#someone that knew so very much and grew up in the thick of saiyan society

[bunpunch]

i like to think about how epela might've raised tohma growing up. how even if he was a self-proclaimed coward and seen as a lesser saiyan, he was still saiyan. he treated her somewhat colder, made her do everything on her own- learn everything the hard way. he cared for her and there was no question about that, but he never coddled her either. she'd be snot nosed and puffy eyed from having her ass handed to her, sitting and patching herself up as a small babe, because it was essential to learn. he wasn't going to do it for her. and even if it's seen as cold, tohma remembers it fondly anytime she's sat by herself, patching herself up all over again. he had just as short a temper as any other typical saiyan could be expected to have and put up with absolutely none of tohma's shit growing up. it was either get smart, get tough, or get fucked. and how even then, even despite the somewhat harsher nature he used to raise her with, he still was able to show he cared and would protect her no matter what. he never praised her, but what praise she got was out of the expectation to be better- because he knew she could be better. he never was verbally reassuring or gentle, communicative about his care for her, but he never let her feel needlessly upset or hopeless. to what is considered the typical saiyan method of parenting, epela could of course still be seen as soft on tohma, but he didn't have it in him to be any harsher, one out of his own nature, and two out of how much he cared about her.

#☆ hc. #tohma was definitely not an easy kid to raise either #then again i can't imagine any saiyan could be described as an 'easy kid' growing up lmao #but i think about it a lot #how she was raised and how strange it had to be for epela especially #someone that knew so very much and grew up in the thick of saiyan society #suddenly tossed with a child that wasn't his and then to think that they were the very last saiyans to exist on top of it all #and having to decide if he should raise her exactly how a saiyan *should* be raised #or to raise her so that she's got a better and fighting chance no matter where she goes *as a saiyan* #HAD THIS HEADCANON SITTING SINCE MY LUNCH!!!!!!!!!