Ask Rowan; Not Nut November?

 

Rowan: Please, I'm not religious...I don't participate in any kind of 'fasting ritual'.

Derrick: That explains a lot...

Rowan: I'm aware I have an eating issue Derrick, thank you....but you would too if you grew up with parents like mine...with a diet so regimented you felt like you were starving all the time!

Cameron: Now you also know why Rowan isn't religious...

Rowan: At least not any more than you are...my parents were devout...although even in the most extreme sects, nut fasting is reserved for spring. Even though my species doesn't really hibernate anymore, A lot of squirrel religions celebrate the fall months with several feasts to sort of honor our past as hibernators. We would fast in Spring to lose the weight put on over the winter. Obviously, it wouldn't be a very smart move to starve yourself just before Winter...there certainly wouldn't be any squirrels left in Animalia if our ancestors did that.

Derrick: You couldn't get me to take part in No Nut November that's for sure...

Rowan: *Scratches chin thoughtfully* I wasn't aware horses ate a lot of nuts...

Rowan: *Smirks* Depends on the horse...though generally I prefer having other guys and gals eat my nuts rath-.

Cameron: Okay Derrick, settle down...I don't think Misses Hunter-Bellwether would appreciate that kind of language on her blog...

Derrick: *Chuckles* Have you actually read it? Like...ever?

Ask Giselle; Are you from Great Kitten?

 

Giselle: Yes, I'm a Great K'ittish native. I lived there with me family until me Dad foinally got the job transfah he'd been tryin' to pull for about a decade. *Laughs* It was sorta the culmination of a multigenerational migration.

Dawn: Multigenerational?

Giselle: Well, I'm sure it won't exactly surprise you to know giraffes ain't a native species to Kingland. *Giselle giggles, taking a small sip of her vanilla chai latte before placing it on a very tall side table.* Up until me Granpa was born, the Zarafah line lived in South Afrikat. But as you prolly' know, South Afrikat, fancy as it is now, still has a bit o' a caste system.

Dawn: *Scratches her chin thoughtfully* R-Right, Right. Because pre-reformation Simbalogy is baked into the culture there right? So Lions at the top, followed by most preds, then prey, then hyenas and lesser animals?

*Giselle nods briskly* 

Giselle: Megafauna, wether predata' or prey usually places pretty hoigh on the caste, but it still wasn't something me granpa could abide. Every memba of me family up till then had put up with things, but me granpa not only wanted to live somewhere where all mammals were equal, but could see tha buildin' tention in the populace around him...so he did everything he could ta get out.

Vernon: He figured there'd be a civil war eventually?

*Giselle nods*

Giselle: It hasn't happened yet, but ya can't say South Afrikat is doin' much better than in his day...

Dawn: Due to the parliament's continued enforcement of the caste system, they were actually expelled from the U.A.N. a few years back if I recall correctly. Most of the talking heads say it's only a matter of years now before that powder keg goes off.

Giselle: Anywho...South Afrikat is very strict when it comes to immigration policy, even more so now. But at the toime, when they still had decent relations with Kingland, they allowed a certain number of South Afrikat citizens to immigrate to Kingland yearly...Which me granpa had to fight for a spot for...took 'im five years before he got accepted inta an internship program workin' at a Kinglish aviary that specialized in Afrikat native species. 

Dawn: Your Grandfather was an Ornathologist?

Giselle: *Giggles* He loved boids! Thankfully his l'ittle 'obby translated to somethin' he could use to get the Zarafah's to Kingland, even if he 'ad to go to college for it once he arrived. Still...Kingland was only step one in his plan...

Vernon: I take it Zootopia was the end goal?

Giselle: Initially, yes...he wo'nted to live in a place free o' state-sanctioned specism, a place that stroived to make all mammals equal. Zootopia was that place, according ta all the back alley gossip and secret literature the South Afrikat government did its best to ban and burn. But it took him decades to migrate the rest of the family to Kingland, especially as South Afrikat kept toitenin' migration restrictions, and by the toime we all made it ova, me granpa had sorta ingrained inta Kinglish society. But that didn't stop him from inspirin' me on Dad with stories of Zootopia.

Vernon: And that's how y'all ended up here?

Giselle: Me Dad was a Kinglish military mam'. And the Kinglish military frequently collaborated with the militaries of Zootopia and the NMU.

Wade: No offense Darlin' but yer Pa...doesn't exactly look like 'military material' to me...*Chuckles*

Giselle: *Giggles* He wasn't a soldier, he 'elped desiogn technology for the coalition of nations. A lot of what he designed is actually gadgets strictly for Mammalitarian purposes, somethin' the Zootopian Reserve frequently partakes in...

Dawn: Ahh...so he was building up a portfolio of work to eventually aim for a dedicated position in the Zootopian Reserve's Research and Development arm?

*Giselles nods briskly.* 

Giselle: It took a lotta' toime and effort, but eventually they soigned him on and we finally left Kingland for Zootopian shoires. I was around fourteen then, hence why everyone in the family still has the accent...

Vernon: Y'all even miss it?

Giselle: Well, in me heart Kingland will always be me home. Me Granpa still lives there, and a lotta' me friends from when I was a calf...But if me father never brought us here, I never woulda met me precious little' Bobby...*Proceeds to ruffle Wade's head fur with one of her rather hefty hooves.*

*The dusky grey wolf lamely fights back with a laugh before clasping the massive hoof in his paws and planting a kiss on it.*

Wade: I wouldn't have it any other way Darlin'...

*Giselle cooes, bending down partially to plant a kiss on the top of Wade's head before stopping a foot or so short and momentarily making a strained wince before aggressively rubbing a particularly angular-looking bend in her neck.*

Giselle: *Laughs* Even the neck strain and the pricey massage bills are worth it.

Vernon: That custom little home fer y'all still ain't done yet huh? *Chuckles*

Wade: *Wade rubs the back of his neck, a look of unease and mild guilt lacing his features.* We're uh...still saving up for it...Megafauna homes are expensive to build from scratch...Plus most a' Tundratown ain't zoned fer housing mammals with as much neck as Giz has...

Giselle: Mammoth's seem ta be the limit...so we were lookin' into buyin' a mammoth home and renovatin' it...

Wade: But again, permits...don't y'all just love bureaucracy? 

Dawn: *Rolls her eyes, letting out a dull chuckle* Wade, you don't know the half of it...

Ask Gazelle; Famous Celebrity Collabs

 

Gazelle: Oh Ay, I've had plenty of "Guests" turn up during my stage shows. *Gazelle rolls a hoof lazily* Granted, it was not a surprise for me...*snickers* Obviously it was arranged before hoof. But I've made quite a few dear friends during my climb up the Pop-Music ladder, and I've have quite a few collaborative projects and performances under my belt at this point to show for that.

Finnick: So, which famous celebrities are jerks, and which ones are actually cool people? I'm sure that's what everyone here really wants to know.

Gazelle: *Snickers, waiving her mate away with a dismissive hoof* Shh! Shh! Silencio Mi Pequeno Amor...You know I can't say anything like that for legal reasons...*Laughs*

Finnick: I bet most of them are real Honest Johns. *Chuckles*

Gazelle: *Rolls her eyes* And you are a good judge of character yes? Considering what you thought I was like before meeting me?

*Finnick winces, rubbing the back of his head with a look of clear discomfort.*

Finnick: W-Well...that's...I-I mean-..

Gazelle: "She's a fake activist type. Is all virtue signaling? I bet that ass is all plastic surgery?" Does this sound familiar to you huh, Orejas Grandes...

*Finnick holds his paws up defensively, ears sagging slightly.*

Finnick: Okay, okay! *Laughs* I know I was off base...especially about the ass thing...

Gazelle: *Rolls her eyes and shakes her head dismissively* Waaaaay of Base! *Laughs* That said, a lot of them are asses yes, mostly the ones you really wouldn't expect. And while I am...limited in what I can say, just pay attention to the mammals I've done multiple collaborations with and you'll know who the real mammals with heart are...

Finnick: That's a good cover...*Snickers*

Gazelle: I will say my favorite 'surprise guests', for songs and live shows have been Justin Timberwolf, Suri Nicks, Miley Sirus, Carlos Stampada, and of course Dawn Hunter-Bellwether, although she's never sung with me, only helped with writing our book and a lot of the lyrics for the companion album. But she's a delight to be around. Make of that what you will...

Finnick: I uh...notice you left Jennifer Lupus out of that list.

Gazelle: *Gazelle's brow visibly furrows, her lips momentarily pursing* I did. And since she's talked about me publically, I'm comfortable calling her a stuck-up puto. *Huffs* If she wants to take that to court, we can go down the list of things she's called me publically first...Tit for tat.

Finnick: *Chuckles* Well, at least I was right about one of them...

Gazelle: Right? Ho-ho, don't even get me started Mi Pequeno Amor. I could talk for an hour or more about how much of a- *Gazelle stops herself, placing a hoof to her muzzle and coughing awkwardly*

Finnick: Want me to turn the mic off? Get this off the record?

Gazelle: Si, off the record.

Ask Dawn and Vern; All Mammals are Omnivores?

 

Vernon: I'd say the simplest answer fer that is more than likely just...y'know...culture and social stuff...like norms...

Dawn: Mammals, all mammals are social creatures, *Rubs the back of her neck awkwardly* Though some are more social than others. *Coughs awkwardly* Generally, we do like to have little 'checkboxes' we're made to fit into that are clean-cut. Those sorts of social norms also promote further ignorance and the continued enforcement of those norms whether you know those sorts of historical tidbits or not. It's just easier for the general public to classify someone by strict, unyielding categories than take into account the levels of nuance of everything that lies in between.

Vernon: I mean, I've known fer a fact wolves had diet variation since I was real little...if we didn't, my Ma would never make pumpkin pie er' roasted corn. We'd all just be eating slabs o' meat fer breakfast, lunch and dinner. *The wolf cringes visibly before letting out a scoffing chuckle* Fer cryin' out loud, they touched on that stuff all the time in biology class...but...

Dawn: The title of being 'Predator' or being 'Prey' was too perfect a standard to not utilize to formulate cliques?

Vernon: Exactly. I imagine fer 'Preds', that title also carries a lot of weight and power to it historically. It puts 'em above Prey folk by virtue of the fact Preds used to eat Prey, even if most of the preds I'd seen in High School coulda easily get bowled over by a Megafauna mammal. Carnivore leanin' body sizes tend ta top out at around tiger size, and there weren't exactly any tigers at my school, so there's a big gap between them local wolves and say...an elephant...

Dawn: *Snickers* I'm sure those Preds were glad there weren't any elephants at your school...That said, while Prey, as a term, is...more commonly used in contemporary settings, it's really not accurate anymore. Then again, the term 'Herbivore' isn't fully accurate either as you pointed out. However, most Herbivore mammals use vitamins to supplement deficiencies rather than going as far as eating a stray piece of meat or gnaw on a bone now and again to make up for the lack of iron and calcium. 

Vernon: As fer y'all, you eat some salmon now and again when the mood catches ya right...*Vernon snickers knowingly*

Dawn: *Blushes Slightly* Well...Vernon did turn me onto salmon a little while after we started dating officially, and even after being pregnant I still find myself craving it from time to time.

Vernon: Our Hunter-Bellwether flock sushi night is probably the pup's favorite dinner tradition...well, next to taco night...*Snickers* 

Dawn: Veggie or otherwise, Taco Night is the undisputable household dinner champion. *Giggles*

Vernon: That all said, when usin' names like that to group mammals together, 'Omivore' complicates thangs...even iffin' it don't make sense at all anymore...and don't even get me started on 'Scavenger's'...

Dawn: They're probably looked down on more than anyone else...even if literally no one scavenges anymore in civilized society. At least, not like they scavenged in ancient times.

Vernon: *Shakes Head* I know despite everythang, Ada still has mammals look down their snouts at her because a thousand years ago her ancestors ate carrion...It's why that whole 'Circle of Life' Symbology rule demonizes 'em...

Dawn: *Shakes head* Everything has a place in the circle, except Hyenas. Lions are only meant to be absorbed by the earth, not eaten up by lowly scavengers. *Chuckles* Systems like that are always balanced right up until it's the mammal at the top who's at risk of being brought down to everyone else's level, then they assert themselves as the King of all they surve-Oh! I-I'm sorry, I don't...I didn't mean to insult Symbologists...I mean...

Vernon: No disrespect, all religions have their hypocritical parts to 'em...and we know most folks don't follow that sorta stuff to the letter anymore...

Dawn: Yeeess....*Blushes* But that may have also been the chip on my shoulder regarding my former boss talking...and for that, I'm very sorry...

Vernon: I will, however, call Mr. Leodore Lionheart an Ass....and I ain't apologizin' fer that one...

Dawn: I wouldn't want you to.

*The pair share a snicker*

-----

Wasty: Yeah, I actually knew a lot of this stuff, but only came to learn about it in the past few years. Between seeing videos of various animals we deem to be purely predators being fed varied diets, while their handlers explain the importance of that variety. As well mind-blowing videos of wild deer eating birds, horses sucking up baby chickens, etc...The first time I saw that deer eat that bird, it was like I was staring at an anomaly. It was a cognito hazard. It just didn't compute, like the matrix had broken down. Now I'm used to it, knowing those prey animals are supplementing for low calcium or iron levels. The animal Kingdom truly is wild.

Ask Dawn and Vernon; Federal or Unitary Government

 

Dawn: It's pretty much entirely federal despite our small, nation-state size. Power is balanced between the lower and higher offices of the federal government, Districts can institute their own laws without oversight to a degree. If it's anything super oppressive, controversial, or contrary to the laws across all Districts it can be challenged and voted down by neighboring Districts. And while the high echelons of the Zootopian Government largely deal with our position on the world stage and the negotiations and resource allocations that come with playing nice with the international community, the Districts largely deal with the local issues. There...isn't really all that much more to say on that...  *Dawn Shrugs* I do hope it was enlightening. I know 'Goverment Talk' is boring to most mammals.

Vernon: I'm sure they'll be satisfied to have even gotten an answer, Honey Lamb. *Chuckles*