Alex's "war"

Post by **SakuraTsuji** » 27 Jun 2009

AuraTwilight wrote:
They get PTSD, repressed memories or phobias, they get depressed or turn to addictions. But what Alex has done, goes beyond simply denying it happened or developing a fear of water or getting flash-backs. Alex went to "war" during which time he got imaginary letters from Margaret and Elle, befriended an imaginary merchant kid, Sgt. Nash and had a whole platoon of imaginary buddies. There, he was doing all sorts of war related activities including watching the said imaginary buddies getting blown-up and, apparently imagining an injury which made him loose the use of his legs.

If Alex had issues with mental illness all of his life I would have bought it, but he didn't. In fact, Alex was portrayed as a perfectly balanced, healthy individual before the accident, and with that in mind you can see that his delusions were simply too complex and long-lasting to be caused by one trauma. No matter how horrible that trauma was.
He was still playing toy army games when he was like...17. Boy's not right.

Well, we can't really say Alex was completely balanced all his life. He had to live in some sort of delusion world considering he was shunned from his family his entire life. I mean, he could talk to Josh if his father wasn't around and Elle, and from what it seems, that's about it. He didn't have many friends, his parents were distant to him, so he had to create something to entertain himself and sustain his mind until he could get out of there. I think the whole thing with Josh though was just a trigger that forced him into that world permanently, until he was proven otherwise.

...and hey, I like playing with toys from time to time :< What's so bad about that?

Post by **unreadphilosophy** » 27 Jun 2009

What I can't get my head around is that if everything in the game was just a delusion that Alex had created, how could he have known everything that was happening regarding "The Order" and the sacrifices?

We know that Alex didn't create that with his mind. The game gives us evidence that shows the sacrifices were happening even before Alex had his mental breakdown. We also know that Alex had no idea about events until after Holloway had explained them to him in the final area of the game.

The only explanation that I can think of is that Alex got out of the hospital he was in, got back to Glenn with his delusion about Josh being still alive, and upon dealing with the final boss and seeing his brother's dead body, was able to have a self-healing moment by accepting his brother's death.

Post by **leftshoe18** » 27 Jun 2009

i don't think it's too far-fetched to think that Alex completely snapped. that definitely wasn't one of my problems with the game.

...Also, am I the only one who finds it a little redundant to spoiler things in a forum marked 'spoilers'? ._.

i know we've passed this point of discussion, but: the origins spoiler section was combined with the non-spoiler section when homecoming was released. i'm going to assume the same thing will happen to the homecoming spoiler section when shattered memories comes out.

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 27 Jun 2009

Refused to acknowledge she passed through puberty? That must have been rough. Hard to believe anyone snapping like that. Was she put in a mental institution, or did she still go to school and everything.

She lives in a group home, and was able to take special ed classes at a local high school.

What I can't get my head around is that if everything in the game was just a delusion that Alex had created, how could he have known everything that was happening regarding "The Order" and the sacrifices?

Are you talking about the Hospital scene where the doctors are the parents killing their children or stuff? That was a dream, so I figured that either Alex had latent ESP, or Josh's ghost showed it to him.

Post by **Revolverhawk** » 27 Jun 2009

AuraTwilight wrote:
Refused to acknowledge she passed through puberty? That must have been rough. Hard to believe anyone snapping like that. Was she put in a mental institution, or did she still go to school and everything.
She lives in a group home, and was able to take special ed classes at a local high school.

What I can't get my head around is that if everything in the game was just a delusion that Alex had created, how could he have known everything that was happening regarding "The Order" and the sacrifices?
Are you talking about the Hospital scene where the doctors are the parents killing their children or stuff? That was a dream, so I figured that either Alex had latent ESP, or Josh's ghost showed it to him.

Both latent ESP and Josh's ghost seem likely. Sacrifice victims seem to have special powers.

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 28 Jun 2009

Uh...what makes you think that? There's nothing about being a sacrifice that makes the children gifted. If Alex and/or Josh are "special", it's not because of their being marked as sacrifices.

Post by **ladytanaka** » 29 Jun 2009

unreadphilosophy wrote:What I can't get my head around is that if everything in the game was just a delusion that Alex had created, how could he have known everything that was happening regarding "The Order" and the sacrifices?

Where do you get this idea about everything in the game just being a delusion? ::blink blink::

The only explanation that I can think of is that Alex got out of the hospital he was in, got back to Glenn with his delusion about Josh being still alive, and upon dealing with the final boss and seeing his brother's dead body, was able to have a self-healing moment by accepting his brother's death.

I assumed that this was the case -- i.e., that for unknown reasons, Alex started having dreams about Josh, which drove him to somehow escape from the mental hospital (I don't think he would have been released, given that his delusions seems to be going strong), then he returned to Shepard's Grove where events in the game occur.

Post by **reap28** » 29 Jun 2009

well there is a ending where you are in a metal hospital and at the start you are in a mental hospital so i think that is the true ending because it seems more real like you did not go any where you just stayed there and imagined the whole thing and you are just crazy.....

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 29 Jun 2009

It's not the true ending. There is none, and if there was, it'd probably be the Leave Ending, since it's the ending that gets additional content if you get 100% completion.

Post by **Arsonist** » 05 Jul 2009

Adam does imply that something was wrong with Alex ever since he was a kid.

How? I the "I don't want you to be like your brother" could just be a reference to Adam thinking of Alex as lazy and irresponsible, like Alex mentioned Adam did. Besides, it seemed to me like Alex was playing with Josh. It's not uncommon for adults or teenagers to play with their kids or young siblings.

Either way, it's not THAT rare for an otherwise normal person to snap so hard they create a new world for themselves. I have a cousin who unfortunately did a similar thing, living in a world where she was a fairy tale princess and refused to acknowledge that her puberty ever happened.

I'm sorry to hear that, Aura. But I gotta ask, is mental illness common in your family? It could be genetic.

He was still playing toy army games when he was like...17. Boy's not right.

Did he? I don't remember that. I only remember he mentioned his parents selling them. It's possible that he was just keeping them around. I still have some of my toys around... Somewhere?

Post by **reap28** » 05 Jul 2009

They treated alex bad because he was the chosen sacrifice right? when you look around the house the remaining pictures don't have alex in them and when you go to the back yard and examine the swing set it said they got it for josh

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 05 Jul 2009

How? I the "I don't want you to be like your brother" could just be a reference to Adam thinking of Alex as lazy and irresponsible, like Alex mentioned Adam did.

Alex was gay. Religious family. IT ADDS UP.

I'm sorry to hear that, Aura. But I gotta ask, is mental illness common in your family? It could be genetic.
Indeed. I'm actually one of the most well-adjusted in my family, though my brother, sister, and father are a bit better off. My sister's the only one who has nothing wrong with her.

Did he? I don't remember that. I only remember he mentioned his parents selling them. It's possible that he was just keeping them around. I still have some of my toys around... Somewhere?

Alex was playing with them until they were disposed of, though, as evidenced earlier.

Post by **Arsonist** » 10 Jul 2009

Indeed. I'm actually one of the most well-adjusted in my family, though my brother, sister, and father are a bit better off. My sister's the only one who has nothing wrong with her.

I'm gonna sound like a world's biggest douche now, but...

It's hardly out of the blue then. It's after generations of generations of mental illness. Genetic predisposition is a bitch. But it's nothing like what happened to Alex. He created and lived in an imaginary world for four years after a trauma before which he was functioning normally. He wasn't struggling with mental illness and he (as far as we know) had no mentally ill relatives, therefore no genetic predisposition.

In game, it was heavily implied that he became delusional after his trauma and we are shown the exact moment where it happened. There is no real evidence or implications that he was mentally ill beforehand.

And from what I have read, that is a far too severe of a decline in mental function to have happened so suddenly in the real world. So, I conclude, DH made an asspull.

Alex was playing with them until they were disposed of, though, as evidenced earlier.

Where? I don't remember Alex commenting on anything other then his parents selling his old toys. I could be wrong though, so a direct quote would be helpful.

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 10 Jul 2009

It's hardly out of the blue then. It's after generations of generations of mental illness. Genetic predisposition is a bitch. But it's nothing like what happened to Alex. He created and lived in an imaginary world for four years after a trauma before which he was functioning normally. He wasn't struggling with mental illness and he (as far as we know) had no mentally ill relatives, therefore no genetic predisposition.

Yea, like you need a genetic disposition to go batfuck insane.

Also, I could be a dick and say: OMG RELATED TO MARY.

In game, it was heavily implied that he became delusional after his trauma and we are shown the exact moment where it happened. There is no real evidence or implications that he was mentally ill beforehand.

He has signs of symptoms throughout his life, but after that moment, IT GETS WORSE. That happens when you traumatize crazy people.

And from what I have read, that is a far too severe of a decline in mental function to have happened so suddenly in the real world. So, I conclude, DH made an asspull.

Well, given the basic plotline, that goes without saying.