#but it was always dragonfly themed

[field-guide-to-mud]

i'd fit all my joys and pleasures in one perfect day

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

some minor worldbuilding for a Thing. i wanted wyverns to be cool bug dragons, and cool bug dragons they shall be. first doodles were the initial concept, the labeled one is the basic idea im settling on

[dandyshucks]

trying to figure out how long i should wait until i just take the dive and go find a locket (perhaps... a beetle locket even,,,) online and cough up the $20+ CAD flat-rate shipping price,,,

i just want a little locket to wear ,,, have a guz picture in it like a sappy fool,,,, BOY HOWDY DO I FEEL SILLY FOR IT THOUGH DHDKDL

[maddascanbe-blog]

What's this? Unifications and Kwami swaps?!?

Part 2 of the unifications

While sometimes I can come up with ideas on what a unified miraculous should look like right away, like with Shadow Moth and Dragonfly, other times I struggle way less when I draw out the characters with Both miraculous first.

Viper Noir was kind of the exception since I very intentionally didn't want it to look like Aspik that much.

But for these designs I really felt it was important to get my designs out on paper first. SO! Let's talk Kwami Swaps and then we'll get to the unifications.

Since Pegasus already exists, I couldn't call Marinette with the horse that, but according to my brief research Arion is the name of one Pegasus form Greek mythology.

Much like with Chloe as Champion I base Marinette's on equestrian uniforms, and I've always treated blue as the horses accent color since that's the color of the Voyage portals. Keep the wings cause it both keeps with the greek theme and they look cute. And some little braids in her hair like some horses have to top off her Pony-tail. Also, assume the glasses are like- attached to the mask.

Lapin Chanceux (Lucky Rabbit) was the first design I did, albeit on paper, to figure out what I was going to do. I wanted to make her look different from both Bunnix's so I dropped the dark blue that I used for them and brought in more white and light blue.

I do like giving the rabbit holders some sort of poof around their hands or feet since it invokes the feel of a rabbits foot. In the Bunnix's it was around their arms, Marinette its her legs. The pom poms by her ears were added after the drawings was initially declared done but their so cute it was EASILY worth it.

Onto the unifications, I've actually redesigned both Pegabug and Pennybug before. And the first Pegabug redesign is actually still up on my youtube channel as a speedpaint. Obviously the designs and my artstyle have changed drastically though.

I cut the brown from the design entirely, instead opting to darken the red greatly. But keeping the white accents which were in both my Ladybug and Arion's designs. I also moved the wings up to her pony-tail both because they slightly resemble horse ears like that, and in preparation for adding the rabbit.

Whenever I unify the Ladybug I cut down on the spots drastically because they can make it feel really cluttered. But I tried to keep them in places that made sense. Alluding to buttons on her coat, the ones at the ends of the stripes down her leg, which I kept from my first design. And giving her spots on her hands, just cause. Also got some shoulder pad action because I wanted to-

And finally Lady Luck. Because Pennybug sounds stupid- I assumed at the time we first saw her that Pennybug wasn't called Lady Luck because they were saving it for if when unified the Ladybug and Cat. But no, that's Bug Noir, which also sounds dumb.

So we're going Lady Luck. Since Horses, Rabbits, and Ladybugs are all associated with good Fortune.

That being said- no one should be allowed to combine 3 miraculous on the sole pretense that they almost always look bad. Pennybug looked bad, Shadow Noir (also stupid name) looked bad, Monarch is his own can of worms, but- well you'll see.

I knew I wanted to more the glasses to the top of Lady Lucks head, just because I was kinda getting sick of the normal glasses. Assume just the lenses are the miraculous and the frame changes for the user. Now they are attached to goggles- not that you can really tell because they have black straps on Marinette's dark hair.

The ear/wings were the only thing I knew some people liked about Pennybug so I kept those, albeit without the black ring around the blue. And add white to the ponytail gradient. White gloves because they looked good, and I almost always give Marinette opera gloves.

She gets a few more smaller spots since the rabbit also uses them. And combine the riding coat with the the- it's not really a shrug but I don't know what to call it? Keep the wide pants because why not, and make the red a darker cool red. The blue could have also been changed to better match the pallet but the vibrant blue is an accent I use on all the miraculous' usually so it got to stay. So long as the suit is red I think it still reads as a Ladybug.

Last thing to note are the eyes. Lady Luck's eye look freaky because she's using three miraculous and probably shouldn't. And Lapin's eye's are pink/red with white pupils because my family actually had californian rabbits at one point and they all looked like that in photo's.

Bonus- here's the doodles I did years ago for Pennybug

and Pegabug

[imthepunchlord]

What's your thoughts about the unifications?

Conceptually, unification works. Honestly, I think it makes sense being able to dual wield Miraculous. Especially working off positive and negative energy/yin-yang.

It works off that theme of balance, having two different energies being able to work together.

But, much like anything in canon, I feel the concept could've gone farther.

Like, I think it'd be neat that unification could lead to animals that don't exist as Miraculous:

Ladybug + any feline creates a Leopard themed hero.

Any bug + any reptile creates a Dragonfly themed hero.

Any reptile + any bird creates a Dragon themed hero.

Any cat + any bird creates a Griffin themed hero.

Horse + Fish could've made a Seahorse themed hero.

Cat + Goat could've made a Chimera themed hero.

Not that they really went that way and just went weird with the naming, combing the names of preexisting heroes instead of letting characters name themselves and working off their own unique personalities. Like, instead of Pegabug, I could've seen Marinette calling herself Appaloosa or if you want to go punny, Appleloosa.

I also think that dual wielding Miraculous shouldn't be that difficult, as pairs are something that always exist, and I can see the body handling matching with two different types of magical energy. Now, wielding more than 2 I can see being set up to take a toll on the body as there's more magical energy to work off of, and the higher you go the more tired you're going to be.

Though I could just be biased as I feel the temporary heroes weren't necessary and Marinette and Adrien could've juts unified with the rest and continue to handle things; I also feel that, post meeting Fu and him able to see that they were trustworthy and dedicated and were able to succeed despite HM having the being an adult edge, they should've gotten a 2nd Miraculous to have full time, not only to help give them a boost, but also allow continued growth.

Ladybug/Tikki did help with Marinette's growth in confidence and being a leader, but there's nothing else TIkki is adding to her growth (which I find it's kinda debatable how much Tikki really added to Marinette's over all growth), but at this time, Ladybug and Tikki just work off this is a responsibility than something for Marinette to grow as a character. And now she's developing an Atlas complex and that anxiety is getting worse with the pressure and expectation of the role and no one there telling Marinette she needs to prioritize and value her own needs and wants. I don't even know if this girl knows how to relax at this point. And that there is the next phase for Marinette's growth. She needs to learn to put down boundaries, to say no, to not involve herself as much, and think about her own needs and wants, cause you can't really help others until you help yourself.

Cat/Plagg was good for Adrien to gain that independence he wants, be more rebellious against his father, and to self-prioritize. But now he prioritizes his wants way too much, doesn't really treat heroing with the seriousness required nor has he stepped up as a leader and equal to Ladybug, and still readily endangers himself, to the point of self-sacrificing. And that's the next phase for his growth, get a Miraculous and kwami that will address those, learn to be more serious in fights, not to say he can no longer be a wisecrack but save the flirting and pranks for night patrols not akuma fights, step up as a leader and truly share that burden, which would've helped his partner rely on him more and trust his capability more, and address that self-sacrificing. Either learn to be more cautious or think a little bit more before acting. Like, great, you saved your partner by sacrificing yourself, but you also left her alone to deal with things, and what if the fight went poorly because she was alone, and she fails, and that sacrifice was pointless. I don't know how many more times he did so, but man it needed to be addressed.

Another factor is that unification could've been extra interesting in that combing Miraculous could've created new powers through the combination of preexisting powers.

Like Shelter + Venom could've created Shell Shock, where hitting the shield would shock and stun a target.

Shelter + Cataclysm or Clout could've made Bombshell, put up a protective dome and it sends out a destructive blast or shock wave around you.

Mirage + Cataclysm could've made Nightmare, where the illusion creates someone's worst fears.

Second Chance + Cataclysm could've made Hissterics, getting a target to live in the worst timeline.

Time travel could've existed as a unification power through combining Horse and Snake/Rabbit, if the latter still has a time power.

Though neat an idea it is, it is something that would work better with fewer Miraculous, as 19 that canon has is a lot of powers to think of possibly combining. That is 361 matches to think about and how they make a new power. And now that I got 35 I won't be doing the concept either, even more so as I'm going with Miraculous having 2 powers to offer.

So unification is a neat concept, but I think it could've gone further if they were more creative. Definitely prefer it to the potions.

[shiroisotto64]

May I request some HCs on Mammon dating/courting a curvy/thick Dragonfly reader that's one of his clown themed idols

(If you can do both sfw and nsfw to fit into one that'd be great! Cheers <3)

From the moment he laid eyes on you he knew he’d wanted you. And it was easier once you’d joined his circus. Mammon never held back a sexually explicit “joke” and he’d knew you’d catch on sooner or later.

His eyes couldn’t help but always trail your form especially in your jester get up. He thinks you look in his words “Blood hot!” Fizz would just stand around awkwardly when he was around to witness this.

Mammon was NOT one to spend his money or give it away..so imagine your surprise when you found a package in your room with his name on it. You’d opened it and guess what it was? He got you a collar with his name on it and lingerie…

He came back around to see you in it to. And when it came down to business he’s so touchy and demanding yet..lazy! Who’s shocked? 🧍🏽‍♀️ he’s the type to sit back and have you do all the work.

Be lucky he got you anything in the first place . But while you’re on top he’ll grope and tug at you while spilling out filthy atrocities.

And he’s going to sleep after he gets his fill btw but have fun. 😕

[tai-janai]

yaay all the reunite monsters + design analysis :3

cw funky body horror, some dark themes, a bit of eye contact, blood

The Wire: Now has a grasp on everything, and doesn't have to bother with having only one mouth. One can keep on chanting forever, isn't that so nice and easy ^^. He is also grounded and quite stubborn, and is intimidating enough on his own, he did want to be kind of scary. Only one eye because why would he need to focus on more than one at a time ?

The Temp: Still, empty,and emotionless, completely numb. the knife is a part of him, but is only used for self harm. the only part of him that shows any emotion is the wings of tears, which are turned into something useful, and obscures the rest of his face.

The Pit: Like before, the rootedness is unmovable stubbornness. He has repeatedly torn himself apart and haphazardly sewn himself back together with his own sinew. within him there is a firey glow, but all he knows is to try and try again.

The Flora: so cute little guy :3 but also demonic with horns and goat legs. his cloak hides his true intentions, and his big eyes not only analyze but make him seem endearing and approachable. dragonfly wings because he is little fairy heehee

The Now: Dusty motherfucker, seemingly soulless as his only spot of life is the shimmering ribbons he's draped across himself. he's tried every thing and done it in every body. no point in being too extreme with the changes at this point, he just wants to be comfortable. Conty has never been able to exist on his own, so he has his extensions, which are the dust devils.

The Tip: oouughhh religious imagery.... Serpentine, like the tempter of the forbidden fruit. haloed, like an angel that knows What Comes Next. there are more chains but theyre annoying to draw so this is it. completely incalculable. he takes up Everything, so that he Knows everything.

The Sea: a wooden marionette, puppeteered by the basement chain, completely free of agency. As long as he doesn't have to do anything himself, he is happy. wooden, meaning once alive. hollow, meaning empty.

The Bell: the first step of a statue is wax. was once a brilliant figure, but melted to be molded and shaped for You. there is a bony skull beneath the cloak of flowers, hidden away so that you will love him. he offers his heart despite him believing that you have hurt him. his flowers fall every moment he fears you. he melts every moment the trust between you is broken.

The Thing: kitty :3. long and silent; claws and paws are too loud. only eat that which keeps you alive; nothing more. Two eyes for looking, being predator and prey. A third that never blinks, to always be aware. a shining blade attached to a tail; a tool and a weapon. watching his back.

The Scale: Shattered pieces of metal-glass, made to kill but not survive. a heart within sight, only behind a thin sheet of the material. A glass canon. destructive to others as much as itself.

Omnia Praeter Mortem: Everything but death. (If You had chosen to Reunite) (The Boys aint too happy about it. but it's okay, they will be.)

[andiftheycare]

hello, what made you to like and ship satosugu? I love satosugu so much

I see you. I love them so much and they’re giving me so much joy.

So. There were a couple of things that made me go “oh,”

And I think these are just… very basic? I’m so sorry I’m going to be boring 🥹

- Hidden Inventory, the KFC break up. Iconic, incredible, heartbreaking. Up until that moment I was jokingly shipping them. Then I watched the KFC break up, and thought that Gojo wasn’t the most emotional character. Or rather: they show him happy and joking around and angry, but they never show him losing his composure until that moment. And with losing his composure I mean something different than, e.g. when he goes feral in Shibuya. It’s one of the few moments where he’s incredibly emotionally vulnerable and it shows. And this was the first moment when I went “okay, so this guy was down badly”

- Shibuya, “My six eyes tell me you’re Geto Suguru but my soul knows otherwise.” This is one of my favourite tropes and again, what can you say, what can you do, if barely hearing your long lost dead lover’s voice makes you stop for long enough to be trapped in the prison realm. What can you do when his voice alone floods you with memories of your youth. What can you do, if you can recognise him by the way he says your name? Nothing. Hence, here it’s when I gave up and opened ao3.

- The JJK official fanbook. There’s a line in there about Geto’s body reacting to Gojo’s words in Shibuya, when he tried to strangle Kenjaku. I don’t have this in English, but in my version it says that the reaction it’s “like a dragonfly that keeps moving after you cut off his head.” And, in my head, there are two layers to this. The first is that Gojo provokes this reaction — “Suguru, are you really letting this thing use your body like that?” - and even if you don’t read it romantically, it says a lot that this ignites the body’s muscle memory, and speaks about the type of character Geto Suguru is. The second, is that, well, protecting your friend is an instinct that stays in your body (not even your soul, geez) after you died and I cannot. I cannot.

There’s more and I can keep going, but these are the key moments that made me ship them. I’m not commenting on the bike scene in the opening because that’s straight out of a BL. Or the fact that the first time I read a stsg fanfic I thought that most of the things mentioned in the fic as canon events were fanon and made for the sake of shipping — when, in fact, where not.

And anon, hope it’s ok - I’m interpreting this question as “things in the show/manga” that made me ship them, rather than adding too much on narrative/themes! Thanks so much for leaving this question in my inbox, I always love to yap about those two 🥹

[toasttt11]

my au’s tattoos

Carter Hughes- C initial on her hip for Connor, has three birds on her hand for her brothers, has a number 8 on the inside of her wrist for her hockey number.

Alexandria Zegras- Olive branches wrapped around her wrist for her green heritage and her middle name olive, had a quote in greek down her spine. A seven behind her ear.

Kensington Hughes- Has a music note that was also her grandmothers favorite note, three butterfly for her brothers, has a matching tattoo with Ryan, Will and Gabe.

Octavia Hughes- Has a sun and Luke has a moon and a L and S initial for Simon, Louie and Luke.

Clementine Bedard- Has one that is a matching one with both of her siblings. Has three dragonflies to represent her and her siblings because growing up their back yard always has them.

Maddox Hughes- Gets a few small ones matching with Trevor.

Grey Thompson- Has a voice memo of her brother’s laugh on her ribs and a L behind her ear for Luke.

Gemma Fantilli- Gets a very dainty word on her wrist in Italian and a matching one with her brothers.

Livia Drysdale- Has a outline of two plants on her rib cage and she gets a small W on the inside of her arm by her elbow

Viola Hughes- She has a few that she got just because she likes them and thought they were cute and has a few butterflies around her wrist for her family

Phoenix Zegras- Has quite a lot of tattoos and has a full sleeve on his arm, he has a few tattoos that are greek themed, a couple matching with trevor and gets JD close to his heart

Willa Smith- Gets her boys name written out fully in cursive and is on the outside of her arm

Sebastian Boldy- Gets a L on his v-line, he gets daisy’s paw on his wrist. he also gets quite a few scattered across his arms and shoulders that Luke loves to trace.

Julianna Hughes- gets all of her brothers, parents, best friend and luca’s birthday flower in a bouquet on her wrist, has a matching lighting bolt with her best friend, has luca write i love you and gets it tattooed.

Asher Leonard- doesn’t have much but ryan and asher have a matching L for their last name on his bicep and he gets i love you in french and done in cursive and it was written by Gabe

Lucia Hughes- Gets a 6 on her wrist for her family’s number and John’s number.

Oscar Bedard- Has his siblings initials on his upper arm and gets Jack’s name written on his ring finger where he fiddles the most and if his wedding ring isn’t on the tattoo is still there.

Remington Zegras- has quite a few scattered across his arms and upper body they are all greek theme and he has one he has matching with trevor

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

wibta if i showed up to someone's house unannounced to get closure?

cw: brief s/a mention, kidnapping, stalking but not in detail 

ok, so I (30F) had a years long very close friendship with A (30F) when we were in school. close to us graduating high school, she met K (M, 31) and they started dating. K gave me weird vibes (he made r*** jokes and was kind of a fuckboy) but she liked him so it was whatever.  Fast forward to us graduating high school. I leave the state for a several months and an injury brings me back. A and I are still friends and I find out she broke up with K. She also tells me that when they were dating he s/a'd her while she was drunk (but she "didn't mind/it wasn't r*** cuz she "couldn't feel it and he was gentle"), kidnapped her from a party to "take care of her while she was drunk", and stalked her house. I was very upset and immediately hated this guy. But I also noticed that for some reason she was trying very hard to get him back (ie dressing up like one of his favorite youtubers (who had a very distinct and gimmicky style), dying her hair, just generally being...different). I have to leave the state again. 

I find out later that A and K are dating a year later. I'm infuriated and tell her I don't like him, that the thought of him makes me physically ill (I had undiagnosed anxiety at the time), and how can she date him when he did all those things to her. she tells me that he got therapy and that he's really nice to her now and that she's happy. she also tells me that her mom kicked her out of the house because they were dating (mom didn't like her either). Anyway, I tell A that I love her and that I still want to see her when I visit home / talk to her / etc but the stipulation is that K can't be there because I will probably be physically nauseated the whole time. she tells me i need to respect her dating decisions, but that she'll keep him out of our interactions.

a few years later (we're still talking on an off, but not a ton), i am about to leave the country. i contact her again and apologize for not respecting her decisions and that i was only reacting to the things she told me about him. she says it's okay. fast forward i leave the country, have to reset my phone, and in the process lose her number. i try to contact her a few times via facebook but she doesn't answer me. several months go by, nothing. i get the "read by" message though, so i know she's on facebook. i also find out that she and K had a "picturesque" fairytale theme wedding and i can only look at one picture before getting sick to my stomach again. i decide to cut my losses and let the friendship be over. 

here's where the stupid thing starts. since we stopped talking, i've had at least 10 dreams a year about her. i've gotten therapy (not for this situation specifically but i've talked about it in therapy), written/torn up a symbolic "letter" to her, blocked her on all my socials, made good friends, gotten married to a loving spouse (who is my best friend!), have a job i love, and am pretty happy now. and really don't think of A anymore. but for some reason, the dreams persist and make me very frustrated. they're always about us rekindling our friendship or me apologizing to her about things. i've tried ignoring the dreams, accept that they're just my subconscious processing things, accept that the subconscious is just being fuckin weird, etc. i've basically moved on from this whole situation except for these god damn dreams. 

now here's where i might be the asshole. i looked her up online because the dreams were driving me crazy. it doesn't have her cell number but it does have a new address that might belong to her. i'm going to my home state next month. i haven't talked to her since 2017. aita if i showed up to her house unannounced to verify with my own eyes that she's okay and happy and maybe get closure? if that's even what i need? is there a better way to stop having these dreams?  

please tag as "dragonfly" so i can find the post later. thank you in advance to anyone with advice. 

What are these acronyms?

[adobe-outdesign]

asking with big puppy dog eyes

have you done le masquerain line?

Surskit! What a cute little thing. It's based off of a water strider, just with a much rounder body. The long legs and the walking on water thing make that much pretty obvious, and while it doesn't have much of a theme beyond that, the markings under its eyes hint at it evolution's theme.

Visually, Surskit is super simple, having very little detail beyond those long legs, which do most of the work in the design. The horn is interesting, though I'm not sure if I like the yellow color or the fact that it looks like hair—I think removing the lines from the bottom and making it a pale blue to match Masquerain's colors would've looked a bit better.

I also think that the pink markings vibrate in a pretty nasty way against the blue base. I like the blue and the pink is needed to match Masquerain, so maybe doing a lighter blue for the body and a pink for the horn would've been the way to go.

Color squabbles aside though, I do like it. Nothing fancy or all that memorable, but it's cute and has a unique inspiration behind it.

For some reason I've seen a fair amount of Masquerain dislike online, which surprises me, as I've always really liked it. I guess it's just because it swaps out bug/water for the much more generic bug/flying, but the design itself is pretty neat. The antennae working as a pair of false eyespots to scare away predators is accurate to many IRL insects, and they're incredibly striking.

I also like it because it's pretty recognizable as a bug, but it's completely abstract in terms of what kind of bug. It's Japanese name and eyespots suggest its based on a moth, but its water-based habitat and ability to fly sideways suggests dragonfly, while its body shape doesn't really look like any actual insect. I like a good abstract monster design like that.

Visually, it doesn't have a ton in common with Surskit, but they do have the same eyes, round head, and horn, which is enough to at least make them somewhat similar. The pink antennae really stand out against the pale body, and the additional pink on the face helps balance things. I do wonder if the wings should've been more round in shape, as they're the only angular part of the design, but otherwise I honestly like everything that's happening here.

I think that if the line could use something, it would be another evolution or something mega-adjacent. There's nothing wrong with the base line, but it is only a two-stager and isn't super crazy enough to stand out relative to a lot of other 'mons. I feel like there's a lot of potential with these guys. For example, here's a particularly great mega design from Reddit:

But regardless, overall, this is a fine line. The water strider theme is unique and Surskit is cute, while Masquerain is pretty memorable with its more ambiguous design and eyespots. As a bug lover, I like them both.

[blueratgrmln]

The song "Lavender Forever" by Jake Wesley Rogers makes me so happy; it is a beautiful piece by itself that I play on repeat. But of course, I can't shut off my Sonic Nerd brain, and I will always think of connections to Sonic characters in everything I consume daily, especially when a song feels like a character theme. And this song feels very much like a Sonadow song to me. In my head, it paints me a sweet picture of Shadow's perspective about Sonic.

The "Lavender Forever" instrumental is whimsical and calm but also a bit bouncy, which reminds me of Sonic's sunny, chill, and life-loving energy. The fluttery piano melody/runs in the song remind me of the "His World" motif showcased heavily by the strings section in the Sonic 06 soundtrack. Windy, playful, ready for new adventures. Considering these vibes and similarities for the Sonadow theme, I like to think that the "Lavender Forever" instrumental, which heavily clashes with Shadow's canon gritty rock themes, can be a representation that Sonic is on Shadow's mind and he can't shake him out. The following is a little story tidbit that plays in my head when listening to the song:

Shadow secretly admires the fierce ray of sunshine that Sonic is, admitting he can't help but be pulled in by the compassionate yet wild force of nature that he is. While they competitively spar, having differing approaches and different personalities, Shadow allows himself to feel comforted by the curious, sweet and warm acceptance that Sonic radiates just by being himself...which then makes Shadow realize that the missing feeling of wholeness in his life is remedied when Sonic is by his side (IMO could be either platonic, romantic, or QPR vibes depending on how you interpret the term "lover", or if you ignore the word).

Lavender Forever by Jake Wesley Rogers

LYRICS that remind me of Sonadow

(VERSE 1)

Lord of summer

Looking like a stray stream of light

You're my lover

Walk the plank, dragonfly

(PRE-CHORUS)

I was born and bred in flowers

Someone stole my superpowers

Sun-kissed in my darkest hour

I realized I've been

(CHORUS)

Lavender forever, hummingbird weather

Sticky, sticky fingers for life

Lavender forever, kiss it 'til it's better

Sticky, sticky fingers alright

(VERSE 2)

Wild, wild rabbit

Hanging up the linens to dry

Wet the pallet

Dewey like grass in the night

(skipping to the BRIDGE)

I was born a lover

I will die that way

I was born a lover

I will die that way

[augustheart]

what is the wrong earth?

the wrong earth is an AHOY! comic created by tom peyer and jamal igle starting in 2019 with semi-regular installments since then. the plot follows dragonflyman, a parody of the campy silver age and adam west batman, and dragonfly, a riff on gritty overly dark modern batman, after they're transported to each other's worlds. stranded in a city that's almost--but not quite--the one they've always known, they have to find allies in order to survive. but what or who is behind the interdimensional mirrors that took them away from home? and what happens if one of them finds that the sidekick he lost on his home world is alive and well in another dimension?

is it good?

yeah, it's an absolute blast. even among ones that are well done, it's rare for parodies of past and present mediums of comics to feel friendly and not mean-spirited. this comic genuinely loves the ones that have come before it while still critiquing aspects of them like their obsession with edge, i don't want to spoil too much about the plot, because it's more complex than it seems especially in the followup series. but this is a comic primarily about putting someone in a Situation and seeing how they react to it, and it's always interesting.

what's the reading order for it?

main series:

The Wrong Earth

The Wrong Earth: Night & Day

The Wrong Earth: We Could Be Heroes

The Wrong Earth: Dead Ringers (publishing march of 2024)

specials you can read at any time after the first series:

Dragonfly & Dragonflyman (prequel!)

The Wrong Earth: Trapped on Teen Planet (written by gail simone)

The Wrong Earth: Fame and Fortune (written by mark russell)

The Wrong Earth: Purple (written by stuart moore)

The Wrong Earth: Confidence Men (written by mark waid (read dragonfly & dragonflyman before this one!))

The Wrong Earth: Meat (written by tom peyer (read dragonfly & dragonflyman before this one!))

cool! anything else i should know before i start?

there's some stuff in here that might be triggering to read including child abuse of every kind except sexual, antiblack racism, drug abuse, self harm, and suicide. it's not anything worse or more than what you might find in a lot of cape comics from any era, and by and large they're here in order to have effective commentary on things that often happen without incident or attention in those comics, but your mileage may vary. child abuse and suicide in particular are major themes in dragonfly & dragonflyman and the specials confidence men and meat.

in conclusion:

[critter-genfic-events]

Caduceus Clay: A Critical Role Gen-fic Rec List

Well hello friends! Please enjoy these ten amazing fics that are all about our favorite Grave Cleric Firbolg! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!

we ain't got much (but we've got history) by Chrome (3705,Mature) Warnings: Unhappy ending, Major character death Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Cree

In the aftermath of the fight with Lucien, Caduceus struggles to find the peace he expected in his homecoming. Obviously, there's something left to be done.

Reccer says: It's a wonderful internal Caduceus voice and the way it doesn't sugarcoat Cree is amazing.

All These Ghosts I've Grown With by A_Orbit (1702,General) Warnings: none Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Clay Family

Cad is struggling to return to his old life with his family. A late night argument leads to some catharsis

Reccer says: I like how it gives space for Cad to have feelings about reintegrating with his family and process them, at least a little bit.

Wild's Grandeur by Operafloozy (3741,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Caduceus Clay & the Clay Family

Caduceus has changed since his family last left. It's sometimes hard for everyone to adjust to things being like they were before

Reccer says: I always love when an Author gives Caduceus room to hurt

sediment, sentiments by justlikeswitchblades (1385,General) Warnings: none Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Fjord

Fjord visits Caduceus in the Blooming Grove. They dig a grave and catch up

Reccer says: The Caduceus voice is spare and lyrical, and there's a wonderful sense of comfort and understanding between Fjord and Caduceus.

Too much. Maybe. by bogfable (5081,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Caduceus & The Mighty Nein

The Nein go to a festival and Caduceus gets overwhelmed. But thankfully his friends are there to help him

Reccer says: I love how sensory overload is expressed in this, and the hurt/comfort is delightful!

a little breeze tossing a leaf in a circle by fadewords (19453,General) Warnings: depiction of sensory overload (can be overwhelming if you have hyperempathy about it) Pairings: None

A fic centred on Caduceus spending his time alone while the Nein are in Zadash for two weeks. Centred mostly on Caduceus's faith and him being neurodivergent and dealing with a city for the first time.

Reccer says: Fave autism/adhd rep I've ever read. Nice train-of-thought writing style.

dragonfly year by bogfable (51839,Teen) Warnings: depictions of hallucinations and delusions, drug use, mental health issues Pairings: Caduceus clay & The Mighty Nein

University AU fic about Caduceus and loneliness and meeting the Nein, which helps a lot.

Reccer says: Nothing

both sacred and dust by SongOfWizardry (5237,Teen) Warnings: none Pairings: Caduceus Clay & The Mighty Nein

Caduceus takes some time to process his years away from his family through discussions with the rest of the Nein.

Reccer says: All of the voices are pitch-perfect, and allows the nein to be supportive of Caduceus in their own way. I especially love the Yasha and Fjord sections.

the holding on, the letting go by in_june (2782,Teen) Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pairings: Caduceus Clay & The Mighty Nein

Four times Caduceus braided someone's hair (or had his hair braided), and one time he braids his own.

Reccer says: Nothing

the shape of home by marginaliana (1804,General) Warnings: none Pairings: Caduceus Clay & Caleb Widogast, Caduceus Clay & the Clay family

Caduceus has gotten used to feeling too big, out on the road – but now he's home, in this cottage built for a big family of big people, and so it must be something else he feels too big for. Caleb helps him understand.

Reccer says: Nothing

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form! Next week, we'll be presenting gen fics all about First Aid! Give us that tasty hurt/comfort!

[imthepunchlord]

So, in a recent ask, you said the bear's powers "echo themes of strength, spirituality, and ancestry".

So I'm curious: what themes do the other kwami's powers echo?

Feel free to ignore this if it's too much. I don't want it to overwhelm you since it seems like many previous asks have.

It's fine, it's just there quite a few asks I can't really answer. But to answer, these are the themes, for now. They could always be changed and tweaked later.

Bee: connection, leadership, judgement, teamwork Bull: personal power, resolve, spirituality Cat: destruction, chaos, elusiveness Crane: life, healing drifting, abstract Deer: reflection, truth, vision, and travel Dog: making connections, salvation, finding, catching Dove: love, hope, freedom Dragonfly: element, speed, power Eagle: power, combat, speed, electrifying Fish: fortune, prosperity, abundance, fluidity Fox: illusion, creativity, influence, music Frog: animation, healing, energy Goat: creativity, animation, mischief, alterations Grasshopper: leap of faith, prophecy, randomness Horse: speed, mobility, freedom, travel Ladybug: luck, creation, restoration, justice, aggression Lion: formidable, tenacity, teamwork, inspiration, empowerment Mantis: prudence, grounded, stability, power Monkey: playfulness, energetic, chaos, transformation, comedy Mouse: multitasking, teamwork, elusiveness, subtlety Owl: disconnection, fear, isolation, spirits, travel death Peafowl: rejuvenation, empowerment, assistance, vibrancy, foresight, flexibility, adaptation Pig: cognitive, mental power, deflection Rabbit: healing, provision, overwhelming Raven: duality, surprise, darkness, light Rooster: authority, imagination, creativity Snake: ingenuity, intuition, reflexes, inner power, surprise, evolution Songbird: communication, freedom, detachment Spider: creation, fabrication, illusion, control Swan: love, uplifting, hope, charming Tiger: explosive, chaos, iron will, domination Turtle: versatile, foundation, protection, withdrawn, introspection, security Wolf: isolation, void, fear, power, danger

[stormcloudrising]

What do you think would change for Sansa and her abilities had Lady lived?

Hi Chasingtemptest,

Thanks for the ask!

Surprisingly, this is a difficult question to answer because on a Doylist level, IMO Lady’s death warrant was signed once George discovered during his garden style of writing that it was Sansa, and not Arya who was going to be linked romantically, and more importantly, magically with Jon and the creation of the Others.

He knew from the beginning that the direwolves were going to re-awaken the Starks connection to magic, and so if he wanted to hide from and later surprise the readers with Sansa being the female greenseer of the story, Lady had to die so the readers would discount the many clues he’s dropped about her abilities. She needed to be hidden in plain sight.

There must be a female greenseer in the story because all the evidence points to there being one at the center of the two great ancient mysteries surrounding Nissa Nissa, and the corpse queen. As George’s story is rhyming if not 100% percent repeating, there must be a female greenseer in the modern story as well. And while there are some clues that Dany could potentially have the ability as well, I think those are just symbolic while the overwhelming evidence points to Sansa being the greenseer, and Dany being a fakeout. Plus, there is the fact that fire is written as anathema to the weirwoods in the text.

I’m on record as stating that I think that I think George is telling a multiple timeline story, and that’s why we see so many different versions of the ancient NN/AA monomyth. Of course, part of that has to do with the fact that in the story as in the real world, different cultures tend to have similar myths about world changing events.

However, time travel has been a theme in many of George’s past writings, and it’s heavily present in ASOIAF as well with the greenseer arc. It’s not the traditional take on time travel where a person physically travels through time, but rather one where a special individual—a greenseer is able to send their consciousness through time with the ability to influence events and individuals.

So, yes, I think that Lady was always going to die to hide the truth about Sansa’s ability. What would have happened if Lady was not killed? The Hound would have found Nymeria, and she would have been the direwolf killed.

I say this because if not Sansa, Arya would have been the female greenseer as seems to have been George's original plan. It was always going to be one of the Stark sisters, and if not Sansa, it could only have been Arya. Thus, Nymeria would have had to die to hide this truth about Arya.

Instead, Arya’s wolf survived, and while we get evidence of their extremely strong warg bond, we don’t get the same hints of her being a greenseer, or the similar comparison to Bran’s greenseer ability as we do with Sansa.

The sister with the greenseer abilities and romantic relationship with Jon was originally going to be Arya. That’s why a relationship between the two is so heavily foreshadowed in the first book. If I had to guess, I would say that it was while writing the 2nd book and before the first was published that George discovered his garden style was taking him towards Jon and Sansa instead of Jon and Arya. He then went back in edits to drop in early clues about Jon and Sansa that would pay off later…hence the “Sansa look radiant.”

If Lady had not died, D&D’s hints to Sansa’s greenseer ability on the show such as Petyr’s greenseer advice to her; the bells ringing all day at her birth; the use of the dragonfly motif in her costumes; her wearing a chain necklace with an insignia that echoed the drawings of the Others; and her winding up as Queen of the North would have been Arya’s story. Of course, D&D would also have failed to tell Arya’s true story arc just as they did with Sansa, because unlike in the books, they put all their eggs in the Dany basket.

I started this answer by saying that your question was surprisingly difficult to answer on a Doylist level, but in typing out my response, I discovered that on a Watsonian one, that wasn’t the case after all. So, to answer your question, if Lady had not died, and George was not a garden style writer, Sansa’s story would have played out very similar to how it’s described in his infamous outline and she quite possibly would have never made it out of Kings Landing.