slush

i'm only going to be posting this chapter, as well as my other post on my fic, to attract readers! the other 23 chapters (they get longer and better i PROMISE) are up on my ao3, quotev, and i am WORKING on making a wattpad;

Every conversation is somewhat akin to a game of chess.

Every move made can either bring an advantage or a disadvantage. Even doing things like acting upon one's wisest, most well-planned decision could potentially bring a negative outcome. You can always say the wrong thing, lose the wrong person; lose the game.

Even so, Ren Amamiya already knew how this game would go.

...He just couldn't bring himself to focus on the game sitting on the table.

"...The Phantom Theives are making bad people pay for their crimes. Why does it matter how they got there?"

He remarked as he moved his piece across the board, his gaze locked on his opponent all the while.

"...Well, that is an interesting way to think about it, to be certain...If only you put as much thought into where you move your king, hm? Checkmate."

Goro Akechi commented with a wry smile- he had won yet another game.

A single move, no matter how much thought is put behind it could cost the whole game.

"...You can do that?"

Remarked Ren, looking up at the boy in front of him.

Akechi had made another nighttime visit to Leblanc. He sat casually, and always said he was merely be playing for fun. But the bitter determination in his eyes said otherwise. How many times had he won at this point? Ren never kept track. How many times did Akechi need to win to be satisfied? He looked silently pleased with himself every time he triumphed, never seeming to grow tired of it. Maybe that was good enough.

​​​"Ah, I thought you knew," He smiled slightly, propping his arms up to rest his chin on his gloved hands. 

"I don't fault you, though- you did say you were new to chess. You must just have good luck.. And that was a hard move to pull off, you see,"

The detective's eyes flicked from Ren to the chessboard.

"Any chess piece can strike a decisive blow on the king, really. In the case of a pawn, it has to be nearest to the rival king to corner it. Does that make sense?"

He asked, undoubtedly pleased to some degree to have won against Ren- yet again. 

Ren didn't respond right away- though, silence was typically expected of him.

In truth, he could easily beat his rival in a game of chess. He didn't have to strategically pick the worst moves, like he'd been doing- But this time around, he didn't want to. If he didn't win against Akechi every time, would it satisfy him? If Akechi could be better than Ren, would it be enough? 

The two fell briefly into a comfortable silence as Akechi set the pieces up again for another round.

Ren eyed Akechi's briefcase, which sat idly by his chair. He subconsciously wondered f he always kept his gun safely tucked inside of it. He frowned at the thought.

No matter what he did, could he truly stop his rival in the long run? Ren knew he couldn't redeem him, but he needed to stop him before he did anything worse. November would come in only two months. Getting back to the point he's at currently had been torturous. Ren had sped through the first few palaces and levels of Mementos, and re-familiarized himself to all the mechanics and techniques needed in the Metaverse fast enough to make Morgana's head spin. Despite his having done this before, he was still slightly paranoid. Little could be done about Igor. So he had chosen to focus his efforts on Akechi.

Despite it all, he needed to fix things with Akechi. He was nervous, sure, but he felt ready this time. He could tell him the truth about Shido's plans, and convince Akechi to stop while he could. Though he knew in advance what would happen, Ren still couldn't shake the feeling that he might not be able to prevent it in the end. 

But for now...

He looked back up at Akechi, who had long since finished setting up the board. The detective had simply been observing Ren with interest as he was lost in his thoughts.

Ren met his eyes. 

"...How about that game? I've got a good feeling about this one."

akechi’s mementos dialogue in royal actually destroys me because he is CONSTANTLY trying to make conversation in the most awkward, sideways, emotionally constipated way imaginable. like after the reveal, after the masks are off (ha.) ,, he suddenly starts talking more casually and it’s SO noticeable because for the first time he’s not performing as the Detective Prince (or breaking down like in the boiler room) but he still doesn’t know how to connect with people directly. every conversation sounds like he’s testing the waters. like he’s trying to figure out how the others see him without outright asking.

“you think i’m frightening when i fight? well. i’m afraid you’re just going to have to accept it.”

RAGHHHHHH THAT IS LITERALLY HIM ASKING “do you think i’m scary?” except he can’t ask it normally so he wraps it in sarcasm and arrogance instead. everything with akechi has to be hidden behind a façade even when he’s trying to be genuine.

and then: “do you prefer my previous outfit or this one?”

SIR 😭😭😭

why are you asking them which version of yourself they like better. why are you trying to see if this “real” version of you is acceptable. he keeps tossing out these little indirect questions because he wants reassurance SO badly but would rather die than ask for it openly.

even “you may not like working with me, but i’m counting on your assistance until our goal is achieved” is him projecting his own fears first before anyone else can say them out loud. if he acknowledges the rejection possibility first, then it can’t hurt him as much. except it obviously still does.

and the NORMAL conversations make me even sadder somehow???

“i enjoy spending time in kichijoji. it’s not very big, but there are plenty of trendy shops.” “i’m getting a bit hungry. i should’ve eaten beforehand.” “riding in the car may beat walking, but it doesn’t stop my legs from growing stiff and sore…”

HE’S JUST TRYING TO TALK 😭 he’s trying so hard to participate in normal group conversation like a regular teenager and it feels painfully obvious that he’s never really had this before. no wonder half his dialogue sounds slightly stiff,,,, he genuinely does not know how to do casual friendship naturally.

and “this place is immense. if there weren’t train tracks everywhere, i’d bring my bike here.”

HELLO????? that line kills me actually because it’s such a small normal thought. like you can so easily picture a world where akechi had friends to ride bikes with. where he got to be a normal kid saying dumb little comments to people he trusted instead of becoming… all of this.

even his gratitude sounds careful: “i meant to tell you, regarding shido… thank you for keeping your promise.”

there’s something so restrained about it. he almost sounds surprised someone actually kept their word to him.

in many ways, goro akechi was doomed from the very beginning

not just by society or by masayoshi shido, but by yaldabaoth himself. while both akechi and ren were manipulated as pieces in yaldabaoth’s “game,” they were never given equal chances of success. ren was carefully cultivated as the chosen challenger: even within the rigged system surrounding him, he was given guidance, structure, allies, and powers built around trust, connection, and mutual understanding. akechi, meanwhile, was isolated completely. he awakened to the metaverse alone as a child with no mentor, no explanation for his abilities, no understanding of cognition, and no support system whatsoever. because of that, it makes far more sense that akechi did not originally approach shido offering himself as an assassin, as many assume canonically, but rather as an informant or spy. a teenager with no knowledge of palace mechanics or cognition would have had little reason to immediately realize the metaverse could be used to kill people, especially considering his actual revenge goal was never simply murdering shido, but utterly destroying him: raising him to the peak of political power before exposing his crimes and revealing himself as shido’s abandoned son, ruining his legacy at its height. what would have been obvious to akechi early on, however, was the value of the metaverse as surveillance. palaces expose the hidden desires, fears, distortions, and secrets of a person’s mind, making akechi incredibly useful to someone climbing the political world. it’s likely that this was the foundation of his initial arrangement with shido, with shido later becoming obsessed with researching cognitive psience to discover what else akechi’s abilities could accomplish. significantly, shido himself states before his boss fight that he “brought out Akechi’s true potential,” implying that many of akechi’s deadlier abilities ,, including his power to induce psychotic breakdowns ,, may not have been discoveries akechi made independently at all, but capabilities shido’s faction cultivated and weaponized after realizing the metaverse could manipulate reality itself. this reframes akechi’s descent into violence entirely: rather than a teenager willingly becoming a remorseless assassin out of hatred for society, he instead becomes someone gradually cornered deeper and deeper into complicity by a powerful adult who controlled the only purpose, structure, and future he had left. by the time murder entered the equation, akechi likely understood that backing out was no longer truly possible. he knew too much, had become too involved, and may have believed that refusing shido would only result in his own death while Shido continued exploiting the metaverse regardless. combined with akechi’s immense pride and refusal to let his suffering amount to nothing, this creates a tragic sunken-cost spiral where he continues forward not because he enjoys what he’s become, but because abandoning the plan now would mean admitting that every sacrifice he made had been meaningless. this interpretation also makes his anger during the third semester far more devastating. akechi’s dying wish was not forgiveness, nor redemption, but simply for the phantom thieves to finish what he started and bring shido down; the ONE goal he had dedicated his entire life to. yet even that was ultimately accomplished by someone else. in the end, the revenge that defined his existence was stolen from him too. under yaldabaoth’s game, ren was allowed the possibility of overcoming fate through bonds and rebellion, while akechi was shaped into the doomed rival from the start: isolated, weaponized, and ultimately discarded once he had fulfilled the role he was created to play.

⌗ - i would appreciate it so much if anyone checked out my p5r fanfiction! (pinned on my profile!)

⤿ ren amamiya knows how this story ends. the problem is he’s not letting it.

!! persona 5 au. new game+ ren. canon divergence. trying to prevent goro akechi’s death at any cost. consequences are already starting. chapter 1 / intro below, 25 up so far. comments encouraged !!! it makes my heart happy

> This fanfiction will contain major Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal Spoilers.

> If you are yet to play either game, or plan to play one in any way, I recommend you spare yourself the spoilers and click off now.

> This story is in progress. It may or may not be updated frequently.

> Only those who have agreed to the above have the privilege of partaking in this fanfiction.

> Proceed...

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My aim for this story / a quick summary:

After the protagonist- Ren Amamiya-  and the other thieves defeated Yaldabaoth, and after Ren went home, some loose ends still needed to be tied up.

This is going to happen in New Game Plus.

-New Game Plus is where you play Persona 5 Royal, but don't complete Akechi, Yoshizawa, or Maruki's confidants by the deadline, so you fail to unlock the Royal content. When this happens, you restart the game but keep your money, social levels, and special items. And obviously, you, the player, keep your memories and better know what to do the next time around. 

This story will be just that. Ren starts from square one, with all his memories- but this time, knowing what will happen, he tries to change things. 

Specifically, he tries to stop Akechi, or to persuade him to take a different path. The same goes for Maruki.

This will not use all the game mechanics, but will utilize and reference SOME. I'm also going to take some inspiration from scenes from the anime- so this will be a loose-ish interpretation of a bit of everything.

My apologies that this is all over the place- a lot of this is subject to change, and I'm not exactly sure how to approach this idea, but I am going to do my best!

Enjoy!

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> Let us start start the game.