Slay the Princess Narrator, Princess, Voices in Japanese
<<Vessel Names Part 1(Chapter I & II + Razor III & IV)
<<Vessel Names Part 2(Chapter IIIs)
Part 4(TLQ, TSM, Echo)>>
Actually, I'm gonna go in chronological order of character mentions. So, we will start with:
The Narrator
ナレーター(Nareetaa) [Narrator]
Simple and direct. There is a word for "narrator" that is of Japanese origin(語り手 lit. "Story hand" meaning narrator/storyteller), but the English word is the one more widely used. He also says "I" using the first-person pronoun 私(watashi), I'm assuming to indicate his "formal" attitude as, although men can use it, it's usually only in formal situations/you don't know someone well. He is of course referred to in third person with the kanji 彼(kare) meaning "he" or "him", but some voices like Contrarian and Smitten use katakana for him instead of kanji(カレ) for some different type of emphasis, I'm assuming.
Now in the Narrator's first lines, he tells you that there is a
Princess(or "The Princess" sometimes)
プリンセス(Purinsesu) [Princess]
Like I mentioned in the "Princess and the Dragon" portion of last post, the Princess always referred to with the English word "Princess" rather than the Japanese word for princess.(She's also very often referred to with the pronoun 彼女(kanojo) meaning "she", of course). She tends to use the first person pronoun わたし(watashi), like the Narrator, although in her case it's written simply in hiragana, I assume to show less formality and more just how she refers to herself. 私/わたし is also used by women casually, in contrast to what I said in the Narrator section. She also tends to use あなた(anata, "you") for her 2nd person pronoun(formal/regular way to say "you").
The 1st and 2nd person pronouns the Princess uses also tends to change with each chapter:
The Spectre, Stranger(Chapter II), Damsel, Wild, Grey - 1st わたし(watashi, わたしたちwatashi-tachi when Stranger Princesses merge)・2nd あなた(anata)
Base Princess(Chapter I & Heart of TSM)*, The Nightmare, Moment of Clarity, Razor, Prisoner, Cage, Princess and the Dragon, Happily Ever After, Stranger(Heart of the Shifting Mound)- 1st 私(watashi, 私たちwatashi-tachi for Stranger)・2nd あなた
The Adversary, Eye of the Needle, Fury, Wraith - 1st 私・2nd お前(omae, can be seen as rude or more colloquial, for someone of equal/lower rank)
The Tower, Apotheosis- 1st 我(ware, not really actually used in real life, but gives a sense of profound, old, important-ness, typically used by king/god/godlike characters)・2nd お前(omae, though she also calls us 小鳥kotori "little bird")
The Beast - 1st アタシ(atashi, feminine, more casual form of watashi)・2nd オマエ(omae, she also calls us ヒヨコhiyoko "fledgling", all three of these words are written in katakana)
The Witch - 1st あたし(atashi)・2nd あんた(anta, colloquial/familiar form of anata, often considered rude, sometimes spiteful)
The Thorn - 1st あたし・2nd あなた(omg she uses the same 1st as the Witch but switches from "anta" back to "anata" omg y'all I'm cryingggg😭😭)
*Chapter I Princess tends to switch from あなた to お前 when antagonized(pre Tower, Adversary, Beast, Witch)
OK SORRY I KNOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE VOICES IM SO SORRY
Now let's start with the homie, the one who's always got your back
The Voice of the Hero
勇者の声(Yuusha no Koe) [Voice of the Hero]
Simple enough. Something to note is that there are two words for "hero" in Japanese, 英雄(eiyuu) and 勇者(yuusha). 英雄(eiyuu) is what you call a great person, someone respected for accomplishing something and leaving great impact on society. 勇者(yuusha) is moreso a brave person sent on a quest of adventure to defeat evil/protect others. The former emphasizes the impact and admiration of their achievements, while the latter emphasizes courage and bravery. Someone said something like "勇者 is someone on a journey to slay a dragon, 英雄 is someone who had already come back home from slaying a dragon". In the context of the Voice of the Hero, rather than someone with emphasis on the change he's made in the world, the emphasis is on his morals and good-intentioned actions. He uses ボク(boku) as his 1st person pronoun, which gives him a little bit of a "good boy" typa feel. Or at least some politeness. It's also noted that he uses katakana for boku instead of the kanji 僕(boku)(which, the Long Quiet himself actually uses out loud).
I'm doing the voices in the same order as their respective Chapter II Princesses in the first post(based off the "Memories" menu)
The Voice of the Stubborn
頑固者の声(Gankomono no Koe) [Voice of the Stubborn]
Yeah okay, this one's the same. 頑固者(Gankomono) means "stubborn person". He uses 俺(ore) as his 1st person pronoun, a very masculine pronoun, can be seen as rude in a formal setting, but is very typical and normal for casual men speech.
The Voice of the Broken
負け犬の声(Makeinu no Koe) [Voice of the Loser]
Now this one's insulting. 負け犬 (makeinu) means loser, failure, you get the picture. Made up of the words 負ける(makeru, to lose/to be defeated) and 犬(inu, dog). But it's very fitting I must say(Broken would totally bark for the Tower 100%). He uses the 1st person pronoun 僕(boku).
The Voice of the Cold
冷血漢の声(Reiketsukan no Koe) [Voice of the Cold-Blooded]
冷血漢(reiketsukan) mean "cold-blooded person" or "coldhearted person", or simply "heartless". 冷(rei) meaning cold and 血(chi) meaning blood. Same meaning as in English, someone who can kill a Princess with no hesitation. Like Stubborn, he uses 俺(ore). (He also tends to use quite blunt/rude ways to refer to the princess)
The Voice of the Paranoid
妄想狂の声(Mousoukyou no Koe) [Voice of the Delusional]
妄想(mousou) means delusion, while 狂(kyou) refers to lunatic, or insanity or mental abnormality. Now, delusional isn't exactly the same as paranoid, but the Paranoid can come off as delusional sometimes. Of course, anything we believe in the construct becomes real, so the Nightmare route is full of our real delusions. He is the intrusive thoughts part of our brain that manifests into reality. And in other routes, the Paranoid can come off as a bit insane(the Cage and Apotheosis especially make him seem more erratic). He also uses 俺(ore).
The Voice of the Cheated
野放図の声(Nohouzu no Koe) [Voice of the Unruly]
野放図(nohouzu) can mean wild, arrogant, unruly, but it can also mean unchecked, uncontrolled, unregulated. I put unruly as I thought it fits a title better, but in my head I think more like "unhinged". And I guess that kinda does fit the Cheated's personality, his main objective in the Razor is to win against her, and he's basically like "let's keep getting stabbed until there are enough of us to be better than her", definitely not sound of mind(he also has that comment when you take the blade of "let's make her hurt for what she's done to us"). He very much let's his emotions take the better of him, usually hating on the Princess and the bullshit of everything or spiting the Narrator. He's also, again, very unhinged(mentioning dropping the Cage's head and he says "I mean... we could...") His pronoun is also 俺(ore).
The Voice of the Hunted
獲物の声(Emono no Koe) [Voice of the Prey]
This one I don't have much to say, as it's pretty obvious why he's named that way. And it's pretty much the same as the English name. Like the Hero, he uses the pronoun ボク(boku), I think it's in katakana to mirror the Beast's pronouns.(He refers to her with kanji in 彼女(kanojo) but he does refer to her with katakana in アイツ(aitsu, something akin to "that guy" or "that person", when he say's "She's coming(アイツがくる！)")
The Voice of the Opportunist
お調子者の声(Ochoushimono no Koe) [Voice of the Easily Elated]
お調子者(ochoushimono) refers to someone who get carried away easily, someone who does whatever they feel/want, someone who gets easily elated from praise and flattery. I think this is both a funny and accurate translation of the Opportunist. We know he definitely gets carried away easily. He says that second line in the game even(freeing the Thorn: "I can do whatever I want, and I believe with with my whole heart...").I can't really think of instances of him getting praised off the top of my head but he does seem to think it will work on other people. He very much goes with the mood, attempting to curry favor so he can make sudden rash decisions out of nowhere. He uses 僕(boku) which I think fits his suck up personality.
The Voice of the Contrarian
あまのじゃくの声(Amanojaku no Koe) [Voice of the Contrarian]
Direct and simple translation again. あまのじゃく(amanojaku) refers to someone with a perverse personality, or someone who opposes other's opinions. Interestingly, あまのじゃく can also refer to an actual small demon in Japanese folklore. I just thought it reminded me of that one line from him "Time to get back to our old devilish ways". He also uses 俺(ore).
The Voice of the Skeptic
疑心暗鬼の声(Gishin'anki no Koe) [Voice of the Skeptic]
疑心暗鬼(gishin'anki) is an expression/abbreviation, it means something like "suspicion creates monsters from shadows", it's about how suspecting something can lead you to suspecting everything, and doubt and suspicion makes you jump at shadows. I think this makes some sense, as his hyper-focused perception of things makes him question everything around him. He notices small details that grow into things bigger and more important than they were before. Also 俺(ore).
The Voice of the Smitten
騎士の声(Kishi no Koe) [Voice of the Knight]
This one I find really funny. 騎士(kishi) refers to the medieval type of knight, known for their chivalry and honor, like ones in armor and usually on horseback(騎(ki) relating to horses). I think it makes perfect sense in the context of the Damsel, a knight come to rescue his beloved Princess, to free her from the confines of the cabin. I also think it works in the Thorn for similar reasons. But I think in most other routes it's hilariously out of context, like "damn, this knight guy kinda freaky calling this blade Princess gorgeous/calling this Princess with a dress of her own skin gorgeous" Like the Tower, he uses 我(ware) giving him that old medieval feel, and he addresses the Narrator with 貴君(kikun), meaning "you" used by men in letters addressing their equals/lowers, and he addresses the Princess with 貴女(can be pronounced anata or kijo), polite language used to refer to women in letters.
I was planning on this being the last post but I dont think I can fit it all here sorryyyyyyy rest of the stuff will be next post
Edit: added pronouns of voices
<<Vessel Names Part 1(Chapter I & II + Razor III & IV)
<<Vessel Names Part 2(Chapter IIIs)
Part 4(TLQ, TSM, Echo)>>
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