Dahlia Mason


 * This article is for Dahlia as seen in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. For her role in the original game, see Dahlia Gillespie. For Harry's deceased wife in the original game, see Jodie Mason.

"We're soulmates, you and I. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health.
 * —Old manifestation of Dahlia to Harry in the apartment"

Dahlia Mason is the ex-wife of the late Harry Mason in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and the mother of Cheryl Heather Mason. Aside from the three Psych Profile variations, Dahlia appears in three separate forms in the game. Each form is mentally distinct from the others.

Biography


Dahlia was Harry Mason's wife, and the mother to Cheryl Heather Mason. Her relationship with Harry grew turbulent to the point that the two fell out of love and divorced. Harry left her and his daughter before being killed in a car crash, leaving behind a broken family and an especially traumatized Cheryl. This also caused Cheryl to resent her mother later on, as Dr. Kaufmann states, "She's not the monster you make her out to be."

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Harry first encounters this manifestation at The Balkan, a nightclub, after leaving Michelle Valdez downstairs while he searched her room for her keys. Upon returning, he finds that Dahlia is sitting in Michelle's place. Dahlia seems surprised at his confusion, though she isn't interested enough to explain anything to him. She tells him she came to pick up the SUV parked outside and to take Harry to Simmons Street where he would meet up with Cheryl at his more current address.

Upon reaching the bridge on their way through town, she waits for Harry to lower the bridge from the control room. Before they can drive across, however, the Ice World takes over, freezing Dahlia and then the bridge itself, which collapses. The SUV plummets into the river below, trapping the two inside. As Harry struggles to escape, Dahlia is motionless, still frozen. After blacking out, Harry wakes up alive at Alchemilla Hospital and is being pushed in a wheelchair by Cybil Bennett, who tells him the events he described could not have happened.

Later, when Harry is inside the Green Lion Pawn Shop, an older version of Dahlia calls out for Cheryl. She looks older and more worn than even the real Dahlia, and her behavior is less sexual than the younger version. This version reflects Cheryl's feelings of resentment and disgust toward her mother. This older Dahlia reveals two things to Harry: they are married and that Cheryl is at the lighthouse. The nightmare reappears, freezing her, and Harry soon finds himself in a Nowhere-like area.

After passing through Lakeside Amusement Park, Harry finds a boat at the moor. Inside, Harry finds the young Dahlia again and asks her to take him to the lighthouse. Dahlia seduces Harry, and it is implied they have sex. Sometime after, Harry wakes up to find the Ice World freezes Dahlia, changing her back into her older version. The water is transformed back into ice and Harry sets course to the lighthouse. Dahlia then phones Harry once more and tells him to come back for Cheryl's sake.

If the player achieves the "Love Lost" ending, Dahlia is seen speaking to Harry not long before his death. In the videotape, Harry is leaving their house and Dahlia asks if he will be okay on his own.



If the player achieves the "Wicked and Weak" ending, footage of Cheryl entering her parent's bedroom is shown, in which she records Dahlia violently slapping Harry. Dahlia berates Harry for not having enough money, calls his novels "shit", and tells him that he is a pathetic "dickless waste of space".



Depending on the player's Psych Profile, Dahlia may come to the lighthouse after Cheryl's therapy session. Cheryl sees her, and they hug and walk away. This optional scene is not determined by what ending is achieved.

Appearance
Harry's ex-wife, the real Dahlia, wears a pink blouse, blue jeans, and brown knee-high boots. This is seen in the "Love Lost" and "Wicked and Weak" endings, and in the scene where Cheryl reunites with her after leaving the lighthouse. She also has blonde hair.

During the game, Dahlia's manifestation's appearance changes depending on the gameplay, though she is always a short-haired woman. Dahlia's manifestation has three forms: Seductive, Stoner, and Punk.

Seductive
This Dahlia is blonde and wears a red top that shows off her cleavage with the phrase "Live Fast" on the front and "Die Young" on the back. She wears short shorts with a black buckle belt, a large amount of black eye liner, purple blush, violet eyeshadow, and rosy lipstick. She also has a tattoo of a snake on her stomach and a large black scorpion on the right side of her upper back. When Harry first meets her in The Balkan, she is seen having a cocktail. When her older version is met, she acts bossy towards who she thinks is Cheryl. When meeting Harry, she is seen sitting on the bed, and asks Harry if he is looking for her daughter in a sexually suggestive tone.

The tattoo of a snake on her stomach could possibly symbolize ritual suicide, as well as the embodiment of evil and malevolent natures. It may also be a reference to the Ouroboros, or the snake/dragon-like creature that symbolizes one's own life and rebirth, leading to immortality. Another possibility of its reference may be because of the Ouroboros' relationship to alchemy, a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom, immortality, and a possible godlike status by transformation.

The text messages the players receives from this Dahlia usually contain several allusions to sex ("I miss your touch", "Horny", "I was too forward"). They also usually end in "xxx", a slang term for kisses via text message.

This version of Dahlia seems to be associated with the "Sleaze and Sirens" ending, which can be obtained by being perverse and focusing on sex.

Stoner
This Dahlia has brown hair and wears a gray sleeveless hoodie with a dragon on the back. She also wears camouflage jeans and a black choker around her neck. She wears very little makeup, consisting solely of green eyeshadow and black eyeliner. When Harry first meets her in The Balkan, she is seen smoking and having a beer. When Harry meets her at her apartment, she demands to Harry (who she thinks is Cheryl) to "grab [her] pills". When meeting Harry, she is seen smoking on the bed, and repeats his name twice instead of just once, unlike the other Dahlias.

The dragon on Dahlia's hoodie might also be another reference to the Ouroboros.

Her older version has her hair cut much shorter than the older versions of the Seductive Dahlia and Punk Dahlia.

She is also possibly addicted to nicotine, as every time Harry encounters her, she is seen smoking.

The text messages the player receives from this Dahlia contain multiple references to alcohol and related things ("Thirsty", "Mother of all hangovers", "Easy to forget").

This version of Dahlia seems to be associated with the "Drunk Dad" ending, and can be obtained by focusing on alcohol and other recreational drugs.

Punk
This Dahlia also has brown hair, slightly darker than the other brown-haired Dahlia, and appears to have a slightly reddish tint to it. She wears a gray shirt with pink and purple paint splatters on it, a pink and black miniskirt, and several necklaces around her neck. She also has violet eyeshadow under her eyes, eggplant-colored eyeshadow on her lids, black eyeliner, a peachy blush, and ruby lipstick.

When Harry first meets her in The Balkan, she is seen "practicing her signature" with a pocket switchblade. When met in her apartment, she shows concern for who she thinks is Cheryl, calling her "sweetie" and worrying about her long absence. When meeting Harry, she acts initially hostile, asking "Who the hell are you?" before taking a closer look.

Her text messages are much more sympathetic, romantic, and caring than the other Dahlias ("Bored", "It's boring without you", "I was upset", "I feel awful"), and she seems to treat Harry as her romantic partner, rather than a toy (Seductive) or drug (Stoner). She also usually ends her messages with "xoxo", indicating affection.

This version of Dahlia seems to be associated with the "Love Lost" ending, and can be obtained by being a caring person; although, if neither significant sexual nor addictive personality traits are present, she can show up on "Wicked and Weak" playthroughs, albeit with a different personality.

Personalities
Dahlia has two distinct personality variants; they do not seem to be associated with any particular appearance.

Wasted
At the car, Dahlia initially acts rude and pushy, and speaks her mind. She talks about making a "sorry couple" with Harry, stating that they're "always so wasted", and is somewhat amused by the fact that Harry doesn't remember her. She asks, "If I seem like a stranger to you, do you think I'm hot?" Later, after lowering the bridge, she acts aggressive, fiercely arguing with Harry, culminating with her stopping on the middle of the bridge and telling Harry that he's "full of shit" before freezing.

On the boat, she avoids personal questions, and jokes with Harry stating that Cheryl is "always in trouble". Harry does not seem to be aware that she and his wife are the same person, and she plays along, stating that she stays away from his family life. When Harry starts acting more aggressively, she tells him to relax and takes the bottle of whiskey to his mouth, stating that "it tastes good", which calms him down, before proceeding to have sex with him.

Salvation and Curse
At the car, Dahlia acts worried and perplexed at Harry's confusion, asking him if he's in pain and stating that they've known each other for a few years. When Harry says he doesn't remember her at all, she asks him if he remembers her breasts "Sid and Nancy", before begging him to tell her that his confusion is a joke. After lowering the bridge, Harry confronts her over her calm demeanor given his situation, to which she responds that "This isn't the first time that you've acted weird, Harry, just leave things be", before freezing.

At the Orpheus, Dahlia acts more mysteriously, like an oracle, stating that she knows "a lot of things" when Harry confronts her. Seemingly convinced that the fact that Dahlia's and his wife's names are the same is not a coincidence, he asks Dahlia who she really is, to which she responds, "I'm the lay of your life, your salvation and your curse", before kissing Harry and stating that she "tastes sweet" and then proceeding to have sex with him.

Quotes

 * "You're more wasted than I am."
 * "Funny. Come on, let's get going. I'm going to drive. You, Mr. Harry, are WAY over the limit."
 * "Are you on something? I'm Dahlia. Hottest piece of ass you'll ever see in this town. You are Harry Mason, generally a fun guy to be with. What are you wearing these for? Stop being a dick and let's get going. We'll get to Simmons Street and see Cheryl."
 * "Shush. No more craziness. You're freaking me out."
 * "Don't do this to me Harry. Don't start tripping out on me. When you said you crashed your car, you didn't mention this. Damn, are you in pain?"
 * "You really don't know who I am? Sid and Nancy?"
 * "'Cause if you've got a problem with me, but you're too chicken shit to come out and say it... That's low. That's pathetic. Have some self respect."
 * "It's a boat. It's like a car, but goes on water. We float this baby out into the middle of the lake and we can do whatever we like... no one to tell us what to do."
 * "Harry, Harry... Always with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I remember when you were a fun-loving guy."
 * "I already told you. I'm the lay of your life. Your salvation and your curse. I taste sweet, don't I?"
 * "You piece of shit! When are you going to bring in some real money? You think your crap is Shakespeare!? Your piece of shit novels!? No one even reads them! Be a man! Come on! Fight back! You're pathetic... to think I used to hang off your every word. Dickless waste of space!"

Trivia

 * It can be speculated that Dahlia's manifestation is a result of Cheryl projecting herself into the role that the real Dahlia had previously filled rather than that of a daughter. A possible unresolved Electra complex causes Dahlia's actions to come off as flirty in nature. Her behavior is not due to actual sexual desire from Cheryl for her father, but rather her desire to receive his affection.
 * Dahlia's manifestation's shaggy-haired appearance bears a striking resemblance to Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3. This is further cemented by the fact that she is the mother of Cheryl Heather Mason, who is essentially a composite image of Cheryl Mason and Heather Mason.
 * The roles of Harry Mason and his wife Jodie are reversed in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. In the original game, Harry was a widower. In Shattered Memories, Harry is actually the one who has died, while his wife (Dahlia) is a widow.
 * While Dahlia is driving Harry to Simmons Street, depending on the player's Psych Profile, she mentions "Sid and Nancy", Harry's nickname for her breasts. This is a reference to Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.
 * Dahlia's "Seductive" appearance is modeled after one of the lead dancers in Voodoo Hut, a music video directed by composer Joe Romersa.
 * Dahlia's "Seductive" appearance also bears striking similarities with the similarly named comic character, Dahlia; both wear seductive pink outfits with large amounts of makeup with short blonde hair, flirt with the lead protagonist and have a fondness to punk/rock and also have themes of living life dangerously, with Dahlia Mason wearing a tank top that reads Live Fast, Die Young, while Dahlia sang the hit single, Reason to Live.

Punk
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