The reading of Arcanist as neurodivergent seems very much intentional, especially with examples like Marcus. Hoffman raised a good point that maybe Arcanist aren't actually different from humans in general, but the culture surrounding Arcanum kinda incentivizes them to be othered. It's a very interesting magic system especially considering all the parallels they draw with it from cultures, racism and education. Nice video!
Jiu Niangzi and Jessica are prime examples of how an arcanist's sense of logic can be astoundingly different. Even now I find it funny how both of these characters weren't aware of their leaps of logic.
@@djailsonfelipe84 To be fair to both of them, both were isolated supernatural beings with barely any societal contact. Hard to have a good grip on logic if you never actually learn it.
Yeah I think it's a really interesting point, especially considering that Arcanists could be considered a genetically distinct species from humans. It kind of brings up this idea of forming this arbitrary barriers between groups and how we'd react if we knew there was another sapient species out there challenging our role of the top-order species. In some ways, it's kind of a survival tactic, especially in the past when Arcanists wouldve been the equivalent of living demigods
Based on what I've seen and heard, Arcanist are considered as different species from humanity due to having different organs as such. Since their body and/or brain adapts to use a specific arcanum, their personality and thought-process will also shape around that arcanum used as a base (Mesmer Jr had keen senses which made her more meticulous to a fault). In other word, they will think differently than most human. However, Hoffman speculates that Arcanist are no different from humanity. That is true in my opinion because in the end, the environment in which both Arcanist and humanity grew up in will be the deciding factor. Arcanist living in human society tends to make them pressured but its how the Arcanist interpret those kind of pressure and method to adapt to them. We know that characters like Kakania and Blonney lived a rather decent life with humanity as the two are pretty much indistinguishable from humans. Chapter 6 pretty much puts us, as the players, to try and understand Isolde, Marcus, and Kakania in order to see the bigger picture of the relationship between humanity and Arcanist.
yep, one of the in-game notes mentions an arcanum gene so it's likely that they are actually genetically distinct enough to be considered a different species. And yeah, I think environment plays a bigger role. We see in Pei City, which didn't discriminate at all, that it was almost impossible to tell who was an arcanist and who was a human without the overt use of arcane skill. The differences in behaviour were much smaller
Despite also being someone interested in the world of Reverse, and especially making sense of its magic system, this video was so thorough on the topic of Bloodline Arcanum that I have nothing to add. Great stuff! The one thing I will say though is that I think external factors are likely a MUCH larger factor than the Bloodline in affecting the mental health of arcanists (though that still definitely plays a part). Isolde's childhood, for example, would mess anybody up.
I definitely agree; we've got plenty of other arcanists who commune with other entities and dont seem to have any detrimental effects on their health, so it's definitely a dittarsdorf thing
What Hoffman said about the psychological differences between humans and arcanists being cultural seems to hold very true. The way arcanists are presented ranges from "wacky badass" to "mentally unstable danger," but most humans in the story are also presented as weird and potentially dangerous. Most human villains don't seem particularly sane. Iverson was ready to kill people in an outburst, Makower is obsessive, and Constantine orchestrated the death of several children. By comparison, the likes of Blonney and Desert Flannel are the closest this game has to "average, normal person" characters
Yeah the game makes a really good case for the nurture argument, though Id like to note that the incidence of crazy to noncrazy humans we've met is pretty low comparatively. Plus, so far, the crazy ones have been people who are in prime position to go down that route, with Iverson as a morally bankrupt businessman and Makower as a humiliated journalist. When we look at the majority of humans we've met in the story (Ezra, Pei City residents, most foundation employees, etc), while not necessarily nice, they're at least rational
Nice video! I had the same train of thought but I think you forgot about Druvis as a positive example. Her arcanum is probably the most powerful we've seen so far and she does come from a rich (noble?) family. Yet, she doesn't suffer from conditions like other arcanists from known bloodlines. I think the fact that she doesn't use her power much combined with the fact that she leads a secluded lifestyle (we met her chilling on a branch in the forest) let's her keep her powers in check.
Something interesting about Druvis is that when her family arrived in America they wanted to forget everything about the Arcanist and force her to forget everything. When her powers were activated she wanted to notify her parents but the fire appeared that destroyed the forest and killed her parents
Yes! I actually chose to exclude Druvis because I wasn't certain if her tree thing was actually a family arcanum or something that was unique to her specifically. Considering that we know her family is old, I think a case can be made that it's a familial arcanum, but I didnt want to say anything without being explicitly sure In any case, I think it definitely has a lot to do with the fact that her family tried to distance themselves from their arcanist roots instead of pressuring her into using it
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought and made this connection. I thought about this when we first meet Sotheby, just listening to her talk and how she bounces around to a bunch of different topics to the point where she loses track of what’s actually going .
Nice to find your channel, haven't found a lot of content about R1999' lore. The stories in the game tend to have this sad undertone, being an arcanist seems to come with a lot of difficulties and I love how it is portrayed, I'm sure a lot of us grew thinking that having magical powers would be amazing, but the game does a good job questioning that. Keep it up!
Incredible video! I think the connection of Arcanist as Neurodivegent is very explicite in text. Also, I find it interesting that it's more or less stated in-game that the only (as of now) outlier who lacks the "eccentric brain wiring" of other Arcanist, who had an entire atlas created for his sake labeled as "human", as well as in his own words, Possessing "human rationality" and "stability", is Ezra, the mushroom boy.
Thank you! though Ezra is labeled as human because he is literally a human lmao. It's even noted that he can't actually stay in the suitcase fulltime since he'd need to head back to the Foundation for shelter whenever the storm comes
@@apeironiteOh really? I'll be honest, I kinda skipped the event where he was featured so I never actually saw his character story jaja But that's good to know either way!
As an autistic person I've always perceived the arcanists as neurodivergent (autism in particular because thats what i know the best obviously) I can see soooo many relations between the two I could talk about it for hours
@@obambagaming1467 i would also like to point out Lucy, her imcomprehension from other humans or arcanists, the way she rarerly gets social cues, and her information driven way of thinking really remind me of autism
@@gl0wingb0nes and don't forget all the arcanists with special interests. Blonney, Horropedia, Regulus, 37 and many more have a sometimes extreme obsession with something. 37 is also very similar to Marcus. She sees the world much differently as well. Altough basicly everyone from Apeiron does that, she is more extreme.
Any good R1999 content is worth a like and suscribe from me! Especially since, lore-wise, the only channel I know that covers R1999 is IslandXD. Keep it up, my dude!
I've often wondered about this sort of stuff. Arcanum is definitely passed down through bloodline, but are arcanists severely inbred? Or are there a lot of different families that have similar bloodlines that can get together? What happens if two arcanists with differing bloodlines reproduce? Would the offspring not be an arcanist, have both abilities, or have some weird mutation? I mean: breeding in this world seems to be more open than it is in our world. Jessica, for example, is the product of an arcanist and a changeling.
I think the incidence of inbreeding in arcanist communities is likely higher just due to seclusion. Like, consider Apeiron. An island of a couple hundred people, at best, lasting for over 2000 years with minimal outside contact? I think the probability that at least some islanders are very closely related is higher. We dont really know how the actual arcane ability is passed down, so it could be that mixing different arcanist bloodlines could result in progeny that are able to utilize skills from both families, or else it could be that one skill dominates while the other becomes recessive and appears further down the line. My guess would be the latter, as it could be the way that "bloodline arcanum" eventually diffuses to the rest of the population as a more generic skill, for example, divination
Thank you for this ❤❤ I'm been searching for reverse 1999 lore explain for a while cuz my brain cannot comprehend all that happening in the game. You explain them well.👍👍
Some legends and myths about monsters and curses were simply hereditary diseases in a time of less understanding. So it seems likely they are portraying that as well
I think Marcus is a good example. As someone with aspergers, to me, she always seemed like the most autistic of the cast. Her ability is that she can read like everything and everyone like a book. This kind of reminds me how many people with autism see the world much different to normal people. She is also overthinking way too much, this makes her insecure. So she has to use her reading to gain as much information as possible, before she us confident enough to act. This is perfectly shown in her character trailer when she meets Madam Z. All of this is behaviour often seen in people with autism. And autistic people sometimes have a kind of ability that is similar to her reading. Like noticing small details.
@@obambagaming1467 Personally I have Adhd so I understand the stereotype about arcanists being overly emotional, impulsive and not being able to blend into human society.
You speak like a real life Arcanist researcher. You need to make video with proper white coat, it will be hillarious. In more serious note, I think Reverse in a whole is influenced by Posmodernism. For example the work of Michael Faucoult, Foucault argued that knowledge is produced through the "operations of power" (like Arcanum), and changes fundamentally in "different historical periods" (Sound familiar?). Lot of his work focused on mental illness and society. The Idea of "The storm" itself very similar to concept of Hauntology. Mark Fisher defined hauntological art as exploring these impasses and representing a "refusal to give up on the desire for the future" and a "pining for a future that never arrived". Even the critics toward Plato's Ontology in reverse need an essay. Because it is not only show as a truth but as a mythology that direct Society. Which is very very posmodern philosophy style.
I have aspergers, and to me it feels like most arcanists are very neurodivergent (some more some less). Marcus always seemed very autistic. Like the most out the characters. While Sotheby's behaviour seems more like ADHD.
![[Reverse:1999] On the Origin of Arcanists](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qCgXjY_3NOg/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Reverse:1999] On the Origin of Arcanists](/img/tr.png)
I love this video!! I am a psychology student and I've always find Arcanists as an alledgory for neurodivergents and mentally ill people
I can't express how happy I am lol, so nice seeing people making lore videos on this game, have a nice day dude
I was thinking the same thing! I also study Psychology and I agree with you.
The reading of Arcanist as neurodivergent seems very much intentional, especially with examples like Marcus. Hoffman raised a good point that maybe Arcanist aren't actually different from humans in general, but the culture surrounding Arcanum kinda incentivizes them to be othered.
It's a very interesting magic system especially considering all the parallels they draw with it from cultures, racism and education.
Nice video!
Jiu Niangzi and Jessica are prime examples of how an arcanist's sense of logic can be astoundingly different. Even now I find it funny how both of these characters weren't aware of their leaps of logic.
@@djailsonfelipe84 To be fair to both of them, both were isolated supernatural beings with barely any societal contact. Hard to have a good grip on logic if you never actually learn it.
Yeah I think it's a really interesting point, especially considering that Arcanists could be considered a genetically distinct species from humans. It kind of brings up this idea of forming this arbitrary barriers between groups and how we'd react if we knew there was another sapient species out there challenging our role of the top-order species.
In some ways, it's kind of a survival tactic, especially in the past when Arcanists wouldve been the equivalent of living demigods
Based on what I've seen and heard, Arcanist are considered as different species from humanity due to having different organs as such. Since their body and/or brain adapts to use a specific arcanum, their personality and thought-process will also shape around that arcanum used as a base (Mesmer Jr had keen senses which made her more meticulous to a fault). In other word, they will think differently than most human. However, Hoffman speculates that Arcanist are no different from humanity. That is true in my opinion because in the end, the environment in which both Arcanist and humanity grew up in will be the deciding factor. Arcanist living in human society tends to make them pressured but its how the Arcanist interpret those kind of pressure and method to adapt to them. We know that characters like Kakania and Blonney lived a rather decent life with humanity as the two are pretty much indistinguishable from humans.
Chapter 6 pretty much puts us, as the players, to try and understand Isolde, Marcus, and Kakania in order to see the bigger picture of the relationship between humanity and Arcanist.
yep, one of the in-game notes mentions an arcanum gene so it's likely that they are actually genetically distinct enough to be considered a different species.
And yeah, I think environment plays a bigger role. We see in Pei City, which didn't discriminate at all, that it was almost impossible to tell who was an arcanist and who was a human without the overt use of arcane skill. The differences in behaviour were much smaller
Despite also being someone interested in the world of Reverse, and especially making sense of its magic system, this video was so thorough on the topic of Bloodline Arcanum that I have nothing to add.
Great stuff!
The one thing I will say though is that I think external factors are likely a MUCH larger factor than the Bloodline in affecting the mental health of arcanists (though that still definitely plays a part). Isolde's childhood, for example, would mess anybody up.
I definitely agree; we've got plenty of other arcanists who commune with other entities and dont seem to have any detrimental effects on their health, so it's definitely a dittarsdorf thing
What Hoffman said about the psychological differences between humans and arcanists being cultural seems to hold very true. The way arcanists are presented ranges from "wacky badass" to "mentally unstable danger," but most humans in the story are also presented as weird and potentially dangerous. Most human villains don't seem particularly sane. Iverson was ready to kill people in an outburst, Makower is obsessive, and Constantine orchestrated the death of several children. By comparison, the likes of Blonney and Desert Flannel are the closest this game has to "average, normal person" characters
Did it was said somewhere that Makower is human? As far as I remember his lineage wasn't revealed.
Yeah the game makes a really good case for the nurture argument, though Id like to note that the incidence of crazy to noncrazy humans we've met is pretty low comparatively. Plus, so far, the crazy ones have been people who are in prime position to go down that route, with Iverson as a morally bankrupt businessman and Makower as a humiliated journalist. When we look at the majority of humans we've met in the story (Ezra, Pei City residents, most foundation employees, etc), while not necessarily nice, they're at least rational
Nice video!
I had the same train of thought but I think you forgot about Druvis as a positive example. Her arcanum is probably the most powerful we've seen so far and she does come from a rich (noble?) family. Yet, she doesn't suffer from conditions like other arcanists from known bloodlines. I think the fact that she doesn't use her power much combined with the fact that she leads a secluded lifestyle (we met her chilling on a branch in the forest) let's her keep her powers in check.
Something interesting about Druvis is that when her family arrived in America they wanted to forget everything about the Arcanist and force her to forget everything. When her powers were activated she wanted to notify her parents but the fire appeared that destroyed the forest and killed her parents
Yes! I actually chose to exclude Druvis because I wasn't certain if her tree thing was actually a family arcanum or something that was unique to her specifically. Considering that we know her family is old, I think a case can be made that it's a familial arcanum, but I didnt want to say anything without being explicitly sure
In any case, I think it definitely has a lot to do with the fact that her family tried to distance themselves from their arcanist roots instead of pressuring her into using it
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought and made this connection. I thought about this when we first meet Sotheby, just listening to her talk and how she bounces around to a bunch of different topics to the point where she loses track of what’s actually going .
Finally a reverse 1999 theories
Nice to find your channel, haven't found a lot of content about R1999' lore.
The stories in the game tend to have this sad undertone, being an arcanist seems to come with a lot of difficulties and I love how it is portrayed, I'm sure a lot of us grew thinking that having magical powers would be amazing, but the game does a good job questioning that.
Keep it up!
thank you! Im glad you enjoyed!
This is the reverse 1999 content I was craving! Bless your heart and bless this channel. Can't thank you enough😊
Love your channel and video!! Finally a youtuber who covers lore and does it good.
Can't express how happy I am, as a psych student, that other fans see arcanists as allegory for neurodivergent
I NEED MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS DIVING DEEP INTO R1999 LORE!! Im too stupid to understand it 😭😭😭
Incredible video! I think the connection of Arcanist as Neurodivegent is very explicite in text.
Also, I find it interesting that it's more or less stated in-game that the only (as of now) outlier who lacks the "eccentric brain wiring" of other Arcanist, who had an entire atlas created for his sake labeled as "human", as well as in his own words, Possessing "human rationality" and "stability", is Ezra, the mushroom boy.
Thank you! though Ezra is labeled as human because he is literally a human lmao. It's even noted that he can't actually stay in the suitcase fulltime since he'd need to head back to the Foundation for shelter whenever the storm comes
@@apeironiteOh really? I'll be honest, I kinda skipped the event where he was featured so I never actually saw his character story jaja
But that's good to know either way!
As an autistic person I've always perceived the arcanists as neurodivergent (autism in particular because thats what i know the best obviously) I can see soooo many relations between the two I could talk about it for hours
Omg so reyal like I've been saying that ever since I played this game 😭
Marcus especially.
Sotheby's behaviour seems like ADHD
@@obambagaming1467 i would also like to point out Lucy, her imcomprehension from other humans or arcanists, the way she rarerly gets social cues, and her information driven way of thinking really remind me of autism
@@gl0wingb0nes and don't forget all the arcanists with special interests.
Blonney, Horropedia, Regulus, 37 and many more have a sometimes extreme obsession with something.
37 is also very similar to Marcus. She sees the world much differently as well.
Altough basicly everyone from Apeiron does that, she is more extreme.
Any good R1999 content is worth a like and suscribe from me! Especially since, lore-wise, the only channel I know that covers R1999 is IslandXD. Keep it up, my dude!
Great video, im always so happy to see a content about reverse 1999 that is not about gameplay thank you so much
Reverse 1999 obscurity done fanum tax bros view 😭😭
I've often wondered about this sort of stuff. Arcanum is definitely passed down through bloodline, but are arcanists severely inbred? Or are there a lot of different families that have similar bloodlines that can get together?
What happens if two arcanists with differing bloodlines reproduce? Would the offspring not be an arcanist, have both abilities, or have some weird mutation?
I mean: breeding in this world seems to be more open than it is in our world. Jessica, for example, is the product of an arcanist and a changeling.
I think the incidence of inbreeding in arcanist communities is likely higher just due to seclusion. Like, consider Apeiron. An island of a couple hundred people, at best, lasting for over 2000 years with minimal outside contact? I think the probability that at least some islanders are very closely related is higher.
We dont really know how the actual arcane ability is passed down, so it could be that mixing different arcanist bloodlines could result in progeny that are able to utilize skills from both families, or else it could be that one skill dominates while the other becomes recessive and appears further down the line.
My guess would be the latter, as it could be the way that "bloodline arcanum" eventually diffuses to the rest of the population as a more generic skill, for example, divination
Wipe your mind and install GOD it's the best description for 6 i have ever heard
Nice analysis! You explained your view on the game's characters very well
Watching this reminded me I have not read enough of the lore stuffs from the characters.
Good video, very cool
Just stumbled upon your channel and it has some brilliant and informed content. Following closely!
Thank you for this ❤❤ I'm been searching for reverse 1999 lore explain for a while cuz my brain cannot comprehend all that happening in the game. You explain them well.👍👍
Thank you for making this video!
thanks for this
Some legends and myths about monsters and curses were simply hereditary diseases in a time of less understanding. So it seems likely they are portraying that as well
Very cool
It’s interesting how arcanum gives you power but it’s based off real life illnesses/disabilities/neurodivergency
I think Marcus is a good example.
As someone with aspergers, to me, she always seemed like the most autistic of the cast.
Her ability is that she can read like everything and everyone like a book.
This kind of reminds me how many people with autism see the world much different to normal people.
She is also overthinking way too much, this makes her insecure.
So she has to use her reading to gain as much information as possible, before she us confident enough to act.
This is perfectly shown in her character trailer when she meets Madam Z.
All of this is behaviour often seen in people with autism.
And autistic people sometimes have a kind of ability that is similar to her reading.
Like noticing small details.
@@obambagaming1467 Personally I have Adhd so I understand the stereotype about arcanists being overly emotional, impulsive and not being able to blend into human society.
@@rosalynelippington would you also agree that Sotheby's behaviour is similar to ADHD? You can probably judge it better than me
@@obambagaming1467 I can kinda see it. She’s forgetting/misplacing things, and seems to be really good at one specific thing (making potions).
OMG I JUST FOUND A GOLDMINE WORTH OF R1999 CONTENT
Great video :3
You speak like a real life Arcanist researcher. You need to make video with proper white coat, it will be hillarious.
In more serious note, I think Reverse in a whole is influenced by Posmodernism. For example the work of Michael Faucoult, Foucault argued that knowledge is produced through the "operations of power" (like Arcanum), and changes fundamentally in "different historical periods" (Sound familiar?). Lot of his work focused on mental illness and society.
The Idea of "The storm" itself very similar to concept of Hauntology. Mark Fisher defined hauntological art as exploring these impasses and representing a "refusal to give up on the desire for the future" and a "pining for a future that never arrived".
Even the critics toward Plato's Ontology in reverse need an essay. Because it is not only show as a truth but as a mythology that direct Society. Which is very very posmodern philosophy style.
I ended up skipping 6s event story since he just felt like a background npc 😅
I have aspergers, and to me it feels like most arcanists are very neurodivergent (some more some less).
Marcus always seemed very autistic. Like the most out the characters.
While Sotheby's behaviour seems more like ADHD.
Good video ❤❤❤ Hafe a nice day
Thank you!
No Probleme 😊@@apeironite