⠀⠀⠀٬ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⠀𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‹ ❤︎ › 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲!﹕✿ ٫

live to love, love to live

Tekken crack ship of the day

Shipping Lei & Anna is just race-reversed Leon & Ada.

Good Morning Sunshine Chapter 1 snippet [Leon x Neighbour!reader series]

Tags: Female Reader! | Stangers to Lovers | Slowburn | Neighbour AU x Wrong Number AU | Strong language, fluff, mention of trauma late on. Tags will get updated. Slightly Mean Leon!

PROLOGUE here!

TAGLIST: @woofwoofwolf @galactict3a

The days passed, time really flies by when you are busy unboxing stuff and looking at low-quality job ads that could have been designed by a child. There was nothing that spiked your interest yet and it frustrated you. The old laptop that Claire gave you got put aside and you relaxed into the couch cushions, just staring at the ceiling lost in thoughts.

Maybe it was worth a thought to sell a kidney or an eye, there is no doubt that you would look great with an eye patch. How iconic would it be to start being a modern pirate? The ideas in your mind casted a smile onto your lips and you shook your head at your own silliness.

The sound of your phone pulled you quickly out of your daydreams and the bright name of your new message friend flashed up. Leon. Ada’s pseudo lover with relationship issues. You actually didn’t know what relationship this guy had with the woman called Ada, but based on the first impression it was a troubled relationship.

You haven't heard of Leon since that day, thinking that he actually deleted the conversation and moved on from his mistake.

“Hey Claire, can I ask you something??” For a short second you forgot that you’re pretending to be Claire. The actual guy that you should dump for Claire was already taken care of. It was a very disgusting guy that doesn’t understand the word boundaries.

“‘Sup Mr.I’m Sorry.” Fake Claire and Leon are back in contact it seems. “Whatcha need?" Love advice? Buy her roses but not the cheap ones ofc.”

Leon kept typing for some time, then he stopped only to start writing again a few minutes later. You laughed to yourself, this guy reminds you of elderly people who get their first phone.

“God no-” The man needed half an eternity for this short message. Maybe you should teach this poor soul the magic of text to speech. He started to write again and you lowkey prepared yourself to stand up and make some food in the meantime but his next message popped up on the screen quickly. There’s no reason to lie, having him text you was kinda exciting. There was no hint if this is a normal American citizen or a puppy eating monster, perhaps even both. “How do you usually apologize to someone?”

Still the same topic probably, the mysterious lady named Ada didn’t forgive him yet but left him in distress. You could either play his savior and write something useful or rely on your laziness to leave him on read. It wasn’t really your business after all and it was only right to assume that Leon was a grown man with the ability to fix his own problems.

“Idk ask google man” Most useful help, you should really give yourself a proud pat on the shoulder. At least this would be Claire's reaction if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s at work. The woman would laugh her heart out and pat your shoulder in amusement.

Truth to be told, you didn’t tell Claire about Leon. There was no reason to since you thought it was a one time thing. She would definitely nudge you to get to know Leon better, ask him about his hobbies, his favorite food and most importantly. “Are you single?”

The color left your face in an instant as you accidentally sent him such a message. You didn’t even know why you typed out your thoughts with the phone in hand, and even pressed the send button with an absent mind. Maybe the demonic spirit of Claire possessed you for a second. This would be an amazing moment to throw away the phone, move out and leave the country. Change your name. Wait, he doesn’t know your real name so you don’t need a new personal ID but leaving the country was a need now. Panic and embarrassment took over your mind.

“Why?” His message was simple and of course he would be curious. Your question came up randomly without context so there was no way he wouldn’t just accept that.

Now it was now or never. You had to fix this somehow. “Is Ada not your girlfriend?” This was either the best or the worst reply you could have given this man. Leon didn’t reply after that.

You only let out a sigh and stood up from the comfort of the couch, a sudden pain struck inside your back. This is definitely the aftermath of being in a bad position for a long time. The comfortable couch is to blame.

“Not really, we're business associates or something similar I guess.” You huff at his reply. You were wrong about the whole psycho lover thing or it's some korean drama version of a secret office affair. You don't know a single thing about Leon.

You use the moment where he types his next message to get some cheap food delivery. Why leave the house, when the food can come to you? Your body moved too much today after all that unboxing and there's no way you go down the endless staircase for a mere pizza or a sad noodle box. But you make sure to give the poor delivery guy a tip for getting up all the stairs to reach Claire's apartment.

“Yo, Leon. Pizza or noodles?” You pray he won't choose pizza and tell you to add pineapples.

“Personally more of a pizza person.” The guy actually gave a good answer. You finished ordering a big pizza with your favorite toppings. You're hungry after all and when there's something left then Claire can have it. Sharing is caring.

“Foods arriving in 30 minutes.” Leon only gave you a thumbs up for that message. At least he knows how to use emojis.

The rest of the time that you waited for your food got spend with watching some more TV and looking at more job ads. You were about to call it a day till a message popped up.

“Delivery is downstairs in the ground floor.” Well, someone doesn't deserve a tip after all. You let out a sigh and put on your shoes, apparently fate wants you to go down the staircase and it's unavoidable. You quickly sprinted downstairs or at least tried since your stamina quit halfways and when you finally reached the ground floor you needed a minute. The delivery guy hands you your lukewarm pizza, that has probably seen better days, and disappears angrily since there wasn't a tip.

From now on it only could get better, have some pizza once you are upstairs, watch a movie and maybe have a girls night with Claire when she's not out with a guy she picked up. A grin appears on your face as you make your way upstairs. Maybe Leon has time and you two could talk more? The thoughts occupied your brain and you missed the tall handsome man that you ran into. The pizza box you previously held fell down on the ground and your eyes widened. Your precious food! “Can't you see where you're going?” A grumpy voice catched your attention and you snapped your gaze back up. If it wasn’t for his rude first impression then you would crush on him for his appearance alone. He had a navy blue button up that hugged his chest nicely and the black leather jacket added a certain touch. The way his blonde hair frames his face was breathtaking and his eyes are even more a kind of an artw- “Earth to stranger, you're blocking the way.” The man snaps his fine looking hands in your face. Time to stop your teenage crush. “Excuse you, you can ask nicely.” He certainly hit not only your heart with his good looks but also your nerves with his attitude. “Fine princess, move out of the way.” He pushes you out of the way, stepping onto your pizza box and rushing down the staircase. The guy must have been in a hurry.

Leon x Ada — matching icons 𔓕

I saw how you said that you think the Leon/Ada ship has sank & I don’t know if that is true. I think Capcom will still continue with them to some extent.

The fact that people still talk about Ada and Leon to this day, 8 years after their last appearance in 2013 (not including the remakes), strongly contradicts the opinion: “It’s getting old”. (which is one of the most used arguments i hear against aeon) Their relationship is memorable and is among the most intriguing stories in RE.

I’m pretty sure Capcom is aware of their popularity as a couple and intends to keep it a mystery/ up for interpretation for a long time more. Leon is the poster boy of RE, so to finally conclude the Ada x Leon story would make his character less interesting and they wouldn’t want that.

See the Ada and Leon fan art, memes, and video edits for yourself; they need that kind of publicity for as long as they intend to keep those two relevant in the franchise. And that’ll be a long time because Ada Wong and Leon S. Kennedy are iconic names in the video game world.

RE is doing different things too now with new characters and all, so probably when the new set of characters become the new hot deal. They’ll finally put an end to the “will they will they not”.

Oh god, Aeon fandom is here.

So uh. A few things.

People talk about old shit all the time. Dudebros still have the "Asuka or Rei?" argument. FF7 fandom is somehow still debating CloTi vs Clerith, despite CloTi basically becoming canon with Advent Children in 2005. People still ship Goku and Bulma, for god's sake. I don't understand what "people still talk about it" has to do with... literally anything. At all.

Leon is not the poster boy of RE. Chris is. If you think that Leon is the poster boy of RE, you are wildly out of touch with the wider gaming community.

Springboarding off the above two points, shipping/fanart/fanfic fandom plays a very tiny role in influencing future game development. Capcom isn't listening to shippers. Capcom is listening to YT content creators and streamers and games journalists and maybe they'll read a thread on ResetEra here and there -- because those are the people who sell their products. And those people are predominantly the ones who are sick of the Aeon melodrama and hated what RE6 did to Leon's character.

Ada's name is not iconic in the video game world. At all. AT ALL. Not a single person who doesn't play Resident Evil knows who the fuck Ada Wong is. She's not Sephiroth or Master Chief or Nathan Drake or Lara Croft or Bayonetta. She's not even Jill Valentine. Hell, even Leon's name was only iconic up until about 2010 when Chris took back over and then RE6 shit the bed. When RE4 was a cultural phenomenon, people knew who Leon was. It's been eighteen years. They don't anymore. They know Chris and Jill, if they know anyone from RE at all. And Lady D. Because of course they know Lady D. If you're having trouble discerning who in the video game world is iconic and who's not: ain't nobody on the goddamn planet was clamoring for Ada (or Leon, for that matter) to be in Smash Bros.

Capcom clearly disagrees with your assertion that not having Ada in Leon's story makes him less interesting, considering that the last three original RE storylines that they released with him in it (Vendetta, ID, and DI) didn't feature or mention her at all. If Leon and Ada never met again after RE6, I don't think a single person outside of Aeon and/or wider shipping fandom would even notice.

There's not much time left for Capcom to "keep the mystery going." Leon turned 46 this year. By the time RE9 comes out, he'll be 48. Ada will be 50. How many more titles do you realistically think those two have left in them? RE9 will probably be the finale for most of the legacy cast, if not all of them. And not a single piece of supplementary canon (lookin at you, CGI movies) leading up to RE9 has been setting up Leon and Ada's relationship to be a thing that's going to be addressed at all. The conclusion of Leon's story is going to deal with his relationship with the government -- because that is the thing that's actually fueling his character arc; not Ada.

If Capcom was truly still interested in pursuing a romantic angle between Leon and Ada, then why did the Remakes turn out the way that they did? Why remove the declaration of love? Why have Leon hold Ada at gunpoint and say he never trusted her? Why create such a hostile, antagonistic dynamic between them in RE4make? Why set up Wesker to be at the heart of Ada's character arc this time around instead of Leon?

I just. I appreciate the cordial tone of your ask. I do. I recognize and appreciate the fact that you seemingly did not come here to pick a fight. And I don't want to fight with you guys, either.

But I need you guys to actually get in touch with the reality that is the games industry and understand that, despite women actually being in the majority in terms of the statistical numbers of video game players, video game publishers still largely listen to male voices in the fanbase -- because those are the people who generally tend to make it big as streamers, content creators, and journalists.

I need you guys to play video games other than Resident Evil and gain some perspective on how insignificant your ship actually is. EagleOne fandom is very self-aware about the fact that our ship, despite having a canonical romantic angle in RE4make, is never going to be pursued outside of the one title that it's featured, because it isn't important and it doesn't fucking matter. We are waiting for our Aeon brothers and sisters in Christ to join us in the self-awareness that is the fact that ships are not what sell Resident Evil games. Aeon isn't moving units -- and was, in fact, one of the contributing factors to RE6 being deemed a failure. People don't play RE for the romance. They play RE for spooky atmospheres in which they can make badass characters do sick wrestling moves on giant fucking monsters and blow shit up with rocket launchers, and if anything gets in the way of that (like Aeon kind of did in RE6), the wider fanbase wants it removed.

But what I really need you guys to do is just... let it go and let people have fun on their own time and in their own spaces. Aren't you tired? All you do is invade other people's Twitter accounts or TikToks or Reddit posts or Tumblr ask boxes (hi) and try to push some Aeon agenda that no one outside of Aeon fandom cares about. You look like out of touch boomers just clinging to the good old days. You do.

And this is coming from the queen out of touch boomers. I am basically the embodiment of the "how do you do, fellow kids?" meme, and even I'm like "you guys need to live in the now."

Like, be honest, man. Did you really think that coming into my ask box -- me, of all people in this damn fandom -- and simply stating "um actually Aeon is super important" was going to make me go "you know what, anon, you're right, and I'm stupid for not seeing it sooner"?

Come on.

I just want you guys to be better than this. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I don't wanna fight about this anymore or ever again. I'm here to analyze the story as it's written while taking into account wider game industry trends and practices and also provide shipping content as it pops up within the text that I'm analyzing, and that is it.

If you wanna talk about actual scripting and cinematography and the intended themes and messages of the Remakes and shit like that, I'm more than happy to have that back-and-forth with you. In fact, I would love that. I become a better analyst and critic by having those discussions with people who disagree with me.

But this? This ask?

I can't do a goddamn thing with this.

🌟💃 Ada Wong Appreciation Post 💃🌟

Hey there, fellow Resident Evil fans! Let's take a moment to talk about the one and only, the mysterious and kick-ass Ada Wong! 💄🔫

🕶️ First of all, can we talk about her impeccable style? Ada always manages to slay in those stunning red dresses while dodging zombies and solving puzzles. Fashion goals much? 👗👠

💡 And don't even get me started on her intelligence and resourcefulness! She can outwit anyone, and her adaptability in dire situations is beyond impressive. 🧠💪

💔 But oh, the complexity of her character! Ada's enigmatic past and her morally gray decisions make her one of the most intriguing characters in the RE universe. 🤔❓

🔥 Let's not forget her sizzling chemistry with Leon Kennedy! The Ada x Leon ship is legendary. 😍💞

So, here's to Ada Wong, the ultimate badass of Resident Evil! 🍸💥 Drop your favorite Ada moments and let's celebrate this iconic character! 🎉🎮

some design notes on my re4 xleon fic cuz i don’t feel like drawing them all out

leon: more similar to the remake but with the shirt from the og and he has a necklace with the ⚣ symbol and lobe + helix piercings

x: black fedora with white sash, long dark coat with gray poncho, dark purple/black platform boots, belt with pouches for ammo and medical supplies, black gloves with brass knuckles

ashley: more similar to the og. short hair (free her ears), sleeveless orange shirt with added orange jacket that’s more scene-ish (i don’t like the new one sorry), brown scarf, green pleated skirt, black tights and brown boots more like the remake, blonde hair with pink streaks, brown eyes cuz i can’t believe they gave her blue eyes, lots of tacky bracelets, nails painted hot pink 

ada: turtleneck dress + tights and thigh high boots from the remake but her hairstyle is the one from the og cuz i missed her slightly longer hair 

luis: remake design but with his hair from the og, i like it a bit more

salazar: remake design but the suit is blue and he has the iconic hat from the og 

everyone else has their remake designs 

Okay so nobody will care about this but me, but I'm gonna ramble about what I would do if I was in charge of coordinating another Resident Evil chapter for Dead by Daylight, if I could do whatever I wanted with it

New Map: Spencer Mansion Iconic, and not visually like anything else already in DBD. I love RPD as a map and location in general, but I was one of those people who really wanted Spencer Mansion to be the map when RE got added to DBD, so yeah. It'd obviously be a two-floor map, and I'm sure people would unfairly whine about it being confusing just like they did RPD, but to be fair, Spencer Mansion doesn't exist in HD for them to just straight up reuse like RPD was, so surely it'd be scaled a little more appropriately for a game like Dead by Daylight... maybe

New Killer: Alexia Ashford Power: uhhh idk honestly lmao, but something involving insects since that's one of the defining aspects of her and her boss fight. Maybe involve fire somehow too since she also used that. I'll be honest, I don't have a solid gameplay idea here, but Alexia would be my top Killer pick since another female killer is cool to add, her design is cool, and nobody else uses bugs in the Killer roster.

New Survivors: Billy Coen and Steve Burnside Yes, I know, nobody gives a shit about Steve but me lol. But a) this is my fantasy post and b) it'd be weird to have a Code: Veronica Killer but no accompanying Survivor from that game and Claire was already added as a legendary skin (which I'm kinda mad about still because it means I'll never have OG RE2 or Code: Veronica cosmetics for her, grrr). Honestly, I'd give him at least one meme-y type of perk for people to be goofy with because good lord does Steve do some dumb shit in CV (/affectionate), and some kind of perk related to the spoiler thing that happens to him later in the game (if you know, you know).

Billy is there also because he's one of my faves, he rounds out the other previous RE Survivors in DBD having their partner characters (Rebecca doesn't have anyone unless you count Chris, I... guess?), and he's pretty much the only other major "old-style" RE protagonist left not in the game already, and I like to focus on those games more than the later stuff. He could also have some perks related to things memorable from RE0, like the goofy item dropping mechanic; maybe a perk that relates to that or chests somehow. And a teamwork perk (like the Thalita/Renato ones) to tie into the way you played as Billy and Rebecca together.

New Survivor Legendary Skins: Ashley Graham and Luis Serra Navarro Ashley would be a legendary skin for Rebecca, and Luis for Leon. They would obviously be their superior RE4 remake versions. Honestly, I could easily make a case for a whole RE4-centric chapter too (and that would be way more marketable lol), but if not that, then I'd love to see these two as legendaries.

New Killer Legendary Skins: Alfred Ashford and Mr. X Alfred would be a legendary skin for Alexia, and Mr. X for Nemesis. The fact that Mr. X isn't in DBD as a skin yet is nuts to me. Yeah yeah, he doesn't use the tentacle like Nemesis, but nobody really cares so long as they are playing as Mr. X. Meanwhile, Alfred doesn't really fit power-wise for an Alexia skin either, but I just think he's neat :)

New Cosmetics: RE4 Remake sweater dress for Ada RE4 Remake pinstripe suit for Leon RE4 Remake "romantic" outfit for Ashley RE0 leather outfit for Rebecca RE0 suit (the yakuza-looking one) for Billy RE4 (original) look for Luis (for the weirdos who like his old design better lmao)

This would be a larger level change, but I'd also let players toggle Legendary skins to show up on the character select screen. Like, you could set Carlos to show up instead of Leon's portrait if you have him. And as an even bigger change, I'd change how Legendary skins work to let them have their own skins too, so then I could get a Code: Veronica outfit Claire and a Christmas sweater for Carlos :3

⠀⠀⠀٬ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⠀���𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‹ ❤︎ › 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲!﹕✿ ٫

I've seen a leak of what Wesker looks like in RE4 remake and I love the design, somehow managing to straddle both casual and professional to give this air of being effortlessly dangerous and I do believe the face model will grow on me unless of course they change and refine it for a future 5 remake. I however hate the voice, I know that Weskers voice has been all over the place in various different games and that his most recognisable and recent VA got into a lot of trouble over some stuff I still think his RE5 voice was so iconic and this new one just sounds generic.

I've also seen a few things with Ada that's left me very interested to see where they go with her because while I don't particularly like Ada in the original games it was mostly because they always wanted to have her be half in and half out. She's not a good guy but not a "bad guy" except through her actions she directly contributes to the events of 5 and 6 as well as hundreds of thousands if not millions dead. I don't mind that Capcom let her own it but because of how prominent Ada x Leon is in the fandom they could never commit to Ada being a 100% immoral villain without also admitting Leon would have to lose all feelings for her after her actions. Like 6 is a garbage game, the plot is easily one of the worst things I've ever witnessed, and most of that is down to how characters get so bent out of shape over Ada/Fake Ada. But we'll wait and see, I do think Capcom is wanting to make these Remake Games their own completely separate timeliness now and I'm interested to see what they do with it but I'm not gonna compliment Capcom too much because whenever I do they inevitably disappoint me.

Fave RE game, character that isn't Leon and BOW?

My fave RE game is definitely 4, but I am really happy with the remake of 2. I liked it a lot more than I expected and the replay value kicks ass.

Fun fact! Leon isn’t my favorite character from RE. I think my fave across the board is Ada—she’s a fascinating character, and her scenes in games and film are just *fun*. After her (and probably my fave to play) is Jill.

Among my fave underrated characters are Luis, Helena, and I’ve got a soft spot for Steve cause code veronica was my intro to the series a bajillion years ago.

For BOWs, Mr X is just iconic. He’s everything I don’t think is scary and somehow he’s scary. The regenerators in 4 are probably the creepiest, though, with the fight with “It” in the elevator electrical room in 4 following not far behind.

Rambling about RE2R and RE3R’s cut content part 1

Part 1: RE2R

So the original re2 is my favourite RE title. It introduced me to the series (I watched my dad play it) and it was the debut of my favourite RE character, Claire Redfield. So I was overjoyed when I learned it was getting remade. Now all I really wanted from this remake was a melding of the original scenarios to create the true canon storyline of re2 and some fun interactions between our characters and I thought that would be a given... So you can imagine my disappointment at what we got. I also love the original re3 and was looking forward to RE3R for similar reasons though I also wanted to see how they’d update Nemesis. Now I’m not saying either are bad games at all, I think both are worth experiencing and purchasing. I just want to air my grievances with both remakes and their cut content but I will also share what I did enjoy. 

Also want to say that I know these games are more like reimaginings or retellings but even from that perspective there’s still issues.

Spoilers ahead. 

Just a quick list of RE2R’s cut content:

No proper B scenarios that offer a cohesive narrative. A severe lack of notes/files/diaries for lore and worldbuiling. No zapping system. No bowgun. No explosive rounds for the grenade launcher. Robert Kendo’s death isn’t shown. Leon and Claire’s interactions are severely trimmed down. Marvins transformation cutscene isn’t shown. Two playable segments as Ada and Sherry (Sherry’s second playable segment maybe has the darkest scene in the game, as she collapses after falling down the trash disposal chute her mutated father lurches towards her, stands above her and we cut to black and shortly after this we learn from Annette that William is trying to find Sherry to implant his embryos in her). Multiple unique boss fights depending on scenario. Irons’s death is far more gruesome in both scenarios in og 2. Ben has far less screentime. No super lickers. No giant moth and it’s larvae. No spiders. No crows. Barely any music. No classic iconic lines (“You lose, big guy” etc). Plant 43 has lost it’s iconic yonic design in favour of looking like a rainforest or something. The ivy’s are now human plant hybrids instead of mutated plants. No super ivys. The alligator is now a RE6 style chase sequence instead of a boss fight. No factory. No marshalling yard. Birkin’s transformation by injecting himself with the g virus and the cause of the T virus outbreak are far more clear in the original. No street section for the opening of the B scenario and no cutscene or explanation for the helicopter crash. Leon no longer saves an infected Sherry from the sick room and brings her to the train. The train no longer self destructs and Sherry no longer saves the day by stopping the train.

That’s a lot of cuts right? Now of course not all of these cuts were bad decisions. While I like the crows for atmospheric purposes, i can understand their removal. Same with Kendo’s death and Marvin turning into a zombie, they wanted a different approach with these characters and I can accept that. Even the zapping system’s exclusion I can understand because although it was a cool little gameplay element that added to the cohesion of the overlapping story, it’s really not that neccessary. And the exclusion of iconic lines is understandable as I believe narrative should always take precedence over fanservice. 

I’m fine with content being cut as long as it’s in favour of the story or is replaced with something else. RE2R did neither of those things. RE3R gets a ton of shit for it’s cut content but RE2R not only did it first but also cut waaaaay more content than RE3R.

RE2R fucked up it's story bad. Og re2 has the strongest narrative of the ps1 trilogy imo with two separate scenarios per character that integrated into two strong narratives. The game throws you straight into the deep end as you navigate the city streets filled with zombies, you watch Kendo be eaten alive as the zombies break into his shop and finally you reach the RPD. And that’s only the A scenario, the B scenario has you witness the cause of the helicopter crash as you make it to the east side of the RPD. From the beginning the og re2 puts in the effort to tell the whole story of whatever scenario you choose. Like the remake there are certain story beats only one character will face, Claire is the only one to meet Irons and Sherry, Leon meets Ada and Ben( he does meet Sherry in the B scenario but we’ll get there). Also in the original due to Leon giving Claire a radio both characters are able to keep in contact and therefore keep each other up to date on their progress. 

So let’s talk a bout the marshalling yard and factory. The marshalling yard is one of my favourite locations in the original. Its atmospheric music, its industrial design and the iconic shot of the train on the turntable with the moon in the background. It’s so foreboding and it leads to an iconic fight with Birkin as you descend to the lab, while protecting either Ada or Sherry (and depending on which scenario you are playing his form will be different). The factory is a small but crucial area to the worldbuilding of og 2 (It’s a cover were Umbrella employees access the underground lab) whereas RE2R has... a sinkhole in the middle of the city. And it’s important in keeping a cohesive overlapping narrative as the reason our protagonists don’t encounter each other in the lab is because the B scenario character has access to the factory. It also contains two iconic scenes for the B scenarios for each character (it should be noted that in the og 2 Mr X is exclusive to the B scenarios). Claire saves Sherry from Mr X, taunts him and then tricks him into falling over the railing into a vat of what looks like molten iron, it’s so badass and it cemented Claire as my favourite character. In Leon’s scenario B Ada arrives to fend off Mr X and protect Leon, she succeeds and Mr X falls over the railing but in the process he nearly kills her, this leads to the kiss between Leon and Ada. No manipulation, just genuine affection for each other. In either B scenario the self destruct sequence is set off by MrX instead of it being exclusively Leons fault like in RE2R. And the factory is important as it gives access to the elevator for the B scenario character to escape to the train. The A and B scenario characters have different methods of escape that make more sense in the original and that comes down to the factory’s inclusion.

So now let’s talk about cut character interactions. In the original Marvin relays to the player the events of re1, I’m fine with this omission as it’s not super important to the overall narrative of re2. Claire and Leon can either reunite in the STARS office or the hallway behind the spade door (Leon also encounters Sherry here but she runs away). Regardless Claire finds out her brother isn’t in the city by reading his diary, Leon gives her a radio so they can stay in contact (which they do, throughout the entire game) and they split up, with Leon looking for an escape route and Claire looking for survivors. Claire’s encounter with chief Irons is very different. The mayor’s daughter’s dead body is sprawled over Irons’s desk as he talks about dealing with the undead and then brings up his hobby of... Taxidermy. It’s just very unsettling and what makes it worse is that earlier before you could access the room, you very clearly hear a woman scream. Once you head into the adjacent room Claire encounters Sherry and radios Leon to tell him. Sherry warns Claire of a monster that is chasing her and runs off again. When Claire returns to Irons’s office he is gone and so is the body of the mayor’s daughter. In Leon’s scenario he meets Ada in the parking lot and she tells him she is looking for her boyfriend John. Now for players who had played re1 this was a neat little reference that tied both games together. With Ada’s assistance Leon gains access to the Cells and meets Ben. Ben willingly locked himself in his cell for safety and won’t leave until Leon finds a way out unfortunately Ben is attacked and either implanted with a G embryo or fatally slashed by Birkin, however he was able to hand over his investigative notes on chief Irons’s corruption and involvement with Umbrella. Likewise when Claire encounters a now crazed irons in his torture chamber, he explains the G virus, Umbrella’s involvement and that Sherry is the daughter of the man responsible for the outbreak. Irons is then either killed from being cut in half by Birkin or from the G embryo. There’s just a lot more build up, subtlety and payoff in the original game that just feels rushed in RE2R and I don’t know why. 

Sherry and Claire’s relationship is portrayed pretty well in RE2R. Although their time spent together is severely cut short, like seriously they only know each other for a whole two minutes before Irons drags Sherry off to the orphanage. The original has Claire and Sherry interact way more, with Sherry travelling by your side through parts of the sewers and the entirety of the marshalling yard. Still a good portrayal overall though.

So we have to talk about Ada and Leon. In the original she is at first portrayed as aloof but eventually from her time spent with Leon, she shows her more vulnerable and genuinely caring side. She is a spy and secretly after the g virus but she also genuinely cares for Leon’s safety, almost dying in the B scenario as she protects him from Mr X. RE2R almost get’s this right. She is initially abrasive but warms up to Leon’s sincerity and kindness. The problem is she is far too manipulative. Their first kiss in og 2 only happens the B scenario and is 100% sincere, Ada might be dying from her wounds so it might be the only chance they get. The remake on the other hand comes across as really skeevy and manipulative. In og 2 when Ada confronts Leon on the bridge he doesn’t believe for a second that she’ll hurt him and he’s right, after she falls off the side of the bridge you can inspect her pistol and find out that it wasn’t even loaded! Also I find Leon to be just a bit too naive in RE2R, he acted like a police officer in the original but in the remake he feels more like a boyscout. I can see what they were going for with his arc for RE2R but is just misses the mark for me personally. Not to say he’s awful or anything, he’s still very likable just a bit of a let down in terms of how he’s used in the story. Namely that he really doesn’t get much to do. He saves Ada, sets off the self destruct sequence, kills Mr X with Ada’s help and gets forced to fight G3 by Annette. The most useful thing he does is willingly fight Birkin on the train in the 2nd run to protect Claire and Sherry. In the og 2 B scenario per Claire’s request via radio, Leon carries an infected Sherry to the train, activates the power and opens the gates, fights the super Tyrant and kills it with Ada’s help and then activates the train to finally escape the underground lab. Then he fights G5 Birkin, when they find out the train is going to self destruct he directs Sherry on how to stop the train and our trio are able to escape. The game then ends on Leon’s iconic line “ It’s up to us to take out umbrella.”

And that ending... Oh boy did it not land for me. It’s almost comical how chipper it is considering what’s to come for these characters. Our trio promises to stick together except canonically Claire heads off on her own like five minutes later because Leon knows if she gets taken in by the government it will hinder her quest to find her brother, so he tells her to leave while he looks after Sherry. So Claire leaves and we get the events for Code Veronica. And as for Leon and Sherry, we know from Darkside Chronicles that Leon was blackmailed into working for the government through threats of experimentation on Sherry. He agrees to work for them to protect her but guess what they still turn her into a test subject anyway! And re6 confirms that the experiments where more than Sherry could bare, as she herself tells Jake. Also the fact that Leon and Claire’s friendship never got any developement in RE2R really works against this ending imo. 

 So what did RE2R get right? Well it has enjoyable puzzles and the solution changes depending on what run you’re playing! While I do miss the soundtrack and think it could have been remixed to fit the tone of the game, the ambient sounds used are spooky and effective. The gore effects are phenomenal. Marvin's expanded role is great, he’s an actual character this time around and it’s sad that we can’t save him. Sherry is adorable and her voice actress does a great job, she’s just incredibly sweet and likable. While Claire can come across a little Moira-ish sometimes, she’s great for the most part. She still get’s to be incredibly caring towards Sherry while also being a total badass who willingly faces down G3. The G3 fight is great and the remixed boss theme is beautiful. William Birkin's transformations are great (though I do wish dog birkin was more like the original), just the detail of his mutated bones and tissue is amazing and grotesque. Speaking of Birkin, the scene where he uses the last of his willpower to kill Mr X and protect Sherry before being overtaken by the g virus completely is so fantastic and perfectly directed. Backtacking/exploration is enjoyable (except the fucking sewers). It has variety of unlockable costumes which is my favourite kind of unlockable. S+ is a fun challenge. The fourth survivor and Tofu modes are really challenging yet fun and have great music, like seriously Hunk’s theme “Looming dread” is fantastic and probably my favourite song in the game. It’s always a joy to see Hunk and he is portrayed perfectly. It’s still an enjoyable game and a good starting point for newcomers, I’d just recommend they play or at least watch a playthroough or the cutscenes of the original to get the full story. Also if you want a fun reimagined, abridged retelling of og re2 then you should look up Darkside Chronicles. The premise is what would happen if Leon and Claire never got separated.

This got waaay longer than I expected so in part 2 I’ll discuss my problems with RE3R and its cut content as well as what I liked.

Describe your blog

thanks for the tag @starsandskies

1. Icon: My inquisitor Lydia I commissioned by @commander-sarahs-art :D Used to be a picrew of me. I had it for a while but thought a change was in order.

2. Content:  Oh boy. Well, I started off as Dragon Age Blog with small tricklings of other games like The Witcher, Fallout, Skyrim, etc. Then when I played Detroit:Become Human, Connor’s character was just so great to me I started becoming more and more multi-fandom. Same thing with RDR2. Then last year there was a period where I became a GOT/Jaime x Brienne were wronged blog. (Which anons told me to tag, SORRY LOL I TAGGED MOST I MISSED LIKE 2)

Anyway, nowadays it’s just my hyperfixation/writing/personal blog. I don’t feel like I need to stay in one fandom, especially with writing like I used to. If something inspires me, I’m going to write about it. So you might see a Leon/Ada fic soon because I’m playing RE2 and I love them, haha. <3 I think I have a lot of DA still because I follow a lot of DA people still (love you guys) I also do share a lot about myself, probably because writing has always been my personal expression, and it’s good to get at least one like in vent posts, because that small amount of validation is enough.

3. Letter color: White background with purple accents so it’s easier to see. 

4. URL: a-shakespearean-in-paris, because when I made my A03, I wanted to chose something that encapsulated my two loves. So I picked Shakespeare and Paris and became AParisianShakespearean. I changed my old hollywood blog title (which honestly I can’t remember, and yes, I had a tumblr blog before this that was old hollywood inspired) to the A03 title, then just wanted to start fresh and deleted it before coming back with this username so people could make the connection between a03 and tumblr. 

5. Header: commissioned Connor and sophie art from @savbakk. We Love them <3 

6. Blog title: “Muse of Fire” from Shakespeare’s henry V--comes from the opening monologue--”

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

so basically in the play, the chorus is asking the “muse of fire” to help them conjure the big landscapes on stage. Because obviously in Shakespeare’s day they were a teensy bit limited with what props and stuff they had. Since I’m a writer and often talk about the muse (and am interested in the muse figure more broadly speaking) I thought it was apropos. In fact I kind of want to change to this name but I like my Shakespearean brand, so...

tagging @galadrieljones @lechatrouge673 @idrelle-miocovani @thevikingwoman @muse-of-nightmares and anyone else!

I played some more of the RE2 remake

Why yes I have. Played some more Leon and Claire. Little spoilers possibly despite it’s a remake of a older game. But that’s just me.

Especially it’s late, and I didn’t make a post about this after the game. I had a apple and made two bags of popcorn for after this I’ll watch some YT.

To be honest this is probably one of my favorite Resident Evil games. It seriously is because again it’s the kind of game I like. Despite the puzzles seem difficult to me until I check YT on my PS4 and realize how dumb I was. 

So the last places I left on each story.

On Leon’s I’m finally Ada, and on Claire’s well I’m under this orphanage now.

Now just some highlights I wanna mention.

That alligator chase was pretty cool. I didn’t take any damage from it. Yet I was too close when that alligator corpse came towards me and I went back a bit. But Leon still said his line. 

Honestly that part playing as Sherry in the orphanage felt tense. Something that I felt was unique to a game like this. Trying to make sure I don’t do any fuck ups which I’m glad I didn’t do anything. Just staying away from Irons. Again that was a tense part because I’m playing as a child in this kind of realistic situation with this character who’s clearly a fucking bastard.

Lickers are dodgy motherfuckers. Especially when aiming that grenade launcher at them. I think it was twice I missed two at first. They are fucking quick.

After I finally get that garage key card. As I wait for the door to open, Mr. X literally surprises me as he punches my back. This was as Claire. Seriously that surprised me. Including Mr. X can be a asshole, he’s a scary force in his own right. Someone I’d rather not fuck with. But I can dodge him the best I can unless I’m surround. Mainly in Leon’s story in the jail luckily I was able to live through that. 

It’s a great thing I haven’t died in any of these stories. 

I feel like I can’t go back for the sub machine for Claire in the RPD Station. Which sucks but hopefully I can get some weapons under that orphanage or whatever.

Also I would love it if Mr. X actually wanted to put back on his hat. But it doesn’t happen. Honestly I’m surprised and question why Umbrella even bothered to have a hat on him anyway. Maybe to give him more character or whatever. Which sounds stupid. 

I will share this, the first time I met him as Leon, I shot off his hat at first to get the, “Hat’s Off” trophy. Basically Mr. X was pissed about that.

Then we have moments because I don’t have the sub machine gun, I’m killing Cerberus dogs with my two pistols I have as Claire. Basically getting the fuck out of my way even shooting them through the fence. Because I’m on my way to save Sherry. Even telling the 2nd zombie on the bus to get the fuck out of my way after shooting it twice. 

Just being honest, that Robert Kendo scene in Leon’s story....I literally said that’s tragic...because I was not expecting a scene like that. It’s honestly cool and had to look up YT to spell that characters name. But I appreciate the fact while I haven’t played these yet, the idea of the, “Ghost Survivors” modes add more to the shit going on in Raccoon City. Especially that scene with the Kendo the gun shop owner was quite a major difference compared to that 1998 original.

Again I enjoyed playing the game again. That’s what I did after I shared that video of Leon’s enemy engagement dialogue. I was thinking of playing Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. But I decided on Resident Evil 2. Seriously a very good game and even if a lot of people have already said it. I’d love to see Resident Evil 3 remade.

But also I just feel like the original trilogy are the only games that should be remade. Okay we have Code Veronica but I don’t have more experience with that game and I’m just rambling now.

Edit I’m watching Gamer’s Little Playground of, “Forgotten Soldier” and read in the comments that the, “Ghost Survivors” are just what if’s. So alright then that’s interesting. Another edit since I’m done with watching that video and skipped through it a bit and looking up videos of Leon and Claire in their classic costumes in this game. I forgot to mention I bought the original soundtrack for the game. I probably might switch the music to the original because that music is iconic and amazing. Since you have the choice to do that in the remake.

Okay my actual final edit because this was a highlight for me. After meeting Irons for the first time as Claire. I find this booklet or whatever in the area he arrived in. When reading it as it describes him I just started laughing because of how bullshit it was of it describing him as this wonderful guy.

Resident Evil 2 (PS4/Xbox One/PC) - Review

Developed by Capcom, released January 25th, 2019

The Resident Evil series was first to put the “survival horror” genre on the map. The very first game released in 1996, surviving the zombie filled Spencer Mansion, immediately became a revolutionary and iconic experience in the video game industry. Resident Evil 2 in 1998 was a well received sequel that further popularized the series and the genre. With the series changing and evolving over the generations, it took a more action-oriented tone. Resident Evil 6 was the peak of the over the top action phase the franchise transformed into, and the worst reviewed in the main series to date. Fans became extremely vocal and specific about how Resident Evil, their beloved video game series, had become unidentifiable, and needed to change. Capcom heard player feedback, and course corrected strongly with the extremely subdued, suspenseful, disturbing, immersive Resident Evil 7, which fans any myself adored.

Resident Evil 2 2019 continues Capcom’s streak of making games that returns the series to its roots. Remakes and re-released have been big business for this current generation of gaming, but I was skeptical about how faithful the Resident Evil 2 remake would be. Unless you’ve been boarded up in R.P.D. for the past few weeks, you may have heard how outstanding Resident Evil 2 turned out. From the graphics to the faithfully recreated maps, puzzles, retained difficulty, and modernization of the gameplay, Resident Evil 2 yet again is a smash hit. Not only is this already a contender for the best game of 2019, this may be my very favorite incarnation of a Resident Evil game of all time. While its level of commitment to the original does inherit some of the 1998′s imperfections, Resident Evil 2 stands as an industry standard on how to remake or re-imagine an old classic.

We chose to play as either Clair Redfield or Leon S. Kennedy, both with similar campaigns which overlap briefly on occasion. Whether you pick one protagonist over the other, the game is largely the same. Something I was worried about was the 3rd person camera angle, and the ability to shoot and move at the same time. Hearing about these features conjured bad memories of the action-heavy Resident Evil 6, notorious for being too fast paced and completely lacking in horror and suspense. Resident Evil 2 may have similar gameplay, but major tweaks keep this game from making the player feel too empowered. Any movement whatsoever while aiming greatly drops your firearm’s accuracy, so holding still while shooting is basically the only way to do it. The camera follows the protagonist closely, and nearly every room and corridor of R.P.D. is shrouded in darkness, barely illuminated by emergency lights and the beam of your flashlight. Somehow Resident Evil 2 has the best gameplay of the series, while still retaining nearly every shred of suspense from the original games. It’s the best of both worlds and I’m honestly shocked how well Capcom pulled it off.

The game begins with extremely limited inventory space, but can be grown over time by finding hip pouches. This is crucial as you’ll want to carry as many items with you as possible each time you navigate the halls and corners of the dark police station. There’s nothing more frustrating (in a good way) than finding an item and not being able to bring it with you because your inventory is already full. This retains gameplay from the old games that makes the series just as much of a strategy game as it is an action game. Resident Evil 2 retains the universal item boxes as well, usually found in save rooms safe from monsters. One of my favorite parts about this remake are key features that make the game less of a chore to play without sacrificing the atmosphere or suspense. For example, your map has always been your best friend in a survival horror game, and in Resident Evil 2, the game will indicate which rooms have had all of its items collected or not, and will label items on the map if you came across it, but didn’t pick it up yet. This is incredibly helpful for finding all the items in the game but also gives substantial peace of mind as you look at your map always wondering if you’ve truly found everything that can be found in any given room or hallway. It completely eliminates the “backtracking out of desperation.”

Saving is much more convenient as well, as in any difficulty short of the hardest, saving can be done as many times as you’d like. I do miss the Ink Ribbons from the past, as it added yet another layer of strategy to the original games, but I will take this level of convenience over having to suffer through the hardest mode in the game (when its already difficult enough). Ammunition is still very limited, and even simple zombies can take anywhere from 3-6 head shots before they are truly defeated. Zombies lumber around and moan more organically than ever before, and even with the added mobility of the characters, the small rooms still mean you’ll be grappled and bitten by a zombie more often than you’d think or care to admit. It makes all those “how did they not see it coming?” moments in zombie movies or TV shows much more understandable when you have to experience it for yourself. Most of the times zombies will even get back up after being defeated, requiring another 3-6 head shots to permanently kill them.

A great new twist are how we use knives and grenades. If you are carrying one of these items, you can trade using that item when being hurt instead of taking the damage. It’s like a safety net to keep you from damage if you foolishly get to close to a zombie, licker, or zombie dog, and I love the new way these items are used. The biggest and baddest enemy of them all is Mr. X, an Umbrella B.O.W. as persistent as a S.O.B. This does lead to a slightly negative aspect of the game I have, as he can follow you into almost every room except save rooms, meaning you have to run around losing him if he’s in an area you need to focus on (i.e. solve a puzzle or collect items). The sound design is fantastic as you can hear him through the R.P.D. stomping on the wooden and tile floors. Capcom wisely changed the sound of his footsteps if Mr. X enters the same room you are in, queuing you into getting the F out of there. He can make the second half of exploring R.P.D. a bit more tedious than it needs to be, which is why I find him almost as annoying as I do terrifying.

Claire and Leon’s campaigns do slightly differ, but not as much as some people may make you think. While you do explore the same levels, fight the same bosses, and solve most of the same puzzles, items are in slightly different places, and certain areas of the game are only seen by one character or the other. Each campaign also has a guest hero, who we get to play as in exclusive sections unique to each campaign. For example, Claire has a small scenario playing as a little girl escaping a creepy orphanage, and Leon has Ada Wong also running from Mr. X in the sewers. But, I do recommend beating both campaigns as this is how you get to see the true ending of the game. Plus, the game is so damn fun and well made, its easily worth two plays anyway.

Nearly every aspect of Resident Evil 2 is executed perfectly. From the graphics to the lighting, to the difficulty, to the strategy aspects, nearly every part of the game is a major win. Capcom did the world right with a reimagining that not only is great as a stand alone game, but is also a faithful and compelling recreation of the 1998 classic. Game studios across the world should take note on how to do survival horror well, including how to properly pay homage to a series fan favorite. Resident Evil 2 does become annoying with one or two puzzle areas, and Mr. X isn’t always a warm welcome, but with how intelligently the vast majority of the game was pulled off, it’s easy for the imperfections to sink below how awesome the rest of the game is. I can’t wait to see what Capcom does next for their Resident Evil series, whether it be a remake of Resident Evil 3, or make an entirely new entry with a Resident Evil 8. Both are exciting prospects, and I have confidence they will do it right.

9/10