oleaeuropaea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oleaeuropaea) wrote2023-06-21 09:23 am
oleaeuropaea) wrote2023-06-21 09:23 am
VR App — CW: Implied Suicide, Childhood Trauma, Medical Abuse
Player
Name: Aspen
E-mail: aking94rp@gmail.com
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ashstriferous
Timezone: Central
Current Characters in Victory Road: N/A
Character
Name: Vash the Stampede
Series: Trigun Stampede
Timeline: Post Episode 7
Canon Resource Links: History + Episodes which covers Vash’s upbringing, at least prior to the July incident. In Stampede, Vash’s early years in Stampede are largely similar to the manga. The key differences are highlighted in the episode Our Home, but have also been broken down below.
+Vash maintains a level of care and love for the humans, going as far as visiting those still in cryogenic sleep and greeting them by name. Nai implies that this is because Vash’s own lack of ability as a plant resulted in him desperately trying to appeal to the humans for a sense of belonging.
+Vash and Knives do not meet William Conrad prior to the Big Fall
+Knives does not fall into a coma after discovering Tesla
+Vash does not declare his hatred of humans, nor does he attempt to harm himself or injure Rem. Instead, he attempts to appeal to Nai to let go of his fear and resentment.
+Tesla is still alive, according to the bioscans in Stampede.
+Vash and Knives separate from one another after the Big Fall and do not see each other for another 5 years. This allows for Vash to live amongst humans. Though they initially treat him with distrust, he becomes family to them and eventually refers to the ship they’ve all taken refuge on as “Home.”
+Vash’s arm is severed after accidentally activating his gate. Despite this, he still defends the human, Luida, with his life. This results in the final severing of the ties between brothers. Despite the grievous injuries Vash receives, and the murders that he witnesses at the hand of his sibling, Vash is still determined to not kill him.
Regardless of these differences, Vash was still deeply influenced by the events prior to his adulthood. Though just as troubled by the events that occurred with Tesla, he opted to believe in the words of his mother, who assured him that while humans made the same mistakes, they also could learn just as she did. He maintains faith in humans, and likewise encourages his brother to do the same. This moment would prove to be defining for both brothers, as it was in this moment that Nai decided to “free” his brother from his ties to the humans, leading to the crashing of the Project Seeds fleet.
Personality: One can’t talk about Vash without talking about Love and Peace. That is to say, Vash is an ardent pacifist. After being assaulted by military police, the first words out of his mouth are insisting that they settle things without bloodshed. He is likewise horrified when a duel is proposed on his behalf, and refuses to draw when the duel begins. Instead, he attempts to talk (rather playfully) down his opponent, though this quickly backfires.
Later, when Meryl accuses him of being lame, reasoning that running away isn’t always the answer. In response he asks Meryl. “What’s so terrible about being a little timid? Is fighting head on always right? It risks lives, and for what?” Yet despite this, the second he realizes that his plan has failed and that Jeneora Rock is under attack, he jumps back on his thomas (it’s a bird not a person I promise) and immediately rides back to Jeneora Rock to help out. This is where we see that while Vash might strive to not hurt people, he isn’t afraid to commit some acts of violence (fighting back) in an attempt to prevent more violence (death). He throws himself right into the fray in an attempt to save Rosa, kicking Gofsef’s fist away as he rescues her. Later, leaps into the fray to stop E.G. the Mine, not even hesitating to put a gun to the man’s head.
Whether a fight is big or small, Vash throws himself into peacemaking, doing his best to pacify the fighting between Wolfwood and de Niro. Still, Vash tries to hide this nature behind other excuses – that he doesn’t want to fire his bullets because they’re pricey and he could buy food (ie: donuts) with that money instead
This commitment to not harming others stands above the need for self-preservation, with Vash willingly standing down in the face of Monev the Gale and his two very large arm cannons. Instead, he fires to disarm and disorient the man. Immediately after burying him beneath rubble, he rushes to the man’s side and is relieved to know that his efforts hadn’t accidentally killed Monev, all in spite of the fact that Monev had been trying to kill him. Wolfwood immediately accuses him of being a dumbass. Despite this scolding, though, Vash doesn’t hesitate to throw himself in front of Monev once again just a short time later, being brutally beaten and strangled all in an attempt to get through to the boy he used to know down below (Rollo). He does something similar in the midst of their fight with Livio, looking away from the very armed punisher beneath him in favor of telling Wolfwood off for firing on the members of the military police attacking them.
Nevertheless, though he may default to doing no harm, he doesn’t hesitate to come to blows with others over his cause. After Wolfwood kills Rollo, Vash throws himself at Wolfwood, though he admittedly never attempts to throw a punch. Whether this is due to Wolfwood’s answer to the question of why he killed in the first place or pure unwillingness is up for speculation.
Regardless, Vash continues to hold Wolfwood’s decision over his head, believing that neither he nor anyone else deserve to choose who lives or dies. He holds others to his own standards and beliefs, to the point that he outright insists that Wolfwood must have someone he wants to protect. And while Vash is not incorrect, his stubborn insistence on forcing Wolfwood to protect said person results in their apparent death. It’s for this reason that Vash can come off as presumptive, even arrogant and inflexible, as he believes his way is the only one.
Vash’s idealistic ways extend to how he perceives people as well. He claims that Wolfwood won’t hurt him, because the man has “the eyes of a good guy.” This is despite the fact that Wolfwood is actually working with the Eye of Michael, an organization under Millions Knives’ thumb. Wolfwood himself is contracted to bring Vash to the city Julai, where Knives is waiting– a fact that Vash is ultimately well aware of. Though it has not happened yet as of his canon point, Vash ultimately implies that he’s known all along who Wolfwood has been working for. However, one could also argue that this belies an accurate judgment of character on Vash’s part, despite everything. Wolfwood may work as the Punisher, but as he later says, his "instinct is to protect,” and much of what he does, including his more villainous affiliations, all stem from wanting to keep others safe.
Nevertheless, this idealism is commented on and is often ill-received by several characters. Roberto calls Vash too generous for leaning into the positive traits of others (Wolfwood, in this case) and ignoring the red flags. Knives, meanwhile, tells him he must pick a side eventually and stop “living off of empty words.” It becomes a bone of contention between Wolfwood and Vash, with the former asking if Vash has a “god complex or a death wish.” He accuses Vash’s act being less than altruistic, and more a matter of satisfying his ego. Because of this, Wolfwood pins the blame of Rollo’s death on Vash, explaining that he was the one who condemned Rollo because of his promises, referring to them as lies. Meryl, meanwhile, views Vash as childish for this worldview and, as mentioned previously, a little lame – going as far as to snap “the grown-ups are talking” when Vash interrupts her. Despite these quips and comments, however, Vash is not dissuaded. Very few fights go by without Vash giving impassioned speeches about doing the right thing or making the right choice, even down to the very final fight against Knives.
This idealism also spans into optimism as well. When trapped within the sand worm, Vash is insistent that he’ll find Meryl, and then Roberto after that. Additionally, despite having witnessed Knives’ history of brutality, Vash finds himself asking why Knives would act in this way, showing that he still believes, however foolishly, that his brother could be better.
Unrealistic though his intentions may seem, especially when it comes to Knives, his core belief that everyone can change stems from the words of his Rem. She had once told the boys that they both possess a blank ticket in life, and that any point they can fill in a new destination. Thus, he believes that at any point, Knives can change his ways.
Unfortunately, his optimism and idealism doesn’t only impact Vash. After promising Rollo that “if God won’t (save you), I will,” the child desperately cries out for him in his time of need as he’s being experimented on/tortured by the Eye of Michael. This results in a singular obsession on the child’s part (albeit exploited by the Eye’s exploitation of his anger), with his eventual identity of Monev the Gale singularly shouting Vash’s name for most of the time he’s on screen. As Wolfwood puts it he “talked a big game but couldn’t deliver.”
Yet while this idealism does bite Vash in the ass on several occasions, it also pays off. Believing he can save both the guests on board the Sand Steamer and Hopeland Orphanage itself, he insists on getting Wolfwood to give him a chance. And in the end, he manages to do just that, though not without pushing his own limits in the process by accessing his latent abilities as a Plant.
It should be no surprise that Vash doesn’t hesitate to lend a hand to those in need. In the very first episode, he’s referred to as Jeneora Rock’s savior. He had previously “taken a look” at their Plant, managing to fix it for free a “few years” prior to the events of canon. Two episodes later, despite the city briefly attempting to turn on Vash and while also being implanted with a bomb of his own, he throws himself into helping the residents by tracking down the one responsible for the bomb implants. Later, he throws himself into danger by tackling Meryl and the still-disguised Zazie out of the way of a falling vehicle, and then dives back into the worm they’re all swallowed up by because he refuses to leave his friends behind.
This need to protect others stems back from his adoptive mother, Rem’s death. Up until that point, Vash believed himself to be useless. It was only her death that spurred him into action, making him determined to become a protector. He refuses to let that happen again. This is likely why he throws himself into protecting and nurturing the sick Plants he grows up around, and also why he ardently defends the humans that Rem sacrificed herself to save.
However, though Vash is glad to throw himself in front of a bullet for people, he still manages to keep them at an arm’s length. Despite having traveled with Roberto and Meryl for some time, he quickly leaves the two of them behind in favor of hopping aboard the Sand Streamer with Wolfwood. When Wolfwood states that he thought the relationship between the Plant and the reporters was special, Vash’s response is simply a casual “not really.”
Kept equally as distant is both his past and his identity as a Plant. His enigmatic ways are the major reason for Meryl continuing to doggedly follow him for the sake of her story. He isn’t forthcoming about his many, many years of life, nor his abilities as a Plant. However, he quickly sacrifices this secrecy for the sake of giving his allies a fighting chance to stop the Sand Steamer by accessing the old Lost Technology aboard the ship. He takes this one step further by using his latent abilities, willing to sacrifice his own security for the lives of others.
Generally speaking, Vash manages to keep his upbeat, goofy and boisterous personality in situations that most other people would lose their cool in. When tied up and left to die by a gang of bandits, his first reaction when someone finally comes to help is to 1) make a terrible pun, and then 2) laugh like an absolute maniac.
Much of this projected persona comes into play in how Vash generally moves around and interacts with the world.Whether it’s flopping around on the ground while being beaten by military police, or cartoonishly stammering to himself, his movements and quips tend to be over exaggerated. Despite fully being capable of shaking free of the rope that Meryl ties him in, Vash waits until a comically opportune moment to do so. Later, when on the so-called stage for his duel, his reaction is to wave and pump up the crowd, rather than focus on his opponent (though we quickly see this persona drop once it becomes obvious no one is paying attention).
That being said, this isn’t entirely a front. When panicking, he does tend to devolve into a slightly chaotic mess. Realizing he’s missing the bullet he needs to stop a rapidly approaching disaster, Vash begins frantically patting himself down and muttering to himself, then desperately shouting to the surrounding citizens for help.
Many people are able to see through this act easily, with Meryl quickly calling Vash out when he attempts to sob and cry and sway her to believing his story about having an “evil twin.” Even still, he has convinced those around him of his ineptitude to some degree, for even Meryl is surprised at just how adept Vash is in combat when he effortlessly takes out an entire crowd of gang members on the Sand Streamer later on.
Even still, he has a tendency to downplay his abilities, insisting that he’s “not much of a fighter.” He keeps up this persona even when confronted and beaten up by the Seven Cities Military Police. By and large, he portrays himself as just some guy, your average joe on a not-so-average planet. Even when asked about some of his more obvious features (the gun in his holster and the very obvious cybernetic arm), he plays it off or brushes it aside. Meryl’s insistence that Vash knows his way around a gun is met with him crediting luck, rather than skill. When being goaded into attacking the Nebraska’s,Vash instead insists that he “doesn’t like pain,” and that he has no sense of pride as a gunman.
His attempts at bluster do not change the fact that he is an extremely adept fighter when push comes to shove. He’s able to effortlessly dodge bullets being fired at him from close range, and then immediately (and non-lethally) disarm the man attacking him.
There’s also an intense level of strategy and calculation that goes through Vash’s mind, when he feels so inclined to do so, of course. When facing down the clusterbomb that threatens Jeneora Rock, Vash quickly grabs a stone, throws it into the air, and then shoots it in order to ensure that the rubble detonates the bombs before they reach the ground. He does this despite having just been fired at repeatedly, something that one could consider a “high stress” situation. In battle, he utilizes all of his resources, such as using his metal arm to deflect bullets that would have otherwise grievously injured him. Similarly, whilst being in the belly of the literal (worm) beast, Vash is able to determine from his surroundings that being digested isn’t an imminent threat, as there is the presence of several undissolved sets of bones.
While Vash is capable of acknowledging his mistakes and apologizing for them, he struggles to learn from them in the end. There’s an underlying level of stubbornness and self-righteousness that he sticks to despite however many times people tell him otherwise. In many ways, Vash is the type of person to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, preferring to disregard other’s wishes (namely Wolfwood’s) and apologize for it later. Despite having been thoroughly scolded for over-promising when it came to Rollo, Vash immediately promises the now adult man that he’ll never have to be alone again. Not long after, Vash insists on being involved with Wolfwood’s fight against Livio, despite the former telling him to leave. The latter is absolutely certain he can help Wolfwood waken Livio from his brainwashed state, pushing his companion to bring his friend back. As mentioned above, this ends disastrously, with the wakened Livio ultimately putting the gun to his head and seemingly taking his own life when the weight of his actions is too much.
The result of these careful efforts means that those who are unaware of his bounty generally tend to like him quite a bit. He’s welcomed with open arms when returning to Jeneora Rock, with Rosa screaming his name in delight and running to greet him – referring to him as “our Vash.” This should be of little surprise, as he not only remembers her by name, but also knows how many kids she has and congratulates her on kicking out the husband he apparently knows to be a deadbeat.
He tends to get on great with children, with Tonis of Jeneora Rock delightedly running to greet him. Vash immediately gets excited and not only treats him with kindness, but also affectionately pets his head as well. He gladly accepts Tonis’s gift of bugs, even though Tonis himself is quickly chased off. Later, he throws himself into helping Zazie’s little orphan persona, later he eagerly embraces them, relieved to see they’re okay and falling into their trap. This likely also plays into the aforementioned idealism. As Zazie points out, humans are so eager to see a child and assume that they’re not a threat.
That said, his ruse may not be as airtight as he thinks, however. Having only just met him, Roberto de Niro calls Vash out, asking “you’re afraid of something, aren’t you?”
It’s through this that we learn Vash is prone to his moments of seriousness. It’s in these moments that the true gravity of a situation is revealed – if Vash the Stampede, who can laugh at being left for dead or chased by bandits – is sobered by something, you know you’re in big trouble. We first see this when he comes face to face with the dying Plant in Jeneora Rock, gravely telling Rosa that it’s going to die. Roberto himself points this out by saying “Military police and you don’t bat an eye. One wonky Plant and you’re pissing yourself.”
He later adopts this firmness again when the entire town is threatened by the aforementioned clusterbomb that’s now rapidly dropping toward the city, urging Rosa to make sure the villagers find cover, rather than seeking shelter for himself. He immediately leaps into action to help others even further on down the line, when the E.G. Bomber begins to lead a raid on the city.
Vash is also a very forgiving individual. Despite Jeneora Rock’s attempts at capturing Vash and turning him over for the bounty, he doesn’t hold it against them. He smiles at Rosa when she explains her reasoning and then, despite having the opportunity to flee shortly after, quickly jumps in and saves both Rosa and Tonis. He takes this one step further by going out of his way to leave Jeneora Rock in an attempt to draw the Nebraska family away before they can cause more harm. When asked by the Nebraska’s why he’s gone to such lengths to save a city of “traitors,” Vash simply replies that he “Has no reason not to.” This would indicate that he understands their need to survive, especially as he insists that the people of Jeneora Rock were otherwise kind to him.
However, that kindness isn’t necessary to wanting to save someone. Vash quickly turns around and offers to save the Nebraska’s too, and then does so by making sure that not only are the Nebraska’s protected from the members of the city, but that Gofsef is rescued from nearly plummeting to his death.
At the end of the day, Vash tends to treat himself like a martyr. The moment things start to go well or seem relatively at ease, he opts to leave. He punishes himself with a life of loneliness, to “run, and run, and keep on running” because of the trouble that follows him. We see this as he sneaks out during the celebration with the Nebraska’s. And in many ways, this moment seems to solidify that decision, as something terrible DOES happen – the arrival of E.G. the Mine and Millions Knives. Many residents die as a result, and Tonis is severely maimed. Even de Niro comments on this, saying that the title “Humanoid Typhoon” is accurate, as getting caught up with him means getting caught in a whirlwind of trouble.
This martyrdom extends even into outright self-sacrifice, starting when he was a young boy. He quickly gave up his own life of comfort for the sake of atoning for what his brother did, leaving behind a note for Luida that states as much. During the fight with E.G. the Mine, Vash throws himself onto the bomber as his own implant gets ready to explode, ready to use his own body to threaten the villain. Later, he damages his arm when attempting to change the Ion Cannon’s direction.
To some degree, this sense of self-martyrdom extends into self-loathing and even self-flagellation. When things fail to go to plan with the bomber, Vash eventually explains to Meryl that he “doesn’t deserve to cry,” showing that he has a generally low opinion of himself. Afterward, he refuses to eat over the span of several days, until Wolfwood’s words finally get through to him sometime later.
Vash has also been shown to beat himself up about his actions, almost to a crippling degree. This starts from a young age, when – after being discovered in the wreckage of Ship 05 – he refuses to eat in an attempt to punish himself. He remarks upon his own uselessness, as he’s unable to create anything despite that being the primary function of a Plant. From the moment he and his trio of misfits enter the Windmill Village, he abandons his wisecracking, outlandish personality. From the moment he lays eyes on the village again and realizes where they are, he is sobered and silent – a fact that isn’t lost on any of his allies. Distracted as he is in this moment, it takes Wolfwood’s yelling to actually spur him into acting. Ultimately, Wolfwood is the one to fully see through this ruse, outright accusing Vash of having been there before.
This merciless treatment for past mistakes is not, however, extended to others. Despite having been marked as a criminal by the Seven Cities Military Police, Vash doesn’t hold any ill-will toward them. When the Sand Streamer comes under attack and Vash is blamed for it to some degree, his first response is not to defend himself, but to insist that the men pointing their guns at him get to safety. And while this hasn’t happened as of his canon point, he later takes this a step further when he is shot in the middle of Julai, immediately encouraging Wolfwood to stand down and refusing to take any action against the man who fired upon him.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Mimikyu
Password: Atomic Fireball
Samples
RP Sample: Here
Victory Road Sample: Here!
Name: Aspen
E-mail: aking94rp@gmail.com
Preferred Contact:
Timezone: Central
Current Characters in Victory Road: N/A
Character
Name: Vash the Stampede
Series: Trigun Stampede
Timeline: Post Episode 7
Canon Resource Links: History + Episodes which covers Vash’s upbringing, at least prior to the July incident. In Stampede, Vash’s early years in Stampede are largely similar to the manga. The key differences are highlighted in the episode Our Home, but have also been broken down below.
+Vash maintains a level of care and love for the humans, going as far as visiting those still in cryogenic sleep and greeting them by name. Nai implies that this is because Vash’s own lack of ability as a plant resulted in him desperately trying to appeal to the humans for a sense of belonging.
+Vash and Knives do not meet William Conrad prior to the Big Fall
+Knives does not fall into a coma after discovering Tesla
+Vash does not declare his hatred of humans, nor does he attempt to harm himself or injure Rem. Instead, he attempts to appeal to Nai to let go of his fear and resentment.
+Tesla is still alive, according to the bioscans in Stampede.
+Vash and Knives separate from one another after the Big Fall and do not see each other for another 5 years. This allows for Vash to live amongst humans. Though they initially treat him with distrust, he becomes family to them and eventually refers to the ship they’ve all taken refuge on as “Home.”
+Vash’s arm is severed after accidentally activating his gate. Despite this, he still defends the human, Luida, with his life. This results in the final severing of the ties between brothers. Despite the grievous injuries Vash receives, and the murders that he witnesses at the hand of his sibling, Vash is still determined to not kill him.
Regardless of these differences, Vash was still deeply influenced by the events prior to his adulthood. Though just as troubled by the events that occurred with Tesla, he opted to believe in the words of his mother, who assured him that while humans made the same mistakes, they also could learn just as she did. He maintains faith in humans, and likewise encourages his brother to do the same. This moment would prove to be defining for both brothers, as it was in this moment that Nai decided to “free” his brother from his ties to the humans, leading to the crashing of the Project Seeds fleet.
Personality: One can’t talk about Vash without talking about Love and Peace. That is to say, Vash is an ardent pacifist. After being assaulted by military police, the first words out of his mouth are insisting that they settle things without bloodshed. He is likewise horrified when a duel is proposed on his behalf, and refuses to draw when the duel begins. Instead, he attempts to talk (rather playfully) down his opponent, though this quickly backfires.
Later, when Meryl accuses him of being lame, reasoning that running away isn’t always the answer. In response he asks Meryl. “What’s so terrible about being a little timid? Is fighting head on always right? It risks lives, and for what?” Yet despite this, the second he realizes that his plan has failed and that Jeneora Rock is under attack, he jumps back on his thomas (it’s a bird not a person I promise) and immediately rides back to Jeneora Rock to help out. This is where we see that while Vash might strive to not hurt people, he isn’t afraid to commit some acts of violence (fighting back) in an attempt to prevent more violence (death). He throws himself right into the fray in an attempt to save Rosa, kicking Gofsef’s fist away as he rescues her. Later, leaps into the fray to stop E.G. the Mine, not even hesitating to put a gun to the man’s head.
Whether a fight is big or small, Vash throws himself into peacemaking, doing his best to pacify the fighting between Wolfwood and de Niro. Still, Vash tries to hide this nature behind other excuses – that he doesn’t want to fire his bullets because they’re pricey and he could buy food (ie: donuts) with that money instead
This commitment to not harming others stands above the need for self-preservation, with Vash willingly standing down in the face of Monev the Gale and his two very large arm cannons. Instead, he fires to disarm and disorient the man. Immediately after burying him beneath rubble, he rushes to the man’s side and is relieved to know that his efforts hadn’t accidentally killed Monev, all in spite of the fact that Monev had been trying to kill him. Wolfwood immediately accuses him of being a dumbass. Despite this scolding, though, Vash doesn’t hesitate to throw himself in front of Monev once again just a short time later, being brutally beaten and strangled all in an attempt to get through to the boy he used to know down below (Rollo). He does something similar in the midst of their fight with Livio, looking away from the very armed punisher beneath him in favor of telling Wolfwood off for firing on the members of the military police attacking them.
Nevertheless, though he may default to doing no harm, he doesn’t hesitate to come to blows with others over his cause. After Wolfwood kills Rollo, Vash throws himself at Wolfwood, though he admittedly never attempts to throw a punch. Whether this is due to Wolfwood’s answer to the question of why he killed in the first place or pure unwillingness is up for speculation.
Regardless, Vash continues to hold Wolfwood’s decision over his head, believing that neither he nor anyone else deserve to choose who lives or dies. He holds others to his own standards and beliefs, to the point that he outright insists that Wolfwood must have someone he wants to protect. And while Vash is not incorrect, his stubborn insistence on forcing Wolfwood to protect said person results in their apparent death. It’s for this reason that Vash can come off as presumptive, even arrogant and inflexible, as he believes his way is the only one.
Vash’s idealistic ways extend to how he perceives people as well. He claims that Wolfwood won’t hurt him, because the man has “the eyes of a good guy.” This is despite the fact that Wolfwood is actually working with the Eye of Michael, an organization under Millions Knives’ thumb. Wolfwood himself is contracted to bring Vash to the city Julai, where Knives is waiting– a fact that Vash is ultimately well aware of. Though it has not happened yet as of his canon point, Vash ultimately implies that he’s known all along who Wolfwood has been working for. However, one could also argue that this belies an accurate judgment of character on Vash’s part, despite everything. Wolfwood may work as the Punisher, but as he later says, his "instinct is to protect,” and much of what he does, including his more villainous affiliations, all stem from wanting to keep others safe.
Nevertheless, this idealism is commented on and is often ill-received by several characters. Roberto calls Vash too generous for leaning into the positive traits of others (Wolfwood, in this case) and ignoring the red flags. Knives, meanwhile, tells him he must pick a side eventually and stop “living off of empty words.” It becomes a bone of contention between Wolfwood and Vash, with the former asking if Vash has a “god complex or a death wish.” He accuses Vash’s act being less than altruistic, and more a matter of satisfying his ego. Because of this, Wolfwood pins the blame of Rollo’s death on Vash, explaining that he was the one who condemned Rollo because of his promises, referring to them as lies. Meryl, meanwhile, views Vash as childish for this worldview and, as mentioned previously, a little lame – going as far as to snap “the grown-ups are talking” when Vash interrupts her. Despite these quips and comments, however, Vash is not dissuaded. Very few fights go by without Vash giving impassioned speeches about doing the right thing or making the right choice, even down to the very final fight against Knives.
This idealism also spans into optimism as well. When trapped within the sand worm, Vash is insistent that he’ll find Meryl, and then Roberto after that. Additionally, despite having witnessed Knives’ history of brutality, Vash finds himself asking why Knives would act in this way, showing that he still believes, however foolishly, that his brother could be better.
Unrealistic though his intentions may seem, especially when it comes to Knives, his core belief that everyone can change stems from the words of his Rem. She had once told the boys that they both possess a blank ticket in life, and that any point they can fill in a new destination. Thus, he believes that at any point, Knives can change his ways.
Unfortunately, his optimism and idealism doesn’t only impact Vash. After promising Rollo that “if God won’t (save you), I will,” the child desperately cries out for him in his time of need as he’s being experimented on/tortured by the Eye of Michael. This results in a singular obsession on the child’s part (albeit exploited by the Eye’s exploitation of his anger), with his eventual identity of Monev the Gale singularly shouting Vash’s name for most of the time he’s on screen. As Wolfwood puts it he “talked a big game but couldn’t deliver.”
Yet while this idealism does bite Vash in the ass on several occasions, it also pays off. Believing he can save both the guests on board the Sand Steamer and Hopeland Orphanage itself, he insists on getting Wolfwood to give him a chance. And in the end, he manages to do just that, though not without pushing his own limits in the process by accessing his latent abilities as a Plant.
It should be no surprise that Vash doesn’t hesitate to lend a hand to those in need. In the very first episode, he’s referred to as Jeneora Rock’s savior. He had previously “taken a look” at their Plant, managing to fix it for free a “few years” prior to the events of canon. Two episodes later, despite the city briefly attempting to turn on Vash and while also being implanted with a bomb of his own, he throws himself into helping the residents by tracking down the one responsible for the bomb implants. Later, he throws himself into danger by tackling Meryl and the still-disguised Zazie out of the way of a falling vehicle, and then dives back into the worm they’re all swallowed up by because he refuses to leave his friends behind.
This need to protect others stems back from his adoptive mother, Rem’s death. Up until that point, Vash believed himself to be useless. It was only her death that spurred him into action, making him determined to become a protector. He refuses to let that happen again. This is likely why he throws himself into protecting and nurturing the sick Plants he grows up around, and also why he ardently defends the humans that Rem sacrificed herself to save.
However, though Vash is glad to throw himself in front of a bullet for people, he still manages to keep them at an arm’s length. Despite having traveled with Roberto and Meryl for some time, he quickly leaves the two of them behind in favor of hopping aboard the Sand Streamer with Wolfwood. When Wolfwood states that he thought the relationship between the Plant and the reporters was special, Vash’s response is simply a casual “not really.”
Kept equally as distant is both his past and his identity as a Plant. His enigmatic ways are the major reason for Meryl continuing to doggedly follow him for the sake of her story. He isn’t forthcoming about his many, many years of life, nor his abilities as a Plant. However, he quickly sacrifices this secrecy for the sake of giving his allies a fighting chance to stop the Sand Steamer by accessing the old Lost Technology aboard the ship. He takes this one step further by using his latent abilities, willing to sacrifice his own security for the lives of others.
Generally speaking, Vash manages to keep his upbeat, goofy and boisterous personality in situations that most other people would lose their cool in. When tied up and left to die by a gang of bandits, his first reaction when someone finally comes to help is to 1) make a terrible pun, and then 2) laugh like an absolute maniac.
Much of this projected persona comes into play in how Vash generally moves around and interacts with the world.Whether it’s flopping around on the ground while being beaten by military police, or cartoonishly stammering to himself, his movements and quips tend to be over exaggerated. Despite fully being capable of shaking free of the rope that Meryl ties him in, Vash waits until a comically opportune moment to do so. Later, when on the so-called stage for his duel, his reaction is to wave and pump up the crowd, rather than focus on his opponent (though we quickly see this persona drop once it becomes obvious no one is paying attention).
That being said, this isn’t entirely a front. When panicking, he does tend to devolve into a slightly chaotic mess. Realizing he’s missing the bullet he needs to stop a rapidly approaching disaster, Vash begins frantically patting himself down and muttering to himself, then desperately shouting to the surrounding citizens for help.
Many people are able to see through this act easily, with Meryl quickly calling Vash out when he attempts to sob and cry and sway her to believing his story about having an “evil twin.” Even still, he has convinced those around him of his ineptitude to some degree, for even Meryl is surprised at just how adept Vash is in combat when he effortlessly takes out an entire crowd of gang members on the Sand Streamer later on.
Even still, he has a tendency to downplay his abilities, insisting that he’s “not much of a fighter.” He keeps up this persona even when confronted and beaten up by the Seven Cities Military Police. By and large, he portrays himself as just some guy, your average joe on a not-so-average planet. Even when asked about some of his more obvious features (the gun in his holster and the very obvious cybernetic arm), he plays it off or brushes it aside. Meryl’s insistence that Vash knows his way around a gun is met with him crediting luck, rather than skill. When being goaded into attacking the Nebraska’s,Vash instead insists that he “doesn’t like pain,” and that he has no sense of pride as a gunman.
His attempts at bluster do not change the fact that he is an extremely adept fighter when push comes to shove. He’s able to effortlessly dodge bullets being fired at him from close range, and then immediately (and non-lethally) disarm the man attacking him.
There’s also an intense level of strategy and calculation that goes through Vash’s mind, when he feels so inclined to do so, of course. When facing down the clusterbomb that threatens Jeneora Rock, Vash quickly grabs a stone, throws it into the air, and then shoots it in order to ensure that the rubble detonates the bombs before they reach the ground. He does this despite having just been fired at repeatedly, something that one could consider a “high stress” situation. In battle, he utilizes all of his resources, such as using his metal arm to deflect bullets that would have otherwise grievously injured him. Similarly, whilst being in the belly of the literal (worm) beast, Vash is able to determine from his surroundings that being digested isn’t an imminent threat, as there is the presence of several undissolved sets of bones.
While Vash is capable of acknowledging his mistakes and apologizing for them, he struggles to learn from them in the end. There’s an underlying level of stubbornness and self-righteousness that he sticks to despite however many times people tell him otherwise. In many ways, Vash is the type of person to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, preferring to disregard other’s wishes (namely Wolfwood’s) and apologize for it later. Despite having been thoroughly scolded for over-promising when it came to Rollo, Vash immediately promises the now adult man that he’ll never have to be alone again. Not long after, Vash insists on being involved with Wolfwood’s fight against Livio, despite the former telling him to leave. The latter is absolutely certain he can help Wolfwood waken Livio from his brainwashed state, pushing his companion to bring his friend back. As mentioned above, this ends disastrously, with the wakened Livio ultimately putting the gun to his head and seemingly taking his own life when the weight of his actions is too much.
The result of these careful efforts means that those who are unaware of his bounty generally tend to like him quite a bit. He’s welcomed with open arms when returning to Jeneora Rock, with Rosa screaming his name in delight and running to greet him – referring to him as “our Vash.” This should be of little surprise, as he not only remembers her by name, but also knows how many kids she has and congratulates her on kicking out the husband he apparently knows to be a deadbeat.
He tends to get on great with children, with Tonis of Jeneora Rock delightedly running to greet him. Vash immediately gets excited and not only treats him with kindness, but also affectionately pets his head as well. He gladly accepts Tonis’s gift of bugs, even though Tonis himself is quickly chased off. Later, he throws himself into helping Zazie’s little orphan persona, later he eagerly embraces them, relieved to see they’re okay and falling into their trap. This likely also plays into the aforementioned idealism. As Zazie points out, humans are so eager to see a child and assume that they’re not a threat.
That said, his ruse may not be as airtight as he thinks, however. Having only just met him, Roberto de Niro calls Vash out, asking “you’re afraid of something, aren’t you?”
It’s through this that we learn Vash is prone to his moments of seriousness. It’s in these moments that the true gravity of a situation is revealed – if Vash the Stampede, who can laugh at being left for dead or chased by bandits – is sobered by something, you know you’re in big trouble. We first see this when he comes face to face with the dying Plant in Jeneora Rock, gravely telling Rosa that it’s going to die. Roberto himself points this out by saying “Military police and you don’t bat an eye. One wonky Plant and you’re pissing yourself.”
He later adopts this firmness again when the entire town is threatened by the aforementioned clusterbomb that’s now rapidly dropping toward the city, urging Rosa to make sure the villagers find cover, rather than seeking shelter for himself. He immediately leaps into action to help others even further on down the line, when the E.G. Bomber begins to lead a raid on the city.
Vash is also a very forgiving individual. Despite Jeneora Rock’s attempts at capturing Vash and turning him over for the bounty, he doesn’t hold it against them. He smiles at Rosa when she explains her reasoning and then, despite having the opportunity to flee shortly after, quickly jumps in and saves both Rosa and Tonis. He takes this one step further by going out of his way to leave Jeneora Rock in an attempt to draw the Nebraska family away before they can cause more harm. When asked by the Nebraska’s why he’s gone to such lengths to save a city of “traitors,” Vash simply replies that he “Has no reason not to.” This would indicate that he understands their need to survive, especially as he insists that the people of Jeneora Rock were otherwise kind to him.
However, that kindness isn’t necessary to wanting to save someone. Vash quickly turns around and offers to save the Nebraska’s too, and then does so by making sure that not only are the Nebraska’s protected from the members of the city, but that Gofsef is rescued from nearly plummeting to his death.
At the end of the day, Vash tends to treat himself like a martyr. The moment things start to go well or seem relatively at ease, he opts to leave. He punishes himself with a life of loneliness, to “run, and run, and keep on running” because of the trouble that follows him. We see this as he sneaks out during the celebration with the Nebraska’s. And in many ways, this moment seems to solidify that decision, as something terrible DOES happen – the arrival of E.G. the Mine and Millions Knives. Many residents die as a result, and Tonis is severely maimed. Even de Niro comments on this, saying that the title “Humanoid Typhoon” is accurate, as getting caught up with him means getting caught in a whirlwind of trouble.
This martyrdom extends even into outright self-sacrifice, starting when he was a young boy. He quickly gave up his own life of comfort for the sake of atoning for what his brother did, leaving behind a note for Luida that states as much. During the fight with E.G. the Mine, Vash throws himself onto the bomber as his own implant gets ready to explode, ready to use his own body to threaten the villain. Later, he damages his arm when attempting to change the Ion Cannon’s direction.
To some degree, this sense of self-martyrdom extends into self-loathing and even self-flagellation. When things fail to go to plan with the bomber, Vash eventually explains to Meryl that he “doesn’t deserve to cry,” showing that he has a generally low opinion of himself. Afterward, he refuses to eat over the span of several days, until Wolfwood’s words finally get through to him sometime later.
Vash has also been shown to beat himself up about his actions, almost to a crippling degree. This starts from a young age, when – after being discovered in the wreckage of Ship 05 – he refuses to eat in an attempt to punish himself. He remarks upon his own uselessness, as he’s unable to create anything despite that being the primary function of a Plant. From the moment he and his trio of misfits enter the Windmill Village, he abandons his wisecracking, outlandish personality. From the moment he lays eyes on the village again and realizes where they are, he is sobered and silent – a fact that isn’t lost on any of his allies. Distracted as he is in this moment, it takes Wolfwood’s yelling to actually spur him into acting. Ultimately, Wolfwood is the one to fully see through this ruse, outright accusing Vash of having been there before.
This merciless treatment for past mistakes is not, however, extended to others. Despite having been marked as a criminal by the Seven Cities Military Police, Vash doesn’t hold any ill-will toward them. When the Sand Streamer comes under attack and Vash is blamed for it to some degree, his first response is not to defend himself, but to insist that the men pointing their guns at him get to safety. And while this hasn’t happened as of his canon point, he later takes this a step further when he is shot in the middle of Julai, immediately encouraging Wolfwood to stand down and refusing to take any action against the man who fired upon him.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Mimikyu
Password: Atomic Fireball
Samples
RP Sample: Here
Victory Road Sample: Here!