#I need to beat it first so I don't accidentally spoiler myself again

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 3, day 7, got the nose done and since the guide helped a ton with that (and fixing some weirdness in the eyebrows), I'm gonna try animating the eyes and mouth at the same time and see if I can get them to agree with me. If they don't, it's no big deal; I'll just go back to animating one facial feature at a time :)

[saline-coelacanth]

I'm gonna try to articulate myself when it comes to explaining why I love Zeke so much because I just wanna scream about him but that's gonna take a long time. This post is probably gonna be pretty long. Also spoilers for Xenoblade 2. I'm gonna kinda explain this in a way that you can understand without knowing about the game, but there will probably still be some things I don't fully explain because doing so would take a lot of time.

Some of my favorite types of characters are the ones that are considered comic relief, but they still have more depth to them than that. They're written as actual characters instead of the one who needs to be funny all the time. And Zeke may just be the best version of that type of character I have ever seen.

When Zeke is first introduced in Chapter 3, he is not taken seriously, like at all. He shows up to fight the party and is completely baffled by the fact that the party does not know who he is. How have they never heard of the mighty Zeke von Genbu? The Bringer of Chaos! Mostly known as Zeke, and also addressed as the Zekenator! (Yes, he does call himself the Bringer of Chaos as well as the Zekenator, he is very silly)

So yeah, you fight this guy (as well as his blade/partner Pandoria, but she doesn't do much in this first encounter, in fact she doesn't even speak) and then after you beat him, he tries to show off with his super cool badass sick as fuck special move; Ultimate Lightning Fury Slash! Which by the way, did I mention he has a big ass lightning sword? Because he has a big ass lightning sword which is awesome, I love him.

But yeah, he uses his cool move, but instead of looking cool, he accidentally causes the cliff that he's currently standing on to collapse, making himself and Pandoria fall off the cliff screaming. The party then just moves on from this.

And yeah, that is the first impression you get of Zeke. He is introduced as this silly, sort of antagonistic guy who you shouldn't take too seriously. And the second time you encounter him goes about the same, except this time Pandoria actually speaks! And she just kinda sasses Zeke for the most part. (I love Pandoria so much btw, this post is mainly focused on Zeke but Pandoria is also great)

The other main difference is that Zeke does not cause a cliff to collapse underneath him this time! No, instead he uses the exact same move as last time, except this one causes a giant boulder to fall and start rolling towards him and Pandoria. They try to run, but end up just getting blasted away by the boulder Team Rocket style.

Also yeah, Zeke and Pandoria are SO Team Rocket coded. They even have a Meowth in the form of Turturs, their beloved mascot who is a tiny turtle. I didn't mention him before, but he is shown in the first encounter with Zeke.

So now we get to the third time you encounter Zeke, which you know, starts about the same with the party just kinda going "Not this guy again..." However, you also have a newer party member who wasn't with you the first two times, that being Morag. And Morag, she actually does recognize who Zeke is and decides to sit this fight out. So the rest of the party get ready for another simple fight against Zeke, only for Zeke to singlehandedly knock them all onto the ground in one speedy move, which leaves them all genuinely shocked at the power he has. Morag then reveals that yeah, Zeke actually is kind of a big deal. He's the most powerful driver from his kingdom, and ALSO the prince of that kingdom! Yeah, this goofy ass guy is royalty.

And yeah, you fight Zeke again. After defeating him, Zeke still kinda has the antagonistic persona up, asking to see the Aegis' true power, to which Rex says that that power is only used for bad guys. Zeke laughs it off, and from here he drops the act and starts acting genuinely friendly towards the party, although his personality remains the same. He is still a silly guy who is very much a show off.

Pandoria also explains to us that Zeke has TERRIBLE luck, which explains the whole falling off a cliff and getting chased by a boulder. Zeke tries to argue this, but then accidentally falls into the cloud sea below, basically proving Pandoria's point. She's also very nonchalant about Zeke falling. The rest of the party is concerned about him, she she's just like "Nah, he'll be fine."

Oh yeah, also forgot to mention that the whole reason for Zeke following the party was because he was sent to retrieve them by Praetor Amalthus. (He's an important character but I don't have time to get into everything with him) And now is the part of the story where the party actually goes to Indol to see Amalthus. This happens in chapter 5 and Zeke first appeared in chapter 3. So yeah, it took Zeke quite a while to actually get the job done.

There's a bit of story stuff that happens, and then Zeke officially joins the party! Which is also a great time to mention that from what my sister has told me, Zeke is the best party member of the game, and the only big downside to him is that he's a show off and his animations take a long time because of it. I love him so much.

Anyway, a bit more plot stuff happens, and we actually get to see Zeke being serious. Like, genuinely serious. No jokes, nothing like that, he is treated as an important character just like the rest of them, which as I've established, I LOVE when silly characters are able to be serious when the scene calls for it.

Not to get into a mini rant, but often it feels like comic relief characters are either still cracking jokes even when the situation is serious and joking would take away from it, or they are simply given nothing to do. The writers don't want them to interrupt the serious moment, so they just have them do nothing. And let me tell you, Zeke does not have either of those problems. He is silly when he needs to be and serious when he needs to be. Zeke is also one of, if not the most emotionally intelligent person in the party. He says a lot of deep stuff and has a really interesting view on the world and people as a whole. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's get back to things.

So the first thing you do when Zeke joins the party is go to Temperantia and have a big boss fight there. But after that, we kinda get to dig into Zeke's backstory and plot more. We have to go to Tantal, which is the kingdom Zeke is from. We find out that Tantal is a strictly isolated society, which is basically the exact opposite of Zeke. Pandoria lets us know that Zeke was kicked out of his kingdom at the age of 15 because he kept leaving all the time, and he's been out on his own with Pandoria since then. (Zeke is 25 during the game for reference)

We also find out that the reason he was staying in Indol was because Amalthus found him on the brink of death and saved his life, so Zeke felt indebted to him for that. Yeah, this guy has had it a bit rough. And this isn't even getting into some of the side things that aren't part of the main story. One of the side things reveals that when he was younger, Zeke wanted to be a hero that could save everyone, but then was hit by reality and realized he can't actually save everyone. He saw a lot of the worst sides of humanity, but joining up with Rex sort of brought back his hope for humanity. AAAA HE'S SUCH A GREAT CHARACTER!!!!

Ok, getting back to more main plot stuff. When the party gets to Tantal, Zeke explains how he disagrees with the way his father handles things, pointing out how poor everyone is because the kingdom is too cold to properly grow food and crops, and since they stay isolated the only way to get stuff from other kingdoms/countries is illegally. The party then goes to give the king a message from Amalthus (I don't remember the specifics about it) And the king immediately rips it up and captures Pyra because he wants to destroy the Aegis before she can destroy the world. The rest of the party (minus Zeke and Pandoria) get locked up afterwards. Zeke if FUCKING PISSED over this, as well as being upset after learning the royal bloodline has been a lie this whole time, so he goes to break out his friends. They actually break out without his help, but you know, it's the thought that counts.

They go and they save Pyra, Zeke also goes a super cool move, jumping onto the giant cannon thing pointed at Pyra and stabbing it with his sword to try and stop it. That's another thing, Zeke is genuinely badass, and the game gives him plenty of time to be genuinely badass and cool. Again, Zeke is treated with respect and he's given time to be serious and cool, he's not silly and goofy ALL the time.

The stuff in Tantal is kinda where Zeke gets the most focus, although I still have a few moments afterwards I wanna talk about. So more plot stuff happens, Pyra ends up getting kidnapped by the bad guys so now the party has to go to this ancient tomb-like place called Spirit Crucible Elpys (I usually just refer to is as the Spirit Crucible). However as they go deeper into the Spirit Crucible, it's revealed that all the Blades in the party are having their energy drained, which is not good. Zeke orders Pandoria to stay behind because he wants her to be safe, but she adamantly argues that she goes wherever he goes, and after a bit of arguing, Pandoria sticks with the team despite the dangers.

Later on, Rex notices that Zeke seems to be getting tired as well, and Zeke reveals that he has part of Pandoria's core crystal in his chest. Mini explanation, a core crystal is basically a Blade's heart/energy source/life source type thing. Rex asks Zeke about it and Zeke brings up the story he mentioned before about how he almost died.

And we get a flashback, yay! I cried while watching this the first time, yay! But yeah, Zeke was dying and Pandoria was pleading with him to get up, not wanting him to die. Also another thing I should mention, but drivers and blades have a deep connection and when a driver dies, their blade returns to their core crystal and they lose all their memories. So one of the reasons Pandoria doesn't want Zeke to die is because she doesn't want to lose her memories of him.

So Zeke passes out, and Pandoria tries to carry him to safety, although she is very much struggling. Eventually, she can't go on and collapses onto the ground, which is when Amalthus finds the two. He saves the both of them by taking part of Pandoria's core crystal and putting it into Zeke's heart, keeping him alive and also making him what's known as a Blade Eater. And again, I don't have time to get into everything with Amalthus, but Amalthus is a terrible person who does a lot of horrible things, but saving Zeke and Pandoria is the one good thing that he did. But this post isn't about Amalthus, so let's get back to Zeke.

Zeke initially feels bad about the whole thing, blaming himself for Pandoria having to lose part of her core crystal, but Pandoria assures him that she's ok with it and that she's glad part of her is keeping him alive. (These two are so cute I could also scream about them all day)

And yeah, the reveal that Zeke is a Blade Eater explains A LOT. It explains how he's able to survive falling off of cliffs, because blades have strong regeneration abilities. It explains why he can move so quickly and why he's such a powerful driver, because he's basically part blade. It just adds so much to his character and I love it!

One last thing I wanna mention real quick, just because it is one of my favorite lines from Zeke. It's in another flashback, this time from when Zeke was in Indol, having a conversation with Amalthus. Amalthus asks Zeke if he's ever had to kill a person before, and Zeke says that no. he hasn't, because he's never seen the need to. And to get into the actual quote that I love:

"Why does anyone kill others? Because they're in your way, or because you can't bear the sight of 'em. You kill because you're weak. But I'm not weak. So I don't need to kill anyone. And I don't mean physically, yeah? I mean in here." *Zeke points to his heart*

Just FGHJKGHJ Zeke is such an amazing character. The entire time I was playing the game, I kept thinking "Surely this is as good as he gets" and then he just KEPT GETTING BETTER! Zeke makes me go insane by how much I love him AGH!

But yeah, sorry this post was so long, I just had to go in depth with talking about his character. I mean, I don't expect too many people to read this entire thing which is fine, I just wanted to get these thoughts out here as they're been sitting in my brain for so long.

TLDR: Zeke is an amazing character who perfectly balances being a silly guy and a genuine character with depth to him, and he's probably the best version of that type of balanced character I've personally seen

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Villains - Part 1

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories. Spoilers under the cut. Expect mistakes.

What is happiness?

It’s like the twilight sky that changes color as soon as it’s imprinted in your eyes.

It holds your heart forever, yet you can never have the same thing again.

(Yeah, I really don���t know what I’m doing. I need to get my shit together.)

Today, Victor invited me for some tea.

I thought he was going to end the day peacefully with a chat and laughter, but he eventually dropped one heck of a bomb.

------------Flashback------------

Victor: Oh, right. Regarding your first job as a fairy tale writer.

Kate: Yes, what is it?

Victor: I want you to choose one of the crown members and spend time with him as your lover.

Kate: Pardon?

(L-Lover?)

Kate: H-Hold on, even if you ask me to choose, I still don’t know anything about一

Victor: That’s right, Miss Kate!

Victor: I’ve been up all night trying to figure out how to get you to know them better, and I finally came up with this idea.

Victor: Well, what can I say? I’m a genius! It’s already late, so you better start tomorrow. I’m so excited.

---------Flashback Ends---------

(I ended up agreeing, though, thinking that if I didn’t get their trust in my first job, they would kill me.)

(But getting to know each other deeply as lovers? How can I even handle such a ridiculous job?)

(I almost got run over by a carriage just thinking about it.)

I looked down at my sprained ankle, trying to avoid the speeding carriage, and sighed.

(There’s no point in dwelling on it.)

(First, l need to talk to Roger and get him to lend me some bandages.)

As I was dragging my feet to the stairs leading to the entrance...

Ellis: What happened to your foot?

Kate: Whoa! Huh? Ellis?

Ellis: Does it hurt?

My heart skipped a beat when Ellis popped up, probably on his way home from somewhere.

Ellis: Did you hurt yourself?

That fateful night, Ellis was the very person who asked if he could kill me, but I managed to survive by becoming a fairy tale writer.

(Shortly after that, he proposed to make me happy.)

I couldn’t help but feel an unspeakable unease.

Ellis: Let me patch you up. Put your arm around my shoulder and hold on.

Kate: Kyaah!?

When he saw my swollen foot, he lightly lifted me into his arms without hesitation.

Kate: I-I’m fine! I can walk!

Ellis: We need to check it properly. Roger’s not at the castle tonight, so I’ll take a look at it.

He ran to the basement, ignoring my resistance.

(He’s used to it.)

He deftly bandaged my sprained ankle.

I was a little embarrassed when he exposed my bare feet, but he was very serious and did only what was necessary to patch me up.

Ellis: How did you get hurt?

Kate: I was spacing out, thinking, when I accidentally twisted myself avoiding the carriage.

Ellis: Carriage, huh? What are you thinking about?

(I don't know if I should tell him, but maybe he can give me some advice.)

Kate: Victor told me that my first job is to spend a day tomorrow with someone from the Crown as a lover.

Kate: With my foot like this, I think it'd be best if I don't move around too much so that I don't cause any trouble.

Kate: Ellis, do you know someone who might agree?

He finished fastening the end of the bandage and stared at me, then spoke up.

Ellis: I'd like to do that.

Kate: Huh?

Ellis: I'd like to act as your lover.

(He would?)

Kate: W-Why?

Ellis: Because I want to make you happy while you're here.

He repeated the same words he had said to me that night we met.

(Why would he even want to do that to someone he'd never met before? Someone he was willing to kill?)

Ellis: I don't want you to look sad after tomorrow. No?

(I have to admit it feels kinda weird, but...)

I couldn't just ignore the carefully wrapped bandage and the worried look in his eyes.

Kate: O-Okay.

Ellis: Yay.

He laughed happily and lifted me again.

Kate: I’m fine now that you patched me up!

Ellis: Nope. I already know that you’re the kind of person who cares about other people’s problems even when you’re hurt.

Ellis: I don’t believe you’re okay, so let me walk you to your room.

Kate: That’s too much.

I tried to protest, but Ellis had no intention of letting me down, so I was forced to stay in his arms.

Ellis: For tomorrow’s plans, can you tell me what makes you happy?

Kate: Um, eating good food?

Ellis: Hmm. So, let’s buy some good food and have a picnic.

Ellis: I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. I look forward to having you as my lover.

Kate: Sure. Likewise.

(I feel like my crazy first job just went by so fast.)

(It’s going too well. I should be more careful with him, but...)

I stared at the carefully wrapped bandages and knew that he treated them with care.

(I have a feeling I’ll be fine with him.)

Ellis: Morning, Kate.

Kate: Good morning. What’s that?

The next morning, he picked me up in my room as promised, carrying what looked like a wheelchair.

Ellis: It’s a wheelchair. It’s not easy to get it, so I made one.

Kate: You made it...? Wait, why?

Ellis: I don’t want to strain my lover’s body.

(Lover?)

Kate: Don’t tell me it’s for my sake!?

Ellis: Yeah. Hey, try sitting down.

I sat down fearfully as he urged me and found the chair was so comfortable.

When he pushed from behind, the wheels turned smoothly, and the chair moved forward.

Kate: This is so cool. You know all this useful stuff, and you can make it.

Ellis: I used to look it up and just remembered it.

Kate: Thank you. I’m happy, but you’re exaggerating. I didn’t break any bones. I can walk.

I lifted my hips to get off, but一

Ellis: I don’t want you to get worse and not be able to walk, so no.

Kate: !?

He suddenly hugged me tightly from behind the chair.

Ellis: I’ll take you wherever you want and lift you by the chair if there are stairs.

Ellis: So all you have to do today is sit here.

I couldn’t stand up or even move as he held me in his arms and whispered, confused by his gentleness.

(But maybe this is how he treats his “lover.”)

(Is it weird to ask him to stop when he’s helping me to spend time as a lover?)

Kate: Okay, thanks.

Ellis: Yeah. Since this is my first date with you, I’ll do my best to make it the happiest day of our lives.

Part 1╏Part 2╏Premium End╏Epilogue

[thefanficmonster]

Just a little something I wrote earlier while I was out! I might turn this into a mini comic, actually, if my schedule ever clears a little.

Hope you like it, Vy! 💙

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 | re8 songfic

Pairing :: Ethan Winters x Mia Winters

Warnings :: RE8 Ending Spoilers, Death

Song :: I Hear a Symphony by Cody Fry

𝑰 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈

A wheeze left my mouth as I struggle to breath, my limbs trembling as I watch my hand turn darker and fastly decaying. I was starting to lose the feeling in my limbs, slowly turning more and more numb by the minute. Every slight move of my arms and fingers were becoming a chore, with a dose of pain with every twitch. My left arm was exploding with pain as I stubbornly try and keep my hold of Rose as steady as I can.

Not yet... Not yet... Rose isn't safe here... I can't...

I fell to my knees as soon as I tried to step away, another wheeze escaping my trembling lips at the pain from my knees. Luckily, I was able to keep my hold of Rose. I wouldn't forgive myself if she gets hurt because of me, I already failed once and I am not keen on ever doing failing her again. I already lost Mia, I'm not losing Rose too!

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈

I slumped on my place, unable to move as I focus all the strength left in my body to keep Rose close to me. My right hand's completely gone, turned nothing but moldy ash on the floor. Mold.. That's what I am, aren't I? A man long dead and decaying, supposedly died 3 years ago and now death has caught with me. My grip on Rose gebtly tighthened. Not yet. Not yet. Rose isn't safe yet. I can't give up yet, my daughter needs me-

"Ethan! Ethan!"

Now that's a voice I never thought will bring comfort to me, not after what happened at my home. Granted that wasn't really Mia like I had foolishly thought but the sting of betrayal, of losing a love one still burns. What he did was still fresh in my mind even after through everything I just went through. There's hope, we can still be saved! We–

I caught sight of my right hand as Chris helps me to stand up and starts limping our way out of the destroyed place. We're moving too slow...

Rose can still be saved...

𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒆𝒘

I am so sorry, Rose...

I looked down as I walk towards the source all this bullshit happening, left hand gently holding the trigger. I can't use it yet, Chris is still nearby with Rose.

Even though I am facing down this beast, I felt happy that Chris didn't bother to convince me to come with him. Felt happy that he chose to run away with Rose and get her to safety as soon as possible.

It was hard, and extremely painful, but I managed to look up and glare at it. I examined it, it was grotesque and disgusting. Letting out one last useless and quiet apology to the two most important people of my life, I pulled the trigger.

I am so sorry, Mia...

𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

A gasp left my mouth as I hastily sat up, a hand coming up to clutch my chest, a poor attempt to try and calm my fast beating heart. I can feel cold sweat dripping down my forehead as I open my eyes and surveyed where I was. Wasn't I in the ruined village? Where am I? Where's Rose–

"Daddy?"

Startled by the small voice, a yelp left me as I quickly look at the little head poking in from the doorway. Her long blonde hair was messy and her eyes were dazed, like she just woke up. The kid fully stepped inside, tiredly rubbing her eyes as she yawns. She sleepily blinks at me before giving me a bright smile.

It pulled away every bit of fear in my body, making way to relief and immense joy. I opened my arms and laughed as Rose immediately jumped on the bed and crawled straight into my arms.

"Do you want to sleep with us tonight, sweetie?" I asked, to which she answered with a nod and another yawn. I gently placed her on the bed beside me and settled back down with her, my arm coming up to gently cradle her close to my chest. I settled my other arm below my pillow, accidentally disturbing the person sleeping on the other side.

As Mia tiredly opened her eyes, I moved my arm to gently caress her cheek, moving a strand of hair out of her face. Still as beautiful as ever, even when she just woke up. A smile creeped its way back to my face that she returned with a much more sleepy one.

"Go back to sleep, Mia, Rose just wanted to join us tonight" I explained, gesturing to the already slumbering girl between us. She let out a huff, probably would've been a laugh had she not been so tired these days. Was she like this as well back when she was pregnant with Rose? It's been so long, I couldn't recall properly.

She scooted closer to us, well, as close as her 8 months big pregnant stomach would let her. I gently pet her hair, lulling her back to sleep. I smiled one last time, gazing at the two, and soon to be three, most important people of my life. To think that I could've lost all of this if it wasn't for Chris and his team.. I don't know they did it, brought me back to life even after I've been in the explosion that killed that thing. They wouldn't tell me, confidential reasons they say.

I sighed as I get back to my position. It didn't matter how they brought me back, I am here now. With my family, safe and sound. And if someone tries to hurt my family again?

I'll make sure they'll pay for it.

This is my first time writing for this fandom so I hope I didn't butcher the characters!

Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear from you 💙💙

Vy Speaking

Just kidding, she's crying, sobbing like a baby at 9 AM in the morning, having just read the most beautiful story of Ethan, Mia and Rose - and their soon to make its way into the world baby. Hun, you could've given me a heads up, I would've equipped tissues 😭

This is PURE ART and nothing less. I loved everything about it, every single word.

Thank you for giving me, the fandom, and Ethan the ending that we all deserved.

~ XOXO, Vy 💌

[skriak]

Killzone 3 GAME REVIEW

(contains SPOILERS for Killzone 1 and 2)

The story of the Killzone franchise is that of a struggle against mediocrity and excessive hype. The original game promised the world so of course it turned out disappointing, and Killzone 2 became controversial before it even released due to deceptive advertising, on top of being aggressively dull and riddled with technical issues. Killzone 3 defied the odds by, at long last and with great toil, finally elevating the series to the glorious heights of averageness.

To be clear, I don't hate the original Killzone. I think was a victim of ambition and marketing, but for its time it was playable and actually provided a different experience from the competition rather than just copying it. Killzone 2 unfortunately learned the wrong lessons and removed all the distinguishing features other than cockney space Nazis, and I'm also less forgiving of a sequel. It aged very poorly but at least served as a stepping stone to greater things. Killzone 3 still relies on a lot of conventions from the height of Call of Duty mania, but it actually has some personality and memorable moments, which I can't really say for the previous games.

It's fascinating how some minor tweaks improved the experience so profoundly. I can only wonder if Killzone 2 was rushed to market because the third game is functionally almost identical but works so much better. Hitting targets with your gun isn't as much of a pain now (fairly crucial in a game about shooting dudes), and though they didn't bring back the first game's secondary fire options you can at least carry three guns again: a primary, a pistol and a heavy weapon. This instantly encourages you to actually experiment with the arsenal rather than constantly leave you with no ammo, and running around with a massive laser cannon that makes baddies explode into green goo is a joy. Even better though, there's even a smegging jetpack with a built-in machinegun, which is just a beautiful microcosm of how the franchise was finally allowed to have fun with its setting.

After the plot of Killzone 1 boiled down to "the ISA stop a traitor general from helping the invading Helghan", and the plot of Killzone 2 was basically "accidentally kill the bad guy", Killzone 3 immediately gets off to a better start by showing us the power vacuum left after your useless, incompetent and annoying comrade Rico turned Scholar Visari into a martyr. The franchise desperately needed something like this and it's gratifying to get some idea of how Helghast society works under all the propaganda. The usual stylish intro cutscene is present and accounted for, but now we also get regular glimpses of the Helghast high command bickering at a table. None of them are nice people but at least some of them want to pursue peace talks, whereas the rest are opportunists or just flat-out crazy. Even the hero characters have slightly more going on now, with Rico (understandably!!!) feeling guilt for killing an unarmed political prisoner, and Sev having a sense of humour. I particularly liked when he put on a cockney accent to pass as a Helghast. It's not much but it's something, which at the risk of repeating myself is more than I can say for Killzone 2.

The Helghast really are relentless, though. I was warned to play on the easy mode and honestly that's good advice for anyone who doesn't have the patience to get stuck on a level for an hour. Killzone 3 still has the low framerate and narrow field of view that infested a lot of console shooters at the time, and I don't mind regenerating health but even on the medium setting you'll die before you have time to see who's shooting you in the arse. I personally get frustrated with games easily, because I have so many of the buggers demanding my attention these days, so would rather blast through on a comfortable setting then maybe come back for a real challenge if I like it enough. I learned this lesson after playing Bioshock Infinite on hard mode made the experience absolutely insufferable.

In a shocking twist, the Helghast have been spotted outside their natural habitat of brown and grey landscapes. After a tense opening in some snowy mountains and an escape through a flaming city, you sneak through a wonderfully alien forest with striking red flora, then later you have a Wolfenstein-esque disguise sequence where the enemy always seem on the edge of realising who you are. Nothing here is revolutionary but it represents a newfound understanding of pacing and variety. Helghan feels like an actual place where people actually live, as opposed to a rollercoaster of cardboard cityscapes with the Saving Private Ryan soundtrack blasting tinnily, and the narrative has some actual tension and surprises.

Killzone 3 isn't brilliant, but it's not bad. And that's honestly all it needs to be.

Availability: Killzone 3 is very cheap if you have an actual PS3 you can put blu-rays into, but if that's not convenient then you can buy it digitally on PS4 for about eight quid. Otherwise you can do what I did and stream it via Playstation Now. Your mileage may vary but I have a strong connection. The free trial might actually be long enough to beat the game, so that's a fun option.

[miningroseakira]

(THIS IS FROM MY MAIN BLOG, FOR SOME REASON TUMBLR DECIDED MY MINECRAFT BLOG IS THE ONLY PLACE I CAN POST THIS)

I posted 3,002 times in 2021

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2932 posts reblogged (98%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 41.9 posts.

I added 1,735 tags in 2021

#last life - 386 posts

#last life smp - 365 posts

#last life spoilers - 322 posts

#last life smp spoilers - 292 posts

#mcyt - 109 posts

#hermitcraft - 70 posts

#last life session 7 - 52 posts

#empires smp - 48 posts

#lastlife - 46 posts

#last life session 7 spoilers - 45 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#mainly bc i cant seem to worldbuild the magic system and just general stuff' and my main rp partner hasnt been able to start on the new rp w

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

you know if neither grian nor martyn do like. and afterlife scene or just. Something with the other southlanders for the final episode im gonna have to draw it myself hgkjdfhgdjk

jokes aside though i hope martyn maybe does something with it since he's more the type of last lifer to do story bits and also broke my heart with his most recent intro- i mean i doubt it but the hope is there

62 notes • Posted 2021-11-15 00:16:51 GMT

#4

sobbing

71 notes • Posted 2021-11-16 20:27:02 GMT

#3

dont mind me just getting out some thoughts about last life because i am a mess and i need to sleep

-The screams of "NO" from Grian and "grian- GRIAN" from Mumbo

-Joels maniacal laughter after killing grian and running off

-grian made the preparations for his final life in the same session as he ended up needing them.

-The sign. "I saved your stuff don't hurt me". The fact that he didnt give it back in person, too. He was too scared of a red life, even if he's his former friend.

-the way grian went up there immediately reassuring mumbo he doesnt mean him harm

-The way mumbo had to cower on the last few blocks, fearful of the one he once called his close friend and then had to watch die as he couldnt do anything to prevent it

-the fact that grian gave up on killing mumbo. he probably could have if he really kept trying. there were only a couple blocks left and once mumbo wouldve been on the rest of the ladder, with grian having the high ground killing him wouldve not been very difficult.

-grian not taking up the offer mumbo made of "I'll join you if you beat me fair and square", which is likely both due to safety (he's on one life, after all) but id like to think he also doesnt *want* to fight mumbo fair and square because he doesn want to fight mumbo at all. he just wants him to be his friend again, and that is sad

-grian saying "There's- there's been enough bloodshed today. I just wanted you to know that... I don't blame you." and just fucking leaving while looking back up at mumb

-the way everyone immediately turns their backs on reds. ive heard of examples from other povs but personally i (at the moment) only have time to fully watch grian's and just. the southlanders just giving him the spyglass and then immediately turning their backs like "ok bye HAHAHA"

-the fact that grian founded the south lands, only to be the first to be exiled from them

-thinking about grian designs: bone wings. he cant fly with them, clearly.

-that one idea another user had where the south landers pass around the life and accidentally give it to grian out of habit, putting him on yellow...but he gives it back anyway

77 notes • Posted 2021-10-13 23:29:48 GMT

#2

you know i was busy recovering from todays last life session and thought "hey im just gonna chill and watch some hermitcraft."

AND THEN MUMBO???? IS A PIG??? AND TRICKED GRAIN INTO SELLING HIS SOUL?????? IM SORRY WHAT IS THIS

93 notes • Posted 2021-11-12 22:33:37 GMT

#1

APRIL 6th - HAPPY ASEXUALITY DAY!

No need to repeat myself so here's my twitter thread for today C:

288 notes • Posted 2021-04-06 14:59:49 GMT

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