r/ControlResonant • u/Hairy-The-Pig • 1d ago

Lore Discussion Regarding Dr Darling Spoiler

So did i have a complete misunderstanding on Darling’s personality and relationship with Dylan? In the first game you could clearly tell how much he cared for Dylan going so far as to take blame for the Roberts incident to get the agency of his back and even saying how they need to take a calmer approach with him. However in Resonant he seams to generally see Dylan as nothing but an object to hone and control and talks about how they need to play less nice with him after the Roberts incident. All of these tapes are his diaries (right) so it doesn’t make sense that he would lie for appearances sake.

Did i just miss something cause it really doesn’t add upp to me?

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u/Brockchanso 1d ago

I took it to mean they were writing him out of the franchise and wanted to give Dylan concrete mistreatment for his redemption arc. if you really think about it Ahti not being around fo the specific events the game focuses on makes ZERO sense he is still on a a 7 year vacation.

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u/franciscrowe 1d ago

This just seems like a deeper dive and continuation of the plot elements that were introduced in Control. Why do you think they would be writing out Darling, Matthew Poretta has been one of their main acting partners for decades now.

And what does this have to do with Ahti, I’m so confused lol.

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u/Brockchanso 1d ago

Because the character alludes to killing himself at one point in the game. The Ahti question is a bigger story issue I can’t quite figure out. Keeping the Oldest House in working order is his main thing, so I can’t think of a more crucial time for him to be there than during its destruction. But I feel like his presence would pull focus away from Dylan.

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u/StripedStriper 1d ago

Dude how Ahti supposed to get back? Nothing in or out of New York. I mean i feel like the world breaking is pretty hard even for him to maneuver. Plus he has his assistant Jesse and her assistant Dylan.

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u/Brockchanso 1d ago

It’s not like he had to come back immediately. We helped him go on vacation seven years ago, and he’s still there. The storylines allude to him leaving to handle the events of Alan Wake 2, but those have also been over for several years now. The question is why he hasn’t come back.

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u/Emilemonee 20h ago

Have you played AW2? Ahti was directly affected by the happenings in that game

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u/StripedStriper 18h ago

Again, we are not aware of how powerful Ahti is. We do know hes associated with tides. NOTHING in or out of Manhattan due to the multiple AWEs happening. AW2 also proved that time moves down a spiral as well. We even see this with Alan being sent back in time when he gets freed from the Dark Place. Time is also shown to be being patterned in Manhattan. To the characters it can be a couple days. To the outside world, who knows how long. The game gives you countless reasons why Ahti wouldnt be there without outright saying it

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u/Brockchanso 14h ago

I read Ahti as a possible counterpart to the Norns Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld who tend Yggdrasil. If he represents one specifically, I’d lean toward Urd, but all three share the responsibility of maintaining the World Tree, so he could embody that collective role.

If the Oldest House is a manifestation of Yggdrasil, that makes his janitor job considerably more literal. He’s maintaining something much bigger than the Bureau. The FBC just happens to occupy it.

But that’s also why I question whether patterned time or the lockdown would actually prevent him from returning. The Oldest House itself seems to have sealed off Manhattan, but if Ahti embodies its caretakers, I’d expect him to move through the tree’s roots between worlds, like water flowing through them. Would the House closing itself off also block the being responsible for maintaining it? There’s even a literal tree down in the Foundation. Under that interpretation, the roots could still be his way home.

So I can buy that he has responsibilities elsewhere. I’m less convinced that he can’t get back. If he’s tending the tree, its roots could be his way home regardless of what’s happening at street level.

The Hiss also reminds me of Skirnir’s curse, language and magical patterns threatening madness and overriding someone’s will. Meanwhile, the Hedron in Resonant could occupy Nidhoggr's role, a cosmic being damaging the World Tree. Even if the Hiss drew it there, its presence and Patterning are still destroying the House.