Lupin The Third: The Beast of Lykanisches

Afterword

For those of you who read such things...

Thus we come to the end of a six-book fanfiction. Holy shit, what am I doing with my life? Still, no regrets! I enjoyed the roller coaster ride that was writing this story, and I hope everyone reading it did as well. I'm aware the ending is sort of bittersweet. And trust me, there was a gratuitous part of me that simply wanted Ruby to run off with Lupin at the end. But art often imitates life, and sometimes life is realistically bittersweet. Trust me, it was not an easy decision, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry while writing this. But I just felt it needed to end this way. It just felt right, you know?

I know the purpose of fanfictions is to live out a fantasy with some of your favorite characters and properties, and I feel like I did properly indulge in a good amount of self-gratuity with my OC. But I also sorta have this thing where I enjoy crafting a story that simultaneously bends real canon without fully breaking it. I wanted to find a way to make Ruby's story believably canon while still staying true to the continuity (loose as it is) that is Lupin The Third. In some ways, that means ending the story in such a way, as to return to the status quo. Yeah, it's a little sad, but sometimes sad things can be beautiful. That's why the word is "bitter-sweet." I guess I'm just trying to justify my decision for ending it the way I did because I know some of you will be bummed, and in some ways, I was too. But feeling that disappointment and heartbreak and sorrow and bittersweetness are just such powerful feelings. It's like an adrenaline rush, in some ways. It makes me feel alive.

Another thing I'd like to address is Goemon. It wasn't until The Secret of Stardust that the idea of a potential love-triangle came about. I hadn't planned it. It just sort of manifested and took a life of its own. I love the dynamic between Ruby and Goemon, and in my personal canon, Ruby and Goemon will always be in love, but so will Ruby and Lupin. So I guess, in some ways, the story almost took on a polyamory sort of theme - another unexpected turn for me, the author, but one I don't at all regret. In my canon, Ruby hasn't necessarily chosen Lupin over Goemon, but it simply had to be Lupin who showed up in the end because, well, he's the titular character, you know?

Despite what I said above about maintaining the status quo and ending things the way I did, that doesn't necessarily mean I don't have thoughts or ideas about potential future stories with Ruby and the gang. I have something of a sequel story percolating in my brain potentially involving a classic Lupin villain. But I don't want to make any promises as I'm not sure it will ever come to fruition. A couple reasons for that.

1. I think I ought to concentrate my writing efforts towards something original. Maybe publish my own novel someday. That'll be hard to do if I keep getting distracted by fanfiction. But that also doesn't necessarily mean I'll stop writing fanfiction. I'm not sure I have that kind of willpower. 😅

2. My ideas for a sequel story are actually rather dark and angsty. Not to say that certain elements of this story, i.e. the Stardust monsters and whatnot, weren't a bit dark. But darker and angstier. Kinda whump-y, ya know? And I'm not entirely sure that after reading this story that the one I have planned is what people would want from a sequel story with Ruby and Lupin and Co. I'd hate to disappoint people who liked this story for the whimsy and warm and fuzzies... if that makes any sense.

Anyhow, if you made it through this long-ass diatribe, I would absolutely LOVE it if you would leave me a comment and let me know if you're someone who stuck with the story and read till the end. I'd love to know what you think! If you loved this story, please let me know!

Thank you all for tagging along with me on this journey.
For now and however long, dear readers...

Ja ne! ❤️