#tdpcomic

Janai would ask why Amaya kissed her.

🐉⚡ I made a new The Dragon's Prince animatic!

This took 3 days to create, and I'm slowly learning how to bring my comic world to life through animation. It's not a full anime episode yet, but every animatic is another step toward that dream.

Hope you enjoy it! 💙🔥

The laboratory of Princess Dr. Jade Smartest was never quiet.

Even at midnight, when the rest of the castle slept beneath the glowing skies of Sciemagicoxe, Jade's tower hummed with the sounds of invention. Crystal engines pulsed softly beneath glass tables. Floating screens displayed endless streams of magical formulas. Tiny mechanical helpers zipped around carrying tools much too large for their little metal hands.

The room smelled like a strange combination of fresh bread, electricity, and ancient magic.

Jade loved it.

To most people, the laboratory looked like a beautiful disaster. Books were stacked into towers. Strange plants grew beside machines. Magical crystals floated inside glass containers, each one glowing with a different color.

To Jade, it was organized.

Mostly.

"Okay," Jade said, adjusting her glasses as she stared at the glowing sphere in the center of the room. "Temporary biological replication. Controlled growth. Stable magic pattern. Limited lifespan of exactly one hundred hours."

She tapped a button on her tablet.

The sphere floated higher.

"Perfect."

A small warning symbol appeared.

Jade blinked.

"...Almost perfect."

She waved the warning away.

The Codexin princess had learned many things throughout her life. She had learned magical theory. She had learned science. She had learned how to bake the perfect cake.

But one thing Jade had not mastered was knowing when an idea was too ridiculous to attempt.

"This is simply research," she said.

The empty room stared back.

Jade cleared her throat.

"Important research."

The idea had started earlier that day.

Jade had been watching Tray, Wanda, Lai, and Mercya argue over something completely meaningless.

Tray wanted everyone to stop fighting.

Wanda wanted everyone to admit she was right.

Lai wanted to prove she was stronger than everyone.

Mercya wanted to sell something she probably shouldn't have been selling.

Jade had watched the chaos and wondered:

What would happen if I could see their personalities at a younger stage?

Not their actual childhoods.

That would be impossible.

No.

This was different.

A temporary clone.

A harmless experiment.

A scientific observation.

She had even made sure they wouldn't grow.

Because Jade had one very important rule.

She did not want to raise baby versions of her friends.

That sounded exhausting.

"Babies are adorable," Jade explained to herself. "But actual babies require constant attention, emotional support, and supervision."

She pointed at the machine.

"These babies will simply exist, be observed, and disappear after one hundred hours."

The machine beeped.

Jade smiled.

"Exactly."

The machine shook.

Jade's smile faded.

"That was not part of the plan."

The crystal sphere cracked.

A wave of golden and blue magic exploded through the laboratory.

Jade jumped backward as smoke filled the room.

When the smoke cleared, five tiny figures sat on the floor.

Jade froze.

They were small.

Very small.

They looked like miniature versions of her friends.

Baby Tray had tiny green dreadlocks and a little version of his usual determined expression. He looked around the room with curiosity.

Baby Wanda sat with her arms crossed, already looking like she was judging everyone.

Baby Lai immediately crawled toward the nearest object like she was ready to challenge it.

Baby Mercya looked around the room suspiciously, as if she was calculating the value of everything she saw.

And Baby Jade...

Baby Jade adjusted tiny glasses that somehow appeared with her.

Jade stared.

The baby version of herself stared back.

"This is unexpected," Baby Jade said.

Jade's eyes widened.

"You can talk?"

Baby Jade looked offended.

"Of course I can talk."

A long silence filled the laboratory.

Jade slowly wrote something down.

"Interesting."

Baby Jade looked at her notes.

"You forgot to record the possibility of independent consciousness."

Jade stopped writing.

"...I did not."

"You absolutely did."

Jade lowered the notebook.

"That is concerning."

Within three hours, the situation had become much worse.

The babies had formed a group.

A very organized group.

Jade found them sitting around a tiny table she had no memory of creating.

Baby Wanda stood at the front.

Behind her was a banner made from laboratory curtains.

It read:

THE TINY TYRANTS

Jade stared.

"No."

Baby Wanda smiled.

"Yes."

"You formed a gang?"

"Not a gang," Baby Wanda corrected. "A leadership organization."

Mercya raised a tiny hand.

"We prefer the term business empire."

Lai pointed dramatically.

"We are taking over the playroom."

Tray looked embarrassed.

"I tried to stop them."

Jade looked at him.

"And?"

Tray shrugged.

"They made a very convincing presentation."

Jade looked at Baby Jade.

"You helped?"

Baby Jade adjusted her glasses.

"I improved their presentation."

"Why?"

"Because their original plan was inefficient."

Jade sighed.

Of all the possible outcomes, she should have expected this one.

She had accidentally created a group of tiny versions of her friends.

And somehow, they were exactly as troublesome as the originals.

Maybe worse.

The next ninety-seven hours became known throughout the castle as the Great Baby Incident.

The Tiny Tyrants demanded snacks.

They created a tiny government.

They attempted to negotiate with the royal kitchen.

They tried to convince the guards that they were actually the "real adults" and everyone else was pretending.

Wanda discovered that people gave babies extra kindness.

Mercya discovered that kindness could be monetized.

Jade discovered that her own personality was extremely annoying when reduced to a two-foot-tall genius.

But slowly, something unexpected happened.

Jade started enjoying their company.

She watched Baby Tray help the others when they argued.

She watched Baby Wanda secretly make sure everyone was included.

She watched Baby Lai protect everyone despite pretending she didn't care.

She watched Baby Mercya share her snacks when nobody was looking.

And she watched Baby Jade constantly question everything, just like she did.

On the final hour, Jade sat with them in the laboratory.

The glowing timer above the machine counted down.

00:10:00.

"Ten minutes," Jade said quietly.

The babies looked at the timer.

For the first time, nobody joked.

Nobody planned a takeover.

Nobody argued.

Baby Tray looked up.

"Are we going away?"

Jade looked down.

"Yes."

"Can you stop it?"

Jade stayed silent.

She could.

Maybe.

But she knew the experiment was never supposed to last forever.

Baby Jade looked at her.

"You created us because you wanted to understand something."

Jade nodded.

"I wanted to understand childhood."

Baby Jade shook her head.

"No."

Jade looked confused.

"You wanted to understand yourself."

The timer continued.

00:01:00.

Jade smiled sadly.

"You're exactly like me."

Baby Jade smiled.

"Unfortunately."

When the timer reached zero, the laboratory filled with warm golden light.

One by one, the Tiny Tyrants disappeared.

Tray waved goodbye.

Wanda gave Jade a proud smile.

Lai shouted that she would have won the takeover.

Mercya asked if Jade wanted to invest in her future business.

And Baby Jade simply said:

"Next time, include more safety precautions."

Jade laughed.

"I will."

The light faded.

The laboratory became quiet again.

Jade looked at the empty space where the babies had been.

Her experiment had failed.

Technically.

Scientifically.

Completely.

But somehow...

It had also succeeded.

Jade looked at her notes.

At the top of the page, she crossed out:

Temporary Replication Experiment

And wrote:

The Importance of Understanding Life

Then underneath, she added:

Also: Never create tiny versions of friends without permission.

She looked at the note.

Paused.

And added one more line.

🔥 TDP Fun Fact #21

Early in the creation of The Dragon's Prince, I planned for Wanda Ho and Cleon Bodhi to end up together. Since they're both Fire types, I thought they'd be the perfect match.

Then I drew a picture of them.

It wasn't romantic at all.

Cleon was tied up while Wanda smiled and said, "You're lucky it's Tuesday..."

The joke? Wanda has a personal rule that she doesn't kill people on Tuesdays because of her god, Bumba.

That drawing made me realize something. They're both fire, but they're completely different kinds of fire.

🔥 Cleon is a calm campfire.

🔥 Wanda is an out-of-control wildfire.

Here are some fun facts you could use for Cleon Bodhi, the cowboy gunner of The Dragon's Prince:

🤠 Fun Facts About Cleon Bodhi

His dream is to become the greatest bounty hunter in Sciemagicoxe, but he keeps getting distracted by side quests.

He treats his revolvers like prized musical instruments and gives each one a nickname.

He can fall asleep almost anywhere, including while sitting on a horse.

Despite looking intimidating, he's surprisingly good with children.

He has an encyclopedic knowledge of wanted posters and can recognize criminals from miles away.

He loves spicy food but can't handle sweets.

If there's a campfire nearby, Cleon is the first person telling ghost stories.

He secretly enjoys romance novels, though he'll deny it if anyone asks.

He always flips a coin before making a difficult decision, not because he believes in luck, but because it helps him realize what he's hoping for before it lands.

His hat has survived more battles than most people.

He's one of the best shots in the Kingdoms, but he'll intentionally miss if he thinks someone deserves a second chance.

"Jade's Five Modes"

INT. JADE'S MINDSCAPE

A spotless white laboratory stretches forever. Five doors line the walls.

JADE stands in the middle, exhausted.

JADE

Can everyone just... be quiet for five minutes?

A door swings open.

DOLLY walks out, chewing gum with the confidence of someone who owns the place.

DOLLY

We are you, bitch. We ain't going anywhere anytime soon. What you need is a full, straight reboot.

(Pause.)

Like the New 52.

JADE

Nobody liked the New 52.

DOLLY

Exactly. That's why you don't copy it.

Another door opens.

A blood-red version of Jade steps out.

KILL MODE

It's kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest.

(Grins.)

Kill them all.

JADE

We're not killing anyone...

KILL MODE

Not with that attitude, we're not.

Another door slides open.

BRENDAN walks out with his hands in his pockets.

BRENDAN

Stop thinking emotionally.

Everything changes eventually.

Sooner or later.

You got attached to Core Mode because it's comfortable.

That doesn't make it permanent.

JADE

I like who I am...

(Beat.)

No.

I love who I am.

Dolly snorts.

DOLLY

Lies.

JADE

I'm the Smartest Girl in the World!

DOLLY

That's what you think, bitch.

A fourth door opens.

A nervous, softer version of Jade peeks out.

SCENE JADE

...Maybe everyone has a point?

Nobody looks at her.

She quietly closes the door halfway.

DOLLY

Girl, speak up.

The fifth door opens.

JADE steps out. Calm. Confident. The Jade everyone knows.

JADE

Enough.

We're arguing because we're afraid.

Not because we're right.

Silence.

Even Kill Mode listens.

BRENDAN

She's right.

You're treating us like a disease.

We're not.

We're different survival strategies.

KILL MODE

I exist because something out there wanted us dead.

SCENE JADE

I exist because being loud wasn't always safe...

DOLLY

And I exist because somebody around here has to call out your bullshit.

(Proudly.)

That be hot.

JADE

...Is that really your catchphrase now?

DOLLY

That be hot.

JADE

It's... actually growing on me.

DOLLY

See?

That be hot.

The five Jades stare at one another.

For the first time...

No one's trying to take control.