Based off of Blaire's Clawitzer design, found here.

This originally started off as a pose study but evolved once I found that I liked the sketch and wanted to practice in a few areas of rendering. I have several characters in my OC settings that smile in defiance of the worlds they fight against, so grinning characters are an area I can always use more practice in.

Blaire, Clawitzer alt. (OC)

Blaire, Mirage of Clawitzer

First piece created using CodeManu's Spritemancer (which is currently at a 35% discount! Support small developers!), would recommend it over JuiceFX. Benefits include node editing, sliders that can be exceeded in either direction rather than terminating at capped values, and the ability to load more than 8 layers at once (even if the program was screaming when I got to layer 24). Only thing I haven't been able to find so far that was in JuiceFX is a way to start the animation on a specific layer at an offset value, but I have hopes that it will be added in a future patch. Would recommend.

hold still and all will be made clear

Hisuian Hex Maniac (Pokemon, OC)

Hisuian-Zoroark inspired Hex Maniac originally conceived last year; it took until now for me to find a good composition for them. Brief lore description after the break.

Hisuian Hex Maniacs spread their mania through the proliferation of cursed baneful fox masks, originally created by disguised Zoroark to bear fragments of their own souls. Those afflicted by the madness travel by night, hiding by fog and snow to beseige travelers and induct them into their order. Hisuian Hex Maniacs have never been encountered during the daylight hours, leading to rumors that they choose to hide in plain sight, blending in with the populace in order to find and manipulate potential victims.

Some speculate that Hisuian Hex Maniacs were never really human to begin with, instead being Zoroarks that have taken the appearance of their victims and warped it into something more pleasing. While this assumption contains a grain of truth, the grim reality is that a Hisuian Hex Maniac is slain instantly by the masks curse, causing their true form to become a warped amalgam of human and Pokémon as the soul within the mask is permanently entwined with the victim's at their moment of death. Accordingly, their existence is often cited as an early form of the Veiled Cults.

Hisuian Hex Maniac

Blaire - Mirage of Honchkrow

Alolan Raichu form of my Mew magical girl, Blaire.

Made as a weekend project and loosely inspired by Xitter user @KuraganeNiello's PokeMikuOC prompts.

Uncropped; original alt text included after the break.

Continuation of an ongoing design project featuring a cult that binds the souls of slain Pokemon to their own selves for inhuman power. Absol was originally made into a cultist a decade ago, making this a redraw/refinement of the concept.

Humankind was not made to contain the power of prophecy. Bearers of the Absol Veil have learnt the reality of this truth the hard way, as fusing their soul with that of an Absol obliterates the image of oneself entirely. Caught in a flood of predictions only empowered by the Ascension ritual, Imminence Cultists are mentally broken, compelled only by the Absol's natural instinct to convey misfortune to those whom it will soon befall. Should the misfortunate embrace their coming catastrophe, the Imminence Cultist will express docility towards them and offer companionship until the coming end. However, attempts to escape imminent catastrophe will cause the cultist to intervene, guiding the target back onto the foreseen path through force if necessary, all to remove the prediction from their tortured and broken minds.

Imminence Cultist

Veiled Cult of Absol

// alright, come close

full art

High Priestess of Orichalcum

Masked Cultist of Koraidon

// matricide

uncropped after the break:

Red Light

Wightbound Cultist redrawn in Pixelart. Uncropped after the break [cw: gore]

Mew Mirage - Blaire

Blaire is a member of the Mirage Alliance, an order of deific heralds chosen by the mythic guardians of each nation. Each Mirage possess a Veil of their respective deity, housing the willing soul and powers of each Pokémon God. Together, they aim to defeat those who would use the souls of Pokémon for their own ends and restore balance to the natural order.

The Mew Mirage allows Blaire to fight using both psychic energy barriers and selective shapeshifting, as well as granting her an incredibly long tail that can similarly transform into various weaponry. Additionally, Blaire can tap into the residual spiritual energy residing within broken Veils after their bound Pokémon's soul has been freed. This allows her to temporarily take on the aspects of the Veil, including the traits and elemental affinity associated with it.

Flamebound Cultist // Arcanine

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For many members of the veiled cults, the helm of Arcanine is one of the most coveted masks among the rank-and-file. Arcanines are known to be a powerful spirit, 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. However, there is an unintended side effect to the mask, often kept secret from the rank and file.

As a canine Pokémon, Arcanine can be easily trained to follow their master's whims, a conditioning that can imprint on the Arcanine's very soul. Unknowing cultists who have expressed concern over their cults actions or who have begun questioning the cult's authority will often be offered the opportunity to don an Arcanine veil as a sudden promotion, not knowing the bound spirit is predisposed to be loyal to the cult leader. Upon merging their souls, the cultists concerns are easily quelled under their newfound trust in the cult's leader, and quickly become the most devout zealots of their cause.

Assorted Tax (OC) for Maid Day.

brief Tax description: Tax is a malicious phantom born from Masei's memories. Her body is entirely comprised of fabric with the exception of her mask, and is freely maleable using fabrikinesis. She acts as a maternal guardian to Masei, and is single-mindedly dedicated to the pursuit of Masei's happiness. The original body of Tax has been lost to time; now she requires a willing host body to manifest herself.

Tax has been a ton of fun to draw over the years and I look forward to eventually getting to tell her story to you all. +)

phoe stretch

Wightbound (Cult of Banette)

The spirits of ghost-type pokemon often possess traits unique among the veiled cults, possibly due to their existing propensity for the afterlife. The "naturally occurring" members of the Wightbound cult are a primary example of this.

Veiled cultists are often created through a ritual of binding the souls of slain pokemon in the form of a mask so that a wearer may channel their power, However, members of the Wightbound cult are chosen from the moment their partner pokemon is brought into existence. Banette as a species are born from the residual spiritual energy within a doll forsaken by their previous owner. If such a Banette finds its prior owner and is rejected again, the lonely spirit will take matters into its own hands by possessing the owner and forcing them to don the body housing the Banette's soul.

This forced transformation into a veiled cultist is macabre but bloodless, as the body of the cultist is instantly taxidermized and stuffed. The skin of the extremities, now a plush fabric, peels back to reveal the smooth material that was once muscle and bone. Likewise, the stuffed, cottony organs are left to sag as the skin dress becomes loosened.

As the transformation concludes, Banette's overwhelming spite turns into jubilation as the pokemon's soul merges with the new cultist. After all, the spurned doll has ensured it will never be apart from its beloved human again.

Tax, 2021 (2023 revision)