† ooc: application
User Name/Nick: K8
User LJ: eyefloss
AIM/IM: over ideologies
E-mail: out.of.our.sleeves@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Series: Trigun (mangaverse)
Age: Never explicitly stated but implied to be somewhere around 19. He looks about the age of a man in his late 20s.
From When?: Post volume ten, after his death.
Inmate/Warden:
Inmate. You can debate that Wolfwood isn’t a bad guy until the cows come home because he only kills people when they threaten his life or the life of someone he cares for but here’s a pretty sick, twisted fact; he enjoys brandishing out his own form of personal justice. He pulls the whole “Slasher Smile” several times throughout the manga when he’s fighting and he honestly doesn’t feel guilty about the lives he takes. There’s also no redeeming instant in the manga where he sacrifices his life for Vash’s ideals. Shortly before he dies he kills his mentor in an extremely brutal fashion and even goes on to beat Livio and Razlo within an inch of their lives but let’s Livio survive because he can’t bring himself to kill him. He accepts that he’s a monster and doesn’t believe he can change despite Vash’s many assertions that he can.
Item: N/A
Abilities/Powers:
His abilities are vaguely described in the manga as “healing capabilities, strengthened bones, increased muscle strength, sharpened sensory nerves.” Basically, he can heal from minor to major life threatening wounds with a shorter recovery time than the average human but he isn’t Wolverine. If he gets shot in the head or heart, he’s dead. If he loses a limb, it isn’t going to grow back. He’s also stronger and faster than someone in peak physical condition but he’s not invincible. These powers can be amplified by use of a drug but since he’s coming from post canon he won’t have access to these in any way.
All that aside, he’s also extremely skilled in the use of firearms. All those years as an assassin in training have taught him more than he needs to know about how to shoot a gun.
Personality:
A man of many layers, upon meeting him in the third volume of the Trigun series, most get the impression that he's a broke priest who will more than willingly try to scam you out of your money. A pretty accurate description; Wolfwood likes nothing more than finding a way to make an easy buck, but that’s not all there is to him.
He comes off as being over friendly, pushy, and tends to invade other people's personal space when there's clearly something he wants (money, a free meal, etc.) or when he’s trying to keep people at a distance. However, you do see that he's got a softer side to him when it comes to kids. After a conversation with Vash about his smiles, you get the feeling that he’s more perceptive than he lets on.
For the most part, that personality is a front. In reality, Nicholas can be quite cruel, abusive and generally unsympathetic. He's a firm believer in the concept of Martialism and will kill almost anyone who he believes is a danger to himself or someone he cares for. Though he doesn’t appear to be torn up about the people he has killed (for he firmly believes that all of them deserved it, in some shape or form), he feels guilty about having to become the person he is now to survive.
Another thing to be noted is that Wolfwood doesn’t hold a very high opinion of himself. It’s fairly safe to assume that he’s probably depressed and hates himself, given that he calls himself a monster and a freak. However, this isn’t noticeable in the way he carries or presents himself, given his self-assured and confident demeanor. When upset, his guard rarely goes down enough to let people know how he's feeling. Instead, he pushes them away, preferring to mope and sulk in peace.
He is fiercely independent and rarely asks for help, even in life or death situations. Not necessarily because he finds people unreliable but that he feels he needs to take care of everyone on his own, even if they don't need or want his help. Wolfwood also tends to be very sarcastic, opinionated, and blunt. If he doesn't like something you're doing, he won't beat around the bush about it.
Though not the greatest conversationalist, Wolfwood is more than capable of making small talk when he’s motivated. He’s fairly analytical in his thought process, and while he may not be book smart, he certainly makes up for that in street smarts. He can also act fairly immature at times (a testament to his true age), but those moments are very few and far between.
His greatest weakness is probably children. He holds their safety in high regard over his, and would do anything to protect them. Unlike in the anime, he never shoots Zazie, and I sincerely doubt he would be able to bring himself to kill a child, even if it meant that he was going to die.
Path to Redemption:
The hardest thing to get Wolfwood to understand is that he can be forgiven for his sins. He’s never believed so but if his Warden can make him see something in himself that’s worth liking, then he might make an attempt to change. Getting to open up is going to be pretty difficult too. On Gunsmoke, people don’t talk about their problems and tend to ignore the suffering of others. Wolfwood isn’t an exception to this, unless the people suffering are kids.
A good way to get him motivated to change is forcing him out of his element; making him interact with people who could use help, whether it’s working in a soup kitchen, fixing up stuff around someone’s house, whatever. Working with kids, making him feel guilty about those he left behind, and his faith are a few other ways to motivate him.
History:
Not much is known about Wolfwood's childhood before becoming an orphan, but it's strongly implied that at one point, he had a family. It’s possible that they died or were no longer able to take care of him. Regardless of how, he ended up being placed in an orphanage on the outskirts of December and spent most of his youth there.
However, it wasn't until a young boy named Livio arrived at the orphanage that he had his first friend. After a minor argument regarding Livio's sulking and inability to move on since being abandoned, the two become fast friends. Wolfwood helps Livio find his place, and their friendship flourishes as the two help look after the other children.
That all changes the night when a young Wolfwood witnesses Livio murdering a puppy belonging to one of the girls at the orphanage. The next morning, he confronts his friend about what he's done but Livio denies having anything to do with it despite the blood on his hands. Wolfwood believes him eventually but Livio doubts his memory and thus leaves the orphanage without saying goodbye. Wolfwood leaves the orphanage shortly after Livio's departure, planning to help build orphanages and churches around Gunsmoke. Presumably, it's to send money back to his family.
It’s quickly revealed that the man he left with has no interest in helping out people around Gunsmoke, taking Nicholas to the headquarters of an occult group of assassins called the Eye of Michael-a fanatical occult of assassins that worship and follow Knives’ orders. He spends the next few years being brutally trained by a man called Master Chapel to be his future successor and eventually physically enhanced to superhuman levels through experimentation, aging his body. Deciding that he’s had enough at this point and that he doesn’t want other kids being used the same way he was, he tries to kill Chapel and leaves to find Knives with the intention of killing him to end the cycle.
After a lot of traveling and his bike breaking down in the middle of the desert, he almost dies from heat exhaustion only to be rescued by chance as Vash and the insurance girls drive by on a passing bus. They travel together until they reach Jeneora Rock then part on their separate ways. Wolfwood meets up with the Gung Ho Guns for the first time under the name of his former mentor after Legato mistakes him for Chapel.
Shortly afterwards, things reach explosive levels between Vash and Knives, causing Vash to lose control of his powers and release his Angel Arm which blows a hole in the Fifth Moon. Wolfwood managed to escape the blast radius unharmed, but it’s later revealed that he returns shortly after Vash has disappeared to attempt to kill Knives. Paralyzed by fear, he can’t bring himself to kill him. Knives wakes up, tells Wolfwood to go find Vash and bring him back.
Two years later, Wolfwood tracks the sixty billion double dollar man down to a rundown town, dragging him with him under the guise that they’re going to find and stop Knives. The two travel together amicably for the most part until they reach Karkassas, where the pair encounter their first Gung Ho Gun together; Rai Dei the Blade. Vash decides he wants to take care of Rai Dei on his own, in hopes of beating him and making him see the error of his killing ways. Vash wins, starts to walk away from Rai Dei (who is furious that he’s been beaten) with his back turned and as Rai Dei starts to attack Vash, Wolfwood quickly shoots him, and he dies.
A small fight follows between the two over killing and who was right in the end with the argument reaching no real answer. Tension high, they continue their journey to the place Vash considers home, an abandoned SEED ship. When they arrive, it’s only to find that two of the Gung Ho Guns are waiting for them; Leonoff the Puppet Master and Gray the Ninelives. After another vicious fight, Vash and Nicholas come out victorious, but hardly unscathed. The pair spend some time recovering before moving on, and eventually encounter the next three guns; Midvalley, Zazie and Hoppered.
Things explode, Legato shows up, people die, Vash goes nuts, almost blows up another city and Wolfwood finally gets a look at the damage he’s capable of up close and personal. When it’s all said and done, he spends half of the next volume distancing himself from Vash out of fear. He even starts to honestly consider killing him to eliminate the risk of him going off again. Wolfwood manages to convince himself it’s the right thing to do and as he stands behind Vash, gun pointed to his head, he finds he can’t do it. Shortly after, the two separate from the Insurance Girls and make their way to Knives' hideout.
After Vash moves on to deal with Knives, leaving Wolfwood behind, he encounters a very alive Master Chapel and, much to his surprise, an adult Livio. The three are about to fight when Elendira the Crimson Nail puts a stop to it, while Chapel and Livio retreat, for now.
Over the next seven months, Vash has been subdued by Legato and remains held against his will inside the Ark, while Wolfwood, Chapel, and Livio have all been carrying out orders to eliminate anyone who tries to stand in Knives' way. Wolfwood, realizing that the entire planet is going to Hell and that there's nothing that can be done about it while Vash is being held captive, attempts to break Vash out and escape. However, he's confronted by both Livio and Chapel. Wolfwood pleads with Livio to see reason-Knives isn't going to spare the orphanage (and the only place that the two called home) while wiping out the rest of the planet-but he fails to listen. A fight follows with Wolfwood getting badly beaten and eventually passing out when Vash wakes up and saves the both of them, thus managing to escape.
They are eventually picked up by one of the colony ships, but shortly after Wolfwood leaves once again to go home and settle his business with Livio and Chapel. When he arrives, the two have already taken the orphanage residents as hostage. The fight that follows is long, gruesome, and violent, eventually ending with Chapel's death at his own hands but at a high price. Wolfwood is unable to defeat Razlo (Livio’s second personality) alone so he chooses to overdose on several vials of regenerative drug that amplify his abilities but will kill him by destroying essentially liquefying his organs shortly after.
After the fight ends, Livio reforms, and the orphanage kids escape upon learning Knives is quickly approaching. Wolfwood, Livio and Vash stay behind after Wolfwood tells the orphanage matron to keep it a secret that he even came back and after having a few drinks with Vash on a couch in front of the orphanage, he dies.
Vash buries him there with his Cross Punisher, and that's the last time you see Wolfwood alive. He appears several times throughout the rest of the series as a ghost, haunting both Vash and Livio but disappears after Livio manages to stop Chronica from killing Vash and Knives in the last volume.
Sample Journal Entry:
Do y’know how disappointing it is to finally be done with a huge mess back home only to find out you’re not dead but you still hurt like hell and you’ve woken up on some rust bucket? Not that I was expecting big, pearly gates and clouds but… This looks a lot like the inside of a sand steamer. Guess Hell is less about the torture and suffering than I thought.
I’d ask about what’s going on here but I don’t really care. Just point me in the direction of the nearest bed so I can sleep this off.
Sample RP:
Heaven or Hell. The latter was more likely than the former.
Blood stained his hands, clothing, and skin; a testament to every murder, every crime he'd ever committed. And though he knew in his heart that the moment he died he wouldn't be forgiven, he couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of relief that it was over. He could rest soon. Still, as he slumped onto the couch next to the spiky-haired moron and poured them both a shot, it was a reminder that he wouldn't be able to see his job to the finish. Would've liked to at least see it to the end, he mused to himself.
The silence was far too oppressing, creating a void iles long between them. He supposed that was what prompted him to open his big, stupid mouth. "Smile, Spikey. You look better... When you smile." It sounded hollow even to his own ears and the look that followed made him avert his eyes back to the tumbler, still full in his hand.
"That was a bit harsh. Sorry." Never knew what to say in these kinds of situations, being emotional wasn't exactly his forte. There were a thousand things he should've said and as Vash forced a pained grin on his face, mumbling for him not to say such stupid crap; he knocked back the glass, only hoping the things he couldn't convey were understood.
Something bright and colorful floated by his darkening vision, and Wolfwood looked upward. What greeted him was a sea of billowing bits of paper and he stared on in awe. The pain that had been plaguing him seemed trivial as a realization was made clear; the kids hadn't forgotten, they remembered and recognized him. They actually cared enough to...
And now whether he went to Heaven or Hell didn't matter, because he was home. Something wet slid down his face, and he could hear the sound of church bells tolling before darkness overcame him.
Special Notes: N/A
User LJ: eyefloss
AIM/IM: over ideologies
E-mail: out.of.our.sleeves@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Series: Trigun (mangaverse)
Age: Never explicitly stated but implied to be somewhere around 19. He looks about the age of a man in his late 20s.
From When?: Post volume ten, after his death.
Inmate/Warden:
Inmate. You can debate that Wolfwood isn’t a bad guy until the cows come home because he only kills people when they threaten his life or the life of someone he cares for but here’s a pretty sick, twisted fact; he enjoys brandishing out his own form of personal justice. He pulls the whole “Slasher Smile” several times throughout the manga when he’s fighting and he honestly doesn’t feel guilty about the lives he takes. There’s also no redeeming instant in the manga where he sacrifices his life for Vash’s ideals. Shortly before he dies he kills his mentor in an extremely brutal fashion and even goes on to beat Livio and Razlo within an inch of their lives but let’s Livio survive because he can’t bring himself to kill him. He accepts that he’s a monster and doesn’t believe he can change despite Vash’s many assertions that he can.
Item: N/A
Abilities/Powers:
His abilities are vaguely described in the manga as “healing capabilities, strengthened bones, increased muscle strength, sharpened sensory nerves.” Basically, he can heal from minor to major life threatening wounds with a shorter recovery time than the average human but he isn’t Wolverine. If he gets shot in the head or heart, he’s dead. If he loses a limb, it isn’t going to grow back. He’s also stronger and faster than someone in peak physical condition but he’s not invincible. These powers can be amplified by use of a drug but since he’s coming from post canon he won’t have access to these in any way.
All that aside, he’s also extremely skilled in the use of firearms. All those years as an assassin in training have taught him more than he needs to know about how to shoot a gun.
Personality:
A man of many layers, upon meeting him in the third volume of the Trigun series, most get the impression that he's a broke priest who will more than willingly try to scam you out of your money. A pretty accurate description; Wolfwood likes nothing more than finding a way to make an easy buck, but that’s not all there is to him.
He comes off as being over friendly, pushy, and tends to invade other people's personal space when there's clearly something he wants (money, a free meal, etc.) or when he’s trying to keep people at a distance. However, you do see that he's got a softer side to him when it comes to kids. After a conversation with Vash about his smiles, you get the feeling that he’s more perceptive than he lets on.
For the most part, that personality is a front. In reality, Nicholas can be quite cruel, abusive and generally unsympathetic. He's a firm believer in the concept of Martialism and will kill almost anyone who he believes is a danger to himself or someone he cares for. Though he doesn’t appear to be torn up about the people he has killed (for he firmly believes that all of them deserved it, in some shape or form), he feels guilty about having to become the person he is now to survive.
Another thing to be noted is that Wolfwood doesn’t hold a very high opinion of himself. It’s fairly safe to assume that he’s probably depressed and hates himself, given that he calls himself a monster and a freak. However, this isn’t noticeable in the way he carries or presents himself, given his self-assured and confident demeanor. When upset, his guard rarely goes down enough to let people know how he's feeling. Instead, he pushes them away, preferring to mope and sulk in peace.
He is fiercely independent and rarely asks for help, even in life or death situations. Not necessarily because he finds people unreliable but that he feels he needs to take care of everyone on his own, even if they don't need or want his help. Wolfwood also tends to be very sarcastic, opinionated, and blunt. If he doesn't like something you're doing, he won't beat around the bush about it.
Though not the greatest conversationalist, Wolfwood is more than capable of making small talk when he’s motivated. He’s fairly analytical in his thought process, and while he may not be book smart, he certainly makes up for that in street smarts. He can also act fairly immature at times (a testament to his true age), but those moments are very few and far between.
His greatest weakness is probably children. He holds their safety in high regard over his, and would do anything to protect them. Unlike in the anime, he never shoots Zazie, and I sincerely doubt he would be able to bring himself to kill a child, even if it meant that he was going to die.
Path to Redemption:
The hardest thing to get Wolfwood to understand is that he can be forgiven for his sins. He’s never believed so but if his Warden can make him see something in himself that’s worth liking, then he might make an attempt to change. Getting to open up is going to be pretty difficult too. On Gunsmoke, people don’t talk about their problems and tend to ignore the suffering of others. Wolfwood isn’t an exception to this, unless the people suffering are kids.
A good way to get him motivated to change is forcing him out of his element; making him interact with people who could use help, whether it’s working in a soup kitchen, fixing up stuff around someone’s house, whatever. Working with kids, making him feel guilty about those he left behind, and his faith are a few other ways to motivate him.
History:
Not much is known about Wolfwood's childhood before becoming an orphan, but it's strongly implied that at one point, he had a family. It’s possible that they died or were no longer able to take care of him. Regardless of how, he ended up being placed in an orphanage on the outskirts of December and spent most of his youth there.
However, it wasn't until a young boy named Livio arrived at the orphanage that he had his first friend. After a minor argument regarding Livio's sulking and inability to move on since being abandoned, the two become fast friends. Wolfwood helps Livio find his place, and their friendship flourishes as the two help look after the other children.
That all changes the night when a young Wolfwood witnesses Livio murdering a puppy belonging to one of the girls at the orphanage. The next morning, he confronts his friend about what he's done but Livio denies having anything to do with it despite the blood on his hands. Wolfwood believes him eventually but Livio doubts his memory and thus leaves the orphanage without saying goodbye. Wolfwood leaves the orphanage shortly after Livio's departure, planning to help build orphanages and churches around Gunsmoke. Presumably, it's to send money back to his family.
It’s quickly revealed that the man he left with has no interest in helping out people around Gunsmoke, taking Nicholas to the headquarters of an occult group of assassins called the Eye of Michael-a fanatical occult of assassins that worship and follow Knives’ orders. He spends the next few years being brutally trained by a man called Master Chapel to be his future successor and eventually physically enhanced to superhuman levels through experimentation, aging his body. Deciding that he’s had enough at this point and that he doesn’t want other kids being used the same way he was, he tries to kill Chapel and leaves to find Knives with the intention of killing him to end the cycle.
After a lot of traveling and his bike breaking down in the middle of the desert, he almost dies from heat exhaustion only to be rescued by chance as Vash and the insurance girls drive by on a passing bus. They travel together until they reach Jeneora Rock then part on their separate ways. Wolfwood meets up with the Gung Ho Guns for the first time under the name of his former mentor after Legato mistakes him for Chapel.
Shortly afterwards, things reach explosive levels between Vash and Knives, causing Vash to lose control of his powers and release his Angel Arm which blows a hole in the Fifth Moon. Wolfwood managed to escape the blast radius unharmed, but it’s later revealed that he returns shortly after Vash has disappeared to attempt to kill Knives. Paralyzed by fear, he can’t bring himself to kill him. Knives wakes up, tells Wolfwood to go find Vash and bring him back.
Two years later, Wolfwood tracks the sixty billion double dollar man down to a rundown town, dragging him with him under the guise that they’re going to find and stop Knives. The two travel together amicably for the most part until they reach Karkassas, where the pair encounter their first Gung Ho Gun together; Rai Dei the Blade. Vash decides he wants to take care of Rai Dei on his own, in hopes of beating him and making him see the error of his killing ways. Vash wins, starts to walk away from Rai Dei (who is furious that he’s been beaten) with his back turned and as Rai Dei starts to attack Vash, Wolfwood quickly shoots him, and he dies.
A small fight follows between the two over killing and who was right in the end with the argument reaching no real answer. Tension high, they continue their journey to the place Vash considers home, an abandoned SEED ship. When they arrive, it’s only to find that two of the Gung Ho Guns are waiting for them; Leonoff the Puppet Master and Gray the Ninelives. After another vicious fight, Vash and Nicholas come out victorious, but hardly unscathed. The pair spend some time recovering before moving on, and eventually encounter the next three guns; Midvalley, Zazie and Hoppered.
Things explode, Legato shows up, people die, Vash goes nuts, almost blows up another city and Wolfwood finally gets a look at the damage he’s capable of up close and personal. When it’s all said and done, he spends half of the next volume distancing himself from Vash out of fear. He even starts to honestly consider killing him to eliminate the risk of him going off again. Wolfwood manages to convince himself it’s the right thing to do and as he stands behind Vash, gun pointed to his head, he finds he can’t do it. Shortly after, the two separate from the Insurance Girls and make their way to Knives' hideout.
After Vash moves on to deal with Knives, leaving Wolfwood behind, he encounters a very alive Master Chapel and, much to his surprise, an adult Livio. The three are about to fight when Elendira the Crimson Nail puts a stop to it, while Chapel and Livio retreat, for now.
Over the next seven months, Vash has been subdued by Legato and remains held against his will inside the Ark, while Wolfwood, Chapel, and Livio have all been carrying out orders to eliminate anyone who tries to stand in Knives' way. Wolfwood, realizing that the entire planet is going to Hell and that there's nothing that can be done about it while Vash is being held captive, attempts to break Vash out and escape. However, he's confronted by both Livio and Chapel. Wolfwood pleads with Livio to see reason-Knives isn't going to spare the orphanage (and the only place that the two called home) while wiping out the rest of the planet-but he fails to listen. A fight follows with Wolfwood getting badly beaten and eventually passing out when Vash wakes up and saves the both of them, thus managing to escape.
They are eventually picked up by one of the colony ships, but shortly after Wolfwood leaves once again to go home and settle his business with Livio and Chapel. When he arrives, the two have already taken the orphanage residents as hostage. The fight that follows is long, gruesome, and violent, eventually ending with Chapel's death at his own hands but at a high price. Wolfwood is unable to defeat Razlo (Livio’s second personality) alone so he chooses to overdose on several vials of regenerative drug that amplify his abilities but will kill him by destroying essentially liquefying his organs shortly after.
After the fight ends, Livio reforms, and the orphanage kids escape upon learning Knives is quickly approaching. Wolfwood, Livio and Vash stay behind after Wolfwood tells the orphanage matron to keep it a secret that he even came back and after having a few drinks with Vash on a couch in front of the orphanage, he dies.
Vash buries him there with his Cross Punisher, and that's the last time you see Wolfwood alive. He appears several times throughout the rest of the series as a ghost, haunting both Vash and Livio but disappears after Livio manages to stop Chronica from killing Vash and Knives in the last volume.
Sample Journal Entry:
Do y’know how disappointing it is to finally be done with a huge mess back home only to find out you’re not dead but you still hurt like hell and you’ve woken up on some rust bucket? Not that I was expecting big, pearly gates and clouds but… This looks a lot like the inside of a sand steamer. Guess Hell is less about the torture and suffering than I thought.
I’d ask about what’s going on here but I don’t really care. Just point me in the direction of the nearest bed so I can sleep this off.
Sample RP:
Heaven or Hell. The latter was more likely than the former.
Blood stained his hands, clothing, and skin; a testament to every murder, every crime he'd ever committed. And though he knew in his heart that the moment he died he wouldn't be forgiven, he couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of relief that it was over. He could rest soon. Still, as he slumped onto the couch next to the spiky-haired moron and poured them both a shot, it was a reminder that he wouldn't be able to see his job to the finish. Would've liked to at least see it to the end, he mused to himself.
The silence was far too oppressing, creating a void iles long between them. He supposed that was what prompted him to open his big, stupid mouth. "Smile, Spikey. You look better... When you smile." It sounded hollow even to his own ears and the look that followed made him avert his eyes back to the tumbler, still full in his hand.
"That was a bit harsh. Sorry." Never knew what to say in these kinds of situations, being emotional wasn't exactly his forte. There were a thousand things he should've said and as Vash forced a pained grin on his face, mumbling for him not to say such stupid crap; he knocked back the glass, only hoping the things he couldn't convey were understood.
Something bright and colorful floated by his darkening vision, and Wolfwood looked upward. What greeted him was a sea of billowing bits of paper and he stared on in awe. The pain that had been plaguing him seemed trivial as a realization was made clear; the kids hadn't forgotten, they remembered and recognized him. They actually cared enough to...
And now whether he went to Heaven or Hell didn't matter, because he was home. Something wet slid down his face, and he could hear the sound of church bells tolling before darkness overcame him.
Special Notes: N/A