Ask Barry: What species is Barry? EX: Austailian and Pred Pride Parties

 

WT: To answer your supplementary question, the Austailian Marsupial Party is essentially what it says it is. A political party largely for marsupial mammals and Austailian immigrants and descendants of those immigrants. The party was founded shortly after the Great Marsupial Migration, or Great Austailian Migration in the 1920's, in response to the rapidly rising population of Austailian marsupials in Zootopia during that period, and have persisted since then. Basically the party largely concerns itself with political issues regarding marsupials and Austailian immigration, as well as helping fund civil projects and medical research pertaining to bettering the lives of Marsupial mammals in Zootopia.

As for the predator pride party, it's another 'does what it says on the tin' style party. It's a political party that largely focuses on predator interests and predator rights. Unlike the Austailian Party, it got it's start significant'y earlier in Zootopia's history, during the late 1800s, and it's primary focuse then was essential advocating for civil rights for the lesser predator mammals of the city in general. By lesser I mean the predators that didn't hold distinct high prominence positions like the Lionhearts. Basically your every day predators that saw themselves largely shunned by prey communities. The purpose of the party first and foremost was to act as a moral boost for said disenfranchised preds, telling them it was okay to take pride in your diet, sort of like a form of therapy as statistics would later show that suicides among predator mammals dropped dramatically after the party was formed.

These days, the party is still advocating for predators on a political level, (and mam' did they have their work cut out for them during the night howler scare), but they also fund civic projects and predator mental health programs.

Ask Vernon; Who's Moira?

 

Ask Dawn and Vern: Lionheart Family, Power and Leodore's Living Relatives

 

Dawn: Well, when it comes to the Lionheart Family, they've stayed very wealthy due to having a paw in... basically every industry in Zootopia at one time or another. From mining to alternative energy, to biological research and consumer goods. Needless to say, when there wasn't a Lionheart in political office, there were several working for fortune five hundred companies that work exclusively for Zootopia or North Mammalia.

Vernon: I imagine the fact that there is still a royal Lionheart family in Great Kitten also helps with clout.

Dawn: Well, the Bellwethers also have direct royal lineage in the living members of the Blackwool family. But, I think with Richard the Lionheart helping well...found Zootopia proper, and relatives of the King and subsequent kings essentially running Zootopia until its political system was fleshed out properly, I mean...it certainly holds a greater degree of clout than just...the sheep that helped run the Meadowlands. The Bellwether name may have opened a door from time to time, but the Lionheart mantle blew any door off its hinges. It also didn't help that most of my family members who held a public position didn't...really leave a favorable legacy behind, whereas a Lionheart almost always led a good, if not at minimum an uneventful term in office. Leodore would be...the first to really mess that streak up.

Vernon: Spectacularly I might add.

Dawn: In his defense, there was a Bellwether involved...so the curse continues to hold strong. *Giggles*

Vernon: He does have livin' relatives though right?

Dawn: Yes, aside from his distant relatives in Kingland, he has a mother, father, and sister. Ford Lionheart, Miriam Lionheart, and Catalina Lionheart. Leodore's father is retired now, but he was the CEO of the company that helped design the Climate Control systems for the Rainforest, Sahara and Tundratown Districts respectively. Miriam married in, but also came from a wealthy pride, in that her family still has a paw in the elevator and escalator industry. And Catalina, at least last I heard, was a high-powered government Lawyer in Woolshington D.C. From what I've heard, Ford and Miriam have more or less disowned Leodore for what happened with the Night Howler Scandal, and I'm not sure exactly if Catalina has also given him the cold shoulder as well, but she more than likely has.

Vernon: Yeesh, that sounds purty rough...I mean...I know he messed up big...but disownin' him seems a little much.

Dawn: Well...I think his parents are....well they are the type to be very concerned with their social standing and how the public views the family at large. So much so that they'd value it more than having a relationship with their son.  But I imagine it doesn't help that Leodore hasn't really...learned anything...and he certainly hasn't grown more humble from the experience...

Ask Special; Dawn and Vern Reverse Species Costumes!

 

WT: Yeah, this really doesn't have anything to do with an ask, but I drew this for fun on a stream and thought it would make some good blog content. Dawn seems to be having a great time, but Vern, for fairly obvious reasons, isn't too pleased with the arrangement. If Yuri hadn't been present, he would have been more than fine with it.

I've got more drawn ask content this week, it's just all short stuff though. Expect it soon.

Ask Dawn and Vern: Vera and Leodore

 

Dawn: Oh, Leodore and Vera? Well, I can't exactly say why the two ended up together, as I don't really know. While Vera was kind to me, we didn't talk all that much. Our conversations were limited to rather casual topics such as the weather, or current legislation and proposals, so I always felt it was....far to personal to ask something like that. I can tell you that they did meet through Leodore's and my political rallies, and other political engagements that Leodore attended to hob-nob with Zootopia's elite political and corporate classes. But why they got together in the first place? I really don't know.

Vernon: I'd guess they were fixin' to be a power couple. Probably lookin' to boost each other's careers by hitchin' up their wagons together.

Dawn: I mean, its not entirely out of the question. But, she never gave me the impression it was as hollow as that...and I got to see them behind closed doors a number of times.

Vernon: But I mean, y'all were there with 'em right?

Dawn: Yes, but...as far as Leodore was concerned, I barely existed when we were in private, and the same went for Vera's secretary, or so I was told...at least to Leodore.

Vernon: Y'all mean he gave Barry the cold shoulder?

Dawn: I mean, he didn't treat him like a personal servant like he did me, but he was Vera's secretary, not Leodore's. I'm just saying he didn't really notice him either, which I think was one of the many reasons Vera eventually broke up with him. Still, I think she genuinely liked Leodore once...I mean, he was a charming mammal. The bulk of his campaign revolved around his charisma. So it's not out of the question that Vera was legitimately taken with Leodore. But once she got exposed to the real him...well, she had her limits it seemed.

Vernon: Y'all say limits, but how long did they actually last?

Dawn: About a year, maybe a little less? I think she tried to brush off some of his more negative behaviors and character traits in the beginning, and Leodore did try to keep his PR face on for most of the early relationship. But as he started to let it slip more and more, and it became harder for Vera to simply brush off, she had to end it.

Vernon: Was there a final straw moment there? And we're y'all around to see it?

Dawn: Actually I was. So was Barry for that matter. Vera had set up a lunch date at Leodore's office. She had brought Barry along for...actually I'm not sure why if I'm being honest. In hindsight, I feel like she might have been trying to play matchmaker with me and Barry. Regardless, at the time I still had an actual office, as this was very early on in Leodore's first term, so Barry and I were sharing lunch in there while Vera and Leodore were eating in his office. In the middle of lunch, Barry got an important call from one of Vera's clients, and so he went to enter Leodore's office to get her, only to bump into and trip Leodore right as he was coming out from the other room, apparently to demand I do something for him. Naturally, Leodore didn't take tripping and spilling his scotch well and started dressing down Barry with the same sort of contempt he usually reserved for me.

Veron: Oof...

Dawn: He had only gotten about twenty seconds into his rant, which included some very choice selections from the speciest handbook, caprid edition, such as 'clumsy damn grazer', and a 'muttonhead', when Vera got in between him and the cowering ram. That little incident seemed to be the catalyst for a lot of concerns Vera had been holding onto about Ledore's behavior all spilling out at once. She called him a selfish, arrogant egotist, which is true, and said she's sick of seeing him treat those mammals he sees as less important than he is like dirt.

Vernon: I wonder who she was talkin' about there...*Chuckles*

Dawn: Well, Leodore treated a lot of mammals he saw as beneath him like that, but Vera did glance over at me when she said that...so...

Vernon: Well ya'd have to be blind not to see how he treated y'all....er' be Leodore himself...

Dawn: I remember before she stormed out of his office, with Barry in tow, she warned Leodore that if he didn't change his ways, and started actually walking the walk instead of just talking all that talk he did on the campaign trail, it would come back to bite him in the rump. And I guess...she was right in a way...Although she probably didn't expect that I would be responsible for that bite, or that I was capable of doing...well what I did. But...I mean, a lot of mammals didn't expect that of me either.

Vernon: I'm sure a mammal-like Vera would fergive y'all based on what y'all told me about her. She seems purty...on the level.

Dawn: Well still, Vera, if you're listening to this. I'm sorry if what I did affected you. And that goes double for Barry considering the fallout the Night Howler scandal had for Sheepfolk. While I was never attracted to him, he was a sweet, respectable ram.

Vernon: I'm sure they'd both be willin' to accept that apology...hopefully that should be enough..mostly cause I don't wanna meet Barry anytime soon.

Dawn: Wait? why Puppy?

Vernon: Cause..I er...*mumbling* Don't like that Vera was tryin' to fix y'all up...

Dawn: What?

Vernon: I don't need that ram makin' any moves on my ewe.

Dawn: *Giggling* Oh Puppy, stop...We're tithed remember? And as I said earlier, Barry was not my type. And on top of all that, I'm pretty sure him and Vera are an item now.

Vernon: *Grumbles*....Still though...

Dawn: *Giggling* Oh Puppy...*Pats Vernon's head.*

Ask Wasty; Animalian Genocides

 

WT: While it is kind of a darker...topic, so much so that while this question may or may not be directed to characters, it seems like a real downer to have anyone but me do a lore dump answer instead.

Obviously, a world like Animalia has had its fair share of attempted and successful genocides. I mean, if our own world is anything to go by, where there is only one dominant species with very little variation, has suffered its fair share, then a world filled with multiple, highly diverse sentient species is just going to be rife with that sort of carnage throughout its history. That said, I'll try to minimize my scope with some...I guess more significant or recent examples or else I'd be prattling on about an entire global history which neither of us has time for.

One of the more significant empires, or perhaps the most, to have its paws in multiple attempted and successful genocides was the original "Pridelands Empire", which had territories stretching from South Afrikat to Roarope at its peak. Having been as big as it was, as aggressively expansionist as it was, and having been an established empire for near one thousand years before its collapse, it's sort of a given. Also, while being to the origin point of 'Simbology' as an organized religion, the whole 'Circle of Life' philosophy was more so utilized to build a caste system which only would further such strifes between species until the empire eventually broke up, the caste system being one of the leading factors to its demise.

As the Pridelands expanded out, taking territory, most nations they encroached on were given basically two options. Serve under us, or die. Naturally, with many ancient nations, their populations were primarily comprised of a single species or multiple species in the same family. There are countless micronations that were lost during the expansionist period of the Pridelands, with some known about, and others totally lost to time. Some close calls include the Pagolins, the Roan, Bushpigs, and the Civet, whose nations were crushed under the paws of the Pridelands, but thankfully their species had already expanded to pocket tribes well outside of Afrikat before the Pridelands advanced, and have generally recovered. But there are a few species that are believed to have been fully stamped out by the Old Pridelands such as the Cape Clawless Otter, The Oribi, The Afrikat Giant Rat, and the Banana Bat. 

Hyena's also had an extremely rough time despite agreeing to be subjugated and absorbed by the Pridelands Empire. Due to the role of hyenas as Scars minions in Simbology, they found themselves on the lowest part of the cast system. Hyenas weren't allowed to leave their designated region of the Pridelands Empire without special permission from the royal class (I.E. Lions). That land would become 'East and West Hyenya' today, but it was formally known as the gates to the underworld, or Scar's Kingdom. They were seen as something beyond second-class citizens, and completely disposable. The one thing they were largely spared of was indentured servitude, as no Simba fearing lion would dare have a Spotted Hyena for a servant. That duty fell primarily to various species of antelope and lesser predators. They were also the first to be manually enlisted in the King's armies, and always on the front line to act as fodder. Sadly, this was still marginally better than Hyenian society before the intervention of the Pridelands, as the matriarchal system put in place before the Pridelands and currently in West Hyena is essentially a dictatorship in which male hyena sacrifice is still a prevalent fixture in their society.

It's also worth mentioning that Lions also ostracized, and essentially tried to eliminate black mane lions by way of excluding them from breeding, as they were seen as direct descendants of Scar the betrayer. However, I think that falls more in line with eugenics rather than genocide.

For something more modern related to genocides in Animalia, I will again visit the Great Roaropean Rodent Exile, and the exterminators used in Germamy and other nations. The list of rodent species that disappeared entirely during this time, are the Pawvarian Pine Vole, the Alpine Marmot, and the Hazel Doormouse. Although one can easily lay the blame on the exterminators for having something to do with the outright extinction of said species, it is possible that they still exist in Roarope as many species of rodents went completely underground during the exile, creating societies completely detached from the surface mammals to protect themselves. It is very possible that underground societies of these species still exist to this day that simply hasn't returned to the surface, and have yet to be rediscovered. 

Hope that's a satisfying answer, and thanks for the ask!

Ask the Ruminerds; Dismurinae Couples

 

Gus: I mean, I think in terms of Dismurnea stuff, it's kind of reflective of the time.

Melly: Or I mean, the story being told. Obviously the Lion King is always going to feature Simba and Nala as lions...Although they did explore that whole Kion and Jasira couple thing in the more recent 'Lions of the guard' miniseries.

Gus: What I mean is that the more recent stuff is going to more...experimental? In terms of pairings. Case and point "Lions of the guard."

Melly: Snow woolt for instance, is a ewe, and the Prince is a ram.

Gus: Well with a name like that, it's also a given. But I mean, Tarzand and Jane didn't stray so far in terms of species, with Tarzand being an antelope, and Jane Porthoof being a doe. 

Melly: Herculion strays a bit further with Mewgara being a Leopard and Herculion being well...a lion.

Gus: I'd say hooves down, the most dramatic interspecies pairing is Cetacia; the Lost Empire. I mean a Fox and a Dolphin creature....that's pretty out there.

Melly: They did make Delphida look pretty for something so...alien-looking I guess. I mean, her and Milo did look cute together. I'm cool with that canon ship.

Dawn: Yeah....but since Dolphins don't...really exist anymore, can you count that as Dismurinae taking some sort of risk in portraying cross-species romance?

Gus: At the end of the day, it's all fictional isn't it? I'd say it counts. Dolphins used to exist, therefore they aren't like...completely made up aliens.

Melly: Also Ariel was technically half-cetacean right? That's how mermaids are classified? So it wasn't like Dolphida was the first.

Dawn: True..., but by the end of the film she was all cougar. And so was the prince. I don't think you can count them, because by the end of the movie they were the same species.

Melly: I suppose that means Beauty and the Beast is out too.

Dawn: Yes, as much as that's one of my all-time favorites, Beast turned into a buck at the end instead of a lion. And Belle was already a doe...so...

Gus: Mam' a lot of the oldies feature Bucks and Does....or Lions and Lionesses...When are we going to get a goat Prince and a goat princess already. *Laughs*

Melly: I think the best we'll have to settle for is Esmeralda's friend Djali from the Hunchpack of Coltredam. At least for now.

WT: Yes, Cetacia is Zootopia's "Lost City of Atlantis" Equivilant. Brayto's descriptions, as well as information gleaned from various cultures around Animalia all, seem to have some myth about a species of smooth-skinned, extremely intelligent aquatic mammal having existed up until a great calamity either sealed them away from the surface world, or that they elected to seal themselves away until the deemed the surface mammals worthy to be further enlightened by them. "mermaid" stories have also further muddied this ancient tall tale, despite most mermaid sightings now being choked up to ancient sailors seeing manatees while delirious. Some legends have these ancient dolphins coming to the land in strange costumes similar to what we'd now compare to a swimsuit, although having the opposite function, to enlighten burgeoning mammalian tribes. While other legends tell of mammals who were taken back to the fabulous underwater domed city the Cetaceans called their home, and shown fantastic wonders eons beyond the technology available to the surface mammals at the time before being returned to the surface.

However, in truth Dolphins were one of the few species of mammals spared by whatever caused mammals as a whole to take what historians call 'the great leap'. Nearly all sea mammals didn't make that leap before the ice age, and sadly in the case of Dolphins, they quickly went extinct before the ice age even started. To date they have yet to find a single set of Dolphin remains from after that period in the fossil record, and following that logic, there would be no way this supposed evolution of the Dolphin family could exist in modern Animalia. However, many conspiracy theorists still cling to the existence of the Cetacean race, and their secret domed city. And many believe that one day the Cetaceans will reconnect with the mammals on the surface, when the time is right.

Ask Val and Qali; Best things about Wolves

 Qali: Oh gosh, the list is endless for me when it comes to Trenny! *Giggles* It's hard to even start to like... narrow it down to just a few. 

Val: They make good pillows.

Qali: *Snickers* Yes they do! Trenny is just so warm and cuddly, I love to snuggle up against his chest on a lazy morning!

Val: You want Fluffy, try a real arctic wolf, not just a grey wolf colored like one. *Chuckles* In the dead of winter it's like being buried in an avalanche of shag.

Qali: Also, being so small compared to Trenny means he can scoop me up and curl around me, something that feels so safe and cozy...Mhhh...

Val: I think you're alone on that one...I like the fluffy pillow bit, don't get me wrong, but personally, I don't like feeling as though I'm being...protected. Like as if I need to be protected, which is something Kodi still slips into doing a lot of the time. I guess wolves are sort of hard-wired to be like that when it comes to mates or family, that whole pack mentality thing.

Qali: Oh I love that though! Trenny is so protective of me...and he's so emotional...even if he doesn't really show it off to anyone else. I'm not sure though if that's strictly a wolf thing though.

Val: Based on what I've seen of the Hunters, and Kodi especially, I can say for better or worse wolves seem to wear their heart on their sleeves. Only a pawful are really good at pulling off appearing indifferent or not as invested as they actually are. Between their tails wagging and their howling being a dead giveaway for how they're feeling in the moment, they've got a lot working against them in that regard.

Qali: I think it's super cute though! Especially the howling when they're happy or sad! Foxes don't really do that...we have things that you could call an equivalent to howling, like gekking. But we aren't so...well...it's not something that's easy to get a fox to do.

Val: Makes them easier to read, which is a bonus. I can always tell when something's wrong with Kodi...and it doesn't take a lot of prodding to get him to spill the beans. Foxes are more...guarded than that in general.

Kodi: Doesn't seem that way with Qali or your Dad. Ever think it might be just you S'more?

Val: I told you not to call me that in public you dork! *Blushes slightly* Jeeze...

Kodi: Ah! someone's flustered! So much for not being easy to read!

Qali: Oh...um...also...*Blushing* I find that because Trenny is so...in touch with his emotions...it makes him really...in tune to my needs...in the bedroom I mean. *Giggles*

Dawn: I'll second that for Vernon. *Giggling* Although maybe that's just a Hunter thing? I've just...I've never had a mammal pay so much attention to my needs and urges in the bedroom...but Vernon...*Blushes intensely*. Whenever we're together it's...it's just magical. I've never felt more loved and cared for in my life.

Val: I'd be...lying if I said Kodi wasn't...pretty decent when it comes to that...so maybe it is a wolf thing?

Kodi: Was that a compliment there?

Val: *Flustering slightly* M-maybe it is...But don't let it go to your head, alright...

Kodi: Hey, it's not a clean win, but I'll happily take it.

Ask Wasty, Age of Maturity Across Species in Zootopia

 

Wasty: Phew, you've kind of launched a hot potato in my lap here. Maybe I should just pull the cryptoland route and say 'Mental maturity should be more than enough ;)'. Pft...But let's get serious for this, and try to keep the jokes to a minimum.

Zootopian age of consent is slightly more complicated than that of our own, in that there is a difference between the maximum lifespan of certain mammals. To keep things simplified, the real difference is in Megafauna and Microfauna, as Megafauna are seen as taking longer to get to physical adulthood, and most rodents take a shorter time. This can make interspecies relationships involving either a bit more legally complicated. Using Moira and Giselle as examples, Moira would have been considered an adult mouse at the age of fifteen rather than eighteen, and Giselle would have been seen as a legal adult at the age of twenty. 

To add a layer of further confusion, there is a legal sliding scale of consent for interactions between certain age brackets. This is to prevent an eighteen-year-old from necessarily being jailed for a relationship with a fifteen-year-old. Generally, there are two legal brackets for that. The twelve to sixteen bracket, and the sixteen to twenty bracket, each given a little leeway for those on the cusp. The partitioning is designed to deter a relationship between a twenty-year-old and someone fourteen or younger, as it could be argued such a relationship naturally entails grooming while creating a cut off between the upper end and lower end of the teen years to separate those who have little to no understanding of their sexual development, and those who understand enough to begin experimenting with those in their peer group. Naturally, this can cause some legal issues if a mammal is say seventeen and their significant other is fourteen, but such relationships are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Generally, microfauna and megafauna have been awkwardly shoehorned into this system with special exemptions. With the first bracket of maturity of mice being lowered to ten to fourteen, and fourteen to eighteen respectively. Whereas with Megafauna the brackets are fourteen to eighteen, and eighteen to twenty-two. And much like with special circumstances, any interspecies relationship between a Mega/Microfauna and an average lifespan mammal must be reviewed on a case by case basis. Granted, all this only comes into play if the parents of either party feels the need to contest something.

In terms of ages to run for political office, the age is twenty-four for average species and mega-fauna and twenty for Microfauna.

Rodents can legally drive at fourteen, whereas average and megafauna mammals can get permits at sixteen and full licenses at eighteen. 

Voting has a blanket age of eighteen, regardless of species, although the residents of Districts like Rodentia have been trying to get the age lowered to sixteen in their district.

Drinking and Smoking are probably one of the more complicated ones, as it adheres to the age range used for consent. So, smoking for rodents is at sixteen, and drinking at eighteen. Average life span mammals can smoke at eighteen and drink at twenty, and Megafauna can smoke at twenty, but have to wait till the age of twenty-five to legally drink. (This is because there is a severe degree of concern about the risks of a megafauna mammal getting drunk and hurting others.

Lastly, Marriage adheres to legal adulthood across each species class. So fifteen for rodents, eighteen for mammals like Dawn and Vern, and twenty onward for Giselle.

Of course, all that is just for Zootopia. In other parts of Animalia I can imagine those stats are even more confusing and all over the place. And to stop you ahead of time, if you ask me about that,  don't expect an answer! Thanks for the Ask!

-Wasty

Ask Wasty; Representative Political Parties

 

Wasty: Consider this I guess a part two to the "Representatives of Zootopia" ask I answered just below this one. Granted this one won't be nearly as long I suppose.

Starting with Adele Snow and Elton Hart, the current Mayor and Assistant Mayor of Zootopia. Marking a departure from what you'd expect, mayor Snow is a Preygressive, as is her assistant. While they hadn't initially been elected the first time around, instead being the next line in the chain of command after Lionheart and Dawn were ousted, the fact that she was re-elected shows Zootopia wasn't quite ready to give another Preditionalist like Lionheart another crack at the wheel. It's also noting that Dawn and Vernon are both Preygressives.

Ruddy is also a Preygressionalist, but also has connections to the Bellwether alliance (No relation to Dawn's family) which advocates for caprid mammals interests. Loupon is your standard Preditionalist, but like Ruddy has ties to the local native wolf councils which is how he ended up meeting Ana in the first place.

Caprini is a Preditionalist, which is surprising considering some nasty rumors are floating around about him being affiliated with 'The order of the Horns and Hooves', and that he's using the title of Preditionalist to throw off suspicion. Shearling, is a Preygressive, who similar to Ruddy, has ties to the Bellwether Alliance.

 Nilgaillia, the Savannah Central rep is a Preditionalist candidate, at least officially, however, her stance and actions in office largely paint her as a centrist and her assistant is much the same in that he's also a Preditionalist, but comes off too timid and centrist in most of his dealings. It's also worth noting that Vera Leone is a Preditionalist, and while not confirmed to be her running mate, Barry Clovis, her current mate and personal secretary is a Preygressive. 

Mikhail Oski is a classic Preditionalist, with no other known affiliations. And Uki Probodean is generally considered a Preygressive, although she also is part of the 'Primordial Pachyderm Party', which concerns itself largely with the interests of mammals often considered the forbears of modern society, essentially those that survived the ice age.

 

Lastly, Ussuri and Sarccoson are both proud Preditionalists, with Sarccoson also being an ex-affiliate of the Austailian Marsupial Society, and the Predator Pride party, having been ejected from both due to the rumored scandals surrounding him and Ussuri. Oh, and Paisley Ringer and Evelyn Renaud are both Preygressives, however, Paisley is also a member of the Omnivorous Eaters Organization, a party that deals with specifically with Omnivore Rights Issues and concerns. 

So there's your party alignment chart. Thanks for the ask!

-Wasty