#basically looping siffrin with a bonnie guide

[tealgoat]

Fun little collab with @startagainaprologue who made the top image!

A silly non canon ageswap "what if" scenario!!

[remxedmoon]

go my hyucker (human gucker)

ssso my good friend pastell @startagainaprologue mentioned it was struggling with making a human design for the guide and i rubbed my hands together evilly and got to work. aaaaa this was super fun to work on!!!!! thankyou again for letting me draw this graaaa. as always my deranged character design ramblings are below the cut 👍

CHARACTER DESIGN BLAST

most of guide’s colors are slightly shifted to be closer to red and more… desaturated? my default bonnie colors clashed with the palette i usually use for guide so they got changed slightly. i did add the blue on the sash as a reference to my nille design however! and i tend to use cooler colors to represent countries outside of vaugarde, so you could interpret it as a link to the island. if you so desire :3

speaking of the sash, just about everything they’re wearing here is based on another character!! in this case, it’s meant to resemble nille’s waist sash! but with a different pattern. something something only having an imitation of what it lost. the stars are meant to represent siffrin and loop, and also just the universe in general. fun stuff!

i mostly just made their shirt longer for the sake of looking Different from normal bonnie? but combined with the sash it has the fun bonus of having a silhouette similar to siffrin’s cloak. not full intentional but hey! i’ll take it!

the gems on its tail are there to represent odile!! as well as referencing the ka buan tradition of compressing ashes into diamonds. you can draw your own conclusions there! and they go ding ding when it walks :3

the hat/halo isss probably self explanatory? it’s a way to fit guide’s Spiky Head into the design. the halo was added pafter pastell drew buns version of the design auau. i like both! so their hat can be whatever shape you please.

okay! nno more talking about clothes i promise. similar to my ghostlight loop design, i gave it spikier hair!! i have to give sponsors spiky hair to resemble their Spiky Heads. it’s the law. their hair was supposed to be shorter but. i’m pretty sure this is the exact same length i usually draw bonnie’s hair. oops? oh well it looks cute. the stars are honestly just there for fun i didn’t have anything specific in mind

in a similar vein, i changed their eye shape to match the eye shape on guide’s ref! perpetually Sad Looking. on the bright side they aren’t constantly crying anymore!

thheir body is. mostly the same? i decided to make their body Red Tinted for the sake of consistency and i removed the separated limbs aaand. that’s basically it? not much to say! i did add the halo bracelet around their wrist as a callback to the separation though. i didn’t do the same for its shoulder because i am Lazy 🩶

aaand i think that’s everything? well it Isn’t but i think everything else is self explanatory and frankly this is long enough as is. here is the """greyscale""" version as compensation 🩶

[chronologically-challenged]

There was this one art a little while ago about the family stuck in a situation where they're forced to play ISAT in some post game scenerio. I keep having many thoughts, but here's some about them figuring out who Loop is:

1) They all BAFFLED by how Loop usually talks. They all thought Loop was this shy little star person. Immediately, they get hit with "have you tried not dying~~~~" into "I think you deserve help" and do not know what to think.

2) Odile is in charge of the controller. Mainly bc no one else wants to control Siffrin and they all have equal amount of video game experience aka none, so Odile is being practical about it. This has the side effect that Odile gets to be all investigative. Odile makes it her MISSION to find stuff out about Loop.

3) Siffrin has complicated feelings about them finding out about Loop??? Like okay they HATE their family has to see all this, ESPECIALLY THAT THEY CAN SEE HIS THOUGHTS!!!! But. Loop. Siffrin hasn't told his family the truth. It's not his story to tell. But. If they figure it out...? In a way that proves Loop wrong, right? That they can recognize them. Maybe it takes a bit because Loop looks different is and actively trying to be different from Siffrin. But. Maybe...? Either way they encourage Odile to talk to Loop. If this is a simulation... if this is real in some way even... yeah he wants to talk to Loop.

Anyway here's a list on how they find out one by one:

Odile: She catches the little stuff. She notes the royal We, the fact that Loop alludes to having an old body by accident, the casual familiarity in some places. All of that. She is also the first to note their eyes being different shades. However, Odile doesn't make the connection 100%, not until Isabeau. Well.

Isabeau: He gets some of the weird stuff Loop says but not as many as Odile. HE finds Loops side comments weirder. He sees Loop's reactions and they're a bit. Uncanny.... and then he has another realization, Loop and Siffrin have the same eyes. When Isabeau notes this, it all clicks for Odile.

Mirabelle: Okay, so. You cannot tell me that Mirabelle has not read fantasy stories with weird guide characters. She has to have!!!! So at first, she's not even looking for who Loop is. And tbh? She has the best read on Loop's personality otherwise. Sassy, but clearly caring. A bit of a shit, but serious when needed. And mainly, she appreciates Loop Being There when the rest of them couldn't. That being said, the moment where the "have you wondered who I am" happens. And suddenly Mirabelle Is Thinking Of the Possibilties. And then the ME option pops up!!!! Odile was already about to pick it but Mirabelle YELLS to pick that one!!!!! Uh. Shortly after that they all have a conversation about how yeah, Loop is VERY likely Siffrin. Mirabelle justifies herself with tropes. Of course!!! Of course they're Siffrin!!! If they're anyone they have to be Siffrin. Siffrin got transformed and became the guide they needed!!!! It Just Makes Sense.

Bonnie: ....Tbh doesn't really figure it out on their own? But also. Loop. Feels like Frin. Not exactly like Frin. But they're Frin enough to be trusted so who cares. It takes awhile for them to really get it too because... it's weird. Also they're the one to really ask why there would be two Frins??? Duh??? And why would Frin become Loop???

Anyway, basically, after picking "Me?" They pretty much are all on the same page. They got that it was wishcraft. They got Loop is Siffrin somehow. I think Odile might figure out that "hey, uh if Loop is the guide then what happens when Loop doesn't have a guide" and Mirabelle probably says "wait Siffrin didn't you say to me once that without Loop you wouldn't have made it?"

Meanwhile Siffrin is a mix of sad and very emotionally touched. Because. Yeah. Even when trying to actively hide, their family recognized them.

Notably, Siffrin gets them to twohats (Siffrin remembers that they understood Loop most after showing them the coin. So yes, the family does get to see Siffrin's "I will forget everything I love" moment. Goes as well as you expect. Lots of hugs and the reassurance that they will bug Siffrin until the end of their days so he can't forget him so HA!)

But yeah. Siffrin really wants to make sure they can get little simulation Siffrin to realize Loop is Siffrin as well. Because if there is any chance of this being real and that they're guiding a Siffrin in another reality, then they want to make sure they can get Loop to know just how much they did. How much they helped and changed Siffrin's fate for the better.

To note: I'd imagine in this scenario, Odile wouldn't go do any of the side stuff. At least not too much of it. There wouldn't be as much exploration either. Siffrin likely would be very underleveled as a result.

So perhaps in this scenario? Imagine if you will that while the Siffrin watching definitely defeated Loop, the simulation Siffrin loses.

And Siffrin finds out that... no. No! Of course Loop couldn't kill him. Of course they wouldn't. There is a catharsis to that realization.

(After they finish the game, either a) prologue playthrough time or b) they're freed and the group IMMEDIATELY try to figure out a way to find Loop bc uh??? Even if they weren't Siffrin, they want to find them. But like. Two Frins. Two Frins they know are different but who cares, no matter who Loop chooses to be, Loop Is Family Too).

Anyway, family plays isat featuring the Loop Saga.

[spiderh0rse]

my "these people crabbing SUCK at time loops" au. complete crack but by god i'm going to work this all out in a logical enough way.

SASASAAP goes as normal. Siffrin wishes for help, gets Loop'd, all well and good. Then we go into any "party member looping" au. I will start with Odile here but it could be basically any order. Odile learns about Wish Craft very slowly, but she DOES work it out. Then, a good few hundred loops in, without consulting Loop, ALSO makes a wish. Gets Loop'd as well (different appearance but that doesnt matter too much.)

This continues. Mira has a terrible time in the loops BUT she has two guides. That's just great. And to the surprise of both guides, despite having done this exact thing, she ends up working out stuff with wishes, gets chucked under the Favor Tree with all the other understudies, and the gang collectively decide to go and tell whoever walks up next to Not Make Any Wishes For The Love Of The Universe/Gems/Change.

Isa does his best. He does hold off on the single unexplored avenue for ages. Lasts the longest of anyone else! Learns all there is to learn ASIDE FROM WISH CRAFT. And no one really wants to give him a straight answer on the Don't Make Wishes thing. So he works out how to learn about it. (Mira and Odile mostly questioned the King and Euphrasie, Isa gets good at nudging Siffrin into talking about things.) So there the four of the failed time loopers are, just sitting under the VERY CROWDED Favor Tree.

They stop keeping any secrets when they work out that Bonnie's at it now. This doesn't help much. Bonnie just has Weird Backup Party off at the tree doing basically nothing helpful, and so whatever they say NOT to do. Really does not mean much. They don't ACT like the people they say they are anymore, so how is Bonnie supposed to believe them? Bonnie lasts the least amount of time out of all of them before ending up under the tree with the rest, beating Mira's record by a solid few dozen loops.

No one knows who is going to show up next. Odile thinks they'll wrap around and Siffrin will start looping, Isa and Mira place their bet on random people in the town looping next, Loop thinks no one will and it'll be left to them, and Bonnie is not in the mood to be guessing about these things.

Euphrasie time. Wakes up at the top of the House, a day before the saviors climb it. Has a SOLID freak-out about the loops, being stuck in time forever, all that, then gets to trying to solo the King. Doesn't work. Takes probably ~40 loops of that before she finally tries to descend the House and get help. Tree Gang off to the side have had absolutely no clue what was going on until suddenly Oh That's The Head Housemaiden. In Dormont. and they find a way to pull her to the side and explain the situation as best they can.

Euphrasie has a very good run of things. Keeps climbing the House with the saviors and killing the King, Mirabelle (non-tree gang) is doing great with someone else to take the lead, she gets the Change God meeting and after a brief Hey My God Is A BITCH crisis of faith, which she just shuffles to the side to deal with Later, roughly resolves to try and kickstart time again via (oh no) carefully-worded wish. doesn't word it carefully enough. whoops.

from the House, the Tree Gang hears Infinite Explosions. Mira and Euphrasie take a bit to work out who that is, and yeah, Claude is doing her best up there. She's doing the exact same Throw Yourself At The King thing Euphrasie was. but WORSE. eventually the loops lengthen as Claude descends the House to level up and try to find more stuff to attack the King with. The Tree Gang never gets the chance to talk to her. the SAVIORS do, but there's not many ways the Tree Gang can talk to them all from a distance. Claude has a middle of the road loop count, works out wishcraft, pops up beneath the tree.

And then? No one new. The seven of them lounge under the tree for a full two days, the King's Curse freezes everything, then they're back, and no one is acting differently. It takes a bit for them to realize that this is it, but once they do, they steal all the orbs from the Saviors while they're all asleep, and climb the House together. this is GREAT for them. they have all (minus Claude, at this point in time) been SO bored. collectively, they're doing awesome. they're all weird Things that aren't going to be terribly in-place anywhere, but they've gotten kind of isolationist anyways, so. They just collectively guess they'll leave Dormont after this, if they ever get out.

Euphrasie and Claude are the only ones who really feel attached to the specific location, anymore. Euphrasie had a job and a life here, but she's functionally a backup, compared to the other Head Housemaiden, frozen at the top of the House, and after the talk with the Change God, she thinks she needs a bit to think over the faith she threw herself so deeply into. Claude wants to see everything restored, the people and places she cares about, but she's gotten sick of the place without any sort of respite.

They kill the King first try, everyone wakes up, it's early morning on the second day of the loop, the Head Housemaiden wakes up, absolutely nothing breaks, and they just sorta. Leave before anyone notices them. Euphrasie shows them all her route down the side of the House. Odile can't make herself climb down, so Isa carries her. They hit the ground and skedaddle off to who knows where. Bonnie still wants to see their sister, and the Tree Gang probably ends up in Bambouche for a while. Petronille suddenly has two younger siblings. Sibling duplication glitch.

[lowkey-loki245]

So i saw your post and reblog about the time god au and i was thinking that maybe it was a way for vaugardian to rationalize the king take over?

The idea that Time itself sent one of its saint (loop) to guide the savior of Vaugarde throught the house and to fight the king. And that when that wasnt enough time froze the king itself in time to punish it for tampering with its flow

It would also means that Siffrin has access to more time craft like « slow » from Odile « pretty moving cure » from Mirabelle and create tears like the king

Im guessing it would also be an oportunity for Loop to gain more information about wish craft and time craft since even before the king shenanigans they look to be mostly associated with culture outside of Vaugarde (siffrin, the king getting access to time craft with a wish and odile brute forcing craft by research)

also question do you accept fanart of this au?

First, I'm absolutely accepting fanart, I'd love to see what you draw!

Second, absolutely love this idea. People seeing Loop leading the saviors of Vaugarde would definitely be a big deal. It would probably lead to people connecting the Time God to stars. (Thank to this person ( @misty-is-a-dragon ) who gave me this idea.)

Siffrin would definitely want to correct people on who froze the King, but Mirabelle probably wouldn't mind since she already had so much pressure on her before Vaugarde was saved, people knowing she was the one to freeze the King would probably put a lot more pressure on her.

As for the Time Craft stuff. Sif would have unlimited control over Time Craft, but he'd have to ease into his powers first. He'd probably practice on basic enemies (do Sadnesses still exist after the King got frozen, or are they all gone?) or on random objects. (Btw, when I say unlimited Time Craft, I mean he can be as creative as he wants. Too much Craft in a short amount of time will still hurt him. I feel like too much Craft hurts because of the mental strain, not just physical strain.)

Now I'm wondering how different Sif would look in this AU? I think most of the time, he'd look normal (aka, his "mortal" form), but something similar to his big form would be his god form. Just a little less mentally unwell, lol. But if anyone thinks of something cooler, run with it, I wanna see what cool ideas you guys have!

I think it'd be funny if Sif had some one-sided beef with the Change God in this AU. Considering that conversation in the House, I feel like it'd be understandable for Sif to not like the Change God that much. Too bad for him, the Change God is the only one giving him advice on how to be a god.

Also, how do you guys think this whole god situation will affect Siffrin's and Isabeau's relationship? Sif would probably be so scared that being a god now will ruin their relationship, while Isa's just like "my boyfriend's a god, he's so cool :3."

Odile and Mira would not know what to do at first. Should they treat Sif like the god he is, or like the friend he's been? They decide on the 2nd one because Sif is already going through a lot, they don't want to make things worse (though Odile will occasionally joke about treating Sif like a god. I feel like that's her sense of humor).

As for Bonnie, Bonnie would just be hyped about having a super powerful friend. Plus, Siffrin's Time Craft could speed up cooking if they need it. No more waiting a whole day for beef to marinate!

Also, as Siffrin's saint, Loop would probably have really strong Time Craft. It's not unlimited like Sif, but it's still super strong. They'd totally brag and joke about being Sif's saint, too. Sometimes, when Mira or Odile wanna talk to him about something, Loop will be like, "You may now speak to the Time God" as they reveal Sif to them like he's royalty. As you can tell, Loop got their humor from Odile.

Honestly, I'm loving the ideas you guys have been sharing for the AU, this is fun.

[cordysys]

Psst! If you're seeing THIS, we're not quite done tweaking things yet! The roles themselves are set in stone, but provided information may or may not change over time. That being said, here's the full cast!

A TWIST OF FATE - FULL CAST

Bonnie the Traveler - [ROLEPLAYER] Bonnie is in Siffrin's position! Their roleplayer accepts asks!

Loop the Housemaiden - [ROLEPLAYER] Loop is in Mirabelle's position! Their roleplayer accepts asks!

Claude the Fighter - [ROLEPLAYER] Claude is in Isabeau's position! Their roleplayer accepts asks!

Petronille the Researcher - [info]

Mirabelle the Kid - [info]

Siffrin the Head Housemaiden - [ROLEPLAYER] Siffrin is in Euphrasie's position! Their roleplayer accepts asks!

Euphrasie the Guide - [ROLEPLAYER] Echo is Euphrasie in Loop's position! Her roleplayer accepts asks!

Odile the Monarch - [ROLEPLAYER] Odile is in the King's position! Her roleplayer accepts asks!

Isabeau the Roommate - [ROLEPLAYER] Isabeau is in Claude's position! His roleplayer accepts asks!

[King] the Sibling - [ROLEPLAYER] King is in Petronille's position! His roleplayer accepts asks!

Again, you're seeing this while it's still a WIP. In the future, I'll have edited this to have links to each character's main writer, basic summaries of who they are now, etc!

[inks-lil-quiet-corner]

woa a random in stars and time oc that may or may not be incredibly self-indulgent!!! woa!!!!

meet lost! a silly ghost that just vibes with siffrin in the loops! more info about them is under the cut cuz it's a lot and doesn't make much sense lol (isat spoilers!!!)

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

would appear after the loop where siffrin gets accidentally thrown into the tear

like loop, they don't use any of the characters’ actual names

in order they call them little shine, housemaiden, fighter, researcher, and kid

basically the same as loop except for siffrin’s nickname

calls loop little galaxy, and calls the king crying one

loop would probably call them ghost

genuinely doesn’t remember anything about their past, but there are things that give them a sense of familiarity

can choose to make themselves visible or non-visible to siffrin, but can’t make themselves non-visible to loop

has free range when it comes to movement, can go wherever they want, but often chooses to stay beside siffrin

is oddly calm most of the time, and usually has a neutral expression unless they're expressing some sort of joy or acting mischievous

gives siffrin little pep talks at the start of every loop, but stops doing so after act 3

would suggest the use of siffrin's dagger to loop back really early into the loops, before the end of act 2

siffrin still wouldn’t go along with it until much later on

sometimes messes around the house since they're able to sometimes physically interact with the items around them

has caused the group (other than siffrin) to think that the house was genuinely haunted in multiple loops because of this, much to siffrin and loop’s annoyance

commentates a lot on what siffrin’s doing, even if he can’t hear them in the house

would suddenly act differently after act 2, when siffrin defeats the king only to get sent back

would express more emotion, namely frustration and impatience

would also show exasperation regarding siffrin deciding to stick to some script, wondering why something like that matters when they’re stuck

after act 3, would often immediately go to bonnie’s side and stay with them for as long as possible for a few loops

would also shut up about their annoyance regarding siffrin following a script, though they’d still see it as pointless when it comes to some of the stuff that he’s so adamant about keeping the same that wouldn't really put any of them in a life or death situation

would suddenly become visible to the rest of the group in act 5 after siffrin runs off into the house on their own, would partner up with loop to help guide them all to siffrin

Two Hats Spoilers below this line!!!

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

they're a siffrin from another universe

loop had a sneaking suspicion of this since their first meeting, and it was confirmed in one of the loops during act 4, in which lost decided to hang out with loop while siffrin went back into the house and the two of them had a talk

lost themself didn’t know that they were a siffrin from a different universe, but remembered when loop started talking about it

wished for something different compared to loop

wished to rest, and for their soul to be sent somewhere far away where it’ll actually matter

did not turn out as expected but oh well

doesn’t want to replace siffrin, just wants siffrin to be happy and live the life they couldn’t since he never gave up when they did

never reveals their true identity to siffrin, but siffrin suspected that they’re another siffrin after the uh. conversation. with loop in act 6

their spirit is finally able to rest after the loops end, so they fade away, leaving behind their silver coin and five-leaf clover

do they come back??? who knows it’s like a similar ending that loop had where they just faded

[eldragon-x-moved]

smth about loop starting out as a seemingly uncaring narrator whos fine with letting the party die because it doesnt matter anyway only to later be upset about bonnie dying and feel terrible when siffrin realizes they believe the loops to be inescapable and leave their assigned spot to get the party to help sif and be revealed to basically having assigned themselves as his guide that fucks w me

[a-very-mere-mortal]

A Review of In Stars and Time

If you're seeing this, you've probably already played In Stars and Time. I'm not exactly bursting with followers from before I became obsessed with it. But this is still worth making, just in case I can convince one person to pick this game up. So, to give you fair warning, there will be some (hopefully) light spoilers in this. If you want the basics, just skip to the last two paragraphs, but if you want an idea of my emotional impression of the game, try this on for size:

In Stars and Time is an RPG about the power of friendship in which you play as Siffrin, a quiet and introspective rogue out to save the country of Vaguarde from the evil King, who seeks to freeze the world in time. With them are their friends Mirabelle, Odile, Bonnie, and Isabeau, and they all draw strength from the wonderful bonds that their little group has. Arriving in the town of Dormont, you and your friends charge up the House of Change to meet the King, ready to defeat him using the magic of...

Uh oh. Something seems to have gone wrong here. I'm pretty sure that you weren't supposed to die this early. If it was the final battle and this was some kind of grand sacrifice I would get it, but as of right now... let's just try this again.

In Stars and Time is a game about time loops. Specifically, the one that you, Siffrin, are stuck in. It turns out you may have been less prepared to fight the King than you thought. Don't worry though; you have all the time in the world to figure it out, even if it's a little more difficult than it first appeared. Just remember to rely on your helpful guide Loop, who's here to help you make it through the best they can, even if they don't know how or why the loop started in the first place. But as if getting through the House of Change wasn't hard enough, what with its traps, locked doors, and vicious Sadnesses standing in your way, you have to manage your party members too. As it turns out, they aren't looping with you. But don't worry! While you may have felt a little lost at first, eventually you discover the perfect things to do and say to make them like you even more than the first time around. With your bonds stronger than ever and your route through the House perfectly memorized, you charge up to face the King in a heated battle with the fate of Vaguarde on the line! It's difficult, but in the end you triumph over the King and head into the final room of the House to celebrate with your friends- no, your family.

That's odd. You've defeated the King with the best possible ending, but there's still another 3 Acts left in the story. What's going on here?

In Stars and Time is just another trash indie game. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but it's true; this game should be 10 hours shorter and cut right after you beat the King with your family in tow. It hurts to play because now that things have gone wrong, things seem to have gotten worse in your head, too. Where's the resolution to this story? When does it end? You said all the right things, you made all the right moves, and your family members have never been happier! By any other game's logic, this would be the endpoint. You may have struggled to make it through the time loop, but since you managed to keep your sanity intact and be nice to your friends, you get a gold star and the true ending. For some reason, this game refuses to let you have that success, and I'm infuriated on your behalf. I suppose you'll have to keep looking for a solution somewhere within the House, even though I know you're getting a little sick of it by now. Try not to get too frustrated by all this, okay? It would be quite awful if you did something you'd regret because you were feeling...

Ah. Well.

That changes my opinion of things, I suppose. I have no words that could do justice to what we just experienced. What a finale, eh? Let's try this review one more time, with a more...complete view of things. No more of this "describe what happens in the game step by step" malarkey. Everyone knows that's bad practice anyways.

In Stars and Time is an RPG about memory, communication, and the mortifying ordeal of being known. (It'll make more sense when you play it). With a lovely sound track and both beautiful hand-drawn and pixelated artwork, In Stars and Time manages to convey one the best stories I have ever experienced in the history of gaming. If you're the sort that likes comparisons, I would describe this game as a combination of the the humor and surprising depth of the Stanley Parable, the intense emotional characters and tight writing of Undertale, and the incredible worldbuilding of Harry Potter (without having to suffer through J. K. Rowling). I felt genuinely mystified by the unexplained and had a strong desire to learn more about the world during my unfortunately brief time within it.

3 weeks after completing the game, I'm still stewing in the things I felt and the realizations I came to while playing it. This is one of the few games I can say genuinely changed my life; after playing it I found the strength to reach out and connect to the friends I have in the real world on a level I never thought I'd be able to achieve. I feel a moral obligation to recommend this game; if it can do the same things for you that it did for me, it would be evil of me to deny you them. For the incredibly modest price of 20$, you will experience approximately 20 hours of soul-gripping gameplay that might stick with you for the rest of your life. This is something worth your time.

[eternalfarnham]

Ideological swap AU:

Euphrasie, a former Housemaiden of Dormont's House of Change, hails originally from the island-nation of Ananke, north of Jouvente. On Ananke, she was in a terrible – largely-undefined, to the theoretical game camera's eye – relationship with an unknown man, a "cry-bullying tyrant," which made her suspicious, bitter and unkind – made her worse, she says.

Euphrasie left one day and found her way to Vaugarde, but wherever you go, there you are – Housemaiden or not, even desperately working to adapt, she was still unkind when she didn't want to be, still tormented by awful memories, still taking it out on others. She wished to be rid of the history that made her this way, using her old country's rituals, and gained the power of "Memory Craft" – the power to "scramble" information, such that no one could recall it existed in the first place.

And so – taking her favorite young Housemaiden as a companion – she left her country, styled herself "Faceless" after her god (misunderstanding the Change God's deal pretty badly) and set herself up in Ananke. There, she used "Joyeux" – monsters born from intense emotion – to drive away its residents, so they'd flee to Vaugarde through her one-way barrier. Once the island was properly vacated, she intended to erase it from history – to erase the context that made her so bitter, the society that enabled it just because her old someone was versed in the ways of the Universe, and to be properly and only a daughter of Change and Vaugarde.

Everyone, she says, can start again this way.

Siffrin, the Stargazer, fled the same cruel tyrant that Euphrasie did – albeit separately – and found himself blessed mysteriously with the power to remember everything, no matter what. They are... unlikely, as heroes go – accustomed to creeping around and leaving the charisma and earnestness to less disillusioned folks – but they care deeply about the people they love.

Odile, the Historian, is here with a vested interest in preserving the cultural history of a small, embattled people – particularly against a collaborateur trying to force-assimilate her entire homeland.

Bonnie, the Kid, is here on the strength of a mysterious series of notes they left themself, telling them that they've forgotten something important and that only defeating the Faceless will return those memories. They're a pretty lonely kid.

Isabeau, the Guardian, is... pretty similar, actually. Given Siffrin's limited social graces, he's taken on a bigger social role. Like a diplomat who hits stuff, basically.

And Mirabelle, the Turncoat... was a cool-ass rival character for most of the saviors' journey, out of loyalty to her Head Housemaiden and her House and a lack of anywhere else to go. She returned to the side that isn't trying to destroy a country out of guilt:

It's her rapier that took out Siffrin's eye.

She doesn't want to be that person. She's desperate to change – to be forgiven, by the end of this quest – but there's indelible proof of her rottenness, right on Siffrin's face. So, with the ritual that her faceless caretaker never quite let herself use, she wished that she could be someone different...

And there's nothing more formative – more self-destroying and -recreating – than intense, sustained time loop trauma, right?

(Her faithful guide Ring claims to be a success story: they became someone completely new, down to a new name and pronouns, and broke the cycle, but graciously returned to Ananke to guide weary, misguided, treacherous little Belle to a proper ending. The name "Ring" comes from their bonding earrings, prominently displayed and visible even through the corona of their head. After all, they say, changing – like they were supposed to – meant learning to love the right way, without distrust and fear.

Fucked up thing to say, Ring!)