Excerpt - Character Study & Introspection | Trunks (1054 words)
Source: Legend & Legacy: Book One | Chapter 15
Context: Inspired by actual GT Trunks - an introspective take on why he wears brown gloves, bandana and glasses as part of his trademark outfit.
Trunks did not have too many attachments to material things, but when it came to his gloves - those were one of his favorite things. He considered them a part of his personal brand. He wore them everywhere he could get away with it. He acknowledged that it might have been an eccentric quality of his, but the gloves were important to him.
He had received his gloves as a gift from his grandfather during his last Holiday before he died from his lung cancer, so they carried tremendous nostalgic value for the past almost-three years. But what Trunks valued even more was their utility.
The gloves were made with tanned Tyrano dino-leather from the southern continent, so they were extra durable and able to sustain high heat, and yet they were soft and thin enough that he could tangibly handle and feel objects as if through a second skin. On top of that, they were also very breathable; his hands never sweat when he wore them.Â
Trunks admittedly liked how they felt on his hands so much, that he was often guilty of wearing them to bed, falling asleep feeling comfortable, with his hands swaddled in his favorite material.
The best part is how nimble his fingers could still be while wearing his gloves. His anti-static finger pads were as thin as silk, and ever so slightly magnetic, so he could expedite his mechanical work by easily aligning screws with pilot holes.Â
Some extra perks about his gloves included his ability to use them on his phone screen, and he could program a chip within the wrist to act as a wireless credit card chip, so payment was always an easy tap away.
He also had ideas for how else he could modify his gloves, especially since there was a lot of potential to incorporate artificial intelligence, and spatial recognition. From what he could see, the possibilities were endless.
Overall, it was difficult for him to word why he loved his gloves so much, because there just was so much to the answer that his response would be jumbled, and it was easier to just shrug and say he âliked dino-leather.â That response always satisfied people, so it was good enough.
Trunks slid his dino-gloves on, and smiled at the familiar and snug feeling. He took a breath, and then he set out to focus on his work.
When Trunks sat down to work, he tended to disassociate his mind from his body. When he got into a âzone,â he worked mainly with his instinct. He found that if he just relied on his instinct, he could do godly creative work with limited mechanical resources.
When people would ask him about his work process, he could only describe it as channeling his work through a flow state. He often got into a focus zone, with his head somewhere in Other World clouds, and when heâd come out of his trance, he wouldnât even know what he did; his work was derived from an extended daydream. It was as if his body just knew how to do it, like he could make his own wishes come true by building it.
He wondered, for a moment, if his daydream flow state was similar to how Goku had a tendency to lose track of time. Perhaps relying on Instinct might be a Saiyan trait after allâŚ
Regardless, he often worked in a flow state. And, when he focused, Trunks preferred the sound of silence.Â
Trunks sat down in his office chair to review the status of Giruâs repair. Scrutinizing Giruâs motherboard, Trunks could see that the little robotâs wires were fairly small and compacted. It helped to view them with magnifying lenses.Â
Reaching over to his first right drawer, he pulled his work glasses out from a tan leather case.
He rested the thick black frames on his nose, and adjusted them.
He liked his ânerd glasses.â He didnât care that Pan heckled him about them. He had his own reasons for liking them, and he felt empowered every time Pan called him a nerd. He loved the positive affirmation that his outfit was right-smack on brand.
When it came to Trunksâ eyesight, he had nearly perfect vision. He didnât need his glasses to see, so he wore them for the frame aesthetic. The glasses came with a bonus magnifying prescription at the base of his lenses to help him read fine details on his watch screen. But what he loved most of all was how the lenses and frames acted as a great buffer between his face and the rest of the world.
He found that when he wore his glasses, people tended to act a little more normal within the work environment. He didnât get as many ogles or distracting glances from women, and men were generally more accepting of his authority.
He was happiest when his face was not on display in public. He didnât like when people looked at him.
He didnât want people to look at his face. His face was not his choice.
He didnât want the spotlight. And he hated how his face always put him into one.
He wanted to work behind the scenes - to direct his talented engineers, instead of being featured on the screen and giving Tech Talks to the world. He wanted to do what his Grandpa Brief did when he started out, or what Dr. Hedo was doing now - and just research and publish articles, to win Nobel prizes.
But his face got in the way of his dreams. And he couldnât see what others even saw in his face. When he looked in the mirror, he just saw himself; and he saw all of his flaws.Â
He never wanted to look long at his face. Whenever he did, he felt emotions swell from his past that he did not want to relive. His face was a sensitive issue for him, and he felt as Pan felt in the reflection room - fearing to be naked, when out in the world.
He felt he had armor when he wore his glasses. They were his helmet. His gloves were his shield. His bandana was his battle flag.Â
His glasses made him feel safer, in a period of his life when he had a hard time feeling safe.Â
