#sorry sif’s hat

[magicwhiskers29]

The whole gang! The lines randomly start getting thinner partway through, but whoops. I had each of these on different canvases and didn’t check the others in between :p

[pirate-captain-froggy]

tumblr gets to see them too. clownfrin and jester loop :]

[medi-bee]

isat pokemon au, my liege?

my rambling in tags

[sparkdoesart]

I saw my favorite cat image again, and i couldn't stop myself, so here you go

Kibty Sif.

Og image

[sysig]

Time Loops are they/them culture (Patreon)

Bonus of my little guy in ISaT style:

[nidbaesenpai]

the one time both of them act cute/loop gets to have that cloak

[auroraboras]

Listen I swear it makes sense if you think about it I promise

It amuses me still how one of my first thoughts after looking up the In Stars and Time tag for the first time was the words "why did I even doubt"

[remxedmoon]

“the eternal wanderer. even death cannot release it from its plight.”

tribeless

1 power - 1 health - 7 bones

unkillable - when a card bearing this sigil perishes, a copy of it is created in your hand.

corpse eater - if a creature that you own perishes by combat, a card bearing this sigil in your hand is automatically played in its place.

brittle - after attacking, a card bearing this sigil perishes.

hidden trait - cursebearer

this card cannot be sacrificed at the sigil stones event.

finally posting my isatscryption stuff here!!! yipee!!! here’s a writeup about the card design because frankly i put wayy too much thought into all of these cards. sorry if these are a bit hard to parse!

unkillable and corpse eater effectively make sif immortal, since every time he dies, he’ll be placed back on the board! and i thought that was fitting for. y’know. timeloop reasons. brittle is only there to emphasize the whole constantly dying thing. because is it really isat without siffrin torment

also didn’t notice this until after i designed this card, but the brittle sigil art has a star on it??? not intentional in the slightest but it is Fitting

sif is a fox here! i know that that would technically put them in the canine tribe, but i felt it’d be more fitting for them to be tribeless? and base game inscryption already kinda bends the rules when it comes to tribes (such as the bullfrog being a reptile and the rabbit being treated internally as a rodent) so i think it still works

i’m well aware that card traits don’t actually have cool names or anything but i still want to give them cool names because it’s fun. anyways! cursebearer! i gave them this trait both because these sigils are extremely overpowered, and for lore reasons. sif sees their sigils as a curse! they don’t want to force them on anyone else!! it’s their burden to bear!!!

tangentially related to that last point, but sif is a talking card in this au! because it’s fun :3. and because i think it’d be really interesting to see how he’d react to the cabin

sif’s scar is covered by the hat a bit but it’s Star Shaped. and so is the eye shine teehee

this was the first card i made and Boy Does It Show. i had the WORST time trying to get the card generators to work for this because oops! both of the card generators are inaccurate in different ways! plus theres a few mistakes in the card art that i didn’t notice until after i finished most of the others... i promise the others are a little more polished

also, since i didn’t mention it above the cut, the sigil patch is for the bone king sigil! which makes the card award 4 bones instead of 1 upon death. this is less for lore reasons and more for the synergy with his sigils. since he’s constantly dying and coming back, he can basically give you infinite bones for Zero Cost. fun!

aaand i think that’s all the notes for this card! thanks for reading this absurdly long post. here’s his alt card art without the patch for your troubles 🫡

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 1

Spoilers for TwoHats

"C'mon Bonnie, Sif still needs his rest, let's give him some time to process everything."

"Awwww, fiiiiine, but I'll be back with some snacks later to celebrate!"

(The door closes behind them and you're left alone. You stare at the ceiling as you lay in bed, static filling your mind. It's a low drum at first but the cacophony grows and grows and grows until it's overwhelming.)

(You're... back… how could you be back?... It was over… it's BEEN over… it's been so long… Why here? Why now? Why-No… this is a dream, it must be, right? Some weird manifestation of grief over Odile, that has to be it…)

(As the initial shock dies down, you take a few deep breaths to collect yourself. You examine your oh so distantly familiar surroundings, a faintly recognizable Inn.)

(That’s right, it was the first place you stayed after leaving Dormont once you beat the King. You didn’t stay long to celebrate after all as Bonnie was practically dragging you all back towards Bambouche to check on Nille…)

(Was this actually real?... you’ve had dreams, or more accurately, nightmares of returning to the loops before, but you were never this aware in them, and upon waking up you could notice all the cracks around the edges. You’re lucid, there’s no cracks, no signs this wasn’t the real deal… So if this IS real…)

["Stardust?... Is that you?..."]

(?!!!?! LOOP!)

(You dart out of bed, you rush out of the door so fast you don’t even remember to grab your cloak and hat, almost slamming into Isa who seems to be carrying your breakfast to you in bed.)

“Hey, Sif! You’re u-AGH!” (He jumps, nearly dropping the tray as you just narrowly avoid splattering into him like a brick wall.)

“Sorry! I’ll explain after, I promise!!” (You shout back without breaking your stride, hoping your word would be enough to sate his inevitable worry.)

“Siffrin?! Shouldn’t you be resting?!”

“Frin! Hey, you didn’t eat breakfast!”

“Gems alive, what is it now?!”

“Can’t talk! Be back soon!” (Nothing else mattered right now, you had to be sure, you had to see them, you had to know if this was real.)

(You bust through the door, suddenly darting through the town, frantically looking around, you aren’t even sure what for until you see it. A tree, a massive tree, the largest one in sight, that has to be it. You make a beeline straight for it, stumbling some over rocks and roots, you were very out of practice after all.)

(Finally you’ve made it, busting through the tree line into a clearing around this region’s Favor Tree, sliding to a stop. Your breaths deep and heavy, lungs and legs burning some, various little scrapes and bruises from the various flora smacking against you as you rushed through. None of this mattered, especially once your eye locked onto what you’ve been searching for… the dark figure with a bright face, those vibrant eyes staring back at you in shock, almost horror, confusion waving through their entire form.)

“Loop… LOOP! LOOP IT’S REALLY YOU!” (You practically scream, running again and almost collapsing into them. Your arms wrap so tightly around them as tears pour from your eye.)

“Stardust… What-When is this? How long has it been?” (They asked, their forearms slowly coiling around your back in return.)

“It’s been so long Loop… I thought you were gone… I missed you so much…”

“So long? But.. you look the same, it couldn’t have been more than a few weeks? Are you really that desperate to have me around Stardust~?” (They asked, feeling confident enough to bring back that facade they always put on. It was helpful for breaking the awkward tension, but they clearly knew something was wrong. Their existence simply returning again was alarming in and of itself.)

“... It’s the next day… after you vanished, but… it’s been a lot longer than that for me Loop.” (You begin to explain, pulling away finally as you wipe your tears. You take a deep breath, knowing you’re gonna have to tell someone what’s going on, so who better than your… self? Kinda?)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

“30 YEARS?!?!” (Loops voice cries out, the sudden shout sending every bird in a wide radius to suddenly scatter and flee every tree around.)

“WHY ARE YOU THE CALM ONE HERE?!” (They continue, seeming to be more upset about your own reaction than the actual news.)

“A lot’s happened in 30 years… I’ve gotten better about handling my emotions-”

“Ugh, don’t tell me you’re all ‘put together’ now, how long did you go to therapy in all that time?”

“...”

“... Great, just fantastic, now I’M the unreasonable one! This isn’t fair Stardust, you can’t just swap the whole dynamic all of the sudden!”

“Well it’s not like I chose for this to happen! We were all with Odile in her final moments and…

“So, what? The wish stuck around? We’re destined to reset anytime any of your family members dies?”

“... I guess so… but is that really that bad?... we’re not stuck in the same 2 days anymore, it’s a whole life practically…”

“What do you mean we, Stardust? What am I supposed to do while you’re off galivanting your whole life away over and over again?”

(You just beam a bright smile towards them in response)

“... Why are you looking at me like th-No! No no no no NO Stardust! I did NOT sign up for this!”

“Fine, suit yourself, just hide in the tree line for decades while I live my life~.”

“... This is actual hell, when I vanished I went to Hell, didn’t I?”

---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Just admit it Stardust, we’re lost, because you were simply too obsessed with me to bother with directions~.”

“The past 30 years must have been dreadful if you’re so eager for a do-over~.”

“Let me guess, your Fighter still hasn’t confessed, has he~?”

“You know teasing you isn’t any fun if you aren’t going to react anymore, Stardust!”

“That’s exactly why I’m doing it~.” (You respond with a smug little smile. You were glad to have your old looping confidant back, and even more glad you could mess with them just like they used to do to you.)

“... So what’s the plan here anyways? We just show up Hey everyone, Loop is back! and I’m just part of the family? You really think it’ll be that easy?”

“Yeah, pretty much!”

“... And… What about… everything else? Do you really intend to tell them everything?”

“I uhh… haven’t really gotten that far yet. Do you want to tell them everything? I assume that would take a lot more of an adjustment, but we could try it out.”

“Try it out? You just lost the last 30 years of your life and you’re just fine with ‘trying it out’?! Seriously, no one is this well adjusted Stardust, what are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything, I just… I really missed you Loop… I’m really glad to have you back, and honestly, seeing you again is kinda making all of this okay for now. Am I gonna have a mental breakdown tomorrow? Maybe! It wouldn’t be that surprising, but I just… I want to enjoy this moment, while I have it, okay?” (You ask as you’ve stopped in your tracks during your little speech. You turn to Loop, holding out your hand, inviting them to take it so you can walk in tow.)

(They just stare at you for a moment, holding their hands close to themselves almost defensively, instinctively. It takes them a moment to let their guard down, slowly relaxing and placing their hand in yours, letting you take it with a roll of their eyes, just trying to put on a face as always.)

“So, just Loop? No other details?” (Your question sends Loop into a thoughtful stare towards the ground, lost in it for a while as you both walk along. Several minutes pass before they finally look back up to you, ready to answer)

“... Just Loop.”

“You got it~.”

[azureblooet]

Ok loop nation, for another funny i think it would be really funny if Siffrin didn’t recognize Loop when they appear in a human form. Like their hair is longer and everyone else in the party is like “woah why is this sif twin here” their mouth is covered cause they keep smiling with only their eyes and they have the hat but with different clothes

Like they show up and

Loop: *in serious voice* “Hello Siffrin. It’s nice to see you again.”

Siffrin:*genuinely* “oh I’m sorry do know you?”

Loop: *now talking normally and pulls down scarf* “Are you shitting me Stardust?”

Siffrin: “WAIT LOOP?!”

Loop: “YES YOU IDIOT I HAVE YOUR HAT AND AM COVERED IN STARS WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE!?”

Also the more star imagery human loop has the funnier this is.

Put this in your fics it would be funny >:3c

[uwuinhell]

Saw this and was compelled to draw them as furries instead of it just being onesies...

Oops?

isat family in onesies / kigurumi :3

sif is a fox, mira is a deer, isa is a bear, odile is a crane, and bonnie is a frog!!

[basilpaste]

post-game loop!!

for... me, mostly, i think. do they look enough like themself? or even sif really? im not sure. but i like them well enough that im not too worried about it.

(design notes and an alt under the cut!)

okay. so. first off? they were originally gonna have a mouth. but i just... couldnt. i couldnt reckon with it. so they get no mouth. sorry, loop.

while they dont have a scar on their eye anymore, they have... something? there are 'freckles' that radiate out from their eye. unlike the rest of their person, these dark spots dont seem to radiate light.

the hat theyre wearing is sifs! this worlds sifs. siffrin doesnt need it anymore, after all. and theirs is... long gone.

speaking of the hat: its adorned with orchids. orchids are funeral flowers. they represent everlasting love and sympathy for the deceased. their friends no longer exist. they cannot, not in the way they once did. its a way to hold on to those people, but to let them go, too. the only way through is forward now, after all.

the core of their design was asymmetry. siffrin is actually very symmetrical as far as his design goes, so i wanted loop to throw all caution to the wind. a long white glove paired with a short black one, a cloak that drapes over one side, hair not sticking to an even length.

theyre actually wearing white tights. not that you can really tell unless you colour pick and see the very mild difference between their skin tone and the white of their clothes.

wears platform boots almost exclusively to be taller than sif. lmao.

[storyboard-sketch]

what happened when the two crossover groups had to say goodbye?

This has been sitting in my inbox for a while and.... now I had the energy to do this. While it's not enough to warrant posting on Ao3, you can have this little snippet. @anxiousapplepie

=========

"Hey! Look at that!" That call came from Mirabelle up ahead as she pointed out the spiral of strange colors through which a small town could be seen. "Looks like we found a way out of here!"

"Finally..." You heard Battle-dile sigh, looking relieved that an exit had been found.

"Wolf, what do you smell?" That came from your double, who had been calling you "Wolf" to keep the two of you separate. 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath in, taking in all the scents that came from the breeze blowing out of that portal. "....Flowers, bread, and....a sweet smell. But otherwise nothing big to note."

You opened your eyes, you knew that smell.... all small towns in Vaugarde used to smell like that during the time of the King's Curse. Time Craft. It was faint due to how slow the curse was....but it was there. This wasn't your exit. This....wasn't for your family. 

"Great, that means we can finally get back on the road properly." The Housemaiden beside you let out a relieved breath and he visibly relaxed slightly. "Let's go everyone, we have a country to save.

As the other team all started to make their way towards the exit, you glanced around at your family members. They all seemed to understand what you had said about what scents you had picked up except Owlbon who needed to be grabbed by Mira who shook her head. That was when Travel Mira noticed your team wasn't following.

"Wait, aren't you guys coming?" She stopped and turned to look back at all of you in confusion. 

"Sorry but....this isn't our stop." Sif responded, trying to hide his face under his hat. 

"What?!" Chef looked hurt and shocked as he turned around to properly face all of you. "Why not?!"

"Siffrin....we can't." You could hear the pain in Mira's voice as she responded simply.

It wasn't like you WANTED to leave them all. They were family as much as all of you were. The last two days had been so much fun! Living and traveling together, everyone learning so much about each other. But....it couldn't stay that way. You all knew that.

"It wouldnt be a good idea for all of us to come with you into your world." Rekishi explained when all of you were unable to find the words. "While I myself might be alright, the rest of our party are copies of all of you! We wouldn't want people going around asking about such a thing. Besides....you all are a year behind us timeline wise! We can't go having such paradoxes..."

"Shi's right." Bonbon agreed with the eldritch god, the young researcher frowning but...understanding. "It might cause a lot more problems..."

"But....But we don't KNOW that!" Traveler Mira was rather distressed at the idea of splitting the group now. "You guys are so strong! If we had your help...the King wouldn't stand a chance! And I'm SURE we can figure out something for Wolf and Vee! Please..."

"Mira..." Your double seemed to know she was upset but....he likely understood that you didn't have a choice. "It's not something any of us can risk."

She frowned even more at hearing his words, clenching her fists at her sides. Everyone looked upset in fact. Saying goodbye....was never easy... You...didn't want to say it. You raised a hand to your shoulder, tracing the seam where your Housemaiden double had helped you with patching your shirt. You didn't think you had anything you could give to them, nothing to let them know you'd see each other again like how Loop had promised Sif. You had one of Housemaiden's little Change God statues in your pocket, a little travel token. But...you didn't have anything you could give back....unless....

You reached in your pocket, you didn't carry much with you. But you had this, handy for quick patches when it had been new...but now.

"Housemaiden, catch." You tossed him the tiny object and saw him raise a hand to catch the little wooden spool. "It's not much but... it's something that won't cause a stir if anyone else sees it."

It was just a little empty wooden spool. The thread having been used up. There was no markings, no dents, nothing that would set it apart from any other wooden spool. And yet....it meant a lot to you. BOTH of you. You had used it up during this strange event to patch your shirt. It was simple and meaningless to anyone else....but for you, for him, it held the memories of this encounter. You hoped it would bring him some comfort... it couldn't be easy carrying the fate of a country on his shoulders. And with different criteria than what you had known...

"This is...." He was looking at it, seeming to understand.

A strange sound behind you made you spin on your heel, tossing a ball of Rock Craft at the Sadness that had come out of the forest. One of the bad things about this place was that it had gained the Sadness Swarms of Housemaiden's world. There was over a dozen of them creeping out from the trees now. 

"A Sadness Swarm!" You heard Travel Mira behind you gasp. 

"Go! We'll hold them off!" You called over your shoulder to the other group. 

"But--" Chef hesitated, you knew they were looking at the odds you all were faced with but... you glanced back to see the exit had shrunk.

"GO!!!" You heard Sif hiss desperately as you focused ahead. "The portal is CLOSING!!! You guys HAVE to go!"

"But those things are still coming!" Battle-dile had noticed the numbers. "You'll be overwelmed!"

"M'adame....I am sorry for this." You hear Mira say before you heard her familuar roar and felt the heat of a wall of fire behind you. 

The Sadnesses had noticed all of you and you saw Rekisi raise her hands to send out a wave of ice across the area. You charged ahead to smash any Sadnesses that had been frozen, it didn't get all of them but it got a lot of them. You raised your gaze to look at the other group  across the wall of fire that Mirabelle had put up. You locked eyes with your double who seemed....torn on what to do.

"GO!!!" You commanded, knowing this was hard. "You have a country to save! Don't worry about us! JUST GO!!!"

You saw his expression shift from a stunned state into pain and then he finally managed to tear himself away from watching the fight to turn back to his own team.

"You heard him!" He told his group, instructing them all towards the portal. "Let's go..."

You saw Travel Mira cast one last heartbroken gaze back at all of you before all of them vanished through the strange exit. They had barely reached the other side before it snapped closed. You felt the pain in your heart but couldn't allow yourself to cry. Turning back to the battle at hand, the Sadnesses were still coming.

"Never was one for 'goodbye'...." Odile commented as a sharp slice of Paper Craft carved right through a Rock Type Sadness like butter.

"These things don't quit!" Siffrin complained as he pulled his dagger out of one of the fallen creatures and then immediately focused on another.

"Well....good thing none of us die easily, right?" You cracked your knuckles and put on a smile. 

"CAN WE NOT TEST THAT PLEASE?!?" Squawked the owlbear cub beside you, claws pinning one of the smaller Sadnesses.

"Give it everything we've got!" You heard Mirabelle growl, her blade sweeping through a line of Sadnesses. "If that portal reopens! We hold the line here until it's our turn to go home!"

[amuseintime]

Shattering Realization (Pt 4/4)

Star Souls AU

Not the end of the AU, buuuut of this section of it :3c

Sif’s awake! This means everything is back to normal… right? Right? Of course, Odile doesn’t intend to just let it go that easily. Some things are answered, others are not.

Odile POV

<< PREV || FIRST

——————

Odile slept surprisingly well considering Boniface almost gave them a collective heart attack the evening before. The troublesome preteen apparently decided to sneak into Isabeau’s tent and snuggle up with Siffrin in such a way they could barely see them. If not for the fact that Mirabelle caught Siffrin moving slightly, they likely would’ve been out all night. While she would’ve appreciated their rogue at least attempting to signal them, it didn’t seem like he could very easily talk, and the sight of him stroking Boniface’s hair was admittedly enough to warm even her overly practical, often abrasive excuse for a heart.

Of course, even the best sleep and mostly finely crafted sleeping bag in the world would not prevent her back from hurting after another night of camping. A truly disconcerting number of clicks and pops filled the tent as she sat up, trying to ignore the twinge of pain. Nothing to be done for it except a stretch or two—battle-specialized healing craft only did so much for muscle aches and old bones.

Odile put on her day clothes and shuffled out of her tent with a container of tea leaves, the siren song of caffeine calling to her. Thankfully, it seemed all was more or less as normal in the little group. Mirabelle and Boniface were already up with a fire going, the preteen cooking some eggs. However, there was one thing both odd and relieving: Siffrin was also awake, helping feed twigs into the blaze.

“Good morning, young ones. Good to see you feeling better, Siffrin,” she said.

“Mm hmm. Same as ever!” Siffrin chirped. “Just needed a longer nap than usual, sorry about that.”

That was an understatement. “Siffrin. Being asleep for over a full day does not count as a long nap so much as a short coma.”

Mirabelle jolted in place. “Madame! Should- should we bring that up? I mean-“

“It’s fine?” Siffrin said. “I knew it was coming. So… what do you want to know?”

“Nothing that can’t wait until after we’ve all eaten and I’ve gotten caffeine in me.”

Boniface side-eyed Siffrin, scraping at the eggs with unnecessary aggression. “… ‘Cept Frin. You can’t actually eat, can you?”

Siffrin hid his face in the collar of his cloak, head tilted so his hat hid his eyes as well. “Not in the traditional sense, no…”

“…. So what? Have you just been throwing your portions out?”

“Of course not!” Siffrin said, shaking his head emphatically. “That’d be a waste! I’ve just been sneaking them onto other people’s plates.”

Mirabelle gasped. “So I’m NOT crazy! All those times I thought that the food wasn’t ending, that more just kept appearing, that was you?!”

“Um. Yes. Sorry?” Siffrin said.

Boniface sighed, “You don’t gotta humor me anymore. I guess I keep the same portions though, since everyone was eating your share anyways?”

“Oh. Yes, that’s fine,” Siffrin said.

Odile put on her tea, and Mirabelle went to wake up Isabeau as breakfast was done. Bonnie divided up scrambled eggs for everyone who could eat, but…

“Oh? Siffrin? Are you not hungry?” Isabeau said, earning a charged look from everyone. “Did I say something weird?”

“I don’t have a digestive system, don’t worry about it,” Siffrin said.

“Oh! Oh… right. I guess you wouldn’t,” Isabeau said.

Odile read a book for most of the rest of breakfast, but it didn’t sound old she was missing much of interest. It was abnormally quiet. Siffrin apparently decided to start cleaning up before everyone was even done, the mess mostly gone by the time Odile finished her plate. She sipped the last of her tea—strong and black, just as she liked it—and decided it was about time to address the elephant in the room.

“So, Siffrin, you aren’t human,” Odile said.

Mirabelle immediately started stammering, Boniface mumbling something with their arms crossed while Isabeau looked nervously at Siffrin. Siffrin, however, simply nodded. If she didn’t know that his face was crafted with naturally a neutral expression, she’d assume his current smile was literally painted on.

Of course, he didn’t say anything, and neither did anyone else, so seemed she’d have to take the lead here.

“So what are you then?”

Clearly he was some form of supernatural being, but that narrowed it down surprisingly little. Given how human he usually acted, it seemed most likely he was a ghost, but assumptions were dangerous. Besides, ghosts tended to haunt important areas of objects and usually had an agenda, a reason to linger, and to be blunt, Siffrin seemed fairly aimless. So presumably, he was a spirit of some sort, but that did virtually nothing to narrow it down. “A spirit” could encompass anything from the simplest Sadness to, arguably, gods. Of course, there was always a chance he was built into the doll that housed him, making him something artificial, and really it was going to be faster to ask.

“I don’t know,” Siffrin said.

Oh she could feel the migraine coming on. “… what.”

“I don’t remember really…?” Siffrin said. “I know I’ve been wandering around a while, but I don’t really remember why. I guess just because I don’t have anything better to do?”

Old suspicion flared up as she narrowed her eyes. Generally speaking, spirits didn’t just “forget” what they were, at least not any developed and/or human-like enough to have coherent thought.

“So… you aren’t a ghost?” Mirabelle said.

“Maybe…? But if I am, I’m kind of bad at this,” Siffrin said. His eyes slid between all of them as he pulled one leg into his chest. “Sorry, I’m sure this isn’t making me sound any less suspicious or weird, is it?”

“Not really, no,” Odile said. “But I suppose if you’re telling the truth, it’s not entirely unheard of…” She’d heard a few tales of amnesiac gods, of things great but either stupid or unfathomable, of spirits and beings who hid things for reasons. It was hard to tell what you were dealing with until it was too late. Pressing him too much was probably a bad idea. Better safe than sorry.

“You seem to know a lot about this, M’dame,” Isabeau said. “Is your field of research spiritology?”

“The word you’re looking for is Phasmology, and no, it’s not my field of research. Much of what I’m saying is more or less common knowledge in Ka Bue, though I’d argue that we’ve historically placed too much stock in the works of spirits and ghosts. Though I suppose it’s only natural. Much easier to blame something you don’t understand on an unknown spirit than try to find the science behind it. That said, I don’t think you know what a heated debate is until you bring up the Bright Death in a room full of Ka Buan historians. I got a rib cracked for that.”

“… huh.” Was all that Siffrin had to say. Taciturn as always, it seemed.

Mirabelle cleared her throat, speaking with the slow deliberation of someone holding something back. “So… Even if you don’t remember what you are, you’re aren’t flesh and blood either, are you?”

“Nope,” Siffrin said. “I’ll admit, I don’t know the name for this material, but…” He was grinning. Was grinning that grin. The grin that came before a particularly bad pun. He was even rubbing his hands together. “If you want a closer look, I can give you a hand with that!” And then he tossed his hand to Mira.

As in the whole thing.

It just. Popped off.

“SIF?!”

“OH CHANGE OH CHANGE OH CHANGE-“ Mirabelle shouted, hands fumbling with the detached limb until instinctively flinging it away.

Odile felt vaguely nauseous, and Boniface’s eyebrows were furrowed together. They came to hide behind Odile.

And Siffrin was laughing. Though as they all kept staring, he seemed to wilt in front of them. “Uh… too much? Sorry, I-I thought it’d break the ice…” He got up, awkwardly shuffling to where his gloved hand had landed and putting it back on with a pop, wiggling his fingers demonstratively. “See? Good as new! No harm done!”

“Sif. Siffrin. Buddy. Are- are you okay? That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Isabeau said, hand hovering in the air.

“It doesn’t. I’m designed to come apart, when I need to,” Siffrin said. He hesitated only slightly before pulling his cloak and sleeve up, exposing his elbow joint. “I actually, um, have to take myself apart sometimes. For cleaning.”

Mirabelle’s eyes were a bit too wide, but she kept her composure surprisingly well for someone who was screaming moments ago. “Is that… scary? I mean, you have to take yourself apart.”

“I mean, not really? It’s probably like taking a bath to you guys.”

Isabeau was staring intently at the exposed “skin” of Siffrin’s arm, face flushed. Gems alive, that man was head over heels, wasn’t he? Getting flustered from the slightest showing of not-skin.

Odile rolled her eyes, unable to deny the fondness in her heart for these four. “Like taking a bath… vulnerable and personal, especially with the element of limited movement, but I’d imagine that any fear would wear off, if it ever existed.”

“O-Oh! Yeah! That makes sense!” Isabeau said. “If, uh…”

“If…?” Siffrin said.

“Nevermind!”

Gems, these two. Get a room. Actually, they all should, preferably at an inn. They needed to get moving.

“Well, I’d be interested in seeing how all of this works, but we did get held up a day or two. We should get moving as soon as we can,” Odile said.

“Yes ma’am,” Siffrin said. He started pitching in, helping others pack. After all, everything he owned was conveniently kept on that one body and its many hidden pockets and apparent crevices. One day, if they beat the curse, she’d find them all. Not today though.

————

I prefer tea, but buy me a Kofi?

[claira-stars]

2 hat spoilers!!!

Loop is such a good charecter for so meny reasons. Espechally the two hat ending which is insanly cathartic.

I'm mostly looking at the symbolic interpolation of Loop and isat as a whole here. Isat has a LOT of really good symbolisum and stuff. The whole time loop consept is a really good allegory for mental spiral, repetitive thoughts, mental health issues, and grief. Siffrin's amnesia is another really good example, as it's a symbolic representation of loss, grief, and a longing for time you can never return to.

I also like the space motif for the island, idk how intentional this was but space and time are intrinsically linked so connecting the stars to time works perfectly, and the longing for a place you can never return to is also longing for a TIME you can never return to. I think nostalgia is a good word here. Because in real life nostalgia is often for a time or place that you look at through rose tinted glasses. Did it ever really exist the way you rember it?

But this post ain't about that, it's about loop~

So looking at loop literly their a previous version of Sif who went though The Horrors and was unable to escape on their own. They begged for aid only to be forced to help a diffrent version of themsef though tje same situation, and then when that version of themself gets free it hurts. Then they sorta beat the shit outta siffrin and vise versa and the whole thing ends in bitter sweet understanding. (I'm sorry siffrin, and thank you loop)

Textually this ending is unimaginably tragic (at least to me) because after giving everything Loop fades away. But looking at the symbolisum here it's... perfict.

Loop is literly a past version of siffrin who went though a similar tragedy. The ending is about accepting that the past has happened and that it's hurt. That it's ok to have been that person, and to have been hurt. That sometimes you look back and realize that it's not fair. It's not fair that you were able to get out--get help NOW when you drowned before.

It's about forgiving your past self for getting hurt. Becuas you do need to do that sometimes. It's about accepting the fact that you did learn from past it sucks but that vershion of you is still there and still helped you now.

Idk if that made any sense but ya know.

[ppenguinpperson]

"Isabeau picked Sif, Bonnie picked Frin.." Mirabelle jumps, horror dawning upon her. "I... I have no letters left!!!" Siffrin tilts their head, watching her like an amused cat. They stick their tongue out at her. Teasing..!! Even in these difficult times, they tease her!! She puffs out her cheeks, now determined to find a new nickname. She’s never taken a class on nicknames, but she's sure that if she tries hard enough, she'll come up with something...!!!

Mirabelle feels like Siffrin is a different person than they were this morning. They’re opening up, reaching out to everyone in their party. They even talked things out with Bonnie. Seeing them laughing together, like they did before Siffrin lost his eye, fills her heart with delight.

She doesn’t know why they’re acting like this out of nowhere, but she’s not going to pry. Despite the circumstances, this past day has been wonderful, her bond with her friends stronger than ever before. Though their journey through the House fills her with fear, she knows they’ve got her back.

After defeating another strong Sadness, the traveler leads you into a big, empty room. They declare it safe after a brief inspection. Bonnie calls for another snack time. You lay down your rapier, and sit in a circle with your friends.

---

It turns out that Siffrin handled things with Bonnie better than Mirabelle could have imagined. He probably wanted to talk to them now, in case the King… no. They’ll slay the King, save Vaguarde, and they’ll be okay. Bonnie’s determination could single handedly defeat him.

With their confidence boosted, everyone’s ready to tackle the last floor. Like he did after their last snack break, Siffrin checks in on everyone. When they get to her, a smile that you can’t help breaks out across her face. “Siffrin!” She says, joy seeping from your voice.

He blinks at you. Despite his newfound openness, she still can’t read his expressions.

She giggles. “Sorry, I just wanted to say your name.”

“Mira!” He replies, a smile now on his face. It doesn’t meet his eyes, but his smiles almost never do. Her heart still fills with warmth at the sight.

She giggles again. Feeling bold, she says, “Sif!”

“NO.”

She startles, tensing up. Eyes wide, she looks to Isabeau, who’s glaring at her. “Sif is MY Siffrin nickname, Mira. You HAVE to pick another one,” he crosses his arms, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I won’t budge on that.”

Mirabelle can only continue to stare at him in shock. What?? What?? Only his nickname?? That’s not how it works!! That’s- what about Mira?? What about Bonbon?? She can’t get her thoughts in order, so she’s grateful when Madame Odile interrupts with a frustrated groan.

“GEMS ALIVE, Isabeau.”

The fighter startles like a cat with bristled fur. He stammers for a moment, giving you a chance to collect your thoughts.

“What? B-but you and Siffrin share ‘Mira’!!” She squeezes her hands together. Next to her, Siffrin hides under their hat. “It’s not fair!!!”

Instead of stammering, Isa falls quiet for a moment. Then, he sighs, and the tension in his body dissipates. “That’s true.” In a second, he’s back to his usual cheerful self. “Alright, in the spirit of fairness, we can get joint custody on “Sif”, then!”

Though he’s smiling again, Mirabelle can’t shake her anxiety just yet. Even she can tell that this is important to Isabeau. He usually never gets upset, so for him to do so right now, even if only over a silly nickname… She’d rather not upset him further. She’d choose him over a nickname in a heartbeat.

“... You know, I think I’ll pick another nickname for Siffrin after all.”

She plays with the jingly things on her cloak, trying to think of a nickname for her friend. They’re still standing before her, unspeaking, observing her. She mutters to herself, considering her options. Can’t be “Sif”, Isabeau picked that one. Bonnie picked “Frin”, so… so…!

You jump. “I… I have no letters left…!”

Siffrin tilts their head, watching her like an amused cat. They stick their tongue out at her. Teasing..!! Even in these difficult times, they tease her!! She puffs out her cheeks, now determined to find a new nickname. She’s never taken a class on nicknames, but all of her friends have them, so… if she just studies those…

Bonnie calls Odile ‘Dile’, Siffrin ‘Frin’, and herself ‘Belle’. Looks like they just remove the first part of the name to get their nicknames. They already got ‘Frin’, though… maybe ‘Iffrin?’ ‘Rin’? No. It sucks. She’ll die before she gives them a sucky nickname.

Only for Isabeau they use ‘Za’, so.. ‘Ziffrin’? … if all else fails, she can use that. Oh, no, wait- would Bonnie take that as making fun of them?? Making fun of their nicknames?? No. She has to use something else.

Madame Odile doesn’t use nicknames. She calls everyone their full names, including Boniface.

Mirabelle’s not risking taking inspiration from Isabeau.

Siffrin uses ‘Mira’, ‘Isa’, ‘Bonnie’... Oh!! OH!!! ‘Bonnie’!!!

If all the letters are taken, why not add on more?? ‘Siffrinnie’?? ‘Siffrie’??? Wait, no!! You’ve got it!!!

“Siffie!” She grins. Siffrin, who has by now walked away from her, looks to her in surprise. “Siffie!! I’ll call you Siffie!!”

Their eyes widen. They quickly hide under their hat, a telltale sign that they’re hiding something. Loudly, Isabeau ‘Awww’s, and so does Odile, but quieter. Bonnie laughs.

“I told you that you could use ‘Sif’, Mira!! Why’d you go and make a cuter nickname?” Isabeau laments, placing a hand over his heart. “You’re making me look bad!”

She puffs up, proud to have created a cuter nickname than ‘Sif’. “You should have let me use yours when you had the chance. We’re at war now.” His laugh that follows is boisterous, filling up the room.

“Maybe I’ll start calling you ‘Siffie’ too.” Odile teases. Siffrin grumbles something unintelligible.

Mirabelle glares at Isa, pouting. “But of course. Everyone is allowed to call Siffie that.”

“Yeahhh!!” Bonnie grins, their eyes creasing into thin lines. “We’ll call you Siffie forever!!! No Frin, no Sif,” Isabeau winces, “No Siffrin!!! Only Siffie!!!”

The housemaiden giggles. “Only if they like it!” Despite the warm reception, Siffrin hasn’t said a word about what they feel. She intertwines her fingers and looks at them. “Do you?”

“... It’s fine.” Siffie says, still hiding under their hat.