#i adore trimax vash did you know

[pastelhooman]

Awoken in a strange place, TriStamp Vash meets... someone?

[beanibon]

Can I request some post-canon domestic fluff headcanons with Vash? Cuz after everything he deserves to be a cute little husband to a loving doting spouse in a warm stable house.

Our Happily Ever After

Potential Trimax Spoilers! Though I will keep it as spoiler free as possible.

You could only imagine how absolutely exhausted Vash was once delivered to your home, covered in grime, blood and sweat from the final battle. It shocked you, panicked as you held him close.

Vash was in a temporary coma for some time but the moment he woke up, looking at your sleeping form tucked up against him, he cried. It had woken you instantly, soothing hands cupping his face as you whispered sweet reassurances to him.

Those first few months of Vash awakening had been the hardest, yet you persevered for his sake. Through those months you were patient, caring and most of all loving. And that sparked something in Vash, as if he'd met you for the first time since he posed as Eriks.

That ring, created from melted down bullets looked so beautiful to you despite its rough appearance. You accepted without any hesitation, leaping into Vash's arms, kissing him as you cried out endless yesses.

Vash couldn't be more happy to spend the rest of his life with his amazing spouse, holding onto them, kissing them each morning and night, and forever being by their side.

You both ended up moving a little further away from town, not too much but enough to have your own privacy away from anyone that might pass through and harm Vash. It was peaceful and that's what Vash needed after 150 years of pain and sorrow.

You ended up taking an interest in making your own jams and chutneys, selling those to make further money from your small job as a waitress. Often dragging Vash into taste testing any new combinations you weren't sure of, able to read his expressions on whether he was telling the truth or not about how things tasted.

Vash took up writing, a suggestion you threw his way at keeping positive memories alive when he came to you crying about how he feared he forget those he cared for, along with the adventures he embarked on with them as time went on. So that's what he did, he wrote everything down, sliding some pages to you for 'proof-reading'. You adored anything he wrote, knowing that talking about these things would be hard, so entrusting you with reading them was something you felt honoured with fulfilling.

Vash grew out his hair again, often keeping it in messy ponytails when writing or doing any kind of work that required heavy concentration. You loved playing with his hair, styling it while he busied himself writing.

Vash has an adorable habit of pouting when he's in deep thought, pair that with writing and you have the cutest pout with a pen/pencil resting either on his chin or lip. Also wears the same glasses he used when disguised as Eriks, only this time getting special prescription lenses for reading.

The conversation of children has been a topic both of you have discussed in the past, and now that Vash is no longer looking behind his shoulder every second of the day, you've been considering it heavily.

Eventually you do have children, whether through adoption or birth. Vash doting on every single one of them, while you have to play the bad guy to make sure no rules are broken.

Three children you raised with Vash, watching as your husband slowly became a fourth as he was being scolded alongside your kids. But you didn't mind whatsoever, finding you couldn't stay mad for long at him or your children.

You couldn't have asked for a more perfect husband, watching as he went from the most wanted gunman to the most loving husband and father. It still pained you that it took so long for Vash to start properly healing, allowing himself to open up to someone enough to drag them along with his crazy life, but you didn't care.

You'd follow that man to the ends of Gunsmoke if you had to, forever the anchor he needs to keep going.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trimax Thoughts Vol. 10 Pt. 1

Stream of consciousness again. Here goes (I say with a lot of trepidation even though I have a sinking feeling I already know what's going to happen)

Coming back to edit the beginning here to, ah... inform you all that this pretty quickly devolved into a record of my complete mental breakdown. So, uh, idk, maybe this will be actually somewhat funny to read, especially for those of you who knew what was coming. My tears will be your balm for this week. Maybe.

I don't know how to verbalize this but there's something about this image I really like compositionally. There's something about it that evokes a kind of bittersweet peace. It just really sets a tone for what I'm pretty sure I know is to come. I am not ready.

"It's 'specially because of times like these that an idiot like him plays an important role. He's doin' somethin' extraordinary. He believes." <- so so so very true! A light in the dark is not just rebellious, it's necessary. He's allowing himself to hope, not because he suddenly believes as strongly as Vash in the world at large (he's still far from that) but because he believes in Vash himself.

Fuck right off Chapel.

He's literally being impaled by a cross. There's. Something to read in that but I'm sorry I know nothing about Catholicism/Christianity...

"obsessive sense of attachment" <- so long as his disciples do as he molds them to do. in that sense, it's a little reminiscent of Knives' desperation to keep Vash with him and his quick anger when Vash does not behave the way he expects him to, but it also kind of makes Chapel the anti-Wolfwood, in a way. The true lack of hope, the way he would apparently do just about anything for his child disciples, but only out of a sense of them being easier to mold/manipulate, rather than Wolfwood's genuine love for the kids at the orphanage, and the compassion he's shown downtrodden kids in general. Chapel values Razlo because he values his usefulness, which unfortunately makes sense as to why Razlo would be so loyal to him. I have to wonder the circumstances that led to Razlo killing all those people... I don't think it would've been for no reason at all - he killed Livio's parents because they were abusing them, killed the dog likely because of a grave miscalculation of cause-and-effect when it came to Jasmine almost dying, and killed the men who were tormenting Livio when he ran off. But anyways I hate how the EoM keeps shackling him and restraining him like he's some feral animal. Has anyone ever been kind to Razlo? Has anyone ever rewarded him for anything other than being useful? Look, kid had some serious issues that needed to have been addressed (instead of training the severely traumatized hair-trigger violent kid to be... even more violent lol what did they expect would happen?), but... look at him. He was still very much a kid who saw someone who proved that he was useful to them through an incredibly violent act - the only language Razlo actually understood. Idk if there's any reaching him now but... ugh.

Orphanage lady I adore you. Also the kids refusing to scatter hjdfhbvsjdf

"Why else would he bite the hand of his master?" Really, with this and the way Razlo is restrained in flashbacks, we're going for a strong "trained attack dog" theme going on here huh? Fuck you dude. (There's also "bite the hand that feeds you" as an expression... which is interesting too, because Chapel clearly feels Wolfwood should feel honoured by his teachings... but his was never the hand that fed. Chapel tore this child down.)

NO FUCK OFF THIS IS WHAT HE WAS MOST AFRAID OF. And I hate this so much more because this means that Chapel actually knows Wolfwood's fears quite well... but ASSHOLE WHOSE FAULT IS THIS?

Yes!!! They love you! Get loved, idiot!!!!! You never had to do everything alone... :')

*ugly sobbing*

I still think Wolfwood tried to do this alone out of a sense of personal accountability and not wanting to burden Vash with his own problems - while he thinks they could've done this as a team here, I think he's still only thinking in "I failed" rather than realizing that helping would've been far from a burden. If that makes any sense. I still think Wolfwood devalues how much he matters to the people he cares about.

Here he is! Using his Plant powers without hesitation again to intervene and help Wolfwood. I can't believe the way they allow each other to become less afraid.

"I made a friend." Yes! You! Did!!! I reiterate! GET LOVED.

Aaaaaaand Wolfwood still can't quite wrap his head around the idea that his personal struggles might actually be incredibly important to Vash. See, I don't think it's that Wolfwood thinks Vash doesn't care about him - far from it, I think he definitely knows that - the heartbreaking part is the way he never seems to think he is anyone's priority. (And he really has become a priority to Vash hasn't he? He's postponing the confrontation with Knives to help him. :O) Also the way "I can't believe it." is overlayed on the panel with the church bell and the "angel" wing. Ha. Nice. Nice. This is fine.

I'm sorry but this made me laugh so hard. Imagine some angel looking guy appears out of nowhere and blocks all your bullets. Like. Yeah. That would be the response hdjfhbsdjfvh (Also I think this is a fantastic reaction image pfft)

"That overdose will make your heart rupture!" ...no...

Did he just throw Chapel? Is he dead???

AUGH I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE SUNGLASSES. He's trying to hide his eyes again (just like he does earlier in the series when he's about to shoot with lethal intent/is trying to hide his feelings) because he thinks they reveal him as a monster or irredeemable - they do not. They never have. But Vash... apparently either hearing his thoughts or just knowing him well enough to know what he needs and responding to that instantly... :'(

...I wonder... is this the first time Razlo has registered a death as cruel? Chapel died instantly; that's not really all that cruel... the cruel part is that Razlo is experiencing personal loss.

NOOOO WE'RE GETTING A FLASHBACK TO THEIR FIRST MEETING WITH VASH'S THOUGHTS AND THE FUCKING BIRD??? THE BIRD REALLY IS MEANT TO BE VASH AND HIS IDEALS, ISN'T IT? AUGH

AW YEAH THEY'RE TAG-TEAMING BABY!!! Everything is different when they are back to back :)

Ahdjfhvbd and now they're saying the exact same things at the same time. Soulmate behaviour fr

I missed them being silly together so much... it's amazing too, because in spite of the situation, they both seem so much less tense than earlier. Still though... "why are you here?" and he can't spit out an answer, even though it should be really obvious... like I think they both know but accepting/admitting that is another matter.

God this is such an "I missed you I'm so glad you're here" moment. Probably as close as Wolfwood is going to get to outright saying that

Hello? Wolfwood's loved ones in one panel right next to Vash's loved ones in the other? Vash repeating Wolfwood's arguments of "realism" and "have to get back to the kids"? Wolfwood, you're scaring him...

I'm fascinated that the "he had become very close to me" part is overlayed with the scene where Wolfwood tries to get Vash to shoot. The whole "if I pull that out of you"... then combined with "What is important? What are we willing to do to protect it?" ...Livio and Vash are important to Wolfwood, so he is trying hard not to kill. Has Wolfwood become so important to Vash that... he might?

YOU CAN SEE HIS EYES THROUGH THE SUNGLASSES AHHHH

NO. NO. NO. HE WANTS TO LIVE PAST KNIVES. HE WANTS A FUTURE. HE WANTS A FUTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE STORY. HE WANTS WOLFWOOD THERE WITH HIM. ALSO I JUST NOTICED HE TOSSED HIS FUCKING GUN ASIDE TO CATCH HIM. He doesn't want this kind of life for them... he wants peace for them both... he wants them to stick together, even when there are no more battles to fight... he wants to live for Wolfwood. He wants to live with Wolfwood. Oh my god. No. No.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

STOP. WHY WOULD YOU FOCUS ON THE HAND. IT'S DIGGING INTO HIS BACK. He can't hold him... he can't...

Hey uh. Does it mean something that Vash didn't even react or feel the knives (the knives) in his shoulder because the pain of this hurts so much worse right now? (Also did I need to cause myself emotional damage by writing that out?)

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Oh damn I think he is mad enough to kill. Holy shit.

In other news. I hate everything.

The sunglasses blown off his face again. When Razlo threatens Vash. Fuck off.

This fight scene is awesome and I love how brutal yet clever of a fighter Wolfwood is. ...I wish I could enjoy it more. Alas. I feel only pain.

I'LL NEVER BE WHOLE AGAIN. I'LL NEVER BE WHOLE AGAIN. RAZLO'S LINE AND THEN THIS. WHY WHY WHY

:O (reminds me of the Diablo chapter...)

Ok first off how the hell was Chapel still alive. Secondly, AHEOHJBFSHUCBSJVHSBJHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Livio :') (I feel pretty bad for Razlo though all things considered... I hope he's not gone for good? That'd be weird I think...)

Wolfwood, after all this shit, just laying on the ground: "yeah seems like a good time for a cigarette"

AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH AHHHHHHHHHH

HNNNNGGGHDFBSUHCBUHSB... HHHHH A BAPY

wait. how could it have only been six years. what.

NOOOOOOO GOD THIS IS JUST LIKE VASH THINKING MERYL WAS SCARED OF HIM ALL OVER AGAIN. SWEETIE NO I AM POSITIVE THAT KID ONLY SCREAMED BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD. THEY LOVE YOUUUUU

...oof. I think Livio's hiding too. :(

GHHHHHHHHHHH THE COINS

Hjfshvbdfjhbv Livio comic relief. I'm so sorry buddy but I needed that. Hope you're ok...?

...so this is the scene the "infamous couch" is from. Okay. Okay. I get it now. Ow.

...I'm actually fighting back tears right now. I. I don't usually cry at stuff like this. I don't know if I can do this man.

He wants him to smile even if it's not a real one. He just wants to know he'll be ok. But Vash can't smile. He can't handle this kind of genuine talk. It'll make it all real. He's actually praying. Praying for just this one person. He's. He's never done that before, has he...?

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

ugh yeah no i'm crying. i'm tearing up. oww...

Oh, well, so is Wolfwood. Ugh. Ow. Ow.

...I saw the bell and had to stop and take a break. I don't want to turn the page. I don't want this. I'll come back tomorrow. Bye.

--

Hhhhh... What if you died knowing you were loved and you didn't realize how much until the end. What if you died realizing you always could've come home; that you would always be recognized for who you are, not what you'd been cruelly forced to become. What if you died seeing a possible future with the ones you loved but never being able to obtain it. Because it is far, far too late for that. The gratitude, the relief, the anguish that it all ends just as you realize what you could've had, and you cry out. But you still died knowing you were loved. And that's far more than you ever imagined for yourself.

I like to think he was smiling at the end because... it finally sank in.

And the bottle is labelled Bride??? What does that mean??? (Oh wait now I want to go back and look at the other alcohol bottles in the series to see if there's anything interesting on them) But uh, yeah, is this a religious thing, because I'm... why Bride. Why "The Bride". Huh?

^Hey this is really effective. Also, fuck off.

^Nightow sensei WHAT THE HELL MAN. Was this necessary?

Yeah I saw the first page of chapter 8 and my entire stomach just lurched. I think we should all receive compensation for emotional damage here. The bird... but it's not the black kite (Vash)... what kind of bird is that, I wonder?

Ah... Vash buried him. Alone. Hm. Yes, feeling normal about this. (Also Livio woke up inside the house which means... he must've moved him there too...)

"What do you mean "why"? You of all people should know why." <-oh. ow. yikes...

Oh... oh. His hair. :(

And it's so... he protected the area from the Ark. Ok he's protecting the place Wolfwood died to protect. Par for the course for Vash really. Except... hasn't everyone here evacuated already? He's protecting the place itself. ...also idk if this is right or not, but given the way the black hair is expending his own lifeforce it's... kind of hard not to see this a little as him expending the time he was planning on sharing with Wolfwood... and also that his hair went black... like the colour of mourning. ...with the "Bride" thing too it's... no. I shan't say it. I hate it here.

Hhhhhh... they both associate him with food...

Well. This has wrecked me. Thank you guys. I don't think I can analyze anything this week I'm too sad.

[hellsingmongrel]

Man, so I'm not normally the biggest fan of Modern AUs, nor am I overly fond of fiction focused on kids, but...last night, my sleeping brain decided to concoct this Trigun (Stampede-flavored) Modern AU that now is living rent free in my damn brain! I want to get it out of my head and into the ether. I don't know if I'm going to do anything long-form with it, and I'm having to translate dream weirdness into more coherent storytelling, but here we go.

So it's modern day Earth, like 2024 or some shit, right? And that's when this version of Earth had just begun fucking around with Plant cloning. It's early enough that the SEEDS project hasn't even left the planet, the scientists haven't yet figured out how to put Plants in bulbs and use them for fuel, none of that! But they've already had Tessla happen, and the boys have already been born. Since they're not in space, even though they had to have found out about their sister, Nai hasn't had a chance to literally nuke humanity from orbit, and I guess Rem has had a chance to try and curtail some of his trauma, so he's...more stable? Ish? Stable enough where he's not actively trying to murder everyone. And the boys are "older," like we see in the flashbacks for the time Vash encountered Nai during the Last Run, so probably around 6 years old but looking 16 or so.

Rem has managed to fudge their paperwork so they've started going to school with human kids, to try and give them a normal childhood. Nai isn't as eager to play ball with the whole "being human" thing as much as Vash is, but Vash has got so many friends, Meryl and Milly and Lina are there and they're like the cutest, most stupidly adorable group of friends, just a bunch of little goofballs, like kids that age are. And the school has a field trip to a theme park (it was Disneyworld in my dream because my school actually did this, but ours was a band trip) and Vash manages to convince Rem to let him go. Vash and Nai and Rem are still paranoid about humans figuring out who they are, so you know, he's told to be extra careful and take care of himself, and Nai gives him one of his blades or something for self defense, just in case something happens. Even though Vash would never, that boy has trauma around knives and trying to defend himself, if you've read Trimax, iykyk. But he takes it anyway, and somehow, he manages to sneak it into the park. Maybe the metal doesn't register on metal detectors or something, who knows.

But he's a kid, and kids are dumb. Especially when they're 16. Especially if those 16 year olds aren't actually 16 and don't have the actual lived experience to know better. So he starts playing with the knife in front of the girls, showing off and just being a silly little guy. And then the knife slips. Bad. We're talking "this is how he probably lost his arm in this AU" bad. Blood everywhere, the girls are panicking and take him to the school chaperones and it's like "HOLY SHIT WTF DUDE, We're taking you to the ER, someone call his mom!"

And he hears that, pictures the doctors finding out he's not human, remembers what happened to Tessla, and panics. Boy does a runner like only Vash can do, and he manages to get away from them, out of the park, and escapes from security. And when parents get involved in trying to find him, the authorities start looking into the incident, and someone in the government overseeing the Plant research is able to recognize the elemental make up of the blade he dropped, and they start having suspicions. So the feds get involved, and it just goes from bad to worse, right?

Meanwhile, loopy from blood loss and panicking and a little sobbing mess because he feels dumb about slipping up and he's afraid he'll never get to go home to his mom and his brother again and is spiraling the way kids do when they panic, he gets lost in the city and ends up stumbling over teenage Wolfwood, who lives on the streets and has a few street kids that he looks after on his own with Livio. They never got to live at the orphanage, but that also means that the Eye (in whatever form it takes in this AU) never got ahold of them, so yeah, shits fucked for them, but it's actually a whole lot better for them than it might have been. And it's Wolfwood without all of the EoM trauma, so you can just imagine what he does when this delirious, bloody, terrified, severely injured kid runs him over in the street, sobbing about being caught by the adults and taken away.

Big Brother Nico do what Big Brother Nico do.

At that point, I ended up waking up, but damn if my brain didn't give me enough details to come up with a dumb AU idea that I kind of love and want to do something with, but I don't know if I have the time or spoons to do so.

Ideas I'd had following this beginning to flesh itself out in my head; Luida and Brad are Plant researchers brought onto the project to help the feds figure out wtf is going on with this whole situation, and when Luida is told to talk to Rem, because she's not giving them anything they can use, the two of them reach a secret accord to bring Vash home safe and sound and cover everything back up nice and squeaky clean the way it should have stayed.

Vash's arm is bad enough that he can't really heal it very well on his own without medical care, Plant healing or no. He's doing better than most kids would, but it still begins to go septic, and it forces Nico and Livio to make the really hard decision to find adults they can trust to bring him to so he can get the care he needs. He still ends up losing his arm, though.

At the end of everything, Melanie ends up taking Nico and Livio and the other kids in, so they still get to have their momma figure, even if she comes in later. Maybe she's the one that they find to help them. Is she maybe someone they've known was mostly safe but was never able to get them to stick around long enough to take care of them? Either way, the boys get Vash to her, and it starts the process of getting him home and the kids finally staying at the orphanage.

Meryl, Milly, and Lina all end up sneaking away when they realize that Vash is in more trouble than the adults are letting on, trying to go find him, since they know him better than anyone other than Rem and Nai. Eventually, they meet up with Nico and Livio while everyone is trying to avoid federal agents.

Obviously it's lovey-dovey Vashwood and Insurance Girlfriends and Polygun-flavored, but in the "these kids are too oblivious to think about sexy things, yet" sort of way, because I really do headcanon that at least Vash is ace, Wolfwood is probably demi, and also I am not writing children getting intimate like that. >8/ But kids having little crushes on each other is adorable and I can't not have Vashwood and Insurance Girlfriends be the eventual outcome, once those idiots all grow up and get their heads screwed on straight.

Also, because Nai hasn't had a chance to murder everyone, Rem's managed to work with him enough that he's very slowly overcoming his trauma and regaining his ability to trust that he's not in permanent danger. He'll probably grow up to be a Plants Rights activist or something, lbh. Or a politician. But he's not going to murder people, so either way, it's a win/win!

Because Nico's been living on the streets with him, Razlo either hasn't had to manifest as strongly for Livio, or hasn't manifested at all. Livio is still the sweet, shy, crybaby teddy bear we see, and maybe Razlo only comes out when the feds start getting closer and almost managing to grab the kids, and because he's been able to bond with Nico and the other kids so well this time, Livio is close enough to them that the thought of them getting hurt or taken away is enough to make him want to protect their little group instead of just Livio.

Wolfwood absolutely grumbles about how alike Vash and Livio are. Both a couple'a crybabies, geez, what the Hell you two??? But he also is very much a teddy bear who gives the best hugs when one of his little band of gremlins is upset, so he probably spends more time in a cuddle pile than anything else, now that there's two of them to lose their shit at the drop of a hat.

Vash was totally the one very sweet boy in a clique of girls that everyone who'd known him realized, when they were adults looking back, that he was very much the sweet gay kid hanging out with the girls because it was safer to be himself around them than it was to be around the other boys. (This isn't meant as a stereotype of gay kids, this is based on actual kids I grew up with. My friend group honest to God adopted them because we were all a bunch of momma bears.)

Vash is also...not trans? Because he's a Plant and Plants don't work the same way humans do, but he's also not what humans would think of as a cis boy. He expresses a masc presentation, but probably the closest equivalent would be an intersexed kid. Nai, too, tbh, though he's probably more of the "I don't give a fuck" opinion when it comes to his own gender identity. He uses he/him because that's what humans think when they see him, but he doesn't care any deeper than that.

[animeisforanimation]

Tristamp Party. Day 1. Episode 1.

Let’s start from the beginning.

I adore stories set in space. The country I was born in is famous - among other, way less pleasant things - for a generation of kids dreaming of becoming astronauts. Or maybe it’s Star Wars that brought me the fascination with giant ships taking over the screen, voyaging into the placed yet unknown?

Anyways, by the time Stampede aired I still haven’t watched 98 or read the manga but it was a story I knew about and had a lot of expectations of. But I did not expect these:

The way these ships float into the screen, the size of them, the grandeur! It reminded me of Dune even before we got to the desert planet and the giant warms. And then the design of the ships! Someone has pointed out it really looks like angel arm which is fantastic, but at first they look more like fish or flowers drifting through space. Fantastical, whimsical even, otherworldly.

All in all, I was blown away.

-

And then there was Rem.

Sorry, I’ll skim over the scene of baby Vash saying hello to the people in cryosleep - a hauntingly beautiful one! - and move right to REM because she was a final nail in my coffin. The music and sound design is beautiful, Maaya Sakamoto is fantastic as usual, but what makes this scene stand out are microexpressions.

We’ve known her for what? a minute? But I joined in with her tears. I ached for her.

Now, after Trimax, I do have things to complain about, for one, she sure is less of an Ellen Ripley now. And yet, when I rewatch Tristamp, I cry. Every. Single. Time. That’s strong!

-

And now back to the twins. I’m sure someone else have already talked about that, but the blocking is immaculate: We almost never see Kni’s face, his emotions, reactions.

This shot is my favorite. If you pay attention, you can almost see him clenching teeth. Or maybe you’re just looking too closely and projecting at this point? Who knows.

And then there’s this one!

We’re only privy to determination with which he jumps into the pod - and then almost blank expression when he invites Rem to join them. After her decision to stay, though - nothing. There’s only poor anguished Vash - and a blank wall of black hair.

I wonder, if this trick has already fulfilled its purpose when we saw Kni laughing over the debris and learned of his role - or if we’ll see more of the twins’ childhood, more of this boy that becomes Millions Knives, more of his manga self.

I kinda wish we do~ but whether it comes to be or not, this first scene of Trigun Stampede did exactly what it should have: it sucked me into this world and here I am a year later, deep in the sands of this planet in all of its incarnations.

[pancake-breakfast]

Ugh, too sleepy. Almost done with manga. Can't fall behind now....

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 13, Chapters 7-9 below.

Chapter 7: Catch-As-Catch-Can

Yeah, don't overdo exercise training, kids. Not only is passing out DEFINITELY not good for you, but you can get seriously injured even if you have a spotter. Even if you only get a minor injury, it can put your training back weeks or months.

Awww, Livio looks so young here! Look at his short, floofy hair! I hope he grows it out a bit again. Maybe not quite like he had it before, but yeah.

Do people actually do finger push-ups, or is that just something for badasses in animation and comics?

Training montage!

Aw, man! He got to wear a Wolfwood outfit? I feel robbed.

Ok, Satosugu.

Ah, she's doing that thing again. I think.

Oh, what? Elendira's finishing move is a really big nail? Lame.

She's really putting lot into all this, though, isn't she? She looks a bit rough.

Oh, shoot. It's the nuke.

She senses something. I WONDER WHAT.

Yeah, it was Livio.

I like his simple mentality here. Very straightforward.

NO! No one's allowed to drink vials anymore! NO MORE VIALS!!!

Him? Wolfwood??

Chapter 8: Tipped Wings

CW: Gore

TBH I don't know how the hell Livio won this fight. Assuming he technically won at this point.

Heh. Yeah. "Him" was Wolfwood. But of course Livio knows him as Nicholas.

Aaaaand we're back to my favorite wet cat, Legato Bluesummers.

How does he know Elendira has been defeated? Did he have a little feeler in her? Was he skimming her brain kinda like when he had a little mind convo with Vash?

Dude. I thought you wanted to win this. You guys can't both die to each other in this fight. I will genuinely be annoyed if that happens.

Guernica? You mean the flail thing? That thing had a name???

Heh. I appreciate Legato calling Vash a force of nature here. After all, he is the Humanoid Typhoon.

Awww, look at baby Legato raiding the leftovers from July. Also, hasn't it been like 25 years since July? Just how old is Legato??

Ohhhhh, this is where Stampede got his character design. Like, yeah, they straightened his hair, but I recognize that short little jacket.

Welp, Knives has seen better days. Actually, this is a lovely turn on the way Rem is often paneled with Vash. Instead of a small Vash and a dominating, hopeful figure of Rem, we have a small Legato with a very, very broken Knives dominating the upper third of the panel.

Yes, because the thing Legato needs is another reason to have a psychotic break.

Geez, he's just... scooping up Knives' guts to try and... what, shove them back in? Carry them with them?

He's soooo sad, too.

Knives. What. The. Fuck. Just let the boy cry, idiot. He adores you. Also, talking while you're half corpsified is creepy. Cut it out.

Aww, Vash is still trying to save him. Gods, I wish Vash had found him instead.

Goodbye, weird machine gun doll flail thing. We barely knew thee.

Oh, dang. Legato got the jump on Vash.

Chapter 9: VS

I have no idea what's going on here. At least it led to weird, dramatic Legato pose?

Legato, no. This is not how it should be. This is not how anything should be.

Mmm, Wolfwood memories.

Vash is right. This isn't a fight anymore. But I think Legato knows that.

Oh, would you look at that. Thanks, literally the first panel on the next page.

Ok, but did Nightow have to draw his fingers this sexy here??

Legato's trying, but he's not getting through Vash's defenses.

Huh. Interesting that the Earth Fleet guy with his vastly broader knowledge of Plants would state Vash is a rarity. I like that all his sisters seem very fond of him, though.

Chronica is bitter about Domina. It might have been a bit of a mistake for Knives to off her.

Knives says this, but Chronica knows this, so... I wonder what she's actually planning here.

Wait, just who are they attaching a cable to??

Of course Milly and Meryl would have Vash's back.

Hahahaha, this really highlights the contrast between the two characters.

Love and peace, yo.

Gods, Legato just keeps coming at Vash. He's getting ripped apart by Vash's defenses, but he just keeps at it.

What? Vash? What are you doing?? You... you need that box, don't you???

Ohhh, they're doing shonen battle showdown pose. It's on now.

Aw, dammit. I guess it's on in the next (and final!) volume.

Archive

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

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 8: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5 + Bonus || Vol. 9: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 10: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 || Vol. 11: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 12: Covers + 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 || Vol. 13: Covers + 1-3, 4-6

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt. 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash || Vol. 8: The Uncoordinated Counterattack || Vol. 9: Justice, Punishment, and Mercy, The Tolling of an Iron Bell || Vol. 10: Crucifixion Symbology (pt. 2 of post), Merging of Families, Being Childlike (And Why God Hates Chapel) || Vol. 11: New Hair, New Outlook

[gealachros]

Thoughts while reading Trimax Volume 11 part 2/end

Continuation of my thoughts from part 1!

Oh you know, some light DIY with explosives

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

Awww I love Meryl and Milly so much,

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

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

Holy shit that was close

Wow she is insanely strong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[puffinpastry]

Hello!! I adore your writing, by the way, both fics from you I've read!! I had a hard time deciding between asking about New Growth and Cryptobotany, but!! In New Growth, what does Wolfwood think of what's going on between Knives and Vash? Like he was technically a part of the Eye and has got to have some complicated feelings on Knives himself, but he's still trying to play mediator himself. He seems pretty chill with Knives, all things considered, but he also yelled at him pretty quick when he set off a panic attack in Vash on accident. So I'm really curious on what Wolfwood is thinking through all of it!

First off:

Thank you SO much! Both Cryptobotany and New Growth have been so much fun to write and I had no idea that they'd get as much traction as they have.

Secondly! Answer under a cut here! I got a little (very) long winded.

OKAY SO!

There are a few reasons that he's so relaxed about Knives hanging around and it really boils down to three things.

First: Knives isn't the only one here that's chilled out since the end of trimax. This version of Wolfwood has had the time he needed to do some inward thinking and more or less come to terms with at least some of the suffering that he'd been subjected to and the actions that he was forced to take to keep himself alive and the orphanage safe. Less of the kind of healing that actual therapy sort of help would do for him and more the result of there no longer being a constant threat and end goal to keep his mind too busy to stop and go 'Man. Was that fucked or what?' But the peace made him have to address it on his own. (Mostly on his own. Ofc he had support from Vash, it would've been impossible for him to miss.) He was able to accept what had happened and that very little of it, if any, had been his own fault. None of that is to say that he no longer feels any guilt over what had happened or that it doesn't still keep him up at night from time to time, but he has healed from it enough that he no longer has nightmares about leaving bloody hand prints on anyone and anything he touches.

All of that is to say that he recognizes Knives and his influence and responsibility for the things that the Eye did, either directly or in a more roundabout way, but at the same time the Eye is gone, LivRaz is free from their influence, the kids in the orphanage are safe from the possibility of having to go through the same things that he did, and Chapel is dead. All that's left of it is Knives and, well... The first thing he saw when he tracked Knives down was this man that was so clearly exhausted and beaten down. There was no fight left in him at all, and it almost reminded him of when he'd finally found Vash hiding out in a little town and calling himself Eriks. Except Knives didn't even have that little town or a Sheryl or a Lina to lean on or give himself some semblance of purpose.

So he went looking for Knives he'd only seen a few times before. The Knives he'd once pointed a gun at and feared too much to pull the trigger. He knew that this Knives was de-powered and defeated, but he still wasn't prepared for the sad wet beast born in a cardboard box all alone version that he found. He didn't even know that was possible… and kicking that when he was already down would have felt shitty to say the least. It was a version that was a lot harder to dredge up any fear for.

Second: This one is simpler. He knows that despite everything that has been done to him that Vash still has some deep rooted desire to have his entire family back, even if that isn't possible for one reason (dead) or another (tree-d and disappeared). He understands Vash's complicated feelings on it to some degree from his own experiences with the orphanage after he left and for the extended period of time where he thought he would never be able to go home. Their situations weren't the same, but they were just close enough for him to empathize with Vash. But then there Knives is all of a sudden, and even if it isn't going to fit in with or match up to the sort of impossible, idealized, shameful daydreams that Vash has to have from time to time, it's suddenly possible for there to be some kind of reconcilliation and even if they try and fail then there's more closure there than there would be if Knives was chased off and Vash was left to wonder what-if for the rest of his life. So even if he still does rightfully hate Knives... He hates the idea of Vash suffering another regret and having to cope with another source of misplaced guilt more.

And he wasn't lying when he told Knives that he wanted the twins to have more family and more support in their lives. Yeah, they've got him and Vash, and they've got Meryl and Milly and LivRaz. They've got the help of Melanie and they've visited the kids in the orphanage before, and they even have a few of the townsfolk, but Knives would be an important addition for the fact that he is a plant, and the twins are going to need some sort of guidance and Vash can only offer so much of that himself. Especially as he is now without powers and after a lifetime of trying to distance himself from what he was and after receiving no guidance of his own. They each had to figure out everything as they grew and between the both of them then the girls might not have to struggle as much as they did.

Third: this is the most important point. In New Growth Wolfwood knows about Tesla. I'll actually be getting more into this and why Vash chose to actually share something THAT personal later on because the idea of a short Wolfwood focused prequel planted itself into my head recently and I'm going to be doing something about that as soon as New Growth is finished. But anyway! Wolfwood knows about Tesla, and he knows about how both Knives and Vash reacted to their discovery of her. He knows why Knives made the choices he did, and he understands why he made them. Knowing that all of his actions came from fear and exactly what caused it gave him everything he needed to know to feel safe in believing it when Knives says that he's done.

So he is more comfortable with Knives around than he would have been without that knowledge, without needing him around for the girls' sake, and if Vash didn't want anything to do with him, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't still hold any uncertainty about having him in their home. He's still worried about the very real possibility of the whole thing falling apart and going wrong. Accidents still happen, and the panic attack that Knives triggered is a perfect example of that.

Even if the mistake that triggered that whole thing was pretty much harmless, the picture it made was still startling enough that it set off some of those fears. His reaction wasn't warranted but it wasn't exactly unwarranted at the same time. Does he really think that Knives is a danger/is going to do something to hurt anyone there? No. But the anxiety is there and he's spent the whole time feeling like he's juggling the temperaments and the potential for violence of two pretty much wild animals, even if those wild animals are busy playing house.

So in short... outwardly he's pretty calm, and he's having a good time pretending that he's all chilled out and in total control of the situation (and he kind of is, Vash and Knives are struggling but he's really doing the best he can for them and it's working) but internally he's shaking like a nervous chihuahua.

[orcelito]

I think ITNL is one of the only Trigun fics I’ve read where adult Vash actually loves his wings. Him testing them out is one of my favorite chapters! And as much as I do love Vash angst involving his views on his own inhumanity, this was such a refreshing take! Was it a mindset you had settled on right from the start, or did you workshop it a bit to see what would fit the story better?

HI HELLO THANK U FOR UR QUESTION

honestly, the idea initially comes from the thought of like. well, a lot of fandom has him hating his inhumanity, but we don't exactly see that in canon? he hates what he's capable of, thinks someone with his power shouldn't exist, but in and of himself, we never see him actually hating being a plant. it just kind of Is. and so ive taken that into account for my fic, + the fact that in latter trimax we see him get so much more comfortable using his powers. in earlier manga they scare him a lot, but after everything he goes through, he sees his powers as the tool they are.

and with All That In Mind. then comes my own personal bias for flying lol. i've long loved the concept of flying, adored games that give me that ability (the game Gravity Rush was a lot of the inspiration for how i wrote Vash flying), & can in fact fly in just about every dream of mine (if i remember that i can). it's about the Freedom, the ability to fall without fear of hitting the ground, and the release from the bounds of gravity. ADDING IN the fact that Vash naturally has wings. this is just part of his Nature. he's scared of himself, but just like a bird knows in its core that it should fly, so does Vash.

so. the freedom of flight, something as natural as a bird in the air, and it's at Vash's fingertips. (or Wingtips, if you will lol)

of course, it's not as simple as Just loving them. as we see in that part of the chapter, right before he starts to fly,

Clambering to his feet again, Vash stood at the very edge of a nearly 500 foot drop. He spread both wings out as far as they could reach, just for the experience of stretching them.  They were long, maybe 20 feet each. When spread, his wingspan must have been around 40 feet wide.  He felt powerful.  He felt like something that should not exist. 

it's the Majesty of the wings!!! the feeling of how NATURAL they are!!! and a little bit of the revelry in his own power, then guilt that he would ever feel grateful for any part of it. this is the sort of power that caused so many deaths, that has haunted him for basically his entire life... and it allows him to fly, something that feels so natural and RIGHT...

and. yeah. ultimately, ITNL has been an exploration of how Vash would interact in that early manga stuff, but with the experiences from the later manga. so i think i always have had this kind of thing in mind. he's still scared of himself and his power, but it's a useful tool and is simply a part of his nature. he stopped denying that 2/3rds or so through trimax, and that is the vash that we have Now.

[awkwardchick87]

but awks tellll meeeee…. if it was some other universe.. some other story… which universe would you pick with your vash 🤍 howd you two will fall in love… all the little obstacles hindering the path… tell me everythinggggg !!!

AHH Zen!! I think about this OFTEN!! All my selfships are canonverse because my brain can not imagine them outside of their own universe!! Alright, I did not mean to go off this hard. We'd meet while traveling. I have no idea why, but I love the idea of traveling with Wolfwood, Meryl and Roberto and later Milly. Their dynamics are so interesting to me (and I kin Wolfwood so hard) Getting to know everyone and having love bloom over a period of time is just so sweet to me. Vash is not the type to even want love, so he takes a while to come to terms with it. He doesn't feel like he deserves it. (more on this later. It'll have spoilers for the manga) Vash FIGHTS being in love. Refuses to admit it, where I fall hard and fast. Which is a little sad, yes, because having feelings for someone, even if you don't admit them right away, and they show no signs of returning them, that shit hurts. It would take a long time to get Vash to admit any feelings for you. Even if its obvious to everyone EXCEPT you. Once he admits he's in love, he would dote on you 24/7, think smothering! It can be overwhelming, and I need to tell him to give me space if I need it, but at the same time, his face is just so cute and kissable, I could never stay annoyed at him for long. He does eventually figure out how to be a little less overbearing. Even if its only a little. And do not get me wrong, I love being doted on and adored, but I also like my alone time. Spoilers for the manga under here.

I am very much a firm believer in everyone needs to spend time with themselves., which is probably one of Vash's biggest pet peeves. If he is alone, his mind is racing. He has so much past trauma that being alone brings him back through those horrors. If we're talking post Trimax Vash, he is in a better headspace, but he still STILL needs someone to reassure him that everything is over and its ok. He does not need to worry about his brother anymore. He can settle down and not be on the run anymore. Pre end of Trimax, is a whole other can of worms. Before or after being tortured is a difference. Not a major one, he is the type to feel like he deserved everything that happened to him. Getting him OUT of that headspace is the hard part. All in all, showing Vash that he deserves love and deserves to BE loved would be a big hurdle. He is so self sacrificing that he thinks he should be alone and not burden anyone with his existence until he's done what he is trying to do.

[humanoidtyphoons]

trimax vol 14! last one!

-it’s so so good that the volume cover is vash smiling like the goof he is, and the back cover is the peace sign. i love him soooo. truly the embodiment of love and peace!! character of all time!!!

-ack, wolfwood. he’s so prominent this volume. he’s the reason why vash shoots and kills legato. he’s seen when vash views the dead. he talks to livio as a ghost. and he haunts and he haunts the narrative post vol 10. and jfc. character of all time.

-truly the way vash loves wolfwood that he’s been so fundamentally changed by it. that he wants to protect what wolfwood loves. legato is absolutely going to kill livio if vash does nothing and vash… he has to protect wolfwood’s wishes. what wolfwood has fought for all this time. so vash makes the choice. realizes that he was kind of an asshole, maybe??? calling wolfwood a coward???

-it’s such an interesting parallel to have legato pull vash’s gun to his head and asking him to shoot, and wolfwood doing the same thing first. only, legato isn’t forcing himself to play the devil like wolfwood was. whatever choice vash makes would delight him, bc it would torment vash. maybe not the same way as it happened in tri98, but i love that he forces vash’s hand all the same. that this decision vash makes is a consequence of wolfwood’s death, made textually explicit with the double spread of wolfwood and the punisher, the words he said that day, when he asked vash to shoot.

-milly and meryl going to space!!! love it!!!

-vash shutting down after killing legato… yeah. you do need a breather, buddy.

-ngl i love vash and knives fighting, and failing and vash choosing to save knives, taking the brunt. i love how different their feathers look.

-knives looking like he’s set on fire, his energy consuming him and burning him out looks so cool ngl. what a badass look.

-vash surrounded by feathers is super pretty

-meryl/vash, where vash knows she’s afraid and tells her she’s brave anyway. she is. he promises to return to her, and then doesn’t, cause he’s a liar. cute!!

-i love seeing the plant sisters being saved!!! they don’t deserve to be consumed by knives’ egomania.

-there’s something sweet about knives asking humans he doesn’t know to save his brother, and then using the last of his powers to grow an apple tree. he’s been so isolated and rage filled for a century and a half, but… being around vash, he… tries. that he cares.

-i can’t decide whether i prefer knives living or dying at the end. i find the anime sweet bc i do like that vash decides to be more active and force knives to engage with humanity more, under his eye, so no one dies. but on the other hand… using the last of his power as a good deed… that’s really good too… like it’s bittersweet but it shows that even knives is capable of change. maybe he was irredeemable and had done too much wrong, but. vash loves him, even so. and, in his final hour, he did good.

-i got so used to vash having black hair that it’s almost a shock to see vash blonde in a flashback, ngl.

-there’s something stupid wonderful about the end feeling like it’s the beginning again. milly and meryl might be journalists, now, but vash is trying to run from them and so they’re back again on his tail, like a more benevolent roadrunner and coyote! he’s goofy and silly and i just adore him, and milly & meryl hot on his heels.

also the colour double spread of vash in his red coat and black hair and the endless desert is a delight!!! completely forgot this detail!!!

i feel healed, idk. it’s such a charming story, still. how much i love the characters, and how they struggle with what they believe is right, but they try all the same. it’s going to be okay.

but most of all, remember, love and peace!!!

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trimax Thoughts Vol. 3 Pt. 1

Some more miscellaneous thoughts. I realized it's actually more convenient to do these before any analysis because. Well. I actually haven't read this manga before. Why was I trying to do full analyses before just letting myself read it. Why am I a dumbass.

Anyways.

It's the repression my dude

(Ok but can we talk about how Wolfwood doesn't really lie and his eyes convey his emotions whether he wants it or not and he still feels strongly because that attachment keeps him going and then how Vash has had to withdraw and shove everything into a box somewhere deep inside him because he always has to maintain a distance and always has to leave aughhh)

Ohhhhh that part where Vash is able to tell exactly how many strikes are incoming... I love how he becomes really precise and calculating in a fight. It's a really great way to show the severity of a situation and his skill and experience! (Bonus points: he does this in Tristamp too - I still cannot get over the way the animators chose to have him move right before he pulls out his gun in ep 1 - I went on an unhinged ramble about that. He's always fluid and grounded. I adore those animators they did a fantastic job.)

!!! I think this is the first time we've actually seen Knives' face since the Fifth Moon Incident! ...there's something to examine in this.

Feral Wolfwood <3

Yikes. If we wanted more emphasis on the way a lot of people around Vash do not stop to consider the severity of death. The violence is so typical in this world it's treated as a scene from which one can be detached. Vash's honest distress and compassion as entertainment :(

Hey. What the fuck.

The baby with the gun would be a lot funnier if I didn't know what Leonof had to do to people to make his puppets.

SICK AND TWISTED. WTF.

Ok say what you will though but Leonof so far has been the only one of the GHG that I think actually understands the assignment. Like. Yeah, this sure is the way to fucking break the guy. What the hell.

Oh, Vash knows him? Maybe that's why Leonof knows how to hurt him so well...?

AUGH he had puppet Doc, who vouched for Vash earlier to Brad, call him a demon!!! This also means he was killed! WTF

AUGHHHH wolfwood :(((

Meryl and Milly I love you so so much

Whjfhbdsjfbhv??? Girl??????

Vash: *starts blaming himself* Luida: "no." Vash: "oh, ok." :(

Hair down Vash <3

I really love the way we find out a bit more about Vash in this chapter. Him taking Meryl and Milly to a special place that helps him relax and heal and feel closer to Rem, even if he doesn't quite tell them that's what it is. Meryl knowing it's important somehow anyways and feeling like she can see him a little more clearly. Wolfwood freaked the hell out by the idea that Vash is immortal, but instead of leaving it at his assumptions, he still goes to talk to Luida and ask questions, who immediately proceeds to emphasize how lonely yet kind he is. We learn a lot about Vash in this chapter without him actually revealing anything about himself directly - all through other people, and the impact he's made on them. And I like how even though we find out more and more the differences between human and whatever Vash actually is, we circle right back around to confirming what we already knew about him from the beginning - he's fundamentally a kind man with a lot of pain in his heart who always makes the active choice to be nice. Just. Agh.

Wolfwood, running while carting his stupid IV pole over his shoulder: "oh fuck I need to protect women (and Vash)"

Softest look I've ever seen. What.

But ohhh does this make me happy. Because he's spent this volume thinking Vash has no survival instinct because he's immortal, etc., which terrifies him because he cannot understand not fighting to survive. Vash's smile makes a comeback here, but he now understands that it's not just a mask, it is the way he fights to survive. That smile is Vash's struggle to live in the same way the violent struggle is his, and Wolfwood I think/hope is starting to realize again that the gap is not so wide between them. He's calmed enough to remember that he actually likes this guy. Augh.

[hellsingmongrel]

That sure was a fuckin’ JOURNEY

(Spoilers, AGAIN, for Trigun, Trimax, and Tristamp)  Welp.  I hyperfixated on the entirety of Trigun Maximum that I got through it in like a day combined of reading, and that was WILD.  Actually had a headache from fixating so hard and from all the megasads, but now that I’ve seen the conclusion, I’m feeling a lot clearer in my brain.

What made me kind of cackle at the end was that Meryl and Milly.  Became REPORTERS.  People who complain about Meryl being a reporter in Stampede can just sit down.  It’s canon.  They just moved the timelines a bit.  Also, HOLY SHIT was that the most “The Power of Love and Friendship” solution to the battle I’ve ever seen out of a magical girl anime!  And honestly, it made SO MUCH FUCKING SENSE.  Needle-noggin’s unending, exasperating pacifism actually did save the world!  Who would have thought???  And I sure as Hell did not expect EARTH to still be functioning and sending out rescue ships!

NGL, though, there was a stretch where I legit was worried it wouldn’t have a happy ending AT ALL, and boy did that make me even more worried!  It was SO DARK.  So much death and horror and actual sexual assault (which is the one that I REALLY didn’t expect, and especially not with the character it involved, wow, :U)  Nor did I expect Knives to come out of it on the other end actually going “...Wow, ok, yeah, I was a shit.”  And for a while, there, it felt like a TOTALLY different story than it started off as!

Nightow did a good job of bringing it back around full circle at the end, and in such a way that yeah, Vash was having to be back on his bullshit all over again, but he didn’t have the weight of everything he was running from emotionally weighing him down like he had before, which made it seem so much nicer!  Sure, he’ll have to deal with people getting hurt and killed, but it seems like he’s not going to be putting the blame for literally every little thing that happens on his own shoulders.

I gotta say, when it comes to Stampede, I’ve seen some people saying that the Knives we get in episode 11 is super out of character and he would NEVER do what he did, but man.  I gotta say.  After reading the entirety of the manga, I do not agree with that criticism.  There was a time there when he SUPER tried to shut down any compassion he had for Vash, so I can totally see him trying to use him for his own goals.  I’m still excited to see how they handle the rest of the story they’re telling with the new series and stand by my assertion that Stampede Vash should be wrapped up in blankets and given cocoa and lots and LOTS of therapy and hugs and cuddles and head pats and told everything’s going to be ok.  But he seems like a much younger Vash, who you only saw a few times in Max, but who had the same sort of naivete.  It’s an interesting reimagining for the boy, but it all still feels very much like our favorite donut-addicted doofus.

Also, I have mountains of Vashwood feels that I don’t have the current capacity to handle and will have to stew on for a while, because GOOD LORD that was one hell of a fucking ride in THAT regard, too.  Meanwhile, literally his relationship with Meryl and Milly feels almost like the protective, constantly-worrying parent.  I know Meryl and Vash is a huge ship, and that’s totally valid, I just do not see him feeling that way for her at all.  o_O  The part where she was bawling and he was kneeling down to talk on her level had HUGE “adult talking to an upset child” vibes for me and nope.  It just reinforced the “This man looks like he’s barely old enough to drink, but he’s literally old enough to be everyone’s great, great, great grandparent!”  He still lights up like a giant golden retriever puppydog when they show up, because he adores the fuck out of the insurance girls, holy shit! It just doesn’t seem romantic to me at.

All in all, I gotta say, when I was big into anime and manga, Hellsing was my top favorite and Trigun was my second favorite, solely based on the Trigun anime.  But after the really unsatisfying way Hellsing ended for me, and after seeing the way Trigun Max was done, it absolutely blows Hellsing out of the number one spot for me.  It’s just SO GOOD!  I was seriously doing myself a major disservice, not reading it for so long!  Not that I had much control over supply chain issues for very small rural towns with little access to foreign goods.

There’ve been rumors that Dark Horse is planning a special edition rerelease of the manga (same as they did for Hellsing a few years ago, apparently.  That’s on my bucket list) and I will ABSOLUTELY be buying those if and when they do!  GIB GIB!  LEMME HAVE PHYSICAL COPIES!  I HAVE A MIGHTY NEED!

[pancake-breakfast]

TriMax Volume 2! This one has Wolfwood on the cover, which can only mean good things, right? Riiiiiiiight?

Archive

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

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

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6

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

TriMax Volume 2 Covers

"Death Blue" is a very dramatic name for a volume. Do they mean "Blue Death"? Is this a Legato reference? I think he'd like being called the Blue Death. Wait, no, he's self-conscious about his blue hair. Nevermind.

Also, this cover is hot.

Ok, so I translated the kana on the joke version of the cover to the side of Wolfy's head, and to my great amusement, it reads something like, "This joke again?!" or "Not this joke again!!"

I'm gonna be honest; I think one of the things I struggled with on a first read of this was the continual blow-up doll jokes. These days, I find it hilarious. (I've even spent some time contemplating if I could cosplay as WW with the blow-up doll instead of the cross solely because the doll would be MUCH easier to store in between cons.) But when a younger Pancake Ray was reading this, they were fresh out of a sheltered Christian college and had very little experience with this sort of stuff. I also hadn't quite realized my own asexuality at that point, so I really didn't have a place for my sexuality (especially since I was still under the impression I'd "grow into it" or "just needed to meet the right guy" at that point) or the sexuality of others. Which made continual blow-up doll jokes particularly jarring, especially since my irreverent humor had yet to fully bloom.

Legato (that is Legato, right?) looks positively haunted on the back cover there.

LOL, now it's a shojo ballet manga, huh? I'm here for it.

Chapter 1: Return of the Blue Wind of Death

Ohhhh, so I guess the volume title wasn't just a fancy and dramatic thing and there will actually be some sort of Blue Death person. I still think it will be Legato, even if he hates the name. I bet he's spent the last two years in intensive physical therapy....

I really like the aesthetic of the volume opening page art here. Freaking gorgeous chiaroscuro. (Now it sounds like I know art words! I don't; I just memorized that one because 1) I tend to adore the style, and 2) it came up in a Tabletop RP system I used to run.)

Eyyyy, it's the big-eared mohawk guy from Episode 1 of '98!

Man, they had this guy in some serious restraints.

Dramatic duo!

I wonder what those pipes on Vash's stomach are for. They're REALLY big in this title page art. I don't think they're always that big. Maybe they're part of the heating/cooling unit the doc was talking about??

Earlobes seems way more calm than he did in Ep 1 of '98. I guess hard time will do that to a man.

Ah, the giant boomerangs....

Oh, so he's not gone entirely agreeable. And they aren't entirely unaware of the risks.

I like the implication that he's kinda controlling his right arm with his left one.

Oh, no. I recognize these guys from the previous volumes. Sheriff, his posse, and Earlobes are out of their depth. A single Gung-Ho Gun gave Vash quite a bit of trouble. You really shouldn't mess with two at the same time.

Nightow, what is even happening on this page? There's some shooting and some steam venting and some guys got burned, and... someone broke a bunch of light posts, I think? Was it the boomerang? Did the boomerang break them? Also, you do realize that each consecutive hit would decrease the boomerang's momentum at least slightly, and thus it would be better (if perhaps less intimidating) to NOT hit a bunch of other objects in between you and your target?

Hahahaha, dark-haired boi just ducks and lets Super-Gimp take the bulk of the boomerang's hit.

He's been so small in all the panels where it's shown that it's very hard to tell this guy has a saxophone. So there you go, fellow readers. He has a saxophone. It's in the above image, too. But again, smol. (I colored it here so we can all see it better.)

Well, if the sheriff had any guys in that house, he DOESN'T ANYMORE.

"Make sure they're dead." Sound advice.

"Not even a shred of meat left" seems unlikely.

Oop, that arm coming up from the bottom of the panel is NOT Earlobes's arm. Pretty sure it's Super-Gimp's.

Eyyy, time for Sax Man to play us a tune! I'm sure it will be a nice one. After all, what spices up rubble and wreckage quite like a little jazz?

See? A pleasant little song....

Now all the TriStamp fans can take a guess at the REAL reason they've woven saxophone into the soundtrack.

Gods, this pose. Fill up that chest, man! Deeeeeeep breath!

Yeah, this operation ain't going so well for Team Sheriff, is it?

Me trying to decipher Nightow's combat panels:

I think someone is practicing drilling that is not in line with OSHA regulations here....

"Call off your attack!" Oop, too late.

I'm guessing Super-Gimp's actual name is Gauntlet. It's really hard to tell who's speaking.

Oh, shit. Is it Legato? He likes doing the long-distance communication thing....

Holy hell, this is brutal. Yeah, this has to be Legato. Mild spoilers, but Sax Man doesn't have this level of brutality in him. I could be wrong, but I don't think most of the Gung-Ho Guns do... especially not partnered with the ability straight-up force people to do things.

Geez, the blood dripping out of the truck.... WE'RE IN A TRUE SEINEN NOW, FOLKS!!!

Freaking called it. He does look like a mess, though. What kind of physical therapy program is he on???

I like his face here. He looks too amused with his own plans. It's very upsetting.

Eyyyy, it's the doc!

Brad really needs to get over his disgust for outsiders.

Awww, they all love Vash and worry about his wellbeing! He might try not to have friends, but he does, even if they're not as deep of friendships as he needs.

Uh, oh. Is Brad ok? Vash's intuition is usually spot-on.

Bugs....

BUGS. D:

This is bad. These people shouldn't have information on Vash's friends.

Dang, Hanged Man pose for Vash? Ominous....