#and siffrin would always listen

[ohwormwood]

if you ever feel bad about rambling on about your hyperfixation, remember that mirabelle would love you for it

[strixcattus]

I feel like if ISAT was a full RPG it would have a rotating protagonist.

Listen. Obviously Mirabelle's journey is going to focus on her for the majority. But when ISAT opens, Siffrin is the one going around to check in on all the party members before the final dungeon, and Mirabelle is sitting on a bench the whole time. She's not the current spotlight character.

And within the House, and it's implied that this has happened in previous dungeons, Siffrin is the one in the lead, which means he's the one that determines where to go and gets to interact with items. He's the executor of what the player wants to do, and even though the role might have been held by Mirabelle in the past, right now it's Siffrin time.

I can imagine there being a sort of rotating spotlight as the game goes on. There will always be scenes focusing on Mirabelle, as the original main protagonist, but I'm picturing a different character taking the lead role for each dungeon as they're picked up. I don't remember if it was ever specified whether Mirabelle already had any orbs before meeting Isabeau, but I can imagine this working either way. The first dungeon has Mirabelle leading Isabeau through it, the next has Isabeau leading Mirabelle. Maybe he's more familiar with the location or its specific defenses.

Then we drop in Odile, and she, wanting to keep the relative children out of harm, takes the lead in the next dungeon. Then Siffrin shows up, and now he's the lead character as the official trap-finder. (Bonnie appears before the last orb dungeon, but they don't do any leading.)

And I'm picturing each character having their own little scenes before and after their dungeon, where they take on the role Siffrin had in Act 1—going around town, interacting with people in their own way, checking in on the rest of the party, and eventually getting a little character development or something after the dungeon is over. Even Bonnie gets to do this around the fifth dungeon, though they're back at the end of the line inside. Or maybe they do get to lead, briefly.

And Mirabelle is always a focus, she's indicated as the main protagonist, and the character focus circles back to her during the final dungeon, the House, which we can see by her returning to her home and admitting the truth about her blessing (I can imagine the player having known this all along, and waiting for her to come clean), but there's still a bit of a shift midway through the game from Mirabelle being the one you control when no one else has the spotlight to Siffrin, suddenly, being the default lead character, and though Mirabelle never stops getting her character development moments and there's a clear return to her arc once you're at the House, you still get the feeling that there's something about Siffrin that makes them just as important. Maybe something in the backstory they never talk about even when they're carrying the POV. Maybe there's something that connects them to this quest just as much as Mirabelle.

And then one of two things happens. Either ISAT happens exactly as-is, since Siffrin was supposed to be the POV character leading into the final dungeon (and what's that about, the player thinks), or we're thrown directly into Act 5 with, say, Mirabelle holding the POV, and leading everyone through the House without Siffrin, and oh, so that's what their whole deal was.

[deadlyeyez]

avatar of the web siffrin under the cut!

i’ve always been fascinated by how the web and music rarely interconnect when music is so influential. so, web siffrin is a siren! have fun with this information~!!

he also gets some fun doodles from when i was listening to their little playlist :3

…….. through the power of craft magic or something they can suddenly all see purple now. lol

also, i still think the additional eyes would be from protecting bonnie! in a similar phenomenon to how jon was forced to accept the eye in order to awaken after the unknowing — i think siffrin would have to lean into the web, and it resulted in those extra eyes. :3

[mikodrawnnarratives]

Have some art + fic rn cuz i had this idea plaguing me for a whlie in my first playthrough of the game and i needed to have it realized.

I don't want to edit my writing just yet so i'll do that later, but for now have some mentally unstable Siffrin 👍

I'll come up with a title ltr, prob when i edit this and post to ao3 (so if this gets reblogs just check out the og post for latest ver.)

For now the warnings you should know of are just character death, lots of Siff hating himself, and i think suicide ideation? I wrote this a few hours ago n still don't want to go back just yet but basically its nothing that doesn't already exist in the game

Fic starts under the cut! Roughly 2000 words

(edit: i forgor some colors don't exist/can't be seen 🤡, fixed now!)

Siffrin can’t seem to fall asleep at all anymore. The night right before the loops he can only pretend to get some rest before facing the king. He isn’t quite sure what the reason is. Being stuck in one place for too long? Useless? His urges to reach out for Isa’s touch that keep him awake at night, yearning for connection that is immediately are followed by disgust in himself?  The pure exhaustion at the thought of repeating the next day again? None seem to be the answer. Maybe its a combination.

He only knows that he’s exhausted. Exhausted, yet unable to rest. Even if he were able, would he want to risk what ever dream or nightmare his head might concoct? A blend of memories and deaths to remind him that he can’t escape?

Not being able to sleep makes them worse at the loops too unfortunately. They got along fine for the first few loops after his first sleepless night, though the mistakes ramped up. They cursed their body, cursed themself for being so weak. Simple and stupid mistakes getting them killed via boulder when they forgot and slip of the hand resulting in the weakest of Sadnesses offing him.

Loop of course taunted about his failures, like they always do. He couldn’t fully blame them, knowing deep down he deserved it. There was a pull he sometimes had though, to rest with them, even for just a little bit. He’s hung out with them before, when it gets overwhelming, never for very long. Despite that, to actually sleep with them is a different story. Different vulnerability that, he wasn’t comfortable with. Too weak, he didn’t need another thing for Loop to tease him about. No matter how tempting it would be to sit in the tree and doze off. He wouldn’t doubt that, if he could rest at this point, he would doze off until the next loop.

He can’t have that. He can’t let his family die again.

The next loop began, the stage set, and Siff opened his eye, despite every ache in their body telling them not too. They can’t listen to their body right now though. They need to travel the entire house in the next few loops for anything he might have missed before. One more sweep. 

He carries out his lines, plays the role he’s meant, rehearsing the other actor’s lines in his head before they speak up. Familiar steps, expressions, directions. When they get to Isabeau, they slip up again, Isa’s concern blooms. But they’ve seen this before. It’ll be fine. Their gut twists at forcing Isa to be concerned, but theres a warmth in it too. That Isa cares. Cares about them. It’s strange, when Odile gets close to the truth, stars when she FINDS OUT the truth, there isn’t any warmth. Just, fear. But knowing Isa won’t find out, just cares and makes them promise to talk about it at a time they know won’t come, it’s a guilty pleasure. At least, for now. Before it becomes meshed with all the other lines Siffrin has come to expect from The Fighter.

While navigation the House like normal, they slip up occasionally, interacting with objects that spark Odile’s concern. They don’t bother reversing the mistakes, he hasn’t slipped up that much. There’s no way she could know. Siff crumbled on the first floor at the counter they jabbed themself into again. Unable to see it and always stupidly forgetting to be cautious there. Stupid. 

And they kept making mistakes. Their exhaustion pulling at their body, their nerves eating them alive. There’s no warmth with new lines of concern from their actors. Just spikes of panic followed by their attempts to reassure them. To continue on.

By the final snack stop before the King, their actor’s change the script again. Siffrin tensed, their hand tracing the handle of their dagger in case of emergency. Odile… odile doesn’t call out suspicious connections to time craft this time. Everyone just.. Just asks him to nap.

The third floor they had fumbled the most, their quick grabs at the keys became more clumsy against his will. His hands can’t stop shaking. The aches won’t cease their whining in his body. Change, of course they noticed, they aren’t blind. The script is similar, repeating the words that simultaneously warm his body and send nausea through it. They’re a family. They care.

Absently, Siffrin notes Mira’s asking him if he’ll accept a comb, again. At least that’s familiar. At least one of them new the script to stick to. And, he really wouldn’t mind it again. The loops reset his hair back to the tangled and knotted mess it was when he startled back to awareness in Dormont. Everytime. Sometimes they briefly wondered if Mirabelle would comb their hair out back in town too. They would never ask though.

Their family quietly chated as Mirabelle combed through his hair. Gently, dare they think lovingly. Careful not to hurt him. Like he’s fragile and weak. Pathetic. They are pathetic aren’t they. For wanting this. Selfish for forcing them. Their hands continued to tremble, as much as Siff tried to suppress it.

The Fighter changes the script first. First to notice. Notice a slip up. They tense, not for any particular reason just, they don’t know this script. The Fighter’s face is concerned but softens. Isa. Isa asked hesitantly it he could see their hands. Siff let him, letting their pathetic shaking hands be engulfed in Isa’s large ones. He hesitantly rubs their knuckles, Mira continues to brush the tangles out of their hair. Siff’s eyelid got heavier, their body screaming to just let go, just relax. They haven’t reached the king yet, the head housemaid, they can’t yet. 

When they heard Odile close her book, another off script action, they jolted up and looked her way. Odile was about to speak up, but hesitated at their startled form. Her concerned and piercing expression remained.

“Siffrin, did you get any rest at all last night?”

They stop and meekly speak up, “I slept..”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Siffrin grimaced, tensing up. “I got.. Some rest. Why do you ask?”

“The fumbling around and absent performance don’t suggest you did.”

She had them there. Their fingers twitch as they internally remind themselves their dagger is still on their person. Even if their hands are occupied with being held by Isa’s. They take a breath.

The other actors contribute, sharing their nerves about facing the King. Needing to be ready before confronting the Threat, that could be their final standing place. No. No they won’t fail. They won’t die here. He might, but he won’t let his family.

Odile is actually the first to suggest Siffrin rest before they face the King. They can’t have any weak links before such a moment. Weak members. Weak. They were clumsy this loop. Their other family members share in the sentiment. They probably think he’s weak too. Their concerned smiles are hard to say no to though. The aches and exhaustion overwhelming his body probably wouldn’t let him refuse such an opportunity either. Surely. Surely they went through the first couple floors quick enough that another fifteen minutes before the king wouldn’t be too long. Right?

It’s a thought that didn’t seem to cross his family member’s faces when he gave into their requests and laid down. Mira scooted over, getting started on the next clump of tangled hair. Isa offered his lap as a pillow, and Siffrin’s slow mind just. Accepts the request. Not noting the dark shade flooding The Fighter’s face as they dragged their body to his lap, their head and partial upper body relaxing immediately. They rest their head on their blind side, one hand interlaced with The Fighter’s, behind them Mira finishing off the last of their tangles. The concern from their family’s faces hasn’t completely disappeared, but it’s eased. And that is enough to release the remaining tension in his body. It’s enough. 

Their family makes a few jokes that their brain muffles. Some laughing. Bonnie’s working on their snacks in the corner, still. They’ll be ready when they wake up. Their legs adjusted and placed in someone else’s lap, they think. Whoever it was, rubs circles into their calf. His eyelid grows heavier, their breathes come easy. Deep breaths. Someone rubs their back. 

It’s nice. Really.. really nice. One could easily forget they were even about to face the King at all. Face the end. They close their eyelid. It’s warm. One breath in. And out. Just.. just a quick nap. Where they are loved. They.. they are loved right? This is what this means… at least right now…

Yeah. They hope this is right.

Sleep engulfs them for the first time in several loops and their breaths slow.

The chatting continues around him, not lacking some glances exchanged between the adults in the room. But mostly, just relief fills the air. Mira stayed by Siffrin’s side, threading her fingers through his now completely combed out hair. The flush in Isabeau’s cheeks still hadn’t fully left, every movement reminding him of his crush resting so peacefully in his lap. Like a sleeping cat that once it has claimed you as it’s cushion, you are bound by the universe to not move for any reason. Odile didn’t pass up the opportunity to tease him, met with Isa’s shushing and hushed whisper “what if he wakes up and hears you!!”

Siff had done a lot today, and everyone would have assumed he was completely calm about fighting the king if not for his uncharacteristic clumsiness. Mirabelle supposed it made sense though. A night of rough sleep right before facing the most dangerous threat facing the country? That would make anyone mess up.

After another twenty minutes, Bonnie comes over with the freshly prepared snacks. Made extra special since they were more ahead of schedule than expected. Last hurrah before the king, everyone needed to be at their best.

Mirabelle smiles, heading over to were Bonnie had announced the snacks. Isa attempts to move but flounders at the idea of moving Siff. Mirabelle giggles at his flushing face as Odile moves their legs out of their lap. Well, time to end their nap she supposes. Their sleepy family member probably won’t be too thrilled about waking up but it is snack time.

Mirabelle collects her choice of snack and crouches over to Siff, moving their hat from where it had obscured their resting expression. Isa looked both upset to have the time his crush sleeps on their lap come to an end, and relieved. He lets out a chuckle as Mira gently shakes their shoulder.

“Time to wake up, Siffrin! Bonnie has snacks for everyone.” Mira moves a few hairs out of their face. “Siffrin?”

Isabeau adjusts, and joins in. “Siff? Sorry to wake you bud but..” He pauses, seeing Mirabelle’s face shift. Odile’s gaze sharpens as Mirabelle’s leans over them, placing her ear to their chest.

“They- th-they aren’t” Mira cries out. “They aren’t breathing! No no no-” 

Isabeau moves Siffrin off his lap with shaking hands. Odile rushes over to their side, checking their wrist and neck for a pulse. Bonnie’s face crumbles in the corner, alarm replacing the happy air.

Isabeau shakes Siffrin’s still body, Mirabelle readies a heal craft as Odile begins to try resuscitating them.

but 

the 

world

goes

blank

Siffrin first feels the gentle breeze around them. The grass moving in tune, sometimes brushing up against the small areas their clothes don’t cover. They hear Mirabelle in the distance and when they open their eyes, she’s right above them, apologetic for waking them. Siffrin blinks. It’s been a while since Mira’s been the one to wake them up. 

“Good morning! Well, more like good afternoon, I gue- wow. Are you okay?”

That’s new. Why would her lines-

“You’re crying.. Is something wrong, Siffrin?”

He blinks and brings a hand to his face. Sure enough, his cheek is stained with tears. He doesn’t remember crying, he just woke up too. From..

“Must’ve happened in my sleep” He says absently.

Mira frowns, “Oh no! What did you dream about…?”

Siffrin shrugs and repeats lines he remembers that will reassure her the quickest. She sighs and returns back to town. They’ll be waiting for him.

He takes a moment to think about what happened in the last loop. He.. doesn’t remember dying. Must have been when he went to sleep. That. That probably should worry him, that falling asleep could end a loop, but he doesn’t feel any regret about it. Actually, it’d be nice if all his loops ended like that. Just, dying with his loved ones around. It would take too long though, even if it could happen again. This loop needs to be faster. Last loop they didn’t even reach the king, and they have questions. 

He grumbles as he sits up, a part of him yearning to go back to that warmth. Oh if only the universe could have let it be permanent. A permanent death that didn’t even hurt. That’s wishful thinking though, the universe isn’t so kind. And they have work to do, his family- actors. They need what he knows. He can’t rest forever yet.

The show must go on.

[guided-by-stars]

When Siffrin first asks Loop why they’re helping him, their response seems uninteresting at first. “Because I think you should be helped. I won't always have the answers, but I think having someone on your side to talk to is better than dealing with this alone.” Well, of course. The guide is helping you because they want to, and obviously it’s important to have someone not looping to talk to or else you’d go crazy.

But once you learn more about who Loop is… once you learn that they have this deep revulsion and bitterness and resentment eating away at their heart, that they’re so upset that Siffrin has unintentionally replaced them and stolen away everything they had that they tried to kill him. They knew that killing them wouldn’t bring their friends back, their place in their party back, but they wanted so desperately the satisfaction of taking everything that Siffrin stole from them, away from them too. To make them even. They needed that catharsis so desperately, to break him down, to bring them back to the desperation and hopelessness that Loop felt in that moment. Their role was up. The curtains had fell. They had no reason to be there anymore. They needed Siffrin to feel the same way that they did, for them to be one again. “You’re me, so why can’t you feel this pain too? We should both drown, I should drag you under, take your helping hand and pull you into my coffin, let’s be buried together.”

But at the same time, they weren’t lying, when they said that. They do truly and wholly think Siffrin should be helped. That he deserved to be helped. And they pushed themselves so hard to help them in every single way that they could. They told him that he could confide in his friends, in the very beginning. They say “Don’t make the same mistakes that I did.” when teaching them to zone out. They desperately plea and beg and make a mess of themselves trying to prevent them from killing themselves with the dagger. They tell him to help his friends, advise him on how to escape the loops, creates their own theories to propose to him while he’s gone, even listens when Siffrin explains his plan to talk to the King, despite thinking it was a horrible idea. They remind him of his parties names, when in a moment of panic and hopelessness, he looses it. They talk them through the panic, calm them down, remind them to breathe.

Loop cannot stand looking at the party. It hurts too much, to see these ghosts of the family that they loved, the family that they doomed. They say they cannot possibly see them, cannot let them see them. No matter what. It’s impossible for them. Despite that, when Siffrin goes off the rails in Act 5, breaks, they find them. They look at them. They tell the party what Siffrin is going through, they guide them through the whole House, give them everything they need to succeed. They devote themselves so truly to help, to their own detriment, because they want Siffrin to escape so desperately.

Siffrin says it himself. He could not have escaped without Loop. He would have resorted to something similar if he didn’t have them. He would have been doomed, without them. Without the loops in general? If he never made that wish? If his party split up? I truly think he might have killed himself then, too. The only way that Siffrin survives is by standing on the corpse of himself. Loop was always doomed to be the only reason why Siffrin was blessed. And even yet, Loop still truly believes that he deserves to be helped, genuinely wants to help him to be free.

[cochineal-leviat]

Sweet Dreams, Stardust

Okay, so I have a lot of feelings about In Stars and Time. But let me say first, wow, this game irreversibly changed my brain network. For anyone who is considering buying this game, please do. I don't think I've had a story touch my heart and mind like this for a long time. And that goes without mentioning the stunning visuals and entertaining battle system. (Be careful, though, because this game handles heavy topics regarding mental health)

If you're still hung up on buying it but are curious, there is a free demo on Steam if you like to try.

Thank you, @insertdisc5, for this gem of a game. I will be turning it around in my head like a microwaveable gourmet meal for months to come.

Technically the illustration has no spoilers (unless you count Siffrin having a good nap as a spoiler). But I will be going into heavy spoiler territory under the keep reading since I need to get my thoughts on this game off my chest.

And a monochrome version because you know me, I can't help myself. Even in black and white art pieces, I will put in some colour.

And a very tiny Loop

Initially, I was going to do a piece with a theatre stage and the cast (Siffrin, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, Bonnie and the head house maiden) taking a bow and finally leaving the spectacle to a life not controlled by a script and Wish Craft. But it was more fitting to put my feelings into creating a peaceful scene. Like, oof, I needed this very badly. I used sepia to make the painting warmer and added some more details like headcanons. The stars/colours might be remnants of Siffrin's transformation. Or maybe they were always there, but he never paid attention to it. Who knows.

I'm going to keep this brief. Otherwise, this post will take way too long.

I adore Siff's character. It's perfect for a game and narrative such as this. I saw a post not long ago on Tumblr going into depth about how their role as the rogue and not the hero works so well, so I won't linger on it for long. But how they would rather listen and fade into the background perfectly aligns with the player's experience of being the silent observer. (And the nodding off that changes into zoning out. It took me way too long to realise that small but essential narrative change) Oh, and the portrait change! It flew over my head until I was staring at the game menu. I was so confident Siffrin had a mischievous grin and not a frown. I always feel slightly surprised when the party asks for Siff's opinion or mentions that they have been too quiet. I felt Siffrin's excitement like my own when he got excited at finding clues to end the nightmare they were in. So I knew it would end up falling on their face because they were too excited. I just had this bad gut feeling the whole time during Act 4.

And oh boy, speaking off acts. I thought it would have been the standard 3. Boy, I was wrong. Whenever I felt I was nearing the end, I was thrown back at the start with more mysteries than answers. It made exploring the game intriguing since there is almost no information about it online (at the time of writing this post). There is the Discord, but I didn't know about it until I finished it.

This game has a lot of secrets, and I had a lot of fun uncovering them. The looping mechanic works so well in discovering little details and further leads. (even though my stubborn arse kept trying to do everything in the least amount of loops as possible. I thought the ending would be different if I exceeded a 100. My final number is 59. I am still not sure if I should be mad about it not being a rounded number like 60 or that I went over the 50 threshold)

However, it is a good thing that only some mysteries were solved. Like, what's up with colours in this world? Everyone sees in black and white, and the idea of shades and colours is only spoken of in scientific studies. They do exist and are not a part of the disaster that happened to Siffrin and their land. But there is definitely something mysterious about it. I adore how the dialogue reflects this, as the characters do not speak of shades or colours. Isabeau expresses surprise to see a streak of red colouring the sky in Act 6. It makes you think about how colour is perceived and how you describe it. (The lore inside this game is immaculate. I eat this shit up)

We never find out the name of the country north of Vanguard or what it was like. We can only infer that the beaches had black sand, with shells that shine like stars, high-reaching mountains, forests and plains. Which is vague and yet intriguing enough to make you wonder. It connected me to Siff and King because I also wanted to know. I was desperate to know. I needed to know. But in the end, we never will know because that is not the story's point. Siffrin even says in the game, that King should let go because he is hurting everyone and everything, including himself, in his desperation to preserve Vanguard. This is all the more ironic when Siff accidentally does the same with his family and the loops. I might gush more about what the country might be like and their technology in another post. This game makes me want to theorise. This is the first time I've wanted to write and post theories. ISAT fucked me up good.

Which, by the way, was genius. Siffrin and King are mirrors of each other. Siff does not have King's disastrous ambition, but their love/obsession will be the downfall of both of them. They have more than being each other's countrymen in common, and I imagine Siff despises that.

I love the fact King's question to Siffrin before the showdown was/could never be answered. Usually, in a game such as this, you must figure out how to solve everything, especially for the big bad. But that was never the goal. King is a delusional monster who will not stop before achieving his dream. He will raze everything to the ground and hurt many people because he must succeed. It is what he desires. Nay, the universe wills it. What a witless excuse that can easily be made into someone's truth. Especially to somebody who is driven mad with grief.

How King's character's done is so excellent. Because, at first, I wasn't scared of him at all. He was just the big bad, and I felt nothing much but the glory of victory when Siffrin outsmarted him by looping and making sure Mirabelle learned the shield spell that would protect the party from freezing in time. But each time you fight him, you get more frustrated until Siff figures that talking to him might be fruitful. It does, but unfortunately, you and Siffrin leave yourself emotionally and mentally vulnerable. King stops being a one-dimensional villain and changes into an actual person. Someone you can sympathise with and possibly mend peace with without fighting. You and Siffrin opened his heart for a kindred spirit and got hurt.

King stopped being a monster and became human. And while monsters are wretched, humans have intent behind their cruelty. I felt so betrayed, so angry, but most of all - terrified. I felt it when Siffrin spiralled when fighting King again after their actions caused such a catastrophic turn of events for Bonnie. Every time after that, the fight with King felt tense and nerve-wracking in a dreadful way. Because even victory could not soothe the dread I felt. (The track 'It's finally over" will forever haunt me. I already feel anxious whenever it cycles to that when I listen to the playlist)

He was not, however, the final villain, even though everything that happened was King's fault. You were always your greatest enemy (or Siffrin in this case, since you are supposed to be Siffrin). I never could have guessed that the whole reason why Siffrin could not escape the loops was because Siff accidentally wished to never let go of their friends. This reminds me of Modaka Magica, where (spoilers for the OG anime) Homura goes back in time so much that the universe ties itself around Modoka, making her a waiting egg whose wish and magic will be massive when she becomes a magical girl. The one thing Homura was trying to prevent.

(Siffrin and Homura are identical in that sense. Shy characters who are loyal to a fault but are rendered into something cold, bitter and cutting by their traumatic experiences. Only Siff has people who care about them and would do anything to save him, too, whereas Homura never lets go, making the world a worse place to live in. Yes, I did go into doomed Yuri. That anime lived in my mind rent-free in my mind for years)

The Head House-maiden not being the villain was also a great touch. I am used to the apparent antagonist turning out not to be the big bad and the trusted, friendly character ending up being the evil one. Twist villains no longer work when everyone expects them to be villains.

That was my biggest theory as I played. The second biggest being that Loop is someone who enjoys Siffrin's suffering. I am so glad that was also not the case. They are apathetic but not cruel. Never intentionally, anyway. They were like the player, urging Siffrin to go deeper into the mystery to solve it. Ultimately, I chose and made cold and cruel decisions simply because I wanted to see what would happen. So yeah, I warmed up to this cosmic star thing as the game went on and even started trusting them. Act 5 really is a punch in the gut. I am so sorry, Loop. Thank you for coming through in the end.

Oh man, this is so long, and I haven't even gone into the main cast. I will leave that for another post. They are such great characters, as are the people of Dormant and the House. (Don't think I don't see the wordplay in this game. Very clever)

Going into this game completely blind was the best experience I could have had. I felt anxious, happy and scared so severely that my neurons were rearranged. I don't know if there are more endings (aside from the obvious action of attacking Odile in the True(?) ending of the game), but I am taking a break from it to make art and write for this game before I dive back into despair-o-land.

Anywho, thank you for coming this far and reading my ramblings. Have a fantastic day or evening further! o(*'▽`*)ブ

[vulpixisananimal]

A-Side: Chapter 1

"Hey, Sif, Siffrin, Siffarooni."

(. . . It's Isabeau.)

(It's always Isabeau. Every night, it's Isabeau who wakes you up to tell you nothing much at all. But, the script demands it, you turn and listen.)

"Um, sorry? To wake you up? I just have to tell you something. If that's ok."

(It's not like you had a choice anyway. You nod. Go on, Isabeau.)

"Then I shall tell you this thing! This thing I woke you up to tell you-"

(You zone out. You don't know why you decided to go through the sleepover again, was it selfishness? You were selfish, Siffrin. It just wasted time, and it just hurt your heart.)

(How long had it been? You were loosing track of your loops, was it months? Years? You hope it wasn't years. How much would you need to go through before it's all done?)

(You keep zoning out thru when Bonnie throws their pillow. This part was funny, once. The banter between your family, the ominous threatening, Isabeaus smile-)

(You snap out of zoning out. You hear thunder.)

"Woah." (Mira says in a whisper.) "M-must be close. . ."

"Stupid crabbing thunder! We're trying to sleep!- Huh? 'Frin?"

(You had stood up. What. What what what. There was never thunder at this time! Never, never never!! You rushed to a window to look out.)

(It was storming, storming like it never had before.)

"What's up, Sif?" (Isa asks, concerned.) "Worried about the town?"

"Something's wrong." (You say, your breathing picking up.) "I-I, uh, I don't know but-"

[STARDUST]

(You wince, Loop?!? Loop what's- wait. You make the stupid hand sign Loop taught you, ignoring your family's looks of confusion.)

"Loop what's-"

[STARDUST, GET YOUR PARTY AND WAKE UP!! GET RUNNING!!!]

"I-I don't-"

[THE WORLD! IS! ENDING!!]

>>>

"Gems alive."

(You all rushed out of the clocktower, dressed and ready for anything. Your heart was beating our of your chest, what was going on?!? Was Loop ok?!?)

(The sky was cloudy and lightless, a level of lightless you'd never seen before! This, this couldn't be the end, right-)

"AAH!!" (Mirabelle shrieked.) "A S-SADNESS!!"

(You watch in confusion as a shadowy creature rises from the ground itself. It had antenae, sharp claws, and light-grey eyes. It's, what is that?!?)

"Weird looking sadness!" (Bonnie yells.)

(Odile analyses the enemy.) "It's not like any we've seen-"

(It lungest at your party, you move quickly and slice it in two, and it dissolves into shadow. It didn't feel like a sadness, it, it's wrong. You turn back to your family.) "Can't waste time! C'mon!"

"R-right!! We need to save the townsfolk!!" (Mirabelle agrees, everyone quickly following you to Dormont.)

(A hop, skip, and a jump and you were all back into town. Everyone was running about, more of those creatures were forming from the Darkness and attacking!! You run ahead and swipe at one that was about to hurt the frog-loving kid.)

"T-thank..." (They say meekly.)

(Mirabelle catches up with you, and addresses the kid.) "Go run to the library! We'll make sure everyone gets there, ok?"

(The kid nods, and runs off. Mirabelle turns to the rest of you.) "W-we, we should, we should make sure everyones safe, right? That was the right call, right???"

"It's a good call!! I'll help gather people!!" (Isa agrees.)

"Right, I'll make sure the Library's safe. Boniface, stick with me, please." (Odile adds.)

"Can I bonk one of those weird things???" (Bonnie says a bit too excitedly.)

"N-not now, Bonnie! Siffrin, can you help get people??" (Mira asks you. Was there any question?)

"Of course, I'll be fast about it, as always~" (You say cheekily.)

(You all split up, Mira, youself, and Isabeau looking for people to save. Odile and Bonnie to keep the Library safe.)

(You need to go see Loop.)

(You run through the town, striking at creature after creature, but with each one you slay two more take it's place!! You run past the Boulanger's, before you can stop it, one of the creatures strikes down the Big Boulanger. All you can do is slay the creature that did the deed, and tell the small Boulanger to run.)

(You run to the Favor tree. Loop's there, fighting off multiple creatures at once. You rush to help.)

(You strike at the creatures.) "LOOP!!! LOOP WHAT'S GOING ON?!?"

"STARDUST!!!" (Loop crushes a creature with a hand.) "What are you doing here!?! I told you to run!!!"

"I-I was worried about you!! We need to, t-to-"

"To WHAT, Stardust!!" (Loop snaps back.) "Can't you see!! The world is ending!!"

(You take towards them.) "L-Loop, Loop c'mon! Mirabelle is getting everyone together at the Library and-"

"What you want ME to be there?!?" (Loop laughs.) "Little old me at the END?!?"

"I-I-" (End of the world. It, it certainly felt like the end of the world. You could feel the earth rumbling, the storm getting worse.) "I, no!! I'm not arguing!! Come on!!!"

(You grab Loop by the arm and start dragging them, they don't resist-)

(-CRACK-)

(You trip, what?!? What was that noise?!? You turn around and, a-and.)

(The world was, litteralt falling apart. Breaking, Falling, Rotting. The land where you were standing and where Loop was standing were slowly drifting apart, Loops side was crumbling into bits. Looking around, looking down, it looks like, like stars. Like void.)

"LOOP!!" (You yell for your friend.) "LOOP MAYBE, M-MAYBE-"

(You watch as horror as the ground they're standing on crumbles into nothing. Your friend, your sponsor, your star, falls into the abyss that's forming all around you.)

(No, no no no no, no that, that, that can't be right, right? That, that can't be it?!? You quickly make the hand sign. You call for Loop.)

(You don't hear anything.)

(. . . . .)

(Keep it together Keep it together Keep it together Keep it together Keep it together Keep it together Keep it together-)

(You run back to Dormont. It's worse, it's so much worse here. Cracks where forming everywhere, the land was falling into nothingness. There where creatures everywhere. You could see Odile at the library door helping people in. Mirabelle stood at the foot of the Change God statue, fighting off waves of creatures, you run to help.)

"M-Mira!!"

"Sif!!!" (She yells, slicing a creature in two.) "W-what-"

"No time!! Where's Isabeau?!?" (You start hacking away at the dark creatures.)

"I-I don't know!! I thought, I thought he was with you!"

(Your heart drops, no, no not Isabeau. Stars, stars please not Isabeau too! No, this can't be happening. This, this is a nightmare!! A terrible, terrible nightmare that--)

(You feel a sharp pain in your side, a creature sliced you. No, no this isn't a nightmare.)

"S-Sif!!" (Mira runs over to you, healing at the ready.) "I-I'm sorry! I-I'm really, really sorry!!! I don't know, know, know where-"

(-CRACK-)

(You and Mirabelle turn, the piece of land with the Library had broken off from where you were. Odile was looking at you in horror, Bonnie was holding onto her leg for dear life.)

"M-MADAME!!!" (Mira screemed.)

"W-WE'LL BE ALRIGHT!!" (Odile yells.) "I'LL BE SURE OF IT!! WE'LL BE ALRIGHT!!!"

(No, no no no. You can see it already, the cracks were forming on their little island. You, you couldn't watch, you look away.)

(Mirabelles screams were all you needed to hear.)

(This can't be real. This can't be real This can't be real Loop back Loop back Loop back Loop back Loop back Loop back Loop back WHY AREN'T YOU LOOPING BACK!!!)

(Your stomach hurts.)

(Mirabelle collapses to the ground next to you, she's sobbing. You, you should, at least, try, try anything, anything anything anything!!)

(None of this was in the script.)

"M-Mira. . ." (You very, gently put a hand on her shoulder. Why, why did YOU need to be the stable one here!!) "I'm, I'm here, they'll, they'll be-"

"S-siffrin. . ." (She's, distraught.) "We, w-we've failed. We failed didn't we!! We failed and, a-and, a-and everything ending, and, it's all, all my fault!!"

"N-no! No we, we still, might have a chance, i-if-" (If you can go through a house that's currently crumbling into bits and beat the King? Not likely. Admit it, siffrin. You lost.)

(You scream as you feel a pain on your back. A creature had snuck up on you and struck you. You collapse to your knees, it hurt, it hurt so much-)

(You hear a swish, and a. . . Sparkle? Singing? And a gasp from Mirabelle. You look up.)

(Mirabelle had struck the creature that had attacked you, but, now in her hands was a weapon you'd never seen before. It was sleek and thin like a rapier, with thin strans of what looks like hair leading from it's tip to the wrist guard. As she swung it around to get a feel for the strange weapon, you could hear it sing, or talk, or just, make noise.)

"W-what is. . ." (She's as confused as you.) "I-it, it. . ."

"It's a gift, I bet." (You say, trying desperatly to lighten the mood. It was just the two of you here after all.) "What is it?"

"I-I, I don't know." (She swings it a few more times. It sings some more- actually, no! You could make out some of the things it's singing, or saying. "Storstorageroomroom." "Openphrase123." What? Mirabelle helped you to your feet.) "It, it feels strong though. And it reminds me of a violin, look! Horse hair!"

(Oh! Right! That's what you used to make musical instruments, right- WAIT NO TIME!!) "Maybe we can fix this! O-or-

(-CRACK-)

(For the third time you heared that sickening noise, this time, from above you. You and Mirabelle look up, your face drops.)

(It was a dark creature, one that was so, so much larger. It looked, looked like a nightmare.)

"Change. . ." (Mirabelle gripped her new weapon tightly as the thing landed on the ground in front of you. It was multiple stories tall, with evil looking eyes.) "S-siffrin, what, w-what do we do?!?"

"Fight." (You say, gripping your dagger close.) "It's, it's all we can do."

(You charge forward.)

(Balls of lightless mist erupted from the creatures chest, you dodged them effortlessly and striked its body. Once, twice three time!! You were sick of these blinding creatures!!! Just die!!!)

([Just attack])

"S-sif!!" (Mirabelle deflected one of the lightless balls with her new weapon, catching up and striking the creature.) "B-be careful! Please!!"

(You ignore her, stab! Stab! Stab stab stab!!!)

(The creature knocks you away like you were nothing. You fly back, right past the edge of the land you were fighting on. You stab the ground frantically to stop yourself from falling into the abyss bellow. No, nononono!)

"S-siffrin!!!" (Mirabelle started running to you, but was cut off by the creature.) "Sif!! Hold on I-I-"

(You try pulling yourself up. Don't look down, don't look down Siffrin. Just, just don't, don't. Look.)

(-CRACK-)

(Your heart stops.)

"SIFFRIN!!! NO!!!!!"

(Your falling. Everything, everythings turning dark. The world, the world is gone, being eaten, eaten by. . .)

(You feel a tug on your stomach.)

(You wretch. Nothing happens. You feel a tug, nothing happens. Again, again, again!!! You're breaking, you're falling, you're, you're-)(You're going to die.)

(This is it. The theater has burned down, with all the actors still inside.)

(You close your eyes. You hope you your death comes quick.)

----------

(In a far away town, a boy looks up to the night sky. And sees a star blink out.)

[Prev] [Masterpost] [Next]

[the-bitter-ocean]

(ACT 2 SPOILERS) More writing for @tealgoat in tales of time au! The other character in the photo is a oc made by both myself and @eurydice-pens together (go check out delphis writing and art of Naomi you will not regret it) Writing I did will give context for the image under the cut:

{“You had a hate-crush, madame?!”}

[“Whats their name?”]

<|”What were they like?”|>

(“..Ew gross! No one wants to know about that boring stuff right Dile?”)

(“..Dile?”)

<…!>

< The name.. what was her name? >

< She was loud and constantly got on your nerves. >

< She always wanted to be around you. You never understood why. >

< She was your academic rival but there was more to it- there had to be!>

< The name.. something to do with.. beauty? Something pleasant? Something gentle? >

<What did she look like? >

<What did she sound like? >

< Is she still here? >

< Why don’t you know the answers to any of this? >

<Why can’t you remember her n->

<…>

(“Dile! Hey hey! Are you listening? “)

[“We’ve all been trying to get your attention but you went quiet all of a sudden.. is everything alright?”]

< Your head hurts. >

< You look at the rest of your allies in mild confusion. >

<“I’m sorry… what were we talking about again?”>

(“HUH?! Dile! You can’t let your memory get bad just because your old!”)

{“ You forgot? Madame you were explaining your crush remember?”}

< Mirabelle looks at you with concern, nervously pacing around beside you.>

(“It’s because you asked her boring stuff! Who’d want to remember any of that anyway!”)

[“Still.. it’s not like you to just forget what you were saying all of a sudden..that’s more of a Sif thing to do- no offense!”]

< Siffrin shrugs and looks off to one side. >

<| “None taken. It would take a lot more to get me upset… besides me being mad at you would *crush* your heart right? “|>

< Siffrin gives a wink as a chorus of groans and laughter at the pun erupt filling the awkward tension. >

<He glances over at you before opting to focus the attention on him instead.>

< The conversation soon changes to something else. >

<You silently thank Siffrin.>

< You move away from the bookshelves and make your way to the exit. >

< It’s no point in worrying about it now. >

<If it was worth remembering, you’d know. >

[torchstelechos]

i looove act 3 because the King convos are so. inch resting. especially since Siffrin iirc pretty much just completely ignores the party while talking to the King

imagine being anyone else with Siffrin on this whole journey and then as soon as you meet the King, the big bad evil guy, your bestie Siffrin just. starts talking to him? he doesn't pay attention to you trying to figure out why he's doing that. he's just talking. about what? remember what? all these questions about King? why are they talking like they know each other? why does the King get so sad about Siffrin and why does Siffrin seem to care so much about King?

none of this gets answered for the party because as soon as Siffrin is done suddenly chatting up the King they go in for the kill again like That Didn't Just Happen and then they have more pressing stuff to deal with

like huh. what. what just happened there.

bonus points for the entire "SAY IT BRIGHT ONE...!!!" event. if the timelines continued on without Siffrin i would pay money to be a crab in a fishtank listening in on however the hell the party is freaking out once Siffrin and King mutually KO each other trying to say "it". whatever the hell "it" is.

the party would lose it oh my god, that's like an assisted suicide action. They won but at what cost? The whole country is safe! And they'll never know why they were saved, or how, and neither will the party. The party will always be lost behind Siffrin as Siffrin goes forward in a direction they can't follow, because Siffrin won't let them. The leader who guides but won't let them follow. Do they think it was premeditated on either side? Do they think Siffrin gave them self up on purpose? Do they think the king made him do it somehow through craft? Did they wrestle with the body and pour healing craft after healing craft down his throat and beg for it to work? Did they cradle their body as it lay limp? Asking him why, why, why? Did Odile cry and whisper cold things to the kings corpse? Did Isabeau scream in denial before crying over a cloak that is now stained dark? Did Mirabelle stay frozen, her hands on Siffrin's neck, as she realized she couldn't save him and that is the worst thing she has ever done to him? Did Bonnie cry and cry and cry over the fact Frin did it again? But this time with a cost too high? Did Euphrasie come to check on them only to jerk back and clutch her face, as something is failing, rotting, breaking?

Now for less serious;

Aauuggghhhh, in the loops where it's not the SAY IT BRIGHT ONE I bet Odile is thinking back on that assassin thing and going, hmm maybe they're ex's?? Instead?? And Isabeau who is the other theorycrafter of the party is like MADAME PLS, PLS LET ME HAVE THIS. DO NOT SAY THEY WERE EXS I DONT THINK I CAN HANDLE IT. Mirabelle definitely is like... The backstory!!! The lore!!!! What is going on!!! Are they friends?? Past allies now enemies??? FAMILY???? WHAT AM I MISSING??? Bonnie thinks Siffrin is a crab and doesn't want to think about the king more than they have to. Siffrin is debating whether or not to use the dagger or just talk to Euphrasie. Euphrasie is like, hmmm, same shit as always :)

[sixpossumsinatrenchcoat]

B Plot

Isabeau still can’t confess, and Siffrin needs to clear their head. Which means it’s high time for a sidequest. 

Act 1, Scene 2. West Dormont. Isa’s hand hovers near your shoulder. You try to look inviting, but you must not be very good at it. He’s already pulling away. Okay. This is it. Go time. “You can touch me,” you blurt out. “Wh— Hwhuh???” No turning back now. “It just. Seems like you think you can’t? But—you can.”

(Full disclosure, this is literally just 5k words of Siffrin trying to flirt, because he's not the only one who needed a break. Spoilers thru Act 3)

You don’t make the pun for Isa. You don’t say hi to Loop, either. You just sit on the ground and stare at the grass.

“Wow, stardust,” Loop snorts, “thanks for the warm welcome. I missed you too! But tone it down a little, will you? All that enthusiasm could get a little overwhelming!”

Near your foot, there’s a leaf growing out from a fallen branch, glossy and bright like it thinks it’s still attached to the tree. Like it thinks it’s still alive. But of course you know better. It’s already dead. It just doesn’t know it yet.

“Sooo~, what’s up? Give me the scoop! The latest and greatest, teehee!”

The leaf is always growing out of the branch, and the branch is always on the ground, splintered and slowly drying. Does the loop last long enough for the leaf to dry out, too? Does it die every day, like you do? Or will it spend the rest of eternity in a state of blissful ignorance?

“You beat the King again, right? That’s cool! You’re getting pretty tough! Keep it up and pretty soon you’ll have nothing to be scared of! Aside from, you know. All the existential dread.”

You watch your hand reach out to close around the leaf. It comes loose with a gentle pop.

“Oh, come on, at least pretend to listen. You’re good at that, teehee!” When you still don’t react, their tone sours. “The silent treatment is really not a cute look on you, you know.”

Even with nothing to hold onto, the leaf still looks offensively alive. You crumple it between your hands and then shred it into tiny little pieces. There. Now it’s just like you.

—There’s a startling clap! as Loop claps their hands about an inch from your left ear.

“Stardust,” they say firmly. “I’m a patient star, I really am, but if you keep ignoring me, I’m going to get grouchy.”

Very slowly, you look up. “She didn’t know anything.”

“...The head housemaiden?”

You nod.

“About Time Craft, you mean?”

Another nod.

“Oh,” Loop says softly. “Well. I suppose that’s to be expected. Maybe no one does, anymore.”

You shrug.

“B-But you still have leads, don’t you? Didn’t you have a few more questions for the K—”

“I don’t want to talk to the King.” The last time you tried to talk to the King, your actors looked at you like you were something monstrous. Subhuman. Like something they’d scraped off the bottom of their shoes. You wound up letting him kill you just to end the loop faster. But you’d forgotten how much the King’s final blow hurts.

“Okay, but—”

“Will you stop?” you demand. You don’t want to talk about this. You just want—

—but there’s no point finishing that sentence.

The two of you sit in silence for a while. Probably you hurt Loop’s feelings. Somehow, you can’t bring yourself to care.

“Stardust,” Loop says at last, unexpectedly gently. When you glance up, they’re looking away, picking at the—not skin—the gummy celestial membrane that covers the pads of their fingers. They don’t have a mouth, but if they did, it would be frowning. “I think you might need a break.”

“Haha!!!! Ahaha!!!!! Do you think???”

“I don’t mean from the loops,” Loop says impatiently. “I just mean… Ohh, I don’t know. From fighting the loops? Of course I can’t directly relate, but—from an outside perspective, I think that trying to break the loop is probably sort of… not-good. Ah. Psychologically.”

You stare at them in stony silence.

“So maybe you need a B plot!”

“…A what?”

“You know. A B plot! Like in plays? It’s what the side characters get up to while the important people are off dying and falling in love and things!”

Wait. “You watch plays?”

“I am a star of culture, you know,” Loop sniffs. “I just think you could use a win! Take a break from fixing the laws of physics to focus on something a little more achievable, hmm~? Just for a few loops! Just to clear your head!”

Your mouth scrunches to one side. Unfortunately, they’ve caught your interest. “Like what.”

“Like, ah… oh! What about your touch therapy? That was fun, wasn’t it? Here, look, I could hold both your hands!”

“It doesn’t count,” you mutter.

“Oh, no? And whyever not?”

“It just doesn’t.” You can’t really explain why Loop doesn’t count. You just know that they don’t. The first time they elbowed you, you didn’t even flinch. To be honest, it barely registered. Like knocking your elbow against something not alive, or trying to tickle yourself.

Loop rolls their eyes. “I’ll try not to take that personally.”

* * *

They’re right, though. You need a break. But you’re not going to get it by holding hands with Loop.

* * *

You spend the rest of the day thinking about how to take a break from a temporal prison that is categorically, explicitly inescapable.

“Umm,” Isa whispers over dinner. “Sif? Are you, um, okay? You seem a little off.”

You probably should have expected this. Isabeau is always paying attention to what you’re doing and not-doing. But it never goes anywhere, because he’s too afraid to say it.

…Oh. Is that anything? You think it might be something. You already know that Isa wants to touch you. But he doesn’t, because he thinks you don’t want him to. Because you can’t tell him, and he can’t ask. So instead you’re both stuck here, not knowing what’s true.

What would it take to make him brave enough to say it? How obvious would you have to be before he could feel safe?

Your eyes narrow. Maybe you really do need a break.

You can read the rest on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55543246

[lovova]

SPOILERS for In Stars and Time below, just a rant about Siffrin and all the stuff that's happened to him (that I currently know about).

The things that's fascinating about Siffrin is that the time loop is the just LATEST thing that's happened to him. It's not his first big magical event, it's not the first time his whole life has been ruined and ripped away from him by forces out of his control, it's not the first time the gods have seemingly isolated him for the fun of it, if they even noticed it was happening to him at all.

And the first time it happened? Taught Siffrin through their whole life that you DONT TALK ABOUT IT.

Siffrin was out in the water as a kid trying to mess with his parents when the whole island suddenly got buried in a magical 'forget everything about us' spell (or I'm guessing 'wish') and Siffrin literally couldn't remember how to get back. He was a kid. He went to the mainland and couldn't remember anything about himself, because everything about their identity was connected to the island. Even TRYING to remember hurt him, physically.

And the same for telling others about it. Trying to explain what happened to him to other people not only hurt him physically, it hurt THEM physically, causing debilitating headaches to anyone who'd listen and causing the universe to literally rewrite itself and them to sabotage Siffrin's attempts to fix a problem they could barely understand.

And he's just been alone since that happened, in a robe that literally grows with him since childhood, struggling to connect to people when he's trying to develop a personality and identity that won't be forcibly erased minute by minute by the memory stuff. And mostly failing.

AND THATS JUST BEFORE THE TIMELOOP STUFF.

So, yeah, of course Siffrin would literally rather die hundreds of times than just tell anyone what's wrong. That's been trained into him his whole life: they DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM. The problem HURTS OTHER PEOPLE. The act of reaching out LITERALLY HURTS OTHERS and then is sabotaged and erased by the universe anyway.

And, as misguided as it was, the literal only four people Siffrin did reach out to throughout the timeloops all punished him for it. Loop tried to help him through traumatizing him and it didn't work. The head housemaiden had a breakdown instead of helping them. The king tortured him for trying to connect. The Change God LAUGHED AT THEM.

(Can you imagine the restraint and defeatism it takes to quietly watch your friends worship a god that literally reveled in your suffering?)

Fuck, dudes, Siffrin has always been actively punished for asking for help. The dude has been in a lifelong abusive relationship with EXISTING and there's nowhere to hide.

[twilightprince101]

IN BUGS AND SNAX

I've recently been seeing more Bugsnax friendos get into In Stars and Time. Like, five different people I met via Bugsnax are now doing fanart and fanfics for it (if you know you know).

And I think it's a shame. Because that number should be SO MUCH HIGHER

So Bugsnax fans who are unaware of this lovely RPG, here's my pitch to you as to why I think you'd like In Stars and Time and would really enjoy it.

For ISAT fans who never heard of Bugsnax, read along if you wanna. This post is primarily for the opposite, but you may find something else to dip your toes into as well 0w0

Extremely cute / lovable cast that holds so much depth and complexity than meets the eye

Look at these goobers. Look at all of them having fun. They all seem like the kind of squishy chibi type OCs you would find on tumblr, right? Wholesome uwu babies?

Hahahaha

WRONG

Well, kind of yes but still WRONG

These characters have so much emotional complexity that it can be genuinely hard sometimes to pick a favorite character between them all. Odile isn't just the "mom of the group," she has her own reasons for being on this grand quest that stem all the way back to her family lineage, her relationship with her parents. And it all gets explored for every last character, just enough where you can fill in the gaps yourself, but you can still feel that there's so much more under the surface.

You know that bit at the end of Beffica's sidequests where she reveals that, despite her bitchiness, her reason for being like that is because she has a MOUNTAIN of trust issues? And that she never tells lies, but wants to unearth truths before she gets hurt? Remember how you felt when realizing that fact? That's there with ALL of the main cast here. Hope you've got your snorkel because there's so much for you to dive into.

2. Gameplay that adds to the narrative and puts you within that world/the player's shoes

This is my personal headcanon and I don't know if it's intentional on Young Horses' part, but I always felt that running around and catching all of the Bugsnax for the grumps in Snaxburg was intentionally designed to make you feel like Lizbert. You replace her role as town "therapist," you solve everyone's problems in a kind of regressive way that ends up hurting a lot of people. Despite the gameplay being fairly simple, it still added a lot to the plot, to give you that sense in the endgame of "oh. oh god, i really fucked up." You are forced into the shoes of that world/character through the gameplay and it hits much harder as a result.

That intentional and thoughtful game design is present from the moment you start up the game, all the way to the end. In Stars and Time has the best "ludonarrative harmony" I have ever seen. Ever.

The way that the game and story is paced makes you fully understand what Siffrin is going through, the constant slog through the castle (without it ever feeling grindy by the way!), zoning out through the same bits of dialogue. At any given point, no matter how dramatically Siffrin acts, you understand emotionally why he is at that point. You feel his exhaustion, his surprise, his desperate hope, his "i'm going to try fucking anything at this point" attitude. The entire way from start to finish, you feel it.

I refuse to say any more because doing so would spoil the game. But trust me when I say, if you noticed what Bugsnax was doing there with player/Lizbert parallels? You'd love this game.

3. "What is Straight?"

So you know how we all collectively agreed that Gramble is trans? and that Wambus/Triffany are the most bisexual straight couple?

How would you like those types of characters.... but have those conversations out loud?

Listen, I love this fandom as much as the next person, and I am a Transble believer at heart. But it's easy to forget that those are all just talked about in fanon, you know? (Despite gramble literally being trans flag colors listen i KNOW). We get certain bits of characters being introspective about their genders and gender roles, like Wambus being really stubborn with his farm and wanting to maintain a sustainable way of living, being "the breadwinner," for him and his wife. And Floofty feeling like an outcast for behaving in a way that is not "socially acceptable" while being nonbinary. But we never talk about those specific subjects directly, about sexuality, gender identity and the like. Not that Bugsnax NEEDS that, it's just something the writers never really thought to include.

But In Stars and Time... it scratched an itch I never knew needed scratched. Take the thirteen different pieces of character complexity and condense it into five. The discussions that the main party have in relation to their identities, both sexual and gender, are some of the most phenomenal pieces of writing I've ever seen. I've talked with asexual people who played this game who were like "finally, FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT." Finally getting some characters that resonated with them so, so well. And there is a discussion about halfway through the game with a transgender character that absolutely floored me, because so many post-transition character arcs that I see are related to dealing with transphobes and accepting your slay self queen/king/my liege. And that's good. It's cool. But I feel I've seen that so many times now I know the basic plot beats. And ISAT throws in a unique twist to it that I rarely see and the influence that their past combined with cultural pressure it's just, it's SO GOOD. You gotta see it to believe it man, I'm leaving out so much shit here you need to check it out yourself.

4. It will reach into your chest and strangle your heart with its claws

Despite how cute both games can be, they can bash the back of your head with a steel chair of emotion.

You know that feeling you get when you complete a lot of bugsnax sidequests? When you realize Triffany will never get the closure she wanted; when you've helped Wiggle chase this dream of a muse that doesn't exist, and that it was (at least partially) your fault? Well how about if that was the entire game?

This game has some of the highest highs and lowest lows, emotionally speaking. A lot of ISAT also has that same sort of emotional ambiguity Bugsnax has; certain plot points will never be resolved, because that's just life. And you're forced to sit with it, sit in that guilt and resentment because this isn't a problem that can be solved so quickly but you still tried and that arguably made things worse.

Yes, an argument could be made that because Siffrin is not a self insert like The Journalist, then there's a layer of disconnect. But remember what I said in point two: you understand every step Siffrin takes the whole way through because you play it. You sit in it. And no matter how dramatically Siffrin acts, it will be hard to deny that you wouldn't do the same in their place.

5. A big mysterious twist that will emotionally gut you and leave you to dry

Obviously I can't put much here. It'd spoil Bugsnax for ISAT fans and spoil ISAT for Bugsnax fans, more than I already have. But for the fans of each respective games, you KNOW what I'm talking about. And there is an equivalent in the other as well.

If the image of Siffrin making that face intrigues you in any way, especially compared to what I've already shown you. Then go in the game blind. The scene this is from blindsides so many people and once you hit That Face, you know the true game has begun.

----------

That's about the best pitch I can give for Bugsnax fans to play ISAT. I really do feel there's a lot of emotional overlap between these two, even if they're completely different games by nature. There's a lot to love and sink your teeth into.

If this is your first time hearing about either of these games and any of this sounds intriguing to you? Trust me. GO IN BLIND. The gameplay/story blend may not click for everyone right away, but if you let yourself sink into this game, if you let yourself connect with it, boy oh boy does it connect. There is truly nothing like In Stars and Time and/or Bugsnax, and the more people experience this game, the better. Trust the process, slink into it.

I promise you won't regret it.

Thanks for making it to the end have some silly little guys

[isatswap]

(spoilers for in stars and time. all of them. also to START AGAIN: a prologue.)

This World Destroyed

The prelude to TTOS events

The POV is ISAT loop's

Loop: --AND I WISH TO BE IN MY PLACE AGAIN!!!!

(You hear a loud cracking sound.)

(Like something being teared apart by force.)

(and then everything is engulfed in the weird shade)

(...)

(You wake up.)

Loop: ...?

(You can't make out anything around you.)

(There is nothing except a dim light seemingly coming out of everywhere.)

(Where....are you?)

(...!!!)

(There is someone approaching!)

The King: ....

Loop: Wait....THE KING?!?

The King: ...

Change God: *extremely loud incorrect buzzer* :P

(???)

(It's...the statue you've seen in the house.)

(Back when you were--)

Change God: brings back memories, huh (>ᴗ•)

Loop: But-- How--

Change God: didn't siffrin tell you about our meeting (¬‿¬ ) Change God: i am indeed real ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ Change God: though im not really the star of the show today (μ_μ)

Loop: That would be me, I suppose, teehee~

Change God: hihihi, you're funny (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) Change God: and i guess you are ( ◕▿◕ ) i mean you have to be something special to get a meeting with... Change God: IT.

Loop: It? And what would that be?

Change God: oh, you'll understand when you two will meet (^ω~) Change God: i'd love to talk more, but alas im only a ferryman in this situation (u_u)

(Ferryman?)

(You're not gonna die, are you....?)

Change God: who knows, really ┐(︶▽︶)┌ Change God: oh, here it comes! ＼(≧▽≦)／

(The statue runs away back into nothingness.)

(Before you can ask any more questions, you are swept off your feet by the ground seemingly disappearing.)

(The light is replaced by deep darkness, only slightly pierced by your bright head.)

(And then.... stars appear.)

(Countless stars, from all directions.)

(It's like you are in space....)

(Some of the stars seem to move independent from the others, first randomly, then concentrating in one place, some combining into a bigger ball of light, some beginning to orbit the ball.)

(And some concentrate into two vaguely hand-like shapes.)

(Some of the darkness seems to shape itself in a kind of cloak.)

(You suddenly find yourself not falling anymore, like someone switched the gravity off.)

(You look into the bright ball, trying to undestand what it is...)

(You feel like you should know.)

(You feel like you've always known.)

(You merely needed to remember.)

(It's--)

The Universe: Greetings.

(You want to say something back, but you can't)

(your body won't listen)

(you are paralyzed by fear)

The Universe: This is certainly an extraordinary occurence. The Universe: A will so strong... And to what end. The Universe: I wonder if you will think it was worth it.

(A will...so strong...?)

(Does that mean...)

(You manage to gather your strength and talk.)

Loop: D-did my wish come true...?

The Universe: ... The Universe: You know what happens when you break a wish?

(One of its hands picks a star from the halo--)

The Universe: It starts to misbehave, so to say.

(--and with a motion of fingers expands it.)

(It was not a star.)

(It was a planet.)

(It seems to be trying to break apart, the weird shade beaming from the cracks.)

The Universe: And you managed to break two at once. The Universe: The one you just made, and the one The Traveller made at the beginning of the cycle. The Universe: They cannot coexist, so they both unraveled, destroying themselves and damaging the world beyond reprieve. The Universe: Even I am unable to heal it. Even if someone could wish for it, that would just harm it even more. The Universe: So, alas...

(The ball suddenly opens at an invisible seam, revealing a monstrous maw.)

The Universe: I am taking this one back.

(...)

(You expected this to be loud.)

(Or to have any kind of sound.)

(But it was eerily quiet.)

(Like nothing ever happened.)

(Like that world....Your world....Was nothing.)

The Universe: I do not blame you. The Universe: It must be terrifying.

Loop: W-what will happen to me?

The Universe: ... The Universe: Well. The Universe: I can tell you don't want the same fate as this world. The Universe: But your wish has broken, so I cannot let you proceed further. The Universe: The only compromise is that you stay here to witness everything.

(The Universe snaps its fingers.)

(Suddenly, two people appear to the either side of you.)

(One of them is Siffrin.)

(The other one is....You?)

(You freeze.)

The Universe: Now, the previous world might have been destroyed... The Universe: But that has happened before, and it was fine. The Universe: Right, LOOP?

(!!!)

The Universe: Truth be told, despite your wish breaking, it still holds somewhat. The Universe: So Siffrin will still get the fate you desired for them. The Universe: And their place will be overtaken. The Universe: Just not exactly by "you".

Loop: ...Will...Will they remember?

The Universe: ... The Universe: Siffrin will.

(Another snap of the fingers, and the two people are gone.)

The Universe: ...I suppose that is all that you needed to see. The Universe: We might meet again here. The Universe: But for now... The Universe: Enjoy your stay.

(A bright flash of light blinds you.)

(...You wake up on the bright floor again.)

(...)

(You don't want to get up.)

(You are unsure what you're supposed to do anymore.)

[pixxyofice]

hey main tumblr. I've been normal. (Has not been)

Making ocs for the main party is super fun, especially if you like thinking a lot about the dynamics of it. Which I have! A lot!

This is Melodie! They/Them, maybe also drae/draer if I want to be obvious about them. Paper type.

Loop doesn't know who they are...

The funniest backstory ever I have for them is like. In the Hypothetical Reason They Are A Party Member is that in the pre-game canon game, like if it was normal, is that Melodie would be an EXTREMELY missable party member. If you don't talk to a random NPC early in the game they don't pop up later to be talked to and then recruited by Siffrin. In their first appearance in the game they haven't shaved that side of their hair yet.

Their backstory goes like this. They're from the country. you know the one. it's the reason i tagged this as spoilers. They were out of the country for a brief trip in Ka Bue, probably either a study program or to help out with something else. Undecided. On the day they were to return, something... happened to the boats, and they ended up on the continent Vaugarde was in.

A very young teenager, at most, spending time wandering alone. don't think too much about it! haha! this results in them being a lil' awkward, flip flopping between too quiet and too loud in a way that causes them to move on too quick. And then they are 23 (they think), and someone with white hair and an accent kinda like their own approaches them, and... they're with some people they've seen before, they think, the saviors?

and Melodie get introduced. and they want to travel with them more. and they open up. Melodie's still quiet at times, but it's so much easier to open up when people are encouraging and don't hound you for forgetting things that are supposed to be simple. Not in a mean way, anyway.

So by the game's start, they're... a little loud, but in a nice way. Creative. A lil' rambly (a bit much, but always nice to listen to, even if the points go in a bit of circles).

Oh, and, of course, i've thought about THE PARTY DYNAMICS.

Melodie and Mirabelle would be light novel fans together. They make silly poses together to make their lives better and to pose out what the characters are described doing. they laugh about it. They would get into discourse about their favorite characters.

I did mention Melodie was creative, right? Melodie writes some stuff in their spare time, and as one third of the book club, Melodie sometimes is like 'i could use this in my book' and when they say it out loud without meaning to once, Odile takes interest, and now Melodie and Odile have life experiences talk that Melodie can take to adjust things in their lil projects! and also Odile can be the contstructive criticism person.

One thing that helps Melodie out of their shell is that Bonnie is there. to vaguely remind Melodie of some people they can't remember. and be annoying with. And when everyone laughs about it, Melodie does it a lil more!! and bonnie actually does appreciate it! just... not all the way. (reminds them of their sister, too.)

... and...

hi guys i have normal thoughts about these three in particular. many thoughts that get crushed into paste whenever i even try to describe them. Um. I can try though.

Siffrin and Melodie are like. We're similar, but different in ways that makes us seek the other out for company. Our white hair, the way we form words, the small ways we mumble. Melodie breaks out of their shell with a shout, shaking and smiling, while siffrin slides out so slowly. They sit together, and they chat about things they know the others won't get. They remind each other of things forgotten if they remember but the other forgets. they love puns. Siffrin mastered making them, Melodie mastered understanding them and laughing along!! and, of course, the slowly approaching crush that both of them have been festering but have been COMPLETELY ignoring.

Melodie and Isabeau are shopping buddies. Melodie, as a way to get out of their shell, has been getting slightly interested in fashion, and Isabeau is so, SO eager to help out! Along the way this turned into 'get them some new experiences' and 'we make each other better we think about each other all the time we'll encourage each other until our dying breaths.' Melodie started getting used to touch due to Isabeau touching them casually and shouting at him to keep their hand there, and that spreading to the others. Isabeau calls Melodie Mel, and it... hasn't quite spread to the others yet. (Melodie wonders why.) Isabeau admires Melodie for the way they subtly change and Melodie admires Isabeau for the way he has Changed and... of course... the crush they have on him. which is 100% totally unrequited, because he likes Siffrin, and they just HAD to get a crush on someone who already liked someone else!

melodie knows odile is the one isabeau goes to for his own crush. so like, why not follow suit, right? it's not like isabeau likes them back, so it's totally fair. Odile would understand. (odile is the Sufferer)

the most hilarious and fucked up dynamic of three people all in love with each other of all time, i think. (siffrin unaware of both crushes, melodie only aware of the isabeau one, and isabeau aware of both. melodie is also aware of isabeau's crush on siffrin. help them)

I have more I want to say, but... um... getting embarrassed so this is all for now!! um! yay!!! posts this in the tags and flees

[basilpaste]

listen same anon as the big anon from before. uh. you know our identity but there's something comforting about not showing our face directly off anon so anon still!

the isaloops au is genuinely SOOO cool exactly the stuff we want to see, writing that takes ISA seriously instead of just going "oh he's a silly little man who wouldn't last in the loops", writing that genuinely explores LOOP'S character well, it's just like. we don't usually like other people loop aus because sometimes it's just surface level character stuff but THIS genuinely understands and works with the characters well and UAGAHDRHRHR... /pos. you know?

YALL ARE TOO SWEET I CANNOT HANDLE IT.

also yes yes yes! i get the impulse to sometimes write isa off in stuff, and im not even saying thats something the majority of people do. but sometimes he gets written off as 'guy who is in love with sif'. and thats okay! especially in isafrin fics. but he has a lot more nuance than that and i have a really fun time exploring it.

its so interesting to see what would fundamentally change about the loops, and the characters within them, if things got shuffled around. this is something that was not supposed to happen. it really puts euphrasie's "something's failing, rotting" line into a different context, dont you think? because the loops were meant for sif. they were always siffrins burden to bear. but now they arent.

... is this better? could it be?

Fighter. you love your friends, dont you? theyre like family to you? when did you stop acting like it.

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

-Alien (Movie) - Alien was re-released in theaters so my friends and I went to see it. Still a great movie, Ripley is a badass, the cat survives, the Xenomorph is an incredible design, the building of suspense and set design is great, it's a classic for a reason. My one critique from my ADHD brain is that it would be nice of a few of the longer drawn out set establishing scenes were condensed a bit, not because I'm against suspense but because they went on a bit to long that the suspense turned to boredom for me occasionally. That's a small critique though, the creativity of the alien designs and behavior definitely drowns it out in the long run.

-The Mummy (Movie) - Another re-release in the theater, this was a fun one to re-visit. I mean that in a very literal way, The Mummy is the kind of campy adventure mixed with comedy and slight horror elements that I wish they made more of anymore. Egypt as a setting is severely underused in my opinion and the setting was gorgeous. Speaking of gorgeous so was everybody in this film. I can see why it was such a bi-awakening movie. The romance was cute and well established for the kind of movie it is and there's always something interesting pushing the plot along. It is kinda strange how truly bad the guys trying to prevent people from waking the mummy are at their jobs but that's more of a funny flaw than a serious one so whatever.

- Fallout (TV) - Having fun so far, good characters, fun writing, and the use of flashbacks in storytelling is intriguing.

- In Stars and Time (Video Game) - Watched the full playthrough and I'm definitely interested in seeing more, this is a super charming game with a great concept and some absolutely killer dialogue and scenes (I love you time loop stories). Every character is lovable, Siffrin and Loops designs are fantastic, and the game is full of really interesting lore and mysteries that you can sort of piece together on your own once you understand the rules of this universe. In terms of media I like it does score the perfect five of having good comedy, likable characters, good art,genuine emotion, and fucked up but well explored concepts.

- Dungeon Meshi (Anime) - Fucked Up Monster Lady Hot.

- Six (Musical) - Went to see Six live with my sister and it was a lot of fun, more so than I expected to be honest. The dancing was neat, the outfits sparkly, the whole cast had amazing voices, and while the songs definitely lean into the corniness they are all catchy and fun which I appreciate.

- Pokemon Infinite Fusion (Video Game) - Beat the first Elite Four and absolutely love my team. Currently in Johto having fun building a second one. Highly recommend this game, it's a lot of fun with a lot of extra little quests and fun dialogue on top of the amazing fusion sprites.

- One Piece (Anime) - Finally got to Yamato and yes I do love him. Great design, and he's nice and stupid, great character traits.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Yup.

Listening To: Nonsense Speaker by 000, Tounges & Teeth and Metaphor by The Crane Wives, Six the Musical OST, Ghost by Justin Bieber, Meant to Be Yours by Ryan McCartan, How Did You Love by Shinedown, Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Tang, Creep cover by Daniela Andrade, Let's Get This Over With by They Might Be Giants, Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan, and Humans by GEN.KLOUD.