#like w Leon and Claire's first meeting

[mold-dad]

Society if Capcom had let us have a Sherry/Leon reunion chapter in RE6

[blueysobssesions]

Them Simping at you

~ Luis Sera, Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Piers Nivans

RE men simping for you lol

'Holy- She's- cute'

'ella es hermosa...!'

'What's her name?'

'should I ask her out?'

"BOYS!" Claire yelled, rolling her eyes at the group of guys who were ogling you from across the room. "You're making her uncomfortable!" They then snapped back to reality, Chris cleared his throat, you might not see it but there's a small pink dust on his cheeks. "W-what do you want to talk about?"  he stuttered. "Meet Y/N, she's (targets name) cousin. She'll give us some information about him" Then the men turned their heads to you. You froze, flustered. 'Why- why are they looking at me like that?' their stares were... different... It's like they want to eat y- "Y/N, what a beautiful name" a man with a have messy, wavy, black hair,and brown eyes spoke. "I'm Luis Sera" he said as he winked at you. You looked at him flustered, "Uhm, nice to meet you Luis and the others!" I smiled, "Y/N, let's talk in my office so we can talk about your cousin?" you nodded, and followed her tp her office, looking back, you smiled at the ,men and leav the room.

"Really? Luis?" Leon looked at him with an annoyed tone. "What? You guys weren't doing anything. So, I moved first" he smirked, Chris couldn't take off the smile you gave them, no, him. "Gotta admit, she's pretty, cap" Piers nudge his shoulders playfully. 

She is. 

[jillsandwhichs]

cleon fic , chap 6 , still loveable

masterlist

pairing: Claire Redfield & Leon Kennedy

summary: Claire gets hurt during a mission at terrasave & Leon visits her in the hospital

status of their relationship in this oneshot: Dating

wc: 2.5k

type: Sfw

a/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Thank you

The bright white lights were beaming in the tranquil, pristine room. It was also quite a small room, clearly meant for only one person to be staying in, but it was extensive enough to allow visitors to stay in. It smelt very bland, as if it had no smell, it was a boring scent. There weren't many windows either, just a few along the left wall, which showed the busy outside world, people who were actually able to live their lives outside of a hospital.

Claire didn't like it here - she absolutely despised being in the hospital. If only she would've been more careful, she wouldn't have ended up here, in this plain, depressing room. All she wanted was to be back at her house, laying in her bed and watching TV or reading a book. Here, she can still do that, but not like she can back home. Now she doesn't even know when she'll be out of here, the nurses haven't given her a clear set time yet.

Her entire left side hurt, it was beyond bruised up, it was all black and purple. Her left arm was also banged up too, having red scratch marks all down it and a huge dried bloody scab on her elbow. Her body hurt, but it wasn't an unbearable pain. She's sure if she was in the comfort of her own home, she would feel a whole lot better. But alas, she has to stay here to make sure no further damage occurs to her well being.

Not only does she miss her home, Claire also misses being at work. Despite her mission at TerraSave causing her to get hurt, she doesn't really care, she just wants to get back out in the world and work, it's her ultimate passion and it's all she ever wants to do aside from being home. She misses some of her co workers, luckily a few of them have visited her. Gabe is the one she misses most, the two have a tight bond, he's like a second brother to her.

All Claire was trying to do was get her mind off of the fact she's rotting in a hospital bed mid day, when she could be at work, being productive and useful. She feels lazy, which is a feeling she hasn't even felt since her days in college, back then she was lazy, she'll admit that. Although, it's kind of hard to keep her mind off of it when all she can even hear is the sounds of the lights buzzing above her, they were clearly old and in utter need of being replaced.

Once she's all healed up, the first thing she's doing is going to HQ and asking when the next upcoming mission will be ; that is if they even let her go on one. TerraSave happens to be rather safe than sorry and sometimes they'll force workers to take breaks from serious missions after a messy injury, which Claire has sadly suffered. It's like all she can think about - working and being home.

Whilst Claire was deep in thought, she hadn't even noticed a nurse walk in. The woman seemed young, even younger than Claire. She finds it admirable that young people are working towards such tough and hard working jobs ; a nurse being a great example of that. It encourages her more than anything. "Hi Claire, I'm Kaylee, it's nice to meet you, your usual nurse had the day off today so I'm here just to check in on you!" Kaylee spoke, her tone kind. "Oh, yeah, sure." Claire responded, attempting to sit up.

"Oh, no hun, just stay layed down... You did a lot of damage to yourself." Kaylee chuckled to herself, seeming very friendly. "Yeah, guess that's what happens when you work in the force though." "I imagine so... TerraSave, correct?" "Yes, that's the organization I work for." Claire responded, her eyes gandering up at the nurse. "What's your position there?" Kaylee questioned, holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, most likely needing to gather some info from Claire.

"I'm a representative for the company." Claire answered, sliding some of her loose hair behind her ear, although it hurt her arm a bit, she still wasn't recovered at all. "Nice... And your organization just basically helps people and the aftermath of terrorist attacks? Or just attacks in general?" "Pretty much, yeah." Claire spoke, her tone brittle. "I see now... And how exactly did you end up injuring yourself?" "Well, I was on top of this steel platform, trying to get a better angle of where our missing chopper was, because it literally vanished, then boom, the platform starts swaying and I fell from it onto a rock, it fucking hurt." Claire snorted, rubbing her temple. "I bet." Kaylee replied, her tone empathetic.

"I'm honestly surprised you're okay, for the most part. You bruised your ribs pretty good and your entire arm is scratched up and it's swelled... Like a lot... You're a tough girl." Kaylee complimented, placing the clipboard down. "Thanks, I try." Claire tittered, sighing deeply to herself, her eyes staring down at the white marble floor, Claire imagined it was cold to be barefoot on, but at least the cot was warm enough.

"Alright well, thank you for answering those questions, I appreciate any information I can get." Kaylee stated, smiling kindly at Claire before speaking once more, "Oh and by the way, Barbara, the receptionist currently working told me that you have a visitor on the way, not much has been told to me but I know their name is Leon, does that ring any bells?" Kaylee asked, seeming skeptical. "Oh, yes, that's my boyfriend. Jesus, in all honesty I forgot about him." Claire giggled, she wasn't being serious but she won't lie, he wasn't on her mind much.

"Don't worry, you hit your head and got hurt, you tend to worry about yourself more than others which is valid in this situation but I'll keep your secret." Kaylee reassured her. "Thanks." Claire chuckled, folding her arms. "Yeah... Anywho, I'll see you soon, I'll check your vitals and all that good stuff in about an hour or two, will you be okay until then?" "Yeah, don't worry about me!" Claire expressed, giving Kaylee the queue to know she could leave not worrisome. "Okay then, just hit the button on the right side of your cot to alert a nurse and one of us will come to you, sound good?" "Yep!" "Alrighty then, bye bye Claire." Kaylee said with a bright, cheerful grin before walking out of the room.

Breathing out deeply, Claire reverted her eyes to the TV directly in front of her bed. It was a small, black square one and it was mounted onto the wall. What was playing was Steve Irwin, the guy was playing with some Cheetahs, it was adorable. Sadly, the man had passed away not to long ago, Claire remembered how girls at her high school fawned over him. She has no doubt girls will continue doing it once his son is older.

Through the small windows in the compact room, Claire spotted a few different breeds of birds finding their ways to the sills of them, relaxing and pecking away at whatever goods they were able to acquire. Claire adored wildlife, it was so natural, like truly. It isn't even debatable. It sort of kept her mind off of the fact she was hurt pretty badly, but nevertheless, she would recover soon, it's just a matter of time.

Lost in her own thoughts, Claire was startled when she suddenly heard the door creak open, black shoes were visible from the bottom, indicating it was Leon. He must've just gotten out of work, he dresses quite nicely for it too. "Leon?" Claire spoke aloud, hoping it'd be him. "I'm here babygirl." He said back to her, opening the door fully to show himself off. He looked as handsome as ever.

"Hi." Claire mumbled, tilting her head upwards, catching a glimpse of his face. "Hi baby... You doing okay?" Leon questioned, striding over to her cot and immediately grabbing her hand, knowing to be careful, despite it being her not damaged arm. "Yes, I'm okay, just sore and hungry." Claire responded, her voice soft & timid. "I imagine honey, I heard you had quite the fall. Pedro told me you were unconscious afterwards, I wish I could've been there, my love." Leon spoke with sincere, he felt horrible that he couldn't be there for her the day it happened.

"It's okay, you were at work, you aren't obligated to come to my rescue." Claire tittered, beaming at him with love plastered on her face. "I kind of am though..." Leon whispered, caressing her hand with his thumb. "You said you were hungry?" "Yeah, I haven't eaten since yesterday, before all this happened." Claire chuckled, sighing deeply to herself. "I can pick you up some food here in a bit, I don't need you trying to eat this shitty hospital food." Leon snickered, firmly holding her hand, making sure she knew he was there for her.

"It's okay, I'll live." "No, I insist, I can get you whatever you'd like, from wherever." Leon insisted, sitting down in the chair beside her hospital bed, being careful to not bump anything. "Well... A bagel from the bakery sounds good." Claire giggled, gazing up at her man. "You ask and you shall receive." Leon smirked down at his girl. "Before you go, just stay here for a bit, it's been literally two days since I've seen you." "Okay beautiful, I'm more than happy to stay here with you... When will you be able to come home?" "Don't know yet, I imagine I'll find out when the nurse checks my vitals again." Claire replied.

"Okay. Whenever you're able to, whether it be tonight or tomorrow or whenever, I'll bring you back to my place, it'll be safer that way. Pedro told me you're getting some time off, he told me you were pretty rough looking." Leon heaved, letting go of her hand and moving it to her hair, slowly running his fingers through it. "I bet I was." Claire blew out, adjusting her upper half and attempting to turn her body to get a better view of Leon. "No, just stay there, you're so stubborn." Leon chuckled. "I just wanna be able to move again." "Give it a day or two babygirl."

Claire cutely rolled her eyes and let out another deep breath, she seemed very bored of this place, which Leon didn't blame her. He wishes that she could be home, with him. It's all he wanted for her. "Come here." Leon mumbled, standing up and drawing himself closer to her body, embracing her with open arms. Claires lips formed a half smile whilst she wrapped her right arm around him, using her fingers to grasp onto his shirt.

Leon nuzzled his head into her neck, breathing gently and taking in this moment with stride. He was grateful she was okay, he doesn't know what he would've done if she would've gotten more injured than she already is, or worse. Leon can't imagine a world where Claire isn't his soulmate. "I'm glad you're ok." Leon uttered out in her ear, kissing her cheek a couple times before officially pulling away. "I love you Claire." "Me too and I love you more, Leon." Claire said, her heart was swelling with care and love for him.

"Do I look dumb at all? My hair is a mess, I haven't showered in two days and my entire left side is just beyond beat up... Ugh..." Claire scoffed. "No, no babygirl, you look fantastic always. You could like..." Leon stopped in thought before finishing his sentence, "You could have literal shit smeared on your face and I'd still view you as perfection." Leon laughed, lightening the mood. "Ew, you sicko." Claire chortled, slapping his arm lightly. "Just speaking my mind." He mumbled out to her.

"Oh, by the way, Chris let me know he's gonna fly down from New York to check on you. I wouldn't dare try and deny his request." Leon joked, he somewhat feared Chris but respectively. "What? Why? I'm fine! That's a waste of money, he has absolutely no reason. Oh Jesus." Claire groaned out. She wasn't a teenager anymore, yet he still tries his best to take care of like she is. "Hun, he's your big brother, he's going to worry." "I get that, yes, but it's beyond unnecessary, I'm okay." "Well, it's your problem now, not mine." Leon teased, pinching her cheek playfully.

Leon leaned over towards her face and planted a gentle, warm kiss on her lips, breathing in her scent as he did so. He felt a load of sorrow deep within him. Seeing his girlfriend hurt like this was the last sight he wanted to bare. And when she had asked, "Do I look dumb?" He just felt his heart break a little bit. He was never much of the soppy type, but Claire has definitely made him softer, more affectionate. She will always be his love, she'll always be loveable, no matter what state she's in.

He kept the kiss going for a bit longer, very lightly touching her hip considering it was the bruised up one. Claire's right hand held onto his forearm, her eyes were closed too. "I just wish I could've visited you sooner, I'm sorry that I was working." Leon spoke, his tone blue. "No need honey, I understand. I'm just appreciative that you're here now, that's all that matters Leon." "I'm glad beautiful. I'll make sure you get home soon, I don't need you stuck here in a hospital." "Trust me, I know." Claire tittered. "I can't wait to get back to work." Claire exclaimed.

"Well sweetheart, I hope you understand you aren't going back anytime soon, you need time to heal, you could've... You just really got hurt, alright?" "I'll go back whenever I feel okay." Claire pleaded. "No Claire, you'll go back once your body is okay. You're so stubborn and so damn ambitious, it's attractive." Leon laughed, telling her how he felt. "I got my ways." Claire snickered. "But seriously, I want to get back to work asap, I hate being lazy, you know that." "This isn't lazy, this is called recovery, you need it babygirl." Leon persisted. "Fine." Claire sighed, laying her head back onto the hard yet comfortable white pillow.

"You're dramatic." Leon teased, plopping back down into the chair and gleaming at her. "How about I go get your bagel, how's that sound?" "Yes, please, I can feel my empty stomach each time I move." Claire chuckled, tossing her right hand onto her lower stomach. "Ok. I'll be back soon, just hang tight and don't fall asleep on me, yeah?" Leon spoke, pulling his head down to hers and pecking her forehead with carefulness.

"I'll be back, I love you." Leon stated, kissing her lips quickly before beginning to tread lightly out of Claire's hospital room. "Love you more handsome." Claire responded, waving goodbye with her healed hand.

[cheemken]

psst hey king champions body swap au think of all the chaos

Omfff yeah chmdndn hahaha

So I imagine them swapping for the first time it went like: Hau > Lance, Lance > Steven, Cynthia > Wallace, Wallace > Cynthia, Iris > Geeta, Diantha > Leon, Leon > Diantha, Geeta > Hau

No but, immediately, I know in my heart, Lance's League would figure out it's not him hahaha

I know his League would immediately know it's not him, bc for one, Lance has a resting bitch face, and the Lance that's in front of them rn is smiling at them so softly and so awkwardly and I know Clair's there looking at em all "okay, so, I'm not the only one freaked out by this, yeah?"

After their meeting, they all left except for a few, maybe Clair and Silver, since "Lance" just stayed in the meeting hall, pacing, muttering under his breath, looking around, he's like stimming honestly, and ofc that's odd for Clair and Silver, Lance wasn't like that. In fact, during the meeting he was so quiet, and it's always him who does the talking. Either way, they'll find out what's really going on w him

Imagine the first time they swapped, Steven was exploring a cave in Hoenn, and then the swap happened, and Lance is there in the middle of a dark as fuck cave going "where the hell am I?!"

Oh Cynthia would be fucking vibing she's in Wallace's body now fr, like imagine her waking up, going to the bathroom, looks at herself in the mirror and she just fucking screams. Lisia runs in, almost kicks the door open, panicking, asking what happened. Cynthia had to force herself to calm down and give Lisia a not so convincing smile going "n-nothing's wrong! Don't worry!" Laughing nervously while waving her hand, but Lisia didn't buy it ofc, tho maybe her uncle just wanted some time for himself, and she said he should call her if there's smth wrong, and finally left. Cynthia called Steven in a hurry after that, only for Lance to be on the other end. This was not her day.

Wallace is honestly the same w Cynthia tho, like Cyn's sister running to her room in a hurry too, only for Wallace to try and play it cool, going "I just saw a, uhh, Spinarak crawl by, that's all!" And ofc, he knows abt Cynthia's small fear of bugs, he just hoped her sister would buy it too, fortunately it did, w her sister saying she shouldn't scream like that, shaking her head going, "you scared gran and gramps, you continue to take years off their lives, Thia, I swear" and she finally left.

The Paldea kids also immediately figured out there's smth wrong w "Geeta" bc there was no way in hell Geeta knows a lot abt fandom stuff. Iris was horrible at this, like she's really trying to make the most of it, but she relented bc hey, they really were looking at her weird, so she just "I.. yeah, I'm not Geeta. I'm Iris, the Unova Champion."

"champion Iris??"

"yep, I don't know what happened, but I was in a middle of eating breakfast and suddenly I'm at Geeta's office."

The four of them do help her out, they've trained for this, they always impersonate the league members behind their backs bc they thought it was funny, so they taught her how to act like Geeta and make it less suspicious. It still failed, Rika knew Geeta doesn't know abt this really obscure Unovan show she watches

Geeta was also figured out quick, bc the Alola kids just noticed "Hau" walking upright with his hands folded behind his back all the time. The way he talks too, it wasn't like Hau, ofc it wasn't Hau. Geeta was calmer, quieter, more observant, really the opposite of Hau. They did ask her abt it, and she ended up just telling them the truth, that she really isn't Hau, "I don't know, perhaps this is a pokemon's doing, hopefully you'll have your friend back soon." She said, and it's so weird for the Alola kids to hear it in Hau's voice, to hear his own voice sound so monotonous, they were so used to him being so lively and upbeat.

As much as I want Dia and Leon to ruin each others reputation, I also wanna say that they realized their lives are almost similar yknow.

Diantha woke up in Leon's room, at first ofc she panicked, the place was unfamiliar to her until she looked into the mirror. But hey, she's a seasoned actress, she knows how to play the part, even if it's a role she doesn't like. So she went on her day, got dressed, and went downstairs to have breakfast w his family. And idk, idk I want her to like,, have this lil moment bc yknow, she found out Leon was still w his mother, together w his brother, the three of them having breakfast together, and it reminds her of the times when she was younger, Drasna and Augustine w her on the dining table, eating breakfast too, telling each other about their days and such, and those days were the ones she treasured the most. It actually made her cry, Hop and his mom were worried, asking "Leon" was wrong, but Dia just smiled, "it's nothing, I'm sorry.. I just.. it's nice being with you guys." And it was nice, yknow, maybe when everything's normal again, she could have a normal breakfast w her family at home again too

And on Leon's end, he realizes how lonely Diantha was. She was staying at the League, none of the Elite Four were there, just her, just him. He looked around her room, neat and pristine, ofc, what did he expect, then he got dressed too, preparing for what kinda day he'd have. He should message the other champions, but like, none of them messaged their group chat yet, so maybe this only happened between him and Dia. So hey, he's roaming around the League yknow, it was quiet, it was empty, like his own office at his tower, how lonely it was, how isolating it was. He went out the garden, looking at the statue in the middle, at the fountain, at the Pokémon who were sleeping within the trees. It was quiet. Too quiet. He didn't like it, it reminds him too much of his tower, being on top of everyone, alone on his pedestal. He sighed, "this is what you wake up to everyday..?" He asked, knowing he won't get an answer, he sighed, "no wonder you don't like being alone too."

Ofc, maybe after they all decided to actually message each other abt what's going on, and it's a relief yknow that it's not just a certain pair, but it's also concerning for them bc how did this actually happen?? They ended up having an impromptu meeting, in case they won't return to their own bodies, they'd know what to do at least. But yeah, maybe they did return to their bodies, or maybe it took a while before they did, idk that'd be interesting, that they get to experience how the other champions go on their day, and they find out more abt them too hahah

[unprocione]

death island was enough social interaction w/ the ex-stars crew + claire as a group for leon for an entire year. "we'll meet up again soon right?" "oh yeah. for sure." he will now migrate to the deepest offgrid recesses of the midwest like a locust until he recharges w/ hunnigan sworn to secrecy about his exact location details. the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected!! respectfully.

they may share alot of ideals and events and similar experiences but he can only handle one person from that set at a time. there's the whole shoving the government's involvement w anything bad to do w bioterrorism under the rug and essentially being an unwilling propaganda mouthpiece ordeal he has going on that cant be overlooked.

hes kinda working against his allies who all have core themes of bringing the truth to light. claire, chris, rebecca and jill (oh ESPECIALLY jill. but claire also wounds me bc she's pretty much in direct opposition narratively) all rightfully have a bone to pick with him. which is sad considering it should really be the opposite for him in an ideal world where he isnt pressured to be trotting out the misinformation spiel everytime something that could pop the lid on us involvement w bioterrorism comes up, but he's highkey been brainwashed into believing this is what keeps the people he cares about, claire included, safe, selfishly convincing himself it's for their own good so he can sleep at night. like there's a part of him that knows what he's doing is wrong but he's tired and honestly? not as strong morally as he appears at first glance because of what hes had to bend to live with himself. (barely. its a wonder he hasnt had his stomach pumped yet tbvfh)

[jackienautism]

i rant about resident evil and their writing / inclusion of the girls.

i jsut want 2 girls to go on their fucked up little adventures together is that too much to ask

i finally got to the halfway point of code veronica X and GODDDD i fucking knew they were gonna do this goddamn shit w/ steve and claire. i knew from the goddamn beginning even if i didnt want to admoit it...... residetn evil just cant be normal w/ a girl being paired w/ a guy. they just fucking cant

i understand that this is seen more among the older games (ashley + leon from re4 as well) and i cant speak for the og re3 nemesis but the way they wrote carlos and jill? its just.... why make these male characters say such bizarre and degrading and just ? nasty comments towards the female protag? do you really expecvt us to root for them? i just dont fcuking undeerstand, and this occurs in a remake too! they didnt bother to maybe just maaaybe take that bulllshit out. because jill's uncomfortable. IM uncomfortable. its just. godddd who the fuck caaaares STOP THIS TROPE

you see this same thing w/ steve and claire.... not oonly is steve incredibly fucking annoying the first second we meet him, he also continually acts as a nuisance towards her for a good quarter of the game. yeah sure theyre just building up to the Ground Breaking Emo backstory drop later, but. you already made me fucking hate this loser so goddamn much meaning im not gonna give a single shit about his development later. I JUST DONT CARE FOR HIM !!!!!! THEM MAKING HIM SO ANNOYINH RUINED ANY CHANCE OF ME CHANGING MY MIDN LATER.......

and GOD havent even mentioned this yet but. when i saw the little preview thing w/ the 3 characters w/ claire + chris i saw [steve] and went.... [eyeballs] hello whos this? long story short i thoiught he was a butch lesbian and i got SO excite d b c residtn ebil has yet to pair a girl up w/ anothner girl around the same age but noooooo instead i got this pathetic loser of a man (derogatory). the closest we have to 2 girls being fucked up together is mia and zoe in re7. but thats like. mainly a side thing. and mia isnt even the protag so

which leads me to the next thng i wanted to talk about. i think mnmen are super cool ofc and i hate to be that Bitch and pull that Card but good freaking god why must there be a man FOR EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN SERIES...... andit woudlnt be huge deal if they were noraml w/ these pairings but theyre NOT..... THEY MAKE IT WEIRD EVERY SINGLE TIME..... STEVE LITERALLY ALMOST KISSES CLAIRE WHILE SHE'S ASLEEP........ CARLOS CONSISTENTLY MAKES UNNECESSARILY WEIRD COMMENTS TOWARD JILL......... ASHLEY RANDOMLY AWSKS FOR SEX AT THE END OF RE4............ WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT AOBUT? good for ashley for shooting her shot i guess though but considering yhe game's previous comments towards ashleu and her figure.... it was blatantly put in to sexualize her furtyher

maybe its thr lesbian in me popping out maybe its the aromantic in me popping out WHO KNOWS all i know is that. resident evil makes me very upset sometimes dflkgnjg i love the games i love the characters (esp the girls big surprise i know) but jesus christ. somethings i just can't ignore. and this is cerrtainly one of them. a girl just can't exist out of a guy according to capcom. and that sort of idea is suuuper evident in how they portray and include their women. you could have a girl protag (re3, recv etc) but theres always a 99% chance theres gonna be a man tagging along + continually saving their asses and theres almost alwaysa an even HIGHER chance that theyre meant to be seen as a romantic interest! and its exhausting@!!!!!

long story short . i get im not resident evil's target audience . but im still gonna be pissed and annoyed . the girls deserve better .

im def gonna have to go more in depth abt resident evil and their writing of relationships (or lack thereof) some other time but just for now. the best written ones are claire + sherry and mia + ethan goodbye

[hamartia-grander]

so I’ve seen ur adalice propaganda and I’ve heard vague mentions of alice, so what makes her the perfect girlfriend for ada? :)

WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *explodes*

This is not going to make much sense and I'm going to be all over the place and I apologise I am just very mentally ill over Alice (and ada x alice)

SO. Alice Abernathy is the main protagonist from the live action Resident Evil film series directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, starring Milla Jovovich as Alice. Alice started out as a highly trained operative working for Umbrella - she could kick some serious ass, and her job title was head of security so she'd basically act as a bodyguard or field agent depending on what Umbrella needed from her. However, once she found out the truth of what Umbrella was creating, all the genetic viruses and bioweapons, and how they planned to do terrible things with them, she worked with another Umbrella employee with the intention of spilling Umbrella's secrets before they released the virus, and then getting Umbrella shut down. Alice failed, because she was incapacitated by Umbrella's own security measures when another Umbrella agent (a bad guy) unleashed the T-virus on the entire Hive (Umbrella's underground facility where they actually worked on the T-virus, and everyone who worked here knew what they were doing). But point is she tried.

Alice is cunning, perceptive, kind-hearted, and strong-willed. She is also very stubborn, and believes she can accomplish anything just because she's not going to stop until it's done or she dies. She's very very dedicated and heroic. She refuses to shoot a single team member even after they've been obviously infected because there's the slightest chance they could find the cure in time, before she remembers there even is a cure. She thinks she can save them all through sheer will. She cares about anyone and is willing to set aside differences to help people. She knows her strengths and she's not afraid to face dangerous situations, even offering to go alone when she can because she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. And the funny thing is, rather than introducing Alice to the games, Capcom has instead given many of her best traits and attributes to Leon: her heroism, her compassion, her eagerness to help, and her perseverance. (Leon was technically a character before Alice, but if you see the movies versus the RE games that came after, you'll get what I mean, it's very obvious they took lots of inspiration from Alice's character). They also literally ripped off the scene where Leon drives a motorcycle into the Arias monster in RE Vendetta from Alice doing the exact same thing in the second Resident Evil film, years before him. But later on, the movies started giving Alice aspects of Leon's character, because he only shows up in one movie. And when Ada is finally introduced to the films, they gave her and Alice the exact same knife fight as Leon and Ada had in the original RE4. Like, down to the flip thing Ada does to catch her gun. The same scene. That was where the Adalice thoughts first started for me, because h u h??? Giving your main protagonist the same scene with Ada that Ada also has with her love interest in the games???? hm,,,, (also worth mentioning - Milla Jovovich as Alice cannot be in the same shot as another woman without acting like she's in love with them. Like so many Alice ships exist with other women - Jill, Claire, Rain - because Alice naturally creates so much tension with the other female characters and cannot look at another women without heart eyes. It's so great.)

Now the FUN part is, Alice already knows who Ada is and what she does when they meet. She is fully aware that Ada indirectly worked for Umbrella, and was Wesker's top agent. And Ada's story is different than her journey in RE2 when she and Leon met - development wise, Ada's is about where she'd be after re4r. So while these factors are different, and Ada in this film is trying to move away from her past work, she still has Umbrella and Wesker tying her down. Alice knows all of this. And once Ada explains the situation, Alice trusts her. They help each other in this film, because they both have the common goal of taking down umbrella. Now some context, the films are MUCH more dystopian/apocalyptic, as Anderson decided to take the route of a global infection rather than only keeping the t-virus in raccoon city, and outbreaks select parts of the world like the games do. So at this point in the films, Umbrella has taken over the entire world, and Alice is still fighting tooth and nail to bring them down. Ada joins her, they help each other, but they also have mutual respect for each other. And even better, Alice doesn't expect more from Ada than Ada verbally offers to give. Alice is more than willing to complete tasks on her own, but Ada still helps her - even when Alice decides to adopt a little girl on the way who mistook Alice for her mother. (You can tell Ada doesn't really care for kids and it's funny, but she still helps Alice protect the girl). Ada gets to shine as her own character, and while she's definitely not given the same space and consideration that she gets in the RE4 Remake, she definitely gets more than most of the games combined. Ada being allowed to maintain her character and identity without having to sacrifice anything or give more than she's willing to just to appease Alice is one of the BIGGEST ways Adalice differs from Aeon, despite Alice and Leon being similar. (Ada has a type lmao)

Also, side note, here is the only "romantic" scene Ada and Leon share (and notice also how Ada looks at/reacts to Alice instead)

I want Leon dead I want to kill him so bad he sucks extra bad in this film

Anyways I guess what I'm trying to say here is, Ada and Alice have all the good attributes that Ada and Leon have, but without the one-sided obsession and secrets. (And Alice is like if Leon actually respected Ada as a person rather than an object of his desire he views through a warped lens LMAO.) And so there's the intrigue of Alice and Ada's dynamic where they are "on opposite sides", but they work together towards a common goal, respect each other, look out for each other, and care for each other, and it's mutual. And they get the enemies to lovers speedrun edition where they're only enemies for like 2 minutes.

Idk, I don't wanna be like "just watch the movie" but also,,, Resident Evil: Retribution is SUCH a good movie and I think everyone should watch it. It's my favourite live action RE film, and Ada and Alice's relationship just shines in it.

[nancydfan]

I was thinking of the opening for OGRE2 today and how Claire/ Leon can meet Kendo inside his shop and gather supplies before going onto the RPD and how it was its own brand of chaos for the time as the game was static cam (its amazing how that changes things btw) and you know when it came out. and then I was thinking about the remake and how it didn't have that aspect. and then I was thinking about RE8 and how it kinda had that aspect with the lycans at the start but w/o the set (location) goal

Yeah! You’re totally right! And honestly, that fixed cam made that shit down right scary at times lol cause you couldn’t tell where everything was especially first time through. I think that’s one really solid benefit from 1st person. In horror games, it’s just so much scarier when you can’t just easily scan the room for all of your enemies because you’re fixed straight ahead or behind you but not both. I’m ngl. I’ve been jumped many times cause I think I hear an enemy but when you turn around, there’s nothing. Then I assume it’s sound but it’s actually a lycan this time lol because RE8’s sound has lycans and enemies making noise around you even when they’re not there and it makes battling them a bit more intense cause you have to actually be turning to watch for them. You can’t just guess! Which I like. I think it’s more fun that way

[titan-wolfdog]

you can make an au where claire and leon or jill and carlos meet if the outbreak never happened! could be a meet cute!

This was TOO TEMPTING with Claire x Leon cause it’s so easy to envision, thanks for the request!

—–

Every minute on the clock was as boring as the previous, and the one before that, and the previous five before that one. Leon rolled his eyes, glancing behind him, to his left, to his right and, why not? In front of him too, not like there was somewhere else to look at.

The mountains around Raccoon City wouldn’t change positions any sooner, no matter how many trees he counted, the weather wouldn’t really get any warmer no matter how long he stared at the clouds and highway patrol wouldn’t really get interesting no matter how much he prayed for it.

‘‘Just… a slow day, Leon,’’ he told himself, pinching the bridge of his nose, ‘‘just endure it for a little longer, you’re just filling in for Matthew on his free day…’’ he muttered under his breath, stretching his legs inside his vehicle.

Fuck this, how does Matthew do this every single day?! He cursed his coworker in his head, opening the door to step out for a while. His legs had gotten sore with the time past locked inside, might as well step out to use them for a while, even if it was to walk around.

Alas, the universe, however, likes to play games.

Not three minutes had passed and his ears picked up the roar of an engine and the grinding of wheels on the asphalt road.

It slowed down soon, however, clearly not on purpose because it came to a halt just a little ahead of his own vehicle.

‘‘Fuck! Shit! Motherfu- oh,’’ as soon as they made eye contact, she quieted down very quickly, whoever was she.

‘‘Uh, you alright there?’’ He stifled his laughter with his hand, walking towards the biker.

‘‘Yeah just-’’ she reached underneath and took her helmet off, ‘‘-ran out of gas in literally the worst place possible.’’

Every muscle of his face tensed. For her disarming smile spreading across her cheek, his heart skipped a beat. His eyes felt locked on hers, such bright hues of sky-blue that he finally understood why everyone complimented his own first.

‘‘Uh… yeah there really isn’t a station nearby,’’ Leon scratched the back of his neck, blushing in the slightest when he noticed that, much like him, her cheeks were rosy as she eyed him up and down.

‘‘Yeah, I noticed officer…’’ He traced the way she was looking at, noticing she was trying to read his badge.

‘‘Officer Kennedy, but just call me Leon,’’ admittedly, he wasn’t really the best at flirting, even less when a cute brunette biker just happened to have a problem right in front of him.

‘‘And I’m Claire,’’ as she stepped closer, his heart skipped yet another beat. One more and he’d start to worry, or maybe not, ‘‘say Leon, you think you can help me get to the city? I know it’s a little forward to ask but-’’

‘‘No no! Not at all,’’ he shook it off with little care, not minding the request. He glanced at the clock, and his shift was almost over, no one would really care he left a couple of minutes earlier.

It took a while to figure out how to carry her bike, but once that was done and everything was set up, Leon drove away from that boring-to-death piece of earth that was the highway.

And for the first part, the ride was pretty quiet, oh how he hated those awkward silences. Okay she’s looking my way, just act cool and casual, cool and-

‘‘So have you been at this for like a long time or?’’

‘‘What?’’

‘‘You know, the whole cop thing.’’ she pointed at his gun holster, resting her chin on her palm.

‘‘Oh, I started pretty recent actually, though this isn’t my usual job but some asshole decided to ask for today to be his free day without previous notice,’’ his acidic tone brought a chuckle out of Claire, and the sound of her laughter brought a smile out of him. ‘‘what about you? In a biker gang or?’’

‘‘Christ, no,’’ Claire laughed at the thought, dismissing it with a wave, ‘‘I’m in college, I’m just paying a surprise visit to my brother and thought on riding here instead… yeah, should’ve checked the tank first.’’

‘‘Hah! Well hey, at least it didn’t end up damaged or with you having to walk miles to get some gas.’’

‘‘You’re right there, I’ll give you that.’’ with his eyes on the road, Leon didn’t notice the way Claire was checking him out again.

On most days, her luck would never have this kind of highs and lows. The notice of her brother coming back earlier caught her by surprise, with preparations unfinished and some homework left to do, being honest with herself, but she hadn’t seen him in over a year so she sent it all to go fuck itself.

Karma was quick to bite her ass, plenty of frustrating problems crossing the interstate and lots of stops later, she’d run out of gas and her phone battery was low, but not all was that bad ‘cause damn if this cop guy wasn’t downright cute.

Sure, maybe he wasn’t an ace at making conversation, but time flew by rather quick; maybe he was a little shy but he compensated with sweetness and honestly good to talk with. Though the road to Raccoon City wasn’t lengthy to begin with, she rode along it a couple other times, today she wished it was just a little longer.

Before either could tell, the sunset was soon to set, half of the sky was already dark and the first few stars, if you looked hard enough, could be seen on the horizon now.

Unchaining her motorbike, Leon helped Claire to fill up her tank. Just a couple of minutes and she was ready to get back on the road.

She inched closer, perhaps a little forward for some but she’d be damned if she was letting this chance slip.

‘‘Hey Leon, thanks for helping me out today,’’ Claire pulled him from the collar of his uniform, planting a peck on his cheek and, sneakily, her number in one of his fancy pockets. ‘‘you’re a really sweet guy and I’d love to stay in touch with you.’’

‘‘You’re, you’re um, w-welcome,’’ His face flushed red, smiling like a flustered boy who’d just received his first kiss. ‘‘wait, how do we’ll keep in con- oh.’’ Leon couldn’t help a soft laugh from escaping when he felt the paper in his pocket.

‘‘See ya around!’’ Claire bid her farewell as she drove off, with her tank full, her helmet back on and a blushing smirk on her.

If they were certain of something, their days had ended way better than they’d started.

[thrandilf]

Dauntlessly True To Himself Ch 1

A grand reunion of Alm and Celica’s armies four years later. Relationships have blossomed, lives have changed- but the camaraderie and shenanigans are still the same.

Leon, honorably retired from the military after an injury, is in the center of the social bustle. Luthier seeks reconciliation with his sister, Forsyth is still haunted by a mistakenly eaten pouch of exotic spice, Jesse invites an unexpected guest as his date to the royal ball, the knights of Zofia organize an event of games and tournaments, and to top it off, there is much ado about a lady’s favor Valbar has mysteriously tucked away.

A medieval romp for fantasy fans and to Fire Emblem Echoes fans- welcome home.

-~-

An elegantly inscribed sheaf of parchment was tacked to a sign outside of Zofia Castle. There was little point in it being there anymore, as the surrounding city was in such a frenzied bustle a mere day after it was posted that no one was stopping to reread the news the royal proclaimers had already spread through town faster than a wildfire-

‘King Alm l and Queen Celica are proud to announce the joyous birthday of their first child. Their heir prince will be christened two weeks from this posted date. The gates will open and festivities and a royal ball are open to all who can attend in honor of our new family member.’

The One Kingdom Of Valentia enjoyed a golden age of rebuilding and unity under King Alm l and Queen Celica. The Brotherhood Of Knights grew stronger every day, their lands flourished with bountiful harvests, border conflicts were almost nonexistent, Rigel was recovering and smoothly becoming one with Zofia, the prince’s birthday celebration was only a fortnight away- and Leon was sorely missing the battlefield.

Not the battling, exactly. He sighed, pacing his empty shop after a small rush of customers. With how much fuss the town was making over the prince’s birthday, he might as well close early in the afternoon to join in. Leon rolled his shoulders, wincing at the old injury to his right shoulder- tight and awkwardly healed, and significant enough to have earned him an honorable retirement from the military. He knew he was fortunate to have most of his strength and a steady business in a town that only knew peace, but his heart ached for the camaraderie of old friends. His eyes traced his Killer Bow mounted on the wall and his fingers twitched. Not that he didn’t see his friends at least weekly, but it wasn’t the same as being one of them again.

“Mrrrrrrp?”

Leon blinked with surprise and smiled, stopping down to pick up a fluffy cat winding around his legs. The golden haired cat had a collar Leon knew well with a bright amber stone set into it. “Well hello there, little one,” he cooed, stroking its soft fur. “Tell Luthier it’s alright- all of my other guests just left.”

His chronic injury might’ve taken Leon out of the castle guard for good, but in his soul he was still an adventurer- and who better to provide gear for the road than someone who’d lived on it? Luthier opened the door and scanned the tidy, rather spacious shop, as though both he and Leon didn’t know he was looking for more journals to fill with research. Rope, lanterns, oil, flasks, trail rations, bedrolls, small tents, utility knives, arrows, cloaks, fishing gear and even luxuries like fresh scented soap- Leon had thought of most anything. A bright orange tabby kitten poked out of the top of Luthier’s robes and Leon grinned with delight. “Oh my gods, that’s adorable! Welcome to the Dungeon Crawl Shopping Mall- journals again, and perhaps a fancy quill or two?”

“Ah, um- yes, actually.” The eccentric mage always seemed baffled by Leon’s friendliness and hospitality, and Leon was determined to show Luthier he could be friends with humans as well as cats. Luthier relaxed enough to speak coherently. “You wouldn’t believe how many quills my familiars destroy despite my attempts to guard them.”

Leon set the cat down to take Luthier’s coin as Luthier slid a couple handsomely bound journals into a satchel and examined a few vividly colored quills. “Have one on the house, if you like. I know it’ll be very loved.”

Luthier managed a smile as he helped himself to a fluffy white feather, stuffing it quickly into his bag as his cat desperately tried to claw it. “Thank you. I- er.” He straightened up and obviously had to gather his courage. “Okay, this might’ve been something of a social errand as well as a supply trip. Sir Leon, do you know of the royal christening? Of course you do, everyone does- I believe I’m being called upon to help the Queen plan a fireworks show, and I’m quite lost in how to handle being around a certain person I’m supposed to meet up with.”

“I was going to head out and see if there’s any party planning I could be involved in myself. I can’t think of anyone who’d have any quarrel with you, Luthier.” Leon left off the fact that the reason for this kind of thought was that Luthier’s cats were generally more social than him.

Luthier seemed distinctively uncomfortable. He shied away from Leon’s look. “Well, it’s my sister. We haven’t spoken face to face in quite awhile, and I fear I’ve failed her as a brother.”

“Delthea?” Alm and Celica’s armies had meshed together quite easily, at least for the members still living by the castle. While many people knew the two better than Leon did, he couldn’t imagine Delthea being more upset with Luthier than trying to perhaps pull harmless pranks. “I know you two don’t see eye to eye, but I doubt she wants anything but to love you as a brother.” Leon put a hand on the back of his own neck and huffed with a laugh. “I’m really the wrong person to ask for sibling conflict advice- I was an only child who routinely challenged my peers to duels.”

“Goodness.” Luthier managed a soft laugh of his own, scooping his golden cat into his arms, reflexively checking his pocket for his kitten as well. “Alright, I’ll just try to not mention anything we don’t agree on. Which is everything.”

Leon tidied the bits of clutter he had on the counter and pocketed his daily earnings. He guided Luthier towards the door, sweeping quickly before putting up a CLOSED sign, locking the door, and putting his lantern out. He’d return to sleep in his flat above the shop, but was still relieved to be out in the fresh air and cobbled streets. Gossiping with anyone was an excellent stress reliever, even if Luthier could be terribly shy and socially inept. “What exactly does she do nowadays?”

“She spends a lot of time in court, I’m not entirely sure what she does.” Luthier sighed, and Leon widened his eyes as two more cats appeared out of the side alleys, collared with amber set in the leather. They rubbed up against Leon and Luthier’s legs as they walked down the Main Street of town and towards the castle. “I can’t imagine not using magic. I just can’t.”

“Well, as someone who had my own gift taken from me, I understand why you’d be so puzzled. I’d love to have my full capabilities returned to me in a heartbeat.” Luthier had unintentionally bogged Delthea down with responsibilities of their magical roots, and eventually Delthea wanted to live her own way. She sealed away her magic to a ring- accessible, but no longer a core part of her. “There’s a lot to be said for a mundane life, you know. I find much joy in small pleasures.” Leon swept up a random cat from their posse and pet it, rewarded instantly with purrs.

Queen Celica had kept her friends across the sea in close correspondence for years. While predicting the exact time of her child’s birthday was difficult, everyone was rightfully excited for royal visitors. Leon heard the commotion before he could see it. A large carriage was surrounded by gawkers and a few knights and castle servants were jogging over to help its passengers. His heart skipped a beat as a doorman opened the carriage door and he could hear familiar voices bickering from inside.

“-why none of our three children can just stay PUT-“

“I TOLD you feeding them those candies was a bad idea-“

“They’re always like this! Just help me get the luggage-“

“Ugh! I’m just getting out!” A shock of pink hair tumbled out of the carriage step, ignoring the servants trying to help. Mae bounced to her feet and waved cheerfully at the crowd. “Hey everybody! Celica’s best friends are HERE!” She spotted Leon and gasped, shoving through the delighted crowd to tackle him in a hug. “LEON!”

“Oof! Mae!” Leon’s shoulder twinged but he accepted the hug with a laugh. Behind her the crowd was parting to let Sir Clive, Sir Forsyth, Sir Lukas, Sir Valbar, and Dame Clair through to formally welcome the travelers. “It’s been too long.”

Mae laughed and turned to the group of knights, running at Valbar and also tackling him, the two laughing at Mae’s contagious energy. “Valbar! Oh goodness, what a welcome.”

“Nothing can take you down, can it?” responded Valbar, hugging her back. Mae didn’t know the others from Alm’s army well, but nothing could stop her from flinging herself at Clair, both excitedly talking faster than anyone could keep up with.

“Can SOMEBODY help me with my many, many children?” Leon watched with fascination as Boey made it out of the carriage but kept trying to keep their triplet toddlers in the carriage in an endless loop, lifting one safely back in from the edge of the step down and immediately having to rescue another.

“Here, I know how it is.” Clive helped the toddlers out of the cabin with the gentleness of a father as Boey, Forsyth, and their doorman got the rest of the luggage. A good portion of the onlookers were equally enraptured by the handsome knight’s presence as the visitors themselves, a few sighing longingly at Clive.

Leon didn’t dare exert his shoulder but stood by the carriage with an amused look. “How do you tell them all apart, Boey? They’re all in the same skirts!”

“I don’t,” replied Boey helplessly.

Mae turned her head from Clair and waved her hand. “Oh don’t be ridiculous Boey, you know who’s who!”

“Right. The one we named after me is the cutest.”

Clair pushed through and knelt by the kids, grinning as the children gazed at everything with curiosity. “Oh Mae, what’re their names? They’re so cute!”

“Not just cute,” warned Mae. One of their children sneezed and sparks flew out of their nose. Luthier’s cats approached the gaggle of children, purring and letting them pet their fluff. Mae made eye contact with Luthier and beamed at him. “Oh hey! You’re a mage too, right? Celica wants us to work on the most awesome fireworks show ever!”

A new voice could be heard in the throng of people, the only one not merry. “Don’t get my brother started on magic- he might never stop.”

Leon and Luthier turned to see Delthea standing by one of Luthier’s cats. She was seventeen and still wore a large bow in her hair, loud and proudly normal. Luthier looked seasick with nerves and Leon gave him a friendly push towards her with his good arm as awkward silence filled their bubble. Luthier stumbled forward and most of the crowd left, following Mae and Boey to the castle. Leon distracted himself with a cat, keeping his promise of staying close by Luthier.

“You don’t seem happy to see me,” stated Luthier.

“I would be, if I wasn’t bracing myself for another lecture.”

Luthier grimaced. “I- I really don’t understand the choices you’ve made with your life. But I love you. And I hope you’re happy.”

“So your version of being nice is to be passive aggressive instead of active aggressive?!” Years of arguments colored Delthea‘s tone as she stood with her hands on her hips, still shorter than her brother but much more an adult than a girl. Leon inched away, not wanting to be too close. Neither noticed.

“Delthea, I’m not meaning to be aggressive. I’ve never meant to be aggressive! I just- if you’re happy, then I am too! I’m sorry.” Luthier shyly looked away. “I failed you as a guardian, and you have every right to be angry with me.”

Delthea stared at him. She simmered down, and sighed heavily. “Do you think I sealed my magic because of you, Luthier? Or even because of what happened when I was possessed at Sluice Gate? It’s my choice to make- it’s a choice, don’t you get it?! I could finally be free- I never wanted power like you, just freedom.”

Luthier shook his head. “Listen- it’s not about magic. Not anymore, okay? I consider Alm to be my first friend-“

“-good GOD will you ever let that go-“

“-and I’m upset because it should’ve been you. My sister.” Luthier squirmed. “I tried to be a father to you. I tried to fill a role I knew I couldn’t. I thought I knew what was best for you, and that I couldn’t be your friend or companion when I thought you needed a parent. I’m sorry I placed myself above you all those years, and I hope as an adult, you understand.”

Delthea blinked and then she choked on a burst of laughter. “You? A dad?! You have the paternal instincts of a woodchipper!”

“I don’t know what that means, but probably.” Luthier bit his lip. “You’re as old as I was when it fell to me to take care of you. You were eight. How did you think I felt whenever you rushed off, got hurt, or exceeded my own abilities when I could never forgive myself if something happened to you?!”

Delthea got closer to him and took his hand with a solemn expression, foreign to her face. “Alright. I get it. I love you too Lu, but I want to confirm something.”

“Yes?”

“So you TOTALLY admit I was better at magic than you?”

“Oh for- yes I admit it!”

Leon slipped away, certain that Luthier would be alright. He rarely let Valbar out of his sight without so much as a word. He sprinted to the castle foyer, the teasing phrases already on his tongue. Knight or not, Valbar was his best friend. Just the mention of his name could make Leon’s mood soar, his chest light with joy at Valbar’s warm, positive presence in his life. Friendship, being at his side at all, was enough. Leon’s heart had finally accepted that. His more tender, unrequited feelings had never truly faded, but he was fine.

Or so he thought.

“Leon!” Clair cut him off from the entry hall, breathless as she came to a halt. “Salutations! I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You and Valbar are close, correct?”

Leon drew himself up proudly. “I should think so!”

Clair glanced around quickly to ensure they were alone. The sudden self awareness worried Leon. “I’ve been so stumped, Leon. If anyone knows this it’s you- who on earth is Valbar courting?!”

Leon felt like he’d taken a swift kick in the stomach. He found himself sinking down the wall, legs unable to bear his own weight. His lungs ached as his mind blanked for a moment, shock reverberating through his system. “What?”

“He didn’t tell you either?” Clair folded her arms and sighed. “You’re so close I thought- oh I’ve upset you terribly-“

“How do you know?” Leon’s mouth was dry, his heart hammering in his ears. Perhaps this wasn’t an event to mourn. Valbar deserved love, oh Leon wanted nothing more than Valbar’s happiness. Maybe if Valbar engaged someone else, Leon could move on. He could someone who could reciprocate his softer, intimate desires he’d kept to himself for so long.

But underneath all off that was pure shock. Not quite betrayal but- why wouldn’t Valbar tell Leon, his best friend? Had he been selfish enough to drive Valbar away? Even the thought of Valbar’s affection and companionship being a single degree removed because of Leon’s own feelings made him want to vomit.

Clair sat by Leon, guilty as she put an arm around him. “Gods, I thought you knew. A week ago, during a sparring match, one of the recruits knocked Valbar’s armor askew just enough to jostle a fine scrap of bright cloth free from where it was secretly tucked right next to his heart. Everyone’s been buzzing about it- it must be a lady’s favor given to him! Valbar’s been dead silent about it, he brushes it off easily, laughs and says he won’t tell. I know he’s been married before but if it was from his wife, may she rest in Mila’s light, he’d just admit it! He won’t even say how long he’s had it!”

Leon stared at the ground. He was sure he’d never seen Valbar with such a favor back when he was an active knight. A fairly new love, then. There was only one thing to do. “What a mystery this is! I’ll find out who is.”

“Will you tell me?” Clair pretended to swoon with horror when Leon raised his eyebrows. “AGH! Of course not! It’s probably such a secret I’ll only find out at the wedding, because you’re such a loyal friend! Damnit!”

Zofia Castle inspired wonder in anyone who laid eyes on it, even those who lived in the surrounding capitol city. Leon passed under the high stone archway and through the open gate, marveling at the high towers and ivy crawling up the stonework to the sky. The well kept courtyard was huge, lined with baskets of flowers and semi crowded with vendors already trying to put their claim on a spot for the christening festivities. Merchants swamped Prince Conrad, the normally composed enigma of the royal family. Celica’s brother was floundering and half hiding behind his clipboard as he was bombarded with business proposals, as opposed to his typical marriage proposals. Leon hid a grin and rushed between them all, making his way for the barracks with a friendly wave at the guards.

Leon scanned the mostly empty barracks for Valbar and frowned. He headed back outside, relieved as he spotted him with a group of knights out on the sparring lawn. Valbar’s height and brawn combined with his easygoing nature provided him with both friendliness and respect from seasoned knights and recruits alike. Even nobility like Clive gave him final authority over the training grounds. Leon jogged until he was within earshot, wondering what anyone would have to argue with Valbar about.

“...is a Rigelian bloodsport, it’s no wonder Her Majesty is against it!” Forsyth managed to look irritated at all times. Leon thought it must be exhausting.

Clive nodded in agreement. “It’s true- tradition be damned, none of us want actual jousting in a tournament. We’ll have to come up with something that won’t put anyone in danger.”

Sir Gray appeared behind Valbar, his shorter stature and laid back attitude made him seem more like a squire, but Leon knew he was deadly with a blade and Clair’s husband- yet another reason to respect him. “Alright guys. Wooden weapons. We already use wooden swords for training and, um, wooden lances? That never killed anyone, right?”

The final knight Leon had been yet to see that day also appeared from the side of the group and stepped in the center. Sir Tobin was Gray’s best friend- and Gray was the only one who could effortlessly get under Tobin’s skin. “Gods, Gray- most lances are wooden! You know, the ones that kill people?”

“Take the pointy bit off!”

“That won’t help!”

Leon stepped into the group and automatically took his place next to Valbar. “Are we planning games for the royal celebration?”

“Trying to.” complained Gray. “Jousting is the sport of knights of old, but no one thinks we can do it without dying knights of young.”

“Well, lucky for me, archery is only about hitting targets.” An idea was forming in Leon’s mind, something to give him an excuse to show off one last time. “Why don’t we put on a mounted archery contest too? It’ll appear impressive, and legitimately be impressive..” Leon gave a steep bow. “I’ll demonstrate, of course. Establish that there is someone on earth who can make a perfect run of the course.”

Valbar looked concerned. “Leon, I thought your shoulder-“

“Hush! Give me the lightest bow and I’ll show you all I’m still a marksman of the Gods!”

Clive tapped his foot as he stared into space, deep in thought. “It would be quite a shame to have all our calvary in ceremonial armor, and not put on a game. Perhaps we can joust at targets too?”

Gray huffed with a grin and folded his arms. “You know those really terrible shields we kept finding that you guys can’t even manage to sell? I bet they’d shatter with one hit.”

Tobin joined in. “Yeah! I bet they’re right at your level of craftsmanship, so we can make even more worthless target shields.”

“Shut up, you never want to admit I’m right!”

Forsyth leapt in with a shake of his head. “Between a shield and a person, most hot blooded youngsters are out to stab people, not shields. I doubt they’ll resist the satisfying opportunity to knock their opponents off their mounts.”

Valbar nodded. “True- so make it against the rules to hit the other person.”

Leon almost always followed Valbar in conversation. “Yes! In my experience, while getting to hit other people with sticks is one of the most rewarding things about being young, being branded a loser is much worse than being denied that sweet pleasure.”

Lukas was quiet, noting things down and then showing Valbar the list. “If we can have a safe jousting tournament for show, a mounted archery contest, snd some martial and magic demonstrations, the King and Queen should be pleased with our efforts,” he murmured. “No doubt Celica’s formal ball will be so grand our efforts won’t matter too much.”

“That’s that, then! I’ll be back to demonstrate at noon tomorrow!” declared Leon. He started walking away before Valbar or anyone else tried to talk sense into him. His shoulder already ached at the thought of attempting to shoot arrows again and he scowled.

Leon knew it was pointless to avoid everyone indefinitely, especially since Valbar always saved him a seat at the knight’s table at dinner if he knew Leon was around. His heart swelled with affection for Valbar and he swallowed hard, anxious that he’d been somehow demoted from Valbar’s closest confidante to something else. Valbar himself gave no signs of it, and Leon cursed under his breath at the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind.

He remembered when he’d met Valbar, or at least noticed him. The nightmare was an old one, but it played through his aching head as he found the stables on autopilot and saddled up a horse (with some complaints from his shoulder) for a ride. He barely paid attention to anything as he rode out into the pastures and trails-

-~-

Leon couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak if he tried. A distant part of his mind was racing, exploding with grief, rage, urging him to run back to his battalion. His glazed over eyes stared at a body in front of him so long he’d stopped even seeing his best friend’s corpse and was simply staring into space. Maybe the battle was over, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t care. Perhaps he’d still be there frozen in time when they lit the field aflame to give their soldiers an honorable memorial. He wasn’t even aware he was kneeling, paralyzed and barely even breathing.

He might as well have been dead too.

“Hey! Hey kid!”

Leon didn’t respond, still in an immobilizing fog.

“C’mon, we won- you okay?” Leon couldn’t even raise his head. He was limp as a broken doll as strong, comforting arms picked him up, eyes sliding closed. Calling it a battle might’ve even been generous. The casualties were relatively few, the distant sounds of triumphant yelps echoed in his ears but Leon didn’t care. Without his beloved, his first love- his life was nothing. How could he go home without him? “You’re in shock, huh? It must be a first battle. I’ve got you, you just breathe…”

Leon passively let himself be carried back to the war camp. He should’ve felt ashamed to need to be rescued without anything more than bruises marring him, but even the stubborn drive to prove himself that had given him strength so many times had failed. He was wrapped in a soft blanket as the calming voice still talked to him, lulling him to sleep.

Valbar introduced himself the next day as a senior officer. He’d taken an interest in Leon, it was obvious even in Leon’s delirious state that Valbar was perhaps spending too much time on him. “Why are you trying to salvage me?” rasped Leon. His head still ached and he’d ignored the breakfast rations that had been given to him. “I’m unworthy of your time and misplaced kindness. I’m going to die at our next skirmish.”

Valbar’s voice had always been steady and soft, patient where Leon knew he must be somewhat aggravated by Leon’s dead weight. Now his tone was backed with a worried expression and a force that demanded attention. “So you’ve made up your mind to throw yourself into the front lines? You’re going to kill yourself, is that it?”

Leon barked with a harsh laugh. Was it so common to suddenly no longer want to see another dawn? “If you think I can fight-“

“I know you can. You’re a damn good archer, one of our best. Your talent has no faults but lack of experience.” The praise would’ve made Leon blossom with pride two days beforehand, but it didn’t stir any emotion in him at all. “I don’t know what the boy was to you or your past- it’s not my business- but I’m not going to lose any more life on my watch, not if I can help it. I’ll carry you from every wartorn countryside you collapse on if that’s what it takes!”

Leon didn’t react. “If you give me an order, I’ll follow,” he said dully, not raising his head.

Valbar sighed. “Alright. These things take time. But first of all?” His tone was lighter, teasing and playful for a moment. “My eyes are up here, kid.”

A rough, obnoxious, spluttering laugh choked out of Leon with a sob, his hand flying over his mouth as he realized he’d been blankly staring at Valbar’s pelvic region. It was such a brash, inappropriately timed joke that Leon couldn’t stop laughing, relief washing over him as Valbar also chuckled. Leon forced himself to look up at Valbar, a newfound fondness mixing with respect growing inside of him. “Gods- I- sorry. Alright. I’ll try for you. Genuinely though, why me?”

Valbar shrugged, still smiling. “Honestly? You needed a friend, and so do I. Does kindness have to have a reason?” He put a hand on Leon’s shoulder and squeezed. “The world keeps spinning, we might as well make the best of it.”

Over the course of the following weeks, Leon learned how to smile and laugh again, how to accept a wound that would never heal. Finding a home in another person might’ve made him weak in some warrior’s eyes, but Leon didn’t care.

Nothing could stop Leon and Valbar so long as they were side by side.

Just like nothing could stop Leon with falling in love with the man who’d taught him there would always be good in the world.

-~-

The castle grounds and surrounding wilderness were popular for horseback riding and hiking. Leon absently let his horse decide the way, relaxing into the easy gait and rhythm. He sighed, enjoying the lightly perfumed breeze. Over time, his memories plagued him less and less. His mind only obsessed now with the fear he’d lose Valbar too.

“It’s just a rumor,” he muttered to himself. “It’s none of my business who my sworn brother courts.” Leon was desperately trying to convince himself, rambling as he surveyed the picturesque countryside. “If I was a decent person I’d just let this go...” He draped his reins over his saddle pommel and let his body move with his horse, grinning as his hair whipped in the breeze and his knees urged his mount forward, already imagining showing off his expertise one last time. Even after a couple years, riding hands free was as natural as ever. “...but clearly I’m not.”

Leon attempted to tame his windswept hair after he brought his horse back and left for the dining hall. King Alm wasn’t one for much formality- all of his close knights and high ranking officials sat at his large table in the center of the room, with rows off to both sides of everyone else. Leon smiled at the loud, merry conversations he could already hear in the buzzing murmur of the crowd.

“-you think your Pegasus would really let me ride with you?!” Delthea’s high voice carried easily.

“Totally!” Clair proudly tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder. “You’re a girl, so why not? It’ll be fun!”

Leon pulled out his chair between Valbar and Boey, touched to find Valbar had already reserved him a plate of minestrone soup, steamed vegetables,, roast, and warmed bread. Leon automatically gave Valbar his roast and helped himself to a heap of vegetables from Valbar’s plate, not missing Valbar’s smile. “Ah, there we go, a perfect gristle-free plate. My apologies for being late.”

“You’ve been riding, huh?” Valbar eyed Leon’s wild hair. “You know, you don’t have to try and prove yourself tomorrow. You’re a knight as much as I am.”

Boey nodded in agreement. “Yeah, not to toot our own horn, but we’re all legends here.”

Leon huffed. “Yes, I AM a legend- the only amazing archer here!” Tobin coughed on his bread and tried to protest that he was a prominent archer as well but Leon spoke over him. “What’s wrong with a reminder, hm?” Leon suddenly stood back up, pulled his chair out despite having just arrived, and climbed on top of it with a wine goblet in hand, frantically smoothing down his hair with the other hand. “ATTENTION EVERYBODY! I, your beloved Sir Leon, will give an expert, amazing, spectacular archery demonstration tomorrow of the toughest archery course you’ve ever seen for the King’s games! Thank you!” He bowed deeply and returned to his seat, basking in the scattered applause. He turned to Valbar and smirked. “There. I have to do it.”

Valbar grinned. “Alright. Fine. It’ll be a good lesson for my recruits- but something’s gotten into you. Don’t think I don’t notice, Leon.”

“Hmmm, I want everyone to notice me. Mission accomplished!”

Forsyth sulked more than usual, folding his arms as he shook his head despairingly and drank from his wine cup. “Python could’ve matched you, Leon. If only the damn idiot ever put in even a tiny bit more effort, he could excel! He’s a slacker who’s scared of commitment.” He glared at a random, hooded recruit a few tables over who was slouching deeply in his seat, as though anyone too relaxed embodied Python.

Python had been offered a knighthood along with everyone else by Alm and Celica, but had taken up a small town watch to occupy himself with. Forsyth had never gotten over how Python refused to join him at the castle guard. Python seemed to delight in riling Forsyth up, and Forsyth was ready to blow off steam at any given moment. They’d been inseparable since childhood, and traded more barbs than Mae and Boey could ever hope to.

“Scared of commitment?” repeated Gray. “Were you trying to marry him?” Clair tried to kick her husband under the table for being rude but Gray expertly dodged with a smirk.

Forsyth didn’t react to being teased, but he did make a face as he thought about Python. “Let’s say I asked- he’d say no just to spite me! And probably stick his tongue out at me like a child! As if we haven’t been through hell and back together!”

Alm watched the table conversations with amusement. His title of the first Saint-King aside, he was a twenty one year old who’d been raised in a village of close families. Dinner was the most cherished, informal, social part of his day. Queen Celica and Prince Conrad’s seats were empty since Celica had had her child and dined in private, leaving his adopted grandfather Sir Mycen at his right hand and Sir Lucas to his left. He looked past Lucas to Forsyth and grinned. “You know, Forsyth, whenever you look like that I can’t tell if you’re fuming about Python or still tasting that exotic spice that went up your nose those years ago.”

Forsyth groaned, turning a hue of green to rival his hair as a few scattered people laughed. “Your Majesty PLEASE- must I relive this damn incident weekly?!- ‘Take anything from the convoy!’ you said! ‘Grab whatever’s on top!’ you said, as I was trying to save my own life in the middle of fighting a horde of undead creatures! Nothing’s tasted right since!”

Clive laughed heartily and put a hand on Forsyth’s shoulder. “No one is upset, your life is more important than the gold marks for it.”

“I’m upset. Three gold currency right up Forsyth’s nose, such a shame,” sighed Gray wistfully.

Delthea giggled and took a sip of wine while nudging Luthier’s foot. “You think you could get any of that spice out?”

Luthier seemed to miss that it was a joke and gave Forsyth a calculating look. “It might only be worth one gold mark, but if I-“

“EW!” exclaimed Clair, covering her mouth as more people laughed. “Gross!”

“One gold mark?” echoed Gray. “I’m listening.”

“Nonono!” exclaimed Forsyth, flustered and hiding behind his spoon as he tried to wave off Luthier’s gaze like a stray fly. “No magic in the face!” Most people were almost done with dinner, and conversation lulled for a minute as people relaxed and savored the castle’s fare.

“I’m excited for the Ball,” commented Valbar. The casual shift in conversation to the most anticipated party of the year drew everyone’s attention in. “Believe it or not, I’m a graceful dancer.”

Leon’s heart pounded and he locked eyes with Clair, who was practically on the edge of her seat. Could this be the secret to finding out who Valbar’s new love was? “Who are you going with?!” squeaked Leon, praying the fact that his voice came out an octave too high would be chalked up to enthusiasm.

Valbar shifted in his seat and blushed. Leon’s body was coiled tight as a spring as he waited to hear the name. “It’s a surprise.” Leon couldn’t help feeling somewhat crushed, deflating back down. He’d find out who Valbar was in love with, he HAD to.

“I’m going with Celica.” Alm paused. “That was obvious, huh? I’m not used to being married.”

Gray snorted. “It’s weird for us too.”

“Gray- WE’RE married!” exclaimed Clair.

“Yeah? And it’s still weird! Look how grown up we think we are!” Gray grinned and held Clair’s hand. “Sometimes I still feel like that village kid who was head over heels for you.”

Tobin rolled his eyes. “Sometimes you still act like it.”

Mae eagerly scanned the table and grinned, giving Boey a wink. “You know, I had meant to tell this to Celica first- but we aren’t the only ones who are coming for the royal celebrations-there’s another ship on the way!”

Leon’s heart leapt. “Kamui?!”

“Not just Kamui.” Boey finished his wine and basked in the attention of the table. “Saber, Genny, Atlas, Jesse- gods help us.”

“All three Whitewings sisters are on their way too!” Clair beamed. “Oh I can’t wait to see them again- they’re flying here any day! I’ll get to perform with the greatest riders of -LOOK UP COUNTRY NAME-!”

Gray’s face lit up. “I bet one of THEM know if a group of Pegasi are a flock or a herd!”

Luthier looked up from his dinner plate, tucking his fiery hair behind his ear the same way a professor might adjust their glasses before settling in for a lecture. A forkfull of salad dangled forgotten in his other hand as he cleared his throat. “It’s a fascinating question on how we categorize species of magical hybrid creatures with the mundane, Gray. First of all, Dame Clair and the Whitewing Falcon Knights technically ride alicorns…”

“Oh gods, you’ve really done it now,” groaned Delthea as Luthier plowed ahead, undeterred.

Plates were finally cleared and the group started to disperse, still chatting gaily. Leon stayed at Valbar’s side automatically as they filed out of the hall. He racked his brain for some way to get the information on Valbar’s mysterious date out of him in a proper, gentlemanly fashion. Leon was above pickpocketing, but also desperately needed to know who his competition was.

Not that he’d ever expect Valbar to love him back. Having a name would help it sink in, that he needed to try and move on. “Could I have a handkerchief? I don’t seem to have mine on me,” said Leon innocently.

Valbar patted his pocket, and then narrowed his eyes at Leon. He grinned, giving Leon a playful nudge. “Ohoho, is that what this is about? You heard about that favor I have?”

Leon dramatically flung his sleeve in front of his face, messily wiping his nose. “Oh! For shame! Making me have to use my own clothes! How dare you!”

Valbar laughed. “I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter. It’s-“ he hesitated and then looked away, an uncharacteristic blush starting to appear on his cheeks. Leon widened his eyes and almost bounced on his feet with excitement before Valbar coughed and avoided eye contact. “You’ll see who I like at the dance- I promise.” He put an arm around Leon and affectionately squeezed his shoulders. The gesture was too sweet for Leon to stay agitated.

“Fine, I’ll be patient.” Leon hesitated and stopped Valbar, pulling him away from the crowd. Leon couldn’t lie, he’d never been able to keep his heart anywhere but his sleeve where Valbar was concerned. “Listen, you’re not upset with me, are you?”

“No- absolutely not, perish the thought, my dear- erm, my dearest friend.” Valbar’s warm smile and gentle touch soothed Leon to his soul, even if Valbar still seemed flustered. It was short lived, however as Valbar’s voice turned to the light tone he used with daredevil, overconfident students who were about to do something stupid. “I’m not going to be upset until I have to carry you to the infirmary tomorrow for being reckless.”

“EXCuuUUUSE ME?!!” Leon’s indignant exclamation didn’t carry any genuine weight when directed at Valbar, but he was still going to fuss. Valbar didn’t back down as Leon tossed his hair and went so far as to stomp his foot. “Oh that is IT! I’m the best shot this continent’s ever seen! I could shoot an apple off your head blindfolded! I’ve stared death in the face and sent a volley through its skull! I can snipe an undead monstrosity in the middle of a moonless night in a graveyard through a grove of trees! Don’t forget how incredible I am!”

Valbar was well used to Leon’s antics and never seemed to be anything other than fond of Leon’s attitude. “You’re taking your retirement with such grace I could never forget your talent and even more overbearing stubbornness, clearly.”

“Good!” Leon huffed, spun on his heels, and strutted away before he caved and admitted Valbar was right, as usual.

[ladystylestores]

China Chalet, Fashion’s Studio 54 of the Instagram Era, Closes – WWD

https://pmcwwd.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/china-chalet-008.jpg?w=640&h=415&crop=1

For the last decade on cold, winter Friday nights in New York City’s Financial District — long after the neighborhood’s army of suits and City Hall workers had packed up their briefcases for the weekend — a second wind would hit Lower Broadway.

In front of the second-story Chinese restaurant China Chalet, a line of partygoers snaked north for blocks — their glitter eye shadow flaking off in sub-zero temperatures; eBayed vintage Dior bags, midriff tops and chain belts cocooned deep within sleeping bag coats.

While unknown to many, China Chalet was legend to an influential few — a carpeted Chinese restaurant by day and underground nightlife space by weekend night that was frequented by the kinds of New York counterculture communities whose style of dress is observed, exploited and commercialized by the larger fashion industry. What had been founded as a Cantonese establishment and banquet hall in 1975 organically became a haven for all walks of youth culture — with its owner Keith Ng renting the space for a considerably affordable fee, welcoming party organizers from a broad spectrum of sexual identities, ethnicities and economic means.

The scene at China Chalet.  Amy Lombard/WWD

In a time pre-pandemic when people were still allowed to congregate en-masse, China Chalet was the central gathering place for New York designers, stylists, gallerists, artists and personalities. So it was a shock this past weekend when news broke that the 45-year-old institution was closing — another casualty of the coronavirus’ economic wreckage. China Chalet became a trending topic on Twitter and will, by many accounts, be remembered as the Studio 54 of the “BC” — or before coronavirus — era.

It took Ng, a Cantonese immigrant, to set the stage for a safe space party culture. “I don’t think you will find that many people out there gutsy and ballsy enough to allow their space to become what China Chalet was,” Opening Ceremony cofounder Humberto Leon said of Ng.

Boldface names were often in attendance, including Cardi B, Timothée Chalamet, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Kiko Mizuhara and even disgraced heiress and accused Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. Famous or not, it was the parties’ mix of crowds and sense of sanctuary — particularly for those who felt disoriented in the aftermath of Donald J. Trump’s election — that will remain in memory.

“Even though a good party at China Chalet was thrown by organizations geared toward a specific group of people, it was a mix there. It’s one of those cross-generational places that will go down in New York history as a place where everyone gathered,” said Arthur Soleimanpour, founder of community-driven media platform Parks Department.

Come nighttime, the restaurant’s cocktail lounge and pink, fluorescent-lit dining room would fill with all walks of city life and a thick cloud of cigarette smoke — sending revelers home with an ashtray stench that could only be removed by the most abrasive of shampoos. Without ventilation, the restaurant’s parquet-floor banquet hall, its makeshift dance floor, clocked August subway station temperatures and humidity in the dead of winter.

The scene at China Chalet.  Amy Lombard/WWD

“These kids put on the grandest of looks to stand in a stuffy, smoke-infested room. Not even your dry cleaner could probably take that out,” Raul Lopez, founder of Luar, said of the scene there. By 11 the next morning, the space had cleared out and China Chalet’s food was again available for order delivery platforms like Seamless, their sesame chicken reaching customers likely clueless of what had occurred there just hours before.

Ng declined multiple requests for an interview but humbly relayed through frequent party organizer Alexander Kellogg: “China Chalet is one of the many businesses affected by the national lockdown. I think we will let it go….We were just one of the many impacted.” In addition to the Financial District outpost, Ng also ran restaurants on the Upper East Side, Staten Island and was planning a jazz bar concept in Midtown — all of which have ceased operation.

Leon had held Opening Ceremony’s annual holiday parties at China Chalet since 2003 and would frequent events there as well. “I think it will go down as a space that will personify a period. It’s pretty sad because as I think about what place I would want to go right after coronavirus, China Chalet was on that list of places to have fun and see something familiar,” he said.

“The amount of people talking about it now and making memes about this Chinese restaurant in the Financial District is proof [of its longevity],” said Kellogg, who brokered party contracts on Ng’s behalf, including events for Vogue and Red Bull. “I don’t think people in the Seventies expected Studio 54 to be remembered as it was and I think China Chalet will be the same.” 

While pop-up events occurred at China Chalet throughout the year — increasingly by big-ticket hosts like Converse and Highsnobiety as the space’s reputation grew — it was Dese Escobar’s reoccurring “Glam” party, sometimes held in collaboration with Vaquera and Telfar, as well as Ty Sunderland’s monthly “Heaven on Earth” event for the LGBTQ community, that cemented China Chalet status as a counterculture Shangri-La.

The scene at China Chalet.  Amy Lombard/WWD

While acceptance was key to China Chalet’s status as a hot spot for the anti-establishment, so were the clothes worn there. Lopez labeled weekend partygoers there as “beautiful swans.”

“There was a mirrored hallway that was like a runway, people would sit down and look at each another. You had the opportunity to be seen so people saw it as an opportunity to get dressed up and keep fashion relevant,” Escobar recalled. “It’s where a lot of designers came to be inspired and cast models or take some notes. It was a place where people knew they could find young, fresh talent and inspiration.”

Communities have been pushed to mostly online-only contact during the COVID-19 crisis. But during its run, China Chalet was a sort of intermediary between social media and the real world — a common ground where virtual friends and foes could see each other in person, often meeting for the first time.

“For me, it represented a lot of Internet culture,” Sunderland said of his parties. “The parties became a meeting place for people to meet others with similar ideals and aesthetics — I heard so many cases like, ‘Oh we have followed each other on Twitter for five years and met at your party.’”

“It was very much about being seen and being seen in real life probably for the first time by a lot of people who only know you from Instagram. What you were wearing was always important,” Vaquera’s designers Patric DiCaprio, Claire Sullivan and Bryn Taubensee recalled of their time there over e-mail.

“It felt like a free space where rules didn’t apply. You could smoke inside, approach your crush, wear what you want. So in a way it was testing ground for new ideas: everyone was wasted and eager to see each other and to try something new. It was like this safe space to just go for it,” they added.

Leon summarized: “It always felt underground and somewhat gritty. Anything that comes after this would be a wannabe version.”

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[newyorktheater]

In 1944, when FDR was running for an unprecedented fourth term as President, the Democrats kicked out his then-Vice President, Henry Wallace, and nominated Missouri Senator Harry Truman to run for the office instead, even though Truman wasn’t actively seeking the office. Just 82 days after getting elected, Truman took over as President when Roosevelt died in April, 1945; he dropped the atomic bomb on Japan four months later – one of many actions that made the Wallace-to-Truman switch of great consequence.

“Convention,” which is running through June 29 at Irondale Center in Fort Greene, presents  the 1944 Democratic National Convention where this occurred. It is an ambitious undertaking with a massive cast that performs throughout the cavernous room in a kind of surround sound experience – on stage, in the aisles, behind us, in the narrow balcony above us, and in the bleacher seats beside us. How a handful of bigwigs were able to engineer the ouster of a popular vice-president, and why they did so, promised to be a riveting drama. But it didn’t turn out that way for me – not riveting drama, and not engaging theater.  “Convention” didn’t work for me. It was simply too hard for me to follow what was going on.

Still, the team that spent several years putting it together — Brontosaurus Haircut Productions, led by playwright Danny Rocco and director Shannon Fillion — deserves credit for recognizing the historical  importance and the theatrical potential of this event, and for marshaling the resources and mastering the logistics to get it staged.  It’s obvious that much research and planning went into “Convention.” I respect what they are trying to do. So, let me attempt some constructive suggestions:

~Use one of the best practices of successful immersive theater, and give the theatergoers some sense of control. Instead of having us just sit still for two hours in the (un-air conditioned) “convention hall,” allow the theatergoers to move from the convention floor to some of the “smoke-filled backrooms” that we’ve heard so much about. Have a different scene unfold in the relative quiet of each one of those rooms. (This could be done a la “Sleep No More,” in which each individual theatergoer is totally in charge of where he goes and when, or it could be like “Then She Fell,” in which the actors lead the audience members to the various rooms.)  That way we could experience the chaos of the large cast shouting and chanting and speechifying at one another in the convention hall, but also be able to listen undistracted to small group conversations, so that we can more easily follow the drama(s), especially the “conspiracy” to unseat Wallace that’s meant to be the heart of the show.

To answer any argument from the creative team that they are trying to re-create the actual experience of attending a political convention: I’ve been to national political conventions, and people don’t just sit in their seats, passive targets for sensory overload. They focus on what interests them and ignore what doesn’t. They move around, attend parties, go to various caucus meetings, lobby one another, schmooze. Much happens away from the convention floor. Having the theatergoers move to different discrete spaces is more in keeping with an individual’s actual experience of attending a convention.  But even if it weren’t, clarity sometimes must take precedence over atmosphere in a work of theater.

~The Irondale Center was so unbearably hot that they distributed white paper fans, but asked us to return them at the end of the evening. Why not print campaign slogans on them — FDR/Wallace or Wallace’s The One or whatever they actually were in 1944 – and let us keep them?

~Have the characters wear buttons or nametags that identify them – or even huge signs around their neck. Politicians often wear buttons printed with “I am [their name],” and conventions often supply nametags, “Hello, my name is….”  It’s true that neither politicians nor conventioneers usually wear huge signs around the neck, but I think the audience would be willing to suspend their disbelief – indeed, be grateful.  Whether or not this is a workable idea, there must be some way to give the audience a chance to sort out these characters, almost none of whom are familiar anymore to anybody who isn’t a professional historian of the period.   (As a public service, I’ve identified both the actors and the characters they’re portraying in the captions to the photographs below.)

~Most of the characters are old white men; the majority of the performers portraying them are young white women , dressed in 1940’s men’s business suits, including Claire Mikelle Anderson as Henry Wallace. Whatever the symbolic significance of this casting (and it doesn’t reach “Hamilton”-level resonance or clarity), a greater diversity (certainly in age) would avoid the impression that “Convention” is a production of a college theater department.

To be fair, there is some diversity in the current production: Harry Truman is depicted by Charles Everett, a black actor, and his wife Bess Truman by Daniel John Serpati, a white male actor wearing a tasteful small-brim hat. Among the female characters, the most intriguing is the actress Helen Douglas, a convention delegate from California, portrayed by Lizzie Stewart. Shortly after the convention, Douglas would become a member of Congress, and in 1950 run for the Senate in an infamously vicious election won by Richard M. Nixon.

~The show has a vendor (Brandt Adams) selling hot dogs for 20 cents to the cast of conventioneers, who stand on stage or in the aisles eating them inches from the audience, which felt rude. Give the theatergoers an opportunity to buy and eat some of those hot dogs!

~Have Harry Truman wear a hat. I had a long conversation during intermission about this with the costume designer,  Jennifer Raskopf, who happened to be sitting in front of me, taking notes. (Her credits include assistant costume designer in the Broadway production of Hamilton.) She said that Truman didn’t wear a hat at the convention – she showed me a photograph of the actual hatless Truman at the 1944 convention – and that generally men didn’t wear hats indoors even then. But before he became a politician, Truman owned a haberdashery in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. So it would be a nice theatrical touch for Truman to wear a hat, even if this is not what he did in real life, because it would be a first step in establishing the characters of “Convention” as people with…if not observable personalities, at least some humanizing quirks.

Click on any photograph by Ahron R. Foster to see it enlarged, and read the caption.

Sarah Sutliff as Edwin W. Pauley, treasurer of the DNC, McLean Peterson as Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly and Ashley Alvarez as Robert E Hannegan, Chairman of the DNC

Claire Mikelle Anderson as Vice President Henry A. Wallace. In the background are (left) Charles Everett as Harry Truman and Daniel John Serpati as his wife Bess Truman

Lizzie Stewart as the actress and delegate Helen Douglas, Michael Leon as Alben Barkley from Kentucky, and Michael Pantozzi as Philip Murray from the Congress of Industrial Organizations

Matt Hurley as Jimmy Byrnes, principal White House assistant, center, with Ginnie House as Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, Michael Leon as Kentucky delegate Alben Barkley, Gabrielle Djenne as Sidney Hillman from the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and Michael Pantozzi as Phillip Murray from the CIO

Kathleen Littlefield as convention co-chair Samuel D. Jackson of Indiana, Ginnie House as Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins and Claire Mikelle Anderson as Incumbent Vice President Henry A. Wallace

“The Conspirators.” ”The Conspirators” Sarah Sutliff as Treasurer of the DNC Edwin W. Pauley, Kathleen Littlefield as Convention co-chair Samuel D. Jackson of Indiana, Ashley Alvarez as Chairman of the DNC Robert E. Hannegan, McLean Peterson as Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly and Christina Bottley as Postmaster General Frank Walker

Lizzie Stewart as Helen Dougas, Sue Kim as Dorothy Vrendenburgh, Secretary of the DNC

Michael Leon as Kentucky delegate Alben Barkley

Kathleen Littlefield as Samuel D. Jackson, Indian, convention co-chari

Convention Irondale Center 85 S. Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Written by Danny Rocco Directed by Shannon Fillion Lighting Design by Erin Fiel, sound design by Megumi Katayama, costume design by Jen Raskopf Cast: Brandt Adams, Ashley Alvarez, Claire Mikelle Anderson, Christina Bottley, Paul Corning, Gabrielle Djenné, Charles Everett, Kyle Fitzpatrick, Alaina Fragoso. Ginnie House, Greg Hudson, Matt Hurley, Sue Kim, Nina Kova, Michael Leon, Kathleen Littlefield. Ally Musmeci, Michael Pantozzi, Mclean Peterson, Catherine Pulley, Jessica Rogers, Becca Schneider, Daniel John Serpati, Lizzie Stewart, Sarah Sutliff, Adrienne S. Witt, Amanda Barlow, Martina Fernandes, Jack Flatley, Caroline Kulak, Megan Quick, Grace Rittenberg, Noemi Sarog, Yui Taniguchi, Elliot White, Harry White, Tove Wood Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission Tickets: $18 Convention is scheduled to run through June 29, 2019

Convention Review: Ambitiously Recreating the 1944 “Conspiracy” for Truman In 1944, when FDR was running for an unprecedented fourth term as President, the Democrats kicked out his then-Vice President, Henry Wallace, and nominated Missouri Senator Harry Truman to run for the office instead, even though Truman wasn’t actively seeking the office.

[thomasroach]

Resident Evil 2: Raccoon Police Department Guide

The post Resident Evil 2: Raccoon Police Department Guide appeared first on Fextralife.

Last updated on January 27th, 2019

In this Resident Evil 2 Raccoon Police Department Guide, I’ll be guiding players as they control Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield. Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom that released worldwide January 25, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Learn how to get through the Raccoon Police Department in one piece with our guide! If you are new to the game, make sure to check out our Getting Started Guide and RE2 Trophy Guide as well!

Resident Evil 2: Raccoon Police Department Guide

The Raccoon Police Department will be the first area players encounter.

Upon starting, head towards your right to interact with the lever with the glowing red light. It will turn green, which allows players to crouch and crawl under the “keep out” sign of the R.P.D grill. There will be a hallway towards the left and a breaker type object. It appears that a spark plug is missing from it. Head down the hallway until you reach the vending machines, there will be another hallway to the right. Players will reach an overturned locker that they must set back into place before proceeding. If players like, they can forgo the locker to explore the white doors that leads into a room. There is a light switch on the right wall, head towards the small red light. This will allow the player to see the dead body on the floor that will possess Handgun Ammo.

Head back towards the lockers, push it back in place and proceed down the hallway. There will be an opening to the left where players can enter a restroom. In the second stall from where you enter, you will find a first aid spray. Head back towards the hallway making your way to the Hydrant object and make a right. Follow the path until you hear a person yelling at you to let him out behind a chained door. There will be a window that can be interacted with, however head inside the wooden door opposite of the window instead. Approach the Fire Safety Door, interact with it to watch a gruesome cutscene. Afterwards, players will obtain the Officer’s Notebook.

Once you find the Notebook a zombie in officer attire will enter the room. Shoot him once and bypass him quickly, or take him out (ideally with headshots to conserve bullets). Leave the room, to your left will be a door that can be interacted with, but cannot be opened at this time so head back towards the initial spawn point. Be careful as there will be 2 more zombies awaiting your arrival in the hallway where the locker resides.

Players will meet Marvin Branagh during a cutscene, obtaining a combat knife from him. In the same room as Marvin will be a lobby-esque area. Here players can find 6 Handgun Ammo, a typewriter, and a chest. Heads towards the taped up breaker and interact with it to using your newly acquired knife to gain access to the inside. Pulling the lever will cause the metal grill to rise, allowing players to explore the new section. On a couch players will discover Handgun Ammo and opposite of that location will be a green plant, Green Herb. Head towards the back of the room to find a door to open. There will be a dark hallway that has a gruesome former cop on the left. From that location will be an impaled cop on a pipe, and underneath towards the right will be another locked door.

Weapon Locker Key Card

Continue down this hallway to find a breezy window, it will eventually give way to a zombie whose trying to break in, and leads to a pair of red doors. Inside players can find the Weapon Locker Key Card lying on a table, while to the left of that location will be some Handgun Ammo on a stack of chairs. Further in the room you will come across a record of events, this will occur in the Police Station, as well as the Police Station first floor Map. Locate the yellow tape covered box and use it to climb through the broken window.

To the left will be a dead body that has some Handgun Ammo, while further down the corridor will be a distracted portly zombie, allowing players slip past towards the right and enter the room. Located in this room will be several ammo lockers that may be unlocked. While heading towards the back of the room, the portly zombie will find his way into the room so be sure to take him out. Use the Key Card obtained earlier to unlock the W-870 Shotgun and a few Shotgun Shells.

Exit the room and head across the hall into the room opposite. There lies a hunched over zombie, gunpowder, and how to combine gunpowder to create more bullets. Turn around towards your right to find a locker that contains some Handgun bullets. Leave the room then head towards a bloody couch. Take the pathway to the left of the couch; this should take you in the direction of the Darkroom. To the right of the window you will find another Green Herb and a Wooden Board.

To the right of the Wooden Board will be a room that contains a book explaining the different herbs effects, a chest, and a Red Herb. Inside the lockers will be more gunpowder and ammo.

Green Herb: Heals

Blue Herb: Cures Poison

Red Herb: use to combine and power up effects/ constitution

Red/Green Herb: Combine Green Herb and Red Herb

Green/Green Herb: Combine 2 Green Herbs

Green/Blue Herb: Combine Green Herb and Blue Herb

Handgun Ammo = Combine 2 Gunpowder

Shotgun Shells = Combine Gunpowder and High-Grade Gunpowder (Yellow)

MAG Ammo = Combine 2 High-Grade Gunpowder (Yellow)

Exit the room and take the stairs up, check the dead body for some ammo. On this floor (2nd floor), the closest door will lead to the restroom that has some ammo in one locker and a corpse in another, while at the end of the hall will contain another Red Herb.

Head upwards towards the 3rd floor to find some Handgun Ammo and a key (Spade Key) sitting on a desk. In the West Storage Room there will be a Wooden Board laying on the floor and a Hip Pouch. Once players reach the Library, Marvin will recall Leon, so descend the stairs and take out the 3 zombies scattered around the room. Enter the back door to find another Puzzle along with the Police Station Upper Floors Map.

Exit through the main door to get back to Marvin who will show you Claire and instructs you how to reach her.

Proceed to the East Side of the 2nd Floor, use the Spade Key, and follow the hallway until you encounter the helicopter crash. Pick up the Bolt Cutters and use the new key item to open previous lock areas. Cut the door in front of you, enter the room, and head towards the back left to find the Round Handle. Exit that small room, make a left and inspect a desk for the Electrical Part. This allows players to fix the metal shutter they crawl through in the beginning of the game.

Run back to the Operations Room to cut the chains there to find the Electronic Gadget. Proceed to the Shower Room that is on the 2nd Floor and use the Valve obtained earlier to stop the steam. Go through the newly opened path and head to the S.T.A.R.S Room. In this hallway players will find a Licker so approach slowly. In the S.T.A.R.S. Office, there will be a small office to the left that will house the Battery. Combine the battery with the Electronic Gadget to obtain the Detonator.

Make your way back to the 3F Storage Room and use the Detonator on the C4 there to blow up the sealed off section. This allows players to solve the Maiden Statue’s puzzle to obtain the final medallion. Head back towards Marvin to open the underground passageway and get ready for your first boss fight.

Puzzles

Medallion Statues

Once players have the Officer’s Notebook in their possession they will learn the code to solve the puzzles:

The Lion Statue located in the Main Hall on the second floor solution is:  Lion, Plant, Bird. Solving the puzzle will grant the player the Lion Medallion.

The Unicorn Statue located in the Lounge on the first floor solution is: Pair of Fish, Scorpion, Water Jug. Solving the puzzle will grant the player the Unicorn Medallion.

The Maiden Statue’s solution is Lady, Bow, Snake.  Solving the puzzle will grant the player the Maiden Medallion.

Other Locks & Puzzles

Key Pad Lockers

In the Safety Deposit Room, there will be 2 lockers that can be opened by using the code 106 and 109 which contain a roll of film that needs to be used (developed) in the Dark Room and some Ammo.

Wordlock

On the second floor in the restroom with the steam valve broken will be a locker with a wordlock. Enter CAD to obtain the Shotgun Ammo inside.

On the third floor there will be a locker with another wordlock. Enter DCM to obtain the Mag Ammo.

  If you enjoyed this guide about Resident Evil 2 be sure to check out our Resident Evil 2 Remake Review, Resident Evil 2 Remake Trophy Guide, Resident Evil 2 Getting Started Tips, RE2 All Weapons, Upgrades & Combinations, and many more upcoming guides and news!

The post Resident Evil 2: Raccoon Police Department Guide appeared first on Fextralife.

Resident Evil 2: Raccoon Police Department Guide published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[maxwellyjordan]

Kavanaugh’s confirmation process: Democrats in the Senate

At 9:00 p.m. on July 9, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy late last month. The nomination now goes to the Senate for confirmation, where majority leader Mitch McConnell has said he would like a vote to confirm Kavanaugh by the fall. This post will examine the key players in the Democratic minority.

The 49-seat Democratic caucus will be unable to block Kavanaugh’s nomination on its own. Now that the filibuster has been eliminated for Supreme Court nominations, only a simple majority of senators is needed to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the Senate, though Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is away from Washington while he receives treatment for brain cancer. If McCain is unable to vote, every Republican will have to vote for Kavanaugh to ensure confirmation without Democratic help.

A contentious confirmation fight will be nothing new for Kavanaugh; his nomination to the D.C. Circuit stalled for three years amid heavy Democratic opposition before he was confirmed in 2006. When his vote eventually occurred, only four Democrats supported his nomination. Tom Carper of Delaware is the only one of those four still serving today, but he has indicated that he will vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation this time.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

This will be Schumer’s second Supreme Court confirmation fight since he assumed the Democratic leadership post from Harry Reid after the Nevada senator’s retirement in 2016. The main drama last time centered on whether Schumer would lead a Democratic filibuster of Neil Gorsuch’s nomination and whether McConnell, in turn, would use the “nuclear option” of eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations. Schumer and McConnell both followed through, and so the filibuster will not be in play this time.

Immediately after Kennedy’s retirement, Schumer tried to pressure McConnell to honor the so-called “McConnell Rule.” Schumer argued that because McConnell delayed the nomination of Merrick Garland in an election year in 2016, he should do the same this year and wait until after the midterm elections to confirm Kennedy’s replacement. This line of argument, however, has subsided in recent days as it became clear that the Republicans have no intention of following this rule.

In the face of the Republican majority’s plan to hold hearings and a vote on Kavanaugh, Schumer had two strategic options. First, he could lead his caucus in fighting Kavanaugh’s nomination vigorously to rile up the ascendant activist left and increase turnout for the midterm elections. On the other hand, he could take a more conciliatory approach intended to protect the 10 Democratic senators up for re-election in states that Trump won in 2016.

Schumer chose to fight the nomination aggressively. On the night of the nomination, his office released a statement saying that he would “oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have, and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.” In addition, it has been reported that Schumer is cautioning fellow Democrats that they will face a uproar from their base if they do not fight the nomination. According to this report, Schumer has instructed his caucus to focus on criticizing Kavanaugh specifically rather than raising procedural objections. Schumer’s own statement, which asserts that Kavanaugh’s record indicates that he “would rule against reproductive rights and freedoms, and that he would welcome challenges to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act,” reflects this strategy.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Feinstein all but definitively came out against Kavanaugh in a series of statements after the nomination was announced, saying, “Brett Kavanaugh’s record indicates that he would be among the most conservative justices in Supreme Court history, his views are far outside the mainstream and there’s every reason to believe he would overturn Roe v. Wade.”

Feinstein has a reputation as a moderate but may have an incentive to adopt a more confrontational style during the confirmation fight. She is up for re-election in 2018, but because of California’s top-two primary system — in which the two highest vote-getters in a given primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election — she is being challenged from the left by fellow Democrat Kevin de Leon in the general election. In fact, de Leon was recently endorsed by the California Democratic Party in a rebuke to Feinstein.

Last year Feinstein, who will lead any Democratic effort to stall Kavanaugh’s nomination in committee, aggressively questioned Neil Gorsuch on his work in the George W. Bush administration. Given Kavanaugh’s work in the same administration, it would be fair to expect Feinstein to focus some of her questioning on that period of his career during the confirmation hearing.

The Gorsuch voters

Three Democrats voted for Neil Gorsuch last year: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Each is up for re-election this November in a state that Trump won easily in 2016. They are three of five Democrats that conservative groups are hoping to pressure into voting for Kavanaugh. The statements put out by Donnelly, Heitkamp and Manchin, in contrast to those of most of their fellow Democrats, show some openness to supporting the nominee.

Donnelly said after Kavanaugh’s nomination:

As I have said, part of my job as Senator includes thoroughly considering judicial nominations, including to the Supreme Court. I will take the same approach as I have previously for a Supreme Court vacancy. Following the president’s announcement, I will carefully review and consider the record and qualifications of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Heitkamp’s statement sought to differentiate herself from fellow Democrats by saying, “I understand that many members of Congress and outside groups will announce how they stand on the nominee before doing their due diligence and instead just take a partisan stance — but that isn’t how I work.” She specifically mentioned her support for Gorsuch in the same statement.

For his part, Manchin seems to have settled on the specific issue that will determine whether he supports Kavanaugh: the Affordable Care Act. His statement on the night of the nomination singled out healthcare as a key issue:

I will evaluate Judge Kavanaugh’s record, legal qualifications, judicial philosophy and particularly, his views on healthcare. The Supreme Court will ultimately decide if nearly 800,000 West Virginians with pre-existing conditions will lose their healthcare. This decision will directly impact almost 40% of my state, so I’m very interested in his position on protecting West Virginians with pre-existing conditions.

In a recent town hall with constituents, Manchin said that he would ask Kavanaugh if he believes that the ACA is constitutional. As Tejinder Singh wrote for this blog last week, Kavanaugh’s record as a circuit judge “shows that [he] is willing to look for artful ways to avoid deciding questions he does not want to decide.” If Kavanaugh is able to convince Manchin that he will not vote to repeal the ACA, he may well have the West Virginian’s vote.

Other threatened Democrats

Donnelly, Heitkamp and Manchin are only three of the 10 Democratic senators running for re-election in states Trump won in 2016. The other two senators whom conservative groups are most focused on pressuring into voting for Kavanaugh are Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jon Tester of Montana. Both of them have said little about Kavanaugh, only offering that they will meet with the nominee and consider his record.

The other five most vulnerable Democrats, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bill Nelson of Florida, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, have all indicated or confirmed that they will vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Tim Kaine represents Virginia, a state that Hillary Clinton won, with Kaine on the ballot for vice president, in 2016, but he is up for re-election and has said he will wait to decide on Kavanaugh until after he watches the confirmation hearing. He has singled out the ACA and abortion rights as issues he is most focused on.

The last Democrat who could potentially vote to confirm Kavanaugh is Doug Jones of Alabama, who upset Roy Moore in a special election last year. Jones is not up for re-election until 2020, but he represents a deep-red state. He has said only that he is “going to do a deep dive of his record and we’ll talk about that record… I’ll make my judgment at that point.”

Presidential hopefuls

The New York Times identified four members of the Democratic caucus who are preparing to run for the party’s nomination for president in 2020: Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. None will vote for Kavanaugh, but it is worth monitoring how they each approach the nomination fight. Harris and Booker, as members of the Judiciary Committee, have an opportunity to produce a viral soundbite in hearings.

Warren and Sanders, along with another potential 2020 candidate, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, will likely be battling for the support of the ascendant left-wing base. As some on the left have begun to call for a future Democratic president to pack the Supreme Court to ensure a liberal majority, one of these three senators may try to appeal to that base by saying he or she will pack the court if elected. Although it is unlikely that any senator will call for court-packing during the Kavanaugh proceedings, any lines of attack that suggest that Trump’s nominees are illegitimate could foreshadow an attempt to neutralize their power on the Supreme Court.

Conclusion

The Democrats are ultimately powerless to stop Kavanaugh’s nomination if the most likely scenario, in which no Republican breaks rank and the party has either 51 or 50 votes depending on McCain’s health, comes to fruition. In that case, it would be reasonable to expect somewhere between three and six conservative Democrats to also vote to confirm Kavanaugh as they seek to appeal to potential moderate voters in November. If, however unlikely it may be, it seems that a Republican senator is seriously considering voting against Kavanaugh, look for Schumer to aggressively shepherd his caucus into holding a firm line in the hopes of defeating Trump’s nominee, which would be a major blow to the GOP ahead of the midterms.

The post Kavanaugh’s confirmation process: Democrats in the Senate appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

from Law http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/07/kavanaughs-confirmation-process-democrats-in-the-senate/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[cheemken]

do you have more hcs of the champions, or maybe even the trainers or any other characters?

I should really write more hcs abt Lance bc out of all the Champions I draw him the most

So like here, have some hcs abt Lance hahah

•hes really soft spoken and just generally gentle and nice when it comes to kids, he doesn't like raising his voice nor does he want to look intimidating whenever there are kids around

-ofc, they would insist that he'd look menacing or smth bc that's what made them like him, going on how he's cool

•caves in whenever someone compliments him

-despite his fans too, this man is deprived of genuine affection so you can only imagine the first time one of the Champions complimented him he thought abt it the entire night he didn't sleep

•insecure af. Like. You cannot look at me and tell me Lance is okay, this man has probs been compared to a lot of people back then and he thinks he'll never be enough for anyone

-lowkey, like really lowkey, resents Red and Green, bc of all the peeps that others compare him to, it's usually w those two

-always wants to prove he's a great Champion, he always hears conversations that maybe Green or Red would take his place

-didnt help how some people still see him as an Elite Four member rather than the actual Champion

•he didn't give up on Silver bc he reminds him of Clair

-ofc, he knows they're both different, but yknow, it's that lil drive of his, that he wasn't a good role model for Clair back then maybe he could be w Silver now

-Clair, despite her denial, admits that Lance was a good cousin in raising her when their elders didn't

•he made Clair one of his Elite Four bc he knew she was strong enough and she proved that she changed for the better at least, so he left Silver in charge of Blackthorn's Gym, wc he happily accepted

-it made him laugh at least when Silver became Gym Leader he was boasting to Gold and Kris abt it

-he also made Clair E4 to spite the elders, but no one has to know abt that

•honestly one of the most secretive Champions out there along w Geeta and Diantha

-he would never open up abt anything, no matter how much they'd pry, the only Champions who actually got through Lance and got him to open up were Steven and Diantha

-then again, those two didn't force it outta him, they just waited and told him that they were there to listen to him

•during their meetings, as straightforward as he is, there are times where he'd keep quiet and just watch and wait on where the other Champions' decisions will lead them

•despite Leon being number one, Lance became the appointed "leader" of the Champions, and it was unanimously decided as the others agreed he's probs the most responsible

-and in Cynthia's words, he's the oldest

-Lance almost kicked her out during that meeting

-Steven is his right hand man tho let's be real, the two of them are usually the ones who plan their meetings

[allcheatscodes]

resident evil 2 gamecube

http://allcheatscodes.com/resident-evil-2-gamecube/

resident evil 2 gamecube

Resident Evil 2 cheats & more for GameCube (GameCube)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Get the updated and latest Resident Evil 2 cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, guides, hints, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for GameCube (GameCube). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the GameCube cheats we have available for Resident Evil 2.

Check PlayStation cheats for this game

Check Nintendo64 cheats for this game

Check Dreamcast cheats for this game

Genre: Action, Survival Horror Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom ESRB Rating: Mature Release Date: January 16, 2003

Hints

Colt Python S.A.A. Weapon

Begin a normal difficulty game and go to the courtyard in front of the R.C.P.D., then go down the stairs. Brad Vickers from RE will be waiting for you. No, he’s not going to give you the gun, but he WILL give you trouble if you try to face him with the few bullets you have left from your run through the City. Head into the Police Station and pick up more ammo and perhaps a stronger weapon before going to meet him. If you manage to fell him, you will get the Secret Key. Take this key to the Dark Room save area and use it to open the lockers to the left of the door. Inside is the Colt Python S.A.A., which is almost more powerful than the magnum. It only carries six shots, but it’s great for the last battle against William G-III and G-IV. An alternate costume is also in the locker, if you like that kind of thing. Oh, and one more detail. If this doesn’t work, in that Brad does not appear, try again without picking up anything along the way to the Station. (Don’t worry about not getting your characters’signature weapon, as a shotgun can be found in the S.T.A.R.S. Office for Leon, and a Bow-Gun in the Cabin save area for Claire, so you don’t have to worry about not picking them up in the begining when the shop-keeper dies.)

All Hung Up

While playing as Claire, if you equip the bow-gunand fire at a zombie that is in front of a wall, it will get pinned and die. This trick also works with crows, but it’s not as effective as they are too fast to hit, but it can be done.

Vomiting Zombies

You will eventually become a little girl named Sherry in Claire’s scenario. Walk up to a zombie and instead of biting you they will vomit.

Getting The Machine Gun

Play the first scenario and find the door with a small hand pad in the Umbrella Laboratory that requires two people to open. Even though you cannot get in, activate it anyway. Complete the first scenario and start the second. Find this pad again and activate it. The door will unlock and you can find a machine gun in the room.

Regaining The Precinct Key

If you discarded the Precinct Key, you can regain in the room where you put the Red Jewels into the statues. Search the crates on the left side of the statue to find the it. You can also find H. Gun Ammo and an Ink Ribbon in this room.

Defeating Tyrant

In the second scenario, after you put the joint plugs in, you will fight a evolved form of Tyrant. Use the following steps to easily defeat him. For Leon, run to the right from him as soon as the scene (with black lines at bottom and top) ends. Start shooting him with the custom magnum three times, then run toward the exit door. Ada Wong will appear and drop a special grenade launcher. Run towards the grenade launcher, pick it up and shoot one shot to kill the Tyrant. If you are not an expert, you will also need first aid sprays or herbs. For Claire, you will do the same thing only using the regular grenade launcher with acid rounds. After this Tyrant, you will open the gate and get on the train. Another intermission sequence will play. After it finishes, the train will stop. Run towards the back of the train until you see a tentacle drop down. Another intermission sequence will play, and you have to fight the last form of William Burkin, as a revolting blob. Run towards the front of the train until you reach the door. Stop and shoot him with the remaining rocket. Then, use the custom magnum or a grenade launcher with acid rounds. Shoot him until he melts. After that, go to where you started and watch the ending sequence.The “Tyrant” in the second scenario is a indeed a Tyrant of the T-00 series but his name is Mr. X.

Safe Code

The code for the safe in the room with the double blue doors is 4542.

Access To Secret Room

To get into the room with the fingerprint access, you must get the Red Umbrella Key card and go into the room with the bugs in it. Go to the computer and type in “GUEST” as a user name. It will take your fingerprint. Go to the fingerprint key pad and put your fingerprint in as the character being Leon or Claire and complete the game. Return to the fingerprint lock as the other character and do the same thing and you can go in. There are some Lickers in a glass container of liquid.

Dead Hunter

Unlock the room in the Lab which requires two people to enter. In the Culture Experiment Room is find a dead Hunter from the first Resident Evil game and a group of strange experiments.

Getting The Precinct Key

Go to the second floor, kill the Licker, and then go to the room with a door with S.T.A.R.S. written on it. Get the diary (green book), get the unicorn medal, talk to your “friend”, and go down the stairs back to the fountain in the hall. Stand in front of the fountain and use the unicorn medal.

Getting To Tyrant

In the room where the giant moth is located, the computer asks you to use your user name. Type in “GUEST” for the user name. This will get you to Tyrant, but you have to watch the two videos first. Note: You must use both people; with the “A” scenario with one character and the “B” scenario with the other character.

Getting The Gatling Gun

Successfully complete the game in two and a half hours or less, you can pick up items (only important things such as keys, card keys and maps recommended) but do not save. The gatling gun is an awesome weapon that shoots very fast and is powerful. The downside is that you cannot aim up or down, and it takes up two spaces on the inventory screen. When you start the next scenario in the slot you used, look in one of your item boxes.

Hand Gun Ammunition

Always check a dead policeman. He will usually have ammunition.

Brad’s Note

In either character’s scenario B, get to the police station. Walk out to where Brad Vickers would be to get the special key and look at the ground. If there is nothing there, go back in the station, and do a little more inside, then go out again. You will find a note that Brad left behind.

Extreme Battle Mode

Complete both of either character’s scenarios with an “A” rank, then go to the “Special” option. A new “Extreme battle mode” selection will be unlocked.

Play As Hunk

Complete both of either character’s scenarios with an “A” rank.

Play As Tofu

Complete both of either character’s scenarios with an “A” rank, and Hunk’s scenario with any rank.

Play As Ada Wong In Extreme Battle Mode

Complete extreme battle mode level 1 as any character.

Play As Chris Redfield In Extreme Battle Mode

Complete extreme battle mode level 2 as any character.

Unlimited Weapons

Complete either character’s first scenario in under 2.5 hours with an A or B ranking for the special rocket launcher. Complete either character’s second scenario in under 2.5 hours with an A or B ranking for the special gatling gun. Complete either character’s second scenario in under 3 hours with an A or B ranking for the special machine gun. The special weapon will appear in the next game after the first chest is opened.

Shotgun Or Crossbow

When playing as Leon go to the gun shop with the man. He will almost shoot you. After he dies because of the zombies, kill them. Then go up to the dead man and press Action. You should get a shotgun. If playing as Claire you will get the crossbow.

Ranking System

To get an A ranking, beat the game in under three hours and do not use any First Aid sprays. Herbs, however, may be used. To get a B ranking, successfully complete the game in under three hours. To get a C ranking, finish the game in five to seven hours. For a D rating, finish the game in seven hours or more. Note: The rank will be lowered by one grade if any special weapons are used, or if the game was saved more than twelve times. To get the “S” rank on mission 1, complete the game in under 1 hour 30 minutes, only use up to one green herb, do not save, and only use a knife, handgun and shotgun/bowgun or magnum/grenade launcher. I.e., if you pick up the shotgun/bowgun do not pick up the magnum/grenade launcher; or if you want the magnum/grenade launcher, do not pick up the shotgun/bowgun. Also, no weapons upgrades are allowed on any weapon and only one of each type of weapon. I.e., do not pick up the shotgun/bowgun from the dead shopkeeper then pick it up later in the game.

Rebecca Chambers Picture

Walk into the S.T.A.R.S office, go to the back of the room and click on Wesker’s desk (with the “This desk is trashed someone must of searched it” description). Search the desk fifty times to find a photo of Rebecca Chambers as a basketball player.

Shoot The Screen

While playing Leon’s scenario, take the unlimited ammunition shotgun and go to the roof where the helicopter crashed. Stand near the door leading inside, and make sure that a close-up view of Leon appears. Aim the shotgun at the screen and fire. Bullet holes will appear. Note: This may also be done at any location where Leon can aim at the screen with the shotgun. Another way to do this is when Leon in the gun shop after the zombies killed the man. Get the shot gun from him and go to the bus that has crashed. Make sure you do not use the shot gun while going to the bus. Once inside the bus, kill the two zombies (on the floor and walking). Go to the back of the bus, where Leon entered, and aim at the screen. In the first scenario as Claire, you can shoot the screen in the hall where the S.T.A.R.S. room is located (where you get the fax). It is not in that room, but it is in that hallway. Keep trying until you get it. As Hunk in the green crow hall where you fight the second Tyrant, go around the second corner in that room. As you shoot at the Tyrant with a shotgun it will shoot the screen. You can shoot the screen anywhere you can point at it with any gun except the grenade launcher, BOW gun, rocket launcher, or flamethrower.

Film D

Search the desk on the left side of the S.T.A.R.S. office. The phrase “Its trashed someone must have searched it” will be displayed. Repeatedly search the desk approximately fifty times until a roll of film is found. Take the film and develop it in the photo lab to see a picture of Rebecca in a basketball uniform.

Alternate Uniforms

Start a game on the normal difficulty setting. Then, go to the police station without collecting any items. Quickly move past the zombie that appears in the alley near the police station. Collect the shotgun, then kill the zombie. Take the special key from the zombie’s body and go to the dark room to open the lockers with alternate uniforms. Claire has a single alternate uniform, with a quick shooting revolver. Leon has two alternate uniforms, one of which will allow him to shoot with one hand.

Tofu Scenario

Successfully complete either character’s first and second scenarios in less than three hours. Then, play the game again with the other character, and successfully complete their first and second scenarios in less than three hours. Play the game a third time and complete either character’s first and second scenarios again in less than three hours. Note: The game must be saved less than twelve times during each of the six scenarios played and bonus weapons must not be used. Tofu is a piece of tofu (food) that must reach the second floor of the police station from the sewer with just battles and no puzzles. Tofu can not use any weapons other than a knife.

Hunk Scenario

Successfully complete either character’s second scenario in under two hours and thirty minutes with saving less than twelve times. Hunk is a soldier that must reach the second floor of the police station from the sewer with just battles and no puzzles.

Bonus Weapons

Successfully complete either character’s first scenario in under two hours and thirty minutes with an A or B ranking for the rocket launcher with infinite ammunition. Successfully complete either character’s second scenario in under two hours and thirty minutes hours with an A or B ranking for the gatling gun with infinite ammunition. Successfully complete either character’s second scenario in under three hours with an A or B ranking for the machine gun with infinite ammunition. Note: The bonus weapon will appear in the next game after the first chest is opened.

Cheats

Infinite Ammunition

While playing a game, press Start to display the options screen. Select the “Button Config” option. Highlight the “Aim” selection, then hold R and press Z(10). If you entered the code correctly, the white boxes around ”Config” and ”Aim” will change to red.

Unlockables

Currently we have no unlockables for Resident Evil 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Easter eggs

Currently we have no easter eggs for Resident Evil 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Glitches

Currently we have no glitches for Resident Evil 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Guides

Currently we have no guides or FAQs for Resident Evil 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.