YU NARUKAMI . . .?

'I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION.' [Cupping The other shadow's cheeks with one set of arms.]

'BUT WE HAVE TO PLAY IT COOL FOR NOW. AFTER ALL, LULLING THEM INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY IS IMPORTANT.'

'LISTEN TO ME, HANAMURA. IF YOU DO ANYTHING FATAL TO HIM, I'LL ALSO BE AFFECTED. SO CALM YOURSELF. BESIDES, MY WOUND HAS ALREADY HEALED.'

'. . .'

[Staring out into the fog.]

[The glass sharply juts back into place, cracking sounds as it mends back into place.]

'OUR PRISONER.' [The screen glitches.]

'HE HAS FIGHT IN HIM, AFTER ALL. BUT WE MUST REMEMBER. IF HE PERISHES, I WILL TOO.'

THE SLAUGHTER'S MINE
OH BLOOD AND VISCERA DIVINE
PRESERVED AND PRIMED
EACH MUSCLE DIVVIED UP TO DINE

[ LOUD static from the basement of the Shadow's mansion. Something trudges up the stairs, and it's the king, a giant fist-sized hole in his screen, bleeding black gunk.]

[Shuffling slowly down the foggy street, leading his jester.]

'THIS IS TRUE, MY DEAREST COURT JESTER. HEY, HEY. I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING. COME ALONG.'

[Laugh track. It's how he laughs.]

'AREN'T YOU DRAMATIC TODAY...~?'

'MY SILLY LITTLE JESTER. . .'

'HANAMURA'S SHADOW RESTS WITHIN YOU, AND I NEED HIM. SO. IT'S GREAT I RAN INTO YOU FIRST.'

[All six arms raise, and with two fingers on each, he beckons in Yosuke's direction, a shadowy force being removed from the other against his will.]

'MY LITTLE COURT JESTER.'

(( yeah this is true ))

(( his prisoner is real yu but omfg ))

'I WISH FOR CANDY AS WELL. I'M SURE MY PRISONER WOULD APPRECIATE SOME FORM OF SWEET IN HIS SITUATION RIGHT NOW. . .'

[A laugh track clip plays on his screen.]

++ over his heart, static quieting.]

'BUT, IT MATTERS NOT. IT FEELS SO STRANGE TO BE OUT OF THAT WORLD...HOWEVER, AS KING OF ALL SHADOWS, IT IS MY DUTY TO LEAD THE CHARGE, AS IT WERE.'

[One hand gestures as if this is a simple matter.]

[The screen glitches, neck rolling with a sickening crack, the monitor following, as if grafted to the flesh.]

'YOSUKE... DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE ME? YOUR BEST PAL. YOUR PARTNER. I'M HONESTLY HURT MY GODLY VISAGE AND AURA HADN'T TIPPED YOU OFF.'

[One of six hands placed dramatically ++

'Y-U-K-I-K-O.'

[The monitor headed shadow slow turns, the fog grows even more dense as the static blares from blown out TV speakers.]

'IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN A BIT SINCE WE'VE SEEN HER. I WONDER IF SHE'S UNSATISFIED WITH HER LIFE, EVEN STILL.'

(( all the time. no matter what i do, people don't respect me or treat me like shit, even if im nice and sweet or whatever.

oughh. i know how you feel, to a certain capacity...))

(( tempted to make my kanji again but oRRRGH i have too many accs as is ))

OH, YOUR HEART
AORTIC WORK OF ART
MY LOVE, MY KNIFE
TO CARVE IT OUT, YOUR LIFE

The day of a funeral
The mourners dressed in black
They came to say their piece and go
(No, they're not looking back)
I was the first to arrive
and the last one to leave
time ticked on without me
while I waded through the grief

[Yu takes the bowl with a hum, stacking it into his own and placing them in the sink once he too stands up to stretch.]

'You still alright to take costume measurements?'

[Yu asks, head tilting.]

++
'WE MEET AT LAST.'

[The words were like subtitles, as the broken up pieces of TV phrases all formed the audio. The static roars in the brunet's ears, as the thing stands face to face with him, adjusting a crown of golden thorns looped around TV antenna.]

'THE FOG IS LOVELY, IS IT NOT?'

[The static grows louder, as someone, or something wobbles closer to Yosuke. Multiple humanoid arms spreading apart until there are six in total. Upon the tv slapped messily in place of the head of this humanoid, graphical glitches appear on the screen-like "face" of it.

'Y-O-S-U-K-E.'

++

Everything erased, okay
We'll just retry anyways
Cycle around, intersect
Until the universe collapses in

cry so loudly, i slant devoutly
tell me what about me is built so wrong?

[ @captressentiment.bsky.social ]

[The fog has rolled in. . . Usually, this was nothing but impaired driving weather to the citizens of Inaba, but to a select few, it was a harbinger of death. The figure that brings such fog is silent, only the buzz of tv static fills the empty air. . .]

(( HALLOWEEN TEMP PFP: @BTMR_2 on X. ))

OG PINNED:

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