#r1999 1.4

[abyss-idiot]

Chapter 5 New Storm Info

With 1.4 we got some more info about the "Storm." Below the read more will be spoilers to chapter 5.

Starting with what 37 has about the storm, at first we learn what knows it as and what they think of it. As Apeiron is immune to the storm and isolated from the world they have different information and thoughts on it.

Pneuma is a Greek word for "breath", but if used in a religious context it can mean "soul." (I don't know what to make of this myself.)

They put the current year as 2007, as it would be that year if the storm never happened. So that means the storm has been around for 7ish years.

Later on we learn more about the dates and the fact that 37 and her mother predicted the years it happened.

The years on the monitor are 1999 - 1996 2000 - 1985 2003 - 1977 2004 - 1930s 2006 - 1912 2007 - 1966 1930s is taken from dialog, and 1977 is brought up in the report in The Star.

This tells us a few key things, first off that, excluding the latest storm there is a pattern that was able to be used to predict future storms. The monitor doesn't have the 1966 to 1929 or the 1929 to 1913 storms, tho the latter was messed with the Manus so it may break the pattern. Other key points it gives is the years of previous storms and the fact that the storm does not just move back in time, it also can jump forward as with the 1912 to 1966 storm. It could be inferred from the Green Lake event, but not directly stated. (Side note, 37 says 7 storms, the monitor shows 6, and adding the 1929 to 1913 storm it makes a total of 8.)

[toxicyeuriii]

The 1.7 main story had officially became my favorite. I don't know what type of drug they put in that but I'm here for it.

The amount of angst, yuri, and general craziness is crazy

spoilers -

crazy, man

[stari-hun]

Numbers System in Prisoner and the Cave

This arc follows an island of philosophy culture surrounding Pythagrious, where they study numbers until they discover their “soul number”, a word coined in (5.x.?), and shed your name and take on that number. 

Numbers can repeat, it’s unclear whether a person can’t have a number matching another living person, but they do repeat as started by 27. (5.?)

People are divided into categories of Integers, Fractions, Irrational Numbers, and Imaginary Numbers.

Integers are like logical people who follow the system. They are calm and undisruptive people. Integers are typically the Arcanists who follow the rules and protocols and generally have an unshakable faith in things they’ve put their loyalty to.

Fractions are those who have a sense of justice and loyalty but don’t blindly follow anything and trust themselves over others before anything. 

Irrational Numbers are people who won’t follow orders unless convinced or they personally believe it’s worth pursuing, they’re free spirits.

Imaginary numbers are humans.

[socoolinmypajamas]

am I the only one who is ABSOLUTELY not normal about how good 6's story was????

[delectica]

I GOT HER ON MY FIRST PULL?????? OH MY GOF???????? NOT EVEN A TEN PULL. MY VERY FIRST PULL ON THE BANNER. HOLY SHIT

[vasito-de-leche]

Hi! I read about your super cool Self Aware R1999 AU and it got me thinking about what Sonetto would be like, since I have a 100% bond with her in the suitcase.

Would she try to keep normalcy? Have a brand new idle line? Perhaps pull a Monika DDLC and start writing poetry where she tries to grapple with the fact that there’s an eldritch being puppeteering her best friend?

;R1999 SONETTO - Self-Aware AU

Headcanons about how Sonetto would act upon becoming self-aware. Related to this Self-Aware AU post.

glad you like the AU! this was a nice chance to explore Sonetto's character more <3

To organize my thoughts better, I gotta talk about Sonetto first for a bit.

I definitely talked about this with a few friends, but Sonetto is a wonderful character to me because I both dislike and feel for her a lot - especially in the new 1.4 Main Story update. The emphasis the game puts into her role as a military dog (raised to follow orders and die for a cause she doesn't truly understand) and a lost puppy (a curious and dependant child believing her caretakers have the best of intentions) really lives up to the way she portrays these same traits. Yes, it's awful to see her continue to perpetuate the harmful ideas the Foundation taught her, but it makes sense. Yes, it's lovely to see her slowly break away from everything she's ever known, and yet revert back to her habits because change is difficult. The way she works perfectly as a foil to Vertin, it's so good!

To me, Sonetto is a character that resists change, while yearning for it at the same time. That's why her Medium is curiosity, after all. It's so lovely and ironic to see THE perfect example of a Foundation martyr being set up for failure in something that they couldn't have even foreseen, her own Medium, her own innate curiosity.

So with this in mind, I think that within the Self-Aware AU ... I think she would be able to deal with this sudden awareness of everything being fake, because her first reaction would be to assume there's something wrong with herself for thinking something so outlandish, so beyond what she was taught. Sonetto would still resist this change - if this is a game, then she's not meant to be aware of it, therefore she's the one at fault and perhaps, broken in a way.

Maybe "broken" is too heavy of a word, I imagine it's more like she believes she broke the rules by gaining this level of sentience. That it' wasn't supposed to happen in the first place.

How would she act overall?

I feel like Sonetto would be relatively fine upon becoming sentient because of this, she'd be shaken but would continue to do as expected and follow the script like a proper little chess piece, one of the many cogs needed in the machine - her reasoning is simple: if everyone who is self-aware began to act out, there wouldn't be a game to play. And what would happen to her friends, then? If this stability that the plot and script brings is suddenly gone?

There would be times where she might slip up, but they'd be very subtle changes in the her dialogue - perhaps the inflection of her voice, rather than the words - she might pause for longer to think, to consider whether to do anything outside of what she's expected to. But that's about it.

The problem begins when she finds out (or is told) that the Foundation had known this truth about the world they live in for longer than she's been alive. Sonetto remains docile entirely to keep that order and harmony she's been raised to maintain, but to find out that the very people who taught her that have known and done nothing but lie to everyone - that would be the catalyst for her.

Personally, I like to think that this is something she figures out on her own, rather than being told. A truth she must face on her own instead of just accepting someone else's words.

Her behaviour would still largely remain the same whenever she knows she has a part to play, but in those moments when she knows there's no "camera" looking at her, Sonetto would... sit there. WIth the way I've interpreted Sonetto, she's a character that struggles to actually have an identity outside of the Foundation's training, so now that this is something she can't rely on, she's at a loss as to what to do with this newfound freedom.

I imagine this is when other arcanists who were self-aware before her would start reaching out to Sonetto and slowly give her that stability she needs.

On the subject of Sonetto's relationship with Vertin.

The way I interpreted Sonetto and Vertin's dynamic, I don't see them as best friends!

From reading back some scenes and transcribing most of CH 03 of the Main Story, it feels like both Sonetto and Vertin have always found themselves in a one-sided relationship: when they were kids, Sonetto rejected Vertin's attempts at becoming friends because of their differences, even if they were both curious about each other. They never striked me as close. Now that years have passed, Vertin treats Sonetto similar to how she treats everyone else, while Sonetto explicitly wants to be closer to Vertin due to what happened when they were kids.

To me, Vertin has shown more emotion to Schneider and Madam Z than to Sonetto. There's this one-sided dynamic again.

In the context of the AU, I think Sonetto finding out about what Vertin goes through with this entity and this role that the game forced upon her, she would double down on her feelings to protect Vertin. There's a lot of guilt involved, since - once again - that's what the Foundation teaches to all orphan arcanists, to repent for their unruly and destructive existence.

I think Sonetto would feel guilty for not gaining sentience sooner, while Vertin has been struggling with this heavy weight for God knows how long. She would recontextualize everything about Vertin, her actions and the differences that constantly got her into trouble as a child, her desire to escape - attributing all of it to this entity that follows her. Because I do think that Sonetto idolizes Vertin to a degree that fuels this one-sided dynamic between them, not out of malice of course, just like a puppy.

So in the end, Sonetto would resent the Player and worry even more for Vertin, now using this as a justification for acting out of line and out of script, as Vertin's self-imposed protector.

It would take Sonetto a looooooong time to do anything with her sentience and freedom, beyond continuing to support Vertin. Her poems and her art would reflect this progress slowly, but yeah, not a lot of noticeable changes.

Reaching 100% Bond with Sonetto.

This is a very conflicting event for Sonetto, I'd say.

The more attention you pay to her, the more aware she becomes of your influence - and now she has to come to terms with the fact that there is no way of separating you from Vertin. She can't free Vertin from this fate, and it doesn't look like she wants that to happen either, but it eats Sonetto from inside out. Because she doesn't understand, and she wants to know why this is the way things are meant to be.

When it comes to reaching 100% Bond with her, or levelling her up and so on, I don't think she'd pay much attention to the mechanical aspect of it all. She's a skilled arcanist, she's the first important character the game gives to you during the tutorial stages, she knows just how important her Disarm ability can be to win a battle - of course you would want her on your team.

But as she slowly spends more time with Vertin and the Player, I think Sonetto would start to wonder about the outside world. They're small, little and impulsive thoughts in the back of her mind, like wondering if you too have someone in this fictional little world that you care about enough to see the story through the end. Are you capable of loving someone that can't reach out to you nor acknowledge your presence? Isn't it cruel, for those who remain blind to the truth, to be so loved and cherished by you?

Do you read the newspaper the same way Vertin does? Do you care about her? About her goals and dreams and thoughts?

This is the only way Sonetto can reconcile this resentment she has for you: through Vertin. I think Vertin would eventually notice all these subtle changes, the way Sonetto never looks truly happy whenever she looks at Vertin, looking above as if she could catch a glimpse of the Player. And Vertin would help through the whole process, easing up to sentience as a whole, to accepting the Player's existence as just something that is there, neither good or bad.

While she's one of the very few who has no trouble differentiating your actions and influence from Vertin's own free will, she would eventually come to respect your choices. Doing her best and beyond whenever you choose her to battle, because now the stakes are higher - now, she's choosing to fight for something she fully understands and cares about.

I like to think that Sonetto can't hear you, but she might be able to see you. Little glimpses here and there, when she happens to look up at the sky, and she sees you cheering after beating that one level that's been giving you a headache. I like to think that she would share these details about you with Vertin, if only to ease her own mind about the complex dynamic you have with THE Timekeeper.

But at the end of the day, this is progress and these are many changes that happen out of your field of vision. Perhaps, one day, Sonetto will gather the courage to thank you for taking care of Vertin when no one else would.

[corndasby]

Brief Explanation of Time Travel in Reverse 1999

I still see people a bit confused about how the storm functions in r1999, so here's a quick summary. This is accurate up until patch 1.5 (I'm playing blind so don't know about 1.6-8!) and will contain some plot spoilers.

What we know

- Before 1999, time flowed normally.

- In 1999, storms began that reverted the world to an earlier year. It's like time is instantly set back to a previous date. After a storm, time flows normally until another occurs.

- Some locations in the world (Manus bases, the foundation, the island) are immune to the storm. The time in these locations has been flowing normally since 1999. They haven't "time travelled" in any way, they're just going forward linearly like ordinary.

- If a living thing is caught in a storm, it disappears. Seemingly the only exception to this rule is Vertin. Her being immune to the storm outside of safe areas is why the foundation is so interested in her. Two versions of a person will never be present at the same time.

- Time is never flowing backwards. Storms just instantly revert it to previous points. People/things do not literally act in reverse until the new time is reached.

- Both humans and arcanists are safe from the storm in safe areas like the foundation. However, only arcanists are safe inside Vertin's suitcase.

What we don't know

- What happens to people caught in the storm? It's unclear if those people are lost forever, or if the time they are in continues to exist and they're still alive there.

- Can the storm move time forward? It's unlikely because reversing is sort of the whole premise of the game, but it isn't ruled out yet. Perhaps this is how characters lost to the storm will return in the future. Schneider is fine everyone just keep believing.

- Why is Vertin immune? In 1.4 we found out it's because of Asymmetric Protein G, but we still don't really know what it is or why she has it. The island's cave seemed to contain the same substance, which could be a clue to how the safe spaces are created/function.

- Can you meet yourself in the past? This hasn't happened yet in the story, but could be a cool plot hook for a future patch.

To my knowledge this is all accurate, but please correct me if I got anything wrong, as long as it's not spoilers for content not yet in global. Thanks : )

[the-blossica-fan]

Tooth Fairy🤝Kanjira

Hitting people with their vehicles /j

What's your thoughts on r1999 currently, may I ask? c:

NEVER PUT THEM TOGETHER IN A CAR

Thank you for asking, time to ramble (It's so sad I have no mischievous emoji)

To be fair, I joined Reverse 1999 around 1.4, so I'm not from the start of the game. And it's also my very first Gacha game ever so, I hold it dearly.

Reverse 1999 has such a story that, despite being complicated, it drives you in and never stops getting better and better. The element of drama always leaves you wanting more (THAT CLIFFHANGER IN CHAPTER 5 WAS SO UNFAIR) and the characters are so well fleshed out that even the NPCs are lovable. You can see why some characters do what they do, why they do it and also see them maturing as the story goes on.

Vertin is also why this game is my favorite, she's a strong main character who is strong on her own, but is stronger with company. She's exactly what I imagine a strong MC to be, I've seen enough stories and some MCs are not as memorable as others, but the story wouldn't be the same without Vertin. And she's funny! Her dumb silly jokes are such a contrast to her calm and collected demeanor, you can see how she's so silly while being serious.

And the events work to expand the world, to explain more corners of this place you're seeing from other people's perspective, that could be 1.1, the life before the story, 1.8 and how the storm is a real menace and not something you can dismiss. It explores so many characters in such a way that, you might not like them, but they're made in such a way that you have to admit they're unique.

And talking about the storm, it's such a complicated thing that even you, the player, can't seem to figure it out. Every time you know more about the storm, more questions pop up. You're just like the characters, unable to know how to stop the storm. It's something that makes you enjoy the experience because you're not omnipresent or stronger, you're just someone seeing the story through Vertin's eyes, and Vertin is just a little guy, not some goddess or the key to everything (though she might be very helpful to stop the storm)

And they really know how to make a good relationship with the characters. The characters that are obviously shipped together have majestic chemistry (Vila and Windsong are my favorite example, they're not doomed but in the beginning you can tell they're going to get together at some point). And somehow, they manage to make them so unique it's like "Yo what the hell???", You get a Centaur and a 80's horror movie girl, a siren and some pathetic badass girl, this huge nerd and her childhood friend, and so on! They're so fun to describe together.

I think Reverse 1999 is a depressive game superficially but once you drive deeper, it has so many things to say and touches so many subjects in a way that is so easy to digest but also to understand. They put so much love and effort into the game and you can feel it, their characters and the story, the extra content and so much more.

I'm always on the lookout for a good game and I've found it! It's not a perfect game, that's for sure, but it's so easy to love and, at least to me, it will never get boring.

I might have said too much nothing 😓, I get excited when someone asks me about this game that I end up missing the point of the question jeje. Thank you for asking!

[jabberwockprince]

thinking thinking thinking thinking very hard

if i do one tapv chapter per day then the main story would be done in 6 more days so thats ok. then the two sidestories. then the zines. then any other extras i have left. ok thats settled

then its the r1999 transcript. 1.1 and 1.4 are fully completed, someone just has to give em a look to check for spelling errors and shit. 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5 are pretty barebones as of now. i could focus on 1.5 since its on-going and makes things much easier. then leave 1.2 for later once. i could do... 3 or 2 main stages per day, since my wrist is still healing

im kinda burnt out from writing so the writing blog is gonna be shoved aside for now. the afflatus thesis requires more research so that is also on hold until i get all info from 1.5. i also just wanna draw, and i have one big commission to work on and so many smaller projects

the FMN piece just needs rendering, the new sprites for spina venatores need the manus uniforms and then color. then the 1.5 skins. then tattoo work and practice, i could try doing the afflatus logos. theres also aianteia but im not looking at him rn hes the least of the priorities. then reworking momus and oizys since hades 2's test dropped and everyone got hotter

and all these reworks and sprites can work for artfight refs. i should make the genshin and nsr OCs invisible bc i couldnt care less abt them rn. right and that also means i have to organize information for everyone's sheets. ophis (touchstarved) can be lumped with ophis (dnd) bc theyre essentially the same guy. and i have to organize my profile too

i also have to work on some merch bc i want r1999 stickers for my redbubble. and i have to actually get that pngtuber program and rework the whole design. then theres the revolutionary utena anime somewhere in there in my brain, which can wait until we finish the anime. ok ok ok ok

[vasito-de-leche]

A short (or not) ramble of scenarios and questions for reverse: 1999 self aware. (sorry if this bothers you, I just don’t have enough confidence to post it on my own blog (plus I love your content))

- Okay so first of all, in the main page of the game, when you click on the upper left corner with your level and username, you go to a screen with Vertin looking fly as ever along with some user information.

So if Vertin can see the game’s ui, then she can see the year in which the player has joined the game (2023-2024). I haven’t dived deep into Vertin’s character so I can’t portray her reaction to much, but I feel like she would tell this info to someone close like Sonetto.

Also our motto: I put “When in a rush, say ‘runs in high heels cutely.’”. I’d be so embarrassed if anyone (even fictional sentient characters) saw that. Like im dead.

On that topic, when you mentioned in your Sonetto self aware post that she can sometimes see us, and honestly, I’d be even more embarrassed. Cause like, if any of the characters from games I played, were sentient and could see me, id pray they didn’t see my bad angle. Like imagine looking up to the sky to see, just for a second, the chin of a head as the hands go to scratch their nose. Like the first impressions I would make.

- P2p players. Imagine the player spending money on the game (at the risk of Vertin possibly seeing their credit card number) to help level up or get costumes for their fave characters.

(Some misc. questions)

-what would happen if player didn’t log in the game for a while (a week to a month as best) cause I would ditch some games to spend more time on others

- What does Vertin think of the mail messages that the player gets? Like the latest mail I got was the discord event invitation. Upon closer inspection and critical thinking, it would hint that there would be more players other than us because it says the winners get 60 clear drops (oh and money too)

- If I remember correctly, I think you mentioned about Vertin hearing the player sometimes. So imagine her hearing us trash talk certain character *cough* Constantine *cough*.

(Anyways, I love your content ❤️ especially your fmn headcanons, can’t wait to see more posts!!)

;R1999 - Self-Aware AU (2)

Answering some questions and discussing the Self-Aware AU. A follow up of this post.

not a bother at all, you bring up really good questions and details that are fun to explore! I'm glad you like my stuff, have a nice day o7!

On the subject of Vertin seeing the player's profile.

With the way I intended to portray Vertin within the AU, I don't think she would be affected by the date on the Player's profile!

This is the date you came into contact with her from your perspective, whatever time and space that flows within your world, not hers─the world behind the fourth barrier that she cannot see nor hear nor even fathom, let alone try to make sense of. In a way, it's like expecting ants to care about concepts we made up, such as time. They understand night and day, they do not understand 3PM nor 8AM.

Is it truly proof that time can go beyond 1999, when this is something that only she can see? When it doesn't affect a single thing within her universe by being part of a game menu meant for your eyes only? There's also the fact that she finds out the proper time of the world in the 1.4 update, in Chapter 05.

Her dynamic with the Player is something I like to keep vague, so that everyone can fill in the blanks, but ultimately it is something so complex and private for Vertin─who sees it as a one-sided relationship, since she cannot hear nor see you, unlike other arcanists who may reach the 100% bond─that I don't think she would talk about it with anyone, not even Sonetto! The name on your profile and whatever message you've written there are secrets she will take to her grave. The idea of Vertin being the eyes and hands of the Player, but having no way to truly see or hear them makes for a really fun concept to explore!

And on the subject of messages, let's be honest, if you've written something funny or some modern shitpost, chances are she won't understand it LMFAO so it's okay! I literally just have my socials and "men enjoyer" listed there.

Oh! But since you brought it up, the message section could be a fun, little way to communicate with Vertin, since she can read what's on there!

As for P2P players, Vertin wouldn't see any information from the Player's credit card since that's something that happens outside the app lolol. Like, to me, it directly opens to google play transaction stuff.

On the subject of the player dropping the game for long periods of time.

Hmm, in the first post I said that there might be characters ouside Vertin and her suitcase who may be self-aware, with their own goals and such. But nothing truly "matters" unless the Player is there to witness it. So to keep including these possibilities and details, I feel like there's two options, pick whichever you like the most!

One, time continues as usual within the game─but once it reaches an important date where the plot is meant to kick in with some important event, it simply resets back to where you left it. This is a world that exists outside of your perception, but cannot continue without you.

Two, time freezes entirely within the game─but only for those who are not self-aware. Keep in mind we're talking about long periods of time, this wouldn't happen if you log in every day, or every few days. This is what happens when your phone picks up the fact that Reverse: 1999 is one of the unused apps taking up space in your phone. This is a world that stops existing once you stop looking at it.

In both options, the Wilderness would remain unaffected as it seems to be entirely disconnected from the flow of time and space outside of it.

On the subject of the game's mail.

Since the messages auto-delete and all, I can't check but I'm pretty sure Vertin receives mail too? There were a few ones from a few characters a while back like Druvis III or An-an Lee, and I think the implication is that they were vaguely addressing Vertin?

If someone has screenshots and can confirm this, please let me know!

Either way, the easy answer is that yeah, she knows this is a game, so she could make the assumption that there's more players. She has access to your friend list, after all! And even if you don't have anyone added, the fact that it exists is enough for her to start connecting the dots.

I don't remember saying that Vertin can hear the Player, though! I think I was pretty consistent with her not being able to see nor hear you, to have the Player as some sort of eldritch, unknowable entity. But I also write so much stuff in this blog that it's hard to keep up sometimes lolol, if I've mentioned somewhere that Vertin can hear the player, it was a mistake!

[vasito-de-leche]

Hello!😄, I admire the way you write ✍️The way u never mischaracterized characters and the way you write them accurately is fascinating to read for ,and how you also took focus on small details about the character heck im starting to believe you work on the game R1999, if may I ask if you could write about Six from R1999 with a timid S/O or about a self-aware au of Six ? It had been my obsession of him after he came out and with his story making it more fascinating and made me attract towards him more

;R1999 6 - Self-Aware AU

Headcanons about how 6 would act upon becoming self-aware. Related to this Self-Aware AU post.

tysm for the kind words! I rlly like overthinking and overanalyzing stuff <3

I'll do the self-aware AU for this post to match the other one posted recently about 37, but feel free to send another ask if you'd still like 6 with a timid S/O!

There is a lot to be discussed about 6 and how all four characters of the 1.4 update contrast and complement each other so wonderfully, but I have a lot of trouble narrowing down what exactly I want to talk about here and what I should save for a proper analysis of the characters and the way I interpret them. So as usual, I ask that you guys bear with me with these trains of thoughts!

For starters, in my opinion, 6 is a very good narrative foil to 37.

Both focus on alienation and isolation from their respective communities, both are characters that struggle with the concept of fate, and both were born knowing their numbers--the key difference is the way each tackles this piece of information.

As discussed before in her own post, 37 does not question the reason why she's 37: like 210 says, "she stumbled upon fate at birth," and did not go through the same process of having to figure out one's number like the rest do. When it comes to 6, it's slightly different but the fundamentals are the same: he knows the number he will be assigned, and yet this revelation is not part of a natural process, it's something that us forced upon him and his family.

What I'm trying to say is that 37 and 6 weren't given the choice of discovering their soul numbers, and thus lack the most important part: the understanding of their own lives and selves. Compare this to 210, who became "too predictable" upon finding out his own soul number, or Sophia, who has clearly developed a very complex relationship with her own friends because of the inferiority and feelings of inadequacy she feels not knowing her own number.

And this is when the contrast between the two become clear: 37 is partially isolated from her community because she doesn't understand fate, nor the importance of one's journey, she doesn't respect the discovery of one's number. 6 is partially isolated from his community because no one else but him is able to see the concept of fate--or the Revelation--as a negative thing. His entire life, his entire bloodline is defined by fate and the Revelation, but only he understands the burden and the pain such knowledge entails.

Because only he has seen the way this Revelation takes over his loved ones, until they become strangers, mere vessels for infinite knowledge and bound to their role as perfect, eternal leaders. His character event shows the radical change in his aunt once she receives the Revelation and 6's fears of his entire self being rewritten once he receives it as well.

It's important to note that the moment Atticus becomes a proper 6 and receives the revelation happens on the very same day that everyone on the boat becomes a victim of the "Storm." Sophia's father and 37's mother were on that boat--but so was Alma, the current 6 at the time and Atticus' aunt. This event is crucial for all characters, as it cements their chosen paths: it's the study of the Emanation for 37, to continue her mother's research.

It's the day 6 will receive the Revelation and see if his efforts to prepare for it will amount to something.

And yet we know that 6 was able to withstand this Revelation without his entire self being washed away by the infinite amount of knowledge. We know this because we see him retain his hermit-like behaviour in the main story, avoiding people and preferring peace and quiet. We know this because, at the very end of this event, he says that the revelation is "just as simple as it is."

37 does not understand fate, but she doesn't fight it either because studying it won't change the fact that her soul number is 37. 6 understands and once feared fate, and he fought to resist it because his entire life, his memories, his personality and essence were at risk. I also really love that small detail about how 1.4 focuses on Plato's allegory of the cave, with 37 and 6 being put on this pedestal as those who witnessed the truth and came back to save the others--and yet, these two characters needed people OUTSIDE of the island to help them with their respective journeys (37 with Vertin, and 6 with Sophia). It just clicks so right to me!

In the context of a Self-Aware AU, I like to think that the self-awareness is something that comes with the Revelation. That every 6 before Atticus himself realized the truth of their world, similar to how 37 sees this self-awareness as yet another eternal truth. And because the number 6 is meant to represent harmony and perfection, they understand more than anyone that to ensure the peace in Apeiron, they cannot allow others to know the truth. Think of it as the whole deal with Pythagoras and irrational numbers--the discovery of irrational numbers ruined the whole system.

I think that a much younger 6 would've been distraught at this information, to know that Alma was the only person who was "real" and that he began to drift away from her because he couldn't recognize her anymore. But now, after receiving his Revelation and becoming the new leader, he might be more focused on appreciating life as it is. Why would he be bothered by knowing everything so far has been a script? He's already been haunted by fate his whole life, this is, in the end, the same thing. Of course, 6 is a philosopher in his own right, despite knowing pretty much everything there is to know, I think he would like to ponder about the more existential issues and topics that come with self-awareness.

I also like to think that his self-awareness and the Revelation come with knowing how the story will develop, at least in relation to Apeiron. He knows of Vertin's arrival, he knows of Arcana's schemes, he knows that by the end, Apeiron will be revealed to the human world. 6 believes it's impossible to change the course this game and its story, and the best thing he can do is help everyone prepare for it--I like to think that's why he specifically sent 37 to greet Vertin and the rest!

When it comes to finding out about the Player, I already said in 37's post that it would be very nice if she could see the player, but not hear them. And to contrast that, I wanted 6 to hear the player, but not see them.

The Player's existence is the one thing that 6 cannot pinpoint nor rationalize. He listens so very attentively when you speak, and he quickly realizes that you are not part of this infinite stream of knowledge from his ancestors, you're ... Just a person. What are you trying to teach him, if that is even your goal?

At first, I can see him struggle with this strange presence interrupting his very much needed alone time, choosing to remain silent until you go away, but he would grow to find it comforting, similar to his friendship with Sophia when they were children. You are an outsider, you're not part of this little world he lives in--you can offer a refreshing and different perspective. Once he's used to this new change, perhaps he will speak again, either to ponder out loud about your existence or monologue about whatever might be occupying his mind. Unlike 37, he wouldn't tell a single soul of your existence, largely because he believes it's something unique to him, entirely unaware that there's someone out there behind the screen rooting for him.