#can you imagine the DISBELIEF in alcina's voice

[ctitan98official]

Anonymous: Hi! Could you do a headcanon where Alcina is hungry but she doesn't tell the reader because she doesn't want to hurt them or something like that? Only if you want to of course.

I love this prompt! In this one, Alcina asks Y/N if she can feed from them for the first time. I have another work that’s sort of similar, so I’m going to consider this as the prequel to that one. You can read that other work here! Let’s get into it!

Alcina had immediately captured your heart when you two first met. She had a way of commanding attention wherever she went, and you were no exception.

The two of you had forged a deep connection, a bond that transcended the boundaries of most other relationships. You were her confidant, her ally, and most importantly, the love of her life.

Tonight, as the moon cast its ethereal glow upon the castle grounds, you found yourself in Alcina’s bedroom. She was seated in her favorite chair, her elegant posture contrasting with the intensity in her eyes.

“Y/N,” Alcina said, her voice velvety and enticing. “Would you sit with me for a while, draga?”

You happily nodded, eagerly climbing up into her lap. Your hand instinctively found its way into hers.

Your touch felt comforting to Alcina, as if you were grounding her, and she needed that more than ever right now. She brought her other hand and gently guided your head to lie on her chest before she ran her fingers through your hair.

Silence enveloped the room, broken only by the gentle crackle of the fireplace. Gradually, Alcina’s grip on your hand tightened and her mind wandered, lingering on the sound of the pulsing vein in your neck. Unbeknownst to you, Alcina battled her own primal desires. She longed to taste the hot blood that flowed within your body, to satiate the hunger that gnawed at her from within. A glass of Sanguis Virginis only did so much to help her cravings. While it kept her mutation in check, she wanted fresh blood. More specifically, yours. You smelled intoxicating to her. Yet, she remained silent, afraid to voice her want. She loved you so much and didn’t want to hurt you.

In the quietness of the room, your own thoughts began to swirl, sensing something amiss. Alcina loved to talk to you and tell you stories, but she was oddly silent tonight. You looked up at Alcina, peering into her eyes, searching for answers. “Is everything alright, Alci?”

She hesitated for a moment, her fingers tracing delicate patterns on your palm. “There is something I want to share with you, draga,” Alcina finally spoke, her voice carrying a rare vulnerability. “But, I’m feeling a bit nervous to do so because… I love you so very much.”

Confusion etched across your face. “You didn’t cheat on me or something, did you?” You ask, suddenly terrified.

Alcina couldn’t help the laugh the flowed from her lips at your question. “No, draga. I would never do that,” She promised. (A/N: Except in the fuck tons of head canons and imagines I’ve written where she does XD)

You breathed out a sigh of relief at this, but what could she be so scared to tell you about? You gently encouraged her to continue. “Go on, babe. You can share anything with me,” You told her.

Alcina sighed but leaned closer, her lips hovering near your ear. “I’m… Very thirsty, my love,” She confessed in a hushed tone, her breath warm against your skin.

You looked at her and could sense the internal struggle she faced, torn between her basic needs and her love for you. In that moment, you made a silent vow to protect her from herself.

“Babe,” You whispered softly, intertwining your fingers tighter with hers, “You should have told me sooner. You don’t need to worry about hurting me,” You reassured her. “It would… Make me really happy if you’d let me give you blood,” You smiled.

Alcina is taken aback by your selflessness, her eyes brimming with unshed tears of gratitude and awe. “You would do that for me, draga?” She whispers, her voice filled with equal parts disbelief and appreciation.

You nod, a smile gracing your lips. “Of course, Alci. I’d do anything for you.”

Moved beyond words, Alcina pulls you into a tight embrace, her arms encircling you with an almost desperate fervor. “Thank you, my darling,” She murmurs against your ear, her voice laced with a mixture of overwhelming emotions. “To have found someone so willing to give of themselves for my sake… I love you so very much, Y/N. Do you know that?” She asks.

“I do, Alci. I love you more than anything,” You tell her. “Should we… Get started?” You ask.

Alcina’s face suddenly becomes flushed. She feels a bit bashful about doing this with you for the first time. But, she soon clears her throat and nods. “I would love to, draga,” She says.

——————————————————————————

Alcina scoops you up into her arms before sitting you on her bed.

“Let me just get some supplies for afterward,” She tells you. “Alright… I’ll need some bandages, some gauze, rubbing alcohol…” She mutters to herself under her breath as she rummages through her desk. Thankfully, she’s prepared for this. You frequently come home with cuts and bruises that she tends to.

Once satisfied with her selection, she brings the items over and sets them on the nightstand. “These should be perfect,” She says and gets into bed. She props herself up with some pillows before holding her hands out to you. “Come here, draga,” She says with a gentle smile.

You beam and make your way over to her. You nestle into her front and she takes a minute to just hold you, enjoying having you in her arms. “I love you, draga,” She says and guides your face to look up at her. “Are you ready, my darling?” She asks, feeling a bit shy.

You quickly nod. “I’m ready, Alci!” You respond enthusiastically. You lean up to give her a kiss, hoping to steady her frazzled nerves.

Alcina happily reciprocates and grins at you before she positions your neck right in front of her face. She places a loving kiss on it, silently thanking you.

As her teeth pierce your flesh, a mix of sensations floods your senses. There is a momentary sting as she nicks a few veins and arteries. You also feel some dizziness as your system adjusts to Alcina feeding from you. However, these are soon replaced by a strange, yet not unpleasant, feeling. You feel the rhythmic pulse of your blood, the life force that sustains you, now flowing into Alcina’s mouth. The experience is both intimate and profound, a testament to the depth of your bond. Time seems to stand still as Alcina draws what she needs. She rubs your back and holds you close.

You sigh as you relax into her hold. You close your eyes and enjoy the feeling of Alcina snuggling you.

Your blood is unlike any Alcina has ever tasted. She finds your very essence absolutely delicious. The metallic tang of your blood is otherworldly. It quickly sates the hunger she was previously feeling.

As her thirst fades, Alcina withdraws, her gaze filled with gratitude and reverence. “Thank you, draga. So very much. That was wonderful,” She says and fondly cups your face.

You look up at her, a tired but pleased look on your face. “I’m so glad I was able to help, babe,” You say and shoot her a wink.

Alcina turns red at your display and she playfully pinches your cheek. You always know how to fluster her, it seems. She grins at you. “Ever the charmer,” She muses, which makes you laugh. She carefully cleans your wound before placing a piece of gauze on it and applying pressure. She works diligently, making sure you are well taken care of. She wraps a bandage around the bite and finally, satisfied with her work, kisses you on the forehead.

“Thank you, draga,” She whispers, her voice filled with a depth of emotion that words cannot adequately express. “You have always shown me a love beyond measure,” She says. She once again feels her eyes welling with tears. She has never had someone so caring about her needs before.

You gently wipe the tears trailing down her face. “I’m honored you let me do this for you, Alci,” You say. “Can we… Do it again soon?” You ask, hopeful that she will be open to the idea. It was such a special experience for you. It made you feel so useful.

Alcina’s eyes go wide in surprise at your question. “You’d like to do this again?” She asks in shock.

You laugh. “Yeah, babe. I enjoyed it,” You tell her.

Alcina is thoroughly pleased. Here she was feeling slightly guilty about feeding from you, but you want to help her so badly, and… You liked it? She is humbled by the love you have for her. She smiles and kisses your forehead again. “I would love that, draga,” She says quietly.

You grin before you stifle a yawn, now very calm and sleepy. You lie your head on her chest and listen to the gentle beating of her heart. “Good night, Alci,” You say softly.

Alcina lies back and holds you to her, pulling up the blankets around you both. “Sleep well, draga,” She says and runs her hand along your back. “I love you,” She says as you fall asleep.

You have never felt happier.

Masterlist

#alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #re8 #re8 village #re8 lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitriscu x reader #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu x y/n #alcina dimitrescu x reader #resident evil village #resident evil 8 #resident evil #resident evil imagines #lady dimitrescu x y/n

[the-reaper-of-maidens]

Alcina: Reaper, you’re back from your hunt early.

Reaper: Forest’s haunted.

Alcina: ...What?

Reaper: *she grabs a crossbow and a bunch of bolts* Forest’s haunted.

#lady dimitrescu #remnant of my old life (memes) #moon's haunted meme #can you imagine the DISBELIEF in alcina's voice #but then imagine it's just daniela #'good thing i ask first and shoot later...'

[monodipita]

OP. 51, no. 6 — Valse Sentimale (Yandere!Alcina Dimitrescu x Reader)

Word count: 3,359

Warnings: GORE & BLOOD WARNING. Yandere content below the cut.

"...darling."  Alcina roused your attention.  You snapped out of your reverie and glanced over to the white-donning woman.  "What is it?"  You asked.  "You dozed off again," she told you, "please.  If you're going to be serious about what we are, then I would like for you to actively participate in our discussion.  Now, about the wedding arrangements—"

Your stare was enough to cut her off.  She looked flabbergasted. "You don't mean to tell me you are still holding off on the idea of marrying me, are you?"  She asked with a suspicious tone.  "After all this time... [Y/N], I—"

"Two weeks is not enough, Alcina.  I have only known and existed around you for two weeks... on top of that, you have taken me away from my family!"  You snapped at her.  "How am I supposed to love someone who threatens my existence and my family?"  You asked.  "Have you thought about me since you "asked" me to stay at this castle?  Sure you may be around me all the time, but I don't think you have truly asked me about how I feel about everything."

Alcina's eyes narrowed, a frown spread across her lips.  "[Y/N], I have told you many times that your family is safe.  You don't have to worry about them anymore, because they're safe.  And when you decide that you are ready to marry me, then I will happily move them into a portion of the castle that you can see and visit every day."  She reached over and gently draped her clothed hand against yours.  "Aren't I being generous by taking you into consideration, my love?"

You released yourself from her grip and glared at her, taking in her handsomely youthful features while disdain showed on your own.  “How many times must I tell you that I’m not ready for marriage?  And still, you refuse to listen to me!  Using my family as an incentive?!”  You hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ve had enough, Alcina.  I’m done!”

Her face went from the calm, pleasant smile that it always held to utter disbelief when you sounded those words with your voice.  Her eyes went wide, her mouth parted agape. “No..!”

It was far too late for her to react.  You were already storming away from the comfortable lounging area and preparing to make your way out of the castle through the dining room area.  You could hear her angrily stomping behind you, her loud footsteps faintly echoing in your ears while you descended the staircase.  Of course she was already on your ass, where else would she be?  “Don’t you walk away from me!” She ordered you. “You are not permitted to leave this castle!”

These were the same words that came from her a few days ago.  Applied in a different sense, but still provoked the same reaction regardless.

“Why?” You asked, your body coming to a full stop so that you could turn and face her, “you know we can’t be together!”

“You will become my spouse, or you and your family's suffering is assured!” You heard her voice growl in that silky-sweet, venomous tone.  Shivers ran down your spine and made you recoil from the woman and back up against the courtyard doors.  How do you say no to someone so powerful?  What would happen to you if you said no?  “I have been on my knees for weeks now, begging you for a chance to have your hand so that I may provide my daughters with the family they desire, but instead you insist—!” With one swift, overwhelming motion, Alcina’s claws protruded from her digits and came slashing down on the wallpaper beside your head.  You instinctively ducked and turned away from her, as if that would do you any good in this situation. “—on making me look like a fool!  But I’ve had enough of your shenanigans,”

She seemed to regain her composure, judging by the woman taking an audible pause.  You couldn’t see any of her actions in this huddled defensive position, but you could imagine she was simply fixing herself to repaint her image.  It was too bad that her image was already sullied by her temper.  “You no longer have a choice, my love.  I’ve decided your fate for you.”

My love.

It was so genuine.  Coming from her, at least.  You knew it was.  You couldn’t quite hear it in her tone, but you knew she was being serious. Alcina always got what she wanted, and you were powerless to resist her.  Even all this time spent on simply trying to get away from her meant nothing ... you were trapped, and that was absolutely correct.  Yes, there might’ve been another way to escape... but how were you going to get out of this??

“Don’t force me to take you anywhere.”  Alcina started, gently and assertively pulling your hand away from your head to make you look up at her.  Her unoccupied hand gently caressed your chin, making her smile.  Her piercing, yellow orbs stared into your soul, even.  You were a little more than just petrified in this situation, making yourself gulp as she towered over you.  “Where are we going, then..?” You asked quietly.

“You’re going to get ready for dinner.”  Alcina responded calmly.  “My daughters and I will be down in twenty minutes.  I expect you to be there, thing, or you will be dearly sorry.”  She removed her tall, robust body away from yours.  Her left hand grabbed your right hand as she began to pull you out of the dining room.

The dinner time came.  You dressed as well as the castle permitted you—nothing less from perfect, as extravagant, imported clothing existed inside the closet waiting just for you.  Like she had been waiting for you to claim this room as yours, it was beautifully furnished, and on top of that, it was right next to her own room.  A door linked between the rooms gave you a glimpse into the life of a giant woman, and you were not left with any questions.

"This way, please."

You followed the maid down the stairs and into the dining room.  You were given a glimpse of the outside world when you approached, making you bitterly reminisce on the fact that the world you saw behind those barred windows was a world you would never have any more contact with.  Beautiful snow on the rooftops that you could see clearly cascaded down onto the floor and decorated the bushes with white.  It was snowing outside.  Outside, you could barely remember what it felt like to be outside.

You turned your attention to the women that all sat before you.  Their faces expectant, their smiles pleasant and deceiving.  You were beginning to expect that something was more at play than here than what you normally thought...

Nervously, you sat down on the chair that was designated to you.  The maid behind you tucked the chair in—forcibly, almost, confining you to the table you were now seated at.  You swallowed thickly, the lump of saliva nearly catching in your throat as the three daughters and their mother stared at you. Eyeing you down.  "It's with great honor that I can announce that you now have a new parent.  [Y/N], you haven't properly met my daughters, have you?"

"I'm Cassandra," the black-haired one stood, bowing, then promptly sitting down after.

"I'm Daniela!"  The blonde one stood, following after her sister's suit.

"And I'm Bela.  It's very nice to meet you, [Y/N]. Mother has spoken a lot about you."  The brunette stood, bowed, then sat down.  "Good, good."  Alcina smiled.  She beamed at her daughters... it was kind of hard to not enjoy how proud she was of her daughters.  Then again, you were also forced into this situation...

"So, I don't want to be the one to beat around the bush.  Mother, can we get to know our parent better?"  She looked over to Alcina with a sickly sweet smile on her face.  Alcina tilted her head so that the brim of her hat shadowed her face.  Her right hand slipped under her hat, likely to actively ponder it with the help of her glove.  "Alright then," she declared and clapped her hands together, "consider it done, girls.  I would love for you to meet the love of my life.  Get to know [Y/N]... intimately."  She purred.  "But, as always, there are rules to these meetings with humans.  What have I told you so far?"

"Don't get overwhelmed... don't bite too much at one time, and don't overstay your welcome."  Daniela recited what she remembered, making you grimace.  What?  "Bite?"  You sounded the words on your lips.  They didn't mean... no, were they joking?  "What does that mean?"

"I'll go first!  I'm the middle child, and those are often the best."  Cassandra laughed with glee as she stood up.  You stared up at her warily while she drew closer to you.  The glint of the sickle shone from the window.  "No, what is that..." you whispered.  "Alcina!"

No response.

”W-what are you do—AH!”

You let out a yell when the closest daughter, Cassandra, used her sickle to stab into your skin, puncturing your forearm.  Blood oozed profusely from the wound—and it would’ve touched the table’s pristine white cloth, had she not immediately gone in afterwards with her lips to lick the wound clean.  Tears immediately fell from your eyes, onto your lap, soaking the top-quality clothing Alcina gave you to wear to dinner.  “Cassandra!  I told you to wait until after dinner to start indulging on your new parent.”  Alcina scolded her daughter.

”Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassandra pulled away.  You stared weakly at the wound in your forearm... no, she had given you the courtesy of not having a hole in it, but the pain hurt like hell and made you nauseous.  “I was just trying to convince [Y/N] to be a part of our family.”  Cassandra glanced over to your pained face, “you know, Mother really loves you.”

”No!  I know how to treat our new parent better.  I have been alive for the longest of the three of us... and I have always been kind to our human guests.”  Daniela teased.  She stood from her spot at the table.

No... no.  What was she going to do?  You didn’t want anything else to happen, not after what just happened.  You wanted to get the hell out of here.  You were already scooting back in your chair to free yourself while the human house maids looked on in silent horror—unable to speak or react in fear of losing their own life, like you might by the end of the night.

”Where are you going, [Y/N]?  You don’t want to eat with your daughters?” Daniela frowned.  “We just want a taste!  Just making sure you’re right for Mother.”  It was a cruel joke.  While you loved Alcina, you couldn’t be with her, and this was the exact reason why.

“Get away from me,” you stiffly replied while your left arm tremblingly clenched the wounded right forearm.  “Alcina, I want to leave.”

”...” Alcina didn’t reply.  Through your bleary vision, you could’ve sworn you saw a look of uncertainty on her features.  What the hell did that mean?

”Alcina,” you repeated her name, louder this time.  Your head bowed and you squeezed the tears out of your eyes by forcing them shut.  You clenched your teeth so tightly that it felt like they could've shattered if you tried any harder.  Pain radiated through your body like a limb that had fallen asleep.  In your ear, you could hear the pacing steps of none-other than the woman who was in pursuit of you.  Daniela was coming closer, and you knew that it didn’t spell anything good.  "Alcina!"

”Mother is only looking out for us, don’t you think?”  Daniela asked you as she stopped.  "We've been waiting for you!  This is just how we get to know you." Just as you were about to launch yourself out of your chair and lunge for the courtyard doors, the vampiress stopped you by grabbing your left hand on top of your injured forearm and applying an absurd amount of pressure on it.  You cried out in pain and released it, just as she had hoped for.  Instead of taking your right arm though, she just took your left hand.  Limp and defeated, you watched as the vampiress took it to her lips.  She sucked the blood right off the uninjured hand.  You could feel her fangs scraping against the thickened skin of your palm.  “See?  I’m better than them.”  She purred as she stepped away from you.  "So rich!  As you are in character.  I can see why Mother likes you!"

”Let me get a chance with the human, Mother!” Bela stood up from her chair so quickly that she nearly felled it.

“Go ahead, darling.”  She approved Bela.

”G-go ahead?!” You sputtered, gritting your teeth together, nearly grinding them at this rate.  “No!  Stay away from me!  You are trying to kill me!”

”[Y/N], please.”  Alcina replied with a low tone, “my daughters are just getting to know you.”  No!  That wasn’t the case at all!  "You're fucking crazy!  I knew it from the start!"  You growled through your teeth.  "I shouldn't have agreed to anything you asked!"

"Do you regret staying with me?  Do you regret accepting my offer to join me in my castle with my loving daughters for as long as you'd like?  Do you regret giving me a chance, [Y/N]?"  Alcina asked before she scowled.  "Yes, I do!"  You hissed.  "You lead me here under false pretenses, and now I'm going to die because of it!"

"I have been nothing but courteous to you while asking for your hand in marriage. You are the one who entertained my thoughts!  And now, I will not let you go.  You are mine now!  Bela!  Make yourself acquainted with your new parent.  Be kind to [Y/N], now, dear."

"Yours?!"  You gasped.  Bela was behind your chair, wrenching your head back to expose your bare neck.  You gasped out.  It didn't hurt, no, but it startled you.  You didn't even hear her footsteps, let alone understand how she was able to teleport behind you.  But if they were all supernatural beings, it could've just added onto the long list of things they could do.  "Please, don't do this," you tried to beg to Bela. "There are better ways to get about to making yourself known to me, and this doesn't have to be one of them!"

Bela giggled.  "Come on, now, aren't you supposed to be my parent?  Aren't parents supposed to be encouraging all the time?  Mother is.  You can tell me all about your foreigner travels after this, if it makes up for anything!"  She beamed down at you.  This wasn't good...

She moved in to clamp her mouth around your throat.  You weakly put up some resistance with your hands, fending off as well as you could with the pain still surging through your body.  "Hey!  Don't fight back!  I don't want to hurt you."  Bela whined and grabbed your injured arm, squeezing it tightly to make your body freeze.  It had the exact effect she was looking for—you yelled with pain, your joints went stiff, and you turned into a statue.  "Fuck, fuck," you whined. "Please, don't do this—AHH!"

Her teeth sank into your neck to bite into your skin.  It wasn't a vampire bite like you anticipated, no, she took off a small chunk of your skin.  "STOP!  STOP, STOP!"  You couldn't bring yourself to say anything more.

"Bela!  That's enough!"  Alcina yelled at her daughter, "you told me you wouldn't do anything like that!  [Y/N] is a human, and humans are fragile.  You are treading on thin ice, young lady!"

"Oh... sorry."  Bela sounded defeated.  She reluctantly pulled away from your throat, away from your body entirely, and like a puppy with its tail tucked between its legs, retreated back to her seat at the table.  You keeled over to vomit onto the floor, nearly falling into that own pool of recently-eaten food, had a maid not reached behind to pull you back into your seat.  You squeezed your eyes shut, letting out pained, hushed breaths.  Your chest rose and fell rapidly.  Your body felt as if it was doused in fire, and you were forced to stay afoot instead of dropping to your knees and rolling it out.

"Apologize to your parent right now.  You had no right to draw so much blood.  At least your sister Cassandra did it in a more controlled manner."  Alcina scolded Bela.  "Maids, if you could be as kind to get someone to bandage [Y/N]'s neck, that would be greatly appreciated."

"I'm sorry for biting you too hard."  Bela pouted. "It's not my fault that your neck looked so good—"

"Bela."

"I'm sorry!"  She blurted.  "I didn't mean to!"

It was so cruel.  The words they said made you feel... less than human... like an animal, almost.  Blood spilled out of your neck at an alarming rate, but yet, adrenaline kept you conscious.  The pain was unbearable.  If you had anything else to vomit, you likely would've been doing it right now.  "Now eat your food," she told the three underlings, "we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

"Yes, Mother."

The maids soon came back with antiseptic, ironically kept on hand, to patch your wounds.  You were unable to speak, unable to look at anything, or anyone, and pain kept you from moving your limbs.  "Leave the arm wound, if you would, ladies.  And keep the first-aid kit nearby for me, thank you."  She instructed them.  Alcina stood up.  "I see that my daughters enjoy your presence here.  Just as much as I do, if not more."  She remarked while she walked over to your side of the table. "Don’t you see, [Y/N]?  You are the perfect spouse.  You make my daughters happy, you make me happy...” Alcina’s temptress voice trailed off while she thought for a moment.  She gently squeezed your limp hand as she took it into her own, licking off the blood that freshly oozed from your arm wound that Cassandra made with her sickle.  She hummed with satisfaction before grinning, showing off those blood-stained teeth of hers. "We'll have our wedding tomorrow.  I've already made all the arrangements and have picked out your outfit.  Don't disappoint me by not showing up, my love."

With that closing statement, the daughters disappeared to go up the stairs, likely to their respective rooms.  Dinner was over now, and that left only you, her, and the three maids who could stomach what was happening to you.  The other four that were in here earlier were likely going to die—those poor souls.

You tried to pick yourself up, but you couldn't.  You were nauseous and on the brink of unconsciousness. Your world faded in and out of existence with the longest periods of just having your eyes closed.  "Alcina," you rasped, "don't leave me here..."

"I would never."  Alcina remarked happily.  "Come with me, my love.  We'll go to my bedroom..." she hummed while she untucked your chair and gently lifted up your body.  You fell against her side, limp, like a ragdoll.  Spots of blood appeared on her pristine white dress, but she didn't seem to matter much.  "I will treat you myself.  We'll reminisce about the night we first met, just you and I... and we'll be a happy couple; a happy family."

"Will... will that ever happen again?"  You asked, delirious.  "You won't ever let that happen to me again, will you?"

"Of course not, my love."  She reached down and tilted your chin up to help you look at her.  You could see those glowing, yellow eyes peering down at you with a devious smile highlighting her gorgeous features.  Her oh so gorgeous features...  "Only I can do that to you now."

#yandere #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu #resident evil village #resident evil x reader #reader insert #writing #gender neutral y/n

[renaerys]

So I beat RE:8

And overall I SUPER enjoyed this game. I loved how it was an homage to the series to date. Castle Dimitrescu made me feel like I was back in the OG Resident Evil stealth-crawling my way through dungeons and puzzles and hoping not to get caught by the enemies. Lady Dimitrescu stalking you as you scramble to gather pieces of a puzzle to escape harkened back to the Tyrant in RE:2 chasing you around RPD HQ. Her daughters’ blow fly entrances were sincerely spine-tingling, and I was on the edge of my seat with each new door opened wondering if they’d found me yet. This level was truly a standout of the game.

The Beneviento House may actually have been my favorite, seeing as it was such a departure from the rest of the game without the use of weapons and having to rely on running and hiding to survive. I was at my most terrified and unsettled in that level dissecting doll!Mia and running from the baby creature in a way I didn’t feel throughout the rest of the game. It was so creepy and so tense, and the juxtaposition with the rest of the game really made it shine imo. 

The Reservoir was probably my least favorite part. It felt too much like the action-y RE:6 against the boss, lots of cheap one-hit kill events that relied on timing, etc. It was the part where I died the most, whereas throughout the rest of the game I died maybe twice or three times. 

Heisenberg’s factory was pretty scary and adrenaline-inducing fighting those awful chainsaw guys. Hot take: RE:5 was a great game and a lot of this level reminded me of the better parts of that game wrt the enemies and mowing them down. The layout was super cool, the fan guy was hilariously scary stalking you, and Heisenberg was as grandiose (and verbose) as Wesker once was back in the old days. I loved the molding puzzles, how the enemies would tear down walls to open new areas to explore, and the backtracking to explore it all once you had certain items in your possession. 

Lastly, the Duke was an awesome character. Thanks for that fun call-back to RE:4′s shopkeeper, and most importantly for being an actual character whose presence was plot-relevant and even integral at times. He was charming and a thoughtful addition to the experience. All the voice acting was incredible, but I think the Duke and Lady Dimitrescu and Mia were standouts. 

What I didn’t like... This game has a woman problem like whoa. When all your women exist either as damseled plot devices with no agency whatsoever, vehicles for manpain/revenge, and their main “nuance” is related to motherhood or seeking a mother-daughter relationship (because, you know, women be mothering), then you have a problem. A second hot take: Mia should have been the protagonist. She had training way before Ethan ever did, was in the know more than him, and wasn’t dead the whole time (sidebar: what the literal fuck is this plot contrivance). This game has shown us two kinds of women: either they are good mothers/daughters who eschew all else in favor of that relationship and stay in their lane (Mia and Rose, an agency-less baby and McGuffin), or they are corruptions of that role (i.e., Miranda selfishly killing everyone to get Eve back or Donna selfishly killing everyone to get a new mother a-la RE:7′s Eveline). Even the Dimitrescu ladies were almost entirely defined by their mother/daughter status, in Lady Dimitrescu’s case both. Is there truly no other motivation or nuance available to women in this universe??? 🙃🙃🙃

Mentioned before but worth repeating: Ethan was dead the whole time?! What a shitty contrivance. I mean, fine, but I didn’t like it at all. Another nit-picky thing that broke my suspension of disbelief: Alcina cuts his hand off and the magic herb chemicals that act as health in the game can reattach it... But they can’t regrow his fucking fingers??? What is consistency. 🙃

Heisenberg’s boss fight was dumb. There was no terror, very low stakes, and it felt like the worst of RE:6 action. It even had a gimmicky cinematic final shot that reminded me of those awful quick-time events. He was laughably easy to kill and held none of the dread of, say, Lady Dimitrescu’s daughers or the entirety of the Beneviento House. I don’t knock it as much because the rest of the Factory level was fabulous. The boss fight with the Fan Man was superb, scary, and tough, as well as “good” gimmicky. Unfortunately, Heisenberg’s final boss fight was the beginning of the end. 

Chris finally tells us the truth through some truly excruciating exposition scenes, and like the NPCs who question his choices, I too was questioning him. Because his logic was super dumb. Why not tell Ethan to begin with? More on this below. 

Mother Miranda was incredibly underwhelming as a boss. Chris’s part in the story was more over the top action, which is cool and fun if you like that (not really my thing, personally, but I can see why it could work for others). But Mother Miranda herself was a disappointment. I think the main reason was because we had almost no relationship with her. She was just a name who maybe is responsible for our McGuffin daughter being taken, but it never felt personal. Yeah, she can shape shift and we met her as the hag, but since we didn’t know that, the relationship aspect was never there/built upon. She felt like a random final boss with little skin in the game compared to, say, Heisenberg, who we actually did get to know more as we went along and maybe felt more complicated feelings toward in killing him. 

This game could have been better if a few changes had been made. 

1. Mia should have been the protagonist/deuteragonist. If we are truly supposed to be convinced by Chris’ stupid logic that Ethan cannot handle the truth, then why not make Mia the protagonist or even a secondary protagonist? Ethan and Mia could have both been working toward their goals with different information, similar to the situation in RE:7 toward the end of that game. Chris wouldn’t know Mia is alive, but she could be working against Mother Miranda directly while being experimented on/held captive. Ethan could do the main story that we got, while Mia sees a different side of the world digging deeper into Mother Miranda’s backstory and motivations, which would serve to flesh out her character (beyond the lazy corrupted motherhood narrative), touch on the relationship to Spencer and Umbrella Corp, etc. Ethan facing Miranda at the end, thus, would have felt super personal and significant having that emotional development through Mia. And Mia herself could be fleshed out more as a character beyond her role as wife and mother. 

2. Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra deserved more, and Castle Dimitrescu should have been a longer arc. The daughters were killed pretty fast. I couldn’t name a single differentiating characteristic between them, which is a problem. And I wanted to know more! We got a little info about the experiments they endured. I wanted to feel like killing at least one of them was very personal and meant something (if we only got one of them really fleshed out, I mean. That would still be one more than we got.). This section could have been longer and benefited from it. Exploring that castle was so fun and I wanted more time there. Also, I’m gonna say it: the Reservoir could have been cut entirely and that time given to Castle Dimitrescu for three sub-bosses before Mother Miranda. Problem solved.

3. Chis could have had a more story-related role. Why not more cutscenes with Chris investigating/chasing Miranda to give us a buildup of breadcrumbs and foreshadowing to the final reveal in the end? Rather than an exposition dump?? This would be related to my point #1 in making Miranda feel more connected to the story as the big bad. We wouldn’t even have to play as Chris if we just got some cutscenes showing his team’s progress hunting Miranda, learning more about her, etc. Imagine if we got secondary protagonist Mia’s story with Chris in there alongside her, unknowing that she’s alive and yet affecting her progress or vice versa as they both hunt Miranda? So much potential there. Where is the fanfiction???

4. Sheva??? I know it’s just me but I mean... The BSAA coming in to help/fuck everything up could have been a great opportunity for a cameo from Sheva to reunite very briefly with Chris (and set up the next one??? When though.). Yeah, I’m RE:5 trash, okay. But she was a great character and I wish we could see her at ALL in any other games even as a cameo.

My final takeaway here is that I enjoyed this game immensely as a total experience. I’m already doing a New Game Plus on the Village of Shadows difficulty, so pray for me. I love the exploration and puzzling aspect, the combat is intense but not overwhelmingly action-y like RE:6 was, and I love the atmosphere of this game. I recommend it to anyone who likes survival horror. It’s not without its faults, and I really wish the RE team would hire some women for their writers’ room, but I’m still very happy with the end result overall. 

#major spoilers for re8 #don't read this if you care about that #my personal review of the game #just my thoughts as i played through it #re:8