#slay the Princess spoilers

[frappeww]

Keep the last flame lit, forever.

[golvio]

Finally got around to seeing all of Apotheosis’ new endings, and I’m still sitting with it days later.

OG Apotheosis was among the bottom of my Princess ranking list since I guess I’m not into the whole Domination bit as some other prople, though I figured there was more to her based on what was already there. However, I wasn’t ready to have my suspicions confirmed in such a viscerally upsetting way in the Paranoid version of the “make her feel what you felt” ending. Like…as initially satisfying as finally forcing her to stop hurting you felt, it stopped feeling like a victory when you actually saw what you’d done to her. You stop feeling like a helpless victim when you understand just how hollow she’d felt inside despite her boasts and your perception of her as untouchable and unstoppable helped reinforce this armor she’d built around herself.

She may have cruelly lorded over you to compensate for her own feelings of helplessness back when she was at your mercy, but you were the one who gave up and ceded all control to her in the first place. Your relationship is a conversation, not a one-sided Pygmalian molding of an empty blank slate, and the two of you built that abusive relationship and unbalanced power dynamic together. On one hand, the prison of your own mind within the role you assigned yourself is far harder to escape than any physical jail and can operate even in her absence, to the point where acting against its oppressive rules seems so impossible that it feels like “madness.” On the other hand, no one is actually keeping you there but you.

This ending and Fury’s “pacifist” ending feel like funhouse mirror reflections of each other—each hurts the other to try to force them to understand the harm they’ve caused and get an apology, but by hurting each other they diminish each other, by hurting each other they hurt themselves. Becoming the warden of the jail where you’re also held prisoner can only give you the illusion of control and freedom, at best. Any “victory” in such a power struggle, no matter how initially triumphant, is ultimately a Pyrrhic one.

And then there’s the “Grace” ending. As much as she’d hurt you, in her last moments, instead of selfishly clutching you to herself tighter for comfort, she hurls you towards the exit, giving you a single chance for a mad, impossible dash towards freedom. She didn’t have to do that, and ultimately there was no point in doing that because the hole she opened sealed itself back up before you could reach it, but she still did it. Despite her embracing her role as unstoppable, untouchable goddess to flee from the memory of her original weak, vulnerable self, deep down she didn’t actually want to hurt you. She missed you and wanted to be with you again, but since all she knew was domination and subjugation, she only knew how to express that through trying to paternalistically control you. When the chips were down and she was being reassimilated into the Cosmic Spaghetti of Shifty’s incomplete form, she finally relinquished control and was able to express her true feelings selflessly.

That…gave me some very conflicting feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I love when finding out more about characters I initially disliked makes me feel all conflicted. It’s just…a lot. Woof.

There’s also this theme of being “trapped inside yourself,” in this case literally when it comes to two fragments of gods living out an allegory for their own imprisonment. It may be true that the Vessels are only incomplete pieces of The Shifting Mound who weren’t meant to function on their own, but Shifty herself is so vast and all-encompassing that each of her pieces is complex enough to be a functioning individual in her own right, which is especially true of the Chapter 3+ Princesses, who’ve developed so much from their experiences that they feel much more like “real,” multifaceted people. If you find Tower/Apotheosis first, then reach Shifty’s heart, the Princess you find there is the version of the Heart that feels most like she’s her own person separate from Shifty, and rejects Shifty’s idea of godhood. Her rejection of “labels” after her being constrained by Shifty’s parameters feels a lot more meaningful as a result.

On top of that…now you understand what it feels to be trapped inside of a “bigger, more Important” version of yourself. If The Long Quiet is you, then your godly meta-body is also the prison that’s keeping both the conscious, individual, mortal You trapped along with the Princess. It’s not like you can just get up and leave because you have no conscious control over this part of yourself. And when you do wake up, you risk losing yourself as you are now to integrate into that greater whole. Is that really worth it, or is there another way that doesn’t require giving up your individual existence? It’s like the flipside of The Empty Cup, too, in terms of foreshadowing the possible “Third Way” you can escape without embracing godhood and staying trapped within yourself, within the role you built up for yourself.

[fanelectricboogieloo]

"where do you think you're going?"

(bonus small spoilery doodle under the read me)

spoilery for long quiet and nothing else really.

[disquiet-dream]

also this is driving me insane replaying Happily Ever After after getting an actual ending

like. like. !!!

!!!!!!!!!!

i didn't even pick up on how weird that is for him to say, but now i AM and it's CRAZY, because i do know what he means now!

and i know this was part of the pristine cut too, so like, it's gotta be at least partially written with the expectation that a good amount of people seeing this were returning players

it's wild

[deerthorn]

The Shifting Mound: *slaps roof of The Long Quiet*

"This bad boy can fit so many voices"

[beartitled]

STP voices x princesses

Because I wanted a reason to draw them all >:D

Also lil bonus ✨

[sir-biszkopt]

LQ and his 4 smoking weed wives

[prokopetz]

I think my favourite subtle joke in Slay the Princess is how the Voice of the Smitten loudly insists they're all about pure devotion and courtly love, then in all of their spotlight chapters the Princess has visibly bigger boobs. Like, we see you, buddy.

[abby-howard]

A background from the Pristine Cut that I have been wanting to share for ssooo long.

Yes, those chains were hand-drawn link by link :]

Here's a close up, and raw pencils for another background that I was proud of:

Just wanted to share.. that is all....

[anniflamma]

The Princess and The Dragon route again. Opportunist is such an asshole, and I love him for it.

[cavalierclavier]

When I broke the cycle, I made sure that the tear was rough. You carry a part of what should be her, and she carries a part of what should be you.

[lemonduckisnowawake]

Slay the Princess is a comedy

[susiephone]

Play "Slay the Princess" to hear Jonny Sims be very disappointed in you many, many times.

[jessamakesart]

And then a figure emerges, shrouded in feathered darkness, the world trailing behind it...

I got "The Princess and the Dragon" path recently and I have been very normal about it.

[kaereth]

Been playing Slay the Princess and Witch Princess is my fav so far

nya >:3

[maria-ruta]

I honestly didn't expect to make poor Adversary grossed out and scared X'D

idk it was so funny to me for some reason

especially the:

"... can i go back and get my knife though?... 🥺"

"NO."

"okay...🥺"