It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for Crossroads Comics!
This week we’re taking a look at another ask blog, Ask Another Clone. This is a blog that’s been through a lot recently but deserves all the love and attention I can give it. It was one of the first blogs I binged when I returned to the ask blog scene in May of last year and has a very interesting plot thus far, with more to come in the future. So let’s analyze Ask Another Clone and see what exactly makes this blog and its story so interesting!
Ask Another Clone is a hybrid ask blog, meaning that responses come in a combination of both art and text. This already sets Ask Another Clone apart from the other ask blogs we’ve reviewed previously, which do their responses primarily in art form. However, I think this hybrid model of response is part of what adds to this blog’s charm. For one thing, this model is definitely easier on the author, Mod Q, in terms of making responses, since I know personally trying to draw every response is especially draining. In addition though, Mod Q has designed these cute little PMD style icons for Dren and the rest of the cast that help to convey the characters’ emotions during written responses. These icons are one of my favorite parts of the blog and art what inspired me to design some for my own blogs. This means no matter which type of response you get, you’ll have some adorable artwork to go along with it in the form of a drawn response or a set of cute icons!
Art isn’t the only thing Ask Another Clone excels at. Its story is where the blog really shines in terms of a creative mystery surrounding the main muse, Dren. Dren is an odd little Mewtwo who was given the chance at a new life on her birthday. And take this chance she does, as Dren is quickly swept up into a whole new world meeting lots of Pokémon, some friendly and some not. I’ll leave the spoilers for the next part but Dren’s character and how she changes over time is extremely interesting. It acts as the core plot for the blog and has ripples throughout the ask blog community, as I’ll elaborate on further below.
Dren isn’t the only character with an interesting arc though. Other characters such as Amity the shiny Celebi and Mirren the Eon both have subplots that make them just as interesting as Dren. Amity’s side arc has already reached completion, at least for now, but Mirren’s seems yet to come, with the recent ending to the ValVal2021 event indicating that something big is coming to Serenity Forest. The rest of the cast is very enjoyable too. Yeshua and Dren’s relationship evolves throughout the entire blog and its very cute to watch them progress as time goes on. Cedric also plays an important role as the Serenity Forest’s guard and Pixel is just an adorable little Rotom phone that provides some excellent silent banter. All in all, the cast is super compelling and enjoyable to see interactions from.
Spoilers Ahead
So getting into spoiler territory, let’s circle back to Dren, since her arc is the main focus of the blog and something that has had a huge impact on the ask blog community.
Ask Another Clone follows Dren as she journeys to Serenity Forest. Dren is a very curious Mewtwo who tends to get sick every so often. Still, this doesn’t stop her from making friends and training with Cedric in order to become healthier and stronger over time. But the sickness spells don’t stop, and Dren realizes that with each spell, her appearance changes. These changes range from minor things like color changes to growing an entirely new finger! And it doesn’t take long for Dren to also realize that these changes always seem to occur after she comes in contact with a Mew!
And this is where Ask Another Clone‘s impact on the ask blog community at large really becomes clear. At the end of arc 2, Yeshua the Eevee made a huge confession to Dren. Not only did they really admire Dren and have a crush on her, but Yeshua also had a much larger secret hidden away. Up until this point, Dren and the readers had only known Yeshua to be an Eevee, but in reality, he was a Mew! This caused Dren some obvious distress and ultimately caused her to flee from Yeshua. They tried to pursue her but by the time they found her, it was too late.
Dren was dead.
I remember the moment this update came out vividly. To say it rocked the ask blog community is an understatement. We were shaken to our cores. People were making fanart and actively mourning this character that meant so much to the ask blog community at large. It was a solemn time for everyone. And I think this is a testament to not just how popular Ask Another Clone is, but also how involved in the community Mod Q is.
Spoilers End
It’s impossible to have a popular blog without being involved in the community, but Mod Q is one of the kindest and most active members of the community at large. And while it also probably helps that Mod Q has been in the community for a while, the fact that they are such a nice person no doubt draws people in to their blog. This coupled with a compelling story, great artwork, and interesting characters all in all makes Ask Another Clone a really enjoyable reading experience.
That said, if you want to read the story in its entirety, you’re a bit out of luck. Late last year, the original Ask Another Clone was unfortunately deleted on accident, and with it went many of the posts that were integral to the story being told. It was devastating for Mod Q, but they didn’t let it get them down, and I really admire them for it. In an effort to bring the blog back in some form, Mod Q created a short recap of all the events from the prologue through the end of Arc 2, which you are able to read over on the ask blog. It was a labor of bittersweet love and does an excellent job retelling the story for new readers who didn’t get to experience the blog before its deletion. So if you’d like to read that recap and see all the other arcs and events thus far, you can check it out here. I highly highly recommend it, as this story is very well written and put together by a truly amazing person who deserves all the love and support we can give them.
And without further ado, let’s check out the rest of this week’s lineup!
Crossroads Comics
PMD: Chanterelle Story time!
PMD: Explorers of Life The “pups” arrive!
PMD: Wildfire Who goes there?
Pokémon Rising Shadows Echo’s not doing so hot.
Pokémon: Shadow of the Sun Looks like this is the start of a beautiful friendship.
Pokémon X Adventures Is this a comeback?
Shinka: The Last Eevee That’s one powerful blast from Zaira!
ComicFury Comics
Pokémon Across Dimensions The title has been revealed!
PKMN Overcast Blue Man this comic is GORGEOUS!
PMD: Anamnesis This is why you should never hire Sableye.
PMD: Hanging in the Balance This is an important question to consider.
Rando of Sinnoh Come on guys, who doesn’t want to watch the catching tutorial?
Slumber Town Something about this just doesn’t quite add up.
The Emergency Coven An odd partnership, that’s for sure.
The Legend of Incineroar That’s right, she doesn’t know yet…
Deviantart Comics
Autumn in Sinnoh What does Orion see?
Emerald Nuzlocke: The Burning Sky That is one cool looking Rayquaza.
Explorers of Shadows But will this be enough?
Fallen Flowers Blooky to the rescue!
First Summer Gym battle redemption!! Woohoo!
PMD: Turncoats His markings are finally revealed!
Severance: A Randomized Pokémon Platinum Nuzlocke That’s such a cool Smoochum redesign!!
Soul Brothers My heart… I can’t take it…
Trick of the Night This doesn’t look good.
Yet Another PMD Comic This Marshadow looks less than friendly.
Off-site Comics
Ask Another Clone This really seems to be a sensitive topic for Dren.
Ask Enchanting Delights Looking at this update made me hungry, hahaha.
Cursed Princess Club What will they discover?
Floating On What’s Siren up to?
Genesis: A Gijinka Story Seems Prime regrets the bad blood between the two of them.
Lil Char and the Gang A masterpiece!
Mewtwo and Me Awww how sweet!
