Ask Ada; The Success of Hyenas over Lions.

 

Ada: Who exactly says dat?! Seriously, I want names!

Yuri: I don't think I've ever heard any mammal say hyenas had it better than lions unless they was bein' sarcastic. *Chuckles* Er' had recently suffered some form o' head trauma...

Ada: Seriously, us hyenas have been unda da thumb of loins since da dawn of Simbology. Even here's in da civilized world we still catch da judgemental eyes of da mammals who follow even da most basic rules o' dat religion.

Yuri: Well, to them yer all demons right? Scar's henchmammals. 

Ada: Exactly! At least unless dey practice Zoodoo...*Scoffs* At least dat religion recognizes da importance dat hyena's hold in da circle of life. But in mainstream Simbalogy, we exist outside da coicle. We are non-mammals.

Yuri: What'dya expect from a bunch o' aristocratic type lions terrified they was gonna have their precious remains 'desecrated'...*Chuckles* 

Ada: *Laughs* Yeah, I got news for ya's pal, every mammal, from da biggest elephant to da smallest shrew, craps demselves da moment they die...dere ain't no dignity or grace in deth...ya' self descrated da moment ya's took ya last exhale. *Cackles*

Ask Gus and Melly; Scapegoats?

 

Gus: Considering the term was popularized by Mammals who used it as a form of 'transferring sin' to another mammal, yeah, I'd call it offensive.

Melanie: For those not in the know, Simbologists liked to use 'Scapegoats' to attach their 'sins' to, they would then kill the goat in question, and by their logic, the goat would go to the underworld carrying their sins with it. Therefore they would be cleansed of all sin thanks to ritualistically murdering a goat.

Gus: *Shakes head* Granted that practice died thousands of years ago, and the term is more or less just a generalized thing now so it's not...as offensive. But its origins are...*Shrugs* Why lions decided to pick goats for that purpose, I'll never know. But I think we can all agree at this point that old-world lions suck.

Melanie: A lot of modern-day lions suck too if we're being honest...*Chuckles* At the very least I'm sure Dawn would agree with me there. 

Ask Finnick and Gazelle; First Kiss?

 

Finnick: Awkward? Angry? Fiery? 

Gazelle: Muy Caliente. *Chuckles*

Finnick: A lot of my time working as Gab's undercover bodyguard is strictly confidential. Even if her stalker is behind bars for life, it's...still considered too recent and too...ugh...how do I explain? It's like, it maps out a lot of the security standards in place to protect Gazelle, so it can't be made public for that reason. So we have to be careful with...how we retell it...

Gazelle: Basically Mi Pequeno Amor had been my guard for a few months by that point. And he was very...well, he started to be very...how do I say this? Telling me how things were 'going to go' when it came to my security.

Finnick: Because you were being too lax with your fans! Letting them get too close! *Pfft* We still barely had an idea of what that nutcase looked like and you were just letting every fan of yours within box-cutter swiping range!

Gazelle: I refused to punish the rest of my fans for the actions of one!

Finnick: Natural selection at its finest folks!

Gazelle: *Waves a dismissive hoof at Finnick* Ay, Pequeno dictador!

Finnick: It wasn't like it was a permanent requirement! Just until we caught the guy!

Gazelle: *Rolls eyes* We're just back in the same argument again. So overprotective...*Giggles*

Finnick: Of course I was! It was my job and...well...

Gazelle: After he caught me hugging two fans and posing for a picture, he shut down the fan event, and we got into a heated argument in my dressing room, during which my Pequeno Dictador decided he was going to 'set the ground rules'. *Scoffs* Like I was a little faun again being dressed down by my father.

Finnick: And when she pointed that out to me...well... dug myself a deeper hole.

Gazelle: "If you're going to act like a kit, I'll damn well treat you like one!" *Shakes her head dismissively.* So much anger, so much of compensating, eh?

Finnick: I'm small! Of course I need to overcompensate! *Laughs*

Gazelle: *Chuckles* At least you can admit that now.

Finnick: I made it worse by calling her a fake activist, among other things, telling her a temporary suspension of all that virtue signaling with her fans was more than worth keeping her alive in my eyes...even if I knew better by then...or at least, had seen enough working under Gabby to know I had her pegged wrong...and to...well, start feeling things.

Gazelle: And the more heated we got, the more we drew closer to each other.

Finnick: Voices getting louder, bodies getting closer... until I'm standing on her lap, right up in her face. I think the last thing I said was something like..."I'm not losing my job over you, if you got a death wish, you can make it happen when the case is wrapped!" Or something like that. 

Gazelle: Followed by "Gods, why is it that one of the few good ones has to be so damn dumb!" *Snickers* I think that's the best backhooved compliment I've ever gotten.

Finnick: I think you said as much...something like "How can such a little mammal be so mean and so kind at the same time!?" 

Gazelle: *Laughs* Something like that...

Finnick: Then we were just glaring at each other, panting and staring daggers until...I guess...I dunno...all that anger and arguing just forced something to the surface I was trying to suppress...

Gazelle: We both were, for...different reasons...For you, it was not letting any sort of emotional attachments get in the way of your job...and for me it was...

Finnick: You were afraid I'd think you easy...as loose as I assumed all pop star celebrities were.

*Gazelle nodes, frowning softly.*

Finnick: But then...it just...one minute we were glaring daggers at one another, the next we were deep in each other's muzzle...

*Gazelle begins to blush, wafting a hoof near her neck as if trying to cool herself off.*

Gazelle: Muy, Muy Caliente. *Giggles* We tried to stop ourselves but...the passion was too great. We blew through our first kiss, and all the bases before we could even begin to get ahold of ourselves...

Finnick: *Chuckles* I don't regret it...I regret how we got there, but not what happened...

Gazelle: I wouldn't change it for the world Mi Pequeno Amor. For all the harsh words, it...it got us to our happiness...

Finnick: Things were a bit complicated after that, both of us still processing our feelings, and what we did...but we...we figured it out.

Gazelle: And in the end, it was for the best...still is...*Kisses Finn on the top of his head.* Te amo Mi Pequeno Amor...Te amo...

Finnick: Te Amo to you too...

Ask Wasty; Hybrids, Hybrids Everywhere.

 

Wasty: Well, if it was so sudden. As if Paige was like the last, tenuous strand holding everything back, and her birth just opened the hybrid child floodgates. If suddenly, for no discernable reason, everyone could have hybrids without complication, I'm pretty sure all of Animalia would go into full panic mode. Granted there were already some hybrids at that point. Zorses, Ligers, etc...along with some historical anecdotes that hinted at broader cross-species combo's that were deemed fiction by historians. But if it just seemed like suddenly everyone could have hybrids regardless of the species gap, most mammals would probably see it as mystical in some way. Numbers of mammals who consider themselves religious would swell suddenly, and flock to the various churches and things like that seeking an answer in faith as science struggled to work out why all of this was happening so suddenly.

How it was perceived would depend on the religion, with some preaching it as a miracle, and proof of a covenant of peace the gods intended all mammals to share. Others would see them as demonic heralds, signs of the end of days. 

Those who weren't swayed by religion would still have their own fears over the whole situation. In the last fic I plan to do, "The Bellwether Legacy", by the time Paige is twenty and hybrids are becoming more of a thing now that technology is helping close the species gap more efficiently and safely. There are rising concerns from both predator and prey that hybrids will cause massive problems for those 'pure-blooded' mammals, which leads to extremist prey and pred organizations getting deeper and deeper hoof holds into the public discourse. For the prey, their primary fears are that stealth predator traits will be buried in mammals that visually pass for prey. If such genetic combos prove unstable in terms of mental health, pure-blood prey fear they'll be attacked by prey-passing hybrids nestled among them. A bunch of ticking time bombs, ready to snap at the drop of a hat. From the predator perspective, with predators being outnumbered 9 to 1 by prey mammals, they fear all predators will be forcibly bred out of existence in a pro-hybrid world.

Naturally, in your scenario, these groups would crop up much faster and earlier than what I had planned, which would only add to the chaos.

I imagine the insanity, coupled with the fact that Paige was seen at large, for better or worse, as the catalyst for this whole situation, would force the Hunters to move to the North Meadowlands, or maybe even go into full-on hiding. Dawn would probably find that ironic, the fickle nature of her public pariah status ultimately forcing her and her flock to do what she felt like she might have to do after her initial parole period. Paige's early years would be more insulated, with contact limited to her blood relatives and adopted siblings, as well as being home-schooled exclusively for her own safety. She realistically wouldn't start connecting with other hybrids until she was an adult, as her parents would be forced to keep a somewhat tight leash on her until the chaos surrounding the public discourse about hybrids calmed down, at least to a degree. Of course, Paige's stubborn and rebellious nature, inherited largely from Vernon, would probably see her take a very public role as a hybrid advocate. Connecting with Hybrids across Animalia, and aggressively fighting for their right to exist. In that scenario, I could see her ironically end up becoming the mayor of Zootopia in the long run.

As for the treatment of hybrids, it would be all over the place. Seeing as the existence of hybrids would have moved way faster than the legal precedents and rights legislation. Early on there'd be a lot of terrible things going on both in public and private. After all, the preexisting number of hybrids (Zorses, Ligers, etc.) was such a minor trifle that there would be very little, if any, legal precedents on the books. Thus, you'd have Hybrid children being aborted en-mass, treated as slaves or livestock until hard, legal precedents were set canonizing them as actual recognized species of mammals. Discrimination would run rampant. But as the laws catch up, things would simmer down to some degree, at least until Paige forces her way onto the public stage and stirs everything up again. It would take a lot of fighting, coordinated, and on a global scale to ensure that hybrids would have the same rights and privileges as any other mammal in most countries. And even then it would take decades to accomplish these feats and see the world return to some semblance of normalcy again.

So realistically, it would be way more chaotic than the more 'slow burn' I had planned. And many more innocent mammals would be hurt in the fight for hybrid rights. Of course, Zootopia would be at the forefront of change in both scenarios...but social cohesion would have unraveled faster, and for a longer period during those first few years. Martial law might even have to be declared. Whereas the slow burn would prevent the city from ever descending into such extreme levels of chaos.

Also, I'd have to come up with an explanation, even if I never reveal it for the sake of the in-universe logic, as to why suddenly everyone could have hybrids out of the blue when they couldn't before. Was it magical? Holy? Some weird X-men moment where a bunch of dormant genes just kick on all at once? I want to keep the story as grounded as I can for a story about talking animals, and all of that is just too unbelievable for the world I'm trying to craft.

Thank you for your ask!

Ask Dawn, Vern, Nick and Judy; Harvest Feast Visits

 

Dawn and Vernon's Answer

Vernon: Iffin' yer talkin' about before the Harvest Feast trip...it coulda' gone better...granted it wasn't much of a visit on my part, cause I only saw Ma Bellwether for a few minutes on her way out...and I got kinda...distracted.

Dawn: S-sorry...

Vernon: It's alright Darlin'...it's all water under the bridge now I s'pose...*Sighs* Not that I'm all too keen re'treadin' an old argument, but fer context Clover kinda dropped in my lap that she read the more 'explicit parts' or 'Predator Seekin' Prey', which forced Dawn to admit she approved the more detailed version of the chapter fer public printin'...thanks to the proddin' o' that 'Publisher' o' her's...

Dawn: *Winces with visible guilt.* I-I...well..*Sighs* I mean I've already admitted I was totally in the wrong for that. As much as my Publisher sort of... sweet-talked me into going with that version, at the end of the day I made the call...and then couldn't bear to tell Puppy what I had done until I had my back against the wall so to speak...

Vernon: At the time I was mad fer a while...not just cause my bedroom performance was on public display...*Chuckles softly* Even iffin' it was a glowin' review. But I was more upset that Dawn kept another secret from me after that big talk we had at the Ranch back when we was tithed...

*Dawn frowns, rubbing her neck uneasily.*

Dawn: I'm so sorry...

Vernon: *Shakes head* Again, water under the bridge n' all Honey Lamb...I was mad at the time, but I realized...y'know...like with yer therapy sometimes we're gonna slip up and make mistakes...it ain't easy to just commit to somethin' like that without fail...just promise you'll go easy on me when I slip up Darlin'...

Dawn: So only two days of getting the cold shoulder rather than three? 

Vernon: *Chuckles* Iffin' we had some time alone earlier on Harvest Feast we probably woulda' made up sooner...But between the awkward train ride with Clover up ta' the Ranch, and my Ma and Pa swoonin' and crackin' jokes over us havin' our first 'real fight' as a tithed couple it didn't really give us a chance ta talk privately till before bed...

Dawn: As embarrassing as it was for you, I'm glad your parents were able to take the whole situation in good spirits...my Mother was on edge all day, afraid she had broken us up...*Shakes head* But considering her previous marriage, I suppose it's not a totally unexpected reaction...

Vernon: I'm just glad she's doin' better now, Val's Pa seems to do a pretty good job of keepin' those hooves of hers on the ground...

Dawn: *Chuckles* Sort of like you do for me...

*Vernon pulls Dawn into a gentle side hug, pressing down through her wooly poof and planting a kiss on her scalp.*

Vernon: Already told ya' I forgave ya, *Chuckles* Ya don't need ta keep up the flattery.

*Dawn snuggles down into the wolf's side, letting out a contented sigh.* 

Dawn: Oh I'm aware...you made it very clear that evening that things were back to normal...*Giggles*

Vernon: Yeah, that breakin' o' the house rule was all on me that time...It may have suspended 'er guest room privileges fer a decade at minimum, but it was more than worth it.

Dawn: *Blushes intensely and swats at her mate* Bad Puppy! I- I could barely look Audrey in the eyes the next day when I apologized...I-I was so...so ashamed. Even with you trying to take the blame for the whole thing. *Shakes head* But as Audrey's told me before...it takes two to tango...

Vernon: Well...it ain't like y'all told me ta' stop... *Snickers* In fact, y'all demanded a lot o' the opposite.

Dawn: PUPPY HUSH! 

Nick and Judy's Answer

Nick: We didn't visit my Mom, so much as we dragged her along to the Hopps Family Farm while we visited Judy's folks.

Judy: It made sense. It's a lot easier to take on one extra fox, than to expect one hundred or so more rabbits to cram into a train car, and then into mine and Nick's modest little apartment. We'd fill up one whole train car, standing room only, if the entire Hopps family had to travel to Zootopia all at once. *Snickers*

Nick: I still don't get how one mammal can have so many kits and just be able to...*Sighs* Never mind...some things weren't meant to be known by foxes I suppose.

Judy: My Mom's got a lot of grit, and nothing can keep her down for more than a second. I get my trademark resilience from her. *Snickers*

Nick: Your Mom is a machine Carrot's. Between having all those kits, and still managing to do anything else around your family's farm just blows my mind. I know your brothers and sisters help out a bit, but... geez...

Judy: Well, Dad helps out too...*Laughs*

Nick: Just visiting for a few days is like being caught in a perpetual black Friday rush at the Savannah Central Mega Mall. How that Doe is able to keep her sanity dealing with all of that on the daily...well...let's just say she should write a guidebook. It'd be a service to the rest of us. *Snickers*

Judy: *Chortles* So, is that your way of saying you had a good time?

Nick: Of course I did, *laughs* as exhausting as it was with all those grabby kits swarming me...Plus your Mom's cooking is only second to my Mom's.

Judy: Misses Wilde is a great cook, even if prey-style cooking is new to her...but, I think most mammals prefer their own Mom's cooking by default. *Snickers* We're all conditioned since birth to love...or at least tolerate our parents' cooking.

Nick: Thank your Mom and Dad again for letting me bring my Mom along on the trip. It...It did her a lot of good. 

Judy: Oh you know they didn't mind. *Shakes head* My mom was practically chomping at the bit just to have a 'co-conspirator' when it came to prattling on and on about you and me, and the fastest way to get us hitched.

Nick: That should make me regret the decision all the more...but the whole headache of having to field that sort of conversation for the rest of the visit was more than worth it to see my Mom smile. 

Judy: *Giggles* It was adorable seeing her with my little brothers and sisters. Unlike you, she never seemed to get tired...

Nick: *Laughs* Oh she's just good at hiding it...lest you forget how she passed out on the train ride back. Still, she handled it better than I could...*Laughs* Maybe it's not just Bonnie, but a superpower all Moms have...

Judy: Don't sell yourself short Slick...you still sneak fewer naps than my Dad does on the regular...*Chuckles* He actually learned how to sleep with his eyes open from one of his old friends who served in the North Mammalian Standing Army just to be more stealthy about it.

Nick: *Ears stand up sharply, clearly surprised.* Well...now that conversation I tried to have with him in the den makes a lot more sense...he just stared through me the whole time while I tried to make conversation.

Judy: No, he was awake for that...he's just still mad about the 'Ferris Wheel' incident...

Nick: Ahh...*Laughs* Right, right...

Ask Wasty; Alternate Dawn's Revisited

 

Wasty: Oh man...I mean, I could go on, and on, and on, on alternate Dawn timeline ideas. Granted a large swath of the Dawn's have simple explanations. Flapper Dawn, 50's Nurse Dawn, Southern Belle Dawn, Western Show Girl Dawn, those ideas are all in the realm of "Dawn and Vernon, but born in earlier time periods/different countries". Granted that alone would make their backstories quite different from Dawn Prime. In fact, a lot of what I imagined showgirl Dawn's life leading up to her becoming the head of a dancing troop while running a saloon that does shows rolled into my friend's Western Style Dungeons and Dragon Campaign's sheep gal Dolly. (A lot of the dancers also offered 'brothel' services, which Dolly didn't participate in, but also didn't exactly try to prevent it either) Also the farther you go back, the more social pressure would be applied to Dawn and Vernon's cross-species relationship being accepted. Naturally, Flapper Girl Dawn would have less family and social conflict regarding such a relationship with Vernon when compared to Southern Belle Dawn. But Flapper Dawn would be worse off than 50's Nurse Dawn.

Now, Dominatrix Dawn, or 'Pawn Hell-Leather' is just a throwaway nod to Hyenatig's "Bootopia" parody. Essentially porn universe Zootopia. Tig was someone I was in contact with at the time, (Still on good terms, just don't chat a lot) and I had done some commissions set in her 'Bootopia' universe for others. Granted I never commissioned anything myself, so no "Porn Universe" Vernon exists. But if he Did, I'd probably call him "Virile Humper" Or something like that. I can't begin to tell you how a porn universe would function without collapsing into a mound of hedonistic chaos, but that Dawn is what she is.

Nudist colony Dawn I'd imagine is from a version of Animalia where covering one's shame simply never became a thing. Sure, clothes are a thing, mostly worn for fashion's sake, or for keeping warm for those of thinner pelts. But in that world, the bulk of mammals came to see themselves as being born naked, and therefore it was natural and was meant to be what the gods intended. Personally, I like clothes, though based on my experiences at a nude beach, you get used to seeing everyone naked very quickly, and you pretty much stop thinking about it. Though that still wouldn't spare you from the embarrassing feeling of everyone seeing you get a boner, or get wet, especially when you're a teen and are dealing with hormones, but again, it is what it is.

Then there's Genie Dawn, and her Master Vernon. This timeline is somewhere between Aladdin and I Dream of Genie vibe-wise, with a splash of 'The Mummy' in there in so far as Vernon is a treasure hunter. I imagine Vernon finding the lamp, and like the titular Aladdin, using his initial wishes to try and impress a wolfess of high distinction back in Kingland he always had unreciprocated feelings for. However, the more time he spends with his Genie, getting to know her and confiding in her, the more his priorities begin to shift, and soon both he and Dawn find themselves smitten with one another. Thus, Vernon's last wish is for Genie Dawn to be released from her Genie shackles and the pair finally get together. Freed Dawn would of course still have genie powers, and the pair would live their lives together adventuring through the ancient and magical world of Animalia in search of other ancient treasures.

Nun Dawn is one of my favorites, alongside showgirl Dawn. Specifically, because I've got a habit for habits. That said, I've thought more about her than the others. In her universe, she works alongside caprid pastor Vernon Hunter (How he became a caprid pastor I still have no idea), one of the few wolves to hold such a distinguished position. At first, Dawn has her misgivings about a wolf being a caprid priest, but the longer they work together, the closer they become, and the more feelings develop. Their growing love tempts them into breaking their vow to their beliefs in order to indulge in their forbidden yearnings. (Which I believe I've established caprid priests can marry, but it's still a cross-species marriage which would be very taboo in the time period.) Will they get together? Won't they? it's very bodice-ripper romance either way.

Also it's worth noting I had a ton of other alternate Dawn ideas since then. Some just excuses to dress Dawn up in era fashions, and others more thought-out extended 'what-if' scenarios. These range from something as simple as "What if Dawn had never been separated from Vern growing up." Which I've dabbled in before in a few asks. To more complicated concepts such as "World War 2 happens closer to the version of it we know, (With the rodent eradication expanding into full-on cervine supremacy) and Dawn and Vern are running a bar in Prance that doubles as a resistance and smuggling outpost as the Stagzi's begin their advance on the country." Admittedly, that one is pretty dark and somber, and not all the Hunters are alive to tell their unique tales in that one. First, the Stagzi's descended on rodents and the 'unclean', and then quickly came after the godless predators, which led to the deaths of a few Hunters who were serving under the Germam' flag.

Thanks for the ask!