Found AU Ask; Alex and Tim

 

Audrey: Well I just think they are the cutest lil' couple...well next to Marcus and Aiko...though they don't know they're a couple yet...*Giggles*

Dorian: Heh heh....yeah, them too are real cute. Reminds me so much of us when we first got together...

Audrey: Mhh hmm...*Sighs* Ah young love...it's truly a wonderful thang...

Dorian: O'course...old love ain't too bad either...*Dorian wraps an arm around Audrey, kissing the top of her head.*

Audrey: *Flashes her mate a warm smile.* It certainly has its perks...*Nuzzles into Dorian's neck.* O' course some thangs never get old...

Yuri: Yeesh...no one wants to see that...can y'all try and tamp it down? *Shakes head* Yer no better than Tim and Alex...act yer ages.

Audrey: Oh pshaw! Leave us be...y'all ferget we're livin' breathin' mammals who've loved each other since before y'all we're born...y'all are a product of that love...so stop turnin' yer nose up at us.

Dorian: Yer an adult, start actin' like it...

Trenton: Yuri won't understand, he's never been one fer public displays of affection...

Yuri: Pft...

Vernon: Y'know, I wouldn't know necessarily how y'all were exactly like when you was young, so I can't compare...but there is a mammal that Alex really reminds me of...to an almost scary degree...

Trenton: Yer talkin' about Ma right?

Vernon: Bingo...

Dawn: *Giggling* Oh she is so much like Audrey it's uncanny.

Audrey: Really now? *Scratches chin* I can't see it...

Zach: Pft...seems like I'm not the only mammal in the family who can be willfully ignorant at times...

Audrey: Oh come now, I ain't blind...I jus-

Dorian: Spittin' image...at least in terms of her mannerisms...*chuckles* and the way she leads that boy around by the snout...

Audrey: *Flashes her mate a dull glare* And what's that supposed to mean?

Dorian: *Places his paws up defensively* I didn't say it was a bad thang...*Chuckles* Personally I liked bein' wrapped around yer fingers...o'course I liked them fingers better on me...

Yuri: Oh come on! *Yuri makes a retching face*

Qali: And so does Tim apparently. *Giggling* considering what I've heard...

Dorian: *Sighs* Yep... also like me and Auddey them two can't keep their paws off each other...and I can guarantee it's Alex that's initiatin' it more often than not...

Audrey: Hey now, it takes two to tango!

Dorian: True, but there's only so much resistance a teenage boy can put up against a flirty, forward shewolf...No mammal is made o' stone...I know I wasn't when we started datin'...*Chuckles*

Vanna: She definitely...*Ahem* Has that sort of energy about her.

Dorian: I've gotten a call or two...mostly cause o' trespassin' involvin' the two of them...usually just give 'em a soft slap o' the wrist like I do most teens that get caught doin' that...though Tim's uncle finds it hilarious every time...That said, we always keep a close eye on them when they come visit the family ranch.

Audrey: I watch them two like a hawk! 

Dorian: We know what to look for through 'personal experience', so I'd like to think we've been purty good at keepin' them from...'foolin' around' when they're with us. But I also remember how wily Auddey- *Coughs* we were when we were goin' steady...so there's a good chance they've given us the slip once er' twice...Oh course, Tim's the kinda boy who would feel guilty and tell us iffin' anything happened...so I trust that.

Ada: Pft...sounds like Vanna...

Vanna: ADA! *Blushes*

Zach: Yeah, we was in the clear and my Kitten couldn't look Ma in the eyes she felt so bad...

Audrey: It was a little bit of a dead giveaway...that said, I always look fer the same thing in Tim whenever I ain't sure what he and Alex have gotten up to...and either he's got a great poker face, er' he's managed to keep his paws to himself so far...

Dorian: And keep Alex's off him too...*Snickers*

Found AU; Kirin Dice and his Casino

 

Dorian: I generally prefer to stay as far away from that District as I can...which is easy to do considerin' I'm purty much locked to the North Meadowlands when it comes to the reach of our District's Sheriff's office. Unlike the big four, there ain't really much bleed over in terms o' cases and patrols...*Huffs* Still, I wish that guy could just be livin' in that District too and save me the headache...I really, really hate that he's operatin' in any capacity in our quiet little community...even if his actual criminal activity goes on in the Nocturnal District exclusively...

Xavier: Are we all...certain he's still up to his old tricks? I mean...a Casino is technically legal to operate in the Nocturnal District...

Wade: Although he had to use a weird loophole to get a hold of the land...that much alone should tell ya the fella ain't too keen on operatin' above board.

Xavier: I suppose...Gah...*huffs* I'll admit...nothing does frustrate me more in my line of work than those who argue 'technical legality' and habitual loophole exploiters.

Trenton: That kind of behavior certainly don't scream 'I'm a stand-up fella lookin' to do hard, honest work' that's fer sure...

Vernon: That's o' course is ignorin' what Tim told us...and the stuff we saw in that documentary...

Yuri: Please, y'all don't even need any o' that...you can tell by his smell alone. My Hunter's intuition kicked in the moment I first laid eyes on him...that ugly mug o' his made my hackles stand on end in an instant.

Dorian: At least y'all boys don't have him livin' right in yer back yard...*huff* Not only does he got me worried about our little community here...but with yer Ma's new litter on the way...I'm real worried fer them havin' to grow up with that vile mammal skulking around our quaint lil' district...

Vernon: Well at least he'll stand out, so they'll know to keep clear of him...

Yuri: *Laughs* Hard not to with a mug like his, and his trail of corporate sycophants surroundin' him. 

Wade: He honestly kinda looks like those old 'stranger danger' signs from when we was pups...y'know the shadow with the hat and mean squinty eyes? Same energy. Just...y'know without the wolf ears...

Vernon: And we'll be a stone's throw away from his backyard soon enough...y'all know Dawn and me were lookin' to move up to South Meadowlands fer the pups sake...We'll be right smack dab between his home and workplace...*Shudders*

Dorian: It's times like this when I wish I hadn't stopped them teen arsonists from burnin' the ol' Bellwether mansion down a few years back...would have saved us all a lot o' trouble...

Yuri: Though knowin' this guy, he probably would have built a new place on the ashes, seein' as the grounds were 'so rich with history'...*Scoffs*

Dorian: Well iffin' there's one thing I know about folks like Dice...it's that karma always catches up with 'em...one day fer sure it's all gonna come crashin' down right on top of him...and whether er' not I'll be there to see it, I don't know...but it's comin' hard and fast...and eventually there'll be nowhere left to run and hide.

Yuri: I just hope it's soon...the less time he has to stir up trouble in Zootopia, the better...though I'm sure when that check comes due he'll meet the gates of hades itself wearin' that same...unnervin' and insincere smile he's always got and schemin' up a way to scam Hel himself...

Vernon: Yer right about most o' that...'cept fer one thang...

Yuri: How's that Vermin?

Vernon: That smile is genuine...and that's the most terrifyin' thing about him...

Found AU ask; Just a typical, ordinary, average School.

Vernon: Does my experience count in this here discussion?

Zach: The fact that y'all were oblivious to the existence of stuff like this in middle and high school don't count fer squat...

Vernon: An 'espionage club', really? I still can't believe anyone would cook up somethin' like that...

Gus: Realistically it's just a fancy name for what was ostensivley 'puzzle solving club'. Espionage Club just sounds cooler.

Vernon: *Glares at Gus* 

Gus: What? I already told you I almost joined...but founding the BnB club was a task in and of itself, I didn't have time for any other clubs.

Dorian: It's what I'd expect out of an inner city school...although it still goes on out her in the country...that kinda stuff I mean...I just don't think it's as prevalent.

Vernon: Which is why we're lookin' into movin'....

Yuri: Please, that ain't gonna matter Vern. We all know this already, so why don't you? Trouble follows that lil' gal...You could move her all the way into the mountains and home school her exclusively and she'd manage to stumble onto an illegal coca leaf farm while playin' outside...if you pick up and move, that stuff is just gonna tag along fer the ride...*Chuckles*

Vernon: *Groans* Sometimes I really hate you Yuri...

Yuri: Hate me? Er' hate that I'm right?

Vernon: *huffs* Hate that yer right...

Wade: As fer what kinda techniques she picked up from us...I mean she picked up lots o' little stuff from all of us before Vernon put a cap on us talkin' police business around her...which, by the way, how's that workin' out?

Vernon: It hasn't helped much at all iffin' I'm bein' honest...*The wolf sighs, his tail and ears sagging sharply.*

Wade: I had a feelin'...

Zach: But the mammal she squeezed the most out of in terms of police techniques would be Pa...and to be fair, even what she picked up from us was stuff we learned from him so...

Dorian: Yeah, I didn't teach her that haymaker takedown though...I'm purty sure that was all Yuri...

Yuri: Well, iffin' I'm bein honest I picked that up from Ada's sister...*Chuckles*, although she was playin' her wrestler character at the time...Damn that was a great match...

Vernon: That's not the only move she picked up from one o' you...Dawn showed me some cuttin' room floor clips last week, and damned if I didn't see my lil' miss and her friend Paul sparrin', and she up and goes and pulls some sand out of her pocket and throws it in his eyes!

Zach: *Laughs* Rut me, no way!

Wade: Was Paul hurt?

Vernon: Naw, he was wearin' some of those science class goggles...he was fine...but they were literally practicin' deployin' 'pocket sand'. *Shakes head*

Yuri: See, that's what happens when y'all force us to shut our traps about somethin' yer pup is interested in...she ends up copyin' her Uncle Ully out o 'desperation...

Zach: Desperation er' not, I can't argue it ain't an effective tactic...*Chuckles*

Ask Wasty? Dawn and Vern; Fiction Punk?

 

WT: I wasn't totally sure if this was directed for the characters or me...at least up until the end, still, I decided to kind of...cover both angles I guess...

In terms of the first scenario posed, I don't think I'd be truly devastated...of course, I am writing a universe wherein I have a villain redeem herself whereas there's a good chance she'll be completely cardboard cut-out evil in future Zoot content. I think what would be the hardest thing would be seeing those characters and having to remind yourself that they might not be who you think they are. Is the villain you've read stories about, or watched films featuring someone to be wary of? Or someone to befriend? Do you take the risk? You wouldn't really know who to trust, everything would be in flux. And it would be exceedingly hard for me not to take that risk on Dawn. Lol.

With your second question, it's actually something I've pondered before. I can't possibly imagine what it would feel like ending up in another realm to find that your life, however accurate or inaccurately it was portrayed, was nothing but another universe's form of entertainment. You are nothing but a character from a story, at least as far as you could tell. Are the differences between your portrayal and who you actually are enough to give you some semblance of feeling that your world was just as real as the new one you inhabit? Or would you think the nuances got lost in translation between the fabric of the universe? Is every bad thing you've experienced in your universe...or that your world has endured, something that happened organically and was simply portrayed via a game of telephone through the world of the Realsies? Or did the 'creator' or 'author' of your story make you and your people suffer simply to make an interesting story?

It would be mind-breaking for many,  and there'd be a broad spectrum of disagreements on all sides as to the answer to everything. I suspect many fictions would find the naming convention for them offensive and argue as to what makes them any less real than the Realsies whose world they now inhabit. There would be a lot of civil warring among nations, factions...everything...I imagine it would chaos for quite a while after it first happened until slowly but surely things began to equalize...but I imagine that slow grind to co-existence would be built atop the corpses of many realsies and fictives alike...

Anyway, that's my spin...let's see how D & V would answer it.

-----

Dawn: Oh my...I can't really...it's a rather strange and interesting line of thought if I'm being honest...

Vernon: Same, though I can't think of too many...fictional characters I got heavy emotions hangin' on...

Dawn: I imagine our BnB characters would count though...

Vernon: *Chuckles* I hadn't thought o' that...Mam' now that'd be strange to begin with...seein' as how they'd essentially be alternate universe versions of ourselves...at least in essence...then to take it one step further they might not behave anything like we defined 'em to...

Dawn: It would be pretty heartbreaking to find out that Esmerelda Di Rivini was some sort of evil sorceress rather than the wily, sassy, but kind mage I developed her to be.

Vernon: Imagine if ol' Aldus Thane hated her guts instead o' bein' her close friend and confidant...

Dawn: "Close friend" is a nice way to sugarcoat that we've extensively shipped them together...*Giggling*

Vernon: Gus actively benched my character and forced me to play a whole arc as a new fella just to punish us fer flirtin' too much...*Chuckles*

Dawn: Of course...there's a broader question to consider...exactly...how many permutations of a character would end up being brought to life? Esmeralda has been through a number of design changes and total reboots throughout my life...do all of them exist or only the newest version? Do fanfictions count as brand new takes on established characters? If so, are all the variations coming along too? If that's the case you'll always find a version of the same character that's as depicted, or at least a nice, honest mammal.

Vernon: Sweet Sawgrass...takin' all that into account, imagine how cramped fer space Animalia would be? *Chuckles* It'd be standin' room only...

Dawn: Perhaps when a Fictive gets brought over, every permutation of them merges and thus it becomes a roulette wheel as to what depiction will win out? it'd make for a good explanation as any as to how it works...

Vernon: As fer yer second question...I mean...it'd shake me up real bad...to find out my life before all this was just...window dressin'...what if Dawn didn't come over too...er' my family? Would I even be able to feel like I was a real Hunter knowin' we was all...crafted by someone else?

Dawn: I think I'd just be terrified at the possibility that...I mean...what if I was just the villain in someone's story? What if...my whole role in the night howler plot was just...as you called it Puppy,' window dressing' to facilitate a narrative? Maybe I was a secondary character in Nick and Judy's story, and I have no other purpose than to help them tell it? If so...what does that make all of this? Is this truly my own life or have I long since gone off-script? What happens to the characters after the principal tale is told?

Vernon: Y'all mean like a single movie...er' a show er' what not?

Dawn: Yes. In the context of being a 'fictive', what happens to you when the story ends? What happens to your life, your whole world? And if I, as a fictive in this case were dragged out of that narrative...well...I mean what if I was dragged out of the middle of...that whole story...the evil me...the bad me?

Vernon: Maybe the reason all the characters who come over from that whole 'Amalgalm' thang are different then what we had 'em pegged as cause they're the product of havin' lives and experiences beyond the stories that were told...That almost every livin' thang is more complicated than a simple story could ever really tell...and so it's never gonna be totally accurate...

Dawn: I...I guess...*Sighs* But if I turned out to be a fictive...and I was...old me...if I didn't have you? I...well I'd probably be one of the fictives that would commit suicide...

Vernon: Y'all wouldn't be her...I know it in my gut. Yer you Honey Lamb...nothin' can change that...

Dawn: Aww....Puppy...

Vernon: And there's nothing that could split us up. Nothin' if I could help it anyway. *Chuckles* The only thing I'm obliged to let split us is when we grow old and pass over to Valhowlla. And even that'd be temporary, cause we'd be reunited in the end...

Dawn: *Hugs Vernon's leg* I wouldn't want it any other way.

Ask Fangmeyer and Wolfard; Blossoming Relationship

 

Wolford: Could we argue it was in our academy days?

Fangmeyer: Yes and no. We weren't exactly dating...nor did we start dating then, but I can say that was when I started to catch feelings for you. *Chuckles*

Wolford: We got paired off a lot during training and really hit it off to the point where we started actively seeking out getting paired up for exercises.

Fangmeyer: It must have been so obvious to the other cadets...but of course, it wasn't for us...

Wolford: For me that makes sense...I've always...well...I mean in terms of our strengths, she's always been the brains...I'm just a goof of a wolf...

Fangmeyer: *Chuckles* Don't sell yourself short babe...you've got a real knack for detective work...you have street smarts in spades...

Wolford: Well I was born and raised on Pack street...you gotta get streetwise quick to survive that place...*laughs*

Fangmeyer: Naturally our preference for partnering up followed us into district one. But I think it took us a year or two before we started...well I mean I think the feelings were there...but it was about building up the courage to admit our feelings to one another...

Wolford: Gods yeah, I mean this was before Dawn's book and everythin'...I wasn't just terrified as to what such a thing could do to our lives and careers if she felt the same way, and we made a go of a relationship. But if she didn't share my feelings, or was worse, revolted by them, I'd lose my best friend...

Fangmeyer: Aww....sweetie...I was the same way...but you still managed to be the first one to bolster enough courage to ask me...

Wolford: Spoilers, she said yes to goin' out on a date...and we sorta spilled the beans over dinner about just how deep our feelin's ran.

Fangmeyer: And that night...well...*Ahem*....things got heated pretty quick.

Wolford: Well...y'know we had been friends fer so long, and hung out all the time...so we wagered it was okay since we had technically been on thousands o' dates already without realizin' it...

Fangmeyer: *Giggles* Oh yes...it's the fastest I've ever moved in a relationship, but it...felt so right...like we should have been doing that for years at that point...

Wolford: We were kicking ourselves over how much time we lost. *Laughs*

Fangmeyer: And to clarify, I'm not the kind of girl to sleep with a guy on the first date...it's not my MO...

Wolford: Oh I know, I heard enough about the failed dates she had over the years that ended with a guy getting pawsy and leaving with a broken paw or worse...*Snickers*

Fangmeyer: But all those feelings, built up and ready to spill out for so many years...there was no other way the night could end...

Wolford: End? We went well into the next day? Oldwyn's muzzle, we called out sick just so we cou-...

Fangmeyer: *Places her paws out in a shushing gesture* Shush! Shush!... Bogo's gotten asks from this blog before...he surely checks in from time to time...*Ahem* We both took ill with a stomach bug from the dinner...

Wolfard: That's our official statement, yeah...*Snickers*

Fangmeyer: Like Nick and Judy, we kept things secret...pretty much up until Dawn's book kinda...well it brought up the interspecies conversation among our co-workers, and we were surprised to find most of our co-workers were very accepting of such a thing.

Wolfard: What floored me the most was finding out the Chief's wife was a doe! 

Fangmeyer: He rarely ever talks about his private life...like ever...so to chime in with that...it...well it blew us away.

Wolfard: It gave us the courage to admit to everyone that we had been a couple for years by that point...although Bogo wasn't entirely happy with the reveal...not because of the interspecies thing, but out of the fear our feelings for one another might affect our performance...

Fangmeyer: But seeing as by that point we'd been dating for years, without any big issues regarding our performance, he didn't harp on it.

Wolfard: I know it must seem weird that we kept it so secret for so long...I mean, Dawn's book was about pred-prey couples, the most taboo of cross-species relationships, but that doesn't mean dating in the same diet but different species didn't have its own hang-ups. Its just...not as big a taboo by comparison...

Fangmeyer: We're coming up on our eighth anniversary...and now that it's all been out in the open for over a year, I'm starting to wonder when this lunkhead is going to ask me to tithe him...*giggles*

Wolfard: Hey! I'm gonna! I swear! I will make an honest tigress out of you! *Laughs* It's just...we've been together so long and I've been building it up so much that it has to be perfect...y'know?

Fangmeyer: *Places a paw under Wolfard's chins and strokes it gingerly as she cooes sweetly.* Babe, you could propose to me at a gas station with a 25-cent ring from one of those toy capsules and I'd be over the moon...

Wolford: A-Aww...Big Cat...*Blushes intensely, tail wagging a mile a minute* I love you so much...

Fangmeyer: *Smiles warmly before placing a soft kiss on Wolfard's lips* I love you too...

Found AU ask; Marcus and Rose

 Zach: *Chuckles* Y'know my Pa always likes to say my Ma was made to be a Ma...and he's right. That said, I could say the same about Marcus bein' a big brother. He just...took to it so naturally...

Vanna: And little Rose is just absolutely over the moon about her big brother. He's the only one of us who can get her to stop crying without fail just by holding her.

Zach: We were...initially sorta worried when we told Marcus lil' Rose was on the way...y'know...Our boy he-well, as y'all pointed out, he's had issues in the past feelin' like he...truly fit in with the family. Like we really loved him without him feelin' the need to make himself seem 'useful' to us by actin' like a butler.

Vanna: We were kind of scared Rose would undo all that reassurance we had tried to instill in Marcus. But between us, his aunts, and grandparents, we think it's finally starting to stick that we truly love him, and see him as part of our pack.

Zach: Exactly! The boy's a Hunter and a Felidea, and nothin' gonna change that!  And I'm glad he's startin' to accept and embrace that...

Vanna: At the end of the day, your family is made up of the people that love and care for you, blood doesn't matter. And it seems like that concept is really starting to set in for Marcus. 

Zach: Now if only we could make some more headway on the whole 'unnecessary tasks' the boy keeps takin' on. Every time I think we're makin' progress I'll end up catchin' him cleanin' the garage er' doin' the gutters er' somethin' like that...

Vanna: Well, to be fair he was cleaning out the garage to make space for his band to practice...but still...*giggles*

Zach: I never thought I'd say this, but I need his friends to start distractin' him more...*Laughs*

Found AU Ask; Zach's Helicopter Parenting

 

Dorian: Everyone's takes to bein' a parent differently...it's really somethin' ya gotta learn on yer own...That said, Zach's behavior don't exactly surprise me...Auddey was kinda similar with the boys when they was growin' up...

Audrey: So!? A Momma has to look out fer her pups!

Dorian: There are limit's Darlin'...ya gotta give yer pups enough leash to learn through experience...ya gotta let 'em scrape their knees from time to time...to get their hearts broken...

Audrey: *Huffs* I know...I-It's just hard sometimes...is all...Ya don't want to think of yer pups growin' up...

Vernon: To be fair...I don't think Ma was ever as bad as Zach is...

Zach: Oh c'mon now! Ma wouldn't even let us drive the family truck without her in the passenger seat till we was eighteen!

Yuri: Ma didn't try to paw cuff us to keep us from goin' on a vacation with his aunts and uncles supervisin' though. 

Trenton: And the curfews stopped when we were fourteen...and weren't as early as seven PM...

Zach: He's a growin' pup! He needs his rest!

Vanna: *Sighs and Rolls her eyes*

Dawn: *Giggles* I also don't remember hearing about Audrey wrapping any of you in bubble wrap while learning to ride your bikes without training wheels...

Yuri: Though she always had a meltdown when she caught me doing stunts on my dirtbike...*Snickers*

Audrey: Sweet Sawgrass Yuri! You built a ramp outta junk from the barn to try to jump onto the barn roof! O'course I was gonna stop ya from doin' that! You coulda kilt yerself!

Yuri: Bah! I could have been a neighborhood legend...

Trenton: Yeah, the wolf who snapped his neck trying to jump a barn with a dirtbike...truly legendary...

Vanna: To be fair...Zach has been doing a bit better in terms of his...helicopter parenting. We've...been really working on it together...

Yuri: So does that mean y'all don't have to do anymore cuff and tackles on him?

Vanna: *Winces* Well...eh...we're down to once a week tops...

Group: *Laughs*

Zach: *Whines* I just wanna look out fer my son!

Vernon: Lookin' out fer, and keepin' him in a lock box er' two different thangs...at a certain point it's abuse...

Zach: *Whines louder*

Vanna: In regards to your other question...we've been...working together to properly prepare Zach for the talk.

Ada: Honestly, he's should just lets youse do it...

Zach: No, it has to be me...*sighs* I'm his Pa, and it's my job...It'll be my Kitten's turn when Ro-Rose...*Eyes widen slightly*

Vernon: *Rolls eyes* Lemme guess, y'all just realized Rose is gonna eventually grow up too?

Zach: *Eyes now watering* YEEEEES! *Whines*

Ada: Oh yeah, it's lookin' real good for him keepin' his composure togeddah while tryin' to talk to Marcus about da boids and bees.

Dorian: The talk is a lot to handle fer a first time father...but as rough as it is, I do have to agree that talk should come from Marcus' Pa. It just...it helps to hear that sorta thang from yer Pa over yer Ma...

Vernon: It's certainly less awkward...although in Zach's case, I'm not entirely sure.

Zach: I can do it damn it! I can! Alright...*huffs* I-It's...*sniffle* Just wait until y'all have to have the talk... then you'll know how it feels...

Yuri: At least we'll all have you as a yardstick going into it to teach us how 'not to' do it...that's fer sure... *snickers*

Found AU ask; Kartarrka Tapes and Telling Marcus

 

Zach: As much as I hate to say it...that documentary is a bridge we're gonna have to cross with Marcus sooner rather than later...

Vanna: The more exposure it gets, the more likely he is to see it...and the last thing we want is for Marcus to watch it by himself...we'd want to make sure he...he'd even want to watch that in the first place, and be properly prepared for it...

Zach: As fer our feelin's fer our son, well that's unchanged...

Vanna: In the sense we still love him, and see him as our kitten...that hasn't changed. 

Zach: But it...I mean it weighs on our hearts...to know what he went through...to see it nearly first paw-I...*Sniffles* No one deserves that kinda treatment, let alone a pup...

Vanna: Sometimes I...look at him and get flashes of that documentary...of what they did to him..and then have to do my best to shake it off before he catches me staring...although I usually pull him into a hug immediately.

Zach: I guess that's a fair change to mention...I mean, we already hugged and loved on him a lot, but now...I think I've almost smothered him completely a few times...*Chuckles*

Vanna: Me too...

Dorian: I think that purty much goes fer all of us...We love that boy to death but now...

Audrey: I can barely let him go once I get my mitts on him. *whimper* I just want to hug all that pain and sufferin' out of him...to just take it all away...

Ada: I hears dat...you'd have to have a heart a stone not to want to use everyting in yas power to make up for what dat kid went through...he deserves so much bettah, and danks da gods now he has it...

Vernon: Yeah, he really does...I can't think of a better set o' mammal's equipped to care fer that boy than Zach and Vanna....even if Zach can overdo it sometimes...

Dawn: You are really doing a great job...and don't let you tell yourselves otherwise...

Vanna: T-Thanks you two...t-that...*blushes* that means a lot.

Zach: Even if it was sorta backpawed in terms of complimentin' me...

Yuri: Fer cryin' out loud, just accept the critique! Y'all know you overdo it, we all know you overdo it...accept that, try and adjust, and move on!

Zach: okay, okay geeze! Fine...

Trenton: Short answer, we're all always gonna see that boy as a Hunter first and foremost...and that's the most important thing. Nothin' can change that...

Wade: Though after seeing the documentary...we er...well we weren't the only ones to suddenly be compelled to buy him some flashy expensive gift in the pack that's for sure...

Qali: Hey! a big present may not be much in the grand scheme of things! But Marcus deserves it! He deserved every single present and more!

Malcolm: *chuckles* But boy he was confused when them presents started gettin' dropped on his lap...*Shakes head* poor boy thought he forgot some Zootopian holiday that they didn't have where he used to live...

Qali: Hey, I'm happy to make Marcus Day an official Hunter family holiday if it means making him smile! *Giggles*

Xavier: That feeling may change when all of us have pups of our own and they start wondering why they don't have their own day of the year on top of their birthday...

Yuri: I don't think any one of us save fer Dawn and Vern over there could afford that...So...you guys will have to pick up our slack...*Laughs*

Found AU ask; Sam Hain Scheme

 

Vanna: No, at least I'm not. Not only did I promise Zach I wouldn't...but considering how...much of a mess that whole thing was, it seems best to just...let things progress naturally.

Zach: And I did, in fact wise, up to that there wild goose chase I was on... Honestly, I expect as much when it comes to them gals and Ma, but I'm still real sore you gave 'em the go-ahead on that whole thang...I feel kinda betrayed...

Vanna: Oh Goofball...I...I'm sorry...I didn't...y-you know how it is trying to argue against Ada...and Qali...and especially your mother she...*Sighs* I'm making excuses...it was wrong of me to do that, and arrange that goose chase thing to keep you occupied...we honestly should have never done it...

Zach: *Sigh* I fergive you Kitten...I know how easy it can be to be strong-armed into somethin' you ain't entirely comfortable with by yer over-excited kin...Been dealin' with that since I was a pup...*chuckles* Still...I just...I'm still comin' to terms with the fact Marcus is...y'know...gettin' to that point where he's gonna start seein' gals differently...and...I know I woulda struggled with it then too...but now...like...my position as a Pa aside...it just...feels wrong to force somethin' like that...even iffin' it's obvious them kids feel somethin' fer each other that's deeper than friendship...y'all just gotta leave them alone when it comes to figurin' out that part of their feelin's. You push 'em too hard and it might muck that up...y'know?

Vanna: *Nuzzles the top of Zach's head affectionately* I'm glad we're on the same page...although I'm not sure how well I can prevent his aunts and grandmother from meddling. Or their friends for that matter. I don't exactly know if they know, but I have my suspicions. Still, we can't exactly monitor them twenty-four-seven to keep them from meddling either.

Zach: Yeah...I know...I just...*Rubs his eyes* Dang it!

Vanna: Aww...Goofball are you tearing up?

Zach: Yeah, but I think it's the damn sand...*rubs eyes* I thought I got it all but I keep feelin' grit behind my lids...

Vanna: Honey did find and restrain Ully by the way. Probably about an hour later and three farms over...she had to coax him out of a chicken coop, but he was fine... A little scratched up and covered in feathers, but fine. That said we should probably get you into the eye doctor's office...we don't necessarily want another Hunter needing glasses...

Zach: *Chuckles* Yeah, Vern looks like a total dork...don't wanna go down that road.

Vanna: Actually, I think you'd look...pretty handsome with glasses...*Blushes* not that you aren't already handsome...

Zach: *Blushes, his tail wagging softly* Really? Well maybe I should startle Ully more often...*Laughs*

FOUND AU Ask; Zach and Vanna on Aiko and Marcus

 

Zach: Oh no, no no! We ain't havin' this discussion again! That boy is faaar too young to be gettin' the talk just yet!

Vanna: As you can already tell, Zach handled it fairly well. *Chuckles*

Zach: They just fell asleep from studyin' too hard, I-I mean *Laughs awkwardly* friends do that! And that's all they is...

Vanna: For the gods sakes, I've worked alongside you for how many years now Goofball? Almost seven? And we've been tithed for four! You are many things Zach Hunter, but a terrible police officer is not one of them. You tracked and brought down a blue moon drug production operation because of the vague scent you got off of a sketchy-looking ram at Shornie's Tavern. Surely your Hunter's intuition can pick on the fact that there's...something there between Marcus and Aiko...

Zach: *Crosses his arms defiantly* Nothin' y'all girls and my Maw ain't tryin' to push fer...

Vanna: Zach...*Shakes head*

Zach: Y'all gonna tell me that whole little Sam Hain corn maze scheme wasn't y'all and Marcus' aunts meddlin' and schemin' to start a fire where there ain't one.

Vanna: Okay, first off, I was against doing that. Audrey kind of...pulled me into consenting to it.

Zach: *Snorts*

Vanna: And secondly...you have to see it Goofball...the way they look at each other...the way they blush up when they accidentally touch... that little twinkle behind their eyes they have when they are together...there's no way that Hunter intuition of yours isn't ringing like a five-alarm fire...

Zach: *Turns away from Vanna, his ears sagging despondently.*

Vanna: Goofball? *Reaches out a reassuring paw.*

Zach: *Ears sag more sharply, and a soft whine begins to emanate from the wolf.*

Vanna: Oh Zach...

Zach: *Zach finally turns, his eyes warbling with a sheen of tears.* Alright! Alright! *Whine* I-I see it...I do! I just...Sweet Sawgrass...I'm not ready fer this...

Vanna: Do you want me to t-?

Zach: *Cuts Vanna off by crossing his paws and shaking his head.* No, no...I *Sniffle* It's bad enough he's gotta deal with the disconnect of that species gap between us...we...we don't need to add to it by havin' a gal...no offense Darlin'...but a gal try to connect with a boy about...that sorta thang...He...*Rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.* he needs reassurance from his Paw...*sighs*

*Silence passes between the two...Zach looking increasingly despondent as he's clearly thinking about the talk.*

Vanna: Would you want me to at least stand outside the door and lis-?

Zach: YEEEEEESSS...*The wolf whines, leaning into Vanna's side and pressing his face into her shirt.*

Vanna: *Wraps a ginger paw around her mate, cooing sweetly at him.* It's okay Goofball...we'll get through this together...

Zach: *Muffled by Vanna's shirt.* I wuff uve soo mush Kiffem...

Vanna: I love you too Goofball...*Kisses the top of his head.*

FOUND AU Ask; Judy and Nick on 'Hall Monitors'

Judy: I wouldn't worry about it...I would have done the same sort of thing when I was her age...in fact, I did...we just...it was early internet so we couldn't share anything the way kits can now...

Nick: *Chuckles* Oh that's cute...I'm trying to picture that...it's got to be adorable...

Judy: Psh...watch that 'c' word mister...

Nick: *Places his paws up defensively* Hey it was an accidental slip...I wasn't thinking. *Snickers*

Judy: Granted I didn't have the level of production value Lily's friends could pull off...and I was a one mammal crew and performer...and all of my stuff was...well staged...but still I took it very seriously.

Nick: Please, please tell me these home movies are still floating around. As your mate, I feel I have a right to see them...especially considering you've seen me as a kit in the bathtub. It's only fair.

Judy: *Laughs* I'll text Mom and see what she can scrounge up...but I mean, the tapes our in our basement, and that place....it's like the warehouse from Indiana Bones...Good luck finding anything on your own...

Nick: Alright, alright...we're getting off track right? haven't even really answered the question have we?

Judy: Oh, yes, well. *Ahem* Like I said, I wouldn't be too concerned...it just seems like a fun little project for her and her friends to do together...and I mean...Lily is very...she's...weeell...

Nick: Some sort of detective-savant? Possibly even clairvoyant? 

Judy: Yes...as much as I feel bad when it comes to...trying to soothe and downplay Dawn and especially Vernon's concerns, she's just got such a knack for police work. *shakes head* She honestly blows my mind with the cases she stumbles-no, not even, she solves. It wouldn't be fair to make it sound like she solves them with dumb luck...she merely finds them by luck and solves them through actual skill and aptitude. *Laughs* Compared to me as a kit, she's is leagues beyond, and she's only going to improve as she gets older...

Nick: That said, it's hard to argue for encouraging her knowing what a social pariah the Hunter-Bellwether family is due to Dawn's past and her relationship. They have enough enemies as it is without Lily accidentally creating more out of sometimes really hardened criminals...it's just putting a bigger target on their back...

Judy: Yeah...it's...I mean it's complicated...but Lily is...she's a force unto herself...she's such a natural...and to stifle her just...I mean it just seems like a recipe for a very unhappy adult...

Nick: And loads of therapy...although considering her parents she was probably going to need that already...

Judy: NICK!

Ask The Hunters; Musical Energy P2

 

Yuri: Metal, black metal...rock...Rammstien is my favorite. O'course I don't really listen on shift cause I that kinda music drowns out the police radio no matter how low ya set it. To be honest...I really only get to listen when I'm doin' chores... helps me tune 'em out and get through 'em quicker...o' course me and Ada don't exactly have overlappin' musical interests save fer rock...so I don't really get to play it loud in our apartment fer fun...

Ada: And duh neighbors dank you. *Laughs* And toos be fair, I does like some metal...just not da kinda pure noise dat black metal is...I'm more seventies and eighties metal...same goes for rap...

Yuri: Ugh rap...I still can't believe yer into that. Next yer gonna tell me yer into country like Zach and Trent...

Trenton: Hey, don't knock country till you try it. It's at least generally soft enough to listen to while on patrol without drowning out the police radio. Rascal Flaps, Keith Urbaahn, Bucks and Dam...all awesome artists...

Yuri: That all make me wanna tear my ears off...

Ada: Unlike Yuri, woikin' in da morgue is pretty slow and quiet...so music helps get trew da shifts dat really drag on...ya got ya classics like Metailica, Pink Boivid, Hiss...Denn for rap we's got Ram DMC, Snoop Dog, Dr. Hay, Public Animal...I's even got a soft spot for Erminem, at least his early stuff...Stan is my jam!

Yuri: Yeah, cause an Ermine is the kinda mammal I picture doin' rap professionally...

Vanna: As you probably already know, Dawn and I share a love of Suri Nicks, but...I'm also a pretty big fan of Disco music... and 80s stuff...

Qali: Ohh I love eighties music! That synth sound always makes my fur tingle...*Giggles* Crowded Mouse, Tears for Deers, Bahhkota, Ohhh...Pat Bennataur!

Vanna: *Squeals* Ohh Pat Bennataur! I love her! And Bunny Tyler!

Qali: AHHHH! She's so cool! *Starts singing* I need a heeeero...! I'm holdin' out for a hero till the end of the night! *giggles*

Vanna: *Joins in.* And he's gotta strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight! 

Ada:*Chuckles* Hey, eighties stuff ain't bad...Bunny Tyler could rock it.

Zach: I'm more of a rock and country guy...but I can dig the eighties stuff...plus it's always cute when I come home from a solo shift to catch my little Kitten dancin' along to her favorites while tidyin' up...*Chuckles*

Vanna: *Blushes* G-goofball...

Dawn: She also does karaoke with us...that said, after that little performance you, me, and Qali need to do a girl's night where we go karaoke together!

Qali: *Squeals in delight* That'll be soooo much fun!!!

Vanna: *Still Blushing* I-I mean...I wouldn't say no...

Qali: Oh...just to chime in...I do like some of Trenny's country songs too...and I tend to listen to music the most when trimming trees...it really helps make the work more fun and feel less overwhelming! 

Vanna: I tend to listen to my favorite music when I'm doing housework...although Zach and I will often listen to our favorites while on shift, just at a low volume.

Zach: It's basically background music...Y'all might find it hard to believe, but workin' the North Meadowlands is purty slow...it ain't like the city...

Yuri: I'll bet.*Snickers* Some might call it glorified pupsittin'. 

Zach: That said, I think me and Vern have a lot of overlap...Wade too when it comes to rock. Red Hot Canid Peppers, Metaillica, Gorillaz, Queen, y'know...sorta all over the place from the 70s to 90s and early 2000s. And me and Trent er' on the same page with country.

Trenton: I'm also big into blues...one of my favorite bands is actually Blues Labrador...Run around was stuck in my head from most of the late nineties...ooh and Hook...course it helps those were popular radio singles I heard constantly growin' up...O'course I like some of the more classic bands too like Eric Clopton, B.B King...hell even Billie Howliday iffin' ta want to talk oldies...

Wade: I think my favorite genre is ska...So like Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bossicones, The offspring, Reliant Hay...I love the mix of horns and guitar and stuff...it's real upbeat and keeps me super perked up on some of the longer shifts. Plus Gizzy likes them too...

Giselle: Oh I love ska, Skaand, while I don't want to sound completely Roarupe-centric, Kittish punk and Irelambish folk. The clash, Dead Cannideys, Sex Pistails, The Grrumble Strips, The Hogues, Petless Eric, the Ramoone's...I could go on and on...those bands made up the soundtrack of me' teenage years... and aside from gettin' to share 'em with me little bobby, I also get to play them at work when my turn comes up to pick the in-store music. Makes the shifts just fly by...

Xavier: I know I'm going to get grief over this, but I'm a big fan of...pop... specifically nineties pop.

Yuri: He means boy bands and eye candy artists...like Gazelle fer instance...

Vernon: Hey, don't be too hard on Gazelle, she's a nice lady...even iffin' her music can be hit and miss...*whispers* Don't tell her I said that...

Dawn: Relax Vernon, you know I'm worse off as I used to hate her music. If she should be mad at anyone, I'd be first in line...but I've grown to love her catalog...

Malcolm: Fair, but in Xavey's case he's gone as far as lovin' the Mice Gals, backstreet Baah's, N' Mink, Rocky Marten. Oh, Britney Shears too!

Yuri: *Chuckles* The signs were all there huh?

Xavier: I'm also a fan of classical and orchestral music. So Goatzart, Beethooven, Baa'ch...I tend to favor listening to classical at work during my down time, and save the 'pop' musicians for home...it...*blushes* makes me look more professional.

Malcolm: There's some overlap between us when it comes to pop...long time Gazelle fan...ooh, and Bear! Can't ferget Mawdonna either...she's a classic...otherwise I got an overlap with Trent on country songs...what can I say, I may live in the city, but I'll always be a country boy...*Laughs* I tend to listen to my favorites while doin' housework, and o' course I have a lot of them songs on a playlist fer the speakers at work...customers seem to like 'em...

Yuri: What about you freakazoid? Still into that bleep blorp crap?

Honey: Hey, it's called Techno...and I think Ully's got great taste.

Ulric: I also like dubstep...

Honey: And that's where we diverge...

Ulric: It makes me feel like it's the future...

Honey: *Snickers* He needs his 'super hacker' soundtrack while he's 'investigating' leads...

Ulric: Calf Punk is probably my favorite...

Vernon: Heh, I think Joel like's 'em too...

Ulric: Damoode, uh...Eifshel 65...then for Dubsteb I'd have to lead with Skrillrex, and then Buriheel, and Aviisea...to name a few. also video game soundtracks...so I share that with Vernon i think...I like that chiptune sound....

Honey: we share a love of techno and video game sound tracks, there's a lot of shared bands there, and i've gone so far as to drag Ully to concerts with me...with mixed results.

Ulric: It can be overstimulating at times...emotionally overwhelming.

Vernon: I could see that, I don't think my ears could handle a crowded concert hall, even iffin' I like the band. I ain't fixin' to make myself deaf like Yuri...*Chuckles*

Yuri: That reminds me, we gotta Rammstaien concert comin' to Seaotter in about a month...we should definitely go. *laughs* If we can get our schedules lined up that is..

Ada: if I can's get outta dead duty, den sure handsome, I'd be dere wit bells on...*Giggles*

Vernon: What about y'all Ma? You and Pa?

Audrey: Aww, well you know I've always loved Rick Springhopper...if I hadn't tithed yer father I'd probably still be after that Kangaroo... *Giggles*

Yuri: Oldwyn's great grey muzzle...I remember him, that fella was like our pack's patron saint. *Chuckles*

Audrey: Otherwise I'm on the same page as Vanna, Qali and Dawn...Love Suri Nicks and Bunny tyler...the eighties were mah era. *giggles*

Dorian: And I'm into classic rock and country...Led Shepplin, Bun Jovi, Baahston, Fleetwood yak...that sorta stuff...then with country y'all get Glen Cambull, John Denfur, Billy Nelson, ooh...and Kenny Rogfurs....*chuckles* you remember Kenny Rogfurs don't y'all Darlin'?

Audrey: *Nuzzles up to Dorian* Mhh...I remember...Lady was our tithin' song...

Dawn: Aww...that's so sweet...

Found AU ask; Interviewing Bogo on thawed cold cases

 

Bogo: *clears throat* In the interest of protecting the identities of the parties involved as well as those who may or may not be underage from any sort of future targeting by relations to these criminal elements, I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement in these cases by 'middle-schoolers' as you called them.

I will only go on to state that a talented volunteer team, whose services were unsolicited by any currently active branch of the ZPD or Zootopian Military Reserve, proved to be a valuable asset in terms of bringing to our attention pressing information that allowed the proper authorities to step in and do their job. And while we don't condone just how involved these particular mammals got with the cases you listed, we expect all diligent citizens of our fair city to report suspicious activity or recognized criminals to us so that it can be properly investigated.

And finally, while we have made...significant leaps within the last few months regarding several arguably cold cases the ZPD had been struggling with, make no mistake that the actions of 'middle schoolers' in no way *cough* *Dabs brow with a hoof* Pardon me. As I was saying...there were no 'middle schoolers' involved in said breakthroughs discovered regarding these cases. Most of these revelations can be attributed to our pair of star officers, Luietanant Hopps and Officer Wilde, who cracked these cases with diligent, unceasing and tireless work...

*Places hoof to his forehead and swabs.*

And certainly not by a seven-year-old junior detective who happened to be sleeping over at the home of Lieutenant Hopps for a weekend and in fact...*Cough* stumbled into Lieutenant Hopp's office while she was sleeping, studied the files left out, and cracked the cases herself as...some rumors may have suggested...

Leanne Stripesly: I...actually hadn't heard that rumor...

Bogo: *Nervously* Oh it's out there! *Cough* I've heard it...I'm surprised you haven't!*Chuckles awkwardly* Ridiculous isn't it...really... nine-year-old solving cold cases...Pah...*Shakes head and begins to mumble* If those cases had ended up on my desk I could have solved them just as easily as she did...

Leanna Stripesly: I'm sorry...what was that Chief?

Bogo: As easily as Hopps solved them! *Laughs uncomfortably* I mean, I do have to leave some cases for my officers to solve after all...can't keep them all to myself...I *laughs* I don't have that kind of time...

Clawhauser: *Leaning in and whispering to Bogo.* Pull up sir...it's time to pull up.

Bogo: *Grumbles quietly* It was time to pull up several minutes ago... I'm already a debris field...

Clawhauser: *Still whispering* Oh, and Judy called, she says 'she' solved another one...

Bogo: *slaps hoof over his face* Simba save us...