The Death of Originality
by "Ridureyu"

Originally Posted: 20 March 2000

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Is originality dead? As far as DBZ fanfic goes, it certainly seems that way.

Now, before you begin flaming me with your threatening e-mails, please hear me out. This is a very serious question among all those who write ANY fiction, DBZ or not! If all plots and characters in every new fic remain the same, then there simply will be no new fics! I'm not necessarily telling you to use only new characters, since those stories tend to be unimaginative, but I'm asking you to choose more wisely the characters and plot ideas that you DO use. You really have to put a lot of thought into this before you ever let your pen hit the paper! (or your fingers hit the keyboard)

The only problem with this is that no one wants to read a new idea, and thus the vicious cycle begins.

If we choose to include obscure characters in our fanfics, or add original characters who are not Saiya-jin or Changelings or Nameks, how much does the fanfic's popularity suffer from our decision? A lot, that's what. I once conducted a poll asking if it was okay to include Movie characters in your fanfics. I received a resounding "NO!" until i explained that mine consists almost ENTIRELY of movie characters! None of those people had realized that, because the story was so creative!

Now, I don't mean to say that the stories themselves suffer, after all a good story can come from anything. What I mean is, how many people will skip the fanfic because it's not about Vegeta, or Gokou, or Mirai no Trunks?

How many sites that we submit our fanfics to will decide that it's not "Quality Reading" just because it does not star Goten?

How many times will our perfectly good DBZ-fics be upstaged by another run-of-the-mill Vegeta-and-Bulma Citrus fic?

Or, for that matter, a Mirai no Trunks alternate universe fic in which the exact same thing happens each time? (Androids resurrect themselves. Trunks falls in love with 18. Somehow they bring back Vegeta. 17 dies. Much drama and sex. Trunks is declared awesome prince of the Saiya-jin).

Then we have the famous Alternate-Universe-Planet-Vegeta-Still-Exists fic? (Of which mine is one of them;-)

Anyone with have a brain has to admit that sadly, all of this is true. And the same thing seems to have infected all of the fanfics starring new characters, too. A lack of imagination runs like a cancer these days.

Tell me, my friends in the DBZ community, how many fanfics have you read that star: Gokou's descendant. (After four hundred years the Saiya-jin bloodline still flows strongly enough to give him a tail and make him go SSJ4!)

Freeza's sister (Or Brother. Or Cousin. Does it really matter?)

A female Saiya-jin with more power than anything else in existence. (She often resembles the author in more ways than coincidence allows, and gets to screw Vegeta but good).

Dr. Gero's Cousin! (Or Brother. Either way, they clone the Z warriors)

A new Artificial Human (#21, perhaps?)

A mysterious evil Saiya-jin who looks like Gokou. (Hiya, Taurus! Glad to see you again!)

The very first Super Saiya-jin? (Who somehow is a nice guy)

Or, my personal favourite: The OTHER Saiya-jin who survived Planet Vegeta's destruction, is named after the author, looks and acts like the author, and is more powerful than anyone else? (*cough* Mary Sue! *cough*)

Sometimes you guys come up with plots that make FUnimation's changed lines in the dub look good!

I could go on like this forever, but I think you get the picture.

The point is, I wonder exactly what this Mysterious Force is that makes it wrong to include characters like Zarbon, Paikuuhan, Super Android 13, Janenba, Tapion, Kaioushin, Bojack, Kuririn, Broli, Paragus, Slug, Dr. Willow, Garlic Jr, The Ginyu Force, Babidi, Mr. Buu (not Uubu), Mr. Satan, Darbura, King Cold, Coola, Android 15, Dai Kaiou, and all the rest?

As you can clearly see, Dragonball Z is FULL of characters- but why does it sometimes seem as if there are only five real characters in all of DB/Z/GT: Gokou, Gohan, Goten, Vegeta, Mirai no Trunks?

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