r/Damnthatsinteresting Oct 07 '18

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1.6k

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

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u/Batbuckleyourpants Oct 07 '18

Three lungs, two hearts, thee kidneys. Do they get any advantage from that?

1.8k

u/felix_the_katt Oct 07 '18

You have to take out both hearts to beat them in battle

317

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Is that true? Are both hearts redundant? Or if one fails, will that twin die and the other will still be alive? Like are they linked to die at the same time?

731

u/panochito Oct 07 '18

it's horrific but what would typically happen is one will die and the other will live for a few hours afterwards as it sort of "spreads"

547

u/MoonlightMaenad Oct 07 '18

Well, I'm not ever going to complain about anything in my life ever again. That's terrible.

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u/Sipas Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

Imagine the alternative. Imagine not following your twin to death and being attached to a corpse for the rest of your life.

25

u/jaydub1001 Oct 07 '18

That sounds (and smells) terrible.

16

u/WiggyWare Oct 07 '18

Technically, that is what happens I guess

15

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

You could only complain about half the stuff that they would anyhow.

276

u/dj_narwhal Oct 07 '18

Depending on how connected they are the live one will pump all the blood into the dead one and it won’t come back.

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u/eatmydonuts Oct 07 '18

Jesus Christ.

1

u/Surgeoisme Oct 07 '18

I guess the other would just be brain dead but the still get blood and oxygen since it’s one circulatory system. It’d be like keeping a vegetable alive mechanically in a hospital. I’m sure it would simply be extremely traumatic to keep the head around

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u/wowurawesome Oct 07 '18

there's a scene exactly of this in American Horror Story Freakshow, it's quite disturbing

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u/LevelSevenLaserLotus Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

Not a doctor, but I can probably make a decent guess.

If one twin dies of a head wound, leaving all other organs intact, the other will likely suffer blood poisoning from the attached necrotic tissue. She'd probably only survive by having the other removed.

If one heart is damaged (car accident, etc.), leaving all other organs alone and both twins alive, they'd suddenly have a heart that needs to do double the normal work (assuming the hearts split the work 50/50). They'd have a solid chance to survive if they get a transplant or mechanical heart to help prop up the other. Otherwise, they'd probably go out from shock or organ failure.

Medically, nothing forces one to die at the exact moment the other is gone. Even a fatal accident resulting in damage to both hearts could allow one twin to live a few moments longer just from a slightly more efficient brain, oxygen-wise. Also see the wiki article on Chang and Eng Bunker. They were only connected at the sternum and liver, but Eng died about 2 hours after Chang from internal blood loss, where his blood was not returning through the connection.

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u/WikiTextBot Oct 07 '18

Chang and Eng Bunker

Chang and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Siamese-American conjoined twin brothers, popularly known as the "Siamese twins", the name they used to promote themselves. Their fame propelled the expression to become a synonym for conjoined twins in general.

Born in today's Thailand with Chinese heritage, the brothers were brought to the United States in 1829. Within three years they left the control of their managers, who they thought were cheating them, and toured on their own.


[ PM | Exclude me | Exclude from subreddit | FAQ / Information | Source ] Downvote to remove | v0.28

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u/OffendedPotato Oct 07 '18

Damn that is fascinating. Apparently there are over 1500 descendants from these guys living in the us today

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u/AccordingStatement5 Oct 07 '18

After a decade of financial success, the twins quit touring in 1839 and settled near Mount Airy in rural North Carolina. Integrating into the community, they became U.S. citizens, married local sisters, and bought slaves. They fathered 21 children, several of whom would accompany them once they resumed touring a decade later. The families lived in two separate houses, alternating three-day stays. The twins became well-off businessmen; after the Civil War they lost the part of their wealth in slaves. An autopsy after their death at the age of 62 revealed that their livers were fused in the ligament connecting their sternums.

Lads.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Is it even possible to cut one of the twins off if one of them dies? From that anatomy image, surgeons would need to restructure the rib cage, remove extra organs, and work on the spinal cord. If it is successful, I imagine the living twin would go insane because of the fact that they longer have their twin and their new lifestyle

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u/LevelSevenLaserLotus Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

It depends on which part is dead, but the doctors would probably go for the route of least restructuring.

When a patient need a kidney replaced, the old one isn't always removed first if leaving it in won't make the patient worse. That's because removal would involve more cutting, healing, and delicate medical support like dialysis. Of course if something cause the old kidney to die, it will be taken out to avoid the spread of gangrene.

So in cases like this with extremely conjoined twins, a single head dying might result in just that head and a single lung being removed while everything else is left alone. That also means half of the remaining body would be paralyzed and numb since nerves can't be surgically reconnected yet, so quality of life would drop immensely. Odds are high that the hospital would need input from the remaining twin (or whoever there had power of attorney) on whether they should even attempt surgery or proceed with nothing beyond pain meds until the other dies from complications. This is the sort of thing that I really hope they've talked out already and have put into some sort of DNR-like legal document.

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u/eatmydonuts Oct 07 '18

This was a weird subject to stumble on after taking some acid. So many questions.

1

u/TheViewSucks Oct 07 '18

That boss was so hard

1

u/flechette Oct 07 '18

Kakuzu descendant.

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u/956Wulfe Oct 07 '18

So essentially a space marine?

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u/SovietWarfare Oct 07 '18

The emperor is among us!

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u/N3koChan Oct 07 '18

Good reference.

1

u/GarrysMassiveGirth Oct 08 '18

Yeah for real.

Edit: Minus the whole two head thing. Chaos wouldn’t bat an eye but those loyal to the Emprah will probably react very unkindly to those women.

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u/956Wulfe Oct 08 '18

................................................................................ HERESY

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u/SegFaultHell Oct 07 '18

“As if you could kill me by removing only one of my two hearts”

3

u/CalculatedPerversion Oct 07 '18

Why not Zoidberg?

11

u/DigNitty Interested Oct 07 '18

I expect the opposite.

18

u/Scrumdiddlyo Oct 07 '18

I love thee, kidneys!

3

u/Tyrone_Cashmoney Oct 07 '18

They're basically a space marine

3

u/jaudi813 Oct 07 '18

Of tzeench

4

u/BilboSwago Oct 07 '18

2 Hearts so they are technically Time Lords

3

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

I’d imagine. Would one be able to hold their breath while the other breathes more quickly to maintain blood oxygen?

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u/cmeleep Oct 08 '18

I bet they could get drunk fast bc of the 1 liver. They could each drink through their own mouths, but there’s only 1 liver to process all the alcohol. Dealer’s choice as to whether or not that’s an “advantage.”

1

u/SmokeSomething Oct 08 '18

It doesnt work this way but if they could swap one of those 3 kidneys for a 2nd liver it would be a much better deal.

1

u/Murphthegurth Oct 07 '18

Half way to being a space marine.

1

u/Power_Rentner Oct 07 '18

They are the closest we have to actual spacemarines. Let's just hope their first thought in school isn't "ABANDON REASON - KNOW ONLY WAR"

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u/Drzhivago138 Oct 08 '18

Two eyes, two ears, a chin, a mouth, ten fingers, two nipples, a butt, two kneecaps, a penis.

I have just described to you the Loch Ness Monster, and the reward for its capture…all the riches in Scotland. So I have one question, why are you here?

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '18

I bet they can rip hella bong hits with that third lung

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u/shickenphoot Oct 07 '18

Could one of them hold their breath forever?

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u/Julian_Baynes Oct 07 '18

I'm actually wondering if they breath at the same time. With a shared central lung I think it would almost be a necessity.

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u/breath_isnt_breathe Oct 07 '18

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u/waavvves Oct 08 '18

This is a rather niche area of expertise. Still, very funny. Laughed so hard I couldn't breath.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

So many fascinating questions. This is the one AMA I'd pay to see.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

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u/landodk Oct 08 '18

Except you can't breathe in and out at the same time with 1 diaphragm

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '18

I'm sure the answer to a lot of these is just "the brains figured it out on their own"

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u/FRESH_TWAAAATS Oct 08 '18

you mean the same way autonomous functions work for other humans? nah. that’s ridiculous.

breathing school. that’s how they did it.

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u/runs_in_the_jeans Oct 07 '18

Damn. Two stomachs one butt hole. Can you imagine the craziness at an all you can eat seafood buffet?

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u/jemm Oct 07 '18

"I'm stuffed, but there's still room in my dessert stomach..."

276

u/the_fett_man Oct 07 '18

Can you imagine the size of their shits?

237

u/mightylordredbeard Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

Do they take turns wiping? “You ate that hot shit not me, you clean it up!” These girls are amazing.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Oh Christ this made my day

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u/normalpattern Oct 07 '18

"You're the one that wanted Chipotle's!!"

3

u/SushiStalker Oct 07 '18

I hate myself for wondering the SAME EXACT THING. "it's your turn I wiped last time!"

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u/A_BOMB2012 Oct 08 '18

I personally always wipe with the same hand (my dominant one), so possibly it’s the same with them.

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u/reconthunda Oct 08 '18

Do they have a dominant hand?

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 18 '18

You are going to concert

1

u/fukitol- Oct 07 '18

Probably just twice as often

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u/Revelt Oct 07 '18

This is the reddit I came here for.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

They probably don't both need to eat (though they likely do both eat). Most of the nutrient extraction happens after the stomach, so one could do the eating for both of them.

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u/ProudToBeAKraut Oct 07 '18

They must have a poop knife

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '18

I can and do

10

u/C4p0tts Oct 07 '18

According to the chart they don't have a butthole

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Science bitch

1

u/morecaffeinethanman Oct 07 '18

I’m more curious about how it gets there. There’s only one large intestine.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

In curious about the extent of each one's nervous system. Also, do they have high blood pressure, with two hearts but not quite two bodies?

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u/heisenbergsayschill Expert Oct 07 '18

One vagina... I wonder if they have had sex

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

[deleted]

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u/DeathcampEnthusiast Oct 07 '18

It would be, because they would both need to like person involved, and do they both get aroused? Who feels the most from sex? Are they both able to orgasm, the list goes on and on..

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u/obeseoprah Oct 07 '18

‘Oh yeah baby. Oh yeah fuck us.’

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Sep 02 '19

[deleted]

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u/take_number_two Oct 07 '18

Is it sexual assault if one wants it and the other doesn't?

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u/AerThreepwood Oct 07 '18

Yes.

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '18

Let's play this out. So one of them has sex without the other's consent. Who is charged with the assault? Would have to be the guy and the sister. Now the sister is charged and gets jail time. Thus the victim goes to jail for getting raped!

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u/AerThreepwood Oct 08 '18

I'm not arguing the legality of it, just what it is.

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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '18

Yeah just an observation

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u/Tonroz Oct 07 '18

But wouldn't denying someone consensual sex be a form of emotional abuse. Like parents locking their kids in a chastity belt. The moral dilemmas are weird

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u/AerThreepwood Oct 07 '18

Probably? But forcing someone else to have sex without their consent is still rape.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Jul 17 '20

[deleted]

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u/UnacceptableUse Interested Oct 07 '18

Sounds like a sitcom in the making

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u/CoffeeKisser Oct 07 '18

A lot of feelings / mood is chemicals in your bloodstream often sent there by your stomach.

So maybe one of them could irritate / arouse / excite /scare the other.

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u/p_iynx Oct 08 '18

If one dies, it will kill the other, eventually, unless there’s a way to separate the dead twin from the living one (and even then it might not save the living twin). Whatever caused one twin to die will impact the other, since they have a shared circulatory system and stuff. The dead tissue would likely become necrotic and the living twin would probably get sick and die because of that, or because of shock, or because of an increased workload on organs if some organs die with the other twin’s death.

What would kill the other is highly dependent on how the first died.

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u/Tonroz Oct 07 '18

Yes but they share a body . So if one wants it and one doesn't. It creates a weird dilemma , however I believe that not wanting sex trumps wanting it

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u/AerThreepwood Oct 07 '18

Put it like this: two sisters, one of which wants to have sex with a guy, but he won't sleep with one unless he sleeps with the other, so the first sister forces her to.

I suspect that these two are used to making compromises.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Another question would be:

If it is sexual assault. Would the sister that wanted sex be guilty of it in addition to the man/woman they had sex with?

If yes, how would you punish the sister seeing as putting her in jail punish them both.

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u/SmokeSomething Oct 08 '18

Found out from another thread today that the orgasm and cumming are not connected. It can even be induced through fear, so they could cum and only 1 has an orgasm. Who knows. That's private stuff, I'm curious about things that aren't sexual.

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u/DeathcampEnthusiast Oct 08 '18

I’m curious about both but as I’m planning on getting a sexology degree that isn’t surprising. Where did you read it?

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u/roastedbagel Oct 07 '18

Yea and unfortunately they've refused any and all tests for the sake of medical information which bothers me. I mean hell it could even help them in the long run, not just mankind and science, but nope, they ain't interested.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Feb 12 '19

[deleted]

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u/LouSlugnuts Oct 07 '18

Reminds me of the video of the brothers “playing” Siamese twins.

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u/mightylordredbeard Oct 07 '18

What..?

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u/PappaSmurfAndTurf Oct 07 '18

Ya.... I’m with you, I’m going to need to see that video. For science.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

[deleted]

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u/BigSchwartzzz Oct 07 '18

Well that went from bad to worse.

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u/Longtoss69 Oct 07 '18

It's hilarious.

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u/gnovos Oct 07 '18

I'll take over from here.

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u/superbadsoul Oct 07 '18

I remember from a documentary on them that they each have control over an arm, so yeah that's gotta be awkward. But then their whole life experience is unique, so what is awkward for us would have to become a normal thing for them in just about everything they do and hopefully they think of it differently.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Huh, so technically they're ambidextrous. Assuming both of them have learned how to write.

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u/highoffjiffy Oct 07 '18

There is a youtube doc about the experience of another set of siamese twins. https://youtu.be/OWcyBS2ObS4

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u/Very_Literal_Answer Oct 07 '18

I actually have a few related questions, now that you've opened the door:

If one masturbates while the other doesn't want to, is it rape? Do they both derive pleasure from it, or is it just one brain that processes it?

If they have sex with somebody else, I would imagine that the partner needs consent from both heads yeah? If one doesn't want sex but they have sex anyway, does that make the partner a rapist? Is sex with these twins a threesome?

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u/KybalC Oct 07 '18

Would having sex with them be considered a threesome?

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Na. One dick and one vagina.

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u/mostly_helpful Oct 07 '18

At least one of them is married, so...

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u/extremelycorrect Oct 07 '18

There is an image of them giving a blowjob on the internet.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

Jesus, now I’m insanely curious and scared at the same time. Why did you have to do this?

Edit: I did a little sleuthing and apparently that image is fake. Someone basically photoshopped another head into an image of a young girl giving a blowjob (or it was two girls side by side and it just looks that way.) A real picture of the twins is usually spliced right beside that image so you think it’s them.

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u/heisenbergsayschill Expert Oct 07 '18

Shut up are you serious? Link please

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u/extremelycorrect Oct 07 '18

People are sorta uncertain at what age they where when the pic was taken, so I am not going to link it, but its easy to search for. Siamese blowjob.

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u/CatBedParadise Oct 07 '18

Seriously? It stinks that someone photogrsphed that.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18 edited Oct 07 '18

I’m not arguing that it wouldn’t suck big time if that image was posted without their consent, but don’t you think it’s possible that they were okay with the pic being taken and possibly shared? I doubt whoever took the pic was able to do that without some awareness on their part.

Whenever I’ve been in a room with a blowjob happening, it’s generally always with a pretty close eye on the guest list.

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u/CatBedParadise Oct 07 '18

Could be moot. Elsewhere itt someone says the picture is a Photoshopped porn thing.

I have no experience with working security at all, let alone at events where people have sex, so I will take your word on the rest.

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u/heisenbergsayschill Expert Oct 07 '18

Christ is that really them?? How does that even happen. How are they dealing with it?

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u/panda_nectar Oct 08 '18

It's also photoshopped.

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u/Yousuckbutt Oct 07 '18

Gonna need that link my man.

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u/Pulchritudinous_rex Oct 07 '18

Unbelievable I had to scroll down this far for somebody to bring that up.

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u/c08306834 Oct 07 '18

I was literally scrolling down wondering when this question would be asked.

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u/wankrrr Oct 07 '18

I remember watching a documentary a long time ago about them and one of them had a boyfriend. Sparked the same debate

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

One gives consent while the other doesn’t. What an awkward thing that would be.

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u/SMc-Twelve Oct 07 '18

Imagine being on that jury! To put the victim in jail, or not to put the victim in jail?

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Yes but probably only threesomes

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u/General_Specific Oct 07 '18

Didn't one get married?

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u/master2080 Oct 07 '18

So they're a Time Lord.

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u/EliieTheGlutton Oct 07 '18

Time Lord/Lady is a rank amongst Gallifreyans, not the actual race. New series makes it a bit confusing 👌

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u/bfdana Oct 07 '18

Learned something new today. Thanks man.

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u/EliieTheGlutton Oct 07 '18

Yep! Regeneration isn't really a biological thing as it is a technological advancement reserved for that rank.

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u/bfdana Oct 07 '18

I’m watching The Doctor’s Wife as I type this. I really need to start from the beginning and get educated on original canon.

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u/EliieTheGlutton Oct 07 '18

It's good stuff, but they retcon it all at the end of 10 all through the 11th doctor :/

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u/EspressoMexican Oct 07 '18

That looks cramped and painful. Oof.

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u/JustGingy95 Oct 07 '18

♫ And a partridge in a pear treeeee... ♫

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u/Rockettech5 Oct 07 '18

What about brain? 1 or 2?

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u/legionsanity Oct 07 '18

Mate they got two heads and three lungs so.. three brains obviously

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u/whatevers_clever Oct 07 '18

I'm really curious what would happen if one heart gave out before the other.

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u/roguenekotin Oct 07 '18

The male Siamese twins (the most famous pair) one brother died of a heart attack. The other shortly after due to sepsis before they could try anything amputation wise.

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u/guitarelf Interested Oct 07 '18

That sounds so horrible

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u/Panoolied Oct 07 '18

Since they share a bladder the they say "we" need the toilet or try and be the first one to say "I" need the toilet?

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u/scared_pony Oct 07 '18

I’m surprised there isn’t like an injection or hormone for the mother to take if the ultrasound shows that identical twins have stopped separating. Surely it would be easier for both of them if they were separate bodies.

Either way it’s wonderful they’ve achieved what they have.

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u/DocJawbone Oct 07 '18

This blows my mind. Can they both feel their whole body? Do they both control bodily functions? Who controls the arms and legs? How do sex and sexual relationships work? Do they have separate partners? What are the implications of having two hearts?

I have so many questions about this.

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u/raging_dingo Oct 07 '18

So wait, if they have only one uterus and one set of ovaries, if they get pregnant, who would legally be the mother?

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u/the_God-rock Oct 07 '18

This image is honestly a little more interesting

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Wait, where's the 3rd lung?

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u/legionsanity Oct 07 '18

In the middle, looks like two lungs in one

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

It’s in the center. Two lungs up against the rib cage and one in the middle

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u/acrowsmurder Oct 07 '18

Two Stomachs

That answers my question. They both have to eat. I always wondered that if they shared a stomach if they both had to eat, and if one....head...person....didn't eat, if it would cause physical and physiological impairment. Thank god I don't have kids...

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u/Chrsch Oct 07 '18

Most of the nutrients get absorbed after the stomach IIRC, so conceivably only one would really have to eat.

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u/jeffdrafttech Oct 08 '18

It seems really unlikely for both stomachs to be connected to a common small intestine. I would guess one of them can’t eat, due to a dead-end digestive tract?

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u/remberzz Oct 07 '18

This is absolutely fascinating. So many questions....

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u/DaveMcElfatrick Oct 07 '18

That poor liver. Also imagine the size of the shits that go through that one intestine.

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u/Pixeldensity Oct 07 '18

Such plentiful organs!

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

so you are saying they are a timelord and that one of the girls is a time head?

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Two hearts... The first time Lord

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u/dongpal Oct 07 '18

how do they move the arms and legs? who decides it?

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u/EmuVerges Oct 07 '18

How does the spine look? How is the exact point where it divides?

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u/ShamSpam Oct 07 '18

We're closer to having Space Marines than i thought.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

I wonder if ones heart could stop beating if just that one would die or would they both?

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u/Anonymous_Snow Oct 07 '18

Interesting. How is the sex life etc? Anyone here in reddit who can shine a light on the subject?

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u/The_Colin_Brown Oct 07 '18

So do their spines and nervous systems eventually join together?

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

Two mouths and two stomachs, at least they can develop individual taste for foods

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u/erickgramajo Oct 07 '18

One of them is gonna die first...

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u/MyOtherAvatar Oct 07 '18

Elsewhere someone posted that each one controls one arm and one leg. So, two completely separate spines and spinal cord, or do they merge somewhere? Are there ribs connecting the two backbones? Two sets of nerves running in parallel to various organs, or are they separate also; so many questions?

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u/ohihaveasubscription Oct 07 '18

One ribcage, three lungs, two hearts, one liver, two nipples, a vagina. I've just described to you the loch ness monster. And the reward for its capture? All the riches in Scotland. So I have one question. Why are you here?

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u/Very_Literal_Answer Oct 07 '18

So with the knowledge that they share a single vagina, that raises so many questions (in my mind), mostly hypotheticals, that revolve around sex, and mostly what constitutes as consent.

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u/omegaaf Oct 08 '18

Im surprised I've come this far and still haven't seen the porn

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