This is one I've been putting off on purpose. It's my own. Fortunately, BrutusDeagon was helpful enough to conduct my character's interview. My interview was conducted by Nateka.

Creator questions

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

Just call me Joe

Are you a natural born "Joe"?

No, my screenname SapperJoe85 actually came about when I needed to create a login for a new email. I was serving in Iraq at the time and I was a combat engineer also known as sappers. Since members of the military are often referred to as Joes I picked it up for myself and sapperjoe85 was born.

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

I'm 35, happily married, have kids, I work in IT, male. I served 12 years in the military and that greatly shaped my view on things. I enjoy camping, canoeing, fishing, hunting, just the outdoors in general I think. I also like wood working and building things.

So, you were born in 85. What was your first gaming system?

The first one I remember was the NES. We even had the duck hunt gun and trackpad.

For Track Meet? Nice. That was a long time ago for some of our listeners. Did the NES have any affect on your life as a kid in the 80s/early 90s?

Hmm, just to introduce me to gaming I suppose. Though we had the NES we didn't play it all that much after the new wore off. At the time we were living in a house that was situated on 16th section land so we had loads and loads of empty forest, mainly pine plantation, to explore. Though we didn't go far since I was the oldest and still under 5.

The oldest of how many siblings?

5 Though, at that time there were only 3 of us.

Wait… Three of you?

At the time we lived at that particular house there were only me and my 2 brothers. We moved a good bit while I was growing up.

You moved around a bit in your youth. With your brothers.

Yes, when I was growing up we moved every couple of years from one rental place to the next. Always looking for something better or when we could afford something better.

Did you ever think you were poor?

Growing up no. My parents always made sure we never went without. I do recall a couple of times when I was very little asking for second helpings and my mother would start crying. I didn't understand why till I got older.

That's fair. Was there a time where the household started feeling stable?

I always thought it felt stable. Or at least I was so used to the situation we were in that that's what I perceived as stable. But if you're referring to staying in one place then that would be around the time I turned 13. My parents were finally able to purchase a house and have a regular mortgage which they recently paid off. I remember her writing a letter to her brother in California telling him how it would be theirs in 30 years. It's been 23 now.

That's really cool that your parents have done what they have.

I know they sacrificed a lot for us.

What was growing up in your teens like?

I want to say it was normal. I had friends. I played football. I was in the boy scouts. From an outside perspective I guess you could say it was stable. I learned a lot about working on cars. Although we had bought a house we still couldn't afford a reliable vehicle. Dad is a decent shade tree mechanic and has the mind of a wizard. Mom worked odd jobs here and there. Mostly cashier work at small stores around town. Eventually she went back to college and got her degree to teach. That was closer to me graduating high school. Kind of weird to be doing algebra with your mom at the same time. My dad always ragged on me because she made better grades then I did.

I bet you were a better student than hers were, eh?

Probably not. But she went to school to specifically become a special education teacher.

Did you get into the military right out of HS?

Before. I was around 4 or just turned 5 when Desert Storm happened. It was all over the news and everyone was very patriotic. My dad would tell me stories about his dad fighting in Korea and my other grandfather was a marine. It's what I wanted to be my whole life. 9/11 happened and I turned 17 six months later. I don't recall this conversation but my mom told me I tried to convince her about the college benefits I'd get for joining. She said she grabbed a newspaper and showed me the towers falling. Said she told me about how this would mean war and that people would die. She said I told her it's not about college or anything else. I wanted to serve my country and protect my family from something like that happening again. She signed the papers the next week. I did a split op program where I went to bootcamp the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. After I graduated high school I went back to finish my AIT.

So, you were in before you were in? By that I mean you knew before you could, that you'd do it.

Yeah, growing up I'd always want to play army man with my friends. Played with the kids across the street all the time. Ended up serving together with them.

What did your dad think about you going in? Your brothers?

He was proud. Worried as any parent would be but very proud. I remember he wrote me 1 letter while I was in training. In it he talked about how in life sometimes we have to make decisions where we have to accept the bad along with the good. He said that was the mark of a man and that I'd shown I could do that. I think my brothers were proud of me. My youngest brother I don't think truly understood what was going on though. He's autistic and at the time he basically had the mentality of an 8 year old. I remember my sisters were sad.

That's the first time you've mentioned your sisters. I'm adamantly protective of mine as well, I understand. coughs into the mic.

I'm almost 5 years older than the oldest. She was actually the first girl born in my dad's family to a male in 60 years. I honestly didn't spend much time with them growing up. Not till they started dating anyway. And by that time I was looking at moving out on my own.

When was the first time you lived on your own?

About a year after I got back from my first tour in Iraq.

An apartment, second floor?

Apartment, sorta. My parents closed in the carport and made a room out of it. I paid them a monthly rent and came and went as I pleased. That lasted for about a year.

What happened after you got home for the first time?

Made the biggest mistake possible. Tried to jump right back in. Signed up for the next semester of school and tried to be normal. I still had a heightened sense of awareness that had me constantly looking over my shoulder and diving for cover when the school's maintenance truck backfired. Combine that with having to listen to a bunch of ignorant brats who didn't have a clue what it meant to truly struggle or couldn't fathom just how well off they are just because they were born in the richest country in the world and I was going downhill fast. By the time the next semester rolled around I felt worn out and desperate for a way out.

You're a lot more complicated of a person than you seem.

I suppose

You do.

I don't know. I'm just me. Take it or leave it. Either way I'm still here.

What's the weirdest food (or food combination) you've ever come across?

Eggs and goat intestines

What brought you to the Zootopia fandom?

I saw the movie in late 2017. Some time after that I somehow stumbled upon some Zootopia fanart that eventually led me to comics and fanfics.

Who is your OC today?

Sam Chola

What animal are they?

North American Grey Fox

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

No special marking out of the ordinary

What inspired you to create them?

Sam is the result of me wanting to distance myself in an RP. In the RP I was originally going by Joe as my character but things started to build up and I felt I needed to separate my real world self from this virtual world we were building. Hence the reason Sam looks just like my sona.

What are they like?

Sam is fairly reserved although it doesn't take much to get him out of his shell. If he feels welcome then he opens up and tends to fit in well with most crowds. Part of his RP backstory was based on me so like me he's a veteran who served overseas. He has some underlying issues from that but nothing major. He's also very much an outdoors mammal who enjoys the chance to spend time fishing or camping. His favorite thing to do is loading up his canoe and spending a few days floating down river.

What's their family life like?

Sam has a large family. He's the eldest of 4 siblings and is the second oldest of 37 cousins. He knows all of them and they know who he is but he isn't as active with them due to an age difference. He's actually much closer in age to their parents than his actual cousins. Sam is also a widower. He married his high school sweetheart right after joining the military. While he was deployed the first time she was diagnosed with cancer and lost the battle quickly.

Do they have a love interest?

His deceased wife Victory, and is currently engaged to Kristy Ar'hap.

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

Life Turns Right is currently in production.

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?

To me culture is something that would be defined by both species and region. For example all the mammals that come from say England or France would have an english or french based culture that each species adds their own unique flair to.

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

Most definitely a WildeHopps shipper. I very rarely find a story that has them shipped with another character and am able to enjoy it. I don't know why because when I started out in the fandom I wasn't a fan of the ship but something changed over time and it grew into something I see as canon and want Disney to define it as such.

For the purpose of the OC interview, BrutusDeagon volunteered to interview my character. He uses a variation of his sona that once worked as a DJ. 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. Brutus will ask questions based on the answers provided by the creator. Enjoy!

"Welcome to the characters of Zootopia show! I regret to inform you that your regular host Miss Vicky Chola will not be here today. As a special treat she has called out of retirement for one interview only, THE ONE AND ONLY BDAWG! AWOOOOO! Apologies to non wolves who I just trapped in traffic. Now for our guest Sam Chola. Welcome, Sam, to the show. Keep in mind you say my real name, I shave your tail."

chuckles "Sure thing BDawg." chuckles

"So Sam first things first I'm sure our listeners noticed the name Chola is yours as well as Miss Vicky's. Why don't you tell us a little about that before we begin?"

"Well, to put it simply, I am Vicky's father."

"Well I did say a little. How many in your brood?

"Five in all. Two adopted and three of our own."

"And I hear their mother is quite the looker. How long have you two been together?"

"She is indeed. We've been married over 26 years now."

"And only the one litter? I'm sure that with a pretty kitty like the one and only Kristy Ar'hap, I'm sure mammals are now Zoogling her name, there was plenty of trying so why just one litter?"

"Oh believe me, there was plenty of trying. I thought I was going to die trying a couple of times. As for why only one litter? Well, that would have a little something to do with biology."

"Ah the bad luck that many interspecies couples have. Yes. I know that pain as well. Was she your first love?"

"No, but she'll be my last."

"No? Well then my mammal what happened to the first?"

"She passed away. A couple years after we got married." said in a sad tone

"Oh I'm so sorry. Can I ask how she died?"

deep sigh "Cancer. It took her quickly."

"Did you at least get to say goodbye?"

"No. I was overseas when they found her unconscious in our home. No one knows for sure how long she'd been there like that. It was over a week since the last time I was able to try calling her. The last time we spoke she mentioned feeling tired and faint. We ended the call saying goodbye and saying we love each other. But I couldn't be there for her when she needed me most and it haunts me to this day."

"So hard to lose a loved one and not get to be there to say goodbye. You have my sympathies. And nooow don't you think I missed you saying overseas. What were you up to across the pond?" totally fake British accent for last sentence

"I was serving in the military."

salutes badly because he's never done it before. "We thank you for your service Mr Chola. What did you do as a soldier anyway?"

"I was a combat engineer. We dealt with roadside bombs and demolition."

"Oh I bet that was exciting. So you were one of the guys making sure the roads were safe over there. What do you do now that you are one of us civilians again?"

"I work for a company called Retrans Networks. We used to specialize in getting cell towers setup in remote areas that were hard to access from the ground. Such as mountains. Now we mostly do support work for networks. Mostly local stuff but we have a couple of big clients outside our normal area."

"So if my internet goes out I could call your company to see if a tower is under maintenance or something?"

"Not exactly. We maintain the towers and equipment. But you have to go through the carrier to get support."

"OK I think that I get it now. So different subject. How did a guy like you get so lucky to land a former Rockstar as a mate? And such a hot one too. I mean damn that girl had to have been in many a wet dream after one of her shows."

chuckles "I ask myself the same question every night."

"How did you meet?"

"Random chance really. The music store she worked at at the time was one of our customers. They had an issue and I was the only one available so I went, we had a short exchange and then I left. We bumped into each other a couple of times after that and eventually started spending time together. It's funny really, Vicky always thought we had this love at first sight experience where fireworks were going off at the same time shooting stars were falling from the sky. In truth, we had a few casual moments before one big emotional night left us both hurting and searching for comfort. After that, we had a regular slow build up over several months before getting engaged."

"That sounds sweet. Now she already had taken in two young ones at the time right? How did you get along with them at first?"

"Well, Stefano was in college at the time and was suspicious at first. Orchid was still very young and emotionally scared. It took longer to warm up to her because she only trusted Kristy."

"Poor child. What kind of mammal does that to a kit?"

"Some of the worst."

"Well I for one am very glad she was found by such a loving female. Only got better for her after you came into the picture. Now I doubt anyone could pity her. She has such a large and loving family. What was it like becoming a big daddy so quickly?"

hearty laugh "I don't know, me and Kristy were dating for a while and Orchid and Stefano were always a part of the picture. With them it was just part of it I guess. I do remember getting a little stressed out about providing for Orchid though. Mostly because of the size class difference."

"And because we haven't mentioned it at all your family is quite unique aside from just having hybrids that is. What species are Orchid and Stefano?"

"Orchid is a chinchilla and Stefano is a red fox. And despite the triplets all being the same kind of hybrid they each had their own unique difficulties."

"That explains the size difference difficulties. How about the kups? Vicky first. What were her difficulties?"

sigh "Vicky is the one that I would say has the hardest time. All three are children of two worlds. The canine and the feline. Vicky looks the most fox like but she's the most divided emotionally."

"What about physical issues? Any health problems?"

"When the kups were born they were a couple weeks premature. Surprisingly, the boys were healthy and developed enough that they didn't need any assistance. Vicky, however, wasn't so lucky. She had trouble breathing and had to be incubated. It was touch and go for a while."

"Let us all just be happy that she's with us."

"Indeed."

"And Vicky's brothers? What are they like? Any health issues? Any interesting facts? Or is Vicky the most interesting of the three? I know she's the best at emotional blackmail, but tell me about them."

"Matt and Richie haven't had any major health issues related to them being hybrids. Other than when she was born neither did Vicky. Matt is probably the easiest to describe. He's very laid back and easy going. You could call him lazy if it wasn't something he didn't like doing. But when he finds something he likes the boy commits a hundred and ten percent. We also worry a bit for him, mostly because we aren't sure if he'll ever settle down and try to start a family. We just don't want him to end up old and alone. Richie," shakes head "he's a little go getter. I sometimes worry that he's trying too hard to impress me or mimic what I've done in life. And I couldn't be more proud of everything that he's accomplished so far. He's married, has their second pup on the way, he served honorably for four years in the military, earned a bachelors in science and has basically taken over the company. I sometimes wonder if he's trying to get rid of me." chuckles "As far as being interesting I think that depends on your perspective. I find all three interesting but I know I'm biased."

"Well that's all the time we have for today, kiiitttens. So thanks for listening and one last thing sorry for this. AWOOOOOOO! BDawg signin out."