#vash really knows how to cause a scene

[pancake-breakfast]

Time for more TriMax! I'm told we'll be reunited with the girls again soon....

Archive

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

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

TriMax Volume 1: 1-2

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 1, Chapters 3-4 below. (More detailed thoughts will be their own posts.)

Chapter 3: Bravo, Girls!

Ah, there are the girls already!

He did warn them that it might be like July....

Awww, that cupcake is HUGE!

Meryl's face. I don't think she likes being reminded that she's been through so much at her age. Or maybe she just doesn't like people talking about her age. Or maybe... she doesn't like all the rumors around the story versus the actual facts.

Vash using people as tools? Dude. It's like they don't even know the guy. They don't.

Woooow, way to dictate what makes women happy.

I sincerely hope New Miami is better than current Miami.

Oh, man. They straight-up note the hair color change here.

Oh, no! Her reports! Not only are they all over the floor, but they're also being insulted! Terrible.

Hahahahaha, Meryl's making faces behind her boss's back. TBF he deserves it.

So... the insurance agency decided that, rather than send two young girls out to guard this "most dangerous criminal," they'd send a former military man. This theoretically seems wise of them, but Vash is Vash.

Also, what military?? Best I can tell, there aren't other nations on this planet. The closest thing to a military you've got is gangs and maybe a few organized militia.

Dramatic Vash is dramatic. This time, in silhouette!

I can hear the *ching* of this guy's spurs as he steps off the bus. The fact that he's not wearing spurs is irrelevant.

Vash doesn't even try to pull one over on the insurance agency and pretend he's a Mr. Smith or whatever.

LOL, shotgun-launching suitcase.

Assassination attempt: failed.

What's up with the bottle on the string? Was... that how Vash opened the door?

Vash sees right through this guy. What's his name? Bardeaux Keele. As in, "Hai, I'm an assassin and I'm gonna Keele you!"

Somehow, I don't think this was part of his job description from the insurance agency....

LOL, now you done it, Keele. You gone and pissed off Wolfwood, and he has considerably fewer qualms about taking you out than Vash does.

Oh, honey. You're only in volume 1 of TriMax. There's no way in hell your next shot's gonna "finish it."

LOL, Meryl's entrance onto the scene here is amazing. I wonder how long she was watching before she decided to speak up.

Ohhhhh, she's gonna get this guy on a different type of insurance fraud. TBF, it's kinda on Bernardelli for not realizing it was a bad idea to hire someone named Keele.

I love how absolutely unphased Meryl is despite having THREE guns aimed at her and her life most definitely threatened.

Oof, instead she's thinking about all the life-threatening situations she's been in, and of Vash's goofy smile. I have thoughts on all this.

Ah, he done threatened Meryl and now Milly's gonna make him pay for it.

Vacation!? This is a hell of a vacation.

That face is not very convincing, Wolfwood. Just whaaaat are you planning?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Tabasco.

Meryl looks so happy about being carried away by the storm that is Vash.

Despite poo-pooing her reports, Meryl is still their second pick for Vash Babysitting Duty.

Chapter 4: Hero Returns

CW: Rape mention

This title page, though. He looks like he's in prayer.

Even though we've had a face reveal for Knives, he's still cast in shadows here.

There it is. A summary of Knives as he COMPLETELY misreads the situation and tries to paint himself as the hero.

Heh, I love how in this moment, the best insult Vash can come up with is to tell Knives he's not human. Which, of course, hardly works as an insult for Knives.

Geez. Vash thinks, "Forgetting brings too much sorrow. Remembering leads to everlasting pain." And then he chooses to remember.

Awww, he's so cute in his groggy wake-up phase.

That's a lot of coffins....

I wish I could do one-handed handstand push-ups like that. But I don't want to train for three hours every morning before breakfast. That sounds like self-murder.

LOL, Vash has been working up too much of a sweat even for Wolfwood.

Vash, when he hears another of his sisters is alive somehow.

Wolfwood explaining what Plants are to Vash is hilarious.

That's right; rape isn't about sex. It's about power. So if you're trying to drive other people out or show dominance over them, it does often fall into the mix right alongside murder.

It's played off, but Vash is well within his rights to cry here, I think. He cares a lot for humanity. Seeing them rip each other apart like this is bound to hit a note for him.

I love how much Nightow says about both characters and their relationship in just these two panels.

Dude. Vash's happy face mug.

Nightow is very dedicated to not drawing mouths on characters who have moustaches.

Brad?? THE Brad???

Yep, it's THE Brad.

Which face? Um. How many masks does Vash wear?!

In spite of all the time that's past, Vash recognizes Brad.

He snuck away from you, WW!

Time to get some new fancy gear! Huzzah!

"Lost technology for lost technology." Hahahahaha, these guys know what's up.

He genuinely is sorry, guys. He just didn't want to cause trouble.

Oh, Vash.... He looks so... empty at Brad's comments.

This is just going to dissolve into me posting a bunch of Vash panels because I want to slap some sense into Brad and give Vash hugs. But his face is so... resigned and sad and kind of hard here after Brad points out how much of a threat he could be to humanity. Like... he gets it, Brad. I guarantee you, he gets it. And he doesn't hold it against Brad for speaking the truth.

Vash is pleading with Brad. I love the close-up on his clenched fist. This isn't what he wants. But it's the way things are. And he's gonna do his best because he has to. For their sake. Regardless of whether they want him to.

Oh, Vash, my babygirl....

Hahahahaha, Brad is just jealous. Don't worry, Brad. Vash isn't gonna go that route.

Dude, what's up with that surgery tool??

What the heck? Who's crashing into stand steamer?? Rude.

LOL, WW crawling around with his bowl of... ramen? curry? soup? Whatever it is, it wasn't designed to be carried while crawling.

I feel like WW's chaos sense went off and he immediately followed it, knowing Vash would be there.

Misspelling of the word "custody" here....

Wolfwood doesn't get it. But Vash is trying to be patient.

Wolfy noticed Vash's new get-up. He knows he's looking at Serious Vash now.

Current favorite serious Vash expression:

Hahahahaha, Vash is dying after being called a disaster-prone freak. WW is also dying, but of laughter. Because it's true.

Oh, no. Vash has an idea. He looks way too mischievous for it to be a safe one.

Dramatic gun twirl!

VAAAAASHU ZA STAMMMMPIIIIIIDOOOOOOOO!!!

Hahahahaha, that's right. Lean into your violent reputation as a way to quell the pending violence and lead to a non-violent outcome. This is how Vash wiggles out of trolley problems.

"These are the tactics of a the man whom our fate rests upon." "All I'm seeing is a total nutjob!" Beautiful.

#vash really knows how to cause a scene #we'll allow it though #it's for the greater goods of love and peace #trigunbookclub #trigun maximum #volume 1 #pancake thoughts

[needle-noggins]

(CW for SA, suicidal ideation) Here we go. My favorite and simultaneously least favorite panel of Vash and Knives.

I've seen a few interpretations of this scene and before we dive into the one that really struck me, let's start with the more... chill one. We're finally introduced to the third gun of Trigun, Vash's angel arm. And the way we're introduced to it involves Knives forcing him to pull the trigger. Of course, since no one knows anything about Knives, the people of Noman's Land blame Vash for Fifth Moon, and Vash likewise blames himself (this is kinda a spoiler but if you've been paying attention, it's just par for the course). However, he's not the one who pulled the trigger, Knives is. It brings up an interesting moral question of blame - do we blame the gun (and Vash, who is being used/objectified as a weapon here), or the person who wanted it to happen? Guns don't kill people, genocidal twins do!

Now for the awful interpretation, the one that makes me cry and wish Vash was real so I could hug him and pay for his therapy. And really highlights how awful Knives is and how far he'd go for his brother in his own, fucked-up way. I touched on this in a previous post about Legato and the Murder Cafe, and the whole time I was thinking about Fifth Moon but didn't want to say anything for the sake of spoilers.

So. Pay attention to the way Vash and Knives are standing. Knives, when he first grabbed Vash's head, was standing in front of him. He moves behind him to better control him and yeah, he's still controlling him via hand on head, and now he's got his other hand gripping Vash's chest, where feathers/wings are manifesting. Knives is assaulting him. If you wanna get crazy with it and say that the angel arm is kinda phallic, you could say... yeah. This is rape. I heard that specific interpretation once and while I accepted it I also don't know if that would be generally accepted or if I'd be called out for it, so I'm trying to tread lightly here.

It also doesn't escape me that of course the angel arm has feminine features like the plants - the plants that, again, humans are exploiting for their ability to create. There's a lot of feminist commentary to be made here but many people have said it better than me. Specifically I'm thinking of this one post I saw about gender fuckery and Tristamp Vash. Anyway.

Also, the atomic bomb/black hole/sun/whatever that is in the middle... It's just so powerful. It's terrifying. The eldritch body horror here is a punch to the gut. What the fuck, Trigun? I thought this was a funky space western!!!

Oh, and here's more commentary on the following few panels:

Vashussy shot, Knives is still right behind him. Yeah, I wasn't kidding about how bad this pose is for them. Knives, you sick fuck.

Vash shoots himself in the leg (a key difference from '98 trigun, lol), because of course he does, but it doesn't free him from the arm.

The arm's getting darker/the light inside is getting lighter! Stampede did an awesome job with their interpretation of the angel arm and I don't think I would have understood it without that. Also, on my first read I didn't notice that Vash is literally levitating, which is cool, but also terrifying because ?? he's not in control of that either??

Finally. A super painful, minimalist, double-page spread. Nightow loves 'em. Vash thinks he's dying (maybe?) and he wishes he had never existed. It's not suicidal ideation per se, but he wishes he didn't exist at all because he's already caused enough suffering. This is a low for him, because he believes so strongly in the concept of the Blank Ticket. (Come on, soupy brain bitch boy, get it together!) He's a monster, it's just how he was born, and he's not in control. Very specifically too, he says "we", and then changes it to "I"... he doesn't blame Knives at all, and that's very him. I want to shake him! Stop playing the martyr, Vash!

#trimax #trigunbookclub #cw assault #cw sa #ive never tagged content warnings before please help if i didnt do it well enough #cw sui ideation #vash the stampede #millions knives #also if you say ONE WORD about plancest i will kill you with my mind because you have sorely misunderstood the point here #posting this makes me so nervous ngl #dont hate me

[aboveweirdest]

More musing about trimax below the cut

I can't stop thinking about when in Trimax Wolfwood points his gun at Vash from behind. What do you think is happening in Vash's head??? Cause everywhere else in Trigun Vash has so much awareness of his surroundings that he would know what's happening behind him, right?

So like.... do you think it's trust that WW won't pull the trigger? Giving him space to figure it out and accepting his decision? Like "if Wolfwood decides I'm too dangerous this isn't a bad way to go"? Or do you think that he's really just so secure in Wolfwood's presence that he drops that guard he normally has up?

But he doesn't turn around that's the thing!! I don't believe he doesn't know I mean look at this panel

That's a man who knows he has a gun to his back and it's his closest friend with his finger to the trigger. God i'm not putting all my thoughts into the right words but like. UGH. I want inside his head in this scene. Is it more self-sacrificing bullshit? Is it something leaning more towards suicidal tendencies? Or is it more to do with their particular relationship??? IS IT AN OPTION I'M NOT EVEN THINMING ABOUT? IS IT ALL OF IT?

His face says so much but i need to crawl into his chest about this. I have so many feelings and I haven't articulated any of them correctly but I had to tryyyy

Mkay back to gnawing through the walls of my enclosure

Edit/addition: after talking to a friend i realized i forgot to consider how Vash wouldn't allow himself to be killed before facing Knives. Somehow that makes this worse to me?? Like he'd let Wolfwood hurt him just like he's let so many other people do the same. Another scar to add to the collection. He wouldn't even fight back. God, I have so many feelings

#trigun #vash the stampede #wolfwood #nicholas d. wolfwood #trimax #trigun maximum #vash #vashwood #trigun manga #trimax spoilers #nexa rambles #i'm posting this in hopes that someone can word this better than me #my feelings are too big for words #aaaaahhhhhh #where are queue and i'm so sorry

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Rem's Last Words

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 14. Against a blank white background, Rem stands, holding young Vash's hands, who leans back against her, looking at Knives with a smile. Young Knives stands next to them, smiling back and winking. Rem's voice says "Vash... don't leave Knives on his own." End ID.]

Rem's last words to Vash are never going to fail to completely mess me up. It totally changes the context of the twins' prior scenes.

All that time, that 80 years spent with Knives after the Big Fall, slowly growing to resent him more and more... do you think, even though he said the noise was such that he didn't hear her words, that somehow the message got through to him anyways? That Vash felt compelled to stay because this was his brother, and because Rem asked? And because Vash eventually swore to take down Knives in her name and for all those lost in July... do you think that counts as the breach of her ideals and memory he was so afraid of committing all along?

But could Vash really have been expected to stay with Knives when Knives took every opportunity to pull up a wall between them? Was Vash really in any state to have helped Knives the way Knives so desperately needed? I think, honestly, that this was a bit of an unfair request for Rem to make of Vash. But what else could she do?

She knew she probably wasn't going to make it out of there. She knew Knives wasn't ok. She may have even known that it was Knives who caused the Fall in the first place. But more than any of that, she knew that neither of these boys were ready to be left all alone in this world that they were both still so desperately afraid of.

I find it fascinating that Rem phrased it as "Don't leave Knives on his own" rather than "make sure you and Knives stick together" or that sort of thing. No matter how you look at it, it does appear to put responsibility on Vash for Knives, rather than a mutual "look out for each other" request. I have a suggestion for why she might've said this instead of the more mutual alternative.

We know Knives did not get any of the healing that he needed, and Rem was aware of this. He was keeping it all inside, and rapidly walling himself off. Rem, faced with the reality that she didn't have enough time to offer him the support that he needed, can only hope that he wouldn't close himself off from the one other person who had a chance of understanding him. Knives can't be alone, or he will spiral even worse.

And Vash? Well, I think it's easy to say that he was in a better place mentally than Knives, and while that may have been the case, it still doesn't mean he was in any way "recovered" from that trauma; how could one be? The only thing Rem promised him was that they would see the world together - that she would show him that the world wasn't full of terrible people. But they never actually got to do that - Vash was a suicidal child hanging onto her hopeful words and the emotional honesty she'd shown him thus far as a reason to keep trying, as a promise - and now, Rem finds herself having to break it. So, what will keep Vash going when she's gone? Having someone to look out for might do it, especially since young Vash is already shown in the flashbacks to be very "other" focused - note his other directed speech when speaking to Rem, and the way he seems more comfortable around Conrad when he shows acceptance of Knives. Rem probably knew that Vash was far more likely to look out for himself, paradoxically, if he had someone else to look out for.

[ID: Two panels from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first is from Trigun Volume 2, and shows young Vash with arms outstretched, his back to the reader, looking at Rem, hands in her pockets and smiling. They are against a white background, as young Vash says "Rem! Rem! I want to stay with you! You won't be all alone!" The second is from Trigun Maximum Volume 7, and shows young Knives, who quietly says "Ah," as he starts to cry. Young Vash approaches and puts his arm around Knives neck, who is still sobbing. He smiles and says "Thank you Mr. Conrad." End ID.]

Rem's last words, then, were intended to a) make sure Knives would have someone who could stick with him and help him where she didn't have the time to, and b) provide Vash with a purpose so that he will keep himself going.

Unfortunately, this didn't work at all the way she'd intended. Knives' unintentional killing of Rem (and I stand by the notion it was unintentional) messed him up even worse and forced him to fully take on the stance of hatred against all humanity in order to cope with the guilt, throwing a huge wedge between him and Vash, so stricken by grief and blindsided by his brother's actions that he'd throw himself into trying to be as much like (ideal) Rem, and as little like Knives, as possible. Knives spends the story desperately wanting Vash (or his ideal of him anyways) to stay with him in order to cure the loneliness he feels from being all alone, and Vash spends the story eternally guilt-ridden, taking on the blame and responsibility for his brother's actions.

And the tragedy to me is that you can't say any of this was for a lack of Rem trying. She just didn't have enough time to minimize the damage caused by the trauma of Tesla and her discovery. She just wanted them to at least have each other, and that... was the only thing, asides from "don't say you'd rather die", that she actually asked of Vash. Fucked up!!!

#storyrambles #aughhh #trigun #trimax #trigunbookclub #rem saverem #millions knives #vash the stampede #trigun meta

[leavemyelevator-alone]

Okay, I know I’m a few days late, but I want to talk about Nicholas the Punisher. This theme shows up in either episode 6 or 7, during Wolfwood’s fight against Livio on the Sand Steamer, and it starts playing when Wolfwood declares that he’s gonna be pissed if he has to hurt Livio. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Wolfwood fight (far from it), but with such high stakes on the outcome on this fight, both concerning Livio’s safety and Vash’s survival, and the fact that this is the theme that is supposed to reflect Wolfwood as the Punisher, we would expect something fast-paced and tense, maybe, if it wanted to lean into the looming outcome if Vash and Wolfwood lose. 

   But no. Wolfwood’s theme (as the Punisher) is so slow, and seems to carry a melancholic, tragic theme to it. It feels so weary, like Wolfwood is exhausted of having to play this part, and is sick of hurting people he once knew (and even loved, in Livio’s case). It carries an undertone of determinedness, but it’s so overwhelmingly melancholic it makes me pause. Does it mean that under all of his blunder, Wolfwood had already given up on Livio, from the start of the fight? This theme plays before he spits out who he really is to Vash, so does that mean that this is how Wolfwood views himself? Does he see himself as this tragic, unforgivable monster? Does he think that he doomed Livio, albeit unknowingly from the start by letting his little brother follow him around? I think so, but the cool thing about music is that everyone has their own interpretation of it. 

   Knives’ theme is strong gorgeous and victorious, Vash’s is chaotic and clearly feels like someone on the run, but Wolfwood’s stays tragic. It is mean to show who he is with the Eye of Michael — what they’ve made him into. Not this strong, unbreakable inhuman fighter, but a scared, broken man who feels like not only his brother but his humanity was ripped away from him. Let’s compare it to Undertaker, his introductory theme: as @/fatalwhims mentioned, this piece is overall kinda unsettling. It’s slower as well, but is more confident. It’s relaxed, and arguably a little mischievous, as opposed to Nicholas the Punisher’s despondency. This is absolutely the musical personification of Wolfwood’s persona he shares with the gang. This is the relaxed, knows what he’s doing, “big-brother Nico” vibes he attempts to use to get Vash to trust him. But Nicholas the Punisher is so far from that. 

Okay, we got the melancholy, “woe-is me” music out of the way; now it’s time for the action-packed, Vashwood-fighting-back-to-back fight music, right? Wrong. Whom to Kill, Whom to Let Live is the track that plays next, and it is just as (arguably) hopeless. The piano creates a bit more of a determined feel, as well as the bass (I think? Correct me if I’m wrong, cause I probably am) that comes in at 1:07 and the addition of another instrument at 1:37, but if you listen closely, the determination that it invokes fits more that of a grim one than that of a triumphant, I-can-beat-him! feel that most series like to do. That aforementioned piano piece? It’s lifted directly from the track Orphanage. Whom to Kill is just as sad of a song as Nicholas the Punisher, and I feel like this is the perfect score for this fight scene. This is not an epic showdown like it was against the Nebraskas at the beginning of the series, or even against Knives at the end of it. This is what I would call the “Last Agni Kai” fight: Wolfwood doesn’t want to fight Livio. He understands that he seems to have no choice, but that doesn’t mean he wants to fight his baby brother. That is why the Orphanage piano piece comes back and haunts this track. That is why it is grim determination. He will either have to let Livio kill his ward (which will get him killed by Knives), or he will have to kill Livio himself (which will break him worse than death). The entirety of the Livio-Vash-Wolfwood fight is tragic, somber, almost desperate music; not what you would expect to hear from an epic fight scene. None of this might make any sense, but I had to get it out of my system. Thanks for indulging my rambling! 

@tristampparty

#TristampParty #trigun #i don't know why i did this #but it Would Not Release Me until i did #nicholas d. wolfwood #trigun stampede #analysis

[sunday-12-25]

it's been days and i'm still thinking about this scene, what a satisfying payoff! vash finally pulling the trigger and doing it not even to save livio, but for ww. just like his refusal to kill, which was for rem almost more than the people...

in love with how this hurts though, cuz if one could side with rems philosophy of the blank ticket somewhat happily (yes it hurts, but it's a cause you're willing to hurt for), then this... hoo boy! this HAS been the major conflict between vash and ww, both options hurt like hell. i personally think they were both right. it's an ugly world where contradicting ideas are both right, but really, as much as i want to hope for the best, one has to be ready for the worst. this is why vash despite his sacrifices felt arrogant more than anything! damn man. people get crushed so easily. forced into things so easily! not like ww wanted to do any of the shit he did, not like... god i can't even see him leading vash to knives as a betrayal, cuz what choice did he have? putting even the orphanage aside, who else could've taken on knives besides vash? it's just another ugly choice he had to make.

but still, STILL it hurt so much to see vash get to this.

cuz STILL we NEED people who say 'you give up all hope so easily'. this is how it actually gets somewhere better!

this dilemma is cracked open so nicely here, with so much empathy! and in a way it does feel ... i don't even know. fair? to see vash brought down to the same earth us mortals are walking upon, to have him see what it's like to want to be good, but be weak! not indestructible, not all-powerful! having to choose! it feels good to have him face it but it also feels bone-crushing, cuz damn... maybe it would've been better if he kept just doing his thing, optimistically and arrogantly, bcs it brought at least some hope around. seeing him cry over his own words hurts like nothing else

#trigunbookclub #sad days.

[gffa]

What is trigun stampede even about

At its heart, Trigun Stampede about the conflict between love/pacifism and rage/retribution, set between two twin non-human brothers who love each other but diverge because of this conflict, even as they desperately want to pull the other back to them, with a mix of various other characters coming along for the ride. When future humanity creates a new type of lifeform called Plants, beings that are connected to a higher dimension's energy source which allows them to be used to create food/water/air/etc., humanity is not exactly great about this. Some people are kind and compassionate, some are horrifically abusive, uncaring of the hurt they're causing. The only two sentient Plants of the series are the twins--Millions Knives and Vash the Stampede--and when they discover what the humans are really doing, Knives crashes humanity's ships onto a desert planet with no resources, where they will truly die without the Plants to create food and water for them. Vash believes they can find a way to live together with the humans, he sees the best in them. Knives thinks they should all die for how they use Plants up until they die, for how they experiment on Plants, for how they attack anything that they're afraid of. (It's very much a "the villain really kind of has a point, but takes it way too far, but you can kind of understand how he got there, especially depending on how much pain Plants are capable of feeling, not that we know the answer to that" kind of set-up.) Their conflict (not that Vash wants a conflict, but Knives isn't going to stop stealing back all the Plants the humans have taken, killing anyone who gets in his way) plays out across the entirety of the desert world, with Vash basically unable to go anywhere without some kind of trouble coming down on his head (whether through his own Plant abilities being necessary, bad luck, or Knives stealing back a Plant) and this weighs on Vash's soul like a ton of bricks. Vash tries really hard to keep up the appearance of being the local sillyman, but babygirl has the biggest case of depression you've ever seen, because he can't stop people from being hurt, he can't stop his twin from hurting people, he can't stop all the conflict going on around him, he can't save everyone, no matter how hard he tries, no matter how many pieces of himself he loses along the way. But neither can he just sit things out, because he's a Plant, he's stronger and faster and more powerful than any human, he has to at least try. Try to save them, try to reach his twin. What makes it all worse is that, underneath everything else, Knives is doing this for Vash. Oh, he's definitely not doing what Vash would want and I don't mean to make Knives sound soft or kind or nice, he's manipulative and awful, but I do genuinely believe that his motivation under all of it is to build a better world for Vash, one that doesn't have humans, one that only has Plants. It has some really beautiful animation, some great humor, some really excellent side characters, some badass fight scenes, some fascinating worldbuilding, but primarily I am here for the conflict between "we can live together" versus "the humans have and will continue to kill us if I don't do something" overlaid with how they both desperately want the other to come around to their side. Also, it's basically a Space Western with scifi elements and it's great.

#lumi.txt #trigun stampede

[h5llpyre]

⸺ too eager to wait (18+)

nicholas d wolfwood x vash the stampede

cw public bathroom sex, like very very public like multiple people were listening in on them, trans sub bottom vash, cis dom top wolfwood, light humiliation, heavy teasing, wolfwood is a little bit mean but he means well, can be read as any vw version

“really didnt know you were into this, angel.”

“i- i’m fu- ucking not—“ vash gasps, fingers curling around the top of the door as his forearms push against it. it's not like he wants everyone in the bathroom to know they are fucking in the last stall, but there was nothing else to grasp onto as wolfwood nudges his leaking tip into his soaked folds.

“really? cause you're reeeeally wet,” wolfwood laughs and hovers on top of vash’s bent over figure as he bottoms out, the slide in suspiciously easier than usual. and vash wants to say something back but wolfwood’s tip is pressing so deep into his guts.

“breathe, breathe, sweetheart,” wolfwood coaxes in a gentler tone, reaching around to hook his middle and ring finger into vash’s parted mouth, the thick fingers that were sinking in and out of his cunt just a few minutes ago, splaying across his tongue.

and vash is honestly on the verge of passing out. plant marks flickering weakly, fingers trembling as wolfwood holds him together, keeping him upright on his length, deep in his pulsing cunt. it honestly hurts a little, but the silky, saccharine quality of wolfwood’s voice and the hot cling of his strong hips against his ass keeps his glowing eyes open.

with a deep, hissing inhale, wolfwood rears back just halfway, vash’s walls trying to suck him in before he falls into a gentle languid pace, hipd rolling with a smooth rhythm. vash’s mind goes gooey, his insides being shifted once again with the shape of wolfwood’s dick, a mould he’s come to memorize after months of traveling (fucking) with him.

vashs pants pool around his ankles, all of his buckles clanking loudly against the tiled floor as his entire body seems to rock with the motion of wolfwood’s pace. he grips the door tighter, his gloved leather fingers slipping on the smooth plastic of the staining stall door. a loud clanking of the door against the metal lock echoing into the ears of the poor men who just needed to take a piss, but instead get to listen in on two outlaws feverishly fucking after wandering hands under their abandoned saloon table became too much.

“wolfwoo.. they- they can he- hear—!” vash blabbers quietly around wolfwood’s fingers, drooling down the front of his red coat

“i know,” wolfwood huffs and nuzzles against the back of vash’s head, sliding his hand down to firmly settle around vash’s throat, causing his lips to stay parted to suck in strained breaths and intentionally giving him no way to hide his sounds from ears from outside the stall. wolfwood feels vash’s cunt clench rhythmically around his cock at his words, candy blue eyes rolling back into his pretty head as he gives into the embarrassment and humiliation of fucking in a public bathroom.

“just take it, don’t think about anything else— yeah… just like that, angel.” wolfwood coos warmly before tucking a hand around his hip and swinging them to the brick wall to the right. and thank god they chose the furthest stall (they originally chose it to be discrete but look how that turned out.)

wolfwood pushed vash against the bricks, before really fucking him. originally, he was scared of pushing him up on the door in fear of possibly shoving if off its metal hinges and creating a bigger scene than they already had, but here on this nice, stable brick wall, wolfwood could fuck him like he really meant it.

with a low snarl, wolfwood immediately resumes bullying that sweet spot in vash’s sopping cunt, except harder and faster. skin slapping sounds echoing off the bathroom walls as he fucks him, ignoring the men listening in on them. vash falls apart, sandwiched in between the hard bricks and a warm chest, he lets out shuddering gasps, wolfwood fucking impossibly deep. the wall helped keep him still, unable to move or shift away from his fast, mean strokes.

“this is what you needed?” wolfwood presses his lips against vash’s swinging golden earring, hips canting up into his tight heat. vash only mewls, gloves scraping against the bricks as he tries to hold on, but its useless.

“couldn���t even wait til we got back to the hotel huh— i could tell you needed it out there,” wolfwood rasps, reminding vash of how he was all over him, his voice piercing straight through the hazy lust enveloping vash’s numb head causing him to nod weakly.

“let me take care of ya, let me take care of it,” and vash doesn’t even realize wolfwood’s hand sneaking down until the insistent circle of thick fingers blooming pleasure over his engorged clit. he seizes up, thighs pressing together, knees knocking as wolfwood quickly presses closer, keeping him from collapsing as his quick fingers drive him closer to the edge.

“t-too muh- too much! mmhh- wolfwood, please..!” vash stammers, breath getting caught in his lungs with each thrust.

“shhh, i know, angel. you’re alright…” wolfwood absentmindedly hushes into ear, his own pleasure rapidly building. he doesn’t stop, leading vash straight into that fuzzy headspace as his fingers rub tighter circles.

“nnnh- nick—!” vash gasps, eyes squeezing shut as the pleasure shoots into his gut, plant marks flicker and glow with his orgasm, legs quivering as his cunt clenches down on wolfwood’s dick.

the squeezing of his velvety walls is enough to force wolfwood over the edge. he strains, moaning through his bitten lip as he surges forward and cums straight into his awaiting plant womb, forcing vash up the wall. vash clings helplessly to the wall, feet dangling despite being taller than the dark haired man.

panting hotly, wolfwood gently rubs vash’s clit, helping him through his orgasm. he huffs, hooked nose gently nudging against his slack jaw as he kisses his nape. he slowly helps him back down to the ground, limp legs stabling themselves on the tiled floor. wolfwood fiddles with his pants, gingerly tucking himself away as his panting subsides.

vash has his forehead pressed into his elbow, still against the wall, biting his lip out of embarrassment, still unmoving.

“shit, we gotta go before we get kicked out.” wolfwood says, his mind clearing and now realizing just how loud and obvious they were. vash doesn't respond. wolfwood reaches down in the cramped stall and helps vash weakly toe into his pants, smiling lightly at the sight of seeing his cum dripping out. he straightens his wrinklycoat, letting it fall back into place before he gently pats his hip with a warm hand.

“we should’ve waited til we got back,” vash breathes, his leather hand lifting up to rub across his face but stops instead, covering his embarrassed face.

“we? you were the one who pulled me into here,” wolfwood laughs, rightfully accusing him. it wasn’t like he didn't enjoy giving him what he wanted while also embarrassing him, but it never hurt to tease.

vash frowns, “you were the one who kept on messing with me out there!” he whisper-shouts, his red face overriding any attempts at trying to look annoyed.

wolfwood takes his hand, “shhh,” he stifles another laugh in return of lightly hushing him. wolfwood unlatches the stall door before he could spout more accusing bullshit. walking hand in hand, vash keeps his head down, ignoring the way they received judging looks from people outside the bathroom.

#h5llpyre #vashwood #vashwood smut #vash the stampede smut #nicholas d wolfwood smut #vash the stampede #vash smut #trigun smut #tristamp smut #nicholas d. wolfwood #trigun maximum #trigun stampede smut #trimax smut #wolfwood smut #vash x wolfwood #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun 98

[tenabrye]

Been going a bit feral thinking about Stampede Vash grappling, so can I request headcanons for Vash grappling a afab reader? Fluff or nsfw, or both, whichever you want.

On the one hand its really sweet, because aww, they Trust Him enough to let him put them in various holds and grapples (some of which, it has to be said, involve Vash touching a lot of boob, because thats how center of gravity works). But also Vash and reader getting flustered about it because hhhnng, friend pretty, and grappling training involves a lot of getting sweaty and gross together and touching and your face being close to theirs- or other parts of their anatomy.

(There's even a move where you try and and smoosh somebody to your chest enough that they can't breathe/tap out, and trying to practice that while having tits is. A Process. Wearing a sports bra helps, but it can still be a pain.)

Also maybe reader getting pinned and/or put in a chokehold by Vash and just being like. "OH. I see this has awoken something in me." "Oh, shit, I actually really trust him with my body and safety, and not just in a friendly way." "OH NO, HE'S HOT."?

I had to do so much research just to figure out what grappling was, and I'm mad at myself for not knowing because this. THIS. It's good stuff. ;)

Vash happily agreed to your request for a bit of grappling training. To him, it would be a fun way to work not only himself out, but you would also get in a good workout with it as well. It was two birds with one stone. You both get into the correct stance and, before you can even blink, the blond acts quickly.

Your back is firmly pressed against the floor as Vash has one leg across your neck, pinning you down while he has a grip on one of your arms, tugging it in a way that seems like it should hurt, but it doesn't. Your eyes are wide as you realize just how close his thigh is to your face, and you try not to think about it. You eventually have to tap out with your free hand, to which he immediately releases his hold on you.

You're not entirely sure as to why such a thought even entered your mind like that. It wasn't as if he did or said anything. Maybe it was what he wore that twisted your thoughts? Your eyes glanced over his attire, soaking in his black turtleneck and sweats combo, though your eyes may have stayed too long on the sweats.

Snapping yourself out of that mindset and focusing on the training at hand, you got back into your previous position, with Vash mimicking it. After a few seconds, you both went at one another, except this time around it was you that got him in a hold.

His back was on the ground while his head rested on one of your legs. You had an arm around his neck in a sort of chokehold while the other pulled at one of his arms, rendering him unable to break free from it. Such a position allowed for an increased closeness, which you realized how anyone walking in on such a scene would think the way you currently were.

Vash's face was practically smushed against your chest due to this position, and you couldn't tell whether or not he was affected by it. You, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel the tips of your ears burn as you stared down at him. His eyes held no glint within, so knowing whether or not what his thoughts were was impossible. Except, he didn't make a move to tap out, which would free him. Perhaps this was a sign?

Though he tapped out the second your brain thought it, and you quickly released your hold on him. He made a comment that praised you on getting him down to the floor as quick as you did, and you thanked him, smiling as the two of you got into the same stance for a third time.

You really couldn't stop thinking about how you practically smothered his face with your breasts, and that thinking is what caused you to lose focus and hit the ground with a thud. It didn't hurt, and your eyes widened at the realization of the position Vash put you in.

His weight pressed against your body, keeping you in place on the floor. He had one hand at your hip while an arm was planted across you, in between your neck and breasts. The blond's face was mere inches from your own and you honestly felt like passing out with the way he stared down at you.

Lips curved upwards into such a sweet smile while his eyes crinkled as they stared into your own. "Fuck," you breathed out, and it caught him off guard, having his first thought going towards how he might be hurting you with his full weight. He went to lift himself up off of you, yet you tugged him back down with a free hand and mimicked his earlier smile. "Don't move," you told him, "I like this position."

Only then did it click with him. He realized that, through all of the sweat from this session, the positions and the sheer closeness each one put you together in produced certain thoughts. Thoughts he really didn't think about until now. Well, that's a lie, but you didn't have to know that, yet.

His lips copied your smile, and he brought his face down a little more, the tip of his nose brushing against yours. "Did you like the other positions, too?" His smiled broadened when you gave a quick nod.

"I hope the second one wasn't too much." He shook his head at you and chuckled. You felt a little embarrassed having his face so close to your chest.

"It wasn't," he smiled, "they were...soft. It felt nice." You hummed in response and felt the urge to close the gap between you and him, your lips brushing against his in a soft, yet hungry, kiss. He didn't pull away or attempt to show any disgust with the sudden action. Instead, he worked his lips against yours, tasting them before he had to pull away. "You want to--"

"Continue this elsewhere? Yes."

#trigun #trigun stampede #trigun headcanons #trigun stampede headcanons #trigun vash #trigun stampede vash #vash the stampede headcanons #vash the stampede #vash x reader #vash x you #vash x y/n #afab reader

[h4venpha]

𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𓂃 ⟡

jennifers body au! (uncanny) vash x reader

cw: blood, gore, murder, corpses, cannibalism, kissing, established relationship, extremly ooc vash lmao hes literally insane here

a/n: WOAHHHH RAY ACTYALLY POSTING WHAT THE FUCK !! heavily inspired by @chris-continues i thank him for streaming the movie cause holy shit was it good! and it definitely spurred some.. thoughts of mine

“vash, that’s enough,” even while looking away from the scene, the rustic stench is almost too much for you to handle. it singes your nose hairs and makes you want to get as far as possible, but all you can do is pray this will end soon. “…please.”

you don’t even have to turn around to know vash acknowledged you. the sound of his jaw snapping back into place and the man’s guts dropping out of his hand onto the hard, cold floor. splat. you squeeze your eyes shut as the air shifts, eerily silent as he trudges over to you.

“are you angry?” vash creeps up behind you, reaching to touch you with his blood covered hands. cold, wet fingers slide under your chin, bringing you around to look into his eyes. “i’m sorry,” vash apologizes in a sweet voice, a harsh contrast to the crimson staining the pale skin of his fingers up his forearms.

“you’re not really… are you?” you open your eyes and look straight at him, blood splatters on his face, soaking into his silky, blond hair. you frown as he tilts your chin up, his attempt distract you and keep your eyes off of the fresh corpse behind him. he could tell you were starting to lose it.

“look— hey, i’ll make it up to you,” vash suggests, plastering a sheepish smile on his face, sharp, jagged teeth flashing. “kay?” he tilts his head innocently before sliding his hand up to cup your cheek, purposefully smearing red along your skin.

“you know i won’t hurt you, right?” vash purrs in a low voice, leaning in and brushing the tip of his nose against yours. and somehow, your fear simmers down slightly in your stomach, body aching for a different feeling. vash feels it, feels your body relax as he reaches to hold your waist, staining your clothes..

“that doesn’t make this is okay—“ you retort weakly, trying to move back to look him in the eyes, to prove to him how seriously wrong any of this is: the man he just killed, the life he just took. but he quickly presses his bloody finger against your lips to hush you.

“you out of everyone should know best how hungry i get,” vash smiles and leans down to press his mouth against yours. and god, it tastes bloody, feels too wet, too hot, but you can’t stop the way your body responds. passionately kissing back, tasting the blood from his mouth as he licks into your mouth.

vash is dangerous. he’s a murderer, a psychopath, a demonic creature that came about out of no where. but he’s also yours. yours to hold and kiss and wipe the blood off his face after he finishes eating. you’re not supposed to be scared but sometimes you can’t help it the way he mercilessly rips bodies apart, blood and guts spilling everywhere to sedate his uncontrollable hunger..

#vash the stampede #trigun #h4venpha #trigun stampede #trigun maximum #trigun 1998 #trigun 2023 #vash fluff #trigun vash #vash headcanons #vash the stampede x reader #vash the stampede x y/n #vash the stampede x you #vash scenario #jennifers body

[mrsketchydude]

OKAY HEAR ME OUT I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING This might be kind of obvious but, as always, I like to share my thoughts so that maybe others can share theirs too. It's really interesting how Vash is called "The Humanoid Typhoon", right? Like a straightforward name, a human-looking person who causes destruction wherever he goes, we get that. BUT hear me out, why don't they just call him the Human Typhoon..?

The majority of the people on No Man's Land don't know he's a plant so obviously that can't be the excuse. And I doubt Nightow was like "Well it would be confusing to call him the Human Typhoon when he's not really human" like cmon be real here for a second, he could've easily done that, there is WAY more confusing stuff in Trigun then calling a non-human character a human. I'm bringing in examples from Stampede because it's what I can recall quickly so sorry I cant bring up specific examples from the manga and the 98 anime, maybe later. Well, I mean, when you think about it, most people don't really see this 'Vash the Stampede' guy as a human. We LITERALLY have a whole scene with Meryl poking fun at people for making him out to be this wacky character and not as an actual human. Like she said in the eng dub:

"Real people aren't such caricatures. He's a man, not a monster."

The people of No Man's Land don't view 'Vash the Stampede' as a human. He's basically like an urban legend to them. A rumor you hear about amongst folk sitting on their front porches in the evening. A scary story older siblings tell younger siblings that if they don't behave the Humanoid Typhoon will come and get them. Even Rollo had heard of Vash being talked about this way. He said, after Vash was surprised the kid had heard of him,(again in the eng dub):

"Well, yeah, you're super famous. You're the real-life Humanoid Typhoon, everybody knows you!" "I heard something else, too! You're a walking disaster, a demon who wreaks havoc wherever he goes."

Even in the manga and 98 anime after the JuLai incident, they talk about him like he's this weird cryptid going around causing mayhem and destruction. He's destroyed two whole cities and put a hole in the moon. It would be hard for any human to believe something was capable of this unless they met him in person and saw what he is capable of.

Idk it was just something that literally struck me while I was eating dinner and I typed this up real quick after finishing my meal so sorry if this seems a little messy.

As always, I appreciate the attention to detail when it comes to the writing in Trigun. While this may seem like a small and insignificant thing, I really love how even the smallest of things seem to carry information throughout the story. Just makes it all the more special to me :,)

#sketchy says #trigun #trigun stampede #trigun maximum #trigun 98 #trigun meta #vash the stampede #vash trigun #trigun vash #vash stampede #vash tristamp #i think this counts as meta im honestly still confused on what that means skdmskmd #technically manga and 98 since it is the same in the manga and 98 anime too even if I didn't bring up examples from there #anyways at this point I need to make a trigun rambles tag at this point if I'm going to keep talking about it like a madman #if you made it this far just know I still have like 2 or 3 other trigun posts I'm working on rn KMDKMSDKM #im telling yall the brainrot is real #zazie the beast gave me brainworms and by god are they wiggling #maybe Ill make that my trigun rambles tag ksmdsdmmd

[pancake-breakfast]

CW: Trauma and Suicidal Ideation

Once we reach volume 6 of Trigun Maximum, I think it's fair to say that no one in our party of protagonists understands Vash on an emotional level more than Meryl. After all, she's the one who got a full dose of Vash's emotions back in the Dragon's Nest.

It seems like a lot of what we see of Meryl in Volume 6 is her trying to process all of that, which honestly would be rough for anyone. We've seen how Vash himself is processing it and that can easily be summed up as "not well." It's not exactly a surprise that she's showing signs of depression and suffering from night terrors all throughout the first chapter. But in spite of the fact that Vash (likely inadvertently) traumatized her with both his history and the reveal of what he is, she remains so concerned about him.

The first action we see her take after coming across his memories isn't to try and flee or defend herself from him, but to shoot at Legato. There are five superhuman beings stuck in a deadlock, and then there's her, a mere normal human, and she's the one who breaks that deadlock. She sees what she needs to do and, despite the tears in her eyes, she does it without hesitation to defend herself and her friends.

She may be small, but her power is adequate.

And when everything dies down, she's the first to verbally check on Vash.

This question is kind of loaded, though. On the surface, she's asking if he's ok and back in control, but she could also be asking a myriad of things about what the hell even happened just now, or what happened in July, or how everything she saw about his arm in his memories has affected his wellbeing and how he's coping.

Vash's response is meant to reassure her, but it's so vague it does little to dispel anything but the fear of immediate danger (be it to himself or to others around him). It's no wonder Meryl is still haunted by so many thoughts and feelings after all this; they really needed to sit down and have a long talk about what happened both in the Dragon's Nest and in what she saw in his memories. But they don't. And so Meryl is left floundering.

It's something that's gonna bite them both in the ass sooner rather than later. Much, much sooner.

But again, as we move into the next chapter ("The Gunslinger"), Meryl's primary concern still isn't about Vash's destructive capability. It's about whether or not he'll be able to survive his next gunfight. 'Cause there's always a next gunfight for Vash.

Sorry, I lied. That's not the face of someone who's afraid their friend won't be able to pull a trigger to save their own life in the next gunfight (which is playing out in the now right in front of her for this scene). That's the face of someone who is deeply concerned for her friend whom she know is absolutely drowning in the sorrow of his past actions, of having pulled a much bigger trigger than the one of the gun now in his hand (or even of the Punisher that Vash has seen fit to commandeer for this mission), and who has every reason not only to go to great lengths to never repeat the mistake of July again, but enough regret to possibly let even the lowest of lowlife scum put a bullet in his own head to keep that from happening.

She thinks of his angel arm, but her immediate thought isn't, "Oh, no! What if he goes off again?" Her thought is, "Oh, god. He's carrying waaaaay too much emotionally, it's making him suicidal, and he is going to die here."

So, then, what's up with this reaction a few chapters later when Vash accidentally releases just a tiny bit of his power to stop a bullet?

My thought is this is the conversation Vash and Meryl didn't have coming back to bite them both in the ass.

Meryl hasn't had a lot of time to process these memories, and as best we can tell, she hasn't talked about them to anyone. Wolfwood kind of gives her an opportunity, but instead the two of them get caught up in denying they know as much as they know. If they'd instead had a conversation about Vash, it might have helped Meryl find a place for some of this.

But the person she really needed to have that conversation with is Vash.

While Meryl's flashback is of the events of the Dragon's Nest, from what we saw at the end of the Dragon's Nest arc and in the Gunslinger chapter, Meryl isn't that afraid of Vash and his power. The one who truly fears Vash's power is Vash himself.

Despite Vash having only recently regained his memories of July, he's still intimately aware that he has immense raw destructive power. But it's been over two years since he blew a hole in the moon, and even before that he had literal decades to build up the determination that (usually) keeps him moving forward when the horrors are too great. Meryl has had... what, a week? A month? A few days? Not nearly enough time.

If she and Vash had spent some time talking over what they both learned about him in the Dragon's Nest, it might at least help Meryl recognize what parts of it are her and what parts of it are him. Even if it didn't, it might have helped Vash contextualize her panic in this scene and find a better way to respond, or helped her to dig up the words for it before the boys ran off, since she would have spoken them them already in a more controlled setting.

But that didn't happen. So instead, we get to see all of Vash's fear and panic over what might happen if he loses control manifest in Meryl. And it manifests as screaming, trembling, and tears seemingly without end.

Thank God for Milly, or it might have resulted in her feeling the same kind of loneliness and isolation Vash feels, as well.

#cw trauma #cw sui ideation #trigunbookclub #meryl stryfe #trigun maximum #trigun manga #volume 5 #volume 6 #character analysis #manga analysis #pancake thoughts

[angel-armed]

Literally cannot stop thinking about the reveal in Stampede that Knives merged with Tesla and wondering if he orchestrated the big fall before or after he did so in this adaptation because,,, the idea of Tesla's righteous fear and rage being what sends him over the edge is just SO GOOD

ESPECIALLY bc in trimax, it's very clear that Knives is at risk of losing himself at any given moment when he starts merging with the other plants en-masse, and the 1 time he tries to merge with Vash, he nearly gets completely swept away because Vash's 'flow' is stronger than his.

I LOVE THE inherent horror that comes with Plants merging in this universe!!! Another level of body horror that is being unable to tell if the strong urges you have are your own, they might have ALWAYS been your own but also maybe they're not, All possible paths he could take are delicious like.

Finding Tesla's tank > trauma coma > hatching plan to get away from the humans/ free as many Plants as possible> Merging with her to save her just before committing to crashing the ships

Finding Tesla's tank> trauma coma> running off to see her immediately after recovering when no one's looking > merging w/ her> THEN being driven to come up with the plan to crash the ships, possibly due to the overwhelming influence of her pain/fear/rage

This doesn't even play with the fact that the scene in trimax where Knives was fucking w/ the ships controls & almost threw them off course (which caused the crew to have to wake up temporarily & for the twins to have to hide in their room until everyone went back into cryo) HAS TO HAPPEN bc Knives met Conrad then, and he knew Conrad on sight. AND that was just before they found Tesla (BTW trimax plays really hard on the fact she was STILL ALIVE in there bc she literally manifests like a ghost and LEADS Vash and Knives to where she is hidden so she def. still very much has a will and WANTED to be found.)

I will NEVER BE OKAY thinking about how Tesla literally reached out to her little brothers, she knows they're there, she knows she's not alone, even if she can't even move anymore : )

Also utterly devastated by this detail bc it lends credence to the theory that even in Maximum, Tesla and Vash were the same 'type' of plant, and Vash would've been next : )

#auguries #trigun #trigun stampede #trigun maximum #tesla #millions knives #trigun meta

[yellowocaballero]

Any thoughts on ace Vash? I know it's not a popular headcanon, but ever since that scene of him just faking falling asleep to get out of anything more with those ladies it's been on my mind.

SUPER interesting note about that scene: in the 98 anime, he says "could I be regretting it just a little?". In the manga, this is the scene:

It's very interestingly ambiguous, but the manga scene implies it's more typical Vash self-hatred! Regardless, the utter unfuckability of Vash remains.

I sincerely cannot imagine Vash being sexually interested in humans, and probably romantically too. There's that scene of him escaping sex, every time he flirts with women it's a complete bit, and the thing with Meryl always felt really one sided. Beyond that, we see utterly nothing from him indicating any interest in women or men.

I think Vash is an alien space hydrangea, of a species that's either extradimensional/inorganic/????, and it frankly makes no sense for him to be sexually attracted to people. I don't really even HC him as ace/aro, because that's an orientation and Vash is botany.

Unfortunately we've also seen Knives naked, so we canonically know that they are Ken dolls down there. There's no genitalia. There's no reason for him to be attracted to people or have an innate sense of human gender.

Hey, how the fuck did Rem even know they were boys? They were Ken dolls! She really did just spin a fucking wheel on that one! Even as children they were super androgynous! Literally assigned male by your Mom!!! Randomly!!! FWIW, headcanon: I think Knives doesn't have a human gender and Vash uses he/him pronouns like he wears his red coat: it's always with him and it's integral to his appearance, because somebody he loved gave it to him :). I think to Vash 'boy' isn't something he is, it's how he presents.

This is sticking to the text and completely ignoring the subtext and narrative stuff happening for Vash and Knives with sexuality and gender in Stampede. Cause. Hahahahahaha.

TL;DR: Vash is a space hydrangea and Rem threw darts at a dartboard why is anybody giving him and Knives a sexuality and gender at all.

#my asks #trigun #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #genuinely calling this one amatonormativity #also i feel so incredibly fucking gaslit about the tristamp vashwood situation #I watched tristamp and I was like 'wow haha can't believe they nuked vashwood so hard and now there's gonna be insane disk horse' #and 90% of the trigun content is vashwood and i feel so insane

[mayfly-stampede]

are we going to see Vashmeryl in Stampede?

warnings: episodes 4-7 spoilers, Trigun maximum manga spoilers

Vash is a sensitive and a bit clumsy guy with a big will of protecting everyone.

Meryl is a intrepid reporter who can’t stand by when she witnesses injustices.

Ans specifically during this scene when Roberto says “If he is like you…he won’t live long”

we realize they are actually alike.

In Stampede, Vash’s caregiver nature is more obvious since the beginning and Meryl’s personality is still strong but a bit impulsive specially when she sees injustice or someone in danger.

We see this at the very first episode when she helps Vash even though she doesn’t know him.

At the end of episode 2 we see her protecting Rosa, she worries about Tonis in ep 3 and take cares of Zasie at ep 4 (without knowing Zasie is no human)

She doesn’t expect Vash, Wolfwood or Roberto (THREE ARMED GUYS) to look after someone it if she is near.

This is interesting cause Meryl doesn’t have any gun (…yet?) like in the manga but she’s not afraid to protect someone.

Finally, it’s clear she worries about Vash. Maybe because she empathizes with the guilt he feels after Jeneora Rock incident, as we saw in ep 8, but she’s incredibly relieved when Vash finally eats something after three days.

She looked for the humanoid typhoon cause she wanted to interview him as a human disaster but when she knew he could be innocent she wanted to help him.

Now, after calling him coward, his answers makes her wonder who is Vash really and still repeats herself the same question…

Maybe it’s just reporter curiosity but something interesting is, even knowing since episode 1 that Vash is actually a very skilled gunman, she wants to help him to not get killed.

She runs when she hears guns looking for Vash but he is the legendary demon gunman…it’s not like she can do much for him…

And after they suspect he’s not human, Meryl decides to stay with Vash and looks for him desperately when they can’t find him at the sand-steamer.

She cares, a lot, for Vash and wants to protect him

cause after all they say to him…how can he still smile like that?

And it's funny that the person who worries the most for Vash is the lest capable to actually protect him.

Now...is Vash in Stampede someone who has been in love? is he shy about it? does he gets nervous? Or would he just embrace his feelings?

I wonder if this boy will be capable of see Meryl…and actually see her with other eyes…

It is clear we have to wait and see if this is going to happen…

But actually I can imagine him making a promise to Meryl one day like “I’ll return so you can do me another interview” thing, similar to the promise in the manga

What do you think?

#trigun #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #vash #vash stampede #meryl stryfe #trigun spoilers #vashmeryl #vash x meryl #trigun stampede spoilers #questions #ts spoilers #trigun vash #trigun meryl #trigun maximum #trigun manga #trigun manga spoilers #trigun analysis #trigun anime #trigun maximum spoilers

[dk-wren]

Day 5 - Child of Blessing

Let me try and set the scene, I did not watch TriStamp as it was airing, though it was on my radar since I kept seeing posts about it on here. It caught my attention, but I was already preoccupied with another show last winter, so I told myself "later." When I finally had a break over the summer, it was the first show I sat down with, then it became the fastest show I've binged (essentially in a night). I watched it first in sub, then again like a week later in dub because I could not stop thinking about it!

There are so many scenes, moments, reveals, etc. I could list off the top of my head that blew me away and left my jaw on the floor. But after that first watch, one episode, or rather, one scene kept coming back to mind: episode 5, "Child of Blessing" (specifically its ending)

I wanted to share today the thoughts I wrote down not too long after my first watch as I figured out potentially why that scene stuck out to me so much. I wrote it stream of conscious, so please forgive the rambling and minimal editing. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

As I was (re)watching Trigun Stampede, looking back on it, there is one scene in particular that really stands out to me and leaves me with that lingering thought of “oh damn, this is so hauntingly beautiful.” The episodes discussing Vash and also Wolfwood’s past are just incredible, and I even saw one article argue that the first episode focused on Wolfwood’s past might have been the best episode of the winter ‘23 anime season, which I totally understand and would defend. However, interestingly, as I continuously (or perhaps religiously is the better term) listen to the Trigun Stampede soundtrack and have gone back a few times to rewatch this show, it’s the ending for episode 5 that really just makes me sit there and stare, thinking about all of it. Like I said above, there is something so hauntingly beautiful about after everything Vash and Wolfwood went through in that abandoned city (Windmill Village I believe is how it's referred to) and with Rollo, that as the group drives away, to suddenly see the windmills start turning, resulting in the power coming back on and theoretically life being brought back into that city, like it hit something inside of me that I can’t really define. Earlier in the episode, in flashbacks to Rollo as a child, he was deemed to be a blessed child or something to that effect in that he would be the next in line to be sacrificed to bring good fortune to their city. And thinking about that and Wolfwood’s “mercy” killing of Rollo, it’s like, no Rollo’s death/sacrifice did bring good fortune to the city. It’s just so sad that his death was prolonged by Dr. Conrad’s experiments and after everyone had left the town. The score in this scene too! Like, don’t talk to me, the reprise of one of the main melodies to just such a haunting and somewhat ominous tone. Plus, the fact that it’s called “Human Subject” on the album. I feel like I’m rambling (heck, I know I am), but just all the elements and the build up of that episode, it does something to stir my emotions! Just gotta sit for a moment and think about everything that happened.

Getting to sit and really rewatch these episodes each day as a part of @tristampparty, the argument? discussion? talk? between Vash and Wolfwood right before the end of the episode, with Vash asking Wolfwood why did he shoot and him replying "Mercy," is another standout moment for me. I wish I had more time to write about it (or could at least put it into words better), but I love how it explores the dichotomies in Vash and Wolfwood's thinking or ideology, which was set up in ep. 4 and explored in this one. Wolfwood's response, "Mercy," causes Vash to stop and think since I'd argue that directly contradicts the reason Vash wanted to keep Rollo alive.

Based on my interpretation, which feel free to disagree with, to spare Rollo from death, to finally fulfill his promise to Rollo that we saw in the flashbacks, saying how he would be there if Rollo ever needed help, to Vash, that is "mercy." The comfort of having someone who can see him for the person underneath all the machinery and experimentation and to not instantly run away in fear, this is Vash's perception of "mercy" in this situation. However, for Wolfwood, because he is just like Rollo, taken away from his childhood home to be experimented on, death and escaping the fate (and likely the pain) that was forced upon them is "mercy." Wolfwood's actions represent the first time someone in their group, or really who isn't labeled as an explicit foe/enemy, actually manages to upset Vash since Wolfwood broke the main tenant of Vash's philosophy.

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Thank you for reading and coming to my rambling session! As I briefly mentioned above, there are a lot of episodes and moments that I cannot get over from TriStamp. And while I don't know if I would say ep. 5 is my favorite, I just wanted to give it some love and talk about its ending for today.

#trigun stampede #tristampparty #ep. 5 child of blessing #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood