Unicorn
They could also give her diving equipment and call her a seahorse xD
As always, if you like the comic, please consider donating on my patreon. Even one dollar goes a long way.
Don’t forget that I stream every Sunday! You are more than welcome to join in on the fun.
The stream is hold at the following hour:
UTC: 1PM
EDT: 9AM
PDT: 6AM
CEST: 3PM
Don’t forget to vote for Twin Dragons at Topwebcomics!
http://topwebcomics.com/vote/21879
Thanks for voting!
I like this whole interaction between Kai and the doctor; it makes sense that the doctor would react skeptically after having seen dozens of hybrid kids claiming to be mythical, and Kai’s annoyance with him seems to have evaporated now that they’re on the same page.
(There’s an error in the fifth panel, where it says “that were mistakenly been stated.” It should be either “that were mistakenly stated” or “that had mistakenly been stated.”)
Oof, how did I miss THAT mistake xD
Yeah, I think most people would become skeptic after a while. Kai and Franklin seem to get along now, though :p
I quote : “Many parents either didn’t know what species their child was” …….. That’s a strong lack of knowledge if they aren’t able to see their child is an horse (for example)
Then ; there was something wrong in this strip disturbing me (because unable to see it) , until i check the previous ones : the buttons are grey here when it’s full black in all other strips
Well, it might not be simply a matter of recognizing the child as a horse.
It’s possible the parents just don’t want their child to grow up being the subject of mean jokes or cruelty – “Hungry as a horse” & “Catch a tiger by the toe” are just a couple of the phrases that come to mind – & feel that a piece of paper saying that they are a more unique breed (species?) would make the child feel better about themself.
(Of course, in the bad parent catagory, they might be looking for bragging rights of some kind, though I certainly hope this wouldn’t normaly be the case.)
There’s also the probability that some of the hybrids would be species with which their parents, or doctors, just weren’t familiar. Then there are also those that look very similar as babies. (i.e. various canines, felines, lizards, etc.)
Maybe they were just hoping it was a horse so they wouldn’t have to go to the hospital and say “Doctor, my son is a jackass.”
You can imagine how other children would treat a hippo, or a cow.
Heh.. My parents had to do tha- Wait…
Also, you have to remember, hybrids are not actual animals related to the animals they resemble, they are humans who have acquired mutations that occasionally just so happen to resemble that of other animals.
Hey that the perfect reason why hybrids exist
But ; in this case , Kaya and Kai wouldn’t be able to spit fire
Why not? That would be a mutation in and of itself. Yes, slight coincidence that a lizard like scaled creature can also breath fire, but considering dragons are mythic anyway…
If that were the case then there would be more unclassifiable types. Just random mutations would result in various science fiction humanoid aliens among other trope types. Limited to animals that are identifiable is interesting. A few being stronger and more unique seems to fit the “exception that proves the rule”. Some humans have widely ranging abnormalities in genetics and are rare, this would be a similar type of hybrid version of that.
Another story series I recently read ( http://woc-archive.xepher.net/ ) had all adults transform into various vertebrate hybrids, and most acquire some sort of power (and after this event, kids would do likewise when they hit puberty). Nobody knew why. But they did observe that in the large majority of cases – even the really exotic cases such as dinosaurs – the person plausibly had prior contact with DNA of the species they transformed into. To the point that they concluded that this was actually universal and the apparent exceptions were just due to lack of sufficiently detailed information about people’s past.
That would not explain the existence of mythical hybrids. Nobody has come in contact with the DNA of a species that never actually existed. So it doesn’t apply to the Twin Dragons universe.
Which means there’s no reason to expect that the parents will normally be familiar with their kids’ hybrid species, unless it happens to be common and well-known in their area. Let alone be able to recognize the species in spite of the anthropomorphism.
(And by the way, in OUR world there are at least 17 species of “dragon”. That’s just in the lizard group. I’d be willing to bet there are some insect “dragons” too, but all I’m finding is what sort of insects to feed to your lizards. Oh, and there’s a fruit.)
BUT… I still say that when the kids told the receptionist that they’re dragons, she SHOULD NOT have overruled them and entered that they’re lizards. Entered their claim in a way that expressed doubt, maybe (“Dragon, she claims”), but not just overruled them. It would be appropriate for the doctors now to wonder why the kids claimed to be lizards at the reception desk…
… as penalty, she should be given the task of taking their potentially-identifying features and find just what sort of lizard they are. Start with the tails and the row of spines down them… then the shape of the feet… maybe eye shape… then fire-breathing…
Seems like you got quite a bit of response on your comment xD
Seems like I made a mistake with the buttons. I’ll have to correct that when I have time to do so.
The Doctor uses the numbers game
to explain his reluctance to Kai;
millions are born but few are the same
and many are seen by this guy.
“Your son’s a Horse, Mrs Davenport
and, no, he isn’t a Centaur.
There’s no such place as Hogwarts, you thought
and he won’t be caught by a Dementor.”
Kids can believe all their folk’s want,
even if none of it’s true,
so how to believe the skill’s you’ll flaunt
until you do what you do?
In that case, I hope a phoenix hybrid exist in this world.
You will be happy to know I actually named a Phoenix hybrid girl last week xD
It won’t be soon, but we will see her eventually.
But nothing like Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, Demons or such?
“Only” animal related Hybrids?
I believe that the case. Robin has been fairly specific on this point.
“elves” might be an animal hybrid with a REALLY low physical trait expression that only makes the ears pointy and perhaps confers some faster reflexes. The species part would be hard to spot without a DNA marker.
She sounds hot!
Sorry everyone, I’ll see myself out *walks towards the door*
Yeah. hehe Just keep her away from fire; don’t want the world restarting early. 🙂
She’s also around Troye’s age xD
It take it she is going to meet the twins in a coming chapter, seeing as you said she won’t be showing up anytime soon in the series proper.
That all said, it probably would be fun to see test images for future looks of existing characters we’ve seen thus far. And now I’m seeing all the kids playing their D&D expy around the time of a long break, for that lovely extended play of a game that can run several days with the players barely noticing. Maybe we could get a look at the game’s character creation system because of it all.
There will surely be some D&D campaigns where the various strange creatures have to rescue someone or retrieve some treasure from a human-occupied fortress…
I certainly hope that your phoenix is not named Jean. Summers, Grey, Pryorit really wouldn’t matter.
Oops, that was meant to be Pryor.
Actually, I named her ‘Aisha Waters’ :p
First thought that came ot my mind was another char by the name of Aiasha Klan Klan (I may have misspelled the name) but it sounds similar.
I would think proving yourself to be a phoenix could be a bit embarrassing.
It’d be cool if a phoenix hybrid was part of the Wright family.
Ba dum tss
Oh god, the pun potential xD
i think you made this chapter with them going to the doctor to explain a little bit how this world works.
and if that was your idea i think you did it right.
it is informative and entertaining.
It was half about that and half about just wanting to see how they would do in this environment xD
I’m glad it works out. Been sitting on this chapter idea for two years already xD
I was wondering, since Kaya and Kai twins and hibrids, moreover mythical hibdrids, they are like white ravens, born in the desert. XD (At least the chance to be what they are, is very similar)
Yeah, it’s pretty unusual, but not impossible xD
Reasonable for the doc to be skeptical when he’s been through false claims plenty of times before.
As for parents of hybrids not knowing what species their kid is: well how much of the populace really studies just even what their local critters are? Some species are easier to identify than others (such as domesticated animals) but if your kid turns out to be something you’ve never even seen before identifying just what he/she is can be a real problem!
Your son is a Capybara hybrid, but you don’t know about South American animals. you do know about guinea pigs, so you think your son is a guinea pig hybrid instead. You think your daughter is an lion hybrid, when she is actually a sphinx hybrid.
Yes species that look similar but are actually quite different likely just add to the confusion. It is important to get it right too because as we’ve seen with the twins, the hybrid changes aren’t all just cosmetic (fire breathing, increased strength). The twins fire breathing likely does involve some fancy changes to their internal makeup too in order for them to do the fire breathing. If that has happened to them then odds are they are not the only hybrids this has happened to which is why species identification is so important. By correctly identifying which animal a hybrid takes after their doctor can make a better educated guess as to what might be different on the inside as well as the outside based upon what we know of those species. That combined with regular checkups will help society in general keep track of these changes and hopefully be able to deal with them.
Very good point. It’s not always easy to keep animals apart. Also, if you look at Cleo, you wouldn’t instantly say she’s a snake, either. Let alone know what kind of snake she is :p
You’d want to know if she has venom for example. Can she “see” infrared?
I don’t think she can see infrared. She also doesn’t have any venom. (She got tested xD )
Maybe she just isn’t old enough. It’d make an interesting wedding kiss, though.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Groom: Umm… Is a butterfly kiss okay?
Most venomous snakes generate venom even prior to hatching, so they are ready to hunt for food right away.
I’m glad Kai and the doctor were able to get over that hurdle. This has been eye opening to see the statistical likelyhood of a hybrid being born. And she might not be a unicorn but that horse girl is too cute!
And Hybrid city has a higher population of hybrids because a lot of families with hybrids move to there :p
The horse girl got some cute points, that’s for sure ^^
Sounds like this also means they’re working on protocols for providing proof positive a hybrid is one of the rarer types. I’m sure there’s plenty of variety with some hybrid types, given the varieties of their type of animal. For instance, all we know about Cleo is that she is a snake hybrid but not the kind of serpent she is. Now to most people that might sound like a big deal, but when you think about the differences in poisonous serpents and constrictors and how that could translate to snake hybrids that’s a different story. For example, if Cleo was to be stated as an Anaconda variant that could mean she could grow much more than most people would anticipate and have noticeably stronger muscles than other snake hybrids but if she were an Egyptian Cobra variant that would be completely different; I don’t think she would be a King Snake variant (as on-brand as that would likely be for her) due to coloration and patterning but I do think we can figure out what sort of variant a hybrid could be if we take a look at their physical features. I’m sure hospital records that sort of thing.
Fun Fact, constrictor serpents can actually consciously all of their muscles for 100% whenever they want. Even so, all types of serpents and snakes have a much higher physical strength than any other animals, does that mean snake hybrids also have a naturally high physical strength?
I think I might be thinking about this too much, what do you think, Robin?
Stop thinking! You’re hurting my head. No; nonono, don’t stop! Forget I said that. heheh. 🙂
With how small Cleo is, I doubt she’s an anaconda :p (seriously, give her some frilly clothes and she’s like a doll xD )
She’s more of a desert snake variety. Still pretty close to Egypt, so the Cleopatra sticks :p
I was just using those two as examples. All things considered, we just don’t have enough info to go on to conclusively determine just what sort of snake/serpent variant she is. That said, I think she would prefer to be called a serpent hybrid over being called a snake hybrid, the word snake makes her sound a bit too common while the word serpent has a bit more “majesty” to it and that’s the sort of thing she likes to see herself as holding, an elegant majesty. Serpents are known for having a sort of elegance too them, there’s a reason multiple cultures worshipped them to some extent.
Now I’m picturing Cleo learning about the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl and whining about how she couldn’t be a mythic variant modeled after a literal god. Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is best known for being a Mayan actricultural deity but archeologists and other scholars have found that a version of Quetzalcoatl also had evidence of being worshipped by Mesoamerican cultures as far back as the Olmecs and Toltecs, which means Quetzalcoatl has one of the longest and most distinguished histories of worship, seeing as every one of his versions was in a place of honor in the hierarchy of gods the Mesoamerican cultures had, in at least one (the Olmecs, last I checked) he was believed to be one of the chief deities.
But yeah, I think Cleo might be an Egyptian cobra. It’s really hard to tell, seeing as only male cobras have the head frill.
Just did a check of small snakes, found here https://www.snakesforpets.com/small-pet-snakes-that-stay-small/ , and found the Ball Python seems to have a pretty close pattern and coloration to Cleo
That and we don’t know if she don’t want none unless they got buns, hon!
Panel 5: “…that /had/ mistakenly been stated…”
Yeah, I think I made a copy/paste mistake there. This has been read over by proof readers, so I’m sure it has to be a mistake with copying the text xD
Welp, onto the list of things to correct.
As always, the liars ruin it for everyone else.
That said, sounds like the doc has made a few assumptions in his time. Wonder how many donkeys he’s assigned 😛 If any mythics have slipped through the cracks due to assumptions and (partly justified) laziness on behalf of doctors.
There might have been some that slipped through. It’s also very likely most of them have been missed because they didn’t know about mythicals at the time. Imagine the reaction of the parents when they see through the lies, though xD
Does the horsey girl have a name?
Epona?
https://www.ancient.eu/article/153/epona/
No, she was just here for demonstration purposes. Might have to name her now. She’s popular xD
…I’m trying to remember if we’ve seen a bird hybrid, and now I’m wondering how wings would translate to a hybrid?
Also, is there a strict 4 limb limit (plus tail) for hybrids? Or could you get a Pegasus hybrid with some amount of wings on their back?
And have any hybrids been able to breath underwater/fly/see other colours?
Considering there are women in OUR world capable of seeing more colors than men, I would say it’s no big deal 🙂 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy#Humans
The 4 limb limit meanwhile is really big deal. There are no vertebrates with more than 4 limbs on Earth. All vertebrates are descendants of some fish who had 4 fins and the way the limbs are encoded in DNA makes really hard to add some.
It’s theoretically possible depending on the expression of the homeobox (HOX) genes. There have been some animals born with additional vestigial limbs.
We haven’t seen any bird hybrids yet, but they exist. I’ve recently designed and named a Phoenix hybrid, but we won’t be seeing her for a while yet.
There is a 4 limbs limit, yes. As a general rule, hybrids don’t stray too far from the human anatomy. No complex changes to the anatomy are made. That means there are no back-wings and all hybrids are plantigrade. That’s not all rules I have, but in general you can say that hybrids still need to look human.
Wow, I’m on the day of, and yet I feel late to the comment game with how far down this page goes! This comic is really taking off! And for good reason; it deserves it. Robin is both an amazing artist and story teller. Every character breathes with a life all their own, and every interaction like this one, (discussing the world), goes as smoothly and casually as everyday conversations here on Earth. (Maybe more so when you’re talking about science or politics, both of which must be involved dealing with hybrids.) In addition, I wholeheartedly agree with martyrex. I couldn’t have said it better myself. This comic blends information with entertainment seamlessly. It never ceases to impress. Keep up the good work Robin. And as always, stay awesome!
Yeah, the comments are really getting out of hand sometimes xD I’m spending more and more time on answering them (and getting later in doing so, but that’s not the comments fault, that’s on me xD )
I’m really glad you keep liking the comic and showering it with praise 😀 Thanks Alpha ^^
So Kai’s Doc explains his reasoning.
And I noticed in panel 5, his/her fingers resting on the Teddy’s head changed color.
He sure does ^^
I have no idea how I didn’t see that, but that’s a mistake in my coloring xD I’ll need to correct that later.
Oh my. I think that little one really is a unicorn. Seeing that the hand holding the stuffed toy changed colors, and the white patch on her ear got a little longer!
Haha, I made a mistake there xD Good observation though :p
It only took a few days for people to realise they can be famous by false advertising hybrid children xD. Also in the 5th panel i think those are actually just twins with a arrow between them and one wth a unicorn headband
If you increase the image size, it is a headband. A they are cute even without it.
They’re not twins but only one , used for the doctor in his first words bubble : “- Why to state your daughter as an horse when she can be an unicorn ?” (and become more famous)
It’s only one horsie there. No twins. They just put a headband on her to demonstrate :p
The “roaring for half an hour” would get old fast, yes. As for other proof, you could use strength testing, (fire breathing, of course), telepathy(?), resistance to flame, etc., as methods. (And by resistance to flame, I mean using loose pieces of skin/scales in a petree dish.)
I can see how just about any of those would prove mythical abilities. I mean, heck, Matilda’s only “power” was telekenisis, and she was considered mythical, even though the word wasn’t used, and her ability was kept secret in the movie.
For a moment, I imagined a flamethrower test xD That would certainly weed out the fake dragons, alright.
Thing is they don’t know what will set apart a mythical from a regular hybrid. They have no basis to go on. Breathing fire was only an assumption up to now, and there are regular hybrids that are really strong as well, so we can’t really count on that as a good base to test. It’s basically just being vigilant and seeing if they can identify a mythical in some way.
“That’s not the half of it. One of these alleged ‘dragons’ started hoarding sterile sets.”
Imagine that xD
the real dragons didn’t hoard anything. No, it were the fake ones that started grabbing things left and right xD
Then again, we haven’t yet seen Kaya’s room yet, have we? Maybe she’s into stamps.
Even in a world where children a born part animal parents still try and make them more unique. Because being part horse isn’t awesome enough.
Yeah, like giving them caffeine. “I AM UNICORNHOLIO!!!”
And after reading that I suddenly wondered: Can Benji have chocolate? He is a dog hybrid after all and chocolate isn’t exactly good for the puppers! Well if he can’t then more for Kaya! In fact, given what a chocoholic Kaya is I wouldn’t put it past her to pull something on Benji to get some away from him!
A little late but it would be possible to make theobromine free chocolate (the chemical that is poisonous to dogs and is common in a lot of beans and nuts) if it is a problem there’s going to be a market for it before long considering all the canids we’ve seen
Of course not. Why be a horse when you can be a fabled UNICORN! xD
Horse baby is freaking ADORABLE.
And also has color-changing fingers.
Part equine, part chameleon?
God, could you imagine looking after a baby that could crawl on any surface and reach anything with its tongue? Nightmare. Lol
And don’t forget the camouflage ability.
Btw, if you read Kevin&Kell, there is a family with an adopted chameleon baby in one of the newer arcs.
There’s a comic called Erma, which has a ghost child. She’s the daughter of Emiko, from The Ring.
This kid literally CAN crawl on the walls. They even made a YouTube video of her.
The best part is that she’s actually adorable! She’s not a bully or mean. She’s not exactly harmless, (she can easily fend off bullies) but she’s gentle, like a housecat. I highly recommend reading it!
Thanks 😀
I made a tiny mistake there. Need to fix that :p