#AND AT THE END SIFFRIN DOES NOTHING

[guided-by-stars]

Hey, has anyone ever thought about why the King set up base in Dormont, a fairly small town with no specific special qualities about it? Could it be that he heard about the observatory, or that Euphrasie had been researching Wish Craft? Surely the first time she thought of it couldn’t have been when the King attacked, she knows far too much about it for that to be true. She realized in the span of a few MINUTES that Siffrin was using Time Craft. How did she know about that. How on earth did she know that?? It took Siffrin so many loops to figure that out and he was the one literally traveling through time!

[whatwillyousing]

like idk i think if youre going to make the emotional thesis of your game be about how you have to let things go & that you can't keep on living the same way with the same people forever then you should. maybe follow through on that. and actually demonstrate this as fact for how your story functions

[basilpaste]

finally someone else whos insane about the fact that even when one of isabeaus closest friends rips into every one of his worst insecurities he wont even get outwardly mad or upset about it. where am i!! its so dark!!!

the thing that really gets me is that isa is like OBVIOUSLY fucking upset. but it feels like hes stunned to silence more than anything. and when he does retaliate its all very... contained. hes hurt and angry and sad but it all comes off as really mild. especially compared to the rest of the party like. (shoutout script project) look at everyone elses reactions to siffrin.

aaaand. now look at isa.

HE FUCKING. AGREES. he makes no effort to fight siffrin, act like the things theyve said arent true. and of course he goes on to fire back ('at least im trying to change. unlike some people here.) but its so...... nothing. its so not a thing compared to everyone elses reactions. everyone else is BIG. even odile, who shows an incredible amount of self restraint by not fucking bodying siffrin for what he says to her, is more angry than we ever see her anywhere else in the game.

all of them are the most angry we see them in the game! other than maybe bonnie!!! but isas angry is so much smaller than everyone elses! isas angry is one comment. he doesnt raise a fist, he doesnt slap or grab or scream, he says 'unlike some people here'. and then he leaves.

a part of me wonders if he ends the conversation there because he knows he would blow up if it went on any longer. if that crack in his facade, that leaking in of genuine anger, was too close for comfort. so he runs away. because siffrin is right: isabeau is a coward.

[twilightprince101]

I see a lot of AU's for In Stars and Time revolving around the idea of "what if X character was looping instead of Siffrin" and they are all wonderful. I adore the sight of seeing how exactly they slowly but surely break down over the course of months, maybe even years of repeating the same day and seeing how they contextualize the game's events from their perspective.

But there's one piece of all of these AU's that I wish was included a bit more: their feelings at the very, very start in regards to communication with others.

When Siffrin is told that he can tell his party about the time loop at any time, he immediately dismisses the idea because that is who he is as a person. Extremely caring for others, barely caring for himself. This is arguably the catalyst for the entire story (yes, even compared to WHY the loops started at all).

But how exactly do the other characters deal with that information around the start? How do they initially start the timeloop when told "there's nothing stopping you from asking for help?"

For example: Mirabelle. She already has a LOT on her plate since she's struggling with being "The Chosen." But I feel that being put in the time loop like this would actually be a relief for her. She is quite literally chosen by some sort of deity to try as many times as she wants. She's thankful because she really was chosen by the Change God (hahaha). So maybe at the start she would be more confident, talk with everyone and explain the full situation at the clock tower. "Yes, we did die against the King, but everything is back to how it was. If we work harder, we can make it!" But she would do that, every single time. The same conversation. And she's too wrapped up in that routine that she just focuses on reassuring everyone that things will be okay and saying the exact same words. Mirabelle's catalyst is similar to Siffrin's in that they both care for their friends, but while Siffrin helps fix everyone's problems, Mirabelle helps comfort everyone emotionally and doesn't focus on herself.

Then there's Odile. I feel she would treat the matter objectively, almost like a standard time loop protagonist. The first thing she does is tell everyone about it, finding some way to prove it ("Bonnie got X ingredients, Isabeau never made a wish at the favor tree, etc."). But after a certain point, going through all of those extra steps becomes draining. So she instead focuses on saying the right words which will get everyone else to do certain actions. "If I ask what fruits Boniface is bringing tomorrow then they'll keep that in the front of their mind, which will cause them to eat the pineapple early, eliminating the risk that Siffrin will die of their allergy." But throughout it all, she never factors her own feelings as to why the time loops are happening. That is Odile's catalyst: she is too logical and doesn't acknowledge feelings as part of the equation.

Perhaps later on in the timeloop they would do different things entirely, stop talking to others all together. But this is specifically about everyone's catalyst at the very start, their own version of "Why would you need help? You're in the position to help everyone here." It would likely take longer to happen than Siffrin's, the emotionally repressed gremlin, but the end result would still be the same. It's about self-isolation after all.

I just think it's a fun thing to think about.

[the-bitter-ocean]

ISAT AGESWAP AU MASTERPOST

SYNOPSIS: ISAT Ageswap Au is an au where the characters’ ages in the story of ISAT are swapped. In this Au Bonnie is the oldest in the group (the rest of the saviors of Vaugarde are kids) and they’re also the one stuck in a timeloop. This au has multiple collaborators working on it: @startagainaprologue (Pastell) @tealgoat (Teal) @basilpaste (Basil) @pixxyofice (Pix) and myself! This idea initially was a joke idea for fun that was brought up in a group chat and then quickly spiraled into something more complex later on. (THIS AU CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FULL GAME, INCLUDING A6SE/“2HATS” + SASASAP SPOILERS).

Decided to make more of these little masterposts for the sake of organization and also so that way people who are new to the Au can figure out where to find all the posts about it. Like all the other master posts I’ve made before, these will be updated periodically as myself, or others who make stuff about the au. Art, writing and questions answered about how the Au works will be listed under the cut:

(ASKS)

So who’s the one looping in this au?

How old is The King in this au? Is he a kid like the rest of the saviors of Vaugarde?

How old is Bonnie in this au? (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Is feeding the kids Bonnie’s go to method in the ageswap au?

Does Bonnie tell anyone in the group about the timeloops?

Does Bonnie forget anything in the loops?

Out of the kids in the group who is the oldest/youngest?

Did Mirabelle ask for help from the Defenders? How did that go?

How did Odile get from Ka Bue to Vaugarde?

What is Odile Like in this au?

Does Isabeau still have a crush on Siffrin in this au?

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) How did Siffrin react to Bonnie losing their eye?

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) How did the group manage to get Bonnie to a hospital during the eye incident?

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) Does Siffrin end up saying the name of the island north of Vaugarde? If so how does that go?

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) What Does The King Do In The End Of Act 3?

(ACT 3 /A6SE SPOILERS) How recently did the island get [REDACTED] in this Au? What did Loop wish for?

(ACT 5 SPOILERS) Do the kids go on a mission to save their guardian?

(ACT 5/ A6SE SPOILERS) Is Loop shy with the other kids in the group?

(A6SE / SASASAP SPOILERS)Wait… So like what’s the deal with Loop in this au? (art by @/tealgoat)

(ACT 6/A6SE SPOILERS) How does 2Hats encounter go in this Au?

(ACT 3/ ACT 4/ A6SE SPOILERS) How would canon ISAT! Siffrin react to Ageswap! Au Bonnie (and vice versa)

(ART)

Ageswap Au Designs (Bonnie, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile & Siffrin)

Ageswap Au Designs (Petronille & Bonnie)

Ageswap Au Designs (Loop) ( art and design by @/startagainaprologue)

Ageswap Au Concept Doodles (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Odile Talk Sprites (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Mirabelle & Isabeau Talk Sprites

Siffrin Talk Sprites (edits by @/tealgoat)

Bonnie Talk Sprites (art by @/tealgoat)

Where Are Your Parents? (art by @/tealgoat)

Cool Rocks (art by @/tealgoat)

Nothing To See Here! (art by @/tealgoat)

Making Dinner (art by @/tealgoat)

Rainy Day (art by @/tealgoat)

Some Needed Rest (art by @/tealgoat)

Snack For You (art by @/tealgoat)

Misc. Ageswap Phone Doodles (art by @/tealgoat)

Sleepy Loop (art by @/tealgoat)

Loop & Bonnie (art by @/tealgoat)

Oops! (art by @/tealgoat)

Baby Dile Jordans (art by @/tealgoat)

Ageswap Odile Birthday! (art by @/pixxyofice)

Happy Birthday Odile (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Baby Dile Doodles (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Babybeau & Babybelle (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Happy Mira Monday (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Ageswap Isabeau Doodle (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Isabeau & Odile (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Isabeau & Siffrin (art by @/pixxyofice)

First Orb Obtained! (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Loop: Content vs Pissed (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Loop Gets A Toy (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Loop’s Hat Now (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Loop Is 1cm Tall (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Ageswap Au Cat Edition (art and designs by @/startagainaprologue)

Kitty Babydile doodle (art by @/startagainaprologue & @/tealgoat)

Kitty Babybelle Doodle (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Loop and Bonnie (cat edition) (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Powerful Trans Aura (art by @/startagainaprologue)

What’s My Bloodtype? (Art by @/startagainaprologue)

POV: You Are Mira And This Kid Skitters Over To Join Your Party (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Saviors of Vaugarde Naptime (art by @/startagainaprologue)

Croc-Odile! (Art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 1 SPOILERS) Everything’s Fine! (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) If The Universe Allows Me To See It (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) Thank Change You’re Safe.. (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) Accidents (art by @/tealgoat)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) You Look Like A Pirate (art by @/tealgoat)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) POV: You Ask Them To Say The Country’s Name With You (art by @/tealgoat)

(ACT 3 Spoilers) Mistakes Were Made (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3 SPOILERS) Are You Okay? (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3/4 SPOILERS) Ghost (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 3/ A6SE SPOILERS) Miscellaneous Ageswap Au Doodles

(ACT 4 SPOILERS) Are You In A Timeloop? (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 5 SPOILERS) Ageswap Au MDP Design

(ACT 5 SPOILERS) The One You Couldn’t Protect (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 6/ A6SE SPOILERS) A Bunch of Bonnie Loopers (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(A6SE SPOILERS ) Ageswap Au Loop Sprites

(A6SE SPOILERS) A Bad Dream (art by @/tealgoat)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Ageswap Au Guide (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ACT 5/ A6SE SPOILERS) Grounded (art by @/tealgoat)

(ACT 5/ A6SE SPOILERS) Can We Talk? (art by @/tealgoat and @/startagainaprologue)

(SASASAP SPOILERS) An Ending[?] (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(WRITING)

Candy For You (writing by @/startagainaprologue)

What’s Your Name? (Writing by @/startagainaprologue )

(FANWORKS)

Bonnie (& Mirabelle & Isabeau & Odile & Siffrin!) (art by @/tawnysoup)

Poor Thang (art by @/tawnysoup)

Loop! (art by @/giftplane)

Opposite Ends Of The Shirt Sleeves Alliance (art by @/daily-odile)

Loop & Bonnie Reading Time (art by @/dailyloopdeloop)

Saviors of Vaugarde Doodle (art by @/monochrome-stars)

I Miss My Dad (art by @/eurydice-pens)

Konpeito Cookie Meets Ageswap Au Loop (art by @/metropolitankei )

(A6SE SPOILERS ) Some Mirabelle Doodles (art by @/mobblespsycho100 )

Universe’s Least Qualified Therapy Cat (art by @/iknowicanbutwhy)

A Bunch Of Odiles! (art by @/princess-self-shipping)

Sky Children of The Light Au Loop Meets Ageswap Au Loop (art by @/mossy-doodles85 )

[chronologically-challenged]

What Loop went through and the wish to ask for help was the difference between the end of the world and saving it. Their memory technically doesn't matter. Their timeline never existed. Only Loop and whatever god was watching would remember what they went through. It never happened. The fact it did happen is what makes Siffrin's victory possible. Loop is a paradox made into a stepping stone. They are critical to Siffrin's success. You aren't required to know what they did to let Siffrin have their happy ending. You don't even need to go back to Dormont to get it. You can forget Loop, and just get to the one hat credits, and nothing changes.

Does it matter where Loop goes? Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. One hat or two. Whether you go to Loop at all, the narrative is done for Siffrin.

But Loop asks you not to forget about them. And maybe that remembrance doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, maybe it isn't required for a happy ending, maybe their story is gone from the fabric of the Universe but...

They asked you to remember them.

And isn't that enough of a reason to tell their story?

[torchstelechos]

Never fails to make me laugh that at the start of the game everyone is like, woah Siffrin! You really think we're gonna beat the king and save the day! So optimistic! And Siffrin is like hells yeah we are!! Nothing's gonna stop us! And then he dies first. Like LMAAAOOOOO LOSER!!!!!!

*gross sobbing noises as you then have to think about the fact that the rest of the game reversed these standpoints and how Siffrin doesn't see an ending but everyone else does*

[vulpixisananimal]

"So about yesterday"

"I'm scared."

(It felt like pulling teeth trying to get those words out. You didn't want to, but you did. You need to be open with them, but you don't want to. But you do.)

"... I'm sorry."

(There's a pause. There's always a pause. Like you're still in a play. Why did you say that? Why didn't you say it sooner?)

(Were they mad? Freaked out?)

"Sif...?"

(You look up. Isabeau was holding out a hand. Oh, looking down you didn't Even realize you were gripping your cloak with a death grip. You pry a hand off it and take Isa's)

"Pleasedontbemad..."

"Mad? Sif! I'm prouda you!"

(Isabeau was beaming at you.)

"Last time you opened up to us it took nearly ending the world! This is a big improvement!!"

(... You're starting to giggle.)

(And cry.)

(Wuh oh.)

"!!" (Isa jumped to your side.) "Did I say something wrong???"

(You shook your head.)

"I think they're just a bit shaken up, right Sif?" (Mirabelle got up to your side as well. You nod, and take a breath.)

"You guys, don't think I'm crazy or anything?"

"There's someone I know in Bambouche like that, it's nothin' to be scared of." (Nille was giving you a comforting smile. You barely even knew each other and she was being so nice?) "What was it they called it?"

"A Dissociative Identity."

(You look up at Odile, she was smiling too. Did she know something?)

"With what you've been through, and how You've been acting, I thought to look into possible reasons myself. A dissociative identity is someone who, in essence, has multiple personalities in one body. Each with their own memories, self, etc."

(... That sounds like us.)

(It DOES sound like us.)

(You wipe your nose on your arm.)

"Eewww Siffrin!!" (Mirabelle made a face, you laugh, Isabeau hands you a tissue.)

"That.. that sounds about right." (It was you.)

"How long ago did this start?" (Asked Isa.)

(You hide your face in your cloak, expecting the reaction) "... About a month, month and a half ago."

"Siffrin!!!"

"Ah Gems.."

"around when we first met then?" (Asked Nille.) "I thought you were just Like That."

(You snort and laugh.)

(Your family was... Being so nice to you.)

(Nice to us.)

"Yeah it was around there. I think. First one showed up when we made it to Bambouche, second right before we left?"

"Sooooo when can we meet em?" (Isa said excitedly.)

"I bet we already have, big guy." (Nille replied.)

"Hah! Yeah I guess so! Who are they?"

(Well...)

"And, well, you know me. So that makes three."

"Ha!! Guess we get to talk to loop again after all!!" (Isa cheered.)

(. . .)

"Hmmm, Mal Du Pays. I do hope it's comfortable here." (Odile said thoughtfully)

(. . .)

". . . You really don't think I'm weird?"

"Nope!"

"Of course not!!"

"Nah, nothing weird at all."

"I don't think you could get weirder."

"M'dame!!!"

(You all laugh. They all really were fine with it then...)

(Nille leaned back in her chair.) "Ah Crabs, we shoulda gotten Bonnie in for this conversation."

(You wince.) "I could, explain it again to them. Or one of you could..."

(Nille was smiling cheekily at you. Why was she smiling?)

(Wait, she was looking behind you, so was Odile. You turn around.)

(Oh.)

"Heyfrin."

(Oh stars, please don't be mad.)

(Bonnie stormed over to you. They looked really angry, were they listening in the whole time? You were going to tell them too!)

(They looked you up and down, scowled at you.)

(And gave you a big hug.)

"Stupidface." (you could feel the tension leaving the room, even if you winced a little.) "I was worried about your crabbin face all day you big stupid face!"

"Language." (Nille chimed in.)

"YOU'RE language."

(Everyone laughed a bit. You take a breath. Oh Stars the kid wasn't actually angry.)

"Sorry, Bonnie, I was, hoping you'd be around for that talk."

"Heh, I heard every word, stupid." (Bonnie was looking up at you grinning.) "Big stupid."

"Takes one to know one Bonbon!" (Nille joked.) "And shouldn't you be in bed?"

"No way!! Someone's gotta make dinner around here!!"

"And that someone won't be you after that little tussle-"

(Ggrrrrowwewwllll)

"... Who's stomach was that."

"Not mine."

"Nor mine."

(Bonnie squinted at their sister) ".... Nille?"

"Doesn't change my point!" (She replied. Guilty.)

"HA!! I knew you'd be hungry!! C'mon let's go make some food!!!"

(Bonnie was dragging Nille out of the room now, probably to help make something for supper. You breathe in, and out.)

"... That went well." (Said Odile, getting up and walking over to you.) "Siffrin, if ever you want to learn more about this disorder, I'll help you look into it."

(You nod sheepishly, getting up as well.)

"We're here to support you Siffrin!" (Mirabelle was beaming at you like nothing had changed) "If something happens then you can always tell us, ok?"

"I'll try-"

"WAIT!!!" (Isabeau's expression dropped as he realized something). "Have, have I been making them super uncomfortable at all with our, y'know, our thing-"

"That's what you're worried about? Gems, Isa."

(You hide your face in your cloak.)

[sourpatchsquids]

I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IN STARS AND TIME FOR A SECOND

Okay i just finished watching my girlfriend play ISAT and I felt the urge to dig into the music a little bit and lost a whole day to it. So i think i have to post about it. General spoilers below, read at your own risk.

Ok so Im gonna talk about the title theme and one other song here, which is a secret for later. (This part took like 2 hours to cobble together ill post the other one tomorrow)

In the first statement of the melody, we have a very bog standard i -> III -> IV -> Cadential 6/4 moti-- wait a second.

With where these lines intersect, the A in the middle voice actually dips below the bass voice for the statement of this chord, which means that the chord lands in a second inversion. You wouldn't normally put a i6/4 just after a cadential 6/4 unless you were actively trying to make the resolution feel weaker for some reason. As if you intentionally wanted the listener to not feel a strong sense of returning to the tonic.

When the strings come in we are treated to lush root position 7th and 9th chords to really feel magical and detached from ourselves. Just as well, that cadential 6/4 turns into an entire tonicization for A major! I adore the way the strings milked the motion down from D to C# to C, its a perfect suspension of the old tonic into the tonicized dominant :>. The themes of not feeling at home continue from here. We get the briefest glimpse of a happy A major chord in measure 8 before we lose any sight of an A that feels at home in the harmony. Measure 10's A in the melody is completely unsupported by the G major chord underneath, and the only A's to play in measure 11 are in the bass and the frenetic synth line bouncing between left and right panning, as the upper string descend to a G and the melody completely skips over the A in otherwise stepwise line. I wonder why home is so hard to latch onto in this piece? You're only ever able to grab onto it for a little bit at a time, when you even know what you're listening for.

As we approach the end of the phrase, we finally get a reasonable resolution to the tonic! We made it! However, it is nowhere near as harmonically pleasing as it should sound. Even with the faster pulse flipping back and forth between the ears and the actual stepwise enclosure of the tonic, when a tonic chord finally rings it quickly darts back, and what we get is empty. The 3rd of the tonic is played for the length of a eighth note and is quickly kicked out of our aural memory by the staccato E in the same instrument. And then all previous accompaniment leaves, save for the strings, as the piano enters to play one last statement of the B theme. The title theme makes very clear, we are allowed to approach home, but we are not allowed to linger. As quickly as a taste of it comes about, we realize how much it tastes like nothing.

Finally, we are rewarded with another cluster of A's and E's to leave us feeling empty and full of ennui. Truly we are meant to interpret this piece as Siffrin feeling lost and alone, no home to return to, nowhere to truly rest. That about wraps up my analysi-- hey wait a fucking second.

HEY WHAT THE FUCK.

If you listen at the very end, the strings jump back up to a D chord at the very end of the piece. D, the key we originally thought we were in. This single chord completely recontextualizes the entire piece and im not kidding in the slightest. If everything that happened while we thought A was the home key was actually just elaborating the dominant, then what does it actually mean? And more importantly, why is it so quiet? What is the purpose of the final D chord, the actual end chord of the piece, when it is so removed from what feels like the real ending of the piece. It's as though it's being intentionally kept at bay, as if we as listeners are actively pushing it away. It's like song itself doesn't want to really end.

Oh.

Studio Thumpy Puppy, if any of you ever read this, please know that I am in absolute awe of your ability to bake in the themes of the story into 42 seconds of music.

Not only does the title theme convey Siffrin's emotional pain from not being able to remember his home country, it manages to tell the listener the crux of the plot before a single line of exposition hits the screen. Siffrin doesn't want his party to leave him alone, he doesn't want their journey to end. He is so desperate to prevent his party from returning home without him that he breaks the structure of the piece, hides the final chord, from his own god damn opening theme. To stop the journey from ending.

If you've gotten this far, please support the artists behind this amazing game. If you haven't bought and played ISAT yet, go do it, and while you're here, also buy the soundtrack. Give these people money!! They're really good at what they do!

Next up: We're With You! Look forward to it, it's also amazing.

[siffrinsfrozendreams]

This is my second time trying to make this post. it will probably be as much of a mess as the first draft but oh well.

Rant? Appreciation post? Character analysis? yeah idk what this is but spoilers for Act 5 and Twohats/secret ending ahead

Act 5 Siffrin lives in my head rent free. His break was SO good, and this post is me going off about them. Specifically, this post was brought on by how Siffrin tried to destroy the world, rather than themself.

It is very interesting to me how Siffrin bends and breaks reality and the world in this final loop.

How Loop, in their giving up, took it out on themself, but Siffrin takes it out on the world.

His last loop, their last attempt at breaking out of this eternal hell, because he can't do it again. They're hopeless. They're grasping at any sliver of hope they can, but at this point he can't deny how stupid it is. How pointless this is. How all this effort will likely amount to nothing, and that he's trapped here forever. That nothing will break them out of this.

"I know its stupid, I know its a long shot, but it has to be this!"

This quote from Siff's argument with Loop towards the beginning of Act 5 always stuck with me. Siffrin, this whole time, has always told himself that things are fine. As long as they have a path to follow, they'll be fine. Slowly, we see them struggle with keeping this up, but he always comes back to it.

Not this time.

This time, its all too much. He knows his plan is stupid. They know this won't work. Why would it? But also... what else can he do? What other choices does he have? Being honest with themselves and admitting that this won't work is the same as admitting that he's trapped here forever. That reality is seeping in, but he's still struggling for whatever shreds of hope they can manage. Whatever flicker of light they can see, they'll take it, even if they know the light will go out as soon as he does. Even if he knows it will amount to nothing. He has to.

Then he realizes that Loop knew there was no escape.

Siffrin can't take it. He can't take it, because it means Loop knew this whole time that Siffrin was stuck here forever, that they knew there was no way out of this, and that they were just stinging Siffrin along this entire time.

Siffrin's guide, his helper, the only person/being who knew about the loops, the only reason Siffrin wasn't completely alone this entire time... lied to him. Strung them along. Gave them false hope that they could see a new tomorrow. And it fucking breaks him.

Already grasping for whatever shreds of hope they can, now forced to face the reality that he'll be stuck here forever. Loop lied to him. They can't trust them. So he leaves, and never contacts them again.

Then they return to the Clocktower, only to hear his family talking about him. To hear Odile say that they can't trust him, and none of the others disagree with her.

Siffrin. Is. Alone.

(Which, funnily enough, is the exact opposite of what they wished for.)

The only person who knew about the loops, Siffrin's guide, is a liar and untrustworthy. Siffrin's family doesn't trust them anymore, and are planning to leave him behind.

Siffrin is tired. They're also out of options. So, what else are they supposed to do, aside from the only thing they can at this point? The only thing they've ever known...

They enter the House.

He has to take down the King himself.

His last shred of hope. The last flicker of light before they're plunged into an abyss of despair. Their final attempt at ending this loop, no matter the cost.

Alone.

What else is he supposed to do, who else are they supposed to lash out at, aside from the world itself?

There is nothing left for them here. No one to go back to. Their family hates him, and Loop is untrustworthy. They can't even remember his own blinding country, can't read or speak the language, and can't remember anything about it. Everything he could be holding onto is gone now.

So, he takes his anger and despair out on the world itself. On the House, his eternal prison. On the sky, with stars they don't recognize. On a world, that will forget him and abandon him just like everything else has.

Because, either he breaks out of the loop this time, or there won't be a world to come back to to loop again. Because they can't do it again. Not anymore. They've had enough. What's the point of going on any further? Whats the point of trying to open a door that doesn't even exist?

Its either this, or nothing.

Loop had no one from the very beginning. They were alone for it all. When they gave up, they took it out on themselves. Who else was to blame for their suffering, after all?

Siffrin, however, had Loop. They weren't alone for any of it. As hopeless as they felt, Loop was there to help him. That is, until now, and Siffrin can't handle it. Can't handle the only person whose been supporting him through this knowing that he was trapped here forever from the start.

Of course he'd take out his anger on a Universe that betrayed him. What else would they do?

[sixpossumsinatrenchcoat]

B Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“...The head housemaiden?”

You nod.

“About Time Craft, you mean?”

Another nod.

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

You shrug.

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

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

“Okay, but—”

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

—but there’s no point finishing that sentence.

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

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

“Haha!!!! Ahaha!!!!! Do you think???”

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

You stare at them in stony silence.

“So maybe you need a B plot!”

“…A what?”

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

Wait. “You watch plays?”

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

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

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

“It doesn’t count,” you mutter.

“Oh, no? And whyever not?”

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

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

* * *

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

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[guided-by-stars]

One of the aspects of the systems of belief established in ISAT that makes it so fascinating to examine is that they are are centered around praxes that aren’t focused on as much in the major religions in our world.

Much has been said about how the Change belief encourages self-exploration, (transness is seen as holy, exploration of identity is encouraged) and pressures those who don’t want to change who they are (Mirabelle). The underlying core of the Change belief is action. Active Choice is more encouraged than anything else. The choice to change your body, the choice to change yourself, the choice to change your circumstances, the choice to go on a pilgrimage, the choice to learn new skills, etc. Of course passive change is also celebrated- death is seen as just another Change, and I assume that would apply to aging in general (appreciation of elders?), but it’s not as pushed. In this way, the Change belief encourages autonomy, control over your own life, and ownership of your life circumstances.

On the other hand, those who believe in the Universe as a force of power in the world are faced with the opposite pressure. When the King and Siffrin are relating for the first time over their shared culture, they both remember the phrase “The Universe leads, we can only follow.” The underlying core of their belief is that what is fated must happen, it’s inaction. Passivity. Any drastic action that is taken is justified by it being a path the Universe led them on. When the King starts the battle, he says “Let’s see which side the Universe favors!” Whoever ultimately wins at the end was fated to win, and that could never have been changed. It’s about resignation, acceptance.

This ultimately impacts everything about how the story plays out. When Siffrin first realizes he’s in a time loop, he’s excited! The Universe has given him the power to change things! He’s being led on a path where he can protect his friends and make sure everything is alright! They’re fated to win! As the futility of his quest sets in though, he very quickly turns to resignation instead. What’s the point of getting upset over having to die again and again? There’s nothing he can do about it. The Universe leads and he can only follow. If anyone else was the one looping, they would probably react quite differently just due to that.

However, it’s more complex than just that. What about Wish Craft? Isn’t that purely about taking action, making a Change? Well, partially, but because of the culture that everyone who knows about Wish Craft is part of, it’s seen more as appealing to the Universe. Asking, pleading, for the current to bring you down the left stream instead of the right in the fork in the waters. If you gain something from Wish Craft, you were given it, you didn’t take it. Once again, it’s passive. If Wish Craft was a Vaugardian thing, it would certainly be seen differently.

If the Change belief’s focus on action encourages autonomy, control over one’s life, and free will, what does that say about the Universes resignation and acceptance? Once again, I’m reminded of Euphrasie repeating words as if she’s prerecorded, skipping like grooves on a well-worn CD.

There’s also something to be said about how, in the Change religion, they appeal to a deity, one that you can have a personal and positive relationship with, and those who believe in the Universe are believing in an unfeeling force of nature. None of this is to say either is more beneficial than the other, the pressure to always Change can be extremely destructive, and sometimes acceptance is much better than change. It’s just fascinating how much they come into conflict with each other.

[moipale]

aro siffrin is so important to me specifically because of their response to isa's confession in act 5... that dialogue, isa saying "i know you love me, but is it the same as i love you?" and sif responding "give me some time to figure it out" and that being OKAY. isabeau accepting that siffrin needs time, recognizing that they love him platonically first and the rest may or may not come after... it's rendered so simply and easily!! when every, every other piece of media would stop at siffrin's first "i love you too" as proof of romance. ta-da you're in love! nothing else matters!

siffrin feeling so deeply for every single member of the party, caring about them with his whole soul, is the center of isat. a platonic and significant and real center. and it means so much to me that isabeau's romantic feelings for siffrin frankly come second. because platonic love never comes first, ever. but here it does!

id5 may have word-of-god-ed isafrin as canon, if i remember right, but textually in stars and time does not actually couple them at the end of the game. and i really really appreciate that. siffrin's musings throughout the game on romance can be read in multiple directions: either aromantically, or as repressed due to their other issues, and both i would argue are very well founded with textual evidence. i simply favor the aromantic reading more. i love mirabelle deeply, but siffrin's potential for being aromantic/his textual musings on the matter echo my own experiences more directly, and so he means a lot to me

1 day i'll actually write that essay on my aromantic reading of siffrin. but for now happy pride month. come frolick with me in the aromantic siffrin fields

[miharukano]

Alright. This idea has been swiveling in my mind for ages - an AU of In Stars and Time in modern ages. Like 2024. With phones and modern clothes

How does this work? Well let me tell you. Theres some itsy bitsy spoilers for the main game in there. I will hide them behind a cut

So main things first;

- this is a colorized AU! Because I thought it’d be more fun to come up with designs that way

- Siffrin looses his memories rather at the beginning of this AU, after he has some dispute with someone he’s close to

- Isabeau and Mirabelle are roommates in this one and live together

- they live in the same apartment complex than Odile - she’s a teacher in this one and homeschools kids. In other words; Bonnie

- Bonnie still cooks and this mostly when with Odile and they always have leftovers, so they’re treating their neighbors; Isabeau and Mirabelle

- The King has a role here too!! He’s the landlord of the apartment complex and, just an ass in general. Mirabelle, Isabeau and Odile comment on that rather regularly

-> I haven’t given The King a name yet. He’s just been referred as “The Landlord” for now. Maybe I’ll come up with a name or not. I don’t know yet

- The Head Housemaiden is here too!! She’s another resident at the apartment complex. She likes baking cookies and bringing them over :)

Okay so this was non spoilery for now, so we get to go to the fun part - twohats ending spoilers!!!

- Loop is here too. Of COURSE. How can I forget my favorite star person? They’re obviously not a star here but,,,

-> Loop is Siffrin’s twin. Evident by also some design choices I’ve made

- At the beginning of this tale, these two fight and Siffrin fleas. Loop lets him. To cool off. Guess what? Siffrin doesn’t return. So Loop is on a mission to find them

- After Siffrin fleas from the fight, he has an accident, causing his memory loss and he wakes up in an hospital

- surprise surprise, he meets Isabeau and Mirabelle there.

- Mirabelle is a nurse in the hospital Siffrin wakes up in

- Isabeau is a goody two shoes and got beat up while protecting someone, so he landed in the hospital as well

- Isabeau and Siffrin bond a little (of course) and Mirabelle agrees to take him in because Siffrin has nothing

- Isabeau regularly takes Siffrin shopping, just so he can own a bit of his own. Siffrin owes his whole wardrobe almost exclusively to Isabeau

- Mirabelle and Isabeau gift Siffrin little jewelry since they’ve noticed that he’s wearing a little shooting star earring

- Siffrin adapts to nicknames also relatively quick. Bonnie gives them the nickname “Frin” first. Isabeau thinks that’s cute and gives Siffrin another nickname too (after having the okay of Sif) which then Siffrin returns

-> Mirabelle does ask about them

I have not yet designed all of them but I plan to, but here are the twins; Siffrin and Loop

The text reads;

Loop (from top to bottom); - dyed hair, has natural light blonde hair

- blind on their left eye

- earring set they got together w/ Sif (Sif wears the other one even Post Memory Loss)

- jewelry gifted by Sif, lots of little stars

- patches it themselves

Siffrin (from Top to Bottom):

- earring set got together w/ Loop -> Sif doesn’t remember, wears it anyways

- got them gifted by Isa & Mira

Alright I think that’s everything for now. Damn that is a lot. I’ve had this AU idea _for a while_ and I may plan to post a few chapters over on A03, I don’t 100% know this but I am planning to share my designs on here!!

@siffrin-stargazer this didn’t take me ages to write. No. What are you talking about?

[dasnercaret]

how ISAT makes you feel like going home

so one of my friends said to me "the first time i played (isat) was when i was home sick, i felt like it had curative properties. analyse that mr playstyle 😎" and i took it as a fucking challenge. i've never written an (tumblr-posted) analysis essay before and i'm going into this with a bunch of haphazardly folded ideas and NO OUTLINE fuck it we ball

so to begin with: DORMONT.

isat, as a whole, is extremely a traditional rpg setup. which unfortunately i know little to nothing about, so forgive me in advance if i put my foot in my mouth regarding traditional rpg mechanics. but like many games, you start at a home base, at home. and the whole vibes of the place honestly serve to only emphasize the safe / at home / storybook atmosphere isat cultivates. you wake up in a field, sleepy and tired. your dear friend mirabelle leans over you and tells you to wake up, because you're going to beat the king tomorrow! and you laugh and you're sleepy but eventually you start playing. eventually, you push yourself up and wander around and meet the townsfolk and your party.

now, the player doesn't know the party. they've just opened the game! they don't know these characters. siffrin does though, and it shows in the interactions he has with each one of them. mirabelle teases siffrin about the quality of his nap. isabeau puns with siffrin. odile smiles at him. bonnie... looks away, because of backstory you don't have yet, because you're leaping into this story at its very end. but siffrin knows.

(...)

siffrin knows. which informs his narration, of course, and overall it gives the sense of - you're watching a story already known, with characters who already love each other. like walking into a family home midway through a dinner party, to know and be known in turn.

(you know where you are. you're home!)

siffrin provides some exposition of course, enough to catch the player up and let them know the basics of the world you've set foot into. these people are here because they have natural ties, connections to the land they've been born or raised in or are travelling through. you all are here to defeat the king, who is the epitome of a traditional storybook villain, the big bad evil you defeat at the end of the fairytale. he's just the generically evil guy, with no focus given to the atrocities he must have committed and been willing to commit in order to get where he is. there's no need to be scared of him, not really. (yet.) he's evil, but in the way a storybook villain is evil. all the sharp edges defanged, sanded away, all the humanity and dimensionality and violence inherent in his character compressed into a set of scribbles on the page, words on a screen. it's not personal. it's not.... scary. not to you, and not to siffrin, who's already been floating above it all.

(the rest is under a cut! spoilers for The Entire Rest Of The Game)

similarly, the exposition is in the form of little childlike drawings, emphasizing the same nostalgia it draws on - fairytales, fables, those stories where the heroes collect the magic sword and slay the dragon and save the princess. you know these stories, consciously or not. you love these stories, (probably), and it all serves to emphasize the familiarity with which you step into dormont. heroic stories are extremely common in the stories we love today, from the old classic prince charming to (somewhat) more modern legend of zelda, and no doubt many people picking up isat have a similar passing familiarity with the overarching story of rpgs. (i in fact was the exception, but that's a whole other essay)

the townspeople definitely do not help this vibe as well. they are practically one and all kind, steady people, precisely the sort of common folk you'd want to save in a story where nothing hurts and everyone is safe and loved. they're happy to gift you a flower or a pan au chocolat and cheer you on in your quest, certain of your victory and at least certain of their continued happiness even if you fail. simple, easy, familiar, comforting in the way redwall is comforting or an old set of childhood fairytales is comforting. there's no real judgement, no anger at you for potentially failing and (almost) none of the gross ugly real emotions that would be present in a more 'realistic' story. simple, easy, familiar, comforting.

(You like knowing what happens next!)

so. i think we all know that isat at its core is a game about homesickness. god's sakes mal du pays is literally right there. the central conflict of this game, beneath the overlaying fluff of an rpg archetype and an evil to defeat, is about siffrin not being able to go home while the rest of his party get to do so. and even at this very early stage (approximately act 1 and i would argue a bit into act 2) you can start to see the cracks. siffrin is shown alone, tagging along with the party because he had "nothing else to do" (read: nowhere else to go.) he laughs and pals and jokes with the party, but like before, like always, he merely mirrors them. he makes puns with isabeau because isabeau likes puns, and siffrin liked making him laugh so much so that he adopted puns into a part of his personality. he comforts mirabelle about her future, jokes with odile about her research, and always, always, avoids talking about himself. when they ask where he's going to go after their journey is over, his answer is always a mirror of their own - pilgrimage, research, travel, comedy. when he makes a wish at the favor tree, there's no option to wish for himself.

because the thing is, right. siffrin never thinks of himself. the only options instead are to wish for his family - his home, his only living and real connections in his life, the people surrounding him that really make dormont feel like a real home and not just another friendly place in vaugaurde he's passing through. cause the townsfolk are nice, sure, they're friendly, sure, but - they don't know him. they're not important enough for him to literally rewrite his personality for them. it's his party instead, that he laughs and jokes with and is known with, even if superficially. he wants to be allowed to go home, to stay home. he's been homeless both literally and figuratively for so long that he's beyond desperate to be allowed to keep what little he's found for himself.

(You want to stay with them!)

except - what happens when you beat the game? what happens when you finish the rpg, when you reach the end of the book, when you grow up and leave this set of children's fairytales behind?

you put it down, right? you go home, right? you go back to your home, you go back to travelling, you go back to your family.

what do you do when you don't get to go home? when dormont and the clocktower and the house are the closest you will ever get to home, are the last moment you will ever have being home before it's ripped away from you forever? (ripped away from you just like before - )

you'd want to stay, right? forever and ever and ever?

siffrin is a character who has a very bad time letting go. just like the king, he wants to have, desperately, enough to kill himself a hundred times over for it. and, through the timeloop, he can pull you, the player, and himself and his hapless party along through the timeloop, repeating the same two comforting days over and over and over and over.

and perhaps after a few loops of settling in you, too, can understand why he would want to do this. it's nice, isn't it? knowing what will happen? knowing that these people will always love you? knowing that you can always get the flower, always get the drawing, always get the pan au chocolat, always beat the tutorial kid and get the jackpot? that the townsfolk will always smile at you, that your party - your family, your home - will never know what you've done?

it's not enough, isn't it?

(Dormont, unchanging! Dormont, stagnating!)

no matter how hard siffrin tries to cling to the past turned present to stave off his inevitable future, he is still human. under the fairytale setting and pretty lights, even under his own desire to stay with them, he needs that human connection. he needs something to change, to give way. needs to be seen, to be known, to be loved for himself and not because he's learned the perfect pretty words and actions to trick them into loving him. you, the player, the person driving siffrin, can understand this frustration perfectly as well - you need something to change. you need something to give way, because you can't keep doing this. because you can't hear the same lines over and over and over anymore. you can't do the same thing over and over anymore. you're not happy. siffrin's not happy. something needs to change.

i finished isat over the course of about four days, playing about 12-14 hours per day. during that time, i experienced possibly the most deeply intensely felt emotion i have ever experienced. to this day when i look back on my first playthrough of isat, the sheer depth and fury of that emotion takes my breath away.

and it was frustration. just like siffrin, i was trapped. i couldn't look away, because i loved these characters, because i loved their story, because i wanted them to keep going and going and living and i wanted to keep living alongside them. but i couldn't keep going like this. i couldn't do the same thing over and over and over. i needed something to change, but both siffrin and i were desperately, agonizingly trapped in the same few days. the same places, the same faces, the same lines said rote until i was zoning out through every dialogue interaction, only pausing when i needed to make sure that i hadn't missed something new.

because i loved these characters. i loved how homely they felt. i loved them, i loved them, i -

needed them to be real. to change, to grow, to have their future returned to them. i needed to see them go home, not trapped in this same endless time-frozen loop. i had been trapped at home too long, and the cabin fever was eating me alive. my desire to be allowed to keep playing (to stay in the timeloop) was duking it out with my desire to see them change beyond what they were allowed to change in the span of just two days. i wanted to see bonnie grow up, to see isabeau change into someone else, to see odile come to terms with her half-vaugardian nature, to see mirabelle learn to accept her sexuality (or lack thereof). i wanted them to remember us as family.

ah, isat, absolute king of getting in my head and making me think like siffrin.

back to dormont. in the end, dormont only changes permanently in act 6, after the time loop breaks. the only time the townsfolk ever change, ever coherently move to different places and act differently (act 5 is similar, but i would argue that's because siffrin changes, dormont still doesn't really meaningfully change) is after the loops.

and it's fitting, isn't it? by this point in the game, you could recite dormont backwards and forwards. but by this point in the game, you are well aware that you need to give them back a future. their future. the one they wished for in the first place. they've been trapped in their fairy tale wonderland for long enough. they deserve to go home, truly home, to go forward and live their lives and keep moving on. to allow them to change, to grow.

to allow yourself to change, to grow. to allow yourself to go home, to admit that you want to keep your home you have now, to keep the family you've built from blood and death and tears and stars.

(You want to stay with them!)

to leave dormont. to leave this fairytale behind, and keep living.

[koshiaoi]

More sif from In Galaxies And Eons, he gets a bit worn-out whenever he loops.

My hc is he is affected by the craft exhaustion way more than normal sif, by way more I mean while in the loops, and that's because it's not just local to Vaugarde and is instead just reversing time completely! But his body does still feel the effects of it harshly, as each time he dies the scar on his cheek and the black bits of his hair, hat, and the inside of his clothes gains another star. All the black bits slowly turn a dark blue! Just cuz I wanna and I love blue.

If anyone is wondering, the scar on his cheek he got from loop, this loop spent way longer in the time loops than the original loop (around 10k I think?) And doesn't really talk to siffrin because of this. Loop attacked sif because he wanted to replace him and get back his actors.

From everyone else's perspective, they were a few days before they got to dormant and were taking a break when they heard sif scream, they rushed over and saw him almost dead being attacked by a "sadness" that somehow could talk? They hear it say something about ripping his skin off and replacing him, at which point they were able to save sif. Frightening loop, causing them to run away. Isa and odile noticed something in its eyes though... a weird shade that gave them a visceral feeling.

Bonnie wouldn't be able to leave sifs side after this, as they were told that he was 'just going to take a nap' and he ended up getting attacked. So bonnie sees this and knows that they can't leave the rest of the party anymore, but what's worse about it is that even though frin looks half dead, they're not bleeding, like at all. Instead, every scratch and wound is this weird back nothingness, which is even more reason to not let him alone ever again!

Mira tries her best to heal him, but nothing happens, almost like its permanent damage, like its scars, which stress her out even more! The person who she thought she could trust with her life is now badly injured because of her! If she just didn't ask him to come along, he would never have gotten hurt! It's all her fault! Its-

And isa would hide his true feelings about the entire thing, just trying to cheer sif up by telling him how cool he is for being able to hold his own against that sadness, they that couldn't even damage... wait what? Why couldn't they damage it? Why could only sif damage it? Well that doesn't matter! Sif looks really cool now! He tries his best to help out the freaking out siffrin.

Odile on the other hand would take that thought and run with it. When she saw that when they tried to attack the sadness, not only did it not flinch, like at all, it's form also didn't even react! No small bits of water, nothing. And then there's the fact that whatever it did to siffrin is permanent and can't be healed, what it said was weird to, not to mention that IT COULD TALK? No something wasn't right here... they should really talk to siffrin later.

Yes! I am using some headcannons for this! Specifically the loop appeared before the loops and was just hiding, the loop being sap!sif but I made him worse, and one thing that's just true, is that odile will know that isa also saw the weird thing and will talk to them about it and everything.