Where in The World is [NPC] Gino? :O by Newzpop Reporta Tyro Bong
Reply:
Newzpop Reporta Tyro Bong
It's from page 47 of the Bloodlines comic.
Opinion
I think there's actually some things in the past that demonstrate his ability to be like Gambino quite well. sweatdrop
When [NPC] Gino confident, he can have quite the flair for theatrics. He also can be quite a terrible person, see? While quoting the Gambino motto no less... Now one could argue that was partly due to Gambino's influence, but Gambino's consciousness didn't seem to activate until whatever Labtech X injected him with did its work. So I am holding [NPC] Gino responsible for nearly one hit KOing a severely weakened [NPC] Ian. I mean if he had, he would've essentially been punching his half-brother. *Over a crush over their friend. That's messed up. talk2hand
* Note: (Of course during The Masquerade's antics, Gino didn't know that yet.... But still. sweatdrop )
For years, Gino was a very selfish and sheltered individual. (He didn't even apologize for bumping into the Overseer! He called him a bum! gonk ) So did the whole Airship Saga voyage changed him from being...well, him?
Yeah, to a degree it did, I'll give him that. He's definitely not as sheltered now, and has learned a bit about valuing friendship through his interactions with the airship crew.
But the way how he behaved prior to that, makes me think that one day....maybe he'll act like Gambino again.
It would be interesting that if in a future story, he struggles with the realization that the two of them might not be so different after all. 4laugh
Ooh ooh! Mind if I tap in?
Before I start, though, your opinion of Gino is 100% valid and I'm not trying to convince anyone to feel any certain way about anything. You absolutely have a right to like or dislike whoever you want and I totally respect that. But I do have an argument for some of the things you touched on so, in the nature of discussion and wanting to come to the defense of my favorite NPC, here I am.
While it's true his attitude changed pretty drastically after his father died for the first time, we don't have a perfect look at what he was like before that. I'd say the best evidence we have of his personality before all that went down is this archived grant from when Gino handed out the G Pins. Mischievous? Definitely. But not anything to the degree of his father. That, and he got kidnapped and held hostage by the Von Helson sisters. We didn't know they were vampires at the time and it's pretty safe to say Gaia at large didn't know either, save maybe for Ian and the rest of the Von Helson family. So we've got two girls in early adulthood at the very oldest just sort of... herding him into a room and locking him up. That reads docile to me.
You mention that the Gambino personality didn't "activate" in Gino until Labtech X gave him that weird green injection. But I'm not sure that's really what's happening. On the very next page we begin to see what that serum is actually for; they're separating. And just before that, Gino goes into the fight determined to "WIN. AT ANY COST." I dunno, that doesn't sound like something Gino would say. But it does sound like G-Corp's slogan; Making a Difference. By Whatever Means Necessary. Now I'm positive a Gambino came up with that slogan, but I don't think it was Gino. I think the "Win. At Any Cost." was supposed to be the final nail in the coffin of hints evident in Gino's personality in the lead up; the conclusion that oh, this isn't Gino.
Even if we can make the argument that Gambino's personality was "dormant" until Gino got the injection, then Gambino must have taken something of Gino with him when he popped out. If I didn't know any better I'd never guess this kid following Sasha around on Halloween night was The Masque.
I don't really feel a need to argue with you about where Gino's been personality-wise since; I think you're right in that this adventure helped him come out of his shell and value things more that he might not have even thought about before then. But Gino's perception of his father has been prevalent through the manga. Waaaay back in 2005 he was wondering if he'd share the same fate as his father, and at the end of the Airship Saga he has a few things to say about his father. He still loves his father and knows his father loved him but that doesn't change the fact that until the end of the Airship Saga he was all but expected to fill his father's shoes. He had a lot to live up to and he finally seems to be okay with himself going about it a different way.
Kids are gonna act like their parents sometimes; my own relationship with my parents isn't what I would call "stellar" but I still think like my dad and act like my mom from time to time if I'm not careful. Yes, Gino has the capability to be an a*****e and call someone a "bum," but as someone who has also called someone a "bum" to their face, I can't really call him on that one.
On a final note, I agree with the idea that Gino looking into his connections with his family would be an interesting place for the manga to go. Maybe Gino and his father won't be so different in adulthood. But I don't think he's gonna end up a megalomaniac. His mother's genes might balance that out, if nothing else.
Edit: A few pages later he owns up to his mistakes and is ready to make amends. Which may not have been a strength of his father's.
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