Vash 'the Stampede'

That narrative holds a lot of weight for the average desert settler. Haunted people seeking revenge and reward always seem to be hot on this specter's trail.

The problem is, hardly any of that is true! Such is the sad state of affairs for poor, harried Vash, who knows better than anybody how close the humans of Gunsmoke came to meeting their demise. Feeling personally responsible for the fall of the SEEDS ships 134 years ago, Vash wanders the planet to help and live among the people. He knows that one day he'll have to find and confront his brother Knives, who wants to finish what the crash-landing of the ships began.

Vash is five feet, eleven inches of goofy, blue-eyed trouble - but he doesn't mean it, honest! It's just that folks get agitated when they recognize him (and that tall blond hair and bright red duster are pretty recognizable). He hopes every time that it won't happen, but he's ready to try to defuse the situation when it inevitably does.

On his surface, Vash cultivates a loud, carefree personality - an oblivious flirt, a clumsy chatterbox, a ditzy do-gooder. Deeper down, he's an anxious over-planner who dwells on his losses and feels intensely guilty for the state of his world. To his core, though, he's compassionate and optimistic; he wants to be a good person, he wants what's best for people, and he's prepared to sacrifice of himself to make sure they get it.

In the heat of things, Vash can become so focused on achieving the best outcome that he doesn't recognize that he's being patronizing. He meddles in other peoples' business without hesitation, but tends toward evasion and sarcasm if he feels zeroed in on in return. He's slow to make real connections, but responds strongly to the strength of the human spirit, impressed by the persistence and endurance of mankind.

Strengths/Abilities:
+ Has enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and senses (smell, hearing, sight) compared to humans.
+ Is a crack shot with his pistol, which he uses as a tool rather than a weapon.
+ Generally well-armed; has knives in his boots, and his prosthetic left arm contains an additional automatic gun.
+ Is incredibly receptive to telepathy; that is, those with telepathic abilities seem to find it very easy to communicate with him. Some of his enhanced senses may be due in part to this strong "read" ability. Possibly due to his unwillingness to dominate others, however, Vash finds it difficult/unpleasant to actually establish a telepathic link and is not likely to try.
+ Has access to Plant creation abilities, including the "Angel Arm," but will not willingly use them.

Weaknesses:
– Always looks for a third option in life-or-death situations, but often fixates on solutions that put himself on the chopping block.
– Won't make a call that results in someone's death, even if it means a villain survives to cause mayhem another day.
– Bad arm and many scars often ache deeply. He'd have "bad days" if he ever let himself stop moving.
– Prosthetic arm requires occasional maintenance or it becomes inaccurate/malfunctions.
– Not that he'd know it in a desert with a temperature-controlled traveling coat, but he's really sensitive to cold, to the point where moving and thinking coherently become a problem.

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Odds and Ends:


Skills:

• Can play the guitar fairly well and even sing a little, but is shy about it. Can also dance, and isn't shy about that at all!
• Can whittle! ... kind of!
• Knows at least two really good sleight-of-hand tricks.
• Has an impressive internal rolodex of names he can use as aliases. Could make a party game out of it.

Traits:

• Doesn't get drunk very easily (he's really gotta commit), but likes the experience of drinking, especially among other people.
• Still the same momma's boy the SEEDS crew knew all those years ago.
• Is an all-occasion flirt - sometimes as a knee-jerk reaction (is a sucker for a pretty face and a kind demeanor) but also to tease or to get closer to a situation he wants to meddle in.
• Pan-interested, but celibate/asexual - circumstances have kept him from exploring serious romance and relationships. At this point, he might not have the first idea of what to do with someone who's really interested in him.

Misc.:

• Thinks of the Plant angels as little sisters (because he's had more life experiences than them), but they're all older than him and Knives, so technically he's everyone's baby brother.