Polearm Vs Gun

As a big fan of Bushido Blade (1 and 2), how is it that I only found out about the secret Versus mode inside of the Story mode today?

Thinking About Sin

I'm a big fan of combining the Orthodox eight deadly thoughts with the Catholic seven deadly sins: splitting sloth back into despair (tristitia) and apathy (acedia) [though I like to call this one sloth still], keeping envy, but ditching vainglory.

SLOTH and DESPAIR

While the end result of laziness and despair are effectively the same from the sinner side (you don't do things), the means of temptation are the exact opposite.

Contemplate what a being, say a demon, would be that invites you into sloth: a maid, the latest techno-fad, an overly doting parent. Someone who says, "Let me take care of that," which eventually mutates into a nasty little brain-imp whispering, "Let someone else take care of it." This obviously overlaps with several of the other sins.

Contrast despair, who is here to F*** YOU UP. It is here to break you with a never-ending torrent of misfortune, a constant parade of life kicking you in the teeth. This could also have the exact opposite effect, spurring someone into wrath.

The overlapping area would be someone claiming to protect you from the big scary world, but sloth says "Just don't look," while despair grabs you with both hand and slams your face into the worst of it. "Look at it! Look at this s***!"

In short, despair is clear counterpart to wrath (and both lead toward violence), but apathy/laziness feels disconnected from it and has more in common with pride and envy.

ENVY the Serpent's Glare

The sin of envy sits at the intersection of pride, wrath, and greed. This position, I feel, warrants its inclusion as a designation of category of sin; it's so common, that it seems more than just the sum of its parts, but a natural point. It's like the color green: once viewed as merely shades of blue, but it seems so obvious now that it never should have been. Some even claim envy is the deadliest of the sins, beating out even pride.

PRIDE, VAINGLORY, and VANITY the Devil's Three Heads

Vainglory and vanity just seem like archaic ideas; subdivisions of a theme that were rightfully reorganized. Boasting and self-obsession hardly feel out of place being dubbed pride and the means of temptation would be the same: just someone who's adhered their lips to your rear.

Having them separate seems as absurd to me as splitting gluttony into different sins. Though, I'm not a religious person, so my thoughts here are more narrative (fantasy writing, that is to say) than moral.

WLC 3.8: Children with Knives

J: Let's not forget whose story this is.

The training room is much larger than Jevoi had been expecting. Numerous training targets of various sizes stand around the spacious chamber. Along the walls, several weapons (swords, axes, polearms) are kept sorted in stands. A few grindstones sit next to shelves of materials and a small forge in the corner.

Jevoi's eyes dart across the room; scanning the weapons, she finds her target: knives, daggers. Little blades that can fit in little hands. Her hands. She rushes to them and begins testing their handles. Forward, backward, reverse-grip. She has to find one that fits.

"Oh, ya're into this," says Gank with a smile, "Anything clicking?"

Jevoi stops, holding one sleek dagger in her hand. "YES," she exhales, swinging the runic blade a few times, listening to it sing as it cuts through the air, "Perfect."

"D'ya think?" asks Gank, she points to a humanoid dummy, "Go on, then. Give it a whirl."

The little gecko walks around the dummy and slices at it. The blade cleanly cuts through its soft plant-like material. Jevoi coos at the damage, but the gasps in realization.

"Don't worry," says Gank, as the dummy stitches itself back together, "Nobody'll see nothing."

Jevoi licks her eyes and stabs the dummy as many times as she can, as fast as she can. She twists the blade and begins slashing wildly into it, desperate to outpace the regeneration.

"Okay, slow down," laughs Gank as she walks up to another one, "Let me ya how the big girls do it!" Gank unfurls her claws dramatically and swipes at the dummy in a practiced concert of blows. Her four arms tear, rip, and shred it that it flops about as if it were alive. She throws in a few twirling slashes and kicks as well.

"That's not fair," says Jevoi, "You've got four arms."

"Sorry," says Gank, her tongue hanging from her mouth, "But that's why I'm a warrior and ya're just a rogue."

"Oh yeah?" says Jevoi, running back to the daggers, "I'll show you." She grabs another and racing toward another dummy.

Gank's slit eyes widen. "Woah, kid, wait, no," she steps in front of Jevoi, "If ya get hurt, I'm getting in trouble. Put that one back."

"You don't get to call me a kid," says Jevoi, she looks at her weapons, then up at Gank, "Try and take them!"

L: Trouble from day one.

The developing rational part of Gank's brain attempts to conjure a means of handling this situation. Unfortunately, the emotional threat to her ego prevents the teenager from having any ideas more complicated than, 'Take them.' Some may also claim that her species, hard-wired for a short life of constant violence, may also be a factor in this spur-of-the-moment decision, but that hypothesis's largely irrelevant when faced with the far more accepted theory:

L: Kids are so f*****g stupid.

Gank suddenly lunges at Jevoi, who reflexively holds the blades in front of her. Gank grabs onto Jevoi's wrists, but the gecko squirms and the weapons come dangerously close to the charda's face.

"Let go!" yells Gank.

"Make me!" yells Jevoi. She kicks Gank in the groin. Both girls gasp in pain and Jevoi almost loses balance.

"Why would'ya do that?" says Gank, she then kicks Jevoi right back, "How d'ya like it?"

Jevoi emits a long squeak, but continues struggling to pull her hands out of Gank's claws. Blood begins dripping down both of their arms.

Gank bends her empty hands inward and uses the back of her wrists to slap Jevoi's face and punch her in the gut. "LET!" Hit. "GO!" Slap. "OF!" Knee. "THE!" Clunk. "KNIVES!" Punch.

"Noooo," squeals Jevoi weakly. One blade hits the floor, but she her grip on the other. She shoves her bloody hand into Gank's face, feebly slapping her. "Let me go."

The last thing Jevoi hears before passing out is Gank's desperate voice repeating, "Oh s***e!"

WLC 2.8: Violence at Last

L: Several hours of ups and downs and all arounds (mostly downs) later and we'd arrived at Hairy Scary Rock: a twenty meter tall stalagmite which stands in a massive chamber.

"That is an ugly rock, says Maraja, "Its shape is... yonic?"

"Stop gawking and keep moving," says Ling, "We can't stop here."

"Why?" asks Maraja, condensing vapor for her to drink, "What's here?"

"Stop using that spell," Ling pulls a bottle out of her little magic pouch, "Use this."

J: Always with the bottles, Mum. L: Hydration👏 is 👏 important!

"What's the harm?" Maraja continues using her spell almost spitefully. "And what's here?" she asks again, irate.

The ground begins to shake. Ling seethes, "Creatures that are drawn to changes in the air and water." The rumbling nears.

"Iss thhat a giant worm?" Kalyani readies her staff as the tremors intensify.

"Giant worm," Ling nods.

D: Giant worm!? L: Giant worm.

On command, the giant worm bursts from the ground. It's thick dark grey hide etched with purple scars. It is about twenty-four meters long and three meters wide. It's open maw spews forth purple goo which the trio scatter to dodge.

"Strewth, a purple-stuffy!" shouts Ling, "Watch it, that goop is highly basic."

D: What does basic mean? L: Usually it means it's slippery and can burn you very badly.

Maraja draws her sword and readies herself, as the beast slides along the ground. She dodges its maw as it lunges and cleaves her blade through its side. A mix of blood and goop bleeds from the writhing mass. She resists the urge to blast the slime away with water.

Kalyani dodges the worm's venomous stinger tail and fires a bolt of electricity into it. This barely phases it. "Any idea what it'ss weak to?" she asks.

"No idea," says Ling, pulling a tuning fork from her pouch, "But I got this!"

As the creature lunges at the wizard, she slaps it in the side of its face with the fork while rolling past it. The worm's jaw spasms and it begins convulsing.

L: I call that spell "Nervous Veer"; it disrupts the target's nervous system, redirecting body commands all over the place. Try to bend your arm and twist your foot instead.

Maraja runs forth and brings her blade down upon the creature's slack-jawed face. The creature brain oozes out of it's open head. The body continues to squirm about.

D: EEEWWW!

"Shhield your eyess," shouts Kalyani, as she lights the entire area it occupies in holy flames. "BURN! DIE! BEGONE!" In a blink, it's roasted. A bitter aroma fills the air.

In the calm, the trio reunite a safe distance from the corpse.

"Anyone harmed?" asks the priestess, "Do you need aid, dearss?"

"Clean as I came in."

"I'm fine, but- Gross, it's so sticky," says Maraja, using a cloth to wipe her sword clean. "Why was that thing here?"

"These are their breeding grounds," says Ling, preparing to rant.

Maraja began marching suddenly. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"F*****g right" says Ling, suddenly calm again, "We can roast your a**e later."

I love old obscure fighting games. MEAT!

WLC 5.5: Twister Shot

The whirling dust around Ioana approaches Jevoi and Tanglepork. "I shall have vengeance!" howls the glowing counter-silhouette.

Jevoi takes off running. "Tell you what," she says, "After you kill her, I can take to my mum; you can kill her too."

L: Love ya, too.

"Don't leave me here!" yells Tanglepork, scrambling to her feet. "Give me my gun back!"

"Why would I ever?" yells Jevoi, trying to figure out the mechanisms of the gun. The odd rotating piece in the center confuses her. It would be easier for her to study it, if she weren't running toward darkness.

"Don't come at me!" Luminița yells at the other women, "I'm not involved in this!"

"AND I AM?" yells Jevoi, running with Tanglepork and Ioana hot behind her, "I don't even know this woman!"

"I'm going to rip you limb from limb, Ling!" yells Ioana. The light emanating off of her continues offer a view of what the mortals begin realizing may be an infinite plane.

"Love the enthusiasm, Madam!" says Jevoi, "Wrong target!" Jevoi thinks, 'Gank, do something, please!'

'Like what?' asks Gank in Jevoi's brain, 'Ya want me to fight her?'

'You're the only one who can,' thinks Jevoi.

'I have an idea,' thinks Gank, 'Keep her distracted.' She sinks into the ground, invisible.

"Just shoot her," yells Luminița, running further ahead.

"She's a ghost, you drongo!" yells Jevoi.

"Not my bunica, idiot!" the lycan yells back, "Tanglepork!"

Jevoi aims the gun backward and pulls the trigger, but the weapon does not fire. It doesn't even CLICK.

Tanglepork laughs and throws a bone off the floor. It hits the gun causing Jevoi to drop it. She scoops it up as the gun and pulls the hammer back. She eyes Jevoi and rubs her hand along the barrel; sparkles enter the weapon. She puts both hands on the grip, turns toward the advancing dust-storm (while running backward now), and fires a glowing shot into it. A silvery explosion distorts the cyclone.

"That's how you do it, kiddo!" laughs Tanglepork, turning away.

Ioana howls in shock and the bones on the floor rattle. They rattle and shake and bounce into the air. Each begins flying in the direction of the closest mortal.

"Mamaia!" yells Luminița, "How did you screw that up, Jevoi?

L: How did ya screw that up?

Last Several Days

I have spent a lot of time now going back though the list of likes and finding people to follow. I'm still not sure if I'm using this right.

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.

Making Characters Act

Since the cutscenes of Bushido Blade 2 are handled in-engine, it's super easy to put different actors on different stages with repurposed animations.

For example, this is Mikado and Jo reenacting part of Kannuki's ending in the Shainto Group Battle Stage. Jo is even using a different weapon from Mikado, unlike how Tatsumi wields the same as Kannuki.

The way Tatsumi falls in Kannuki's ending is so stiff; it's a very low-budget fall.

By contrast, "Tatsumi's" attack is a complete whiff in Mikado's ending, but the fall is more dramatic.

There's a few hiccups to the process of making this, but I can mostly make anyone in this game do anything someone else can do.

Thinking about Writing

I don't know how many people are actually reading this dumb lizard story, but I'm having fun writing it, improv-ing it one day at a time. I already know the main beat of Chapter 3: How Li'l Jevoi Met the Shadow Queen.