#We would make a good team (Ashley and Leon) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thestayathomedragon · 1 year ago

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"You handle yourself pretty well… You sure you’re just a researcher?"

ache it ‘til you make it

The mines turned out to be as much of a shitshow as Leon suspected they would be.

Though, as it turned out, he and Luis made a hell of a team.

Admittedly, there had been glimmers of it when they first met. It hadn’t taken much for Luis to catch on enough to help Leon subdue that guy with the axe using the chain between them. They had been a little shaky at the cabin at first, but they eventually got the hang of each other’s fighting styles and were just about in sync with each other toward the end there.

Leon would shoot one down and Luis would finish them off with a boot to the jaw and vice versa.

Once they found their rhythm, they were able to survive the horde long enough for a last minute save from Ashley.

Shit. Ashley.

They were running out of time.

Leon had gotten his doze of suppressant, which Luis had kindly reminded him was but a temporary reprieve. Nonetheless, it was something and Ashley didn’t even have that. They had to find something to take out that that blockade if they had any hope of getting anywhere any time soon.

And okay, he might have been a little distracted. That was the only way he could have ended up in this current predicament. One moment he was blasting a stick of dynamite out of midair and then next his arms were being pulled behind him, his gun clattering and skidding across the ground.

Leon growled in frustration.

“Son of a bitch!”

He had gotten grabbed by one of those sneaky bastards. They could be quiet when they wanted to and now the fucker was trying to hold him in place while that fucking guy with the bag over his head and the chainsaw gleefully approached.

Leon tried to get his footing in order to get enough leverage to flip this guy off him and maybe even use him as a meat shield, but Chainsaw Guy tm was approaching faster than he would like.

Leon had started to sweat when out of left field Luis came barreling into the guy, shoulder checking him.

It was an insane play. The guy could have turned just in time to skewer the Spaniard but somehow it worked out. The guy fell directly onto his still running chainsaw and that was a sight Leon wasn’t going to be forgetting anytime soon.

Apparently, it was gruesome enough that the asshole at his back was distracted long enough for Leon to break free and stab the guy in the throat in one fluid motion.

Once he was able to even try to start to catch his breath, he realized the gruesome noises were still happening and turned to see Luis just stood there staring at the still somehow writhing body, blood and viscera splattered all over the poor guy’s front. That jacket looked dry clean only for sure and Leon doubted there was a town near enough to save it.

“Luis! Hey! Snap out of it!”

The other man blinked owlishly before he finally lifted his gun and shot the twitching son of a bitch in the head and finally putting an end to the disturbing scene in front of them.

Leon heard the other man take a shuttering breath.

“Hey… you good?”

Of course, he wasn’t, but Leon needed to make sure he was at least good enough to keep moving. They couldn’t stand still here. Another wave of infested villagers was surely on their way toward the commotion.

“C’mon, Luis.” Leon said as he went to grab the man’s arm. “We gotta move, man.”

Luis jumped at his touch, turning toward him with wide eyes, his gun still clutched in his other hand. Leon noted his finger was not far from the trigger.

“Hey, alright.” Leon stepped back hand up so Luis could see it. “You with me, Serra?”

Luis blinked at him a few times before nodding mutely. And that probably wasn’t a good sign. He had picked up pretty quickly that Luis talked a blue streak when he was nervous which seemed to be all the time, not that Leon could blame him.

“Good. Then come help me find something to get us through that wall.” “Si, ok jefe.”

------

Turned out that Leon had not been wrong about that other wave.

They had been lucky enough to find enough dynamite to blow that blockade, it was just getting back to it that had become a problem.

Leon had just taken out another one of those chainsaw bitches. Luis had taken out her sister a few minutes prior.

Actually, where was he?

Leon turned to look for the other man, and instead was meet with a face full of rabid miner with a pickaxe. He parried the swing perfectly with his knife but when he stepped back his foot hit the leg of the chainsaw bitch he had just taken out and he went flailing. Ending up on his ass.

“Sh-shit!” He flung his arm up hopefully in enough time to block the next swing only it never came.

With a loud crack the bastard when flying. And Luis was on him, landing blow after blow with an iron pipe.

Leon watched on in surprise, awe and possibly a touch of arousal as his unforeseen companion cursed in a rapid fire stream of Spanish as he beat a Ganado to death with a lead pipe. All to protect him.

“Shit.” He croaked.

“Hah hah… y-yeah. Shit.” Luis gasped for breath. The man was leaning forward, bloody hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “Joder…” Luis hissed before he stood back up straight a hand favoring his back. “Is it always like this with you?”

Leon sighed in relief. There was apparently another lull in the action for now which he used to get back to his feet.

“Uh, you got a little.” Leon mumbled and wiped some blood off of Luis’s face. It only smeared worse.

“Are you okay?” Luis asked him once he had calmed down a bit.

“Are you okay?” Leon asked with a breathless chuckle of disbelief, still attempting to process what he just witnessed. Luis was basically a beanpole, but he was tall and apparently a lot stronger than Leon had given him credit for.

Luis grinned then started laughing, it quickly going a bit manic. “No.” He paused long enough to say, his smile becoming more of a grimace, and he started trembling.

Oh shit. He’s probably going into shock.

“Hey, hey… c’mere.”

Leon was able to drag him off somewhere safe, somewhere both of them could have a breather. “Sit. Breathe.”

The Merchant thankfully did not say a word when he saw them. Luis had that thousand-yard stare and it kinda broke Leon’s heart. He knew that Luis was from this village. During some of Luis’s nervous babbling he had revealed that he had apparently grown up here. Raised by his grandfather in that cabin by the lake where Leon had found him.

Leon remembered absently commenting on how it probably hadn’t been a good idea for him to hide in the first place where anyone would look for him, but Luis had told him that big bastard Mendez had been the one to drag him there for some reason.

Leon hadn’t let himself think too much about that. Or why the cabin was half burned to the ground. Or what it might mean for Luis having to kill these poor people. People he might have grown up with.

“Luis. You alright?”

Luis nodded. He didn’t look alright at all. He was pale and sweaty. Clumps of dark hair sweat stuck to his forehead. His pupils dilated. His breathing was still a bit thready.

Sometimes Leon had to remind himself that Luis was a civilian, a scientist. Of course, there was a reason that Luis seemed to be the only survivor around here but as capable as he had proven himself to be, he was still no soldier.

Leon pulled out his canteen and offered it to him. “Here. Drink.”

Luis was slow to take it, but when did he drinks some of the water.

“You saved my ass back there. Thanks.” Leon said awkwardly.

“Yeah… no problem.” Luis muttered.

Leon sighed and sat down next to him. “You… uh… wanna talk about it?”

Luis dropped his head and shook it.

“Okay.” Leon said quietly. Then he heard it. The first quiet sob. The first of many.

Fuck.

The Merchant even seemed uncomfortable with the display but wisely said nothing. Instead, he offered a fairly clean handkerchief.

“Hey, I’m sorry you had to do that.”

Luis sniffled loudly and shook his head. “Not your fault, amigo.”

“Have you… uh… had to kill anyone before?”

What a fucking question, Kennedy.

Luis turned and gave him a confused look. His eyes were puffy and red rimmed and there were now noticeable tear tracks through the dirt and grim staining his face.

Leon backpaddled, “I mean… before now. Before here?”

Not much better, man.

Luis took a shuddering breath and shook his head again. “N-no.” The scientist snorted. “Hell of an introduction to the hero life, eh?”

Leon pulled a face at that. There wasn’t anything heroic about having to kill an entire village worth of people unfortunate enough to get caught up in a mess like this. Even less so when one of them was the abuela down the road that always brought cakes and pies to the local church services or the old man that always yelled at you and your friends for running through his crops while you played and…

Uh…

“That guy…” Luis began, sad, gray eyes looking into Leon’s. “The one that…”

“You knew him?”

“Y-yeah.”

Fuck. “He… was one of the fisherman that…” Luis hissed and looked away. “He would borrow my grandfather’s boat sometimes. Would pay us in fish. Bass, bass and more bass.” Luis chuckled wetly. There was a heavy pause that lingered there between them. “I… I uh… tried not to look at them. Not more than I had to. I didn’t want to see… what they had become. Dios descanse sus almas.” He said before making the sign of the cross across his chest.

As shit as Leon’s luck had been, even during his time in Raccoon City and beyond, he had never had to look into the bloodshot eyes of someone he knew and possibly cared about and still had put them down like a sick dog. “Soy un idiota!” Luis said, voice thick with sorrow. “Yo... no sé lo que esperaba. I uh… know better than anyone that… that isn’t them anymore, but…”

“Still.” Leon finished for him. He planted a hand on Luis’s back with the idea of rubbing little soothing circles like he had seen done once or twice in a movie but chickened out at the last minute. So now his hand was just sitting there. Doing nothing. It probably felt more like a threat than a comfort at this point. Leon slowly, awkwardly pulled his hand away and let it flop uselessly back into his lap.

Next to him, Luis shivered as he took in another deep breath, his weeping apparently hadn’t completely subsided.

“I… uh… I can’t say that I know what you’re feeling right now. But I want you to know that… I… uh… appreciate what you’re doing. Helping us and all.”

Nice one, Kennedy.

Why was this so difficult? Had it been that long since he’d interacted with another human beside Hunnigan? Was Agent Kennedy really all there was to him now?

Even then it had been a while since he had a partner. He had been doing solo missions for almost a year now.

It was easier when he didn’t have another person to worry about though he had to admit it was since to have someone at least somewhat competent watching his six.

He still couldn’t help but wonder where the hell Luis, an ex-Umbrella researcher, had learned to shoot like that. Not to mention the whole tackle them to the ground and then beat them to death with a lead pipe move he pulled earlier. What the hell kind of training did Umbrella put its employees through?

This probably wasn’t a good time to ask though.

It took a little while before Luis’s sniffling subsided. “Joder. Lo lamento. Soy... soy un desastre. Some knight I am, eh?”

“Don’t be. We’re partners. You’d have done the same for me.” Leon muttered, patting him on the back.

Luis offered him a crooked but watery smile and nodded.

They sat there a bit longer until Leon heard another one of those manic sounding giggles. He turned to find the other man looking at him with another crooked grin though this one was decidedly less teary.

“What’s so funny?”

“T.S.o.B.”

Leon gave the other man a confused look. “Huh?”

“Twisty Son of Bitch.” Luis giggled again. His natural accent made it funnier for some reason. “I heard… uh… I heard you call them that once or twice.”

Leon chuckled and shook his head. “Ha… I didn’t think you caught that.”

“Oh, you would be surprised about what I’ve caught, amigo.” Luis said with a wink and hummed knowingly.

And what the hell could he have meant by that? The faint fluttering in his belly was enough of a hint that Leon already knew.

“Yeeeeah, alright, pal. I’m glad to see you’ve got your sense of humor back, but we should get moving.”

“Yeah… we should.” Luis took another deep breath before he pushed up onto his feet, offering a hand to Leon which he took. “C’mon then, Sancho. Our princess awaits!”

The Merchant gave them a mock salute on the way out. He didn’t even charge for the handkerchief.

#my fan fic #fic: .scar.crossed.lovers.#ch: ache it 'til you make it #luis serra #luis serra navarro #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil 4 #re4 remake #re4r #serennedy

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sapphire-weapon · 1 year ago

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Okay so hc time, I think Capcom went so hard with Ashley's redesign not only because they knew people complained about her but because they were planning on bringing her back...?

Like I just hope Capcom is giving us hints that the Remake timelines will be a bit different and it might even include characters that had disappeared from the narrative like Ashley. To me this would seem logical since now she is a fan fave and a lot of people already loved the models/cosplayers who represent her in the game.

Also the fact they keep making you acknowledge that Ashley and Leon are a team, and a good one at that, maybe hints that we might see her again? Or at least give us info on what she's doing atm... idk man, I really think Capcom knew what they were doing with Ash like how they did with Lady D in REVIII, they knew the fans would love these characters and want more from them. Maybe even dlc? I would love for DLC before Leon arrives like the scenes with Ashley from the trailer that wasn't in the game. Or at least maybe we get something in Separate Ways from Ada's POV or from Luis' since he knew Ashley was captured before Leon arrived.

So, I... go back and forth on this.

Right now, I'm kind of at a place where, like. I don't think that Capcom looked back on Ashley Graham and was like "We need to bring her back" when there are other characters (like Billy Coen) who were much more beloved and would fit much more neatly into the narrative that they could've focused on bringing back instead.

I think they looked at the task before them of remaking Resident Evil 4 and asked themselves, "What are the fans going to expect from us after we make this game? How do we follow this up?" Remaking RE4 is such a bold fucking endeavor, and they knew that this was going to have a massive effect on RE's branding and fanbase.

I actually feel that the RE4 remake was a much riskier, gutsier, more influential move than remaking Final Fantasy VII was. Both games were arguably the same level of influential on their respective releases, but FF7 has been fucked with over and over and over again by Square Enix, and they knew even as far back as the PS2 era that they were going to have to inevitably remake that game (the story Tim Rogers tells about it is fascinating, actually).

But RE4? Has always been treated as this sacred, precious, sacrosanct thing by Capcom. They have not fucked with RE4, they have not dared to even suggest fucking with RE4. Hell, they treated RE4 as so sacred that they wrote themselves into a corner with Leon and Ada just because of how RE4 handled the relationship -- which then bit them in the ass with the fan reaction to RE6. But it was all because of their steadfast position that RE4 is not to be fucked with.

So, to actually do it was a really, really big fucking deal. They knew that the fanbase was probably somehow even more protective of that game than they were.

So, step one: make sure that a remake of RE4 is hailed as "one of the greatest games ever released" all over again.

But step two was: anticipate what the fanbase would want next as a direct result of RE4make's existence and follow through with it.

And that's where I think the focus on Ashley actually comes from.

To make this game one of the greatest games ever released all over again, they had to turn Ashley into a character that would be beloved. We now live in an era of games that were influenced by RE4 and took the formula and built off of it. Ashley had to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with characters like Ellie from TLOU, or else the game would fail.

And, if they were to make Ashley into a character that beloved, they knew that fans would want more of her.

So, yes, from a business standpoint and a practical standpoint, it stands to reason that Ashley's final appearance will not be RE4make. Capcom will bring her back.

The question is how and when.

The story of RE has now moved forward nearly twenty years into the future without her. In order to keep using her character, they either have to execute the greatest rug-pull in video game history and slap her back into the story twenty years into the future somehow and make it work, or they have to completely remake the series from the ground up.

And then I look at Infinite Darkness, and my brain goes, "either ID straight-up retcons Degeneration, or it's secretly Remake-verse and Capcom just hasn't said it yet." Because Degeneration and Infinite Darkness cannot coexist in the same timeline. They just can't. Degeneration takes place after RE4, and the president in that movie is not President Graham -- and even if he was, that motherfucker resigns at the end of it.

Infinite Darkness can't take place in 2006 if Degeneration is still canon. Or, Degeneration can't take place in 2005 if Infinite Darkness is canon. It doesn't work. It's impossible.

And you know who's mentioned and cameo'd in Infinite Darkness? Ashley motherfuckin Graham.

So, I mean. The table is already set for her return. It's just.

I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen or how Capcom is going to handle it, but I'm fairly certain Ashley will be back again. All we can do is wait to see what Death Island does, then wait to see what Separate Ways does, and then wait to see what happens with the RE9 reveal.

That's all we can do, man.

#resident evil 4 #ashley graham #i also don't think that RE4make is going to get DLC other than separate ways #like i think SW is going to be it #and then anything else will just be in a new game

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elena-fishr · 2 years ago

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Hi! Have you finished RE4R yet? And if you have, what did you think?

Hey anon I just want to thank you for always talking RE with me :,) <3 it does make my day better when I see an ask

in short, I did enjoy it and am still enjoying it! More in-depth and spoiler ramblings below the cut

I did finish it over the weekend and I really like it! They cut that bastard U-3 out and not a single tear was shed over it lmao

the game is gorgeous, the puzzles were actually fun imo, they’re simple but I enjoyed doing them lol, level design ✨ flawless ✨

I have small issues with it tho, like Leon’s movement in gameplay and how they scuffed my man Ramon Salazar. In the OG he was such a presence in all his wacky glory and in the remake I hardly remembered him after I was done, he’s one of my favorites from the OG 4 so it did bum me out that I don’t even have a memorable line that sticks out from him in the remake

Overall, it’s really fun and that’s all that matters! Now I’m enjoying getting money so I can buy and upgrade every weapon :D (which reminds me of RE5 btw)

The typewriter storage in re4r serves as a base inventory like in 5 so you can keep and improve ALL weapons available, it’s such a nice upgrade from OG 4 I just wish it was even more like 5 so we could store ammo and herbs and resources

And I have to talk about how much RE5 I see in RE4r because there’s so much! The fact that they extended AI companions, especially Luis where he can set you up for melees and vice versa with him, it screams re5 and I loved when he and Leon bantered mid combat and he would tell you when he had a guy ready to melee down

Ashley isn’t so much involved in combat but in cutscenes she’s so adamant about being a team with Leon, that’s such a re5 move honestly capcom lol sheva says the same thing to Chris to bring them together when Chris is trying to tell her about his personal stake in the mission

Of course the exploration in the boat and CHICKEN ISLAND!! Like that’s a level ripped right out of re5 lol It’s way more optional in re4r but it’s still there and you can find a weapon on an abandoned boat (red 9 pistol) in re5 you can find an rpg on an abandoned boat

The final cutscene with Ada and Wesker gave me such weird feelings!!! Like I was excited to see wesker but the voice bro…. I don’t enjoy his voice (I didn’t like Ada’s either. I think Leon and Luis had the best voice acting) I saw a picture showing Wesker’s computer screen which had the progenitor flower garden in the cave and excella and CHRIS REDFIELD (in his winter gear from revelations) so there was nothing new but it was still so cool to see and whether the next remake is code Veronica or Re5 I think it’s very likely it’s one of those two and either way I win 😈

I also want to say how much I LOVED the Krauser subplot, my only complaint about it is I wish there was more! His fights and the arc between him and Leon were so so so good it kills me

I got the feeling that krauser was more than just an asshole, he’s an asshole who cared, he couldn’t let go of his past, his fallen men. He wanted power and revenge and he cared so much about every man he ever trained, especially Leon. His end was so fitting and I know he was proud of Leon and that gave him peace before his end

Krauser is a bad guy, but he’s a bad guy I like 😆

If you played the game did you enjoy it? Did you like the newer interpretations of all the characters? Are you looking forward to mercenaries? :)

#Inbox #re

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darling-i-read-it · 3 years ago

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The Jet-Ski

Fate Part 5

Series Masterlist

Leon Kennedy x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: violence, re4 spoilers, guns, blood, choking,

Author’s Note: I just think...Leon in resident evil four my beloved. This is the last part for re4 and next is degeneration and then infinite darkness which the gifs for….Next level

Summary: While Ashley continues to get kidnapped, you and Leon must find a way to get the parasite out of him and Ashley and also get off the island completely.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

I use some dialogue directly from the game so it may sound familiar

(not my gif)

You were ready to get off this damn island. You had been since you arrived. It was dark and muggy, though the fog had mostly subsided when you went inside the large buildings. There were cultists coming at you from left and right. If Leon wasn’t there you don’t think you would have been able to hold them off.

But you and Leon had always made a really good team.

That was being made even more clear the more time you spent together on this island.

Leon stood behind you, his hands in your hair. He was trying to put your hair up with something that wasn’t really a ponytail. He said he had found it in the building.

“I can do that myself,” you told him. You were holding his gun and yours, comparing the looks of them. Yours was slightly smaller. When you and Leon had met, you hadn’t even been able to shoot a gun. He had taught you how. You smiled gently to yourself, remembering it fondly. Now here you both were, years later, while Leon was struggling to put your hair into a ponytail.

“No,” he said, slightly aggressively.

“Ashley needs us.”

“She’s made it this long.” He paused and you laughed gently.

“Leon-”

“There.” He stepped back. You put your hand on your hair and it was definitely not going to hold but you didn’t want to tell him that.

“Thank you. Why did you do that?”

“It got in your way. I don’t want your hair to be your downfall.” You smiled a bit and handed him his gun back.

“Stop being sappy. You’re beginning to look like the little naive Leon I once knew.”

“And loved.” Your chest swelled and you nodded, making a tender face.

“I love every version of Leon,” you said softly and immediately regretted it. What if that was too soon? You were in the middle of a life or death situation, you couldn’t be focused on your emotions right now but they were forcing themselves into the forefront. If you died, you wanted him to know right? That you loved him. Because you did. You really truly did.

Leon put his hand on your cheek, fingers in your hair and the ponytail fell out. He chuckled and you giggled.

“I’m sorry. I tried. And I love-”

“Leon! Leon!” You closed your eyes and nodded.

“Ashley. At least we found her.”

You turned around and walked forward.

“I love you too,” Leon said.

You opened the door and Ashley stood up quickly, relief flooding her face. She rushed up and threw her arms around you, emotion spewing out of her.

“Are you okay?” Leon asked.

“Yeah,” she breathed, pulling away. “I’m so glad you guys are still together. I thought you might get split up and then we’d have to find you or Leon and...we need to get out of here.” You nodded, laughing.

“I’ve learned generally not to stray from this one,” Leon said. “I think you should learn that too Ashley.”

“Noted,” she breathed.

“Stay behind us,” you said.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Leon led as the three of you rushed forward, guns raised. You slipped through the oncoming droves of people, careful not to enter any conflict you wouldn’t make it out of. You reached a trash shoot of sorts, the only way to move forward.

Ashley stood back.

“No way Leon,” she said, giving you a look. He grabbed Ashley’s hand.

“Way.” He jumped down the shot. You scoffed and jumped in after them.

====

You walked beside Ashley. Leon was leading. You were walking briskly but thankfully no longer running.

“My feet are killing me. Remind me never to get kidnapped in boots,” she muttered. You smiled gently.

“I will keep that in mind.” You turned a corner. Ashley was having a hard time keeping up with you but you couldn’t slow down.

“Why does he insist on being in front?” she asked, leaning over to whisper it. You smiled knowingly.

“I’ve found it makes him feel better. No matter how capable anyone else is. I’m pretty used to it and it means I get to watch his six.” Ashley nodded slowly.

“So you guys have quite a history.”

“You could say that,” you said, laughing. She watched your face and wrapped her arms around herself.

“That’s the face of someone with a crush.”

“Ashley now is not the time-”

Leon opened the door and stopped, making you both come to an abrupt stop. You put Ashley behind you and walked in the door with him.

Saddler. Fuck.

“I can feel them. Growing ever so slightly inside you,” he said, turning around. He looked as disgusting as usual. Leon put his hand up, blocking Saddler from you and Ashley.

“Saddler,” Leon sneered, running forward. Saddler put his hand up, instantly making Leon keel over from pain. Your eyes went wide.

“Leon!” you exclaimed. You rushed up to him and Saddler put his hand up to stop you but it didn’t do anything. You put your hand on Leon’s chest and he leaned into you completely, putting his full weight on you.

“I see you have avoided injection. Don’t worry. I’ll have you soon enough.”

“Saddler,” you said, trying to grab your gun but he moved his hand, causing Leon to take your gun from you. You gasped as he raised it to your temple.

Saddler put his other hand up.

“Now come to me Ashley.” She stiffened and her eyes glossed over.

“No,” Leon said, struggling to completely fight the parasite inside him. You looked at Ashley, instinctively going toward her when Leon jabbed your gun into your temple. You looked toward him.

You tossed a tracker on Ashley’s clothes. You wouldn’t lose her again. Saddler put his hand down and Leon dropped the gun, falling to the floor. You kneeled down to him, putting your hands on his back.

“It’s already begun,” he breathed, still getting over the pain. You looked up to where Ashley had been. Leon looked up at you, his face hard. “You need to go.”

“What?”

“I can’t be beside you. I won’t let him make me shoot you.” You could see it in his eyes. He couldn’t get past hurting you. You would have felt the same way. You shook your head again.

“I can handle myself. I’ll disarm you if I need to.”

“You didn’t disarm me then.”

“I’ll be fine Leo-”

“No.”

“What about what you told Ashley? Neither of you should leave my side.”

Leon leaned forward and put his hands on your cheeks. You shook your head, trying to keep your face straight.

“I just got you back. I’m not losing you again.”

“Then don’t leave me.” Your voice cracked a bit, surprising yourself. You were trying to keep the emotions out of this. He kissed you gently and while your eyes were still shut he ran off. You scoffed, going to follow him but you knew he would just get away from you.

You cursed under your breath. Fine. You would get Ashley and then Leon again.

====

You had been doing well on your own. Not as good but fine enough. You were quieter on your own. You walked along the edge of a large room. You had Ashley’s tracker, you just followed that. You imagined Leon was following it too. You had given him something to track you with at the beginning of all this.

You were at the outer edge of the raised platform above a larger room. You looked forward as the door swang open. With the force you knew it wasn’t any kind of zombie. You thought it might be Leon. But at the sight of the long red dress you knew who it was. She met your eyes and smiled.

“Split up from Leon again huh?”

“He’s like a dog. Getting lost like this.” She smiled.

“Only women like us have the inner map.” She walked up to you. “I half expected you to shoot me on sight.”

“Please Ada. No matter the team we play on, we’ll always be connected by that one night.” Her red lips turned upwards.

“If you had fallen off that bridge, you would have died. I wouldn’t have. It was just common courtesy.” You gave her a look. She nodded. “If you had died instead of me and Leon knew he could have saved you...that would’ve been the end of our dear old puppy dog.” You looked down then back up at her.

“There she is.” She began to walk. You followed her and she didn’t protest. “He has the parasite.”

“I know,” she muttered. “I figured you would take care of that.”

“I will,” you said. You looked over at her. Poised, perfect Ada Wong. No matter the things she did, you admired her.

“You better.” The look on her face was one you hadn’t seen her wear before. You read it easily which surprised you. Ada wasn’t easy to read. I have too much on my plate right now. You have to deal with Leon.

“I will,” you promised her. She nodded gently and walked through the door. There was commotion going on. You grabbed your gun and Ada picked up her machine gun as you both knelt down.

Leon was below you, fighting with a familiar face. Krauser.

Knife fighting.

“Enough talking. Die comrad!” Krauser jumped on Leon who was just barely able to fend him off. You stood and put your gun up. You shot his knife clean out of his hand, causing enough surprise for Leon to get away.

Ada smiled. You had always been ready to jump at the chance to protect Leon Kennedy.

“Y/N! Ada?” Leon said.

“Well if it isn’t the bitch in the red dress and Leon’s little pet.” You scoffed.

“Looks like we have the upper hand here,” Ada mused. Krauser jumped away, giving a lasting look before leaving.

You and Ada jumped down.

“You knew each other?” Ada asked.

“More or less.” Leon grabbed his knife out of the floor and turned to look at the two of you. “I see you two got acquainted again.” You smiled.

“I can’t work alone,” you said, shrugging.

“Has Ada told you why she’s here? I think it’s about time she does.”

“Maybe some other time,” Ada mused, walking past him. “See you lovely’s later.” She hopped over the edge of the platform. You smiled to yourself. If she doesn’t make a good exit it isn’t Ada.

Leon turned to look at you.

“Looks like you found me again.”

“We are going to the same place,” you told him. “Let me stay this time. I can’t protect you if I’m away from you.” He looked at the knife in his hand and pocketed it. He met your eyes.

“Fine. But if I hurt you-”

“You won’t,” you promised. “I won’t let you.”

====

After the death of Krauser, you and Leon had one thing left to do. That was to get Ashley. She had dropped her tracking device far back away but you were able to follow her trail well. Well you had to get through more cultists than you had ever seen in one place. Then you could get Ashley.

“I don’t know about this Leon-” you said. He grabbed your hand.

“We have no choice.” You looked over at him and nodded once. You kissed him quickly, just enough to feel his lips on yours again. Just in case.

“Okay-” you started but was cut off by the sound of machine gun fire. You both took cover instinctively. Leon looked up and scoffed.

“It’s a helicopter.”

“Are you serious?” You went to stand but he pulled you back down. After the helicopter had taken most of the enemies down you both stood up. Leon put his hand to his earpiece.

“Now that’s what I call backup.”

“Was I not good enough?” you asked but you were laughing from happiness.

“Names Mike. You guys want firepower, you've come to the right place.”

“Thanks Mike,” you said. “Drinks on me when we get out of here.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” You and Leon moved forward through the rubble. Mike shot down any large oncoming groups and you took out the small bits of people that came at you from undercover. You were beginning to think you would really make it out of this when the helicopter blew up.

You staggered, grabbing Leon who held you up right.

“Mike!” he yelled into the earpiece but nothing came. You shook your head. You almost wished you would cry but you were too used to losing people on the job.

“He’s gone. We have to go.” Leon nodded, though it was hesitant. Leon took the call from Saddler but you mostly refused to listen. You were too angry to care about what he had to say.

You kept moving. Ashley had to be close.

“Do you think she’s-” you started when you saw Leon keel over. Your brows furrowed. You put your hand on his back. “Leon?”

“Everything alright?” You turned to see Ada walking up. You were relieved it was just her.

“I don’t know he just-” You were cut off when Leon sat up completely, putting his hands on your neck and squeezing. You breathed a sharp breath in surprise. His eyes were red, his face straight. You had never seen his face lack emotion like this before. You choked and Ada stabbed him in the side.

He winced in pain and let you go. You coughed, stumbling backwards into Ada who put her hand on your arm.

He seemed to cough it out of him.

“I’m sorry, I…” He looked down at his hands and shook his head. “I didn’t mean-”

“I know,” you said, though you were still coughing.

“It’s going to leave a mark,” Ada said. You put your hand on your neck and Ada pulled out a compact. Bruises in the shape of Leon’s fingers were already forming.

“I’m okay. Take the pills.” He nodded and pulled some out of his pocket, swallowing them. “We have to get the parasite out of your body.”

“Before that we have to save Ashley.” You and Ada shared a look. Damn Ashley.

“Fine. Let’s split up. You,” she said, pointing at you. “Stay with him.” You nodded. Leon looked at Ada.

“Are you sure she can’t stay with you? I don’t wanna…”

“She’s a big girl.”

She left the room. Leon looked over at you.

“Your neck…”

“I’m okay. Let’s move.”

=====

You and Leon didn’t have to move far before finding Ashley in a testing tube. You ran up to her but didn't get far before Saddler spoke.

“You will soon harbour an awesome power but you seem to have chosen death.” You turned quickly. “And you...there’s no use for you.” You felt someone grab your arms. You struggled, trying to grab your arm but weren’t able to from the tight grip.

“I’m taking the girls back if you like it or not,” Leon said.

“The audacity of youth.” He pushed forward and Leon flew across the room. You fought against the men holding you to get to him but it was no use.

Saddler was about to do something else when bullets came raining down on him. You smiled. Ada Wong. Her timing was always impeccable.

“Leon now!” she called. Leon stood and hit the button, letting Ashley out of her tube. Ada shot at the men holding you and you rushed forward to help Ashley out. “Move!” she called. You nodded and grabbed both of them, rushing out of the room. There was an explosion behind you. Probably Ada’s doing.

You came to a room with an operating table, lots of computers and some sort of machinery.

“This hunk of junk? I don’t know about this Leon,” Ashley said.

“There’s only one way to find out. Y/N, you operate.” You scoffed.

“Leon-”

“You want me to attack you again?” You pursed your lips and took a deep breath. He laid down on the operating table. You shook your head and leaned over him, kissing him harshly. You pat his chest. “I trust you.”

Ashley smiled.

“So you two are like-”

“Not the time,” you said. You moved to the computer and took a deep breath as you started to operate. He started to convulse and you almost stopped but forced yourself to keep going. Finally he stopped and the machine moved away. You checked the x-ray and let out a loud sigh of relief. He sat up.

“Is-” You rushed to him and threw your arms around him.

“All clean.” You pulled away. “Alright Ashley. You’re up.”

====

The fight with Saddler went about as well as you expected, with Ada chipping in as she always did. Leon had the sample in his hand, Saddler’s dead mutated body beside you, and Ada’s gun pointed at his head.

A sense of deja vu washed over you.

“Sorry Leon. Hand it over.” You raised your gun to her but all of you knew that you weren’t going to pull the trigger.

“Ada, you do know what this is,” Leon said slowly. She nodded and then turned away, jumping off the edge of the island. You and Leon both rushed to her, just to find that she had landed safely in a helicopter.

You weren't sure what you had expected.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it. Gotta go. If I were you, I’d get off this island too.”

“She really pushed it,” he muttered.

“Here, catch.” She tossed you something which you caught. “Gotta get a move on. See you around. Watch each other!” She had tossed you keys.

The helicopter flew away. You scoffed.

“Always gotta make an exit,” you muttered. You turned to Leon. “Let’s go.”

You rushed away, back to where Ashley was waiting. The three of you rushed to the jet ski that Ada had left you. You got on back, Ashley sandwiched between the two of you as Leon drove.

You were just barely able to make it out of the island before it blew. You were cutting it close. You all sat there, watching it blow behind you. Leon came to a stop.

“You ladies alright?”

“Peachy,” you muttered.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Ashley breathed. “Mission accomplished. Right?”

“Not quite. Still gotta get you home safe,” he said. He started to drive again. You were happy to be moving away.

“So are you two an item or...can I…” Ashley said. You suppressed a scoff. She needed to find one more way to annoy you didn’t she.

“We’re an item,” Leon said before you could respond. You looked around Ashley to him but he didn’t turn around. You smiled sheepishly.

“Oh alright. Doesn’t hurt to check,” she said. You reached forward around Ashley and put a hand on his waist. He brought a hand off the controls and grabbed yours, squeezing. “So who was that woman anyway?” Ashley asked.

“Why do you ask?” Leon asked as your fingers slipped through his and you let him go back to driving.

“Come on, tell me!” You smiled. The sun was rising over the horizon. You were ready to get home.

“She’s a part of us we can’t get rid of,” you finally settled on. “Let’s leave it at that.”

====

You leaned over Leon, cleaning up his face cut.

“You know there are nurses who can do that,” he said. You shrugged.

“I like to have an excuse to look in your pretty eyes,” you mused happily. You put a bandaid over it and rubbed it smooth. Leon had his hand resting on your thigh. You would get to go home after you spoke to the President and went over the briefing. You still had a ways to go. There was far too much waiting involved.

You were sitting on the table while Leon sat in the chair in a mostly empty room in the white house. You hadn’t even gotten to change yet.

“I would sit on your lap but Ada stabbed you,” you said quietly. He smiled charmingly.

“I have two legs.” He grabbed your waist and gently pulled you down onto his good leg. You rolled your eyes but wrapped your arms around his neck. You put your forehead on his and closed your eyes.

A moment of rest. Finally,

“Don’t leave me,” he whispered roughly, so quiet you almost didn’t hear him.

“I won’t. Not ever again.”

Part 6

Story Tag List: @ceruleanrainblues, @scarletrosesposts,@stardancerluv,@trinswhimsys

#leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy imagines

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fvrxdrm · 4 years ago

Text

Last Night (Leon Kennedy x Reader)

Pairing: Infinite Darkness!Leon x GN!Reader

Warning(s): Implied sex

This is about a dream I had a few nights ago. I added a few things at the end bc the ending in my dream didn’t make sense but I’ll explain it later at the end notes.

*****

“Ugh! She’s a fucking headache!”

The coolness of the air conditioning in the briefing room dried up the remaining sweat on your back and forehead and your hands went disgustingly sticky with the clamminess clinging into your palm. Fatigued and dozy you were, you were sure you were going to pass out right there in your seat.

You, along with your partner, Leon, were tasked to save Ashley Graham again, this time in a more urban part of Italy. When the president told you about her getting kidnapped again, you legit rolled your eyes and Leon nudged your side when he saw the subtle gesture you displayed. Had Leon had the audacity to disrespect people who had higher power than him in his line of work, he would’ve flipped the president off and took the both of you to a nearby bar. He wasn’t like that though, much to your dismay. He still had that “mama’s boy” attitude in him even when he left some of it during his “rookie day” or night or something.

You were close to rioting that time. They were going to send you to that fucking mission again with only the two of you and hand you both shitty-ass pistols with ten fucking bullets. Who the fuck does that? Wouldn’t you send the whole team if you, the president of the United fucking States, had a daughter that’s been kidnapped? Also, why the fuck didn’t they enhance the fucking security level? Hello? Parenting 101?

Leon crashed onto the couch beside you, making you bounce a bit, before shaking his hair from the grease and dampness his locks held. “Agreed. I might’ve lost my ears right there…again,” he grunted as he stretched his arms above his head and managed to pop a few joints in the process. “Wanna grab a few drinks after this?”

With your head leaned against the back of the couch, you turned to look at your friend with jaded eyes and a lazy smile. You nodded in response and slapped a hand on his thigh. “Sure.”

*****

You may or may not have had one too many drinks and danced around like a fucking worm on crack. Leon had one of his arms wrapped around your waist and a glass of whiskey in his free hand as he ground against your skirt-clad ass while you responded back with the same enthusiasm as him. Both of you were drunk, that’s for sure. Not only with pure intoxication, but also with a sinful desire; something you two unknowingly shared on nights where fingers worked their magic to bring you both to a blissful high. You knew they weren’t enough to satisfy your wants, but they were enough to calm your racing thoughts temporarily instead of committing to a one-time thing and bringing awkwardness in the atmosphere, at least you thought it would’ve been a one-time thing.

Leon whispered naughty things into your ear, things he wouldn’t have said had he been conscious enough to stop himself from making a move, and boldly dipped a finger in your skirt and rubbed your pussy through your underwear. He was going to make love to you, he said, and he would make sure that you would be his. You bit your lip as you moaned at his words. He was hot and you would gladly let him fuck you anytime, anywhere. And so, you agreed.

*****

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The provoking sound of your phone pulled you away from your dream. Your fantasy was so close to getting to the good part. Leon was about to fucking kiss you and then somebody decided to fucking wake you up! You sighed. If somebody woke you up this early then you guessed it was really important. So, despite being piqued and groggy from the sudden sound, you picked your phone up from the night stand beside your bed, not even thinking about how different your room looked, and checked the time before answering the call. “Hello?” You spoke, your voice raspy and your throat feeling like a thousand knives were stabbed into it. You also took note of how your head felt like you were banging it against the wall with so much speed and vigor and attempted to ease it down with a simple massage but to no avail.

“Morning, Y/N!”, the voice from the other line boomed, causing your agonizing condition to aggravate even more.

Ashley

You groaned at the contrasting enthusiasm the girl had and you had to slam the phone on the mattress to ground yourself and keep you from dying. “Can you keep your voice down? I have a headache right now and it would be much appreciated if you could calm down,” you said after bringing your device back to your ear.

“Oh, sorry. I was just going to ask if you could meet me in the church later? I wanted to talk to you about something while we get everything set for my wedding tomorrow. I tried calling Leon, but he wouldn’t answer. Can you do me a favor of telling him about it too?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call him.”

“Thanks, Y/N! I’ll see you later,” she said. The call ended with a series of beeps and you slammed your phone on the bed again with your eyes shut tight in irritation.

I cannot deal with that girl again. Especially now that I’m hungover… But who am I to deny the president’s fucking daughter…?

You sighed.

Welp, time to call Leon.

You raised your phone up parallel to your face and was about to press Leon’s saved contact name when you suddenly felt an arm wrap around your torso. Your heart pounded. With eyes opened wide and brain waking up from its slumber in an instant, you slowly turned your head towards your left and almost screamed at what you saw…or rather who you saw.

Leon.

His chest was exposed to the warmth of the morning air, hair strands clamped together by oil and sweat that was starting to form on his skin. He was still deep in his slumber and you noticed how the round bulge tucked in his eyelids moved around as if he was exploring something in his dream.

Never had you and Leon shared a bed together. Those times where he would come over to your place for a drink? He would always insist that he could just crash into your couch in order to avoid invading your privacy.

You panicked at the situation you were in. You grabbed the hem of your blanket and yanked it up to check if anything did happen, and surprise, surprise; something did. You were both naked and you felt something drying up down there. You also started taking notice of how your vagina felt sore from probably getting pounded and fucked silly last night-

Oh, right! Last night.

You vaguely remembered how Leon touched your body while you two were getting drunk. You two were getting a bit too flirty and began groping each other here and there, getting more and more suggestive as minutes passed, pie-eyed and unconscious with how you were treating each other as more than friends.

Every corner and every wall your eyes passed was becoming a void of something dark, something you became anxious of. What happened would forever change your friendship and your relationship with him for sure. Hell, you weren’t even sure if he was going to stay by your side starting from when he wakes up in a few minutes. And as much as you wanted to go back and prevent that from happening, you couldn’t, and you had to face the music whether you liked or not.

*****

Sure enough, when you woke Leon up, everything was awkward. No words were exchange from when you prepared for the day, breakfast, and until Leon drove you both to the location Ashley had told you to go to. The silence rose hysteria in both of your minds. You were going fucking crazy. You were fidgety when you sat beside Leon in the passenger seat and the man would bounce his leg up and down when you hit a red light. You both were trying to avoid taking a glance at each other, but those inevitable moments that you did, you would forcefully smile at each other and then gaze back out the window again. That was the cycle you lived on for a few hours and you decided to let it stay like that until one of you broke the atmosphere.

You waited inside the church as you were told. It was only the two of you inside but you acted like a handful of people were sitting beside you with the amount of space that was left unfilled between you. You were biting your lip and focusing on the pillars and stones that made up the building until you couldn’t process anything that was happening anymore and stood up, studying the interior as you roamed. “Hey,” you heard somebody whisper behind you. You looked down to your wrist when you felt something warm and saw a fairly large hand loosely gripping onto it before looking up to see Leon’s eyes gazing into yours. You nearly got lost in them but thankfully, he spoke before you got stuck into your own stupor. “I just wanna say… I’m sorry. I-it’s not gonna change everything that happened but I don’t want to break what we have. I value you and our friendship too much for me to let it go. I don’t think we can forget about last night but if it makes you feel better…I-I-“

“Can we talk about this outside? I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to talk about it here,” you chuckled. Leon nodded in agreement before leading you out to where a garden caught your attention. “Listen Leon, I know we can’t just pretend nothing happened but… I don’t wanna let go of this either. I value this as much as you do and it would be crazy stupid for me just to just hate you for something we weren’t even conscious about or something,” you said. You both laughed in relief as the weight on your shoulders dissipated into thin air before you placed a gentle palm on his cheek. Again, no words were shared but this time, no anxiety was present. Instead, you felt like this was an intimate moment only the two of you shared. Something was being written in the stars and you saw every word the gods wrote in the eyes of the person in front of you both.

As cheesy as it sounded, you two felt like magnets were pulling you towards each other, physically and mentally, and in a matter of seconds, you found your lips being pressed against Leon’s.

It was like you were recreating what happened last night without even knowing the details, except this was slower, more sensual, and certainly more emotional, and you couldn’t help the tears that flowed freely against your cheeks.

“Come on, let’s ditch Ashley. Maybe we could relive what happened last night?”

*****

Okay, so in my dream, Ashley’s not getting married and she didn’t call me. Instead, what happened was after the bar scene, Leon and I got teleported in front of the altar and just fucking talked. And then we walked outside and what happened in the end of this fic happened in my dream. Lol.

I rushed this bc I’m tired.

#leonkennedy #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy imagines #leon s kennedy x reader #leonxreader #leon kennedy x you #leon+kennedy+fanfic #leon+kennedy+imagine #resident evil #resident evil x reader #resident evil fanfic

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genshin-impact-writings · 3 years ago

Note

Top five videogames, what are those games that fundamentally changed you

Top 5 video games

1. Final Fantasy X. The first video game I ever played (aside from Pokemon on my cousin's gameboy) and I love it so much that I repurchased it for PS3, then for PS4 again. I have played it so many times now and I know exactly what's going to happen at what point during the story but the ending still makes me cry. For me, this game will always be a masterpiece.

2. Genshin Impact. Right now, it's my favorite game. It's so beautiful - the music, the world, the characters... of course there are some aspects I don't like but I think there's no game without flaws. And of course it's really special to me because without Genshin, I obviously wouldn't run this blog and I would never have met my moots. ;)

3. Resident Evil 4. My favorite among the series, although I also liked the 5th installment. My only problem with RE4 is that Ashley is hella annoying... my best friend who watched my first playthrough at the time always encouraged me to leave her behind, so that we wouldn't have to hear her complaining and whining anymore. ^^ And Leon is amazing.

4. Dead by Daylight. It's so much fun to play it together with my friends. I was the first in our group who played it and recommended it to them countless times, and now we're a survivor team of four. I think we can be pretty annoying for the killers, lol.

5. Final Fantasy VII (Remake). I unfortunately never played the original (I only had some basic knowledge about the characters and the plot) but the remake is so, so good. I love the different characters and the story is amazing so far. I can't wait to see where it goes in the next part.

Honorable mentions: Final Fantasy XIII & XIII-2, Assassin's Creed II (because I love Florence), Sims 4 (building is so much fun)

#my top 5 #jj answers #my moots

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mymelancholiesblues · 3 years ago

Text

No, Mia isn’t "low-tier" compared to Ada (morally speaking, or w/e) – a measured answer?/essay

So, a couple of Ada haters tried to put up a false symmetry between both of these characters there on twitter, and it inspired me to put my own thoughts down in a more articulate essay as to why that's (Ada's somehow being morally worse than Mia) not sustained by canon in Resident Evil.

standing there, killing time

can't commit to anything but a crime

all the good girls go to hell

'cause even God herself has enemies

and once the water starts to rise

and heaven's out of sight

she'll want the Devil on her team. ⁕

First things first: let us debunk the false symmetry that they tried to establish between these two characters with extremely distinct archetypes – and worse, the following replies to this false symmetry and its poor arguments trying to validate it, pointing out that, in fact, no, character B (that would be Ada, btw) – which is so evidently and ridiculously different from character A (and that would be Mia) – is, in fact, WAY WORSE than character A, and then proceeding to assert some unsupported propositions about misogyny in Resident Evil (which, tbh, definitely IS a recurring problem in the franchise, but that in this case particularly, little or does not apply AT ALL) and how Ada contributes to "the perpetration of a biological cold war".

Starting with what differentiates Mia from Ada grotesquely: we know NOTHING of Ada's true alliances in RE's world. Mia, however, canonically worked for a group that participated in the importation and exportation as well as the manufacturing, testing and marketing of biological weapons: "The Connections", a CRIMINAL SYNDICATE which, amongst other things, was also involved in money laundering, assassinations as well as weapons and drug trafficking. I don't care at all about Mia, so I don't intend to waste much of my time going on about her role in the plot, but people should've already realized by just that much how infinitely dishonest is to try to put these two characters as "similar" ones, or argue that Ada is somehow worse.

Another detail that shouldn't escape anyone's attention too, are the origins and nationalities of both – and yes, I intend to briefly bring up racism against eastern-Asian looking characters (a silent plague that takes form by each passing day in all fiction fandoms) and anti-China xenophobia, but for now, hold this tea there just before I drop it: Mia is canonically American, and previously a Texas-state resident; meanwhile, we have no confirmation of Ada's nationality except for her pretty evident Chinese ancestry. But, as I said, hold it there for a while.

i) espionage — the job

red so silent

wait a minute

or just a little while.

what are you looking for? ⁕

At all times that Ada's "job" was brought up in this franchise, in ALL of her cameos, she has NEVER been called a mercenary in the original Japanese. She's always referred to as a SPY. Even in RE2R, the most recent title in which she's featured in, the original text of the game makes a point of labelling her as a SPY (and not a mercenary) in the dialogue that transpires between Annette and Leon.

It's the North-American translation and correspondent localization that now and then falls for the equivocal use of this other term. This distinction is important since espionage NECESSARILY implies operating in an organized service for, perhaps a country, or a political cause, or a class/group, or a corporation, or whatever. While a mercenary is someone who's acting per their self financial interests, indiscriminately selling their specialized "labour" and skills to anyone who'll offer more.

Ada's not a mercenary, she's a spy. But Mia, in addition to being hired to a canonically criminal company, was also the handler personally assigned to Eveline. I don't care how exactly Mia got in that predicament but the fact is: Mia was canonically employed by a company that profited over illicit activities and directly watched as a family was destroyed and toyed with by this new killing machine (Eve). Yet, we can't state for sure that we know to whom or to what Ada is truly affiliated with.

ii) sources — check them

who's a heretic now?

am I making sense?

how can you make it stick?

and I'm on a trial

waiting 'til the beat comes out. ⁕

This fandom should put a little more thought into which translation and localization of the game texts, dialogues and files they are using to support their arguments. I know that in some cases the United States people have a bit of an inclination to think of themselves as the owners of the planet and deem English as the only language that matters in this world, but let's not forget that RE is a Japanese franchise (wow, insane, right?!). Therefore, the most valid script, with the greatest amount of details, and highest credibility, is the Japanese original. Throughout these years, there have been several errors in translation and localization of the Japanese original to North-American English. And, believe me, curiously enough, plenty of those concern Ada, since she's often mentioned or referred to in a very vague way – without the use of pronouns or adjectives or adverbs that could help in indicating gender. This ended up causing those details and mentions to her to get overlooked, even though in the Japanese text it was a clear reference to her character (per observation of context).

iii) the good guys — one of

head in the dust

feet in the fire

labour on that midnight wire

listening for that angel choir

you got nowhere to run

careful son, you got dreamers plans

but it gets hard to stand. ⁕

Yes, as much as haters try to minimize it, it is SIGNIFICANT that Ada saved so many important characters and stood for unquestionably heroic actions in so many moments - like stopping everything she was doing so she could help completely random Chinese civilians with the helicopter she managed to pilot in that chaos in China (yeah, I know you haters love to forget about this, but it happened, it's there in canon, and no, it wasn't her direct OR indirect responsibility what was going on in China: REPLAY RE6 and for the love of GOD, never again argue that what she did was somehow "the equivalent of evacuating a city after selling a WMD to destroy that same city". It's a case of pure intellectual dishonesty to say such a thing. It's canon that Carla was the one who caused what happens in China, PLEASE, PLAY RE6).

Furthermore, Ada shows compassion on some occasions even for characters who are directly putting her in harms ways, like Annette (in RE2 OG, right after - in order to defend herself - she slaps Annette leading her to lose balance and collapse over the sewers fences, Ada makes an effort in trying to pull Annette back and prevent her from falling) and Carla.

Replay RE4 and pay attention to it, pay attention to her solo campaign: getting involved with Leon's journey in Spain hasn't brought any real benefit to her mission or herself: Ada deviates from her main path several times due to worrying about him and trying to help him and almost ends up dead in several of these occasions over her insistence in doing so: by saving him from Bitores Mendez, by helping him and Ashley against Sadler, by confronting Krauser and stopping him.

It's so lazy to only read/listen to a file in which she says in English that "Leon might be useful to her plans" (this is way more nuanced in the Japanese original of Ada's Report), and ignore everything that was SHOWN in the game: every effort she made to ensure that Leon could rescue Ashley, remove the parasite from his and her bodies, and escape from that hell-island.

The jet-ski she left for their escape was ALREADY there before she was captured by Sadler (or you think she arranged it while she was caught?). Leon having to intervene and save her from Sadler WASN'T her plan. It WASN'T her plan to take the sample from Leon's hands. She wanted to help him get out of there with Ashley and she guaranteed he could do so, she wanted to get the sample by herself and escape too while sending that hell to kingdom's come. But, because she chose to help Leon rescue Ashley right in front of Sadler, she ends up captured.

On her end, Mia never did anything minimally compared to that, and all of her "selflessness" or self-sacrificing actions involved a much, MUCH smaller scope than Ada's: wanting to help her husband and HERSELF is not at all comparable to saving a few dozens of unknown Chinese civilians. So no, they aren't "cut from the same cloth". They don't come from the same place, nor do they share the same intentions or goals, and their contributions to the RE storyline are quite different.

iv) unknown true purpose (shades of grey)

lining up in the background

waiting for the crowd shot to be seen

in the shadow of the big screen

everybody begs to be redeemed. ⁕

In databooks, Ada is recurrently described as "a Chinese spy with extraordinary physical abilities, vigorous health and composed mind and spirit, capable of coping with grim situations and handling even the most difficult requests without losing composure". If we are paying attention to the storytelling ingame, however, we know that this isn't always the case: Ada did let her mask of unswerving emotional and physical strength fall and showed a very fragile side under strenuous circumstances a couple of times already.

Also, in these databooks, they often point out that "she has her own 'true purpose' and has FREQUENTLY betrayed organizations and clients to achieve it". Huh, we can AGAIN, by this only, see how completely different she's from Mia, who personally watched an entire family being driven to insanity by Eveline's hand.

Furthermore, in these databooks, it's often said that "this true purpose is still obscure and whether she truly cared for anyone or simply used her charms to manipulate people that crossed paths with her isn't ever clear". If people are willing to be open-minded and exercise their text comprehension skills, though, they'll see that in multiple occasions of emotional confrontation it has been established time and time again that yes, Ada DOES care. She wasn't capable of shooting Leon and there has been a couple of other times that failing to choose a cool, sociopathic calculation and pragmatical demeanour over empathy and humanity towards others has put her in harms ways: nonetheless she still chose it.

v) positive impact

I'm gonna break the cycle

I'm gonna shake up the system

I'm gonna destroy my ego. ⁕

To this point, RE's plot systematically leads us to believe that Ada has been covertly acting behind the scenes of multiple biological incidents COLLECTING INFORMATION (the job of a spy, who would've thought! lmao), that is valuable to numerous organizations, companies, groups and different contexts, but at the same time of allegedly offering to handle this knowledge for the right price to the big players involved with bioterrorism and clandestine trading of bioweapons, she's also working to sabotage said players.

This is evident throughout the franchise: she intended to hurt Umbrella's business. She outwitted and deceived Wesker multiple times. She even undermined Simmons, someone who was in a position of power in the US government and actively using that position to lead bioterrorist ventures on the parallel side.

There's no concrete evidence or hint as to what she does with the information she collects, and for all purposes and effects, I can presume that she's gathering this knowledge to assist in the discovery of countermeasures and vaccination studies. I might as well argue that she is a Chinese spy who is working against European and North-American capitalism and the imperialism that creates such monsters like the biochemical and bioweapons industry and that her real objective is to dismantle the market for bioweapons and bioterror supported mainly by the USA (see: Simmons and The Family).

That is, as long as it is unclear what her true purpose is, I have the freedom to surmise whatever the heck I want and that all of what she's been doing was for the sake of the greater "good" - and I'll even have canon moments to support this reasoning as it's clear that she regularly sabotages her customers (customers that are unquestionably established as playing for the "evil" side, with perverse intentions) - throughout the franchise. She did this on RE2, RE4, RE6 and Damnation. It's there, transparent in canon, people just choose to ignore it.

She laughs in the face of whoever she's talking to by the end of Damnation, saying she doesn't intend to deliver the Plaga; she scoffs at Simmons; she betrays Wesker and kills Krauser. She had been sabotaging Wesker for so long, that he sent Krauser to be the main agent in the mission in Spain, and Ada was just a "side effect" that he didn't have in control and had to keep an eye on, so he ordered Krauser to keep tabs on her. It's not a mutually beneficial dynamic. Ada doesn't want Wesker to succeed, she despises him; this is clear in the games in which they interact. There are even files that indicate that she was trying to double-cross and get in the way of his plans for at least 2 years before Spain, and he was constantly catching up with her. See here and here.

On her end, Mia was employed by and consciously working for a criminal syndicate.

vi) a (secretly) helping hand

oh, I'm a master pretender

just felt more alone

the further I'd go

but I'll stick around

I'll be your master defender

yeah, I'll stick around. ⁕

Ada approached characters such as John Clemens and Luis Sera, and both had a canonical intention to, in addition to putting an end to their connections with the criminal companies and organizations they've been working for, also expose and denounce them for their crimes. It's in this context that Ada comes into contact with them. And why is that?

Check John's background: he had made up his mind about disclosing Umbrella's crimes to the public. Check Luis' background: Ada went to Spain to assist in his extradition since he feared for his own life if he resolved to turn his back on the cult of Los Illuminados, and also dreaded the consequences of the liberation of Las Plagas on an international scale.

Keep in mind that Ada handed over to Wesker a USELESS Plaga sample. Wesker only got the sample currently circulating in the underground market because he went after Krauser's body. We don't know what Ada did with the master Plaga sample she obtained. We only know from Ada's Report and the Plaga Recovery file that she didn't deliver it to Wesker, and he needed to go out for a plan B to get it.

Even the G-Virus sample that fell into the hands of the clandestine business, it's possible to argue that Ada's involvement in it was flimsy, since Simmons CANONICALLY made over a thousand laboratory tests in Sherry, and, as we know, he was a leading figure in bioterrorism and bioweapons trading with the aid of his position in the US government.

But, guess what, Ada clearly is a non-white character with obvious Chinese heritage and Mia is white, so of course, OF COURSE, someone can so nonchalantly affirm that Ada, this "vile bitch", is somehow WORSE than Mia. The same Mia who watched the Bakers being destroyed. Right.

Also: trying to validate one's point by claiming anything related to the misogyny present in RE franchise, while IN THE SAME BREATH AND TWEET reducing Ada's entire character arc to that of "a sociopathic bitch cured by the magic dick of her love interest" is supposed to be a joke, right? No, really. Joke.

conclusion and a word against misogyny

we are waiting on a telegram to

give us news of the fall

I am sorry to report

dear Paris is burning after all

we have taken to the streets

in open rejoice, revolting

we are dancing a black waltz

fair Paris is burning after all. ⁕

To any Ada fan that has been reading this so far: PLEASE, I ask to consider refraining to use the "oh yes, Ada did some bad shit, bUT" take to defend the character because that isn't sustained by canon in RE, lmao. She didn't do anything evil that had an indisputable bad impact on the plot and other characters arcs. For one, I myself do love some villains, but that isn't the case with Ada.

She did do some unconventional shit yes, since she's a morally GRAY character and an anti-heroine, but by the end of the day, each and every action of hers had a positive impact on the journey of other characters and main plot. Just pay attention to it.

Like idk man, Black Widow, Elektra Natchios, Scarlet Witch and Black Cat from Marvel, Catwoman from DC, Yennefer from The Witcher (some pop culture examples that come to mind).

Saying that this is an "extremely selfish prototypal bad bitch except when it comes to the magical redeeming dick of her love interest" it's a grotesque reduction of a complex female character, and, in its attempt to critique the misogyny present in RE's franchise an expression of misogyny in itself.

Remember: Ada has actions and impact on the franchise ASIDE and IN ADDITION to her romantic involvement with Leon.

#Resident Evil #Ada Wong #Leon x Ada #Ada x Leon #Aeon #Leon Kennedy #[mine]#[meta]#//#Aeon fandom

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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15 Best Resident Evil Bosses and Monsters Ranked

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You don’t go 25 years with a name like Resident Evil without introducing a good mix of macabre monsters primed to haunt the nightmares of players everywhere. At their best, these frightening beasties make you want to run away and hide, challenging you to use your limited resources wisely while trying to survive the night. Even at their worst, any Resident Evil monster worth its weight in viscera will still have you gawping at just how disgusting it appears. Eugh!

With the release of Resident Evil Village and the arrival of nine-foot-tall vampire Lady Dimitrescu, we thought it worth ranking the 15 scariest monsters in Resident Evil history. That’s right – not even a top 10 would be good enough to do the creatures of Capcom’s iconic survival horror franchise justice.

15. Ustanak – Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil’s much maligned sixth entry has a lot of problems, we’ll admit, but one area where it does succeed is in its litany of boss fights. While the game features four interconnected campaigns with plenty of unique enemies, Ustanak breaks away from the crowded roster of other monsters thanks to his relentless pursuing of Jake Muller and appearance (however brief) in almost all of the featured storylines. As far as bioweapons go, he’s also one of the most mean-looking, boasting a tank-like physique and threatening mechanical claw.

You’ll fight Ustanak multiple times as part of Jake’s Resident Evil 6 campaign, first within a wintery Eastern European town as he clambers from chopper to chopper to get to you, then as part of a team-up with Leon in a shipment yard, before eventually finishing him off in a fist fight as boiling lava bubbles below you. Very much following the Nemesis template of growing persistently stronger, Ustanak is easily one of the redeeming elements of Resident Evil 6’s overt bloat.

14. Comms Officer/Scaghead – Resident Evil: Revelations

The mutated Comms Officer in spin-off title Revelations is one of the first major hurdles you come across. After learning that Chris isn’t aboard the Queen Zenobia, Jill is forced to venture into the bowels of the cruise ship, and this oversized piece of sludge is the only thing standing in your way. Taking down this two-headed behemoth involves getting him close to the various gas cylinders littered around and firing, all while keeping his many ghoulish minions at bay.

The comms officer’s human half is where the monster is at its weakest, so by placing a few well-timed sniper shots in this area players shouldn’t have too much trouble. Even still, only having a limited number of windows to jump through and tight passages to go down makes him a real problem early on. That’s why it pays to be patient (as well as smart) with this lumbering mass of goo.

13. Regenerador – Resident Evil 4

Capable of regrowing any limbs you shoot off with relative ease, the first time you encounter a regenerador in Resident Evil 4 is easily one of the adventure’s scariest moments. Though Leon is by this point well-equipped, and without Ashley as his tag-a-long helper, these sludgy beings are still quite the challenge, as they continue chasing you unless you equip your thermal vision and target their specific weakness points.

An enhanced version of the Regenerador greets you a little later in the form of an Iron Maiden. This hellish creature would enjoy nothing more than to hug Leon and impale him on the long nails that protrude from its flesh. You have to be sure to not get to close and maintain your distance, all while targeting the leech-like Las Plagas cells scattered all over its body to make it out safely.

12. Executioner – Resident Evil 5

It may have been the entry that saw the series swerve fully into action blockbuster territory, yet Resident Evil 5 also features some extremely unsettling monsters that still haunt us to this day. One of the first you come across are the handful of executioners who look and act exactly as their name would suggest. These immense figures have pins sticking out of their arms and wield a deadly axe, one swing of which is enough to turn Chris and Sheva into nothing but jam.

The executioners pose a real problem early on in Resident Evil 5’s campaign, as your weapons are severely underpowered, and you’re only given limited space in which to lead them around. Hold out for long enough, though, and you’ll manage to avoid the edge of their blade, only to encounter a more imposing version of them later on in the Desperate Escape DLC. It’s here where their axe is now laden in flames and primed to roast your skin.

11. Licker – Resident Evil 2

Arguably not just one of the scariest but also one of the most iconic monster designs to come out of Resident Evil, lickers are known for their ability to move fast, climb walls, and trip players up using their incredibly far-reaching tongue. The lickers’ one weakness is lack of sight, which Leon and Claire are wise to take advantage of when exploring the zombie-infested R.P.D building. Sometimes, however, these brain-exposed mutants are simply impossible to avoid, forcing you to outwit them and stay at a distance.

Believe it or not, lickers are thought to be an advanced form of zombie. These particular subjects were designed to be even deadlier bioweapons. We’d say they succeeded. While lickers are easily dealt with in most of the games (provided you know what you’re doing), their arrival is always unsettling since you need to remain quiet, often while trying to contend with other undead threats.

10. Lisa Trevor – Resident Evil

Altering an existing game’s story or structure is always a tricky prospect. On the one hand, you want to be true to what fans know, yet at the same time sprinkle in a few surprises. This was the case with Lisa Trevor’s debut appearance in the 2002 remake of the first Resident Evil game. She isn’t just a ho-hum boss fight, but rather a fully formed character with a surprisingly sad back story that involves her being experimented on by Umbrella for at least 20 years.

Lisa Trevor’s animal-like posture and distorted appearance is a result of this constant testing, which makes having to slay her alongside a true series villain (Albert Wesker) all the more heart breaking. The encounter itself may be relatively straightforward, but hearing Lisa wail and cry out as you’re forced to pump rounds into her is genuinely unsettling. Lisa Trevor is a welcome addition to the original Resident Evil’s canon, not least due to how terrifying her circumstances are.

9. Dr. Salvador – Resident Evil 4

What makes Dr. Salvador from Resident Evil 4 even scarier than he looks is the fact he’s not even a boss. No, all this relentless, bag-wearing maniac needs to try and keep Leon Kennedy at bay is a thirst for blood and a ripping chainsaw primed to rip our protagonist to shreds. He’s surprisingly fast and nimble in spite of his wide-set frame, which makes for a deadly combination when you’ve just heard the rumble of his tool-turned-weapon from a distance and are trying to get an accurate lock on him.

Typical handgun bullets will do very little to stop the swing of Dr. Salvador’s chainsaw. Instead, your best bet is to barrage him with shotgun shells or attempt a stun with a flash grenade. Either way, every die-hard Resident Evil fan remembers where they were the first time they heard the grinding of a metal chain so soon after entering Resident Evil 4’s Spanish village.

8. Cerberus – Resident Evil

Dogs have always played a huge role in Resident Evil, but most players will never forget the first time they smashed onto the screen. Slowly traversing down an innocent hallway of the Spencer Mansion in the original Resident Evil, the unsettling silence is suddenly disrupted by the sound of windows shattering and what appears to be two undead Dobermans. They are, in fact, four-legged monsters known in canon as Cerberuses – bio-organic weapons infected by the T-virus strain.

These doggos are far from the good boys you first expect them to be, leaving a mark on your mind as well as the hallway floor thanks to the amount of blood they drip. Their introduction kicked off the classic Resident Evil tradition of having to take down zombie canines quickly. If you don’t, they’ll continue to pursue you around most corridors or until you can bide your time in the nearest safe room. Cerberus dogs are living proof that no mammal is safe from Umbrella’s experiments.

7. Nosferatu – Resident Evil Code: Veronica

Code: Veronica often gets forgotten about as far as Resident Evil games go. This is a shame considering its host to two of the most merciless franchise villains in siblings Alexander and Alexia Ashford. What makes them so monstrous? Possibly their willingness to experiment on their own father, eventually transforming him into the near unkillable monster known as Nosferatu. Strung up, blinded, and suffering from a gaping hole in the chest, he serves as one of Code: Veronica’s most nightmarish monsters and boss fights.

Nosferatu is another Resident Evil monster with a deep and disturbing back story, which makes fighting him even creepier. After whipping Claire whips her partner Steve Burnside away to one side, she faces Nosferatu on a wintery helipad without much visibility. It may be fairly obvious where his weak spot is, but you’ll quite literally need to play it cool to pump enough rounds in.

6. Deborah Harper – Resident Evil 6

Bombing it through the underground cavern in a minecart while trying to avoid the clutches of Helena’s gloopy sister is one of Resident Evil 6’s best sequences. At first it seems like you may have rescued Deborah in time, but it isn’t long until Leon and his partner discover she’s already been subjected to the C-virus, causing her to catch alight before birthing a more monstrous version of herself from out of her own back.

If this imagery alone isn’t enough to make you fear Deborah, just wait until she comes at you with her four whip-like tentacles. First you face her head-on while trying not to get repeatedly lashed as the caverns crumble around you, before gunning at her from the back of a racing minecart as mentioned. The fight culminates once you hit a ridge and squeaky Deborah is forced to fall to her death. For a short while there, though, this gruesome bioweapon gets close to giving Leon and Helena the kiss of death.

5. Queen Leech – Resident Evil 0

Don’t be fooled by how regal the monster known as Queen Leech looks in human form. By the time Billy and Sherry come across her in Resident Evil Zero, she’s increased in height, gained multiple flaps, and sports a face full of enough teeth to finish you in one bite. This boss fight serves as the climax of this prequel adventure, and as such she chases you throughout multiple areas.

She’s one of the scariest Resident Evil monsters due to her disgusting final form, coupled with her ability to control loads of smaller leeches, too. Players with a hatred of slithery creatures are sure to find her disgusting.

4. Marguerite Baker – Resident Evil 7

Almost any member of Resident Evil 7’s Baker family would have been a good choice for this list, but we had to pick Marguerite due to how distinctly spooky your boss encounter with her is. Not only has she grown abnormally long limbs by the time you take her on in an abandoned outhouse but the majority of the fight also takes place in the dark. This makes your attempt to burn her all the more unnerving since she’s prone to sneak up on you and strike.

Players will likely have already developed a deep hatred for Marguerite even before this fight, though, due to the handful Metal Gear Solid-esque missions where you’re forced to sneak past her as Mia. However, all bets are off by the time you face her as Ethan. It’s just a simple case of knowing where to look and what nooks she may pop out of. Sending both Marguerite and her army of insects to Hell is satisfyingly tense and a good showcase of Resident Evil 7’s more claustrophobic first-person perspective.

3. G-virus William Birkin – Resident Evil 2 Remake

The mutated version of William Birkin already looked grotesque in Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation One, but Capcom outdid itself when returning to the character for the 2019 remake. Transformed into a ghoulish monstrosity as a result of injecting himself with the G-Virus strain, Birkin constantly cries out in pain to his wife and daughter as players concentrate fire on the gaping eye bulging out of his right-side shoulder. This final hint of humanity makes fighting him feel devastating.

Dr. Birkin loses more control of himself as the Resident Evil 2 campaign barrels towards its end, eventually transforming into a wall-crawling mass of daggers that tries to tear your head off. His pursuit of Leon and Claire eventually leads to his downfall, however, after his attempt to derail the train escaping Raccoon City is thwarted by a few pokes. Still, Birkin goes down as one of the gooiest monsters in Resident Evil history.

2. Nemesis – Resident Evil 3

Resident Evil’s original hulking stalker is still one of the scariest. First appearing in the original PS One version of Resident Evil 3 before being slightly modernized for last year’s remake, Nemesis is a massive pain the ass for ex-S.T.A.R.S member Jill Valentine because he just doesn’t stop and can appear unannounced at almost any time. His Terminator-like determination to pursue means that you’re never safe when exploring the streets of Racoon City.

Nemesis is easily recognisable by his missing lips and stitched-together skull, both of which result in a face that only a mother could love. He becomes more deformed the longer Resident Evil 3’s campaign progresses, too, making each fight feel scarier than the last. Nemesis has only ever returned in spin-offs, but you never know when he’ll pop around the corner next.

1. Mr. X – Resident Evil 2 Remake

Mr. X is the reason many players start panicking whenever they hear the sound of approaching footsteps in Resident Evil 2 Remake. Don’t be fooled by his bowler hat and trench coat, this Tyrant model T-103 looks like a wardrobe but moves at a brisk pace. As such, facing him head-on is always a bad idea, especially since he won’t stay down for long, even after pumping him full of explosive rounds. The opposite direction is always your best bet whenever Mr. X unexpectedly shows up.

While he gradually evolves into something more monstrous and unsightly towards the end of Leon and Claire’s adventure, even Mr. X’s initially plain appearance is unsettling. You simply have no way of defeating or halting this 7-foot-tall stalker, and you’re instead forced to navigate R.P.D headquarters using an entirely different route than you first intended. This endless game of cat and mouse never fails to get the heart pumping, especially since he follows you in real time.

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peckhampeculiar · 6 years ago

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Life through a lens

Words Colin Richardson; Photo Joe Magowan

To call Helena Appio a documentary film-maker would not be a lie, but nor would it be anywhere near the whole truth. At various times, she has been a student of anthropology, art, fashion and textiles; designed fabrics and clothes; modelled for Laura Ashley; and been a college lecturer.

During her training as a producer at the BBC, she had a brief sojourn in the land of sticky-back plastic. To her embarrassment, she once turned down the scourge of soggy bottoms. And don’t get me started on her byzantine and extraordinary family history. Well, do, otherwise the next paragraph will have to go out of the window.

In the early 1900s, great-grandfather Appio left his home in southern Italy and moved to Sierra Leone. ‘I expect he left Italy to escape poverty and make a better life for himself, but how and why he ended up in Sierra Leone, I don’t know,’ says Helena.

But once there, he did something even more unexpected. He opened a cinema, the first in Sierra Leone and probably the first in all west Africa. Helena wishes she knew more about it, but ‘the records were destroyed in the civil war of the late 90s and early 2000s. I’d like to go there to see what I can find out, but some of my relatives who have been say there’s nothing to go on.’

Great-grandfather married a local creole woman, part African, part Chinese and they raised a family together. One of his sons later moved to Nigeria, where he also opened a cinema. He, too, married a local woman, but he was killed in a motor accident shortly after the birth of their first child, a son. The boy, Helena’s father-to-be, was taken by his grandparents to live with them in Sierra Leone. He didn’t see his mother again until he was 15.

As a young man, Helena’s father travelled to Britain to train as an engineer. One evening, at a dance, he met the adopted daughter of a wealthy Glasgow family. They married and she went back with him to Nigeria, which, as Helena says, ‘was a very bold thing to do in those days.’

Helena, the eldest, one of her two sisters and her brother were all born in Nigeria (her youngest sister was born in London). But after ten years, her parents’ relationship, it seems, had run its course. Helena’s mother moved to London, bringing her children with her.

‘But my father didn’t come back with us. They never spoke about it, but they must have split up at that point. My mother just said we were all coming back to go to school, which we were. My father came and visited three or four times a year, as he was often in Europe with his business.’

The family settled in Blackheath. They were an unusual sight. In the mid-1960s, there weren’t many white women with black children living on the Heath. ‘People kept stopping my mother because they thought she must be Peggy Cripps,’ says Helena.

Peggy Cripps, the daughter of Labour grandee Sir Stafford Cripps, had caused something of a sensation when, in 1953, she had married the radical Ghanaian lawyer and politician Jo Appiah. The Appiahs had four children – three girls and a boy – who were roughly the same age as Helena and her siblings.

Helena went to Blackheath High, which wasn’t always a comfortable experience as she and her sisters were the only black pupils there. But she did well and, after leaving school and taking a gap year (partly spent travelling in Brazil), she went to Durham University to study anthropology.

‘I found myself in a very old-fashioned college. You had to be in by ten o’clock in the evening and every week there was a formal dinner where you wore a black gown and stood when the head of the college came in. I did not like that.’

So she moved back to London and switched her studies to art. ‘I’d always been very good at art,’ she says, ‘but it wasn’t encouraged at Blackheath High, which was a very academic school.’

She took foundation courses in art before switching to a degree in textiles and fashion at Middlesex University. After graduating, she opened a clothes shop in Covent Garden, selling fabrics and clothes she designed. But when her daughter was born, it became too much and she swapped the world of retail for the more sedate world of lecturing.

‘Then, one day, I saw an ad in the paper – the BBC was looking for nine people to be trainee directors and so I applied. We had two or three interviews and I got one of the places. I learned later that there were over 1,000 applicants. If I’d known that at the time, I wouldn’t have applied; I’d have thought there was no point. Nowadays, I’m often asked to talk to students and I tell them, don’t be put off; it’s worth a try, you’ve got nothing to lose.’

She started in 1990, a year after the birth of her son. Her training included a stint working on Blue Peter, making short filmed inserts. She says she learned a valuable lesson. No, not how to make a nuclear reactor out of some old washing-up liquid bottles, the insides of several loo rolls and acres of Fablon, but how to tell a story in just a few minutes.

It stood her in good stead when she was offered a contract in the BBC’s documentaries department. She worked on many programmes in her time there, but one that stands out for her is DJ Derek’s Sweet Memory Sounds, a portrait of the late Bristolian DJ who was known as ‘the blackest white man in Britain.’

After nearly ten years at the BBC, Helena decided to strike out on her own as an independent producer. She made two memorable documentaries. The Windrush Years for Channel 4 was a series of 12 three-minute portraits of people who came from the Caribbean to live and work in the UK between 1948 and 1971.

A Portrait of Mr Pink told the story of one of Lewisham’s most remarkable citizens, whose vividly painted house at the top of Loampit Hill dazzled all who passed it. More recently, Helena for the Kurdish Memory programme, helping to document the lives of the Kurdish people of Iraq.

Three years ago, Helena left Peckham to live in Hong Kong when her husband got a job working in the acquisitions team at M+, a new museum for visual culture being built in West Kowloon. She is working on a new film of her own, a documentary about the Filipino women who work, often in terrible conditions, as domestic servants in Hong Kong.

But she is back in Peckham whenever she can, visiting friends and seeing her children: Chris, a personal trainer, sports masseur, musician and DJ (performing as Jean Frais); and Nina, a charity worker, who is also the Queen of Samba, performing with the Bermondsey-based London School of Samba.

Helena has but one major regret in life. When she was working in the commissioning department at the BBC, she was approached with a programme idea by an unknown baker. Paul Hollywood, for it was he, invited her and some friends to his bakery school in an effort to convince her to give him his break into TV.

‘It was very nice,’ says Helena. ‘We had a good time. But I couldn’t see what we could do with him, so I turned him down. It took a stroke of genius by the Great British Bake Off people to team him with Mary Berry, Mel and Sue and make him the bad guy. I feel like the person who turned down The Beetles.’

..........................

View DJ Derek’s Sweet Memory Sounds at vimeo.com/53691544 and read about Mr Pink in the August/September issue of our sister paper, The Lewisham Ledger

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classyfoxdestiny · 3 years ago

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Premier League predictions 2021-22: BBC Sport pundits pick their top four

Defending champions Manchester City have won the Premier League in three of the past four seasons – but can anyone stop them this time?

Manchester United were City’s nearest rivals last time out but finished 12 points back and have still not sustained a serious title bid since they were last champions in 2013.

Will United challenge for top spot until the end in 2021-22? How will Liverpool respond after their title defence imploded at the start of the year? Can Chelsea be contenders again domestically after conquering Europe? And will Leicester, Arsenal, Tottenham or anyone else break into the Champions League places?

We asked 20 BBC TV and radio pundits to pick their top four, with explanations for their selections.

Alan Shearer Chelsea Man City Man Utd Liverpool Fara Williams Chelsea Man City Man Utd Liverpool Sue Smith Chelsea Man City Man Utd Liverpool Chris Sutton Chelsea Man City Liverpool Man Utd Rachel Brown-Finnis Chelsea Man City Liverpool Man Utd Matthew Upson Chelsea Man City Liverpool Man Utd Rob Green Chelsea Liverpool Man City Man Utd Martin Keown Man City Chelsea Liverpool Man Utd Micah Richards Man City Chelsea Liverpool Man Utd Stephen Warnock Man City Chelsea Liverpool Man Utd Danny Murphy Man City Liverpool Chelsea Man Utd Mark Lawrenson Man City Liverpool Chelsea Man Utd Ashley Williams Man City Chelsea Man Utd Liverpool Clinton Morrison Man City Chelsea Man Utd Liverpool Michael Brown Man City Chelsea Man Utd Liverpool Pat Nevin Man City Chelsea Man Utd Liverpool Leon Osman Man City Chelsea Man Utd Liverpool Nedum Onuoha Man City Man Utd Liverpool Chelsea Lindsay Johnson Man City Man Utd Chelsea Liverpool Jermaine Beckford Man City Chelsea Man Utd Leicester

Five teams feature in the forecasted top fours, but only City, United and Chelsea feature in all 20.

In terms of who will win it, City are favourites, with 13 votes. Chelsea get seven, while the highest anyone thinks United or Liverpool will finish is second. The overall predicted ranking gives a similar outcome.

1. Man City 2. Chelsea 3. Man Utd 4. Liverpool 5. Leicester 72 pts 62 pts 33 pts 32 pts 1 pt

(using system of 4 pts for a 1st place, 3 pts for 2nd, 2 pts for 3rd and 1 pt for 4th)

Which transfer would affect three pundits’ title predictions?

The predictions were made on Thursday, 12 August, with just under three weeks to go before the transfer window closes on Tuesday, 31 August.

Alan Shearer: Some major signings have already happened, but there are more to come that will affect the title race. I’m expecting it to be much tighter at the top than last time, with four teams in with a chance of being champions, not just City and Chelsea.

Alan Shearer joins Ian Wright and Gary Lineker on Match of the Day this Saturday at 22:20 BST on BBC One and the BBC Sport website for highlights of seven Premier League games.

Chris Sutton: If Harry Kane goes to Manchester City, then he is the perfect fit for them and I would fancy them. If he doesn’t, I think Chelsea will nick it, because they are getting Romelu Lukaku. I don’t think City will win the title without signing a centre-forward. I know they won it last season largely playing without one, which was remarkable. I don’t see it happening again.

Matthew Upson: As things stand, I’d back Chelsea. It looks as if Lukaku is definitely going there, while things are very different with City and Kane – who knows if that will happen? It’s a big ask for them to win the league again without a new striker but, if they do get Kane, that turns that problem position into a massive positive – and I’d change my prediction.

Sue Smith: Chelsea will have massive confidence from winning the Champions League but if City can get Kane, then I’d put them on top instead.

Guardiola was a ‘massive factor’ in Grealish joining Man City

Pat Nevin: City have already added Jack Grealish, who is exactly the right player for them and there is the possibility of Kane, who is perfect too because he is so creative and adaptable. Arguably he’s the player that Pep tried to turn Sergio Aguero into, and I can’t think of many strikers so well suited to City’s style.

If they get him, they are big favourites. If they don’t, they are just marginal favourites.

Man City – ‘A team of Galacticos’

This is the sixth season running where Manchester City have featured in everyone’s forecasted top four. It’s also the fourth successive year where no-one thinks they will finish below second.

Micah Richards: It’s tougher than ever to call it this season but I am still going to say City, even if they don’t get Kane. John Stones has signed a new deal and, with him and Ruben Dias, the defence is sorted. When you look at their options in midfield and going forward, it’s just not fair on the other teams and, with the form that Raheem Sterling was in at the Euros, they still have to be favourites.

Micah Richards and Dion Dublin are the guests on Football Focus on BBC One and the BBC Sport website at 12:00 BST on Saturday.

Danny Murphy: My gut feeling is that City are going to be really difficult to knock off their perch. They and Liverpool will just about have the edge on everyone but not by much – the top four will be really tight.

Nedum Onuoha: I look at how good City were defensively last season and think they will be strong enough to win the title again. But I think this year will be the first time in a while where there will be more than two teams in with a shout at the very end. City have made an excellent signing in Grealish but their rivals have strengthened well too.

Jermaine Beckford: They are so powerful. Stones and Dias have formed a brilliant relationship and City don’t really have a weakness any more.

Michael Brown: My only doubt is if they don’t get Kane, or another striker.

Ashley Williams: City are the best team and squad in the league. They have added Grealish and if they get Kane then the title is done. Even without Kane, or another top-class striker, as a team they have got goals everywhere and their style of play doesn’t need a recognised centre-forward. I’m expecting a more productive season from Sterling too.

Martin Keown: What I am really excited about is seeing how Grealish will play under Guardiola, after seeing the effect Pep has had on Sterling and Phil Foden already. Now we have another talented English player in his hands, and Grealish has a team of Galacticos around him.

Chelsea – ‘The depth in their squad is scary’

Last season, no-one thought Chelsea would win the title and only two out of 25 pundits thought they would make the top two. This time, seven out of 20 pundits think they will be champions and 80% think they will make the top two.

Pat Nevin: I’ve been at all their pre-season games and have looked at the depth they have got in their squad and it is actually scary – and that’s before Lukaku has arrived. If you add him on top of Kai Havertz, who could be, certainly over the next few years, one of the great players in the world, and look all the way through their squad, then they have got so much quality.

Fara Williams: We saw the impact Thomas Tuchel made in the second half of last season and how hard Chelsea are to beat. Lukaku’s goals will turn a lot of draws into wins.

Rob Green: Their squad is stronger than everyone else’s, even City. Then you add Lukaku, who will bring the best out of everyone else.

Martin Keown: Lukaku is a player you have to keep hungry so I think this is the perfect move for him, going back to a club where he has something to prove.

Ashley Williams: Chelsea made big improvements last season and I think they will be better again. I played with Lukaku at Everton so I know him quite well – his goal record for us was incredible but having seen him play for Inter Milan and Belgium, he’s even better now. It’s as if he has recognised his own ability and strengths more than he did before, and he knows when and where to use them. I still speak to him a lot and he has worked hard on his game – it’s mentally where he has got stronger, because he has always been a beast physically.

Ashley Williams joins Dion Dublin and Jason Mohammad on Final Score on Saturday, from 14:30 BST on the red button and the BBC Sport website and from 16:00 on BBC One.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel celebrates winning the Champions League with his family

Stephen Warnock: Tactically, they are so well organised under Tuchel, and it looks a happy camp too. He has created the perfect environment of having the authority that means no-one steps out of line, but the players like him too.

Michael Brown: They have got the belief now too, which is massive. They have gone from wondering ‘where will we finish?’ to thinking ‘we’ve got every chance’. They will be right in the mix.

Rachel Brown-Finnis: Tuchel consolidated at first and made them difficult to break down, now he is adding more firepower as well. If Lukaku clicks with their creative players, they will just be awesome but I just feel they will have the edge because of how hard they have been to beat.

Chris Sutton: Tuchel has not just sorted them out defensively, he has added a really nice balance to their team. Timo Werner will benefit from his first year in England, and Havertz also came into form at the end of the season. If there was a criticism of Chelsea last time, it was that they possibly weren’t ruthless enough but with Lukaku they will have a guy in who is an absolute glutton for goals.

Jadon Sancho joins an already fearsome United attacking line-up for the new season. Also in their squad are (left to right) Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani

Man Utd – Will Sancho give them the ‘X-factor’?

Last season, 24 out of 25 pundits thought they would make the top four although 17 of the votes they received placed them in fourth. This time, 100% think they will finish in the top four and 11 out of 20 think they will finish third or higher, although only two people have backed them to finish second.

Chris Sutton: United missed a great opportunity to win the Europa League last season, which would have taken the pressure off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by ending his wait for a trophy. They still had a good season but there is something missing – they have to show greater consistency and be able to take the game to the opposition. The other three top teams have a better balance about them but maybe Jadon Sancho will give them that X-factor.

Nedum Onuoha: If Sancho’s game can translate to the Premier League, then that is a huge coup for United. I can’t wait to see how he gets on.

Micah Richards: United have shown that they can beat anyone but they seem to have too many off-days over the course of the season and for me they are a couple of players short of being a title-winning side – including a centre-forward. Edinson Cavani is 34 and at the stage of his career where he needs looking after. He can’t play every week and they don’t have another striker like him.

Pat Nevin: It feels like Manchester United have been trying to sort out that centre-back position forever and, finally, by getting Raphael Varane in alongside Harry Maguire it looks right. I suspect it will turn out that way too, but let’s hold fire slightly to see – Varane was always lightning quick when he was younger but I have watched him a few times recently and wondered if he had lost half a yard of pace. I will only find out by watching him in the Premier League.

Matthew Upson: There is a lot of guesswork involved here until the season starts but Varane looks a really good signing, and one they needed to make. He and Harry Maguire are a world-class pairing at the back and that is going to make a huge difference for them.

Ashley Williams: You can’t ask for more from a centre-half partnership. My only question is whether Varane hits the ground running or does he need time to settle in. I’ve never played in La Liga so I am not saying there are easy games there but in the Premier League you are tested even by the poorer teams, and in different ways. Varane is vastly experienced but I’m not sure he will have come up against many teams like Burnley who have really physical strikers such as Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes. It doesn’t sound glamorous but they make your life difficult for 90 minutes. He has won everything there is to win, though, so I am sure he will cope with that.

Stephen Warnock: I see it as a four-horse race this year but the only difference between United and the other three is with their manager – I don’t think Solskjaer is the man to win the title. He’s done well tactically in some games but there have been times when something is not quite right and if you had given United’s squad to Jurgen Klopp, Guardiola or Tuchel last season, I think they all would have won the league. I am not sure he is the right man to take United to the next level.

Martin Keown: I have United down as finishing fourth but this title race is as open as it will ever be. They have made two brilliant signings, and they mean business. I am only picking this order because I have been asked to – and if they were to win it, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Liverpool’s only signing so far this summer saw France centre-back Ibrahima Konate join for £36m from RB Leipzig

Liverpool – A strong team but how deep is their squad?

Last season, 52% of the BBC pundits thought Liverpool would defend their title, while 21 out of 25 thought they would finish in the top two. This season, no-one thinks they will be champions, and only three out of 20 think they will make the top two.

Mark Lawrenson: A big factor for Liverpool is hunger after what happened last season. Yes, they had a lot of injuries but by their high standards it was a poor campaign – so they have a point to prove, especially in front of their fans at Anfield where they had such a poor run at the start of the year.

Danny Murphy: It is hugely important that Liverpool get Jordan Henderson’s contract situation sorted out. They have already lost Georginio Wijnaldum, who has been under-rated for the past few years. I do expect Henderson to stay, because he has been so pivotal to their success, but they need to put those concerns to bed quickly. Losing both now would be unthinkable.

Danny Murphy joins Ashley Williams and Mark Chapman for MOTD2 this Sunday at 22:30 BST on BBC One and the BBC Sport website for highlights of Newcastle v West Ham and Tottenham v Manchester City.

Georginio Wijnaldum left Liverpool in June and signed for Paris St-Germain on a free transfer. “He is seriously under-rated,” says Danny Murphy. “He is brilliant defensively but great on the ball too and he doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is technically.”

Stephen Warnock: They are still a very strong team and I just think the style of football will be back to what it was a couple of years ago, with the team playing that high press again. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah look fresh after a break over the summer but it is a concern what happens when they both go to the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Martin Keown: I know people are saying they haven’t really bought but there was nothing really wrong with Liverpool before their injury problems last season. I am backing Klopp to get back the perfection that was there in the two seasons before that, and they can challenge again, no doubt about it.

Pat Nevin: Liverpool still don’t look like they have a big enough squad to win the league, but then I’ve said that about them before. They have got Virgil van Dijk back now, which makes a massive difference, but I kind of think they need another serious striker.

Micah Richards: Diogo Jota did really well last season, and his injury came at a bad time for them. It might take a while for them to work out their best combination in attack, or what system to go with.

Chris Sutton: Ibrahima Konate looks like a decent defensive signing but the issue with Van Dijk is how fit is he? How has he been affected by being out for so long and the injury? We will find out.

Matthew Upson: It is hard to remember Liverpool at full throttle because they had such a disastrous time from the start of the year. Even though they have got Van Dijk fit, I had the same cruciate ligament injury and I’d say you are looking at several months from when he plays his first competitive game to him being back at his best. Joe Gomez is in the same boat really, and that’s the reason I have them down as third.

Rachel Brown-Finnis: I hope Van Dijk gets back to his best because he is such a wonderful player. They need him to perform individually but he also lifts the whole team. I don’t think it will happen for Liverpool without him, because of that knock-on effect. When they are in full swing, they are fantastic to watch.

Leicester – fighting it out with Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham for the top six?

Last season, Arsenal were the only other team to feature in the picks – two out of 25 pundits thought they would finish fourth or higher. This time, Leicester get a mention – but only one pundit thinks they will finish in the Champions League places.

Jermaine Beckford: I am going with Leicester to finish fourth. They are a breath of fresh air in terms of how much they invest in their squad compared to the teams who finished above them last season. They still spend some money of course, but they spend it so well. Their recruitment is absolutely brilliant, and I am a huge fan of the way Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers sets up his teams and gets everyone working hard together.

Ashley Williams: It’s going to be tough for anyone else to crack the top four, and I don’t think Arsenal or Spurs can do it. If anyone can wriggle in there, it is Leicester. They are a really good team and can beat any of the leading teams on their day but as they have already found out after finishing fifth twice, it is tough for them to sustain those standards for the whole season.

Martin Keown: Leicester will push again and they will definitely have a say in who will win the title. Arsenal and Spurs can too, but it still feels more like they are both in transition at the moment. There will be some pressure on Arsenal early on, because they have got some very difficult early fixtures against Chelsea and City in the first couple of weeks. I just want to see some more convincing performances from them, because I think we can see the club has tumbled down the league, and there are other clubs with more resources than them now. They need to be more competitive in games to get up the table, and they also need Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to have a smile back on his face.

Danny Murphy: If anyone might surprise a few people it’s Arsenal – they are not in Europe, and they have got some fantastic forward players. People forget that last season was the first in Aubameyang’s career where he didn’t score a bagful of goals, and nothing suggests to me that is going to continue. They have a tough start but their young players are going to keep getting better.

Pat Nevin: Just purely if you look at the finances and size and experience of squads, it is going to be very hard for anyone outside the top four to get up there again. After the top four, it is Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester, and maybe West Ham who will all basically be trying to be the best of the rest.

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England boss Gareth Southgate says BAME communities need more opportunities in football | Football News

Southgate hints England players could walk off if racially abused again

Last Updated: 09/06/20 11:55pm

Gareth Southgate has called for better opportunities for BAME communities

England manager Gareth Southgate says people from black, Asian and ethnic minorities have to be able to believe they can get opportunities in the game.

Protests following the death of American George Floyd, who was killed by a white police officer, have focused attention to the broader issue of racism across society.

A number of people have spoken out about the lack of opportunities in football for people from a BAME background, with Raheem Sterling a leading voice, citing how easy it has been for Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to get top management jobs ahead of Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole.

Former England international Jermain Defoe also questioned whether it was worth him even doing his coaching badges and Southgate has said that is something that the Football Association has to change.

“We lack that representation,” he said. “The biggest crime for us in any area if we’re adults looking at kids, is if they sit and think that a path in life isn’t possible. And is not accessible.

“I heard Jermain Defoe talking a few days ago saying, ‘Is it worth me taking my qualifications?’. That’s what we have to avoid.

“We have to avoid the feeling that you can’t achieve something because that stops some people going for it. We then have to make sure the opportunity is there when people are qualified and capable.

2:06 Leon Mann, one of the founder’s of the Football Black List, says Raheem Sterling’s comments on the lack of diversity within the game demonstrate his deep knowledge of the issues which need to be addressed

Leon Mann, one of the founder’s of the Football Black List, says Raheem Sterling’s comments on the lack of diversity within the game demonstrate his deep knowledge of the issues which need to be addressed

“And then, of course, they then have to grasp that opportunity and do well and if they can do well they’ll role model what’s possible to the next generation.

“In the end it is important to hear from those black voices, but it is important to hear from white voices as well because ultimately they are going to be the people in the positions to make decisions and can open up the opportunity and make a difference.

“We are the ones who have to be educated and I have been fascinated, I have been sat with my kids most evenings and discussed what has gone on around the world and watched various films, read various articles because the more knowledge we have the better.”

1:12 England manager Gareth Southgate told The Football Show he hopes the worldwide protests following the death of George Floyd will be a turning point in the fight against racism

England manager Gareth Southgate told The Football Show he hopes the worldwide protests following the death of George Floyd will be a turning point in the fight against racism

Southgate admitted he was given his first job in management at Middlesbrough without being qualified.

He said: “I know that I got an opportunity at Middlesbrough when I wasn’t qualified. That came because I had worked at the club and the owner knew me.

“But I couldn’t say that opportunity would have been there for somebody else.

“And I think we are all very conscious of it – the power of what is happening at the moment is that right across the world, people are standing together and these observations and these deeper-seated issues, rather than the horrendous incident that we saw that has triggered all of this and is completely beyond belief, but it’s rightly leading to the broader debate on opportunity, privilege.”

Justin Cochrane is head coach of England U16s

While accepting greater action is required Southgate did point to a number of FA initiatives that give BAME people more opportunity and highlighted highly-rated coach Justin Cochrane.

“There are on-going schemes … I’m not a massive lover of initiatives because I don’t always think that they deliver ultimately what is required,” Southgate said. “I think you need more forceful change.

“But I think there have been initiatives in the last four or five years that are starting to make a difference.

“We have some very good young black coaches coming through our development teams, Justin Cochrane is somebody who I think, within our group of national coaches, he is going to be a top coach.

“We also shouldn’t look just at the ex-players or high-profile players.

“Because as we know, so many of the top managers haven’t been top, top international players and that route must also be open to black coaches that haven’t played at the highest level.

“There will be some super bright lads out there who have come through universities, they might take the route that a Graham Potter or somebody has gone, by going back into university. So we’ve got to make sure that all of those pathways are open.”

Raheem Sterling was among the England players racially abused against Montenegro

Southgate hints his side could walk off if racially abused again

England boss Southgate has hinted his side would walk off the pitch if they were subject to racist abuse again, saying fans should not get two or three free hits.

England’s black players have suffered sickening abuse in Euro 2020 qualifiers in Montenegro and Bulgaria over the last 14 months, with Danny Rose, Raheem Sterling, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tyrone Mings among those targeted.

The game in Sofia was subjected to several stoppages as per UEFA protocols before England eventually decided to play on, but Southgate has said they would not be so forgiving next time.

“I think players would feel we don’t want to go through an experience again where people get one or two chances to have a go at us before we are able to take action,” he said.

1:19 Stoke City’s Tom Ince wants UEFA and FIFA to be stronger on dealing with racist abuse and expects footballers to walk off the pitch soon to deal with the problem

Stoke City’s Tom Ince wants UEFA and FIFA to be stronger on dealing with racist abuse and expects footballers to walk off the pitch soon to deal with the problem

“I think every situation is unique. I don’t see going through a situation like we did in Bulgaria again in the same way – the group will have moved on and their level of tolerance for something like that would be different.

“On that night, by following the process we did, we still made a huge statement across the world – that is going to have less impact if we are put in that position again.

“I can only reiterate that by that stage, in my view, we’ve gone too far anyway. We should not be experiencing that situation in the ground, full stop.

“I’m loathed to comment on walking off abroad because again there is a perception there that I am shifting the problem to somebody else’s doorstep when, quite clearly, we’ve got to sort our own country and our own game out.”

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