Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-24534644-20170608180817

For the next piece in my line of threads-based-on-something-interesting-in-media-that-I-made-kind-of-on-a-whim, I've arrived at an interesting idea that I think (somehow) hasn't been done here before. How many of ya'll know Persona (focusing on Persona 4)? Probably not many. What I have in mind here is inspired by it, but I'll try to make it accessible for everyone regardless through the power of summarized explanations.

Those who know what I'm talking about know that a large aspect of those games is the concept of Shadows. Those that do, feel free to skip to the last paragraph.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about regarding Persona and Shadows, allow me to elaborate. 'Shadows' are the physical manifestations of people's negative thoughts and emotions. Any given character's personal Shadow appears as an embodiment of the darkest facets of that character's personality (their most noticeable, severe, and repressed flaws or insecurities), the parts of themselves that they're too ashamed of themselves to acknowledge (unless they're evil, most of the time), exaggerated to the point where the Shadow itself becomes a twisted reflection of the character it is based on. For example, a bored and lonely class clown with a knack for snark and veiled resentment issues has a Shadow Self who's a downright trollish douchebag, accusing its owner of being Stepford Smiler who is scared of being alone and only does things for the sake of having a good time.

Most people are so disgusted or traumatized by meeting embodiments of their 'true selves' that they try to reject their Shadow's existence. Those that do usually end up getting killed by their Shadow turning into a giant monster (reflective of how they feel, like a bird in a guilded cage or something equally metaphorical) and going on a rampage. Only those who are able to accept their Shadows as part of themselves are able to dispel the Shadow and gain its power in the form of a Persona (hey, title drop).

Exposition Complete.

Now, the fun thing about Shadows is that literally everyone has one, even people who already act like scum. A little while ago I got to wondering about hypothetical OC Shadows. So for anyone interested in partaking in a fun character-building and reflective exercise, a challenge for you: choose an OC of yours, and try to identify what their Shadow's personality would be like (with a short explanation of the base OC's personality traits), what the OC's reaction to said Shadow would be, and if you're feeling up to it, what the monster form might look like in the event of a rejection. Think of this less as a Persona thing and more as a test to see how well you can conjure up your OC's worst inner demons. 