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orcelito · 1 year ago

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i've seen ppl talking about Meryl & how little we know about her family, but the geo-plant arc of trigun chapters 10-12 gives us some really useful pieces of info, i think

first, we see her thinking of herself as Cold Blooded, just like the dude that wanted Badwick to kill his own parents

[ID: Meryl stands with her gun drawn and a troubled expression on her face as she thinks to herself, "Exactly as you described him... the cold-blooded type..." In the next panel, she closes her eyes and wonders, "Am I really... any different?" End ID]

at the start of this arc, Milly wrote one of her massive letters to her family, while Meryl mentioned not knowing what she would write to hers. then we see Milly get PISSED at Badwick after she learns he threatened his parents at gunpoint, which leads to this page:

[ID: Meryl, held back by Milly, tells her, "Milly... I envy you... My father would have wanted me to get justifiably angry at a person who points a gun at his parents. That is an important thing." She flashes back to the moment in the chapter before where Milly is attempting to punch the son, Badwick. Milly calls in concern, "Ma'am?" Meryl continues, "But I... I just stood there and took it all in without even budging. I am such a cold person. I chose this path of blood and tears without thinking about the rest of my life. All I can see is what is right in front of me." The page shows the face of the father, dressed in basic battle gear, who is watching silently. Now in tears, Meryl laments, "Why could I not see... that when I closed myself off to him, something was wrong? I..." In the last panel, Milly stares down at Meryl in surprise as Meryl slaps her own cheeks and exclaims, "No... Nevermind!" End ID]

this entire situation is obviously striking something in Meryl's heart. some kind of insecurity she has about her distant relationship with her own parents. she shakes herself out of it, determined to not fall into a funk, and then jumps into defense of the land.

after the battle's over & the father's fallen to his ass, we see these pages:

[ID: In the first page, the father, off screen, tells Meryl and Milly, "There are no words to express how thankful I am for your help." Meryl replies with a smile, "Ah. There's no need." The father goes on to tell her, "Ms. Meryl... I know it was rude of me, but I overheard your conversation earlier. Having raised that rebellious son, I don't know if I have the right thing to say, but... All people are different, but the bonds between parents and children are inseparable. It is a great burden, but also the most precious thing in the world..." In the second page, the father concludes, "... Choose your own path, and walk it with confidence. All of life... is connected. You must live your own life, and your parents will love through you." As he speaks, we see Meryl listening to him with a surprised expression. End ID]

this entire arc feels like a metaphor for Meryl's own situation. after these pages, we see Badwick turning in the deed, then finding out that his parents were entrusting the property to him after all. he's the problem son, someone who separated himself from his parents due to his disagreements with them (likely stemming from his dead younger brother). yet at the end of the day, his parents still love him and entrusted their life's work to him.

Meryl sees all this go down, hears these words, and it touches something in her heart. so we see her go from talking about writing to her family like this in chapter 10:

[ID: A single panel of Meryl with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. She tells Milly, "That would be the normal thing to do... especially when I've been away from home for so long. But I don't know what to write beyond 'it's dry'..." End ID]

to this bit at the end of chapter 12:

[ID: Meryl approaches a mailbox with luggage in hand. She slips a letter inside, then sighs with a smile. Milly yells, "Maa'aam! What are you doing?! We're already late!" To which Meryl replies, "Ok! Ok! Ok! I'm coming!" End ID]

the experience was enough for her to accept that she might not be the closest with her parents (or just father? considering she only ever mentions a father in this all), but it's still worth reaching out even if she doesn't have much to say.

this arc is the most we see about Meryl's backstory in the manga, but I think we can draw a few things from it. we have a definite mention of a father, but no others. no mention of siblings or any other family members. she's distant from her father, too busy following her heart & goals, but she doesn't have a bad relationship with him. just Distant. she feels disconnected from him, even Cold, for her focus on her work & the practicalities in front of her. but even with that disconnect, she still cares enough about him to feel guilty when she realizes she's been doing this.

and then considering later, when we see the flashback of a man giving her the gun... i'd assumed that was possibly a senior at her work (probably tristamp giving me that perception, from Roberto), but keeping all the rest of this in mind... it really could have been her father.

i went looking to try to find that part. did not find that one exactly, but i DID find this one from trimax chapter 34:

[ID: A nearly bald man with a kind face and what appear to be shooting ear muffs around his neck tells Meryl, "Consider guns delicate. Women, most of all, should make use of them. One shot will level the playing field between you and a big, strong man." End ID]

if this is indeed her father, it would explain why she knows how to shoot like she does. perhaps her father taught her as she was growing up out of the wish to help her protect herself. maybe they weren't incredibly close, but he still clearly cared about her & wanted what was best for her and her safety. the kind of father that's content to let her do whatever her heart wishes, since her happiness is his happiness.

and then chapter 12 ends with this page:

[ID: A black framed page with a single panel at the center. The panel shows Meryl from behind, running with her luggage in hand. The text boxes to the sides state, "All of life is connected by a river... And the beginning of the river... is now." End ID]

she continues on her own path, not looking back, but she is still connected to the ones in her heart... including her father.

(Manga panels referenced from @trigun-manga-overhaul !)

#speculation nation #trigun #meryl stryfe #fanny's trigun analysis #fanny reads trigun #oh god this got longer than i was planning on it being #also writing IDs is a little hard lol. tried my best tho #but YEAH we really know so little about meryl and her home life. but this really does give us some great context for it #im picking at fucking crumbs here lmfao but they're still pretty solid crumbs #this. is probably what i'm gonna be running under for my own ideas of meryl's backstory #single child raised by a single father. a gunman who taught her how to shoot so she could protect herself #a slightly distant relationship. but not a negative one.#someone she still loves and knows will be there for her should she ever decide to return #someone who wouldnt ever even dream of trying to stifle her. he wants her to follow her dreams.#it's... actually kinda really sweet lol.#meryl #<- for my own tagging purposes lol #long post/

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kachikirby · 1 year ago

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Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 9: Protect Everyone!

Previous Chapter

Kirby continued to gather strength. His hands were numb, and he felt dizzy, but he didn’t let up. The Jet Copy Ability used stored power to attack enemies by headbutting and kicking into them. Kirby had used this Copy Ability several times before, but this was the first time he was using it to store so much power. Would he even be able to lift something as heavy as the train? He didn’t know. But Kirby didn’t hesitate.

“Strength… the strength… I need the strength…!”

The meteor gradually drew closer. He heard the driver speak through the communication device.

“A bit more… just a bit more, Mr. Kirby… Just a little…!”

Kirby clenched both his fists. He had only one chance. If he failed, there wouldn’t be enough time for him to store up strength. He heard tense breathing from the driver, who was staring intently at the screen. Then, it happened.

“Kirby, now!”

Kirby looked straight ahead and shouted.

“EXPLODINNNGGGGGG… JUMP!!”

The tank on his back blew out a tremendous flame. However, the Pupupu Train continued to travel on the tracks. There was no sign of it rising up. Kirby kept a straight face and yelled.

“TAAAHHHHH! JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!!"

He felt like he could hear the voices of everyone on the train.

“Do your best, Kirby!”

“Kirby! Kirby!”

Kirby opened his mouth wide.

“TAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!! I’M DOING IT!!”

The train slowly rose. The passengers were trembling and calling out to Kirby rom their rooms.

“Yes! Yes! Keep going, Kirby!”

“Ora ora ora ora!”

“Please do it!!”

Kirby put more and more effort into it.

“More and more! BIG, BIG BIG JUMP!”

The train left from the track at a steep angle and rushed through space towards the meteor.

Kirby continued to shout.

“Not yet! Not yet! TAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

The train rose so fast that it barely grazed the meteor.

From the cabin, the driver shouted. “Good job, Mr. Kirby! Now for me to do my job! Just leave it to me!”

He checked the direction of the train and looked at the speedometer.

“Landing a jumping vehicle on the tracks is insane, but…”

The sparkling train tracks projected onto the screen and the driver shouted.

“It’s the job of a driver to protect the passengers! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

At that moment, there was a massive impact that caused the whole train to nearly flip over. The last car was hit by the meteor and destroyed. The driver went pale.

“We couldn’t dodge it…?! Then the passengers…!?”

At that moment, the conductor’s voice came through the speakers.

“This is the conductor. The cargo hold has been destroyed.”

“The passenger cars?! What about the passenger cars!?”

“The passenger cars are safe. I am currently checking on the passengers.”

“I see… don’t push yourself too hard.”

The driver let out a deep breath.

“The passenger car is safe! Only the freight car was damaged! Everyone is safe!”

He tightened his expression and gripped the lever.

“I must…protect! Protect the passengers!”

(SCREEEEECHHHHH)

With a roar, the Pupupu train landed on the stretched track and picked up speed.

~~~~~~~~

The conductor and maid called out as they made their way down the hallway of the passenger car.

“Is everyone safe? Are any of you injured?”

One after the other, the doors of each room opened up and the passengers peeked out.

“That was a massive tremor! I screamed when I thought we were gonna be hit by the meteor!”

“So the plan was a success and Kirby did it?”

“Yeah! A huge success!”

The conductor and maid gave a smile as cheers resounded.

“We’re safe! We’re safe!”

“Hooray! Let’s party!”

Within the uproar, Bandana Waddle Dee shouted.

“What about Kirby? We have to quickly help him out!”

Pushing aside the Waddle Dees, King Dedede appeared.

“Ow ow ow…I hit my head against the wall! Stupid Kirby, couldn’t he have been a bit more gentle with the jumping?!”

“Your highness…!”

“I’m gonna go complain. You all wait here.”

Dedede opened up the car window.

“I’ll join you.”

The voice came from Meta Knight. The two of them exited the window. Kirby was unconscious on top of the train with both of his hands still grasping the top of the train. His jet tank was cold after using up all the charge from it. King Dedede and Meta Knight landed next to him and called out.

“Are you really sleeping? Get up, Kirby!”

“You did well, Kirby. Thanks to you, everyone made it out safely.”

However, Kirby did not regain consciousness.

“Chef Kawasaki’s gonna make a whole feast for you.”

Kirby’s eyes did not open.

“He didn’t wake up even though I said he was going to have a feast. This is serious…” Meta Knight said with worry.

“That’s not even trying! If you wanna wake up Kirby, here’s what you do!”

Dedede reached into his gown and pulled out a bright red maximum tomato.

Meta Knight was taken aback.

“Why would you bring that out here…?”

“It’s a king’s preference. Eat up, Kirby!”

He shoved the Maximum Tomato in front of Kirby’s mouth. Maximum Tomatoes are Kirby’s favorite food, so it caused him to instantly spring awake.

“Waah! A Maximum Tomato! Thank you for the food!”

Kirby suddenly gained a lot of energy, opened his mouth, and gulped the maximum tomato down. With an utterance of “good grief” from Meta Knight, he stood up.

~~~~~~~~

All the passengers gathered in the dining car for a huge party. Of course, it was a sweets party.

“I’ve made lots of cakes! They’re new recipes that I’m proud of! We’re celebrating the fact that we avoided the meteor, so everyone eat as much as you like!” Chef Kawasaki said with a shining face.

Cheers rose from the passengers. “Hurray!”

“To commemorate the success of avoiding the meteor!”

While everyone was overjoyed, Captain Vul tried to quietly leave the dining car without being noticed, but was stopped by a concerned Chef Kawasaki.

“Where are you going, Captain Vul? Do you not want to participate in the sweets party?”

“…I have no right to participate in it.” He replied in a solemn voice. “I’ve caused everyone trouble. I’m returning to my room.”

Chef Kawasaki ran over to him. “You told the truth and returned the sugar, so that’s enough.”

“But...”

“What does everyone else think? Can Vul participate in the party?”

The chef looked around at everyone’s faces. The first person to raise their voice was Kirby. “He can!” He shouted, raising both of his hands. “It’ll be more delicious if everyone eats together! Now come and sit down, Vul!”

The passengers looked at each other before responding.

“Well, him hiding the sugar was pretty awful…”

“He said he’s sorry, so I’ll forgive him.”

“It’s as Kirby said, sweets are better when eaten together!”

Similar comments rose up, but Vul’s face didn’t lighten up.

“…I’m glad that you say that, but… it’s humiliating as the captain of the Halberd…”

“Of course, you will have to be punished.” Meta Knight said.

“…I am prepared to accept it.”

“Starting tomorrow, you are forbidden from eating sweets.”

Vul, who had been hanging his head, shot up in shock. “No… sweets…?”

“It’ll also help with your diet so you can kill two birds with one stone.”

“Y… yeah…” Vul blinked. “But if I’m forbidden from eating sweets, then I can’t participate in the party today, right…?”

“Meta Knight said “tomorrow”. You can participate in the party today!” Chef Kawasaki said.

“B…but…!”

In response to Vul’s complex expression, the chef replied. “It’ll be fine. I made a lot of snacks that you can eat even if you are on a diet. I’ve made tofu cake, coconut milk agar, and other delicious dessert recipes that won’t make you fat!”

“…what?! Tofu cake… agar…!?”

Vul trembled as if he was struck by lightning.

“D…desserts like that exist…?!”

“Yeah! So you should participate in the party!”

“U… uu… you have my gratitude… thank you so much, Chef Kawasaki!”

“If that’s what you’ve decided, then let’s start right now! Cheers, everyone!” King Dedede said.

Everyone raised their glasses full of juice.

“Cheers! Cheers!”

“Thank you, Kirby, and to Capsule J2 as well!”

“I don’t remember much about what happened… but it was something amazing, right?” Capsule J2 said, embarrassed.

“Yeah, it was amazing!”

“It was thanks to you that Kirby was able to have enough strength to do it!”

“You’re the greatest!”

“It’s not just Kirby and Capsule J2 we should be grateful for, we should also thank the crew of the Pupupu Train. We would not be successful if it wasn’t for them.” Meta Knight said.

Everyone shouted in agreement.

“That’s right! Thank you, driver, conductor, and maid!”

“Snacks have been delivered to the cabin. I have a message from the driver. He said “Thank you very much for using the Pupupu Train. Although there was a slight incident, the train will continue its trip unhindered.”.” Bandana Waddle Dee said.

The passengers smiled and applauded.

“It’s not just the crew of the train, but I’d also like to thank York. He carefully wrapped a blanket around me so I didn’t get hurt.” Waddle Doo said.

“Same here. That guy went to each cabin one by one to make sure all the passengers were safe. I don’t like him, but I’d like to thank him anyway.” Bonkers added.

Everyone saw York sitting in the corner of the room.

The maid spoke up. “I’m really glad that no one was hurt, president. President… um… president?”

Even when he was called out to, York didn’t respond. In contrast to the joyful passengers, he seemed devastated, not even participating in the cheers and just mumbling to himself.

“The cargo hold… it took so much effort to collect those slumbercumbers…!”

Hearing this, King Dedede threw his head back. “Too bad for you. Your moneymaking scheme has collapsed!”

“…”

“That means you can’t do anything bad!”

York was completely depressed and continued to talk to himself.

“But… there’s one box… only the box that was carried to the kitchen was safe…”

No one was listening to his monologue anymore. Everyone was smiling and chatting as they ate the cakes that were brought in one after another. However, Meta Knight was the only one staring at him with sharp eyes.

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