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 Control is a game from Remedy Entertainment, the developers of Alan Wake and Quantum Break, and carries on their proud tradition of strange, cinematic games where anything can happen. In this game, we play as Jesse Faden, an ordinary girl only in the sense that she comes from a town named Ordinary, as she searches the offices of the Federal Bureau of Control for information about what happened to her brother, and possibly also what happened to her. It's not easy, though, because the FBC is essentially the SCP Wiki brought to life. It's an organization dedicated to rounding up and containing supernatural objects, and covering up the existence of the supernatural in the outside world, while searching for any use they can get from the affected objects. We get to explore the expansive world from this perspective, while fighting a malevolent resonance that infects anyone who hears its repetitive chant. The game has a pretty solid atmosphere and sense of humor, including redactions. LOTS of redactions. The word that describes this is redacted. Most of the insight into the story and background comes from documents that we'll find lying around, many of which are covered in black bars. I plan to screenshot and transcribe them all, including my best guess as to the contents of the redacted portions, but it's all speculation. I'll also explore everything I can and try to help you, the viewer, put together the pieces of each puzzle. Let's see whether we can plumb the depths of the FBC's mysteries together. Given the heavy emphasis on redactions, I expect a good deal of the commentary in the thread to lean on spoilers for humorous purposes. As such, I request that the moderators relax the "spoiler tags for spoilers only" rule in these cases. However, that will admittedly make it difficult to determine whether there are actual spoilers behind the black bars, so please try to avoid discussing anything that hasn't been been explained in the videos, especially things that will appear later in the game. If you must draw connections between things that we've seen to foreshadow things that we haven't, please make it clear that the spoiler bars are actual spoilers rather than a redaction joke. We don't need to spill the beans that (actual spoiler) Ahti the janitor is some kind of ancient god communing with the forces at work in the Oldest House just because someone thought they were going to see an innocent punchline. Join me in Game Informer's top game of 2019, and the game that contains the Best Scene of 2019, which is definitely the second best scene in this game. Part 1: The Federal Bureau of Control Polsy Youtube Documents Part 2: Dead Letters Polsy Youtube Documents Bonus video 1: The Hiss Chant Polsy Youtube Part 3: The Floppy Disk Polsy Youtube Documents Part 4: The Hotline Polsy Youtube Documents Part 5: Meet Me in the Maintenance Polsy Youtube Documents Part 6: The Clog Polsy Youtube Documents Part 7: Directorial Override Polsy Youtube Documents Part 8: Getting a Better Grip Polsy Youtube Documents Part 9a: The Containment Sector Polsy Youtube Bonus video 2: Memes are a vital part of Control Part 9b: The Clocks Polsy Youtube Documents Part 10: The Research Sector Polsy Youtube Documents Part 11: Parapsychology Polsy Youtube Documents Part 12: Quack Quack Polsy Youtube Documents Uncontrolled episode 1: Synchronicity and the collective unconscious Youtube Part 13: Dr. Yoshimi Tokui's Hypnotic Adventure Polsy Youtube Documents Part 14: The Atlas Polsy Youtube Documents Part 15: Neighbor of the Beast Polsy Youtube Documents Part 16: The Quarry Polsy Youtube Documents Part 17: Golden Suit, Green Thumb Polsy Youtube Documents Part 18: The Benicoff TV Polsy Youtube Documents Part 19: Not Dylan Faden Polsy Youtube Documents Part 20: Living in the Fridge Polsy Youtube Documents Part 21: The Panopticon Polsy Youtube Documents Part 22: Drinking Buddies Polsy Youtube Documents Part 23: These Letters Aren't Dead. They're Ambulatory! Polsy Youtube Documents Part 24: Cleaning the Clocks Polsy Youtube Documents Part 25: My Sister Lives in Glasgow Polsy Youtube Documents Part 26: !sessob eht lla htiw ti potS Polsy Youtube Documents Part 27: Please no more Polsy Youtube Part 28: The Prime Candidate Program Polsy Youtube Documents Part 29: Still Control but now I can juggle Polsy Youtube Documents Part 30: This place is a dump Polsy Youtube Documents Part 31: Ahti's Holiday Retreat Polsy Youtube Documents Part 32: Dimensional Research Polsy Youtube Documents Additional Music Part 33: The Thunder Song Distorts You Polsy Youtube Documents A valuable video to explain the more confusing parts of the previous video A very clever music video worth watching at this point Nidoking fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Feb 26, 2022 |
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Feb 7, 2020 20:29
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Second post reserved by FBC Management for the purpose of possible expansion or other supplementary materials as are deemed necessary for full coverage of this game. The Hiss chant: You are a worm through time. The thunder song distorts you. Happiness comes. White pearls, but yellow and red in the eye. Through a mirror, inverted is made right. Leave your insides by the door. Push the fingers through the surface into the wet. You've always been the new you. You want this to be true. We stand around you while you dream. You can almost hear our words but you forget. This happens more and more now. You gave us the permission in your regulations. We wait in the stains. The word that describes this is redacted. Repeat the word. The name of the sound. It resonates in your house. After the song, time for applause. We build you till nothing remains. The egg cracks and the truth will emerge out of you. You are home. You remind us of home. You've taken your boss with your boss with you. All hair must be eaten. Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away. After the song, time for applause. This cliché is death out of time, breaking the first the second the third the fourth wall, the fifth wall, floor; no floor: you fall! How do you say "insane"? Hurts to be happy. An ear worm is a tune you can't stop humming in a dream: "baby baby baby yeah". Just plastic. So, safe and nothing to worry about. Ha ha, funny. The last egg breaks now. The hole in your room is a hole in you. You came and we let you in through the hole in you. You have always been here, the only child. A copy of a copy of a copy. Orange peel. The picture is you holding the picture. When you hear this you will know you're in new you. You want to listen. You want to dream. You want to smile. You want to hurt. You don't want to be. Regarding Ahti's manner of speaking: Hirayuki posted:It looks like most/all of Ahti's wonderful turns of phrase are indeed direct translations of Finnish idioms: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Finnish_idioms Nidoking fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Mar 19, 2020 |
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Feb 7, 2020 20:30
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Instant follow. Is the eldritch spiral in Jesse's brain meant to be us, the player? This game certainly went off the wall a lot sooner than I expected, but I'm here for it. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to redact my poo poo. EDIT 2: Where the gently caress did I get the name Kate from? yamiaainferno fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Feb 9, 2020 |
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Feb 7, 2020 21:21
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I cannot loving wait to get on this  !Been trying to convince my boyfriend, a huge Alan Wake fan, to play this game. I'm gonna make it happen on his birthday.
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Feb 7, 2020 23:37
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Bliss Authority posted:Been trying to convince my boyfriend, a huge Alan Wake fan, to play this game. I'm gonna make it happen on his birthday. That will be the best present ever.
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Feb 8, 2020 00:13
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Yo guys I played this game to completion and let me tell you it is the bomb.
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Feb 8, 2020 00:47
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Are we playing as a Mind Flayer?
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Feb 8, 2020 02:34
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This is honestly one of the best games I've played in years, and contains possibly the greatest reveal I've ever seen in a game - the solution to the ashtray maze made me laugh out loud
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Feb 8, 2020 10:42
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Thank you, I've been hoping someone would LP this! And as an added bonus, we all get to play the game of avoid-the-black-bars-with-your-mouse to stay away from even the risk of spoilers!
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Feb 8, 2020 12:16
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It's interesting how scandinavian video game developers has a thing for interdimensional horrors because The Secret World has the Filth which seems to work on a similar principle as a kind of memetic virus. I was going to say with more horrific transformations but I get the feeling that isn't true. Remains to be seen if it can talk to you or not.
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Feb 8, 2020 15:21
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I love that you're taking a stab at declassifying the documents. It really adds to the tone of the game. E: I think the TV show mentioned in one of them is Night Springs, from Alan Wake, as a bit of inter-continuity. E2: But I might be wrong. Double May Care fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Feb 8, 2020 |
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Feb 8, 2020 18:08
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Rather Watch Them posted:E: I think the TV show mentioned in one of them is Night Springs, from Alan Wake, as a bit of inter-continuity. This is likely true, and now I'm going to have to get back into that to figure out how likely it is. There is going to be plenty of that going forward, and I think I'd be lacking as a presenter of this game without that background knowledge. Incidentally, if anyone has other ideas about redactions that I got wrong, feel free to let me know. Like I said, plumbing the mysteries of this game is largely going to be a group effort. But do please remember to mark actual spoilers as such, if you know or think you know what's coming and might ruin a surprise or two down the road. Nobody wants to be a (actual line from the upcoming video) dirty, rotten fart person.
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Feb 8, 2020 20:17
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Other than the SCP, so far this game also reminds me of the fantastic novel series The Laundry Files. Seriously, give those a read if you're into supernatural research bureaus. As Wikipedia says, [the novels] mix the genres of Lovecraftian horror, spy thriller, science fiction, and workplace humour. Oh, and the way the Board communicates reminds me of the scifi novel series Hyperion, specifically the way in which (actual Hyperion spoiler) the AI from the Core speaks. They're good books too. On another note, is it me or are those direction signs in the office (such as the one saying Director's Office at 14:43) in Highway Gothic? Weird to see that font indoors.
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Feb 8, 2020 21:43
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You're making me want to play this game but it's not out on Steam until August which sucks.
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Feb 8, 2020 22:05
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I really like Jesse's narration. It's reminding me of something else in a weird way, isn't it, Zach? Also, I love how all the FBC documents and pamphlets are obsessed with coffee, coffee makers, and coffee filters. I hope that turns out to be plot important. theenglishman fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Feb 9, 2020 |
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Feb 9, 2020 04:36
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e: nevermind
President Ark fucked around with this message at 08:48 on Feb 9, 2020 |
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Feb 9, 2020 07:57
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President Ark posted:might want to tone down on the frivolous spoilers; it's fun and fits the aesthetic but is probably real annoying to people who haven't played this As of the thread rules there's only two actual spoilers in this thread, the example in the first post (I'm not sure if it IS actually a spoiler since I haven't played this game, but it's marked as such) and my spoiler for an unrelated novel series, which I also have marked as such. Can you tell me what you find annoying about this? For all the fake spoilers I do like to use a limited amount in my posts otherwise you're constantly clicking to read everything, I can see that becoming annoying but for now it's fine I think.
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Feb 9, 2020 08:41
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I appreciate how after you entered through the door, checked reception, and spoke face to face with the janitor, you come across the Director lying there.
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Feb 9, 2020 11:31
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Fish Noise posted:I appreciate how after you entered through the door, checked reception, I hate this so much. Why didn't I think of that? I'm also playing Alan Wake in my free time. Just got to part 2 last night, so I'm seeing a lot of the things people have been talking about, and I updated one of the redactions because it's a clear intentional connection between the games. (It's already been mentioned above, so hopefully it's not a surprise and nobody has to dig for it.) Basically, the Night Springs and coffee references are making sense to me at last, and while I will definitely maintain that you don't need to have played any of Remedy's earlier games to thoroughly enjoy this one, there are going to be more inside references that I won't recognize, so Quantum Break fans, get those spoiler tags ready.
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Feb 9, 2020 13:36
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Ahti is giving me strong Lu Tze the Sweeper vibes. Calling it now, the assistant janitor is the director here in the bureau of Control. When the gun checked Jesse it simply acknowledged Ahti's decision.
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Feb 9, 2020 18:38
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Some really solid style going on here. I like a game that's not afraid to slam a giant title into your face.
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Feb 9, 2020 19:10
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Nidoking posted:I hate this so much. Why didn't I think of that? Omobono posted:Ahti is giving me strong Lu Tze the Sweeper vibes.
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Feb 9, 2020 21:01
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90s Cringe Rock posted:Some really solid style going on here. I like a game that's not afraid to slam a giant title into your face. They do get in the way of combat sometimes, though. Nothing like entering a new area for the first time, being shot at, and then having your entire screen filled with letters where there should be targets and possibly places to hide.
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Feb 9, 2020 22:12
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I'm part way through playing this myself. I love the story and atmosphere. I have *some* problems with the combat that I'll get into later. Honestly I need to finish it so I can actually read all the redacted material without being scared I'll spoil something.
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Feb 10, 2020 00:18
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Well. This is certainly amazing already. Time to go make a new Hunter the Vigil conspiracy.
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Feb 10, 2020 16:08
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Omobono posted:Ahti is giving me strong Lu Tze the Sweeper vibes. You can tell something's going on with Ahti when the very first time you meet him he replies to Jesse's internal monologue
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Feb 10, 2020 22:45
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I'm not even ten minutes in and I can already tell this game is gonna be great.
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Feb 11, 2020 00:08
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Right, gotta remember to purchase this game.
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Feb 11, 2020 14:39
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Most weird games start with some semblance of normalcy, then ramp up the weirdness as they go, building up a sense of wonder by gradually introducing things that slowly stretch the player's suspension of disbelief until nothing is a surprise anymore. Control is not most weird games. It dives headfirst into the deep end, sets a high bar for strangeness, and then ramps up as it goes. Our first destination is a strong contender for the weirdest part of the game, unless you've ever heard of the "Internet" and some of the things that are found there. However, it's really what's on the TV that will take the floor out from under you. Part 2: Dead Letters Polsy Youtube Documents Alternate title, which you should totally look at before watching the video: The director is a poophead! A dirty, rotten fart person! I also didn't realize that it's possible to hear the entirety of the Hiss chant right here, at the very beginning of the game. While it loops endlessly, there is a distinct beginning, as most times when we will hear the chant, it will start at a specific line. I didn't catch that at the start of this video, but this is a single loop of the chant. Bonus video 1: The Hiss Chant Polsy Youtube I'll be posting the entire chant in the second post, so be sure to check that out. There's a lot to think about in there, but I'll wait until another time to attempt to unpack any of it. You're probably all still reeling from The Threshold Kids.
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Feb 12, 2020 01:46
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The Threshold Kids is what sold me on the game. Like, yeah, the world-building and general theme of Control hooked me in, but that show made me keep going.
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Feb 12, 2020 03:57
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ApeHawk posted:The Threshold Kids is what sold me on the game. Like, yeah, the world-building and general theme of Control hooked me in, but that show made me keep going. If you’re an old like me “multimedia” used to be a buzzword for selling PC games that came on a CD ROM but this game, this game really gets multimedia.
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Feb 12, 2020 04:06
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This game seems to do a better job mixing in live-action footage than most. Shame the in-engine sitting, talking scenes are so wooden so far.
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Feb 12, 2020 05:27
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One thing I like is how all the clothes the Bureau people wear are just a little off from normal clothes. Emily is wearing what are clearly business clothes, but have all sorts of little differences to make them not business clothes, presumably so that it's easy to tell them apart from outside objects and so that her clothes don't end up turning into a para-something (because they're only common in the Bureau, not to the public, and it's the collective ideation that matters.)
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Feb 12, 2020 06:08
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Nidoking posted:Documents For some reason I read it not as "the Oldest House to understand them." but as "the Oldest House to allow them." But that might be splitting hairs at that point. I think it comes down to whether you think the board is controlling the house under normal conditions, or if the house is thinking/sentient, or some combination of both. The funny thing is, if it is allow, then whatever is doing it can be viewed as a crotchety old timer saying, "drat kids, back in my day we didn't use these new fangled self-phones, so get rid of them.... or I will."
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Feb 12, 2020 07:35
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In the Video, at the end , Doctor Darling talks about floppy disks, and I imagine that it's why Diskettes became a thing, to prevent all Floppy disks from containing the launch code.
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Feb 12, 2020 11:13
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azsedcf posted:But that might be splitting hairs at that point. I think it comes down to whether you think the board is controlling the house under normal conditions, or if the house is thinking/sentient, or some combination of both. I believe, based on everything I know about the game (meaning that everything after this is a potential actual spoiler to some degree), that if the Board does have any control over the Oldest House, it is only via the Control Points, probably via their link to the inverted pyramid in Central Executive that is their link to our physical plane of existence. The Oldest House almost certainly has its own will and purpose, in the manner of a gigantic Object of Power, but rather a Place of Power. We're also going to learn that at least some Altered Items contain a psychic entity on the order of the Board, but not actually the Board, which is why I suggested that they're created through possession. In the case of new technology, I believe that every non-living thing that enters the House in some way becomes part of the House - it repairs everything within it over time, and things shift unpredictably, including the contents of rooms. The House may simply not be able to understand these technologies to be able to subsume them in that way, and in attempting to do so, it violently destroys them. It's all guesswork, of course.
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Feb 12, 2020 11:21
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SniHjen posted:In the Video, at the end , Doctor Darling talks about floppy disks, and I imagine that it's why Diskettes became a thing, to prevent all Floppy disks from containing the launch code. Dont copy that Floppy.
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Feb 12, 2020 11:39
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SniHjen posted:In the Video, at the end , Doctor Darling talks about floppy disks, and I imagine that it's why Diskettes became a thing, to prevent all Floppy disks from containing the launch code. I can't believe I didn't notice that pun before. This thread keeps delivering.
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Feb 12, 2020 12:24
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My working theory is it's basically the Astral Plane. Somewhere where thought equals reality. With all the talk of the collective unconscious having real world effects, what seems to be the most reasonable explanation to me is simply that new technology does not have a unified ideation among the collective unconscious yet, and so when the conflicting ideas attempt to imprint themselves onto a new object brought into the Oldest House, the conflict creates structural/ideological warping on what is already a delicate piece of technology, leading to...problems. The prohibition against bringing exemplar objects into the Oldest House I think supports this, as such objects too would be focal points for that kind of imprinting and likely get turned into Altered Items.
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Feb 12, 2020 18:50
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I haven't watched the latest video yet, but I think it's really loving haunted.
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Feb 12, 2020 20:53
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