Wasty: Well, if it was so sudden. As if Paige was like the last, tenuous strand holding everything back, and her birth just opened the hybrid child floodgates. If suddenly, for no discernable reason, everyone could have hybrids without complication, I'm pretty sure all of Animalia would go into full panic mode. Granted there were already some hybrids at that point. Zorses, Ligers, etc...along with some historical anecdotes that hinted at broader cross-species combo's that were deemed fiction by historians. But if it just seemed like suddenly everyone could have hybrids regardless of the species gap, most mammals would probably see it as mystical in some way. Numbers of mammals who consider themselves religious would swell suddenly, and flock to the various churches and things like that seeking an answer in faith as science struggled to work out why all of this was happening so suddenly.
How it was perceived would depend on the religion, with some preaching it as a miracle, and proof of a covenant of peace the gods intended all mammals to share. Others would see them as demonic heralds, signs of the end of days.
Those who weren't swayed by religion would still have their own fears over the whole situation. In the last fic I plan to do, "The Bellwether Legacy", by the time Paige is twenty and hybrids are becoming more of a thing now that technology is helping close the species gap more efficiently and safely. There are rising concerns from both predator and prey that hybrids will cause massive problems for those 'pure-blooded' mammals, which leads to extremist prey and pred organizations getting deeper and deeper hoof holds into the public discourse. For the prey, their primary fears are that stealth predator traits will be buried in mammals that visually pass for prey. If such genetic combos prove unstable in terms of mental health, pure-blood prey fear they'll be attacked by prey-passing hybrids nestled among them. A bunch of ticking time bombs, ready to snap at the drop of a hat. From the predator perspective, with predators being outnumbered 9 to 1 by prey mammals, they fear all predators will be forcibly bred out of existence in a pro-hybrid world.
Naturally, in your scenario, these groups would crop up much faster and earlier than what I had planned, which would only add to the chaos.
I imagine the insanity, coupled with the fact that Paige was seen at large, for better or worse, as the catalyst for this whole situation, would force the Hunters to move to the North Meadowlands, or maybe even go into full-on hiding. Dawn would probably find that ironic, the fickle nature of her public pariah status ultimately forcing her and her flock to do what she felt like she might have to do after her initial parole period. Paige's early years would be more insulated, with contact limited to her blood relatives and adopted siblings, as well as being home-schooled exclusively for her own safety. She realistically wouldn't start connecting with other hybrids until she was an adult, as her parents would be forced to keep a somewhat tight leash on her until the chaos surrounding the public discourse about hybrids calmed down, at least to a degree. Of course, Paige's stubborn and rebellious nature, inherited largely from Vernon, would probably see her take a very public role as a hybrid advocate. Connecting with Hybrids across Animalia, and aggressively fighting for their right to exist. In that scenario, I could see her ironically end up becoming the mayor of Zootopia in the long run.
As for the treatment of hybrids, it would be all over the place. Seeing as the existence of hybrids would have moved way faster than the legal precedents and rights legislation. Early on there'd be a lot of terrible things going on both in public and private. After all, the preexisting number of hybrids (Zorses, Ligers, etc.) was such a minor trifle that there would be very little, if any, legal precedents on the books. Thus, you'd have Hybrid children being aborted en-mass, treated as slaves or livestock until hard, legal precedents were set canonizing them as actual recognized species of mammals. Discrimination would run rampant. But as the laws catch up, things would simmer down to some degree, at least until Paige forces her way onto the public stage and stirs everything up again. It would take a lot of fighting, coordinated, and on a global scale to ensure that hybrids would have the same rights and privileges as any other mammal in most countries. And even then it would take decades to accomplish these feats and see the world return to some semblance of normalcy again.
So realistically, it would be way more chaotic than the more 'slow burn' I had planned. And many more innocent mammals would be hurt in the fight for hybrid rights. Of course, Zootopia would be at the forefront of change in both scenarios...but social cohesion would have unraveled faster, and for a longer period during those first few years. Martial law might even have to be declared. Whereas the slow burn would prevent the city from ever descending into such extreme levels of chaos.
Also, I'd have to come up with an explanation, even if I never reveal it for the sake of the in-universe logic, as to why suddenly everyone could have hybrids out of the blue when they couldn't before. Was it magical? Holy? Some weird X-men moment where a bunch of dormant genes just kick on all at once? I want to keep the story as grounded as I can for a story about talking animals, and all of that is just too unbelievable for the world I'm trying to craft.
Thank you for your ask!
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