Creator questions

What's your name (real or screen, your choice)

LordKraus

Tell me about yourself, age, where you're from, what you do, anything you want others to know about you, sex, etc.

I'm 40, male, currently living in Canada.

You said currently living in Canada. Are you originally from somewhere else?

Im from Texas originally.

How'd you wind up in the frigid north?

My wife is Canadian, after I got out of the USAF we moved to Washington State and then a year later moved here to be closer to her family.

What brought you to the Zootopia fandom?

Insomnia did. I suffer from some pretty extreme bouts of insomnia and that leaves me reading a lot at night. Well I read so much that buying books became out of the question so I started going through fanfic. Ended up reading Guardian Blue along with several others before even watching the movie. So here I am.

So you found Zootopia by putting the carriage before the horse it seems.

yeah I didn't even watch the movie until I wrote the first 30k words of Savage Days. But that ended up getting scrapped

So looking at that, how important would you say the source material is when writing?

It kinda depends on what your going for. When I first started to write Savage Days I changed the museum scene to where Bellweather caught the blueberry deception (original I know) and Nick was supposed to go savage then. But I watched the movie and that end scene with Nick and Judy in the police car stuck with me. I wanted to carry that chemistry that the movie had built up forward. Wilde Files is a different beast. It's straight up AU the only real thing that it has to the movie is characters and a couple of small call backs. You don't have to have watched the movie to understand Wilde Files. And honestly using Zootopia as a framework to tell a story in is more fun that actually telling a Zootopia continuation story.

Who is your OC today?

Hipperetta Virginia Hopps. Don't recommend calling her that though and just Stick with Hipp.

What animal are they?

Rabbit

What do they look like? Special markings, colorations, etc.

She stands a little shorter than her mother, Bonnie Hopps. Her fur is typically dark grey but she dyes it so it looks lighter and she also dyes her ears bright blue. Tends to gravitate toward a more punk rock / goth sort of clothing choice.

So Hipp is into punk rock, her and Vicky should get along just fine then.

Yep Punk, Grunge, Metal. As long as its loud and heavy shes into it

What inspired you to create them?

It depends on the fic but in her current form she was created to be an apprentice of Nick Wilde's, the only practicing Wizard in Zootopia.

For her interview we'll be using the version from your wizard series correct?

Savage Days is on extended hiatus. I have a pretty good idea of the overall plot for Season 3, just little motivation to write it at the moment.

What are they like?

Initially a little timid and awestruck at the world she is thrust into. She can be sarcastic and witty and she can match Nick's humor. She's a great student and strives to live up to the examples she's been given.

She's fascinated with Alchemy and amused that the laws of magic and the laws of nature / physics dont always coincide.

She is having some adjustment issues. Like any normal 16 year old her "entire life" was online. Something she can't even do now, music, streaming, gaming. At her core she's a geek.

What's their family life like?

She is one of the younger sisters of Judy Hopps. In Wilde Files I took the 275 brothers and sister a little on the literal side. It makes sense considering Bonnie leads a coven of pagans in the service of Freyja, a fertility Goddess and Serendipity the Goddess of Surprises. So life on the farm was hectic and at times a bit chaotic.

Currently she lives with Nick and Judy with Judy's daughter Cotton in Zootopia. Being a Wizard's Apprentice she needs guidance and instruction daily. So it makes sense that she would move in with them.

Do they have a love interest?

She did, but not so much at the moment. Being a Wizard's Apprentice and a High School student and sometimes babysitter takes up all her time. Plus that little problem of not being able to use electronics puts a damper on things.

Do you have any stories written about them or that they're included in?

Her first appearance is in Season 2 of Savage Days as a Child Behavior Interventionist.

In her current form she first appears in A Wizard's Path.

Hip has been a side character so far. Do you see her ever having her own story?

I could see a couple of Side Hustles staring at her yes. Matter of fact I'm going to have to write at least one for the upcoming High Stakes as she plays a pretty pivotal off screen role that does affect the outcome of the story. But if the right plot bunny came along for her I wouldn't be opposed to telling a full OC story.

Tell us how you see culture in Zootopia. For example, do all foxes or rabbits have the same culture or is there a difference depending on subspecies or region?

In WIlde Files the rule of thumb is if there is lore for it therefore it exists. Gods and Goddesses of all sorts. Weres (Savages), Vampires, The Faye, Elves, Dragons….. Maybe I'll do another of these as Kadreirth that could be interesting. It makes for an interesting mash up of beings. Like in our world religion and culture can come down to individual families. After all Mammals were given freedom of belief. But no one God or Goddess is the one true one, they are more like a council or the UN and for the most part they choose to leave Mammals to their own devices.

Her mother is a pagan. Some would classify Bonnie as a Witch. Nick prefers the term Cleric as Bonnie doesn't make deals with demons / devils. Stu on the other hand would normally be what would be classified as Christian. But his experiences have led him to be flexible. Yule and Kitmas get used interchangeably in their Burrow. Same with Easter being a renewal festival.

Nick has been in close contact with Karma since he was 13. Knows Gods and Goddesses exist. A little hard not to when Karma steals a beer. Judy has met Karma once and under dire circumstances at that and she's not fully sure what she believes any more.

As for dating rituals and other things. Ive for the most part left that to other people to write about. Besides there are many other authors out there that have written about Vulpine and Lagomorph cultures far better than I could have hoped to. I highly recommend AlpsSarsis ,Ubernoner, and Ghostwolf88 for those. And let's be honest here once I light that fuse it always leads to Nick and Judy being together.

Ultimate Zootopia question. Are you a WildeHopps shipper or do you prefer them with a different ship?

I ship WildeHopps hard. It's my ship and I shall go down with it if need be.

For the purpose of the OC interview the setting is the creator's OC is about to be interviewed by my co-owned OC Vicky Chola. A north american grey fox vixen in her mid 20s. They're both in a studio booth with headphones on and microphones to speak into. The interview we did earlier about the creator and their OC is considered a pre conversation between these two before going on the air. Vicky will ask questions based on the answers provided by the creator. Since this interview had a different element to it the setting was changed to fit the character's environment. In this case a magical one. Enjoy!

"My name is Victoria Nicole Chola, conducting the interview of Hipperetta Virginia Hopps at the request of the White Council. The purpose of this interview is to determine if Hipperetta's teacher, one Nicholas Piberious Wilde, is capable of performing his duties. This record will be given to the White Council for them to make a decision. Thank you for joining me Hipperetta."

"Not like I had much choice." She sighs. "But please call me Hipp, not even Sensei calls me Hipperatta."

giggle "You call him Sensei?"

"Well I tried calling him Master but something about a 16 year old doe calling him Master made him uncomfortable." She shrugs and grins.

"Hmm, yeah, I could see where that might be a problem. So why don't you tell me how Nicholas became your teacher?"

She swallows nervously and looks away. "He helped me turn off a veil I cast on myself and then offered to teach me and mom said it was a good idea." She fidgets nervously with the blunt claw of her right thumb. "I've read a bunch of fantasy novels and getting the opportunity to learn real magic has always been a dream of mine."

"Besides being trained seems like a much better alternative than not."

"How did you cast the veil on yourself?"

"I just did." She shrugs. "Nick said our first spells are always a fight or flight response and I just wanted to get away at the time." She looks up briefly. "You work for the council so isn't that how yours came in?"

"I don't work for the council. I was just asked to conduct this interview as someone who was independent of both parties. So why did Nicholas come to assist you?"

Hipp studies Vicky for a moment. "I see... Well after I had been missing for a few days mom told my sister Judy who I guess told Nick and they came to look for me. Nick said he owed Serendipity a favor and mom called that favor in." She pauses for a moment. "And before you ask I don't know how my mom knew about the favor Nick owed you'd need to talk to her."

"Did he say how he came to be in that debt?"

She shakes her head. "No and I haven't asked either. It's not like Sensei walks around asking Beings for favors all the time so I figure it was something important and it's not like I have Serendipity on speed dial." She shudders slightly. "Not sure I would want to either."

"Why did your mother go through your sister to reach Nicholas?"

"Well it's not like Nick has a phone." She shrugs. "Besides they were engaged to be married and living together. So how would your mom get a hold of your fiance?"

Vicky grins "I'll have to ask her when the day comes. How's your training progressing?"

"I'm sure for you it will be easier as you seem to have electronics..." She shrugs. "Been learning wards, magic circles and shields. You know, I guess basic protection magic? Sensei says it's the best place to start."

She smirks "It does look that way doesn't it. Why would you need to know so much protection magic at the start? Does your sensei think you'll be facing danger?"

"Well the wards are because we are warding Nick and Judy's new house. So he's using that as a 'teaching moment'." She makes air quotes. "Magic circles tied into a class that Judy and Chief Bogo backed him into a corner into teaching at the ZPD's academy. Shields I guess was just a practical extension of that..." She shrugs. "Keep in mind this is on top of having to keep my grades up with a full course load for my high school correspondence course. Mom insisted that I graduate High School either on time or sooner. I think though the defensive magic has more to do with Cotton than anything else."

"Cotton?"

"Oh, she's my niece, she's Judy's daughter." She smiles. "And well, I guess Nick's now to now that he adopted her."

"Why is Nicholas giving magic classes at the ZPD?"

"Sensei never elaborated why you'll have to ask him." She shrugs. "I can tell you the class was very high level. This is how you get out of a magic circle kinda deal and most of the officers didn't believe it."

"What did you think of the instruction?"

"It was good for what it was. We did a bit of practical paws on stuff which was useful for me." She shrugs. "It just reinforced what we had already covered. Honestly Sensei isn't the best of teachers I've ever had but he's also not the worst."

"How would you say he's not the worst?"

"If he doesn't know he'll at least admit to it and then go off to find the answer." She fidgets with her claw again. "I'm sure you've had teachers that was just like 'It's this way because I said so and because I'm the smartest mammal in the room then it's true.'"

glares at a mirror for a second "Yeah, I can understand that. And in what way would you say he's not the best?"

Hipp looks at the mirror inquisitively. "He can be rather intimidating at times." She slowly turns her attention back to Vicky. "I don't mean that he'll hurt me or Judy or Cotton it's just..." She glances back over to the mirror. "I know there is a difference in how strong our magic is. It's like standing in the shadow of a bird of prey as it flies overhead..."

Looks back at Hip with a smile as though it were nothing "Do you ever think he's holding back on you?"

"Holding back how?" She blinks. "You mean knowledge?" She shrugs. "I'm sure he is, but he has only been training me..." She makes a show of counting her fingers. "Threeish weeks?"

Looks hip over real quick "Do you like punk rock?"

"Oh do I ever!" She grins. "But it really depends on what you define as punk as it's slowly morphed over the years. Most of what most mammals think of as punk was written back well before I was born but it's slowly grown to encapsulate grunge and a bunch of different stuff. I guess to quote Lzzy Hale, I like it heavy."

giggle "Well we have something in common then. Tell me, what kind genre of punk do you most associate with?"

"Well that's kinda complicated... I don't really associate with any one genre of punk or even any one band. It's more on the song lyrical level. I like music that's about being an individual about not conforming to the system." She shrugs. "Not that my parents ever gave me a reason to rebel, just the opposite. My mother and father both have been very supportive over the years. It's just that we each dont get as much attention from them as we would like." She glances back over at the mirror. "But that is rather hard considering how large the Hopps clan is."

"Do you feel that way now that you live with your sister and sensei?" smirks everytime Hip looks at the mirror

She's quiet for a moment. "Judy is only 8 years older than me and doesn't try to be anything more than an supportive older sister and Nick doesn't look at me as anything more than an apprentice. They are not a replacement for my parents and they don't try to be. Nick treats me as if I'm an adult, he'll level with me if something is gonna suck and doesnt dress it up as a 'character building moment.' I miss seeing my mom and dad but at least this year I didn't have to help with the harvest."

"How much of your time is spent watching Cotton?"

Hipp smiles. "Not nearly as much as I had to help with the younger kits back home. Cotton is clearly a 'Daddy's Doe' and if Nick is home and we are not training she is typically found not too far away from him. Even then she's still not too far away from him we do a lot of training in the backyard where she has swings and a sandbox to keep her occupied. Besides, it's easier to look after one than it is a couple of litters."

"So what was it like growing up?"

"Well the Hopps burrow is massive, it's like living in a small town. Just all your neighbors are relatives. I think there are more than 300 rabbits living there now. Granted not all of them are my brothers and sisters, some now are their families." She pauses for a moment. "I think mom's last litter was last year? But given the number of kits still in the nursery it's safe to say that many are now my sisters' litters. Chores are divided among 'work crews' I was typically on the laundry crew so I don't really miss having to help do laundry." She shrugs. "Nick and Judy tend to do their own laundry so that is a positive. That's another way Nick and Judy's home contrasts; it's much quieter. Go figure though it's only 4 of us."

"Do you have any chores?"

"Yeah, I help with the dishes and the floors. Plus Nick has me straighten the lab." Hipp glances at the mirror one last time and whispers. "Who's behind the mirror?"

"No one you need to worry about. Don't worry, he can't see or hear us. I promise."

"You realize how little that raises my confidence right?" She glances back at the mirror. "I mean I've had a vampire call me a juice box and you're telling me I shouldn't worry about a guy who can see or hear?"

giggles "Oh he can see and hear just fine. He just can't see or hear us at the moment. Come I'll show you." Vicky walks to the mirror

"Well Sensei says just because you can't see it doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to bite your face off."

giggles "That is true. But look, see the runes along the edges?"

Hipps ears perk up a bit. "I see, so they make it where the mirror cannot be used for spying?"

"Not exactly. The mirror requires a counterpart or even multiple counterparts. Without the runes it would just be a normal mirror. But with them it allows you to observe, listen and even travel to the counterpart mirror. Observe." Vicky takes a small knife and pokes her finger. She then presses the blood to one of the runes and the reflective surface fades away to show another fox working at a workbench. "This is my master Firnen."

"Oh..." She eyes the other fox. "And he's the reason you glanced at the mirror then made me think someone was watching us?"

"Yes, watch this." Vicky glares at the other fox through the mirror. After a moment he starts to scratch his nose before glancing up at the mirror. He looks confused and looks around him before going back to his work, mumbling about arrogant apprentices.

Hipp giggles. "I'm sorry maybe my Master's paranoia is rubbing off on me."

"I would say it's best to be cautious in life rather than not. But as you saw, my Master and I have a rather unique connection. We can sense strong emotions from the other. That's why I glared at the mirror during our interview. I was letting him know I wasn't happy about something. And as you can see he can neither see nor hear us." Vicky presses a drop of blood to another rune and the reflective surface reappears. "I just completely deactivated the mirror. Now no one can see, hear or travel to this location till I reactivate it. Happy?"

"Very thank you." Hipp relaxes a bit. "I'm sorry I'm just on edge a bit, just you know vampires and all." She waves a paw dismissively.

"Not at all. Come sit, I have more questions I need to ask."

"Of course." She walks back over to the her chair and climbs up into it and sits cross legged.

"Now then, I need you to explain the circumstances in which you met vampires."

"I think in order to get the full story you need to talk to Sensei about that."

"Well, did he willingly take you on a vampire hunt?"

"NO!" Hipp says very adamantly. "Nor did I sneak off and make him take me along on one. There was no hunting involved until after the fact and really my portion of it was very small and I don't feel like it's my place to talk about something that really is Sensei's personal business. Anything that happened is Chief Bogo's fault anyway." She mutters looking away.

"How much influence does the Chief have over Nicholas?"

"Don't know, I do know Sensei hasn't been to work in about two weeks. I don't know the full details but I know Chief Bogo and Nick had a falling out. Nick's relationship with the ZPD isn't that great and Judy has been stuck in records. Nick has a meeting with Oliva Otterton soon and he's been looking into office space." Hipp looks down at the table top. "Trust me Judy doesn't like being stuck in records. But I don't think she blames Nick. So I guess you could say Chief Bogo has about as much influence over Sensei as any mammal."

"What do you think of this development?"

"I'm not sure why Sensei was working there anyway, it's not like the ZPD was doing anything about the vampires." Hipp shrugs. "If anything it looks like they have had their heads in the sand even more than normal."

"How informed do you feel your sensei keeps you?"

"I guess well enough... I mean he doesn't tell me everything but at the same time how much could I really help with three weeks of training?" Hipp shrugs. "How well does your Master keep you informed?"

smirks at the question "How involved is your training? Is it just book work for now or are you doing practical exercises as well?"

"A little bit of both but mostly I'm concentrating on languages so I don't accidentally set off a fire ball." She looks up. "It's a lot of work but that only makes it much more rewarding. I mean, least I'm not some Marry Sue in some badly written script that gets all the power with none of the work."

"What languages are you learning?"

"Mostly Latin and Furench at the moment. I'm learning to read and write Latin by translating my Sensei's notes and trust me his paw writing is at best the scribblings of a drunk chicken. Furench I'm learning by my correspondence course."

"Is his writing a hindrance to your learning?"

"Only when he can't read it himself." Hipp grumbles.

"How often does something like that happen?"

"Oh not often, maybe every third page or so." Hipp shrugs. "The spirit of the lessons isn't lost at least and I can at least sometimes decipher the meaning on my own."

"You've said a couple of times that the point, the meaning or the spirit of your lessons is there despite the issue. You've said yourself, you've only been an apprentice for three weeks. How do you know the meanings are still there?"

"The same way you can find the meaning of a word you don't know by reading the content around it. I mean it's not always like that but one thing Sensei did do was take a ton of notes. Just sometimes his paw writing leaves much to be desired." Hipp shrugs. "The other thing he's good at is at least taking the time to explain what it's trying to tell me. He doesn't just leave it all to his notes he just uses that as a base so I can have a foundation for what he's going to teach me next." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "But maybe reading comprehension isn't something taught to most Wizards these days?"

gives an amused smile at the young apprentice "Do you feel you're left to depend on your own intuition rather than your master's guidance?"

"No, far from it. Nick is almost always willing to help me. But when it's basic things like translating Latin to English he has given me tools to help with that. He expects me to be able to at least read and write it, he has set that expectation. Honestly with that there is little he could do to help me with it, it's a waste of both his time and mine to have him stand in-front of a white board with sayings on it. " Hipp shifts crossing her legs in the chair. "But when it comes to actual magic he's very tentative we have discussions on what we are about to do. He makes sure I have an understanding of not just how but why we do something the way we do it."

"You said that the purpose of this interview is to determine if Nick is capable of teaching me. But wouldn't those questions be better suited for Nick?" Hipp frowns slightly. "He has given me his word that he will train me to the best of his abilities. Does the White Council think Nick would go against his word?"

"I couldn't say. They didn't explain why they thought Nicholas wouldn't be a good teacher. To be honest, I've never heard of the council asking for an interview such as this or your master. But my situation is unique and I'm rarely in a position to deny the council's request. Do you have any more questions?"

"Oh no thank you, you've been very helpful." Hipp grins cheerfully. "Sensei figured this was a fishing expedition."

giggles "Probably, I think that concludes this interview. It was nice to meet you Hip. I hope we see each other again someday."

Hipp nods. "It would be nice to have a friend outside of the craziness. But also Sensei would like you to remind the Council of their deal with Karma and that if they cannot at least be helpful then to stay out of the city."

blinks "I'll be sure to pass that along."

Hip smiles sweetly as she slides from the chair. "I'm free to go right? I'm pretty sure Judy is still waiting for me."

"Of course, aequum ventis ducet vos in domum suam."

Hipp pauses and cocks her head to the side for a moment and nods. "Pax tibi."

Vicky smiles and nods. She then watches Hipp leave the room before ending "Victoria Chola closing notes. Personal opinion, subject Nicholas Wilde is a more than adequate teacher and master to his apprentice." She touches the microphone that was never connected to anything. A crystal ejects from the bottom and Vicky catches it in her hand. She then walks to the mirror and touches one of the runes before walking through.

A/N:

This interview is by far my favorite up to this point. Mostly because it gave me the opportunity to explore an aspect of Vicky which came about from the RP she was originally conceived in. But also because I've been following LordKraus's stories from almost the beginning and having the opportunity to interact with one of my favorite characters from his story was so much fun.