A poet born to a wealthy family, youngest of three, grown up in a comfortable city life suddenly found his life falling apart in front of his eyes. After all, the men in his family were cursed to die young and Emil was not going to be an exception. It all started with a couple of dreamless nights which started to turn into many...
In denial, Emil leaves the city he has always been in love with and travels across the land in search for something, anything that could help. He visits village seers, wise old women, clerics, even people others have considered insane. His journey eventually leads him to a temple dedicated to what lies beyond the black river: the afterlife.
Emil takes great care of his appearance, because he likes it and to keep things normal. He's always kept a medium-length hair and a moustache, as has been fashionable. Later he grew the beard out, which then started to curl a bit upwards from the chin.
He started to wear red prayer-ribbons after his visit to the temple. One is hanging from his shoulders and another is attached to his hat. He didn't use to have the hat, but the illness made his eyes sensitive to the light, so he picked up his dad's old one.
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Emil had a comfortable start to his life. He was the youngest sibling in the family and the only son, meaning he was to get the biggest cut of the eventual inheritance. He was very used to lazing around at his family's printing press.
//forgot where I was going, will be finishing this one day lol
Emil is afflicted by something called Dreamless Vigil. At first it steals the dreams and slowly progresses to complete insomnia. Other side effects are included, such as personality changes, forgetfulness, and hallucinations, but eventually the person succumbs to fatigue.
(It's pretty much fatal insomnia but fantasy flavoured)
At some point he starts to hallucinate a voice, then a woman who Emil calls his 'muse'. She whispers incomprehensible things and lingers at the edge of his vision.
Basically just a good collection of fitting songs for Emil, but I didn't want to flood the main playlist with just sorrow (There's a lot of Opeth). And I just like angst :-)
I especially love Voice of Treason + Faith in Others from the list (see the artwork inspired by them). Faith in Others is so depressed-emil-coded, pretty much for the time period after his dad died.
The playlist literally ends with a Fade to Black.
Because I did wake up... didn't I?
A lot of blue albums. Also a lot of symphonic metal and Kamelot ended up as some sort of main-artist for the playlist. The songs are somewhat sorted by the story's timeline? Anyhow, it's clear how it ends.
Must listens are:
The playlist also made me realise the instrument associated with Emil is an accordion 🪗
A lot of angst here as well, but it's from both perspectives. Before... and after. After starting the playlist it made me realize I don't really have happy love songs in my library? Or songs about love in general?
Great songs from here: