#I still think he should have killed Vegeta

[wirtsauce4020]

I'm gonna give you One Guess who my favorite Dragon Ball character is.

[tobiasdrake]

Incidentally, we can't really talk about pragmatism without talking about Future Trunks.

Krillin is a devious and underhanded martial artist, but still a martial artist. Trunks is an assassin. He goes straight for the throat at every opportunity. He's not here to fight; He's here to kill.

Much like his father, Trunks is not a martial artist. Every bit Vegeta's son, he's naturally gifted and has already become a Super Saiyan by both of his first appearances - in the story, when he fights Frieza on Earth, and also chronologically in Trunks the Story: A Lone Warrior.

I can't really say he's untrained. He was trained in the basics by Gohan. But Gohan is also not a martial artist; He's had one year and six months of proper martial arts training. One year from Piccolo and six months from Krillin.

Gohan's a fighter, guided by emotion moreso than technique. So there's a limit to how much Trunks can learn from him. Even Gohan admits that he's a poor substitute for his dad.

This, I should note, is a meaningful admission from Gohan because this chapter was published at the very beginning of the Cell Games. Gohan outright saying "I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps but the clothes aren't enough" sets up an important contrast to the Gohan of the present time who has had that time with Goku and is ready to take his place.

But his concession of inadequacy is important for how we interpret Trunks as well. Trunks knows the stuff. He can perform Bukujutsu. Throw ki blasts. Power up into a Super Saiyan. But he's not Goku or Krillin or Yamcha or Tenshinhan; Like Gohan and Vegeta, he is a fighter, not a martial artist.

His heart is in the right place, but he's reckless and foolhardy. Chomping at the bit for a piece of vengeance.

This recklessness carries into his journey to the past. He never quite learns from his brief offscreen shitstomp by the Twins. He returns to a point in history just after Goku's return from space. Historically, this was a key moment in history where Goku showed up in the nick of time to save Earth from Frieza and his father King Cold. Which should technically be Great King Cold as it's Cold-Daio but he's far from the first king to have his Greatness dropped in translation, eh Piccolo?

But when Goku's late to the party, Trunks starts to worry and decides to step in himself.

Look at him. The spitting image of his father, full of piss and vinegar.

It's here that we get to see Trunks as a fighter for the very first time. Even chronologically; In Trunks the Story, they skip most of the action; It's very brief.

I mean. It's an absolutely hilarious joke that we see Trunks flying off half-cocked to go get revenge and then he's waking up from a coma on the very next page. Amazing cutaway gag.

But we're here to talk about Trunks's DNA as a fighter, so Frieza offers us the first material we have to work with. And Trunks? He does not fuck around.

Your soldiers are dead. Who's next?

You're dead. Who's next?

Your father's dead. We done here?

Trunks gives zero shits. In the span of two chapters, he massacres Frieza, Cold, and all of their soldiers without an ounce of hesitation. He is not playing.

He was even paying attention to the part where Frieza can survive grievous amounts of harm and come back. He takes great care to thoroughly and utterly annihilate every last bit of Frieza. Taking no chances.

Trunks isn't here to fight. He's here to kill. He is not interested in a protracted martial arts bout.

This fight, incidentally, also gives us a moment to talk about Trunks's sword. Cold-Dumbass thinks Trunks's sword is the key to his power.

He's an idiot. There's a reason he only exists for like three chapters and one page of a fourth. This man doesn't even understand how weapons work in anime.

Japan and the West have very different relationships with weapons. When Westerners think of weapons, we think of guns. Even when we write medieval weapons, we treat them like guns. Guns are disposable tools that bestow killing power upon their wielder. Any average Joe with a gun suddenly becomes a lethal warrior.

But Japan has a rich history and philosophy baked into their culture surrounding weapons and their role in martial arts. In anime, a weapon does not grant power; It manifests power. The weapon is an extension of its wielder. It's a means by which the wielder expresses their own strength.

In Trunks's hands, that sword can cut through Frieza. Because Trunks is powerful, and his might outshines Frieza's.

In Cold's hands, however, that sword is harmless. Because Cold is weak and cowardly. (Uh, relative to Trunks.) He has no power to express.

But Goku is strong. Goku knows power intimately, far beyond Trunks's understanding. And so Trunk's sword, his expression of power, is useless against Goku.

This is what Trunks's sword means, to him and to the story. It's an extension of his character and his strength; The means by which he delivers his killing force. Which is precisely what makes this moment so devastating.

When 18 breaks Trunks's sword, she breaks Trunks. The damage to his blade is honestly not that severe. It could probably be reforged. But the damage to Trunks's self-image, to his psyche, is unshakable.

Trunks never uses his sword again. He leaves it on the plane here.

And then we never see it again. Instead, Trunks decides to pursue greater martial arts training alongside his father, following in Vegeta's footsteps.

But he never quite loses his assassin streak. Though he begins to develop his abilities as a fighter from this point forward, Trunks is goal-oriented. He wants to kill the Twins. He doesn't care how that happens.

In the original version of these events, before Cell further altered the timeline, those blueprints were the key to Trunks's victory against the Twins of his timeline.

Though Cell has no idea how Trunks pulled off this victory despite being too weak to defend himself from Cell himself, the discovery of Gero's lab offers us a possible explanation.

The Twins have shutdown switches built into their systems. Though 17 destroyed the remote Gero built, Bulma is able to use these blueprints to build a new one.

So there's a solid implication that the weaker Trunks of Cell's timeline took Bulma's remote home with him and disabled the Twins that way. Again: He's not here to fight. He's here to kill. It doesn't matter how he does it.

...well, I guess it does matter 'cause that Trunks got wasted by Cell five minutes later.

Point is, Trunks wears his goal-oriented ruthlessness on his sleeve. He's not driven by pride of by love of the art. He has a job he's here to do.

However that single-minded focus, that determination to get it done, also holds him back. Trunks has never had proper martial training. He's been taught by Future Gohan, who is not a martial artist. And he's... taught himself near Vegeta. His developed his abilities and increased his strength, but he doesn't know fighting the way Goku or Krillin or Yamcha or Ten do. Nor does he have Vegeta's natural brilliance and general understanding.

Trunks, for all his strength and all his determination and all his killing instinct, is an amateur. We all know what happened to him in the last fight he ever fought here in the present.

Vegeta breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and realizes that this power is good but comes at a cost, so he should only do it sparingly.

Goku breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and realizes this form sucks and is stupid, and decides to go a different route entirely.

But Trunks breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and goes "AWWW YEAH THIS IS THE SHIT GIMME THAT POWER" because he doesn't know. He has a killer's instinct, not a martial artist's. He's never been trained in technique.

We see, over the course of this series, both Trunks's strengths and his weaknesses as a fighter. In every altercation, he goes straight for the throat. Which is brutally effective when he has the power to back it up but Trunks, more than anyone, is vulnerable to a crushing defeat if he doesn't have the Power Level to back it up. He has nothing else.

Still, he gets to go out on a high note. His final chapter sees him return to the future, not with the remote but with the great strength he gained in the Room of Spirit and Time. And he gets to clean house his way - slaughtering the Twins efficiently and thoroughly, in true Trunks fashion.

And also getting Cell for good measure.

Godspeed, killer. You were the best your world had left to offer but you rose to the occasion, and that's the most that could be asked of anyone.

[harukamitsuki]

I need Bakugou stans to realise that it's not that I hate him as a person. It's that I hate him as a character.

A lot of my favourite characters are unrepentant assholes, or assholes who are set to or have already been redeemed. Vegeta from DBZ, Ouma Kokichi from DGR: V3, Dio from JoJo, Laxus from Fairy Tail, Greed from FMA: B, Bill from Gravity Falls, and the list that goes on.

If a character is a terrible person, that's fine by me. But if the author tries and fails to redeem them, yet still acts as though they are suddenly this amazing person, that's when I have an issue with it.

Bakugou was originally written to be a minor antagonist, and that would have been fine, if Horikoshi didn't suddenly go "I drew him crying so imma fix him".

Redemption is such a complex yet simple thing to do. So when you try to do it and fail spectacularly, um, yeah, I do not enjoy that character or your writing.

That is my main issue with Bakugou. I do not think he deserved any redemption, not because he's a bad person, but because there is nothing to convince me that he could change.

He gets one scene where he goes, "boohoo I lost and everyone is stronger than me" then cries, and that's supposed to be enough for him to become a better person? That is nowhere near enough.

There was no moment that made me believe he genuinely regretted and took accountability for the abuse he put Izuku through in middle school.

"He changed!" That's not my issue. I don't care that he's changed. I care that I don't believe in it. If there was a plausible reason as to why he changed, then I would be fine with it. Maybe I'd even enjoy him!

The fact that he's changed doesn't mean shit if it's not believable.

"That was in middle school!" Okay. This one pisses me off the most. That was a year pre-canon? Oh, wow, I guess that's completely fine! It's not as if characters are the way they are based on their past. Oh, Itachi killed the Uchiha clan before canon! Okay, maybe comparing a massacre to bullying is a bit unfair. Still, just because it happened a year ago, it doesn't mean it never happened. It doesn't mean that he's changed considerably.

"Izuku doesn't have any lasting damage and forgave him!" And? Just because your friend forgives their bully, it doesn't mean you have to forgive them. And, again, I do not believe Bakugou's apology was good in anyway. He was trash-talking Izuku, blaming All Might for Izuku's behaviour, and didn't accept any culpability for what he did to him. He didn't tell anyone else what he did to Izuku. Also, if Izuku really didn't have any lasting damage from the bullying, then why did Bakugou's apology make him calm down? If he didn't care about the bullying, then why is he so relieved by the apology? BECAUSE HE WAS AFFECTED.

"Bakugou was being abused!" ... NO HE WASN'T!! Mitsuki is not abusive. Yes, she hit him round the back of his head. After he threatened her. Anyone with Asian parents can tell you that her hit does not hurt. Not only is it somewhat normal in Asian families, but it also doesn't hurt. We have no evidence that she is abusive. Horikoshi knows how to set up abusive families, as seen with the Todorokis. This not that. Either way, even if she was, being abused doesn't mean it's okay to abuse others. You can hurt without hurting others.

"It's the school and teacher's fault!" No, it's not. Part of the fault lies with them enabling him, but Bakugou is already fifteen when the series starts. His mother clearly doesn't agree with his attitude. The school is only partially to blame. Bakugou should have learned by himself what is right and what is not. In fact, he clearly does know considering he doesn't want any of that stuff on his records in case U.A. rejects him.

Again. I don't care if he's a terrible person. I care that he's a terrible character.

So the next time someone says that I'm stuck in Season One, take a moment and think about what you're saying. Bad people in fiction are entertaining. Bad characters are not.

[ilikekidsshows]

Before Season 2 premiered it was revealed at Comic Con that Mayura would appear in Season 3 as Hawk Moth's "boss". This idea clearly got changed, but I really think they should have stuck with it. Making Nathalie Mayura was a mistake; I personally think Audrey would have worked better, given her personality and connection to Gabriel, while Nathalie remains oblivious to Gabriel's machinations. This way, you can keep Gabriel a sympathetic villain to contrast him with the more power hungry Audrey.

---

Yeah, like, the easiest trick in the book for making your villains more sympathetic is to contrast them against someone worse. Vegeta is the king of this story device. Like, in the Freeza Arc, he only works with the heroes because Freeza’s forces are that much stronger and that much more vicious but, when Freeza kills him near the end of the arc, you feel bad for him.

This is also how you can tell how writers are ranking the redeemability levels of a hero’s rogues gallery. How bad does the other guy have to be for them to team up with the hero? The reverse is of course true as well, if the stakes are through the roof and the villain is still primarily focused on screwing the hero over, you know they’re irredeemable.

There’s also the mook culpability clause to consider. It’s just a given that the mooks are not considered as responsible as the evil mastermind putting the evil plans together. Even in a more amicable villain/boss relationship, people are going to assume at least some level of coercion or manipulation even when none is seen. Like, I haven’t seen anybody screaming about how Nathalie should go to prison and pay for her crimes or make any kind of reparations to people. As the mook in the situation, she is seen as less culpable in the crimes she and Gabriel committed together than Gabriel, the boss/mastermind.

Turning Gabriel into a mook for a worse bad guy would have sold him as the more nuanced character the writers want him to be seen as to parts of the audience. It wouldn’t erase the child abuse, so he still would have been absolute scum to many, including me, but some people would have bought into it. But the writers think Gabriel should get the audience sympathy anyway because he felt bad. Like, of course that's their logic, it's how they logic away everything any character does wrong in this show, but it's still insulting.

[dessertpanda]

Entitled Bitch (PT4 Of Goku x V Daughter)

PT1 PT2 PT3 Master List

    =Warning of Violence, Child Abuse, cursing, and mention of sex, NonCon but not actrally, mention of slave= Goku x Vegetas daughter Pt3

"MANA HELPP" Y/n and Goku where both snapped from there lovers look at the call that came from Goten, "LET GO OF ME!!" They where both making there way where to Goten was calling from, There in the arms of a furies Bulma was Trunks, she was holding him by his shirt collar. "How dare to speak of matters you have not business in" Bulma hissed. Trunks could escape but not without hurting the woman, so he continued to struggle and held nothing but hatred in his eyes. "I can talk about my mama as I please" He resorted back. The two accessed the situation, Goten was standing near the two, as Vegeta was in a corner simply observing, and Chi-Chi had found her way in a little after Goku and Y/N due to Goten calls. "She isn't your MOTHER" Bulma screamed shaking the boy, "WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD??" She was red in the face, "SHE IS MY MOTHER!!! SHE MAY BE MY BLOOD SISTER BUT SHE'S MORE OF A MOTHER THAN YOU EVER WHERE" Trunks had tears, he hated when they talked bad about Y/N, he hated that, he hated they had any right to talk badly about this family, HIS family. Before Bulma could continue, there was a dark aura and sudden warm arm that wrapped around Trunks mid section. Both tensed with fear, "Lets have you put my son down now yea?"  she had a sick smile on and using her other hand she took a tight hold on Bulmas wrist, "Now" She squeezed causing Bulma to wince before letting go of Trunks, who was now safely in Y/N arms. The two women continued to glare at one an other, "I will not allow you to destroy what we have created" Y/N hissed, setting Trunks down and allowing him to run over to where Gohan and Goten stood. "What you created?! I created him! me and MY husband DID!" She screamed taking a shallow swing at Y/N which she easily dodged. "YOU RUINED IT ALL, STOLE MY SON FROM ME" She had tears streaming down her face, she hated Y/N but yet, she had no clue as to why. "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU WITH MY ENTIRE BEING" She took Y/N by her collar and screamed at her face. "JUST LEAVE OR DIE!" as if there was an echo in her mind, Y/N heard those words over and over,  She never had flashbacks, she had killed the girl she was, but it wasn't Bulma screaming them... no it was her creator, her Father.

~Flash Back~

"Lord Friza, what should we do with her?" Radiz asked, holding a little Y/N in his arms, as she happily played with his hair. "Whatever you please, as long as she's fit to breed in years to come" He dismissively waved his hand. "But Sir, she'll be only 6, She's far to young" Radiz stood, protectively holding the girl close. "I don't care" Friza tail swished violently, "I want an army of Sayian hybrids, she'll have to mate with your so called prince" Radiz looked horrified, she was so young, surely he was simply joking, not really expecting Vegeta to have sex with her. "Leave my presence you filthy monkey, and insure that the prince under strands his role" Friza smack Radiz with his tail, which caused Y/N to scream. "AH" She held onto to Radiz more tightly. Friza glared at the two at screamed "JUST LEAVE OR DIE" before He began to move out of the room. She was shaking in his hold, she was smart, she understood what Friza wanted from her but she still played the innocent role. Radiz marched into the Sayians shared room, slamming the door open and startling the other two. "Radiz what the hell?" Vegeta was sitting on a chair, fighting with his scanner. "D-Did you guys know?" Radiz set Y/N down on his bed and watched with sad eyes as she crawled to the corner to keep distance from the three large men. "Know what?" Nappa asked, waking up from his nap, thinking they where under some kind of attack. "What Vegeta is expected to do with the poor girl?" Radiz saw Y/n began to shake, curled up into herself as a way of protection, she was strong, horrifically so, but she was timid, because she was fearful of the punishment that Friza would force on her. "What the hell are you talking about Radiz, and why is the brat in here?" Vegeta asked, his temper only rising. "You.. You're gonna have to mate with her" Radiz spoke in a whisper toned, being the most sympathetic of the others, he was preparing himself to protect this little girl, he would blame his mother for this weakness but he could never bring himself to hate her. "The hell did you say?" Vegeta stood glaring him. "Who the fuck said that?" Vegeta demanded, "LORD FRIZA" Radiz power lever spiked with his temper rising, Y/N let let out a squeel, running under the covers for just a little more protection. "THE HELL TO THAT, I MAY TAKE OVER PLANETS AND WORK FOR A DAMN MONSTER BUT I WILL NOT SNOOP TO THAT" Vegeta yelled, taring the blankets from Y/N as he snatched her, while she kicked and screamed, he held her firmly by her shoulders "YOU HEAR ME BRAT, HE WILL NOT CONTROL US FOR MUCH LONGER" Vegeta proclaimed, making the other Sayians nod, and Y/N looked at the man, processing his words, and held stars in her eyes, he was her savory. Was he the best to follow, no, could he betray her absolutely, but Y/N trusted Radiz and so she trusted Vegeta. However, she wasn't expecting to only have Vegeta in the end.

~ forward in time to after Vegeta and Bulma getting together ~ (I know long time skip, but hey... the other portion of this flash back is sad but if you want to know it all Comment about it and ill write it!)

"Dad, are you really... are you really dating her?" Bulma had never liked Y/N ever since she arrived and had assisted in the attempt to take over the world, but that wasn't the real reason, she was jealous of what Vegeta and Y/N where, what if they suddenly decided it was time for them to mate? what is Friza had genetically changed Y/N to crave Vegeta?? She insured her dislike for Y/N was known, and continued when Vegeta encouraged it. "I know little, but this is our safety, and she's  a very strong woman, very attractive" He was ashamed of himself, he wanted to protect his daughter, and this was the best place... but for him to actually fall for the woman was beyond either of their wildest dreams. "Listen little, to keep the woman happy, I'm gonna have to pretend to hate you," Her eyes went wide, "D-daddy what are you talking about?" She grabbed onto his arm, confused and hurt, "I love you Y/N but please understand" as he tried to explain again but Bulma walked in, "YOU WORTHLESS BRAT JUST LEAVE OR DIE" Vegeta screamed, causing Y/N to Jump and scream before running out the room in tears.

~Back to present time~

Y/N was shocked, she stood their trying to hold back tears as the memories came flooding back, "YOU CANT TALK TO HER LIKE THAT" Goten and Trunks now both stood defending Y/N... Y/N was surprised, her heart ached and her cheeks where warmed by there love. No one had ever truly stepped up to protector her, Vegeta stole her for her safety but never stood toe to toe with Friza for her. Face to face with Bulma the two kids stood, her two kids.... "That is our mother, watch you words" Goten growled. It surprised all of them, usually with an attitude so close to Goku with his carefree spirit, it surprised the others to watch his energy spike and his face to into a look of pure rage. Bulma was taken back, she was so used to having everything go her way, everyone listened to her, everyone like her, everyone feared her, but yet here she is standing in-front of a group who was doing just that. "I AM BULMA BRIEFS, YOU WILL RESPECT ME" She screamed, tears running down her face, her footsteps where heavy and practical stomp her way between the two boys and went straight to Y/N. "YOU'RE A BITCH" She screamed back in Y/N face "YOU STEAL MY BEST FRIENDS HUSBAND" She took a step closer, causing Y/N to take a calm step back "YOU WHERE CREATED TO FUCK MY HUSBAND.... YOUR ADOPTED FATHER!" That got everyone's attention, "BULMA YOU MADE A PROMISE" It was Vegeta who called, "We had an agreement to never out that!" Y/N face had turned a mix of aw struck and rage. 'She had made a promise to keep that a secret' "Bulma what the hell are you talking about?" It was Goku who stepped in now, standing protectively in front of Y/N. His sudden appearance had knocked Bulma on her ass, she was now raging on the floor. "SHE WAS MADE BY FRIZA, HER ONLY PURPOSE WAS TO PRODUCE OFF SPRING OF SAYIAN KIND" She roared, letting everyone in the area know. Gasps where heard from around the room, others mumbling to each other, sum just staring. Every action but Y/N right back into that shy and timid little girl, the one that she thought she had destroyed long ago, but no she was right back, as if she was once again face to face with Friza at the rightful age of 6. "Oh? thats good" Goku said smiling, he seemed to have wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked back to Y/N with a bright smile, waiting for her to return it. Y/N was confused for a moment, but she knew Goku so she also knew that her words didn't exactly mean the same to him as they where to others. "i-uh what?" Bulma was aw struck, Chi Chi had made her way into the room at some point and was assisting the woman up onto her feet. "Goku, didn't you hear?" Chi Chi asked, her face pissed but a hopeful gleam in her eyes, as if the news would disgust him. "yeah! and man am I relieved, when she said Vegeta" He huffed shaking his head, hand holding Y/Ns tightly, "I thought that meant we couldn't have kids,but then she said Sayian so now I know" Everyone was flabbergasted, and a bright blush covered Y/N face, "Goku?! KIDS?! WITH HER?" Chi Chi screamed before fainting. "I mean yeah, we already have 2 kids, why not a couple more?"

~Time skip~

The tension, the fighting, the hatred, it all dispersed. With a long and tearful explanation from Y/N and Vegeta, the group seemed to have grown an understanding in a way, the bridge had be burned but some people where making efforts to rebuild it. They knew it would never be the same, not as strong, not as close, it never was with Y/N in the first place, but for Goku that fact stayed true. He loved Y/N more than he could ever express. It was the way she walked, fought, treated the boys, treated him!. She let him live how he wanted while simultaneously keeping him in line, unlike Chi Chi, who forced him into things. Sure they had arguments but they both refused to go to bed fighting, so sometimes they'd simply settle it with a spar. Their wedding was grand, they invited very few people, Vegeta was there to walk Y/N down the aisle and played Gokus best man, and Krillen, Piccolo and Gohan acted as his Groomsmen. As for Y/N she didn't have many bridesmaids, Videl stood as one, as well as her and Gohans new little baby but other than them, that was all she had. She was happy at least, She never thought she would get married in the first place but now she is, a ring on her finger, 2 young boys that call her Ma, and "Y/N YOU SHOULDN'T BE SPARING IN YOUR CONDITION" Gohan and Videl had stopped by for a visit, and where horrified to see Y/N 5 months pregnant sparing with Goku.... Come on now you know the Sons, they work fast, but who said a little baby bump would stop them from doing what they love? Nobody, exactly!!

-Man that took a while, I'm so sorry, have had a lot going on but I feel so good getting this done.  I Hope you'll enjoyed, i was departing on making this idea, like its own kinda thing! If you want more of this let me know and send me some ideas, but for now thats the end of this story! HAVE A GREAT DAY AND REMEMBER TO EAT,DRINK, AND LOVE YOURSELF BYEEEEEE LOVE YOU ALL

[bahnloopi]

[OC] **Long post ahead

Meet Orran (Orang "yeti, ape man"). The Legendary Saiyan of the Sento Saiyans. Though he looks poofy and harmless, he's pretty violent. An anarchist against the peaceful society the Sentos try to uphold. The Elders elected to banish him to the arctic regions of Planet Sento.

He believes the ancestor Saiyans of the mother race (U7 Saiyans of Planet Vegeta) were right to use their Oozaru powers to destroy and roam free. That's true freedom to him. He doesn't think his people should be pacified and laxxed to their chaotic nature.

The problem is that if the Sentos were all allowed to collectively transform into Oozarus en mass, they could destroy the planet. He doesn't care if it'll kill him too in the process. He deems that as his ideal "freedom of identity" or "to be oneself in their purest state".

He's deemed as a danger to their society so he's kept subdued to a massive boulder in a cave underground. His hands and feet are bound by the ankles to wrists, arms to rock. His tail is clamped under the rock to keep him weak enough so he won't break the bonds unattended.

There are some troopers stationed around to watch him and unbound him for daily breaks but they keep a restraining pressure on his tail at all times while roaming at a short-distance.

He'll always ask the Transporters that come to bring him food and resources when he can "come home". They don't want him to return to the tribes since he'll end up offing the Elders and inciting riots and cause them to shift into Oozarus from under stress. He's very manipulative.

When a trooper steps away, he'll constantly bang the back of his head against the boulder to try and soften the pressure on his tail to gain his strength back while he plans his escape. The troopers will see the dents and have the boulders changed out.

He has cataracts in his eyes so his vision is slightly blurred. His other senses are heightened. He'll occasionally use the beads on his drapes for echo location of the trooper's positions to study their patterns.

He is the ONLY exception to my "no transforming into a super forms (recolor)" rule since he is a legendary. He transforms into a Golden-Legendary Oozaru as natural but I'm looking to put a spin on the super form I'm deciding to give him. I'm still developing in that aspect. He himself does not know he is a legendary yet.

The Therapies have tried to help him but he scares them too bad. He'll constantly ask them aggressively when he can come home or tells them to stop pacifying the people who turn into Oozarus and let them run free.

It got to the point the Therapies refused the call to do wellness checks on him because he stresses them out and they themselves may turn and they have to make the extra effort to keep themselves in check.

**He's 6'4. His proportions and body shape are intentional. I want him to stay wide, poofy, and elongated.**

(He hates to be touched)

[codenamesazanka]

The story reads very differently when you take off those villain stan googles, so much that Shigaraki dying feels kind of obvious in hindsight. There's at least more of a set-up for an ending where he dies than for one where he gets rehabilited. Deku never taking a stance of the killing issue and only ever saying that he wants to 'stop' Shigaraki/'save the little boy' should have been a red flag. It's not even subtle. Manga follows a very b/w morality too, always has. I feel dumb now lol

That is indeed one interpretation! That Shigaraki was always fated to die, that Deku's 'save' was going to just be 'saving the heart' so Shigaraki can at least be killed in peace.

But specific to this manga - isn't this story about Heroes being heroes? About saving people? About making a bright future? About touching hearts and taking that first step and going PLUS ULTRA? Doing more than just 'rewarding good and punishing evil'?

It's not even about b/w morality, I don't think. As far as we know, none of the people committing heteromorphic hate crimes are going to be punished. Neither does it seem like the fact that HSPC had a black ops operation going on using trained child soldiers is going to be fully exposed and dealt with and the people involved (who haven't been killed) punished (like such a thing goes all the way up to the top; and has deep roots; if there's any real justice, a whole governmental department should be put on trial). Overhaul and Muscular and Ujiko and nearly all the other less sympathetic villains are alive, so clearly 'horrific crime = mandatory death' is not a thing.

And there were lots of Japanese villain fans who wanted the League to all die not because they're criminals and should be punished, but as a way to escape jail and consequences. To go out with a bang. To never renounce their friendship and ideals because they weren't necessarily wrong, but the world they live in simply can't handle them, or because unfortunately the needs of the many outweighs the desires of the few. Plus, as @stillness-in-green points out:

Firstly, and to get this out of the way, that is a false binary that totally ignores the long history of Shounen Jump villains getting absurd Karma Houdini endings where they walk off into the sunset free as birds because they’ve changed their minds and resolved to be better, or at least have decided mass murder is no longer worth their time and effort.  (Vegeta wasn’t the first mass murderer a Shounen Jump story rewarded with freedom and friendship, nor was he the last.)

And like, Shigaraki dying didn't have to be so badly done. You can write a incredibly good and satisfying character death. This wasn't it. imo.

You had high expectations for the manga. You're right to want something that's hopeful and engaging. If it does turn out that's not what the manga was going for, then it is what it is, but it doesn't mean you were dumb. Sorry, I know I'm relentless in criticizing Deku and saying that his 'save' sucked from the start, but I still fully believed it was just Shonen Punch Therapy. So did a lot of other people. So please don't feel dumb!

[hopefromadoomedtimeline]

Heyo! first, happy holidays! I wanted to know what headcanons you have about the differences between Future Trunks and Present Trunks? i just love the way you write and detail everything, especially in the roleplay, really!

(sorryfortheHORRIBLEenglish i haven't been in this place for a long time...)

Hello hello! Happy holidays!

First off, I wanna say your English is GREAT, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Secondly, thank you very much for the kind words! I'm always glad to meet the expectations of others.

To answer your question, I used to have a whole big list on what I believed the differences between the two are, with that list containing headcanon and canon bits of info on the matter, but also how they are similar.

To keep things short and sweet, I'll just give you some simple stuff that I find different between them.

Favored parent: Both of them take more from the parent they like more. It should be no surprise that Future Trunks has a stronger attachment to Bulma than Vegeta, she's done much for him, and he considers her the strongest person knows, and wishes that she could have a happy, healthy life like he feels she deserves. He cares about and respects Vegeta, and considers him a father with flaws, but he also understands they have very different values While he does want Vegeta to live a good life, he knows his and Vegeta's idea of good is quite different. Present Trunks, perhaps unsurprisingly, favors his dad more. While Vegeta is not an affectionate or emotionally supportive parent, Trunks sees him as the "cool, aloof, badass that can kick anyone's ass". He doesn't even register that Vegeta's neglecting to give him any kind of physical support because that's how he was raised in a sense, "Dads don't do that" he'd think to himself. When he's hugged by Vegeta for the first time, it's not a big deal to him because, well, he doesn't believe it should be. He doesn't even care Vegeta doesn't hug him after that. Bulma on the other hand, is a bit too present in his life. She spoils him, dotes on him, tries to make sure he focuses on doing what he has to do before he can do what he wants to do. Basically the unfun parent. He loves her, but Vegeta is the fun dad to him.

Goals: Future Trunks: Put quite simply, he wants a peaceful world. It's a goal that may not be possible, but he'll strive for it as much as he can. He wants a world where people aren't scared for their lives every day, or are senselessly kiled for one reason or the other. He wants a world where people can live their lives without conflict, for Trunks was born into a world knowing nothing but death and despair, and he doesn't find any joy in having to kill people to ensure innocent people continue to live, but he views it as nothing less than a necessity. Present Trunks: To put it bluntly, he wants to just live his life without any constraints around it. He doesn't really want to inherit his mother's position as CEO of Capsule Corp, and he doesn't really enjoy living in a peaceful world, though he doesn't want a world surrounded by death either. He basically just wants to go on adventures. Exploring, seeing new things, kicking the ass of anything that causes trouble, those are things that appeal to him. He doesn't really have a view of the world at large, he just wants to enjoy himself and have fun and be challenged.

3. Work ethic: A strange one for me to choose but stick with me here. Future Trunks: He's just as stubbornly determined as his parents. It doesn't matter what's put in front of him, if he sets out to accomplish something, he'll do his damnest to get it done. It doesn't matter if the reward is little, or it takes anywhere from weeks to months to years, he's willing to put in the time and effort to get it done and get it done well. It may come at the cost of his health should he not take proper time to rest or take breaks, but he'll still keep at something to the best of his ability.

Present Trunks: He's a spoiled kid. There's no way around it, he hates hard work. He likes to fight and be strong, but hates the repetition of training. He's smart enough to ace his tests, but loathes the idea of studying the material. If something is just gonna take too long, it loses his interest/his patience pretty quickly and he'll just want it to be over as quick as possible. He'll be more willing to deal with menial stuff if it's about something he enjoys, but that's about it. He's not hesitant to flat-out admit he won't do something because he's bored, and he'd rather have a robot or a maid or butler do it for him.

[dreadsuitsamus]

Lost Part Five | Vegeta x Reader |

part one | part two | part three | part four | part six

author's note: i keep ending up in a bit of a slump after i release a chapter of this where i hardly get anything done for a month or so and then inspiration strikes and i write almost the entire thing within a couple of days 🫠 i am very tired. the story should be wrapping up soon, i'm estimating maybe two more chapters total!

pairing: vegeta x fem!reader

warnings: canon typical violence, does not follow the canon timeline of events

Chi-Chi watches you carefully as you help her prepare dinner. You and Goku came home just a few hours ago, yet you've hardly said a word at all. A year spent with Vegeta, your husband that's spent the last year of his life with another woman and their child, and you've got nothing to say? Nothing happened?? Not even a single thing worth mentioning???

Bull. Shit.

"So." She hums to herself, sliding over more vegetables for you to chop. "You're awfully quiet tonight."

"Just ask the question instead of beating around the bush." You mutter, quickly dicing the veggies in the way Gohan likes best.

Chi-Chi huffs to herself, considering her words more carefully than her initial approach to the conversation. You are not in a good mood and no doubt being hangry on top of it isn't going to help anything. But she's gotta know!

Chi-Chi takes a careful breath, losing her false sense of aloofness. "You seem upset. Did something happen during your training?"

"My husband is a bastard." You mutter bitterly. "Gives me the training of a lifetime and then caps it off with a plan to kill our son."

"Wow." She murmurs softly, and her heart cries to go hug her son tightly and never let go. "I can't say it surprises me that he'd think to do it. He came to this planet and killed his own partner he arrived with."

"Nappa? God how I would've loved to see that." Despite the gravity of your situation, learning that Nappa's death was at the hand of Vegeta fills you with such a sick, satisfactory feeling. "He was always a pain to deal with."

"He killed several of our friends." Chi-Chi mutters, and you do have at least a little grace to feel shame. It's disgusting how in the short time you've been here, these humans have made you think twice about your kind's culture… You always knew it to be despicable yet you've never been this close to feeling ashamed of it.

You sigh to yourself. "It was nice to be so connected to Vegeta again. I've missed him more than you could ever know. I love my husband, but the man I mated wouldn't dream of killing his own son."

"Twenty years apart is unimaginable." Chi-Chi says gently. "And maybe… After growing up with him and then being married young to him, you two never got much of a chance to grow separately. And just maybe that gap allowed you both to be who you truly are… Which might not be compatible, despite your history and what you want to feel."

The tears that well up in your eyes surprise you; you've never been a crier. But she's not wrong— you're not the spoiled, battle-hungry princess you once were, and raising a child alone changed you in ways you never imagined.

Ways that Bulma will change in too, should Vegeta leave her and Trunks to come back to your side.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." You murmur, and bless Chi-Chi as she turns away and allows you to wipe at your teary eyes. You stare at your hands, feeling the new power you trained for in the chamber run through right alongside your racing blood.

The young Saiyan woman from your past would certainly be in awe of your power, and wouldn't have a care in the world for your family's plight. She only sought to be the strongest warrior possible— and you shake your head at the idea that a younger you would agree with Vegeta's solution to the problem.

It's offensive, the idea of murdering your only son. But Chi-Chi is certainly right— it's no shock Vegeta thought of it. He's clearly not grown all that much, spending much of his life still under Frieza's thumb, doing his pillaging and continuing to live similarly to how he had even on Planet Vegeta. He trained, he fought and killed, and mourned his wife and son with every expedition.

He's a stubborn Saiyan male, one full of pride and an ego forever unmatched. And goodness do you love every bit of him. But letting go of your pride to raise your son in the precarious environment you were left to scramble for, an environment you were in because Vegeta didn't listen, has you still so angry at him. Could you really forgive him? Do you even want to?

I love you so much, Vegeta, but I hate you too. Why didn't you listen to your wife?!

"Alright…" Chi-Chi's voice is practically straining as she attempts to hold herself back, and you can't help the ugly snort that leaves you when that thin barrier breaks. "Just… Did you… Y'know…" She grins conspiratorially, reminding you of your favorite attending from back in the day.

Rolling your eyes, you slide the chopped veggies to her and head for the kitchen's exit to hide your celebratory smirk. "Yes, we did. And it was amazing."

Gohan's not sure what his mother's laughing so loudly about, but he smiles to himself as he resumes his studies. He's glad she's made a friend.

Bulma tosses her wrench aside, burying her pretty face into her hands as the frustration takes its toll on her. She's readying the ship you and Vegeta will take to go find your son, but the nagging worry that Vegeta won't come back lays a thick pressure down on her bones. Sleep is already hard to come by with a baby, especially one that's getting increasingly mobile with each passing day, but she's gotten less and less ever since you came into the picture to ruin her life.

Maybe she's being a little dramatic. This all happened by chance— it was pure coincidence you ended up on Earth, and as an amnesiac you were friendly to her. But what was yours is now hers, and there's no doubt in Bulma's mind that you want to retake it. It's what she would do, after all, if the roles were reversed. You're not wrong for how you feel, she supposes.

But there is entirely too much on the line for her to be relaxed.

She looks up at the sound of boots approaching, and the relief in her body is so harsh and sudden that she feels light. Vegeta's back from wherever he went, and he's got Trunks in his arms. "I didn't know he woke up."

"He's been up only a few minutes." Vegeta hands off the boy to Bulma, Trunks grinning happily at the sight of his mother.

"When did you get back?"

"Not long ago."

Bulma bites her tongue. "So…"

"So?" Vegeta crosses his arms, taking in the frazzled sight of his child's mother. She hasn't been sleeping well, probably hasn't eaten much either— how can she take care of Trunks like this?

Bulma glares at Vegeta, forcing down the bulk of her rage to keep Trunks in a happy mood. It's difficult, though, to deal with the stubbornness and aloofness of her whatever he is to her. Boyfriend? Baby daddy? Disappearing isn't entirely new for Vegeta, though it's been some time since he's done it. But with you in the picture, anything is possible and he's slowly seeming to retreat back into the shell he started out in.

"Where have you been?" Her tone isn't accusatory, and Vegeta's stance relaxes slightly.

"Training in the chamber." He's honest, but his short reply concerns Bulma anyway.

"With—"

"Yes."

Bulma sighs, ignoring the way Trunks tugs at her shirt. "So when are you leaving?"

"I'm not sure." Vegeta murmurs, looking off to the side at nothing in particular. He can't find V without you, and he's currently your number one enemy again. Giving you space is a minimum requirement before he can attempt to talk plans for leaving, discovering V and then—

Well, you'll have to come to an agreement on that front as well.

"Will you come back?"

His brows come together then, but he can't fairly be mad at the question. He's left before, made no indication or vow to Bulma to be present from now on, and while it hasn't crossed his mind, it would be quite the opportunity to reunite with his first family in space and fuck off to who knows where. But for many reasons outside of just Bulma and Trunks, he would never leave Earth.

It's his home, plain and simple, and he must defend it as such.

"Of course I will."

Doubt fills her tummy as Vegeta walks out of her lab, leaving her alone with the baby.

Chi-Chi's dragged her boys out of the house for clothes and grocery shopping around noon the following day, and you're left alone to your own devices for a few brief hours. Daring to check the contents of the slow cooker Chi-Chi set up this morning, you hear the front door opening up just as you start to open the lid.

Dammit!

"Whatever you think I'm doing, Chi-Chi, I'm—" The hairs at the back of your neck prickle, and defense mode rises as you don't recognize the energy to belong to any one of the Son family.

But luckily for Bulma, she's got a fairly recognizable hair color.

You narrow your eyes as she finishes inviting herself in, watching as she closes the door behind her and looks you right in the eye, adjusting the baby on her hip. "Bulma. What do you want?"

"Vegeta."

Oh, for Kami's sake!

"You have him, don't you?" Your jealousy confusingly runs parallel with your anger at your mate— he's a bastard, but yours.

"I hoped he was." Bulma murmurs, and you don't miss the sadness in her eyes. Truly, she does love your husband. "He's been… A challenge."

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard." You cross your arms and look away from her.

"But I love him. He's not romantic or particularly soft or anything, but I love him anyway. And he's my son's father, and I just… I want Trunks to grow up knowing his father."

"My son didn't."

"So you should know exactly the pain Trunks would go through. The pain I would go through when he asks me about a man he doesn't remember meeting. I…" Bulma sighs and rubs her tired face, and boy you don't envy her position as a new mother in this sticky situation. At least when V was out of the incubator, you had a solid marriage to back you when dealing with the baby got to be too much at once.

But she steels herself quickly, the fiery look in her eye you remember from that night in the forest coming back to the present. "I met a version of my son where he grew up without Vegeta."

"I'm sorry— Huh?!" She met a version of Trunks??

"He came here from the future, and he's the one that actually killed Frieza."

"A halfling killed Frieza…" You say slowly, gazing at the child in her arms. This child will one day have that sort of power?!

"He's a child of Vegeta, of course he did!" Bulma scoffs, and damn she'd be quite the catch on Planet Vegeta. And bitterly, she reminds you of yourself. Vegeta certainly has a type.

"This place gets stranger the longer I stay here." Your tail tightens around your waist, frustration and confusion swamping your brain. "What in the hell did he get himself into?" You ask yourself the question more than Bulma, and once again you're met with a reminder of Chi-Chi's words.

Twenty years apart is unimaginable…

Bulma sighs. "Trunks traveled from the future because of a threat that completely ruined the world, and everyone except me and Trunks died. He came back to warn us, and then left again. We haven't seen him since."

"And I don't suppose he mentioned me in any capacity."

"No, he didn't."

"So either I never showed up, or I left Earth."

Or V killed me.

"I don't really know." Bulma adjusts the squirming baby in her arms. "But I'm not willing to take Trunks' sacrifice and doom this Trunks to the same fate. The Androids are set to arrive in a few years, and we need Vegeta to even have a chance."

"So what exactly are you asking me to do? Fuck off and give you your happy ending, and leave me and my son in the dust?"

"I'm asking you, mother to mother, to give my son the gift your son couldn't have. A family, and a chance at a happy life."

"And why should I care about the quality of your son's life?" Your fists clench at your sides; you're not a monster to an innocent baby's plight, not at all. If anything, the last twenty years have softened you and as a mother, you more than understand Bulma's situation and what she's asking. But to assume a savage of you without knowing you—

You did threaten her life, you suppose. Perhaps her anger is a tad deserved.

"If you won't do it for Trunks, then do it for Gohan." Bulma spits out, heading for the door. "Because if you don't, he'll grow up without his dad and spend his life protecting Trunks until the day they finally kill him too."

She slams the door shut behind her, and the cold realization trickles through your veins. Should you be selfish and take what you want, those you've come to cherish will die, and that innocent boy that didn't choose his parents will suffer directly. You're more than aware what it's like to lose everything, and at the very least you could attribute some of it to karma for your Saiyan heritage and the things you've done out of pride for it.

Could you really damn a baby like that?

"Why didn't you tell me about the Androids?"

Goku freezes, not even entirely in the house when you question him. His arms are loaded with shopping bags that he subsequently drops when Gohan runs into him with the rest of the bags, the two of them tumbling into quite the mess. Chi-Chi's luckily getting a manicure, though Goku doesn't know which is the lesser of two evils— angry Chi-Chi, or angry you.

"Uh, wh-whaddya mean?" Goku pointedly averts your gaze in favor of picking up the dropped bags of clothes and groceries.

"Don't play dumb, Goku." You growl. "Androids. Why didn't you tell me?"

Goku sighs and stands. "We didn't know if you should know, since…"

"You're not staying." Gohan mumbles.

"That, and those guys are four years away. Your situation is more urgent." Goku hands off the groceries to Gohan to put away, leaving you alone in the living room. "We've been training for it pretty hard though."

"You should've told me."

"Would you be willing to help us with them?"

"Of course I would!" You snap. "Like I'd ever miss a fight, especially one of this gravity."

"Really?!" Goku scoops you into a crushing hug, and your tail steps in for your trapped arms to bat the back of his head.

"I will be here for these Androids, whatever the hell they are. You can count on that."

"Does that mean you'll stay?" Goku carefully puts you down, his hands on your shoulders.

"Certainly not." You look away from those honest eyes. "But I will return to help you fight."

"Why won't you stay?"

"I have a life elsewhere, with my son. Earth is not as bad as it first seems, but I don't see a long-term future here."

"But… What about us, your family?"

"I…" You falter for just a moment, remembering the way you lived with the Son family during your amnesia and how right it felt at the time.

As an amnesiac, it was of course easy to feel such a way— you craved a sense of belonging and a home, and naturally gravitated towards what you had found, and wanted to keep it even in the event your memories were restored. Building something new was a possibility lost at the exact moment Vegeta entered your life again, but only as a result of your unyielding rage.

Could it really be possible to stay on such a planet? There's more here for you than where you spent the past two decades, surely… But it's the presence of your husband's bastard family that sends a shot of resistance straight to your heart. That woman and her child serve as the cherry on top to all that's happened to you; why in the hell would you ever subject yourself to such torture?

"I can't stay, Goku. My son needs me."

He's all I have left, and I'm all he has ever known.

Goku doesn't argue, but the sadness that rolls off of him slinks onto you as you walk out of the house.

"Mother?" V asks softly as you head for your training grounds. He was oddly quiet on the ride over to this planet from your home, and evidently something's been plaguing his young mind.

"Yes?"

"What was Father like?"

You knew this day would come, but no amount of pondering the answers or possible questions could prepare you for how broken your son's voice is— how long has he asked himself these questions? He's six years old now, surely it's been on his mind for at least a little while. And though you've never made it a point not to bring up your husband or your home planet to your son, the memory of what you had and the grief over what could have been breaks your heart daily, even with your pent-up rage at your late husband's refusal to listen to your concerns.

"Your father was… Amazing." Damn the tears in your eyes and just how wistful you sound. You need to be strong for the boy! "A master tactician, stubborn as all hell, witty, prideful man. He was everything. Strong and handsome and fierce."

"What happened to him?"

"He died when our home planet was destroyed."

"He was that strong and still died?!" V's dark eyes widen in fright, and you cup his face gently.

"Your father's downfall was also his greatest strength— his pride. Had he listened to me, he'd be alive today. So always listen to your mother, my son. I only want what's best for my family."

"My family means everything to me." You mutter to yourself, gazing up at the sky and finding the sole twinkle of the brightest star as dusk settles in and finding it to be a lot like the sparkle in Gohan's eyes when he finds an interesting bug.

A bead of sweat trickles down into Vegeta's eye, stinging as he pushes through the pain of the gravity room. Train for his son, train for his other son, train for himself and his goals… Never has he ever felt so tired, where he yearns more for sleep than a battle.

Well, he may not be willing to go quite that far. But there was a time where he was beyond dead tired and all he longed for was one single thing.

Vegeta slams shut the door to his dorm on the Frieza station, huffing at his near loss of balance from expelling the last bit of his energy on the child's tantrum tactic. The food on this ship isn't good enough for how tightly he's under Frieza's thumb now— it's surely intentional and to keep Vegeta from rising above and killing the dictator that stole everything from him. Frieza is cruel, and sees Vegeta as a mere tool or even a toy.

Vegeta can only hope his life remains fun for Frieza to play with until he gets his chance to strike and take revenge for his glorious race's extinction.

Taking revenge for the murder of his dear wife and son is the only thing to keep him going these days. And those idiots Raditz and Nappa don't understand a thing about it— they're living it up on this ship, doing Frieza's bidding just as loyal dogs and not having a care in the world for what was lost. Perhaps that's why they get fed properly; Frieza knows they'd never give up this lifestyle.

And bitterly, Vegeta knows he'd be just like them if he never got married. His pride is insurmountable, but his love for his family outweighs even that. He'd never bow down to the one that cost him everything, even if he was given an 'ideal' life of battling and feasting.

Someday, he will rise above in his Super Saiyan form and avenge you. But for now he must bide his time until he can master and make true use of it.

Falling to his knees at the foot of the bed, so exhausted his tail lays limp rather than around his waist, Vegeta pulls his lady's favor from his armor. Your scent faded so, so long ago, yet he can swear he remembers it anyway. Your preferred body scrub was infused with mint, and it mixed well with your natural scent and Vegeta could never get enough of it. Fruitlessly, he buries his nose into the silk cloth.

Tears fill his eyes as he wills the favor to smell like you again. It's getting harder and harder to pretend he's with you, laying in bed and nosing along the curve of your neck while you rest in bed. He'd rub your swollen belly as you near the end of your pregnancy, the strong little Saiyan inside of you nearly ready to be born and incubated and you were in quite the discomfort during that time.

All you wanted was your husband's presence, and he should've appreciated it more. Hindsight is 20/20, but he remembers feeling aggravated at times, being trapped in bed and feeling restless and anxious for the incoming parenthood. To go back and live in the moment, to see you, hold you, kiss you… He'd do anything.

"Please." He begs softly to a God that may not even exist, let alone be listening to his plea. Tears wet his face and he collapses to the floor. "Please give them back."

Vegeta closes his eyes as his vision clouds, and with a huff he forces himself up and out of the gravity room. He got his wish, and damn if he'll just let you go like this. You are alive, and the year in the chamber wasn't nearly enough. Saiyan mates are connected until the end of time, and he will not waste another damn minute without you.

You're at Vegeta's little hidden cabin when the hairs at the back of your neck raise. Vegeta's here, but why? You meet him at the door, and the determined look in his eye sends a shiver down your spine.

"Vegeta."

"You are a difficult woman to find." He seethes. "For anyone else, anyway."

"For what purpose are you looking for me?" Your eyes narrow suspiciously— the aura around him is different. He's hellbent on something.

"Because you're my goddamn wife!"

You stumble backwards as Vegeta wraps you up in his arms, his hold crushing you against that solid, strong body. Trembling as he holds you, he brushes the tip of his nose along the curve of your neck. "I can't lose you again." He murmurs before kissing you deeply, and it's just like in the chamber— temporarily, you feel whole again.

I don't want to be lost again.

"For everything, I'm sorry. I should've been better, I should've listened, I—"

"I love you." You whisper against him, eyes shut tightly as you bask in his embrace. "Forgive me-"

"There's nothing to forgive you for." Vegeta mutters, smoothing a hand down the curve of your back. "You've done nothing-"

"For what I'm about to do."

Vegeta frowns, and you mash your lips to his for a quick distraction against the power generating in your palms and his cry of pain and confusion breaks your heart as you slam one palm against his lower back, in the exact spot his tail once was. Even with the appendage lost, it's still a deeply-rooted sensitive area and he's weakened immediately by your thrust of power to it.

Your husband falls to his knees, angry but unable to move. "W… What the hell was that?!" He coughs, wheezing as if you punched all the air from his lungs.

"I have to do what's best for my family. And my family needs you safe here, love."

"I need you." Vegeta pleads, reaching out to you with a shaky hand. "Don't… Don't!"

"I'll see you again for the Androids."

If I survive that long.

Before Vegeta can ponder how you even know about them, your powered up fist meets the side of his skull and he's out cold, sprawled out on the floor of his secret cabin. Without wasting too much time, you fish his beloved lady's favor from your breasts and leave a wistful kiss on it before tucking it into your mate's open palm.

Leaving him behind, you quickly fly to Capsule Corps as you recall the direction Vegeta came from. Bulma's up with the baby, and your eyes lock onto hers as she opens up the door to her home.

"You have maybe ten minutes to get me into orbit before Vegeta wakes up."

Baby Trunks is swiftly thrust into your arms as she leads the way to the ship, and you and the child lock eyes for just a moment.

For all these things I've done, I had better see heaven one day.

[yeowangies]

Hideous Heart

❧

PAIRING: Vegeta/AFAB!Reader RATING: Explicit CONTENTS: Medieval Fantasy AU, Explicit Sexual Content. WARNINGS: Overstimulation, Blood, Gore, Werecat!Reader. WORDCOUNT: 2098

Summary:

Vegeta captured the wrong woman.

Notes:

For kinktober! This is horror themed, and explicitly so. This is also a medieval fantasy AU, but I don't go into detail about it.

(the ending is inspired by the tell tale by edgar allan poe.)

CW: Gore and Blood.

Day 26: Overstimulation

You have been sitting in a cold, humid cell for a few days before Prince Vegeta paid you a visit. 

Though it wasn’t an actual visit, but more like an interrogation. 

He looked at you with contempt, nose held high as he stared down at you. Who were you? Where did you come from? Were you human? He pestered you about it until he realized you were only going to be as honest as he was with you, and while he was sincere, he twisted words in his mouth and didn’t answer your own questions directly. Mocking you. 

You could hold your own. No man had ever treated you the way he had without you getting him right back, but you could only do so much while you were imprisoned, hands tied in a dirty, stinky cell. 

Vegeta had his own reasons to not trust you. A woman alone in a forest known for its magical creatures was suspicious, you were either suicidal or a monster yourself. The Saiyans were a proud race, and the Prince wasn’t an idiot. You could be a calamity, or a good tool for him; he had been constantly asking you about your powers. You hadn’t given him a straight answer about yourself or why you were in that forest to begin with, and he had been reducing the food you were given daily in retaliation. 

If anything, he was persistent. 

The footsteps on the corridor alerted you of his presence that night, and when he walked in, the beating of his heart made you look up at him. 

“Woman, you have been starving for days,” Vegeta’s cold, sneering tone made you wince. “What are you hiding that you’d rather die of hunger than speak?”

“Hiding?” You replied, smirking smugly, as you sat on the floor, underneath the only window in the small room. “You’re the only one who thinks that. You’re just paranoid, unsurprisingly in a member of the royal family.”

“What?” He frowned. 

“Terrified of someone attempting to steal the crown that rightfully belongs to you? I have no other doubt about why you keep me locked up here. You think I’m tricking you? A sign that you’re the weak link in your line?”

“Do you wanna be beheaded right this instant?” Vegeta’s eyes gleamed with anger in the dimly lit room, making you chuckle. He had been easy to provoke. 

“You’re already making me starve. It isn’t logical that you also want me to lose my head.” You replied, resting your head against the cold wall. 

The muscles in his jaw and neck tensed, the veins bulging, and you had to keep yourself from laughing in his face. That would surely get yourself killed in a second. You saw him breathing in and out slowly, trying to keep his composure, and you smiled warmly. 

“I have spoken wrongly of you because you have hurt my honor.” You started, staring into his eyes. “Perhaps we should start over. I do not wish to die.”

Vegeta’s smirk gave you relief; he liked what you were saying. You weren’t begging or asking for forgiveness, but that’s probably what he heard in your words anyway. 

“Are you asking for leniency now? You think I’d be more considerate with you like this?”

“I do not know, my lord. I have no chance of proving to you that I’m not a bad omen for your kingdom, but I’ll do my best.”

His eyebrow quirked at your words, obviously skeptical. He wasn’t a complete fool, but you still offered him another smile. 

“How do you intend to prove it?” Vegeta asked, looking at you up and down as you shrugged. 

“Sit with me, my lord,” You offered, signaling with your hands to the dirty floor in the room. “Talking without threats is a good start.”

Vegeta didn’t budge, only stared down at you with the same disdainful look he’d been having since the moment he saw you. There was no doubt in his heart that you were mischievous, and it wouldn't be easy to convince him of the contrary. 

But you had patience, and you were confident in your abilities to at least momentarily make him change his mind. 

“My lord,” You went on, looking down at your feet. “The Saiyans are a proud race, strong, belligerent. I might have misspoken when I assumed you were paranoid. The kingdom had been under your family’s ruling for generations. A single woman, alone, in the middle of the forest would be enough to make all that go to waste?”

“You speak too much and with pretentious confidence.” Vegeta scorned, immovable. 

“I am starving, I can only endure this for a couple of days before succumbing.” You sighed, eying him up and down. 

The prince wasn’t tall, just about your height, but his presence, his military uniform and even his aura, made him seem taller. You knew he was strong even beyond that, too. Your insides turned instantly as your gaze went back up to meet his, staring at him through hooded lids. 

“Perhaps I should let you see for yourself that I’m not hiding anything.”

“What are you implying?”

Vegeta remained still as you stood up, tugging at your clothes the best you could to let your dress fall down. He seemed to be entertained by your mere attempts at getting naked in front of him once he noticed your intentions. 

“Is this what you’re offering? And you think I’d be stupid enough to fall for this trick?” Vegeta asked with a smirk.

“My hands are tied.” You smiled, showing them to him as if he hadn’t already seen them. “You’re a warrior and I’m a mere human. I have the most to lose.”

Once you let your dress loose enough, you wiggled to make it fall, pooling at your feet, the cold air hitting your skin, creating goosebumps. Whatever Vegeta was saying before didn’t matter once you his heated gaze roamed your body. At least he wasn’t made of ice; he was still a man even through all the military decorum he showed. Your skin burned underneath his gaze, and you smirked, completely pleased.

It took a few long seconds for him to approach, and you were surprised when the first thing he did was tug at your arm, yanking you towards him. You winced but didn’t complain, especially not when he suddenly untied your hands, breaking the chain around them effortlessly. 

“Lie down on the bed.” 

You did as you were told, resting your hands on your stomach as Vegeta loomed over you, watching you with predatory eyes. 

He hadn’t been easy to seduce if you count all the previous days he had visited you, expecting a confession about your true nature. But this was the first time you actually made a move like this on him; a girl had to eat after all. And Vegeta was still a man. When he removed the glove on his hand and pressed it on your chest, tracing down your abdomen, you noticed the faint blush on his cheeks. 

Adorable. 

The slick sound of his fingers finding the sensitive skin between your legs only made you hum expectantly. 

“What a lewd little woman, you’re like this and I barely even touched you.” Vegeta sneered, amused. 

You refused to answer, only spreading your legs more as he kept teasing your entrance, sliding two fingers in at once, making your thighs twitch. You moaned the more he played with you; he was doing it for his own entertainment, but the more you squirm, the more turned on he got. You could see it in his eyes, hear it in his heartbeat. 

When Vegeta rubbed circles into your clit, it only took you a couple of minutes before you reached your peak, arching your back as your eyes rolled back in delight. Your legs shivered when he didn’t let up, making you whimper as he kept pressing his digits inside you just right. You held tightly onto his arm, trying to push him away or keep him close, you weren’t sure, but his chuckle reached your ear as you looked at him through glossy eyes. 

“Maybe you’re a mere human, just like you said.” Vegeta smirked, flashing his teeth like he couldn’t wait to sink them into your flesh. 

When he finally pulled away his hand, you hummed, rubbing your thighs together in an effort to alleviate yourself from the heat you still felt inside. The skin between your legs tingled when you saw him taking off his armor before pulling down his pants just enough to free his erection. Your mouth watered at the sight, his thick cock bouncing when he climbed onto your bed, positioning himself between your legs as you reached for him. 

Vegeta slapped your hands away, obviously not one for affection, not even during sex (you should have known), holding your legs open with one hand as he pumped his cock a few times before pushing inside you. He spared you no sympathy, sheathing himself fully inside you promptly, making you gasp as he started ramming his cock into you, using you for his own benefit.

You held tightly onto the bed when he started moving his hips, moaning and yelping with every single thrust. He obviously did not care for you, digging his fingers into the skin of your thighs as he kept up with his unforgiven pace, grunting like an animal seeking his own pleasure. With his size he pleased you nonetheless, stretching you delightfully and stroking that sweet spot inside you with every snap of his hips. 

You couldn’t help your orgasm from washing over you a second time, it was inevitable after Vegeta had made you come already just a few minutes ago. Your whole body shivered, and he pinned your hands to the mattress, grunting when he felt your muscles clenching around his cock. 

“You have no shame, are you that desperate?” Vegeta groaned, smirking down at you with the same air of superiority he’d been sporting since the moment you ever saw him. 

You couldn’t care less, and only offered him a half smile, moaning breathlessly once he picked up the pace again. 

Saiyans were known for their strength, and it was obvious their stamina would last this long. Vegeta didn’t let up, and with every orgasm he made you reach, you felt your body gain more vitality, as if you were reborn. Your body couldn’t stop trembling, moving on its own accord, trying to get him to keep going, even when your mind was completely blank, overstimulation leaving you speechless. 

His heart was beating loudly inside his ribcage, you could hear it loud and clear as he was finally nearing the edge. His hips stuttered, grunts and groans coming out in short gasps. It was a sight to see when he finally came, brows furrowed and mouth open slightly. Letting go of your hands to grip your thighs as he emptied himself inside you, his cum filled you so much that it overflowed, making you gasp and shudder. 

You grinned contently, sighing as you basked in the afterglow of such an encounter for a second, watching Vegeta catch his breath, his hands still holding tightly onto your legs while his cock throbbed inside you. 

His heart, beating erratically in his chest, called for you, and the nails in your hands elongated, turning into dark claws, fingers and hands growing wider and larger. It only took you a split second to drill into his chest, so fast the Prince didn’t even see it coming. Hilarious, considering his race was supposed to have such high senses.

Not as high as your own people, though. 

His body jerked back, eyes opened wide as you held his heart in your hand. The blood from the wound started dripping immediately, and you drew your hand back, leaving a literal hole in his body. You doubted how conscious he could be when you had his heart in your hand, but his eyes followed as you smiled widely at him. Sharp fangs adorned your grin, muscles and bones in your jaw accommodating to help you open your mouth wider. 

The hair on your head stood on end as your ears grew up, pointing upwards, and when Vegeta looked at you (was he even looking?), a tail from your lower back appeared, swaying enthusiastically. 

“I was starving.” You commented before taking a bite out of his heart, spilling blood all over yourself as you chew. “I finally don’t have to listen to it. The beating of your hideous heart.”

[dastardlydeacon]

Can you share ONE (1) thing about D side dragon ball lore pretty please??? :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

i don't really have that much of the lore different in my mind, most of it relates to saiyans but there's some small namekian stuff.

starting with namekians, they're all blind. they're born with eye sockets, but no eyes. instead, they have something of a "mind's eye" which allows them to see omnidirectionally, making it very difficult to take them off guard.

saiyans have a hierarchy system similar to homestuck trolls, and they all take the appearance of different kinds of monkeys. the weakest/lowest members are chimps, which is what goku is. they have the strongest potential of any saiyans, but higher members decided to make them slaves to "keep them humble", but in actuality, they don't want them to overtake them all.

the second lowest are marmosets, which is what raditz is. they're not much stronger than an adult chimp, but have terrible egos.

right in the middle are tamarins, which is what vegeta is. they also have great potential like chimps, but their attitude didn't allow them to be put down like chimps did. most of them think they have reached their full potential, but they're actually using a fraction of it. their ignorance makes them believe they're already at their prime, and they should train harder.

second strongest are gorillas, which is what nappa is. they reached the second highest place due to their brute strength but are insanely stupid. no one tries to overthrow them because their bodies are very dense, which also make for fantastic defenses. about the only thing that can kill a gorilla saiyan is a fully-realized chimp, or some kind of penetrating laser.

the strongest is an orangutan, which is what bardock was. they're the kings of the saiyans. imagine them like darth vader. everyone knows how overwhelmingly powerful they are, so no one really tries to mess with them. if they do, they're killed instantly with a wave of the king's hand.

now this is a detail about saiyan that would get powerscalers all kinds of pissed off. i'm gonna say this and not elaborate: d-sides saiyans, generally, could be considered more powerful than "vanilla" saiyans. i imagine vanilla saiyans on the same level as a d-sides average tamarin. a fully realized chimp or tamarin has strength so overwhelming that their mere presence could awaken a sleeping child. d-sides ssj1 has power equal to that of ssj3, but with speed equal to ssj2. and it only goes up from there.

finally, goku and vegeta do not cut off their tails when they get older. kami still recommends that goku does so, but he instead trains his tail even further to act as an extra limb to strike opponents with. when vegeta turns into a "hero", he reluctantly allows goku to help him to do the same. as such, both are still allowed to turn into oozaru, however goku still has a hard time controlling it.

thank you for allowing me to rant about the dumb monkey people :)

EDIT: realized you said one thing but jokes on you, i like talking about dbz so HAH you get AALL OF IT!!

[treepan0]

some random hcs for the characters I like writing for because why not? not all of them are here, this is just four characters I had some thoughts on.

note: I'm using a fully romanized version of the spelling of Baby's name (tone indicator removed to clarify) so it's less weird, also there's a lot of rare pairs and I am unapologetic about that.

Cooler:

let's be real here there is a reason why he and Bebi hardly show romantic affection in Chaos Magic, and it's not a discomfort actually. In reality it's because this man gives me the vibes it would be slow work for him to get to that point, he grew up with a family that was actively trying to kill each other, and is written as a stoic character, he's going to take longer than Vegeta to get comfortable with that.

I don't know why, but this man gives me demisexual energy and I cannot unsee it. (don't ask where this came from, I have no clue.)

please for the love of kami someone take this man away from his desk, he desperately needs a break thank you.

completely unaware people find him attractive most of the time, too distracted by work.

learned to control the movements of his tail, so Frieza and Cold couldn't read him like an open book.

Bebi:

I have mentioned this twice, but I like combining his sub & dub portrayals, errors and all.

speaking of errors from the sub he says "Big Bang Attack" while using final flash, on purpose because he knows it annoys and confuses people.

is he bi? is he pan? is he Omni? I don't see him caring much actually. I feel like he doesn't care as much due to his ability to reproduce asexually, while he still feels the needs and urges of the body he possesses (thus the way he is, pretty much I hc it's from vegeta who I see as bi, unless it's an au, I just leave that fact intentionally vague), he's more reliant on romantic attraction if he wants anything outside of that. I see him as panromantic to clarify

if I have an excuse to give him a tail I will, GT robbed me of it so I will do it myself. it's also fun to make him emote with it in a more subtle manner, like I do for some other characters. (Cooler, Janemba and Broly to name a few, I would say Bebi & Janemba are the most open of the four though, since Broly's is hidden)

I think he should have Janemba, android 13 and Hatchiyack as a friend group, as a treat, I think they could all get along with their own individual dynamics and everything.

Bebi & 13 can roast the ever loving crap out of people, Janemba & Bebi can be relaxation buddies who talk about general stuff, and Bebi & Hatchiyack I see as almost like a sibling relationship.

Janemba:

I usually go with the buu's fury background; where he was an organised crime kingpin, before he got caught up in the soul scrubber, outside of that I take from various places. I like to hc he ended up in there, because Beerus sealed him inside, just like elder kai and the z sword.

out of boredom one day I did give him an adoptive mother, since he had no pre-existing canon family. Her name is Koall, she's a succubus who's tired out of her mind and still grieving her loss, despite the passage of time being massive for humans.

just like Bebi I also hc this man gets around at times, and most of it is because of his design. (dear goodness super Janemba's design.....)

it's a common hc that he likes jelly beans, since the spirit shields resemble jelly beans. I actually enjoy this common non serious head canon, I think it's actually cute for him to do that.

kind of claustrophobic, especially with dark environments. however he can subdue it with some sort of activity, so it's not terribly intensive. he keeps a portable console where ever he stays, mostly so he can build blanket forts for Broly.

I straight up said "I don't see why he and kid Buu can't learn sign language, especially since dragon ball has a universal language." so they either use their native tongue, or use sign language. most of the time however they're guilty of saying stuff behind peoples backs in said native language, Cell & Koall are the only ones able to catch them.

has definitely tried to teach some poor unsuspecting soul, to swear in his native language because he thinks it's funny. think of someone teaching a baby swears, it's pretty much the same effect for him considering his age.

complete opposite of how I see Cooler with affection, he's just a tease. this man will smooch Broly in public an the only one who can stop him, is Broly himself and no one else.

DBZ Broly:

doesn't like his neck being touched in general, Janemba completely respects this and has adjusted to such.

when he's in base for an extended period of time by choice for the first time since he was a kid, he ended up being gifted a green rabbit plush from a friend, her name is Mint and she gives him comfort.

I chose a rabbit because I felt like he could empathise with them in general, he grew up in an environment where he had to ensure his own survival, just like rabbits have to since they're at the bottom of the food chain. (nothing to do with the symbolism connected with them)

he won't openly admit it, but he likes head scratches and pats. like almost anyone could touch his head for whatever reason, and he will expect either scratches or pats.

that red fabric around his waist is the only thing keeping people from seeing everything he feels, since he never learned to clasp it like most, nor did he learn to control the movements like I hc Cooler did.

finds small spaces comforting, since the pod trips would be what little time he had away from his father, outside of being dismissed or after Paragus' death.

I feel like after a long extended period of remaining in base, he develops likes and dislikes after time here's just a few I thought of: he likes rock and metal music, he dislikes the taste of coffee, he likes relaxing scents (i.e lavender and chamomile), he dislikes white chocolate. I have my reasonings for both of those likes.

most of the time he'll ask Janemba if he wants certain affections, he's too shy and ashamed to ask anything nsfw though. not that it hasn't stopped Janemba from coaxing him into the baby steps past that, so poor man doesn't make himself suffer in silence.

it's actually been a team effort to help him get to this point, with all sorts of people teaching him proper life skills, not that he's learned to calm.

[tigirl-and-co]

The Heart Lies Behind the Ribs

Hiiiiii everybody it is Yamgeta week, as decided by @dballzposting! I had considered this ship maybe once back in like 2014 and then never thought about it again. But god knows I'm such a sucker for this type of stuff, so I wrote a fic! Yippie!

This is assuming a pre-established relationship! I don't know how to write build-up, so you get a fic set in the stages of a relationship after they've already moved in together and have been together for quite some time.

Proofread, but still technically a first draft. Apologies for the clunkiness, but I wrote it in a fever pitch after being beset by the idea literally before I got out of bed.

Please enjoy!

The Heart Lies Behind the Ribs

"Get up."

Yamcha had been relaxing on his couch, watching Dirty Jobs and scratching Puar around the base of his neck while he napped on the man's lap. He craned his neck to look behind him at Vegeta, the man who issued the command.

Gently moving Puar off his lap, Yamcha stood up and stretched. At least four vertebrae popped. As he looked over at Vegeta, he realized the shorter man had his armor on. Historically? Not a great sign...

"What's up, man?" Yamcha had learned that it was better not to try to lead Vegeta in a conversation; he'd say what he wanted to say with or without his prompting. And to be honest, he didn't want to bring up the armor, just in case. Being able to play at naïvety hadn't worked yet, but it was bound to someday!

Vegeta fixed him in an icy glare, which stopped affecting Yamcha after he realized that's just how the man's face looked normally. "Go put your gi on and meet me outside."

"Wh-Huh?" Yamcha wasn't stupid. Yamcha knew that all this meant Vegeta wanted to spar. Yamcha didn't want to have his entire ass caved in by his superpowered boyfriend.

Or, at least, not on the battlefield.

He rubbed the back of his head in the way he knew Vegeta found cute. Maybe if he was cute enough he could avoid his fate. "Vegeta, I really don't think you'll get much out of training with me! You're like wayyyyy above me, y'know?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose in a face that once terrified Yamcha, but that he now found pretty cute. It meant Vegeta was trying really hard not to show what he was feeling.

"Tch. Idiot. Flattery will get you nowhere." He crossed his arms. "Besides, this is for your benefit. I'm sick and tired of you being unable to defend yourself!"

Instinctively, Yamcha put his arms out in a defensive/placating gesture. "I mean, I'm still stronger than most of what hangs around on earth... Unless more aliens show up I'm safe, and if more do show up, it's not like I'll be useful."

Vegeta immediately scowled, hard, looking almost as fearsome as the first day they met and startling Yamcha. "That's exactly the kind of attitude that got you killed by a damn saibaman! I refuse to suffer a mate so weak any longer! Go get your gi on, and meet me outside."

Vegeta stormed out the front door, and Yamcha could sense him standing a ways away from the house.

Suddenly, a small voice piped up from behind Yamcha. "I'm glad he's not evil anymore, but Vegeta can still be really scary when he's mad!" Puar had apparently woken up from all the racket and stuck his head just above the back of the couch. Cute.

Yamcha let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Yeah... But it's kind of nice, I guess. To have somebody actually worried about me like that." He let out a little signature 'Heh.'

Puar gave him a look that managed to mix both fondness and exasperation. "Hey, what about me? I care about you, Yamcha!" He smiled wider. "Anyway, you should probably go do what he says, he seemed really serious this time!"

Yamcha smiled back. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, I could use the exercise! A little training never hurt anyone."

"With Vegeta?"

"Hm. Yeah, true."

And with that, Yamcha shrugged and headed to his room to change. His gi was folded neatly into a drawer, at Vegeta's insistence. He hated mess, Yamcha had found out. He felt it was important to know where everything is, in case of emergency.

~~~

Yamcha stepped outside, tightening his belt. Vegeta was waiting back near the tree line, arms folded and as neutral an expression as the man ever gave.

"Hmph. Good of you to finally try training for once, Animal." It was a nickname Yamcha didn't care for at first, but over time he realized Vegeta meant it in a half demeaning, half complimentary sort of way. The same way he gave every compliment.

Sure it originally started as just another way to call him a lower lifeform and mock him for the wolf theming, but over time it morphed into a somewhat endearing term. Yamcha had heard Goten call people who were doing really well 'beasts' on occasion, and he figured it was probably the same sort of concept. Wild and cool. Untameable.

"I thought you might just crawl back into your den and wait out the storm," he egged on further.

Yamcha smiled back at his partner. "And lose out on one-on-one time with His Royal Highness? Wouldn't miss it for the world."

This drew a snort and a smug grin from the alien. The promise of training always brightened his mood, and his outburst from earlier was already fading away. "Always with the flattery..." Vegeta moved his feet into proper fighting position, striking a pose that showed him for the ambush predator he was. "It's not going to make me go any easier on you, you know!"

Yamcha braced himself, both physically for Vegeta's first attack and mentally for the hours of this ass beating he was going to have to endure. "Ha! Bring it on, you pampered prince!"

Oh, the things he does for love.

Surprisingly, the first two hours went pretty well! Vegeta allowed Yamcha to get a few good hits in, never dishing out more than Yamcha could handle. There was plenty of stopping so that Vegeta could demonstrate something, and then Yamcha could try it out.

Then it happened.

A kick delivered at just the wrong angle and at just the wrong place and with just the wrong amount of force snapped Yamcha's lower left rib.

He went down.

Vegeta knew what happened, he could pick up on the horrible sound of cracking bone as easily and perfectly as a pianist could pick out middle G.

It was what he was raised into.

The panic set in almost immediately. Vegeta had no idea what humans could survive. Saiyans could recover from almost anything that didn't directly stop their heart or lungs, but he knew humans weren't so resilient.

After he recovered from the shock he was at Yamcha's side almost instantaneously. Vegeta knelt down next to Yamcha, who was curled up in a twitching ball in the dirt.

He gently placed one hand on Yamcha's shoulder, and tried to get his other into the spasming ball of flesh, just below the ribcage.

"Yamcha, listen to me." Vegeta kept his voice calm, but there was no disguising his worry. "You need to uncurl. If your muscles spasm around the broken bone, it's harder to repair."

He heard that bit while he was in a healing tank when he was eight.

Slowly, ever so goddamn slowly, Yamcha allowed himself to be straightened out and laid flat on his back. Vegeta wasn't sure where to go from here.

Vegeta, still kneeling, desperately wracked his brain for anything he could remember about treatments on earth. Every now and again someone would come out to treat a player during one of Yamcha's matches, but it was the off-season. No one would be at the stadium.

Bit by bit, Yamcha calmed down as the pain subsided. He saw Vegeta at his side, face frozen in panic. It was a face he didn't wear often, and Yamcha was glad for that. He reached out his hand and gently grabbed Vegeta's wrist.

"Hey."

Vegeta snapped back to reality and looked down to see Yamcha smiling softly. "It's okay. I'm not gonna die." He released his grip and then patted Vegeta's hand. "It wasn't even one of the important ribs anyway."

Vegeta stared humourlessly and allowed himself to sit.

"How do I fix this?" he asked, both of them knowing he meant not only 'How do I help you?' but also 'I'm sorry.'

Yamcha wanted to let out a small chuckle of reassurance, but figured a broken rib would make that a bad call.

"You wouldn't happen to have a senzu bean on you, would ya?" He knew, of course that neither of them did. He also knew that Vegeta probably didn't know where the hospital was.

Immediately Vegeta stood up straight. "I can't believe I almost forgot about the damned beans!" He looked down at the man still lying in the dirt, eyebrows now knitted together. "I'll be right back."

"WAIT!"

Yamcha sucked in a sharp breath; yelling like that was not a good idea. "H-Hold on, man! You can't just go zipping up to Korin's Tower and demand some beans!"

Vegeta looked down at him, unimpressed. "And why not?"

Smiling up at his boyfriend and accidental assailant, Yamcha answered "Because you have to climb it first, or Korin won't give you any." He patronizingly flumped his hand onto the other man's shoe before continuing.

"Plus, you have to be polite about it, and I know you're not up for that!"

Vegeta scowled, but it seemed almost good-natured as far as Vegeta scowls went. Maybe it was relief that Yamcha was feeling well enough to tease him, maybe it was just the thought of a challenge making its way to his brain, but either way he seemed much more relaxed.

"I am perfectly capable of being polite."

The snicker that left Yamcha's lips hurt just a bit, and after he winced he cocked an eyebrow. "Even if Yajirobe is there?"

Vegeta sat back down, arms crossed, and refused to answer.

He looked at his mate, and let out a fond sigh. "We're going to have to do something about your rib."

"Yeah, yeah, in a bit. It's a really nice day out, though. Look at how blue the sky is!"

It was a simple ploy, one that wasn't even meant to fool Vegeta, more a sort of way to ask him to lay down. It worked, of course. Always did.

And so, the prince of all two Saiyans lowered himself to the dirt and laid beside his damaged goods. He rested his hand on top of Yamcha's and looked up at the sky.

"Hmph. I suppose it is an intriguing shade..."

[torterragarden]

For the character thingy... Vegeta!

Here we go lol

First impression: He looks like a very angry troll doll

Impression now: Believe it or not I actually like Vegeta lol. Fandom's preferential treatment of him at the expense of other characters has me feeling petty a lot of the time when it comes to him but like, I do think he's a good character! He's dynamic and funny and interesting! But the way people talk about him sometimes. I feel like we are talking about completely different characters, like the things I think are interesting about Vegeta are not what other people liked about him, but the things those people liked about him are not who he is at all they made it all up. I've never felt so "I'm the only one who understands this extremely popular character" about a character I only ever kind of liked. So to compensate for this I need to bully him relentlessly and without mercy it's just how I cope sorry. But we're cool I swear

Favorite moment: See I could bully him here and pick one of the many times he talked shit just to get his ass handed to him but I will instead be nicer and pick his final words to Goku on Namek. Which now that I type it out doesn't sound very nice hhdsajkgdsj but I mean it was actually a really emotional moment it was a good moment just. well sorry about the dying Vegeta

Idea for a story: I could do with him being in less stories tbh sorry SORRY I am incapable of not bullying him

Unpopular opinion: Where to start lol. Actually I have a big one that I don't know if I've ever talked about before here. I don't agree that he should be the one to kill Frieza. People are wrong about Vegeta and Frieza's dynamic in general but that's kind of a different subject and the point is everything that was compelling about Frieza and Vegeta ended when Frieza died the first time. He was killed by a Saiyan prince, technically! So revenge has been dealt, it's done! Vegeta and Frieza still hate each other sure, but now whenever they meet they mostly just hurl petty insults at each, there's nothing really interesting going on there anymore. Goku on the other hand still has a compelling dynamic with Frieza because Frieza was literally made to be his foil and his nemesis. So enough about Vegeta already lmao

Favorite relationship: Probably Bulma! I don't think they're as romantic as people make them out to be but their relationship is definitely interesting to think about and Vegeta loves her in his very Vegeta way

Favorite headcanon: Can't think of one right now

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 1: Broly (1/3)

At this point, all that's left for the 2023 DB Apocrypha Liveblog is the DBS Super Hero movie and the manga adaptation, which ought to be finishing up in the next couple of months. But I thought if I was going to cover the Dragon Ball Super movies, I should take a look at the first one, even though I went over it already back in 2019. But it seems like a shame to leave it out when I'm already doing the rest of Dragon Ball Super, and it's been four years, so maybe I'll have some new insights on the movie.

For example, I finally noticed that the title screen shows the gigantic full moon of Vampa, which is literally the first thing Broly sees when his space pod opens. I never picked up on that before, I guess because the moon is so big it takes up the entire view from the pod, and so it just sort of looks like an indistinct melange of background color. But yeah, this time around, I realized that Broly spent a lot of nights under this giant full moon, turning into an Oozaru every single time. No wonder he grew up so weird.

My plan here is to break the movie up into three parts. First we'll go through the flashback portion, then we'll get into Frieza's scheme to use Earth's Dragon Balls, and then we'll cover the big fight at the end. Sound good? Okay, let's get going.

We start in the past, which the movie calls "41 years ago," but that doesn't sound quite right to me. I feel like it should be 44 or 45, but I've never taken the time to go through it. At any rate, this was around the time Goku and Vegeta were born, as we'll soon see.

In this time, the Saiyan kingdom on Planet Vegeta is a vassal state controlled by King Cold, who brings his fleet in for a visit. The Saiyans are disturbed and irritated by their grandiose arrival. One ship just plows through a building, for example. But there's nothing King Vegeta III can do about it. He goes out to meet King Cold, who won't even give him a handshake, and just tries to keep him happy. As it turns out, Cold is only here to introduce his son, Frieza. Cold's retiring, and Frieza will be put in charge of Cold's forces.

Frieza says he has "special expectations" of the Saiyans, and he presents them with 500 new "Scouters", which are pretty old hat in DBZ, but in this flashback they're cutting-edge technology. Up to this point, the Cold Force has been using bulky "Scout Scopes", but these do all the same stuff and are small enough to wear on your face. They also double as communicators. Frieza notices Saiyan snipers training weapons on him and he kills them all with ease, showing off the precision of the Scouters and his immense personal strength all at once.

After the Frieza Force takes their leave, King Vegeta takes solace in his son, Prince Vegeta, who's still growing in an incubation tank. King Vegeta believes that his son will grow up to become the mightiest Saiyan of all, powerful enough to topple Frieza and rule the universe instead.

But during his visit to the nursery, he notices another Saiyan infant and demands an explanation. The Saiyans test their infants for combat potential, and the ones with the highest scores are given special care and training as "Elite" warriors. But King Vegeta thinks this new baby, Broly, doesn't belong here. I don't get how he could tell that just by looking. There are lots of other incubation tanks in this room, and Prince Vegeta's is in the most prominent position, so it's not like Broly's mere presence here is some sort of affront. Maybe all the other babies here are part of the Vegeta Royal Family, and the king knows about all their births except for this one.

Let me go back to an earlier shot, when the king is heading out to meet King Cold. Before, I just wrote these other Saiyans off as advisors, or high-ranking officials, but they could be blood relations, too. Saiyans age pretty slowly, so for all we know, that's King Vegeta's dad on the right there, with the mohawk. And maybe that's King Vegeta's grandfather on the left, still alive after all this time.

I mean, they're probably more likely to be cousins and uncles and such, sure. You'd think King Vegeta I & II would be long dead this far into Vegeta III's reign, but maybe it doesn't work that way. Maybe they turned over the crown once their heir surpassed them in power, and remained at court to provide counsel. That seems to be how King Cold and Frieza work, anyway.

Anyway, my point is that the Saiyans practiced a strict-but-backward form of eugenics, trying to selectively breed better warriors by testing them from infancy. The ones who test well get all the perks and privileges, and the ones who test exceptionally well are no doubt married into the royal family, so that the ruling class will be guaranteed to have the most powerful individuals. And under this system, the crown prince ought to have the greatest power level of all. So when King Vegeta comes into this nursery, it's basically a family reunion, except for this new kid, who's merely the son of one of his officers.

The Saiyans who work in the nursery try to explain that Broly tested incredibly high, even higher than the record-setting Prince Vegeta, but when they measure him again, the equipment explodes. Then they scan him again and get a rating only half as impressive as what they got the first time around. So Broly's readings are erratic, to say the least.

This lady, Nion, who seems to be in charge of the place, explains that Broly is still exceptional, any way you slice it. With the proper training, she thinks he might become the next Legendary Super Saiyan. King Vegeta takes no comfort in that thought.

Soon, King Vegeta prepares to have Broly sent into space, and Paragus, Broly's father, barges into the throne room to object. Saiyans do send their babies to conquer other planets, but this is normally done with only the weakest of their children, the ones who test the lowest and are deemed unfit for even the least of Saiyan resources. But Broly tested well, and yet Vegeta is sending him to Vampa, a planetoid with no resale value whatsoever. It doesn't make sense to toss away Broly's great potential, but King Vegeta sees Broly as a risk. In his estimation, Broly is a freak of nature, maybe even a mutant. And if he's allowed to grow up and loses control of himself, his power might make him a threat to the entire universe. At least this way, he gets to survive in isolation.

But Paragus doesn't buy it, and accuses King Vegeta of being jealous. Broly tested higher than the prince, and now he's trying to cover up the truth. But it doesn't matter much, since Broly's space pod is already set for launch. Paragus smashes through a window to get a spaceship to follow him.

And maybe King Vegeta has a point in all of this, but the whole dilemma beautifully illustrates the folly of the Saiyan child-rearing tradition. King Vegeta had at least three Super Saiyans born during his reign. But the only one he was willing to support was his own son, because he's the only one who was "supposed" to become that powerful. Goku turned out to have the exact same potential, but he tested poorly at birth, so he was written off as a low-class. Then you have Broly, who actually tests really, really well as a baby, but without the "benefit" of the eugenics practices. Broly had the test scores without the noble bloodline, and for that, King Vegeta writes him off as "abnormal". Well who's to say Prince Vegeta isn't abnormal?

And when you look at it that way, it's not hard to imagine why the Legendary Super Saiyan only appears once every thousand years. It's not because it takes that long for a Saiyan to be born with that kind of power; it's because the Saiyan population is so hostile to anyone who displays that kind of promise. So even if there's lots of Saiyans with the potential, it takes a thousand years for one of them to overcome the Saiyans' bullshit.

As Paragus hightails it out of the Vegeta system, another Saiyan named Beets tags along. He tries to convince Paragus to turn back, but Paragus won't be swayed. He plans to follow Broly to Vampa, rescue him, and then train him on some other planet. One day, he and Broly can take revenge on King Vegeta, but in the meantime he promises to allow Beets to return home after he drops Paragus and Broly off some place.

A lot of fans really like Beets, in part for shipping purposes, but also I think he just has some appeal as a lower-tier worker who's not even a fighter. He offers a fresh perspective on the Saiyans, who used to be largely defined by Raditz's edgelord rhetoric in the early episodes of DBZ. But this movie shows us a lot of "regular" Saiyans who care about their children, or work ordinary jobs that don't involve plundering alien worlds.

For my part, I'm more into the Saiyans who work the nursery. Beets is all right, but he doesn't have that big a role in this movie, so Beets fans can have him. Give me Nion, please. Rrrrlll! She can measure my power level, if you know what I mean. Wait, what do I mean? I dunno. Let's move on.

The problem with Paragus' scheme is that he's in such a hurry to find Broly that he crashes the ship on Vampa. Then he forces Beets to help him locate Broly because he's afraid Beets might try to take off and leave them. Beets says he would never do such a thing, but Paragus knows that Saiyans have a well-deserved reputation for treachery. More on that later.

Vampa's wildlife seems to consist entirely of giant bugs and even bigger green furry monsters. The bugs drink the blood of the monsters, who then eat the bugs. I think there must be more to it than this, but that's all Paragus and Beets see in this scene. Life is harsh on Vampa.

They finally find the boy in a cave, where he's eating from the carcasses of dead creatures. He freaks out when Paragus tries to get him, but Paragus just squeezes his tail to calm him down. As he does, he notices that Broly's clothes are baggy, which suggests that he must have gone ape some time after arriving on this planet. The scout scope shows Broly has a power level of 920, which is higher than Beets, but still not enough to kill all these alien monsters, so he must have turned into a giant ape to do it.

And this isn't hard to see happening, since the big full moon was the first thing Paragus and Beets noticed when they got here. They knew to avoid looking at it for too long, since they would have lost control of themselves if they transformed, but Broly's fresh out of the incubation tank. I'm not even sure he can talk yet.

So they found the kid, so now they can leave, right? Wrong. The ship was damaged in the crash, and Beets can't fix it or radio for help. There's only enough supplies for ten days, so Paragus shoots Beets to make it last longer. And this is where the whole "whoever heard of a trustworthy Saiyan?" thing is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe Beets was trustworthy, but he got betrayed and killed before it would matter. The Saiyans aren't treacherous by nature, it's just that the treacherous ones kill the good ones and end up dominating the culture.

We then flash forward five years. Paragus and Broly have been long forgotten, and Frieza has summoned all the Saiyans back to Planet Vegeta. Bardock finds the order suspicious, especially when he sees Frieza's flagship orbiting Planet Vegeta. Why gather the Saiyans together at all? If he has special orders for them, he could just communicate them over the radio. It doesn't add up, but Bardock thinks this might be Frieza looking for a way to wipe out the Saiyans. King Cold subjugated the Saiyan people, and Frieza inherited them from Cold, but Frieza has always held the Saiyans in contempt, and the Saiyans have never liked Frieza either. And in the last few years, Frieza's non-Saiyan forces have grown larger, which makes the Saiyans more expendable than ever before. So maybe this is a plot to wipe them all out in a single stroke. But he's still not sure...

... until one of his buddies mentions that Frieza's men have been asking around about the Super Saiyan Legend. That convinces Bardock that he's on to something. But even if he's right, what can he do about it?

Not much, but he has an idea. When Bardock goes home, he asks his wife about their son, Raditz. He's been sent into space with Prince Vegeta, so they're off-world. As for their second son, Kakarot, he's almost due to come out of his incubation tank. Unlike the elites, Kakarot is a low-class, so he gets a tank, but it's just sitting in the middle of his parents' house, without the technical staff on duty to maintain it. Bardock intends to steal a space pod and send Kakarot to a planet called "Earth", where he can survive whatever Frieza is planning to do next.

Gine hates that idea. Given Kakarot's low-class status, he would probably be shot into space as an infiltration baby no matter what, but she doesn't want to do it right after he gets out of the incubation tank. He can't even talk yet. But Bardock thinks Frieza is afraid of a legendary Super Saiyan rising up to oppose him. That's why Frieza has summoned all the Saiyans to Planet Vegeta. He means to wipe them all out, now, before any of them can become powerful enough to defy him later.

I really love Gine's reaction to this, because to her, the Super Saiyan is just a story, and yet Bardock is saying Frieza will commit genocide over it. It makes sense to us because we saw Goku clobber Frieza on Namek, and then Trunks chopped him in half, and so on. But to Gine this is beyond absurd. This is like hearing that Biden's going to start World War III because he's afraid of Bigfoot.

"The Super Saiyan? But that's just some dumb fanfic!"

"I know, but Frieza read the whole thing and thinks its real. He left kudos on it and everything."

"It doesn't even have Beets in it! What's the point of a fanfic where Beets isn't making out with every character?!"

"I know, Gine. The guy isn't interested in Beets. I don't get it either."

"Well fuck that guy! If he'd written about Beets getting laid all the time, we wouldn't have to shoot my boy into space!"

Anyway, they do Bardock's plan, and discuss contingencies on their way to launch. If Bardock's wrong, he'll go out and fetch Kakarot at the earliest opportunity. Gine suggests they all flee together, but Bardock says that won't work. Frieza would just hunt them down with Scouters, so Kakarot's best chance to survive is to go alone.

So they launch the pod, and Gine is understandably upset about all this. Bardock puts his hand on her shoulder, but that's about all he can do. If he's right, they're going to die soon.

And Bardock is right, because Frieza's already made up his mind to destroy Planet Vegeta. The tales of Super Saiyans and Super Saiyan Gods are nothing more than stories, with no historical basis. And while Frieza expected as much, he still has all the Saiyans in one place, ready to be destroyed. Besides, they're unruly by nature, and sooner or later, they'll cause him problems, so he's better off killing them here and now. It'll mean cutting his fighting force in half, but he's prepared to accept that loss, even if the Super Saiyan threat is remote.

And so he does the thing where he comes out of the ship and lights up his finger, etc. This moment has been shown multiple times over the decades, but I think this version is the most visually impressive. The colors look better, and we see more reaction shots from the Saiyans on the surface.

"Dammit, that hacky story is gonna get us all killed."

Bardock tries to stop it, but there's nothing he can do. I never really thought about it this way, but it is kind of ironic how Frieza was going to do this no matter what, and yet he was still curious enough about the Super Saiyan Legend that he sent guys down to the planet to ask around about it. If he hadn't done that, then Bardock probably wouldn't have realized what Frieza was up to, and he never would have sent Kakarot to Earth.

And so, the Super Saiyan Legend actually saved Kakarot, allowing him to become the next Super Saiyan, and bring Frieza's fears to reality. Interesting stuff.

Anyway, what really makes this scene so great is the way Frieza waches the planet explode, and the scouter has a real-time count of Planet Vegeta's population, which rapidly dwindles to zero.

And that about wraps things up for this part of the movie. We cut to some other planet where Prince Vegeta and Raditz are. Vegeta chose to ignore Frieza's recall order, which ended up saving all their lives. The boys are with three Saiyan men, including Nappa, and they think they might be the only Saiyans left alive. Raditz recalls his mother sending him a message about shooting baby Kakarot into space, but he doesn't care much, since Kakarot was a weakling anyway. Vegeta also has a brother, but he doesn't know or care what happened to him.

And that's all for now. Next time, we'll flash forward to the present day.

[gripefroot]

Crooked Ways [20/22]

Hiya! It's been a busy few weeks so I haven't gotten around to updating. I'm very sad to be winding down this story. I started it exactly one year ago and the writing process was so fun but also healing to me. I've been surprised and incredibly grateful at how many people have been reading and enjoying it. Thank you for every note and message. I treasure every single one 🫶

Just one night. 

Vegeta scanned the crowds of dancers without much thought, occasionally letting his eyes drift over to tables or the buffet line. No one with a significant power level. None that took a second look at Bulma after coming face-to-face with Vegeta’s best scowl. In fact, a few people that found themselves in their way scuttled like crabs, leaving the space clear in front of them. If Bulma noticed, she didn’t say anything about it, each toss of her head sending more of that delicious scent straight to Vegeta’s nose, making him feel stupid. 

Her usual perfume? Yeah, right, and he was the bastard child of the Supreme Kai. 

“Food first?” Bulma asked, leaning closer to murmur into his ear. Vegeta breathed in deeply, eyelids fluttering madly as he tried to clear his throat and square his stance. 

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he intoned, hoping she didn’t hear his voice crack on the final word. 

“I say let’s say hello to the people that’ll complain to Dad if I don’t,” she said with a sigh. He noticed her fingernails digging into his forearm, even through his suit coat. “Then our duty will be done and we can enjoy ourselves the rest of the night.”

“I thought you liked people.” Vegeta let her steer him towards a table, nonetheless. 

“Usually,” Bulma said. “I…don’t like people who treat me like I’m still a little girl. And I don’t like anybody when I just want to be home in bed.”

“In bed with me, I hope.”

She cast him a look, but he saw her lips quiver enough to know she was hiding a giggle. “I don’t think I know how to sleep alone anymore, honestly,” she told him, and he didn’t bother stopping his chest from puffing out. Any Saiyan would be proud to hear such a thing. 

Bulma may not know it, but her words (and smell) made Vegeta’s brain a fuzzy, pleased place to be despite being introduced to a mass of insignificant earthlings. He shook hands and nodded but never smiled. Not that it mattered. Bulma smiled enough for both of them. 

Vegeta wondered if anyone else thought her smile was as perfect as he did. 

If they did, he’d have to kill them.  

He sensed a higher power level and recognized it before the voice reached out to them, before Bulma pulled herself away from laughing with an elderly man to address the interruption behind them. Vegeta’s mind already on killing, he didn’t bother an attempt at polite overtures when they turned to see Yamcha’s stupid smile and wave. 

“Yamcha?” At least Bulma sounded more surprised than happy. 

“Bet you didn’t expect to see me here.” Yamcha wiggled his eyebrows. “How are you doing, Bulma?”

“I’m…fine. Why are you here? How did you get a ticket?”

Vegeta noted that Bulma’s hand on his arm had gone cold. If he weren’t perfectly still to assess this new threat, he might have covered her hand to warm it (better blood flow meant a better chance of surviving a battle. Not for any other reason.)

“Your mom offered me one a while back,” Yamcha said, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “I would’ve come as your date, but after last time…”

Finally the man’s eyes landed on Vegeta. Vegeta saw fear and apprehension, dashed with disgust. He grinned. The memory of decking Yamcha on the Capsule Corp compound lawn was still something he treasured, sometimes relieving the moments at nighttime before falling asleep with a smile on his face. 

“I think,” Yamcha said slowly, brows drawing together. “I think I don’t know what’s been going on at Capsule Corp since I left.” 

“Why should you?” Bulma asked. Her nails dug fibers of fabric into Vegeta’s skin. Not enough to hurt, but enough to keep him on edge. “You never call. Except to talk to my mom, apparently.” 

“She called me!” 

“What do you want, moron?” Vegeta barked. “We’re trying to enjoy ourselves.” 

“Sheesh! I only came to say hi.” 

“You said it. Now go.” 

The brisk dismissal seemed to incense Yamcha, whose stance squared against Vegeta as if he were actually a threat. Vegeta laughed. “You don’t get to order me around!” Yamcha said. Then, eyes flicking between the pair of them, he added on, “Aren’t you supposed to be training to beat the Androids, Vegeta? But you’re playing boyfriend?” 

“I’m strong enough to defeat the Androids ten times over,” Vegeta said softly, fists clenching in his pockets. “Naturally you wouldn’t know that level of power.” 

“Stop.” Bulma tugged on his sleeve. “Let’s go eat.” 

“I’m not hungry,” he said without looking in her direction. He only saw Yamcha, a face swimming in the crowd distorted with rage and hate. 

“Oh, are you that powerful, really?” Yamcha sneered. “Are you a Super Saiyan like Goku yet? Or could he still put you in the ground like he did the first time?” 

“Stop!” Bulma said again, this time louder. But now she said it to Yamcha, putting out an arm between them. “Yamcha, you jerk. Go away. If you won’t listen to Vegeta, who can break every bone in your body, listen to me.” 

Yamcha’s expression twitched, gaze dropping from Vegeta’s face to look at Bulma. The drooping, puppyish frown that appeared made Vegeta laugh again, the noise harsh and delighted. 

“Listen to the woman,” Vegeta ordered. “She doesn’t want you here.” 

“I can see that,” Yamcha said bitterly. “If she chooses the enemy over her friends.” 

“Now wait just a minute - ” Bulma’s exploding temper shut off when Vegeta clamped a hand over her mouth. It wasn’t worth it: Yamcha had turned tail the moment he finished his parting shot, disappearing into the crowd. Her fingernails dug into the back of his hand to pull it away from her mouth. “Let me at him, Vegeta! Let me make him pay for what he put me through!” 

She already took a step in the direction Yamcha had gone, and he was forced to pull her back. An unusual amount of aggression, even for Bulma, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. She was pretty when she was furious; all sparking anger and brilliant flashes in her eyes. Her scent riled up, too, and it was all Vegeta could do not to squash his nose against her neck and breathe her in until she was no more. 

Interestingly, he’d forgotten all about Yamcha. 

“Ugh!” Bulma stomped her foot, drawing a few curious stares from around them. The urge to shield her from prying eyes rose in him faster than a tidal wave, and he stomped it down just as quickly. He sufficed the situation by putting his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face him. 

“Bulma,” Vegeta said. A thrill coursed through his chest when her eyes landed on him; darkened and dangerous and gorgeous. “Now is not the time for a fight. For one thing, these clothes aren’t appropriate for combat.”

“I don’t care!” 

“And what about your father? If you ruin his company’s gala by murdering a guest?” 

Her lips protruded in a pout he was deeply tempted to catch between his teeth and suck until she was swollen and bruised purple. Swallowing, he dragged his eyes up to hers to soak in the beauty of her rage. 

“Fine,” Bulma snapped. “No murder. You’re no fun.” 

“It’s more than he deserves. You’re better than him.” 

Her face began to clear of aggravation. Now she simply looked annoyed, not murderous. 

“When you kill someone,” Vegeta went on, “it should be someone worth more than you so as to prove your power.” 

Bulma blinked several times. He couldn’t think of how what he’d said might be confusing or unclear, so he didn’t clarify. Finally she sighed. “Good to know you haven’t changed that much, Vegeta.” 

“Of course I haven’t changed. Why would I?”

“Never mind.” 

The evening had crested early. Guests remained to be greeted, food to be eaten, and an obligatory dance where everyone could see them that Vegeta thought would make a brilliant torture tactic in the Frieza Force were Frieza still alive. Every second was hell: the music, the steps, the stares, the whispers. 

Worse than that was how much he liked having his hands all over Bulma and her arms wrapped around him. And how bearable her presence made this otherwise torture. 

“Human dances are simplistic,” Vegeta grumbled. Cheeks pressed together, he heard her tinkling laugh right in the shell of his ear. “I’ve seen more backwards planets produce more intricate dances than this!” 

“Oh, honey. This is a social dance, not a professional troupe. I promise there are better dancers out there than the Capsule Corp employees.” 

“Tch.” He squeezed her hand tighter. 

“Don’t tell me you’d rather learn a more complicated dance!” Bulma pulled enough to laugh in his face, which made his cheeks feel hot. 

“No, of course not! I’m only saying it’s not a very impressive set of steps.”

“But it’s easy.” 

Vegeta grunted in agreement. Swaying in circles didn’t require much experience or skill, just a willingness to keep moving and to hold a woman in his arms. His woman. 

“Oh!” Her arm lifted from his shoulder. “My dad is coming to cut in.”

“Cut into what?” 

“The dance, silly. He’ll take your place to dance with me. You can go sit or stand somewhere, I’ll find you after.”

And just like that, Vegeta lost his woman to her father. Glad to leave the dance, loathe to release her. It wasn’t until Bulma flat-out tugged her hand out of his with a reproachful look that he managed, stepping aside for Dr. Briefs. 

“I won’t be long,” Dr. Briefs told him with a smile, already swinging his daughter into a more polished version of the dance. “You can have her back when I’m done.”

Saiyans had killed other Saiyans for less. 

Vegeta stuck his hands in his pockets, expertly missing the other couples dancing nearby to leave the floor uncontested. His stomach rumbled to remind him that that pathetic single plate of food he’d consumed between introductions wasn’t enough to satisfy him. But instead of walking towards the buffet line, which was significantly shorter as the party dragged on, he found a blank space on the wall, outside the dazzling light of the chandelier. Leaning his back against the wall in a semblance of perfect relaxation, he crossed his arms and let his eyes drift closed. 

Let the humans think him a miserable wretch. Rather that than talk to any of them. 

He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong in any places like this on any planet. In fact, when he really dug his mind in to think about it, he couldn’t recall any time that he’d felt true belonging. Even in the field, performing massacres at Frieza’s every order or spending nights with the other soldiers he’d been apart. Memories of his earliest childhood at his father’s palace proved spotty and only produced feelings that jolted between sour arrogance, suffocating loneliness, and the intense need to earn the king’s approval. 

Vegeta had shuttered around the universe too much to call any place his home. Nor had he wanted to, when having a home proved to be such a target for a madman’s destruction. And now that Frieza was gone and Planet Vegeta was gone and Vegeta no longer part of an army: where did that leave him? 

Here. He was here. 

I have no ties to Earth, either, he thought to himself. The lie was acrid, burning beneath his skin as if his very blood howled in protest. So what if it was a lie? No one knew but himself. No one knew the roots growing from the cracks in his feet, from the arteries to his heart. 

Perhaps because Vegeta was so in tune to her tenor of voice, perhaps because her laugh was just that loud - his head jerked up at the sound of Bulma laughing. The music had picked up to a faster pace, her dad twirling her expertly around. 

This was her world. Her place. Her home. She belonged here in a way Vegeta would never, could never belong anywhere, because this had been her home since she was born. If he meant to honor her claim on him, to honor his claim on her - to take her away from this would be a cruelty beyond imagining. And for what? He had nothing and no place. No planet, no home, no people. 

He’d only ever been a smudge, unwillingly allowed across the brightness of her life for an indeterminable and finite amount of time. Time that was running out, and he’d done the stupid thing and all but made her his mate in the Saiyan way. 

For once, pride and blood tore him in different directions. One towards her, one away. Both with equal strength in his body, neither to be ignored. 

When the song ended, Bulma disappeared from the dance floor. Vegeta barely had time to sense her direction before she appeared in front of him with flushed, vibrant cheeks and a smile brighter than any sun in any solar system. 

“Told you I’d find you,” she said breathlessly. “Mom and Dad are going home, they said we can ride with them if we’re ready to leave.” 

“I’m ready,” he said at once. 

“Let’s go, then.” Bulma’s fingers wrapped through his, unraveling his uncompromising stance until he sulked after her bounding steps to the exit. Her exhilarating scent wrapped around him like a shroud, driving away his unhappy thoughts until his blood sang for her, and only her, and when she turned to beam at him, Vegeta grinned back. 

Sharing a car with her parents had been a bad choice.

The backseat had two rows of seats facing each other, meant for socializing. Instead of sitting in the seat beside Bulma, Vegeta was pushed aside to make room for a massive bouquet of flowers someone had gifted Panchy at the party. His nose itched at the scent, cloying and too sweet. Meanwhile the others chatted about who they’d seen and who they hadn’t seen, laughing at dredged up memories and so-and-so or this-and-that. 

Next time, they weren’t sharing a car. 

There won’t be a next time, immediately followed that thought, and he stiffened in his seat. A fist resting on his knee, flaring conflict building in his chest until he was sure he’d choke aloud. 

When the car finally stopped at the front entrance of Capsule Corp, Vegeta was slowest to start moving. By the time he climbed out of the car, squinting in the bright lights that bathed the front steps, Bulma had dashed around the car, holding her skirt in her hand. 

“It’s a full moon,” she said. “Did you see?”

“No.” He started up the steps. Dr. Briefs and Panchy were already heading through the doors inside. 

“Oh.” 

Halfway to the top he realized she hadn’t followed. Turning, Vegeta scowled at her still by the car, hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me you expect to be carried,” he said. “I know you didn’t have a single glass of champagne.” 

“You do get grumpy during full moons!” 

“I do not!” He stomped back down the stairs. Bulma’s teal curls were falling from the elegant hairstyle she’d had earlier, strands gracing the curve of her neck and cheeks so beautifully that Vegeta got even more frustrated. Without a word he bent to hoist her over his shoulder, jogging back up the steps a second time. 

“Why do you always do this?” she screeched. “I’m capable of walking, thank you very much!” 

“Because I’m sick of you taking your sweet time! You’re wasting mine, too, you know!” 

“I can waste whatever I want!” Bulma kicked out a few times, but Vegeta just jostled her until she stopped. Which was wise on her part, because otherwise he would have turned his head to bite her luscious backside. 

The further away from the front entrance, the fewer lights were on. Briefly he considered stopping by the kitchens or the pantry but he dismissed the idea in favor of a better one. They could always eat after they worked out their frustrations with each other behind closed doors. 

And that they did. It was her bedroom tonight, and after Vegeta tripped on two pairs of shoes and a tool belt he nearly howled, dropping Bulma onto her feet to start tugging at her dress with abandon. 

“I hate these clothes,” he panted a few minutes later. Buttons popped off his shirt to litter the ground, but from Bulma’s aggression, not his. He’d torn the straps of her dress from her shoulders until it hung at her waist, exposing her breasts. 

“You hate everything,” she said through gritted teeth. Having trouble taking off his suit coat when his head was buried in her chest. Vegeta didn’t bother correcting her, fondling a breast in one hand while he tried to kick off his shoes. Her scent was sharper and richer next to her skin. He hadn’t imbued any alcohol but he may as well have with how dizzy he felt. “Vegeta! Vegeta, just stop! It’ll be easier if we get undressed first.”

With a snarl he pulled away, wrenching open his trousers to add another button to the confetti on the floor. Bulma shimmied her dress down her hips. He stared, hopping on one foot to get out of his stupid trousers. Stupid clothes, stupid everything - he’d never wear this again. Only clothes that could be easily removed. 

“Ooh!” 

Her cry turned to a satisfied sort of moan after he grabbed her again, lifting her to straddle his hips while he made a clumsy path for the bed. Stepping on buttons and whatever else Bulma left lying around, all poking his feet. He didn’t care. He needed her like a dying man needed water; he needed to taste her and be inside her. Lips met in sloppy haste, Vegeta biting after her when she pulled away for breath, her fingers tight on his shoulders and her eyes opening and closing fast. 

“Why does it feel like this?” Bulma whispered. Cradled by the bed and pinned down by him, she still managed to rock against him, her neck craning. “Why is it different tonight?” 

“Maybe it’s the full moon.” Vegeta hadn’t thought himself capable of joking at a moment like this, but maybe it wasn’t a joke after all. A moment’s thought and he added, “It’s the way you smell. It’s making me…maybe it’s making you feel it, too.” 

“Then it’s going to be a good night.” A dazzling, kiss-swollen smile, and he felt her hand push his head down towards the junction between her legs. “I have a feeling I won't need to stop you tonight. Maybe I have Saiyan stamina now.” 

The words falling from his lips in response to hers weren’t in her language, but she didn’t comment on it. Vegeta’s teeth sank into her thigh, his hand tucked behind her knee to lift her leg so his mouth could reach more skin. He could taste nothing else for the remainder of his existence and it wouldn’t be enough. What was it that had turned her from enjoyable to intoxicating? Where did an addict slip over the line into insanity where he couldn’t control his muscles, couldn’t control his mind? 

Couldn’t control his blood, couldn’t control his pride. 

Here. He was here. 

“Bulma,” he murmured. Kissed the tendons that made her body, licked the skin, kneaded the muscles. She twitched and quivered with every touch, her head lolling on the pillows. Impatient for him to continue, no doubt. If she could hear him, she didn’t say so. Perhaps she was as senseless as him. Despite not having spoken the Saiyan language for years, it was easier to slip into phrases he thought he’d never say, feelings he’d never thought he’d feel, when he knew Bulma couldn’t understand. Couldn’t ask, couldn’t confront. It was just for him. Just for him and no one else. 

“Bulma,” he said again, his tongue swirling around her sex and she keened into the night, legs shaking around his head. “Bulma, you are my queen.”