#A Not-So-Gentle Gentleman Detective (justice ren)

[silver-strings-of-fate]

whoooo boy my wrist hurts but worth it. Now we have Justice!Ren's Metaverse fits. I tried to strike a good balance between taking shit from canon and my own brain rot.

I decided to call his assassin look "Black Hood" because I think the hood ended up being a much more noticeable feature. His thief code name is "Crane" because bird, but also because cranes are meant to be graceful which is the opposite of his public image. He'd also explain the look as his image of "a charming prince that saves the day."

The gloves are my favorite thing I've ever come up with. They're red on the palms because he's hiding the blood on his hands. Please love it!

[silver-strings-of-fate]

In the following week, Ren had completely forgotten about the girl he'd met in Yongen-jaya. He'd just been so busy; both investigating crimes he had nothing to do with, as well as ones he'd directly caused. With all of that, plus his own personal revenge plans, he barely had time to think.

It was during one of his rare free moments that an unexpected notification popped up on his phone. He picked it up, frowning at the name accompanying the text. Who was that again?.. Oh right, that girl with the red hair. What did she want? Whatever, might as well. It was a lot easier to play up the 'Gentleman Detective' role over text after all.

[To: Sumire Yoshizawa] Hi there Yoshizawa-san! How're you doing?

His offer was sweet but the idea of actually following through with it made Sumire uneasy. Already she wanted to take it back, tell him ‘nevermind’ and delete each other’s contacts. Though, by doing that, Sumire’s sure that would increase feelings of suspicion. Instead, she tried to relax, showing another small smile.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” She replied. Her throat felt dry and her lips trembled as she held back the urge to blurt out her circumstances. No, she needed to hold off on that. Give it some time… For how long, she doesn't know yet.

About 1 week passed since their initial encounter. At this point, Sumire still has not found her first Metaverse target. Going after Kamoshida again made it too easy; his name didn’t even land a hit in the app. This time around she was attending Kosei High School, not Shujin Academy; that definitely had something to do with someone else being the first target.

Sighing, Sumire opened the contacts on her phone and scrolled to Ren’s name, her finger hovering there for far longer than needed. Tapping on his name, she sent a simple text message.

[To: Ren Amamiya] Hey.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

Justice!Ren for u. I decided to call him the "Gentleman Detective" since he'd be very sweet and friendly to his colleagues and fans. I wrote out more details here if you're curious. His "Black Mask" and persona designs are coming soon once my wrist calms down enough to draw it.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

It'll probably be a while before I can draw Justice!Ren's all outs, but I do have a good idea of what they would be.

His first one, in his pretty boy outfit, is him landing awkwardly on one leg and hoping around a little to try and not fall. Once he's stable, he gives a little salute and a wink for his freeze frame. The text behind him says "Better Luck Next Time"

In his second one, in his "Black Hood" outfit, he lands with his back to the camera, slumping forward a bit and then leaning far backwards. His freeze frame is him giving the camera a crazy unhinged look while leaning back. The text says "There Won't Be a Next Time"

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@cnfidant asked// ‘ So remind me again why it’s exactly you want to kill me? Listen, I already have a death wish myself with the shitty life I’ve been though, but is it for you or is it what that bastard ordered you to do? ‘ Foolkechi to Justice Ren

--

Ren grit his teeth, his grip on the gun in his hands faltering for a second. He didn't want to admit the fool in front of him had a point.

"Yes, this is what he ordered. But that's not the only reason. I hate you. Seeing your stupid face makes me sick!"

That's what the tight feeling in his chest whenever he saw Goro was, right? Hatred? It had to be, since that was the only emotion Ren was able to feel anymore.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

Oh, he was well aware that one day, his lies would come crashing down around him. In fact, he was counting on it. That way, he could take Shido down with him.

"Well, I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who'd like to see my head on a pike regardless of what I do. One of the pitfalls of fame," he chuckled awkwardly.

"I understand your point of view, though. Technically I'm a private investigator, but I work directly with the police often enough to see how the sausage is made. There's plenty of people working in the system who genuinely have good intentions and want to do their best for society. Unfortunately, it only takes a few bad actors in positions of power to mess it all up."

His words were significantly more charitable to the police than his actual views. Working on both sides of the law, as enforcer and perpetrator, had long since destroyed any faith he'd ever had in the system. The cops were all incompetent puppets under the control of men like Shido. Though Ren couldn't say much better about himself.

"The best I can do is point the gavel of justice in the right direction and hope others can take it from there. Sometimes things don't go well, but it still worth trying, right?"

It'll explode on him sooner or later, everything tends to explode when you LIE in the end.

But for now? Sumire is BLISSFULLY unaware of the lies he tells. Even if she may be suspicious of him somewhat. Anything to get under her rival's skin that was within decency, well you could expect that much to be used against him.

" Yeah, it definitely could be your own insecurity talking. Though I will say, it wouldn't be a shocker if some people viewed you in such a way. Afterall, everyone has different views and feelings on things, so yeah maybe some feel like you're doing that. Maybe normally I would say you shouldn't really care all that much about how people perceive you but I guess it can't be helped considering how much you're under the public eye. "

She lets out a hum as she proceeds to straighten her posture from it's previous stance with an almost unbothered energy about her. She's not going to let a simple slip up ruin the mood. But she is going to run her mouth and express her opinion on the justice system. Because honestly? Fuck them.

" The only reason I see it as noble is because at least you're trying to help the person find a sense of closure honestly. Other than that, no offense, I'm not the biggest fan of the police or just Law Enforcement in general. Because as long as the person who either hurt you or you hurt in defense is rich or just has some sort of power, you may as well just give up hope for a fair trial. The justice system is far too corrupt to have hope in. You may not be corrupt, but there's no saying that for the rest of them now is there? "

The Phantom Thieves? ...She may not say it out loud, but truly in the end their justice was something that they decided to serve. When they want and how they want, she cannot say that it's the most morally correct way to do so, but she can say it's more affective than their shitty corrupt justice system.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@etherbonded is approached by the Gentleman Detective

"Ah, Yoshizawa-san, how are you?" Ren waved to the red-haired girl. This girl pissed him off so much, the audacious criminal trash. But he had to keep an eye on her. She might get in the way of Shido's plans and, by extension, his plans for revenge. At least she made for good conversation...

He didn't let his true feelings show on his face though. He had a reputation to uphold, for one. Plus, who would want to spend time with someone like his real self, whether they were planning their downfall or not?

"There's a popular cafe nearby that I've been meaning to check out. Would you like to come with me? My treat."

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@etherbonded asked// " I want a baby " - fool!sumire to justice!ren ( the husband and wife hehe >:3c )

Send 'I want a baby' to see how my muse reacts. Or send ‘You want a what?’ for my muse’s reaction after having told yours the same.

--

"W-what?" Ren stuttered.

"Sumire, you really think it'd be a good idea to raise a child with me? I know it's been a while, but I still killed people for a living. Is that really the kind of person you'd want around a baby?"

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@the-flower-karasu is approached by the Gentleman Detective

"Do you really think the Phantom Thieves are just? Because I can't say I trust a group of unknown actors to dish out judgement using an unknown power." Ren smiled as he spoke to the brunette girl. Of course, he was only hoping to get a reaction out of her. He already know all the actors on this stage, as well as their powers.

Though he did somewhat believe what he said: no one should be trusted with that kind of power, himself included.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

Resisting the urge to murder the person who just bought the last limited edition Buchimaru tea set.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

anon asked// M!A Justice!Ren is now handcuffed to Faith!Kou, enjoy mister ;)

Send Me a really random M!A..Give Me something to work with, if I like it I will use it for 1 Day @learcarum

--

"Wait, what are you--" Ren yelped as he felt something tug at his arm. Some mysterious force grabbed his wrist and snapped one end of a pair of handcuffs around it.

Another tug and he was pulled to Kou's side, the other end of the cuffs being snapped around her wrist. Shit!

"Kou-san, are you alright? Don't worry, I'll get us out of this somehow."

[silver-strings-of-fate]

Oh no I guess I'm writing Justice!Ren now. Heads up this is gonna get a bit dark

Detective Amamiya's public image is definitely a lot softer than Akechi's. He's, like I said before, more of a "Columbo" than a "Sherlock Holmes" type. Very scruffy and kinda bumbling. He's got the classic trenchcoat, a pencil behind his ear, and papers sticking out of his lil briefcase (and yes I know I'm gonna have to draw this eventually). People probably wouldn't call him the "Second Detective Prince" since he's so different from Naoto's more clean-cut vibe, but I also can't think of another title for him right now I'm open to suggestions pls help.

Backstory-wise he'd start in the same place: growing up in Inaba with parents who only see him as a check mark for a happy family image, but things would diverge when his father gets a job working under Shido. The family moves to Tokyo and, with a more public-facing job in a city with more public to face, Ren's parents would get more overtly abusive.

A few years before the events of the game, he'd accidentally stumble into Mementos and awaken his persona. Being a very angry kid with no idea how things in the metaverse actually work, the first thing he'd do would be locate his parents' shadows (also by accident) and kill them, not knowing that they'd also die in the real world.

Somehow (details not important), Shido finds out about this and decides to use it to his advantage. He blackmails Ren into becoming his personal assassin in exchange for having the murders covered up. Ren agrees, changing his name to further distance himself from his past, but still plotting revenge the entire time.

His initial persona would still be Arsene, representing the rebellion he always wanted. His second persona would be Mephistopheles, who would awaken after he makes the deal with Shido, as a representation of the deal with the devil he was forced to make.

[silver-strings-of-fate]

"Well I'll give you that one. They've been pretty spot on so far." Ren gave a little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. The Thieves had at least served as a useful scapegoat so far, drawing the public's attention away from Shido's scheming.

Maybe he'd exploit them for a little longer before deposing of them...

"I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. But I appreciate you sticking to your guns with me. Lots of people just let me win, so to speak." The bumbling, klutzy image was definitely useful for disarming people, that's for sure. If his fanbase was any indication, people saw him as a cute underdog to root for. It was disgusting, but he'd use it. "Maybe we could talk more? I'd like to have someone like you who I can have an honest discussion with."

“Well, so far, they have a better track record than the police. And besides, rules are bent by the police all the time for their own benefit. The Phantom Thieves are just doing the same, but for the good of the victims of those criminals.”

Perhaps a bit too cynical tp be sharing with an actual detective, but Gogo felt no compunction about holding back her true feelings, especially if the man in question was clearly fishing for an answer. And despite being challenge, Gogo could feel the thrill in her bones. This doofy-looking detective was…interesting.

…Even if she couldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

“But that’s just my opinion~”

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@etherbonded​ asked// "Til death do us part, huh?" - fool!sumi to justice!ren LMAOO

Wedding/Marriage Starters  

--

“Yeah, I’m not sure about that one,” Ren said, tapping his pencil against the notebook where he was writing down their wedding vows. “It’s not like dying is going to get either of us out of this marriage. Maybe something like ‘Never to part, even in death.’“

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@etherbonded​ asked// " shh... shh, honey, it's okay. the baby woke up, but i'm handling it. you just go back to sleep now, okay? " - fool!sumi to justice!ren :3c 

𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏-𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙎

--

“Are you... Are you sure? I can help,” he said, panting heavily. When he’d heard Kikuya crying, Ren had woken up with a start. For a split second, he was back in the middle of a palace, surrounded by shadows. He’d scrambled to find a non-existent weapon to defend himself, only for Sumire’s voice to bring him back to reality.

“I’m alright, really. I don’t want to put all this on you.”

[silver-strings-of-fate]

@etherbonded asked// “Of course I’ll marry you. Did you think I’d say ‘no’?” - fool!sumi to justice!ren

Stages of Relationships Starters Stage 3 — Marriage Proposal:

--

"Y-you mean it?" All the anxiety that Ren had been storing up since deciding to propose spilled out of him as tears. He didn't know what Sumire was going to say, really. He'd managed to think of every possible disaster that could have happened, and that had kind of skewed his judgment.

"Thank you, Sumire. Thank you so much!" He wrapped her in a tight hug, crying into her shirt.