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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

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Trigun Stampede Character Thoughts: Vash

I've been putting off this write-up since I finished the show if for no other reason than whenever I go to analyze this funky little dude my entire brain just stalls and goes

✨ Hi, Vash. Hi. :) ✨

...anyways.

Here's a quick collection of thoughts on him now that I am finally more coherent! The hardest part of this was trying to make something readable with the sheer amount of things I could say about him. Geez.

(Please note that I have only watched Trigun Stampede! As of this moment, I am starting the manga and have not seen 98 Trigun. I thought it might be interesting to compare and contrast once I've read the manga. Bear with me in the meantime!)

Right off the bat, the show introduces us to who Vash is as a character - a pacifistic gunman who, while incredibly skilled, avoids confrontation when at all possible. When Meryl accuses him of running away out of fear, it's pretty quickly made apparent that, while it is out of some semblance of fear, it is not fear for himself. Rather, his concerns lie with other people's well-being first and foremost.

Or, really, his concerns lie near completely with other people's well-being. What happens to him is of very little consequence if it means everyone else is okay.

I want to talk about three different things when it comes to Vash, namely:

His incredible skill and competence

His terrible self-image

His solidly held pacifistic convictions

Skill and Competence

Ohhhh ok. So, I can't really comment on exact positions or maneuvers (I used to do martial arts pretty extensively, but it's obviously not the same kind and I know absolutely nothing about guns or marksmanship sorry), but I can sure tell you that I loved the way the animators had Vash move in episode 1 right before he pulls out his gun for the first time. I wish I knew how to make gifs properly because I would totally make one of that part. Even before Roberto's line that "acting brave is foolish" and "he's not long for this world" had finished, I was already convinced of the exact opposite. As someone who's done martial arts. Guys. The way he moves here.

It's a three step movement - he steps to the right, then to the left in an almost meandering way, shifting his body weight as he goes, before he grounds himself in a wide stance. It's slow, fluid, and calculated - a distinct contrast from his often jerky, exaggerated motions that we saw earlier. God I wish I had a gif. I don't think I can simply explain how insane it makes me. The animators could've just had him approach directly or run up to it - a lot of the times, with action heroes, there's a lot of flashy motion or jumping around, etc., which looks cool but isn't exactly something to be role modelling in an actual fight lol. But here? In the next episode, Nebraska mockingly says "this isn't the ballet" with regards to the dodging and spinning Vash does, but a lot of his motions... really are dance-like. He's damn near effortlessly shifting his center of gravity while remaining fluid in motion and completely balanced. No novice moves like that. He clearly has a lot of experience. For me watching, Roberto's line was refuted before he even finished it.

...which of course makes it even funnier when he realizes he's out of bullets. Oh, buddy. You looked so cool for a second there. Hjhdfnv

Really though, pay attention to the way he moves while fighting or shooting. He's always well-grounded, and the more serious the situation, the more fluidly and less exaggeratedly he moves. It's so, so cool. I don't know if I've quite seen that kind of motion in animation before, especially cgi (though it is possible I just haven't seen enough too...hehe...).

The episode 12 fight too! Again, Vash is balanced, even as he's being knocked backwards. He falls correctly, and allows his body to move with the gun. All his motions are precise and fluid. Contrast that to Nai, who is, uh... totally unbalanced lmao.

And then the way he tucks before he jumps out the window! The animation actually convinced me of this guy's over 100 years of experience. I actually believe it.

What's nice is that Vash, too, is aware of his own skill. He moves with a lot of confidence, and he clearly has a great degree of trust in his own ability to fight and shoot without seriously harming anyone - not once does he show the slightest bit of doubt in his abilities. One might expect, given Vash's refusal to kill, that he might be worried about accidental injuries when in the middle of a gunfight - but he isn't. Ever. The only way I can interpret this is complete confidence in his own abilities, and he most likely trained hard to specifically ensure that this would never be a concern. The trope of "character who doesn't want to fight or hurt people turns out to be really insanely skilled/strong" is always cool and fun, but in this context it's really a neat take on it, since I feel it is only because he refuses to kill that he intentionally developed such god-tier level marksmanship - I am going to go out on a limb here and assume it is much easier to accidentally inflict serious injury with a gun than it is to actively avoid doing so lol. He probably worked at being a really good fighter and gunman specifically so he could avoid killing.

I also find it kind of refreshing that he never calls his skills into question, since that does tend to happen with characters who have a poor self-image or low esteem. Which, uh, takes me to the next point.

Self-Image

Yeah, Vash's self-image is kind of in the gutter. He places the blame for all the tragedies that follow him on himself, despite the fact that he always puts in his full effort to prevent them from happening.

The majority of this ties back to his feelings of culpability for the fall. I want to direct your attention to the scene where Vash is digging the tally marks into the wall in episode 8 - it can't possibly be the number of days that have passed since we see the transition of the sun only twice and Brad looks shocked when he sees the all the tallies (which he wouldn't be if they had been there for that many days). With the way Vash's tallies look a bit like crosses and the fact that he greeted the people in cryosleep on Ship 5 by name in the first episode, suffice to say, he is probably making a tally of all the people who didn't make it through the crash - people whose deaths he feels personally responsible for.

Really, I wouldn't consider Vash even remotely responsible for any of that - he had the access codes but like. Zero intent or knowledge of what Nai was about to do with them. Regardless, Vash carries the guilt from it in the way Nai won't, because in his mind, someone needs to take accountability. Also important to remember is that the only reason any human being still lives on No Man's Land is because of Rem's sacrifice. Vash needs to maintain his belief in the capacity for human kindness and his no-killing code, because if he doesn't, her sacrifice would be in vain. He keeps her values and beliefs alive. She's in everything he does. Even hollowed out and stripped of his memories and identity, the mass of roots and flowers that engulf July take on her likeness.

So, really, in addition to Vash just being a generally compassionate soul, his staunch pacifism is a refusal to betray her beliefs and let his mother figure die a second time. I need to fucking lie down.

With all this strain he puts on himself, it's really not surprising that when tragedy inevitably strikes, he is very hard on himself, and from what we've seen this actually manifests in a set of consistent self-punishing behaviours - I am of course referring to episode 3's "I don't deserve to cry" and his refusal to eat in episode 4 (despite apparently needing to, unlike Nai). This is very similar to what we see in episode 8 with him as a kid, where he goes somewhat blank (no crying, no anger, all his negativity directed inwards and at himself) and refusing all food except what little he needs to survive because "it's a waste".

The worst part of this though, to me, is that we see from certain throwaway bits ("one bullet is two slices of pizza/two dozen donuts!", his kid self's eagerness at the sight of the birthday cake and the spread of food, his first question on seeing the geranium being to wonder if it is edible) that he not only needs to eat but also seems to enjoy eating - so his refusal to eat is not only a denial of a basic necessity but also of one of the few things he genuinely likes that he will allow himself to partake in. In the context of Rem framing food as something to share with everyone, it also makes me wonder if his self-denial is something along the lines of "I don't deserve to share this with them". In that sense, it's really important that Luida echoes a similar sentiment as Rem (implying she wants to share this food/include him, and that some of Rem's views survive in these remaining people).

I do wonder if, because food is associated with sharing to him, that it has something to do with needing to "earn a place at the table" in a way. While I think Luida was trying her best to juggle a lot on Ship 3 behind the scenes after the fall and clearly didn't want to keep Vash locked up like that, the crew only started treating him better and trusting him after he found a way to help them. The unfortunate view that Vash receives then is: "I need to earn their trust by being helpful." Vash is a chronic people pleaser - I can't think of a single point where he does something solely for his own benefit. He has no desire to scare or harm anyone (quite the opposite!) so he goes out of his way to be as helpful and non-threatening as possible - hiding his true nature as a Plant (to such an extent that he doesn't know anything about his powers and has effectively sealed them away - he's practically human), masking his facial expressions by cleverly hiding his face or letting the light reflect off his glasses, trying to laugh off his competence as luck and his scars as embarrassing.

Is it because he doesn't want to scare people? Is it because he doesn't want to feel othered from them? It's hard to say. It's probably a bit of both.

Nai accuses Vash of loneliness and desiring love, and of seeking to fill that gap by appeasing humans. While I don't think this is necessarily wrong, it can't possibly be accurate as a core motivation, since Vash doesn't seem to really... accept a lot of positive interaction. Whether out of concern for others' safety, a lack of feeling like he deserves it, being secretive about his past and identity, or some combination of the above, Vash tends to leave a lot. He leaves Jeneora Rock's celebration early, tries to walk away from Meryl even as she's calling out to him, runs away from Home when Brad and Luida listen to the recording. He throws walls up and distances himself by laughing things off, or smiling, or simply not explaining anything.

I mentioned this during my live blogging while watching episode 9, but as Independents, it's intriguing to me that both Vash and Nai exist outside the cycle of dependence we see between the Plants and the humans - both of which cannot survive without the other. Nai appears to revel in this detachment, but Vash also seems to self-impose a certain distance between himself and everyone else - for all his friendliness and inability to leave someone hanging who needs help, he practices a lot of recognizably avoidant strategies. He exists on the periphery, never staying in one place too long (he can't), and treating every interaction with a certain kind of resignation - an understanding that it is temporary. He seems to expect the inevitability of being chased out over and over. The slightest of kindnesses given to him he always feels incredibly grateful for. Perhaps he feels that kindness is more than he deserves.

I honestly dread to think how he'll react once he regains his memories of what happened to July. I trust that he'll keep pushing on, as he always does, but is he going to remember that he deserves to eat and smile?

I really hope so. Otherwise I will need Meryl and Wolfwood to bonk him on the head.

Pacifism and Conviction

The thing about Vash's pacifism is that it's very difficult to tell whether it is primarily motivated by love or guilt. Vash carries an incredible amount of survivor's guilt with him and he absolutely is doing his best to keep Rem's memory alive, but I don't think it can be denied that he isn't just acting out Rem's beliefs - he really does believe in them himself. He's also genuinely compassionate and does care and become invested in the well-being of others. In the end, I'm not sure it really matters. I don't think the guilt or love can be easily extricated from each other at this point; they are both powerful drivers of his actions and core to his identity as a person, and while this is not exactly ideal for getting him to be kind to himself, they both strongly feed into his continuous choice to be kind to others.

And it is a choice, not naivety, as pacifism is so often brushed off as. Vash's compassion is something he chooses over and over again, in spite of the way he is often treated, and the way his powers hold far more potential for destruction than even Knives. Wolfwood thinks that Vash doesn't understand harsh realities and is going to receive a rude awakening but he does understand - Vash just chooses not to accept violence as the only way forward and believes that things can change and improve, and is willing to expend that energy and extra hurt into making that a reality. Nai thinks Vash is helpless and brainwashed into his belief - note the way Vash frequently appears as his child self when Nai tampers with his Gate or his memories; the implication here is that Nai sees Vash as incapable of making choices for himself and in need of protection - but not only is this horribly demeaning to Vash's personhood, it simply isn't true. Even Meryl chews him out for what looked like running away to her early on, and Roberto thinks he's going to get himself killed sooner or later. Everyone underestimates Vash, at least at first. And well, it's easy to. He's just a silly little guy! He's a bleeding heart who tries to help everyone he comes across! He talks about nobody needing to die in a world where most everyone is starving and desperate! To the people in-universe, he would look like a total fool, and far too idealistic to last long.

Except, he has. He's around 150 years old, he's scarred to hell and back, but he's still alive and he still chooses kindness. That takes a special kind of improbable mental resilience and stubborn conviction - and that's what most of the other characters overlook. Vash is, indeed, very sensitive and emotional and an idealist - he's also much tougher and more rational than hardly anyone gives him credit for. He's an excellent judge of character too!

His ideals and that stubborn faith are everything that makes Vash who he is.

This scene in episode 12 is the only true moment of triumph in what is otherwise a tragedy all around. Nai would go as far as to destroy Vash’s very identity to get his brother back, but at the cost of losing everything that makes him Vash. These ideals are the core of “Vash the Stampede”, and no matter how foolish they may seem or how little others understand his conviction, this is an identity he has chosen for himself. It’s who he is. And this assertion, coming directly on the heels of Nai trying to erase him and remove that autonomy, is an undeniable brief triumph in the midst of it all. Nai will always be Vash’s brother, and he will always love him I’m sure, but they diverged in their persons a long, long time ago, and Vash adamantly refuses to be an extension of or accomplice to his brother’s crusade of hatred… even if that means going against him.

Vash’s kindness is so necessary to a world like the one we see in the series, on the verge of extinction and giving up. Approaching situations with understanding and communication is really the only way to help improve understanding amongst others - and this is one of his biggest strengths; it's even reflected in his use of his Plant abilities (communicating between himself and the other Plants, the way he can open a path both to and from the higher dimension unlike anyone else). In this way, Vash is something of a necessary conduit. I just wish he'd let himself feel a little more tbh. He represses a lot - he canonically won't allow himself to cry if he feels responsible, any flashes of anger are brief, he doesn't stick around to have fun really. Personally, I'd like to see him allow himself grief through tears, a little bit of genuine letting loose and celebrating, and actually expressing things like irritation and annoyance next season. Perhaps that's wishful thinking.

I don't know how to accurately summarize my thoughts on Vash well enough other than to say, in keeping with the whole Plant thing, he reminds me strongly of dandelions. Bright, cheery, grow through cracks and root where you don't expect them to ever be able to eke out a living. Regarded as a weed by many but very difficult to get rid of. Hardy, resilient, and pop back up after being beaten down. Kids make wishes on them.

Anyways. Hugs him hugs him hugs him x 60,000,000,000

#fuck this is absolute garbage but i've run out of steam and the words just aren't happening so this is what i have to offer lol #i feel like i could've expressed a LOT of these points better. alas. after days of working on this it's what i've got.#when i do the other character thoughts i'll expand on the relationship between the twins #and... whatever is going on with wolfwood (their conflicting views but also concern?)#but for now i think this will have to do i've rambled enough #storyrambles #<-sure did.#trigun #tristamp #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #tristamp meta #<-it's more a messy word collection than a meta but. sure. idk how to tag this agh #if i have referenced something incorrectly please let me know and i'll fix it!

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approxtwelveangrybees · 1 year

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Another idea! Vashwood Anastasia au.

The crash was an accident. Rem and the twins all survive

Vash pushes her into an escape pod first and clambers into another one right behind. It’s the difference of a few seconds, but it’s enough that rem and nai maintain original trajectory while vash spins away

He wakes up with no memory and starts wandering, so he finds ship 3 all the same

Rem and Nai find a different ship but there’s no long distance communication available and no desert transportation infrastructure or engineering yet

So the 6 mill and later 60 mill “bounty” is actually nai and rem trying to find him because nai insists he’s alive and rem believes him

Rem is in and out of cyro sleep a lot

“Vash” meanwhile is going about life! Except he goes by the name Eriks. He can’t explain why but he’s very good with plants and makes a decent enough living—except there’s also ALWAYS chaos following behind him and so heeee is running out of friendly towns

He needs double dollars to get to another city’s jurisdiction

He’s told to speak to Wolfwood, whoever that is

WW just wants the money so he can pay off his contracts to Conrad, go back to hopeland, and forget about the past

When “Eriks” shows up, ww gets excited because shit, he might be able to pull this off

Unfortunately for him two reporters also see the resemblance

Meryl and molly are writing a story about the infamous bounty (I think to keep themselves hidden rem has infiltrated a few city councils by now). It’s sorta an urban legend thus the reporters, think buzzfeed unsolved almost

Off they go to July, where vash thinks they’ll be able to get on a ship for November after meeting some people who may or may not be able to tell him about his pst and ww, who is trying not to feel guilty about using some poor idiot in his get rich quick scheme (meryl and milly might be trying to get a story to hold off getting sent to insurance so they’re a bit sus here too)

Kuroneko is pooka

Nai and Rem have given up, but when they’re deliberating after the second time vash shows up (some ballet scene equivalent!) vash finds nais piano and starts subconsciously playing the twins duet. That’s when they know it’s him

I think Conrad is still probably an antagonist on account of the you know. Child experimentation. But I think it’s less dressed up in religious talk and more the promises of food and shelter? Idk. I want wolfwood to still be wolfwood and I’m a stamp watcher

Nai still gets to knife imposters when rems asleep

#trigun stampede #trigun au #Anastasia #vash the stampede #ericks #eriks #nicholas d wolfwood #meryl stryfe #milly thompson #nai #millions knives #rem saverem #vashwood

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goldenteaset · 9 months

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Stampede!Legato's Charm Points

...A not-comprehensive list of blatant squee for the @tristampparty.

I enjoy every version of Legato (which feels like saying "water is wet"), but Stampede's version in particular feels dazzling, like looking into the sun for too long. And if you couldn't tell from that description and looking at other people's reactions, especially toward his looks, this is very much me "proselytizing" in his favor. (Or finding like-minded people!)

Under the cut because I couldn't contain myself. XD

Charm Point the First: How He's Framed (...Mostly)

(The big zipper on his coat is also cute by the way)

Studio ORANGE made a fascinating choice with Legato for Stampede s1: his face is either in shadow, or at various angles that highlight how striking he is, usually as seen from below. This forces us to either a) look deeper at what expressions we do see, or b) focus our gaze on everything else about him. So a win either way, really.

On the other hand, though: please let us see more of his face in S2 PLEASE

Charm Point the Second: His Hands

Self-explanatory, I know. But hands are an absolute pain to draw and I'm forever impressed with the sheer, insane detail the animators get across with Legato's. Look at this gif, you can actually see where he laughs when his wrist tilts! There's something so erotic and dangerous about how they're portrayed. Very very good.

Charm Point the Third: His Laugh

This Legato is a downright jolly fellow in some ways compared to the previous ones! His laughter is lovely, often low and soft and wicked. It makes every scene with him more fun for the viewer, because he's having fun.

Charm Point the Fourth: His Plantlike Complexion

One might even call it a "ceramic-like pallor". It has to be because of the Plant genetics Stampede's writer mentioned. It makes him even more Fair Folk-like and otherworldly, almost ethereal; it adds another creepy, "don't make that deal" layer to his scene with Wolfwood.

Charm Point the Fifth: His Legs

I could've picked a different shot, but no. This one illustrates the point rather well, I think. (In general, besides his stomach he's on his way to a male ballet dancer physique, which is a wonderful thing.)

Charm Point 5.9: Safety First!

Something about Legato doing nefarious deeds and still wearing a seatbelt is just...peak moe for some reason. 10/10.

Charm Point the Sixth and Seventh: His Nape/Hair

I love this shot so much uuuuuuu look at the lighting

Sometimes the sheer floppiness of his haircut in some screenshots undersells how neatly managed it actually is. Legato may not want people to talk about his hair, but he does take good care of it. It's sleek, it's out of his way (mostly), and I can't help but wonder if it's cut as short as it is in the back to avoid touching his skin... :(

Charm Point 7.5: His Waist

It's the part everybody critiques! Yes, he looks like a Ken doll with it being that narrow. Yes, I 100% think that's the point and Studio Orange will make us sad about it in S2. Moving on quickly so as not to dwell on it!

Charm Point the Eighth: His Voice

I'll be talking about his dialogue right after this, but really, that dialogue wouldn't land right without the perfect voices to match. Whether subbed or dubbed, Stampede!Legato manages to slide between cold elegance and zealous desperation with ease. (Also, again, That Laugh *happy shivers*)

Charm Point the Ninth: His Dialogue

While we sadly only see Legato in two episodes, I think they're still a great introduction to him. We're given just enough to understand why he conflicts with Vash and co., what his motives are (which he might explain too much, but anyway), and who he is as person. He's a human who fundamentally doesn't understand humans, least of all himself. I think he's drawn to Wolfwood and Livio's relationship specifically because he himself doesn't have a reference point for it. It fascinates him even as he hates it. And speaking of that...

Charm Point the Tenth: His Confusion About Love

I left this one for last because unlike the above, which are mostly fixed states, this one really could go in any direction. At the end of episode 6, Legato explains how he doesn't understand love and thinks it should "give way to devotion". This is interesting, to say the least, because past Legatos don't just lay things out that clearly, and neither do most characters in Stampede. There's practically a big neon sign blaring over this!

From my very biased standpoint, there's nothing more fun than when a character who looks like this *points at the above* disdains love that openly. That means that either a) Legato is being set up to never understand love ever, which is less interesting, or b) discover what love means to him. Will that end well? Poorly? Will Studio Orange give us enough string to make a cats cradle out of for our own entertainment? Who knows! It's all up in the air for now.

I just think that there's nothing more narratively thrilling than limitless possibilities and slowly winnowing them down, is all. :D

#legato bluesummers #trigun stampede #“Non-comprehensive” I say while running through his character design with a fine-toothed comb #I didn't cover the outfit as much because we know it's going to change over time...so I assume “don't get too attached”

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kunami-laufeyson · 1 year

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A certain frame from Trigun Stampede reminded me of a ballet pose 🩰

So Vash will be Princess Tutu this time 👑

#trigun stampede #trigun meme #trigun #baby vash #vash stampede #teru vash #princess tutu #crossplay

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rainbow-pop-arts · 1 year

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*Explosions* WEEEEEEEEEEEH, last part of my Trigun Maximum vol 2 thoughts for @trigunbookclub !!

Some thoughts on TriMax chap 12-13 under the cut!

Oh hey, a bit of Wolfwood’s past

The ’98 anime only did one episode of his past and it………..kinda didn’t explain much. (；・∀ ・) So I wanna know what his past is like in the manga and see how similar it is to Stampede’s

I like how after these panels they started to have a serious talk

Le hidden ship

Okay, so these panels when Vash returns to the ship that he said is his home. When I saw lots of people I was surprised that there even were people living here

And it warmed my heart that lots of people welcomed Vash back (´∀`)

Vash was about to cry tears of joy…

AND THEN THIS CRAP HAPPENED

THIS CRAP MADE ME SO MAD I WANTED TO SMACK MY DESK AND FLIP IT (ﾉꐦ ⊙曲ఠ)ﾉ彡┻━┻ but I didn’t because I was at school and don’t wanna destroy school property

And it was these bastards’ faults ٩(๑ `н´๑)۶

Oh, ya’ll have done it now (╬≖_≖)

Wolfwood is so cool (◕‿◕)

*Disgusted noises* （～Д～）＊＊＊

So he can make doll parts into monsters? Imagine he used barbie dolls

He’s crying blood? (ﾟ дﾟ )

Maybe because he’s not human, ever thought of that?

A R M

That’s the end of the chapter, guys, Wolfwood gets bonked by a rock

Manga Nightow is like me fr 🥺

“Transforming mecha”: He could be referencing mecha anime/manga like Macross or Mobile Suit Gundam but since this was the 90s he could also be referencing Evangalion

“Team of pretty girls battling with magic": He could be referencing Sailor Moon since that’s the most popular magical girl anime in the 90s

“An alien girl who suddenly appears and falls in love with me": Urusei Yatsura because it’s an 80s classic

Moooom, I want a Vash action figure

Trigun but it’s a ballet shoujo

That's all for my thoughts on TriMax vol 2! ★⌒(●ゝω・)ｂ

Bonus: Just Mari from Omori scolding Knives for being a bad brother since she’s an older sibling herself

#trigunbookclub #trigun brainrot #trigun maximum #trimax #trigun #trigun 98 #trigun thoughts #trigun manga #vash the stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #trigun vash #trigun wolfwood #trimax vash #trimax wolfwood #omori #omori mari #million knives

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rush-the-stars · 26 days

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does ballet au nai favor vash over reader........and is reader jealous....mayhaps vindictive.............mayhaps giving the black swan in becoming paranoid and self destructive to become perfect.......mayhaps................................

ANON…..MAYHAPS…..you know i am a sucker for some surrealist horror fueled by jealousy and lust…..

was just thinking about how jealousy is one of the more monstrous forms of love

also thought of nai being insanely jealous over reader too. insanely vindictive and vicious. but also reader is the only one he’d ever let close enough to his brother…..,.and still..,…he’s jealous………..

the dynamic is extremely juicy and full of tension

#HAUNTING MEEEEEEEE #was thinking about jealousy today specifically w nai and reader in this au #poor vash but also…….#👀#cielo chats!

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pancake-breakfast · 1 year

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TriMax Volume 2! This one has Wolfwood on the cover, which can only mean good things, right? Riiiiiiiight?

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 2, Chapter 1 below.

TriMax Volume 2 Covers

"Death Blue" is a very dramatic name for a volume. Do they mean "Blue Death"? Is this a Legato reference? I think he'd like being called the Blue Death. Wait, no, he's self-conscious about his blue hair. Nevermind.

Also, this cover is hot.

Ok, so I translated the kana on the joke version of the cover to the side of Wolfy's head, and to my great amusement, it reads something like, "This joke again?!" or "Not this joke again!!"

I'm gonna be honest; I think one of the things I struggled with on a first read of this was the continual blow-up doll jokes. These days, I find it hilarious. (I've even spent some time contemplating if I could cosplay as WW with the blow-up doll instead of the cross solely because the doll would be MUCH easier to store in between cons.) But when a younger Pancake Ray was reading this, they were fresh out of a sheltered Christian college and had very little experience with this sort of stuff. I also hadn't quite realized my own asexuality at that point, so I really didn't have a place for my sexuality (especially since I was still under the impression I'd "grow into it" or "just needed to meet the right guy" at that point) or the sexuality of others. Which made continual blow-up doll jokes particularly jarring, especially since my irreverent humor had yet to fully bloom.

Legato (that is Legato, right?) looks positively haunted on the back cover there.

LOL, now it's a shojo ballet manga, huh? I'm here for it.

Chapter 1: Return of the Blue Wind of Death

Ohhhh, so I guess the volume title wasn't just a fancy and dramatic thing and there will actually be some sort of Blue Death person. I still think it will be Legato, even if he hates the name. I bet he's spent the last two years in intensive physical therapy....

I really like the aesthetic of the volume opening page art here. Freaking gorgeous chiaroscuro. (Now it sounds like I know art words! I don't; I just memorized that one because 1) I tend to adore the style, and 2) it came up in a Tabletop RP system I used to run.)

Eyyyy, it's the big-eared mohawk guy from Episode 1 of '98!

Man, they had this guy in some serious restraints.

Dramatic duo!

I wonder what those pipes on Vash's stomach are for. They're REALLY big in this title page art. I don't think they're always that big. Maybe they're part of the heating/cooling unit the doc was talking about??

Earlobes seems way more calm than he did in Ep 1 of '98. I guess hard time will do that to a man.

Ah, the giant boomerangs....

Oh, so he's not gone entirely agreeable. And they aren't entirely unaware of the risks.

I like the implication that he's kinda controlling his right arm with his left one.

Oh, no. I recognize these guys from the previous volumes. Sheriff, his posse, and Earlobes are out of their depth. A single Gung-Ho Gun gave Vash quite a bit of trouble. You really shouldn't mess with two at the same time.

Nightow, what is even happening on this page? There's some shooting and some steam venting and some guys got burned, and... someone broke a bunch of light posts, I think? Was it the boomerang? Did the boomerang break them? Also, you do realize that each consecutive hit would decrease the boomerang's momentum at least slightly, and thus it would be better (if perhaps less intimidating) to NOT hit a bunch of other objects in between you and your target?

Hahahaha, dark-haired boi just ducks and lets Super-Gimp take the bulk of the boomerang's hit.

He's been so small in all the panels where it's shown that it's very hard to tell this guy has a saxophone. So there you go, fellow readers. He has a saxophone. It's in the above image, too. But again, smol. (I colored it here so we can all see it better.)

Well, if the sheriff had any guys in that house, he DOESN'T ANYMORE.

"Make sure they're dead." Sound advice.

"Not even a shred of meat left" seems unlikely.

Oop, that arm coming up from the bottom of the panel is NOT Earlobes's arm. Pretty sure it's Super-Gimp's.

Eyyy, time for Sax Man to play us a tune! I'm sure it will be a nice one. After all, what spices up rubble and wreckage quite like a little jazz?

See? A pleasant little song....

Now all the TriStamp fans can take a guess at the REAL reason they've woven saxophone into the soundtrack.

Gods, this pose. Fill up that chest, man! Deeeeeeep breath!

Yeah, this operation ain't going so well for Team Sheriff, is it?

Me trying to decipher Nightow's combat panels:

I think someone is practicing drilling that is not in line with OSHA regulations here....

"Call off your attack!" Oop, too late.

I'm guessing Super-Gimp's actual name is Gauntlet. It's really hard to tell who's speaking.

Oh, shit. Is it Legato? He likes doing the long-distance communication thing....

Holy hell, this is brutal. Yeah, this has to be Legato. Mild spoilers, but Sax Man doesn't have this level of brutality in him. I could be wrong, but I don't think most of the Gung-Ho Guns do... especially not partnered with the ability straight-up force people to do things.

Geez, the blood dripping out of the truck.... WE'RE IN A TRUE SEINEN NOW, FOLKS!!!

Freaking called it. He does look like a mess, though. What kind of physical therapy program is he on???

I like his face here. He looks too amused with his own plans. It's very upsetting.

Eyyyy, it's the doc!

Brad really needs to get over his disgust for outsiders.

Awww, they all love Vash and worry about his wellbeing! He might try not to have friends, but he does, even if they're not as deep of friendships as he needs.

Uh, oh. Is Brad ok? Vash's intuition is usually spot-on.

Bugs....

BUGS. D:

This is bad. These people shouldn't have information on Vash's friends.

Dang, Hanged Man pose for Vash? Ominous....

#wish i had more time tonight but alas #at some point i want to go through a bunch of posts others have made and just create an archive of people's deeper thoughts on the chapters #their analyses and comparisons and such too #maybe also their random thoughts like mine in this post #but not now #too busy #trigun #trigun maximum #volume 2 #trigunbookclub #pancake analysis

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misfits-den · 1 year

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Inspired by this and this post

Modern AU where Vash goes to a ballet class nearby once a week, specifically to yeet the ballerinas.They all love it, highlight of their week (especially for the guys)

#trigun #vash the stampede

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

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Trimax Thoughts Vol. 5 Pt. 1

Here's my stream of consciousness thoughts for the volume again. Sorry I'm late! Can't wait to suffer more!

Nooooo my poor boy... ugh this is fucking visceral...

Ooo... he was looking for Count Vasquez... that's interesting. That's the man he's suspected in the murder of way back on his wanted poster.

Hey so. This is so much fucking worse. He knew these people. He liked these people. They liked him and they didn't want him to leave so soon. Agony.

Always someone to be helped, huh? Always a reason to get back on his feet again... go get Meryl back!

Midvalley and Hoppered just killed Zazie??? Hello???

Actually Midvalley is really powerful... I love when characters have sound based powers yesssss. I also like these two as a duo they're kind of funny to me. Hoppered doesn't care if he dies and Midvalley wants to get out so bad. Hoppered warns people they're about to be killed and Midvalley just wants to murder people with his saxophone in peace. Somehow they spend a fair amount of their dialogue being honest and concerned about the other and handshake over having the same no good terrible boss hjfghbn

Hoppered... :( (Also fuck these people man. Hoppered is just trying to look out for this girl because it seems like no one else will without looking down on them or trying to take advantage of them... *snapcube sonic fandub voice* "you ableist piece of shit"... I actually want to know what the relation is here. Guy just kind of assumed they're together or something but maybe it's more that they are the only ones like the other... I kind of vibe with it being a shared trauma or shared experience thing they've got going... obsessed too, with the fact that we haven't actually seen his face at all... he warns people to get away but then quietly watches them die... does it bother him? does he justify it somehow? ...anyways Hoppered my fave GHG for real I love him.)

(Also he's cute actually. He's so earnest compared to the rest of the GHG. Look at him <3)

So yeah, confirmation that Wolfwood currently cannot see, his head is likely ringing and who knows what other internal damage he's taken and he is still fighting. He is so cool but also :(

Oh HECK YEAH MILLY!!!

^Midvalley and Wolfwood rival ballet dancer au when

*Midvalley voice* I know what you are

Oh! We can see Hoppered now! He... has a cross on his face...? Um. I am even more curious about him now...

*chuckles* Oh we are in danger.

Yo Knives WTF. Also I feel so fucking bad for Hoppered oh my god he's seeing and feeling all of this.

We actually see the people getting sucked in??? Aughhhh

OH NO MERYL SAW IT ALL TOO??? NOOOOO OH MY GOD

Did Legato just make Hoppered kill Midvalley??? Oh god and that was Hoppered screaming once he realized it too... And then he RUNS HIM OVER??? LEGATO WTF.

Zazie's back!!!

So this is complicated lemme see if I got it right: Vash is stopping Legato from running over Hoppered. Legato is using all his power to hold Vash. Because he is doing this, he can't spare enough power to stop Hoppered from pointing a gun at him. Wolfwood is pointing his guns at Legato and Zazie. Zazie is pointing their guns at Wolfwood and Hoppered. And Midvalley... is fucking dead I guess. ...where's Meryl...?

OH QUEEN SHIT HELLO??? And she shot Legato in the face lmao. Who's gonna break the standoff? It's Meryl with a steel chair derringer!!!

You know. I think there's something to be said about Vash activating the angel arm in response to Hoppered about to be shot... I can't brain right now but it says a lot about how he only ever tries to help but all this destruction comes along with him.

"If I could save a single life... if I could do just a little... would that... be good enough?" <- Vash from Trigun and Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs shaking hands because they are literally same hat

Ok so airship woman's "I hate suicidal people" -> I thought she was talking about Vash at first but it seems she's talking about Legato. Interesting. Also I think Legato is seriously having a sanity slippage here.

The difference between Vash sprouting feathers like an angel in reality, but seeing himself as this twisted eldritch freak in his own mind... all the contorted pieces of the people who died in some kind of living horror show on his own body as he apologizes over and over... :(

Because they were kind... that is what it comes down to after all...

Elendira has the character intro ever. All mysterious on the phone with Knives, big damn villains moment where she stops the angel arm going off, nails the weird creature person thing helping Legato with absolutely zero effort on her part, then immediately falls from the airship on her ass and says "owie". She is then revealed to be trans and the most powerful secret GHG on the very next page. She impales Legato and takes him with her like one would a runaway puppy and delivers an ominous final warning which she ends off with "ciao!". What a character. 10/10 I'm obsessed with her already.

Hoppered... :( I find his last words interesting. He refers to himself as the bad guy but then also still feels such resentment for Vash that he still wants him to suffer, yet in such a resigned tone... Then Vash reaches out to take his hand with the hand that becomes his angel arm, having since gotten it under control, safe enough to provide a bit of final respite now instead of cause more harm...

MUCH NEEDED CATHARSIS! MILLY AND MERYL HUGS!

Vash hosting funerals for Midvalley and Hoppered... :')

^Another great example of Vash taking responsibility for things and that going beyond just a simple "no one dies" mentality and carrying that on beyond just action and fights - but also I love that he dragged Wolfwood into it and apparently did not explain anything to him. And Wolfwood apparently just started shoveling without understanding why he was being told to do so. ??????? These two were born to be a comedy duo.

Anyways. I'm sad. :)

#trigun #trigunbookclub #trimax #storyrambles #didn't put ids for this post since it's just stream of consciousness thoughts but I will for future analyses don't worry

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