Fanfic / Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia

Only in Zootopia as they say!^note Clockwise from top left: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Jack Savage & Skye Autumn, Kristofferson Silverfox & Ash Fox, and Retsuko & Haida.

Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia is a multi-instalment, multi-fandom fanfiction by J Shute.

While predominantly a Zootopia fanfiction, Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia also prominently features characters from Fantastic Mr. Fox and Aggretsuko, and has incidental appearances from numerous other Funny Animal intellectual properties.

Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia comprises multiple serial-style works, some longer than others, with many of them featuring different protagonists. It can be found as a series on Archive Of Our Own and on J Shute's page on FanFiction.net. The Archive of Our Own version splits the "Series" works up into multiple stories within the same series, while on FanFiction.net, all the stories apart from "Different" are combined into one story,

Full list of serials in chronological order

Links to the "Series" in this list will take you to the FanFiction.net version while links to specific works within the series will take you to the Archive Of Our Own version.

• Different: (on Archive Of Our Own and Fanfiction.net). Originally written as a standalone fic. Introduces Nick and Judy to Ash and the rest of the Fox Family and to Amy Lupulelli.
• Baby It's Cold Outside: (on Archive of Our Own, but also on FanFiction.net as a chapter in a compilation of unrelated works) A Christmas Episode dealing with Nick and Judy heading home after a cold night.
• Series 1:
  • Acting Out: Introduces Jack Savage and Skye, and also features characters from Sing and a background character from Aggretsuko.
  • Elementary Introductions: Introduces Basil and Dawson, as well as Kii Catano, as they, along with Nick and Judy investigate a theft that could lead to a potential repeat of the Nighthowler panic.
  • A day in the life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox: A follow-up to "Different," acting as A Day in the Limelight for Ash and Kris as they go through a regular school day.
  • AGGRETOPIA (RAGE!!!!!): Another Day in the Limelight, this time for Retsuko and her friends.
  • Spanners and Stripes: A follow-up to "Acting Out," that centers around Jack and Skye after the events of that episode.
  • Special Little Mammals: Centers around Nick and Judy dealing with Duke Weaselton after bringing him in.
  • The Bin and the Badge: Centers around Amy Lupulelli and Honey, the Conspiracy Theorist badger she's treating.
  • Wild Goose Chasing: Another day in the life of Ash, this time as he accompanies his father on one of his pest control jobs.
  • "So we're Inters now": Centers around Jack and Skye as their relationship develops and they attend a convention for interspecies couples.
  • Taking out the Trash: A more action-oriented story that follows up on the events of "Elementary Introductions" as Judy, Nick, and the rest of the ZPD track down the Nighthowler thieves.
  • Target Practice: A short one-shot featuring Nick catching up with Ash, and the pair discussing the goings on in their lives.
  • MOM(S)!!!!: A humorous one-shot featuring the different groups interacting with different mothers. ^note Nick's mother, Skye's mother, Retusko's mother and Ash's mother.
  • A Ton of Work: A Day in the Limelight for none other than Director Ton of Aggretsuko fame.
  • Skye's Fall: Deals with the fallout of an accident that injures Skye, and how this affects her and Jack's relationship.
  • Size Matters: Basil and Dave come to the conclusion that their enemy is none other than their old nemesis Professor Rattigan. They then have to convince Bogo that a small mammal can be a serious threat.
• Oneshots and Drabbles: (on Archive Of Our Own and FanFiction.net) A collection of quick works that take place within the same universe, but don't necessarily fit within the main plot, including events that aren't necessarily canon.

Beware unmarked spoilers for Zootopia!

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Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia contains quote-unquote examples of:

Tropes across the series at large

• Christmas Special: "Baby it's cold outside" is an unrelated Christmas oneshot retconned into the series. Other oneshots from the same initial Christmas series also appear as non-canon oneshots.
• Day in the Limelight: Many of the stories that don't centre around Nick or Judy count as this.
• Fantastic Racism: Discussed. While Zootopia showed that there was prejudice against foxes (and later predators in general thanks to the Nighthowler panic), Chapter 3 of "Different" shows that there isn't a "defining racism" in this world. Rather, many species have grudges against certain other species. We are shown animosity between dromedaries and Bactrian camels, the reasons for which are left unexplained. ^note In one of the drabbles it's actually implied to stem from religious differences, with the US army in the 1800's employing both species but favoring the Orthodox Christian Bactrians over the Muslim dromedaries. Of particular note is the "Squirrel Troubles," a bitter hatred between red and grey squirrels first inferred in "Different" and elaborated on in "Elementary Introductions." No reason is given for this tension, but given the wiping out of red squirrels by greys in the UK in real life, the reasons can be inferred.
• Fusion Fic: The Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia essentially takes multiple Funny Animal intellectual properties and condenses them all within the confines of the city of Zootopia.
• Interspecies Romance: Dissected, deconstruction, and analysed. A support group called OWO (Outsiders with Outsiders) exists to help them, with goals such as organising get togethers, supporting ‘inters/outsiders’ in regions where such a practice is illegal, helping out with hybrid support and adoption while also helping the LGBT community as well.
  • In a talk, it’s stated that around half of people have the minimum qualifications to be inter (able to be attracted to species other than their own) though most still favour their own species. Only ten-percent or relationships are inter ones, the majority of which are in species similar to each other (e.g. wolf to coyote). One exception is a biological quirk where the old hunting instincts in predators can cause an attraction to their historic prey. Skye is a clear example of this (much to her initial concern).
  • Many pairings are seen at the Outsiders with Outsiders meetup, primarily made of references to other works (including fan works) and the community.
  • The most prominent examples of interspecies romance among the main cast are:
    • Retsuko^note red panda and Haida^note hyena
    • Jack^note Tehuantehec jackrabbit and Skye^note swift fox
    • (Eventually) Nick and Judy
• Massive Multiplayer Crossover: Go on. Try counting the number of characters from different Funny Animal franchises.
• Odd Friendship: Nick and Ash.
• The Shrink: Amy Lupulelli, a binturong who most likely counts as the "Awesome Shrink" variant. Though "The Bin and the Badge" shows she can find some cases challenging.

Tropes in "Different"

• The Ace: Kristofferson. After all, he’s a natural.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Though mostly averted, Mr. Fox deals with wild birds and snakes, first as a ‘ranger’ with his wife, and now as a part-time pest controller/hunter-for-hire in his spare time (with the added bonus of keeping the birds he gets for food). This replaces his job as a poultry thief, a necessary thing given the change in setting. Given that it's dangerous work for a fox, his wife is still worried, and she's angry when she finds he secretly took his nephew on one of his hunts.
• Advice Backfire: After finding out that his son is going through all sorts of issues, failing to fit in and is in all sorts of emotional distress that lead to an attempted suicide attempt, Mr. Fox gives a rousing speech about always accepting his son no matter what, heavily referencing (as theorised by some film watchers) that he may be gay or trans… Unfortunately, Ash is not, and views the speech as nothing more than further proof that his parents don’t know him.
• Affectionate Nickname: After Nick asks for Ash’ name (hey there Mr…?), the young fox responds by spitting on the ground. As a result, Nick calls him "Mister <makes a spitting noise or literally spits on the ground>."
• Age-Appropriate Angst: Like in the film, Ash is one angsty teen, and being The Unfavorite doesn't help.
• All for Nothing: All of Ash’s attempts to finally get one up on his cousin fall flat.
• Always Second Best: Ash feels he’s this to Kris.
• Ambiguously Gay: This and the idea the Ash is trans (both theories about Ash from the film) are thoroughly discredited.
• Arboreal Abode: The Fox family house.
• Armour-Piercing Question: Ash, when pressing whether his father thinks he’s good enough to be a ranger. Then when he asks the same thing of Kris.
• Berserk Button: Remember how everyone called Ash <handwaves> ‘Different?’ Well, turns out he doesn’t like that.
• Best Served Cold: Literally invoked in Chapter 3. After finding out that the bigoted ice cream elephant from Zootopia, who once asked Nick if there were any fox ice-cream joints before refusing him service, is going to try and get an ice cream from a literal fox ice-cream joint… Let’s say he might have had a sudden sense of déjà vu even before the reveal.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Ash may be a quiet grump, but push him too far…
• Blanket Fort: Ash builds one.
• Brutal Honesty: Mr Fox eventually admits that he doesn’t think his son has what it takes to be a ranger like him. While confirming Ash’s feelings of being unloved, it was done by Mr Fox out of concern. After all, it was a risky job; his wife knows someone who was carried off and killed by a predatory bird.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Ash to his parents, especially his father, on multiple occasions.
• Commonality Connection: Ash and Kris chose to merge their comic characters, co-authoring their work, as part of their effort to mend their bond. It goes well.
• Covered in Scars: Ash has them on his wrists. He made them with his teeth.
• Darkest Hour: The events are arguably this for all of the Fox family. Ash snaps, almost throwing himself off a bridge, and his parents learn that they’re son feels so neglected he thought this was justified.
• Deconstruction: While not enough to make it a Dark Fic, "Different" builds off of some of the Parental Favoritism seen in Fantastic Mr. Fox, with it being enough to drive Ash to attempted suicide. Thankfully, Nick and Judy intervene, and the rest of "Different," as well as parts of Series 1, show the Fox family trying to move past it.
• Did You Think I Can't Feel?? Ash’s breakdown to his parents.
• Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Mr and Mrs Fox didn’t realise how much Ash was suffering. Once they did, Mr Fox comes up with the wrong conclusions as to why.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: 'Different' has a different tone and feel from the main series, originally being planned as a standalone fic with the potential for a sequel. Nick and Ash feel different too, though both their changes can be explained by going to therapy in the meantime.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After a lot of angst, Ash seems to be on the path to recovery, reconciling with his family. Kris meanwhile has his father back, while Nick decides to go to therapy to help improve himself.
• Elective Mute: Discussed. Nick suffered from it after his hazing by the Junior Ranger Scouts, taking a few years to get out of (including learning sign language as a coping mechanism). Most pronounced in 'Different', he starts going to therapy for it and other matters. He gets better.
• Embarrassing Last Name: Nick comments that ‘Fox’ is this for Ash and his family.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Nick – or rather, Nicholas Piberius Wilde – has one of these.
• Fan Boy: In the stinger, it’s revealed that Gideon Grey enjoys Ash’s comic when he gets to meet the young fox himself (likely to his great joy).
• Happily Adopted: Kris (at least from his perspective) is by his Aunt and Uncle, while his father recovers from illness.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Ash worked really hard on his comic, only for Kris to make one that got it booted out. It’s later discussed that Kris just has naturally excellent paw-eye coordination.
• Heroic BSoD: Ash, after his suicide attempt is stopped. His final attempt to do something, and he couldn’t even manage that…
• Heroic Wannabe: Ash, wishing to follow in his father’s footsteps.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Subverted. When Mr Fox introduces himself as a good writer, the family therapist says he can go first, only for him to ace it. Later played straight when Ash reveals to Mrs Fox that he took Kris out on missions.
• Humiliation Conga: Deconstructed with Ash. Along with what was seen in the film, the one-ups from Kris and the ‘turn downs’ from his parents are even longer here, culminating in a (thankfully unsuccessful) suicide attempt.
• I Am What I Am: Ash’s eventual epiphany at the end of therapy. It doesn’t solve everything, it’s clearly stated that there’s a long way left to go, but he begins to stop comparing himself to Kris and take solace in his own achievements.
• I Was Just Joking: On realising that Kris’ comic has booted Ash’s one out of the competition he’d entered and thought he’d won, Mr Fox gave a ‘tension diffusing’ joke about giving Kris the secret party they’d planned for him. Ash took it literally, resulting in his rage breaking point.
• Institutional Apparel: While briefly committed, Ash wears fairly plain clothes provided to him and, initially, a muzzle (to stop him biting himself).
• Intergenerational Friendship: Though twice as old as Ash, Nick and the young fox spark up a friendship, the teen bonding with him.
• Interrupted Suicide: "Different" (and by extension, The Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia as a whole) begins with Nick and Judy intervening to stop Ash from jumping off a bridge.
• Mental Health Recovery Arc: "Different" acts as this for Ash.
• Missing Mom: Though left unmentioned in the film, it’s confirmed the Kristofferson’s mother is dead.
• Mood Whiplash: Mr. Fox’s attempted first reconciliation with his son.
• Most Writers Are Writers: As in the film, Mr. Fox writes for a newspaper.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Ash to Kris.
• Parental Favouritism: Mr. and Mrs Fox, Mr. Fox especially, unintentionally show this towards their nephew Kris. They viewed it as simply being impressed with The Ace who they’re looking after while his father is seriously ill, and were oblivious to what Ash (who they still love dearly) was going through.
• Parental Issues: Ash, due to his feeling that he’s the Unfavorite to Kris.
• Parental Neglect: Unintentionally done by Mr and Mrs Fox, made worse by Ash bottling it up rather than saying it. When it does come out, they’re distraught and just want to make it right.
• Parental Obliviousness: Ash’s parents had no idea he was going through so much distress until it was almost too late. They had even less idea that it was their affinity to Kris that caused it. Once they became aware though they do their best to stay aware, sometimes even pressing a little too hard.
• Parental Substitute: Sort of. After falling out with his family, Ash takes a shine to Nick, though he reconciles with his main family later. Also applicable to Kris, given that his aunt and uncle are looking after him while his father is ill.
• Rage Breaking Point: After being showed up by Kris multiple times, Ash puts his heart into making artwork, creating his own comic series which looks like it’s going to be published in a magazine. After everything, things look like they’re finally moving up. Only, whoopsie, based on advice from his art teacher Kris entered the same competition, not even knowing Ash was in it. Double whoopsie, this resulted in poor Ash having the same humiliation put on him in extremis, just when he thought he’d broken free, And, final whoopsie, Mr Fox’s attempt to defuse the tension goes horribly wrong.
• Redemption Rejection: Mr Fox’s reconciliation speech to Ash at the end of Chapter 1. It doesn’t go well.
• The Resenter: Ash of Kris, given his achievements and his parents apparent favouritism to him.
• Self-Harm: Ash is shown to have bitten his wrists (being a fox with sharp teeth) out of anger at his situation. While briefly committed he's fitted with a muzzle to stop this, showing that it’s a not that uncommon occurrence. He then shows off said scars in an attempt at (post-event) Self-Mutilation Demonstration.
• Take That!: The theories that Ash is gay or trans are completely ruled out. In Authors notes, it’s explained that the author really didn’t like them, viewing them as both contradicting things seen in the film (such as his interest in Agnes) and being used as a cheap excuse/get-out-of-jail-free card/cop out to explain away his character.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Sort of. While not exactly "evil" per se, Ash wonders if he might as well stay in the mental hospital permanently, since he doesn't think there's any hope of him reconciling with his family.
• There Are No Therapists: There is. She's awesome.
• Tropaholics Anonymous: The family go through this, along with Nick, to try and solve their issues.
• Verbal Tic: Mr Fox does his double-whistle double-click ‘quote-unquote’ trademark from the film.

Tropes in Series 1

A-C

• 20 Minutes into the Past: Nick’s retelling of his undercover mission to his therapist in ‘Acting out’ was this.
  • In ‘Taking out the Trash’ there are flashbacks to the SWAT briefing during the actual raid.
  • Various flashbacks in 'Foxes and Friends', revealing: ^note  the fact that the present is missing, the End of Mr Fox's arguments with Badger, Kris working out that Mr Fox is up to something, telling Felicity and being asked to spy for her, Judy being told about the incident and the truth about the missing present.
  • More than can be counted in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' given the flashback story structure.
• A Day In The Life: Deliberately invoked and played straight in ‘A day in the Life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox’ which prevents a (mostly) regular day in two teenage foxes lives.
  • While it cuts off everything before the morning commute, Aggretopia is this for Retsuko.
  • Arguably ‘Taking out the Trash’ is this for Judy, although it is ‘a rollercoaster of a day’.
• A Day in the Limelight: Many of the episodes act as this for certain characters, especially early on.
  • While not entirely, ‘Special little mammals’ features a lot of Duke Weaselton.
  • ‘A Ton of work’ is this for Director Ton.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Multiple, though in many cases it’s just to the end of moving most of the action to Zootopia itself.
  • For instance, "Aggretopia" makes it clear that Retsuko and Haida’s lives have been entirely the same so far, just set in Zootopia.
  • Basil and Dave Dawson were detectives/PI’s in Little Rodentia, and encountered Olivia (and, via implication, Rattigan ^note  Later confirmed in Size Matters ).
  • Kristofferson has one of the largest changes. Instead of coming from ‘across the river’ he was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canidea ^note noted both IRL and in-universe for its large silver fox population). It’s also specified that his mother died when he was very young, with him just having one memory of her.
• Adaptational Badass: Subverted. Jack Savage, a fanon character usually presented as a secret agent or a movie star, is a notably lazy theatre writer/producer/actor here. (Though he is awesome at what he does)
• Adaptational Decay: Happens in universe to pretty much anything that Buster Moon touches, in particular Jack Savage’s productions.
  “I was thinking that more people would enjoy Les Misérables if it was, well… A nice bit less sad.”
• Adaptational Species Change: Tadano goes from a donkey to an onager (wild ass) due to Zootopia lore not allowing domestic animals. Later, Felicity (the cat from The Great Mouse Detective) is referred to as a Pallas Cat.
  • Arguably Skye. A Zootopia ‘fanon’ character, originally based off of two pictures of a tan coloured fox, one with a toolbox with Skye written on it (hence her name). Most fan works present her as an arctic fox, whereas here she’s a swift fox. Debatably a species change given that her original species is never clarified, and a swift fox is actually far closer to the artwork than an arctic.
• Adaptational Ugliness: sort-of. Haida’s notable set of snaggleteeth/ underbite are pointed out on occasions. In ‘A day in the life’ Kris spots them but looks away, given that it would be rude to stare. In ‘So we’re Inters now’ Haida implies that he’s still a bit bitter about missing out on the expensive surgery needed to fix it. In ‘MOM(S)’ Retsuko’s mother dismisses him as ‘Mr Snaggletooth wonder’. Retusko angrily replies that she finds them cute.
• Adaptational Villainy: While Felicity, the cat from The Great Mouse Detective, ate mice in that film, that wasn't too bad. After all, she was just an unevolved house cat, doing what house cats do. In 'Size Matters' it's revealed that she exists in this universe... And she still eats mice.
• Advice Backfire: In a roundabout way, Amy’s attempt to help Honey only sets the honey badger on a paranoia spiral is what prompts her to enact her daring breakout.
• Aerith and Bob: Deliberately invoked in "Aggretopia." Remember, Aggretsuko has been transplanted into Zootopia, meaning that they live in a North American city but everyone has Japanese names. Lampshaded to great effect.
  Finally, she was almost alone with just those who worked on her floor! Just Kabae, the big gossip-filled hippo; Mashashiro, the armadillo; Anai, the Japanese-badger graduate; and Bob, the camel. Retsuko didn’t really know Bob that well.
• Affectionate Nickname: Nick still has his one for Ash.
  • Jack Savage gets 'Stripes'.
  • Skye's adopted sister is affectionately called Sweetie by various people, given that she has an Embarrassing First Name and (pre adoption) Embarrassing Last Name ^note  This is actually a Shoutout to Sanctum 2, given that Skye and Sweetie's last names are Autumn, like Skye and Sweet from the games.
• All for Nothing: Honey’s escape attempt fails.
  • In ‘Taking out the trash’, Judy works herself to exhaustion in finding a lead only to find the next day that it isn’t needed. Eventually Subverted as later on, it proves useful.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Retsuko’s mother… Dear god, Retsuko’s mother.
• Ambiguously Gay: Subverted. Basil and Dave are defo gay (as are Greg and Angus from Night in the woods in their cameo appearance).
  • Ookami also revealed to be defo gay as well.
• Animal Stereotypes: Generally averted unless Truth in Television
  • Ones that do make it in include Tasmanian devils (or rather the Tasmanian Devil) being crazy.
  • Ones that are both this and Truth in Television include:
    • Honey badgers being damage shrugging tough guys (or girls)
    • Hyenas cackling (when finding something really funny, Haida gives hyena cackles)
    • Canines and feline characters tongue grooming themselves, cats being affected by cat nip, etc.
    • Moles having poor sight.
• Animal Religion: During ‘A Day in the life’ the boys attend a lesson where they learn about the faith of Frith, a religion primarily followed by the Efrafan and Lapin hares of Asia minor. This was actually based off of the work of another fanfic writer ^note (Ubernoner’s The Son’s of Efrafa) and adapted in. Both variants of the faith have the Black Rabbit of Inlé as their Grim Reaper, but the Efrafans also have ‘Kehaar’ as their Satanic counterpart.
  • In 'Foxes and Friends' a major archaeological site related to the faith (or rather, a Keehar worshiping cult) is described.
• Arboreal Abode: The Fox family house. The whole trope is then analysed, deconstructed and discussed in 'Foxes and Friends'.
• Arch-Enemy: Rattigan is this to Basil and Dave.
• Artistic License – History: Zootopia is a small independent state on the west coast of the USA, which chose to remain independent of both America and Canada/Canidea.
  • In 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' it's stated that (unlike our world) major plagues in indigenous american populations never occurred, with major effects on the colonising of the new world (to the point that the incan empire survived in a similar manner to Siam/Thailand.)
    • Also mentioned is that slavery, the civil war and jim crow never happenned.
• Batman Gambit: Dr Amy Lupuleli uses them in her work.
  • In ‘Acting Out’ she sets up a situation where Nick will become outraged at an actor's (Jack’s) bad hustling and give him pointers, at which point it’ll be pointed out that he’s not in character any longer, forcing him out of his current mental rut. Works like a charm.
  • Goes less well in ‘The Bin and the Badge’. Honey sees a sheep ‘messing’ with her food and thinks things are going wrong with her. Amy though wasn’t expecting her to attempt an escape in response.
• Bear Hug: Dave gives one of these to Basil in 'Size Matters.'
• Believing Their Own Lies: Nick tells himself that his hustler days were just him lost in an act.
  • Honey is miles deep in her theories.
• Berserk Button: Judy on seeing Kazar’s prey supremacists.
  • Jack used to be this whenever Buster meddled in his productions. By the time of the story though he can't be bothered.
  • Judy to Skye in Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps when she learnt that Nick was badmouthing Nick to Haida and Retsuko.
• Bilingual Bonus: In ‘Acting Out’, Ookami’s son is called Sagishi. In Japanese, this means ‘conman’, hinting to the fact that Sagishi isn’t actually a maned wolf cub but Nick in disguise.
  • Piecing together and translating the Cyrillic ‘misspelling’ of owls name during the extended joke about Winnie the Pooh characters in ‘The Bin and the Badge’ provides a rather worrying reference.
  • The name of the Keehar worshiping temple in 'Foxes and Friends', in lapin, translates to Hawkshome. The name Hyhayuhl translates to bright eyes.
• Big Bad: One is speculated to exist out there. At first it appears to be Kazar, but he quickly reveals that he's following someone else.
  • Dave and Basil suggest that it's Rattigan in 'Size Matters'
• Big Damn Heroes: Mr Fox arguably gets the first one when he saves the mouse protestor from death by goose.
  • The ZPD have various during the raid on Kazar’s base. Ranging from charging in to stop them, to Nick getting a shot on an enemy truck driver, to Bogo later using set truck as a battering ram and finally Judy leaping down, darts in paws, to knock out the big bad.
  • Haida acts as one of these in ‘Skye’s Fall’, in response to being an (indirect) cause of the problem in the first place.
  • Mr Fox wants to be this in Foxes and Friends, alongside Nick. Of course, it's in a very domestic setting, but they do their best.
  • In Meditation Mediation Judy's big hero mode activates, hard. (Again, for a very domestic dispute)
• Bittersweet Ending: ‘The Bin and the Badge’. Honey’s entire worldview is shattered, she’s unsure of herself, but she now has the chance and the wish to finally get better.
• Black Comedy: The depiction/ reference to the Winnie the Pooh characters (and their mental disorders) stands out.
  • As does the mouse protestor almost getting eaten by a goose in ‘Wild Goose Chasing.’
• Blatant Lies: When asked about how he got his scar (from being accidentally darted by a Lion and Tiger) Duke bends the truth on the reason, but gives two entirely different species for the perpetrators.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: A common debate between Catano and Basil and Dave is justice vs truth. The detectives are happy to give defendants generous plea deals in order to get closer to the truth, whereas Catano firmly believes that they should get what is due.
• Book Ends: ‘A Day in the Life’ Starts and ends with the two teenage kits in bed.
  • ‘Taking out the Trash’ begins and ends in Nick’s apartment.
  • ‘MOM(S)!’ starts and ends with segments featuring Nick and Judy after numerous segments with some of the major characters dealing with Nick's Mom, Skye's Mom, Ash's Mom, and Retsuko's Mom.
• Breather Episode: After the goings on in "Taking out a Trash," ‘Target Practice’ is a slow catchup between Nick and Ash. "MOM(S)!" and "A Ton of Work" count as this too, with things picking up again in ‘Skye’s Fall’.
  • Likewise, between the crazy antics of Foxes and Friends and Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps, you have the short Meditation Mediation.
  • After the emotional first half of Skye's Fall chapter 3, the second half is full of pure Skye Savage fluff as the pair relax and enjoy their time together.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Jack is a great thespian, but apocalyptically lazy with any other part of his life. ^note Later decides to try and change this after the events of Skye's Fall
  • Ton slacks off most of the day, but justifies it by being able to come up with tax strategies that can save his company millions.
• Butt-Monkey: Duke Weaselton.
  • Especially so in Meditation Mediation, when various characters accidentally make a mess of his last day of community service.
  • Haida has elements of this in ‘Skye’s Fall’.
• Call to Adventure: Ash feels it when asked to go on a pest control mission with his father (shouting with joy offscreen), though after being on said adventure his thoughts are more nuanced on the matter.
  • A straighter example is when Retsuko discovers proof of Mr Big avoiding his taxes, ultimately taking it (and her friends) to chase it up. While fairly humdrum, it goes very well and she and her friends then think about becoming detectives.
• Call-Back: Many, both internally to the story and referencing back to the original IPs
  • Judy’s play from the start of the original movie is called back in "Acting Out," with Judy stating the she always enjoyed acting and did theatre in her spare time – referencing her Minor Kidtroduction in Zootopia.
  • Nick becomes very excited on hearing Judy performed in The Pirates of Pawzance, imagining her singing the Major General Song. Though she didn’t (she was naturally the Chief Officer), he then raises this song again when meeting with Jack.
  • On the Aggretsuko side, the social media storm around Retsuko and Tadano dating is briefly mentioned.
  • Nick points out to Duke that the last two times he’d annoyed Judy hadn’t gone well for him.
  • Duke has a bandage on his head in ‘A day in the life’, from the treatment he received at the end of "Acting Out." Later there’s a sort of call back to this in his interview, though it’s worth noting he lies about the species of the cats that did it.
  • The meeting on the bus with Haida and Kris in 'A Day in the Life' is discussed in ‘Aggretopia’.
  • All of Retsuko’s past relationships, and feelings about, get discussed in it.
  • In ‘Aggretopia’ Ookami mentions how he’s been helping the police, as seen in ‘Acting out’
  • Retsuko’s discovery of a tax avoiding client sounds suspiciously like Nick. She then goes to the Actuary jaguar from the Minor Kidtroduction in Zootopia to confirm it, before it’s revealed to be Mr. Big’s Limo company.
  • In ‘Spanners and Stripes’ the odd trinkets in Buster Moon’s theatre are put into the limelight again and form a key part of Jack and Skye’s plan to get back at the meddling koala.
  • In ‘Special Little Mammals’, Basil and Dave call back to their adventures with Olivia from their film.
  • In ‘The Bin and the Badge’ Amy gets an email from Mr and Mrs Fox (though they’re names aren’t given).
  • In ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ there’s a hidden callback to Mr Big’s tax troubles, given that the enchanted grotto is implied to (formerly) be for his exclusive use. (Later confirmed in Skye's Fall)
  • ‘Taking out the Trash’ is full of them, as many of the past events catch up to Judy with a vengeance.
  • ‘MOM(S)!’ has Retsuko’s mother mention her daughter’s past relationships.
  • ‘A Ton of Work’ calls back to the tax incident in ‘Aggretopia’.
  • ‘Skye’s Fall’ features the jungle park from ‘Wild Goose Chasing’, including the wobbly paving stone, while also featuring the horse from ‘The Bin and the Badge’ and a conversation from ‘A Ton of Work.’
  • In 'Size Matters' Catano's meeting with Retsuko and Haida is called back on. Honey, and the events of 'The Bin and the Badge' are also referenced.
    • As is Bogo's secret love of Gazelle.
  • Foxes and Friends references the Haida plushy from all the way back in Different and the faith of Frith from A day in the life.
• Carnivore Confusion: Explained by the author when explaining the status of bird, reptile, amphibian sentience. Most birds and reptiles are non-sentient and often farmed, but separate sentient species exist. Fish and bugs are also often eaten.
  • Some prey species are noted to eat meat as part of their culture, in particular Efrafan Hares (something they did in the original work). Jack tries some Ostrich ribs in Skye's Fall on hearing this and has a life changing experience.
  • Felicity (The Cat from Great Mouse detective, not Mrs Fox) eats mice, and is referred to as a cannibal.
• Character Catchphrase: Whenever Judy playfully punches Nick, he jokingly claims that it's "fox abuse".
• Character Development: Tons.
  • Ash slowly recovering from the events in ‘Different’ and trying to find his place in life.
  • Retsuko finally deciding to move on and expecting better from her life, starting by asking Haida out.
  • Nick, working on his issues with opening up to people, culminating in him finally confessing to Judy in ‘Taking out the Trash’.
  • Skye and Jack both go through this in Skye's Fall. Skye resolving to be more open to letting others helping her, and Jack trying to be less lazy in anything other than acting.
  • Skye, after a few misgivings, ultimately makes peace with Nick's past by the end of 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps'.
• Chekhov's Gun: Plenty, though many don’t have a use quite yet.
  • ‘Sylvester’, the odd ‘sarcophagus’ Buster Moon owns as part of his trinket collection, of interest to various parties.
  • Ash’s sweatbands, revealed to be used to cover up his scars.
  • In ‘The Bin and the Badge’ it’s hinted at that Taz is in the cell next to Honey’s. At the end he gets released by her as a distraction.
  • The loose paving stone in ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ goes on to cause the accident in ‘Skye’s Fall.’
  • The odd necklace that Kozlov asks Judy to look after.
• The Chessmaster: Dr Amy’s strategies for helping her patients can sometimes play out like these. Works excellently with Nick… Not so well with Honey.
  • It's hinted that Rattigan used to be this in 'Size Matters'.
• Chewing the Scenery: Kazar; it’s about all he has going for him.
  • Honey: "VIVA LA RESISTANCE!!!!!!!!!!!"
  • The mouse protestor from ‘Wild Goose Chasing’, at least until the goose she’s trying to defend tries to eat her.
  • Jack in ‘Skye’s Fall,’ especially when using the famous ‘I’m as mad as hell’ speech to try and rouse up Haida.
• Cliffhanger: ‘Acting Out’ ends on this when Nick and Judy get a call, telling them that Nighthowlers might be back.
  • ‘The Bin and the Badge’ has one where Honey decides she’s going to break out.
  • ‘So we’re Inters now’ ends with Judy discovering a lead on their case.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Buster Moon and Honey. Moon is nice, caring, but drives Jack mad with his meddling. Honey is crazy, and can become very dangerous if you’re not on her side.
• The Cloudcuckoolander Was Right: Honey (at least partly) about a sheep conspiracy. Unfortunately, this encourages her further and further into her paranoia, to the point where her sister has her committed for her own (and any sheep’s) safety.
• Combat Pragmatist: The bad guys from ‘Taking out the Trash’ use improvised weapons and the geography of their base to their advantages. This even included trying to use a semi-truck to run the ZPD down. The ZPD then use said truck as a battering ram in a Big Damn Heroes moment to win the day.
• Comfort Food: Skye is fond of dark chocolate, coffee and sweet potato fries with blue cheese sauce. In Skye's Fall, after being trapped and starved for a few days, she asks for some pumpkin and Hominy soup, followed by some ribs.
  • Nick (and Judy) have icecream.
  • Ash mentions that he really likes sorbet.
  • All characters like Papy Mick's famous Hot Chocolate.
• Conspiracy Theorist: Honey, as seen in "The Bin and the Badge". "The Bin and the Badge" serves as a Deconstruction for the oft-used portrayal of Honey as this trope insofar who thinks that all sheep are involved in a grand "Cud-spiracy." In fact, J Shute has stated that he got the idea from many of those fanfics that Honey is extremely bigoted against sheep.
• Continuity Nod: The news that nighthowlers are back is referenced in various fics, as is the news that it’s (for a time at least) over.
  • Nick and Judy learn about Felicity’s pregnancy and Jack and Skye’s relationship (and their friendship with Haida and Retsuko) in ‘Taking out the Trash’.
• Contrast Montage: MOM(S)! is this, contrasting motherly interactions with Mama Wilde, Mama Skye, Mama ‘Suko and Felicity.
• Crossover Cameo:
  • A lion and a tiger with a more than familiar resemblance to Scar and Shere Kahn are seen in ‘Acting Out’.
  • Buster Moon and Eddie the sheep from [Western Animation/Sing]], and their chameleon secretary, appear in ‘Acting Out’.
  • In ‘Aggretopia’ the gang briefly meet the Jaguar actuary from the Carrot Days play.
  • Fenneko also mentions she follows Interpol’s Chief Inspector (a vixen – aka. Carmelita Fox) on Twitter. Her actions (censored to remove those of a certain raccoon) are mentioned again in Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps.
  • Bojack Horseman (on a Horsin’ around cut-out) appears in ‘Spanners and Stripes’.
  • ‘Tigger’, Taz, the white rabbit and even a Zootopia version of Chidi Anagonye appear in ‘The Bin and the Badge’. As a bonus to fans of The Good Place, the therapist at the end is suspiciously like Michael/Ted Danson.
  • ‘The Bin and the Badge’ also included a certain horse with tragic origins (Boxer from Animal Farm)
  • ‘So we’re inters now’ includes a whole roster of reference characters (e.g. Angus and Gregg from Night in the Woods), different people’s OC’s and even ‘sona’s.
  • A reindeer called Sven appears in ‘Target Practice’
  • Daz (CreweFox's ) appears in Skye’s Fall, along with a few of the OCs from the Take a Stand series.
  • Legoshi from Beastars makes a cameo in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps'.
• Cry into Chest: Judy into Nick’s chest at the end of ‘Taking out the Trash’.
  • In ‘Skye’s Fall’ Skye cradles and rocks Jack instead, given that she’s larger, but it has much of the same effect.
• Cutaway Gag: usually in the form of the "stingers" at the end of some stores. Best seen in ‘So we’re inters now’ where two shippers on deck are discussing Nick and Judy being together at his apartment. Turns out she’s there working on a case.

D-F

• A Day in the Limelight: The episodic format allows this for some characters. Arguably most if not all are examples, but standouts include:
  • ‘A Day in the life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox’ was just that for the two eponymous foxes.
  • ‘Aggretopia’ was the for Retsuko.
  • ‘Spanners and Stripes’ focussed on Jack and Skye.
  • ‘Special Little Mammals’ is arguably this for Duke Weaselton.
  • ‘The Bin and the Badge’ for Amy and Honey.
• Deadpan Snarker: As in the film, Nick.
• Declaration of Protection: Haida swears he’ll look after Retusko as she recovers from her injury in ‘Skye’s Fall’ and is genuinely taken aback when Jack doesn’t automatically do the same thing for Skye.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Skye is initially this when working with Jack, being hyper focussed on her work. Seeing his work interfered with initially brings them together, they accidentally talk themselves into a date, she goes in hopeful but then begins to have serious doubts given the difference between them. Made far worse when the one thing that brings them together, her fondness for petting him, turns out to originate from her old predator biology. Self-conscious, she almost breaks it off, only to get talked into carrying it on by Haida and Retsuko.
  • Likewise, her relationship with Nick. Having found him intolerable in high school and still wary of him, she ultimately comes to see him as a great friend by the end.
• Despair Event Horizon: Honey, after breaking out of a mental hospital and coming across her heroes Nick and Judy, only for the latter to tranq dart her and send her back.
  • Haida, after accidentally injuring Skye and Retsuko.
  • Skye in 'Skye's Fall', after being trapped in a repair pit, unable to get out and knowing nobody will come as she's fine by herself. She has to come to terms that this is likely how she'll die, and it's her fault.
    • Things don't get much better for her when she's rescued by Jack. She's convinced she has to change, be open to letting others help her, but her first attempt (letting Jack shower her) just humiliates her, something she then hates herself for on top of everything.
• Determinator:
  • Honey. Sadly she’s the determinator for her crazy conspiracy theory, to the point where she busts out of a mental hospital.
  • Judy, Always trying to do her best and make the world a better place.
• Deus ex Machina: ‘Sir Didymus’ arriving in ‘Spanners and Stripes’. Jack deliberately invokes the trope a few seconds before, but the perfect timing is off a bit, something the genre savvy Jackrabbit points out.
• Disappointed in You: Catano to Nick and Judy after finding out how they got involved in the Tundratown mob.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Due to Fantastic Foxes's slice of life nature, relatively few until the ZPD encounter Kazar. It's his plot that lies in the background for much of Series 1 until after his arrest, when it's revealed he may have had a partner – or even a superior – that's still at large…
• Does This Remind You of Anything??: The reactions of the students in the assembly, and the adults in Retsuko’s office, to the news that Nighthowlers might be back. One commenter remarked about it reminding him of his experiences with both 9/11 and the Boston Bombings.
  • The mention that many people and some media papers often called out sheep for their 'privilege', some even arguing that you couldn't be speciesist against sheep because of this.
• A Dog Named "Dog": If surnames count, then the Fox and Silverfox families. ^note  Ironically, Kris is not really a silverfox. His fur colour makes him either leucistic or a platinum Fox, not, as the film makers suggested, a silver fox.
  • Many of the other surnames in this fic count – it is based on Zootopia after all!
  • Dramedy: It includes heavy character relationships, different characters trying out romantic relationships, societal reactions to terror threats and an entire page worth of jokes about the trouble of interspecies couples.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Retsuko and Ookami in Acting out, Haida and Nick’s mother in ‘A Day in the Life'.
• Embarrassing First Name: Skye's adopted sister is said to have one, on top of her last name.
• Embarrassing Last Name: Ton’s last name is Katsu.
  • It's suggested that Skye's adopted sister used to have the last name 'Vixen.'
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Nick’s ‘Piberius’ is revealed in MOM(s!) to be a misspelling of Tiberius, as in James Tiberius Kirk. His mother did it due to his father being a Trekkie; his father was just relieved they settled on Nick as a first name.

• Epic Fail: Buster Moon accidentally destroys Jack’s stage set.
  • Duke Weaselton in ‘A Day in the Life’.
  Ash: “He’s embarrassingly useless.”
  Nick: “Yeah, that about sums him up.”
  • Beavis’ attempts to get Ash in trouble with the teacher. To say it backfires gives him too much credit.
  • Taz in ‘The Bin in the badge’. After being released by Honey as a distraction, scaring off multiple guards with his reputation alone, he decides to try a classic whirlwind attack… only for reality to ensue as he bumps into a wall, falls over and is too dizzy to get up again.
  • The mouse protester trying to stop Mr Fox and Ash from hunting a pair of wild geese. She gets stuck in a carnivorous plant (refusing Ash’s help to get out), before finding one of the geese… Which promptly tries to eat her.
  • Foxes and Friends has Kylie trying to surreptitiously interrogate Kris. At first it seems that he cracks under the pressure, then he seems to salvage it and it goes well, only for it to later turn out that Kris saw right through him.
• Establishing Character Moment: Most of the early episodes act as this for the characters they’re introducing, mainly for the benefit of those not familiar with them. Most of it is more spaced out, but some characters have big moments.
  • ‘Acting Out’ Establishes Jack and Skye, the former immediately being set up as a theatre lover who comes onto screen in a like for like tribute of Kahn (from Star Trek), then does an rapid fire improv of ‘* EmbarrassingMiddleName:Modern Major General,’ then is shown to have a pigsty of an office.
  • ‘Elementary Introductions’ has Basil and Dave rapidly work out how the nighthowler bulbs were stolen.
  • ‘Aggretopia’ gives Retsuko a few of these (most prominently being her rant against the subway system) while Fenneko gets a solid one when she uses social media to rapidly identify the silver fox that Haida had met his bus in.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Basil and Dave have one of these offscreen, tracking down Kazar’s base.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Fenneko remarks that, for all his misogyny, Ton didn’t say a peep about Preds during the Nighthowler crisis.
• Evil Plan: Kazar intended to use nighthowlers to bring Zootopia into anarchy. When the game was up, he tried to burn the chemicals to poison part of the city (later revealed to have no chance of working) while setting up a trap to take much of the ZPD down with him (almost did work).
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Most of the episode titles.
  • ‘Elementary Introductions’ introduces two Great Mice detectives.
  • ‘A Day in the Life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox’
  • ‘Aggretopia’ shows Aggretsuko but in Zootopia.
  • ‘Spanners and Stripes’ focuses on Skye and Jack.
  • ‘The Bin and the Badge’ is set around a binturong and a honey badger.
  • ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ involves literally chasing wild geese.
  • ‘Target Practice’ has Nick and Ash doing just that.
  • ‘MOM(S)!!!!’ involves the mothers of various characters.
  • ‘Skye’s Fall’ has Skye having a fall.
  • 'Foxes and Friends' has various Foxes and their friends.
  • 'Meditation Mediation' involves both.
  • Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' is a fic all about the Savage Skye, Haid Suko and Wilde Hopps ships.
• Exact Words: Used by the mice detectives in 'Size Matters.'
• Executive Meddling: Buster Moon is the avatar for this, continually messing about with Jack’s plays to make them ‘happier’ and ‘better’, to the point of taking a gritty western Jack is working on, removing an entire arc and turning the rest into a musical. He has no idea why Jack acts so irritated at this.
• Expressive Ears: With the cast being primarily bunnies and canids (foxes), this comes up a lot.
• Fan Boy: The Aggretsuko crew are (mildly) this to Nick and Judy. Honey is this in extremis.
• Family Business: Arguably Mr Fox’s pest control is this.
• Fantastic Racism: As in Zootopia, is prevalent, though explored with more nuance.
  • While anti-fox (antivulpanism) exists as shown in Zootopia, it’s shown to be socially unacceptable. Ovineophobia (anti-sheep) is also discussed. On hearing news of the return of Nighthowlers, Ash and Kris’ school makes it clear that neither will be tolerated. It’s also explained that various species have specific grudges against specific other, related species (e.g. red and grey squirrels, to the point that they self-segregated and trying to integrate them causes chaos).
    • Beavis is shown to be an equal opportunities jerkass to both foxes and sheep.
  • Honey has an almost comical amount of ovineophobia due to her conspiracy theories.
  • It's stated that slavery, the civil war and Jim Crow never occurred in this universe, due to the many, many different species not allowing the institution of southern slavery to get off the ground and persist.
• Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Nick and Basil during Kazar’s interrogation.
• Finishing Move: Mr Fox savaging a goose with his teeth in ‘Wild Goose Chasing.’
  • Judy diving down onto an enemy, a tranq dart in each paw in ‘Taking out the Trash’
• Foreshadowing: Often.
  • The biggest early case to pay off is that of Felicity’s pregnancy. Her first appearance has her being sick in the morning (though it’s misappropriated to bad soup). Later on, she and her husband are discussing something, clamming up around Ash (who finds himself more protective of her after smelling a change in her scent). Dr Amy has an email from an ‘old patient’ and gives advice. Nothing is spelled out, but if you’ve read the author’s past fic (‘Familiar Fire: Embers of the Past’) then the clues point to a baby being involved. The final clues come from Felicity’s apron, and the characters discussions about it.
• Freudian Slip: A potential one with Ash in ‘A day in the Life’. When mentioning Beavis saying he should be muzzled, he initially begins to say ‘nuzzled’.
• Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal: No more undressed than humans are.
• Fun with Acronyms: There’s an interspecies support group called OWO (Outsiders with Outsiders).
• Furry Confusion: Zootopia was mammals-only (and no primates), whereas many of the IPs involved have reptiles, birds, amphibians and even humans. At the start of Chapter 3 of ‘Acting Out,’ Word of God clarifies that originally sentient and non-sentient versions of all exist (with the sentient and non-sentients being different species). With mammals the sentients are by far dominant, with reptiles and birds being the reverse (secretary Washimi, a sentient secretary bird, is described as likely being the only one in the city). Primates exist, but just aren’t that common in Zootopia. Humans are left unanswered, though given the Horsin’ Around standee it’s up for debate.
• Furry Reminder: A metric crap-boat-ass ton.
  • Many characters have enhanced smell, and are shown using their tongue and teeth to preen their fur.
  • After being scared by a spider, Dave and Basil remind the others that they’re mice, said spiders coming up above their waist.
  • The ability for foxes to sense magnetic fields is touched on.
  • Haida, when laughing a lot, can verge into hyenid cackles.
  • Dr Amy Lupuleli, a binturong, regularly uses her prehensile tail to hold stuff. It’s also mentioned that she naturally smells of popcorn.
  • Kylie plays possum, though much confusion is caused given that Ash forget he could do that.
  • In ‘So we’re inters now’ a whole retelling of Furry reminders is given as interspecies couples retell past ‘Inter errors’.
    • Includes: antlers being shed, bats sleeping upside down, skunks being able to spray, thylacines being able to open their jaws super wide and marsupials having pouches.
  • Kylie hangs from his tail in 'Foxes and Friends'.
  • In the same episode there's a near-blind mole and a badger who lives in an underground set.
  • The varying tolerances of theobromine (present in chocolate)is discussed in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps'.

G-I

• Genius Ditz: Basil and Dave show elements of this.
• Gentle Giant: As a hyena, Haida is easily the largest member of the four core pairings, and his personality definitely qualifies.
• The Gift: Kris is remarked to have an incredibly good paw-eye coordinate, which makes him very good at both sports and art.
• Hanlon's Razor: Referenced in 'Size Matters', involving a nurse suspected of abuse at a daycare.
  • The ultimate cause of the missing present in 'Foxes and Friends'. The near-blind (and forgetful) mole Phil mistakes the present for the box he uses to climb stairs, uses it to access the en-suite bathroom and then remembers where his real box is, forgetting the one he'd used to get up here.
• Happily Adopted: Skye was adopted at a young age. In ‘MOM(S)’ we meet Siwili Autumn, her adoptive and caring mother, a rather drastic step up from the bio mother briefly met earlier. It's also mentioned that she has an adopted red fox sister, who's currently in the army and stationed in Korea.
  • Kris was this while being looked after by his Aunt and Uncle.
• Happily Married: While they have their disagreements, Mr and Mrs Fox.
  • Played entirely straight with Basil and Dave, who argue like an old couple.
• Hate Sink: Dawn Bellwether is this to many characters, especially at the school when news of Nighthowlers being back is given.
  • Kazar, a blatant and comically evil villain. Judy even mentions that at least Bellwether tried to look nice.
• He Really Can Act: Jack in extremis, but Judy can do it to. Subverted in Skye, who can’t act for her life.
• Heartbreak and Ice Cream: Nick serves this to Judy at the end of a really crazy day in ‘Taking out the trash’.
  “Ice cream?”
  “Prescription ice cream.”
  “I don’t think there’s such a thing.”
  "Well it’s ice cream, and I’m prescribing it.”
• Heel Realisation: Nick in ‘Acting out’. Firstly a misguided one about how he acted being similar to a thoroughly dodgy mammal, which spooked him. Then, later on, about how he’d been overreacting and worrying his friends.
  • In ‘Special Little Mammals,’ after a "Reason You Suck" Speech by the incarcerated Duke, they decide to try and make things nicer for those in their cells by playing music to them. Part way through planning this, they then realise that this is just confirming what Duke said about them not listening to them so, instead, they try and tackle some of the pet peeves/ worries of the inmates, even one of Duke’s. Sadly, they get the wrong one for him.
• Heroic BSoD: Nick suffers one in ‘Acting Out’ after encountering a paedo fox who reminds him too much of his old/current ways of talking. Ends up working it out.
  • Judy has one in ‘Taking out the Trash’. Already feeling guilty after darting an escaped mental patient (Honey) who hero worshipped her, she wears herself out scanning the jam cams, finally finds a lead, only for the other detectives to already have a better one. Ultimately, her find turned out to be useful, but plenty of other things occurred that day, leading to her having a mild BSOD at the end. Nick is there to repay her favour from ‘Acting Out’ and helps her through it.
  • Haida in ‘Skye’s Fall’ after accidentally injuring Skye and Retusko.
  • Skye in ‘Skye’s Fall’, after being trapped in a maintenance pit for a number of days, thinking that this was how she was going to die. THEN, after being rescued, she tried to change and let people help her (letting Jack shower her) only to hate it. Something she then hates herself for.
  • Skye in 'Foxes and Friends', on hearing from Ash that Nick wasn't up to no good after all.
• Heroic Resolve: present in many of the characters, most endearingly in Ash.
• Heroic Wannabe: Honey, in her own way. Ash, though he's less sure now.
• His Own Worst Enemy: Discussed by Basil in regard to himself in 'Size Matters'. He fears that the fear he has of his Arch-Enemy Rattigan, and how he will often suspect him despite him being gone for years, is clouding his judgement and making him less effective as a detective. Thankfully Dave is there to dispute it.
• Hoist by Their Own Petard: Occurs a number of times.
  • In ‘A Day in the life’ Beavis (the bully from fantastic mr fox) tries to get Ash in trouble my making up lies about him, believing the teacher will trust him over a ‘shifty fox’. The teacher sees right through it, Beavis gets in trouble and then can’t stop digging his hole.
  • Duke Weaselton in ‘Special Little Mammals’ angrily complained about his cell door squeaking, before guilting Nick and Judy. In it, he notes that he hasn’t had a real bath for over a decade and, when finding out that the bunny fox pair are going around helping the prisoners and have something special for him, he really hopes that’s what it is. Turns out they’re oiling his door.
  • Honey hero worshiped Nick and Judy and, on escaping from the mental hospital, finds them and continues it, thinking that they’ll join with her and help with her escape. She’s (very) wrong.
  • The pro-wildlife mouse from ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ who tried to stop Mr Fox and co from dealing with a wild goose. On finally meeting the animal, it promptly tried to eat her.
  • Skye in ‘Skye’s Fall’ is very solitary and actively turns down help, meaning that she’s helpless after getting stuck.
  • In 'Size Matters', the mice use Bogo's exact words (and his love of Gazelle) to make him take the potential of Rattigan seriously. Bogo gets his own back though my pushing for the mice to take their own holiday days off to do a very uncomfortable journey to a potential location.
• Home Field Advantage: Kazar’s mammals try to play this card to defeat the ZPD, almost succeeding were in not for a Big Damn Hero moment from Bogo.
• Hope Spot: The city has one after ‘Taking out the Trash’ with the defeat of Kazar. Judy though notes that there are still some bad guys still out there, instead making it a temporary reprieve.
• Humiliation Conga: The mouse protester in ‘Wild Goose Chasing’. Skye pretty much self inflicts one at the start of the third chapter in Skye's Fall, before Jack talks her out of it.
• Husky Russkie: Kozlov.
• I Am What I Am: Deconstructed, Nick stating that a ‘you are what you are’ speech is trite and will help no one.
• I Gave My Word: Judy invokes this in ‘Taking out the Trash’ in terms of looking out for Fru Fru after her father’s crime empire collapses. Then on protecting Kozlov’s necklace.
  • Skye almost gives herself one of these in Skye's Fall, promising to accept help from others, only to initially hate what it entails when she tries to let Jack shower her.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Ash, as he tries to work out his place in the world as an angsty unsure teen.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Haida during MOM(S)!!, when Retsuko’s mother is claiming that he’s just Retsuko’s rebound. Later spreads to both red pandas as they start a music battle over the subject.
• Imagine Spot: At the end of ‘Taking out the Trash’ Judy imagines Kris suffering from the effects of nighthowler poisoning, picturing a scenario with him trying to break down a glass wall to get at Kris.
  • She has similar ones in 'Foxes and Friends' (imagining someone stealing and ripping apart the missing present (which she correctly guesses is a book)) and 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps', (imagining getting swindled on the sarcofagus and a strange interpretation of the rainforest pavilion.)
• Injured Limb Episode: Skye breaks her leg in ‘Skye’s Fall’. It doesn't go away quickly though.
• Insult Backfire: All of Beavis’ attempts to insult foxes around him just gets him in more trouble. When he tries to tease Ash about Kris taking his girlfriend, Ash points out that at least he had one. This almost prompted a physical response, but Beavis cut himself off when a teacher arrived.
• Institutional Apparel: Honey wears a standard set of plain clothing while committed. After resisting being taken in and her escape attempt, she’s muzzled and straightjacketed.
  • Also noted that different uniforms exist for different types of prisoners. Nick notes that Finnick looked really cute in Black and White stripes (juvie uniform).
• Inter Generational Friendship: Though twice as old as Ash, Nick and the young fox spark up a friendship, the teen bonding with him.
  • Basil and Dave also mention their friendship with Olivia.
• Interspecies Adoption: Skye (swift fox) was adopted by a grey fox (Siwili Autumn) and a swift fox (her father). The two then adopted a red fox.

J-L

• Japan Takes Over the World: Given that Aggretsuko now takes place in Zootopia, you now have a whole host of characters with Japanese names in the city. It might just be emigration, or just something left unexplained.
  • Subverted in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' when Haida reveals that (here at least) his name has nothing to do with the japanese, and he has a sister called Charlotte! Both of them were named after the same place, the queen Charlotte islands/ Haida Gwaii.
• Jerkass: Beavis, Duke Weaselton, Ton.
• Jerkass Has a Point: It’s revealed in ‘A Ton of Work’ that Ton really didn’t send that email all the way back in ‘Aggretopia.’ Something confirmed in 'Size Matters.'
  • Size Matters has Chief Bogo being very skeptical about the Rattigan being the villain in his city.
  • 'Foxes and Friends' has Nick (more a killjoy here than anything) pointing out that Mr Fox's secret investigation shtick is a bit silly, and it would be a lot easier if they just told everyone that the present was missing and asked them all to help find it.
  • When confronted by Judy about her backtalking about Nick in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps', Skye has a number of valid points to give.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ash, though it’s more a grump with a heart of gold.
• Juvenile Hell: Subverted. In the past, when Nick (and hundreds of other kids) were sent there for trivial reasons due to a new law, the warden apologised, put a movie on for them and released them the next day.
• Keep the Reward: Mr Fox’s pest control missions not only pay him but let him take the birds (and any eggs) home with them. His wife then cooks them. Ash notes that he really likes slow cooked goose curry.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Beavis tries to accuse Ash of speciesm against a sheep. However, given how blatently speciesist he is against foxes it only gets him in trouble.
• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Semi-implied in the aftermath of the goose almost eating the mouse protestor, but later not followed as Ash tells the story to Nick.
• Lighter and Softer: Starting off after ‘Different’, where Ash attempts suicide, Series 1 is this in comparison. There are dark moments and events, but it’s mainly lighter comedy about the characters getting on in their life and interacting with each other.
• Living Emotional Crutch: While not severe, Skye enjoys petting and cuddling Jack to relax. They joke he’s her emotional support bunny. Nick also falls into this with Judy, happy for her to lead him in his life.
  • After Jack saves Skye in ‘Skye’s Fall’, he very much becomes this for a while after her near death experience.
• Look What I Can Do Now!: Ash enjoys showing off how he might have a knack for shooting to Nick when they meet up in ‘Target Practice’.
• Love Triangle: Fallout of such is shown. One of these existed between Kris, Ash and Agnes, though Agnes had long ago moved over to Kris. Relationships between Ash and Agnes are still frosty.
• Lower-Deck Episode: ‘The Bin and the Badge’ is arguably this, only including one set of the main cast right at the end.

M-P

• MacGuffin: The chew toy that Nick carries with him while undercover as a maned wolf kit secretly includes various gadgets, including a dart gun.
  • The odd necklace that Kozlov asks Judy to look after.
• Meaningful Name: Sagishi is Japanese for ‘conman’
• Mental Health Recovery Arc: ‘Acting out’ (and the first act of season 1) are this for Nick. ‘The Bin and the Badge’ is the first part of this for Honey.
• Mentor Archetype: Nick is this to Ash.
• Mid-Development Genre Shift: Buster tries to turn Jack’s gritty western play into a musical.
• Missing Mom: Though left unmentioned in the film, it’s confirmed the Kristofferson’s mother is dead.
• A Mistake Is Born: Felicity’s new baby, though the family decides to keep it and are looking forward to it.
• Modern Major General: At the mere mention that Judy once performed in a performance of ‘the pirates of pawzance’, Nick is briefly roused out of his funk and super excited by the mere possibility she sung this. Naturally, she actually sung ‘A policeman’s lot’, which is almost as good. In the next chapter, when meeting Jack, Nick mentions it again… resulting in Jack coming up with his own, full length, version on the spot.
• Mood Whiplash: On the unveiling of Nick’s Hustle/disguise in ‘Acting Out’ and the defeat of the Paedobears.
  • Later on, Nick’s sudden epiphany and emotional turmoil is cut off by a jolly Buster Moon, who accidentally sets off a sequence of cartoonish destruction.
  • Semi-present in ‘A Day in the Life’ during the assembly scene, where the school learns of the potential return of night howlers. However many characters guessed something was up beforehand.
  • Very present in ‘Aggretopia’ where Retsuko is out making tea when her office learns of the same news. She returns to an ominous silence.
  • During "Wild Goose Chasing," Ash suddenly believes that Kylie was killed by the goose and begins hastily retreating, fearing that the bird was hunting him Jurassic Park-style. Turns out it was Kylie, though only after Ash socks him with the butt of his rifle. After realising that he was playing possum both times, he laughs with relief.
  • The entire goose-mouse sequence of ‘Wild Goose Chasing’.
  • Done hilariously in ‘MOM(S)!’ as different groups of characters are flipped between.
  • In ‘Skye’s Fall’ the gang seem to be ending a happy date, only for a freak accident to them injure the two girls. Later, Jack comes in the give Skye a present, only to find her trapped and near death.
  • 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' is super fluffy and funny most of the way through, only to trail off near the end for an emotional confrontation between Judy and Skye. Gets revolved, the pair returning to the gang on a high note, only to find out that something has gone very wrong in the meantime.
• Most Writers Are Writers: Jack Savage is a thespian, writes his own stuff, and is constantly bedevilled by an annoying meddler (Buster Moon).
  • Ash and Kris also write comics together, and enjoy discussing the set up of the highs and lows of the story.
• My Greatest Failure: Judy’s inadvertent helping of Bellwether and setting off the Pred Scare back in Zootopia is shown as this.
  • Kozlov remarks that he has one of these, and however bad Judy’s was, his is worse.
  • With both Mr and Mrs Fox it was failing to notice the pain their son was in until it was almost too late.
• Mythology Gag: The joke Haida doll in ‘Different’ wasn’t retconned, and is turning up in more and more places, much to a certain hyena’s chagrin.

  • Reached its conclusion in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps', when it turns out that ^note  Haida's sister originally made it to win a graduate placement, having no idea about what else to do. Though feeling miserable about it, she's advised to keep it quiet as Haida is unlikely to ever find out. He finds out.

  • Ash and Kris’ classmates include various characters from the author’s previous fic, ‘Familiar Fire: Embers of the Past’. A core plot point of that and the original Familiar Fire (written by a different author) is also referenced.
  • When Jack is singing his Major General Song, he references ‘that infernal nonsense ZTOP’ instead of ‘that internal nonsense pinafore’. In the original, the referenced H.M.S. Pinafore, one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s previous operas. ZTOP, or Zootopia: The Original Plot, was J Shute's first major fic.
• Nervous Wreck: Many of the students at Ash and Kris’ school are this after hearing the news that Nighthowlers might be back.
  • Honey is this at various stages in ‘The Bin and the Badge’, due to her conspiracy theory mind making her fear that a fate worse than death is a moment away.
  • Fru-Fru, after her father’s empire collapses and it looks set for him to be incarcerated for the rest of his life.
  • Haida is this in ‘Skye’s Fall’ after accidentally injuring Skye and Retsuko.
  • Skye in ‘Skye’s Fall’, after being rescued from a pit she accidentally fell into (and was trapped in due to her previous injury).
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Retsuko’s flagging of Mr Big’s tax issue results in his ultimate fall, the impacts of that affect Judy personally when Fru Fru comes to her for comfort. Made worse given that Basil and Dave believe that his fall might have been orchestrated to make a void for someone else (who’s even worse) to fill.
  • Judy's last minute over-eager search in 'Foxes and Friends' ends up trashing a room.
• No Name Given: Despite their blatant similarity to Shere Kahn and Scar, the two big cats in ‘Acting Out’ are (presently) unnamed.
• Noodle Incident: It’s stated that one of the psychologists at the mental hospital did one of these during a ‘void stares back’ moment, and it involved chili, marshmallow peeps and M&M’s. Given that the whole scene (and the stinger) is an extended The Good Place tribute and the character himself very similar to Chidi Anagonye, it was almost certainly the creating of the characters infamous ‘mental breakdown peeps-chilli’
  • After doing an undercover daycare abuse mission, Nick arrives back at the precinct with a face covered in baby powder. He mentions that a nurse there was a very good example of Hanlon's Razor.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Nick sees some similarities between Ash and his teenage self, part of the reason for his fondness for the kit.
• Odd Couple: All of them are in a way, though Jack and Skye initially qualify as the most. While Nick and Judy and Haida and Retsuko both have things they bond over, Jack and Skye are much more different in personalities. Skye’s doubt about the viability of it almost led her to calling it off, only for advice from Haida and Retsuko to convince her to relax and give it a go.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
  • Basil and Dave tracking down Kazar’s base.
  • Mr Fox dispatching the other goose.
• Oh, Crap!: In multiple fics where the news about Nighthowlers being back is learned.
  • A hilarious one in ‘The Bin and the Badge’ when the guards realise that Honey has released Taz from his cell. All bar one flee in terror.
  • ‘Taking out the Trash’ has the moment when the bad guys wheel out a truck for a ramming attack, then use explosives to collapse a building and trap much of the ZPD.
  • The missing present in 'Foxes and Friends'.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Nick in ‘Acting Out’ when he’s trying to go out of character. Everyone is concerned for him.
  • Skye at the start of chapter 3 of Skye's Fall.
• Pet the Dog: After a "Reason You Suck" Speech by Duke Weaselton, Nick and Judy try and do this to some of the ZPD prisoners.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: Judy.
• Pride: Both Jack, Skye and Kazar are very prideful of themselves and their work. Works well with an actor and a mechanic, less well with a mad anarchist.
  • Kazar’s pride is actually used by Nick and Judy to try and pull out more information from him during an interview.
• The Power of Friendship: Many of the friend groups support each other in times of need.
• Pun-Based Title: “The Bin and the Badge” arguably counts as this. “Wild Goose Chasing”, “A Ton of work”, “Skye’s Fall” and "Foxes and Friends" definitely do.
• Punny Name: Director Ton’s last name is given as ‘Katsu’

Q-S

• Rage Breaking Point: Invoked in ‘Taking out the Trash’. First Judy has one at the whole speciesist operation. Then characters attempt to push their suspect past it in an interrogation to make him spill the beans. Given that they have Nick and Judy on their side, the odds are heavily in their favour.
  • Haida, on seeing those strangely familiar dolls one too many times (and finding out how they came to be).

• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Duke gives one of these to Nick and Judy about their smugness.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Judy is this to Nick, Jack is this to Skye.
• Redemption Rejection: Duke Weaselton blows off any olive branch that Nick and Judy try to hand him.
• Refuge in Audacity: Discussed in 'Size Matters', with how Rattigan stayed fairly unknown despite being a mass murderer. Various larger mammals had heard of him, they just thought he was the boogiemammal or something.
• The Reveal: At the end of ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ it’s revealed that Felicity (Ash’s mother) is pregnant.
  • In ‘A Ton of Work’ it’s shown that Ton didn’t actually send the email and documents that Retsuko seemingly received from him back in ‘Aggretopia’. Later confirmed in 'Size Matters'.
  • In 'Size Matters' Basil and Dave reveal that they believe Rattigan is the villain at foot.
  • 'Foxes and Friends' has the reveal of who stole the present. ^note  Truns out it was Phil the mole, who didn't exactly steal it
  • 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps' has the reveal of the origin of the Haida dolls.
• Ripped from the Headlines: The mention of some media outlets turning against sheep after the Nighthowler plot and ‘calling out their privilege’ mirrors the trend of some socially left media running large numbers of articles that focus on ‘white/male/straight privilege’.
• Rock Bottom: Judy is emotionally exhausted at the end of ‘Taking out the Trash’, though she has a Nick to cheer her up.
  • Skye in Skye's Fall. After getting trapped due to her bad leg, fearing she'll die due to it, she's then rescued... Only to then push herself to be more reliant on others and asking Jack to help her shower, something that makes her truly miserable.
• Rousing Speech: Mr Fox to Ash in ‘Wild Goose Chasing’.
  • Bogo in ‘Taking out the Trash’.
  • Subverted by Nick in ‘Target Practice’, saying that everyone knows that ‘Those you are _____ person’ speeches are bunk and everyone knows it, before then having a heart-to-heart with Ash.
  • Jack tries to give one in ‘Skye’s Fall’ to rouse up Haida. It works (sort of).
• Rule of Funny: Despite a minor delay, a Deus Ex-machina does arrive in ‘Spanners and Stripes’ just after Jack has called for one.
  • In ‘Skye’s Fall’ Haida see-saw launches Skye and Retsuko up after jumping onto a loose paving stone, before later getting splashed in the face by a truck just as Jack had finally got him out of his resulting mental rut.
• Rule of Symbolism: Birds of Prey, Owl’s especially, are culturally viewed as connected to the devil (similar to irl goats and satanism), with other demonic features being ‘terrible eyes’. A lot of info of this and a potential explanation is given in ‘A Day in the Life’ with an example of the Efrafan devil, ‘Keehar.’
  • In MOM(S), Retsuko's mother says she’s being a devil’s advocate, Haida noting that ‘a pair of giant yellow eyes and feathery horn tufts certainly wouldn’t go amiss on her.’
• Running Gag: Plushies with a striking resemblance to Haida keep on turning up.
  • One was originally included as a reference in ‘Different’, before the idea of a massive crossover series was thought of, and the author then ran with it.)
    • Given an in universe explanation in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps'
• Scenery Porn: The jungle gardens in ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ and ‘Skye’s Fall’ can count as this.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • Everyone at the end of ‘Wild Goose Chasing’
  • Haida in MOM(S), after both Retusko and her mother get into a vocal and public (musical) argument about him.
• Seesaw Catapult: in ‘Skye’s Fall’ this is what creates the eponymous event. Haida jumps down onto a paving slab, not knowing it’s loose. His weight then flings Retsuko and Skye up into the air and over a field of slippery pebbles.
• Self-Deprecation: A common feature of Nick.
• Self-Harm: Ash has permanent scars from what happened in ‘Different’. Presently, he covers them with sweatbands, viewing them as Mark of Shame.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Compared to everything else, ‘The Bin and the Badge’ could be seen as this, with the two main characters not featuring again. However, Judy’s involvement at the end of it did help set up the start of ‘Taking out the Trash’ (and technically the very end of ‘So we’re Inters now’).
• Shipper on Deck: Eliot Fanghanel and Chief Ramic.
  • Later Nick, drunkenly setting up Finnick and Fenneko in 'Savage Skye Haid Suko Wilde Hopps'. The others try and set up a different ship to counteract the 'crime against love' just committed.
    • Turns out that Nick might have some talent, given how quickly the two fennec's knocked it off.
• Shout-Out: Tons of them, mainly overlapping with Cameo’s.
  • Skye's (and her sister's) name are references to the Sanctum games.
  • The SWAT team chant in ‘Taking out the Trash’ was one to Zulu
  • 'The Bin and the Badge has a few to The Good Place''.
  • Skye's Fall has a mention of a Canidean Wolf actor who dyes his fur yellow ^note  Mr Peanut Butter of Bojack Horseman
  • The last chapter for Skye's Fall had an extended M*A*S*H reference. Both with Jack and Skye trying to send ribs to korea (and forgetting the coleslaw) to a variety of characters there having familiar, if punny, names.
  • Size Matters mentions that the king of Svalbard is Iorek Byrnison
• Signs of Disrepair: Happytown heights, the Brutalist estate where Nick grew up, is full of this when featured in MOM(S)!
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Judy is an optimist and Nick is cynical, so this comes up here and there.
• So Proud of You: Mr Fox to Ash at the end of ‘Wild Goose Chasing.’
• The Sociopath: Kazar from ‘Taking out the Trash’ is almost a parody of this.
• Species Surname: Imported for the Fox and Silverfox family. Given to Ton.
• Start of Darkness: Explored for Honey’s sheep hate in ‘The Bin and the Badge’, ultimately revealed to be a terrible (and mundane) misunderstanding that was never addressed until it was far too late.
• Straight Gay: Ookami is revealed to be gay in ‘A Ton of Work.
• Subways Suck: The lack of connectivity on Zootopia's subway map◊ gets Lampshaded by Retsuko (naturally in Death Metal fashion).
  “STUPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IS ALL DOWN! WITH CRAZY PRICES IS A SCAM!!!!!!
  SAAAAARRRRDDDDIIIINNNNNEEEE CAAAAANNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
  WHY DO I PAY FOR SHITTY TRAINS! WHERE IS THE NORTH-SOUTH LINE!
  WHY WASN’T IT IN YOUR DESIGN. HERE I AM, USING CRAPPY TRAMS!
  THAT BREAK DOOOOOWWWWNNNN!!!! THAT BREAK DOOOOOWWWWNNNNN!!!!!”

T-V

• Take That!: "Acting Out" features a hearty one against Minions, with multiple characters reacting with revulsion to a Minions standee, culminating in Nick agreeing to buy the standee so that he can "wipe those things from the face of the earth."
  • 'MOM(S)' gives one of these to modernist planners/ estates.
• There Are No Therapists: There is one, she’s awesome.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Both Haida and Ash get some of these going through the series. **Haida finally having Retsuko ask him out, Ash settling down and beginning to find his way in life.
• Took a Level in Badass: While a competent officer already, Nick is shown to be a skilled sniper in ‘Taking out the Trash’
• Trademark Favorite Food: Frozen treats for Nick, a variety of things for Skye.
• Troubled Production: In-Universe, A mishap destroys Jack’s stage piece in ‘Acting Out’, and it isn’t fully repaired until ‘Skye’s Fall.’
• Truth in Television:
  • Various school systems in the US can and do send children to Juvenile detention facilities for completely trivial reasons.
  • Prince Edward Island is known for its silver fox population, though this was due to fur farming being pioneered there.
  • It’s hypothesised that Foxes can see the earth’s magnetic field.
  • In ‘A Ton of Work’, Ookami is shown eating a breakfast salad made of ‘wolf apples’, something he has every day as part of a dietary need. In the wild, these fruit can make up the majority of a maned wolf’s diet.
• Unlocking the Talent: With some care, attention and focus, begins to happen with Ash.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Invoked by Felicity in MOM(S), though of course Ash is still a sweet kit… sorta.
• Unusual Euphemism: Various ones in the vein of ‘Sweet cheese and crackers’.

W-Z

• Walking Shirtless Scene: Nick and Ash both have scenes where they’re just in their undies.
• We Used to Be Friends: Nick and Finnick, the latter distancing himself from Nick ever since the former left him to become a cop.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Ash gets this from his father, with Mr Fox trying to be certain that Ash knows it’s true.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 2 of ‘A day in the life’ could be this. You know Nighthowlers may be back, but this rams in how much it means to everyone.
  • Featuring both the goose and Felicities pregnancy reveal, ‘Wild Goose Chasing’ could be one of these.
  • ‘Taking out the Trash’ has big subversions, big reveals and big emotions.
  • 'Skye's Fall' has both the initial accident, where she breaks her ankle, and then Jack visiting her workshop to find that she fell into an inspection pit and was stuck there, slowly dying.
• World of Funny Animals: Is what it is.
• Wham Line: ‘Nighthowlers are back.’
  • In Aggretopia, after teasing that the crew may have screwed over Nick for his taxes, it’s revealed that they were looking into the Tundratown Limo company.
  • The reveal that Ton didn’t send the email to Retusko all the way back in ‘Aggretopia’.
  • Dave and Basil revealing that they believe the enemy everyone is facing is Rattigan.
• When She Smiles: Ash, both after when Kris encouraged the teacher to compliment him and when he learns about his baby sibling.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Various characters give this to Ash over the course of the story.

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