Ask the BellHunters

Hello, I'm Dawn Hunter-Bellwether...er, formerly Dawn Bellwether if you didn't recognize the added surname. And before you ask, yes 'that' Dawn Bellwether. Ex-Assistant Mayor, Ex-Mayor, Ex-Criminal Mastermind (Reformed thank you very much), City Savior, Controversial Author, and Predator/Prey relationship advocate. I'm also, as you probably guess by the hyphenated last name, married, and happily so to my mate Vernon Hunter, a gray wolf. I'm also a mother to three wonderful pups, something I never thought I'd ever have the chance to be! But, lamb sakes, I've gushed enough about myself here without explaining exactly what this blog is for. You see, after the release of my book “Predator Seeking Prey”, our little family started to get a lot of public attention again, and with it came a lot of question from curious mammals and other pred/prey couples from all over Animalia. My best friend and mate Vernon thought it would be a good idea to deal with these questions directly by opening a sort of blog/forum and taking those questions about our lives directly. Since then, I'd like to say our little blog has been quite successful, with even members of our family and friend circle pitching in and taking a few questions as well. So with all that said., please feel free to Ask Away!


Oh, and also, feel free to check our old location for previous asks until we can get a better archive system in place!


The original Ask Dawn And Vern Tumblr! This blog is a continuation/reboot of the "AskDawnAndVern" tumblr, as I am permanently locked out of the Tumblr at present.

https://askdawnandvern.tumblr.com/


(Blog Author Note: This blog is based on the fanfiction “The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether” as well as it's pseudo-sequel “A Lamb Among Wolves”. If you haven't read them, it'll probably help you better understand what's going on here if you do. I'll link both stories below. Oh Also, I'm open to questions as well. Simply direct “Author” emails to “WastedTime” when composing them. And before I forget, I have a Patreon! Five dollars gets you access to in progress fics, Ask priority, and art previews of both SFW and NSFW art. Of course, even a dollar would help. Seriously, it's how I keep projects like this alive.


The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11999389/1/The-Rehabilitation-of-Dawn-Bellwether

A Lamb Among Wolves:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12364172/1/A-Lamb-Among-Wolves


Wasted Time's Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/wastedtimeee


Friday, October 14, 2022

Ask Gideon and Sharla; 20 years later; Rude Customers


Gideon: Well...iffin' ya have me hard-pressed to pick some out...I er...well I mean we live in a purty 'bunny dense' county. I mean, our town is called 'Bunnyburrow' fer cryin' out loud. Also, bunny weddin's are....big business. Still, I don't want to make it seem like it's exclusively a bunny thang but-.

Sharla: Well I'm not afraid to say it, almost all bunny brides are real bridezillas...just to varying degrees.

Gideon: D-Darlin' please-...

Sharla: All of our horror stories usually involve a bunny bride. Our worst stories specifically focus on Jilly Hopps, as she's been back to us for three different marriages.

Gideon: Ehh...yeah Jilly was...she's real...disagreeable...

Sharla: That's sugarcoating it. She almost always came in three sheets to the wind, making demands like she was some sort of dictator by virtue of throwing our partnership with the Hopps family farm out between every daiquiri-fumed breath. 

Gideon; Also usually ate two cakes worth o' samples every time she came in despite knowin' the flavors purty well by then...

Sharla: The puking in our toilet and bawling about getting married...Gods, the last time she came in she actually had the gall to hit on you! I nearly tossed her out on her ass right there!

Gideon: Y-yeah...that was real uncomfortable...her whisperen' slurred sweet nothin's up to me...breath smellin' o' sick and sour alcohol...*shudders*. I didn't take her fer a crosser...

Sharla: She's pushin' fifty with three failed marriages, at this point she's desperate for anything...oh, and of course at the end of it all she makes sure to bring up the 'Hopps family discount'....real classy rabbit that one...

Gideon: Most o' the Hopps don't even ask fer it outta respect fer our smaller family...

Sharla: Weddings aside, again bunnies tend to be our rudest customers...whether it's casual or overt speciesism toward my mate, I'm looking at you Misses Hoppley...

Gideon: Well, she's pushin' a hundred years old...old lady is set in her ways. Then there's also the...y'know...I mean I picked on a lotta the younger folks who come in when we were younger...I sorta expec-...

Sharla: We're all adults now, it's time to grow up and out of that sort of thing. You did, so what excuse do they really have? Oh also, then there are the bunnies that have trouble with us being an interspecies couple, yet still, come to us for all their baking needs! A few of them have landed themselves on the 'banned for life' list because I caught them whispering about us.

Gideon: Now Darlin'...

Sharla: I don't know what it is about middle-aged, single does, but they love their gossip...oh and don't get me started on how insanely picky some of them are, especially when it comes to carrot cake! It's like, if you want it the way 'your mother makes it', then lamb shanks just have your mother make it and leave us out of it!

Gideon: Black Forest Cake...yer bubblin' over...this is gonna be bad fer our publicity...

Sharla: O-Oh! Sorry, sugar-fox...I just...I've been bottling a lot up I guess...sometimes I wonder if it would have been better or worse to pick up and move the business to Zootopia instead of staying here...

Gideon: It's alright Darlin' I understand. And even if we had been the family to pack up shop here, we'd still need someone to operate this arm of the business and deliver supplies up to our city store from the Hopps' place. Easier to let some of the Hopps run our city store since a few of them were aspirin' bakers lookin' to follow after Judy in terms of tryin' their paws at city livin'...me, fer the occasional trouble we run into livin' and workin' how we do out here well...I'm always gonna prefer country livin'. 

Sharla: Yeah...and I suppose it was better for our pups too. They may get teased from time to time, but as I've heard from Judy with her pups, it's no better in the city when it comes to that...

Gideon: Kits can be real cruel...y'all can trust me on that one...


Ask the Hunter-Girls; Sons and Masculinity

 

Ada: No offense to da rest of yas, but I tink I've got to market cornered on givin' my pups a pep talk when it comes ta not bein' masculine enough. I can just go ' Hey look at yas Mom, I ain't traditionally feminine and I do just fine...youse gotta be youse!"

Dawn: I wouldn't count my side of the family out either, though to be fair I think Vernon would make for a better example in this conversation...in fact, he's already had that talk with Edison...

Vanna: Aww... what happened?

Dawn: Edi had some other rams making fun of him at school because he didn't like sports and...well he's kind of small and fragile like me. It was eating at him for a while, and he eventually went to his father to talk about it. Thankfully Vernon was able to put him at ease by talking about being in the same boat growing up, and pointing to some of his own brothers as examples in terms of feeling inadequate to them in terms of masculinity. He went on to explain that there's no 'required roadmap' to being a male, and that 'masculine traits are not all about being extremely active and muscular'. That it's about being 'honorable, reliable, kind, and understanding. That it's about trying to be the best version of yourself you can be.'

Qali: Wow...Vernon really did take to being a Dad with Gusto huh? *giggles*

Vanna: That sounds like that conversation came right out of Dorian's muzzle...

Dawn: *Snickers* Well I can't say for certain, considering Dorian's stance on Vernon's choice of career for several years, but it definitely felt like a fatherly pep talk for sure. And it worked thankfully. Edison has seemed more confident and less shy about his interests since then. He's even been very vocal about joining the math team in order to set the groundwork for being an astronaut.

Vanna: That's delightful to hear. I'm so glad my little nephew turned around on his doubts like that.

Ada: Yeah, good on da little guy!

Vanna: As for the rest of us, I think we could all manage a serviceable job when it comes to reassuring our kittens about such matters. Between us and our mates, I don't think anyone is a definition of perfect masculinity or femininity, and so we all stand to be able to connect with them in one way or another should they have such doubts.

Giselle: And If we can't provide a decent enough comparison about being masculine or feminine, thankfully we got a lot o' aunts and uncles to lean on in order to better reassure our calfs.

Dawn: Speaking of, Vanna and Ada, I just wanted to put a feeler out about getting help should Allison ever come to us with concerns about not being 'feminine' enough. I get the feeling she's been having trouble, but unlike Edison, she's more prone to burying those feelings than dealing with them, and I know better than to try and pry them out of her.

Ada: I getcha, da two tomboy aunts comin' in to save da day. Youse can count on me when yas need it.

Vanna: Same here sis, I'm always happy to talk to my nephew and nieces whenever...you know Zach and I adore them.

Ask Edi and Alli; Music Interests

 

Allison: Classic rock and metal songs. Red Hot Canid Peppers, Hound Garden, Metailica. Oh...not sure if it counts as rock, but also bands like the Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and I know this isn't rock but The Decempurrists.

Edison: And Gazelle.

Allison: we don't talk about that in public, alright squirt?

Edison: I don't know why you're embarrassed about liking Auntie Gazelle's music... lots of mammals like her music!

Allison: That's the problem. Too many mammals like her music. It's too mainstream! Too 'herd mentality...

Edison: I don't get it...

Allison: You will when you're older, okay?

Edison: Okay...Well um...I like Gazelle, And um...the Beagles and Elvhiss. But my favorite stuff is music from video games, and remixes. Also, mom and Dad got me into this stuff called 'Electro-swing", and I think it sounds super neat.

Allison: You are such a dork. *Chuckles*

Edison: Yeah, so what? I like what I like...I don't care if it makes me a dork!

Allison: *Shakes head* And you wonder why I have to save your butt in school so often...

Friday, October 7, 2022

Ask the Foxes; Kitsunes of Many Tails

 





Cameron: Again, I really don't know much about Japandese culture...our family ancestry was largely western Roaropean and so...we aren't well versed in the way of Japandese foxes, and legends regarding them. In terms of a fox's tail, well...I don't think I have to tell you that our tails are sort of a very important...I want to say feature of the fox as a species. It's come to represent virility in both males and females, and to lose one's tail in life sort of puts a fox on the backpaw so to speak. It definitely affects the way a fox is seen by other foxes, even on a subconscious level.

Val: Eh, I don't really care too much for tail envy...

Cameron: Did I ever tell you the doctors nearly had to cut your tail off when you were born?

Val: WHAT!? *Clutches tail protectively*. No way!

Cameron: You're right, that didn't happen. I merely wanted to prove a point.

Val: *Furrows brow* DAAAAAD! *Hisses* Not funny!

Cameron: In terms of being born with multiple tails in Zootopia, generally they are snipped off, regardless of species, unless a parent is adamant about keeping it. Even so, most of those cases end with the kit getting the extra tail snipped off as an adult, as almost all 'extra tails' tend to grow in malformed and stunted. It's rare that a fox would be born with an extra tail, and even more rare for one to be born with two or more healthy tails.

Qali: According to this wikipawdia page online, it says that thanks to the Kitsune myth, most foxes born with a second tail tend to keep them. It's actually encouraged and considered a blessing by the gods.

Val: Wow, so like the polar opposite...

Qali: But your Dad was definitely right about most of those extra tails not forming right...a lot of the examples show little hairless nubs or really kinked-up tails that are like a third of the side of an average fox tail.

Val: It's like trying to grow two plants in one really tiny pot, both of them aren't going to make it...*Chuckles*

Ask the foxes; Raccoon Dogs

 


Cameron: I'll be honest I don't really know much about Raccoon Dogs...or that they're tricksters...I know it's a Japandese thing, but I don't know much else.

Val: I mean, what's the drive to compete for the title of the 'biggest' trickster. It's not like the title has been doing foxes any favors for the last few thousand years.

Qali: They can totally have that title if they want. I'd rather not have most mammals look down their snouts at me...

Val: Or do a quick, and what they think is a subtle pocket check to make sure I didn't steal their wallet just because I was within five feet of them.

Nick: Yeah, they are definitely welcome to steal the title from us for at least a few thousand years. Then we can re-evaluate the deal and see if we're willing to take it back...

Ask Dawn and Vern; Heathen Norwulff Runes

 

Vernon: Well, I ain't never really heard o' "Nordic Runes" before, I'm thinkin' y'all might a' meant Norwulffish Runes. And what kinda mammals would think Norwulff's god's are somehow a display of Predator Supremacy? The Norwulffish religion's one o' the larger represented religions even now...behind things like Capridism, Bambism, and Simbology and such...

Dawn: I'd say it's a bit of a stretch to call following the Norwulffish belief system supporting some sort of predatory supremacy. All species have their respective pantheon of gods, or a monolithic god. Additionally, like the Egyiptian religion, and the Roarmam' and Fleece religions...at least before they were snuffed out by the dominating Pridelands Simbology, had multiple species of both pred and prey as various gods in their religion that stood on equal footing. I mean, Simbology does too...but most non-lions are relegated to being apostles or saints.

Vernon: Well to be fair...the bigger roles in the Norwulffish belief system do go to wolves, but it's cause I mean...it was created by wolves after all...but we also got Vulki the trickster god, Baahldur, the wise and gentle ram, Tigyr, tiger god o' war, Heimdeer watcher of the gods and the one who opens the rainbow bridge to Asgrowl...the list kinda goes all over the place. *Chuckles* Pred, prey, all gods more er' less in equal standin'...and sometimes equally benevolent er'  treacherous...

Dawn: Well that was a feature of most gods across pretty much all religions...honestly one would think gods are supposed to be better than the rest of us. I honestly don't know if I'm more reassured or terrified to know based on the myths that they can be just as bad as mortals are.

Vernon: That said...mosta' my family, myself included have a passive belief in the Norwulff religion. While we ain't doin' private family Solistice rituals or goin' to wolf group gatherin's fer that sorta thang...we do obviously do the tithin' rights, and we do tend to use gods names fer curse words...*Chuckles*

Dawn: Same thing for my family and Capridism. As well as the moral foundation...

Vernon: Save fer that bit about not datin' outside yer species right?

Dawn: *Giggles* Oh most caprids haven't referred to that rule and actually meant it in centuries. And even so...it only did get bandied about relationships with those outside of the caprid family...like deer, or pigs, or...

Vernon: Wolves?

Dawn: Well, I don't think a sheep would ever admit to their caprid congregation or pastor they were interested in a wolf...especially not in the old days. As I said, it wasn't a strictly enforced sort of rule...but in the case of mating with a predator...I think it probably would have been.

Vernon: In that case, iffin' we ever go to a caprid church, just tell 'em I'm a big wooly goat. That's what Gus' family always considered me as....

Dawn: *Giggling*




Ask Dawn and Vern; Polygamy, Bigamy, and open relationships.

 

Vernon: Generally most species these days tend to prefer monogamus relationships, wether it was somthin' their ancestors did er' not.

Dawn: Granted wolves I think are one of the few species that can hold it over most others that they were monogamus even before becoming sentient. As much as I hate to admit it, most caprid species saw rams take up multiple mates in the 'pre-awakened' era.

Vernon: Well, I suppose all species were sorta primed to do whatever they could to maximize breedin' potential. Different species handled it in different ways.

Dawn: That said, due to our species respective pasts, Animalia...or at the very least the mammals of Zootopia are largely open to such relationships. Accepting I mean, although the mammals who actually seek such relationships are actually...probably rarer than interspecies couples at this point.

Vernon: Mostly just fellas lookin' fer an excuse to keep themselves open fer one night stands...

Dawn: Puppy be nice, I'm sure there are plenty of couples who just feel that sort of structure works best for them...and can make it work. Though...I should use this opportunity to point out as much as mammals tend to accept these relationships, a lot of them do look down thier snouts at them...especially when it's coming from a species like wolves or foxes that have always mated for life.

Vernon: Well, I can't help it iffin' I can't really wrap my head around bein' able to love anyone else as much as I love you Honey Lamb...romantically I mean. I just don't think that's the kinda thang to be shared around...er' really can be...You're the love of my life, the only gal I need and want ta' share my life with...That's more than I could ever even' ask fer, and it's all I want.

Dawn: Aww Puppy...you're the one and only for me too...Still I've heard of some mammals that have made such relationships work. I think lions are the ones that try to go into it most frequently as it's a big part of Simbology and...I'm sure some of them have made it work. Not to mention there's Scottrammish ram's that have family 'flocks' with multiple mates...I can't imagine there would still be those out there taking part in polygamy if it didn't work for some.

Vernon: Well iffin' they can find happiness that way, it's no skin off my snout. Me and my Honey Lamb are pretty happy with what we got...we don't need anyone but eachother...*scoops up Dawn into his arms and nuzzles her.*

Dawn: A-Aww...Puppy Love. *Nuzzles back* Y'know...sheep may have not always mated for life, but I always have...and there's no one in all of Animalia I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than you, Vernon James Hunter.

Vernon: *Correcting Dawn* Hunter-Bellwether. *Cringes Slightly* And Y'had to throw my middle name in there?

Dawn: I think it's a handsome name for a handsome wolf...*Giggles*

Vernon: Aww...well...er...I'm glad y'all feel that way Misses Dawn Evelynn Hunter-Bellwether, cause at this point ya' couldn't get rid of me even if ya wanted to...*Laughs* I'm heere for the long haul Darlin'.

Dawn: I wouldn't have it any other way way my love...*Kisses his snout tenderly*

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Ask the Author; Mammal Maternity Medians

 

Okay, so I don't have every species in my Zootopia fics planned out, as this is again the sort of information cultivated when it's called for in a fic. What I can tell you, is that I have a general rule of thumb for estimating a species gestation that I go to in order to figure out any species gestation that may help you. Generally, when calculating a species' gestation period, I take the species in question, and the average human gestation and then find a median between them.

Let's use Paige as an example, as she's semi-complicated. So first I took the gestation period of a grey wolf, which is around 62-75 days. I used the maximum, converted it to months ( roughly 2 and a half ), and then weighed it against a human's 9-month gestation. With that, I reached a middle average of around 5.75 months, so I chose to round up to a flat 6 months.

Now, in comparison sheep have a gestation of about 5 months. So again using the median system when compared against human pregnancy you get 7 months total.

So now we have our average gestation for Zootopian Wolves ( 6 months ), as well as our Zootopian Sheep average ( 7 months) Which places a hybrid like Paige's gestation at 6 and a half months at the earliest.

So that's my rule of thumb system you can use with any species. Mega or Micro, whatever, that's the general rule my gestation periods will be going by. And if you're wondering why I weigh all the gestations against human gestation periods, I mean...it should be obvious. We are the only sapient species in our reality, and so it seems that in order to produce another functioning sapient member of our species, we take about 9 months to do so. Taking that into account, it seemed like the best development cycle to weigh against a bunch of sapient animal folk.  For similar reasons, I use the 6ft height marker as my character average as it's easier to figure everything else out around it. I'm just glad that according to the documentation for Zoot wolves stood at about 6 feet, as I was able to sort of figure out everyone's size around one of the main characters in my fic. Though probably taking an average from all the species in Zoot would probably make the average closer to 4 feet.

Feel free to use this method for your own fics and works if you want guys, I don't mind.

-Wasty

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Ask Special Collection; The Hunter Pack; the next generation Pt 5

 The final round-up. The last page of this collection is sort of a retread of characters we've all seen a lot of at this point. Allison, Edison, and Paige are all pretty fleshed out by now, as well as how they get on with their parents...at least in terms of what I wish to divulge at this time.


But it also felt weird to just...leave them out. Having shown them a bunch of times, and as they are as adults a few times, I decided to take a stab at the in-between years. With Paige now around 10 years old, about when her older brother and sister were adopted, and both Edi and Alli are in College and technical schools respectively.


Basically showing off how the family dynamic has developed between the three of them even though Alli and Edi aren't always home anymore.





Paige and Edison's relationship;


Paige and Edison are close, though maybe not as close as her's and Allison's relationship. And while it's undeniable that a great deal of Paige's nerdier traits were inherited from her parents, there's no doubt that it was Edison who shaped her taste in games, probably by and large due to the fact that Paige was more likely to stand in as Edi's player two than Allison was. Edison's love of scientific pursuits also rubbed off a little on Paige, as despite her tomboyish nature she is rather fascinated by space and similar intellectual studies that Edi hooked her onto, especially when he talks about it. Not enough to seek a career in such a field as Edison has, but enough to cheer her brother on from the sidelines.


The past ten years have seen Edison suffer a bit of turmoil, as well as a deep pre-teen-years depression that lasted for a while. This is because Edison began suffering from fainting episodes that led to the discovery of him having a goat ancestor who passed on the fainting gene to him. This condition basically made him ineligible from ever becoming an astronaut and essentially crushed his lifelong dreams. It took a long while for Edi to work through that with the help of his Ma, Pa, and Uncle Gus, but eventually he was able to pull himself back up by his haunches and make the decision that if he couldn't be an astronaut, he'd get a job working as close as he safely could with them and aim for a job at mission control. At 21, Edison is in college working on his engineering degree, as well as studying methods to get a better handle on controlling his emotions to minimize his chances of fainting even more.


Allison and Paige;


Allison is essentially the sibling Paige looks up to most, and connects with the strongest. With both being tomboys, Allison was always able to provide her sister with outlets to channel her more aggressive and wild tendencies. While Dawn and Vern would teach Paige how to ride a bike, Allison would teach her all the cool and risky tricks. If Dawn and Vern would teach Paige to swim, You can bet it'd be Allison teaching her how to do flips off the diving board. That was and is their relationship, sister and mentor to sister and pupil. 


As an adult, and tackling technical classes on the side while working at Val and Amelia's garage, Allison is at home more than her brother, as Edi opted to live on campus even if it was just downtown. This allows for her to spend more bonding time with her little sis, which is something she wouldn't necessarily admit she loves, but that's mostly because she still tried to maintain that air of imperviousness to her in terms of emotions, at least around Paige. In truth, much of Allison's decision not to stay with Val and Kodi while going to her technical school was largely in part because she was reluctant to strain that bond with her little sister, at least more so than Edi.


When left to keep an eye on Paige, there's usually always an 'incident' that occurs while the parents are away. Something gets blown up, or electronically fried, or possibly even lit on fire, which can be a headache for both the Hunter parents and Allison despite her usually being the one to encourage it. But with Paige, she knows she'd be doing her a disservice if she wasn't letting the pup take risks and express herself in her own, weird way. Even if that means they might break a window or two in the old family home with a potato canon, it's worth it to hear that giggle from Paige.


The Overall Dynamic;


Naturally, the three pups have a very tight bond. Regardless of blood relation or not, they are siblings to one another, for better or worse. Alli still teases Edi, and criticizes his taste in films and other media as being dorky, but by now it's become their back and forth. Allison the greasehound and Edi the flopper, siblings that would die to protect one another, and of course little Paige. By this age both Alli and Edi are slowly developing a weird hybrid relationship with Paige that's somewhere between parent and sibling. They indulge her interests and play alongside her, but they also watch over her and are keenly concerned with how she's getting along in life and school when they aren't around. It'd be hard to find a closer set of pups than this trio, despite the age gap. 


Alright, so that's all and I am officially lore dump vomit exhausted. On Patreon, I'll be releasing some speed drawing recordings of some of these sessions with a little commentary probably sometime tomorrow. So those interested who aren't in the patreon, I'll link it below.


For patreons I'll also be dropping some more art and speed commentaries for some more recent works I did, so keep an eye out.


Thanks for reading, I hope you guys liked this...I know it was probably a lot, and it was a little sloppy as it was written on the fly based on the nuggets of information I cultivated and reviewed repeatedly inside my head before putting them to these posts. Still, I hope it was anenjoyable aside from the usual content...




-Wasty

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Ask Special Collection; The Hunter Pack; the next generation Pt 4

 Trenton, Qali and Lumi; (The other Hunter family hybrid)



Initially, I think I wanted Paige to be the only hybrid, and even then Paige's creation was one I struggled with in terms of actually going through with. I think shortly after Rehab was completed, on the old blog, I asked you guys what story they wanted to see next, before pitching the ideas I had lying in the back of my brain. I remember at the time I think I discussed both Dawn and Vern taking hyphenated names, and one of the stories centering around a possible hybrid pup. Then I received a comment telling me that both the hyphenated names and the hybrid pups were a bad avenue to pursue. And while I stuck to the hyphenation regardless because I thought it would be a very Vernon thing to do to insist Dawn embrace her old name, I did bench the Paige project. It was only after the word of god (Zootopia's creators) said hybrids were definitely a thing, did I revisit the idea and find the story to be told there. Still, Paige was initially meant to be the one hybrid in the family, as reasons will be established in the last Bellhunter story as to why Dawn and Vern managed to win the pregnancy lottery so to speak, and why it would be harder for species that were genetically further apart to have pups on average, at least for some time as the methods to assist such pregnancies got better.


I'll admit, Lumi (Named by Unformed8) was created totally based on the prospect of making a very fluffy girl. That was one of the reasons Trenton and Qali were chosen to have a hybrid, the other happening to be that foxes and wolves would logically have a smaller species gap genetically speaking. It made the most sense that if Trenton and Qali made an aggressive attempt to have a hybrid child, there's a better chance of them succeeding than say, Zach and Vanna. So two years after the birth of Paige, and after a great deal of trying and taking weird fertility enhancers and taking advantage of other medical procedures, Lumi is finally born to Trenton and Qali. 


Lumi is sweet and excitable but is also capable of keeping a pretty cool head thanks to her father's genetics, which is a good skill to have when it comes to being picked on by Piper or other mammals at school for being hybrid. On top of that, Lumi's genetics make her early years and adolescence rather awkward in terms of appearance. She's got her mother's extra sleek build but quickly develops her father's height as she grows making her a bit a beanpole...or string bean as her father affectionately calls her. Piper likes to mock her by calling her stickly or stretch, and tends to be especially vicious to her and Paige for being hybrids. She also has poor eyesight, which just adds another aspect for Piper and others to tease about. While Lumi tends to be very cool and calm in the face of teasing, she'll confide in Paige, and especially in her parents when something really gets under her pelt.


Lumi is a Daddy's girl, and even though he sterner than Qali is, Lumi pretty much has her Dad wrapped around her fingers from the day she was born. She's also very much a cuddle bug, and loves hugging and curling up with her parents at every opportunity.


As an adult, Lumi's genetics seem to finally come together in a truly spectacular fashion. With the height of a wolf and the sleekness of a fox she becomes a true beauty, so much so that she becomes a fashion model and designer, as she had always had a bit of a passion for creating outfits and clothes during her pre-teen and teenage years. Her industry name is 'the Kitsune', as her features seem very reminiscent of the ancient legend of 'Kitsune spirits' in Japanda, and she subsequently names her fashion line 'Kitsune'. As an adult, she's considerably more confident and cool, and is even better at dealing with the occasional ribbing from Piper, as well as dishing out clap backs. 


Paige and Lumi; BFF's;


With Lumi and Paige both being hybrids, they have an immediate connection that's stronger than the ones they share with their other cousins. They have much of the same struggles and uncertainties to deal with, and their personalities sort of complement one another with Paige being the more of the fighter and Lumi being more of the negotiator. If Paige is going to get into a fistfight with Piper, you can bet Lumi will be the one to pull her off the little otter if the parents aren't close enough to break things up. Also, both sets of parents are more prone to setting up playdates for the pair over the other local cousins due to them both being hybrids and logically, at least to the parents, could do with the solidarity.


The tight friendship maintains into adulthood, although they don't get to see each other as often as they'd like. Lumi's career keeps her extremely busy, and on the move. But that said, every time they manage to reunite in Zootopia, the pair probably revel in each other's company more so than any of the other cousins. One could argue the pair were actually sisters were it not for their drastically different appearances. But considering the menagerie of different species making up the respective Hunter broods, that might not be too much of a stretch for most.


Okay, one more sheet to go. 


-Wasty