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Mindflusher/PsychoHead



Undead abominations that can be found in the Final Fantasy V video game. They haunt the rotting interiors of wrecked vessels scattered throughout the Ship Graveyard.

Trivia

1. Mindflushers are ranked at level 11. They have 90 HP (hit points) and 100 MP (magic points). Successfully defeating one of these horrors will earn your party of adventurers 46 EP (experience points) and $66 in Gil. They are listed as Monster #15 in the Game Boy Advance Final Fantasy V bestiary.

2. Sometimes a Mindflusher will leave behind a Flame Tech/Flame Scroll (they're the same item, but the name changes depending on what version of the game you're playing) when slain.

3. The original name for this monster in the Japanese Super Nintendo (Super Famicom) version of Final Fantasy V is PsychoHead. The name was later changed to Mindflusher in updated versions of the game.

4. These monsters have no possessions that a thief could steal.

5. Mindflusher and Poltergeist share the same game sprite in Final Fantasy V, although Poltergeist is more powerful and colored differently (blue flesh with a yellow skull). This sprite recycling is a commonly seen, memory-saving practice used in many RPGs (role playing games).

6. If you take over a Mindflusher's body, with the !Control ability, your character will be able to make the Mindflusher 'Attack' or 'Confuse' any target of your choice.


BACKGROUND:
Mindflushers are physical manifestations of tortured souls that were unable to find peace after death. Having lost his/her life at sea, a Mindflusher's loved ones were never able to recover the body and give it a proper burial, damning the soul to wander the skeletal remains of the ship it died in for eternity. Over many years, the spirit's anguish has transformed into uncontrollable hatred for all living things. This black anger allows it to temporarily take a tangible shape, albeit a twisted one, to vent its rage on anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon the ruins of its watery grave.

ABILITIES:
A Mindflusher's long tongue is coated with a viscous fluid that, when absorbed through the skin, induces a hallucinogenic state that distorts a person's perception of reality. The afflicted will see things that aren't there which will often cause them to behave in strange ways (an individual might attack his or her friends, believing them to be monsters, or perceive the Mindflusher to be an ally and act to aid/protect it, etc). These creatures float through the air in a ghostly fashion and are not subject to fatigue. As they are no longer alive, Mindflushers are immune to most status effects including: Darkness, Poison, Mini, Toad, Petrify, Silence, Confuse, Paralyze, Sleep, Old, Slow, and Stop.

WEAKNESSES:
Like most of the living dead, Mindflushers are particularly vulernable to items or magic that are curative or holy in nature (a healing potion or cure spell, for example, will inflict damage on these malicious fiends). The movement of these spirits is restricted to the rotting ships that they haunt; they cannot pursue trespassers beyond the physical boundaries of the vessel they inhabit.

Materials:
Tissue paper, newsprint, cardboard, white glue, hot glue, wire twist ties, pencil, acrylic paint, and latex paint.

Dimensions:
7.0 cm/2.8 in. x 20.5 cm/8.1 in. (highest point x widest point)

Time:
Approximately three days. Construction began in the afternoon on February 24, 2007 and concluded in the afternoon on February 27, 2007.




[Mid-construction photos of my Mindflusher figure]
(A) This is a quick sketch I did, on 2/24/07, prior to doing any work, to use as a guide while modeling/painting the figure. This is usually the first step I take when starting any model. (B) This is a 'UFO' plastic capsule (the kind that you get small toys in from vending machines) that I used as a molding surface while building up the face. Unfortunately, I sat on it and cracked it in half shortly after capturing this photo, which was kind of a bummer as I've had it for years. (C) This row of photos depicts the rough face sculpt, which I finished the afternoon of 2/24/07. I later added smaller details with a wood burner before painting it that evening. (D) Here's a row of several photos showing the face complete and painted on the morning of 2/25/07. I still need to add eyes though. (E) Here are three photos of the skull and jawbone complete and with their first coat of paint on the evening of 2/25/07. The toothpicks sticking out of their bottoms are just temporarily attached so I have something to hold onto while painting them; they don't serve any structural function for the actual figure. (F) These two rows of photos show the completed skull, and its partially-painted skin covering, on the afternoon of 2/26/07. The skin covering still needs a nutmeg brown wash, so that the tone will match the face, and red gloss (blood) added to finish its paint treatment. I also put eyes in the skull's sockets, shortened the upper jaw, and joined the lower jaw to the skull with wire twist ties. The jawbone does look rather elongated at this point, but consider that it needs to be open very wide to accomodate the tongue/tissue connecting the two halves of the head. (G) This photo shows the completed skull and skin covering as well as the face which I finally added eyes to. (H) Here's a couple of mock-up photos of the two halves of the head positioned on the unpainted tongue element. (I) This is the tongue element, complete but unpainted, on the morning of 2/27/07.



For comparison purposes, below is an image of a Mindflusher/PsychoHead taken from the Japanese Super Entertainment System video game Final Fantasy V.


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