Jeremy Shimizu is a character role-played by RamenJD.
General Description[]
Jeremy Shimizu was born in 2001 (age: 23) to a wealthy Japanese family in Osaka, Japan. At 20, he moved to Vice City, States for higher education, graduating two years later. After working as an EMS for one year in Vice City, he decided to move to Los Santos.
Backstory[]
Arc 1: Growing Up in Osaka, Japan[]
Since Jeremy was a child, he was always shy and awkward when seeing any strangers, mainly due to the fact that there are no kids around the same age in his neighborhood. His father viewed him more as a trophy than a child, and always micromanaged him with a rigid schedule, making him take classes like English, math, flute, and swimming, leaving him little time to play around. Although Jeremy never felt love from his father, that is not the case for his mother - who is very caring and loving to him. Since most of the time Jeremy spent was with his mother, his personality was heavily influenced by her. Compassionate, caring, and kind are his main personality traits.
During middle school, he often stayed in the nurse room, learning some medical knowledge from the nurse. He also has a strong sense of caring for animals as well. Whenever there is no one else around, he always secretly spent time with animals around his house, from feeding the neighbor's dog with treats, to putting bandages around a bird’s wounded wing.
One day, Jeremy stumbled upon a document in his father’s cabinet that was left unlocked. Caught by curiosity, he read it and discovered that his father was a “yamikin” (loan shark in Japanese) who specifically targeted small business owners or middle/lower class by charging high interest rates on them. This realization shattered his perception of their family wealth, and now he knew it was rooted in the suffering of others.
During high school, Jeremy was always bullied for his wealthy background. After knowing his dad’s secret, he internalized the blame and resulted in self-harm. When the dad found out Jeremy got injured, he retaliated against the bullies’ families by further raising the interest. As to Jeremy, that only further escalated his self-blame when hearing what happened to the bully’s family. One day, he finally got to confront his dad about yamikin and moral values, but only quickly being dismissed as ungrateful. Later when he had a conversation with his mom, she expressed her own regret at becoming entangled in his father’s world. She also felt deeply ashamed of what happened to him yet unable to provide the help at the moment.
Arc 2: Early Adulthood in Kyoto, Japan[]
Under his father’s pressure, Jeremy enrolled as a business major at a university in Kyoto. During his first year, he formed a strong bond with an extroverted and supportive girl. As they started dating, it was soon to his realization that he might not be romantically attracted to women. One day, he expressed his honest feelings, despite the difficulty. While it was not easy to hear the truth - she understood and respected his feelings, especially learning how he grew up. Though they broke up at the end of the first year, they still remained close friends.
A family trip to Hokkaido during the first year’s summer break ended in tragedy. Jeremy’s parents got into a heated argument about his future as the heir to the yamikin business, as his mom believed he should be allowed to follow his own heart. Unfortunately, it led to a car crash on the highway. Although his father survived the incident, his mother was not so lucky. In the ER room, his mother’s final words - “Be kind to those who love you” left in his memory forever.
What happened during the trip became a turning point in Jeremy’s life. With the passing of his mother, his father became even more controlling over his life. He secretly decided to start saving up and move out in the next year. During the second year of university, he shared his plan to his ex-girlfriend. Encouraged by her, he decided to pursue a degree in the medical field. Since it was challenging to switch majors in Japanese universities, he applied to a few community colleges in the United States. Eventually, he got accepted by one in the Vice City. Jeremy kept this entire plan a secret from his father, except he left a letter right before he left for the flight. His phone started ringing as he arrived at the airport. As he picked up the phone, he heard his dad screaming on the phone, telling him how ungrateful he was as a son. The last thing he heard before hanging up the phone was “I will find you, just you watch!”
Arc 3: Life in Vice City, United States[]
By the age of 20, Jeremy moved to Vice City. His goal was to pursue an associate degree in Paramedicine for the next 2 years. Because it was his first time of landing his foot in the United States, the cultural differences made daily life not easy. He had a lot of confidence issues when socializing with others. Contrary to bullying in high school, it was more about avoidance and awkward silence he had to face with other people. That did not change his passion of chasing his dream of working in the medical field, as he achieved excellent grades in class, and dedicated work in clinical rotations at hospital. After graduation, he secured a job as an EMS.
Starting out as a trainee in EMS was even more difficult. In the field, he sometimes misunderstood commands under pressure, which made him feel like he wasn’t keeping up with the other trainees. No matter how much effort he put in, Jeremy often felt like he was not doing enough, especially with the lack of encouragement from his higher-ups. At one point, a supervisor even told him to reconsider his career choice. Jeremy was on the verge of tears, questioning if he was truly fit for this career path.
Around the same time, he met Jack Dunwitty, a tough police officer on the surface, but a kind gentleman to him. Jack was one of the first people in the field who validated his hard work, often calling him “my favorite EMS”. With his determination from what happened to his mother and Jack’s encouragement, Jeremy eventually got promoted to a full EMT.
Over time, Jeremy began to develop feelings for Jack. However, he was hesitant to admit them, especially due to having grown up in a society that was often judgmental about same-gender relationships. One day, an acquaintance officer who noticed Jeremy’s affection encouraged Jack to ask him out. Jeremy was stunned when Jack invited him on a date, but he nervously agreed. They went to the Leaf Links golf course, where Jack’s humor and charm quickly put Jeremy at ease. They had a great time, and their connection grew stronger. Eventually, they started dating, and Jeremy found himself grateful to Jack for helping him build confidence and eventually achieved his dream.
Their bond was tested when Jack was in a police shootout with a notorious gang, and he was heavily injured. Arriving at the scene as an EMS, it reminded Jeremy of what happened to his mom, but he knew he needed to stay as calm as possible to prevent it affecting the treatment. At the hospital, ICU admission was required after the surgery. Jeremy stayed next to him who was unconscious for the entire 24 hours. Holding his hands, Jeremy whispered to him “Demons will charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time - no one's gonna hurt you, not while I’m around”. When Jack woke up 1 day later, Jeremy hugged him tightly, tears coming down his face. To him, saving Jack’s life felt like a chance to protect someone he deeply loved and cared for - a chance he didn’t have with his mother.
A few months later, Jeremy and Jack decided to start fresh in Los Santos, a place where they went on a trip together once. For Jeremy, the move brought mixed emotions. Deep down, he felt a bit insecure about leaving the life he had built in Vice City. Saying goodbye to friends and colleagues wasn’t easy, and the uncertainty of finding his footing in a brand-new city made him nervous. Would he be able to secure a job? Would he find a sense of belonging again? Despite these worries, one thing gave him comfort - whatever challenges awaited them in Los Santos, he and Jack would face them together.
Personality[]
Culture Barriers[]
Jeremy is still learning a lot of the culture in the United States. He misunderstands slang or local customs that he is unaware of, leading to funny situations. For example, when his friend said her pussy hurt, he thought that meant she was raising a kitten. Therefore, he asked veterinarians for help. Another example is when he said his boyfriend fed him a glizzy in a straight face, especially when he described how juicy and girthy it was, his friends would start wheezing.
When it comes to Japanese food, Jeremy was quite picky about how inauthentic they were. For example, he views Americanized Japanese food such as California rolls, Philadelphia cheese rolls as “abominations”. Even though they taste alright, he doesn’t like how the other ingredients overpower the fish. After a while, he acknowledges that these foods were adopted to the local people’s taste buds.
Stigma in Loan Business[]
Jeremy has a stigma about yamikin due to his father. Therefore, anyone who approaches him about loan business, he would quickly dismiss it.
In Vice City, an acquaintance who was also a loan shark once approached Jeremy, knowing about his wealthy background. The loan shark proposed that Jeremy invest in the business. When asked how he knew Jeremy’s background, he claimed that through his network, he knew Jeremy’s dad was a yamikin in Japan. Although Jeremy politely declined, the man threatened to blackmail his location to his father, forcing Jeremy to sign a small investment contract.
Fortunately, Vice City later passed legislation that regulated loan practices, protecting clients from being billed into negative balances. This legislation forced the loan shark out of business after an unsuccessful lawsuit against the DOJ department.
Even though the situation ended on a positive note, Jeremy still felt guilty inside around the time of the event. Signing the contract was a selfish move to prevent him from getting blackmailed. Deep down, he still fears that his dad will find him one day.
Enthusiasm in Knick Knacks[]
Jeremy did not have any kids to play around when growing up. Instead, he spent a lot of time playing with small toys, such as daruma dolls and lucky cats. He used to make teru teru bozu dolls to wish for good weather. Over time, he has a strong love for knick-knacks and sentimental items.
When Jeremy and Jack started dating, Jack gifted him dinosaur keychain merchandise from a sandwich shop, which brought him immense joy. After Jack’s ICU incident, Jeremy gave him a handmade amulet as a token of safety and good fortune.
Momentous Dates within the Government[]
| Rank | Insignia | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee | 
|
Hired to the EMS; Callsign T-20 | December 19th, 2024 |
| Solo-Trainee | 
|
Promoted to Solo-Trainee; Callsign T-20 | January 10th, 2024 |
| EMT | 
|
Promoted to EMT; Callsign E-20 | Feburary 2nd, 2025 |