Sometimes, a character design idea just sticks and is too good to let it wait. And this weekend, the two characters above are the result of such an idea, and I absolutely love this pair!

Meet Tys (left) and Ligaya (right) van Veere, two siblings born in New Zealand with a mixed Dutch and Filipino heritage, though in their case, it's mixed in more than one way. During conception, their parents had been playing with modular magic for some extra excitement. Unbeknownst to them, rare circumstances made their temporary forms the permanent forms of their yet to be born children, who are both a complementary mix of a Norwegian Fjord Horse and a Phillipine Eagle. Despite their mixed up forms, the (at the time) two sisters were born in perfect health, and they received names of both heritages: the "hippogriff" got the Filipono name Ligaya, and the "inverse hippogriff" got the Dutch name Tessa.

Ligaya was always the more sporty type of the two, and was throughout her youth an avid rugby player. She even was a talented flyer. Her peers saw she had a great career in professional sports ahead of her. She advanced to the highest ranked rugby youth team in New Zealand, and she was expected to play in the national rugby team. However, Earth's first intergalactic ventures changed her sporting career in unexpected ways when she came in touch with Zero G Ball, an intergalactic sport with mixed teams (gender and species all mixed together, within certain prerequisites) played on space stations. This new sport caught her interest, and she quickly joined the first team from Earth in the sport, the Terran Tigers. The Tigers have been climbing up through the lower ranks of the sport, and are now one of the underdogs in the highest competition.

Tessa was more the book smarts type, and passed her school with splendid grades. Yet, on a personal level, Tessa was unhappy. She couldn't explain what felt wrong about her being, until she realised the thing see deeply desired was to become a boy instead. After being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, Tessa changed his name to Tys, and underwent therapy, and received top surgery when he was 18 to complete his transition, and has been very comfortable within his own skin ever since. Ligaya didn't exactly want to stay behind, and she received a pair of ears (she had always wanted some, and was jealous about her brother's ears). He went to med school, and has become a certified nurse, but inspired by his sister, he has also become a personal trainer. He was hired by the Terran fleet to work on the Pioneer as a civilian healthcare professional. He is doctor Suzanne Gadovnik's main assistant, and is also the personal trainer of staff team members Louis Kalasha and Tom Bronzefur.

From time to time, the two siblings do find each other back on Earth again. One thing they often do together is working through Ligaya's training routine together, where Tys is analysing her performance. Tys also comes to watch her sister's games whenever he's in the neighbourhood. He finds her sister's passion for the sport infectious, and is willing to support her in any way he can, just like she had supported him going through his transition. They feel the happiest the few times they are together again.

Drawn in InkScape.