Creator questions

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

Kumiho

What brought you to the Zootopia fandom?

I watched the movie on a bootleg DVD back in 2016. Loved it and been in the fandom ever since.

Did you happen to get that bootleg copy of Zootopia from Duke Weaselton by chance?

LOL, Yes!

Who is your OC today?

Sydney Matthews.

What animal are they?

Red Fox

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

Short-ish, has a color scheme of light blue. Her eyes and hair are blue, and she makes sure her top matches her eyes.

What inspired you to create them?

I'm not sure to be honest. She was a spur of the moment creation that stuck.

Do you remember what moment spurred that creation?

Not really, I just thought she'd be a neat character

What are they like?

Friendly. Energetic. A bit sassy. Does not tolerate harassment. Has a good sense of gallows humor when necessary. Perseveres despite odds.

What's their family life like?

She remains very close with her mother, father, and sister, Mavis. The sisters are inseparable.

Do they have a love interest?

Depends on which version of her I'm using. Her love interests fluctuate a lot.

So what does Syd do for a living?

She's a DJ! Among other side gigs. She's able to live comfortably thanks to her music.

How long has Syd been DJing?

In canon, since about… 2013.

How well known do you think she'd be in Zootopia and the surrounding areas?

Uhh... if I had to say, she likely isn't a household name, but I'd like to think if you mention her name, people would know who you're talking about, even if vaguely.

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

Minnesota Nice, a (currently) one chapter long fic that hasn't been worked on in some time.

What's your take on hybrids in Zootopia? Do you think they could exist or not possible?

Not possible, imo

You also use Syd in RP a fair bit, does her character/personality change much from one to another or is she pretty consistent?

She stays the same in personality in most incarnations, really.

You've said that Syd is basically you and that you really identify as her. So Syd is a female character and you identify as male. Does that ever cause any awkwardness when you're interacting with others in the fandom?

I usually tend to establish I'm male before anything else

Do you like to see culture play a big role in fics? If so, do you like to see IRL culture adapted to the Zootopia world or the writer creating their own culture?

A bit of both, really. Lately I've been making a push to make Syd even more like me, in the sense that she has the Zootopian equivalent of Native American heritage, as both of her parents are, since mine are as well.

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

I am a WildeHopps shipper, but I do have fun shipping them with other mammals. Only so much material, you know?

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! Today we've got quite the celebrity joining us. One of, if not the best DJ in Zootopia, Sydney Matthews."

"Good afternoon, Zootopia! Lovely being on air again."

"Thank you so much for coming on Sydney."

"Thanks for having me."

"I'll admit I'm a little nervous having an honest to goodness celebrity on the show."

She chuckles. "Oh, you're doing great."

"Oh thank you." deep breath "Okay, let's start from the beginning. When did you first realize that you had a talent for music?"

"Oooh... about... 2009 is when I first started dabbling in music? Didn't really do much, just started learning different instruments and stuff. It wasn't until 2013 when I finally decided music was what I wanted to do."

"What happened then?"

"Well, I just started playing, really. I started with gigs at smaller public events, and... it just kept escalating."

"Did you start out DJing or just playing instruments?"

"I started off with DJing, but I did make myself available as a backup for bands who needed one."

"What's the worst gig you've ever played at?"

"Well... there was this one outdoor festival in Sahara Square. It wasn't their fault, but a sandstorm came in and messed up all the equipment."

"My mom played guitar in a band and talked about having to play in rowdy dive bars and stuff like that. Did you get your start that way or were you able to take a different route?"

"I actually managed to get ky first major gig at a nightclub a friend of mine owns. I think I got lucky, heh."

"At what point did you look at yourself and think I made it. I made the big time."

"Well... I'd say when I got my first gig, really. Big gig, I mean."

"So obviously you've done bigger gigs since then. What defined a big gig for you then and has your definition changed any?"

"Umm... well, at first I defined 'big gig' as anything with, like, over a hundred people. Now that definition constitutes at least a thousand."

giggles "That's a nice little bump."

she chuckles.

"Did you see the size of crowds you'd bring in continuously increase after that or was it still a little rocky for a while?"

"They started to increase afterwards. Word of mouth, and all."

"When did your events start getting... major advertising? I mean things like commercials and billboards."

"Uhh... around my second year in."

"So what do you do when you're not performing or in the public's eye?"

"Well... I like tinkering with recipes, and I do a bit of gunsmithing on the side."

"Really? Wow, I wasn't that. What kind kind of gunsmithing do you do?"

"I apply finishings to my stuff."

"Oh like customized looks?"

she nods.

"Do you just make aesthetic mods or do you also change out sites to get the look you want?"

"Oooh, I change everything to make sure the look is consistent."

"Do you go for a consistent look or does each one get it's own theme or something?"

"I try to go for a consistent style, yeah."

"Are your pieces just for display or do you take them out to the range as well?"

"Pretty much just display."

"Do you have any collectibles?"

"uhhh... a lot. a lot a lot."

laughs "Do you look for anything specific when collecting or just whatever you can get your paws on?"

"As much music related stuff as I can find."

"Where do you get your inspiration from?"

"Caravan Palace is my main inspiration."

"Do you tend to stick with that genre or do you branch out depending on how you want a particular number to turn out?"

"I swap between that, EDM, and metal."

"Do you find composing tedious in any way?"

"Nope! I love every bit of it."

"Do you ever struggle with inspiration?"

"Sometimes."

"What do you do to work through that?"

"Have a drink and listen to music. Maybe look at the ceiling, heh."

giggles "Basically chill till it comes to you?"

"Yup!"

"Nice. So we've talked about your hobbies, your music, how you got started; but what about Sydney before the fame or off camera? What was growing up like for you?"

"I was born in 1985, and I grew up on like, nerdy things. My sister introduced me to all that stuff, and we're still into it, heh. I collect like... Pokemon cards, Transformers, Lego sets, among other things."

"I'm assuming this is an older sister?"

she nods "Yup! Her name's Mavis. She was born in '77."

"Wow, that's quite an age gap. Is she your only sibling?"

"She was 8 when I was born. And yup."

"What was it like to have a sibling that was much older than you? Was there a reason you two are so far apart in age?"

"Not too different? And no reason, really. My parents just decided to have another kid someday."

"So what about yourself? Ever think about settling down and raising a few kits of your own?"

"Sometimes?"

"Have you met anyone worth starting a family with?"

"Oh yeah. My boyfriend."

"I would love to dive more into your personal life, especially your love life, but I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for taking the time to come on with us."

"Oh yeah, no problem."

"And thank you for joining us here on Characters of Zootopia! See you next time!"