#raccoon city pd

[lurkingleighbee]

[ellieslaces]

𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: rookie!leon x fem stars agent!reader

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: a collection of headcannons in which rookie cop leon has a crush on the reader, who’s a s.t.a.r.s agent

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: harsh language; make-out sessions; flirty reader; mostly wholesome content; canon divergent

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: i was inspired by @darling-i-read-it when i saw the post abt Leon having a crush on a STARS agent and oml i haven’t stopped thinking about it so here i am yet again

𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠: Fade Into You by Mazzy Star

• Leon had just started his position as a rookie cop at the Raccoon City PD and he’s always given the worst little tasks and assignments

• one day though - about four days into his first week - he passes the STARS office on his way with boxes to the storage room and almost drops them all

• he sees without a doubt the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen in the STARS office, laughing at something the guy beside her said

• he has to pull himself together and take the boxes to storage room, his little heart hammering so fast the whole time

• Leon finally being introduced to you and the rest of the STARS team the next week when he’s instructed to take some paperwork to the STARS office

• he fell in love immediately when you walked to him, smiling widely, and taking the papers while introducing yourself

• he can hardly keep himself together as you walk him around the STARS office and introduce each agent to him

• he falls even harder when you scold each one, telling them all to be nice to him because he’s new

• after that, Leon always finds himself gravitating toward you any chance he gets — in the copy room, the kitchen, the shooting range

• you thinking he took a liking to you because you were one of the only ones who didn’t give him a hard time and to be honest, you didn’t really mind. he was sweet and totally lovable

• Leon honestly found it so insane how you were an absolute menace around the station

• like you would go around the office and flirt with a few officers to get them to do a task for you that you really didn’t want to do in the first place

• of course it always worked and they were all suckers for you

• and if he thought you were a menace on a daily bases, oh he was so surprised at how bold you were at holiday parties

• you would dance to the music in the most inappropriate ways possible for a work party

• and for some reason, it made him like you even more

• he also loved how you’d wear headphones with a walkman on your belt, and sing along, and dance to the music while you made copies or just walked around the station

• his crush on you was so bad, like next level bad

• in fact, you didn’t pick up on his crush on you at all. it was Jill who did. she never said a word of course, but she could just tell

• Leon always felt a little jealousy when he saw you talking to another agent, like Chris

• he knew you were out of his league, but he couldn’t help the hot jealousy in his chest as he would watch you laugh at something Chris said

• of course, he didn’t know that you’d rejected Chris when you first started working there and he asked you out a few times

• oh but Jill does. she loves to tease him for it, always reminding him of how you brutally shot him down

• and the teasing quickly becomes a problem when Leon walks by the STARS office one day and overhears Jill’s teasing

• of course, all Leon’s lovesick little brain processes are the words Chris, crush, and your name

• he doesn’t talk to you for two weeks. he ignores your jokes, your teases, your playful flirting (which he never ignores)

• until you finally get it out of him two weeks later in the shooting range

• he stammers and tells you he overheard Jill talking about you and Chris, and he likes you but it’s okay because he knows you don’t feel the same way, and you and Chris would be good together

• and you almost break then “oh, Leon, i don’t like Chris. Jill just likes to tease him because i rejected him when i started working here”

• Leon is obviously stunned “oh, uh, you don’t? sorry, i shouldn’t have said all that now i feel bad and -”

• “no, Leon. don’t feel bad. i actually kinda like you too you know…” you smiled sheepishly — which is pretty rare for you to be nervous

• Leon’s eyes widening to an unnatural size as he grins “you do? really? i didn’t think you’d like me i’m just a rookie.”

• “whether you’re a rookie or a trained professional, i like you. you’re really sweet and i know you’d treat me really well.”

• after that, you two start dating

• which is so fucking weird because a lot of the guys in the station — STARS and non-STARS — have been hitting on you and Jill since like the dawn of time

• it’s a little tense for Leon for a little while because a few other guys are even resentful you fell for a rookie and not them

• but of course Leon won’t say a word to them, so when he’s not around you put them in their place and tell them to leave him alone or you’ll fuck them up

• they are all obviously a little scared so they listen and start being nice - or as nice to a rookie as possible- to him again

• Leon always being so nervous and worrisome when you go in assignment

• seriously, he’ll worry himself to a point where he can’t sleep and he’ll nod off at his desk during the day

• when you finally get back, he always tells you how much he missed you and how worried he was and how he never wants you to leave him again

• but of course you always go on assignments. it’s a cruel cycle really

• you realize you were right — Leon did treat you so well. like a fucking princess honestly

• you believe you were so lucky that day when the lieutenant forced him to take paper work up to the STARS office

• Leon being literally the sweetest and best boyfriend you ever had and always making sure you’re okay and happy and safe

• but how could you not be happy? Leon is literally perfect to you and you couldn’t be happier with anyone else

how you can support Palestine! 🇵🇸

[levantura]

"That smile looks good on you."

Leon Kennedy X Reader

description: Its Leon's first week as a cop and the pressure and teasing is too much to bear, when he meets you, a recent transfer to RPD, things finally start to look up.

Re2!Leon X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Violence, drugs, Police, death, harassment, alcohol, blood, wounds.

2.2k words.

It was a Thursday afternoon, Leon was awkwardly leaning against the wall in the break room sipping on some liquid which he thought was supposed to be coffee but most definitely is not. The watery brown lukewarm liquid swirled through his cup as he looked down at it, not knowing where to look or what to do. Not even ten days on the force and he already wants out, out of here at least. while its true that Raccoon city was home to Leon, he wanted better for himself. he hated to be a cliche 'gotta get out of my hometown type' but it was true. when he got his assignment he sighed, he knew it would be a long time until he was able to transfer, he had no choice but to stick it out.

When Leon walked into work this particular Thursday the atmosphere seemed...different. it wasn't unusual that people here were on edge but today they seemed superbly anxious. Leon questioned it but quickly brushed it off, 'maybe someone got written up or theres somethin' up with the coffee' he made the smart decision to throw out the caffeinated mystery beverage.

"Wasting coffee now huh rookie?" An older officer, Wilson, teased. "n-no sir, it was pretty much empty um-" Leon cringed at how weak he sounded, in truth he's just so tired. he hates picking fights, he hates the pressure, he hated the the names they called him. if there was one thing he hated the most? the mocking. He didn't know if they treated all the rookies like this or just him. 'i wonder when things will be different.' officer Wilson chuckled, "Aw kid, you nervous around me?" he got up from his chair which judging by how much he sat in it definitely had an ass-print of some sort, and marched right up to Leon's face. Leon could feel and smell the hot coffee breath of his colleague and visibly winced. "Rookie, do i make you nervous?"

"Hey officer Wilson, i could see you haven't changed a bit."

'Who is that?'

Leon's eyes met the petite officer's, she was beautiful. her skin was glowing, she had the softest looking hair. The way she carried herself was nothing short of confident. 'Wow, is she new here? now, she knew officer Wilson, maybe that's why everyone's been so weird today? maybe-' "who are you?" Leon was snapped out his thoughts, "uh I'm officer Kennedy, Leon S. Kennedy, I'm a rookie, I started about eight days ago, I'm from-" he paused and cringed at his demeanor once again, "Leon. Leon Kennedy." he had a goofy grin on his face from just being in your presence. he held his hand out and you took it gladly. the warmth of his hands feeling nice against your cold ones. "I'm y/n. it's really nice to meet you." your eyes lingered on his for a few moments before your face got hot and you looked down shyly. this was a rare occurrence, no one ever made you shy, you were usually the outgoing one! But apparently not when it came to attractive rookie police officers...

The phone rang causing you both to let go of your hands which you realized you were still holding. 'Shit,' Leon thought to himself. Leon watched you as you walked away from him, looking down to hide your rose-colored cheeks. you grabbed the phone to stop the incessant ringing, "Hello Raccoon City PD who am I speaking with?"

Leon couldn't help but stare. He watched the way you carried yourself, even on the phone. He watched the way your eyebrows furrowed, the way you bit the left side of your lip, how your lips looked oh-so-soft and pillowy, something he could only dream about.

"Rookie."

The soft features of your face, now looking at him. he tried to listen, really, but he was lost in trance.

"Leon!" Now you had his attention. his head snapped to meet your eyes, god...your eyes.

"I'm going to need your help Leon, you up for it?"

Leon had never been more ready.

Riding in the squad car with you was not easy for Leon, radio or no radio? windows down? temperature? He wasnt sure of anything. He settled with whatever you picked even if the AC temperature was freezing him out.

"So, you clear with the plan?"

"One more time, to be safe?" and Leon looked at you with his baby blue puppy dog eyes and you couldn't help but feel sad for what the future had in store for this boy. you knew firsthand life on the force, in Raccoon City nevertheless, is soul crushing. you shook your head at the thoughts of the last call you went on here, the face of your dead partner is something you will never forget.

Mel was the only other woman assigned to raccoon city, you quickly bonded over that. you bonded over all of the smile more, the are you sure you could handle that? and all of the mistreatment. you guys quickly climbed to the top of your ranks at the precinct. Everyone knew not to mess with you guys, they knew what you were capable of.

The day of your last call at Raccoon City you had been assigned to an armed bank robbery. The perpetrator had called in for back up from three more of his men but when you called for backup it was already too late. a gunshot sounded and without even having to look you knew. Mel had gone down. there was nothing to do now but rush to her side and hope and pray to whatever was up there that she would be okay, but the sad truth was, she wasn't, and she wasn't going to be.

"Mel..." you cried and reached for her, cradling her in your arms in her final moments.

"Make change. for us. for the new girls, the new guys. you could do it y/n. thanks for everything." and with that, she left. You could only imagine she'd be happier wherever she was, that she was looking down and you were doing the best you could to make her proud.

you took a deep breath.

"So!" you clapped your hands together, "this is a domestic violence report, right? You take front door and try to distract the perp, from what we know he's around six feet tall, dark hair, a cross tattoo on the wrist and according to the call we received, had been drinking. I'll go around back to look for an alternate entrance, make sure our vic could get out okay without too much confrontation. then ill signal you and we will reconvene from there, sound good?" Leon nodded.

"You ready?"

Leon swallowed hard. "Let's do it."

As you both walked toward the house, Leon's head was spinning. There was a lot riding on this. This was his first call, and he was determined to make sure this perp was going down. he was so desperate to prove himself, he wanted the relentless teasing to just stop. this would do it. if he made it through this without fucking up, which would be hard, he knew they would think him worthy of this position.

knock knock knock

nothing.

As Leon raised his fist again to knock, the door opened.

"Yes officers?" a man answered. This man definitely matched the description, especially the drunk part. Leon was no toxicology expert, but he knew what booze smelt like, maybe a bit too well. "Hello sir, I don't mean to disturb you, but we got a call about a disturbance?"

"Disturbance? what kind of disturbance?" The man asked, definitely whiskey hot on his breath.

"The. Um. the disturbance kind." what did he just say?

'What the fuck is wrong with me?'

a thousand face palms arent enough to explain how much he cringed at himself. nails on a chalkboard, tin foil in your teeth. 'How long do i have to do this for?' he sighed.

"Uh huh. well unless you have any evidence, I don't see your point of being here when clearly, there no disturbance of any kind going on."

Leon looked down, knowing he fucked up. But then he spotted the blood. It trailed from his shoe into his living room, at least from where Leon could see. "what's the blood from?"

"That? oh... A Nosebleed!"

He wasn't buying it.

"Well then would you mind if I took a look inside? if it's just from a nosebleed, you'll surely be okay with that right?"

"You know, I know my rights. you need a warrant!" Leon chuckled; all of his test scores proved otherwise to this man's statement. "Actually sir, you see there are some exceptions to this rule, not that I have to explain this to you but, you see, there was a call made about this here address and that," Leon pointed to the decently sized blood pool on the ground, "That is a plain view probable cause, so I really didn't want to have to this but, excuse me." Leon Pushed past him into the house where he saw you and you locked eyes. He knew he had gone off plan a bit but he really wasn't expecting such an easy lead. Your eyes widen, "Leon behind you!" He whipped around and saw the man hurling toward him, the man threw a punch that landed on Leon's jaw, he retaliated and kicked him back. there was an all-out brawl in this drunk bastard's living room, and you were watching, completely forgetting about the victim you were supposed to be finding. "Y/N! go grab her! follow the blood, I could handle this from here!"

You nodded and followed the trail to the bedroom, opening the door you found a younger girl, clearly drugged, handcuffed to the bed frame.

You rushed into the room and grabbed the woman's shoulder.

"Hey, hey! it's okay, don't you worry, I'm going to get you out of here." she was so thin, you were afraid you'd break her arm with one wrong move. You spoke into your radio, "This is officer L/N, im requesting an ambulance at four thirty seven lunder court, ASAP victim in critical condition," snapping back to the job at hand you whipped out your lockpick, quickly removing the cuffs from the girl, you easily lifted her out of the bedroom and to your squad car where you tried to keep her awake. the cuts and bruises from whatever that thing had done to her were starting to ooze with pus and blood from being reopened when she was moved. You were skilled, you had the resources. You knew what to do. grabbing your first aid kit and tying gauze around her wounds, applying pressure. you hoped shed be able to hang on until the ambulance arrived.

things in the living room had escalated, for a drunk man, this guy had amazing balance and stamina. In fact, it was so great, Leon nearly lost a head to a dining room chair being hurled at him. But he finally had an advantage when the man got kicked in the nose, pushing him back. The rookie then grabbed his head and threw him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. 'Thank God it's over. I'm breaking a sweat.' and as soon as the man went down, the cuffs came out. "Perpetrator unconscious, awaiting instructions." He called into his radio. then as if on cue, the flashing red and blue lights of the ambulance were seen from the window.

"So! you seemed to have handled yourself quite well, you sure that was your first mission?" you almost chuckled. You were both back at the station, you were dressing Leon's wounds from the living room brawl. He smiled, "Yeah! maybe now the rest of the officers will take me seriously. hopefully something scars and I'll be able to prove it." he chuckled. "Well, it certainly was some fight. definitely a great first call," you pressed down on a cut, trying to wipe whatever blood was left over on his swollen bottom lip. He winced, "So sorry!" You smiled, looking down at him from where you were standing in the dirty precinct bathroom, he was sitting on the sink counter and you standing almost in between his legs. he looked up at you again with those eyes, and this time he smiled. "You know rookie, that smile looks really good on you," he blushed, mouth agape, "you should wear it more often." He was stunned, he couldn't believe a woman as beautiful and strong as you were complimenting him, the rookie, the new guy that was bullied mercilessly. "You know, Y/N, I really couldn't ask for a better partner for the day at least. it was an honor to work with you." say it, Leon. just say it. "You're an amazing officer and I would be lucky to be half as good as you are eventually, I mean you're kind, you're compassionate, you are so smart and brave, you're beauti-," he stopped short, mentally cringing. 'God Dammit.' His eyes squeezed shut and his cheeks flushed red, "Um well," he looked down and your finger lifted his chin to look up at you. "Leon, as unprofessional as this might be, how about dinner sometime? l want to know you. And I'm getting the feeling it's mutual... So, is it a date?"

Leon took your hand in his and kissed it. "It would be my pleasure."

F i n.

A/N: hello! this is my first fanfic in a really long time!! i hope there arent too many mistakes and enjoy :) ill leave my inbox open for any requests!

[archangeldyke-all]

okay, here goes! One BSAA agent Sevika request as promised - I'm sorry if its too long and not very good, I'm still getting back into the flow of regular writing but thank you for showcasing on your blog, as a big fan of yours it means a lot! - Starlight

(I'm rubbish at tagging, but there are mentions of bioterrorism, outbreaks of fictional infection, creatures, death and loss of family members, loss of a pet, please add more if I've forgotten any)

Sevika was a gym rat before the outbreak, worked as a personal trainer at her local gym.

Pointedly ignored her father’s demands she join Raccoon City PD, just like him and her younger brother.

She knew she probably would eventually join up; thought she had all the time in the world to make her mind up.

Then the T-Virus happened.

Her father and brother were killed trying to battle the infected in the streets. Sevika lost everything during those awful days, even her dog.

She made it out during the evacuation, moving from place to place, joining up with any anti-bioterrorism group who will have her.

She never talks about Raccoon City, and people know better than to ask her about it.

By the time she meets one Chris Redfield, she’s lethal. Her hand-to-hand combat and weapons training have been meticulously honed.

Chris likes her immediately. Watching Sevika go toe-to-toe with a Hunter, and winning, he knew this woman had to join his squad.

During a mission gone bad, she loses an arm to a Licker. Chris sees to it personally through his BSAA connections that she’s fitted with a state of the art prosthetic.

She meets you in the floating city of Terragrigia and for the first time in a long time, the world suddenly doesn’t feel so grim.

She’s a typical BSAA agent, striding around in her combat gear like she owns the place, always on the lookout for danger. Her not so typical prosthetic is a glossy black, and she keeps it immaculate so it’s always glinting in the sun.

You’re a no nonsense bartender who knows her whiskey, with a piercing stare that quashes any trouble and a dazzling smile that nearly has her missing her mouth and spilling whiskey down her front.

She frequents the bar you work in, many BSAA agents do. One night, when you slide her usual whiskey over to her, she smirks, writes down her number on the little napkin then saunters over to her BSAA buddies as you gape after her.

Your first few dates are casual, she takes you out for coffee, to the cinema. She holds your hands, kisses you gently after each date. By date number four or five, it seems her patience has finally worn thin when she grabs you after dinner and presses you against the door of your apartment. The kiss is intense, too much and not enough, filled with the sultry promise of what’s to come. That night, she breaks your bedframe and apologises profusely, but she’s not sorry really, not when she smirks as she watches you walk shakily around your apartment the morning after.

After 5 months, you find yourself moving into her apartment.

She takes the same breakfast every day, oatmeal and black coffee. She’s pleasantly surprised when you start adding some ‘pizzazz’ to her oatmeal, some blueberries here, a sprinkle of cinnamon, even caramelised apples. She rolls her eyes and grumbles that ‘plain oatmeal does the job just fine’ but she’s getting worse and worse at hiding her smile.

She has terrible nightmares. She never seems to wake from them, calling for her father, her brother, her dog Finn. All you can do is wrap your arms around her, soothing her by speaking softly in her ear, stroking her hair. She relaxes now when she feels you, but her arms always tighten around you, the only person she isn’t willing to fathom losing.

When the Terragrigia Panic starts, and hundreds of Hunters are released into the city in the worst act of bioterrorism the world has seen, Sevika has only one goal: find you.

She fights her way out of the BSAA HQ, races to your apartment just to find it empty. She sinks to her knees, she thinks ‘not again’ but then she hears your frightened whimpers coming from the bedroom closet.

When she tears open that closet door to find you curled up inside, one of her handguns clutched in your trembling hand, she almost breaks down crying. But she stays strong, for you. She gathers you up in her arms, kisses you so fiercely you stop thinking and then she gets you out of there.

An armoured BSAA escort is awaiting, and yet again Sevika manages to escape the chaos with her life, and something far more precious to her.

A Hunter tries to attack while everyone’s getting loaded into the vehicles and you watch with equal amounts horror, morbid fascination, pride and let’s be real, horny as Sevika roars and punches the creature square in the face.

Chris shakes his head, grinning and you can’t seem to pick your jaw up off the floor. Sevika quirks an eyebrow at the both of you as the convoy pulls away from the carnage unfolding, the BSAA having been ordered to withdraw. “What? Nobody comes at me or my girl without catching hands, Hunter or not!”

Chris says nothing, and all you can mumble through your daze as Sevika wraps you in her warm arms is “I think I need to come with you on some missions…for science.”

THIS IS AMAZING omg i've never played this game before but this fic is making me want to holy shit. i'm so excited to see what else you come up with in the future!!!!! woah. this was so good!!!!

taglist!

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3 @ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @leomatsuzaki

[que-serra-serra]

[Serennedy] Second Chances

Written for @serennedyshipweek23 day 2: Protecting one another. I went for a rewrite of the elevator + Krauser scene, hope you enjoy <3 Rated T | 3.8k words | ao3 link

“What do you mean, you were researching the Plaga!?” Leon demanded.

“I’m not sure how there’s any room for misunderstanding in that statement,” Luis said with an infuriating smirk. “Do you not have research in America? See, it is when dashing scientists such as myself—��

“Why the hell were you working for them!?” Leon interrupted the attempt at deflecting. “For once in your life, fucking be straight with me!”

Luis laughed, a mocking sound without any humor. “Be straight with you? Oh, amigo, you should have considered that before you shoved your dick down my throat.”

“For fuck’s sake, Luis!” Leon slammed his fist on the wall above Luis’ head with a bang.

The noise startled both men, and they quieted as the old elevator rattled and shook, the noise echoing through the mines. Thankfully, the elevator car kept moving up.

Finally, Luis sighed. “Look, I don't know what to tell you. I came back to this village to get away from my past mistakes, and only got roped into another disaster instead. It's my fault that Las Plagas evolved this far. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Yes. No.” Leon groaned and pushed off the wall, away from Luis. “I don’t know.”

That was a lie: Leon knew exactly what he wanted to hear. He wanted Luis to laugh at the accusations and say that he had nothing to do with the parasite. That he regretted his time at Umbrella and had changed after it, and was now just an unfortunate bystander who hadn’t spent the last few days lying in Leon’s face.

Of course, Leon’s life was never that simple.

“You know, you aren’t making this very easy,” Luis said.

“You’re the one who lied to me,” Leon shot back. “If you wanted easy, you should’ve been honest from the start.”

Luis snorted. “You would not have hesitated to shoot me on sight if you knew the full extent of my actions.”

“Then why even tell me now?” Leon snapped.

When Luis’ reply didn’t come immediately, Leon turned back to look at the man and saw an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face.

“Maybe I'm tired of living a shitty life,” Luis simply said.

Leon knew he should push more. He should yell at Luis and probably arrest him for putting countless lives in danger; God knows Luis seemed to think he deserved it.

“Why did you leave Umbrella?” Leon asked instead.

“Oh, we are returning to sin number one?” Luis said, then sighed. “I was young and reckless and Umbrella had unlimited resources and no pesky ethical code to follow. And so, my team researched parasites: what could possibly go wrong, right?” Luis’ mouth quirked up in a self-deprecating smile. “After an entire city was infected with Umbrella's cannibal virus and a bioweapon I helped create was set loose to wreak havoc, well, let's just say burying my head in the sand was no longer an option.”

No. No no no no—

“Raccoon City,” Leon breathed. “That was you.”

Luis winced. “Not all of it, technically, but… yes. Some of that blood is on my hands.”

Leon’s head was spinning. One of the few friends he'd made in the years following the worst night of his life, someone he’d even started entertaining the thought of building something with once this was all over, also had a hand in the incident that broke Leon in the first place.

Leon really should have known as soon as Hunnigan said the words Umbrella scientist.

“But I thought…” Leon said, desperate to make sense of everything. “What about the Birkins?”

Luis looked up in surprise. “The Birkins' pet project was the G-strain, not the regular T-virus or NE-alpha parasite. But you sure know a lot of very classified information.”

“Because I was there,” Leon said. He swallowed. “My first and last day as a cop, at Raccoon City PD. Conveniently located right above a secret Umbrella research facility.”

Luis stared at him wide-eyed. “And that's why they have you working for the government. Anyone who had seen the events would need to be kept under control, especially if they knew about the lab.”

Leon blinked; he knew Luis was a scientist, but it still caught him off guard how quickly he’d deduced the right conclusion.

Luis' face fell as the realization set in. ”That's what's wrong with you. You wanted to be a policeman to help people, yet you were forced into being a killing machine. They didn't give you an option, eh?”

That's what's wrong with you. The words cut deep, at the dark place inside Leon that he thought he’d buried six years ago.

“Is death an option?” Leon weakly joked.

“Oh, mi amor—ehm, amigo,” Luis quickly corrected himself.

But Leon had caught the slip-up, and it was like the metaphorical knife lodged deep inside twisted in the wound. He hadn’t known how much he'd miss the ridiculous Spanish pet names before they were taken away from him. 

“I know you probably won't believe me, but I am sorry,” Luis said. “If not directly responsible, I still played a part in the two worst events of your life.”

Leon nodded. He wondered what it said about him that his first instinct—after wanting to throw a predictable punch—was to say you're also one of the best things to happen in my life, so it evens out.

The elevator ground to a halt, then, their destination reached. They were finally close to the surface, yet Leon still felt like he was suffocating—not from the stale air of the mines, but from the thick tension between them.

“I wish you’d told me all this before we…” Leon trailed off.

Luis smiled that sad smile again. “I'll add it to my long list of regrets.”

Leon watched Luis sigh and walk out of the elevator, straightening his shoulders and forcing a spring into his step. 

“No matter, we have a princess to rescue!” Luis said, his voice that familiar mix of humor and teasing, like he was happy to pretend their conversation never happened.

Luckily for him, Leon didn’t like leaving things unfinished.

“Luis, wait.”

Before Luis could react, Leon grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him against a wall of crates next to the elevator. For a heartbeat, they simply stared at each other, the tension crackling between them.

And then, when Luis didn’t protest, Leon leaned in and unceremoniously shoved his tongue down Luis’ throat.

Luis immediately moaned into the kiss and grabbed Leon’s shoulder straps to pull him closer, and that reassured Leon more than any empty promises could. After everything that had happened, Luis still trusted him with this; he let Leon manhandle him against the splintering crates and allowed Leon’s lips and tongue to take whatever he wanted.

Even if everything else had been a lie, there was no faking the attraction between them: the way Luis melted under his touch, the way Leon’s heart beat frantically in his chest, and the way they desperately clung to each other was all so very real. 

Luis’ hands slid up to wrap around Leon’s neck and a teasing tongue caressed Leon’s own, coaxing a deep groan out of the agent. Impatient hands pulled Leon closer and when he obliged, Luis sighed happily into the kiss, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

And that was the gist of it, wasn’t it? Luis had had plenty of opportunities to escape the cult while Leon mowed down ganados with gunfire and explosives. Yet he’d stayed right by Leon’s side, adamant on helping him and Ashley escape this rotten village.

Conflicting emotions raged within Leon and he stamped them down in favor of slanting his mouth against Luis' to deepen the kiss further, hands moving down from Luis’ shoulders to grip his narrow waist over the leather jacket. When Luis hummed in approval and arched into him, Leon wanted nothing more than to rut against him until they both forgot what they’d even been arguing about in the first place.

Unfortunately, they had more important things to get to than making out while Leon suffered an internal moral dilemma. When Leon reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, both men were panting for breath and Luis was blinking rapidly, like he could scarcely believe that had happened.

“I have to say, that was not what I was expecting,” Luis said.

Leon hesitated; there was so much he still wanted to talk about, but this was neither the time nor the place. The Plaga was raging inside Leon, slowly killing him, and Ashley couldn't be faring any better.

“I don't know what you expect me to do with all that information,” Leon said. “I’m… still pretty pissed off—”

“Understandable.”

“But I don't hate you. Even though I probably should.” Leon sighed. “I just… I've lost too many people.” He gripped Luis' jacket tight over his waist, hopefully conveying the meaning of I can't lose you too.

Luis laughed, the sound fake and ugly. “Oh amigo, there is no future for me. Even if I somehow make it out of this shithole, there are now two governments who want me out of the picture. And I doubt anyone will believe that I only wanted to help people, since not even you—"

Luis closed his eyes and took a breath and Leon resisted the urge to shake him, to force the whole story out of Luis and beg him to at least try to make Leon understand his past decisions.

When Luis opened his eyes and looked at Leon, his gaze was hollow. Leon had seen that look many times before; like a soldier who knew he would not be returning from the war, but who wanted to make every bullet count nonetheless.

"My story is one of hubris, and it does not have a happy ending," Luis said with bone-chilling certainty. "Best case scenario, I'll be behind bars for the rest of my life. Worst case—”

“No,” Leon said, hands balling into fists by Luis’ sides. “I won't let that happen. I'll get you out, you and Ashley, and—and I'll vouch for you, and the president…”

“Ha!” A bark of laughter came from behind them and Leon startled and stepped back. “Oh rookie, just as dumb as the day they brought you in.”

Leon recognized that voice, but there was no way…

"Who's there!?" Leon called, positioning himself in front of Luis. "Show yourself!"

In a blur of movement, none other than Major Krauser, Leon's mentor of four years and presumed dead for two, jumped down from a support beam overhead and landed neatly on his feet.

“You really think the government cares about one soldier? Or even a dozen?” Krauser said. “We’re expendable to them. You think good ol' POTUS would ever care what you have to say? Don’t make me laugh.”

For a brief moment, Leon considered that he was dreaming or having some sort of Plaga-induced hallucination. Even if Krauser was somehow miraculously alive, there was no reason for him to be here, in some rural Spanish village and crashing Leon’s solo mission.

“Cat got your tongue, rookie?” Krauser grinned, showing teeth. “Or did you lose it down your whore's throat?”

“Oye, rude,” Luis muttered. “This whore has a name, you know.”

Luis’ voice pulled Leon back to the present. Clearly this wasn't a hallucination if the Spaniard was sassing Krauser back.

“Major,” Leon said as levelly as he could manage. “What's going on? You were declared KIA two years ago."

“Fucking hell, you really are clueless,” Krauser sneered. “Four years of training with the best and you're still just a blue-eyed little kid. I should've offed you when I had the chance; would've been easy to make it look like an accident.”

The puzzle pieces started clicking into place in Leon’s head: blacked-out documents and the fact that Krauser's body had never been found. Modern military weapons scattered around an old Spanish village. Ashley’s kidnapping under the nose of some of the best agents in the world.

It had all been Krauser.

“I’m doing you a favor, really.” Krauser grinned, shifting his posture in an all-too familiar way. “Putting a weak, useless animal out of its misery.”

Just as Krauser surged forward, Leon reached for his gun—only he was too slow. In one lightning-quick move, Krauser’s knife was pressed to Leon’s throat and an arm restrained him from behind.

“Leon!” Luis yelled, pulling his pistol.

“Rookie mistake,'' Krauser ground out in Leon's ear, backing up and using him as a human shield. “A knife is always faster.”

“Luis, run!” Leon grit out, struggling against the hold. “I’ve got this!”

“I wouldn't do that,” Krauser said, now addressing Luis. “Unless you wanna see the pretty boy's throat slit.”

Leon felt the tip of the knife break skin and a drop of blood run down his throat. Luis’ grip faltered on his pistol, but he was making no move to escape.

“What are you doing? Go! Get the hell out of here!” Leon yelled.

After the conversation they'd just had, there was no telling what Luis would do. Men prepared to be sent to the gallows rarely made rational decisions, especially when the lives of their friends were concerned.

“What do you want, yanqui?” Luis' voice was surprisingly calm as he addressed Krauser.

“Just recovering stolen goods,” Krauser spat. “Hand over the amber.”

“Major, you don't have to do this!” Leon tried. “Snap out of it! If it's the parasite—”

“Shut up, brat!” Krauser elbowed Leon sharply in the spine and he bit back a pained grunt.

“Okay!” Luis said. He reached into his jacket and held something in his hand: a test tube glimmering with orange. “You want this, yes? I give it to you, and he goes unharmed.”

“Smart boy.” Krauser was smirking. “See, Leon? Smart boys know when they're outmatched.”

“Respectfully, Major, fuck you!” Leon kicked at Krauser, but only managed to hit his knee pad.

“Then here,” Luis said. He rolled over the tube, until it stopped at Krauser’s combat boots.

Without warning, Leon was thrown across the room and made impact with the cliff wall next to the elevator they’d just arrived in. He cursed as his shoulder took the brunt of the hit but quickly scrambled to right himself on the rocky floor.

“That's it, alright,” Krauser said, clinking his knife against the test tube now in his hands. Then he grinned, in a pure sadistic glee that made the hairs on Leon’s neck stand up. “Good thing our deal was only for his life.”

In one fluid move Leon had seen countless times before, Krauser threw his knife with impossible speed, and Leon only needed to see a shimmer of metal to know that it was heading straight for Luis' jugular.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The knife sailed through the air, too fast for Leon to warn Luis or throw himself in the way, and soon it would land in Luis' throat with a sickening squelch—

A shot rang out and with a clang of metal meeting metal, the knife embedded itself into a nearby crate instead.

Stunned silent, Leon stared at Luis: still with his pistol in hand, eyes wide in shock. Abruptly, Leon remembered their time at the shooting gallery and how good of a shot Luis actually was. Since he’d already had his pistol drawn, he must have acted purely on reflex to deflect the knife.

Leon looked back at Krauser while reaching for his own combat knife, anticipating a follow-up attack, but the former Major was already gone.

Knowing the immediate danger was over, Leon allowed himself to sag back against the cave wall in relief.

“Well, that was something,” Luis said, walking closer while glancing over his shoulder, pistol still in hand. “Are you alright, cariño?”

The casual endearment was like a warm caress after being dunked in ice water. Leon barked out a somewhat hysterical laugh, giddy with adrenaline and the pure absurdity of the situation,

“Yeah,” Leon said once he'd composed himself, meeting Luis' quizzical gaze. “I'm okay.”

Luis raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard on the stone?"

"I'm sure," Leon said. “Just processing all the shit that went down."

“Fair enough.” Luis sat himself down next to Leon, then turned to him with a grin. “Did you see that shot!?”

Luis gestured at Krauser’s knife with a trembling hand and his smile had a manic edge to it. It looked like Leon wasn't the only one dealing with adrenaline jitters.

Leon smiled. “It was a nice shot.”

“Oh, a compliment? And a smile?” Luis teased. “I'll never let you live this down, Prince Charming.”

Leon huffed a dry chuckle, reveling in the familiar banter. “Don't get too used to it.”

“I, ehm.” Instead of a witty retort, Luis took a few pointed breaths, making Leon snap back to attention. “I actually think that you pulling me back to kiss me stupid just saved me from certain death,” Luis eventually said.

He had a point: Krauser had clearly been lying in ambush for them. He could have easily killed Leon had he wanted to, yet it was obvious that Luis and the tube—the amber?—had been his target.

“I need a smoke,” Luis announced.

Leon watched Luis’ trembling fingers procure a cigarette and then fumble with the lighter, dropping it on the ground with a soft curse.

Leon grabbed the lighter before Luis could. Even if he didn’t normally approve of smoking, a near-death encounter surely warranted an exception.

“Let me,” Leon murmured.

Luis nodded and leaned in. Leon flicked the lighter and held the flame steady, and soon Luis was dragging his first shaky inhale of nicotine.

“That’s better,” Luis said. “Much better.”

Leon placed the lighter back in Luis' still trembling hand and closed his fingers around it. He stamped down on the worry over seeing the man so obviously rattled: Luis being shaky with adrenaline was infinitely better than his throat gurgling as he choked on his own blood.

“I’m glad you're okay,” Leon said.

Luis grinned around his cigarette. “Come now, I can't leave my Sancho to save the princess alone. That would make a terrible story.”

Despite his attempted nonchalance, Luis intertwined their fingers around the lighter and squeezed, hard enough to almost hurt. Leon squeezed back; a silent I'm here. We're alright.

“The story needs its Don Quixote,” Leon agreed.

Luis laughed, and even if it was a little forced, it seemed like he was returning to himself. 

“And here I thought my references were flying right over your head,” Luis teased.

“Maybe there's more to me than just the trauma,” Leon said.

Luis smiled fondly. “Mi vida, you are so much more than a handsome face and great ass…kicking skills.” 

Luis winked and Leon huffed a laugh before getting to his feet.

“Come on,” Leon said, extending a hand. “Smoke break's over.”

Luis sighed but took the offered hand and let Leon pull him up. “Mierda, I nearly died and two minutes is all the break I get? You wound me, querido.”

Leon hesitated. “You could wait with the merchant—”

“Psht, I was only joking." Luis waved off the concern. “I have to protect my squire from the giants.”

The sentiment made Leon smile. Luis arched an eyebrow in response, before pointedly snuffing out his cigarette on the rock and looking up through his lashes. 

Not able to resist the obvious invitation, Leon leaned in—

And his communicator rang. Fantastic.

“Leon,” Ada's voice came through. “Still in one piece? Good.”

Of course she'd cracked his comms frequency. Of course she was checking in now, when Leon had fought through hell and back and been double-crossed more times than he cared to remember.

“What the hell, Ada!?” Leon snapped. 

Both Luis startling next to him and the tense silence from the other end spoke volumes of how uncharacteristic it was for Leon to lose his temper like this. At least with her.

“You're working with Krauser!? He's delusional, Ada—whatever your employer's claiming, he's fucking lost it. He even tried to kill Luis!” Leon said.

Ada was silent for a beat, then calmly asked, “What?”

Luis' chin came to rest on Leon's shoulder, speaking into the earpiece. “Holá, bonita,” Luis said. “A little bump in the road: the former Major just tried to murder me, but he settled for the Plaga sample. Since he has the amber, I assume this means our deal is over.”

“Murder—” Ada said. “Leon, put Serra on the line.”

Leon obediently handed his earpiece over, trying to ignore how easily he was going along with her request.

Luis put some distance between them and listened to Ada while nodding along whatever she was saying. Then, “Do not yell at me!” Luis exclaimed, gesticulating wildly even though Ada couldn't see him. “He would have killed us both! And trust me, I am very interested in curing our prince, but I can't do that while dead, hm?”

With that, Luis held the communicator out to Leon with a sardonic smile. “It's for you.”

"A bump in the road, huh?” Leon said, placing the device in his ear.

"Krauser is nothing but a means to an end that forgot his place," Ada said even more icily than usual, and Leon could hear the distinct cock of a gun. "Your girl is being held at the clocktower."

With that, the line cut out as Ada disappeared in her typical fashion. At least she'd provided them with new intel.

Luis nudged Leon's side and smirked. “Women, eh?”

Leon snorted. “Don't let her hear you say that.”

“She seems awfully fond of you,” Luis said. “For a heartless mercenary, anyway.”

“Yeah, well, jury says I've got shitty taste in women.” Leon paused, then added, “And men, apparently.”

Luis' smile widened into a grin, not seeming to take any offense. “And boy, does that work in my favor.” He clapped a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “Now come, Sancho, the princess awaits!”

“Not so fast,” Leon said, brushing off the hand. “You can tell me all about your little deal with Ada while we walk.”

“Ah, mierda.” Luis scratched his neck, smiling sheepishly. “You see, when I was planning my escape and had no idea that I would find a very strong, very beautiful American agent to protect me—”

Leon rolled his eyes and nudged Luis to make him start walking, already strapping in for a long and needlessly complicated story.

And if Leon stayed much closer to Luis than before and silently vowed to protect him better, well, that was nobody's business but his own.

[rallamajoop]

The RE4 Remake and Luis Serra Navarro

I have a gazillion thoughts about the new RE4 remake, and a dozen different aspects I kind of want to talk about. But you’ve got to start somewhere, so let’s talk Luis.

I doubt it’d be controversial to call Luis “easily the most interesting new character introduced in this game.” We’ve got complex and questionable motivations, a bunch of plot-relevant backstory, and a bonus-serve of extra random details about his childhood – much of which is very easy to miss, and rewards you for paying attention. By the end of this game, I’m pretty sure I know more about Luis than I do about Leon, and I still have questions. He’s not just one of my favourite parts of this new game, he’s a perfectly little microcosm of all the ways the remake has reworked awkward aspects of the original – mostly for the better, but not without creating new problems in the process.

But to get into all that, let’s start back with the original Luis from 2004.

So, for context, I haven’t actually played the original RE4. Since getting into the franchise, I’ve been consuming past canon instalments mostly by the lazy strategy of watching cutscene compilations on youtube. I am fully aware of the important place RE4 has in gaming history, the way it defined 3rd-person-shooter over-the-shoulder-gaming (or, to use my preferred term, lookit-the-booty-shooty). I have watched Jacob Geller wax rhapsodic about multiple different versions of this game.

But for all that people remember about the original RE4, the plot rarely seems to be more than a footnote. And for my own money, all I can tell you is that either this is just not a gaming experience well-served being experienced through the youtube-only medium (hardly the stuff of serious critique), or me and the original RE4 just aren’t clicking somewhere. I’m all for campy horror (see everything I’ve ever written about the Hammer films just to begin with), but RE4’s sense of humour largely leaves me cold. And Luis is – again – a pretty good demonstration of the kind of record-scratch moments that made it so hard to get into.

You can find a compilation of all Luis' cutscenes here, for reference. Like the remake, Leon first finds Luis tied up and gagged in a village house – apparently the only un-infected person in the vicinity. His first act on being un-gagged is to ask for a cigarette – a decent little character-moment. Luis claims to be a former cop from Madrid, who quit because he felt his work went unappreciated. Given Luis’ general demeanour, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn he was actually let go for taking bribes or something, but that’s more of a vibe. When Leon admits he was a cop back in Raccoon City, Luis claims he ‘might have seen a sample of the virus in a lab at the department’, and… hang on, Madrid PD has T-Virus samples lying around? The hell? Where’s this going?

But we don’t find out, because the conversation is interrupted, and Luis makes a break for it.

As in the remake, Luis’ next scene is to show up for the cabin siege scene, where he backs up Leon with a handgun. Cool, that tracks with the whole ‘former cop’ backstory.

Luis gets two further appearances, though the first mostly consists of him running up to say “I’ve got something for you guys! What… oh, shit, I must have dropped it,” and going away again, and it’s exactly as awkward as it sounds. But he does at least establish that the ‘something’ is a plagas-suppressant, as he knows Leon and Ashley are infected, and wants to help.

His final scene has him return with the suppressant, only to be stabbed in the back and killed by Saddler. As he lies dying, he admits he was really a researcher working for the Los Illuminados all along, only lately turned traitor – and we’ve officially hit our record-scratch moment.

So what was all that stuff about being a cop? Luis has good reason to lie about being a researcher, but ‘unemployed former cop’ is a heckuva cover story for a scientist, and what was that about Madrid PD having T-Virus samples? Luis-the-researcher might well have seen the virus somewhere, but why bring it up at all?

More than anything, these feel like leftover artifacts of a character who’s been substantially reworked somewhere in development, just without actually rewriting the start of the script to match. Luis’ story, like so much of this game, feels badly in need of a second draft.

Luis goes on to get something of an afterlife in collectable documents, and another scene in Ada’s DLC campaign. He’s still trying to get a plaga sample to her in this version, and he’s still responsible for the lab that cures Leon and Ashley of their infections. Ada's commentary on his character is interesting, and documents suggest he had a grandfather who used to hunt in the region, but he doesn’t get much more backstory.

Regardless, nearly 20 years later, Luis has finally got his second draft, and there’s a lot here that’s improved. (Have a new cutscene compilation link for reference.)

To begin with, any talk about being a cop is gone (an easy win). We find out he’s a researcher much earlier too – Leon is a lot less trusting of Luis this time, and calls in for a background check. He’s informed Luis used to work for Umbrella, and reacts as you’d expect. The cabin siege scene still goes off in similar fashion (though this time, Luis doesn’t feel it necessary to comment on Ashley’s tits the moment he meets her – another definite improvement).

This time though, Ashley starts coughing up blood immediately after they escape, and Luis’ offer to help remove the parasites happens right after the cabin siege, rather than being left for some awkward whoops-I-dropped-it moment later. The new scene actually finishes with the very same exchange (“Why are you helping us?”/ “It just makes me feel better”) – but this version, similarly, feels so much better. A+ revision work so far.

The remake also spells out Luis’ deal with Ada sooner too – her first proper scene in this version is her first contact with Luis. Again, Luis’ story ends in the castle with a stab in the back, and the stolen sample he was carrying being reclaimed by one of the villains (Krauser, this time, since Saddler apparently likes to delegate more in this version). But in between, things get a little odd.

Having already offered to help them, Luis contacts Leon by radio a couple of times during the castle chapters – firstly to say he’s waiting for Leon and Ashley in the courtyard. But Luis isn’t in the courtyard. His next message claims that he ran into trouble, and he’s had to retreat to the ballroom. But he’s not in the ballroom either. No further calls happen, nor does Leon react to his absence in either location.

Leon finally runs into him, apparently by chance, after being thrown down a hole and wandering for some time through tunnels deep under the castle. How did Luis end up down there too? No idea.

I’m glad he does though, because the following chapter you spend with Luis as your cabin-siege-style partner is a very good time. Though Leon is still distrustful and Luis still evasive, they exchange some great banter and generally make a good team. We encounter Luis’ love for Don Quixote, he admits he was working for Los Illuminados… and then Krauser stabs him, and Leon lights one last cigarette for him before he dies. It’s touching and very well done (not to mention dense with slashy subtext, if you want to take it that way).

Exploring Luis’ lab during the game’s final chapter adds some nice details too – equipment pilfered from Umbrella, an old photo with his colleagues, and naturally, text documents everywhere. But it’s his email logs with “A.W.” (Ada, obviously) that will most reward anyone paying attention – particularly the line you still remember the code phrase?

In this version, ‘got a smoke?’ is still almost the first thing Luis says to Leon. But you might notice it’s also the first thing he says to Ada. And this time, we’ve got a whole new explanation as to why.

Admittedly, the execution is still a bit lacking. Luis calls Ada by her first name just a few lines after using his ‘code phrase’, and seems to know her well enough not to need a code phrase, so what's going on here? If Luis knew Ada herself was going to meet him, why try his code phrase out on Leon? Alternately, if he suspected Ada might have sent someone like Leon instead of coming in person, how did he know it was her when they met? Maybe we could still have used another draft. But it’s a otherwise a fun little easter egg to recontextualise something from the original in a creative way.

Much more has been added to Luis’ backstory hidden in documents from the village. You can find photos of 'a boy with his grandfather', an old diary left behind by said grandfather – and if you’re paying really close attention, a label on another copy of that photo naming the pair ‘Navarro’ – Luis’ last name. You might also notice that the boy in the story has Luis’ fixation on Don Quixote (another character trait added by the remake).

But young Luis’ story ends in tragedy, the conclusion picked up elsewhere in the village elder’s records: the grandfather is bitten by a wolf, begins experiencing what seem to be known symptoms, and tells the village elder "you know what to do." The old man is killed, and his cabin and everything in it burned to the ground so the infection can’t spread.

Now, the idea the village has been quietly dealing with plaga-infected wolves for generations despite the fact that the plaga were supposedly sealed under the castle until recently has problems of its own, but that’s a bit beyond scope. The more relevant problem is the idea that Luis comes from the same village where all the action takes place – why? What does this add to the story? With Luis’ new Umbrella-Europe-backstory, making the village his birthplace seems like little more than meaningless coincidence, thrown in without anyone thinking it through.

But there is one intriguing possibility buried in the subtext of Luis’ story, and it’s an angle I’d love to see explored.

The village records end with the scene of a young Luis watching in silence as his childhood home burns to the ground, his only family still inside, then walking away, never to be seen again. Now, suppose that’s the very moment that inspired him to go into medical research, driven to understand infectious agents like the one that took his grandfather’s life, that the people he grew up with only knew to treat with medieval superstition. Suppose that’s what made him seek out shady employers like Umbrella, the only outfits with the interest and funding to delve into that area. The drive to find cures, to find proof that what happened to his grandfather didn’t have to be treated like a ritual witch-burning could’ve fuelled a lot of denial in Luis about where the funding was coming from. And after Umbrella’s collapse, you can only imagine how he might jump at the chance to work on the same parasites that had infected that wolf from so long ago.

If that was the intent, though (and damn do I want it to be), I honestly think it’s a little too buried in layers of subtext to carry. I can only hope maybe we’ll be seeing more of Luis in DLC to come – in Ada’s Separate Ways, if not his own – that might expand on those parts of his history a little more explicitly. Or at least cover what he was actually up to all that time he keeps messaging Leon from different parts of the castle (did he genuinely run into trouble? Was Ada pushing him to keep Leon moving for her own purposes? How did he wind up down in the mines?)

The notion of Luis as a village native still has its problems though. The house you find him in seems to be the same one he grew up in – it’s a cabin by the lake, his grandfather’s diary and photo is there, etc. Only those old village records spell out very clearly that that cabin burned to the ground as part of a major character moment. Which is it, game? You can’t have it both ways.

Even if we ignore that awkward ‘burned to the ground’ detail, are we to take it the ganados caught Luis in his old house and left him tied him up in his own cellar? Wouldn’t they move a prisoner like him? Speaking of which, was that one guy banging on the floor supposed to be hammering the hatch shut? Why? Was Luis being left down there to die? Don’t they still need to question him about that sample he stole? This stuff does not stand up to scrutiny.

And the idea of Luis as a native still doesn’t completely work for me, because shouldn’t there have been some clue in the way he talks about the place? Chief Mendez is a man Luis knew from his childhood – when Luis sees him coming in a cutscene, his reaction betrays no more familiarity than ‘not this guy’. In that cabin siege scene, surely there must be faces in that crowd he’s firing on that he recognises. And fuck, how do you come back to the place you grew up, find its residents reduced to zombie slaves, and think, “sure, I could work for these people…”?

I do realise expecting this level of humanity out of characters in a Resident Evil game might be a little much, but this stuff throws me. It builds the impression the Luis who grew up in the village is a character that exists only in text files, largely independent from the cutscene-Luis of the rest of the game. When you expect your audience to notice minor details like a surname on a photo in order to put together a main character’s backstory, you’re demanding they pay close attention. And once you’ve demanded that much investment, it’s worth keeping track of whether the cabin by the lake was supposed to be burned down or not, why Luis should be able to call Ada by name but treat Mendez like a stranger, and other such confusing detail. And Luis’ story is still positively logical and consistent compared to that of Chief Mendez himself, or anything much else in the game’s lore.

Luis is genuinely one of my favourite parts of the remake – he’s complicated, interesting, and fun. But trying to make sense of him could be a more rewarding experience. Many things are improved from the original, but for my money, they could still have stood to go for a third draft.

[gothamscanner]

Umm should we be concerned about the raccoon wearing a cape and riding a dog like a horse? Though I would love to find out where he got the tiny saddle

Possibly. There are no current reports of escaped animals in the city, but there is a fair setting up in Amusement Mile. Animal Control and PD have been made aware and are going to look into it.

[seleswrites]

serena ira | Leon S. Kennedy/Reader | find on AO3

And on the seventh day, god brought your soulmate into a dying city, crawling with the monstrous undead. Damn your luck.

Fandom: Resident Evil 2 (remake)

Relationship: Leon/Reader

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 2,568

Tags: soulmate AU, canon divergence/not canon compliant, no Y/N, Leon A and Claire B (in my head they meet up before the final train scene), canon typical violence, lots of cursing, reader can be anyone but I tend to write queer afab reader-oc's.

Event: @lunarbuck's Soulmate AU writing challenge

Soulmate Prompt: "You and your soulmate have matching tattoos that become clear once you meet." (Added a bit of flavor so hope it's a good read still!)

Photo credits: Nicolas Ladino Silva (woman in shadow) and Trevor (city landscape) on Unsplash

A/N: Nothing like a new fandom to control the braincell. Please be kind, I just got into RE like two weeks ago lmao! I only know half of RE2:make, the RE4:make, and Lady D from Village.

An entire city overturned into a place of nightmares not even within a week. 

Familiar streets turned into dangerous traps filled with, what you could only describe as, the undead. You had no idea how you were going to survive. Hell, you had no idea you've survived this week. Damned Luck pitying you perhaps, for Her sick game. 

The Raccoon City PD was no longer a safe haven like the radio repeated, a turned labyrinth of monsters, and the group of people you escaped with (stupidly taking your chances outside, running out as quickly as you had run inside) and traveled with dwindled in number as many small hordes of once living and breathing people descended upon you all, multiple times. Until more people broke off on their own. Until more people became part of the living dead numbers. Until it was just you. Just you. Alone. 

Didn't anyone learn about the buddy system? 

And, somewhere in the middle of this all on the sixth or seventh day, your outer forearm inked with your soulmate mark -- a large raven feather that broke into smaller silhouettes of the same bird, flying off your skin if it could -- burned with the damned telling sign that you were close to that First Meeting. That they, whoever they are, were close. And very much alive. 

Great. In the middle of a zombie apocalypse and your soulmate had to arrive somewhere within this large ass city. That would be the cards dealt by Lady Luck. And your luck would pin either of you as dead before arrival. 

You couldn't curse your bad luck enough. On the verge of leaving, meager and stolen supplies packed up in a motorbike you've hidden in a secure space and a route planned out of the city, you hesitated. A settling sinking feeling sat in your stomach like a heavy stone. You can't leave your soulmate here to die. With a growl, you shoved your assorted pockets and bags with as much ammo, medical supplies, food and water as possible, finality lining every movement. 

Damn it! Damn them!

Following the burning pulse radiating in strength as you, hopefully, close the distance, you leave your own safety bubble to seek your soulmate out. Out in the rainy night in this dreary city. Bundled in the remains of a warm outfit. Whatever fucking idiot was roaming around here better be worth it. 

Hours of slow going, getting soaked to the bones, avoiding the hoards as they swarmed the PD station again as a loud siren and explosions echoed in the night air, your heart sank. 

You gotta be kidding me. 

That would be the most likely place in the city, wouldn't it? 

Damn your luck. 

(On any other day, you wouldn't curse your lack of luck to incur more of Lady Luck's wrath; even now, you're still alive thanks to the whimsies of Luck and the Fates. And firearm and survival lessons of your paranoid and militaristic step-fa-- your dad. For another countless time this week, you wished he was still alive so you could thank him for his hindsight for all his 'ridiculous' teachings. Still: fucking damn your luck--) 

Stop. 

Control your breathing, even as panic laced every inhale, every exhale. Focus on keeping quiet, on this warmer-colder game of tag with someone you don't even know, on keeping alive because what's the point if you die in process? 

Focus on the undead blocking your path to get back into the metal graveyard of the museum-turned-police-station before you. 

Aim at the back of its head.

Line up the shot. 

Inhale.

Steady.

Gotta thank the old man when you die a natural death of old age and see him in the afterlife. Or something like that, you thought, firing the shot. 

The creature shrieked a horrifying hiss as the bullet hit, like someone released air out of a balloon, a squeaky sound that you still internally wince, unused to it even after this week. It twisted and turned, head lulled back, and you ready-aimed-fired a quick second bullet before you could see its face. You didn't want another ghost of their human self to add into the mix of your dreams -- whenever you did find a safe space to sleep next. 

The body dropped to the wet ground in an awful slump. 

Exhale. 

White puff of cold air left your lips as you stared at the body for a second to see it unmoved. Quickly, you checked your surroundings for any other zombies; four more shots fired, three downed dead, three more bullets in your P220's mag. Another prayer casted towards the capricious Lady Luck: please, don't summon a licker.

An empty street was all that greeted you. Nothing attracted by the sound of bullets firing, nothing but an unnerving feeling that you were being watched, shivering beyond the coldness of the rainy night. A loud scraping sound kept you low to the ground, half bent over and nearly squatting, as you casted your eyes around, looking for signs of threats. 

No threats. Street still empty. Empty, except two survivors in the distance, exiting from the Station’s parking lot. 

From where the noise came from. 

On the other side of the sinkhole and its halted repair started before this week of hell. 

You managed to get yourself to the edge of it, avoiding two zombies eating flesh along the way, them happily and thankfully ignoring you as horrifying chewing and slurping sounds loudly scraped against your own gut. Managed just quick enough as the two strangers had their back to you, one working their way to get inside the gun store, its neon sign lighting highlighting the woman's silhouette with a fade glow of red. 

"Hey!" you wanted to scream, but the word stuck in your throat. It wouldn't do anyone good to scream here and attract monsters. Selfishly, you wanted someone to turn around, to see you in the distance, to wait for you-- As if you could be heard, the other silhouette turned, ever so slightly, enough for you to read the miniscule and faded letters of R.P.C. across his chest. 

The mark hiccuped in its heat, only fluttering coolness the brief moment you both saw each other. Your breath hitched in your throat. 

Him. It's him.

The door to the gun shop opened and, even from your spot across the way, you heard the woman call out to the cop, distance obscuring what she actually said however. She entered the shop without a backward glance. He hesitated, giving you a look you were too far away to read, before following in after his partner. 

You couldn't help but rub your fingers along the cooling shape of a feather on your arm, a silent prayer on your lips to the Fates or fucking Luck or whatever listening to give whatever goodwill you had and send it to him. Let him survive. 

And then you were alone again.

Let him be safe. Please. 

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

A curse hissed out of your mouth, unwanted as a zombie bit at your not dominant arm, the one burning with the feather soulmate mark. The wound's deep enough where blood blossomed under your sleeves, but you yelped as you wrenched your arm free. Its teeth pulled away with your skin and shirt fabric in between its maw. It growled. You shoved the barrel of your pistol against its temple, firing. 

Blood and brains splattered onto your long sleeves, already soiled with sewage and dried gore. A loud groan left your lips, frustrated at your sloppiness over the fact you were bleeding. Contagion was the least of your worries; you'd been a zombie three times over during this week. But regular infection of an untreated wound? That could kill you. 

Your thoughts stilled as a chilling scream sucked in your breath. 

You should have expected the NEST to be filled with zombies, everywhere else in the city was. It's why you shared your ammo with Claire as she explored her portion of the NEST to unlock the antiviral needed to save Sherry; if anything, she had a better sense of survival than you, especially after the way she fought that terrifying eyeball monster of a once-human. 

What you didn't expect was the fucking licker crawling around on the ceiling. 

You should have.

A high pitched whine sent a chill down your spine, before its long claws scraped across the walls. 

Tensing, you covered your mouth and held your handgun in its direction, hoping that it didn't hear you. You didn't have enough rounds in the mag, hell in general if you had to fight it. Two shots left before reloading. Your pistol’s full eight wouldn't even be enough. 

Circle around it slowly as it seemed to sniff the air (and deluded yourself that it could not smell your disgusting stench of sewer and sweat clinging to you). 

Slowly, foot by foot.  

Freeze as it hissed again.

The door opened, creaking. Both the licker and you tilted towards it. One booted foot in, someone you know by the returning of the intense burning of your forearm in the shape of a raven's feather. 

Him. 

The licker posed to jump in his direction, like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse. 

Fuck you Lady Luck and her shitty timing.  

"Careful, licker!" you shouted. 

It whipped around towards you, its loud growling wheeze echoing in the room. Fucking shit-- 

The bastard howled as it lunged forward. 

Into your space. 

Duck -- too late. It jumped on your body, throwing you to the ground as its large claws hit your shoulders. You yelped from the impact. Happlessly, you fired your two shots into its large, brain-like head. The bullets hit, but not the weak spot. 

Another shot rang out in the room. Enough for the licker to hesitate sinking its teeth in your flesh. It erupted in flames as He came closer, holding a fucking flamethrower in his hand. It screamed. Its weight disappeared and you scrambled back on your hands and arms, pain shooting through them in the movement as blood, old and new, smeared along your palms. The smell of burning flesh, nothing like the sweet scent cooking but more ashen and decay, filled your nose, alongside the metallic under layer of blood, your blood. 

The screams died as the licker did, flames simmering down into nothingness alongside its charred and blackened skin. You forced yourself to sit up, groaning in pain. Everything hurt. Your back, your shoulders, your arms especially -- but you couldn't tell if that's because of how heavy you hit the ground or that damned fucking mark that threatened to burn your own arm off. 

He cursed, repeated fucks and shit expelling under breath as he made it to your side. "Here, you're okay, you're okay, I got you."

He pulled out some medical supplies from within his packs. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide. A roll of bandages. Without thinking, he reached for your bleeding arm. 

And the burning stopped, his touch instantly dropped your arm into a freezing chill as his eyes took in the teeth marks ripped in your skin, the bloodied feather and its tiny ravens, ink gradually running clear. You shivered and he did a double-take on you, hand shaking as if he too was dropped below zero. 

A moment paused into an eternity as you caught your breath. In the darkened room with broken flickering lights overhead, dark shadows chiseled his face in sharp angles, despite his youthful look. Stands of light golden blonde hair clung to his forehead, dirtied with grime and sweat. Blue eyes swept over your features, just as you did to him. 

Even in this mess, he was handsome, pretty even. Heat licked your cheeks as your mind wandered on how pretty would he be cleaned up…

"You’re the goddamn idiot,” you muttered under breath, face heating from embarrassment. Talk about a dramatic First Meeting. 

"What?" the stranger asked, strangely breathless. "Hey. Are you okay?"

His eyes widened, blues roaming between your arm and your face again. You didn't answer him, but you said a bit louder, "It’s you."

"It's…me." Words he repeated, but laced with a question. Like he didn’t realize who he was to you. Not until the remaining half an outline of the feather, barely just visible, disappeared entirely as he laid another glance on it.

Nothing. Like you were never marked at all. 

“Oh…”

He knew now.

"Yes, you! The kind of idiot that strolls into an infested city of the undead!" you said, words streaming from your lips in a hiss, holding back your scream as he no longer knelt frozen before you and worked to disinfect your wound. Unwanted tears pricked at the edge of your eyes; you lied that it was because of the sting of the disinfectant, not frustration nor relief to see him. "You were safe up until today!" 

And you could have been okay dying with that knowledge!

He tied the bandage tight, too tight, and you winced from the pain. “Sorry,” he apologized softly, even as his lips pressed into a thin line. “But I had my duty. I couldn’t leave the city without helping.”  

You slapped his hold on you away -- he let you go easily -- and forced yourself to your feet. He followed you quickly, arms reaching out to steady you as you swayed and stumbled onto your feet, sliding on gore and fluids, legs trembling in pain and useless adrenaline. His grip on your arms were tight, hands warm and comforting. 

"Right… Duty.” The word tasted like blood in your mouth. You’ve seen enough people die for the sake of duty; you’ve seen others die for less honorable reasons. Something hot burned down your grime-streaked cheeks. “And I was leaving. I was leaving," you confessed. “I couldn’t, not with you here. Guess we’re both the idiots here.”  

A faint chuckle, akin to puffs of air more than anything, left his lips. Slowly, as if you were a spooked cat, his hands found your cheeks, thumbs running comforting wipes along the trails left by your tears. You tried not to lean into his touch, craving that comfort from him selfishly.

"Thank you." It's soft, embarrassed even as his eyes gaze just a little out of your reach, and his cheeks tinted with pink. 

"Don't thank me yet,” you scoffed, “Now we can die together." 

Another laugh. "Fair enough. It's not safe out here." 

"Duh, Mr. Obvious.” 

But he smiled like nothing happened, a cheeky little grin that warms you even further. Oh shit, he's cute. "It's Kennedy, actually. Leon Kennedy," he said, introducing himself. 

You gave yours, rolling your eyes as he repeated it reverently. 

"We're going to get out of here alive. I swear it," Leon promised with such conviction you believed him. “Okay?” 

He waited until you nodded to release your cheeks, but not before his eyes lingered on your lips. As if you didn’t share the same thoughts. Later, later. 

Instead, Leon grabbed your gun from off the floor. Relief settled your limbs as your hands found the familiar metal of your handgun. Silently, you reloaded, as he did the same, hands reaching for his shotgun. 

Not dead yet, still a chance.

Taking a deep breath, you grinned at him as fake confidence steered your lips, "Alright then, pretty boy, lead the way. I got your back." 

"Pretty boy?"

[mr-downer-2024]

me, an elite member of the Raccoon City PD STARS Team investigating the Spencer mansion: Gee these residents sure are evil!

[drawwhatiwantwhenwant]

Fumbling through Raccoon City PD: Resident Evil 2 Remake Part 1

Hey guys if your interested in the video games I’m into well, I started a youtube page. I’ve actually had it for awhile but I didn’t know what to upload to it and I think I want it a little separated from from my art stuff. But I thought I’d let you guys know just in case you’d all be into that. 

[rolaplayor101]

Luciano "Luce" Guzman, my re2 OC

Emergency Commissions open

Aphobes/panphobes, nsfwblogsorfetishists, and proshipppers DNI

He was in the forensics division of the Raccoon City PD. He was in need of a redraw since I hadn't drawn him since 2019! My emergency commissions are open so if you like my art and want some, pls contact me!

Before the redraw

[firewvlk]

Look who just woke up- is that BRENTON THWAITES? No, I must have been mistaken, that’s LEON S. KENNEDY from RESIDENT EVIL. I heard he is 33 and stuck here just like everyone else. Even in the 20’s, they still give off a DESIRE TO RID THE WORLD OF BIOTERRORISM, RACCOON CITY SURVIVOR, AND USING HUMOR AND SARCASM TO MASK TRAUMA impression. They’re known to be quite COMPASSIONATE, but have a tendency to be SARCASTIC on their bad days.

gender/pronouns:

cismale & he/him

how long have they been in sydney:

real time: five years

fake time: his whole life

which suburb do they live in:

the rocks

personality description:

leon possesses a strong sense of justice and unwavering determination. he is known for his calm and composed demeanor even in the face of intense danger. he’s highly resourceful, able to think quickly on his feet and adapt to challenging situations. he displays a deep sense of duty and loyalty to his mission and the people he seeks to protect. he is driven by a strong moral compass, always striving to do what is right, even if it means making personal sacrifices along the way.

despite the horrors he has witnessed, he maintains a resilient and optimistic outlook. he possesses a dry sense of humor that he uses to lighten tense situations and bring levity to his interactions. his ability to maintain a level-headed perspective allows him to connect with others and build strong alliances.

highly proficient in combat, leon also shows empathy and compassion, valuing human life and making an effort to protect and save innocent individuals whenever possible. his experiences have shaped him into a seasoned survivor, and he has a knack for adapting to challenging environments. he embodies a sense of hope and resilience, inspiring those around him to push through adversity and fight for a better future.

memories of their real life:

his trauma started in childhood, thanks to his italo-american family’s connections to crime, resulting in his entire family being killed aside from him.

he only survived thanks to a cop, which was what made him want to become one himself, and save others like he was saved.

he graduated the academy at 21 and requested work at raccoon’s pd, due to the widely publicized bizarre murders taking place in and around the arklay mountains.

then you have the events of re2 and the whole raccoon city thing with claire, sherry, and ada.

following raccoon city, he and claire split up, with leon continuing to look after sherry, but they were taken by the u.s. military.

sherry was taken away, and he was thoroughly interrogated, with the government interested in recruiting him. it wasn’t something he wanted, but he accepted to ensure sherry was kept in good hands and safe from any experimentation due to her g antibodies.

he was turned into an expert special agent, proficient in weapons handling and close quarters combat, largely thanks to a soldier, named krauser.

a few years later, he and krauser were sent on a mission dubbed operation javier, long story short, they completed the mission but krauser was injured and leon was later told he died in an accident.

then you have the events of re4 with leon being sent to find the president’s missing daughter. i feel like most people know that game.

following everything with the los illuminados, he reunited with claire during the harvardville incident

the next year he was involved in the pittsburgh incident

and shortly after the penamstan conspiracy incident, where he once again ran into claire amid more virus concerns. he remembers parting with her on not so great terms

he last remembers wesker’s death, and finally meeting chris at a terrasave reunion.

what was their fake life like:

tba after plotting

[agonybow]

when at the precinct, sebastian was the typical class clown. he enjoyed bringing up spirits and keeping things light when possible, and his peers either detested him for it, or adored it.

out on the field, however, all the games were out the window, and he fixed leon with a gruff, irritated look. not only was this situation potentially life-or-death, but this rookie could sabotage his efforts. this situation of a two-birds-one-stone scenario of rescuing civilians and showing his worth was becoming more complicated.

"i guess i'll fill you in," sebastian sighed, as if it were a great burden to take leon under his wing, rubbing his neck. "people keep being reported missing, and the last time they were all seen, they were headed up this way--into these woods."

he nodded his head in direction of the thicker clumps of trees, expression pensive.

"technically, i'm en route to provide add to raccoon city because of some crowd control issues, but, after getting dragged out here..."

remembering that he never actually introduced himself to leon--not with his title, at least--sebastian lifted his jacket, showing the badge clipped onto his belt.

"sergeant sebastian castellanos, krimson pd. if this area is the clue to where all those people are going, then i'm figuring out why."

                            Wandering into the gloomy forest,  where even the moon hanging up on the nightly skyline struggled to pierce through the dense crowds and shed some light,  he couldn’t bear the idea of how low Sebastian’s chances were to get out of there in one piece.  Not like he was hesitant about the other’s perseverance skills  (  because it did take quite the grit to even walk into the immeasurable void filled with…  goodness knew what exactly  ).                             As much as it was showcasing determination and bravery,  it was hard to miss out on that sheer stubbornness.  Maybe they really weren’t so different.                             Everything he would hear the farther he ventured was whooshing and crackling happening all around him,  but he remained on the barely visible path leading forward,  instead of allowing himself to get distracted by the woods’ gimmicks and the shadows moving in the corner of his eye.                             With his quivering hand hovering over the holster,  the rookie’s tension partly diffused when he made out the silhouette approaching him.                             “  Sorry,  ”  he only mouthed without a sound,  staring at the man wide-eyed.  Looking around,  as though to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them,  his words were merely a tad louder than the wind,  “  What’s your plan?  All you’re going to find here is trouble.  Deadly trouble.  ”

[japewisteria]

S.T.A.R.S. Raccoon PD

[wanderingsongbird]

6.

6. On an average day, what can they be found doing after dinner?

"It absolutely depends, darlin'! If I had a good haul and managed t' come out of a few trials on top, then I bring snacks and share with everyone. You'd never believe what I can find in places like Lery's, and PD for Raccoon City. Used t' be able to find all sorta of snacks at that one science-y lab place the Demogorgon stalks in, but it's been consumed by the fog again."

"And I suppose it's no surprise, but also playing at the campfire. I figured since a song brought me here (or at least attracted the Entity's attention) I might be able t' play one to get us all outta this hell."

[valkyriewithashotgun]

Resident evil raccoon city. First all I’ve been a fan of the movies, shows and games since I was a kid. As always I try to just separate movies into their own thing and not compare it to any of its other counterparts.

What I love about this movie : raccoon city pd was just cool i geeked out so hard over those scenes.

I liked the actors and actresses they picked to play these characters. I hated they gave away the ending of movie right off the bat. The script was alright but it didn’t feel like a movie theatre movie it easily could’ve gone straight to Netflix. The action scenes def reminded me of times in the game but the script dialogue was just ok. You could tell they were trying really hard to just start an origin story to reboot the franchise. The characters didn’t have a lot of personality nobody really made you care about them. I really wanted more from each character. I didn’t feel much of a connection between the red field siblings all in I think it’s just a hot mess 3/10. Def just wait for it to stream.