Curious Design For Keiya. Is That Himika's Face?

The final set of Vs sprites. We've got Tsubame and Katze, Nightstalker and Tony, Sazanka and Highwayman, and the secret characters. This first pair is actually unused in-game because Tsubame and Katze can only be selected in Vs mode (and Group Battle mode, which uses no sprites).

The secret duo, Otomaru and Ohomaru, are also only in Vs.

Character Select Face

On the right here, is the game's Story mode icon, which itself is a frame from the game's intro movie. Left to right: Gengoro, Jo, Kaun, Tatsumi, Mikado, Kannuki. Below are the Vs sprites for those five.

Due to a few characters' asymmetrical designs, they get two different vs screen sprites.

WLC 3.9: BLOOD

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do I do?" chants Gank, walking in place. The unconscious child on the floor continues to bleed from her arms in front of Gank. "Right, blood. I have to stop the blood," she says to herself.

Gank begins running around the room looking for anything that could help her situation. As she paces about, she licks the blood from her own claws.

J: I can see you struggling to keep your mouth shut, Mum. L: I wasn't saying anything.

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" Gank searches frantically for the salve she knows is somewhere in this room. "I know ya keep it somewhere here; ya suck at healing, mom." She spots a box sitting beside a shelf, and throws it open. "Jackpot."

The box contains potions, powdered medical herbs, and other supplies. "I'm going to get caught the next time she checks this thing." She grabs the salve and a towel and races back to the bleeding child.

J: Why didn't you grab the potion? G: You were bleeding; I was panicking. L: She was, like, fourteen.

Gank slathers it over Jevoi's arms, desperately trying not to cut her further. She then wraps the towel around the limbs and pushes gently on them. She feels the slowing rhythm of Jevoi's heart.

"I think this was how it worked. How'ya feeling?" she asks and receives no answer. "Yeah. That makes sense." She looks at the blood drying on the floor and has an idea.

Dipping her claw in the blood, Gank begins painting a magic circle around Jevoi. "It's like this, and this," she says to herself. Her claws shaking, she manages to etch the runes she knows. "Okay, okay, okay." She slaps the circle, the spirits of the cave answer the call and pulse life through Jevoi's body.

"All I have to do now is..." Gank looks at the bloody evidence still around here. She sighs.

Gank begins licking the blood off the floo-

D&J: EUAGH L: Why? G: Ya don't have room to judge me. I know where ya put your tongue. J: No, eeegh.

To repeat: Gank begins licking the blood off the floor and a primal urge rises within her. The soft meat of a helpless animal is right there. It must taste so good. A rare cut from so far away.

"No, focus." Gank throws those thoughts away and keeps at the floor.

L: So, on the topic of rituals: outside we were blessing the land.

Vanessa, Goddess of Love

This is my attempt at drawing her. Those are supposed to be wings coming off of each eye and a psychedelic glow spiraling behind her main eye. The eyelashes are heavenly flames.

Mimikyu looks like a little gift bag.

Ghost Type Pokemon Trainer Dizzy and Her Ace Mimikyu!

for a colab ^_^

Game Manual

Here are some some details and pictures from the games' official manuals.

Mikado and her Shainto counterpart Kaun face off.

The manual pairs her with Jo as speed-type. The stats the ladies have are similar with the four swords, but the polearms are a different story. The Shainto spear is Jo's worst weapon, but the Narukagami naginata is Mikado's best. Mikado and Kaun have the maximum speed and power with the big pointy sticks!

Mikado's stats with each weapon, if you're curious are:

Weapon-----Power----Speed

Naginata----22/22----15/15 Same as Kaun with Yari (Jo is 15 and 12)

Broadsword-15/22-----12/15 Same as Jo

Katana-------12/22-----14/15 Slower than Jo

Nodachi-----15/22-----13/15 Much weaker than Jo (18)

Longsword--10/22----14/15 Slower than Jo (Tied for the weakest Char/Weapon combo in the game.)

Notes: The lowest normal power is 10 and speed is 12. NPCs and the secret duo are above the limit. Mikado is weaker and slower than Kaun with all swords except being as fast with the katana.

In the original game, Mikado and Black Lotus (aka Kokuren, aka James, aka Highwayman) are the medium characters. Sadly, I haven't found the character stats in BB1 yet.

Also, that codename: Gate of the God's Descent. That's even cooler than my nickname for her: the Empress.

Mikado and Tatsumi face off, back when she was balance and he was speed.

These scans came from Archive.org, so that's why the text is scrunched like that.

WLC 5.1: Into the Woods We Go

J: It was about twelve years ago. L: After that cult nonsense. J: Yes, Mum. One story at a time.

A lanky black-cloaked figure walks alone down a dreary forest path. The path is old and seldom used. The sun overhead shines upward illuminating the other side of the world, reflecting back down far dimmer and weak enough to blocked by the few clouds. The noises of the forest sing: the breeze through the trees, the chirping of bugs, the hooting of an owl, and the howling of wolves in the distance. The figure marches forward, boots stomping on dirt, as her mind wanders.

L: I figured. It's when you ran away from home again. J: Let me tell the story, Mum.

The trail leads to an abandoned home. Years of neglect have let nature tear it down. It's roof has largely collapsed, it's door broken open, and the tell-tale signs of animals litter the property.

A figure cloaked in red waits by the broken door. As the other figure approaches, she growls, "Are you looking for trouble?"

"I have seen enough of it," answers the first.

The figure inside leans her muzzle out and says, "Set them down there."

"Tome first," says the one outside.

"That's not how this works," growls the one inside, "You put them down and I'll tell you where your d**n book is."

"I'm not putting it down," says the one outside in a matching tone, "Until you prove the tome is here."

"Maybe you can just give them to me then?" asks a dainty, third voice from the trees.

"Were you followed, d******e?" yells the voice in the house.

"You really think I didn't know about your granny's old house, Luminița?" asks the voice in the woods, "You, in the black, let me see what you've got there. It's nothing illegal, is it?"

"Of course not," says the black-cloaked, "There's nothing illegal in these woods, Sheriff."

"True that," says the voice in the woods and then a gunshot rang out. The black-figure fell to the ground. "Shame your mommy couldn't bail you out tonight, Jevoi."

D: GASP! Is that how you died? J: I didn't die. L: Tanglepork? Hmm. J: Yes, Sheriff Tanglepork.

Jevoi remains still on the ground. Gank's ghastly hand gently places the bullet onto the ground and her eyes envelop Jevoi's. She can see the soul of a gnome hiding amongst those of the trees, sneaking toward the house.

"You want to run~, Loomy~?" asks Tanglepork, singsongly, "You can try~eye~!"

Jevoi can see the soul of a large bipedal wolf lurking in the house, poised to strike.

An Overview of Bushido Blade 1 & 2

I really love Bushido Blade 2, the somewhat realistic sword-fighting sequel for the PS1. Though I understand why someone may love the first game more.

Both games operate on the idea that if I stab you in the face, then you die and I win the fight right there. In the first game the area on the body for a fatal hit is much smaller, so fights could take longer. You could also break both the left arm and a leg to greatly weaken a character. Leg-breaking was removed in the sequel for being too devastating; you were reduced to only a few desperate attacks in that state.

In BB1, buttons were high, mid, and low attacks and a deflect/parry. You changed stances with the same buttons that controlled jumping snd crouching. There was also run and surrender (for when your legs were broken) buttons.

In BB2, buttons were vertical/stab and horizontal attacks, and stance change. Jumping and crouching are easier to do, as are the moves from those positions (like throwing things). Running is the same and surrender is now a pointless gimmick cutscene you can trigger for fun. Parrying is now done by hitting an attack right before the attack hits. Opposing attacks are an advantageous parry, same attack are disad. You can quit a fight from the pause menu instead of having to die; you can choose to go to either sub-menu (character select) or top-menu (main menu). Yes, those are the names they use.

BB1 has far fewer characters (6 plus Katze), but more weapons (8 plus Katze's gun) and bigger movelists, making each character feel special.

BB2 has a huge number of characters (20 plus 2 gunners), but the weapon pool (4 swords plus 2 faction exclusive polearms plus 2 guns) and special moves are less diverse. It does have dual-wielding, iaijutsu, deadly grabs, and falling to your death. The final bosses also cheat requiring breaking the first games honor rules: one wears armor (you have to stab him in the back) and the other can teleport for no dang reason (you have to hit him while he's getting back up from it).

BB1 modes are story, normal versus, 1st person link versus, training (freely fight the CPU), and chambara/slash. BB2 adds an additional training mode (commandable CPU), vs CPU, and team battle to that list.

Chambara/Slash is a vs 100 survival time trial against progressively harder mooks. This unlocks Katze the revolver user in both games and Tsubame (who traded her NPC ninja sword for an M16) and the bonus mirror match duo in 2.

Vs CPU is actually a gauntlet against every character you've unlocked (minus your chosen and one of those two bonus characters).

Team Battle has both players select one of the two factions and select 3-5 characters and weapons each. No character or weapon can be repeated for each team. CPU cannot play this mode.

Link Battle requires two copies of the game, PS1s, and TVs along with the PS1 link cable. All that just so both players could play in 1st person mode. Both games have a special maze stage exclusive to this mode.

Story mode is the only changed mode. In BB1, you fight 4 of the other characters (but are actually supposed to lead the first across the huge map, break their legs at the exit, and escape in a tunnel), the fight the last playable character and a series of NPCs. All without breaking the code of honor or getting hit.

BB2 is much simpler. There are eight stages consisting of 3-5 ninja and then boss on all (except the first). The gun characters and the final boss have no ninja. The Shainto also have a ninth stage, but it's just a choice of killing the descendant or just leaving. You have additional characters that you switch to for a stage, and, if they don't die, you unlock them.

The six normal characters in the first game and the starting six characters of the second have alternative costumes in it. You normally cannot use them elsewhere.

I'll probably post more about these games later because I have a lot I could talk about. I will definitely post pictures too. Special pictures; the kind you won't see anywhere else.

While all the other demons and angels chose to work with humans, Satan said, "I'm getting a dog."

Pekomaru and Satan from Daemon Bride

Has it really been two years?

"Light Me Up"

If I fall apart, you know where to find my pieces when they can't be found

On this day 2 years ago, The Owl House came to an end.

Mourning Gecko (Picture from TheBioDude.com)

This tiny gecko is the basis of the main characters of Wizard Lizard Chronicles. While our protagonist is human-sized, these creatures are small enough to crawl on your thumb. They reproduce by parthenogenesis (mom lays egg, clone hatches), so they're almost entirely female.

Like other geckos, they can climb just about anything and don't blink. They can also detach and regrow their tails.