#this siffrin just uses the time loop to torture others

[false-savior]

horrorfrin… idk

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Been thinking this a while but

You ever think about why the House and King in SASASAaP is so much worse than it is in ISaT?

Like, at first I put it down to just 'different timelines/different worlds' but the more I think about it, the more I've realized it is very much the same world and King and the difference specifically lies with the two game's respective Siffrins.

Why the House is so different: In Act 5 of ISaT when Sif 2.0 is running around losing his mind, the House very clearly warps around him. At first this seems to be just Sif's perception of events but when the friends come to rescue him, they bring up that the rooms were warped around, which means that Sif's Wish Craft doesn't just warp time but also space. Because ISaT Sif on some level didn't want the loops to end, the House grew longer, pathways stopped making sense, they were lead to every room of the house where they had any kind of precious memory with their family (but notably not the rock trap room) etc...

And clearly the same thing is happening to the House in SASASAaP, the difference is Loop/OG's mindset: They want to get through the house as fast as possible without 'distractions' like the very helpful Hidden Library they don't know exists but at the same time they dread the king (dread their friends dying over and over and over) so the path is short and free of bosses (including those 'Nostalgia' star crest Sadnesses), but full of time consuming and tricky puzzles to delay them -even just a bit longer- from what they see as the inevitable end. ...Also the path no longer requires the Keyknife and OG Sif gets outright angry at the Change Statue when the others pray at it so make of that what you will.

Ok, so the Houses are affected by Sif's mental state, but what about the King? The King is a totally different kettle of fish. He very much is not effected by the respective Sifs' Wish Craft but he can pick up on it. And well, how does he react in ISaT when he realizes Siffrin 2.0 is using Wish Craft?

... *Thinks about a hand, squeezing*

So yeah. My theory for why the King is so much worse, especially in the Perfect Route in Start Again is simple: Loop/OG Sif had been looping so long that their reek of Wish Craft's sweet smell was basically covering the whole party and the King, not knowing who to torture directly, responds by trying to kill them all especially horribly, especially on the 'Perfect' route where Sif likely continues hiding their looper status even as they are dying. ...Trying to mentally break them just as he tries to break Siffrin 2.0 in ISaT.

...Which is also why he doesn't auto kill everyone in the 'True' route - because that's the route Sif gives up pretending they're not a mess, meaning the King can identify that Sif is the Wish Crafter by the party's concern for them and their lack of reaction (much like the King did in ISaT), can see that Siffrin is already breaking, and thus being the 'merciful ruler' he is, decides to toy with them a bit, only going for the killing blow when he gets lower on health and starts getting concerned he might lose (which in turn means most of his attention in the fight was on the clearly not ok Sif, the party likely noticed and that's probably why Isabeau was able to jump in and block the King's fatal attack in time).

So um. YEAH. That's my thoughts on SASASAaP's King; he's the exact same as ISaT's King the only difference is that by the time OG Sif reached him the first time, they'd already looped a horrific amount of times and reeked so strong of Wish Craft that the King never even entertained the 'talk them down' facade and went straight for the kill/'torture them into submission' option every time.

Not sure these details matter too much really but I figure it might be helpful to all the Loop lovers out there making wonderful fanfics to consider (circumstances Odile can theorise about if Loop ever gives her enough hints to try, perhaps?) so... yeah. Hope my thoughts were interesting and would like to hear your thoughts on the stuff I didn't manage to figure out like the skill differences between the two parties, and various people frozen in the House having different pronouns and things (currently going with: Loop/OG Sif is not really listening to anything and is possibly misremembering details they don't care about for the later but the former is very much 'I know this is probably because refined mechanics but what if-?!' area for me and I'd love to see in-setting reasoning for it) <3

Edit: Realized I forgot to mention a thing: A sweet scent is never brought up in SASASAaP probably because that might've been a later addition to the plot but I like to think it's more because everyone in the prologue is just so used to it at this point that the party are putting it down to being part of the 'King altered' House while OG Siffrin is completely numb to it at this point, and the King's not interested in talking so... yeah. No one brings it up. ...Might also explain why Bonnie doesn't offer the Melanga fritters: the sweet scent could potentially alter the taste (and also they're not 100% sure Sif likes them) so instead they offer sweets like the candy and Palmiers that would be less effected, the burnt samosas which are 'already bad' and the fish head which probably tastes so strong that Bonnie's less worried about it's taste being masked. But that's just my spitballing for excuses so hope that's helpful for anyone wanting to use this info? XD

[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.

[moonshere]

Another day another ISAT live posting, some more thoughts and potential spoilers

Man man man where to even BEGIN! God this game gets more and more heart wrenching by the minute!!

to be clear, I’m currently at Act 3 I think? I tried to help everyone all at once so I did one full run with no skips to get all the info I needed, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what every else’s pov of Siffrin is like. At the moment my Siffrin is over lvl 60, so he managed to one-shot a lot of the enemies.

How does it look to everyone else? Your friend, the cheeky, pun-loving, trap and puzzle master. Who’s known more for their speed, killing enemies faster than anyone else. And while exploring they don’t look around, they just take the keys in the correct order and manage to choose the correct path every single time.

I noticed that some interactions you can make your friends notice that you’re acting suspiciously. So far I only got Odile to comment on it (and get interrupted rip) and Isabeau to say they will talk later about it. But I’m REALLY hoping there’s a way to get Siffrin’s friends to actually confront him before a loop end so he can actually freaking open up!!!

On that note, I know that I’ve only been talking about Siffrin (I can’t help myself ajdbhsbs they’re my absolute fav and consume my every thought!) I ADORE all the other characters too!!!

Mirabelle is soooooo freaking cute!! (I’ll be honest her character design is one of the reasons that made me want to play the game aidhisns) I’m so so so happy that she’s someone who’s aroace and adores romantic novels!!! There really isn’t that many aroace characters out there, especially one I relate to. But her!!!! It made me so happy!! I loved the scene between her and Siffrin (and that they’re ALSO ace and maybe alloromantic?? Demi??? I’m still unsure haha) their friendship means everything to me!! I also love the subtle way they confirmed she has anxiety! I’m kinda half wondering where she used to live before the House of Change considering how much she talked about how the headmaiden taught her everything

Odile is also so cool!! Finding out that she was only looking for half of her heritage, trying to find somewhere she belongs was something I did not expect but expands so much on her character. At first I thought she was just gonna be the Adult of the group, wise, knows what she’s doing, distant and Too Cool. But this was genuinely so good cuz it showed that Odile is just as unsure as everyone else. Hell, she and Siffrin turned out to have so much in common!! Finding a place to belong but finding nothing but yourself. I loved it so much!

little Bonnie!! They are so stinking cute I would absolutely die for them!! I like how- in a turn on how kids in video games are always put in incredibly dangerous situations and adults let them just cuz they are determined to help- Bonnie is always the one the group wants to protect the most. Even though they wanna help (and they do!! Their heals are lifesaving frfr) it’s always within the limit of their own safety. I also loved their hang out, the hug was so sweet!! Seriously, if anything happened to them I would cry

And lastly Isabeau!! He's so sweet!! i love how much he looks out for Siffrin! I’m not sure if it was a scripted event or that I managed to raise enough sus points for him to notice, but I love how when he noticed that Siffrin isn’t doing ok, he decided to postpone the confession just so he can properly focus later on Siffren’s own mental state! Also also! After looking at the romance novels once again, I almost screamed when Siffren said they were aware!!! They know that Isabeau likes them!! (And their self deprecating comment once again,,,,) Seriously, what torture it must be to see him almost confess over and over and fail everytime!! I definitely want to go back to the ending one more time to see if he ever manages to say it (but man is the king fight long,,,) His hang out was also sweet!! I think also a possible nod to what Siffrin’s home town is? If related to the stars?? But either way, the full on picnic afterwards was so cute!!

I just had to do a full run with them all together once again without any looping cuz Siffrin said so, all the new cutscenes with them together was just the sweetest!! The woodcutting one, the hair brushing, all of it is so soft!! the ending scene where they said they were a family just 🥹🥹🥹🥹 I can’t I can’t this game is too good!! I think the worst part of this though, is seeing Siffrin hoping, despite himself, that maybe, maybe, this time might be it. That all he needed was to be safe, to be happy, to be loved

And it still wasn’t enough

[fictionkinfessions]

the physical disability is getting to me lately, and it’s making me think of how i’ve struggled in the past too.

my eye (or, lack thereof) ached from time to time. actually, i think both did… do eyes overcompensate for each other if one goes missing? maybe it was just the migraines. they’re so… it’s not fun. the ache, the fact it makes me unable to think, to do anything. so disorienting, and the dizziness. the pain that spread throughout me. my body didn’t carry the scars through my loops, but my brain did, and at times i felt… ghost pains? of ways i’ve died, i guess?

deaths by scissors felt sharp, stabbing, so painful, but at least they were quick. deaths by paper were a mix of shallow lacerations that burned like citrus, and genuine burning. they were slower because i was strong against it, but… it still hurt, haha. and then deaths by rock. bruising, battery, blunt force, it felt like broken bones and even though those deaths were, by technicality, the fastest for me, they felt like eternity.

tears were quick, painless, an endless nightmare. the king… death from him was typically the worse. either excruciating and fast, or torturously drawn out. death by banana… haha, not to be grim, but dying fully of my own accord happened to be the painless of them all.

… i never did recover my ability to eat bananas or plantains. even after years.

there’s a lovely fanart of me using crutches! i adore it. i cannot use crutches in this life, neither would i have back then - personally, they wouldn’t be a good aid for me. but i love that it’s out there. me being disabled, like i was then and now, and being loved through it all.

my back hurts.

- siffrin #✂️✨, fun fact, i often type my name as ‘suffrin’, and, man… felt that tonight!

[memoryoflooping]

i started taking notes this play session bc i'm forgetter georg like siffrin. this shit is a mess, glad no one has to use these to play the game look at this shit

extra benefit is that i started writing down my reactions and observations to things bc i can't be assed to constantly liveblog i neef to charge that damn phone

gen notes- considering tutorial kid makes the same moves, i wonder if the saddnesses do too? for sure the status ones do i think?? rng targeting i think? saddness attacks seem random. unless its to do with the room they spawn in? but freezing in time from that one enemy seems so consistent?

story notes: loop 8 - odile won heads or tails this loop. interesting! should have long-thingy thing, but is the last one the bell? chain not compatible with pendant, so its probably the long thing SIF IS SUCH A DORK IN THE BATHROOM LOL "thank you for this gift" help, time loop torture hasn't set in yet huh KEYKNIFE? oh fuck yes the change god rules tped back… wonder if there's extra dialogue if i interact with the statue again? quick walk anyway swagever could probably loop back and go other ways if i end up looping back again also…? THERE WAS EXTRA DIALOGUE YIPPPEEE!!! we keep making fun of mira… so sad oh my god what the fuck is this thing, hello face saddness. i've had like 0 trouble with these bosses its probably fine OHHHHH NO . dear lord . multiple parts i see i see… alotta damage from the main one… but we should be good getting the paper hands down first will always make quick work bc of sif. shining life sounds good but i have never had anyone downed by a saddness lmao, ig they get harder from here? oh they noticed sif's breathing in and out, he's been doing that since before the loop started so they probably knew about this before ohhh my god mira… :-( i do wonder why she helped mira, did she know something everyone else didn't? sif is such a dork i have to pinch their cheek like a grandma awhhh, awhhhh bonnie made those fritters for sif… so cute oh my god the king is fucking huge???? sick as fuck design ?????? does sif rememember what? he's bad memory georg HE HAS SO MUCH HEALTH??? UH OH oh my god he one shot us. its so over loop 9 - HWTA?? oh my god the items disappearing is so scary what??? i forgot the give her the letter last loop and mira has a headache now loop "sometimes" wants everything frozen in time? secret library?????? oh my god you CAN give the flower to loop? i wasn't sure. please . NOOOOOO WHAT the blind man's house password was change and i forgot to ever check helppppp. well i guess i have the long thingy thing hmmm ok i guess i'm going to floor 1 and then exploding after using a star crest in the wrong area loop 10 - change god statues mission… go!!! odile won the coin flip again oh my god i literally remember checking that wall in the library. i love timeloops odile curious about something ? oh the no color is diegetic. awesome oh i can just go fight the bitch huh