Three happy sisters... er... two happy sisters.
Rosebuds is a webcomic series by Suprdee2 (also the author of Life with Kurami and Pen & Ink) that focuses on a trio of sisters by the names of Rosa, Maria, and Maricela Gonzalez. The comics are done in the style of a classic newspaper comic strip (eventually making its way to newsprint).
Most of the strips involve the sisters getting on each other's nerves, but there are also plenty of them getting along happily.
There is also a spinoff series called "Plush Maria", which focuses on a doll of Maria that appears in some of the main comics, and which may or may not be alive.
The comics can be found on Webtoons
and GoComics. In March 2024, after a year-long hiatus, it was announced that the comic had been picked up by King Features Syndicate, with past strips now also available on their website and new strips due for release in April.
The strips contain the following tropes:
- Art Evolution: In October 2023 the sisters underwent minor redesigns to make them more individualised and expressive, notably lightening their hair from solid black.
- Bait-and-Switch: The strip "Puppet Pal" has Maria apparently take Maricela's sock and made a sock puppet out of it to troll her. When Maricela grabs the sock, it's revealed that Maria was just getting a sandwich and that the one with the sock was Plush Maria.
- A Bloody Mess: Invoked in one arc, with Maricela burying Maria up to her neck in sand and then pouring ketchup everywhere to make it look like her head has come off. Rosa isn't fooled for a second.
- Brick Joke: One August 2022 strip has Maria accidentally lock herself in the bathroom. Another strip roughly three weeks later has Clarabel reminisce about how Maria used to get stuck in the gumball dispensers, prompting Rosa to bring up the aforementioned bathroom incident.Clarabel: Some things never change.
- Chew-Out Fake-Out: One strip has an entirely silent version. Maria and Maricela (and Plush Maria) are jumping on the bed when Rosa walks in, causing them to panic in the belief they're about to be in trouble... the final panel is of Rosa gleefully jumping on the bed together with them.
- Dramatic Drop: Done with one of Rosa's comically-heavy barbells when she sees Maricela's "bunny princess" costume. Maricela assumed Rosa hates it, but her expression says otherwise.Maria: If she did [hate it], there'd be a bigger hole in the floor.
- Eye Scream: One comic has Maria accidentally spray herself in the face with window spray.
- The Faceless: The parents of the sisters have appeared in the comic, but their faces have never been seen, having been hidden either out of frame or behind their own speech bubbles.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Combined with Overly Long Name in one strip, someone offscreen yells Maria's full name: Maria José Alma Juliana Augustina Isabella Bianca Nicole Gonzalez. Maria lampshades this.Maria: Nothing good ever comes out of being called by your full name.
- I Am the Noun: Rosa tells Maria to get out of her room "before I throw you out". When Maria retorts, "You and What Army?", Rosa simply yells, "I am the Army!" and throws her out.
- Judgment of Solomon: Cleverly dispensed by Rosa in "Split Parts". When Maria and Maricela won't stop fighting over a book, Rosa tears it in half with her bare hands and gives one half to Maria and one half to Maricela. This not only ends the argument, but forces them to sit and read the book together while holding one half each.Maricela: Rosa has aggressive problem-solving skills.
- Loophole Abuse: Maria is told she's not allowed to stay up late and watch movies until she finishes her homework. When she finishes suspiciously quickly, Rosa realises the obvious loophole and clarifies that the answers have to be correct, making Maria go back and do it properly.
- Mutual Envy: In this strip Maricela confesses to Maria that she sometimes feels the world expect too much from here. And Maria reassures her by saying she feels doesn't expect anything from here. After some silence they bond, saying they envy each other.
- Oh, Crap!: Maricela has this reaction in one strip when she realizes that she unintentionally called Rosa brainless.
- Out of Focus: The parents haven't appeared outside a handful of the earliest strips.
- Palatial Sandcastle: Maricela builds one at the start of the beach arc. Maria turns round to show off her own, much more normal-sized sandcastle, and is immediately put off by the size of Maricela's.
- Promoted to Parent: Rosa has become the de-facto parental figure to her two younger sisters, feeding them, tending to their studies and providing discipline.
- Saying Too Much: In "Story Time", Rosa and Maricela decide to make up their own bedtime story. Rosa starts the story with a small princess who ruled over a kingdom of bunnies. Maricela adds that the princess was smart and loved by all, then notes that the princess would sneak out of bed to get snacks without her big sisters knowing. Rosa is less than pleased upon hearing that last bit.Rosa: The princess was also going to be in big trouble if that was based on a true story.
Maricela: I'm still learning the difference between fiction and non-fiction. - Shark Fin of Doom: One shows up in this strip just as Rosa is reassuring Maricela that the water is safe and nothing will harm her. Subverted when it turns out to be just Maria with a fake fin strapped to her head. Rosa is not amused.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: In one arc, Maricela buries Maria up to her neck in sand to try and prank Rosa into thinking her head has come off. When she brings Rosa over to look, Maricela insists, "Maria's head has fallen off her body and isn't being buried in sand!" Rosa doesn't buy it and just pulls Maria out of the sand.
- The Swear Jar: The sisters each have a jar for whenever they are right about something. Maria's jar is practically empty, while Maricela's jar is overflowing.
- You and What Army?: Maria asks this of Rosa in one strip after Rosa threatens to throw her out of the room. It doesn't work.Rosa: I am the army! [bodily throws Maria out of the room]
