#Firedrakes

[draconesmundi]

Happy Dracones Monday! Firedrakes!

Happy Dracones Monday! This Monday we're looking at four dragon species at once, the firedrakes! Here they are, approximately to scale with eachother.

The glitterdrake is the smallest, the size of a large lizard or small cat. They live in laurel forests on Macaronesian Islands, in the Atlantic near Africa. Glitterdrakes aren't based on mythology; I put them on Macaronesia because I couldn't find Macaronesian dragon mythology but I am trying to put dragons EVERYWHERE on the map. Also, putting these dragons on an archipelago of islands means I can have a lot of island subspecies and colour morphs - glitterdrakes represent colourful fantasy dragons, so having them come in every colour (sapphire blue, ruby red, emerald green, royal purple, burning gold, shining silver etc.) was important to me.

The Welsh dragon is smaller than the other European firedrakes at 1.5 meters. They are no less fierce - there aren't any common firedrakes in Wales as a common firedrake cannot maintain a territory there for long. Originally I had the Welsh dragon as a subspecies of the common firedrake, but decided that this dragon had so much personality and folklore that it could get it's own chapter.

The common firedrake is found in Western Europe, 4m long. When designing these I noticed in a lot of heraldry dragons don't seem to have horns? Ears yes, but hornless? Also I noticed that dragons in heraldry tend to have the dorsal finlets from the back of the head to between their shoulders, but no further, which is something I have kept for all my firedrake species.

The viridian firedrake is the largest firedrake species, over 5m long. They are found in Eastern and Southern Europe, and in Russia. I based their appearance on old storybook illustrations to make them look very 'classic', which is why they have horns and cheek frills compared to the more heraldic and hornless common firedrake.

Rant about the term 'firedrake' under the cut! :)

In other creative works, these are called 'classic dragons', 'European dragons', 'true dragons' and 'Western dragons', but I am not a fan of these terms - 'true dragon' implies other dragons are untrue dragons, which is nonsense. 'Western dragon' or 'European dragon' is largely accurate (the 4 legged 2 winged dragon design is common in Europe and the West) but there are other Western and European dragons (wyrms and wyverns) and I find these terms confusing when other types of dragons are taken into account. Also, some Asian dragons also have 4 legs and 2 wings. 'Classic' dragons... serpentine and wyrmish dragons are more classic than 4 legged 2 winged firebreathers, etc.

I went with 'firedrake' as a term for these dragons because 'drake', 'drachen', 'ddraig', 'drac', 'drak' and 'dreki' are all words for dragons like this in European languages, and because firedrake is a word used in literature like some translations of Beowulf and, of course, Tolkien's Legendarium (firedrake comes from Old English fȳrdraca). I think it's a good word that easily conjures up fire breathing four legged, two winged dragons without making them more 'true' or 'classic' than other dragon types or tying them specifically to 'European' and 'Western' countries.

In Dracones Mundi I really try to get a huge diversity of dragons across to the readers. There are around 68 dragon species in this project, only 4 of which are firedrakes. I want to show readers there is more to dragon mythology than "here is a western dragon, they are evil and associated with fire, here is an eastern dragon, they are good and associated with water" - I want to dig deeper. I want people to know about azhdarha, about cuélebres, about coameh. So I'm shining the spotlight away from these firedrakes and trying to make them a small part of a much larger discussion. :)

[tagedeszorns]

Captured, beat-up Tsu'gan still being the appropriate amount of sassy

These books are such a treat to read.

Also, the mutated Dragon Warriors are very cool.

[dwollsadventures]

Drake (Medieval)

While not the largest, certainly the most impressive-looking of the monsters labeled dragons. Almost all drakes possess two uniting factors: wings with which to fly and a strong hoarding instinct. From birth they develop a compulsion to collect and secret away gold, silver, and precious stones. Unlike drakons, they are not appointed to this task by a divine patron, quite the opposite in fact. Drakes are associated with unholy powers and the dead. While they can reproduce naturally, some drakes are born inorganically, rising from the fallen dead during war, or are a product of metamorphosis. Whatever their origin, drakes guard their treasures with their very lives. Barrow tombs, natural caves, and dungeons are common spots for drakes to hide their hoards. At rest they will drape themselves over the metallic hoard. Talking drakes report that the feeling is similar to sun-bathing in lesser reptiles. When the drake needs to hunt, defend its territory, or add to its hoard, it flies through the sky in a golden splendor. Firedrakes cover themselves in flames as a sign to rivals to back off. Unfortunately, this flaming banner is also a signal to treasure hunters. Keen eyes can spot where a drake has hidden its hoard by watching where the fiery beast enters the sky. Drakes protect their unguarded hoards in a few ways. Some hide them in dangerous or forsaken areas, like dungeons and tombs. Others press lesser monsters into their service as guardians. And still others will use enchantments to ruin a treasure hunter’s luck. Each one is different, but here are a few documented cases: treasure sinking into the ground if the thief laughs, treasure sinking the more it’s pulled from the ground, glamor to disguise common rocks as the hoard, and a tracking charm to let the drake know where exactly the thief has gone off to. 

-Habitat: Moors, barrows, caves, dungeons

-Slayer Tips: Dragon fire is hot, but still fire. Insulation or suffocation can nullify their flames. Nothing can nullify their great strength, however. 

--

The last monster of the dungeon habitat! The drake is an amalgamation of medieval dragon legends and folklore from Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia. It's the first but certainly not the last dragon we'll be documenting. Before next week's entry I'll reveal the next habitat.

[paleanimation]

Firedrake the Silver Dragon (2020) dir. Tomer Eshed + Grey by @fivepointpalettes

The day the Rim of Heaven is discovered, silver will be worth more than gold.

[rainbillcipher]

If you ever wonder what Bex and I get up to, here's a hint. Some creatures called Koa'nesk (a sentient race of alien water dragons from her story world) found themselves trapped in Gravity Falls due to some wild portals. They took up residence in the lake, scaring locals away from a nest of their eggs.

Bex discovered them via some tricks she knows of them and introduced them to Ford and Dipper, then to the rest of the Pines. Ford was fascinated.

Also that other dragonic character is Quidel--a firedrake from the same world. He's one of Bex's characters and he was helping the koa'nesk protect themselves. Apparently he and Ford have met before.

[bloodsbane]

SORREL THE BROWNIE I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU

[darlingnemesis]

OKAY FUCK DRAGON ZORO SUPERIORITY????

[joshuasumter]

Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 

SYNOPSIS: When creative and autistic Joshua Sumter teams up with orphan-turned-heroine/warrior princess Adora, Etheria will never be the same! But together, they just might save the universe. Think you know the story of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power? Well, think again because Etheria will never be the same as Joshua Sumter stars (and returns) in his latest self-insert, Isekai-turned-multiversal, retelling epic that not only flips the script on the hit animated reboot from DreamWorks and Netflix by ND Stevenson to reimagine and change the events of the show...but also spans across the wild, the wacky, the scary, the magical, the mythical, and sometimes very mature worlds and universes of the Netflix-verse, a multiverse featuring your fan-favorite Netflix shows and movies. Based on the hit animated She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series and in the tradition of Space Jam (1996), it's an Isekai-turned-multiversal, dimension-spanning epic that reimagines the narrative of the show -- with the inclusion of Joshua Sumter as an unlikely, live-action hero who finds himself on a strange, animated world and beyond that is familiar but slightly changed.

Life was carefree for creative and autistic Joshua Sumter (That would be me) of Earth (Our universe, the real world) as he was enjoying yet another typical, relaxing day and cozy life eating food, reading media tie-in books and comic books, and writing fanfics. Everything was perfectly normal...that is, until he lands smack-dab into the war-torn planet that is oddly familiar but yet slightly changed. It is the planet of Etheria, the world and universe of the hit animated reboot series from Netflix and DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, where an ongoing, full-blown war ensues and rages on between the princess-led Rebellion that wants to maintain peace and harmony for all of Etheria and the dreaded Horde that wants to conquer the planet in the name of its leader, Hordak.

At first, Joshua believes under the impression that everything going on is all just a dream of himself being in a reinterpretation of the rebooted TV series from the 80s as a full-fledged guest star, taking the first steps of his very own Isekai adventure when he bumps into Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, hangs out with them, and unknowingly accepting the full invitation to join in on the fray as a feature of his dream (All the way from Season 1 to the Battle of Bright Moon). But Joshua's enthusiasm falls flat when he quickly gets wrapped up in some very serious stuff during that experience, letting his newly found zany antics and madcap-style wits guide his ideas and actions enough to make Joshua fully consider the oddest possibility...that this ISN'T a dream after all.

Not only that, but the soul and consciousness of the previous She-Ra, Mara, resides in Joshua's body, along with all her past memories, allowing her to control his body as the two experienced many battles as possible in order to increase their combined strength. This transferal-like link allows both Joshua and Mara to communicate with each other, as if living in their shared mind, providing guidance and advice. When Mara manifests in the physical world as a corporeal spirit in her ethereal appearance and bluish glow, only Joshua can see her. Despite this unexpected turn of events, Joshua and Mara formed a cooperative relationship, much to Joshua's little shock and ire of Mara living inside him*. (*Similar to the term 'Emblems' from Fire Emblem: Engage; the Soul transferal from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the Soul Link System from Dragon Ball FighterZ; Jaden/Yubel's relationship from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX; Byleth and Sothis from Fire Emblem: Three Houses; and Yuma and Astral's friendship from Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal in the trope of "Symbiotic Possession", "Fusion Dance", "Sharing A Body", and "Romantic Fusion")

Now forced into a whole, new universe, surrounded by characters he now considers his new Etheria pals, having the soul of Mara living inside him, and being completely aware that he's starring in his very own self-insert retelling of the animated show while helping Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and more allies like Perfuma, Mermista, Frosta, Sea Hawk, Spinnerella, and Netossa in their fight against the Horde, Joshua decides to flip the script on the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series to make some changes around here his own way by reimaging and changing events of the show that'll help turn things around for the future of Etheria and Adora's destiny...sort of.

As Joshua continues to influence the characters with his twisted action makajalaka of awesomeness in the form of a hard-hitting baseball bat that acts as his holy-sword-like weapon, his sense of imagination, his Official Handbook-level knowledge and more while imagining his fights in the style of the Persona 4 Arena games, Adora and her friends can't help wonder about what they make of Joshua and his bizarre, other-worldly perspective and shenanigans, not to mention how he fights like an entirely different person, courtesy of Mara's soul possessing him.

Along the way, Joshua later gets into numerous comedic adventures across the Netflix-Verse, a shared crossover multiverse of worlds and universes based on and inspired by your favorite Netflix shows and movies.

But when things in Etheria got a little too serious and with the help of the soul and consciousness of Mara, along with the animated worlds of the Netflix-Verse, will Joshua be able to beat the odds by letting loose the looniness and wreaking some hilarious mayhem in the process to help his new Etheria pals Adora, Glimmer, Bow, the Princess Alliance, and the Rebellion out of a real jam by saving the world his own way from a much, bigger threat than the Horde?

Based on and inspired by the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series by ND Stevenson and featuring the worlds of your favorite Netflix shows and movies such as "The Cuphead Show", "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Dragon Prince", "Tiger & Bunny", "We Can Be Heroes", "Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale", "The Sea Beast", "Maya and the Three", "Nimona", "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous", "Dragon Age: Absolution" and much more, be prepared for a block-busting, hard-partying, mind-blowing, world-hopping, fourth-wall-breaking, live-action/animation mayhem in this self-inserting tale that spans both our world and theirs. DISCLAIMER: In the tradition and style of Space Jam (1996) meets Epic (2013), the Kingdom Hearts series, Gwenpool, and other Isekai tropes, Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power basically reimagines and changes the narrative of the show (Seasons 1-5), but with the inclusion of, yours truly, Joshua Sumter, and new twists and different outcomes inspired by some of the She-Ra and the Princess of Power fan fictions than the ones in the actual show for "anyone who wants to enjoy an entirely, different story with some few changes".

The Netflix-Verse, as the name implies, is a shared multiverse of worlds and universes that are mostly based on, inspired by, and from your favorite Netflix shows and movies in the tradition of Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!, Sonic Prime, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and the Kingdom Hearts series. The main hub of the Netflix-Verse is a vast expanse of space between that resembles Netflix's home menu, composed and surrounded by posters that served as gateways to these worlds. From the wild, the wacky, the scary to the magical, the mythical, the epic and sometimes very mature, it's a dimension-spanning epic into these Netflix-based worlds.

Inspiration and allusions from...

Space Jam (1996) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) – Just like how Michael Jordan and Lebron James are live-action superstars entering a spectacular animated world and teaming up with the Looney Tunes in their two movies, Joshua Sumter (That would be me) does the same as he gets forced into the animated world of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power to help Adora and her friends in the princess-led Rebellion in their ongoing war against the dreaded Horde.

Epic (2013) – M.K. is a teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil is taking place. In similarity, Joshua is a grown, autistic young man who finds himself transported to a war-torn planet based on a rebooted TV series from the 80s.

Kanji Tatsumi’s storyline from Persona 4: Arena – In Persona 4: Arena, Kanji Tatsumi still thinks that everything in the entire P1-Grand Prix tournament is all a dream until he eventually finds out it is in fact not, so when Joshua first lands smack-dab in Etheria, he believes that his experience in Etheria from Season 1 to the Battle of Bright Moon is all a reinterpretation/Isekai adventure dream, that is…until he eventually later finds out that it’s not a dream when he reaches the first episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’s Season 2.

Kingdom Hearts and PowerPuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! – The Kingdom Hearts franchise features Disney-based worlds and how Sora embarks on an epic journey across the multiverse and encounters Disney and Final Fantasy characters in their respective worlds and helps them while the Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! comic crossover mini-series is a dimension-spanning epic inspired by Batman: The Brave and the Bold where Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup visit other Cartoon Network universes. In Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Joshua did the same thing - this time, it features worlds and universes that are mostly based on and inspired by your favorite Netflix shows and movies. In actuality, the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power world Joshua was first isekai-ed into was one of the Netflix-based worlds in the Netflix-Verse, so he then later goes on a world-hopping journey across the Netflix-Verse and encounters main characters in their respective worlds like The Cuphead Show, Green Eggs and Ham, The Dragon Prince, Tiger & Bunny, We Can Be Heroes, Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale, The Sea Beast, Maya and the Three, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, Nimona, Firedrake: The Silver Dragon, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Dragon Age Absolution and helps them out.

[git-it]

Based on Jason by @fivetailed

[magicae-est-realis]

Fire-drake design from 'Of Dwobbits, Dragons and Dwarves' by Iseefire- of the best fics I have ever read!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1579232/chapters/3626882

[draconesmundi]

I haven't finished Dracones Mundi but I sometimes print out sections of it to test the layout. Here is a Dracones Mundi Firedrake (made by @barksbog ) reading a Dracones Mundi prototype!

[your-fave-is-christian]

Firedrake from Dragon rider by Cornelia Funke, please? God bless y’all

Firedrake from Dragon Rider is Christian!

[kimnowls]

Smaugust day 1: "From a Book"

It's Firedrake from "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke. Thanks to @pencilcat for the prompts. I'm really excited for a new drawing challenge.

[sigismundsghost]

Firedrakes

[animatedcartoonfan1993]

Check out this heartwarming gif set from my favorite movie, "Dragon Rider" aka "Firedrake The Silver Dragon!"

[samdragons-official-art]

Day 2: From a book

Progress pics and more under cut

I had a hard time picking just one dragon from a childhood favorite, so I picked three that impacted me a lot as a kid.

On the far left is the Indigo Dragon, a living ship from the book Here, There Be Dragons. On the right is Firedrake from the book Dragon Rider. And the little green guy is Gadzooks from The Fire Within.

All three books have had a big hand in shaping my childhood, building up the creative mind I have today, and producing a love for dragons that still goes strong today.