History Characters / RemedyConnectedUniverse

* AuthorAppeal: He seems to have developed a subconscious preference for the heroes of his stories to be [[ActionGirl competent women]] in some form of unique high-ranking position. In order, he's had Sheriff [[TheSheriff Sarah Breaker]], Director [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Jesse Faden]], and FBI Profiler [[[ActionMom Saga Anderson]] be the heroes of the stories he's written for the Dark Presence.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Joined up with the Cult of the Tree to feel powerful and protect their DarkSecret of a body they left in the Watery well. Later ascends to HeelMonsterTurn when they are Taken on top of this.]]

* TheBadGuysAreCops: They're secretly members of the Cult of the Tree.

[[caption-width-right:200:[[labelnote:Click here for his appearance in ''Alan Wake'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awnightingale_3663.jpg]][[/labelnote]]

A local tour guide and entrepreneur of Finnish descent who owns and operates Watery's main attraction, Coffee World.

* BadBoss: He has elements of this, if the dilapidated state of Coffee World is anything to go by.

[[folder:Jaako Koskela]]
Ilmo's brother who assists him in his ventures.

!!Watery
[[folder:Ilmo Koskela]]
A local tour guide and entrepreneur of Finnish descent who owns and operates Watery's main attraction, Coffee World.

* BadBoss: He has elements of this, if the dilapidated state of Coffee World is anything to go by.
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:He is actually the leader of the Cult of the Tree]].

[[folder:Jaako Koskela]]
Ilmo's brother who assists him in his ventures.

* BadBadActing: In Ilmo's advertisements, Jaako is always shown to have nonexistent acting skills, with him always coming off as flat and monotone.
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:He is a member of the Cult of the Tree]].

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Christina Evangelista

\\

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:At least twice. She's killed by the Darkness at the end of Act 1 and 2, although she starts remembering her deaths in Act 2, and in 3 she and Alan figure out how to finally prevent it by stopping the Taken from knocking out her garage's fuse box.]]
* DirtyCoward: She thinks of herself as one, as she ran away when [[spoiler:Mr. Scratch began killing Michael to gain access to the Mount Redtooth Observatory and didn't even call the police]]. Alan assures her that this isn't the case.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrachel_1337.jpg]]

\\

* MissionControl: Well, in and around the Observatory anyway. She frequently talks to you over a loudspeaker system.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awserena_9531.jpg]]

\\
A film maker and a supposed friend of Alice Wake. Since Alice thought Alan was dead, with the help of Serena, they made a film based on Alan for the annual Night Springs Visual Art Show Film Festival.

* BrainWashed: Touched by the Darkness via Mr. Scratch, and becomes a total jackass. [[spoiler:You can snap her out of it by turning on the lights to her building, which cures her instantly. As she retains full memory of her actions, she feels disgusted afterwards and thanks Alan for not taking advantage of her.]]
** [[spoiler:Although helping her is optional in Acts 2 and 3 for some reason.]]

* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Curing her of the Dark Presence is completely optional the second and third time around, but is still a nice thing to do.]]
** The narration even points out that you [[spoiler:don't really have any reason to go back to her office the third time, since you entered the area from the opposite side. If you do it anyway, she'll ask why you bothered, and Alan will say that he couldn't leave her like that.]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Larry Kenney

[[folder:Sheriff Sarah Breaker]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Jessica Alexandra
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awsarah_284.jpg]]

->''"Wake, I'm gonna trust you with this."''

\\
Head of the Bright Falls sheriff's office, who is investigating Alice's disappearance and eventually joins Alan in fighting the Dark Presence. Her father was the sheriff before her as well as [[spoiler:an agent of the Federal Bureau of VideoGame/{{Control}}]].

* ActionGirl: In Episode 5, when she ''finally'' sees the Dark Presence herself and ''immediately'' asks Alan for how to fight it. Through most of the episode, she provides cover fire while Alan and Barry make their way through the dark streets of the town.
* DaddysGirl: Looked up to her father, Frank Breaker, growing up, comparing him to Alan's pulp fiction character Alex Casey. He also gave her loads of advice as she grew up and trained to be a sheriff, including chiding her for dismissing Cynthia Weaver as a loon, saying she shouldn't be made fun of and she just wants to tell people something important. [[spoiler:The fact he's a confirmed [[VideoGame/{{Control}} FBC agent]] probably helps.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike the trigger-happy Agent Nightingale, Sarah's actually willing to listen to Alan and try to understand his weird behavior in light of the situation surrounding him, also wanting to interrogate him properly instead of just using brute force out of a personal revenge scheme like her federal "colleague" wants to do. After she finally sees the Dark Presence with her own eyes [[spoiler:when it whisks away Nightingale]], she immediately starts helping Alan and fighting the Taken herself.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Uses a pump-action shotgun during gameplay. It helps that, unlike Alan, she doesn't have an ammo cap and can just fire away at approaching Taken.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Like with Barry, the game doesn't explain what happened after Alan left her and Barry [[spoiler:in the Well-Lit Room]], with the most information on the topic given through other media and later installments.
** In the ''Alan Wake Files'', set after the game, [[spoiler:she's talked to the author on a few things, but doesn't talk about what happened during the game or why there's a lot of damage and missing people in Bright Falls.]]
** ''American Nightmare'' implies she's still sheriff, and states that she and Barry still keep in touch.
** In ''Alan Wake II'', she is replaced by her cousin Tim Breaker as Bright Fall's sheriff, with no indication of what has happened to her.

[[folder:Sheriff Tim Breaker]]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/ShawnAshmore
\\
Sarah Breaker's cousin, who has taken over the Bright Falls sherrif's office by the time of ''Alan Wake II''. He's transported to the Dark Place by Mr. Door in order to save him from a revived Nightingale.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: He's hunting for Warlin Door, but when Alan says that he's a talk show host in the Dark Place, Tim brushes him off, saying that it doesn't sound like him.
* HiddenSupplies: He's responsible for hiding supply caches around the Dark Place in ''Alan Wake II''.
* PunnyName: He's implied to be an alternate counterpart of Jack Joyce from ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'', and his name is one letter off from "Time Breaker".
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: He dreams of alternate universe counterparts of himself; his "board of crazy" in the dark place implies that one of these counterparts is none other than Jack Joyce from ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'', another role played by Ashmore.

[[folder:Rose Marigold]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Benita Robledo ''(Alan Wake)'', Jessica Preddy ''(Alan Wake II)''
!!!'''Played by:''' Merette Bartles (''Bright Falls'' minisseries)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrose_8178.jpg]]

->''"Welcome to the Oh Deer Diner!"''

\\
The waitress at the Oh Deer Diner in Bright Falls, and one of Alan's biggest fans. She becomes an incidental character during the game's events as she hopes to see him more often, but it ends up being to her detriment...

* AndIMustScream: When she is [[spoiler:touched by The Dark Presence and unable to control her actions as she drugs Alan and Barry under its command. It's heavily implied she knows exactly what she's doing but is powerless to stop it]].
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Being used by the Dark Presence sours her cheerful demeanor very quickly, to say the least. When Alan comes to in her trailer, she's cradling herself and rocking back and forth in a state of shock, repeating her waitress routine in monotone. Finally, we only see her again in the ending with a lantern on her hands and a grim expression, implying she's become the new Lady of the Light.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: She [[spoiler:assists Alan in a critical moment during the climax of ''Alan Wake II'', claiming her loopy behavior was [[ObfuscatingStupidity just an act]] so she could evade notice until she could help Alan in his moment of need]].
* CreepyMonotone: While [[spoiler:under the influence of The Dark Presence, which makes her repeat her workplace dialogue similarly to the Taken]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: One passage of the manuscript implies that life's been pretty rough on her in general, and another passage implies that she was in an abusive relationship at one point. [[spoiler:Things go FromBadToWorse for her, unfortunately.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: Implied, but in Episode 3, [[spoiler:despite being under the influence of the Dark Presence,]] when Alan asks her if she has the manuscript pages, she'll strike a pose and comment that Alan "needs a muse to inspire him", hinting at some possible jealousy towards Alice Wake. This isn't helped by the fact she has an actual mini StalkerShrine (although thankfully it's just publicity photos) dedicated to Alan in her bedroom.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She has dirt-blond hair and is genuinely a nice girl, both to the townsfolk and Alan, just wanting to help. [[spoiler:It's heartbreaking when the Dark Presence utterly destroys her mentally.]]
* HistoryRepeats: [[spoiler:Like Cynthia Weaver before her, Rose is a bystander who harbors a personal crush on a famous writer who's already with someone else, and ends up touched by the Dark Presence and traumatized into staying in the light. The ending implies she'll essentially take Cynthia's place as the "Lady of the Light", especially with the comments Cynthia often makes about being tired of the role and not being able to keep it up forever.]]
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: A manuscript page reveals she's very insecure under her smiling work persona, and ultimately just wants to be friends with Alice and Alan, even if it's implied she harbors a genuine crush on the latter.
* ImYourBiggestFan: Is a die-hard fangirl for Alan, having a cardboard cutout of him propped up at the Diner.
* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: In addition to running the Oh Deer Diner, she's also a nurse at the Valhalla Nursing Home in ''Alan Wake II''.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Implied to be the new Lady of the Light after Cynthia, if the ending scene of her holding a lantern while being peered on by an implicitly-possessed Nightingale is any indication.]]

[[folder:Cynthia Weaver]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Linda Cook
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awcynthia_7139.jpg]]

->''"Young man. I've been waiting for you. For a long time."''

\\
The "town eccentric" of Bright Falls, who is obsessed with making sure all the lights in the town are working properly. There's a very good reason for it.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:She protects Bright Falls in remembrance of Tom, who she feels she let down in the past.]]
* {{Expy}}: She has quite a lot in common with the Log Lady from ''Series/TwinPeaks''.
* ChekhovsGunman: Among all the Bright Falls residents Alan meets at the Diner, she is easily the most vital to the plot, but the game still frames her as just another kooky bystander.
* CrazyPrepared: Guess who left [[spoiler:all of those safe havens and supply caches for Alan to conveniently find]]. Not to mention [[spoiler:the Well-Lit Room]] (which is the absolute end all of crazy, but is completely necessary and useful) and [[spoiler:her underground tunnel (lit the whole way)]] that goes right to it.
* IntrepidReporter: Her occupation years before. She supposedly quit it after her encounter with the darkness.
* MysteriousProtector: [[spoiler:She is the Lady of the Light mentioned in the song written by the Anderson Brothers, and has left a bunch of supply caches around Bright Falls precisely so Alan or someone else fighting the Taken could use them.]]
* NoodleIncident: How exactly she was "touched" by the Dark Presence is never specified.
* ProperlyParanoid: A timid-looking old woman who carries a lantern and is afraid of the dark? Well, there's a good reason...
* RippleEffectProofMemory: She still remembers Thomas Zane and his works, despite Zane writing both them and himself out of existence. It's implied he deliberately left her memory intact so she could help the next person to fight the Dark Presence.
* RoomFullOfCrazy: During Episode 3, Alan can find the ruins of an old house in the woods, presumably where she used to live before moving into the power plant. The basement walls are absolutely ''covered'' in graffiti that alternates between professing love for Thomas Zane and cursing his name, when it's not just writing out "TOM" multiple times. Smack dab in the middle of it all is a giant heart with "CW + TZ" written inside.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Weaver's fate after Alan leaves her with Barry and the Sheriff at the Well-Lit Room is unknown. Whereas the other two are still mentioned in tie-in medias as well as in ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', Weaver was not mentioned at all, at least not by name. [[AlmightyJanitor Ahti]] mentions an "old lady" when he gives out a mission to clear out blobs of Dark Presence in several areas of the Investigations Sector, which is probably her.]]
** Cynthia is seen again in ''Alan Wake II'', now running the Valhalla Nursing Home. [[spoiler:However, since she is no longer the Lady of the Light, she has already been corrupted by the Dark Presence, and eventually becomes a Taken that Saga must kill]].
* WhatTheHellHero: As much as she loves Zane, she is also furious at him for cursing her to a decades-long mission and messing up her mind. There are several light-sensitive texts that read "I curse you Thomas Zane".

[[folder:Odin and Tor Anderson]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Cliff Carpenter (Odin), Lloyd Floyd (Tor)
!!!'''Performed by:''' Music/PoetsOfTheFall
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awandersons_3320.jpg]]

->'''Tor:''' ''"We're on a comeback tour, baby!"''

\\
Two brothers who formed the heavy metal band "Old Gods of Asgard" in the '70's on their farm near Cauldron Lake, and renamed themselves as [[Myth/NorseMythology Norse gods]] to further their image of reborn deities. The two are now mentally-unstable old men who live in Dr. Hartman's clinic, but occasionally sneak off to raise hell in town or get some moonshine.

* AmbiguousSituation: ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' implies that they [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascended To A Higher Plane Of Existence]], but there is no direct confirmation of this.
** ''Control's'' ''AWE'' expansion finally reveals that they ended up performing one last tour with Barry as their agent, before Barry got concerned with the effects their lifestyle had on their health and had them retire to a nursing home specially built for them. It's implied that [[RealityWarper Alan wrote this into existence to give his old allies a happy ending]].
* BerserkButton: Don't imply that they don't perform their own songs.
* ChekhovsGunman: Not to the same extent as Cynthia, but this pair of rambling, seemingly insane old brothers Alan meets at the Diner are definitely more than what they seem.
* CloudCuckooLander: Kooky and somewhat insensible at times. [[spoiler:Or at least that's how it seems.]]
* {{Cool Old Guy}}s: They're basically a pair of aged rock stars that [[spoiler:tell Alan how to beat the Dark Presence through one of their songs]].
* CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler:Left the primer to defeating the Dark Presence in the lyrics of their songs, and their farm has enough weaponry to arm a mid-sized militia against it.]]
* CrazySane: It is implied that [[ObfuscatingInsanity they are not as senile as they would have you believe]], their eccentricities either a by-product of their interactions with the Dark Presence or a method of fooling Dr. Hartman.
--> '''Odin''': Ohh, he'd love to fish out our secrets, but he has no clue. He's not crazy enough, not crazy like us, sonny. Being crazy's a requirement, sonny. Who else could understand the world when it's like this? It takes crazy to know crazy.\\
'''Alan''': That's the sanest thing I've heard in a while.
* DropTheHammer: Tor, at least. Considering [[Myth/NorseMythology who he named himself after]], it's not really surprising, even if it's just a simple steel hammer he uses to knock the nurse unconscious.
* EyepatchOfPower: Odin.
** EyeScream: One of the manuscript pages implies he cut it out himself, [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy while drunk]].
*** ''Control'' reveals that this happened after he and Tor defeated an attempted invasion by the Dark Presence in 1976. Tor was also struck by lightning.
* FakeBand: Production-wise, their music is the work of Finnish {{Alternative Rock}}ers Music/PoetsOfTheFall.
* HeavyMithril: They're rockstars who model themselves off of Myth/NorseMythology.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: ''Control'' reveals that the Andersons have successfully fought and repelled the Dark Presence twice, once in 1976 and once in 1978. The first time is what gave Odin his eyepatch.
* TheNicknamer: They routinely call Alan "Tom," mistaking him for Thomas Zane.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Giving Alan the means to fight the Dark Presence as they once did.]]
* ThePowerOfRock: [[spoiler:Literally. "[[https://youtu.be/GLxb7m0j5Jg?list=PLjACqN5i5sDUo3MfGtqogz7P3u5JUm3c- The Poet and The Muse]]" explains how to defeat the Dark Presence, while "[[https://youtu.be/8-l_kbZbXRQ?list=PLjACqN5i5sDUo3MfGtqogz7P3u5JUm3c- Children of the Elder God]]" details how to fight the Presence and the Taken. And considering the nature of Cauldron Lake, those songs may be the entire reason why the Taken are vulnerable to light in the first place.]]
** Invoked again in ''American Nightmare'' with their new single, "[[https://youtu.be/b6RKKCQt82Y?list=PLjACqN5i5sDUo3MfGtqogz7P3u5JUm3c- Balance Slays The Demon]]." [[spoiler:As you can probably guess, its lyrics detail how to defeat Mr. Scratch. And a reversed message saying "It will happen again, in another town. [[VideoGame/{{Control}} A town, called Ordinary.]]"]]
** "Take Control" helps Jesse navigate her way through the Ashtray Maze in ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' and also advises her on how to fight back against The Hiss.
* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' reveals that that during their comeback tour they would party just as hard as they did in their youth, to the point that Barry had to prematurely cancel the tour just so the old geezers wouldn't kill themselves.
* ShoutOut: InUniverse. "Balance Slays The Demon" contains allusions to Thomas Zane's poetry, as well as a reference to a line from Alan's novel, ''The Sudden Stop.''
* SingingVoiceDissonance: In ''American Nightmare'', they're back on tour, their songs are still performed by Music/PoetsOfTheFall, and they sound just as they did back in the seventies. Eddie Rodman brings this up, but is assured by Barry that it's actually their real singing voices.
* SpannerInTheWorks:
** When Dr. Hartman goes off to double-check his clinic's power, he leaves Alan with the Andersons expecting the latter to keep the former distracted long enough with their senile antics. Unfortunately for Hartman though, the Anderson brothers take a liking to Alan and start a ruckus to give him an opportunity to recover his stolen manuscripts and confront Hartman directly.
** In general, they could be considered this to the story as a whole. [[spoiler:It is their music and moonshine that provide Alan with enough puzzle pieces to figure out what the hell is going on, as before those he had no concrete leads whatsoever. And since those clues are either supplied by accident or prepared in advance, they give the Andersons a way to contribute a lot to the plot without needing a more active role, and thus the old men get to avoid being directly targeted by the Dark Presence.]]
* ThemeNaming: They renamed themselves after Norse gods as part of their HeavyMithril schtick. Their other two bandmates (who we never get to meet) were named after Loki and Balder.
** Tor's daughter, mentioned in ''AWE'', is named Freya.

[[folder:Dr. Emil Hartman]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/{{Control}}''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MarkBlum
!!!'''Played by:''' Bruce Katzman ('''Bright Falls''' minisseries)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awhartman_1940.jpg]]

\\

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Alan locks him inside his own office when the Dark Presence starts invading Cauldron Lake Lodge. Given all the things he's done to his patients, Wake and Thomas Zane, the proud grin on Alan's face as he walks away is warranted.]]
** [[spoiler:In ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' it's revealed that he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Control for the way he treated his patients and for essentially causing an Altered World Event. While they let him go, it was only done after they confiscated his life's work, causing him to sacrifice himself to the Dark Presence out of desperation. By the time he is encountered in-game, he has been warped into a horrifying HumanoidAbomination as the result of ''two'' malevolent paranatural entities fighting to possess him.]]
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:Aims to control the Dark Presence. By the end of Episode 4, he's taken and possibly killed by it.]]
** [[spoiler:''Control'' reveals it was even worse for him; he actively gave himself over to the Dark Presence after the FBC essentially liquidated his career and assets, losing his own body to the thing he wanted to have power over to begin with.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:With the Dark Presence and Agent Nightingale, but his interaction with the latter is barely even a plot point. Instead, it's recorded in one of his tapes.]]
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Although it's slightly [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] because everything he says does make some logical sense, so it rings as truthful as possible to both Alan and the player as he tries to manipulate them. Of course, remembering that this is a horror game with supernatural elements quickly brings his cascade of self-aggrandizing BS back to this trope.]]
* DrJerk: Alan knows Hartman is a terrible doctor with a smug smile on a magazine front cover but he's even worse than average corrupt doctors; [[spoiler:he treated his patients like test subjects to turn artworks into reality and caused the Dark Presence to go free, turning many residents of Bright Falls into Takens.]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:His history with Thomas Zane makes him one to Barry Wheeler. While Hartman was Zane's assistant instead of his agent, he still acted like one to try and get him to produce stories so the Dark Presence would bring them to life, proving Hartman's theories. He essentially takes the agent role in the present through his psychiatric sessions with the patients at his lodge, encouraging them all to create so he can test which kind of medium better resonates with the Dark Presence's powers, and wanting Alan to do the same through his writing. Except Barry, despite thinking about money, is Alan's closest friend and wants to help him above all else, while Hartman is an exploitive monster who is so power-hungry he willingly allowed an evil Lovecraftian entity to regain power in a futile attempt to harness it for himself.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler: Emil sincerely believes he can control the reality-warping powers of the Dark Presence and Cauldron Lake, going out of his way to attempt this through manipulating Zane and Wake’s connection to it for his own ends. It ends up costing him the lives of some of his staff and nearly his own the first time when the Dark Presence comes knocking. Completely ignoring this brush with death, he still tries to make one last, vain effort to control the powers of Cauldron Lake despite the FBC pulling the plug on both his career and his research in the wake of the incident, ''by diving into it''. It [[CameBackWrong really]], ''[[FateWorseThanDeath really]]'' doesn’t end well for him.]]
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Writing Barbara Jagger back to life was an idea he proposed to his then-boss Thomas Zane, which makes him indirectly responsible for giving the Dark Presence an avatar and enough power to break free, and he was also the one who asked Alice to take Alan to Bright Falls, which sets off the events of the main game.]]
* HateSink: [[spoiler:He was the one who caused the Dark Presence to be released back in 1970 by manipulating his "friend" Thomas Zane into writing a manuscript where his wife is resurrected, with horrific consequences, out of petty ambition. Even discounting the fact that he's arguably responsible for several of Bright Falls' residents dying by being Taken, the man is simply rotten and unlikable to the point many players will rejoice when he finally does get a taste of his own medicine.]]
* JustThinkOfThePotential: [[spoiler:He urges Alan to do this in regards to the reality warping powers of Cauldron Lake.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: He was [[spoiler:Mott's boss ordering him to stage the "kidnapping" plot with Wake, and was also the one who suggested the idea of writing Barbara back to life to Thomas Zane]].
* SmugSnake: His default expression is a smug, condescending smile plastered on his face, which is also on the cover for his own book. Alan even notes at one point that just seeing his face on the cover is enough for him to want to punch Hartman, which speaks levels on how unbearable this guy is. [[spoiler:He's so self-centered and focused in his own objectives that it doesn't seem to occur to him that maybe [[EvilIsNotAToy the Dark Presence is more powerful than he's giving it credit for.]]]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:An official post-game comic shows that he's alive and well after his encounter with the Dark Presence. It's never explained why he was spared, or if he's truly still himself at all.]]
** [[spoiler:As ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' reveals, he was still himself, but the FBC took all of his research on the Dark Presence and left him with nothing. The only way he could continue his research was to dive into Cauldron Lake himself to research it up close and personal, so he did, confident that he could emerge unscathed. [[InstantlyProvenWrong He was Taken immediately]]. Then when he came back out the FBC pretty much immediately snatched him up and locked him in a cell to study. Then the Hiss got him. So anyone who felt he didn't get enough comeuppance can now rest easy.]]
* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Despite all the harm he's caused, you never fight him in the main game after the Dark Presence corners him at his lodge. The closest you get to fight him is during the DLC Special "The Writer", when the imaginary Barry sends a Taken Hartman after Alan, but that's still part of Alan's nightmare. It takes [[VideoGame/{{Control}} an entirely different game]] to finally face Hartman as a boss.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He's indirectly responsible for everything that happens in the game. [[spoiler:After Barbara Jagger's death, he was the one who encouraged Thomas Zane to use the powers of Cauldron Lake to resurrect her, which woke the Dark Presence from its slumber.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Just look at all that spoilered text. It's impossible to talk about Hartman without giving away the game.

[[folder:Thomas Zane]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JamesMcCaffrey (''Alan Wake''), Ilkka Villi (''Alan Wake 2'')
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awzane_3297.jpg]]


->''"Beyond the shadow you settle for, there is a miracle illuminated."''

\\
A poet and apparently bestselling author who lived in and around Cauldron Lake in the 1960's, and was in love with a woman named Barbara Jagger. He disappeared one day due to mysterious circumstances, and so did his works, with only a few people remembering him, either truthfully or as a local legend.

* AmbiguousSituation : The original Alan Wake emphasized heavily that Zane was a poet who practiced diving as a hobby... [[spoiler:but both the ''AWE'' expansion for ''Control'' and ''Alan Wake II'' say that he's a Finnish filmmaker, with AW2 outright stating that the Diver was a character he played in one of his films, Tom the Poet. Saga can find a poster for this film in Watery, with both Zane and Barbar Jagger listed as actors in the film. It's not clear if there was some form of CosmicRetcon that took place in between installments, or if Wake wrote the character Zane played into ''Departure'', mistaking him for the real person. Making things more complicated, in ''Alan Wake II'', he looks like Alan but with different hair and no beard, implying that Zane may have created Alan whole cloth.]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:The Dark Presence obtaining a vessel is mostly his fault, and he does everything he can to make up for it.]]
* BigGood: He's the mentor for Alan, [[spoiler:Cynthia is the Lady of Light because of him]], and he's the one who [[spoiler:provides Alan with the Clicker, the item that finally finishes things off in the Dark Place]].
* DeusExMachina: Deconstructed. Writing this [[spoiler:allowed the Presence to take over Barbara Jagger's body, since it exploits a written work's plot holes to its advantage]].
* EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity: [[spoiler:Provides Alan with the power to defeat the Dark Presence for good, although he was written into this by Alan himself which may subvert it somewhat.]]
* GenreBlind: His undoing. [[spoiler:He tried to take shortcuts in defeating the Dark Presence, but it didn't work, leaving him trapped in Cauldron Lake.]]
* LightIsGood: [[spoiler:Zane gave himself over to the Bright Presence, which seeks to defeat the Dark Presence through him and Alan.]]
* TheMentor: He acts as Alan's guide and aids him, though indirectly. He is also considered as the Obi-Wan to Alan's Anakin. [[spoiler:Becomes much more direct in [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind "The Signal"]] and [[EnemyWithin "The Writer"]] [=DLCs=], which are almost completely about Zane trying to guide Alan through the Dark Place and teach him to fight its influence.]]
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:Attempting to revive Barbara, and thereby giving the Dark Presence a host.]]
* PosthumousCharacter: He died before the game begins. [[spoiler:Whether what you meet is him or an illusion created by Alan isn't made clear.]] In ''Alan Wake 2'', [[spoiler:he's revealed to have been living in the Oceanview Hotel in the Dark Place, and since it's a TimeAbyss, he looks the same age as Alan]].
* RealityWarper: As a poet on Cauldron Lake, his words could bring things to life.
* ResemblanceReveal: [[spoiler:''Control'' reveals that he looks eerily similar to Alan; Alan actually tries to get him to address this in ''Alan Wake 2'', but Zane dodges the question]].
* RetGone: [[spoiler:Did this to himself in order to keep the Dark Presence at bay for as long as he could while trying to think of a way to defeat it]].
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:His DeusExMachina that he used to revive Barbara is what gave the Dark Presence its avatar]].
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:For Emil Hartman. He apparently caught on, but by then it was too late.]]

[[folder:Barbara Jagger]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Kate Weiman

->''"Come back to bed, Tom."''

\\
Thomas Zane's former lover and muse, a longtime resident of Bright Falls who disappeared one day along with him and the cabin the two lived in at Cauldron Lake. She's somehow returned and appears to Alan along his journey.

* AnimalMotif: Ravens. She wears an all-black mourning gown with a veil that resembles a raven's beak over her noticeably pointed nose, she lives in a lake with an island that noticeably resembles a bird's foot and ravens are everywhere in the town area.
* CameBackWrong: She used to be a really sweet and kind lady in her youth, until moving into Cauldron Lake with Thomas. [[spoiler:Then she was pulled under the water and Thomas, encouraged by his then-assistant Hartman, used the lake's rumored power to bring her back... but the DeusExMachina allowed the Dark Presence to twist things and make her into an avatar. Zane (in Alan's voice) even says this trope verbatim in a flashback within the Dark Place.]]
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:The real Barbara Jagger died after being pulled under the waves while swimming. What came back was the avatar used by the Dark Presence.]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:She's to Thomas Zane what Alice is to Alan, his one true love and muse they tragically lost and made their lives's goal to bring back. But due to the Dark Presence, the Barbara Jagger that came back was only a host for the evil beneath Cauldron Lake, a shell that manipulated Tom emotionally and embodied his own insecurities as an author the same way the Dark Presence attempts with Alan through his memories of Alice.]]
* EvilOldFolks: An old lady in her 60s who gives off a dangerous dark aura wherever she appears.
* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: While she looks like an elderly human woman, it’s ultimately revealed that the real Barbara Jagger died a long time ago. The entity that Alan encounters throughout the game is the Dark Presence itself wearing Jagger’s appearance like a suit, giving itself form and a voice through stealing her own.]]
* MeaningfulName: Her name is an Anglo interpretation of Baba Yaga, the infamous witch of Slavic and Russian folklore who lived in a cabin in the woods that was said to stand on chicken legs. This also ties back to the cabin in Cauldron Lake being named "Bird Leg Cabin" and the fact it stands on an island that resembles a crow's talons.
* RedBaron: As an old folk story from the Bright Falls area, she's since been given the nicknames of "The Scratching Hag" and "Granny Claws".
* WidowsWeeds: She emerged from Cauldron Lake wearing a mourning gown she uses to this day.

[[folder:Pat Maine]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' R.J. Allison
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awpatmaine_289.jpg]]

->''"Now, let's go to the phones. Caller, you're on KBF-FM."''

\\
A retired cop who is now the host of a late night radio program popular in the Bright Falls area. Alan first meets him on the boat into town where he asks him to [[{{Foreshadowing}} stop by later for an interview.]]

* CollectionSidequest: There are small radios spread throughout Bright Falls, and turning them on will provide Alan with a brief look into Pat's show.
* CoolOldGuy: It may not be obvious the first time you meet him, but he is definitely more awesome then he first appears.
* NiceGuy: He's very pleasant to everyone he meets. The exception is Agent Nightingale, whose violent and reckless attitude outright offends him.
* RetiredBadass: He's a former police officer, and is on the list of people Sheriff Breaker gives to Barry to call with the message "Night Springs", which tells us he knows something about the town's DarkSecret and is prepared to fight it. This might even be the reason he runs an all night radio program.
* ScatterbrainedSenior: By the time of ''Alan Wake II'', Pat has become much older and senile and is absolutely convinced that Wendy Davis, a woman who disappeared in 2010 and was found murdered, is still alive and running a beef jerky business.

[[folder:Ben Mott]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Jason Muzzo
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awmott_9898.jpg]]

->''"Stop talking to the law. You'll do exactly what I say if you want to see your wife again."''

\\
The "kidnapper" who contacts Alan in Episode 2 and is the antagonist throughout Episode 3, claiming to have his wife and offering her in exchange for the manuscript pages of Departure. He's quite dimwitted and has aggression issues.

* BadassNormal: Does remarkably well fending off the Taken. Indeed, he's well-versed with their weaknesses, and is entirely unphased with fighting them (so much so that he has absolutely no problems setting up his meetings with Alan to take place in the middle of the night deep in the Taken-infested woods).
* ChekhovsGunman: First seen on the ferry at the beginning, leering at Alan from the backside. Try to approach him and he'll [[ImStandingRightHere audibly complain about the "yuppies"]] visiting town. There's a solid chance you might not even notice since you don't have to interact with him at all to progress.
* ConspiracyTheorist: He believes in government conspiracies such as fluoride being used to control the masssess.
* TheDragon: To Dr. Hartman, not that he thinks Mott is all that capable.
* EscortMission: Played with. At the mid-point of Episode 2, Mott actually escorts Alan after seizing his gun and keeping him with only a few flares handy to keep himself in power during "negotiation" as the Taken attack. Problem is, [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Mott is a lousy shot]] and will miss constantly, endangering the player even further.
* IHaveYourWife: Kidnaps Alice near the beginning of the game. [[spoiler:Except not really. It was a ruse to get Alan to finish the manuscript for Dr. Hartman.]]
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: To someone like Mott, Alan Wake is someone who has everything; smarts, money, and a beautiful wife. [[spoiler:When faking Alice's kidnapping, Mott expects Alan to beg him but instead, Alan fights back. Because of his ego, Mott decides to give Alan two days to complete the manuscript, which ruins his boss' plan]]. Apparently this is how he is all his life, which Hartman uses to control him.
* ItCanThink: [[spoiler: After being turned into a Taken, Mott seems to have significantly more going on upstairs compared to the others, retaining a fairly large degree of his former self despite being reduced to a psychotic thrall of the Dark Presence.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: Being a [[spoiler:supposed]] kidnapper will do that. Especially when he gives a ''writer'' only 3 days to finish an entire manuscript. Even in his appearance much earlier in the game he'll grumble and complain about Alan and Alice within earshot.
* ManipulativeEditing: [[spoiler:By using an edited recording of the call Alice made to Hartman, Mott is able to trick Alan that he had Alice.]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:In the tie-in comic ''Psycho Thriller'', he's somehow survived his fate in ''Alan Wake'', albeit as a Taken with higher function than most, and goes on to hunt Hartman at the Cauldron Lake Lodge before being killed for good by Hartman and Deputies Mulligan and Thornton.]]
* VillainousRescue: Rescued Alan in Episode 2 after he lost his gun. Downplayed, however, in that he still keeps Alan relatively unarmed and only gives him flares, since he knows he needs to have the power in that situation.
* YouHaveFailedMe: One manuscript page reveals that [[spoiler:Hartman]] was incredibly frustrated that Mott [[spoiler:gave Alan only 2 days to finish his manuscript instead of the full week Alan wanted. Unlike most examples of this trope, Mott doesn't get killed until the Dark Presence comes along]].

[[folder:Rusty]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Jeff Gurner
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrusty_8189.jpg]]

->''"Crazy poachers. Max here got his foot caught in a trap. They're illegal to use here -- hell, you're not supposed to hunt within the park at all, but that doesn't stop some lowlifes!"''

\\
A park ranger who rents out cabins outside Bright Falls. Has a crush on Rose.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: After his transformation into a Taken.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Towards Rose. It will never come to fruition now that he's been Taken and killed.
* EliteMook: The second named Tele-Flanker Taken of the game.
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Invoked in-universe. Rusty actually finds the manuscript page saying he'll be attacked by the Dark Presence, seconds before it actually happens.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When you meet Rusty at the Diner, Rose comments that he loves the coffee so much that he's "no longer human", adding that he's "just black coffee under a thin layer of skin".
* HopeSpot: After being severely injured by the Dark Presence, he begs Alan to go find the circuit breaker and restore power and light to the Ranger's Station. Alan investigates the other building where it's located only to find an axe sticking out of it ruining that plan. Before Alan can return to Rusty to give him any other assistance, the Dark Presence strikes again with Rusty screaming in pain and terror before he's Taken.
* LargeHam: As a Taken, naturally. Given that he was Taken as he was screaming for his life, the empty shell that he is now reflects this by keeping the same expression and tone of voice until he's put out of his misery.
-->"Obey... '''the park ranger's instructions''' ...at all times!"
* TragicMonster: Compared to the other characters who don't make much of an impact before being Taken, Rusty makes multiple appearances and establishes himself as a pleasant, friendly man who cares about the forest and its wildlife. His last moments before being Taken are spent in intense agony and fear with his final thoughts being of the woman he never managed to profess his love towards.

[[folder:Carl Stucky]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Gary Swanson
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awstucky_3992.jpg]]

->''"Hey, wait! Mrs. Wake? Your -- your keys?"''

\\
Owner of a gas station and the cabin that Alan and Alice rented for their vacation. He never got to give Alan the keys, though.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: Gains these after he's turned into a Taken.
* BrickJoke: In a bit of BlackHumour one of the manuscript pages Saga finds in the overlap describes the Taken getting trapped in the lake after Alan defeated the Dark Presence, wandering the Dark Place and muttering their WordSaladHorror, the one non-generic quote is clearly Stuckies.
* LargeHam: As the first Taken to speak more than a single line before attacking, showing how they talk fresh off their DeathOfPersonality.
-->"Carl Ssstucky. '''Pleased'''... to ''meet'' you. Non-re'''fundable'''... '''reservation''' deposit ''required''. Fair and '''SQUARE'''!"
* RealMenEatMeat:
-->"I! '''Nnnever!''' ''Touch'' salad, though! A man like me needs a hefty... '''meal!''' TO GET THROUGH THE DAY!"
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Hot dogs, according to his instinctual dialogue. He even lists off his top three dogs from the local hot dog stand! In the following chapter you encounter said hot dog stand and can see that the three he listed [[BigEater are just the three biggest ones on the menu]].
* WakeUpCallBoss: He's the first Tele-Flanker you'll face in the game, surrounded by common Taken and with Alan still having only the base handgun at this point. This is all so the game makes sure there will be no bones thrown during Taken fights. However, this is ''heavily'' [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] if Alan found Cynthia Weaver’s caches of weapons and got the flare gun and a double barrelled shotgun, [[CurbStompBattle which will make killing Stucky and his Taken allies a walk in the park]].
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Within the context of the game's narrative, Stucky only had one scene where he's shown completely normal, and he doesn't get much more screentime until after he's been completely smothered by the Dark Presence and turned into a Taken offscreen.

[[folder:Nurse Birch & Nurse Sinclair]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Andrew Totolos & Shari Albert

->'''Birch:''' ''"Hey Wake, why don't you humor Doctor Hartman and give writing a shot, huh?"''

\\
A pair of nurses and assistants for Dr. Hartman at Cauldron Lake Lodge. Birch is a towering goon of a man while Sinclair is a control freak, both of them working under the doctor to ensure Wake gets to writing.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: [[spoiler:Birch, after being Taken.]]
* TheBrute: Birch is a tall, intimidating man who works under Hartman and does all of his dirty work behind the scenes, assuming more of this role than [[spoiler:Mott]] did during his time as TheDragon. Alan even bluntly calls him Hartman's "gorilla" when he wakes up at the Lodge in Episode 4. Tellingly, [[spoiler:when he's Taken, he becomes an Assault type instead of a Tele-Flanker like the last two named victims in the game]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: While Sinclar admits that she's only following Hartman's orders on some of his more shady things, she is horrified when Hartman uses Rudolf Lane as bait for [[spoiler:the now-Taken Ben Mott]]. After seeing how horrible of a man her boss really is, Sinclar quits her job after [[spoiler:Mott]] is taken care of.
* FlunkyBoss: [[spoiler:Birch's Taken form is fought alongside a murder of Ravens and a small group of Taken flanking him.]]
* KingMook: [[spoiler:Taken!Birch fights like an Assault Taken with a stronger darkness cover and dealing a ''LOT'' more damage.]]
* LargeHam: Birch [[spoiler:when he's Taken]].
-->"You get TWO PIIIIIILLS IN THE MORNIIIIIIING and then '''YOU'LL BE NICE AND CALM ALL DAY LONG'''."
* TapOnTheHead: Birch delivers one to Barry when he went to the Lodge looking for Alan so he'd be kept out of the way. Sinclair is on the receiving end of this when the inmates break loose during the storm, with Tor using a stolen hammer to knock her out in one hit.
* UncertainDoom: After Tor takes Sinclair out with a hammer to the head, she's never seen or heard from again after the Dark Presence attacks the lodge. The manuscript pages even inform the player that the patients all made it out alive and untouched, yet Sinclair doesn't even get a mention, meaning there's a likely possibility she's been either Taken or killed.
** The ''Psycho Thriller'' tie-in comic reveals that she, like Hartman, miraculously survived the Dark Presence's attack. [[spoiler:Hartman then saves her from the Taken Mott, and she's last seen being leaving with Deputies Mulligan and Thornton after they kill Mott for good.]]

[[folder:Deputies Mulligan & Thornton]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Bill Buell & Bill Lobley
!!!'''Played by:''' Robert Peterson (Mulligan - ''Bright Falls'' miniseries)

->'''Mulligan:''' ''"There's been all sorts of trouble this year. Vandalism, fighting, public disturbances... A lot of people gone missing, too."''
->'''Thornton:''' ''"Yeah yeah, it's -- it's pretty much the, uh, usual, Pat, just, you know, a lot more of it."''

\\
A pair of Deputy Sheriffs from the Bright Falls Sheriff Station. Mulligan is an expert officer who's lived in the area most of his life, while Thornton is a relative newcomer who's lived in the town since the 90s as a dispatcher most of the time.

* AccidentalMurder: The sequel reveals they accidentally shot a civilian after mistaking her for a Taken and dumped her corpse down a well.
* BigDamnHeroes: They show up at the Cauldron Lake Lodge in the ''Psycho Thriller'' tie-in comic, [[spoiler:saving Hartman and Nurse Sinclair from the Taken Mott and putting him down for good under Hartman's instruction]].
* DemotedToExtra: Mulligan has a physical-yet-minor appearance in the ''Bright Falls'' miniseries as he investigates the disturbance at Jake Fisher's cabin, and is the cop that Shel Dyke attacks and bites the hand of. In ''Alan Wake'' proper, he's delegated to a voice-only role with Thornton. This is averted in ''Alan Wake II'' when they become proper supporting characters.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Mulligan and Thornton have some noticeable differences in appearance between the two tie-in comics, ''Night Springs'' and ''Psycho Thriller''. In the former, Mulligan looks closer to how he does in the ''Bright Falls'' miniseries, somewhat unkempt and unshaven. In the latter, he's clean-shaven, with darker hair and a more serious appearance. Meanwhile, Thornton in the former looks younger, while in the latter his hair is closer to grey than brown, and he's the one who seems to have stubble. They're also wearing the dark green department uniforms in the former comic, while in the latter, Mulligan is wearing a blue set and Thornton has a brown jacket.
* DualBoss: Saga fights both of them in the sequel.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A manuscript page in ''Alan Wake II'' describes them shooting and killing a Taken, only to be horrified when they recognize the person they just killed. It's implied that the guilt they felt from this is the catalyst for [[spoiler:them turning into Taken themselves]].
* OldCopYoungCop: Downplayed, Mulligan is clearly the more experienced cop of the two with Thornton as the easy-going newbie, but the latter does have years of experience under his belt and has been an acting police officer in Bright Falls at least since the 90s.
* PoliceAreUseless: Justified. Whenever you hear from the two in the game, they're always going to be picking up the pieces after the events are all done with, and neither of them will be much sure of what's going on in Bright Falls or how Alan is involved, meaning they're essentially minor comic relief at best. Of course, this is largely because they're chasing a tweed-wearing writer and not even ''considering'' the fact they're now part of a CosmicHorrorStory with a much bigger force at play.
* TheBadGuysAreCops: They're secretly members of the Cult of the Tree.
* TheVoice: In ''Alan Wake'', they don't make physical appearances. They do in the game's tie-in comics though, and Mulligan also has the extra live-action appearance in ''Bright Falls''.
* ThoseTwoGuys: The two are investigating the mass disappearances around town together, as well as being included in the manhunt launched by Agent Nightingale as he chases Wake. If you hear from the two in the game, the dialogue is likely going to be comedic due to Mulligan needing to play babysitter for the excitable Thornton.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Unlike any other Taken encountered before they're capable of using guns, one uses a shot gun and tries to get into close range while the other tries to snipe you with a rifle from the surrounding rock formations.

[[folder:Frank Breaker]]

The father of Sarah Breaker and the former sheriff of Bright Falls. He is only mentioned in ''Alan Wake'', but appears as the protagonist of the tie-in comic "Night Springs" and is further mentioned in ''Control''.

* ActionDad: Sets out into the Dark Presence-infested Bright Falls to reach his daughter and ensure her safety.
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Is pretty much a few steps behind Alan and company the whole time, arriving late to both the power plant and the dam. He even sees Alan walking away but isn't able to stop him, though he does ultimately reunite with the people left behind in the Well-Lit Room, including Sarah.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Due to the weirdness of Bright Falls, he's experienced horrors of all sorts, such as being attacked by a "man with the head of a wolf" and having something pretending to be his wife in bed with him after her funeral.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:Franks responds to Barbara Jagger's threat against Sarah is to shove a flare into her face]].
* FathersQuest: Frank's main motivation in "Night Springs."
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Of the "Night Springs" tie-in comic.
** [[spoiler:He's revealed in ''{{VideoGame/Control}}'' to have been a former member of the Federal Bureau of Control, and reported the events of ''Alan Wake'' to the Bureau.]]
* LastStand: Faced with a horde of Taken on the way to the dam, he is prepared to go down fighting, and barely survives thanks to Alan turning on the lights at the Well-Lit Room.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Sees the crashed rescue helicopter previously used by his daughter [[ItsPersonal and suddenly is filled with rage.]] Subverted as he finds out that Sarah is alive since there is no body in the wrecked.
-->''"There was something almost sublime in the realization that he couldn't possibly cope with the death of his daughter. Suddenly, the world was uncomplicated. She would be alright, or he would bring hell."''
* PapaWolf: While he knows Sarah is more than capable of looking after herself, Frank is going to make sure she is safe and no way in hell he is going to let creatures of the night stopping him. [[spoiler:The Dark Presence's attempt to taunt him by threatening Sarah only makes him fight harder]].
* ProductionForeshadowing: When Barry calls him, Frank at first thought he is a Bureau agent. While initially thought to be the FBI, [[spoiler:the Bureau he meant is the [[{{VideoGame/Control}} Federal Bureau of Control]] which he used to work for. Later, he tried calling them to get reinforcements to no avail]].
* RetiredBadass: Has seen a lot of action in his time, serving as a NYPD police officer, a Bright Falls sheriff, and even [[spoiler:an FBC agent]]. It's telling that Pat Maine and the Bright Falls deputies all listen to his orders when they receive Barry's call and meet.

[[folder:Jake Fischer]]
!!!'''Played by''': Christopher Forsyth

->''"I'm Jake Fischer. A reporter."''

\\
The protagonist for the minisseries, a writer and journalist who arrives in Bright Falls to interview Dr. Hartman about his new book, only to start seeing weird things happen around him.

* AmbiguousSituation: There is no official explanation for what exactly happens to Jake during his stay in the town. [[spoiler:While many believe he was being slowly transformed into a Taken, WordOfGod said it's not the case, as a Taken wouldn't be having episodes of lucidity like he did.]]
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: ''Possibly.'' [[spoiler:Official word from the minisseries' staff is that Jake wasn't Taken, at least not when he was still able to remain conscious during the day, as Taken are dead the moment they are consumed by the Dark Presence. But if he wasn't Taken before, the shot of him ''literally'' vanishing into the night right out of his car all but confirms he's become one.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Deers. On his first night in Bright Falls, he accidentally runs over a deer on the road, which somehow reacts to his flashlight despite being mortally wounded, as well as seeing flashing images of deers haunting his nightmares, a hunter walking down the road with a deer head on his hand, and his trashed hotel room is stated by Mulligan to possibly have been the result of a deer running wild.
* IntrepidReporter: Not by choice, as he only went to Bright Falls to do an interview with Dr. Hartman and get a signed copy of his book. The weird events he experiences just come for him [[spoiler:or might even be caused by him]].
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:He quite literally vanishes into the dark of the night as it sweeps over him, implying he's been Taken by the Dark Presence. The police find his empty car and shrug it off as an accident, but Jake himself is never seen again.]]
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: The lapses in Jake's memory and him waking up in random places all invoke classical North American mythology regarding werewolves, [[spoiler:including the usual pop culture depiction of a man restraining himself at one point so he won't break loose and possibily kill someone, except here it involves deer motifs instead of wolves]].

[[folder:Ellen Adams]]
!!!'''Played by''': Allison Lange

->''"I get it, don't answer. You're here for business."''

\\
An old colleague of Jake's that now lives in Bright Falls and works as a reporter at ''The Bright Falls Record''.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:There's a slight chance she knows about the Dark Presence in some way, even warning Jake a few times that he should leave Bright Falls as soon as possible, but it's never elaborated upon. Also, much like Jake, she's never seen again after she disappears from the car. All that's left is one of her shoes in the backseat with a single bloodstain.]]
* FlatCharacter: While her implied break-up with Jake is amiccable, there's not much she does in the minisseries outside of showing Jake some support as he faces the weird things happening in the town.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:At the final episode, when Jake wakes up in the car, Ellen is nowhere to be seen despite being the one driving not long before. All that's left of her is one of her shoes in the backseat with some blood on it. She's never seen again, either killed or Taken before Jake.]]

[[folder:Sam Smith]]
!!!'''Played by''': Cooper Huckabee

The owner of the Mountain Air Motel in Bright Falls.

* CrazyPrepared: He definitely knows about [[spoiler:the Dark Presence]] a little more than others do, as he has back-up lightbulbs for his motel and a wall practically stacked with hunting rifles and shotguns.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:He's attacked and grabbed by something off-screen, never to be seen again.]]

!!Watery
[[folder:Ilmo Koskela]]
A local tour guide and entrepreneur of Finnish descent who owns and operates Watery's main attraction, Coffee World.

* BadBoss: He has elements of this, if the dilapidated state of Coffee World is anything to go by.
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:He is actually the leader of the Cult of the Tree]].

[[folder:Jaako Koskela]]
Ilmo's brother who assists him in his ventures.

* BadBadActing: In Ilmo's advertisements, Jaako is always shown to have nonexistent acting skills, with him always coming off as flat and monotone.
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:He is a member of the Cult of the Tree]].

!!"Night Springs"

[[folder:Emma Sloan]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Christina Evangelista
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awemma_5650.jpg]]

->''"I did find a page like that. I don't even know where it came from. It was all this weird stuff about the oil derrick and a satellite..."''

\\
A mechanic met at her garage who somehow already knows Alan. She's also into new age stuff and has found one of his manuscript pages.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:At least twice. She's killed by the Darkness at the end of Act 1 and 2, although she starts remembering her deaths in Act 2, and in 3 she and Alan figure out how to finally prevent it by stopping the Taken from knocking out her garage's fuse box.]]
* DirtyCoward: She thinks of herself as one, as she ran away when [[spoiler:Mr. Scratch began killing Michael to gain access to the Mount Redtooth Observatory and didn't even call the police]]. Alan assures her that this isn't the case.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: She's into new age stuff and vaguely alludes to it in dialogue. She also mentions a few times that she believes in the more controversial forms of alternative medicine.
* WrenchWench: A female mechanic, and one used to getting shit for it too.

[[folder:Dr. Rachel Meadows]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yadwa
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrachel_1337.jpg]]

->''"I didn't expect to see anyone here tonight, but I'm relieved to see an actual person. That's assuming this isn't some kind of a cruel trick on your part, of course."''

\\
A scientist who works for the Mount Redtooth National Observatory. She's met with Mr. Scratch before Alan's arrival.

* LittleBlackDress: Wears one under her white lab coat. Alan asks her if she always wears it to work, and she explains it as the result of being called away from a party she was attending.
* MissionControl: Well, in and around the Observatory anyway. She frequently talks to you over a loudspeaker system.
* MsFanservice: A hot scientist wearing a little black dress underneath a labcoat. It's possibly the result of the world Alan's in being inspired by pulp fiction; though she mentions coming from a party.
* NerdsAreSexy: And she's got the glasses and a sexy British accent to go with it.
* StiffUpperLip: Her response to a mass of Taken swarming throughout the observatory on the last visit? "I really wish they would stop flagrantly breaking the laws of physics in my observatory. It's rather rude."
* UnfazedEveryman: She takes time looping best out of all three women (possibly because she doesn't have anything bad happen to her) and actually expresses some minor interest in letting it continue so she can study it.

[[folder:Serena Valdivia]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Desi Sanchez
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awserena_9531.jpg]]

->''"I-I love you so much. Did you know that love hurts? Are you gonna hurt me now? 'Cause you should."''

\\
A film maker and a supposed friend of Alice Wake. Since Alice thought Alan was dead, with the help of Serena, they made a film based on Alan for the annual Night Springs Visual Art Show Film Festival.

* AndIMustScream: She has no control over her actions, but is left fully aware of her behavior. On the second time Alan passes through the drive-in, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential he doesn't have to help and can leave her like this.]]
* BrainWashed: Touched by the Darkness via Mr. Scratch, and becomes a total jackass. [[spoiler:You can snap her out of it by turning on the lights to her building, which cures her instantly. As she retains full memory of her actions, she feels disgusted afterwards and thanks Alan for not taking advantage of her.]]
** [[spoiler:Although helping her is optional in Acts 2 and 3 for some reason.]]
* MindRape: Being touched by the Darkness leaves her very disturbed and worried about going crazy.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Curing her of the Dark Presence is completely optional the second and third time around, but is still a nice thing to do.]]
** The narration even points out that you [[spoiler:don't really have any reason to go back to her office the third time, since you entered the area from the opposite side. If you do it anyway, she'll ask why you bothered, and Alan will say that he couldn't leave her like that.]]

[[folder:Eddie Rodman]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Larry Kenney

A radio host based in Night Springs.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Somewhat. Unlike Pat Maine's radio show, Rodman's has no noticeable phone call-ins or all that much attention, existing mostly for world-building within the setting of the DLC. In fact, the one listener that does respond to him doesn't do so in a friendly manner, to say the least.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Of Pat Maine, as a voice on the radio interviewing people related to the main plot.

!!Alan Wake
%%[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awalan_4307.jpg]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thewriter_3.jpg]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''American Nightmare'' | ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MatthewPorretta
!!!'''Live-Action Model:''' Creator/IlkkaVilli

->''"In a horror story, the victim keeps asking "Why?" But there can be no explanation, and there shouldn't be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest, and it's what we'll remember in the end. My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer."''

\\
The title character, a best-selling novelist who is vacationing with his wife in Bright Falls while wrestling with his writer's block. She disappears abruptly, and Alan comes to in a wrecked car in the wilderness, missing a week's time, and searching for clues as to what happened to his wife, all while fighting dark supernatural forces.

** ''Videogame/{{Control}}'' indicates that [[spoiler: this may be [[InvokedTrope invoked]], as some of the information in the ''AWE'' expansion that Alan was already a Parautilitarian even before he came into contact with the Dark Presence, and that Alan was in turn created by Thomas Zane to be a RealityWarper ActionSurvivor.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Mainly due to the many parties thrown in the wake of his most recent novel. [[spoiler:The Anderson brothers' moonshine had that extra special kick to it.]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:The exchange for releasing Alice was that Alan confined himself to the darkness underneath Cauldron Lake so he could write a definitive end for the Dark Presence through a new story. As of ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', Alan has been in the Dark Place for ''10 years'' with no apparent hope of escape, and not only is his will to escape starting to wane, more mysteries are piling up.]]
* AuthorAvatar: He has quite a few things in common with the game's writer Sam Lake. The game naturally invokes this in-universe as well, since [[spoiler:Alan wrote the game's events himself]].
* BadassBookworm: He's a novelist that's a surprisingly good shot for someone who spent just a bit of time in range practice.
* BatmanGambit: In the ''AWE'' expansion, he is all but confirmed to have sent The-Thing-That-Had-Been-Hartman to the Oldest House in a bid to turn Jesse into a heroine capable of saving him from The Dark Place. Going even further, there's evidence to suggest that he created Jesse, the FBC, and the Hiss invasion as part of this plan: His writings reference aspects of Jesse's backstory that he would have no way of knowing otherwise, and if you look around the Investigations Sector, you can find pages of a Night Springs spec script that he wrote with a plot similar to that of the base game, indicating that he may have adapted this story into his current work. However, it's left unspecified whether he would have been directly writing elements into existence or simply manipulating events to his desired outcomes, although "Wake Writes a Beginning" suggests the latter to be more likely.
-->'''Wake Writes a Beginning:''' ''The more springs, the more the story became real. The more people believed. Cause and effect. It was extremely delicate and hard work. It had to go through the path of least resistance. Where success was most likely. Where there was a connection already.''
* BerserkButton: Causing harm to Alice is his biggest one, but he's also very touchy when it comes to his writer's block being prodded on, especially when he thought he was just going to have a simple vacation. Alice trying to trick him into writing again causes a heated argument, and Dr. Hartman touching that nerve again later is one of the many reasons for why Alan wants to punch the smug grin off his face.
* TheCameo: In ''Control'', picking up the case file for the Typewritten Page prompts a Trench-esque vision of Alan typing while monologuing about his state. He has a much larger presence in the ''AWE'' expansion.
* CaptainObvious: Has a few moments of this during his inner monologues. [[spoiler:Given that said monologue is part of his writing of the game's events, it's somewhat justified.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The "clicker" that Alan had as a child, a cut-off light switch which his mother told him would drive the darkness away if he turned it on.

* DeadpanSnarker: When he's in a good mood which is unfortunately not often for him.
* {{Determinator}}: One of his most notable traits is his sheer stubbornness.
** During the events of the first game, he is ''going'' to find his wife. ''Get out of his way.''
** When trapped in the Dark Place, he held firm over thirteen years, and while he's gone understandably crazy to a certain extent, he still hasn't given into the Dark Presence's desires and written a way for it to escape and destroy the world.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:His rewriting of the Dark Presence to give it a weak spot.]] He metaphorically [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu broke his arm]] in the process, but was aware that it was going to happen because [[GenreSavvy that's how horror stories work]].
* DisappearedDad: The manuscript page Alan finds with the Clicker notes that Alan never knew his father, so anything of his takes on mythical properties for Alan. [[spoiler:Because Alan likely doesn't have a real father. It's strongly implied that Alan was written into existence by Thomas Zane, as a sort of backup plan if Zane failed.]]
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Alan's hair is significantly longer and messier in ''Control'' and ''Alan Wake II'', reflecting his deteriorated mental state.
* {{Expy}}: InUniverse, he's one of Thomas Zane. The Anderson brothers even confuse Alan for Zane when they meet, calling him "Tom". Even Ahti from Videogame/{{Control}} gets in on it. [[spoiler:It's heavily implied Alan is a creation of Zane's, being the linchpin of Zane's backup plan to defeat the Dark Presence.]] This is further shown in ''Videogame/{{Control}}'', where Alan in turn [[spoiler:created Jesse to free ''him'' from the Dark Presence as well.]]
* GenreSavvy: He's aware that horror stories may not end well for the protagonist, and that there can be a lot of casualties along the way. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since he wrote some of them in-universe and needs to keep the tension believable so the Dark Presence won't wrestle control of the narrative away from him.

** Granted, it's also implied that he wrote or at least manipulated events so that his former friends and allies would have happy endings, including giving the Anderson brothers one last blaze of glory before letting them retire to a specially made nursing home, and also having Barry Wheeler be their agent.

* HelpYourselfInTheFuture: Just about every useful item in the game was [[spoiler:written into the plot by Alan himself]]. Lampshaded in his internal monologues when noting that flash grenades aren't exactly standard electrician equipment when he finds them in company trucks parked all over the place.
* HeroicSacrifice: ''Maybe''. [[spoiler:As of the end of "The Writer" he's on his way back to the real world, but it's going to take a '''long''' while for him to get back.]]
* InkSuitActor: In ''Remastered'', his face has been altered to more resemble Ilkka Villi's.
* {{Jerkass}}: He has a reputation as a somewhat smug writer, but his ego isn't so great that he isn't at least approachable. That being said, he's got a short temper when it comes to people pushing him into writing more and will get ''pissed'' if he even suspects it's the case.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: But as previously stated, he's approachable otherwise and a good man who genuinely loves his wife and cares for his friends and allies. The game essentially serves to make him realize he needs to think bigger than his own issues.
* LargeHam: The [[spoiler:insane part of his mind that antagonizes the rational part (the player character) throughout the two [=DLCs=]]] could possibly make even Mr. Scratch look like a salad in comparison.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He's a best-selling novelist.
* TheNeedless: It's implied that the Dark Presence has intentionally taken away his needs for food, water, and sleep during his time in the Dark Place in order to keep him alive and writing so that it can eventually escape.
* NervesOfSteel: Earned them after the events at Bright Falls. In ''American Nightmare'', he notes multiple times that he has a hard time getting stressed out anymore.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Implied to have written the fate of Dr. Emil Hartman, ensuring his FateWorseThanDeath at the hands of the Dark Presence. Interestingly enough, he'd also earlier ensured that Hartman would survive the Bright Falls AWE, as revealed in the ''Alan Wake'' comic ''Psycho Thriller''.
* PermaStubble: Becomes more noticeable as the game progresses, especially when compared to his flashbacks. [[spoiler:By the time of ''Control'', he's got himself a full beard.]]
* PrivateEyeMonologue: His in-game narrations to various events (including meeting characters for the first time) has some shades of this, and he sometimes speak in metaphors. Played straight if you read his manuscript pages the moment you pick them, as Alan monologues about events that happened shortly after.
* PsychoticSmirk: He has a brief one after [[spoiler:he leaves Hartman at the mercy of the Dark Presence. Given what an absolute prick the man was, it's pretty justified.]]
* RealityWarper: [[spoiler:The Dark Presence forced him to write a horror story, and its power allows fiction to be translated into reality. As such, things that Alan has written into his manuscript pages will happen as typed. Come the end of the game, Alan is still doing this at the bottom of the lake. In ''Videogame/{{Control}}'''s ''AWE'' expansion, it is implied that Alan has been using this power to write (or at least influence) the events leading to that entire game's story to create someone able to rescue him from the Dark Place.]]
* SanitySlippage: The poor bastard can no longer tell fiction from reality due to being trapped in the Dark Place for so long.
* SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere: [[spoiler:As of the ending of the original game, Alan is trapped in the cabin under Cauldron Lake, still trying to write a story where the Dark Presence is defeated and he's freed from its shackles.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Twofold in ''American Nightmare''. He's much better at working with the plans he's written into being as well as his own instincts. However, he's also altered the genre of the story from Surreal Horror to a surreal form of Action, allowing himself access to bigger guns.

* VitriolicBestBuds: With Barry, his manager. He'll always throw a jab or two when he talks about him, but if Barry happens to be in danger, he'll drop everything to go after him.

!!Alice Wake
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Brett Madden ''(Alan Wake)'', Christina Cole ''(Alan Wake II)''
!!!'''Live-Action Model:''' Jonna Järvenpää
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awalice_8500.jpg]]

\\

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:To save Alice, Alan confines himself to the bottom of Cauldron Lake so she'll escape alive and unharmed. The "AWE" extension for the game ''Control'', which takes place in the same universe, reveals it's been 10 whole years since Alice last saw her husband. She's alive and well, but is still being regularly harassed by Mr. Scratch.]]
* CameraFiend: A friendly example, Alice is a photographer who sometimes grates on Alan's nerves, especially at the very beginning. [[spoiler:In the ''AWE'' expansion for ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', there's a document that details her using her skills to monitor her apartment when she's visited by Mr. Scratch.]]
* CollateralAngst: Invoked, no less, as she's kidnapped by the Dark Presence to provide Alan with the motivation to write again to save her. Then she's stuffed into it ''again'' by Dr. Hartman, who claims she died and Alan had a psychotic break... in order to provide Alan with the motivation to write again. [[spoiler:In the end, she's out of the fridge and alive, even referenced in ''AWE'' from ''Control'' as seeing an apparition using the face of her husband to terrorize her.]]
* DamselInDistress: Her kidnapping is what sets Alan on his journey through Bright Falls.
* DeadAllAlong: As revealed to Alan by Dr. Hartman. [[spoiler:'''DON'T BELIEVE HIS LIES''']]
* {{Expy}}: Of Barbara Jagger, being the love interest and muse of a famous writer who supposedly drowns in Cauldron Lake. In flashbacks Alan hears at the end, Jagger even has the same voice as Alice. [[spoiler:Like with Alan and Thomas Zane, this is not a coincidence and she may have been specifically written into existence by Thomas Zane for this very purpose.]]

* HappilyMarried: Despite the occasional disagreement between the two, Alan loves Alice dearly and would do anything to keep her safe. That being said, their marriage was deteriorating due to his writer's block causing him stress, devolving into substance abuse afterwards and causing more fights between the two. [[spoiler:Dr. Hartman takes full advantage of this to get Alan to Bright Falls, and so did the Dark Presence when it took Alice away.]]

* TheMuse: Apparently {{Discussed}} after Alan rescues her and {{Deconstructed}}--It eventually relegated her to a backseat position in their relationship, with his writing taking priority, which is part of why their relationship decayed. Funnily enough, he ends up being ''her'' muse of sorts when she makes a movie about him later down the line.

** [[spoiler:Prior to their trip to Bright Falls, Alice made a call to Hartman regarding her relationship with Alan and the entire trip is actually a ploy to seek him for psychiatric therapy, setting up the plot of the game.]]
** [[spoiler:Sometime before the events of ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', Alice visited the Old House to seek help regarding Mr. Scratch's haunting. Unknown to her, Hartman was also in the building after he was transformed into a Taken. Sensing her, Hartman broke free of his confinement and the Bureau has no choice but to lock down the entire Investigations Sector, setting up the events of the ''AWE'' DLC.]]
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She has an intense fear of the dark to the point an unlit room at dusk scares her.

!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Fred Berman
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awbarry_6283.jpg]]

\\

** [[spoiler:In ''American Nightmare'', he's become the agent for the Anderson Brothers' comeback tour so he could at least still have money on hand, but called it quits after getting concerned with their health, and by the time of ''Control'', he's used the money to fund a retirement home.]]

* ImaginaryFriend: In the [=DLCs=], anyway.

* MotorMouth: Barry can't seem to spend one minute without talking. Even his imaginary self has the same issue.

* ShipTease: With Sheriff Breaker. By the time of ''American Nightmare'', they're still in contact with each other.

* TenderTears: When saying goodbye to [[spoiler:Alan as he leaves the Well-Lit Room.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: After arming himself in the general store and taking out a huge Taken with a flare gun.
* WalkingArmory: In Chapter 5, he decides to arm himself to the teeth to fight against the Taken. His weapons include a headlamp, christmas lights and a flare gun.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's never revealed what happened to him and the others [[spoiler:in the Well-Lit Room]]. Any information about him is delegated to extra content or DLC.
** The ''Alan Wake Files'' reveals that [[spoiler:he's out and about, and was suing the writer of said file for a while until he was persuaded to stop.]]
** ''American Nightmare'' reveals that he's now a manager in the music industry, and the Old Gods of Asgard are one of his clients. He also keeps in touch with Sheriff Breaker, and co-handles Alan's estate with Alice.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', he becomes Odin and Tor's agent for their comeback tour, canceling it prematurely out of fear that the hard-partying elderly rockers would hurt themselves, and even funding construction of a retirement home to house them.
** In ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII'', Barry isn't seen or mentioned, once again leaving his fate up in the air.

[[folder:Agent Robert Nightingale]]
!!Agent Robert "Bob" Nightingale
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Timothy [=McCracken=] (''Alan Wake)'', Creator/DougCockle ''(Alan Wake II)''
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awnightingale_3663.jpg]]

\\

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:He's either been Taken or has become the new avatar for the Dark Presence by the end of the original game. Given that his fate wasn't written by Alan in the manuscript (it was only said that he'd be attacked and dragged off into the night) and the Dark Presence distorts any plot holes to its favor, it's likely that it has made use of this to make Nightingale useful somehow, but it's still not specified.]]
** In the sequel he seems to be human... [[IntroOnlyPointOfView briefly]], but gets turned into a Taken shortly after.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:The ending suggests that he has become the new avatar for the Dark Presence, as he peers ominousy at Rose from behind under cover of darkness.]]
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:The Dark Presence takes him when it attacks the police station in Episode 5.]]

* BigBadEnsemble: With the Dark Presence and [[spoiler:Dr. Hartman]], but he doesn't acknowledge either of them and only aims to capture Alan Wake for his own motives.

* InspectorJavert: He pursues Wake to the point of obsession because he believes him to be a dangerous murderer, [[spoiler:blaming him for his partner's disappearance and having seen the manuscript page Alan wrote that dictated his capture by the Dark Presence]].
* IntroOnlyPointOfView: You briefly play as him in the sequel's prologue chapter.

* TurninYourBadge: The Alan Wake Files reveal that that Nightingale was actually fired from the FBI for unknown reasons prior to coming to Bright Falls and was acting as a rogue agent while trying to hunt down Alan.
* WakingUpAtTheMorgue: In the sequel he's been murdered and Saga and Casey have come to investigate, during the autopsy Nightengale transforms into a Taken when the lights go out and goes on a rampage in the morgue.

[[folder:Agent Saga Anderson]]
!!Agent Saga Anderson
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Melanie Liburd

An FBI agent dispatched alongside her partner Alex Casey to the town of Bright Falls in 2023 to investigate a series of murders there.
* ActionMom: Proud mother of one Logan Anderson. [[spoiler:Keeping the story from using and hurting her becomes her main drive.]]
* ImmuneToFate: [[spoiler:She turns out to be as such. Mr. Scratch wanted her to be a TragicHero, returning to the place of her greatest failure. Multiple characters throughout the second game reference this backstory, but she doesn't remember it, as due to already having an inborn role in the story (being a granddaughter of one of the Anderson brothers), he can't actually change her past, just attempt to [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslight]] her into thinking that his story is the real one.]]
* LukeYouAreMyFather: Well, ''grand''father. She's Tor Anderson's granddaughter by an ex-wife.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: [[spoiler:Subverted and defied. Saga finds evidence Logan drowned in Cauldron Lake - and then several indications that she is native to Watery, [[OccamsRazor which make increasingly less sense]] until she realizes that "Other Saga" is the character Mr. Scratch made her to be - in reality, Logan is alive and well, protected by her mother being ImmuneToFate. She redoubles her efforts to stop the story to make sure that remains the case.]]
* PsychicPowers: She has 'hunches' that make her a very effective detective, which seem to be a hybrid of telepathy and clairvoyance; at her profiling desk in her "mind place", she can ask questions about certain people, and hear them answer in their voice. [[spoiler:Odin Anderson talks directly to her and even appears in her mind place, revealing that she, like all Andersons, is seer, making this a genuinely supernatural ability.]]
* SemiDivine: [[AmbiguousSituation Maybe]]. [[spoiler:From inheriting her PsychicPowers from her grandfather Tor (who, through the power of Cauldron Lake, could be the Norse God of his namesake) to her father being Mr. Door (a liminal being with intimate knowledge of the multiverse), to say that she's entirely human could be inaccurate.]]

[[folder:Agent Alex Casey]]
!!Agent Alex Casey
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JamesMcCaffrey
!!!'''Live-Action Model:''' Sam Lake

Saga's partner, Alex's prior investigations into the Bright Falls AWE caught the FBC's attention due to his similarity to a character from one of Alan Wake's novels.

* AmbiguousSituation: The FBI agent shares the same name with the protagonist of Alan Wake's novel series. [[spoiler:Due to Alan's ability to write fiction into reality, a lot of questions is brought up as to whether this Alex Casey is brought to life by Alan to help him to escape the Dark Presence or if the name being the same is purely coincidental. Not only that, there is also an Agent Alex Casey in the Night Spring TV series in Remedy's previous game, ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'' who is also searching for Alan which leaves even more questions as how that game connects both games]]. It's implied that [[spoiler:Alex is actually a real person who unfortunately got caught up in the Dark Presence's schemes due to the fact he happened to share a name with Alan's main character. Alan himself feels guilty for inadvertently getting Alex involved in his struggle]].
* {{Expy}}: For Max Payne. Alex Casey works for the FBI rather than the DEA but lost his family in a similar way and has the same hardboiled grizzled narration. At least in Alan Wake's writing.

* WritingAroundTrademarks: Remedy created Alex Casey to get around losing the rights to Max Payne.

!!Bright Falls, Washington

[[folder:Sheriff Sarah Breaker]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Jessica Alexandra
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awsarah_284.jpg]]

->''"Wake, I'm gonna trust you with this."''

\\
Head of the Bright Falls sheriff's office, who is investigating Alice's disappearance and eventually joins Alan in fighting the Dark Presence. Her father was the sheriff before her as well as [[spoiler:an agent of the Federal Bureau of VideoGame/{{Control}}]].

* ActionGirl: In Episode 5, when she ''finally'' sees the Dark Presence herself and ''immediately'' asks Alan for how to fight it. Through most of the episode, she provides cover fire while Alan and Barry make their way through the dark streets of the town.
* DaddysGirl: Looked up to her father, Frank Breaker, growing up, comparing him to Alan's pulp fiction character Alex Casey. He also gave her loads of advice as she grew up and trained to be a sheriff, including chiding her for dismissing Cynthia Weaver as a loon, saying she shouldn't be made fun of and she just wants to tell people something important. [[spoiler:The fact he's a confirmed [[VideoGame/{{Control}} FBC agent]] probably helps.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike the trigger-happy Agent Nightingale, Sarah's actually willing to listen to Alan and try to understand his weird behavior in light of the situation surrounding him, also wanting to interrogate him properly instead of just using brute force out of a personal revenge scheme like her federal "colleague" wants to do. After she finally sees the Dark Presence with her own eyes [[spoiler:when it whisks away Nightingale]], she immediately starts helping Alan and fighting the Taken herself.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Uses a pump-action shotgun during gameplay. It helps that, unlike Alan, she doesn't have an ammo cap and can just fire away at approaching Taken.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Like with Barry, the game doesn't explain what happened after Alan left her and Barry [[spoiler:in the Well-Lit Room]], with the most information on the topic given through other media and later installments.
** In the ''Alan Wake Files'', set after the game, [[spoiler:she's talked to the author on a few things, but doesn't talk about what happened during the game or why there's a lot of damage and missing people in Bright Falls.]]
** ''American Nightmare'' implies she's still sheriff, and states that she and Barry still keep in touch.
** In ''Alan Wake II'', she is replaced by her cousin Tim Breaker as Bright Fall's sheriff, with no indication of what has happened to her.

[[folder:Sheriff Tim Breaker]]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/ShawnAshmore

Sarah Breaker's cousin, who has taken over the Bright Falls sherrif's office by the time of ''Alan Wake II''. He's transported to the Dark Place by Mr. Door in order to save him from a revived Nightingale.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: He's hunting for Warlin Door, but when Alan says that he's a talk show host in the Dark Place, Tim brushes him off, saying that it doesn't sound like him.
* HiddenSupplies: He's responsible for hiding supply caches around the Dark Place in ''Alan Wake II''.
* PunnyName: He's implied to be an alternate counterpart of Jack Joyce from ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'', and his name is one letter off from "Time Breaker".
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: He dreams of alternate universe counterparts of himself; his "board of crazy" in the dark place implies that one of these counterparts is none other than Jack Joyce from ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'', another role played by Ashmore.

[[folder:Rose Marigold]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Benita Robledo ''(Alan Wake)'', Jessica Preddy ''(Alan Wake II)''
!!!'''Played by:''' Merette Bartles (''Bright Falls'' minisseries)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrose_8178.jpg]]

->''"Welcome to the Oh Deer Diner!"''

The waitress at the Oh Deer Diner in Bright Falls, and one of Alan's biggest fans. She becomes an incidental character during the game's events as she hopes to see him more often, but it ends up being to her detriment...

* AndIMustScream: When she is [[spoiler:touched by The Dark Presence and unable to control her actions as she drugs Alan and Barry under its command. It's heavily implied she knows exactly what she's doing but is powerless to stop it]].
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Being used by the Dark Presence sours her cheerful demeanor very quickly, to say the least. When Alan comes to in her trailer, she's cradling herself and rocking back and forth in a state of shock, repeating her waitress routine in monotone. Finally, we only see her again in the ending with a lantern on her hands and a grim expression, implying she's become the new Lady of the Light.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: She [[spoiler:assists Alan in a critical moment during the climax of ''Alan Wake II'', claiming her loopy behavior was [[ObfuscatingStupidity just an act]] so she could evade notice until she could help Alan in his moment of need]].
* CreepyMonotone: While [[spoiler:under the influence of The Dark Presence, which makes her repeat her workplace dialogue similarly to the Taken]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: One passage of the manuscript implies that life's been pretty rough on her in general, and another passage implies that she was in an abusive relationship at one point. [[spoiler:Things go FromBadToWorse for her, unfortunately.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: Implied, but in Episode 3, [[spoiler:despite being under the influence of the Dark Presence,]] when Alan asks her if she has the manuscript pages, she'll strike a pose and comment that Alan "needs a muse to inspire him", hinting at some possible jealousy towards Alice Wake. This isn't helped by the fact she has an actual mini StalkerShrine (although thankfully it's just publicity photos) dedicated to Alan in her bedroom.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She has dirt-blond hair and is genuinely a nice girl, both to the townsfolk and Alan, just wanting to help. [[spoiler:It's heartbreaking when the Dark Presence utterly destroys her mentally.]]
* HistoryRepeats: [[spoiler:Like Cynthia Weaver before her, Rose is a bystander who harbors a personal crush on a famous writer who's already with someone else, and ends up touched by the Dark Presence and traumatized into staying in the light. The ending implies she'll essentially take Cynthia's place as the "Lady of the Light", especially with the comments Cynthia often makes about being tired of the role and not being able to keep it up forever.]]
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: A manuscript page reveals she's very insecure under her smiling work persona, and ultimately just wants to be friends with Alice and Alan, even if it's implied she harbors a genuine crush on the latter.
* ImYourBiggestFan: Is a die-hard fangirl for Alan, having a cardboard cutout of him propped up at the Diner.
* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: In addition to running the Oh Deer Diner, she's also a nurse at the Valhalla Nursing Home in ''Alan Wake II''.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Implied to be the new Lady of the Light after Cynthia, if the ending scene of her holding a lantern while being peered on by an implicitly-possessed Nightingale is any indication.]]

[[folder:Cynthia Weaver]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Linda Cook
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awcynthia_7139.jpg]]

->''"Young man. I've been waiting for you. For a long time."''

The "town eccentric" of Bright Falls, who is obsessed with making sure all the lights in the town are working properly. There's a very good reason for it.

!!"Night Springs"

[[folder:Emma Sloan]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Christina Evangelista
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awemma_5650.jpg]]

->''"I did find a page like that. I don't even know where it came from. It was all this weird stuff about the oil derrick and a satellite..."''

\\
A mechanic met at her garage who somehow already knows Alan. She's also into new age stuff and has found one of his manuscript pages.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:At least twice. She's killed by the Darkness at the end of Act 1 and 2, although she starts remembering her deaths in Act 2, and in 3 she and Alan figure out how to finally prevent it by stopping the Taken from knocking out her garage's fuse box.]]
* DirtyCoward: She thinks of herself as one, as she ran away when [[spoiler:Mr. Scratch began killing Michael to gain access to the Mount Redtooth Observatory and didn't even call the police]]. Alan assures her that this isn't the case.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: She's into new age stuff and vaguely alludes to it in dialogue. She also mentions a few times that she believes in the more controversial forms of alternative medicine.
* WrenchWench: A female mechanic, and one used to getting shit for it too.

[[folder:Dr. Rachel Meadows]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yadwa
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrachel_1337.jpg]]

->''"I didn't expect to see anyone here tonight, but I'm relieved to see an actual person. That's assuming this isn't some kind of a cruel trick on your part, of course."''

\\
A scientist who works for the Mount Redtooth National Observatory. She's met with Mr. Scratch before Alan's arrival.

* LittleBlackDress: Wears one under her white lab coat. Alan asks her if she always wears it to work, and she explains it as the result of being called away from a party she was attending.
* MissionControl: Well, in and around the Observatory anyway. She frequently talks to you over a loudspeaker system.
* MsFanservice: A hot scientist wearing a little black dress underneath a labcoat. It's possibly the result of the world Alan's in being inspired by pulp fiction; though she mentions coming from a party.
* NerdsAreSexy: And she's got the glasses and a sexy British accent to go with it.
* StiffUpperLip: Her response to a mass of Taken swarming throughout the observatory on the last visit? "I really wish they would stop flagrantly breaking the laws of physics in my observatory. It's rather rude."
* UnfazedEveryman: She takes time looping best out of all three women (possibly because she doesn't have anything bad happen to her) and actually expresses some minor interest in letting it continue so she can study it.

[[folder:Serena Valdivia]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Desi Sanchez
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awserena_9531.jpg]]

->''"I-I love you so much. Did you know that love hurts? Are you gonna hurt me now? 'Cause you should."''

A film maker and a supposed friend of Alice Wake. Since Alice thought Alan was dead, with the help of Serena, they made a film based on Alan for the annual Night Springs Visual Art Show Film Festival.

* AndIMustScream: She has no control over her actions, but is left fully aware of her behavior. On the second time Alan passes through the drive-in, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential he doesn't have to help and can leave her like this.]]
* BrainWashed: Touched by the Darkness via Mr. Scratch, and becomes a total jackass. [[spoiler:You can snap her out of it by turning on the lights to her building, which cures her instantly. As she retains full memory of her actions, she feels disgusted afterwards and thanks Alan for not taking advantage of her.]]
** [[spoiler:Although helping her is optional in Acts 2 and 3 for some reason.]]
* MindRape: Being touched by the Darkness leaves her very disturbed and worried about going crazy.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Curing her of the Dark Presence is completely optional the second and third time around, but is still a nice thing to do.]]
** The narration even points out that you [[spoiler:don't really have any reason to go back to her office the third time, since you entered the area from the opposite side. If you do it anyway, she'll ask why you bothered, and Alan will say that he couldn't leave her like that.]]

[[folder:Eddie Rodman]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Larry Kenney

A radio host based in Night Springs.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Somewhat. Unlike Pat Maine's radio show, Rodman's has no noticeable phone call-ins or all that much attention, existing mostly for world-building within the setting of the DLC. In fact, the one listener that does respond to him doesn't do so in a friendly manner, to say the least.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Of Pat Maine, as a voice on the radio interviewing people related to the main plot.

* DemotedToExtra: Mulligan has a physical-yet-minor appearance in the ''Bright Falls'' miniseries as he investigates the disturbance at Jake Fisher's cabin, and is the cop that Shel Dyke attacks and bites the hand of. In ''Alan Wake'' proper, he's delegated to a voice-only role with Thornton.

** In ''Alan Wake II'', she is replaced by her cousin Tim Breaker as Bright Fall's sheriff, with no indication of what has happened to her.

* AmbiguousSituation: The FBI agent shares the same name with the protagonist of Alan Wake's novel series. [[spoiler:Due to Alan's ability to write fiction into reality, a lot of questions is brought up as to whether this Alex Casey is brought to life by Alan to help him to escape the Dark Presence or if the name being the same is purely coincidental. Not only that, there is also an Agent Alex Casey in the Night Spring TV series in Remedy's previous game, ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'' who is also searching for Alan which leaves even more questions as how that game connects both games]].

* {{Expy}}: InUniverse, he's one of Thomas Zane. The Anderson brothers even confuse Alan for Zane when they meet, calling him "Tom". It's not a coincidence they're virtually the same person. [[spoiler:It's implied Alan is a creation of Zane's, being the linchpin of Zane's backup plan to defeat the Dark Presence.]] This is further shown in ''Videogame/{{Control}}'', where Alan in turn [[spoiler:created Jesse to free ''him'' from the Dark Presence as well.]]

[[folder:Rose Marigold]]
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Benita Robledo ''(Alan Wake)'', Jessica Preddy ''(Alan Wake II)''
!!!'''Played by:''' Merette Bartles (''Bright Falls'' minisseries)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awrose_8178.jpg]]

->''"Welcome to the Oh Deer Diner!"''

The waitress at the Oh Deer Diner in Bright Falls, and one of Alan's biggest fans. She becomes an incidental character during the game's events as she hopes to see him more often, but it ends up being to her detriment...

* AndIMustScream: When she is [[spoiler:touched by The Dark Presence and unable to control her actions as she drugs Alan and Barry under its command. It's heavily implied she knows exactly what she's doing but is powerless to stop it]].
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Being used by the Dark Presence sours her cheerful demeanor very quickly, to say the least. When Alan comes to in her trailer, she's cradling herself and rocking back and forth in a state of shock, repeating her waitress routine in monotone. Finally, we only see her again in the ending with a lantern on her hands and a grim expression, implying she's become the new Lady of the Light.]]
* CreepyMonotone: While [[spoiler:under the influence of The Dark Presence, which makes her repeat her workplace dialogue similarly to the Taken]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: One passage of the manuscript implies that life's been pretty rough on her in general, and another passage implies that she was in an abusive relationship at one point. [[spoiler:Things go FromBadToWorse for her, unfortunately.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: Implied, but in Episode 3, [[spoiler:despite being under the influence of the Dark Presence,]] when Alan asks her if she has the manuscript pages, she'll strike a pose and comment that Alan "needs a muse to inspire him", hinting at some possible jealousy towards Alice Wake. This isn't helped by the fact she has an actual mini StalkerShrine (although thankfully it's just publicity photos) dedicated to Alan in her bedroom.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She has dirt-blond hair and is genuinely a nice girl, both to the townsfolk and Alan, just wanting to help. [[spoiler:It's heartbreaking when the Dark Presence utterly destroys her mentally.]]
* HistoryRepeats: [[spoiler:Like Cynthia Weaver before her, Rose is a bystander who harbors a personal crush on a famous writer who's already with someone else, and ends up touched by the Dark Presence and traumatized into staying in the light. The ending implies she'll essentially take Cynthia's place as the "Lady of the Light", especially with the comments Cynthia often makes about being tired of the role and not being able to keep it up forever.]]
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: A manuscript page reveals she's very insecure under her smiling work persona, and ultimately just wants to be friends with Alice and Alan, even if it's implied she harbors a genuine crush on the latter.
* ImYourBiggestFan: Is a die-hard fangirl for Alan, having a cardboard cutout of him propped up at the Diner.
* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: In addition to running the Oh Deer Diner, she's also a nurse at the Valhalla Nursing Home in ''Alan Wake II''.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Implied to be the new Lady of the Light after Cynthia, if the ending scene of her holding a lantern while being peered on by an implicitly-possessed Nightingale is any indication.]]

[[folder:Cynthia Weaver]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Linda Cook
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awcynthia_7139.jpg]]

->''"Young man. I've been waiting for you. For a long time."''

The "town eccentric" of Bright Falls, who is obsessed with making sure all the lights in the town are working properly. There's a very good reason for it.

* AmbigousSituation: The original Alan Wake emphasized heavily that Zane was a poet who practiced diving as a hobby... [[spoiler:but both the ''AWE'' expansion for ''Control'' and ''Alan Wake II'' say that he's a Finnish filmmaker, with AW2 outright stating that the Diver was a character he played in one of his films, Tom the Poet. Saga can find a poster for this film in Watery, with both Zane and Barbar Jagger listed as actors in the film. It's not clear if there was some form of CosmicRetcon that took place in between installments, or if Wake wrote the character Zane played into ''Departure'', mistaking him for the real person. Making things more complicated, he looks like Alan but with different hair and no beard, implying that Zane may have created Alan whole cloth.]]

* ResemblenceReveal: [[spoiler:''Control'' reveals that he looks eerily similar to Alan; Alan actually tries to get him to address this in ''Alan Wake 2'', but Zane dodges the question]].

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JamesMcCaffrey

* PosthumousCharacter: He died before the game begins. [[spoiler:Whether what you meet is him or an illusion created by Alan isn't made clear.]]

* ImmuneToFate: [[spoiler:She turns out to be as such. Mr. Scratch wanted her to be a TragicHero, returning to the place of her greatest failure. Multiple characters throughout the second game reference this backstory, but she doesn't remember it, as due to already having an inborn role in the story (being a granddaughter of one of the Anderson brothers, he can't actually change her past, just attempt to gaslight her into thinking that his story is the real one.]]

* ImmuneToFate: [[spoiler:She turns out to be as such. Mr. Scratch wanted her to be a TragicHero, returning to the place of her greatest failure. Multiple characters throughout the second game reference this backstory, but she doesn't remember it, as due to already having an inborn role in the story (being a granddaughter of one of the Anderson brothers]], he can't actually change her past, just attempt to gaslight her into thinking that his story is the real one.]]

* ImmuneToFate: [[spoiler:She turns out to be as such. Mr. Scratch wanted her to be a Tragic Hero, returning to the place of her greatest failure. Multiple characters throughout the second game reference this backstory, but she doesn't remember it.]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: Well, ''grand''father. She's Tor Anderson's granddaughter by an ex-wife.

!!!'''Appears in:''' ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' | ''VideoGame/Control''

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Brett Madden

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Timothy [=McCracken=]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Benita Robledo

* [[Characters/RemedyConnectedUniverseParanaturalPhenomena Paranatural Phenomena]][[note]]The Hiss, Dylan Faden, The Anchor, The Board, Astral Spikes, Astral Copies, FORMER, The Oldest House, The Oceanview Motel and Casino, Hedron, The Not-Mother, esseJ, Unless You, Agent Alex Casey, Fra, The Blessed Organization, The Clog, The Mold, The Shadow, The Missing Parautilitarian, The Third Thing, The Filmmaker, The Double[[/note]]