Blue arts

(for those who haven't played either of the games)

Disco Elysium skills are like "sides" of the protag's personality and his abilities. Each portrait shows, via visual metaphors, what the skill represents (you can google how they look like)

Voices in Slay the Princess work a bit similarly, but they have more distinct personalities, separate from the main character, and each show more of a mindset, depending on the prior choices of the player

(you can skip above if you had played both games already)

My main goal was to show what each voice represents visually, which includes their roles/vibes, the primary princess each voice is tied to (though, not for all of them in the end), and some de skills that are similar in feel or function

(also included some notes and sketches, gee even more text on this already big post...)

Hero: the most basic one, he's the starting point and the princess he starts with is the basic one as well. He is drawn with a knight helmet, because he is, in a way, a knight. The symbolism of knights are stereotypically tied to heroism and righteousness, but historically they were hired by the monarchy to pillage and kill. He does want to do the right thing, but ultimately is along for the ride and doesn't act out much. The halo behind his head is a symbol of "goodness" but it has dark streaks, which represents his easily swayed judgment. Out of all the voices Hero is the least obscured and well-lit, since he is the most known to the player from the start. Also! the silhouette of his wings form a heart. Funnily enough, I haven't tied the portrait to any skill visually, but he'd be the closest to Empathy in my mind.

Broken: I've had a few iterations with him (shown in the pic). But I think that the final version looks the most visually striking and interesting. Unlike other voices Broken is depicted from the upwards angle, he is in the position of submission and is literally "crushed" and drowning. Despite the injuries and hurt, he's already resigned to his fate and doesn't want to escape. The neck shackle is similar to the Prisoner princess, except it represents his pessimistic mindset, and it's also a leash (for the Tower or the Apotheosis princesses heh heh). Skills-wise I wasn't sure which would be fitting, since there isn't one about submission (maybe only failed authority checks lmao), but I also based Broken a little on Pain threshold, since he can endure a lot, like in the Fury chapter.

Cheated: this one is pretty self-explonatory, he is frustrated and fighting to win and appear on top despite being hurt in the process. The wall he is climbing is almost perpendicular, which shows the futility of his actions. The spikes are also reminiscent of the Razor princess. In my view he could be tied to most of the physique skills, like Pain threshold, Half-light and Physical instrument, so it's a bit of everything, with the first being more prevalent.

Cold: had the most fun drawing this one! I wasn't sure if Cold or Skeptic are more fitting for the Logic skill. Then the vision of Conceptualization struck me mid-sketching phase, and it surprisingly fits. Cold is, despite being constantly bored, does want variety and surprise, he is also quite the critic. The connection to Logic is still present with all the parts he's compiled out of, but they're being rearranged and fit together. These parts are different "states" of being: alive, decomposition and skeletal, which is tied to the Spectre princess and her multiple states.

Contrarian: another one that I had a lot of fun with! His look combines both the Stranger princess and the Inland Empire skill (I guess that's pretty obvious lmao). Contrarian is holding in his hands a whole galaxy of possibilities (too bad he doesn't get to use it much). Different expressions are visible to us (unlike Opportunists'), they take up the form that is opposite of what's expected from him. The reason why I chose Inland for him specifically is because Contrarian surprisingly has deeper insights into things and like a 6th sense, which is similar to the skill. They also both appear nonsensical sometimes (when Contrarian suggest something "just for the fun of it" or Inland on very high levels).

Hunted: I wanted to make him a physique skill at first, but there were too many of them already, plus he is the most based in perception, basic senses and instinct, which is closer to motorics. He is the most "outside" than "inside". Hunted's design has multiple limbs, which help being nimble on his feet. Second set of limbs show that he is always listening. The whole appearance is more animalistic, plus he is walking on all fours (or... sixs...?) like in the Beast chapter. One of the eyes is reminiscent of a hunter's mark. Most of Hunted is obscured in the bushes and disappear into smoke that is almost impossible to catch. He is, as stated earlier, based on the Perception skill, but also a bit of all motorics skills (mostly Savoir Faire and Hand/eye Coordination).

Opportunist: my personal favorite (probably bc I nailed the texture lmao). He is one slimy bastard, always taking the form he thinks others want. Despite the overall innocent expression on him, other faces are obscured from the viewer, hiding his true intentions. The head is turned so he's literally "watching his back" (if you look closely the feathers on the Opportunists' neck are bent in a spiralling motion). Also, there's an actual knife hidden behind one of the wings! I was inspired by the Princess and the Dragon chapter, where he is especially scary and violent (one of my favorite chapters). Skills-wise he is taking parts from Suggestion, Rhethoric and Drama.

Paranoid: the one that started it all. I had a very clear image of him in my head, so drawing him was the most satisfying. As you could've guessed, he is based on Shivers. The whole "seeing what's not there" (or sensing outside of what's being seen) is fitting, I think. Paranoid is "holding himself together" represented by all the hands clutching internal organs: heart, lungs, liver... The nerves are transformed into the wings behind his back. Both giving and taking his freedom. I also thought adding multiple eyes would add to his need of being vigilant and on edge.

Skeptic: this one was the hardest to design, partially because I didn't have a clear idea in my head. Luckily the hand that is a magnifying glass came to me by chance while I was trying out some ideas that turned out to be really fitting. One big eye shows scrutiny and doubt. The chains are reminiscent of the Prisoner and the Cage princesses, they represent how skepticism can be restrictive and stifling, limit one's thinking.

Smitten: my boy smitten, my perception of you forever changed after the Happily Ever After chapter. He is the only Voice that doesn't have eyes shown, instead it's pink glasses. Down his chest runs a big crack that forms a heart-shaped hole. The heart longs to be filled with something, but it is a pit, an insatiable black hole. He is quite dissatisfied and empty but hides it well behind a jovial smile and happy exclamations. It took a while to settle on what kind of skill he'd be. Purple (psyche) was my first choice, but he is very far from Empathy, opposte of it, in fact. He is also not physical enough to be Electrochemistry, so he is a bit of both, and I chose the color pink instead.

Stubborn: another one I kinda struggled with. Fun fact, him and Cheated were reversed at first, because function-wise they are quite similar to me (fighting and trying to win despite it all). But I settled for this look instead, the vibe just fit better. Stubborn is being ripped into ribbons, but is (stubbornly) persevering. I took his pose from Cuno's portrait, it felt like a good position for intimidation, literally grabbing the viewer. Additionally, it's a callback to the Fury chapter (even though he doesn't survive it fully lmao). Skills-wise I made my best to fit Endurance and Physical instrument (and a little Half-light peppered into the mix) with the big muscular body.

Narrator: he isn't one of the Voices per se, but he does play an essential role, not unlike a Skill, so I just had to include him. Narrator's face is the most obscured in the lineup, showing that he's the most unknown to us, despite having the highest influence (and if u up the brightness you can see a little bird face). And since he's not a part of tlq, his eyes are more bird-like rather than pure white. I heavily based him on the Perception skill because duh... that's basically his job. Initially he was supposed to be the only Motorics skill, but he is quite fine with the Hunted down there as well.

Phew, that was a lot. Hope my ramblings are at least somewhat entertaining to read!