#specifically the one where rem comes in and nai is all fucked up and he just has this look on his face

[unluckedtj]

i be been rocking back and forth while reading part 6-8 this is the COOLEST WAY TO BRING BACK NAI. ??!?!?! THE BRANCHES ? THIS WORKS WITH VASH’S ROOTS oh my god it’s so over. it’s gonna plague my head again what oh my go I FEEL LIKE A WINNER

Beware of major Trigun spoilers!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Read from right to left

Trigger warning for violence, blood, gore and body horror! Hooray!

If you want a little background music, try listening to "Everybody knows that you're insane" by QOTSA. I was listening to this when I worked out the chapter in my head and it fits Nai SO well, especially the lyrics! Yeah so, both boys are back from being human to part human/part plant now...I hope you like how this played out, even though it got a lot bloodier than the first parts. Please imagine me continuously knocking Nai on the head with a squeaky toy hammer. This is what I'm doing here in blorbo speach. Also, let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts and any feedback is welcome, as always! <3

[anxiety-elemental-kay]

This post is really good, and since you mentioned unreliable narrators, there’s one thing in particular I think is related.

In episode 11, when Knives shows Vash the memory of them finding Tesla, Vash says he understands why Knives hates humans, to which Knives replies “That was but one grain of sand.”

I think that’s a big fucking lie.

We’re in Knives’ memory world, and we know Knives is capable of both manipulating the environment and straight up lying to Vash. I don’t think *everything* he says there is a lie, but this specific moment is.

People have pointed out that both the shape of the knives used to destroy Jeneora and the Eye of Michael logo could be directly referencing Tesla’s eye, one the we all saw floating in that tank. We see in the flashback with Conrad that Knives had eyes embedded in his claws, possibly Tesla’s eyes. (Conrad asks ‘where did those eyes come from?’) Even in the recent Otakon presentation the presenters talked about trying to incorporate Tesla’s eye into Knives’ design.

I think finding Tesla fucked up Knives more than he realized or wanted to admit. I suspect that him reading the Bible and coming to the conclusion that human history is proof that they’re irredeemable as a species, while funny and fitting for the character, isn’t exactly what happened. I think at that point it’s confirmation bias, he’s looking for proof of his new belief in human cruelty wherever he can find it, because his previous worldview had been so utterly demolished he needed to find replacement foundation to understand the world. After Tesla he already decided humans were monsters who would destroy him, his brother, and his people if allowed. Anything he claimed as justification after was just something he could use to prop up his argument.

So yeah I suspect you’re right, that we might start to see a little more characterization for baby twins that’s a little closer to the manga. Not entirely, which is too bad because I think the manga’s version was basically perfect, but we’ll see more of those early attitudes. We’ll see a more hopeful Nai, one who thinks about defeating bad guys and protecting friends - including making friends! Probably with humans! And maybe we’ll see Vash lose his faith in humans! He looked so fucking tired and worn out during the “reading the Bible for history like a dingus” scene, and Rem referenced the blank ticket story as “remember that story I told you?”. I really hope we do get that scene, because Vash losing his faith in humanity, and Rem telling him the story of the blank ticket, is my favorite in all of TriMax and is the most affecting for me personally. I desperately want to see it translated into animation!

...Sorry trailed off at the end there. But yes unreliable narrator + Knives is a Fucking Liar = cute baby Nai before Trauma Time???

I know we talk a lot about how Knives doesn't seem to be as gentle or kind as his manga counterpart, how he's already a little dark and evil, which is how it seems to be. But this scene in particular makes me wonder if that's just what we're supposed to think. I already made a long post about the unreliable narration in Tristamp, and this scene always strikes me as proof that Knives is not exactly who we've seen him to be in the flashbacks. I think he's a lot more complex.

Because, now? Knives does think he's standing up to the bad guys, but he sure as hell doesn't care about making friends, much less keeping them. He only cares about owning people and hiding his fear and trauma under a strict layer of control.

And this kid? I don't think he's hit his breaking point yet. And I think we'll see more of that in upcoming seasons.

I don't think that now he would consider himself in the role of an angel how Rem means it here, and he's the one that suggests that term

If only Rem didn't let him read the ENTIRE BIBLE AT ONE YEARS OLD, NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS WOULD BE NEARLY AS BAD