#.lieii txt

[collieii]

someone probably said this already but in spiderverse i think it's interesting how when pavitr was first introduced everyone thought something bad was gonna happen to him bc of how confident and optimistic he was. and then in the actual movie we see that something bad was supposed to happen to him (police chief dying!) but it doesn't! miles stops it! and miguel berates miles for this, says it's going to cause the universe to collapse or whatever.

there's this idea that tragedy is inherent to spidermans growth, and while it's true that some spiderpeople learn important lessons through loss, no one stops to ask, is it really necessary? yeah, maybe the chief was supposed to die. but why does spiderman have to be formed through tragedy? why do we (as heroes) have to let people die? pavitr didn't lose anyone, and he's still a good spiderman! maybe, if he doesn't suffer, he'll end up better off for it!

so while miguel is arguing for all this big picture stuff about saving the multiverse he's lost sight of what it really means to be a spiderman, he's not looking out for the real individual people. yeah it's just one person who would die, but that one person means something to someone. shrugging and saying "stuff just sucks sometimes, we can't do anything about it" is the opposite of what superheroes do. pretty obviously, miles arc is also a reflection of the struggles people face in real life, working within unequal systems, where it's easy to shrug and say "that's just the way it is" and not ask "but why does it need be this way? can't we do something about it?"

miguel is arguing that you can't have your cake and eat it too. presumably, miles and co. are going to find a way to get around that and change things for the better (and maybe that's why miles has that line about two cakes in the advisors office!)

#across the spiderverse #across the spider verse spoilers #break from my regularly scheduled trigun posting for spider posting #i'm actually kinda eh on the idea of the canon and police chiefs dying it is not my favorite plot point #but like any sane person i love spiderverse so #actually still think i like the first one more but wroaw much to think about #spiderverse #atsv #.lieii #i only watched the movie once so hopefully this is all accurate #i feel like this is all really obvious my point was like #pavitr being an example of a spiderperson who is still successful without going through all these awful things #and you think despite all this stuff about the multiverse how does he feel about the chief being saved? hes probably rly grateful right? #i mean maybe something terrible will happen to him in the next movie but. yk what im saying #.lieii txt

[collieii]

one line in trimax that's always stuck with me is from chapter 65, right after wolfwood's death. when vash is sticking the punisher by his grave and he says "it was part of his life". that phrasing is so interesting to me. the neutrality of it is one thing that gets me, i think. it was part of his life. for better or worse, whatever it was, the punisher was wolfwood's.

It's pretty easy to think that the punisher might represent violence, the eye of michael, the role of assassin that was forced onto wolfwood, the loss of childhood. but it's not really presented that way, not overtly anyways. we never see wolfwood shun the punisher, he's not conflicted by his use of it. he never considers abandoning it for some other weapon. it's his weapon. he doesn't discard it when he eventually decides to take a more vash-like approach and actually let people live. he pretty easily accepts it as his own, a tool he can use. (to be fair, at least part of that is probably because the punisher is a very good gun.)

the punisher can still represent the harsher aspects of wolfwood's character, the violence he's committed, that he's capable of. that's an important part of his life! and the idea of it as representative of his violent adolescence, childhood that was stripped away, goes along with this - it's literally a cross to bear. but besides showing his past as a burden, i think of the punisher as being a cross of responsibility. when you have a gun you have power, agency - you have a responsibility to make a choice. that's what wolfwood tells vash in chapter 4.

the ability to take a life, the burden of it, is literally his cross to bear. that ability - and that responsibility - was given to him by the eom, literally in terms of the gun, and in terms of his skills. but the eye doesn't think twice about killing people. for them it's not really a choice, a responsibility, it's just a given. but wolfwood can't accept that. he's constantly considering the choices he makes.

so the punisher isn't only a symbol of the eye of michael, of the path that he was forced onto. it's also a way of expressing autonomy. the eye gave wolfwood the gun, but he decides how to use it and what it means. for much of the story wolfwood struggles to decide what to do, he's a very conflicted character. but eventually he resolves to use it against chapel, against knives, to help vash, and protect the orphanage. the gun gives him agency.

so the punisher was part of his life. it was the tool that he used to commit acts of violence, acts that he was forced into, but also the tool he used to break free.

it's heavy for vash, too. he's not exempt from that idea, the idea of responsibility. as wolfwood said much earlier in the story, vash has always been able to sidestep the question of "what do i choose?", because he's only ever given himself one option - everybody lives. and he's always succeeded. but as wolfwood says, "the day will come when you'll have to choose". one day, it's not going to work.

and of course the story progresses, the stakes ramp up, and vash learns more, goes through more, and is pushed to his limits. i think by this point, by wolfwood's death, and maybe because of it, vash has realized that he might have to make that difficult choice in the near future. that's one reason why he wants to "do him proud". he has a lot of reasons to say this of course - to not let wolfwood's sacrifice go to waste, for example. but if we're thinking of the cross as responsibility, then vash is saying he doesn't want to forget the lessons he learned because of wolfwood. wolfwood has always grappled with responsibility, with what the right thing to do is. and the right thing is often not easy. vash hopes that when the times comes for him to make a choice, he'll make a good one, one that does right by wolfwood's memory.

#trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #trigun meta #trigun analysis #i have another post in my drafts abt wolfwood and autonomy so theres some stuff im not getting into but stay tuned #i hope this makes sense...the whole it was part of his life thing...it gets me for some reason #this is just me trying to articulate why #hopefully what im saying isnt too obvious and is actually insightful #this whole post was inspired by one of my art history classes #we were talking abt some of betye saars works and my prof mentioned the idea of weapons as symbolic of power and agency #so ofc i had to apply that to trigun #at that point i was only thinking of the punisher as 'eom = bad' but that just didnt feel right #so then guns...agency...it all came together #seems obvious in hindsight but i just didnt realize #too hung up on guns as violence and violence is bad #but obviously it's more than that #.lieii #.lieii txt #nicholas d. wolfwood #i just realized how long this post is uh sorry guys #i may have repeated myself too much with this one hopefully it's still legible #take a shot everytime i use the word agency or choice in this post #trimax spoilers

[collieii]

a lil detail in trimax i like is how it shows meryl and wolfwood grappling with vash's inhumanity. wolfwood sees vash's power, what he's capable of, before he really gets to know who vash is as a person (they met for a lil on the bus ofc but that was pretty brief). he sees him blow a hole in the moon right after meeting him. of course he's heard rumors about vash, but then he sees him and knives up close and personal, sees the angel arm, and he can't believe vash is an ordinary man anymore. he's confused, shocked, and scared, because he barely understands what's happening. but he can clearly see that vash is dangerous and inhuman. so a lot of his arc is him struggling to reconcile his knowledge of that power with his relationship with vash. ultimately, he ends up with an understanding of who vash is, what he values, and he comes to share those values and beliefs. he learns to let himself trust and believe in vash, despite the implications of his powers.

and meryl, ofc, knows vash as a man and as a friend before she learns what he's capable of. then it isn't until the midvalley/hoppered arc that she's not only told explicitly by zazie what vash is, she sees it for herself in a pretty violent way when he loses control and goes bird mode (what do i call feathery vash lol). not only that but she's shown his memories of july, probably the most brutal and visceral expression of his power there is. that experience traumatizes her, but she makes an effort to overcome that instinctive fear of what vash is because she knows she can trust him, and that almost everything he does is for the good of humanity. and he deserves to be treated like a good person, a good friend, because he is one! he's not just his powers of biblical proportions. all this is to say i like how trimax lets us see two people who are close to vash come to terms with his plantness in different ways, because it's not something people can just shrug off, it's something they need to process.

#trigun #trigun maximum #meryl stryfe #nicolas d. wolfwood #vash the stampede #i was really sleepy when i wrote this so idk if it makes sense #just. i like how trimax shows that vash is actually scary to normal people #as opposed to glossing over it kinda like 98 does lol #trigun meta #.lieii #also if i missed smth about wolfwoods arc sorry it's kinda long compared to meryls lol so maybe i forgot smth #there aren't really any insights here sorry i just think it's sort of an interesting parallel (?) with ww and meryls arcs #is this spoilers #trimax spoilers #just to be safe #.lieii txt

[collieii]

i really like how trimax constantly emphasizes that vash's kindness is a choice, a deliberate and powerful one. it contrasts him so well to knives, who's so disdainful towards humanity as a whole. but vash actually interacts with people and is involved in society. and, by extension, he's been hurt by it so many times. but despite this he chooses love everytime and defends humanity.

meanwhile, knives has never participated, always seems to watch people from a distance. still, he makes claims about the cruelty of humanity, and he uses the idea of human cruelty to justify his actions, despite the fact that he's likely never directly been victim to it the same way vash and the other plants have. not to understate the whole tesla situation, but he assumes that he has the authority to decide the fate of humanity, even though out of every plant he's probably not the one who's in the position to make that sort of decision. (and frankly, it's not a decision any single individual should be making)

so this moment is so poignant, though vash might not be directly talking about himself we know it applies to him, we know how much violence he's suffered. it's written on his skin (his shirtlessness in that scene is very pointed). and we know that knives hasn't really experienced that. and knives is ultimately very self absorbed, he assumes he knows what's best for the plants and what they want, so he uses them to achieve his goals without consulting them. unlike vash, who as we see in the finale, has made efforts to communicate with the plants (communication and connection is such a big thing with vash!) he's familiar with them, and they him, and that's one of the reasons they seem more willing to follow vash's path than knives.

the difference between vash and knives is that vash sees everyone as an individual with inherent value. knives is unwilling to do this and he turns groups into monoliths, refuses to see individuals or nuance.

one of the big ideas of trigun is that conflict occurs because people don't see those around them as individuals. so what really saves the day isn't guns or firepower, but understanding between people. vash helps facilitate this understanding between humans and plants because they're all familiar with him, he's put a lot of effort into getting to know everyone! and with everyone he meets he embodies the idea of love and peace, helps them believe that cooperation is possible.

#vash the stampede #millions knives #trigun maximum #happy birthday boys even though it isn't even your birthday in my time zone #i will unleash this post from my drafts in your honor #when vash says this is where the true battle is like get him girl this IS the true battle #it was never about being stronger vash doesn't care abt that...he cares abt people.... and that helps him overcome knives n save everyone.. #or smth. idk it's been a while since i've read the finale bc it gives me heartburn (feelings) #trigun #.lieii #trimax spoilers #sorry if im just saying really obvious things i'm scared to get too into it bc im like. #not sure i fully understand the mechanics of what happens in the finale #it's like vash jumps in -> plants and knives split -> plants lands on earth -> telepathy with humans ->omg you guys know vash too? ->profit #is that right #idk man shit is confusing #trigun meta #.lieii txt

[collieii]

i'm sure it's been said but i do love how trimax handles wolfwoods death. i've seen so many stories that have characters die and they just go away after. i'm really used to stories where the other characters aren't allowed to grieve, the story keeps going and it feels like the other characters aren't really affected or get over it really easily. but in trimax wolfwoods death is so important. we see other characters grieving him. vash protecting the orphanage, expanding his power when he really shouldn't, because it was wolfwood's home, even though wolfwood is already gone. he gets an actual burial. vash and livio eating their way through the grief, which is more comedic but still shows us how important he was to the two of them, sets up how in many ways they're fighting in his memory.

even after he's gone he's still present in the story in such a strong way. we can see how he's affected the other characters, even when they don't explicitly mention him it's obvious that they're thinking about him. what he did when he was alive, and his death itself, are so important to the story even after he's not there. not just in a really abstract "this is someone we lost" way (though there are a lot of times his death and sacrifice motivate vash and livio to fight harder!) he's present in the finale in a material way to livio, who uses his serums to help fight against elendira, which ofc also ties into the way wolfwoods choice to ally with vash and fight against knives gave livio strength to do the same. wolfwood showed him that there are things worth fighting for, things worth protecting. that your body is a weapon, but you can choose what to do with it, use it for something meaningful.

and the way vash kills legato in order to save livio? vash outright says that he did it to protect what wolfwood fought for, sacrificed his life for. it's tied to the ongoing arc between vash and wolfwood, their conflict over the necessity of killing others. wolfwood pushed vash into having an understanding of his views when he was alive, demonstrating the necessity of that violence. simultaneously, vash inspired wolfwood to follow his path, a kinder one. vash remembers what wolfwood said to him, and his death gives those words added poignancy. wolfwood well and truly sacrificed everything to protect what he loved and fight for what he believed in. how can vash let that go to waste? he sacrifices something just as meaningful to himself, and he pulls the trigger. it brings him closer to wolfwood in a way he never was before. he understands now, fundamentally, what motivates people, motivated wolfwood, to act as he did when he took lives. there are so many other ways wolfwood is present in the story after his death i can't talk about all of them but it makes me so crazy

#trigun #trigun maximum #nicholas d. wolfwood #not to say that there aren't lots of stories that handle character death well bc there are! #i am by no means an expert in media but in my experience esp with like #action anime in particular it can be p common for important characters to die and then their death is just not processed at all #i know that stories have to keep things moving but it feels so weird when characters don't grieve or even cry at least a little! #like that was a person that you knew! are you not affected in any way! #it can feel so dehumanizing to me imo when characters bounce back so quickly after someone they knew died like c'mon #at least to me anyways #that's why i love the scene where vash cries after ww dies in 98 too. maybe i just don't consume enough media where characters die #but i was really surprised that they included that! surprised and pleased. it felt like such a human thing for him to do #to try and pretend everything is ok but he just can't ignore the fact that ww is dead and it just hits him #right there in the street in the middle of the day. and there's not anything he can do but cry. ugh #.lieii #trigun analysis #trigun livio #vash the stampede #trigun meta #.lieii txt #honestly i haven't read the finale arc in a while so i don't want to talk too in depth about it #but it is really excellent how present he is. without being present #talking about trimax is so hard bc there's so much. so many themes #me when a story has themes: GRAAH #like every post i make this is rambling and doesn't have much of a point but do you get what i'm saying #come to collieii hq where you get an essay in the post and another much worse essay in the tags #trimax spoilers

[collieii]

i like how trigun handles the killing morality debate thing thru wolfwood and vash, when they said there's no easy right or wrong answer. obv vash is the pacifist and we root for him as the protag but when he starts arguing w ww about that stuff there's not really a clear "winner" imo. like they both have valid points over the other but they also concede to each other at different parts. like when vash admits that ww's methods on the seed ship helped save other people even if it meant killing someone else. and obv at the end when vash actually kills legato, he's put in a position similar to ww where he's forced to make a choice. still, there's a lot of praise for the resolve it takes vash to uphold his pacifism, emphasis on the fact that kindness is not naivety. it's not a descent or disillusion but a deliberate choice he made, not an easy one.

and when vash criticizes ww for being a coward, it hurts him bc he's right on some level. ww wants (or needs) to justify to himself making choices that he personally thinks are wrong. (the fact that he was forced into that life is a whole other thing that doesn't help lmao) i don't think vash ever calls ww selfish for wanting to protect himself, but he calls him out for advocating a philosophy he doesn't always agree with. ww coming to accept and eventually follow vash's way of life and refusal to kill isn't important bc it gives him moral superiority or absolves him, but bc he's finally being true to himself and his own values. he dies knowing that he's the person he wants to be, a big brother, not a murderer. obv im not saying anything crazy this is all right in the text but the way the debate is handled in a lot of other media can be tiring so i like when it's well executed lol

#trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #trimax spoilers #me: trimax has a lot of different ideas and themes can we look at more of them- #also me: we are on a 24h vashwood lockdown!! #trigun meta #.lieii #this is one of many spiels i wrote to help myself w characterization for a fic #but maybe someone else will find it useful or interesting lol #.lieii txt

[collieii]

rly obsessed with how the trimax finale says vash's real power was his ability and willingness to connect and communicate with others and meet them in their own level. respecting and seeing each person and plant as their own individual. even when they wouldn't do the same for him. allowing both plants and humans to realize that communication and coexistence is possible through his actions. uniting everyone thru love and peace...

#trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #i feel like you could also talk about the contrast between vash and knives #knives making all the plants part of him to service his goals vs vash respecting their autonomy. #but im not a knives stan so idk i don't think about him that much oops #idk the idea the vashs dedication to pacifism (and the scars that follow) finally pays off in a way #bc ppl who meet vash remember his kindness #bc he truly represents love and peace!! #trimax spoilers #vaguely but yk #trigun meta #.lieii #.lieii txt

[collieii]

idk if this is controversial but i don't think vash is ashamed of his scars. i think vash is mainly concerned abt the picture he presents to the world and other peoples well-being/feelings. so the reason he doesn't like others seeing his scars is because he think it will make them uncomfortable, and it also sort of undermines the image he wants to project of someone who's very sillygoofy/carefree etc. similarly, i don't think vash is ashamed or insecure about being a plant/having those inhuman features, more he's concerned with how other people react to them. (the plant stuff esp makes sense to hide given how people literally stoned him lmao)

but yeah i don't think he's filled with self loathing over the scars and being nonhuman. i feel like vash's self image is fine, he just prioritizes how others feel and reacts based on that. his whole philosophy of covering up how he feels inside (that smile is fake!) is based on this principle, it doesn't matter if he's depressed as hell as long as he can pretend it's ok, because external presentation and how you affect the world is what really matters to him.

#trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #thinking more of trimax than stampede vash but i think this applies to both? #anyways i've been reading a lot of trigun fic if you couldn't tell #the plant/wings stuff is addressed p well thru meryl in trimax #where it makes sense that ppls immediate reaction to seeing them is fear #(seen in ch 38) #but ofc anyone who knows vash would know he'd never intentionally use his powers to hurt ppl #even if they are terrifying and it's reasonable to be scared #meryl is scared of vash kinda instinctively but she pushes thru it bc he's her friend yk #and there's a whole line where someone just points that out directly i can't remember which chap but yk what im saying #oh when i say his self image is fine i am not referring to the guilt of causing insane tragedies that different #i just mean he's not insecure i feel like it might look like there's overlap w what i'm saying but it's different it's different #only saying this bc i've seen other ppl make him more insecure abt it which is fine but i wanted to add my 2 cents #trigun meta #.lieii #.lieii txt

[collieii]

i rly like the wolfwood vs ninelives fight from volume three, it's one of my fav fights in the whole manga. partially bc i love how wolfwood looks insane and bloody and feral the whole time

but for other reasons too! it's really fun how he's set up against the guy who...yk...almost can't die. which really pushes wolfwood to his limits, since his usual strategy simply won't work. and his resolution is to just go absolutely hogwild and beat the shit out of the other guy till neither of them can move.

it's also kind of interesting that he does still almost get fucked at the end and needs an emergency save from the insurance girls. i think it suggests the idea that despite his tendency to operate alone and brute force his way through his issues, wolfwood still needs help from time to time. even if he doesn't consciously acknowledge it. he didn't ask for the girls to help him, but if they didn't he might have died.

it sort of serves as early lighthearted foreshadowing of his fight with chapel and livio in volume 10, where he tries to take on a tough opponent/s alone and ends up paying the price. at that point, wolfwood recognizes that he needs others to succeed, but he only admits it to himself when it's too late and he's dying.

he's lucky vash took the initiative to follow him against his will, because if he hadn't wolfwood would have failed to protect the orphanage and died.

going back to volume three, i also love how these fight scenes are set up, with vash and wolfwood each facing their own opponent who's designed to pick at their weak spots. wolfwood's conflict challenges him by almost invalidating his kill strategy, which he explains as being necessary to ensure his survival and ability to achieve his goals/protect what he cares about. meanwhile the puppet master is so effective against vash bc of his 'sentimentality'.

think if vash and wolfwoods places were switched in this fight - wolfwood would probably just end up cutting through all the puppets. i don't think he'd enjoy it or do it lightly but in the name of self preservation he'd do what he has to do. and if vash was fighting ninelives, he'd def still have issues, but his whole strategy is based on fighting opponents who he can't kill. he's used to having to figure out ways to incapacitate people without killing them. ofc, someone who you ideologically can't kill vs someone you psychically can't kill aren't totally synonymous, but it's still interesting to think about.

and ofc, there's vash's past with emilio. this fight highlights vash's habit of connecting with others personally (and remembering all of them!)

an early demonstration of an aspect of his character that ends up being hugely important in the finale.

and ofc all this is followed by the hospital scene! which i think sort of highlights the...idk the duality of it all? luida thanks both of them for protecting the ship. both of their methods were necessary, vash's and wolfwood's, as violent as his was. it's discussed explicitly by vash and wolfwood ofc. so we know that this fight also helps point out the multifaceted nature of violence. obviously, sometimes it's awful, but times like these it's necessary. it's not as obvious as the contrast between knives and vash's ideologies, but trimax is constantly challenging vash.

#trigun maximum #trigun #vash the stampede #nicolas d wolfwood #trying this fun new thing called putting images into my very long rambling posts #very advanced #does this need a spoiler tag #trimax spoilers #just to be safe #tagging spoilers for a 20 year old manga #yk how it is #i really hope this + the midvalley fight get covered in stampede in some way it would be so sick lord #trigun meta #.lieii #nicholas d wolfwood #.lieii txt

[collieii]

i've seen that some ppl think the ending of trimax is kinda sad, which i get, but personally i didn't read it that way. vash has spent his whole life burdened by these feelings of responsibility. he did his best to live his life, but he was always weighed down by his regret, sadness, guilt. i feel like with knives still out there and everything, he always knew he would have to deal with him. he could never really have peace. but by the end he finally takes care of knives, and the earth ships bring extra resources to help everyone on the planet. those two big things he was a part of, that have been plaguing him since the fall, have been resolved.

obviously it doesn't negate what happened in his past, things that he's done and how he (and everyone else) suffered. but i think at the end, he can actually begin to process it all, grieve, heal, and rest. sure he's still being chased around but honestly i don't think vash cares about that at all. as long as he can exist with other people he's happy. he doesn't really hold grudges. even being hunted for sport vash's life is finally simple and i think that's what he needs.

he doesn't have to work anymore, worry about the future. he took care of the problem he was part of. he can start to unburden himself of the guilt. he's learned from all the people he connected with, come away with new lessons and relationships. to me, i think of it as vash's retirement basically Imao. might be unconventional but it's what he knows and what he's happy with.

#trigun maximum #vash the stampede #trimax spoilers #plus my hc that black hair just means that vash will just start aging regularly and live a normal human life #idk i just feel like he is ok with being chased by the girls and bounty hunters like he gets to hang out w ppl and play w kids #and that's enough for him #everything else is auxiliary #women hate how little it takes us to be happy #trigun #trigun meta #yeah so he's basically jesus? idk #.lieii #.lieii txt

[collieii]

obviously they're two very different stories with different structures, but i kind of like how 98 handles wolfwood's introduction more than maximum, pacing wise. wolfwood shows up and actually hangs out with vash for a while before leaving, then he shows up again to pick up eriks after the fifth moon. and yk in trimax wolfwood meets vash on the bus and then they split right after, vash blows up the moon and wolfwood picks him up two years later. in 98 it feels like it makes more sense to have vash go along with wolfwood because he actually knows him. obviously in trimax wolfwood is kinda meant to be suspicious from the start and it has way less downtime than 98 but idk i just like thinking about these little adaptational differences. isn't it kind of insane that vash just listened to wolfwood when he came to pick him up in trimax. vash literally asks wolfwood about knives and he just ignores it the man can't even lie about it. vash you have zero reason to trust him bro please

#trigun 98 #trigun maximum #nicholas d. wolfwood #vash: wolfwood that's so crazy why are you so invested in knives haha #wolfwood: you need to leave #trigun #.lieii #.lieii txt

[collieii]

thinking abt how stampede handles wolfwoods introduction compared to other versions, and to me it kind of fails in a way. one of the big things about wolfwood's character is that he's kind right? he's a good person who was forced to be cruel. they show his soft side by having him interact with kids. it plays out a little differently depending on version, but essentially he sees some kids having a rough time and sacrifices smth (money or food) so they can be more comfortable. its esp poignant in trimax where they were literally stealing from him so it would be understandable if he got mad, but he isn't at all. and this follows the scene of him haggling with the driver, so we know for a fact that wolfwood is not in a good place.

meanwhile in stampede, the the kid wolfwood interacts with is zazie? and at the end of the ep its revealed that they know each other, that wolfwood is working with knives, etc. so it just makes that earlier scene look like a setup, at least thats how it seemed to me the first time i watched the ep.

it also feels a little less genuine than the moment wolfwood had with the kids in the other versions, i'm not sure why. maybe it's because the scene goes by too fast. or because of how different wolfwood is in stampede (he’s so much meaner than his past versions!) so the kindness we see here is just. obscured by how bitchy he is in half of his other scenes. if i'm to believe wolfwood is a good guy, i need to see him be good sometimes idk?

vash's comment about him being good in ep 4 is so jarring to me because it feels like he has zero reason to say that. ik it's maybe not supposed to be 'reasonable' since he doesn't even give an actual reason aside from the ~his eyes~ thing which is not logical at all lmao, just based on vibes. and i do sort of trust that vash has good instincts and can tell when a person is trustworthy or not based on vibes. but when i watched it as someone unfamiliar with the original trigun, unaware who wolfwood was, i was confused as to why exactly vash decided to trust wolfwood aside from maybe his general faith in humanity. the nicest thing wolfwood does is give the kid a lollipop which is sweet but in this context it doesn't have the same effect as giving him his money or smth (and as i said the effect is kinda retroactively belied by the fact that its zazie, not some rando he has no connection too). 

to be fair, his intro scene serves other purposes in stampede. we learn about wolfwood's past in the orphanage, which is important to introduce because his arc with livio is addressed later in the season. it also ties into vash's new internal conflict in stampede about eating and self flagellation and stuff. but that ends up being kinda detrimental to the scene too? instead of saying something normal to the kid that makes us go ‘aww hes good with kids!’ it literally just feels like he’s talking to vash, which he would not be because wolfwood has known vash for 5 minutes atp. obviously im not expecting stampede to copy the scene from the manga or 98, but the fact that they included an analogue of it means to me that they're obviously aware of how important it is to wolfwood's character. still, they managed to execute it in a way that sort of fails to communicate something i personally consider fundamental to his character in any version.

#trigun #trigun stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #plz dont take this to mean i am a stampede hater i like stampede #but i dont agree with every choice they make yk #i am slightly baffled by how mean ww is in tristamp like i accept it different show different characters #but watching it back to back w 98 is such a contrast #this one is long for some reason oops #and rambling #yeesh #sorry i couldnt figure out how to make it nicer and shorter #trigun maximum #trigun meta #.lieii #yeah i'm rewatching stampede for the first time since finishing the other triguns #.lieii txt

[collieii]

one thing i don't like abt stampede is probably how they change knives and vash's powers. making it so that from childhood knives has powers and vash doesn't just makes their whole conflict so much less interesting to me. like the whole thing was that theyre the exact same, but one of them loves humanity and the other wants to nuke everyone. so it's clear that their differing ideologies are a matter of personal choice. but with the way they do it in stampede it feels like one of the reasons vash likes humans more and is more connected to them is because...he's more like a human. i mean it's not exactly like that, there's other reasons, but that's sort of the implication. to me it kinda removes some of the strength of his original position, where he's so close to other people because he makes a deliberate effort to connect with them, and he defends them because he believes in their capacity to do good and change for the better (despite how they can mistreat him). i kinda get what they were going for, esp with stampedes heavier focus on the sci fi elements and plant powers, but i think it weakens the conflict between them. and also makes it more cliche.

#trigun #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #millions knives #trigun meta #sorry for the stampede critical post i prommy i don't hate it #but yeah i have a lot of feelings about how they did knives and vash #idk when it's actually valid criticism and when it's just personal preference so i don't wanna say too much but yeah #there's a lot of stuff that ties into this but i don't wanna make a giant monster post about it #but the way they show knives as a kid as already being sort of cold and having a sense of superiority #as opposed to just being a really sweet kid who wants to coexist with humans but is really affected by the trauma of learning about tesla #idk it feels less interesting to me than how it was in trimax #.lieii #.lieii txt