#re4 Ada made me love her character

[meri-meri-mwah]

Was rewatching the second trailer for RE4R and I noticed Ada said, "Leave the girl. She's lost, no matter what." Like it makes me wonder if Ada is aware of Ashley's condition becoming worse or maybe she's testing Leon to see if he'll leave the president's daughter behind (in this case, he can't because he's already infected). I can't remember if Ada was aware that Leon was infected in the OG game before she got choked out when the plagas took over Leon for a second.

(If Separate Ways drops with the launch, I hope Capcom improved the Krauser and Saddler boss fight in her campaign cause I thought they were bleh. But everything else in Separate Ways is chef kiss! OH, and if they include Assignment Ada, that better get an improvement, too. I played it once just for the Chicago Typewriter and didn't bother going back to it, ngl.)

[eviltothecore13]

There are rumors about a CV and RE 0 Remake and since both feature Wesker I wanted to ask if you have any hopes for the remakes regarding him (and Birkin)?

And do you think the devs will make Wesker a creep towards Rebecca in RE 0? :/ Ik they kinda de-creepified RE4 in the remake so I hope they won't make it weird...

I doubt they would make him a creep towards her, because he isn't in the original, he comes across as pretty much uninterested beyond recognising her as a member of STARS, and they've generally moved towards less of that kind of creepiness rather than inserting more.

That being said after RE4make Separate Ways I don't really trust them with his character because they made him so needlessly dickish towards Ada (and why did they make him unable to pronounce Luis? He's not going to be monolingual, come on... and it's not as if "deliberately getting people's names wrong" is an established trait of his even when he's been shown talking to/about people he hates far more than Luis...between that and the RE4make version apparently not understanding the concept of "people won't want to work for someone who's hostile to them all the time" [how ever did this version gain the trust of everyone at STARS?], he ends up coming across as stupid--as someone who acts like a petty school bully even when it's detrimental to his goals.)

But I'm less concerned that they'd make him a creep, more concerned that they'd either: remove his friendship with Birkin and make them hate each other; remove the idea he was liked and trusted by STARS and make him "the awful mean boss who everyone hates"; make him noticeably less competent; or all of the above. Unfortunately, I don't have many hopes for anything they'd do with his character at this point, only fears, much as it saddens me to say it after I LOVED RE2make and RE3make's takes on the characters and mostly liked the main game of RE4make.

[lesbianwyllravengard]

Please I’m begging you on my hands and knees please elaborate on Luis and Ada being foils

I am SO happy that someone finally asked me to talk about this I know I asked you to ask me I love you so much thank you because once I had this realisation it made me love both of their characters - and the re4 remake as a whole - so much more than I already did.

Explanation below the cut:

So first lemme define what a foil is when it comes to characters, not because I think you personally don't know Wilfred but in case anyone's reading this and wondering why I'm calling these characters aluminum wrap. I'm not, I promise it's a real narrative device. A literary foil is "a character whose purpose is to accentuate or draw attention to the qualities of another character". Essentially, a foil requires two characters to be identified, and they exist to contrast, reflect, or exist in an opposite way to their co-foil so as to highlight the other character's weaknesses, strengths, and personality. However, they are often also very similar in technical ways, and thus their behaviours and/or quirks that set them apart show the audience how some things just work for one character but not the other. Think of it like an inverted image, how some details look better in negative space but worse in positive space. This is true of narrative foils. In the remake of Resident Evil 4, Luis is written as a literary foil to Ada.

We first meet Ada in re2, and she's introduced as this mysterious woman who claims to be of the FBI but reveals no further details about herself. We as the audience/player behind Leon have to trust her to get to where we need to go, and she proves herself worthy of that trust. Leon doesn't question why she's helping him, because he believes that she really is FBI and that helping people is her job. He doesn't know her goal, but he's willing to help, and receive her help. However, at the end of re2, we find out that she's actually not FBI, that she was using that as a cover and she is actually a mercenary and spy, whose goal was to acquire a sample of the harmful G-virus and bring it to Wesker who was obviously going to use it for nefarious purposes, and she knew that. Leon (the audience) doesn't know this until the very end.

We first meet Luis in re4. Now in the original, he barely had any substance as a character, and his personality was simply an expression of cultural stereotypes and misogyny, masked under "charming flamboyance". In the remake, however, Luis does have substance as a character. We not only get more out of his personality, but we now know his goals, his flaws, and his interests. And just like Ada, he is a mysterious character with a dark past that led to him making bad decisions and aligning himself with bad people. However, the difference between them and the beginning of what sets them up as foils is that Leon (the audience) finds all of this out about Luis almost immediately. Unlike with Ada, where Leon took her word and went the entire game believing what she said, Leon was sceptical of Luis and had Hunnigan look him up - and sure enough, Hunnigan was able to find all sorts of information on Luis, despite Luis actively trying to make that information as well as himself untraceable. So rather than having the audience trust Luis outright like we did with Ada, and then having that trust threatened when we learn who she is later one, we learn who Luis is immediately, setting him up as someone who we should be sceptical of.

With Ada, by giving us a character to trust and see good in for an entire game only to end it with the reveal that she's actually working for the "bad guys", we are led to think that all of her actions up to that point were fake, that she was simply putting on a cover of kindness and care for Leon. And of course that's the wrong idea, as she clearly does care for him, which we see when he stupidly dares her to shoot him. And she refuses. IDK, even if I loved Leon, I would've shot him then just because he was being a cocky shit about it, but Ada is certainly stronger than me. Ada's actions prior to us finding out who she really is now are tainted, and we're led to see her actions as that of a facade. Adversely, with Luis, by giving us a character who's bad past we know outright and repeatedly meet up with throughout the game, we are led to see all of his actions from that point on as acts of redemption.

We first see Ada as a Good character and therefore all of her actions are that of someone just being herself, but with Luis we first see him as a Bad character, and therefore all of his actions are that of someone who must redeem himself. However, they are both very similar characters; but in the way the stories introduced them to us, and in the order they revealed information about these two characters to us, the narrative influences how we see these characters. Imagine if we had gone the entire game not knowing Luis used to work for Umbrella, thinking he was just Some Guy who happened to live in this village. Leon most definitely would have trusted him much quicker. But that 'Umbrella' background being the first real thing we learn about Luis means that his dark past will always be on our minds when we see him next. And it makes sense to us, given the events of re2, that Leon wouldn't trust Luis, even if the audience does. (Same with Ada; the audience could be distrusting of her, but narratively we see why Leon would've trusted her implicitly in re2.)

Both Luis and Ada are mysterious characters whose real moral alignment we are uncertain of for almost the entirety of their games. Both Luis and Ada tell lies to protect themselves or their cover. Both Luis and Ada withhold information they either feel too ashamed to admit or can't admit, again, to protect their cover. Both Luis and Ada - specifically in re4r - have a recurring theme of change. They both speak to Leon about people changing. They both show their own relationships with change. And yet, their endings are vastly different.

Where Ada withholds information and succeeds, Luis withholds information and is found out by Hunnigan. Where Ada can double cross Wesker and escape, Luis attempts to double cross Los Iluminados and gets found out and captured, which is how we meet him. Where Ada gains Leon's trust almost immediately and loses it at the end, Luis doesn't gain Leon's trust until the very end. Even when Leon shows situational trust in him - accepting Luis's help in the safe house, agreeing to partner with him to get the suppressant for the plaga for Ashley - he still doesn't trust Luis's motives, his goal, or even his character. Leon constantly questions Luis throughout their interactions, unwilling to believe this man would help them unless he had some ulterior motive.

That brings back up the theme of change. Luis asks Leon if he thinks people can change, and then Leon asks Ada if she has changed. Luis's death scene could very well be the first time - or at least, the first significant time - Leon has been forced to confront the idea that people change. His confusion regarding Luis's real motives the entire time as a result of learning that Luis used to work for Umbrella seems to be proof enough to Luis that Leon does not see him as someone who has changed, even though Luis desperately wants that to be seen. Adversely, Leon desperately wants to see some proof that Ada has changed, that she's not using him. He's learned from Luis, but he's stumped by his own personal lack of change. Leon doesn't understand how to identify that kind of change in someone; or at the very least, he doesn't know how to voice it. Ada replies "what do you think?", and this could be passed off as her usual way of avoiding the truth, but really she's asking him "Are you even able to know if I've changed? Did you ever pay attention to who I am, or did you lose sight of my character as soon as you learned something bad about me? Have I changed, or has your perception of me changed? Can I change to you if you never really knew me at all? What do you think about how people change?" (And I love this about her.) Luis is Ada's foil because the way Leon perceived Luis's change was so abrupt that now Leon is looking for change in everyone, even himself. And where Luis doubts himself and has to ask Leon - as he's dying - if Leon thinks people can change, Ada is sure of it.

And of course I have to add some serennedy in this. As @thebrokengate kindly mentioned, the dynamics between Leon and Ada, and Leon and Luis, are opposite. Leon trusts Ada and then that trust is broken; Leon doesn't trust Luis, and then that trust is earned, but too late. Luis isn't just a foil for Ada, but his relationship with Leon is also a foil for Ada's. We see where Luis fails in ways that Ada succeeded when it comes to their characters; but when it comes to their relationship with Leon, Luis succeeds where Ada failed. And it makes his death even more devastating as he had the potential to go further with Leon than Ada could, but he was killed, leaving Leon alone regardless. In both instances, Leon lost someone who affected him personally; but where one was lost with trust broken, the other was lost with their life taken.

Again, by giving us Ada's personality first and her background last, we soften up to her as a character before having to question everything we thought we knew about her, as who we find out she is contradicts what her actions have been. However, by giving us Luis's background first and his personality last, we start out sceptical of him, and when his actions contradict what we found out about who he is, we forgive him. I'll also take this opportunity to point out the misogyny in this fandom, as many fans still dislike Ada or believe her to be a bad person, when they love Luis. in many ways, they are the same character. We were just given details about them in a different order that influenced how we perceive their actions.

[possessionisamyth]

ellooooooo !

if you're open to talk about this, i wanted to bring up Leon's character arc throughout re4make, the change and redemption that he went through but also some other very intentional changes capcom has made for him as a character in comparison to og but also his relationship with other characters eg; Ada, Ashley and Luis mostly -- this might not be surprising at all but i am downright tiiiired of majority of the fandom takes on him and especially when it comes to the shipping reasons because for the life of me, i don't think anyone is capable of looking at things objectively here.

I don't really ship him with anyone so i'll just get this out here, most prominent changes and development of his character to me was his acceptance and reconciliation with his past (and Ada) but also him finding a redemption through Ashley and Luis (in a way). What really really did strike out the most to me was his very different relationship with Ada, in comparison to how everything felt genuine in the OG re2, in the remake things were built off from a manipulation and mistrust, at least that is how i see it.

Anyhow, i'm curious about your perspective, if this is an ask you find worth your time ofc! Do you think remake is changing Leon's outlook on Ada? Was he ever even in love with her to begin with? Was Ada in love with him? It feels very tied up to his desire to move forward but also Ada's betrayal of Wesker and breaking free from both of them in a way while going her separate way. (Sorry if this is all over the place!)

Before I start, I want to let you know I can frame any of these ships as romantic or platonic, but I do enjoy Aeon, AND, Cleon, AND Chreon, AND Serrenedy, AND my special rarepair I'm always writing for Carleon(CarlosxLeon). So I might not be the most objective perspective, but I do know how fandom does the het ships especially I'm too picky about to dive into. (Plus there are kids in there starting wars about it? Idk, I think I'll stay continue to stay off tiktok and RE twitter.)

I don't like doing much re analysis on Leon now that my immediate (several month) haze of him after the remake dropped has passed. Plus, everyone talks about him and no one seems to stop. Maybe you're looking for a perspective that doesn't explicitly shit on Ada and their weird relationship? Idk. I hope you don't mind if this reply is just as all over the place.

Let's bullet point these games.

RE2 Remake:

Ada "dies".

Marvin dies.

Random cop dies.

The shady reporter he fucking left in that cell ON PURPOSE dies in front of him.

Claire handles her own problems.

Sherry is saved by Claire.

Leon leaves alive, but a failure in a town of infected. He couldn't save anyone.

RE4 Remake:

Leon saves Ashley.

Luis dies.

Krauser is killed by him.

Ada handles her own problems.

Leon leaves alive, but is successful in a town of infected. He could save one life.

So like, has he changed? Is he still that cop from Raccoon City? Yes to both. Many of Ada's smaller moments saving Leon's ass from the OG were changed or passed to Luis. Which I think was a good narrative decision to make considering how her DLC now nicely slots into the story. Leon doesn't know if she's helping him or herself when he does see her, so there isn't going to be that lingering of "does she actually care about me?" like the OG sets up. He took aggro off her in Raccoon, so considering how many people come at him with pitchforks when Ashley isn't around, he's smart enough to connect he's still taking aggro off Ada now.

He's also so bitchy to her whenever they chill for a few seconds, it's kinda funny and kinda annoying. Petty guy. Maybe don't get captured by the government~. Sorry. I like him but I also like to shit on him. Nobody's perfect and all that jazz.

Leon gets to save one life. He couldn't save Ada in 98, but he could save Ashley. He couldn't save Marvin, or that random cop, or that shady reporter, but he could give Luis a little more time. He does "save" Ada at the end there, but she did save him and Ashley first from that second to last Saddler encounter. It's not in him to leave someone to die. He's not the kind of guy who can do that if he can change the outcome. That's why he really does try talking Krauser out of the whole cult thing.

I don't think they were in love with each other in RE2 or RE2 Remake. I think the romantic love many people latch onto for their relationship is the wrong tint to color these two with. With the OG, I think they cared about each other's safety deeply and it never quite left. Survivors of extremely traumatic events tend to just form those bonds when they shield each other from danger. Then their kiss got tinted with nostalgia and their relationship went through the hands of too many writers to give us anything solid other than Ada saves Leon and he's into it. With the Remake I think Leon was worried, and Ada misread his confusion and concern as possible chivalry bullshit she could manipulate. They're both young and relying on skills they haven't honed yet with people they don't know, and it bites them both in the ass.

In the RE4 Remake, Leon does know when to shut the fuck up unlike OG RE4. If he didn't care about Ada a little bit, if what she wanted from him didn't matter since she had been staying mostly out of the way up to this point, if he was so hyperfocused on only Ashley, he wouldn't have wasted time or energy talking to Ada. He didn't get really any information with their little spar about her goals, so what was the point of having that weird venting conversation in the boat? Why did he need her to confirm if he'd changed or not when Claire was likely a phone call away? What made Ada's opinion in that moment so valuable? Survivor's guilt? Highly likely! Maybe he's checking to see if he's not alone in that aspect, or if the woman who did need his help in Raccoon was also a farce. Maybe he wanted to know if either of them were worth saving.

And he gets that little nugget of acceptance for a moment. He does save Ashley, and Ada helps him achieve it! Maybe she isn't so bad! He does save Ada afterwards, but oop nope she takes the wrong path. Just like Krauser. Leon knows he doesn't want to do this song and dance with her in the future. Like, he just can't, hence the title drop/ separate ways comment. He's saying she's made her choice and he's making his, but she gives him that little key to safety one more time.

I still think Luis had more of an effect on Ada's final decision to betray Wesker and ditch. My friend will disagree with me due to her OG RE4 bias, but OG Luis wasn't a character. Remake Luis very much IS a developed character, which is why there was a huge boom with shipping him in the fandom. Check the numbers of the Leon/Luis ship on AO3 before and after the remake dropped. There is a reason for this.

Oof, this got rambly and long. My apologies.

TLDR: I don't think Remake Ada and Leon are in love with each other, but I do think their relationship is more complex than what fandom waters it down to. The trauma bonding they gained in '98, which does make them care about each other's safety, but opposing goals career wise is going to cause conflict whenever they meet. Remake Leon can try to cut ties all he wants, but he won't know if they'll end up in the same place until it happens. And if she needs help to survive, he'll help her as much as she'll help him. They won't babysit each other. Far from it! They won't be hunting for, or looking for, or checking on each other in the slightest. Their remake dynamic is best framed as "out of sight, out of mind", so when they are in sight, those are the moments that matter.

I like to think they both have more pressing problems than each other outside of when they run into each other.

[sapphire-weapon]

Capcom really made me confused. Like you said, I think aeon is dead in remake verse. But, in Re2 remake, Leon actually told himself on the train after he escaped "I can't believe I actually miss her..." while smiling. And, in Re4 remake, we can see Leon's smile when Ada said "You can stop right there, Leon." when they met again after six years. And, when Leon said,"Ah, so aren't heartless after all. I guess I should be...thankful?" to Ada, Ada actually bit her lower lip. I think that shows the attraction between them. Maybe, Capcom made more realistic about their relationship? And, someone from Tik Tok who made analysis of Resident Evil Universe said that Leon's ending should be which he retires and settles down with Ada. So, what do you think?

Anon

I want you to stop and think about how absurd what you just said to me is.

You think Aeon is dead in the Remake-verse, presumably because all of the character dialogue and all of the body language and all of the thematic framing of their dynamic.

But Leon smirked once.

And that's enough to make you confused??

Ada IS attracted to Leon in RE4make. We've been over this. Leon is a Thing that she wants; she objectifies him. She's not only offering him a ride on the chopper at the end; she's offering him a ride in her pussy. He knows that. That's why his reaction is so incredulous.

Capcom IS being more realistic about their relationship. They did that by not making it romantic. You can want to fuck someone without being in love with them. It's heavily implied that Wesker and Ada have had a sexual relationship, and Luis is clearly attracted to her, too. None of that has anything to do with love. RE4make is just a horny game; everyone wants to fuck everyone -- and they especially want to fuck Leon. And that has nothing to do with any relationship being romantic.

I think that person on TikTok doesn't understand character arcs or emotional throughlines within narratives or the concept of catharsis, because if Capcom's writing staff is worth half of a shit, they'd know that the story between Leon and Ada is over. It ended in RE6 when Helena told Leon to go after Ada and he said "no." That was the moment of catharsis; that was the closure; that was his answer to the push and pull will-they-won't-they relationship between them.

The story is over. And Leon chose to not be with Ada.

And it makes sense to be over, because the true crux of Leon's character deals with his relationship with the government. For Leon to just... peacefully retire robs that arc of its moment of catharsis. He needs to have a moment of reckoning regarding what they did to him and what they've been doing to him since he was 21.

If Leon's story ends with him just hanging up his guns and saying "I've had enough" -- that is the worst possible outcome for his story. There's no payoff for so much of the build-up of his character arc.

Imagine a version of Lord of the Rings where Aragorn never becomes King and he just decides "nah fuck it" and goes back to being Strider. All of that build-up about being Isildur's heir and his destiny just tossed away at the last second; none of it ever mattered at all.

That's what Leon retiring would be.

Fucking abysmal.

[cosmos-daughter]

A detailed psychological analysis of Leon Kennedy and Aeon: the agent's endless struggle with guilt and dysfunctional romance with Ada Wong.

The reason why I decided to write this is because I have seen some complaints about Leon apparently "flirting" with someone in the DI movie (not sure who or if he even does, since it's not out yet as I write this) and accusing him of being out of character because of that. I was confused of why were people suddenly acting as if Leon being flirty with women was something new, surprising or unexpected, since that's a character trait of his ever since 2004.

Then, I finally got the ✨context✨ and apparently, the reason why they are upset over this is actually because of the beautiful spy in red, Ada Wong.

It seems the cause of people's frustration is that they expected Leon's flirty behaviour with other women to be gone on the events that are set after Resident Evil 6 in the timeline, since his feelings for Ada were finally adressed in that game. And naturally, many assumed they'd be in a relationship in a recent timeline, and therefore are treating this as a case of infidelity.

Seeing that made me realize that some people, usually fans that are rather new to the franchise and joined the fandom after the remakes, don't quite understand what Leon and Ada actually have going on or what they mean to each other. It is much, much more complicated and deep than it actually seems, and I want to talk about it in detail here while also providing some canon information to prove the points I make.

CW: mentions of alcoholism, depression and suicidal ideation.

─

Leon and Ada’s dynamic is a funny little thing. Talk about an dysfunctional, unstable relationship. It is definitely not the healthiest. What they have going on is messy and complicated, sure, but that's what makes it entertaining for us, viewers, and what makes Aeon a appealing ship that many love, even if watching them can also be quite frustrating at times. They are the true meaning of star-crossed lovers -- two people who love each other but aren’t able to be together, a love that’s doomed from the start -- and that's why their relationship has always been presented and described as complicated.

Take a look at this file from Resident Evil 6:

Following their escape, their paths would cross from time to time, Leon as a U.S. government operative and Ada as a spy. Ada makes no qualms about using Leon when it suits her needs, but Leon is loath to bring himself to be done with her. They don't consider each other enemies, but it's hard to tell how they feel for each other. Complicated is the word that aptly summarizes their relationship. (Leon and Ada)

That makes two things clear: Leon has feelings for Ada, and he’s also a hopeless romantic. He knows when she’s using him, he’s not stupid, but he can’t and doesn’t want to let go of her. Anyone can see that, each time they interact you can sense Leon’s hesitancy through the screen, he always seems conflicted, wary, as if going through a dilemma of “which one is more important: love or duty?", because even if she’s the woman he loves, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s shady and has worked for the opposite side before -- for the people that produce bioweapons -- and Leon's determination to keep fighting despite of how exhausted he is comes precisely from his hatred of people who make use of bioweapons and his desire to end this for good. Loving her or not, as long as he's not sure of what her true intentions are, he can't fully trust her. He won’t risk getting innocent people hurt, after all, that’s what he fights for: to protect them. He'd do anything to stop something like Raccoon City from ever happening again. It's the only thing he has. The only part of his old self -- of the Leon that was lost after the outbreak -- that still lives is his urge to protect. Serve and protect.

Krauser: What is it that you fight for, comrade? Leon: My past, I suppose. (Optional dialogue from original RE4)

In RE6, he protects Ada from Chris and Helena when they try to kill her, but he’s not sure himself if she’s innocent or not. His uncertainty becomes even clearer during the final scene before they part ways again, when he asks her: “What are you? Why are you helping us?”. Again, he’s not sure of what she wants, whose side she’s on, why she's doing what she does, what he means to her, or anything at all. But even if confused and probably curious, he doesn’t go after her for answers when Helena tells him to. And since RE6 takes place after Damnation (both are in 2012, but the events of RE6 starts in december), I’d say that’s enough evidence that they are not in a relationship at that time, even if they got intimate at some point (also the fact that he shamelessly flirts with Helena at the beginning of the game and he would never if he was in a relationship, since loyalty is a big thing of Leon's character too).

What I make up of their relationship from the content they give us and what they’ve been hinting since their first appearance in 1998 is that they’re less than lovers, but definitely more than friends, if you could even call them that. I imagine they have that kind of relationship that sometimes, Ada shows up at Leon’s doorsteps at night after a long time of not hearing from each other and they both missed each other a lot and are also undeniably attracted to each other, so maybe they do sleep together and might even share a very romantic, vulnerable moment (that they never really speak of later) and when Leon wakes up in the morning, her side of the bed is already empty. I think they have the physical, but not emotional intimacy, and if they both know how they feel about that deep down, it doesn't matter -- neither of them have the luxury of doing feelings. They don’t belong to each other and are free to do as they please, but none of them plan on moving on from each other. It’s just two screwed up humans afraid of commitment loving each other messily.

Poetically tragic, quite Shakespeare-esque.

It's also important to mention the reason why I believe Leon accepts to be in a "relationship" like this one even if he knows it's not good for him and yearns for more (even if he doesn't admit it -- he's a big softie: emotional, romantic, loves people and company, of course he wants more than that). I'd say the reason it’s not only because he loves her -- even if that's great part of it -- but also because he doesn't think himself worthy of having a loving, stable relationship. Leon is an alcoholic who suffers from depression, traumatized, barely has any free time to rest and also happens to work in the most dangerous job in the world that could get him killed anytime. So... he's not very boyfriend material. He would most likely spent the entire time thinking the other person deserves better, deserves someone present in their life and who can give them the love and attention they deserve. And with Ada, he’s able to fulfill his emotional and physical needs without having the responsibility of having an actual relationship, and without hurting anyone's feelings, because Ada doesn’t expect more from him too. They both know they can't go there. A romantic relationship is probably something he no longer knows how to deal with, ever since his life has changed so drastically. Hell, he can barely take care of himself. So he's fine with the little that Ada gives him (or at least he pretends), he'll accept whichever parts of her she'll allows him to have. He knows that she’ll never be his, so he has to be fine with having her only for a night. It's no news that Leon Scott Kennedy is the master of self-sabotage, no one is more cruel to him than himself. After all, everything in his life is a mess, his love life would hardly be any different.

Now here comes my favorite part to talk about and the main point: Leon's insecurity regarding of being unworthy of love and peace, originates from his survivor's guilt issues -- his trauma. I always talk about how cruel and visceral Leon’s case of survivor's guilt is, because it's part the character's essence, you can't have Leon without it. That thing is tied to him. It's a stain on his soul. It will always be with him, even if he manages to heal himself one day. Since that night in Raccoon City happened, he lives with an immeasurable amount of guilt regarding every single person that he "failed" to save and protect, knowing they're gone while he’s still alive and breathing is too much for him and that results in a worrisome self-destructive behaviour where he thinks he doesn’t deserve to be happy or a normal life, a break from the horrors. No, he needs to live the rest of his life miserably, fighting incessantly against bioweapons until his last breath, because this is the very least he can do to ‘make amends’ to everyone he ‘failed’ to save. He holds into his failure like it's a hand. A workaholic fueled by guilt and grief.

(EDIT: Leon's voice actor, Matthew Mercer, pretty much confirmed this by saying that Leon holds himself accountable for every death that happens on his watch even if it's out of his control in a interview for the Death Island movie. I'm aware he's the voice actor and not the writer, but he understands his character perfectly, so I find that worthy of mentioning).

Then we have Resident Evil: Damnation only further proving his crystal clear guilt issues. When Leon stops Alexander from shooting himself, these are his words to the man:

“The option of taking our own lives no longer belongs to us. Once we start using these, we owe it to the people who died alongside us, we have to continue living.”

This whole interaction, Leon stopping a man from killing himself and his words hits different when you remember that in the original RE2 Leon actually considered doing the same, and the only reason he didn’t was because to protect Sherry and make sure she was safe (this part doesn’t make too much sense in the remake since Leon doesn’t meet her until the last minutes of the game, but we’re referring to the original events here). The reason why Leon accepted to work for the government was also to ensure they would keep Sherry safe, allow her to live a normal life and not experiment on her (a promise they clearly did not keep but anyway...), even if we all know he didn't have a choice. He still did it all of that for a girl he barely knew. Self sacrifice is a vice of his just as much as alcohol.

"To tell you the truth, I even thought about ending it -- several times, actually -- with just a quick bullet to the head. But I didn't give up. Sherry needed me. She was a 10-year-old girl thrown into a hellish environment with monsters after her, so I had to pull myself together for her sake. She was our reason for not giving up - especially for Claire.” (Leon and the Raccon City Incident)

He feels obligated to continue this loop of constantly sacrificing his own mental health and safety in this miserable and dangerous life of fighting against bioweapons for that is what he owes to his fallen comrades and innocent victims of bioterrorism. Consequently, he also gives away his chances of having a normal relationship, living like a normal person and also the possibility of having a family in the future. He’s seen drinking a lot in Damnation -- including during the day, alone in his room, I think that’s pretty self explanatory.

Then we have Vendetta -- the peak of Leon's depression -- where we watch as he drowns himself in alcohol even more during a mental breakdown after losing his whole team being the only survivor, again. More people dead at his commands, following his words, more people dead because he can't be the super-hero he wishes he was, all that while he still breathes and gets to see another day. Leon doesn't have a lot of stability in his life, he's loses people important to him all the time, yet he does not get any used to it.

He questions if living is really worth it in the movie:

“I keep fighting... and fighting and fighting, and instead of seeing an end to this shit, it just keep getting worse. Is this what my life is supposed to be? Fighting the living dead and bastards that make them? What's the point of it all?”

He’s clearly reached his limit and is beyond exhausted, he knows it’s not fair to him and he shouldn’t have to live like this, he’s desperate for a little bit of normalcy, yet he still goes back to fight. He can't run away from duty, and he sure as hell can’t turn a blind eye to bioterrorism, no matter how tired he is. Vendetta is set after RE6, so it’s clear that his relationship hasn’t evolved since then, and it seems that it's been a while since they last saw each other, maybe even years, and maybe that also adds on the reasons why Leon snapped, since Ada is the closest to a constant he's had in his life, the only thing he can always count to come back to him, even if he doesn't knows when.

It’s not hard to believe a man like that would avoid a serious relationship at any costs. But doing that is not easy for him, after all, Leon is very emotional and so fucking lonely and touch-starved, he wants the love, even if he doesn’t think he deserves it. While I have no canon evidence about this, I can see him being the type who gets one-night stands once in a while when he’s feeling too alone and in need for a distraction and relief, I imagine that he feels a little needed and loved when he’s touching and being touched by another person, even if it’s only for the night. But he refuses to emotionally connect with the person, because his heart belongs to another and because he doesn't want to risk anyone falling for him; because something else we know about him is that he has emotional responsability and maturity, he thinks of people's feelings, considers them, and takes it very seriously.

I see Leon’s womanizer behaviour as a coping mechanism for his loneliness and his own way to lighten the mood and make those women not panic during the situation of absolute chaos and danger they're usually in with him. It's also simply because he likes women, of course, I'm not denying that, but his flirting never bothered me because of how respectful he is -- he never takes it too far or make them uncomfortable by being innapropriate (I mean, there's a reason why all the women he flirts with like Helena and Hunnigan adore him, even if not in that way, they all like him a lot as a friend). And we can tell he's not planning on making them fall in love with him by the way he only flirts hardcore with the strong-type of women whom he knows won't fall for him easily like that, and with the softer-type who might actually have a crush on him (like Ashley or Manuela) he's much more careful, mostly friendly -- ocasionally teasing and a little light flirting too, of course, but that's just his way of being playful and nice. Leon is a very charismatic and charmful man by nature, what can he do about it?

So, considering all of this, we can see why having a relationship is not on Leon's to-do-list. No person in their right mind would subject themselves to be in a relationship in which your partner is completely secretive about their work life and having to live with the anxiety of going to sleep at night not knowing if he’s still alive when he leaves for his missions; people want a relationship for security, stability, reassurance, comfort and peace, not to be tormented. And with Ada, he doesn’t need to worry about any of that. She isn’t going to ask him questions about his work nor is she going to stay up at night worrying if he’s going to come back home, because they don’t have that kind of relationship. And it's not that Leon would hate having that kind of relationship -- especially with her -- it's the opposite. He secretly craves it. I think there's nothing he'd love more than laying with the person he loves on his arms at the end of a long day, and seeing their face lit by the sunlight in the morning, or simply doing the typical clingy couple things, the casual affection; but he has a job to do and he knows he can't have both.

I don’t agree with the usage of the word ‘toxic’ to define his relationship with Ada, because that makes her seem like a horrible person when it’s not the case; none of them is forcing the other into this relationship, they both just fall in with it because they know that this is the closest to a romantic relationship that people like them can afford to have. And because this relationship isn't entirely bad for them, we don't know much about Ada, unfortunately, but we know enough about Leon to have a guess that what he has with her is enough to provide him at least a little bit of comfort, and God knows he needs it.

Even if we don't have enough content of her, her feelings, traumas and motivations to write a fully detailed essay, we know that even if she doesn't show it like he does, she loves Leon too. The difference is that she doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve like he does. And yes -- she uses him to reach her own goals during her missions, always plays little games with him, but I believe the latter is part of a façade (I'll get into this later), and she never did anything to hurt him or put him in danger. She’s a focused, calculative woman who will play dirty to get what she wants, yet she often goes out of her way to help Leon every time he’s in trouble instead of considering it a nuisance. Coming from someone like her, that means a lot. She’s the one who throws him the rocket launcher in RE2 during the fight against Nemesis, she’s the one who stops Krauser from killing him in RE4 (original, in the remake it is Luis' doing), she also goes against Wesker’s orders to keep him safe, and helps him many times in RE6 and Damnation too. Ada is always watching him from the shadows and would never let anyone harm him, no matter what. Not to mention, the way she trusts Leon becomes evident with how she always lowers her guard around him in a way you never see her doing with anyone else -- like in that choking scene from the original RE4, no other person would be able to catch her off guard like that. She's completely at ease around him.

Something else I noticed is how Ada only acts cool when in front of him. In the original RE4 you can see how she puts that unbothered, cool and mysterious woman show on when face-to-face with him, but as soon as he isn't watching her, the façade drops and she looks at him as if he's the most amazing person in the world, she has the biggest heart eyes for him, even if she doesn't let him see it. I believe the only scene she showed it to him is when he saves her from Saddler and asks her if she's okay, to which she replies with a weak "I've been better", and gives him the softest smile ever. There is so much tenderness in that look she gave him. Also, the way she talks about him: in the original Separate Ways she compliments his skills and intelligence and refers to him as "practically a genius"; she admires and respects him immensely, even if she'd never say that to his face.

My point with this is that the reason why she does that, the reason why Ada doesn’t give too much for Leon, is because she knows it’s just going to make things more difficult for both of them. After all, leaving would be much harder after hearing a “I love you”, after making promises. They both know how they feel, too, so there is no need for words. As I said before, their love isn’t exactly the healthiest and probably is something that hurts them both, but as long as they can see each other again, they can endure the pain that comes with the separation -- because like Leon said himself in RE4, “she’s like a part of me that I can’t let go”

But no matter how much they love each other, in the end, Leon and Ada are always meant to go to their separate ways.

[adasknife]

Do you have any headcanons of Ada and past romantic relationships? I kinda wonder if she ever had some big first love or just never bothered with romance.

Also a part of me loves to believe she’s been in a relationship before RE2 and her s/o just has no idea about her real occupation lmao.

omgomgomg (sorry for the long answer)

okay, i got too excited because he is my favorite npc in resident evil. john clemens is truly and fully ada's truly and fully canon ex-boyfriend. in re1 and re2 og, john was mentioned. ada in original was looking for her boyfriend and leon decided to help. john was a worker of umbrella when she faked being an umbrella employee thanks to wesker. but he unfortunately died before the events of resident evil one considering his letter is found with no chance of hope.

in the letter, john was basically telling ada to expose umbrella's evil plans as he hoped she was alive. when ada searched for annette, that's when ada discovered he was dead, thanks to annette. ada was so special to john that she was his password in a puzzle in re1, and if i remember correctly, leon even found a picture of them.

here's the full letter [X]

in my personal headcanon, john always knew or ada told him later in their relationship. they were probably together for two years considering ada said he was missing for a while and annette knew about ada's relationship with john.

and in my true, honest, humble opinion, resident evil 2 1998 stopped being canon once darkside chronicles came out. and in the remake, john wasn't even mentioned. nor in the rest of ada's story.

the only thing remaining of john are non-canon comics, a rejected screenplay of a live action movie, resident evil 2 original, and resident evil 1 remake. so, he is my headcanon of ada's romantic life.

but once again, in my opinion, john was her first and only love. some fans disagree and think ada only used john. but let us know that ada isn't her real name (we know this thanks to og resident evil 3 so maybe Ada Wong turned into her real name because capcom has forgotten details of ada's character) maybe capcom only made it easier for themselves, but ada's fake name as a scientist's girlfriend stayed til 1998-2013 (re6).

but ignoring john, i know she has partners around the world begging for her to come back to them. she's like loid from spy x family. faking lives and making connections. she only keeps the ones she will need in the future (aka simmons and leon). ada has worked too much in canon to have a lasting relationship. like in re5, in the dlc, it was mentioned that ada was probably chilling with wesker (pre re4) as he worked for spencer. so, yeah, i doubt she had the time to truly love.

[torble]

Resident evil headcannons!! FEWTURING OTHER CHARACTERS BC IN MY BRAIN THEY ALL SHARE AN OFFICE CAPCOM YOU MADE ME LIKE THIS. I AM COPING

-Karl heisenberg being part lycan (wolf person) always has excessive body heat coming off of him. He doesn’t feel an issue with it but but everyone asks him if he has a fever despite him just being naturally warm.

-Heisenberg almost always has a couple pieces of scrap metal his plays around with using his powers, making them float around and what not.

-Leon Kennedy has a hard time making friends that arnt just ‘work friends’ except for Chris, Claire, piers, and ada because he finds it hard to relate to others who haven’t been through what he has. His situations have also left him quite untrusting of others but still friendly.

-Leon also is extremely good with kids, ever since sherry in RE2 and Ashley in RE4 he also found himself prioritizing the kids life over his own and finds joy in taking care of them.

-Carlos has never dropped the nickname ‘supercop’ for jill ever since their meeting in re3.

-Carlos likes to collect bobble heads. He just does.

-Jill is extremely good at darts and has a small dart board in her office she plays with when bored.

-Claire’s original profession she wanted to be was a teacher but quickly got sucked into the same work as her brother Chris after raccoon city. She still does love taking care of kids. And works in the branch of work that is for rebuilding homes umbrella Corp destroyed.

-Claire has a specific mug In the office she ALWAYS uses. Touch it and she will know.

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

I don't know if this has been asked or if you've talked about it, - and I do apologize for any clumsiness in how I sound - but do you think Ada would have any complicated feelings regarding how she's been objectified, sexually or otherwise, in-universe, whether it's by someone like Simmons, people she's worked for etc?

i'm gonna ramble a bit here so sorry in advance lol-

i think that the trauma she experienced from simmons is one that's glossed over a lot. especially the people who are like AdA doEsNt hAve AnY tRaUmA

people are SO FUCKING QUICK to baby leon, but if it's a woman- oh NOOO she doesn't deserve the same thing

one of my major gripes with a lot of people who "aren't happy with ada's redesign" (characterization, voice, style) etc. (ALSO YOU CAN GO PLAY THE OLD GAMES BTW THEY STILL EXIST. ) bother me a lot

it's 2023. can we not have ada be an actual woman character with likes/desires/dislikes/flaws/and a personality that isn't just "sexy asian spy lady" like have we regressed so much that when capcom literally designed ada to be almost completely covered from her neck down was a way to have her be less sexualized? (btw for the people mad about that, she still has her alt outfit!!! so stfu!!!)

also she was still sexy af??? she doesn't need to be literally naked for her to be sexy. (also there needs to be more talk about consent imo cause i really feel like the way people talk about ada makes me think they do not understand consent)

ada's always used her sex appeal in varying degrees in the games/movies. but it was always to her advantage (almost in a way so that she wasn't objectified unless she wanted it that way)

in regards to her damnation outfit and her re6 outfit, which i argue are still sexy but not as revealing as her re4 outfit. i think that was also capcom in a way to modernize her outfits but still have it be her. like okay i know people love her og re4 outfit, but it makes NO SENSE. and because of it, it's one of my least favourite outfits because of how impractical it is. i don't mind her re4r alt outfit though, it's still fuckin hot but yeah (i still think the og re4 dress is really cunty tho skfbsfjs it's good, it's just not my favourite, og re2 is also one of my least faves, the flats and the dress + leggings combo)

also yeah to go back to her trauma, i really wish we saw what she felt at the end of re2r, especially if she thought she was going to die. like- how traumatic is that. the way she also fell, but took the time to comfort leon before dropping. SHE DIDN'T CARE THAT SHE WAS GONNA FALL, SHE COMFORTED LEON FIRST

we still don't know if she knew that she was going to be fine or not. if she fell into water (which i hc more cause she's not seen with a hookshot prior so i don't really hc that she had it the whole time.)

i see that as a common hc that she had one that wesker gave her so that she could get out and survive the fall, but i just legit think she fucking fell. landed into water or something that made it so she was okay. and then figured out how to get out later. (with the help of wesker)

but yeah i do not hc the hook shoot reason.

ANYWAYS MAYBE WE'LL GET TO SEE IT??? SEPARATE WAYS INTRO??? PLEASE??????

also it's clear to me that simmons was fucking obsessed with her and she had to literally break ties with him because he was fucking insane, she knew he was a lost cause. i don't think she'd even entertain him at all, to work with him, so it seemed as she cut ties as soon as she could. i do think that he harassed her a lot, but it's also probably traumatic when she discovers that simmons killed hundreds of women to try and clone ada.

uh im eepy but i'll talk about this more later maybe lol

[indiehorrorgamemovie]

isthefnafmovieout reviews the fnaf movie (SPOILERS)

Pre-movie thoughts (written 10/25):

I get to see it a day early! YAY!

I might have hyped this movie up in my brain a little too much, because I'm SUPER anxious.

The polarizing reviews i was seeing throughout the day were definitely a little nerve wracking! Lots of good and bad reviews, lots of weird contridicting statements. I saw lots of people complaining about the lore being "wrong" or whatever but... Eh. It has already been established that this movie won't have the same lore as the games, so I won't mind any lore changes. They're like the Silver Eyes books, in their own seperate canon but with similarities to the games.

Overall Im keeping my hopes reasonably high. Horror films and video game adaptations tend to get a bad wrap from even the fairest critics. I'm a die-heard fnaf fan, have been for all 9 years of its existence. If Dawko loves it then I will love it I think 🫡

Okay, now with that out of the way...

Spoiler free review, posted on my letterboxd:

Post-movie thoughts (written 10/26):

The way they incorporated Mike's dream sequences into the narrative was really interesting, how he tries to use his dreams to find out who took his brother. He and Abby were really sweet :) I like how their relationship drives the plot along, with how they befriend Abby but only as a front because they want her to "be like them," and how Mike is caught up in the past and realizes that he needs to focus on protecting Abby, not bringing his brother back. Its surprisingly emotional, i really resonated with their story. Josh Hutcherson and Piper Rubio both did well!

It's basically everything I expected, and I liked it! I think it's story was good, with its focus on childhood innocence.

Vanessa is great too! Different from her game counterpart, but thats okay! And the twist that she's actually William aftons daughter? Holy shit I gasped like I was watching a soap. Thats so interesting!! I loved how she just FELT suspicious. I know it's very different from the game lore, but I expected the movie to be, and I liked what they did! I got chills when Vanessa showed the picture of her and William to Mike and you could see her holding the plane that Mike's brother used to have.... my dad thought that was the creepiest part. Speaking of william btw...

Matthew Lillard, man. wow. What a great William Afton. They do some subtle implications that hes William in the beginning and if i didnt know it was him already i would've been surprised. He hams it up like he did with Stu Macher and it's great! I wish he was in it a little more, and they expanded a little more on Williams character through Vanessa, but yeah, he was good! I hope to see more of him in any sequels!

I wish the animatronics showed up a little more, thats probably my biggest critique or whatever. But they are so well made and cute. I liked how they befriended Abby, and that they rlly honed in on the animatronics being possessed by kids and that their violence is from William Aftons influence. I wish they went more into depth about how William influenced them though, and why it's all the pictures drawn of what happened that control their vision of what happened. What we did get from them though was so cool! Jim Henson did so well with these guys, they're so cute yet can be so scary.

The kills were pretty tame on the surface, as I expected, but some of the implications were quite disturbing to a point where it didn't rlly take away from it for me. Especially Max's, it gave me a "Ada in the laser room in the re4 seperate ways remake" vibes. Same with the security guards death to the faz-trap in the beginning.

There were some pacing issues, theyve definitely cut some things i wouldve liked to see, there was some goofiness (that fort making scene made me laugh so hard im sorry, it was cute though), and some story elements that needed a touch more expanding upon, but this movie was still really fun! For non-fans, honestly i dont know how they'reresponding as a whole besides those really weird reviews im seeing on rotten tomatoes and such, but I saw it with my dad, who knew very little going into it, and he liked it, especially the story with the missing kids! For fans... well, If you like fnaf, are are willing to forgive some lore changes for the sake of telling a coherent story, then you'll love it!

Also why was Matpat there lol. isthefnafmovieout, out. See you on the flipside.

[eviltothecore13]

Hello, I hope you're still interested in RE😇

I wanted to ask if you have any wishes or hopes for the RE5 Remake and Code Veronica Remake? (if there will be one)

And do you think that Wesker is still alive and will appear in RE9?

Sorry if you already wrote about that!

To be honest, while I still love RE, after the changes RE4 remake Separate Ways made to Wesker's character, I'm kind of dreading any new Wesker content. The fact he went from being established in original RE4 (and background stuff, canon tie-in material, writer statements, etc) as respecting Ada and even liking her in his own way, to being hostile to her constantly for no reason in the remake and treating her like she's incompetent, feels like an overly simplistic "he's evil, so he has to act like a dick 100% of the time", even though e.g. STARS shows he's quite capable of acting otherwise when it suits him and doesn't just go around pointlessly antagonising people. I think it's a sign that the original writers who wrote him in the games I love are no longer the ones writing him...

Previous remakes mostly either didn't drastically change the characters, or changed them for the better (RE3make Carlos is much more developed than the original one), and even RE4make Leon they clearly took the opportunity to remove the random sexist lines that the translator of OG RE4 added in which were never in the original Japanese anyway--I have no serious issue with main RE4make, only with RE4make Separate Ways, but it was very disappointing because Separate Ways was the thing I'd been looking forward to most--I was eagerly anticipating seeing more of Wesker and Ada's dynamic and they gave me a different and less interesting dynamic instead.

[videogamesincolor]

What are your overall thoughts on Ada Wong as a character?

@cbros5 Please don't spam my inbox with the same question repeatedly. That's grounds for blocking.

In general, I like Ada Wong. She's one of the few characters in the Resident Evil series that I call a favorite (the other is Sheva Alomar).

I can't say I ever put too much thought into her character beyond her role as an action girl/super spy, or my frustrations with how Capcom regularly objectifies her (perhaps moreso in RE6 and the RE2 remake). How that plays into her status as the embodiment of the 'Dragon Lady' trope.

But she might be the only character who benefits from a lack of knowledge the audience has access to. The obscurity worked best in the original games because RE2 introduces her as a civilian looking for someone she loves vs. walking around and telegraphing her bidness with a fake FBI fadge (if anything, RE2R made her look worse at her job than competent). And RE4 only reinforces this through her dynamics with Wesker and Krauser, two people she has no allegiance to but works for or with anyway despite their genocidal aims.

The vagueness of her character is part of the fun for me. But it also makes her entire storyline in RE6 pretty awful. When Capcom has the opportunity to expound on Ada's shadiness, they trap her in a quarrel between two (white) mad scientists obsessed with themselves.

Ada's campaign is a lotta things, but I wouldn't say it's about her so much as its padding and a failed attempt to make the game's Kentucky Fried Villain Formidable.

I don't think we need to know a whole lot about Ada. But if Capcom is gonna retread the later games, as they've done now with the RE4 remake, do something more interesting with Ada's campaign in RE6.

[possessionisamyth]

Reasons to Love Ada Wong:

-Outstanding Intelligence: As seen in damnation, re4, and re6, Ada knows how to remain one step ahead. She knew the BSAA lie would fall through so she could get into the facility to access what she really needed. She immediately adjusted her plan in re4 to make her helping Leon out of tight fits appear as inconsequential tasks while she went towards her goal. She immediately figured out the "Simmons" calling her wasn't Simmons at all. She's not someone you can outsmart easily.

-Excellent Self-Preservation: Gotta look out for #1 baby, and Ada is the best embodiment of that. RE is packed with enough martyrs who will give up their entire lives "fighting for the cause". This girl is there to get her paycheck and get the fuck out so she can live her life, and I respect it. I hope she charges triple for overtime and extra hassle. We should all be doing that.

-Plays The System Like A Fiddle: Ada says fuck cops. Ada says fuck the government. Ada says fuck corporations. As long as what they're doing won't pull her into a long standing cross fire, she will work for the money they offer, but she'll go where she pleases once she's done. Is that really any different than people in real life looking for a better job when leaving an old, shitty one? I don't think it is.

-Has only one weakness: Ada knows her limits. She knows when she can save someone and when she can't. She knows when to let something lie and when to go for it. Leon is her only weakness, but everyone else she can take or leave unless they prove they'll have value for her work. If Leon died, she'd retire or go back to being ultra capable, so kill him Capcom.

-Impeccable fashion: Ignoring the dragon lady take with og re4 dress, Ada's other outfits are fire. Red is a wonderful color on her because it hides the blood, and also she's so hot.

-Emotionally Unavailable: She is the only RE woman who is not seen sincerely comforting a man or comforting a child(re2/re2r doesn't count because she's acting). This is extremely refreshing. Yes, she is the sexy femme fatale, but does she comfort Leon? No. Does she baby Sherry when she saves her? No. This isn't a moral failing. She's just not that into you, and it's not a flaw. It's an underutilized character trait with women especially.

-Hookshot User: I don't know about the people younger than me, but this was the coolest tool for people to use in cartoons when I was a kid. It's the closest a normal human can get to being Spiderman, and that automatically puts a character on the Best Design list in my opinion.

-High-risk High-reward Thinker: Working with B.O.Ws in any capacity means you're somewhat of a gambler. What does Chris get from going into enemy territory to arrest some guy? Paperwork. What does Jill get from saving Chris' life? Brainwashed into a killing machine and made blonde(the worst fate bestowed upon women). Leon fights for his country. Ew. Gross. You know what Ada gets going into death ridden zones? Her bag. Her check. Her money, and it's actually worth it.

-Espionage S-Rank: The international arrest warrant is going to make things a little more difficult, but Ada's made her career around going under the radar to get in and out of high security areas. She gets the gear, the guns, and plays her role with finesse. Her intel gathering skills must be impeccable to achieve this.

Quick Bullet Points:

Not a eugenicist. (Wesker is.)

Doesn't experiment on corpses. (Heisenberg does this.)

No god-complex. (Wesker has this.)

Against child labor? (Heisenberg wants a baby gun.)

Doesn't make viruses that kill people. Only gets paid to move them around. (Unlike some people.)

Thinks Leon is pathetic, but likes him anyway even if he's a lil ugly. Which is so nice of her. (❤️)

So there's my comprehensive list I said I'd make weeks ago but am just now getting to. If anyone has anything else to add feel free to do so in the replies. If you're here to be an Ada hater, you'll get blocked.

[lvredfield]

Resident Evil 5 Remake?!

Hi! These days I heard about a leak about RE4R, and in that leak it said that at the end of the game there will be a scene connecting with RE5.

A remake of RE5 is no surprise to me, but I keep thinking about changes and one of them is "Will this time Chris and Jill's relationship be just great friends or a real relationship?" This came to mind because there were many changes from the old RE4 to RE4R, many scenes can be changed, even the scene where Leon and Ada interact with each other and Ada thinks that Leon is going to kiss her and at the end he is possessed by Las Pragas and ends up hanging her.

The same in a possible RE5 Remake that Chris and Jill's exchange of looks and dialogues can change, thus confirming whether they really feel something for each other or are just great friends.

Capcom may have confirmed that it's a platonic friendship (I don't have proof of that confirmation, that's all I know.), but we feel like there's been an extra feeling since RE1.

On Monday I watched the last episode of The Walking Dead and the final scene showing the characters Carol and Daryl made me think how Chris and Jill are with each other, their relationship must be very close with these two TWD characters. They love each other but without the romantic part and I think it's amazing!

Putting Chris and Jill in Carol and Daryl's shoes, I realized how much alike they are. I could be wrong, completely wrong, but it's the only way I can imagine Chris and Jill's relationship can be canonical.

I have my ideas and feelings divided about Chris and Jill, 50% consider that they are great friends as Carol and Daryl are with each other and the other 50% wish that they become a couple and that they live a happy life even in so many turmoils caused by bioterrorism. I ask you, what do you expect from Chris and Jill in a future Resident Evil 5 Remake?

[sapphire-weapon]

I’ve been a Leon fangirl since middle school (so… 13ish? 14ish? I don’t remember) and I kept seeing many people misinterpret his character from all spectrums of RE Fans. The ones that are neutral, don’t like him, or love him a lot all misinterpret him as this dude that flirts with every woman he sees.

So when I came across your blog, and seeing your meta stuff on Leon plus your latest posts about Leon (and the damn fact that the wiki on his page is filled with LIES?!?! Like wow, now I don’t want to use fan wikis more than ever, so thank you so much for bringing that to a lot of fans’ attentions especially when most of us used the wikis for information on stuff) made me go, “finally! Someone who doesn’t treat Leon as a “ladies man” as canon fact instead of a headcanon!”

Now, there is nothing wrong with flirty Leon, but it felt like a headcanon that got spread around the fandom as “canon” when it isn’t.

people who see him that way, i think, are too stuck on RE4 OG. because if RE4 OG was still the most recent canonpoint, that interpretation of him would be accurate. leon basically hits his peak sluttery in ID, and then it dramatically drops off a cliff. because, like. he IS a slut who tries to fuck hunnigan, looks up ada's dress in RE4, and openly declares intentions to homewreck shen may's relationship. but then he chills the fuck out after shen may won't cheat on her boyfriend with him lmao like he fucks ada prior to damnation, but that seems like a cooling off compared to his other shenanigans.

so i think of it kind of like this:

remake leon, who's not a whore at all and therefore cannot have his sluttery get mapped out, has a different chart entirely:

but people in this fandom are, by and large, stupid creatures who don't think that there are two timelines with OG and remake, so they just slap the slut label on every version of leon, which is just simply incorrect.

leon is the most complicated character in all of resident evil, so i'm not surprised to see him get as misinterpreted as he does, but. i get ur frustration.

and i will be here "old man yells at cloud"-ing with the truth until i can't anymore.

[onyx-roses]

I finished re4r awhile ago and it was FANTASTIC.

I feel they really did the original justice. I enjoyed the QOL improvements that were made. Having your knife being able to parry is awesome and very satisfying. It's quite the game changer! The fact that you can use it even against one hit kill bosses like dr. salvador is so neat! While I don't like stealth typically, it's a welcome addition since the game doesn't force it on you. Having the option to pick off a few enemies silently is nice although I feel doing this made little difference in terms of making taking down the rest of the enemies easier tbh. Being able to simply kick and elbow barrels and crates instead of painstakingly having to shoot or knife them is probably an afterthought for others but i highly appreciated this. Crafting ammo and grenades is new feature that saved my ass a few times so needless to say love it lol. And next up the biggest change in the game, you can move and shoot now! Lol. Something I never quite got use to however was the 180 degree turn. In old RE, it was down + x (on ps at least). Now it's down + R1, which feels very unnatural to me. I dealt with it but eh, not very comfortable with this change. Leon overall controls pretty well despite this. I love that you can change weapons on the fly now instead of always having to go into the attache case. I do kinda miss seeing Leon on the side in the attache case menu lol. The merchant returns! With a nice little bonus, side quests! They are completely optional but doing them can net you extra rewards. The shooting range is back and I LOVE that they used 'The Drive' song and remixed it! Especially the way it amps up during bonus time, ugh so good. The fucking nostalgia man. Going on to story and characters now. I love that Ashley feels like an actual character and more realistic this time around. Her redesign is rly cute too. Luis being more present and fleshed out was great too. I have to say I think I actually prefer how his death was handled in the remake. It felt more emotional and impactful. Ok so with Leon. First off, I admittedly am always nervous with how characters are going to look because I'm not always crazy with how capcom handles redesigns and characters' faces. But holy crap, LEON THO. Every version of Leon can get it but Re4 Leon is my fave Leon so needless to say when I saw him for the first time in that reveal trailer, Me = deceased. He looks so goddamn good. I thought I had it bad for him back then, nah. Now, I'm fucking embarrassingly OBSESSED with this man. I want to devour him. It was hard to not stop every two seconds when playing to admire his....assets lmaooo. I think some ppl didn't like that he seems more grounded this time around but I actually don't mind it at all. They found a nice middle ground where Leon is def more serious than before but he still throws out one liners here and there. So his corny side is still very much present but he doesn't seem as cocky as before. Ada looks great and is as mysterious as ever lol. Story beats were mostly the same, a few things tweaked of course but I was satisfied with how the narrative was handled. And omg, was so nice to see certain costumes and weapons plus easter eggs make a comeback! The freaking gangster suit, armor for Ashely, the chicago typewriter and the reload animation, him sitting down on the chair and posing fabulously, etc. I'm just so over the moon for this game. It's one of my favorite games of all time and I couldn't be happier with the end result. I remember hearing when this was getting a remake and being like but why? Re4 doesn't need a remake. But now having played it, it's so well done and I'm so glad Capcom didn't screw it up lol. It was a blast reliving this masterpiece all over again 🥲.