A Pixel-crushed and animated version of my Arcanine Cultist, originally created in Prismacolor Nupastels. Animated using CodeManu's Spritemancer software, subject chosen to test how well the conversion from nupastel to pixel animation would work.

Subject is from a design side project I occasionally pursue featuring a cult that traps the souls of slain creatures (typically Pokémon, sometimes others) into masks to fuse them with their own essence. Designs typically involve a mix of gijinka or body horror elements depending on the design with a humanoid base. (Blaire, my Mew-pacted magical girl, was created to be an adversary to this concept.)

Flavor text (cw: indoctrination)

"For many members of the veiled cults, the veil of Arcanine is one of the most coveted masks among the rank-and-file. Arcanine are known to be powerful spirits, granting near-legendary strength and agility to their devotees. More importantly, given their innate affinity for humankind, the spirits often allow their wielders to maintain more of their sense of self upon the bonding of the souls with their human cultist. However, there is an unintended side effect to the mask, often kept secret from the rank and file.

In truth, it is the cultists who have expressed concern over their cult's actions or begun questioning the cult's authority that are offered the opportunity to don an Arcanine veil, an opportunity few pass up given its heightened status. Unbeknownst to the doubting cultist, these veils are created using Arcanine trained by the cult's high priests in life, a conditioning that can imprint on the canine Arcanine's devotedly loyal soul. As such, any doubts the cultists may have had prior to their Ascension are obliterated as their newfound canine loyalty takes over, rebirthing dissenters into the most devout zealots of their cults and a powerful tool for internal propaganda."