So, that dragon doctor we've all gotten to see and know…though not a lot. Goro has not really had an arc centred on her and I think she's due for one soon, if only because of the identity issues she faces.

Let's face it, she's had a strength loss, an endurance loss and a change of gender. All of these in concert, taken together, and she's pissed. Pissed at the world, pissed at the circumstances that led to her present predicament, pissed at her friends for getting her in these circumstances (as well as being pissed at their attempts to help her that aren't helping (it's not rational, but what can you do?) ), and pissed at herself for being pissed at everybody and everything else. Add it all up and she's pissed…to…five or six degrees or something - I don't know, I'm too lazy to count. She's angry and doesn't know where to place it, and so it's slipping into her daily interactions and anywhere else where there's room.

In short, Goro has anger issues and it's affecting her daily life.

Identity is something fundamental to a person. It's vital to one's mental health, and it motivates people in a profound way. People will literally die for identity, whether to preserve it or as an act in service to it. It's not surprising that it's affecting everything about her.

This is something that no one can solve for her. Pointing out the consistencies between her previous identity and her current identity won't resolve the issues, because it's the differences that are causing the issues in the first place. It's like handing a sieve to someone who needs a rain jacket…it won't keep water off that person's head, or stop the rain in any way. It's completely useless.

To resolve this, she needs to either find a way to accept her present identity or find a way to change herself in a way that gives her an acceptable identity. Pointing out that she's still a great surgeon won't change the fact that she's unsure about everything else. She needs to reconcile her old and new identities, but she doesn't exactly HAVE a new identity, so she needs to define that first.

It should also be noted that she wouldn't be having issues in the first place if the changes to her identity were on minor issues. Obviously, strength, endurance and masculinity are defining characteristics of her identity.

Here I run out of ideas. How do you change your identity when it's partly premised on strength, endurance and masculinity, and you've had your strength and endurance sapped and your gender switched?

I really have no idea how to answer that question.


So, despite this whole long-winded post, I haven't managed to answer my own question…I guess that's what this forum is for? Either way, I hope I managed to get somewhere with this…I'm not certain I got anywhere with my line of reasoning. :dizzy:

Excellently put, Tssha. You put a lot of thought into this. Ultimately, yes, resolving the issue lies within Goro herself and the others can't force it. Goro put a lot of time and effort into maintaining a body that isn't there any more and thus, has been deeply hurt by this in a way that the others weren't. Thorny situation, to be sure.