AmaranthMB on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/amaranthmb/art/An-Errant-Soul-Live-To-Tell-The-Tale-459094553AmaranthMB

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'An Errant Soul' (Live To Tell The Tale)

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I haven't stopped doing these. Really. Things have just been going really slowly, between moving and other projects and just not being able to muster the motivation. But! Now that this one is done, I just have to finish Planet Hell and I'll be done with Once!

I found Live to Tell the Tale to be tricky on a number of levels. The lyrics themselves carry a whole lot of disparate imagery, one picture after another...s'bit like being on a mad train with scenery flying by. There's not a whole lot connecting said images, either. The melody is upbeat while the lyrics range from a bit awestruck to bitter. Also, in the grander story of Nightwish, this is the last song of an era. It may not have been written with that in mind, but it's kind of the segue between Once and Dark Passion Play...and that's a, well, *complicated* place to be. I knew whatever image I came up with would have to flow into The Poet and the Pendulum in a way that would make sense.

I decided to go symbol-heavy. The glass angel, chained to earth among the ruins. The man in the crying mask with a chisel in his hand, ready to strike. But does he mean to strike where the chains meet, and free her...or will he strike her heart, and destroy her? The black wolf, watching but unable to affect the outcome. The child walking alone toward a castle in the clouds, but still so far away. And the masked storyteller, the puppetmaster, reading their tale...and at his feet a baby snow leopard sleeps on a bed of black roses. (I used snow leopards to represent winter in Taikatalvi).

Resources:
Storyteller: www.deviantart.com/art/The-Sto…

And lots of Google.

(I used some pieces of art as references in this one, more than I usually do. As I found most of them via Google instead of DeviantART, it's entirely possible I've referenced a fellow deviant's work without realizing it. If I have and someone can point it out, I will gladly give credit where credit is due :)
Image size
2543x3274px 6.4 MB
© 2014 - 2024 AmaranthMB
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