#C) Based on type segmentation

[h-c-u]

No longer a secret pt 1

Summary: You're a reporter in a secret relationship with Toto, and he gives you some great advice.

Pairing: Toto Wolff x fem!reader

W/C: 3.3k

Rating: PG, age gap

TWs: none

A/N: This is written for that one specific friend that doesn't have Tumblr, but I guess if anyone finds it by the tags, you can read it too ;) 

Series Masterlist | Masterlist | List of tags | Playlist for the series

- It's good to see you again Lewis! - you started your maybe 30th interview of the day. Even though you loved your job, you hated days like those with a passion. Not because they were intense, but because you preferred doing longer, more in-depth interviews, where you had the opportunity to get to know the other person better and dive deeper than "How do you feel about your placement?" or "What are your plans for the race?" because you knew that a diplomatic response for those type of questions was rehearsed and repeated dozens of times. But your network wanted you to tape those little snippets because your other interviews were so popular. Sure, more than once they had to be heavily edited per the request from the person interviewed, but you honestly didn't mind, because it was still good material, that you were proud of.

- It's good to see you too, Y/n, good to see you too. - he gave you a huge smile. Lewis was very easy to interview, especially after the longer interview you had with him last year, after which you occasionally talked and exchanged small birthday gifts... He was always trying to steer from obvious questions, because he was just so tired of them, and you happily obliged.

- Congratulations on placing so well in the qualis, but I have something else to ask you. Before the race, we were talking about your dogs, Roscoe and Coco. - he smiled again.

- We did, those little rascals... - he laughed quietly, suspecting where your next question might head.

- If they were to race against the others drivers’ pets, where do you think they'd land? - the question was definitely unusual, but you could just tell that he loved it, especially when he started listing all the dogs, cats, and even a few birds, considering all their advantages and disadvantages, with you making a comment from time to time. Technically those segments you did were supposed to be around 2 minutes per driver, but you didn't want to stop the conversation that flew so naturally, especially when you were building on his arguments or completely disagreeing with them. You suspected that this one will go to the network's YouTube channel as a special, and based on how much Lewis enjoyed his rant and theories, you suspected that it might do even better than the main interviews from today. And it was obviously the first time he was asked that, so people, especially the younger generation, might be interested and start to comment with their own predictions, which meant engagement.

At first, you didn't even notice that the wind picked up and gave you goosebumps, because you were so deeply invested in the conversation. Only when suddenly a wall of rain hit both of you, you swore in your head, regretting your choice of dress for today. Fortunately, it didn't become see-through, but it did nothing to keep you warm in the rain, and Lewis didn't even realize that something was wrong. He was still in his driver's suit... And honestly, you didn't want to interrupt the interview just because of a tiny bit of water. Ok, a bit more than a "tiny" amount, but still, it's not like you were going to melt, so you continued the conversation with a pleasant smile on your face, but you couldn't help the shiver that came over you after two minutes of being completely soaked.

In the corner of your eye, you saw someone getting close to both of you, but you didn't look straight at them, because you were in the middle of asking a question. Only when the person stepped in front of the camera, you turned your head and froze for a second, when you saw Toto Wolff with a spare jacket and an umbrella. You continued asking the question while he gently put the Mercedes-branded jacket over your shoulders, and gave a giant umbrella to Lewis to hold over the two of you since your hand was already busy holding the microphone. Without saying anything he left the frame and walked away, leaving you to continue the interview.

You couldn't help but smile for the rest of the conversation, which could, fortunately, be understood as you genuinely enjoying Hamilton's company, when in fact you were grinning from ear to ear, because that cheeky bastard gave you his jacket, and now you were completely surrounded by his scent, which tuned out the smell of burned rubber and hot metal, even though it was much more subtle.

You spent around 10 more minutes conducting the interview until there was a natural end to your conversation. You congratulated him again on doing so well and wished him good luck for the main race.

- Where do you pull those questions from, Y/n...? - Lewis laughed after the camera stopped rolling. - I always feel like we've been talking for less than a minute, and then I look at the clock... - you joined him in laughter, finally able to put your arms through the sleeves of a jacket that was way too big for you. At the same time, you turned the mic off and took a quick look at the camera screen.

- Yeah, we have over 20 minutes of footage, you're super easy to talk to, and I wish everyone was as open as you. - you gave him a smile. - But at least you made the last interview of the day actually enjoyable, so thank you for that. - he laughed, still holding the umbrella over you, while you were quickly packing your part of the gear. Your camerawoman was doing her job as quickly as you, and only after about 3 minutes you were both packed, with all gear protected from the rain. - I have a ride back, see you tomorrow. - you lied smoothly, but she didn't question you, so you both just waved each other goodbye, and she left the track.

- Thank you for that... - you pointed at the umbrella Hamilton was holding. - But I think I should return it to the rightful owner. Do you know where I might find him this late? - the question slipped easily from your tongue, even though you knew very well where Toto was because he was always there after any type of race. Although it wasn't something a regular reporter would know, so you felt obligated to ask, not to rouse any suspicion.

- Sure, he's still in the pit going through all the raw data from today... - you nodded, acknowledging what he said.

- Even after everyone left...? - you faked your disbelief.

- Yeah, he's like that during the season, nothing else matters. I mean, he's always like that, laser-focused... But he should really get a life. - Lewis chuckled as if he was in on a joke you didn’t know of, but you just smiled politely.

- That sounds... admirable. The dedication. - you clarified.

- True, true... I can walk with you if you want.

- Oh, that's not necessary. I'm sure Roscoe and Coco miss you. - you both laughed, and he passed you the umbrella.

- Yeah... Well... Can't wait for our next interview.

- Lewis Hamilton, are you offering me an exclusive? - you joked, and he laughed again.

- Maybe, maybe... Have your people contact my people and we might set something up. - this time you laughed, while he was walking away. - Take care, Y/n! - he waved you goodbye and started walking in the direction of the exit, while you headed toward the pit, from where most of the people were heading away. Few of them recognized you and gave you a small nod or a polite greeting, but when you finally got to the Mercedes station, you could count people in sight on one hand. You saw Toto from quite far away, but he was completely focused on the two monitors in front of him.

Since there was nowhere to knock, you just crossed the threshold and folded the umbrella. You got closer to him, and he finally realized you were there. You noticed him glancing behind you, making sure there was no one in sight, and when you were near him, he pulled you closer by the sides of his own jacket and gave you a short but sweet kiss; even sitting down, he was a bit taller than you. Admittingly, you wore flats today, and the chair was high, but still...

- Mein Schatzi decided to visit me, how lovely... - you couldn't help but smile, and even though you wanted nothing more than to get closer to him, you took a step back, and leaned on the side of his desk, so from far away it looked like you were just talking.

- I was actually hoping to catch a ride with you... - he raised his eyebrow

- Did you change your mind, love...? - he asked, and you sighed heavily.

- It's... complicated. - you finally replied, and he lowered his hand and put it on the inside of your knee so the small point of contact between you was hidden by the desk, but it still gave you comfort.

- Oh...? - he looked at you from behind his glasses, wanting to hear more.

- I'm seriously thinking about quitting my job, and I think today was the final push I needed.

- That sounds serious... - his thumb started gently stroking your naked skin.

- It does, doesn't it... - it was more a statement than a question. - I mean... I enjoy being a reporter, meeting all those amazing people, but I feel like being this type of a reporter... - you gestured around you. - ...isn't for me. It's too quick and too repetitive. It's shallow... - you sighed again and rubbed your forehead with your fingers. - And I know neither the sport nor the drivers are shallow. They’re deep, complicated, and nuanced, and I feel like the media flattens them down and cuts it all into digestible bites. It's not something I enjoy being a part of. And even though I have over 15 people interested in an actual interview with me, the network has scheduled only two. In a month. And it's just... - you groaned instead of finishing the sentence.

- Frustrating...? - he asked, and you nodded.

- Extremely frustrating. Because even if I resigned today, I'd still have to work for them for a month, and gods know what they'll want me to do... And after that - it's not like any network is searching for a full-time interviewer or looking for someone to fill a spot in the schedule. - you sighed again, slumping your shoulders. - Sorry for dumping it all on you, especially right now. - you added a bit quieter. You didn't even plan on talking about it with him when you were walking over, but it just... spilled.

- Don't apologize, Schatzi. - he gave you a small smile. - It's your life and I'm honored that you have decided to share it with me. - he pulled you a bit closer by your thigh, and you went. - Do you just want to vent, or are you seeking advice? - he asked, finally taking off his headphones, roughing up his hair with his hand, and giving you his undivided attention. Now even from the outside, this didn't look like a regular conversation, but no one was around... You appreciated that he asked because most guys would have started spewing possible solutions without taking what you truly wanted under consideration. But in this case, you could really use some counsel...

- Advice... - you said, your tone heavy.

- I think you should quit and go independent. - he stopped for a moment, letting the words sink in. - You are the best in long format, deep interviews, you don't shy from rough topics, and you can easily steer a conversation in such a way, that the other person just feels comfortable, even with complicated questions. And you enjoy making this type of content the most, no? - he made sure, and you nodded. - So objectively, I see two paths for you. Path number one - you go to any streaming network with a proposition of your show, and if they'll be interested - you could start taping interviews, but they will most likely have to be at a certain length and there might be some censorship required. Path number two requires much more work, especially in the beginning - you go completely independent and put your interviews online. - he went quiet, allowing you to process what he said. You never thought about putting your interviews online... You would have to hire a crew, editors, and someone to take care of HR, and PR... And at first, there wouldn't be a lot of money in it, only from minor sponsors and ad revenues, since you weren't exactly fond of putting the content behind a paywall. So, did you have enough savings to actually invest in something like that? Because it would have to be at least 10 interviews to get it going, so 3-4 months of paychecks for 10-12 people. A quick calculation told you that... somehow you could. It would be rough, but with sponsors... Yeah, you might be able to pull it off.

- I see those gears turning. Did I say something right...? - he smiled, and you immediately did the same.

- You did. You said something very right... In fact... - you took your phone out of your bag - I'm quitting right now... - you wanted to unlock it, but his hand covered the screen and stopped you from doing that. You looked at him confused.

- I know you wouldn't take money from me, but is there a chance I can offer you my lawyer? - he asked, but that didn't clear things up. - You've mentioned that your network booked you only two interviews in a month, and that... doesn't seem right. I'm just saying, let him look over your contract and if there is something that would allow you to quit on the spot, he'll find it. But sending your resignation right now might complicate things... - you carefully considered his offer... You knew he was right, but you were still hesitant to accept any actual help from him because your hyper-independence convinced you that if you did, nothing else you would do in your carrier or life would be of any value, because you didn't get it on your own.

- I will meet with him... - you said eventually. - Thank you. - you added, and the smile that bloomed on his face melted something in you. You just couldn't be in a bad mood with him nearby.

- It's nothing. - you wanted to budge in, but he beat you to it. - For me. For me, it's nothing, Schatzi. Can I kiss you now...? - he asked and when you nodded, he pulled you into his lap, finally kissing you properly.

- What the...? - you heard the familiar voice behind you, and you looked in that direction horrified. You managed to keep your relationship secret without slip-ups for so long, that you honestly thought all the things you did to avoid getting caught became second nature, but evidently, you became too comfortable.

- Fuck… - the swear left your mouth before you even realized it was forming. It's not like Lewis would blab about what he saw to everyone, but your first reaction was still fear.

- So, is that like a thing with a capital T, or did it just happen because he didn't let you get soaked today...? - he asked, and you wanted nothing more than for the ground under you to open and swallow you whole. Preferably with the last five minutes of this timeline. You cautiously looked up, but Toto was giving you free hand in handling it. Personally, you knew that he wanted your relationship to go public because he wanted to show you off to the world, but he never insisted; he knew you weren't ready yet, and when it mattered - he was a very patient man.

- It's a thing with a capital T... - you finally answered on the exhale, and you could see Lewis getting nervous.

- Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, coooooool... - you honestly wanted to laugh. - It's a good thing then, that I didn't ask you on a date today. - he blurted out and as soon as the words left his mouth he was horrified. You saw that he wanted to start apologizing, but you beat him to it.

- Yeah, polyamory isn't for me, sorry... I'm more of an "all in" kinda gal. - you laughed, and the atmosphere relaxed a little.

- So how long has this been going on? - Lewis asked and you couldn't help but smile.

- Officially... Just over a year. But it took me more to actually wear her down. That sounds bad. - you couldn't blame him for sometimes not getting the message across exactly as he wanted, since he spoke fluently in six languages.

- I didn't want to start a relationship with someone this important as soon as I started doing interviews around the tracks, because I didn't want to be treated differently. And I wanted to avoid all the nasty rumors that I've slept my way to the best interviews. - you quickly jumped in to explain your situation in more detail.

- Well, anyone who would think that is an idiot and clearly has never seen any of your interviews. - he complimented your skills, and even though it technically was true, you still felt weird receiving compliments.

- Thank you, Lewis. - you gave him a soft smile.

- And honestly, it's impressive that you managed to keep it under wraps for so long. - he added. - Anyway, I came back because I realized I forgot my phone, I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone. - he laughed, zeroing in on his cell.

- Lewis...? Could please not tell anyone? - you asked, even though you suspected you didn't need to. - I mean, beside Roscoe and Coco... - he chuckled and gave both of you a huge smile.

- Your secret is safe with us. Take care guys! - and with that, he was gone, and Toto couldn't help but laugh.

- That went... well. - you playfully slapped his chest, pretending to scold him. - Oh come on Schatzi, from everyone who could possibly walk in on us, he's the best option. - he defended his reaction, and you knew he was right. - But... - he started, and you almost immediately knew what he was going to say next. - Since you won't be around the track that much anymore... - he continued, and you chuckled.

- I know, I know... But please let's wait until my separation from the network will be officially announced, ok...? After that, you can tell the whole world what a lucky man you are. - you gently cupped his cheek and run your thumb over it.

- Then I'll better call my lawyer and set up a meeting for tomorrow morning... - he brought your hand to his lips and placed soft kisses on your palm and every fingertip.

- Does that mean, we can go...? - you asked. You knew that if you didn't, he would have most likely stayed here for at least another hour or two, but he just couldn't say no to you. You also understood that he still needed to work. - How about you'll take your laptop and do your thing while I'll cook dinner, hmmm? - you proposed a compromise. Usually, you were against working from home, but during race season this rule was suspended, because otherwise, you would only be able to see him for a couple of minutes a day, and that was definitely not enough. Plus, you knew what you signed up for - he needed someone who understood that the team was his life and that it wouldn't change for a while.

- Sounds perfect... - you finally got down from his lap, and started to take the jacket off, since it stopped raining outside. - Keep it, you need it more than I do. - he gave you a soft smile and started turning everything off. It didn't take long before you were leaving the pit, and you reached for his hand to place it on your waist. He looked down at you, but didn't say anything, just smiled... And you knew everything will be all right. 

Part 2

A/N 2: Please don't feel obligated/pressured to reblog, because I write mostly for myself. A comment would be much more appreciated :) Love, G.

[leaping-laelaps]

514 millions years ago in what will one day be known as the Emu Bay Shale (South Australia), a tiny Isoxys glaessneri encounters the hunter 'Anomalocaris' briggsi.

'Anomalocaris' briggsi was a large suspension-feeding radiodont related to the famous raptorial predator Anomalocaris canadensis. It is one of two radiodont species for which exceptionally detailed fossils of compound eyes are known. The eyes in this species are unsual for radiodonts in that they are not stalked, and protected by a small plate which was likely a modified version of the lateral carapace elements found in hurdiids. The eye morphology suggests that 'A.' briggsi was a mesopelagic species capable of inhabiting depths of several hundred meters, using its acute vision to detect planktonic prey (Paterson et al. 2020).

Isoxys was a cosmopolitan genus of stem-euarthropod in the Lower and Middle Cambrian, characterized by a bivalved shield covering its whole body, two large eyes, and a frontal pair of so-called 'great appendages' probably used for grasping food items. These appendages show similarity with both the frontal appendages of megacheirans and those of radiodonts like Anomalocaris, and its mix of derived and basal anatomical traits (such as biramous appendages but an unclerotized trunk) make it a crucial organism for understanding the early evolution of arthropods (Legg & Vannier 2013, Zhang et al. 2021).

I tried to recreate the feeling of this common yet lovely type of scene in sci-fi movies where a ship or station gets dwarfed by a gigantic object slowly emerging behind it from the shadows - the only difference is that the 'giant' eye here is only about 3 cm wide, though that was still huge for the time.

References and technical details about the reconstruction under the cut:

The soft parts of I. glaessneri are not known (except for the eyes). Trunk appendages are based on I. curvirostratus (Zhang et al. 2021). Great appendages are partially based on I. communis, which may be the adult form of I. glaessneri (Fu et al. 2012); unfortunately, the great appendages of I. communis are poorly preserved (García-Bellido et al. 2009), so frontal appendage morphology was complemented with the better-known I. acutangulus.

The Isoxys is depicted here with only 11 pairs of trunk limbs, instead of the usual 13+ (Zhang et al. 2021). Based on the assumption that the ancestral arthropod grew by post-hatching addition of segments (anamorphosis) (Liu et al. 2016), a reduced number of trunk limbs was judged appropriate given the small size of the specimen (ca. 6.5 mm) and the possible juvenile nature of I. 'glaessneri'.

References:

Fu, D., Zhang, X., Budd, G. E., Liu, W., & Pan, X. (2014). Ontogeny and dimorphism of Isoxys auritus (Arthropoda) from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota, South China. Gondwana Research, 25(3), 975–982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2013.06.007

García-Bellido, D. C., Paterson, J. R., Edgecombe, G. D., Jago, J. B., Gehling, J. G., & Lee, M. S. Y. (2009). The bivalved arthropods Isoxys and Tuzoia with soft-part preservation from the Lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale Lagerstätte (Kangaroo Island, Australia). Palaeontology, 52(6), 1221–1241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00914.x

Legg, D. A., & Vannier, J. (2013). The affinities of the cosmopolitan arthropod Isoxys and its implications for the origin of arthropods. Lethaia, 46(4), 540–550. https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12032

Liu, Y., Melzer, R., Haug, J., Haug, C., Briggs, D., Hörnig, M., He, Y., & Hou, X. (2016). Three-dimensionally preserved minute larva of a great-appendage arthropod from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113, 5542–5546. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1522899113

Paterson, J. R., Edgecombe, G. D., & García-Bellido, D. C. (2020). Disparate compound eyes of Cambrian radiodonts reveal their developmental growth mode and diverse visual ecology. Science Advances, 6(49), eabc6721. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc6721

Schoenemann, B., & Clarkson, E. N. k. (2011). Eyes and vision in the Chengjiang arthropod Isoxys indicating adaptation to habitat. Lethaia, 44(2), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3931.2010.00239.x

Zhang, C., Liu, Y., Ortega-Hernández, J., Wolfe, J. M., Jin, C., Mai, H., Hou, X. G., Guo, J., & Zhai, D. (2021). Differentiated appendages in Isoxys illuminate origin of arthropodization. Research Square.

[qsycomplainsalot]

What is a Gambeson ?

It’s a mystery.

Gambesons, also sometimes known as padded or quilted armor, are a type of protection usually made from at least two layers of linen, cotton or leather, with various types of batting sandwiched between the two.

Their use has spanned most of the world, from ancient Scythian horsemen in the Caucasus, to 17th century Europe, even seeing use in the Aztec empire and medieval African kingdoms.

In Europe, gambesons or aketons were initially used as a base layer on which a mail shirt was worn, but went on to be used independently by men-at-arms as a very cost-effective form of protection, in both cases being able to absorb blunt blows and stop projectile weapons.

Variants meant to be worn alone were known as padded jacks and were usually thicker and made of more layers of fabric, complemented with scrap textile or animal hair. These were somewhat vulnerable to draw cuts, and were extremely warm.

On the other hand arming doublets were meant to be worn under a plate harness, covering less of the neck and thighs but offering several attach points on which to lace the different segments of rigid armor, all the while preventing chaffing between the skin and the metal plates. As it evolved into the 15th century, these doublets also started to incorporate patches of maille of varying size called goussets or voiders, that were meant to protect the joints and otherwise vulnerable areas of a knight’s body.

Chain voiders on a linen pourpoint.

Something to take note of, is that lighter armors were occasionally sewn or attached directly to the gambeson, like in the above image. This was commonplace in Asian cultures where most maille and splint armor was sewn directly to thick silken sleeves.

Although the arming doublet was slowly replaced by jerkins and buffcoats in Western Europe, the concept of combining numerous layers of textile to produce armor never truly died. In Asia especially, both Japan and Mongolia have records of layered silk armor being used during the early modern era, and Korea even developed a padded cotton armor known as the Myeonje baegab for the express purpose of stopping bullets, which it did.

Korean bulletproof cotton armor, made c.1860′s

Related Vocabulary

Aketon: Another name for a gambeson based on the Arab for ‘the cotton’ through old French.

Buff coat: The most common type of protection replacing arming doublets in the 17th century, made of a single layer of thick suede leather.

Ichcahuipilli: Aztec quilted armor, Nahuatl for ‘cotton shirt’.

Arming points: reinforced spots on an arming doublet where the armor is attached.

Voiders: Chainmail sewn directly to a pourpoint styled gambeson, common in Europe from the 13th century onward.

Pourpoint: A longer European gambeson style used until the development of the arming doublet. It sometimes went all the way to the knees, and was commonly separated into two parts, sleeves and torso. Also the French word for doublet.

[palaeonecromancy]

Happy Fossil Friday!

Who: Anomalocaris canadensis

name meaning: "Odd shrimp" "from Canada"

pronunciation: Ah-nom-ah-low-care-iss can-ah-den-sis

What: A Dinocarid, radiodont arthropod with two long grasping appendages and large compound eyes. A ray of wing-like projections along the trunk and fish-like tail.

When: Cambrian Period (Anomalocaris sp. ranged 516 to 505 Ma)

Where: Burgess Shales British Columbia, Canada. From the Stephen/Burgess Shale Formation.

Fun fact!: A. canadensis is the type species for the Anomalocaris genus within Anomalocaridae and bonus fun fact: Since Anomalocaris are soft bodied organisms, they do not preserve well (usually) in the fossil record, with the exceptional cases of place like the Burgess Shale in BC. For many years, palaeontologists believed that Anomalocaris was actually three separate organisms, due to the poor preservation of the "softer" portions of the body, making it seem like the frontal appendages, mouth parts, and trunk of the animal were from different creatures. Exceptionally preserved specimens like the Left image above, show Anomalocaris in full form.

(def: the "type species" is the species upon which a genus's description is based and for which the genus is named and associated with).

Why are they cool?: Apart from the charismatic (in my personal opinion "adorable") visage of this tough little arthropod, they could use their long, segmented frontal appendages to curl and grasp prey, pulling it under to the mouth to be eaten, one of the first predatory creatures to emerge during the Cambrian Explosion.

Here is a link to a video showing Anomalocaris canadensis in its natural habitat from the wonderful Burgess Shale website, for those interested, check out their other videos on Burgess Shale/Cambrian fauna.

Image Credits: (Left: Fig. 1 - Daley, Allison C., and Gregory D. Edgecombe. “Morphology of Anomalocaris Canadensis from the Burgess Shale.” Journal of Paleontology 88, no. 1 (2014): 68–91. https://doi.org/10.1666/13-067. Right: M. Cross)

[canmom]

Music theory (for science bitches) INTERLUDE A - what's with a guitar?

Got to play guitar for the first time in me life last night! Answered a lot of questions about one of the world's most common instruments, some I knew I had, some I didn't.

So here's what I picked up.

Tuning

The guitar I tried playing was an electric guitar with four strings that had been modified to be tuned in fifths, which apparently makes it similar to a tenor guitar - a familiar tuning for me since the violin and erhu are also tuned in fifths. But guitars are usually tuned in fourths.

'Tenor' here isn't really referring to a specific range the way it does in regards to singers - it seems kinda like more of an adjective meaning 'higher than usual and tuned in fifths'. So you can have the strange-sounding 'tenor bass' guitar. Although with the more obscure guitar variants, the language seems to be kind of a free-for-all.

Tenor guitars are usually shorter than regular guitars, and with different strings, but ultimately as long as you don't break the strings, you can tune to whatever frequencies by adjusting the tension. The standard guitar tunings are ultimately a matter of convention.

Besides that, the major design differences between a guitar and a violin type instrument are... the strings are arranged flat rather than in an arc, and they have frets.

The flat arrangement makes it much easier to play chords. You can simply move your fingers, or plectrum, in a straightish line and hit multiple strings.

Frets are metal rods which protrude from the fingerboard, and they make it much easier to hit particular pitches. You press the string behind the fret (further from the bridge/soundbox), and this holds the string against the fret, reducing the vibrating segment to an exact length. So there's no need to train your muscle memory and ear to recognise whether your fingering is in tune, as is the case on violin, erhu and the like. But it does make pitch-varying techniques like vibrato require a different approach. More on that in a bit.

The frets are positioned in semitones. There are some little dot markings that indicate the major third, the fourth, the fifth, the major sixth and a double dot for the octave, which helps with navigation.

Due to the way guitar strings are tuned, the way you construct chords is a little counterintuitive. Let's take for example a standard minor triad chord.

On a piano, you play the base note, a note three semitones up from that (the minor third), and a note seven semitones up from the base (the fifth). This will generally result in your fingers being fairly evenly spaced, e.g. A minor looks like...

On a guitar it's a bit more complicated. Intuitively, you might expect to play the three notes in this chord in order, on strings of increasing pitch, but if you try this you would conclude realise that the gap between strings is larger than a major third.

So, the strings I had were tuned DAEB (similar to a violin, but without the G on the bottom, instead gaining a B on top). If you want to play A minor you need to play A, C and E. The A and E can be played on open strings, but what about that C? It lies in between those two strings.

So, I thought, what if I played the C on the D string underneath the A? In that case, you'd put your finger on the 11th fret of the D string and strum the D, A and E strings. That would hit the same notes you would hit on a piano, just arranged differently on the instrument...

However, that is not how guitar players normally form chords. The reason is that, while this may work for open strings well enough, if you wanted to play a minor triad further up, it doesn't really work at all: there's no physical way your hand can be up at the top of the guitar on some strings and all the way down at that C for others.

Instead, guitar players take advantage of the convention of octave equivalency and play the next C up. This can be reached on the B string very easily, so for this A minor chord, you can play it on A, E and B:

On a piano, this chord would look like this:

This would be a goofy thing to do on a piano, but it makes things much easier on guitar.

In terms of the resulting sound, this will shift the fundamental of the C up an octave, and remove a certain proportion of the overtones - more on that in the upcoming next part of the music theory notes (for science bitches) series. So it will affect the timbre of the sound. However, it will still generally sound like A minor.

That's all well and good if you've got open strings in your chord, but what if you want to play, say, B minor? Well, you can use one of your fingers in a technique called a 'bar', which simply means you hold your whole finger against the fingerboard to press all the strings at a particular fret...

This essentially lets you calculate the chords in the same way as you would at the open strings, so you can just memorise the general shape of minor chords and slide it around.

My friend came up with a few little chord progressions for me to play. For communicating them she would say like 'ok then play 2 2 0 0' with the numerals communicating which fret/semitone to play - I believe this is similar to the notation used in tablature. (In this case that would amount to E B E B, a doubled-up 'power chord'). She figured out the progression pretty intuitively - when we worked out the names it turned out to include a variety of suspended or diminished chords or one chord over another, and other such things. (She had a phone app that would let you put in the positions and would tell you a name).

One of the cool features of a physical instrument is that you can just try shit. It was very informative to see how chord progressions come together and how the different voices seem to relate to each other.

The mechanics of playing the thing

The other major difference with guitar is like... damn those things are long!

Although the body of an electric guitar does not have to act as a soundbox, the shape of the guitar still turns out to be way more constrained and thought-out than I realised. There are all sorts of cutaways designed to help the guitar balance comfortably on your leg, sit comfortably against your abdomen, and so on. The 'horns' of the guitar aren't just decorative: they allow you to slide your hand further down the neck.

I got to see an ultra-light 'headless' guitar where the tuning pegs are at the bottom end, which saves weight. There are all sorts of little nuances about where the cable goes and so on.

The most awkward part was really the hand that goes on the neck and plays the chords. The frets help but they don't go that far.

Honestly, making chords on a guitar... my fingers are apparently pretty long, but it still felt like I'm contorting my hand, like I could feel the tension so much stretching across even a few frets. By the same token, pressing the strings was ouchy. It was the same on the zhonghu when I started though, so I'm sure if I kept at it I'd get the callouses I'd need to not feel painful anymore.

It can be quite important where you place your fingers between frets. Too far from the fret, and you don't create a good contact, so the string doesn't sound properly. Too close to the fret, like if you're right on top of it, can also be problematic. You have to apply enough pressure to hold the string firmly against the fret. All of this impressed on me how fiddly it is to play one of these things, let alone do it in a showy ostentatious way like guitarists do.

Strumming was also a bit fiddly. Unexpectedly, the biggest problem I tended to have was strumming too hard. With all the amplification involved, it seems you want a really light touch, just brushing the plectrum (or fingers) against the strings.

It turns out there's some complexity to strumming and plucking. My first instinct was to just go up down, up down, but it seems like actually the best approach is to alter the direction for different musical phrases, so sometimes you want to go two 'ups' in a row or two 'downs' in a row with something like a 'null stroke' in between to get your hand in position. This apparently just comes intuitively to an experienced guitarist, just like bowing does to an experienced violinist or erhu player, but maintaining the pattern definitely added to the cognitive load of the instrument at my level.

The guitar I was playing had a "synchronised tremolo bridge", similar to the one in the picture, meaning it was on a kind of levered spring anchored only at one end. Unlike a violin or erhu, the bridge of a guitar is very very close to where the strings are anchored, and adjustable per-string. The lever you see on some guitars is used to tilt the bridge while the strings are sounding, creating a vibrato (oscillation of pitch) effect. (I don't know why it's called a tremolo bridge rather than a vibrato bridge. In classical music 'tremolo' refers to either playing a bunch of the same note really fast, or oscillating volume. But this bridge definitely primarily affects pitch.)

(Incidentally, some guitars have non-parallel bridges and frets designed to give the lower strings more distance to play with which affects the relationship between string weight, tension, and pitch - it's a whole thing apparently.)

You can also create a vibrato effect by wiggling the string sideways against the fingerboard to adjust the tension in it.

The electric part

The big difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar is that the vibrations in the strings are used not for the sound they make directly, but as an input into a signal chain.

I had wondered for a long time how guitar pickups work. It turns out they work by magnetic induction; the string is made of ferromagnetic material and the pickups have little magnets in them which induce a magnetic field in the string, and the vibrations of this magnetic field are picked up by an electromagnet inside the guitar. This has the interesting implication that an electric guitar does not require a medium to generate a sound, so it would work just fine in space (though of course the amplifier must be in air to transmit sound).

There are multiple sets of pickups at different points along the string, which means they get different sets of overtones depending on the amplitude of the different standing waves near that pickup; there is a little liver on the face of the guitar which allows you to adjust which pickup is active. Selecting the pickup closer to the bridge is effectively a kind of mechanical high pass filter on the strings.

The weak alternating current created by the vibrating strings is then passed along a shielded coaxial cable to an amplifier. This creates an opportunity to mess around with that signal - to add reverb, equalisation, etc. or more purely electric effects like 'phasing' and 'flanging'.

The 'distortion' effect so widely used in rock and related genres comes from multiplying the signal pre-amplification to the point that it saturates the amplifier, resulting in an effect similar to digital clipping. Traditionally this was done by literally boosting the signal louder than the amp's tolerances (referred to as 'gain' by guitarists), but nowadays they've found ways to get an equivalent effect that are less likely to break the equipment. (Honestly, I liked the 'cleaner' sound of when the guitar was not clipping a lot more than the heavily distorted version, but it's worth noting here as one of the most well known guitar effects)

These effects are typically implemented using 'pedals' which are just a small circuit that applies a particular toggleable signal modification, making the whole chain of guitar - pedals - amplifier collectively act as something like a modular synthesiser. The guitar acts as a signal generator, the pedals and amp process it, and finally it's played out of a speaker.

This is not unique to guitars, the same principles would basically apply to any 'electric' instrument, but for whatever historical reason guitars were the instrument that became 'electric' first, and they're still by far the most common.

It was interesting to me how technical the whole setup is. The amp has all sorts of dials to apply built-in effects and adjust its tone response in various ways; the guitar also had a few.

Analogue instruments give fairly limited options to control timbre. So like, on the erhu for example - you have a huge amount of pitch control, you can do a lot to adjust dynamics with the way you move your bow, but for timbre there's only a handful of dimensions in the 'parameter space' and like, ultimately I'm finding my way to a 'best way to do it' where it 'sounds like an erhu is supposed to sound'.

Electric instruments on the other hand has a huge multidimensional space of timbre possibilities, so if you understand guitars, you can stand on an amp for a while zeroing in on the exact sound you want while the infatuated canmom sitting next to you gets increasingly hot under the collar. For understanding what's going on in guitar music, it's evident classical theory can only get you so far.

So...

...am I gonna start learning guitar too now? As much as I admire my friend's ability to play dozens of different instruments... not in any sort of serious way, erhu/zhonghu is gonna be my main instrument for a good while (and I physically could not take a guitar home with me anyway with all the shit I'm carrying). But it's very interesting to see other parts of the string instrument space, and definitely gives me a better appreciation for all the things guitarists are doing.

Music's cool, I regret that I stopped playing... but now's definitely a good time to get back into it!!

[drstonetrivia]

Chapter 204 Trivia

What we thought may be a politics arc may in fact become a brotherly feud…

Galileo's quote is taken from his book "The Assayer", considered to be one of the pioneering works of the scientific method. At the time, most science was done by philosophical arguments rather than observation and trying to understand the mathematics behind them.

Math is the universal language because the symbols may change, but the meanings/axioms cannot. Because of this, the cover of the Golden Record placed on Voyager 1 (the probe leaving our solar system) has instructions written in math in the hopes some future beings can understand.

Ryusui wasn't wearing two swords last chapter, I wonder where they came from and why he's wearing them now…

(Maybe this is why Sai was running from him haha!)

Mathematical errors have ruined a lot of space missions: the Mariner 1 was destroyed because of a missing hyphen, and the Mars Climate Orbiter was destroyed on landing because of a failure to convert units.

Avoiding these errors was very difficult when it was all done by hand.

This seems to be at least partially true, however the practice has lessened over the decades. Indian-educated parents and grandparents may remember, but students these days probably only need to learn up to 19x19!

The HR industry in India is incredibly large, and are a very useful resource to have for any business looking to scale up. It's not surprising that the Nanami Corporation set up a university there!

Sai appears to be the 554th most popular name in India and can be used for both genders, but it's generally a male name.

The equations in the background here I haven't identified yet, but the gamma (γ) thrust here may be alluding to the thrust equation used with rocket engines in space. The gamma is the specific heat ratio of the gas.

The day is October 1st, so the team likely left Spain sometime between September 15th-20th if it did in fact take them 10 days to travel the distance (with some delays because of the Suez situation).

The food here may be a somewhat generic curry as the sound effect seems to indicate, or it could also be lamb gosht based on the color, region, and spices used.

Technically we don't know that Ruri specifically called for the defensive positions, but we do know everyone in Japan is probably in them.

I think this is the same sky image as the one Tsukasa saw in chapter 188, but with a different star pattern.

The Fellenius method and what Senku is actually doing here is dividing the slopes into segments and calculating how stable each one is using the properties of the dirt and rock. Putting the segments together should give you how likely a rock slide is. Strata are layers of rock.

The many-armed pose Sai is found in is a reference to Durga, a major Hindu deity. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars.

This comment I believe is Chelsea's from the "I'm not a fan" part, with the "baaad" learnt from Chrome's habit.

The meaning of her comment is confusing, but it might be because the last pretty-boy character introduced was a villain (Stanley), however shes also a fan of Hyoga…?

Sai's outfit is very simple and rather lacking compared to Ryusui's, however they share elements such as the collar type and addition of a belt.

The belt buckle is very interesting, it doesn't follow Ryusui's nor Nanami Corp.'s branding and looks like a C+.

My guesses for the meaning: -C+, the programming language, based off the fact he was petrified on his laptop presumably. -C, the Roman numeral, indicating 100+ because of the million-times brainpower comment (million in Japanese is 百万, 百=100). -C, from E=mc^2, for light speed.

Sai's odd yell ("peegyaaaah!") may be a computer joke, as the sound effect "ピ" (pi) tends to be used for computer beeps, like pressing a button.

A similar sound has been used in the past for Xeno's encryption device.

Sai's character could go a lot of directions since he's unlikely to be one of the traditional nerds they described, nor one like Joel since Joel exists. What Ryusui did to scare off his older brother though, I'm very curious about…

[minsungchronology]

My Personal Opinions on Minsung's Dynamic (2018)

Disclaimer: I am not trying to pass off my opinions as facts. This is my personal interpretation of what is laid out right in front of us. I could be completely off base because I don’t know these guys personally, so take this with a grain of salt and feel free to disagree!

Lee Know is very interesting to me.

That’s literally the first thought I had when compiling all of these moments together.

Members and fans equally describe him as the “Tsundere” of the group (even though he’s a multifaceted person with a very caring side towards his closest ones). We see throughout the years he has a dry/deadpan sense of humor, is sarcastic at times, has a more introverted personality, etc. etc.

When I was a newer fan, I quickly assumed that out of him and Han, he was the one that was more inclined to “keep it together” on camera, thus making it super difficult to read him.

That is definitely not the case for me when making this video…cause holy sh*t??? There are times where the guy is shockingly transparent. (the fansigns and the early vlives, especially)

While putting together clips for this year, I found a clip of him (in a later year) where the other members describe him as someone who’s honest with his emotions, which…kind of tracks if you’ve watched him over the years. It's refreshing to see that in an idol.

I’m of the opinion that he developed a little crush on Han early-ish this year. 

I probably would have chalked down LK’s behavior towards Han as platonic fondness like he has for I.N (he really dotes on the youngest like a baby brother during this year. I felt like these two were also pretty close since you see them together frequently, but their friendship isn’t talked about too much. Jeongho is actually so underrated 😭.), if it wasn’t for Changbin’s subtle yet unsubtle remarks towards those two. Changbin is someone who knows them personally, lives with them, and is with them almost 24/7. He knows them better than any of us ever will. So it’s quite telling to me when that is coming from someone who ACTUALLY KNOWS THEM, which really puts things into perspective. 

He literally acts like someone who teases their friend for having a crush.

You have moments where Changbin points and laughs at Lee Know for staring at Han ~that way~ during the dance segment in the KBS World Idol show, then there’s him giving LK the 😏 look when he gets smiley from Han who was doing…almost nothing…during a Vlive they have before a fansign, AND THEN the 3.NO.RA.CHA car Vlive where he’s like “Lee Know why are you so happy? Why are you so happy?” after LK and Han do something that catches Chan off guard (I’m pretty sure they did the one plus one is cute thing that they end up doing during the two kids room episode). Which goes onto another point…THAT episode:

I find it interesting how LK was the one who requested Han to do the aegyo class with him because…like,,,, what?? 🧍‍♀️

For some reason I thought Han was the one who suggested it.

Then comes the part where LK mentions feelings and Han looks into the camera like he’s in the office and LK just nervously giggles and says “I don’t know” after realizing the implications of what he just said. This is also interesting to me b/c normally someone would react like “Oh no!! Don’t misunderstand!” to diffuse any awkwardness. 

And the fansigns, they are so flipping cute in those. 😭 There’s so much content out there so I was stressing out about how much to include and/or exclude. From these alone, you can tell LK adores the hell out of Han. It’s so painfully obvious to watch. It really puts the “LK can’t live without Han” saying by Seungmin into perspective. 

Han, on the other hand, like I said in a previous post, is harder to read. I honestly don’t think he liked LK “like that” at this point, unless he’s incredibly good at hiding it and didn’t want to acknowledge those types of feelings at all for obvious reasons. If you compare him in 2018 to 2023, it's worlds apart. (lmfao the concerts this year are something else; I seriously can’t wait to get to 2023 b/c whatever happened in Australia Sydney day 1 is VERY INTERESTING, like the fancams from that concert are incredibly eye opening for reasons I don’t want to explain right now 😬😬).  LK has remained fairly consistent imo. I think you’ll start to see some reciprocation from Han in later years.

But they are consistently close this year. They bicker and play-fight like close friends do, they comfortably joke around with each other, and they’re always finding some way to interact with the other. The two of them always seem to be on board with eo's ~weird~ antics too. (Much like you see in subsequent years and this year; they haven’t changed at all in that aspect). They’re the definition of soulmates. 

Seeing their evolution as idols from the beginning is very interesting too when you get to go back and watch almost every single content out there. Like plenty has changed within a 5-6 year span, but a lot of things have also remained the same.

Lee know was noticeably more camera shy back then. Han seemed more outgoing and out there compared to him (the guy is a ball of energy) while LK was quieter and more in the background. You can also see snippets of his characteristic sense of humor and “4d” personality, although, again, he was more camera shy so he didn’t show it as much. 

2019 is still a work in progress, but I think Han's behavior much later that year and in 2020 is an interesting change from what we see in 2018.

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 6, 2024

Visual velocity perception dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. Bernardinis, M., Atashzar, S. F., Jog, M. S., & Patel, R. V. (2023). Behavioural Brain Research, 452, 114490.

A mathematical formula of plasticity: Measuring susceptibility to change in mental health and data science. Branchi, I. (2023). Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 152, 105272.

Impaired salience network switching in psychopathy. Deming, P., Cook, C. J., Meyerand, M. E., Kiehl, K. A., Kosson, D. S., & Koenigs, M. (2023). Behavioural Brain Research, 452, 114570.

Pinging the brain to reveal the hidden attentional priority map using encephalography. Duncan, D. H., van Moorselaar, D., & Theeuwes, J. (2023). Nature Communications, 14, 4749.

Brain criticality predicts individual levels of inter-areal synchronization in human electrophysiological data. Fuscà, M., Siebenhühner, F., Wang, S. H., Myrov, V., Arnulfo, G., Nobili, L., … Palva, S. (2023). Nature Communications, 14, 4736.

A cell-type-specific error-correction signal in the posterior parietal cortex. Green, J., Bruno, C. A., Traunmüller, L., Ding, J., Hrvatin, S., Wilson, D. E., … Harvey, C. D. (2023). Nature, 620(7973), 366–373.

Functional modules for visual scene segmentation in macaque visual cortex. Hesse, J. K., & Tsao, D. Y. (2023). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(32), e2221122120.

Experimental validation of the free-energy principle with in vitro neural networks. Isomura, T., Kotani, K., Jimbo, Y., & Friston, K. J. (2023). Nature Communications, 14, 4547.

Crows flexibly apply statistical inferences based on previous experience. Johnston, M., Brecht, K. F., & Nieder, A. (2023). Current Biology, 33(15), 3238-3243.e3.

Stimulus edges induce orientation tuning in superior colliculus. Liang, Y., Lu, R., Borges, K., & Ji, N. (2023). Nature Communications, 14, 4756.

People can use the placement of objects to infer communicative goals. Lopez-Brau, M., & Jara-Ettinger, J. (2023). Cognition, 239, 105524.

Metacognitive awareness in the sound-induced flash illusion. Maynes, R., Faulkner, R., Callahan, G., Mims, C. E., Ranjan, S., Stalzer, J., & Odegaard, B. (2023). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1886).

Metacognition in the audiovisual McGurk illusion: perceptual and causal confidence. Meijer, D., & Noppeney, U. (2023). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1886).

Boosting Serotonin Increases Information Gathering by Reducing Subjective Cognitive Costs. Michely, J., Martin, I. M., Dolan, R. J., & Hauser, T. U. (2023). Journal of Neuroscience, 43(32), 5848–5855.

Causal inference during closed-loop navigation: parsing of self- and object-motion. Noel, J.-P., Bill, J., Ding, H., Vastola, J., DeAngelis, G. C., Angelaki, D. E., & Drugowitsch, J. (2023). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1886).

Aging and temporal integration in the visual perception of object shape. Norman, J. F., Lewis, J. L., Bryant, E. N., & Conn, J. D. (2023). Scientific Reports, 13, 12748.

Non-shared coding of observed and executed actions prevails in macaque ventral premotor mirror neurons. Pomper, J. K., Shams, M., Wen, S., Bunjes, F., & Thier, P. (2023). eLife, 12, e77513.

Backbone spiking sequence as a basis for preplay, replay, and default states in human cortex. Vaz, A. P., Wittig, J. H., Inati, S. K., & Zaghloul, K. A. (2023). Nature Communications, 14, 4723.

Feasibility of dopamine as a vector-valued feedback signal in the basal ganglia. Wärnberg, E., & Kumar, A. (2023). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(32), e2221994120.

NMDA-driven dendritic modulation enables multitask representation learning in hierarchical sensory processing pathways. Wybo, W. A. M., Tsai, M. C., Tran, V. A. K., Illing, B., Jordan, J., Morrison, A., & Senn, W. (2023). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(32), e2300558120.

[nori-the-cat]

i'm really excited about your new tarot segment!!! So Who’s in riize romantically interested in who in the industry? Or in the company if the previous ask too difficult for reading... thank you!

Important Note: This is a tarot reading for entertainment purposes only.

/scratches head/ Anyway, I knew this would happen…

Girly tbh I don't know what u want from this information but these boys are hopeless romantics with nothing happening in their life HAHAHAHAHA but oh well /shrugs/

The boys are somewhat interested in "someone" or have a crush on "someone" but the intensity of pursuing that person is different for each member. Most of them are interested in someone “successful”.

imma let u take a guess which letter belongs to which member~

Member A is focusing on his career and dealing with pasts hurt (five of cups in reversed). He may not be actively looking for someone (the chariot). But he is kind of stealing glances at someone in the industry. She is someone influential, independent, and passionate, possibly someone in a leadership role (Queen of wands).

Member B might be hesitant to pursue someone in the industry due to fear of rejection (reversed Fool). He seems to be attracted to someone nurturing, creative, and beautiful. However, he may be focused on achieving success in his career first (The World). Tbh, his love life is not making any progress, he feels limited in his options or doesn't know how to approach this "someone" (eight of swords). I think he might be open to a serious relationship with this person (the world).

Member C shouldn't be thinking about his love life honestly. But I digress. He's a little frustrated and unhappy. I'm not sure if he is interested in someone but he might be open to finding love with someone who brings him joy and success (The Sun). I say this because he may have had a relationship that didn't work out, causing some indecisiveness (the lovers reversed). At this point in his life he's open to new connections and might be looking for someone emotionally available. Why? Cause he might need extra attention and affection. ASDFGHJKL. Right now he might be dealing with unrequited love or one sided love.

Member D might have a crush or some sort of infatuation towards someone? Maybe an admiration? Somewhere in between these energies. Anyway. He might have an idealistic view of someone in the entertainment industry (the star). He may have been attracted to their talent or charisma, but he's cautious about pursuing anything serious (the devil reversed). There is some internal conflict or hesitation here (reversed knight of wands).

Member E has attraction for someone in the entertainment industry too. However, it's not definitive if this person is a celebrity, idol, or actress specifically. He might be drawn to someone who is ambitious and goal-oriented (Knight of Wands) but also grounded and successful (King of Pentacles). This member is very career oriented that he wants someone career oriented too.

Member F, is, another broken-hearted member. Yikes. He might be drawn to someone kind and nurturing in the industry (the empress). But he may have had a past heartbreak and is hesitant to jump into another relationship (three of swords reversed). Right now he might be unsure of his feelings or who to pursue (seven of cups).

Member G might be keeping his feelings hidden (The Moon) or unsure if his attraction is real. Heads in the cloud type of guy. I think he's more focused on what the relationship would bring him if they're together (justice). He values fairness and honesty in a relationship. might have hidden feelings for someone reliable and dependable (knight of pentacles).

Based on my reading, it's possible that member A or C might be open to a relationship with someone famous, while member D and B seem more hesitant. Member D, F, A, and B all show strong feeling for having romantic feelings for someone in the industry. However, each faces internal struggles or external circumstances that might hinder their pursuit. Tbh they're scared it will be backlash and ruin their career.

Overall: It's difficult to pinpoint exactly who in RIIZE has feelings for someone in the entertainment industry. The cards suggest some members might be interested but cautious due to past experiences or career focus.

[chibivesicle]

Trigun Stampede Episode 5 - subtle we are not; Monev the Gale, we only knew you briefly

Another Saturday morning has come and gone here and it means the next episode of Trigun Stampede.  Still pushing that breakneck pace and jamming in more world building.  For this week, I’ll start with the location map highlighting that we are in the Windmill Village.  Which is the remains of a crashed ship that has a lot of windmills to provide power. 

The episode starts with an establishing shot of the lack of wind at the Windmill Village.  A man is speaking over the radio, clearly a sort of televangelist type with the fire and brimstone sort of pseudo-Christian worship.  And if you’ve watched the original Trigun anime, you will immediately recognize that the radio preacher is Wolfwood’s VA, 速水 奨, Hayami Shō, stylized as Show Hayami in English.

As his sermon continues there is a shot of two people kneeling in prayer before a sort of eye of god/cross banner in their home.

The two of them continue to listen to the broadcast, their hands clasped together and we get a shot of the younger child looking nervous before it cuts to the OP.

This opening segment establishes that there is a sort of hard line religious group and these two people are worshipping it, or at least the mother based on the awkward body language of the child.

Our next shot is of Meryl driving as a religious radio program is on the radio and she’s ready to change the station, also telling us that it is around 50 degrees C on this desert planet at the moment! 

Don’t worry though, Roberto is here to info dump and tell us that the religious group around plant worship is newly established - only around for a few years in the Stampede timeline.  While they discuss the social cultural context, Vash and Wolfwood are sleeping soundly, somehow Wolfwood is able to do so with a half smoked cigarette.

Since Roberto doesn’t want to really have an actual conversation with Meryl, he decides to mess with her and make up some story about the red desert sand around them - which of course scares the shit out of her and then she almost hits the carcass of a giant dead bug.  Which when they inspect it, Wolfwood somehow is able to explain it was killed with a single one handed strike from a ‘person’.

Wow dude, way to try to cover that you aren’t an ‘undertaker’ and are a trained assassin.  Are you even trying to blend in Wolfwood?  I’m going to guess that Wolfwood likely knows who could have done this - perhaps not the specific individual but that he knows it was a modified human by the Eye of Michael.

They go onto investigate the ghost town further and conclude it died due to the lack of consistent wind.  The entire exchange between Meryl and Wolfwood about it is just weird.  What was the point of Wolfwood commenting that using wind power is dumb for Meryl to try to correct him that it is a flawed form of power if there is no wind?

The scientist in me has more of an issue with this set up of wind power is unreliable.  If you don’t have a plant, your plan would be to have both wind power and solar.  Since we don’t see any clouds at all on this desert planet.  Additionally, when you do live in a desert it is almost super reliable that you will have wind power; I never got over how windy the desert is and how sunny it is when I lived in the desert.  The solution for this plot point is a combination of wind and solar.  You have advanced technology even if some of it is lost - you can have solar panels.  Of course this then creates the issue of you need another piece of the puzzle to explain why plants are so important in this world.

It was always my understanding of the manga that besides generating power, the idea was that the plants also helped to stabilize the local environment for terraforming needs as highlighted in the anime episode and series of manga chapters around Little Arcadia (and the rest of the Nebraska family).  Even if you had wind and solar power it was the extra special stuff that the plants helped to add to the local environment made it livable and arable for farming if one put in the time and effort.  Little Arcadia implies that something from a plant sort of escaped into the land and the family that nurtured it were able to create a little oasis in the desert.

The group explore the area and Vash picks up a strip of cloth that is covered in dust before he’s shot at by gunfire.  Someone is attacking him!  Wolfwood rushes in with his weapon uncovered and yells at him to take an action.

I have to admit I’m missing the dramatic reveal of his Punisher from the original anime and manga, it always indicated that things are serious.  Now, he’s just there and ready to go.  The scenes keep flipping back and forth between the worried kid, Rollo and the action of the giant man in a mask with machine guns for arms.  The kid overhears his mother talking with others about how he’s supposed to be the next sacrifice to god having been a child born on a windless day.  Studio Orange is clear - being subtle is not their storytelling style in this.  We know that young Rollo knows that he’s up next for some sort of weather/ritual sacrifice to save the town and of course he makes a run for it into the desert.

Vash gets cornered and Wolfwood shoots him only for the camera to make sure that we know that little vials inject something into him that allows for rapid healing.  Wolfwood knows this man they are fighting has similar technology that he has so - yeah - it harkens back to his statement of punching the desert bug with a bare hand.

The two run away for the moment, with Wolfwood almost dragging Vash along.  We get them in an alley catching their breath and Wolfwood is already insulting and muttering about how pathetic Vash is.  And the fact that he knows that Vash is hiding something about this Windmill Village.

It cuts to what is for the first time clearly defined as a flashback.  I get it, they wanted you to not be sure if you were seeing parallel actions between Rollo and Vash but with a heavy nudge that this is likely a flashback and that kid might have something to do with the giant monster chasing them and yelling “Vash the Stampede!”

Vash finds Rollo when he tried to run away from him and that he was bringing him back for his mother who was very worried about him.  Rollo through his conversation with Vash is trying to decide if he should trust Vash’s [likely naive] advice and return to meet his fate of a certain death or continue to run.

Of course Vash is clueless to the dark sacrificial plot and instead promises that he will get the proper medicine to heal Rollo.  Since this is full time perma-sad Vash, we know by time he completes his quest to save the kid, he would have arrived too late!

The flashback then has Rollo going alone with a lantern to some part of the structure where he encounters our fine Doctor, the blonde girl who is barefoot and is restrained by some sort of grunts for the Eye of Michael who knock him out with a drug. 

The flashback has the girl stating that she’s not the same as Rollo, that she’s actually and angel and that he’s totally different.  The statement that she’s angel would make me think plant, but the fact that she doesn’t have the weird markings on her bare arms imply that she’s not a plant like Vash and Knives but more of a rather confident girl.

Rollo gets strapped to an exam room table, injected with all sorts of stuff and the Doctor explains that he’ll age rapidly but won’t die of his sickness if he can regenerate etc etc.

And this allows us to learn he is a ‘successful’ experiment living at least 5 years as his superhuman form.  The girl still thinks he’s a possible failure but the Doctor seems pleased enough and is using his hatred of Vash not saving him to drive his anger.  I guess.  The experiment scene also wants to hammer home that he is indeed Rollo, as at least 5 years later, he returns home to visit his mother before destroying their home which Meryl and Roberto inspect.  We can hear the radio is still on with the Wolfwood VA talking while they look around.  Interestingly, Roberto states it looks like this all fell apart 20 years ago.

If that is the case, the incident with Rollo running away from home and being rescued by Vash happened ~25 years prior, Rollo became his unnamed form, went back home 20 years ago, likely killed his mother and destroyed the place and then went back to the base?

While they inspect the rubble, Meryl finds a photograph of Rollo as a baby with Vash holding him that clearly his mother had taken.  Thus, the timeline that Vash is older than he appears is being confirmed but with all the info dumping that Roberto does - he’d know that Vash is older wouldn’t he?

While Roberto and Meryl are being good investigative reporters Rollo is fighting with Wolfwood and Vash, but Wolfwood is looking a bit rough and spits out his cigarette to pop out his own regenerative vial as he watches Rollo pin Vash against the wall.

These vials don’t appear into Volume 8 of Trigun Maximum with a full explanation from Wolfwood after he rescues Vash from Knives ark after fighting with Chapel, Livio and Legato.  This was after the 7 month time skip when Vash is kidnapped and imprisoned by Knives and Wolfwood eventually is able to brute force get him out of the ark through the combination of sheer willpower, a tacit understanding of Vash and the regenerative vials.

Vash is trying to get through to Rollo’s humanity which shows a shift as his facial display goes from Venom-ish from Spiderman to a regular man.  The reason this character looks like Venom is that Yasushiro Nightow is a huge fan of Spiderman and designed him as such in the original manga.  Vash is there pleading about his promise but it is obvious that he failed to save him.

Wolfwood then cracks open the vial, heals himself and then shoots Rollo through the head with the laser beam function of his gun.  The scene shifts to Vash pleading for Rollo to wake up as Roberto and Meryl watch and Wolfwood hangs back.  Wolfwood finally breaks the situation by stating that he’s dead and that he is not waking up.  Vash rushes at Wolfwood to grab him by the collar demanding why he killed him to which Wolfwood replies with ‘Mercy.’

He goes on to further admit that Rollo had become a monster, lost his humanity and even if he didn’t kill him, the man would not return to who he was.

This the starts the first of Wolfwood’s lectures/philosophical debates with Vash about how it isn’t always possible to save everyone and not hurt them.  Vash is someone who is able to say what he wants to see have happen but has no way to implement it in reality.  However, since we are going at a rapid pace there has been no time for Wolfwood and Vash to get to know each other as just friends; their debate both in the anime and manga only happened after they spent some time with each other for it to really show the differences between them.

This is an even more black and white interpretation of the difference between Wolfwood and Vash.  We do get excellent animation of Vash’s own shock here in his eyes which I was very impressed with.  Wolfwood’s facial expressions are a bit more muted in this episode, it seems if he glances to the side that is the most he can do for any sense of remorse/frustration.   Furthermore, it sort of makes it a Vash versus Wolfwood, when in reality it is Vash versus Knives with Wolfwood straddling the middle ground in life philosophy.

The group silently leave the Windmill Village as the wind begins to pick up.  With the sacrificial death of the child born on a windless day, the windmills are all able to spin and begin to light up the ghost town in the night.

Back at Knives HQ, Conrad is informed of Rollo’s death by Zazie, stating that he was killed by another one of them.  The blonde girl states he was Nicholas, but Conrad corrects it to the Punisher.

Which makes it clear that he was involved in the creation of Wolfwood’s current state and abilities. 

The episode then ends and the credits roll.  The first thing I did was double check the credits this time to confirm the blonde girl’s identity since I didn’t think to do so in other episodes if she had made a ‘hrm’ sound or not.  And there at the bottom of the first page she is and she’s indeed Elendira the Crimsonnail.

So, as of this point, Elendira appears to be a young girl, but since Rollo was ‘made’ at least 25 years ago in the current timeline she can appear to be a young girl at the moment.  It also looks like she will not be a trans woman either - unless we get more backstory for her.

It is clear that the terminology for the Gung-ho Guns no longer is a thing in Stampede and they are popping up in a new order.

Rollo is Monev the Gale from the manga and anime.  The whole association with the Windmill Village is more than enough to make that connection as well as the events happening over 20 years ago since the original Monev was imprisoned for ~20 years by Legato.  He shows up to cause total chaos in hunting Vash for Legato taking out lots of innocent bystanders in the process.

In the anime the climax of the action is when Vash shoots off his face shield and almost kills him with his hidden arm machine gun at point blank.  This was such an emotional scene where it is first the we really see Vash almost lose it in the slow build up to this point.

The manga makes it even more dramatic, with the close up on Vash’s face as he holds his long colt to his face as he’d had to break his arm off to escape the handcuffs/chains.

Both tense scenes end with Vash breaking down in tears by thinking about his past relationship and conversations with Rem.  With that we get the total emotional release of all of his anxiety, sadness and fears in a very cathartic scene.

What sort of hero has to hold himself in a hug as he weeps in pure frustration and loss?  It really was a great reveal of how Vash’s own moral compass and code is struggling with the reality of his own circumstances and existence and he does not know what to do. 

However, it doesn’t matter that Vash is compassionate and merciful to Monev, he’s eventually killed by other Gung-ho Guns several days later; crucified of course.

Things to ponder and take away from episode 5.

Honestly, I’m sort of really trying to scrape together my conclusion. In a narrative sense this episode does nothing to advance the plot. Sure, they have some themes that occur but all we did was repeat episode 4.  We introduce that Wolfwood is not good and Vash is good.  Wolfwood chooses violence and Vash does not.  Wow.

Additionally, the lack of inner monologues and thoughts from the characters is making it harder to understand them. Apparently, we are to infer everything from these characters through their actions alone.  Can a TV show do that and succeed? Yes, but Trigun Stampede is not Black Sails.  The original anime and manga have a lot of inner thoughts to show the conflict and issues characters are dealing with and it is completely missing from the story telling in this anime.

Themes:

1.) Religious groups prey upon and use desperate people - this is painfully obvious the entire episode.  Rollo’s unnamed mother is willing to give him up in order to save the town by bringing them wind and salvation from God.  Rollo clearly is questioning his faith and runs off into the desert to save himself - by likely dying from another fate.  The televangelists over the radio started more than 25 years ago and continue to do their work - though Roberto refers to them as a new cult.  In the manga, we know that the ships crashed ~150 years prior to the current events and the Eye of Michael state that they are ~130 years old working in the background for most of the time humans have been struggling to survive on the planet.

It also implies that the Eye of Michael sees no issue with taking unwanted children to form them into tools to achieve their goals - though I wonder if it is actually an independent group like in the manga or something else that Knives created and set into motion in this version?

2.) A pure pacifist cannot make impactful change - Vash convinced Rollo to return to his mother and Rollo wasn’t able to verbally state his own fears to Vash dooming him to his terrible fate.  Vash, you really aren’t a good listener or you can’t read people’s body language after over 100 years?  Vash at least is able to fire his gun again and works hard to defensively fight Rollo shooting at buildings and structures to slow him down or distract him but by not facing him head on, he is going to lose.

3.) Sometimes you have to pick the worst option - this is shown by Wolfwood killing Rollo.  Granted, since Wolfwood is on the same side, it is in his own best interest to kill Rollo to conceal his own identity - though his blunt statements aren’t really helping him to not look like an obvious assassin.  This is most likely supposed to mirror the moral conflict between Vash and Wolfwood when Wolfwood shoots Zazie the Beast in the anime and Vash and him get into a very heated argument about it.  We also have absolutely no context for why Vash refuses to kill in episode 5 nor why Wolfwood feels obligated to kill. 

Stampede is going through the motions, using specific lines and dialogue, but it isn’t working since we really don’t get that feeling that Vash sees all life as sacred.  There is no declaration of this land is made of love & peace.  Or how he freaked out when he shot B.D.N.’s lackeys and had to stop them from bleeding out.  The manga does a good job early on of establishing his no killing rule and the anime takes it to the next level.  Meanwhile, the manga and anime establish Wolfwood as a more compassionate and complex character.

We just have very 1 dimensional characters who seem to do one thing in the plot and that’s it.

4.) The mix of Buddhist & Catholic ideology that underpinned the original work is only at a surface level - Upon my recent watching and reading of the manga, it refreshed me on how the entire series is very much using philosophical and moral arguments that are a mix of Buddhist and Catholic ones combined.  There is the idea of humans by nature existing in a state of suffering and that are naturally born with sin, thus requiring a religious way to deal with that sin.  That Vash struggles to live an impossible moral code and that Wolfwood has crushing Catholic guilt through his own actions and decisions to protect others.  Knives is clearly a fallen angel but that Vash can’t be a hands off sort of distant angel either watching but not doing. 

I’m not here to make any sort of strong religious statement, more that the original work used these to religions as the foundation for the moral and philosophical struggles that the main cast face in the story.  Vash has to actually become critical of his own morals while Wolfwood sacrifices himself not only to save the orphanage but he also saves Livio.  Livio then also learns that despite all the terrible things that he has done is still a person worth saving and caring for and that he too is redeemable and can be forgiven.  Meryl has to learn of her fear and bias toward Vash when he protects her with his angel arm and then accept him as is.  It is just all these things worked well in the story and I appreciated how they were used in the manga and original anime.

Stampede instead is adapting these concepts on the surface level.  Characters are saying similar lines and doing similar actions but that doesn’t mean it replicates the original feelings. 

5.) Missing those dramatic sunglasses scenes - Due to the high octane nature of the action in this sci fi series, I find myself missing the ‘I mean business when I put my sunglasses on’ scenes with both Vash and Wolfwood.  Wolfwood frequently dons his own sunglasses when he has to get down to business or is trying to appear cool and collected.  But when the two of them are less stressed or in non-dangerous situations, they are without their sunglasses.

Escape from Pain is an anime only episode, but it highlights how Vash did his mock kill to allow Julius and Moore to escape.  Wolfwood steps on his sunglasses that Milly slapped off of his face, likely because he himself is upset that Vash upset Milly.  He won’t allow Vash to put them back on to hide his own emotions and look serious when he hurt Milly’s feelings through his fake actions.

Which is then balanced out with the humor where he reaches over, grabs Vash’s gun, pops out the bullets, squeezes it to show it is a rubber bullet before he rapidly reloads it with one, and shoots Vash at point blank range.

I’ve also realized how much I liked Wolfwood’s reveal of his own personal tools in the anime.  You want to take me on, allow for me to show you that I mean business.

Characters, comments & observations:

1.) Vash - continues to be passive; but finally is spurred into feeling some sort of rage when Wolfwood kills Rollo.  He apparently tries to do everything himself and trusts all adults at their word.  However, since this version of Monev didn’t kill and harm countless innocent people, we don’t get the full emotional breakdown of Vash.  This makes it hard for us to connect with his pain and suffering that his personal code has caused him.  It doesn’t make us feel how much of a struggle it is for him to continue to hold himself to his impossibly high standards.  Instead, he just looks sad and passive.  Furthermore, I feel the longer they don’t have him explain his moral code the more muddied it becomes; they missed their chance to have him clearly state “I will not kill!” which is sort of ironic with how blunt the story is otherwise.  This also fails when Wolfwood was a priest and Vash could always give him shit with “Thou shall not kill!” and he actually did not kill. 2.) Meryl & Roberto - do their best as the senior/junior reporter team.  We don’t get a lot of development from them other than that Roberto knows how to scare her and she’s decent enough to find a pristine photo of a younger Vash.  They honestly don’t do anything to advance the plot since they hide during the shoot out and are both info dumping for us.  I’m also starting to get tired of Roberto’s perpetually half untucked shirt look.  I get it, he’s supposed to be messy but can you at least switch between it being the right side, the left side or both?  Instead, it has been consistently the right side for the first 5 episodes when we know they’ve at least had time to clean up a little.  This isn’t a low budget anime from the 80s and 90s where you have no choice but to animate something out of order (I’m looking at you bus in Muder Machine where Wolfwood’s cross is on the top of the bus before they pick him up in the desert). At least the bickering between Meryl and Wolfwood is minimal at best, but they were only together for a short time during the episode.

3.) Wolfwood - is not doing a good job of hiding he’s a trained assassin with similar tools and tricks that Rollo/Monev the Gale had.  We know that some religious organization that worships plants clearly recruited him as a young child and he was subjected to treatments and experiments.  Hopefully, it will at least reveal that he was not directly involved with team Knives.  With the obvious nature of this work, they will likely beat us over the head when we get to Wolfwood’s backstory as an orphan taken into the Eye of Michael and trained to work for them.  However, since he doesn’t seem to be a compassionate and likeable guy trapped between his own unfortunate circumstances, who tried to escape his teacher and therefore those obligations it is hard to feel for him.  He’s just angry, aggressive and bitter lashing out at everyone.

4.) Rollo/Monev the Gale - we only knew you briefly.  This version gave us a new backstory for you.   You are an explanation for Wolfwood’s own background and the technology behind the assassins.  Does this work for me?  Sort of.  Rollo achieves the goal of being someone who knew and trusted Vash in the past to only be hurt by those actions; like Hopper the Gauntlet and Leonof the Puppet Master.  But his character also has to do double duty to explain that there is biotechnology that can turn children into super killing machines by physically altering them, giving them rapid regeneration skills at the expanse of aging them quickly and we know that Wolfwood is using it as well.

What is lost in Stampede’s version is the humanity of Monev the Gale and Vash’s inner conflict to not stoop to the level of killing.  Monev had no issue with killing innocents and lambasts Vash for not fighting him head on, civilians be dammed.

But it is when he’s defeated that Monev begs for his life that his humanity is shown to still be there - despite being forced to train in isolation for 20 years.  Was he a deep character in the original manga or anime?  No, but his own mortality and that realization of his own actions turned the tables on him showed that he still very much had basic human needs and emotions.

Instead, Wolfwood puts Rollo out of his own misery by killing him and we never get to see if he still had those human emotions only by him revealing his real face behind the mask as Vash apologizes.  Which doesn’t have the punch the barrel of a gun to the eye socket does as you cry out for mercy.

My two cents on the rapidly aging sci fi aspect of the story

Anime Wolfwood was a normally aging guy who trained as a child to about adulthood before he fucked off to do his own thing for a number of years, but based on how he acts and looks it is safe to say he’s late 20s to early 30s.

Manga Wolfwood suffers from unclear retcon with a wishy washy timeline for his backstory.  One reading is that he was recruited 6 years prior to the 2 year time skip - so, 4 years before the start of the manga he joined the Eye of Michael when he was 11-ish and did stuff and got shot enough to age him up to mid-20s ish when he first meets the group in the desert.  This very condensed timeline for him means he dies around 17 or 18 at the end since the kids don’t recognize him.  However, there are flashbacks with the young girl who Livio liked and we see her as a clear adult in the manga when Livio protects her implying that they were likely older when they entered the Eye of Michael and started the rapid aging bits.  With this information it means Wolfwood and Livio are in their 20s instead.  I’ve found support for both of these interpretations in the manga so I’m just not going to take one or the other and keep it unclear since it is vague.

Honestly, between these two scenarios, I preferred anime Wolfwood since his actions and words made more sense coming from a normal aging adult than a young kid who sounded so world weary at times it broke my immersion from the story when reading the manga.  But that is my opinion.  I’m not against the idea of him having a regeneration serum that has a karmic tradeoff. It was almost overkill when you realize he was a religiously trained gunman from a young age and trapped by his circumstances.  Tug at your heart strings more that Wolfwood dies even more tragically young. . .

Anyhoo, that took me off course.

Predictions for the future: 1.) Another bad guy of the week for episode 6.  Who will it be?  Who knows? The introduction of all the characters is not the same as the original anime or Maximum so your best guess is as good as mine.  Elendira, Zazie, Livio, Legato, Grey - any of them are possible.  We still have a ways to go to reach July on that map and there is an orphanage at the halfway point.  Does this mean Wolfwood will die by then? 2.) Characters likely dropped.  Dominique the Cyclops, Rai-dei the Blade, Midvalley the Hornfreak.  I very much liked all of them and how chaotic they were.  Oh well, they would seem too campy in this sleek sci fi series.

3.) Moar action!  Move frantically forward with no character development and only action. Action action action.  Please let the story breathe - at least have them stop for donuts?  Or have Vash mistaken for a cat?  Or fight Wolfwood for spaghetti?  You can’t keep up this level of depressing without some humor - that was key to the Vash-Wolfwood dynamic as well.

All in all, episode 5 was weaker than episode 4, which was weaker than the first three.  This episode has not advanced the plot, explained anyone’s motivations beyond that Vash is running away and now sort of heading towards July, that Meryl and Roberto want their story and that Wolfwood has to make sure he gets there.  I’m not sure who the intended audience for this is, but I’m pretty sure I’m not it. 

Studio Orange continues to demonstrate extreme technical skills with their animation but the lack of a coherent understanding of narrative structure, character development and world building are killing this for me.  The story lacks any sort of emotional core or heart.  Just slapping a known series onto 1D characters and making them look pretty.   And without character inner monologues we have to take what characters say at face value when interacting with others.

[ineffable-gallimaufry]

okay lemme go into my current theories on leprechaun romance! because gods i wanna know about this okay

so first. what we know. a) these are the symbols, they're called charms (based off of the lucky charms)

b) charms are fundamentally able to mesh well. leprechauns strive to collect charms with other leprechauns (three or more charms is called a trove) so they have to be compatible.

c) the heart represents classic romantic love, or matespiritship. this is the only symbol we have explained. so i mean, that knocks one of em out of there, we don't have to figure out the heart (well technically they never explicitly say that the heart = <3 i think but it seems like an okay assumption to make okay)

d) the charms and different attractions aren't largely different from eachother, comprising a "spectral continuum of more su8tly varying types of relationships" (a6a6i1p6416) so. this means that they're not that different, which means we should consider that.

e) the charms are "esta8lished in mutual chicanery, such as the exchange of pranks, coy riddles, slapstick shenanigans, and games of chance" (a6a6i1p6416)

f) we don't need to go into the other specifics provided. because those are about procreation and i don't want to talk about that. the only thing that may be helpful is that they all reproduce homosexually.

so with those facts out of the way we can start logically figuring things out. there are nine charms. lets go left to right, top to bottom.

note: as aranea so handily points out, i cannot call these quadrants as there are nine segments! so i will be opting to use the word nonant for each segment of the grid of charms (eg. the gold nonant referring to the section of the grid that contains the symbol for a partnertary relationship)

--------------------------------------------------

heart: romantic love. we got this one. i already said it. we're good.

how this relationship would generally appear: i think you probably know man. it's just like normal dating. you're on tumblr dot com you probably know what dating looks like. i don't have to explain everything to you on my leprechaun romance post.

--------------------------------------------------

moon: a moons relationship comes and goes, sometimes with the cycle of the moon but not usually, it fluctuates intensely

how this relationship would generally appear: so i think normally this would appear as a normal friendship but every once and a while, it spikes in attraction (potentially more pitch adjacent, potentially more flush adjacent, potentially it just is in the form of extreme obsession, it can show itself in other ways too)

--------------------------------------------------

star: stars relationships are based on admiration, intense admiration at that

how this relationship would generally appear: this generally appears in tandem with other nonants but without it we just see two individuals who admire each other very much

--------------------------------------------------

shamrock: this nonant is one based entirely on luck and games of chance with another person.

how this relationship would generally appear: betting on things together and stuff. i think (and i don't know how this is possible) being in a mint relationship can boost your luck?

--------------------------------------------------

diamond: this nonant (sky blue) is kinda like a mixture of kismesissitude and moiraillegance, focusing on both intense friendship (kind of, just mapping it to the applicable human romance/relationships) that involves ribbing and making fun of your friend? it's also about being partners in crime kinda. it's complicated

how this relationship would generally appear: this would be characterized by two (or more) kisplices working together to trick others, be in cahoots (cahoots i say! /ref) with each other, and generally get up to shenanigans and high jinks (different from the bright red nonant coming later because that one involves pranking each other while in a sky blue relationship one works with one's kisplice to prank others) it also involves ribbing, jokes, laughing at each other, and trying to make each other a better version of yourself

--------------------------------------------------

horseshoe: this relationship goes real fast and it's real kinky idk what else to sayyy they're like that

how this relationship would generally appear: this charm, when offered usually leads to a really intense relationship for from a week to a month normally, then mellowing out towards the other aspects of the trove. for example, the common star-hearts-horseshoe relationship would start with an intense horseshoes type relationship before becoming a more star-hearts appearing relationship (though the horseshoes still stays in the trove) ALSO this one meshes with moons really well idk

--------------------------------------------------

balloon: i believe that this one would best go with the "exchange of pranks" due to the balloon being similar to a whoopie cushion.

how this relationship would generally appear: i believe that the best way that this could be characterized is by having the two participants in this relationship play pranks on each other. y'know, putting whoopie cushions on each other's chairs, spraying water on each other with little flowers, giving each other shock gum, etc etc

--------------------------------------------------

rainbow: jigs. all jigs baby. well not ALL jigs it's like being dancing partners! they do jigs very often though

how this relationship would generally appear: going to balls together. dancing together. gaiety and fun all around <3

--------------------------------------------------

gold bag (pot? whatever): this one is basically just a monetary relationship. however the money flows depends, it doesn't really matter

how this relationship would generally appear: so, as described above this doesn't appear in just one way. one partner could be giving the other money, they could share finances, there could be a gold pot they both put money in, whatever

[bulletbilltime]

Pikmin 4 verdict: Ok this is gonna be the best game in the series isn't it

Stray thoughts below:

SPOILERS FOR THE PIKMIN 4 DEMO BELOW

The caves are... actually interesting and well designed?? no more half-assed roguelike random cave attempts (sorry pik2 fans but that game's caves just cannot compete IMO)

That being said... I'm a bit disappointed so far that we're only seeing the same styles of caves as Pik2. They do look gorgeous though, mind you.

Industrial Maze was such a cool cave, simply by virtue of actually having a proper puzzle it's already my favourite cave in the series not named Submerged Castle.

Oatchi my beloved!!! he actually works way better with the game flow than I expected when I first saw him in the trailer. He doesn't feel too overpowered; he's basically an upgradable super pikmin but he doesn't ever particularly feel like he truly outshines the actual Pikmin. (Maybe he could if he gets all the upgrades but

YOU CAN FUCKIN MOVE BASES I'M FSBGFJKSHSAJKDLHS I WAS PRAYING TO THE GODS WE'D GET AN OPENWORLD PIKMIN GAME WITH MULTIPLE BASES AND IF THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE GET I'M FINE WITH IT

The 20 pikmin in the overworld thing might feel super limiting after being used to squads of 100 piks in the previous games... But honestly I think it's a very inspired design choice! It makes it so the early game stuff can still wreck your shit if you're not careful. You can't just easily roll up with a squad of 100 piks on day 3 and destroy everything in your path. It allows for your in-game character to become progressively more powerful which I think is more satisfying in the long run

I love how you don't just automatically get the onion upon finding new Pikmin types. Makes them feel more precious. Basically: the wild pikmin mechanic is really neat! And it could allow for the return of Purple/Whites without feeling too unbalanced.

"Olimar is the fuckin leaf boy" basically confirmed. Question is: what's with Moss? My current theory is parasite pikmin are involved.

And speaking of... the wild pikmin mechanic means we could possibly get overworld bulbmin if they add them... if this happens, I imagine the entire fandom will go nuclear (in a good way)

If you look through the controls, the Form Line controls basically confirms that you will obtain some form of SWARMING as an upgrade!!! C-STICK FANS REJOICE (The text mentions cardinal directions only but I feel like the odds are high that you will be able to actually swarm your crew with this mechanic. I'd say 70-30 odds of it being true. Don't quote me on that. But if true, then fuck yeah)

Honeywisp is back 🥹

Collecting raw material is so much fun, and

I feel like this game is really leaning on fan service, but also manages to balance it with new things to make it feel fresh!

Someone said it felt like all 3 previous games mashed together and yeah I absolutely get that feeling

Very disappointed that they only have the co-op star bits thing. This game in genuine co-op would rule.

So far the music of the game doesn't quite strike me quite as strongly as the themes from the previous games. Hopefully this will change with time.

Is this game like... an alternate timeline to Pikmin 1? Moss was definitely NOT in Pikmin 1, and the story segment seems to hint that Olimar met Moss during that first crash... Giving the "bad ending" theorists more food IMO.......

This game really, really drags out the wait between Y/N landing on the planet and the first Pikmin huh. It felt a bit too much that you went through the first cave before even getting a single pikmin IMO.

I really like the crew in this game!! They're fun, though they do talk a lot and I could see that bothering some ppl.

Honestly I was super disappointed when I thought there were only 6 crewmates to find in the entire game... but then I found the first castaway and I was back to being excited

I like that you have a little base to meet ppl and discuss tasks!

One of the castaways I saved wrote notes on the Treasures I collected. This implies that we will probably get a biologist who will make notes on the creatures 👀

TL;DR: July 21st can't get here fast enough. The 2 hours or so I've played of this game is already my GOTY and it could genuinely challenge for GOAT (game of all time) if it sticks the landing with the rest of the game.

[cloudcountry]

Heheheheehehhehehe

First one to get a sneak peak at my twst persona but anyways RAMBLE YOUR HEART AWAY ABOUT JELLYFISH PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!

i love jelly fish sooooo much <333 their so squishy and pretty trvrtvtbrtvtvr

(Sorry if it looks crap, I had to rush this qwq )

hi shrimpy!! <3 i love your little doodle, its so cute :(( and yes you may have jellyfish facts (i actually painted a jellyfish not long ago!!! it was based on the one in levi's room from obey me LMAO)

let me preface this by saying DO NOT PISS ON A JELLYFISH STING. i don't know who the FUCK told people this was a good idea, but it ISN'T. there is literally no scientific evidence to support this fact NOR is it hygienic so please,,,, do not pee on jellyfish stings.

gonna start off with something you may not like and that is an extremely poisonous jellyfish called the irukandji box jellyfish. its not only the smallest jellyfish in the world, but its extremely poisonous and can leave some pretty nasty scars. PLUS the venom can cause you to bleed from your brain AND feel a strong sense of doom. it really fucks with your head but uhh, it's around australia so really who is surprised?

i'll give you some nicer facts now <3 jellyfish can reproduce asexually!! they do this when they're in the polyp stage. the polyp "strobilates," which is basically the polyp dividing into different segments, aka different jellyfish. the baby jellies detach from the polyp one by one and boom they're off!!

there's a really big jellyfish called the lion's mane jellyfish that looks really pretty

muah muah gorgeous!!

jellyfish has nematocysts, which is the specialized cell in their stingers that contains the venom used to stung their prey. plus, it's not even just jellyfish that have these!! nematocysts can be found in pretty much even cnidaria!! C:

the nematocysts have these little coils threads inside them that are ejected when something brushes up against them. they shoot out immediately its insane. so yeah don't touch a jellyfish???

you can't really talk about jellyfish without talking about the man-of-war. AND I JUST LEARNED IT ISN'T EVEN TECHNICALLY A JELLYFISH??? WHAT THE HELL i'm gonna talk about it anyway SHHH

this thing is so fucked up AND I KNOW IT LOOKS CUTE BUT HEAR ME OUT.

they're made up of a bunch of those polyps i mentioned before, but they have four types of specialized ones. the one of the very top (which is the part that sticks out of the water) allows it to drift on the water's surface very well. the tentacles do their tentacle things while being called "dactylozooids" for some reason (i literally couldnt remember that and i had to look it up HELP ME) they have digestive polyp that consume the organism the tentacles captured obviously and reproductive polyp that do reproductive things.

TECHNICALLY, it's a siphonophore (which is basically a whole of tiny animals working together.) WHICH IS AMAZING because usually i hear about siphonophores in the deep sea???

ANYWAYS feel free to pop in my inbox again for fish stuff, i think i was too specific this time on accident but uhh i got carried away LMAO

[science-sculpt]

DNA Mishaps: When the Script Gets Flipped!

DNA, the molecule that holds the blueprint of life, isn't always static. It's like a library of instructions, constantly copied and passed on. But sometimes, errors creep in, leading to changes in the genetic code known as mutations. These alterations can be small and subtle, or large and dramatic, impacting the organism in various ways.

Imagine you're writing a super important essay, and accidentally mix up the letters. Instead of "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," you end up with "the qick brown foz jmups ovetr te laxy dog." Oops! This, my friends, is kind of what happens in DNA mutations. But instead of an essay, it's the blueprint of life getting a little jumbled. Understanding these changes is crucial, as they hold the key to understanding evolution, genetic diseases, and even the potential for future therapies. Sometimes, due to mistakes during copying or exposure to things like radiation, chemicals, or even sunlight, those A, T, C, and G chemicals get swapped, added, or deleted. It's like the gremlin wrote "foz" instead of "fox."

Let's dive into the wacky world of DNA mutations

Mutations come in all shapes and sizes, classified based on the extent of the change:

Point Mutations: These are the most common, involving a single nucleotide (the building block of DNA) being substituted, deleted, or inserted. Think of these as single typos. One little DNA letter gets swapped for another. Sometimes it's harmless, like mistaking "flour" for "flower" (just add more water!). But other times, like switching "sugar" for "salt," it can completely change the outcome Point mutations can be: 1. Silent: No change in the encoded protein, like a synonym in language. 2. Missense: A different amino acid is incorporated, potentially impacting protein function. 3. Nonsense: The mutation creates a "stop codon," prematurely terminating protein production.

Insertions & Deletions: It's like adding or removing words from a sentence. These larger mutations involve adding or removing nucleotides, disrupting the reading frame and potentially causing significant functional changes.

Chromosomal Mutations: When entire segments of chromosomes are duplicated, deleted, inverted, or translocated (swapped between chromosomes), the impact can be far-reaching, affecting multiple genes and potentially leading to developmental disorders.

More Than Just a Glitch: Mutations can be beneficial, neutral, or detrimental. Some mutations are neutral, like a typo you don't even notice. But others can be like changing "hilarious" to "hairless" – they might have a big impact. Beneficial mutations, like the one enabling lactose tolerance in some humans, drive evolution. Neutral mutations have no impact, while detrimental ones can cause genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia.

Where Do Mutations Occur? Mutations can happen in two types of cells: Germline Mutations: These occur in egg or sperm cells, meaning they get passed on to offspring, potentially impacting future generations. Somatic Mutations: These occur in body cells after conception and don't get passed on, but can contribute to diseases like cancer.

Scientists use various techniques to study mutations, from analyzing individual DNA sequences to tracking mutations across populations. This research helps us understand the causes and consequences of mutations, potentially leading to therapies for genetic diseases and even the development of new drugs.

Mutations are not errors, but rather the dynamic fuel of evolution. Thankfully, our cells have built-in proofreaders who try to catch and fix these typos. But sometimes, mutations slip through. By understanding their types, impact, and study, we gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate dance of life, where change and adaptation intertwine to create the diverse tapestry of the living world.

[heymeowmao]

2023.02.09 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324867349974221640

I’m here again~ Stream for a small, small while~~~

-- Fall in Love LYN: Hallo everybody, good evening. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. Welcome~! LYN: It feels like it’s been a long time, huh? It feels like it’s been a long, long time. And... there was a lot more work than I thought today; I thought I would be able to wrap up early and come to stream but then we ended up finishing the day at 9p. I was thinking if I didn’t stream today, I wouldn’t have the time to later because the schedule will be getting tighter. So I’m still going to stream today. I apologize- I’m going to delay your sleep. But I’m sure the first people to come into my stream are my fans- the people who are more familiar with me. Or, there’s maybe a group of passerby who have a passing interest in me. I’m glad I am able to meet up with you tonight. If you’re sleepy, then go to sleep. If you’re not, then stay up a bit longer.

C: I’m not sleepy. LYN: You’re not? Then, let’s play. We’ll chat. You all know that nowadays they’re saying that young people have social anxiety. Your Ning-ge, me, is one of those people. Wait- why did I use the laughter? Anyway- I have social anxiety- I don’t much like mingling with people at social gatherings. I get shy. I don’t know what to say or do. I’m that type of person. But apparently my reputation online is that of someone who’s a good drinker- the type who chats with directors and producers and shoots back glass after glass of baijiu. I don’t even know who spread that rumor. But really, I have a fear of social situations and am afraid of the gatherings where there are lots of bosses and directors. When I go, I rarely talk at all- I just sit there silently and... eat. A lot of you here might also have social anxiety- lots of young folk have this problem. You don’t like making friends and rarely go out with the ones you have. Just know that at this moment there’s a young fellow called Modern Brothers Liu Yuning on the internet- he is your friend. In the late night, he will chat with you. He will help you pass every lonely night.  LYN: That’s right. You are all my friends, and I hope you think of me as your friend, too. We’re penpals- we may never have met in real life, but we have always communicated online. For example, I’m talking to you now and you’re writing back. That is a type of communication. We’re the very best of friends. LYN: Of course, my stream has a certain style. If I start streaming early then it will be more music-based. But right now it’s- let me take a look at my (invisible) watch- it’s nearing 10p. So now we enter into the Late Night Radio segment. We’ll chat and have a heart-to-heart, and play some quiet music. I’ll play some gentle music for you all, and we can have a nice night.

C: Ning-ge, aren’t we “family”? LYN: Erm... eh... ( stream skips :| ) I said earlier, that many of you are my fans and yet many of you are just passerby. They just see that LYN has some mental illness and started a stream in the middle of the night, so they came to take a look. Some are my antis, squatting in my stream to see if I say anything they can take to use as material to ridicule me. There are a lot of different types of people in my stream, but I treat you all as my friends. At the very least, we’re friends. LYN: As for “family”- let me think, how can I phrase this so that my fans can’t hold it against me- ! Let’s do this. Friends- you’re all young, though I know some of you are older in age. Right? In the future you’re going to face marriage and children, or have children of your own or nieces and nephews. Let me tell you- the best way to communicate with your niece is not to tell her “I’m your senior!” or “I’m your father/mother/grandma!” It doesn’t work that way. I think the best way is to communicate as you would with a friend. They’re your family, but you can treat them as a friend. This will allow them to be more open with you, and feel more comfortable communicating with you and asking for advice from you when they reach the age they start having concerns. We’re like that. Remember this, it really works. C: Ning-ge, then what you’re trying to say is that you are our niece? LYN: ?__? It’s the middle of the night and I’m not sleeping and I’ve even come to stream for you, and you’re taking advantage of me?? What are you doing. What do you want. C: Ning-ge, you’re my husband. LYN: ... You must be new. My old batch of fans- the ones who have been with me from the start- I’ve already weaned them off the notion of calling me their husband. I already told them not to make our idol-fan relationship so superficial. Let’s go deeper than that- we... connect on a spiritual level or at the level of family- slightly more intimate. Don’t call me your husband, that’s too cliche. Also, when streaming I usually kick out the people who call me their husband. But on weibo I don’t have a shortcut to kick you out, otherwise I’d have done it.

C: You Highness, Wei Shao. [Zhe Yao/Prisoner of Beauty] LYN: My name isn’t Wei Shao, it’s Wei Xun. When this drama was announced, so many people were saying, “Hello, Wei Xun.” “I’m looking forward to Wei Xun.” Right, I’m the second son of the Wei family, Wei Xun. My big brother is called Wei Daxun. XD // My big brother is Wei Da Xun, and I’m called Wei Er Xun. But that doesn’t sound nice, so people just call me Wei Xun. It’s like.. this person really likes to drink- they like the feeling of being tipsy (微醺 - wēi xūn). So he gave himself the name of Wei Xun.

LYN: A lot of you are concerned for my foot, you’re asking me how it is. It’s just about fine. I did go to get a check-up recently and the doctor advised that I should remove the supporting boot and start to walk on it, slowly. I shouldn’t run or jump but I can start to walk on it slowly. So I’ve taken off the boot- I can wear my normal shoes now. But the doctor also suggested that I wear high-topped shoes and walk around so that I can help my leg regain its muscle. Actually, I’m recovering relatively quickly. It’s only been about two months now. I broke my foot on 12/9, now it’s 2/9. Two months exactly! I can stop wearing the supports, now. I’ll raffle off all that stuff in the next stream, we’ll skip it for today’s stream. LYN: It still hurts a little when I walk, though. There will still be some pain. When I’m at home it’s not like I will wear the brace all the time, and I’m not wearing it to sleep. At home you’re inevitably going to walk around on it to get stuff, and it hurts a little when I do. I asked the doctor about it, too. What happens if it hurts? They explained it well, and told me that as long as it’s a pain I can tolerate, I can still try to walk on it. If I can’t stand the pain anymore, I should stop immediately. Right now, it’s a little pain that I can handle so I’m walking on it like I normally would. The drama crew has already accommodated me enough- making it so that the scenes I have to shoot early don’t require a lot of movement. At the most I’m walking, but for the rest of the time I am standing still or sitting. All of the scenes that require big movement and the fight scenes are scheduled for later. They’re taking good care of me. But I’m the type of person who... feels sorry to be an inconvenience, so I want to get my leg/foot better quickly so I don’t delay filming any more than I already have.

C: Can you see me typing? LYN: I can see all of your comments, but I can’t reply to each and every one. You just have to pretend that I’m talking to you one-on-one. I know that I’m the only one in my room, but you have to set-up your phone or computer or tv for yourself. Just pretend we’re talking one-on-one.

C: What are the other actors like? LYN: They’re all just average. I’m kidding. I’m relatively more familiar with the crew and actors. There’s Zu’er- we did The Truth and a couple variety shows together so we’re pretty close. Xueqin is also there- she was also on our show (The Truth). Anyway, all the actors are great. We’ve eaten a few meals together already. They’re all great people and the work environment is relatively relaxed. It’s a happy situation!

C: Is there an ancient tower on your head? [t/n: ??] LYN: Friends, even jokes have a limit. Let’s be a little more civilized in my stream, okay? This isn’t any broadcasted variety show or anything, but let’s still be civilized. You can’t just say anything. This is a hat. LYN: My foot’s better now. If you keep making offensive remarks, watch out because I’m going to aim a flying kick at your face. My legs are 113cm long. If I just kick my leg out, I’m sure you’ll fly at least 3m. Watch yourself. Be careful.

- /explains that he’s wearing the wig out of respect to the viewers, because his hair has been in the drama’s wig all day he didn’t have time to freshen up before his stream so it looks bad./

C: You’ve gotten thinner again. LYN: I haven’t. I look the same, I’m just maintaining the weight. I’ll look the same no matter how thin I get, and I can’t gain enough fat anyway. I won’t let myself get fat. But I haven’t really gotten any skinnier.

- /before he came to stream he asked his fan group if they were sleepy in the chat, to see if they were sleepy or not and if he should stream. they all said they weren’t sleepy, so here he is./ LYN: I thought I would come stream a little. I’m afraid you are missing me too much. Also, I boldly told the group that I would stream like normal, and a lot of you were saying “This isn’t like normal!”

C: Ning-ge, have you never caught COVID? LYN: I have never. You don’t need to worry about me.

C: Will there be a concert this year? LYN: You’re very concerned with this issue. The other day- wasn’t there news that I was out eating with Jia Shikai (Yuekai Entertainment)? It was even trending. I’m guessing a lot of people saw that and were thinking, “Look at that. LYN still knows how to do it. He must be signing with Yuekai!” It was nothing. I had a meal with him because he happened to be in Hengdian. A few of his actors are here and some of his artists are in my drama; he happened to invite me to dinner. Since I was there, I could talk to him about my concert. Many of you might not know about my collaboration with Yuekai. My second album is being made with them. My first concert and next concert will also be in collaboration with Yuekai. We were discussing some concert logistics, but we’ll see. There’s no definite. There was also a chubby male there- that’s our Director Deng Ke. He was with us, too. C: The short-haired brother. LYN: XD Our director is very good.

C: Lao-da, you’re trending. LYN: Really? I don’t believe you. Am I worthy enough to be trending?

C: Ning-ge, turn on your blur tool higher. LYN: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!? Are you my fan?? Oh, you’re not? Then it’s fine. LYN: The blur is already on 100- it can’t get any higher! What do you mean “Turn on the beauty filter higher?” it’s already at 100. This is the max, there’s no getting better than this. If you still can’t take it- you’re watching my stream on your phone, right? Get another phone, turn on the BR1 or whatever it’s called- the beauty camera- and watch me through this secondary lens. Give me a double-filter. C: B621 [t/n: idk, it’s a type of camera??] LYN: Yes, I think that’s it. In any case, use it. /rolls his eyes/ LYN: Friends, I’ve just been cyber-bullied!

C: I came from the trending topic. LYN: Welcome. I welcome all of you who came because of the trending topic. I’m glad to be able to spend this late night with you.

--

C: Why won’t you sing? LYN: ... Do I OWE you? I stream just to sing for you, like it’s what you deserve? What do you mean, “Why won’t you sing?”? Why should I? Am I a live-streaming concert, right now? This is time for LYN’s Online Concert, is that it? But you didn’t buy a ticket. LYN: Ok, I’ll sing something. :) -- Be Earnest While You’re Young (意气趁年少) LYN: For that person who asked me why I won’t sing, I have now. This song is especially for you. Now that you’ve heard it you can go to sleep. Go. /makes shooing motions with his hands./ 

LYN: There was a new song released yesterday, too. It’s called 与子成说 (Yu Zi Cheng Shuo). This is the OST for The Starry Love (星落凝成糖). It’s my second time working with Sa DingDing-laoshi. Last time she made me a song, it was “When I Met You (当遇见你)” [Skate into Love OST]. Many friends also like that song. LYN: Actually, this is our third time working together. There’s another one that hasn’t been released yet. It was recorded more than a year ago, but it still hasn’t been released- because the drama hasn’t come out. But I got to work with her again, for which I am very happy. LYN: Also, the director for The Starry Love is Chu Yuibin. I’m sure all my fans are already familiar with him- I’ve already done two dramas with him! The first is my debut drama Hot-Blooded Youth, and the second is The Long Ballad. This is his most recent work, called The Starry Love. I hope you all can take a look when it’s out. Support it, alright? C: So it was Director Chu. LYN: Of course! LYN: There’ll probably be another song released tomorrow. It’s called 微世界 (Micro World). It’s also a drama OST- the drama called Under the Microscope. I think that’s what it’s called- if I remember correctly. It’s an iQIYI drama. That’ll come out tomorrow. The Starry Love, that I was talking about earlier will be out on Youku on 2/16. They’re on different platforms. I’m sure my fans are all wealthy enough to have subscriptions. On 2/14 there’ll be another song called “天光 (Sky Light)” for Chaoyue-meimei’s drama called (The Journey of) Chong Zi.  LYN: It’s soon. I might not have the time to announce it later, because I probably won’t stream then. There’ll be a song called 天光 out on 2/14. It’s another I really like. The opening theme for Chong Zi. This drama will be out on Tencent. Please check out these three dramas. They’re all very good. Thank you. I’m telling you now all three of these will be popular for sure. LYN: Support them all. There are so many good dramas lately, you can watch all of them together. Most of them only release two episodes a day, so when you finish these two, you can move on to those other two. Support them all.

C: Ning-ge, when are your dramas being released? LYN: I want to know, too. I hope they’re released soon and I can be over it. [t/n: over with people asking when they will air.] LYN: As far as I know, none of my dramas will air anytime soon. Watch other people’s dramas first. -- C: Ning-ge, is the hair not pricking your eyes? LYN: This type of 20RMB look is what I’m going for. It can prick my eyes a little, I can tolerate it. -- LYN: Anyway, don’t rush it. They’re all already filmed. It’s just a matter of time before they air. I’m sure it won’t be long now. They have to air, probably all within the year. We’ll just have to wait and see. Do I really have so many acting-fans? You just can’t wait for my works anymore? That makes me... happy. C: When will YNGS air? LYN: When I was talking to the producers they were saying at the end of the year. It’s already in editing now. After it’s finished they’ll make the music, do all the voice overs, and then it will air. I think it will air this year, at least. It’s a very good drama, we filmed a lot for it. C: What about Zi Chuan? LYN: I already told you, don’t ask about every single drama. I’m sure it’ll all air soon. “Soon” meaning in a month or two. I’m guessing after two months they could release at least SOME of it... 

C: What about Zhe Yao? Will you sing the OST for it? LYN: I’ll do my best. I actually did have some time these past few days to stream, but the problem is that I owe too many songs. I went to record one yesterday, and the day BEFORE the day before yesterday. I still owe a lot, so sometimes the reason I don’t stream is because I have other work to do. Tomorrow night I have a brand (L’oreal) livestream. So if you haven’t had enough of me tonight, go watch that stream tomorrow.

--

C: How is the ZY crew? What do you feel when you’re on set? LYN: Um... it’s just a B-level drama, what’s there to say about it? (XD) There’s nothing to say! Right, friends?? LYN: I saw online that people were saying Zhe Yao is a B-level project. There are a few points. First is that it’s B-level. Second is that the ZY drama group is really poor. That there are only 15 outfits for the drama total. Also, a lot of you may know- the producer is Director Deng Ke’s wife. So there are rumors his wife takes other producers around to other drama groups and goes asking if they could borrow scenery and wardrobe, but no one will let them so they came right back. “We’re begging you!” Oh- uh. This voice I’m making is not in imitation of our producer’s. “I’m begging. Could you let us borrow this scenery for a few days? ZY doesn’t have any.”  LYN: /sigh/ First of all, I want to set it straight. The “B-level” project... I find that a lot of people- meaning the people who say nonsense online- they will pretend as if they are an insider in the industry. They speak as if they’re so sure of what’s going on and with a clear understanding. They either pretend that they are an insider or that they are able to access inside information. But the thing is everything they say is just on the side of excessive. It’s like this: they say ZY is a B-level project. If it were from my perspective, as LYN, that’s reasonable. Because LYN isn’t worthy of any better project. I said that myself first, alright?! I’m not worthy. BUT! The Director is Deng Ke and the Screenwriter is Nan Zhen.  LYN: Deng Ke- let’s look at this from an objective standpoint. What projects has he been part of? My Heroic Husband. I’m sure even if you’ve never seen it, you’ve heard of it. From an objective standpoint, he is a director with representative works. And, if I did not hear incorrectly, I heard that MHH had the highest ratings out of any other drama on iQIYI- before it was even aired. And then... as for what he’s been a part of after that I don’t quite remember and I’m not clear on it. But the most recent drama he just wrapped up on is Yu Feng Xing (The Legend of Shen Li). The main leads for that drama are Zhao Liying and Li Gengxin. First off, he’s a director with known projects and secondly, just think about what projects he’s currently working on. Do you really think that dramas that he’s worked on could be considered B-level dramas? Do you really think so? I’m not pandering- this is from an objective standpoint. There’s no way. Directors and Actors are alike, in that if one of their projects gets popular their later projects will only get better and better. He’s just finished with an S-level project and you really think he’ll go back and start another B-level one? In this industry, there’s no way. LYN: Oh? How come it’s lagging. Hold on. My computer has been having issues lately. LYN: So from that perspective only, the second two rumors are completely false. But since I’ve got nothing to do anyway, I will use this as my content for today’s stream and tell you about the fun things of this industry. So that you can better understand it. My fans think of me as their friend. I am only a friend who happened to make it in entertainment, so if I encounter fun/interesting stories, I’ll tell you all about it.

LYN: Let’s see.. the second thing was that our drama was going around to other dramas and asking to borrow wardrobe, but they didn’t give us any. The fact that they were able to say this at all means that the person who created this rumor is not a part of this industry at all. AT ALL. Do you know why? /sigh/ Guzhuang dramas are not the same as modern dramas. All of the guzhuang clothes need to be fitted. Or course, modern clothes also need to be fitted to certain standards- theres the S/M/L/XL conventions. Guzhuang clothing isn’t like that. Fittings are dependent of each individual’s height and proportions, including shoulder, waist, etc. There are MANY measurements that need to be taken. Because guzhuang clothes need to fit closely to the body, in order to look neat in the camera. There are so many layers of clothing that if just one of them doesn’t fit correctly, it’s going to look lumpy and off in the camera. Other than the background actors, most of the main and even supporting cast all have fitted clothing. They’re all custom made. There is no guzhuang drama that will borrow clothes from a different drama, except for if you’re borrowing background actor’s clothing. If you ask if the capital for making the clothing is high, it’s not very. The design part is more expensive. So saying, there is no drama crew that will be lacking the money for one or two outfits. With guzhuang clothing, especially for the leads but even for supporting characters, there is no way of borrowing. Because all the clothes are custom-made to fit. You’ll know later. Oh no- you won’t know, because you’re not a part of this industry. It just doesn’t happen. It’s not as if this article of clothing is a size “XL” and it will fit on someone who is 185, 187, or 189. The shoulder width, sleeve length, circumference of the waist, leg length- all of these are measured in thorough detail. There’s no way to borrow clothes because everyone’s heights are different, so how could they?! If I get a borrowed outfit the sleeves are going to be short. I’m acting as a general after all, how would that look good?? - /Zhu Xudan has entered the chat./ LYN: So that’s why the concept of borrowing clothes is a little unreasonable. People will pretend to know how this industry works but actually they’re just saying nonsense. LYN: Isn’t that right, ZXD?? Have you ever heard of one drama borrowing clothes from another drama?? No, right? ZXD is also a seasoned actress. Right?

LYN: What else was there- that our crew was begging to borrow scenery? Saying, “When you’re done with this set, could you let us borrow it to film for a day? We’re begging you. ZY is poor. Could you-” LYN: Oh, she (ZXD) left? It doesn’t matter. LYN: “ZY doesn’t have funding. Could you let us borrow your sets to film on?” Of course, I’m only saying it like that because I imagine that when you’re begging for something you’re going to make yourself seem lowly. That sounded pitiable, right? LYN: Let me tell you about this, because what they’re referring to is that we asked the Xiang Si Ling (相思令/Everlasting Longing) drama if we could borrow scenery. As far as I know, XSL is a xianxia drama. I think it borders on the line of fantasy. For example, if I were in that drama chatting with Xiao Qiao, I’d say,”Let’s go to chat near the gates of the zenith!” “I see the weather near the Southern Heavenly Gate is not bad. Let’s go take a walk.” “Marquis Wei will take you around. This is zuixiantai- many immortals often jump from here.” /sigh/ Do you think that would work?? Does it make sense? The two dramas aren’t even of the same genre, how could we ask to borrow scenery? Not even genre, it’s not even of the same era.  LYN: “This place is called zuixiantai. I’ve seen many immortals jump from here. Let’s try as well. I hear that after you jump it will turn back time and return your youth. Let’s meet again in our second lives, ok? What do you say?” “Every time we feel ill and that we will separate, let’s jump. We will definitely be together in our next life.” This drama will be called “Three Lives, Three Worlds: Bending at the Waist for You”. LYN: So there’s no way we could borrow scenery. It’s not even the same material, so how could we. This is total nonsense. I don’t even know- who did ZY offend? I don’t know why we’re being targeted like this. It’s not easy. Honestly, we’re not a big project- we’re just a crew that wants to focus on our filming and make a good product. We’re being dedicated and putting our all into it- stop messing with us. At least wait for the drama to air, first.

LYN: I’ve heard about the ZY novel or something, a long time ago. I heard that there would be this drama adaptation. It was a long time ago. But the problem is that.. I find this so mysterious. At the time there are always the rumors of who will be cast . At the time I... let me think... ok, I don’t have to make it about myself. At the time, it didn’t really seem like anyone CARED about this drama. Even though it’s a great drama, everyone was just sitting on the sidelines. No one wanted to be involved, and they were refuting the rumors of casting left and right.  LYN: It really is a good product, though. That’s why I chose it. I saw the script and I really liked it, so I accepted the role. When I was chatting with the director- before I had officially signed on- he had just introduced the character to me. I had never read the novel before, but as he was describing the role to me, I found myself really liking it. Then later when I received a copy of the script I thought to myself that I must accept it.

LYN: There’s something else- I saw the tabloid say that LYN wants to be the male lead of a certain drama and they didn’t want me. They decided to choose another outstanding actor. I don’t know if you saw that one? Uh.. I think it’s like this. It’s fine to mention me in association with a drama before it’s even started filming. That’s ok. It means you think highly of me. But there’s no need to mention me AFTER FILMING HAS STARTED, just to boost the drama’s publicity, don’t you think?? It’s like, “This drama’s casting has been settled already, and- just letting you know- LYN isn’t worthy.” /sigh/ LYN: It’s fine though. Because I really like the drama crew and its producers. They’re all familiar people and they treat me well. So it doesn’t really matter that I wasn’t chosen for the role. But the thing with these blogs is they like to string their own stories, putting it out there as if they have real insider information. There’s really no need to do this. It’s... forget it, I won’t comment. LYN: These blogs are making it out as if they’re insiders, which really makes me want to create my own blog. I’m not in it for the money. I just want people to know the truth behind the nonsense these tabloids are spouting. 

C: Ning-ge, you can. LYN: There’s no need. I have a drama to film, I’m not going to make a tabloid. LOL. Why is it that my life goal somehow changed into turning into a tabloid?? I’m not going to- there’s no need. People will always turn into the person they hate the most, is that it?

LYN: You know, there are also a lot of blogs that say “LYN is just internet famous, what right does he have to play a male lead?” There are a lot of those types, trying to create their own traffic. But the thing is... you’re just a little tabloid blog now, but later when you have enough fans, you’re also going to turn into an “internet famous” blog. Then we’ll be the same. So I just want to say... just don’t look down on yourself, later.

--

LYN: Oh? Why is it lagging again? What’s wrong with this?? Why is my computer glitching so much today. What’s happening... /checks that everything is working again/ Alright. - /fills the silence with laughter/ LYN: What- did the beauty filter drop for a second? It’s fine, it doesn’t matter. Is it okay now? But now MY screen is frozen.  C: The filter dropped. LYN: It’s okay! We’re all friends. You’ve already seen all my ugly photos online, that one second isn’t going to make a difference. LYN: What’s wrong with my computer today... C: It’s time for the computer to be raffled off. LYN: That’s not necessary. I guess it’s been too long since I streamed on it. This means that I should stream more often, is that it? “Ning-ge, it’s because you don’t stream regularly, so that’s why your computer is like this.” Alright. I’ll try my best. // I can do it. How about this. The next time I jump off of zuixiantai I’ll take my computer with me, in the hopes that it can be reborn.

LYN: But anyway, there are a lot of things on the internet that will try to sway your opinion.Don’t believe everything they say. It’s not like they know. I mean, how could a drama crew ask to borrow scenery... it’s weird, but whatever. For me as well, a lot of people say that I’m ugly, right? Okay, I admit I look just average. For me, my fans probably think that I’m handsome no matter what I do- you’ve got to understand them. It’s like if you have a baby- no matter how ugly they are, they’re still your baby. You’re going to think that your child looks the best. It’s that simple. My fans also think this way. But as for me, I don’t think I’ve ever gone around praising my own looks, have I? I’ve never said that I was handsome. I’ve never said that I was good-looking. Right? I haven’t said it! C: You’re very handsome! LYN: Thank you. It’s not important. What I wanted to say was that I know that I have faults. I know that in terms of appearances, I’m particularly outstanding. I guess “fault” is not the right word here- it’s not like I’m lacking anything. I have two eyes and a nose. But I have shortcomings when it comes to appearance and as an actor that’s one side. The other side is making the way for yourself, which is, to have a business mindset. I’m not good at that- because I’ve also never pushed for my own acting skills. But I do know that if I am lacking, then I have to put in that much more hard work to that my other merits can make up for where I lack. There’s not much more I can do to help my face, so I hope that I can improve my business mindset. I don’t want to say that I am hard working, only that I know what I should be doing. So it’s alright if people online are calling me ugly and whatnot- it’s nothing to get worked up over. Beauty is subjective. Ugly or not. Handsome or not. None of that matters. For actors... other factors are more important.

LYN: The thing I see most often is “LYN is too ugly. I can’t accept him playing in a gu-ou (guzhuang-idol) drama.” /laughs/ When I hear that, I just want to say: I’ve never acted in a gu-ou drama! Which one of my dramas has outright said that it was a gu-ou? When they gave me the script, they never told me. Like with YNGS- when I got that they told me it was guzhuang-fantasy. They didn’t tell me it was a gu-ou drama. ZY also- it’s just “a story adapted from a novel”. But why is it that after you find that I am a part of it you believe that it’s a gu-ou?? Why is that? LYN: YNGS, after experiencing it- I firmly believe it should be counted as a documentary. It documents the growth of a group of youngsters and records their encounters and relationships on their way to achieve a certain goal. That’s a documentary, it’s not a gu-ou. it’s a road film.   LYN: I don’t think any of the dramas I’ve signed with have outright labelled themselves as a guzhuang-idol drama. At least when I got the script, no one ever told me, “Yuning, the drama you’ll be coming to shoot is a guzhuang-idol drama.” They never said that. How about this- if a director, producer, or company comes to ask me about participating in a drama, as long as they mention the words “guzhuang-idol”, I promise you I won’t take part in that drama. I guarantee you. I’ll reject them on the spot. Alright? Because I’ve never said I was going to shoot a gu-ou, so why are you all saying that I have?? What I’ve filmed is a documentary! - /rants about it some more, because he’s been wrongly accused (for filming a gu-ou) AND insulted (called ugly)/ LYN: So the next time someone says, “LYN is so ugly, why is he playing in a gu-ou?” please ask them, “Which one of his dramas is a gu-ou?” Ask them for me. Then, if they reply, just baidu the name of the drama- each one has an introduction. Let’s see which one has “We are shooting a guzhuang-idol drama” in the description. None of them will. 

C: What about a modern-idol drama? LYN: ... I’ve never seen one. I haven’t seen one and I haven’t been a part of one. LYN: (bc the stream froze a little again) There’s something very wrong with this computer...  LYN: BYOL is a workplace drama; it talks about daily life things. But when I accepted the role in BYOL, no one told me it was a modern-idol drama. Those words never came out of the director or producers’ mouths. I’d like to guarantee to anyone who still can’t accept my look that if a director or producer comes to me with a drama and even slightly mentions the words “guzhuang, idol”, I will not accept that role. I will protect your eyes, alright. I’ll take care of your eyes and your emotions. If they mention it’s a “guzhuang-idol” drama I will reject them. I promise you. This is the last kindness LYN can give you. 

C: What about a youth-idol drama? LYN: That’s even harder. I’m not young anymore, friends. Didn’t I tell you that a drama came to look for me, asking me to act as a fresh college graduate and I hesitated? They wanted this old face to play a college graduate? It’s a little difficult. Even though in my heart I am childish enough to be a kindergartener, my face can’t hold up to a college graduate. LYN: Right now I can only play as a simple middle-aged man. But if you want me to play a real youth- I probably can’t participate.

C: Ning-ge you should get a facelift. LYN: /sigh/ The fact that you’re able to say such a thing means that you have a big sense of humor. You might THINK that you’re very funny. But because you said that- when I hear someone’s words I can infer certain details- the first thing I notice is that you must consider yourself to be funny. Secondly, you must not know very much about cosmetic surgery. If you still call it a “facelift” then that means that you still don’t understand how much cosmetic surgery has progressed. Nowadays it’s all about the Thermage. LYN: The other day I saw someone mention me in a comment, that they saw in one of their friend (who is a beauty blogger (?))’s videos that I was recommending people for the Thermage in my stream. I said, “I did not!” and they ended up sending me the video. I was chatting in my stream, saying I had done Thermage treatments- I was just sharing!- and apparently the people who offer these treatments have cut that part out of my video and are spreading it around to promote and find customers. It’s not as if Thermage has given me any payment for such a promotion, so how infuriating is that? I was speechless. But it’s fine. It... doesn’t really matter.

LYN: But anyway, if you see anyone ridiculing my looks or cursing at me, don’t get worked up. It doesn’t matter. It’s easy to curse at me, because I don’t have any representative works. I know that very clearly. Cursing at me is normal. They all say that I’m not worthy of doing this or doing that, and it’s all normal. In this industry, you need to have some representative project or work in order for people to acknowledge you. Or, when you want someone to acknowledge you, you have to have proof of your worth. But for me, as an actor, I don’t have such a thing. It’s not that I don’t have ANYTHING, it’s just that it’s not enough. Because I’ve never acted as the main lead before, so a lot of people don’t acknowledge me. That’s okay. LYN: Sometimes when people curse at me, I’m grateful. I’m going to explain this in a joking matter, to share with you. When people curse/yell at me I’m happy because there are a group of people who will stand up for me. They might not be my fans, but it’s possible that they’ve seen me act before. They will consider my acting in light of what they have seen of me in my dramas and comment, “Actually I’ve seen him act as OOO, and I think....” They will express their own opinions. The roles I’ve acted as can protect me and help those who want to stand up for me. The only problem is that these roles are all supporting roles. Hei Yanjing is a role many people like. Hao Du, as well, is a well-liked character and I’m thankful for them. Even Bai Choufei- there are people who like him, too. If you haven’t really grasped the character, it’s hard for people to defend you as an actor. I understand this, so I’m not in a hurry. I’m just going to silently film for my dramas and diligently do my own work. One day, I hope, I will gain the recognition from this group of people.

LYN: I’ve been very clear on my path from the start, so all of you can rest assured. I started off as a streamer on the side of the street, just singing. Everyone said I was just internet famous. I called myself a singer, and people refuted, “What type of singer are you? You’re just internet famous. You don’t share the same path as a singer does. There’s a barrier.” That’s what they told me, as if they knew the path well. I didn’t argue. It didn’t matter, because I had nothing to show for myself. I didn’t say anything, and just released song after song like crazy. I released OST after OST. Until now. Normally speaking, you won’t find anyone who says I am not a singer, now. You’ll rarely hear someone say that “LYN is not a singer”; and there are still those who say, “LYN? He’s not a singer, he’s just internet famous.” That’s okay. But the majority of people have acknowledged that I am a singer, by now. Why? Because I’ve sung too many drama OSTs, and I thank the drama for letting these OSTs be heard- so they KNOW I’m a singer. The only reason they acknowledge me as a singer is BECAUSE I have all these OSTs to prove it. LYN: When I first started off in this industry, people said “What? A singer? He sings so badly, he must be relying on his face.” XD “He can’t sing. He’s just an internet famous guy. There’s a barrier between the internet famous and singers. He must be here because of his face.” People really said that! I’m not giving myself a bias or calling myself handsome. That’s really what people were saying. They said my singing was no good and I got into this industry by relying on my face. Now I’ve started acting and they say my face is no good. It’s strange. But that’s not the important part. LYN: I’m a singer who’s jumped into another career path and have started acting. It’s normal that people won’t acknowledge me, but that’s not important. I’ve already had a successful experience. They said I was just internet famous so I released so many songs they had no choice but to acknowledge me as a singer. Now I’m a singer who wants to be an actor, so I should just keep acting until one day they’re forced to admit it. At this point, it’s enough for me to keep accepting roles and take each one of them seriously. I hope there will come a day people acknowledge me as an actor, too.

LYN: There are people who say “LYN, as a singer, why have you turned to acting? Just keep being a singer.” The people who say this are probably fans of actors. Their idols are probably actors, and they don’t want me- a singer- to enter the acting world and stir the waters. The problem is... aren’t there also a lot of actors SINGING at all these galas and events, too? Right? Everyone is the same. Actors sing at these events... which means they’re taking jobs away from singers. XD We’re all the same. It’s all the same industry. A lot of actors are turning into hosts, which mean that hosts are out of jobs, right? It’s the same. Don’t care too much. As long as someone likes the profession and has enough passion to take it seriously, I think that’s enough. LYN: I’m not saying that I’m so amazing; I still need to work hard. I just think it’s not necessary to differentiate in such a manner. If singers aren’t allowed to act, then why are actors allowed to sing? Why is that?? Also, aren’t a lot of actors and celebrities nowadays coming to try be internet famous? They’re all starting to stream and sell products, aren’t they? Isn’t it all the same?? If I were a Streamer, could I say, “What are all you celebrities up to, trying to steal our work? It took so much effort to be a famous streamer, so what are you celebrities doing just coming in as you please and taking over?? Can’t you just focus on your acting???” As a Streamer, that’s something I can say, right? That’s why, this (the hard lines people draw between professions) is nothing.

LYN: What people choose to do is their own choice, and whether you like to see it or not is your own problem. We’re actually all the same. // As long as you like something and are able to take it seriously, just do it. It’s just like going to college- you choose a major and then when you graduate, do you HAVE to go into a related profession? I believe that many of you are not currently working in a profession related to what you specifically studied in university. [//] It's your choice which path you take in order to make a living for yourself. As long as you can do it, it’s okay. Other people don’t have the necessity (right) to make a comment.

-- break #1

C: You can add the new video to your lineup. LYN: Yes, I saw that there was a new one. I just didn’t have the time to download it. Today’s stream was a little last-minute and I didn’t make any preparations or clean up my computer, so it’s acting up today. It’s fine. I’ll stream a lot more regularly later, because this drama is only 36 episodes so we probably won’t film too much. Unlike YNGS- where there was lots to shoot. There are less scenes for this drama. Also, there aren’t too many fight scenes. There are some, but not that many. YNGS had a lot of fight scenes, so the filming schedule was tight. This drama will be better on that front (less fight scenes).  LYN: It’s already late night, so if there’s anything you want to chat about we can chat. Let me sing you a song first, and then if you have anything you want to ask we can do a little interview. You can use this time to think about any questions you want to ask me, alright? / Let me sing a song. What should I sing... C: Micro World. LYN: It’s being released tomorrow. You want me to sing it live during my stream, so I leak the whole song? The platform hasn’t even released it yet, but I sing it first?? That’s strange. It’s like I go to monitor YNGS editing and secretly record a bit of it to post online. You want me to leak it?? C: Liu Yao. LYN: Oh, that song? Maybe next time. I don’t think I’m in the greatest condition to be able to pull off singing that song. Let me see if 笑红尘 is on here. I have the accompaniment, but not with me- I’ll have to get it on the usb. Looks like this doesn’t have it... - /hums a little without accompaniment/

C: I want to hear 危险派对 (Wei Xian Pai Dui - Dangerous Party). LYN: YOU’RE dangerous. How does this song go? /plays it/ Oh, it’s rap. I’m not very good at rap. // The only rap I know is (座右铭 - Motto)- “Laoban, are you there? Give me a glass of grape juice~ With ice.” - /starts in with (他在乎 - He Cares)/ “Hi- I’m God. For real, I’m not kidding. Your body’s already dead, sorry. ” LYN: I only know these types of rap. C: What the heck is that? LYN: Em.. it’s not important. If you haven’t heard it, that’s okay. 

LYN: Hm.. what should I sing? Oh! Let me see... -- 无问 (Don’t Ask) LYN: I heard this song a few days ago and thought it was nice. I’m not very familiar with it though, so I just hummed it for you. I put on these glasses so you all know this is a song from a familiar singer. (Mao Buyi)

C: How about a rap song? LYN: I’m really not any good at it. The type of music I like is more- /starts singing 爱如火/. C: Qilin (麒麟) LYN: I only know those few lines. Let’s try it, then. You all already know I only know those few lines, so. Let me wear some shades, to fit the look. /puts on some tinted shades/ How’s this? Do I look like a rapper? LYN: This is really suitable for sleeping. You can listen and go to sleep straight after. -- 麒麟 (Qilin) - /out of breath, his computer froze again and it’s bugging him/ C: It made me sleepy. LYN: Are all the songs you listen to before sleep so raucous? How much sleep are you lacking, that listening to this song would make you sleepy?

--

C: What time are you heading out tomorrow morning? LYN: I have a notice from the ZY crew, do you want to buy it from me? I also have reuters for LYN, do you want to buy them? If you’re willing to spend the money, then I’ll sell you a copy. If you need reuters, I’ll send you a selfie. It’ll even be a better picture than most leaked ones out there, too. As my fan, you don’t need to shop the pictures either. You don’t have to worry that I’ll send you an ugly picture- there’s no way I’d do that. How’s that sound? You still want to buy them? Add my WeChat later and we’ll talk. LYN: It’s just because people are worried that I’m staying up too late and I’ll be tired tomorrow. Tomorrow will be fine- we’re shooting a big scene. Not too many lines, I just need to be in a good condition. I already looked at tomorrow’s script.

LYN: Am I trending, friends? Really? /side-eye/ I don’t believe you. I don’t believe it, let me go take a look. // Oh, I am. I see it. #37. It’s my honor, to be able to be trending just for streaming. I’d like to thank everyone watching right now for flattering me. Of course, thank you to weibo as well. This is awesome. Normally, I’m not worthy of trending. I don’t deserve it!

C: Why am I not sleepy? Because it’s LYN! LYN: Just seeing me energizes you? :D

C: Sure enough, it’s all about the face. LYN: How strange. Don’t mention the word “face” to me. I’m seriously anxious about my looks. My name is Liu Jiao Lu. (焦虑)

LYN: I’m trying to find any comments with CONTENT.

C: I saw him today. He is still him. So happy. My upset feelings have once again been healed. Thank you, Liu Yuning. LYN: “upset feelings have once again been healed”...

C: I saw a bit of LYN’s stream. He’s too funny. I couldn’t even contain my teeth (?)- he has too many jokes. LYN: Hey- how’s my imitation of you? Is it similar?

C: I knew that LYN’s singing is very good, but is it only because of his appearance and height that I have good feelings for him? I saw so many full-body pictures of him before. That appearance and physique! Amazing~ LYN: Do I sound like you?

LYN: Let me find another one! :D Let me see if there are any that are more...

C: I always come to listen to the lullaby of Qilin late at night. This time it seems like he was able to follow along some more, so he’s improved. LYN: Does that sound like you??

LYN: /scrolling/ I’ll be done in a sec... /giggles/

C: Liu Yuning. It’s been five years and you are still you. You haven’t lost yourself, and that’s so nice. Our promise is still there. We sent you into this complicated entertainment industry, so we will be responsible for you until the end. We’ll always be here. We’ll always love you. Let’s fight together to make the things other people told us we weren’t capable of a reality!

LYN: This one. This sounds a little more elegant so I’ll pair it with some bgm. C: I love that LYN streams like this. Sing a song. Chat a little. We can ask him mundane questions, and LYN will share with us some happiness from the entertainment industry that we know little about. It’s just that simply. We can pass the time happily. Watching the time pass with LYN is a kind of happiness.

C: From refuting his rumors about himself at the start to telling us all about his experiences in getting to where he is today. In a moment I was reminded of Bai Choufei, who sat on the roof and proclaimed that he wanted to reach the sky. LYN, you’ll be popular for sure! LYN: Wait- why are you laughing? How could you laugh at my fans? Only I can do that! Only I am in control of everything and can laugh at my own fans. Who allowed you to laugh?? // Only I can laugh at my own fans. LYN: I didn’t read this comment because I wanted to make fun of it. I just wanted to say... I’m jealous of you. For being able to experience so many things while watching my stream. I feel like I’m Bai Choufei, standing on that roof. LYN: Hold on, I’m going to look up his lines. Let me see if I can find them. // There aren’t any (online). - /comments filled with BCF’s lines, because the fans remember/

--

LYN: Thank you for spending another new year with me. At this time I’d like to wish you healthy and happiness. Happy New Year!

C: Ning-ge, you’ll be hot this year for sure! LYN: Actually it’s not important if I’m hot or not. // Wait- I’ll be “hot this year for sure”... that means I’m not hot now, is that it? I’ll admit it. LYN: I don’t particularly mind if I’m popular or not. What’s more important is that I have work to do and am able say I did something with my life later on.

- /updates about the progress of his foot again, for those who’ve come in late. (he can start walking on it without the support in order to regain the muscle/function back.)/ LYN: Through this experience I’ve found out- you know how a lot of people say they wish their legs were thinner? Let me tell you, if you don’t walk and just lie on your bed all day your legs are definitely going to get thinner. Because all the muscles will have wasted away. So these days I have to wear more sensible/stable shoes and slowly walk. 

C: What about the interview? It hasn’t happened yet. LYN: Alright, let’s interview. I’ll chat with you a little longer before I sign off. I said earlier that there would be an interview segment, so if you have any questions that you want to ask me you can type them into the comments. We’ll move into the ~Late Night Live-stream Radio~.

LYN: Friends, I welcome you to the Modern Brothers Liu Yuning Radio. On this beautiful night you have me here to keep you company. --bgm: 都是夜归人 (Living by Night)

C: Ning-ge, have you settled on your next variety show? LYN: I have to set my varieties, too? "You’re just a singer, so just sing your songs. Why do you have to be on variety shows?” Right? // No. I haven’t decided on any, because I don’t actually have any resources on the variety show front. LYN: My makeup’s coming off.  LYN: But anyway, no variety has come to look for me. Probably because they haven’t started up just yet. When they do, I expect a couple will inquire. The other thing is in the previous years there have been quite a lot of variety shows that invited me to take part. Not because I’m popular, but it was out of politeness. They’re thinking “LYN is pretty sad, let’s give him some work to do.” Some have invited me, but I didn’t go because I was shooting the drama and I didn’t have time. There’s a limit to how many variety shows I can accept in a year. I’ve set it so that I can accept only one. This year I’m saving that spot for The Truth, the caveat being if there even will be a second season or not. If I have enough time, I will also save a spot for a music-variety show. C: Is there a second season of The Truth? LYN: I don’t know. I hope there will be. That is... it’s better if there is, isn’t it?

C: Do you have venues for your concert? - /sets it up so he’s interviewing himself./ LYN: Yes, I have been in talks about my concert. If I am able to hold on this year, there would be about 10 stops. LYN: (about the “interview” design) /laughs/ This is going to tire me to death. XD Forget it. LYN: /continues normally/ IF the album goes smoothly, I will probably hold a concert. Let’s not rush it. I do just want to say though, to all my fans. Please don’t create any false conceptions. All of you are typing in the comments, “When is LYN holding his concert???” You’re making it seem as if my tickets would even sell out. If you create this misconception and then later I’m not able to sell any tickets at all, I’ll be very sad. Please don’t do this to me. Just let things happen naturally. C: No way! We’re afraid we won’t even be able to GET a ticket. LYN: Normally I would hold my concert in a venue that can hold 10,000 people. But there’s no way to fill all the seats, right? So I’ll sell 7k-8k tickets. How can you not get a ticket? I’m not that popular. I have self-awareness, alright? There’s no way I can sell out all those tickets so you don’t have to worry. You’re making it seem like my concert is so hard to get tickets for. Please don’t create this misconception. LYN: Also, it’s not like I’ll only have one show, right? Because it costs a lot to rent a venue and using it only once seems like a waste. So... you can figure it out.

C: Ning-ge, when your dramas finish airing the tickets will be even harder to attain. LYN: What do you mean? That since I’m an actor and after a few dramas more people will get to know of me? They saw me in one of my acting roles and have accidentally started to like me, so then they will want to come to my concert and therefore tickets will be hard to buy? Stop trying to trick me. LYN: But each concert is held for a couple of rounds. The last time was six rounds. That’s around 60k seats- how could you not get one? Don’t make it seem like I am very welcome. Don’t give me that misconception. I’m going to start drifting. The only reason Ning-ge is able to keep afloat in this industry is because I am aware of my own limitations. Otherwise I would have entered this industry, shot my first two dramas and then started accepting male lead roles. But I didn’t. I did several supporting roles before I even tried. I have self-awareness.

C: Student-fans can’t come, LYN: You mean to my concert? It’s okay. You can come after you graduate. Wait until you’ve graduated and have a job and are making money. It’s alright if the student-fans can’t come. Later in life you’ll grow up to be an even better person and have a steady income. At that time you can come to see my concert. Because going to a concert isn’t cheap- honestly. I understand. First of all- buying the ticket itself is an expense. And then, if you’re working, you have to ask for a day off and that means you’re losing out on your pay for that day. Then whether you’re taking the bus, train, or plane here- it’s all ground expenses. And it’s not like when you come to the concert you’re coming in for the day and leaving that night- no, you’re going to have to live in a hotel or something. Those are all expenses; watching a concert costs a lot. Some people might think it’s only a matter of buying a ticket, but it’s not like that. People coming in from out of the area have travel, lodging, and meal expenses. That’s all money. So, if you can’t come it’s alright. Wait until school is over- I mean, until you graduate.

C: I’ve saved up enough money. Now I’m just waiting for you to hold it. LYN: That’s alright for you, but a lot of others haven’t saved up yet. So why doesn’t everyone go online tomorrow and buy a piggy bank. Start saving up now. Then when the time comes for ticket sales, you can just break the bank and you’ll have the money. C: Raffle and win a piggy bank. LYN: That’s not necessary. C: Do I have enough time if I start saving now? LYN: Yeah. I’m going to be shooting this drama for at least four months; it’s only just started. It’s enough time. Save up slowly. C: I have money. LYN: I told my friends that I was going to hold a concert and to start saving up money. Get a piggy bank to start saving up so that you’ll have the money to come see me after. And someone said, “I have money.” What did you say that for?? Are you trying to show off your wealth? If you’re going to be like that, then the next time you watch my stream should watch with your phone in one hand and your house deed, car license... and rv license (your assets) held tightly in the other. If you’re married you can watch my stream while wearing your dowry. Hold you phone in your left and and wear all your bracelets and gold from your grandmother’s house on your right. Golden necklace, gold bracelets and rings. You’ll have money. Really impressive.

C: Ning-ge, is there a discount for students? LYN: You think you’re amusing? Is there a discount for students... um I don’t think we have that business model. There’s nothing that says if your height isn’t over 1m that you get a ticket for half-price, either. There’s no such thing here.

C: Ning-ge, is the 5RMB coupon for your concert that you gave earlier still effective? LYN: Yeah. If you have that coupon and you want to go buy my concert ticket, you’ll all get a 5RMB discount. But you can’t stack them- you can only use one per transaction. But this coupon probably won’t be effective on the ticket sales website, so bring it with you to the concert. Then later you can pick up 5RMB on your way out, in cash. Alright? How does that sound? You’ll buy the ticket at original price first  and then after you’ve finished watching the concert we’ll reimburse you 5RMB. C: I don’t have one. LYN: If you don’t have one then sorry, you’re going to have to spend an extra 5RMB to watch my concert.

C: Can you come to Shandong? LYN: No problem. LYN: Last time did I have a stop in Shandong, in Qingdao? I don’t remember. I forgot where I went the last time. If I have enough stops I’ll probably definitely make it to Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing. Maybe Chengdu or Chongqing. The cities where there denser populations. We;ll see. Xi’an will probably have one. But we’ll have to see. The topic of the concert has come to a head, let’s chat about something different now. If you keep asking me about the concert, later if there’s a very good project that comes to find me do you want me to accept it or not? There were people earlier who kept asking me if I had accepted any future projects yet or not. I’m not doing that well. I’m not strong enough to be working on one project and having the next one already lined up. Do you think I am- other people?

LYN: I really take picking dramas seriously, and I have a lot of other people help me look over the script and character. We’re picking through them thoroughly, and the ones I end up choosing are- in my opinion- the good ones. It’s hard to find a good one that’s also suitable for me. If I wanted to keep filming (continuously), I can. I’m able to do that, but my choices are... I’m pretty picky, I guess. It’s not that I can be picky because I think I’m amazing, but because I want to be respectful of the acting. I don’t want to exhaust myself or do anything that I don’t like or that doesn’t suit me. When choosing the script, role, and the group I’ll be working with I always take time to think about it. I don’t just take whatever comes. It’s not as if I’m in it for the money. This is the advantage of not being signed to a company- I can make my own choices. You can trust me- every role and drama I accept has gone through some deep thinking. I’m not just picking blind. LYN: I can also choose my own ranking, which is an advantage of having my own studio. I can make a lot of my own decisions.

LYN: I saw something... I always say that ranking doesn’t matter TO ME, and I’ve seen a lot of other people say “Don’t listen to LYN’s bs. He’s really something else, always acting shady I’d like to see if he REALLY doesn’t care about ranking or not.” Then ZY came out, right? And not to be full of myself, but even I thought I was amazing- second rank. [t/n: meaning they list SZE’s name first, then LYN, then.. etc. etc.] Then another group of people came out, “Alright. LYN’s a man, after all. He said he didn’t care about rankings and he’s shown it. Fine. He says he doesn’t care about rankings, so in the future let him always keep the second place. If there comes a day he’s listed first, then let’s curse at him.” This is... I said before that I really don’t think that ranking is important. It’s not important to me, in that it doesn’t change whether I choose to participate in a drama or not. It’s not something I consider when taking on a project. I only respect who I work with. Whatever they give me is what I get- it’s their opinion of me. If there really comes a day, say twenty years later, and some production company wants to give me first rank, do you think I’ll tell them I don’t want it? That’s not necessary, either. I just respect the drama’s decision. I’m okay with whatever they arrange. LYN: I’ve told my friends- it doesn’t matter if I’m acting as the lead role now. If there comes a good supporting role in the future, I will still accept it. All you have to do it watch. This isn’t a big deal. I used to not understand but lately I’ve come to understand it.

C: I support your every decision. LYN: You can. Trust me. I’m very clear on what I want and I’ve never hidden it. When I was little I always told people that my dream was to become a celebrity. That’s not shameful, is it? If you think it is then I won’t tell you. I’ve always wanted to be a celebrity. Now I’ve gotten to be an artist and am on my way to being a celebrity. XD In my heart, I will never put money first. I know if I say that, to a lot of you it sounds fake. But if you have a eyes and a brain and a working sense of critical thinking you will see that I never do things just to put money first. I still have dreams and goals, but it’s not convenient for me to share with you exactly what those goals are. My way of thinking and my actions might be vastly different from others, but that’s okay. I’m sure that one day all of my hard work and effort will pay off and you will be there to witness it with me.  LYN: I used to walk on the street and see the posters of celebrities and be so jealous. I’d think, “Wow, these people are so amazing. Look! Their photos are all over the street.” Also when I opened up my apps- you know how when you open it, it shows you an ad? I used to think the artists on those ads were so good-looking and cool, and I wondered when my time would come. Those were my thoughts, from before I became an artist.

LYN: My very first time participating in an event, I went to sing on the stage for the first time. I had only just debuted. When I saw other celebrities I was also excited, friends. There’s no use hiding it and it’s not shameful to say. I was starstruck, too. I also foolishly went up to take selfies with them. I went up to them and said, “Hello! Can I take a picture with you?” XD We’re all the same, I have also done this. A lot of you look down upon people who chase stars, but there’s nothing wrong with it. If you like someone, then let them know. I remember that event very clearly. That was where I saw DZW for the first time. I was so excited! Think about it- how long ago did he debut, and here I was only just debuting. Honestly a lot of us have listened to DZW’s songs growing up, haven’t we? When we go to the KTV, we all sing these people’s songs, right? So the first time I saw DZW I was SO excited. Since I was also one of the performers, and usually the program will book the same hotel, coincidentally I had finished my performance and was heading back to the hotel and so was he. He got off of the car in front of me, and I saw him from the back and I was thinking, “Wow, that’s DZW. Oh my goodness. Should I go up to him and ask to take a picture?” And my inner voice acted up and said, “What if he rejects you?” If he rejects me that would be embarrassing, right? Because I was also one of the performers of the day. So did I go up to him or decide to forget it?? In the end my excitement won over my logic and I ran up to him. When I ran up his assistant- because they’re usually the ones who are observing all sides- his assistant turned their head and saw me. I said, “Hello. I was also one of the performers today. Is it alright if I ask  DZW-laoshi for a picture?” I even introduced myself, like “I too sang at the event tonight. I’m not a stalker fan who followed you back to your hotel for a picture. That’s not what I mean. I’m also one of the performers, so could I get a picture with him?” Then DZW turned to look at me and said it was okay. So I grabbed my phone out and took a picture- it’s still saved on my phone. And then-- LYN: I remember I was able to get two selfies that day. One was at the hotel where I ran into DZW and the other- the other was with Mao Buyi. When I first debuted he was already very popular. Right? I went on “Singer” and I sang his song, even. How much do you think I admired Mao Buyi, this thing. I mean, not “this thing”! I meant, think about the fact that I liked MBY so much, and so when I saw him I was also very excited. I asked him if I could take a picture with him,l and explained that I was also one of the performers of the day. Because I couldn’t be sure if he knew who I was! Of course I knew who he was, as a big celebrity. But he said okay, no problem. So I was able to get a picture with him. I went to that event and came out of it with pictures with two celebs.

LYN: I have a very normal mindset. Even now, I still get excited when I see celebrities. It’s just like how I’m shooting a drama with SZE, now. Whenever I get to set I go, “Wow. A big celebrity.” It makes me happy. It makes you want to ask them for a picture, you know? But you don’t want to be an inconvenience, because.. that’s no good. C: Does Zu’er know? LYN: Of course she doesn’t. I don’t want to inconvenience her (by fan-boying over her). Maybe later, in another month? I can go up to her and say, “Hello, Song Zu’er-laoshi. I have also participated in this drama. We’re performing on the same stage. Do you think I could get a picture with you?” You have to tell her, right? Because it’s a given that I know her, but she might not necessarily know me. We’ll see in another month. I’ll let you know how it goes. LYN: Because it’s not like I can go straight up to her from the start. Because she’s a celebrity, after all. What would happen if I were stopped by her assistant and then escorted off the premises by the crew? Let’s wait until we’re more familiar with each other. I’ll introduce myself, “Nice to meet you. I am the male lead of this drama.” So now we’ve met. “Do you think I can get a picture with you? So I can save it as a souvenir.” I’ll share how it goes in a month. Then later I’ll ask her to sign it for me. “To: Liu Yuning”. We’re all just chasing stars.

C: Lao-da, I want a picture with you. LYN: Sure, no problem. Have we performed on the same stage before? LYN: I’m the same as all of you. If I see a celebrity I will also get excited. Don’t look at my old age, I debuted late. When I was a singer, I only debuted in 2018. Before that, whose songs were I listening to? Xue Zhiqian. Da Zhangwei. Mao Buyi. I was listening to their songs. But now I’m an artist and a singer and we’re technically part of the same industry- it’s a weird feeling. But when you meet them, you will still feel the excitement and you will still have that respect for them.  C: Wang Sulong. LYN: Right. The first time I met WSL I was so nervous. Because he was already popular all over the internet. He was an extremely popular singer. At that time I was still just singing for wedding celebrations on the streets- singing his songs, even. I don’t even know how many hundreds of dollars I made by singing WSL’s songs. At the time, when I was singing for people on the side of the street I could make 50RMB in a day. His songs made me a lot of money. XD Every time I see him I express my thanks. For giving me songs to sing while I was just a street singer.  C: Then you should share the copyright fees with him. LYN: That’s not necessary. They gave me 50RMB for the whole day, but I sang 6-7 different people’s songs. XZQ included. How do you think I should split it? There’s no way. Also, it’s not like the 3-5RMB would make a difference. There’s no need.

C: Ning-ge, how about you sing at my wedding? LYN: I said I used to sing wedding songs for people and this friend is like, “Ning-ge, don’t worry. Don’t be afraid that you’ll be out of work. I’m about to get married. Come sing for me and I can feed you 50RMB.” Is that what you mean? Erm. Sorry. I don’t accept outside business. LYN: Alright, it’s about time. I should get ready and wash up, look over the script and then get to sleep. I’m off to work tomorrow. I hope you had a relaxing, wonderful, and happy night. It was great to have you. I hope you had fun. C: “Feed” 50 RMB?? // Ning-ge, I’ll give you 5000RMB. Come sing at my wedding. LYN: ... LYN: Um... *w*! Friends, look at this. They’re throwing money at me. The meaning here is that, “You used to make 50RMB. Here, I’ll give you 5000RMB. 100x more. You’re not going to do it? You’re drifting?” I already said I don’t accept outside business. I won’t go. I wish you a happy marriage.

LYN: Okay. I hope you had a relaxing, wonderful, and happy night. It was great to have you. I hope you had fun. Let’s meet in the next stream. Goodnight, everyone. LYN: But I really want to wait until the viewers hits 30million before I sleep. But I think I might have to wait until 1am before that happens, and that’s not feasible... LYN: Alright, I’ll wait. I’ll chat with you a little longer. The sign-off failed, sorry. I have a strong sense of will. When I set my sights on something I don’t want to give up on it easily. LYN: Let’s continue talking about the wedding thing! XD. No, I’ll share more experiences of meeting celebrities with you. There’s not much more, though. It’s just that in the beginning you’ll still feel that excitement. I remember the first time I went to act- no, forget it.

C: Ning-ge, I’m in India participating in your stream. LYN: Look at this. They’re away from home and still have the mind to think of me. The second thing is, they used the word “participate”. They don’t just consider themselves a viewer, but a participant. It’s been hard on you. Thank you for your support, for tuning in when you’re in India. C: I’m on Earth. LYN: /sigh/ LYN: The friend earlier, though, has the right to take a picture with me. Because we are participating in this stream together. C: Ning-ge, I’m also participating! Could I get a picture with you? LYN: Uhm... no. 

C: Is it fun working with Zu’er? LYN: It’s pretty fun, because we’re familiar. We knew each other before this drama. She’s a fun person. I’ve been happy to work on each one of my dramas. Honestly. Because- because- I’ve been happy on each drama, because you’re together with this group of people for at least four months. If you’re not happy, then how do you expect to continue working? You have to be happy. It’s all very happy, very fun. There’s nothing to be unhappy about. Everything’s happy. If you’re unhappy then you can resolve it yourself. I’m an adult. I can take care of my own unhappiness. But there’s nothing to be unhappy about! Everything’s happy. Really. I’m not lying. This is the truth. - [t/n: he said (un-)happy about 16 times while trying to explain this. :p]

C: How’s the five song EP going? LYN: I found a music company to work with and they’re going to come over in the next few days to discuss things with my group. I really am working on the five song EP, and we’ll see how we can work together. As for the five artists, I’ve already got them in mind. I’ve decided on four already. I had this thought out of the blue and started thinking of which friends were around me. I thought about my friends- I only have so many. There are also the friends who are singers, but I wanted to find the ones who aren’t necessarily professional singers. I wanted to find the ones who are actors, but might have a singing ability. It’s just for fun. I don’t anticipate these songs being popular at all. I just want this EP to be meaningful to me when it’s done. I think that would be nice. I’ve set it for five songs, but if in the end I can only find four people then four songs is also okay.  C: HZT should be included. LYN: That’s a given. I already spoke with him about it and he’s agreed. I’ll just have to find a song and send it to him and we’ll be settled. LYN: I’ll try to release five songs. But it’ll be long time before you even hear them. Songs are so hard to find!

C: ZXD-laoshi is here. LYN: She was here earlier. Is she still here? No, right?

C: Ning-ge, then who pays for the songs? LYN: Now you’re asking the right questions. It’s also something I’ve been contemplating. It’s a headache... who will pay the money?? Well, not WHO WILL PAY, I think it’s alright to pay to create a song. But for example, if I wanted to release a song, I would first need to buy the resources. Like a three or five year copyright. Lyrics are an expense. Composition is an expense. Arrangement and production are expenses. Now the song is about finished and you have it in hand. There’s already one half of the cost- it’s no small amount. But the biggest expense comes from inviting an artist. I am the starter, so I should go out and find an artist to sing. First of all, I don’t need to pay myself. It’s not like I would ask myself for money. But as for my friend... honestly, I told them about the front part but haven’t discussed this second part with them.  LYN: I haven’t thought of how to bring it up. Many of them have agencies. It’s not like I can say, “Let’s work on a song together and I’ll feed you 50RMB.” “I’ll transfer you 50RMB. Let’s sing a song together.” XD Because the friends I have chosen all have pretty big rankings. If it really comes down to it there’s a possibility the song won’t be able to be released. We’ll have to see how it goes. But I don’t think it would be a problem with these particular friends. LYN: How about I pay for the song and production and then if there’s any revenue we’ll split 50/50. Does that sound acceptable, friends? I’ll pay for all the production costs and then later if there’s any revenue to be made we can split the profits evenly. Do you think if I present it to them that way, they would accept? I think that’s agreeable. C: It doesn’t matter what we think. LYN: But I’m just sharing with you, so you can give me an opinion! Aren’t we family? What do you say, friends? C: Ning-ge, I’ll sing with you. I can do it for free. // Your friends probably wouldn’t ask money from you. LYN: Of course, none of them would be in it to make a little money off of me. There’s no way. How could that be anyone’s starting point? For example, I went to find them and ask them if they want to work on a song together. Who would say, “Sure. How much money can I make from it?” There’s no way!! They’re doing it because of me, because I’m their friend. But as LYN, it’s not as if I could just take that at face value! That’s just being a decent human being. I can’t just drag them along with me to create a song just because they agreed to it- they’re not going to say anything out of politeness. But not giving someone a clear explanation is no way to be a person. LYN: When I found them to begin with none of them wanted all the details of how we would work together. It was just a matter of agreeing or not, and when I had the song I would just send it to them. They’re in it for the fun of it. But as LYN, I can’t just go into it blind. So this is what I’ve been thinking about for the past few days. They want to work with me not because they want to make any money off of me. The fact that I was able to make friends with them in the first place and that I am able to just ask them and have them agree means that we’re close enough friends (that money isn’t an issue). LYN: You all.. how could you think like that? Do you really think I would only transfer then 50RMB? At the least it would be 100RMB.

LYN: Alright. I hope you had a relaxing, wonderful, and happy night. It was great to have you. I hope you had fun. Excuse me, I’ve made you all stay up with me. It’s almost 1am. I hope anyone going to work tomorrow with have a smooth day at work. Any students going to school tomorrow will elevate their learning. Let’s meet in the next stream. If you haven’t subscribed to my weibo, please do so. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. See you next time, friends. Goodnight!