I've been itching to make this post since I saw this artwork so I hope no one has already done this; today we're talking flower languages left to right
Leon appears to have sunflowers behind him, they have a lot of varieties and his looks like some of the smaller subspecies
Sunflowers are often associated with joy which we don't get a lot of from Leon, but they're also known to represent hope, resilience, and loyalty which are absolutely through lines in Leon's character arc
Claire looks as though lilacs are meant to represent her
Lilacs of this color usually represent first loves which I didn't initially feel represented her because she has no canon love interest but they also have an association with new beginnings because of how early in the year they bloom— her entire arc in RE2 is about how her life changes forever. They also are sometimes used for protection and can symbolize that and Claire's entire character is about her being a protector
Chris is undoubtedly gladiolus, also known as sword lilies because of the shape— the name coming from the Latin word for sword, gladius
The gladiolus generally represents strength, integrity, morality, and faithfulness. I don't think I need to explain how that represents Chris. Interestingly, the pink ones specifically represent admiration, subdued love, and maternal affection. I do think that maternal aspect can show in how he raised Claire after their parents passed but with the admiration... maybe Wesker if the Uroboros tentacles and heart behind him are anything to go by?
Jill has quite a distinct flower in the lily of the valley
However, this did confuse me since I knew lilies of the valley to represent innocence and purity but after some light reading I thought we could take that to mean moral purity since I also found out it can represent humility and more importantly, virtue. On top of that, the original meaning of this flower was a "return to happiness" which I don't feel we've really seen in Jill's character arc yet. However, RE9, a game all about the past has yet to release and who knows? Jill could play a role
Grace was harder for me since we don't know much about her yet but I landed on white lilies
Similar to the lily of the valley, they represent purity and innocence but ALSO new beginnings, the idea of Requiem. (maybe we really will get to see Jill again please please please please) White lilies are also the most traditional flowers for a funeral so they're fitting since Grace's arc is going to revolve around her late mother. Even better, they're also known to represent motherhood, long lasting love, and protection. So maybe we'll see Alyssa playing a role from the grave in protecting Grace
Ada is last but never least. Her flower is clearly a thistle
Thistles can grow in very harsh conditions and as such are often used as a symbol of strength and perseverance as well as bravery and determination which I think goes very well with Ada's personality. Their prickly but pretty look is also used as a symbol of the beauty in roughness which captures Ada's femme fatale personality very well. It's also possible that the "leaf" next to the thistle is actually rosemary which when paired with thistle was a way to signal to someone that you could see through their façade which is goddamn perfect for Ada
I'm in love with this art so if anyone has any more thoughts on it or different interpretations, PLEASE let me know
found this sitting in my drafts, I had completely forgotten about it. these were made way back in march, my very first Leon custom textures. was still getting the hang of it at that point, hence why it's just a simple crop top edit without makeup or a tramp stamp. still posting for the nostalgia of my first Leon fit edit..
Summary: you get kidnapped by los illuminados, and at first chance you managed to hide. Luckily Leon found you before they did.
Featuring: re4 2005 Leon Kennedy x Reader
This doesn't really make sense, I know. I wrote it for myself but then decided to upload it cause why not lol. Also, there's a scene I confused with the remake, but I liked it so I didn't delete it.
—♡—
Leon is the most sarcastic person in your friend group.. actually, he's the most sassy person you've ever met. He always has a comeback ready, no matter the situation, and nothing ever seems to shake him.
You never saw him shocked before now. You don’t even know what happened, or how the hell you ended up in this situation, but long story short– you got kidnapped. Leon, in full gear and with a blonde girl at his side who looks more annoyed than shaken, is staring at you like you just grew three extra heads.
Actually, he probably wouldn’t even look this shocked in that case..
“…I guess I have to save two damsels instead of one.”
Exasperation. He runs a hand over his face before stepping forward, placing a hand on the blonde’s back to guide her ahead with him.
You should be safe in this place for a while, even if danger is lurking on every corner and you honestly kinda feel like fainting, even if you try to keep your cool. Can't afford dying.
“What happened? And where were you?”
He asks, lowering his gaze over your body and then back to your eyes: “Did they do anything to you?”
“Look… aside from kidnapping me in broad daylight– no, thankfully. I hid in here, her arrival distracted everyone from noticing me.”
You admit, gesturing toward the blonde. She raises an eyebrow and steps forward, and you hear her voice for the first time: “You saw me? Then why didn’t you do anything to help me??”
You look at her, raising an eyebrow. Is this girl serious?
“…sweetheart, I would’ve loved to help you, but getting close would’ve ended with both of us sharing the same fate.”
“Okay, okay, girls, not the time.”
Leon cuts in, looking at both of you before looking your way: “Listen to me, I’ll get both you out of here safe and sound... just do as I say."
He looks at you like he expects you to complain, but honestly he's the armed one here, so you just shrug: "sure."
He nods, glancing outside before walking out of the shed. You and the blonde follow, looking around. While he leads the way since you have no idea where to go, you turn to the girl.
“…uh, what’s your name?”
She looks at you, and you notice she slows her pace slightly to stay close: “Ashley.”
“Nice to meet you.” You nod, giving her a small smile. When she returns it, you relax a bit– you don’t want tension in a life-or-death situation like this.
"Yours?"
"Oh, I'm [name]."
Twigs snap constantly beneath your feet, and unsettling noises surround you. Leon scans the area with such intensity that you hesitate for a moment before calling him.
“Leon–”
“You’ve used a gun before, right?”
He cuts you off suddenly, turning to you. His finger is on the trigger. There’s a threat nearby.
“…yeah, but I’m not good at aiming.”
He barely lets you finish before pulling out a spare gun from his pocket and handing it to you quickly. You take it without hesitation, though you’re not sure you’ll be able to use it without wasting bullets.
Or hitting the wrong target.
“If anyone gets too close, shoot. If they’re holding something, shoot. Got it?”
The urgency in his voice makes you nod silently, gripping the gun. You’ve used one before, but just for fun in a bar, while you were drunk. You didn’t even know it was real.
Long story…
You look at Ashley, who seems terrified, and you give her what’s supposed to be a reassuring smile: “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best…”
But your voice trembles– for the first time too, you've never felt this anxious all your life.. hell, you aren't even sure you've ever felt anxiety before. Agitation, maybe. But pure anxiety? Still, in a situation where your safety is genuinely at risk, it's pretty understandable.
Ashley isn’t reassured at all. She looks at you in distress. You sigh and glance back to Leon, who’s now aiming his gun at a specific point again.
He moves forward slowly, and you realize you’ve never really seen him in action before– you’ve only ever seen his sarcastic side, the careless one who only worries about having to drive so he shouldn’t drink, but drinks anyway.
You’ve never seen this much focus, this much seriousness, though part of you is relieved– if he takes his job seriously, then chances are you’ll actually make it out alive.
He suddenly fires in the direction he was watching, and then you hear angry screams in the distance. Oh shit.
“Be careful!”
The blond warns, throwing a quick glance behind him before moving forward. You haven’t even processed that you’ve just walked into danger when he nearly disappears around the corner, and you hear so many gunshots your head vibrates. Ashley follows him but keeps her distance.
You’ll definitely have to use it. How different can it be from shooting a few empty bottles off a table? When you turn the corner, you find chaos: Leon manages to shoot anyone who gets close, shielding Ashley while kicking and punching whoever he can.
You, on the other hand, manage to shoot someone who was getting close, but you waste four bullets just on that one person, and you can tell you’ll run out soon.
Another one approaches. He looks at you with such intense rage that your grip on the gun tightens, but before you can fire a crooked shot, the man collapses and Leon appears behind him.
“There are no more here.”
He informs you, reloading his gun. You find yourself staring at the movement, blinking before looking away, running a hand over your face.
You know it's literally not the time, and plus finding Leon S. Kennedy attractive was not on your 2004 plan list, but apparently life is full of surprises…
Now that it’s quieter, you let yourself drift for a moment. You look around: wooden houses, some destroyed, others still standing. Leon enters each one, grabbing any jewels or medicine he finds. He even finds bullets– what they’re doing there, you’ll never understand.
Now turning your attention to Ashley, you notice she’s visibly shaken. You’re not really in a position to comfort her since your hands are shaking just as much, but you walk over anyway.
“Hey.”
She looks at you, one hand on her arm. She glances at Leon as if keeping him in sight reassures her (you don’t blame her), then looks back at you.
“I’m sorry you’re in this situation.”
That was terrible, you know. She nods slightly, but says nothing. Soon you start walking again, staying right behind Leon.
“But… uh, Leon, what exactly is your mission this time?”
You ask, moving closer to him. He’s clearly protecting this girl, but you want to know more about this village. Who are these people? Why are they like this? Their eyes are red, their rage uncontrollable, and they don’t seem to think, just act on instinct. They’re like beasts.
“I was sent by the president to retrieve his daughter. Who would’ve thought these assholes were possessed.”
He says it with so much irritation it almost makes it funny, but you don’t laugh. You nod, looking at Ashley, who’s watching you both with an unreadable expression.
“Possessed?”
You turn back to him, and instead of answering out loud, he nods. You’re in a quiet area now, almost peaceful. Leon doesn’t relax, but you try to a little. You move closer to Ashley again, and after a while, you both randomly decide to sit down on the ground, in a spot without blood and with fewer twigs so you don’t get hurt.
Just you and Ashley.
Leon isn’t thrilled. He stops and stares at you both in confusion, lowering his gun. He puts a hand on his hip and raises an eyebrow; “Care to explain?"
You look at him while Ashley keeps her gaze on the ground. She hugs her knees as her straight hair falls over her face.
“We’re resting a bit. Ashley’s not feeling well.”
His expression shifts almost immediately to concern as he walks over, unsure of what to do. He looks at you, then at Ashley’s head.
“She’s just tired, don't worry. She’s not hurt, right?”
You ask her, and she lifts her head, looking at both of you.
“I’m fine, just exhausted… is it still far before we get out of here?”
You and Leon exchange a glance. You’re not familiar with this place, but judging by how things are going, it’ll take a while. The look on his face confirms it.
“The sooner we move, the sooner you’ll be home, Ashley. Come on.”
He tries to encourage her, offering his hand. Ashley takes it with a resigned sigh, pulling herself up. Before you can get up, a gloved hand appears in front of you.
You take it, and he pulls you up before turning back into a defensive stance. You look at Ashley and smile, stepping closer and taking her hand.
You don’t know what possessed you to do that, especially since you’re not used to physical contact with your friends, let alone a stranger–
But she doesn’t seem bothered like you expected. Instead, she holds onto your hand. As you start walking again side by side, you realize it’s not that bad.
Ashley’s company isn’t as annoying as you thought after your first interaction. She’s definitely a bit immature and probably spoiled, but she’s sweet. In her own way.
As you move forward, you run into more dangerous villagers, and you find yourself raising your gun much more often, while Leon starts using his hands more to avoid wasting bullets.
It hurts to see him pant from exhaustion and show signs of strain, and you wish you could help him more, but the most you can do is shoot.
Ashley… well, she screams. She calls for help whenever an enemy gets too close, and eventually you start protecting her too. You don’t blame her for being so scared, she’s the one they want, and who knows what the hell they plan to do to her.
Turn her into one of them?
You don’t want to find out.
When the villagers finally stop coming, you take a few deep breaths. During the fight, you ran out of bullets, and you and Leon had to switch guns since his was loaded.
You don’t know how to reload.
Either way, now that it’s over you let yourself relax a bit and walk over to Ashley to check on her.
“Hey, everything's okay?”
She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear with trembling hands and nods slightly, avoiding your gaze. You sigh, stepping closer and taking her hand again, giving it a small squeeze.
“I wish I could do more, but I'm not that good with reassurance..”
You glance at Leon, who’s just standing there, waiting for you to finish your interaction. His posture almost makes you laugh– he’s literally just.. there.
You turn back to Ashley and squeeze her hand; “Come on.”
You move with her and start walking again. This whole thing is a nightmare, and Ashley agrees with your thoughts– because she says the exact same thing.
—♡—
The further you go, the worse the situation gets. After some guy, what did he say his name was? Ramón? Expressed his desire to have Ashley (and you obviously refused to give her up), he sent soldiers and other assholes to fight you.
By now you’re getting used to using the pistol, even if your aim is still obviously bad.
Exhausted, thirsty, and stressed after the fight, you drag your arm across your damp forehead and then turn to look at the two of them, giving a thumbs up at Ashley’s worried expression.
“Are you okay, [name]?”
She steps closer, taking your hand. It’s a kind of contact you’ve both gotten used to by now, and it doesn’t bother you at all. You let out a small laugh, squeezing her hand. “Yeah, of course.. we should stay in touch once this shit is over, Ashley.”
The girl smiles softly and nods eagerly, then turns toward Leon, noticing he’s walking around the room. Before slipping into a corridor he turns back to you and whistles, gesturing for you to follow him.
You exchange a look, then go after him.
It takes a while to find the keys to open the doors leading to the corridors that are supposed to take you where you need to go, (though you have no idea where that even is, considering you’re in a castle) but you figure Leon must have at least some sense of direction.
At least, you hope so.
As soon as he opens a door he stops, peeking ahead and moving forward slowly. He turns back to you raising his palm and you stop, halting Ashley too.
You follow him with your eyes until he disappears from view. Then you look at Ashley, worried– what’s down there? You glance at your pistol, checking the bullets. There are five. Not many, you should probably ask him for more.
Yeah, Leon taught you how to reload it. It took you a while, but at least now you can do it quickly.
The sound of something metallic crashing makes you flinch, and Ashley tightens her grip on your hand, staring at you.
“Leon! What’s happening??”
The blonde calls out from the top of the stairs, her voice raised. The answer is a furious roar followed by the rattling of chains– not a good sign.
You hear gunshots, the sounds of whatever monster he’s fighting, broken by stretches of dead silence. When Ashley opens her mouth again, probably to call for him, another gunshot rings out, silencing her. Something heavy collapses, something armed and definitely chained, and then everything goes quiet again.
Leon’s footsteps sound heavy against the floor, and when he comes back into view, you immediately notice his shirt is torn and that he’s bleeding.
Your eyes widen and you rush down the stairs, looking at his chest. “Leon! Oh my God, what.. I don’t have anything to–”
You look up and meet icy blue eyes staring at you in confusion. He glances down and seems to realize, as if he hadn’t even noticed he have practically been stabbed.
A bit concerned about this too (seriously, what is wrong with this man?) you move aside and grab his bag, opening it and rummaging through it for anything that might help.
While you search, Ashley comes down and looks at Leon. Out of the corner of your eye you see her fixing his hair, brushing it away from his face. He clears his throat, stopping Ashley.
You find it very amusing how embarrassed he gets when he receives attention from girls, and also incredibly ironic considering he’s the first to flirt left and right. Being caught off guard makes him nervous.
In the bag, you find some medicine in a green case, some sprays that look like they’re from a pharmacy, lots and lots of bullets, another spare pistol, and two spare knives.
Well, the spray will do. You pull it out. “Will this work?”
Leon has been silent the whole time, did the monster rip his tongue out? You raise an eyebrow at him and he takes the spray, nodding as he starts applying it to the wound. He clenches his teeth but keeps going, then hands it back to you.
Once that’s taken care of, you turn to see what the hell he was fighting and find some kind of massive creature with its back torn open. It’s completely bound, and its eyes are useless. So it could only hear him.. good thing Ashley didn’t scream, then.
—♡—
You got taken.
Not just you, Ashley too. For a short part of the way, you were being dragged in the same path, but then the men holding you exchanged a look and split off in different directions. Now you’re locked in a cell.
It’s cold.
You look around, arms wrapped tightly around your knees. It's surprising that they didn't tie you up. You don’t know how much time passed, but your head aches from how violently they threw you to the ground. If they want to sacrifice you to whatever god they keep talking about, what are they waiting for?
Why lock you up and delay it? It doesn’t make you feel better, or reassured. It’s going to happen anyway, and waiting only makes it worse.. it just builds the anxiety.
There’s a nauseating smell in here.
You hope Ashley gets saved. You hope they come get you soon, you hope... you run a hand over your face, hugging your legs tighter. Your head is pounding, and you hear indistinct noises coming from everywhere, the echo of footsteps from whoever’s upstairs.
There are a few guards walking around down here, passing by your cell ever so often. They all have the same expression, the same walk, the same pattern. They look like robots.
You follow them with your eyes every time they pass. They carry a spiked mace that sways slightly, and a wooden shield. You bury your face in your arms because the smell is becoming unbearable, and you try to breathe in the scent of your own skin.
Skin that’s definitely dirty with dust and debris, but still better than the smell of death.
You’re not someone who scares easily, so all of this is extremely… new to you. Sure, what you’re feeling goes beyond fear– it’s terror. You felt fear at the beginning, but now.. now you’ve definitely got some kind of trauma, because it’s not every day you see so many heads explode from rifle shots.
Not to mention those… things with the writhing tentacles. What the hell were those? Or the others, God, those mouth-like things.. you shiver just thinking about them. What even happened to this place to turn it into this? It’s horrifying.
You don’t know how long it’s been since you were locked in here, but your eyelids are getting heavy. You were so busy running around, escaping left and right, that you didn’t give yourself time to listen to your body. Now that you’re forced to stay still, well…
You’re tired, sore, and disoriented. Physically weak. You hate it. You haven’t eaten in hours, the last time you drank anything was maybe an hour ago, maybe two, depending on how long you've been down here, and your head keeps throbbing.
A guard stops in front of your door, accompanied by two others. Behind them, two more walk by faster than usual. You stiffen, dragging yourself back against the wall as one of them opens the door. He’s holding a syringe, and two others stand beside him with shields.
He approaches, staring at you with red eyes. They all look the same, these men. All covered in blood, all reeking of decay and something burnt, all with that same vacant yet aggressive stare.
He raises the arm holding the syringe and suddenly lunges to grab yours, but you manage to slam your shoe into his face, scrambling back. You did it on instinct, really. You don’t even know how you’re supposed to defend yourself without a gun.
A door slams somewhere in the distance, followed by a series of controlled, continuous gunshots, and the guards’ screams tell you it’s not one of them.. for a moment, that spark of hope lights up in your chest again.
The man recovers and turns to face you again, but now he’s alone. His companions ran toward the gunfire. You quickly push yourself up and move aside as he comes at you again.
A gunshot blows his head apart, and for a moment Leon has his rifle aimed at you. Leon is here. Oh God, Leon is here– Leon is here and you have blood on your face. You widen your eyes and carefully touch your cheek, feeling the ambiguous substance. You stare at Leon, and he lowers the rifle.
“Here you are. You okay?”
He looks relieved to see you, was he searching for you? Wait. You glance around him, then fix your eyes on his face.
“Did you find Ashley?”
You step closer, looking out of the cell and then back at him. He shakes his head, grimacing. “I hoped she’d be here. But now I’ve got a rough idea where she might be. We need to move.”
He cleared the place out, thankfully. You take a deep breath, you’ll only feel even a little bit of relief once Ashley is found. She’s not even your responsibility, but she definitely doesn’t deserve whatever they might do to her.
Most likely turn her into one of them.. which they’re already doing, considering they injected that virus into their bodies. Now that you think about it, that guy was about to inject you too.. good thing you didn’t let him.
Now that you’ve got a gun again and you’re not alone, you feel much safer.
—♡—
The last hour on that island was yet another trauma you’ll have to unpack in therapy once you’re back home.
When Leon and Ashley told you the island was literally going to explode in three minutes, it took you a while to process what that actually meant. You just ran with them, Ashley gripping your hand tightly.
Now that you’re home, everything feels a bit unreal. It took you three hours to explain to your mom why you disappeared and where the hell you’ve been, and you left out a lot of details because you didn’t want to worry her.
Then you had to do the same thing with your dad when he got home. Now you’re in the comfort of your room, and the realization that you’ll probably never see Ashley again slowly starts to sink in.
Truth is, it doesn’t hit you as hard as it probably should. You’re used to meeting people and then never hearing from them again, or just never seeing them again for one reason or another. The only difference is that those situations were normal.
There was nothing normal about what you went through, and you catch yourself thinking that maybe getting to know each other outside of the chaos of that island wouldn’t have been so bad.
But now there’s the elephant in the room: you’re definitely going to see Leon again, during some hangout with your group of friends.
You’re not necessarily an anxious person, but you do get embarrassed easily. In a situation like this, after the most insane 24 hours of your life, how are you supposed to look him in the face and act like nothing happened?
Honestly, it’s not even that hard. You’ll be able to do it just fine. If anything, this experience will probably erase that distance that’s always been there between you two (for some reason, you never really talked or bonded much before). But first, of course, you have to overthink it.
You turn onto your side in bed and stare at your nightstand. As inconsistent as it sounds, you almost can’t wait to go out again. You want to see Leon, you’re curious whether your dynamic will change at all or if you’ll just stay acquaintances in the same friend group– just two people who now happen to share a story.
