Memories
He stands alone in a house filled with echoes, the weight of the past crushing his soul. A family portrait hangs crooked, a painful reminder of a childhood filled with lies. Instead of smiles, he remembers raised voices, broken promises, and the burning shame of undeserved punishment. The gas can feels heavy in his hand, whispering promises of escape. He fumbles for a lighter, a spark to ignite his pain.
And then, a choice. Will the lighter spark, let him burn away the horrors of his past? Or will the flame refuse, a cruel reminder that some scars can't be erased? Perhaps in failure, there's a flicker of something like hope, a chance to build a future not defined by the ashes.
The answer lies with you. This isn't just a story; it's a question painted in the stark contrast of destruction and the relentless search for peace. Will he be consumed by his pain, or will he find the strength to rise from the ashes? Which path will you choose?
Process and Inspiration:
These animations are born from a place deep inside me, a place where loneliness, anxiety, and childhood trauma echo loudly. some of my darkest thoughts, thoughts that made me anxious and feel paralyzed over the years, and issues I dealt with and still try my best to overcome.
Edward Hopper's paintings, especially "Nighthawks," have always haunted me. That stillness, that feeling of being surrounded by people yet completely alone – it resonated so strongly that I knew his style was the only way to tell my own stories.
My Creative Journey:
I began by writing detailed scripts, exploring multiple endings to allow viewers to shape their interpretations. I used Midjourney to create 300 initial images and upscaled and edited them to match my vision. Using these images, I trained a Stable Diffusion model to generate my unique animation style. I brought my world to life with 3D animation, created inside Unreal Engine 5. After the animations were ready I used Deforum Stable Diffusion and after trying multiple settings, found the ones that work best for these. Then All the clips were compiled and edited and the sound design was done inside After Effects.
How the NFT works:
This is an HTML that is minted on Transient Labs Contract, and all the files are stored on arweave, this NFT holds both endings, a reflection of the way even the darkest stories can have different paths. It also holds a piece of my soul, laid out in those written passages.
Once Collected, the collector can choose the ending that speaks to them.
Once that choice is made:
The chosen ending will be airdropped as a Video NFT and also an image will be inscribed to the NFT showing the change in the diary
How can you make the choice:
You can contact me through X: Pegasus_vfx or my Website Pegasusvfx.com
If you wish to stay Anon, you can also inscribe your choice on Launchpad by Transient Labs (require gas)
1. From the Ashes
"Memories" isn't just about endings, it's about what we do with the pieces of our past. It's a reflection on pain, on healing, and on the power of letting go. I wrote a story with two paths, inviting the viewer to choose how they confront their own lingering regrets.
2. A World Born from Emotion
I needed a world for this story that was both familiar and unsettling. Using AI as a starting point, I gathered references and generated images infused with the somber beauty of a fading memory. These guided the creation of the 3D environment.
3. Building the World
Within the digital world, I sculpted the setting for "Memories". The objects, the textures – each detail was designed to hold both a sense of realness and the hazy edges of a recalled moment.
4. Movement as Memory
The character at the center of "Memories" needed to feel tangible, vulnerable. I recorded my own movements, infusing the raw data with my own emotional landscape. AI helped create the initial 3D animation, but refining it by hand was where the real soul of the character emerged.
5. Sculpting the Flames
Fire is a powerful symbol in "Memories." It represents destruction, yes, but also the possibility of rebirth. Using Embergen, I sculpted realistic but stylized flames, a visual representation of the choices the viewer must make.
6. Sculpting the Style
This animation demanded a visual style that matched of Edward Hopper's Oil paintings. I generated hundreds of unique artworks to train an AI model that could translate those emotions into brushstrokes.
7. Transformation
Using Deforum, I fused the 3D animation with the raw, emotionally charged style I'd created. It was an unpredictable process, requiring many iterations to find the balance between disturbing and evocative.
8. The Final Touch
Music and subtle effects are the breath of this animation. The soundtrack sets a wistful, melancholic mood, mirroring the bittersweet tone of the story itself. In After Effects, I brought together the final visuals and sound, fine-tuning the experience.
9. A Choice Made Permanent
I didn't want "Memories" to be a passive experience. With HTML, I crafted a dynamic NFT, a digital diary where the viewer's choice becomes part of the artwork itself. The collector selects their ending, and the NFT forever reflects their decision, removing traces of the path not taken.