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comingyourlugubriousness · 2 days ago

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GGWP Idia Shroud's Character Song - AKA a diss track to masses and a cry for help.

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Hi, this is just my analysis of the song lyrics.

It was stuff I talked to my dear friend @bunnwich about and wanted to share. I included some of their thoughts in green text.

Everyone's entitled to their own way of thinking this is just my take!

I looked up a couple different translations but this translation is by @mysteryshoptls this post here. So thank you! Translators are the backbone of the community. <3

Spoilers for song obviously and Chapter 6 spoilers, general Idia backstory spoilers.

Start:

"Na nanana na-na na nanana Na nanana na-na na nanana-na Na nanana na-na na nanana-na Na nanana na-na na nanana-na Na nanana na-na na nanana-na Na nanana na-na na nanana"

The intro is a mocking and childish intro. A common nonsense phrase said in English, along the lines of “na na na, you can’t catch me.” At the very start of the song Idia mocking the person listening, already looking down on them?

“Always keep grinding! Only be positive!” “Overthinking is a high-caloric drag.” They bum-rush in and just spam good vibes. But forcing happy endings only trigger rage-quits.

Idia is making fun of the over-positive, extrovert lifestyle he sees people around him have. People who, from his perspective, seem insincere and don’t think enough about their actions and words nor how those actions and words affect others (like him). Instead he believes people force interaction using only “good vibes” and shallow niceties to navigate social interactions. (Think like when people ask how you're doing, but you know they don’t really care. It’s just the polite thing to say.)

But as he says, forcing such insincere kindness on someone without genuine thought/care behind it only makes him angry. It makes him want to stop interacting with people all together.

Someone takes an L each second, So ain't it all just a waste? Even if you scream into the void of the cosmos, You think anyone will care?

This stanza reflects one major belief Idia has, there is endless suffering all the time. Every moment someone is suffering; life is suffering. So isn’t it just a waste to try? Why not just accept that? If you yell, scream, complain and whine about how hard your life is no one will care. So keep it to yourself.

“What is the point of life if you're just going to die? Shouldn’t we just skip to that end.”

To Idia, there is no point in doing anything if he feels the end result will be bad (which he often does.)

Bunnwich also mentioned the “someone takes an L every second” line could be a reference to the death counter in Disney’s Hercules; possibly even a reference to the idea that a person dies every second. It’s a pretty flippant view of dying, which makes sense since he had such a close experience of death at a young age. Joking about death is a way of minimizing it; making a joke out of it makes it so you don’t have to really face it.

“Like a game-breaking glitch, I just mask my feels and play nice, Pretending to be chill, slowly building affection. No use tryin' to breach my firewalls, tho… Sigh… They just don't get it.”

Because of all these thoughts, views, and trauma brought on by his life’s experience. Idia chooses to keep to himself, tries to hide how he feels, “playing nice” and being polite to a minimal degree, LITERALLY MASKING. But it's always while keeping people at arms length; slowly forming those connections that are necessary for him to move forward and survive, but never letting it get to the point of real connection.

Here is the general summary of what “masking” is for people who aren’t aware:

Masking, also called camouflaging or compensating, is when individuals repress or hide signs of a mental health condition to blend in or adapt to the neurotypical world.

The concept is primarily used in the context of autism, but it can apply to ADHD and other mental health conditions as well.

While this technique can be advantageous in some ways, by creating greater integration in settings such as education or employment, it can come with heavy psychological costs, such as stress, exhaustion, burnout, and loss of identity.

Which leads to another core concept of Idia’s life:

Never letting people truly know him.

And Bunnwich brought up another point about the line:

“No use tryin' to breach my firewalls, tho… Sigh… They just don't get it.”

This is an idea that I explored in my previous fanfic a long time ago before Chapter 6 dropped:

Bunnwich: It’s worth noting that Idia’s choose to not get close to people isn’t really a choice, even if he wanted to he CAN’T because of his secret life at STYX. Any person that finds out the full scope of his life will have their memories erased and they will be forced to forget him along with everything else.

Exactly, so why would you waste time getting close to someone who in the end won’t stay with you?

Or worse, even if he cared about someone who wanted to stay with him, why would he doom them to the very existence he hates so much?

He shouldn’t get close to people not just to protect himself, but them as well.

I'm too OP, Just too legendary, An undead on the cusp of burning to ashes.

Idia’s classic contradiction mindset. His overconfidence and self deprecating mindset back to back in just a few lines. One second he’s too good for other people, then the next moment he’s not good enough. He is constantly othering himself.

For the line: “An undead on the cusp of burning to ashes.”

Bunnwich: Idia is putting himself on a pedestal as a God, yet somehow it's still derogatory.

Our dark past is blasting off, Come Show And on all the worthless NPCs out there, we RAID

These lines are kinda hard because it's a line written in English by most likely non native English speakers. But I think since all these songs seem to represent the victims thoughts during peak overblot. It's Idia revealing the dark past he tried to hide, and ”raiding” the life of normal “worthless” people that don’t have power/purpose like he or the rest of his bloodline does.

Bunnwich: Distancing himself from others and making them NPCs in his brain, again putting himself in this "godlike" position while clearly still envying "normies".

Loot drops, dungeon quests, dailies, I'm grinding so hard that I got no time to sleep. While you all are just chillin', I'm gonna give this world a clean install.

Again. When talking about Idia it's important to know Game references = coping mechanism and metaphors for life. His daily life is full of duties and “quests” that normal people don’t have to deal with. He is trying to idealize this life while also being clearly envious of people who get to relax and not have to worry about having responsibility like this.

So he is going to change the world as he knows it. “Reset it”

u alwz wnt a new gm. don u? i kno ur the new gm 4 me gg well played, gg well played ez noob lol ur ez noob lol

Cringe idia is cringe. Lol. But in all seriousness he is once again addressing the bright eyed masses.

Life = A game.

“u alwz wnt a new gm. don u?”

(The carefree masses) Are always looking for a new experience? A new “game”?

“i kno ur the new gm 4 me”

Idia here is offering his ideal world, his new way of living for him and Ortho as the new game. His game. A game for once where HE is in control of not just his life, BUT ALL LIFE. The ultimate Game Master.

“Gg well played, and ez noob lol”, is him mocking the masses again. Because it's already over, he’s already won.

“Fight on! That's the spirit! The power of friendship?” There ain't squads like that IRL.

This line is interesting to me, because based on things we know about Idia while he acknowledges that the idea of the “Fighting Spirit” and “Power of Friendship” mindset are something he doesn’t stand by irl, but it is something idealizes and enjoys on some level. (One of his fav anime is a slice of life, sports anime about an all girl sledding team. You telling me that shit isn’t all about the “fighting spirit” and “power of friendship”? (Okay king, keep lying to yourself, acting like you aren’t actually craving meaningful bonds. #clocked)

It’s also interesting because he doesn’t actually insult the idea, he just says it doesn’t exist in real life, almost implying he wishes it does? But that could be stretching it.

There's always one boss fight after another, I'm salty when players can AFK their quests.

Life is just one big obstacle after another, full of “boss battles” that he has to focus hard on and use his energy towards, but what's difficult for him is easy for others; they don’t have to focus or try hard like he does. They can just “AFK” through those things, like it's easy.

Pressure is at max level from all sides, With vibe-checkers forcing their hype on others. Who knows how long I'll be stuck in a role I don't even want, Did your eyes stop working from having to read between all those lines?

This is funny because he's literally telling you to look beyond what he’s saying, there's more to his words than what they appear. Idia doesn’t just dislike normal or even extroverted people just because they bother him. It's because he envies their carefree life. He’s pressured by his family to live out his duty as head of STYX, he’s pressured by “normies” that don’t know anything about him to “be normal” and "have fun” when they don’t even have the slightest idea of what life is like. (Again, insincere kindness.)

He’s stuck in a role he doesn’t want.

Idia wishes he could be and live normal more than anything. And that is one key core of his character.

Idia wishes he could be and live normal more than anything.

This path is a heavy load even for the ultimate underworld class. A total catastrophe just lurks, You better laugh while you still can. Sigh… They just don't realize.

The pain, weight, and isolation of his duties is too much; even for someone like him who grew up being prepared for his very role. Nobody notices how it's weighing on him (probably not even his family), how he’s spiraling deeper into it. Like a ticking bomb, a disaster just a single thread away from unwinding. That’s why he’s so accepting of his overblot.

Again, interestingly repeating the lines “They just don’t get it. They just don’t realize.” He feels nobody can understand him. And on some level, he is right. The only person who could really understand what he’s going through was Ortho and well…

Got no danger sense, Just too carefree, A rampage on the cusp of a breakdown.

Again mocking people for not noticing something he thinks should be obvious (his imminent crashout). He’s mocking and envying people for once again being too carefree.

The words a rampage on the cusp of a breakdown is a really good way of describing how Idia’s negative feelings show. The anger we see when his flames flare red is really just a cover for his sadness and grief which are the source of his anger.

All that hype's blasting off, Come Show There's no honor in helpin' us, what a JOKE

The one here that’s interesting is the joke part. My interpretation of this is that he believes his family's duty is a joke. That their curse is supposed to be helping the world be rid of and understand blot is a joke to him if it means that he and Ortho can’t live freely.

Our dark past is blasting off, Come Show And on all the worthless NPCs out there, we RAID

(Again the chorus line.)

Limit breaks, login bonuses, epic losses, and rankings, I keep on pinging my PC like it's my lifeline. While you all are just partyin', I'm gonna give every single thing a clean install.

Again, a gaming metaphor for life. Limit breaks (Idia pushing himself), login bonuses (waking up everyday and getting through life), epic losses, and rankings. (Both self-explainatory.)

The PC line is interesting as it affirms that Idia uses the internet and by extension media & hobbies to cope. His hobbies, his distractions, escapism, is his only lifeline to keep himself going in this life that’s already decided for him.

It's also worth mentioning in a game when you “ping” it’s trying to draw attention to a certain area, usually one that needs assistance. That you are trying to communicate and reach out to your team.

Bunnwich: A cry for help.

u alwz wnt a new gm. don u? i kno ur the new gm 4 me gg well played gg well played ez noob lol ur ez noob lol u alwz wnt a new gm. don u? (Na nanana na-na na nanana-na) i kno ur the new gm 4 me (Na nanana na-na na nanana-na) gg well played, gg well played (Na nanana na-na na nanana-na) ez noob lol ur ez noob lol (Na nanana na-na na nanana)

(Again after all the stuff that he mentions, in the end he just goes back to mocking the masses; with childish behavior.)

Final thoughts:

Sound wise, to me this is very reminiscent of older vocaloid songs, that sound silly, sweet, or funny, but then you translate to the lyrics and it's literally the saddest shit you’ve ever read. The style also is pretty consistent with some forms of Japanese Rap; the beat and feel of GGWP reminds of the song: “Bling‐Bang‐Bang‐Born”by Creepy Nuts. The opening verses come out with a similar cadence. Very fast with, tones up and down for exaggeration.

I’ve seen a couple people’s opinions about the song and I think it's very easy to dismiss it as “haha he’s rapping and that's silly. Gamer rapper.” It is silly, Idia is a silly character. But he’s also very tragic and like all the other twst characters you cannot just take his words at face value if you want to analyze their character and the media as a whole.

This song seems like a cry for help (hahaha lowkey tho). It’s very in character, full of gaming references and slang that if you aren’t aware of can make the song confusing as a whole and difficult to understand. Just like Idia as a character.

It's not for everyone, and I get that.

In the end, the song is about Idia’s envy/bitterness of people with normal life, the overwhelming burden he feels from his predetermined duty in life, his aversion for people to truly know him, the way he masks his true emotions/pain/guilt, and his “need” to keep people at arms length to protect himself and them.

...

BUT HEY, THAT’S JUST MY OPINION! Feel free to think what ya want. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Thanks for reading!

#bump

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comingyourlugubriousness · 3 days ago

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Still Infallible, Until Tangible Analysis🔆

I knew from the moment I saw him cry in that opening 4 years ago that Leona was a Sad Boy (™)

My translation may be flawed as it was achieved through an online translator and then cross-referenced with a few others. Lyrics are in orange. --

I’m gonna be making references to a few of the posts I’ve already made because when I’m right, I’m right. And TRULY, it's crazy to me many of these posts were written BEFORE the Chapter 2 light novel, BEFORE Leona’s Chapter 7, BEFORE the Tamashina Mina event and…I just guess I have a gift for clocking this man?? Why I couldn’t have more important gifts in this life, I’m sure I don't know.

Beyond the door that closes, I hear a joyous song drift in, A voice that shakes in the distance, Even as the shadows scatter,

Leona starts out with the imagery that a party is always “going on without him.” He always feels separate especially from his family, and it almost a tease of a life he wishes he could lead.

(GUYS, I literally JUST wrote about the fact that Leona always feels this way and uses this same analogy to express his isolation. I WANNA SCREAM)

“A never-ending wheel where he was crushed underneath it each time, listening to a party go on happily without his presence. Left alone to eat the rotten, sour grapes. Every. Time.” From this fic: X

I wrote this because it reminded so much of Scar and the idea of some sort of "celebration" taking place without him. One thing’s for sure, the writers LOVE weaving Disney move refs into the characters and I just think it really helps you understand the framework for how they see each of the characters.

Circling across the night,

Pacing. He mentions doing circles. A ENDLESS CYCLE LIKE I SAID ABOVE. It’s torment. You know what else it reminds me of? That scene with Scar where he paces in the SHADOWS then kicks a bone in frustration. Bro is PENT UP.

Leona obsesses:

“Hm, I’ve always been a sore loser. Post-mortem is a chess term.” Leona’s gaze circled back to the window again, his hand covered his mouth as he explained. “Analysis of a game after it’s concluded. A player who has just lost the game thanks to a…dubious or stupid move has the chance to win the post-mortem by finding a better one.”

“Oh, right.” They acknowledged. “I-I remember you telling me that. That makes sense I guess: to learn from your mistakes.”

“Tch, yeah.” He grumbled. “Whenever I played chess as a child I would obsess over the post-mortem, every loss or even victory. Every outcome; and what I could have done differently… Pathetic.” He paused before going on. “I couldn’t sleep or even eat after the…overblot. I guess what I didn’t learn as a child, what I still fail to learn now, is that sometimes it doesn’t matter. Fate is stronger than any effort and life is…cruel and random. It doesn’t matter if you learn. When you’re either doomed to repeat the same mistakes, or you have no more options…unable to recover from your defeat. So why should I care…?” Leona finished his thought in a low voice.

(Did I clock him or did I clock him pookies?) Link to full scene here: X

After each loss he takes, he can’t let it go. He LAMENTS, he goes over it over and over in his head.

I yearn without end My pride is used as a shield.

Ah, and the Y E A R N I N G line. HE'S A Y E A R N E R, he cares so much he looks stupid.

We been knew. He takes everything soo seriously. I do think there is a level of him being fearful of not being accepted fully by others. Why else does one hide? BUT, in Chapter 7 he acknowledges his failure to even try to reach out as well.

Leona, despite his flaws, is very aware of his issues and is more emotionally mature than some of the other characters. He isolates himself, even though he hates it. He acknowledges it’s pathetic what he does, but he can't escape the cycle nonetheless. The words he sings are melancholy, like there are waves that beat against a cliff, eroding it. He’s trapped in his cycle of despair, a hell of his own making. Just like his dream.

The fading light, the unchanging world still an infallible color No matter how many times I reached out this hand it always held nothing I might as well turn it all to sand.

What he reaches for–the perfect dream–is does not exist, as fleeting as trying to catch sunlight in his hands, hands that can only bring destruction due to their terrifying magic.

This backs up my belief that Leona thinks that everything he touches goes wrong. (Just like his dream!!) His magic is innately destructive. He is/has been a bad omen of sorts since birth and, at his worst, he feels maybe it’s all he’s good for. Because he lets himself be tormented in this way, he feels the only way out is to destroy everything and with it, his yearning too.

Even the phantoms that play with me are too bright and bothersome If I can remain unfaithful (If I keep my facade up) I sneer at the idea (I can keep laughing it off)

Hope is...bothersome to him, it always has been, because it challenges his mindset. Not only that, but I can see how reverting to that naive mindset that has him hoping AGAIN…is the most painful thing of all. This section about “phantoms” aka “hopes and dreams” makes me think of the Chapter 2 light novel translation.

But the pack spoke eagerly about the future, with sparkling eyes. That alone is terrifying. It's not their expectations that scare me. I’m scared of myself. Of how pathetic I would be if their words inspired me, so that I am never able to give up hope.

Man wants to be wanted, to be needed, to be admired. He craves it but at the same time he’s afraid of it, of how even this little bit of admiration has changed him. Made him soft, made him believe it was possible to win for once. Made him believe for a second it was tangible?

Somewhere in my heart, there's still the lingering hope that, maybe, I can still do it. It's an unbelievably optimistic, sweet thought, filled with wishful thinking. Ruggie, Jack, and the others all talk about these foolish dreams that will never come true, but in the end, I'm just as much a fool as they are.

His own words! Leona forces himself to be apathetic when he has instincts to be idealistic. Back to the line of→ ARROGANCE AS A SHIELD. That’s his ultimate armor. “If I go out of my way to disappoint people as soon as they meet me, then I won't have any expectation to live up to.”

And again, he knows he is insincere, laughing at the naive hopes, SNEERING AT THEM. Dismissing his underclassmen's view of him as naive chatter. Those who believed in him blindly,and admire him. The dorm even calls him their “King” in Chapter 2.

It’s interesting how sometimes Leona is so dismissive of praise, even if he craves it more than anything. It’s almost like…he doesn't truly believe in it and if he did, well that'd be dangerous wouldn't it? Nothing he truly desires will ever be within reach.

At a certain point, it feels like…he almost seeks criticisms of himself. It’s like taking the easy way out. As if he doesn't want others to see him positively. It's a toxic safety blanket...but it's his. He’s so masochistic. As though he takes the criticism of being lazy or ineffective as proof that he IS what they say he is. "Like yeah I do suck, huh?" (Like when Lillia said he’d be a bad King in Chapter 2. and he agrees and laughs.) This negative reaction from others reinforces the concept that Leona often purposely pushes others away as a "test" to see if they even see the real him, and also as a masochistic way to show himself; “Ah yes, I am right again…no one appreciates the real me because the real me sucks.”

Even despite this…we see how good of a leader he is , how excited and driven he is about things he actually cares about like Spelldrive or like mentoring his frosh. HE CAN’T HELP IT, BECAUSE THAT’S WHO HE REALLY IS. NOT THIS SAD SACK WHO CRIES ABOUT HOW LIFE IS UNFAIR.

The crazy thing about this man is he KNOWS all this about himself. It all…self-sabotage at it’s finest. That's the reason Leona's dream was so fucked up. He stands in his OWN way. He casts that shadow over his own light.

He is SO afraid of failure he won't try. He wants to be in control of the narrative completely or not at all. And I feel that's where Leona’s ego comes in. He wants to control how people view him to be all these “great things”, but he just hasn’t put the work in. He KNOWS it's his fault.

WHICH IS CRAZY BC THIS IS exactly what he warned Jamil about in Chapter 6. HE JUST DOESN'T PRACTICE WHAT HE PREACHES.

Remaining "nonchalant" is cope-ium to Leona. His carefree persona is so carefully put into place every day of his life.

Like in my overblot animation analysis I know Leona is very comfy in his coping mechanisms, that is, until he's NOT. UNTIL he’s inspired by his underclassmen or UNTIL he hears others being praised in the way he ONLY WISHES he was. (Like Malleus or his brother) All the while ignoring and not truly absorbing the praise those who genuinely already care for him as he is.

It's a very...complex concept and I think those who get it, get it. I can see why Leona is so divisive and his fans are so loyal. It really takes A LOT of work to understand his madness, and NOW we have so much content which CLEARLY shows his true nature, there really is no excuse anymore for people to deem his character shallow IMHO.

Maybe that’s why I do get so bent out of shape when people continue to assume Leona is/will be nonchalant with everything. Like come on ya’ll ....you’re…falling the character’s facade.

NO, Leona is not a “delinquent trope” or even “broody bad boy”, he's more a "lazy genius" and "begrudging mentor." He is at his best when he is helping others, when he is teaching, and seeing the light in OTHERS. Savanaclaw IS HIS LIGHT. You compare Diadem and this song and YOU SEE IT RIGHT???

And the fact HE cannot see this himself is...heartbreaking. When left to his own devices and “all the shadows have scattered” as he says…it’s almost like he can't cope in his own brain. So, he HAS to disengage, tell himself he doesn’t care about anything.

Man can't stand himself. Leona is such an interesting representation of self-loathing, depression and mental illness. Like...I remember the first fic I wrote about Leona when there was barely any content of him and my first instinct was that "Yeah this grumpy ass-depressed man 100% seeks connection…even though he doesn't know HOW exactly to do it."

Savanaclaw is where he belongs, and I’m hoping we get to see him grow to the point he can live with himself better when he has to say goodbye to NRC. Really be able to sit with himself and love himself for who he is.

If you've ever seen a person you love struggle with self-worth and self-loathing it is truly one of the most heartbreaking things…because at the end of the day, YOU cannot help them. They have to help themselves. As much praise as he gets from his underclassmen it's still NOT enough. He needs to accept himself as ENOUGH. He needs to have pride in himself. Because the pride we see with Leona now...is just a mask.

TBH, for years I always had a feeling that he was a secretly self-deprecating person and I was RIGHT. Holding back as much as he does with his skills and emotions is THE SAME form of self-sabotage he accuses Jamil of. He could be reaching out, but he’s not. He's held himself back because he's afraid to care, to be invested again. And…I think he’s afraid that he’ll never be enough.

The light I can't grasp, the twisted gaze its infallible color Even if I lay out reasons to blame someone Every time I turn my back, And still I hold out this hand, turning everything into sand

This part confused me a bit with the wording TBH BUT- The last line ends with what feels like a self-admittance that he has no one to blame but himself. Despite what he says, he knows he’s given up.

And maybe despite his nonchalance, it does hurt when people turn their back on him. (Another TLK reference?)

Or…(because I am a bit shaky on the translation) perhaps he’s saying he’s turning his back on the light. (Hope.) I mean when you think about it, who can really hold light? It’s as if it was an impossible task to start with. The metaphor works as well as references TLK again. And that if the Light = Hope, he is self- admitting that sometimes he does reach out , he does dream, he is a sentimental fool sometimes. (Who totally looks at the stars.) He can be a hopeful fool and he falls into the trap of yearning for things that can never be. Over and Over. I often HC that Leona was quite a sensitive and idealistic child and this check out to me.

Considering each of these songs is about the feeling behind each of the overblots, it makes sense to what he felt his only option was to turn it all to sand, mirroring the void he feels within himself.

I’ll end with some more of Leona’s Chapter 2 light novel quotes:

I'm not strong, I’m not wise, and I'm not loved. But is that who I am? I can't accept that. That's the one thing I do not want to admit.

He cannot commit to not hoping/ not caring at all though he can’t commit to believing in himself fully either. He’s stuck in a toxic cycle of his own making, I fear.

I'm utterly fed up with how unreasonable I am. Don't make me think that there might be a chance. Just let me believe that there is no point in having expectations. I am tired of struggling and suffering for things I cannot attain. I hate knowing how insignificant and boring I am. Maybe what I should be striving for is the strength to give up. And that sounds like the most painful thing of all. Ah, life is truly unfair.

(Link to this analysis: X) Leona is often poked fun of for sleeping all the time and yes, it his vice but also his sanctuary, he’s just…tired. And this song does a beautiful job at portraying his weariness. Musically, I enjoyed this very much! As with Idia and Jamil, MAJOR props to the VAs for portraying their characters so diligently that it even touched me, despite not being a Japanese speaker! I could have heard this randomly and known who it was. I feel the emotions…and it sounds like Leona. The rock ballad and slightly whiny vibes make me think of old mid-2000 rock, like Linkin Park type stuff?

#clocked #leona kingscholar #character analysis #you wrote this so fast bun brilliant #the imposter syndrome is so strong #he cares so much he looks stupid is what i have BEEN SAYIN

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