History WMG / SilentHillHomecoming

Notice how many events occur that seem to defy even Silent Hill logic, such as Alex Shepherd passing out in the Rose Heights Cemetary and magically appearing in the town of Silent Hill to effect events that really happen there, Alex's outlandish trips to the Otherworld such as Hell Descent not being based upon any physical structure, and so forth. It's notable that the Otherworld sequence that takes place in Alex's home is one the few place where the Otherworld emulates the layout of the real home which makes sense as Alex would know the layout of the place very well. Every other place in the Otherworld takes on a more labyrinthine, dreamlike appearance as Alex doesn't have any prior memories to go on. It also explains how at one point, Alex is able to take a power drill to the leg from Judge Holloway without dying of a severed artery and doesn't even have trouble walking after that.

His speech patterns do not fit a military man; he never accidentally or purposefully uses military terms or slang that would present in a real soldier's speech. Not one person says to him, "Alex! You're on leave!" or "Alex! You've been discharged!" or even, "You're out now?" Alex might be wearing a Special Forces patch, and this would excuse his much-too-long hair (for regular Army), but no one comments about the patch or the hair. (Excuse Curtis on the grounds that he derisively comments, “Soldier boy, now,� as if he knows Alex is a fake or mistaken.) Alex is also young for a Special Forces operator, not to mention lacking a beard.

Often, a charlatan can convince an outsider he belongs to a group, but not an insider. Imagine a conman talking stocks well enough to fool someone who knows nothing, but setting off huge red flags when he misuses key words or doesn't understand certain concepts when he talks to a broker. Alex is that on crack. His mother knows he's hospitalized but is catatonic anyway. Travis buys the kid's story as he picks up Alex; nothing in his background says he would know better. Judge Holloway knows him and is unlikely to question why he might have such a jacket; she probably saw him pick up Elle in it a few years ago! Curtis may be either sarcastic in calling Alex a soldier or else fooled, as was Travis. Wheeler does give a slight ex-mil vibe, and he might have asked questions later if he had such experience, but surviving the incoming horde of Schisms and Siam took priority. Alternatively, Wheeler knew and never brought it up; there is a photo of him with Adam on a boat which suggests they were friends and Wheeler is surprised to talk to Alex. (“The sheriff's kid? But I thought you were...� 1st Smog attacks)

Despite the early weapons fire and explosion, no one later asks Alex about the war or says, “Thank God you came home safe!� This is surprising in and of itself, but when Alex is immediately asking about his squad, he looks up to see a doctor in bloody scrubs and a hospital that is very much a nightmare. A civilian nightmare. No medics or patients in uniforms amongst the corpses. No combat boots under the gowns. No scattered rank insignia, cheerful government posters, lists of inane or reasonable regulations, portraits of the chain of command, or paperwork which refers to ranks. [[SarcasmMode And if that's the new uniform for female nurses in the Army, I left too early.]]

The weaponsfire suggests that Alex came off the battlefield, as does his initial ranting at the beginning. However, it sounds ersatz and uses a foley which would be strange to hear in reality. It sounds more convincing to an untrained ear. Despite screaming about his squad, Alex isn't brought to a hospital made out of tents. If Alex were ever wounded in combat, his experience would have been of such a place. If he were military and had experienced military hospitals, it doesn't show at all in the nightmare. However, the appearance and structure of the hospital is perfectly consistent with Alex having been brought to Alchemilla and incorporating elements of it into his dream. We know Silent Hill is capable of sending a person into some very strange places, including places outside of Silent Hill, when it takes over the mind. We also know the town LOVES to draw in elements from its latest chew toy's mind into its visions and otherworldly [[MindScrew MindScrews]] (isn't that right, James?) There is nothing that hints in the slightest Alex has seen (or has ever seen) a military hospital, at least not since his youth. Likewise, we know Silent Hill has NO trouble with messing with memories (isn't that right, James?) Even if Alex were committed without having had false memories, Silent Hill could provide him with them easily.

* Well, it makes more sense than the [[{{What Do You Mean it's not symbolic}} official explanation]], anyway.

** Being in combat at 18 is not unusual in the US Army. Put simply, I spent an entire year in contact with the enemy with some members of my unit only being aged 18-19. What's very unusual is the idea of being 22 and having passed the schools that Alex is representing with his stupid Special Forces jacket but still separating at 22 without obvious signs of injury. Lynch's military occupational specialty was basically a glorified warehouse position and pretty much anyone can pass that school if they have a pulse, two hands, and two feet. This is not a slam on Ms. Lynch herself, but this is the description of her [[http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/administrative-support/unit-supply-specialist.html MOS here]]. Not exactly the hard-charging grunt life. The army isn't exactly shy about who's supposed to do much more of the fighting. Compare an infantryman's [[http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/combat/infantryman-11b.html MOS description]], which is very clear about it being a combat-oriented roll. Infantrymen, 11B's, are the basic grunt in the service. Alex, on the other hand, is wearing Special Forces insignia. He would be laughed off the face and possibly assaulted if he really hadn't passed all the training for it. If he had earned it, why would he separate so early from the service if he had adapted so well to the life?

This Troper caught on, oh, sometime shortly after seeing the character model, except that he initially suspected Alex was a soldier and his 'fakeness' stemmed from bad research. There just was no [[StephenColbert truthiness]] to the character's story. Now, it's pure FridgeBrilliance how well they made up Alex as a poser trying to fool everyone, including himself.

[[folder: Alex both [[spoiler: was and wasn't]] in the military]]

[[WMG: Alex both [[spoiler: was and wasn't]] in the military]]
He was in the military for a while, or at least in training, but suffered a mental breakdown at some point and was put in an institution or the hospital because of it. Part of him believed it was just a temporary thing and that he would be able to go back, but another part believed that he would never get over his breakdown and that he would be crazy forever. This is why there's a conflict: he really does have some military training, but since he sees it as something he was doing for therapy and now is afraid that he'll never be "normal" again his mind tells him he was always crazy.

[[folder:Because ''Homecoming's'' American dev team is actually at least a little more competent then suspected at the Silent Hill-style of symbolism and storytelling, we can believe that Alex [[spoiler: really WAS in the military.]]]]

What cinches this is the note in the Shepherd house attic he left about going to Silent Hill to fight the order. This obviously happened before Alex even arrived back in Shepherd's Glen, and it seems silly that the Order would've waited so long to kill him, especially after they waste very little time with his mother. Alex's father is already dead.

Also note that the world is starting to get screwy at this point. Before entering the church, Alex is in the Otherworld, but after going through the doors, its clearly the Foggedworld. This is at odds with the transition presented in the rest of the game, where the change happens in real-time like the movie instead of sudden like in previous games. This troper ascribes to the theory that there are actually ''three'' Silent Hill towns: in other words, the fog-covered abandoned town with only a few monsters is actually just as "unreal" as the Otherworld, and a real town, fully functioning and populated, exists, it's just that the protagonists never actually make it there. Thus, the failure of the ritual and the consequences of that failure are manifesting as the worlds bleeding into reality. Supporting characters who fill places like Elle and Wheeler are usually good for seeing the monsters, but they and the Order members reacting to and being in Otherworld is a little more telling of this. Also note that until now, the old shifting pattern has been followed closely. Alex finds himself in Otherworld, defeats a boss, loses consciousness somehow, and then wakes up in a completely different place in Foggedworld. When he defeats Asphyxia, however, ''nothing happens.'' Furthermore, the ''beginning'' of the game is just plain weird. Judge Halloway and Elle seem to have no clue there are monsters in the streets. It's even possible to talk to Judge Halloway in the town hall after seeing Lurkers in Shepherd's Glen, and the subject never comes up. To be fair, Halloway wouldn't be surprised since she's in on it, but Elle seems to have no impression that she isn't in the real world. One would think that the bottomless pits in the streets would at least draw her notice.

Alex has already started seeing the dead (his brother,) so his father in the church not being his actual father isn't much of a stretch at all. Adam Shepherd reveals that Alex has never been in the military. During the time Alex thinks he enlisted, went through boot camp, served overseas, and spent time in a VA hospital after being wounded, he has actually been in a mental institution. The dogtags around his neck are actually his father's, cleverly disguised since they both have the same first initial. Note that real US Army dogtags don't do this, they have the full first name, meaning the tags are unreliable evidence. On a similar note, the patch on the arm of Alex's jacket doesn't match the unit his father is listed under in his discharge form, so he couldn't have appropriated the jacket from his father's old stuff (a surplus store, sure, but work with me here.)

This is why Alex reacts blandly when his father drops the revelation. To be tongue-in-cheek for a moment, he's [[GenreSavvy played Silent Hill]] games before and he realizes that his father's revelation isn't literal truth, but symbolic. Pyramid Head murdering Adam Shepherd is Alex's self-worth finally ''discarding the idea that his father's approval is required for him to live his life.'' The death is painful, violent and bloody, mirroring the internal struggle a man would go through in this process. Indeed, notice that for the death itself, Alex reacts as we expect him to, with horror and anguish.

* In one of Alex's diaries, he mentions physical therapy and needing a wheelchair and then crutches to get around. He goes into enough detail and is consistent enough that it sounds like a real injury to me-and while you can get injured in a hospital, it does fit with the story in the diary- that Alex was injured and brought back from overseas. Also, I don't know much about hospitals, but wouldn't a hospital that's for people with mental problems have different equipment than a VA hospital? Would a mental hospital have the right equipment for physical therapy? He also mentions [=MPs=] and and needing the right papers to get out-papers which he doesn't have because the doctors are concerned about the nightmares that he has every single night. So he comes up with an escape plan and sneaks out and gets a ride with Travis. So where does the uniform come from? (People have commented that his uniform isn't authentic, but other people have also commented that you can't make a truly authentic uniform, so let's just pretend it is authentic for that world). Alex can't have walked into some surplus store in hospital clothing and said "Please give me a uniform for free becauase I'm a poor escaped mental patient with no money". So he must have had the outfit to begin with. His parents wouldn't have given it to him. If I was a nurse or a doctor in a mental hospital, I wouldn't give him something that would feed his delusions. It makes more sense that it's his and has been his. Besides, I know that if I made myself a fake history as a soldier, I'd give myself a higher rank than Private First Class!

[[folder: Because ''Homecoming's'' American dev team is actually American, they were able to create a really convincing fake that someone familiar with the [[spoiler: real Army and real soldiers would immediately spot as a faker. They wanted it that way because Alex himself is a schizo of some kind with just enough knowledge of the military to BS himself, and they were trying to draw the character as realistically as his 'true' history allows]].]]

Alex Screams Fake: First, his clothing. Alex wears his dog tags outside his shirt and a Special Forces Patch on a civilian jacket. The outfit itself simply isn't something which a soldier on his way home from leave would be likely to wear, and I can't even imagine the grief his fellow SFer's would give him for wearing that jacket. (Or, if he weren't Special Forces but wore the patch anyway, the much worse grief his fellows would give him.) His clothing looks like it was purchased at a surplus store by someone who wanted to look like a troop, but wasn't really in the know. Most troops on leave try to avoid wearing anything that reminds them they've got duty waiting for them at the end.

The weaponsfire suggests that Alex came off the battlefield, as does his initial ranting at the beginning. However, it sounds ersatz and uses a foley which would be strange to hear in reality. It sounds more convincing to an untrained ear. Despite screaming about his squad, Alex isn't brought to hospital made out of tents. If Alex were ever wounded in combat, his experience would have been of such a place. If he were military and had experienced military hospitals, it doesn't show at all in the nightmare. However, the appearance and structure of the hospital is perfectly consistent with Alex having been brought to Alchemilla and incorporating elements of it into his dream. We know Silent Hill is capable of sending a person into some very strange places, including places outside of Silent Hill, when it takes over the mind. We also know the town LOVES to draw in elements from its latest chew toy's mind into its visions and otherworldly [[MindScrew MindScrews]] (isn't that right, James?) There is nothing that hints in the slightest Alex has seen (or has ever seen) a military hospital, at least not since his youth. Likewise, we know Silent Hill has NO trouble with messing with memories (isn't that right, James?) Even if Alex were committed without having had false memories, Silent Hill could provide him with them easily.

The flashlight. Oh, no, not those pieces of crap. In the Nightmare, Alex is carrying a flashlight which he possibly played with as a child, and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic? Not to read too much into a flashlight, but, as soon as Basic Training is over those things are thrown into the trash, given to kid brothers and sisters and sons (ahem) and daughters, or otherwise left behind. You couldn't even give them to a surplus shop. It seems odd Silent Hill would give him an item which is so obviously military in origin - and which is used by no one in the military except when they're forced to in training - unless it was tied to his far-more-important (to Silent Hill) civilian childhood.

The missing pictures of Alex on the walls of the Shepherd house, as well as/especially the cassette tape are easily interpreted into this. It's particularly telling that while Adam Shepherd confesses [[spoiler: that he deliberately raised Alex as little more than a routine]] he specifically tells ''Josh'' that he [[spoiler: doesn't want to "be like" Alex when he's older.]] Clearly, Alex's father walked in on him fooling around with another guy when he was in high school, and the missing photos etc. weren't symptomatic of their ruined plans for the ritual but because they're small-town, sheltered people, being unable to properly parse the idea that their son was 'different.' The fact that their [[spoiler: membership in the Order]] marks them as different themselves doesn't necessarily mean they would be open-minded about this particular issue, as homophobia in its many orders of magnitude doesn't always have religion as a factor.

It's certainly a workable explanation for the pointless but very overt sexual overtones present everywhere, as well as a large (though certainly not the only) source of the deep-seated, inappropriate guilt required of most characters in the series. The romantic undertones with Elle are so insignificant because she's not his love interest, she's just his BFF. Insert this into the above theory for another "wrong" reason Alex joined the military; to prove to his father that he's still a man. The Schism suddenly makes sense with this, considering its head is basically a giant phallus split down the middle, and the Lurker's [[VaginaDentata face]] might be telling, as well. Even the nurse fits, a chick with big knockers that Alex certainly does not want on any level. If one considers Alex's diary (found on the official website, where it's presented as more of a blog) to be canon, his rather's sudden, surprisingly shallow and very short comment about the hot nurses doesn't have to be stretched very far at all to be viewed as something a closeted soldier would say to keep up the hetero act.

This could also be why Alex's parents [[spoiler: chose him for the ritual, because he wouldn't continue the family line.]] Puts an interesting spin to the scene where Alex's mother is [[spoiler: on the rack and telling him she's sorry, as she specifically describes the situation as "having to choose one" of them for the ritual.]] Perhaps latching onto this as a ''reason'' for the choice only compounded the guilt later, more so than simply flipping a coin would have, because it's not Alex's fault. Perhaps a contributing factor for Adam Shepherd being driven over the edge and [[spoiler:sparing Alex/betraying the Order.]]

* Well, it makes more sense than the [[{{What Do You Mean its not symbolic}} official explanation]], anyway.

* Actually, the Siam can be interpreted in another way so as to support that Alex is simply gay. Since it can arguably be said to symbolize the enslavement of femininity to masculinity, than it can be argued that it represents Alex's suppression of his homosexuality – since homosexuality has been stereotyped by effeminate mannerisms and behavior, thus being the 'feminine' half of the Siam – in favor of trying very hard to come across as being heterosexual – which is in contrast comes across as trying to be much more macho and is thereby symbolizes by the male half. Alex is, essentially, enslaved to society's conventions on sexuality and what constitutes 'manliness' while viewing his homosexuality as being feminine. Considering the fact that he's from a small town and that his parents probably had displayed homophobic tendencies in the past and that his parents always favored Josh over him meant that he came to view his homosexuality as being something inherently wrong with him and started a landslide of denial and trying to prove to them that he ''didn't'' feel that way about his own gender.
* Furthermore, despite what some people assume, there wasn't actually romantic undertones to Alex and Elle's relationship. The fact that she was his best friend screams FagHag to me. Let's also look at what PH looks like to him: Freakishly tall, shirtless and with a bodybuilder's physique.

Think about it, the tape you find of Adam telling Josh not to play pretend games with Alex, the fact Alex hates his parents and just wanted an excuse to hate them more. the reason Holloway is the villain and not Adam is because he suspects her of killing Norah.
* Of course, the versions he tells Josh is slightly different than the ones we see-(although Josh having nightmares because of hearing about cults and demons and human sacrifices would make sense)-this is because Alex tells his brother a more child-friendly version of the stories we know. Eventually Alex began to add more details and eventually published them under the name "Alan Wake".

Lastly, let's talk about how James discovered the truth whenever he came to Silent Hill. An easy explanation for that is that James' revelation was something that hurt him. Silent Hill is supposed to be like Hell, so Alex being shown the thing that would hurt him the most (even if it's a lie) is consistent with James' story. Also, James himself actually admitted to [[spoiler:killing Mary]]. Alex, on the other hand was always in disbelief of him supposedly killing Josh.

Until I considered - the bosses in Silent Hill Homecoming don't seem to be related to Alex, but rather, to the Founding Families, and the children [[spoiler: they sacrificed.]] So if the bosses don't symbolize Alex, why should the other monsters?

This is the pattern whenever the Siams show up. Elle is helpless when the kids disappear, when Shepherd's Glen is overrun, when they're in the sewers, [[spoiler: when her mother reveals she's killed Elle's little sister Nora,]] everything is always completely out of Elle's control. In addition, Elle is captured or in danger whenever a Siam shows up, forcing Alex to fight them and rescue her - kind of like a white knight.

So perhaps Elle develops a sort of stockholm-esque crush on Alex, who's taking charge and running forward, while she lags behind, slowing him down as his 'weak spot'. Looking at the monster this way, the siam's design makes sense, and also why it would be something that a twisted Silent Hill might latch on to.

Until I considered - the bosses in Silent Hill Homecoming don't seem to be related to Alex, but rather, to the Founding Families, and the children [[Spoiler: they sacrificed.]] So if the bosses don't symbolize Alex, why should the other monsters?

The monster design in this installment confused me a bit, at first. The Siam, according to WordOfGod, is meant to symbolize... unrequitted love. Okay? I guess? Though a feminine figure trapped on the back of a brutish, rampaging male one didn't strike me as overly romantic.

Until I considered - the bosses in Silent Hill Homecoming don't seem to be related to Alex, but rather, to the Founding Families, and the children they sacrificed. So if the bosses don't symbolize Alex, why should the other monsters?

This is the pattern whenever the Siams show up. Elle is helpess when the kids disappear, when Shepherd's Glen is overrun, when they're in the sewers, [[spoiler: when her mother reveals she's killed Elle's little sister Nora,]] everything is always completely out of Elle's control. In addition, Elle is captured or in danger whenever a Siam shows up, forcing Alex to fight them and rescue her - kind of like a white knight.

This Troper caught on, oh, sometime shortly after seeing the character model, except that he initially suspected Alex was a soldier and his 'fakeness' stemmed from DidNotDoTheResearch. There just was no [[StephenColbert truthiness]] to the character's story. Now, it's pure FridgeBrilliance how well they made up Alex as a poser trying to fool everyone, including himself.

** Lastly, although we aren't really given much focus on the military aspect of him in the game, not all soldiers come back with PTSD. Some are genuinely proud of serving. Also, the aspects of the Otherworld in this game are not just a product of Alex's mind. The Otherworld bleeding into Shepherd's Glen is because of the founders and the history of the town.

** Lastly, although we aren't really given much focus on the military aspect of him in the game, not all soldiers come back with PTSD. Some are genuinely proud of what they've done. Also, the aspects of the Otherworld in this game are not just a product of Alex's mind. The Otherworld bleeding into Shepherd's Glen is because of the founders and the history of the town.

** Furthermore, despite what some people assume, there wasn't actually romantic undertones to Alex and Elle's relationship. The fact that she was his best friend screams FagHag to me.

[[folder: Alex [[spoiler:Alex didn't really kill Josh.]]]]

** Furthermore, despite what some people assume, there wasn't actually romantic undertones to Alex and Elle's relationship. The fact that she was his best friend screams FagHag to me.

** Or, the silly UFO endings are Alex trying to calm Josh down.

[[/folder]]

From ''TeamFortress2''. After completely breaking his mind, the power behind Silent Hill gave him superhuman powers and sent him back in time. No real evidence, but it would explain why he's so messed up.

* Alex being gay becomes {{Fridge Brilliance}} when combined with the "he really was in the military" folder above. Considering America's considerably [[{{Understatement}} questionable]] stances on homosexuals in the military, that creates for Alex yet another layer of doubt and frustration for Silent Hill to feed off of.

Alternatively, Alex wants to be a woman and fully intends to have that surgery someday, which would certainly explain the damned ''Siam.'' Seriously, just ''look'' at that thing and say with a straight face this doesn't make sense. This makes the Schism [[{{Squick}} even worse.]]
* {{This Troper}} Facepalmed so hard after reading this. That he nearly ''knocked out'' three of his teeth, thanks, {{Nightmare Fuel}}.

* Actually, the Siam can be interpreted in another way so as to support that Alex is simply gay. Since it can arguably be said to symbolize the enslavement of femininity to masculinity, than it can be argued that it represents Alex's suppression of his homosexuality – since homosexuality has been stereotyped by effeminate mannerisms and behavior, thus being the 'feminine' half of the Siam – in favor of trying very hard to come across as being heterosexual – which is in contrast comes across as trying to be much more macho and is thereby symbolizes by the male half. Alex is, essentially, enslaved to society's conventions on sexuality and what constitutes 'manliness' while viewing his homosexuality as being feminine. Considering the fact that he's from a small town and that his parents probably had displayed homophobic tendencies in the past and that his parents always favored Josh over him meant that he came to view his homosexuality as being something inherently wrong with him and started a landslide of denial and trying to prove to them that he <i>didn't</i> feel that way about his own gender.

[[folder: Alex is The Soldier]]]]