#goemon should get some more

[loopseedaysee]

断袖

part 3 episode 24 "pray for the repose of your soul" angst ship that i've spent too much time thinking about!!!

consider checking out my $3 tier for behind the scenes, including a full timelapse!

[waddlehekk]

some spoilers!!!!!!!! about the untranslated/later parts of the shin lupin iii manga

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Goemon Prison is a chapter I really like from the stories of Sherdog’s appearance in the manga, and it’s really interesting in how we see this conversation between Goemon and Zenigata after having seen Zenigata have to put up with Lupin’s and Jigen’s antics in trying to escape from prison. It isn’t very often that the manga gives the characters a chance to just talk without many other things going on.

A detail I like is the crooked smile that Goemon forces out while “laughing” as Zenigata speaks with him.

I think Zenigata really is concerned for Goemon’s well-being here, and I’m sure he sees through this smile too. Goemon should have been locked away in the normal, high-security prison, wearing prisoner clothes like Lupin and Jigen, but Zenigata goes out of his way, and I’m sure he had to really argue his way with other officials, to make him a prison outdoors where he can still wear his kimono. 

When he first visits him, he shows pity for Goemon when he sees him attempt to use the key he stole to get out, and he visits him with the intention of just talking with him. As he looks up at the birds in the sky, he says “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

There is so much symbolism with birds, and you can see below a direct callback to the original manga when Goemon’s masters killed a bird in front of Goemon to show him he has to be more cold-hearted as a murderer. Goemon is beginning to realize that despite his kindness, with how he has no intent of hurting this poor bird who he lets onto his head, he’s forced to lead this immoral life his masters wanted of him, and thus the bird cries out despite his intent.

Goemon has been through so much after having been tortured by the Rat Clan and then going on a murderous rampage for the kid with Gene Rosen’s disease, and his cheerful nature is beginning to go away because he can’t help but feel sorrow, but at the same time, his kindness still lingers. It has always been a characteristic of his despite his growth between the 3 manga, and even as he silently took in the pressure of his masters after each failure to kill Lupin, he chooses only to speak up when he sees the bird be hurt (and of course after he pauses and decides to leave them for Lupin).

I think at this point he’s beginning to realize how protective Lupin and Jigen have become over him, and when he sees the empathy Zenigata shows him, he feels that he doesn’t want anyone to have to feel bad for him anymore.

This chapter starts Goemon trying to pretend being cheerful like he used to be, so he really forces this smile because he realizes that Zenigata cares about him. Goemon wants to put himself down for the sake of others, such as with all the killings he does to protect them, and so he would rather not have others feel bad for him because of this. It’s a combination of all the trauma he’s faced with his kindness that causes such a self-destructive behavior.

Another hint that this cheerfulness is fake, unlike how genuinely cheerful he used to be, is how very commonly he laughs in his speech in many of the chapters after this one, but they are never as genuine as his laughter in the first chapter. (The masked man is the real Goemon)

In the ending of Shin Lupin, Goemon finally confesses to the feelings he’s felt all along, and for the first time since the first chapter, he laughs for real.

And although his forcing of emotions was never to this degree in the past, there are still many hints of this behavior earlier on in the manga.

In Shooting Goemon, which wasn’t too long after he was tortured in Strange Bedfellows, I thought the shifting between his emotions when talking to the girl were interesting, and he “laughs” here too.

He becomes so serious from here on.

In Chasing Tail he tries to cheer up Lupin when he realizes they are both stuck with the issue of having tails. There is more “laughing” here.

In Hardened Steel, though, he’s too heartbroken to even put on a single smile for the boy, who is soon to pass away. It’s interesting how the boy is so happy throughout this chapter in contrast to Goemon, who I believe has reached his breaking point here.

But back to Goemon Prison. There is this moment where Goemon asks Zenigata why he’s following the orders of the Watson machine, which he later finds out instructed Zenigata to take advantage of how he would risk himself to save Zenigata’s life. Zenigata argues he is the one instructing the computer, but in a way, he gives an actual reason why in the ending of the chapter.

It’s out of character for Zenigata to follow the orders of someone else, a machine of all things, given how he insists on capturing Lupin himself and under his own methods, but the reason why he trusts the computer, he reveals, is because he knows that what it has predicted of Goemon’s character has been true of him all along.

“That’s the kind of guy you are... Goemon...”

[catchyhuh]

RANKED BY HOW SQUEAMISH THEY GET AROUND BLOOD

self explanatory baby let’s get into it. except it’s not totally self explanatory because this accidentally bled (haha get it) into an analysis about how they handle seeing death too. THIS ONE GOT WILD

WARNING!! we’re not going to get like, excessively detailed, but there will be discussions of. you know. death, blood, violence, what happens when human bodies are shot and stabbed and the other grotesque shit that happens to them in this series. stuff like that! we’re going to be getting into it quite a bit so heads up

goemon is easily the LEAST bothered by the sight of blood, or gore in any capacity. not to say he’s fully desensitized to it-- on an objective level, it bothers him, like it would anybody, to see some undeserving living creature torn up like that. but his method of. you know. HANDLING PROBLEMS is a little bit messier than a gunshot from afar, so he got used to grizzly sights pretty quickly, ones that he himself was responsible for or otherwise. you could show goemon some absolutely horrific, mangled shit, and his expression would hardly change. he’s not very proud of that fact but i guess in that sense it’s the one thing in his training that really, REALLY 100% never fails to pay off.

the only reason jigen is SLIGHTLY more bothered by it (just slightly) is because he usually only sees uh. gunshot wounds, like we said, whereas when goemon is done with some monster of the week or whatever THAT guy looks like he fell into a person-sized papershredder. unfortunately he. is a LITTLE desensitized to bullet wounds, not in a malicious way, but it just does not bother him like it should since he sees it so, SO much. goemon can easily place himself in the shoes of a bloody victim, but jigen just sees a dead body as. a body. THIS ONE IS REALLY GRUESOME NOW THAT I’M WRITING IT I’M GONNA GO BACK AND ADJUST THAT TW

and again, fujiko is only SLIGHTLY above jigen here, too. the only difference is that she, like goemon, sees the human behind the meat a bit too much, and certain sights are just a bit too much. jigen shuts down entirely, but fujiko stares with quiet shock. however, she’s never bothered by the result of her OWN carnage, you know? sometimes jigen or goemon take down a particular guy and they go “damn… rest in peace, sorry bastard” BUT NOT FUJIKO LMAOOO fujiko does not misfire. fujiko does not regret a single knife thrown, a single bullet shot. so the visual results of that mean like, nothing to her. idiot had it coming!

you’re probably picking up that these are very faint increments here, AND WE’RE NOT STOPPING BECAUSE LUPIN ALSO IS ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE SENSITIVE THAN FUJIKO HERE like fujiko he does not hesitate killing a motherfucker if he has to, but (you may have noticed this in canon too) he always feels a bit… weird about it. even if the opposition 100% had it coming, and then some, it’s not the act of their rightful death that bothers him, but the fact HE had to be the one to do it, that there is (literally sometimes) blood on his hands. out of the gang he’s always been the most staunchly anti-murder, to the point anyone can tell lupin’s alleged involvement in a crime is a lie if there are any murder victims, where the others… have never tried to say they’d never take a human life IT’S NOT FUNNY BUT. IT’S A BIT FUNNY. THE GUY LEADING THESE VIOLENT CRIMINALS DRAWS THE LINE AT MURDER sorry we’re getting off topic a smidge. the point is, lupin is the type of guy who kills only through necessity but also faints when he gets his blood drawn just because the sight of his OWN blood is so gross ew!

and then the most abnormal normal guy! everybody say hi zenigata! it’s no question that he’s got the lowest murder count, (i feel like, not counting manga stuff, he’s maybe indirectly killed two people max?) and also tends to be the most (reasonably) sensitive about horrible shit like this. it’s not that he’s some weak link who faints when somebody’s arm is broken so badly the bone is sticking out, like no question he could stare down some shit you and i would easily be (AGAIN, REASONABLY) horrified and left in shock by. it’s just that in comparison to the others and the others alone, he would be the only one to be visibly alarmed and pale upon seeing a body left mutilated and twisted to the point it doesn’t look human anymore. but yeah based on rule of funny he’d ALSO faint when you draw his blood. or he would if the needle could get through his impossibly thick skin. what’s this motherfucker made of honestly

[goemon-fan]

I think in part 2, Goemon mentions a grandmother who saved his live with that earthworm broth he tried to make for Funiko, but other than that I don't know how you think his relationship with the rest of his birth family would be.

Part 2 lore is weird, sometimes Goemon says "ooh, a letter, I wonder if it's from mother" but simultaneously says "my dearly departed mother" (I believe the line about his mother being dead came first). With that being said, I have been meaning to get into Goemon's family lore.

In Part 1, Goemon studies under Momochi. However, I have always found this unusual considering that Goemon is meant to be the 13th of a long line of samurai. Wouldn't he just train under Goemon Ishikawa the 12th?

I don't know if Goemon was sent to some samurai summer camp or something, but Momochi seems to take a near-parental role in Goemon's life. Goemon has apparently studied under him for years, and Goemon doesn't seem that old to me. I headcanon him to be about 18 judging by how he talks and how he obeys Momochi; and, in the manga chapters Part 1 is based on, Goemon is 17.

Speaking of the manga, I believe that it was never initially stated that Goemon was the 13th of his family (though I may be wrong). I also believe that it was stated that his entire family is dead, explaining why he was so angry his uncle was murdered in "Saint Goemon."

It's possible that his extended family is alive in the anime, but that possibly his immediate family is dead.

I'm going to get into my Pilot Film rambles because I think it had so much potential, so this may be long. Also consider that much of what I have to say is not necessarily fact, but what I think would have been interesting.

I think the phrasing of Goemon's introduction is unique:

"This is Goemon Ishikawa in the 13th generation."

It almost makes it seem as if Goemon has gradually changed with the times, or is the first break in a long lineage of tradition and heritage (I prefer to go with the latter). I personally believe that Goemon comes from a long line of exclusively Japanese Goemen, only to be the first break in this tradition with his race. With this, I'd imagine there would be some conflict.

I still don't believe that Goemon Ishikawa XII or his mother would still be around, so instead he'd be close to his extended family. I think his race would in part lead him to become a sort of "black sheep" in the family (I need to make it clear that I do not believe that first generation mixed-race people are bound to be hated by their extended family, I speak only from experience and the types of things I would like to see represented).

I think that his extended family/master(s) wouldn't like the other half of his heritage (once again, not an absolute, but at the same time he comes from a family that values heritage so much that they've kept the same name for 13 generations). He's also mentioned in the Pilot Film to be lonely and the creator of his sword technique, which leads me to believe that he's had to fend for himself for a while.

If he were to have a character arc, I could totally see it be about him overcoming his internalized racism and realizing that he has more in common with Lupin (who also has mixed heritage) than anyone else. I could see him at first being a misunderstood villain trying to obsessively prove his worth to his family, who will never appreciate him the way they should, only to then realize that he doesn't need to prove or change himself for anybody.

In the manga he definitely had mean masters, so I could see this carrying over to the anime. In "A Day Without Killing," Goemon tries his best to kill Lupin but fails, upsetting his cruel masters who verbally abuse him and kill his pet, only to leave this environment and join forces with Lupin. I could see this happen in the anime but with a bit of a racial focus, with Goemon leaving his bigoted family/community to join a group of people who actually love him for who he is.

Once again, the Pilot Film could have simply been "look at him cut things," these writings are just what I would like to see.

[alekthethirdish]

In America it's 4th of July tomorrow, which means fireworks. I wrote this because fireworks are such a sensory overload for me, causing me to hate them.

So have some Lupgang headcanons, of them comforting the reader who's afraid of fireworks!

Lupin:

-As much as you love Lupin, you're cursing him for wanting to be in America in time for 4th of July.

-You kept on telling yourself it was for the job, but Lupin kept on pointing out to you and the rest of the gang that the job coincided with the American holiday.

-Which meant you all had the day off for it.

-The day wasn't that bad, it helped that you had your boyfriend to distract your mind from the night's events.

-But you made sure to pop into a shop to buy noise cancelling headphones anyway.

-As the sun set, you insisted on staying in, making as many excuses you could.

-Lupin checked in on you every now and then to make sure you didn't want to join in on the night.

-His concern for you was mounting, especially since you insisted on staying in a dark room with headphones on.

-It was during a lull in the firework displays when he decided to check in on you.

-You were curled up in your shared bed, eyes shut tight and hands pressing roughly against the headphones on your head.

-Another firework exploded outside, causing you to gasp in surprise, curling tighter into yourself.

-Lupin realised with horror that you were terrified of fireworks, and he hadn't noticed.

-He enters fully into the room, sitting on the bed and gently resting a hand on your shoulder.

-His chest squeezes in pain as he watches you jump at his touch. He pulls away alarmed.

-"Are you okay?"

-Even with the headphones, you read Lupin's lips and shake your head in answer.

-Lupin frowns but gets up suddenly. He pulls the curtains closed, drapes comforters onto the windows and tucks fabric in the crack underneath the bedroom door.

-He grabs an mp3 and earbuds, gently sliding the earbuds into your ears underneath the headphones.

-When he's satisfied that the noise of the fireworks won't reach you, he draws you into his arms and holds you until you fall asleep.

-He won't ever leave your side again when fireworks are concerned.

Jigen:

-Jigen had noticed you jumping off and on throughout the day when stray fireworks would be set off.

-"What, afraid of fireworks?" He teased you, which led to you snapping at him and ignoring him for the rest of the day.

-"Fine, act that way!" He yelled after you, annoyed.

-The next Jigen sought you out was after dark, when Lupin and the others were going out for the new years celebration.

-He entered your shared room, the lights were off, the only sign you were awake was the light of your laptop, and you, watching a movie with headphones on.

-When he got your attention he asked. "Are you still mad at me or are you coming out with us?"

-You put your headphones back on, eyes slipping back to your movie.

-"Fine!"

-When he gets back, you're still awake, curled up into yourself, silent tears staining your cheeks.

-Jigen realises, guiltily, that you really are afraid of fireworks and instead of being supportive of you, he spent the day teasing and disregarding your feelings.

-He draws you into his arms, wrapping a blanket around you and apologizes profusely.

-"I'm so sorry, I should have realised sooner what a big dick I was being. I'm so sorry, my love."

-You only bury your face deeper into Jigen as more fireworks sound.

-"I got you now, don't worry. I'm not going to let you go. I promise you're safe with me."

Goemon:

-Goemon notices right away that something is up.

-"Are you alright? You have been tense all day."

-You shake your head, trying to reassure him that you're fine.

-"I do not believe you, but if you do not wish to tell me, that is up to you."

-When the fireworks start, you immediately seek out Goemon for comfort.

-He silently wraps his arms around you upon seeing how distressed you are.

-Goemon takes you to the most quiet space he can find.

-He makes sure that you're comfortable, draping a blanket around you, making sure you aren't hungry or thirsty and just holds you through the distant noises of the fireworks.

-"I will not leave your side for one moment." He promises.

[slytherinwolf-16]

Zenipapa au

Acquired Children, part 1

His superior officer hands him a file, a case he should be able to handle on his own, according to the older officer. Zenigata is used to doing the jobs that had less risk and that the other officers just didn't want to deal with because he's fresh out of training and barely 20 years old. He isn't sure about what to make of this case though.

It seemed simple at first, just four kids that needed to be processed and put into foster homes, but the issue comes in when he reads where they'd gotten these kids.

Case 361: Arsène Lupin arrested, grandson (4) in police care. Child will not give more information than his age and refuses to give his name. No known surviving family members.

Case 365: Unknown gangster taken into custody, left son (6) in police care. No known family.

Case 367: Ishikawa Goemon XII, found beheaded in Okigahara forest. 6 month old son found bundled in nearby tent. No know relatives.

Case 368: Shiemi Mine, local prostitute, found shot dead in alleyway with toddler girl (2) crying over the corpse. No known family.

The report was giving Zenigata chills, three of these were criminals and children of criminals were often messed up from the start. These kids were apparently locked in one of the backrooms in the station because the 4yo keeps stealing random things off cops, the 2yo keeps yelling for the slightest thing and the 6yo has already outshot most of the rookies in the firing range in the basement.

Zenigata, albeit unnerved, followed the procedure as usual. He called all the local foster homes and any places that usually took children that were left at the police station, but every time when they heard who the parents were, they'd either immediately decline, start preaching about demons or just end the call abruptly in his ear.

By the time his shift was ending, Zenigata had made no progress on it and they needed a place to stay overnight.

*****

After reporting to his superior officer and getting a thorough lecture on responsibility and that if there's no one else then an officer has to take the kids for the night. Again, none of the other officers wanted to deal with the kids.

So, Zenigata made his way down to the backroom where they were locked in for the last couple hours. He needed to at least meet them if he was temporarily responsible for them.

To his surprise, the door wasn't locked as the other officers had said it would be. Even more surprising, was that all four of them were still in the room. One of the boys, his guess was the 6yo, was busy trying to get the 6 month old to eat some crumbled up granola bars. There was a couple wrappers and soda cans laying around and Zenigata found himself surprised because as far as he knew they hadn't exactly been left with snacks, not this much anyway.

When the kids noticed him, the girl ran over and hid behind the smaller boy, who was standing now and offering Zenigata a grin. The other boy didn't pay him much attention, still trying to deal with the baby.

Zeni wonders if they've already bonded or if the girl just hid by them because they're older. He'd have to find out later.

"You four are gonna stay with me tonight," he says kindly, trying to be as gentle and non-threatening as possible. This didn't seem to work though, because the girl moved further away, the older boy turned to shield the smallest from the cop and the boy that had been smiling, now crossed his arms. "Not happening! You're a cop, why should we trust you?" Seems he was gonna be the talkative one then. It was odd to him that the four, so young, already had a distrust for police.

It takes a while to convince the four he's not going to hurt them and then he's got the problem of getting four kids to his flat. The walk, which thankfully wasn't more than two blocks, started with the baby held in his arms, fast asleep, Fujiko on his shoulders, patting his head with his hat on her head and the two boys holding onto his belt loops, both refusing to hold his hand for whatever reason.

Five minutes passed with this relative peace, when Lupin gets distracted by a guy wearing a Rolex and Zenigata has to corrale him away from the stranger, only to find he has the watch anyway. Then the assumed Goemon woke up, took one look at Zenigata and started screaming. For the life of him, Zeni cannot figure out how to calm him down and soon Jigen has the baby and is somehow soothing him better than Zeni ever would have been able to. This lead to Lupin having one hand to Zeni's belt loop and the other one clinging to Jigen's coat to make sure the other two boys didn't get lost.

Thankfully they made it to the apartment without further issue, but then Zeni has to figure out what the hell he's gonna do with four kids in a flat that isn't even big enough for himself, let alone other people as well.

While Zenigata is still figuring out if he needs to give them food or a bath or where he's gonna let the four sleep, he gets stopped in his tracks.

The four kids had piled up on the couch with Jigen at the bottom, Goemon resting on his chest and Fujiko and Lupin on either side of him, leaning against the older boy.

This gives Zeni a moment to sit down on the armchair and think through what he just agreed to. It would be just one night, but if they can't get a foster home or track any relatives then he'll have to take them for another day and another day and another day.

He can't afford that on his salary, but maybe if they stay for longer than a week then he can convince his superior officers to either fund their expenses or give him a raise because hell knows he can't raise three kids and a baby this way.

He decided to think it over with a shower and since they were still asleep when he was done, he tried to get some sleep as well.

(Tbc in part 2)

[thelavendercatalogue]

LJS Albert Idea

Yesterday, I found out something interesting that kinda supports a theory/idea I had for LJS and Id never thought id say it, but Thank Albert for confirming it just a tad.

As I've mentioned back before that one of the main things about LJS is how Lupin cant hide stuff in this AU. How he can’t bounce back from this like he use to because tbh this is his breaking point. How Lupin had not been right for years. The incident with Goemon, Albert and Tomoe combined with other stuff had beaten him in more ways far worse than anyone outside of Jigen could have imagined, no matter how well Lupin kept a lid on it.

And that this AU is basically the result of everything reaching a point of no return.. Well apparently in PT5, I found out that Albert does mention something similar that apparently supports the idea.

And Thanks to Albert I came up with a idea. Lupin running into Albert after the gang go to France for the trip Jigen planned as a way to cheer Lupin up. As much as I believe there is just a little reconciliation between the two at the end of PT5 going into 6, there is still a lot of animosity between the two

Lupin never liked Albert, never did.

He was one of the last people Lupin wanted to run into when they went to France because France was suppose to be the time where he could just relax and not have to think about what he possibly could be losing.

But of course, fate be a cruel mistress. He should have known relaxation would not come so easily. Jigen had planned on taking a little trip into town and while a feeling in his gut told him not to, Lupin ultimately caved on Jigens insistence and decided he would go.

The trip goes smoothly enough, Lupin actually enjoys himself, but there’s still that pit in his stomach.

The voice that suddenly comes up from behind him while Jigens off doing something else is what seals his fate.

Albert was always antagonistic; when he noticed Lupin, Lupin could hear the smarmy tone in his voice already and Lupin did his best to make himself stand up straighter, refusing to be so “limp” in front of him, if he did, he’d know what Albert would say

but Albert noticed the cane, something Lupin couldn’t hide

As it turns out, Albert already knew from the grapevine what happened to Lupin, after all when one of the biggest names in the underground go down, talk spreads fast, rumors spread faster.

And it’s like he’s trying to goad Lupin into a fight, and Lupin holds his ground until the guy makes a comment about his “grandfathers legacy” seems to be coming to an end, Lupin completely ignores what the guy says about his Father, but the moment he mentions his grandfather that’s it, Lupin basically looses his temper, and it basically becomes a shouting match between the two that garners a bit of a crowd.

Jigen of course hears what’s going on, sees what happen and then him and the guy Albert's with are suddenly trying to get the two to simmer down and walk away

Jigen gets Lupin to turn around, and they do start to leave, but then Albert suddenly makes a comment on how long it’ll be until Lupin is forced to retire, or some shit like that, like making harsh jabs at the fact that Lupin is still young but seems to have to retire so early and that’s when Lupin looses it, cause retiring is the last thing on his mind and he wants to keep going and until he dies doing this shit.

Jigen notices the change in Lupin's face, he knows what’s about to happen, he makes a grab for him, tries to get him to stop, but Lupin basically rush shuffles towards this guy and he goes to say something like

you don’t get to tell me what I can do and when it’s time for me to retire

But it cuts off abruptly

“you don’t get to tell what I can d-“

But then he suddenly gets very quiet, he’s got his finger rudely pointed at Albert's face and the guys just looking at Lupin, hell EVERYONE is looking at Lupin at this point because it’s like he’s suddenly in immense pain, he’s suddenly coated in thin layer of sweat and there’s a jabbing jarring pain running up his back down his leg and hip.

Now the thing about Lupin is I don’t think he shows weakness that easily around people, he lives in a world where if he does it’s usually a death sentence, and he’s taken shit before and was able to stand his ground.

But all of a sudden now in front of all these people no less it literally looks like he’s about to fall to his knee’s, his legs are shaking, he’s coated in sweat and he does stumble but catches himself before he does, and suddenly Jigen is by his side attempting to hold him up right.

and that’s when he notices everyone is looking at him

and Lupin’s just looking at them and he’s starring and he’s slightly panting past the pain and he’s sweating and he’s just looking at them until he slowly turns his head away from them and looks down at the ground in defeat.

And then as if to hit him even more when he’s down, Albert suddenly gets a smirk on his face as he starts to walk away, pats Lupin’s shoulder, smile’s and makes a comment that he shouldn’t worry and that retirement is easier when your younger

But Lupin still has his dignity, he slaps the guys hand away, and pulls himself up, brushing Jigen off, he doesn’t look at anyone, doesn’t even acknowledge when Jigen calls his name, and despite the pain, he simply just leaves to go back to the car, trying to keep his posture as straight as he can and he waltzes away leaving everyone behind

He doesn’t make it to the car

Instead Jigen finds him at a rest stop bathroom puking his brains out.

[mimigoey]

Why the Educational System of the netherworld has better purposes! Why you should attend the Demon school ONLY and some demon politics.

Before elaborating on the heading I gotta say, Now I understand more about Harpnus! I wrote my theory here but this time Nishi has given much clarity on her. Harpnus rules over the realm of wind in the netherworld.

Like I've written before, the netherworld consists of different realms and the one I marked is the location of the wind

So Harpnus is a deity, she ranks above demons, is a part of the natural world and her appearance has its traits. She's the one controlling wind and guarding the bird species in the netherworld! So that explains the feathers. They are hidden from the demons. We saw Goemon praying to her but like deities in the human world too, they don't appear before them. The story about Goemon's true face was like something a great grandmother would tell- once upon a time there was this deity.....and that's how our family got this name or something like that. The difference is, for demons it's not just a belief, it's 100% real.

But it seems that these deities attend the Deviculum and can be seen by upper ranking demons. So Goey if you rank up maybe you can see your deity some time in the future!

So this also tells me that he higher your rank is the closer you are to the "netherworld gods". Iruma, Azz and everyone there have already seen one of them now. Iruma would notice the difference between human world and the netherworld. He has heard of countless deities but they don't appear before humans and we do not have the concept of ranking up to finally get to meet them. So this is so amazing and I wish it were like that for us. It's like everything is connected, right from the school. If you study and do well in curricular activities you will rank up and there are certain privileges if you do. You can be a "young king", someone who will be acknowledged like the demon king. You can have more tasty food in the cafeteria, you can attend the Deviculum, you can meet the deities you otherwise can't. You can even become the demon king or one of his aides and court members. Everything the students do have a purpose.

This all happens because fortunately for them they know that the supreme demon king (who is like Satan) is real. Having supernatural powers is proof of this, if ever a child doubts of his existence the grown ups have tons of proof to show them and even the demon king is much like them, they all share similar qualities like magic, horns, tails and wings. So the demon king here is like a democratic ruler and they are an inspiration to the young demons. If they have promising qualities even they can be candidates of elections that would be done in the future.

The only mysterious beings are the deities who are extremely revered by even the greatest demons. Even they can appear before the demons if they reach a higher position. That is one of the greatest motivations the netherworld system gives their children.

[symphonic-scream]

Yes, 100%

:D

Everyone has a pet that has the name of their persona (cause I'm sentimental) like. Morgana is just Akira's emotional support cat but he also has a little red bird names Arsene. Goro has two mice named Robin Hood and Loki, and Futaba has a ferret named Necronomicon

In the quad apartment there's Carmen the cat, Goemon the turtle, and Captain Kidd the snake

As for Makoto and Haru, there's M'Lady the large rabbit and Johanna the doberman. Hifumi doesn't have a pet yet, but maybe one day

The Okumura-Niijima apartment is right above the bakery and cafe, but they made sure to add an entrance at the back so they don't have to work through the shop front to get home (Makoto sometimes has an overwhelming day at her placements. Sometimes Haru's relapsing into her caged mindset. They wanted a safe route in and out without crowds)

M'Lady sometimes spends Haru's time working the cafe with her. They made a little throne for her at the far side of the counter. Regular customers like to bring her little veggies to snack on

Makoto is training Johanna to work as an EMA. She wants to give her future patients as much comfort as possible, like being able to offer sessions with her and her dog. It's a work in progress, she got the idea when she met Joker (and Morgana) for the first time

I have stories for everyone meeting Joker too so. Let me know if you want those

Hifumi is at first dumbfounded when she discovers Makoto is trans. Akira had told her one of the wives were and based on how they present themselves, she assumed it was Haru. She and Makoto have many long talks about how they define femininity and such. For Makoto, it's in her spirit of rebellion. Being a woman to her is refusing to conform, not to accept the hand she's dealt but to stand up and push for what she wants

And for Haru, it's more like a comfort. She's always felt, protected by her own inner view of the world. She sees her own femininity as like, frills and fluff and treating herself. Inner love. They balance each other well

Makoto: I notice you hunch a lot. Is your height something that makes you feel a little dysphoric?

Hifumi: ah, I suppose so. I'm taller than both you and Haru, and Akira too...

Makoto: I have a solution for that. Want to feel short? You should visit our other friends' place. They're all tall there

Haru: she's right! Ann and Yusuke are both, very tall!

There's lots of conversations about gender and sexuality between Hifumi and all the thieves, about how they found themselves and tips they have for being queer. Some are, awkwardly personal

Hifumi: did you. Have your surgeries yet?

Makoto: ...it's 9 am I'm- I'm not talking about this that early I'm sorry

Haru: just a tip, you don't have to have any to be trans! You can have one, or the other, both or none! Gender and sex are personal to you, don't let anyone else dictate your experience

Makoto is red in the face and sipping at iced water trying to ignore the Convo (it's the one topic she's nervous about. Only because she doesn't like hospitals.)

Hifumi: why do you guys have two spare rooms anyways? For family?

Makoto: oh, no

Haru: can you keep a secret? Don't tell Akira or the others, but... We're thinking of having a baby

Hifumi: ...am I your test run for parenthood?

Makoto: no, don't be silly. That was when we took care of Futaba when they were fighting with the boys

Haru's father isn't a fan of her relationship with Makoto, but he accepted he has no say in whether they're together or not and stays out of their hair. He's, working on being supportive. It's taking him time to learn

Sae on the other hand has been Makoto's number one advocate for years. She helped her sister find herself back when Makoto was just in middle school, and even set her up at a vastly different highschool to start fresh

Goro is horribly awkward around anyone but Akira or Futaba. He's. Like a stick. It freaks Hifumi out at first

Just. Hifumi experiences all sorts of love too. Seeing her friends who found their forever people, platonic love, the sort of familial love she forms with Makoto and Haru-

I have many many thoughts please keep talking to me about this I'm,

Also. Help me find a name for this au so I can make a tag for it! Send me suggestions

[fizzingwizard]

My favorite things ever created for Lupin III were Mine Fujiko's Lie, and The Woman Called Mine Fujiko

Not because I don't love the fun, energetic, quirky vibe of the classic series. Not because I prefer Fujiko to the boys (though I do adore her).

For me, The Woman Called Mine Fujiko resurrected not just Fujiko, but every female character written by a man who assumed he knew what makes women tick - or didn't care whether he knew, and just wanted to write her that way.

In the classic series, Fujiko's both a strong, dangerous woman who regularly betrays Lupin, yet she's also a helpless damsel in distress who needs Lupin to save her. How much she is of either depends on the writer and the story. Her saving grace is that, even back then, there was already more than just a sense that Lupin enjoyed getting outmaneuvered by her. They were the kind of perfect rivals who make the fan girls drool when it's two men, and start to see secret romantic longing in every look. Lupin and Fujiko really were rivals in love, but instead of making them more interesting, it hurt them. It made Lupin seem stupid, and it made Fujiko seem cold, heartless, selfish, and arrogant. What's more, because the story always favored Lupin and the boys' POV, we rarely ever got a glimpse of what Fujiko thought or felt - so fans were free to attribute to her whatever motivations they wanted. And fans, when it comes to beautiful, treacherous women, aren't very open-minded, let alone forgiving.

So The Woman Called Mine Fujiko was desperately needed. It somehow managed to pull Fujiko out of the grip of the male gaze without turning her into some kind of angel. It subverted the whole "she turned out like this because she was damaged as a child," by making us think that's what happened to her and then making it all a lie. She's still a criminal. She still betrays and uses people and is less spiritual and more practical about taking life than the romantics Jigen and Goemon (and often Lupin) are. And the underlying message was, it really doesn't matter what made Fujiko. She's a woman, and she's free to do what she wants. Even if it's bad. If we admire Lupin, we really have no business hating Fujiko. (Specific episodes can make most anyone hate her, but that should be chalked up to bad writing and low respect for characterization. This is, after all, fiction.) And, we learn, Lupin isn't in love with Fujiko just because she's beautiful and dangerous. He's also in love with her because he loves freedom, and freedom is Mine Fujiko.

In Mine Fujiko's Lie, we once again get this amazing, nuanced Fujiko who subverts tropes as neatly as she high kicks in heels. Her antagonist is a warped version of herself, a master manipulator who doesn't realize how he's manipulated by others, whose freedom comes with his first taste of desire - and which ultimately leads to his destruction. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - or lost. In her usual style, Fujiko defeats him by seducing and betraying him. While the art avoids the gore of Jigen's and Goemon's episodes, the eroticism highlights Fujiko's body's softness and vulnerability in a way that makes her seem desperate but determined as she uses psychological manipulation to win over sheer male power. Thematically, yeah, she's still talking about love and sex. But there's something existential about the way she talks, something deep that digs into the human psyche.

And the reframing of Fujiko's skill as psychology rather than seduction is only part of what's modern and liberating. The other is her relationship with the little boy (whose name I can't recall atm :P). We're primed to think (or dread) that Fujiko is about to tap into her latent maternal instincts. She's a woman, so of course she won't be able to resist a motherless child! And, as un-Fujiko-like as that would be, the alternative - her stealing the boy's only chance at a healthy life along with stranding him as an orphan - was too distasteful to hope for. The story string us along, making us think it'll be one, it'll be the other... and then, in the end, she's neither drawn into motherly sentiment, nor does she turn out to be utterly irredeemably (the usual fate of women who don't perform femininity in an acceptable way). She gets what she wants and the boy gets what he needs. He probably won't have stellar memories of her - and she's still far, far from an angel. But she's worked the job the way that she wants to work it, with resourcefulness and independence. Unlike her helpless charge, or her helpless antagonist. It's telling that this is the only movie of the three in this series which results in a direct kill (of the main antagonist, I mean). If there's anything Fujiko can't stand, it's helplessness. She's going to survive. She doesn't wax romantic about what it means to be a warrior. Someone came for her, she gave as good as she got - that's Fujiko. And yet, though she can't afford to be weak, she isn't so hard that she can't fall asleep on Lupin's shoulder.

I needed both of these stories to love Lupin III. Without them, I don't think I'd be able to look at it as anything more than a boy's fantasy. Fujiko's gotten some better development and overall treatment in some of the more recent anime series - but I will say that I was really disappointed in her in season six, because I felt she was rewritten to be more like ScarJo's Black Widow than anyone who could function as Lupin's rival and lover at once.

rabbit trail: The bit in Goemon's Blood Spray, where Fujiko walks off because Goemon's self-punishment is too ridiculous to watch, and Jigen and Lupin are all "This is how men are," about it, gets a mixed reaction from me. On the one hand, I tend to feel like Fujiko, that as confused yet determined as Goemon was, him killing himself through training is just wasteful. As is his friends letting him, because that's what he wants and he's got a warrior's spirit and yadda yadda. But on the other, my real issue is claiming this is a gender difference. It's glorifying the warrior philosophy yet again, when in the real world strong, war-hardened men run from battle every day, not because they aren't real warriors, but because they have sense. Live to die another day. (Which, incidentally, is what happens for Goemon, because he survives the training.) IMO Fujiko left because she's practical. Goemon did what he did because he's spiritual. Jigen didn't understand him, but went along with him anyway, because Jigen is emotional. And Lupin did understand him and deliberately didn't get in his way because he's a mix of little bits of all the other characters.

[experthiese]

ship talk, okay here we go:

lupin is bisexual, and while this isn't a secret, his heavy womanising means most tend to assume he's straight. he's not

sex is important to him and will come waaaay before any genuine romance blooms. he respects celibate relationships and the idea of "waiting until marriage", but such a dynamic won't keep his attention for long

monogamy... isn't his Thing. he likes attention and casual sex and having multiple paramours at any one time, and he is very honest about this. however, for the sake of ic relations and not complicating things, we can gloss over this point if you're uncomfortable with the idea of addressing this character aspect. we'll just... not acknowledge what he's doing when he's not around your muse

lupin's always going to be a little bit toxic. it's part and parcel of being a criminal who considers himself beholden to nothing and no one, bar the self-imposed rules of his game. he can be cruel and deceptive and withhold information that his close companions should know. he has shockingly little empathy sometimes and getting an apology out of him is hard work

he looks after his own and affords them some protection, merely by virtue of being associated with a notorious (and dangerous) member of the criminal underground, but that doesn't mean they're entirely immune -- most everyone associated with lupin has been kidnapped at some point

he's immediately into someone if they make at least one attempt on his life. danger and betrayal excite him

last but not least: his established group > a new lover. put him in a position where he has to choose between, say, jigen and you? jigen wins every time. goemon, fujiko, zenigata, laetitia, rebecca... regardless of his relationship with them, he will always prioritise older, more trusted bonds over brand new ones

[generalhamsterdancer]

HELLO!

WELCOME BACK TO MY SILLY LITTLE RAMBLINGS ABOUT DRAGON JIGEN

These are facts/quirks about him that I've compiled into a list.

Please enjoy! And ask any questions you have about him, I love to talk about this silly au.

Snores so loud the house shakes.

Sleeps in the basement! / anyplace that's cold and dark

Loves sunbathing, literally one of his favorite pastimes (IMPORTANT! Cuz he's a lizard!)

Literally you can find him sleeping anywhere there is sun. Like a cat.

but also BATHS! 

Also like a cat he only lets certain people sunbathe with him. He trusted Goemon to meditate while he sunbathed almost immediately. Lupin wasn't trusted until a lot later. 

Hoards Lupin's treasure

Old. Like really old.

In the winter: BLANKETS, BLANKETS AND MORE BLANKETS!

Always ALWAYS the first to get sick (he doesn't have allergies tho!)

He has a couple of smaller dragon forms he can use to get around better. He just *poofs* into them in a cloud of smoke. Think of a komodo dragon with a hat and beard. That's one of the forms. And another is an even smaller, wiggly looong, snake body with legs (transportable!)

In that form Jigen wraps around Lupin's neck like a scarf!

Lupin will wake up on cold winter mornings with Jigen in his bed soaking up his body heat

COLD TOES!

Will curl around the fresh pile of laundry on the laundry chair and sleep

BIG OL’ CHOMPERS! Perfect for tearing through meat! (Almost exclusively a carnivore)

When in his large dragon form, his hat's too small to wear! Lupin ties it over his horn with some string

Also! That big ol' plume of hair on his big dragon form sways / flaps magically in the air even without wind (think Celestia's mane from MLP)

No art this time! Sorry! I'm still traditional until further notice.

On another note, I'm debating what color I should make his fire, that's why that info didn't make the list. I can't decide between green and purple. Green like maleficent or purple like ... Well purple maleficent.

Idk. I'll decide some other time.

[another-mrfluffball]

lol homie it’s me ausie dyslexic anon (lol im cringe) anyway how do they react to an s/o who is swamped with work

(i have two things due tomorrow and a test then i’ve gotta do my english thing thats due on Monday so my plan is to eat junk food and make my english thing fan fiction)

Oh hello! I am literally so sorry for responding late!!!!! I was so busy with work and Halloween :(( I hope this writing cheers you up! Again, I'm sorry for responding late!!

This is kinda more of an how they support you when you are tired kinda writing! Hope that is okay!!

Lupin

Y/n~~~~~~ How about we take a break?

He will try his best to cheer you up!!!

He will get you all of your fav snacks and treats to cheer you up!

If you wanna get snacks and treats but feel bad for him getting them, he will give a whole speech about how wonderful and hard-working you are, and say you deserve a reward/break snack :))

Y/n!!!! You absolutely and totally deserve a nice little snack! No need to feel bad, for me getting them!!! Lupin at your service :DD

He will have a cheerful smile after getting those snacks!

Y/n~~~~~!!!!! Lupin the delivery service is here :))

You giggle at this goofy cheerful man :)))

Thanks you so much Lupin :)

No problem y/n :D

Jigen

Y/n is there anything I can help with?

He is very much supportive of you :)

He will try to help as much as he can. Of course, he will respect you boundaries and try to push himself to help to the point of disturbing you!

If you wanna go into focus mode, he will subtly and secretly protect you from any disturbance.

If anybody tries to disturb and annoy you, he will block and protect you from them >:)

If you fall asleep on your chair, he will pat your head and place a nice warm blanket for you :)

If you have any errands or mini-tasks for him, he is happy to help!

Whenever you are not in your room or sleeping, he will place a little flower next to you ♡

Goemon

Is worried that you will push your limit!

Y/n please remember not to push yourself, it is important to take a rest from time to time

He will make warm tea for you!

If Lupin is being an ass to you prepare to run-

Likes to gift you, some Japanese snacks :)

If he sees you, getting tired to the point of becoming dizzy, he will pull you for a mini break!

Will give you one of the best breaks ever omg

Will check up on you from time to time!

He will give you comforting words when you take a break :)

Fujiko

Y/n you ok?

She is such a dramatic and over the top with the break holy shi-

From flower perfumes, and expensive and elegant snacks, to a comfortable cuddle :D

If you dare apologize, she will put a finger on your soft lips and go

No, no, no! Y/n you really need to take breaks from time to time honestly! Just relax ok :)

If somebody is being a little shit and giving you more work, she will personally go to their home and meet them and kick their ass :)

Honestly, they should understand how much pressure and ass they are to my dear lover ):<

Zenigata

Y/n I must order you to take a break!

Oh hi, zenigata...I'm okay I can finish I- *clumsily drops something* Oh no I- *Tired sigh*

Then out of your big surprise!

Wha- *bridal carrying style* Y/n do not worry! You will not need to move!

*y/n blushes instantly* !!!!

Zenigata carried you to the couch and plopped you there.

Don't move y/n! I will get some food!

He then ran to get some snacks for you!!!

For the next few minutes, you two took a delightful break :D Having nice and funny conversations, talking about how much a stress work has been, etc.

It was honestly nice just releasing all those stressful thoughts :)

When you both were cleaning up the snacks, you gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave a bright smile, softly said thank you, his face exploded and blushed madly.

It was nothing y-y/n Hope you do well on the rest of your work ///

Message for everybody! Hope this cheered you up!!! Good luck with your work!!!!! Lupin gang is very proud of you and is cheering you on \(*´▽｀*)/

[catchyhuh]

Hi! Do you take requests for headcanons?

If so - what would each of the gang (Zeni included, cause he's part of the gang in same way, duh!) consider the most romantic Perfect Date ever (and I mean the kind of date they would be very much smitten by, even though they'd absolutely utterly deny it to the end of times)?

oh my god yeah i'd love to do some requests! it's fun to come up with opinions on things i haven’t even thought about before two bee honest SO LET’S GO

lupin: 

lupin’s perfect date is any excuse to spend time with his arm candy honestly. especially one on one but that’s. that’s a different thing we ain’t gettin into that bit just yet THE POINT IS he's not picky in the slightest. the highlight is his company, not the location or task or whatever else

if it was up to him, he’d probably do the standard wine and dine at some unbelievably nice restaurant, y’know. keep it classy but also flex the fact that he can afford to do this (he can afford to do this because the only money leaving his pockets during the whole ordeal was a tip for the waiter. lupin’s a canonical tipper which is hilarious and very real of him)

but he has some hyperspecific romantic fantasy attached to any and EVERY venue. 

jigen: 

you know how this bitch is. he isn’t really the type to like, go on a DATE date. it’s more like “hey i’m going to the bar. you comin” even if he’s been with this person for years. date dates aren’t his thing

the closest i can imagine would be like. lovers lane type shit. you know? take the car off to some outta the way, vaguely woodsy clearing, park it, lay on the hood and just talk, still very casuaHAVE YOU EVER SEEN WAYNE’S WORLD? THE SCENE WHERE THEY’RE LYING ON THE CAR NEAR THE AIRPORT IS JIGEN’S ROMANTIC IDEAL. STUPID CONVERSATION INCLUDED

fujiko:

ok there’s two flavors here because is this her ideal date for romance or for money. that changes the answer slightly. if it’s money she loves the idea of just hanging on the arm of somebody at some nice, ritzy dinner party, she gets an excuse to dress up, eat some good food, and maybe walk away with a few careless guests’ wallets. but i’m going to assume you wanted romance

because of how (almost uncomfortably) familiar she is with fake, performative dates and the like, she (and never tell either of them this) is a bit like jigen in the sense that real love is very casual and understated to her, almost simple. like of course she isn’t complaining when someone’s she’s actually into is offering to take her to some fucking BALL or whatever but at the same time, the idea of simply just laying side by side with their head on her shoulder or vice versa is. comfortable. and she NEEDS comfortable let’s be real

goemon:

starting to realize how absolutely mundane and boring these answers are becoming ANYWAY goemon SAYS the same as the prior two. he SAYS the same. but really, deep down, the idea of setting aside a special time, date, and place just to be with someone he loves is charming to no end to him. not too picky about it himself as long as it's not too flashy

the simplest, easiest answer, but maybe the most true i feel is stargazing. it’s nice, it’s private without being claustrophobic, and think about the picnic possibilities my guy!!! plus, it’s quieter and more peaceful at night, so there’s less of a chance he and his date would be disturbed. i know i already said “its nice” BUT REALLY IT IS NICE

zenigata:

hm. i’m thinking. 

we’re removing lupin as a factor in the context. unless lupin IS the date but EITHER WAY this is a “you have a whole day to yourself for this date wwyd” ordeal. and the answer is probably STAY AT HOME

HE NEVER GETS TO DO IT SO IT'S SPECIAL TO HIM. AND IT'S COZY TOO admittedly he thinks it's expected of him to do a DATE date but really. not to get too graphically sappy here. i think he’d be content just snugglin dude. he needs a break. maybe a good middle ground between what he wants and what he thinks he should do would be going to the theater?

[loopspoop]

Here comes chapter three! Had to do hella research for this (if I got anything wrong please let me know since I got my information from medical websites)!

TW: graphic descriptions of a seizure

An hour later, Jigen had managed to find some ramen packs stashed away in a cabinet and some rice. He managed to make a pretty good meal, all things considered. When Fujiko got back they could add to it to make it more filling…and add to the broth for Lupin to get something with some nutrients. He was ready for Lupin to recover…it would be easier to deal with all this complicated robotics stuff with Lupin conscious and able to help..

“Goemon, foods done. I’m going upstairs to get a blanket for Lupin. Go get something to eat.” Jigen walked to the living room, looking at the samurai.

Goemon nodded, standing. “He has been quiet the whole time. I think it should be alright to leave him alone for short periods if the need arises.” At least they could take bathroom and food breaks…

Jigen nodded. “Sounds good.” It was promising at least..

Jigen walked up the stairs, looking through the hall closet for some blankets. Finding nothing but old sheets, he sighed and turned to the bedroom. Jigen walked inside, opening the closet before a large figure slumped out and crashed to the ground in front of him. Shouting in surprise, Jigen drew his gun and aimed-

Wait.

Pops?

Jigen lowered his gun slowly, huffing as he lightly kicked the half awake man with his foot.

“Fucks sake..” he mumbled, shaking his head. “Get the hell up, Pops!” He scared him half to death.

“Wuh-? Mm..?” Zenigata glanced around before jumping to his feet when he noticed Jigen. “Jigen!”

“I heard you yell-!” Goemon dashed into the room, Zantetsuken in his hand before he stopped. “Inspector-?”

“Ha!” Zenigata smirked, taking out his handcuffs as he laughed. “Bet you didn’t expect me to be here, huh? Well, a good inspector always plans ahead!”

“How long were you waiting in that closet for…? We’ve been gone for two weeks.” Jigen raised an eyebrow.

“Ah…two weeks- whatever it isn’t important! You’re all under arrest!” Zenigata shouted, trying and failing to cuff Jigen as he sidestepped the inspector.

Jigen sighed, putting his Magnum away. Of course Zenigata would be here. He probably knew they had a safe house out here and realized this was the least suspicious house…damn his detective skills.. they didn’t need to be hauled in and Lupin most likely wouldn’t want Pops to see him like this but…it probably couldn’t be avoided at this point.

“Look, you need to go.” Jigen frowned, crossing his arms.

“Wha-? No! I will not go! Who do you think you are! I’m here to haul Lupin and the rest of you to jail! Speaking of, where is he?” Zenigata glanced around, holding his handcuffs at the ready as he checked under the bed.

“Please, keep your voice down.” Goemon frowned, sheathing Zantetsuken. “Lupin needs to rest.”

“Rest? Why in the world would he need rest, the man’s like a ball of literal energy!” Zenigata huffed, pushing past them and into the hall as he made his way toward the stairs.

“Zenigata.” Jigen grabbed his arm sternly, his grip tight. “Listen to me and listen good. Do not go down there. Do not disturb Lupin.” He frowned deeply.

Zenigata hesitated. He had been chasing them for years and, while they had had their shootouts and fistfights, they hadn’t butted heads on much in a serious manner. Their game of cat and mouse was usually comical, serious on his end, but never on the gangs.. something was off this time if Jigen looked this serious about it. Had something actually happened? Not much ever went wrong for Lupin but, looking at the two men now, maybe it had? Jigen looked more dirty than he allowed himself to be, his hair tangled and oily and his suit ripped and dirty. Goemon seemed..more tense than normal? Almost worn down…

“What the hell happened to you two..?” Zenigata mumbled, frowning as he looked them over quietly.

Goemon frowned, looking at Jigen. “It may be wise to allow him to help..” Zenigata had been all over the world so maybe he knew how to help, even if only a little…

Jigen frowned, looking to Goemon and then back to Pops before huffing in annoyance. “If we do that he’s just going to try to arrest us!”

“No. There’s nothing fair about catching a man when he’s down.” Zenigata shook his head. “Whatever it is, I’ll do my best to help. And I swear I won’t arrest anyone until there can be a fair chase.” He was a man of honor after all.

Goemon nodded, looking pointedly at Jigen. Something he had learned early on was that he and Zenigata were similar in their respect for honor and the chase. The inspector would not arrest them if they were injured or in danger. At times, he had been known to even make a temporary truce to aid them if they had a common goal. This would be no different, especially with how grave the situation was.

Jigen groaned, rubbing his face before sighing. “Fine. Come downstairs and see for yourself then. But you’re either in or out, old man. And don’t you even think of contacting ICPO or anyone else outside of this house. Try it and you’ll be sorry.” He glared at him before grabbing a blanket for Lupin and heading back downstairs.

Goemon shook his head, following behind Jigen. They could trust the inspector, he knew that much. Zenigata hesitated before quickly following behind them. When he got here two weeks ago, he figured they would show up quickly. He had seen Lupin get sold to that Dr. Mad and figured he would’ve been out in a day…it was weird waiting two weeks but…it made sense now, if Lupin was hurt, for it to take longer. Zenigata watched from the stairs as Jigen draped the blanket on Lupin carefully, his body laying still on the couch. Goemon sat nearby, eating quietly but no doubt keenly observing everything in the room down to the smallest detail. Zenigata cautiously rounded the corner and approached the couch. He expected to find a slightly banged up Lupin, something he had seen plenty of times, maybe even a more-than-slightly injured Lupin with how serious the others made it sound. Looking down at Lupin, Zenigata’s eyes widened.

“What-…what the hell happened to him-?!” Zenigata paled, quickly taking the blanket off of Lupin before he stumbled back in shock. “If this is some prank-!”

“Shut up!” Jigen hissed, grabbing the inspector by the front of his trench coat. “Keep your damn voice down!”

Lupin whined, cringing as he shifted faintly. Zenigata bit down on his lip hard enough to almost draw blood, looking the thief over. His body…what had they done to his body? Taking his limbs and sections of his torso and replacing it with..god it was metal…he was a cyborg. That’s what they sold him for? Something so horrid? Even with the bandages around his wounds, Zenigata could tell there was terrible infection to pair with his condition. If they had given him more money then he could’ve bought Lupin at the auction and thrown him in jail…he could’ve been spared this fate..

“What the hell happened..?” Zenigata breathed, his hands shaking as he looked at Jigen and Goemon. It was almost too much to bare to see his rival in a state like this.

Jigen huffed, letting go of Zenigata roughly as he covered Lupin again carefully. “Dr. Mad is what happened.”

Goemon frowned, putting his bowl down as he regarded the inspector quietly. “He wanted a weapon..that was Lupin’s purpose.”

“That’s where you went for two weeks-? I though you had given me the run around but- damn!” Zenigata hissed angrily. “Two weeks? Where the hell is that Dr. Mad character now?” He would put him in a cell so small he wouldn’t even be able to get up to piss!

“Dead.” Jigen said coldly, sitting beside Lupin as he lit a cigarette. “And hopefully in the deepest pit in hell there is.”

Goemon narrowed his eyes, looking at Lupin silently. It angered him to no end that that bastard had referred to Lupin as a project. Lupin was no project! He was a brave man, a talented thief…a good friend. He stood silently, taking his dishes to the kitchen. It bothered him to think of Lupin being tortured by such a man. He would do the dishes and try to calm down..Lupin needed them calm and not stressed.

Zenigata watched quietly, taking off his hat as he sat down beside Jigen. It was unbelievable…that someone could do something like this to Lupin. He always, always got away! But this time…how could he not have noticed something was wrong when Lupin was absent for too long? Zenigata looked at the carpet, picking pieces of it as he frowned. He arrested all of those responsible for the human trafficking but..that doctor had still gotten away with unthinkable horrors..

Jigen glanced at the inspector, sighing as he held out a cigarette. “Sorry for biting your head off, Pops. This is just..”

Zenigata took the cigarette, lighting it as he shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize, Jigen. I understand, I do.” He looked at him sternly. “It’s hard. And you feel like you let him down but it isn’t your fault. It’s that bastards fault. Not yours, not Goemon, or Lupin’s, or Fujiko. It’s his and his alone because he made the decision to do this to Lupin.”

Jigen bit his lip, looking away quietly. He knew that…deep down he knew it wasn’t anyones fault because none of them knew this would happen. They would’ve gotten out if they did know..but he felt so guilty. He was right down the hall..he was right down the hall and Lupin needed his help and he couldn’t help him. He was supposed to be his right hand man, his partner, what good was he if he couldn’t even do that?!

“Jigen.” Zenigata grabbed his arm gently, frowning. “It isn’t your fault.” He said sternly, squeezing him a little.

“Pops..” Jigen sighed, looking down at the carpet quietly. He couldn’t believe that..even if he wanted to..

Zenigata frowned, holding onto Jigen’s arm as he glanced back at Lupin. He hesitated a bit, letting go of Jigen’s arm as he turned and looked Lupin over closely. The thief had gotten pale, his breathing fast and ragged. Obviously he had some serious infection going on and it seemed like they were treating it but..Lupin wasn’t looking good.

“What have you been giving him for this?” He glanced back at Jigen, feeling Lupin’s cheeks and forehead and frowning at how hot they were.

“We sent Fujiko to get disinfectants and antibiotics about an hour ago.” Jigen frowned, looking back at Lupin. “We cleaned his wounds and Goemon packed sugar in them..”

“Mm..the infection is bad. His fever is high..he doesn’t look good.” Zenigata mumbled, moving the blanket off of Lupin to try to cool him down.

Jigen frowned, standing. He could go get cool water and try to help control Lupin’s fever that way…they just needed to cool him down. Suddenly, Lupin tensed and groaned. He slowly began to turn blue around his lips, gasping faintly against tense chest muscles. What the hell? Why was he doing that?! Jigen looked at Zenigata anxiously, biting his lip when he saw the inspector kick the coffee table away and move Lupin onto the floor. Zenigata quickly took the discarded blanket, sticking it under Lupin’s head as he moved him onto his side. What the hell was going on? Lupin had been fine! Why wasn’t he fine?! Lupin began to convulse after a moment on the ground, body thrashing against the floor. Foam and saliva moved past clenched teeth, as his body jerked and shook without end. Pieces broke off of his limbs, and- Oh god. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t breathing! He was dying. Lupin was dying, he was dying, they would lose him-! Goemon ran in when he heard the commotion, paling as his eyes widened. He had never seen anything like this. Why was this happening?!

“Jigen-!” Goemon grabbed his arm tightly, his hands shaking as he watched Lupin with wide eyes. “Jigen, what is happening-?!”

“He’s having a seizure, his fever’s too high.” Zenigata frowned, carefully keeping Lupin in the recovery position so he wouldn’t choke.

“Fuck…fuck, shit, what do we-?” Jigen looked from Lupin to Zenigata, trying to keep himself from getting hysterical.

“We need to cool him down and quickly. Run a bath, make sure the water is slightly warmer than cool. Bring rags too.” Zenigata held Lupin, the thief’s thrashing slowing and becoming less intense. “Go!”

Goemon’s hesitated before running upstairs to fill the tub. They hadn’t dealt with seizures before. Nobody had ever been hurt bad enough for there to be cause for one. It was terrifying to watch, especially with Lupin in that position. They needed Fujiko and actual medication. He should’ve given Lupin something for the fever. He thought that it was low enough it would’ve gone away by now. That obviously wasn’t the case. He continued to fail Lupin…

Lupin stopped seizing soon after Goemon left, his body going slack against Zenigata as he sighed and began to breathe properly. Jigen crouched beside Pops, his hands shaking as he looked Lupin over. He never expected things to get this bad..fuck..he thought they had covered their bases. He thought they would get past the bad shit and things would be okay..

“How the hell did you..how did you know how to handle that-?” Jigen looked at the inspector, taking Lupin’s hand in his own to remind himself that the thief was still there and breathing.

“They teach you all sorts of stuff once you become a public servant.” Zenigata looked at Lupin, carefully wiping the foam from his mouth with the blanket as he sighed. “Stuff like how to handle choking and heart attacks and CPR. Even stuff like this. Guess it’s good I was upstairs…”

Jigen laughed weakly, nodding a little. “Thanks, Pops. Seriously.” He looked at him earnestly, trying to keep it together.

Zenigata hesitated, patting him on the back. “Take it easy. You don’t need to thank me for anything, Jigen. Let’s get him upstairs, alright?”

Jigen nodded, carefully picking Lupin up as he made his way to the stairs with Zenigata. He wasn’t kidding about how high Lupin’s fever had gotten. He was warmer than he should be. They needed to cool him down. They also needed to make sure Goemon wasn’t losing it over the seizure, since he was close to losing it himself. He had a hell of a lot more respect for Pops though, watching the man deal with something like that with seemingly no issue…how much of this had he seen before?

Zenigata walked into the bathroom, looking over at Goemon. The samurai looked beyond frazzled, holding an absurd amount of towels as he watched them anxiously. The inspector gave him a reassuring look, checking the water. Given that Goemon ran the bath, the water was perfect, which was to be expected. Jigen looked at the bath and then at Lupin’s limbs, frowning slightly.

“We need his boxers off but…how are we supposed to do with with the metal bits?” Jigen looked at Zenigata, holding Lupin a bit closer.

“We can keep his legs and arm out. The rest should be alright for water from the looks of it. We need to soak the rags in cool water and put them in specific places that will help cool him faster.” Zenigata nodded, blushing a bit as he carefully slipped off Lupin’s boxers.

Jigen nodded, carefully laying Lupin in the tub. He rolled up his sleeves, doing his best to keep the cybernetics out of the water. He figured Zenigata would’ve never taken Lupin’s pants off in any situation…guess he owed Lupin 50 bucks. Goemon went to the sink, soaking the rags with cool water before going back to Zenigata dutifully. He would do anything he needed to do to help Lupin recover from this..

“Good, good. Help me with the rags. They need to go on either side of his neck, his wrist, and under his armpits if we can manage it.” Zenigata smiled a bit at Goemon, crouching beside the tub.

Goemon nodded, carefully placing the rags with the inspector. He placed a final rag on Lupin’s forehead, carefully stroking his hair. Zenigata watched, glancing to Jigen. The man had a careful grip as he kept Lupin’s delicate cybernetics out of the water and dry. For a group of tough thieves..they were all very gentle with each other when it came down to it. Zenigata looked back at Lupin, frowning as he watched the man shiver in the water. They would need to keep him here until his fever came down but not long enough to make him hypothermic. Infections could make it turn either way and, while a fever wasn’t ideal, hypothermia wasn’t either. Despite all the commotion, he was glad he was there to help them with this. It was obvious that Jigen and Goemon wouldn’t have known what to do about this, and they seemed more than grateful that he had stepped in and helped out. Maybe sticking around wouldn’t be too bad?

[matt0044]

The Mythical "Arrogant Localizer."

Too often I find a perpetuation of this narrative, especially with A.I. set to wiz all over Anime subtitles, that translators or ADR Script Writers had it coming. That they dared to tamper with the original by "changing personalities" and "pushing agendas" so much that CR decided to axe them for the politically neutral A.I.

Here's the thing:

Whenever some weeb claims that a translator was arrogant or "couldn't listen to criticism," it's not that they're acting like they know better. It's because they do know better.

They know that Japanese words or sentences can't be translated one-to-one into English, owing to how each country that the originate from were world's apart before global travel grew in scale.

They know that context and setting matters, especially in the case of something like Fire Emblem where characters in a medivel-esque setting would likely speak not unlike Shakespeare characters.

They know that each character has a distinct voice. An honorable Samurai like Goemon is going to have a more refined sense of speaking compared to the wise-cracking Lupin or the sardonic Jigen.

They know, especially, that humor based on puns or cultural references won't always work from one language to another.

Know what they also know? That 4kids was actually not good. They grew up during the days of dubs being borderline overhauled because of a poor sense of marketing. They'd prefer to not go back to there because they actually love Anime.

Of course, a lot of them are beholdened to what their clientelle want for their title's international distribution. Thus those who's produced the Anime they're bringing over are entitled to step in and object if they so choose. There have been incidents like that but that they get rectified speaks to the level of quality control these days.

Like... Brendan Blaber's attempted changes with Love Complex were unilaterally shot down. He was an jerky freelancer who did ADR script writing and overstepped his boundaries.

And all of this are things that translators on Twitter will affirm. I get the allure of the conspiracy theory. Of trying to figure out what's really going on and that those in the industry wouldn't dare reveal their nefarious plans.

But if we're going to have any conversation about translation and what's too far for the localization process, we need to take off out tin hats to focus on what we currently have to work off of. Either that or apply for a job in translation and see things from the inside for yourself.

Furthermore, if any of these translators seem "testy" or "unable to take criticism," it's that they keep going on and on about their choices in translation and how the theory overall goes. Yet so many are too eager to paint them as the villains and won't listen to a damn word.

Frankly, they should be angry. Social Media has broken down the divide between fandom and those who work on their shows where you gotta kowtow to what the former wants or you're the bad guy. Even when you try to debunk misconceptions and misinformation, they still want their lightening rod for their ire.

So no wonder they seem like assholes. They're just done entertaining those who will never, ever, ever see them as anything other than the villain.

But even assuming that they’re everything outrage merchants have marketed them as, AI in Anime on any level isn’t a win in any sense. It’s starts with subtitles, then voice acting (and we all know how authentic those sound) and soon it’ll make its way over to Japan.

Animators dying or being hospitalized because they won’t be good little cogs for the corporate machine? A.I. ain’t asking for time off. Voice Actors complaining about salaries? AI ain’t asking for pay period.

But you know what? Let CrunchyRoll invest in this. Let them try to hoard more money… and crash n’ burn in the process. Because it’ll take a popular title being subtitled with very erroneous lines to make the webs wake up. Nothing like a few Titanics to scare the straight.