🛸💫 “i'll never let you go if you promise not to fade away… never fade away…”
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I’M OFFICIALLY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL!!! i can finally post my one paper of my art finals (which helped me get an A1 and a distinction, the highest grade you can get). i completed this in september of last year and i think i’ve improved a lot since then <3 i still really like it though
this is a mock-up book cover for aliens of crescentville. i’m working to make it a graphic novel some time next year (potentially)!! there’s still a lot more development and planning that needs to be done so we’ll see <3
also pleaseee read the lyrics to this song IT’S SO THEM!!! arghhh it has a very special place in my heart
(for the best viewing experience, please open youtube in an external browser and set the quality to 2160p, with the video full screened)
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(↑ this is from my instagram story. i’m trying to be more active there too so do follow me if you’d like to see more frequent updates!! i also plan to post wips and behind-the-scenes to both tumblr and insta once i figure out a workflow that works for me)
in case you can’t tell, the animated short is a christmas special, but i took my time with it soo i’m two weeks late oops!! this project is why i haven’t posted in a while (working on it was very tiring but fulfilling)
since i’m starting my diploma in animation later this year, i want to learn and experiment with more complicated software and animation. there’s so much that i need to learn, but there’s also so much that i’m going to learn
i hope you enjoyed it!! i do plan on making more animations occasionally because they’re time-consuming <3 drawings and illustrations will be my main focus (they’re my favourite)
(for the best viewing experience, please open youtube in an external browser and set the quality to 2160p, with the video full screened)
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BACK with another animation yayyy!! it’s been forever since i’ve done an animation meme/trend and oh my do i miss that— i’ve never tweened in toonsquid before actually, and the last time i tweened was during my gacha animation meme days which was a LONG time ago. also, i learnt how to colour grade in davinci resolve!! gotta love learning new things <3
i honestly wanted to do more this month but. it’s been a rollercoaster,, i had a few very miserable days, but they reminded me that my best isn’t behind me; it’s waiting for me. and once i’ve lived it out, it’ll wait for me again and again. honestly, i feel so aimless. i’m looking forward to the start of my college semester so i can finally feel some purpose again. i also can’t wait to graduate from college and move overseas. i know i’m being impatient… i should wait for everything to take its course
i had a lot of projects lined up until august to build my portfolio, but the scholarship application opened earlier than i expected,, i still want to work on them though, even if they won’t be seen by the assessors
i wanted to draw nicholas and lou in the same location again because i thought i could make it more whimsical and better than last time (i’m so glad i did!!)
before you proceed: this is a pretty long and lore-heavy post. i’m trying it out so please let me know what you think about it!!
the inspiration for this part of the lore is this song ↑ (thank you @feiilau the recommendation)!! this post also answers this question from @pizzahutz-inthegarage:
⭐️ if you’re wondering why sometimes i respond to questions with a vague/incomplete answer: there’s so much i wanna share about aoc but i’m keeping a lot of the development and lore a secret because one day, i want to make this into a comic series. there are things i don’t want to spoil so i’m being very careful
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nicholas are lou are humans from planet earth, but were abducted to aleoiza by its government when they were one year old and one month old respectively (the age gap between them is two years). nicholas has some memory of the life they lived on earth while his sister doesn’t
for the next two years, they were in the government’s hands and underwent tests and experiments they didn’t understand—it wasn’t exactly torture, but very confusing and unpleasant for two children. they were isolated from most of the outside world and most interpersonal contact was from the personnel team. for the first few months, the staff members did their respective jobs dutifully and avoided unnecessary interaction with the two humans since it went against workplace policies. nicholas was very stressed because of the unfamiliar environment and thus developed generalised anxiety disorder which gives him frequent panic attacks. lou, on the other hand, did not grasp the gravity of the situation (she was an infant when she was taken in, and living in the facility was the only life she knew). her innate curiosity led her to stick uncomfortably close to the employees, and the staff members found lou’s child-like naivety charming. this is much to her brother’s extreme unease
lou was the only thing that nicholas had to lose, so he was understandably very protective of her
when lou was learning english, the first thing nicholas wanted her to understand was about the existence of planet earth and nothing more. he thought it was for the best if she didn’t know what they went through. the knowledge that they aren’t aleoi-lings was important to him because it’s a part of their identity. his sister, being the curious child she is, begged her brother to tell her more about the life that they had once lived. she was growing bored of the same people and routine and was desperate to see the world outside the white and sterile walls confining them. he didn’t want to tell her the truth. she was too hopeful and starry-eyed, and as her older brother, he felt that it was his duty to keep her oblivious and happy. wanting to protect her innocence and optimism, he fabricated lies about the wondrous and carefree life they used to have on earth. this gave lou the hope that one day, she and nicholas would be able to return to that life she obediently believed in
the siblings’ backstory plays a crucial role in their dynamic: nicholas has his feet on the ground and is the logical reasoner of the two, while lou has her head in her clouds and is too positive for her own good
if you remember (gold star for you if you do), i mentioned that claire’s infertility was what (indirectly) triggered the events of the story. when their neighbours started to have children, bernard also wanted a family of their own. they tried without success, and after multiple health screenings, finally claire was diagnosed. she felt as if giving her soon-to-be husband a baby was a responsibility—it was the least she could do as a wife (especially since her marriage with him was a pact). her desire to have a child was so intense that she was so overwhelmed with guilt and anguish. bernard didn’t know how to support her during that time, and it was very difficult for both of them to discuss their future (let alone have conversations)
one day, claire took a late-night walk on a very rainy day. she was so drowned in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear the faint sobbing coming from an alleyway. there, she found a poor 4-year-old with his 2-year-old sister, huddled closely together and shivering violently. it was both the baby fever and immense pity she felt that prompted her to take them home (without hesitation, and without consulting her fiancé). both claire and bernard finally had the long-overdue discussion about their future, and eventually, they decided to officially adopt nicholas and lou
this happened roughly one year before their marriage (the adoption process was tough)
before the two siblings found a sense of belonging in crescentville, lou dreamt of returning to planet earth and experiencing the life that nicholas had once soothed her with. to her, it was “the great unknown”. that desire eventually faded after they found their place in the town’s close-knit community (much to nicholas’s relief). but that yearning returns at a point in the story
the b&w comic pages in chronological order:
not everything is set in stone, and it’s very likely that i’ll change things along the line. thank you for being a part of my development journey!!
(especially if you’ve read the entire post,, i don’t know if anyone would, honestly)
