#WITH THIS NEW LOOK AT VASHS POWERS. I THINK WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN

[tenshinokorin]

TnK's Trigun Fic Listing

Ok now that I've got 15 fics out for Trigun (so far) and at least a couple of those are upwards of 20K and some of them are sequels and followups and ongoing, I thought maybe I should do a proper list of things, to make it easier for people who want to read in some kind of order. I'm terrible about talking up my own work but this is also for my own reference so that's fine, right? ^^; All fics are Vashwood-centric (I will get to Nai in a minute I have a backlog) and ratings vary from Gen to Explicit, though all are intended for an adult audience. This list is complete as of September '23, I will update it periodically as needed! 

NB: I'm lucky enough to have gotten fanart for some of these and sometime when my head is not full of mud I'll go in and add links to those where I can. (Or please drop a link in the replies if you are one of the wonderful artists in question!) 

THE BIG THREE STORYLINES: 

Someday Out of the Blue & I Believe in the Kingdom Come

Trigun '98 canon. Reincarnation fic. The first one is a story I started writing over 20 years ago and quit after a chapter because I was just too heartbroken (and did not know it, but was also too young). Picked it up and finished it this April (2023) after Stampede clobbered me and I fell off the "we don't talk about wolfwood" wagon. The second story is a direct sequel to tie up some loose ends from the first one, and also to indulge my need for a proper happy ending. (I think a lot of folks don't realize Someday has a sequel but it does!!) 

Black is the Color and Mysterious Ways

Trimax Canon. Resurrection/Fix-it/Angstmance with a much shorter, sillier, smuttier epilogue. Three years after the end of Trigun Maximum, Vash is having some trouble laying his ghosts to rest. (You may have seen this incredible artwork which has gotten around a bit and boosts the story better than any summary of mine possibly could.) Weird things happened when I was writing this, I don't mind telling you. Mysterious Ways was mostly an excuse to explore some of the more interesting concepts brought up by the first one, but saying anything more would be spoilery. 

Eyes of the Storm

(Mostly) Trimax canon. Cryptid Vash AU, slowburn romance, ongoing. When Nicholas D. Wolfwood gets roped into being the new caretaker for the now-abandoned orphanage where he spent his childhood, he soon finds out that his own hidden memories are not the only thing haunting him. (What the fuck is a Typhoon?) Wolfwood, Vash, Livio, Elendira, et al. This is the one currently in progress at six chapters out of ??. Pretty SFW so far BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER CAVEAT LECTOR. 

List continues with standalone and shorter fics below the cut!

Honeymoon

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Plant Heat, Wingfic, Tentacle Fic, What the fuck is Hay Fever. Wolfwood offers to help Vash out with a personal problem and gets a little more than he bargained for. 

Strange Powers

Generic Trimax/98 setting, comedy/smut/potato jokes/fisting with a loaded prosthetic. What if Vash and Wolfwood (accidentally) got really, really hella high? 

Hurricane

Trigun '98 Canon. 

Vash: Make money? As a priest?

WW: Well. *mysteriously* Not only that. 

Vash: (oh my gosh he's a prostitute)

Shortfic. Wolfwood tries to figure out how to offer his services to someone he doesn't really want to be a paying customer. Short and smutty while also demolishing Wolfwood's professional boundaries.

Skin Tight

Generic Trimax/98 setting. The Infamous Red Dress. PWP, Wolfwood needs to be in the Vash Sensory Deprivation Tank, Vash in high heels, the dress gave its life for this fic you should read it and honor its sacrifice. Look. This is just porn, guys. You want the porny fic? This is the porny fic. (just kidding most of them are porny fics but this one is especially so.) 

Secondhand Secrets

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Introspective/Vignette/Wolfwood POV. Vash's artificial arm always moves in his sleep, and Wolfwood wonders what he's looking for.

Personal Jesus

Badlands Rumble canon (post-film), Wolfwood has poor emotional coping strategies, hurt/comfort (Wolfwood provides both), first-time. That red hotel minifridge never stood a chance. 

A Fool From Any Direction

Trigun '98 Vash's weird horny schtick is a front, and self-respect doesn't save lives. Which is too bad because when Wolfwood finds out what Vash is planning next he's gonna kill him. 

Benediction

Trimax but could also be '98; Sometimes being a hero is not all it's cracked up to be. Or maybe Vash is the one cracking up. Hurt/Comfort, Wound Care & Bible Quotes, Noman's Land is a bitch of a planet. Shortfic, feels, non-explicit/no sex. 

A Bit of a Tight Spot

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Costume Porn, PWP, No corsets were harmed in the making of this fic. I feel like this one gets missed a lot which is MADDENING because you guys. WOLFWOOD'S DOUBLE Ds IN A CORSET. And like, in a gender euphoria way, not in a comedy drag kind of way (though comedy drag does make a small appearance). I don't know how the good minister tightlaced in cuban stockings while giving Vash a blowjob in front of a mirror in the attic of a whorehouse can get so often overlooked, maybe my title or summary is lacking, but it's one of the hottest things I've ever written and its engagement is just in the basement? When (emphatic baffled hand motions to Nicholas D. Wolfwood wearing a garter like a thigh-holster). Anyway. 

The Quick and the Bed

Trigun '98 Comedy, Romance, First Time. The single bed trope. Drunk Idiocy. Wolfwood's vows are in serious danger. (Wolfwood does not have vows.) Readers have let me know that they find this one amusing. Roommates of readers have sent me threats of bodily harm due to badly-stifled hysterical laughter at 3am. 

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW MORE STORIES WILL BE ADDED AS THEY OCCUR!

SMALL DISCLAIMER: I'm a full-time working writer and my fanfic is something I give away for free out of love. Please don't copy, alter, plagiarize, feed to AI in any form, fold, spindle, or mutilate. I'm not in the market for concrit, but if you like my stories please feel free to leave me a comment/kudo, download/print/fanbind for personal use, or let other readers know!

[needle-noggins]

My book club reading this morning started with me goofing on Legato and etc., but then I got hit with the cafe scene. Let's talk about it, because I've been ready to bring up the body autonomy/exploitation/rape stuff for a while. This is going to get heavy, so fair warning.

Spoilers for Trigun Stampede, which I'll compare this to, in case anyone here is coming into the book club completely blind to Trigun (I assume most fans at this point have seen Stampede).

So. Damn. This is where the very heavy theme of bodily autonomy and exploitation really comes into the story. Obviously we have the conflict between the slavers and Legato. These girls are going to be sold for organ harvesting, but first... yeah, those slavers are fucking awful. Legato kills them by forcing them to kill themselves/each other, and Legato frees the girls. I think this is the first time we see what Legato's powers are - he makes people's bodies to move against their will. He later muses on this scene, wondering why he felt sympathy for the girls and spared them. If you've read Trigun Maximum before, you know why.

I want to compare this to Stampede, because it's the easiest way for me to talk about this theme without spoiling more of Trimax. When I watched Stampede for the first time, I remember being floored by the tank scene with Vash and Knives. Vash floating helplessly, paralyzed by Knives, his roots extending to the plants in the tank, and the reveal of those plants being pregnant. Knives boasting about making new Independents. It was so heavy that I had to pause the show and walk around for a bit. I still can't totally watch it.

Then, when I read Trimax, I saw just how much of a recurring theme this is in the story on a whole. OK, Nightow, that's fucking painful and kind of triggering for a lot of folks - so why does the story have to include this?

Well. It highlights just how horrible Knives, Legato, and other people can be, but more importantly, it's central to the entire plot and its resolution. We have to look at the other side of the conflict and zoom out a bit. In all versions of Trigun, there is exploitation - of the plants, of innocent people, of Vash's power. And, in all versions of Trigun, there's the struggle to find freedom and autonomy against it, specifically. Knives struggles to give the plants freedom (or his version of it). Vash struggles to free humanity from Knives (who not only kills indiscriminately, but also exploits people to kill for him. Hello, Wolfwood). Vash also struggles to find freedom from Knives, who uses Vash's powers against his will. That's a really boiled-down version of the central conflict.

So, what happens in this conflict?

Vash heals plants who have been damaged by humans' exploits. Vash helps people in any way he can, no matter who they are - because he wants what's best for humanity - all of it. And, at least in Tristamp, who saves Vash when Knives is using him? Fucking Meryl. Meryl, who jumps head-first into danger to save Vash. I could write an essay on Tristamp Meryl's character development in alone, but I won't (yet).

There's exploitation and rape and terrible abuse, but there's help. There's healing facilitated by others, sometimes others who have experienced something similar. I'm sure someone else can say this much more eloquently than me, but I wanted to get the conversation started.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trimax Thoughts Vol. 1 Pt. 1

I'm late to this because I couldn't think of what to say other than my little joke posts. This is just more sporadic commentary as a result because I'm saving some of my thoughts for when I have more information later on.

One of my favourite panels so far fr. Please Mr. Nightow what dumb shenanigans did these two get into on the regular. Please tell me. Eriks and Lina are my new favourite comedy duo. (You know. Before bad things happen. As per usual.)

Ok so some thoughts on Vash awkwardly insisting that Lina overreacted - she didn't. Self-defense is valid and Lina was well-within her rights to kick that creep in the face, but Vash is now even more passive than he was in his attempts to mitigate violence and tragedy - he's not just throwing away his own pride and dignity, he's fumbling through expecting others to do the same, which he didn't used to do btw - which, unfortunately, makes sense. He's hidden himself away and is terrified of himself - he wants so badly to avoid being the cause of or seeing any more pain inflicted on people. But here's the thing - extreme passivity can also be harmful. There are some things you should get angry at and should respond defensively to. It reminds me a little of that part in Little Arcadia where Meryl is upset with herself for not responding with the same righteous anger towards Badwick pointing a gun at his parents the way Milly did. Unaffectedness can become uncaringness if one walls oneself off from becoming defensive of that which is important to them (tbh I think Meryl was being too harsh on herself in that scene - but it's important to note that she writes the letter to her parents after, and responds more openly and honestly in future chapters). Meryl also realizes in that arc that she can choose a path for herself that doesn't necessarily have to be in perfect keeping with her parents' - they will live through her regardless - but Vash here doubles down on his original philosophy and takes it to extremes instead. I'm finding it really intriguing that Meryl appears to be learning similar lessons to the ones Vash should be, but much earlier than he does (if he will, which I hope he will). I think that might be because they have similar ideals at their cores.

Also, lol at Wolfwood seeing the footprint she left on the guy's face and just being like "nice, kid".

I hate this. I hate this. Can he quit having his reputation be thrown back in his face for five minutes? How much must it hurt him that despite him only ever wanting to help, the image most everyone has of him is this caricature of a villain who is violent and cruel and belittling and demeaning, or else, the whispers of some calamitous being on a power scale incomprehensible to humanity, like some sort of bogeyman? And then to have him reveal all his scars in such an incredibly humiliating way - and to have that be the moment we, as the readers, have definite proof that this man is, in fact, Vash. This impostor went the extra mile to look exactly like the "humanoid typhoon" but it's those scars that are the genuine reveal of Vash's true character. He's just a guy. Yes, he's capable of being dangerous, yes, he's pretty much a living weapon of mass destruction, but he is also kind and self-sacrificing to a fault and chooses this kindness every day. He is literally just a guy. I need people to be fucking nice to him. Leave him alone.

Wolfwood already being defensive of Vash counter: 1

Grandma Sheryl really said "Get my gun." Whhfsdjhfvh

I'm realizing that when Wolfwood unclasps Punisher here, this is... the first time Vash has actually seen that it is. A giant gun. This is the first time the reader would have seen this. Hjhnsdjhvn???

The hair cutting scene hurts me so bad man. I've seen a couple people break down that scene so I won't do that here but hnnng. I love that Lina so clearly cares about him. That she wanted to keep him safe too. And even though she doesn't feel like she could do enough it meant the world to him. Augh. Aughhhh.

Meryl's birthday is in February!!! This is important information.

Ah yes, Trimax Chapter 3, or, as I like to call it, "Area Insurance Girls Destroy Workplace Asshole's Entire Career by Hitting Him With Proof that He Is a Hitman Committing Murder and Fraud, Then Hitting Him in the Back with a Projectile from a Stun Gun". (Meryl and Milly I love you and I love your teamwork. Girls <3. Again, someone broke down the whole part with Meryl here so I won't get into it.)

Wolfwood already being defensive of Vash counter: 2

Wolfwood already being defensive of Vash counter: 3 (also holy shit dude???)

(For clarity, this counter I'm keeping is because it makes me laugh - I have a sneaking suspicion I know why he's there from Tristamp - which makes the fact that he reacts like this after like. What? A few days of knowing him? - really, really funny to me. Also I'm writing up a little something I noticed about Wolfwood, and this is a bit relevant, so there's that too. But mostly it's just funny.)

Geez, Knives looks demonic in the flashbacks. It's very intriguing how he's mostly faceless. I would imagine it's some complex mix of not recognizing his brother after what he's done, not recognizing him as his brother after what he's done, and not wanting to see his twin's face (which looks like his face) staring back at him as some kind of monster. I also have to wonder if Vash is a little scared of Knives, especially after July and Fifth Moon. Also, the way Knives tries to help Vash up because they're "brothers", hence, the same, but when Vash angrily accuses Knives of not being human, Knives kicks him back down while shouting about that he wouldn't want to be like them ever. Really I think this kind of highlights the dynamic in a nutshell. Vash fears harming others more than he does about his loneliness. Knives fears being all alone, I think, and is willing to commit harmful acts to assure he won't be - Vash often winds up hurt by this. Knives doesn't. It also emphasizes how Knives' offer of sticking together is contingent on Vash being agreeable, which is. Yikes bud.

Hm. Wolfwood starts calling him "Needle-Noggin" here. He was calling him Vash before. Interesting.

Brad stfu challenge. Don't be mean to him I'll be sad :(

What is wrong with him. See, Vash is exaggerating his weirdness for the bit and also to hide intense internal turmoil. Wolfwood is clearly trying to get a better vantage to see what's happening here but, unfortunately, I also think he is just like that.

I find it very interesting that Wolfwood finds it so important to finish that particular conversation with Vash, that he even went to go find him earlier to do so. It seems he was under the impression that Vash's stance is one of passivity, but that's not true at all - Vash's whole thing is that he is actually incredibly, notoriously bad at "doing nothing". Isn't it Wolfwood who was the one who wanted to leave here? But he has a point that sometimes you have to make difficult choices. Hm...

Vash just went full chaos entity for this one, huh?

"Wow, it's great that the bullets didn't pierce through and that the equipment works!" he says as he coughs up blood from the force of being hit. :/

This is a very tricky situation, morally speaking, at the end. Vash actually seems to understand the father's reaction here. But if the man shoots his daughter's murderer then it's not just the murderer who loses his "blank ticket" - so does the father. The way the screams of the murderer look like they're encroaching and pressing in on Vash... agh. And then when he goes for the gun, the father thinks Vash is judging him but I really don't think that's it at all. I don't think Vash faults the father for his anger - he understands the cruel death of a family member and the anger that comes with it. He lets the father beat him up instead and release aggression that way, which is a very... Vash way of dealing with it. It worked this time but... that's only because the father turned out to be unable to kill him after all. Vash didn't seem like he really knew what to do here, or even what the right thing to do was. He reacted on instinct. I feel this was less bravery and self-sacrificial pacifism than it was an incredibly vulnerable moment and an apology, in a way. He can't allow himself to let people die when there's something he can do, or to have them throw their futures away. But he is also sorry in a way, not for the act of intervening, but because he knows the father is hurting badly. Idk.

This is interesting, because I think it's right, but not completely. It's less that they are all his family, and more that he has taken up what he kind of sees as the family mantle (Rem's) of saving all the people she saved during the Fall, which is, unfortunately, everyone. Poor Vash, honestly. It's hardly sustainable, and even if it was, it assures that he will always be wrapped up in torment.

I just know Vash intentionally calls Wolfwood out in a really annoying sing-songy voice every time he does something nice just to embarrass him. Hjhdfnvjh

Anyways, that's all for that; until the next volume -

WHAT THE FUCK?

[pepplemint]

do you have thoughts on the potential harm the plants could go through in post trimax universe regarding their exploitation or whatever ((and how knives’ death is a negative aspect in it))

I love your posts on knives soso much btw he’s my baby and I love seeing someone else appreciate him just as much. and I was curious about this considering I was pissed to no end regarding knives’ “ending”

Aaaaah thank you for indulging me in my delusions about Knives 😽😽 To be fair I guess he was doomed from the moment Wolfwood was for the sake of parallels and all that, but it's nicer to imagine the story ended on the second to last chapter instead ;v;

To be honest I think it's really hard to say because we know so so little of what happens after the final we can only speculate. The Earth Federation has provided Gunsmoke with a whole bunch of new things that make life easier and safer, hopefully meaning they are no longer reliant on plants for everything and might be able to use the plant output power for terraforming and creating a self-substaining world.

But! The way Chronica and her shipmates talks about herself/independent plants on earth... I can't be the only one that gets the feeling she had a lot of internalised plantphobia (making up new words here) that reflects the world she's from. Earth comes with more knowledge about plants/independents but with what I'm sure is a whole new history of oppression, stereotypes and dehumanisation that will clash with the newly won understanding.

Close to all the plants on the planet are merged together in this giant plant bulb. I'm not sure what that means for power output, how far they can send that power (probably not far on their own means but with Earth to help they might be distributing that power across higher distances) or does it mean only Octovern have power? In that case Gunsmoke is likely to have a very localised human settlement going forward (refugees of the larger cities had already been moving to Octovern or dying from exposure/thirst/starvation since losing their plants, but smaller settlements seems to have been better off, probably because they were already used to living sparsely without a plant and had storages. Those storages will still be depleted and then it depends on how easily and if they can be filled up again)

Either way I think it's going to be hard to overwork this giant mass the same way individual plants have been, not while also factoring in that Earth can help with resources + much smaller population. On the other hand it is also very hard to humanise when it looks like that. The current generations that have had physical contact are not a problem, but future generations quickly forget, as we see over and over again in human history.

Knives was the only active defense the plants had, they chose to give that up. Which means their only defense is the passive one of Vash and the earth independents which we have established have a lot of internalised baggage that might interfere with their roles as interpreters.

It's not hard to imagine there will still be issues of consent and questions of morality, like how much is it worth to save a plant (if it can't even be of use to humans) and should plants have a say in how much and how their energy output is used? How much can you really trust a plant when they have such destructive power? Like how all independents on earth have a chip implanted in their brain (presumably young), which is all kinds of fucked up the more you think about it. That's just what we know about too.

If things take a turn south again, there is no one (but Vash, barely) that has the ability to even stand a chance to protect themselves. We don't even know the extent of control earth has forced onto independents. Just that they're clearly still seen as below humans.

[orangetintedglasses]

( Anyway in honor of the dawn of spooky month approaching, have some info about Vampire!Vash and the rules of how vampires work in my brain. Unrelated to the Astarianon stuff but it's something I've had kicking around in the back of my mind for a while. I'm not claiming any of these as particularly original takes in the slightest, either; this is just how vampires worked in the lore I'm recycling because we worked on it too long to let it go to waste. )

General:

Everyone has a gene that essentially acts as a switch if they're turned into a vampire-- literally all humans have this line of code in the genetics. It's what gives them their powers, and no one really knows what they'll end up with until it happens (unless like, your family has a history with it and obviously has a lot of the same power, you're likely to inherit it)

You have to be dying to be turned. No exceptions.

There are a lot of classifications of vampires, here are the ones I remember off the top of my head-- - Trackers (able to drink from someone and sense them up to a certain distance) - Tanks (beef. stronk. big appetite) - Dawnwalkers (don't burn in sunlight but get little other boons, seen as lesser by other vampires) - 'Red' (a genetic mutation thought to be completely culled due to an insatiable appetite, insane strength and aggressive tendencies. it was not culled.)

Certain lines of genetics were culled because of how dangerous they were-- think things like control over elements and anything that could do serious damage over time. This doesn't mean they're gone, but modern day vampires know better than to speak up if they get an ability like this

'Makers' have an innate control over anyone they sire, obviously. It's a tactic to ensure the newbie vampires don't all just go rabid and kill people to feed their new hunger-- this hasn't stopped makers from abandoning sired, though, so it ain't perfect

All vampires have the ability to glamour their prey. It helps make it hurt less (peaceful) or helps make them malleable (bad). Dawnwalkers are suspectible to another vampire's glamour

There's a council, you have to register new vampires and their powers, etc, I don't wanna go into vampire politics

Modern day has a lot of vampire-friendly spaces. Bars, clubs, a lot of restaurants and other faculties will stay open a lot later to accommodate, there are even specific vampire dentists and doctors that don't see humans at all... people even donate their blood to banks specifically for feeding vampires. Some bars even have feeding zones with willing human participants-- though the rules are strict in these places.

Vash specifically:

Vash, Nai and Tesla specifically are part of a line of progenitor vampires. Their genetic 'switch' can be found in a vast amount of the population thanks to some breeding quirks and passing stuff down

They're also more powerful than any vampire that came after them with some exceptions. They have a modicum of control over all vampires, as well, exerting the same sort of 'maker's command' that a sire has over their sired, though powerful-enough vampires can resist it with some effort

Tesla was staked after about 500 years, living in 'harmony' with the humans for only about 200 before it happened. Vash and Nai went into hiding after. Vash eventually decides to try and live among the humans again

His eyes are a very unnatural bright blue, so he wears special glasses to dull the color (obviously)

Vash's skin has a tan look to it compared to Nai's porcelain skin due to how many times he's been discovered and shoved out into the sunlight to try and burn him alive. Also many scars, because healing factor - proper blood amount to burn through it = improper healing and gnarly-ass scars

Obviously the boy prefers to feed off of animals, if at all. In more modern times, he'll drink from purchased blood bags if he needs to. He hates feeding off of live folks now

I like to think the Dawnwalker genetic trait comes specifically from Vash

[chibivesicle]

Trigun Stampede - Episode 10 - Humanity - or - Am I now watching Blade Runner?

Episode ten dropped this morning and here in my small two bedroom apartment there was indeed the wailing and gnashing of teeth as I watched the episode unfold.  I had unrealistic expectations for Stampede is the mantra I need to keep repeating to myself as I watch it.

Also, I still have some unanswered asks - I’ll try to get to them when I can but they aren’t a quick reply so I need to have the time and brain power to think about them.

The episode starts off with Vash and Wolfwood riding on their ostriches in the desert heading to July.  Wolfwood screams randomly while Vash listens to a timely news update - on an earbud!  His earring doesn’t even act like a phone receiver device anymore - I mean with all this sci fi tech could you had at least kept his ability to use the earring to hear someone’s voice?!?!?

Anyhoo, this then leads to the OP.  The action then shifts to inside the area where Meryl and Roberto are, now with lights allowing for us to see the room full of red plants.

Zazie the Beast asks them who can make use of the planet - Humans, plants or the worms?  Of course Zazie states that the worms are the planet which, okay you also think quite highly of yourselves worms.  That’s it worm domination is settled if it weren’t for the fact you need to use people to apparently destroy them?  But this is Studio Orange’s animation demo, no budget for writers.

Conrad approaches and is easily able to convince Meryl and a reluctant Roberto to join him.  Roberto utters death flag number one asking Meryl if there is a bargain sale on her life.  You mean your life Roberto, eh?

It is obvious they have no choice but to go with Conrad, they know he is their only link to Knives’ motives for the red plants and his approach to humanity.

We get Vash and Wolfwood in a sort of street in July which is 100% cyberpunk and Blade Runner inspired.  It gives me immediate vibes of Ghost in the Shell (the manga) and Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star.  We are in a very Sinocentric city compared to the vaguely American early 20th century vibes of Jeneora Rock.  Honestly Studio Orange, if you wanted to do cyberpunk, why don’t you just do that instead of trying to jam it into Trigun?  Or maybe do a reboot on Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash if you want to work with an older IP.

We also learn from Wolfwood that July is wealthy and successful due to having a monopoly on water producing plants which has made them powerful.  Water is canonically a scarce resource in the manga but there was some on the planet but there was enough that people were able to successfully do some agriculture.  And wash their clothes based on all of the laundry lines between buildings in the cities.

Lots of red Chinese lanterns, maybe we are in the Ghost King’s city but the seal script is too easy to read.  Joking aside, the very desert vibe of the July MP and our previous bad guy of episode one just happens to be on patrol for funsies.  And looks so weird in the Chinese centric area.

However, this metropolis still has no people - with all of that urban density we should see the streets packed with civilians but nah, they aren’t out and about.  Additionally, are we now to interpret that the nameless July MP captain is possibly ethnically Chinese? 

Why am I even pondering this?  I know based on the lazy writing that the entire point of having the MP captain walk by is so that he can interact with Vash to prove some sort of superficial character development point.  In this case, it is for one of the other MPs to point out that his family died at Jeneora Rock and shoots Vash.

Wow, just amazing storytelling skills there!  I couldn’t see this coming at all.  I knew that this was going to force the reveal of Vash’s scarred body.  Which compared to previous versions is pretty good looking.

The ‘98 anime and the manga really worked to show the level of detail and the ugly/gross factor which was played for comic relief in both where Meryl and Milly walk in on Vash coming out of the shower with a towel around his neck and he blushes in embarrassment.

As Vash sits down across from them he with a scarred hand pops open a can of Kuroneko beer and explains he both doesn’t like people to see his scars but that he can’t run away from his past.

Studio Orange really did a disservice to the viewers by cleaning up Vash’s torso making it look clean and more sterile.  The original shows the nubbiness and the fact that Vash could hypothetically heal his scars per the manga but what is the point of doing it out of vanity when it would simply accelerate his aging and hair turning black?

The action turns back to Conrad who is explaining that Luida’s geoplant goals are too slow and passive and that he’s using humanity itself to survive.  I really miss that ‘Little Arcadia’ arc now . . .

We know exactly where this is going.  It is the classic, ‘It is okay to sacrifice other people because they were gonna die anyways.’ villain trope.  Yeah, just show them your high tech experimental lab.  By the way, that is the worst sterile lab technique I have ever seen - are you sure you are following proper lab protocols?

The blood stains make for a horribly cliche dramatic effect which made me laugh.  Conrad tells them that Knives is the perfect life form.  This is clearly a huge departure from the original manga, since he was never this actively involved in things in this sort of way.  I’d say that Conrad didn’t have a strong characterization in Trigun Maximum but he wasn’t a mad scientist drinking the Knives Kool-Aid.  He held his own trump cards against Knives who forced him to work for him.  In Stampede, it appears that he decided to go all into the cult of Knives as opposed to doing stuff at knife point.

We get the explanation that Conrad sees Knives as the ultimate life form and he’s trying to make more of them.  With the help of cloned cells from Knives of course.  For example a child we can all recognize, Elendira in the tank.

But she is translated with an ‘its’ power level being fairly weak.  Meryl stares into the tank with a sadness.

The fact that she is in the tank seems to imply that she still needs to hook into the system and isn’t a true independent like Vash or Knives.  The entire situation is the monologuing of a man who has completely lost it and sees all of his actions as justified with the Knives Kool-Aid.

Meryl feels pity for Elendira who is not pleased to hear this.  This puts her immediately into beserker mode and she creates a nail to blow open the tank.

What have you done with my QUEEN Studio Orange?  She’s now an unhinged 25+ year old plant-human hybrid child who doesn’t age as quickly as Vash or Knives?  I’m not even going to address the issues with this ‘update’ to Elendira’s character in the main summary.

This causes Roberto to grab Meryl and run, again while Conrad stands there and Roberto makes death flag number two.  He mentions worker’s comp to Meryl since she keeps getting them into risky situations.

Roberto and Meryl get chased to a large room full of red plants and oddly placed elevators in the middle.  This doesn’t make any sort of structural or design sense but, hey all of the timing in this entire story doesn’t make any sense.  Roberto is clear to Meryl that they are the bait that is to lure Vash in and they end up stuck between the elevator and Elendira.

Elendira gets more unhinged monologue time of her own about humans and their superficial judgements of others.  Everything is okay though as Roberto knows that Vash will pop out of the elevator when the doors open, so he pulls Meryl off to the side as a rain of nails comes after them.

Sure enough, Wolfwood bursts out and Vash hangs back to help them safely enter the elevator.

This gives time for Wolfwood to square off with an even angrier Elendira.

We see a quick glance of Roberto running oddly back and then a closer look at him holding his side as they enter the elevator.  We know that he’s been hit, though Meryl doesn’t know it yet.

Wolfwood destroys all of the nails and one broken nail cuts her as she falls in overly dramatic fashion.  Again, what have you done to my QUEEN Studio Orange?

Wolfwood being the jerk that he is in this version gives her crap and Vash timidly tries to care about her injury.

This only invites a scathing retort to Vash who is scum in her eyes compared to Knives.  For plot reasons, Wolfwood goes back to the elevator and makes Vash go with him, since it is his job to deliver Vash to Knives.

After this we get Roberto’s lame and predictable death scene with Meryl.  It is the follow up to ‘sempai noticed me’ to the ‘sempai died to protect me’ this now allows for Meryl’s character to have ‘growth’. 

She gets called by her full name and he gives her his Derringer.

I’ve said this many times before, but Studio Orange has done an amazing job with the animation of Meryl’s facial expressions since episode one.  Other characters seem awkward and fall flat but she’s been a highlight.  Her facial expressions - not her actual character which is a shallow imitation of her previous self.  But I can at least take the time and really appreciate how well they animated her.

While she considers Roberto’s request to accept his derringer, Wolfwood narrates to Vash his philosophy that to survive on this planet you have to hurt and kill others to protect others.  It is clear that Meryl is going to take some sort of action as she wipes away her tears with a look of resolve.

Before she pushes a button on the elevator, likely one that goes up.  Either she is going to help Vash - which would be a bit silly alone - or if her wits hold up, she’s looking for Wolfwood instead.

I really hope she goes for Wolfwood to help Vash.

After Wolfwood finishes his explanation to Vash, they part ways in a dark corridor.  I guess he was clear which way Vash needed to go to meet Knives?  This then sets up our reunion of Vash and Knives in July, which should kick off a July incident where Vash causes the city to go boom.

Knives is at his fancy piano and explains that the statue over him, is actually a plant from ‘back then’.  I’m unsure if he means back 150 years ago or from when he witnessed the final run of plants.  I want to say from 150 years ago personally - my gut says so.

Knives starts gaslighting Vash immediately.  Stating that Vash’s actions are based out of guilt from helping Knives get access to the computer to crash and destroy many of the ships.  If you are a peak villain you need to make sure your underlings have black and white morals, so Vash is just guilty.  Nothing else.

No one would argue that Vash doesn’t feel guilty for his actions and it does underlie many of his actions and intentions.  However, this does not make it mutually exclusive from the fact that he can love humans.  It is a huge theme of the manga how Vash is able to process his guilt, come to terms with it, face it and overcome and accept it which make him such a powerful character.  That does not matter here though.

The action bounces back to Wolfwood who apparently has a completed contract for his services within the Eye of Michael.  If you zoom in you can see that there is the added special note at the end stating that if Wolfwood completes the terms, the orphanage will not be used in future experiments.

Though the wording is that it is removed from a pilgrimage route which is a bizarre term to code for a location to take children for experiments from.  Wolfwood questions what the meaning of the paper is crumpling it in anger.  I mean, he could argue that Legato tried to destroy the orphanage anyways so can you even expect it to be upheld?  That would require more depth and we don’t have time for that so Wolfwood leaves angry.

Which results in the weirdest line from Conrad - that makes no sense in the context of Stampede.

He asks a man, holding his cross if he were able to lay it down?  Now, we decide to try to pull up a theme that needed to be explained from the beginning for Wolfwood but we didn’t have time for that earlier - toss it in here! Wolfwood then asks the question he was asked and leaves.  Conrad sighs and looks at a photo of him and Tessla!  On his freakkin’ desk.  This man is clearly off the deep end.

I saw this and thought, okay we are going to get our Tessla flashback. Good.  And then I get a flashback where Conrad is happy to see that Knives is alive and that he survived.  This means that he’d been aware of Vash and Nai via Rem before the crash.  However, he had no idea that the twins had survived and Knives threatens to give away his old identity.

We then see a bright blue eye on Knives’ hand and Conrad recognizes it and asks for forgiveness. 

I’m going to squint really hard and conclude that Vash and Nai found out about Tessla on the ship, found her remaining body parts and then Nai absorbed her parts into himself and that is her eye now looking at Conrad.  Creeeeepy!  Knives not only can absorb living plants into himself, he can also take dead parts?

However, with Conrad collapsing before him, asking for forgiveness does this mean that Conrad continued to experiment on Knives as well???? 

The action returns to Knives and Vash.  Knives activates a hidden trap door - because his is peak villain and Vash tries to stop falling with his tiny thread arm ability.  Knives declares that he is remaking his sick brother, tying into Conrad’s previous statement about sacrificing one of the twins.  Though he didn’t say which twin.

Vash then falls into a pool of water which likely isn’t just water but sci fi water something or other.

With that the episode ends.

My initial reaction was “Aaarrrrrggggghhhh, so much lazy writing and what on earth are they even thinking?!?!”

I will watch this season to the end, but there is no way I’m watching this any further if they leave it open ended with a time skip or whatever.  All of this feels like Studio Orange wanted to do a cyberpunk series or some sort of homage to that type of series and they got the IP to that odd under performing manga and anime, Trigun.  They never even stopped to ponder why it didn’t do well in Japan or why it was wildly popular in the States or how the original characters were well received in the original works.  It is almost like they figured, “Hey we have this obscure IP, it is fine to skim a bit off and then create our own dystopian cyberpunk series.”

No one can touch Cowboy Bebop, that series is too special for a remake (in the animated form, not the live action) so it will stand alone.  It is also an episodic series that no one can attack. Even though so many anime fans nowadays are aghast at episodic series when there are true merits to episodic storytelling.

I guess Outlaw Star was too 90s in a different way with the obvious alien cat girl, samurai chick and generic East Asian/Chinese vibes?  If they wanted cyberpunk they should have gotten the IP to Bubblegum Crisis and remade that.

Character comments:

Bill Conrad - Oh boy, did they really change him from the manga.  He was a member of the crew and knew Rem and found out she was hiding Knives and Vash.  He allowed her to continue to hide them.  Unlike Rem, he survived the crash and had set up a nice life for himself before being found by Knives and forced to work with him.

We all know that Bill Conrad is simply Patrick Stewart in manga form and that he was forced to do Knives bidding.  However, he still managed to deceive him and only revealed to Knives that when his hair began to turn black that he too was aging and would die.

Knives asks Elendira to confirm if Vash’s hair is also changing colors . . .

Before he kills Conrad on the spot.  He is no longer useful to Knives since he can no longer continue to use his power in an unlimited fashion. 

Did Knives think he could have unlimited power or did Conrad lead him to believe that in the hopes he could control or fight back?  Potentially both?

The main point is that Conrad was a part of the group who were involved in the Tessla experiments, however, we never know exactly to what extent, but that he is knowledgeable enough that he’s been working for Knives until his death.

This then leads into Tessla.

Tessla - Was the first independent plant that the crew learned about.  We know that Conrad and Rem were both there when the horrible experiments were performed on her which resulted in her death.  They then saved all of her remaining body parts in tanks for reference.  The entire thing is wrong on every possible level and knowledge of this event forever shaped how Vash and Knives moved forward in their lives.

It doesn’t take Knives long to undercover the files and they are curious to learn more - leading them to what remained of her body! 

However, Stampede hasn’t given us enough information to go on at the moment so we don’t know how they found out about this. 

Elendira the Crimsonnail - Has fallen victim to trans erasure apparently.  The 13th of the Gung-ho Guns, she was a force to be reckoned with wearing her pillbox hats, vintage suits and her suitcase full of nails.  I know that the translation isn’t the best where she’s referred to as a transvestite, but our language has been shifting rapidly over the past ten years and if this were translated now, she’d simply be referred to as a trans woman.

Apparently, Stampede doesn’t like to have too many adult women and this resulted in the shift of Elendira to a perma-child, which is just weird if she is a plant human hybrid. 

Roberto and Meryl - got their predicted death scene.  Are any of us surprised?  No.  Roberto did not contribute to the plot, nor did he do much of anything so of course he got his ‘moment’ to hand off a single gun to Meryl.  They were not the same as Meryl and Milly from the original as both were actively engaged in events and the fact that the two of them were always having interesting and dynamic conversations.  Wolfwood - completed a legally binding contract.  This doesn’t even make sense to me since - did he really have a choice in the matter?  No. Why bother to draft a contract and who the hell is even going to enforce it?  The NMP?  And he’s not dead yet!  Plus, the contract didn’t even follow its own note about the orphanage making it a sort of breach of contract by the writer . . . Vash - Passively walked right into Knives’ trap.  Wow, shocking.  Now, he’s going to get some sort of sci fi torture in the water pool to activate his gate/angel arm something .  . July then go boom? Knives - Wow, yeah.  Now he’s working with Conrad, he apparently absorbed Tessla’s eyeball into his arm before finding Conrad and he wants to remake his weak and sick brother.  He keeps the remains of dying plants as statues around him to remind himself to not make mistakes and he’s been hanging out in July and no one knows.  But based on his encounter with Conrad, the translation makes it sound like Knives may have been experimented on as well . . .

Zazie - The worms think very highly of themselves, however, they need to learn how to persuade others.  Speaking like you are the better species is not going to win over Meryl and Roberto to hear you out.  That’s why you lost to Conrad and Knives.  Honestly, no character in Stampede knows how to make a good persuasive argument to convince others to follow their cause or goals.

Wow, this meta has spiraled out of control and I really need to wrap it up.

1.) The writing continues to use so many ‘perfect’ timing instances.  I can’t take it anymore.  The entire elevator setup had me groaning aloud on my couch.  The scene where Vash is shot - is solely there to show his scars.  There were so many other ways to convey this point, like when he was on the uncrashed ship maybe?  Yet, Studio Orange lives for the most literal way to demonstrate things and it is well worn out its welcome for me as a viewer. 2.) The empty cities.  We’ve been shown the metropolis of the planet and it apparently isn’t December.  Where are the people in those massive buildings?  Wolfwood mentions they can buy as much munitions as possible but where does their food and drink come from?  I miss all of the normalcy of the original anime and manga.  Where are the cafes, the city squares, the children in the streets?

3.) The sci fi cyberpunk tone.  Baffles me.  Studio Orange had a creative vision which was not even remotely aligned with the source material.  The shift to a Sinocentric July also baffles me.  Let’s slap up some red lanterns everywhere and Chinese-ish decor elements to set the tone for July.  Is this some sort of hidden political message from the team at Studio Orange?  Is the water monopoly a fill in for something else in current events?  The original was much more Western US in the vibe but with international elements mixed in.  The characters are diverse and we still have that reflected in the population, for example Meryl and Milly hitched a ride with a woman who was clearly black. There were other characters who were definitely black in the manga. Yet, have I seen a single black character even in the background in Stampede?  No.  It was bad enough that they made Wolfwood white but apparently no one of any darker skin toned ethnic group made it onto those Project Seeds ships. 4.) Lack of diversity.  Thus, the lack of diversity of Stampede is killing me.  The entire main cast has light skin tones.  A subset of humanity is supposed to be stuck on the planet and that has not been reflected at all.  Wolfwood in the background appears to be foodie, as he rates the following dishes; curry, ramen and finds an incredible bowl of udon.  Clearly, there is cultural diversity and it had carried over to the desert planet.  The lack of diversity then extends to what was the complete change in Zazie and Elendira as well.  Zazie was a sort of non-binary character able to shift from host to host, implying that the gender construct was meaningless in their choices.  Elendira was a powerful trans woman, with excellent fashion taste.  Wolfwood didn’t even know what she looked like but was more than aware of her reputation.  Legato was canonically gay, but he hasn’t done enough yet to determine if that will be maintained as well.  My point is, what happened to all the queer characters? With that I shall wrap up.  My snark was strong with this episode and excuse my puns throughout the meta.

[soltiana]

tristamp ep 11 ramble

I almost forgot that if I had longform (IF INCOHERENT) thoughts about something I could just...blog about them?? i'm still getting used to having this power again. cut for spoilers of course, this ep was so fucked (positive). I have thoughts/hopes for the finale too but I'll keep those to myself so I don't get hooked on them lol whatever will be will be.

meryl and wolfwood exchange pretty standard pleasantries. it's obvious ww is going to come back to try to help vash despite his contract. i still think his chances of making it out alive are pretty good, but i guess we'll find out.

then we're directly thrown into the pussy juice tank. like. last week the episode ended on knives throwing vash into what looked like an oversized version of a plant bulb container, so I was like haha he threw him into the pussy juice funny :) but tristamp pointed directly at me and was like this person knows exactly what we're doing here. what a smart person. yes. the entire tank is pussy juice and it's FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH KNIVES' EGGS. there are plant "buds" everywhere, following up on conrad's discussion last week about how knives has been "helping" him create the perfect living creatures, like himself, but the conclusion they had both come to is that knives' offspring were missing an ingredient, what humans call a soul. the new plant lore dropping is that while humans originally created plants they don't quite understand where their powers come from, other than a "higher source" (god).

tesla vash and knives are what conrad and other plant scientists call "independents" because they have:

souls (from the higher power, presumably)

wills of their own

biological non-independent plant mothers (who died giving birth to them)

and, according to conrad's analytics, while knives "gate" is receptive to the higher power from god, vash's "gate" can not only receive but transmit this higher power (souls) as well. in other words vash is. just. chock full of sperm. he's a humanoid vector for getting other creatures god pregnant, so since they couldn't air vash literally fucking knives pregnant, they settled for him inseminating knives' dozens of pre-laid eggs like a horrifyingly beautiful deep sea nature documentary.

so to get back to the meat of the episode, knives connects his body to vash by stabbing into him with his chains of knife tentacles, and immediately after losing his senses from this black roots begin to grow out of the points the two brothers are connected. the roots seek out each of the eggs, and glowing energy begins to transfer, through knives' manipulation, from vash into each of the eggs.

then we take a trip inside of the twins shared headspace and watch knives brainwash vash one memory at a time, erasing his past for him so that he can be wiped completely blank. when this process reaches a critical point, vash's external body starts reacting defensively - this part is speculation but i think he senses that knives is seeking his memories of rem, and starts instinctively re-creating her before it even happens. so new roots start to grow, this time straight down, following vash's will instead of his brother's, and through the rest of the episode this set of roots expands and becomes a monstrously enormous tree literally in the shape of rem, covered in bio-luminescent blue geraniums.

this is also the moment where instead of knives seeking vash's memories, vash begins visiting knives' instead. vash begins appearing both in memory form as well as his current dream self, which implies a subtle growing grip that vash has on the situation, despite being at 90% synchronization physically. so it's vash who starts entering doors in the ship that leads to knives' memories, beautifully complimented by the fact that the next one he accesses is him solving a problem knives can't figure out on his own. we get our tesla reveal moment and it's fucking incredible.

birthday confirmed canon july 21 happy birthday boys. it also says they were born in the year 2455 so let's just hang in there a couple hundred more years and say hi to them.

vash looks into another door that rings with mechanical sounds, but when he tries to enter it knives takes him instead to the rec room, where they both seem to be recovering from their discovery of tesla. the mechanical door memory is skipped, either for vash, the viewer, or both. in a reversal of their manga conversations where knives is more manipulative and vash is more depressive, knives despairs of human wrongdoing while vash urges knives to have faith in humanity's ability to change. knives interprets this to mean that vash, who has no powers of his own, feels the need to bow to human might and expectation out of self preservation, and makes up his mind to eradicate them so he doesn't have to. adult knives appears in the memory he's curated to explain this, and to tell vash once again that the fall was his fault, since knives did it all for him, to protect his vulnerable twin from human cruelty.

this is the point of mind break for vash, and knives, taking advantage of that vulnerability, becomes empowered and moves in to finally remove rem from vash's memories. symbolically, as soon as he does, vash's red coat carbonates, and knives synchronization (the tristamp version of melding from the manga) reaches 100%. with no memories left to access, we return to knives in the physical world, quietly elated, wishing his brother a happy birthday since believes he has literally re-made him in his own (rem-free) image. while knives and his plant eggs all give off light in the pussy juice tank, no part of vash is glowing anymore, he only reflects light.

then (through vash's power) knives opens the final pussy, the opening to the higher plane where plant power is drawn from. this is the moment that vash's mega-rem geraniums begin to bloom as well. and the plant eggs, still attached to vash's insemination roots, open, revealing non-independent female plants that are connected to vash via their enormously swollen pregnant bellies.

conrad is revealed to be dying, a hostage knives took as an adolescent to fulfill his wishes. this is not news but it is sexy. the knives conrad relationship in tristamp is weird and really good. knives finally disconnects from vash, leaving his motionless shell behind in the pussy juice tank as he crosses through the gate vash opened for him. all the while, vash's giant rem tree is growing, literally suffocating the entire city of july and killing or driving its people to flee. at the moment that knives seems about to make contact with the core he believes to be the source of their power, vash's tree rem fully takes form, and blooms.

[kirchefuchs]

so remember

t h i s post

I recently overcame it while scrolling down your blog (I totally wasn't looking for some of my old ideas to bring back to life pfffffff totally) and I just had a thought

What if we switched the roles?

The Narrator — aka, Pollux — has the Lovebug virus and Stanley is completely normal. The same thing that happened in the post happens in this too, but with the roles switched, I can't help but feel like it hits harder (especially considering your AU)

(I love your AU ok it's so creative)

If you acknowledge that Stanley basically did everything in his power to make Pollux sentient, wouldn't that mean that him losing the very thing keeping him that way to be a great loss? All that work, down the drain, in one fell swoop — and Stanley didn't even get to say goodbye.

Imagine the devastation he felt — the overwhelming guilt, and he won't even be punished for it. Imagine having to accept that all of your work is just, gone. No countdown. No "3, 2, 1." It's gone. Imagine going through the worst depression of your life while the only one who was there for you doesn't even understand anymore. Imagine having to live through what Pollux once was without him even knowing that his whole being was permanently reset.

And the worst part was that Stanley loved him back.

Imagine the only person you've ever been with to fade away in the blink of an eye. Imagine that certain person not even being in their normal state at the time — Pollux was infected by the Lovebug virus, after all.

And imagine his last words being I love you.

Imagine having to look back at those memories and realize just how stupid you were being by lashing out. Imagine being Stanley, whose last and only memory of the man he loved being one where he isn't even himself.

Imagine being Stanley, where your story ends in a hiatus.

And in the end, there was nothing true to finish the narrative.

There's no goodbye

only a scripted confession.

anyway have a nice day and I hope you enjoy your new brainrot which I totally won't joining you in hahshdhdhgd!!

— 🅰️non || 06/13/2023

I'm fine. I'm normal about this.

Anyways.... I'd like to give you some advice if you do want to join me in my Trigun phase.

I am currently in the process of reading the manga, but I have watched both anime series and the movie. So here's what I recomend.

I don't think it super matters is your read the manga first or anything, but it is important that you watch the 1998 Trigun anime before you watch Trigun Stampede (2023). The movie takes place somewhere in the middle of the 1998 anime so you can watch it after the anime if you want or halfway though, it doesn't matter.

The order I went with was pretty much this. I've just started the manga.

Trigun 1998 (show)

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (movie)

Trigun Stampede (show)

Trigun (manga)

Trigun Maximum (manga)

Warning: while this fandom does seem silly goofy (which I'm not saying it isn't silly goofy. It is very silly goofy, however) it will make you cry. The further you get in the sadder it gets. Vash needs a break, therapy, and some donuts. So, there's that warning.

As for where to watch and read it, I used zoro.to to watch both shows and the movie and am using trigunmanga.com to read the manga. The legality of it all is pretty ehhhh, but I don't really have the money buy physical copies of the manga even though I really want to.

Hope this helps! Imma go die from the brain damage Trigun and The Stanley Parable have inflicted upon me ♡

[crossroadsdimension]

I know folks have Opinions about Trigun Stampede and how people either like it or don’t like it.

I like it.

I can see where they’re pulling from story beats from the manga and the old anime (I had a devil of a time hunting down the manga volumes but I have them) -- and I like what they’re doing to remix the story into something new, but familiar.

The Nebraska family being turned from an enemy into a potential ally just because of Vash’s kindness and Rosa’s determined mother-ness makes complete sense to me. They weren’t a consistent villain in the original material (not as much as Knives or his cronies were/are), and using them to establish that there are “bad guys” who think that fighting and power is all there is on No Man’s Land (only to be turned around upon seeing that there are bleeding hearts who can live and survive) and there are “bad guys” (Knives and his cronies) is clever. And using the lost technology of Earth to set off explosions, even more so. It means Knives has things at his disposal that no one else does, and considering he knows how all that old tech works while the humans forget puts him at a biiiiig advantage.

(I saw those little bombs and thought of viruses right off the bat. I thought they were a way to track Vash at first, sent by Knives after Zazie’s buggy beasties found him, but then the episode ended with that and now I’m wondering how things are going to change even more in later episodes. Also -- the sandworm lifecycle?? Going from little flies to birds to sandworms?? This adds so much to the local ecosystem! Now I’m wondering where Tomas/the riding ostriches fit into all this!)

I’m delighted at how much of a rubber chicken Vash continues to be -- mostly in how comedic he is as he moves, and how over-emotive he is. My dad, who is watching the episodes with me as an introduction to Trigun, is a bit thrown-off by how over-emotive everyone is, but he knows that’s a general anime thing. I did tell him Vash is over-emotive on purpose, but Dad still seems doubtful about what that’s going to mean later down the line (he’s still going to watch it with me, but we’ll see how he thinks in the coming weeks).

Dad also picked up immediately that Vash is likely older than he lets on and that he’s not human, but I’m trying to keep my mouth shut on the other details. (Dad’s current theory is that Vash is a cyborg because the lines on his kid self reminded Dad of circuitry. Which, I mean...Plants were created, not found in the wild somewhere. We haven’t seen one do the whole “look like a winged naked lady” yet, either....)

But yeah. Overall, I’m enjoying myself. Sure, Millie isn’t anywhere in the sneak peeks or the teasing material yet, and Roberto is...certainly something...but I’d like to see where this goes. Currently, my personal theory is that Meryl is going to go pick up her weapons and her insurance agent focus after the events of at most the first season, and then Millie will (re-)enter the series to much applause. Hopefully.

Besides, Roberto is basically acting in Wolfwood’s position right now -- someone who’s experienced with the outside world and knows how things work. He’s the mentor character to Meryl, who acts as our eyes as the inexperienced newbie, unsure of the rest of the world...

...and we know what happens to mentor characters in media....

[animereviewsbykyranskye]

Reviews while I watch Trigun Stampede: Episode 10-12

So I have started getting spoilers because tiktok has decided to give me dozens of trigun episodes. So I have to watch this before I get major spoilers. 

Let’s go! I will be sad when this is over. But atleast more is coming out. Yay!

I can’t remember how the last episode ended. 

Evil corporation backstory time. 

Shmancy city. 

He shneeze and they get spotted. Love it. 

What happened to his arm? I still don’t think we know. 

He really took that shot like a champ. Damn. 

Scarred boi. It looks so much harsher than most reveals like that. I like it. 

This man has a saviour complex.

Music. Ominous but pretty. 

Oh god. The new one will kill everything. 

Shame. She’s still just trying to figure out her life. 

Yissus her music i fucking creepy. 

Boss man is going to die. 

She does not like Wolfwood in the slightest. And Vash and Wolfwood go into the trap. 

She no longer creepy. 

Called it. He dying. 

Oooo. The use of her name is damn powerful. And this is why you don’t use names. 

He dead.

Music!

Meryl is going to go on a revenge streak now.

I feel like Wolfwood is going to die. 

And so the brothers are reunited. 

So the doctor caused Nai to have the knives? 

Is Vash going to be tortured and reformed now? Shit is going down. 

----Episode 11----

Two shots. Make it count. 

He drown

Oh nice. Nai joins him. 

Oh no. Why are his things black. 

I love this dream like sequence. It’s so ominous and ahhh. 

No dont use Wolfwood against him! 

He has his hand? Noice. I like how he can tell it’s fake because of the hand. 

Psychotic brother is Psychotic. 

Nooooo. He’s forgetting. That's not allowed. 

Pretty flowers!

Her name is really Rem Saverem? Crazy. 

Poor Vash having to listen to that whole speech about being special. 

Another independent. Oh no. They’re dead. Nevermind. Apparently they’re alive. I’m assuming that’s the never one we saw last episode - just rebuilt and reborn. 

Nai thinking he’s being protective but actually he’s destroying Vash. 

He’s still eating his noodles? XD

ooof. Not the head. 

Nai is going to realise he fucked up. Also it’s Vash’s birthday? 

Big person. 

----Episode 12----

Finale

The vines released her. 

Did she really just waste the two bullets? All the setup for tat? 

She has more bullets apparently. 

Music! Good constant motif between the two. 

He’s remembering!

Chills! 

Wings! Those are so cool. 

His hair has changed. Similar to his og design. I like it. Also love how all the colour has turned to essentially a black and white. Other than the cube. 

Wolfwood is back!

Midair fight. 

HE GETS A WING TOO! Also the wings are on opposite sides. 

He couldn’t save them. 

Superpowered gun. 

Oooo. Pretty lights. 

Wolfwood is concerened about Vash. Sweet. 

The brother is going to die. Then the other one will end up being the main villian. 

Both want peace. But one wants peace through eradication and the other wants peace through acceptance. 

Vash cries. 

Why do they have such a goofy running scene in the middle of this extremely emotional moment. 

Trauma. 

This is surprisingly graphic. And yet he still just wanted them to live together in peace. 

Set up for part two. 

Nooooo. Not the music. 

----after thoughts----

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So Meryl is getting a newbie mimiking the start of the show. Wolfwood is nowhere to be seen. And Vash has forgotten everything again, other than the music again. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. This next season is going to be so damn painful. I cannot wait. I’ll probably watch the OG show and read the manga when I get the chance between other shows. 

Ominous closing is ominous. 

[jemichi90]

Oh boy, I guess we are talking about this now. That’s a lot to unpack and definitely one of those things I can’t interpret with much confidence...

What re-l is saying is 100% a fact though. This specific scene is clearly happening inside the mind of Vash. We’ve seen such scenes a number of times, and the way he views himself in his inner world isn’t always exactly the way he appears in reality. As re-l pointed out, he has both of his arms here and at least you can’t see any scars on him (although, obviously it would be hard to see if he does or doesn’t have them when he looks like this, but the arm is enough to tell this is happening in his mind). Based on his dreams, Vash normally views himself like this:

He has both of his arms and no scars. But one very obvious thing is different compared to that first image, and now we are entering the territory of speculation and theories...

Since both images are how Vash views himself, the big difference comes from him remembering July and what happened there. The simple explanation would be that the memory makes him feel like a monster - his arm specifically, since it was his angel arm that caused the disaster. He’s literally tearing into his arm (makes me wonder if the big scar around his arm was his own doing - like immediately after the destruction of July...)

Just destroying a city and killing the citizens would be reason enough for someone to feel like a monster, but it may be even more disturbing.

Both Vash and Knives have the ability to “make people vanish without a trace”. From the flashback about the final moments of July, we can see that the people were swallowed by a “black hole” - or something similar to that. Even before Stampede made it a thing, I already wondered if it was a portal between different dimensions. Maybe Plants don’t simply transform energy into material, and what they create actually comes from somewhere else.. Anyway, that’s not the point here. The point is that no matter what happened to those people, from Vash’s point of view he CONSUMED them. If you had to live with the thought that you accidentally “ate” your friends, you’d feel like a monster too. And maybe, in a dark way, those people became a part of him...  And that’s the idea I got when I saw all the disfigured body parts and not-quite-faces on the arm of the Vash that exists inside his own mind world. Especially when he spends that whole page apologizing. It’s a disturbing visual about a disturbing situation. Whether my interpretation of it is right or not, the symbolism and the visual poetry are incredible - and dark.

On a more literal level though, having multiple bodies and random body parts is perfectly normal for a Plant, and their ability seems to allow them to temporarily rearrange parts of their own bodies, as well as grow new limbs - such as wings.

Knives had mastered rearranging his body and he could control the shape and size of whatever extension to his body he wanted to create. Even Vash - when he was in control of his own powers - could change the appearance and function of his angel arm to suit his needs.

And the angel arm itself appears to be made from extra bodies / body parts, so it’s not that different from the grotesque body horror imagery seen in the first image. In that one the extra body parts are just out of control and not organized like in the angel arm.

So, to summarize: the Plant biology and powers can already explain the body horror images, but I do think that the specific example is more symbolic and only reflects how Vash views himself and his powers because of the destruction of July.

so like, i know we're all into that kind of cute fuzz-ball angel vash, and i get it, i really do, but do you know what we don't talk enough about?

like, i'm just so much more interested in this. thematically. aesthetically. conceptually. like what's even going on here? i don't know, i just need more of this

vash and knives are not just humans with super powers. that's not what independents are. the are not at all human. they are alien in ways we can't even understand. like the above image is inherently gross and unsettling, that's just how humans have evolved to interpret something like this. and i just think that it's interesting that we as viewers eventually must come to terms with the fact that our silly goofy protagonist that we've been cheering for this whole time is really very inhuman in ways that we are naturally averse to.

(credit to @trigun-manga-overhaul for the image!)

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trigun Stampede Episode 1 Reaction

Ok here goes. Idk how entertaining I'll be but... you know. This is mostly because I am having a weird time of things rn. Also, I have no background knowledge of this series whatsoever asides from that it might be a western and there was a 90s series and manga also, so if you're an og fan and this is painful... I am sorry lol.

But without further ado, let's go!

Oh. We're in space. ...ok then!

Well this just went poorly. Rip cryo-people.

Noooo mom :(

Ok so I can't tell; is the ship on autopilot or is Nai piloting it, because if it's the latter - you go, little guy, you got skill.

Cannot explain how funny this is. "I would like to use my communication skills more! I would like to make a positive impact!" <- every resumé ever if you want to get a job lol. Birth place "December"... interesting. There's also a "November" and a "July". Why all names of the months? But it's also May, like, temporally - is that not a bit confusing for people? I don't know what "PE081" means as a birth date... also she is. Tiny. Smol, even.

Ah, young idealist, older cynic dynamic. Always pretty fun.

These two have now both shoved papers in each other's faces. Whipping your coworker in the face with a well-timed paper can be a form of affection... I think?

HJHFBSJHC??????

Are none of them... warm? In these outfits? In the desert?

Bro's arm just fell off. "There it goes" Does this happen a lot to you sir???

Our protagonist, everyone.

"He's evil and destructive" Have you... looked at him. Like, don't judge a book by its cover but. Have you looked at him?

^He has kicked puppy energy.

I have nothing to say. Just look at this.

Map! I love maps!

Sand ocean??? Like there's no oceans? How do they get water??? Odd that July is here but not December or November. I'm assuming these are three of the "seven cities"? What are the other four? Are they also month-themed? Also some of these names are real funny. These people naming their towns and cities like "Creepy Valley" and "Stinky Lakeside". Actually seems quite normal to me tbh. And we are in Jeneora Rock atm it seems. Is it going to update as we go? That'd be cool! :D

Hjdfhvdjh he just stayed tied up for. Some reason. Roberto's face 😂

Oh, huh. Plants are. Biological organisms and not power plants. Like I assumed. So they were made but can't be made anymore because they don't have the knowledge or the technology? Odd...

His bounty is about the same as a new plant... how convenient...

Ok I know I said 'kicked puppy energy' earlier but you don't have to actually kick him...

Boy really does not want to hurt anyone :( (Hmmm now I'm starting to think he probably has at some point...)

Damn, that's some quick thinking Roberto.

Meryl: "Idk senpai this guy seems like he sucks" hjfhgnvj

Aw, buddy. Dropping the goofiness as soon as the crowd can't see him anymore :(

Hey I just realized his jacket has "SEEDS" on the arm like the spaceship! But he didn't have the coat when he got ejected so...... I'm sure I will find out later.

You guys cannot hear the quiet giggling I'm making right now. This shot plus the music - I was right about the western genre apparently, it's just on another planet.

BRO????? Where'd you pull the rocket launcher from?????? Wtf????? Why would you do that?????

Ah. He's lost his mind.

Roberto just bodily flinging Meryl into the alley ahdfihvs

He's out of bullets??? 😭

...he's crying.

Dang Meryl, you got a great throwing arm!

Oh shit. Yeah, I had a feeling he was actually extremely competent. He's holding back on purpose.

NO FRICKIN WAY. ONE BULLET WAS ALL HE NEEDED???

Ok now the animators are just showing off.

Oh. Hm. I was wondering where Nai went and. Hm. Yeah the whole accomplice thing might explain Vash's reticence to actually fight. His brother killed Rem? Yikes. He did offer his hand out to her at the beginning though... idk did he really mean for her to die along with the others? The music is hauntingly beautiful btw!

...his name is Millions Knives?

Aaaand that's a wrap on that! I'm intrigued and I feel like this episode answered absolutely nothing but raised a whole lot of questions, which is, well, what a first episode should do. The animation is really sharp geez. I generally prefer 2D animation but there's a lot of character to the expressions and motions - I think they really pulled it off!

Until next episode!

[worldcakecakecake]

Feliciano and the King of Hearts

Chosen by the gods as the Queen of Hearts from the moment of birth,  we follow Feliciano’s story as he grows into royal life, learns to rule,  go against age old customs, and his relationship with his husband to  be, the King of Hearts.

Chapter 1 I  Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6I Chapter 7 I Chapter 8 IChapter 9I Chapter 10I Chapter 11I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 15 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18 I Chapter 19I Chapter 20 I Chapter 21 I Chapter 22 I Chapter 23 I Chapter 24 I Chapter 25 I Chapter 26 I Chapter 27 I Chapter 28I Chapter 29 I Chapter 30 I Chapter 31 I Chapter 32 I Chapter 33 I Chapter 34 I Chapter 35 I Chapter 36 I Chapter 37I chapter 38 I Chapter 39 I Chapter 40 I Chapter 41 I Chapter 42 I Chapter 43 I Chapter 44 I Chapter 45 I Chapter 46I Chapter 47 I Chapter 48 I Chapter 49 I Chapter 50 I Chapter 51 I Chapter 52 I Chapter 53 I Chapter 54 I Chapter 55 I Chapter 56 I Chapter 57 I Chapter 58 I Chapter 59 I Chapter 60I Chapter 61 I Chapter 62 I Chapter 63 I Chapter 64  I Chapter 65 I Chapter 66 I Chapter 67 I Chapter 68  I Chapter 69 I Chapter 70 I Chapter 71 I Chapter 72 I Chapter 73 I Chapter 74 I Chapter 75 I Chapter 76 I Chapter 77 I Chapter 78 I Chapter 79

Yes, yes, yes! I know, it's extremely late! But you have to understand that I am going through A HELL LOT right now. I am working on an important qualification here in Berlin, so basically studying, plus working, plus German classes, and my school will force me into a volunteer program soon...so that’s more time out from writing. None the less, it does not mean that I will abandon any projects, just know that it could take some time. I wrote this chapter in three different locations since I was moving a lot these last few months :’D Another reason why it took so long. As always, all I ask for is patience, updates will come, I am determined to finish this, especially when we are so close!

But oh boy...chapter 80...sometimes I never thought this story would get so far...but here it is! Enjoy!

                                                              Chapter 80

All Ludwig needed was a simple day of resting and healing. Afterwards, he was heading out of his ward, tall, strong, fixing his hair and buttoning his jacket as the regular business of the day. Feliciano hadn’t stopped crying, constantly asking those around to remind him again that he was indeed…alive. He waited before the room, ready for the embrace that came, tight and loving as the one they had shared before the castle when Ludwig turned back. They would have stayed in this bliss forever, if it wasn’t for an annoyed cough and the applaud and giddiness of a child. Yet in their sway, they turned to spot Lovino, who shone with a gracious smile despite, the very one Augustino alighted the hall with as he was held at the hip.

 “Reminder that there is still another 900 meter tall monster rampaging across Spades, soon to make entrance into Diamonds and well…we should be doing something about that.” He spoke the words with such normality as if he was talking about what he had for breakfast that morning.

 “Where are we to meet?”

 “The usual place, doofuses,” rolling his eyes and moving away. Augustino waved and the couple smiled at him as promise that they would follow.

 They departed, but keeping yet a hold of their hands as they now met a hurried pace with the rest of those who quickened in the halls with the continuing business.

 “All right, were back at this. What has happened?” Ludwig asked with the serious intent he wanted to stay dedicated to despite where he just came from.

 Truly like he had never been gone.

 Feliciano couldn’t help the sudden smile, the tightening of his hold, before he had to breathe it all out and bring forward the seriousness this matter still meant. “The Club kingdom is utterly destroyed, as well as much of the Southern Hearts and Spades kingdom. Khaos took the west to the Spades kingdom, while Destro went on to the east to the Hearts kingdom.” Feliciano was determined to keep this entity separate from Ludwig. “Many of the refugees are here in Hearts under our protection or in Diamonds under their crown.”

 “What are we to do about the lost territories?”

 “I have a plan that I prefer to discuss in the meeting with everybody.”

 “Where is Khaos now and what is he doing?”

 “The last messengers arrived this morning saying that Alfred is preparing himself to defend his capital. Arthur and Yao might leave to join depending on what we decide to do now.”

 “And what are we deciding now?” Ludwig asked just as they arrived before the current meeting room.

 “They’re waiting on us for that,” Feliciano said just as he pushed upon the doors to make their entrance. And to Ludwig’s big wonder, they all stood with brightening smile like stars, glimmering more with whistles and applauses, many with grins that Feliciano hadn’t seen in a while. Ludwig blushed and held ever tighter to Feliciano, showing a prideful smile that told Feliciano enough about how he was there and how it made him more than joyful.

 “Enough of this! We have to act immediately!” Louis shouted, forcing guards to push the King and Queen in and slam the doors behind them, a sort of alarm that brought them back to the stage of it all.

 “I’ll be honest…I never thought I would one day say this, but, Ludwig, Feliciano, we move at your command. What do we do?” Roderich stood, ready and surely with calls to initialize the use of his power.

 Many in the room already adorned armors and shined with weapons, ready to head out that instant to act on a battle they believed now was truly for victory. And Feliciano thought it perfect and with a shared glance to Ludwig, he knew it was the same sentiment.

 Feliciano took a deep breath, taking and leaving his hold with Ludwig’s hand to place them on the table, the simple gesture commanding and confident. Ludwig was rather startled at seeing it, but he was more than content, letting his husband take it all as he wished, trusting and knowing that all the power was in his hands.

 “We are taking everything back. Elizabeta, Arthur, Lili!” All three turned simultaneously. “You are heading back to your kingdoms and you are going to restore everything.”

 “Excuse me?” Elizabeta questioned, almost insulted.

 “I don’t think you’ve read the recent reports, but they’re poisoned lands with nothing we can do to change it,” Arthur cleared with hurt.

 “But we can change it!” Feliciano determined, a height in his voice that seemed like it had echoed all across the castle. He stood up yet again, starting simply with a breath, a meet in his magic to reach, to call. He glowed with marks, powerful and all felt inclined to bow. Yet they didn’t, frozen by the wonder.

 Feliciano didn’t begin to glow in red, to their surprise, he glowed in green, completely taking him until a different voice called from his mouth. “Elizabeta Héderváry and Roderich Edelstein.” Potent and god-like. Both the Queen and Jack trembled at such a force. “My chosen. Come forward and you shall receive my blessing.”

 This was not Feliciano…and Elizabeta and Roderich shook as they moved forward. Despite, they felt a great presence in this being, a refresh in their body that alighted and cleaned them of all kind of turmoil that had inhabited them for months. The closer they came, the more at ease they felt, with bravery to stand straight and unafraid before whoever currently took Feliciano’s body. Feliciano raised his palms to them, Roderich and Elizabeta knew by instinct to show their own palms, feeling a spike in their magic unlike anything. Not even the magic they felt in their crowning ceremony felt like this.

 They were given a new source of energy, an unthinkable power that was not at all of their world…but had created it. It was then that the voice seemed to introduce itself with the power, making clear its name as all was left in their hands. With it, they were given knowledge of its use, like it had been a part of them from always.

 When Feliciano moved back, they exhaled, at peace, smiling, the couple exchanging glances with enough understanding that was ready to act that instant. They gazed back to any Clubian soldiers in the room, and with a silent command, the soldiers knew to mobilize, all the Clubians in the room marching off, leaving the other inhabitants of the meeting lost and perplexed.

 Feliciano reverted back to normal, lights dimming and standing with only his usual childish smile like he had been exchanging some innocent secret of youth. Ludwig still did not understand what was going on, but joined in that smile, still believing and trusting. But quickly he alighted again, this time in blue, a new voice, this of a woman, a call to Arthur and Yao that had them following as they had seen the Clubian royals. And there, as they went through their own exchange, did they understand their mission, the plan and how the future looked brighter. Like Roderich and Elizabeta, they nodded with a glance and all the Spadians left. Lili and Vash took their same responsibility as Feliciano alighted in yellow, taking their action like the rest with a simple leave.

 Those who were left in the meeting room were yet dumbfounded.

 “Uh…excuse me, but…what do we do?” Kiku brought to question.

 “The same as everyone else. First, we heal our kingdoms, we rid of the poison, we bring our people back to their homes and to their normal lives, to their crops, their art, their families, their everyday lives that kept peace. We gather our surviving soldiers and at my command, we head and face Khaos.”

 Simple, straightforward and leaving everyone without a dare to question further.

 “Amore…how exactly do we do that?” Renata still found it unthinkable, to bring back their lands as they were before.

 “Don’t worry. Remember, I have the hand of creation…also Nonna is going to help us,” with a comforting smile that twisted then to a powerful grin, with a sway and jump that was just…not Feliciano. His eyes turned to a crimson red, the purest form of their kingdom color, presenting clear who it was that spoke now.

 “Nice to see you back, Ludwig dearie.” A woman’s voice, with a care that was familiar and belonging. Ludwig bowed, knowing who he was addressing and knowing well to show his respects. But she was gone in just the same twist, having Feliciano back to lead.

 “Follow me, we act now.”

 They were all out of the room that instant.

  As commanded, they all took their trip to the poisoned lands of their respective kingdom. All had blackened, anything that once stood grounded down to the floor in a stench that wanted to rip at the pristine silks and metals of the royals’ dresses. Ellizabeta walked these lands with a head held up high, as if it was the garden it had been before. She was barefooted…but they shined in protection, everything under not giving her a cut or a bruise. The soldiers behind her were aghast, yet they dared to follow behind in wonder, their own armors shinning beautifully under whatever shine Elizabeta and Roderich gave them.

 Elizabeta stopped to breathe it all…and she smiled, peace in her expression even as they stood before the most deteriorated her kingdom had been. To make things more confusing to the soldiers, Roderich took her side with the same ease, grasping her hand and smiling at her with bright confidence. They both gazed forward, closing their eyes and they began to glow in a rare transparency of colors, not green as they had expected.

 Something expulsed from them as they breathed, the light around them spread, slow, gentile, but living and rapid. The soldiers grew in wonder as they saw that ground that the light reflected began to rumble with life, purifying the dirt and letting actual brown healthy earth appear. Such mundanity made some of them already laugh. But the excitement did not stop there , for in that earth, little sprouts of green, with small leaves, began to grow in an impressive rapidness, coating more and more until the land under them was as green as it was before.

 To the soldiers, who had thought all their land lost without a way of returning, it was worth of celebration, some shouting, whistling or jumping. It was the perseverance that made Elizabeta and Roderich’s smiles grow wider. They shared a wink, which already made an agree, and so they breathed in much more, letting that light grow and grow, more of their nation green appearing in their land, bringing with them trees, stone…perhaps a twist of new that Roderich and Elizabeta created from their inner creativity.

 A new flower, a new route, a new curve to old streams.

  In Diamonds, Lili stood at the long shores of her kingdom. The sea had darkened, coating the shores in its misery, away from the beautiful golden it had kept for so long. Sure, her kingdom had not been destroyed as the others, but the royals knew well to fix and protect what they could.

 She had been instructed…by Jabbar…Ace of Diamonds. She felt him still in the power that flowed in her blood, still teaching and lecturing every move, how each point of energy was supposed to be flowed and how to release it all to the image he made in her mind. Yes…she would create it, she would call for it.

 She wrapped her arms around herself, with her breath, the winds around her became stronger, the waves began to pulse along with her heart and she opened her eyes. Like a breath, she could control how they moved, how they shone, beginning to give them back, slowly, their natural blue.

  In Spades, Yao could finally get the ground to still, to stop the shakes it had taken, letting the crumble finally halt. Arthur stopped the storms, for the first time bringing this part of the kingdom the natural light of sun.

 It was done simple, as easily as a snap or a step.

 Arthur and Yao had put their hands upon the ground and in their spread, they brought back the deep blues of the tiles that had been there. One by one they came back, growing just like the dirt, the flowers and grass that laid between them, up to the trees, the houses that had been there, even whole mountains began to wake back to color. Yao intensified that spread, wanting to cover the whole valley. Arthur aided him, adding to the push that could extend to all the crevices, to every single wall, well and plaza that had made it once splendor.

  None of the royals could only keep it to their place. They had to move, spread, fly in the process if they had to. Elizabeta swinging through thicket of vines, with each pull bringing back ancient large trees that covered well beneath them in green life. Lili skipped by the shores as she brought back its gold, adding shells and shine that made it all the more pristine. Arthur enjoyed shooting from the tall perks of mountains, running it all like an orchestra under his command. Feliciano, created music, he brought all the canvases he had ever made to life with the brush of his hand, mind and even his dancing steps as it stabled the ground, bringing back their famous pillars, architecture, sun kissed homes, their vines, their abundance of fruit and the colors that made Feliciano’s smile grow the more in its everlasting sunshine.

 It was starting to look just like home again.

 Ivan at one point had shed tears of relief, kneeling down to the ground to embrace the ground, with the greens he had never known he would have missed so much. Francis could now intensify the kingdom’s defense, a beautiful diamond wall shinning well, keeping the peace and life behind him. He let himself tower tall, like he himself was a shield that would be impenetrable to whatever Khaos would throw. Khaos wouldn’t stand a chance anymore, Francis smirked to himself. Alfred, atop one of the kingdom army dragons, actually cried as he began to lead people back to their homes. Many shouted in celebration, but others still paced with panic, those especially that currently still ran away from the threat of Khaos still in their lands, but now they actually seek refuge in their own kingdom, by a powerful king, queen and jack that healed their home with surely the help of Aces. It was just a miracle how the power, the control, seemed to move the very ground to their bidding.

 Many families returned to their homes to find it standing just the way they had left it. Many wept, finding it hard to believe that everything was there…back.

 And Ludwig, Ludwig rode on confidently on the back of a St. Mark, staring up to his husband, his beautiful, cheerful and powerful, daring, incredible husband, as he himself called upon vines and trees to arise from the ground, taller or just in their same glory with nothing to make different.

 Finally, finally, Feliciano had let the harp free, letting it take its large length, only to play, from the melody, whole new colors coming, bringing back a symphony of red that all sang along with. The air arose with freshness that all wanted to doze with, lay in its rest, confident that they would be safe. Feliciano heard as laughter, cheers, celebration, joined this new music he made, and he would smile down to Ludwig, glad for the shine in his blue eyes and just the hope and restoration in the views between them.

 Now this…was a world they could proudly show their children one day.

 But as the royals of the four kingdoms completed their healing, they met at a point where the darkness was at its strongest, where a fury continued to rage and roars still echoed across all their near distances.

 Khaos was still alive, still destroying, and they had all met where it was time to face him…and end him.

 They had taken camp, proudly the flags and shields of all four kingdoms shinning together in the small rotunda where they all watched as he ravaged on in his inferno. All the soldiers that were in charge of holding him for now had been evacuated, only a powerful shield, with the help of all four kings, over Khaos’s sky as he slashed and scream without a single consciousness of intelligence. They wondered if he had seen how they led the remaining soldiers away, if he knew how powerful they were, how they have healed the world behind him, that Ludwig was back and Feliciano possessed the power of the alignment along with so much more.

 His immense figure didn’t seem so powerful anymore. Kiku raised his hands and could squash him between the pinching of his fingers.

 As if it was as simple as that, Feliciano couldn’t help the chuckle.

 “What’s our strategy now?” Elizabeta asked with serious intent, a large and heavy sword in her hands that was utterly eager to begin cuts and slashes.

 Feliciano sighed, in that deep breath bringing with him seriousness, shinning so much more mature than any had expected. There was a new amber in his eyes that made him so much older and braver, almost exactly like the images they had been taught to believe of Romulus.

 “We take each a direction, you know what you have that is powerful, use it, at all the forces you can call on, weakling him, acting before any throw he can give. Now, whatever he attacks us with, is nothing.”

 Another screech that had them all turning, yet they listened on. For once, with Khaos acting his vengeance behind them, they were not afraid.

 “Diamonds, North, Spades, West, Clubs, South and Hearts, East. You have already been granted protection from the alignment power I will use. Do not be weary of it. No matter what happens, I won’t let anything happen to any of you.” Sure and a decree that was high. Feliciano didn’t have to say it for the rest to already know it.

 Pookie, who had taken his large form, stood ready by Feliciano, with a stance that instantly reminded Feliciano on the grand images they made of his great grandparents riding these very creatures. He petted him lovingly, trying to see, to believe that he could make his own images worthy of being painted on the ceiling of churches.

 “So…do we just start?” Vash was suddenly hesitant, after that show of strength, he started to shake.

 “Scared?” Roderich teased even as he himself began to tremble, all slowly noticing it as well.

 “I thought we were done with that,” Yao scolded.

 “I’ve seen everything fail, everything crash down right before we believed, we had hoped and thought we could make a change… what if this is but another of that?” Vash went on.

 The silence he brought made all explore these very words, a falling to them away from the power of gods they currently possessed.

 “I…I fear the same things,” Ivan…the tallest and biggest of all, the one who they had though would smile his vengeance as he bloodied Khaos…trembled and kept a heavy grip on his staff.

 “We haven’t even begun,” Ludwig tried to make them realize.

 “The most important battle is yet to take place,” Lili joined her cousin.

 “What will make this one stand out?” Alfred wondered.

 “It will be the last,” Francis assured.

 “I’m tired of having lasts,” Arthur complained.

 “Francis is right though,” Feliciano interrupted, mighty and high to get them all to stop, to leave a silence to listen. “It will be the last…” he was sure this time, taking steps forward, all parting to give him a space they felt was too heavenly to touch. “Hear me…” he called out…not just to the royals, but all, absolutely all that were there. “…Hear me…hear me all this very instant!” He commanded with a piercing anger that left some trembling by Feliciano instead. “It is not only Kings, Queens and Jacks that stand here today! Look behind you!” He spread his arms to the still surving armies under them. “You have the entire might of all four kingdoms here! And do you want them to see this…scared and disgraceful leaders with nothing but the armors they created? No!” Shouted like he had been insulted. “No! They see what all our kingdoms represent. Power, Wisdom, Trust…and love…” Feliciano took this opportunity to gaze to all, their attention well taken, the words being well planted. “They will see what these very stances give, power granted and given by the Aces! They will see us fight, they will see us bring Khaos to his knees and then for sure our world will see that we are not a force to be fooled with!” Feliciano saw as the ground seemed to be raised under them, just with the strong belief in their eyes, standing tall to surely meet the fiery eyes of Khaos.

 “The Aces have chosen us…we are the ones destined to make this battle, to make this war…and here, as it will be written about us…will we end this all.” With intent to kill, to finish. There was now no more space to doubt, to hold it, they all stood ready for that very finish. “My Clubians…My Spadians…My Diamonds…My Heartians…remember…we do this for glory.”

 A sudden shrill, and yet no one flinched.

 Some raised their weapons high.

 “For honor,” Ludwig was relaxed, but just as potent as his husband.

 “For riches!” Abasi shouted high somewhere in the crowd, getting many to join in his shout.

 “For the gods!” Antonio bellowed from the perch of his animal, with him hundreds to join in flight.

 “Yes…this…this is it,” Francis raised, along with the magnitude of this crowd that made him feel like the earth of the entire world was to trample over their foe now.

 “The Aces are here! They are at our side!” Roderich knew as he joined in the array around him.

 “For Clubs!” All the greens shouted as they made their movement to take their south, their colors and flags high.

 “For Spades!” Arthur and Yao led to their west.

 “Let’s bring this motherfucker down!” Alfred just had to add as he joined the flight with the dragons of their infantry.

 “For Diamonds!” Lili, raising a hand full of bright and dangerous magic. To the surprise of many, she was the one that gave that loud shout that pushed the forces of her kingdom to the north.

 Ludwig, Feliciano and Kiku stood yet, wondered like children over all the action that decorated even the skies. Khaos’s darkness was nothing compared to the festiveness of their colors as it began to tear about the void. Even so small, the Heartian royals felt taller than everything.

 “For Hearts?” Kiku raised magic, Ludwig raised his sword, looking both to Feliciano for his own decree.

 Feliciano breathed in and when his breath escaped, he turned with glowing marks, a golden halo coronated him, wings released, eyes a deep red, power beginning to ooze from him, and his two companions smiled as if they had always knew this as him.

 “For Hearts!” And he raised the harp, growing large to the desired length and comfort of a bow, Pookie leaning ready for his seating and thus Feliciano took that perch, motioning for Kiku and Ludwig to join him as well. To Pookie, especially in this form, their weigh was nothing. He just as easily sprinted high, to join the rest of the force that created the population of both the earth and sky.

 Feliciano lead them in their direction to the east, coming close to Khaos, who stood in his place surely wondering over all these pests that suddenly came, surrounding him well.

 “Kiku…” Feliciano reminded and the jack of Hearts knew. He bowed in promise and suddenly took a jump out of the flying lion, landing elegantly on the perch of a red glass he created. He extended his arms full of magic, raining it down in a cleansing shower that began to deteriorate the swinging arms and pillars of darkness. Many Heartians came to his aid in intensifying it.

 In each direction, the Jacks did the same, riding much of these dangerous arms that could make this more difficult. Before, just riding of one was a feat that had already killed many of their people. But now…many were rid in easy seconds, people glowing in happiness as there direction was clearer. Those in the ground could run or gallop on their animals free and without a single threat above them. Now, as these dark ribbons weakened, it was much easier to rid with the ease of their weapons or even their fists.

 “Ludwig…” Feliciano called his husband’s attention back, who had been starring at their already beginning success proud.

 Despite the wings, the halo, this new glow of marks, ethereal in gold truly like the grace of an Ace, Ludwig looked on to him like his adoring Feliciano, the friend he had since childhood and now his husband who was expectant to bring their first pair of children.  

 Ludwig nodded, although hesitant as he gathered slight bits of darkness from his power. It was the one thing that had ruined all, but Feliciano had gathered information from the eternal reserve that could help. Now, Ludwig was to test it for the first time. They had no time and place to practice. Yet Feliciano believed and Ludwig…didn’t feel it control him, overtake him. It was his free to do as he pleased. Yes…he could do this. He smiled and made his preparation to do his own jump, but not before leaning towards Feliciano and the Queen of Hearts let himself a freeing of his hands to take Ludwig to his embrace. Their lips came for one deep kiss, one magical and igniting. Ludwig felt himself lift from it, a power that helped him fall and take just the right aim even as he fell midair. He had it locked, just as the other King and Queens did their own. In a powerful slash, all their attacks met and crashed upon the shield that Khaos had been using the entire war. They had never known he had one, but now it was no matter, for they easily took it down. Khaos surely felt it for he stilled and looked upon himself as if he had been exposed. He was, clear, and already Feliciano knew the aim and where he needed to land it.

 “Take me there,” he told Pookie, and the St. Mark nodded and hurried in his flight, a swirl all around the great beast that granted Feliciano the best view to watch all the horror. He smiled to know how much less darkness there was, spotting the natural blues and greens underneath that was beauty of Spades. Suddenly he felt a burning, intense even with his own Ace protection. In his distraction, he hadn’t noticed how Khaos came right to his presence, his monstrous eyes and mouth a pool that with ease he could fall into. Feliciano wouldn’t dare, and at Khaos’s sudden roar, he didn’t even flinch, he only sent him his own wrath with his stare, before pulling on Pookie’s large mane and flying them away from the throws Khaos tried to swing at Feliciano. He made his slides, with the help of the wind he called, Pookie’s speed and just how small they were, easy to find crevices to make their escape.

 As Feliciano reached a good top with a good position, he raised his arms high, his fingertips glowing in light, in power that called and brought from all around as it met and Feliciano let it all rain at Khaos. He screeched horribly in pain, meteors and stars coming continuous. Khaos tried to smash some away, some successful in being thrown at Feliciano’s direction, but Pookie and him, went under or around them well.

 That’s when Feliciano began to worry over his St. Mark, already parts of his fur burning from the attacks. “Pookie, let me deal with this now,” he told him and of course the animal refused. Feliciano sighed, expecting this kind of loyalty, but then it gave him an idea, knowing he could trust it. “Go get Ludwig! Bring him to me!” Pookie understood and flew in that direction, Feliciano letting himself fall in a backward flip, a graceful one that let him play momentarily with the wind, the float, the freedom, before his wings caught them and lifted him up. He copied what he had seen Pookie do, the action coming easy, naturally like it had always been a part of him. He couldn’t help his grin as he went forward with his route, charging something powerful in his hands, growing in an intricate and beautiful symbol that alighted with him well. Khaos saw it that instant and went quick for his aim. He bounced against it, the symbol Feliciano made growing at just his size, with a sharpness and cling that resonated across the whole land. His immense figure fell, and the soldiers underneath feared the worst, but Feliciano spread a shield above them, quick as he made his flight. He had to be quicker as Khaos tried to stand again, not caring over the people he would step on as he raised.

 Feliciano continued with the lightning shields, intricate and beautiful, but this time Khaos was strong enough to stand against each shock, despite his roars of pain, intensifying as surely the stings got stronger. Feliciano abandoned the shield tactic and began to swing them as disks. Sometimes they were excellent and worked well to burn and tear apart at the target, other times, Khaos still swung on and Feliciano had to tactically avoid, under, over, breathing heavily as he quickened and forced to deal with the speed. For the first time, he took the harp, he prepared four arrows from the gold of his magic, powerful and with ease. He aimed and fired, the piercing one of deep lightning that alighted the sky like part of a storm. Some soldiers had to be moved away for caution as Feliciano intensified, as he kicked on with earthquakes in his force, fired arrows that made this storm bigger, called wind, power and light that exploded in burns that some couldn’t even look at, having to ground and stop whatever they have been doing.

 To their success, more of Khaos broke, with crumbles and pieces literally falling, revealing a weak white that some could easily use to bring more damage.

 Khaos was heaving, leaning, having to hold to the ground to give himself some stability.

 “He’s weakening!” Gilbert shouted, his tone and call one that could extend across the plain, some celebrating to it, but it made Khaos huff, a smoke coming out that poisoned once again. He used it to give him leverage, having to heave more and more until his weakening figure could hide in its grey. Feliciano was succumbed under it as well, but with his power, it was nothing. It didn’t sicken him or blinded him, but he couldn’t see all that well in this dusk. He could still keep his flight as he tried to strengthen his vision.

 “Feliciano!” Came the call of his husband, his armor teared, cuts and his hair a mess, but to Feliciano he shined beautifully and with perfection. He dared to stand on Pookie as the St. Mark brought them close together. Ludwig showed hurry and preparation, a leaning towards him that didn’t care over the precipice under him.

 “What do I have to do?” He already offered and Feliciano knew that whatever it was, he would fulfill instantaneous.  

 “I need you with me.” He offered his hands and Ludwig took them and let himself fall into his float, hold and security of staying midair in the midst of this blinding smoke.

 Pookie followed behind as Feliciano rushed them trying to find any sign of the main body. “The blackness works like another shield. It also must be what helps him to get power. All we have to do now is finish getting rid of it and not give him the chance to regenerate. Once it’s crumbled, I can give a finishing blow that will end it all.”

 They had a clear ending spoken, possible and sure. Ludwig nodded between all, finding no hardness even as the monster moved and awakened again, roaring and trying to swing at them between the now dimming smoke.

 “Any ideas as to how exactly were going to do that?”

 “With your help. With the dark magic inside you.”

 Ludwig sighed but found it indeed the best idea.

 “We have to get close.”

 “All for you, liebe.” And there was no fear as they plunged closer, enough that they could touch or even walk upon, for it was slowly losing its burn and hurt. Feliciano had to let Ludwig go, using force and power to run across the body while Feliciano continued his flight, sending slashes, ribbons and symbols intense enough to crack. Ludwig gripped hard upon the body, identifying, taking and putting himself into the magic to disrupt, to break apart with ease. Khaos, noticing Ludwig’s presence, tried to once again tame him, spreading through his veins in darkness, but Ludwig learned well to fight against it, using his exercises from childhood to push back, ever stronger, with burn and shocking pain that had Khaos reverting back, disgusted and without any intention to try again. Ludwig smiled to himself when he noticed, finding himself the winner in this specific battle. His grin only grew larger when no matter how he dug, how he broke apart pieces of black with mere force, Khaos did nothing, only dealt with whatever state this caused as his main target became Feliciano.

 As Ludwig plunged his own darkness into Khaos, even at the top reaches Feliciano flew upon, he could feel his magic working, tapping, using it and adding it to his own purpose. He enlarged the harp and placed one of its ends against the body. He changed it to the fierceness of a knife and let it carve aggravatingly as he flew on. Khaos roared and swung his arms and his whole body to try and rid of him as if he was a mere fly. Whatever reaches, Feliciano managed, even as he continued to move the harp across, cracking and disturbing. He would swing back with whatever part of him wasn’t focusing on flight or holding to the harp, with splashes like waves that extended across the valley in a beautiful gold that reigned to the rest of the soldiers in a wonderment that somehow took away horror from this. Or other times, in a large impress from the tiny figure Feliciano still presented himself as, he would punch with power, a force that shook the earth and pushed Khaos away in a tremble that some thought would blow up the monster finally. To their dismay, Khaos yet continued, if even slowed, if even as this cracking began to reach him all, breaking him and not seeming as intimidating as he had been the entire war.

 As Feliciano tried to finish a last carving spin around the back of his neck, in his focus, he didn’t notice how Khaos shook, how he reached and swatted him away like an insect. He broke from his flight, falling down and landing harshly on the ground in a bang that made some think it had been a meteor.

 “Feliciano!” Ludwig called from the standing he still took on Khaos, stopping his own work to make sure that his husband had survived.

 Of course he did, only groaning as he tried to find his own sitting once again.

 Once the dust settled and Ludwig could spot him, he sighed in relief, just in the distraction Khaos needed at him to plunge, Ludwig tripping not being able to keep his footing, falling but luckily taking a grasp that kept him hanging. Khaos continued his roars and swings hoping to have him, yet Ludwig always managed a holding that kept him still attached. He refused to let himself fall, not when they were so close…so close to finally ending it all. To make it work, he had to keep his place on Khaos’s body.

 Feliciano felt his husbands’ distress, even as he arranged himself, bones, even the ones in the wings he currently possessed, cracking fearsome, symbols on his skin changing, working to get him back to the powerful Ace outlook. Quick he managed to stand, to stretch and roll until he was standing as proud and even menacing. He could feel his love in danger, lightening up a fury that charged within him, angering, angering and angering until he released it in a powerful swing of fire, grabbing, taking all of Khaos and slamming him hard against the ground in a thrust that shook the entire valley. All his people that fought had to lay down in reverence.

 They had done their purpose…now it was Feliciano’s turn to make the last front.

 Dark shards spread across, more white was seen, Khaos was finding it ever harder to stand, to make again his shield of darkness. In whatever attempt he could still manage, he tried to take Ludwig in his clutches. He thought he could threaten, he thought he could still have an upper hand by putting him at risk, but Feliciano didn’t let him, and neither did Ludwig as he bit, as he released and continued on with his own attack, leaving Khaos, even in his immense form, helpless.

 Feliciano ran or sometimes flew as the obstacles came, all across the expanse, like a field all for himself to enjoy from and play in. He could already imagine taking this very field free from evil, beautiful Spadian flowers spreading, safe enough for even children to play. Feliciano was reminded of his own childhood with Ludwig doing the same things on the sunny hills of Italy that he had lived. He could imagine their own children laughing and running as they themselves had once.

 For them, for that future, he practically shouted to himself as he continued his shredding all across the body, with ease avoiding fumes of darkness or whatever minuscule attack Khaos tried to send on him.

 It was becoming less and less as Ludwig dealt with cutting off the parts that created attacks. Khaos couldn’t stand any longer, he could only manage a sitting by the time Feliciano reached the back of his neck. He didn’t even notice he was there. It was enough for Feliciano to take his harp and finish the last of the carving.

 It was time.

 Khaos swung at him weakly, Feliciano could avoid it with ease. All of the darkness in his body began to fall, more white appearing to the point that one could confuse him as a symbol of Pisa instead.

 “Everyone move away!” He had called with Ace potency in his tone, all shaking as they obeyed, other royals mobilizing a quick escape from the area. Yet of all, Kiku was the only who stayed in his place, his gaze locked up on his Queen despite how he stood by the immensity of Khaos’s fallen hip. He could easily be caught in any wail Khaos tried, yet Kiku found it unfair to run away, especially when his King and Queen were still in this fray. He didn’t follow the crowds, he went the opposite direction, trying to meet Ludwig or Feliciano.

 “Kiku! Kiku!” He heard Abasi shout after him, but he didn’t answer, in opposite, he moved faster. He began to reach places that had been emptied, or untouched because they were the most dangerous areas that were left for Feliciano to deal with, and he could tell, as he cough and began to feel stings even with the shields Feliciano had placed on them.

 “Ludwig…Feliciano! Ludwig! Feliciano!” He called hoping to reach them. No one…everything was empty and desolate even with Khaos roaring and shaking still. He leaned in failure, in loneliness, thinking that everything will end like this for him in a desperate reach to be with his friends in this moment of need.

 Something was coming near, warm, friendly, already a smile he could feel on his back. “Kiku!” Came that excitement that he knew well from his Queen. He smiled and fell into Feliciano’s arms as he swept him off with his speed and flight across the immensity. Despite how the marks glowed on his skin like rubies, the impotent halo, the red wine in his eyes and the great wings…Kiku saw Feliciano true, as any other day in the castle before everything.

 “Feliciano, listen, I will not be moving away with the rest. You have to let me help you, and I won’t take any-”

 “Ah, good! I actually need you right now.”

 Kiku held himself for a moment in embarrassment. “What is it?” He instead went straight to his duty.

 “First, we have to pick up Ludwig.” And finally his figure appeared in the distance, a debonair smile as he raised his hand in knowing, no fear at all despite actually standing on Khaos. Feliciano caught him just as some dimming darkness bubbled and exploded in their leave. The remains blended into white with the rest of the ruin Khaos was becoming.

 Feliciano, with simple ease, carried both his King and Jack over the last of the terrain, using the ending elevation to raise him up and start escalating high in the air.

 “This is it. I’ll be aiming him with the largest power in my possession. It’s one Augusta told me about, using the harp.” He suddenly stopped as he avoided a throw of darkness that Khaos tried to make.

 As they continued, he was forced into a sweep that was not the best to be carrying Ludwig and Kiku in. He whistled and in no time came Pookie, offering a stead that Feliciano placed them all in perfect accord. The winged lion didn’t mind at all, he actually purred at knowing the aid he gave, continuing the heights Feliciano intended while successfully avoiding whatever Khaos managed in his last attempts.

 “Then…it will finally be over?” Ludwig desperately hoped.

 “Not quite. Khaos still possesses something important and we have to take it away before we destroy him.”

 Kiku and Ludwig didn’t bother to question what. They just nodded and trusted whatever Feliciano planned. There was no time to hesitate or change especially when they were upon the final horizon.

 Feliciano, to be ready, began a calling, a raise of magic from all across the globe, meeting upon him to create wonderful pillars of light, far, large, slowly encaging the area for what his Ace power planned.

 “With me, you have to aim, and with me you have to fire a serene Teresa.”

 It was a high protective spell to act against large threats. It was mostly used by guards or sorcerers that worked with fire or other sudden emergencies, to protect those they found in wreckages or trying to get out people that were stuck while fires, earthquakes or tsunamis rampaged. Simple, yet with the force they now had, it would be a shield perfect to protect exactly what Feliciano needed. Ludwig and Kiku already began to thread the spell in their palms as Feliciano made Pookie take a pause…finding just the right place. They turned to Khaos’s direction, and despite how he was weakening, his being was still an inferno that they felt coming close to burn them completely.

 They weren’t bothered.

 Ludwig and Kiku already took their aim as they gathered the magic needed, Ludwig including even some dark magic that could be of great use. Feliciano finally let his harp extend in size, just as these far off pillars shined more, moving at the raise of his arms like giant arrows that worked alone in their own bows of air. Their citizens trembled at their immensity, scared if they would even get out of this attack, if the shields Feliciano had placed on them would work. This seemed too large for them to even witness. And then they lowered, setting their target, the harp burning along with the formation that Feliciano created, his being glowing more in its fire and with his own gold. A gorgeous deep red arrow was formed, engraved with vines of gold that seemed to breathe to Ludwig and Kiku. They almost lost their focus because of it.

 It was ready, the aim was set, just as Khaos erupted and tried to reach, tried to swat away Feliciano in his very last attempt. Feliciano only smiled, an intense glow in his eyes as he let go and fired, the arrow, along with the large ones all around him, aiming true at a center that obliterated, blew and exploded. Ludwig and Kiku joined in their own attack, embracing a center where surely laid what Feliciano wanted protected. Although their citizens were blinded in this immense show of power and light, the three Heartian royals saw as clearly as if they were in the purest of waters. Feliciano swam them through it with ease, using his power to protect them as they traversed this fire. His wings grew as extra shield, the gems and marks on his body glowing more to let them survive.

 “Is he gone? Is he really gone?” Kiku had to question in the mist.

 “Wait…” Feliciano told just as a shrill went throughout, chilling and horrifying, Ludwig and Kiku had to cover their ears from it and only Feliciano went through with it, having to maintain their safe within. He let his arms dance in a particular way that called creation, bringing to him any darkness and purifying it in gold and colors, flying off like petals to join the flourishing of this new field.

 He continued this cleanse as he made Pookie ride them throughout, a downward glide that to Ludwig and Kiku seemed like hours. The closer they reached the ground, the more it cleared around them, the more natural blue sky they saw, the more they could breathe, their smile grew and they were confident that no harm as Khaos would ever come again.

 Pookie landed on the ground, Ludwig and Kiku taking their descend with ease, walking now in the start of green grass, the dirt there with only but specks of darkness. Feliciano followed afterwards, still calling with him the remnants, spread across above them in damaged strings that they could think were just strange dark clouds. Feliciano called them all to him, piece by piece making each part disappear in glowing wind, the shrills getting lower and lower until they were only but a squeak in the palm of Feliciano’s hands.

 Now, as everything around them cleared to the usual rushes of this field, the last bits of darkness were but the ones that swam around the small call, the small wave Feliciano kept of a single hand. Whatever last shout Khaos tried to make, it came out like a child’s cry. He tried to whip, but even if it did reach skin, it did nothing, not even redden or create the slightest cut. Ludwig and Kiku stared on stupefied, finding it hard to believe that what was left of Khaos was just these tiny specks that Feliciano kept twirling around.

 “And…” a turn down, “…you are…” up, another spin, only but dust left… “…gone.”

 And there was no more darkness, everything disappeared entirely. Now surrounding them was the natural blow of wind, cleaning the field and bringing the aroma of flowers that was meant.

 It was silent, it was peaceful, Feliciano smiled in welcome to this new era, proper with this new sun that came.

 Khaos was gone. It was over…it was finally over. 

________________________________________________________

Only two more chapters to go ;)

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 20

Surprise, this blog series continues! I have no intention of letting it end at episode 19. (I mean, that’s not even a nice round number!) While these aren’t liveblogs any more, they still give me an opportunity to discuss meta. 

Life lesson learned: once you start a series of anything, do not stop until it’s finished--no matter what other projects come up, no matter how shiny they are, and no matter how much you’re dreading watching episode 23. Since I do my best work when feeling inspired, I hate to wait and let my enthusiasm for the new project cool, but jumping ship only ends in two unfinished projects instead of one.

This is going to be arranged by theme, not so much chronologically. Also, it ended up being more about Wolfwood than originally intended.  Including a spoiler, so be careful.

Millie’s Transmitter

Millie reports that the Chief of Bernadelli gave her a transmitter/tracking device, which must be a rare, valuable piece of technology -- to prevent anyone from outwitting her. Meryl replies that this is nothing to brag about. I disagree.

First of all, the chief cares about her enough to entrust her with this bragworthy technology. She must have earned his trust and good opinion, also an achievement. He could easily punish or fire her, but instead gives her a tool to perform better. Countless people with learning disabilities dream of bosses like this. 

People tend to take a harmful all-or-nothing attitude towards disabilities. Either PWD are incapable of doing things and nothing can be done about it, or they are capable of doing things, and shouldn’t need help. Since people with disabilities themselves live in society, they end up indoctrinated and taking the same attitudes towards themselves. Shame and self-hatred often result. People strive for years, often with therapy, to get to the matter of fact acceptance Millie shows here.

***

Vash in Hell

Everything is red, from the beginning. The sand, himself and his clothes, the sky. Knives comes into view, blurry and mostly in shadow, only one eye visible.  What looks like meteors, probably chunks from the ships, fall through the sky like rain. We’re seeing from Vash’s point of view.

When waking Vash, Knives’ voice is normal, sounding like a real child. It doesn’t change to his growly evil voice until Vash accuses him of being a murderer. Then, his eye loses its pupil, and he suddenly appears to have fangs. He looks like he’s become some sort of monster. Not human, as Vash says.

Knives beats him up for even daring to compare him to a human. What hurts the most about this is you know it’ll be a long time, and probably many more such beatings, before Vash leaves.

Was it ever possible to take care of Knives? Was Rem’s last request reasonable?

Vash announces he’s finally ready to face Knives. What impresses me most: he’s finally making a significant decision for himself.

***

Meet the Folks

How is Vash more attractive in normal clothes than his signature coat, even in scenes showing only his face? Speaking of which, this episode is full of beautiful shots of Vash’s face. Wolfwood’s, too. 

How the hell did Wolfwood get here? He said he was concerned about Vash crying then jumping off a cliff, and followed him. However, he seems to have climbed up from below. How would he have found a floating platform? Certainly, none is visible below him. And since he seems to know nothing about the flying ship, he can’t have taken Vash’s strategy and jumped onto a platform at just the right time. 

“Come meet the folks!” Yes, they actually do have a summer cottage in the sky. Ever wonder why Vash’s head is always in the clouds? ;) 

Wolfwood actually says “I’m getting sick of your lies.” Hypocritical much?

Wolfwood is the first guest Vash has brought “home” in over 20 years (in other words, since he became The Stampede)! 

Does that mean that the whole time Vash has been on the run, he hasn’t visited the SEEDS ship (probably to prevent anyone tracking him from discovering it)? Vash could have simply hid out for the last 20 years in the SEEDS ship; it’s his home, after all. Instead, he chose to go out and protect people from Knives, and each other. (How many of us would have made the same choice?)

***

Inside Legato’s Lair

What does this informant know about Chapel’s duties? From the way Legato dismisses his concerns, it seems like Knives’ followers aren’t given much information about each other.

Wolfwood is now doomed. “You’re such a fool. Had you behaved, you might have lived to see Doomsday. But I’m pleased, for I now have the opportunity to carry out another of my master’s wishes.” 

A surprisingly restrained evil chuckle from Legato. Thank you for sparing us a full-on villain laugh.

How does Legato get shoulder padding that sticks out that far? Each shoulder is almost twice as big as his head.

***

A Series of Awkward Events

The ship has a whole observation team. No one should be able to get up here without the SEEDS leaders knowing, right? Right? ...

The old man tells Brad Vash has changed over the years. How? 

After all this buildup, Brad opens the door, letting in blinding light, and this is what he sees:

The legend acting like an idiot and getting his butt kicked. Very dignified. 

This is Brad’s reaction:

“Is that your great legend?! Huh?!” “What a relief! He hasn’t changed at all.” (A relief? What were they afraid would have happened to him?)

Brad is not amused by Wolfwood’s touchy-feely ways.

“Who’s he?” Vash, looking embarrassed: “I’m not sure.” Fair enough, but not very helpful, and Wolfwood doesn’t elaborate. We already know and love Vash’s embarrassed grin, but I can’t get over Wolfwood’s almost sinister smile in the mirror. 

A cute moment where Vash looks back like, “isn’t my place great?” and Wolfwood just gapes like an idiot. (Close your mouth, my dude. Flies are gonna get in). 

Vash last visited about 20 years ago, and Jessica was a small child then, so she should be about 23 or 24. However, she looks and acts like a teenager. Vash inadvertently becomes part of an unwanted love triangle.

To his credit, Vash tries to put her off, in a joking way (”I have a reputation for being easy but even I need a bit of advance warning”). Wolfwood makes the whole situation worse by teasing Vash about his “girlfriend” in front of a fuming Brad. It’s as if he were going out of his way to antagonize the people on the ship.

When Vash actually has a chance to look at Jessica’s face, he remembers her. Think about that. He may only have met her once, it’s been 20 years, and he still recognizes her and remembers her name. How many other people does he remember from the past ~130 years? This is how he uses his powerful plant brain--Knives would view it as a waste.

Jessica cooks a feast for Vash, which, tragically, he won’t get to enjoy. How did she cook all this food so fast? It’s enough to feed the whole ship.

***

Wolfwood is mistrusted for the wrong reasons

Wolfwood actually takes off his shades and armor of acting like a jerk while introducing himself to Jessica. This is unusually open and vulnerable of him. He actually is trying to behave. But Brad, worried about “a bunch of outsiders” bringing war to their flying paradise, hits him where it hurts.  

...Did I mention Wolfwood has beautiful eyes?

Anyway, everyone gathers around staring at Wolfwood from a distance, while he drops cigarettes on the ground. There’s an entire pile lying at his feet. The whole scene is the definition of passive aggressive. 

What seems to anger Wolfwood is not so much how they treat him personally, but their denial combined with moral superiority. Not to push a metaphor too far, but these folks are able to take the moral high horse because their literal high position keeps them safe. Yet, they use this immense privilege not to help the world below, or to prepare for the ship’s inevitable fall, but to hide in their castle in the sky. It clicks for me that Wolfwood probably feels about running away the way Vash does about suicide (think back to episode 11). 

The SEEDS dwellers do not seem to understand that Wolfwood is both trying to help them and a little resentful of what they have. To them, he is everything they’ve been taught to fear and hate, up here poisoning Paradise for them with his unpleasant ideas. Of course this sort of dynamic never happens in real life.

Also, keep in mind that none of them know anything about the people below directly, only from hearsay. They’re not wrong about Gunsmoke as a whole, but they treat Wolfwood like a monster rather than a person.  That also never happens in real life.

Then he gets to the scene of a crime too late--but just in time to look like the one responsible. Although the ship dwellers would love to see him dead, he leaps to defend them against his own colleague. Knowing, perhaps, that doing this would confirm he switched sides, and his own days might be numbered. He doesn’t even pause to think, he just goes, the same way he did when the child went missing in episode 9.

***

Vash Will Save The Day

“Like you care. Five years is probably like a blink of the eye to you anyway.” Vash denies it, but the second part is probably true. He looks so surprised to hear it’s been five years.

It can’t be easy for Vash to admit that he was responsible for the “Fifth Moon Incident,” and is probably more dangerous than Knives. Once again, his only argument is “please.” But there’s no buffoonery or melodrama here. He’s dead serious, and that’s more convincing. 

Wolfwood tries to stop Leonoff from saying his name. No one who would understand the significance or matters to him is present, just Brad and Jessica. Is he merely afraid others will hear? Does he still consider himself to be Chapel?

Even facing Leonoff, Wolfwood still hasn’t put his shades back on.

Now imagine if Vash managed to find ways out of no-win situations and save the day without all the whining and crying.

Wolfwood can pause and wait for once, having faith that Vash will show up. He knows there’s always a third option for Vash. He does not yet see any for himself. Still, progress nonetheless.

***

Unfortunately for me, Vash is back with his red coat in Vash the Stampede mode, yellow glasses hiding his face.

OK, I can see how Leonoff’s puppets get into the ship without being noticed, but how on Earth did the big guy even get here?

[unbrcakablc-hcart]

Ahaha, well, I mean, two of my parents, Brad and Luida, they're over 200 years old and only look like they're in their... 50s? 60s? But that's because of cryosleep.

Yeah. It's.... it was complicated. It's still complicated. But I really wanted to make things work. I'm just relieved that I'm managing that. It took... finding-- well. That's not important, ahahaha.

...yeah, Nai and I aren't human. It means a lot to me to hear that I do act a lot like one. I try really hard to. A lot of folk can tell there's something not quite right about me though. Some sort of innate sense for it, I guess. But then-- you know, you get a guy who matches the wanted posters for over 30 years and he looks exactly the same...

But yeah. Nai and I are the only ones of our kind, that are still... around. And were naturally made. We have a lot of sisters, but they're dependents and can't leave their bulbs and can't do the same things we can... we were raised by humans. Rem, our first foster mother, was made into an independent Plant -- uh, a living generator, like Nai and I -- and then I was raised by other humans.

So yeah, I've been around a lot of humans.

Oh, man, how to explain... um. When I say a ship, I mean a spaceship. Nai and I were born on a human spaceship that was looking for planets to colonize because Earth was dying because of - because of what humanity did. The point was to find a new homeworld, learn from their mistakes. We... crashed, on this planet we now call No Man's Land, and, uh. Yeah.

Officially speaking, I'm an outlaw. I have lots of wanted posters, I've got a high bounty, people want me dead, ahaha. I'm more of a nomad, I just, go from town to town, doing what I can for people for a few days, I advertise myself as a plant engineer to help heal my sisters that keep their towns running, I just try to play up that I'm "quirky" and "like to do my work entirely alone" and people generally accept that because if you're a plant engineer you're probably a little weird anyway.

What else... oh. The insurance agency girls, they're following me to have me under surveillance 24/7, because uh. I don't remember if I'm remembering this right or not-- oh, I remember. I'm a huge risk to their company because I generally... cause a lot of damage when I'm around. They're supposed to prevent things from happening so their company doesn't have to pay out for people who have, you know, "Vash the Stampede destroyed my property" insurance.

Though, it's a lot easier to rationalize my own abilities, being a whole! Extradimensional angel thing! Oh. Right, I almost forgot. So... most Plants, they generate things, right? Things like heat, water, electricity, gravity fields, food, can make land arable, chemical compounds, amino acids... my brother Nai, he's really good at generating some kind of metal that's... very sharp, very hard to destroy or even damage. I'm unusual in that I can heal my sisters and make them feel better, without really... generating much else, though I've noticed I think I can do... something with flora? I've noticed that things seem to grow better around me, and sometimes flowers spring up where I walk. But largely, what I'm best at is healing my sisters.

I think I've also generated bullets before? Uh, I did that a while back and haven't tried since, because they were... really powerful and I try really hard to not kill people.

God, seriously though, I'm not sure what to share! I'm not sure what's interesting or not, you know? Uh, on No Man's Land, all the worms - the most plentiful indigenous life - are part of a hivemind! And that hivemind has a blog! Their name is Zazie and they can look human when they want to.

hold on.

130 years is a pretty long time. most humans live, like. half of that? whole life. you're something else if you have a problem that long and still get over it enough to throw harmless things at him like that. as opposed to, like, very real fireballs or the closest equivalent. take it from me. not that i have an outstanding reputation for forgiveness.

so you're probably not a human. your brother, too, i guess. that's interesting. you act a lot like one, have you heard that before? i guess you must be around a lot of them often... you get more peculiar with everything you say. a desert? a ship? potential magic... what is it you do? you're really weird.

let me prioritize and get my ducks in a row. you're an explosion of information ranging from "travels with insurance company reps" to "at least a few centuries old and just rationalized having powers today."

vash. you sound like more than the local extrovert to me. tell me some things. maybe i'll tell you some back, if it's really good. (:

[tiggymalvern]

Rambling Trigun meta ongoing

For the sake of my followers, all but maybe two of whom don't want to have to keep scrolling past all this stuff, I'm going to take some discussions from this post and start a new post that doesn't contain everything that came before. If only this was a DW-like format and we could have this conversation in a thread without keep pushing it up in everyone else's face! Maybe he (Vash) thought that weird limbs and emitting huge amounts of energy were a bulb plant thing? Even when he was a kid he saw himself as more similar to humans than bulb plants…Without direct evidence, he probably had no reason to assume he had the same powers as bulb plants. But Vash also had no reason to assume he didn't? He's NOT human, and there were definitely people on the SEEDS ship who wanted to make sure he knew he wasn't human. That's a hell of a lot to airbrush out, to try and deny the things that you have in common with your own species. And if that's what Vash did, then wow... Rem did a lot of damage. Certainly without intending to, but if being raised by a human that way made Vash want to associate only with humans and ignore everything that made him a Plant, in a sort of internalised racism directed at himself, then that's doubly tragic. Both for Vash himself and for everyone else, given the consequences of it. He spends the whole time trying to get Vash to join him (the angel arm thing) and agree with him (sending the Gung Ho Guns to make him miserable). Also, iirc, up until the final battle, Knives doesn’t attack Vash and seems genuinely surprised when Vash shoots at him. That sounds like someone who cares very much, but is unwilling to compromise. He wants his brother to agree with him, so he approaches it by torturing his brother. How likely is that to work? There are only two explanations for that - either Knives is the most seriously fucked up individual on the face of the planet or Knives doesn't actually care about his brother at all. Those two aren't mutually exclusive, of course - Knives can be just that fucked up that he thinks he cares about his brother while simultaneously being able to justify making his life hell. But that's not actually caring. That's being fucked up and obsessive. That's an abuser's way of 'caring' and it needs a very different word. I wonder if his motivations changed over time. It’s been over 100 years. You’d think if he doesn’t repeatedly have interactions where humans treat him badly during that time, the pain and resentment would eventually fade This is exactly what I think Knives didn't do. You're right - if he'd spent more time mixing with people, his opinions might have changed as he matured into an adult and became more capable of seeing nuance. But Knives hated humans. He wanted and wants nothing more than to erase them from the face of the universe. Why would he spend time among those despicable ants? Vash hung out with the humans. Knives probably sat way out in the desert and watched the humans spread across the planet and fumed. The only humans we have any evidence that Knives spent time with are the ones he found and exploited - the outcasts, who had no more reason to look kindly upon humanity in general than Knives did. I don't think associating with Legato was going to give Knives many human-positive vibes, unfortunately.... Considering that they were at least somewhat telepathically connected and spent almost every moment of their early lives together, it would be incredibly painful to separate. Which is partly why Vash spent so long following Knives around even when they irreparably disagreed about everything. It’s weird that Knives seems so torn up about it and Vash doesn’t seem to care much. The best explanation I can give is that when they were kids, when it came to the central people in their lives, Vash had Rem, and Knives had Vash). Absolutely. Vash clung to Knives immediately after planetfall, even while he hated what Knives had done, because he had nobody else. But then Vash grew and matured as a peron. He found other people and made friends. He learned to live without his brother and get on with his own life, which is something Knives never did. Knives instead became the abuser, believing that only he deserved his brother, because they're the same, and the human scum didn't deserve Vash. He treats his brother more like property than someone valued - he believes Vash's choices and opinions hold no value, and acts like Vash is a straying dog that needs to be beaten until he's too scared to run away again. Oh, and ignore the bit about twin telepathy. I think that was only in the manga. I think it's valid in either canon. It's only explicit in the manga, but the anime covers that Vash can sense the feelings of the bulb plants, so I think it's likely something of the kind was true with Knives. When do you think Wolfwood would have first seen the scars? It was probably before Augusta, because he doesn’t seem very surprised or horrified about them when Eriks is humiliating himself. I feel like it would be a long time before Vash would trust anyone enough to show them. Also, Wolfwood would probably make exactly the argument you just did and would be more disputatious in general afterwards, I think. So it would’ve been after Episode 11, but when? You mentioned before that a fair bit of time must have passed between episodes that we didn't see, and this is definitely something we didn't see. Honestly, I don't think Wolfwood would have a dramatic reaction to it, though, not like Meryl. Wolfwood's seen a lot - he's seen some of the other Gung Ho Guns with their massive body modifications. I think Wolfwood would have been sad, but not surprised. and the sad part would have been well hidden. It could have happened at pretty much any point, to be honest, but I agree before Augusta. By the time Wolfwood tracks down Vash as Ericks, their relationship is fully established and they both seem to understand pretty much everything. Wow, that’s dedication, translating the manga yourself! Wish I had the language skills for that Trust me, I don't have the language skills :-( I got a couple of self-teaching courses and learned the basics of Japanese grammar and how to use a kanji dictionary and then went through it extremely slowly and laboriously. Don't expect me to hold a conversation in Japanese! Though if I did, I'd hold up better if we were talking about guns and blood and killing people rather than where to catch a train...