#i'm glad he's having fun with this too role-playing games aren't his usual form of entertainment but he wants to do this with us

[thrassisfras]

Got some unexpectedly good rp after bringing Rahadin back. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

[mongpht]

[translate] Idia Shroud - Platinum Jacket SSR Personal Story

PART 1: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Idia: Dynamic brushstrokes that can only be felt in a real painting…. Hehe! That's the true pleasure of appreciating hand-painted paintings!

Idia: Ha! Here and there…! An image of the King of the Land of the Dead and a chariot!!! Impressive! In order to free his captive friends, the King himself goes to the front lines…. Wow, it's too exciting, isn't it?

???: Right… but is it normal for a responsible commander to leave headquarters and go to the front lines?

Idia: Hua! S-silver-shi!? Stop interrupting my soliloquy*. That's why the community is so strong…

Silver: I'm sorry if I surprised you. It was an interesting opinion and I thought I'd talk to you.

Idia: While this episode is interesting, the interpretation of the King's personality is shallow…?

Silver: What do you mean by that?

Idia: If he were a politician, he could have chosen a strategy, such as telling his subordinates to take care of him and leaving them to run errands. Even so, the reason he went to a dangerous place to increase his military power was because it was an important mission that was key to the operation. Honestly… he has an extraordinary sense of responsibility!! No, he's not like some wussy and incompetent politician who just has a title.

Silver: You're saying he went it alone because it was a situation where he couldn't fail? He definitely has a unique sense of responsibility. Listening to Idia-senpai's opinion deepened my knowledge of this film and episode. You have a broad mind.

Idia: Well, well, well! Silver-shi should follow my example and take it one step further!

Silver: Right… However, there was a lot of real feeling in my statement about "what a politician should be". I heard that Idia-senpai was appointed dorm headman on the recommendation of former dorm headman Ignihide…. Maybe you were the head of a big group in the past? Were you appointed dorm headman because of your experience?

Idia: А!? No, no, what are you talking about? For some reason I don't have any experience in this kind of thing…. I'm a solo player, even in online games. Well, sometimes I'm a leader when I need to get a party together for a raid or something like that…

Silver: After all, you must have had experience leading someone.

Idia: That's not an exaggeration… Besides, I usually have a trusted mate who acts as a tank and leader. Most of the time I work as a healer or DPS. That is, most of the time I feel like I'm putting all my heart into buffs to instantly upgrade my firepower. However, my plans don't always coincide with those of my mates, and when they aren't around, I have to act as a leader…. I have no choice but to do so! The role of leader is usually played by an experienced, advanced player. I've mastered all the missions, so I understand how to move around properly. He can also be called a tank, or he can be called a leader. "Thanks to you, I was able to complete a quest of increased difficulty! I'm glad I was able to join your company!" …and I've been MVP, countless times! I had no choice but to become a leader. My talent is intimidating…

Silver: Receiving appreciation from those you've partnered with. It's proof that we can all rely on Idia-sempai's leadership.

Idia: Well, there's something to that…. maybe it's true? Fuhehehe, hehehehe! Well, I'm sorry I wasted my time leaving the leader to an incompetent person and failed the quest. Looks like from now on I'll have to form a party and be the leader when my mates aren't home! Well, the powers that be are having a tough time!

PART 2: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Silver: A picture of a lion, a warthog and a meerkat? They sing as a threesome and seem to get along just fine.

Idia: Isn't it too much fun to walk while singing? This painting shows a lion, the heir to the throne, being chased out of his country….. He turns away in pain and walks with the friends he has met. It's an episode about him singing carefree, isn't it? It's lucky that we get to see a picture that glorifies his escape from his mission. Heh!

Silver: I heard once that singing makes you feel lighter. Maybe they were also trying to savor the sadness?

Idia: If you mean distracting yourself with songs, when I was little and my little brother was afraid to go to the toilet in the middle of the night….. we'd go there together, humming a song from our favourite anime….. Well, whatever the circumstances of the song's creation, the composition with the moon in the background is emo* MV style.

Silver: Ehm vi…?

Idia: Don't you know what a music video is? It's a video that accompanies a song or lyrics.

Silver: Ah, is that what you call MV? Roger.

Idia: Well, if you want to watch a music video, I recommend the Gakemo Idols music video called "People Need to Be on the Edge of a Cliff Too." The band's music videos are so good that you can watch them 100 times each…!

Silver: 100 times… is an amazing amount of times. Do you usually watch music videos that many times?

Idia: If you're a real otaku, you'll definitely watch it! After all, it's presumptuous to think you understand everything about a music video after one viewing! The first time, you just enjoy the whole video along with the song. The next three times you watch the dancing and facial expressions of the three participants. And if you go deeper into the structure of the video and the messages that come out of it… at least…. And if you dig deeper into the structure of the clip and the message it conveys… you have to watch it at least 10 times. Moreover, even one random frame in the "Gakemo" clip contains a message worthy of a film director! To deeply understand their work, it's not enough to watch the clip a few times. That's why I watch it over and over again, hundreds of times.

Silver? Is this work really that deep? It seems like it could be useful for emotional education as well. However, I think it would be a good idea to include it in school music lessons.

Idia: No, no, that's all… But it seems like Silver-shi was able to see how amazing these girls are. There are a lot of casual fans of hers who don't understand their artistry, even if they are Gakemo fans. Every time a new MV comes out, there are people who ask, "Who was featured for how many seconds?" or "Who did the management think was there?". Does that have anything to do with the quality of the work? None, right? You just don't want to understand the thought and substance behind it.

Silver: I can see… I feel like my knowledge has expanded because of Idia-senpai. Once I get back to school, let's watch some gake…mo clip, shall we?

Idia: No kidding! Is this for real? All the latest MVs are on the public account on Magicam! Be sure to watch them! You won't regret it!

PART 3: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Idia: Oh, the Sea Witch, appearing in the dark… She has a nice smile and a suspicious aura.

Silver: Is this the painting that depicts the episode about the Sea Witch making a contract? It is said that the contract she made at that time was so strong that not even a powerful spear could break it.

Idia: Come to think of it, I think it was enough that it didn't tear and the letters didn't smudge, even if they got wet…

Silver: Maybe there was something spelled out in the contract that they really didn't want to break.

Idia: I'm more concerned about the material of the treaty than the content. How strong is the defence that it can't even be terminated in advance? But there are times when you want to do something that will never work, I understand.

Silver: I don't quite understand… For example, what would an Idia-sempai do?

Idia: "A game console power cord that you can never hide" or…I actually tried to make one of those once. I played games from morning to night every day, and my mum started hiding cords. If she only hid the code, I could just make a new one, but she politely hid the cord materials as well. Then I thought, "I'm going to make it impossible to hide the cords!"

Silver: I think she was worried about your health… Didn't you have the opportunity to get out of the game?

Idia: How could I have? No, I was hard at work developing the game at the time, in my own way. I installed motion sensors so that the cord would automatically disappear from people's hands… I made it transparent so the cord couldn't be found, and added a homing function so it would return on its own… And after many failures… I finally completed it…! A transparent power cord that only the authorised owner can recognise!

Silver: I can't even imagine… It's amazing that you were able to create what you wanted with your own hands.

Idia: No, it's not amazing at all. Since there was a formidable genius in the family, the technology he developed was quickly defeated by other countermeasures… This cat and mouse game went on for months until I realised that all I had to do was modify my game console to wirelessly charge. Phew… However, the brief peace that came after developing wireless charging didn't last long…. Later, a strange device that disables all wireless charging within a 10 metre radius appears as the final boss. Yeah. Well, the experience I gained from developing things like motion sensors and autonomous controls came in handy when I was making Ortho, so all my trial and error didn't go to waste.

Silver: Even if you can imagine an ideal, it's hard to realise it. However, Idia-senpai has achieved a lot. I respect that.

Idia: Wait, what is this suddenly happening? I'm afraid of unexpected, direct compliments…. Are you trying to get me to buy a vase or something?

Silver? Why are we suddenly talking about a vase? Um, has it been that long? I got held up for a while. Oh, I'm sorry. Thanks for letting me hear your valuable story. Well, I must be going.

Silver's gone.

Idia: Phew… I haven't talked to a lot of people in a while and I'm tired. Need to calm down and look at the picture… Ah, that…

Idia: He's a hero from mythology. That sparkling gaze… He looks like he's sure of his bright future. There's no way his life could have turned out so well… I hope he doesn't get carried away and float down the river of the underworld.

*Soliloquy — speech addressed to oneself.

*Emo is emotional