#bleon

My favorite ship dynamic: Just a dude x The horror that keeps following him around

-Before their Birth-

   The Umbrella Corporation had its claws in the idea of 'super soldiers' from the very beginning. Though initially only being focused on diseases that could turn people into weapons, after a few mishaps involving those diseases, one scientist - Dr Harrington - suggested a different method; creating a super soldier using genetic technology, since cloning was already being used and test subjects in the form of both animals and humans weren't anything new for Umbrella at this point. Dr Harrington was allowed to proceed with the idea, and she went to work right away.

   Dr Harrington created many options, but ultimately found many of them too volatile to follow instructions, or too destructive to allow on the field. Thus, Dr Harrington decidedly used one of her own eggs for the project, alongside her husband's sperm, both infused with the DNA of animals before being introduced to one another. This method failed twice, but the third time was a huge success. Dr Harrington carried the 'child' in her womb as usual, hoping to cultivate a bond with it so it'd be easier to instruct, though on the day of the creature's birth, there were major complications, and the creature nearly died in the process of being born.

-Childhood/Teenhood-

   The birthing process affected Dr Harrington's body far more than she expected, and ultimately resulted in her death when the creature was still a child. After her death, the creature - named Blake - was handed off to another group of scientists to raise and cultivate. Dr Harrington's husband, who until this point was allowed on-site at Dr Harrington's request, began treating the creature negatively, though whether this was because of Dr Harrington's death or because the creature was, quote, "A fucking monster", is unknown. The higher-ups knew this was happening, but allowed it to go on in hopes it would make Blake more ruthless in fights. This was thought successful when, during one of their usual physical altercations, Blake threw up a jet of powerful acid into his father's face, which instantly disfigured and severely burned him. Dr Harrington's husband survived, but the extreme injury forced him into around-the-clock care.

   After this, Blake was subjected to training for the field, and because of his human intelligence, was also shown propagandizing material to make him compliant and willing to kill humans. This ranged in what the material was, but what got his attention the most, they realized, was horror genre movies. The snuff films they showed him didn't have the effect they intended them to have; Instead of becoming an attack dog like they expected, he became significantly more panicky and filled with anxiety, often to the point of lashing out at handlers and those he was supposed to listen to. Horror genre movies, however, especially those in the slasher genre, caught his interest, though. The slasher films, however, didn't catch his attention for the reasons they assumed, either. Blake especially enjoyed films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2; a film where the main girl tricked the murderous cannibal into falling in love with her, or Scream; a film where the main villain has an implicative relationship with his partner in crime.

   He grew large and fast, so by his teenage years, Blake was towering over the scientists and being steadily fed zombies and bits of meat, as he adamantly refused to hunt normal animals or humans. Because of this refusal, the scientists deemed him unfit for his initial purpose, but his abilities and willingness to kill and consume mutants made him a perfect candidate for 'clean up duty'. So, the Umbrella Corporation collectively labelled Blake as the method of disposing of escaped mutants.

-Meeting Leon/Claire-

   The first time Blake was sent out into the 'field' was during the Raccoon City incident, the same year Blake reached his mid-twenties. He arrived a day after the initial outbreak, and by the time Leon and Claire got there, Blake had been cleaning up as many zombies and mutants as possible for several days. Blake focused more on the mutants than the zombies, though, as the mutants were significantly more likely to be traced to Umbrella. Blake arrived at the Raccoon City police station specifically because the mutants were congregating there, though he hadn't seen that the reason was Leon and Claire.

   The first of them to encounter Blake was Leon, who found him in the middle of devouring a licker, and both had a silent moment of surprise when they saw one another. Blake instantly felt a connection, and this gave way to a crush on the would-be rookie. A few interactions between them followed, mostly involving Leon shooting at him in terror while Blake's scales made the bullets bounce right off. Blake also interacted a few times with Claire, too. Though eventually Leon would realize Blake was friendly after being cornered by Mr X in the parking garage, and before he could kill Leon, Blake rushed in and started a brawl with the mutant tyrant. Blake downed him, but as soon as he did, Ada Wong swooped in and smashed a massive truck into him, which exploded. Leon felt bad, since it was pretty obvious now that Blake was trying to help, and both humans were pretty sure the ram had killed him. However, this wasn't the case, as Blake's healing fixed the injuries, and when he woke up, Blake instantly went looking for Leon again. 

   Instead of finding Leon first, though, he encountered Claire, and after realizing Sherry wasn't with her, helped lead Claire to the orphanage by tracking with his enhanced senses. Blake tried to defend Sherry and Claire from Mr X and William, but William rammed Blake into the elevator, causing it to fall. Annette didn't arrive in time to see Blake, but the beast did grab Sherry and run for it when William returned to his senses, though Sherry didn't want to leave Claire behind. Claire was mortified that Blake took Sherry, a part of her still thinking he was dangerous, though this fear instantly settled when she mentioned it to Annette, who immediately responded with: "A human-like creature with a tail? ...So, Blake has her. Thank god."

   When Sherry got picked up by Claire, though, Blake ran off, as he immediately sensed Leon nearby and ran off to get him, hoping to get help for Sherry. Blake eventually found Leon right after Ada left him shot in the sewers to chase Annette Birkin. Leon woke up to a bunch of sharp teeth inches from his face, and the feeling of a bullet hole in his shoulder. Leon hesitantly attempted to connect with Blake, and it obviously worked out, as Blake was more than happy to help Leon. Despite how gross it was to have a freakish human/animal beast killing and eating the creatures around Leon as he walked through the sewers, it was at least comforting to have someone... or something watching his back. It was especially helpful to realize Blake was taught certain commands via whistles, so Leon could direct Blake to do something by whistling a certain way.

   During the next battle with William while Leon was searching for a way to save Ada, Blake fell off the platform alongside the mutated scientist, separating Leon and Blake again. (So, Blake wasn't around for Ada and Leon's very manipulative kiss, lol.) When he finally resurfaced, Blake found Claire again, who finished helping Sherry heal and found Annette, and the lockdown began. Blake helped Claire and Sherry some of the way, but broke away from them to find Leon.

   Blake returned to Leon's side right after Leon encountered Mr X for the final time; Blake ran in and attacked Mr X in a scene mirroring when Leon first realized Blake was friendly. Though instead of being run over after downing Mr X, Leon blasted the tyrant with a rocket launcher while Blake kept him distracted. After that, Blake grabbed Leon and leapt onto the train with him, nearly getting thrown off in the process when the edge of the train tunnel clipped his hip on the way through. The reunion between the four was smiles and relief, with all three of the humans acting far too casually about Blake being there.

   When William returned for one final run around, Blake stayed with Sherry until the final part of the battle, when Blake jumped into the train car to prevent William from getting any closer to Claire while she recovered, then grabbed onto her and leapt back to the driving car before they could be left behind. Blake also nearly fell off the train car in the process, but thankfully managed to climb back in with Leon and Claire's help.

-After Raccoon City-

   Blake was a very interesting sight for the people who found Leon, Sherry, and Claire after the escape. The initial truck driver they saw on the road literally screamed and sped off at full throttle when he saw him. Which made Leon laugh, as he'd forgotten it wasn't normal to not be terrified of someone like Blake, a sentiment shared, as Claire and Sherry both laughed along with him.

   It was hard not to be immediately recognized as someone the government should look into with Blake following them around, so the government quickly picked him up alongside Sherry. Although when they realized Blake had no diseases, they were a little more lax... and instantly became unsettled when they realized Blake would go absolutely mental without Leon around. It wasn't long before they tracked Leon down and 'gently persuaded' him to join the government as an agent; both because he survived hell and came back, but also because Blake was extremely volatile without him. So, Blake and Leon were reunited, and after they were put in training together, it didn't take long before Leon realized Blake's 'friendliness' was actually more like romantic interest.

...Surprisingly, though, Leon didn't immediately hate the idea, which definitely left Leon with some self-reflecting to do about why the hell he was actually considering it. By the events of Resident Evil 4, Leon is actually at the point of considering taking a crack at a relationship with a mutant beast, and the ensuing adventure with the Los Plagas only ends up cementing to Leon that he actually has hidden feelings for Blake.

-Abilities-

Enhanced Durability/Armor Scales - (Source: Arapaima, Komodo Dragon, Pangolin, Vampire Bat, African Dwarf Crocodile) His body is covered with tiny scales made of thick bone, augmented with iron from its partially-hematophagous diet. He also has crocodile-like osteoderms and pangolin-like armor scutes on his back, which are also augmented. This iron augmentation also affects its hollow bones, teeth, and claws.

Enhanced Speed/Reflexes/Bite/Strength - (Source: Jaguar, Komodo Dragon, Vampire Bat, Short-tailed Shrew, African Dwarf Crocodile) He has extremely powerful muscles, especially in his limbs and jaw, which are also full of sharp teeth. His teeth vary in shape and size, which made them grow in crooked, but also make his bites more devastating. Some teeth are serrated and hooked back, which makes it difficult for anything he bites to escape.

Disease/Venom Resistance - (Source: Turkey Vulture, Axolotl, Komodo Dragon, Short-tailed Shrew, African Dwarf Crocodile) He is extremely resistant to disease and venom, to the point that many assume he's entirely immune. He is reportedly immune to Umbrella Corporation diseases, though it's not entirely known if this is because of something they did to his genome or if this is because of his natural resistances.

Electricity Production - (Source: Electric Eel, Axolotl) His bones, claws, and teeth conduct electricity from the iron augmentation and electric glands in his throat, avoiding shocking himself because his organs are surrounded by a thick layer of fat and separated from directly effecting them, and any damage it does cause is healed quickly.

Acidic Projectile Vomit - (Source: Turkey Vulture) His digestive acid is as potent and corrosive as battery acid, and he can forcibly projectile vomit his stomach contents. This can burn and cause extreme damage to both organic and inorganic materials.

Fire Breath - (Source: Turkey Vulture, Electric Eel, Axolotl) This is an unnatural power made by the Umbrella corporation tampering highly with his genetics. He has specialized organs inside his body full of hydrogen from the food he eats, instead of releasing it by burping. Hydrogen is both lighter than air and flammable, and he can force the hydrogen out of his organs, like a forced burp. This 'burp' is reflexively ignited by the electric gland as it reaches his throat, causing a 'burp' of fire.

Retractable Claws - (Source: Jaguar, Komodo Dragon) His claws are retractable, and when retracted, appear barely sticking out of his fingers, similar to sharp fingernails. When fully extended, they're long, curved, and sharp. Because of the shape, when his claws are retracted, it's hard for him to hold his hands straight, so he often holds his hands with his fingers partially curled.

Venomous Bite - (Source: Komodo Dragon, Short-tailed Shrew, Vampire Bat) He has venomous saliva that can stop the blood from clotting in an organism he bites. This would eventually cause anything he bites to bleed out and die.

High Metabolism/He can eat a lot - (Source: Komodo Dragon, Short-tailed Shrew, Turkey Vulture.) He's made specifically for killing and disposing of dead Umbrella mutants, so his digestive system is extremely powerful and works very fast, and can digest most materials, including bone.

Infrared Sensing/Enhanced Senses/Echolocation - (Source: Vampire Bat, Jaguar, Komodo Dragon, Pangolin) He has heat-sensing pits in his nose that help him detect warmth, enhanced senses, echolocation, and the ability to smell chemicals in the air with his tongue.

Prehensile Tail - (Source: Pangolin) Like a pangolin, he has a long, prehensile tail that he can use to hold things or climb around.

Regenerative Healing - (Source: Axolotl, African Dwarf Crocodile) He can regenerate and heal wounds that most creatures wouldn't be able to. He can, for example, regrow missing limbs, heal a broken spine, and regrow part of his head.

Palatal Valve/Throat Pouch/Crop - (Source: Turkey Vulture, Komodo Dragon, African Dwarf Crocodile) Like a Crocodile, he has a palatal valve to help him shut his throat off. He also has a crocodile-like pouch that can also be used to store objects, though it's not located in his throat, but rather, located deeper around his stomach area, which also has a valve. This aspect of his biology was specifically made to transport objects of importance, such as vials of viruses, without risk of getting lost or broken.

-Extra Info-

Resident Evil has a cool motif where the monsters/villains are based on types of horror or scary mythology. Zombies (Duh), Mr X/Jack Baker = Slasher Movies, Lady Dimitrescu = Dracula, etc. So, to continue with that theme, Blake is based on genetic experimentation horror; Jurassic Park/World, The Fly (1986), El Chupacabra, etc.

Possible trigger warnings?: -Body Horror/Loss of humanity -Human experimentation -Guns (None are actually fired, but it's fiddled with.)

Genre: Sci-fi

Context/Synopsis: Taking place between the events of RE:2 and RE:4; Leon gets deployed to check on suspected Umbrella activity. After he's attacked by a group of small bird-like creatures, he falls into a cave and gets knocked out, only to meet the big head-honcho of the freakshow... but, for once, the umbrella creature isn't hostile?

Characters featured: -Leon S Kennedy -Blake (RE Self-insert)