[VIDEO]

[capt_ressentiment]

[When the video starts to play, it is... full of static. As if it were being broadcast from a long distance away with a really low-gain antenna. Though that couldn't possibly be the case, as the backdrop of the video is the castle that everyone was quite familiar with by now.

Similarly, the boy in the video looks very familiar, as a lot of people have probably met the unfortunate and somewhat socially awkward youth at least once. But here, he wasn't acting anything like people would remember him.]

So, I bet you're all wondering where all the shadows came from. I mean, you all go exploring like this place is some kinda big puzzle to solve, right? Maybe smack a couple of the little guys around? Because you're all big damn heroes, right, so this guy picks you up, gives you a quest, and then plops you down here to see what you can make of all of it?

Well SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKERS.

The shadows ARE you. They're the representation of your shitty frustrations with your shitty lives in your miserable shithole towns that you wish you could just BEAT OVER THE HEAD and send on their ways, right? Of course that's what you would try and do.

There really isn't any point to it, you know. This place is just as shitty as whatever sad sack city you all came from. The most interesting thing that happens here is that people die all the time. I know that's pretty exciting to some of you, but you know it's going to get old after awhile, right? Then where are you all going to be?

Might as well just go jump off a bridge or something. Because let's face it, the shadow you-s are way the hell more interesting than you'll ever be.

Anyway, I'm gonna go see which one of you is going to snap and start murdering people first! Because that'll be super interesting. Deuces!

[And with that, he flashes a peace sign and the static fills the screen again.]

Comments

[soundmind]

I respectfully disagree, Death City isn't a miserable place to live at all.

[Really though this is totally absurd.]

[capt_ressentiment]

Wow, a place with the name 'Death City' might be the only real counterexample!

[soundmind]

Yeah, so, it's pretty obvious that you're Yosuke's shadow. Thanks for the little NPC tutorial on what these shadows are meant to represent, though they practically announce it themselves so it wasn't really needed.

[capt_ressentiment]

Hey, I'm nobody's shadow, got it? I mean come on, I just told you what to do to get rid of these guys.

[soundmind]

Uh, yeah, I don't know him that well but I didn't get the impression that he'd talk like you do right now. Murdering will be super interesting? Encouraging people to kill themselves? What kind of moron would say that knowing that they're going to get punched in the face for it.

[capt_ressentiment]

[A sudden spark of inspiration.]

You know what kind of moron would say that? Yosuke Hanamura. Yosuke Hanamura would say that, so if you are REALLY wanting to, I HIGHLY suggest that you find Yosuke Hanamura and punch him in the face.

You got all that?

[soundmind]

You talking about "yourself" in the third person doesn't convince me that Yosuke needs a beatdown. Why don't we forget about Yosuke and just talk about you, what's your purpose, where did you crawl from?

[Does anyone actually care, for all she knows he burst forth from the Queen's head ala Athena.]

[capt_ressentiment]

[He shrugged.]

You want to think I'm not really Yosuke? Well.. then how about we say that I'm the guy who says all the things that Yosuke is thinking, but won't admit. Everyone's got those things, and the fact that no one says them makes everyone liars.

I'm just a bit of honesty.

[soundmind]

You're his shadow, it's an aspect of him. [And pedantic things that would be lost on Mr. Awesome Hero so she holds it.]

All right, so you're his honesty. What do you gain from being honest?

[capt_ressentiment]

Well,

What do you gain from not?

[soundmind]

People lie to change or avoid a certain outcome. I assume you tell the truth because Yosuke doesn't have the ability to deal with his feelings in a healthy manner.

Either that or you just want to ruin his life by turning people against him. I don't know if shadows like you are neutral parties or just assholes yet.

[capt_ressentiment]

I mean, why not both?

[Hey, if she were going to straight up call him out... she wasn't Yosuke. He could say whatever he wanted to her.]