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None Forward & Two, Two, Two Steps Back - TV Tropes

  • ️Sat Nov 30 2024

Warning: By its very nature, this fanwork contains Late-Arrival Spoilers for both START AGAIN START AGAIN START AGAIN: a prologue and In Stars and Time. Please tread carefully.

Round and round and round they go. Steps retraced so often that Siffrin practically has them all memorized, for all that his mind's more sieve than anything else. Hardly a proper container, but then again, what part of this is proper? A proper mockery of everything they wished for, perhaps, but — but what did he wish for, again?

None Forward & Two, Two, Two Steps Back is a In Stars and Time fanfic by faedemon which presents the reader with an alternative to the game's canonical Act Five. A scenario wherein the loops become even more circular, spiraling on and on as the Traveler staunchly refuses to see the end... until they can't look away.

This fanfic contains examples of:

  • All for Nothing: Played With; while the existence of the "Groundhog Day" Loop enabled the party to survive their travels through the House and defeat the King, Siffrin has considerable difficulty focusing on any of the upsides after being trapped in the vicious cycle for so long. When faced with the prospect that the others would've happily agreed to stay together if he'd only ever asked them, the Traveler's head practically rings from Mirthless Laughter at the irony.
  • Anti-Climax: A particularly painful one comes in the form of the final trip through the House after the loop breaks. Siffrin goes through the motions and guides the others to victory in one last "performance", without bothering to pick up any of the unnecessary trinkets and souvenirs along the way. The King no longer poses any real threat, having long stopped being any kind of insurmountable obstacle thanks to all the practice the loops provided.
  • Armor-Piercing Question:
    • Siffrin throws Loop off-script by bluntly asking them "What happened to you, Loop?" Then hits their Berserk Button with their follow-up, "What happened to you, Siffrin?"
    • Following the Internal Reveal, Loop laughs bitterly about how much they've changed and asks Siffrin "Wouldn't the Housemaiden be so proud?" Siffrin is unable to answer.
    • While trying to ask about how the House regards specific types of Change, Siffrin inadvertantly poses one such question to Mirabelle, who counters with one of her own:

      Siffrin: Not that. More like... what if something happens exclusively to you, something that you didn't want, and you're changed against your will even while everything around you stays the same?
      Mirabelle: [studying them closely] Siffrin, is... is everything okay?

  • Bittersweet Ending: Much more bitter than sweet, though Siffrin is likely sick of the taste of burnt sugar, anyway. Ultimately, the King is defeated without incident, and without any major falling-out between Siffrin and the others... but they're still estranged, thanks to Siffrin pulling away. And just to twist the knife further, he realizes that they didn't HAVE to separate, as the rest of the party wanted to keep traveling together... but they'd never be able to understand how his experiences in the loops had changed him. On the bright side, Siffrin won't be traveling alone, as Loop — the one person who can comprehend what they went through — will be with them.
  • Cassandra Truth: Odile notes that anyone trapped within a time loop would likely have an incredibly difficult time convincing anyone of what they were dealing with, as the very concept sounds unbelievable.
  • Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Played for Drama. Wish Craft is fueled by belief alongside rituals; as Siffrin observes during the final confrontation with the King, the party has been unknowingly conducting a Wish Craft ceremony to counteract and overpower the King's Wish. However, this also means that Wish Craft can be broken by the wisher completely losing faith or realizing their desire is impossible... which is exactly what happens with Siffrin.
  • "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Twice over:
    • As Loop repeatedly points out, by the time the story begins Siffrin has already figured out just what trapped them in the time loop, but is refusing to do anything with that information as they're afraid of what might follow. This continues until the choice is ultimately taken out of Siffrin's hands in the worst possible fashion.
    • Hearing Odile suggest that they should continue their travels together damn near BREAKS Siffrin, as it hits him all at once that they didn't have to Wish to stay with the others.
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:
    • Mirabelle explains to Siffrin just what kind of services the House offers to those who have gone through involuntary Changes, which naturally segues into her wondering whether Siffrin has need of such support.
    • While pondering Siffrin's "hypothetical" question, Odile muses that it would only get harder for the looper to keep track of all the things they shouldn't be aware of, and that the gap between them and those outside the loops would eventually insurmountable, as nobody would be able to understand precisely what they'd experienced. Then she turns around and sees their expression.
  • Fatal Flaw: Siffrin's reticence and reluctance to open up to the rest of the party about their fears becomes the crux of their Tragic Mistake here, as they avert their gaze from a painful truth until it becomes completely unavoidable.
  • His Own Worst Enemy: Siffrin several times over. Their self-loathing is so severe that they simply can't picture a scenario where their greatest Wish comes true... and as a result, the loop only ends when he accepts this and pulls away from the others willingly, just in time to learn that they wanted to stay together too.
  • Innocently Insensitive: Since none of Siffrin's companions know that he's trapped in a time loop, or about any of the other issues he's refused to inform them of, they occasionally end up saying or doing things that sting. Such as when Isabeau tells a joke about time travel.
  • Little "No": Loop lets one slip out in horror after Siffrin informs them that the rest of the party will be traveling together... without Siffrin.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: Siffrin's response to being choked out by Loop is to idly observe that it's a relatively novel way to die compared to all of their past deaths in the House.
  • Mirthless Laughter:
    • When Isabeau jokes that one shouldn't take up time travel because there's no future in it, Siffrin bursts into uncontrollable laughter that turns increasingly manic.
    • There's an internalized case in the second half, in response to Odile suggesting everyone continue their travels together.
  • Plot Parallel:
    • While explaining how her House aids those who have been Changed by circumstances outside their control, Mirabelle admits that she's never volunteered to help directly with those services, something she feels deeply guilty about — she believes volunteering would be the right thing to do, but also finds it far too harsh a reality to face. This mirrors how Siffrin knows how to break the loops, but can't bring himself to take the crucial steps and deal with the difficulty. Hammering the parallel home, Mirabelle realizes the significance of Siffrin's question and asks him outright what's wrong, showing she's willing to confront that painful possibility for the sake of her friend, only for Siffrin to loop back and avoid the conversation taking that turn.
    • In the first chapter, Odile's response to his Trial Balloon Question sparks a painful realization for Siffrin that causes his Wish to unravel due to its apparent impossibility. The second half has her trigger another agonizing moment when she proposes they all keep traveling together.
  • Poor Communication Kills: BOY HOWDY does Siffrin know a thing or two about this. Especially after they complete the final loop.
  • Rapid-Fire "No!": Several instances, but the most potent comes near the end and is entirely internalized, as Siffrin silently rails against the Dramatic Irony of Odile proposing the whole party continue traveling together.
  • Recursive Fanfiction: asteryhm's nothing but a dull ache serves as a P.O.V. Sequel following Isabeau's perspective of the fallout of this story's events.
  • Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: The fact that Siffrin and Loop are the only ones who remember the loops becomes a major plot point.
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Siffrin fears that the others won't be able to accept who he is Beneath the Mask, a fear that is only amplified further and further as the loops continue until his Wish unravels entirely, as he realizes they'll never be able to understand what he's experienced within the loops.
  • Self-Inflicted Hell: The loops effectively become this; while Siffrin has put the pieces together enough to realize the key to breaking the vicious cycle, they can't bring themselves to take the final step and actually end the loops, because they fear what might follow.
  • Trial Balloon Question:
    • Siffrin poses one to Mirabelle, trying to figure out how the Change religion deals with those who have been Changed by circumstances outside their control, completely against their will. Naturally, she becomes deeply concerned about why he's asking, and he winds up looping back just far enough to derail their conversation before it reaches the point of no return.
    • He also asks Odile how long it would take for somebody trapped within a time loop to learn everything there was to know about the people around them. Her response proves... discouraging.
  • You Shouldn't Know This Already: Discussed by Siffrin and Odile when he broaches the concept of time looping in a "hypothetical" scenario. She notes how difficult it would be for the looper to keep track of all the information they'd gathered, and to avoid arousing suspicion by letting something slip.