User:Pentium5dot1/UN:REQ explanations/Vocaloid (revised)/picture
- The content of this page should be considered "Wild Mass Guessing" as defined by TV Tropes / All The Tropes. In other words, it is all fanon with no known canonical acceptance.
The illustration above depicts several Vocaloid characters in the context of the Suzanne Vega album Solitude Standing. This page explains the story associated with the picture.
Feel free to use these ideas for your article, and feel free to ask questions.
Plot[edit | edit source]
General notes: The eponymous narrator of "Luka" is a boy. Also, the narrator of "Tom's Diner" is male.[1] Let's do a gender flip and put Megurine Luka in both positions.
All Vocaloid characters are referred to by given name only from this point on. With that said...
Luka[edit | edit source]
Early in her life, Luka made money as a waitress at Tom's Diner.
Her parents were dissatisfied with her performance, so they physically abused her. Meanwhile, she was downgraded to a volunteer (unpaid) position and later fired.
Tom's Diner[edit | edit source]
This song takes place several years after the last incident of abuse. Luka visits the diner during a shift in which Len is the head waiter.
Rin often passes by the diner but rarely dines there. She suspects that Len is cheating on her with Miku, so she tries to observe discreetly.
Immediately before the scene pictured, Miku has entered the diner[2] and exchanged kisses with Len[3].
Rin is waiting outside[4] with a Fire Flower in hand[5]. She resolves to act on this evidence of infidelity.
Luka notices this but doesn't pay much attention[6] because she's too busy reminiscing about her past hardships.
Rin pays little attention to Luka[7] as she watches intently for Len's next move[8]. She contemplates committing arson but quickly discards the idea, as brick doesn't burn well.
Solitude Standing[edit | edit source]
This follows on from "Tom's Diner," but it is narrated from Len's point of view.
It is late in the afternoon, and Len has just finished his shift. As he walks toward the doorway, he finds that Rin (aka "Solitude"[9]) has returned, still holding the Fire Flower because she has decided to attack him directly.
It is still within the diner's operating hours, and the rest of the customers watch intently[10] (except, presumably, Luka).
In the Eye[edit | edit source]
Immediately following the events of "Solitude Standing," Len confesses that he was indeed having an affair. He says he is willing to accept a lethal punishment for his indiscretions.
Rin is moved by this display of honesty and decides not to kill him after all.
Illustrator's notes[edit | edit source]
Disclaimers[edit | edit source]
The image is not intended to be a fine work of art. I just hacked it together as a quick-and-dirty visual aid for my idea. I am not seriously involved in the practice of fine art nor in the fandom of any Japanese media.
The factual accuracy of the information below is not guaranteed.
Clothing[edit | edit source]
- I forgot Len's tie (though I'm not sure whether he always wears one). Miku also often wears a tie, though it would not be visible with her back to the viewer.
- I have ignored the stockings mentioned in "Tom's Diner." In the song, the stockings are on the woman standing outside; however, it's normally Miku who wears stockings, while Rin just has leg warmers. I mistakenly drew Miku with leg warmers also, and I worked around this by coloring her upper legs in black to simulate stockings (with the leg warmers thus worn over the stockings).
- I have drawn Rin with a skirt, which is consistent with the "Tom's Diner" lyrics but not necessarily with canonical artwork (which shows short-shorts instead).
- Rin and (usually) Len have extra belt loops hanging off their pants. They are not visible given the poses in my picture.
- The bass clef on Len's shirt was placed there in error, as it appears not to be a canonical feature.
Other items[edit | edit source]
- The building in the "Tom's Diner" music video has visible brick walls. The real Tom's Restaurant does not.
- I have ignored the rain mentioned in "Tom's Diner" because (1) I wasn't sure how to draw it best and (2) it wasn't actually raining when Suzanne Vega came up with the idea for the song.
As a result of this, I have also ignored the umbrella that Miku is supposed to have brought in with her. - I didn't bother drawing Rin's actual reflection in the diner's window, nor did I depict any other reflection, refraction, or absorption of light in the window. Assume the window is very clean.
- I have shown Luka reading a newspaper, as mentioned in the "Tom's Diner" lyrics. If this seems technologically backward, imagine that it is made of electronic paper.
- The full cup of coffee was ordered by Miku. Luka isn't trying to steal it; her right hand is just holding up the newspaper.
- If you're wondering why the Vocaloids would drink coffee given that they are robots, suppose that their brains are composed partly of actual neurons and the "coffee" is actually a solution of neurotrophins and nutrients needed to maintain the neurons.
- The ragged edges (only noticeable at full size) result from GIMP's Intelligent Scissors tool, which isn't officially recommended for any serious use.
Content to incorporate later[edit | edit source]
- "We strangers know each other now" from the song "Gypsy"
Footnotes[edit | edit source]
| Luka | Lyrics | Music video |
| Tom's Diner | Lyrics | Music video |
| Solitude Standing | Lyrics | DM / YT |
| In the Eye | Lyrics | (no official video) |
Italicized text is quoted from the lyrics of "Tom's Diner" except where another song is specified.
- ↑ See above lyrics links, in the "Notes" box at the bottom of each page
- ↑ To the woman who has come in
- ↑ As they are kissing they're hellos [sic?]
- ↑ There's a woman on the outside
- ↑ Her palm is split with a flower with a flame ("Solitude Standing")
- ↑ And I'm trying not to notice
- ↑ No she does not really see me
- ↑ 'Cause she sees her own reflection — referring to Len, not her literal reflection. Rin and Len are surnamed Kagamine because, roughly speaking, they are designed as mirror images (figuratively speaking)
- ↑ TODO: make up an explanation for this nickname's origin. Also consider using the Spanish equivalent "Soledad," which is more commonly used as a name than is the English word. (It is just a nickname, not a middle name — Japan has no legal provision for middle names (kotaku.com.au).) BabyNames.com says "Rin" translates roughly to "companion," which is a bit oxymoronic in relation to solitude.
Other notable compositions with "Solitude" in the title exist (siliconera.com) but have no relation to Suzanne Vega's works. ("Notable" here means only "notable within the Vocaloid franchise," not "notable by Wikipedia standards.") - ↑ I see how their eyes are gathered into one — Contra:
Denouement's interpretation of the line "They're sitting all together in the dark in the warm" at http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/10729/ suggests "bliss[ful] ignorance," i.e. that the other customers may be staring at each other rather than at Rin and Len.
TODO: Say something about the employee/customer distinction expressed by the line "I wanted to be in there among them" (all lyrics are from "Solitude Standing" obviously).