Creator questions

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

Mercy Elizabeth (what I wish I could change it to)

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

Uh, I'm 25, lived in the US my whole life and want to get a writing career started. I'm autistic and will apparently be stuck at 12-13 years old mentally for the rest of my life.

Are you actively working towards starting your writing career?

Trying to, but it's easier said than done

How far along do you think you are?

Not far at all, to be honest.

What brought you to the Zootopia fandom?

I came across fanart of Nick and Judy on DA, I think because I looked up Secret of NIMH stuff and they both star animals, but didn't actually watch the movie until about a year later

Are you still active in the Secrets of NIMH fandom?

Somewhat, it's a very small fandom. I've actually written maybe half of the fanfics I've come across

Who is your OC today?

Orchid Ar'hap

What animal are they?

A chinchilla kit, 7 years old

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

Orchid is mostly gray, with a white patch on/around her nose, a white bottlebrush tail and a sort of V-shaped patch of white on her back, the point facing her tail.

What inspired you to create them?

Chinchillas aren't a widely-known animal and I think they're some of the cutest freaking things on the planet. I also may or may not be a serial killer who takes her victims via cuteness-induced heart attacks. :p

What are they like?

She has trouble trusting others when first meeting them and tends to keep quiet/to herself. She becomes a little bit of a sass-pot when she's comfortable around adults and seems completely unaware of how adorable she is. She's also uneasy around children, as she's had very little exposure to other kids.

So how did Orchid Ar'hap get her start?

She's a "normal" version of my original, alien chinchilla character

Was there any particular reason you made her so young? I think she's the youngest OC we have in this.

I'm still a kid in a lot of ways myself, and I wanted to reduce the chances of people having weird fantasies about my characters

What's their family life like?

Her birth parents treated her as a prop and were emotionally abusive, so she ran away when she was six years old. Her adoptive mother found her by chance, and her new family just kept growing from there. They all do their best to make her feel safe and comfortable, though her adoptive brother tends to let her overhear things he really shouldn't.

Your little chin has certainly gone through some serious drama growing up. Is there a reason behind that?

I went through a lot around her age, I just thought it'd be nice to have a character who was like me in a way

Do they have a love interest?

Do honey hay, apples or wood chews count?

I love that you listed her love interest as food. In the Life turns right collaboration she's adopted and becomes a member of a loving family. Do you think that will be able to heal those old wounds enough that she'll be able to find a significant other in the future?

Most likely, given how young she is, but I'll admit that I never thought about it

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

She's part of the Life Turns Right collaboration.

You wrote a story where Judy gets married and you went into very good detail about some of the customs and traditions for the marriage. How do you think culture plays into Zootopia? For example, do all foxes or rabbits have the same culture or does it vary based on subspecies or regions?

It would vary be region as it does in the real world, and likely by subspecies as well, given how many cultures there are in any given country

How do you feel about hybrids in Zootopia? Do they occur naturally, require an outside force or don't happen at all?

It can happen naturally, given mammals have evolved to the point of walking, talking and developing technology.

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

I left the fandom a while ago, but still consider Nick and Judy to be a good couple

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. Enjoy!

"Welcome everyone to another edition of the Characters of Zootopia show! I'm your host Vicky Chola and with me today is Orchid Ar'hap. Thanks for joining me Orchid."

small squeak "Hi!"

"So Orchid why don't you tell everyone how old you are."

"I'm seven."

"And what are some of your favorite things?"

"I like honey hay and jingle bells!"

"Jingles bells is one of my favorites too. Is Grizzmas your favorite holiday?"

"I like Easter, it's a big candy hunt!"

"Oh that does sound fun. What I like about Easter is it's a time of new beginnings. You recently had something new happen to didn't you?"

"Uh-huh, lotsa new stuff."

"Can you tell me about some of the new stuff?"

"I got a new mama, a new papa, a new brother and a new house."

giggles "Wow that is a lot of new stuff. Can you tell me about your new mama?"

"My mama's really nice, she gave me chocolate."

"Is that all you like about her?"

"She lets me draw and play, I don't have to look pre-sent-able all day."

"Yeah I don't like to look presentable all day either. What about your brother, what's he like?"

"He wears picnic blankets every day and plays guitar."

"Picnic blankets?" laughs

"Yeah, all kinds of colors, too.I thought they were only red and white."

"I bet he looks funny hu?"

"I keep asking if I can use one for my tea parties, but he always says no."

giggles "That stinks hu?"

"Mama only lets me use water so I don't make a mess."

"That might be a good idea. So tell me about your papa. He wasn't there at first was he?"

"Nuh-uh. Mama met him by acci-dent."

"Can you tell us how they met?"

"Mama called him to fix computers at work. She sells music."

"Do you like that she met him?"

"Yeah, he's funny!"

"Oh he is? How's he funny?"

"Mama calls them 'dad jokes' and doesn't laugh, but I like them, and he lets me play with his tail."

giggles "That does sound like fun. Why don't you tell me about your new house?"

"We live in a big tree, and I have a slide on my bed."

"Wow that does sound fun."

"Mama said I can have my own little house when I'm older, all the furn-it-ure is too big."

"It must be hard living with someone so much bigger than you."

"Yeah, Sam says I need a bell so they don't lose me."

giggles "What do you think about that?"

"I like rolling them, not wearing them."

"Yeah that sounds more fun. Do you go to school?"

"On Mama's laptop."

"Do you like doing school on her laptop or would you rather be in school with other kits your age?"

"I like the laptop, I don't know how to, um..."

"How to, be around others?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah it can be hard around others. Do you feel happy with your new family?"

"Yes! But my brother almost sat on me once."

"Oh my goodness that sounds scary."

"He was sleepy and didn't see me, I hopped behind a pillow."

"Well I'm glad you got out of the way in time. Thank you for coming to spend time with us today. But it's time for us to come to an end."

"Okay"

"And thank you listeners for joining us once again. Hope to see you next time."