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Description

And of course I forgive
I've seen how you live
Like a phoenix you rise from the ashes
You pick up the pieces
And the ghosts in the attic
They never quite leave
And of course I forgive
You've seen how I live
I've got darkness and fears to appease
My voices and analogies
Ambitions like ribbons
Worn bright on my sleeve

So we just hold on fast
Acknowledge the past
As lessons exquisitely crafted
Painstakingly drafted
To carve us as instruments
That play the music of life
For we don't realize
Our faith in the prize
Unless it's been somehow elusive
How swiftly we choose it
The sacred simplicity
Of you at my side

Inspired by movie "Hero" and "Eric's Song" by Vienna Teng.

If you have seen the movie, you will certainly get the visual element of young girl, Moon, standing in the middle of the leaves with sword, waiting to face the killer of her master/lover in one of the alternative versions told by Nameless. I think when I first saw that model stock, it reminded that movie in an instance, and since then, the model has been in my "will use someday" folder. I do not have much free time but today I had day fully for myself and I decided.. why not.. try to work on a manip. Instead of finishing two half done works waiting for me, I decided to jump into totally new work, fully aware that probably it will also end up in "finish some other time" folder.

The song, that inspired me (and that I listened in endless loops for many many hours while making this), has another aspect and special meaning. A friend of mine once suggested this song to me in one of the dnd campaigns we were playing. My character, assassin trying to turn into better life, I had an old master/lover named Eric who still like a shadow had an power over my character. So my friend thought that the song might fit for my character. I listened it and I really started to like it. It has this haunting feeling of a past you cannot let go.. you try to make it work but it never does.. you try to leave but that does not work either.. so you are in the loop where you know that it hurts but on the other hand you cannot turn your back either...

And those two aspects created this story for this image in my head. In a fantasy land, the girls are usually not accepted into studying art of swordsmanship. But she has always wanted to learn. She has managed to get herself into working inside the school that teaches it - being close and observing from the distance is better than nothing. She gets involved with one of the masters and he promises to teach her. But then he learns that she only came to the school to find some way to study the swordsmanship and therefore he believes, she was only interested in him, older man, because he could teach her. He is angry and disappointed. He sends her away. She accuses him of using her. She steals one of master's swords and leaves in the cover of night. She joins up with outlaws as they are onlyones who are interested in disregarded apprentice and she could put her arts into use - it does not matter if they are for the wrong reasons. The bandits are working against the ruler - their goal is to free their land and now, when she had joined them, she is part of that plan. She finds herself a goal and it feels so much better - having some higher reason for using her sword. But as the rebellion openly starts, her older master aligns with the Emperor. They find themselves on different side. They actually meet during a skirmish - he beats her but as he is just to make the final blow, he recognizes her and lets her go. There are still some feelings left - even if they are just unreasonable hopes. He is torn afterwards - he saw that she had improved and he sees that she must have talent. He wants to continue teaching her as there are not many students as talented as she has ended up being. But he cannot forgive her - for using her when noone else would teach her and now, joining the other side of the conflict. And she.. she is also stunned. The last thing she ever dreamt was running into her old master. She hates him - for sending her away.. For making her do all those things afterwards just for surviving. But thanks for him, she has the skills... and thanks for him sending her away, she joined the rebels and found the cause to fight for. And there are still romantic feelings she tries to bury deep down.. but it is so much harder now when she saw him again.. and he let her go - it has to mean something.

Time passes. The rebellion is falling apart. The empire's forces are winning victory after victory. And her old master is leading them. He is destroying what she believes in. The rebels learn that their stronghold has been found. They know that the empire's soldiers, lead by her old master, are coming. They need to escape but they need time. So she volunteers - she will go and face them. She knows she will never win him. She just needs to buy enough time to let others escape. She does not want to die. She does not want to kill or hurt her master but she must have to try that - even if she does not believe it.

So she goes.. she stands in the road, in the forest, leading for the rebels camp. She knows they are coming.. she longs to see him.. she longs to feel his heartbeat next to her.. to hold his hair in her fingers.. she longs to practice with him, to learn, to become better.. she knows none of this will happen. She knows she will face her death.. at least it will be done by the man she loves.. even after all that time.. even if they have ended up on different sides.. she cannot help it..

So she waits.. waits to face her master....

Ulia Koltyrina | den-belitsky | Frozenstocks | MajkaHarolds | SerapStock | zevenstorms | sundeip arora + some clever reusage of original model to change the pose/dress

Description

And of course I forgive
I've seen how you live
Like a phoenix you rise from the ashes
You pick up the pieces
And the ghosts in the attic
They never quite leave
And of course I forgive
You've seen how I live
I've got darkness and fears to appease
My voices and analogies
Ambitions like ribbons
Worn bright on my sleeve

So we just hold on fast
Acknowledge the past
As lessons exquisitely crafted
Painstakingly drafted
To carve us as instruments
That play the music of life
For we don't realize
Our faith in the prize
Unless it's been somehow elusive
How swiftly we choose it
The sacred simplicity
Of you at my side

Inspired by movie "Hero" and "Eric's Song" by Vienna Teng.

If you have seen the movie, you will certainly get the visual element of young girl, Moon, standing in the middle of the leaves with sword, waiting to face the killer of her master/lover in one of the alternative versions told by Nameless. I think when I first saw that model stock, it reminded that movie in an instance, and since then, the model has been in my "will use someday" folder. I do not have much free time but today I had day fully for myself and I decided.. why not.. try to work on a manip. Instead of finishing two half done works waiting for me, I decided to jump into totally new work, fully aware that probably it will also end up in "finish some other time" folder.

The song, that inspired me (and that I listened in endless loops for many many hours while making this), has another aspect and special meaning. A friend of mine once suggested this song to me in one of the dnd campaigns we were playing. My character, assassin trying to turn into better life, I had an old master/lover named Eric who still like a shadow had an power over my character. So my friend thought that the song might fit for my character. I listened it and I really started to like it. It has this haunting feeling of a past you cannot let go.. you try to make it work but it never does.. you try to leave but that does not work either.. so you are in the loop where you know that it hurts but on the other hand you cannot turn your back either...

And those two aspects created this story for this image in my head. In a fantasy land, the girls are usually not accepted into studying art of swordsmanship. But she has always wanted to learn. She has managed to get herself into working inside the school that teaches it - being close and observing from the distance is better than nothing. She gets involved with one of the masters and he promises to teach her. But then he learns that she only came to the school to find some way to study the swordsmanship and therefore he believes, she was only interested in him, older man, because he could teach her. He is angry and disappointed. He sends her away. She accuses him of using her. She steals one of master's swords and leaves in the cover of night. She joins up with outlaws as they are onlyones who are interested in disregarded apprentice and she could put her arts into use - it does not matter if they are for the wrong reasons. The bandits are working against the ruler - their goal is to free their land and now, when she had joined them, she is part of that plan. She finds herself a goal and it feels so much better - having some higher reason for using her sword. But as the rebellion openly starts, her older master aligns with the Emperor. They find themselves on different side. They actually meet during a skirmish - he beats her but as he is just to make the final blow, he recognizes her and lets her go. There are still some feelings left - even if they are just unreasonable hopes. He is torn afterwards - he saw that she had improved and he sees that she must have talent. He wants to continue teaching her as there are not many students as talented as she has ended up being. But he cannot forgive her - for using her when noone else would teach her and now, joining the other side of the conflict. And she.. she is also stunned. The last thing she ever dreamt was running into her old master. She hates him - for sending her away.. For making her do all those things afterwards just for surviving. But thanks for him, she has the skills... and thanks for him sending her away, she joined the rebels and found the cause to fight for. And there are still romantic feelings she tries to bury deep down.. but it is so much harder now when she saw him again.. and he let her go - it has to mean something.

Time passes. The rebellion is falling apart. The empire's forces are winning victory after victory. And her old master is leading them. He is destroying what she believes in. The rebels learn that their stronghold has been found. They know that the empire's soldiers, lead by her old master, are coming. They need to escape but they need time. So she volunteers - she will go and face them. She knows she will never win him. She just needs to buy enough time to let others escape. She does not want to die. She does not want to kill or hurt her master but she must have to try that - even if she does not believe it.

So she goes.. she stands in the road, in the forest, leading for the rebels camp. She knows they are coming.. she longs to see him.. she longs to feel his heartbeat next to her.. to hold his hair in her fingers.. she longs to practice with him, to learn, to become better.. she knows none of this will happen. She knows she will face her death.. at least it will be done by the man she loves.. even after all that time.. even if they have ended up on different sides.. she cannot help it..

So she waits.. waits to face her master....

Ulia Koltyrina | den-belitsky | Frozenstocks | MajkaHarolds | SerapStock | zevenstorms | sundeip arora + some clever reusage of original model to change the pose/dress