#personal isat playthrough

[3rd-shrike]

so i finally bought isat (+ stp!!!!! yipee!!!!!!!!) and nobody told me what happens when you choose to touch the tear the first time you see it, and fucking hell. i love this stupid fucking family

[all-my-ocs-are-evil]

[insert poetic title here]

fun fact: this did not start out as isat fanart

(rambling in tags)

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

Playing "In Stars and Time", and just met Loop.

...

They're giving me White Diamond mixed with Flowey vibes, which is an alarm by itself.

Should I be afraid? They seem, likable, so far? ^^

[therantingsage]

Ok. People have called out two out of three reasons Loop responds Like That in the drabble. So I don't feel bad about talking about the third on my own.

Under cut for game spoilers cuz I'm still doing that heck

First reason, pointed out by @chronologically-challenged:

This is an awful situation to put the party in. Siffrin how dare you.

Second reason, pointed out by @cakes-isat-blog:

Mira just blatantly rubbing salt in the wound with her wording. "Golly gosh I'd hate to imagine him in THAT worst case scenario" she says to said worse case scenario.

Third reason which was honestly the one I thought was the most obvious:

....if that's Mira, really, then there isn't a shred of recognition. That, despite at this point presumably being a bystander to dozens of conversations with them, they still don't look at Loop and see them for who they are.

It's too much. It's too much for them to rationalize. It makes them yearn for something sharp. So they've decided the only option that keeps them sane is the one where Siffrin has just picked the most coincidentally painful prank imaginable.

....the irony is that that isn't even true: by this point both Isabeau and Odile have strong suspicions about Loop's identity. But Siffrin themself isn't convinced yet, and Mira doesn't want to treat Loop with unearned familiarity so she doesn't see any offense in starting from scratch.

Hey. The mind sharing takes away a lot of the plot's lack of communication so I have to invent my own. I think that's fair.

[dasnercaret]

8,9,10,15,17

8. squints. opens up isat to check.

....only 57!?!

9. i would wish for my lawn to be mowed because it's crazy overgrown! it sucks!! there's probably ticks and other bugs in there!!! it's all scruffy now (expertly dodges the question for the third time)

10. the universe assumes that i want my lawn to be Dead because if it dies i never have to mow it again. i end up with a big patch of yellow dead grass

15. sigh. siffrin...? he might be fun. i don't really like isabeau and mirabelle... (i've already answered odile and bonnie to this question i believe) i'm sorry... they just don't seem like people i would like all that much.......

(worth noting: i like them in that they're good characters they just seem like they would be A Lot to hang out with. isabeau is very tall and very loud. mirabelle is filled with anxiety and loves romance. i historically get along with Neither of these personality types)

17. of course <3 i proceed to get my ass beat by a preteen

[superrainbow06]

I BEAT IN STARS AND TIME YEATERDAY IT WAS SO GOOD!!

I didn't post about it cause I was overwhelmed. Very emotionally heavy story. Also I forgor. But it's very good, I think that anyone who wouldn't have a panic attack and or die because of the content should play it (PLEASE check content warnings on games before you play them, especially this one, so you don't have a panic attack and or die. Or if it just makes you uncomfortable its also cool to want to avoid it but I like being dramatic sometimes)

This is genuinely the best take on a time loop I have ever seen in any media ever. And the writing is incredibly good also, everything in it is so carefully constructed that it all feels very real and realistic, the characters actually feel like real people who are having conversations, the dialogue flows super smoothly and is very coherent, the overarching story is very good, and the worldbuilding, though not incredibly present in the actual game, the hints you get throughout the game of how the world works is soo good, really puts you in the place of the character.

Also, for any depression havers out there, this game is very much centered on how a time loop would affect a person's mental health if it were to happen, and it DOES NOT HOLD BACK. It gets into all of the stuff normally presented in a game with depression as a theme (celeste, chicory, etc) but also goes in depth about the stuff people don't like to talk about with depression (so, again, check the warnings on the game before playing if you are interested) which I really appreciated. This game really manages to make you feel absolutely terrible in the best way possible. I am going to force everyone I know and love to play this game

Also please go check out @insertdisc5 they made this whole masterpiece of a game (excluding the music and sfx, but it's still extremely impressive) and I think it should be more popular.

[imaheckincyborg]

its always great when people love your faveorite character, but even better is when they hate them for all the right reasons <3

[entryn17]

love being the type of person to completely ignore story clues and red herrings because during my first playthrough of ISAT i implicitly believed loop when they said they were a star sent by the universe or whatever it was they said. like, in the most literal sense

[doodlesofapinetree]

Ykw. Ford-dile. Ford if he was Odile from In Stars And Time. Why not!!

I’ve been so nervous to post stuff when I realise I actually should anyway

it’s not ab if it’s like. Properly gravity falls or not, it just has to be vaguely gravity falls related

Anyways I got into ISAT, I’ve been watching play playthroughs and trying to somewhat replicate the art style because that’s what I do with things I like for some reason!!

I wanted to draw this bc I’m really interested in how craft n stuff works, and it’d be cool to see the Pines use it. Ngl, the Pines using any kind of magic is cool. I personally think Ford would def be paper n Stan would be rock, but I’m not sure about the younger twins just yet.

[hackgamex294]

[ISAT ACT 4 SPOILERS]

"Stagnant ⏸" — ISAT-ober 2024, Day 3

My third day of @darlnyan's ISAT-ober prompt!

I never knew the definition of "stagnant" up until this drawing prompt. But after learning the word, I have many ideas in my mind on what I should illustrate, since ISAT has so many moments of being still, motionless, and lifeless on many situations of the game.

But I remember during my playthrough, at the end of ACT 4 is where I felt severely heartbroken from the idea that Siffrin's work and effort to break the time loops is all for naught, which hits me personally in other contexts. With that, I felt redrawing the ending of ACT 4 was the best decision for my illustration.

Trying to redraw the artwork from the game wasn't easy as I thought, my art skills to draw more diverse and interactive illustrations isn't enough to recreate it to my own style, but I did my best to put in every detail from the original art. I did apply my current shading style and background to further express Siffrin's mental deterioration. (siff...)

Additionally throughout this artwork, I did have to clutch to make this artwork as not only I had an errand that takes extensive time, but I became super exhausted that I took a nap, with only a few hours to spare to start and finish this drawing...

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it! 💜

[pillowspace]

can you explain in stars and time to me? Is it a story you made or based on something? Is there a masterpost?

Nope, nothing I made! In Stars and Time is a turn-based RPG about its main protagonist Siffrin being trapped in a time loop!! :D Siffrin has to save the country by defeating the King and break the curse that's freezing people in time, alongside their companions Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, and Bonnie. But whenever he dies, he wakes back up in the meadow, and nobody else remembers what happened except for him. Then comes Loop, a star and the only other one to be aware of what Siffrin's experiencing.

It starts out nice then slowly turns into the saddest game I've ever had the honour of being emotionally crushed by, I had a REALLY good time playing it. Apparently the expected playtime is 20-30+ hours, but my first playthrough took 80 hours?? I didn't tend to take many shortcuts personally

Here's the trailer if you want to see:

(Note: you can look up the rest of the content warnings for more information if needed, but ISAT contains themes of death, mental illness, and violence)

The game is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5. I have it for the Switch

As for a masterpost... sort of? Insertdisc5, the game's developer, has a pinned post. I have the links to my liveblogging in my profile bio, but those are filled with spoilers.

It's a nice game. I like it <3 a lot <3 a very not normal amount <3

Overwhelmingly positive ^ as they should be ^

[curly4830]

Finished ISAT last night, this game was an emotional rollercoaster from start to end, tbh. I've got a lot of thoughts about the game and they're all pretty short, but I'd like to list some of them here.

The coin is interesting! I think mechanically it's a good way to check Siffrin's internal monologue of the same thing, regardless of area/party status. But story wise, it's a whole other thing to me. Loop and Siffrin have their own kind of Heads/Tails duality, and Odile's coin flip makes me think that it could have/might have been Loop in our Siffrin's place instead, if things had gone just a little differently. Siffrin's forgetfulness being both a foreshadow to his home country AND the potential years worth of time stuck in the loops. and the player's forgetfulness, that too. Another angle I'd like to explore in the future is Siffrin's sprites, and the (possibly intended) idea of taking the growing space covered in shadow on his face as a loss of humanity/the concept of self. It helps take the idea of Siffrin seeing himself as an actor to the next level for me. You could extend this to the Mal Du Pays/Bigfrin sequences being the total loss of self, Siffrin being sent over the edge(and subsequently grounded by his party members). But he made it back! and that's really what matters, isn't it. It's very in line with the literal context of the scenes but I appreciate that the lines are there to be read between, even if not everybody cares to. i definitely think about faces/the self a normal amount, you can trust me i swear. Siffrin clearly did not have enough problems on his own so I had to push my whole faces/sense of self thing on him too. Loop. oh god Loop. I have a lot of thoughts about Loop and their Identity, and it's going to take a while to figure out! but i'm totally fine with that. is it morally wrong to feel a deep kinship to loop?? i don't know!!! i'm gonna find out though. i was actually just recently thinking about how i don't like using the term kinning for characters because it feels very intimate and I can't say i've felt the same thing other people who kin characters feel. BUT. i think loop gave me some kind of disease i think i'm not well I just couldn't do most of the Dagger dialogue. It was too much for me personally. I did it once and it made me feel bad enough to return it and swear off the idea. until i go back to finish achievements, that is. Fucked up, though!! The loops and their infinite catharsis started to mean nothing at all until they make the even more fucked up mega catharsis. I thought Signalis and it's ending hit me hard but this game reduced me to a crying mess by the end. And lastly I'm very appreciative of @usefulnt0409 for being there to help me through the entire game. I like sharing my first playthroughs of things with people that enjoy them. Having them around to help with mechanical stuff I'd never pick up on(Loop dialogues and the conditions associated with most of them) and when I'd accidentally skip a dialogue just made the experience very special. I don't think I'll soon forget this game, it was an incredible experience even through the gas leak 5am vcs. I think they made it better.

[kosmical]

alr i'll bite what's isat

Omg thanks for opening pandoras box! You will regret this

In stars and time is the recent food source of my brain eating amoeba and it Will Not Leave. before i get into why im rabid about it though ill give a brief synopsis . putting a read more here because i suspect this post will get LONG.

its a game about a classic rpg party on the last two days of their quest to save the country from The King who is freezing everything, including people, in time. the main character, Siffrin, is the party's rogue who, upon going into the House of Change (the game's dungeon so to speak) and promptly dying, finds out that they're trapped in a time loop. they're the only one who remembers repeating the last two days- aside from a star named loop who helps him try and figure out whats going on, why, and how to break out.

Now personally ive never been invested in a time loop story?? Im not sure if thats because i havent consumed much media thats implemented it before as its main premise or if i just havent been interested but i think in stars and time meshes the two different genres a time loop story can fall into really well (the mystery and the emotional conflict).

The mystery is what drives you through the game (and there are other questions unrelated to the timeloop about siffrin's origin and the world itself that i think handle a variety of themes like loss of culture and personal transformation really well but thats a different tangent) but the emotional parts are what really got me. You have to watch almost in the backseat as Siffrin is like. Slowly depersonalized from the people they care about. All while refusing to tell them anything about their misery because they don't want to burden them or drag them into his suffering. Even happy moments that Siffrin doesnt mind repeating become tainted because it becomes a matter of acting so that the "scene" doesnt stray from its path and his party doesnt become suspicious.

and yet they still DO, both in regards to Siffrin's World Alteringly Terrible Case of the Mondays and the actual time loop. they notice how tired and fake he seems. one of my absolute favorite scenes is one where you interact with a closet and it provokes a conversation about where Siffrin got their cloak from and how long they've had it, because its really one of a kind. it has temperature regulatory magic imbued in the stitches and is made to grow with him. And siffrin just cant fucking remember. not only because hes been looping so long that its created a haze over his mind but because he has no true "identity." and as he's scrambling to fill in an answer for this hole in his head, a gust of wind hits his face because one of their friends, isabeau, flapped his cloak while inspecting it to ground him. and he disguises it by commenting on the thickness of the cloak.

Getting this scene by accident on my playthrough made me feel so many feelings dude like . Siffrin isn't the only one trying to hide things. Their friends care about him so much and they try to disguise how concerned thwy are and its just. Im . Im Normal.

its not just about that though . Like if you start finding shit a little too fast they'll start catching on to whats happening. a little sound effect will play whenever you know something you shouldn't know and the others notice and whenever it happened i was like. Twisting in my seat waiting for them to call me out.

it all builds up into this really fucking painful emotional climax that i will not talk about because i don't want to spoil more than i already have but omg. I was writhing. It was. Hhhggnngh.hfg. Glass shards in ym mouth yummy

On the topic of shit i cant talk about: My favorite character is this fucking thing

I have held off from talking about loop's role in the story because i cant describe to you why they make me so ill. Not because i dont know Why but because it is something you should experience yourself. They're really charming and funny and their dialogue is fantastic. Of course that's part of the reason i lauve them but theres also the underlying secondary mystery of why they're here/who and or what they are/etc. And when u know. Its. I Cant Tell You. BUT ITS REALLY GOOD. ITS REALLY REALLY GOOD. Just know that if you get to the end and are still confused about them. That theres more than the main ending . AND IT IS PROBABLY WHY I AM SO INSANE ABOUT THIS GAME HONESTLY. I LOVE YOU FOREVER LOOP . im ok

In short: In stars and time is a game that is good and you should play it :) Im pretty sure its on sale right now on steam so yeah go get that.

if you made it through this fucking dissertation length post on isat CONGRATULATIONS ! heres some miscellaneous doodles ive done of it in the past month since ive played it love love

[onenightbreak]

what do you think of combat in isat? i feel like i'm running circles around the same handful of ideas, so i want to hear other people's thoughts on it🎤

personally:

overall, i think battles getting laughably easy in the late game is a good bit of ludonarrative (you don't need to think, Just Attack.), but i wish combat in the earlier parts of the game were harder and less simple.

i don't think a primarily story-based game like isat should aim to kill the player, but the only time i died in combat during my playthrough was the first, shieldless fight against the king where you're scripted to die; later i lost to a random sadness b/c i was intentionally throwing for research, and i couldn't lose in any reasonable timeframe to the secret boss even when i threw (thanks, regen memory).

making a puzzle of every random encounter gets old pretty quick, but i still wish battles weren't quite as simple as which type is the enemy -> use the right attack on the enemy, especially for the floor end bosses. odile is a really good example of this particular issue with combat: the only time her craft break skills are useful are against calamité and bourdon, and the friendquest version doesn't synergise with the rest of the flow of combat (you'll never need to break all three resistances, b/c not only do most enemies not have three resistances, you want to be using the same type of craft repeatedly anyways for jackpot).

[snickerpuffs]

insertdisc5 has gone on record (on multiple occasions across several interviews) stating that the only canonical events of "In Stars and Time" are what you personally experience during your own playthrough.

There is a single bathroom in the game that is entirely optional to enter. If you do, then your character will state that they "don't really need to go", and instead reflect on your current progress. And there's several unique monologues for multiple important parts in the game!

The reason I mention this is because there is exactly ONE instance where your character can enter the bathroom and, instead of monologuing, does "what needs to be done".

And!!! It's pure random chance!!! And you can only get it during the earliest sections of the game!!! It's very easy to miss, even if you enter the bathroom multiple times!!!!

In other words, for nearly every single ISAT player, Siffrin using a bathroom for it's intended purpose is entirely noncanon, and I think that's hilarious.

[cb-writes-stuff]

〜★ Intro Post! ★〜

Howdy! Welcome to my blog!

I’m CB, short for C. Brookes. I am 18 and in college pursuing a degree in English, with the hope of one day being an author! I use she/her. I also have ADD (attention deficit disorder), and possibly several other things, including social anxiety!

This is mainly a personal blog, but I also post about my writing! Mostly, I like to read and write fantasy. My main project is called Project Opal! To summarize: “Man flees assassination attempts. Friends pursue. Other friend flees unrelated assassination attempt. Hijinks ensue.”

My dearest, most beautiful Milabelle (@trash-bin-ary) is my QPP, and the light of my life :3

And the ever-adorable Ace (@ace-of-loop) is my other QPP, and the sweetness of my life :3

And! I have! A third one! Val! (@vals-starry-sky!)

I use lots of colored text, depending on my mood and energy levels.

This is a no-swearing blog. You do you, but I don’t post or reblog anything with swearing. I find it triggering (it really screws with me), and this is my blog, so I can do what I want. If you send an ask, submit a post, or comment anything that includes swearing, it will be deleted.

I don’t engage in politics on here, at all! If I get asks that support a particular cause or ask for money in any way for any cause, I delete them indiscriminately.

Click here for the masterpost of my WIP, Project Opal (name not final)!

My poll blog! @cb-polls-stuff

pronouns.cc page

〜♠︎ What I Post ♠︎〜

For fandoms, I post about A Hat in Time, In Stars and Time, Hollow Knight, EPIC: The Musical, and possibly others. Fandoms I don’t post about but still enjoy include Pokémon, Baba Is You, Undertale, Deltarune, both Portal games, Stardew Valley, and anything I remember later and add on. Not fandoms, but sometimes I’ll also post about Ado and plushies.

I also post about my writing, my college experience, and thoughts about being median/a system not anymore, those go on my system blog. And of course random jokes here and there.

I don’t have much regarding a DNI list. This is an SFW blog, so keep that in mind when interacting. And if you swear in my replies or asks, I’ll just delete it. Like I said earlier, it’s my blog, I can do what I want. And what I want is a safe space. I’ll also delete any asks that do stuff like ask for money or promote any particular cause, because that’s just not something I want to interact with—and I will delete them indiscriminately, regardless of what they promote or don’t promote.

I also post about figuring out… myself, I guess. Sometimes I vent. Sometimes I talk about depression or anxiety.

We stay silly.

〜♦︎ Tags ♦︎〜

My tags are pretty self-explanatory. But the ones that aren’t…

#project opal - posts related to my WIP.

#ihat / #in hats and time - posts related to my ISAT-AHIT crossover AU, In Hats and Time.

#siffrin and the craaaazy time loop - posts from my liveblogged playthrough of In Stars and Time.

#pixie’s plush hour - pictures that my friend Pixie sends me of her plush

The (mostly) self-explanatory ones:

#cb writing stuff - yapping, basically all my posts

#cb doodling stuff

#cb drawing stuff

#cb defining stuff

#cb answering stuff

#cbの日本語 - posts that have/are about the Japanese language in some way

#cb progressing stuff - progress updates on my WIP