#not that i blame any of you vash is the guy ever

[paintalyx]

finish trigun >:)

you heard the man

[nexadarling]

Trigun Explicit Recs!

So it turns out there are too many good fics in this fandom and I maxed out the amount of links allowed in a single post (it's 100 btw) so I decided to split the E rated stuff from everything else, cause it makes sense to me.

I offer you my list of smut, organized by wordcount! Most of which will also give you so many emotions cause what is Vashwood with out self-loathing and biblical references. This is a living document and I update it regularly, so come check back for more recs!!

I tried to tag all the authors who have tumblrs, but if I missed someone pls tag them/let me know!

Any fic that features "+" after the word count is on-going/uncompleted, and they are all listed at the end. As they finish, I will add the final word count and place them accordingly.

Check the tags yall!!!

a softer world by Harubo ( @helloharubo) - 2k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Painter Vash; Doctor Wolfwood; Reincarnation vibes; Wolfwood has regular dreams of Vash where he's covered in scars and full of a deep, aching sadness. When he wakes up, he needs his husband to reassure him he's still in one piece

not dying, then by amaiyo - 2k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp (I think? iirc); Plant Heat; Vash goes into heat and Wolfwood does his best to help, but man is he kinda lost; this is so fucking good, Vash is such a mess, and honestly so is Wolfwood but he's just trying to keep up, poor guy

Ask Without Speaking by ChenamaReel - 2k; Vashwood; E; Trimax; Wolfwood comes to Vash's room to wake him from a nightmare, and stays. Halfway through the night they both wake up to a very compromising position; Listen I've read this an embarrassing amount of times, the feelings packed into this tiny fic are amazing and it's really hot okay????

la petite mort by @babeyxiao-art and expertfool - 3k; Vashwood; E; Trimax; Vash and Wolfwood get drunk and argue in an alley. A threat turns into… something much different; this did something to my brain chemistry for sure, I fully blame it for my newly found gun kink

My Body's Moving Into Retrograde by Sacramental_Wine - 3k; Vashwood; E; Wolfwood makes Vash want something for himself for once

you'll leave me lonely at best by @procrastinating-bookworm - 3k; Vashwood; E; Post-Badlands Rumble; You know the fucking drill, it's time for some widow Wolfwood reunion sex; God I love the way this fandom explores the hell Wolfwood went through before Vash pops back up like "Jk guys, I'm not dead!"

Heat Waves by @revenantpoet - 3k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Vash is having more regular plant heats because of Wolfwood. Wolfwood helps him out (in the car lol) and tries really hard not to think about the fact that he triggers such a reaction from Vash; I like my smut with a side of angst and Vashwood brand repression! This is that exactly, and it's really fucking hot. Blowing so many loving kisses at Rev for this

when your stitch comes loose by @starkillling - 4k; Vashwood; E; Vashwood's relationship with Vash's wings

Your Beauty Never, Ever Scared Me by Sacramental_Wine - 5k; Vashwood; E; Wolf shifter Wolfwood (if you've ever seen Wolf's Rain it's like that); Vash helps an injured wolf, the next morning a man shows up at his door; no cause this is so cute Vash is so baffled at first by Wolfwood’s appearance I love them so much???

Strange Powers by @tenshinokorin - 5k; Vashwood; E; they accidentally get high and fuck about it; I laughed my ass off reading this, pls, it's so good

when I picture you by @pinklicour - 5k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - College; This is just a silly little fic about Vashwood hooking up, but Wolfwood's pining is so precious and I've reread the scene where they actually become a couple several times cause it makes me so happy; Mack always keeps me so well feed with all the cutesy vw concepts

Little Pieces of the Nothing that Fall by starkstateofmind - 5k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; it rains and Vash manic pixie dream girls himself into bed with Wolfwood; i kinda stared at a wall for a little after reading this, it's really beautiful and I might also be a manic pixie dream girl

Sing Pretty Melodies on the Motel Bed by @amphetamine-keen - 5k; Vashwood; E; Trimax vibes; Wolfwood convinces Vash to try a vaginal plug; this is just smut but I did read it at least twice. idk what that says about me, but it does say that it's a good fic. And that I have a new toy I need to buy– ANYWAY

fire, nicotine, and iron by quietfaun - 5k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Dirtbag Wolfwood, cause it's a weakness I have; Vash gets Wolfwood shot and feels really bad about it. After all, he was really just picking up a stranger for a good night, he wasn't looking to get pulled into Vash's world; Wolfwood is so fucking nasty in this and I am exactly as into it as Vash is, lord help me

Sing, Sweet Salvation by Bohemienne - 5k; Vashwood; E; Trimax/98; Vash ignores his feelings for Wolfwood just a little too long, and his body decides to Do Something about it. It gets... monster-y; You I'm a sucker for some creature Vash and some monsterfuckery!! Hell yeah

Nothing but Neon by just_a_lil_shipmate - 5k; Vashwood, E; Trimax/98; Vash and Wolfwood go to bed like normal--totally normal, nothing wrong with sharing a bed with your friend no matter how much Vash wants it to be more. Vash wakes up with Wolfwood hard against him and maybe gets a little carried away; I fully blame this fic for me liking somno, but it just manages to be the right amount of soft and hot

what you need by amaiyo - 6k; Vashwood; E; sequel to Not Dying, Then; Vash wants to make up for falling asleep after Wolfwood helped him the first time with his heat; Bottom Wolfwood supremacy!! Man gets his shit wrecked, physically and emotionally

disarm you with a smile by gloriousporpoise - 6k; Vashwood; E; Canon-verse; Friends With Benefits; 5+1; It gets harder and harder for Wolfwood not to kiss Vash; You will--and I mean you will--spend this entire fic chanting 'kiss him! kiss him! kiss him!' and be disappointed when he doesn't despite knowing it doesn't happen until the clearly labelled 5th scene

welcome to the beautiful place by @pinklicour - 7k; Vashwood; E; Vash watches Wolfwood interact with a kid for too long and has Feelings about it, turns out Wolfwood feels the same; biting them, shaking them like dog toys, let them have a family goddammit

Nothing Left to Hide by GGumdrops - 7k; Vashwood; E; Wing fic wing fic wing fic; Vash is clearly uncomfortable but doesn't want to tell Wolfwood why. When he finally convinces Vash to show him, he preens his wings for him

in other words by riverenne - 7k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Triple-amputee Vash; Unsurprisingly, Vash and Wolfwood are running, and Wolfwood learns a lot about the whirlwind that is Vash; listeeeennnn they're so desperate for each other

when you've laid your hands upon me by amaiyo - 7k; Vashwood; E; Vash gets feverish and delirious, and Wolfwood wants so badly to help. It's not until he's really out of it that Vash realizes what's happening: a heat that can only be triggered by intense emotion linked to an individual; Vash loves Wolfwood so much it sends him into heat and he's so worried about driving Wolfwood off but he needs him so bad

you tear down my reason by halfdemonvash - 8k; Vashwood; E; .... trimaxVashwood/stampedeVashwood; yeah it's selfcest, i'm not sorry about it, it's so fucking good

Bind Your Faith in Scars and Tape by just_a_lil_shipmate - 8k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - College; Vash pines after Wolfwood, and then properly falls for him when they're forced to spend time in the university greenhouse regularly; Meryl is my favorite

perfect world by outdoorcats - 8k; Vashwood; E; sequel to Water Supply; less drunk but more (beautifully) emotional; "What if we ran away and got married" vibes

bad moon rising by crocodile - 8k; Vashwood; E; Urban Fantasy AU; Vampire Vash; Werewolf Wolfwood; Hunter Wolfwood; T4T; The author describes this as slice of life between vampire and vampire hunter and like yeah that's exactly what this is and it fucks

water supply by outdoorcats - 9k; Vashwood; E; they get wine drunk and get like emotionally horny; this is so fucking beautiful they’re so in love I hate it here

Holding My Breath by @nekotachis - 9k; Vashwood; E; Canon-verse; Vash tells Wolfwood he's never been on a date, so Wolfwood takes him on one. Feelings are definitely not had during said date

the perfectest herald of joy by riverenne - 9k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Vash has a lot of self-soothing habits that drive Wolfwood absolutely insane; I am so unwell about how River writes Wolfwood for real

Dark evil ocean, I’m craving more by Albedothighs - 9k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Mer; OrcaWood; Human Vash; Vash and Wolfwood work together so Vash can temporarily be a mer, that way they can be together when storms would otherwise keep them apart. Of course, instead they have a lot of fun exploring Vash's new body together

Trial and error by Anonymous - 10k; Vashwood; E; Vash has freaky plant parts and is pretty sure he can't orgasm, but he's happy to be with Wolfwood however he wants! Wolfwood is determined to prove Vash wrong; Literally cannot get enough of unconventional, incompatible plant stuff for Vash, so this was very fun

like the holding of hands (like the breaking of glass) by @flowercitti - 10k; Vashwood; E;  Tristamp; Vash wakes up after the sandsteamer and faces Wolfwood's full knowledge of his inhumanness; (spoilers WW still thinks Vash is beautiful)

Where The Delicate Stops (Show Me) by @nexadarling - 10k; Vashwood; E; Trimax; Creature Vash; Predator/Prey; Wolfwood sets off Vash's competitive nature and gets chased through the woods. He likes it more than expected; shameless self-plug, I'm just real proud of this one

corsetry, couture, and how (not) to court your coworker by Umbr_el_on - 10k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Fashion; Fashion Designer Wolfwood; Model Vash; Wolfwood chooses Vash to debut his new creation, and he really does try so very hard to be professional about it; oooohh boy what a way for Vash to realize he has a huge thing for breathplay, damn

geoplant medicinals by @avoidingavoidance - 11k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Wolfwood accidentally gets soooo fucking high. Vash joins him and they have some frankly awesome sex; Wolfwood spends this whole fic being sickeningly in love with his boyfriend and thinking about how pretty Vash is and I love it

the sun is warm (i miss your smile) by mor (mornin) ( @bakubaji) - 12k; Vashwood; E; Vamp Vash/Vamp Hunter Wolfwood; Modern AU

with the same sweet shock of when Adam first came by feelingfoxylmao - 12k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - BDSM Scene; Wolfwood fucks up at the BDSM club and Vash (consensually and pre-scripted) teaches him his lesson; Dom Vash, Sub Wolfwood; Vash makes Wolfwood bark, what more could I possibly say to make you want to read this??? It's wonderful; slight secondhand embarrassment warning for the beginning where Wolfwood fucks up, but it's worth getting through, trust me

take my breaking heart (and tear it all apart) by johnnyfucksup - 12k; Vashwood; E; Wolfwood tries not to let himself want. Enter Vash, who ruins those plans

Late Night Confessional by ValiantRose ( @sleepyartcryptid) - 12k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU I think?; Trans Wolfwood; Priest Wolfwood; Vash comes to confess his sins... he technically commits more instead, but who’s counting?

and our walls fall like jericho by thechaoscryptid - 12k; Vashwood; E; Canon-verse; Wolfwood doesn't want. He doesn't. He doesn't. (He does); Every time Wolfwood tries so hard and fails at keeping down his affection for Vash I lose my goddamn mind

Like Eden by @RevenantPoet - 12k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Vash takes Wolfwood to the bio-dome on Ship 3, and they open up to each other a little more than he was expecting; Rev's poetry is so nice and the way they handle the intimacy between these two melts my brain a little. Both the sexual and emotional

Within Us An Orchard by plumtoad - 13k; Vashwood; E; Vash is a sad plant boi, so Wolfwood cheers him up feat. fruit

to control against the pull by catchatter ( @needlab7) - 13k; Vashwood; E; A/B/O; "Wolfwood tries to help out the bro and gets consumed with The Longing"; It is my personal mission to make everyone read this. Please, even if you don't like omegaverse just give it a chance I am begging you

I know I'm gonna die of this by @orcelito - 13k; Vashwood; E; T4T; Vash doesn't like to be touched during sex. He does, however, desperately want to fuck Wolfwood. Wolfwood shows him exactly how much he appreciates it; THE Strap Fic; the fact that this is part of a series based on Nothing But Thieves' song Impossible has me incredibly fucked up; Nico, darling, thank you for writing this, it was delightful

Give Me Mercy No More. by hollyleighannee ( @wytchsbrew) - 14k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Bodyguard Wolfwood; During a sandstorm, Vash spends a special night with his secret boyfriend; OH MAN OH GOD WOW; first of all this Wolfwood... I gotta go sit down for a second, damn; the sex is hot, but the emotions are hotter, Wolfwood is so careful to give Vash everything he wants and cares so much, they are both so in love; Holly your fics give me so much joy, I'm so sorry for decimating your notifications

sunshower by crocodile - 14k; Vashwood; E; Reincarnation AU; Friends With Benefits; Age Gap; 500 years later, Vash finds Wolfwood... kind of; look this is so good Vash has so many feelings, but Wolfwood is his own person, but he's also definitely Wolfwood and everything is different but nothing really is and aaaaaaahhhh

resurrection men by spicecandy - 14k; Vashwood; E; Reincarnation AU; Post-Trimax; Vash has a pull to him that Wolfwood can't ignore, something that makes him hang around town much longer than he normally would. He doesn't want to examine that too much; All the little hints of memory in this that Wolfwood doesn't catch and Vash balks over are my favorite

Amarillo Sky by just_a_lil_shipmate - 15k; Vashwood; E; Cowboy/Angel AU; Vash makes Wolfwood realize maybe he's not better off alone; this fic set off my obsession with cowboy Wolfwood…

try my hardest (if you ask me to) by nbagenda - 15k; Vashwood; E; the team stays at Ship 3, and Wolfwood has Feelings about everything being so clean (and so much gay panic about Vash);  this one uses he/they interchangeably for Vash which I really really love

in love with my own sins by spicecandy ( @gaycowboyjesus) - 15k; Vashwood, Vash/Vash, Wolfwood/Wolfwood; E; Trimax VW meet Tristamp VW; listen the everything between everyone is so good but the romantic tension between Tristamp VW is so cute

Gun Barrel Red Hot by varelsen ( @cloudstrifing) - 17k; Vashwood; E; plant heat plant heat plant heat plant hea-; Wolfwood notices Vash is gone and goes to check on him. Naturally, he gets way more than he expected and lets go of some feelings in the process. Vash… maybe makes a little mistake about that later; eating this whole, just absolutely devouring it

Long Goodbyes by ChenamaReel - 17k; Vashwood; E; Trimax;  After the Arc and before the orphanage, Vash and Wolfwood talk about the what-ifs of the future. With the knowledge of their respective missions, their normal flirting banter turns to something more real; crying sobbing, shoving this in your face

waking up in vegas by kae_karo - 17k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; They wake up married to each other in Vegas after a night they barely remember. They try to track down the chapel they got married in, but kinda don't wanna undo it by the end of the day; listen this is just so cute they’re so into each otheeerrrr

if you were church (I’d get on my knees) by iokanaan - 18k; Vashwood; E; T4T; Actual Priest Wolfwood, feat. trimax Vashwood as guardian angels (I have no excuse for this one but it goes really hard)

so i'll sing to the grave (put you back together) by desertblooms - 18k; Vashwood; E; Canon-verse; Wolfwood doesn't feel worthy to touch Vash, so Vash shows him that's not true

you'll never get enough by tagteamme ( @phaltu) - 19k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Boxer/Gym; Wolfwood owns a gym that is under Nai's thumb, Vash is a regular at the gym and should be off limits; I have read this at least twice and it occasionally haunts my dreams

just a holy fool by @avoidingavoidance - 19k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Wolfwood is so upset about how much of a soft spot he has for Vash and Vash somehow makes it worse all the time always; sure Wolfwood, we all believe that you're annoyed with Vash and not stupidly in love with him

a kind heart to haunt by littleghost ( @ghostlandtoo) - 20k; Vashwood; E; Cowboy/Western AU; Wolfwood is an outlaw, Vash left that life a long time ago and doesn't want to get wrapped up in it again

laughter lines by @beesinspades - 21k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Ace Vash; Grey Ace Wolfwood; Knives sends Wolfwood to bring Vash back to him. Vash doesn't want to go. Wolfwood kind of doesn't want to make him; crying go read this i love it so much all of Bee's stuff brings me such joy

i’m here in search of your glory (there’s been a million before me) by @sascake - 22k; Vashwood; E; Post-Trimax fix it feat. Wolfwood's entire orphanage

I'd Get Rid of the Sun in Favor of the Moonshine by FlowerFed - 22k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Coffeeshop/Cafe; Milly asks Vash to vouch for her ex so he can get a job at the same cafe as him, Vash meets a handsome stranger at the beach; surely there is no connection between these events…; (spoiler, there totally is and they’re super cute)

a tide of tender mercies by @gloriousporpoise - 23k; Vashwood; E; Wolfwood and Vash are on the run after July, chasing bounties; Wolfwood finds himself in a bad way without his serum and gets taken care of (ha, take that, WW!); I'm a sucker for Wolfwood pining hopelessly after Vash and this is just the perfect mix of pining and his snark

sun comin' up by amaiyo - 23k; Vashwood; E; Mermaid AU; Modern AU; Wolfwood is a priest assigned to a tiny island, and sometimes he stands on the pier at night to listen to the strange songs on the ocean wind; Vash is just uncanny enough in this to sate my need for creature Vash, and they’re just so gone on each other

today, and all of the days by @pushclouds - 24k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Vash owns a donut shop, Wolfwood owns a smoke shop/bar; Vash doesn't realize they're definitely dating; pls Vash spends the whole time being like “ah yes a business partnership” meanwhile Wolfwood is like… just trying to go on dates with his boyfriend? They’re so fucking stupid

Wanna be your sin, I wanna be a preacher by oh_imintrouble - 24k; Vashwood; E; Trans Vash; Modern AU; Dirtbag Wolfwood tbh; Vash is on the run from Knives and meets Wolfwood, who takes care (and takes care) of him when he's attacked and helps him run; Look okay, Wolfwood is so gross in this, like objectively, I don't think he's ever not been high on something and his mattress is on the floor, he carries a hammer for fuck's sake, just to bash people's heads in, but damn if I wouldn't do some questionable shit for a shot with him

Ascension Day by farseersfool ( @birdadjacent) - 26k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU (but still Plant powers); Wolfwood is a hitman hired by Nai to protect Vash. Surely keeping his mark as close as physically possible is only the logical thing to do. Right? Right.

stop me if you've heard this all before by molotovhappyhour - 27k; Vashwood; E; Canon Divergence; Time Traveler Vash; but only in like small increments; Vash has Rules to avoid trouble with his power. Wolfwood makes him want to break... maybe all of them; Eating this whole, shoving it into my mouth; The way Wolfwood is handled here and how his backstory is changed makes me crazy, I love it

Deep Cuts by megumiblues - 27k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Trans Vash; Vash is used to carrying many monikers. El Diablo, Humanoid Typhoon, the things he is called are never good. Wolfwood seems to see him differently for some reason; Get understood and cared for, idiot; Love a touch-starved VW

dance in our catastrophe by @pushclouds - 28k; Vashwood; E; Post-Trimax fix it; Wolfwood and Vash are stuck in a safe house together, what could possibly go wrong?!; Wolfwood's inner monologue in this is so delightful and sad, they (definitely totally platonically) cuddle to keep the Horrors away, and there is at least one (1) playfight that Wolfwood has to end in a panic cause he gets horny about it

The Lord Won’t Forgive Me (But My Angel Will) by natumn - 28k; Vashwood; E; Eriks Vash ❤️; Two years after July, Wolfwood drunkenly stumbles right into Eriks and Lena, and they take him home so he can recover. He stays with them for a while, but Vash never could run from the EoM forever; Eriks feels always fuck me up, I love making Wolfwood face his desire for domesticity, and Lena is perfect and precious

four suns by Joelene - 31k; Vashwood; E; Trimax Vashwood and Tristamp Vashwood meet in the middle of the desert!!; This is genuinely very cute as well as hot, I reread this immediately after finishing it lol; Trimax Vashwood being competitive and then getting lost in themselves is so precious; Wolfwood begging will always be my downfall; They all fuck, but they don't fuck each other. Like each version Vashwood stays together. They do all make out with their own alternative versions, so do with that what you will I guess

you're a canary (i'm a coal mine) by PotatoButt ( @rubyredgh0st) - 32k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Zoo keeper Vash; Orphanage Worker Wolfwood; Wolfwood brings his kids to see the tomas show, but sometimes he comes alone to watch the cute handler; Brad is so protective here I love him actually

Amazing Grace by jjAfterHours - 33k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU- Ranch; Rancher Wolfwood; Livestock Vet Vash; When Wolfwood calls his normal vet, they tell him she's out of town, but they can send a replacement. Wolfwood kinda maybe finds every excuse to get him back on the ranch; Once again my favorite flavor of VW!!! Wolfwood is fucking in it, and Vash is trying and failing to hold him at arm's length

Angiosperm by somarysueme - 33k; Vashwood (background and later chapter Polygun); E; Post-Trimax; Wolfwood is brought back with some fun... extras, courtesy of the Plants. He and Vash now also have regular... heats? Mating seasons? There are eggs involved; Look okay, hear me out! If you don't like the idea of oviposition, maybe skip this one?? But if you do.... It's Egg Time

blood in the badlands by eviscerates - 34k; Vashwood; E; Vampire Vash/Vampire Hunter Wolfwood on NML; the Eye of Michael is a hunter group, Wolfwood is not supposed to have feelings for Vash

I'm not a Psycho (I'm Just Trying to Get Laid) by @inkfishie - 34k; Vashwood; E; Tristamp; Various times Vash and Wolfwood have... encounters. Feat. Vash's emotions and awkwardness; this is so cuteeee

At the Top of the World by Insomniac_with_dreams - 35k; Vashwood; E; Cowboy AU; Wolfwood follows a help-wanted ad and finds himself at the Saverem ranch for the summer. He gets... more than he bargained for; God above please read this it's so beautiful and heartfelt and wonderful and they love each other so much fuck

CAUSE OF DEATH (See instructions and examples) by neatrogenous ( @floofyfluff) - 39k; Vashwood; E; Post-Trimax fix it, but Vash runs faster than the Flash from every single Emotion he's ever had (body horror cw for the first chapter)

i think that we should go and get you out of here by molotovhappyhour - 39k; Vashwood; E; Exorcist Wolfwood AU; Wolfwood travels to July to help rid them of a haunting that's taken root there for years, Vash is, of course, at the center of it; the writing in this is so beautiful and haunting and perfectly disorienting during the spookier parts it’s so good

inter paradisum et infernum by itsacoup - 39k; Vashwood; E; Wild West AU; Preacher Wolfwood; Outlaw Vash; Wolfwood takes protecting his flock very seriously, and when Vash rolls into town, he is determined to do just that. Damn if Vash being so attractive and such a match for him doesn't make that difficult though; The way canon elements of their story and background are mixed into the world-building of this is so delicious; They really are drawn to each other in every life

Saturdays at 6 p.m. by maginot - 42k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Vash reaches out to professional Dom Wolfwood to ask if he's taking on new subs. Wolfwood realizes he's fucked as soon as Vash walks through his front door; Okay yes this is kinky in the sense that it is an actual, structured BDSM relationship, but it's actually not the kinkiest thing on here??? It is absolutely delightfully spicy and sweet though. And watching Wolfwood fall apart about actually falling for Vash is so fucking GOOD; also vash's pain kink has me on the fucking floor dear god

sugar rush by corvidcaper ( @not-miss-marple) - 42k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Vash owns a candy shop; Friends with benefits to lovers; Everyone knows they’re dating except the two of them, and goddamn does Wolfwood try to keep it casual; Spoiler, it is anything but casual lol

in the woods somewhere by halfdemonvash - 42k; Vashwood; E; Fantasy AU; cottagecore; Vash finds Wolfwood injured in his forest and takes him to his home to nurse him back to health. Wolfwood... kinda really loves it. Even if he wasn't entirely there on accident

giving in to your fever touch by honeyseeking ( @sweetyuris) - 46k; Vashwood; E; Trimax/98; Wolfwood finds Vash as Eriks and gives him three days to make up his mind; *violently shaking this fic* it's so full of emotions

Pillow Talk by fantasy_stupid - 47k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Nai sends Wolfwood to secretly trail Vash and make sure he's safe while Nai is gone. Vash clocks him immediately and they try to make the best of it; bodyguard Wolfwood you have my heart and soul

by the time the apocalypse began by everythingeverything (yiqie) ( @englishsub) - 50k; Vashwood; E; Sci-fi AU; Spaceship Mechanic Wolfwood; Wolfwood's crew picks up what they think is a distress signal and follow it to it's source; I really can't do this fic justice with a summary without spoilers but like!!! Vash and Wolfwood stuck on a planet together!!! I love them!!!!!!!

The Lighthouse by EloFromMars - 51k; Vashwood; E; Lighthouse guy Wolfwood; Eldritch Horror Vash; legitimate lovecraftian level eldritch horror but like.... Vash is still a baby girl and Wolfwood is still into it; honorary mention for Kuroneko

Citronella by @canyondotcom - 58k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Vampire AU; Creature Vash; Woodworker Wolfwood; Wolfwood wakes up in the middle of the night to something--no, someone on his porch. Against his better judgment, he lets them in... Things get... Interesting; Uuggggghhhhh God this is so good I love creature Vash and the vampire lore is so unique and non-traditional I love it so much

song of solomon 4:7 by ellisisntreal - 68k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Trans Vash; A cute new neighbor moves in across from Wolfwood, one who he quickly realizes is the hottest DILF ever and exactly his type; listen. LISTEN! This is so good, Vash's kid is 13, so he's old enough to be funny and snarky, Vash and Wolfwood's banter is amazing, and scenes with all three of them (and eventually Livio) are actually so funny I was wheezing. Idk how you write dialog so real and hilarious, but I had a grand fucking time

Strawberries & Cigarettes by Umbr_el_on - 71k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Tattoo shop/Flower shop; "No, seriously, Livio, it's just casual, it doesn't mean anything, stop"; several days later: *calls Livio crying about how much Vash makes him feel*; and that's it that's the fic; I like that they're both broken and fucked up here, and they make mistakes and piss each other off, but they continue to choose to try together. It just makes me really happy. They aren't perfect but they're perfect together

A Step By Step Guide to Love and Peace, Written by Vash Saverem (Co-Authored by Friends, Family, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood) by calandos - 71k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Fleabag; Trans Vash; Priest Wolfwood; It's fucking.... it's a fleabag AU idk how much harder I can sell this I clicked immediately when I saw the tag; yeah, it has the confession scene; this made me want to cry. I may have actually cried; god I relate to Vash so much

someone to last your whole life by catchatter ( @needlab7) - 73k; Vashwood; E; Post-Trimax fix it, with deep attention to the realities of mourning and what it means to have mourned someone who is no longer dead; genuinely one of the most beautiful things I have ever read

Trillium and Ivy by @shastafirecracker - 80k; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Funeral Director Wolfwood; Garden Center Vash; Wolfwood works at a funeral home across from the garden center, and notices the cute co-owner; this one is a personal favorite it makes me feel insane if I think about it too long

Someone's hand opens (I hold it) by tytonidae - 80k; Vashwood; E; Post-Trimax Alternate Timeline; Wolfwood and the girls don't meet Vash until long after the events of Trimax; the world building 🤌🏽 the bonding 🤌🏽 the EoM lore 🤌🏽

Wildflowers by @shastafirecracker - 103k; Vashwood; E; Dark Fantasy AU; cottagecore; Trans Wolfwood; Wolfwood is sent to kill the Beast Lord of the forest and gets far more than he bargained for; dear fucking God please read this holy shit I cannot overstate how good the world building is

Daylily by @needlesknives (bakusboi) - 10k+; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Tattoo shop; Vash comes to Wolfwood wanting to get his scarring covered with tattoos, Wolfwood realizes this project entails a lot more than he anticipated. In several ways

honeysuckle red by @beelzebby666 - 43k+; Vashwood; E; Modern AU; Line Cook Wolfwood (yes it's important shut up); A one night stand turns into Wolfwood spending so much time with Vash and his fucking garden (why does he like bees so much I love him????); Wolfwood just wants to be kept. He just wants to be kept!!!

la vache! by @skittidyne - 28k+; Vashwood; E; Modern AU - Sex Work; Sex Worker Vash; Trans Vash; Wolfwood needs to learn French very quickly since he promised Livio he would and then procrastinated till the last moment. He finds his solution in Vash's... unique way of teaching (it might involve dildos); I'm rabid over the fact there are not more chapters of this

save a horse by ofxanadu - 37k+; Vashwood; E; Western AU; Trans Vash; Wolfwood saves Vash from getting mugged by the Bad Lads Gang and has a night so memorable he's hung up on it for almost a year when Vash shows up again; i cannot even put into words my thoughts on this fic I'm just making feral sounds about how much I love it

If you know me no you don't!

Come tell me your opinions about all of these my DMs are open I promise

[bendycxmet]

Makeup, Makeout—Vash the Stampede

Summary: Relaxing one night with Vash leads you to wanting to do makeup on him, and leads to more than you could have hoped for.

Word Count: ~2.1k

Pairing: gn!reader x Vash the Stampede

Content: modern AU, tension, teasing, some heavy making out, makeup, overall fluff

“Yo Wolfwood, you going anywhere today?” Vash peeked into his friend’s doorway.

“Want me out for a specific reason?” inquired Wolfwood from his desk in the corner of his dimly lit room, the only light coming from his computer screen as his lithe fingers danced over the keyboard, furious clicks sounding as he shot away at the enemy team. “Playing hooky? Thought that was my job.” With a quick glance, Wolfwood glanced at his blonde roommate, fidgeting with his vermilion hoodie, shrinking into the cotton material under his gaze.

Wolfwood snickered.

“They’re coming over aren’t they?” Vash sheepishly hummed at his friend’s guess, hinting to him that his guess was right as ever. Wolfwood sighed, pausing his game and removing his headphones so that he can turn to face Vash.

“Vash, when are you two going to finally date each other? We all can only handle so much pining between you two,” he said, referencing the times he, Milly, and Meryl all shared exasperated looks at the only two in the room that didn’t realize they had feelings for each other. 

“Give me a break? I don’t even know if they like me!” Vash groaned.

Wolfwood sighed. “Yeah yeah I’ll head out tonight to the girl’s apartment upstairs and give you two lovebirds your time alone.”

Living in the same apartment building as your friend group can really come in handy sometimes. You were more comfortable living with the girls, obviously, since they cleaned up after themselves and weren’t as noisy as the boys rooming a floor away. 

“Thank you…I appreciate it. It’s been a long week for them. They just wanted to have a movie night with me. No offense to you guys.” Vash chuckled, not blaming you for wanting to avoid the others, seeing as they were more…energized in their interactions half the time.

“Don’t sweat it. Already knew. Milly and Meryl texted me earlier inviting me to theirs so we could eat out at the new noodle shop since they said they saw how restless you seemed. We all know that means they want some alone time to recharge with their favorite person…” Wolfwood insinuated, winking at Vash. “Don’t have too much fun tonight.”

~~~~~~~

“Can I give you a rocker look?”

“Huh?”

You and Vash were cuddled together on the couch, watching some seasonal movie on TV as the end of the year was finally upon you two. You felt extremely cozy, a large plush blanket covering your body, your arms wrapped around his middle, smushing your face into his shoulder as you peered up at him, his arm softly placed on your back. He could hardly take the way your eyes peered up at him. 

It had been rainy that day, thick fluffy clouds slathered across the sky, a cold that licked at your skin all day until the warmth that radiated from Vash chased away the chills you had. 

The boys’ apartment, although weirdly put together in their decorations, was welcoming. Vash’s plants lined the wall that welcomed in the sun’s rays the most, not a leaf out of place. Poorly strung lights were loosely strewn across the ceiling, illuminating the living room in a warm glow, reflecting off the group pictures hung on the walls. The sky peeking in through the blinds revealed that it was blue hour, a contrasting gloomy blue to the warm tones of Vash’s apartment. All of these components proved to be a perfect spell for you to fall asleep on his couch. You needed something to wake yourself up.

“Yanno. With makeup,” you deadpanned, as if it was the obvious answer to his bewilderment.

“But…why? We don’t have any makeup here.” Vash tilted his head to the side, looking more like a confused puppy than ever. 

“I think you got the perfect face for a rocker look.” 

You could never tell him that it’s because he was already gorgeous, you were just curious how much prettier he could be with makeup on. 

“Besides, I have my makeup on me right now.”

“...were you planning on this?” Vash teased, squeezing your sides as a toothy grin fought to crack his face. You squealed at his movements, sadly having to wrench yourself from his warmth. 

“No! Mmm… maybe… anyways! I thought it would be good practice!” With that, you got up and quickly gathered your supplies from your bag. Black eyeshadow and eyeliner, a simple look that no doubt will send you to your knees once you saw it on him. 

“Hmm, ok how should I go about this…” you looked around, first glancing to his bedroom wondering if the dingy light in the bathroom would be enough. Yet, he was much taller than you, so peering up at him would hurt your neck…

“Uhh, we could just do it right here, no? I mean, it’s comfortable,” Vash offered from where he lounged on the couch.

“I guess you’re right!” With that, you plopped yourself down. Only, you don’t know what got into you. Or how shameless you were in that moment. Well, with how you were seated in Vash’s lap, knees on either side of his legs as you rummaged around in your makeup bag.

Vash froze. He was warm before, but now he felt hot. He peered at you as you grabbed a makeup palette, opening it and looking at your options, oblivious to the effect you had on him. You were rambling about how you came across this look, seeing a tutorial online earlier in the day and feeling inspired to try it on him as the guy in the video had similar features to the man between your thighs.

“Ok, ready. Close your eyes for me,” you said, opting to use your finger for the black eyeshadow. Doesn’t need to be perfect. 

Vash rushed to close his eyes before you made eye contact, hoping you couldn’t see how wide his eyes became from your previous movements. 

You hummed as you gently swiped the pigment onto his pale complexion, perfectly content and focused with the task at hand. Vash fought to keep his breathing under control so as to not reveal how fast paced his heart was, the action proving difficult as he felt your warm breath swoop over his cheeks, the scent that is so uniquely you filling his nostrils, indicating just how close you truly were.

Vash felt you lean back, thanking the heavens he was able to get a second to clear his mind of you. This was short lived as he felt you lean back in.

“Alright, now I need you to open your eyes for me. I gotta do the eyeliner on your bottom lid.” Vash breathed, slowly opening his blue eyes to stare down at a spot on your shoulder, avoiding eye contact. 

“Heyy~ I need you to look up now.”

He looked up at the low hanging lights, choosing to focus on one bulb. You went to work again, slowly adding the eyeliner to his lower lids. You were nearly done with the second eye when a shuddering breath reached your ears. The haze in your mind from focusing on applying makeup cleared, a veil seemingly lifted from your senses. When had you gotten so close?!

Shit. Vash nearly made it through your routine, just up until you leaned impossibly closer to him. The moment the warmth radiating off your face connected with his, your chest flattening against his, he couldn’t help the staggering breath that left him. The position you two were in was becoming too intimate.

You took a deep breath before taking in the sight before you. Damn, you did a good job. The onyx pigmentation contrasted perfectly with everything that is Vash. His fair skin. His wonderfully blue eyes that were always regarding you with such kindness and reverence. He was a sight to behold. He was hot. 

Your senses were completely engulfed by Vash, your surroundings blurring. His light floral scent, his warmth that came from where you two were touching, his wet, slightly parted lips…his heaving chest… wait. What the hell is going on? 

It was finally then that you realized what you had been up to for the past five minutes. You were seated, too comfortably, in his lap. Your proximity to him could be labeled as promiscuous with how your thighs were hugging his.

“O-Ok, I think I’m done. You’re making me jealous! How dare you have better eyelashes than me. Anyway, you look really cool! Let’s go look in the mirror!” you rambled, reeling from your revelation. 

Get out. Abort. Move away, goddammit! You’re cutting it close! Your mind all but screamed at you.

You went to push away from him, but you found yourself not budging an inch. Confused, you looked down, seeing Vash’s lean arm grasping your back, keeping you close to him.

~~~~~~~

“You’re a coward.”

“Excuse you?!” screamed Vash, his words slurred as Wolfwood kept him upright on their walk home from the club.

“All that liquid courage and you didn’t make a single damn move on them?? No matter how drunk everyone in that club was, people could tell how in love you two were!” Wolfwood pressed.

The group had gone out on a chilly Saturday night, searching for a fun time, choosing to head into a local club, where they all got positively hammered. Everyone had several rounds of tequila, you and Vash taking the lead and stumbling on the dancefloor. The entire night, the remaining crew rolled their eyes at your blatant affection for one another. Your hands were around Vash’s neck, his hands protectively encircling your back as you two danced song after song, bodies closely swaying to the beat, in your own worlds until Vash had to run to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach. 

“We were just dancing, like everyone else!” Vash yelled.

“If only you saw it from our point of view…prove me wrong. Next time.”

“Whaa…?” 

Wolfwood breathed a sigh of relief as they entered their apartment building. 

“Next time you’re that close to them, make a move. Normal friends don’t usually get that close to each other. Time and time again.”

Although Vash was drunk out of his mind that night, he managed to catch every single one of Wolfwood’s critiques. Wolfwood’s recommendation managed to lodge itself in the recesses of his mind. 

~~~~~~~

His pupils were dilated, probably matching the way yours looked at that moment. You shuddered as his hand slowly moved up to caress the back of your head. You didn’t dare move away this time. 

Make a move. Wolfwood’s words echoed once again in his head. 

Yeah, maybe I will. With that final thought, he closed the tiny distance you had created.

Warm. That’s all you felt in that moment. You had imagined countless times what it would feel like to finally kiss him, but none of your childish fantasies lived up to this moment. His plump lips were soft as they moved against your own, pulling gasps and full-body shivers from you. He angled both your heads, deepening the kiss. He groaned at your reciprocation, the arm around your waist squeezing you tighter against him, unknowingly brushing you against his hips. Your arms went to hug his shoulders at the same time his hand came up to carefully cradle your jaw, his thumb swiping across your cheekbones. You were panting into his mouth at this point, all oxygen leaving your body at the deep kisses he was giving you, his tongue swiping across your bottom lip as a heads up before delving in to explore and get to know a new part of you.

He’s gonna be the death of you.

He hoped you could understand him. In the kisses he gave you, he hoped you could hear his confessions of love and admiration he has harbored for you, his apologies for taking so long to give them to you. One day, he would say them out loud. Not today, though. What you both needed at this moment was each other’s physical presence finally molding and mixing together. 

~~~~~~~

3am. That’s gotta be enough time for those lovebirds. Wolfwood sleepily pondered, key turning in the lock to his shared apartment. 

"Let us know how they are! They haven’t responded to our texts for awhile now. That’s gotta mean something!" The girls’ voice rang in the back of his head. Crossing the threshold, Wolfwood’s eyes immediately fell on the pair on the couch. 

He snickered. You were in a peculiar position, arms and legs wrapped around Vash’s hips and waist, your sleeping face tucked into his neck, soft, even breaths occasionally blowing against the blonde’s skin. It was as if your unconscious body was unwilling to let go of Vash now that you finally had him. Your head failed to cover the circular bruises littered on Vash’s neck, your own neck mirroring his.

Vash shyly met Wolfwood’s eyes. Although the room was dimly lit, Wolfwood could see Vash’s face had been beet red.

“You two really are idiots.”

A/N: thx for reading! everything is crossposted on my ao3

masterlist

divider by saradika

[chris-continues]

Unconventional, Unusual, and Unapologetically Yours

Inspired by this text post I made!

In which you enter a relationship with an unfamiliar creature.. yet he’s the sweetest person you’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

TAGS: @beanibon @vashfantasy @h4venpha @lune010

WORD COUNT: 1.6k

Available on ao3!

NOTES: I cranked this out in like less than an hour I think. Uncanny Vash makes my fingers type like the fucking wind LMAO- ALSO I MIGHT DO PT2 <33 ^^lmk if you don’t want to be tagged! Some people asked and I know others like uncanny Vash a lot, so I thought you’d enjoy. I tried to add a bit of creature Vash as well, please feel free to comment/reblog if you enjoyed! And lmk any ideas you have :D

Your boyfriend deviated from what one would call the standard partner. 

Well, not that such a thing was negative. He was by far one of the most beautiful people you’d ever seen, that much you noted from your first encounter. An abandoned warehouse, where you’d been forced to do an odd job when tight for cash. “Get a photo of the infamous Humanoid Typhoon!”, they said, giving you directions out of town. The warehouse then had appeared nothing short of shady, with its shabby walls, unfamiliar state, and a slight mildewy smell you weren’t too fond of. 

That would soon change, becoming your safe haven, as you recalled how you’d met. 

Your tentative steps inside, phone flashlight beaming as you explored for a good few minutes before- “Ah!” You jolted, the wide smile of a tall man, startling you. He apologetically waved his hands before you, attempting to reassure you, “Aw god, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to scare you!” 

“It’s uh, fine, yeah.” You cleared your throat, turning your flashlight down slightly, “Who are you?” “Vash.” He chirped, quite literally. “And you?”, he offered his hand, ever so charming. If you recalled correctly, his pupils dilated a bit too much at the touch of your hand against his.

Humanoid. Not human.

It took you an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots, your attempt to search for the man of the hour futile (or successful, depending on how you viewed it). Searching for any extending corridors, or perhaps a hidden room. His company was originally slightly unsettling, as he was a stranger just tagging along for the ride, but he had no ill intent and with each sweet remark you found your night to not be a complete failure, swearing you’d return next weekend, same time to find the Humanoid Typhoon together. 

It turned into a game of stalling. 

Searching the same wall as last week, fingers tapping at the eroding wood of the building. His fingertips had brushed yours a handful of times as he blamed it on the darkness, a slight squeak leaving him each time, and maybe it was your fatigue riddled mind but you almost swore a slight glow emanated from him each time. 

After the 3rd week of searching you really didn’t care about finding this Typhoon guy anymore, figuring he was just some urban legend. Why did you keep going? For Vash, of course. He was a great listener, funny, and seemed to enjoy your company, and you really enjoyed his, and by god were you absolutely horrendous when it came to romance. So continued your pining of poking and prodding at an abandoned warehouse at the late hours of night. Too nervous to ask for his number (you found out later he didn’t have a phone), too shy to initiate anything further. 

Aha, until one night. 

Your searching had become less investigative of the building and moreso of each other, legs crossed and sitting in the middle of the warehouse with music playing from your phone on occasion. Discussions ranging from god knows what, each interesting in their own right. What confused you was that something as mundane as you telling a story in which you got your neighbors mail left him at the edge of his seat, but you simply chalked it up as him being a good listener and eager to engage in conversation, (that being partially true). Exhaustion creeped at you one night though, your horrendous sleeping habits having caught up with you as you rested your head against the derelict floorboards and gazed up at the ceilings. 

Vash had a habit of humming to fill in silences, and much like the rest of him you found yourself inexplicably drawn to it.. So sue you for being soothed to sleep by such a thing.

He didn’t tell you until much later, but that night he’d let his hand graze the back of yours, feathers peeking from beneath his jacket with the slight bumps ever so comforting against your skin. You let out the cutest hums, rolling just a bit closer to him.

His breath caught in his throat, as he let himself touch your hand just a bit more. His long, inhuman tongue laved over his several rows of sharp, unnatural teeth in a fidgeting motion. His pupils expanded, admiring you. You always appeared a bit nervous or tense around him- of course that diminished over time, he noted, but why were you so nervous? God, he hated being like this sometimes. To be.. A normal human companion of yours was something he found he craved. Every week, waiting for you in this dingy, subpar hiding place..

You were the highlight of his week. 

He had to hold himself back from instinctively curling into your side, wrapping his lanky limbs around you and allowing his vertebrae to extend to his full height.. Several feet taller than you. He wants to engulf you whole, keep you forever close and cherish you with chirps you couldn’t possibly understand. 

When you awake, he lays beside you. His body is as stiff as the wooden planks lining the warehouse floors, glancing at you as you finally make a move.

You scoot an inch closer.

His breath hitches in his throat. 

He can feel a draft making its way through the building,your body shivering as you shift just a bit closer.

“You.. are you cold?” He hesitates, arm stiffening as the fabric of his jacket meets the sleeve of your shirt. 

“Yeah, kinda..” You murmur, eyes darting away from him then back to him- god, you could stare at him and never tire of it. 

Your arms are pressed against one another, his fingers- wait, they’re uncharacteristically smooth, toying with the end of your sleeve. Oh god. The cutest guy you’ve ever met and he’s- oh god- you’ve dreamt of this more than you’d care to admit, hugging a pillow to sleep most nights, mind drifting to the cute guy you meet every weekend outside of town. 

Your fingers graze his once more, breathing pausing once more.

He intertwines his fingers with yours.

You think you’re going to die.

He chirps happily, and with your curiosity getting the better of you, you can’t help but ask, “What’s that noise mean?”

He blinks owlishly, sheepish smile crossing his face, “Oh uh, I don’t know really. It just.. happens?”  

“Ah, mhm. That’s fair.”

You peek down to your intertwined hands, only to see-

“Vash?”

His mouth gapes open to speak, and you get another peek of his- oh god, now that it’s morning you can see better.

Rows upon rows of his sharp teeth. His mouth forcibly staying together in one piece rather than three. Unnaturally long limbs. Feathers sprouting from him. 

“You.. you’re not human, are you?”

Oh god. He scared you. He’s so ugly, and you’re frozen, backing away slightly- “Oh my god you’re not- are you?”

The Humanoid Typhoon.

“Yeah. I.. I am.”

It takes you a moment to collect your bearings, mouth agape. “You.. you  never planned to hurt me, right?” Your eyes are wide, hands in your lap as you now sit up, legs criss crossed. 

“God no! Never! Oh god, I'm so sorry.” He buried his face in his hands, hiding it from the peeking rays of sunlight peering through the wood of the warehouse. “I don’t try to hurt anyone really, it just.. happens.” He swallowed thickly, “You can leave, if you’d like. I won’t hold it against you.”

You shake your head adamantly, “No, no I trust you. Just surprised me is all. I’ve never seen anything like it, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Vash.” Your hands fidget within your lap, “I enjoy your company and you not being human won’t change that.”

He peeked at you from his fingers, pupils dilated. “..really?”

You nodded. 

He certainly didn’t appear very convinced, but as you offered one of your previously fidgeting hands out to him.. he took it. Hand much larger in yours, inhumanly smooth- you found upon closer inspection he had no fingerprints. 

You stayed like that for god knows how long, until you checked your phone, “Shit! I’m sorry Vash, I’ve got to-” Aw god, his face, he was so cute..

“I’ll return soon.”

He walked you to your car parked outside. 

Your next few visits were a lot more different. He never directly said it, but before long you started staying the night, pressed close to one another, easing closer and closer to one another with hesitant touches. His eyes pleaded for your company each time you left, a small pout forming on his lips. 

You hated leaving him each time. 

Your first kiss was sweet, clumsy, and absolutely adorable. Just like him. 

He laid atop you, the world’s best weighted blanket, wrapping his unproportionate, lanky limbs around you to pull you flush against him. “I like you Vash. A lot.” You admitted into his hair quietly, shyly kissing the crown of his head. He chirped excitedly, a few clicks escaping him as he shifted to have your eyes meet, lips peppering pecks on your cheeks, jaw, and the corners of your lips. 

You both were too nervous to initially confess, just basking in one another’s company. 

“Like you too.” A series of inhuman noises escaped him, elated by your flustered giggles. 

He almost felt bad for temporarily silencing you with a shy and quick peck to your lips. His eyes widened, before going in for another. 

Another, another, another, purring contentedly as he pressed closer to you in hopes to mold you both into one. 

Your hands tentatively reached to cradle his face, grinning into the dorky kiss you two shared. 

Now though? You glance at him, wrapped in a mini nest you two share atop your bed. He nuzzles into your neck, teeth gently nibbling at the flesh as the rays of morning peek through your bedroom window. His legs hang off the bed with how tall he is, but he couldn’t care less.

Is it unconventional? Sure. Unusual? Most definitely.

But you’ve never been more happy than you have with him.

[firethekitty]

rank every vash

sure i’m due to lose a few followers

1. trimax vash. ohhhh he’s beautiful he’s fantastic what a wonderful guy. i could literally write full-length essays about him. genuinely one of the most well-written and complex characters i’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know. i’ve written 25,000+ words in trimax vash character studies. what else can i say about him. no seriously what else can i say about him? feel free to give me ideas

2. tristamp vash. he gets a bad rap from 98 fans and it makes me sad bc tristamp vash is much more similar to trimax vash than 98 vash was. people have shit to say about his design, his personality, his animation, his voice… enough already. he’s a great character and i’ll die on that hill.

a lot of fair criticisms of tristamp are due to the fact that studio orange is trying to fit 100+ manga chapters in 24 episodes. and it’s simply not enough time. but this is a widespread issue in the animation industry and orange is genuinely trying their best. almost everyone working on the show clearly fucking adores trigun and wants to do it justice, so i don’t think it’s fair to blame them specifically for the weird pacing issues. i do have qualms about it but "i don't like 3D animation" or "vash is too sad" are not valid criticisms imo lmao

3. 98 vash. well he kinda sucks but that’s what makes him charming! typical 90s shounen protagonist! sure!

he’s fine on his own, but he’s like an entirely different character to me when compared to trimax vash. i can’t blame the writers for modeling him after early/pre-trimax vash, but i wish they waited to see how the manga would play out before making an entire anime. but who knows if trimax would ever finish without the 98 anime, so i guess this is the price i have to pay 😔

4. badlands rumble. i really can’t stand him LOL. i wish i could understand the thought process behind the writers for this movie bc it just doesn’t make sense to me. he's like 98 vash in heat. his only saving grace is his absolutely adorable design and bird-like mannerisms, which are very trimax-y to me. he’s just so goofy and funny-looking, just looking at him makes me smile :)

me: any last words, fucker?

badlands rumble vash:

me: …you may live another day

[eshtaresht]

oh damn oh jees I'm so normal sooo sooooo normal rn ahaha! emotionally, I'm feeling sorta ZGBZFDHZV HV ZDH DZVVZDS ZD ZZV LZV. like, it's trigun, I expected it to hit hard BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO HIT SO HARD spoilers for ep 10 under the cut as usual

tbh I'm mostly shaking about the next ep and impending season finale, but this one was still pretty brutal

firstly, the goofs. vash fucking SNEESING and getting ruthlessly bullied by wolfwood is pretty much in spirit of their relationship in 98' anime and I'd love to see more of it (pls I hope there'll be a season 2)

scar reveal! I was afraid they're gonna give him a glow up and yeah, some scars are barely visible, but the other ones look awful. so, everything I hoped for, good to see he's in pain /j. also nico tried so hard not to stare at shirtless vash... he's looking away respectfully

vash is such a wet cat pathetic paperbag of a guy... just let that guy take a shot, barely flinched, took the bullet 'cause he thinks he deserved it. didn't even think of attending the wound until wolfwood said so. and, mind you, vash doesn't have any superhuman abilities so that must've hurt like hell

nico's job is so funny because to keep vash safe he has to get into mega epic fights, but also remind that idiot to eat and take care of wounds. again, vashwood duo feels more like the original now, after the sandsteamer. I think nico actualy started caring about vash since he saved the orphanage, it's great to see him conflicted with his mission

also policemen from ep 1 and the guy who shot vash are like... second best side characters in stampede and this is not a compliment. the best ones are nomads who ate worms btw

oh meryl, she's gonna girlboss so hard now... woe to all the haters and naysayers, she's getting character development and faces the same conflict as vash and nico thus gaining more narrative significance!! don't get me wrong, manga and 98' anime meryl was a crucial character, but she's getting much more freedom in stampede to develop and get into action

the moment where she gets up during wolfwood voiceover is when we start to see the "iron lady" and I'm so here for it! now we just have to wait for her designated therapy dog girlfriend to appear and when I can be at peace

tbh I don't really care about roberto. no hate, just neutral, rip drunckle grumps

everybody just dumped zazie... so rude, meryl didn't even answer their question >:(

elendira is..... not bad, but disappointing in comparison to the manga's gorgeously evil and hilariour girlboss who was also explicitly trans! oh look, she's a child experiment plant hybrid now, yay... meh

TESLA CONFIRMED omg I'm SOO exited for the next episode we're gonna be in SO MUCH PAIN

knives yeeting vash into the pit got a giggle out of me, but also... damn he actually was preparing all these years, crafting a perfect trap. and all the plants... he couldn't fix them and boy oh boy, I'm pretty sure he gathered them not for safekeeping... HE'S GONNA DO A LAST RUN ON THEM TO "FIX" VASH!! that was probably what elendira was refering to when she started crying

I am the normallest about this. these twins are such hyppocrites I wanna study and dissect them. knives doing the most cruel thing to his sisters so he can get rid of everything that makes vash human in hopes that if they were on the same footage they would finally stay together.......

and the words that he says to vash hurt so much more because it's true. he does love humans, but the main thing driving him is guilt. in stampede, more than ever, vash blames himself for pretty much all human suffering, because he helped the great fall happen. no wonder he's so depressed and not nearly as goofy! homeboy doesn't just protect the lives rem saved, his pacifistic quest is penance for all the people he (thinks he) killed

july is going to destroy him.

[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.

[pancake-breakfast]

I've been neglecting Tumblr as a whole this weekend as I burn through costume-making, but I think I can keep up with 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

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for Trigun Vol. 2, Chapters 5-6 below.

Chapter 5: Murder Café

CW: Sexual assault, human trafficking

This title sounds like a place I'd either really want to eat at or never want to eat at.

It's interesting to see what they did and didn't keep of the city design in Stampede.

Even yandere emo boys have to eat sometimes.

The heck? Is this woman barefoot?? Why would anyone be barefoot out there??? Oh. Oh, shit. Are we gonna get into that aspect of the story already???

Yyyyup. Well, dang. These men chose the wrong bar to stumble into. I know a few things about yandere emo boys and there's a thing or two they're a bit sensitive about....

If your SO ever, EVER slaps you to the floor while screaming at you for looking at someone else, even if it's not in public, get help and get out of there. I realize these guys aren't these women's significant anything, but that's not the point. Or maybe it is. They are the kind of people who would treat another human being this way. They are not people who love these women.

Dude. This shit is blaming Legato for being too pretty and making these women feel bad that they'll never have a handsome man like him while bragging about assaulting them in the same breath. WTH???

Everyone else in the bar wants to take these guys down, but they're big and powerful and intimidating, making it pretty impossible for the average person.

Ok, but this panel of chibi Legato just... chewing away. At this rate I'm gonna add him to my collection. And then shove him in a box and throw him in the bottom of the sea.

I wonder if this guy meant to hit Legato's fork or if it was just a lucky shot. Also, what kind of grip does this man have that he was able to keep ahold of his fork while it was shot in two?!?!

Huh, he was going to let them go about their business, confident they'd get theirs. But they done overstepped now.

He says it like a command, as if they have any control over the matter once he's in play.

Nice and traumatic for all involved. Good... good....

I'm impressed these guys are standing their ground after that display. We're gonna assume they're so scared that whatever sense they had has left their stupid heads.

Current favorite angry Legato face:

Just in case being kidnapped and raped by slavers wasn't already the most traumatic thing to happen to these women....

Honestly, it's good and important to see this bit of humanity from Legato, even if it makes for a much more muddy morality in the story overall. Maybe particularly because it makes for a much more muddy morality overall.

Dude, for his arm to be at this angle, he's gotta have CLAMP-in-their-Tsubasa-Chronicle-xxxHolic-era proportions.

I wonder how Vash would have handled this situation had he been there instead. Surely Vash isn't unaware that this sort of stuff happens in this world....

Chapter 6: A Gathering of Demons

CW: Human trafficking

So much sand....

I love how, in this story, our primary windows into the world are Milly and Meryl. Like, they're characters in their own right, but they're also the closest thing we have to an Everyman through which we interact with the story.

Yeah, Vash is probably on hyper-alert for now because of the Gung-Ho Guns. Constantly concerned about the safety of everyone around him.

That reminds me, I should retrieve my tea from the kitchen. (It's jasmine, if you're curious.)

GoshDARNIT, Legato! You're not supposed to be flattered and happy when people announce they're gonna hunt you!

He's just a silly, happy boy.

Heh. Foreshadowing.

YUS YUS YUS MY BOI WOLFWOOD IS HEEEEEEERE!!!

Soooo many things I could say here and I will say none of them. Instead, let's all just appreciate how much the bus driver here looks like a hippie straight from 1960's Berkeley.

I'm impressed they managed to get that thing on the roof of the van.

LOL, Wolfwood's response to people calling him out for being a frumpy, shady guy....

Awww, cute Vash face!

I love everything about their meeting here.

It's interesting that WW quickly notes how much Vash fits the description on his posters when Monev was quick to say Vash looked nothing like the description of him.

I do like the introduction '98 gave them, though, with Vash inventing a crazy name for himself and then Milly casually dropping the whole "Vash the Stampede" bit.

Vash looks very unsure of WW here. Resigned, but unsure.

The slavers are gonna try to do what to whom? Hahahahahahaha GL

Speak of the devil....

Who the hell is he talking to??

Yeah, this wasn't gonna end well for them....

THE PORTABLE CONFESSIONAL!!! Gods, I hope this thing shows up in Stampede. It's the dumbest thing, but it's also beautiful. Especially the way WW just SHOVES it on people's heads.

WW's introduction is great. Is he a genuine sweetheart or is he a conman? Both??

WW can't not melt at kids, can he?

Dude, they've been hanging out for... what, a few hours? And already WW is reading Vash like a book.

This pose looks... uncomfortable.

Hahahahahaha, he's stuck in it.

Gods, that's a freaking MOUNTAIN of bodies. He should compare it with the one Erwin Smith has.

Ok, I kind of love how Legato handles these guys. He's like, "Oh, so you want to make a profit selling people? How about I kill half of you so you can make a profit off the organs of people you might actually give a shit about? Get fucked, scumbag."

Oh. THAT'S where the chapter title comes from. Hi, everyone!

[dapper-shipping-forever]

do you have any images that make you think of the royalty au? how abt for the deity au??? do ppl still worship the flower goddess and the sun god??? how did gillian and vash “fall from grace” in the first place? will they ever uncover their memories from that past life??? how did they wind up where they are now??? does LYRIC ever remember?? (i feel like if he did, he would use this power for evil, somehow…) OH, idk if i’ve ever asked this, but does lyric ever try to blame vash for something and/or try to get him kicked off the princess’s guard??? ((btw, idk how clear i’m being rn, so if you have any questions abt the clarity of my ask, lmk 😭😭😭))

The first few are some for the royalty side and the later images are like the deity side

Becoming human was directly because of Lyric, essentially; he was trying to hide himself and Gill after finding her from Vash, debating I'd it was fully on purpose or Vash like interfered and they became human. But Lyric and Gill became human and Vash tried to follow. Nai tried to interfere with him making himself human as well and Vash became like corrupted. But the transition wasn't instant, and it was a decent while later they properly all became human; nobody is like super sure when those gods seemingly vanished, but it's been a while. Lyric made certain that he and Gill would be reincarnated near each other, and it was Vash's wish to find her that made him and nai, who just wanted to stay near Vash, be reincarnated close enough and find a decent path to her too.

They do remember they are gods, Lyric remembers first and Vash and Gill later, Nai remembers before Vash and Gill too. Lyric I am thinking remembers after he has tried to duel Vash, he planned to secretly but pretend to accidentally use a real and not fake blade, but Gill noticed and took the slash from him; after that Lyric reveals he did it on purpose and is put in a jail. There, I am playing around with a subordinate who Lyric kinda pushed around snapping and trying to stab him and right when the tip touches Lyric he in almost self defense remembers who he is. His powers increase and he breaks out; he had been numb after injuring the princess but his memories renew his desire to keep her away from anyone but himself. He isn't as powerful while human but significantly stronger than he was before regaining his memories of being a deity. Definitely not satisfied leaving them alone lmao

If it was just royalty, Gill like would've just taken his nobility and job from him and sent him to some far city to be punished. But with a deity identity he's just enraged Vash had followed them.

Lyric does get kinda underhanded. Mostly, he tries selling Vash as just incompetent. He wants Gill to see himself as superior. He also tries convincing Vash she's just like kind to him out of her feeling like she needs to. When Lyric does do something nefarious, he does try and plant the idea that Vash had a hand in it, but somebody vouches for him. Lyric is just like continuously mad as he often just fails to part those guys lmao

[semi-imaginary-place]

#he was so sweet and kind and hopeful and so scared of rejection when young#learning about tesla and how rem did not interfere with the experiments has left him completely gutted#i am certain he trusted rem almost blindly and still wanted to trust her even after finding out about tesla#but then she stayed behind and tried to save as many humans as she could#probably further confirming nai’s assumption that she loves humanity more than vash and him#and that while she talks to them about how no one has the right to take the life of another#she still approved of humans using plants the way they do#seeing vash’s file in the same folder as tesla’s must have scared him witless tbh#rem was either with him or against him#there was no in-between in his mind#he WAS just a child and he made a mistake and he has to live with the repercussions of his actions every single day#if he just stopped after already having killed almost everyone and losing everything that mattered to him (vash & rem & faith in humanity)#as well as the hope to ever be accepted & to ever be loved for who and what he truly is and not for how well he can adjust and fake to be#a human being?#well then what was the point in crashing the ships in the first place?#he clings to his narrative of being the tragic hero like a drowning person clings to a lifeline#i think that convincing vash to see things his way was not only so important to him because vash is the only thing he has left that matters#to him#but also because if he can convince vash of his goals then he can’t have been that wrong?#and when vash rejects him at the end of ep.12 i think that is when he well and truly snaps#and believes himself to be beyond the point of no return & beyond redemption#it is easier to blame everything that went wrong on others than admit that you were wrong#esp when being wrong essentially robbed you of any smidgen of happiness you ever had#like please go ahead and call knives an unfeeling narcissist all you like a hug & forgiveness from his mother could have fixed him a little

#i'm so tired of people actually believing it when knives says things as 'tesla's death was just a grain of sand'#when knives can NOT be trusted with expressing his actual emotions and carries 150+ years of emotional constipation on his back#knives gaslights everyone but he has gaslighted himself first and foremost#knives loved rem. he offered her to come with them in the escape pod. but then she refused. and he sees this as a betrayal from her#the ideal place he enjoys with vash is back in the seeds05 when they were kids and lived with her 150 years prior#'take me back'#in the manga he's the first one to tell conrad he loves rem#and it's very much on purpose that you can't see his expression in vash's flashbacks of the big fall#he's silent through all of it and suddenly he starts laughing#'i thought i'd spare her but now i see she was just as flawed. i'm glad she's gone'#he's 100% clinging onto that so he doesn't have to process he just killed their mother#so rather than processing that despair knives clings onto hatred again because how could she? how could rem abandon them?#how could rem choose to die with the humans rather than to live with vash and him?#he hates when vash clings to her because how could he? she was flawed. she abandoned them. she was not there for vash#but he was. he has done all for vash. has done everything so vash and him don't follow tesla's fate. so why can't vash see that?#and ultimately if knives recognizes that humans aren't all bad then rem's death was for nothing#much like if vash drops his vow of not killing no matter what then rem's death was for nothing#because she died for them. she died wanting to save all of those humans that are now walking around the planet. every single one#they're haunted by the exact same ghost in contrasting ways#rem might be dead when canon starts but you can't underestimate her impact#not tales#someone said once 'trigun is about a guy with a brother complex who's in denial of having a mother complex#and another guy with a mother complex who is in denial of having a brother complex'#and i've been thinking about it for weeks

Just a comic about Rem Saverem.

Nai loved his mother, he truly did. If not, why would he grace her mercy to escape the ship with them? Why wouldn't he kill her himself, and instead left fate to decide upon her demise?

He loathed the Rem he sees in Luida, the Rem he sees in Meryl, the Rem he sees in Vash; he hated the 'Rem' that was crafted in his mind over the years, haunting him wherever he go. But would he hate the actual Rem had he seen her again?

Nai loved her just as much as he hates her, and he hates that he loved her, just as much as he hates the humanity both his loved ones had chosen over him.

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 9 (a Very Important episode)

This is where Wolfwood enters the story. TBH, I would’ve guessed he’d appear earlier. Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to this! Here we go!

-- “That is one heck of a well-prepared dead guy” lol

-- Wolfwood resting against the cross looks vaguely crucified. Oh, symbolism.

-- Could you possibly show any more of your chest, Wolfwood? ;) 

(Also, where does he get his razors and how can he afford them? Actually, same question goes for Vash, too).

-- Vash introducing himself in a silly fake-deep voice. Longest. Name. Ever. Like he’s trying to joke and impress Wolfwood at the same time. Pretty sure he’s flirting. He sounds ike a middle school child trying to talk to a crush, lol.

-- That’s quite a handshake. Would probably break a normal person’s hand.

-- OMG the way they’re laughing maniacally about the water is the best thing ever. 

It isn’t actually that funny, so I think this bit is supposed to stand in for a longer conversation where they’re joking around. 

-- Wolfwood’s voice sounds so blase when he’s talking about the orphanage. 

So we have Meryl guarding her feelings with anger and Wolfwood guarding them with distance/blocked emotions. The only one expressing their feelings in any sort of open way is Vash. In fact, he might be expressing too many feelings. Actually, even Vash doesn’t express deep and meaningful feelings, only momentary reactions to the situations around him, or oversharing about body needs (hunger, thirst, pain, needing the bathroom). He’s a great example of how to hide your feelings while looking like you’re sharing them openly.

-- Wolfwood and kids. Compare how he acts with these kids to how Vash was with Kaite last episode. Wolfwood is gentle and sweet, and literally gets down on their level <3. 

-- What are those food bars Wolfwood is sharing? They look like something astronauts would eat. Are they “lost technology?”

-- Wolfwood feeding the orphans. My heart!. No wonder Vash smiles so sweetly. I probably have the same look on my face right now. XD <3

-- Holy shit Wolfwood’s character analysis of Vash after knowing him for like 30 minutes. It’s perfect. Especially after starting out similarly to Meryl, being like, “this goofy guy can’t possibly be Vash the Stampede.” 

-- And then from that he launches into advertising like, “That’s this man’s opinion anyway...and THAT’S why we have this confessional!” “You really are good at your job, aren’t you?” Vash looks surprised and pissed off. I don’t blame him. He’s been wandering the world for many years, no one understands him and he probably feels so alone. Then someone gets him, but he doesn’t care, he’s just doing a bait and switch routine. Ouch.

-- I think Wolfwood probably did the confessional thing because he just got way too personal and was starting to feel uncomfortable and awkward. This was an excuse. Plausible deniability, if you will: “I’m just doing my job.”

-- “You would have gone anyway, wouldn’t you?” Awww

-- Why the f*** did the colonists of this planet make these giant mechanical spider-things? Of all the guards you could possibly make, why? ::asking the real questions::

-- The little girl whispering “how embarrassing” as the guys who were supposed to save her spin around in quicksand. Ahahahaha

-- These guys fight together really well. They move together really well. In other words, they have perfect chemistry. SO fun to watch.

-- “That’s no ordinary priest.” What/how much does Vash know?

-- Why does Wolfwood bother lying that he’s never used a gun? First of all, Vash just saw him shoot the mechanical spiders outside. Second of all, he’s about to shoot like someone who knows wtf he’s doing, realizing Vash will notice.

-- This episode is really playing up the similarities between Vash and Wolfwood. That surprised me because I remember Wolfwood as more of a foil. But it’s so cool to see Wolfwood at his best and kindest.

-- Wait, where’s the little girl?  Did Vash and Wolfwood even bring her back when they got out of the spaceship? Did they forget why they were out there in the first place?

-- OK, so the entire episode shows the similar values/chemistry/synchronous fighting/endless flirting of Vash and Wolfwood, and then just kind of abruptly pairs them off with the girls for the rest of the ride, for no apparent reason.  

-- Well, not quite no apparent reason. I don’t know how much Wolfwood likes Milly yet, but considering that the alternative is Meryl, I’d pick Milly, too. Lol, poor Vash is left to be tormented by her.

-- Haha, I love how Vash has learned to roll with Meryl’s diatribes and just sass her back.

-- Wolfwood falling asleep on Milly’s shoulder and Milly being a little embarrassed and then just going with it and falling asleep leaning on him herself, aww.

-- It takes four men to lift that cross out of the truck and toss it down to Wolfwood, who just catches it without his arms even sagging, as if it were nothing. No wonder he was dying, he lugged something that took 4 normal men to carry for 100 iles (the equivalent of miles), in the desert heat.

-- “It’s so heavy because it’s full of mercy” lol iconic

-- Wait, why is Wolfood leaving? I thought he had reasons to stay with them--wait, is that a spoiler?

-- Haha he says goodbye to Vash personally by name and then says goodbye to everyone else as a unit.

I’m going to fall asleep smiling now. Seeing them happy makes me happy.

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 16 (Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for tragedy)

The more serious and the deeper the episodes get, the harder it becomes to write about them. I feel like I can’t just shitpost any more, I have to say something profound.

-- Yep, there’s Legato eating something soft and sweet again. Pudding this time? ::Ooh, imagine an AU where Vash adopts baby!Legato and Legato and Milly eat pudding together::

-- There’s Midvalley with two groupies. Yep, I knew he was the playboy of the Gung Ho Guns. 

-- “It’s a simple formula. The greater the tragedy, the greater the emotional effect.”  Legato fancies himself a...playwright? Director? 

-- “Walk your own path. Yes, I’ll make it my mission to follow someone else’s path to the end of the earth!” 0.0

-- Poor little guy.

He dances into the bar in the same way Vash danced into that hostage situation in an earlier episode. Except that as far as I know, this guy isn’t pretending. Who knows how he’s survived so long in Gunsmoke.  

-- Vash, there’s a whole desert you could talk to yourself in, you know. You don’t have to talk to yourself in front of an entire barfull of people you don’t even fully see.

-- Legato’s eyes are the part you’re worried about?

-- “That nihilistic jerk” fits Legato well, ngl.

-- You know Vash is preoccupied when he has no idea where he is or who’s around. Thinking back to last episode where he was so perfectly focused, this is concerning. 

Or, maybe it’s not that he has perfect control over his consciousness in every situation, but only when he’s narrowing his attention to a tiny point. Last episode it was pain, this time it’s worrying about fighting Legato. 

Or maybe I’m overthinking a goofy scene that probably only exists in the anime.

-- “It’s time for my daily massacre!” Yessss.

-- Vash is apparently vain about his hair. Well, he had to have some faults other than “too good, too pure for this world” and accidentally blowing up July.*

-- Nothing says “terrifying murderer on a killing spree” like holding up your arm bent at a weird angle, amirite?

-- Poor Dominique. She deserved better.

-- I’m kind of surprised this is the first time anyone’s been killed for failing to defeat Vash. Or maybe this is just the first time he’s been forced to acknowledge it, and had to fight on those terms.

-- I don’t really get E.G. Mine’s powers, and what those round carapace-looking devices sticking out the sides of his armor are supposed to do. I almost wish we had more of a chance to see him in action. Almost, because he doesn’t seem very interesting. 

Honestly if I were their leader,I wouldn’t have hired most of the Gung Ho Guns, but that’s just me.

-- There’s Rai-Dei, bringing a sword to a gunfight. I wish I knew more about bushido, and the Art of War, and what sorts of states of mind actual warriors look for in battle. Because from what little knowledge I have, Rai-Dei takes all of that, mixes it with bloodlust, and perverts it. 

-- I know Legato thought seeing the two Gung Ho Guns squabbling would be entertaining, but honestly, it’s an uneven fight and not a very interesting one. Normally, I like seeing bad guys fighting each other, but I’ll make an exception for this scene.

-- Rai-Dei talks like a Sith trying to recruit someone to the dark side, encouraging Vash to get angry.

-- Rai-Dei creeps me out. He seems to almost get off on Vash’s anger and be way, way too curious what he sees at what appears to be the moment before death. 

-- It’s kind of disappointing that this creep is the one who corners Vash so much he needs his angel arm to escape. Honestly, I didn’t even see him do anything special that should give Vash difficulty. I think his lethality lay less in his actual fighting, and more in the fact that he would be condemned to die if Vash won. Vash had to slow down the fight and look for an alternative way to end it, which put him at a disadvantage.

-- Sorry, I’m going to complain about the art again. And give some spoilers for the manga.

I don’t like how the angel arm looks in the anime. It was distracting. Where were the feathers??? I want to feel uncomfortable because Vash is struggling to contain the thing and could potentially destroy the city, not because of the way the thing looks and moves.

-- Least realistic convincing mushroom-cloud-like blast ever. What was up with the slow motion, jerky stop-and-start animation they did here?

-- Legato is having way too much fun right now. He just acted like a cat licking its paw, like “mmm, delicious destruction and guilt.”  

I think Legato might be the only character who is not in the least unnerved by Vash suddenly unleashing a blast of energy big enough to blow up the moon.

-- Well, OK, Wolfwood doesn’t seem unnerved. Just disappointed. Well, I’m disappointed that he thinks Vash would deliberately choose this “path.” Come on, surely he knows Vash better than that. 

-- Seeing all of the people Vash has helped listening to the rumors about Augusta and struggling to reconcile them with the kind, gentle person they knew...what a gut punch. And somehow it’s worse seeing their first moment of bewilderment, but not how they ultimately make sense of it all. 

-- There’s a lot to unpack here about moral responsibility for actions you commit, but can’t control. The show and Vash himself clearly state that he’s responsible.  It agree. While he doesn’t seem able to control the angel arm once it’s emerged, he still has the choice to find a way to prevent it from emerging, or bring it under control. And however involuntary it may have been, he still blew up the city, and everyone still has to live with the consequences. His intentions are irrelevant to the people left homeless. And he still has to live with the chance that it could happen again.

Yet I’m aware that holding yourself responsible for things you can’t control is an unhealthy behavior that therapists try to stop you from doing. And for good reason--it’s a sure way to develop depression and irrational excessive self-hatred (and is a symptom of OCPD, I believe?). And I think Vash holds himself responsible for a lot. I mean, his mission is to make people more loving and peaceful--yet other people’s feelings and actions aren’t under his control. Is he holding himself too responsible?

Is Vash right to blame himself for blowing up July and Augusta? Am I right to hold him responsible? I’m not sure.

 -- One last observation: this major turning point in the story, and the biggest low so far, happens exactly halfway through the story. Just where it’s “supposed” to be.

*Looks like a cinnamon roll, is sometimes a cinnamon roll, could still actually kill you.

[bigboylivio]

| L/R |

Too trusting. Just like that, even though Livio was ultimately grateful, it was too easy. If he really were bad and planned to get up to something, it was too easy to get Wolfwood to put that gun away... It reminded him of the Vash he knew well, who had fall asleep in his presence even though he'd just witnessed that fatal fight a day before... Too trusting.

Livio pushed his hat off his head and scratched at his short hair with both hands for a second, just, releasing the tension and trying to refocus himself. What a bizarre turn. But nothing with any of them was ever ordinary, was it? He took the offered chair, and straddled it, bracing his arms on the back of it with a sigh.

Once Wolfwood had started talking about what happened though, Livio wasn't sure he wanted to know... because its like being told you're dead, but you're sitting right there--Right. And there he was sitting right now, alive, when he knew his own brother in spirit was dead, too. Just two war machines, unable to stop the fates of those around them, huh?

Livio's expression settled into open surprise and confusion while he listened. So many things he doesn't understand. Regulator? And back then, he... he never would have gone after Wolfwood...

/Pffftt YEeeaaHH OKAY, like that woulda killed us, huh? He's got no idea! I bet Master Chapel's got'em back already.

Shaking his head, trying to clear it, deny Razlo's bullshit at the same time.

"No, I ... don't blame you. I wouldn't trust me either, as much as that sucks to say because--" He just shook his head again, rubbed a hand down his face, rubbing tears from his eyes before they could fall. Is there a world anywhere where they could fight side by side and trust each other, not be thrown against each other senselessly?

"Th-They have to have done it to--to test you. Sent him after you to, be assholes, or just to see what would happen. I can't even begin to understand it... I was isolated the entire time I devoted myself to.. To the Eye. I didn't see him again until... Well, until Knives started his crusade, and M-Master Chapel had other priorities at the time."

Wait--was that too much? If he talked too much, wouldn't that mess something up somehow? How was all this supposed to work, anyway? The histories didn't line up, so, does that mean their future might be different, too?

"E-enough about that, though, there's more important things!" he said, waving off the moroseness with a forced note of determination. "Is there anything you know to do to help Vash? Anyone we can ask? I'm surprised Miss Meryl and the big girl aren't on you guys' tails... They seemed particularly devoted to sticking around and doing their part, too..."

'Been a while since someone's called me crybaby.'

'The Vash I fought beside against Knives and Legato.'

A few things are adding up for Wolfwood and he's not enjoying what the sum of them all is. It seems they're both mourning, because he's sure as hell that there isn't a single 'other world' out there where he'd leave Vash's side. Maybe it's an unspoken 'and you,' but it's more likely that he's...

"... Stop lookin' at me like that," he sighs again, re-holstering his weapon, "Blondie never told me about any of this shit, but there's a lot of stuff I don't know about that he'd probably try to hide from me anyway. You look and act like Livio, but not my Livio, so I guess the story adds up."

Wolfwood shrugs, then pulls out the two chairs from under the room's table. Both of them are a bit too large to sit normally at it, so instead, the undertaker just leans back in the chair with his legs outstretched.

"You sure say some weird shit though," he hums thoughtfully, letting his gaze wander over to Vash to make sure he's okay. Then Wolfwood recounts that final moment of hope when he'd finally broken through to his brother before he...

"Right... so..." he clears his throat, searching for the right place to start with the events on the sand steamer, "They sent you—Livio—after me while we were riding a steamer to JuLai. We fought, he made me dose up a few times, then Needles convinced me to try breaking through to him. Broke his weird... regulator... thingy... and then—"

Wolfwood's tone and body language slumps to something morose. Defeated.

"Looked like everythin' came rushin' back to him too fast. He offed himself, then fell overboard. I couldn't—I didn't stop it. Can't even go find the body, since... it's in the middle of the Sand Ocean, somewhere west of Hopeland. If the gunshot didn't kill him, the steamer probably tore him to shreds."

He scratches at the back of his head awkwardly, trying not to remember the despair he felt in that moment. Despair that he very quickly had to dispose of in order to focus on his job.

"So you can understand why I put a gun to you when you showed up, you big lug. Was only fair, since that's the way 'you' greeted me when we last saw each other. That and... Vash, he..."

Another sigh.

"We've been through a lot this past week and a half or so. Can't trust anyone anymore."

[amoirsetpacis]

          ★ --;; It was only a matter of time, he thinks, before his past comes creeping back to haunt him. It had shown its nasty little head in tiny ripples; first there had been whispers [well, more like shouts] of his old bounty, then there had been the incident which had brought forth his wings once again-- quiet murmurings spread, after all, slowly, into cacophonous noise, if given the chance. Death and destruction cling to his heels like his own shadow, like old friends, and why he had though this place would be any different was beyond him. Over a century of high-tailing it from bounty hunters should have taught him that lesson long ago.

And yet, and yet, he had only continued to let the proverbial other shoe hang over his head until it decided to be well enough a time for it to drop.

Shady bars are like saloons-- they remind him a bit of home, even though he knows he shouldn’t be there, knows he’s playing with fire, but still can’t help the small satisfied feeling in the pit of his stomach as he finishes downing a glass of whiskey.

It’s just that.

Well.

“Hey motherfucker!”

“The shit did you just call me?!”

Shady bars are like saloons, and the fights are inevitable.

Trust him to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong; trust him to let out a ‘hey fellas, can’t we just get along?’; trust him to duck and weave and dodge until one of them finally accidentally punches another and now the blame is all on Vash, and--

“Hey, I know you!! You’re that guy some kid was screamin’ about!”

It seems, after all, that every seedy hole in the wall will always be crawling to the brim with someone after some cash.

Maybe this place was more like home than he thought.

“Out of the way out of the way OUT OF THE WAY OUT OF THE WAY!!!”

Another bullet goes flying past his ear and he positively wails.

“What did I ever do to deserve this!?!?”

[punisheye]

The undertaker practically spits in his face. Wolfwood doesn't flinch as he's yelled at, just stares back at his own face (younger, softer) yelling at him with his own voice (so, so angry) silently. The tears are still there, yes, but he’s quieted down in an instant.

The anger was expected. Still, deep down there had been some foolish, childish hope for even just a little bit of understanding. Not pity, not sympathy, just understanding because he didn’t know who else would fucking get it besides the guy that shares his name. That’s why he asked him to come all the way over here. Not just for the company.

When Nicholas lets him go Wolfwood sags, eyes turning to the mess on the floor, distantly thinking that he's going to have to clean that when this is done. He's silent, lips twitching. It's a minute before he looks back up to meet the undertaker's (unguarded) eyes.

"I don't got any explanation you'll like," he responds. His voice is hoarse and his throat feels raw. "I was angry. He killed my husband n'nearly maimed him, too. He dropped Blondie's arm off on our fuckin' doormat like a cat with a dead bird. How was I supposed t'feel? When I ran into him before—when he tried t'kill me—I told him if he ever came near me n'mine I'd kill him."

He turns his eyes back to the floor.

"Nothin' you can say's anythin' I ain't already told myself. Don't fuckin' worry, I know it's my fault and it was stupid and dangerous and he played me and who knows what he's gonna do. But don't think for a fuckin' second—"

His head whips back towards the undertaker, grief replaced by a flare of anger.

"That I'm keepin' this from Blondie. I'm not. I just want him t'hear it from me an' no one else."

Quieter, he adds: "Yer not the only one who would move mountains for him. But I fucked up wantin' to protect him—you, Vash, too—an' I just made it worse. I know!"

His fist hits the coffee table and if he gave his all into it then it would have cracked on impact. His hand is shaking. Wolfwood falls silent again, eyes hot and wet. His face feels so sticky.

"I know," he repeats, sounding a little small compared to moments before. "But I don't know what t'do. This ain't somethin' I can just fix. Me n'Vash always worked together with this shit n' he walked out on me. Shocked he didn't rip the ring off n'throw it in my face first. He coulda done even worse than that I wouldn't even blame him."

Wolfwood shakes his head.

"Yer mad. Be mad. I'd be fuckin' pissed, too. I jus' needed you to listen."

"You-"

He sat and listened to everything the priest said. To everything the priest said. He's crying, he's sobbing. He's shaking, wheezing, collapsing in on himself like a dying star in a wholly recognizable way. A skeleton long dead pulling itself together, into the fetal position, in a poor attempt at bringing itself back to life.

The undertaker's plate fell on the floor as he stood, suddenly, watching with wide eyes unshielded by his glasses - where had his glasses gone - as he opens and closes his mouth, grasping for air like a fish on the line as he listens.

And he can't find the words for a while, but there's an edge to them when he does. A cool knife in the morning dew shattering whatever peace had been between them.

"...You lectured me, an' you go out an' kill his brother?" Ignoring the other man's wheezing, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him up to face him. "Did ya even think for a fuckin' minute - a second - on what that's gonna do to us? Fuckin' around in our shit, in our world's shit, with a guy who lives next door to us, who ain't gonna stay dead even if ya did kill him. An' I think more'n anyone you should know that."

He lets the priest go, stalking across the living room, pacing as he figures out his next moves. He's angry. He came here with an olive branch - did Vash know? "Did you even have the fuckin' balls to tell him that you killed his brother - an' don't play that fuckin' shit that he did it himself, it's a fuckin' power play, you know it is, an' it's your fault. You played right into his fuckin' hands."

He can't stop himself, and he doesn't want to. Stalking back around, he slams his hands on the table. "Go ahead, I'm waitin' for a decent fuckin' explanation. Don't go croakin' on me now." There's no pity in his voice, just a white hot rage that had built up at the back of his mind, stinging his eyes.

[krillissue]

15. a kiss to regret - hornwood

I decided to kick off Mwahrch with a prompt I chose myself! I've been meaning to write a little drabble about Vampwood and Midvalley for @dastardlydandy so I hope you enjoy this little snack! This takes place before he meets Vash and the events of In Sanguine, Veritas.

includes: blood drinking, vampire bite, sloppy make outs in dark alleys (my specialty)

Nicholas D. Wolfwood was a man of many talents but listening to jazz without pulling a sour face wasn’t one of them. As much as he appreciated his co-worker’s effectiveness in combat, that shouldn’t mean he had to suffer through the jazz concert before they actually got to work. He wanted to claw his ears at the pretentious jackass playing up on stage, Midvalley the Hornfreak. 

The guy had his little band, his ridiculous purple suit, his infuriating smirk. Sure, he sympathized with his distrust in Knives and his disillusionment with the Eye, but that was where their similarities ended. They got assigned for a job together but this was just a quick pit stop to get Wolfwood fed. 

He couldn’t focus on the patrons however, his thoughts drowned out by the aggravating tooting. Not even his cheap whiskey could make this sound less like nails on a chalkboard. He knew Hornfreak was a talented musician, that this was damn good jazz, but that didn’t mean he liked it. How they’d even found a jazz club was beyond him, the sparse clientele politely clapping for him. 

There was a pretty redhead near the bar that had caught his eye but she was too enraptured by Midvalley to notice him. He couldn’t blame her, honestly. Compared to the saxophonist, he looked downright disheveled. His dark grey button-up was half done up, his ill-fitting black slacks a far-cry from the stuffy suits so many of these folks were wearing. 

Midvalley was a siren, he could capture the attention of any audience. It just didn’t work on him, vampires having a natural affinity for resisting charms. But why he chose jazz of all things to lure in his prey was beyond him. 

Wolfwood finally got fed-up with his smooth jazz and went to the bathroom to just get some peace and quiet. Except the concert was being piped in over a speaker. In frustration he left completely, smoking out back with the trash. Hopefully Midvalley left without him and he’d be spared the guy’s company any longer. He pissed him off, that was just a fact. 

“What are you doing out here, Punisher?” Midvalley’s smooth voice cut through his thoughts about punching that handsome face of his. “Didn’t like the show?” 

“You know I didn’t,” He sighed, flicking his cigarette away. Midvalley always complained the smoke was bad for his lungs. So he lit up a fresh one just to blow it in his face. 

“Did you at least get something to drink?” He frowned and stepped in closer, setting down his saxophone case. “Because we need to get going rather soon.” 

“You’re the one who wanted to stop here!” Wolfwood shoved him in the chest, getting up in his face. He was hungry, almost starving, and the Hornfreak smelled good as much as he was loath to admit it. 

“What are we to do, then?” He plucked the cigarette from Nicholas’s lips and examined it, a sour look on his face. “You need to eat something.” He closed the distance, leaning on his arm to cage him in. Wolfwood bared his fangs, resisting the urge to bite the hand that cupped his jaw. 

He wanted to get fed, he hated this guy’s guts. 

But that was pretty hot. 

“You think I wanna drink from you?” Wolfwood looked at the exposed neck next to his open lavender shirt, swallowing thickly. 

“I think so, yeah. It doesn’t have to mean anything, Punisher. I’m just helping you out.” 

“Do you have to be a dick about it or is that just for fun?” 

Midvalley rolled his eyes and huffed out the dryest laugh he’d ever heard. Wolfwood inched closer, nosing along his throat. It was normally foolish to drink from here but he didn’t really care if Midvalley got hurt and it would be over quicker. His hand was in his hair, something Nicholas was trying not to think about. But when his lips brushed that soft skin, Midvalley grunted approvingly. 

Maybe he’d been reading things wrong. 

Wolfwood sank his fangs into his throat, drinking from him messily. Blood splattered on his crisp tailored suit and would undoubtedly stain, something that filled him with smug satisfaction. He deserved it, being brought low like all the other sinners he pretended to be so above. Just like that insufferable Bluesummers. He yanked him closer to drink deeper, his blood singing through his veins. Midvalley tasted different from a human, something distinctly wistful and alluring. He tasted like freedom. He grabbed Wolfwood’s hip to bring him in closer in turn, pressing him back against the wall. 

Nicholas licked the wounds clean before sucking his bloody fingers into his mouth. He really had made a mess of both of them. But Midvalley wasn’t satisfied, not yet. He crashed their mouths together with tongue and teeth, his wandering hand pressing sensitive keys along Wolfwood’s spine. He played him like his saxophone, stealing his breath. When he’d had his fill, he put the cigarette back between his lips and straightened out his jacket with a wink. 

“I’ll bill you for my dry cleaning. See you around, Punisher.” 

saw this on twitter and i wanna do it 🥺 send me numbers and a ship and i’ll write drabbles