#resident evil meta

[agonycrossbow]

That comment about Leon touching Luis more intimately is so real UGH

Like I remember having a genuine moment of raising a brow and staring at my screen processing it for a moment when they showed Leon holding his hand so tenderly??? Like??? Huh???? Also the fact that the next scene opens up with him still holding his hand has me in a chokehold. I adore how touchy Leon is in the RE4R, with Ashley and Luis especially.

It wasn't just the touching, either. Luis's entire death sequence was staggeringly intimate.

This moment was genuinely shocking to me.

I think Leon lighting Luis's cigarette for him was as shocking to me as Leon saying "Who knows?" to Ashley, re: where Ada's going (because that was the moment that I realized that they really, really did actually retcon aeon).

This is the single most intimate moment in the entire series. More intimate than Leon and Ada's OG kiss, more intimate than Steve's death scene in CVX, more intimate than Chris holding Jill in RE5.

And I'll tell you why.

It's because this moment requires a conscious, deliberate sacrifice of Leon's principles.

In this moment, it doesn't matter that Luis is a former Umbrella researcher. It doesn't matter that the lighter is engraved with the Umbrella logo. It doesn't matter that Leon is aiding and participating in Luis smoking -- something that Leon is personally against.

None of that shit matters.

Leon scoops up that lighter, flips open the lid, and lights Luis's cigarette for him because what actually matters to Leon in this moment is opening his heart and reaching out to create a real connection with a dying man.

This is the most humanity that any RE character has ever shown towards another.

It's a moment where neither character speaks; it's so silent that you can hear the paper and the tobacco of the cigarette crackle beneath the flame. And Luis accepts the openness of Leon's heart by literally breathing it in.

RE has never been -- and probably will never be -- more intimate or more human than this moment in this scene. It was something really special.

#resident evil 4 #leon kennedy #luis serra #serrennedy #resident evil meta #remake RE analysis #serrennedy analysis

[theggning]

Luis as Don Quixote

Luis' affection for/continuing references to Don Quixote are one of my favorite little details in RE4make. We find several files that mention it was his favorite book as a child, and of course he brings it up in chapter 11, casting himself as Don Quixote (the "dashing" hero), Leon as Sancho Panza (the goofy sidekick), and Ashley as Dulcinea (the beautiful, kidnapped princess.)

For the uninitiated, Don Quixote is an early 17th century Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes about a middle aged nobleman whose obsession with books leads him to become a "knight," setting out to live the romantic ideals of chivalry and make the world a better place. However, out of delusion or idealism bordering on delusion, he makes foolish mistakes and causes a lot of trouble (for instance, the famous "tilting at windmills" incident.) The novel is a parody of the chivalric stories popular at the time, and interpretations over the years vary on whether Don Quixote is a comedic or a tragic figure, whether we are meant to feel pity for him or view him as a fool and a menace to society.

RE4make shows us that a young Luis was inspired to become a scientist by the plaga infection and death of his grandfather, and set out on his career in the outside world with good intentions. But just like Don Quixote, his obsession and idealism led him to making mistakes, both in his work for Umbrella and his affiliation with Los Illuminados. Though it's implied Luis kept some kind of moral compass intact (he quit Umbrella even before everything went to hell, and he was working to undermine and counter Saddler for some time,) he feels responsible for the collateral damage wrought by his work and blames himself for not seeing his mistakes before it was too late to prevent them.

I just find the whole thing really poignant. Luis holds lifelong enthusiasm for a story about a man who wants to make the world a better place, but who screws up over and over again. Regardless, Don Quixote keeps trying, hoping he'll be able to live up to the hero he's always wanted to be. The "Man of La Mancha" Quixote himself never succeeds at this, eventually returning to his ordinary life and regretful of the harm he has caused.

Luis, on the other hand, really does become a hero. No matter his past actions and no matter how sketchy he acts, by the time he announces his partnership with Leon, Luis is fully committed to a cause greater than saving his own skin. He makes an ACTIVE CHOICE to help Leon and Ashley when it is completely at odds with his own survival, and when he has the means of his own rescue in hand. If he left with Ada as soon as he recovered the Amber, Luis would have lived longer-- but more than likely fallen right back into his same old mistakes and handed over a bioweapon to Wesker. Choosing to help Leon and Ashley seals his fate, but it unquestionably saves both of their lives-- not to mention leads to the chain of events that end Saddler and Los Illuminados, potentially saving the world.

Unlike Don Quixote, Luis does manage to become a hero in the end. And unlike the original game, RE4make acknowledges and remembers it long after he's already gone. Dr. Luis Serra Navarro really was a fine knight, and he really did save the day.

#resident evil #re4make #re4make spoilers #resident evil meta #luis serra #luis sera #luis serra navarro #did i get all his tags this time HOPE SO anyway #little preview before i write the luis serra manifesto coming up here soon #english major tag #resident evil 4 #resident evil 4 remake

[fools-fall-much-too-soon]

Account Update / Leon Kennedy Stuff

Hey friends! Recently I made a post complaining about the current state of the Leon Kennedy fandom and how hard it is to find content about Leon that isn't overtly sexual or just generally gross. It seemed some people agreed with me, so from now on I'm going to be using this account to make Leon/Resi content.

Here you'll find overly specific headcanons, fanart that wasn't only inspired by the remake models, character playlists with corresponding links to docs that breakdown why each song is there, metas about the resi characters (mostly Leon lol), and much much more. I'll try to keep it simply about the characters themselves, not just self-ship/romantic stuff (although there might be a tiny bit bc I can't deny that I have a crush on Leon like the rest of us do... He's been my babygirl since I was 6)

Anyways, if you like the sound of that, feel free to follow me (also follow @highball66 bc they make amazing resi content). I have a LOT of Leon content I've been keeping to myself and I'll post it all soon! Here are some pictures of Leon for the he road!

#leon s kennedy #resident evil #leon kennedy #og re2 #darkside chronicles #og re4 #re degeneration #re infinite darkness #re damnation #re6 #re vendetta #re death island #resident evil meta #resident evil analysis #leon kennedy headcanons #resident evil headcanons #my post

[lenskyq]

the potential of Ada and Luis' partnership in "Separate Ways" of Re4Make (speculations and spoilers from main game).

I have no doubt that Capcom will release DLC "Separate Ways" (especially after Leon's words about it), the only question is when it will happen.

and if so, then we will inevitably see the partnership of Ada and Luis, and this is what I have a lot of expectations about. I understand that it's not a fact that Capcom will devote a lot of time to their relationship, but this is what I would like, because it really has a lot of prerequisites (since re4 original).

in the original, they worked as a team, but, unfortunately, it was not felt. they had only one (rather dry) dialogue for all the DLC, and honestly, this is such a lost potential, given the facts that we had in the canon.

that it was Ada who helped Luis get rid of the parasite in his body. that it was Ada who recommended Luis to the organization, explaining this not by saying that "he is useful", but by saying that "I like him". her report about Luis (chapter 2) shows how she treats him positively, and that he reminds her of her "young self". but we didn't see it in the game itself.

now we have a remake, and this is where Capcom can fix this misunderstanding and give us a really memorable bromance.

we saw only one joint scene with them (from Leon's story), but already in it they and their dynamics look damn good. Ada gives her hand to Luis when he almost fell (as a partner and ally), smiling at him, while Luis' expression describes gratitude, and you know, he smiles back at her. at the beginning of the scene, Ada stood taller than Luis, reminding him of the terms of the deal, but at the end? the situation is clearly softening. Ada picks him up (helps him as a partner) by the hand and they are on the same level. the gesture itself (the way Ada lifted Luis) it seems to be what looks like a relationship of partners, allies (the bromance we've been waiting for).

it seems very likely to me that now Ada and Luis will really work together, and that now they will really be a team. I can see it even in the scene we saw in Leon's story. it will be strange to lose and not develop the dynamic that they gave Ada and Luis in this scene.

I think Luis didn't join Leon and Ashley at the castle because he was with Ada at that moment.

I can be bolder in my assumptions and suggest that the partnership of Ada and Luis may be stronger than the partnership of Leon and Luis. why? well, at least because Luis doesn't tell Leon anymore that he has a sample. he tells Leon what Leon needs to know, but no more. for example, he does not tell Leon about Ada (and does not talk about the sample that he hid in his pocket for Ada).

it is interesting that now Leon and Luis do not have such a strong connection as in the original, that now Luis does not come to Leon with a sample that he got for Ada, but hides it from Leon and keeps a sample for Ada, as Luis and Ada agreed. Luis withholds information from Leon for Ada's sake, but when he encounters Ada, he tells her that "there is something you should know about." is Luis more open with Ada than with Leon? well, so far it looks like it.

until we got "Separate Ways", I can assume that Luis and Ada are connected not only by their "deal", but also by the partnership that we will be watching in the DLS (based on what I said above).

Krauser killed Luis and took the sample from him (which Luis kept for Ada and which he did not tell Leon about), explaining that he was hunting for "a couple of rats". obviously, this couple consists of Luis and Ada (this also speaks in favor of the fact that they will be allies in "Separate Ways"). in the original, Ada was a witness to Luis' death. it seems inevitable that this will remain unchanged in the remake. at least because Luis got the sample, and he has to give it to Ada. it is unlikely that Ada will see the process of death, but she will definitely see Luis' dead body. if they really have a bromance, then this moment will be really touching.

in addition, it will add sharpness to the conflict between Ada and Krauser. Capcom changed the root cause of the conflict (because now it's not Ada, but Luis who saved Leon from Krauser), but set the route in which Krauser wants to eliminate Ada and Luis. he handled Luis. if Ada and Luis have developed a bromance, then Ada will have personal motives in her conflict with Krauser and the theme of revenge for her ally.

it can be said that Leon has already avenged Luis, but for Leon, his connection with Krauser is more than his connection with Luis. this is fair, because Krauser is the one who trained Leon, the one who had a great influence on Leon and other moments of their relationship in the remake. Ada doesn't have such a connection with Krauser, which for Leon is more than a connection with Luis, but Ada can have a connection with Luis, which (theoretically) can be more than a connection between Luis and Leon. this will work very well if Capcom keeps Ada and Krauser's fight in "Separate Ways" and that it was Ada who killed Krauser, not Leon.

because of the way Krauser's death was presented at Leon's hands, I'm not sure Ada will be the one to kill Krauser definitively. but I admit it possible, given that Krauser's phrase implied a conflict with Ada and that this conflict would be more personal for Ada if she developed a bromance with Luis. whatever it was, Leon's murder of Krauser did not look like revenge for Luis, but as their personal moment of farewell. but we can get revenge for Luis if they keep Ada and Krauser fight (and Ada has a bromance with Luis).

it is also important that if Ada and Luis really have a bromance in "Separate Ways", then her mention of Luis in the ending will carry a stronger message and sparkle with new colors (that we did not notice during the main game, because still we have not seen the bromance of Ada and Luis, which we will see in Separate Ways).

a small addition: also Luis can become a "shipper on deck". how Helena was to Leon when she saw his feelings for Ada. Luis can be the one who will see Ada's feelings for Leon, and now Ada will face something like "She is more than just a friend for you, isn't she?". and while I don't deny that one of the reasons Luis helped Leon was his sincere desire to "get better," I also think that this may be what Ada asked Luis (it doesn't diminish Luis' help for Leon and doesn't diminish his desire to become a better person).

#ada wong #luis sera #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil #separate ways #resident evil 4 #re4make #re4 remake #re4 #resident evil meta

[the-bar-sinister]

Another anon here. I agree with you. Wesker was abused. People think if you are given a good education, food, and clothes that you are loved. No. Wesker was an experiment. If he failed, if he fell short of Spencer's standards, he would be replaced, he would be terminated just like Lisa Trevor. Lisa Trevor was also Spencer's pet, his experiment. Lisa was once a beautiful and smart young girl, doted on by Spencer until the viruses in her body mutated her rendering her useless to Spencer. In the reports, Wesker as a teenager was terrified of Lisa. He knew....he knew as it is implied, that he one day could be Lisa too. Wesker has a strong will to live, so he succeeded to survive. Then he betrayed Spencer by faking his death. If Wesker felt safe or loved why would he do that? This makes him an exceptional villain, an interesting character. Apologies, I wrote too much.

You did not write to much at all. Thank you so much for putting it out there, you are so right. It's good to know some people out there get it!

context link

#resident evil #resident evil meta #albert wesker #character analysis #media analysis #fandom meta #character meta #lisa trevor #ozwell e spencer

[ragingstillness]

I am a proud wtrc apologist and I will die on this hill.

Was the acting great? No, particularly in serious scenes it falls a little flat. Was it realistic to how these character would have reacted to the zombie apocalypse? Absolutely. Was it everything that resident evil stands for in its campy awesomeness? Yes.

Was the CGI good? No. Did I want it to be? Also no. Was it faithful to the original standard of animation from the games? Yes!

Is the storyline the same as the games? No. Do I give a shit? No. Did they actually do a decent job tying the games together? Yes. Did they do a great job? No. Was it still creative to give Chris and Claire backstory in the orphanage and have a tunnel connecting the Spencer Mansion and the orphanage? YES!!

Was Avan Jogia a good Leon? Yes! Why? Because while Leon in the games is a bit more stoic, what Avan did a great job of reflecting is the actual gamer’s experience. Maybe when the zombies pop up Leon has a cool one-liner but you as a gamer might jump and be like what the fuck and that’s what Avan did. In addition, despite being a third person game, RE1 and RE2 were meant to be immersive so in a way the gamer’s reactions are Leon’s reactions.

Was there stuff about the movie that bothered me? Yes. What? The pacing felt a little off and particularly slow at the beginning, I’m still mad about how they nerfed Annette in favor of William, and there’s stuff I wish they included. Did it ruin my enjoyment of the movie as a whole? No!

What sets the movie apart from the Anderson films? The Anderson films missed the point of the Resident Evil franchise. They turned the movies from survival horror to action thriller and considering that Resident Evil literally coined the phrase ‘survival horror’ that’s pretty egregious. WTRC stuck to the theme. These people are trying to survive and in doing so encountering horrors they have to fight. They might have some experience and some ingenuity but they’re not supersoldiers. They’re people facing odds and trying to survive. The Anderson films feel like someone took the Resident Evil universe, plucked out what they liked, and threw the rest away. WTRC feels like a love letter to the original games. I could literally feel the affection the team had for Resident Evil as a franchise coming off the screen. The Easter eggs, the precise set design, the classic lines, the campiness, the care put into the movie is so clear.

Do I have an issue with Leon’s haircut? No and it’s such a petty argument anyway. Idk how to tell you that a bowl cut with a center part is very difficult to pull off in the modern day and while it may have been cool in 1996 when the first game was made, a modern audience isn’t going to accept it as easily.

Do I have an issue with Jill’s casting? No, and frankly most of the complaints feel racist to me. She had the spirit of Jill: strength, ingenuity, loyalty, poise, independence.

Do I have an issue with Wesker’s characterization? No, because of the context. In video games there’s a lot of telling rather than showing in the literal images on the screen and the lore you find along the way. We know the STARS team is a team because we’re told that and we get to see personnel files and such. In a movie that isn’t quite as easily communicated. Seeing a personnel file in a movie doesn’t allow you the time a game would to turn the file over and read every little piece of info, it gives you less time to sit with it and absorb it. Therefore a movie has to /show/ more. In WTRC we know the STARS team is a team because we see them be a team. We see their banter and them working together and their inside jokes. And that has to happen in a movie, simply telling us, hey these people are a team wouldn’t cut it in a movie and therefore it makes sense to start Wesker essentially further back in his own timeline, back when he was bonding with the STARS members. Otherwise, his betrayal doesn’t have the impact it does because we never saw him be loyal in the first place.

Do I have an issue with Ada’s role in the movie? A little, but once they nerfed Annette they also sort of nerf Ada automatically, as the two of them are so intertwined story wise. Again we run into issues between movies and video games. In games you have unlimited time and unlimited tries and unlimited ability to revisit facts. In a movie that’s not the case so cuts have to be made somewhere. Am I happy about where they made the cuts? No, but they had a ton of material to work with smashing the two games together in the first place. Also, in games a shift in perspective can literally allow you to play as another character, in a movie too many shifts like that is jarring unless the movie sets up that structure from the beginning. Playing as Ada in the games makes sense as a change in gameplay after a long time playing Leon and a way to tell the rest of the story but a movie can’t switch like that without people being like wait where the hell did Leon go we barely saw him. Once again, it all comes down to time.

Did I like that they cut Mr. X? No, but again, time constraints, and he only exists in the games as a complicating force and the movie already has presented the characters with plenty of complicating forces. In other words, movies don’t get to include all the side quests.

Overall, most of the complaints I see tend to come down to either racism or relatively unavoidable changes because of the type of media. In conclusion, I genuinely love WTRC and am glad that I have the chance to experience it in my lifetime.

#wtrc #re #resident evil #meta #resident evil meta

[doomednarrative]

please please talk abt claire shes the specialest girl ever

Okay okay so

Since I finally watched Degeneration the other day, I keep thinking about that one scene she has with Leon after they manage to escape the airport outbreak where theyre talking in the tent together, and Leon tells Claire that she went down the path that he and Chris couldn't. And I keep thinking about the Why of it all, why it is that she went the civilian route and working with an NGO instead of being on the front lines fighting like Leon and Chris are.

Because the thing is, she Very much could be in direct combat if she wanted to be. Shes proven time and again that she's extremely capable of holding her own in a fight, whatever training Chris gave her growing up clearly went to good use and she's got the skills to keep herself alive.

But she doesn't Want that.

Yeah Claire may be capable and competent, but it becomes very clear when you see her actively doing work for Terrasave that That is the work shes both extremely talented at, and that she Thrives under. I'm saying this as someone who works a person facing job and takes care of people for a living, but that line of work?? Takes a very specific disposition and demeanor to be able to actually do and do it well. Claire not only has the patience to do all the paperwork and the office type bullshit that comes with the investigative work that Terrasave does, but she also has the kind of compassion that you Need to actually be doing the legwork required to assist people in the aftermath of a crisis. Part of Terrasave's work is to hand out medicine and vaccines and food and stuff like that in areas that have faced outbreaks and are now trying to recover. And if you watch how Claire interacts during the times we get to see her on that kind of duty, Especially when shes working with kids? It's clear that thats the kind of work she's really meant for, and that shes Good at. And in a universe like Resi that's so torn up constantly by outbreaks big and small, there's always going to be a demand for people like her in her line of work, folks who are both good at working with and helping people directly, but who can also do the legwork to help with the more office oriented side of things when it's called for.

Leon is right when he says Claire took the route he and Chris couldn't. Leon both can't because he's been blackmailed into being an agent, but good god could you imagine him trying to do paperwork at all?? The guy gets antsy when he's not out in the field doing active work, or he sits around and gets too deep in his thoughts and not so great coping mechanisms for all the trauma he's been through. He's built for combat even when he (rightfully if you ask me) complains about getting thrown into it. And Chris?? Chris fuckin Redfield?? He's not an office worker either. And this isnt to say that he can't be good with people after crisis, we see how good he is with Rebecca after the university outbreak in Vendetta. He's not Lacking in compassion and care. But he's also someone whos a bit of a hothead and doesn't always have the best handle on those emotions, and he often channels that into fighting directly on the front lines, which is exactly why he's so good at what he does both with BSAA and eventually with Hound Wolf. He's also someone who's just way more suited to front line work and can handle it.

There's always going to be a need for people like Chris and Leon in the field sure, but there's even More of a need for people who do the clean up work, who are good with Helping People directly and who have the patience and care needed to actually make sure survivors are taken care of, and Claire proves time and again that even if she Could be a combatant, she's one of those people who's really suited for the field she ended up in, and she clearly finds purpose in doing that kind of work.

And tbh? I think she had that revelation after finding Sherry in RE2. Sure finding Chris had been her original motive for coming to RC during the outbreak, but the moment she finds Sherry alone and in need of help, and ESPECIALLY after Sherry gets infected and Claire sees how negligent Annette is to her needs?? Claire puts Sherry first until she Knows for certain that she's going to be okay. And I have no doubt that that experience, coupled with Claire's own orphaned upbringing and seeing how Chris probably had to take on a more parental role to her while they were both still kids, is probably what led her to working with Terrasave and being more civilian oriented.

Not everyone can do the work that she does, and that's why it's important that she did actually end up in the field she did. There's always going to be a need for more people like her than there are people willing to or capable of doing it, especially in a universe like hers.

#i love claireeee so muchhhhh she makes me feel things #resident evil #resident evil meta #claire redfield #kief rambles about resident evil #my meta #ask #answered

[beastenraged]

In the process of writing my megamycete/RE8 thoughts, I have to say that I really disagree with the apparent common fandom interpretation that the megamycete is evil?

Look, it’s just a lifeform that’s adapted for feeding off of corpses. That does not make it evil, anymore than a common fungus or vulture is evil. The holding memories thing is weird but not inherently bad either. It just is. 

Being experimented on in a way that allows it to apparently ‘mind-control’ people doesn’t make it evil either. That’s the experimenter’s fault, Miranda’s fault. 

But then, it’s not like RE’s ONE big theme is how corporate greed and/or people’s thirst for power over others is the Real Enemy, using these viruses/parasites/mold to hurt people. 

That would be just crazy. /sarcasm

#resident evil #resident evil meta #fandom #a huge part of this is definitely how frightening it is to have your mind altered without your consent #and we want to ascribe evil to any force that can do such #but mold clusters don't have morals! #fake anthropod parasites don't have morals! #they just exist and do what they can to survive #hey did you know that the founder of umbrella is a guy who believed in EUGENICS in the story and is almost a one to one Nazi comparison? #something something AGAIN about how the real evil is the people behind these disasters of the T-Virus and such

[agonycrossbow]

Thinking about the complete and total role reversal that must have inevitably happened after Leon and Ashley got home from Spain and how how quickly the fairy tale came unraveled as soon as they touched back down into reality.

Fairytale Leon: The strong, honorable, fearless knight who walks through fire and water and mud and shit with his head held high and moves forward, undaunted, towards his goal. Feels more like a force of nature than a man, as he leaves a trail of violence and chaos in his wake, with the blood of his enemies sprayed across his face and in his hair. He's in charge and inescapable; woe betide the man who crosses his path.

Reality Leon: Soft-spoken and almost demure, with his eyes almost constantly turned downcast as he walks to wherever he's told to go -- an unquestioning "Yes, sir" following every order. His body armor has been traded in for a well-pressed suit that seems almost too clean -- and despite having been tailored specifically for his measurements, doesn't look like it fits him right. Always seems at a distance, as though he's perpetually standing just out of reach.

Fairytale Ashley: The warm-hearted and free-spirited princess fair who keeps the light of hope burning and charms the honorable knight with her easy smile and welcoming personality. Her presence is like a home away from home, as she's fair-minded and treats everyone with respect. She's exactly as strong as she needs to be, as she's inspired by the strength of those around her -- which then inspires those people further in return.

Reality Ashley: Cold and closed off for the sake of keeping up appearances. Too afraid to show any emotion that's too strong or hold an opinion that's too controversial due to the looming consequence of potential backlash. Everything in her life is dictated by her station, forcing her into a selfish and self-centered lifestyle that sees her only interacting with her Equals.

Thinking about Leon and Ashley passing each other in the halls of the White House or at some official government event and only allowing themselves a quick second or two to look at the other as though they're just window-shopping for something that they know is forever out of their reach.

Thinking about the cognitive dissonance of "I know you and feel safe with you and want to be with you" lingering from the memory of their shared fairy tale being paired with the reality of "I don't really know you at all, do I?" and the forbidden longing that never gets addressed or resolved, causing each of them to have a certain level of identity crisis.

Thinking about how surprisingly and upsettingly different it feels when they finally take a second to acknowledge and talk to each other. Neither of them really knows what to say or how to address the other. The thought of casually putting a hand on Ashley's shoulder feels invasive and almost wrong to Leon, despite having held her in his arms so, so many times. Ashley wants nothing more than to reach out and touch him -- to adjust the lapel of his suit jacket or straighten his tie, but for some reason it feels like there's an invisible wall between them -- that, even if she were to reach out, her touch would never really reach him. Because they're strangers to each other now in a strange setting, and all of the rules have been rewritten, and nothing feels like it should.

#resident evil meta #eagleone analysis #resident evil headcanons #eagleone headcanons

[theggning]

Different anon than who spoke to sapphire-weapon but holy shit give me ALL of your metaltango thoughts from both OG and Remake please! That pairing is somethin' else.

ALL of them? Oh, anon, there's far too many for that... I do have plenty of thoughts though so if there's any specifics you might like do feel free to ask.

What I will do here is lay out some differences between Leon and Krauser's relationship (hypothetically romantic or otherwise) between OG and the remake and thus two different flavors of metaltango. Because Leon and Krauser are both pretty different characters between versions, *especially* Krauser, the differences make for some really interesting contrasts.

OG METALTANGO:

Leon and Krauser literally meet for the first time during Operation Javier (Darkside Chronicles version.) They are much more equal in standing and prestige, where Krauser is a career soldier with years of experience under his belt and Leon is the government's golden boy. There is kind of a gesture towards Krauser feeling jealous of Leon for this reason, but... well, there's kind of a lot of vague gestures made about Krauser's motivations that have always struck me as silly. (Poorly executed, to say the least.)

Because they meet for the first time on OJ and Krauser is immediately injured, any canon-compliant relationship between the two is going to have to happen in the aftermath/weeks and months after the mission. I've always kind of liked the idea that Leon befriends Krauser and they spend this time hanging out while Krauser is sidelined/in rehab to recover from his injuries. This has kind of been my go-to headcanon here, because otherwise there just really isn't any time for these two to even befriend one another apart from what's depicted in canon.

Once he decides to join up with Wesker to get his arm fixed/POWERRRR, Krauser fakes his death in a helicopter crash. This is presumably the source of the scars on his face in OG. Also, because he was discharged from the military, we are left to assume this helicopter crash happened while he was doing mercenary work (OG Krauser is said to work as a mercenary when he's not on duty with the military, because he feels unfit for normal society outside of the battlefield.)

OG Krauser works for Wesker, is genuinely loyal to him, and seems to genuinely enjoy his job. He joins up with the cult perhaps a few weeks before Ashley's kidnapping... and it is implied that the kidnapping was his idea to begin with to win Saddler's trust? Which it does not, incidentally. But I guess Saddler decides to opportunistically capitalize on the kidnapped head of state's daughter anyway. (OG Los Illuminados are a bunch of incompetent chucklefucks and their plans are completely doomed from the get go, ask me sometime.)

OG Krauser is sent by Saddler specifically to kill Leon, a task which he takes up with gusto due to... I don't know actually. If there's one constant with Krauser it's that his hatred for Leon is never really adequately explained, though at least the remake gives us a boatload of subtextual interpretations. I think OG metaltango is funniest if you interpret Krauser's grudge against Leon as the over-the-top actions of a jilted ex who left Leon on read when he got the breakup text (and also faked his death.) Anyway, one thing that really strikes me is how much fun Krauser seems to be having in OG. He's like, genuinely delighted to be attempting to murder Leon and with his plans to hand Leon's corpse over to Wesker once he's dead. (Put a pin in this one, it's a BIG change in remake.)

Leon is a lot more irritated with Krauser in OG and at least doesn't show an *unwillingness* to fight back. Only once Krauser has fallen does he lament that he "used to be a good guy..." He also seems really upset at Saddler boasting that he never trusted Krauser and the implication that Saddler was only using him.

Ada being the one to "really" kill Krauser in OG is dumb and has always been dumb, imo, and is more than likely an artifact of OG SW's clumsy development and what assets they had to work with.

REMAKE METALTANGO:

okay there is... a LOT more to work with here. Chiefest and most obviously, Krauser is now Major Krauser, and was Leon's commanding officer/mentor. This gives the two of them a much closer and more personal relationship, as well as 4+ whole years to work with, timeline-wise (Operation Javier happened in 2002.)

The mentor/student relationship provides another really delicious power dynamic to work with, shipping-wise. Yes, it's inappropriate for a military officer to have an affair with one of his subordinates, but we are also right in the middle of Don't Ask Don't Tell here so it's also literally forbidden for a soldier to be anything but heterosexual and still keep their job. Also consider, it's hot? Also like, bruh... if you're looking for Pure Wholesome Shipping Dynamics you are looking in the wroooooong ship.

Krauser is fulltime military this time around, no merc work to speak of (or at least no evidence of it.) He also never fakes his death in the remake. He has current contacts within the Secret Service AND is running around using his REAL NAME and ACTUAL military credentials to buy ordnance for Saddler (per SW,) there is absolutely no way we're meant to believe this man is legally dead.

There is evidence that Krauser showed special attention or favoritism to Leon, at least a little bit. Not only is Leon allowed to keep his hair while training (getting your head shaved/your hair cut short is like Basic Training Day One stuff,) but in the opening cutscene we see Leon and Krauser training in private in what appears to be a storage room- not a normal training space. Leon is the government golden boy here, but Krauser is also in charge of a whole unit of special forces guys. Somebody is getting private tutoring from the Major.

Leon respects and trusted Krauser. Krauser is said to have always been "an asshole" but also a man of honor. He is suggested to have been a difficult commanding officer, but also one who cared very deeply about his men and is traumatized by their avoidable deaths in OJ. (This one's my personal opinion, but I really can't stand the interpretation of Krauser having been an awful abusive piece of shit from the get go. Kind of wrecks the tragedy of his fall for me when he was always a cruel bastard. Why exactly would Leon trust, respect, want to emulate, or mourn such a person?)

So you could kind of intuit some trauma into OG Krauser, if you squinted. But there is absolutely no question that remake Krauser is suffering from some pretty massive PTSD. Along with his general unhingedness, all of his actions fit perfectly when viewed through a lens of a very, very traumatized man, used and abandoned by the government he trusted, desperate to gain the power that could have saved his men, and himself-- and the power to keep himself relevant so he can't be used and hurt again. I interpret that Krauser had his face scarred in OJ as well (he doesn't have the scars in the flashback scene with Leon.)

Remake Krauser joined Los Illuminados of his own free will, because they offered him the power to fix his crippled arm-- and the aforementioned power to unsuccessfully "fix" his trauma. But also, maybe it's just me, but I feel like remake Krauser does not give a fuck about the cult. He's loyal to Saddler, yes, but he openly disbelieves the cult religion ("Faith is for the weak, only power matters.") He commands the island mercs and helped set up the defenses, but he's also out here buying warheads under his own name. There is no way he doesn't think he's going to be caught by the U.S. sooner than later-- he just doesn't care. None of his notes read to me like somebody who genuinely thinks the cult has a chance to take over the world. Krauser joined these idiots so he could drink the juice, now the juice is all gone and he's still empty inside.

OG Krauser seemed to be having fun and set up his Leon deathmaze/training ground/mating display for a laugh. Remake Krauser, on the other hand, seems absolutely batshit out of his mind at this point-- alternating between the maze being a "final lesson" for Leon and a deathwish enactment mechanism for himself. Like... between Krauser's general demeanor and the "finish what happened two years ago" talk, this does not feel like a fight that Krauser wants to walk away from, whether or not he kills Leon. If OG Krauser killed Leon, he planned to bag him up and present him to Wesker like a trophy. If remake Krauser did... like, what's he going to do? Can you possibly picture him washing his hands of his blood and going back to work for Saddler? Because I sure can't. (I have a much longer meta piece in mind for this point... like I want to dissect the remake Krauser boss fight and his motivations therein at some point. Let me know if this sounds interesting.)

Remake Leon absolutely does not want to fight Krauser. Krauser forces every single encounter the two of them have. Even though Leon says "you won't get away with this" after Luis' death, he has absolutely no desire nor intention to hurt or kill Krauser back. He asks, over and over, if Krauser is "sure about this" and tries to talk sense into him. He is ready to straight up run away from the boss fight the first chance he gets.

I could probably write a whole other essay on Krauser's final moments and Leon stabbing him, which was one of the most shocking and powerful moments of the remake for me for several reasons. Like... god damn. Did anybody else think Leon was going to do the whole "I'm not like you and I won't do it" thing? (Though arguably it was more heroic/merciful/kind of Leon to put Krauser out of his misery here. Krauser clearly wanted it!!)

I was going to go to Capcom and chain myself to the doors in protest if they put the dumb stupid Krauser boss fight redux in Separate Ways after THAT absolutely poetic ending for him. Glad they didn't. Glad they actually showed Wesker picking up his corpse this time rather than handwaving it offscreen years after the fact.

If somebody has a heterosexual explanation for that picture of Leon in Krauser's tent, I'd certainly like to hear it. Because... bruh.

Well that felt extremely disjointed and pointless... But I hope it was useful or at least gave you some delicious food to feast on? (Or other ideas to interrogate me about, lmao.) Krauser is my favorite RE villain. For OG Krauser it was mostly for comedy reasons, but I am absolutely delighted that the remake gave him some real genuine pathos and a really compelling relationship with Leon.

Anyway, tl;dr metaltango, OG or remake: I ship it and I think it would be hot if they banged.

#resident evil #resident evil meta #metaltango #leon s kennedy #jack krauser #kreon #re4make #re4make spoilers #so not only is krauser my favorite re villain #but luis is my favorite re side character #so you can imagine the stress i felt at the blorbo on blorbo violence present in the remake #thanks for the referral sapphire-weapon #i have a lot of thoughts on resident evil it turns out #i am a multishipper to the core though so don't think i am exclusively here for metaltango ;) #gg answers

[fools-fall-much-too-soon]

Leon's personality "change" between RE2 & RE4

Disclaimer: I'm not a huge fan of the remakes so I don't really take them as 100% canon. When reading this, understand that I'm taking parts from both the ogs and the remakes, but primarily the og games. (TD;DR is at the bottom of the post)

Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is how we went from heart-on-his-sleeve, genuine RE2 Leon to loud, confident, sassy RE4 Leon.

RE4 got me into resi as a kid and remains my favorite game in the franchise. HOWEVER, it's pretty clear (on first inspection) that RE4 Leon is an outlier in the character's development.

In RE2 we get to see rookie cop Leon. I've seen a lot of people claim that og RE2 Leon doesn't have much of a personality but I'd have to disagree. Its abundantly clear that Leon is incredibly pragmatic, a very quick thinker, quite friendly and seems to be able to work well with just about anyone, he even kneels down to get on people's level. Often it seems more like he was trained as an EMT than a cop.

He doesn't approach strangers w a gun. He's so sincere and almost gullible in his faith in other people. That's not to say that he's stupid, he doesn't immediately trust people including Ada (although some folks wanna act like Leon is some lost puppy dog with 0 self-preservation skills). In a lot of ways he comes off a lot like a shonen mc despite him being so snarky. If anything, the closest comparisons I can think of are characters like Percy Jackson or early (comics-era) Peter Parker. All genuine, kind, smart people who are also spunky and funny. He stands his ground, voices his opinion, and is driven by duty. Yes, he's logical and level-headed and pleasant/easily digestible but he's definitely a big personality and a strong character. Practical =/= Boring.

I can't say that much of this changes going into RE4. The only real difference is that he's less gullible and sincere which definitely doesn't feel like its coming out of nowhere. He is 6 years older to be fair and while we only know of Operation Javier between the two installments, we know Leon gets sent on other missions... despite none of them being directly connected to BOWs until OJ. He's been trained by the military which is absolutely part of why he's less gullible other than the obvious reasons. And even then, he's so quick to untie Luis, despite not knowing if he's armed or dangerous, doesn't question the medicine Luis gives them, trusts Ada's intel for some reason, and still considers Krauser a good guy.

Leon was lied to by Ada, who he wanted to protect, and was left feeling used and betrayed. Only to be abandoned by Claire and had to look after the recently orphaned Sherry alone. That, plus the training would make him grow up quick... So what we're left with is the same old snarky, idealistic, but duty-driven Leon who is only a bit more grounded in reality/jaded.

It's also my opinion that all his cheesy one-liners is more than just a way to cope with stress.

Really think about how military training is meant to strip you of personality... It'd make sense that on solo missions he'd finally have the space to let his personality show. He has to hide it so much, ofc he'd be extra when there's no higher-ups to keep him in place. The thing that really hammers it home for me is that he tends to act a lot more serious when there's other agents/military involved. In both Degeneration and Operation Javier, Leon isn't funny. Even in most of Infinite Darkness he keeps his jokes to himself. He's been silly/campy since day one, it's just time and place and RE4 was the right time and place to let his personality shine (especially with all the other big personalities around him).

Leon's personality "change" just seems like a natural progression in response to his environment.

speaking of natural personality changes... I think Krauser and Luis's deaths really messed Leon up. In one day, Leon has to watch so many people die all over again. Innocent villagers slaughtered at his hand. I can imagine that knowing the parasite could be removed and that the villagers were tricked didn't sit easy on his mind either. Like yeah he gets Ashley home but that's one person saved vs the ~1000 that died. Krauser and Luis were important to him in different ways and in the end, things ended up just like Raccoon.

I think that's when it truly starts to set in for Leon that he's just as helpless as everyone else and what he's doing isn't much in the grand scheme of things... Not that he has a choice to stop. It also very easily explains why Leon starts to get more serious as time goes on. Fundamentally, he never really changes the part of him that gets easily attached and cares deeply about the lives of others, but as he ages, it gets harder for him to believe that what he's doing matters since nothing changes.

TD;DR: At the end of the day Leon's personality in RE4 isn't an outlier in his development, but likely of one of the last moments his personality gets to shine without as heavy a burden on his shoulders as he has later in his life. He was been always sassy and kinda campy since day one and him being the way he is in RE4 makes a lot of sense, even though he gets more serious in later installments.

#resident evil #leon kennedy #resident evil meta #re2 #re4 #long post

[hamartia-grander]

i mean if they went that route and had Mia still join the connections to get the official dirtTM on what they were doing (also like what journalist wouldn't want to get the scoop on the connections sale pitch for Evie? as it was that she could end all wars and considering the world oof it'd probably would be easier to find a unicorn then someone who hasn't been affected by bioweapons) would be interesting to see as she is still working for them and getting to a part where they would trust her but only too a extent and how it would interplay with Ethan realising something was up not the full extent of it but something... I think I had full what if comment about this but I have no idea where I wrote it down... i think it was an ask to someone oops

Lmao no sweat. But yeah that would've been cool too, it makes sense that she would've been roped into being Eveline's caretaker regardless, journalist or not

#Resident evil #Resident evil meta #Mia Winters #Asks

[sapphire-weapon]

So here's an interesting thing.

This is Saddler's POV when Ashley picks up Leon's gun:

Leon isn't looking at Ashley.

He's looking right at Saddler. And that's the look of a man who's ready to kill.

It's only after the first shot is fired that Leon actually looks at Ashley, and his expression is completely different when he does.

From Ashley's POV:

This might sound weird, but this is probably the best showcase of how fundamentally changed Leon is in RE4make from RE2make. In RE2make, his focus would've been Ashley first. He would've been worried about her and scared for himself. Saddler would be an afterthought; Leon can worry about Saddler after both he and Ashley are safe.

That was probably what Krauser was referring to during training when he told Leon that he was too soft to do what's necessary. You know, before Krauser himself went nuts, and the meaning of that statement became something else entirely.

But in RE4make, Leon's first response is rage. It's violence. It's murder. His instinct isn't to save Ashley or protect himself -- it's to kill Saddler.

It's only after it hits him just how stuck he is -- after that first shot is fired -- that the worry starts -- that the regret and heartache kick in.

What Krauser taught Leon -- what he really taught Leon -- was that protecting someone is more than shielding them from harm or pulling them to safety. It's eliminating the threat around them so that they can be safe. Shields can break, and running protects no one.

So, sure, the "being held against my will" thing is the main reason why Leon turns down Ashley's offer at the end of the game -- but it's not the only reason. It's because Leon came to accept, over the course of this mission, that he's not that guy anymore. He can't stand by and be Ashley's guard. The only way he knows how to protect her is by eliminating the threat around her -- and that's not what security detail does.

But that's who Leon's become now. The ship of "serve and protect" has sailed, for him. In his own words: "You've gotta keep moving forward."

#resident evil 4 #leon kennedy #ashley graham #meta analysis

[the-bar-sinister]

12 for the ask game!! I wanna hear the karl soldat army rant!!

12) aren’t you tired of being nice? this is an excuse to rant.

A continuation of this post where I mention people asking "why did Karl build the army instead of killing Miranda some other way". The following was originally written as an answer to a post asking that very question-- despite mostly being rhetorical, I kinda went off about it.

Why does Heisenberg bother with the robot army instead of just killing Mother Miranda in some other way?

So there’s two reasons for this, actually.

Miranda’s actual power, and Miranda’s perceived power.

For the first one, Miranda’s actual power, funny as it is to call her “just some stuck up old lady”, we can see from her fight with Ethan at the end of the game that that’s simply not true. Miranda has quite a bit of viral/supernatural power, shape shifting, mental fog, all kinds of strength, regeneration, and nasty attacks.

And this is when she’s in a weakened state, due to the ritual to bring back her daughter.

Second, is Miranda’s perceived power.

What you need to remember is that every person in the village has grown up isolated and indoctrinated into a cult, the central tenet of which is that Mother Miranda is all powerful. This includes your man, Karl.

Now Karl obviously doesn’t believe that she’s all powerful, but here we have to peel back the second layer of Miranda’s perceived power over him.

Karl didn’t start this relationship as an adult man. Karl was a child.

Miranda raised him as a son, AND as part of her cult.

To Heisenberg, Miranda is an abusive parent.

And speaking as a victim of child abuse, one of the key elements of an abusive parent is raising your child with the perception that your power is absolute, and unshakable.

Whether or not Heisenberg could kill her some other way is irrelevant, because at the end of the day, Karl is scared of her. He fears exactly what she’ll do to him if he tries to kill her, and messes it up. He isn’t going to GET another shot. The plan has to be perfect, foolproof.

This is what Heisenberg sees every time he thinks about killing Miranda.

(image transcript: a meme of a baseball mascot with mother Miranda’s face pasted over it. The text reads “What are you gonna do with that big bat? Gonna hit me? Better make it count. Better make it hurt. Better kill me in one shot.”)

And that’s why the robot army. That’s why the insane amount of planning, and preparation, and secrecy.

Heisenberg is afraid of his abusive mother Miranda, knows he has exactly one shot to kill her, and is terrified of what will happen if he misses that shot.

f/o ask game to rile you up

#self ship #selfship #villain f/o #ask answers #ask game answers #friendmail #karl heisenberg #character meta #character analysis #fandom meta #resident evil meta #resident evil #cw child abuse mention

[ragingstillness]

The Beneviento House

The Beneviento house was terrifying already in re8 but this dlc raises it to peak horror. And I love it.

The weeping angel-like mannequins - loved this game mechanic, flawless execution, freaky as all get out, finally made use of the fear we all had that the Mia mannequin was going to come to life on that table, made me pleasantly nostalgic for Dr. Who

The creepy flashlight eye dolls - a lot like a bunch of minigames I played when I was in grade school but still super cool, lots of creative hiding places, not game over if you get found but close, the mechanic where you can divert the dolls to kill something that isn’t you, the fact you have to follow them, that final tower of giant dolls with all their eyes, just so scary I was getting stressed watching the let’s play

The lights going out - same as re8, but I still adore how the lights go out and stuff changes, the fact that it then limits your area of sight to your flashlight and the eyes of the mannequins reflecting in the dark, amazing way to make the section scary and difficult

The teddy bear surgery - callback to Mia mannequin, callback to the cop’s body from re7, the teddy bear that Rose had as a small child, the teddy bear that Ethan initially found in the Beneviento house the first time

Eveline’s voice - god I love Eveline’s character, she’s so well written and amazingly acted by Paula Rhodes, I recognized her voice immediately, it’s so cool how Eveline’s register falls somewhere between Donna and Angie

The giant doll heads - uh, yikes in general, liked that they were just heads and not whole bodies, so creepy, sensation of constantly being watched and judged

The freaky doll dioramas of Rose being killed - “fuck you,” best Rose line, lots of running around and finding things, kind of reminded me of Lucas’ traps from re7

The part where Rose is the size of a doll now - super freaky, genuinely loved this, felt like it was playing with the whole it’s half real/half hallucination of Ethan’s experience in the house, just a great way to make the game really scary, also reminded me of the orphanage scene from the remake of re2 with Sherri

#resident evil #meta #resident evil meta #shadows of rose #re8 dlc

[rallamajoop]

That time Heisenberg stabbed Ethan with a rusty fencepost

Thanks to this one fic project that needed a pornographically detailed list of Ethan’s most memorable injuries, I've spent some time trying to figure out exactly what Heisenberg stabs him with when they first met. Working mostly from a free-camera version from youtube, I settled on calling a metal pipe with a square profile.

Tumblr: I was wrong. The reality is so much worse.

Having cracked the game files and installed my own free-camera mod, I tracked down the original asset for this thing, and, well...

No, really, this is it! Check out those matching cross-bars if you doubt me.

FWIW, it isn’t actually a spear. Those semi-mangled crossbars flag it instead as a spear-headed fence-post. (This may not be a distinction that Ethan would find very comforting after being stabbed with the thing, but there it is, regardless.)

In fact, if you poke around the cemetery area just outside the castle gate, you can even find the fence it presumably came from.

Look in on the cemetery near the church from the lane leading up to the Duke's shop beside it, and this is what you'll see.

It's not a perfect match (in fact, it's even worse viewed from the opposite side, because someone has clearly stuffed up the textures on different sides of the same asset). I'll also note that if you go back to this fence again after meeting Heisenberg, you won’t find any suspicious gaps in it where a post was recently ripped out. So I’m going to just go ahead and assume this particular piece was lying in a pile of surplus scrap in the cellar somewhere, and Heisenberg did not, in fact, drag the thing all the way there from well outside the whole damn building. I mean, at that point, you’re just showing off.

The fence post is, admittedly, pretty hard to get a good look at in the actual game. Unlike all the other crap Heisenberg already has levitating around him in this scene, the fencepost doesn’t appear at all until Heisenberg stabs Ethan with it. It actually seems to emerge at speed from between a couple of barrels at the back. But if you’re enough of a lunatic to play around with the various slow motion/rewind settings that came with the free camera mod, you can get a decent shot of it in flight, cleaning up any remaining doubt that this is the same asset that was used in game.

It even freaking spins in the air as it moves. FTR, yes, it does go in pointy-end first. And the whole fucking spearhead ends up buried in poor Ethan. (Please feel free to insert your own dick-joke here.) Those paying really close attention might even note that the blood on Ethan's shirt is present even before the spear hits him, but that's just going to be virtual-stunt-coordination having a normal one.

I can offer you no similarly definitive insight into why Heisenberg would think stabbing Ethan with this thing was a good idea. I can’t even tell you if he knew for sure that it was Ethan Winters he was talking to at this point (maybe he's just playing dumb, pretending not to recognise him. Or maybe he legit didn't know that Ethan himself had made an appearance until Miranda told him. Sure, he's already got that whole conspiracy board, but finding real pictures of this Ethan-guy is surprisingly hard.) But whether Heis was already testing out Ethan’s ‘interesting body’, or whether he’d just generally assumed that anyone who could survive a full lycan assault on the village wouldn’t be too seriously inconvenienced by a little stabbing, hoo boy was this one way to make a first impression.

I’m not even sure which of these losers is the bigger idiot here: the one who imagined Ethan might still agree to work with him even after inserting a very convincing imitation-spearhead into his intestines, or the one who never thought to seriously question how he keeps shrugging off injuries just as exciting as this one.

They probably deserve each other.

#Karl Heisenberg #Ethan Winters #RE meta #winterberg #Resident Evil Village #Resident Evil #RE assets #not to soapbox but that's also why the popularity of AO3's 'soft' Heisenberg tag makes me roll my eyes so hard #this dude is 'soft' like a fencepost to the gut