#01. SIMPLE GUNMAN.
...and that gunman's gonna bring you to your knees.
description for above image:
fanart. pixel art. the piece is based off of a panel in trigun maximum, with character design based off of unused concept art for the final episode of trigun stampede.in the foreground, vash the stampede stands alone, addressing his brother, unseen. his hands are occupied with weapons: an unstable extradimensional cube of energy, and his long-hauled revolver, peacebringer. only a very small section of his face is visible, and his expression is peaceful, eye closed, demeanor at odds with the potential destruction he's wielding.
in the background, a close-up of his face now has his eye opened, with a steadily determined look to it. text bubbles surrounding him read "I MADE A VOW TO SAVE EVERYONE. NOW, YOU'LL SEE... JUST WHAT I'M WILLING TO DO TO KEEP IT".
As with a lot of my art I wanted to make this piece just 'cause I wanted to make it.
Even with as far removed from fandom as I claim to be, I still caught wind of how much fanartist emulation there was of the Trigun Stargaze poster, yet mysteriously, nothing for the concept art unveiled at the Trigun Exhibition.
As such, I set upon making this interpretation of the concept art while basing the composition on a late panel of Trigun Maximum. Assuming you're here after reading my previous/first entry on how the Vashes are different, you probably get what I'm going for by making this as different as it is from the source material.
description for above image:
manga panel. taken from trigun maximum's twelfth volume and fourth chapter.in the foreground, vash the stampede stands alone, facing off against his brother, unseen. he aims his revolver forward with a cold glare, the background close-up of his face only emphasizing his steeled determination.
text bubbles surrounding him read "RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE FACING A SIMPLE GUNMAN. AND THAT GUNMAN'S GONNA BRING YOU TO YOUR KNEES. SIMPLE AS THAT".
The more I studied this panel for reference, the more I came to respect it. It's just composed and executed so well. The line of action, the cut of the background Vash's collar directing the viewer's eyes rather gracefully through the page... The first bubble font being smaller than what's contained in the foreground speech bubbles, even some of Vash's coat overlapping that first bubble—it all contributes to a sense of depth, of physicality. It's like he believes so strongly in what he's threatening that it's given physical presence alongside him.
And that all leads right into the title of the chapter, too. With the dip of his gun's barrel, what's intimidating isn't what Vash wields but that steely glare of resolve... That he means every bit of what he says, and is about to make it true for Knives. Maximum Vash is intense. I think his title of "Humanoid Typhoon" is put into its best showing right here. You just can't help but get caught up in it.
description for above image:
photo taken of concept art, taken by bsky user roobun at the trigun stampede exhibition. it's an unused appearance that was conceptualized for the final episode of trigun stampede, after vash breaks through the plant tank.
description for above image:
screencaps of my forwarded messages on discord. supplemental material on my interpretation of my latest piece's design. i say, "i feel like there's multiple spots on the arm where they look like plant growth, could have branches grown out of there as defensive, similar to [trigun] maximum feathers".
this is followed by MSPaint doodles over the concept art to visually illustrate my meaning. i continue, "last [image indicates a] dotted line on [the] back of [the] coat that might be plant matter too, like shoulderblade [being cut out of] the back [of the coat] in order to use [the] wing".
"[i] was trying to figure out why there are broken chunks of armor plates on that arm, [... they're] broken parts of the previous prosthetic".
Personally, detailing the freaky biopunk legs and arm were the most exciting, the most fun. I think Vash grows roots out of these parts not unlike the way his predecessor gains steady control over his feathers and black hole bullets. Defensively, Vash's upper arm would work similarly to the way his usual prosthetic pauldron does—lost tech ricocheting ammunition flawlessly. There's potential in the literal growth, possibly allowing for shoulder roots that wrap around the back to expand into a more wing-looking wing, or a broader shield.
As for his legs, he'd similarly be able to remain standing, unflinching from harm if they're attacked. A striking image to me in particular was the use of these legs, in contact with the ground, to ingrain the roots in order to place superhumanly heavier shots—like the black hole bullets, for example.
That does it for this one. Not sure what the next entry will be exactly.
I've been dying to talk about so damn much.
Could be about the black coats that Vashes wear, or the use of Taoist and Buddhist symbols in Trigun Stampede, or the whole thing that went down with Stampede Knives' VA and how fan response is at odds with my own, or what exactly Trigun Stampede was doing in depicting all that harm to women and children (and how Stampede's iteration of Elendira the Crimsonnail ties to that). Or even abt the oft-undiscussed politics of Trigun; Pieces of Earth, SEEDS, NML, the Eye, the way the core four as characters are shaped by these forces and in turn shape it themselves...
Could also get itchy and just post all of my Stargaze guesses in one go before that show starts airing. Honestly, I could even go on about why it is I don't interact with the Trigun fandom as much as I can help it, and my personal experience with Trigun at all. Dunno. I'll update this blurb when I've made a decision. So stay tuned.
To the next.