(wait a second for the music to start- there are some creaking/banging sound effects at the beginning) this song is “the lullaby” from the webcomic purple hyacinth (artist is sophism) story: (this doesn’t really have to do with the plot of purple hyacinth, I just loved the song) Silas (the character pictured) works a 9-to-5 job in downtown New York that is, in his opinion, the most boring position in the world. He had a falling-out with his mother some years ago, but they were incredibly close when he was young. His mother often whispered a lullaby to him as he fell asleep, singing about how he could rest easy because she would always be there to soothe his worries. (hence the song) One stormy evening, Silas trudges home from work down a residential street. Through a window, he can see a young child clinging to their mother. The mother ruffles her child’s hair and starts to sing... a song Silas recognizes. The lullaby drags up a thousand memories for Silas... all the times he had fallen asleep with the certainty that his mother would always be with him. As the music washes over him, he starts to push away all his emotions... it’s easier to lock up everything- even the moments in his past that he treasured most with his mother- than to live with the pain and the hurt. Every memory he has is now re-framed. The fantasies his mother had spun with words? All lies. The encouragements she whispered to him? Empty promises. Her love was just an illusion- smoke and mirrors, really. The only things he can truly trust are solid: money, status, his job... and he has no time to be deceived. how does the art relate? I used an entirely purple color palette because purple is a really intriguing color. It can be very relaxing (like lilacs), or, in certain circumstances, it can be unsettling (like an oncoming storm) Similarly, the entire image is filtered with chromatic aberration, which is meant to make the simple, relaxing background of staff lines, clouds, and the quote just a little bit... off, somehow. I’ve taken something familiar and twisted it, rephrased it, which represents what Silas does with his memories. Obviously, I drew music notes in the background (no, they do not match with the music) to signify the melody washing over Silas. The quote is from the chorus of the lullaby I didn’t want Silas to really be the center of the picture- after all, he’s trying to disassociate himself with the lullaby. The focus is on the quote and the music notes, and it takes a second for your eyes to realize, wait, what’s up with the guy in the corner? CREDITS: Contest: @geijutsu Art: me (no tracing, only reference is for his coat) Music: “The Lullaby” from Purple Hyacinth
