#like do we know whats gonna happen to vash and to the other characters and the world

[ace-daemon]

in a distant time place

the same song of humanity still sang

#trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #my art #the ending of trimax fills me with such bittersweet hope its gonna make me explode #like do we know whats gonna happen to vash and to the other characters and the world #we dont know and we never will #you just have to believe that things will be ok

[revenantghost]

Tristamp Wolfwood is a bit different than his counterparts, yeah? And I don’t mean that in a bad way, Orange is going somewhere with it, but it’s very different from what they’ve done with Vash and Meryl imo. With them, I feel like we got a glimpse of pre-canon. With Wolfwood... Orange is up to something, and it goddamn terrifies me. I love him dearly, he has some many moments that make me smile and go, “Yeah, that’s Wolfwood, my beloved asshole.” But it’s different. Oh so very different.

I’m just gonna point out a few examples of things I think are different enough to note here (drawing comparisons from Trimax since that was the source for Tristamp, but I’ll try not to spoil much--just don’t Google names you don’t recognize), and then go a little off the rails with a couple theories (spoilers there, click the read more at your own peril). This is DEFINITELY not everything, and maybe my takes are a bit off, idk. If there’s something you’ve picked up on, definitely feel free to add it!

Well, here goes:

My dude is a mess. Wolfwood is typically put together and some would call him smooth (he’s a mess inside always, though) in his other incarnations. Orange pointed out at Sakuracon that the characters are supposed to look younger and more immature in Tristamp, and Wolfwood specifically is supposed to look like he can’t dress himself (lmao). They said they have their reasons but just didn’t have time to explore them in canon. So, I can make assumptions, but I’ll wait to see what comes in the future.

Another one that staff talked about in a recent interview is that Wolfwood is technically a priest according to his contract, but he calls himself an undertaker. Yeah, yeah, edgelord Tristamp Wolfwood and all that, but I’ve seen people call back to how, in the manga, it’s Vash that always takes the time to bury the dead. Wolfwood even chews him out a bit for this. But it’s literally in our introduction to him in this version. He carries the weight of the dead with him enough to make it part of his title, and that’s different for him.

I could be misremembering with this one. But I distinctly remember being surprised when I read Trimax because Wolfwood going into the Eye of Michael seemed more of his own choice than it is in Tristamp (not that a literal child could consent to, you know, torture and abuse)? But either way Wolfwood loathes the Eye of Michael from the get-go here, he doesn’t stay by choice and actively tries to escape. Just like all these choices he makes in Tristamp (which is MASSIVELY different in general), he does it for someone else. He can’t try to escape again, because they have Livio.

Speaking of! Livio!!! This was another thing that caught me by surprise going from Tristamp to Trimax, their relationship is so much different here, so much softer and it hurts in a beautiful way. I feel like less is more here to avoid spoilers, but this introduction pre-Trimax-canon and any future conflict with this backstory... is very different.

Holy hell, a moment like this happening so early?! Vash and Wolfwood having ideological differences and not understanding each other takes up so much time in Trimax. But over the course of three episodes, we go from Wolfwood killing someone that Vash wanted to save (props to Tristamp for making that gutpunch even more personal, ouch--though points deducted for not having the, “Shoot,” moment there), to Vash seeing how very similar they are and getting a grasp of why Wolfwood is the way he is. Wolfwood is so much softer in Tristamp. He’s way more emotional, he cares so deeply for things outside of himself, and he doesn’t have that apathetic bitterness. Staff have said that our main characters will be a lot more recognizable post-timeskip, so some shit is gonna happen to this man, but this is a fundamental shift in the early days of their relationship.

AGAIN!!! Wolfwood is doing this whole mission, betraying Vash, to save the orphanage. He didn’t have to listen to Vash trying to save the sandsteamer. It doesn’t matter if Vash is pissy if Wolfwood blew up the ship to save the orphanage, because that’s his end goal. He has a giant laser that just blew through an entire giant worm, this ship is nothing. Wolfwood’s trying to cling to the monster that he sees himself as, trying to stay the Punisher, but he’s not. He already has enough faith in Vash to trust him with everything he cares about. This takes a lot of development time for Wolfwood to trust Vash like this in Trimax--and even in the very end, he still doesn’t trust Vash with this. (If you know, you know.)

AGAIN!!!!! Wolfwood cares!!! He does not need to question if Vash is sure, if he thinks he can make up with or convince Knives or whatever, in fact he shouldn’t. He should give Vash no reason to question getting to July. But Wolfwood, be careful, your feelings are showing. Wolfwood’s getting worried about Vash. Even though all he needs to do is keep his head down and get this dork to July.

This was never Trimax Wolfwood’s motivation. Whatever drove him left him hollow and empty, he did not care. Even when he saw things starting to go south and he wanted out, Vash ended up being right: he was too much of a coward to do anything about it. (If you know, you know.) I had wondered, after Legato tried to bulldoze everything he loved, why the hell didn’t Wolfwood just desert the mission and team up with the gang. He already has such a deep connection with them. But this would be why.

WOLFWOOD IS NO LONGER CONTRACTED BY THE EYE OF MICHAEL AT THE END OF THE SEASON??? Some people say that Wolfwood still works for them, but tbh for what reason? They’re about to end the world. And then what about this line? He wouldn’t exactly have a choice, would he? I do think we’re gonna meet Chapel (right before Livio shoots himself, you’ll hear a voice and see a silhouette (not Razlo, though he’s there too) that seems to be a “new” character), and Wolfwood might end up working under him for some fucked up reason... But if not, this changes everything. It already changes everything considering how big Wolfwood escorting Vash to Knives is. But that’s done now. And because Vash saw right through him the first time, if Wolfwood comes back to do the same thing again, it might feel cheap and a little silly.

MERYL!!! Trimax is basically the Vash and Wolfwood show, right? The girls are around, but mainly their interactions are with Vash. But he and Meryl interact so much just over the course of twelve episodes. They even have that adorable group shot. She matters enough that he came back to rescue her, and the two of them worry about Vash together in the finale. Who knows what happened post-finale, but Wolfwood’s self isolation is already shot to hell. He’s more big brother Nico than he’d had the chance to be in awhile, he has so many people to care for.

So the danger has passed, Vash’s roots are back inside of him, the orphanage should be fine. But Wolfwood comes back for them. Yeah, yeah, the stupid cigarette excuse, but this is Wolfwood, not Vash. He didn’t come back because of the cigarette debt and we all know it. (Also kinda hoping that him saying what he does about fighting Knives being crazy is foreshadowing for some ridiculous 1v1 fight between them, had to throw that in there)

Now, theories Trimax spoiler time bby (I’ll also post any corrections under the cut):

EDIT 1: I was bonkers wrong on the Tristamp timeline (it takes place from May 25th to July 21st, not including the epilogue), so I just deleted that bit from the og post. I cannot remember where I got that number in my brain.

They are doing something with this man and I hate it as much as I love it. Every other character can go off and follow similar paths but they just nuked the entirety of Wolfwood’s storyline by having him be finished getting Vash to Knives and him choosing to trust Vash so goddamn early. And in less than a week of canon time!!! ORANGE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!

They’ve knocked everything out of the park so far, I had so many concerns about what they were doing while watching, and they squashed most of them. So I choose to have faith that Orange has a brilliant plan that will crush my emotions in mind. It will probably eviscerate us just like Trimax did. But I have two theories as to how this could go:

First: And by far the most likely: all roads lead to that goddamned couch. They changed a ton of things, but just to make it all hurt in a new and exciting way. Don’t get me wrong, this was the final straw in making Trimax one of my favorite manga ever--Wolfwood’s character arc is one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever read. I’m a bit nervous because we’ve already shifted that arc so much, but there’s a lot of room to fuck us all up in this one. I imagine the final confrontation will still be between the two brothers, but I imagine the context will be different.

Wolfwood’s already chosen to spare Livio, so that won’t be the clincher, but there are so many things that Wolfwood wants to fight for now to use against him. Something in the timeskip will probably firm up his ideals to be the opposite of Vash’s in a different way than before, but I imagine we’ll get at least a season of them being goofy and learning how to live and regain their humanity together before they’re couched. :’) And now the girls are going to be a bigger part of it to make the grief all that greater :’))) Thanks in advance, Orange :’))))))

Second: No couch??? I know, then what would be the point? He’s doomed in every universe, how will it be as powerful if they don’t do that here??? And I agree, I think this is way less likely. But Wolfwood has already accepted the power of anime Jesus friendship into his life, and that’s a huge part of what lead to his death. Not that I don’t think it’s still likely for Tristamp Wolfwood to think it’s too much to ask Vash to step away from the conflict with Knives for whatever his personal struggles are, but... man that sandsteamer incident is foreshadowing something and I’m afraid. It shifted so much in a way that is so significant, I feel like I’m not doing it justice with my words.

Speaking of possible foreshadowing: Wolfwood isn’t the product of random experimenting like he was in Trimax, he’s the product of plant experimentation. And Vash can heal plants. Again, that’s a big ol’ stretch, as I think that they made the Gung Ho Guns a product of plant experimentation to try and explain the magic powers they all have, and it’s a very smooth idea imo. But it haunts me. Also, given that Conrad has probably been kept alive through fucked up plant methods and how long Rollo remained the same, and Conrad said the only flaw in his experiments were that they had to eat and drink... does Wolfwood and Gung Ho Gun friends have an extended lifespan??? Okay, getting off topic, sorry :’D

Basically, Wolfwood has already made huge leaps and bounds in trusting Vash, even listening to Meryl, and growing a heart for humanity. To the point I was half-afraid this guy was going to die in the finale, because we’ve already seen so much of his character arc. (It would have been a poor choice and I’m happy it didn’t happen EVEN IF I’M STILL AFRAID). And he’s based off of Trimax Wolfwood quite heavily! You can see it in the core of his personality still!!! WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH HIM???

I doubt either of these ideas are going to be quite right, watch as Orange works in a secret, third thing that I can’t even imagine lmao. But this has been driving me absolutely bonkers and I had to share. This is still Wolfwood, and I have a feeling he’s only going to be more and more of the lovable asshole from here on out. But I have no idea where we’re going with it.

Holy hell, this was a long post. If you made it to the end of my insane ramblings well, uh... congrats??? I hope it was somewhat worth the read???? I’m so sorry?????? Thank you??????????

#Trigun #Trigun Stampede #Tristamp #Trimax #Trigun Maximum #Trigun Meta #I'm so tired I'm sorry about any and all typos #And also if this is stupid #It's just been GNAWING AT ME #WOLFWOOD I LOVE YOU BUT YOU SCARE ME #Long Post #My Trigun Meta

[hikennosabo]

#tristampparty day 10, episode 10: humanity

oh we're REALLY in it now. @tristampparty let's goooooo

wonder who these journalists are, who the sources are... oh, and the radio dj is masaya onosaka, as always!

AHHHH SEE IT WAS JULY IN THE FLASHBACK LAST EPISODE!! IT'S THE SAME CRACKED EGG SHAPE!!! IT'S JULY I'M NOT STUPID!!!! I'M NOT STUPID!!!! IT WAS JUST MY 3AM SLEEP DEPRIVED BRAIN!!!!

....

"whose side are you on?" count: 4

so not only do conrad and luida know each other, conrad knows exactly what luida is up to... he immediately knows who meryl is talking about even though she didn't say her name. have they been in contact at all over the past 150 years, i wonder?

vash's sneeze alerting the police is so funny. why is he so sneezy.

vash letting himself get shot... oof. ough. ouch. agh. (<- me taking poison damage)

the dramatic chord at the title drop... very foreboding. i like it.

...

my japanese isn't good enough so i can't tell for sure if wolfwood actually says "deer" (it doesn't sound like it, but the kansai dialect could be throwing me off) or this was just the translator using a metaphor without thinking about the implications. how does he know what a deer is. (he doesn't say "deer" in the dub, ftr)

conrad's exposition dump about his motivations is... a lot... he thinks he's doing good, working towards a better future, but meryl and roberto rightfully call bs lmao.

it's just... okay, we don't know exactly what happened with him and tesla. we only have the photo with the two of them, and the flashback to her discovery by the twins, but... it seems like this adaptation of conrad was combined with the other scientists on ship five. so now instead of conrad being the only ally to rem against the other scientists' experiments on tesla, he became the person who did the experiments in the first place. and that's just so... i don't know. to atone for tesla, he's... doing more unethical experiments?? he's doubling down??

knives is the king of hypocrisy and doubling down, too, and the king of the sunk cost fallacy... i'm not making excuses for knives, especially not for his current behavior, but he was very young when all this started. so it's easier to understand why and how he became the way he is. but conrad's a grown ass man.

he's trying to make humans more like plants, and the way he talks to meryl and roberto about knives it's clear that he views humans as an inferior species. and even when expressing regret over what happened with tesla, it's like he doesn't see Why what he did to tesla was Bad. if he truly understood that, he wouldn't be doing more unethical experiments in the first place. in his eyes, independent plants went from being below him (as something to experiment on) to being above him (as something humanity must aspire to) and it's equally dehumanizing (for lack of a better word). and now he views himself as above humanity; humanity is "imperfect" and in need of repair, and he's the one to... bring them salvation or whatever.

also i wonder if the kids in jars are gonna come back in the future as actual characters...

a plant-human hybrid with homophobia in her eyes...

i've said this before. i'll say it again. elendira ii is nothing like elendira i. she is a completely different character to me. it's not just her physical appearance, it's her personality, her emotions... wherever elendira i is i hope she's lounging with a margarita as her little sister/clone wreaks havoc or whatever.

i do think it's fun to see her shooting a bunch of nails though. i'll give her that.

i just don't understand her at all... she gets upset about being perceived as a child and plays a childish act to manipulate her opponents but also does genuinely act like a child sometimes? what is orange planning. why. giving her plant powers to explain her endless supply of nail-ammo is one thing but they added so much on top it's taking her in a really weird direction. give me trimax elendira back.

aaaand roberto's dead. o7 still not a character i'm super attached to but i appreciate his observation skills and his jokes.

"back then." in japanese he says "that time." i think he's talking about the flashback from last episode. maybe it's the very same plant he watched die in front of him.

oh the emotional manipulation... but i think knives is hitting some truth about vash, namely that he is driven primarily by his guilt (aaaand knives is just making that guilt worse). and it's something vash is afraid of acknowledging.

sinners with the capital S again!!!

the impression i get from knives and conrad's working relationship is that... conrad is helping knives with the plant dimensional stuff, and in exchange knives just kind of lets conrad do what he wants...? like i don't see why knives would care about conrad's "humanity enhancing" experiments - humans are lesser than himself, no matter what. even if they're ostensibly for the sake of lessening the burden on plants... just killing humanity would have the same effect and would be way faster. and his current plan is just ignoring humanity and gathering the plants not caring about how it affects them... because he doesn't care!

i dunno i've just seen people talk about EoM and their experiments and everything as if it's directly knives's fault, but i don't think he's dictating any of this so much as just... letting it happen. outside of anything that directly advances his higher-dimension-connection plan, i don't think he would care enough about whatever else they're doing. in the manga too, iirc, the cults that formed around knives weren't something that he made, it was more like they were formed around him regardless of his own input. ofc enabling it all is still BAD but all of this is more on conrad's shoulders than anyone else's imo.

this shot kinda fucks... very commanding. i like it.

this ended up being an unintentional observation, but we still haven't really seen a full view of knives's face in the present day. we see it in flashbacks, but every time knives has been on screen in the present his face has been partially concealed...

hey wait a second why is wolfwood back to being just "nicholas d wolfwood" in the credits

is it because his contract is finished?? man can they NOT keep dealing me psychic damage in the fucking CREDITS

can't believe we're almost to the end.... aaaaghghh...

#tristampparty #june speaks #trigun talk

[rithmeres]

yes, the plans that i could not share with you (because the haters would sabotage me) were that i was taking on LACC in my vash getup :)

i have so few pictures of myself but i got so many compliments (especially on my arm) and plenty of other people took pictures of me. and normally i don't like attention but i will be honest with u. under these circumstances i loved it. my arm held up really well through 8 hours on the convention floor and i have never been prouder of anything i've made. it's articulated incredibly well, no part of it gave out or required repair, it's never uncomfortable or a nuisance to wear, and i have enough range of motion to do relatively complex things like tying my shoes.

originally i was not planning to try to meet anyone famous because 1) it's expensive and 2) the lines are long and 3) i feel weird and annoying approaching literally anyone for any reason BUT. the spot where i met up with my sister just happened to be right next to johnny yong bosch's table. right when he started signing things. so i said LOL ok i'll do it.

it was super chill, i asked him how it felt to get the call that they wanted him to come back 20 years later for a trigun reboot and he said it almost didn't happen -- that since they recast everyone else for stampede they considered recasting vash as well (and i said WOW i'm so glad they didn't) and he said he really enjoyed getting to come back and explore a darker take (i forget if what he said was a darker take on vash's character, or just a darker trigun in general) but it was briefly surprising 2 me that he considered stampede to be a darker version but i get it, especially when u consider that there is not a lot of comedy in those 12 episodes to balance out the grief.

ANYWAY he was impressed with my arm and i asked him if he would sign my coat :) so he signed the lining but he was also like u know what, i'm gonna give you a second autograph just because. so he signed a print for me as well (free of charge!!) and the print with the blue signature matches my famous paintings that i always film in front of (that's providence baybee)

other stuff from the con under the cut

cosplay notes:

i saw 3 other vash cosplayers (a 98 vash, a stampede vash, and a purple coat vash) and no shade but i definitely had the best arm build. peace and love to all of them though

i saw 1 1/2 wolfwoods. 1 was the aforementioned mullet wolfwood from yesterday's post (ww if you’re out there ww) and the 1/2 was the 98 vash cosplayer’s gf in some kind of goth-ish dress and she was carrying a punisher

mullet wolfwood if you're out there i regret not getting a picture with you so much. i am deeply ashamed and i have no excuse because i ran into you twice and both times i was too embarrassed to ask for a picture. i just want you to know that your punisher was swag and your earrings were yolo and we would look very good together

i expected to see a lot more trigun tbh. los angeles where u at. 4 vashies at a convention of 120,000+ people is nothing. one guy even walked up to me like wow i love ur vash, i haven't seen a lot of trigun at this con and i was like I KNOW i thought i'd see a lot more

theeeee costume of all time award goes to the cad bane cosplayer i saw on the balcony. spare hand in marriage dude (gn) you looked so good

second place for costume of all time goes to the other mother cosplayer who had button eyes and these crazy finger appendages and never once broke character even while waiting in lines

i took 100 points of psychic damage from this one guy who (and im not kidding) was at least 6’4’’ and wearing platform boots and was dressed as the mfing onceler. with the stupid top hat he was fr 7+ feet tall (i saw him duck to get through a doorway).

someone was there as the brawny paper towel guy?? just walking around in a beard and flannel carrying a pack of paper towel rolls?? go off king

i saw 5 nightwing cosplayers but only 2 were biblically accurate (had ass)

the nanami sweep at this convention was so real u all SHOWED UP. and everybody ate. i saw at least 12 nanamis and not one of them was a flop.

i have never seen so many spider-mans in my life

other things:

fig. 1: this extremely hot captain america on a very large poster was about 2 make me act unwise. hi gorjus................................. nice eyebrows

fig 2: i saw this sign a couple blocks away from the con and i did a triple take. 🔥🔥🔥TRIMAX MENTIONED🔥🔥🔥

fig. 3: i saw all 4 hobbits in panel and can confirm elijah wood’s laugh is ten times more infectious in real life. before they were even done sitting down, dominic monaghan switched around all of their name cards so that none of them were seated behind the right name. as u might imagine much of the panel's content was reminiscing about LOTR, but i heard some stories that i hadn't heard before. they also talked about video games, other projects they are working/have worked on, how their kids feel about their dads' LOTR roles, how much they love ian mckellen, and how they would love to see something happen for the 20th anniversary of ROTK this year. sean astin (the legend) took shots at the stranger things writers (basically said joyce could never be happy with hopper) AND EVERYONE CLAPPED LOL. billy and dom talked about the best food in NZ, their show billy and dom eat the world, and the unfortunate events that led to the friendship onion's hiatus. it was a ton of fun to just watch them be themselves with each other, you can tell that these guys are all so fond of each other and love each other so much.

and finally, fig. 4: i bought these beautiful prints from @/batinyourbelfry and the skeletal washi tape from @/skeletalacademia (both on IG)

#this post is all over the place but i want u all to experience this with me. baby's first convention #i didn't hate it like i thought i might but i am absolutely WIPED and will b perfectly content to not go to another con for several years #lacc #los angeles comic con #it's so funny walking around and just hearing someone go VASH and literally being like. who said that. #like there are 5 million people in this corridor. where are u so i can acknowledge you #my immediate defense mechanism is to toss up a peace sign so it's very convenient that it is something in character for vash #my favorite compliment was this one guy who was just like 'THAT'S FUCKIN SICK' from across the aisle and i was like 'YEAH!!!!' #long post #ackchewally the more i think about it. i do think sometimes people mischaracterize stampede as lighter than the other triguns #simply because the characters look more baby than their other counterparts #even though many elements of stampede are. truly so dark. #like we are not at manga-level-dark yet but HOO BOY i have no doubt we will get there #i'm dying to see what other horrors orange is cooking bc i KNOW they're cooking awful manga things (laudatory) #hot single dads in your area #my cosplay #this post has taken me hours to write. im so sick of it at this point begone from my sight i hate u

[pancake-breakfast]

We're already to volume 8? *incoming trauma panic intensifies*

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 8, Chapters 1-2 below.

TriMax Volume 8 Covers

Goshdarnit, that bird-man better not be losing his prosthetic again. Those things can't be easy to come by.

LOL, he looks so serene in the fake cover. I'm guessing he supposedly dramatically threw the rose, but I just wanna think Wolfwood is wearing a tiny rose on top of that overblown mane Nightow gave him here. They're definitely shojo characters now.

Knives, just kinda... peeking nto the back cover there.

Is it just me or did Meryl and Milly grow their hair out a bit again?

LOL, Legato getting eaten by a fish on the back cover. He deserves it.

Ooh, a spinoff chapter? I'm down.

Also, someone needs to update Kuroneko's flea meds, I think. She's scratching a lot. Do they have fleas on this planet? I imagine they're just more worms.

Chapter 1: Invasion

Oh, Nightow, with your angled horizon lines....

This guy with the beard reminds me of a badger for some reason.

Uhhhh... what's happening here? Is this the arc taking off?

But... like... wasn't the arc (and where they met Knives and all) somewhere deep in Eye of Michael territoriy?

I wonder who's invading what?

LOL, Vash wakes up and just... goes about doing his routines, I see. Not gonna let the whole LACK OF AN ARM stop him.

Oh, shit, no. It's Legato doing this. That's bad. That's very, very bad.

Thanks to Vash? Thanks to Vash?! Vash wasn't the one who crashed all the humans into a desolate planet, forcing the humans to rely even more heavily on Plants than they likely planned to. Vash isn't the one who murdered a bunch of Plants in that same Fall. Vash isn't the one assimilating them into part of his being with no thought for whether or not it's their will.

THAT'S RIGHT, VASH. YOU TELL HIM. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF, BABYGIRL!!!

Ohhh, that looks painful. Legato didn't care for Vash's line of talk, I guess.

And Knives, great brother that he is, allows it. Because Vash needs to be punished until he understands Knives' point of view, apparently. 'Cause that's how that works.

Wolfwood, buddy, you look like you need some serious shut-eye.

Knives says this is a war, but he's framing it like it's just gonna be a massacre of his own design. And he's way too happy about it.

What's this Federation now?

Oh, that's bad news for them. That looks like... Wolfwood, Livio, and the other guy who's name I can nemver remember. Although I'll honestly be a bit surprised if it's Wolfwood and not just some EoM rando. Can't imagine Wolfwood's gonna be quick to make friends with Wheelchair Guy again anytime soon.

Ah, no. It's Wolfwood. This could get interesting.

*sigh* Wolfwood...

This all flies in the face of everything Wolfwood's learned about himself fighting alongside Vash, and Wolfwood knows it. The real question is, now that he doesn't have Vash at his back, what's he going to do with that knowledge? We just saw him choose to distract rather than kill with his weaponry, but how long will that last now that he's back in the clutches of EoM?

Oh, honey. There's nothing convenient about what's going through Wolfwood's head right now. Nightow hasn't given is the slightest glimpse of it, but... you can just tell. His poise, his look, and his choice not to just murder-death those guys is plenty to show he's at a crossroads. He's fought to get here, and he knows there will nasty consequences regardless of which path he chooses.

Ugh, Livio's making his move first.

Bonus points to Stampede for adapting Livio's guns well.

Wolfwood is not happy about this.

"There are times where life is harder than death, and that time has just begun." Foreshadowing much?

Oooh, look at all them plants just... watching.

Vash looks so desperate and so sad here. He just wants his brother to listen.

And, of course, Knives just dismisses him. Because Knives.

Knives isn't entirely wrong. He's overlooking that there are ways he and Vash could probably mitigate this if they worked together instead of Knives being so genocide-happy that Vash basically has to dedicate all his life to mitigating that, but yeah.

Two wrongs don't make a right, Knives. You're also punishing a lot of people for things they may or may not have done, and may or may not have been content accepting, especially if another way presented itself.

Ohhh, that looks like Vash breaking free of Livio's control for a moment.

Vash spitting truth here.

Gods, I'm so proud of him. Seems like he couldn't keep the presence of self the last few times he ran into Knives to say stuff like this. Then again, Knives was too dedicated to setting off his angel arm to really listen much, so that might have something to do with it. Now that Knives has prioritized Vash NOT setting off his arm, he has to hear Vash say stuff.

I wonder if Nightow regretted giving Vash so many scars at this point where he suddenly has to draw them again and again for several pages?

GG twisting Vash's words there to avoid actually looking at your own issues, Knives. A+ avoidance skills.

Chapter 2: Silent Ruin

CW: Body horror, reference to chattel slavery

Livio's going full 80's goth here, isn't he.

Crybaby Livio!

Oooh, old man struck a nerve. Not good. Wolfwood's shit at hiding his feelings.

Ah, there we go. The orphanage isn't aware that their numbers are harvested as Eye of Michael recruits. I... could say a lot on a religious group grooming its children to become ideal soldiers, but one only really has to look at the correlation between the U.S. Military and the U.S. Bible Belt to get the gist of it.

Livio cannot betray this guy? That's strong words. It sounds like Livio was built up to "succeed" where Wolfwood "failed."

Ah, we have another player on the field.

Ok, who's saying this? I have no idea who's saying this. Is it Livio? Is it Wolfwood? Maybe one of the others present in this scene?

Knives, what the hell are you swan diving off to do?

Ohhh, here we go with Knives stealing the plants. Stampede really bumped this element up in the timeline.

Oof, these people have been dead for a bit. No worries; in a place like that, they'll likely mummify before they rot too bad. Kinda like a peat bog but dry.

I hope Knives has a good tank to keep all these plants in and isn't, say, stuffing them all in his arm like a madman.

Oh, would you look at that. He's STUFFING THEM ALL IN HIS ARM LIKE A MADMAN. Dammit, Knives.

From what I gather, impalement is a very painful way to die. You usually go from exposure rather than bleeding out unless some kind soul pulls you free.

Oh, ok, Knives is also shoving them all into some sort of mass tank where they're crammed together like.... Is this supposed to call to mind images of slave ships back when they were a major import to the Americas? Because that's the vibe I'm getting. I really don't know how this could be more comfortable for them than their bulbs.

Yeah, somehow I don't think their warheads are gonna be much of a match for Elandira.

Vash is not having a good... week? I guess it's been a while now. Legato's having a time of it, too, since I'm sure Vash is fighting him quite a bit.

Wolfwood is also not having a good whatever.

Did... did Knives really succeed?

Seven months???

Oh, this has to be our girls.

Yeah! And Luida, too! They look a little worn, but no worse for the wear.

Archive

Trigun Vol. 1: Covers + 1-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 || Vol. 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash

#trigunbookclub #trigun maximum #volume 8 #pancake thoughts

[dapper-shipping-forever]

Wrote a bit of when all the top bounty hunters are together, though only one of the others appear. Featuring protective, and pretty oblivious, Vash lmao

Here's the post about my T.rigun bounty hunter characters. Just the basics for more background of this story (beep)

💜💜💜

He approached her with his long, purposeful strides. His lips pulled back in an arrogant, wicked grin, slow and cruel. His pale green eyes bore deep into her own gaze.

Maleficence stood inches from Gill, towering above her. Her friends all tensed behind her. She couldnt see them then, but she got the feeling they were all just waiting to step forward and teach this dude what people who mess with this team deserve. But Gill held open her hand low at her side, a silent request to not interfere. This man was a thorn in her side and her annoyance to handle too.

"Well, ain't this exciting." He drawled in that dark, penetrating voice. "The two of us are gonna be part of a team together again. Can hardly believe it's finally happening why it's cause to celebrate."

Gill grimaced, a hand on her hip. "The only celebrating I'm gonna do about this is when I no longer have to be around you."

He faked some hurt. "Come on now, belle, no need to be coy to me. How long's it been? Since our previous partnership. You hadn't been troubled to work together then."

She flexed her fingers, gripping her hip tightly. "Yes, because I hadn't known the full extent of your cruelty then."

He chuckles. "Mmm, I promise you, you haven't seen the full extent of it." The fact he seems proud of that just makes her tense further. "But I'm grateful. You deciding not to take that money gave me a great lil payday from that bounty. I take it as a token of your appreciation for the partnership."

"It wasn't a token of shit." Her body trembles in rage. She hated talking to this guy. She wanted to keep herself rationale but the reminder of the violence he caused brings it fresh into her mind and she finds the words spilling out from her throat. "We had them already, we had them captured without any harm done to them. There wasn't any reason to murder them the way you did. None at all." She growled low. "I wasn't taking that cash."

"I was collecting a bounty. Nothing specified they couldn't come back full a holes, and sure 'nough they hadn't given a second thought when paying the dough then." He crosses his arms; that grin hasn't moved.

She levels him with a glare. "You're a piece of work, Maelstrom. Ain't nothing gonna make me want to be in a partnership with you."

"Yet, currently we are." He reminds her, smug as all get out too.

"Only temporarily, though." She adds. "We're getting far away as soon as we're done here."

He mocks her with another chuckle. "Man, and with how much I like you. You're too entertaining to just let walk away."

She'd rather not think of that bastard finding her for his amusement. "Feelings not mutual; I'd rather not be associated with utter scum."

There's a new shine to his eyes. Something like a predator eyeing some new prey. He leans a little further towards her. "Ya know, you always do act this way, like you're in some way superior to me, but I've got something that you just can't get." His grin reveals his glinting canines in the low lighting. "I know exactly who I am. Yeah, I am a murderous, cruel, violent piece of work, real scum sure." He draws his gun, juggling it's weight. "I know the reason I use this gun, why I shoot it; everything that's lead me here is something I controlled. But you can't say that. You got no clue who you are, and you're just running around with those little guns of yours because you got nothing better to do with this fragment of a self. If you've got nothing behind ya, how are you supposed to decide for yourself what's right and wrong or what you want to do with your frail self? My actions are my own and I have no qualms with them, because I know who I am." He uses his gun to tilt her chin upwards, forcing their faces inches apart as sneers and stands without flinching at his mockery. "And what about you? Hm, little girl? Who are you; who's love hunter?"

She has no response, because a part of her can't fight his piercing words; the cool metal of his blood soaked gun burns cold on her chin and she only thinks about how there's shadows where her memories should be. She can't say anything to fight him. She actually hasn't got any idea who she is. She's clawed together this identity since waking without any background, but she has no clue if this is who she honestly actually is. She could've been ruthless too. She could've hurt somebody. She could've hurt many people. She could've been anyone. Right now she's just no one. She hasn't got any idea right now, not a single idea.

Before she can try and respond, the cold feeling on her is gone and her view is entirely blocked by another dark coat covered in dust. She realizes who it is. Vash, heavily disguised in his loose dark coat, low hat, and scarf concealing his face, pushed his way between them without saying anything.

Maleficence turns his predatory stare on the stranger. His eyes narrow, just a little as he analyzes him in full. "Have something to say about our conversation conversation, boy?" He asks him.

Only Vash's blue eyes, hard and striking, are visible. "I just think," He says, low. "You shouldn't talk to a lady like you're doing." His hands haven't moved towards it yet, but at his side his hand hangs by his gun.

Saying nothing, just staring, Maleficence regards the disguised Vash. The team holds their breath, wondering if he'd recognize him, wondering if he'd decide to try and shoot him anyway, and his silence ends with a chuckle. "My apologies." He tips a pretend hat to them. His gaze peeks around Vash to see Gill as well. "Have a swell day, y'all."

They watch quietly until Maleficence leaves the room. He leaves without another word to the team.

---

Vash let's loose a breath, disturbing some particles swirling in a sun beam. He's finally free to take off that mask and breathe easy now that they've split from the other bounty hunters for now; it was feeling stuffy.

He looks out the open window of this empty room; dust covered as it may be its also nice to have privacy for a while. Sat on a cracked bit of stone is the first chance to relax he's had. The only person in the room other than himself currently is Gill, standing across the room to clean her guns free of sand. She brushes a decently clean white rag on their outside. Vash could feel a different air about her since their chat with Maleficence before.

He's been debating saying something to hear. The words seem to evade him now, though; he could tell what he said had burrowed into her thoughts and stuck, that whole conversation leaving its mark. He wanted to make it all better, it was like a burning desire pressing at him, something bubbling inside of his throat; if he could erase the hurt he saw from what he'd said, Vash would.

He ran a hand across from his mouth along his chin, leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs. His hat had been removed already and hung from his prosthetic fingers by the brim.

"Thought he'd keep bugging us; cant stand that guy, idiot." She grumbles, breaking the silence after a few minutes of it.

He can't quite look at her; his fingers slowly rub the felt between them. Though, they can't properly feel its texture either. "I've never met him before; can see where your complaints are from now, though."

Gill wipes the cloth along her gun. She pauses with a quiet, heavy sigh. "Why'd you step between that?" She asks him.

He knew she had been thinking about that the whole time. To avoid being discovered, he'd tried his best to stay in the background around the host of bounty hunters, but he couldn't stop himself from standing out in front of Maleficence. That's alright. "If I stayed back he would've just kept going like that." He looks out the window while he speaks.

He imagines the way she fidgets with her gun, hearing those chains clink. He's noticed that he's developed a habit, a sort of knack, for guessing what she's doing whether or not he can currently actually see her. He supposes he just knows her little habits and facets of how she behaves by now. It comes with how much time he's spent around her, and it's natural to pay close attention to a treasured friend. He hears the worry in her voice. "That was risky. He mightve clocked you; if he had he would've told the others and had you pinned in that room." The fact that Maleficence's violence is well established is unsaid but known.

Vash is quiet as he thinks. She's right, but he can't find any part of himself that believes he should've done differently. "I couldn't let him talk to you like that." Actually it was that he refused to let anyone talk to her like that.

"But you could've been hurt from that." She tries to make him see just how dangerous that was to do.

"The danger in it isn't what matters." He lowers his head, not quite bashful but speaking in a soft voice. "I would do anything for you." Without hesitation either.

He can see her as she pauses in place, body tensing. His sincere words effect her immediately and she blushes, face cast towards the floor. She takes a bit to say something to him again. "That was dangerous." She mumbles quietly, almost somewhat sad. "But, saying that," she continues. "Thank you, Vash." Now she's looking at him with a, small and genuine, smile.

He smiles for her. She definitely isn't just gonna forget what he did, but she's not angry. "Like I said, anytime." He chuckles to try and lighten the mood. "No one messes with my favorite bounty hunter without a word from me."

She fake pouts. "Your favorite bounty hunter; is that it?"

He raises his hands in his defense at that. "Hey hey, you know you're more ! You're my wonderful friend Gillian and I wouldnt ask for a better companion than you, if that were possible, which its definitely not ! You're more important to me than you know !" Incredibly important, actually. "Besides, just think of just how many bounty hunters I've met; that's a compliment in itself, out of all of those being my favorite."

She scoffs and chuckles. "Yeah, because I'm basically the single bounty hunter not after your ass."

He laughs and shrugs. "Well maybe that's part of it." He jokes lightly.

She shakes her head, thoroughly amused. "You're something else for sure y'know, darling."

Vash scratches the back of his neck, glad she's back to joking with him. Something in her words sticks, though. Perhaps it's an odd thing to get this fixated on, but it's something he'd thought of before but never sit in the front of his thoughts and never asked about; but, now he asks. "Hey, Gill, can I ask you something real quick?"

She turns her head towards him. "Yeah, of course." She prompts him.

He almost backs off, but after a pause presses forward. "Why do you call me darling?"

She freezes where she stands. "Um, hm?" She gets out.

"Well, I know you've called me it for a long time," He continues. "But I just haven't asked why before. I'm just curious." He's not sure why he's shy, asking this question that's harmless.

She seems to think. "It's just a nickname." She looks away.

Vash notices her evading her question, he leans closer, more insistent now. "But, you haven't called anyone else darling; I've only heard you use it on me. And you haven't given the others nicknames. Why only mine?"

Her shoulders hunch. Silently, she sets her gun on the table with its twin. Silently, she faces him. She walks a little closer and crosses the room, until she's behind him. He's confused, until he feels her arms wrap around him as she kneels on his impromptu seat. He tilts his head and looks back, her arms settled atop his broad shoulders. She gives him a quiet smile. "You're just special to me is all, darling." Silently, she flexes her fingers in the only unseen indicator that there's more weight to that confession than she conveys out loud currently.

He stares at her, swallowing what feels like something lodged inside her throat. "Then, should I have a nickname for you?"

She laughs. "Technically, you have one."

"Yeah, but that's not anything different than what everyone calls you. And love hunter won't count too." He protests.

"You haven't had any different nicknames for me the whole time we've been traveling like this." She reminds him.

"I know." He frowns; he's never had anyone who's he's allowed to be close to him before her, he's never tried creating a nickname for someone until thinking about it now. Maybe he could use her's? He blushes just considering calling her it; the casual way she says it always makes him flutter inside a bit too.

She hums sympathetically. "Tell ya what, darling," it's like there's extra emphasis on that nickname there. "You can think about it, and if you decide on any you like, I'd be happy for you to use them for me whenever you wanna."

He thinks about that a bit. "Alright, sure. That sounds good."

She gives him a squeeze, and before he can question his actions he realizes he's leaning back into her. He wonders just why he felt as protective of her as he does, why it felt different than when he just wants to help people whenever there's a chance. He thinks about nicknames andaffections. He just cares about her, a lot actually.

#self shipping #self ship #self ship community #self ship story #self ship content #selfshipping #dapper writes #romantic.vash #dapper ocs: trigun

[gealachros]

Thoughts while reading Trimax Volume 11 part 2/end

Continuation of my thoughts from part 1!

Oh you know, some light DIY with explosives

Oh this reminds me of the final fight in Trigun 98, how the angel arms would cancel each other out when both used at the same time! I wonder if this was an inspiration for that part in the fight

Awww I love Meryl and Milly so much,

Also I love this fistbump, such a cute promise before the big fight. I really do hope everything turns out okay in the end because I will not be able to handle anymore deaths

Here we go, Livio vs Elendira. I bet this will be an interesting fight! I do really hope that Elendira doesnt actually die here, shes such a cool character but I understand if its the only way to stop her

Holy shit that was close

Wow she is insanely strong

AWWW Livio is adorable with kids, although he did probably traumatize them for life with all the nails and blood lol

His reaction is interesting here, I wonder if hes being reminded of Wolfwood maybe?? Also their face isnt showing which is an interesting choice

Oh shit!! Is that the girl he saved when he was at the orphanage??? Oh thats really cute. Also the kid giving him the hat was very cute as well

Man what a good volume, how Elendira fights is pretty interesting. Even though Livio definitely isnt as strong fighting wise as Razlo, its still crazy to see the difference in strength. Shes a badass person. Although the whole thing with the actual nuke worries me a bit lol

I love how Livio has really become his own person and he is such a sweet guy. Such a shame Wolfwood couldnt see Livio like this

Im wondering since there is 3 volumes left, I bet the next one is gonna wrap things up with Legato and Elendira and maybe the start of the fight between Knives and Vash? Something bad is gonna happen for sure between Knives and the spaceships. But who knows, they seem to have seen what Knives is doing before so maybe they have a way to combat it.

Very interesting way to start wrapping up the story, I guess we will see how the next volumes goes

#TrigunBookclub #trimax #trimax vol 11

[alena-reblobs]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol7

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1 Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1 Vol02 Part 2 |

Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 |

Vol06 | Vol07

Thoughts on Vol07! Kinda spoilery for vol8 in my analysis, but you all probably already read this anyway :)

Definitely the "mom looks right through this shit" look

Little Knives just wanting to be accepted, being so afraid of rejection that he cries out of relief! Sweet little guy, what happened to you :(

(little note to the stampede version: I love Stampede very very much, though the one detail where I would have liked them to stay closer to the manga is making you Knives the more vulnerable one. In Stampede I think they are putting more emphasis on his love for his brother, and his feeling of duty to protect him as the "older" and "only one with powers". That his whole acting later is a result of his fear, of him being scared and answering with violence as the only solution he can think of. I like that in the manga a lot, because it's giving his character so much complexity! But, I'm very eager to see what they will do with Knives in s2 of Stampede!)

2 creechures

Vash is noticing how dusty this part of the ship is. Also, at first I thought these were their footsteps, but because of the way the feet ar moving and how the steps point in different positions, I guess it's Rem's footprints in the dust he's seeing!

Oh look! The eyes of all the people they had been looking forward to meeting earlier, now piercing them with their cold and cruel stares!

Vash, too weak to protest but not wanting to be saved. And probably touched by a human in this moment, even if it's Rem : (

Looking so much like a cornered animal here...

I'm gonna repeat it like others have already said...doesn't this sound all too familiar to what Vash once said to Wolfwood? Also insane mom instinct by Rem to just grab the knife without blinking to stop Vash from stabbing himself.

Chills on this page!

Rich coming from the one who's the most afraid of all. Also love this change in the atmosphere suddenly...and Vash is noticing some behaviour change, and that it's not good, but he also doesn't know what it means (how could he though) and what to do...he's just a kid!

These two pages directly following each other (right first, then left) are just...so poetic. Beautifully cruel.

THANK YOU WOLFWOOD for trying to lift his spirits!

Then we get the two nice seeming criminals that they save from the rope. This little fun get-together before all comes down, is really something Vash needed...just some people who don't care what he did.

And then we get this page, also one I really like.

Tell us your secrets, lonesome cowboy.

That scene before making every first-time reader go staring in shock at the pages before turning to this one. And Wolfwood...not wanting to burden Vash with his worries or whatever that was!! DDD: Course Vash noticed, his looks says enough and the blank space of the panel where his back is turned to us indicates so as well. Those two. I will properly start with my Vashwood yearning with my vol08 recap (this just as a possible warning) but oooough.

Elendira having no fun in gutting people??? Can't have that, can we.

This is such a pretty drawing, also giving me feels of religious paintings or sculptures.

I want a spinoff with just the Gung Ho Guns crew, much like the Organization XIII in the Kingdom Hearts manga looks like an assembly of poorly organized idiots.

Awesome pages and speech. Vash must be one of the dearest characters ever created in existence.

Oh, his Knives senses are tingling!

And with the end of Vol7 we are being thrown into an age of chaos and despair! Yay!

#trigun #trigunbookclub

[crossroadsdimension]

If you follow members of Studio Orange's staff on Twitter, they've said that every character has their own wants, likes, and dislikes, and each one of them could serve as a protagonist in their own right. Shoot, Vash can cover both positions of male and female protagonist because of the actions he's taken and what's happened to him as a result.

But if we had to pick a protagonist specifically to serve as the audience's eyes? That's Meryl (and Roberto for the more experienced fans but I'll get to that in a sec--).

I'm mostly looking at this through the usual three-act structure that folks are usually taught in Literature classes. Where it's "leave the ordinary world, travel through the "other" world, then come back to the ordinary world changed" path.

To be more precise, Act 1 is mostly world-building and establishing the baseline, then booting the protagonist out into the world for some character growth. Act 2 is the meat of the adventure, with its ups and downs, and normally ends with an emotional low before a moment of clarity that sends the protagonist off into Act 3, to confront the main villain in a climactic scene that quickly wraps up and ends with the protagonist going back to what they were doing before, or at least something similar. Changed, but still them.

Vash, from his perspective, has been in Act 2 for a long time. His big "call to action" -- which normally happens at the end of Act 1 -- could arguably be an interaction with Nai post-Big Fall, either in the immediate aftermath or in the crashed space ship when all their sister-Plants were put through a Last Run state right before Vash arrived. Which means that right now, he could be going through the emotional low right before the point of clarity that normally happens at the end of Act 2 and the start of Act 3, mere scenes before the climax.

But here's the kicker that means we're getting another season: Meryl and Nicholas are still smack-dab in the middle of Act 2. Especially in terms of character development.

Putting this under a cut because this is gonna get long.

So, if we're looking at the 3-act structure from Meryl's perspective:

Her Act 1 "normal" world is being a reporter-in-training, getting a mentor in Roberto, and her initial, normal world call to action is to go find information about Vash the Stampede. The "other world" call to action doesn't hit her until about Episode 3 when Knives comes in and completely destroys Jeneora Rock. After we've had some world development and pulled Meryl into the "hey, there's more going on here than you know" sort of scenario.

But that's the funny thing about calls to action. They can happen multiple times in a story -- just because a story follows a "three act structure" doesn't mean it has to follow those rules to a T. I say this because a mentor character's death can be a call to action, too.

Which brings in Roberto as the experienced fans' eyes. He knows about the villains, and even knows to be suspicious of Wolfwood when we first meet him in Episode 4. He fills in the newbie on what she needs to know about the world. He's jaded and knows there's danger around every corner -- and like the fans who hate Stampede, he doesn't want anything to do with it.

But Meryl -- the new fans -- keep pulling Roberto back in, and drag him along. As a result, Roberto and the old fans' eyes die in Episode 10, because they went along despite knowing what they know.

Roberto's death represents the kick in the pants Meryl needs to develop more closely to the character we remember her being in the old show, and it makes Meryl become the eyes of the old and new fans as a result.

Roberto's death may not be the end of her Act 1 if we count the first call to action as that end, but I don't think it's her true emotional low in Act 2, either. Meryl is fully submerged in the "other" world now, and is prepared to do what she needs to in order to help Vash.

(Granted, if we count each "season" as its own book and each book having its own 3-act structure, Roberto's death could absolutely be that emotional low before Meryl's Act 3, but we know they're not done with Trigun Stampede's story yet)

And then Wolfwood. His "normal/ordinary" world is the world that Meryl gets pulled into -- that of the Plant brothers warring with each other, and the Eye of Michael. He gets a call to action with his mission to guide Vash, but it's not the call to action that gets him moving into the "other" world yet. Vash attempted to give him one by saying "I'm trying to save you too" in Episode 10 after he got shot, but Wolfwood turned that down by letting him go to his brother alone.

Episode 12 is going to give him his real call to action that'll boot him straight into Act 2. I'm certain of it. Nicholas is Vash's foil, after all, and that means they both get development, damnit.

Which lets me circle back to Vash and how he's technically moving into Act 3 territory. Like I said before, he's been in the meat of his "adventure" for a long time, and there's a climax coming for him. But that's the funny thing with story climaxes: there can be smaller ones in Act 2 before we hit that emotional low and moment of clarity before the big one in Act 3. It's just that they're gonna be smaller than the big, final climax, and maybe even mimic how the Act 3 climax is going to go.

You see this a lot in book series, mostly because it's hard to end Act 3 with being back in the "ordinary but changed" world for every single book. That means starting up again with the basic world-building, etc for the next book, with Act 1 all over again. But nope. Sequels start in Act 2, because Act 1 only happened the once, and the protagonists haven't had their true final battle yet to get out of Act 3.

So Vash could still be in Act 2, and may even slide back a little in terms of development because of Knives messing with his memories. While it may not entirely wipe out what makes Vash who he is, memories are an important part of our core. They help tell us why we react to certain things emotionally the way we do. Here's hoping Knives left a little something behind when he messed with Vash, because otherwise he's gonna be very different from the person we've been spending time with the last 11 episodes.

And Knives? He's in the meat of Act 2, too, like his brother, although his call to action came much sooner -- it was when he saw Tesla, and thought he needed to protect his younger brother. His emotional low was when Vash pointed a gun in his face, followed by the clarity of "I need to force my brother to my side. He'll see, one way or another."

Which would place Knives in a climax point, either in a lengthened Act 2 or in his Act 3. But that doesn't mean he's done developing as a character -- far from it.

Because I think Vash is gonna give him reasons to develop next week. Whether Knives likes it or not.

#cross' rambling #trigun #trigun stampde #millions knives #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #roberto de niro #nicholas d wolfwood #character anaylsis #story analysis #long post

[longhands-the-second]

Trimax vol. 5

This is a solid 30% “what will they do with this in Stampede?”

1- “this time of year”… what are seasons like there? Are they distinct at all???

OH. YIKES. JULY. I was wondering why we were starting here.

God, I hate to think of how many people Vash has lost over the years.

For him to openly weep is heartbreaking, knowing how often he just shuts down instead.

Im fucking stoked to see what they do with midvalley in stampede, if anything.

Meryl is leaving this whole thing fundamentally changed i think. Just a hunch.

2- This is maybe a little unclear? I see the vision though.

I fucking love manga milly you go girl

GOD DAMN IT VASH he keeps getting hit and it makes me sad

Ballerina wolfwood

Am. Am i gonna start simping for wolfwood now? Is this how it happens?

3- oh. Oh boy. That sure is a title page

I’m still so mad they stole ww’s nose in stampede. It’s so pretty.

Wolfwood being protective of people. That is all. :)

OH OH OH ITS HAPPENING EVERYBODY STAY CALM STAY FUCKING CALM

This is the first time that we’ve seen this w/o Knives’ direct involvement- is this something that just happens when he’s at his wit’s end? Has it happened before? (Is it just compounding recent events???)

Bevridge Bitch is here and his vibes are as rancid as ever

How recent was July? He has most of the same scars.

Man they really just took the sleeve off of his coat. Worst thing that happens here, surely (<- coping)

Nvm the sleeve magically reappeared.

Girl seriously though what the *Fuck*

Could he just not do it before? Is this knives doing it *for* him???

“Seeds”?

Oh no. Oh this is even worse than last time. Ick.

Somehow this is more explicitly uh. Y’know.

EW EW EW EW

Dude phrase that literally any other fucking wayyyyyy I’m screaming crying throwing myself out of the window

Vash didn’t answer. I think this is the only iteration that wouldn’t. Then again that might be entirely circumstantial.

DAMN.

4- I took a week long break after the last chapter. I WAS ahead but uh. Stuff and things. So i may have some rereading to do.

SO WAIT HOLD ON DOES TOUCHING THE FEATHERS LET YOU SEE HIS MEMORIES AND SHIT?

I wonder if wolfwood’s gotten his sight back? Is that gonna be recurring or was it just a brief thing?

God this is so fucked up. Poor Meryl is probably losing it

Midvalley continues to fascinate me. What he’s saying makes sense but like. Damn.

Oh fucking god damn it get this guy out of here i don’t want him

What the hell am i even looking at right now

LEGATO YOU BASTARD

5- i hate to say it but i was kind of rooting for midvalley? I wanted to see more of him at least. Fuckin brutal way to go.

Oh is this why zazie is like. Extra androgynous in stampede? Fully support this actually.

I don’t think any character gets under my skin the way legato does. Knives is a close second, but there’s just something about the type of cruelty he exhibits. It’s not quick or to the point. He lets that shit simmer on purpose. It’s not about power anymore, it’s about maximum suffering. For himself, too. It’s gross.

MERYL!!!!

Legato sticks his leggy out real far. Fr though those are spindly as all hell

I’m not sure how much of the angel arm use is Vash making a conscious decision? Guess we’ll find out later. (EDIT: or not damn. He’s so quiet about it.)

Ah. Elendira. Will i love you or hate you?

6- i swear i can feel the panic coming off of the page here

I wonder how much more shit happened with knives that we just haven’t seen yet. How much of it does Vash remember?

Is this happening in his head right now? Is that why his arm is extra fucked up?

I find myself wondering at this moment if the original japanese was more or less derogatory about elendira and tbh i’m just gonna stop thinking about it now.

I can already tell im gonna be obsessed with her dynamic with knives though. They both seem so over it in a way that i can only describe as “the only two queer people working at the McDonald’s.” This is in no way related to any personal experiences i may have had, pinky promise. (Me and that manager were like. Work besties.)

She’s so fucked up i love her already.

UGH UGH UGH BE NICE TO HIM DAMN IT.

EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO THEM MAN. (He’s not obligated to but holy shit do you know how much that had to fuck Meryl up?)

Yeah, i see where the japanese Rem headcanon comes from. The vibes are there.

End notes (semi related to the actual content):

- I am DYING to know how they’ll deal with the Earth ships. Can’t just start that plot thread and just destroy them. I mean, it could happen, but like. Why?

- Forever yelling about biblically accurate Vash. I’ll draw him at some point given the time and energy. I REALLY want to know how/if they’ll handle it in stampede- we sort of got it, sort of didn’t? I’d love to see that pushed further.

- I WILL FINALLY POST ANOTHER GOD DAMN COLORING THIS WEEK. It took me a full month so it’s from an earlier volume but i’m very excited to share! It *should* be done by Friday (questionable way to celebrate given the content) ((maybe I’ll post vash in the babygirl pose as a treat)).

- I got my silly little wwvd bracelet and wore it with my Vash cosplay this last weekend. It genuinely makes me smile every time i see it lol. Real mood booster through con crunch, too. (Also, shoutout to the vash cosplayers at akaicon who definitely won’t see this lol. I almost asked them if they were in on the bookclub based on conversations we had but I chickened out.)

#trigunbookclub

[naenurh]

Jjk and Trigun be popping up everywhere in my fyp and I love making stupid crossovers in my head. So like, I've been reading fanfics where Gojo goes to a whole different dimensions, like bnha, and does his own shenanigans when he's either, still in the prison realm (idk it's either his conscious can teleport or sumthin) , or he died and reincarnates.

But for this silly undeveloped fanfic I created in my head, Gojo got bored hangin out with his fellow skeletons and decided to play around with his technique cuz why not. Dude's op anyways except he's in a tight situation at the moment. So yeah, something happens, he wakes up in a whole different dimension. Or in his case, his mind is in a whole different dimension. But wait! I was like, why not make it more interesting. He wakes up in our bbg's head! Aka, our beloved Vash. Yeah, Gojo-Sensei just pulled a Sukuna there. Now Vash will be unofficially become Gojo's vessel? Head-Roommate? I'll leave that to you.

Now, I'm still learning their characters at the moment so I can't really be correct on how they will react to this. I just know that Gojo will take it in stride but still be alarmed and wary, because holy shi- he just totally did that. I mean, he knows he op but to trascend the universe?! He's gonna be smug about that for ages let me tell you.

So for Vash. I'm still new to Trigun fandom and I'm still reading the manga at the moment. But correct me if I'm wrong, but he's totally gonna freak tf out. Like hello? Who's this complete foreign being inside my head?! I'm still confused whether Vash has a mental link with Nai or not, I know he can sense other plants and his bro but can he, telepathically talk to him, no matter how far? Is Nai gonna know and go ballistic the moment he finds out there's a strange anomaly in his twin bro's head?? I might need to do research on that. So yeah, Vash freaks out, Gojo's excited and worried, excited because he's not bored and trapped in a skeleton filled box anymore, worried because ouh no, can I still go back, I can't abandon my fu-kin children.

At last, join Gojo and Vash, two unexpected and unlikely duo that I made up in my head, as they gallivant through No Man's Land and exchange different life lessons to each other. As we all know, Gojo's totally not gonna (fully) follow Vash's no killing and maiming rule, and Vash is totally against hurting/killing anything in general :') It's bound to be a wild ride. I'm just curious on how they're gonna interact really.

And I still don't know when this is gonna start tho, like a little before canon starts or-, when Vash is already w his gang? Still thinking about it. So yeahhh, there you have it. My daily new maladaptive series in the making, you had a peek in what I always do whenever I'm bored.

#vash trigun #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #jujutsu gojo #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen #fanfiction #fanfic ideas #fun things #idk where this came from #butimgonnarunwithit

[pepperbox]

What are your thoughts on the Trigun reboot?

the big tl;dr is that i'm enjoying it a lot!! there are a couple things that i'm like, not suuuuper thrilled about but overall: it's a yes from me!

(for clarity, i was a huuuuuge fan of the '98 anime and watched it with my mom as a kid! i read trimax later in life and adored that, and now the og anime is like. fine?? but comparatively falls flat for me now as an adult in my 30s. i've rewatched the anime only once as an adult but i've reread trimax uhhhhh three times in the past year alone lolol)

i'm gonna bullet point this bc that's just how my brain works best:

i love the animation! there have been a few instances where it felt off, but overall it's been a feast for my eyeballs

I'M SORRY BUT I LOVE THE NEW VASH DESIGN transmasc icon, he's perfect. i am absolutely not biased, ignore my undercut--

also it updated his look for the 2000s?? the broomhead was a Look in the 90s but it's so dated now i'm SORRY LMAO

also who out here is making hair gel on this fucking desert planet, i s2g,

the inclusion of roberto at first i was kinda ??? about but i quickly adjusted to him, esp as he started throwing soon-to-be-dead-mentor flags all over the fucking place. he cracks me up but i'm legit just waiting at this point for him to die to further meryl's development and to pass the torch derringer on to her

i do hope millie makes an appearance for meryl (so they can be girlfriends, as is only right) but her absence really doesn't break trigun for me bc uhhhh y'all, her and meryl have relatively minor roles in trimax and straight up disappear for like, volumes at a time

also i really hated her random romance with wolfwood in the 98 anime even as a kid and i will never forgive it for that

but ymmv!!!

i do think the pacing is a bit fast and i wish they either had longer episodes or more episodes to let it breathe a little! not entirely plot-wise because i actually like the reveals so far we've gotten because it's keeping even long time fans guessing for what's coming, but just for the relationships between the characters

like i would like more casual interactions between the four protags, and more vash & wolfwood getting to know each other before we jumped right to them butting heads so aggressively over morality and killing

but i do love that it also heavily showcases the consequences of vash's actions (or inaction)

because as meryl pointed out during the nebraska fight, he isn't actually doing anyone a kindness, he's just running away from pain

i am also sad that they took wolfwood AND livio's tits by the looks of it

rip 😔

also i am. not thrilled about elendira? i was really excited to see my wife on screen but instead they did that to her :(

ANYWAYS

i am curious about where the story is going to go!! because lost july hasn't happened yet but we're walking towards it, but when?

is it going to be mid-season? is it going to be the end of s1 if we're getting more than one season? will there be a time skip?

will [redacted manga spoilers] arrive?

will we get to see chronica and domina??

there's still SO much to cover, but i know they're mashing some things together (like jeneora rock was a couple different settings smashed into one, and it seems like the gung-ho guns and the eye of michael are even more woven together??) so we'll see but

I HAVE QUESTIONS

BUT YEAH like!!!! i am enjoying it a lot overall!! i have a few gripes with it but i am so fucking happy to be watching trigun again, and as much as i would adore a 1-to-1 trimax adaption like they did with fma, i am really enjoying it being a retelling because i genuinely don't know what's going to happen!! it's fun!! i'm having fun!!

also there's a really emo thought i had about all trigun adaptions just being different lives for everyone and they're just caught in a loop

history doesn't repeat but sometimes it rhymes

but!!

i also love the fact that it's screaming that it's a passion project. that people who love the source material are all working on it, with nightow. they're bringing back VAs for both japanese and english versions, fans are animating and voicing it, it's amazing and shows how much love is going into this series, and i'm so glad to be able to experience it again

#trigun

[chibivesicle]

I'm so excited for Knives. Him appearing so early on means he's finally gonna get back the screentime he was so fervently denied in the 98 anime. God knows what he could be planning with Vash's "gate" and what his actual goals are in the grand scheme of things, could align with the manga, could be it's own thing. I love the old anime and manga, truly, but wasn't impressed by a main villain who sat on his ass for the whole story and just sent in a bunch of goons nonstop to deter Vash. Give me an active threat! Who isn't afraid to get his own hands dirty (or feet bloody, in this case :P). Their relationship, the twin's interpersonal conflict started this whole story, it's about time it takes center stage!

Hello hello, I'm glad to hear you are stoked for whatever Knives has in store in Stampede. Since it is clear this is a complete re-imagining of things, it is really difficult to guess at this point where he's going with his goals. Well, other than that he wants to activate Vash's gate and make things go boom.

I find myself missing Legato, I always had a soft spot in my heart for him, since he was the villain who was the obviously twisted one. Meanwhile, Knives was just chillin' in a light bulb for most of the anime. He clearly is more active in this version but hopefully we get a solid motivation for him. I know the anime was weak, people took it at face value and were like 'a drunk guy insulted you so you commit murder' when really the flashback really implied they heard a lot more questionable comments from the crew members. But I agree with you - they want to highlight the sibling conflict as a major point of this series. Which in the anime was low key and came to fruition quite late in the manga. Maybe Vash will get kidnapped by Knives like in the manga and have to be rescued?

Then again, Knives was a typical hands off kind of bad guy so he did check the trope that was quite popular in the 90s. I'm the big bad guy, underlings go forth and do my dirty work. I guess it made a lot of sense since the manga only made it up to the point where it was revealed he needed to be resurrected by consuming(?)/birthing himself from(?) a plant to regain his energy when they all met at the church. They didn't have enough to go on, so have him be hands off?

I'm glad you are excited by his more engaging role in the plot; I'm just always grossed out when anime/manga characters touch blood with bare skin. It isn't just a thing with Trigun Stampede, just all weird blood scenes aren't my vibe.

We'll see what happens next and if this turns out to be a 12-13 episode run or not. They need to have Legato, Livio and Elendira show up based on VA casting and the previews - which I'm guessing also means Chapel and the puppet master Leonof based on some of the vulture like birds in episode 1. I'm also holding out hope that Midvalley comes but we'll see.

I'm just really surprised that Legato wasn't a part of Knives advance guard. We'll have to watch and see how things unfurl.

#trigun stampede #trigun anime #ask #millions knives

[katie5000]

Ok, here's episode 7 from OP's blog. This one didn't piss me off quite as much.

One comment was on how Wolfwood and Vash don’t need to become friends since it is Wolfwood’s job to take Vash to Knives.  That is totally correct - however, the ‘98 anime and manga both make it a point that Wolfwood and Vash become friends as it adds to their character development.

And I still think they're gonna go in this direction. Be patient. There's three or four episodes left, at least in this season.

The episode starts off with everyone panicking as the Sandsteamer is off course and under attack.  And it is heading straight for Hopeland.  Cue Wolfwood panic even further!  The map labels the Hopeland Orphanage but the dialogue indicates it is also a town.

There was a small town at the base of the cliff in the prior episode's flashback.

Honestly, it would have been best to label it as the town of Hopeland and note it has an orphanage through context than making that the key landmark.

That's fair.

The original stated that the Church orphanage is located 300 iles from December according to Wolfwood.

It did. But again, this series is not that series.

Again, the fight sequence between Wolfwood and Livio is brutal and the July MPs remark that the two of them are monsters.

Well, yeah. What would you think if you grew up knowing nothing about Lost Tech or weird cults, and then found yourself watching two men with overpowered guns shoot the shit out of each other only to immediately heal themselves right after? They understandably noped the fuck out of there.

While this is happening, the Bad Lads gang is raiding the Sand steamer and not really doing that much honestly.  They are doing a hit and run.  No B.D.N. - personal sadness.

I have to admit, I was also disappointed that he wasn't there. I thought for sure that there would be a standoff between he and Vash while Wolfwood fought with Livio.

We had more 2D flashbacks about them and Wolfwood is resolved to take him out by insulting him and pretending him like he does care.

You mean "pretending like he doesn't care." Otherwise this sentence makes no sense.

Anyway, Wolfwood is trying to steel his resolve to do something that he doesn't want to do, but feels he has to do.

...when he goes to shoot him at point blank range, his shot is knocked off course and destroys Zazie’s monitoring insect. This is where he turns to Vash in shock, since this is one of the few times Vash has fired his gun in the entire series...

And now that Wolfwood knows that the insect was there, it becomes clear to him why Livio was there - meeting him was no coincidence.

Vash keeps pushing him to try to find a way to connect with Livio...

And Wolfwood listens. Wolfwood watches Livio change the magazine in his gun using a characteristic flick of his wrist. There is a flashback that shows kid Wolfwood doing this same thing with a cigarette lighter to show off for kid Livio. Kid Livio is impressed and attempts it himself, but can't do it. In the present, Wolfwood takes out his cigarette lighter and flips it the same way, in an attempt to connect with Livio again. It works, at least partially.

But all of the brainwashing from the Eye of Michael kicks in and he staggers about pointing his guns at Roberto, Meryl, Vash and Wolfwood . . . before he snaps and shoots himself in the head and falls off the steamer.

Okay, I have to admit this shocked me the first time I saw it.

Wolfwood is clearly concerned and looks over the railing and notices a car that he knows is likely Legato and others. 

..."Clearly concerned?" Wolfwood is freaking distraught - even he's not sure that Livio could heal from a head wound. But yeah, he sees that car, and that just confirms that none of it was coincidence.

Legato...state[s] that Wolfwood’s ‘lack of faith’ is an issue and in order to get him to serve Knives better they need to destroy everything he cares about; Livio and the orphanage. Once Wolfwood no longer has these important connections, it will be no problem to control him...

Jesus Christ, OP, and you were saying just last week that you missed Legato's sadistic tendencies. Well, there they are.

...In the last episode we already had Legato establish that this version of Wolfwood has a very strong will and attachment to others...

And this is what Legato is trying to break. Legato had nothing as a broken man himself until Knives came along, and then Knives became his everything. Now he assumes that if he can get Wolfwood into a state where he has absolutely nothing as a broken man, then he will make Knives his everything as well.

What is throwing me for a loop is that Legato is the ‘religious’ one in this version.  That was squarely Wolfwood’s thing in the manga and ‘98 anime.

Not necessarily. In Trimax, Legato says that when Knives spared him and allowed him to tag along after destroying the town he lived in, he was "born anew" or "born again" - an interesting choice of words.

He seems to (based on his dialogue) believe that faith in something is greater than emotions.  Yet, in this episode, we do get some actual anger from him in his voice as well as a more sinister facial expression indicating our bad boy has emotions.

Legato wants to believe that his faith is all he needs, and that everything else (including emotion) is unimportant. But I would imagine that from time to time he "slips" and his emotions get the better of him - he is not as "devout" as he'd like to be.

(Incidentally, this is probably the "good word" that Legato talks about wanting to spread - if one just has enough faith, one doesn't need anything else anymore. Not emotions, not attachments, not anything. However, this line of thinking only serves to betray Legato's underlying trauma and mental instability.)

He seems to be going through somewhat villain motions...

What do you mean, "somewhat"?? He's absolutely going through "villain" motions. Everything he's done so far has been villainous.

I’m also missing his Knives worship.  We have no indication that he’s a man craving validation from a person he’s obsessed with.  Granted, we didn’t get that early on either, but he made it clear he was there for Knives’ agenda.

I mean, he's made that clear here, too. Legato outright states in the previous episode that Wolfwood will be the "Punisher" of heretics in Knives' noble plan, and you even said yourself, OP, that Legato is trying to destroy everything Wolfwood cares about so that he will serve Knives better.

As for Knives worship, well. The official website quite literally states in Legato's character profile that he worships Knives like a god - just because we haven't seen it yet doesn't mean it's not there at all. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing Legato interact more directly with Knives soon.

Part 2.

#trigun #trigun stampede

[typhoonvash]

*sneakily steals this and runs*

SHIPPING INFO //ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

(I'm not tagged and I'm not taggin' anyone, I'm gonna slap a special tag on this and hold onto it for reference)

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

Vashwood is my main ship, but i also really like Mashwood, Mash, and the polygon of vash/ww/meryl/milly.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Well. First off. Vash is old as fuck. So jot that one down. Basically, for an 18-22 yr old I think mid to late twenties is fine. 23-25 is still babie to me but like, you do you as long as it's not predatory and weird. Over 25 I think is when I'm like "yeah date whoever you want." So it's really just based on the dynamic I guess.

Also stampede woowoo is weird because accelerated aging, so if you want to ship your s!woowoo with me please let me know that he's you know. ACTUALLY of age (I headcanon him to be at least 21).

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

I think once the touching becomes touching is when I'll read more it. When you know they're hungry for each other, yeah? Or when you know it's about to go there.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Selective to an extent. Canon relationships (in the case of Trigun, everything is platonic atm since nothing is confirmed but youuu knowww) exist and they make it easier for me to ship with you. If it's a rarepair or anything else, we have to build a foundation first and get to know each other before I trust you with my boy's heart. </3

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

I'm open to most ships, healthy or unhealthy. The only hard stop for me is plantcest/knivesvash. I'm also a bit weird about shipping with Roberto? I dunno I see him more as a dad or drunkle as woowoo put it in the show. I don't know if this would even be an issue, but yeah.

I have a soft spot for the cross-universe ships too, like mix and match stampede/98/max. Vash/Vash (cross-universe/AU) is interesting to me, and I'm open to the idea, but I'm never gonna be the one to push it if that makes sense.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

Hey, if things happen in a thread and start going somewhere naturally, you're welcome to make a move. I'll read your rules to make sure it's okay if I make a move in the moment, but for the most part I'm more of a feels type of shipper.

If you want a thread to for certain go somewhere, then feel free to ask me! And I always appreciate you asking for permission anyway. I will probably say yes.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

I do love ships, but I also love strong platonic relationships with other muses too! Plus we can always friends to lovers slow burn it and torture everyone, so that's fun.

Anyway shipping is fun and cool. I'll also do breakups, fights, etc, anything that a relationship naturally goes through. I want it to be as realistic as possible.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

Absolutely 100% vashwood. It's my favorite, I'm obsessed with it, but I really like the big four's dynamic as a whole. I loooove mashwood/mash as well, I think throwing stampede woowoo at stampede meryl is hilarious.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Hi, I'm an idiot and I also have social anxiety. Me asking to ship something is as nerve-wracking as asking someone out (obviously, this comparison is not how I actually feel, I can separate ships from mun relationships don't worry).

You can either initiate it in RP, a meme, an ask, or shoot me a message. Vash will respond with... Vash Responses, so if you want a for certain answer then message me here or ask for my discord!

Also if there's anything here I didn't answer, again, feel free to message me. I am a silly lil idiot with social anxiety and sometimes I'm brave, but most times I'm sitting there cheering you on from the sidelines instead of actually participating. I'm trying to get better about it!!

#//ooc// #[puts this in my pocket] #[shipping rules] #i don't know if anyone wanted to see this but if you did here you go

[medea10]

My Review of Trigun

How did I get into this anime? Let’s just say this was one of those animes that used to air on Saturday nights back in the day that I would every now and then come across while waiting for either Full Metal Alchemist, InuYasha, or Cowboy Bebop to air. But I never did watch a full episode or know a damn thing about this anime. So I’m just jumping into this anime blindfolded. All I know is that this was Johnny Yong Bosch’s first anime role.

Who is Vash the Stampede?

A frequent question that comes up throughout the series! Rumor has it that he wears a long, red trench coat and sports a Mohawk hairstyle. Some say he’s a notorious lecher. Many recount him shooting up their villages to a pile of rubble just for the heck of it. He has quite the reputation as he has a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head and is often known as the “Humanoid Typhoon”.

In reality, Vash the Stampede is…a bit of a dingus. He just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and things kinda get out of hand. But that doesn’t stop two insurance agents (Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe) from following him around to confirm Vash’s identity and keep his actions to a minimum. At first, it’s hard to tell if he’s a stupid-genius or just flighty and gets lucky one too many times. But when shit goes down, don’t be surprised when you see this doofus get serious.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Okay, what sad company did this use to belong to, Geneon, Bandai, or ADV Films? Oh, Geneon! That means good voice actors from L.A. put in really shitty roles. On the contrary, this was a fairly decent English dub. And on a severely positive note, this was indeed Johnny Yong Bosch’s very first anime role (and a main role at that). This was like fresh off his time as a Power Ranger! And I gotta give props for giving this guy a chance at voice acting. This role was the launching point to what has been a very successful career for Bosch. As for the sub, let’s just say I’m happy any time I get to hear Hiromi Tsuru in something besides Dragon Ball. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Vash is played by Masaya Onosaka (known for Bill on Pokemon, Isaac on Baccano, Jadeite on Sailor Moon, Kero on Cardcaptor Sakura, Leeron on Gurren Lagann, France on Hetalia, and Spandam on One Piece)

*Meryl is played by Hiromi Tsuru (known for Bulma on DBZ, Ukyo on Ranma ½, Yubel on YGO GX, and Mika on Gravitation) [R.I.P.]

*Milly is played by Satsuki Yukino (known for Kagome on InuYasha, Mion/Shion on Higurashi, Tae on Gintama, Amakata on Free!, Hiiragi on Natsume Yuujinchou, Mutsumi on Love Hina, and Yoruichi on Bleach)

ENGLISH CAST: *Vash is played by Johnny Yong Bosch (known for Ichigo on Bleach, Lelouch on Code Geass, Makoto on Free!, Izaya on Durarara, Artemis on Sailor Moon redub, Koizumi on Haruhi Suzumiya, and Yukio on Blue Exorcist)

*Meryl is played by Dorothy Elias-Fahn (known for Kaoru on Rurouni Kenshin, Naru on Love Hina, Tomoe on Rozen Maiden, Hakuei on Magi, Houki on Fushigi Yugi, and Amane on Tenchi Muyo GXP)

*Milly is played by Lia Sargent (known for Dorothy on The Big O and Judy on Cowboy Bebop)

FAVORITE CHARACTER: Milly! I don’t need a reason, it’s Milly!

SHIPPING: I didn’t really start thinking about shipping until more than halfway into this series. I thought there might be something between Vash and Meryl, but then again maybe not! Then I saw the backstory of Vash’s “younger days” and falling for the one woman who showed him compassion.

Yes, this is the same woman we consistently see in Vash’s flashbacks, Rem. Ooh boy, it’s one of those stories! So yeah, never mind my thinking with Vash x Meryl ever happening. I feel like Vash will mourn Rem’s death for a long time that I don’t think the whole thing with Meryl will ever work.

And as for Wolfwood x Milly…

FUUUUUUUCK! WHY DID YOU RUIN THIS CUTE COUPLE?!

MILLY WAS HEART-BROKEN!

…At least she got to have one night of passion with Wolfy-boy before the unthinkable happened.

THAT DARN CAT: If you watched this series, you might have noticed a little black cat spotted in nearly every episode. It’s there in the opening theme. It’s there in random places throughout the series. It’s there in the ending theme. What’s up with this cat? Well, there are a lot of theories surrounding this particular cat (or Kuroneko). Some say it’s really Rem inside that cat since you see it in literally every episode around Vash. Others say it’s because the creator of Trigun wanted to just mess with your minds with the kitty walking around in random places and towns. Seriously, it will always appear in every new town Vash and the gang comes across! As an avid cat enthusiast, I’m fine with whatever the result. Just as long as no harm comes to the little Kuroneko.

HALFWAY POINT: Halfway into the series we notice something more when it comes to Mr. Vash the Stampede. First of all, those horrifying scars all over his body! Second, that mysterious girl he often thinks about. I mean, we see flashes of her in the opening sequence. And third, the reason why he never kills. Vash has the ability of causing so much damage when pushed to a breaking point. One of the many reasons why he’s known as the “humanoid typhoon”! And that was perfectly shown when Vash chases the residents out of a town (so there would be no casualties), totally demolished the town during a fight, and made an indent on the moon!

But the story takes a sharp-left turn into WTF territory when we learn about WHAT exactly Vash is. Vash is a plant. Vash also has a brother named Knives. And while Vash has a mentality that all beings have a right to live, Knives has a “kill them all and let God sort them out” point of view. Now the existence of Vash and Knives came with a lot of controversy, especially in the ship that they were on. But that girl who Vash cares for, Rem cared for them regardless of what they were. Rem had high hopes for a peaceful world with coexistence. Too bad Knives had other motives and killed her.

ENDING TO TV SERIES: Vash has tried so hard to keep Milly, Meryl, and Wolfwood out of harm’s way. He knows there are some pretty bad people after him, including his polar-opposite brother, Knives. Vash hates death and wants to save as many people as humanly possible. He doesn’t want to see any more needless death. Probably from his flashbacks and losing Rem! Unfortunately, this doesn’t go so well.

I can see how iconic this death was now after witnessing it. Wolfwood, the priest who would hook up with Vash every now and then when they’re up against some ruffians, now finds himself in a crucial decision. He gets orders that he must eliminate Vash. And Wolfwood ends up dying instead in a very dramatic death scene. God-damn! And just that scene where Milly is sobbing freakin’ eats you up inside.

At least she had one night of passion before the unfortunate happened!

Vash hates the thought of having to kill anyone. But he might not have a choice if Knives is coming after him and even hires a powerful foe from a previous episode and the guy that killed Wolfwood to take you out. Once Vash met up with Knives, he winds up having some pretty sick flashbacks of Knives. But our homeboy was able to take out Knives, the desert area gets water, and…

I’m gonna have to read the fucking manga for more, right?

Tap dancing fuck!

BADLANDS RUMBLE: 12 years after the series ended, Japan decides to release a side-story in the form of a movie, bringing back our favorite characters like Vash, Wolfwood, Milly, and Meryl. And yes, reuniting the cast…in Japan.

By 2010, Geneon was as good as dead and FUNimation licensed Trigun. In short, they managed to get Johnny Young Bosch to reprise his role as Vash the Stampede. But everyone else was replaced. And surprisingly, the people they got to do Wolfwood and Milly were pretty freakin’ close to their original voices. Meryl’s voice, come on I know Luci Christian any-damn-where! Vash helps a young lady take out a big-bad guy (who turns out to be his father). And it has the feel of the original series where it’s set in a western town with lots of booze and shoot-em-ups! It’s an interesting side-story to the Trigun trilogy.

Trigun was a pretty good anime. I mean, not one of my favorites, but I can definitely see a lot of people sticking by this classic. Maybe you can chalk up my blah attitude to the fact that I’m not fond of westerns and I kinda took it out on Trigun. Or the fact that there was so much more that the anime could have covered before the end and the ending kinda felt off to me! Like I thought I was expecting more. But I suppose that’s what mangas are for. To be honest, the stories that really grabbed my attention were the back-stories with Vash and Knives and Wolfwood’s final episode.

*sniffles* At least Milly got one night of passion before he died!

If you would like to check out Trigun, all the episodes are available through FUNimation and Hulu (in both Japanese and English). And if you really like the anime, why not purchase the hard copies? Both the series and movie are available for home video.

Okay, that took me a while, but I’m glad to finish Trigun. What’s next on the FUNimation list?

EEHHHHHEEEHHHE

Fuck is that supposed to mean? What is that? Is that even in English?

YOU WILL BE HORRIBLY MUTILATED: The Isekai

Do you mean Re:Zero? That’s great…but that review’s not ready yet. And it probably won’t be until after April 2021! So let’s cast caution to the wind and pick another FUNimation licensed anime.

You’re watching Sarazanmai next. It’s best if you don’t ask questions.

Sarazanmai? The fuck does that even mean?!

OH. MY. GOD.

#trigun #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #milly thompson #nicholas d wolfwood #knives millions #anime review