Wolfwood

What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them?

Nicholas was taken from his home and everyone he knew to be strapped down on a table, have experimental drugs injected into him, and go through puberty in a matter of months. The experience was painful and felt akin to hallucinating at times. The end result, even before anything else happened, was that he could never go home and be readily recognized again. That realization hit when Livio didn't recognize or react to him. Not only was his body modified against his will and he was forced to grow up overnight, his whole life was taken away from him. There but out of reach.

Nicholas stopped trying to escape. He gave up on his own life. He was a monster, and that was all he could be. He became one of the best gunmen in No Man's Land. He killed who they wanted him to kill. He went along with what they wanted, but he never stopped caring about the people he cared about. He couldn't care about himself, but he could care about them.

It's also the reason he made the deal to turn over Vash—to prevent any other kids from going through what he has. So they can live normal lives.

What is the most important and defining relationship(s) in your character's life and why?

Livio, the brother who shows up when Vash asks Wolfwood, "Don't you have anything you want to protect more than anything else too?" Nicholas acted as a cool big brother to many of the other orphans in Hopeland Orphanage, but crybaby Livio became special. He didn't adjust well to orphanage life, and they became inseparable once Nicholas connected with him. Nicholas taught him everything he knew, from cool lighter tricks to taking care of the chickens. He became Livio's family, his whole new life, to the point the other boy volunteered to be taken away after Nicholas.

Bluesummers made sure Nicholas knew that was the reason and threatened to turn Livio into an assassin if Nicholas wouldn't do it (they did that anyway). Nicholas tried to reach through to Livio for years and years, failing. Since he's the reason Livio came, he blames himself for everything Livio does. Everyone Livio hurts. Vash helped him reach out to Livio, but even that success was short-lived. His brother shot himself in the head. It's only one more thing for Nicholas to blame himself for.

What is your character's moral code? Do they have one? Why or why not?

Per Wolfwood, the only person who can afford the luxury of a conscience in No Man's Land is Vash. The humans who have them don't make it. Even the adults at the orphanage are complicit in handing kids over. It's a tough life on a planet of ever dwindling resources. That doesn't bring out the best in people.

There's even less room for a moral code working for Millions Knives in the Eye of Michael. Knives only keeps humans around so long as they're useful for him. So it's be useful or don't live. Wolfwood has proven useful, and in so doing he's committed a lot of horrible sins. Namely, murder. So much murder. Add in some good ol' fashioned betrayal of Vash to get him to Knives.

All Wolfwood can do is try to protect the people he cares about and occasionally, maybe, listen to a certain needle noggin when he says he can save everyone. Beyond that? Pfft. Look somewhere else for morals. (Don't entirely believe him. He did come back for Meryl and saved her life. That was a luxury situation, he'd say, not a moral code.)

Is your character capable of forgiveness or will they hold a grudge until they die? Would anything ever make them change their mind?

Forgiveness? That might be what religion teaches, but that same religion handed him over as a scientific experiment because he was an orphan who didn't matter. They can take their forgiveness and stick it up their asses. The people who wrong him—who wrong those he cares about—are never forgotten and never forgiven. Wolfwood might not be able to do anything about his grudges or take action on them, but he can nurse them deep in his soul and watch for the opportunity.

It's not about these people being better or worse than others. He sasses along in a sibling fashion just fine with Zazie the Beast and Elendira. They're horrible. They simply haven't done anything grudge worthy. Even Zazie getting him swallowed by a giant worm doesn't qualify for a grudge. They weren't seriously trying to harm him, and they didn't significantly harm him. In fact that made for an excellent dinner of worm steaks. Point is, his grudges aren't with every horrible person he's met in his time with the Eye of Michael. It's personal. It's grudges, not morals.

None of these people have changed their commitment and course of actions, so Wolfwood hasn't been presented with any reasons beyond general forgiveness and 'everyone should live' philosophies toward changing his mind. Those haven't changed squat. He'd kill the doctor in front of Vash if he could get away with it.