Evol fluctuations."

MC: "If any citizens witness similar phenomena, please don't hesitate to contact the Special Task Force at any time..."

After dinner, I lean back on Lucien's sofa, scrolling through today's news.

MC: ... I didn't expect this rift to last so long.

MC: The official explanation in the reports also matches what the Special Task Force explained on the scene yesterday.

Lucien: Until we have gathered enough information, this explanation is the least likely to cause a commotion.

The sofa next to me sinks slightly, and his familiar clean scent lingers around me. I relax and lean back, letting out a yawn.

From yesterday until now, that indescribable sense of worry in my heart has grown stronger.

I keep finding myself thinking about the rotating gears I saw when I got close to the rift and the constantly stretching shadows in front of it.

These scenes are remarkably similar to what I witnessed before at the ruins.*

Could there be a connection between the two? Is it related to the CORE?

Unconsciously, I let out another sigh, and Lucien gently ruffled my hair.

Lucien: (gently) Is it the rift from yesterday that's making you feel so uneasy?

MC: Sigh, it seems like I can never hide any little secrets from you.

Lucien: (smiles) This classmate has practically written her little secrets all over her face. Besides, you seemed a bit distracted during dinner just now.

MC: It seems like I've been a bit overly worried...

Lucien: In most cases, people don't feel uneasy about things they are certain of.

Lucien: So, turning the unknown into the known, and the out-of-control into in-control will alleviate those worries.

Listening to his words, I hesitate for a moment but still decide to tell him about the gears I saw yesterday and the "prophecy" I once witnessed in the ruin.

Lucien listens quietly, his expression shifting from a brief surprise to deep contemplation.

Lucien: Are you saying that yesterday, when you came into contact with the rift, you briefly saw a scene with many gears?

Lucien: And not long ago, you also saw a similar scene through the power of the CORE in a ruin.

MC: It seems a bit different... What I saw in that ruin, in addition to gears, there were also many human….

MC: Uh, something like "worms"?

Lucien: …'Human worms'?

MC: Yes, and then those gears eventually devoured them all…

Lucien ponders for a moment, and his eyes light up.

Lucien: Are these "worms" you mentioned similar to the shadowy figures we saw in front of the crack yesterday?

MC: If I must say, there is indeed a resemblance, but the worms I saw in the ruins were much longer than those shadowy figures.

Seeing me gesturing enthusiastically, Lucien takes out paper and a pen from a nearby cabinet and begins to write and draw on it.

Lucien: MC, have you ever heard of "four-dimensional worms"?

MC: Four-dimensional worms?

Faced with unfamiliar terminology, I shake my head.

Lucien: In the current dimension, we can only see ourselves in the present moment.

I glance sideways— Lucien is focused on the diagrams drawn on the paper, with a faint upward curve at the corner of his lips.

Lucien: But suppose we step into a higher dimension, the abstract concept of time, which is originally intangible, becomes a visible "axis."

As he sketches, a person's form from birth to old age is stretched out along a long line.

Lucien: And this shape might look like a "worm"... perhaps you've seen similar concepts in many movies.

Lucien: So I speculate that within the area where the rift appeared, there may have been a momentary phenomenon of "transitioning into the fourth dimension."

A simple sketch falls onto the paper, the slender, worm-like shape making the scenes from the ruin become even clearer in my mind.

MC: Yes... it looks just like this! Like a person stretched infinitely!

MC: So, what I saw in the ruin was actually people transforming into a four-dimensional form?

Lucien: That's right, those shadows near the rift could also be part of the "four-dimensional worm".

MC: But what could this signify?

The air falls silent once more, and Lucien speaks after a moment of contemplation.

Lucien: Some phenomena may only be visible to you as CORE, and they each have their own significance.

Lucien: Can you try to recall where else you've seen similar situations? Perhaps that could be part of the answer.

His question makes me feel anxious.

Of course, I've seen them—behind the gate known as the truth of the world.

But why did the scenes that should have appeared behind the gate show up when I touched the rift?

Complex thoughts are continuously welling up as if some subtle and unnoticed change has already begun.

Lucien: (tenderly) Are you thinking of some difficult questions?

MC: I'm just thinking... why did it appear?

Lucien: That's a very straightforward question indeed.

MC: Lucien, perhaps you know something?

He pauses for a moment, his fingers gently twirling around my hair as he plays with it.

Lucien: Because of the lack of evidence, I currently only have speculations... My guess is that these various phenomena might be related to that comet.

MC: ….!

Lucien: The earliest energy fluctuations that appeared within Loveland City coincided with the conclusion of the strange celestial phenomena brought by the comet.

Lucien: So my speculation is that perhaps it's a little "surprise" left for us by the comet. Of course, it could also be an entirely new phenomenon.

MC: I can’t believe it was so long ago…!

The timing seems too coincidental. Could the rift truly be connected to the gears or that door?

My mind is in chaos, and I sigh tiredly. In the next moment, I feel tightness around my waist as Lucien pulls my whole body into his embrace.

Lucien: In most cases, solving problems is the best way to dispel uneasiness.

Lucien: But if the problem can't be solved immediately, there are other little tricks to temporarily ease your mind.

Feeling his arm holding me tighten slightly, I bury my head into his chest and speak in a muffled voice.

MC: Then… Please help me, Professor Lucien.

Lucien: (in an almost whisper) Now, slow down your breathing rhythmically.

I begin to breathe slowly as he instructed. Soon, the faint scent of tea submerges my entire body.

Lucien: (whispers softly) Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself entering a place that makes you feel relaxed...

*BG changes to camphor tree*

As he speaks, a lush camphor tree appears in my mind. A gentle breeze rustles the leaves, and there seems to be a faint, earthy freshness brushing against my face.

Lucien: Everything that made you uncomfortable seems to have turned into specks of dust in your hands, and you are scattering them into the world.

A deep and slow voice by my ear is carrying a persuasive and gentle inducement.

I subconsciously raise my hand as he instructed, and that inexplicable feeling of unease that had been lingering in my heart seems to have truly diminished.

*BG changes back to Lucien's home*

MC: Lucien, did you perform some kind of magic trick?

Lucien: (chuckles and then whispers softly) It is a 'magic' that already exists in your body, I'm just giving it a little push."

Lucien: When people hug, their bodies produce serotonin and endorphins, which temporarily override negative emotions.

I nuzzle against his neck and shoulder lingeringly, hoping that this hug can last a little longer.

MC: I feel that it was Professor Lucien's presence that made all the negative emotions in my body disappear.

Accompanied by the low murmur by my ear, the arms holding me are squeezing tighter, deepening this hug even more.

Lucien: (whispers) So, are you feeling better now?

MC: Mm..

I take a deep breath.

Many things don't simply disappear by avoiding them, and I'm not alone right now.

Because the person who can help me uncover the secrets of the rift is right in front of me.

MC: Lucien-

Lucien: MC-

The simultaneous sound makes both of us stunned, but then we exchange smiles.

[Option 1: You speak first]

MC: You speak first.

Lucien: MC, have you ever considered... personally investigating what the rift really is?

Lucien: For you right now, this might be the quickest way to alleviate your uneasiness.

Words that felt like a meeting of our hearts and minds* left me momentarily astonished. I tilt my head to look at him.

[T/N: always love it when they use the word 灵犀 🥹. There’s no exact english word for it, I usually translate it as ‘tacit understanding’; but even that doesn't do it justice. It conveys the idea that two people understand each other's thoughts and feelings as if they share a special, almost psychic and soul-deep connection]

MC: (smiles softly) Is that also written on my face?

Lucien: (chuckles) No, this is a direction I've speculated about based on my understanding of you, perhaps one that you might find interesting.

Lucien: And for me, it's also what I need right now.

Lucien: Actually, I've been wanting to speak up today to formally invite you to help me with this favor, but I haven't found the right moment.

Lucien: MC, I need your power to continue exploring the secrets of this rift.

MC: Is it because CORE's power can interfere with it?

Lucien: Yes. I've tried before but never succeeded.

Lucien: But you might be the turning point.

Lucien: Of course, exploring the unknown comes with certain risks. So it's not an obligation, you have the right to refuse.

I tilt my head slightly and wink at him.

MC: Professor Lucien took the initiative to ask for my help, how could I refuse?

Once, when I was lost and hesitant, it was the person in front of me who gave me the answer - that only by always moving forward can you stay ahead of the world.

And now, it seems I have finally reached a point where I can move forward side by side with him.

I smile and extend my hand to him.

MC: Happy cooperation, Lucien!

Lucien: I look forward to working with you.

-

[Option 2: So... should I go first?]

MC: So… should I go first?

Lucien: (chuckles softly) Of course.

His lips curl up slightly, waiting for my next words.

MC: If I'm very interested in this rift, would you help me?

His gentle fingertips lightly pinched my ear, the sensation felt like a delicate and soft kiss.

Lucien: How could a teacher refuse to provide extra guidance to a diligent student? Moreover, this happens to align with my wishes as well.

MC: Your wishes?

Lucien:  Actually, I've been wanting to speak up today to formally invite you to help me with this favor, but I haven't found the right moment.

[T/N: the convo stays the same as the other choice after this]

[Chapter 51-8]

"Authentication successful, identity: visitor."

I swipe the visitor card to open the gate and follow Lucien into the grayish-white-toned corridor of the Bioultima Research Institute.

He leads me to an unfamiliar room and makes a welcoming "please come in" gesture.

Lucien: Please come in, little researcher. This is our "classroom" for today.

I look around this clean and simple small research room, noticing some equipment that's different from what's usually found in normal research institutes. There's also a door on one side of the room.

MC: Is there another room inside?

Lucien: Yes, inside is today's "practice" area.

Lucien then walks over to me, and using fingerprint verification, he opens the hidden door. The moment the door opens, I can feel a faint but very familiar power.

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The small room is empty, but in the corner, there appears a cabinet with only one corner.

The cabinet is "torn" by highly irregular lines, as if someone tore a piece of paper in half, and I can faintly see a border that's softly shimmering.

MC: Is this... a rift?!

Lucien: That's right, it's a rift that appeared five days ago, and I've managed to keep it here using some special methods.

MC: Can I take a closer look?

Lucien: (chuckles) Just in case, put this on first.

Lucien fastens an electronic bracelet onto my wrist.

Lucien: This bracelet will suppress your Evol. Once it detects an overload of CORE's power, it will activate a protective mechanism.

Lucien: This is to prevent your power from resonating excessively with the rift's power, avoiding any accidents.

I reach out to the rift and pass through it as I did last time, bumping into the cold wall.

Lucien: I've tried various ways to "communicate" with it, but all have failed.

Lucien: However, based on past experiences, I suspect that under the influence of CORE, the rift will establish some connection with reality.

Lucien: So that's why I hope you can help me verify this idea today.

MC: What do you need me to do?

Seeing my eager anticipation, Lucien smiles.

Lucien: I need you to use the power of CORE on the rift.

Lucien: If we successfully link the rift to reality, we can observe the other side of it.

MC: Make observations?

As soon as I finish speaking, a small robot drives in from the next room and stops in front of us.

Lucien: Mm. If it works, it will record what's on the other side of the rift for us.

Lucien: We can begin when you’re ready.

I nod, thinking that using my ability shouldn't be too difficult. So, I take a deep breath and concentrate on gathering that familiar power within me.

Soon, I feel a faint vibration coming from the other side of the rift.

At the same time, the instrument's screen starts displaying a large amount of data.

Lucien observes the ever changing data with a clear smile in his eyes.

Lucien: We've successfully influenced the rift.

After Lucien adjusts the parameters of the small robot, I nervously watch it slowly move forward. When it reaches the rift, its figure shimmers and merges with the scene on the other side.

Lucien: It has arrived on the other side of the rift.

MC: That's great!

I excitedly take Lucien's hand and shake it, and a small smile spreads across his lips.

Through the camera on the robot, we obtain some data.

MC: On the other side of the rift is the Bioultima Research Center 37 days from now. The passage of time there is the same as it is now...

The constant use of power has left me a little sleepy and I rub my temples.

MC: Lucien, what should we do next?

Lucien:  I want to try to see if I can get my Evol to affect the rift through the power of CORE, but….

He winks and gently taps the edge of my eyebrow.

Lucien: This diligent little researcher, why don't you take a rest for a while?

MC: I'm fine, I can continue.

I take a moment to collect myself, and see Lucien pause for a moment before turning around and leaving. When he comes back, he puts something white and fluffy in my hand.

The plush and soft texture wraps around my palm, and I lower my head to see a cute white round mochi-shaped keychain lying in my hand, with a pair of bright, lively eyes embroidered on it.

MC: This is... from KIWI's new little mochi series!

Lucien: I remember you mentioned passing by this shop before and how it always gets sold out.

Lucien: I happened to see a shop assistant restocking them on my way to work earlier, so I got one. Originally, I intended it as a gift for the lucky charm, but it has been sitting here all this time.

Lucien: Let it be your cheerleader, and boost the spirits of this hardworking little researcher.

Lucien picks up the little keychain and gives it a couple of shakes while saying this. The fluffy and bouncy little ball truly seems to be cheering me on.

I giggle and hold the soft toy in my hand.

MC: With this "cheerleader" cheering me on, and the great Professor Lucien keeping watch, I feel a lot more energized, so let's continue.

Lucien smiles and holds my hands in return.

Lucien: Don't be nervous. What you're about to do is similar to what you just did, and you can do it very well.

I close my eyes and awaken the power within me once again.

At the same time, Lucien also extends his hand – a sense of oppression emanates from all around, and the shimmering edge of the rift seems to be suddenly suppressed by an invisible force.

Unlike the situation during the interference at Infinite earlier, the rift clearly starts to contract under the influence of CORE.

As the power is released, I feel myself increasingly in conflict with a massive force.

This sensation presses down on me so hard that I can't catch my breath, and my breathing becomes increasingly rapid.

Lucien seems to sense it too. He squeezes my hand and asks if I want to stop. But when I look at the rift that has already compressed to a small size, I grit my teeth and shake my head.

The sudden contrast was so great that for a moment I was in daze. I gasp for breath, and the soothing pats on my back bring my restless heart back to its place.

The wall in front of us is clean, and the rift that had shown a corner of the cabinet has disappeared.

MC: Do we... succeed?

I look at Lucien uncertainly, and he nods slightly.

Lucien: (smiles and says in a proud tone, hint of astonishment in his voice) Yes, the first experiment to artificially close a rift is a success. Congratulations to this little researcher.

The sunlight gradually slants westward, casting a warm glow on his hair and softening the profile of his face.

I look at his eyes that still shining brightly in the gradually darkening twilight and find it hard to take my eyes off him.

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Perhaps due to the exhaustion of my power, my brain feels a bit dull. I obediently let Lucien lead me to the sofa in the outer room and sit down.

— The next moment, a hand covers my eyes.

Lucien: Take a good rest.

His body heat, carried by his dry fingertips, adds a layer of warmth to the part of our skin that's pressed against each other.

MC: Professor Lucien, what do you usually think about when you're tired?

Lucien: Most of the time, I have many research projects at hand. If I get tired of one, I switch to thinking about another.

MC: ….

Lucien: Of course, there's one subject that never tires my brain no matter how long I think about them.

Not hearing another response, I curiously open my eyes, and through the gaps between his fingers, I catch a glimpse of his slightly upturned lips.

The last rays of the setting sun hide within his gaze as he looks at me.

[Chapter 51-9]

Subtitled Video

Transcript

MC: Do you want to replace the robot and personally go into the rift?

After successfully closing the rift in the small room, we discovered a new rift in the alley near the research institute.

Lucien used a device that utilizes space-fold to "transport" this rift into the small room for further study.

On the second day, right after the successful completion of the research, he suddenly said he wanted to go inside the rift himself.

Lucien: The robot's range of movement and recorded data are both very limited. To obtain more information, seeing it with one's own eyes is the most effective way.

Lucien: We can now stabilize the rift's intervention time at 4 hours and 25 minutes using CORE's energy.

Lucien: Although it's not a long time, it should be enough to gather some information.

The rift experiments of these past two days haven't caused any danger, but I still have some inexplicable worries.

The image of Lucien with injuries and bandages in the rift that I saw back then resurfaces at an untimely time, intensifying my worries.

Based on the delivery at my doorstep around that time, it's roughly about a week from now.

MC: So when do you plan to enter the rift?

Lucien: One week from now, next Sunday.

Perhaps noticing my somewhat stiff expression, he sets down the report he was holding and walks over to me.

Lucien: What's wrong?

MC: …Lucien, do you still remember when I saw bandaged "you" at my doorstep before?

Lucien nods with an understanding look.

Lucien: According to that timing, next Sunday happens to be the day I got injured in the rift that you saw.

MC: (worriedly) Although I don't know if your injury is related to entering the rift...

MC: But just to be safe, it's probably best not to attempt anything risky on that day.

Lucien: (chuckles) Alright, I promise you. If we make it through that day safely, that "future" will also take care of itself.

Lucien: I'll postpone the planned time by one week and make some more thorough preparations.

I sigh in relief and nod. Lucien won't stop exploring because of such a thing, but for now, it's enough to give me some peace of mind.

MC: Then I'm going with you in two weeks!

His eyes flicker with a hint of surprise, then his eyebrows arch, and a soft smile spreads across his lips.

Lucien: Okay.

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The night before “Lucien” got injured in the rift, I was still so nervous that I couldn't sleep much even though we postponed entering the rift.

The next morning, I arrived at the company tiredly with dark circles under my eyes.

Every half an hour, I send him a text message. I have lost count of how many times I have checked my phone screen by now.

MC: ...It's been a minute, why hasn't he replied yet?

Not even a single word of the lengthy document in front of me enters my eyes, and I anxiously tap with my fingertips.

Buzz, buzz – my phone finally vibrates, and I quickly unlock it. Lucien seems to have sensed my anxiety, and he replies promptly to each of my messages.

Under my constant "supervision", the day passes without incident.

Finally, I can heave a sigh of relief and fully immerse myself in the promotion work for "Odyssey".

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I didn't send out the first batch of promotional advertisements until the end of this week. I walk into the residential area under a sky full of stars and let out a yawn.

Lucien has also become very busy these days, and I can only hear his voice in a few hurried phone calls.

The chat page has been stuck at noon more than a day ago.

MC: I wonder how the preparations are going…

The elevator door opens, and just as I'm about to press the floor button, a figure rushes in before the doors close.

I instinctively turn my head, falling defenselessly into a pair of smiling and dark eyes.

Lucien: Good evening, it seems that I got lucky today and ran into someone I wanted to see before going to bed.

MC: Are you done with your work?

Lucien: Mm, there was a project at the institute that needed to be rushed recently, so I was quite busy, but it's over now.

The elevator's light makes the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced, and I hold his hand with a hint of concern and distress.

MC: Are you feeling tired? Is tomorrow's plan still the same?

Lucien: Of course, it remains the same.

Lucien: Don't worry, I've set aside some time for rest, which is why I could rush back now.

Although he can't conceal his fatigue, there is a bright glint in his eyes, as if he eagerly anticipates tomorrow.

As the elevator arrives, he holds my hand and walks me to the doorstep of my home.

At my slightly confused gaze, he leans down and gently approaches me. A hint of white tea's scent fleetingly tickles my nose, and I feel a warm sensation pressing on my forehead.

In the quiet hallway, only his gentle voice resonates in my ears, accompanied by the pounding of my heart in my chest.

Lucien: (gently) Good night. I hope we both have a good dream tonight.

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Even though I have already made up my mind, I’m still feeling nervous the next day when I put on the bracelet at the Bioultima Research center.

Lucien straightens out my sleeves and takes hold of my hand.

Lucien: The device to maintain CORE energy is ready. We can depart at any time.

Lucien: Let me confirm one last time, are you really going with me to visit 37 days in the future?

The warmth in the palm of my hand is gentle, carrying a soothing touch. I take a deep breath and nod.

The warm sunlight filters through the window glass, casting a glow on the corners of his upturned lips. It feels as if we're not heading to the unknown land, but towards paradise.

The tightly clasped hands convey his longing into me, and I know that I only need to move forward without hesitation now.

The moment I step into the rift, a tremendous surge of energy comes crashing in—

I barely have time to react before I'm thrown into the chaos. I attempt to reach for Lucien's hand but find that my body seems to be out of control.

I want to scream, but I realize I can't even open my mouth. Amid the chaotic dizziness, I faintly hear some voices.

??: Energy transfer... 132%, detecting... consciousness retained.

??: Increase... output.

The words sound like fragmented whispers, as if there's a thick barrier between me and them. But soon, the voices around me begin to fade away.

In its place, there's a heavy and distant roar that’s not unfamiliar to me.

My body seems to be floating, and I struggle to open my heavy eyelids—

In the void, massive and worn gears surround me. My body is so tiny that I feel like nothing more than a speck of dust that has drifted in, instantly swallowed by the rotating air currents.

With a discordant shattering sound, a massive gear comes crashing down, and its colossal debris hurtles past me.

Crackle—

The familiar noise flashes through my mind again, and I'm dragged down into the abyss of consciousness by that great force.

In the midst of excruciating pain that feels like it's about to tear me apart, I regain some control over my body, and I struggle to open my eyes—

The scene before me is like being submerged in water, and I can only vaguely see many white figures moving about.

Cold seeps into my body through every crevice of my skin, and at the edge of my slightly distorted field of vision, I catch a glimpse of a black cable floating by.

Am I in... water?

The moment I realize it, a wave of suffocation rapidly spreads throughout my body. I instinctively open my mouth to breathe, and the icy water rushes into my nostrils and throat—

Who will come to... save me?

There's a white figure that seems to have noticed me, approaching and then stops nearby.

Shortly after, a stronger surge of energy rushes into my body accompanied by pain—

Just when I thought I might be torn apart, the door in front of me is pulled open forcefully. In a daze, I seem to I catch a glimpse of a familiar silhouette—

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At the moment he passed through the rift, Lucien felt a surge of electricity tearing through his brain. Before he could even think about what it was, his palm suddenly no longer held her.

When he turned around, he found that the person next to him had disappeared.

The place in front of him was not unfamiliar, it was the narrow alley near the Bioultima Research Institute where the rift had appeared.

He undoubtedly had successfully reached the time and space beyond the rift, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Lucien's face darkened, and an inexplicable anxiety that he couldn't suppress spread throughout his body along his veins.

His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest, but he suppressed this restlessness and quickly walked towards Bioultima Research center.

The researchers occasionally passing by in the corridor displayed expressions of surprise, but he paid them no mind. He simply quickly located the room where they had been researching the rift.

Here, he was most likely to find the information that could explain the current situation. However, when he opened the computer and saw the time, his eyes widened in surprise.

The time displayed on the computer screen was 74 days later.

Confusion and anxiety twisting into a knot in Lucien's heart. He furrowed his brows and opened the folder on the device.

Dozens of files were spread out densely in front of him, and he quickly moved the cursor, scanning over each title.

With sharp eyes, he caught sight of the letters "NW," and his hand paused before clicking on that file.

《Four-Dimensional Rift Stabilization Using CORE Utilization Plan》

Text laden with a wealth of information flowed rapidly before his eyes, and an abundance of data surged into his mind. He could feel the rushing blood in his brain intensifying with each passing moment.

"As a higher-dimensional entity, CORE exists in one and only one timeline across all temporal axes..."

As he continued to advance through the information before him, his gaze gradually turned colder and sharper.

-As it turns out, the world was already changing as a result of the shift in trajectory.

He knew where she would be.

The information in front of him undoubtedly can answer many of his curiosities. However, at this moment, these important pieces of information hold no appeal in his eyes.

He closed the document, preparing to leave, but then he noticed that the notebook on his desk was open. There’s only two scribbled numbers that seem like coordinates on it.

The handwriting belonged to him.

Lucien: ….

The fragile paper was covered with thin ice, shattering on the floor, and the shattered ice shards reflected the darkness in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the scene before him shifted, and the next moment, he found himself in a cold and desolate corridor of NW.

Perhaps he should have made a more thorough plan before taking action, but he didn't want to wait any longer.

Pushing open the door in front of him, he immediately saw the girl he had been searching for. She's all alone, confined within a glass container secured by layers of locks and cables.

The blinking red lights from the instruments cast an eerie crimson color on her. In that instant, he even felt like she might not be breathing anymore.

It's as if the last thread holding onto something in his mind had snapped.

Everything in front of Lucien's eyes was dyed with a layer of crimson red.

Before even more frightening thoughts came to his mind, he saw that the girl in the glass container seemed to blink, and a little light slowly gathered in her slowly focused pupils.

And then, her lips moved imperceptibly.

"Lucien."

For a moment, Lucien only felt as if all the sounds around him had turned into sharp buzzing, and the blood in his body went straight to his head.

Some researchers noticed his arrival and showed surprised expressions.

Researcher A: Professor Lucien? What brings you here?

Lucien: (in a cold and commanding tone) Open this.

Lucien pointed at the glass chamber calmly.

Researcher A: CORE is a crucial energy source for preventing dimensional destruction. She can’t leave this place.

Researcher B: Professor Lucien, you also agreed to this plan at the beginning...

Lucien: Move over.

Lucien interrupted the explanation and walked straight towards the nearby control panel. The researchers immediately stepped forward to stop him—

Researcher B: Professor-

Sharp ice spikes shot up from the ground. Crimson blood splattered in the air and then slowly trickled down the frosty ice spikes.

After half a second of dead silence, screams suddenly erupted.

Next Part-> [Here]

[onomatopagu-et-cie]

The Killing Vote (ep. 7 notes)

The Killing Vote (ep. 1-5 notes) The Killing Vote (ep. 6 & overall notes) The Killing Vote: more on Joohyun, Kwon Seokju & Kim Muchan

I don’t know if you saw, but they announced episode 8 will be out next week on October 5th……….. After THIS preview no less, you’ve got to be kidding me aaaaaaaa (PД`q。 ) ·。 ' ゜

This got again really long, sorry again!!!!

Have a nice week!

(SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 7!!!!)

Let Jihoon, Joomin, Joohyun, KMC & KSJ get their happy found family ending (இ﹏இ`｡) Put them in a slice of life, far far away from this noir genre plsssssss

I appreciated the fact that no explicit violence (except when BWT was beaten up by Min Jiyoung's family & KMC) was shown on screen ie. for Narae nor her dog ; the violence implied from all the scenes were more than enough already (eg. the video on KSJ ; the audio recording Narae’s voice)... ! And by the way, Park Sungwoong's acting in this episode!!!!!! I also loved how KMC’s character was shown trying to maintain a composure/restraint (his voice damn) in front of KSJ’s grief.

And the Jihoon & Joohyun scenes were GREAT!! Joohyun sounds like that sister you can naturally rely on!

(She needs to live, you hear me?!)

(Don’t read the new OST’s lyrics you are warned haha, it was beautifully played for Jihoon’s scene and the lyrics could also very well apply to KMC & KSJ in KMC’s pov!)

♦ September 15, 2015 (Lrae091515)

Narae disappeared on September 15, 2015… Just like how the video test is titled!

OH and something I missed!!! In the first post I mentioned the video test title, I wondered if it could refer to both Narae and Dies Irae (since Mozart’s Requiem was played in ep4):

As for the ‘Lrae’… It could be a wild WILD guess but ‘Lrae’ could be ‘irae’ as in Dies Irae/day of wrath (capital i looks like a lowercase L), which is a sequence in Requiem mass!

But the capital L could also stand for the korean letter ᄂ/니은 (nieun), which is the first letter for Narae/나래. Added to the ‘rae’, it gives ‘Narae091515’.

♦ The items in LMS’s room & his ring

Some of the items that were in the display case in LMS’s hidden room were revealed in this episode (from left to right):

KSJ’s suitcase

KSJ’s book he signed for LMS

KSJ’s mug, which is seen carried in the present by:

Jihoon (we only see him retrieve it from the deliveryman)

LMS (a whole collection)

This Gaetal in ep4 with this particular red mug when they rage as the public opinion is shaken because KMC was believed to be dead.

The picture with Narae seems to have been taken the day of the conference shown at the beginning of the episode. LMS probably stole the picture because it was a significant day to him ie. when he met KSJ in person.

Also, about the ring, LMS had it even in the flashbacks (picture to the right). Could it be some device to send him a reminder to take his medicine?

♦ More on shame

Something I wanted to add to what I said in a previous post (‘On the frames facing down (ep. 1 & 6), shame and guilt’): when KSJ visited his house in the present thanks to Joohyun, he only dusted off Narae’s picture to face her stuffed bunny.

Ep7 showed the other frame was a picture of KSJ and her, so it could show how he still strongly feels he failed her as her father:

♦ Narae, Joomin and Jihoon

FINALLY a bittersweet but hopeful? (I don’t care if it’s wishful thinking, let me hope okay ;;) parallel that’s clearly the opposite of ep4 & 6’s framing, the new OST (Aalia, Blue) was a perfect addition, it was soothing:

♦ The third person meeting with Narae and KSJ

(1) « She »

At the beginning of the episode, Narae met KSJ and said a ‘she’ couldn’t join them for dinner according to the subtitle translation when I watched.

(I’m unfortunately not able to watch on Prime, so I’m not sure if it’s fansubs or the Prime translation ; I wanted to use my free trial to watch the drama and other series, but it’s region-locked in my country and I don’t have a VPN ;;)

The gendered pronoun is an addition of the translation as the original exchange omitted any indication on the subject.

Most of the time [in Korean] the subject is implied, and you would rather address someone by their title or name (with an honorific if need be) depending on your relationship eg. Joohyun calls KMC 팀장님/team leader and KSJ 교수님/professor, Joomin calls her sister 언니/big sister. Note: but it can also be used by a female speaker for an older woman she’s close to eg. a friend, a girlfriend (like 형 = younger man -> older man ; 오빠 = younger woman -> older man or 누나 = younger man -> older woman).

This is how Narae and KSJ’s conversation went:

« — 왜 혼자 왔어? / Why did you come alone? — 또 먼저 갔지. 오늘도 할일이 엄청 또 많대. / [They] left early again. [They] said [they] had a lot of things to do today too. — 셋이 같이 저녁을 먹을랬는데. (…) / I’d hoped the three of us could have dinner together. »

Nothing in this exchange hints at the identity of the person that accompanied Narae. KSJ only mentions the three of them (셋이), nothing else.

(Of course, translating this exchange could be really tricky because it’s about a context that only Narae and KSJ are privy of and we’re unfamiliar to, how to introduce a character we potentially know nothing of?)

But the conversation shows:

— That person usually accompanied Narae to see her father (and probably picked her up from school first & walked the dog together) ; that explains why the subject is omitted in the conversation because it’s implied from their daily life.

— They sounded like an adult habitually swamped with what looks like a usually time-consuming work (which excludes Jihoon)

— They seemed close enough to both Narae & KSJ (who jokingly says it’ll be a father-daughter date if they don’t come), dinner with them sounded customary.

— We know it couldn’t be about KSJ’s ‘late wife’ as Min Jiyoung comments ‘It must be hard for him to raise a girl by himself’ as they’re driving home from the conference.

— It has been highlighted twice already how hard, to society/KSJ’s surroundings, raising a girl by himself must be: first with Min Jiyoung’s housekeeper in ep5 (‘They felt sorry for me for raising my daughter alone, so they would share food with me sometimes.’), then Min Jiyoung herself in ep7. Whoever that was, this person also might've helped KSJ to raise Narae unbeknownst to everyone else.

So it was supposed to be someone close to the two of them.

(2) Kim Muchan?

In the same episode, when KMC said Choi Jinsu knew what kind of relationship he had with KSJ, CJS later described it as a ‘close relationship’ (가까은 사이), the same adjective KSJ uses to describe KMC in the present (see in a previous post the notes on 가깝다).

KMC is also the one shown in the very next scenes working hard to bust drug scenes (to the point of eating those painkillers like it’s popcorn). It’s also highly likely the other cases we saw on the news were also recklessly solved by him. (Also the ‘Lives Here.’ on the mirror is a fitting detail to his workaholic side!)

He's still the same in the present and brings work at home. Even though he gets around the law to arrest culprits, the reputation he has now can also attest to the fact he’s still relentlessly absorbed by his work.

This was indeed how Jodan described KMC to Joohyun:

« (…) aka. Wipeout. Pressuring criminals to admit more crimes. Making a case bigger to take more credit. He somehow makes cases into special ones. That’s how he made his way up to Seoul from the south. The master of promotions. (…) Based on his arrest rate, he should be at the top, but those up there must hate him. »

And KMC was close enough to KSJ and Narae to firmly believe Narae would never run away from home, like family would say ; KSJ was the only person he trusted and looked up to.

Not to mention KSJ was completely tensed as Choi Jinsu interrogated him but relaxed once KMC took over, letting out a sigh of relief and dropping his guard to cry.

EDIT: KMC also knew calling KSJ 'hyung' instead of 'Professor' would eventually make him react, as he was lifeless and caught in his thoughts so far.

(3) How long did KMC know KSJ?

KSJ began teaching at KNPU in 2008, which means KMC and him must’ve known each other for at least 7+ years (it’d be 15+ years in the present): ‘Have you forgotten? I said I’d be your number one fan. I said that at your first lecture at KNPU.’

Also KSJ is 44 years old btw, I missed that detail in ep4 when KMC checked his files!

♦ Relationships conveyed through pictures

It’s interesting how the drama keeps highlighting the importance of KSJ and KMC’s relationship, but there’s (yet) no picture to materialize this truth in people’s eyes, while the other significant relationships are framed in the drama:

-> Joohyun’s family portrait and a picture of Joohyun and Joomin in the present.

-> KMC picture with someone who might be his mother.

-> Many pictures of KSJ and Narae filled the house’s walls and the furniture and there was a picture of Narae and Jihoon with the handmade bunny toys hanging on their backpack.

And even though nobody might’ve heard of KSJ adopting Jihoon soon at the time (except KMC), he was present in Narae’s drawings by her and KSJ’s side. And he also drew the three of them together.

-> Min Jiyoung’s family portrait was ostentatiously exhibited in the past & is still used to build her image for her campaign. But there’s also a small portrait with only her and LMS at her apartment in the present.

KSJ and KMC’s relationship evades common portrayal. (Not to mention family portraits are often shown in dramas to foreshadow underlying dynamics between its members!)

The only picture we were shown of them was on the day KSJ was sent to prison:

♦ KSJ’s health and military service

On KSJ’s resume (first picture), you can see he was exempted of military duty.

Indeed, what’s written on the left column under his military status is 미필 (incompletion, if he had been discharged after completing his military duty, it would be written 군필), and the rank and service term columns are empty.

I can’t quite make out everything that’s under the last column for the reason of incompletion, but I read 기형 (deformity), 친환 (one’s parent illness) and 변재 (accident) … ?

However what we learned when KMC checked his medical files in ep4 (third picture) was that he’s got asthma (천식) and primary spontaneous pneumothorax (일차성 자연기흉) ie. occurring without an apparent cause when there’s originally no known lung disease while there’s a preexisting lung disease when it’s secondary.

« Until now the cause of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) has not been identified, however; several risk factors have been identified such as; smoking, male sex, and a family history of pneumothorax ».

So he was probably exempted due to his long-time health issue (asthma, lung collapse), and maybe KSJ’s family had a history of pneumothorax.

♦ Who is Gaetal?

Is LMS really Gaetal? Are Fan no. 1 & Gaetal different people?

As I said in a previous post, the drama plays with the bias that everything must’ve been done by the same individual/a same group with the same intentions, so it’s possible:

Gaetal in the video test

Gaetal in the prerecorded votes, at least the first one (because the tone, gesture and expressions seemed different compared to the two next votes)

Gaetal broadcasted live (for Cpt. Oh’s vote)

Fan no. 1 who wrote the letters to KSJ

Fan no. 1 JJW said he was working with who described KSJ as the one they admired the most but also said they destroyed the person he loved the most, so he must hate them

Are different people in some cases, meaning:

— The ‘Fan no. 1’ Jung Jinwook worked with might not be LMS, since they never met each other

— It could be Jihoon, or at the very least, he’s an accomplice (there’s this exchange with Joohyun about the shift from an accessory to an accomplice, it could be foreshadowing). He’s well-versed in hacking, he most likely ‘admired’ KSJ and feels guilty over Narae’s death (and probably over BWT’s murder by KSJ), as KSJ said to KMC:

« — [Narae and Jihoon] were supposed to meet that day. — Yes, he thinks all of this happened because he was late. He’s still in shock. »

(He could’ve been the one to have faced Narae’s picture down!)

We don’t know his whereabouts for these 8 years but he must’ve been in contact with KSJ at least once since what happened and given KSJ’s reaction when KMC asked him if he contacted him.

Also Jihoon was definitely searching for KSJ before Joohyun interrupted him when he was at the Police Agency at the end of the episode.

He looked like he definitely knew the content of the ‘video test’ too (or recognized the room), he seemed dumbfounded to learn Joomin found it in ep3:

Determined to help, a part of him could’ve held KMC guilty of the chain of events 8 years ago. KSJ entrusted his handmade bunny toy to KMC and said:

« He said he made them himself, so there are only two of them. Whoever has Narae’s is the murderer, so he told me to use this to catch him. He left this with me. I’m counting on you. »

And KSJ must have some part in whatever is happening now with the Killing Vote: after all, we never got the reason KSJ went out of prison in ep4 (‘If they find out what I did instead of performing labor, they might believe the suspicions are true.’).

-> This scene in ep3 (the first set of pictures on the left): of course this shows his relief because he still cares for KMC but it seemed like he somehow already knew for a fact KMC was out of danger, even before the janitor said he was barely hanging on and not off the hook at all.

— This was even before the video of KMC was revealed to the public in the next episode ;

— The present Gaetal might have informed him in advance a police officer got involved in the bombing against their will, without revealing it was KMC. This would explain why KSJ seemed genuinely surprised when the janitor said it was KMC (the last two pictures of the set) ;

— Someone else could have informed him even if it seems difficult from the prison (but we know he got lots of privileges there and we still don’t know what he did for the warden ; the visit register could have been fabricated and someone indeed met him) ;

— It’s worth pointing out KSJ was convinced KMC was Gaetal up until ep6, which adds another layer to this scene.

-> His reaction in ep5 was also curious (the second set of pictures on the right), he only got perplexed for the video test, as though he was well-acquainted with the rest of whatever was going on except for that one detail (which adds to the theory that Gaetal in the video test ≠ Gaetal in the Killing Vote/Fan no. 1).

Curiously, as I said just above, while KSJ seemed unaware of the video test's existence, Jihoon looked familiar with its content on the contrary.

KSJ never outright denied he was Gaetal eg. his interview with Joohyun in ep2:

«  — ‘Devils who were deemed innocent.’ The phrase that the killer used… You were the first one to say it, weren’t you? I think the killer has something to do with you. — The two people who used the same phrase must be connected. That’s such a naive approach. »

Ep6 only showed KSJ hoped KMC was Gaetal.

And you wouldn’t say KMC’s ‘I’m a cop.’ is a real answer too. Hate to admit it, but KMC stayed silent when KSJ wanted to confirm he was sincere: his feelings might be genuine, but denying he’s Gaetal could very well be a lie.

As for KMC’s front ie. keeping silent when asked about his relationship with KSJ, I guess it comes from his determination to solve all this by his own hands this time: he knows they would take him off the case otherwise. (And for some reason, I can’t help but also suspect Joohyun aaaaa we still don’t know anything about her past!!)

KMC or KSJ, one of the two might be related somehow ; if so, I guess they’d be trying to plan something without the other knowing in order not to involve them and also because the other would disapprove (eg. KSJ to put an end to KMC’s guilt ; KMC to offer some peace to KSJ after all the tragedy and his past mistakes).

— Plus, the Gaetal of the first vote sounded suspiciously like KSJ (his silhouette and gait too) eg. t h a t tremulous voice when he gets angry (the actor plays a lot with that in his roles overall).

— The first vote was prepared from a redevelopment area and BGC was murdered there (pictures on the right).

In ep7, in addition to the video accusing KSJ of being dubious and the witness statement, Narae being found in a redevelopment area was what made the police suspect KSJ of murdering her, since he was known for standing up against said building’s demolition:

« You’d been to the place where the body was found, right? Don’t even think about lying. We know you protested against demolishing that building. »

(Even before Joohyun showed him the Gaetal video test, KMC must’ve had his suspicions from BGC’s murder scene and the broadcast after the body was found eg. recognizing KSJ’s tone, 'the devils deemed innocent' or the ‘rational justice’!)

Narae might’ve been found in the lower part of the building BGC’s vote was prepared in: even though the first story doors were repainted in red and handrails were added to the bridge, the overall architecture and the sort of electricity meter/letter box on the ground floor look the same.

And even without it being the same building, it holds enough resemblance for it to seem like a disturbing recall of the events 8 years ago, combined with Gaetal’s keywords.

— LMS could’ve killed BGC’s wife as Gaetal's copycat at first but that still wouldn’t explain his involvement to the Killing Vote, saying he would give it to his mother as a present.

(But his conversation with KMC when he interviewed him in the present really gave me the impression he knew something about KMC we were not shown, and that could foreshadow what'll happen in the next episode!)

— About LMS’s true perception of justice: we never got to hear his opinion, Narae came running to her father and KSJ interrupted the conversation. So far, the drama didn’t show if his ideals align with Gaetal’s for example, but some elements in the flashbacks clearly show it could be the case.

In fact, his notes about ‘proper justice’ could align with Gaetal’s concept of vigilantism to make up for a failing official retributive justice.

And his ‘If you pass judgment without looking at things clearly, it’s not being fair. It’s being indifferent.’ clearly parallels KSJ’s opinion in the present (ep6):

« Lady Justice wears a blindfold because she’s afraid of bias in decisions. That always bothered me. If you don’t look at cases and the people involved clearly, how can one pass fair judgment? Can judgments without experience be right? Only after losing my daughter did I realize I was qualified to judge others. »

KSJ’s past self would’ve been moderate and warned him however: ‘Relying solely on your experiences can also lead to bias. Experiences are gained through situations and conflicts. They can’t be absolute truths.’

But this detail is something KMC doesn’t know, he instead focuses on LMS’s elitism because he didn’t have those kinds of exchanges with him.

♦ ‘No. 1 Fan’ & LMS

So…………………… You mean to tell me « No. 1 Fan » was originally a memory both KSJ and KMC held dear? That LMS chose this very nickname as a penname for the 5 whole years he sent letters to KSJ? That LMS described KSJ to JJW as the man he admired the most, just like KMC said in that exchange.......... ?

There’s literally no way in hell LMS didn’t listen KMC and KSJ’s conversation ; « no. 1 Fan » could be common in any other cases but not in this one: LMS made everyone around KSJ gone from the picture, it wouldn’t surprise me KMC was/is meant to be the next (LMS even describes him as a ‘cockroach’ hard to kill in ep5).

As to how he got to learn all that, bugging one of the two’s communications/belongings/Narae’s room (eg. that ‘My Daddy My Hero’ seems to be the only thing taken from the house, or the device Jodan found in the ceiling, as it’s totally covered with dust) or even hiding in KSJ’s house that day and listening to their exchange wouldn’t be that surprising given what he did and how he seems to enjoy playing recklessly.

What Jodan found looks like the kind of device that transmits frequencies to another device (eg. cell phone, a recorder prepared to this end).

In this episode, we saw LMS watched everything among the crowd each time (when Narae’s body was found, when KSJ was sent to prison), there could very well be times he watched unnoticed from KMC or KSJ.

I guess he learned about the ‘rational justice’ the same way: he could’ve heard the ‘devils deemed innocent’ from his mother or some other way (eg. if he hacked the court’s archives, he could’ve found the trial transcripts), but ‘rational justice’ was something only KSJ and KMC knew about (at least, at this point of the drama).

Given his obsession for KSJ, LMS could benefit from deliberately using a precious memory that KSJ could only attribute to KMC and posing as KMC: that would finally make him assume a special position in KSJ’s eyes (and it worked: that’s probably why KSJ firmly believed Gaetal and/or the one who wrote him letters was KMC).

And he probably deludes himself into believing it was originally his by right, not Narae’s, not KMC’s nor anyone else’s (I don’t think he knew Jihoon even if he observed the house): he considers himself KSJ’s only entitled Fan no. 1.

At the same time, becoming Gaetal, a figure that would finally bring the justice to KSJ which KMC failed to do, gives him the opportunity to finally ‘judge’/destroy KMC as he wished. Eg. making him the next Killing Vote target by showing people he was deceiving them (his ‘Wipeout’ reputation) ; or distorting facts about his involvement in Narae’s case (just like the video Min Jiyoung/LMS made on KSJ to divert the attention off her son).

And this seems to be the case in the preview:

The screen on the left side of the shot displays an edit of KMC (which looks like those Gaetal did for the previous targets ; the picture seems to come from when the journalists gathered at the prison when they learned he was alive), and if I’m not mistaken you can read on the banner « 속였습니다 » (‘I/He deceived/lied to [the people maybe?]’), which might be a reference to what he said in ep4 where he also used 속였습니다.

♦ « This house had good natural lighting »

Losing Narae left KSJ lifeless. In this episode’s flashback, his profile, livid, is blinded by white light, like a ghost.

Even though he stood in Narae’s room, he was perhaps longing for the house that was already not there anymore and that initially had ‘good natural lighting’, as Joohyun said in ep4. It symbolized all the happiness he shared with Narae.

And KMC could only witness, helpless, KSJ’s grief.

In retrospect, on the second set of pictures to the right, the sight of KSJ’s silhouette in a similar setting and lighting (when KSJ was transferred to the Police Agency, ep5) might’ve reminded KMC of this memory.

The drama highlighted this theme in other previous scenes too. They have in common a silhouette shot in an overall dark setting facing a strong backlighting.

[And you can notice the shots get gradually brighter as the drama progresses and KSJ gets out of prison!]

Joohyun's scene on the top right was so beautifully shot... !

-> When KSJ is transferred to the Police Agency ;

-> When Joohyun interviews KSJ and makes him listen to Mozart’s Requiem in ep4. And also KMC’s reaction we could better understand in retrospect as he listened (the pictures on the bottom right) ;

-> When KSJ enjoyed the light from the prison in ep4 ;

-> When he looked outside from his cell’s window while meditating in the first episode ;

-> When KMC wanted to visit KSJ but he refused to meet him in ep2 (and we can once again better interpret his expressions in retrospect to ep7).

Note: in ep3, KMC’s reaction to the tagged wall (‘the 13th was wrong’) and the news articles about the case from 8 years ago could also now be interpreted as pained in retrospect ; his surprise upon discovering this also shows it’s at least not him who messed the room that way. If he cared for Narae as this episode showed, he probably wouldn’t have damaged her room. It's also maybe relevant to note again that the video test didn't have the tagged wall!

♦ Min Jiyoung’s classism

Whatever Min Jiyoung found on KMC was something she did not approve according to her standards: she went from ‘that detective’ when she first met him to ‘bastard like you/the likes of you’ at the end of the trial.

I get BIG classist undertones when she speaks to him, and it's not the sole occurrence:

-> When she fired her previous aide because he advised her in a way she deemed unsatisfactory, she commented: ‘촌스러운 새끼’ which was translated to ‘What a loser.’ The adjective she used is 촌스럽다 (unpolished, countrified, dowdy ie. « one’s attitude or taste being unsophisticated and looking like that of a country person »).

The Naver Dictionary also gives the expression ‘촌스러운 사람’ and translates it as ‘a lout, rustic, clodhopper, boor’.

새끼 means offspring (cub or child/kid), but it’s often used as an insult to mean someone’s a jerk/bastard/etc. which is the case here (eg. 개새끼, SOB/bastard).

-> The housekeeper: KSJ described her as ‘도우미’ (assistant, helper) and was getting along well with her and her husband (‘They felt sorry for me for raising my daughter alone, so they would share food with me sometimes. (…) Though we didn’t know each other very well, we were quite close.’).

And Min Jiyoung, who lives with her and her family, calls her…… an expense (‘비용’) if I’m hearing well (at the very least, it doesn’t sound like any of the words commonly used for housekeepers eg. 가정부, 도우미, 파출부, 하녀…), and it could explain why KMC made her repeat.

-> She used 너 같은 새끼 to insult KMC (‘bastards like you/the likes of you’), right after calling LMS his son (아들), which could imply the latter qualifies more as a person than him. She even deems him a taint/테인트 threatening to spoil their status/reputation.

-> She said to LMS in ep5: ‘[KMC] must be trying to make ends meet. You better stay away from those vermins.’

And be it a coincidence or not, Jihoon’s grandmother was also judgmental towards Joohyun and her sister (ep4, first set of pictures).

Her reaction to KSJ’s idea (she was taken aback and raised her eyebrow then looked embarrassed as she tried to answer) could also be explained by some distance she wants to put between her and disreputable people (ep6, second set of pictures).

Gaetal targeted the rich so far (‘The law that is more harsh on victims than on criminals… It feeds like a parasite off of money and power, so the ones who deserve to die are still alive.’), like some sort of Robin Hood as KMC commented.

♦ « Hyung »

(breaking my silence once again…) KMC and KSJ were lovers/KMC was in love and they were in their domestic life bubble (and ngl that ‘… [and the one] I look up to.’ delivery with that hesitant interruption felt like a left out confession)

The scene in Narae’s room was paralleled in the present at the end of the episode:

You can notice with this comparison that most (if not all) of KSJ & KMC’s scenes in the present are submerged by blue tones in the prison cell and at the Police Agency, just like in the lyrics of the new OST with the wordplay on the color blue and feeling blue! eg. 눈을 감아보면 I see blue — 그런 너의 모습에 feel so blue (When I close my eyes I see blue — At the sight of you feel so blue) 네게 가려진 난 I see blue — 몰랐던 너의 모습에 feel so blue (I’m covered/obscured by you I see blue — This side of you I didn’t know feel so blue)

♦ Gaetal, masks and dogs

Gaetal could be translated as ‘dog mask’ (개, dog + 탈, mask).

GAETAL AND MASKS

Gaetal’s excentric and playful, Robin Hood-esque character and their theatrics could be a reference to the traditional Korean masks.

« [Korean masks] were used in war, on both soldiers and their horses ; ceremonially, for burial rites in jade and bronze and for shamanistic ceremonies to drive away evil spirits/illness/bad luck out of an individual or a village (often horrifying or grotesque to invoke fear and humor), to remember the faces of great historical figures, and in the arts, particularly in ritual dances, courtly, and theatrical plays. The present uses are as miniature masks for souvenirs, or on phones hung as good-luck talismans. There are two ways to categorize masks: religious masks and artistic masks. »

Indeed, KSJ had a glass display of Korean masks in his house (it’s a limited Seoul 1988 Olympic Games Korean Masks Collection):

Masks are in fact known to be used in talchum/talnori (mask dance/play), an art developed after a cultural shift in society: masks were initially used in religious activities, but entertainment and festivities factored in through time.

« An ensemble of musicians accompanies masked performers who humorously explore social issues through dramatic combinations of cheerful, energetic and rhythmical songs, dances, movements and dialogue. »

They mostly originated from the pre-modern society of the Joseon dynasty. The country was governed by a rigid social hierarchy (eg. the aristocracy and the buddhist monastic hierarchy) and a strict patriarchal system. They sharply criticized contemporary society with satire and witty humour, depicting the falsehoods and hypocrisies of the upper classes (eg. decadent noblemen, apostate/depraved monks, patriarchal husbands) but also mocked stereotypical versions of annoying personalities within the lower classes (eg. the drunkard, the gossip, the flirt of the complaining grandmother). It offered people both catharsis and important life lessons, and masks are a key means to do that.

On the nobleman mask (Master Kim Dongpyo, maker of Hahoetal): « yangban noblemen prioritize dignity and saving face above all else. The gentle curves of a Hahoe yangban mask embody this character. » In other local traditions, noblemens’ masks may express greedy and pretentious personalities.

Talchum offered an opportunity to commoners to unleash their pent-up emotions, their suppressed anger and for the governing class to hear the people’s complaints, ultimately promoting greater unity within society. Their will for resistance is voiced.

Gaetal's apparent intentions correspond to all this to a great extent.

« Once a person dons a mask – men and women, young and old, nobility and commoners – all are freed from social conventions and restrictions. The appearance of the Korea mask itself is also liberated by convention. Nevertheless, everyone manages to find a part of the mask with which they can identify. In this way the mask is truly the face of the heart's hidden desires. (…) Korean masks are grotesque and vividly colored. Masks are painted in vivid primary colors, representing both the individual personality and social class of the character as well as his or her age and gender eg. black & dark for an elderly character ; red & bright for a young character ; white for a young female character. In terms of personality, a red, darkly-colored mask represents recklessness and aggressiveness; a yellow or lightly-colored mask characterizes foolishness and incompetence ; and a black or darkly-colored mask exemplifies an anxious, socially marginalized character. To symbolize a character's duplicity, masks are sometimes painted half red and half white. »

[For posterity, in the drama, Gaetal’s mask is fully white ; we also don’t know Gaetal’s gender, Joohyun evokes this possibility, it could very well be herself, Min Jiyoung or her assistant, even Jihoon’s grandmother ; Min Jiyoung’s attention to her clothes also reflects the good/evil duality with her outfit at BWT’s final trial.]

Professor Heo Yongho, Korea National University of Arts: « Korean mask-dance dramas deal with such universal themes as freedom and equality. However, they present these common subjects in a distinctively dynamic and exciting way. »

All these emotions, ambitions and desires can therefore be put on display without fear or shame. The characters mock and satirize the duplicity and foolishness of the ruling class and pray for a new world and a better future, like Gaetal does in the Killing Vote.

This page even theorizes 탈 derived from the Chinese character for ‘to rid/free oneself from something’.

« Korea adopted Chinese characters prior to the invention of their own, unique alphabet under King Sejong (1397-1450), and still use Chinese characters extensively. Thereby, the original meaning of the talnori or talchum, is a play or dance that helps shed ones stress and grief. Originally talnori was performed at night, often in a clearing around a fire and the exaggerated colors and expressions on some of the masks reflect a time when such vibrant colors and expressions were necessary to make them visible in the poor light. » [This bit could be relevant later on in this point when I’ll talk about the moon and the fire symbolism!]

The interaction with the audience is important, it completes the performance. As the UNESCO page describes: « talchum performances do not require a formal stage: any empty space can become a venue. The audience plays an essential role, contributing to the production with their cheers and jeers as the drama unfolds. »

Talchum players improvise their lines and actions in response to the spectators, quickly forming a bond together.

In a distorted fashion, the Killing Vote seems to strongly rely on the country’s participation to vote for the ‘judgement’ of the culprit, introduced as corrupt and deeply irredeemable people (even though we know the reality is more ambiguous: two broadcasts were pre-recorded and pretty compelling cases were deliberately chose to obtain an unanimous vote, not to mention Gaetal’s true intention eg. if they’re LMS).

The country even becomes an entertained audience in addition to their participation: each vote brings its fair share of debates, cries of support, admiration, disgust, anticipation or emulation. The Killing Vote becomes an outlet to everyone's fears, anger, frustration.

Gaetal's judgment of 'devils that were deemed innocent' by a failing legitimate system which would even condone their deed inflames passions: revealing the culprit's corrupt side in a sarcastic, unfiltered fashion the conventional society would (or could) never dare to do makes people look up to Gaetal.

It also makes people relate to Gaetal because the votes serve as an example that they wish was applied to their own tragedies eg. Joohyun, KSJ, Joomin & Jihoon. Exemplifying the 'judgment' of their cases could be seen as a prophylactic step to 'exorcise' the deep-rooted evil and appease the tormented souls of their victims.

And Gaetal engages with the people with a witty and sarcastic speech, and sounds deeply concerned with people’s opinion (again, it could be false pretenses) eg. when they cautioned sensitive souls to close the video as its content might be too violent ; when they got angry as they read forums after KMC was thought dead ; when they broadcasted the video revealing KMC was alive.

The Killing Vote also seems to touch on people’s duplicity, hidden desires and ambitions in society eg. especially KSJ, KMC, Min Jiyoung, LMS and people’s ambivalence in the face of good and evil (everybody has in them the risk of becoming a ‘Gaetal’ or one of their targets if faced with certain opportunities and circumstances) as I talked about it in a previous post (’The Killing Vote and a vigilantism built on a twisted basis’).

The hahoetal (Hahoe [Village] masks) are one of the most known Korean masks, designated as national treasures.

They were used during a kind of mask dance called 하회별신굿탈놀이, dance drama of Hahoe Village: it’s a shamanic dance drama passed down from the mid-12th century & performed to appease the local deity, pray for the village’s peace and wellbeing as well as a good harvest. It is said to be one of the oldest mask dances known in Korea.

It's a play in satire and humor directed at the ruling class from the religious perspective of praying fortune. The masks represent 12 stock characters needed to perform the roles in the ritual dance dramas included in the ceremony (eg. the monk, the scholar, the bride, the aristocrat …).

Their origin is not clearly known, but a legend about their original design exists.

« In the middle of the Goryeo Dynasty, there lived a craftsman, Heo. For years his village suffered from misfortunes but no one knew why. One day, he dreamt about a mountain god, receiving an oracle message that the misfortunes would disappear if the villagers danced with masks made by Heo. The god said he was not to have any contact with anyone until he finished. Heo then had a straw rope wound around his workshop to allow him to work undisturbed and immediately set to work. One hundred days had passed. A young woman named Kim was in love with Heo and was growing weary of waiting. She broke her vow to leave him undisturbed for one hundred days and peeked into her lover’s workshop to see what he was doing. He was carving the last mask, the scholar's foolish servant, Imae. The moment she glanced inside, Heo collapsed spitting blood and died. The mask was left unfinished, without a chin. Out of guilt for causing his death, the young woman committed suicide. Afterward, the residents of Hahoe village decided to serve the dead woman as a tutelary god and held annual rituals to assuage her soul. »

An annual winter memorial rite is held at dawn of the first full moon of each new year to console their unrealized love, appease their tormented souls and honor them. They would also pray for the well-being of the village and for its protection against evil spirits.

This also seems relevant:

The word 탈 also includes a second meaning of misfortune, illness and difficulty. Eg. when someone becomes sick or runs into trouble, you can use the verb 탈나다 (an accident happens/have a hitch/run into trouble/fall ill/get out of order or go wrong) or the word 탈 which is a homonym of the mask.

« The word for masks represents something that people hope is only a passing event. Interestingly, people were reluctant to hold onto the word 탈 in its meaning of a mask. In the past, they believed that if they kept a mask nearby, they would be in trouble due to the bad luck attached to the mask. Therefore, they stored the masks in a village shrine or burned them immediately after the ritual for which they were created. People regarded masks as religious objects, something that should be feared, worshipped and enshrined. »

But masks were also considered by ancient Koreans as a sacred symbol of the gods (or a particular god): as such, it was especially valued and worshipped, and always kept a certain distance away from living quarters.

In the drama, the mere existence of Gaetal calls for trouble and the police force endeavors to catch them. Gaetal nicknames themselves 'the citizens' watchdog' who will protect them from evil, and is compared to many heroic figures (eg. Robin Hood, Batman, …) but also to God. For example, Jihoon says to Joomin:

« That devil was set free by our incompetent legal system. If he wouldn’t be punished by the law or by God, I thought he should at least be punished by the people. »

The sight of their figure 'should' be feared by the culprits but only Uhm Eungyeong was really scared ; BGC and Cpt. Oh challenged and dared them to actually murder them. But in the end, the latter begged JJW for his life and promised him money, the thing he cared the most for.

This also ties well with the overall Christian symbolism exhibited in LMS’s room or Saint Michael (see the next point!).

GAETAL AND DOGS

As for the dog part, since one of the main plot points is a commentary on justice and the good & evil in people, it might be a reference to the haetae/haechi (해태/해치), a Korean mythological creature often associated for example to the Chinese guardian lions (also called shishi, lion or fu dogs) or the Japanese shishi/komainu.

Symbol of justice and law, the haetae is a hybrid beast: a mix of a lion, dog and dragon covered in scales or fur, wearing a bell and baring its canines, sometimes winged, sometimes with a reptile tail. It possesses the ability to divine and distinguish the true character in people, right from wrong, truth from lies in people.

The horn on its forehead was used to ram into the guilty in an argument.

It is said to feed off fire ; under Joseon, its statues were placed at the entrance of official places like palaces to protect the capital Hanyang (now Seoul, eg. at the National Assembly and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office) from natural disasters and fires.

« Haetae statues lie on high pedestals at each side of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace (…) [they] represent the Joseon rulers’ political and philosophical ideals of protecting the nation’s dignity by applying the laws strictly and justly and providing peace and stability to all the people without allowing bias or personal feelings to influence decisions. »

This article explains how the Chinese characters for law (법, 法) derived from the ideogram for haechi.

What I gathered from this page is that law was initially written as 灋. Looking at its structure:

— The radical to the left, 氵, is associated to water (水): which means that the law must be as fair as water — The character 去 is placed under the character ‘chi’ 廌, which depicts the haechi. Making a creature said to judge right from wrong a part of the law character brings out its meaning even more.

The character was later simplified by removing the 廌, thus written 法.

[And as I said in a previous post, the hanja 橅, which means law, can be used for the Mu of Muchan!]

The haechi was also closely associated to the Chinese judicial system eg. on decorations and paintings, embroidered on the robes, crowns with a horn. The judicial officers were also named after the haechi.

It has become Seoul’s symbol since 2008.

The haetae is also mainly assimilated to the Chinese xiezhi, a mythical single-horned creature (a sheep, goat or ox) commanded during imperial criminal proceedings to ram into the guilty in the same manner.

Since Gaetal chases after evil, it could also be a reference to a breed of dogs native to the Korean Peninsula, the Sapsali/Sapsalgae.

Their name literally translates to ‘one that roots out evil spirits’ or ‘drives out devils’. Due to their appearance, they’re often associated to the haetae and sometimes called ‘Lion Dogs’.

Lion dances are indeed performed because it was thought lions contained the power to expel evil spirits and bring good luck.

Sapsali are also nicknamed ‘Ghost Hunters’ or’ Sunshine Dogs’.

Some aspects of the drama also involve dogs:

-> Gaetal used a mail address titled ‘watchdog’ that the journalist wanted to use as a catchphrase for her broadcast ;

-> KMC called KSJ their ‘hunting dog’, urging Joohyun to ‘get him off the leash’ ;

-> Narae’s dog LMS killed and all the past dogs of his family ;

-> The scene at the beginning of ep7 shows BWT beaten by Min Jiyoung’s family as his parents watch powerless. The next shot shows the Dalmatian puppy sitting quietly by his neat doghouse as the violent scene continues to unfold before it off-screen. The absence of pictures of BWT’s family in the house unlike the Dalmatian puppy could be interpreted as a further highlight of the family being poorly treated by Min Jiyoung’s family, even worse than a dog. It also aligns with the classist behavior of Min Jiyoung & co.

-> Indeed, 개 is often used as a prefix to an insult (or to emphasize words in slang, but it’s not used in the drama so far eg. 개싫어, ‘[I] freaking/really hate [it]’).

For posterity also, the word ‘mask’ (탈) is also the homonym/paronym of 달 (moon/month) and 딸 (daughter, perhaps a reference to Narae, since the video test seems to be titled after the day she was missing?).

For the 달 (moon/month), the most relevant connection to the Killing Vote is that they’re held every 15th (new moon) and 30th (full moon) of each month. It also ties up with how the talnori/talchum were originally performed at night.

If there’s also some symbolism with the moon, combined to the fire and dogs, the mythical dogs Bulgae (불개, lit. fire dog) might come to mind:

« According to a myth, one of heaven's realms, the kingdom of darkness, was called Gamangnara, the Dark World. Its king was concerned and weary with the perpetual darkness and desired the light of the sun and moon for his kingdom. He sent one of the gigantic fiery hounds, the Bulgae to chase the sun to bring it to his realm. However, when it tried to bite the sun, the sun was too hot, which made the dog unable to hold on to it, resulting in him giving up, and running back to the king, angry at the failure. He sent another more ruthless dog to steal the moon. When the Bulgae tried to carry it in its mouth, the moon was so cold, that the mouth of the dog was icy and frozen, and caused the Bulgae to drop it. The Bulgae tried many times to grab the moon in its mouth, but eventually gave up and ran back to the king in disappointment. The king never gave up this mission though. He continued to send fire dogs that were fiercer than the others, but none were able to collect the sun and moon. According to the Korean eclipse belief, during a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse, the dark sections are the parts where the dogs are biting. When the eclipses are over, the dogs have given up and run away back to its kingdom. »

Noting it down if it’ll hold meaning in the next episodes, we’ve got two scenes shot in the moonlight:

In the first episode when KSJ looks out from his cell’s window and moonlight enters the room ;

Right after KSJ got his health checked by Jihoon’s grandmother in ep6 and Joohyun gets in LMS’s car!

♦ Saint Michael and Kim Muchan

Following the previous point, in the nightclub KMC was investigating, a big statue right behind where he sat sometimes showed up.

It looks like a reproduction of the St. Michael bronze statue by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt on top of the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome (the set of pictures in the middle).

There are other examples of similar iconography (the two pictures on the right):

— St. Michael defeats Satan by Guido Remi — Fontaine Saint-Michel in Paris (Bvd. Saint-Michel) by Gabriel Davioud, the sculpture, Archangel Michael and the devil, was designed by Francisque-Joseph Duret

I’ll quote this interesting page from EHNE, an online encyclopedia project developed in 2012 by the Sorbonne University.

« Saint Michael was a unique saint. As an archangel, he acted as the preferred messenger between Heaven and Earth. His struggle against the forces of Evil allowed him to serve as both a guardian and a warrior angel. » He’s also depicted as a champion/guardian of justice and a healer of the sick.

'Who is like God?' mmmmh

[What I didn’t know is that he was also considered the patron saint of the police, justice, military and many other trades and places, which is why he’s represented on the Saint Michael pendant!]

« As a victorious angel, defender, overcomer of evil and leader of heavenly armies, Michael the Archangel is often depicted in medieval art as an armored soldier [eg. pteruges, Byzantine armor or a fully feathered body or a mix of both] carrying such arms as a cross-inscribed shield, cross-staff, or the sword or spear he typically employs to fight the dragon during the Apocalypse. Outside of the apocalyptic combat scene, Michael also may be shown trampling and piercing the dragon as part of his overall iconography.  (…) He's also featured in other important episodes, such as the biblical narrative of the Fall of Angels and the Last Judgment [Day of Wrath/Dies Irae, where the just will be welcomed to eternal bliss, separated from the wicked, cast into ‘eternal fire’.]. In Last Judgment scenes, Michael the Archangel is often shown holding the scales of justice laden with good and bad souls. »

This thesis (p. 287 ss.) on Saint Michael’s italian iconography by Clémentine Denèle was also interesting:

[It could align with KMC’s restraint in front of KSJ most of the time, his mainly unreliable narration and expressions you could only interpret in retrospect. The same could be said of KSJ, but it’s less apparent to me: it was strong in the beginning of the drama but by now, KSJ feels less ‘cryptic’ than KMC who’s been hazy the whole time.]

Most of the time, Saint Michael's representations depict him with a neutral expression, totally disconnected to the threat and tension of his whole body engaged in his battle against evil that belie no hesitation: no emotions pass through (eg. compassion, anger, fear, remorse, hesitation, pride, judgment/disgust against the evil’s deeds or the violence he executes), only a solemn severity can be seen. Even for other angel figures of the Christian iconography, feelings were initially expressed through their gestures and hands. This changed at the end of the Middle Ages: angels were depicted with emotions and expressions eg. smiling to suggest their angelic gentleness, especially when represented suffering next to the Christ being crucified. But Saint Michael stays depicted with an impassive/calm expression, at most with a discreet rictus. Clémentine Denèle comments it could be explained by his ethereal nature and superior quality as an angel unlike humans & the overall idealistic representation of angels. She quotes the art historian Jean Wirth: he says the immobility and the impassibility are characteristic of the superior beings, because they convey an abstraction and reflect the stable order of invisible things. To materialize their constant presence by God and humans’ side, angels make themselves visible to the humans by assuming a human form as well. Vivid expressions were exclusive to the damned and the demons. It aligns with the attitude he exhibits in the Epistle of Jude 1:9: « But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” » Passing a partial judgement on the evil is not his mission, Clémentine Denèle says he only assumes his role as God’s armed wing and as such, his faithful obedience and trust in God command quietude under any circumstances: as the executor of divine justice, he knows for a fact his mission is devoted to the good and it must be fulfilled. She reports there were only rare occurrences depicting him with anger and aggressiveness or fear (he’s most of the time confident in the battle’s aftermath), and he’s also rarely present to mourn the Christ as he is crucified: it is not his place.

On a related note, Narae’s name (나래) is the synonym of wing, spelled 날개. 나래 was officially admitted as an alternate orthography for the word in 2011. But from what I gathered, it’s only used in a literary/poetic context, while the common spelling stays 날개.

♦ More on names & hanja

After all these episodes, some hanja that could be used for KMC, KSJ and Joohyun’s names now seem relevant to note:

— For Kim Muchan

-> Mu in Muchan Law (橅 & 膴, 법) as I mentioned in the first post: it aligns with his ambiguous position on justice on the past (‘a rational justice’ that doesn’t follow the official law if it’s unfair) and in the present (manipulating evidence and proceedings to arrest culprits but still handling them within the law, rejecting Gaetal’s ways)

Deceive/lie (誣, 속이다) & fog/mist/haze (霧, 안개): his unreliable narration, the way he deceived people to catch Gaetal in ep4 & the edit that appears in the preview ; KMC now seems even more ambiguous than KSJ.

Full of rumors (楙, 무성하다): his ‘Wipeout’ reputation

Rough/violent/tough (蕪, 거칠다): his overall reckless and violent behavior as he works

Work hard/try hard and strive/work/endeavor ie. devote oneself and contribute to doing sth (務, 힘쓰다): self-explanatory given what we saw in this episode, combined with the shots of his house and the first episode that explains his reputation!

Stroke/touch/caress with hands and figuratively soothe ie. calm down sb with warm words and acts (憮, 어루만지다 and 애무하다 which can have a romantic tone = caress, stroke affectionately ie. for sb to gently stroke the one they love): his overall restraint to reach out to KSJ and guilt over being too late to save Narae. The new OST’s lyrics also refer to those kinds of feelings (whoever the narrator is), especially ‘Let me hold your hand, 더 가까이 너를’ (‘Let me hold your hand, Closer to you’), ‘익숙치않은 이런 내 모습 미안해’ (‘I’m sorry for this unfamiliar me [I showed you]’) and ‘Oh, please tell me why — 더는 네게 — 늦지 않게’ (‘Oh, please tell me why — I won’t be late for you anymore’).

EDIT: also, some shots indeed focus on KSJ's hands as he buries himself in them to cry in front of KMC!

House (廡, 집): KSJ’s house he seems to know pretty well and possibly holds precious memories to him, and his own house he doesn’t seem to tend to, probably out of guilt (see a previous post, ‘On the frames facing down (ep. 1 & 6), shame and guilt’)

Warrior (ie. person who learns martial arts and practices it as a job) & soldier/military/army (武, 무사 & 병사 respectively): his potential association to St. Michael who led heavenly armies + for posterity, if they reveal later in the drama he also knows martial arts and it somehow involves him with the Killing Vote (the first episode & ep3 at least showed he was quite agile)

Shaman (巫, 무당 ; though the word is mainly associated to female shamans, male shamans can also be called mudang): a shaman « employs magic to effect cures, to tell fortunes, to soothe spirits of the dead, and to repulse evil »

Dance (舞, 춤추다): like… the talchum… masks… in addition to the shaman... you know… haha

— For Kwon Seokju

-> Kwon [You can also apply relevant meanings to Narae, since it’s her last name]

Prison (圈, 감방): both physical and figurative ever since Narae died and he murdered BWT

Abstain/refrain from ie. be careful about one’s speech or behavior (惓, 삼가다): his overall behavior in the present

Tired/exhausted/weary (倦, 고달프다): what he wen through these whole 8 years

Take care of/look after/oversee, heartfelt/caring (惓, 정성스럽다) & warm/friendly: self-explanatory about his character in general when we see his past self with Narae, Jihoon & KMC, and other people in general (BWT’s parents, LMS, his students) before Narae’s case

Loyal/devoted (惓, 충성스럽다): devoted wholeheartedly to his family

Look back/reflect on the past (睠, 돌아보다): also self-explanatory

-> Seok in Seokju

Untie (釋, 풀다 ie. return what has been tied, bound, or twisted back to its original state)/relieve anger or sorrow/get rid of one’s agony by handling it : he’s still waiting for the accomplice to Narae’s murder to be arrested to find some closure after all those years, he perhaps also wants to put an end to it all for KMC to stop feeling guilty over the case.

Night (夕, 밤), tide (汐, 조수 ie. seawater flowing in and out from the shore because of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon) & tideland (潟, 개펄 ie. wide expanse of mud revealed when the tide goes down): [if the moon and sun imagery holds some meaning in the drama] ; also, most of KSJ’s scenes in the beginning were shot in the dark compared to the bright scenes with Narae and Jihoon

... The Mont Saint-Michel is known to be a tidal island and for its fog haha

-> Ju in Seokju [You can apply the relevant meanings to Joohyun too]

House (宙, 집): the house that had good natural lighting (Narae, Jihoon and perhaps KMC) he cherished is now gone, it is derelicted after all these years

Bear/endure/put up with ie. endure sth for a long time, resist (拄, 버티다): self-explanatory too

Sunlight/sunbeam/sunshine (晭, 햇빛): the shots of him mourning or basking in the light

Timely rain but also heavy rain/downpour (澍, 단비 and 폭우) & wick and burn out ie. burn and eliminate sth (炷, 심지 & 불사르다) as I mentioned in the first post!

The fire imagery is also present with Joohyun’s character and her scar.

It’s associated to the tragedy she had to live, and we could project the same theme to KMC & KSJ who went through the same, all linked by this ‘terrible rage’ still waiting to be put out.

The hanja 火 (which is what 炷, the hanja for wick/burn out is composed of) is associated to anger (화, anger, fury) and fire (불).

Given the previous posts, you can also link it to the haetae (symbol of justice which feeds off fire, is said to prevent fires) or the eternal fire at the Last Judgment.

— For Joohyun

-> Hyun in Joohyun

Snoop/nose around (俔, 염탐하다): self-explanatory hahaha

Bright ie. a place being light as a result of getting a lot of sun/light or brilliant (adj.)/break or dawn but also fig. cheerful/bright (炫, 밝다), sunlight/sunbeam/sunshine (昡, 햇빛 and 晛, 햇살) and kind-hearted/benevolent (賢, 어질다): self-explanatory for this lovely character!!

Wise/sagacious/sensible (賢, 현명하다): she has a soothing and mature side to her eg. as she talked to KMC & Jihoon

Clever/bright/intelligent (儇, 영리하다): self-explanatory too!!

Connect/link/join (縣, 연결하다, can also be used for people): she seems to connect with people around her with ease, and she looks like she’s trying to reconnect KMC to KSJ

♦ « The person Kwon Seokju cherished the most »

I don’t know where this will lead, but KMC JJW’s quote in ep6 as he relayed it to KSJ: initially, it was about ‘the person KSJ loved the most’ (가장 사랑하는 사람 ; 사랑하다 = love/care ie. cherish, value, and care for sb with all one’s heart).

KMC quoted it as ‘the person KSJ cherished the most’ (가장 소중한 사람 ; 소중하다 = valuable/precious/cherished/dear): while the two adjectives almost mean the same thing, ‘cherished’ feels more personal than the general ‘loved’ (사랑하다 is also used a lot) and conveys the invaluable dearness better in this situation to me.

[runabout-river]

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 224 (spoilers)

We're back in Shinjuku Part 16 D:

Kenjaku's resolution will wait a few months now because we've been cockblocked again. It's good storytelling but still frustrating at times

We jump back into a flashback immediately. It's a battle conference and nearly everyone is present. The translation was a little fishy in a few places so I'll need to read the official chapter again on Sunday

We get so much info here, like Miwa's Vow to never use her sword again in Shibuya. I wonder what all these additional characters are going to do in the future. Even though they won't fight against Sukuna, they will still need something

Noritoshi decides to go to his family and protect them and we also learn that he was one of Yuji's teachers in the last month because Choso (like 3 months old or sth) can't teach

Kashimo is here again. He gets two spotlights on him with Hakari by his side which strengthens me in my believe that he's going to survive Sukuna's slash. Like I said previously, Kashimo's body is already deformed and he has the same one-time transformation as Sukuna. He won't fight against Sukuna though, instead he'll fight with Hakari against Uraume

We get explanations and summarizations of Higuruma's CT and Sukuna's crimes and it is difficult to use Higuruma's DE on him because there is no choice in the crime that will be prosecuted. It's randomly decided by the Judge shikigami.

No gonna lie, the absurdist humour from the last 2 chapters was funny but this sequence I find hilarious. It's mixed in with a serious tone what's doing it for me

Yuji has taken over Megumi's lost spot of the brains. Hopefully he will succeed.

Mei mei attacks Sukuna with her crows but most likely only as a measuring device plus some distraction for Yuji and Higu. She does speculate though that her attack actually hitting might cause some damage

It also looks like she's talking to an unknown person. My hope is for Shiu to have joined the good guys to save his friend's son

Higuruma activates his DE with the same case that Yuji had been part of. Like this they make sure that Sukuna's trial won't be random and the "Death" penalty will be achieved

There are so many open questions and possible outcomes to this:

Is Sukuna's brain still damaged or can he use his DE?

I said it multiple times, his brain most likely hasn't been affected by the transformation 1) because narrative flow and 2) because the transformation isn't absolute anyway.

Only one CT will most likely be seized, and I'm guessing it will be Shrine. Sukuna will fight with the 10ST next, the thing is though, his CE would also be seized if I'm remembering correctly

Alternatively, will Sukuna try to spin himself as not guilty? Might he succeed? I'm hoping for a good and intelligent battle next chapter

Also, absolutely need to point this out:

No one has lost any words or panels on Gojo. Again.

Next week will be on break, so the chapter on the 24th will be the one after the court battle. My hope: Shoko enters the scene to heal Gojo.

[andydrysdalerogers]

The Type You Save - T H I R T E E N

James "Bucky" Barnes and OFC Alexandra "Alex" Richards

Detective James Barnes hasn't seen the love of his life in three years. Since the night she was almost caught stealing a painting. He knows it was her and she disappeared leaving him confused and heart broken.

Alexandra Richards never expected to be pulled back into her old life two years after she left it. She had found love and a home and was happy. Until a note blackmailed her to take one last job. Three years later she walked into the last person she expected to see in San Francisco. Because he lived in New York right?

They always put family before everything. And he would do anything to get his family back. Because she's the type you save.

TW: mob, death, smut, rape intentions, angst, guns, family abandonment, dub-con, manipulation

A/N: The Tag list is open! Only four more chapters after this!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Previous: T W E L E V E

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

The following morning, Alex, James, Steve and Tony were in the police conference room.  Alex’s leg was bouncing hard, and James put his hand over her knee.  “Doll, please relax.”  

“Alex, its going to be fine.  The guy I’m setting you up with is a pro,” Tony said just as the doors opened.  

“I am. Have a winning record and everything,” a man said as he walked in with another man.  “Helmut Zemo,” he said as he offered his hand to Alex.  

“Alexandra Barnes. Nice to meet you.”  

“I wish it could have been under better conditions, Mrs. Barnes.”  He sat across from her on the table.  

“Please call me Alex.” She fidgeted with her hands. “Inspector Zemo, can you tell me how this would work?” 

“Call me Helmut.” He took out a sheet of paper and handed copies to everyone. “Its pretty straight forward.  Once Mr. Grey arranges his meet with you, our team will go and scout the area for all exits, compromised routes and devise a plan of action. We would put a wire, which is not actually a wire, on you so we can listen in.”  

“Would she be sent in alone?” James squeezed Alex’s hand.  

“If its asked of her, yes.  Either way, we would have someone close to her to get her out if needed.”  

“What about our son?”  

“I would recommend placing him somewhere out of the way with people you trust. Alex,” Zemo looked at her. “We will do everything we can to help you and your family. Let me put your mind at ease.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ordinary looking bracelet.  “This is your wire.”  

“It’s a bracelet.”  

The room chuckled.  “Yes, doll, but it has a listening device embedded in it.  We can hear everything going on as long as it maintains skin contact,” James explained.  

“How much does he have to talk for you to arrest him?” 

“We just need him to threaten you.” Tony crossed his arms.  “Once he does that, we can submit this to the court for a restraining order and place him under investigation.”  

“He had a lot of powerful friends,” Alex remarked. “Do you think this will work?” 

“Alexandra, I will be honest with you.” Zemo stood up and walked to lean on the table next to her, arms cross. “This is dangerous.  I think its brave for you to do this to pin this bastard.  But, as a realist, I recommend having your affairs in order.  Your husband is a police officer; he can tell you how dangerous something like this really is.  You must decide if going through with this investigation is the best option for you and your family.”  

Alex swallowed as the fear rose, feeling the bile in her throat.  She got up and ran out of the room and to the restroom next door.  She fell to her knees, throwing up.  She could hear the door open and close and then hands on her back.  “I’m here doll.  Breathe.”  

The door opened and closed again, and James handed Alex a bottle of water.  “Sip, doll.”  

“I can’t do this.  I can’t do any of this.”  

“You don’t have to Allie.  We can take off right now.”  

Alex took a swig of water and spit it out before taking a drink.  “We’d be running forever.”  

“Yeah, probably.”  

“We’ll never be able to settle.”  

“That’s probably true.”  

“You really want to live like that?” 

“If it kept you and Drew and Steve safe.”  

Alex took another drink.  She got up and cleaned herself in the mirror. She reached for James’s hand and went back to the conference room where the guys were talking amongst themselves. “Helmut, I understand the concern.  But I can’t run from my past forever. I need to do this.  Tony, I would like to apply for a weapons permit.  Stevie, Jamie, I would like to get some training in.”  

“Are you sure doll?” 

“He took my family from me.  I won’t let him take this.”  

Ding.  

That noise was starting to grate on Alex’s nerves. The amount of fear that flooded her when she heard it made her body hurt. It had been two weeks since the meeting at the police station.  Two weeks of workouts, training and learning about gun safety (at James’s insistence.)  Alex had put Nat in charge of the business while she prepared.  

Ding.  

“For fucks sake,” she mumbled after jumping for the 20th time that day.  It hadn’t been Grey this entire time and she was on edge. She went to pick up her phone and froze.  

Pet, Fishermen’s Warf, Noon, Three days. A geotag was attached to the message. 

She sank to the floor.  Three days.  Three days with her family. Three days to make the arrangements.  She screenshot the message and sent to the guys.  She got up and went to make Drew’s after school snack.  The door flew open 20 minutes later. Alex kept her head down. 

“Doll?”  

“Hi love.”  

“Allie, look at me.”  

Alex dragged her head up to look at her husband.  Who looked like his heart had been torn out. Her lip trembled. “Jamie…”  

James pulled her close as she began to cry.  “Everything is going to be ok, understand. Tony and Zemo are already casing the area to map everything.  Steve is already getting your weapon ready for practice.  We are going to get through this.”  

“Jamie, we have to go see the lawyer.”  

“No.”  

“James…” 

“I said no.  We don’t need to because nothing is going to happen. You will do the meet and then come home. Please Alex,” he held her head in his hands, lacing his fingers in her hair. “Don’t.”  

“We have to. We have to because we have a son who needs to be cared for in case anything happens.” Alex turned her face enough to kiss James’s palm. “It gives me peace of mind.”  

“I hate this.”  

“I do too.”  

After getting their will and trust together, Alex and James went to meet the rest of the team at the wharf. “This asshole knows how to pick them,” Tony commented.  

“That’s not helping Stark,” James replied.  

“I know, sorry, it’s just… this leaves a lot of things opened.  There are too many routes in and out, too many people and too many ways for that little weasel to escape or take her with him.  Just the water alone makes this impossible.”  

“So, what she doesn’t meet him?” Steve asks.  

“She doesn’t have a choice.”  

“Ok, just walk me through it,” Allie asked. 

They walked the wharf, Tony and Zemo pointing out potential exits and blind spots.  All the information made Alex’s head spin.  She knew how to case an area.  Hell, she did it for four years without giving it a second thought. But the thought that it was all to protect her made her continuously nauseous.  

“Alex, I have to say it.”  

“Please don’t Tony. I get it.  With my past, I get it.  This doesn’t look good.” She looked around.  “If I was a thief, this would be perfect.”  

“Alex, its best if we just go straight forward with Grey,” Zemo commented.  “We will have you wired, and the place surrounded. It would be the best we can do.”  

She nodded. “I guess.”  

“I’ll be escorting you Ale,” Steve said.  “It’s better if Bucky doesn’t go anywhere near this guy.  He’ll drive you in though.”  

“I – I think I want to go back home now.” Alex kept a stiff upper lip but inside she was dying.  She understood what was going to happen.  She would walk out but not by herself.  She needed the next couple of days with her husband and son.  

The next couple of days were a whirlwind of emotions.  Alex kept it in check in front of Drew.  They went to the zoo, the park, anywhere except near the water, building memories for them to have.  The night before, Alex packed Drew’s bag to take to Nat and Wanda’s.  She wrote a note to him.  

My baby Drew,  

If you are reading this, momma had to go away for a little bit and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to say goodbye.  I’ll try to come back as soon as I can my baby boy.  Please listen to your dad and Uncle Steve.  They will take care of you.  Keep working at school.  You are so smart, and I know you’ll do great things.  

Please don’t be mad at your dad.  He tried.  I know he did.  

I love you,  

Momma.  

As they dropped him off, Alex handed the note along with some other cards and envelopes.  “Just in case,” she said to Nat.  

“Don’t say that. Please, Ale, you’re gonna be fine.”  

“I know.  I just can’t leave without knowing he’ll be ok.”  

“He will be.  He’ll be better when you get back.” Nat hugged her friend hard.  

“Please take care of them,” she whispered.  “Promise me.”  

“I promise.  Won’t need to because you’re coming back but I will.”  

They let go.  “Love you.”  

“Love you too.”  

Alex was silent on the way back home.  Steve was staying with Tony to give the couple more privacy.  It was the last night, even if James was in denial that nothing was going to happen.  Alex knew.  She had known how Grey operated.  He was going to take what he believed was his no matter what.  

James made love to Alex that night slow, lingering kisses, feather-like touches, whispers sad in the night.  When she was asleep, he watched her, memorizing every line, freckle, the curve of her lip, every stand of hair.  He was afraid to sleep, that she would disappear again.  

He woke with a start.  He looked at Alex was gone.  “Allie!” He got up and put on some boxers.  “Allie!” 

“I’m right here.”  She was sitting in the window seat, grasping a mug.  

“Baby?” 

“I couldn’t sleep anymore.  I just wanted to watch the sunrise.”  

James lifted her up and sat her on his lap, her back to his front, holding on to her.  “What are you thinking about?”  

“I’m scared.” Her voice is small.  

James holds her tighter. “I know.” 

“What if…” 

“No doll.  Nothing is going to happen.  You hear the offer, you walk away.” He intertwines their hands. He studies their wedding bands, the engagement ring still shining up at them.  

“Promise me he won’t get to Drew.” She can feel the tears forming in her eyes. 

“Nat and Wanda will have Drew. I’m putting them into a safe-house today. They will be ok.”  

Alex twists to look at James. “Jamie, I…” 

“It’s ok doll. Don’t say it, I know.” He kisses her forehead.  

“I love you.” 

“I love you. Family…”  

“Over everything.”  She reaches up to kiss him.  It’s not the last time. But it feels like it.  

NEXT

@patzammit

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[jomiddlemarch]

Thank you, @tortoisesshells for the kind tag! Sorry for the delay in responding-- work conference, Covid recovery, band geek mom triple threat.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

845. You read that correctly. Several proper drabbles and at least two co-authored fics, including the Mansion House Murder Hotel round robin.

2. What's your total A03 words count?

1,453,769. Again, that includes some co-written fic I am not inclined to parse for my exact count.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mercy Street, Foyle's War, Shadow and Bone, Poldark, A Discovery of Witches, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Last of Us, GLOW, Downton Abbey, Frozen, James Bond, Star Wars, The Hour, Ted Lasso, Sanditon, Dune, Leap/Ballerina, Brooklyn 99, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Gilmore Girls, Far From The Madding Crowd, Emma, Betsy-Tacy, and a few others.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

"what it is to be a thin crescent moon" (SAB), "A Wife--at daybreak I shall be" (AOGG), "Point and Click" (SAB, modern AU), "Bear with the truths I would tell you now," (Emma), "The subtlest fold of the heart" (AOGG)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do. At a bare minimum, I try to thank the commenter for taking the time to read. In the halcyon days of Mercy Street, I wrote long, discursive essay-comments because that was our vibe. I am not always prompt, but I do try to get back to people, though sometimes if the comment is very thoughtful, it takes me a while because I want to give an equivalent response.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably "Because I could not stop for Death," a Mercy Street fic where I wrote vignettes where I killed someone in each of the 18 installments, though I did end the whole thing killing the agreed-upon most loathsome character. I don't tend to write fics with angsty endings, though I don't mind writing it midway.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is tough, because I mostly write HEA. I'm going to pick a relatively deep cut and say "Always a Bridesmaid," the Mercy Street modern au rom-com, since the whole thing is a fairly giddy romp.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

A little. I've received 1-2 negative comments on AO3 and once wrote a gift-fic for someone in the Reylo fandom and got attacked on what was then Twitter and Tumblr by fans of the writer I was gifting, even though I had offered to the writer to take the story down. I now only write gift-fic for people I have some relationship with.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes. It's full of consent, sometimes awkward (who else has written crappy postpartum sex on Tumblr? I may be the cheese standing alone on that one) and almost never results in an unplanned pregnancy as a plot device. I most write cis-het and strenuously avoid using any term for a penis that isn't dick or cock. No straining members (sounds like a bunch of constipated middle management.)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

OMG, yes! I love crossovers, so this is tough to answer. I'll go with a more recent one, "the better part of valor," Mercy Street/The Last of Us, though I have also used Sesame Street as an AU frame for Mercy Street characters.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of! (Ditto to @tortoisesshells)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Maybe 1? I don't get a lot of offers and feel a bit proprietary, since I can't read it to see how well it's translated.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

You betcha! Shout-out to the Mansion House Murder Party and "We run a very tight ship" the Cruise Ship crack-fest that @fericita-s and @sagiow and I boarded during a phase of the lockdown.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I guess I'd have to say Mary Phinney/Jed Foster based on the number of fanfics I've written for them, but I don't really play favorites. I have a real fondness for every pairing I write, including the ones with the OC characters I write for @tessa-quayle.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Maybe this will change the course of history, but "what it means to be a thin crescent moon" is sort of hanging out there. I have some ideas for how to wrap it up but need the time and the mojo, which is harder to come by. I'd also like to get back to my zombie road-trip GLOW AU "Music shall untune the sky" but it's tough because that would be purely for me at this point.

16. What are your writing strengths?

(I hope) Witty banter. Strong female characters who have flaws. Description with plenty of sensory details. Use of quotations, math, and chess gambits :) A pithy drabble.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I find plot the least interesting component of writing fanfic and I think it shows. I love to read long-fic, but I struggle to sustain it. The words "so" and "just."

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I mostly stick to endearments or short phrases. I'm not fluent in any other language and no one needs to discover the various ways Google Translate has let me down.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mercy Street. I started writing late at night after a work conference, literally drifting in and out of consciousness to lower my inhibitions enough to get started. It was a fic related to a WIP I loved and had written to the author about, so it was very relational.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

What is this, Sophie's Choice? I can't pick a favorite. I'll say I look back with great fondness on my Little Women/Mercy Street crossover "What thou and I did, till we loved," which features Marmee and the Star Trek Kobiyashi Maru Mercy Street crossover "It had the virtue of never having been tried," because like I said, I do love a crossover! Honestly, when there are over 800 fic, I'll admit to have forgotten I'd written some of these :)

Tagging: @asteraceae-blue @orlissa @vesperass-anuna @oldshrewsburyian, @ladamedusoif @trulybettyand anyone else who wants to take this out for a spin!

[gillianthecat]

War of Y - episode 9

This took forever to watch since I kept pausing to take notes and getting distracted. But for some reason I feel determined to push through and finish the GusBew arc.

~ Ah, it was all a fake out. It wasn't Yo behind the leaks, it was Kitty! 😱Which I think we all knew - they're not going to feature her so prominently and hire a bigger name actor just to have her be an extra. But they did have me fooled - I assumed she and Yo were working together. Oh, and Yo is working with our boys.

~ Why are their press conferences always in such dark rooms?

~ I'm still confused half the time, but I've decided to watch this like some weird 1970's experimental European art house film. And I think it's making it all a lot better. Why are they here? Why are they there? What is the order of events? Who knows, it's all about the symbolism, man (stoner voice).

~ Oooh, someone paid her? That makes more sense then her little heartbroken fan story. And Toon looks suspiciously uncomfortable. Looney1988? Could you pick a more obvious fake name, Miss Approximately-34-year-old -Cartoon?

~ But was Yo involved or not? Inquiring minds want to know.

~ Also I'm confused about who actually filmed the sex tape, and how it got into Toon's hands in the first place. Was it Gus? Did he give it to her, or was he hacked? Is this going to be another twist, or another glossed over plot hole?

~ Bew with the receipts!

~ Hmm. Do I believe her or not? On the one hand, using that account was pretty dumb. On the other hand, this show is pretty dumb.

~ Bridal carry, baby!

~ Lol, gaga actually translated "assistants" or whatever it was supposed to be as "extras."

~ Still very confused about Yo's role.

~ This is a show where having high quality translations would really help, since there are so many plot twists in the details of conversations. Or maybe not, maybe it makes just as little sense in Thai.

~ Aww, sweetness. I wish I cared more about their relationship, but they haven't really showed me enough of it to get invested.

~ Similarly I wish I cared more about Toon. She could be a really interesting character, even with the ambiguity of not knowing how much evil shit she's done. But as written she just feels flat. Same with Pla.

~ I'm pretty sure this top spender shit is a real thing, and it's disgusting.

~ I don't understand why Gus and Bew don't just lawyer up and stop getting involved with Pla and Toon entirely. I mean, I know, it's for the Drama, but why are they handing over evidence to Toon? They don't trust her at this point.

~ Ooh a reference point to sort of anchor us in time! Bew graduated a few months ago. Not that it really helps since I don't know how far along in school he was when the show started.

~ Is this conversation in the car a flashback? Who knows? Gus is wearing the same outfit as the previous scene, but i thought he already had the evidence?

~ I think they're intending to critique anti-fatness with this, but again it's all so muddled that whatever Cheewin's message is gets lost.

~ I knew he had a second recording device stashed somewhere. Ha! Clever Gus.

~ Gus is our second plant dad this week. 🪴And this house looks so pretty. Although yet again I don't know where we're supposed to be. Gus's house? A space is in Bew's house we haven't seen before?

~ Ohh. Clever Bew. Of course. I feel like there actually is a lot of character development here, we're just not getting to see it as it happens. Which is frustrating because seeing Bew grow from timid ingenue to confident schemer would have been really interesting. And now he's the one reassuring Gus!

~ Intellectually I get that breaking with their long term managers would hurt. But we the audience never got to see the good parts of those relationships, so it's hard to empathize with Gus and Bew over this when I'm just thinking thank god they're finally freeing themselves.

~ Hinting that they're together? I can't tell how much was shown.

~ Toon's house!

~ Ok what?

~ I'm not any more enlightened by this conversation. Were they only pretending to fight all along? Did they just decide to make up now that they've lost their clients?

~ I saw mention of a huge plot twist. Is it that Bew was in fact the one behind the sex tape leak all along? This phone call is very suspicious and they made a point of mentioning that he was the only other person who knew about the looney88 account. Gus maybe is looking suspicious if Bew too.

~ That would certainly be dramatic, but I can't figure out how it would make any sense for him to be the one to leak. It did work for Kim Kardaashion, but I feel like criticism for a sex tape of a serous actor would far outweigh any sympathy he'd garner. And if he leaked it in a confulated plan to free himself from Toon, it just seems like their had to have been easier and less risky ways of accomplishing that.

~ Maybe this conversation about potential new clients is supposed to show the way managers treat actors as disposable products? But it's done in such a comic style. I can't figure out what this scene is intended for.

~ I like this kitchen scene, it's very cute. And a conversation about being the first "y couple" to come out as a real couple. Which is in a way one of the basic questions of this series. But it also feels like they don't actually ever grapple with it? Arghh. This show is confusing on multiple levels.

~ Really showing the exploitive side of mangers preying on young broke college students to get them to do things they're uncomfortable with.

~ It makes sense thematically to introduce a new actor pair. But I feel like we don't even know the existing characters very well so thinking about adding new people in feels exhausting.

~ It is kind of interesting seeing Pla and Toon whispering together and strategizing how to turn raw material into sellable products.

~ And a hint of the Y-Idol section starting in two weeks.

~ Ohhhhh. I take it Peak and Kla are the leads of that story. This all makes more sense now. They're not random, just early.

~ So it seems like Toon and Pla will be the most consistent characters through the 20 episodes. I'm assuming they'll show up in y-idol if they're the leads' managers?

~ Bew, you're an ambitious little schemer, aren't you.

~ PeakKla's story could be cute. This is getting me at least interested enough to check out their first episode.

~ Toon and Pla are just so unprofessional. I know that's maybe the point? (Are they supposed to be the exception or the rule?) But it still annoys me.

~ And now she's crying over losing her "child." Are we supposed to empathize with her here? I cannot figure out what Cheewin wants me to think about her.

~ This new manager at least seems calmer and more rational. But I'm withholding judgment for now.

~ Probably if I followed the Thai industry's behind the scenes and fanservice stuff this would all make more sense. I would at least have some context of what's normal and what's exaggeration

~ More gorgeous houses. Well done, location manager!

~ I think I like P'Kong. Not sure if he's good or evil yet, but I like him

~ Weaponized tears? That's my vote.

~ They did it! They came out!

~ Yep. The hints properly hinted. Good job Cheewin. This would be interesting if I still cared about any of the characters.

~ It's a fascinating concept. The seemingly timid character was orchestrating everything all along. But it falls so disappointingly flat.

[tourguidesystem]

Rent Audio Guide System

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In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of renting an audio guide system, its various applications, and why it’s an excellent choice for event organizers and tour operators.

What is an Audio Guide System?

An audio guide system is a wireless communication tool that allows guides or presenters to deliver information to a group of people through headphones or earpieces. These systems are especially useful for environments where participants may be spread out or where background noise could make hearing difficult.

A typical audio guide system includes:

Transmitter: A portable device used by the guide to transmit their voice.

Microphone: Attached to the transmitter, this allows the guide to speak hands-free.

Receivers: Small, portable devices that participants wear, which deliver the audio directly to their earpieces or headphones.

Charging Station: Ensures that all equipment is charged and ready for use.

Benefits of Renting an Audio Guide System

1. Cost-Effective Solution

Renting an audio guide system is an affordable alternative to purchasing equipment, especially if you only need it for short-term use. Whether you are organizing a one-time event or a seasonal tour, renting allows you to access high-quality equipment without the long-term commitment or the cost of maintaining and storing the equipment.

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Key Applications of Audio Guide Systems

1. Museums and Galleries

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2. Tourism and Travel

For city tours, historical site visits, or nature excursions, audio guide systems are essential for delivering clear and concise information to participants, even in noisy or outdoor environments. Renting these systems is particularly useful for seasonal tour operators or one-off special events.

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Why Rent Instead of Purchase?

Renting an audio guide system offers several advantages, particularly for short-term or seasonal events:

No Long-Term Commitment: Renting allows you to avoid the upfront cost of purchasing equipment, especially if you only need the system temporarily.

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Access to the Latest Models: With a rental service, you can rest assured that you’re using the most up-to-date technology, which may offer improved sound quality, battery life, and user-friendly features.

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Customization Options: Depending on your event's needs, look for rental services that offer different types of microphones, receivers, and multi-channel systems for multi-language tours.

Pricing: Compare rental costs to ensure you’re getting the best value for your money, factoring in any additional fees for setup, maintenance, or delivery.

Flexibility: Choose a rental service that can scale the number of units based on the size and nature of your event.

Conclusion

Renting an audio guide system is a smart, flexible, and cost-effective way to ensure seamless communication and enhanced experiences for participants at any event. Whether you’re leading a group through a museum, hosting a corporate seminar, or guiding tourists through historical landmarks, renting allows you to access top-tier audio equipment without the hassle and cost of ownership.

By opting to rent, you gain access to the latest technology, flexible scalability, and comprehensive support, ensuring your event runs smoothly and that every participant can fully engage with the experience. For event organizers, museums, and tour operators looking to deliver top-notch communication solutions, renting an audio guide system is a clear choice.

For more information visit:- https://translationindia.com/

[clive122]

C.Live: Interactive Live-Streaming for Global Events Connections

In an increasingly interconnected world, live-streaming has emerged as a transformative tool, bridging the gap between audiences and events across the globe. C.Live, an innovative platform in the realm of interactive live-streaming, is revolutionizing the way people experience global events, fostering real-time connections between viewers and creators.

Breaking Down Barriers with Real-Time Engagement

C.Live stands out for its commitment to breaking down geographical and linguistic barriers. In a world where live content is increasingly integral to communication, the platform allows users to participate in events as they happen, no matter where they are located. From international music festivals and sporting events to educational seminars and business conferences, C.Live brings people together by offering real-time access to happenings around the globe.

What is C.Live?

C.Live is an advanced live-streaming platform that provides an immersive, interactive experience for audiences tuning into events worldwide. From concerts and sports competitions to conferences, webinars, and virtual meet-and-greets, C.Live allows users to not only watch but actively participate in events, breaking down barriers of distance and accessibility.

Key Features of C.Live

What sets C.Live apart from traditional streaming services is its focus on interactivity and engagement. Here’s how the platform stands out:

Real-Time Interaction: Audiences can communicate with hosts and performers directly through live chat, Q&A sessions, and polls, creating a dynamic two-way experience rather than passive viewing.

Global Connectivity: No matter where users are located, C.Live makes it possible for individuals to join from any corner of the world, bringing international communities together under a shared experience.

Multilingual Support: Recognizing the global nature of its audience, C.Live offers support for multiple languages, including real-time translations and subtitles to enhance inclusivity and engagement.

Seamless Streaming: C.Live’s high-definition streaming technology ensures that users experience events without interruptions, with adaptive streaming that adjusts to different bandwidths, maintaining quality across various devices.

Monetization for Creators: For event organizers, entertainers, and content creators, C.Live offers robust monetization options such as pay-per-view, ticketed events, and in-stream ads. This enables creators to reach broader audiences while generating revenue.

Revolutionizing Global Events

Entertainment & Concerts: One of C.Live’s most popular applications is in the entertainment industry. Fans from around the globe can attend virtual concerts of their favorite artists, enjoying exclusive behind-the-scenes content and interacting directly through fan Q&A sessions. This creates a more personalized concert experience than ever before, giving viewers a sense of connection regardless of location.

Corporate Events & Conferences: For businesses and professionals, C.Live has become an essential tool for hosting conferences, product launches, and webinars. With its interactive features, C.Live allows companies to engage directly with attendees, making presentations, demos, and Q&A sessions more impactful. Additionally, the platform's data analytics tools offer businesses valuable insights into audience engagement and behavior, helping to refine future events.

Educational Content: C.Live has also made a mark in the world of education, allowing educators and institutions to host workshops, training, and courses that reach students from diverse regions. The interactive features help create a classroom-like experience where learners can ask questions in real time, collaborate on projects, and engage more fully in the content.

Building Communities and Fostering Connections

At its core, C.Live is about connection. The platform enables people from different cultures, backgrounds, and locations to share experiences in real-time, forming virtual communities around common interests. Whether it’s a niche hobby group, an activist event, or a major international festival, C.Live provides the tools to unite like-minded people, expanding horizons and promoting cultural exchange.

For creators, this interactivity goes beyond content delivery; it fosters community building. Artists, educators, and speakers can cultivate more personal relationships with their audiences, receiving feedback, answering questions, and tailoring their content in real-time.

The Future of Live Streaming

C.Live is at the forefront of the next wave in live-streaming technology. As the world becomes more connected and digital interaction becomes central to our lives, C.Live continues to innovate, introducing features like augmented reality (AR) integrations, virtual reality (VR) events, and advanced analytics. These developments promise to make the platform even more engaging and versatile for both viewers and creators alike.

C.Live is not just a platform; it's an evolution of how we interact with events and content across the globe. By providing an interactive, seamless, and engaging live-streaming experience, C.Live empowers creators to reach global audiences, while offering viewers a chance to connect, engage, and be part of the moment. With its cutting-edge technology and emphasis on community, C.Live is paving the way for a future where the world is more connected than ever before.

The platform’s integration with popular enterprise tools makes it easy for businesses to embed live streams within their existing ecosystems, ensuring a seamless experience for employees, customers, and partners. From startups to multinational corporations, C.Live is helping businesses stay connected in a world where remote work and virtual engagement have become the norm.

Conclusion: The Future of Live-Streaming is Here

C.Live is more than just a live-streaming service—it’s a platform for global connections, collaboration, and engagement. Its combination of interactive features, high-quality streaming, and global accessibility positions it as a game-changer in the live-streaming industry. Whether you're hosting a large-scale event or tuning in from the other side of the world, C.Live is reshaping how we experience and participate in events.

[govindhtech]

SK Hynix Displays A New AiMX At The AI Hardware Summit 2024

Presenting an upgraded AiMX solution at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit in 2024 is SK Hynix.

AI Hardware Summit 2024

An improved Accelerator-in-Memory based Accelerator (AiMX) card was introduced by SK Hynix at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024, which took place in San Jose, California, from September. The conference, which is yearly organized by Kisaco Research, brings together professionals from the machine learning and artificial intelligence ecosystem to exchange innovations and industry advances. The event’s main emphasis this year was investigating energy and cost efficiency across the whole technological stack.

SK Hynix, making its fourth appearance at the summit, demonstrated how its AiM solutions can improve AI performance on edge devices and data centers.

Accelerator in Memory (AiM) is the PIM semiconductor product name for GDDR6-AiM from SK Hynix.

Devices on the edge of two networks that regulate data flow are known as edge devices. Edge devices have several functions, but their primary function is to act as a network’s entrance or departure point.

Introducing the New AiMX

High-performance memory solutions are essential to the LLMs’s seamless functioning in the AI age. But as these LLMs evolve and are trained on more and bigger information, the need for more effective solutions is rising. With its PIM product AiMX, an AI accelerator card that combines several GDDR6-AiMs to deliver high bandwidth and exceptional energy efficiency, SK Hynix responds to this need.

Advanced AI systems known as large language models (LLMs) need large datasets to train their models in order to produce language that is both human-like and understandable. Applications like as translation and natural language processing are made possible by it.

Processing-In-Memory (PIM) is a cutting-edge technology that reduces data transmission between the processor and memory by embedding processing capabilities into memory. This increases productivity and speed, particularly for data-intensive jobs like life cycle management (LLMs), where prompt data access and processing are critical.

World AI Summit 2024

SK Hynix unveiled their improved 32 GB AiMX prototype at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024. This card provides double the capacity of the first card that was shown at the event the year before. An open-source LLM called the Llama 36 70B model was used by SK Hynix to demonstrate the prototype card’s enhanced processing capabilities in a multi-batch5 scenario. The presentation specifically highlighted AiMX‘s potential to function as a very efficient attention accelerator in data centers.Image Credit To SK Hynix

Multi-batch processing is a kind of computer processing where many jobs are grouped together and processed all at once by the system.

Llama 3: An open-source LLM with instruction-tuned and pretrained language models created by Meta.

Mechanisms that provide LLMs with textual context are crucial because they reduce the likelihood of misconceptions and enable the model to provide outputs that are more precise and appropriate for the given context.

To showcase the enhanced AiMX‘s processing power, the Llama 3 70B model LLM was used for the demonstration.

AiMX tackles the issues of LLMs in terms of cost, performance, and power consumption in edge devices, on-device AI applications, and data centers. For instance, AiMX triples LLM speed while keeping power consumption the same when used in mobile on-device AI applications, as opposed to mobile DRAM.

AI Summit 2024

Accelerating LLM Services from Data Centers to Edge Devices: Featured Presentation

SK Hynix presented on the last day of the conference, explaining why AiMX is the best option for speeding up LLM services in edge devices and data centers. The business wants to build AI solutions for on-device AI based on mobile DRAM, and Euicheol Lim, research fellow and leader of the Solution Advanced Technology team, discussed the vision for AiM going forward. Lim concluded by underlining how crucial it is to work closely with businesses that create and oversee edge systems and data centers in order to further enhance AiMX solutions.

Looking Ahead: SK Hynix’s Prospects for AI-Powered AiMX

The AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024 gave SK Hynix a stage on which to showcase the uses of AiMX in LLMs for edge devices and data centers. With its low power consumption and fast speed, AiMX is expected to be a major player in the development of AI and LLM applications.

Read More on Govindhtech.com

[translationindia098]

Hire Translation Equipment in Bahrain

Welcome to Translation India, the best translation equipment solutions in Bahrain, for all your dependable and high-tech interpretation equipment rental and translation devices in Bahrain. We specialize in providing solutions that ensure effective communication across languages to make your events, meetings, and conferences successful through our Translation India Interpretation Service.

Our equipment is designed to meet every requirement as we have a focus on quality and innovation. These include state-of-the-art simultaneous interpretation systems, flexible guide tour systems, and advanced remote simultaneous interpretation solutions. Our equipment is specially designed with great care for the individual engagement of the participants whether organizing a corporate seminar, cultural event, or guided tour.

For more information visit:- https://translationindia.com/

[goldislops]

Qualcomm ramps up challenge to Intel and AMD with latest AI PC chip

Arjun Kharpal

Qualcomm looking to bring AI PCs to the 'mainstream', CEO says

Qualcomm launched a new PC processor on Wednesday as it looks to capitalize on electronics makers' desire to put artificial intelligence on their devices.

The move ramps up Qualcomm's efforts to challenge the dominance of Intel in the PC processor market at a time when the latter is facing mounting challenges.

Qualcomm took the wraps off the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core at the IFA conference in Berlin, Germany. The processor, designed for PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system, promises to power AI processes with a long battery life.

The latest chips expand Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series for PCs, which it launched last year.

The U.S. chip giant said the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core is designed for PCs costing as low as $700 as it looks to expand its semiconductors to more devices.

Qualcomm has traditionally designed chips that are used in the smartphones of many of the world's biggest players, including Samsung. But the company stepped up its PC efforts this year when Microsoft announced a Surface Laptop and a Surface Pro tablet with Qualcomm's X Series chips that can run some AI tasks without an internet connection. Microsoft calls these Copilot+ PCs.

In an interview with CNBC, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said that the company's push into PC chips forms part of a broader "diversification" story for the company away from just mobile chipsets. The company has also been building out its growing automotive business, with AI a key part of its strategy.

"We are on a journey to diversify and make sure our technology is now expanding into other markets," Amon said in a TV interview Wednesday.

He added that the PC market is "fundamentally" changing due to two things: mobile-PC convergence — in other words, people are coming to expect the same performance they get from their phones around things like battery life — and the convergence of AI with desktop computers.

Analysts said Qualcomm's timing to jump into PCs is key. Neil Shah, a partner at Counterpoint Research, highlighted a few converging themes that are helping the company. He highlighted the push toward "on-device AI," where artificial intelligence applications are processed on a piece of hardware rather than via the internet. Qualcomm has designed processors for smartphones that do this.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series is built on architecture from British chip designer Arm, allowing the processors to run complex applications with good energy-efficiency. This is key to extending battery life on devices.

"Since the AI boom happened last year, everything has been centered around AI which works well for Qualcomm because they have been ahead in the low powered AI device experiences on mobile," Shah told CNBC.

A view of the logo of Qualcomm at the Mobile World Congress 2024.

Ramon Costa | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

"Translating that to the PC form factor was not that difficult."

The support of Microsoft has also been important for Qualcomm to hit the mainstream in PCs, since Windows is one of the world's biggest operating systems, Shah said.

"The stars have aligned for Qualcomm," Shah said.

PC chip roadmap

The aim for Qualcomm going forward, CEO Amon said, will be expanding the company's AI-focused Snapdragon X line of chips to all personal computing devices, including smaller PCs.

"It's about now bringing AI PCs to mainstream," he told CNBC. "We see a great opportunity to expand your desktop market from scale."

"Next, we're going to see mini desktops from Qualcomm as well, and we're going to continue to add products and roadmap eventually to have the full range of products."

A number of major PC makers have adopted Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips for their devices. Companies like Lenovo have launched Copilot+ PCs based on Qualcomm chips and Windows operating system.

Qualcomm CEO discusses AI on the 'edge'

PCs are still a tiny portion of Qualcomm's overall revenue at the moment. But, Shah said, the number of PCs shipped with Qualcomm processors could grow 300% this year from last year.

While Microsoft said it would bring Copilot+ PCs with Intel and AMD chips to market at a later date, Qualcomm has pushed ahead.

To fight back, Intel launched its response to Qualcomm's PC chips on Tuesday. The Intel Core Ultra 200V series of processors are designed to power AI on PCs, the company said, and will be available this month. Intel touted the "power efficiency" of the chips in a press release as device makers look to bring high-performance AI with better battery life.

Amon said that Qualcomm will share an update in November about how many Surface PCs Microsoft has sold with chips from the chipmaking giant.

"Right now, they're actually exceeding our expectations," he said. "Microsoft and Qualcomm are both saying initial sales are exceeding expectations. But [we're] just at the beginning."

[translationindiaa32]

Voting Pads System

A Voting Pads System is an interactive solution for collecting real-time feedback during meetings, conferences, and training sessions. Participants use handheld devices (voting pads) to cast votes or answer questions, with results instantly displayed on-screen. This system enhances audience engagement, facilitates decision-making, and supports dynamic presentations by allowing quick and accurate input from all attendees.

[myfriscoseocompany]

Speech Recognition In Travel and Hospitality

The global tourism industry earns trillions of dollars a year and it continues to recover fast after a steep fall during the COVID pandemic. At the same time, the problems of language barriers and the proper level of service for people with physical disabilities persist.

That coincides with the rise of speech recognition technology which can greatly contribute to solving both problems.

More info Translation SDK

In this article we will discuss the current state of speech recognition technology and its future within the global Travel and Hospitality sector.

Global Tourism Industry and non-English speaking countries

The global tourism market size was worth around USD 11.39 trillion in 2023 and is predicted to grow to around USD 18.44 trillion by 2032 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 5.5% between 2024 and 2032, says Zion Market Research. International tourism is expected to grow at higher rates than domestic tourism, say analytics. As English remains an international lingua franca, more and more tourist destinations are opened not in the English speaking countries. The same with the guests themselves — an increasing share of tourists come from non-English speaking countries. Based on the travel purpose, the medical tourism segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. The Medical Tourism Association estimates that every year, over 14 million individuals worldwide travel abroad to receive medical care. All these factors contribute to growing demand in the Travel and Hospitality industry not only for the machine translation services but also for the machine speech recognising services.

What is Speech Recognition?

Machine speech recognition is a technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning that allows computer programmes to understand audio signals. Inextricably linked to this technology is transcribing, as the process of transforming speech into written form, specifically a textual transcript that captures spoken words and phrases.

Types of Speech Recognition

Machine speech recognition is divided into three types depending on the operating technology.  

Streaming speech recognition transcribes speech in real time. For example, there's a video conference going on, and you need to use automatic subtitles for your colleague with moderate hearing loss. The same technology works in software for voice-controlled devices — while you tell your smart home what to do, the software recognises your speech and translates it into machine-understandable commands.

Synchronous speech recognition is mainly used in messengers to translate pre-recorded short audio messages into text. It works very fast, but the message duration is usually less than 1 minute.

Asynchronous speech recognition is used to translate already completed audio recordings of virtually unlimited duration into text. Both recording and transcription can last for hours. This technology is used when the speed of recognition is not so crucial.

How does the speech recognition process work?

The process of automatic speech recognition includes the following stages:  

audio capture — the audio signal is recorded through a microphone or other audio recording device:

audio processing — the audio file is divided into fragments to facilitate work with it, noise is removed, and the quality of the recording is improved in order to further transform it;

conversion into text and interpretation — with the help of decoding algorithms and machine learning neural networks, the resulting text should be understood by the computer taking into account the context and language structure, and then output as a document, on the device screen or executed as a command.

Benefits of Speech Recognition in Traveling and Hospitality Sector

Enhancing Multilingual Communication: Speech recognition technology for travel can instantly understand, identify and translate speech spoken in dozens of languages, allowing travelers and hospitality staff to communicate more effectively regardless of language barriers. This improves the overall guest experience by making it easier for non-native speakers to ask questions and receive information in their preferred language. Multilingual support helps attract a more diverse range of international customers.

Improving Customer Service: By utilizing speech recognition, customer service representatives can quickly understand and respond to guest inquiries, even during busy times. This speech recognition for customer support allows faster resolution of issues and more efficient handling of requests, leading to higher customer satisfaction. Automated systems can handle routine queries, freeing up staff to focus on more complex interactions.

Streamlining Operations: Speech recognition can automate various administrative tasks, such as making reservations, checking in guests, and processing payments. This reduces the workload on staff and minimizes human error, leading to more efficient and accurate operations. Automation through real-time speech recognition ensures that repetitive tasks are handled swiftly, improving overall operational efficiency.

Enhancing Accessibility: Speech recognition technology assists individuals with disabilities by providing voice-activated controls and services. For example, visually impaired guests can use voice commands to navigate facilities or access information without needing to rely on visual aids. This technology ensures that services are more inclusive, catering to the needs of all guests.

Personalizing Guest Experiences: Speech recognition technology can be used to gather data about guest preferences and behaviors, allowing for a more tailored experience. For instance, voice-activated room controls can remember a guest's preferred settings, enhancing their comfort during their stay. Personalization based on voice interactions helps create a more memorable and enjoyable experience for guests.

Ensuring Data Security: Advanced real-time speech recognition systems often come with robust security features, ensuring that sensitive information is protected. On-Premise Speech Recognition Software such as developed by Lingvanex can be used to guarantee that no information at all leaves a client’s servers. This technology helps in maintaining the privacy and security of guest data, fostering trust in the hospitality services provided. This is especially important for the medical tourism industry.

Facilitating Training and Development: Automatic speech recognition can be integrated into training programs for staff, providing interactive and real-time feedback. This technology allows for more effective training sessions, as staff can practice interactions and receive instant corrections. Enhanced training through real-time speech recognition helps improve the skills and efficiency of employees, leading to better overall service quality.

Future Trends

There are no reasons not to foresee further advancements in AI and Machine Learning enhancing Speech Recognition. Here are just a few of them:  

Improved Accuracy and Contextual Understanding. Future advancements in AI and machine learning will significantly boost the accuracy of real-time speech recognition systems, enabling them to better understand accents, dialects, and nuances in speech. Enhanced contextual understanding will allow these systems to interpret and respond to complex queries more effectively, providing more precise and relevant responses.

Natural Language Processing (NLP). AI advancements in NLP will enable automatic speech recognition systems to better comprehend the intent behind spoken words, not just the literal meaning. This will lead to more intuitive and conversational interactions, where the technology can anticipate needs and provide proactive assistance, much like a human concierge.

Multimodal Interaction. Integration of speech recognition with other AI technologies, such as computer vision and gesture recognition, will create multimodal interaction systems. These systems will allow users to interact with devices and services through a combination of voice, visual cues, and gestures, creating a more seamless and immersive experience.

Virtual Concierges. AI-powered virtual concierges will provide guests with 24/7 assistance, answering questions, making reservations, and offering personalized recommendations based on guest preferences. These virtual assistants will use advanced speech recognition and AI to interact naturally and intelligently, enhancing the overall guest experience.

Automated Translation Services. Real-time, automated translation services will break down language barriers, allowing travelers to communicate effortlessly with staff and locals. These services will be integrated into various touchpoints, such as hotel check-in counters, in-room devices, and mobile apps, providing instant translation for spoken and written communications.

Voice-Activated Room Controls. Future hotel rooms will feature advanced voice-activated controls for lighting, temperature, entertainment systems, and more. Guests will be able to customize their room environment simply by speaking, creating a more comfortable and convenient stay. Integration with personal virtual assistants will further enhance this experience.

AI-Driven Customer Insights. Real-time speech recognition technology will collect and analyze data from guest interactions to provide valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors. This data will enable hospitality providers to tailor their services and marketing efforts, offering highly personalized experiences that cater to individual needs and preferences.

Understanding On-Premise Speech Recognition Software

On-premise speech recognition software is developed by one company but then is installed and works on the server of another company. So it ensures all spectrum of speech recognition services on any of the company's devices connected to the server (tablets, desktop computers on Windows and Mac OS, Android and iPhone mobile phones). On-premise speech recognition software is completely safe as it eliminates the need of sending and processing a company's audio recordings to someone else's servers, which guarantees the security of the information. And you can not overrate the question of safety when we talk about private medical records and medical tourism. That’s where Lingvanex On-Premise Speech Recognition Software comes into play. In addition to complete security Lingvanex offers a fixed price with no limits on the amount of audio information processed. That is, for 400 euros a month, the buyer can transcribe a thousand, 5 thousand or 50 thousand hours of audio. The software itself places punctuation marks and can make time stamps in the text. Both real-time speech and already recorded FLV, AVI, MP4, MOV, MKV, WAV, WMA, MP3, OGG and M4A files can be transcribed. Lingvanex On-premise Speech Recognition Software can also be seamlessly integrated with On-Premise Machine Translation Software, whereupon the recognised text can be translated in real-time or post facto into 109 languages, again with no limit on the amount of translation. Lingvanex offers a free trial period to test the quality of speech recognition performance.

Conclusion: Global Growth on both Markets

The global market for automatic speech recognition technology is expected to grow rapidly, driven by increasing adoption in various industries, including travel and hospitality. Hotels, airlines, travel agencies and medical institutions will invest heavily in these technologies. Analysts predict significant growth in this sector, with speech recognition becoming a standard feature in many travel-related services. In summary, the travel and hospitality industry is poised to benefit immensely from advancements in AI and machine learning, particularly in the realm of speech recognition. These technologies will drive innovation, enhance customer experiences, and create new opportunities for growth and differentiation.

https://lingvanex.com/en/machine-translation-sdk

[swapnilus]

Top 5 Video Call, Chat, and Conference API or Plugin for Your WordPress and BuddyPress Site.

In today’s digital age, integrating video chat, call, and conference functionalities into your WordPress and BuddyPress site can significantly enhance user engagement and satisfaction. Whether you’re running a business, an educational platform, or a social community, these plugins can transform your site into a dynamic, interactive hub. Here are the top five plugins to consider, with AtomChat leading the pack.

1. AtomChat

AtomChat is a powerful and versatile plugin that offers seamless video chat and call functionalities. It stands out for its ease of integration and robust features, making it a top choice for many WordPress and BuddyPress site owners.

Key Features:

One-on-One and Group Video Calls: AtomChat supports both one-on-one and group video calls, catering to various communication needs.

Screen Sharing: This feature is particularly useful for webinars, online classes, and collaborative projects.

Customizable UI: AtomChat allows you to customize the chat interface to match your site’s branding.

Real-Time Translation: Break language barriers with real-time translation during chats.

Video Payment Integration: This new feature allows users to make payments during video calls, making it ideal for consultations, online classes, and other paid services.

Statistical Benefits: Implementing AtomChat on your website can lead to a significant increase in user engagement. Studies have shown that websites with integrated video chat functionalities see a 30% increase in user interaction and a 20% reduction in bounce rates. This translates to better user retention and higher conversion rates.

2. Zoom Integration for WordPress

Zoom Integration for WordPress is a popular plugin that brings the powerful features of Zoom directly to your WordPress site. It’s ideal for businesses and educational institutions that rely heavily on video conferencing.

Key Features:

Webinars and Meetings: Host and manage Zoom webinars and meetings directly from your WordPress dashboard.

Recording and Playback: Record sessions and provide playback options for users who missed the live event.

User Management: Manage participants and control access to meetings and webinars.

3. VideoWhisper Video Conference Integration

VideoWhisper Video Conference Integration is another excellent plugin that offers comprehensive video conferencing solutions. It’s perfect for hosting virtual events, online classes, and business meetings.

Key Features:

Multi-User Video Conferences: Support for multiple participants in a single video conference.

Interactive Features: Includes chat, file sharing, and whiteboard functionalities.

Customizable Layouts: Customize the conference layout to suit your needs.

4. Jitsi Meet

Jitsi Meet is an open-source video conferencing solution that integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It’s known for its flexibility and ease of use.

Key Features:

No Account Required: Users can join meetings without needing to create an account.

End-to-End Encryption: Ensures secure communication.

Screen Sharing and Recording: Useful for presentations and webinars.

5. WP Video Conference

WP Video Conference is a user-friendly plugin that offers a range of video conferencing features. It’s suitable for small to medium-sized businesses and educational platforms.

Key Features:

Easy Setup: Quick and easy to set up and integrate with your WordPress site.

High-Quality Video and Audio: Ensures clear and uninterrupted communication.

Mobile-Friendly: Fully responsive and works well on mobile devices.

Conclusion

While all these plugins offer valuable features, AtomChat stands out as the best option for integrating video chat and call functionalities into your WordPress and BuddyPress site. Its comprehensive features, ease of use, and positive impact on user engagement make it a superior choice. By choosing AtomChat, you can ensure a more interactive and engaging experience for your users, leading to better retention and higher satisfaction.

Incorporating video chat and call functionalities into your website is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today’s digital landscape. With AtomChat and the other plugins mentioned, you can transform your site into a vibrant, interactive platform that meets the needs of your audience.

: Source: WPAnything - Best WordPress Video Chat Plugins 2024

I hope this blog helps you enhance your WordPress and BuddyPress site with the best video chat and call plugins available. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!