#OSTs: opening vs ending vs interlude

[heymeowmao]

2022.04.10 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324756769464517269

I’ll stream for a little bit~

LYN: Hallo everybody, good evening. I’m Modern Brothers’ Liu Yuning. Welcome~! LYN: Ehe~ I’m back again.

Comment: Xiao Ning, I was thinking of you. LYN: See~ You think of me and ‘gwa’ (funny sound effect) here I am.

LYN: Happy weekend, friends. 

Comment: The last stream isn’t finished yet, but you’re here again. LYN: When you’re eating or doing whatever, it’s best to get to it while it’s hot. A hot meal. Hot soup. My streams, too. You should watch them while they’re “hot”. 

Comment: I’m out eating bbq. LYN: Eat some for me too. 

- went out early for filming and came back early too, so he thought he’d stream a while. bc in the next few days he wont have the time. 

Comment: Lao-da, I’m a grad student now. LYN: Wow, so amazing. That’s great! 

LYN: There are new fans reporting in as well. I haven’t even released anything lately... Looks like I’m going to be “hot” soon. I haven’t even done anything and I still have new fans. I’m happy :)

Comment: I’m also a grad student! LYN: You all are so amazing. I’m jealous and also feel like you’re giving me a lot of face. I hope you do well- don’t waste this opportunity. 

Comment: Ge, your streams are also your products. LYN: I said earlier that I didn’t have any works out, but I guess you can say it that way. Streaming is also one of my skills. As an artist I’m trying to work every angle I can. I’m a pretty decent singer, right? /sings a line of “Tian Xia” and his mic cuts out/ LYN: I sang too well. I sang too well and my mic couldn’t take it.  Comment: Was that on purpose? LYN: No! My audio interface couldn’t handle my single high note. It’s okay now. I wasn’t acting! That was real!! LYN: As I was saying- I’m a pretty decent singer, and now I’ve started to act. I’ve been in three aired dramas and I guess you could say two of them were pretty popular. I’m good at streaming. My variety show appearances aren’t lacking either. I used to look like a fool on them but I’m a lot better now. I was laying in bed the other day thinking about where I’m lacking. Where do I lack? So I could quickly make up time for it. But the more I thought about it, it seems the only place I fail as an artist is with dancing. Dancing.... let’s forget it. People will always have some place they are lacking, and I lack the ability to dance. Comment: LYN, don’t give up on dance! LYN: I really can’t do it. I’m not very coordinated and no matter how much I practice I just can’t get it.  - shows off another skill: balancing a bottle on his head

Comment: Are you going to do the voice-acting for Zi Chuan soon? LYN: Yeah, if I finish up early enough tomorrow I’ll get started on it. We’ll probably work on it for about a week or so. They asked me if I wanted to voice my own character and I said “Of course~” I don’t care what lines I have or how bad my Mandarin is, I want to voice my own characters. If I can’t do it well, then I’ll learn. I really think practicing through the voice acting has helped me improve a lot- because every time you do the voice acting it’s a different emotion and experience.   Comment: Which one is Zi Chuan? LYN: I was filming for this one last year. A lot of people might not know about it because it’s a more male-oriented novel- a very great series of novels- that have now been adapted into a drama.  Comment: Does Di Lin have a lot of scenes? LYN: I’ve been taking second or third - fourth or fifth male lead roles, so the scene count really isn’t that much. Also the one novel has too much content to be adapted into a single season of a drama. We shot 48 episodes’ worth but this is possibly only the first part. This counts as the first season... and honestly we’ll only get a second season if the ratings are alright.  Comment: Will there be a second season? LYN: Only if it does well. Like “Joy of Life”- that had pretty good reception and is getting a second season. But if it doesn’t do well and you start shooting for a second season.. what’s the point. You know? Comment: Di Lin doesn’t die in the first season? LYN: No spoilers. The season is only half of the story.  Comment: Will the second season have the original cast? LYN: I feel like second seasons that have actor changes is a little bit meaningless. :| But it should be the original cast.

- Heroes is airing Mid-May + Detective Plan + Streams = we get to see Ning-ge all the time, plus he’ll tell us fun behind the scenes stories/share his experiences while filming

Comment: How many episodes is Heroes?  LYN: I think it’s 46? Or 38? I forgot.

Comment: You’ve got the nickname of “Brother of Inner Peace” now LYN: I don’t dare take it. You’re exaggerating a little, my friends. Because in my house (fandom) there are just a few UN-peaceful individuals. There are some people- I know they do it in my best interests, I understand- but they like to fight with others. They say some... some things that shouldn’t be coming out of a little girl’s mouth. XD I hope you can control yourselves. This title was created because I always tell my fans not to get involved in fights during my streams. I just think we could have a different type of interaction. LYN: First of all, I don’t interact with you all the same way other artists do. We’re different- I told you so. I play the game differently. You know how a lot of artists are out here getting cast in dramas? The other day I was thinking- I asked my studio if we should stop accepting roles for the rest of the year. But what will I do in that time? I’ll stay in Hengdian- and cameo in EVERY drama that’s filming here. There are maybe around 40-50 different drama crews that come through Hengdian in one year. I’ll go cameo in ALL of them. And then in the next three years, every drama that comes out will have a character I played in it.  LYN: If I wanted to cameo in a drama... in the name of networking, they’d all let me go, right? I don’t need any money- I just want to play. I’ll go around Hengdian for half a year cameo-ing in all the dramas that will let me. I’m SURE no actor in this generation has ever done such a thing before. That’s the first step. The second step is this: after so many cameo’s, I’ve got to have become familiar with a few producers, right? I’ll become friends with producers and directors, and at this point I think I can get signed for a few OSTs, right? If I could get 40-50 OSTs in a year... amazing.

Comment: Can you say this on air? LYN: Oh, right. Can I?

LYN: In any case- my way of thinking and what I have in mind for the development of my career is much different from what my fans are thinking for me. Whatever they think- I want to go in a different direction. That’s my own way of thinking, but whether I can actually achieve them or not is up to my own abilities. I just want to do something different from everyone else. If I play the same game as them, I’m not even as handsome as they are anyway. Secondly, I’m not as young. Third, I’m not as beautiful. I just want to do something different. I hope my fans can play along with me, too. We’ll be in our own little playground, you know?

- also advises his fans not to get involved in fights when they have his name in their IDs. if you REALLY need to pick a fight, use a secondary account. XD LYN: Didn’t you say that if the whole world was against me, you’d have my back? The problem here is that the world doesn’t have anything against me, but you’re MAKING them have something against me. You just want to stand behind me right? Just stand there! You don’t need to take the first step (and make the world hate him).  Comment: Anti-fans will cause trouble. LYN: It’s normal for an artist to have anti-fans. There’s not one artist out there who doesn’t have anti-fans. If there’s an artist with no anti-fans and no one making up or causing trouble because of them, then that means they’re not that great. Even anti-fans don’t want to be bothered with them. LYN: I hope my fans don’t start fights, and if other people are fighting then don’t get involved. Don’t add in your comments. If you really can’t stand it anymore and NEED to talk back use a secondary account. Don’t get me involved, alright? I’m over here shooting dramas, silently filming fight scenes every day- my whole arm is bruised. My body’s sore. Then when I get home for a much needed rest I find my heart in unease. 

- tells a student who has online classes to stop watching his stream and study, bc there’s always the playback for his stream, but not for classes. - the bgm makes him feel like he needs a wine glass, so he went to get one

Comment: What are we toasting? LYN: We’re toasting the fact that a lot of friends are graduate students now! Congrats.  Comment: There’s no sincerity. You’re only drinking water. LYN: Have you heard a saying from Dongbei, “As long as there are emotions, anything you drink is wine”?  Comment: I’m from Dongbei and I’ve never heard that?? LYN: Ehm... perhaps it’s not a saying from there then... 

Comment: Ning-ge, the veins on your arms are so sexy. LYN: Are you sick?? You see anything and it’s sexy? The veins on  my arms are sexy?? You must be a nurse. Do you normally give other people shots? Comment: Ning-ge, if a nurse sees your veins they’ll be quite happy because they’re big enough and they can jab the right place. Comment: Ning-ge, the dandruff on your head is quite sexy. LYN: ?? You must have liked oatmeal growing up, is that it? LYN: Let me tell you- when someone likes something, it always has something to do with their childhood. Think about it. But also- I don’t have dandruff. /threatening/ Don’t mess this up for me. I have a collab with a shampoo brand and some other beauty products right now. Don’t mess this up. My blur tool is on max just to protect my contracts, alright? People always want me to turn off my beauty filter- I might be alright but what do you want me to do about my brand partnerships? I can lose anything, but not my marketability. You can joke with me, but don’t mess up my way to make a living. 

-  Glory of Special Forces Opening OST -  The Book of Life LYN: Let me see if there’s a track for it and if there is, I’ll sing. Oh, there is! It’s from the currently-airing drama Glory of Special Forces. It’s a nice song. I was able to work with my “boss” again on this one. By “boss” I meant  Yang Yang. Isn’t the internet saying I’ve signed with his company? XD LYN: I really appreciate you guys making little clips of me from my streams- that’s how I get known for things like being the “Brother of Inner Peace” and things like that... but I hope that when I’m singing, you can cut clips from things that have been broadcast on tv. Or if it’s a song, I hope you can edit them really perfectly. I saw some clips online about the songs I covered- but they were the versions I sang during my streams! I mean, it’s alright, but it really breaks the mood. You’re watching a huge screen and all of a suddenly it’s me, wearing a Harry Potter cosplay, singing you a song. It’s looks weird. II’m afraid of messing up the song’s mood. So if you want to make clips I hope they’re from big stages or from my MVs! Clips from my streams aren’t very suitable! LOL. LYN: I also sang the ending theme song, but it’s not out yet. Let’s go with “Book of Life.”

~ we are now experiencing technical difficulties ~ (his mic cut out again) [aka 7min of panicked silence] LYN: /types “Wait for me!!!!!” onto the screen while he troubleshoots/

LYN: OMG. I’m covered in sweat. LYN: Alright. I’m sorry, excuse me. Let’s try that again. - /finishes singing his song/ LYN: Thank you guys, really. It’s ok. I think you can encounter some unexpected issues during any performance- there seems to be a problem with my audio interface. It’s fixed now.

LYN: All of a sudden I lost sound and you all are saying that I was acting. I wasn’t acting- that was all real. I’m covered in sweat now. I was so nervous- I found the time to stream today and you all came to watch; we finally came to a decent flow of conversation and then my audio cuts out. The whole stream would have been a flop. How embarrassing would that have been??

Comment: I’ve never heard such a great song in my life! LYN: This is the best song you’ve ever heard? Then I think you’ve wasted your life away. Of course, your life isn’t over yet- this is a little of an extreme praise. How can it be the best song you’ve EVER heard?? It’s just average. I sing averagely, the song is nice! LYN: I mean- you’re listening for free, aren’t you? It’s free on music sites and free to listen in my stream- it’s not like you bought tickets, right? So, since it’s free, let’s not get hung up on the quality. Comment: It’s great for us to be able to not pay a fee. LYN: I don’t think so. I feel like you have to pay something for CONTENT, so that the content will keep coming- not my content, though. For example I used to really like reading manhwa/cartoons- but you get to a certain point and they want you to pay to see the next chapters. I acknowledge this- I feel like it’s something I SHOULD be paying for. So even though you don’t have to pay a fee for my streams, I hope that when my drama airs you can pay a little bit to buy a membership to watch my drama. That’s fair, right? I thank you in advance.

LYN: I learned the other day how to hold a wine glass. You can’t hold it up here. I think they said that the warmth of your hand will affect the taste of the wine. So you have to hold the bottom. Even though I’m drinking water right now, let’s maintain that elegance. LYN: I hope that if you’re sitting in front of your computer or phone you can grab a cup or bottle of water as well. When I raise my glass we can toast each other.

Comment: is ALZ going to come out soon? LYN: As far as I know, I don’t think it’s coming anytime soon. I just heard today that you can reserve it, and I’m happy to hear that a lot of fans are. Of course, I know that they aren’t doing so for me, but I still have to thank you. I’m happy that people can support any drama I’ve been in, even if you weren’t there for me. I know some of you used to just skip over my scenes, but not this time. Because most of my scenes are with the two people you most want to see. LYN: I don’t know when it’s going to come out though, because they haven’t even asked me to do the voice acting yet. 

Comment: I love this face. LYN: Let me tell you- no matter how you praise me, I’m never shy. But if you praise me and say I have a nice looking face, I’ll be shy. My shyness comes from my lack of confidence. I’ll feel like you’re ridiculing me, but a little part of me wonders if you’re telling the truth. I don’t believe it, so I'm shy.  Comment: We’re being a little honest. LYN: /plays song association with the word “honest”/

Comment: Is your next drama’s contract done yet? LYN: It’s done.  - still can’t reveal any details yet, otherwise his stream really WOULD become a gossip blog Comment: Can you at least tell us how you got it? LYN: It came so mysteriously, my friends~ Comment: Don’t say anything, it’ll flop. LYN: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING??? I’ve already signed the contract, how could it flop?! - Comment: What’s HZT doing nowadays? LYN: Why are you asking me? Go to his weibo and leave HIM a comment asking him what he’s been doing lately. Why are you asking me- how would I know?? I actually do know, though. Isn’t this so coincidental. He sent me a message earlier today- you want to know what he wanted to chat about? You want to know how intellectual my conversations with him are?? He recommended a new game to me.  - Comment: Talk about Daimi.  LYN: There’s nothing to say. She’s been resting lately. She’s a girl, so... (she needs her privacy) (?). She’s been eating well! - Comment: Ning-ge, talk about how you got the drama part. How could you change the topic? LYN: Oh, you could tell? The whole rhythm of my stream and my inner thoughts can now be fully dissected by you. You know me too well.  - Comment: My son can sing this song of yours. LYN: Alright. Thank you, Aunty.  -  Comment: I can see right through you. LYN: You think I’m really like this glass of water? I’ll let you see right through me?? You’re messing with me. I’ve always been working on my mysterious image. Don’t you think I’m very mysterious? But now you can see through me just like this glass of water. XD

LYN: Hold on- sorry, I was replying to a message. Bai-laoshi is inviting me to dinner. Bye, friends. I’m going to dinner. I’m kidding- I told them I was streaming, so I wouldn’t go. He said fine, they’ll eat and watch my stream. LYN: See? Normal artists will rest after work. Where are you going to find another one who not only doesn’t rest but also comes here to stream for you?? WHERE? You can’t find another!! Other people are tired after a day of filming and want to have a nice meal and hang out, but not me. I eat something quick and come here to stream. Comment: A mukbang is fine too. LYN: They invited me to a meal and you want me to stream it- that’s impolite. I have a more traditional way of thinking since I grew up with my grandparents. For example, if I go out to eat with other people, I rarely touch my phone during the course of the meal. I’ll observe what everyone is saying and doing. I hope you can be the same- if you go out to eat with a friend then I hope you can have a nice chat together.  Comment: Who’s “Bai-laoshi”? Bai Jingting? LYN: LOL LYN: No, not him. It’s Bai Yicong-laoshi. Linghe’s CEO. Comments: Bai Choufei. // Bai Yu. LYN: Oh, I seem to know a lot of “Bai”s. Bai Yu celebrated his birthday a few days ago. Someone in the group chat sent him a birthday message and that’s when I found out... and sent him a birthday message too. The crew is really nice- they remember everyone’s birthdays and send a little message and clip on the day of. I don’t think I can make it, though. Because the show will be finished airing by the time my birthday rolls around again, in January. 

Comment: Ning-ge, what are you eating? Garlic? LYN: Yeah, garlic. (grapefruit)

LYN: Bai Jingting- I know him, but we don’t know each other. Just like with Bai Lu. I knew of her, of course, but I didn’t KNOW her. I was at an iQiyi event and Bai Jingting- if I’m remembering correctly- is currently filming for New Life Begins? I don’t know- are there any BJT fans in the chat? The drama’s producer was there and we were introduced to each other. Suddenly they asked, “Do you know Xiao Bai?” and I replied, “Which Xiao Bai?” Bai Yu? Or..?? They meant Bai Jingting. I said of course I knew OF him, but we had never formally met or done a program together or anything. The producer said, “Ah? Then how come he wanted you to sing the OST?” I said, “Oh? Really?” I don’t know if I am mis-remembering or if I didn’t hear correctly, but I thought that he was nice and if I had the chance I would ask him about it. I haven’t asked yet- I’ll just wait to see if the New Life Begins producers actually contact me. If they DO, then that means it really was a thing that happened, and I should send something in thanks.  LYN: This is only a one-sided account. I don’t know if it’s actually true or not. Let’s wait until the drama airs and if I have a song in it, then that proves that this exchange was real. I’m not sure if it was true or not, but hearing it made me happy all the same. Comment: He (BJT) likes shoes. LYN: He like shoes? What’s that go to do with me?? >.> LYN: I’ve worked with him before- I sang an OST for him. (Octogenarian and the 90s) I know I haven’t been in this circle for very long but met mostly everyone and worked with a few. It’s just a matter of time before we become friends. I’ll take it slow.

Comment: What are you eating? LYN: I already said, garlic. :p

LYN: I see a lot of you typing “剑魂” (Soul of the Sword)- who sings it? Is it WSL’s? He and DZW sang it on Our Song, right? Let’s hear it. LYN: Alright! I’ll learn it when I have the time and sing it for you sometime. Because- I’m just guessing- there’s probably not going to be a track available online. The copyright is too well preserved.  Comment: Acapella. LYN: Oh, Second Aunt. You’re here? Comment: How long does it take you to learn a song?  LYN: It depends on the song. With English songs I’m on the slow side. I can learn a song in one night, about 4-5 hours, because I have to look up all the vocabulary. Chinese songs will take me a few listens and I pretty much know it. This isn’t an accurate estimation, though. It’s practiced. People would request songs all the time and I would learn it and sing it for them the next day. When I was working in the bar and a customer asked for a song, sometimes I would have to ask them to give me time to learn it first. If they came a second time I would sing for them. 

Comment: Ning-ge, these days I’ve been at home in quarantine. LYN: That’s fine. If you have nothing important to do, just stay at home. I know a lot of you are probably at home with nothing to do, that’s why I came here to stream, isn’t it?? Why do you think I’m trying so hard. I know that you can’t go out, so I’m keeping you company.  LYN: There’s a sound director in the crew- a really nice gege- when he gets to the scene he always tells me, “Xiao Ning. My girlfriend’s in Beijing and can’t go out so she watches your streams every day.” I told him I wasn’t streaming EVERY DAY, is she also watching someone else? XD I suggested maybe she was watching the playbacks too? and he said “Probably, because she said she watches EVERY DAY.” 

Comment: My roommate asked me if you have nothing better to do than to stream all the time? LYN: Get your roommate’s face over here. Get their face here and tell them this to their face, “What do you know??” LYN: LOL, no. Don’t do that. I was joking. You don’t need to fight with your roommate. That’s unwarranted.  Comment: My roommate said you sang out of tune. LYN: EXCUSE ME??? You can insult me by saying I have no work and I’m not popular, but you can’t slander my profession. That's too much. Turn the other roommate’s face towards the camera; for THIS roommate you can grab them by their hair.

~ we are now experiencing technical difficulties (again) ~ (3 min, bc he knows how to fix it this time) LYN: It’s not the internet- there’s something wrong with my equipment. I think my computer is about the break, it’s about time I got a new one. Comment: Didn’t you just change it? LYN: That’s what I’m saying! Electronics- eventually all trash metal. I didn’t change my computer, but I did recently change the audio interface. There seems to be some problems with it- It was quite expensive, too. I wanted to give you all a better listening experience so I switched out my cheaper one, but it seems like the more expensive one isn’t even that stable. How shitty. Comment: Raffle it. LYN: That’s not worth it. // LYN: Maybe I’ve stayed streaming for too many nights. I’ll turn it off next time- because right now it’s on 24/7. 

Comment: You’re trending. LYN: Really? Thank you~ You always go into the topic and leave comments, so thanks a lot. You all can stand me but apparently my audio interface can’t.  Comment: Can you turn it off and on again? LYN: It’s charged using the USB; things like this usually aren’t very stable to begin with. It might do it again in the future, but that’s okay. Don’t find it out of the ordinary. You just need to wait for me to fix it really quickly. Comment: What brand is it? LYN: It’s a RME Babyface Pro.

Comment: Can you invite Yang Zi into your stream? LYN: Do you think I’m running a “Hello, Saturday” program here? I can invite whoever I want to? I can’t. Are we called “Hello, Sunday”?- If they’re “Hello, Saturday” we’ll be “Goodbye, Sunday.” But no- I can’t invite her. If we have the opportunity to work together in the future then maybe there’s a chance.  Comment: Connect with Jing Tian. LYN: She’s busy shooting her drama. You know- some people, some anti-fans really think I’m a person who likes clout. I’m someone who is really uneasy/embarrassed to ask things of people. I’ve released so many songs and not once have I ever actively asked my friends to promote them for me. Really. I don’t really like to bother/make trouble for others. So there’s no way I can use people for clout. LYN: Other people respect me and are giving me face, so that’s why they’ll come to my stream to play, like YZ and ZXD. I’m thankful that they even want to COME. Who am I to ASK/DEMAND of people to feature in my stream? 

Comment: You’re trending at #13. LYN: Really?

Comment: Connect with HZT and play a game together. LYN: It’s true that HZT and I are friends, and we’re close enough that he won’t judge me for revealing what he’s up to, but if I talk about anyone else they’re going to blame me. Please do not go up to him and ask him what game he’s playing. Then you’re selling me out. I’m telling you secretly some of his news and if you turn around and ask HIM about it, I won’t dare to tell you anything ever again. 

Comment: I came in because of the trending topic. LYN: Thank you and welcome! I know a lot of people in this industry watches my streams, and I’m honored and happy. I know a lot of companies are using me as a model and tell their artists to stream like me when they have the time. A lot of brands, companies, some producers and directors could be watching my stream and I just want to say- If you really are watching right now, please refer some work to me. Ok? If we work together once we’re friends. Won’t you feel honored to be friends with a lives tream host? XD LYN: A lot of people may be watching my stream for the first time and have never seen me before- here in my stream I pay special attention to the credit-price ratio. I sing a lot of OSTs. The price for me to sing one is about equal to the average market value... or even cheaper. But here I like to offer after-services. For example I recently released “The Book of Life” from the airing drama China Special Forces. /starts promoting the drama/ Comment: My dad’s already watching it. LYN: Thank you, Uncle.

Comment: When are YOUR dramas airing? LYN: Didn’t I already say? /as an aside/ I’m not only a singer, but also an actor! I’ve currently got four dramas awaiting to be aired, even though I’m mostly supporting characters... :) LYN: I’ve heard it’ll air in May. Heroes is a drama I took very seriously, because I got to sing two OSTs- one with ZSX and another one is my character song. After I finished recording I listened to it and wasn’t very satisfied; so I recorded the song again. I totally re-did my own character song. Comment: If you took this one seriously then that means you didn’t take the other three seriously? LYN: Are you here to dig traps for me? You want me buried, is that it? It’s not that I didn’t take them seriously, but those other three didn’t also give me an OST- if they did I would take them a lot more seriously. XD [t/n: pretty sure this is a joke.] Comment: Which three? LYN: First off is Heroes- I think I mention this almost every stream. This is the longest drama for me in terms of how many scenes I have. I usually take the second or third male lead role and those usually only get 100-200 scenes. For Heroes I’ve shot 360+ scenes, before editing. The second is Zi Chuan, and next is ALZ. Another is one I’m currently filming for Floating World.

Comment: Trending at #11. LYN: Really? Do you think I have a chance of entering the Top 10? If I do then that means I’m going viral! Comment: You can be #1. LYN: I know I can’t achieve that. With me it’s good things are trending but bad things get #1.

LYN: Someone must not know me very well. They said, “My friend your accent is too heavy. Learn Standard Mandarin.” XD LYN: You must be new here. I’m from Lianing, Dandong. I never left until after I was 28. But you must not know me very well- the thing is when I stream I use my hometown dialect to I can relax. I actually DO know Standard Mandarin. I can speak it.  LYN: Up next, let me look up some poems so I can recite them for you. You can judge whether my Mandarin is up to par or not. How about this- I know a few of you are graduate students now, could you recommend me some graduate-level poems? I remember the poems from elementary school, now I want to know what type of poems graduate students study. Let me know! Comment: Graduate students don’t study poems. LYN: ? Is that so? No one studies culture/humanities? - /finds some poems to recite, but SIMPLER ones (bc the ones they’re recommending are too hard for him XD)/ - /puts on appropriate music/ LYN: Hey! That person who said my Mandarin wasn’t good hasn’t left yet, right? Don’t leave. i’ll give you a surprise. - /reciting; get’s stuck on a character he doesn’t know, recites it as “I don’t know this character” XDD/ LYN: Alright, let’s save some of my dignity. - /finds a more “modern” poem to recite/ LYN: See, friends? Not only do we pursue entertainment in my streams, we also added another element. It brings the intellect of the stream right up. Other people talk about useless things; we’re here discussing poems and culture now.  LYN: I’ll recite this one the very best I can. I want to make that person who was ridiculing me fall straight into this pit. They’re going to start liking me after this. They’ll fall for me in just a moment. - /changes the bgm appropriately/ - /hits another character he doesn’t know how to sayyyyy/ LYN: I can’t keep reciting. If I do I’ll expose myself. Comment: If you keep reciting we’re all going to leave the fandom. LYN: It’s not worth doing THAT. I just wanted to prove that I do know how to speak Standard Mandarin- I normally speak it when I’m working, too. I can’t be the “World’s Greatest Swordsman” and open my mouth to a Dongbei dialect. It’s probably fine, but then it’ll be too easy for me to break character.

Comment: Someone left the stream. LYN: It’s alright if they left, as long as you’re still here. It doesn’t matter if THEY left or not- the fact that you’re still here is both my honor and our fate. They can leave because the regret is on them. 

Comment: I love cheesy streams. LYN: WHAT NONSENSE?!? How come other people can stream and it’ll be a “celebrity stream” but when it gets to me it’s a “cheesy stream”?? How am I cheesy??  LYN: If I don’t get any more brand collaborations because of your comment- my friends, remember this person’s ID- if I can’t get any jobs in the future, I’m going to find your house! LYN: Now, to prove that I have a very fashionable stream, I’ll sing you a “fashionable” song. (Drunken Butterfly) LYN: Wasn’t that very fashionable? Though it depends on your age- my mom really loves this song, so... in my heart this song is fashionable. LYN: The last time I sang this style a lot of people said it really suited me, even my studio. They even asked me if they should start looking for songs in that direction, and maybe one of them can end up a really hot song of 2022. I thought about it and I think I really AM suited for them. Because I’m from Dongbei and I might already have that type of disposition.  LYN: But I played this song and you all know it, which means that you usually listen to this type of music anyway. So don’t call music cheesy or not cheesy. It all depends on your preference. LYN: But since you think I’m so cheesy, type in a song you think is awesome into the chat. I want to know. Let’s see how awesome you are!  Comment: LYN’s music is the best. LYN: Let’s not. I hope my fans can control yourselves, because I’m currently of the trending list. Some people may click in to see, and if ALL they see is fans praising their idol they’re going to be really bored. I need to capture their hearts. If they come in right  now and find out that the stream is full of fans cursing their idol- NO! I DIDN’T MEAN IT THAT WAY!! I just don’t want the atmosphere to be overly pandering, but just a normal interaction between friends. If people see that I think it’ll be a really fresh experience for them.

Comment: Can you switch to a blue-tooth earphones? LYN: Why- are you seeing this string in front and your OCD is acting up? People don’t like to see this string in front AND it’s twisted. Here, let me fix it for you. LYN: I won’t switch. I have in-ears somewhere... where are they? If people think the string is annoying I’ll wear my in-ears for my next stream. I’ll look for them. To give them a great customer service experience. 

-- bathroom break -- (LYN: What? YOU’RE HAVING A BABY?!?) - /brings his in-ears but can’t get them on right at the last minutes so forgets about them/

Comment: Was it a boy or a girl? LYN: Does that have anything to do with you? Are you going to give them a gift? LYN: It was twins- one boy and one girl. Very nice. Comment: people say the baby will grow up to look like the first person they see. LYN: How could you believe that?? That’s complete nonsense. Let’s say I really went- and then the kid grows up looking more and more like me. How am I supposed to explain that to my friend?? How can I explain in a way that they’ll understand- tell me. Comment: Verify it with a drop of blood. LYN: Have you watched too many guzhuang dramas? Let’s stop this topic of conversation right here.

Comment: Are you HZT? LYN: ??? LOL LYN: /in a poor imitation of HZT/ Are you sick?! LYN: Am I HZT... I’m your god!

Comment: I want to hear “Looking Up At the Clear Sky” LYN: You can listen to it tomorrow. It’s the ending theme song of China Special Forces. I’ll sing it for you next time.

LYN: Friends- there are things you can’t expect me to talk about in much detail. I see you typing it all out but the thing is the police can’t catch you, but they CAN catch me. Please don’t start anything in my stream. Through just a few people they can contact my manager, my studio, my group members and ask them, “What does LYN mean by this?”

Comment: Change the bgm. LYN: What do you mean?? You can’t stand LYN’s songs anymore? If I were playing anyone else’s song, you could ask me to change it. But this is MY song!

Comment: Do you watch Deyunshe? LYN: Yeah, I really like Guo-laoshi. I grew up with my grandparents, and they wouldn’t let me watch tv because they thought it would affect my studies. They were wrong, because with or without the tv my grades were still just average. But since I couldn’t watch tv, I would listen to the radio. My granddad liked to listen to the storytelling so I would listen with him. Now that I’m older I still kept this habit. 

- 盗墓笔记·十年人间 (DMBJ theme song made for the 817 Daomi Festival; LYN: I’ve heard of this song, but I don’t know how to sing it - 讲真的; LYN: /stares straight into the camera/ - 走马; LYN: This is good! I don’t think I’ve sung this in a long while.

Comment: Your marketability is saved. LYN: Did I do anything to affect my marketability today? Besides those two failed poems? >.>

Comment: What about copyright? LYN: If there are singers who want to cover someone else’s song, what they do is find the composer and ask if their songs can be covered. If they can, then they find the company and pay royalties. Normally if you want to cover a song the platform will be the point of contact, like QQ music will go and contact for you. But normally when I’m streaming I don’t need to pay royalties or anything- it’s just that if you’re trying to use it for commercial use then you would need to pay. But normally if we’re just playing music at home and the neighbor hears it, it’s not like I have to pay royalties. As long as your not using it for commercial use- like at a concert or a re-releasing it. 

LYN: I think I heard that Who Rules the World is airing soon? Right? I sang an OST for it! It’s very good. I think it’s one of my my favorites out of all the OSTs I’ve sung lately. I know you’ll like it too. I really like it myself. It’s really my style. Once you hear it you’ll say, “Oh yeah, this is LYN’s style.” Comment: Let’s hear some. LYN: It’s not even airing and the song’s not out yet, and you want me to sing some??  Comment: Is it the opening, interlude, or ending theme? LYN: Is that important? I know a lot of singers care about whether they’re singing the opening or ending, and fans will make fun of others because of this. For example one person’s idol sings the opening, and another person’s idol sings the ending. They’ll think that the person who got the opening song will have a bigger cut than the person who sings the ending song. I’m telling you- there’s really no need- we all get paid the same. Another thing is opening or ending theme songs... everyone skips over them. Like for The Book of Life- normally everyone who watches this drama only know the last two lines. People skip it, so it doesn’t matter. LYN: The best thing is to sing an interlude. If the fight was about opening/ending before, now it’s all about the interludes. Because you can’t skip them- if you do you’ll miss something important. That’s the best song. Nowadays people in this business- and by “people” I mean this circle of friends who sing OSTs- we aren’t concerned with how much we’re getting paid, at least I’m not. Some companies will message you directly asking for price first. But normally they’ll send the demo, a description of the drama, the actors, and other such details including what style of song it is and what position it holds, and ask you if you would like to accept it or not. Sometimes if you know you’ll be singing an opening/ending you can also ask if it will be included as an interlude within the drama as well. We don’t care about the opening/ending- we just want to know if there’s a chance it can be played WITHIN the drama too.  - [the position of the song doesn’t matter, singers just want it to be HEARD.[

LYN: I wore these yellow glasses, and I had a red pair earlier. Someone told me to wear a green pair if I was so capable. Did you know if I add yellow + red it’ll make green? Comment: red+blue is green LYN: Isn’t red + blue = purple? Oh, right. Red + Yellow = Orange. But this isn’t completely red, it’s more on the orange side itself.

Comment: I’m watching for my roommate. LYN: ? Can you watch streams and dramas FOR someone else? ?___? 

Comment: Is Heroes coming? LYN: I already told you it’s in May! But whether it can really air or not we’ll have to see. Because the drama has to go through censorship at least a couple of times. If it passes the first censor, it should pass the second as there are usually no more problems. But it just needs some time. Mid-May, give or take. 

Comment: It’s alright Ning-ge, I’ll consider having you as my actor. LYN: Don’t tell me you’re CONSIDERING me. Finish thinking and come to a conclusion first, and THEN come tell me.  Comment: What type of movie do you want to act in? LYN: Are we starting to speak our dreams? “If I had the chance, what would I do?” I want to act in a horror movie because I think I look like a ghost. LYN: I want to act in Lotus Lamp 2 because someone said I looked like the Celestial Dog. Comment: You’re still holding that grudge? LYN: I’ll hold it for life. LYN: I think if I ever act in movies that’s a different story entirely. Don’t forget- I’m a singer! We were just talking about OSTs, did you forget? It doesn’t matter about opening/interlude/ending- the payment is the same! I’m a new actor and have only just stepped foot into this industry. Let me tell you something- no matter where/how you work, unless you have supreme job security, everyone depends on your connections. If you want to survive in society you’ll have to keep interacting with people. I’m new, so I don’t know that many people yet. Maybe in another few years I’ll be able to get to know a couple movie directors and they can help me out. This is the truth. I’ll just go slow. The more time passes and the more people get to know you, they’ll start thinking of you for things and maybe even ask you to cameo. If I’m lucky they’ll give me a second-lead role- they’re not going to give me the main lead right off the bat.  LYN: A lot of people say I have good resources- I don’t. When I first debuted people thought I had someone backing me- I just got lucky, is all. I have good fans who always support me and I’ve met good people who are nice to me. If I had resources I wouldn’t have acted as 7 or 8 second leads as of now.  Comment: Ning-ge, in 20 years you’ll be the main lead. LYN: Are you cheering me on or??? I’ll be a main lead in 20 years... what do you mean by this?? In twenty years I can act as the male lead’s father. That’s fine.   Comment: Weren’t you the one who wanted second lead roles? LYN: Yes, it’s true. There were lead roles that came to find me, but at the time I didn’t find one that was suitable and I didn’t think I was good enough. I’m not as young as everyone else- if they act in a drama and it flops, they still have time to make up for it but I don’t. I just don’t want to take the wrong step- not that it’s WRONG, but I can’t make frivolous decisions. I think I need to plan every step. When I believe I have the ability, I’ll accept a male lead role. The condition is that I know I’m good enough. LYN: Ning-ge’s advantage isn’t that he knows he’s good enough- it’s that he knows he’s NOT good enough. I just want to work on the things I’m good at while I can and slowly make up for or learn the things I’m not good at.  Comment: It’s okay, Ning-ge. You can play the male lead’s father. LYN: I don’t want to act as someone’s DAD!  Comment: Then the mother. LYN: Don’t joke. Let’s not joke about gender. You can think of me as a man or woman but just don’t speak this nonsense in front of my face. I really dislike it when people make me out as a woman. I’m purely a man from Dongbei- I grew up with my grandparents- I have a really straight way of thinking. Other people might accept it, but I think it’s gross.  - [t/n: this is a.. sticky topic of conversation; please forgive me if I do not translate/explain it well] Comment: Ning-ge, that’s sexism. LYN: You’re playing THIS game with me??? This person’s even my hardcore fan. Now we’ve upgraded straight to gender conformity. Who dares to talk about this topic- not me. I’m not sexist- I just don’t like it when people think of me- a man- as a woman. I’m not sexist against women. Stop trying to drag me into this pit. If I knew how to discuss gender roles I’d have gone to participate in a dating program.  LYN: Everyone has their own experiences in love and the person who has to face them is yourself. Other people can’t understand what you’ve been through and you don’t need to explain to them. Everyone has their own experiences and ways of thinking. No matter what you say, someone is going to contradict you.  \\ LYN: Are you trying to END me? Why are we starting such heavy topics of conversation- let’s keep it nice and light. I’ll toast you! With this, let’s move on! Everything’s in the water now. 

LYN: We were all put on this world, so I think it’s better to do something meaningful with your life. Something happy. Something kind, if you can help it. If you can’t do something kind then at the least I hope you don’t do anything bad. What goes around comes around. I believe in reaping what you sow. 

Comment: Ning-ge, where are your eyebrows? LYN: ?_? I used a machine to pluck them. It’s the kind you can pluck wherever you want and I was bored so I plucked them gone. Comment: Recommend it. LYN: Why are you asking me?! There are experts in every field- this is like asking a cook how to change your car oil.  - talks about another beauty(?) blogger for a bit bc Ning-ge watched it in passing, to see what type of face mask suits his skin :p; he generally doesn’t watch anyone else’s streams because if he had the time to do that he’d rather be here streaming in his own channel instead

Comment: Do you have a secondary account? LYN: You mean on weibo? I don’t. If I want to see something I’ll use one of my staff’s accounts. I’m afraid I’ll accidentally hit “like” or something.  Comment: What about Liu Xialai (for Detective Plan)? LYN: I didn’t make that one. LYN: We’re all young people- when we’re busy with work we’re busy, but there’s always a break time. What am I going to do in that time? Read a book? That’s fine, but I rarely see the artists around me do that. They’re usually just scrolling through their phone, looking at current events and such. We see everything you do. Comment: /I/ read books. LYN: Right. I need to learn from you. 

Comment: People say we can get the real facts from you. LYN: I’m not, really. I still can’t say anything about other artists- I can only talk about myself. There’s a limit to how much I can say about my own works, too. Again- every production has it’s own timeline, and this industry is really cruel. They could want you one day and not want you the next. Every drama crew has it’s most ideal cast, and they producers go down the line contacting actors to see who will accept their drama. LYN: So you’ll find that there are rumors a drama has gone through a bunch of different people for one of its characters, because it’s true. They really have gone through all those people. Some people also agree to be in a drama, but later don’t end up going. There’s always the chance that the person we’re thinking is going to end up with a role doesn’t. LYN: There’s no use in coming here to ask about gossip, I don’t really know. I can ask for you! But I can’t tell you anything. Comment: Use your eyes to tell us. LYN: How can I? Do you want me to write the words with my eyes? /rolls his eyes around his head like he’s writing the strokes/

Comment: What’s Chaoyue-meimei’s next drama? LYN: LOL. I thought of something I want to tell you but I can’t right now. I’ll tell you next time.  LYN: I saw something the other day- for which drama I forget- but they said who’s the male lead, the female lead, and it said YCY was second female lead. The thing said Zhang Weijian was in it too. I really like him. I sent the article to YCY and asked her if she was in it. She said, “I didn’t hear anything about it.” Alright. I understand.  Comment: You also read the gossip. LYN: I also see these things! And if I see that my friends are in a drama then I’m happy for them. I ask them about it, and if it’s true then I’m happy for them. 

Comment: You’ve already eaten a head of garlic. LYN: Someone was saying I didn’t have anything better to do than to stream all day. I’m venting my frustration (by eating garlic). XD LYN: It’s a grapefruit. 

Comment: Ning-ge, I want to be part of your fanclub. LYN: We have a membership, go contact them. I won’t do it for you. Coming here and asking me is like going through the back-door. You can’t, my fan-club is very strict. You have to go through the proper procedures. 

Comment: When will you be in another guzhuang? LYN: I don’t know. If there is one that wants me, then we’ll see. We’re just the ones chosen in this industry. No matter how amazing you are, you’re still the ones being chosen. To BE chosen means you might have more choices. The higher up you go the more choices you have. That’s all. Comment: So will you be in modern dramas? LYN: Not for now- rather there aren’t many suitable choices that come to find me. I just want to shoot guzhuang dramas first and get the hang of it before I move on to modern dramas. I don’t want to have my hands in too many baskets and not be able to do well in either. If I have the chance I’ll do a modern drama, just to see what it’s like. 

Comment: Do we have to sign a contract to get into your fan-club? LYN: No? Do we need to go through legal processes too??

Comment: Ning-ge, people say your legs are too fake. LYN: What? You think they’ve been extended with steel pipes? If you have kids, let me tell you the secret to making them tall- I’ve used my 30 years of experience to prove this theory. Do you want to know??  Comment: Stretching. LYN: Oh, have I told you this before? I wanted to charge you $5 for the secret.  Comment: Stop tricking me. LYN: No, really. I worked this out myself- it might not have any scientific evidence, but I think it works. When I was going to school I was pretty handsome- no, I wasn’t. I was bullied by my schoolmates. They would tease me, and I couldn’t fight back because it’s not like I could WIN. Since I couldn’t beat them I thought I should go learn martial arts- so I did. That happened to be the period of time where I was growing- I was stretching my legs every day.  Comment: My daughter learns dance, why isn’t she tall? LYN: I’m talking about stretching, not strength conditioning. If the ligaments are flexible enough, it won’t hinder the growth of the bones. But if your ligaments are fixed then it will restrain the growth of your bones. If you learn strength-based exercises, then you’ll grow muscles- this will also constrict and hinder the growth of bone. So I think people can go learn flexibility, and they’ll grow taller. This is true. From my experience, that is. LYN: My family isn’t very tall. My dad is 175 and my mom is 162. I’m 189. Some friends may be thinking- perhaps I am adopted? No- we did paternity/maternity tests. Comment: I’m 16 is there still time? LYN: Yeah, 16-18 is the best time. Stretch your legs before you go to sleep, for like 10-20 minutes. You’ll find that in the next two or three years you’ll have grown a lot. Trust me. You’ll come back to thank me. // You can believe me or not, if you don’t that’s your loss. LYN: I’m sorry to anyone who is over 30- you can use this technique for your children.  Comment: I’m 40, do I still have a chance? LYN: You’re already 40, what do you want to grow taller for? You want to be a celebrity?? A singer? An actor? If you’re 40 then you should settle and have a nice family and a nice life and a nice job. Just stable enough that you can live out the rest of your days. What do you want to be taller at 40 years old for?? 

Comment: Is there a method to being shorter? LYN: Are you making fun of me? I’ve met people who want to be taller, but no one who wants to be shorter. Is there a method? Sure. Slouch. If you become hunchbacked then you’re shorter, right?

Comment: Show us how you stretch your legs. LYN: I know I’ve taught you to, but I never stretch myself. Why? I’m afraid to grow even taller. This is the truth. When I was 26/27 I wanted to work out and gain some flexibility but I was afraid to stretch because I was already too tall. I’m already this tall. I’m afraid of growing even 1 cm taller. LYN: I may not stretch anymore but I still have the ability! I can lift my legs really high, still. Comment: I’m going to look up how tall you are. LYN: I’ve told you I’m 189cm. You must be a new fan- I even made a post with a video measuring how tall I was- 188.5cm, barefoot. LYN: People who’ve met me in person, they all know how tall I am. Comment: Is it normal for a 13 year old to be 170cm? LYN: I don’t know, go ask a doctor! Since when did I become the expert in height?

Comment: Are you working out? LYN: I have been, lately. But I’m too shy- you know how when other artists or celebrities show off their figures every now and then? I think that’s... not the greatest. :| What’s there to show? ...But I mean if I had it, I would flaunt it, too. The problem is I don’t.  LYN: I don’t have a great physique- sometimes I think of maybe posting a workout video. Like a vlog- even if I don’t take off my clothes I’ll show you how strong my arms are or the shape of my abs through my clothes. But I really can’t. If I take off my clothes you’ll think that I was starved for three years. It’s just bones. - tells a story of how he wanted to buy some weights online, but the lowest weight for men is 5kg. he bought them, because he has no experience, but found out he couldn’t lift them with the workout exercises. so he bought some lighter ones, at 2.5kg- but they’re advertised for women. -__-; LYN: All of a sudden I didn’t want to buy them. I felt insulted. I need them- because if I start light then I can build up the muscles and endurance to use the 5kg ones, but I felt like I was being made fun of. I still bought them, in the end.  - grabs them to show everyone Comment: I thought they would be pink. LYN: I’ll slap you!! I was forced to buy these!! >.< Comment: Stop with the weights, just use a water bottle. LYN: When I graduate out of needing these 2.5kg ones I’ll raffle them off- to all my female fans out there. XD To prevent me from regressing back to needing them, I'll raffle them off.

Comment: Can you wish me a happy birthday? LYN: I don’t like how you’re spamming the chat, so- happy birthday. The fact that you’re watching my stream on your birthday must mean that I am an important part of your life and it also means you must not have any friends. Think about why that is. LYN: Of course, I don’t have many friends myself. Let us not belittle the other.

Comment: Ning-ge have you considered doing a musical? LYN: I think I can try it, but not a very professional one. One actually came to find me, but I really don’t have the time. Firstly, you have to do rehearsals and secondly, you have to hold performances. If there are 20 performances in a year, at the least they’ll expect you to be there for 4 of them. But I really don’t have the time, because all my time has been signed out. It’s a regret. I’ll see if next year or the year after- if I have the opportunity I want to try.

Comment: Who’s “Bai-laoshi”? LYN: You must not have been here earlier. Everyone already took turns guessing a round. Comment: Who’s Bai Choufei? LYN: Bai Choufei is a character I act as in a drama that’s coming out soon. It was my honor to act as him. You can check it out. 

Comment: Ning-ge, when I see you I get emo. LYN: What’s there to get emo about? Let me tell you- when there’s something on your mind, the best way to take care of it is to not think about it. Do something that makes you happy, that takes your mind off it. Later, you’ll find you’ve forgotten what was making you so upset. Then you won’t be emo anymore. LYN: You have to adjust yourself. When I first debuted- and even now- I was under so much pressure- people were cursing me, criticizing me, yelling at me. I know they were also under pressure- maybe if they criticized me a little their pressure would disappear. You just have to take it in. But when I first debuted I was just a sunny and naive boy. I had never met the world. When I was being yelled at, every day before bed I would cry. After my sheets were all wet with my tears, then I would sleep. The term “emo” didn’t exist back then. I would say... “I’m sad.” Comment: Do you still cry now? LYN: Do I still cry now...? Does that have anything to do with you?  LYN: I’ll toast you. It’s all in the wine. LYN: What’s there to cry about. I think that period of my life is already over. I’ve already debuted for three years now and that’s all in the past. I think my future definitely won’t be as difficult as before. Comment: You’re more thick-skinned now. LYN: People are just like this. It’s not that I wanted to become thick-skinned. I also wanted to stay kind and naive. I wanted to come into the world to watch how the flowers bloomed. How the water flows. The mountains and the rivers... Enjoy nature. That’s what I wanted, but nothing ever goes the way you want. When you keep facing these difficulties you’re inevitable going to become stronger. I didn’t want to be like this; I also want to blush when you call me handsome. Comment: Weren’t you always like this? LYN: No- it’s a sort of helplessness. I wish I could be thin-skinned. Then I could curse at you when you curse me. If people are saying shit about me I could talk back. I’ll curse them without abandon. But I can’t. I can only become more thick-skinned and accept everything you say about me.  Comment: Some people like to be cursed at. LYN: Don’t expose your interests in my stream.

Comment: It’s hard to be a public figure. LYN: What’s hard about it? It’s not hard- it’s a happy thing. You’re making so much money, what can you complain about?? When I sang in the bar, I only got 60RMB a night. What’s hard about it? There’s nothing hard about being a celebrity.  Comment: That means to say you’re making a lot of money now? :) LYN: /sigh/ What’s it to you? LYN: I count as someone who’s had a hard life before. Some people could have been born into the best of environments, never had troubles, and had a smooth school-society transition. A lot of people have never had a hard time entering the entertainment business. But the reason I can understand you or my fans is because I’ve lived a hard life- probably much harder than any of you. I’ve experienced things that some of you probably never will. I don’t want to complain; what I mean is I’ve had a bitter life, but it’s a lot better now. I don’t want to talk about how hard of a life I’ve had, I just want to say that when I think about those days I really cherish today. I cherish everything I am able to have now. LYN: Sometimes some work will come in, and I don’t really want to do it. But when that happens I ask myself, “If today was the first day of my debut, would I bend over backwards to get this job?” I’d have to get on my knees to thank whoever gave me this job. I’ll feel like this. I can’t say that just because I have stepped up a little in life I can forget where I came from and how I got here. LYN: One of my friends told me I act very humble in my streams but I’m actually really prideful on the inside. I said, “Of course.” In this industry, you can’t make it if you don’t have something you are proud of yourself for, or some source of self-confidence. But you still have to know your manners. My source of pride comes from “小人得势 (the villain has the upper hand)”- no, wait. How did I come up with such a terrible sounding expression? I just think I’m very lucky to be where I am today.  LYN: There are opportunities. Not every ordinary person is fixed to live an ordinary life. I just don’t want you to accept fate. Comment: I don’t have any talents. LYN: If you don’t have any, make them. Not everything is sent to you on a silver platter.

Comment: You and Bai Jingting are trending. LYN: Really? On, ho. I just mentioned it briefly in my stream- now people are going to say I’m using him for clout.  Comment: Do you know each other? LYN: We don’t! He probably knows there’s a person called LYN, I’ve sung an OST for his drama before. But the two of us haven’t met. I just mentioned “Bai-laoshi” and then this topic came up- people have spread the word and now I’m going to get cursed at again.  LYN: This is really embarrassing. I just said it for fun, but I really haven’t confirmed whether it was true or not! I don’t know if I heard incorrectly or not. What if he didn’t really recommend me?? And then I’m in my stream saying he did; it’ll look like I WANT something from him, you know? I REALLY didn’t hear clearly that day- there were so many people and the background noises were too loud.  LYN: Oh, no. This is so complicated. The ways of the world is just too complicated. This is killing me, I really should watch what I say next time.

Comment: Does this music fit your mood right now? LYN: No, listening to music just makes me relax. LYN: Cheers! Elegant but not overly so. Comment: The equipment is so high-end, LYN: It’s just a wine glass, what’s “high-end” about it? This came four for 45RMB, with a free wine opener.

LYN: It’s awkward and embarrassing. I’m sorry if I brought any trouble to each (Bai) laoshi. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to chat a little, my goodness. I’m sorry. Comment: Ning-ge, as long as you’re not embarrassed the one who is is other people. LYN: I don’t like making it awkward/embarrassing for other people either, though. Because if they are then I will be too.  LYN: It’s fine. Whatever. Let’s not think about it anymore. LYN: No, I’ve thought about it and- it’s fine. Suddenly it’s all clear to me. It’s all good. LYN: ... LYN: No- first of all- it’s okay. I don’t think he’s the type of person to get worked up over something like this. This is nothing to him. 

-- bathroom break -- (the neighbors are fighting, it’s serious this time) LYN: Ok, I’ve stopped the fight. I told you lat time they were actors- this time they were really fighting. They had some opposing opinions over how to execute a scene and started fighting. I stepped in and worked everything out for them. 

Comment: Ning-ge kelanyinlan (柯蓝银蓝???) (silver-blue??) LYN: What’s that? Is it a color?

LYN: My friends- how about I change my outfit? I’ll change my clothes and if anyone comes asking I’ll say that I’m sorry and that I must have misspoken in my previous stream. It didn’t happen today. I’ll go change my clothes. Let’s cover this up. Alright? Wait for me- hold on. 

~~ welcome to ning-ge’s new stream, where the “bai-laoshi situation” never happened ~~ :D

LYN: I need to change my glasses... how about I just not wear them? LYN: Excuse me, I’m sorry. I seem to have misspoken in my last stream. I just drank too much. You all saw me- I was drinking water from a wine glass and I seem to have had a bit too much. It’s a magical cup and anything you pour into it turns into wine. 

Comment: You’re so pale. LYN: Right? In my last stream I was a little tan. Why am I paler today? Because I applied some bb cream.

Comment: You look like you sell kebabs. LYN: You want two sticks?

Comment: You look like Sanmao. LYN: I’m clearly dressed as a painter. Hold on- this hat isn’t it. Let me change it. LYN: I’m a painter. An artist. 

Comment: Ning-ge, where’s your blue swimsuit? LYN: ?? You- have you seen male swim wear? I’m pretty sure it’s generally just the bottom half. If I wear a “kelanyinlan” colored swim trunks on my stream I’m sure it’ll explode. Comment: Men also have full-body suits. LYN: Are you talking about for diving? If I wear that on stream it’ll be a little miraculous, too. I can understand girls wearing yoga pants but a guy wearing a full on diving suit?? Comment: You really wore it once. LYN: Shut your mouth. Don’t make trouble. When did I ever wear swim clothes on stream? Don’t speak nonsense. Comment: If I didn’t know you, one would think you’re tempting young girls. LYN: What are you saying?? With my physique if I wore swim trunks or gym clothes it wouldn’t be that sexy. I already said I lift only 2.5kg weights. They’re advertised for women. oTL Starting from tomorrow I’m an exercise guru. Because most of my fans are women, we’ll use the same sized weight. We’ll improve together. I figure if I used anything heavier, you wouldn’t be able to keep up. I’ll buy a kelanyinlan colored swim trunks and we’ll exercise together.

LYN: It’s fine- someone mentioned I was trending again. I really didn’t mean to mention him. I just said Bai-laoshi invited me to dinner, and the whole chat was wondering who “Bai-laoshi” was. Bai Lu. Bai Yu. Bai Jingting. Since you had mentioned him I thought of something that happened that had to do with him- I really didn’t think it would get this much attention. Of course, they’re not paying attention to me, they’re paying attention to him- he’s the popular one. So I guess you could say I gained something from him this time. But it really wasn’t on purpose. I thought about it and I’ve encountered BJT’s fans before- they’re quite nice. So I think it’ll be fine. - [t/n: meaning BJT’s fans won’t start cursing LYN out for using their idol for clout] LYN: Why do I say that? Because I saw something the other day- someone said “I used to be BJT’s fan, but now I’m LYN’s.” Before they ONLY liked BJT, but now they like both BJT and me. That’s why I think his fans are cool. I don’t mean anything else by it.  LYN: I think the more I say the worse it gets... LYN: It’s all the same. Last time I promoted the song I sang for his drama and a lot of my fans turned into his. It’s all the same. There are only so many people in this industry. It’s a two-way street.

LYN: Have you ever met anyone like LYN? Let me tell you- “Liu Yuning” is a really mysterious existence. I can’t say whether he’s good or bad but he’s quite mysterious. No one’s doing it like he is. 

Comment: When are you cutting your hair, Uncle? LYN: Are you a hairstylist? You’re very disappointed with my current style? This is already super trendy- /tips his hat/ I’m an artist. If you tip the hat like this it just gives you an air of artistry.  LYN: My hair is pretty long- see the back. Maybe longer than a lot of my female viewers. But I’m shooting a drama right now that uses my own hair. Comment: You look like a vagrant. LYN: Don’t look down on people. LYN: I’m using my own hair for the drama but when it’s done I’ll get it cut. But I was thinking that before I cut it I want to dye it some color. Like maybe red or blue- and shoot a couple pictures. Because it’s long, maybe I can get it a few different colors. As for exactly what color I’ll post a poll on weibo when the time comes. Comment: Green. LYN: Green is fine. But I was thinking red. I spray-dyed my hair green before, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone red. I want to try, shoot a few pics, and then I’ll dye it back. We’ll see.  Comment: You could just buy a wig? LYN: I can. I have a few at home already. Do you want me to change my look again? I already changed once. Some people might have gone to the restroom and then come back to see I changed a person. Ning-ge must be mentally ill- he changed his clothes during the middle of a stream, how vain must he be?? 

Comment: Will you hold a concert with Penny-jie? LYN: ?_? What sort of question is this? She can hold her own concert, why would she hold one with me? Are we a group? Modern Sisters? We’re not a group- she has her own band, too. 

- someone mentions the trending topic again LYN: I am very sorry and very grateful. Let me take a look- “#BaiJingtingRecommendsLiuYuningforNewLifeBeginsOST” The content is so specific. The title of the topic is ALL of the content. It’s not like other topics, like “#OOOHairstyle” and you have to click in to see what it’s about. But this is everything, you don’t need to click in to know what it’s about. Let me see what they’re saying... - reading the comments... LYN: I saw someone cursing me. LYN: Someone wrote “Hahaha, Liu Yuning is flustered. Who told you to say it before you were sure?” :| We’re all in this together aren't we? I thought we were like best friends. I’m treating you like my good friends and telling you my secrets, and you’re over here spreading them around. Isn’t this “being killed in one shot”? LYN: It’s fine. It’s fine. I haven’t done this before... It’s okay. LYN: Let me imitate that- [t/n: live slug reaction?]

LYN: Let’s change the topic...

Comment: I took a shower and came back to find Ning-ge got more handsome. LYN: Of course~ Do you want to see something even more handsome? Come on~ I’ll go change my clothes again. XD I don’t have anything else, but a lot of clothes, because I like shopping. 

Comment: Ning-ge, did you only wash your bangs? LYN: Do you think I’m like you?? Do you think I’m so lazy I only wash and blow dry my bangs and then walk out the door? No way. 

Comment: The chat is going so fast, can you see? LYN: I saw your comment- does that prove how well I can see?

Comment: The media accounts are saying it’ll air 5/18. (Heroes) LYN: They also say- /laughs/ Forget it. LYN: I’m an actor IN it, and I don’t even know.

Comment: Ning-ge, stop drinking. LYN: Do you think I’m really drinking alcohol? I’ve drunk a few bottles of water already. Drinking water is good for you- I recommend you drink more water. Your skin will become better if you are fully hydrated. I forgot who told me but- wait, I shouldn’t say this. In any case, I rarely have (non-water) drinks anymore. I do- like Chunzen is alright (bc he has a contract w/ them rn). But most of the time I drink water.

- people asking whether certain diets/medicines are effective LYN: I can’t say whether they are or not.. Here’s the thing- there are some things that you know may not be as effective as they say but you can’t help but to keep consuming it. They just give you a psychological push. I know it’s not going to work but I’ll still do it. Just like how I know coffee can’t help THAT much with bloating but I’ll still drink it. A lot of skincare products- no, I can't say that. 

Comment: Ning-ge, are you in contact with ZSX? LYN: No. I blocked him on WeChat. We’re not in contact. Why would I contact  him? LYN: I’m joking. We don’t talk much, unless there’s something going on. We don’t really text each other every day or anything. We only talk when there’s work or something on our minds. He’s busy. Everyone has their own life and work- not everyone has the time like me, to sit here and stream. 

Comment: What’s the ideal role you’d like to play? LYN: Someone’s helping me change the subject, I see. :) What a deep question. LYN: People will ask actors what role they’d like to play to most and they will reply that they want to be a villain. I am not the same, because ever since I debuted the majority of my roles have BEEN villains. Now the role I want to play the most is the Celestial Dog. XD I want to act as an extremely classic character.  Comment: Let’s see some. LYN: What, you want me to act as the Celestial Dog right now? I know I’m an artist, but you can’t treat me like a monkey. I can act as one in a drama but you can’t make fun of me in my stream. That’s a little over the line. LYN: One time I was filming for Heroes- it was the scene where I die. Well, not die- it was my funeral pyre.  Comment: Does this count as a spoiler? LYN: No, because it’s leaked all over the internet already. LYN: When I was shooting that scene I didn’t feel anything in particular towards it. I’ve acted being shot before. I’ve spit blood and fallen before. It’s not a big thing. But that day I don’t know what happened- they chose the ONE street in Hengdian with the most tourists. The thing about Hengdian is that people will go to see the most popular spots- and those spots are usually where dramas are filming, so they can see some actors every now and then. I don’t know what the crew was thinking- they picked the MOST CROWDED street. There are two restaurants and two drink shops on each of the corners- it’s where everyone goes to take a rest. I was right in the middle of the street. I was thinking- normally in these situations don’t they find a nice forested area to hold a funeral? What did I do to deserve a funeral on the streets?  LYN: It was even raining that day! I was thinking about how it would look- would it be weird to hold a fire burial when it’s raining? Would the viewers think this looked too fake? But the director said we would proceed, so I climbed up on top of the pile and suddenly became the center of attention. Everyone had their phones out, which was fine because I was up on top and they couldn’t catch my face. But the problem was that I was in the middle of the street, and I could see all the paparazzi up on the second floors. I felt like every paparazzi in Hengdian was there that day. We probably weren’t the only crew filming on that street but they all probably saw me and decided to shoot some pics anyway. I was laying on top and closed my eyes for the scene- all I could hear is the sound of the shutters. It was like fireworks, we were celebrating the new year or something. I felt so uncomfortable.  LYN: Usually when I’m filming I won’t find anything uncomfortable, but at that moment I felt like I was being insulted. I died a cruel death and now they were giving me a fire burial and all these people are taking in my death. As an artist I can act as a dead body or whatever, but I didn’t expect it people to make it a memory. It’s been a year and I still remember clearly. Every time I’m sad/upset all I hear is the sound of camera shutters.  LYN: I was dazed. First of all- I respect every person in their respective jobs. I treat every media person with respect- that’s your job and I’ll do by job. It’s a mutual understanding. But in that moment I felt very disrespected. It’s fine though, because thus far I haven’t seen any of the footage they took online. They’re still righteous. There really weren’t just a few people- but it’s true that none of it has been leaked. I thank the paparazzi and everyone on the street that day. I want to do some damage control now as well- If you have any of that footage, please erase it from existence.  Comment: Now that you’ve said it, it’s going to show up tomorrow. LYN: I don’t think so. How many people hate me? I know everyone know what’s right and wrong. I believe they won’t, because I’m right there in Hengdian! They’re in Hengdian. I’m in Hengdian. We might now know each other but we can count as neighbors, right? We breathe the same air but can never embrace- that type of relationship. It’s not easy. I can understand them and I respect them. But there’s always a limit, you shouldn’t cross too far.  LYN: I forgot where I saw it, but that day there was something going around that read “LYN is dead.” THAT’s a little malicious. I had people report it and take it down.

Comment: The whole stream is waiting for LYN to go to sleep. LYN: Alright. I’ll sing you a lullaby. I’ll sing you a lullaby so you can go to sleep. Thank you for watching my stream. - 离开地球表面 (Leaving the Surface of the Earth), Mayday - LYN: Good night & sweet dreams~ 

Comment: When’s this drama wrapping? LYN: This current drama will wrap in the beginning of May, and then my next one won’t start until... I won’t say yet. But I'll have some time to do other work and if Heroes is airing I’ll have the time to promote it a little. It’s the perfect timing. So you’ll see a lot of me in May. 

Comment: What does it feel like to do fight scenes? LYN: It doesn’t feel like anything, it’s just tiring. What can I feel? 

LYN: A lot of artists are coming to Hengdian, because dramas are just starting up for filming. But... I’m leaving. 

LYN: Hold on- wait for me. I need to use the restroom. Then I’ll come back and chat for another half an hour, maybe. I wanted to hold it, but I can't. I drank too much water. -  LYN: Someone asked where I went and someone else replied that I went to the restroom. XD LYN: Hello, everyone. Comment: Did you wash your hands? LYN: I did.

Comment: Can you shoot for the variety show yet? LYN: Depends on the day. We just really don’t know. 

Comment: Will you have a concert this year? LYN: What are you thinking? Let’s all just obediently stay at home. No large gatherings. We just need to cooperate with each other a little. Otherwise we won’t be able to get anything done. Don’t even think about a concert. Aren’t I giving you a concert right now? AND it’s free. 

Comment: Any music variety show? LYN: There was going to be one but it didn’t work out. For variety shows I think that doing just one a year is good enough for me. I did Our Song last year, and this year is Detective Plan. It’s good enough. For variety shows I like to do something meaningful. Not to say that there’s no point to them- they’re quite fun. They can air quickly and that lets the audience not forget you. LYN: But usually I will go to shoot them if I have extra time from the drama. The drama comes first. 

Comment: Are those figures behind you all yours? LYN: I borrowed them. I borrowed them from my friend and I’ll have to give them back to him later.

LYN: I think as a singer, being able to act and having people accept me for doing so is already gain enough. So I think being able to sing and act is fulfilling. I don’t want to push my luck. A lot of singers don’t even have the chance to act, but I do and people even hope to see more from me, so that makes me happy. So if I’m going to act, I want to do it well (not not distract himself with other work).  LYN: I saw a ranking of singers, and I was on there. Someone said, “Is Liu Yuning a singer, isn’t he an actor?” That made me happy, because the year I first debuted and even now, people will see clips of me and criticize me for just being a viral internet famous guy who only knows how to do covers. I used two years of my time to release an album and hold a concert. And now, I’m starting to act and I see people saying, “Is Liu Yuning acting? Isn’t he a singer? What’s a singer doing acting? He can do everything, and doesn’t respect any industry.” I know that comment was meant to bring me down but I was happy. Because through 2-3 years of hard work I finally made you admit I was a singer. I know they were criticizing me, but it made me happy.  LYN: There are two sides to every coin. It all depends on how you look at it.

Comment: Ning-ge, when you record a song do you do it all in one take? LYN: What do you mean? Do you think I record half of a song first and then go back for the other half later? No- I record the song in one outing to the studio. LYN: I’ll split a song up into each word and spend a year recording it. One word at a time. That’s too detailed. It’ll kill me. 

Comment: Wine glass? Are you drinking wine? LYN: No, you must have come here late. I’ve had it this whole time. This cup really makes you drink a lot of water, though. 

Comment: How many tries does it take to finish recording a song? LYN: That’s a secret, I can’t tell you.  LYN: It takes a few hours, how many takes do you think? The longest song nowadays is only five minutes. Usually songs are between 3-4 minutes. If I’m in the recording booth for 4-5 HOURS, how many times do you think I’ve had to sing the song? You think I can go in there and sing it once, and be done in 3-4 minutes? I’ll spend the rest of the time drinking tea? I’ll make the recording manager sit there with me for hours? That’s abduction. LYN: No, recording a song takes place over multiple tries. I’ve met people with odd habits when recording. Everyone has their own thing. I’ve met someone who drank before recording. The first thing he does in the studio is start drinking. He asks that all the lights in the studio be turned off, too- stop typing people’s names. I can neither confirm or deny it’s the person you are mentioning. If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to finish my story. LYN: I’m different though, I don’t have a good tolerance. If you make me drink before recording it’s over. Some people will find they can get into the right emotional state better if they drink before recording. Like Li Bai, right? He always writes poems after drinking. XD Some laoshi’s are really amazing, and they say they’ll only sing the song once and leave right after they’re done. They don’t care if there’s any part you’re not satisfied with, they’re going to leave after singing once.  Comment: A romantic singer.  LYN: Not really? Just because I DON’T drink before singing, does that mean I’m not a romantic singer?

Comment: Ning-ge, what do I do if I keep going off-tune while singing? LYN: What can you do? Stop singing. LYN: If you like singing, keep on doing it. Don’t care about whether you’re off-tune or not. Or maybe you can try rapping? That might be easier. It’s harder for me, though. 

Comment: Ning-ge, what’s your recording room habit? LYN: I can’t tell you. My habit is- no, I can’t tell you.  LYN: My habit is NOT drinking before recording. If I do I’m likely to throw up in the middle of the song. All over the very expensive microphone. >.<

Comment: You’re very popular today. LYN: No, it was because of Bai Jingting. If I get the chance I really want to get to know him. It’ll be my honor. 

Comment: Is there any singer you want to work with? LYN: Yeah. HZT. My only wish in life is to work with HZT on music. LYN: You must not be my fan- we’ve worked together before! I’ve worked with HZT, and once with DZW. Neither of the songs were very popular. LOL. It’s my fault. My OWN songs aren’t popular, how could I expect collab songs to be? The fault is on me.  Comment: Work with Da-laoshi again. LYN: When I have the chance. I really find it embarrassing to ask that of them. I think they’re out of my league. Why? Because before I debuted I was already listening to their songs. I was COVERING their songs. To me all of these artists are so far from me.  LYN: But now that I’m here, we’re all friends. 

LYN: If you’re sleepy, go wash and sleep. It’s about time for me, too.

 LYN: People are asking me when I can work with certain artists. Actually, it’s difficult for two people to get together. A lot of successful singers don’t NEED to work with anyone else. It’s good enough that they’re on good terms with each other. If two artists do work together it’s not going to be for profit, it’s going to be for fun. It’s not that easy to collaborate. It’s complicated too- the contracts and copyrights. So that’s why collaborations are rare. They’re just a little troublesome. 

Comment: When’s the second album? LYN: I’ve been working on it. I’ve been collecting songs, but I haven’t got all of them yet. I’m a little picky now. No, it’s not that. I hope that a lot of my fans and people who like to hear me sing can understand, I haven’t finished picking all the songs yet. Because I’m a little picky- and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I want to make an album to express myself- but who am I? I don’t even know. That’s the first thing. The second thing is the OSTs. For the style of song I like, I’ve mostly already sung them in the form of OSTs. Now when I receive a demo I think one of two things: 1. It doesn’t sound as good as OSTs I’ve sung or 2. It’s TOO MUCH like an OST, why do I have to put it in my album? I can sing this type of song at any time, why should I put it into my album?? LYN: It’s complicated. If I sing a song that’s like an OST, why do I need to put it into my album? If I put it on my album I have to pay for it. If I sing it as an OST, I can even make money. LYN: That’s why it’s so hard for me to choose songs. I do have some, though. Penny-jie wrote me one. She wrote two- and said I could take one, both, or neither. They’re both good but one of the songs, if she doesn’t use, I want to use for my NEXT album. I’m going to Beijing to work on it. Another one, WSL promised me and I haven’t settled that with him yet. I’ll have to ask him about it. If it’s too expensive, I don’t want it. XD His songs are expensive. Not to say that Penny-jie is cheap!  LYN: I’d like to work with DZW, of course. We weren’t able to work together on Our Song.. but there’ll always be a chance. I just feel like everyone is out of my league- that’s the truth. I’m not trying to sell myself short. In terms of rankings, I... I’ve debuted a little late. I may be around the same age as them, but in terms of how many years they’ve debuted for vs how many I’ve debuted for, I’m too young. 

Comment: Will you film a vlog when you cut your hair? LYN: You think I own the barbershop??

LYN: Alright, that’s about it. Thank you for everyone who stayed with me tonight. I hope you have a relaxed and beautiful night. It was great to have you. I’ll stream when I have some time next. I hope you have sweet dreams. If you haven’t subscribed to my weibo yet, please do so. I’m Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. It’s not shameful to follow me. Thank you. If you have the time you can check out my streams. Thank you everyone.  LYN: Good night, now. 

[sound-tracker-flac]

Nier: Automata OST Review

Echoes of What’s Left of Us, and of Them

Mild spoilers to follow.

Keiichi Okabe (岡部啓一) and team MONACA had a great deal to live up to, namely their masterpiece that was the Nier: Gestalt & Replicant soundtrack from 2010. Theirs was already a titanic feat—finding the right thematic approach to the Yoko Taro’s insanity must have been immensely difficult. Despite that, the soundtrack to Nier was a runaway hit; it has become one of my top ten soundtracks ever.

So, does Nier: Automata’s OST deliver?

Packaging and Design

The 3-disc set is enclosed by the game’s fantastic artwork.

Disc One has Toobie 2B’s 2Bootiful form etched on its surface. Discs Two and Three are next to each other and are 9S and A2, respectively. Granted, there were “only” three protagonists, but I found it interesting that these two were put next to each other. I guess no-one dies alone, after all…

Artwork of the City Ruins in the case interior. Very nice.

The booklet is adorned by the early concept art of 2B meeting the Forest King.

Goddamn it, Yoko Taro

On the previous page, Okabe wrote an insightful paragraph about the creation of the original Nier soundtrack and writing for Automata in its legacy (more on that later). Here, Yoko Taro gave us…this. (Plot details so I won’t include the translation)

An interesting tidbit: the track names in Japanese were written without Hiragana, instead using Kanji and Katakana entirely. The use of this linguistic trope in Japanese pop culture is often associated with the formality of technical/academic jargon, giving the track titles a “technological,” “mechanical,” and “robotic” aesthetic. Very fitting, considering the game’s setting.

All in all, the physical copy of the soundtrack added more to its value.

Soundtrack Review

Spoilers ahead.

Upon landing in the first area (after the heart-pounding prologue), I knew I needed the soundtrack. The track is “City Ruins: Ray of Light”, which immediately set the tone of the game: seemingly desolate, yet teeming with life within. While the the first Nier OST featured mostly key pieces tied to specific characters/situations, the tracks’ in-game impact was somewhat lessened by their overuse in the game. Not so with Automata, as the soundtrack is punctuated with segmented key pieces that are amazing ambient themes, the permutations of “City Ruins” being one such example. Key pieces such as the later action themes were tied to key moments, giving them the impact and attention they deserve.

Okabe mixed acoustic instruments and synthetic sounds, bestowing each track an expansive soundstage best enjoyed on open-back headphones. Pieces like “City Ruins” were written in movements not unlike Bloodborne’s use of segments to delineate boss phases, but in Automata, the game used segments to transition between different areas in the same map. Though areas are revisited often in the game, this dynamic use of movements actually reinforced the strengths of both gameplay and music, avoiding repetition and fatigue.

Additionally, the composers wrote different variants for the motifs depending on the sequence of the game; for instance, “Significance” and the sweet, melodramatic “Vague Hope” had several versions, changing between A, B, C/D/E. Returning veteran co-composer Keigo Hoashi (帆足圭吾) composed one of my favorite tracks, “Vague Hope: Spring Rain.”  The solo vocalist paired with the delicate strings delivers a highly emotional theme depicting a fragile hope…and love, or a memory thereof… 

Is it OK to cry while writing a soundtrack review

One mark of a great composer is flexibility in creating diverse, memorable motifs. Okabe shows that, again, he is a master of his trade with Automata. Soft pieces like “Peaceful Sleep” have actually rocked me to restful dreams. And, befitting the soul-crushing, heart-wrenching writing under Yoko Taro’s pen, Okabe delivered the punches with genuinely disturbing tracks. “Mourning” is one such example: it began with a twisted, heavy male chorus slowly elevated by layers of female chorus, rendering the theme significantly more religious as it progressed. The female chorus briefly lessened the sorrow with major chords, only to be dragged down by the weight of the male chorus once more into a sorrowful minor key. The string quartet faded in with a solo session starting at 2:15 that reinforced the motif, and finally joined by the chorus once more at 3:18, rising to a mournful crescendo at 3:57 that was no less than an operatic processional. For the moments that warranted the use of “Mourning,”* the track absolutely killed it, and also killed my heart, hopes and dreams for the characters.  *see the end of the Golden Machines sidequest

There is no lack of EPIC in Automata, and I am stoked to say that Okabe and Hoashi have written some of the best action pieces ever once more. Their flexibility came into play again, spinning a twist of action from slow, calm motifs. “War&War” was a pleasant surprise when I realized it was a battle-ready version of the obsessively calm “City Ruins” that might as well have been sung by the Red Orchestra. “End of Aliens” is almost lifted straight out of Tekken, considering the fighting-game showdown between Adam/Eve VS 2B/9S.  “Alien Manifestation” by both Okabe and Hoashi is my second favorite action-track in the listing. A powerful collaboration between the two powerhouses, they employed vocals and percussion heavily influenced by Southeast Asian and South Asian music. A decidedly culturally-laden theme depicting something that was inhuman in origin yet becoming human…

See above for EPIC

But the star amidst the shining action-tracks was “Emil: Despair.” Hoashi stole the thunder in this one, carrying on the legacy of the previous soundtrack, other examples being Okabe’s “Faltering Prayer” and “Song of the Ancients (Atonement),” but “Emil: Despair” went full SSJ3 on its already superb predecessor “Emil: Karma” from Nier. The piece is at once filled with the familiar, somber chorus, tense with weight from the Trombone, and fraught with immense sorrow driven by strings and trumpets. A new interlude, starting at 1:20, introduced a new solo vocal that demonstrates Hoashi’s brilliance in composition: introducing new ideas congruent to existing ones, bringing both to a higher place. “Emil: Despair” was truly a prime example of thus; an immensely satisfying blend of percussion-backed action and sadness.

It didn’t take eternity to hurt me, Emil

Okabe worked with amazing vocalists again. The supremely talented Emi Evans returns in key pieces to reprise her excellent performance in the first Nier soundtrack. She is flanked by newcomers J'Nique Nicole and Marina Kawano who performed the English and Japanese versions of the ending theme “Weight of the World,” respectively. Nicole’s voice had nuance and strength and was complemented by Evans’ higher, softer approach. Kawano’s performance is fairly decent although the JP version of “Weight of the World” got a little weird towards the end. I don’t know if it was from overdramatization or if Kawano was trying to emulate Nicole’s deeper vocal range, but the last vocal segment of the song seemed forced for an otherwise good performance. 

Nevertheless, the vocal work in Automata’s soundtrack was among the best in the industry. The diversity in the styles of chorus for the soundtrack was particularly noteworthy; you will hear everything from solo vocals to Latin-style hymns to a style close to temple chants in South/Southeast Asian cultures, a musical style rarely found in mainstream media. This tonal diversity somehow retained the thematic consistency of the entire soundtrack, yet bringing a fresh approach to every track.

All I wanted was Metal Gear Rising with Badass Goth Lolita Androids. I did get what I wanted /and/ existential crisis, a torrent of tears, and the one of the best game soundtrack in years. Pretty good deal.

Okabe wrote in the soundtrack booklet:

[This soundtrack] is the result of spending time and thought on capturing the “essence of Nier” as well as introducing new themes to bring the new world of Nier:Automata to life.

His collaboration with Hoashi, Takahashi and Ishihama as well as the talented performers for both vocals and instruments have realized that vision and then some. Nier:Automata Original Soundtrack was yet another masterpiece befitting Yoko Taro’s madness—a bleak outlook on what it means to be human, brought about by deceit and despair, and the faint, blossoming hope rising above the carnage. The game asked if humanity could exist without humans, and the answer was a resounding “Yes.” I hope that music, being an intrinsically emotional creation, will be one of humanity’s enduring legacies in the vastness of existence. Perhaps in 10,000 years, a badass blindfolded goth lolita android will find a CD of Nier Automata’s soundtrack buried in the city ruins, and experience a glimpse of the emotions that defined us.

This soundtrack is a must own for all fans of Nier: Automata and those who enjoy action and ambient tracks. It is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon. I bought the physical copy from Amazon JP.

This review was not sponsored by Amazon, Apple, Square Enix, Platinum Games, or MONACA.