#two words. knives. Trigun

[runningatypufullspeed]

I fucking aced this way of the by’s (or however you kids say it nowadays) I managed to rationalize purposefully traumatizing people and institutionalized mass killing I am THE GODDARD. HAHA!!!!! BIG A PLUS FOR ME!!!!!! Probably.

I AM BEING FORCED TO ROLEPLAY AS SCYTHE FUCKING GODDARD FOR MY SCHOOLA SISIGNMRNT CAN SOMEONE END ME PLEASE END ME NOW

[thecmaly]

plantwood

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more trigun comics

[hjemne]

Babygirl I have 38 thousand words of incomplete trigun fic spread across 8 wips and have no idea how to even start dealing with it

[fandomtrumpshate]

Listed fandom fun

A bit of random data before we jump into the rankings for listed fandoms …

Since the numbers post yesterday we've had signups for nearly 60 new auctions, bringing the current total to 779. That beats the number of signups for 2016/7, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and puts us withing spitting distance of our record last year of 819. Can we do it? Will we do it? Signal boost FTH posts and encourage others to participate. More money raised for good causes, more fanworks in the world — it's a win/win!

We posted yesterday about the state of our unlisted write-in fandoms (we've had nine new ones since then!). Time to check in with the rankings for the listed fandoms.

At the top of the pack we have:

87 K-Pop * 66 Good Omens 50 Sherlock Holmes * 44 Harry Potter * 37 Marvel * 32 DC * 31 Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Untamed 27 Red, White, & Royal Blue 25 Star Wars * 23 Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Our first tie is for 11th place -

22 Avatar The Last Airbender 22 Teen Wolf

And after that, nearly every other place is a tie. And which ones are ties for which places can be shifted slightly with just one signup. Or completely upended with two. Where will your fandom land?

Remember that if your fandom isn't here (or in the rest of the list below the cut), you can write it in. Signups are OPEN through Monday!

19 Supernatural 18 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star 18 Locked Tomb Trilogy 18 Stranger Things 17 All for the Game 16 Our Flag Means Death 16 Tolkien * 16 The Witcher 15 Boku no Hiro Akademia (My Hero Academia) 15 Original Work 15 Percy Jackson and the Olympians 14 Baldur's Gate 3 14 Hockey RPF 12 The Old Guard 12 Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official's Blessing) 11 The Magnus Archives 11 Star Trek * 10 Check Please! 10 Dungeons & Dragons 10 Haikyuu!!! 10 Hazbin Hotel 10 Jujutsu Kaisen 9 A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon 9 One PIece 8 Doctor Who * 8 Hades (video game) 8 Heartstopper 8 James Bond 8 Kingsman 8 Merlin 8 Naruto 8 Suits 7 Dragon Age * 7 Justified 7 Raven Cycle 7 Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast 7 The Sandman 7 Shadowhunters 7 SK8 the Infinity 6 Captive Prince 6 Critical Role 6 Final Fantasy * 6 Fullmetal Alchemist 6 Hannibal 6 Kinnporsche 6 The Maze Runner 6 Queen's Thief 6 Stargate 6 Steven Universe 6 Top Gun Movies 6 Yuri!!! On Ice 5 Alex Rider 5 Grishaverse 5 Interview With The Vampire 5 Malevolent (Podcast) 5 The Murderbot Diaries 5 Nirvana in Fire 5 The Owl House 5 RWBY 4 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun) 4 Genshin Impact 4 Les Misérables 4 The Magicians 4 Pokemon 4 Witch Hat Atelier 3 Arcane 3 Disney's Descendants 3 Elder Scrolls 3 Hetalia 3 Hunger Games 3 Legend of Zelda 3 Spy x Family 3 Tian Ya Ke / Word of Honor 3 Trigun 3 Welcome to Night Vale 3 Wheel of Time 3 Young Royals 2 Benoit Blanc Mysteries (Knives Out, Glass Onion) 2 Disco Elysium 2 Encanto 2 Gundam Wing 2 The Last of Us 2 Leverage 2 Miraculous Ladybug 2 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries 2 Mysterious Lotus Casebook 2 Schitt's Creek 2 Super Mario Bros. 1 Assassin's Creed 1 Attack on Titan 1 Diamond no Ace 1 Fire Emblem Three Houses 1 Homestuck 1 Stellar Firma 1 Wednesday / The Addams Family

[imustbenuts]

nuts reads trigun in jp 14 - trimax' vol 1 theme is big on family

i mean, thats obvious, but it didn't ping on my radar as much until im sitting here chewing on what im reading.

ive written in part 7 with the first hint of filial piety, 12 with a lost in translation bit about vash calling sheryl and lina his family, and 13 where wolfwood comes across as a guy who is taking someone's child(daughter) away to elope for marriage. the tl;dr of all of this is that trimax' vol 1 seems to be a set up for exploring themes and what "family" can be defined as.

i uh, suspect japanese idea of 内外 uchi-soto is at play here. (ie in-group and out-group but family) it seems to be lowkey tied to that and the themes of 'otherism'. the kanjis for them means, in 内, and out 外.

the uchi 内 is the 'us', and it is most commonly used in the context of home and family.

the soto 外 is the others, the ones who aren't part of the family.

there's absolutely more ways uchi-soto can be used than just family. village, organization, etc.

so while i dont have a concrete answer of how fucked family dynamics exactly are in japan, i can say its at least pretty fucked in a lot of asian countries affected by ww2. this is further compounded by a lot of classism, traditionalism, trauma, shit mental healthcare, absurd rapid economic growth, the whole turd rainbow, that its not uncommon for many born in say 1900s to 1980s to be... pretty messed up.

i mean, the long term results of gunboat diplomacy, opium wars and colonialism will do all of that, yeah.

i think its why knives here vaguely gives me that abusive old asian turd vibe:

domestic abuse is... not exactly uncommon, honestly. again, dont live in japan so i wont pretend to know for sure, but similar culture and the same capitalism trajectory makes me think its got similar trends. also a lot of these DVs can rooted in toxic masculinity, power trips, ego, and anxiety surrounding productiveness/money.

yeehaw:

(quick note: another reading of 内 uchi can be nai. is that why studio orange named him nai....??? 🤔 and gave him a onesies pajamas and made him a hikkikomori?)

so thats knives. he kicks and slaps his little brother around and even cuts off his arm to the point that a lot of vash's behavior can come across as an abuse victim survivor. he shares the uchi with vash and their sister plants, while everyone else alive on NML is the soto. the outsiders.

and then vash seems to define his own 'uchi' as... the entirety of humanity, or at least an uchi with no 'soto'. no outsiders than maybe himself. its debatable if you want to read this as a result of his abuse, if vash inherently leans towards this, or a mix of the two. like how things are depicted in stampede.

i think the characters that highlight these themes nicely are Sensei/Doc and Brad. im skipping and not rehashing stuff from my prev post, but yeah its. all there.

.... Of course I would We're family (身内). And it's all the same to him. Vash The Stampede's concept of "family (身内)" is absurdly wide.

i mean, check out brad's bubble in here where the Family is expressed as 身内 miuchi. more in the tone of "one of ours". nightow could have just used a bunch of other words like 家族 kazoku, 親身 shinmi, 親戚 shinseki that leans closer to blood family, but nah. nightow just picks 身内, with the 内 to highlight the in group out group family culture dynamic going on.

this is then followed up with this panel

man.

i wanna whack knives with a steel chair.

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Alternation of Trigun Plant Generations

So, not a bird post, but they have feathers so it counts, right? Right?? *sweats*

I was recently introduced to Trigun, and am absolutely fascinated by the reproduction cycle of Plants. Its time to, once again, put my degree to good use. Here goes nothing:

So at first glance it seems pretty damn fantastical. The main character(and main villian) are the, presumably asexual, reproductive products of a creature with significant physiological differences from them. This is strange for asexual reproduction, as such a thing usually results in a sort of “clone” of the parent. Or does it?

Enter, the life cycle of a fern.

The diagram is a little confusing, but the main point is that the diploid fern(top) asexually reproduces to create the haploid fern(bottom), which looks very little like its parent. The haploid fern can then sexually reproduce to create a another diploid fern, and the cycle goes round and round. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, I’m about to explain it in excrutiating detail. I even made a diagram!

So similar to the fern life cycle. In Trigun, the Dependent Plant can asexually reproduce to create an Independent Plant.

First, up at the top of the diagram, the Independent Plant reaches a state of sporing.

This happens very rarely, as there are only two instances of it occurring on SEEDS ships, and no instances on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. It does seem to, however, become more common on earth, as more Independent Plants arrive at the very end of the manga. I would theorize that this has to do with an incredibly extended lifespan leading to a very late onset of sexual maturity, but that is a theory for another day.

Second, moving down and to the right on the diagram, the Dependent creates spores. These take the form of humanoid infants.

Now, this part of the diagram assumes that the known Independent Plants (ie Vash/Knives and Tesla) are actually male and female(and aren’t functionally sexless like Dependents), which is how they could theoretically reproduce sexually. This is where things diverge from general fern life cycles, as the two sexes are in separate entities not combined into one plant. Therefore, when the Dependent Plant spores, it would create either X(female) or Y(male) Plants originating from one half or the other of its own XY genes. This does align with fern reproduction somewhat, as Haploid plants are created from only one half of a copy of the Diploid plant’s genes. In ferns, both sides of the genes have both male and female characteristics, but for Plants it seems to be split, creating Independents with separate sexes.

Third in the diagram, moving to the bottom. The spores grow into recognizable Independent Plants, with far more humanoid forms than Dependents. These guys would then, at sexual maturity be able to sexually reproduce to create a Dependant Plant zygote(fancy word for baby), which would then grown into a fully formed Dependent Plant. And thus, the cycle continues.

Obviously, we do not directly see this in Trigun, as for the majority of the story, there are only two(presumably male) Independent plants. This cycles has clearly not been documented in the era of the SEEDS ships, so the initial method of plant reproduction was likely simple cloning with some genetic engineering involved. But it is more than possible that natural Plant reproduction was determined on earth, which would be why we see more independents showing up with the earth ships at the end of the manga.

Additional Notes:

Returning to something I mentioned earlier on, dependent plant sporing was not occurring on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. I would guess that this is due to the levels of stress placed on the Dependents by the human populations relying on them. Had the humans been able to reduce the strain on their Plants, they may have been able to produce Independents, therefore allowing for the creation of more dependents, further reducing the strain on existing dependents. But that is just my pet theory.

I have additional theories on the mechanisms behind Dependent Plants resource production, and what an ideal environment of multiple plants living freely might look like, but that is for another post.

Thank you for reading! I honestly don't know if I will do any more non-bird metas, but if you liked this, you can always look at #bfw(my general works tag). As always, my ask box is open to suggestions for bird stuff for me to check out!

[vshthestmpede]

Hello friend!

Welcome to the trigun family!

Im not sure if youre taking requests or not just yet, but if you are…

Could i get some headcannons for Vash and Knives on what would make them like the reader and how they would confess or show the reader their feelings?

If not thats totally fine! I didnt see a rules page so i was sure! If you dint feel comfortable writing that, totally understandable! Thank you!!

vash/knives - developing feelings + confessing

word count; 919

warnings; none!! sweet happy love all around

note; tysm for all the warm welcomes and requests i've gotten! i'm truly blown away already and i promise i'm getting to all of them, you all are so creative n i wanna do your requests justice! this was such a sweet idea, thank you so much for requesting <3 this is my first time writing for knives so any critique is greatly appreciated!!

cross-posted to ao3

VASH

you were kind. so truly, unbelievably kind no matter the hardships you faced

of all people, he knew how hard that could be yet you did everything without a second thought and with an unwavering chivalry to it. there was no doubt in his mind that you were a rare being, looking out for everyone before yourself

when he first saw you stand between meryl and a bandit, trying to reason and avoid fighting said bandit, the feeling hit him like a sand steamer

he was so used to watching people just brute their way through things that seeing you like that opened up possibilities in his mind, things that he never thought he'd feel for anyone ever

after the aforementioned altercation, vash slowly found himself opening up to you more and more now that he felt like someone could understand him and the way he went about things

day by day, as the two of you grew closer, these feelings bubbled up in vash; the way you carried yourself, the way your laugh became a melody to his ears, the yearning to feel your hand in his and your lips on his. . .

then, one day, he burst like a balloon

"i'm in awe of you, (name)," he admitted one night while you were analyzing his prosthetic arm - brad had given you some tips on how to upkeep it in case of an emergency. "you're so. . .so kind. so sweet. and. . .and what i'm trying to say is-"

you tilted your head as he stopped sharply, turning his head to avoid looking at you as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"i think i'm in love with you!"

vash tensed as he heard you put the screwdriver down, eyes still shut until he felt your hands on his face. he allowed you to gently turn his face until you were staring into each other's eyes.

"c-can you say something?" he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. "please, (name), anything."

your head was filled to the brim with what you wanted to say but it all got caught in your throat so you opted to take him by surprise and lean in, pressing your lips to his. you pulled back as quickly as you did it, just a soft and sweet kiss.

turns out, that was more than enough for vash. as soon as you pulled back, he was throwing himself at you in the most joy-filled hug you've ever felt.

"v-vash, be careful! 'm not done with your arm!" you couldn't even chastise the man without giggling, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms

KNIVES

your unwavering compassion took him by complete surprise, especially as a human

he wanted to just lump you in with the rest of humans as a whole, but there was something so different, so special about you that kept him from doing so

you always faced him with an open heart, a desire to try and understand his pain and help him and the plants

he could never begin to understand why you would do such a thing, yet it was endearing to him(though he would rather die than admit that)

you would sit in on his playing, admiring the way he moved so gracefully across the keys. often times, he would catch you watching out of the corner of his eye and a small smile would appear before he could catch himself

some nights, he would play softer pieces to lull you to sleep. other times, though it was rare, he'd invite you to sit with him and offer to teach you some of the simpler pieces he knew

one day, after another successful plant extraction, he found you admiring the vast collection of red plants. still in high spirits, he joined you and began to tell you more about said plants

the way you watched him with wide, invested eyes caused a skip in his heart; a tiny one, but not unnoticeable. then came you questioning him, wanting to delve deeper into not the plants, but him and his past

"why do you want to know so much about me?" knives asked as you two wandered and you responded with a shrug. "you know i'm dangerous, that i-"

"ah, ah." you interrupted. "you're trying to help the plants. yes, you have a slightly, um, genocidal way of thinking but i think that you've gotten a bit more. . .merciful. you're not a bad person, knives."

knives hummed, pulling his hood up as he felt a little warmth crawl onto his face. "interesting view, (name). may i ask you some things about yourself?"

"sure! what do you want to know?" you asked, shocked that he had brought up the topic.

"well, for starters." deliberately, he reaches out and brushes his hand against yours. "what would you think if i told you that i have these odd feelings towards you?"

"what kind of odd feelings are you referring to?" you bumped your hand against his, locking your pinky with his index finger. "are you saying you like me, knives?"

knives sputters but doesn't pull his hand back. "what made you think that, (name)?"

you laughed and relished in the sight of him cracking a small smile.

"you're kind of easy to read, knives." you fully grabbed his hand and pulled him down to you, planting a chaste kiss on his lips. "it's cute. and, to answer your question, i think i would be more than happy to hear you've got odd feelings for me."

[spooblet]

First Trigun x Reader Post Eyyyy!!

Hi everyone! I've started this blog mainly to put all my simp needs. And maybe yours as well.

Vash, Wolfwood, and Knive's Response to: "Would you like me if I turned into a worm?" Question from (Y/n).

(Talking about Trigun's big ass worm and not the tiny one hehe)

Vash The Stampede:

The two of you were on a travel journey to go to the next city, Augusta. Regardless of how long the walk would take, the conversations help pass the time. Making it interesting to get to know Vash more and more. Everything was going well until there was a question that hit your mind. (Y/n) already knew what answer Vash was going to give, but it's the way he answered and expressed it that piqued an interest.

"Vash...I got a question for 'ya." (Y/n) changed the topic as they looked up to them.

"Huh? What is it, (Y/n)?" Vash asked, expressing his curiosity as to what his mayfly would ask him.

"...Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

There was a sudden silence between the two before Vash responded with: "I beg your pardon?" Making sure he had heard right.

“Ya…Would you still love me if I was a worm?” They asked once more, looking into his eyes. He could tell they were being genuine by the look on their expression. 

“W-Well...Ya. I’d love you in any shape or form, mayfly...but why a worm?” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked into their eyes. Even if it was the silliest question Vash had heard in his years (150 years) of living, he still wanted to give them an answer.

“...Life is filled with possibilities, Vash…Who knows, what if I turn into a worm the next day.”  

Vash only laughed at this comment only to get a light jabbed on the shoulder by them as they raised their voice a little. “I’m being dead serious!”   

“Even if you were to turn into a worm right now, I’d still take you alongside me and give you kisses everywhere.” He smiled proudly at his answer, even laughing at his own response since it was also silly. He can only imagine: ‘the humanoid typhoon and his soulmate…the worm.’ Even though (Y/n) tried to make this a serious conversation, they couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the big smile Vash displayed. 

“...What about me? Would you still love me if I was a worm?” Vash asked, slightly blushed from the question that sounded childish to even say. 

“No.”

“WHAT!?”

(Y/n) laughed by his sudden surprise. Especially on how serious he was taking the question.  

“Of course, I would. And besides…Even if you’re not human, or a plant, I’d still love you regardless, because you’re everything to me.” 

Vash looked into his lover’s eyes with shock then pure bliss by their responses. Even if this wasn’t the first time hearing this, it always warms his heart knowing that someone like (Y/n) would always be there by his side through thick and thin. He wrapped his arms around them and pulled them in for a hug, thanking them for loving him regardless.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Wolfwood leans on a metal wall of an alley, smoking a cigarette while (Y/n) sits on the floor, resting their foot from a long walk to the city they’re now in. Even if Wolfwood is a bit impatient, he’d rather have them resting instead of having to carry them on their travel. The two haven’t exchanged a word for one another, only the sound of people chatting and doing their usual business in the background. That was until (Y/n) decided that now would be a good time to ask the question that have been burning in their mind since dating him.

“Hey, Nicholas?” (Y/n) looked up at the man, meeting his eyes behind his shades.

“Hm?” 

“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”

“...Did you lose brain cells from the heat? What the hell kind of question is that?” He looked at (Y/n) annoyed by the sudden question. 

“Just answer it.” (Y/n) demanded, but the priest rolled his eyes.

“You can’t be serious. Why the hell would anyone love a worm?” He takes the cigarette out of his mouth, overall confused as to why this was even a thing to begin with. Even the mere thought of seeing the worm was enough for Wolfwood to be slightly disgusted. 

“So you wouldn’t love me if I was a worm?” The sad look in (Y/n)’s eyes as Wolfwood answered a bit harshly. With both the question and the response from (Y/n), Wolfwood looked at them confused, concerned, and annoyed by this unrealistic question. He could have just flat out lied and said yes to avoid the sad look, but he didn’t want to lie either, especially towards (Y/n) on this certain matter.  

“What? You expect me to say yes? …Where did you even come up with that anyway?” 

(Y/n) didn’t respond to his questions that kept piling up. They decided to act as if this truly did hurt their feelings, even though it was just for their entertainment. 

“I would love you if you turned into a worm, Nicholas.” 

He didn’t respond or retract his answer, instead, he just rubbed his face down with one hand slowly. “...I should just charge you for every dumb question you give me…I’d have $$50,000 double dollars by now.” 

“What the– Would you seriously do that to me!?”

“$$60,000 double dollars now.” He smirked, enjoying the reaction (Y/n) is now giving him. It all seems as though the worm topic was now out the window by this idea of being charged. Once the topic of both the worm and question fee was over, Wolfwood sat down next to (Y/n), throwing an arm over their shoulder and pulling them close to his side. The sudden action was just enough for (Y/n) to feel their cheeks burning up. They pressed their cheek against him as they heard a light chuckle coming from him as he looked down at them with fondness before speaking up. 

“...You know I love you right?” Wolfwood asked, he faced the ground for a while before turning his full attention to his significant other. (Y/n) felt his hand on their chin, guiding them to look up into his eyes as he slowly leans in.

“....But would you–”

“For heaven's sake-”

Knives Millions

It was rare to have a long interaction with Knives as he was always keeping himself busy for his plans to set perfectly. Today was one of those days when the two could finally have a decent conversation with one another. Mostly just Knives going over what was going on with the plans, what he and Conrad have discussed, and overall how long he thinks it’ll take to get the paradise he long desired for him and his siblings….and (Y/n)...maybe? The conversation slowly dyed down which was upsetting for (Y/n). Before even thinking, they called out Knives’s attention. 

“Knives, May I ask you something?” (Y/n) asked. 

“You may.” Knives responded. His arms crossed, looking down at (Y/n) to see if the question was something involving his plan or maybe worse…their future.

“Would you…love me if I was a worm…?” 

“...What?” He looked turned his full body towards (Y/n).

(Y/n) took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, trying to gather the courage to repeat the question once more to their intimidating partner. 

“I said..Would you still love me if I was a worm?” They repeated once more, only to see that Knives held onto the expression and pose as if he was still waiting. 

Silent. 

Nothing but silence filled up the room. Knives only looked at (Y/n) with a blank yet annoyed expression. ‘What? Is this a human thing?’ Knives thought to himself. Didn’t even bother to answer (Y/n)’s question due to how idiotic it was. 

“Kni-” 

“Quiet.” Knives commanded, still baffled by the weird question that was asked. He was feared by thousands of people and killed multiple humans, and yet here he is being asked if he would still have an affectionate, romantic feeling with a worm. Pathetic.

“I don’t have time for such nonsense questions of yours. If you have nothing important to ask in regard to my plans, then I suggest you keep them to yourself.” His voice was cold and stern, both of which matched his expression. His arms remain crossed as he looks away from (Y/n). There was nothing but silence in the room once more. (Y/n) felt embarrassed for even asking that, especially towards someone like Knives who couldn’t take a joke to save his life. 

“...I’ll see you later tonight…I must have a word with Conrad alone.” Knives’s words are now gentler than it was before. He walked away, leaving (Y/n) behind once more. 

A bit of confusion and anxiety crept in on (Y/n). Did they screw up? Was it offensive to him? Maybe once he comes back, they can explain to him what the meaning behind it was. While (Y/n) was alone in a room, Knives invited Conrad to a separate room to discuss something important. 

“You said this was urgent?” Conrad looked over at Knives as he looked down on the ground thinking about what just happened.

“...What is the meaning behind the question: “Would you still love me if I was a worm” doctor?”

[alexiethymia]

vashmeryl

While watching Trigun Stampede, I ended up binging the Trigun ‘98 anime, and I will try, but no doubt fail, to articulate what it is about VashMeryl that makes me so feral, and I mean in all continuities because the themes rings true for the both of them regardless if it’s TriStamp, TriMax, or the anime.

Many people have praised Meryl’s agency in Trigun Stampede, how a lot of the plot moves because of her contribution, and I can’t help but compare this to the anime, where it was because of her that Vash has a breakthrough in how to deal with Knives (after her and Milly took the time to heal and take care of Vash, ugh, found family for the win). In both TriStamp and the ‘98 anime, Meryl is juxtaposed (contrasted? given a parallel with?) Rem. 

And in the ‘98 anime, after Vash’s battle with Knives, he finds the peace to move on, casting aside what was in a way his clutch to Rem (his red geranium coat) to come back home to Meryl and Milly. 

And I love the ‘98 anime because of the implications, that he willingly sheds his outlaw persona for a chance to live a quiet life with Meryl, Milly, and his brother. It was Meryl who gave him the hope to do that, through her words, her invitation to stay together permanently, and even through her actions in standing up for him. (Honestly, the only thing that would have made the ‘98 anime ending perfect for me is if we had Wolfwood. Which is why if Knives could survive 1/3 of the continuities, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Trigun Stampede is the continuity where Wolfwood actually gets to survive). 

Even in the manga, he makes a promise to return to her, and though he ends up quite late, he does end up making his way back to Meryl and Milly eventually.

I love how there’s a chain of influence that happens, and the parallels between the two. Rem says she had been influenced in her ideals because of the person she loved, Alex. Vash is influenced by her, and eventually Meryl is influenced by Vash to the point that she’s ready to stake her life for what he believes in, such that it becomes her ideals too. 

“You can’t save everyone, you can only be there for them.” And this really rings true for Meryl in that while she can’t save him the way Vash tries to save everyone around him, she can still be there for him, whether it’s staying and trying to help him when no one else won’t (Trigun Stampede), making a home for him to return to (’98 Trigun), or telling him to unburden himself because he’s not alone (TriMax). He’s superhuman but he gets hurt like anyone else. I love that Meryl doesn’t scoff at his ideals or tell him to stop, but just helps him in whatever way she can, the way he tries to help everyone else. She treats him not like some act of God, destruction personified, or a savior, but simply as Vash, a softie who needs a bit of help sometimes (which is why when Meryl ends up scared of him, it was heartbreaking, but again this is something she chose to overcome because her love outweighed her fear). 

But at the same time, she won’t simply wait around. Again, I love her agency. In TriStamp, she chooses to stay behind to help Vash (which was pivotal because who knows if Rem’s spirit would have been triggered if not for her voice) and in TriMax, even if it was Vash who made the promise, when he’s late, what does she do? Goes and meets him herself. 

In every continuity, she’s always aggressively chasing after him. When Vash said in the TriStamp finale that he’d keep running and running, and when it becomes quiet again, he’d settle back by humanity’s side, it sounded so lonely. 

And yet, when Vash runs, Meryl will chase after him. Even when he believes he should be alone because everyone who touches him dies, Meryl still wants to be by his side. Meryl proves over and over again that Vash is loved (in a way, to him as well) because she doesn’t ever want to leave him alone. And again, it’s such a wonderful ending in both versions (the anime and TriMax) that when Vash eventually does stop running, it’s to Meryl (and Milly) that he returns home to. 

[huginsmemory]

Trigun and the 'Bride of Christ'

An additional thought that popped up after my previous post about Triguns heavy themes of Christianity (a somewhat? Part 2?). In this I look at the Vash and Wolfwoods relationship, their opposing views and how that relates to the Christian term 'the bride of christ'. During this I specifically discuss a large spoiler for the series/manga, so readers beware!

I was chatting with some lovely folks on the Vashwood discord server (if you wish to join, click this link!) about Wolfwoods death, and the way it's, well, wedding themed. The wedding themes include the confetti, the way Wolfwoods passing occurs in front of a church, the ringing of the church bell, and the bottle of liquor they share is labelled 'BRIDE' with a cross on it.

All the items come together in a definite way that resembles, in some terrible fashion, the festivities for a wedding. Hell, even after Vash buries Wolfwood, he makes tons of dishes of food, and Livio and him basically have a feast, another thing one does at weddings.

The 'Bride of Christ'

What particularly caught my eye was the bottle with the word bride on it, with a cross. Multiple times within the new testament, the body of the church is referred to as the 'Bride of Christ'. As I've previously mentioned, Vash is regularly set up as a Christ-like figure; his actions and his philosophical values align with a Christian perspective, in his belief in unconditional love and forgiveness (ie, the blank ticket). As well, as that Wolfwood is a Christian preist, this literally makes him a 'bride of Christ'. In a sense, where in the story Vash is pitched as a Christ-like figure, this means that Wolfwood could be interpreted as the 'bride of Vash'. This especially so considering the contextual clues that hint towards a wedding - confetti, church, and church bells.

Acceptance of Christian philosophy

Further adding to this, is that although Wolfwood was a priest, he did not fully ascribe to Vash's view. In fact, the two of them are foils, their beliefs similar- both coming from love and a need to protect, but differing in Vash ascribing to unconditional love and forgiveness, while Wolfwood refuting that such a position can be practically taken (this is, well, I would say a simplified take on their beliefs but thats a different post for a different day). However, by this point in the story, the both of them have very deeply impacted each other. In fact, this is set almost immediately after Wolfwood saves Vash from Knives, which is the the moment where Vash openly forgives Wolfwood and Wolfwood begins his acceptance of Vash's philosophical views; in that specific moment, he accepts his own absolution (explained further in my previous post).

It is exactly in Wolfwoods fight against Chapel and Livio, that Wolfwood fully (or mostly so) accepts Vash's philosophical views, expanding to accept a blank ticket/unconditional love for others. This is seen as he repeatedly chooses not to kill Chapel's hired guns, and even sharply pleading Livio to spare one of them. Indeed, previously at Vash's request, he'll shoot to injure, but he's not really shown to be particularly worried about the bandits, versus here he is actively choosing to minimize harm; exactly like we've seen Vash do, over and over and over again throughout the series. As well, the hired guns literally try to target the orphanage when they've clearly lost, and also kill one of their own when Wolfwood brings him back, telling him that they've just upped their pay- showing that they're not particularly 'redeemable' hired guns that are likely to repent and become good people. And yet, Wolfwood still chooses to try and save them.

He also specifically goes out of his way to not kill Livio, even though killing Livio would severely even out the playing field, and Wolfwood would likely not have likely died as a result. And Wolfwood makes that decision, again and again and again, only focusing on killing Chapel, and Chapel only, since he's the one that is threatening the orphans.

While Wolfwood fights, Chapel derides him on Vash's views, and how Wolfwood has picked them up. Wolfwood, close to death, reviews his relationship with Vash and Vash's philosophy, and refutes the ideology that Chapel believes in, and that he himself has lived under, that they need to kill to survive, (or to save lives) and that Vash's belief in forgiveness and unconditional love is foolish.

It culminates in Wolfwood declaring that he believes in Vash, in his principles, and standing back up to continue to fight, having accepted Vash's Christian philosophy. Interestingly, it's also Christian leaning terminology he uses; both in that he followed Vash, much like one follows the the teachings of Christ, and that he believes in the Vash's ability to change to world with his philosophy, in the same way Christians believe in Jesus's ability to save the world through the gospel.

In summary, Wolfwood chooses to accept and even says he believes in Vash's philosophical views, thereby choosing to accept the possibility of forgiveness and unconditional love, both for himself, as is shown when he saves Vash from Knives, but also for others, and especially with Livio during the scene up to his death. This full acceptance and belief in a Christian/Vash's perspective would then also show that Wolfwood has fully accepted to be the 'bride of Christ', making him not only via contextual cues a 'bride' of Vash, but also within a Christian theological sense a bride of Vash as well.

In conclusion, (ie, TLDR) Wolfwoods death is wedding themed, with confetti, a church, church bells, and a bottle with the label BRIDE with a cross on it. The church is within the Bible called the 'bride of Christ'; as Vash is a christ-figure, and Wolfwood is a priest, this would make Wolfwood Vash's bride. As well, it is just previous to Wolfwood death scene that Wolfwood has accepted Vash's Christian philosophies, signalling his acceptance as the 'bride of Christ/Vash', further perpetuating the wedding theme.

TTLDR: Vash and Wolfwood are married yup 👍

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Rem's Last Words

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 14. Against a blank white background, Rem stands, holding young Vash's hands, who leans back against her, looking at Knives with a smile. Young Knives stands next to them, smiling back and winking. Rem's voice says "Vash... don't leave Knives on his own." End ID.]

Rem's last words to Vash are never going to fail to completely mess me up. It totally changes the context of the twins' prior scenes.

All that time, that 80 years spent with Knives after the Big Fall, slowly growing to resent him more and more... do you think, even though he said the noise was such that he didn't hear her words, that somehow the message got through to him anyways? That Vash felt compelled to stay because this was his brother, and because Rem asked? And because Vash eventually swore to take down Knives in her name and for all those lost in July... do you think that counts as the breach of her ideals and memory he was so afraid of committing all along?

But could Vash really have been expected to stay with Knives when Knives took every opportunity to pull up a wall between them? Was Vash really in any state to have helped Knives the way Knives so desperately needed? I think, honestly, that this was a bit of an unfair request for Rem to make of Vash. But what else could she do?

She knew she probably wasn't going to make it out of there. She knew Knives wasn't ok. She may have even known that it was Knives who caused the Fall in the first place. But more than any of that, she knew that neither of these boys were ready to be left all alone in this world that they were both still so desperately afraid of.

I find it fascinating that Rem phrased it as "Don't leave Knives on his own" rather than "make sure you and Knives stick together" or that sort of thing. No matter how you look at it, it does appear to put responsibility on Vash for Knives, rather than a mutual "look out for each other" request. I have a suggestion for why she might've said this instead of the more mutual alternative.

We know Knives did not get any of the healing that he needed, and Rem was aware of this. He was keeping it all inside, and rapidly walling himself off. Rem, faced with the reality that she didn't have enough time to offer him the support that he needed, can only hope that he wouldn't close himself off from the one other person who had a chance of understanding him. Knives can't be alone, or he will spiral even worse.

And Vash? Well, I think it's easy to say that he was in a better place mentally than Knives, and while that may have been the case, it still doesn't mean he was in any way "recovered" from that trauma; how could one be? The only thing Rem promised him was that they would see the world together - that she would show him that the world wasn't full of terrible people. But they never actually got to do that - Vash was a suicidal child hanging onto her hopeful words and the emotional honesty she'd shown him thus far as a reason to keep trying, as a promise - and now, Rem finds herself having to break it. So, what will keep Vash going when she's gone? Having someone to look out for might do it, especially since young Vash is already shown in the flashbacks to be very "other" focused - note his other directed speech when speaking to Rem, and the way he seems more comfortable around Conrad when he shows acceptance of Knives. Rem probably knew that Vash was far more likely to look out for himself, paradoxically, if he had someone else to look out for.

[ID: Two panels from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first is from Trigun Volume 2, and shows young Vash with arms outstretched, his back to the reader, looking at Rem, hands in her pockets and smiling. They are against a white background, as young Vash says "Rem! Rem! I want to stay with you! You won't be all alone!" The second is from Trigun Maximum Volume 7, and shows young Knives, who quietly says "Ah," as he starts to cry. Young Vash approaches and puts his arm around Knives neck, who is still sobbing. He smiles and says "Thank you Mr. Conrad." End ID.]

Rem's last words, then, were intended to a) make sure Knives would have someone who could stick with him and help him where she didn't have the time to, and b) provide Vash with a purpose so that he will keep himself going.

Unfortunately, this didn't work at all the way she'd intended. Knives' unintentional killing of Rem (and I stand by the notion it was unintentional) messed him up even worse and forced him to fully take on the stance of hatred against all humanity in order to cope with the guilt, throwing a huge wedge between him and Vash, so stricken by grief and blindsided by his brother's actions that he'd throw himself into trying to be as much like (ideal) Rem, and as little like Knives, as possible. Knives spends the story desperately wanting Vash (or his ideal of him anyways) to stay with him in order to cure the loneliness he feels from being all alone, and Vash spends the story eternally guilt-ridden, taking on the blame and responsibility for his brother's actions.

And the tragedy to me is that you can't say any of this was for a lack of Rem trying. She just didn't have enough time to minimize the damage caused by the trauma of Tesla and her discovery. She just wanted them to at least have each other, and that... was the only thing, asides from "don't say you'd rather die", that she actually asked of Vash. Fucked up!!!

[vash-the-trans-catboy]

Trigun fics Masterpost!

Colors on your Skin, Etched into your Memory: Vashwood, Part of Colors on the Skin au, 2789 words, Wolfwood comforts Vash after he is assaulted.

Broken Plant (Please don’t Kill me): Vashwood, part of fear of water au, 3197 words, Wolfwood and Vash have a job in town to fix a broken plant that goes very wrong.

Cold Sleepy Cuddles: Vashwood, 818 words, The heat breaks in Vash and Wolfwood’s apartment which leads to sleepy cuddles to keep each other warm. Plus very cat-coded selectively mute Vash with lots of pet names

Only You: Vashwood, highschool au, 3791 words, Wolfwood has a crush on the hottest and most popular and most talkative guy in the entire school (Vash). The only problem is when ever Vash is alone with Wolfwood, he refuses to a say a single word. Despite not talking around Wolfwood, he always greets him or says goodbye with a hug. Which drives Wolfwood crazy because he does not understand the mixed signals he is getting. Does Vash actually hate Wolfwood? Or is there something else going on?

Feral Vampire: Vashwood, 1228 words, Vampire hunter Wolfwood is assigned to bring escaped feral Vash back to Knives.

Healing Plant (save me save me save me): Vashwood, sequel to broken plant (fear of water au), 3347 words, After the incident with the plant tank, Vash is left with a fear of water and showering. Wolfwood attempts to help Vash finds ways to cope.

You Killed us (I’m Sorry): Vashwood, 2914 words, Vash is attempting to drive again years after Rem and Nai died in a car accident, but the survivors guilt eats him alive. Wolfwood helps pull Vash back together dealing with the loss of his family and his ptsd.

Missing Stray: Vashwood, 1712 words, After the July incident, Vash goes missing. After months of searching for him, Wolfwood finds a small scraggly orange cat who is weirdly similar to Vash

Reunion and Disarming: Vashwood, 5336 words, Vash is attacked by Knives and is rushed to the hospital. But because he is a plant, the doctors don’t know how to properly treat him. Vash has a fun experience with medical malpractice, Wolfwood is by his side to help him through it.

Bite Me: Vashwood, 1445 words, Vampire Vash passes out from refusing to drink blood. Wolfwood encourages Vash to feed from him and finds out he really likes it.

Panicking Plant (I Don’t Know What’s Real): Vashwood, sequel to Healing Plant, 3241 words, Vash's fight or flight response is triggered when he feels someone (something) attack him in the shower. He starts to panic and have a flashback to the incident. Wolfwood helps comfort him and ground him back to reality.

He somehow transformed into a cat? Meryl x Milly, Meryl x Milly x Vash, 3127 words, Meryl and Milly continue to look for Vash after he went missing two years ago. They go to a tavern to try to get information, get super drunk then bring home a stray cat they are convinced is actually Vash.

[uollop]

Okay so that Eriks fic of the reader’s daughter clutching onto him wailing and crying and the reader not recognizing him has my heart is pieces. I’m here to humbly get on my knees and beg for a continuation of some kind. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

(SPOILERS) Where?

Content: SPOILERS for Trigun 98 & Stampede, Fem! Reader, angst with a good ending

Word count: 1.6k

Notes: Ask and you shall recieve! I had two anons ask for a happy ending so I will oblige! Hope you enjoy!

Previous Part

Eriks wasn't stupid by any means. When he saw that little girl running towards him on that day in the market, he knew who she was immediately. He could never forget that child's smile, and it helped that she happened to be holding a toy that he had bought for her a long time ago.

When she latched onto his leg, crying, calling him "daddy", he felt guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. He had never wanted to leave her behind. To leave you behind. When he realized what he had done to Knives, though, he was terrified that something similar would happen to you and Iris. So he left, making sure his coat was in a place where you could find it. He knew it wasn't a proper goodbye, but he figured that it was better than nothing.

As Iris cried and held onto his leg, he realized you weren't with her. He nervously began to attempt to gently pull his daughter off of him. He wasn't sure where you were, but he wasn't sure if he could keep his composure- or his secret identity- if he saw you.

"Iris!" He heard your voice in the distance. God, how he wanted to relish in the sound of your voice for a moment, but he knew how much you cared for this girl and, with how loud she was being as she called for him, he was certain you'd find your way to the two of them soon.

"Daddy!"

"Iris... Let go, please." He whispered as the child looked up at him and shook her head, hugging his leg tighter, "I found you! Mommy will be so happy-"

"Iris! Leave that poor man alone..!" There it is again, that voice of yours, but much closer this time. Eriks' breath hitches, his head immediately lowering so that he didn't have to look at you. He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing your face right now as tears already began to fill his eyes at the sound of his daughter's sobs.

He felt you pull Iris away. A lonely feeling washed over him as he felt his daughter's hands leave his leg. "Mommy, let me go!" The child screamed as you pulled her away. With every cry, he felt his guilt worsen. Maybe it had been the wrong idea to leave the two of you behind.

He was about to turn to leave, finding it would be a good idea to get out of here before he gave into her cries, when he hears footsteps coming towards him. Iris quickly clutched onto the front of his shirt and began to cry again, "I missed you! We both missed you! When are you coming home?"

Eriks could feel his heart shatter at her words. The urge to wrap his arms around her and hug her, tell her that he's sorry, tell her that he wanted to come home was so strong. He stares at the girl for a moment before he sees your hand begin to reach for her again.

"I'm sorry, sir... She lost her father. It's been-"

"It's okay," he cut you off quickly, slowly embracing Iris, "losing a loved one is... hard." Being able to hold his daughter was one of the things he had missed the most while he was off parading around with a new identity. Another thing he missed, though, was you. He slowly brought his eyes up to look into yours, his heart sinking a bit when he finally sees you.

You looked so tired. Dark bags had sunken into the area under your eyes, but he couldn't help but admire how you looked. He loved you so much, and looking at you right now made his repressed emotions sing with a need to comfort you.

When you look into his eyes, the face you make has him thinking for a moment that you saw through his new identity. That you knew it was him. A part of him desperately wished for you to call his real name, but you stayed silent.

"I'm sorry you lost your father," Eriks continues as he rubs his daughter's back, "I'm sure he... I'm sure he cared a lot about you," he looks back up at you again, trying to hide the strain in his voice "about both of you."

He heard a soft 'thank you' escape your lips as you reached forward, taking Iris by the hand and pulling her away again. Erik's guilt worsened as Iris began to scream and cry again. He quickly turned and began to walk away. He had to, before he did something stupid.

That night, he was restless. He stared up at the ceiling, his mind swirling with ideas of what to do. He had made up his mind about halfway through his walk to his current residence. He was going to come back home. He just had to figure out how to go about it. Should he do something grand or something subtle? Something lighthearted or something serious?

Would you be upset? You should be. He wouldn't blame you if you were. He reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled out a necklace that sat around his neck, his wedding band resting on the string. It was one of the only mementos of his past that he allowed himself to keep.

As he stared at the ring, his desperation to see you grew. He was going to go to see you. Now. He had already told Lina and her grandmother before they went to bed that he was going to be leaving. The two of them had helped him freshen up. A quick shave and a haircut and he was already starting to look like his old self again. It felt weird seeing himself look like Vash again instead of Eriks.

He quickly gathered what little belongings he had and made his way out of the house. He knew the way to your home by heart. It was a small place that you two had built together. He knew exactly where it was.

It took about an hour for him to arrive. It was well into the night by now. Would you be asleep?

He stood in front of the door for a moment, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. He glanced through the window, seeing that there were still two seats at the table. Now, though, instead of the highchair that he remembered, there was a third chair with a booster seat.

He had missed two years of his daughter growing up. He had missed her first steps. He had missed her second and third birthday. He looked through the window for a moment longer before the lights suddenly flickered on. He sees you shuffle into the kitchen, your form enveloped in something. Was that his coat? He watches as you glance at the table, before you move past it and grab a glass to fill with water. He watches you move quietly. He hadn't seen you in so long, anything that you could do right now he would still find beautiful.

You turn and walk towards the table, sitting down and placing the glass on the wood before hugging the jacket closer to yourself.

He couldn't wait anymore. Seeing you hug the jacket like that when he was right here made him even more desperate to embrace you. He moved back to the door, rapping his knuckles against the oak quickly. It takes a moment before the door opens, your tired form appearing in the frame as you rub your eyes.

"What the hell do you want-" You cut yourself off as you look into familiar eyes. You examined him for a moment before your brows furrow. "Ugh, I'm dreaming again," You groan as you attempt to close the door. Vash quickly grabs the door before you can shut it fully, pulling it open again as you blink in surprise, looking at him again. He didn't know what he should say, so he just gave you a soft smile. He hoped that was enough.

At the sight of his smile, your heart skips a beat. You let go of the door and reach up to cup his face, your hands resting on either one of his cheeks as you stare at him.

"Vash...?" You ask carefully. He nods his head slowly, moving his hand up to yours, rubbing his thumb against you knuckles. You blink again before tears start to well up in your eyes.

"Is... Is it really you? I'm not dreaming?" You asked as you pulled his face closer to you, fingers tracing the mole under his eye. He simply continues to look at you as his own eyes begin to wet. He nods his head again and you let out a mixture between a laugh and a sob.

"Say something, please! I need... I need you to tell me that this is real."

He looks at you for another beat before he leans into you hand on his cheek, "I'm here, my love. I'm home."

Another strangled laugh-sob leaves your mouth as you pull him into a tight hug. You buried your head into his shoulder as you cried, holding him as if you were worried he would leave again. You stayed like that for a while, holding him and sobbing as he stroked your hair and shushed you. You pulled away from the hug after you were sure that this was real and that he wasn't going anywhere. You cupped his face again, pulling him into a kiss full of two years of love that he had missed.

You two spent all night like that, kissing and hugging and crying. Two years without each other was far too long.

In the morning, you have Vash gently wake up Iris. When her eyes opened and she saw her father, she let out a squeal of delight, leaping out of her bed and wrapping her arms around him. Similarly to you, it seemed she couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry as tears flowed down her cheeks despite her giggling. Vash smiled as he was finally able to give his daughter a proper hug, holding her tightly against him as he started to tear up a bit.

It felt good to have a full family again.

Masterlist | Ao3

Previous Part

[museqmeg]

Meg's Trigun Stargaze thoughts:

It really makes sense that the anime got a new title. It was something myself and the fandom had predicted given that the words "prequel" and "final phase" have been thrown around since March 2023.

So where does "Stargaze" come from? A couple of sources. Visual motifs in the manga and both animes. It is a space western and very fitting. It may also be a call to "look to the stars." (Insert the Earth ships and Chronica and Domina as teased in s1's end credits) My prediction for Trigun Stargaze is that it's going to pick up where this left off:

I would also like to note that this happens in Volume 11, Chapter 2 of Trigun Maximum.

But fear not! Yes, it happens later in the story, but Orange has already proven to us that the chronology doesn't matter to the current adaptation's storytelling. The key beats are still hit.

My theory about the language of "final phase." It is a direct reference to Trimax Vol 1, Ch 1 - the "Final Phase" is humanity's confrontation with Knives and The Ark in December.

Orange also said that TRISTAR? TRIGAZE? (did we decide?) happens *two & a half years* after JuLai. That would put the timeline in February.

What other event happens in December and February?

Meryl's birthday!

With the way Orange plays with the timeline and weaves everything together, my hunch is that the arrival of the Earth fleet, Knives's ark, and Meryl's birthday will happen simultaneously. It's a way to pull Meryl and Milly in while setting up the story's conflict at the start.

What about Vash and Wolfwood? It's pretty apparent that we'll see the Eriks arc also happen simultaneously. What happens in December will pull Vash from his life with Lina and Sheryl. It's very probable that Wolfwood will come to get him as we've seen in 98 and the manga.

However, the conflict in December could also have Meryl and Milly looking for Vash.

Maybe something happened to Bernardelli Communications in the chaos and their only option was to take jobs as insurance agents?

Zazie's interest in Meryl and how humanity views Vash along with their trepidation over Knives after JuLai could also have a hand in getting back into the mix. They also know about the Earth crew.

Maybe Zazie is the controlling entity in all of this?

One thing is for sure. Orange has been heavy-handed with using the word "final." We know Muto loves Knives. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Trigun Stargaze focuses on Knives as they did for Vash in Trigun Stampede.

I'm going to leave this for you, the fandom to ponder:

[mydetheturk]

ive been trying to come up with a way to talk about my take on The Argument, but honesty i can't get past these pages where Wolfwood shoots Rai-Dei. there are four panels on this two page spread, and no words, but god there's so much said in it. i keep flipping back and forth between it and the next page like "holy shit wolfwood. holy shit wolfwood." like. like we know. we've known since volume two of trigun that wolfwood was one of the GHG. we've known! this is knowledge that we have had for multiple volumes.

i literally cannot get over the expression on wolfwood's face in the pages leading up to their fight (and this expression lingers through their fight, mind you)

like

hellO????

like!!! this is the start of their argument!!! wolfwood cannot let vash die. and if he has to kill to do it he's going to kill to do it. vash is supposed to suffer. he cannot suffer if he's dead.

and this is the lead up to their argument. they have such philosophical differences about life, Vash believing every life is precious and that everyone can change, where Wolfwood's convinced that people won't. he thinks Vash is foolish - is naive for not taking the GHG seriously. Wolfwood wants - Wolfwood needs - to know Vash is taking this seriously, is prepared to kill if Vash wants to keep everyone else alive.

Wolfwood needs to know Vash is prepared for the shit Wolfwood knows - or suspects, if he doesn't know off hand - Legato is going to send.

hence this panel.

(yes i did just straight up copy the alt text from the post i made about being unable to cope with this panel. it ruins me.)

And then Vash reads him for fucking filth.

Vash's heart is breaking for Wolfwood, who cannot see a way out of the grave he's dug. Vash doesn't want to kill but he's broken for the way Wolfwood cannot see any other way to survive.

Like. the whole of page 106 hurts, but the way the Overhaul translated these panels is. Oof.

(the Dark Horse translation differs. Vash's speech reads: You... told me back then... that my face looked better with a real smile. If you could see yourself through my eyes now... You'd see a man forcing himself to play the Devil while his own heart cries out.

It's a little more poetic, but both of the statements cut Wolfwood to the core.)

They're talking past one another! they care so much about one another but their love languages differ so hard. (and i don't even mean this in a shipping way tho you could take it that way)

Augh. They're idiots. We'll see later that Wolfwood knows what Vash is, because of his experiences with Knives. (Wolfwood was there when Knives got reborn, after all) and he's seen Vash fight. He just. Doesn't know if Vash can kill one to save the many. (The start of their first fight in Stampede, their first true fight, is because Wolfwood shoots Rollo/Monev the Gale. Vash asks why. Wolfwood says its out of mercy.)

Anyway, there's some other really good meta about this fight (@needle-noggins has a nice breakdown of it) and if/when I find the posts I'll drop links in the comments/reblog with them.

I'll also upload what i could figure out of the transcript when I read through their argument in order to figure out how i was even going to talk about it to google docs and drop the link to that in the comments as well.

If you're still here, idk, Vash read Wolfwood for filth in front of God and everybody, which in this case was an empty town, Rai-Dei's corpse, and Zazie, who's been watching them for who knows how long at this point.

[imustbenuts]

i think its funny and interesting how in the world of trigun stampede, theres a theme about humans over exploiting resources and squeezing every drop out of it until the system collapses, and the antagonist/villain concludes the way to fix this is to 1) destroy all humans and 2) replace all humans with beings like him who do not need resources to live

meanwhile, in the background of everything but especially in JuLai in the final episode, capitalism is littered everywhere. its in the design of the entire place resembling hong kong cyberpunk. heres like 3 shots with big signage and lmao. my chinese is horrendous but i def picked up some stuff

the words until the last 4 reads like gibberish and miswritten but idk 100%. i think its supposed to be 南壓場 for the 1st three which will = South Industrial. the next two is ya ye which???? gibberishy and the last 有跟公司 = Private Limited. so South Industral Ya Ye Private Limited.

incredible.

next is 福 which means luck and this word is usually slapped in big red to invite monetary fortune flowing into a building. in this context its inviting money into a corporation.

the last one, 儒来饭店 is very simply in english subs, JuLai Hotel. 儒来 reads as Ru Lai in standard Chinese, and Ju Lai in cantonese! (cantonese being the dialect/language of hong kong proper) and this is why trigun stampede doesn't use July as the city name in the subs.

and then the world building mentions of how JuLai is the no.1 water producer and grew big off it? yeah.

so basically its capitalism.... knives please. what the heck have you been doing in JuLai with capitalism exactly and how fucked is it