History VisualNovel / SlayThePrincess

* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:It is possible to pull this off with the Thorn version of the Princess once she is freed, provided the Player flirted with the Witch in the last chapter. The Narrator is absolutely indignant about it and makes no secret of it, but realizes that even he has to follow narrative convention when it comes to these things and so breaks out the PurpleProse, even if at first he does so with clenched teeth and lays on the sarcasm as thick as possible. The Voices pick up on this call him out on it, telling him not to ruin the moment, and he begrudgingly acquiesces.]]

* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:It is possible to pull this off with the Torn version of the Princess once she is freed, provided the option to flirt with her when she was still the Witch was taken. The Narrator is absolutely indignant about it and makes no secret of it, but realizes that even he has to follow narrative convention when it comes to these things and so breaks out the PurpleProse, even if at he first does so with clenched teeth and lays on the sarcasm as thick as possible. The Voices pick up on this call him out on it, telling him not to ruin the moment, and he very begrudgingly acquiesces.]]

* JumpScare: Averted. While a few of the more "horrific" forms of the princess are definitely scary, nothing just randomly pops out at you and screams from nowhere. The terror comes from how to deal with the princess, the situation you find yourself in after the WhamEpisode, and what this could mean if you choose to see things to their logical conclusion.

-->'''Princess:''' At the end of the day whatever the two of us have going on down here, it's about trust, blind trust.

* GroundhogDayLoop: Regardless of what you do in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 loops back to the beginning and puts you back in the woods. You and the Princess still remember your previous encounter and she's evolved in reaction, but the Narrator either doesn't remember or pretends not to. [[spoiler:Ends up horribly averted, as the Narrator explains that both the protagonist and Princess keep inadvertently jumping into alternate worlds at the end of each route, devastating the previous world in the process. [[UnreliableNarrator If the Narrator is to be believed, anyway.]] At the final encounter with the narrator he implies that all the worlds you go through/destroy are pocket worlds created by him (and to an extent reshaped by the Princess) to funnel you towards their objectives.]]

* {{Bookends}}: The story begins with you outside in the safety of the wilderness and stepping into a cabin, your future scary and unknown. [[spoiler:Choose to leave with the princess, and the story ends with you and her in the safety of the cabin and stepping into the wilderness, your future scary and unknown... but with reason to hope.]]

* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: An InUniverse Example. [[spoiler:Should the player chose to have the Hero submit to to the Tower version of the Princess, she looks into him and notices that there is a presence him, describing it as a faint "echo". It is evident that she is talking about the Narrator, who first reacts with incredulity, because, the way he understands the rules, the Princess isn't supposed to able to see him, much less interact with him. When it becomes increasingly clear that, yes, the Princess is not only talking about him but is even about to use her CompellingVoice on him, the Narrator screams in horror, as the Princess assumes control over him.]]

-->'''Princess (in a bored tone)''': "That will be fine, I can lose an arm."

--> '''No, the Princess isn't a cosmic horror.''' She's just an ordinary human Princess, and you can definitely slay her as long as you put your mind to it.
--> '''No time loops. Don't be ridiculous.''' Time is a strictly linear concept and it certainly doesn't "loop," whatever that's supposed to mean.

* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: A couple of InUniverse Examples. [[spoiler:Should the player chose to have the Hero submit to to the Tower version of the Princess, she looks into him and notices that there is a presence him, like a faint echo. It is evident that she is talking about the Narrator, who first reacts with incredulity, because, the way he understands the rules, the Princess isn't supposed to able to see him, much less interact with him. When it becomes increasingly clear that, yes, the Princess is talking about him, the Narrator screams in horror, as the Princess reaches out and assumes control over him.]]

* GratuitousPrincess: The Princess is mostly just for the narrative irony of a hero's quest being to slay a princess rather than save one. What exactly she's the princess of isn't elaborated on, nor is anything else about her past, and she seems to have been chained up alone in a remote cabin for as long as she or anybody else can remember. This is latter subverted on the revelation that, [[spoiler: that she is a deity of change, with the ability to draw power and shape from the perceptions of others. She takes the form of a princess because it's something you can fathom and relate to.]]

->'''The Narrator:''' [[spoiler:The construct you're in exists in every world at once. Any time you failed, any time you thought yourself dead, it would restart and shunt both you and her to a new world.]]
** There's a nightmarish version of this in the Razor route, [[spoiler: where the player is repeatedly stabbed and reset while fighting her.]]
->[[spoiler: The Princess (Razor): "Come on show me something new!" Narrator: "She skewers you. The Princess: "You're cute!" Narrator: "She skewers you" The Princess: "Impressive!" Narrator: "She skewers you"]]

--> '''The Princess''': I told you that you'd regret saying that. But I didn't think you'd regret it so fast. And with so little effort on my part.

-->'''Princess (in a bored tone)''': "That will be fine, I can lose an arm."

--->'''The Witch:''' Why? Why did you let me do this?!

--> '''Player''': "Look, we're even now. You killed me and then I killed you, water under the bridge right?"\\
'''Princess''': "I think you forgot something..like the part that all this started when you left me a pit to languish all by myself!"

** If you decide to let the princess disarm and kill you, mid-fight in Chapter 1, or [[spoiler: seemingly mindlessly follow her orders in The Tower]] the narrator/voices will react accordingly:
-->'''The Narrator:''' Really?
-->'''Voice of the Hero:''' [[spoiler: All right. I'm done with this. I'm just going to sit in the corner. Let me know when we get our agency back.]]

* WomenPreferStrongMen: Played with when [[spoiler:you and the Princess manage to mutually kill each other]]. The Princess takes time in her dying moments to compliment your strength, even describing the fatal encounter as "fun". When you don't put up as much of a fight, she mocks your weakness as she crushes your windpipe. And in "The Tower", [[spoiler:the Princess is a bit more receptive to you if you take the pristine blade with you.]]

* BackFromTheDead: In all routes except the very brief "Good Ending", [[spoiler:Chapter I ends with the protagonist's death, only for Chapter II to begin with them in the forest again, no worse for wear and wondering how they're still alive. And if the princess also dies in Chapter I, she comes back for Chapter II as well, eager to reference how you'd killed her the previous time. She does remain dead in the ''Spectre'' route, but she still is able to fulfill her usual role, as a ghost.]]

* ApologeticAttacker: [[spoiler:Leaving the knife behind and attempting to free the princess in Chapter I will cause the Narrator to drop the knife into the basement anyway and force you to try and kill her with it. Holding back for long enough allows the princess to recognize you're being controlled, take the knife out of your hand, and kill you to relieve you of your brainwashing. She sobs & apologizes over and over as she stabs you, especially since her lack of experience with knives causes your death to be more drawn-out & painful than necessary.]]

* BackFromTheDead: In all routes except the very brief "Good Ending", [[spoiler:Chapter I ends with the protagonist's death, only for Chapter II to begin with them in the forest again, no worse for wear & wondering how they're still alive. And if the princess also dies in Chapter I, she comes back for Chapter II as well, eager to reference how you'd killed her the previous time. She does remain dead in the ''Spectre'' route, but she still is able to fulfill her usual role, as a ghost.]]

*** ''A new and unending dawn:'' [[spoiler:Refuse The Shifting Mound, and try to slay the princess. The Voice of the Hero takes you to her heart, inside the cabin. Take the pristine blade and choose to slay her one last time. How sad this is can depend on which variant of the princess you met first and how much you talk things out before ending things, [[DyingDeclarationOfLove She'll tell you that she loves you]] before she's KilledOffForReal. You’ll awaken to your godhood and the new world made by it with just you and all of the Voices, who are all happy it’s finally over (except Smitten). Now you have to figure out what to do with yourselves.]] A variation of this ending, called ''A new and unending dawn, and everybody hates you'' occurs if [[spoiler:you mocked the Voices' concern when you approached the mirror at the end of a route. Instead of looking forward to a new eternity, [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment the Voices remember your callousness and promise to torment with you for it.]]]]

** [[spoiler:The Wild version of Chapter III, starts with the (unseen) Princess doing her own version of the OpeningNarration, much to the confoundment of the Narrator, who complains that she shouldn't be able to do that. When the Princess continues her narration, commenting on the state of the world and the Hero and the nature of the Narrator, he gets increasingly frustrated and tries repeatedly to wrest back control over the story, even ordering her to shut up, but to no avail.]]

* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: An InUniverse Example. [[spoiler:Should the player chose to have the Hero submit to to the Tower version of the Princess, she looks into him and notices that there is a presence him, like a faint echo. It is evident that she is talking about the Narrator, who first reacts with incredulity, because, the way he understands the rules, the Princess isn't supposed to able to see him, much less interact with him. When it becomes increasingly clear that, yes, the Princess is talking about him, the Narrator screams in horror, as the Princess reaches out and assumes control over him.]]

* {{Gaslighting}}: There's no mirror in the second loop's cabin! Go ahead, put your hand on the wall where this mirror supposedly is. Who cares if you can see it, there's no mirror there. [[spoiler:See? There wasn't a mirror there after all, despite you reaching out try and touch it. [[MindScrew You're just seeing things]]. If you get into loops beyond the second, this is subverted. The Narrator genuinely cannot see the mirror, and reacts in surprise if you repeatedly point it out. Probably because this mirror is tied into your nature as The Long Quiet.]]

--> '''Princess''': "At the end of the day whatever the two of us have going on down here, it's about trust, blind trust."
--> '''Narrator (when asked for evidence)''': "You just have to trust me!"

** When the Shifting Mound unites with a vessel and tells you more about her: [[spoiler:"Do not mourn her"]]

** "Burning down the house" references the Music/TalkingHeads song by the same title.

** In the full game's Prisoner route, [[spoiler:the Princess can cut her own head off with the pristine blade. And even then, she still doesn't react, and will thank the player for taking their head out of the cabin.]].

* MutualKill: In several endings, you succeed in killing the Princess but at the cost of your own life. [[spoiler:In the Adversary ending, the Voice of the Stubborn is eager for a rematch, so much so that he wills her back to life, so that you can keep killing each other multiple more times.]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the Witch route, you can optionally give the blade to the Princess as a gesture of trust. [[spoiler:She gleefully kills you with it in revenge for betraying her in Chapter 1, only to turn to remorse as she realizes the Player was being genuine.]].

* NeverGoingBackToPrison: The Princess will do anything to leave the cabin. She can forgive you for trying to kill her, but any attempt to leave her behind '''will''' incur her wrath. Leaving her in the basement [[spoiler:transforms her into the Nightmare, who will engulf you in visions of her torment to convince you to let her leave, with her repeatedly yelling "let me out!". Killing the Nightmare or leaving the Spectre behind transforms the Princess into the Wraith, who will forcibly [[DemonicPossession hijack your body]] to leave, showing absolutely no remorse for doing so.]].

** ''Just as you once were nothing'': [[spoiler:In each version of Chapter 2, refuse to enter the cabin, causing the Shifting Mound to grow frustrated with your refusal to provide her with more vessels. After you do this five times, you are both now permanently trapped inside the construct with no hope for escape. The Shifting Mound tells you you made the wrong choices but says she loves you. From there, you can prolong your existence indefinitely, but the only way to roll credits is to give up, causing you and the Shifting Mound to cease to exist]].

* LaserGuidedKarma: Can happen to both you and The Princess across different routes depending on your actions. For example if you try to abandon her after allying with her in The Prisoner route, the doors immediately lock behind you, trapping you in the same room.
--> '''The Princess''': I told you you'd regret saying that. But I didn't think you'd regret it so fast. And with so little effort on my part.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Subverted. Some options are labeled "(Explore)", which indicates an option where you can safely get some exposition or ask questions that won't progress the plot. However, this only barely applies to options that have you talking with the Narrator or the other Voices. The Princess does ''not'' have to let you talk and may make a move even if you choose an "Explore" option. For example, [[spoiler:when you encounter the Beast, the Voice of the Hunted advises you to move immediately, because you're out in the open and vulnerable; if you choose to talk to the her, she will [[EatenAlive eat you alive immediately]].]] Another exception is that the Princess will refuse to hold a proper conversation with you if you bring the knife into the basement until you heed her order to drop it. If you then tell her that she's meant to end the world, she will automatically win if you engage her in a fight in chapter 1.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Subverted. Some options are labeled "(Explore)", which indicates an option where you can safely get some exposition or ask questions that won't progress the plot. However, this only barely applies to options that have you talking with the Narrator or the other Voices. The Princess does ''not'' have to let you talk and may make a move even if you choose an "Explore" option. For example, [[spoiler:when you encounter the Beast, the Voice of the Hunted advises you to move immediately, because you're out in the open and vulnerable; if you choose to talk to the her, she will [[EatenAlive eat you alive immediately]].]] Another exception is that the Princess will refuse to hold a proper conversation with you if you bring the knife into the basement until you heed her order to drop it.