Michelle Valdez

"A toast to all the lonely souls wandering the streets in this freezing weather. May they find what they are looking for.
 * —Michelle drinking with Harry Mason"

Michelle Valdez is a character from Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. She is a Cuban American woman who works and lives in the Balkan as a singer and occasional drink mixer.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories


While searching for his daughter, Harry Mason meets Michelle in the Midwich High School gymnasium. She is seen singing "Always on My Mind" when Harry walks in on her. Michelle is there waiting for other students for their high school reunion, including her boyfriend John; however, she is the only one who showed up. When Harry mentions his daughter, Michelle exclaims that she used to go to school with a Cheryl Mason. She then breaks into the principal's office with Harry in order to find out if Michelle's classmate is actually Harry's daughter.

After the nightmare sequence in Midwich, Harry reunites with Michelle outside. Michelle offers to drive Harry to the Simmons Street address using her boss's SUV, and they walk together to The Balkan. Along the way, Michelle tells Harry that her boyfriend John is a lawyer and is staying in Massachusetts. Inside the Balkan, Harry enters Michelle's room to find the car keys, and when he returns to Michelle, she is gone, and a woman named Dahlia is in her place.

The next time Michelle and Harry meet face-to-face is at the Green Lion Pawn Shop inside Cheryl's room. Michelle offers to drive Harry to the lighthouse using John's car. During the car ride, John begins talking grimly and stern towards Michelle about their relationship. Depending on the player's Psych Profile, John stops the car and leaves frustrated, and Michelle follows him, or Michelle yells at John to stop the car and leaves angrily.

The final time Michelle and Harry meet is inside Annie's Bar, where Michelle reveals that she broke up with John. Michelle tells Harry that he can reach the lighthouse by using a boat at the moor behind Lakeside Amusement Park. Michelle also tells Harry that he may not like the answers he finds, those being her last words in the game.



If the player receives the "Sleaze and Sirens" ending, Harry is seen lying on a bed with Michelle and Lisa Garland. They ask him if they can be in his next book and if it can be dedicated to them. Harry claims that he dedicates his books to his wife and daughter because it's "only fair", to which all three burst out in roaring laughter.

Appearance


Michelle has three different types of potential appearances based on the player's Psych Profile. Michelle's appearance does not necessarily dictate her personality.

Lady in Red
Michelle sports a red ballgown. She has wavy, shoulder-length, brown hair. Players get this version if they display more sexually oriented and self-centered characteristics and are going for the "Sleaze and Sirens" ending. The gymnasium has a red theme with balloons and streamers on the tables. This version always comes with the "Outgoing" personality.

Prom Queen
Michelle sports a full-length, pink prom dress. Her brown hair is tied up neatly in a bun. She also wears a tiara. Players get her if they display friendly and less explicitly sexual personality traits and are going for the "Love Lost" ending. The gymnasium has a purple theme with flowers on the tables. This version can come with either "Gentle" or "Outgoing" personality.

Plain Jane
Michelle sports a brown, shimmery dress. Her long, brown hair is in a ponytail. Players get this version if they choose the conservative and bookish options in the game, such as being a private person, staying away from women and being generally reserved, as well as examining class posters and choosing more "exact" classes such as math and science, traits usually associated with the "Wicked and Weak" ending, although can also be a characteristic of the "Love Lost" path. The gymnasium has a dark, candlelit theme. This version always comes with the "Gentle" personality and never with the "Outgoing" one.

Personality
Michelle has two possible personality variations. She is equally friendly in both of them, though she does show feelings of disdain toward her former principal when her personality type is the latter.

Gentle
In the gymnasium, Michelle walks onto the stage, sits in a chair, and softly sings "Always on My Mind" with peaceful piano music in the background. When she sees Harry, she gets off the stage by herself.

In the principal's office, Michelle and Harry find the door already unlocked. Michelle says, "Sorry, Ms. Albright." At the computer, Michelle says, "Hey, I didn't need to cheat."

Outspoken
In the gymnasium, Michelle walks with a strut and sings "Always on My Mind" confidently with techno music accompaniment. When she sees Harry, she asks him to catch her.

In the principal's office, Michelle and Harry find the door locked and Michelle takes a card out of her purse and swipes it through the door to unlock it. Michelle says, "Evening, Ms. Albright... you cow." At the computer, Michelle says, "Hey, I was good at school."

Producer's comment
"Are they real? Are you real? Are you imagining things? Do they exist? You have no idea. We kept that theme with Shattered Memories as the central core of everything, so that Michelle could be a girl you meet that went to school with your daughter, or Michelle could be this projection that Cheryl has because she saw Michelle with her dad when she was little, or Michelle could be a symbol for something from Harry's past. There are many ways to interpret a character. Hopefully when people play it with their profile, they feel connected to that version of the game. They can draw their conclusions based on what they saw.
 * —Tomm Hulett"

Quotes

 * "That was elegant."
 * "Evening, Ms. Albright... you cow."
 * "I think she'll be here until someone drives a stake through her cold secretarial heart."
 * "This is why I'm dating a lawyer."
 * "Don't go stealing my cookies!"
 * "A toast to all the lonely souls wandering the streets in this freezing weather. May they find what they are looking for." (This is a reference to the song lyrics of "Hell Frozen Rain".)
 * "It's over, John and me. I don't think he's loved me for a long time. I was in love with... an idea of this person. But, that wasn't John. What a waste... you know, I should've realized when he said he wanted to be a lawyer."
 * "You might not like them." (Michelle's final words to Harry about him not liking the answers he finds)

Trivia



 * Michelle is the only major character in Shattered Memories who does not have a Silent Hill counterpart and who does not appear to have been based off of any pre-existing Silent Hill character in particular.
 * Michelle's Lady in Red dress is the same one found on display inside Theresa's clothing store.
 * Michelle likes champurrado and churros. There was a churros stand located in the Resort Area in the first game.
 * Why or how Michelle leaves the Balkan is never revealed. It is up to the player's own theories of why she disappeared and was replaced by Dahlia.
 * Her relationship with John could be a mirror of Harry's own relationship with Dahlia.
 * There is a Michelle mentioned in Silent Hill: Book of Memories DLC notes, and she is intended to be the "main universe" Michelle, not the Shattered Memories universe Michelle. The notes reveal Michelle has a younger brother, her father abandoned her and walked out of her life, and her mother is sick and needs to be hospitalized. It is also implied Michelle finds her own Book of Memories and realizes its power to change reality.

Plain Jane
მიშელ ვალდეზი