#son goku critical

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Gohan and Future Trunks Deserve Better

I have been getting back into DBZ and my love for Gohan and Future Trunks has been reignited. And I am just craving fics where these two precious gems can be doted on and pampered. Because they deserve it! Unfortunately, DBZ fanfiction is not awashed with soft, tender moments :(.

I just need to rant.

Let's start with Gohan. The best Saiyan hybrid. No one, not even Future Trunks, can compete with Gohan's top hybrid status. I know Gohan is not a fighter like his dad and he fights mainly to protect people...but I wish more fanfic writers would explore this as a trauma response. Think about it. Piccolo kidnapped him and forced him into the Saiyan fight. As much as I gush over the Piccolo & Gohan relationship, Piccolo's crimes can't be forgotten. He forced Gohan into fighting and he was not a nurturing teacher. Gohan's first experience with fighting was severely traumatizing. He endured all those brutal fights as a kid, a baby. He faced Frieza, the emperor of the universe, when he was FIVE YEARS OLD. Then the fate of the world was placed on his shoulders when he was 10 when he fought against Cell. Talk about a messed-up childhood.

Then we have the post Cell saga. I understand Goku wanting to stay dead to protect his family - I will never respect that decision. But he failed Gohan as a dad. Can we talk about the likely parentification Gohan would have experienced?? With Goku dead, Gohan is basically the head of the house. I can see Gohan being Chi Chi's support, especially when Goten came into the picture. So not only was Gohan thrusted into fighting and horrific battles throughout his childhood, but now when he needs his father the most as a young man he has no dad. I hope Krillin acted as a father figure. The Z fighters treat Gohan as one of the boys so much that they often forget he's a freaking child. Please get Gohan some therapy. The curse of being the oldest kid. You never get to be sheltered like the younger kids :(

And you best believe that Gohan had to step up as head of the family AGAIN when Goku decided to go on a training trip with Uub with a TBD timeframe. I know Gohan was a grown man then but still...

And now Future Trunks. Oh poor Future Trunks. After all he has been through, my boy Trunks deserves the world and an eternal vacation. Being the Earth's last hope is a heavy burden. Especially when you are not qualified. It's only fairly recently (maybe last year) that I learned that Trunks is not a good fighter. But you can't blame him. His training was severely limited and he was constantly fighting for his life.

The biggest disappointment of the Cell saga is that Trunks did not have a single mentor. By then, Trunks' epic entrance against Frieza should have worn off and it's disgraceful that no one took the time to train this kid. Vegeta should have taken Trunks under his wing but Vegeta couldn't give a damn. But come on, Goku, Piccolo?? Anyone? Even Popo would be better than nothing! Why didn't Piccolo take Trunks with him into the time chamber?? Someone give this guy some training! How could any of the Z fighters feel comfortable letting Trunks go back to the future with his lack of fighting skill?!!!

And I feel so bad for Trunks when it comes to Vegeta. Bulma sold her son a romanticized version of Vegeta and the man was a massive disappointment. Vegeta did not deserve such a sweet, loyal son like Trunks. Imagine you grow up in this dystopian world and you try to save another timeline even though yours will not be directly benefited. Then your foolish dad, in his quest for power, spits in your face and allows another monster to destroy the timeline you risked your neck to save. With Krillin's lovesick antics, Vegeta's testosterone stupidity and the Z fighters just being an uncoordinated mess, I am surprised Trunks did not tear his hair out in frustration.

Kid Trunks should be happy that Future Trunks was Vegeta's guinea pig for fatherhood. I mean I love Vegeta's character arc but I feel jealous on Trunks' behalf to see Vegeta become such a huge softy with Bra/Bulla.

And then Future Trunks has to go back home where he is the sole defender of Earth. And from what I hear, he loses everything in DBS. Can we just give Trunks a happy ending?! Forget Buu and the other intergalactic crazies! Just let Trunks be a teenager! Let him have awkward dates! Let him be a kid! Let him marry a sweet girl and have a family!! My boy deserves peace!!!

I just want to wrap Gohan and Future Trunks in soft blankets and hide them away.

#so many feelings #son gohan #future trunks #mirai trunks #dbz gohan #future trunks deserves better #gohan deserves better #gohan and future trunks are the only hybrids I acknowledge #dbz #dragonball z #piccolo #piccolo critical #cell saga #dbz vegeta #son goku critical #vegeta critical #parentification #childhood trauma

[celticcatgirl2]

“…this is for Yamcha! And for Tien! And for Chiaotzu!”

“…wait hold up Krillin…I think it would be REALLY funny if we let him live and then pay oped Bulma into downgrading form Yamcha to the troll doll lmfao…”

“Goku!!! What the FUCK DUDE?!? I dunno who you’re being a WORSE friend to…Yamcha or Bulma….”

#shut up alex #personal #dragon ball #goku #vegeta #krillin #son goku #vegeta iv #anti vegebul #alice and edwin watch dragon ball #kakarot #prince vegeta #vegebul critical #dragon ball z

[dragon-ball-meta]

What If I Told You That It’s Entirely Possible To Push Back Against The Bad Dad Goku Meme Without Thinking He’s A “Perfect Parent”?

#Really tired of how this fandom lives off false dichotomies #goku #son goku #just plain lazy attempts to deflect criticism of a bad take #Dragon Ball #Dragon Ball Z #Dragon Ball Super #DB #DBZ #DBS #Dragonball #Dragonball Z

[fabuloustrash05]

Misery: Broly

Reeses Puffs: Goku

CPR: Vegeta

#no i will not take criticism #random thoughts #misery x cpr x reese's puffs #dbz #dragon ball z #dbs #dragon ball super #dragon ball super: broly #goku #son goku #vegeta #Broly

[arkolovesgoku]

Submerged

in which Goku slowly realizes he’s deep in something called “love.”

another fic lol. was working on this way before Fluffy spikes and i finally finished

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #dragon ball super #dbz #dbs #goku #son goku #chichi #gochi #goku x chichi #ao3 fanfic #fanfictions #fanfic #writing #ao3 writer #i love really descriptive stuff #to the point where you can almost feel it #i would appreciate constructive criticism

[duhragonball]

Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)

I wouldn't say I'm feeling better today, but I'm feeling less bad than yesterday. So let's see if I can put some words together.

In case anyone still hasn't heard, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024. This news was made public on March 7 or 8. I woke up early on Friday morning and found out while I was checking Twitter. I had a long, busy day at work, and I kept getting on my phone to scroll through fan reactions and tributes.

I think that, more than anything, is what's gotten me so worked up about his death. My Twitter timeline and my tumblr dashboard were just chock full of touching message and images about how Akira Toriyama's work has changed their lives. I wanted to write my own tribute, but I'm not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been expressed by Archie Comics, professional wrestling trio The New Day, and the Republic of El Salvador.

There's this immense, global community of fans, and it's easy to lose sight of just how big it is. It's easy to get bogged down in the infighting and petty squabbles. I saw one tweet responding to the criticism of Dragon Ball not being like this "entry level" franchise compared to other, more high brow anime and manga. It's popular with so many people, that critics will assume it's designed to appeal to the lowest-common-denominator. But the opposite is true! Dragon Ball is accessible, which is how so many people from so many different places and walks of life can get into it. The guy telling the story was such a master storyteller that he could grab an audience's attention and make it look easy. So easy that the haters would start to think that it was a trick, and he must be overrated.

Let me talk about this panel for a minute.

Last night I started going through the original manga, looking for panels to screencap. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I thought maybe a selection of panels that really stood out for me might be worth posting. I'll probably still do that one of these days, but I got to this one, where Gohan tells Chi-Chi about Goku's death, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This was a powerful scene in the anime, of course, but in the comic it's even more profound. It's just one panel, no dialogue, because the reader already knows what's happening here. We know Gohan is telling his mother that Goku died in the Cell Games, and that he refuses to be wished back, because he thinks his presence on Earth will attract new enemies. It was hard enough to hear when Goku said it to Gohan and the others, and now Gohan has to relay that message to Goku's wife. All she can do is lie prostate on the floor and weep.

And look at the composition. She's surrounded by all that negative space. Gohan's there for her, but she still feels so alone, surrounded by her husband's absence. Pots of flour for food he'll never eat. An empty chair he might have sat in. Their son, who will have to grow up without him.

I saw this, as though for the first time, and it was so gut-wrenching that I had to post it by itself. I felt like it summed up my feelings better than any words could. We're all Chi-Chi in this panel, reacting to Akira Toriyama's death. And we're all Gohan too, each of us consoling one another with our own thoughts and tributes.

So what did Akira Toriyama mean to us all? Lots of people have answered this in a lot of different ways. Obviously his art, storytelling and cultural impact speak for themselves. I've seen people compare him to other luminaries like Jack Kirby and Osamu Tezuka. I'll try to add my own two cents with this:

I wrote a post about "Dragon Ball Daima" back when it was first announced, and I led off with this image of a note from Akira Toriyama. I guess this was from some big fancy presentation about Daima at a convention. I forget which one. In particular, I was skeptical that the Daima rumors were even true, and if they were, the whole idea seemed half-baked to me. Turning Goku into a kid had been done before, and it wasn't exactly successful the first time.

But this note from Toriyama was very reassuring to me. More than the trailer clips and character designs, this was what got me interested in the show. That's because he took the time to not only hype up the show, but also to explain what's going on behind the premise. He took the time to tell everyone that he's working on this show, and what "Daima" means, and why all the characters get turned into kids. It's "due to a conspiracy", and the good guys will have to "fix things". In short, he established a plot, conflict, and resolution to the story. He didn't just slap this together to sell new merch. I'm sure that was part of the motivation to make Daima, but there's more to it than that.

I think that's the loss I feel with Toriyama's passing. It's not that there won't be new Dragon Ball stories in the future. I'm sure others will continue telling their own versions long after I'm gone. I'm not that worried about the fate of Daima. I'm sure they'll figure something out, whether it's delayed, rewritten, or canceled. But we'll never see another message from Toriyama to promote a new project, and that's what I'll miss. From here on, his credit will just be an acknowledgement of his past contributions.

There's this great credibility with Akira Toriyama's name. Fans will argue about how involved he was in a project as a way of establishing how good or bad it was. Dragon Ball GT has his name on the credits, and he provided some designs and artwork early on, and for some fans that proves the series has his endorsement. For others, the sole problem with the show is that he wasn't directly writing the script. There's similar debates over Dragon Ball Super, where he was involved, but only writing those mysterious "notes". So if a fan doesn't like something in DBS, who do they blame? Did Toriyama lose his touch, or did his co-creators fumble the ball? Dragon Ball Evolution basically ignored all of Toriyama's advice and bombed, while Battle of Gods, Resurrection F, Broly, and Super Hero all put Toriyama's writing credits up at the very beginning, and each film made plenty of money. I read his comments on the Daima confirmation, and immediately thought "Okay, this should be pretty good. Akira Toriyama knows what's up."

That's gone now. I mean, there's still a lot of talent out there, but we'll never again have the little gas mask-wearing robot telling us that this story will be good because he worked on making it good. I don't think I really appreciated how much I trusted that guy until now. I still can't believe he's really gone.

I'll probably have more to say about this in the coming days, but I'll stop here for now. Thanks for letting me ramble a bit on this.

#dragon ball #akira toriyama

[bellamer]

Milluki would be the easiest Zoldyck to reform.

And I'm not talking about those "Milluki loses weight and is suddenly nice because he's 'handsome' and not fat anymore" fanfics and fanarts. Who's to say Milluki loathes himself because of his weight ? That's just a dumb assumption, sure, he probably does get picked on by his family, mainly his parents and grandpa, because he's the portly one out of all of them, but they also judge and criticize him for everything else, so I think his weight would be one of the last things on his mind.

But think about it, Milluki is actually really smart and skilled with computers, he's basically the family IT guy whenever they have a problem that has something to do with technology.

But what if he decided to leave ? In my opinion, I don't think his family would care, considering that they think he's a failure as an assassin and a son. They wouldn't miss him like they miss Killua. Sure they'd be losing their IT guy, but they could easily just hire someone for that role. And I'm not even sure they realized he actually left the house for the first time in years when he went to Yorknew City.

What if at that moment, when he came back, he realizes that nobody even noticed that he was gone and it inspires him to leave ? He realizes that they truly don't care.

Milluki is young and talented, so he could easily get a job that can use his skills and could even enroll in a university and could get multiple degrees.

His personality is also shitty because he's stuck in the house with people who don't care about him or notice him, so he doesn't really socialize as much as he should, so if he went and found some anime nerds with common interests (assuming they aren't the shitty incel type who'd influence his already shitty personality) he could probably make fast friends that way. He'd be a little awkward at first but he'd eventually get into the rythm.

In eighth grade I once made a fanfic where Milluki simply just had to leave the house because there was an anime figure he wanted that could only be bought in stores and he bumped into a person who wanted the same figure and they just talked and got to know each other and it was the first person who acknowledged him and showed him kindness in years, so he was eager to get away from his family and change himself for them but he was scared that they would just abandon him and ignore him just like everyone else.

Milluki could actually survive and make it in the real world if he just had the motivation and if he did ever get out and touch some grass and met some people, his spoiled man-child personality would probably decrease expeditiously. It wouldn't be completely gone, but he'd probably just be reduced to more of an know-it-all dork who always has a 'I'm smarter than everyone in this room, so when I say Sailor Moon can beat Goku, it's a fact, don't question my judgment !" personality but can turn it off whenever he has to do something important or when he wants to make new friends.

#belle speaks #hunter x hunter #hxh #milluki zoldyck #the zoldyck family #zoldyck family #illumi zoldyck #killua zoldyck #alluka zoldyck #kalluto zoldyck #kikyo zoldyck #silva zoldyck #zeno zoldyck

[crescent-lockhart97]

What Would The First Class Trio + Zack & Cloud Dress Up As During Halloween?

Angeal:

In my honest opinion, Angeal could definitely pull off a Wolverine cosplay. His hair is long enough to be styled into Wolverine's iconic hairstyle and he's got big guns too 🤭🤭:

(he could just add some detachable facial hair and he's good 😂😂)

Genesis:

He'd dress up as Chucky 😈😈 no I will not take constructive criticism fight me!!!! Like, come on—he's already got the red hair and the blue eyes! And Genesis could absolutely emulate Chucky's murderous mannerisms (he's skilled in the theatrics, what did you expect?).

Also, Genesis, in my headcanon, is a skilled makeup artist, so recreating Chucky's stitched-up look would be effortless for him. However, the thing with Genesis is that regardless of the outfit he wears, even if it may be a costume of a creepy-ass doll, he still looks goddamn sexy somehow (that's the Genesis magic for you!). He becomes the reason why Chucky doll sales in Midgar went up and now every girl in Midgar is thirsting after a fucking doll lmao

Sephiroth:

Prince Nuada! What, did y'all think I was gonna say Geralt of Rivia or something? 😂 (A bit off topic but Prince Nuada is honestly an underrated villain. He's got similar vibes with Sephiroth, I sweeeaaarrrrr!!! 🥵🥵) With Sephiroth's pretty hair and face, muscular body, fighting prowess, and cold aura, he'd make a very convincing Prince Nuada.

Zack:

In my head, Zack would totally be a Dragonball enjoyer, so he'd cosplay as Son Goku. Not to mention, he shares similar traits with Goku: kind, energetic, caring, and has strong himbo energy and has spiky black hair lol. So cosplaying Goku would be a piece of cake for him!

(look at those goofy-ass smiles 😭😭🥹🥹)

Cloud:

As for Cloud?

CHOCOBO, 'NUFF SAID!

(LOOK AT HIM HE IS ONE WITH THE CHOCOBOS!!!! 😫😫😭😭)

advanced happy halloween y'all!!!!

#angeal hewley #genesis rhapsodos #sephiroth #sephiroth crescent #zack fair #cloud strife #ff7 headcanons #ffvii headcanons #ff7 #ffvii #ff7 remake #ffvii remake #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 remake #final fantasy vii remake #ff7r #ffviir #crisis core #crisis core reunion #shitpost #final fantasy shitposting #ffvii sephiroth #ffvii genesis #ffvii angeal #ffvii zack #ffvii cloud

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 59 Review

Originally posted September 13th, 2018

Awful parenting meets great storytelling.

Goku is an awful parent.

Up until now, that idea has been present in Dragonball Z: Abridged mostly as subtext, with it being most blatant in the way Gohan reacts whenever he has been forced to think about his relationship with his father, but here, in The Hard Cell, that subtext is made into explicit text, as Piccolo speaks out in righteous fury as Goku sends his son in to fight Cell, and then gives Cell a Senzu bean in order to give Gohan a fair fight.

I knew this was coming, as it’s one of the few moments in Dragonball that is so famous I couldn’t avoid having it spoiled, but even having it spoiled, the sheer shock of Goku’s recklessness and lack of care for his son was downright paralyzing when I first saw it, with the only relief being hearing Piccolo criticize Goku for his absolutely horrendous decision making and logic.

This is, without any doubt, an act of child abuse, and that reality is acknowledged here not only by Piccolo, who is even more furious with Goku in the abridged version than he was in the original (and he was downright pissed there), but also by the entire world around Goku, as Jimmy Firecracker publicly lambasts Goku for sending his son into a battle he himself was already losing, and Chi Chi madly picks up her TV and swings it around the room in a fit of blinding and justified rage.

That moment is pivotal, and thanks to Team Four Star’s stellar editing, voice-work, and writing, it feels exactly like the betrayal it is meant to be, with Goku’s decision to heal Cell using a Senzu bean coming off as particularly awful, since we hear Gohan’s thoughts just before as he realizes that he might have a chance against Cell. We even see that Goku’s plan is a complete failure, as Cell closes out the episode by wailing on Gohan, who lies caught by Cell’s attacks, being beaten to a pulp.

Without a doubt, Goku’s betrayal of Gohan here is the most important part of the episode, but the way it’s built to is equally compelling. This episode starts with Cell and Goku finally stepping up their game and beginning to actually fight each other, with Cell’s own obsession with Goku driving him to destroy his meticulously constructed arena, not realizing that Goku is far more interested in a casual fight than anything so grand and long-term as Cell dreamed.

It’s ironic, hilarious, and compelling to see their mutual attraction capped off like this, and it fits perfectly with Cell’s already obsessive behavior for him to want more than from this relationship than Goku, who has always been similarly non-committal, as we saw when he abandoned Freeza the moment he got bored.

There is a perfect balance maintained here that makes it absolutely satisfying to see Cell disappointed by Goku, while still feeling completely betrayed when Goku throws his son to the wolves, and yet even more compelling than that is the strange faith the Goku has in Gohan. As bad a parent as Goku is, he is about as far from being insincere about anything as you can get with a character, and for all the horror that throwing an 11-year old against a murderous monster is, you can’t deny that Goku genuinely believes in the capabilities of his son.

Goku’s actions here are objectively pretty horrendous, and the narrative does everything to reinforce that, but even with all of that going against him, the sheer faith Goku has in his son leaves us with a sense of hope that somehow, someway, Gohan is going to pull through against Cell.

A fool’s hope, to be sure, but a necessary bit of hope indeed.

Rating: 4.5/5

Stray Observations

As dark of a joke as it is, it feels entirely in character for Master Roshi to be in the sex-offender registry, and his reluctant acknowledgement of that throws a good bit of shade at Toriyama for unironically embracing Master Roshi’s perverted behavior, and by association, anime’s legitimately awful trend of normalizing pervy characters, especially old men.

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbz #dbza #dbza ep59 #here we are #the last review of DBZA i wrote for this blog #it would seem as if something is missing though #i wonder if i am going to finish this review series #and finally close out this project i've been doing on and off for seven years

[sapphic-agent]

This is a different ask than usual, but I saw your comment on how Hori uses the OVA's/light novels to deflect constructive criticism, and it made me think about how this is kind of a problem with some manga authors/artists: they can't take contructive criticism.

Both Horikoshi and Oda (Oda's admitted to doing this) simply ignore it all and doubles down on the things the fans complain about, and I'm not sure about Akira Toriyama and Masashi Kishimoto.

Tite Kubo's the only one I've seen who actually acknowledges the criticisms, and that was mainly due to him fighting with the editors about the direction Bleach was going in.

So, I can't say a lot about the others, but from what I've seen Toriyama's changed his writing a lot over the years.

I mean, look at Bulma. She's so different than she was in her first appearance. She's one of the most valuable members of the Z-Fighters and is treated us such. She's intelligent, confident, and doesn't moon over men like she did in DB (even before she got with Vegeta). She also isn't fetishized nearly as much as she used to be. She's treated as a serious, competent character.

Even though Chi-Chi's character in Super is disappointing, she was making great strides in the Buu Saga. She not only trained Goten, she also allowed Gohan to fight in the tournament. Prior to the Cell Saga, she never would have done either. Goku's death really changed her and made her rethink how she wanted to raise her sons. It was great character development.

Toriyama looked back, acknowledged some things about his prior work, and actively made changes. Sure, DB will never be perfect in these regards, but it's still progress. I gotta give it to him

#ask #mha critical #bnha critical #akira toriyama #horikoshi critical

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Examining Goku's Claims About Villains at the End of the Cell Saga

I have never liked Goku's reasoning for staying dead at the end of the Cell games. I still think the reasoning was superficial and hurt Gohan and his family more than necessary. But I want to go over each of the DB and DBZ villains that I can recall and validate Goku's claims because I am curious. This may not be 100% accurate since it has been a while since I watched the series.

Dragonball Villains

Pilaf - He wanted the dragonballs to rule the world. His quest had nothing to do with Goku. Bulma had more to do with the world domination attempt since she was the one actively looking for dragon balls. X

Red Ribbon Army - This army also was not a response to Goku. They were taking over the world and gathering the balls too. Goku kind of fell into the conflict. X

King Piccolo - Pilaf is the moron who released him. Maybe fear of Goku encouraged Pilaf's idea that he needed help to rule the world but I still would not blame King Piccolo on Goku. X

Piccolo Jr. - King Piccolo created Piccolo Jr. as a last-ditch attempt when Goku defeated him. King Piccolo, I believe, launched the egg away from the battle so it's not like Goku had an opportunity to destroy the egg. But let's say Goku is responsible for Piccolo Jr. Y

1/4 is Goku's fault

Dragonball Z Villains

Raditz - He came to Earth looking for his brother. Y

Vegeta & Nappa - They came to Earth because of the dragonballs. They don't seem to care much for Raditz so I am not sure they would visit Earth to seek revenge. X

Frieza - He came to Earth because Goku did not kill him off. So Frieza coming to Earth is 100% Goku's fault. Y

Androids - Dr Gero made the androids as revenge against Goku. Goku defeated the Red Ribbon army as a kid so you can't blame him for not being thorough. But still, the androids were due to Goku. Y

(Extra) Buu - It's a nasty coincidence that the Buu fiasco happened when Goku came back. Goku was the catalyst but ultimately it's not Goku's fault. It's mainly Vegeta's fault. And the Supreme Kai's fault for being so incompetent. X

3/5 is Goku's fault

Total: 4/9 is Goku's fault

So around half of the villains in Dragonball and DBZ are Goku's fault. And that was worth missing 7 years with his family?? What crap.

It's ironic. Goku hardly attracts villains when he is peacefully minding his own business with his family. And most of the villains that came to Earth that Goku was responsible for were due to Goku not finishing the job. Of course, you have outliers like Raditz. But if Goku did not seek out problems and eliminated villains without prejudice, everything would be fine for the most part. I am tired of people justifying Goku goofing off in the otherworld and leaving his family in the dust. These are the same people who defend Goku flying off into the sunset with Uub in peacetime, once again leaving his family hanging.

I love Father!Goku but only up till the Cell saga and dbz fanfiction. The Cell games took my rose-colored glasses off when it came to Goku's fatherhood.

#son goku #son goku critical #dbz #dragon ball #dragonball z #son family #raditz #emperor pilaf #red ribbon army #dr gero #king piccolo #piccolo #vegeta #frieza #android saga #dbz cell #majin buu #cell saga #dragonball villains

[sloaners]

I just about cried laughing with some parts of this chapter, especially when Kurama laughed while Utakata was holding his unconscious body. Just. You have such a way with comedy, and you mix it with plot so seamlessly that nothing feels crack-ish while still being utterly hilarious. You handle both the highs and the lows so well, it's incredibly impressive. As is your ability to juggle so many plot threads without losing track of anything. Having that many characters in a fic is so, so, SO hard, but you've kept everyone so distinct in their narrative voice and how they talk/act.

You have also somehow been dragging me, very reluctantly, into shipping Roshi and Jiraiya. I never thought I'd find a ship with Jiraiya in it to be cute, but here we are. It's just very cute how they interact together, and how much Jiraiya's joking and antics set Roshi at ease, which neither of them have any idea how to deal with. Roshi has been so socially isolated for so long that he's incredibly awkward when his temper falters and his walls lower, and it's very sweet to see how invested Jiraiya is in slowly coaxing him out of his shell. Meanwhile, Son Goku pegged how much Roshi was starting to like Jiraiya well before anyone else did, including Roshi, and I love that so much. The shovel talk was fantastic too, especially because of how flustered it made Roshi

Thank you for the wonderful compliment about my comedy! 💕✨ I tend to be very critical about my flow of humor and when/how to deploy it for best effect. Navigating in and out of comedy and drama while not snagging on itself might be my favorite part to puzzle out in writing.

While having so many moving parts has me often skirting disaster—I was constantly re-referencing what I wrote 3 years ago LMAO—it’s also really fun for me that I get to jump around and play with different characters, and their thoughts, feelings, and motives. The biggest advantage is if a scene isn’t working with one character’s perspective, then I have opportunities to flip it to another one. A fresher, more snappy perspective or opposing motive makes it more entertaining to write, and it helps me in scaffolding ultimately better plot-driven scenes that complement each other.

Another one for the JiRoshi ship! ;) But really, Jiraiya and Roshi’s personalities play so well together, and something about their dialogue bounces dynamically off each other. It is so compelling and delightful to write. Son Goku and his changing dynamics with Roshi in the mix makes it extra fun and dramatic.

Thank you so much for reading, and for sending this wonderful and thoughtful ask!

#gote #gem of the eddy #jiroshi

[dragon-ball-meta]

I’m not as versed with writing quality so I never understood why people so heavily criticized the Future Trunks arc in Super.

What about that arc is bad or doesn’t make it work?

This is actually really hard to answer because it's a case of the two versions being VERY different and thus having their own unique set of problems. I'll say that it probably started with its inception, as this was not an organic Toriyama arc. He didn't originally have the idea. Shueisha and Toei came to him asking if there was a way to get Future Trunks involved in this series, as he was a popular character still. Without getting too bogged down in the details, a large part of the issue revolves around Trunks sort of getting Gary Stu'd a bit. He got his own special "transformation" in Super Saiyan Rage (which has yet to be fully explained, though it appears to be a case of simply being able to briefly draw out all of his power for a fast, hard strike), he learns the Mafuba by watching a cell phone video of it, and he can even use Spirit Bomb energy to make a Super Blade for his sword seemingly out of nowhere. It's just messy. There are still things to like in the arc, like Trunks getting to meet Gohan's family and see how differently things went for him here, or getting to see Krillin's family and how 18 had changed, or even Goku's reaction to learning his family's fate in this alternate timeline or Vegeta basically driving his son to stand and fight. Some great moments. But unfortunately, it does get bogged down in that murkier writing. The manga has its own set of issues. For one, Trunks starts even MORE Gary Stu'd, literally being able to simply increase the multiplier of SSJ2 to match Goku at SSJ3 (and pushing Goku to dip into Super Saiyan God to win because apparently he 'hates to lose'). Then making him Kaioshin's apprentice and saying that the apprentices of Kaioshin all have healing powers that they lose when taking on said role... which comes into play then with Zamasu, who is seen using the Time Rings, so he must be a Kaioshin now, yet he retained his healing ability, which would require him to still be an apprentice. After that point, Trunks... is actually sidelined pretty quickly, so much so that the manga version is often called the "Goku Black" arc as opposed to the Future Trunks arc there. He falls by the wayside, really only stepping in to heal Goku or Vegeta, when he gets to the present he just plays video games with Mai and never gets to meet Gohan or his family, and least not in any meaningful way that we're allowed to see, Goku seems completely unphased by the revelation Zamasu murdered his wife and son in his own body and rather makes a joke about having to avenge HIMSELF, Goku somehow learned Hakai from seeing Beerus do it once, does it exactly once, somehow misses a guy less than three feet in front of him (cue Mushu.gif)-

-and then, come the final battle, Trunks has to use the tiny bit of energy he has left to heal Vegeta JUST enough to allow him to stand under his own power, only for Goku to find himself in trouble and cowering a bit in the face of two Fused Zamasus, so Vegeta... rushes in, rescues Goku, and actually summons enough energy to do one big attack and obliterate both Fused Zamasus, who were apparently at full power. So being healed JUST enough to be able to stand allowed him to mysteriously summon the energy to solo kill Fused Zamasu twice over. But that didn't work because Starfish Effect and a scene likely meant as a callback to Return of Cooler-

-and THAT"S when they hit the button to summon Zeno. And that's the short version for both, there's honestly more problems and weird narrative decisions within, such as Time Travel and Bulma's treatment in the manga, but that alone could fill up entire other posts.

Suffice it to say, both versions very much have issues with pacing, characterization, and some contradiction.

#Future Trunks arc #Dragon Ball Super #DBS #Dragon Ball #Dragon Ball Z #DB #DBZ #Dragonball #Dragonball Z

[gokustits]

Recently rewatched the cell saga + Bojack Movie and totally forgot how cute Goku and Gohan truly were🥹 people who point to Goku giving cell a Sensu bean as him being a bad dad seem to forget that Goku also sacrificed himself for Gohan. And was so soft and encouraging towards his son :( and every scene in the hyperbolic time chambers was just so cute, my fav part being where Gohan says Goku is holding back and it’s clearly because he loves and doesn’t wish to hurt him :( and then the one line in Bojack where Gohan is all like “there seems to be on thing you’ve forgot, I’m my fathers son”🥹🥹🥹 dear god, best father duo

Honestly if people used critical thinking the sensu bean showed that he’s a good dad he gave it to cell to show how strong gohan was he had that much faith in him and he was right.

But yeah best father son duo: goku loves his son and gohan loves his dad

Also gohan wouldn’t admire goku if he was a bad father

[digiships]

🌊 CUPID 🌊

HE/IT/PAW 🪼 22 🐬 WHITE & ABLEBODIED & AUTIHD

more info under the cut!

DNI: pro/comship, age down self inserts/age up characters for selfshipping, under 16, transmed/truscum, ship with racist/rapist characters, racebend your self insert, erase canon orientations, are weird to ppl who arent ok sharing, etcetcetc be normal

BYF:

- if i softblock you, chances are either A. we share an f/o i have unlisted that youre not comfortable sharing or B. you share an f/o with my partner or qpp!! the latter is nothing personal we are all just legitimately delusional

- addendum to above ^ i am actually psychotic, i dont know Why or What causes it but i am. please be normal about it

- further addendum please tag posts that talk abt f/os as if theyre real people with "unreality"! example: a post saying "your f/o feels your love for them across universes" that kind of thing is bad for me mentally

* - ok with sharing!

Main F/O's:

🌌 Kurt Wagner - X-Men

🍎 Wally Darling - Welcome Home

🍑 Sun Wukong - you know

🌺 Vash the Stampede - Trigun

🎤 Natsuki Shinomiya - Uta no Prince-Sama

🪽 Dick Grayson - DC

💳 Mammon - Obey Me

🔥 Caleb Widogast - Critical Role

🖍️ Sunny Day Jack - Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack

🦇 Rei Sakuma - Ensemble Stars

⚔️ Future Trunks - Dragon Ball Z/Super

Other F/Os:

🔪 John Doe - Mortisfox

🌐 Gamma 2 - Dragon Ball Super

🍖 Son Goku - Dragon Ball series*

💎 Demiurge - Overlord

🧸 Toki Wartooth - Metalocalypse

🖲 HAL9000 - 2001:ASO

🩸 Ve.ssel - Sl.eep Tok.en

🔮 Gale Dekarios - Baldur's Gate 3*

❤️‍🩹 Astarion - Baldur's Gate 3*

🐻 Halsin - Baldur's Gate 3

🗡 Wyll Ravengard - Baldur's Gate 3*

💣 Hi.romu Taka.hashi - NJ.PW

👹 Ka.ne - W.WF

🦷 Ma.nkind - W.WF

📌 Floyd - Trolls

🍦 Kaito - Vocaloid

🔑 Chilchuck Tims - Dungeon Meshi

🌤 Dogday - Poppy Playtime

Crushes:

👒 Luffy - One Piece

🃏 Bittergiggle - Garten of Banban

🥊 Banban/Uthman - Garten of Banban

🍬 Mr. Mu.tans - ??? (he's just kind of a mascot character)

Familial F/Os

🎸 Dethklok + CFO - Metalocalypse

🍷 Sebas Tian - Overlord

🐛 Piccolo - Dragon Ball series

🛡 Vegeta - Dragon Ball Z/Super

🌟 Daycare Attendant - FNAF:SB

- ☀️ Sun, 🌙 Moon, 🌗 Eclipse

#self ship #selfship #selfship promo #self ship promo #selfshipping #self shipping #selfship community #self ship community #cupid.txt

[sweetescapeartist]

Something many DB fans don't realize is that the Earthling fighters went into a depression during the Cell Saga (some PTSD too). Not just because of Goku's death, but also because they felt powerless.

Tien in particular complained about being powerless. Tien using his Ki-Koho against Cell was him trying to prove to himself that he was useful & it nearly cost him his life if Goku didn't save him. Then he was helpless again against the Cell Jrs. He said he wouldn't see the others again because he was depressed. (He probably has some level of PTSD but not to the level that Krillin or Yamcha has.)

As for Yamcha, his near death then seeing Goku struggle to survive the heart virus, and be helpless against the Cell Jrs. (not to mention his ex had a child with a man who was currently an enemy) all made him depressed. And he has PTSD on top of it. This is why he just wants to live a relaxed life and gave up fighting during the 7 yrs of peace.

Krillin saw Yamcha nearly die, saw SSJ Goku almost get killed by the Androids as well as suffer from the heart virus, saw 2 Super Saiyans and his frineds all get easily defeated and left in critical condition by more androids, had the fate of a victim of Gero and the entire world in his hands & he tried to save both but Vegeta worked with Cell so he felt like he doomed everyone, was powerless against Cell and powerless against the Cell Jrs., and had to watch his best friend/brother die again then comfort Goku's son. He was depressed but fortunately for him, Android 18 was attracted to him & his kindness resulted in the two getting married & having a family. So his depression was lessened a bit. But his PTSD remained. Despite gave up fighting to be a family man during the 7 yrs of peace, Krillin still went with Goku to help against Babidi. (PTSD & depression got worse in the Buu Saga after he faced near death from Dabura then sacrificed his life to buy time for his family and friends. Some added depression from not being able to save his wife and child from Buu.)

Heck, even Roshi was depressed. He felt more helpless than anyone since he was once the strongest under the heavens. But now he was as useful in a life or death fight just a bit more than the likes of Mr. Satan

And Chaozu stayed out of that entire battle. Like Roshi, he realized he couldn't help. And Tien didn't want Chaozu to die again nor did Chaozu himself.

And because there was no threat for 7 years, the Earthling fighters went into retirement. Can you call yourself a warrior when there is no war? This is why Krillin "retired" & formed a family with 18. But, when the world was in danger again, Krillin went along with Goku to face the enemy. And when he felt it might be too dangerous for him, he tried leaving like his concerned wife told him to do because he needed to be around for his family.

Krillin's depression and PTSD was further shown in DBS as he worked on overcoming these issues.

We didn't see much from Tien besides that he created his own school to train others to defend themselves and protect others. Chaozu is right alongside him.

As for Yamcha, he still had PTSD which is why he didn't fight when Freeza came back. But over time, he started getting back to a positive place in his life and wanted to join Team Universe 7 (but in a rather poor comedic way, he waited to be asked to join but Freeza was chosen instead).

Roshi didn't have the trauma like Krillin & Yamcha do. (I mean he had his trauma from when King Piccolo took over the world hundreds of years ago, but he's had hundreds of years to overcome his PTSD of that without it hindering him much.) But he still had fear becauae of the huge power gap against enemies like Golden Freeza was even greated than what the gap was for the 3 strongest Earthlings. Overcoming depression and PTSD were not something for his character in the Buu Saga nor DBS. His issue was comedy based; a lack of focus when fighting due to having a dirty mind.

#Tenshinhan #Tien #Yamcha #Krillin #Kuririn #Roshi #Master Roshi #Chaozu #Chiaotzu #DB #DBZ #DBS #Earthlings #the depression of Earthlings