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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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Time is weird within the Oldest House

Spoilers for Alan Wake 2 and slight speculation for Control 2

Alright so. According to Estevez, HQ went dark and while she gives no hint as for how long it's been like that, it's safe to assume it's been four years due to how consistent the each Remedy game has been about the years they take place on.

Besides that, nothing is ever hinted at what's going on with the FBC's headquarters.

We know now time loops and spirals inside the Dark Place and that changes done there can bleed into reality (Jesse being told by a psychiatrist Zane is a filmmaker and not a poet, as she remembered him).

From the AWE DLC we know Jesse briefly witnessed Alan meeting Zane ("The Meeting" from now on), which came full circle in AW2.

From this event it's not unreasonable to assume two things:

1. The Meeting happened back in 2019.

The AWE DLC takes place before the ending of Control's and Foundation's story. This can be seen in the reports Emily writes about the new hiss enemies introduced in each dlc.

For the one introduced in AWE her title is still Research Specialist.

For the one in Foundation, her title is Head of Research. (also she got her Doctorate, you go girl!)

If this is holds up, Alan's timeline in AW2 has been bouncing back and forth way back from 2023.

Or, if you want a headache, even farther back given his role in Tom the Poet which came out before Zane disappeared. This is the poster in the Suomi Hall in Watery.

There's no hint yet if this change/addition of Alan writing a novel that inspired the film has made it past Watery and Bright Falls into the real world or was cleared at the end of the game.

This would also mean Ahti has been on vacations for four years.

2. The Meeting happened in 2023.

At the end of AWE dlc Langston says they're receiving an AWE alert from Cauldron Lake that is set a few years into the future. But is it?

What if it's actually the present, my dear beautiful Langston?

This would be consistent with the lack of any visual indication of the passage of time during the main story. There's none. And then, the Foundation DLC ends, and we see Dylan has grown hair and a beard.

Cute. But you know, Remedy has weaponized easter eggs. So no, I don't think Mr. comatose baldy growing a beard is a cute little detail they spent resources on.

We know by the time The Meeting takes place, Alan has not gotten out of the Dark Place yet, hence the alarm has not been activated (it goes off in the FBC monitoring station as soon as Alan/Scratch is transported back to the shore where Saga meets him for the first time).

If this holds up, then the timeline is more or less like this:

Ahti lets Jesse into the Oldest House in October 29th, 2019.

While Jesse is dealing with the Hiss, Alan unlocks Investigation Sector in the elevator.

Alan Meets Zane .

Jesse gets a glimpse of The Meeting.

Ahti gives Jesse his cassette players, goes on vacation.

Alan/Scratch gets out of the Dark Place (September 13th, 2023).

The AWE alarm sounds - and the signal made it into the Oldest House (September 13th, 2023).

Jesse takes down the Projector and deals with the Nail.

Dylan has grown hair.

Between point 4 and 5 more time could've passed, otherwise those are some short vacations for Ahti, it sounds like he's been in Watery for a while.

Therefore, during Control's main story, time was halted or passed very, very slowly when compared to the world outside.

How come?

With Remedy integrating their own alternate version of Quantum Break they might as well start using some of its harder science fiction approach. Alan has already mentioned the Dark Place as Dark Matter in one of his rambling videos. And well, this seems to have been the plan all along. From the chalkboard in Quantum Break:

There's been no text about black holes or matter density affecting space-time in any game as far as I remember. However, the imagery has been there with the Dark Presence vortex and certain images looking like event horizons.

So this is pure speculation:

The Oldest House is massive, it shifts, it expands and contracts. Could it be dense enough to affect space-time? could it do this on command?

It could be so dense that to those within its walls it'd seem like little to no time has passed, while outside at least four years have gone by.

The entire story is written in present tense in the missions menu, even after a mission has been completed (and the way the collectibles/mission menu was integrated as a world-building element with the Mind Place in Alan Wake 2, I don't think this was meant to be a cute weird little detail even back then).

Something happened during or after the events in the Foundation dlc, something shifted and now time is passing more or less normally. Or at least it is showing its effects on people.

Alice was seemingly cleansed from the effects the Dark Place had over her memory as soon she was brought inside the Oldest House. It's not unreasonable to assume this effect expands to protecting those within (those that are not too far gone, like Hartman). So the Oldest House would deal with time in its own terms, while the Dark Presence could make retroactive changes to certain details in the reality outside of it, like Zane going from poet to filmmaker.

Dylan's hair growth would indicate a month or two have passed at the very least by the end of Foundation. And from the one Control 2 concept art that has been shown so far, there are orange leaves in the pavement.

So Remedy could be planning to lift he lock-down during autumn. Autumn of what year? Heh, that's gonna be a fun one to find out.

As a counterpoint one could point at the game cinematic shots of the Oldest House from outside, they're always set at night across the story. It's just a detail that could've easily be a result of resource constraints. Yeah, not that it implies the story could've happened within one night.

Like with the clocks! You can point out at time being weird inside the Oldest House because none of the clocks are working! Time is literally frozen teehee, static textures on 3D assets, except for uh

Darling's Office in Central Research? Is that-

IS IT

IT'S WORKING

WHY DID YOU DO THIS REMEDY?

STOP-

(WE GET IT REMEDY, YOU'VE BEEN PLANNING IT ALL ALONG AND WHEN EVERYTHING IS LAID OUT IN CANON WE'LL FEEL SILLY BECAUSE THE HINTS WHERE THERE, IN OUR FACES, ALL THIS TIME)

Or you know, Control 2 will deal with the main cast enduring years of lock-down and the concept art is actually the end or middle of the game, and everyone exits the building on the year Control 2 releases.

Kind of lame in my opinion, but would make sense I guess.

Of course, there's another possibility I don't feel like following through:

The Dark Presence succeeded in changing the entire world and only The Oldest House and those inside remained intact. I mean, Dylan's easter egg in Foundation has some images

(that better not be a frozen ocean NO)

(NO, do not tell me this is the Huotari Well omg)

Hiss/Dark Presence became besties

And maybe, count Dylan's cut Hotline call. But that's cut content so strictly speaking, not canon (imagine it gets restored between Alan Wake 2 dlcs and the next Control game haha).

There are some things that should be brought full circle about the AWE dlc.

Alan is already aware of the FBC thanks to Estevez and Alice.

The sound fx aspect of the Hiss chant is basically lifted from the Cult of the Tree chanting (or you know, if you want another headache, it could be the other way around). And there are hints of verses from the Hiss incantation said out loud here and there. So pre-existing elements to give shape to a dadaist poem attributed to a hostile extra-dimensional resonance complete!

Has he yet come across the information from the FBC, that Hartman became a Taken?

He also kind of knows about the general plot of Control given he wrote a screenplay for an episode of Night Springs that was never produced.

It became clearer that Alan doesn't write whole new things or realities from scratch (shut up), that he writes from "visions" and vivid "nightmares" he's had. If that screenplay is a vision of the future of the events within the Oldest House, then that could be it.

However we haven't seen him become aware or gain knowledge of Polaris or Jesse herself beyond her extremely brief appearance during The Meeting.

This information has yet to make it outside the Oldest House (as far as we know) and only Dylan and Emily know about Polaris so far. Ahti too, maybe?

Sure, Alan could've somehow glimpsed something through the Oceanview Motel, he's got a door there anyways and he's gone through the Dark Place version of it (the Hotel), but this has not been made explicit like The Meeting.

Maybe The Lake House dlc will clear up that connection.

I mean yeah, that'd be fitting.

Don't forget one of the cut pieces from Control was The Oldest House opening a passage to Ahti's cabin in Finland, so The Oldest House being able to making an opening to Cauldon Lake is in Remedy's toolbox.

(I also think it'd be fair to see more of Jesse since Alan got a whole new 3D model in Control's AWE)

I'm missing a lot of things here I'm sure, I put this together more or less from things off the top of my head. I haven't gone through Control in a while so there are probably a more and clearer hints regarding time shenanigans within the Oldest House.

Also, AW2 timeline needs to be put on a wall to make sense of it. It'd look like a spiral, because of course.

#oops sorry I was supposed to be doing art #alan wake 2 #alan wake 2 spoilers #spoilers #control remedy #control game #control 2019 #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 2 months

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REMEDYVERSE TIMELINE V1

From 1878 all the way to 2023 :D

I'm leaving it rest until AW2 dlcs come out with, hopefully, new information!

Download this huge SVG file here!

PREVIEWS

Project page:

#alan wake #alan wake 2 #control remedy #control game #control 2019 #remedy control #remedy games #remedy connected universe #remedyversetxt #I'm so tired lmao #if there's any typo no there isn't I'm not opening this file again until aw2 dlcs come out

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fras-redacted-shapes · 4 months

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Not to sympathize with Zane but-

Let's forget for one minute the whole mystery if he changed from poet to filmmaker via spooky shenanigans for spooky yet unknown reasons, and instead we see him as an Artist(tm):

An artist who got famous for one of his works, to the point that to everyone he is said artwork. He's been mixed up with the character.

Everyone celebrating the one work of art and the one character, completely ignoring the artist is capable of doing a wider variety of artworks, maybe even ignoring his entire back catalogue.

The moment he did the one movie after immigrating? That's it, his reputation. Forget whatever he did in his homeland, foreigners in a foreign land have now decided he is Tom the Poet. It didn't matter at all that the character was voiced by some other person.

And now, let's entertain for a minute both possibilities being real at the same time: Alan Wake is a fictional character by Thomas Zane, and Thomas Zane is a fictional character by Alan Wake.

In both cases the character has the author's face. To the point that outside parties say it out loud - the Anderson bothers referring to Alan as Tom, Saga seeing a picture of Zane and wondering why does he look like Alan.

And the gall - Alan asking Thomas why does he look like him.

A fictional character now claiming the author's visage. The artist pigeon holed into one narrow genre. The Artist fighting his own work to reclaim his identity.

Thomas Zane goes as far as making a movie and once again play a character in it, but this time it's a different character. Tom is reclaiming his own visage. He plays writer Alan Wake in Yötön Yö.

There's no subtlety, there's no subtext!

Even when Remedy had Max Payne recast, Sam Lake was unable to get rid of the reputation, even if the character was voiced by a different actor. Recognized as Max Payne by foreigners in a foreign land(s).

And then, two decades later his face is back, but this time the IP belongs to Remedy. And it's not just the the voice and face of Max Payne with a different name - the author also plays as himself.

"Finally, voice and face are one and the same!" said Ilkka Villi/Tom Zane.

And if you take a step back, you could see Zane trying to take Casey from Alan as the deal between Remedy and Rockstar have with Max Payne. The IP was developed by one studio but belongs to the other. And now the original developers are reclaiming it by changing the name a little and inserting the character in one of their own IPs.

But you know, Casey is (in universe) a real person, same as a certain author in real life.

So, not to sympathize with Zane, but I understand why he gets annoyed when someone asks him if he was a poet. The poet could've been really just a character from his most famous work.

It is annoying when your name gets only recognized because of a narrow selection of your works. And that work may not even be the most meaningful to you or your favorite one!

These writers at Remedy are having so much fun and I'm glad they're all free to be as unhinged as they've been. I think they should go further.

Anyways, I propose Zane keeps getting confused with The Poet just to bully him lmao.

#alan wake 2 #alan wake #thomas zane #tom zane #let's also not forget ilkka villi directed his own short film #hahah nooo not me getting annoyed when people would ask me why am I not doing more of x fanart in the past #or the first suggestion when googling my name was x franchise #mr zane take it from me - I've learned #stop caring and keep doing your thing #your thing as in art not fucking with the story hmm #still sorry you can't mute keywords in the dark place or real world :(#remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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I'm no graphic designer but I tried ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Scratch

Vertical

#alan wake 2 #alan wake 2 spoilers #remedy connected universe #we get it remedy it's a spiral etc #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 6 months

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Look! the etchings from the Foundation! First one is from the entrance, the others from the dlc.

There's nothing ominous about them!

*starts sweating profusely*

#control remedy #control 2019 #control game #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 2 months

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*through gritted teeth*

This newspaper texture got an upgrade in Alan Wake 2

#me: don't say it don't start #just don't #also me: The International Feline Society is a front for Blessed Organization and Alfred is one of their sleeper agents in this essay I wil #alan wake #alan wake 2 #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 2 months

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On the early stages of development for Alan Wake 2, devs did Proof of Concept levels, for which there're still files in the form of Text-to-Speech audio as well as text for subtitles (there's detailed datamined info in the fandom.com page).

I want to commiserate about a small detail regarding Saga that was changed in the final game.

Details under the cut because it counts as spoilers/leaks/datamining/etc - if the detail gets re-introduced in the dlcs then oops sorry for spoiling it

Saga would've been able to talk to Casey in her Mind Place :')

Dialogue transcribed and organized:

SAGA: This case is getting too big, too strange. I need help. I need Casey. And Wake. Does Tor know where the Bureau of Control might have taken them? TOR: Beats me. But if you’re looking for the spook, why don’t you ask him yourself? SAGA: Casey! He’s OK? CASEY: Been better. Been worse. SAGA: Casey, this whole thing is getting out of control. The story is changing everything. Even Logan, everyone thinks she’s... CASEY: Easy, Saga. We’ll sort this out. First, I need you to get me out of here. Judging from the color of the carpet, I’d say I’m at the sheriff’s station. Who could forget that shade of week-old vomit? SAGA: Right. The station. I’m coming, Casey. Just sit tight. CASEY: Not like I have a choice. TOR: Still think this is just in your head? You can do so much more. You just don’t know how yet. SAGA: Casey is in trouble. I need to get him out, find Wake, and stop the Cult before this nightmare kills us all.

Food for thought. I guess 🥺

Here's a screenshot of the relevant part from the string_table file (it's a mess due to how subtitles are organized). It's cut off because I just want to show I'm not making this up :(

#saga anderson #alex casey #alan wake 2 spoilers #alan wake 2 #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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I finished The Final Draft - No spoiler ramblings:

Yes there are a few different things that would 100% make me want to try re-trace the game and maybe try to put the story loops in a visual chart or something.

But I'm exhausted of looking at so many details, theorizing and the like - and summer is starting to get itself felt, thanks +30°c! -, also I really feel like going back to drawing in full force.

But I just wanna say this:

It's easy to engage with this game's story and narrative in a world-building, lore-driven sense. That is, working exclusively with the text and clues given explicitly by the game, staying within universe.

However, to all my dear artists friends and followers, and all those of you that have a creative hobby or "thing":

I hope this game has to hit you hard.

Scratch is a deeply sad and miserable character. He wants attention and approval desperately, and gets violent if he doesn't get it, he will tear the world apart and change it to fit this petty need.

How many times did you feel envy or jealousy for your fellow creatives? How many times did you get angry or blame it on the algorithm?

How humiliated, sad and angry did you feel when you didn't get the the attention from that one specific person or group of people you were so absolutely sure would give you such, because this new piece you did? This new piece you tailored specifically with them in mind?

How many times did you not want to admit to yourself that you could feel and think in such a miserable way?

Yeah, same.

Oh and, did you notice that?

The Dark Place and all its loops and spirals and non linear, non-causal events? So many people trying to make sense of it, is it parallel realities, is it a literary Ouroboros, is it the substrate of the collective consciousness that permeates existence itself and collects and manifests nightmares, etc etc?

How many of your projects did you start from the very beginning, and followed in a straight line, start to end, with no interruptions, revisions or corrections?

Yeah, same.

Sometimes you change the beginning or start over because you discovered something very neat in the middle or near the end of the project. Sometimes the end does change the beginning, sometimes a detail in the middle changes both the beginning and the end. Sometimes you do an entire piece because of one single detail or story point you want to do.

Sometimes you add a whole new character or modify an existing event because you met someone or went through an event that left an impact on you.

So on and so forth.

It's not so much a matter of time, of what came before or after. It's a matter of experience and picking the ones you want to add to your present, past or future project.

And sometimes, you get trapped in your own mind feeding fears that stop you from even trying, believing you're alone in such a struggle.

But hey, it's alright to forget that every artists and creative person goes through this. Just remember you're not alone in that path.

#Anyways I'm still gonna work on those theories and that Remedyverse timeline but work first!#alan wake 2 #alan wake #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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Remedy devs: "Maybe we're adding too many Finnish things to our games which take place on the US"

Me, a southamerican: "oh cool! finally something that's just as culturally foreign but refreshing!"

#alan wake 2 #control remedy #remedy games #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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I'm very interested how certain elements that are tangentially or thematically related are going to be treated in these games. If these are set ups that are going to pay of at all.

The implications of Zane being a (film) Director, how Alan only meets him by activating his Film Projector.

How Yötön Yö was "filmed" (seemingly appeared in the real world) before 1965?

And if it at all relates to Blessed Organization acquiring the ActionMaxx Camera after 1968?

The Blessed Organization led by Chester Bless, who, by 2022 had become a cult leader, with Barry Wheeler among his followers?

If Chester Bless has any relation to Mrs. Chester, a teacher in Ordinary during the AWE in 2002?

The AWE caused by a Slide Projector, that appeared out of nowhere in the dump the Fadens played in?

From what we know via FBC documentation, the Blessed Organization has a habit of leaving surprise OoPs / AIs for the FBC to find, it feels like they almost wanted to leave them wrapped up like gifts.

Much to consider.

#me thinking Control's narrative wasn't as ouroboros-y and self reflecting as Alan Wake's is #then thinking about it #Screw you (affectionate) Remedy #alan wake 2 #control remedy #alan wake #thomas zane #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

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Alan Wake (whose face and voice we find on Thomas Zane and Casper Darling, respectively) ends up in an antagonistic relationship with Alex Casey (whose face and voice we find on Sam Lake and Zachariah Trench, respectively).

Casper Darling and Zachariah Trench? By the end, their relationship was antagonistic.

The Casey-Trench voice was once a guide-friend for Wake-Darling.

And then, they were fighting.

One was suspicious of the other, thinking he was lying, hiding something.

While the other was unaware of the darkness that was growing and consuming the former's mind, his ignorance letting it fester. Feeding it, even.

The original faces, Thomas Zane and Sam Lake? In this latest iteration they've spoken with their own voices while in the Dark Place, only in the presence of a camera.

Alan Wake and Zachariah Trench? In the end, while in a nightmare dimension, both get shot by a woman who both of these men meddled in their lives, threatening the well being of their loved one.

At least one had a hand in his fate, willing it, accepting it. The other? He was fully gone, his will overtaken by the nightmare.

A version of Alex Casey did say it after all. He and writer, they were the same.

And finally, the real Sam Lake? By happenstance he offered his face for a collaborative project, and became a symbol. Even if he tried to fight it, tried to replace it, he had to concede. The story demanded it, as if writing it wasn't enough, the narrative claimed his visage.

There's no need to make overt mentions or put the image of the Ouroboros in posters. The serpent is interwoven in the fabric of the narrative itself.

#now we're only missing a scene with tom zane and sam lake being best friends and the mirror image will be complete #not so much theory crafting more like rambling #because Alex Casey hated Alan's gut the first time he met him on Cauldron Lake's shore lmao #remedy writing in mirroring-self-consuming #self-generating loops and spirals #alan wake 2 #remedy connected universe #control remedy #zachariah trench #casper darling #tom zane #alan wake #dunno where I read that Ilkka Villi's accent was too thick back then so Remedy went with a different actor for Alan's voice #which if true it would an excellent companion to Sam Lake giving his face to Max Payne due to limited budget #One was like: we only have enough money to pay for James McCaffrey's voice #The other: yeah we can afford two actors for Alan Wake #Then a few years later: we are going to exploit all these little fun facts and make them an integral part of the narrative #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 2 months

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Alright let's go - Ramblings regarding Saga, in comparison to Jesse and "The World"

if anyone feels like expanding on any point please do, I'm gonna leave this text as it is because otherwise it's gonna torment me for weeks

I don't recall in which interview, a couple writers said Casey was developed because Saga needed someone to bounce ideas off of and/or because she needed something to externalize her personality without relying on awkward exposition (or something along those lines).

And that's kind of noticeable if you compare Saga's and Jesse's treatment from a writing/presentation stand point:

Jesse as a character is far more obscure and details about her inner life are limited, while Saga is established and very detailed without relying on exposition.

Jesse, from a technical standpoint, suffers the "new character introducing an audience to a new IP" syndrome if you will.

Jesse's past is presented in vague details and a general sense of direction: finding Dylan who is a stranger to the audience. Her inner monologue is to Polaris and it works as exposition but by Polaris' nature there's no back and forth.

When Jesse talks to a character it is always a one-to-one conversation, and an important portion those are about the history of the FBC, asking questions that require exposition. Not to mention there's no interaction between the main cast other than with Jesse.

Some information can be inferred from Jesse's "epilogue" lines after the end of the game. But that's about it regarding the main text.

And that goes in line with the thematic difference I feel between Control and Alan Wake games - the former (heh) is about The World, the later, about the people in it.

Overall it can feel quite isolated and lonely, or well, mechanical. You have to fill in a lot of info yourself. And I believe the writers identified this and tried to change where they could with Foundation and AWE - with the way Jesse and Emily are far more comfortable with each other as they joke and tease during their dialogue, and getting a deeper look into my beloved Langston's personality (which is quite self-aware because lmao, finally it's Jesse who's at the end of a one-way "conversation").

But Saga's has an already established and rich life before the story and details bleed all through the text.

A partner and friend she's known for years and their history is spoken and written, there's no need to infer and fill in details yourself that much.

Their relationship is detailed enough in "side tidbits" (all of her Mind Place stuffs) and in actual conversations, which often enough involve a third party.

Casey works as exposition for Saga's character but, by virtue of Casey being character apart from Saga, the information is introduced far more organically (and arguably, in a more detailed way).

Remedy also gave Saga a huge advantage Jesse didn't have: The Collectible and Missions menus are hers.

So not only we get to hear Saga's thoughts on the current situation, we also get a sneak peek into her mind and inner life.

Some people in Saga's life also have a detailed enough history that they stand on their own rather than solely working as Saga's motivation because the story requires them to be at stakes.

Dylan is, technically, a stranger to Jesse, she's clinging to the past idea of him: we are motivated to find Dylan because we're told to care about him. While Logan and Casey are present in Saga's life and we get more details upfront to care for them.

Saga got curious, shit started to go down and we want them to be safe because otherwise it'd be painful for Saga.

Unlike the ghosts that Trench and Darling were to Jesse, Saga gets to actually talk to Tor and Odin. And well, the entire plot of the game is her undoing and confronting Alan's work on her life, rather than cleaning the mess done by the previous administration that are now gone and cannot be held accountable for.

And I suppose that's another improvement in the writing: the Hiss as the antagonist force is basic (and if you've played Mass Effect they're nothing new, and to me they're the least interesting part of the wolrdbuilding). There's not much room to maneuver, so Jesse's got one way to fight them (so far).

Saga could've gone several ways in dealing with Wake, and we see her struggle when she's about to give the Clicker to Alan/Scratch, she didn't mince her words in that confrontation and she had all the right to go even further. And yet she kept it together, unwilling to fully give herself to despair.

AND!

She chose compassion in the end!

And, honestly? Their final conversation is such a good and rich detail.

Saga's motherhood could've remained as basic reminders to the player that she has a daughter who's the victim and that's your motivation girl! As well as her silly jokes because parents do that sometimes teehee.

Saga's compassion is informed by her motherhood but not limited to it. As a mother she knows that everyone needs someone who believes in them unconditionally, as a daughter she knows how good a reminder of your good qualities can be, and as a detective she knows how to gather, read and act on information.

So when she reminds Alan that he had defeated the Dark Presence before and that he can do it again, she's not saying it because she's desperate, and she's not being patronizing due to Alan's loneliness and isolation.

She's saying because it's true.

And she doesn't rub his missteps and mistakes on his face. She knows how to get the point across without being mean.

She needed very little guidance: information to fill in the blanks of her life from Tor and Odin, short and vague phone calls from Alice, and a portal to the Writer's Room from Ahti. (Rose's lunchboxes were technically not necessary but she gets a honorable mention.) I don't know if there's enough information to conclude whether the reminders that helped her find a way out of the Mind Place were sent by someone else or came solely from her own resilience, and either would be neat, but I would like to think there's someone who's been looking out for her the same way she's been looking out for other characters.

And she's not flawless, but in working her flaws I believe the writers treated her with well deserved respect. She's not a caricature and the story has enough characters being tortured, any more and it'd feel cruel and it'd be permission granted by the horror genre anyways (although, to be honest, I believe Cynthia's treatment was a tiny bit too cruel and that's mostly due the last stage of her boss fight).

I love her first conversation with Norman because she's being a bit patronizing (I believe that's the correct word?), but he's like, nope! No dementia here! Not cool you brought it up :]

Her Nightmare Mind Place is as explicit as it gets. And the few times she loses it are not unearned. I love it when she gets frustrated with Rose and her "Oh fuck this", as well as her pained "My daughter is dead because of you. What is wrong with you?" to Alan in the holding cells.

Her biggest flaw is being a fed.

She's an extremely well put together person and integral, rich character. Her pain and suffering are palpable and the developers did an excellent job in showing it without being cruel (or well, knowing where to place the cruelty *cough* the white man *cough*).

And that's, in general, where I'd call attention to the leaps in improvement to Remedy's writing, right alongside the development and treatment Alice got, and the departure that is from Marshall in Control (the one character of color of any sort of relevance to the story, who got the least dialogue or details about her life and involvement despite being part of the old guard, and that gets killed in the end).

I have the same criticism (affectionate) with Control and Quantum Break: the world, its history and other characters are more interesting (to me) than their protagonists.

I wanted to get far deeper into the inner lives of Beth Wilder, Paul Serene, William Joyce and Martin Hatch than Jack's. William's and Beth's specifically, the one who ruined everything and the one who's struggling with the fact it can't be fixed, respectively. Sure I got my fix from the novel, but that is not part of the main text, so my comment still stands.

Ahti and Polaris/Hedron's goals, The Oldest House and all the places and events and phenomenon it connects to is what makes my mind wander. Jesse's involvement with all of them and her relationships with other characters remain only as possibilities at the end of the game.

I would feel far less affection or attachment to either Jesse and Jack if it weren't because of the sibling element. That's my huge bias/weakness there I'll admit.

But with Saga, I do care about her entire world, everything and everyone that surround her. She likes weird, morbid stuffs and romance stories, she's extremely curious which got her in trouble but was responsible enough to go deal with it.

As a new protagonist character that stands right next to a well established one as Alan Wake, I think there's very little Remedy could've done to make her better.

She's just amazing, Remedy and Melanie Liburd deserve so much praise for her.

The only gripe I have about her treatment is extremely petty and it's the same I've had in previous games, which is technical - she could've had more animations that showed her body language given she didn't have as many live action scenes (and also watching some of previous Melanie's work, she's got an incredible voice range for certain emotions that weren't explored in the game). But that's a matter of presentation and technical development.

AND

Remedy flexed the leaps in improvement they've gone through already! I mean, Saga's animation of picking up things anyone???.

So here's hoping they got more plans for her and they include more live action.

#saga anderson #alan wake 2 #me a non-naitve english speaker: hope this doesnt make ur eyes bleed teehee #adhd meds have also vacated my brain as of a few hours ago #gotta go fight seasonal depression now and work on pending commissions #also just wanna put more energy on drawing her in situations #man I have so so many ideas planned people you have no idea #also jfc have you seen melanie liburd??#or listened to her voice #she's got this special kind of timbre - very clear #cannot ignore her - I'd listen to whatever she'd say and and ed up buying whatever she tried to sell me #I'm just the “women” meme I suppose #last petty thought but in a proud way: I kind of feel jealous Saga got more room to display her character traits than Jesse haha #remedyversetxt

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fras-redacted-shapes · 5 months

Text

Thoughts and ramblings about Zane and Filmmaking before NG+

Scratch is the only one of the Alan/Zane/Scratch trifecta that we know can manifest in the real world while still inhabiting the Dark Place. It already manifested as a real person in the shape of Barbara Jagger to Alan, for example.

Zane collaborating with the Dark Presence is a logical move which I think is what allowed him to change his artistic craft from Poet to Filmmaker.

The changes done to reality by the Dark Presence/Dark Place take time to become real, they have to be gradual. I wonder if being done very slowly would allow them to become "canon".

Let's assume Remedy is not gaslighting us and Zane was initially a Poet.

Zane's craft would've been changed between 1970-2019 (2019 being the latest we can assume given Jesse's interview with a psychiatrist, which can be found in Control and doesn't have a date as far as I remember). The change solidified between 2010 and 2019. 2010 being the first time we see poster for Tom the Poet film (the asset appears in the Remaster but the file first appeared in American Nightmare in 2012 as far as I know).

That's a time-frame of approximately 50 years for such a change to become "canon".

We know events in the Dark Place don't unfold in a linear manner parallel to time in the real world, as evidenced by encounters between Saga and Alan happening out of order.

One could also count the times Alan stepped into his apartment and was photographed by Alice's camera set up. The "haunting" started after his disappearance and by 2017 Alice had already photographs of these encounters. So, as Alan has been traversing the Dark Place, his actions have bled into the real world at different points in time.

Not to mention the unknown amount of loops he's gone through before the current game, and how (if) those loops bled into each other.

I'd guess this would also apply to anyone trapped in the Dark Place. In this case, Tom Zane.

We know the Dark Presence is Scratch when it tries to imitate Alan. But when it tries to imitate Zane it becomes the Grandmaster.

The voice files for the Grandmaster lines during Zane's Film are named ZANE_SCRATCH. No grandmaster or master. Zane-Scratch.

I'd guess collaborating or integrating with Scratch would allow him to place "canonical" changes in the real world. And it could've been done at his will, following his plan, unlike the antagonistic relationship Alan has with Scratch.

And let's be honest, Zane praising Scratch? That's exactly what Scratch is after. Encountering someone who would adulate him sounds like the perfect way to manipulate him.

I think that was a great chance to make a character based off of Dark Presence in a film by Thomas Zane. A character that can be conveniently played by Zane himself.

Why changing from Poet to Filmmaker?

Filmmaking is the art form where those that came prior to it can converge:

Writing/Poetry

Painting

Sculpture

Architecture

Music

Performative Arts (Dance and Theater)

Photography

So, if you're trying to change reality, one form of Art will not be enough. In a film, anyone can play anyone.

The director would have total control over a character. Not only by directing their actions and events unfolding around them. A film Director also has control over the character's face and voice. Re-casting power if you will.

And Zane calls himself an auteur, and here, I think that makes him a control freak. Forget collaborations. It's all about him.

Before he went into the lake, Zane already knew a few musicians, the Anderson brothers. He knew at least one architect - the one that built his manor, and with whom he was probably planning on building a Hotel and Spa on an abandoned bunker.

Given the Dark Place isn't subject to causality and linear time as the real world is, we know the following events happened - but not exactly in this order and maybe one didn't give cause the next event, and we're probably missing so many events and loops that could've happened in between, on top and below, all superimposed:

After being trapped, Zane decided filmmaking would serve his goals, whatever those are.

Alice Wake, a photographer, falls into the lake. We don't know yet how the Dark Presence made use of her craft - given Alice seems to be in control of her craft during the game.

Alan Wake falls into the lake, he meets the character Tom the Poet (light in a diver's suit). The Dark Presence feeds off of him. The Scratch persona takes shape.

Tom the Poet the film is made which mirrors Zane's disappearance. Zane's original craft now a movie title, himself a character. It appears in the real world sometime when it coincided with his existence as a poet. Let's say, before or around 1970? this way the title of the film can be confused with his craft. An understandable mistake.

Alan Wake is credited as the writer that inspired the film Tom the Poet.

Alan Wake sees echoes of a cult committing murders in NY subways. Re-writes scenes to traverse the Dark Place, unaware he's (retroactively) affecting the real world. The characters are echoes of real people (Professor = Tammy, Cultist = Ilmo, NYPD officers = Thorton and Mulligan, etc.) as well as seemingly appearances of real people (Ed and Casey).

Alan meets Zane, and Alan says they don't deserve to get out - assuming we believe Zane's words while he's tied to a chair during their second meeting.

Alan stops writing.

Scratch meets Zane and they decide to collaborate, somehow giving shape to the Grandmaster. Who turns out to be the Cult leader whose followers do a lot of killing.

Scratch writes Return.

Zane, in parallel, films Yötön Yö. This movie appears in the real world sometime before Tom the Poet. At least before 1965 which is the earliest we know Zane was living on Bright Falls. Actors are credited with Finnish names, even if they originally weren't (Alex Casey). This retroactively strengthens his Filmmaker persona. This film features a character named Writer Alan Wake (this is the only named character, everyone else is just a role, like Detective and Janitor). This would be the first appearance of "Alan Wake with Zane's face" in the real world. Veikko Alén appears in the credits as the author that inspired the film.

Nightless Night is the translated name. Alan Wake is credited as the writer that inspired Nightless Night. This would be the earliest Alan Wake is referred to as a writer in the English language.

Alan meets Zane for a "second" time (first ingame meeting), in which Alan has no memory of previous meetings.

Alan finds out Scratch wrote Return and confronts Zane.

Alan shoots Zane.

The "fictional character" Alan embraces the Dark Presence and becomes Scratch after finding out the Author (real Alan in the Writer's Room) was responsible for Alice being haunted.

Author Alan embraces the Dark Presence and is shot by Saga.

If collaborating with Zane means he gets total control over a person's identity over in the real world then, it was extremely fucking clever to make himself a character in the first place.

And this makes me wonder. What kind of influence can he exert over paranatural beings?

Alan only ever encounters Zane in his film projector, therefore being an actor under Zane's direction. During that last meeting, Zane tried to re-direct Alan, swap their roles, but Alan resisted and took control over the scene.

As did Saga and Jesse on their respective nightmares.

Yet, Jesse corrects herself at the beginning of AWE. The changes are getting to her.

I don't think that bodes well for Ahti considering he's got dialogue where he feels lost and talks like a regular old human being while in Valhalla Nursing Home.

Now, we have not seen the Olds Gods of Asgard in any of Zane's film, yet we know they've met him and maybe were friends with him.

And it's such an interesting details the Old Gods have been performing in Door's show. And Alan has been, unknowingly, playing along, even if he sometimes seems to go out of script.

A lot of people trying to change, claim or appropriate other people's identities, and the former fighting back.

Scratch is the most straightforward doppelganger. I think he at least deserve some modicum of respect for his honesty, he's very clear about his goal to Alan, unlike every other person.

On a more meta and speculative note:

The fun thing is, filmmaking cannot exists by itself. Most other art forms can exists more or less independently from each other. A painting can be viewed without the existence of writing. A theater play doesn't need music or even architecture in its barest form. Dance is tricky in this context and someone smarter than me could make an argument in favor or against it existing without music.

Point being: Filmmaking is in essence, Photography.

It's photography in motion, across of time.

I'm really curious if Remedy is going to make use of that fact in any meaningful manner in the future.

Last thing to think about.

Let's forget for a moment that a recording (of either music or film) requires someone to press play to be enjoyed.

All forms of art previously mentioned are to be passively experienced. They exists regardless of the audience. No active input required.

However, Video Games do.

Welcome dear player. You're an essential part of the narrative. This experience cannot exist without you.

Which makes me think. We should be very wary of Chester Bless attempts at making a video game about Alan Wake :')

#let's see if ng+ adds anything to these thoughts #alan wake 2 #thomas zane #tom zane #one draft complete #six to go?#remedyversetxt

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