#avee notes

[avee-anne]

HELLO??? NEW PROSTHETIC ARM???

[avee-anne]

Tbh I don't think Lina’s sudden absence in Stargaze is due to poor communication between the Stampede and Stargaze teams. Many Stampede characters were credited with their full names even before their proper introduction in the show, yet Lina was only listed as “girl”, which suggests they knew she wouldn't be a full-fledged character.

Considering that most of the “retcons” we've seen so far come from that one scene with Lina, I am inclined to consider the theory that the entire scene was meant to be Vash’s dreamlike perception of the world in episode 2. The loss of his prosthetic arm, for example, would explain why he only presses the piano keys with his right hand.

I'll still miss Eriks, Lina, and Sheryl’s dynamic in the manga of course, but I can't deny that Eriks being taken care of by Hoppered is also a very interesting change. I guess we'll have to see next week where the story goes from here.

[avee-anne]

New Megzag/Thanzag/Megthanzag Crumbs in Hades II!

The Hades II patch preview seems to confirm that Zagreus has romanced both Megaera and Thanatos, unless you interpret the line below as him just being really close to them platonically, I guess.

Zagreus: Hold on! What happened to the servants of this House… to my friends? Loves of my life? You said Chronos took everybody. Did you mean everybody-everybody, or…?

His dialogue about Thanatos’ scythe was also changed.

Zagreus: Say, I know the son of Nyx and incarnate of Death to whom that rather sinister scythe belongs. As do you, in a way! I could give it back to him, rather than getting sliced? Melinoë: Thank you for the generous offer, but I have need of it right now. Besides, Nyx knows where to find me if her son ever needs it back. How are you and Thanatos doing lately anyhow? Zagreus: Oh we're good. Much better now that we're not frozen in time, same for Megaera. They miss you! She says hello, while he says tell the Princess that she has my gratitude.

The “more-than-friends” conversation is still the same as in the original.

I also found out that the House of Hades houseservants have their own Book of Shadows entries now. Thanatos' entry makes Zagreus sound like he waits for his husband to come home from the war. 😂

Thanatos A son of Nyx, and the incarnate of Death. You are very familiar with his work, and respect his well-reputed discipline. He and your brother share a close bond, though his work sometimes takes him far beyond the Underworld.

Megaera She is first of the Fury Sisters, whose charge is to tend to those who deserve a protracted stay in Tartarus using widely-feared methods that need not be described. Your brother and she have a complicated, long-standing connection.

[avee-anne]

A lot of people were asking and I was pretty impatient to know myself, so I checked if Zagreus has any dialogue about his love interests and found these!

If you brought Zorephet with the Aspect of Thanatos:

Zagreus: I happen to know the son of Nyx and incarnate of Death to whom that rather sinister scythe belongs. I could give it back to him if you like?

Melinoë: Thank you for the generous offer, but I have need of it right now. Besides, Nyx knows where to find me if her son ever needs it back. Are you and Thanatos quite close?

Zagreus: Oh you could say that. He used to aid in my attempts at breaking out of here, quite unlike Megaera the Fury, you'd like her. Anyway he wanted me to tell you cheers! Or rather, tell the Princess that she has my gratitude.

Melinoë: Tell him I'm grateful for the scythe!

If Melinoe is close with at least two of the following characters: Moros, Eris, Nemesis, Icarus:

Zagreus: How is it in those Crossroads, anyway? Do you have friends, more-than-friends, that sort of thing? Do tell.

Melinoë: Oh, I suppose so, yes. Some of each. It's peaceful there. And I can see the Moon and stars under a canopy of trees… it even rains every so often.

Zagreus: Mm, getting rained on. I've heard that's unpleasant but perhaps it's nice! You didn't really get to meet my friends or more-than-friends, though who knows? We have eternity. Unless we somehow manage to kill each other here first.

Note from a Zagreus enthusiast: In Hades I, Zagreus rarely uses the words "lover" and "love" in a romantic sense, especially when talking about his own relationships. Instead, he tends to use "suitor," which feels very… formal? adorably old-fashioned? 😂 Anyway, I like that he says "more-than-friends" to make things less awkward for his sister, and it also leaves room to interpret different forms of love with other characters.

[avee-anne]

About Zagreus' Calling Card

Zagreus' keepsake lets Melinoë rarify Olympian boons a certain number of times. Some people interpret this as Zag calling up the Olympians and putting in a good word for his sister to increase the boon's rarity, but I have a different idea.

Hades: I fear your little flower there much more than you. The Queen and her mother… they possess power over life. Thus, power over death.

In the first game, it was established that both Demeter and Persephone possess power over life. This power shows up across both games through boon upgrades. Demeter’s Rare Crop and Steady Growth raise boon rarity, while Persephone’s Pomegranate Blossom, Jeweled Pom, Argent Skull aspect, and Poms of Power raise boon levels.

Zagreus never knew what he was a god of and even denied Achilles’ speculation that he might be the god of blood and by extension, of life, but he eventually comes around to the idea and acknowledges it when he gives Demeter Ambrosia.

Zagreus: Erm, Grandmother? If you don't mind I call you that. Knowing we're related like this fills me with pride. Your power over life… I think I've some of it in me! And I could not have come this far without your help. Please, for everything… this is for you.

This turns out to be true because just like his grandmother, he can rarify boons through his keepsake! He really does take after Demeter and he is slowly discovering his own domain as a god with power over life!

[avee-anne]

I LOVE the different plant designs in Trigun: the grotesque angels in the manga, the elves in 98, the flower nymphs in Stampede, and sure, let's include the sirens from Stampede's concept art.

While I'm drawn to the manga's body horror, I started appreciating the other designs too when I realized how well they suit their respective medium and story setting.

[avee-anne]

Vash is playing the exact same notes as the pinging noises in the ending scene, which means he can either hear the Earth Fleet's arrival or Home's attempts to communicate with them from afar.

Remember when Zazie said worms and plants have a wider hearing range than humans in episode 4? It may be a subtle hint for this scene all along. If Zazie knows about the approaching fleet, then Vash probably does too.

It's really sad though, because instead of celebrating, Vash is being weighed down by his grief over July’s destruction and Nai’s "death" (unless he genuinely has amnesia and he's just playing what he hears).

I also wondered if Vash himself might be the one causing the pinging noises in the ending scene, like a call for help to the Earth fleet. But this seems unlikely because how could a simple piano even reach them?

[avee-anne]

I have my own little archive for Studio Orange's Trigun!

It contains some pretty obscure stuff! Admittedly, I’m not as dedicated to archiving and translating as some fans, so feel free to add it to your own Trigun archive. It’s also free to download and use for theories and analysis. Just make sure to read the README files in the folders for clarifications.

Available folders (I will reblog if I add more):

Pre-Broadcast Event Concept Art – Over 150 concept art that you may not have seen before. It also includes a possible timeline for Trigun Stargaze. I translated some of its content (e.g. the world map and file names).

Sakuracon 2023: Studio Orange Interview – This insightful interview about the show and characters was deleted after the radio station shut down.

Website Backgrounds – Backgrounds from the official website.

On-Screen Text Transcripts – Transcripts of hard-to-read documents from the show, such as Nightow's news article.

Story Conceptual Fragments – Includes the transcript of the corrupted file along with both English and Japanese versions of the fragments.