With the popularity of "My Brother is Too Stable" in 2019, "Steady Stream" has become a new hot spot in online literature in the past two years. This web novel created by Returning to the Truth (the author's name) has achieved excellent business results at the starting point Chinese.com: as of November 2021, the app page of "My Brother is Too Stable" (hereinafter referred to as "Brother Steady") shows that the work has more than 200 "Ally" readers. According to the rules of the website, only by tipping more than 1,000 yuan for the work can you become an ally. In other words, just by relying on the tips of the "allies", the novel earned at least 200,000 yuan, which does not include the subscription income of the paid chapters of the novel.
This commercial success naturally led to a wave of follow-up trends, the so-called "steady stream" novel. The biggest feature of this genre of work is that the protagonist treats things with a cautious, low-key, and wise attitude, does not take the initiative to invite disasters and cause trouble, does not make a splash at will, and attaches importance to his own life.
In fact, the earliest literary and artistic work to use this protagonist's personality as a signature was the light novel "This Brave Man Is Obviously Super Strong but Too Cautious" published by Japanese author Torizuki in 2016, which was later adapted into manga and anime. The animation began broadcasting in 2019 and was introduced by domestic video websites such as iQiyi and Bilibili. Therefore, when "Master Brother Steady" first appeared, the title of it on the Internet was "Prudent and Courageous Flow", which is obviously from "This Brave Man Is Obviously Super Strong but Overly Cautious". It's just that "Master Brother Steady" is on fire among the less "two-dimensional" network readers, so "Steady Stream" has come to the fore and become the name of the genre.
As a popular "meme" of online culture, "steady" comes from e-sports live broadcasting. In the "China Youth Daily" entitled "Two-dimensional light novel, steady flow, infinite flow... How did these new categories of writing come about? In the report, the author of "Brother Steady" said that the word "steady" came from the comments of e-sports audiences on the contestants: "There is no spirit of adventure, dare not take responsibility, saying that he is too stable." He placed this personality on the protagonist of his novel, so there was "Master Brother Steady". The main story of this novel is that the protagonist Li Changshou travels to the mythical era of the ancient flood and famine and survives in this world of many immortal Buddhas with a cautious attitude, but eventually becomes a real strongman.
On the surface, the story of "Brother Steady" is just another repetition of the old routine of the online novel male frequency "dressing up as a pig and eating a tiger", and the final result is still to let the protagonist grow into the strongest person in the novel. However, compared with the old routine, the extra difference between "Master Brother Stability" is the emphasis on "stability". We don't just have to see repetition, we have to see differences. Even the slightest difference implies new possibilities.
What's more, the "steady" character also appears in another popular online novel "Lord of Mystery" (2018-2020) that was updated at the same time as "Brother Steady" (2019-2020), that is, the protagonist of the latter, Klein. Klein is careful, good at saving his life, usually slamming the door, encountering the enemy first to report instead of forcibly going up, and is jokingly called "ke instigated" by readers. Interestingly, Li Changshou, the protagonist of "Master Brother Steady", has also been given a similar nickname by readers, "Li Gou", which means Gou full life. The nicknames of "Ke Qi" and "Li Gou" mirror each other, and they practice a similar "steady" style.
The trend of online literature is inseparable from the change in the mentality of online readers. When "steady" replaced the "decisive killing" style of the past and became a popular trend at present, the mentality of online readers has quietly changed.
There is no doubt that in a social environment where the Gini coefficient is rising and income disparities are increasing, adopting a contractionary approach is a more economical option for the average person. This contraction is not only reflected in the specific practical aspects such as avoiding unnecessary expenses, thrifty family management, and hard work and savings, but also in the conservative and stable tendency of the overall planning of personal life. The new high number of civil servants in recent years is the best illustration of this tendency. College students' view of employment has tended to be a stable "iron rice bowl", they read online novels, naturally will pursue a "steady" novel experience, radical adventurer protagonists are no longer favored by this group of readers.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has made people aware of the fragility of modern society and material civilization. Those things that I take for granted and are not aware of in my daily life, such as a stable life, a healthy body, sufficient and cheap food, etc., are particularly valuable under the background of the epidemic. People began to cherish the hard-won "stability" and "order." Reflected in the network novel, the rarity of stable order has become a "steady" character style, which has won the support and empathy of the majority of readers. This further expands the receptivity of post-2020 "steady stream" novels, giving this mini-genre a lease of life.
The contractionary tendency behind "moderation" will confuse it with the cultures that were once popular, such as "Buddhism" and "mourning". If all three seem to have a rejection of positivity and self-giving on the surface, it's easy for people in the unclear to confuse "moderation" with them. However, if we go back to the plots of "Brother Steady" and "Lord of Mystery", we will find significant differences. In "Lord of Mystery", the protagonist Klein, when his own strength was low, stepped forward twice, risked his life to foil the cult's conspiracy, and protected the city where he lived. In "Master Brother Steady", the protagonist Li Changshou learned of his master's death, and did not hesitate to use self-harm to improve his strength and avenge his master, and thus threw himself into the disaster. People who are good at saving their lives give up their lives to protect the citizens, and those who are safe and secure their lives fight to repay the favor of the teacher, and their behavior at this time is full of courage and sacrifice, neither "instigating" nor "gou". At this time, "moderation" is not unenterprising or non-dedicated, but knowing how to distinguish the situation: when it belongs to the meaningless battle of wills, there is no need to be blind; when it belongs to the black-and-white bottom line, it must stand up. So does "robustness" mean "not daring to take responsibility"? Apparently not. In the specific writing of the novel, the author may not have realized that his story had "deviated" from the original concept. This "deviation" may be the uncontrollable expression of his inner voice, which overshadows his initial creativity, and can better reflect the true mentality of a group represented by the author.
From another perspective, we can regard "mourning", "Buddhism" and "stability" as a clue to the development of the mentality of contemporary young people, so that we can more clearly observe the changes in the context. The "decadent and confused, lack of vitality" of "mourning" and the "whatever you want" of "Buddhism" are more like pure emotional venting, and are straightforward feedback in a state of stress. They constantly signal to outsiders that "I don't want to do anything." On the one hand, this expression, while opposing excessive inward rolling and refusing to sell anxiety, also eliminates the possibility of legitimate struggle, dedication and active resistance, which is equivalent to spilling all the bath water on the child. On the other hand, people who can express such emotions actually hide a certain sense of superiority: "Do nothing, I can also eat and wear to make a living." Those who "stop and speak" have a harder life and may be more anxious, but they do not have the spare time and network discourse to express their emotions. Therefore, "mourning" and "Buddhism" are more or less playful, and the performance is better than the substance, which is why some of the "mourning" or "Buddhist" statements are often exaggerated, so that people can see at a glance that the speaker cannot really do this in life.
However, "robust" is not the same as them. "Steady" is a rational judgment based on the conditions of the times. In daily life, the "moderate" protect themselves in a low-key posture, not radical and not extreme, silently do things and improve themselves, conscientious and refuse meaningless overwork, and minimize the harm of "alienated labor" to the individual. Just like the protagonists of the two books usually accumulate strength in the state of "gou" and "instigation", they continue to become stronger. When it comes to the critical moment when they need to stand up, they will immediately stand up, release the resistance under the "steady" appearance, and dedicate themselves to the light and justice in their hearts. The "moderates" in daily life can also be willing to contribute, work hard, and actively fight when society needs them. Therefore, from "mourning" and "Buddhism" to "stability", it is a change from emotional catharsis to rational thinking, and it is also a progress from negative escape to positive face.
Perhaps, this process is exactly the only way for a generation of young people to enter society: when they first enter society, they only know how to resist emotionally. Later, I finally figured it out and realized that I had the responsibility that I had to do, and despite the difficulties of life, I had to treat it rationally and learn to get along with it. But this kind of getting along is not the same as throwing oneself into the unnecessary anxiety of the inner volume, consuming one's own vitality; nor does it mean cynic compromise and completely flying the dog. The depths of "robustness" do contain a positive possibility of daring to change.
As a new phenomenon in online novels, it remains to be seen how long the "steady flow" work can last and what artistic height it can reach. Whether they can become a truly new genre or be fleeting in the torrent of information in online literature is still unknown. However, it is conceivable that such a "steady flow" novel reflects the inner growth and maturity of this generation of young people. They are indeed trying to live in a new, more rational way.
(Thanks to the Beijing Federation of Literary and Artistic Creation Support Projects for support.) ）