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catbountry · 7 months ago

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It's been a year since the premiere of Trigun: Stampede. The series, despite the fears of the fans of the '98 anime, actually turned out really good; Yasuhiro Nightow is a big superhero comics nerd, and wanted to have this new anime adaption be an adaption similar to the adaptions of the MCU, back when those movies were consistently enjoyable, and I daresay a bunch of the people watched Trigun probably were either already anime fans, or they were nomad fans who may have been really into the MCU at one point.

I have a lot of thoughts on an American perspective on Vash the Stampede as a character, with a lot of comparisons to American comic book superheroes. And while Trigun wasn't my first anime, I was hooked on it, as someone who grew up around Batman and Spawn's 90's popularity. During my first Otakon in 2001, I must have seen a dozen Vash's and Wolfwoods. I remember the year there was a Wolfwood cosplayer whose Punisher gun was shaped like the Star of David instead of a cross, making him a rabbi. That shit was amazing. The larger point is that I've loved this character for more than half of my entire time being alive, and I haven't seen a lot of discussion of Trigun viewed from a more political lens, and why it resonates so much with Americans (or at least me, who is an American) in particular

Buckle up, kids, this is gonna be long and rambly.

There was a period of time where I watched nearly every single new MCU movie in the theater. It was exciting seeing adaptions of comic books that would have probably never gotten a movie before the success of The Avengers. And I don't think it's a mistake that the most comic book-y of the movies are usually the best; Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel remain as probably my favorite MCU movies. Nightow was working directly with the studio making a new Trigun anime and reportedly got the crew to watch a bunch of Marvel movies to set the tone for the anime as an adaption; it's why Vash got a completely new redesign that freaked all us old fans the fuck out. Though it appears that once again, Trigun tried and failed to get that massive Japanese audience that most successful anime have. But boy, oh boy, do us westerners fucking love Trigun, especially us Americans. Nightow's love of superhero comics bled into Trigun, and it just so happened that he was incredibly influenced by Spawn, Hellboy and Batman as much as he was influenced by Akira Toriyama and mechanical art. McFarlane Toys released a Vash figure that is McFarlane'd the fuck up. Nightow loves all superhero comics but especially the Blade trilogy.

Just look at this and imagine being 13 years old and seeing this on a screen for the first time with the instrumental hard rock opening.

Also, I wouldn't actually get around to reading Spawn until I was an adult, but you know what? It's pretty good. The writing is definitely weaker than the art, but holy shit, that art goes hard and I still think that shit's cool as fuck.

As stated before, around the early 2000's Trigun was considered peak anime, though it's been more overlooked in recent years in favor of Cowboy Bebop, an anime that has aged gracefully by comparison. But while Bebop has that sort of timeless cool and level of quality that drew the attention of filmmakers like the Wachoski sisters, Trigun has that very specific kind of adolescent sense of coolness that comic book fans get, especially back in the 90's before this sort of thing would be smothered to death by MCU's Joss Whedoning of superheroes. Spawn, Hellboy and Batman are still cool. And Trigun also has a shitton of guns, obviously, given that Vash being an incredibly OP gunslinger in a world where everybody has guns.

And America loves guns.

I think the contrast of Vash's pacifism while still wielding a gun is extremely interesting because it's not something you see very much (I bet if I watched more westerns, I'd have a better idea if this is a trope in them at all). Batman does not use guns and doesn't kill people, which is why there's still discourse around Tim Burton's Batman films to this day still; I don't think Kevin Smith has budged on this. Other more morally grey superheroes will use guns (by this definition I'm counting The Punisher even if he doesn't have any superpowers, unless you count severe PTSD as a superpower). And a lot of them had huge surges in popularity in the 90's around the time Nightow was making Trigun. Vash posed like Batman or Spider-Man looking brooding (like the gif above) happens a lot in the earlier issues even though that's not really his character.

Several years ago, there was an attempt by a conservative thinktank to discredit a bunch of Hollywood actors saying that gun violence in America is a serious issue and contrasted their statements scenes of them shooting guns in movies, but if we're being real here, gunplay in movies can be really fucking cool. Again I invoke The Matrix, or movies by Robert Rodriguez and John Woo. Look at video games, and compare the decline in violent crime that's been happening here since the 70's and 80's, as culture warriors bemoan movies and video games for becoming more violent. Remember when Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the NRA, brought up fucking Splatterhouse as a reason why Sandy Hook happened? Do you know what Splatterhouse looks like?

It looks like this.

You know how these guys constantly say the only way to counter a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? Usually, the inference is that if the "good guy" with a gun shoots, he's shooting to kill. Deadpool and the Punisher would shoot to kill. But Vash is constantly trying to avoid it. And I remember as a teenager finding that really cool? And the manga and anime don't shy away from how impractical Vash's pacifism is. It's a bit more realistic than Steven Universe's ending, but also Steven Universe was made for children.

I know Avatar: The Last Airbender is often invoked when criticizing Steven Universe's philosophy, but I haven't really seen Vash's similar philosophy criticized in the same way, and I think a lot of that has to do with the presence of Wolfwood, who is the "I think we're gonna have to kill this guy" guy. I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen art of this yet. I may have to get on that. I already drew Vash horrified at the Trolley Problem.

Vash is a character designed with maximum coolness in mind, but also an overpowered being who is capable of killing millions, and in the anime, he somehow destroys July City without killing anyone directly, but the destruction of the city led to a bunch of people dying. He's so deeply committed to not wanting to kill anyone that he's probably killed more people than he would have if he just shot Knives. The best Batman stories acknowledge that Batman's refusal to kill Joker has similarly results in the deaths of people Batman could have prevented if he killed one guy, and this could also apply to Vash's relationship with his brother Knives, who was kind of destined to be a mass murderer with a name like that, let's be real.

Online, we tend to joke about bringing out the guillotines, or justify not feeling an sympathy for billionaires who die in a sub trying to view the Titanic. But if you were given a gun and a real human person begging for their life, what would you actually do? Do you honestly think that you would be the ethical Death Note user?

Vash has guns but he chooses not to kill people; he prefers to not even use them unless he has to, instead opting to run away and look cool doing it somehow.

He really, really doesn't want to kill people. He doesn't become numb to people dying. It hurts him every single time he watches someone get killed. In reality, most of us that aren't sociopaths would be distressed at the thought of killing someone. The only reason armies in real life work is that they become inoculated to the idea of violence and dehumanize the enemy. Vash is no soldier. He is idealistic, he is empathetic, and he sees every human being as a person worthy of life. Batman refuses to use guns, as that's how his parents were killed in front of him. Vash has to use guns in order to protect people from getting killed. He has the ethics of Superman but the tools of a comic book antihero. He's the logical conclusion of an shonen anime protagonist in a world that chews up anyone with that kind of optimism and hope and spits them out. And yet... he still keeps going. He remains committed. He's still cheery, goofy, lovable Vash.

Batman used to kill people, in the earliest comics. With the Comics Code Authority, no superheroes could kill people. In the 80's, comics were getting darker and edgier, taken more seriously. While Alan Moore's Watchmen delved into the moral complexities in a world with superheroes that was similar to ours, Frank Miller was keeping Batman consistent, even as Gotham got darker and uglier.

Batman is a vigilante. The police can be helpful or they can fuck up everything, depending on what's needed for the story. In Batman Year One, there's a scene where Batman crashes a party attended by the elites of Gotham, politicians and mobsters mingling.

Seeing this during the Bush presidency blew my mind. I don't want to get into just how perfectly the members of his administration seemed to resemble a rogue's gallery of sorts with the shared goals of making a lot of money and bombing the shit out of Iraq and Afghanistan. I was extremely anti-war even before the 2000 election as a very opinionated 14 year-old watching, Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and feeling relieved that a grown-up was able to see through all the bullshit; it helps when the guy who's against the war and killing people is funny. I remember writing in my diary at 12 years old after Columbine happened that I wanted to take all of the guns and melt them down in a pot, similarly to that scene in Superman IV where he throws the entire world's nuclear arsenal into the sun. But also that same year I would fall in love with The Matrix... and not long after that, Trigun.

Again, we come back to the idea of someone using a gun, a weapon designed to kill people, and using it in pursuit of the exact opposite. That resonated with me. I myself was very idealistic, and the political climate of my teenage years seemed to do almost everything to stamp that out of me. Things feel just as fraught two decades later, but in slightly different ways. Pacifism is looked down upon, as indicated by the backlash to the ending of Steven Universe, and how one crazy lady called Rebecca Sugar, a Jewish person, a Nazi for writing it that way. But for Steven, things worked out. For Vash? Well, he still has hope somehow, despite everything. I think the fact that he strives to protect human life, even when someone is a complete monster, is admirable in that it cuts to the very basic desire to not see people hurt. But we're also selfish, and scared, and sometimes it's hard to conceive of a solution to a problem that doesn't involve violence. Seeing dead bodies on TV or the internet upsets us, but we're often paralyzed by feeling like we can't do anything, and even if we tried, we'd likely perish in the attempt. We desire revenge, punishment for those who transgress by inflicting violence, and we can rationalize using it against the right targets. Vash the Stampede would have a fucking breakdown dealing with the state-backed violence that's been a part of geopolitics pretty much as long as there have been states and geopolitics. Vash would try and solve the bombings of Gaza with an impassioned plea for both sides to stop fighting before he would somehow wind up making things worse and it would eat away at him inside, no matter how brave a face he puts on as he tries to find some kind of hope in a hopeless situation. And... you know what? I kind of wish more people would be like that. Maybe if there were enough people like that, these sorts of things wouldn't happen in the first place. I wish more people could look at human suffering and feel compelled to try and stop it, not discriminating against one side or the other, trying to understand why people are doing what they do. Seeing anti-war protestors in Tel Aviv brings back memories of protests against the start of the War on Terror, and how hated America was internationally during those years, even when most Americans approved of the war. Michael Moore was booed at the Oscars for condemning George W. Bush and the War on Terror. It's terrifying that those in power want us killing each other and have conditioned us to support it. I want so badly for human beings to come together to just stop the violence, but it feels impossible, like we're destined for failure, like we might somehow make things worse or become worse versions of ourselves full of hatred and ugliness. But we should want to try, even if it's hard or unprofitable or we have no idea how to even do it. Somebody actually dedicating themselves to trying to fight our violent impulses out of love is appealing, and if they're more powerful than use, and can do more... well, I want the biblically accurate angel with every mental illness willing to martyr himself over and over again. But it is more fun when he's Bugs Bunny about it.

#political bullshit #trigun #comics #tl;dr #not fanfiction #I am high right now I hope this still makes sense when I'm sober

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kindaoptimisticsquirrel · 1 year ago

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Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol10 Part 2

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

It feels nearly impossible to properly write down what you're feeling when reading this whole, but nonetheless, you gotta try! I trust every reader is going through the same emotions on this one.

Chapter 3 only (since I'm just copying every page of the chapter apparently). Next chapters will follow!

Because he has not forsaken you, you doofus.

Got to mention here how much I love Nightow's storytelling through all of this. Wolfwood's inner monologues are so so raw.

This look on Vash...is something we've not seen often before. If at all? Vash never really shows anger, but this? This is grim determination.

Can you not see, Wolfwood, that YOU are important to him, too?

Also that image...angels wings under the church bell tower. The way this monologue of Wolfwood feels when reading out the first time, and reading it all in one go....I really don't know how to put in words how much I feel this talk, how well it is done, how it lets us feel with Wolfwood and the whole scene....

Wait wait wait I gotta retract what I said in Part one because apparently I remembered it wrong...it is only NOW that Wolfwood bites down on the vials? Because he sees Vash is in a pinch and might not be able to save them all if Razlo keeps shooting and shooting. And there's still Chapel. Wolfwood must know what this means for him, drinking these vials...and still chose to do this.

He knows, but it was the only way.

Because he's here to protect his loved ones and for that he's doing ANYTHING.

Interrupting this sad commentary for Vash's twinkly anime eyes ♥ He's in a pinch seeing his loved person die but at least he's looking pretty in the process!

Calling him idiot and dumbass is truly Wolfwood's love language

You know I'm really feeling sorry for Razlo. There's one person that makes him give a reason to exist, and no matter how evil that person, to him...seeing that person die is hard. Razlo, too, never really had a choice in life, much like Wolfwood.

There is this theory that Vash can read minds (he has telepathy with plants after all) that is canon? Half canon? But there are instances in the manga which support it strongly, like this one, too. It makes sense, because the panel in the bottom right corner looks like Vash has just heard or seen something, as he is processing it in his mind. I don't think Wolfwood did actively try to talk to Vash per telepathy- I think at this moment he's just begging in his mind, hoping Vash will know what he needs now. And still, he is so afraid of them seeing the person he has become. Oh, my dear boy.

I will look at the above panel for eternity.

There it is, the counterpart to Wolfwood's thoughts about Vash. We never, apart from the beginnen, really get to hear Vash's thoughts about Wolfwood. We know what Wolfwood thinks, very often we are witness to his exasperation about Vash's actions, his behaviour, his believes...but what does Vash think? He never speaks about his emotions and his thoughts and feelings, and even the reader can only guess by his face and by what we know so far. That we get to read this now...shows how important Wolfwood. Storywise, and to Vash. They had their disagreements, but they managed. And Vash...was intrigued. As in, this is not just a person he shortly met, and that will be out of his life soon after. They became travel partners. "But I wonder what it meant to him" Is he talking about his relationship as a whole, or the disagreements? It might be both.

I believe the story between Vash and Wolfwood is a story about love and trust. But one that does not start at the beginning, but takes time. That grows and grows and that's why it feels so strongly at the end, here, because both know each other completely and learned to love each other as they are and...and yeah Then, we get the flashback. Oh man flashbacks to their first meeting, Nightow is using every trope to hit us harder and harder. Stop, we are already lying on the ground and bleeding!

The battle couple is back at town!

Just saving Vashwood pics

Thanks Nightow for giving us a little bantering. I GUESS. OH god I will have to do so many parts for this volume because I'm aleady at 14 pics for this chapter and I just looked at what the next chapter contains and then there are 3 more chapters after that. I will take the whole night sighs.

#trigun #trigunbookclub #sigh I don't want to do next chapter

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weirdcat1213 · 1 year ago

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volume 13 oh fuck oh shit oh fuck lets go

chap 1:

-that panel with vash yelling and shooting at the sky its just...hes so done man, hes so tired

-legato dont

-fucking hell what did i just say

-damn, kinda feel bad for legato. cant he really have something knives? really?

-im sorry, like what legato is saying is really interesting but...is he mopping the floor with vash while thinking of his journey?

-"it would be shameful to not risk your life" PROJECTING MUCH???

-omg the 1st time i saw that one panel where hes white i fucking gasped so hard. i thought my baby was dead CUZ LOOK AT HIM

-like yo nightow that shit gives me nightmares to this day

-STOP LEGATO STOP ITTTT, NOT THE FLASHBACK

-the fact that legato ISNT WRONG about vash just ruins my fucking day. my week. my life

-OH THANK GOD I FINALLY GET TO FUCKING UNDERSTAND THAT THING

-yknow ik we have said legato has never been his own person but in this moment (when he explains to vash the box) hes taking a decision for himself for once. he didnt have to give vash that advantage but he wants to prove his loyalty to knives, even when knives clearly said "i could not give less if a fuck." messed up choice, but his choice nonetheless

-im just gonna point out that vash doesnt think of wolfwood when he thinks of the gun ho guns and move on :)

chap 2:

-nightow honey IDK WHOS SAYING THAT

-oh ok thanks

-RIGHT IN THE FACE VASH CMON >:0

-oh honey

-legato is being a dick but putting the gun in your mouth? metal

-idk whats happening rn

-VASH NO HES GETTING HIS russian doll?

-oh DAMN ITS LIVIO TIMEEEEEE

-ok im gonna be honest...i dont remember if livio gets out of this one so when elendira says hell end up crucified....hmmm...pls no

-shes so sarcastic lmao

-also i kinda like livio having a lil bit of pride on his abilities, maybe cuz hes not like elendira being like "im powerful as fuck and you cant stop me."

-LIVIOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :D

-OH SHIT OH FUCK LETS GO THEYRE ABOUT TO LAND

chap 3:

-oh shit no warning? damn that IS gonna be rough

-legato dont-

-ah fuck, i cant believe youve done this

-yeah be paranoid bitch >:3

-"which one of us is best" personally i think vash but thats my bad, im a vash girlie <3

-oh legato...i sadly would say no. youre human therefore you cant live, according to him...anyway...

-LIVIO TIMEEEEEEE :D

-"omg elendira youre so rude >:[" "BITCH WE'RE IN A FIGHT TO THE DEATH" xd

-"it just lifts my spirits ya see" :cccc livioooooooooo

-its not like i hated him before but im definitely enjoying his character way more now

chap 4:

-lets fucking go livio

-oh right.....oh no

-me: nightow what exactly is elendira-

nightow: shhh dont worry about it

-oh...oh thats hot actually

-legato pls leave my man aloneeeeeeeee

-omg theyre hereeeeeeeeeeeee

-"hes a very special person" he sure is <3

-something about vash hiding in the fog...hmmm idk it makes me sad

-oh, there he is

-fuck team humanity is getting their asses kicked

-LIVIO NO

-and...there he comes

-ah shittttttttt

chap 5:

-oh damn

-well damn there he goes

-razlo gets it >:3

-oh damn those eyes

-oh shit oh fuck oh shit (shes right tho)

-me: ok nightow now i really want to know what elendira is-

nightow with a gun: i said dont worry about it :)

-oh yes queen you fucking go ily sm

-oh shit oh ok so he still has his head, right

-damn you could say thats was the...final nail...to the coffin....*ba dum tsss*

chap 6:

-good to see razlo experiencing the human emotion called fear, get humbled

-interesting that skill ISNT enough. like razlo was cocky cuz yeah hes powerful af not because he had won many fights before. so if skill isnt enough then what is

-NOT THE WOLFWOOD FLASHBACK

-YESSSS

-something something my man refuses to be crucified, something something the power of change

-OH HES BACK HI :3

-oh i love these kinds of combos sm (im not saying i think thats how happens irl, im just saying i enjoy it in fiction)

-LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO

-aw :c

-YEAHHHHHH LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO >:D

-OOF OK THAT WAS GOOD SHIT

-you say that but youre bleeding queen

-razlo i kinda hate you cuz you killed him but no you cant leave now

-oh shit oh fuck no

chap 7:

-:c

-razlo and his methods were fucked, yes but its true that in the end it was to defend livio. in a world like that only razlo had his back

-..... :c

-geesus nightow, like thats junji ito kind of shit (imo)

-did it?????

-geesus christ thats a weapon

-.....im not really sure what just happened

-so is livio dead????

-NOPE HES HERE LETS GO YO

-oh shit i didnt...notice that....

-"and to him" STOP IT STOP IT

-wait-

-my queen no :c rip :c you were gorgeous

chap 8:

-NO GIRLY NOOOOOOOO :C

-oh god livio

-oh shit he knowssss

-bro pls leave my man alone, hes so tired

-pls dont mention his powers can act as a shield cuz that reminds me of the last time he did that :c

-omg its livio the teenager

-hes ok its fine

-"psst...pssst....can you stfu" XDDD

-GEESUS BRO OK. YOU WANT TO GET CUT IN HALF THAT BADLY HUH

-the chaos :c the destruction :c the russian doll :c

-LEGATO NO

-HOW

-ALSO I THINK HERE IS WHEN VASH'S COAT TURNS BLACK SOMEHOW RIGHT????? i was never sure

-stop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

chap 9:

-damn legato, dont look cool while youre trying to kill my son

-legato stoooooooooooop

-STOP IT VASH NO PLS, ALSO THE WAY NIGHTOW DREW THAT FLASHBACK???? LEAVE ME ALONE OLD MAN???

-funny enough until this point legato hasnt said anything about "breaking his spirit" so vash is just really feeling the choice coming at him, quickly, maybe too quickly

-wait whats happening?

-oh...oh :c (ALSO ORANGE IF YOU INCLUDE THAT IM GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU. LIKE IT WOULD MAKE SENSE CUZ VASH GOES AROUND HEALING PLANTS BUT STILL. SHUT UP ORANGE)

-"he might be the key for communication" yeah...wouldnt that be nice

-"and you knives, i will never forgive you" get in line

-you just cant ask "what kind of person vash is" cuz you either get a 5 hour lecture or 2 hours of ugly crying

-"i believe in how he chose to live his life" while vash is in the same shape as wet paper

trimax meryl "i believe in how he chose to live his life"

🤝 98 wolfwood "i see, so thats how you live. thats how you choose to live"

the sadddest and maybe kinda stupid decision ever, but in the end imagine being able to choose that after so much trauma. imagine not giving yourself to hate and fear

-oh shit :0 he shot the little box

-go go go GO GO GO

-AH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE HOLY CRAP

#AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #im gonna miss the bookclub #i will be busy so idk when i will be able to participate again #trigun #trimax #trigun maximum #trigunbookclub

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pancake-breakfast · 1 year ago

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Second week, second volume! Trigun Book Club!

Archive

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

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for Trigun Vol. 2, Covers + Extras, below.

Trigun Volume 2 Covers

The cover for this volume is so pretty, what with the plant all coming out of Vash's gun there.... Pretty and strange and kinda disturbing.

I wonder what's in those jars floating around the hairy-legged plant man thing. Are they even jars? Blood bags? Hard to say.

Hey! Wolfwood's on the back cover! WOLFWOOD IS ON THE BACK COVER!!!

Also, Legato Bluesummers. Shit.

Aaaand there's a blow-up doll on the fake back cover. Because why not.

There are a LOT of familiar faces on the back of the Japanese Volume 3 cover. I don't like it. They mean bad things are coming.

Ok, Legato's getting eaten by a shark on the fake version of it, though, and I think that's hilarious.

BUT NOT AS HILARIOUS AS MERMAID WOLFWOOD'S SEASHELLS AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'M DYING!!!! Nightow's obsession with this man's tits confirmed.

Extra 1: Day In Day Out

Ooh, a glimpse into the daily life of Mr. The Stampede? Why do I suspect donuts are part of it?

I'm gonna be honest; I did NOT peg Vash as an early riser. Then again, it might be important if you're on the run all the time.

LOL, I remember him not being very good at meditation.

I'm imagining that egg is hard-boiled. Or hollow. Like, this is still a good trick. No need to waste breakfast on it if it fails, though.

Three HOURS?? Dang, no wonder the guy's got skills. I can't do much of anything before breakfast.

Oh, fine. I guess it was a raw egg.

LOL, "John P. Smith." The most boring alias he could come up with. I wonder what the P stands for. Pseudonym, perhaps?

Psh, Vash can be plenty sneaky. But only in fights. Or when fleeing insurance agents.

Serious Vash expression! I seriously love all his expressions.

Gambling at chess. Ok, man. Whatever floats your boat.

LOL, he lost all his money. I take it back; he needs a new hobby.

Yeah, he's definitely letting the kids get him. As we see with how fast he switches to being the person in power when the motorcycle comes through.

Funny how much trouble one can stay out of by simply foregoing revenge.

Vash would like oldies....

Ew, this bike guy's kinda creepy.

"Sonic Sodom." Yyyyyeeeeaaaahhh, that's not exactly a name that inspires trust.

I love the irony in this panel. They're talking about how dangerous Vash is while he's (apparently) being taken down by a small child.

Dude. Who fires a gun to get people to shut up like that?! Rude.

LOL, the bleeping.

Props to this lady. She's like, "I don't care who you are. If you're gonna come in here, shoot things up willy-nilly, make threats, and swear at us, then you take your ass elsewhere." Like, this happens after this guy does all these things. Mad props.

They bleeped out all that stuff, but he still calls her a bitch....

Hahahaha, that's a wonderful way to take care of the issue. Good job, Vash!

Extra 2: Pilot

(Fair warning: I'm in a Mood as I write this due to some real life stuff, so apologies if it's overly vague or anything.)

Post-Hiroshima environment?? Damn.

Heck, I'd take two years of food as a form of payment....

Ahhhhh, this jacket! It lacks the sexy leg slits, but I still love it. Also it still somehow manages to show off his waist. And throwing the Love and Peace fingers with his clearly mechanical hand!

I'm in love with this first line. "We fell from the sky like droplets of rain." Poetry. MAJOR props to @trigun-manga-overhaul for their choices in both flow and rhythm for the words.

The second sentence is a lovely contrast, what with the rain versus the sun. But also a lovely parallel, as both images are destructive.

Covering a few additional elements here: metal, wind, sand/earth.

He can't ever escape being surrounded by graves, can he? Babygirl here needs a break. I love how small he is relative to the field of death.

HEY. The right alcoholic drinks are GREAT with ice!

Oh, shoot. I recognize this story from '98.

LOL, look at him go. This was my favorite Vash entrance in all of '98. It's very memorable. I hope Johnny Yong Bosch had a blast doing the voiceover for it.

He's just dancing away from the bullets, as if it's all just luck.

LOL, three guns. It's Trigun!

Goshdarn stupid flip-up glasses....

I love how quick his reaction goes from this (Seriously, what is he, a teenager??)...

...to this.

Psh, as if Vash the Stampede needs a measly pistol to wreak havoc.

Ah, the return of lecherous Vash. NGL, was kinda hoping that moment was an anime-only. Though they really took it and ran with it, though, didn't they?

You don't get to say, "That's no way to treat a lady!" to others when you were just looking up her skirt.

LOL, I love her response here. Perfect.

Huh. Something tells me these guys are after a bit more than a rich guy's "pocket money." Is it the fact that one of them shoved a gun in the daughter's mouth? Could be. Could be....

Distracting table-crash provided by... Vash the Stampede. I told you he didn't need a gun to wreak havoc. Though of course the whole incident gave the guy's friends time to restrain him and get him away from the girl before he did anything rash.

Look at him. He's just a little guy....

Vash, not taking any chances. Distraction might not be enough. Use Advanced Projectile Gum Technique!

This sure is a colorful cast of characters....

I'm just saying, they don't really seem like the type of folks the sheriff should have on speed dial.

I love how pissed off Vash looks as they're talking about how he'll kill them all if he shows up. This is the face of a man who's had it with your lies and slander.

Dude, the rich guy was like, "Just so long as my daughter lives," and the sheriff was like, "They'll do the job so long as you pay upfront," but girl's gonna get taken down in the crossfire.

Or, she would if Mr. The Stampede wasn't there.

The girl is physically ok, but mentally, she'll be scarred forever. That's some Hellsing/AoT-levels of, "This character is definitely dead."

Aaaand three panels later, Vash realizes he forgot to continue pretending to be tied up and tries to remedy the situation.

Bossman here (I mean the gang leader, not the actual character named Bostalk) was already suspicious of Vash. Now he's extra-suspicious.

Somehow, Vash revealing his identity has not made the Bossman less suspicious.

Vash, the multi-talented. He can fight and preach at the same time.

Oh, so the field of graves at the beginning isn't Vash's fault somehow. That's... good.

I mean, dear old dad might care a lot for his daughter, but he clearly stated he didn't give a shit about the lives of anyone else in the building.

Vash is disappointed in Bossman's life choices.

BTW, Vash's hair in this whole chapter just makes me think of thistle flowers.

Yes. Refusing to do so just leads to more cruelty.

Vash just let the guy shoot the man, huh?

Oh, he's not happy about it.

Ah, yes. There's the greedy sheriff I remember!

This sheriff mentioned his hired help didn't think anything of taking human lives, but it seems they're not the only ones.

Oh, no. Sheriff triggered Angry Vash.

Not really sure what happened in this panel save that Vash was at the center of a bunch of destruction. Again.

Ah, gun arm. I thought it might be gun arm. I couldn't remember.

I love the sheriff's expression here. Like, he literally has his own gun to Vash's face, and he's effing terrified.

Vash, dodging bullets again.

WTF, he shot him right in the badge. Talk about insult and injury. My boy knows what he's doing.

LOVE AND PEACE!!!

Hahahaha, everyone else just looks sooooo confused. Hopefully, they'll get it someday.

#thanks trigun #i was having a bummer of an evening #but i feel somewhat better now #trigunbookclub #trigun manga #volume 2 #pancake thoughts

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makima-s-most-smile · 1 year ago

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Trigun Ultimate 1 (Part 2)

Trigun Ultimate: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Trigun Maximum: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.

09 Chapter. Between Wasteland and Sky

Yeah, Vash! Are you even human? Or are you maybe… A SHONEN PROTAGONIST? Really, peeps and their pain tolerance!

Masking, are you? Or did you just remember that people voice their pain?

No, no, you don’t, Kaite! You are a fucking kid that was trapped between rock and a hard place! Sorry, but you literally had no agency to really decide stuff. You tried to survive. Now you are in a better place, but leave the fucking martyr complex at the door! We have enough of those already in the story. The adults and the world failed you. Yes, you can do better now, but that’s all. I have it up to here already for kids having to take responsibility for actions the adults forced onto them. Parentificiation and growing up too soon is surely a theme in the manga. But damn, I hate this and that Vash does not correct him. Sure, he is in a similar position, but damn, this sucks to read. Someone take those kids and adults that were kids when shit has happened and protect them!

I’ve already seen so many takes on this. It shows that humans are unable to communicate with the plants while being completely dependent on them, but also that Vash has a very different opinion on them than the average man. Humans say delicate and Vash calls her selfish, little girl. Is she selfish? Or is Vash just exhausted at the point and takes it out by talking about her (not on her!). He is in a frustrating position, but the plant is really not an active participant. Things are done to her and done to her body.

Plants need UV, water or oxygen. I still think that Nightow was still forming the lore, because if the plants need water, there isn’t much to go by and it would be a much more sparse ressource!

Kaite trying to sing 21th century dubstep!

Chapter 10: Little Arcadia

Aw, Milly and her family is so cute! I love her stamina to write all of them!

Gun safety is something only Vash seems to do in those lands. How many of the murders in the first chapter where done accidentally by babies handling guns?

I mean, Meryl is not wrong, but that is nothing that would make Vash angry. Poor dude.

And then capitalism came

Chapter 12: River of life

Meryl lost her father, most likely due to illness? But for many, closing yourself off can be part of growing up.

Nope, just our woman having problems communicating. Nice, that she reaches out in the end, though I’d disagree with the notion that the bonds of parents and children are inseparable. Our parents make us who we are, but that does not save us from their abuse and/or neglect, be it done by intent or accident. There are many families that work and are healthy. Milly, Meryl and even Badwick's families are examples for healthy ones. So the words coming out of the mouth of one of a healthy family should be taken with a grain of salt. We will meet other characters that are examples of the opposite.

#trigun bookclub #trigunbookclub #trigun rant #Trigun Ultimate 1.2 #trigun #trigun ultimate #zard rant

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lost-technology · 1 year ago

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Like, a thousand years later, I learned / found out / realized what this stuff was, and I have a personal story: So, okay, back when I first watched Trigun in 2001, I thought that this was just some weird Planet Gunsmoke food, like the future had different foodways, including, apparently, putting some kind of SPAM in spaghetti. I thought it was weird, but whatever. Cue Pandemic 2020. Our adult nephew was staying with us during the lockdown to keep him from being lonely in his little apartment - so my partner, him and I were a little family of three geeks. This will never happen again as said nephew died this January unexpectedly (not from Covid, we think it was a random heart-thing). Anyway, his name was Matt and one of the things that he and I shared was a passion for interesting food-shows. He turned me onto a live-action Japanese show on Netflix called “Samurai Gourmet.” It was an adorable little comedy-drama about a salaryman who was forced by his company to retire and didn’t quite know what to do with his days, especially at lunchtime because he’d always relied on the company-lunch. He starts exploring restaurants in his area and has other adventures in which he discovers the joys of food. He likes Samurai books and kind of has a guiding imaginary Samurai-spirit who encourages him to be brave. At least that’s how I remember it, I haven’t watched it since I watched it with Matt. One of the episodes had the main character going to a little cafe and ordering “Spaghetti Naopolotain” (I misspelled that, but can’t find the spelling). It was made with ham / bacon, onions, green pepper mushrooms and ketchup. Matt and I both went “Ketchup?!” and were sure that it was a mistranslation from tomato sauce. I looked up “ketchup spaghetti” online / or the name of the dish - something like that and found out that it was absolutely real. The history behind it was that someone at a hotel in Japan was suffering a scarcity of regular sauce and substituted ketchup and it was a hit. I found a recipe to make it (very simple) and... well, we tried it and it is GOOD. It hits differently than standard spaghetti because of the sweetness of the ketchup, and of course, the ketchup makes it a extra dark-red. And upon seeing the mess I made in the kitchen upon first making it, my brain had a FLASHBACK to Trigun - and this scene. And I realized “Dude, they were eating Spaghetti Naopolotain all this time! Why didn’t I know of this dish? What other cool food-secrets are you hiding in your anime and manga, Mr. Nightow?” Dried rock-hard toma-meat in Badlands Rumble, by the way, is apparently like bonito / a specific type of dried tuna commonly flaked off for soups. (I watched a Youtube video once where someone made a knife out of the stuff).

the horrid red spaghetti from "hang fire": vhs edition

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severalspoons · 4 years ago

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Long Rambling Trigun Meta Discussion 2

I *hate* the reply function in Tumblr. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t function. It doesn’t even open up a findable page so I can respond, and I can’t directly answer the reply. That’s why I reblog.

So, here’s the next best thing:

tiggymalvern

I don't recall anything like that fic you mention from either canon. It's a lovely idea, if only I could imagine Vash and Knives stopping arguing with each other for long enough to do it.

This fic I’m remembering was surprisingly hard to find, and now I’m wondering if it’s from FF.net rather than AO3. Will share once I find it!

The twins argue while doing it, IIRC, and have very different approaches. Luckily for the humans, in this fic the engineer likes the plant and takes care of it well, given how little is actually known about how to do so post-crash. Even so, Knives almost kills the engineer, but Vash stops him and leaves behind a little journal full of advice and encouragement.

IMO, I feel like this is something Vash would be motivated to do more than Knives:

-- to repair his relationship with Knives

-- because he feels responsible for the people Rem saved

-- because he wants the bulb plants to be safe and happy

(listed in the order I thought of them)

But Knives would see this as slight progress towards Vash seeing things his way, so he’d go with it. What do you think?

tiggymalvern

I've never been entirely clear on the manga ending myself, and I think Nightow left it somewhat ambiguous deliberately. Vash and Knives are fighting, and then the earth forces attack them both, Livia intevenes and Vash and Knives fly off and

six months later we find Vash in hiding with the people who saved him, because Knives convinced them to, and then Knives plants an apple tree to help feed the peopl looking after Vash, and then he vanishes...

I assume he chose not to stay with humans and just went off somewhere, but it's left open

Interesting! Yeah, I got the sense it was supposed to be deliberately ambiguous, too.

Many people say that Knives died giving his last energy to save Vash, to the point where I thought that was canon.

No matter what happened with Knives and the tree, I have questions. If Knives planted the tree before dying or disappearing or whatever, I’d want to know where he got the apple seeds, and if providing the energy to make that tree survive on Gunsmoke killed him. If he turned into a tree (which I thought was the canon, but maybe not?), how? I can see why you didn’t interpret Knives as turning into a tree.

All I know for sure is, if Knives were dying, he’d want to do it on his own terms. Ideally in a way that would express his point and make an impression on Vash. I was going to say that creating a tree doesn’t seem like Knives’ style, but then I thought about the apple tree scenes in the anime. However that tree came to be, Vash would most likely associate it with happier times on the ship. Maybe he’d be fucked up enough to see it as a gesture of love.

Maybe it was the closest thing to a gesture of love someone as manipulative and self-absorbed as Knives could manage...

tiggymalvern Knives really is a person with no middle ground. When he believed Rem's teachings, he believed them wholeheartedly, that everything would turn out fine and people just needed to be given a chance. When he rejected those teachings and decided it was all just rubbish, he went maximum speed to the other extreme. Reject ALL humans, not just the individuals who had proven that they suck. And reject as in eradicate, not just avoid...

I love Knives’ all-or-nothing way of being. Maybe because I know and love so many people with a little streak of that. And it’s so believable. Reminds me of a quote I read somewhere about how a misanthrope is a disillusioned idealist.

Knives thinks in utilitarian terms (”the greatest good for the greatest number with the least possible sacrifice”) as a kid for the few short scenes before he turns evil. He also seems to think in terms of groups rather than individuals (”humans,” “spiders,” “butterflies”). It saves him the grief Vash goes through at coming to know and lose so many people, but it also helps him justify a racist ideology. I love that about him, actually. If I were to write a Knives redemption fic, a key arc would be helping him learn to see others as individuals. I have a few paragraphs of something like that written...

Kids definitely need wonder and to see the beauty in the world, but it's also a good idea to mention the possibility of weird strangers offering candy that are best avoided. For these bizarre new non-human children, those warnings would have been extra pertinent, and maybe would have reduced the shock of what came after. Knives is definitely more mature than Vash in those flashbacks. Like you say, he wants to discuss issues with Vash, and Vash just parrots Rem.

Agree.

I have a theory. Earth, in Trigunverse, seems a lot like our world, only worse.

I’ve seen a lot of people’s sense of wonder, beauty, fun, and curiosity squished. I was the weirdo in preschool, among other four year olds, for being too much like that. Maybe on Trigun Earth, a bleak place to begin with, that’s the norm. (And destroying people’s wonder/curiosity/etc. leads to depression and the ennui of modern life, but that’s another essay).

Some people, like those who run Waldorf schools, overreact by going to the opposite extreme. The worst, most ideologically rigid ones, deliberately wait to teach kids to read so they can explore the world unmediated by words a little longer. (And will even discourage kids who learn to read early, grr). Waldorf philosophy assumes young kids are basically sensing, feeling, and imagining beings, rather than thinking ones.

I get the sense that Rem is one of these sorts. She was squashed and made to feel worthless for the way she saw the world. Maybe that’s part of the reason she was so depressed and needed Alex’s help. She’s raising the twins the way she wished she had been raised.

That sort of parenting wasn’t appropriate for a plant, of course. But no one had raised independent plants to adulthood before. No one knew what was appropriate. No one knew how to teach them about danger (or how not to).

Growing up as a neurodivergent person in the Dark Ages, the only kid with allergies and sensory processing problems, etc., I understand all too well how badly things can go when even the most loving parents just don’t know what to do, and can’t find helpful information anywhere. Where helpful information isn’t just hard to find, but it doesn’t exist yet.

So as critical as I’m being of Rem, I sympathize with her. She really didn’t have much to go on but her own knowledge and experience, and she bravely did the best she could.

Vash isn't thinking for himself yet, but he's a kid, so that's allowable. It does make it harder for Knives, though, who feels he has to be responsible for them both.

You know, Knives does feel responsible for them both, and I hadn’t thought much about it and about the implications of that. No wonder he was so frustrated and furious. There’s definitely a sense of “something is deeply unfair and wrong” for a child trying to raise not only themselves, but their younger sibling(s). Perhaps that’s part of the reason I saw Knives as caring about Vash, in his toxic, screwed up way.

Plant biology is MASSIVELY confusing, and the more you try to piece it together, the more your head hurts LOL. But I think that's almost the point? ...Leaving the readers struggling to figure out the plants is the human perspective.

What do you think about the anime being so much from a human pov, especially considering that the most important characters in it are not?

Wolfwood is the support Vash needs to learn to control his plant powers among other things, the powers that have terrified Vash for so long that he ignored them. But Wolfwood isn't scared of them - or rather, he is, but not scared enough to abandon Vash because of them. He knows all about Vash, he knows all about July and the hole in the moon, he's seen Vash transform into some weird crazy thing with feathers, and Wolfwood still stays. Wolfwood lets Vash know that Vash's mistakes can be forgiven, and Vash is still a worthwhile person despite them. And because Wolfwood believes it, Vash can start to believe it.

Between how well you put this and the dynamic itself, I’m...blown away and don’t know what to say.

– “Vash, take care of Knives.” This breaks my heart because so far … he hasn’t. First he follows Knives around. Then abandons him. Then attacks him. I really do think Vash was trying. He followed Knives around for so long while being so angry with him for what he'd done, and yes, part of that was because he didn't want to be alone himself, but part of it was him trying to follow Rem's advice.

Yeah, true, he did try at first. I undervalued it because by the time the series starts, that was far into the past and Vash probably doesn’t even remember it, but still.

In the manga, Rem specifically says, 'Vash, don't leave Knives alone,' because I think she recognises that Knives is prone to extremes and needs a balance.

See, that instruction makes so much more sense. And I think the plants would have agreed. (Well, of course they would. They’re a collective consciousness, after all).

Rem probably also knew it’s bad for anyone’s health or sanity to be alone, and an emotionally unstable twin plant even more so. Knives would be in a solitary confinement of his own making.

Vash tried and tried to get Knives to change; he spent so much effort trying to explain why genocide wasn't the answer. But Vash failed, and eventually he recognised that he was always going to fail. So he left Knives, because he needed a life that wasn't that failure. He needed to do something to compensate for Knives. He took upon himself the responsibility of not only protecting the humans from Knives, but protecting the humans from the worst in themselves, which Knives' actions brought to the surface. And that is one hell of a lot to take on, and not a recipe for a happy life.

Yeah, that’s...a heroic life, but not a happy one. In a way, it seems almost as doomed as trying to change Knives.

#trigun #meta #character analysis #vash the stampede #knives millions #millions knives #rem saverem #baby plants #oversharing #me irl #nicholas d. wolfwood #vash/wolfwood #vash the stampede/nicholas d. wolfwood #vashwood #killing time #fucked up sibling relationships #trigun anime #headcanons

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sinjaangels · 7 years ago

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Merciful Red - Kekkai Sensen Fan Fic

Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront

Story and Characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow

Merciful Red

Hellsalem's Lot was once New York and is now known as the city of miracles due to a great supernatural catastrophe called the Great Collapse. Where the impossible is possible. But what is a miracle? According to the dictionary, a miracle is an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

Leona Watch and her young brother, Michel came to Hellsalem's Lot with their parents. The Watch Family had hoped to experience a miracle for Michel to walk again. What they experienced wasn't the miracle that was desired. The Watch Siblings encountered an ancient deity. The deity made the siblings choose who would pay the price for the "Eyes of the All-Seeing Gods". While Leona was paralyzed with fear, Michel had spoken up willing to pay the price. Michel's sight was taken and the magical artifact replaced Leona's eyes. As quickly as the deity arrived, it disappeared, and time resumed. However, Michel was not only crippled but blind.

Leona was devastated by her failure as a sister. She couldn't bear the grief and disappointment of their parents. Weeks later Leona gave up everything to make it up to Michel. She gives up her current life to move to Hellsalem's Lot. She had two goals: one, to support her brother financially and her main goal to find a way to reverse the damage she should have prevented.

Leona arrived in Hellsalem's Lot during a cold Late February. All she had was the coat on her back and a rolling suitcase. She was taking her first trip through the subways standing on a platform nose deep into a brochure map. It was Friday the thirteenth and Leona would forever remember this day and the number thirteen for all eternity. For when she lowered the map and looked down the platform, her magical eyes caught sight of a beautiful crimson aura. It wrapped around a woman that was just as beautiful with short lavender-pink hair and pale skin. The woman glances at her with wide red eyes. They stare at each other until the woman slowly smiles. A multitude of squeaking and flapping of leather wings surrounded Leona. The eerie creak of a door opened behind her. Over her shoulder, she saw a doorway within the dark cape of a creepy man in a hat. Suddenly, the woman leaped across the platform and pushed Leona through the door. They fell into the doorway and they and the door disappeared with no one the wiser. Leona gazed up in horror at the woman wicked grin with bright-eyed excitement. She forced open one of Leona's eyes and the gleaming azure orbs decorated with ancient runes glowed on her the woman's face.

"Ah, the Eyes of the All-Seeing Gods! Must be my lucky day!"

Leona was taken by the Elder Blood Breed Valsh Rozzo Valctovoel Girika to the depths of the Alterworld. Girika was a very powerful Blood Breed but Girika wanted to elevate her status further. She was delighted with her discovery of Leona and intended to have her as her servant. Leona became a Blood Breed after her thirteenth bite. The mark of turning appeared over her chest, beneath her collarbone in the form of a pair of black raven wings with the roman numeral 13 between the wings. But she was far from loyal to her mistress. Girika discovered that Leona's eyes resisted her power to control her mind. Every so often, Girika would bring a fresh living human and try to entice her to feed. To give in to the bloodthirsty savagery that may perhaps weaken her resolve. Once Girika brought her a baby to cruelly tease her. When Leona adamantly refused, Girika fed on the poor infant right in front of Leona, draining him of every precious drop. In horror and in despair, Leona activates her eyes and took over Girika's sight by accident. Girika was thrown off balanced for a moment before she ends Leona's control by slamming Leona's skull against the floor! With this discovery of an ability, Leona's courage renews. Thus, began the six-month struggle between the two Blood Breeds.

By the sixth month, Leona was terribly weak and thin. She had never partaken in the blood freely. At times, Girika, much to her disgust and frustration, had to force Leona to drink. It was a fight every time and Leona violently resisted, spitting and chocking to prevent ingesting the blood. Girika lost her temper and started beating Leona. She was merciless as going so far as ripping her skin, breaking her bones and even tearing her limbs away! Leona would be tortured this way for hours and hours until Girika's anger abated.

Leona was lying in the corner of the room missing her arms and legs in a large pool of her blood. She gasped raggedly, her body throbs in pain with every breath. Tears and snot mix with the blood on her face. There was the sound of a pop and a tiny hoot. Leona opened her eyes and saw a little white monkey staring at her.

"What….what are you doing here?" she asked. "You better leave…before she…comes back…she'll kill you…"

Leona had never seen a mach monkey before. Mach monkeys were a hybrid creature between a Beyondian and surface world animal. Mach monkeys are incredibly fast creatures that can break the sound barrier, hence the popping sound. The naked human eye can never track the movements of the elusive creatures. Another important note was their level of intelligence. These monkeys are so smart that they have been known to steal small electronics such as phones and cameras to pawn for money which they spend for food.

The monkey sitting before Leona's limbless body happened to be passing between the two worlds of the Alterworld and the surface world. He had heard Leona's cries as she was tortured. Usually, mach monkeys tend to flee from dangerous scenes, but it had sympathized with the poor girl's screams. He had watched in horror as each limb was ripped off and nearly fled when Girika devoured them. When the horrible woman was gone, the monkey slipped in through a small barred window and checked on her. The girl had the same scent of a Blood Breed as the woman that had left, but her soft voice and her concerns for his welfare made him feel safe to approach Leona. He licked her tears and blood off her face. It was the first time in months that Leona felt such sweet gentleness even if it was from an animal. It moved her so deeply, her tears returned, and the monkey licked those up too. Leona shivered at the sound of the tiny animal's beating heart. She could hear the fresh living blood that rushed through his veins. She had felt her fangs unsheathe and she hissed. The monkey leaps back alarmed.

"….I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Leona wept.

With a pop, he was gone. Leona cried harder and apologized repeatedly to herself. She screamed and cursed. With the little strength she had at the time, she lifted her head with her neck and banged her head against the dirty floor soaked with her blood. She stilled at the sound of a pop. When her head lifted she was stunned to see the monkey again with a two-headed rat, each head that eight-eyes like a spider. It was dead and the monkey pushed it towards her. He had offered the blood of another animal. Would it be okay, Leona asked to herself. It was already dead and it was an animal. She opened her mouth and the rat was set between her fangs. Leona's eye's had been a flickering blue, but when she had finally taken blood, they became a bright as a red moon. She body went from cold to lukewarm and then it had gone back to cold when the rat was drained. Leona shook and whined. Her body was roaring for more.

"Go away!" she whimpers. "Go away before I hurt you…"

There was a pop and he was gone. After he was gone, Girika appeared and Leona felt her fury.

"You…" she glances at the rat. "…are a disgusting disgrace!" she shrieks.

Leona screams in fear and agony.

Strangely, the monkey came back the next time and took notice of a larger pool of blood and deep gashes and flesh bitten off her body. Leona lies on her stomach, still limbless. The monkey whimpers and pats Leona's cheek.

"….mon…key…" her voice was hoarse and cracking.

The monkey whines.

"Help…me…please…"

Leona lifts and turns her head. She places the monkey's paw on one side of her canines. Gently, she closes her mouth and pricks the monkey's paw. The monkey squeaks but the pinch was gone in seconds. It reached behind his back and scratched it vigorously. Under the white fur the roman numeral one is tattooed on the dark skin of his back.

Every day, for thirteen days, the monkey would visit to comfort Leona and each time, he received a pinch.

After he received the thirteenth bite, the monkey felt a strong connection to Leona. He felt a powerful need to return to her and he went. Leona was alone. He popped right in front of her. Leona smiles weakly.

"You came," her eyes were glowing red instead of blue. The monkey's own eyes were glowing red.

Leona flinches, "She's coming!"

The monkey felt Girika's approach. His short fur stood on end and he arched his back. His instincts were telling him to flee. The bond that was cemented through Leona's fangs kept him there. He faced the door and growls with his eyes glowing brighter and redder. Girika enters and raises an eyebrow.

"Hmmm? What's this filthy beast doing here?"

Leona could see the monkey's crimson aura grow larger and larger, wrapping around the monkey. Leona grits her teeth and her eyes flash. The monkey shrieks and crimson wings hide his tiny form…

There was an explosion of power and a great ape leaps out of an Alterworld building. The beast soars through the air over 200-feet! It lands on the roof of an apartment building. In the crook of one of his hard biceps, Leona was being cradled. The beast looks around snuffling his nose in the air. He groans and looks down on Leona. Leona gazes up to the sky. Around them were floating buildings on slabs of land. Some of the buildings were from the human side as debris. There were flying monsters of varying sizes flying alone or in flocks. Further above was the dense fog flowing out of the Alterworld and out into the human world.

"I…want to go home…."

The beast grunts, crouching low to the floor he leaps into the air with a great sonic boom! It was like an explosion and it created a crater on the roof. The beast takes great leaps launching off floating plots of land and debris until it disappears into the fog and blasts out of it to fly over twinkling, colorful lights of the nightscape of Hellsalem's Lot. A mid-air sonic boom goes off and the beast makes a great and powerful landing on the roof of a five-star hotel. Its guests on the uppermost levels felt the impact with the shuddering walls and flickering lights. The beast moves Leona into his paw and he whines. Leona gazes onto his face and smiles before opening her eyes wide. The blue artifacts shine brighter than before piercing through the night fog and gazes on the stars and planets in the far heavens.

"Thank you so much!"

The beast grins, baring his sabretooth fangs. With a deep hoot and sonic boom, he disappears with his mistress.

At a seedy bar somewhere in the rougher than normal part of the city, two men were having heavy drink in tall, wide mugs. Like the fog outside, there was a fog of hazy smoke gathering at the ceiling, spiraling out of cigarettes in hands and ashtrays. The smoke imitated a hot pink aurora borealis in the pink and gold neon lightning. Tending the bar was an eyeless Beyondian with a bulbous, mushroom-like head. He was thin and wore a nicely tailored suit. He looks towards the young lady sitting at the far end of the bar. She had her own little glass filled with the galaxy blue alcohol. Sitting before her was a little mach monkey, with his own glass. The young lady had thick fluffy hair that trailed down her back. Her eyes were so squinty that you couldn't tell the color of her eyes. But, she had a charming and pretty face. The girl smiles down at the monkey and raises her glass. The monkey hoots and they clink their glasses together. The two men were eyeing her, taking the swell of her breasts under her white tank top. The naked bit of thigh peaked between her short, blue jean shorts and thigh-high navy blue leggings. The two men grinned at each other as they stood up and make their approach. They sit on each side of the girl.

"How you doin'?" the man on the left slurs.

"Don't think I see a pretty young thing like yer'self here before," the man on her right grins.

"Mmm, I just moved here. Sonic and I are just celebrating our freedom."

Sonic hoots and sips his whiskey. The girl giggles and sips her drink slowly savoring the sparkling brew, tilting her head back lengthening her neck. One of the men whistles and waggles his eyebrows. The other man was drooling over the lovely expanse of skin on her chest. He blinks several times when he finally notices the tattoo.

"Whoa, that's some sweet ink! Wings and…what number is that?"

Setting her glass down, the girl replies, "It means 13. It's an unlucky number for me."

In their drunken daze, they frown at that, "Unlucky number? Then why put it on you?"

"As a reminder of an unfortunate day…when I first arrived here. To always be careful in Hellsalem's Lot."

"Awww, I'm sorry to hear that, baby."

"Why don't you tell us what happen?"

The young woman smiles sweetly, "Sure! Though it's a very personal story…can we go somewhere private?"

The men's eyes widen with glee. They finish their mugs and slam them down on the bar. One of them pays for theirs and the girl's drinks while the other helps the girl off the stool. The monkey had disappeared, his shot of whiskey empty.

The girl is followed from behind, leading them deeper and deeper through the maze of alleyways and backstreets. They arrive at a small church hidden between two buildings. The Great Collapse had completely altered the streets and landmarks of former New York City. Small abandoned buildings such as this small steeple of a church are hidden. Inside the church were simply just dusty and cracked pews, at the back of the church the altar with a podium and toppled over chairs. The girl gazes on the stained glass of a cross, the city lights are seen through.

"Heh, pretty kinky…getting naughty in the church," the man licks his lips.

"We're not here to get kinky," sighs the young woman. "We're here to feed."

A great white beast drops down from the rafters. Whipping around the men found the beast completely blocking the exit. It's large red eyes flash over them. It lunges it long arms out and grabs a man into each of his paws. He growls and gradually squeezes them. They yell out in pain until they passed out. Leona joins Sonic and they gaze over the unconscious men. Leona crouches over them with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, but…we got to eat."

Sonic returns to his original size he joins Leona as she hovers over one of the men. She lifts the man off the ground and brings her lips to his neck. Sonic takes the man's hand and sinks his tiny yet long fangs in. Their eyes glowed bright and red.

Two finely dressed men stood in a hospital room looking over the two other men from the bar who were unconscious and handcuffed to their beds. On the side of their necks were taped white gauze. Their hands each had a simple band-aid. A tall man wore a full charcoal suit, with a blue shirt and yellow tie. He had dark, wavy short hair and soft maroon eyes. His most outstanding feature was a pale scar that ran close to the corner of left lip up his cheek and reaching underneath his hair. He was reading one of the men's charts. The other man was of greater stature, standing a foot and taller than his companion. He wore a waistcoat vest with a red back and gray front over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt. His slacks were a dark gray and his dress shoes were brown. Short red hair curtained his bright green eyes and glasses. His two remarkable features were his thick red sideburns and his most unusual fanged underbite. The red-haired man crosses an arm and rests his hand in his chin as he goes into his thoughts.

The man in the suit sighs and returns the chart.

"This has been happening for the last two months." The man looks out the window, "and on a full moon too. It's definitely a Blood Breed…but…"

"This is entirely different from any ordinary Blood Breed."

"It's so strange, Klaus."

The tall, red-haired man, Klaus, doesn't reply.

"It's unheard of. A Blood Breed that takes a nibble from their victims and…throws them back? No, not just throw them away…they had the…." Steven throws his hand and gestures out between the two men. "They had the…decency to deliver them to a hospital for treatment. It's obvious that they have been bitten…but the doctors had checked over them several times every hour for three days searching for any numeral tattoos. But nothing had appeared! They haven't been turned. It doesn't make any sense! Why?!"

"These two are the first pair of the night. By midnight, there will be another pair and a final pair before sunrise," mentions Klaus.

Steven sighs exasperatedly. The door slams open and a man in a tan trench coat, a flip of dark hair over his eye and possibly a little shorter than both men stomps into the room.

"Godammit, Starphase! What the hell are you doing here?!" he roars.

"Ah, Lieutenant Law," Steven smiles.

"Good evening, Lt. Law." Klaus nods his head.

Daniel Law growls in frustration and decides to focus on the other two men.

"I'm assuming you've come to collect these men?" asks Klaus.

"Yeah," Daniel sighs, "…again, this Blood Breed or vampire-whatever victims have warrants like the other victims. Henry McGinnis wanted for several counts of assault. Jack Benning…this bastard is wanted for a hit-and-run…the kid was only 7-years old."

Steven narrows his eyes and Klaus' mouth is strained.

"This vampire is picking her victims well. We and the hospital are learning to keep a hold on them recently. When this first started, the victims didn't stick around to talk to police because they had warrants."

"But the ones that are able to give an account had very little information. They don't remember anything. They know that it was a girl but when they are asked to give a description they all said that a blue light flashes in their minds when they tried to remember a face," shakes Steven's head.

Daniel clicks his tongue in frustration as he continues, "What really throws me off, is the tinier bite marks on the hands!"

Steven nods, "Yeah, I can't fathom what made that."

Klaus looks to Steven, "We're going to have to call in a specialist."

Steven chuckles, "I'm sure 'Lucky' is already on his way. Brand new vampire behavior! He wouldn't miss this for the world."

"The media and the public are buzzing," Daniel adds. "This mystery woman is becoming a newborn urban legend…they've given her dozen of names."

"Red Mercy…" Klaus begins to list, "Vampire Angel…the Merciful Vampire….Mercy Vamp…Merciful Red."

"Damn," Daniel scratches his head, "This city has to surpass itself in the realm of the weird every day."

#kekkai sensen #kekkai sensen AU #kekkai sensen fan fiction

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