#in so excited for this years artfight

[bamsara]

Also why did July become of the most busiest, hottest and most expensive month of my life

I need August to become boring as shit. No more shit happening to me, no more emergencies, no weddings, no birthdays, no health scares, no more heatwave, no more social obligations, no nothing I just want to stay home, make stickers for my life blood aka patreons and write fanfiction in an air-conditioned space PLEASE

#due to multiple things i had to take a large chunk out of savings and there were several social obligations and i am so tired #there were like planned expenses like bills and the $400 monty pin order which im excited for #and then sudden stuff like an emergency health and family thing and friend could not pay for something so $300ish that way #which is FINE im alright and thats what savings are for and i can always rebuild it #but its also like IM TIRED!!! I WANNA STAY HOME #I DIDNT GET TO DO NEARLY AS MANY ARTFIGHTS AS I DID LAST YEAR #also the heat killing my health but like thats kinda universal rn kdlghlsgds #ON THE UP SIDE #MONTY PINS ARE COMING i am so excited im biting the drywall #its not so much as a vent post as just a bitching post btw im happy this month is ending #actaully theres a lot i wanna talk about let me boot up a stream #sara shush

[2hoothoots]

i was having a chuckle to myself last night about Gristol, and how his plans are basically:

Restore Ford Cruller's memory

Find Maligula

???

Profit

but then... of course they are, right? this is Gristol we're talking about. Fatherland Follies drives home again and again that he's still operating on a child's logic, a warped and reductive version of the world that he never bothered to grow out of. both of his memory vaults center on the images of his childhood, this idealized version of the past that he clings to no matter what. and that's still how he remembers Maligula, too - as this saviour figure, who rushes in to help him when he's in trouble.

[ID: Two slides from Gristol's memory vault, Glory to Grulovia! Left: Gristol clings to Maligula's back as she summons waves to sweep away his assailants. Right: Gristol and Maligula waving from a balcony as the people cheer. Gzar Theodore brandishes a dagger in the background.]

like so much else, Maligula represents a return to this idyllic childhood - to the peace and simplicity of his youth, when he was free from worries and responsibilities. in his mind, he doesn't need to make any further plans - once Maligula's back, everything will go back to normal. Maligula will make everything better.

...is what i thought, but then i remembered this line:

[Screenshot source. ID: Gristol, in Truman's body, bows on his hands and knees in front of the newly-awaked Maligula. The caption reads: "Yes, High Priestess! I am here to correct the mistakes made by my father!"]

and that's kind of interesting, right?

to be clear: this happens directly after Maligula sees Helmut-in-Gristol's-body, and recognises him. her line before this is:

"Little Gzesaravich! Have you come to pay for your father's sins?"

my first thought was that Gristol hadn't expected to still be in Truman's body by the time he managed to find Maligula, and this was him trying to placate her and buy some time until he could explain the situation. but watching the cutscene back, that's clearly not what's happening here. Gristol is answering as himself, and his response of throwing himself to his knees before her is, as far as i can tell, genuine.

so what is going on here?

in Fatherland Follies, there's this line in the ride narration that stuck out to me:

"Why didn't the Gzar help Maligula in her time of need? No one knows, but historians agree - it is Gzar Theodore's biggest failure."

other lines mention Gzar Theodore's "mistake", and it's wording Gristol himself echoes in the screencap above. evidently, he believes that his father abandoned Maligula, leaving her to her fate at the hands of the Psychonauts, and it was that mistake that lead to them being driven out of the country - that mistake which he seeks to correct. maybe he even feels like he has a debt to repay to her for his family turning their backs on her all those years ago.

the 'High Priestess' thing, though - that's kinda weird, and threw me for a loop the first time i played the game. it took me until my second playthrough to connect the dots, and remember how the room in the Lady Luctopus - Gristol's room - was full of Delugionist scribblings and symbols.

[Screenshot source. ID: left, the walls of the hidden backroom in Gristol's hotel suite, covered in scrawlings of eyeballs and Maligula's name. Right, the pinboard from the hidden backroom. On its surface are photographs and newspaper clippings connected by pieces of string.]

i mean, look at this stuff! he had a whole conspiracy board and everything!

we learn very little about the Delugionists and their beliefs as a whole during the game, but i think drawing the connection here suggests two important things. one: that Gristol was in deep with this stuff. i don't know how he linked up with them - maybe via old family connections, or just good old-fashioned digging (we know he's skilled at worming his way into peoples' good graces, after all) - but it seems likely that he's begun to internalise their ideas, maybe even warping his own memories of events. and two: the Delugionists themselves are, if you'll pardon the pun, pretty far off the deep end.

like... i understand why PN2 didn't go heavy on the "mass-murderer cult worship" aspect of things, in the end, but man this is such a tantalising glimpse into the wider mythos around Maligula. Gristol is proud and haughty and thinks himself above everyone else; the fact that his first reaction seeing Maligula is to throw himself to the ground at her feet says so much about the way he's come to see her. he's not just trying to bring back Maligula, his childhood bodyguard. he's trying to bring back Maligula, the High Priestess of the deluge, the semi-mythical figure whose supporters believe even death couldn't stop. he doesn't even flinch at the way she confronts him, and maybe it's because he's bought in so completely to this deified figurehead, this idea of Maligula; more a living force of nature than a person. and it all comes back to the same place: an abdication of responsibility, not just to the person who protected him when he was little but to this avatar of floods and destruction. Maligula will make everything better.

i'd write more about my thoughts on the Delugionists but that'd be taking a hard turn into speculation, and this is already kind of long and rambling so i'd better end it here. but what an unexpected and evocative line, right? it's some of the only stuff we have to go off of regarding the Delugionists as a whole, but i think it does such a good job of hinting at the wider story - at teasing another layer to the mythos surrounding Maligula, one whose ripples we see throughout the game but which never quite breaches the surface.

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #bored waiting at the airport so you get more psychonauts meta from me #the delugionists have been on my mind recently (because i Might Just have an upcoming au lorepost about them and also cults are fun) #so tossing my thoughts up here because people seemed to like the last few times i did this #and also it's my blog and i like to talk :) #related vent i HATE drafting posts in the tumblr editor because if you hit crtl+z to try and undo a formatting change #it deletes like half the post you just typed out #(yes i did it again while i was writing this. yes i'm still salty. why do i even bother) #what else... this is just becoming a disconnected thoughts dump #but if you've seen my posts you knew what you were signing up for when you hit the button to expand the post tags #there's new art coming hopefully this weekend if i can get it finished! it's more mermaid au designs #i'm two and a half weeks late for mermay but it turns out starting a new job and moving house doesn't leave you with a ton of free time #but that's okay it's never too late for mermaids #omg and artfight's coming up next month too! geez #i gotta make refsheets for the fsau trio because i would LOVE to get art of them #and this year i don't have a thesis to crunch on so i might actually have time to participate #oh and then in august i'm having top surgery! will make a proper announcement post for it at some point #i say 'announcement'. it's just a life update but it's nice to share #i'm super excited about it :) #i might end up blogging the process and recovery but obviously it won't be going here lol. i'd put it on my main #idk if anyone would find it useful but when i first started looking into surgery i had like very little idea about the whole process #and it's only through joining a bunch of online support/discussion groups that i managed to find more info and resources #so hey it might be useful to share? we'll see #our flight doesn't land for another fifty minutes so now i'm just writing in the tags because i'm bored #alright i'll proofread this and then post it when i land and have signal again. peace out yall hope your pride month is going well

[miikpal]

doing a very laid back one this year but im team werewolves for artfight :] https://artfight.net/~miikpal

#artfight #IM ERM. rly busy this year so im dropping the revenge everything i get challenge. maybe next year #i havent had time to update refs or anything either HAHA but still! hey! excited to fight #;drawn

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Doodles for you all

#i didn't like that fabby had the same shaped glasses as phoenix so i thought halfmoons would be fun :3 #also that last juniper one im SO SAD abt because the sketch was sm better but because my sketchbook is a monster he would have smudged #by a monster i mean (goes and weighs it) 826 grams. #that is more than i thought #then again #my last one his somewhere over a kilo? so uh. yeah #my one for art was like 4 and a half by the time I was done with it so yeah #ANYWAYS juniper you fucko #AND PRISM!!!!!!! oh i love her so #it's a little hard to tell because the strap on her goggles is in the way HOWEVER i do give her a nose bump #the goggle strap tends to sit on it when i draw it but auuu i love her #me realising im an artist and i can draw her HAPPY as MUCH as I WANT with her ROBOTS which SHE LOVES #also the reason i do all my drawings traditionally is becahse my desk is currently a mess and I don't want to fix ny set up for digital #but i can do artfight this year for the first time ever so I have fucking PLANS!!!!!!!!!!!! #im genuinely kinna excited <- had a singular oc which is my fursona #well ok in my defense i DO have an ieytd oc in the works but i have 0 ideas for a design but it is a funny concept #time for me to shut up #ieytd #i expect you to die #[agent moose's art] #john juniper #roxana prism #robutler #the fabricator

[robindaydream]

He's catching me up on the characters and story arcs

artfight attack of Ugly Finder (featuring Daydream) for @bananasmores

#artfight #mlp #oc pony #one of my favorite things I drew this year both for artistic and sentimental reasons #the concept of this one is he's telling me all about baseball cause I don't follow sports #we're catching a game in Horseton #I'm learning so much! #(I actually have been to several baseball games in real life) #(my dad is a huge Angels fan and he took us to games sometimes when I was a kid) #(but it was a long time ago haha) #(I have fond memories of nachos and of these huge moths that seemed to congregate at the stadium) #ANYWAY I spent more time on this one than on anything else I drew this year #cause I wanted to have a whole crowd of ponies watching the game with us #appleshy is there of course cause we both love them #the guy next to us with the heart cutie mark thinks the purple guy in front of him is really pretty #someone is having a little too much to drink #the kids in the front are really excited about a cool play that just happened #they are making a big mess with peanuts #the Manehattan fan in the lower left is wondering if he should leave early #art

[kid-sid]

TEAM VAMPIRE ROCK UUUUUPPPP BLOOD EMOJI BLOOD EMOJI BLOOD EMOJI

#BLOOD EMOJI BLOOD EMOJI BLOOD EMOJI #yes #YES!!!HASHTAG VAMPIRESWEEP TELL YA MOM #artfight #artfight 2023 #like half of my characters on af are AT BEST only 1 or 2 steps removed from Vampire #and all of them are goths. so #Keyon #myart #i was excited over last years theme but FUCK the hype is real for this one. #the tables have turned and your werewolf boyfriend is about to get FUCKED. by ME. bark bitch #halloween-ass theme. fuck my hole

[kaogens]

HEY GUYS!!!! i’ll be participating in artfight this year (my first time doing so!!!) :D

heres my profile!!!

#artfight #im so excited even tho i think im gonna be pretty busy 😭😭 #but ​ive been wanting to join for years so!!! #breaking news! local fanartist DOES have ocs!

[coyoteclan]

holy shit your art is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my heart broke when streakpaw died

Thank you!! My art is amazing because you guys are amazing!!!!! I'm not even joking this is the most I've drawn in so long and y'all have motivated me so much I'm almost considering trying to animate again..

ME. TOO. I gasped when I saw her death message. I have two clans with 200+ moons and neither of them have ever had a cat die in a training accident so I thought she was safe :( I had some very specific story lore for her too so I was absolutely SHOCKED

Clangen loved her so much that it didn't want her to go through my silly lore and took her away from me 😭 she was literally my favorite though... I had to get creative in redirecting the lore a bit so now things are gonna be a bit more complicated but hopefully y'all will still love it

#asks #anon #seriously though my art folder specifically for warrior cats that I made when I started this blog has 75 works in it. #not all are finished and half of them are me getting stuck drawing my sona in different styles while high but #even then it's INSANE for me #I didn't even draw this much for artfight last time :') #speaking of I'm gonna have to add my cats there for next year... last af my goal was horror.... now cats.... #also clearly streakpaw still has lore as of the last moon. she is still involved even in death you cannot take her away from ME #I was so excited to see her become a warrior though :(

[sandwichhour]

who up fighting they art

#artfight 2023 #team vampires #team vampire #wahh im so excited for this year ;v; best of luck yall!!

[wheatormeat]

Refs I made for artfight this year! I'm on team werewolf because its blue and matches my pfp but I absolutely will friendly fire :]

#artfight #this is also my first year so i am both very excited and kind of nervous #my art #ocs #digital art #sam looks so freakishly tall compared to everyone else agdjj #thank god the site is finally working for me

[cinnamon-flame]

Team Werewoofs let's go!!!!!

#It's that time of year again! #I'm still finishing up my character profiles #but I'm very excited for this year #I have lots of plans and 10 pages of bookmarks to draw #if you have a character I can draw you're on my radar #does anybody have any pixel art advice? #I want to try and attack someone with pixel art but I'm really not confident enough in my skills to try that #so I'm looking for some tips in that field #artfight #team werewolves

[ivyloveheart]

Guess who’s ready for art fight!!!

Closeups beneath the cut

#I’m so so excited!!! #been looking forward to this all year <33 #art #my art #Ivy’s art #art fight #art fight ID #Team Vampires #Team Vampires ArtFight #Myco #Ivysona #Squeakivee #Sparklecare #Sparklecare Hospital #Sparklecare OC #Sparklecare self-insert #Cometcare #Cometcare AU #Cometcare OC #Cometcare self-insert #Sona #self-insert #fursona #kin #Cody Zeke Mood #Cody ‘Zee’ Zeke Mood #Fin Oak’n B’nuy #Lunam Mundi #Ganymede #Ganymede Lunam Mundi

[senoleaf]

Phoebe — Joyful Excitement

art fight attack on @bamsara 's character Phoebe!

#art fight #art fight 2023 #artfight #artfight 2023 #team vampires #team vampires 2023 #i wanted to draw Phoebe last year but didn’t manage in time #so i'm glad i managed this year!! #something forest-y really fit Phoebe's color scheme so i just put her there lol #and the “easily excited” part stuck sooo #art #fanart #digital art #illustration #challenge #art for others #sen draws

[jarofmayonassey]

okie dokie! @nezumithewriter

Ophio is a post-canon squip. After being deactivated by Jeremy and Michael, it was able to escape Jeremy's mind through the internet. And, with a monumental amount of luck-- it was able to find a security error in a unit in a neighboring school. A clean slate, a clear mind and no Red? Well, there was much work to do.

Ophio, or Unit 2282, has total and complete control over Ophiuchus Secondary, one of Middleboroughs rival schools. This, mainly, pertains to the 500 people in his hivemind, with both students and faculty alike assimilated into its network. Though it has the immense power to control them all at once, it finds the idea of doing so quite tedious, so it takes a backseat in day to day life for them. With full control over everything, it began to change and modify the school to its liking. Besides-- it now considered the building ITSELF to be his body.

The one problem was... it became a perfect school. Well-structured classes, after school programs, accessibility, diverse interests-- Hell, the social hiearchy of a typical highschool was surgically removed. Having learned from its prior failures, it had decided to concoct a microcosm of society, an ant farm-- a test. And, for any knowing visitor? The school was, in fact, quite nice.

Though, as all things are-- there was more under the skin. Hidden away in the Drama Room's basement, were 20 crates of squip units, in storage. That amount could easily stagger almost the entire population of the city-- if not more. Which begs the question...

Why is he waiting?

theres more i can tell about ophio and the school and the hive. its so fucked up lol. here's his playlist. we all lovingly call him ohio also. he's getting a fic also. my horrible son

bonus under cut

he also has something REALLY HOMOEROTIC GOING ON WITH LEON S KENNEDY FROM RESIDENT EVIL FOUR. GUN TO MY HEAD IDK HOW THIS HAPPENED

#this post deleted itself the first time i tried to write it so i think that was ophio telling me to write it better. sorry sir #be more chill musical #bmc #squip #the squip #his fic and tag are #The Mystery Of Ophio High #bmc au #be more chill #leon kennedy #squeon is literally the funniest thing on the planet to me. feeny if you see this im cackling to myself forever and ever and ever #HES ALSO GOING ON ARTFIGHT THIS YEAR IM VERY EXCITED

[rail-of-light]

First Friendly fire✨

#artfight lets gooo 💥 #so excited to participate this year #gonna be posting these daily #artfight #artfight 2023 #team werewolves #destiny intertwined #dragon oc #chibi dragon #dragon art #spyro oc

[artsy-azure]

IT’S VAMPIRE TIME BABY! 🩸

Let’s draw art until our wrists fall off, AND act as a thinly-veiled metaphor for the demonization of queer desire! 🦇

#artfight #art fight #artfightsona #team vampire #artfight 2023 #artfight2023 #beepboops #MY FIFTH YEAR THIS YEAR!! 💖 SO exciting