Is This What The Kids Call "drip"?

WLC 6.F: One Last Shot

The lycan, Ioana, stands in her nightgown wearing a simple jacket, Ling's wig in hand. "What is going on down here?"

"Oi, my hair." Ling holds up her hands in front of her, inviting Ioana to throw it her way. "Thanks for that."

"Deputy, where are the others?" asks the sheriff, "Also, my knife?"

"I'm the only one, sir," says Tanglepork, saluting, "And it's in the pond, sir."

"Then why didn't you grab it?"

"The fair lady will only give it to its owner: you."

"A man's got to do everything around here."

"Shove it, mate," says Ling, adjusting her wig, "First is the witches. We con-"

"Oh, new guests!" shouts Zingiber, twitching with excitement, Gudrun right behind her.

"Which one do ya want, Doctor?" asks Gudrun, "Ya've earned it."

"The bl'ell are ya spouting now?" yells Ling.

"Wait, who's what?" sputters Tanglepork.

"Deputy, get the men," says Honeycrisp, his nostrils flaring, "I'll handle this brainjacking b***h."

"Ya took control of him?" asks Gudrun.

"Are you throwing us under the cart?" asks Zingiber.

"Officer," whispers Ioana to Tanglepork without looking away from the witches, "I think we need to get out of here."

"What are ya trying to pull, Gudrun?" Ling adjusts her cloak.

"Porky." "Deputy." "Officer." "Gnome." "Little thing." The voices blended together, contradictory commands overlapping pulling the gnome's attention apart in a dizzying cacophony.

BANG

"Oh," says Ioana, stumbling forward, "Why?"

Tanglepork's gunhand trembles as she stares into the hole in the back of Ioana's head. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Yes," growls Ioana, turning to face her attacker, her face contorting savagely, "I do."

"Why did you do that, idiot?" barks Honeycrisp, "You really trying to kill an eldritch witch with a gun?"

"Bl'ell, everyone wait," says Ling, "I talked to your boss, witches. The kids are alive; we can work this out."

All attention turns to the doctor.

"Why would you trust it?" asks Honeycrisp, "The thing's helping these-"

"It said... something that meant it was talking to the kids," says Ling, nervously, "Or, at least, knew them."

"Is this about the brat you're selling drugs to?"

"I'm not selling drugs."

"Right," says Honeycrisp, "Giving drugs to."

"Not the time, Sheriff."

J: Why didn't you ever just use that surgery spell you crafted on her? L: Because she didn't want it? J: ...Valid.

Zingiber interrupts. "Oh, if they're still alive, we can kill them ourselves!"

"The screaming was nice," says Gudrun, fondly, "We can make a whole choir this time."

"Hate to waste that meat," mutters Ioana.

"What is wrong with ya?" yells Ling, "I'm trying to get ya c**ts out of this!"

"If you think I'm letting these c**ts go," yells Honeycrisp, "You'd best be ready to share a grave with 'em!"

"Ugh, so glad my son doesn't talk like this," mutters Gudrun as the doctor and the sheriff resume cussing each other out. She turns to her elven cohort. "Ioana's got the gnome, I'll take Captain Bulls***e, and-"

"Dr. Ling will feed me my own a**e," says Zingiber with a chipper enthusiasm more appropriate for boarding a carnival ride.

"Or ya could try winning," says Gudrun, exasperated.

"Love the confidence, and I will try," says Zingiber, "But she's going to destroy me, just like she did earlier."

The deputy is unfortunately not forgotten in this mess. The lycan looms over her. What they have to say transcends language, visible by a glance: Ioana expresses an intent to eat and Tanglepork expresses a need to change her pants.

And thus, the fight begins.

This happened when I ran Age of Ashes too. She got a great scene showing up to help in the sixth book.

Also she has a friend called Belmazog. She was a big bad villain who tried to summon a dark god of death and destruction to slaughter indiscriminately but she’s alright now.

Just Give Up

In both games, the player can surrender. In the first game, it could only be done if your leg was broken. In the second, you can just... give up.

POV: The enemy would rather die than fight a child (that's you).

POV: She is adamant about this fact!

POV: Your friend wishes to die with honor, but you have terrible aim.

Here are even more sprites. In order Utsusemi and Hongou, Red Shadow (Hotarubi) and Chihiro, Matsumushi and Utamaru, and Suminagashi and Isohachi.

Now play spot the difference with these last two.

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 2.6: A Whole Lot of Hole

Down into the darkness the party did travel, climbing down by hand. One of Kalyani's staves carried a spell that allowed Maraja to imitate Ling's natural climbing.

"Do you really do thhiss every week?" asks Kalyani, carrying her entire weight on her hands alone, "Care to ssay why, dear?"

"Plant research," says Ling, climbing slow enough to keep pace while also carrying the priestess' bag, "I'm experimenting with biolumies in the Cave."

"Bio loomies?" asks Kalyani.

"Rocks and shrooms that glow down there," says Ling, "Trying to find a way to farm in the dark."

"For what purposse?" asks Kalyani, "The food crississ issn't from lack of light."

J: It is odd that you started there. L: Well, it's all I could afford at the time.

"If food can grow in the Caves," answers Ling, "That's a reason to get those b*****ds down there to stop raiding other parts of the Glow."

"Iss thhat why you moved here?" asks Kalyani, "And from where?"

"From Ozzel," says Ling, "Went to Lemonbum's Wiz School. Thought my accent would make it obvy. Where ya from, Sister? Ya don't sound local either."

"Her eyess led me here from thhe cloudss of Shheshhaparvata," says Kalyani, her voice more melodic, "Every few yearss, I-"

"CAN YOU STOP TALKING?" shouts Maraja, whose descent was far more cautious, "HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?"

"Breathhe, dear," says Kalyani, "Move one limb at a time."

The light from above suddenly ceases to be; Bobbobo had closed the dome.

"THE OPENING CLOSED," yells Maraja, her voice cracking, "I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!"

J: Why didn't you have any light with you? L: Ya think seeing how far down it was would help? Or seeing the light be swallowed by the abyss? The temptation of looking down would've killed her. J: Point taken.

"Mate, panicking is just making ya slower," says Ling, "Which means ya're up here longer. I'd be bottomside already if I weren't watching ya. Remember why ya're here."

"I'M TRYING!" screams Maraja, "WHAT IF WE FALL?"

"Then I'll jump after ya," says Ling, "I'm a wizard; I've a spell to save ya."

"WHY NOT USE IT NOW!?"

"If I use it too soon, it won't work."

"Remember, what shhe ssaid yessterday," says Kalyani, "Disstractsion. Tell uss more about thhiss lady we're following."

"Okay, okay," says Maraja, trying to calm her breath, "I can... do that."

6.8: The Woods, Man

L: What Ioana said was suspicious; so after she and Tanglepork fell asleep, I took a look 'round.

While setting off magic detection like a radar, Ling creeps through the house. She scrutinizes every trinket and trophy that crosses her sight. The house is too small to hide anything, but, alas, her search finds naught.

Stepping outside, the cold night air greets her bare head. It is an annoying reminder that she left it in the bedroom, too risky to fetch now.

Ling circles the cabin, checking the walls. However, the building is quite normal. While a part of Ling is relieved, another is frustrated. This dead end was a waste of the children's precious time.

Suddenly, the woods grew quiet. The wind stops, the bugs fall still. A presence, Ling feels; someone lurks amongst the trees.

"Yo," Ling calls out to the unknown. She quickly walks in its direction. "Wait, mate."

The presence does not wait.

When Ling reaches where she felt it, there is only a piece of parchment stuck to a tree. It says: Beware the Witches.

"What witches, mate?" asks Ling, "Gonna need a better b****y clue than that."

D: What are witches? J: It depends on the time. It was originally a political term used to oppress: an accusation of subservience to evil power. L: Then some claimed it as a rebellious term and some drongos thought 'evil power' sounded cool. A: And then evil powers thought more mortal servants sounded cool. J: Then other powers decided to do it too. L: So now it means a mortal who gets magic from some boss. J: Or feminist alchemists. A: Morality of any party involved: undefined. D: ...So, bad? L: Yes, this time bad.

Again, Ling could feel something deeper in the woods. She opens a door in space to its location.

The entity, a well-dressed, elvenoid over twice Ling's height with lanky limbs to match, stands hunched over affixing another paper to a tree. Its head twists around bearing Ling's own face.

"G'ev'ning," says Ling, "Nice to meet ya."

Showing Off

Every normal character in Bushido Blade 2 has a subweapon (except Isohachi who yells loud enough to be a weapon). Mikado has throwing knives.

Look at how Hongou, one of the strongest warriors, is kept pushed back from the strength of the shrine maiden.

Check out the sweet dodge I did by accident while recording Mikado's Skyward Strike.

Baffling that tumblr thinks character face sprites and game manual pages are "mature", but death gifs aren't.

Throwing and Battle Damage

Mikado sadly only knows one of the possible throws. With the Naginata, her signature weapon, she can break her opponent's neck. I can cheat her into using the others, but let's talk about a Story mode oddity first.

Neck breaker demonstrated by a fully battle damaged versus Mikado on a clean story Mikado.

In the second game, all four limbs and the torso can be damaged. This is marked with either bloodstains or bandages.

Story damage is in the game's files and code, for all six starting characters' versus outfits and the four unlockable characters from Slash mode, too. This is despite that none of them should be in Story mode.

Uno Reverse Card! This is what Mikado's story outfit looks like with all five damage points.

Mikado, that illegal! You can't use throws in Group Battle Mode!

WLC 2.3: Must Love Gods

The chamber for Vanessa is as white as the rest of the shrine, but with a splash of color upon the pulpit coming through the stained glass window depicting the goddess' most common appearance: six winged eyes encircling a larger one, all wreathed in golden flame and squished as if concealed by unseen eyelids. A stack of prayer mats are tucked in the corner by the door. The altar stands less than a meter in front of the pulpit; it's supports resemble a bed frame decorated with engravings of the goddess' eyes with inset jewels for their pupils.

As Maraja approaches the altar, Ling slips up to the pulpit and stares into the window. Maraja and Kalyani begin praying and the eyes of glass give a brief twinkle.

L: Weren't really listening to what they were saying. It didn't look like it was working anyway, so, after ten minutes or so, I joined in as respectfully as I could.

"Oi, ya heavenly b*****d!" yells Ling, "Your girls need your help. Get down here!"

Kalyani gasps in shock.

"Hold your tongue," says Maraja, "You can't act like that here."

L: Though, my wizardly ways were less than appreciated.

Ling pounds on palms onto the pulpit persistently. "Ya dumb b***c," she yells again, "We came to see you."

L: And maybe the drink had its say too.

The blessed women grab Ling and attempt to pull her from the room. She clings on, yelling at the window.

"Thhiss behaviour iss unaccceptable," says Kalyani, "You are more likely to incur divine wrathh thhan aid."

L: But it worked.

A bright light fills the room as the goddess Vanessa emerges from the glass, her eyes and wings shimmering and a weaving of colors spirals behind her.

L: I'll never forget what we first said to each other. I told her, "Your radiance is blinding."

"Hey, ya glowing c**t," shouts Ling, desperately covering her unblinking eyes with her hands, "The room's white as snow, ya drongo!"

The goddess looks down on the three pained mortals and says, "Oh, I am so sorry! Let's turn that down to a soft glimmer." Her radiance dims down and the women regain their sight.

L: I doubt any mortal's said anything like that to her.

"Now, what was I doing? Ah, yes." The eyes surround Ling and glare at her. "You dare to enter holy ground and behave thusly? I am more than aware of your life and deeds, Kun Ling. Moving across the world may hide you from mortals, but you cannot escape my gaze."

J: You expect to believe she knew you already? L: Why wouldn't she? Of course, the Love Goddess'd heard of me. J: And you're proud of that? D: What are you talking about?

"Are ya going to help her or not?" asks Ling, her voice as flat as someone investigated by a blind elephant.

"Did you not hear me?" asks the goddess, the eyes spin around Ling, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I heard ya," says the wizard, "Ya can deal with me after ya help your champion rescue her girlfriend." She licks her eyes and resumes staring into the largest of Vanessa's.

Maraja resists correcting this statement, too afraid to speak in the presence of an angry god.

L: Angry's overselling it; irate, maybe?

"Why are you so concerned about them?" Vanessa's eyes narrow, "What do you stand to gain?"

L: It's an odd question, right? Took me a second to get it. Why wouldn't she just strike me down without being there?

"Ah, I see," says Ling, "This is a trial, right? Gods love trials. Ya already said ya knew me."

"Yes, I did," says Vanessa, "And I shall test your worthiness of my aid."

L: So we did a trial and I passed. D: What was the trial? L: Oh, uh, it was just some questions to prove... that I understood- understood... the concept of love. J: ... L: Shut up, Jevoi. That trial took several hours. Several long, glo- I mean, long, tedious hours.