Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Hello everyone.
I have finally decided to publish an update on what's happening here. I am sorry, but by the end of this reading, you may feel disappointed, maybe angry, and frankly, I'd understand it. But I would like to take this opportunity to explain a few things anyway.
I have been in the Polandball fandom since 2015, which means a significant part of my life has been impacted by it. I have met countless people there, I may even have found more than friends in the community, at one point. I have spent months and years working on larger and larger projects, trying to outperform myself each time, on reddit and then on Youtube. Each new work was acclaimed by an ever larger audience, pushing me to try and do better each time, because I didn't want to disappoint. And it worked, each new projet taking me more time than the former, and bringing me more pride each time. At the same time, my academic career was taking off, bringing me closer to what I really want to do in my life. I have managed, during all this time, to keep a healthy balance between my studies and my activity in the fandom.
But then, several things happened that started to undermine the very reasons I was producing content. First, the Modern History of France. I know myself, after a big project, I want to double down. But I was met with a new question: what is there left to do? What can I try to do for my work to be "fresh" and appealing again? And the only answer I could find was "do something bigger". But bigger than a video that took me a literal year to finish, with countless hours of work, while my regular workload kept on getting heavier? I simply couldn't. Because secondly, and maybe more importantly, the Polandball medium has lost its appeal to me. I have spent too much time drawing the same circles again and again, and it started feeling like I was in a dead-end. Last December, I thought I would want to try again, do a small Polandball project for another Youtuber. But I simply couldn't, motivation had left me. What once a strong desire to outperform myself turned into mere mechanical movements, devoid of any passion. This was not what I wanted to do, and it threw me in a deep time of doubt. It so happened that it was also during a time when I was faced with more personal issues that made me realize the importance of being true to yourself instead of tricking you into believeing everything is fine when it is clearly not.
I started dabbling into other stuff, discovered other fandoms where the feeling of novelty was not worn out. I also continued to pursue my studies and I am proud of what I have become, of where I am right now. And I found fewer and fewer reasons to come back to the Polandball fandom.
A few days ago, I was scraping off the dust of my reddit account and read messages from 3, 4, 5 years ago. It struck me how foreign this time had become to me. I realized that I was not the same person anymore, and for the better or the worse, that I didn't want to come back. This time remains as one of the most significant in my whole life, it helped me becoming who I am today, but how can I try to grow up if I don't want to move on? I have moved on, and this message is a way for me to explain it to you.
I will not create Polandball animations anymore. It took me time to accept it myself, and I know that it will be difficult for some of you to accept it as well. You still have my legacy here on Youtube, rewatch everything as you please, I have hidden so many easter eggs that you won't run out of content before long! But for the moment, I feel obliged to say goodbye. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
Thank you to all my subscribers, from those who here here since the very beginning to those who discovered me after my latest video. You have allowed me to grow up, and you have provided me support whenever I needed it. I owed you this explanation, I hope the situation's clearer now. You can still ask questions below, I will answer if I find them appropriate.
I hope this post will be a new dawn for me.
Cheers,
Raphaƫl Melki
711 - 67
It's the year 1995... I'm approaching the end!!
558 - 52
Hey! I've not given you information in a veeeery long time. It doesn't mean that I struggle animating, it just means that... well, it takes time. A lot of time. I am currently working on the spring of 1936, very troubled times indeed. One of the most difficult things to translate into the Polandball medium are indeed political movements and ideologies. It's not like a country can be seen as a homogeneous entity, especially in times of crisis.
The interwar period is very difficult to tackle in this regard, especially the 1930s. Who to follow? Who to shed light on? Highlighting the 6th of February 1934 or the 14th of July 1935?
My solution: do EVERYTHING. Well, no, since it's not physically possible, but I really try my best to reflect every major intricacy of French history, their influence, their particularity. You have here my take on the Front Populaire, you can see Blum and Thorez smiling in the background.
Ask any question below. Cheers!
303 - 31
1889... you know what that means?
I ALREADY ANIMATED 100 DAMN YEARS!!! Champagne!!
321 - 35
The livestream yesterday was absolutely amazing and I am looking forward to the next one. One month after the last community post, I wanted to give you a small update, and a glimpse of the style of the animation, enjoy!
Some technical informations now. The video will be around 7 minutes long and will focus on the 1789-present period. I am currently animating the reign of Charles X (1824-1830) so you can have a small idea of where I am. It's long, but it's rewarding.
Ask all questions you want in the comments below if you want to know more about this project. Thanks for the support and the love, you're all amazing! See you next time!
194 - 13
I began it. The project that will end everything. A truly titanic job, more than fifty backgrounds, dantesque fights, a still ongoing analysis of the works from the greatest French historians and sociologists among whom Mendras, Taine, Renan, Michelet and Aron, and an unprecedented artistic exigency.
Polandball modern history of France.
Out in a few months. I will need support.
300 - 53
I owe you explainations. Well, it will be done quickly. I prepare you a little video explaining my Youtube upload schedule... but don't worry, it will be animated, and it will be fun. Here's a frame taken from the said project. Pretty cool, isn't it? (Don't expect regular arguments btw, it would be rather boring otherwise)
103 - 18
Hey! I will upload my new video tomorrow, stay tuned! Not quite as ambitious as I first foresaw it, but still pretty enjoyable, I guess. The video will probably exceed 3 minutes, but not much more. I still have some things to add, but it will be online in a very near future. I really hope that you would enjoy it, because after that, I guess I'll try something different... for once. I prefer being free of my moves, and this time, I decided to explore new ways of animating, and of course to tackle new subjects. I hope you will understand my choice, anyway see you tomorrow on Youtube, my friends :3
157 - 6
It has been a month since my last community post, so I am going to make a quick update! Good news, the video is progressing, but as I said the last time, this is going to be long, longer than any other of my previous videos. But I am steadily working on it and I can state that I am about quarter-way done. To be honest, I am not that enthusiastic with how the project is going. It is certainly better than my two latest animations, but it won't break all boundaries. I am not (yet?) demotivated, though, and the best part (in my opinion) has still to be made.
Also, as some of you may have noticed, I really began to make more livestreams recently, they all were really enjoyable to me. Sometimes, when I animate alone, behind my computer, I really wish that you would see how it's going and how things are made. And yeah, it also helps me with my English, practice is good ;) Anyway, that was just a quick update post, to tell you that the project is developping well, and that you certainly won't have to wait for ages before it is finally done. So I wish you a good week-end, and see you in one month for another community post, or before if the will to make a livestream comes to my mind! Comment any of your thoughts below if you want me to notice them, cheers!
75 - 10
Ok, so... first time using the community section (but of course, not the last one, it could be a good way to announce livestreams, progress and so on...), but it's about something that might interest you!
Well, as you know now, I first choose a music as a background and then animate on top of it. And my choice is made. I won't give you the exact reference (because suspens ftw) but note that it will be a tango. So, you guessed it, we are going back to Latin America, this time in the beautiful country of Argentina.
During my last livestreams, you clearly made me understand that your favourite animation from this channel was "A war orchestra". I noted it. And after long and careful considerations, regarding the time that I have and what my ambitions for this channel are, I took my decision! We will have the same idea in general (dark backgrounds, a focus on the countries themselves, music having a huge impact on the animation, being "physically" a part of it...).
I know, this animation could become one of my most ambitious, and I might lose motivation after some time (what I really don't hope, though), but I'll try to push all my will in this project. First projections seem to indicate that it will exceed 3 minutes.
Thank you for all, stay tuned, more livestreams might come soon(er or later)! And of course, as always, don't hesitate to tell me what you want or what you think in the comment section just below this post. Cheers ^^
105 - 31
Hi everyone, I'm a young videomaker from France. I make Polandball comics and now animations with Paint, Photoshop and windows live movie maker only. It takes time, but... hey, that's makes this style so special! On the other hand, I upload videos aproximately every 3 months.