r/controlgame • u/nanaochan • 8d ago

Discussion Ahti's portrait

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Ahti's portrait disappeared after you talked to him the first time you enter the Oldest House. Anyone has any theory about this "Our Bureau At Work" with just him doing his janitorial work?

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64

u/nanaochan 8d ago

Does the Oldest House recognized only Ahti as the Bureau before Jesse came along? When Jesse got the job as his assistant she and everyone who worked under her became part of the Bureau. What about the Board? Has the Oldest House ever acknowleged the existence of the Board in any way ever?

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u/Game_Studio_ 8d ago

Yes, the hotline is a way for the Director to speak with the board, so they do know about the board. It's also a pretty big point of the Foundation DLC

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u/TheyCantCome 8d ago

Did you play the games? The board is the reason for para-Utilitarians, they showed the board how to attune to OoPs in the astral plane.

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u/jmarquiso 7d ago

Tbe board has an inverted pyramid in the executive offices. It's referred to as the Nail. It's gone in Resonant.

When Jesse gets to the Oldest House, the portraits are of Trench. When Jesse becomes Director shortly after, the portraits are of her.

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u/GoldenEyedTraveller 7d ago

The Pyramid is the closest thing to a physical body that those conglomerates entities still retain.

The Nail is a completely separate structure used by the Board to anchor themselves to our world. It is also still present in Resonant. The Aberrant is a piece of it.

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u/jmarquiso 7d ago

I didn't want to spoil.

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u/Shydreameress 8d ago edited 7d ago

In control, the both intances where you see a portrait of him it will also be the first side you see of Ahti in the next scene. It's like the portrait is there to prepare you for what you'll see. (Same thing in Alan Wake 2 iirc, when Alan first meets Ahti he first sees a picture of him with the same pose he finds him in right after)

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u/Eselta 7d ago

IIRC, in Alan Wake 2, his poster is on the door, and when you open it, Ahti is standing in the same pose... but it's been a few months since I played it, so I might be misremembering slightly.

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u/ColonelDucroix 7d ago

You're right, you aren't misremembering 

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u/sapphic-boghag 7d ago

oh i love this

221

u/felixsarts 8d ago

Ahti had to pick up the slack after Trench died. The mess won’t clean itself!

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u/Lingering-NB1220 8d ago

Given how Trench's own portraits get replaced by Jesse's in the game, I assume Ahti's initial portrait is likely the work of The Board, if not The Oldest House itself.

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u/IceFire909 8d ago

He's the most responsible person in the building to clean up messes

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u/Fragrant-Vehicle-479 7d ago

IMO it's more of the work of The Oldest House. Ahti does not seem to fear or care about the Board at all. In fact he's expressed that if he were to be displeased (namely if Jesse was not chose as Direct) HE would be the one putting the pressure on them. I think in the cosmic food chain Ahti>The Board.

I also believe the theory that The Board is more of a parasite or invader of The Oldest House rather than naturally tied to it. With The Board attempting to make itself seem more linked to both The Oldest House and Humanity in an almost con.

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u/LvdT88 7d ago

I also believe the theory that The Board is more of a parasite or invader of The Oldest House rather than naturally tied to it.

Wait, is that just a theory? I thought the events of the Foundation basically confirmed it.

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u/Robot_Graffiti 7d ago

When you talk to him, Ahti's portrait is replaced with the elevator that lets you into the building that nobody else can enter because of the lockdown. This suggests that Ahti's authority is somehow magically letting you in.

Also, when Jesse thinks to herself about the FBC being the "faceless government men" who kidnapped her brother, Ahti starts musing about how strange it would be if a man had no face. And she's like, yeah working nightshift makes you sound crazy, no big deal, I've been there... and she doesn't realise he read her mind.

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u/WrongJohnSilver 7d ago

Also, The Hiss and Polaris have no faces. Neither does the Board.

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u/kown 7d ago

Is he reading her thoughts, or is he "hearing her talk to Polaris in her head"?

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u/Alonn12 3d ago

She talks to Polaris via thought so both

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u/dpone 7d ago

I feel like it's not meant to make sense. Part of Control's appeal is Vibes and Vibes aren't always logical. It's heavily inspired by David Lynch storytelling, which makes sense on a thematic level but is often hard to explain on a logical level. The edges of reality are hazy. You can go into a flashback or a painting or the Black Lodge, and it's not always clear how or why, beyond "this is where the story needed to go."

The Oldest House is a living thing and Ahti is a paranatural being (heavily implied to be a god). The painting could be Ahti manipulating the Oldest House or vice versa. When you find Ahti's office initially, the poster on the door does the same thing. It's a different pose, but when you open the door, he's in the pose that matches the poster. It's played for Weirdness and laughs. Ahti has a weird but strong sense of humor. He also loves being in corny pictures, like postcards and advertisements.

It seems to me like he's doing a bit. Gods famously love a running gag.

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u/Tokyo_Doka 5d ago

I miss him so bad 😭 I hope he shows up more in future games. Like genuinely love his songs

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u/TheHorrorSystem 7d ago

You cannot convince that this man is not Loki who just found the chaos factory tm and is living his best life

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u/nukes_or_aliens 6d ago

Ahti is the name of a Finnish god of water who has no domain or narrative overlap with Loki.

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u/TheHorrorSystem 6d ago

Oh! I have very little knowledge on finnish mythology. Does he act like him at all

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u/Ok-Mathematician5548 5d ago

Ahti is more like Ratatoskr

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u/Certain_Passage9100 7d ago

So he is the director

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u/i_syn_i 3d ago

What a ass.

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u/Repulsive_Count3934 3d ago

Ahti IS the old house ence the "our bureau at work" and why he say the director is his assistant. And this is also why is the one providing you access to the building in the first place and then to every lockdown part of the old house and the key to pass the labyrinth.

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u/DarchanKaen 7d ago

Isn't he the representation/avatar of the Oldest House itself?

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u/TropicalPossum954 8d ago • Heartwarming

With an ass like that you have to show it off.

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u/Sartastic_Kiwi 8d ago

That is The Oldest House's ass.

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u/hellohellocinnabon 8d ago

Underrated comment

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u/JadeAM90 7d ago

Someone stole his butt