'Shipping: 9/11/02

    Haven't done an essay in awhile, but then again I haven't done that many updates, either. I suppose that balances out. Since I didn't include the customary essay in with the last update, I suppose I need to include one with this update. And I did. So, what's the topic? Well, I thought it was about damn time that I addressed the rampant Vash relationships in Trigun in a non-frightening way (see last entry for frightening address :p). What's shipping, you may ask? Well, my background is deeply rooted in the Pokemon tradition, and any and all relationships, whether they exist or not, are referred to with a 'shipping suffix. Rocketshipping. Neoshipping. Eldershipping. Pokeshipping. Palletshipping. Brocketshipping. You get the idea. If you still do not believe me, please feel free to visit Anyshippers, and then you will be guaranteed to see my point. I just thought it would be an appropriate title. So hold on tight, you're in for a heavy dose of my opinion.

    Still here? Good. Now, if you've scanned through this page, you'll notice that I seem to favor Rem over anyone else other than Vash. Why look, she's even on the front page! So, of course, it won't surprise you when I say that I feel that Vash and Rem are the primary couple, which is something that some people won't find to follow the series. While there is another woman for Vash in the series, I believe wholeheartedly that Rem is the one that Vash loves most. Just watching the series, you can see this plain as day. Thoughts of Rem and her philosophies govern his actions and his life everyday. Everyone is judged according to the standards Rem taught him. He often thinks about her and wishes she were still around. Her death is what separates his brother and he. Episode 16, where we see the two interact, we can see that Vash worships the ground Rem walks on. So, based on that information, I think that Rem is the one that Vash loves most. Er, perhaps the strongest indicator to me was the fact that his whole life is based on her teachings, so obviously he thinks very highly of her. When she died, he was left in a state of shock and anger with Knives, and took awhile to snap out from Knives' control. When he finally had to violate Rem's philosophies, he was a broken man for a long, long time. The red coat is also strong proof of who he loves most. He wears it for its symbol of determination and courage, but perhaps it also reminds him of Rem. Perhaps I'm explaining this badly, but it's most likely due to the fact that I think it's rather obvious that Vash cares for Rem. However, no matter how much Vash loves her, she will always remain dead, and the pair will never be. This, quite possibly, leaves the door open for other women, but I also believe that any woman seeking Vash's heart would have to measure up to Rem's standards, and I don't believe any other person can be Rem, no matter what. He could never love another woman besides his beloved Rem ^_^ Now, that doesn't mean that other couplings are possible, however. Of course, there's at least one more that's hinted at in the series, one that's very popular in the fan community, and one... other one, I suppose.

    The other strong Vash relationship in the series is, if you've been paying any attention, the relationship he shares with Meryl Stryfe. What hints at this? Mostly the way Meryl acts. She constantly gets very angry at him and beats him a lot, but of course, she's the one that always insists on following him, or brings up his safety, or speculates on how he survived this or that. She nags him often about how he shouldn't do something or other because it's dangerous. Toward the end, she openly weeps for him, cares for him when he's sick, is openly concerned, and there is no question about his feelings. However, this isn't the case from the first episode. The line between when Meryl really hated him and when she started seeing more in him is very subtle and hard to pick up on. For me, I started seeing her feelings more clearly in the Quick Draw episode with Wolfwood. Do I think that they'd ever be a couple? Not really, because I'm blinded by my Vash/Rem dogma, but he does at one point say he sees many things in Meryl that he sees in Rem, so I suppose that leaves the door open there. It's entirely possible, although I choose to ignore this :p The cons to this pairing? Vash does not mirror Meryl's feelings. Sure, he tells the two insurance girls to stop following him around at some points out of concern for their safety, but I think he would do this for anyone, seeing as how he's Vash. Other than the scene where he comments about seeing a lot of Rem in Meryl, I cannot think of a single instance where Vash shows any kind of feelings for Meryl. That's an awfully big con for the pair, and the one that negates my thinking for the pair. However, it seems to be the most widely accepted in the Trigun fan community, and I'm open to any plausible pairing, so there it is.

    There's one more big pairing, at least in the fan community, and that is Wolfwood and Vash. Is this pair plausible? There really is no grounds for a romantic relationship between Wolfwood and Vash laid in the series, but the coupling is based on the chemistry the pair share, which is undeniably there. Wolfwood matches every single extraordinary feat that Vash the Stampede can perform. They are evenly matched gunman (although I'd like to think that Vash would win in an all-out brawl, not that I'd be biased or anything), they always think along the same lines, and they seem to often be able to read each other's minds. There is definitely a dynamic energy between the pair, but I don't believe there is any basis for a relationship, not only because there was no romantic hints between the pair between the series, not only because both had their own insurance girl (Millie and Wolfwood is an undeniable pair ^_^), but because of their fundamental disagreement about killing. Vash does not believe in taking human lives, while Wolfwood has no problem with it if the person is inherently evil. This is a BIG THING in the series, and the basis between a huge split in the pair right before Wolfwood leaves. It is because of that disagreement that I believe the two would never be a pair.

    There is one minor one,too. Big in the Japanese fan community apparently, only murmured about here. Vash and Knives. All I have to say about that is ew. No. See Wolfwood and the fundamental disagreement of basic philosophical beliefs. Also, they're brothers, for God's sake.

    Did you learn something from that little essay? That I am a one-minded bitch? Something of the relationships, perhaps? If you learned anything, it has made my day better, let me tell you. But you only read the essays for amusement, don't you? After all, I don't plant subremliminal messvashages in any other sectvashandremions, now do I?