#isat ocs

[velociraptortrick]

I am a very serious person that makes very serious art of my very serious ocs with very serious backstories

[blingblandart]

siffrin's mom said it's my turn to make oc parents for him

[ohwormwood]

THE STAR [XVII]

i finally got around to making celest's special attack cut in!!!!!!! im really happy with it!!! even if the arm gave me a LOT OF TROUBLE!!!

-

[rose-petal123]

Sup gamers I'm participating in art fight again

I'm on team Crystals >:)

[dasnercaret]

isat OCs rpg meme

AT LAST! IT'S DONE . PLEASE ENJOY AN RPG MEME OF ME AND MY FRIENDS' ISAT OCS

@ohwormwood @scramblecat @aquakirb <- co-creators of the other ocs and this au as a whole :)

[vulpixisananimal]

(Mirabelle)

"Stop it!!" (You scream.) "Both of you!! They, S-sif you'll, you'll-"

(They both ignore you. You could see Siffrin, Null? Getting, more and more exhausted with each step. They look, almost dead to the world! You couldn't help but grip your rapier.)

"Perhaps we should tell them to stop." (You wince, Merlon was standing a few feet away, closer to you. Did they circle around while you were focused? Her voice was quieter.) "I fear your friend might have gone too far."

"Now you think it's too far?!?" (You're, you're overwhelmed, you were afraid, nervous, angry, hopeful; but you had to focus.) "Aren't you even a little just, just, sorry?!?"

"A smidge," (they reply flatly.) "It would be a shame for such a hero to die before we find out how he turns back time."

(But even though he looked obviously weak and beaten, Perci didn't let up.) "I'd call it cheating. . ." (His swords dances, like they know just where to be no matter what Siffrin did.) "but it looks like you're only hurting yourself."

(You feel numb, you might cut yourself with how tightly you hold your rapier.)

". . . He gets, excited." (Merlon comments again. They're still writing things down.) "Or Dramatic, take your pick. I'll talk to him about it again once we're done here."

"That's a real help." (You respond, a hint of malice in your voice.) "If you really wanted to help then-!

(You see Siffrin, Nulls dagger go flying.)

(You inhale sharply. Null steps back. Standing for a moment, then collapsed to his knees. He looks, exhausted.)

"SIFFRIN!!!" (You take a step forward, Melon raises a hand, stopping you for a moment.)

(Perci crouches down, looking into their face. He turns back to you.) "Not dead, I'm sure of it. And as you can see, I barely laid a scratch on him!"

"Now now, (Merlon shakes their head.) "While that's true, look at them. He may not be dead, but he might wish he was."

"Leave them alone!!" (Is he okay?!? How many times did he loop?!? What was he thinking why didn't he just go back to get more help first!!!) "They've gone through enough!!"

"True, then, in that case a deal is a deal." (Perci stretches his hands, looking back at- W-wait!)

"NO!!!!!" (You push past Merlons hand, drawing your rapier and lunging at Perci. He moves back just in time that your blade only catches his shirt. You place yourself firmly between your friends body and your enemy. Your body feels numb, but you stood your ground. You had to make sure Null was okay!! A-and, make sure that-)

"We had a deal!" (Perci looks annoyed.) "Come now, lady Mirabelle, that's not very housemaidenly of you!"

"Deals change." (You scowled as hard as you could. If he wanted to hurt your friend then crab to his deals!!!) "I'm not going to sit by and let you hurt them!!"

"Of course you aren't." (He huffed, readying his swords.) "Lady Mirabelle, you have one more chance to step aside, I've been polite so far but that, too, can change."

"You can read my mind, can't you?" (You take a stance, ready to fight. If you can read my mind, then you should know that change is exactly what I strive for!)

(You had no plan, you lunge at Perci, letting your instincts take controll. He blocked, parried, step, pause, what that a rustle in the bushes?!? You step back, swipe- birds, just birds. Calm your nerves, Mirabelle!!)

"Perci!" (Merlon exclaimed, oh! You sliced him on the face.) "I'll-"

"No! My love no need to strain yourself, I'm fine." (He came at you again, what was he going to do?!? Slice with both?!? You had move! Move and dance back, footwork! And, and- you block, parry, good! You felt excitment in your veins, you reveled in it.)

(He dove in again! Oh Change how long was he going to keep this up!?! You had to just, keep moving! You had to, get back, get help or- is Bonnie okay?!? Ramos okay?!?! What if something bad happened while you're here!!)

(Step, step, block. You were too busy with Perci to properly use your crafts! Scissors? You couldn't do anything! Even Siffrin could use some rock craft- No! You, had to keep a bottle on that, self-loathing for, f-for later. Just, keep surviving! Take your time and-)

(You let out a yelp as you felt metal nip your arm. You glance, blood. He was good, you were good, but he was using two swords! Of course he could beat you he's using two!! You only have your rapier, and Null had a DAGGER.)

(He came at you again, block and- ouch, another cut, could you keep up?!? You're the swordswoman of the group! You could keep up, right? Just keep trying, ignore that other nip, and another. Cuts, it hurts but just focus!)

(You slash Perci on the hand, he drops one of his swords, glances at you, hesitates, tries picking it up and winces. Wounded? You were getting somewhere! He sheethes that sword and readys just the one. Sweat and rain ran down your skin.)

"You're very talented, I'll give you that." (He was panting, Glaring at you. You kept on your toes, just in case he lunged.)

"You're, not too bad, yourself!" (You said it with as much venom as you could inject into a compliment.)

"Why, thank you." (He smiles, genuinely this time, then looked away, sad? Angry? Annoyed?) ". . . I don't want to hurt you, Lady Mirabelle."

"If you're trying to give me another chance to stand down, don't bother!" (Where was your confidence coming from? You were SURGING with determination, strength, anger, passion, trust, fear, euphoria, doubt. So many at once.)

(You looked down at Null, collapsed on the ground, he was passed out. They, they were your friend. Your family. Your, your feelings buddy. . . They'll, they'll be okay, right?)

"I was afraid you would say that." (He sighed, there's another sound from the bushes.) "And there's no way I can convince you otherwise?"

"No!" (You grip your sword tighter.) "I won't ever let someone hurt my friends!! And I would never ever let someone force their way into their minds!!!"

(You felt the rain on your skin, you felt a bead of sweat on your head, and you felt, felt, a tear run down your cheek. Tears, multiple tears.)

"But even if it could-"

"Shut up!" (You interupt. You felt the waves wash over you. You were drowning. You couldn't repress it. You couldn't hold it.)

(You felt ice cold. Your chest felt tight, and yet, you continue on.) "My friends mind isn't some plaything! And what he feels about his home, it should be his decision if he wants to be involved in your, y-your stupid crabbing research!!!"

(Perci was taken aback, but you continue.) "I don't want to hear you talk! I don't want to hear your excuses! I don't want to hear how you think this is Change, or how it's doing those forgotten people a favor!! Someones mind, emotions, self, it's private!!!"

(The betrayed feeling you bottled up when things were taken without asking. The sadness of failing that you couldn't show. The extreme joy of a nice gift you felt you had to repress. Bottled up inside, untill you die.)

(You wouldn't keep it bottled any longer, no! You made a promise as well, and you wouldn't keep those feelings bottled untill you die! And you wouldn't wallow in despair untill you die either!)

(You were taught that by two islanders. One, your closest friend, and the other, your hated enemy. Bottling their emotions and embracing them untill they were consumed. You ready your rapier. You made a promise.)

(You'll continue to fight.)

". . . Fine." (Perci sighs, defeated. He holds a scissors sign up.) "I'm sorry, Lady Mirabelle, you wont remember a thing, dont worry."

(He's about to use mind craft, you know it. Some strong charm, maybe something you couldn't beat, and, a-and that scared you, but.)

(He sends a blast of craft energy at you.)

(You stood your ground. You'll continue to fight, and you'll do it scared.)

(In a flash, that strange sadness was between you and Perci. It's hands were clasped together in a form that, that. . .)

(That's. . . That's your skill. That's your skill. Adorable Moving Shield, but, strongr! Holy Care Shield! The invulnerability shield you could never DREAM of learning how to craft- That's why it was randomly invincible!! It was using!! Your!! Skill!!!!)

(Perci stared at you, stared at the sadness. He was, for once, at a lost for words. It was only when the sadness dashed at Perci did he snap back to reality and start fighting for his life.)

"Perci!! I can-" (Merlon starts again.)

"I'm- Fine!!" (Perci did not sound fine. It sounded like he was running a marathon.) "Don't, you dare, Mimi."

(You were entranced by the sadness and how it moved. Now that you weren't fighting it, you recognised its movements because it's how you moved. It had your change symbol. It had your hair, your, your-)

"MIRABELLE!!!"

(You knew that voice, you turn, Ramos and Bonnie were running down the road to you. You smile, thank Change they came to help.)

(The sadness jumped back from Perci and growled. Perci looked winded, worried. He looked to you.) "I-Is, is it yours?!?"

"I-I, I don't know-" (The sadness rushed in again. Perci stepping back trying not to get sliced in two by its sharp claws.)

"CICI, PLEASE!!" (You heared Merlon scream. She was gripping her book tight, fear on their face.)

"I'm, I-I'm fine! I can't, can't risk--"

(He was cut off by a scream from the sadness. It looked at him dead in the eyes. And a moment later, he was frozen in time.)

"NO!"

(You felt a powerful blast of energy wash over you like a firestorm. You blink only for a second, but suddenly the sadness was between you and the storm. You glanced back, Ramos had scooped Bonnie up and was shielding them with their body.)

(When the scene cleared, Merlon was standing in front of Perci's frozen body. Her hands crackled with energy that looked like, light. You got a headache.)

(You smelled sugar. You smelled it stronger than you ever had before.)

(The sadness rushed at them and swiped. Merlon held a hand up and it looked like light itself stopped the sadness in its tracks. That didn't stop it, it was attacking relentlessly.)

"Change. . ." (You mutter, before readying your rapier again.)

"I-I. ." (Ramos' voice, they and Bonnie had finally caught up.) "I know them, where do I-"

"Ramos? You, joined the, saviors?" (Merlon was panting between each breath. She was focused on making those panels of light.) "That, that doesn't matter! L-lady Mirabelle-"

"Stop talking!!!" (Bonnie yells back, they were brandishing their frying pan like a strong little warrior.) "Just stop talking!!! You hurt 'Frin!!! And 'Belle!!

"I-I'm sorry, just, please-"

"It was you!" (Ramos gripped their tonfas.) "You're the one who, who-"

"Please! Just unfreeze him, Housemaiden!!"

(You hesitate at their voice. You knew that tone, desperation, devotion, it was a similar tone Isabeau had when Siffrin passed out for a week.)

"Undo the mind craft." (You respond.) "Release my friends and everyone here, a-and I'll unfreeze him."

"What!?!"

"'B-Belle???"

"Done." (They reached their hand into a pocket and pulled out a star charm. She threw it out, the sadness pounced on it and stabbed, stabbed, and stabbed over and over again.) "A backup in case we had to leave. I-I, I don't know how to prove my intent, apart from that."

". . ." (They could be lying to you. You had your doubts, your fears. However, between her and Perci, she had been the more honest and straight forward.) "Fine."

(You storm up to the frozen antagonist, breathe in, and out. You clap, and in wink, he was moving again. Gasping, glancing between you all.)

"I-I, did it, just-" (He started.)

(Merlon grabbed his arm and held him close. She looked at you. Her eyes were. . . Hard to read.) "Thank you, Housemaiden. We're leaving."

(Before anyone could protest, including Perci, Merlon snapped her fingers, and in a flash of light, they dissapeared.)

". . . . . . . . ."

". . . . . . . . ."

". . . . . . . . What the CRAB?!?"

(Your mouth felt numb. A-actually, your whole body was numb.)

"H-how, how did they, how did they do that?!?" (Ramos was looking dumbstruck and where the duo had dissapeared.) "What, what kinda craft was. . ."

"What's th'sadness doing?" (Bonnie tugged on your skirt- THE SADNESS!!!)

(You turn, the sadness was still stabbing at what little remained of the star charm. Why wasn't it attacking? You all stared at it before you turned back to Ramos and Bonnie.) "I-I'll, deal with it. Go help Siffrin, t-they looped far too much and passed out."

"Stupid crabface." (Bonnie mumbled, before stomping over to Siffrin.)

". . ." (Ramos look away for a moment.) ". . . That, that was them, right? The two who. . ."

(You nod.) "It was. You're okay, Ramos."

(Ramos looks at you, smiling a little, before going to help Siffrin.)

(You turn back to the sadness.)

("When ones emotions and craft skills are strong enough, a sadness is created from their emotions alone." "Those who are frozen in time spawned their own, strong, Bonded Sadness. If you defeat them, the powerful craft and emotional energy will rebound on who created it." "we were able to beat the sadness, but then. . . I don't remember, but something bad happened.")

(You were bound to this sadness, weren't you. You don't know how, you don't know why, but, you knew this was your sadness. You stepped forward, slowly. This was your emotions made form, wasn't it.)

(The sadness looked up at you. Stared at you. You felt a wave of emtions, you felt numb, yet, cold. You stood your ground.)

". . . . . . . . . . . H-hello-"

(The sadness tilted its head to the side, staring at you. Its gaze was cold and inquisitive. It was, testing you.)

". . . . . . . You're, me, aren't you."

{. . . . .}

(In a blurr, the sadness was in your face. Hands on the side of your head, staring at you with that uncovered, crying eye.)

{I CAN'T WAIT TO NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN.}

(The words sent shivers through your mind. You couldn't move, you couldn't think, that, that was your voice, wasn't it.)

"Do you want to kill me?"

{MAYBE.}{MAYBE YOU WON'T EVEN COME BACK TONIGHT.}{AND MAYBE YOU'LL STAY HERE. SMILING. SAYING IT'S OKAY. UNTILL. YOU. DIE.}

(The cold, creeping feeling was digging into your heart.) "But it's not okay."

{IT NEVER WAS.}

{IT NEVER WILL BE AGAIN.}

{IF ONLY YOU TALKED. IF ONLY YOU LET YOUR ROGUE KNOW YOUR WISH. IF ONLY YOU HAD EVER CONSIDERED MAKING YOURSELF MORE THAN JUST AN ICON.}

{THE CHANGE GODS FAVORITE DRESS UP DOLL.}

(. . . . . . .)

{YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO CHANGE.}

{YOU MET CHANGE THEMSELF. AND YET YOU DON'T CHANGE.}

"I Change in the way that's right!"

{. . .}

(You voice was stunned. You needed to keep talking.) "Change is what I strive for! A-and yes, some things I can't Change, but not all Changes are good!!"

{YOU LOATH CHANGE, DON'T YOU.}

(. . .)

{YOU WANT TO RIP THOSE EARINGS OUT, TO LEAVE BLOODY HOLES WHERE TRADITION WOULD BE. YOU WANT TO TEAR OFF THE SYMBOL OF CHANGE, STAYING STAGNANT AND DEAD.}

(You reach your hands up, and put them to the side of your sadness face. You close your eyes.)

"I'm going to accept it."

{. . .}

". . . I know there's parts of me that will never change, and if that makes me a failure, I'll accept it."

(You breathe in, and out.)

"I'll accept it."

(You opened your eyes, the sadness was gone. You felt, exhausted. Tired.)

"Mira!!!"

"'Belle!!!"

(You turned to Ramos and Bonnie. Siffrin was slumped over Ramos' shoulders. Bonnie looked like they were ready to jump at the sadness that was no longer there. You smile at them.)

"I-Is siffrin okay?"

"I- Yeah they're okay but." (Ramos looked jumpy.) "A-are, are you?"

"I, not, really. I feel, very tired." (You wipe your tears away with your arm- oh, you're holding something?)

(You open your hand. There's a small stone. It looks like, frozen water. You could see the liquid moving under a hard surface.)

[. . . . . Mirabelle got the FROZEN CHARM.]

"Hey." (Bonnie was tugging on your arm.) "Lets go. You're tired, 'Frins tired. I'll make snacks, ok?"

"O-okay, Bonnie." (You smile and stand up, joining Bonnie and Ramos, and walk back.)

(. . . It had been a long day.)

[. . . . Mirabelle re-learned the skill HOLY CARE SHIELD.]

[. . . . Mirabelle also got a MEMORY OF FEELINGS.]

[When equipped, Memory of Feelings replaces "Holy Care Shield" with "Soothing Restful Song," an amazingly strong skill that freezes one opponent in time. However, it has an enormous craft cooldown.]

[9hexcodes]

an isat ocs attack i did for this art fight (since my page is currently isat rn) left to right: Nova - @iashiaya Jazz Reed - @twinleafsystem Sunder - @briarbale Estelle - @leoweooo if you wanna go on an attack me.... https://artfight.net/~9hexcodes i dont bite......

[spadem00n]

It just occurred to me I haven't posted about my ISAT OC's in, a hot minute? And since it's close to the date when I first finished In Stars and Time, I thought I'd post at least some of the art I've drawn over the year.

- Oh... huh not sure who that first person is. Could be anyone who knows. - Madame Carina (she/her) , or just Rina to Vela was an old librarian and translator living somewhere on the Northwest Coast of Vaugarde. Most people remembered her for translation on famous books & stories, even thought some were about those weird star things? Huh. Very grandmotherly if a bit spacey. Some people even called her a old wise witch as a joke but she didn't mind. There were rumors that she had a wife before but that can't be... right? - Cassandra (she/xe) , also known by her nickname Cassi was Vela's best (and only) friend growing up. Growing up with a lot of brothers kind of made Cassi very loud and blunt, to put it mildly. Wasn't a big fan with her peers, so that's probably why she gravitated towards Vel was was also kind of an outsider. She moved to Poteria when she and Vel were teens, and since then she has blossomed to a very active Housemaiden there. Hasn't kept in touch with them ever since they started traveling + the King's Curse - And of course, Vela (she/they), my little Vellie, my blorbo. My optional party member OC that i'm very normal about trust. But also potential friend to a certain starry astral being after the King's Curse has ended. Too many thoughts to put in one post but yes I love them dearly.

I have way more stuff under the read more because there is a LOT and only a fraction of the art I've made for them in a the year alone. So I'll just put a few of them under the Read More!

What's a good optional party OC without some battle portraits? Plus a couple of redraws in there.

A ton of art practice because sometimes you gotta draw a guy 100 times as drawing practice. (+ bonus siffrin in the third pic)

And have this unfinished WIP that means nothing surely :)

[springsketches]

Mandy. I’m really really excited for this next piece (& the one after it.) I decided to stray away from the usual ISAT style for this piece because it felt fitting. I based this piece off of a song I heard lately where the ending felt very fitting for Mandy & the King. I’m excited to show it to y’all when I’m done!

[starsabovee]

HELLO HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE @moons-among-distant-stars I COMR WITH A PRESENT.

OTC/DEISY RAMBLING!

im not warning for spoilers because im too tired to do that LMAOO but im putting most of this under the read more

So i saw one of ur reblogs to my reblog of ur reblog (a lot of reblog there) and i was like. Im gonna ramble again!! Mostly ab Sif’s wings!! So ya!!

No, Siffrin does not like his wings. They view them as a burden, as he can’t use them to fly, glide, or anything, and for other reasons. One of those being the fact that it’s a connection to the King, as he has wings too. But, it’s also not just with the fact that they’re just there, no, it’s also appearance wise. Their wings have shades suspiciously close to the shades the King’s wings once were before he was frozen in time. I WONDER WHY!! bats my eyes at you aggressively

Siffrin has trust problems when it comes to his wings, too. He’s so ashamed of them that he doesn’t let anyone outside his family see them, and even then that’s iffy on some days. Only a select few can even touch their wings without asking, those people being Isabeau, Loop, Colette, Léonce and Lucien.

Due to this hatred for his wings, Siffrin hardly takes care of them on some days. The only reason he does on most days is because Odile told him to, and Siffrin’s a sheep most of the time, not a shepherd (ouch, sorry Siffrin… LMAO). And when they don’t want to, then Léonce and/or Loop help him with it.

Sure, Isabeau thinks Siffrin’s wings are very cute, and yeah, it helps a little, but it doesn’t fix Siffrin’s insecurity and loathing of them. Siffrin’s self-hatred runs very deep, but, if you want a good side, it doesn’t run so deep that Siffrin would consider getting rid of them. That’d be severing one of the last links he has to his home, and that’s the last thing they want to do.

A. TIME FOR FLUFF!! Grabs you by the shoulders. Since Siffrin has wings, that means that normal clothing… really wouldn’t work for him. Before the events of IBaS,iTaT!ISAT, Siffrin stuck with cutting wing holes into his shirts, but after the loops, Isabeau began helping Siffrin with that, so now, most of Siffrin’s shirts and such are made by Isabeau. Isabeau has offered to do the same for Loop but Loop very quickly denied it and said they’re fine and they don’t need anything when they can steal from Siffrin. Which… is true. They do that sometimes LMAO.

Im giving you more fluff to balance out the angst. I did some thinking a few days ago and decided THIS!!!: Siffrin washed up in Vaugarde at 16 and Léonce found him (already canon) - they very very likely legally adopted him (translation: she did) since he was a child at the time and yk that child needed a guardian, (and fuck, sometimes he still does have you SEEN the stuff he gets into sometimes?) and well, they stuck to her like glue. Léonce’s last name is Aveline, and by proxy, that became Siffrin’s last name. So, technically, Siffrin does have a last name, which is Aveline. I really need to write a scene where Léonce full-names Siffrin in a tone of an annoyed mom 💀 (“SIFFRIN AVELINE.” LMAOO)

Due to the loops, Siffrin totally forgot about this until he went to Kaia with the party. Then he remembered. He has yet to even bring it up with the rest of the group but Odile has pieced things together based on observations of how Léonce treats Siffrin god awfully like a child of her own… so has Isabeau… but the others remain unknowing LOL

OKAY END OF YAP. IF U HAVE ANY QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THIS AU PLS PLS PLS ASK ME I WANT TO YAP MORE.

[localhypnoarts]

Hold hands......... Affectionately.........

[prism-empurress]

My ISAT OCs!! Chibified. with basic info on them. Had this wip for FOREVER and I finally finished it.

[blingblandart]

i always think ab siffrin's parents out there.... what if they could tell smth was missing :'(

transcript below

Bragi: hey! whatcha thinking about?

sága: ... heh, you won't believe it, but i've forgotten again

bragi: aww!

[ohwormwood]

(repost; had to block out some spoilers :} )

ive had this lying around for a bit and kinda. forgot to post it. celest ref! one im happy with this time!!!

black and white ver. below!

[dasnercaret]

some misc thoughts on ka bue worldbuilding! specifically relating to expressions

more thoughts under the cut!

my main concept for the Expressions as a whole revolves around names. essentially, an Expression can only exist with a literal expression of their Name somewhere in the world - their name being some sort of singular symbol / kanji / radical that represents their form, function, and essentially being. the first physical form of their name is their anchor (Expressions can change anchors though), and the more permanent the anchor is, the more powerful the Expression is. however, the more offerings - aka, further expressions of their Name an Expression recieves, the more powerful they become on top of their preexisting power from the permanence of their anchor. i imagine there's an entire scholarly split in ka bue revolving around whether One Big Elaborate Naming is more powerful or many smaller repetitive names is. for the most part though they both have about the same effect, which is why you see both shinto-style paper prayers attached to the pillars of the little shrine and a significant amount of more elaborate Offerings piled up around the anchor to the Expression.

- bonus thought here about little kids learning to Craft stone into geometric shapes as being the equivalent of vaugardians learning to craft clay into moving change god figurines! ka bue is pretty clearly Against / neutral to change and movement especially compared to Transgender Heaven Vaugarde, so i thought this was apt - there is also something here about the open-plan nature of the temple (wind can move freely through it, and people can visit and leave as they please) but i don't quite have enough thought here to fulfill it fully in worldbuilding. so i will leave the thought here for someone else to hopefully pick up - similar to shintoism, i imagine there are a lot of expressions dedicated to unique locations and places. for example, there are a lot of local Expressions (this one is one of them) that are specifically tasked with guarding a certain rural village or blessing a certain graveyard. the bigger and more popular expressions (victory, search, protection, luck, etc) are invoked much more often and by extension have far more elaborate temples though, probably located centrally in major cities. - bonus thought that i haven't really explored here about a bunch of the most famous temples being underground caves, due to the gem connections. - these temples would also probably have the expression names carved into them, similar to arabic architecture (see the alhambra's carvings) carving the name of god in stone into their walls. which btw i still think is one of the coolest things humans have done i LOVE spanish and arabian architecture

- some bonus thoughts about gems! i mainly conceptualized them in the doodles as being primarily anchors for expressions (metal and gems are prime expression worship material due to their permanence meaning that you can permanently express the Expression) but i also had a thought while typing up this tumblr post that maybe entire family trees could be represented this way as physical metal-and-gem trees, since odile mentions that people are commonly turned into gems. - bonus thought here regarding odile's "gems alive" swear - if gems are the remains of passed ancestors, not only is she swearing by her / other ancestors (which is very distinctly east asian) but also saying something along the lines of 'the dead are coming back to life because of how insane this is'. which i thought was funny - one final scribble regarding prayer flags! i imagine the paper prayers people write to Expressions as filling a very similar niche as shinto ofuda/shide and buddhist prayer flags, that is small throwaway prayers that gain power when accumulated in large amounts. and more importantly they look cool as hell - i don't know how common prayer trees would be (in my research shintoism commonly worships trees, and china also often venerates especially old trees (there are trees in beijing that are supposedly over 1000 years old, and some that are confirmed over 800 years old) so i think ka bue might do the same? maybe??? trees aren't really permanent though which is kind of more what i was going for in my head regarding their cultural beliefs. you can cut down a tree but you can't easily destroy a gem

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:4 C:68]

(Ramos)

“Wh, what is. . ." "Ramos!?!"

(You were. . . You’re in the greenhouse.)

 "Look out, everyone!"

(This. . .  Moment. You remember, remember. . .)

"Loop please!!! We can handle it, please! Just go rest!" 

(You can’t move. Vines of mint entangled your legs, arms, body. You could hear, you could hear them, your, friends-)

"I'm fine! I, I can't leave you guys to, to do this alone."

(You, you just wanted to be strong. You just wanted to be strong. You, just. . . There’s water filling the green house.)

(Black, inky water.)

"We might not have that luxury. If we . . . figure  . . . . . op them . . . then. . ."

(Fading, you can hear them, fading. FADING!! No, no no no!!! You can barely hear them now, the water, the ink, the void it, it’s flooding in, up to your ankles, no, your KNEES now!!! You struggle against the mint. No, no no NO!!!)

". . .ine! B. . . . . .er fo. . . . .ste. . . ."

(You can barely hear them!!! Please, PLEASE NO NOT THIS!!!!)

{WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE.}

(What, w-who was--)

(A tendril of that void rose from the ink and grabbed you by the shoulder, pulling you down to a knee. Water rising, mint not, letting, go! You, you-)

{WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE. YOU. ARE. NOTHING. TO. THEM.}

(N-nonono!! NO!!!)

{YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE. ISABEAU THINKS YOU ARE WORTHLESS. ISABEAU IS JUDGING YOU. YOU ARE HOLDING. HIM. DOWN.}

(Another tendril bursts from the water and drags your head closer to the water, it’s, inches away. You’re panicking, breathing faster. No no no no no stop talking, STOP TALKING!!! You, y-you need to, go, help--)

{YOU DIDN’T HELP, LIKE ALL THE OTHERS. YOU LET ISABEAU GO OFF ALONE AND NOW HE’S LEFT YOU ALONE, AGAIN. AND NOW YOU’VE RUINED. THEIR. LIVES.}

(You see a ripple in the water, and take a breath just in time for the void to surge upward, engulfing you in the chilling waters.)

{YOU’RE NOTHING. NOTHING. WILL ALWAYS BE. A. NOTHING.}

(You couldn’t see or hear anything through the water, it was cold, it was icy cold and thick as blood! It grasped at you, clung to you, squeezed you, begging you to give in! You, y-you don’t want to give in!!! You, y-you-)

{WHY DENY IT? LET GO. LET YOUR BODY SINK. ACCEPT IT. NOTHING, AND, NOBODY.}

(You, y-you can’t see a face but, the void it’s, it’s looking at you. You KNOW it’s looking at you! You feel it all around you, cold, gripping, clawing at you you, you, don’t. Want. To--)

{LET GO.}

(N-no--)

{LET. GO.}

(N-no! I won’t!!)

{LET!!! GO!!!}

(JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!!!!!)

(SO WHAT!!! WHAT IF I’M NOTHING!!! WHAT IF I'LL ALWAYS BE NOTHING AND NOBODY!!! SO WHAT IF I STAY AS USELESS LITTLE RAMOS WHO COULDN’T DO A SINGLE THING RIGHT!!! WELL I DON'T CARE!!! I DON'T CRABBING CARE!!!!)

(You open your mouth and let the air out of your lungs.)

(I’LL DO WHAT I ALWAYS DO!! MY STUPID! CRABBING! BEST!!! AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH?!? THEN I’LL DIE!!! I’LL DIE HAPPY KNOWING I AT LEAST TRIED TO DO SOMETHING WITH MY LIFE!!!)

(The greenhouse is fading away. The memory is getting darker.)

(SO GO ON!!! DROWN ME!!! DROWN ME ALREADY, JUST DRON ME!!! KILL ME!!! YOU CAN’T KILL ME IN ANY WAY THAT MATTERS SO JUST DROWN ME!!! DO IT!!! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!!!)

{. . . . . .}

(The mint vines snap.)

(. . . . . . This was. . . Where the, the memory ended.)

(After this you turned back into a human, Loop fainted, and. . . You were. . . Welcomed in. . . ?)

(You’re floating in that void. . . Who, who, are you again? You’re. . . You know you’re, someone, and you, were. . . You were. . .)

(You feel something, grabbing, at you. You feel someone calling to you. . . It sounds. . . nice?)

(Something grabs your arm.)

(Ramos) [Alex] {?????} |Jasmine| <Altiare> 

(In a moment you’re pulled from the well in the center of the garden. The liquid stained black like ink. You’re coughing up water and, a-and feel, exhausted, terrible, surprisingly refreshed-)

|R-RAMOS?!?!|

[STARS ABOVE!!]

<You put yourself between Alex and Jasmine, and that THING and Ramos. Damn Ramos, you look like death spat out last night's dinner.>

(Wha, what? Who, what- You look up, the garden was here again? But, like some storm had come through, and things were still being put back together. Those three, the, imaginary friends? They-)

|WE’RE NOT IMAGINARY!!!! YOU!!!! BATFACE!!!!!!|

<Cool it with the names, Jazz, Ramos didn’t know.>

(Know what-)

[We’re a system, idiot.]

(. . . What? But, no I’m-)

|WE ARE!!!!!|

[Yeah we went through a whole two day long crisis over it. Welcome to the party.]

(But?!!? I’ve never had memory problems?!?! You shake your head and get into a sitting position. A-and, I don’t remember anything, super traumatic about our childhood so. . .)

<. . . . . You put a hand to your head. Buddy. . .>

(. . . You look away. Uh-)

<Our childhood was pure batshit, finely refined guano, perfectly festered fertilizer.>

(C-crab, rea-)

<A finely mulched manure- >

(OKAY I GET IT!!! You sigh. So, we were a system the whole time?!?)

[Yeah.]

(But, I mean, well. . . I haven’t heard from you guys in a while so, what. . . O-oh, oh.)

[Yeah.]

(O-oh Change, oh Change oh my fu- I, did, what’d he-)

[Buried us alive in the garden.]

(. . .)

[“I just wanna get stronger, clear up my head, be able to focus better” and I guess Perci mc’fuckpants heard that and said “alright, better burry these guys in THE BLINDING GROUND!!!”]

|It was, i-it was really scary.|

(. . . O-oh I. . . I’m, I’m so sorry. Change I’m, I’m so, so, so so sorry.)

[Yeah. You cross your arms. You better be.]

(. . .)

[. . . You better be sorry for leaving your PARTNER all worried for you.]

(WH- W-WAIT HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN!?!?)

|Uhm, three weeks? A month?|

(CRAB!!! I gotta go apologize and, a-and-)

<Woah hold up, are we not talking about the obvious?>

[Yeah there’s that, too.]

(They’re all looking at you still. Uh, Huh?)

<Well first off, you have a massive stab wound in your chest.>

(You look down, and sure enough, there's a giant gash that tore through your shirt and left a scar on your skin. . . . Oh. O-oh. . .)

<Second off, uh. . . Mind turning around, buddy?>

 |YEAH!!!! I TOLD YOU IT WAS REAL!!!!|

[And I shoulda believed you little buddy, it sure was.]

(What’re you- okay. You turn aroundCRABBINGStARSWHATIS--)

{. . .}

|THE BUGGY!!!|

<Yeah, it sure is. You eye at the. . . The weird as hell bug mask thing with a cloak. Jazz’s been saying there’s been a bug wandering around here, first time me and Al’ get to see it it’s dragging your sorry ass out of the well.>

(T-that. . . That’s, y-you, you’re--)

{You crouch down, getting more on level with Ramos. Are. You. Hurt?}

<!!!>

|WOAH!!!|

[So it does speak.]

(W-wha- I-I mean, I’m, I’m okay, I think, ah, w-what. . .)

{You’re. A. Good. Swimmer. You stand up, and climb into the well.}

(HUH?!??!?!)

|WAAAA!!!! You run over to the well and peek in. BUT!! BUGGYYYY!!! WHO’RE YOU!!!!!|

{He-llo. You peek at Jasmine.}

|Hi!!! :D!!!|

{Name, is. . . Nihil.}

|Nihil!!! Good to meet you again!!! I wanna see you again and talk and do cool stuff again, kay?|

{O-kay. :)}

[. . . . What? What? That, that’s really the bug Jasmine’s been playing with?]

<I guess we found our tamed sadness.>

(. . . You feel like you’re going to pass out.)

[Oooh no ya don’t. I’m forcing you to be in charge today.]

(WHUH?!!??! You stand up, b-but, I just, got back?!?)

[And you have five months of experience and was the one fronting or existing the most or whatever. Congrats, get your ass in the greenhouse.]

(I-)

<We’ll catch you up, help ease you in. Got it?>

(. . . O-okay. Okay. Got it.)

(Siffrin) {Mal Du Pays} <Null> |Asterion| +Rosmarinus+ =Socks= [Loop] [(Saffron)] 

(You hopped up the stairs two at a time, heading to your shared room to grab your journal. There wasn’t any rush, you just wanted to be fast.)

<And to check on Ramos and company.>

(Right, that too. You hoped they were okay.)

<They’re fine, Siffrin.>

(R-right. . . You get to your door, quickly knocking twice before walking in. Oh! Groundskeepers were already getting dressed! Hair down today, with their vest and loose pants, and they were just putting on the bandana. They turn to you, mouth open about to say something, then pause. Wait-)

“. . R-ramos?!?!” (You ask, hopefully.)

(They sink into their shoulders shyly, but smile.) “H-heySif--”

(That’s all you needed to run and tackle-hug the defender-in-training. You squeezed them close, hold them close. They’re not gone. They’re here. They’re okay. They’re okay and alive and here and talking and okay. They’re okay. They’re, okay. You feel their arms around you. . .)

“. . . . . Miss me?” (They finally ask.)

“Very.” (You mumble into their shirt.) “. . . I’m sorry, Ramos, I-”

“Oh shut it.” (You feel them bonk you on the head.) “I was poking in business I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry-”

“YOU’RE SORRY?!??” (You look back up at them with a Look on your Face.) “YOU GOT STABBED AND YOU’RE SORRY!?!??!”

“I-I MEAN, I, DIDN’T REALLY-”

“YOU DISAPPEARED FOR A COUPLE WEEKS!!!!”

(They sink into their shoulders again.) “. . . O-okay, sorry, Sif- NO! N-not sorry!!! I-I mean I’m-- y-you get it!!”

(You giggle at that, and give them one more squeeze.)

{Cloak.}

(RIGHT!!!) “Oh yeah!!! We found something you might want.” (You step back and excitedly walk to the closet, and start digging around in it.) 

“Huh? What is it?” (Ramos walks over, curious.)

(Then stops.)

(You found what you’re looking for, you hold it up. A white cloak, with segmented, petal-like ends.)

“. . . . . We, Alex and I, were looking through some of the things Eri left you and found. . . This.”

“That’s. . .” (You could see gears turning in their head.)

“Isa cleaned it and finished some of the stitching they never got to. He used the same ones that are on my cloak.” (You hold it out to them) “Eri made it for you.”

(Ramos was stunned. You could see the tears welling up. They eventually reached out, shakily, and took the cloak. They tossed it around them and put it on. You helped with the pins. After a moment, you step back, both to see them better, and let them look in the mirror.)

“. . . V-void. . .”

“We match!!!” (You flap your hands excitedly.)

“. . . Y-yeah!” (They turn to you, crying.) “We match!”

(They take your hands in theirs and jump in place a little. The both of you end up doing a silly little dance on the spot, giggling and crying just a little.)

“W-woah!! Rams?” (You turn, Isabeau’s in the doorway! His new glasses and cool jacket in place. You beam at him.)

“Hi Isa!!!” (Ramos replies, excited, but still teary. They go over and hug him.) “T-thanks for, for, for just being the best.”

“Aww Rams.” (Pat pat. You pat them too.) “Right back atchya, buddy- oh yeah!!! BONNIE COME UP HERE!!!” 

(Isabeaus yell downstairs was met with an equally loud one.) “NUH UH!!!”

(Your turn.) “BONNIE HAS A CRAB FAAAACE!!!!”

“WHAT!!!!!” (NOW you hear the quick and loud footsteps of an angry preteen. You and Ramos step back.)

(Bonnie bursts into the room still wearing their own new attire. Ramos’ little gasp was all you needed to hear. Bonnie had their own little white cloak on, with extra fabric and pockets in the front so it can act like an apron. Upon seeing you and Ramos, who now had their own cloak, Bonnies eyes lit up.)

“. . . CLOAK BUDDIES!!!!”

“CLOAK BUDDIES!!!!!”

(The three of you do that same silly little dance as before.)

“WE GOTTA SHOW EVERYONE!!!” (Bonnie starts dragging you to the door.)

“Do you have one, Isa?” (Ramos asks.)

(Isabeau shakes his head.) “Nope, not yet at least. I wouldn’t wanna make one for myself, right?”

“Right.” (You nod.) “It’s given by a family member s-so, uh, I'm gonna be learning how to sew after this is all done!”

“Awww!!! That’s sweet of you, Sif.” (Ramos beams.) 

“COME OOOOONNNN!!!”

“Okay! Okay! We’re coming, Bonbon.”

(The three of you hurry downstairs, Bonnie smugly leading the charge into the living room, with you holding Isa and Ramos hands! THAT earned a cheer from everyone!)

<Eugh.>

{. . .}

(What!!!)

<Too sweet for my taste.>

{. . . . You smile, happily.}

“Looking good, you three!” (Mira claps.)

(Odile smiles.) “Glad you’re back, Ramos.” 

“Oh crab Ramos’ back?!?” (You see Nille pop her head through from the kitchen, then a grin spreads on her face.) “THERE’S the idiot!!! Do you know how crabbing worried we were about you?!?”

“S-sorry, Nille-”

“You’re off the hook this time, buster.” (She smirks, before going back to what she was doing.)

(Stars this is nice. You sit down on the couch, Isa and Ramos taking the initiative to flank you on each side. Trapped!!! No!!!!)

<You’re a terrible tactician, Siffrin.>

(Ramos kisses your cheek, causing you to retreat into the cloak, which causes Isa to kiss your head! Stars help!! Help!!!)

{No. This is nice.}

(!?!??!?!?!?!)

<?????????>

{. . . . :) }

(STARSokay. You eventually collapse on Isabeaus lap. A moment later, Isa was playing with your hair, and Ramos started massaging your probably very overworked leg muscles. You lean into the touch, sighing wistfully. . . Stars above. . .)

(You’ve never felt more relaxed in your life.)

“Be careful you two, you might drag out Socks again.” (Odile chuckled.)

“Hehe, activating their kitty cat mode.” =Mira giggled along.=

=Too late :3=

(STARS--)

=You nuzzle close to Isa, mumbling softly into his lap and letting yourself melt a little. You close your eye, bliss. . .=

“He is so cute. . .” =You hear Ramos whisper.= “How can someone be this cute?!?”

“They’re just adorable!!” =Isabeau whispers back.= 

“. . . You know we were supposed to have a meeting about dealing with the Monets.” =Odile starts.= “But. . . I think that can wait until later.”

“Yaaay. . .” =You say softly. Oh right. You’re not getting front back. I want cuddles.=

(. . . It’s okay, so do I.)

=You’re happy to stay then!=

(Yay!!!)