AlphaBeasts: P is for Paper Man

I didn't have a lot of time to work on my AlphaBeasts! entry this week, so I decided to spend the time I did have stepping outside of my comfort zone:

Rather than choose a creature/beast/monster on my own, I fired up Google and asked it to spit out something completely random. I took the first selection to come into view and, low and behold, it was Paper Man from the original LINEAGE MMO [Click the creature's name to see the old design].

Look at that poor chap. For all the wonderful character/creature designs worked into that game, how did Paper Man end up like a die-cut doll? And he's a passive, Level 8 creature that's tameable? This 2D beast is in need of some serious attention, and that's why...

P is for Paper Man.

I like to follow the "sharper teeth/thicker skin" approach to redesigns, so I've increased Paper Man's size, folded him into an origami monstrosity, and wrapped up a pair of claws to punch his response button to "Aggressive."

What about those barbed foot-stumps? In my world, there's nothing creepier than something teetering into view on pegs, stilts, or barbs. Just imagine what this beast must look like hobbling toward you, spitting who knows what in your direction. Run, friends. Run.

Tuesday Tunes: Kenji Kawai (Live)

From the wonderfully crafted and aurally overwhelming GHOST IN THE SHELL: INNOCENCE soundtrack...

AlphaBeasts: O is for Onryō

With this week's diet of studio entertainment consisting of catching up on missed episodes of AFRO SAMURAI, revisiting MEATBALL MACHINE, and studying the directorial choices made by Yoshiaki Kawajiri between his early work and later films, it's no wonder that I'm sticking with a yōkai theme for this week's AlphaBeasts! entry...

O is for Onryō.

The Onryō is an interesting creature. It exists somewhere between yūrei (a Japanese ghost kept from a peaceful afterlife) and yōkai. Because the death delivered to the Onryō was so horrible, it undergoes a powerful transformation, materializing in the physical plane so that it might exact vengeance for its untimely demise...

Traditionally, Onryō are female and victimized by cruel lovers or husbands. The film JU-ON (THE GRUDGE) features a particularly nasty Onryō...and her equally nasty family...

For my interpretation, I kept the traditional visual elements (white kimono, wild black hair, and pale face) and brought in a few supernatural touches of my own. My Onryō is retching arcs of weapon-clutching ectoplasm and is fully prepared to dish out otherworldly revenge.

Tuesday Tunes: The Creepshow

AlphaBeasts: N is for Nukekubi

After an AlphaBeasts! hiatus, I'm back in action and returning to the beastly battle royale with more yōkai!

N is for Nukekubi.

The nukekubi are a strange breed in the ever-horrifying family of yōkai. By day, they make every attempt to appear as ordinary human beings completely devoid of supernatural powers (or monstrous urges). But, when the night falls, the nukekubi reveal their true form: a floating, blood-thirsty head.

Yes, these bodiless demon-things soar through the night sky in search of the innocent and descend upon their prey with terrible expressions and horrible screams. But, like western vampires, these creatures fear the dawn. If they do not return to their bodies by the first light of the day, a ghastly death awaits.

For my interpretation, I chose to fashion the body with a sort of biomechanical defensive mechanism to protect it from any would-be monster hunters who think it wise to hide the body away from the nukekubi. The head itself is transformed into something far more sinister than a human face bobbing on evening gusts.

If you look closely, you'll see I've also included a hito-dama ("human soul"). Hito-dama are the spirit forms of the recently deceased that frequently appear when the supernatural world interacts with our own. You can see hito-dama and more yōkai in this trailer for the classic film Yōkai Monsters: Spook Warfare below: