Somewhat of a chronic work in progress --- my "rewrite-style" AU take on Dragon Ball and all of its ins-and-outs. Not meant to be "better than the original" even if it does do things that I personally prefer in some cases. More of a Dragon Ball-themed sandbox for me to throw around various ideas for the power system, characters, and story arcs while having it all contained in one cohesive narrative.
Ah, Dragon Ball. The fixation that had a fucking vice grip on me all the way from 2010 to pretty much this very day.
I discovered this particular series as a kid doing what most kids did: trying to avoid having to clean my room. Instead I was watching Nick, and wouldn't you know it I happened to be watching at the exact moment that the first episode of Dragon Ball Z Kai aired. I'm honestly not sure what it was that hooked me so immediately, but suddenly all of my childhood favorites (Suite Life, SpongeBob, Hannah Montannah, etc.) couldn't even begin to compare to my new favorite show.
Dragon Ball became my life, in a way. I looked up clips of Dragon Ball on YouTube, I played any and every Dragon Ball flash game Newgrounds or AddictingGames had to offer. I figured out how to get to Fanfiction.net on my PSP just so that I could read edgy Gohan fanfictions in bed long after I was supposed to be asleep. It really was the penultimate childhood hyperfixation, except that I kept on fixating on it throughout my teenage years and, eventually, into these early adult years of mine. As of April 7 2024 when I'm writing this, I'm 22!
I learned to draw as a direct result of Dragon Ball, wanting to be able to bring my OCs and their stories to life in more than just text. There was also the whole "wanting to spite my brother" angle, but that's a LONG story. I started drawing back in 2016, and it wasn't long after that I met my current friend group through the middleman of a Dragon Ball art server. Years later, even as I hone my craft, there are still Dragon Ball influences at the core of my style, and frankly I'm unsure if every last one of them will ever fade completely (nor will I mind if they don't.)
There's something oh so fascinating to me about how a simple comedy-action shonen managed to permeate my mind so strongly that I can still sit down and read the manga or watch the anime and enjoy it. The stories told are never insanely deep (as is the fatal flaw of most shonen) and my favorite characters and preference for plots within the series itself have changed vastly over the years, but what hasn't changed is that all along the way in some way/shape/form, I've retained a thorough enjoyment of this series.
It is becuase of this series that I learned to draw and met my friends, and it's the combination of these two factors that led to me pursuing art for long enough to turn it into my job. There's so much of my life that can be credited to being in the right place at the perfect time: sat on the edge of my bed, blankets in hand, as Dragon Soul blared on Nickelodeon for the very first time.
Rest in peace Akira Toriyama. The influence you've had on my life is immeasurable, and I will forever be grateful.