Dawn: Well, removing my past trauma and my relationship with Vernon does cut...actually, it doesn't cut as much as I'd like from my answer. I do still have...quite a bit of prey baggage that isn't necessarily connected directly to my Father. Both from Predator and Prey alike...
Vernon: I'm sorry Darlin'...*Gives his mate a gentle side hug*
Gus: My health problems made me a bit of a target in high school...especially the fainting issue. *Shakes head and lets out a derisive snort.* Once Yuri let the entire student body know I had a fainting disorder, there was a good month and a half where I was getting spooked by the bigger pred and hel even some prey students at least three to five times a day. So they would watch me fall over and crack up while I spazzed out on the floor for a minute or more.
Vernon: I'm real sorry about that...*Sighs* Ya'll know how my brother is...
Dawn: Didn't you have medicine to suppress your fainting disorder?
Gus: *Nods* I did, and still do take it regularly. But the key word is 'suppress' in that sentence. And that's what it does... it makes it harder to get a faint out of me...but it still happens.
*Melanie plants a kiss atop Gus' head, wrapping an arm around his neck affectionately and nuzzling against his cheek.*
Gus: Thanks Mellomar. *Gus pets her hoof with his gently* Thankfully everyone started to lose interest after a while...but I was still razzed pretty regularly by predator and prey bullies alike. Predators because I was the prime example of 'weak, submissive prey' that pred supremacists love to point to. And Prey, because I was weak and strange and kept weird hobbies. *Chuckles* Plus my best friend was the biggest wolf in school...
Vernon: Hey I caught my own share of flack fer bein the resident "Sheepdog". I was the wolf who had exclusively prey friends, not even an omnivore among 'em. When it wasn't Yuri cracking jokes to my face about my "Nerd Herd", it was the other Pred students whisperin' about me, and leavin' little graffiti remarks in various places in the school.
Dawn: Aww...Puppy...*Pats his leg affectionately.*
Vernon: Thankfully I never got harassed fer' it outright though, aside from Yuri o'course, cause there weren't many mammals bigger than me in school, and my former reputation kept me outta the targetin' line...But prey folks outside of the club suspected I was cultivatin' a food supply by keepin' close the Beasts and Battlefields club...*Shakes head*
Joel: Seems like they were right after all, seeing as how you eat prey on the regular these da-OW!
*Megumi slaps Joel's snout, causing him to recoil back from her, scrunching his nose and rubbing the paw impact site.*
Megumi: Do not be rude. *Snickers*
*Dawn blushes slightly before doing her best to shake off Joel's incomplete comment.*
Dawn: A lot of the outside abuse I endured was more psychological. I went to an all Prey school after Vernon and I got separated. It was very traditional, so much so they actually separated the males and females. And if there was one thing the prettier, 'normal' prey girls loved to do, it was to spread rumors and badmouth a small, weak, little sheep like me. Especially when I'd turn up to class every few weeks in a new cast or sling...*Shudders* Just thinking about the vile stuff they used to say about me...about my family...
Melanie: Most mammals really don't consider just how bad bullying can be. They underestimate just what kind of nasty stuff kids already know about, and can use as ammo against other kids...I remember being told by some rich bitch nanny that my mother earned our family fortune blowing billy's in back alleys in a marathon. I was seven years old when this happened by the way...
Gus: *Winces* Yeesh..wait...is that the one who you punched hard enough she had to get her braces re-aligned?
*Melanie crossed her arms, a proud smile crossing her muzzle as she spoke.*
Melanie: The bullying stopped after that...save for the muttering about me being a psycho when they thought I couldn't hear them... *Chuckles*
Dawn: I wish I had been strong enough to do something like that to be honest...*Shakes head* I know it's not the most mature way of dealing with that sort of thing...but if it put a stop to my bullying for even a few weeks it might have helped...
Vernon: Being a brute ain't a quick fix fer yer mental health either Honey Lamb...*Shakes head* Trust me, I'd know...
Dawn: It didn't really change in college, or even when I was a civil servant...I just had a bigger pool of mammals that mocked me more quietly. I was back to Pred and Prey alike mocking me, belittling my studies, my work...and all the while I had someone like Doug whispering in my ear that it was mostly predators treating me that way...feeding into my developing tunnel vision...*Sighs* But while there were predators that went out of their way to make me feel like weak, powerless prey...like Lionheart...it was largely prey mammals who were tearing me down with whispers and rumors...
Broomie: I mean...It makes sense statistically...what is the pred-to-prey ratio again? Nine to One in prey's favor?
Dawn: *Nods* Especially sheep. We're a pretty populated prey species compared to others. Probably in the top ten...
Joel: At the end of the day, being a predator or prey mammal plays a part in the reason some mammals will tease you...but more often than not, it's just because you're weirder than the status quo that will earn you the ire of your 'peers'... It was all that mattered when I got teased growing up. Then again, I also had the misfortune of growing up exclusively in the city, and Kuzco knows that's already putting you in a worse situation no matter how 'nice' the city is.
Vernon: Right, y'all was a city Alpaca...cause yer aunt right?
Joel: *Nods*, I never had a Dad, and my Mom died in a car accident when I was like one...I was in the car, but thankfully I lived somehow...
Dawn: O-Oh Joel..I'm so sorry...
*Joel holds up a hoof, shaking his head.*
Joel: It doesn't matter...I never got to know her so I really... can't miss her...I mean I can...but it's...*Shakes head again* I've already had to deal with that in therapy. Feeling guilt over not missing her as much as I felt I shoulda'. But...*Sighs* Anyway, my Mom lived in the Mesa Valley Federation territory, specifically Anacozona, and my only living relative was my Aunt Karla. Granted, my Aunt is awesome, and she raised me like I was her own Cria...but she lived in Zootopia, and so I had to grow up in the Zootopian public school system. Specifically the one in Sahara Central...
Val: Big Dune High?
*Joel Nods*
Val: Yeah, it's got a rep...not that I had issues...but my Dad...*Pfft*...
Kodi: It's probably one of the few times I've seen him get that weird...thousand yard stare while talking about it...other than when he talks about your Mom...
Joel: Alpaca's aren't rare in Zootopia... but there aren't a lot of us, and most of them live in the high mountains of Alpine Glade...so I was an oddity...Most mammals made fun of my gangly features and long neck, and the other mammals with long necks that should have been sympathetic mocked me for being a 'lesser version' of a camel. And once I got into Animalme the teasing got way worse. I had so many Mamanga's stolen out of my bag and ripped up, or dumped in the school toilets...*Sigh*
Broomie: I feel you...I had to stop bringing my comics in to read at Lunch in Meadwoland's Middle School because bullies would shred them up for kicks...Thankfully in High School having Sheep Dog in our group's back pocket stopped that from happening for the most part. *Chuckles*
Joel: I was ready to write off all mammals, Pred and Prey alike until I got to college...then I met these guys, *Gestures to the group* and my faith in mammality was slightly restored. *Chuckles*
Kodi: I can sorta relate to that...what with all the moving around as a pup I really started to feel like an alien in my own pelt...I was always just that weird wolf in the back of the class who was oddly close to his sister and then gone six months later...
Val: Well, we all know why you were close to Yukon...*Snrk*
Kodi: *Crosses his arms defensively* Hey! I-It's-look, I said before we were the only friends we got to have. Experimenting as teens aside we-we were all alone alright? Of course, we had to be each other's best friends!
*Val rolls her eyes but nods, however, Vernon simply offers a derisive snort.*
Kodi: Oh, what now? *Huffs*
Vernon: Still makin' wolves look bad Mam'...
Val: Oh please, you wolves just look bad in general...*Chuckles* Marshmellow's experiences are a drop in the bucket in comparison.
*Kodi's ears sag slightly, the wolf looking at his diminutive vixen with sad, pleading eyes. With a sigh, Val pats his arm affectionately.*
Val: *Sigh* And I don't think you look bad Kodi...at least, as bad as wolves in general.
*Kodi immediately perks up, smiling at his mate as his tail rapidly starts wagging.*
Val: And honestly...I mean it's not like I didn't have my own issues in school.
Gus: *Feigns shock* Really, you? Queen antisocial?
*Val rolls her eyes, exhaling a sharp snap of air causing her quiff to bounce on her snout.*
Val: I had Ellie, that's all I needed. Other than that I laid low...I didn't want to deal with 'clique crap' and 'social politics'...though that didn't stop rumors. *Snickers* I am a fox after all, and one that tried to steer clear of dealing with others. Clearly, that meant I was up to something to both students and teachers alike. I can't tell you how many times I was getting grilled in the principal's office over something the staff was sure I had a paw in.
Gus: Again, unsurprising....*Snickers*
Val: Rut you stumpy, they were only right like...half the time...
Gus: Sure...half the time...
Val: If it were worse, surely my Dad wouldn't have been able to sue the school on two separate occasions and win?
Joel: Really? Was it a big payout?
Val: Good enough to pay for Ellie and my College...or rather, Ellie's college, my technical schooling, and his and Clover's new Jacuzzi and greenhouse...*Huffs*
Dawn: You act like your Father did something wrong indulging himself and my Mother. He did give you and your sister your family home to share when he moved in with my Mother...that's quite a big boon...
Val: I mean, *Huffs* yeah....but I could have used the remaining money as a starter loan for me and Amelia opening our own garage...
Talia: *Tch* Are all Zootopian pups so spoiled?
Megumi: I was infinitely grateful to inherit my grandmother's store...even if I did change exactly what I was selling out of it. She never had to do something like that for me.
Dawn: Not all Zootopian kits, just her...*Snickers*
Val: *Sneers at Dawn* Watch it Fluffball...
Talia: In Grussia, teasing was brief in my puphood...working family farm made me strong, and shows of strength from work kept other mammals out of fur. Most of my sad stories come from war, and horror of battle...it makes teasing pale in comparison...
*Broomie places a concerned hoof on Talia's paw as his mate grows quiet and somber.*
Val: *Pointing at Talia* That's the stare! The same one as my Dad! *She elbows Kodi playfully, only for the arctic wolf to gently grab her arm and glance down at her warily.*
Kodi: *Quietly* No that's a slightly different stare...one I'm well aware you don't 'joke' with a soldier about if you value your safety.
*Val turns her attention back to Talia, the wolf now glaring at her as a soft growl starts to emanate from her throat. Broomie's gentle reassuring pats have increased as Val shrinks into her shoulders.*
Megumi: *Megumi cuts the tension by clearing her throat.* Anyway...I was teased not only for being into Mamanga and Animalme but being an omnivore. Where I live Red Panda population is not so dense. There are more otters there, with chips on their shoulders due to the Red Panda's of old invading the land and driving one species of river otter to extinction...*Sighs* I am...not proud that my species did that while fleeing the Panda hordes...but I am also not my ancestors...still, it didn't stop me from being singled out.
Joel: Sorry to hear that babe...*The alpaca opens his arms, inviting Megumi to crawl up his neck, which she obliges and nuzzles into his fur.*
Megumi: We moved just before high school to a more Red Panda dense area, and things improved...but my Grandmother's store is still in that district so I'll often get glares from the local otters...still it is less bad now...*turning her attention back to Joel, Megumi smiles*
Megumi: And for the record, I happen to like your long neck Joel...
Joel: Yeah, cause you like nuzzling my legendarily soft, high thread count wool that Alpaca's are famous for...
Megumi: You act like I'm the only one here who likes their mate's fluff...surely I am not alone, right? *Megumi glances at the group.*
*Dawn, Vernon, Val, Talia, and Broomie all exchange nods of agreement.*
Vernon: Yer wool got nothin' on my Honey Lamb's...
Val: Take an arctic wolf's winter fur for a spin and get back to me...seriously, the comfort is practically orgasmic.
Talia: Broomie is softer than cloud, I will fight you...
Gus: Ugh...guys, how many times can we have this argument?
Vernon: As many times as we need to!
-------
Wasty: As an aside, I spent most of my childhood being picked on and teased. Ended up getting beat up a few times myself. I was a larger kid, but gentle, so I seldom raised a hand to anyone else despite my treatment. I never had friends at my grade level, and so I only really got to see them outside of school Laughably, it was actually in college that I realized that 'nerds' were a thing, and they had clubs because of how withdrawn and disconnected I became from schooling and my peers. However, even with that, I've never made more friends than I have doing what I do now.
As far as I know, I'm not on the spectrum myself. Never been tested but I lack a lot of the symptoms, and the others are covered by general neurotic disorders and OCD. That said, don't feel bad about having an odd comfort character. Dawn is just one of mine, and I've got stranger ones. We're all just trying to get through life trying to put more good in the world than bad. And we need all the little boosts we can get along the way, even if it comes in the form of said comfort characters.
Thanks for the ask.
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