#this time Wolfwood gets the spotlight

[typingdyslexiaisathing]

Unexpected Warmth

Summary: Wolfwood decides to be nice and help his friend out

Characters: Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, OC character

Content: established relationship, mention of violence, mention of blood, illness, mention of alcohol

Wolfwood rolled over in his sleeping mat to then give a harsh growl of noise. Sitting up to notice the cave the three of us were camped in for the night. A couple of bottles of whiskey by the cave entrance to catch the light of the fire. Wolfwood first looked to Vash. Who was currently fast asleep. Which wasn't surprising given the beating Vash had taken the other day. The bandage on his left cheek holding a few specks of blood from the stitches I had insisted on putting in much to his annoyance. But then Wolfwood looked to where I was laying in my sleeping mat. Shivering from head to toe for him to huff.

It didn't take but a few steps forwards for Wolfwood to kneel down next to me. His hand soon resting on my shoulder to shake me a little. "Retha. Shit, you are like ice. Did you catch a cold? C'mon now. Wake up." My groan has me heft myself into a sitting position. My arms collecting my blanket to ask, "What? Is Vash okay or did his cut re-open?" Wolfwood gave a snort to say, "Vash is fine and currently snoring. But you are not okay. You caught a cold and I for one am not letting you freeze your ass off. So come on. You bunk with me."

My once bleary eyes focus a bit as I say, "Are you serious? I would think you would be insisting Vash do that. So what gives?" Wolfwood huffs to just forgo arguing and sweep me up into his arms. Which has me openly squeak as he walks us over to his own sleeping mat. Setting me down to then snatch my pillow off my now empty sleeping mat. His words gruff but concerned. "We already know Vash is too worn out right now after that brawl from the other day. Which means he'd catch what you got and whine for a week. So I vote you bunk with me and save us all the headache."

Wolfwood nudged me to lay down next to him to then wrap his muscled arms around me. Making me us him for my pillow as he stole the one he took from my sleeping mat. Which had me blush as red as Vash's coat. My grumbling heated for more than just the one reason. "Sneaky of you. You just wanted my pillow and my blanket. What a dastardly tactic, Nicholas." I then gave a hard sneeze that had me shiver. So Wolfwood snorted before he rested his chin on the crown of my head. "So says the mouse with chattering teeth. Just shut up and rest. You are also not driving in the morning. If anything, you and Vash are going to be wrapped in the blankets in the back seat of the Jeep for the trip to town."

I gave a huff to just hug Wolfwood back and close my eyes. The drumming against my ear strong and steady for me to ease into his frame and all that heated warmth. I'd think he had a fever if I wasn't so tired. But my current bunk buddy just tucked the blankets over us in better to then rest his one hand to the back of my head. My words full of loving affection. "Okay, wolf. You win. But I will have Vash help me pay you back for this." Wolfwood smirked at this to chuckle at me and my very real threat. "Yeah yeah. Shut up and go to sleep, Retha."

[needle-noggins]

Time for Vol. 5: Meryl's very bad no good horrible day

Even though she saved the day by shooting Legato, breaking the craziest stand-off while also scared shitless. I love my wife. She can hold so much complexity in her. Now let's get into it:

First, a moment from Vash:

Our boy is in utter agony here, and the thought of Meryl is what keeps him going. Obviously she's in danger and needs rescuing, but come on. He's enduring this pain for her. He can't quit, for her. Yeah, this is par for the course for our anime jesus figure, but come on. Let me have this.

Quick moment of Meryl seeing Vash's feathers for the first time and she's terrified. It's interesting how Wolfwood and Meryl are both so deeply terrified of Vash, but Wolfwood saw a lot more up front at Jeunora Rock and from a distance. Meryl, on the other hand, is trapped. I also think Wolfwood processes it completely differently because he also sees himself as a monster, so to him it's recognition of the self through the other (deragatory). For Meryl, it's just all traumatic. She's just a 23 year old woman and she didn't ask for this.

I think these panels above explain my question from earlier - Meryl is definitely seeing Vash's flashbacks to July here. She sees the black hole gate, the destruction, and the angel arm; I'm not sure if she knows about the part with Knives, but based on some really helpful people on my earlier post today, I think she reveals that she saw that too (oof). I'm not sure what she's seeing in the bottom panel of page 95, though. If someone could explain, I would be super appreciative.

Like I said, she's just a normal person. What was it that someone said to Vash earlier, that he's endured more pain than any person possibly could live with? And now Meryl feels some of that - a lot of it, perhaps, considering that July was so traumatic to Vash that he lost his memory of it. Someone else pointed it out wonderfully that while Fifth Moon was Knives controlling Vash, July was 100% Vash aiming to kill Knives and everyone else was an unlucky casualty of Vash's fear and anger. Meryl sees what Vash is capable of - and that he has killed scores of people - not just second-hand through circumstance, but in actuality.

ANGEL MODE GO CRAZY GO STUPID! GORE GORE GORE!

I mean, Vash doesn't have great control of his power anyway, between hardly ever using it and feeling intense emotion that affects it. Thank god he doesn't use the angel arm here, but holy shit? Meryl just saw what that thing is capable of, and Wolfwood saw it in real time, and he's yelling at Meryl to escape but she's trapped underneath him. After she was also trapped in an elevator, and the elevator fell, and holy shit if i were her I would need extensive therapy to go into an elevator ever again, never mind all of Vash. And then as Vash's angel arm powers down it morphs again into this ungodly homunculus of body parts like it's fucking Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist (*Trigun predates FMA, to be clear) and he is apologizing profusely, knowing how terrifying it is and he has no control over what's happening with his body.

Huh. Between that and how Knives keeps assaulting him, that's a pretty painful running theme.

Thankfully, as Elendira takes the spotlight (my other wife) (she can do no wrong, I love her dearly), I think it gives Vash some time to cool down long enough to go back to "normal". And then he holds a dying Hoppered's hand, showing compassion to a man who tried to kill him but then re-experienced the horrors of July with him, showing that Vash still cares that despite how terrifying and destructive he can be when he loses it. And Meryl watches on.

[paiteyy]

I think I love TriMax bc every time something should be hetro, like there’s the typical manga hetro set up, BOOM, NO!! It’s about Vash and Wolfwood instead.

Milly and Meryl are right there, two lead girls to pair the two lead guys off to, but no, that never happens!!

Instead Milly/Meryl and Vash/Wolfwood are friends and make a fun teams with each other, but they’re closer with their respective partners then their would be (in a typical manga) love interests!

God its SO fucking refreshing, even if you read them as platonic, to not to have hetro love between the main cast.

Idk, I read TriMax as a 13 y/o baby queer and I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. For them to get paired off to each other like in the original anime, for more of the same, like pretty much every other manga available at the time, but no, it never happens. The relief I felt was wild to me at the time, I didn’t know why.

Looking back on it now, I was dealing with a lot of little lesbian CompHet, and the fact that every manga I read had the guys pair off with these girls who they really seemed to have no real interest in, just for the story to be “complete,” even when it made no sense from a character or story perspective, was so exhausting. It was always, “he’s done all this, now here’s the girl he’s supposed to marry bc they’re all actually straight even though there’s no real relationship here, or even though they have a deeper relationship with someone else.”

And the girls, these girls who where so underdeveloped in their writing, who didn’t get to be real characters, made me mad, they deserved more! Where was their spotlight?! Was this all I could be in a story like this? Not to mention the anime and manga fandoms general attitude towards queer people and women at the time… (which has gotten better but is still a bit iffy in my experience).

In a weird way, manga felt very… CompHet? If I’m making any sense??

And in the face of all that, here comes TriMax! No Het romance! Girls who cared about each other, did cool shit, had cool designs, and were genuine friends with the men, but who didn’t revolve around them!!! It was everything to me, it still is!

Tldr: TriMax means a lot to me man :,)

[revenantghost]

Hey! So i must i adore you analysis on Wolfwood as you compared his story beats to maximum and how they got changed, something that I dont really see people commenting on

I must say however, do you think vash and wolfwood are bound to have the same kind of relationship they had in trimax? I adore stampede like crazy and was enjoying it so much until around ep 10/11 where it got cleared they were very much going a seemingly different route than what we thought. And to be honest the moment i saw they pumped Knives and Vash dynamic like crazy got me thinking tristamp will be completely about them and not also Vash and WW/others (which i think is as important as K and V for trigun to work out) or tristamp will be mostly Vash and Knives and WW and Livio.

You seek to have a super optimistic (lol) look for s2 and beyond so i wonder if you think (either by beats laid out by tristamp, maybe i am too blind or pessimistic to realize them) there may be something similar to vash and wolfwood’s relationship in trimax???

Oh man, thank you so much!!! I’m honestly so happy that people even read that rambling because it’s been driving me absolutely bonkers. (I’m just gonna link that post here in case anyone’s interested)

But tl;dr: I think that it’ll be similar! Honestly, I think the Vash and Wolfwood dynamics have to be similar, because that’s such an integral part of Trimax. I jokingly called it the Vash and Wolfwood show to a friend when I started reading it—and yeah, that sums up a lot. Though I REALLY see your worries about this. I think we got a much heavier dose of Vash and Knives to really make the stakes super personal, but I have a feeling Knives will fall into the more distant role he takes in Trimax because, as he says, Nai is dead. Long live Knives.

Tristamp season one is a prologue, confirmed by the team very purposefully calling the continuing work the final phase despite saying the sky is the limit on future content depending on fan support. It speed ran a lot of stuff, and I think that was knowingly done because the staff has stated multiple times that they needed everything to be as perfect as possible, but they didn’t know how it would do. I don't even know if they thought they could do a second season. Trigun has historically not been popular outside of the cult following ’98 had in the west—Trimax was just an afterthought that many fans hadn’t read before Tristamp grabbed us all by the throats.

To touch on the other relationships, I like that Tristamp is that it's already expanding on characters that I felt could have spent more time in the spotlight. Like, I'm very eager to see where they take the girls! Because Meryl’s falling into the same role but with a vastly different career in this, and she’s already way more present . Why are they following Vash? How present will the girls be? MILLY!!! With Meryl ripping down Vash’s wanted poster at the end of season one, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s her mission to clear Vash’s name, and hijinks ensue. She already has deeper ties to Wolfwood than any other version before, which makes both of them stronger for it. I’m nervous to see how this all plays out because change scares me and I love this story so much lmao, but I do think it’s good! I already went off about how I love how important Meryl already is in the story, she’s a foil to Vash and the faith in himself he never had, and I feel like that only strengthens and reflects against the foils Vash and Wolfwood have going on. And Milly! I’m so excited to see where they go with her.

But this does change everything with Wolfwood. I keep thinking that Tristamp has changed Wolfwood fundamentally and keep needing to go back and rewatch because he is Wolfwood. He’s younger and rougher around the edges, but he’s still that moron I know and love. (Sometimes I’ll be reading fic and I don’t even realize that the person’s only seen Tristamp because they just get him and the dynamic right—Orange is doing a good job even if it scares me deeply lol)

I do have complete faith that they need to and will let Vash and Wolfwood’s dynamic shine just as brightly as it does in Trimax. I think, actually, a lot of that comes from outside of the text, though I could probably do another rewatch to pick up on all the loose threads they’re laying down to grow Wolfwood’s character and his dynamic with Vash in particular.

First, a new bit of info I saw recently is that the director, Kenji Muto? Apparently hasn’t even seen ’98, or at least hadn’t seen it as of making season one. Of course there are other writers on staff, and the crew has admitted to being huge Trigun nerds, but if your only exposure to Trigun is Trimax??? Wolfwood is massively important to Vash. Doing that dirty would be greatest sin you could make against this franchise.

Second, Nightow is so involved in creating this. He was involved way before most manga authors are brought in on anime, and even said that pretty early on he basically gave it his blessing and said that they got Trigun. (Though he still approved everything from then on as well.) And Wolfwood and his story arc in Trimax is so powerful and so moving. Nightow obviously had some significant investment and emotion in it, in Wolfowod and Vash’s relationship and journey. Like, I cry at things sometimes, generally just ooze tears, but Nightow and this damn manga made me sob. I can’t imagine he would tell the crew they understood Trigun without Wolfwood’s character and his ties to Vash being a priority. I know typically Japanese creators won’t throw shade at adaptations like we see in Western realms, but I rarely see the level of enthusiasm Nightow has for this project.

Okay, because this is getting long, and I’m getting into Trimax spoilers next, putting this next bit under a cut, continue at your own risk.

It’s actually funny, because for the end of that Wolfwood post, before I started my rewatch for it, I originally had a pretty specific prediction about what would happen. Then the ‘sky’s the limit’ on future content came out, and idk what to expect. I thought that the next season was going to be the Vash and Wolfwood show ala Trimax, we were going to fall in love with Wolfwood, and we were gonna have him couched at the end of that season. Because the couch is so essential, it’s so critical, but my god do I want this man to survive the narrative, if only once, and have it mean just as much. (Can you tell I’m torn on this every second of every day of my entire life) And after writing up that whole post I’m even more confused because I have no idea where the fuck they’re taking him. But at the same time, we have major plot threads tying us to that scene so much earlier. The vials existing way earlier, Livio and Razlo being introduced, that line about grieving but still deserving to smile and eat that Wolfwood gives Vash in the episode he’s introduced??? We're making everything more coherent and tied together, and fuck, we're screwed.

For now, all I’ve got is that I think some shit is going to happen to Wolfwood during our two-year time skip, maybe something with Chapel, idk how they’re going to inevitably use Livio against us, but we saw a softer Wolfwood in Tristamp. He needs to harden to be who we know. Orange said they’re going to be more like their other selves here, and though Wolfwood already has some faith in Vash, but he does not have faith in humanity. That’s the growth we have yet to see, and that’s what is really at the core of their relationship and development. It’s still there.

Many people who read Trimax are absolutely gutted and wrecked by the couch. That defines a lot of readers’ experiences—Wolfwood’s character arc is an absolute masterclass in writing a satisfying and meaningful conclusion for a character. So for them to change this much about someone who is that important, they have to have a plan, and a damn good one for Nightow to sign off on it. I’ve seen folks talk about how apparently the team spent the most time working on Knives, Vash, and Wolfwood’s characters (this one I haven't seen a source for), but as you said, we can already see it in the brothers’ relationship. They have a plan for Wolfwood. It’s only a matter of time before we’re wrecked by it.

Yeah, they are gonna keep doing stuff that you or I won’t agree with, or that we think could be better. Every version of Trigun is pretty flawed in certain ways imo, even though it might be beautiful or a favorite piece of media. But all of the concerns of mine that Orange could answer in the first season, they did so with flying colors and blew me out of the water. So don’t get me wrong, I’m scared. I’m so fucking terrified. Both Vash and Wolfwood are my favorite characters in Trigun in such different, integral ways to me. I love them deeply. And Orange is changing so much.

But Orange adores Trimax as much as I do. Nightow is 500% on board. So I’m biting my nails about it, but I choose to have faith. We’ll get wrecked by this adaptation, and I’d bet money on it if I had any lol

OOF, THAT WAS LONG. I hope this was actually helpful/useful and not just incoherent feral rambling!

[tenebrius-excellium]

YOU WATCHED TRIGUN STAMPEDEEEEE??? HOWD U FIND IT WHATRE YOUR THOUGHTS !!

I CONFESS I WAS THE ANON ON YOUR BLOG YOU STUPID (affectionate) FRIEND; I GOT IT FROM YOU!!!

I LOVED IT!!!

Thanks for the accidental recommendation! :P

Ok I know NOTHING about anime, okay? Anything I say was great or not so great might refer to Trigun Stampede specifically, or it might just be an anime thing in general because That's What An Anime Is. I can't tell the difference.

LOVED the intro song (Tombi by Kvi Baba). Constantly listening to it right now. It's hauntingly beautiful yet so easy-going and chill. I looked up the lyrics and they're about being a light in the darkness, I dig that theme!

LOVED Meryl from the start. A level-headed young lady who craves the truth, justice, and knowledge beyond herself because it's the right thing to do. She cares so much. She doesn't steal any spotlight by interfering or by being dramatic. She simply observes, listens to instructions that will save her life, and draws her own conclusions. I'm glad we got to experience the plot through her perspective first! A "journalist investigating a story" may seem like such a dumb start - could be Hallmark. But in this Space Western setting, it's perfect.

VASH MY BELOVED. I hated his intro because it made him seem so dumb and silly. There's a difference between making a character seem naive so that he gets underestimated (bringing in the - surprise! - big guns later), and making him outright ooc to create a false first impression. Idk I knew that his FIRST scene where he needed a bullet was not how his character would remain.

HIS CHARACTER DESIGN IS SO COOOOL!!! Idk from the outfit down to his martial arts skills matched with radical forgiveness and pacifism - DUDE. He's very complex. Idk yeah he lets himself get shot in total surrender but there is the part where one bullet won't immediately kill him and he knows it. There's also the part where Wolfwood challenges him on his beliefs, saying that for all his "peace and love on planet earth" talk he sure does not clean up after the messes he creates. The thing is - it's not so much about taking responsibility for the bounty on his head or something, but rather for the fact that his behavior evokes confused, angry and frightened reactions because it comes unexpected to a human society that is drilled on survival. As much as he CHOOSES not to use violence time and time again, I think he needs to cultivate some awareness that this is unusual behavior and that it triggers people to do crazy things (based on insecurity) around him. On the positive side, he confronts each and everyone with their personal tolerance for violence and tests their hearts that way. Beautiful.

The team is so well balanced! Vash, Wolf, Meryl, and Roberto - Dream Team!

The actions scenes take my breath away. They are so so so so good. I am noticing the attention to detail and the accuracy to skill that everyone is describing. I am also highly enjoying the ingenuity of new moves and awesome use of weapons, physical strength and surroundings. I'm sorry, I can't explain the brilliance of these moves well - but you already know what I mean.

I didn't quite get the in-depth explanation of the conflict I think??? Like, I'm still not quite sure what a Plant is, why Vash and Nai are more intelligent than the rest of them, why they were in space to begin with and what exactly Knives was trying to achieve by traveling to a higher dimension? I really didn't get the angel theme and why Vash suddenly developed a wing and became dark (I like his darker look tho). I also don't quite understand Nai as a character. To ensure the survival of Plant seems like an understandable cause for his actions, but why be so cruel and uncaring about it? It doesn't explain his maniac barbarity. Explanations are more than welcome!

What is your obsession with Livio about?? I mean I know, he was epic in that one scene he appeared in, and his bond with Wolfwood was genuine and deep. But he literally took himself out like a light, so... where's all that additional Livio content coming from? It's also really sad. Like... he never even gave himself one minute after waking up. That was a bit morbid.

Oh my gosh Vashmeryl is the og canon? I'm happy there wasn't any forced romance between anyone in this season. Only platonic connections for once. Amazing. Whatever Vash and Meryl end up as, I'll support both.

If there comes a Season 2, I will watch it!!! I don't know how far I'll take Trigun Stampede in fandom, but believe me, watching this has positively altered me forever. It's so FRESH.

Again, thank you for the unintentional recommendation!

Cheers

Reddie

[punisheye]

He's not one to like being in the spotlight, but he really can't deny that he's been itching for a fight for a while.

Seems like the undertaker has been, too. Better not to fight each other even if they have nearly come to blows a few times; maybe fighting things with their faces, though, might make them feel a little better. Or it could bring back some unwanted memories. Hm.

The colosseum is loud and bright. Wolfwood adjusts his sunglasses in the light, looks up and around at the crowd whose cacophonous shrieking nearly drowns out the sound of the music.

"That's a lot of people to impress, think you can handle it?"

Up ahead is a shadowy figure with its back turned to them, leaning against a tall cross that glows a venom-blue. Not his. There should be two, one for each of them.

"Just don't embarrass me." Wolfwood's eyes scan the field, searching for the second opponent, because there isn't really anywhere anyone can hide out in the open like this.

So where is...

...He feels a sudden chill up his spine. A large, heavy presence manifesting behind them.

"It's good to get some fresh air," his voice sounds behind them, and Wolfwood's immediately turning. Where his shadow was is... well... the Shadow, who is sizing them both up while puffing on a cigarette. He doesn't look too impressed. "Especially after bein' cooped up in yer head for so long.

"Doesn't look like Vash the Stampede's here. Just a second-rate copy." The Shadow's eyes focus in on the undertaker. He grins around the cigarette. And he addresses Nicholas directly now: "Better luck this time?"

@punishercross

[ruporas]

hi!! it's the anon with massive brainrot that spammed 3 fat asks at once <3

i'm so so so happy that u responded to all my ramblings so earnestly. and in DEPTH. that last rant u had about the nature of vashwood and how they view each other and their insecurities and all that... it took me forever to read cuz i kept stopping to just Sit and Think About It

but u also asked about that spotlight metaphor i mentioned and. it's bad lmfao

i was actually thinking about in 98 trigun where wolfwood takes a very permanent vacation. i'd remembered a kind of spotlight effect on him during that scene, and looking it up just now i realize it was cuz one of the church windows cast this warm square of light over him

so my memory was slightly off- i'd thought it was more of an actual spotlight- but i lost my mind when i thought you might've been referencing it for some reason. i didn't wanna bring it up tho cuz i figured i was wrong, and evidently i was lol

anywho, YAY LOST PAGE RECOVERY! kind of honored that i accidentally dug it up

bound to want still reads surprisingly smooth despite the fact it was missing a whole page tho. i never would've known if you didnt say anything. ETERNALLY happy i have it now, of course- it's beautiful and i adore the composition <3 it speaks so strongly to the atmosphere and what's going on

side note: would it be ok if i messaged u to talk about vashwood more? cuz i can Seriously ramble nonstop but i feel like im annoying your other followers lol (it's like i have everyone cuffed to desks as i aggressively slap a whiteboard with bound to want pasted on it)

i just. want to praise your work so Bad. i notice so many little things and it gets swept under the rug so much cuz an anon ask can only get so obnoxious haha.

but yeah! thanks sm for bein so amazing. i hope school goes well for you so u can thrive with vashwood this summer <3

(also i SAW that tag about bonus content. i Saw it. i'm Thinking about it)

OHHHHHH I understand what you mean by that though! It makes sense to me to presume that considering the confetti notes haha, but yeah, just one reference to his permanent vacation and it's in the confetti!!

BUT WAH, thank you so much again for your kind kind words!!! Yes, feel free to message me whenever, I always welcome it. It'll definitely take me some time to respond because life and I also like to sit down with a response and have the proper coherency to respond with my full attention and stuff. It's an honor to hear about detail analysis about my work so!!! I welcome it, thank you so so much!!!

[goldenteaset]

An observation about '98 Trigun's episode 12 (that wouldn't fit in the already-beefy Legato and Vash Details post)

Concerning Vash's opening scene with the shoemaker: what I've always loved about this bit is how shady he feels during it. He's sweet as pie as ever, of course. But he's still asking for something dangerous (Knives info?), so much so that the shoemaker warns him about it repeatedly. It's one of the few times the show ever directly puts him and Legato under the same spotlight, symbolically speaking, and I think that's intentional. They're both willing to get their hands dirty to get what they want, but to differing degrees.

Vash's determination is in many ways his greatest virtue, one that Legato shares. And in both cases, they'll make themselves look worse in the public eye if it means helping someone they care about, which leads to...

I think Legato isn't just coming by to "warn" Vash about Monev. Rather, I think he's stopped by because he heard Vash "killed" Julius and Moore from episode 11, who were fleeing human traffickers. (To paraphrase Wolfwood: "What you did is being spread through the land as we speak".) And considering how Legato deals with such "vermin" later in Jenora Rock...

[crowlore]

lucian’s comfort character compilation (i will be cheating)

i have been instructed by @huginsmemory​ to “List Five Comfort Characters And Tag Five People”. helpfully, i was already recently provided with a handy list of characters perceived to be Mine™, seen here:

what can i say. i have a brand to maintain and apparently it’s deeply mentally ill characters that spark needless discourse on twitter. i own this. i will be cheating by pairing characters together per listing. order doesn’t particularly reflect anything. i don’t typically tag specific people for these things so consider this post an open invitation to anyone reading to overshare about your favs. GO FORTH

nicholas d. wolfwood. my fucking god. to lead with him feels the most transparent i can stand to be. what is there to even say. he has everything. he's the foil. he's the love interest. he's introduced with one foot in the grave and the other in the church. he's a hitman. he's a priest. he's a bodyguard. kids and single mothers love him. he's an orphan. he's a chain smoker. he shoots first asks questions never. he's screaming and covered in his own blood and hunting you down with a concussion and temporary blindness. he was drowning in foot deep water with seven broken ribs three minutes ago but he's fine now. as a man who once fractured his spine on a rock because of a comical tightrope walking incident and was walking it off two hours later, i relate. something something i could fix him but whatever is wrong with him is way more interesting

minato arisato and ryoji mochizuki (do not separate). uhhhhh persona 3 remake when? please? the earliest installments of this series may have been a bit before my time (not that i even got to play 3 when it was fresh since i didn’t really get a lot of freedom with video games until 2012) so i understand my bias but p3 is still my favorite main series entry to date. and you get TWO depressed moon themed bitches for the price of one with this game? one of them is death. the other becomes an interstellar gateway. i’m a sucker for characters who know each other for a tiny fraction of the larger story but instantly connect like they’ve been waiting lifetimes to meet again. characters whose presence in the narrative is brief but infinitely impactful. one is literally made from the other. what can i say.

goro akechi. while we’re on persona. sorry, we have to get into my Problematic Fav. let me tell you. i’ve been in the fucking trenches. this character is easily 50% of the reason i don’t engage in persona fandom spaces (wrt 5 especially). i love crazy bitches. personally, i love and encourage his violent mania and psychotic tendencies. can’t help being a gemini. can’t help being a foil. he didn’t stop at biting the hand that feeds him; he wanted to chew the whole thing off the arm regardless of who else he had to sink his teeth into on the way. y’all are just still mad that part of that means he can be a pretty unlikable person. at least he was honest with his motivations when you caught him. i get him though. goro’s role in the third act of royal saved the game because you and i both know that new story content wasn’t any good otherwise. he’s there to be a BITCH and keep things REAL. shout out to goro akechi for helping me identify my own dissociative disorder. thanks king

uldren sov and crow. this is a different people, same character sort of situation. sometimes you die and come back with no memories and get to be the same person at heart but placed into a life of extremely altered circumstances and see where that takes you. now i’m aware these characters are kind of divisive in destiny circles (mostly for the wrong reasons). i’ll give it to the people who think he’s being pushed waaaaay too hard into the narrative spotlight in a lot of seasons; that’s totally fair. but he’s had a lot of super compelling arcs surrounding his trauma across two lifetimes. his grief really becomes him. i’m also sincerely just so weak to stories centered around siblings, especially ones dealing with the really harsh and ugly truths regarding emotional abuse in the family and the complexity of familial love.

dimitri alexandre blaiddyd and the blue lions. SORRY. CONTRACTUAL FIRE EMBLEM MENTION. fe16 is the reason i completely left the fire emblem fandom space, even though it’s been a toxic cesspool for the entire decade i’ve been in any way involved with it. dimitri’s another of my twitter assigned problematic favs (the fandom faction wars surrounding this game were insane) and the reason i’m not even on the platform anymore. i have miles wide weak spot for the blue lions’ found family dynamic and was instantly in love with the way these characters played off of each other in established relationships right from the start of the game. their route tells a very complete, grounded character driven story that hit all the right emotional story beats to make the ending really feel rewarding. it was often times uncomfortable, but it was done well in a way that didn’t shy away from a lot of the ugly parts of mental illness that allowed me to feel very seen. i think it held truest to the standard formula of the fire emblem story structure and did so very well, even if silver snow was written first as the intended canonical story route. still my favorite after four years. classic.

[angelictyphoon]

They move with the practiced intimacy of battle partners, complementary foot work with a swish-step in time to the slow, melancholic twang of the guitar. To strangers they might look more than well-acquainted, and Vash finds any anxieties he may have over their opinions buried beneath the fluttering behind his ribs. Wolfwood’s smug grin does not help him feel better in the slightest. Vash suggested they dance, and now he has to live with the very obvious consequences. 

Alcohol must be the culprit for why his heart is thundering in his ears. Nothing to do with the way Wolfwood’s hand traces down along his spine, comes to rest in the space below the upper half of his jacket. 

“Mean?” Vash sounds both incredulous and flustered from losing his cover as the incandescent lights attached to the slow-revolving fans spotlight his face. Rich, coming from the guy who pummels him every time he crashes Nicholas’s precious motorcycle. A motorcycle he’s forced to drive, even. He has learned to appreciate humanity through acts both permanent and impermanent, but through it all he remained the same. Or so he thought. 

The song eventually peters out, along with the remaining play time paid into the jukebox. Nothing fun comes without a few double dollars attached. Yet Vash finds himself lingering in the circle of Wolfwood’s arms, going so far as to link his hands together behind Wolfwood’s head and holding close. 

He really shouldn’t get so close. It never ends well. Should have fled back to their hotel room, should have…And Vash can feel his inhibitions being continually whittled away. With the weight of liquor on his tongue, with Wolfwood pressed up against him, he finds sense harder to grasp than clasping a hand across the back of Nicholas's neck and holding his gaze. 

“What’s changed, exactly?”

That blush is not lost on Wolfwood. It causes his smile to broaden and dulls any argument that Vash has been brewing. It serves as proof that The Humanoid Typhoon likes him and likes being seen, even if he claims otherwise. Vash nests beneath his chin, and his closeness summons an involuntary swallow from Nick. He clears his throat in time to feel a warm whisper creep under his ear. Sharp words made soft by their embrace.

"-Ah, hey now." Wolfwood pleads coolly while leading them into an upright sway. Buckled boots maneuver between bold oxfords, keeping time. Moving with a level of grace that would escape the average man after downing so much liquor. "That's kinda mean, don't you think?" They complete a circle together. Wolfwood spreads his fingers wide across the small of Vash's back and traps him nearer. "Mean and untrue. I'm responsible for plenty 'a change in you. We grow with each person we meet. That's just a fact of life."

'...And what if you don't like what you learn...'

Wolfwood's steps never falter. He continues as smoothly as intoxication allows, though his face tilts toward the ceiling as he thinks, leaving Vash's reddened features exposed. "...Well, I don't know. I guess I'll tell ya when I find something I don't like. In my experience, the more you learn about a person, the more you appreciate them. Doesn't usually go the other way." He can hear what's left of the liquor sloshing between his shoulder blades, but his desire for another drink can't compare to the gentle back and forth of their bodies. Another shot would be hard-pressed to beat this high; this rare opportunity for the sort of contact hes been craving.

[severalspoons]

Are you a main character or a side character?

I took the Are You a Main Character or a Side Character quiz and got:

Your Result: the main character's best friend

“you're not exactly The Main Character, but often times, you're more likable than the actual hero of the story, so i wouldn't be too sad. you're extremely loyal to the ones you love, and great at advice! you might get jealous of the main character's spotlight sometimes, but for the most part, you're okay being in the periphery of all the attention. you're a little insecure and have a tendency to mope. you're brave and cheerful!”

Damn it, I’m Wolfwood. I guess I can live with that... 

I would’ve expected to be the narrator, if I knew that was an option.

I’m too extra to be a typical side character, but too incompetent and cowardly to be a true main character.

[lieutenantofblood-blog]

YOUR TRUE AURA COLOR

Tagged by: @nicholas-wolfwood Tagging: Anyone that reads this. Just tag me whatever.

ersonality: Yellow is a very cheerful person that is always smiling. They are very enthusiastic to anything that is thrown their way. Yellows are always looking for the bright side of life. Yellows are very optimistic and that’s what people love about them. Yellows can get very anxious and can’t wait to jump into things. They can get hyper very easily but people love them for their spunk and their personality. Their world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. Charming and eloquent, yellows are able to get people to do things their way. While they seem spontaneous and free wheeling, they are calculating to the extreme.Yellows are brave and fearless. They are tough when it counts, and that's pretty much all the time. If they get knocked down, they know how to dust themselves off and get right back up. Yellows are a deeply happy and content person, and they enjoy sharing their cheer with others. While they may seem like a simple optimist, there is a lot of thinking going on inside them. Individuals observed with yellow auras, are most vibrant, fun-loving and enjoyable. They are wonderful persons who are loving, humorous and intellectual. They love to please and seek love from everyone. They are extremely creative and imaginative. Person with yellow aura are genuinely happy, up-beat, friendly, positive, generous, social, optimistic and generous. At times, they tend to be lazy, irresponsible, procrastinators, fickle and undisciplined. People with yellow aura are sometimes shy, frisky and fidgety. They have youthfulness in them. They are sensitive healers. One of the unique characteristic features is the presence of kinesthetic intelligence. One of the most interesting trait of yellows are, they are children in themselves. They love to play with children and are very good playmates. They are sensitive individuals and care for their partners. They do not like dominance or subjugation. Yellows are motivated by Fun. They are inviting and embrace life as a party that they're hosting. They love playful interaction and can be extremely sociable. They are highly persuasive and seek instant gratification. Yellows need to be adored and praised. While yellows are carefree, they are sensitive and highly alert to others' agendas to control them. Yellows typically carry within themselves the gift of a good heart.Yellows need to look good socially, and friendships command a high priority in their lives. Yellows are happy, articulate, engaging of others and crave adventure. Easily distracted, they can never sit still for long. They embrace each day in the "present tense" and choose people who, like themselves, enjoy a curious nature. Yellows are charismatic, spontaneous, and positive; but can also be irresponsible, obnoxious, and forgetful. When you deal with a YELLOW, take a positive, upbeat approach and promote light-hearted, creative, and fun interactions.Yellows are self-confident personalities who will challenge anything and everything; authority, rules and established ways of thinking. This tendency to question everything can create a strained atmosphere in both business and personal situations. You are interested in theories, abstractions, innovations and change. You are a conceptual deep thinker and enjoy getting "lost in your head" as a way of exploring new ideas and looking for innovative ways to make a difference. You are a true "out-of-the-box" visionary and adept at multi-tasking. Searching for the hidden meanings behind every day life gives you great pleasure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Love Life: A total flirt, you need a lot of freedom to play. But you'll be loyal to that one person who makes you feel safe.

Red: May be a little to deep and may want to settle down on a permanent relationship in which yellows hate being tied down.

Orange: They are just like you and if put in a relationship together they will be fighting for the spotlight 24/7

Green: May be to bland to handle Yellow

Blue: Deep and Sincere may be the best choice…BUT NOT FOR YELLOW

Purple: Ew Purples!! That’s all I have to say

White: White may be to busy to notice your outgoingness and may overlook you for their enemy…pinks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perfect Color Love Match: pink is the absolute best partner for a Yellow. They are very outgoing and have that dash of Romance in them.

Friendship Color: Orange, Both Yellows and Oranges have a down right weird personality that can make a dynamic duo when together.

Color Opposite: Purple, You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people acts like you have no depth.

Words that Describe Yellow: Wise, Aware, Curious, Intellectual, Logical, Decisive, Extroverted, Focused, and Driven.

Purpose of Life: Bringing Joy and a Better Life to Others

[recentanimenews]

Trigun Characters Join Brave Frontier Mobile RPG in New Collaboration

  Trigun fans will soon have another way to interact with their favorite characters. The main cast of Yasuhiro Nightow's manga and its anime adaptation are coming to the world of mobile RPG Brave Frontier in a new crossover event, which is set to run from April 15 to May 6. 

  In the event, a handful of major Trigun characters find themselves in the world of Grand Gaia. You'll be able to summon these units during the collaboration period, and there are also bonuses and rewards for participating. 

    Character spotlights: 

  Vash the Stampede A blond-haired man who seems to be followed by destruction and disaster wherever he goes, Vash the Stampede is known to wander the land on his own. Feared by many as a ruthless killer, he manages to surprise people when they realize that he's more clumsy than anything else. In battle, he always manages to gain the advantage somehow, only to end each fight by refusing to kill his opponents. As he arose in the strange world that he found himself in, he wondered what to make of the new adventure that he had fallen into. Only time would tell where the Humanoid Typhoon would go, and what challenges he would face in the world known as Grand Gaia.

Meryl & Milly Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson are agents of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, combing the wasteland to evaluate and report on claims made against Vash the Stampede. Despite Meryl's seriousness and Milly's antics, the two get along quite well, becoming a formidable force as they follow the trails of destruction and file insurance claims for their employer. They always have food of one kind or the other handy, whether it's doughnuts to smooth over introductions or puddings to satisfy Milly's latest craving. Originally ordered by their superiors to follow Vash and keep any trouble around him in check—bringing a quick resolution to any problems that came up—the two became fast friends. It would prove to be a tremendous asset in the new world that they found themselves in, with its strange beasts and many misadventures.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood A wandering man who claims to be a former priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood is a capable gunslinger with a peculiar weapon: a cross-shaped heavyweight bound in cloth and leather. As he travels the land, he faces many moral conflicts and challenges, each of which he succeeds at in his own way. While extremely skilled on the battlefield, he has high morals and a strong sense of justice. This often leads him to arguments about personal values with the other members of his company. However, his beliefs about being forced to sometimes kill for the good of the weak would be put to the test in a new world…

Legato Bluesummers Brooding and dark, Legato Bluesummers is a man with a vital plan: to torment Vash the Stampede into the throes of mental anguish. With his incredible telekinetic powers, he has proved himself capable of mentally dominating crowds with sheer force of his mind. However, he disdains the direct application of force, preferring complex plans in order to fulfill his mission. As the leader of the villainous Gung-Ho-Guns, he directs them into missions that challenge the Humanoid Typhoon's moral code to the very end.

    Some of the other aspects of the event include special dungeons, themed raid battles, and rewards like the addition of the superb gunfighter known as Millions Knives. Be sure to check out the official Brave Frontier site or login for more info. 

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[eventheodds]

She's done her homework on this one. Not leaving anything to chance, because she knew there would be too many unknown variables.

"The intel I gathered was months in the making. I made sure that we'd blend in seamlessly," she says as he finally sits down. Meryl tuts with a click of her tongue at the thought of cutting his hair.

" And you know I wouldn't, so stop worrying," she huffs as she grabs the comb and debates about using gel or mousse. His hair will need to get a bit wet if she decides one or the other, but there's still time before they're supposed to leave and present themselves to the usher.

"One of the mayors will be wanting to talk about his town's newly acquisition of a task force to help with the bandits issue. The area's in a prime location, so they say, where a lot of commerce is being done so that means money is always flowing. Another will probably talk about how it's acquired several more plants, boasting about the energy outputs and how all businesses are thriving."

While she's talking, she's carding her fingers through his hair, pushing his fringe back so the teeth of the comb don't snag too much when she runs it through. Meryl spends a few more moments doing this, unaware that the time is passing while she's talking about all the heavy hitters and big names that will be there tonight.

"That's also noted. A few on the list will be wanting to be placed in the spotlight because of increased income or whatever they're lining their pockets with these days." Money certainly made the world go around, but as she's come to find in the hunt for the people who killed her family, influence is just as much if not better than money itself.

"I know you didn't really sign up for this, but I wanna thank you all the same," she says as she takes a step back and reaches for the folder with several papers tucked inside that consist of a list of names and the photographs they're assigned to. She's amazed at how well put together this plan is—not that she'd ever doubt herself, but this truly feels like the farthest she's come when she made that promise to avenge those she lost.

Meryl steps back into Wolfwood's vicinity and lets him look through the folder while she picks up the comb again and starts running it through his hair.

"Ugh, fine, you can try," Wolfwood seats himself on a wooden desk chair with a huff; his hair hops and falls into its usual puff-mop-like state. "If you so much as even think about cutting it, it's your funeral."

Sly slate eyes shift downwards as he tries not to think about the initial reaction he had to Meryl messing with his collar and tie. All part of the act, getting into the role—shit—was this collar always so hot? Wolfwood hates collars and has only ever respected one green and orange striped tie once when Vash got drunk. The way he wore it would not have flown past corporate's HR in an office setting.

He's an open collar, open shirt kinda guy. It's the most pragmatic for the way he needs to handle the Punisher, anyway. Closing his shirt would only lead to it tearing open—best to solve the problem before it's a problem, he thinks.

...but there's no Punisher to be used in this setting—it'd stick out too much. These kinds of assignments are nothing new, he's had to do stealthy hits before and is plenty equipped for them, but usually he has time to hide his weapon somewhere before things go from bad to worse. This time, Meryl is the one with the gala's location and the details for the operation, and there is simply no time to prepare a place to stash the oversized cross. His chest harness and a couple silenced pistols will have to do.

Wolfwood looks up at Meryl from this angle—and it's a horrible mistake, looking into her sapphire eyes. Why is this assignment any different than some of the others he's taken on before, outside of the obvious? Thinking on it, he supposes he's never had to take on the role of a spouse before. Gah, it doesn't matter! He has a role to play and he can't screw it up.

"You got a couple answers in mind for whenever we're inevitably asked questions, or do you expect our stories to just... match up and go unnoticed? Have you brushed up on etiquette? Shit's important with the fancy rich types; those morons notice if you use the wrong fork for your damn dinner, asshats."

Yes, he's gotten caught using the 'salad fork' for his entree, and no he doesn't want to talk about what happened after.

"Oh yeah, and the biggest people in the room love it when you recognize them before they introduce themselves. Should probably match a couple faces to names before we go."

[ruporas]

back again for more bound to want rambles. whoops <3

i'm talking about color this time

there's not much to say about part 1 since you were really consistent with the dull, hazy yellow, but i LOVE it all the same. it's like an old, worn out photograph. it fits with the messy dream vibe So Well and makes everything feel even More out of focus, adding perfectly to the effects of roses and thorns and other dream-like effects you added in place of boxy panels (ADORE IT)

i also just hfkjdhgssg i love how that color persists even AFTER vash wakes up in part 1. the messy dream lines have faded and we're snapped back into stiff, reality-ground boxes, but that hazy color is still there. still pervading everything. vash is awake now, but the dream still has him.

but then moving on to part 2, we're back to your usual color-scheme with the dark green/light pink combo... or so i THOUGHT, BUT LIKE THE ENTIRE FREAKING PART 2 IS STEEPED IN SAD GREEN HGJFKDHLGSFDSKJGHFDLKSJGHFDSLKJHGFLKDJSHG

except for 2 exceptions.

when ww sits vash down for a drink they have a pink bg, but it doesn't have that airy, happy feel that that color usually holds. there's this subtle ring of green around it, and a static effect around the outside of this little bubble of warmth. almost like they are happy to be together and share this moment despite the issues they're having, but the weight of what's going on keeps seeping in

(and ik i'm talking about color but i'm OBSESSED with the poses in this panel. ww and vash are essentially sitting the same exact way- right arm up on the table and body turned left- but they're mirrored in opposite directions. they won't face each other, even though they're exactly the same. and ww, honest in this moment, faces the camera while vash turns away. ghakfjghdsfkgjhdg)

also i lied there's more than 2 exceptions. when ww apologizes, there's this really deeeeep dark pink in the bg of the small panel vash reacts in. happiness tainted by all his pain and confliction, i assume

and this isn't pink, but i lost my MIND over that static-y spotlight effect on wolfwood in the next page. it reminds me of a few symbolism things, but i don't feel them that strongly so i'd love to know if u had anything specific in mind drawing it that way!!

but anyway a page later when vash is thinking about how "unfair" it is that he doesn't deserve ww, but ww won't leave, there's this gorgeous static, pink/green effect going on again. all these conflicted emotions and pain and want jfdhgsfdkghjdskg

but my favorite FREAKING part is after the ID, the FACE that vash makes as he finally breaks, and there's just this RING of true, soft pink around him as the green finally dissipates

and then panel 2 rolls around with wolfwood and it's almost entirely gone. barely present in the occasional "ribbon" effects that flow around the pages afterwards- still there in the background and still hanging over them- but it's okay now. that sad, painful green doesn't encompass them anymore. it's just spaced naturally throughout their lives, which is how it is for normal, healthy relationships.

i just.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH.

SYMBOLISM METAPHORS AND MASTERFUL DETAILWORK I COULD TALK ALL DAY ABOUT COLOR ALONE

:D!!

the color choices are also… my steps of becoming a better artist… grips fists DMGKSDMGKS BUT YES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANALYSIS ON BOTH PARTS!!! i'm very glad the diluted yellow could give that kind of feeling, and things are definitely more deliberate in the second part, given there's more colors now to work with!!!

vashwood consists constantly of heavy thoughts, looming agony and pending tragedy, but in these rare moments where they get to just have each other, it gets to clear and they can feel like the only two people in the world, for just a teensy tiny second! i like to build that white/pink space as a tangible place for them kind of, not always, but i realized it's a common string in my vw comics.

i'm curious to know what you were thinking of symbolically for that wolfwood spotlight panel!!! frankly, there wasn't a lot of thought behind it! it's just the narrow focus of vash now that wolfwood's in front of him and their conversation has come to a quiet, the heaviness of wolfwood's vulnerable leaving the space for a bit, leaving just wolfwood's prescence.

also thank you for sending this in particular, bc this is what made me realize i forgot page 4. AND THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR LOVELY ANALYSIS!!!!! i don't have disputes, it's pretty much on the nose of what i hoped and intended for those moments to come across. i'm glad it was effective! thank you!!