#ESPECIALLY considering that wolfwood is coming in soon

[orcelito]

Honestly kind of crrrrrazy but when I posted ITNL chapter 15 I was at 359 kudos and now I'm at 442 kudos

Like I did my whole big re-edit of everything prior in hopes of this arc gaining ITNL more readers (& thus I wanted the earlier stuff to be Better) but man it's kind of wild seeing that actually happen

GROWTH🗣🗣🗣

[yuhi-san]

Finally onto vol two of trimax, now that dokomi is over

First of all, what a messed up start to the volume. Legato really is all kinds of fucked up.

The… table manners going on here. We just let that stand as it is

Very intrigued by midvaley, more on that later

“We will cause him ultimat suffering at the hands of you humans.” Yeah hats the thing, isn’t it? Sure humans can be nasty but it always comes back to the fact that knives needs to make sure vash sees that. Always meddle in a way to make sure humans want to hurt vash or have a reason. I guess someone is afraid humans aren’t as horrible as he makes them out to be if he doesn’t manipulate the situation, huh

You can see the rage on vash face when da-rei mentions his secluded home. We know vash won’t kill, no matter what but moments like this make me wonder, do you guys REALLY wanna figure out what would happen to you if vash were to stop playing nice? Then again they seem to all have a death wish to some degree so there is that

The gun on the wire thing is soo cool tho

for all the talk Wolfwood does, it seems to itch under the nails to help vash, especially since da-rei mentioned home.

So, the whole Wolfwood shoots da-rei situation and the after…. For one I think with everything else going on in that moment we don’t focus enough on how shocked vash was that Wolfwood shot him. Yes he’s angry, the look he gives Wolfwood is seething but the expression at first makes it clear vash didn’t see that coming at all.

Which is even more interesting considering he was aware da-rei might shoot him. At first he says that the blades position suggest he wasn’t going to do it but then he admits that, yeah there was a chance but insists he would have just dodged. Vash knows there is always the chance someone wants to harm him (but decides to take the chance anyway) but he did not expect ww to kill da-rei at all.

“you talk about saving everyone but you don’t wanna dirty your own hands” we’ll be back on that later, as well as “no matter what you do, you give up so easily”. Just waiting fpr the hospital yuri for that

See, I knew almost all the key moments of trimax already but without the full context. So its super interesting to see in what order or time they play out. Wolfwoods infamous ‘shoot’? yeah I did not think they were having this conversation so soon. Mostly because that’s intense. Yeah emotions are running high and all but jesus Wolfwood, don’t you think this reaction and speech are a little extreme? This early on? Offering up his live like that, challenging Vash to shoot him? Sure, it was evident vash wasn’t going to do it but considering how afraid Wolfwood actually is of dying, gee…

At that point its clear ww doesn’t just disagree with vashs ways but also cannot fathom why would make the choices he does. At the same time vash can clearly see that Wolfwood so desperately wants to be good and kind but feels forced to play devils advocate and all. But at this time, vash is too caught up in his own worldview and codex that he cannot quite understand that for Wolfwood this is not simply a ‘deciding to give up so easily situation’

Wolfwoods dream oh man.. its another scene I knew but not the context. I didn’t realize he was dreaming this. previously I though this was actually happening, way later when they are at the orphenage. God his smile looks so sad and pained. Its so much like vash when the people throw stones at him and he’s like, I don’t know what to look like.

On a lighter note, dried up vash is so funny. What a disaster he is. Especially when they drop the lighter oh man

The line about how not everyone can just gamble their life is very important and I think it applies a lot to vash. yes he doesn’t make use of his plant powers. He tries, at least at that point, to be as human as possible. But the truth is that most humans could never survive the things he does. Vash can take gambles others cannot, including Wolfwood. Which he even says to vash’s face but again, I don’t think vash truly understands that at this moment.

Home, oof. Vash is so tense and worried what he will find and then its just… people being happy and okay. They are ecstatic to see him! Is vash! it’s a big deal! They were worried, they hope he stays a little, they are excited to introduce him to their children! It makes vash cry to be greeted like that. And yeah, its an illusion by leonof but judging by  vash reaction and his absolute shock after, this was a very accurate one. that’s how people just are with him when he comes home so that it was an illusion, ouch.

Wolfwood is mad. Like, it always seems to itch him to help even if he doesn’t give in to the urge but there wasn’t even a question on whether  or not leonof deserves his ass kicked for that sick stunt

Ww may take issues with what he perceives as vashs naivety but seeing him go through all these emotions because of leonof tormenting him has ww go, yeah no, fuck that und fuck you.

[lost-technology]

Vash - Asexual Icon?

Okay, controversial hot-take ahoy!   This is NOT a anti-shipping post.  I freakin’ love shipping. It’s awesome!  I used to be big into Vash x Meryl back in my old OG fandom days.   However, I read something on here (because this is tumblr, of course) about Vash being a queer icon, as in some notation on how in Trigun Stampede the director was cited as saying that he made Vash kind of like “both the female lead as well as the male lead” - as in, male, but having some traditionally feminine traits, hence why he looks more “bishounen” than he did in other iterations.  He has some “ship-fodder” moments with various other members of the cast - commenting on Wolfwood’s “kind eyes” and, of course, my VashMeryl heart soared at a certain scene in Episode 11 - those who’ve seen it know the one.   So far, in this version, there’s no clear canonical shipping with Vash.  In the other iterations, there was never any canonical shipping with him (the only canon ship is the OG anime having Wolfwood and Milly “eat sandwiches” together).  He never “ends up” with anyone.   Some fans think that he’s heterosexual (well-argued in the OG anime due to his flirtatious behavior toward some female characters - the old late 1990s trope of “let’s make the hero a bit perverted for humor” that was popular at the time). I’ve met yaoi fans who were convinced that he’s one-hundred percent gay (despite the pervy toward attractive women behavior). Bisexuality can be very well-argued for him, especially in Stampede as noted above, also the “every character in every fandom is bisexual or pansexual in fandom” rule that people seem to have unless a character as a specifically stated sexuality.   But has anyone besides me ever thought of Vash as an...asexual?   (In this essay I will...)  Consider Vash’s general character through the franchise when it comes to romance and / or sex:  Stampede incarnation:  Has a few moments that can be interpreted as flirty or budding feelings toward both Wolfwood and Meryl, however, nothing clear.  His most significant relationship is familial - his grief-filled relationship with his toxic brother.  This seems to be what this anime is about.   Trigun Maximum incarnation: Never has any clear shipping with anyone, although there are interpretable moments, same as above.  I remember that moment of pretending to be unconscious to avoid the attentions of prostitutes and being ashamed of his scars in the manga, same as in the OG anime. Nothing else of note.   Classic Trigun Anime: Vash plays the flirt with pretty women.  He goes into that common Late ‘90s Flirty Shounen Hero trope for anime heroes of the time.  This seems more or less tossed in by the anime writers and director.  As the anime becomes more serious, this is generally forgotten in a “Vash has too much on his plate for the romance-stuff” and it’s an action anime, not a romance anime... And the same shame of his scars... the same scene with the sex workers as noted above. (The context for the scene is that a town is celebrating because Vash saved them all and some of the men in the town set up with the local brothel ladies to show Vash a good time as a reward.  Vash pretends to have drank too much and passed out, couldn’t be roused - to the disappointment of the brothel workers.  He gets up as soon as they leave and wonders “could I be regretting it? Maybe just a little)?   The scene is generally interpreted as him not wanting to take advantage of the women in the situation.  (Although, honestly they were eager)...  Well... it seems to me that Vash might not be as interested in the old bang-bang as some fans would like him to be (and are perfectly within their rights to fanart and fanfic to their hearts’ content).  Even the “flirty” Vash of the OG anime seems to be doing it as part of the fake-stupid / silly behavior that he does to throw people off-guard.  And where it seems to be genuine behavior, well... I still think asexuality is a valid interpretation because, speaking as an asexual, myself, many of us “do things that we think we are supposed to do” because society tells us that people are supposed to do certain things.  Some of us never learned what asexuality even was until fairly late in life and went through various “supposed to” behavior even when we weren’t really feeling it before we discovered ourselves.   This is common throughout the queer community - the gay person raised in a community that is hostile who will try to date the opposite sex, someone thinking they are straight until they discover that they really are bi, and etc.  This happens to asexuals, too.  I had a boy-band member crush when I was 12, just like all “normal girls” did.  It took a while for me to figure myself out - that I wasn’t really “normal” and that it was okay.   Therefore, I see even the “Let’s make him pervy for comedy” written with clearly heterosexuality in mind of the OG anime as compatable with an asexual interpreation of Vash.  He was just doing the “I am a normal human” act!   Do keep in mind that I am arguing for “an asexual interpretation for the sake of fanwork / fan-fun” for Vash NOT based on his artificial human nature / his status as a plant, but just, individually, as a person.  

[eventheodds]

She’s seen Roberto talk his way through situations before. She’s seen him talk his way out of situations as well. If he’s told them to wait, then that could only mean that this friend of his might not take too kindly to seeing a large group right from the get-go.

If it means he can get them a room for the night, then they will just have to wait. 

Hunger is making it difficult, however, to sit idly for too long, but the expense of energy, especially in this heat, is making her restless despite her current position. Meryl raises her head briefly to look at how Vash is snuggling against Wolfwood and she really has to wonder how he doesn’t overheat wearing that large red jacket.

Perhaps the same can be said for her and her choice of clothes. A cream-coloured puffer, despite her insistence on wearing the Agency’s uniform, isn’t the smartest choice when it comes to desert apparel. To prove a point, Meryl shrugs out of her jacket and tosses it in the passenger seat. Chances are that Roberto will find a way to communicate that their room, or rooms, have been secured, and she can drive the truck and the trailer to where it needs to be parked for the night.

Hopefully this place will also have a charging station.

She looks back in the rear view mirror and can’t help but guffaw at the sight. 

“Looks like you’re gonna have to stay put for a while,” she teases, eyes crinkling with mirth at the sight. That mirth is soon replaced with a slight scowl at the use of the nickname. “It’s Meryl. Not Princess, not shortstack. Meryl. I don’t call you by any nicknames.”

Her tone is clipped though she feels this is a losing battle. The same with Roberto; he’ll never stop calling her Newbie and maybe she just needs to come to terms with that. Headquarters will only ever address her by her last name, which is something. At least Vash calls her by her first name.

“Yeah, and no thanks to you,” she grumbles though knows instantly she was also to blame. She can still feel some of the sticky residue of the lingering chocolate icing she hadn’t been able to clean off on her fingers. The sweet smell of flour and powdered sugar still permeate through the air, even with the scent of spiced cigarettes.

Meryl spots her reflection in the side mirror and can see the flush of red across the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks. If anyone asks, she’ll say it’s simply from the heat. 

It is not from the heat.

“Wake up, Vash. We’re here,” she says just as she spots Roberto approaching them. He’s not running or waving his arms—not that she’d think he would—but his leisure pace seems to suggest they are in the clear.

”We’re good to go,” she hears him say, though can tell he’s about to head to the bar, or whatever is considered a bar here, instead of joining them. “Two rooms.”

He tosses a key to Wolfwood. It has a plastic red rectangle attached to its end via another key ring. The one Roberto has is green.

”I’m off to get a drink. Don’t wait up. Charging station is just around the corner.” And with that, he’s off, leaving them behind. Roberto had taken his key with him. Meryl wants to call out, to get him to come back, but he’s already a ways away and she’s too lethargic to do any running.

”…so am I supposed to bunk with you two now?”

Vash interprets Meryl's glances...maybe incorrectly, but he reaches forward to set a couple of the doughnut holes on top of the empty covered cup in the console cupholder. She can grab them as she sees fit, and he grins and ducks his head to shield from any grumbling from the front seat or the back.

None comes.

When the bickering stops, the ride is almost disconcertingly quiet. Tentative. Uncommonly peaceful, miles and miles of rumbling treads and rolling dunes and precious few attempts to banter through the low-energy venture. Wolfwood stares out the window and dozes while Vash naps like a feline in a sunbeam, slowly sinking along the bench seat until his cheek rests against Nicholas' shoulder.

No complaints.

Meryl might see Wolfwood look down and aside at Vash's insistent nuzzling even in the heat, even through the whistle of a window cracked to let cigarette smoke out in their wake. The blond seems capable of snoozing just about anywhere.

And yeah.

...yeah, maybe it's alright to be a pillow now and again.

Sleeping through the heat of the day and the distance of travel is the best way about it. Meryl can use a bit of quiet too, a break from being the brain cell between three idiots bitching at each other and arguing about nothing. There's camaraderie in all of that, though. Such as it is.

Nicholas rouses once they've stopped, dark eyes scanning where Roberto vanishes with keen acuity. The reporter doesn't trust him, but is unlikely to screw his protege over, even if he derides her optimism and trust as a matter of course.

"Depends on if he gets lost in the bottom of a bottle," Wolfwood ventures, earning a quiet and protesting grumble from Vash, who just goes more liquid as he nudges, then nudges again, then elbows. As if stuck underneath an oversized and deceptively heavy cat, Nicholas is trapped, and he has to make a show of minding it.

Not even ruffling spiky rills is enough to rouse the Stampede.

"...dammit," Nick sighs, patting around for his crumpled cigarette box. It is about time to steal some more from Roberto... or restock. Or both. He's alright with both.

"Good to know you'll at least have an appetite, Princess. Thought you might've spoiled it with sweets."

Vash mumbles something about doughnuts counting for all food groups, putting the lie to his sleeping act.

[amoirsetpacis]

★ --;; Vash had given up on the heels almost instantly.

Getting swapped around twice now has him more annoyed than anything else; the awful feeling that had come with his first swap is nonexistent with this one, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's not in his body. At least it's someone else he recognizes, even if he hasn't seen her in a good long while.

But knowing how Mary Sue could be, even just from their earlier encounters, isn't exactly helpful for relieving any sort of stress. As soon as he'd managed to glance a reflection Vash had known who he was, already good at remembering faces and definitely good at those who knew far more about him than he wished they did.

So now Vash has been making the trek as quickly as he can back to his own house again, worry about whatever state his body has left the place in; or, rather, the state it's left the other members of his abode in. Considering she'd tried to rope him into a date on their first meeting, he's not exactly fond of the idea of her around Wolfwood.

He'd nearly toppled over and snapped and ankle or his neck or worse at least twice now, though, in these horrible shoes of hers as he'd tried to start running, so off they'd come. The pavement feels far from great beneath his feet, especially in this body without the same wear and tear as his own, and the stockings on them are definitely getting ruined, but he can make it up to her later. At least he's still got both shoes gripped in one hand as he goes.

He's not far off when he hears familiar sounding yelling, though, and with a frustrated sigh he alters his course, finally skidding to a halt at the end of the alleyway where the source had originated from.

"You!"

"Well, yeah, I'm not dead anymore! Thanks to those fuckin' Stars—and I ain't no zombie! Got a perfectly healthy beatin' heart, thanks!"

Wolfwood reaches over and grabs Vash-Mary Sue's cheek and gives it a rough tug. Yep, still squishy and stretchy. The puppy eyes aren't working on him this time, probably because he needs to bat his eyelashes a little bit more for that to work.

"You can look for a date when yer not in a married man's body!" He's getting off of her now, but he still keeps a grip on the coat that slides around to the back of the high collar... and proceeds to scruff her like she's an unruly kitten, lifting her up as he stands, too. The inch difference in height clearly means little to him.

The glare he gives her is positively nasty. Even in the ensemble of a T-shirt, sweats, and house slippers he's still somehow cutting an intimidating figure. Whether or not the intimidation factor works on her is another story, though.

"How much of our crap did you shove into that bag? Or was it just the cat?"