Jul. 9th, 2024 at 9:26 PM
Jesse and Dylan FadenJesse Faden and her brother Dylan are two of the only survivors from a supernatural event - an AWE - in their hometown of Ordinary, Maine, that ultimately left them both with psychic abilities. While Dylan was "kidnapped"/apprehended by the FBC, Jesse escaped and was put into the foster system. For the 17 years since that event Jesse has drifted between jobs and residences, trying to seek out the FBC and find what happened to her brother; during this same period, Dylan was subject to batteries of tests, trying to mold him into the perfect replacement for the then-current Director, and ultimately developed into a sociopathic, traumatised young man who he says allowed himself to be corrupted by the Hiss to further their plans and destroy Polaris, who he believes abandoned him after giving him his powers. |
PolarisPolaris (designated she/her by Jesse) is either an extradimensional being, or a psychic manifestation/personification of Jesse's own latent psychic powers: she is somehow associated with the resonance-based life form Hedron, which hails from a universe in which no sound exists. It is unclear what Polaris's own motives and ultimate goals are, if she even has any, but we are shown that Jesse cares deeply for her, sees her as a protector and companion, and is the direct source of Jesse's (and possibly Dylan's) parautilitarian abilities. |
The FBCThe Federal Bureau of Control is an official but deliberately obscured government agency, dealing exclusively with extradimensional or paranormal events and entities. They are located in the Oldest House, anchored to this reality within a brutalist skyscraper, while internally completely nonconforming to the dimensions of its exterior facade.(Think SCP Foundation with a slightly better ethical code of conduct, set in the actual House Of Leaves.) |
BOARDThe entities that make up the BOARD are unknown and unknowable; what is known is that they are, to at least some extent, benevolent in terms of their presence consistently being of help to the FBC. Through the Service Weapon they select the Director of the FBC, and can connect with them through the Astral Plane to deliver cryptic messages; these sound like radio noise, but are understandable to the Director in messages of mixed meaning; some words or phrases are simultaneously translated multiple times, and are stated to be because "hyperreal concepts" are difficult to communicate clearly. However, they are shown to refer to the Director as much as a person as to a video game player character, or a tool to be used by them in their cosmic hyperreal chess against greater forces, such as the Hiss. |
The HissThe Hiss, like Polaris, is some manner of resonance-based being; however, it is the major antagonistic force in the game, corrupting both people and inanimate objects, killing and converting anyone it infects to its side and showing clear levels of hivemind activity in the way it can utilise training and knowledge from its victims. Its infectious presence in otherwise benign Altered Items and OoPs causes them to be incredibly dangerous; an indestructible fridge, for instance, once infected, would kill anyone who broke eye contact with it.Polaris/Hedron is able to prevent infection from them, which is how Jesse is able to fight them, to cleanse infected objects and destroy persons corrupted by the Hiss's presence. |
The Oldest HouseA non-euclidean Threshold, contained entirely within its exterior skyscraper building. It's outright stated to be anchored in this reality by the BOARD through their Nail, with strong implication that if it weren't, it would continue to bounce between realities unpredictably. Even anchored to known human reality as it is, the building continues to change erratically, often restructuring rooms or entire sections at random. |
Important Characters |
Quick GlossaryParautilitarians: Psychics. That's basically the long and short of it.AWE: Altered World Event. Something fucky is happening in Oz, usually catastrophic. Alternately caused by or create altered items. Altered Items: Supernatural items. Archetypal items that have powers related to their cultural relevance - eg: a Japanese chochin lantern that makes its related location supernaturally alluring; a traffic light that translocates people a random distance away if they move while the red light is shining on them. OoP: Object of Power. An altered item that grants the bonded person parautilitarian abilities, again related to the item in question - eg: a merry-go-round horse that grants the user temporary boosts of speed, a household safe that grants a shield. Threshold: An alternate dimension, and all that that entails. HRA: Hedron Resonance Amplifier; an armor-like chest strap, referred to as "psychic life preservers" that grants protection against mind-altering powers, such as the Hiss. Formerly linked to Hedron, now powered by Jesse's powers. |
RemedyverseThe Remedyverse is shorthand for all the games by Sam Lake set in the singular expanded universe. This list includes |
Control: The GameControl follows the story of Jesse Faden, who is looking to rescue her brother from the clutches of the FBC, and along the way is forcibly assigned Director of the Bureau and slowly discovers that her brother's place - and even her own - in the Bureau are not as straightforward as they both seem. |
Alan Wake? |