#legato x dominique

[goldenteaset]

Trigun 1998 Appreciation Week #2: "Lady-Killers Miss Each Other By Five Minutes, Narrowly Avoid Stopping Traffic"

(I spent so long trying to narrow down my favorite episode the week is almost over! D: Here's a combo of "Favorite Fight/Favorite Episode", because they wound up being too connected to split.)

After (too) much consideration, I think Demon's Eye is my favorite episode, with my favorite fight. It's got everything, really: great jokes, great atmosphere, Legato being humanized enough to be more terrifying, Vash being a scoundrel (and also multilayered), and Dominique the Cyclops. There's also a growing sense of paranoia and dread throughout, utilizing ambiguity to eerie effect.

I've talked about this episode before, so I'll try not to repeat myself but make no promises.

...All of which is to say, I actually like every fight in this episode, even the ones that aren't a fight in the traditional sense at all. I could go on and on about the bar scene with Legato, and how he makes a point of not killing any civilians despite all the bullets flying around. I could talk at length about the later scene that heralds the Gung-Ho Guns' introduction, and how he actually sounds happy throughout it. And how he and Dominique have something going on. Only one man can get Dominique to wear a dress and it's not Vash...

^"Oh, you~ <3"

And then there's Vash VS Dominique the Cyclops, and how it both feels genuinely tense while also making me laugh. (As usual, your mileage my vary.)

There comes a point in Trigun's plot where the fun banter between fighters begins to understandably fade, and this fight is one of the last that really feels like both sides are enjoying riling each other up. Even when Vash is getting more desperate, that sense of fun remains. There's even a "theme" at play, Poker, and it sticks around until "game's over".

Here's where the YMMV comes in: I find Vash's chauvinistic remarks here really funny. (Except for "I should slap you", because that line's delivery is deathly serious.) Mainly because Dominique doesn't even bat an eye at them, even when her buttons come off, and when she does blush it's when he has her at gunpoint. We love characters with warped concepts of romance in this house! :D

That aside, though, I love how Dominique's Demon's Eye is depicted, from the jaw-clenching crunching/clicking sound that heralds its activation to how Vash overcomes it and only escapes due to her moment of fair play. Dominique just...makes a great showing here. She's so cool.

And then, of course, there's the end, where Legato does his paranoia-inducing visit to Vash in the distance and smiles at Vash's growing resolve to hunt him down. It's arguably the final "fight" of the episode, and one that Legato wins. Vash forces Meryl and Milly to leave, cutting himself off from humanity just like Knives wants.

@trigunsource

[funshinebf]

hello trigun fandom. vashwood Aristocats au. that is all

[captain-astors]

Hi! Can you do 001 for trigun and 003 shirazu?

1. I am glad to know you’re not a bot for certain at long last because I enjoy consistently spotting you in my notes, also sorry this took so long.

2. ABSOLUTELY?? You have functionally handed me an early christmas present in an ask. I'm going to divide this up into two posts, this’ll be the Trigun one, I’ll do the Shirazu one in a separate post.

Favorite character: 

LEGATO BLUESUMMERS MY DEAREST. Oh this poor man. I can’t even say “I want him to get better” because he would resist it with all his might and I can’t say I want him to get worse because this man is at rock bottom and actively digging deeper. Hugging him is not enough. I need to divide him into atoms, sort them into categories, and hope it gives him relief. I have 99 problems and seeing Legato heal wouldn’t solve a lot of them but it would be great. 

Least Favorite character: 

Difficult question because I really do like them all. Is none an option. I could just go with a random side character who exists just to be scum of the earth but I suppose if I’m looking for “was marginally involved” Stampede Conrad makes me want to hit my head against a wall. 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): 

Mashwood and all its individual parts, the insurance girlfriends, Summerknives? Millionssummers? But for the consequences of feelings more than an actual belief that they have the capacity to be a couple. I saw Zaziemeryl once and that was sweet. Everyone x Therapy. 

Character I find most attractive: 

No idea. Wolfwood? I’m starting to realize there are very few characters I’m actually acutely attracted to aesthetically for long periods of time but I’ve been loving his expressions for as long as he’s existed. Also I’m not sure about attractive per say but Zazie has such splendid gender and I would like them to share. 

Character I would marry: 

Vash. I am not immune to his sopping wet energy and the freakish height. I would like to either carry him in my arms or be carried, either is fine.  

Character I would be best friends with: 

Zazie! Or alternatively I would sell my soul for a hug with Milly. I’d say I could have trans solidarity with Elendira but unfortunately she wants everyone dead and that might cause a lot of awkward conversations.

a random thought: 

I really want to lick stampede knives’ snuggie thing. 

An unpopular opinion: Whenever someone attempts to quantify Legato and Knive’s dynamic as simple pining, mentorship, or even familial, they inherently lop off an intrinsically necessarily quality of that same dynamic which is the fact that Legato does, more than anyone else, see Knives as an actual god. He worships him, and what a terrible thing it is to love your god. Also Roberto was lovely but he did have to die. 

My Canon OTP: 

What canon couples are there? Whatever the ‘98 anime was trying to set up between Wolfwood and Milly was sweet so I suppose that. 

My Non-canon OTP:

Technically it’s half-canon but, Millionsummers, but in a I-want-to-see-the-consequences way.

Most Badass Character: 

Dominique the Cyclops or Elendira the Crimsonnail. 

Most Epic Villain: 

They’re both villains so… see above. 

Pairing I am not a fan of: 

Pl*ntc*st. WHY is it so popular now, YES the subtext has always been there but no one demanded you to make it TEXT.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): 

Elendira deserved more attention in Maximum, she’s so cool. 

Favourite Friendship:

Hmm… Milly and Meryl. 

Character I most identify with: 

Legato. I’m fine, trust me. 

Character I wish I could be:

Zazie! No contest. They’re just living their best life.

Thank you!

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 15

Warning: I’m having more and more difficulty figuring out what counts as a spoiler, much less avoiding them, so I recommend if you’ve just discovered this liveblog series you go back to Episode 1. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Also, it’s been a while since I’ve read the manga, so I’m not always sure whether I’m spoiling the anime or manga sometimes. Sorry.

-- Milly’s being such a brat. Actually, both girls are right now. You’re being carried on a litter like the queen of an ancient empire and you’re gonna complain about the pace? ::rolls eyes::

-- Look at Midvalley the saxophone player. He is such a bard. The kind who knows he’s gorgeous and tries to sleep with everyone, up to and including the dragon.

-- That’s a big cheesecake, Legato. You gonna eat the whole thing right here?

Legato has gone from eating a hot dog to eating something soft and sweet, which IIRC becomes his pattern from now on. No theories about Legato’s eating pattern, just interested.

-- Legato was named for his voice, wasn’t he?

-- I want to come off as chill as Legato...

It’s especially impressive how unflappable he’s acting right now given his (manga) backstory.

-- Sometimes the best way to annoy people is to completely ignore them.

-- “It’s not wise to be hasty.” He seems similar to Vash and different than Wolfwood in that way.

-- I’m kind of surprised the Roderick gang didn’t all try to jump Legato at once. They think of themselves like “brothers,” so they probably could’ve been coordinated enough. They’d have no way to know he could mind-control so many people at once. (When you consider that he has to concentrate a little bit to control each person, you can see how vast and well-controlled Legato’s attention must be).

-- That little Midvalley smile before he goes back to playing.

-- “At least now you know how much pain there is in living.” He’s the prophet of suffering.  

Legato is not the usual sort of person consumed by pain who loves to do unto others what was done to him. I’ve met people like this, who have a burning sense of resentment that they were treated unfairly. Even if their voice is cold, they’re clearly driven by anger. This sort of person makes sense. Hell, I could even imagine becoming like that. 

Legato, on the other hand, makes people suffer in an almost emotionless, casual way. As far as he’s concerned, there’s nothing unfair to be angry about here, suffering is just the way things are. 

So then, why bother hurting other people? Perhaps that’s why (he claims) he doesn’t usually bother.

-- Legato staring at his hand like it’s some new, fascinating species of insect, lol.

-- “I normally don’t interfere....it’s the way you look, Vash the Stampede.“ Huh? Vash’s facial expressions/mannerisms are so annoying they make you want to kill people and/or save kidnapped girls? OK...? 

-- At least the next line, “Your very existence causes me irritation” makes sense.

-- This mass Gung Ho Guns attack seems like overkill. Legato had it under control.

-- “Ladykiller?” Are women really that masochistic? :/ (No, I get it, it’s the hair). 

-- All but one Gung Ho Gun is here. Apparently there are rumors about this missing guy Chapel. Hm, wonder what they’ve heard. :3

-- “What’s wrong?” Haven’t you noticed there’s no people around? ::facepalm::

-- ...I guess the Roderick Thieves didn’t bury their brethren, after all.

-- Dominique the Cyclops is such an underrated character. Even if she’s the poster child for hubris. Her weird sense of honor...her perfect trenchcoat...her effortless cool...

-- “Call it a Spring cleaning of sorts...does that make you feel better?” Clearly not. Does it make her feel better?

-- Stupid button gag is stupid. Sometimes I forget this was made in 1998.

-- “I don’t want to hurt you.” Ugh, this part of Vash’s cornball persona is annoying. It’s in character that he’s still hoping to get out of a fight. I’ll just headcanon that he’s willing to be nice because she’s not crazy homicidal--she’s appealing to his sense of morality and wants a fair duel.

-- I’m enjoying watching Vash fight someone who can beat him in the areas where he’s used to having an advantage, so that he has to learn how to fight differently on the spot.

-- Vash mentally replaying a few key moments from the fight. Still not sure how he inferred her powers from those frames. I certainly couldn’t have. Vash spends so much time downplaying his intelligence that it’s easy to overlook, but I appreciate that he’s not a holy fool.

-- He blocks out her hypnotism by “focusing all senses only on pain.” Dominique’s not wrong to be stunned. It would probably take a normal human a lifetime of constant meditation practice for more than 3 seconds at a time to develop that level of control over his consciousness, at least. Keep this in mind when considering how he deals with life, compartmentalizes his feelings, etc.

Looks like this is the pain episode. Legato amuses himself and possibly exorcises some demons by killing people in horrifyingly painful ways, Vash survives and wins a fight by causing himself pain.

-- Really, Meryl? Every time I think she couldn’t be more oblivious, she reaches new heights.

-- Oh, Vash. If you want to scare your friends away, you can’t follow that up by going into goofy mode. It’s like the end of Abbey Road when the Beatles go from “The End,” a heartfelt goodbye that makes me cry every time, to a stupid rhyme, “Her Majesty.” It breaks the mood, diminishes the effect. 

No wonder Meryl doesn’t listen to you.