#vash.

given his personality he's naturally "talented" in terms of empathy, being able to adapt, intuiting how others feel and what they're motivated by. he's not always right on his read of others even then, and he'll freely admit as much. but i think vash's penchant for finding a way to connect with others is the most prominent "talent" in mind.

he's obviously also an incredibly skilled gunman (though i think i've only let him fire off Peacebringer in spirale a single-digit amount of times within his time here), and a Plant engineer rivaled by none due to his nature as a Plant himself, with the mysterious ability to "take away" or "drain". but between the two he's much more proud of being someone able to interface with Plants in a unique way, even though his aptitude with Peacebringer is literally otherworldly.

vash spends a lot of time helping to take care of the animals at home (a giant boar named Razra, his primary means of transportation around Umber, and two juvenile thomases (creatures of whom he has much more experience raising, but i like to think he's letting wolfwood do more for them). he also tends to the geodome, which is a Lot of gardening work, but… without other crewmembers around to help him, he also just kind of sucks at having to weed things out, he's hesitant to prune things unless there's more room elsewhere for the trimmed plant, etc. so things there are running wild and overgrown... not that it's hard to traverse through or anything, but it probably doesn't look nearly as tamed and neat as it does in Stampede

mentioned in this ask, but atm he's basically a repeat-visitor handyman to the entrance town of Umber, mostly just helping out in exchange to getting to know the people there. he'll visit other spots of Umber on any given day, always keeping an eye out for anyone in over their head (he carries around a hammerspace bag with an unlimited supply of cool drinks and ways to provide shade).

[ 🙏 ] what does your muse need? this can be something material or something abstract.

something tells me that if he is alone, no longer… then he will not suffer … tagline joke aside, i think this guy has a warped sense of ego he needs to get checked. he needs to be more willing to forgive himself for past transgressions (particularly since the big ones were largely out of his real control anyway), which will only truly come after reconsidering the distressing feeling that he's "denying" those he wronged of the "justice" they deserve.

he really misses home and he really misses feeling like he has a purpose. i like to think this upcoming canon point move (moves plural, tbh) can sort of help those needs by having more memories to work with, even if they're not all going to be happy ones. it's funny how living out 150 years in one world isn't enough to outweigh the homesickness of being 2 years away from there. or maybe that just all speaks to a need to belong?

[ 👗 ] what is your muse’s fashion sense like? are they able to dress the way they want to? what would they wear in an ideal world? what if no FREAKING UNIFORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i think vash truly likes representing Home through his coat and its patches (again, speaking to his core needs to have purpose and to belong somewhere). it's just a cosmic bonus that Home happened to pick red dye for that work uniform. but while it greatly contributes to his sense of identity, there's also some self-expression allowed there. his earring and glasses aren't accessories that anyone at Home wears, but they are minor/subtle/even functional (in the case of the glasses hiding the Plant markings in his eyes); his hairstyle is similarly unique.

in spirale, he doesn't often deviate much from this look, even at Home; it's hard to let go of anything that still ties him to that world, to that identity as "vash the stampede" he still wants to cling to.

i think the only times i've let the guy wear totally different outfits are for special occasions, like going on dates with his boyfriend or trying to hide his identity in Archimedes closer to the time of his giant challenge (since he fucked up the star trail and still suffers the consequences of it two years later).

but what if no freaking uniform!!!!!!!!!!!!!, huh? well, with these stated core needs and subtle self-expression in mind… i think the guy would choose to dress modestly (to a degree: so long as he looks friendly/approachable to others), and somewhat tailored toward whatever occupation he's got going on. sorry LOL it feels like a cop-out answer forgive me

cause here, vash is kind of like a neighbor handyman to the people of the entrance town of Umber, and i've had him previously be part of a guerilla gardening faction in Archimedes. he'd basically still want to be a civil engineer. which sounds to me like durable shoes and gloves, maybe utility belts, clothing that's not exactly loose or flashy. i think he'd always have to wear the glasses and earring to feel like himself, though.

maybe on his days off he'd be more adventurous about his sense of personal fashion but i don't think it'd be by all that much. promo merch tends to put him in suits and vests and formalwear and he looks happy in all of them? obv non-canon, but eh, i think the guy just likes wearing clothes that gives off an immediate impression of what he's about like that: to glance at him and recognize like oh he's a plant engineer, he's a civil engineer, this guy works in the dirt, this guy is dressed up for the casino, etc.

especially when he's alone (kind of ironic lol) vash gets in his head pretty easily and deeply about... well. a lot of things, but intimacy's a big one. he's incredibly avoidant, which i think conflicts with his core desire to connect with others and with himself, to further his understanding. i don't know if this guy views intimacy as something to categorically like or dislike, wholesale. but he's certainly got his own feelings and boundaries for each?

he's allowed others to vent their feelings through harming him if he feels like they're justified enough in choosing to treat him badly. a lot of things get the green light on physical intimacy if he thinks it'll make someone else feel better or less scared of him. whether he's shown affection through gentler touch or more playful roughness, there's a lot on the table. it's significantly easier than emotional intimacy. i don't think all of his scars come from people who've seen him as an enemy.

not to say he's someone who will always/do his utmost to shy away from emotional intimacy (how else will he connect with someone?); he's not that good at putting up a cheery front and pretending for the sake of keeping the peace. even in the first couple of episodes of stampede, the guy lets his guard down to earnestly speak with the bernadelli reporters, even if they evidently had a hard time believing him or criticized his actions outright. vash is a strange, self-aware walking contradiction of falseness and earnestness.

ultimately, he doesn't want to hurt anyone. "protecting" friends from horrible truths like his past (being half of the reason for the Big Fall), and sharing some personal anecdote with someone so that they don't feel alone—these both fall under that desire, even if they appear to contradict each other for the difference in honesty.

he's a "pacifist", but his utmost hard lines are focused on killing—vash isn't one to totally condemn the use of violence. however, any time he's engaged in a physical fight himself, he's never seen as one to enjoy it or use any amount of force he perceives as unnecessary.

vash seeks harmony, that he can see others at peace with themselves and with one another. even if that peace is fragile, or if will take a long time to solidify, he'll still keep determined to see it through. he knows how much it could mean to someone else to believe in them.

Tagged by: @/sky-claimant, thank you! Tagging: no one, do this if it looks fun

╳   FLAWS.

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable  |  whiny | controlling |  conceited  |  possessive | paranoid  | lies  | impatient | cowardly  |  bitter  |  selfish |  power-hungry | greedy  |  lazy  | judgmental |  forgetful  | impulsive | spiteful  | stubborn | sadistic |  petty  | unlucky

♔   STRENGTHS.