#re analysis

Featuring the often ignored Leonbubu

I'm so upset that the Rugged Rookie charm is one that you keep in your inventory. And it looks so cute beside the Clairebubu.

I want cute photos of Grace with a gun in her hand and a Leobubu dangling from it goddamnit!

The fact its a Grace only charm is so cute to me, like BAM. The comparison between RE2R Leon and Grace really hit me square in the face. How subtle.

BONUS

Leon Imitating his wife

Wow, theyre really two peas in a pod, huh.

Its almost as if they're partners

Almost like they're... trusted companions

Spoilers: This is gonna be highly clinical but I did my best to explain things in layman's educational terms too, but if anyone needs clarification on certain things, please feel free to ask!

TW// discussion of alcoholism, depression, suicide, and other aspects of mental health and trauma

This is somewhat difficult to fully nail down because I can't talk to Leon or ask questions in the manner I'd use when diagnosing a patient (granted, I can't do that anyway 'cause I'm not licensed yet, but I've practiced with fictional scenarios so I guess that's sorta what I'm doing here anyway lol). We also aren't privy to most of his personal life and we don't get to see him outside of the field, which is where I'd probably get the most information for this, but this is what I've got relative to psychology since that's what one of my degrees is in:

C-PTSD --> Pretty much everyone has at least some idea of PTSD due to pop culture depictions and it's prevalence in media and society, specifically as it relates to combat veterans, but in Leon's case I think C-PTSD would be the proper diagnosis. While PTSD is often caused by a singular or acute trauma (car accident, witnessing a death, getting shot, etc.) the C in C-PTSD stands for complex which is another type of trauma categorized by repeated or prolonged exposure to trauma. So in Leon's case, the initial trauma would've been Raccoon City, but since he is continuously put in situations like that over and over again for over a decade, it would be a complex trauma rather than an acute one. Now technically speaking, C-PTSD isn't listed in the DSM-5, but it's still pretty widely recognized since any therapist or future-therapist worth a shit understands that while the DSM is the diagnostic guide, it's not without issues. Due to the process, it tends to be sorta "outdated", and there are problem with some of the diagnostic criteria, especially for things like ADHD since it's typically based on how the condition presents in white men (or young, white boys for ADHD specifically). Very long story short, the APA and WHO are at war over if C-PTSD is a separate condition or if it's a subsection of PTSD but as I've been taught, things in the field of psych and especially if they're related to trauma often exist on a spectrum so treating the patient in a manner that works for them is more important than semantics.

C-PTSD and PTSD are both generally categorized by re-experiencing the traumatic event (rumination, flashbacks), anxiety related to the event (which usually takes the form of avoidance behaviors), hypervigilance, negative sense of self pertaining to the event (survivor's guilt), difficulty maintaining relationships, and sometimes even things like anger. And given not only what Leon experienced but the things he does throughout the series, I think C-PTSD is pretty much a given.

2. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) [Alcoholism] --> In the medical/psych realm, alcoholism is referred to as AUD technically. Alcoholism is the colloquial term and from what I've personally experienced, it's sometimes used in lecture or things of that manner to get everyone on the same page, but in studies and in the DSM it's AUD. Now AUD as it relates to Leon is somewhat contested in the fandom, usually using anecdotal information (which is highly problematic in this situation), but let it be known that the way Leon drinks is not healthy. AUD specifically (and it's a spectrum, so it ranges in severity) is marked by the following:

He displayed at least 3 of these on screen-- the qualifier is 2, mind you-- and given his behavior I'd argue it's probably a bit more than just these 3 highlighted in yellow but that would be more speculative. The three yellows, however, are covered by Damnation and Vendetta specifically. Drinking on the job, drinking specifically because he feels he fucked up at work, he's obviously binge drinking, etc. And I'd argue 10a and 11b are covered as well considering he drank an entire. bottle. in VD and was STILL going (10a) and it's specifically stated in the novel that he was drinking to help his hangover from his previous day of binge-drinking, so there's 11b too. Those 5 alone are enough to qualify him for moderate AUD by psych standards and that's without my personal speculation so, he's definitely got it. It also doesn't help that AUD and C/PTSD are highly co-morbid (meaning they tend to present together and having one significantly increases your risk of having the other, usually directionally).

Tyrant? You can finesse the tyrant. You can juke the tyrant. The tyrant is listening for noise, following it, and hoping it's you there. Get the right set up, and you can keep that thing wandering the same building for hours while you make your escape.

G-Virus Birkin? Same concept as the tyrant, but with the slight variant that it's looking to breed. Regardless, it's still prioritizing people that share genetic code with it's host. Unless you are a 3rd cousin twice removed and didn't know about it, you're probably fine using the same methods you would against a tyrant. Just watch out for the weird baby things.

The plaga-infected bosses in RE4? You can have a whole conversation with them.👏🏾 You can antagonize them.👏🏾 You can throw them off their rhythm.👏🏾 This is a valuable tool that not many bioweapons have a weakness for because they don't have the capability to communicate.

Ustanak? You could argue that this was their attempt at making a new Nemesis. It utilizes tools and follows you from place to place. That being said, the tools are mechanical prosthetics that an unknown third party is swapping out each time it's released. It's not acting on entirely it's own. To be succinct, it's more like an overgrown garrador who's eyes weren't sewn shut.

RE7 Jack and RE8 Dimitrescu? Same issue as the RE4 plaga bosses. You can talk to them. You can finesse them. You can throw them off their rhythm.

Now Nemesis? It is a literal hunter, and you are the deer walking through the woods. It can speak well enough to scare you, but not enough to communicate with you. There's no verbally throwing it off it's rhythm. It can use multiple tools from heavy artillery, to strategically toppling buildings on you, to developing new prehensile limbs in order to grab you. It is intelligent in that it will utilize the environment, and your own weapons against you.

It can be given multiple assignments and remain goal oriented. It wasn't sent to kill one person. It wasn't sent to kill an area of people within a zone. It was given orders to kill a specific group of people and memorized their faces. You also can't finesse Nemesis! It will catch on to your patterns and corner you when you think you've gotten ahead. It will follow you from building to building from street to street for miles and miles and fucking GET your ass.

Also, if you somehow manage to take it down, it's body will evolve in a way that the same method won't work a second time. You have to find something else to do to kill it. Multiple times. The speed in which it regenerates means you don't really get much time to sleep and regain your bearings between these murder attempts.

Jill Valentine is a martyr, a saint, a hero and a knight.

is it just me or jill have this rolling religious theme in her design/writing?

just after looking at her 30th anniversary postcards i realised her corset/top looks like armor plate.

...which makes sense, because jill has some religious themes in her character writing/design.

•jill has gospel lyrics written on her necklace (source: reddit)

(although, this might also be just a "on the nose" joke referencing her being chased by nemesis)

•jill shares some characteristics with saint Joan of Arc

there's the armor stuff i just mentioned, but also minor things like short hair, nationality (jill is french-japanese) - those things could be a coincidence, but hear me out.

Joan of Arc "claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who gained recognition as a savior of France". vlaire also has some religious iconography in her designs (angels), so in the case of RE universe, the "divine guidance" may also be seen as ultimate good and justice.

think about it - most antagonists are characterised as people "playing god". wesker has some god complex, birkin manipulates human biology and thru the course of re2 he becomes a mighty, powerful figure whos strength is god-like. irons and people like mayor warren rule raccoon city, choosing who to punish or spare. irons, for the raccoon city, is an symbol of justice and authority. a touch of religous theme may be found in re2r in "raccoon monthly" file:

"stern father" and "sinful citizens" gives me everything i need to know.

there's also the fact that both jill and Joan were in the army. Joan led successful military campains and restored french army's morale by bringing hope.

Joan of Arc was punished by being burnt at the stake, like a witch or sacrificial animal. she defended her country, yet was punished for that. jill was also punished for doing good - surviving the spencer mansion, killing nemesis. she kind of "dies" in re5, but we all know that.

• the shape of nemesis behind jill's head resembles a halo found in christian art and iconography

"I wanted him to replace me."

Surely Piers was being trained to take Chris' job ideally after a decent retirement party, but neither of them get that luxury because Edonia happens, and Chris is gone. The beloved captain has vanished, and the person who's supposed to take his job is right there, so they give it to him. It's Piers responsibility to not only be a face of what the BSAA represents, but also the heavy shackles of expectations are slapped onto him.

Everyone wants Chris, which means Piers can't be himself nor figure out how to run the same jobs his way. No, it has to be Chris' way. There's no time for anyone to adjust and shift gears either with the C-Virus outbreaks, the terrorist attacks from Ada*(Carla), and the search party he shambled together to locate the missing Redfield. So he tries his damnedest to fill Chris' shoes and suddenly realizes just how out of his depth he is. There were so many reasons people called Chris for certain tasks, even tasks Piers hadn't known about and definitely hadn't been trained on, that Piers never saw. There's no mentor to dial. No reference other than fellow soldiers saying things like, "We don't know how, he just got it done," which is the least helpful thing in the world. Hell, there's barely any notes to go through when he searches Chris' office for a semblance of a hint as to how he should do this job.

Maybe it turns out Chris was doing his best to gently ease that heavy mantle into Piers' hands. It's why his scheduled retirement seemed so far away at the time. Perhaps, after one comment too many where he'd been accidentally addressed by the name of his captain for the 50th time, Piers breaks. He can't do this. He's not ready for this. He needs the one person who did all this back by any means necessary, so he drops all the work and joins the search party. He verbally harasses an amnesiac Chris into coming back because maybe it isn't that bad. Maybe Chris just needs a reminder of what he's been doing everyday for literal years and things would be back to normal again.

But it's not. It's messier. It's uglier. This isn't the Chris he worked so hard to fight alongside. There are glimpses of him in there, but most of the time in China, Piers feels like he's working with a stranger. People die, and Chris keeps pushing forward no matter how much he's shouted at, and Piers feels like this is all his fault. The deaths are his fault because he couldn't buckle down and do what Chris originally wanted him to do. Take Chris' place. Replace him. Be better than him.

So when they go to that underwater facility, and their backs are against the wall, there's the looming sense of failure and a terrifying amount of pressure. If they get out of this alive, who knows when Chris would be back in shape to work again if that ever happens. Piers would have to be responsible. He was already responsible for the squad he gathered to take up this job, and they were skewed into pieces around downtown Lanshiang. Take Chris' place. Replace him. Be better than him, and Piers failed on all accounts. He couldn't get Chris back the way he was supposed to be. His squad was dead. The responsibility he'd have to take up if they made it out alive would be nigh unbearable, and then he gets infected.

He gets infected and suddenly the decision is so easy. To let go. To hope for the best. To be the one left behind when he was supposed to be the one moving towards the future. Another glimpse of the Chris that Piers knew is seen, a more confident glimpse wherein Chris does everything he can to try and save him. And Piers smiles when Chris fails. When he saves Chris. When he seems to finally do one thing right after things never seemed to stop falling apart.

Thought Process: The G-Virus when unmanaged seen in Birkin (RE2) and Curtis (RE:Degeneration) prioritizes reproduction and accumulating mass as quickly as possible unlike other bioweapon viruses.

The G-Virus when given treatment to tame it (RE2) and allowed to develop within Sherry's body shifts goals to keeping her alive via progressive healing (RE6). However, you can't get something out of nothing. Where is it getting the energy from to speed up the healing process? Muscle is one thing, but her body gaining and losing muscle suddenly could be more damaging in the long run than it could be helpful.

Fat, on the other hand, already has a lot of uses within the body. One of them being cushioning your organs. You know, a natural layer of protection around them so they don't beat each other up whenever you decide to move. Not to mention it provides insulation and it has a fuckton of calories available that can be turned into energy for, say, healing a wound in a few minutes. The body is more prone to hold on to fat as well during what it perceives as periods of famine(cough diet culture cough).

So, in theory, the latent G-virus could learn from her developing years that using muscle or other parts of the body to supplement healing was causing damage it also kept having to find ways to heal. However, fat was not doing similar damage as long as too much wasn't removed. Her body using all of that energy to go through puberty on top of the latent G-virus healing minor to moderate injuries would result in a thin Sherry until she was old enough to dictate her own diet.

Her body could then react to having as much food as she needs/wants to eat as a sign they were "out of the famine" and hold onto any excess fat just in case. The latent G-virus could also encourage this process because the excess fat was an easily accessible energy source to heal more serious injuries attained once she started training and working for the government. This would also mean at any job where she comes back on the thin side that her health was in a serious danger zone.

How much more serious did the organ donation process become after every outbreak?

What about blood donations? Did they add a rule barring outbreak survivors?

What's the general stigma around being an outbreak survivor? Does the general public pity or admire them like they survived a war zone, or do they judge them with vitriol and the fear they could turn at any second? Would the possible fear of them be reliant on where they survived like people from Raccoon get more sympathy than people from other countries?

Fake news broadcasts and conspiracy theorists behave in what manner to all this information? Who are their scape goats? Who's silenced and how?

How do pharmaceutical companies deal with regaining the public's trust after one of their higher up members is revealed to be misusing their facilities for terrorist activities? Degeneration did show that society is faster to protest anything slightly suspect.

There are a surplus of ex umbrella employees based on blue umbrella even existing in re7. Would they have been forced to look for work in places that don't require background checks? How many were immediately recruited by the military? Were minor staff like janitors and receptionists subject to the same harsh treatment despite never being apart of or aware of the bioweapon production process until it was too late?

How many jokes from college students are there which are equivalent to "yeah I have a humanities degree, but at least I don't work for a drug company 😂" because of these events? Like mocking business majors.

Was there ever an outbreak via a terrorist group utilizing annual vaccine shots like the flu shot?

How did medical distribution regulations change? What politicians were cutting regulations and adding loopholes after their pockets were lined? Who's enforcing the rules regardless, and are they well funded or poorly funded? Does their funding change every 2.5 years? Every 4 years?

What about in other countries? Who's leading the charge on high quality safety regulations and evacuation/quarantine measures? Who has the worst due to an uncaring government or a greedy one?

What misinformation is regularly spread around any new drug or advancement to heal or treat diseases that have always been there due to fear of being infected?