Our beloved blank slate MC moves to the small town of Inaba Coolsville because their new job at Valdivian required them to relocate. Shit immediately hits the fan(tina, ha) when in the span of, like, a month, two people go missing and are found dead, mysteriously hanging from TV antennas (unfortunately the first two I immediately thought of were Hank 6 and Zoey, rip).
Though there is a bright side to this! They heard roomers(ha) about a mysterious channel that comes on at Midnight when it's raining, and it supposedly shows you your soulmate! So this kissless loser goes to check it out to hopefully get some bitches to soften the blow of this whole ordeal, they get a bit too close and-OH SHIT THERE'S ANOTHER WORLD INSIDE THE TV!?!? WHY IS THERE A ROOM IN HERE THAT LOOKS LIKE A MURDERER'S BASEMENT WHAT THE FUCK-
So yeah, cue the MC slowly putting two and two together about people dying after being pushed into the TVs, learning about what shadows and personas are and all that, and slowly forming a team to save people and track down the killer.
Like. Seriously, it's so fucking perfect. Maggie taking Dojima's role and trying to investigate. Valdivimart instead of Junes. Dishy being the Teddie-esque mascot living inside the TV (to clarify, when I say Teddie, I mean p4 Teddie, not DE Teddy). Telly being the one to give the MC their powers at the start of the game without them realizing it, and/or just being a homie that isn't involved in the fighting and investigating, but tells them when they're clear to hop into the TVs at Valdivimart when no one's looking. Keith being prime twist-killer reveal material. The list goes on, it's perfect.
Anyways uhhh here's a list of potential party members (and would-be-victims), based off which DE characters have alternate personas(ha) and/or major identity issues, because they'd be prime shadow design material.
In no particular order...
Timothy: Everyone in town knows Timothy's been the next victim when he shows up late to a single appointment. Something something his dungeon in the TV world is a mix of a clock tower and a cat tree, and Timmy is his shadow self. Could also work vice versa, since Timmy seemed to have a bigger vendetta towards Timothy, while Timothy doesn't ever seem to mention Timmy.
Lucinda: Girl has, like, 50 alternative (and alliterative) personas, at least one of them can fit as her shadow. My choice is Lucinda Lust, not just because of the slight design change, but because I feel like Lucinda Lust's route is the most artificial, and therefore would sting the hardest. You just go along with the sexy stuff, and she tries to appeal to you with the most bog standard, generic flirtation I've ever seen to keep your attention on her, not knowing what else to offer. It would add such a punch to her arc for this AU.
Eddie: Okay, hear me out... Volt as Eddie's shadow HEAR ME OUT!!! I know the two are separate characters, but the fact of the matter is that Eddie made Volt. Volt was made to pick up the slack for Eddie when he felt like he was falling behind, and in this AU, it wraps back around into an even bigger metaphor. Volt's protective nature over Eddie can make it so that Volt doesn't have malicious intent, while still keeping Eddie captive. Their dungeon can be a stretched out version of the Breaker Box.
Connie: SELENE AS HER SHADOW!!! SELENE TURNS INTO CRYSCENTIA FOR THE BOSS FIGHT!!! THE WHOLE DUNGEON IS BASED OFF OF MOONSURGENCE: RESURGENCE AND THE TIME LOOP GIMMICK!!! AAAAAAAAA!!!
Daemon: You meet them as Deenah, and Daemon, in all his glitchy glory, is her shadow. It genuinely takes the investigation team ages to put two and two together when they see Daemon on the midnight channel because how is THAT Deenah!?!? It'd be cool if their dungeon was just Coolsville, but everything's a little... off. Like a bench sticking out of a wall or missing textures all over the place. She changes their name to Daemon in the end, trans rights. (I'm a bit iffy about this one because I'm afraid that this interpretation would take away Daemon's charm as a glitch).
Dirk: The MC gets wrapped up in his and Harper’s relationship issues… only Dirk to go missing soon after. Harper isn’t worried because she thinks Dirky snuck off to cheat on her, but the team knows damn well he’s been kidnapped. His shadow is Clarence. Could also tie into the initial "soulmate" rumor involved in the Midnight Channel. Maybe Harper saw Dirk on the Midnight Channel and wants to dig her claws into him even further because of it, not knowing she's pushing him closer to his doom by accident.
Scandalabra: He’s the one who passed along the Midnight Channel rumor in the first place, and tries to insert himself in the team's investigations because he’s a nosy little shit. Everyone’s confused when he appears on the Midnight Channel because he… didn’t really seem to change. Usually a shadow is an exaggerated amalgam of their negative traits and emotions… but he seemed to be acting the same, just with glowing yellow eyes. That is, until they reach the end of his dungeon and meet Jon for the first time…
Skips Shadely: HE’S CALLED SHADOWLORD FOR A REASON!!! HE WAS BUILT FOR THIS FUCKING AU, SHADOWLORD IS THE MOST SHADOW ASS SHADOW TO EVER SHADOW, IT’S PEAK!!! Those abandonment issues have him in a chokehold. Fighting his animal skull monster form… oooogh it’d be so good.
I, Ronaldini: Local magician disappears during his act and the crew doesn’t even realize he got kidnapped until they see him on the midnight channel. He and Scandalabra are in “we’re just some nobodies trying to be somebodies” solidarity so you know his shadow is getting on his case about being just Ron from fucking Canada. His dungeon is a theater with all kinds of magical shenanigans going wrong, like doors leading you to the wrong room or the floor and the ceiling flipping upside down.
Sinclaire: Honestly idk how to incorporate him in here outside of Martin Applegate being his shadow, but I did have the sad vision of the others realizing that he’s been shoved into a TV when they see Sudsy sniffing at the screen and whining with his ears all drooped… poor boy.
Diana: I also don’t know how to incorporate her, I just think she’s very fitting for this given how her route is her trying to distance herself from you and making her own identity. I can at least say with confidence that her dungeon would absolutely be Alice in Wonderland themed.
There's probably more, but these are the first that came to mind. I most likely won't do anything more with this AU, maybe a doodle or something but idk. If anyone wants to take custody of it, go right ahead. Just wanted to get it out of my brain.
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
vaporwave
theartofmadeline
tangentwithtanner
dededos
kianamaiart
baratheonpilled
