#this may read a bit disjointed and airy cuz I literally just copied-pasted from my discord message lol

[salty-an-disco]

Not only that though! The pairs shown in Stranger also share a similar theme.

I shared this thought on discord a while ago, but I think it’s worth sharing here too:

Adversary & Tower: power dynamics (the opposite of a dynamic where you’re the powerless, submissive one, isn’t one where you’re the powerful, dominant one, it’s one of equals)

Damsel & Prisoner: Trust (either blind and unfiltered, or a difficult and cautious one)

Nightmare & Spectre: Connections; and also what happens when you disregard someone’s feelings

Witch & Beast: dehumanization and conflict (both are the most animalistic forms of the princess, and in both, you’re immediately placed in opposition to her)

Stranger and Razor: this is a difficult one, since these are the most meta routes, and that in itself can be their themes. But I also think they’re about personhood and individuality. In the Stranger, that is focused on the Princess, and everything she can be, in the Razor, the focus is on the Long Quiet, and everything they can be. That’s also why they don’t really interconnected, as they’re the opposite of The Wild and are showing you what each of them are when completely on their own

(Bonus thought: “Uhhhhh– Wild only being able to be get through Witch and Beast. Something something, conflict is in your nature, you two got so entangled in a conflict with each other that you forgot where one ends and the other begins”)

You know that spiral thing that appears in Stranger? That each represents one of the princesses? Noticed that they are connected to the one they share an overlapping chapter with.

Like, “Consumption and Betrayal”, Beast and Witch, they both lead to the Wild chapter. “Skepticism and Blind Devotion”, Prisoner and Damsel, both lead to the Grey (albeit different versions). “Rivalry and Submission”, Adversary and Tower, both lead to Fury. “Terror and Longing”, Nightmare and Spectre, both lead to Wraith. Then there is “Pain and Unfamiliarity”, Razor and Stranger, the most unique of these because they don’t connect to any overlapping chapters (also kind of like Damsel and Prisoner since they both lead to only the Grey, but those are different versions of the same ending so maybe not. Also they have extra endings in their own chapters, like deconstructed Damsel for example).

A bit off topic but it makes me wonder why Spectre doesn’t have her own separate third chapter. Everyone else does: Beast to Den, Witch to Thorn, Tower to Apotheosis, etc. They said they were adding two new chapters to the game, as well as a post stating how Spectre fans would like the new update, which makes me think she’s getting getting her own third chapter that doesn’t connect her to Nightmare.

Wonder where the other chapter they said they were making will go then? Stranger seems unlikely but not impossible, maybe Razor if they decided they wanted to extend it, for the absolute absurdity of a five chapter route. Maybe it’ll go towards one of the endings, or as some super secret side thing that is sneakily hidden.

A lot of the Princesses they said will be getting new content in the update are on the Pristine Cut poster(? Don’t know what to call it, I’m dumb). Witch, who is not on it, was said to not be getting anything more, so I guess we’ll be expecting new stuff from whatever princesses are on it, and to not expect new stuff who aren’t. Makes sense really, I can’t think of anything new we’d want in the other more fleshed out chapters.