#<- not really but this post needs a tag

[doomednarrative]

talk about plaga leon au NOW 🔫

OKAY!!

I'm gonna try to explain how this stuff Starts because it diverges from the canon obviously with how Leon and Ashley get rid of the parasites for themselves.

The thing that really kickstarts it all is that last scene that Luis and Leon have together before Saddler kills Luis. In this timeline, it’s not so immediate.

Basically, in this au Luis gets to Leon a bit earlier before Leon finds Ashley and is able to actually talk to him a bit. Not much, but he has enough time to be like “Look I was a researcher, that’s why I know about this stuff and why I have these suppressants for you and Ashley so you can keep the parasite at bay until you can get to the actual cure for it.” Leon of course isn’t stupid and has suspected Luis wasn’t all he said he was originally, but he’s grateful for the help none the less.

The problem comes in when Luis tells him that he’s also managed to smuggle out not one, but Two different Dominant plaga samples from under Saddler’s watch, and he knows Saddler’s going to come for them. One of them is the normal sample that he was supposed to give to Ada, but the other one is one he was working on in secret that not even Saddler was supposed to know about. It’s a version of the Dominant that has regenerative properties, making it’s host that much stronger than a normal Dominant, and overall working Differently than the usual Dominant. This host would be able to mutate at will and hide those mutations normally, making it less drastic and more important, not irreversible like the others.

Luis doesn’t tell Leon all those details though, he just says that it’s a much more powerful version than the one that already exists, and expresses that he has to find a way to get rid of it. Leon suggests just destroying the sample but unfortunately for them both, it’s not as easy as that and the plaga would just find a host to attach itself to either way, which wouldn’t be ideal if the wrong person got to it.

Leon’s like “So what, do you have some other idea for getting rid of this thing or are you just going to carry it with you?” And Luis, because if there’s anything he’s learned in the brief time he’s known Leon, knows that this is someone who he can trust to actually do the right damn thing and not abuse any power he’s given, is like “Well...I actually was going to suggest injecting you with the parasite. If you can get to the island with Ashley in time, you’d be able to remove it before it can cause any damage and then no one would have it.”

This is, of course, another lie. Dominants can’t be destroyed the same way the other variants of the Plaga can, and Luis knows this. But he also knows Leon might be the one chance he has to put this thing into the hands of someone who won’t destroy the world with it, even if it means Leon might hate him later or never forgive him for it.

Leon of course thinks this is a crazy idea, “I’ve already got one of these things crawling around my insides, putting another in there might kill me!” But Luis is already on it, trying to tell him that it wouldn’t work like that, “the Dominants work differently, if anything it might just absorb the other and you’d still only have one to worry about removing,” knowing full well if Leon says yes to this he won’t be removing anything. The Dominant will make Leon it’s permanent host and Leon will have to live with it for the rest of his life.

They both know they're on a time limit here. Leon has to find Ashley, and Luis knows that he may very well die here soon if he doesn't move fast. Neither of them really Wants to do this.

But in the end, Leon...does agree to it, if only because he does agree that letting it get into the wrong hands is something they can't allow. He basically tells Luis "Fine, stick me with the thing if you have to. But if it keeps me from getting Ashley home safe then you Will have a problem on your hands."

And Luis assures him that it won't. "These ones, they take time to mature. You'll be able to get it out before it's a problem, what with how smart you seem to be."

They do it then and there, because there really is no time to spare, and Luis does feel bad about lying to Leon about what he's really taking on. But there truly is no time, and it's not long after Leon's been injected that Saddler does catch up with them, and Luis does die the same as he does in canon while Saddler takes the other Dominant sample for himself, with Leon promising Luis in his final moments that he'll get it back.

The rest of the plot of 4 plays out mostly the same. Leon eventually gets Ashley back, they get to the island, and Leon does successfully remove Ashleys plaga at least. They think Leon's has been removed safely too, but in reality it was only the first one that got removed. The Dominants tend to attach themselves to the base of the spine, and both because of that and because you can't see from that angel on the radiation table, neither Ashley or Leon realize that the Dominant isn't dead, its still very much attached to Leon. But it doesnt stop him from defeating Saddler, and he and Ashley do make it home safe as they well deserve to.

Of course for Leon, the nightmare that he thinks is over is just beginning.

He gets home, and as is mandated goes to his post mission physical, and while he passes it, the doctor basically tells him "Look, for your own good and because I think you actually need it after everything you went thru, I'm signing off on two months medical leave. If I see you back in the office before that time's up I Will make them send you home." Leon wants to protest because he's Fine, Really, and he knows he gets antsy if he's home for too long. But in the end, he's fuckin exhausted, and so he does go home and he crashes.

And thats Supposed to be all this leave is for. Time to recuperate from everything that Spain threw at him and to catch up on sleep.

That is unfortunately not what happens.

It takes a few days for the Dominant plaga to fully mature and attach itself to Leon, that's just par for the course with Dominants. But it's a few nights into his medical leave that Leon starts having nightmares again. He still has them occasionally because of Raccoon City; that trauma never really leaves him no matter what he does. But these are much more intense, nightmares about Spain, about not being able to save Ashley, about watching Luis die again, and sometimes about still having the parasite in him, watching as he has his agency stripped from him due to being controlled with the parasite by others.

Well, one night, when the nightmares are particularly bad, Leon's own plaga actually Responds to that fear that he feels. Canonically in the lore, Dominant plaga transformations take the shape of whatever the host Needs at the time or what would be most useful to them (which is why Krauser's is a knife arm for example; he's a close combat specialist, it's what makes the most sense for him to have at the time.)

Leon's own plaga responds to a need to Protect himself, and so when it manifests it gives him armor of a sort. Plating around his lower arms and sharper claws to keep people at a distance, a tail and four plated bug-like legs appearing on his back to both use to wrap around himself as a shield but also to keep that same distance from people. A split open jaw up the sides of his face and a row of sharper teeth to warn people to stay away. Those features along with the signature red eyes and veins are what makes up Leon's mutations, and so when he wakes up from his nightmares and realizes he's actually Become what he saw in his dreams, well. Naturally, he freaks out.

He secludes himself away in his apartment because really, what the hell else is he Supposed to do?? He thought this wasn't going to be a problem, Luis told him he'd be rid of the parasite with the radiation, and now he knows that was a lie because he's clearly mutated and become a monster and he has no clue how to fix any of it. Its a horrifying reality to wake up to and he has no clue how to handle it.

And of course, Leon's notoriously bad about reaching out to people for help, and he's certainly not going to do so when he knows if anyone saw him like this they'd shoot before asking questions. He's certifiably a BOW now, he hunts these things for a living. He knows he's fucked if he lets himself be seen like this.

But he has no idea how to reverse it, and so he just. Holes himself away in his apartment to try and figure out whats going on alone, even though he has absolutely no clue where to even start.

Thankfully for Leon, he has some extremely stubborn friends. Namely, a certain Redfield who knows by now that if he doesnt answer her text about getting post mission breakfast together, then there's something seriously wrong going on.

Claire's on one of her rare breaks doing at home Terrasave work, and she knows Leon is stateside again, so she's annoyed that he's not answering her back about food. This is tradition, he never skips out without reason but hes not even answering her back. So she decides to go over and meet him at his place to see whats up.

What she's Not expecting when she gets there is for the front door to not only be locked, but also Completely barricaded. That's not normal behavior for Leon, not on a normal day. Thankfully, Claire's a master lockpick, and Leon's place happens to have a fire escape by his bedroom window, so she manages to find a way in reguardless.

And the First thing she's greeted by when she comes in is what looks like a murder scene.

Blood on the wall, on the floor, on Leon's sheets...no weapon to be found, and no body, but certainly not the mess she expected to walk into. It's not until she scans the room (which is completely dark save for what little light filters in from the window she opened, also an odd thing that she notes) that she sees Something huddled up in the corner trying to stay out of her view.

It's hard for her to make out in the darkness, but eventually the mess of blonde hair becomes visible, and Claire realizes, horrified, that whatever she's looking at is Leon, but...not the Leon she knows. And certainly not one who looks human anymore.

She doesn't even think at first, because if there's one thing that her instincts have taught her it's that waiting will get you killed, and before she knows it her gun is out of her side holster and it's pointed directly at whatever creature has assumed her friends face, and Claire has the horrifying realization that she may just have to kill her best friend if he really isn't himself anymore.

And the worst part is she knows he would want her to if that really was the case. He'd rather be taken out than hurt anyone, they'd discussed that much before.

And meanwhile Leon has been sat here against the wall the whole time watching as Claire finally found him (because really, who else would have gone out of their way to check on him But her) and as he watches her pull out her gun and turn it on him, he realizes two things:

A. He really, actually doesn't want to die. Not this time.

B. He has to convince Claire somehow that he's still himself if he wants to keep her from shooting him. (She's still hesitating, and he can see it. But he knows it won't last like that if he doesn't say something.)

And thats when Leon finally moves, inching a bit closer to Claire, reaching a hand out.

"...Claire?"

It feels incredibly Weird to speak like this, his voice vibrates in a way he's not used to and he hasn't spoken in the past few days and so he sounds very rough when he finally manages to get her name out.

But it Does work. It gets to Claire enough that she hesitates, and asks him back if it really is him in there, if he's. Well. Still Leon.

And he tells her "Yeah...still me. Even if I don't look like it."

It does take her a moment, but eventually, Claire does put away her gun. She's not sure if she'll regret it, but by god if she doesn't Have to kill her friend (yet) then she won't.

And it's only then that Leon can breathe the first sigh of relief he's felt since this whole thing started.

:)

[adriles]

when we’re done with our overwhelming grief we’ll eat i guess

[tragedykery]

the best characters are ones that suffer from a chronic case of Dramatic Cunt Syndrome

[aalghul]

once again thinking about jason as duke’s robin. he’s ~4 years younger than jason, and that puts him at 8-12 during Jason’s time as robin. that’s prime time to get attached to your local kid vigilante before your own life goes downhill.

and if we try to keep duke’s meeting with bruce in zero year + duke’s age (so he can remember the meeting and hold that conversation with bruce), he has to be around 8. if he starts following batman through the news at that time because of the mess that just happened, the robin he sees is probably jason. I’ve literally connected the dots

[risibledeer]

hugs, all of joel's soulmates, lizzie, grian and eefo lol

Psst reqs are open, ik I draw a lot of Joel but i like drawing most hermipires so feel free ti ask, if uf like to

[oilith]

Don't laugh at people or mock people who are "childish". People are allowed to like things that are considered "childish". Toys, kids cartoons, anything like that can be a valuable source of comfort for the people who like them. It's important to have things in life that make you happy, and without them it gets miserable. Wether that thing is stuffed animals or cooking or writing lyrics, what's important is that others don't ridicule and belittle them for it. There shouldn't be such judgement for the things that make people happy.

[ancient-reverie]

a moment of silence for all us disabled ones who had to watch each of their friends move on with their lives without you and get jobs, go to school, have partners come and go, get engaged and move house etc.

shout out to my fellow struggling people who are still sitting in the same bedroom they grew up in. the ones who can't get a job, can't make new friends, can't find a partner or partners, can't move house and can't go to school.

I hope one day we can all find someone to at least sit with us in our rooms. I see you and I understand... and I'm sorry we can't be that person for each other

[cloudysarts]

this is what the book of bill was about right

(og image under the cut)

[slavhew]

two guys enter a closet

[anakinandobiwan]

i like to think theyd get their happy ending, too

[ddeck]

GIRLS

[prismatoxic]

"chilchuck isn't a twink, he's a DILF!" now i get why you're saying that but i feel like you've maybe forgotten what chilchuck tims canonically looks like

i'm sorry but this man is a twink. also DILF isn't a body type it's a status (and technically, an opinion) so he can be both

"but he's middle-aged!" look at him. look with your eyeballs. his age has nothing to do with the fact that he Looks Like That. he's a twink. the sooner you accept this the less angry his fandom will make you

edit bc this post has become the bane of my existence:

FAQ

Q: wtf do you mean he's a dad? he looks like a kid. A: he is 29 years old, and a half-foot. half-foots are dungeon meshi's halflings, or hobbits, or whatever you want to call them.

Q: wait, if he's 29, why the fuck are you calling him middle-aged? A: half-foots have an average lifespan of 50 years. chilchuck was originally drawn with grey hairs (you can see that in the manga fullbody) but the mangaka gave up on that over time. he's middle-aged for his race.

Q: hey, doesn't that look like a little angry face on his boot in the manga drawing? A: yea kinda

[fictionadventurer]

How did Treasure Planet manage to come up with the greatest aesthetic in all human history? Victorian elegance plus space-age flair, with just enough dirt and grime and wear and tear to make it feel real? A combination of traditional and computer animation that perfectly embodies the movie's blend of old and futuristic? How does it get any better than that?

[spellbird]

"Illumination Legend of Zelda isn't real, it can't hurt you!"

Illumination Link:

[artingstarvist]

TGCF Vol 3, Chp. 43 - 44 (First "Kiss") Part 2 / 5 (First, Next)

Next part is finally done! Xie Lian's inner monologue kills me.

Novel excerpt under the cut:

[denotes panel #]

[1, 2] Xie Lian blinked, trying desperately to bat away the thousands upon millions of lingering crystalline bubbles. [3] Then he found himself caught by a pair of strong arms. [4, 5] One hand circled his waist, and the other grasped his chin. [6] In the next second, something cold and soft covered his lips. [7]In that instant, Xie Lian's eyes bulged. Never in his life had anyone treated him like this. First, no one dared, second, no one could. However this person was swift like the devil and had appeared so suddenly that he had no chance to defend himself before he'd been plunged into such a state. [8, 9] Flustered, he thrashed and desperately tried to push the person away. [10] Instead, he only succeeded in choking on large mouthfuls of water as string after string of bubbles escaped his mouth like crystal beads. Of course, this was a big mistake underwater. [11] The hands round his waist only tightened, pressing their bodies closer together, and Xie Lian's struggling hands were firmly folded and crushed against his own chest, trapping them in place. [12] His lips, too, were securely sealed. The kiss deepened, and with it, a breath of cool, gentle air was transferred into his mouth. [13, 14, 15] Completely helpless and at a loss, just as Xie Lian began to accept his fate, he finally saw the person's face clearly. [16] It was Hua Cheng. [17] The moment he realized it was Hua Cheng, he stopped struggling. Innumerable random thoughts popped into his mind, all inappropriate for the time and place, such as : So it was Hua Cheng! No wonder he's cold. [18] Ghosts don't need to breathe, but he can still transfer air to me?! [19] Don't ghosts sink in the water? [20] Hua Cheng suddenly opened his eye. [21, 22] Staring into that dark eye from such an intimate distance, Xie Lian froze again, then resumed struggling, his arms flailing like a duck so clumsy it was drowning. [23, 24] Hua Cheng easily corralled those thrashing limbs, and with his arm still firmly locked around Xie Lian's waist, Hua Cheng took him and speedily swam upward.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

RIP Will Campos the only person who was murdered this episode.