Ask Vanna: The Great Tiger Mimic

Vanna: I don't really know about that...I mean, I've never heard anything like that from my parents, or from any other tigers I've met during my lifetime.

Dawn: That cow waitress must have felt terribly self-conscious.

Vernon: I take it a cow caught mooin' is a lot like how y'all feel about bleatin'?

Dawn: *nods* Or like your howling.

Zach: Iffin' yer friends imitation was good enough, I imagine that cow was purty mortified. She probably thought the whole restaurant was lookin' at her like she was the culprit.

Vernon: Still, that's such a...weird thang. It's such a specific question...y'all sure there ain't no basis behind it Vanna?

Vanna: Well...I mean....hmm...my father could do some pretty amazing bird calls. Of course, you'd probably expect that of a trained orthanologist.

Vernon: Wait yer Pa was an Otho...Othan...bird scientist type?

Vanna: *Nods* He's been working at the San Furnando Aviary as a vet since I was kitten. He's always loved birds, especially parrots and other birds that specialize in mimicry. Sometimes you couldn't tell the difference between his own bird calls, and the sounds of the actual native birds when he'd take us down to Aviary for the afternoon. But I just sort of assumed that...well...he's around birds all the time, so of course he's good at bird calls.

Dawn: Can you do any bird calls yourself Vanna?

Vanna: *Blushes slightly* Well...I mean...maybe a couple. The easier things I think. Like that weird noise riding Reahs make when trying to establish territory.

Zach: What's that sound like?

Vanna: It's like...a two-toned kind of groaning noise...like....*Imitates a reah's groaning sound with near-perfect accuracy.* Like that.

Zach: I...don't think I've ever heard one o' them birds make a noise like that...then again, the last time I had to deal with any reahs was...Ol' Mam' Klawsky's Reah ranch. And well...y'all remember how that went...

Vernon: *Chuckles* Oh mam', that the video Vanna shared on Furbook where y'all was screamin' like a she-wolf while that big bird chased y'all around the paddock?

Zach: *Furrows his brow and crosses his arms* Ugh...yes...Thanks fer that by the way Kitten.

Vanna: *Winces* Sorry Goofball...Ada made me...

Dawn: Can you do any more bird calls?

Vanna: A few. I mostly picked up the sounds of the birds that were my favorites at the aviary, like the secretary bird. *Vanna Mimics the strange almost honking noise of a secretary bird*, oh and the penguin, I always loved them. *Mimics a few different braying and whistling penguin calls with almost perfect accuracy.*

Zach: Wow...it's like I'm at the aviary myself...*Chuckles*

Vanna: *Blushes* Th-they aren't that good. I mean you guys could probably do it just as well as someone like me...

Dawn: Vanna, I don't know where you got the idea that bird calls were an easy or common thing to do, because it really isn't. Look...*Dawn attempts to mimic one of the calls and fails miserably.* *Coughs*. See?

Zach: *Attempts to whistle like one of Vanna's penguin calls, and also fails* How was that?

Vernon: Y'all tryin' to whistle along to a tune er' tryin' to make a bird call there?

Zach: I was tryin' to do that penguin call like my Kitten did. Was it that bad?

Vernon: I think that would scare off purty much any penguin y'all tried it on...er' get ya attacked like when that Reah went after ya.

Zach: Yeah, well...I ain't plannin' on goin' to any aviaries any time soon, that's fer sure. Last thing I need is a whole flock of different birds descendin' on me with a cold, bird fury...

Vernon: Y'all just described a scene from my nightmares. *Glances at Dawn*And y'all wonder how me and my brother can sometimes eat birds. *Chuckles*

    Dawn:*Shakes her head* *Chuckles*

Ask Dawn; Term Limits and Past Mayors

 

Dawn: Oh, well much like our neighbors in North Mammalia and their presidential office, Zootopia's Mayor and Assistant Mayor hold a four-year term minimum, at which point they can run for re-election provided it's not the end of their second term. This should tell you that the maximum term limit for both offices is eight years or two terms total. At the end of their term limit, generally, a Mayor goes on to endorse an up and coming candidate, which more often than not is their own Assistant Mayor although not always. It's also worth noting that the law for Mayoral term limits has a bit of a loophole in that it states an elected Mayor and Assistant Mayor can serve for 'no more than two consecutive terms', meaning that theoretically a candidate could run again and win provided there was at least a one term gap between his or hers previous time in office. Granted since the term limits were enacted in 1945, no one has ever tried to pull that maneuver... Probably more so due to the fact that even the most beloved politicians reputation would be quickly soured should they try it.

Vernon: I mean, most folks have a healthy distrust o' politicians to begin with. But one that's willin' to publicly exploit a loophole...well it wouldn't exactly build any confidence in me that such a fella was right fer that kinda job.

Dawn: And many of Zootopia's population share that sentiment. Had I not worked in the political field myself, I'd find myself wondering why that loophole has never been removed. But during my time as Assistant Mayor it...it was such a small thing, and I was far too focused on other pressing matters that I never got to addressing it myself. *Shakes head* And I imagine it's been the same for my predecessors.

Vernon: Well, I imagine even iffin' ya drafted somethin' about it, Lionheart probably wouldn't o' cared to read it.

Dawn: *Shrugs* More than likely. If it was a trifle to me compared to my workload, it would have been insignificant compared to his *Ahem* important business and networking appointments.

Vernon: I think that fella picked the wrong field considerin' the ego. Maybe actin' woulda been better fer him.

Dawn: As for the District Representatives, they also have a term limit, but it is double the length of the Mayor and Assistant Mayor position. While the election cycle is the same, with a new election being held every four years, you can hold a maximum of four terms, or sixteen years as a Representative or Assistant Representative.

Vernon: Well that explains why my Pa's friend Ruddy has held the position fer what's felt like ferever...though I imagine he's gotta be nearin' the tail end of his term limit by now.

Dawn: Well if he is, I think he's got a good replacement in Loupon, especially seeing how much he's grown since the...er...fair fiasco.

Vernon: I dunno, I'd say he's got a bit of an uphill battle bein' one of the first open crosser candidates runnin' fer the position. But who knows...?

Dawn: As for past Mayors and Assistant Mayors well...that's quite a long list to delve into for something like this. But I can give a general...um...idea of things. I've been out of the game for a while now, and my knowledge of every Mayor who has ever served is...less stellar than it used to be. I can tell you that five Bellwethers, myself included, have held political office. Archibald and Fergus Bellwether both held positions as District Representatives of the Meadowlands. Then there was Garret and my Grandfather Ash Bellwether, who both went from district reps, to Assistant mayors, and finally Mayor's themselves. I of course cut the line by going straight to an Assistant Mayoral Candidate. As for the Lionheart family, there were seven Lionheart's that held office, including Leodore. One of the most notable was Theodore Lionheart, who was Zootopia's Mayor for three consecutive terms, running from 1932 to 1944. He was so beloved he probably could have ran for a fourth and swept the competition easily, but instead, he proposed and pushed for the term limits law that would be passed a year after he voluntarily stepped out of the running.

Vernon: I remember readin' about that fella in school cause the quote about the term limit law stuck with me. He was like " I hold the deepest love fer my home city, and I know that its citizens hold great adoration fer me. Because of that, there's a part of me that would love nuthin' more that to continue to hold the office of Mayor fer as long as Zootopia would have me." Uh...*Vernon scratches his head* Oh, right..." But any mammal can become a dictator given enough time, even in the best o' circumstances. And so I propose these limits not just fer myself, but for the possible future despots in hiding that may take advantage of the cities goodwill to fulfill their own ends." *Clears throat* I ain't sure if that was the whole quote but...

Dawn: No, that was pretty close to spot on. He was afraid of a charming candidate with dark intentions taking advantage of the cities 'good will'. Zootopia was a democratic republic for a reason, and his...rather unique situation of being repeatedly elected made him fear for the cities future should something not be done to prevent that sort of thing from growing out of hoof again. It was a good call too, because his younger brother who would run four years after he left the office would prove to be the deceptive charmer he warned us about. Johnathan Lionheart was actually responsible for the terrible state of the mental care asylums that my grandfather Ash would eventually get caught in a scandal over. The mental health system still hasn't recovered from it.

Vernon: Iffin' yer wonderin' if any Düclaw Hunter descendants ever held an office in Zootopia, that'd be a no. Granted some wolves have held the position of Alpine Glade Representative but...I don't think a single wolf has ever been Mayor of the city. Don't think we got that same sorta...prestige that draws folks to follow under lions.

Dawn: Sadly this is true. In fact, the position of mayor in Zootopia, not counting the lineage of Lionhearts, has been largely populated by prey. Usually mammals with that same look of...prestige to them that Lionhearts exude...so cervids, bovines, equines, etc. Prey mammals that had a sort of...majestic quality to them. It made them easy to rally around. Of course, there were a few tigers and bears that would hold office, and the predator skew started to grow significantly within the last century. It's actually a lot more common to see predator and prey teams now than it was back then, sort of in the same way that preygressives and preditionalists run together, in the last twenty or so years almost ever Mayor and Assistant Mayor canidate was a pred and prey team. So...y'know. Lamb-steps.

The Family Vulpes; Act 1 Cover Art

 

More 'bonus break' material here, featuring content from my fic series 'The Family Vulpes". I'd like to call this one the cover art for the first act, but really this was a piece I made far to complex just so I could feature it in a 'chapter title card' for the next chapter I'm going to be dropping later this week. Last year was....honestly a huge mess, and I'm looking forward to getting this fic back out of the hiatus status, and roll back into an 'active' story. What better time than during the start of the new year. New hopes, new goals, new stuff to shoot for. Here's hoping I can actually get back on top of it and really start churning out chapters again.

This picture is featured in the upcoming chapter as one of the family photos Cameron has on his desk at work, featuring himself hugging his two lovely daughters. You can take a guess as to which one of them is adopted. Val and Ellie are around sixteen in the photo, so it was taken about four years before the 'current day' in the fic.

Hope you guys like the bonus art, you'll see it again soon on my furaffinity and sofurry as chapter cards!

-Wasty

Life with Haida and Fenn; Like Mother Like Daughter

 

Now don't get it twisted, this isn't like an 'April Fools', or that I'm changing the blog or anything. I just had this cute idea for a comic kicking around in my brain and decided to put it to...er? file? While I was on my Yule break. As a fan...well, former fan of the Aggretsuko series, this seemed like a fun idea for a little side comic that I figured I'd share so we didn't have another week go by without content before I go back to the usual stuff next Monday. I thought those of you that like the series...or the ship, or whatever, would like this comic.

That said, please don't send any "Life with Hiada and Fenn" asks. This was just a one-time thing, and I don't need to make running this blog more confusing for myself. Regular "AskTheBellhunters" will return next week. Until then, enjoy...

-WT

Happy Yule 2021~!

 

And an advanced 'good riddance!' to 2021 as a whole! I'd like to thank you all for sticking around through the mess that was 2021 guys. Hopefully, I'll be able to hit the asks twice as hard to make up for it next year. Happy Yule to you all! This blog will be back in January!

-Wasty

Yule Thingy; Tomorrow or Wednesday

 Just a heads up, gonna be doing a little Yule art of the BellHunter Pack to close out the ask blog for the year. Didn't want to leave you guys in the dark just cause no text went up today. 

See ya soon with some art!

-Wasty

Ask Honey and Ada: The Bigger Badass?

 

Ask Wasty; The formation of the NMU

 

Wasty: The NMU was originally comprised of several different native and colonizing nation's claims. The colonizing nations primarily included Great Kitten, Mane, and Prance, and much of the land colonized largely had to be negotiated for from the local native tribes. Of course, not every one of these trade deals was exactly 'fair', and upon review the less than fair ones we're renegotiated or completely undone within the last century. However, a bulk of many of these negotiations would result in the local natives and settlers combining forces and living on the land together. They traded goods, taught each other various skills, and a large amount of the interaction was peaceful. Within a century settling in the new world, a great many of those living there had stopped distinguishing natives from settler descendants. Of course, this was largely helped along due to the romantic intermingling from both sides. Sure, species still mattered, but most had come to see the NMU as a new nation in and of itself, and that those who lived there, settlers and natives alike, were its citizens. Naturally, that mindset, coupled with aggressive taxation that only worsened with each decade from the settlers home countries, as well as Zootopia's own independence acting as inspiration, would inevitably lead to a full-scale revolution, one of which neither Kitten, Mane, or Prance were truly prepared to handle with such a slow overseas response time.

This is where events sort of coincide with our own America, the thirteen colonies, the Revolutionary War, and some of our famous figures from American and British history come into play. However, in the world of my Zootopia, the Revolutionary war is of a much bigger scale and sees not just Kitten cut off from the NMU, but Mane and Prance as well. At the end of said war of independence. about half of the NMU as we know it, (The Eastern half) was united under one largely democratic banner. Over the next few centuries, as exploration moved west, more nations and tribes would be brought into the fold of the NMU. However, it is only within the last twenty years that Canidea and Mexicat joined, effectively establishing the modern North Mammalian Union as mammals like Dawn and Vern would know it.

The government of the NMU is largely based off of America's own government system, with elements taken from the EU due to it being a multi-nation country. There is still a constitution, bill of rights, etcetera...however each of the regions in the NMU can have different laws and behave slightly differently. I've already briefly discussed the system in place in terms of senators, regional presidents, and then the president themselves in order to give some idea on how this system works in a previous ask, but the point is there is a big emphasis on the people of each region and each state feeling like they truly have a voice in their home country.

Ask the Author; CattlePunk AU

 

Wasty: I think I've said before that I've considered an AU where Dawn and Vern don't get separated as kids, and end up getting tithed shortly after high school. In that AU, both Dawn and Vern end up becoming officers of the North Meadowland's Police Department, essentially taking Zach and Vanna's place while Zach ends up a city cop and meets Vanna that way. So in a 'wild west meets cyber punk' setting, I could very easily see Dawn and Vern taking up the Sheriff and Deputy role, if the Sheriff position wasn't already held by Dorian. Of course, who is in what role is up to your imagination. This would be going off that AU to make it work. Otherwise, Dawn would have to take up the role of an Outlaw looking for redemption, which only Sheriff Vernon would be willing to give a chance to. 

I imagine Dawn and Vern wouldn't often go far from the town or city they are defending unless dragged along by someone like Judy or the other Hunters. I can't see them being super keen on going off-planet to settle something, and there's a could chance I'd make one of them prone to 'space-sickness' if that is indeed a thing.

Ask the Ruminerds; Hippos are Jerks too?

 Joel: Believe me, none of us are under any sort of delusions that Hippos were herbivores...or defenseless. Not after the whole 'Massetdler' fiasco.

Gus: While I know it's probably a case-by-case basis for each hippo, I can't help but admit Massetdlr made me think a hippo's diets largely consisted of pure garbage. I mean, he practically drained every vending machine we had in the store when he visited, and gobbled down the food without giving even the slightest indication he actually tasted it.

Vernon: Massetdlr? That's the fella y'all banned right?

Gus: Oh yeah, he still holds the prestigious position of being the first and only customer banned from my store to this very day.

Vernon: Is that cause he was a creeper? I remember y'all talkin' about him comin' on to Melly and Val a couple o' times.

Broomie: It would have been bad enough if that was all he did...Cervidwen's hooves that guy was an absolute nightmare.

Gus: Overly aggressive and childish when it came to any games other customers were willing to let him participate him. Always hogging the game system demo stations like he was in an eighties arcade and had a day's worth of quarters stacked on the machine panel. To top that all off he had a nasty habit of eavesdropping on games he wasn't invited to either.

Joel: Yeesh...I remember...Nothing like having a massive mammal looming over you to trigger that primal prey fight or flight response.

Vernon: *Chuckles* Prey aren't the only mammals who got a fight er' flight. Even ancient preds feared bigger mammals, and were sometimes hunted by other preds. And the gods know I felt that fear too when he was standin' behind me...just...breathin' loudly.

Joel: At least that's all he was doing. I had to listen to his horrible...lippy smacky slurpy noises as he decimated the mound of food he pulled from the candy and chip machines.

Broomie: Didn't he ruin your character sheet that day? He drooled on it right?

Joel: Dropped a massive plop of Hippo saliva right on it. Well, saliva mixed with chocolate chunks and powdered cheese...ugh...*shudders* At least I had a backup copy but 'mam, that sheet was totaled.

Gus: He also defaced a few of my displays with his...weird drawings. Seriously...there were so many things I tried to overlook because he was a big spender, but at the end of the day keeping him around just wasn't worth the stress.

Joel: Well that, and the fact he tried to pepper spray you.

Gus: Thankfully he missed my eyes, but I had to close the store for a whole day after that just to air it out.

Joel: Speaking of 'airing things out', do all hippos smell that rank, or had he just never heard of personal hygiene?

Vernon: Hoo yeah...hard to believe a mammal whose ancestors spent so much time in water could stink that badly...

Broomie: You know, I heard he got arrested recently. Actually looks like he's going to jail this time, granted I can't really remember why...

Gus: Finally, I knew his luck had to run out at some point. He always managed to get away with a slap on the wrist before. That said, it's surprising you don't remember what he did this time if it was so serious.

Broomie: I don't know why, I just know it was really bad. Bad enough that I think that my mind might be actively suppressing the memory in order to spare my sanity.