#really love her characterization in stampede

[renardsruses]

Happy Friday here’s Meryl!!!!!

[portraitoftheoddity]

Trigun: Stampede, Wolfwood, and Food

So, I think a major part of any worldbuilding should always involve food, and where it comes from. The worldbuilding around No Man's Land in Trigun: Stampede is a little tricky in this regard, since there's shown to be no real agriculture or plant life (Meryl's utter shock at the "flora" on Ship Three as a total foreign phenomenon suggests it's more rare than in the manga) so sustainable human-friendly food sources are rare and not really addressed. We see characters eating worms, and presumably there's whatever it is worms eat, and beyond that, it's suggested that pretty much all of humankind's nutrition comes from plants.

The desert dudes living off worm meat refer to "plant-based food" as an "extravagance" in the opening scene of episode 4 (aptly named "Hungry"). Meryl, by contrast, is grossed out by the idea of eating worm meat -- I think we can infer then, that Meryl, being a college-educated city girl, probably had regular access to Plant-generated food, while Outlanders are more dependent on alternative sources of nutrition.

Wolfwood, I think, falls closer to the latter category -- He's very used to eating worms, as we see in this episode, not even flinching at grabbing and devouring a whole worm, and even smoked dried worm legs as a kid in a later flashback, so supplementing his diet and other aspects of his life with worms is probably something he's used to doing for survival:

And I gotta say, the way Wolfwood antagonizes the others about eating worm-based food?

Yeah, it's a power play in some respects -- he's making a point to Vash about 'kill or be killed' to survive when he catches and throws a worm at him, and he's taunting Meryl to get a rise out of her with the roasted worm meat at the end of the episode.

But there's something very "Gross Big Brother" about it -- he's antagonizing them, but there's also some underlying level of care in it. He is showing Vash how Wolfwood thinks it's necessary to survive; he's bullying Meryl into eating the food that's available, because Wolfwood probably grew up with the understanding that you couldn't afford to turn your nose up at whatever food you got.

It's food, it's there, it's a valuable and scarce resource, and as much of an asshole as Stampede!Wolfwood is, he has those ingrained big brother instincts to look out for those around him. And food is an important part of that, because when you live with scarcity, food is life.

The whole bit with Zazie in disguise might be a charade (assuming Wolfwood already clocked Zazie from the get-go and it didn't take the worm devouring them for that card to be revealed) but it still pulls from Wolfwood's characterization in the '98 anime where he gives two of his last pieces of food to a couple of hungry-looking kids:

And the sentiment of "you still deserve to eat" as an expression of care is still real for him, especially given his smile when Vash repeats his words, finally eating some of the worm meat at the end of episode four:

Our worldbuilding implication is that food is scarce and rare in the Outlands, and Wolfwood is someone who knows how to survive by any means possible -- including eating whatever is available -- which is something he's nonetheless willing to share with others, because at his core he's a decent person who isn't as selfish as he may pretend to be.

And food is one hell of a love language.

[needle-noggins]

Sav's Author Highlight: Hashtag_caneven

For the entire week of @trigunfanfic appreciation week, I'm going to highlight my favorite authors and friends whose writing I adore and why. First up is my dear friend @hashtagcaneven, or Kuro!

Kuro's main claim to fanfic fame is her Thirty Pieces of Silver series, which includes the titular fic and its sequels, Baptism in Blood and Consecration of Saints.

Rating: M/E | Ship: Mashwood/Stryfewood | Genre: Genfic, Historical Fantasy AU, Action/Adventure, Trigun Stampede characterization

Why I love it: Oh my gosh. This series is a wild adventure from start to finish. Have you ever wanted to read Trigun, but weaved into a medieval fantasy AU with fantastic and interesting world building and action-packed scenes? Then this is it. This is the Ultimate Fantasy AU Fic.

Kuro has taken the plot of Trigun Stampede and weaved and expanded it into a delightfully fun and dramatic story about love and hope. The world building is wonderful, blending Trigun's sci-fi into something more magical and fantastical, but equally as interesting and intriguing. In fact, it's given me a ton of inspiration for my dnd campaign!

The whole series, reflective of her writing style, is fast-paced and concise with excellent fight scenes and angst. You can cut the tension with a knife in these detailed fight scenes, and the cliffhangers kill me. More than once I have yelled at Kuro in DMs about it (and she only sends me back the same cackling witch meme over and over, that bitch [affectionate]).

Also, Kuro is nothing if not utterly dedicated to her craft. She took swordfighting classes to write the fight scenes better, and hoo boy it shows. The Stryfewood training scene is delicious. And I learn so much as I read this series, as many details are accurate to history and she takes time to explain them at the end of chapters!

And, even with all the fighting and action, no character drama is sacrificed. In fact, the high stakes only heighten the interpersonal drama between characters, which is handled so wonderfully and carefully. Kuro's writing really makes you root for them, even as Wolfwood is making the dumbest choices alive, even as Meryl is risking it all for her boys, and even as Vash is trying desperately just to reach both of them. The writing also makes you hate Legato even more, which is... impressive, honestly! But there's wonderful yearning, particularly in Baptism in Blood, that makes my heart ache. Really truly a wonderful series.

Kuro has written a bit else for Trigun, and I particularly recommend the fun and suggestive Pirate AU Stryfewood fight!

[sakiyaki-sashimi]

Fuck so I just finished Trigun Stampede and this ending touched me.

The desperation and awfully tragic characterization of Knives clashing with Vash, the themes of duality and “sides” throughout the show coming to a head beautifully.

I like the nod to the first Trigun anime in Vashs haircut in the big cube fight with him and Nai, I thought it was a nice touch! Also Milly will be in the second season? Cool! I’ve heard lovely things about her character!

God the animation was beautiful, not one for 3D but it really worked here!

Okay, final questions: Is Vash dead??? I know at least Wolfwood or Roberto is dead cuz of the picture and the cigarette memorial, but I don’t know who, hopefully not both!!! My guess is Roberto since they’re prob gonna replace him with Milly and have the core characters of the original Trigun in the second season? I think lol

Last thoughts: absolutely wonderful show, already itching for more!!! The characters and story were amazing, though a bit complex for me to get at times lol! The animation style really grew on me as time passed, and this show has an amazing knack for getting me to care for characters I really haven’t known long! Wish the pacing was a bit better, but that might just be my desire to have these people be happy for 2.5 seconds before destruction occurs yet again lol

Though I am not an old fan of Trigun, far from it, as I’ve literally just written my first full experience with it, but I can already see this this is a complete love letter to fans of Trigun

Amazing watch, so happy to have had this experience!!

If you want a list of all my Trigun watch thru posts (can’t imagine why, but still), here they are!!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

(Part 7 is this post lol)

Wow, didn’t realize I had this much to say XD

[ciaran]

ep10 thoughts (spoilers for trigun stampede 10)

it's very obvious that Vash's pain tolerance is at best highly variable and most probably obscenely high. he gets shot and makes barely any sound, without even giving the impression that he is deliberately keeping himself quiet, and then walks off. also what an insanely good character beat!!! I'm going to throw up.

i actually wonder to what extent (and I've been having this thought since the plant reveals dropped, around that time) Vash's extreme compassion for humans is inherent to him on a species level. most of the plants we've seen haven't been characterized (as much as they've been shown as having an internality) as...disliking the way they're used even though it's clearly bad for them? like this isn't scanning as a metaphor for slavery, more for symbiotic relationships or parasitic mutualism. not that i think that's a decent status quo but, ah. thoughts.

Vash apologizing repeatedly to Wolfwood ;_; WAIT SHIRTLESS VASH REVEAL????? IM SHAKING LIKE A CHIHUAHUA RN

“I can imagine, even if i don't want to, how a misfit like you is being treated by humans,” I'm going to climb into a rocket and blow myself up to fuck. what the fuck

i need to print every line of dialogue from this scene onto the inside of my skull they're giving me EVERYTHING i want

then we're immediately catapulted into some kind of sick and twisted old man yaoi between Doctor human experimentation and our good friend Roberto

side note it's very funny to me that the Meryl/Roberto dynamic parallels the Vash/Wolfwood dynamic in the sense of: idealistic person walks into trouble and their cynical, substance abusing boyfriend/mentor trudges despairingly after them to keep them alive another day. top tier

i love a good artificial and fucked up child I'll be honest. also Roberto saying “the important thing is how you feel when you see these children”...i may be reading too much into his character but his addiction and cynicism make sense to me from the perspective of this—essentially okay if ordinarily messy person trying to survive in a world where every daily decision runs counter to the basic morality he cannot silence no matter how much he drinks. which adds a certain tint to how he views Meryl? i don't precisely love their relationship as is (i would want a few more layers folded into it) but I'm inclined to view it more favourably in this episode.

SO I TYPED OUT "interesting backstory for Elendira" and then this guy said "he" so i was like "what" but INTERESTING BACKSTORY FOR ELENDIRA. PLEASE LET HER BE TRANSFEM STILL.

weirdly paced runaway scene though, really hollow and... tonally dissonant voice acting when i didn't notice a problem before. direction issue? it really jarring :/

VASH'S LITTLE WAVE AFTER THE ELEVATOR DOOR CLOSES IS SO. BABY BOY YOU HAVE MY WHOLE HEART

huh, Roberto really let them walk into a trap and then abandoned them there. stone cold! i like that in a guy

“I hate you” “me too, we might get along well” Wolfwood will find a kid who looks traumatized and unsupervised and be like “is anyone going to be an elder brother to them” and not wait for an answer.

oh, Roberto NO. this is so annoying. let me have a good dynamic between them for ONE episode before it gets utterly killed oh my god. violently irritating stuff.

thematically, i like that Meryl receives the message that it's okay to run away if you're scared from her mentor, who has literally always advocated for this while also following Meryl into trouble quite frequently. it's also very...i don't have a word for this but i see it happen often, where one character hears something alone that other characters need to hear too, that type of emotional beat; this is a message that Vash needs, and Meryl is meant to pass it to him. but it's also for her! i like that Roberto emphasizes on some level the importance of not dying for a cause, for knowing your limits and sticking to them even when the world is demanding too much from you—but then he dies for it? hmm.

this monologue from Wolfwood is very interesting, isn't it? “i don't have time to hesitate for the fear of making sacrifices, i have to make a choice. i will do anything to protect the things i cherish. i am the guide, after all... what a great babysitter i am; i managed to bring you here alive when you're always asking to get killed” oh Wolfwood i will kiss you and your Judas parallels directly on the mouth. with tongue. and feed you olives <3

“thank you for all this time” aaaaaaaaaa

he has stubble in this episode I'm about to burst into tears. i need to make a list of Wolfwood's hottest features starting with 1. betrayed the love of his life (or tried to, i suspect it won't stick) 2. STUBBLE!!!!!

KNIVES!!! also I've been really enjoying the cuts to Knives playing the piano between scenes. so beautiful, so tender. augh. brotherly reunion ;_;

i have so many thoughts about the scene between Vash and Knives but starting with “you're just trying to make up for the big fall” no honey i think it goes back further than that but also! Vash is the most guilt-ridden man of all guilt-ridden men. so yes. head full

“Nicholas, have you put down your cross?” oh they gave him a cross just for dialogue like this to hit like a truck. i get it. I'm dying fr. "and what if i have" while carrying. denial is a river in egypt

“the redemption will never end: no matter what you do, the humans will never forgive your sins before they die” okay lots to unpack there also. he's right! but also. lots to unpack

is this Knives plan with collecting the dying plants? to send them out in a blaze of glory to make Vash a plant with the ability to create? that's SO sick and twisted i love it. freak rights who is doing it like Knives Millions for his baby brother

incredibly satisfying episode, 10/10 would watch again.

[huginsmemory]

hi :) 🔥 maybe for vashwood or just trigun in general

Hello, and why thank you for the ask! This is a spicy one hahaha. Uhm, I definitely do have a few bones to pick with vashwood and trigun, and yup if you're like oh no is this about stampede (cough, low hanging fruit...) Then. Uhm. yeah it is. Sorry. I have a few thoughts about it, and why I really dislike (sorry stampede enjoyers) the choices for the characterization for Vash and Wolfwood, including the feminization of Vash. And also... how part of these characterizations are related to classical yaoi shipping dynamic tropes and how it may or may not be intentional (I'm gifting u a conspiracy haha). And then my own opinions on these changes and the reception of the new characterizations. These thoughts have been rolling around in my brain for a while but I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it since it's a bit spicy. But. Well. This is as good a sign as any.

I'll be going over the differences in Wolfwoods characterization, in Vash's characterization and his feminization in stampede, and then how this relates to yaoi shipping dynamics and Vashwood fandom reception (and my personal feelings around it...).

Also, this ended up being... Really long. Oops. I've highlighted the TLDR paragraphs in red for those who want to skim. If u want to just be like, wow spicy take with no context... Go to the last paragraph lol.

Preface and acknowledgement

I want to preface this with that I haven't actually watched Stampede, although I have quite heavily engaged with secondary material about it, ie gifs, meta posts, etc. So I suppose one can take my opinions with a grain of salt; to really form a full opinion on the series, I would have to watch stampede myself, of which I have zero time to do and maybe at one point I'll get around to. This is also why I've been reluctant to get into my thoughts... but from what I've seen of it, I've got a few bones to pick.

Yes, I may be a bit of a hater (ah... such a strong word...) but I do want to acknowledge that stampede has revived the trigun fandom, and hell, I wouldn't have read the manga without it. So credit where credits due, and it's very exciting to engage with the fandom for the first time and see it grow so much in such a short time. Also, yes, I am one of those people who watched the 98 version quite a while ago, so for me it's something that is nostalgic. Call me blinded by nostalgia all u want. If stampede is what first got you into trigun-- congrats! I'm not here to invalidate your experience; stampede is simply another iteration of trigun (even if I disagree with some of the characterizations), and I highly recommend you check out the manga as well. I'm very happy to have you here in the fandom!

Wolfwood's characterization

As some other people have noted here- stamp!ww is a bit different then ww in trimax or the 98, while the cut-copy-paste of the tragic orphange background stays the same (Nightow, you're so over the top. I love it).

Within 98 and trimax, ww is a bit rough around the edges, but is overall friendly, kind, charismatic and a bit goofy (a character trait these ww's share with Vash, which they both use it in a way to mask their darker parts of their lives). Sure, wolfwood in these iterations have zero issues calling people out on their bullshit and is willing to manipulate people around him into doing the greater good- but is shown to be gruffly genuinely caring about people when he can help (especially children), even if he still chooses to kill people when it comes down to it. This can be seen with 98!ww getting Vash to sign up for the tournament to help the single mum and her kid, and the way trimax!Wolfwood treats Milly during the midvalley fight because he's worried about her getting seriously injured, even going to the point of injuring her himself. Sure, he's not going to declare his care verbally to people, but he doesn't need to do that when he's actively doing things that clearly shows he cares for people, especially those he's created ties to, even if he chooses to be violent/forceful when he believes what he is doing is for the best.

This charismatic friendliness and kindness is generally stripped from Stamp!Wolfwood; sure, he cares deep down as is displayed by the orphange and his concern later in the series for Vash, but through his actions with others, there's a noticible lack of general feeling of kindness behind his overstepping of people boundaries compared to og!ww. As another user in here put it, Stamp!ww is a bit of a dick. He has harsh commentary to the group and one of the first things you do is see him rip off Meryl and Roberto with his undertaker job over literal dead bodies when he's introduced. Nor does he really get to be redeemed through showing his care for children, such as at the bus stop where he gives away most of his money or food to begging children, opting to go hungry himself; it instead being replaced by him giving a lolipop to Zazie... which doesn't count for shit. This post by chibivesicles does a really good job of summarizing it from the fourth episode.

ID: 3 images, each of different iterations of Wolfwood giving something away to a child. First is 98, with ww giving away two of his three food ration bars to two scruffy children, the second from the manga with ww giving away two of his three coins to two scruffy children while Vash watches on, and the third with ww offering a sucker to Zazie while Meryl and Vash watch on.

Overall, the gist I've gotten of Stampede's iteration is that they very much boxed Wolfwood into the typical anime tsundere black-haired brooding character, stripping out his previous goofy and friendly charisma as well as his general feeling of kindness to fit that character trope better.

Vash's Characterization

Vash within 98 and trimax is also pretty different from stamp!Vash; I find this difference to specifically come from stamp!Vash feeling more naive, less driven and well--a bit spineless. The differences come down to two things; Vash having a strong moral spine which he is willing to call people out on due to righteous anger and Vash being emotionally detached from the people around him. Sure, og Vash (going to just use this to refer to 98 and trigun manga together) is goofy, cheerful and shows his emotions on his sleeve, but he doesn't actually let people become close to him. It's delibrate, and most of it specifically revolves around obfuscating that he's a plant and his goal of trying to chase Knives down; thus, he adopts a lifestyle of travelling and rarely staying long in areas, and so you see that his relationship with people are pretty surface level, even through his friendliness.

Three specific incidents within the series and their differences illustrate the emotional distance, and the righteous fury of og!Vash's in comparison to stamp!Vash. This includes Vash's childhood and relationship to the people on the seeds ship after the fall, Brad questioning their trust in Vash as he isn't human, and Wolfwood killing someone to save Vash.

Firstly, for Vash's childhood after the fall, within stampede he's pretty quickly picked up by the seeds ship, which hosts him, and they immediately are able to identify that he is an independent plant. They know more about him than he knows really about himself, and they also are generally aware about the fall (although not the exact details until later). Vash is raised for a while under their tutelage, and ends up helping heal plants, overall forming bonds with them even if they treat him a bit rough in the beginning, and Luida becomes mom #2.

ID: Screenshot from tristamp, of the photo on Vash's bedroom table, of him with all the seeds ship people he was working with.

In 98, no information is really given, but presumably is something somewhat similar to trimax. In trimax, after the fall Vash literally wanders the wastes with Knives for about 70 years, until Knives cuts Vash's arm off in anger at Vash's insistence that people shouldn't be killed, even when he's literally at the mercy of a town that is going to kill him and sell his organs. It is assumed sometime not long after Vash gets picked up by the seeds ship people, as it is mentioned that theyve known him for 70 years. Vash during these 80 years is very alone, with only his brother as company who is angry and abusive, as is directly pointed out within the manga. The two of them are presumed to be eking out a living travelling around the harsh wastes, and as displayed by the human organ stealing town, it is clear that often human settlements are just another possibility of danger due to crime and violence as a result of limited resources.

ID: two manga pages. First is just a panel showing Vash's flashbacks to violent traumatic instances of his childhood, showing a montage of him yelling, holding a gun, and crouched over a man who is dead and bleeding out looking panicked and horrified.

The second page is Knives while they are traveling together in the desert, looking down at Vash and calling him over. Vash looks at Knives, and he narrates that "It was about 80 years after the fall. Time passed slowly, but we neither grew nor parted. I knew I couldn't leave him alone. That thought alone determined the distance between us." Vash and Knives are clearly distant from each other in the panel, Vash in the foreground and Knives indistinguishable other than a silhouette at the top of the sand dune in the hindground.

In comparison, although it's not easy for Vash either in stampede, his childhood is cushier and less lonely. This loneliness and harsh environment that trimax!Vash exists within adds a depth of experience to his ethics, informing his righteous anger over everything that is morally wrong and should have never been, that makes him speak out, providing him a stronger spine which stamp!Vash doesn't have. This intensely lonely part of his upbringing also gives him an emotional independence, or even detachment, from most people he interacts with, in comparison to stamp!Vash who is emotionally dependent (and seems less mature) due to his ties to the seeds ship people.

As in tristamp, the closest people to Vash in trimax are the people on the seeds ships (also Lina and her grandma, but they don't know who he is when they take him in). Although he's the most open with them (ie, they know about Knives and his plans), during the visit to the seeds ship you are still given the idea that while Vash knows everyone and cares greatly for them, Vash is still generally emotionally independent from them, and doesn't form intimate relationships with people (especially compared to stamp!Vash). Interestingly, the manga implies when they first visit that they don't know what he is exactly, just that he's functionally immortal, as that when Luida talks about him to Wolfwood, she doesn't mention that he's a plant. Overall, compared to the outside people, the people on the seeds ship know more, and are more aware of how to use the old technology (it's also something that is hinted that some of it is possibly taught to them by Vash over the years), but they are not more knowledgeable then Vash, with Vash likely about the same level or more knowledgeable then them about general 'lost tech' and plant related things. As well, the people on the seeds ship in trimax are entirely unaware of circumstances around the fall--and Vash never tells them either. The visit to the seeds ship trimax functions as a way to allow the reader to distinctly comprehend Vash's age, and how Vash is really quite a terribly lonely character, as he is doomed to watch those he cares about die (which also informs why he likely doesn't really let people get very close to him, along with practical matters). This is directly pointed out in Luida's conversation with Wolfwood and Wolfwoods own inner monologue, as well as being alluded to by Jessica's locket, and Brad's grumblings. From the explanations you get the sense that Vash is emotionally independent and in a way, detached from people's opinions of him as a result of his longevity, with his constant travelling only ensuring that.

This is very different to the relationship of stamp!Vash with the seeds ship, as Vash is shown to have emotionally dependant relationships with the people on the seeds ship, with them literally raising him as a child, and this 'parent-child' relationship is only emphasized by them knowing more than Vash does about independent plants. Instead of emphasizing how Vash is old and outside of time, the dynamic gives Vash as a character an overall young and naive slant to his character, even if they still do drop the 'he's 150 years old' line when the stamp gang visits the ship.

This emotional dependence/independence directly corroborates to the differences in Vash's response to Brad's comment on him not trusting him, as something non-human. Within stampede, as Vash is young, he flees, feeling rejected--indicating a strong emotional dependence on those on the seeds ships for acceptance of who he is. However, within Trimax, Vash acknowledges Brad's comment, and actually validates and agrees with Brad's concerns; he's aware enough that who and what he is something to be feared and suspicious of (especially as by this time, the fifth moon incident, and July has occurred) and is worried about this himself; however, he simply requests Brad to trust him in this. Trimax!Vash's is emotionally independent, from Brad's rejection, a person who is part of the community that he is closest to; he accepts what Brad says, but also stands firm on his request from the community and his continued association with them, focused on his goals of stopping Knives. It's a scene that originally shows Vash's emotional independence from what others think of him (although he is saddened by it), and displays his maturity and acceptance when others reject him for who he is.

ID: Five pages of the manga. First page, Brad (in his early 20's) scoffs at Vash being called human. Second, Brad accuses Vash as a plague bringer in light of the fifth moon incident being brought up, grabbing him by his collar. Vash closes his eyes, then looks up at Brad, gaze steely, replying, "yeah that is possible". Third page, Vash asks Brad "Won't... you trust me? Please. Brad?". Vash looks sorrowful but is serious. Fourth page, Brad responds by saying "Ones who live outside of time, huh... In thirteen years... even though my hands have grown this big... You... Haven't really changed at all". The words are over-laid on an image of Brad's small hands reaching up to Vash when he was a child, and a smaller panel has Brad looking disturbed. The fifth page has Brad angrily stomping out of the room calling out "Everyone in the older generation may trust you... But you're not convincing me!". Vash then responds by saying to the older man in the room, that "I see what you mean. From the standpoint of a normal human I must be a monster.".

This is entirely turned on its head within tristamp to a scene that displays emotional dependence on people and an inability to accept rejection, displaying a immature, self-conscious, and younger version of Vash. Obviously, he is still younger at this point, but this immaturity and emotional dependence is one that still persists within the narrative of stampede, and influences your view of Stamp!vash. One could argue that then learning the details of why the ships fell is something Vash feels more guilty about, and so takes Brad's criticism harder, and flees. However, no matter what, this is a immature reaction. Interestingly, this portrayal of Vash having an emotional dependence on humans accepting him, is quite contrary to trimax, as this trait is actually one that specifically emphasized to belong to Knives, while trimax!Vash is shown to be emotionally detached and generally uninterested in their acceptance by humans.

ID: Screencap from stampede, Vash against the door looking shocked and horrified as he hears Brad say "he's never been on the side of us humans!".

The third thing is the scene where Wolfwood kills a man for Vash. Within stampede, Rollo is killed; Vash is angry at Wolfwood for doing so, grabbing Wolfwoods collar, but with a few strong words of a reminder of the harshness of general existence from wolfwood, Vash shuts up and is shown to just be sad, if a bit withdrawn/sulky with Wolfwood. Within Trimax, this scene is technically a rolling together of multiple arcs, but specifically thematically wise is a revamp of when he faces off with Rai-dei the Blade. When Wolfwood kills Rai-dei, Vash literally slaps Wolfwood hard in anger, resulting in them get into a fight, with Wolfwood retaliating by slamming Vash down to the ground in anger, and culminating in him pressing his loaded handgun into Vash hands, pointing it at his own head, and telling him to shoot; Vash then derogatorily calls Wolfwood a coward and they break up the fight, both still very angry at each other. In this, Vash clearly has very strong morals and is unafraid to call Wolfwood out when he transgresses them, full of righteous fury. None of this anger is transposed into stamp!Vash, who just looks sad about all of it; sure, he has values, but they feel like he fumbles with them, unsure and unwilling to speak up for them in an assertive way, crumbling underneath any criticism.

ID: first image is three panels from tristamp, and second is five pages of the manga, both detailing Vash calling out Wolfwood on killing.

First of the three panels has Vash grasping ww collar, looking angry; Wolfwood says "mercy" in response to the unseen question asked by Vash. He then goes on to say "there's no way to return his humanity", and Vash is looking down, fists clenched. Wolfwood continues, saying that "at best, it's all talk" about Vash's beliefs. Vash looks hollow and distressed.

The second, the first page has ww shooting Rai-dei; Vash responds in horror. Second page has Vash slap Wolfwood, yelling "why? Why did you shoot him?! Wolfwood?", to glare up at him. Third page has ww slam Vash onto the ground, Vash looks shocked, arms around his head to protect it. Ww glares down at Vash, saying "are you really such an idiot? If I hadn't shot him, it would be you lying there." Fourth page has Wolfwood holding Vash's hand with his own handgun in it against his forehead. Wolfwood tells Vash to "SHOOT." Fifth panel has Wolfwood telling Vash that he is a chickenshit for not being able to kill him. Vash then responds by calling Wolfwood a coward.

Something that's also interesting about the righteous anger that drives og!vash, is that its specifically because of his righteous anger, that he comes very close to killing people (Monev the gale, and how he's originally in the trigun manga before trimax presumably tracking down Knives to kill him after July, to some degree the rapist in the train)--and violating his ethics. This anger--and Vash's very real possibility of him killing someone out of a feeling of righteous fury, or a feeling of just righteousness--adds further dimension to Vash as a character, because you see that he also struggles with his no kill rule, even if he staunchly stands by it. Which... without this feeling of righteous anger, it takes out Vash's dilemmas around killing others.

To summarize the above, stamp!Vash lacks the righteous anger that og!Vash has around his belief of forgiveness and second chances (of a blank ticket), and as a result fails to confront others assertively when presented with things that go against his beliefs. Stamp!Vash also lacks the emotional independence that he previously had as a result of a harsh and lonely upbringing and his travelling lifestyle and his inability to age; instead he forms an emotional dependence and connections with them. Generally, the two characters have a very different relationship with the people in the seeds ship, which makes trimax vash seem older and more mature, while Stamp!vash feels more young and naive.

Vash and Femininity

Vash as a character has always been portrayed in a somewhat feminine light; Nightow even specifically has said that he purposely designed the angel arm with feminine elements, as the act of creation is correlated to the feminine. In much the same way, plants are drawn feminine, likely to correlate to the same feminine=creation manner. Thus, his relations to the angel arm, and plants he is given a feminine slant to his character. As well, Vash is shown to be open (ie, crying in public multiple times) and shown to be (at least somewhat) emotionally competent with his emotions, as that empathy (and Rem's instructions) is the core of his belief of pacifism and no-kill policy. These emotional related traits are, well, very commonly perceived to be feminine traits. Vash is also quite pretty in a more delicate (feminine) way, especially with his teardrop mole; he's not 'ruggedly' handsome like Wolfwood, in a more traditionally 'masculine' way. As well, Vash as a character is shown to be a more passive character, as the majority of trimax and 98 has the plot occurring to Vash, rather then Vash actively seeking out and causing changes within the narrative. This passivity within the narrative also is commonly found correlated to female roles, who often aren't active agents of the narrative. This can especially be seen in comparison to active 'male' roles, such as is played out by Knives who is majorly making decisions that move the plot forward (although Knives himself has gender fuckery going on. Nightow likes gender fuckery. On a related note, I love u Elendira and I'm so sorry what they did to you in tristamp that's horrendous). This is also related to how repeatedly within trigun the issue of bodily autonomy and choice is brought up--within plants of course, but also Vash's bodily autonomy is clearly violated multiple times, such as within July, and the fifth moon incident by Knives (and this relates, and this immensely good post put it, also to Vash's insistence on not killing, which is the most ultimate form of violation of bodily autonomy). Bodily autonomy (and the lack of it) is also something deeply related to woman's issues (among others, such as general minority groups).

So overall, even within Trimax and 98, Vash is quite clearly traditionally feminine coded, as can be seen in relation to his angel arm, his emotional openness, his physical features of being 'pretty', his passivity within the narrative and his lack of bodily autonomy. However, even within these feminine traits, og!Vash still comes off as masculine; the breadth of his shoulders and triangle shaped body indicates that, as well as his righteous anger and willingness to speak up against ethical issues are typically seen as masculine traits. Within 98 and trimax he's essentially coded as a feminine-leaning man.

Stamp!Vash however, is a different can of worms. His character still carries the feminine traits as is detailed above, but as previously discussed, specifically lacks the righteous anger that gives og!Vash a backbone and a willingness to stand up for transgressions against his ethics. This further emphasis on passivity of Vash strips him of one of the defining 'masculine' traits of anger, further sliding him along the masculine-feminine spectrum to a more feminine character. As well, with the character revamp making Vash more lithe, rather then giving him broad shoulders, and his hair cut is more of a non-binary haircut vs something that could be argued to be more masculine, further effeminates him as a character. Not to mention the work he's been doing, which is being a plant engineer, specifically involves with caring for and nurturing plants--which directly correlates to a emotionally sensitive nurturing role, one which it is also correlated to a feminine role. This especially so when it's shown that this iteration of Vash is clearly emotionally sensitive too and dependant on the people from the seeds ship, another 'feminine' trait. As well, within stampedes Vash rarely fires his gun... In comparison to 98 and trimax, where you see him fire it quite frequently, to incapacitate people. Comfort with firing a gun, and just general use of a weapon is another traditionally masculine trait. Overall, Vash within Stampede is almost entirely devoid of any masculine traits and is comprised of almost all feminine traits--passive both in narrative and in character, feminine in his work, his build, his goddamn haircut, his bodily autonomy-- with basically the only thing not is that he's not canonically female.

Stamp!Vash feminization and Fandom Reception

This has quite obviously been picked up by the fandom, with many people with trans!Vash headcanons. As per my experience of generally keeping an eye on the ao3 feed, in fact, a large majority of Vashwood fanfiction is of afab trans Vash, with another majority of xeno/intersex Vash; in fact, it's a rarity to find a fic specifically detailing a non trans or intersex Vash within the newer AO3 works. Interestingly, this is quite different then the works previously found within Vashwood on AO3, pre-stamp; these works are primarily with a amab non-trans Vash. It'd be interesting to actually run the numbers, but I'm too lazy to do that. This difference I've observed within pre and post stamp I bet is a result of these changes to Vash's character, making him more feminine--and more likely to be pegged (pun intended) as a trans or intersex character, especially one that has a vagina (specifically, vaginal sex within explicit fics is a very common tag within the Vashwood ao3 feed).

Stamp!Vashwood and Yaoi Tropes

Something that has been personally mildly bugging me about the stampede vashwood is the common yaoi trope of when there are two gay characters, one needs to assume to traditionally feminine role (nurturing, emotional, passive), while the other keeps the traditionally masculine role (in charge, often unable/unwilling to express emotions ) within the relationship. As well, a popular trope within the traditionally masculine role is for the character to be tsundere, heavily leaning into the character being emotionally incompetent and just generally being a dick. This... almost too well fits the changes to both Vash and Wolfwoods characters. Stamp!Wolfwood is now squarely a tsundere and a bit of a dick, as well as dark and brooding, rather then a charming if gruff and rough around the edges character that is goofy and kind (but still dark and brooding). In the meantime, Vash is further feminized, his righteous anger replaced by passivity, fitting that role of a female character perhaps a little too well.

The rest of stampede has been heavily revamped to cater to a modern Japanese audience; this can be seen with the use of Japanese ranking systems within the Eye of Micheal that didn't exist, the stripping of a lot of Christian themes from the show, the swap to a sci-fi genre instead of western and the re-vamping of the character designs. In a similar way, revamping the characters into character types and tropes the Japanese audience is familiar with wouldn't be a stretch; and especially so tropes found within yaoi that very easily can invite shipping, if you as a director recognize the potential of Vashwood as a ship to get people invested into a show. Which, quite evidently, the director may aware of, as he's been liking copious amounts of fanart, including Vashwood. He also has a quote attributed to him about how Vash acts as both a female and male character. So, did the feminization of Vash and heavily emphasized tsundere attitude of Wolfwood come about as (at least a part of) a result of a yaoi bait ploy to get people invested into tristamp? Honestly, I don't know, but it fits the tropes so well that some parts of the stamp!vashwood rubs me the wrong way (even if I'm marinating myself within the fandom). It's especially fishy that one of the people involved with the production is liking vashwood stuff shows that people involved in making decisions for the show are aware (and even encouraging) the ship. The fandoms also been around for quite a while, so it would be easy enough to tap into the fandom to see what was popular--and what they could potentially exploit. Interestingly, the way they're setting up tristamp also leans into yaoi bait for Knives x Vash as well, heavily leaning into Knives being like 'everything I did was for you Vash' in an obvious way, which wasn't really the case with trimax... But that's another can of worms. More attention, the better I suppose.

If it's true, characters where changed for more shipping potential, does this matter really? In a grand scheme of things, no. I mean, yaoi bait is obviously utilized in many anime media, just look at Drrr! and the shizuo x izaya ship. The author is plenty aware of what they are doing and leaning hard into it, knowing its popularity, and exploiting that. So it goes. Obviously, its not necessarily a 'bad change' if they decided to change the characters partly for shipping; that's something people get to decide for themselves. Besides, this new iteration of trigun with a more feminine Vash allows for a heavier emphasis on bodily autonomy, especially in regards to femininity as that one post linked above goes into. However, that said, does it matter to me, who is chewing through drywall thinking about the complexities of Wolfwood and Vash and their relationship in trimax? Yeah, absolutely. A little more on that below.

Personal opinions on everything above

If you don't want to read me griping on personally about tristamp then you can just skip this section. It's just me being boring and predictable.

Personally, I miss the og versions of Wolfwood and Vash; I miss the righteous anger that Vash has, I miss their designs and big shoulders and Wolfwoods goofiness and kindness. As well, as much as I love the trans headcanons that are coming out of stampede, as a masc leaning NB individual I really enjoyed the masculine but also emotionally sensitive version of Vash. This especially so as a part of me feels uncomfortable that people look at a male character that is essentially fulfilling a feminine role and go, oh, he's an afab transman, specifically because of his close connotations with femininity. Like, fuck gender expectations and norms and all that, but for me I'm a bit uncomfortable with that assertion (btw this is not me being like u guys need to stop--we're all allowed our opinions, and y'all seem to be enjoying yourself, so go ham I guess). Also, just personally, I've never particularly identified with feminine characters, especially passive female characters, which stamp!Vash very much feels like.

Perhaps part of it is also that I relate a great amount to og!Vash's righteous anger over everything that is occurring, being a part of a cultural minority myself, and being so terribly angry over how I've seen my people be treated. I've also got an abusive sibling with anger issues that lashes out, so seeing Vash struggle with his relationship with Knives, being so terribly angry over everything Knives has put him through (technically, more about others then himself but I digress), along with his confusion and dilemma over still caring about and loving his sibling is also so very validating. So stripping that underlying righteous anger about everything to just make him sad™ makes him less relatable to me. Where is your anger over everything??? where is it?? Come on man, bare your teeth to the world.

Maybe also part of it is also related to just... acknowledging that male characters can be kind. This is probably related to why I dislike that ww has just become a tsundere and kind of a dick. Give him his friendly charisma and kindness back u cowards, I'll beat you with a stick. Dark brooding tsundere's are dime a dozen! Rough around the edges and dangerous but still kind and a bit silly and friendly men who are riddled with guilt? Shiningly beautiful.

Overall, all meta analysis and conspiracy theories (character flattening of wolfwood and vash to fit yaoi tropes) aside, I guess what I'm trying to say is that my 🔥 spicy 🔥 trigun/vashwood opinion is that I don't particularly like this very heavily feminized version of Vash which the fandom seems to be quite happily enjoying. This is both because his righteous anger is stripped out which I relate too and that I (masc NB) feel somewhat uncomfortable that he's often considered a afab transman due to specifically his feminine traits.

EDIT (MAR 27): a post script with further thoughts I suppose, especially after reading this post by @paiteyy , which describes the stripping of more canonical queerness within Stampede--and the way specifically that Meryl seems to be given some of Wolfwoods roles from trimax, in relation to likely making her stampedes 'canonical' ship... in comparison to how trimax Wolfwood and Vash spend a majority of the time together and form deep emotional connections. If they are rearranging tristamp to further cement Meryl into a heavier role of love interest, then it would make sense for her to take over some of Wolfwoods actions. This also falls in line with how they've gone out of their way to give Meryl a bigger backstory and create conditions for character growth... while simultaneously simplifying many of the other characters, especially Wolfwood. Interestingly, this actually falls in line with the tristamp creators being very invested and shuffling things around to fit shipping tropes to rope in a bigger audience; by moving Meryl to the front they can get a canonical het ship for the general audience (much like the 98 version did in a way--cause clearly every show the mc needs a clear love interest), while also ensuring to lean into sub-textual yaoi tropes to rope in others which would be interested in queer ships.

Also photo ID's were added :D

PLUS: here's the link to more of my meta posts if you liked this.

[hikennosabo]

trimax volume 6 random thoughts

chapter 1:

oh, hey, it's the guy from the 98 anime!..... or not?!

i'm not keeping track of this TOO closely, so there may be other instances of this that i missed, but the guy from 98 episode 1 also showed up in trimax chapter 7. it makes me wonder if nightow provided character designs/ideas to the 98 team, or if it's the other way around and he decided to incorporate anime-original characters into the manga. either way: neat!

HAVE I MENTIONED I LOVE MERYL, BY THE WAY.

i love the bits of characterization we've been getting for her. she (and milly) are our tie to humanity, after all

i must say it is nice to have a goofy fight after... all that in volume 5. and before... the rest of volume 6.

chapter 2:

aaaand now we start the next chapter with wolfwood's nightmare/flashback! hurts just a little bit! (the trio IS kinda serving tho ngl... when you have a fashion show at 7 but need to terrorize the orphanage at 6)

^ completely and 100% unironically, they were in love here.

i just... ugh. this is such a vashwood chapter. the absolute trust and fighting together completely seamlessly, they are just. ugh. ughhhhh. this kind of trust just GETS to me.... sorry. i'm normal about them. i'm NORMALLLLLLaauughghghgh

ANYWAY. chekhov's table made me laugh

i am physically restraining myself from going crazy over vw again as i reread this chapter to write this post.

anyway anyway. ww calling himself "nicholas" is cute :)

just kidding one more vw comment as a treat

HE'S SO IN LOVE. FUUUUUCK.

chapter 3:

legato continues to be fascinating to me. i'm observing him like a bug in a jar. which is appropriate, considering...

WHEN I CALLED HIM A BAGWORM IN THAT ONE POST I WAS JOKINGGGGG I WAS JOKING!!! THIS MADE ME LAUGH FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES STRAIGHT WHY DID SHE HANG HIM FROM THE CEILINGGGG IT'S SO FUNNY

this is actually making me fucking cry.

...i got so distracted laughing at bagworm legato that i almost forgot to say literally anything else about the chapter, but anything else i have to say mostly boils down to "wow, legato is such a freak (affectionate)"

also, whenever something that was in tristamp is brought up i feel like the leonardo dicaprio pointing meme. like "oh hey, i know this!" going into this manga with prior knowledge from stampede is... an interesting experience. all that being said, i can't WAIT to see more of the manga version of double fang. oh nightow we're really in it now

chapter 4:

oh, finally, FINALLY!!! last volume i asked where the knives nuance was and now we're FINALLY getting some knuance, thank god. seeing knives react to just how badly humans treat plants is SO effective. and we're not even up to the juicy part yet. it makes me want to eat glass.

speaking of eating glass.

i thought something like this might've been the case, but still... this hurts to read.

i want to eat glass!!!! fuck!!! this reveal is so insane, it's like monkey's paw of "this is a way knives can be defeated, but by the same method, vash is closer to death than knives is." WE don't want vash to die, and neither does knives, and this chapter is the first (and possibly the only, idk) time the reader's feelings and knives's feelings are... well, aligned. at least in a sense.

chapter 5:

this chapter is really something, because it starts off almost seeming like another lighthearted "we're in a random town fighting a goofy enemy of the month" romp much like the early chapters were, heck like chapter 1 of this very volume. but it's just wearing the skin of that. which is, y'know. the thesis of this entire chapter. smiling to hide the pain and all that.

i don't think i can really... articulate anything of substance. the chapter just kind of... speaks for itself, i think.

although i DID laugh at ww trying to enjoy his noodles and failing, and also the phrase "needle-noggin-isms." thanks for providing some levity, we actually really do need it.

chapter 6:

ohhh boy we are REALLY in it now!!

i enjoy seeing knives ponder like this. legs crossed, arm slung over his face... i don't know. maybe it's because i myself sometimes lounge in this pose.

what exactly is he thinking about, i wonder. that in awakening/forcing vash to use his powers, he unintentionally pushed him closer to death? maybe? i don't know. either way it's very on-the-nose for what their relationship has been like.

and then of course we cut to this shot of vash, looking in a mirror created by knives's slice

this shot is making me think a lot and i'm reading too much into it, but- obviously the reflection puts vash's beauty mark on the opposite side, so there's the knives resemblance, so also, i suppose vash must see knives every time he looks in the mirror, right? also vash looking at his reflection featuring his own black hair- which we're all still thinking about... i dont know. i dont even know if this is anything LOL. i feel like i have the dots but i'm failing to articulate the connection. anyway

this made me laugh. thanks for the levity again, wolfwood :)

BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA NEED ALL THE COMIC RELIEF WE CAN GET, BABY!!!

maybe i'm just insane for this because it's Generic Party Imagery but the specific combination of rem flashback + party popper + funny glasses makes me think of the similar scene in 98 when the seeds crew celebrates finding planet gunsmoke. like is this another instance of nightow nabbing stuff from 98 or am i just making things up.

the twins are so cute and baby knives smiles so much, i want to microwave myself.

knives wants to believe in humanity. man. MAN!!!!!

what comes next... i'm absolutely carrying my prior stampede knowledge into this, but fuck, man. fuck. even then, i know that stampede didn't show everything, so i don't even fully know what to expect. which is fun! but i can't believe the volume ends right in the middle of the flashback, MAN!!!

[venjamyra]

Trigun spoilers!! (Maximum and Stampede)

Ok, I'm gonna talk about the whole *trying to get someone to shoot you to prove that they actually believe what they're saying* thing as its been presented so far in tristamp and compare it to trimax. It's not super comprehensive, mostly based on the scene with Vash and Wolfwood in vol 2 of maximum and episode 10 in stampede with Meryl, Roberto, and Conrad.

Ok, so I'm re-reading trimax while re-watching tristamp as my roomate watches it, and I noticed this. Here, Wolfwood says "If you really believe I'm wrong, pull the trigger." He wants Vash to shoot/kill him to prove his resolve.

Here, Conrad seems to ask Meryl and Roberto the same. If Meryl really thinks he's a monster who is killing and torturing, she should kill him in order to stop him. If she really believes that, she should kill him.

These are two instances of a character asking to be killed by a person who criticized them (in trimax for killing Rai-Dei, and in tristamp for torturing/experimenting on children), so that they can prove their resolve.

Of course these are different situations. Even in that panel, Wolfwood wants Vash to kill him so that Vash can do it again, to save himself in the future. Wolfwood wants Vash to be able to protect himself. He thinks that it would be just to die to teach Vash how to live. Whereas Conrad really doesn't want Meryl to shoot him. He even justifies himself, "But before you strike me down, know that you're eliminating a world of possibilities."

I think these similarities say more about Vash and Meryl's characterization in relation to each other than Wolfwood and Conrad. Vash responds like this:

He is actively refuting Wolfwood. No, he's obviously not going to shoot him, but he has an answer. On the next page he says "You... told me back then... that my face looked better with a real smile. If you could see yourself through my eyes now... you'd see a man forcing himself to play the devil while his own heart cries out." Vash sees through Wolfwood. He sees Wolfwood's concern and kind personality and how he tries to justify his actions and life experiences.

In comparison, Meryl in tristamp, also is obviously not going to shoot Conrad, but she doesn't seem to have an answer to that. She says "poor baby" about Elendira, but doesn't really respond to Conrad. (Granted, she might've had time to come up with one if Elendira didn't start attacking them. Or she might not have considered Conrad worth a response.) Interestingly, Roberto does have an answer.

I admit I am biased toward trimax over tristamp, but I do love how they work with Meryl's character in tristamp. In this way, we can see her contrasted with Vash's personality. She holds similar ideals to him, but Vash (as a 150-something year old) knows his ideals, and he knows what he believes, why he believes it, etc. Meryl, however is still learning. Roberto is teaching her.

This is a different perspective than Vash (again, they are talking to different people about different beliefs, but still). Vash responds by pulling at the fact that Wolfwood shouldn't want to die to better other people, but the fact that he does shows some good in him. He wants to be good (kind, helpful), but he expresses it in a way that makes it seem like he's being cruel. Vash points that out, that Wolfwood doesn't have to resort to this. However, Roberto doesn't point out the specific action of asking to be shot to prove a point but Conrad's hypocrisy. While Vash points out the action, Roberto points out the reasoning behind it.

Vash gets Wolfwood wanting to protect and help him, just not the action of getting him to shoot him. Roberto doesn't really acknowledge the asking to get shot part, but the fact that Conrad isn't and won't help anyone.

So yeah, I don't have a complete conclusion to what I think about this, but I thought it was interesting. I think it could be a cool insight into how Roberto influence's Meryl's worldview in tristamp and how it is both similar and differs from Vash.

Like, if tristamp Meryl was placed in Vash's shoes in this scene in the manga, Wolfwood asking her to shoot him to prove that killing is bad, how would she respond? Would she take a page out of Roberto's book and instead of pointing out what Vash does (You don't have to act cruel to get your kindness across), she might point out that killing him wouldn't make killing anyone else easier or some inconsistency with his logic.

Whereas Vash is more emotionally-focused (what feelings are here and where do they come from), Meryl is more logically-focused (the world doesn't work like that), which originates from Roberto? (And the purpose of it coming from Roberto is just to make it more obvious, there's a story to this part of her personality that we can see, so we are more aware?)

Let me know your thoughts, I could be totally wrong, I just got excited when I noticed the similarities in these scenes.

[succ-my-coke]

Trigun Stampede ep 1

-THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TRUGUN STAMPEDE!!!!-

I gotta say that the first episode of this remake is really living up to my hopes and dreams. While a shall forever be disappointed that it’s not a full redo I’ll be content with this I think. I’m gonna talk about my thoughts/feelings/observations about the new series and what’s different so far. THIS IS NOT A SUMMARY

Characters

1. Vash - I’m loving his characterization right off the bat, he’s goofy, kind, and has his serious moments, pretty true to his original character. I do like however that he doesn’t seem as jaded(so far) because they seem to be portraying him as younger than he was in the original. His introduction of a batshit evil laugh was amazing honestly. I had some initial issues with his redesign but I think it meshes well with the character. His arm being addressed and then instantly being used to make a joke was great honestly, very on brand. I think it’s really interesting that they are having him be more actively involved with the plants and their upkeep unlike the original where he only interfered occasionally.

2. Meryl - so far I feel like Meryl has been changed the most. She’s much younger in this, it’s called out specifically that she just graduated from a fancy school and seems to be very naive. Nothing at all like the original character. She does have her stubbornness and morals which is good and I think her over all character here will mesh well but may not be as bad ass and the original Meryl. Her design though is kickass and very reflective of how young she is

3. Roberto De Niro - A new character! One that I have nothing to compare against! I think he’s really ingesting so far. Obviously very jaded and aware of the how bad the world is but Al’s has some sense of morals. He doesn’t seem to be a reporter that cares about leads to much but he does know how to throw his status around and use it to help out.

4. Knives - we saw very little of him in this episode but what we did see was pretty cut and dry evil. He’s got and evil organ and some control over the wildlife of the planet, using it to spy on his brother. I did like the larger emphasis on him attempting to have Rem be saved as well as them. His design is extremely interesting when compared to Vash’s. Knives completely seems to embrace his inhuman tech side while Vash is trying very hard to look human.

Observations

1. I found the pacing interesting for the first episode. There’s already some man ikr things being addressed such as the plants and Knives and their connection to Vash. The new series obviously isn’t shying away from these things like the original material did and it makes me wonder about how the plot progression is going to go.

2. I am likening all things being used, the setting of Jenora rock and the references to the city of Julai (July I believe) and the direct reference to the Bad Lads gang. Speaking of which I am truly excited for the possibility or brilliant dynamites neon to be animated in this way I think it would be spectacular on all levels.

3. The people of jenora rock are used in two ways I think. 1. To show that Vash is a good guy and not what he seems to be despite his bounty. And he’s known for things despite his crimes. 2. That while the legend of the humanoid typhoon is widespread the bounty is not common knowledge.

4. The design for the plants are completely new as far as we’ve seen. I’m looking forward to seeing how they are going to address the design of the plants themselves, the original anime made them seem a little more monstrous than angelic and the manga was more angelic that human so I wonder agent they will look like. I also can’t wait to see what the red plant means.

5. The entire scene where Vash is begging for a bullet from anyone already shows so many things. The first being that Vash is a complete goof. The second being that Meryl has a strong sense of involvement with things, unlike her mentor. The third being that people are willing to help him even with his bounty, this being shown by Rosa giving a bullet to him. Also the scene is a great call back to the first episode of the original anime where something similar happens with Vash in a tight spot with no bullets however he has no one to help him out there.

Overall I’m really pleased with the start of the new adaptation and I’ll see you all on the 14th for episode 2!

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💞

tagged by: @erstwhilesparrow, thanks!!

all of the following fics are rated E for explicit nasty trigun sex, among other things.

one last run

my magnum opus; my postcanon vk thesis. this is the kind of fic you read when you're having a shit day and you want to feel even shittier before the final act catharsis makes all of it worth it. it's a story about the dirty shame of loving someone who doesn't deserve it; it's about grief; it's about wanting to end it all and the two different roads you could take from that. but more than all the ugly fighting and crying it's about the life that blooms out from between those things.

one of its first readers told me that despite being a major character death fic, it made them feel better by the end, and despite the premise being a final devastating road trip, it's really about the love and laughter that happens in spite of all that. dunno if i'll ever reach this kind of writing again. regardless, give it a read if any of this appeals to you.

leave the shells for the crows

wrote this over the course of several months. this is what you get after you watch trigun stampede's finale, devilman crybaby, and madk back to back: noncon subverted and erotic gore turned to the max. do you like wound fucking? suicidal impulses but sexy? knife play? it's here, it's queer, it's incestuous and by god, it commits to the bit. read this for the weirdest wank session of your life. knives gets to top, but at what cost?

apostate baptisms

wrote this one for a friend. a single snapshot of obscene tenderness (hair washing; bathing) subverted by obscene violence (your little brother shot bullet holes through your thighs and now you're goading him into throttling you in the bathroom). probably my best characterization of vash the stampede out of everything i've ever written. it's sexy, it's heartwrenching, and there's love in spite of it all. maybe there's a way forward. maybe, maybe, maybe. momcon if you squint but there's plenty of twincest to go around.

sparrowsong

a bit of a departure from the other four fics here: a mostly canon-compliant companion piece to trigun stampede with a romeryl focus. one reviewer summarized it as "old man fights his lust and loses." it's 12k of fierce eyed, pretty girl, no-nonsense idealist meryl stryfe trying to get into her senpai's pants. your typical age gap romance with the soft missionary sex to back it up. the ending takes the coward's way out without an ounce of shame, but i like to think it still hits like a truck.

abel with the rock upraised

plantwood feelings, written for an exchange. you ever had a thing for your boss and his brother, who happens to be your target? no? good, because it's not like wolfwood is dealing with it well. neither is vash, who has loved knives for longer than anyone on this planet has been alive this is mostly a vashwood fic with a lot of yearning for millions knives (evil, irredeemable) haunting the story. i might as well spoil it--this is a story where vash kills his twin and wolfwood gets to watch. no one is happy, everyone is miserable, and the only reprieve is death. but hey! at least wolfwood gives great head!

tagging: anyone who sees this and wants to do it! self promo your shit, guys! i support you!!

[myrcci]

Trigun Stampede final thoughts tldr didnt love it

it was bad. Not terrible honestly, but as a fan of the series it’s really hard to appreciate Stampede when the original message so thoroughly crafted in the 98 anime was just thrown to the side like it was. I can’t say I’ve read the manga either but I did do some digging and was informed of some of the key points and details that are explored in there as well.

I do want to point out some of the positives of the show first since I think it deserves them because it did some things good. The action shots were incredibly dynamic and utterly beautiful to look at, we got to explore more of some of the side characters and world building which was satisfying, and the animation was overall really smooth and is a really nice refreshing update to Trigun. And if you put this show in a vacuum you’d honestly probably have a really cool, interesting, engaging sci-fi western in its own right.

But this show doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and even thought it’s a re-imagining it almost completely treads on most if not everything the source material gave us. Meryl’s characterization gets a huge downgrade as her role in the story is greatly reduced and her design is downgraded. Wolfwood’s character becomes more twisted. Vash the man himself is kind of reduced to his more extreme qualities rather than his much deeper character. Knives as an antagonist loses his mysterious air and more feels like a typical big strong bad guy. And overall it feels like at it’s core the show lost the central theme of Trigun, the main message, the meaning behind it all. It feels like Stampede tried to grasp it, but instead just used it as motivation instead of a theme. That being the enduring spirit of humanity, the infinite love and violence that we are capable of. One of Vash’s shining characteristics is that he’s great at socializing, he’s funny, he listens and cares. And furthermore he hides a lot of regret and disgust towards himself which he hides well, but is constantly shown rather then told. It’s his ideal to both take on responsibility and not get too close to people that’s constantly tearing him apart and which makes him compelling and relatable. Vash is an incredibly deep character who I can’t even begin to cover completely or due justice but the thing to know about him is that despite everything Vash displays undeniably incredibly human qualities of love and grit. And it feels like Stampede overlooks those qualities to deliver a main character who instead carries a burden to usher a compelling story rather than a character. Stampede presents you with a goofy yet capable man constantly under stress but is ultimately very one dimensional in terms of his ideals and character compared to 98 Vash. And lest we forget the side characters, Meryl who’s role for the most part has been reduced to nagging woman when previously she was a pretty impressive character. Wolfwood, who remains a foil to Vash but now instead of being a raging catholic with a sense of good and evil he just seems to be depressed and unhappy, albeit a closer interpretation to the manga much to my own chagrin. Roberto is a new addition and takes on the role of the sole responsible character and narrator, replacing Meryl in that regard, though otherwise he’s not an unwelcome addition as he provides a much appreciated contrast of a very jaded experienced individual. And of course Millie is nowhere to be seen, hinted at in the final minutes of the show I am both saddened by the lack of heart and almost glad I didn’t have to watch her character butchered much like everyone elses. What I really enjoyed about the 98 anime, besides the goofy stints Vash got into, was just the raw and concise range of human emotion and value on human life the show constantly put in front of your face at every waking moment. Every conflict put the pressure of a very real tragedy in the air and made sure you didn’t forget. Vash would have to use every resource he had to save as many people he could, not just his gun slinging, and every win and loss was thoroughly felt. Knives was a more understandable villain, Meryl and Wolfwood were much more captivating and interesting, and Vash feels much more human in the end. Ultimately, I can’t say Stampede was a bad show. It did a lot of things right with what it had and would be interesting in it’s own right. But conversely, I can’t say I personally liked it as an adaptation of Trigun, and in fact feel like it dropped the ball in almost every category I appreciate about the franchise. However, in the end, that’s just the conclusion I came too based on my own reading and experiences, and this is just the long and short of my amateur analysis of Trigun. Good action, bad at what it was trying to be.

[eshtaresht]

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now 📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?  🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

thanks lots for the ask!!

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

got accepted to my department of choice at uni!

my dog is staying with me for a week!!

I've been seeing my friends more often lately :3

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?

won't copy the text here because it was a messy 1 am note, but it was an idea for a scene where after a heated argument amongst polyguns milly tells vash something in the lines of "why are you trying to push everyone away we literally love you" and he. has a moment about it

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

*sigh* I mean, it's a shriek into the void at this point, but wolfwood is not some macho he's lame and awkward and scared half the time the fandom literally fell for his act!!!! it really shouldn't be as unpopular of an opinion when it's just. his canonical characterization

p. s. now what's probably more of a popular opinion of an unpopular character is the fact that milly thompson is so damn great she's childishly kind she's devilishly perceptive, she's delightfully autistic and she's in! on! the bit!! I love her to death and she serves crucial role in the main 4 trigun character dynamic and this is why even in stampede mashwood will always turn into polygun in this essay I will... [I'm being dragged away]

[jenn-the-mostly-harmless]

I don't want to get caught up in evaluating whether the old show is better than the new show, but I've been thinking lately about how wildly different the Trigun animes are.

The new show characterizes everyone very differently than the old one did. In the old version, Vash has this facade that he's carrying, a jokester silly man act to hide how fucked up things have been for him and how sad he really is. He also gets the chance to save some people now and then, and that's important, because it's what keeps him holding on. If he never saved anyone, the despair would be overwhelming and he might stop trying.

In the newer show, it's all out in the open. He starts as a sad boy, and he doesn't really save anyone. Some people survive, but it's not the same thing, there's little or no catharsis for his character. His experience is so bleak and his sorrow so obvious that I found it jarring when he was silly.

Meryl is different too. In the old version, she's a badass who has a shit ton of derringer pistols in her cloak because she knows the world is dangerous. She's savvy and prepared for anyone and everyone to try to fuck her over. She literally lives in a world so dangerous that following Vash the stampede to keep her job is worth it to her, and she keeps Vash at arms length for a long time because of all that.

In the new version she's basically Lois Lane. Other people fight and die for her as she naively follows Vash because she...thinks he's newsworthy? I found it hard to understand her motivation. She's also no longer the leader or the senior in her coworking relationship.

And then there's Milly from the old version. I loved her simply on big girl rules, so I'm definitely biased, but that said, she also brought an important humanity to the team. Milly was there to remind you that even though the world of the story is mean and desperate, there are still nice people who can treat others kindly. Talk softly, carry a big gun.

So how does Roberto De Niro (yeah, they really named him after the actor) stand up to Milly? He's mostly looking out for himself, but I guess he has fatherly feelings for Meryl, or he wouldn't keep shlupping along with her. I don't know, I found him and his motivations mysterious and eye-rolling. Is he a hard ass that is only doing a job, or someone who actually cares about all this?

But it's not just the characters, I'd argue the very plot is characterized differently. The first anime is all about characterization and spends a lot of time with the characters before getting to the broody sci-fi stuff, which only happens toward the very end. A lot of people who watched it when it came out won't even remember the darker sci-fi stuff because it was aired on old school tv and they just missed an episode here or there.

The new one is almost entirely concerned with the darker sci-fi plot, which is really interesting, but their characterization suffers for it. The action scenes are more impressive, but perhaps less fun. There isn't a lot of mystery to Vash's past in the newer version, but it definitely does a better job of telling the sci-fi part of the story than the first one did.

I haven't read the manga, this is just what I got from watching both animes recently. I find I like them both for different reasons, but it does make me want to read the manga to see how each compares to the original concept. It's easy to get tied down to the first way you meet a fictional character, but it's important to remember that they aren't real people and they change based on who is writing them. If I say I like Batman, am I talking about Adam West's version or Frank Miller's?

[kitsoa]

I once again got the urge to work on my Trigun Stampede Broadway Musical Concept. But I feel it requires me to do more research on musicals. Expand my horizons for the music references.

For the record, I'm thinking about writing an outline with the song concepts and summarizing how they progress or move the plot. Note the changes in characterization and make a little Bible of ideas on how to bring it to life like effects and costumes.

There would also be song references from other musicals, not necessarily the content of the song but the mood and style mixed with notes on instrumentation or allusions to the tristamp ost.

Finally I would make a playbill cover. Cause most musicals do stylized iconic renderings that don't depict detailed actors for the sake of a rotating cast.

I just have to decide how overtly gay we are getting cuz the vashwood dynamic would be the real heart of the narrative. It would be very subversive to not be explicit with a romantic subplot but we could maintain the emotional core of all the relationships regardless.

But omg I'm reviewing some dialogue from trimax and like there would be no way to drop some of these lines in song and not feel a romantic motif. Song does that lol. These guys have to be the emotional backbone.

At the risk of sounding heteronormative, Meryl would need a narrative upgrade as the sole female lead... I know romance is not my only choice here but it is the musical trope satisfying one. I'm gonna try to avoid it. Even though I have a real soft spot for vashmeryl.

She is the audience insert character and I would have to do well to make her not passive but maybe grow towards something in her relationship to parallel the themes of human nature, in a way that tristamp couldn't/ didnt have the air time to do. Maybe mess with her motives a bit, give her some kind of commentary on the setting and have her make an active choice, maybe in the plant reveal turn of the narrative (which is an act 1 finale thing as of now, act 2 is flashback and maybe an original escalating plotline). This isn't corrective by any means, I love Meryl but the engagement in a musical setting is very different.

I know for a fact that I'll have to rearrange some things and combine some ideas from even the tristamp formula. Mainly to fit into the 2 act format or accommodate the flow and set.

I'm rambling but most musicals don't have lore and tristamp has lore and I think it could be really really effective and cool. Ahhh this is just an excuse to listen to a bunch if show tunes.

Anywhere, does this sound interesting or am I just crazy? The right kind of crazy?

[firein-thesky]

ooh, i'd love to hear more about your opinions on trigun once i make it through both properties! but for the moment -pulls up a chair and sits down- okay buckle up cielo

i guess to start, i do agree even without seeing the remake yet, 90s anime have a certain charm to them that modern anime just doesn't have! beautiful art style, animation, intricate backgrounds and unique designs etc

unfortunately, i dont have the love for space westerns that you do, and i think that bit me in the butt in terms of engagement at first LOL i skimmed through the first 4 episodes before something about episode 5 kinda hit me and i forced myself to sit through all 4 episodes again properly. the most slowest of plot burns. im dying, im begging for scraps. (episodic episodes, my hell, my nemesis)

BUT what really tides me over is the characters!! vash as the forefront, is of course, the most soggiest man i've ever met. he's so goofy and the show loves to use him physical slapstick humor (which can be a bit much for me) but it sharply contrasts his more serious moments. hes also very intelligent?? like he's so silly but also highly competent when the situation calls for it, and also very observant. he's a funny lil guy. but also he's fucked up i bet.

like sometimes there are just such juicy little nuggets of characterization when characters actually talk to each other that i just have to sigh and follow the trail and see where it leads me

there's a moment between wolfwood and vash that just stops me in my tracks because it's so. humanizing and quiet and Good. Vash watches Wolfwood do an act of genuine kindness when at first he appeared as some lackadaisical, salespriest and vash just smiles watching it and wolfwood immediately clocks him and says he's surprised vash /could/ grin so genuinely, because the rest of the time his smiles are so empty behind the eyes. Vash is a person who hides a lot of pain and struggle behind a veneer of cheer.

ALSO, about Wolfwood!!! yes okay, i have to say, i've SEEN the wolfwood in stampede and im so mad. they gave him a nose job!!! i hate that, i love his big ol honker!!! bring it back

okay i have to end it here or i'll go on forever, overall, i wouldn't personally have gravitated towards trigun by myself, BUT i am having fun, i love the characters, and im desperate for more plot

was so happy to see your ask with more of your thoughts 💕

okay that's fair!! space westerns are very Niche in some ways. and also episodic storytelling is like...a dead artform atp lol. i feel like we haven't seen it in awhile!! i personally have a sense of nostalgia for it and actually really enjoy it! i watched cowboy bebop recently too and...i think it just reminded me of how good episodic storytelling can be. but i get it can be slow!! esp nowadays when we're used to almost cinematic/film storytelling? i feel like tv shows now are like really long movies just broken up a little. cowboy bebop took me a second to get into too because i also was like....oh episodic storytelling you slowpoke.

but god yes THE CHARACTERS. vash especially. what an incredible main character. i love his lil slogan ab himself lol a stoic peaceful gunslinger searching for the allusive mayfly of love or whatever it is. he's just wonderful to watch!! and honestly i really love meryl too. i like this iteration where shes got a bit more sass and bite than the new one. i get her motivations have changed between og and the new one so her attitude might too but. i really like og meryl right now.

and that moment between wolfwood and vash is such a good one!! honestly they have a lot of really wonderful interactions. really enjoyed the interactions between wolfwood and millie too. i think part of the reason i love and miss episodic storytelling/tv shows is because it allows a little more room for character/relationship building, you know? i think the og does a really nice job of it.

new wolfwood they just....kinda botched. especially in the appearance department. give him his nose!! don't make him look so pretty!! wtf is that outfit!!

well thank you for your thoughts friend!! and im glad you are enjoying trigun!!! you'll have to update me on your thoughts as you continue to watch!!

[adventures-written]

💕

Positivity

@mythoustales

EVEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok. Evee is a good bean.

Firstly, she is very welcoming and approachable. She is patient and doesn't get annoyed at all with my pestering. I welcome everything she has to offer because the creativity from her is AMAZING.

And can I just point you to their other blogs for a sec? @epilvgue, @glvtted, @indevendent. Look at these beans! Evee's characterization and ideas around these characters is amazing. She plays psycho really well, but also...soft (yet terrifying) Vash.

Can I also say that she is fun to ship with? Even if we're just shit talking on discord, Evee indulges me with silly ideas for our muses. And one surprise ship that came out of nowhere was Knives and Baz. They started out as a joke, that spent manga Knives was going to stop Bastian from being stupid and investigating Stampede!Knives tower of doom.

And then things kinda blossomed.

I love it. I love when things just happen! Evee is really amazing about going with the flow of things too and I love her <3