ALLERGEN is inspired by a bad relationship that I had experienced in the past; at the same time, I experienced a painful allergic skin disease called Urticaria. I suffered mental and physical pain, and I chose to turn that pain into inspiration for this project.
The story of ALLERGEN tells of a caterpillar called Mr. Catpillar, who broke into Eden and was ultimately captured and executed by the residents of Eden. Mr.Catpillar seduces the girl and convinces her to fall in love with him. The girl rescues Mr.Catpillar and hides him in the core of Eden called Giant Apple. Mr.Catpillar gets more and more demanding of the girl, and the girl feels she can't satisfy his desire, she begins to think about this relationship. One day, Mr.Catpillar eats the Giant Apple, and his waste hatches into a large number of giant nettles, occupying all of Eden, devouring the residents. Then Mr.Catpillar begins to cocoon, hatching into a butterfly that looks exactly like the girl, but with Apple Butterfly Wings. Finally, the Apple Butterfly lets the girl sleep forever and flies away from the Broken Eden.
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I used a lot of metaphors throughout the story.
① Eden stands for the mental world, residents stand for the subconscious, and the girl stands for the self-conscious.
② Mr.Catpillar represents the memory of a bad relationship. Eating the Giant Apple symbolizes cheating in this relationship. He eventually leaves and that is a relief.
③ The name Urticaria is related to the Nettle plant. The Nettles occupy and destroy Eden, symbolizing the collapse of the mental world after the breakup of a relationship.
Character Design
Thumbnails
Working Process
Everyone has experienced a variety of relationships with friends, lovers, or family. It takes a long time to heal the indelible wounds caused by someone who has done some unforgivable things to you. Thinking back on these bad relationships is like an allergy. It keeps coming back, and it's painful, but it's hard to find the source. But the creation of this whole process has helped in my own self-healing.