#adored this game and siffrin so much

[pigeon-noises]

Finished In Stars and Time last weekend and I have a lot of feelings to work through

[pixellangel]

(you feel a tug on your stomach.)

[felikatze]

ISAT and Ludonarrative Harmony: Combat is a Storytelling Tool

Or: How Siffrin is stuck in the endgame grind, forever

Please Note: This is primarily aimed at an audience that already played In Stars and Time, because I am bad at explaining things, and it's good to already know what the fuck I'm talking about. I tend to only bring up game elements as I want to talk about them.

Spoilers for.... all of ISAT! Especially Act 5!

(image to show how i feel posting this and as an attention grabber over my wall of text)

To pull a definition of ludonarrative harmony out of a hat, game writer Lauryn Ash defines it as follows:

Ludonarrative harmony is when gameplay and story work together to create a meaningful and immersive experience. From a design implementation perspective, it is the synchronized interactions between in-game actions (mechanics) and in-world context (story).

It is, generally speaking, how well game mechanics work hand in hand with the story. I, personally, think ISAT is an absolute masterclass of it, so I want to take a look at how ISAT specifically uses its battle system to emphasize Siffrin's character arc and create organic story moments. I want you to keep this in mind when I talk here.

So, skills, right? If you've played any turn-based RPG, you know your Fire spells, your "BACKSLASH! AIRSLASH! BACKSLASH!" and the many ways to style those.

Well, what does casting "Fire" say about your character? Not all that much, does it? Perhaps you'll have typical divisions. The smart one is the mage, the big brawny one is your tank, the petite one's the healer. And that's the barebones of ISAT's main party, but it's much more than that.

Every character's style of combat tells you something about them. Odile, the Researcher, is the most well-travelled and knowledgable of the bunch. She's the one with the expertise to keep a cool head and analyze the enemy, yet also able to use all three of the Rock-Paper-Scissors craft types.

To reflect her analytical view of things, all her skill names are just descriptive, the closest to your most bog-standard RPG. "Slow IV" or "Paper III" serve well to describe their purpose. The high number of the skills gives the impression there were three other Slow skills beforehand - fitting, considering the party starts at level 45, about to head into the final dungeon. She's also the oldest, so she's the slowest of the bunch.

Isabea, the Fighter, has all his skills in exclamation points. "YOUR TURN!!!" "SO WEAK!!!" "SMASH!!!" they're straightforward, but excited. He's a purposefully cheerfull guy, so his skills revolve around cheering on his allies. He's absolutely pumped to be here, and you see that from his skill names alone.

Mirabelle, the Housemaiden, is an interesting case. She's by all means the true protagonist of this tale - She's the one "Chosen by the Change God," the only one who survived the King's first attack, the only one immune to his ability to freeze time, the only dual-craft type of the game - just a lot of things. And her skill names reflect that facade she puts on herself - she can do this, she can win! She has to believe it, or else she starts doubting. This is how you get "Jolly Round Rondo" and "Mega Sparkle Heal" or "Adorable Moving Cure." She's styled every bit a sailor scout shojo heroine, and her moveset replicates the naming conventions of "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

Even Bonnie, the Kid, who can't be controlled in combat, has named craft skills. And they very much reflect that Bonnie is, well, a kid. "Wolf Speed Technique" or "Thousand Blows Technique" are very much the phrasings of a child who learned one complicated word and now wants to use it in everything to seem cooler than they are, which is none, because they're twelve.

Siffrin's skills are all puns.

You have an IMMEDIATE feel for personality here. Between "Knife to Meet You!" and "Too Cleaver by Half," you know Siffrin's the type to always crack a joke no matter the situation, slinging witticisms around to put Sonic the Hedgehog to shame. It's just such a clever way to establish character using a game mechanic as old as the entire history of RPGs.

This is only the baseline of the way the combat system feeds into the story, though.

The timeloop, of course, feeds into it. Siffrin is the only character who retains experience upon looping, whereas all other characters are reset to their base level and skills. And it sucks (affectionate).

You're extremely likely to battle more often the earlier in the game you are - after all, you need the experience (for now.) Every party member contributes, and Siffrin isn't all that strong on their own, since they focus on raw scissor type damage with the addition of one speed buff. (Of course it's a speed buff. They're a speedy fucker. Just look at him).

At first, the difference in level between Siffrin and the rest of the group is rather negligible. Just a level or two. Just a bit more speed and attack. And then Siffrin grows further and further apart. Siffrin keeps learning new skills. He gets a healing skill that doubles as an attack boost, taking away from both Mirabelle's and Isabeau's usefullness. He gets Craft skills of every type that even give you two jackpot points instead of one - thus obliterating Odile's niche. Siffrin turns into a one-person army capable of clearing most encounters all on their own.

Siffrin's combat progression is an exact mirror of story progression - as their experience inside the loops grows, they also grow further and further away from their party. The party seems... weaker, slower, clumsier. Always back at their starting point, just as all of their character arcs are reset each loop. Never advancing, always stagnant. And you have Siffrin as the comparison post right next to them.

I also want to point out here a change from Act 2 to Act 3 - Siffrin's battle portrait. He stops smiling.

Battles keep getting easier. This is true both for the reason that Siffrin keeps growing stronger even when all enemies stay the same, but also for the reason that you, the player, learn more about the battle system and the various encounters, until you've learned perfect boss clear strategies just from repetition. Have you ever watched a speedrunner play Pokemon? They've played this game so many times, they could do it blindfolded and sleeping. Your own knowledge and Siffrin's new strength work in tandem to trivialize the game's entire combat system as the game progresses.

(Is it still fun? Playing it over, and over, and over again? Is it?)

You and Siffrin are in sync, your experience making everything trivial.

As time goes on, Siffrin grows to care less and less about performing right for their party and more and more about going fast. A huge moment in his character is marked by the end of Act 3; because of story events I won't delve too deeply into, Siffrin has grown afraid of trying something new. And his options of escape are closing in. They need an answer, and they need it fast. He doesn't have the time or patience to dumb himself down, so you unlock one new skill.

It doesn't occur with level up, or with a quest, or anything at all. At the start of Act 4, it simply appears in Siffrin's Craft skills.

(Just attack.)

No pun. No joke. Just attack. Once you notice, the effect is immediate - here you have it, a clear sign of how jaded Siffrin has become, right at every encounter. And it's a damn good attack, too! The only available attack in the game that deals "massive" damage against all enemies. Because it doesn't add any jackpot points (at least, it's not supposed to), you set up a combo with everybody else, but Siffrin simply tears away at the enemy with wild abandon. Seperated from the rest of the party by the virtue of no longer needing to contribute to team attacks (most of the time. It's still useful if they do, though).

Once again, an aspect of the battle system enhances the degree of separation between Siffrin and the static characters of his play. You're incentivized to separate him, even.

Additionally, there are two more skills to learn. They're the only skills that replace previous skills. You only get them at extremely high levels, the latter of which I didn't even reach on both of my playthroughs.

The first, somewhere in the level 70 range, Rose Printed Glasses, a paper type craft skill, is replaced by Tear You Apart. It's still a pun about paper, but remarkedly more vicious.

The second is even more on the nose. At level 80, In A While, Rockodile!, a rock type craft skill, is replaced by the more powerful Rock Bottom.

I didn't get to level 80. If you do, you pretty much have to do it on purpose. You have to keep going much longer than necessary, as Siffrin is just done. And the last skill he learns is literally called Rock Bottom.

What do I even need to say, really.

Your party doesn't stay static forever, though.

By doing their hangout quests, side quests throughout the loops that result in Siffrin and the character having a heart to heart, all of them unlock what I'd call an "ultimate" skill. You know the type - the character achieved self-fulfillment, hit rank 10 on their confidant, maxed out their skill tree, and received a reward for their trouble.

These skills are massively useful. My favorite is Odile's - it makes one enemy weak to all Craft types for several turns, which basically allows you to invalidate the first and third boss, as well as just clown on the King, especially once Siffrin starts racking up damage.

But the thing is. In Act 3, when you first get them, yeah, they're useful. But... do you need them? After all, they're such a hassle to get. You need to do the whole character quest again, you can't loop forward in the House or you'll lose them. If you want to take these skills to the King, you need to commit. Go the full nine-yards and be nice to your friends and not die and not skip forward or skip back. Which is annoying, right?

Well, I sure did think so during Act 4. After all, a base level party can still defeat the King, just with a few more tricky pieces involved. Siffrin can oneshot almost all basic enemies by the time of Act 4. It's this exact evalutation that you, the player, go through everytime you return to Dormont. Do I want this skill, still? Would it not be faster to go on without it? I'm repeating myself, but that's the thing! That's what Siffrin is thinking, too!

I also want to take a quick moment to note, here - all skills gained from hangouts have art associated with them, which no other skills do. This feature, the nifty art, hammers home these as "special" skills, besides just how they're unlocked.

Siffrin also has one skill with associated art.

Yeah, you guessed it, it's (Just attack.)

At first, helping the characters is tied to a hefty in-game reward, but that reward loses its value, and in return devalues helping Siffrin's friends every loop. It's too tedious for a skill that'll make a boss go by one turn faster. You, the player, grow jaded with the battle system. Grinding experience isn't worth it, everybody's highest levels are already recorded. Fighting bosses isn't worth it, it's much faster to loop forward.

Isn't this what all endgame in video games looks like? You already beat the final boss, and now... what challenge is left? Is there a point to keep playing? Most games will have some post-game content. A superboss to test your skills against, but ISAT doesn't have any of that. You're forever left chasing to the post-game. That's the whole point - to escape the game.

As most games get more difficult as time passes, ISAT only gets easier. The game becomes disinterested in expanding its own mechanics just as I ran out of new things to fight after 100%-ing Kingdom Hearts 3. Every encounter becomes a simple game of "press button to win."

The final boss just takes that one up a notch.

Spoilers for Act 5 ahead boys!

In Act 5, Siffrin utterly loses it. His last possible hope for escape failed him, told him there's nothing she can do, and Siffrin is trapped for eternity. So of course, they go insane and run up the entire House without their party.

This just proves what you already knew - you dont need the party to proceed. Siffrin alone is strong enough. And here, Siffrin has entirely shed the facade of the jokester they used to be. Every single skill now follows the (Just attack.) naming conventions. Your skills are: (Paper.) (Rock.) (Scissors.) (Breathe.)

To the point. Not a moment wasted, because Siffrin can't take a moment longer of any of this. Additionally, his level is set to 99 and his equipment becomes fixed. You can't even pick up items anymore! Not that you needed them at this point anyway, right? Honestly, I never used any items besides the Salty Broth since Act 2, so I stopped picking items up a long time ago. Now you just literally can't.

Something I've not talked about until now - one of the main equipment types in this game are Memories, gained for completing subquests or specific interactions and events. They all by and large have little effects - make Odile's tonics heal more, or have Mirabelle cast a shield at the start of combat. For the hangout events, you also gain an associated memory that boosts the characters' stats by 30. It lets them keep up with Siffrin again! A fresh wind! Finally, your party members feel on par with you again!

...For a time. And just like that, they're irrelevant again, just as helping them gave Siffrin a brief moment of hope that the power of friendship could fix everything.

In Act 5, your memory is set to "Memory of Emptiness." It allows you to loop back in the middle of combat. You literally can't die anymore. Not that Siffrin could've died by this point in the first place, unless you forgot about the King's instant-kill attack. This one memory takes away the false pretense that combat ever had any stakes. Siffrin's level being set to 99 means even the scant exp you get is completely wasted on them. All stakes and benefits from combat have been removed. It has become utterly pointless.

Frustrating, right? It's an artistic frustration, though. It traps you right here in Siffrin's shoes, because he hates that all these blinding Sadnesses are still walking around just as much. It all inspires just a tiny fraction of that deep rolling anger Siffrin experiences here in the player.

And listen, it was cathartic, that one time Siffrin snapped and stabbed the tutorial Sadness, wasn't it? Because who enjoys sitting through the tutorial that often? Siffrin doesn't. I don't, either.

So, since combat is an useless obstacle now meant to inspire frustration, what do you do for a boss? You can't well make it a gameplay challenge now, no. The bosses of Act 5 are an emotional challenge: a painful wait.

First, Siffrin fights the King, alone. This is already nervewracking because of one factor - in every other run, you need Mirabelle's shield skill, or else you're scripted to die. You're actually forced to fight the King multiple times in Act 3, and have to do it at least once in Act 4, though you'll likely do it more. Point is: you know how this fight works.

You know Siffrin's fight is doomed from the outset, but all you can do is keep slinging attacks. Siffrin is enough of a powerhouse to take the King's HP down, what with the healing and buff skills they have now, not to even mention you can just go all in on damage and then loop back.

(And no matter which way you play it, whether you just loop or use strategically, it reflects on Siffrin, too. Has he grown callous enough not even death will stop their mission? Or does he still avoid pain, as much as he can?)

This fight still allows you the artifice of even that much choice, not that it matters. The other shoe drops eventually - Siffrin becomes slower, and slower. Unsettling, considering this game works on an Action Gauge system. You barely get turns anymore. The screen gets darker, and darker. Until Siffrin is frozen in time, just as you knew he had to be, because you know how this encounter works, know it can't be cleared without Mirabelle.

And, then, a void.

Siffrin awakens to nothingness. The only way to tell you've hit a wall is if Siffrin has no walking animation to match your button inputs. You walk, and walk, until you're approached by.... you. The next enemy encounter of the game, and Siffrin's absolute lowest point: Mal Du Pays.

Or, "Homesickness," in english. If you know the game, you know why it's named this, but that's not the point at the moment.

Thing is, where you could damage the King and are damaged in turn, giving you at least a proper combat experience, even if its doomed to fail, Mal Du Pays has no such thing.

You can attack. You can defend. But it is immune to all attacks. And in return, it does nothing. It's common, at least, for undefeatable enemies to be a "survive" challenge, but nope. The entire fight is "press button and wait." Except, remember the previous fight against the King? The entire time, you were waiting for the big instant death attack to drop. That feeling, at least for me, carried forward. I was incredibly on edge just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And, as is a pattern, Siffrin is, too. As Siffrin's attacks fail to connect, they start talking to Mal Du Pays.

But he gets no response, as you get no attacks to strategize around. The wait for anything to happen is utterly agonizing. You and Siffrin are both waiting for something to happen. This isn't a fight. It just pretends to be. It's an utter rugpull, because Siffrin was so undefeatable for most of Act 4 and all of Act 5 so far. It's kind of terrifying!

and it does. It finally does something. Ma Du Pays speaks, in the voice of Siffrin's friends, listing out their deepest fears. I think it's honestly fantastic. You're forced to just sit here and listen to Siffrin's deepest doubts, things you know the characters could not say because it references the timeloops they're all utterly unaware of. This is all Siffrin, talking to himself. And all you, all Siffrin, can do, is keep wailing away on the enemy to no effect whatsoever.

So of course this ends with Siffrin giving up. What else can you do?

And then Siffrin's friends show up and unfreeze them and it's all very cool yay. The pure narrative scenes aren't really the main focus but I want to point out here:

A) Mirabelle is in the first party slot here, referencing how she's the de facto protagonist, and Bonnie fills in the fourth slot left empty, which shows all characters uniting to save Siffrin

B) this is the only instance of the other party members having act specific battle icons: they're all smiling brightly, further pushed by the upbeat music

C) the reflecting shield Mirabelle uses to freeze the King uses a variation of her hangout skill cut in, marking it as her true "final" skill and giving the whole fight a more climatic feeling.

It's also a short gameplay sequence with Siffrin utterly uninvolved in the battle. You can't even see them onscreen. But... it feels warm, doesn't it? Everybody coming together. Siffrin doesn't have to fight anymore.

At last, the King is defeated. Siffrin and co. make for the Head Housemaiden, to have her look at Siffrin's sudden illness. Siffrin is utterly exhausted, famished, running a fever. And this isn't unexpected - after all, their skills in Act 5 had no cooldown. For context, instead of featuring any sort of MP system, all skills work on a cooldown basis, where a character can't use it for a certain number of turns. The lowest cooldown is actually Siffrin's Knife to Meet You, which has a cooldown of 1. In universe, this is reasoned as the characters needing a break from spamming craft in order to not exhaust themselves.

Siffrin's skills in Act 5 having no cooldown/being infinitely spammable isn't a sign of their strength - it's a sign that he refuses to let himself rest in order to rush through as fast as possible.

Moving on, Siffrin panics when seeing the Head Housemaiden, because seeing her means one thing: the end. Prior to this in the game, every single time you beat the King, the loop ends when you talk to the Head Housemaiden.

Reality breaks down, the whole shebang. It's here that Siffrin realizes - they don't want the loops to end, because the end of their journey means their family will leave, and he'll be alone again. The happiest time of his life will be over.

Siffrin goes totally ballistic, to say the least.

As it turns out (and was heavily foreshadowed narratively), Siffrin has been using Wish Craft to subconciously cause the timeloop because of their abandonment issues. It's rather predictable if you paid attention to literally anything, but it's extremely notable how heavily Siffrin is paralleled to the King, the antagonist they swore to kill by themself at the start of Act 5. The King wants to freeze Vaugarde in time because it is, in his mind, "perfect," for accepting him after he lost his home - a backstory he shares with Siffrin.

Siffrin has become the exact antagonist he swore to kill, and it's shown by how the next fight utterly flips everything on its head.

Siffrin is the final boss.

In a towering form made of stars, Siffrin looks down at their friends. His face is terrified, because of his internal conflict; he can't hurt his friends, but he can't let them go, either. The combat prompt is simply changed to "END IT!"

This fight is similar to the previous, in that you just need to wait a certain number of turns until its over. However, this time, it's not dreadful suspense. It's... confusion, and hesitance.

You have two options for combat: Attack your friends, or attack yourself.

And... you don't really want to do either, I think. I certainly don't. But what else can you do? It's Siffrin's desires clashing in full force. Attack your friends, and force them to stay? Or attack yourself, and let them go safely without you?

Worth noting, here - when you attack Siffrin's friends, you can't harm them. Isabeau will shield all attacks. And when you attack yourself, Mirabelle will heal you back to full. And the friends don't... do anything, either. How could they? Occasionally, Mirabelle heals you and Isabeau shouts words of motivation, but the main thing is...

(Your friends don't know what to do.)

None of them want to harm Siffrin. Both sides simply stare at each other, resolute in their conviction but unwilling to end it with violence. It's of note that this loop, the last one, is the only loop where the King isn't killed. Just frozen. And now here is Siffrin, clamoring for the same eternity the King was. Of course everything ends in a tearfilled conversation as Siffrin sees their friends won't leave him, even after the journey ends, but I still have to appreciate this moment.

Siffrin is directly put in the position with their friends as his enemies, forced to physically reckon that keeping them in this loop is an act of violence, against both their friends, and against himself.

It's a happy ending. But... what does it mean?

Of course, ISAT is obviously about the fear of change. Siffrin is afraid of the journey ending, and of being alone. However, ISAT is also a game about games. Siffrin is playing the same game, over and over, because it's comforting. It's familiar. It's nice, to know exactly what happens next. These characters might just be predictable lines of dialogue, but... they feel like friends. Have you ever played a game, loved it, put countless hours into it, but you never finished it? Because you just couldn't bear to see it end? For the characters to leave your life, for there to be a void in your heart where the game used to be?

After all, maybe it became part of your routine! You play the game every day, slowly chipping away at it for weeks at a time. For me, I beat ISAT in four days. It utterly consumed me during this time. I had 36 hours of playtime by the end. Yeah, in that week, I did not do much more than play ISAT.

And once i beat it, i beat it, again. I restarted the game to see the few scenes I missed, most specifically the secret boss I won't talk about here. I... couldn't let go of the game yet. I wanted to see every scrap I could. I still do. I'm writing this, in part because I still do. It's scary to let go.

Ever heard the joke term of "Postgame Depression?" It's when you just beat a game, and you're suddenly sad. Maybe because the ending affected you emotionally and you need to process the feelings it invoked, or you search for something that can now fill your time with it gone.

The game ends, for real this time, the last time you talk to the Head Housemaiden. But Siffrin gets... scared. What if everything loops back again? And so, his family offers to hold his hand. They face the end, together.

For all loops, including the ending, you never see what happens after. After they leave the loop for good. Because the loop is the game itself. It's asking you to trust that life goes on for these characters, and it holds your hand as it asks you to let go. There's a reason for Siffrin's theater metaphors. He is the actor, and the director, asking everyone to do it over one more time. He's a character within the game, and its player.

There's a reason I talked about endgame content. This, the way it all repeats, there's nothing new, difficulty and stakes bleed away as you snap the game over your knee - it's my copy of White 2 with two hundred hours in it. It's me playing Fire Emblem Awakening in under 3 hours while skipping every cutscene. Are you playing for the sake of play, for the sake of indulging in your memories, because you're afraid of the hole it'll leave when you stop?

Of note: the narrative never condemns Siffrin for unwittingly causing their own suffering. He's a victim of circumstance. It's seen as endearing, even, that Siffrin loves their friends to the point of rather seeing the world destroyed than them gone. But Siffrin is also told: we'll stay with you for now, but we'll part ways eventually. And one day, you'll have to be okay with it.

Stop draining the things you love of every ounce of enjoyment just because you're afraid of what happens next. I'm not saying to never play your favorite games again. Playing ISAT a second time, I still had a lot of fun! I saw so many new things I didn't before, and I enjoyed myself immensely, reading the same dialogue over and over. But... it makes me look at other games I love and still play, and makes me ask... is this still fun? Do I still need to play this game to enjoy it? Even writing this is an afterimage of my enjoyment, but it's a new way to interact with the game, to analyze it through this lens. Fuck, man, I write fanfiction. Look at me.

All of this, fanart, fanfic, analysis, is a way to prolong that enjoyment without making yourself suffer for it. Without just going through the motions of enjoyment without actually experiencing any. But one day, the thing you love won't be fun to talk and write and draw about. And it's okay. You'll have new things to love. I promise.

In the end.... I'm certain I'll replay ISAT one day. Between great writing, art, puzzles and unresolved mysteries, it's my shoe-in for game of the year.

But I won't replay it for quite some time. I've had enough, for now, so I let my love take other forms.

Siffrin is never condemned, because love is no evil. Be it love for another person, or for a game. And please, if you're overempathetic - it's still a game, at the end of the day. The great thing about games is that you can always boot them up again, no matter how long its been.

A circle within a circle indeed.

To summarize:

The repetitiveness of ISAT's combat, lack of new enemies, and Siffrin's ever increasing strength eventually allows you to snap the combat over your knee, rendering it irrelevant and boring. Though this may seem counterproductive at first, it perfectly mirrors how Siffrin has also grown bored with these repeated encounters and views them only as an obstacle to get past. The reflection of Siffrin's own tiredness with the player's annoyance increases the compassion the player has for Siffrin as a character.

Additionally, the endgame state of the combat system serves as commentary on the state of a favorite game played too often, much like how Siffrin has unwittingly trapped themself in the loop. Despite the game having no more challenge or content left to over, a player might return to their favorite game anyway, solely to try and recreate the early experience of actually having fun with it. This ties into ISAT's metanarrative about the fear of change and refusal to let go of comfort even when the object (here, your favorite video game) offering that comfort has become utterly bereft of any substance to actually engage with. Playing for the sake of playing, with no actual investment to keep going besides your own memories.

Later on, stripping away even the pretense of strategy for a "press button and wait" format of final bosses highlights the lack of options at Siffrin's disposal and truly forces the player into their shoes. Truly, the only way to win is to stop playing.

[chronologically-challenged]

I think the most important part of the Isafrin confession in act 6 isn't the actual confession itself. Yes, it's adorable and wonderful, and CATHARTIC especially if you got obsessed with getting it. (Me I was. I YELLED at my computer multiple times in my playthough bc of it). BUT truly the most important part is HOW the confession happens.

Mainly, even in act 6 Isabeau has issues confessing. He still stammers. He still cannot say it.

And then Siffrin reaches out and takes his hand.

THAT!!!! THAT IS THE IMPORTANT PART!!!

The entire game Siffrin has been waiting for Isabeau to breach that gap. To reach out. To confirm that he wants to touch Siffrin. ANYTHING. But no matter what, when Isabeau pulls away, Siffrin does the same, either physically or emotionally. What's most interesting is when you finally get everyone to not interrupt. Siffrin is READY for the confession, but Isabeau stops? Because? BECAUSE SIFFRIN LOOKS OFF. Isabeau cares more about how his friend is doing than his own romantic feelings (which is also an issue why the confession isn't happening, bad timings). And every time Isabeau tries to confess after, Siffrin cuts him off. Because Siffrin has accepted that no matter what, this confession isn't happening that the Universe doesn't want it to happen.

But it could happen. If Siffrin asked. But to them, asking for that touch is too much. It's devastating. So he's stuck in this endless cycle of waiting for this confirmation that will never happen because both sides are too scared to act.

At the end of the day, the confession isn't as much about the romance but rather specifically a RELATIONSHIP. And in doing so, confidence that the other person is reaching out.

Isabeau will never touch Siffrin's shoulder. He will not cross a boundary he thought was in place. Siffrin has to communicate to ease that misunderstanding. And when Siffrin reaches out and takes Isabeau's hand? That! THAT! Changes everything.

It's vulnerability. It's reassurance. It's trust. Siffrin will take Isabeau's hand to reassure him, and Isabeau will take that as permission to love them back.

[samme-wunder]

Still thinking about ISAT so I made designs for them for a few years after the game's events. Slight spoilers for ISAT below? Not really tho. Captions: Picture one: Siffrin and Beau's bonding earrings. They shaped them to look like shooting stars and reminiscent of Isa's old earrings. Siffrin has a star-shaped scar under his eyepatch. I don't make the rules! I also gave Siffrin a cape. I imagine Isabeau gets super into fashion and Siffrin becomes his model and muse. Whatever he thinks will look good gets slapped onto Siffrin; their outfits are ALWAYS changing and they adore it. But they won't wear super heavy clothes. Picture two: Isabeau and Bonibelle! Isa is rocking an undercut and started growing out his beard a bit. He, like Mira, incorporates the change symbol into his clothes as he keeps his devotion to the Defenders. Boy is in his fashion designer era though, so many changes to the outfits happen. Bonnie's maxed out the cooking skills! They've gone back home to Petronille and are very active outdoors, always finding new interests. They've gotten into drawing and etymology, and those often come together! And in their pocket, they keep a gift from Siffrin: his silver coin. (It's definitely a joke that it's a symbol of Siffrin's eye and Bonnie gets to keep it.) Picture three: The ISAT girlies! They have the least changed about themselves but it's very symbolic. Odile has always been comfortable with her style, but she's started getting into writing novellas. After their journey, Odile's knee started going so she uses a cane and orthopedic shoes, but it doesn't slow her down much. If anything, it's only made her reach longer. Mirabelle started taking design courses with Isabeau and her Stylish classmate. She loves wearing flow-y dresses, and dressing like Euphrasie. She loves to change her hair and experiment with her hair texture and what she can make it into, but otherwise, Mira's stayed true to herself. And she's out of the dating pool, for sure, but that hasn't stopped her from picking up teaching classes at Dormont's house. (Also, her ears are pierced, but she's stopped wearing them.) Both girls send letters often back and forth for book club. And on the side, for Siffrin, they've been researching into the country North of Vaugarde. Anyway, honestly? I'm just having a lot of fun daydreaming about them and what they're up to. I REQUIRE a second ISAT about Siffrin's country. It'd be Neat (◐‿◑)

[ardienothesieno]

post game isat thoughts i have

what the title says i have thoughts in my brain and i want to share them

isafrin date thing pretty much immediately post-game: sif should get to be sick for at least a week. and the party fusses over them the whole time and it's adorable and then i think one night. sif should turn to isa and ask if he wants to hang out. hehe and sif brings isa to go look at the stars this time! and it's sort of like isa's friendquest but this time they are actually snuggling. and not just talking about isa, they're talking bout sif too some of the stuff isa says is reminiscent of the loops which freaks sif out a bit. but it just makes them happy to hear isabeau talk and he would share some things that happened in the loops-- wholesome things of course i think it'd still be a while before they opened up about the uh. the worse shit. but stuff like teaching bonnie to fight, finding out they were allergic to pineapple the hard way (isa would be freaked by this but sif finds it hilarious), maybe tell him about wish craft and color theory, the change god helping them out, bombing the king, etc etc. the nice stuff. AND THEN. I THINK THE ISA USING A SHOOTING STAR AS A DISTRACTION THING SHOULD HAPPEN-- BUT ITS REAL THIS TIME <3 like sif looks up and it's a whole freaking meteor shower... and isa tells them to make a wish, to which they respond "i'm not messing with that again for a looooong time" :)))) and i just think that should culminate in isa carrying a sleeping sif back to either the clocktower or the house, wherever the family has set up shop... njhgfcftyhujkuhgvfcdfty i love them they're so cute

LOOP THOUGHTS. i dont know if i am committing to this hc, but i think it would be cool if loop and siffrin became a system of sorts? i know very little about plurality so i dont really know what im talking about... if i get anything wrong please tell me! but ive got yet another scene in mind like right before the party leaves dormont to go pick up nille, sif visits the favor tree one last time. just. reminiscing. and mira would come along and find him and they'd have a talk! not specifically about loop, but loop would definitely come up in the conversation and then at some point sif says that loop mentioned that they'd be coming back and is like "i wonder when we'll see them again" and loop just screams HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW and shoves siffrin out of front jhugtfcvfdxscfgthbnygvh i think loop should still get to have their own body and autonomy and stuff, i just think they should also be able to just show up in sif's head. and vice versa i think eventually sif figures out how to do it as well and they just get to constantly bother each other from a shared headspace dcgbnjuytfg

and. and then i think that can lead into a lot of sad wholesome moments where sif lets loop be siffrin for a little while. like the party is sitting around a campfire telling stories and being happy, sif notices loop hanging around in the headspace, and lets them drive for a bit. i dont think they'd do it very often or for super long or anything but. hgfcdxcfgybhnj. they should get to be siffrin every once in a while too. as time goes on and they become more of their own person they do it less and less, but for the first few months to a year or so it's comforting to be able to be surrounded by versions of their past family, if only for a bit as i said. i dont know what im talking about really so if i said anything badly or if any of these ideas are bad please let me know

time craft shenanigans i think sif (and loop) should get to keep time craft powers after the loops end not to like. the extreme that the loops were. but like how sif will loop back like five minutes if they screw something up socially-- i think they should get to keep that EXCEPT. the party learns to pick up on what time craft feels like. so if theyre ever talking to sif and boom weird time craft feeling and sif is in a wildly different emotional state they can just go "sif. did you loop back. what happened." i think it would be a good. like. starting therapy point? them having a toxic coping mechanism for when things go badly and the rest of the group helping him work through those situations instead of avoiding avoiding avoiding and i think loop should keep it for the memes (and trauma reasons. but mostly the memes.)

it would get better with time, as siffrin (and loop) gets more and more comfortable with being uncomfortable and messing up and learning to work through the anxiety and and and then that could lead to a big situation a few years in the future when the group splits up. and sif is TERRIFIED that the loops will start again i dont think the group would ever split up for good though. they're a family!!! they're not gonna just leave each other behind after another few months of traveling!!!! that just means all the suffering sif went through was for nothing!!!!! and yeah, they cant stay together forever. i know. but even after splitting up they'd still definitely have family reunions like every other tuesday

BUT SIF AND ISA NEVER SPLIT UP EVER. NOT EVEN FOR FIVE MINUTES they get bonded and go on to open a boutique/trinket shop <3

[siffrin-brainrot]

In Stars and Time, Fanfiction Rec

Information about the fanfictions I rec;

- I have no real intrest in romantic Sifloop, so no fanfictions I reccomend will have that as a ship. (Maybe implied, but thats all tbh) sorry Sifloop enjoyers.

- Most of these fanfictions will have spoilers for the game, achievments, twohat ending & more

- Please read the tags, if a tag makes you uncomfortable or is a trigger of yours, then please skip that one.

Joy of Sadness from SnickeringDragon

Description: Siffrin dies to the king in act 5, and we all know what happens when someone is slain by the king and full of grief.

Why I reccomend this fic: One because it has creature Siffrin in it and two (and more importantly) the plot is intresting, seeing the others interact with Sadness Siffrin and the cute moments he has. But the main question thats bouncing in my head is; If Siffrin can be healed what will he turn into? His Human form? A hybrid? Something else entierly?

Also checknout the Fanart from luckymagicbelle!

Thank you, kind wizard. For making me a frog by Spinning_Planet_of_Love

Description: With Siffrin's timelooping journey at an end, he walks away with a LOT of new information and trauma to process. Moving forward is a difficult feat, even with his family by his side. Mirabelle suggests that, perhaps, keeping a journal to organize these thoughts and communicate his feelings to the others may help, so he decides to give it a try.

Contains spoilers for ALL content in ISAT, including achievements, quests dialogue, and eventually the epilogue too.

Why I reccomend this fic: I love fanfics that bring back the Island or allow Siffrin to remember things from the past. The memories he regains here range from adorable to bittersweet and without spoilering anything, I will say that my favorite parts in the story so far are the Memories Siffrin regains from his time in Bambouche

Follow the stars back home by Loafabun

Description: There's an island north of Vaugarde. You were never able to remember its name. So why now? Why after all this time? It's so close. You can see it now. You want to go home.

Why I reccomend this fic: One of my first fanfics I read in thr Isat fandom and fell in love with it, thr sland is back and Siffrin (+his found family) reuinite with his parents. A lot of heart warming content between those three, with a side of Isafrin (a great fluffy story to read whenever you need a Pick-Me-Up ^^)

Traveller's Blessing by jammhammer

Description: [Spoilers for; 2hat ending] “What… happened after you drank that wine, Siffrin?” Odile asks. She’s finally out of the stupor. If you give her an inch she will take a mile, you saw her figure Stardust out once or twice, but just how much do you need to give her?

“I became a star and watched myself die a bunch. Would not recommend it. Anyways…”

Why I reccomend this fic: I would recommend this to every Loop fan or enjoyer, seeing them return to their Original universe and reuniting with their family was amazing. And don't get me started on the ending, it was amazing, the secret hand sign also comes into play again :D

Follow The (Blinding) Script by Gemidori

Description: Siffrin manages to take down the King himself. It doesn't work, and thus he finds himself at the brink of sadness. He wills himself to try again. This time, he lets go.

And then something else stares at his family.

Why I reccomend this fic: In this fanfic Siffrin turns into a Vilian after defeating the King and then starts to do small crimes, it's all fun and games until he snaps. Not to mentione the moments we see him fighting with himself, it's such a good fic and I have to hold myself back from spoiling the ending!

[pomsdoodlefort]

You CANNOT Quit

In Stars and Time is an amazing little indie game about being stuck in a time loop.

It has themes of love, loss, the performative nature of interactions, altruism, found family and a nice side helping of trauma and growing through it.

Unlike other games that use the time loop for some really neat gameplay, In Time and Star's loop mechanic is primarily about the narrative. There is a point in the middle where things begin to slog, but pushing through shows the protagonist going through the same thing and having the same frustrations as the mechanics imply to the player.

It's risky. Making players frustrated and even a little bored mid-way through your game, but honestly honestly it is so worth continuing to the end.

Haven't really felt that emotional about a game since my first encounters with Undertale to be honest.

I adored this game so much, I am glad I could make a little Siffrin tile to always remind me of this.

My only complaint is I didn't put enough white into the hat so Siffrin's black part of their hair blends in entirely with the hat. And I spent so much time outlining both to look good. Lol. Oh well.

[hrrkikshoard]

After hearing my boyfriend and sister talking about it I decided to start In Stars and Time, and I can already feel the obsession starting. And I've always been entertained by other people's liveblogs, so I thought I'd do one this time.

Ate a star in a very Miyazaki-esque scene

Peeoo peeo is a very good sound and I have instantly bonded with Siffrin for both their knowledge of language and birds

Quest issued: convince everyone to come to a sleepover

Advice from my sister: The first rule of In Stars and Time is be yourself and have fun.

I appreciate a good magical power where you know it's magic because it's Capitalized

v amused by "going further than the first room of the house is considered very rude." Mme stylish one why do you have your unmentionables in the most accessible room in your house?

Me: Oh no, King's Curse? Sister: And not even the regular curse of living in a monarchy!

Calling this one depression.jpeg

Can no longer relate to Siffrin after discovering that they hate croissants. Also very suspicious about this coin now.

I was already thinking that Odile reminded me of an exhausted Peridot SU when she broke out the line "Oh gems." Intrigued as to what she's researching.

Everyone successfully recruited to sleepover!

Because I am Oblivious™ I sincerely thought Isabeau had wanted to deliver a stupid joke and then realized he didn't have anything in the tank once he got Siffrin's attention. This tracks with my personal life. (Both the obliviousness and the desire to deliver stupid jokes at all times.)

Because we just watched Ladyhawke we all agreed that Isabeau's secret is that he's secretly a hawk.

Into the House of Change! I'm tickled by how this feels like the end of a game, great design choice.

Extremely correct opinion and why I wear a carabiner. I forgive you your inexplicable dislike of croissants, Sif.

Hey, House of Change? Why do you even have a death corridor?

(I suppose in a sense death is the ultimate change.)

Oops, I have undergone the ultimate change.

Stop bullying yourself, Sif. Your skills are leet and your hat is dashing.

Siffrin is dealing with having died and being yanked back to the day before much better than I would, even if he's saying things like "Yes. Correct. I was taking nap time."

Square bracket voice? Intriguing.

Loop's little feet kickies are adorable. I don't trust them as far as I could throw them. The star eating dream from the beginning has me thinking that Loop is somehow bound to help us, perhaps against their will.

concern.jpeg

Well, time to head back into the castle!

[sourpatchsquids]

Hi I talk about In Stars and Time again!!!

Hi it's been like a week since i posted the last transcript! I am simply keeping the train rolling and going right into the next piece from the In Stars and Time OST that I wanna talk about: "We're With You!"

Just like last time, I'm gonna allude to/discuss the events of the game in moderate depth, so reader discretion is advised. Spoilers below the cut.

"We're With You" will play during moments such as Mirabelle's speech before leaving for the House of Change and a few other places where the focus is on Siffrin and how he relates to the party. Keep this in mind as we go forward.

As we open the piece there is already plenty to talk about! A small orchestration of Piano, Plucked strings and a plucked bass perform just about the strongest tonic harmony you could ask for. The figure in measures 3 and 4 where the left hand supports the right in the stepwise ascension to E is the first time I've ever thought to call a phrase of music adorable, and it really creates this air of togetherness and joy. You're with your friends! They're here to support you! Hey what's with that leading tone in the bass

The next chord to enter the progression is a iii7, which is a motion that I would best describe as Noncommittal. Essentially, putting a iii7 after a root position tonic chord is like splitting the tonic into its two neighbors. Things feel more or less the same, but it's like you've lost something that was keeping you grounded. Now that the quality of the chord is minor, it all comes together to creating this tender, vulnerable feeling. You aren't on sure footing, but it's okay. This is further elaborated when the line from the previous phrase's left hand returns in measure 7. The same support from the beginning is still here, your friends are still here.

As we continue, we move down to a ii7. iii7 -> ii7 is a nice mellow stepdown progression that doesn't shake up the harmony too much. As a predominant chord, it's setting us up for an expected dominant to take us back to the tonic and resolve this uneasy tension that has built up in the last phrase, and it delivers on that front. It takes the phrase from the first 4 measures and brings it down by a step, while keeping a little bit of that tension by having the left hand of the piano jump from the 5th to the 7th of the chord, as opposed to a simple arpeggio like last time. From here, the line repeats the beginning phrase and begins a nice gentle stepwise descent to set us up for that nice E major to make us feel all nice and happy hey what's going on here,,,,,

This isn't a dominant chord that will bring a satisfying resolution to the harmonic tension and take us home, this is a Neapolitan chord in 2nd inversion! To break this down a little, a neapolitan chord is a fancy name for a major chord built on the flat 2nd scale degree. Because of how much it can warp the harmony around it, it's typically used for very strong moments in music with a lot of emotional weight. Which is to say that compared to the choices in progression made previously, this is very potent. To make things even more jarring, the chord plays with the 5th in the bass, which is the most unstable voicing this chord could have. Even with the motion of the previous line, it still is striking when the Bb plays in the melody.

Because the strings have been following the same pattern this entire time, as well as the melody slowing down after this chord change, we are able to rest a bit as listeners while we adjust to this strange new harmony while we wait to be taken to the next section.

In the last measure of this 4-bar phrase, we get an Ab that pops in right before the change back to the tonic. This Ab turns the bII64 into a dominant 7th chord, which has a few implications. Namely, this chord becomes a secondary dominant into the key of Eb, which is a full tritone away from the original key. We have had a sudden jarring change to the harmony, and now we are about to go as far away from where we started as possible. So what do we do? We go back to the beginning of course! The V7/bV resolves to a I7 chord in a way that would make my old theory professors' skin crawl, but works perfectly.

See, dominant 7th chords like to resolve certain ways. The 7th wants to resolve down by step, the root wants to resolve to its tonic, etc. This chord resolves in such a way as to break those rules and more. Every pitch resolves to A, with the exception of the top voice, which resolves to E. This leads to multiple direct octaves, a phenomenon that occurs when multiple voices resolve to the same pitch across different octaves, which is typically frowned upon because it can sound as though the orchestration has lost voices. Perhaps we can make some connections to a certain main character failing to see his party members as people after a little progression through the story.

Regardless of how we got there, we are back at the beginning of the loop, so onwards we go!

Now that we are retreading old ground, we're gonna primarily focus on the things that have changed. Hey! The supporting friend line has moved to the melody now! Hey! The material that this line was supporting is no longer playing! I'm not sure how I feel about the implications there! Now that the right hand is playing what was in the left hand, there is new material in the left hand: A melancholy descending line with a strong focus on the 7th, which adds a new extension to the tonic that wasn't as pronounced in the first passage. Because the right hand is only playing the figure it took from the original passage, there's a couple measures where this line is able to ring out unimpeded.

First, we hear it as A-G#-C#, a nice way to add the leading tone into the bar to turn the old major tonic chord into something new and interesting. I could belabor the point here and talk further about how putting the leading tone in the first measure of this passage really digs into Siffrin's feelings of wanting to find home with his family, but I think you understand by now. What I really wanna belabor is how in the second measure of this example, the left hand's line changes to G#-E-C#, the triad for the following chord. The music is beginning to anticipate the changes further in the loop. The melody is skipping ahead to complete the motions of the last loop in the hopes of getting something different this time, just as Siffrin returned to the beginning of the loop and used his knowledge of his friends to try and make them stronger, more able to tackle the challenges of the House. But what if things still don't work out this time?

To our surprise, the left hand still plays their supporting line this time! Even when they think they know everything, Siffrin still can show new vulnerability, and their friends will still be with him in support. However, this little joy isn't enough to defeat break the loop. Despite the right hand's best efforts to change the momentum of the line in this second iteration of the ii->bII64, the change still comes. Once the line is forced back into the stepwise motion to Bb, the right hand makes no more effort to continue playing. This isn't how it was supposed to end, so the only option is to go back and try something different.

And oh boy do we go somewhere different! We have accepted that the key change is happening. We are thinking about how if things do not change from their predetermined course, we will end up going as far away as possible from where we want to be (home) (the place we feel safe and secure) (the place where we feel happier than we have ever been before). Hey look! It's the main theme of In Stars and Time making an appearance in the left hand! Hey look! That means the supporting line that I mentioned feels like it's helping the right hand light itself up has been lost! God I love music and its ability to tell you the themes of a story without saying a goddamn word!

What really gets me about this passage is that it feels far more natural than the Bb -> A progression, despite being so far from the previous tonic. It feels less jarring to confront the thoughts than it is to stew in them. This key changes carries such an immense weight because it represents the little voice in the back of Siffrin's mind. (They don't want to see you again.) (They'll go back to their homes, without you) "We're with you!" (But for how long.)

The variations continue in the left hand as we approach the next loop point. Now that we have changed keys, the lines are becoming more chaotic. Previously, the left hand would hold a pitch on the last measure of a 4 bar phrase (other than the first ii->bII64 in measure 12), but this time it is wildly jumping around in contrast to the strange ascending line in the right hand. We have looped many times now, and it is beginning to wear us down. Siffrin is failing to remember his lines, and perhaps in desperation is trying anything new to make headway against the time loops. No such luck yet. I should also note that while i didn't mark it in the example image, the same voice leading errors occurred as in the key of A. Despite all the changes, when we loop back into Eb it carries the same feeling of suddenly being snapped back, rather than any kind of a satisfying end.

Finally, we have reached the end of the piece. I only have 2 things i want to discuss here. First is the circled pitch cluster in the bass. I haven't talked much about the bass in this analysis because after the first loop, it runs as an ostinato for the duration of the piece, until right here. It plodded away exactly as it needed to the entire time, providing a wonderful, grounding figure to help warm up the instrumentation and balance out the harmony as it took us around to the strange places it did. So when I heard this the first time I was a little shocked.

At first, I thought it was an error that managed to slip under the sound team. However, after thinking about the piece, I am confident that this was a 100% intentional choice by Studio Thumpy Puppy. Up to now, "We're With You" has shown a slow, progressive decline in stability to represent Siffrin's growing anxiety about the end of his adventure with the rest of his party. Little things hiding away in a happy, tender piece meant to play when their family is together and enjoy each other's company. While Sif has always shown doubts about how genuinely everyone cares about them, it is undeniable that they have given him their full support and care for their entire time together. So, what if he made a big mistake?

One that really made them withhold their support, if even for a second?

Next, I'd like to talk about the final measures of the piece. We are treated to an unbelievably sparse harmony. All E's, then a lower E in the base, and finally E-B-E to close out before relooping to the very beginning. There is no sudden jerk back to the loop, we have to sit with this empty, transitional feeling.

When I was first learning to play piano, I had a very bad habit. Whenever I would make a mistake during practice, I would always leap back to just before I made the mistake, rather than simply allowing it to happen and moving on. In my frustration, I would end up playing the lead up to where I made the mistake, unbelievably slowly, as though I were trying to grind the failure out of my body.

My mistake was not in redoing a section that I clearly hadn't perfected yet, practice is important after all. My mistake was that I treated it like a blemish. That because I performed incorrectly, there was no point in continuing with the piece until I could perform correctly. The thought of making a mistake in front of those whose opinions of me were so important filled me with dread. This is what goes through my mind when I listen to the very end of "We're With You!" When faced with the prospect of losing their family, Siffrin's reaction is to go back and do it right this time.

Every time.

Only took me a week to get this one out :3 This was a way bigger write-up than I thought it was gonna be! This music has themes in it y'all!

As always, if you haven't supported Studio Thumpy Puppy yet, go do that. They make good music!

And if you haven't played ISAT yet, then uh,,, I warned you at the top about spoilers, go buy it and learn why I love it to death :>

I won't promise a time for the next one, but keep an eye out for my next transcript, stardust :)

[the-bitter-ocean]

2 for the isat ask meme!

(Act 3/ Act 4 Spoilers) Thank you for the ask @beneathsilverstars ! I’ll be saying my response under the cut:

2- favorite npc?

Okay aside from the main cast (Loop, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Bonnie and Odile) I’d have to say my favorite npc would have to be Euphrasie!

I adore her design and I just grown to really appreciate her/ writing her in general when applying the theory/ hc I had that she’s from the island like Loop, Siffrin and the King are. I’ve talked about that theory in depth in the official ISAT discord server, as well as here on tumblr. You can find a huge summary of that theory/ hc I initially came up with compiled by my good friend @felikatze who wrote a master post analysis on it here. My personal ramblings and theories about her can be found here and here.

From what little we get to see of her I just think she’s neat! A very fun and sweet character! I personally enjoy both writing her and drawing fanart for her. I’m a sucker for the characters who adores are kind and lighthearted/silly but still willing to do what it takes to protect the people they care about! Euphrasie is cool and it makes me sad when people say she isn’t really a character bc that’s wrong imo! Idk man even if we aren’t given a lot in the game itself, I think Euphrasie is in a similar category with characters like Petronille (Bonnie’s sister) or Claude ( Mirabelle’s roommate) we can clearly see glimpses of what they’re like based on how others describe them and flavor text/ interacting with objects in game etc. Like in canon Euphrasie has: 1) helped guide Mirabelle and many other people in the house of change 2) was one of the few people who knows about wish craft/ did her own research on it to help stop the king and 3) literally gave her own powers/ blessing of being immune to the King’s time freeze to Mirabelle so that she could escape being frozen at the cost of her own safety. Hell even when the world seemed to be ending and Siffrin shoved her away when he went super fucking huge kaiju star mode, she seemed to be fairly lax on the whole situation. Holy shit. Nerves of steel. What a gal. I love her vibes.

I know most people think nothing of her because she doesn’t get to talk or do much, but I find her role fascinating in the context of the game especially knowing that in the loops Euphrasie is aware that the world is breaking apart or that she’s forced to repeat/ say things like a broken record against her wishes. If you don’t understand what I mean by that you should check out the ISAT script project website which can be found on the tumblr blog @isat-script-project

TLDR- I like euphrasie a lot and I like when people in aus or fanfic and fanart expand on her other npcs characters in depth in general. It’s very cool and awesome >:)!!

[solargeist]

Hold up, you like In Stars and Time???? :D!!

VERY MUCH SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I played it during christmas time, as i had the flu !!!! i have abt 128 hours in it i tihnk, i also played the prologue ! i love the game soooo much its so relatable and fun its one of my favourites !!!! I RLY ADORE IT !!

I originally beat the game at 3am, sleep deprived, with the flu, i was rly in the Siffrin headspace LMAO

[definitelynotsiffrin]

whats your fav thing about isat? except for the fact that its black and white of course

OHH WHERE DO I EVEN *BEGIN*!

First and foremost, just how *real* the characters feel. They have complex personalities, doubts, fears, concerns they don't show out loud. Every little bit you find out about them expands on this view. They even have conversations when you're not present! You can hear some of it during bathroom breaks.

Second and also just as huge is the worldbuilding. It's not shoved in your face either, just given to you naturally as you progress which is huge!! Characters of different regions have different beliefs, customs and religions. Even their own gastronomy! I won't go too far into detail to not spoil much for you, but I still adore it.

Third the love for detail. I just can't say enough how much I love that there are sooo many tidbits that change with each loop. The most obvious are your (Siffrin's) reactions as the time loops progress and you learn (and lose it). But it's not just that! Characters will have different responses based on the slightest changes, some events will vary completely and you are given so much freedom over how much you explore of them, too!

Even now during my second full in-depth playthrough I'm finding new interactions to lose my mind over.

There is much more, like just how much I love the characters and how I wish I could hug them because they are some of my favorite characterizations in the world, but at this point it'll turn into purely incoherent rambling and me crying about just how much I love this game.

[demento-mori]

14 and 17 for the isat ask game:)

14. favourite character portraits

im just gonna do one for each main character since you didnt specify and because i want to!!

under the cut cos this accidentally got long oopsie

Siffrin:

What can i say, this one is just great. The little twirly on the hat, the >:3 face, the sparkles. He looks so satisfied! i also just really miss happy siffrin in the later acts

I also wanna shout out this one

Its just really cute! plus hatless sif is underrated.

Mirabelle:

Idk what it is. I just love her expression here its adorable. The rare annoyed mirabelle. no talk to her she angy

Isabeau:

Ok this one is such a tonal shift from the others. but it just rips my heart out he looks so sad he looks like hes about to cry!! It hurts!!🥺🥺 favourite for the emotional reaction

....I would also be remissed not to mention live isabeau reaction

Odile:

Okay i just find this one really funny. Its the look of. like. confusion and concern. not a lot to say for this one i just love her expression

Bonnie:

The sillyyyyy. Again not much to say for this one its just very silly and fun i love bonnie and their cute little kid overreactions

Bonus. Loop:

i dont even know what it is im just a slut for seeing usually guarded, snarky, sarcastic characters looking sad and vunerable.

also.... i dont know how to say this in a way that doesnt make me sound like some kind of repressed victorian pervert but.... something about the pose is........................ ANYWAY

17. if you could have any of the snacks bonnie makes during the snack breaks, which would you choose?

hmm i could really go for some palmiers rn actually, i love pastries! I would also be down to try some malanga fritters sometime.

[chronologically-challenged]

2, 9, and 13 for the ask game? ^_^

Isat ask game link!!! Thank you for the ask!!!!

2. Least Favorite Character?

Oooh, my spicy take first.

...Mal du pays.

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN, I adore them in concept!!!!! I think mdp is a good emotional conclusion to the ghost arc and a good way to show Siffrin losing his resolve at the end of act 5. There was an amazing analysis post about mdp and Siffrin's relationship with their own homesickness as well. However. Ngl. I remember none of mdp's lines. Also, the "someone intimidating your loved ones yelling back they hate you" isn't my favorite trope either.

Idk, mdp did nothing for me. I'm much more of a "darkness parts of your mind sound like sweet nothings" sorta person rather than the intensity of mdp. I'm sorry little homesick fella. Love that you had the fucked up version of the death music though.

9. What would your wish at the Favor tree be?

I am. Limiting the range of this question because otherwise I'd be here all day. I am going to assume that we're in a similar circumstance as the party and we're about to go fight the King, and I'm just a little guy hoping for some favor tomorrow, and don't know the favor tree has actual major reality bending power.

In THAT circumstance, I'd probably wish that we all would survive the next day.

13. Favorite Line?

Don't make me choose between my darlings-

Tbh I could pick nearly any line from the Loop fight tbh. When looking for any one particular line, I nearly cried, so there's that. My darling Loop my beloved, I want to give you the world.

But if not for that, tbh both the act 3 and act 4 versions of Odile's quest just stick with me. In general, Odile's quest is just one of the most fascinating in the game, and provides such a depth to the world. But I REALLY like that quest in particular reveals about Siffrin. Particularly act 4, between the family quest and the sus quest, you get a lot of the reason WHY emotionally Siffrin sticks with the loops and doesn't tell their family what's going on.

(Is it any wonder you crave knowledge? Habits?!?) (If it all keeps happening the exact same way every time, you'll never lose anything, will you? You'll HAVE to remember it all, because you're living it!!!) (Forever living in memories you can't let go of!!!) (You're so pathetic.) (Telling the King to let go?) (You can't even do that. Can't let go of it.) (This perfect play.)

Also it's one of the few family quests where Siffrin thinks mean things about them while not in act 5 aslkdja .

(What a privilege, to be able to think your roots don't inform your identity.)

(chef's kiss) love that for you Sif. Go be a little mean in your head. it's unfair, but also the fact it took this long to be mean is impressive tbh. Also good set up for act 5 alskdjsa.

[thestormynobody]

The ace rep in isat means the world to me

Bare with me here i am not always good at words and i just wanted to ramble a lil

Spoilers for act 3

Ace rep is still pretty rare in media let alone anyone who is explicitly aroace. Lots of ace rep makes the characters aro by default without intentionality behind it duo to inherently missing the difference between ace and aro folks. I've also seen some instances of making ace or aro coded characters cold and detached from people at large

(we are going to ignore this gets reset in the timeloops its still good character writing)

Mirabelle doesn't want to date and while Siffrin cannot relate to this aspect they are able to help her come to a realization about her own identity by relaying thier own experience of being ace. They help her to feel less alienated in her identity and resolve to try and make changes for other folks who may feel alienated by the way the change belief (or society) has deemed romantic and or sexual relationships as important to one's identity.

Because yeah. Not being in or even wanting to be in a relationship does not make you less of a person.

And like. I ADORE Mira as the games aroace rep. She's emotional! She cares so deeply for the people around her. She likes romance books but is content with that to remain in the world of fiction which is a pretty common aro experience from my understanding (I am demiromantic ace so my experiences are a bit different). I just think that the canon aroace rep in the game being the girl who reacts to everything so strongly and loves horror books is neat. Mira has so much love in her heart for people without having to have any of it be romanticly motivated

i also like that despite being in her 20s she's still figuring out parts of her identity like this. It's a very relatable experience for me who also started figuring a lot of this stuff out as I got older

Sif being a touch avoidant touched starved ace though. He just like me fr fr. I have so many thoughts on how he still craves physical intimacy (non sexually obviously) and how that sort of thing is kinda ignored in a lot of ace media.

idk if any of this made sense but i love these characters so much i have to ramble about em a lil sometimes