Why do you write fanfiction instead of... just... fiction?
Long story short (enjoy it while it lasts, I usually don't cut anything short): I'm trying to improve my writing skills all around. It's much easier (to me, at least) to drop into a world where the main characters (and a pretty healthy selection of secondary/tertiary/etc. characters) are already defined. Their names, how they look, and at least some basics of personality and behavior are all canonical. If I get tired of writing fanfics but still feel an itch to keep writing, maybe I'll tackle creating my own world and characters from scratch. But I feel like that's a long way off, if it's even attainable.
Why do you use the alias "donutbarn"?
I'll try to keep this brief. Years ago, I decided to come up with a fake name to use online. I liked the movie Big Trouble in Little China, so I chose the last name "Burton." I don't remember where "Dan" came from, but later I found out that Dan Burton was the name of a representative from Indiana, and realized (too late) that it may not be the best name to use. So I ran it through an anagram generator and found "donutbarn" in the list. Something about it appealed to me. Who doesn't like donuts?
Who are you? Like, behind the alias and everything?
Someone who values his privacy. The only things I'm willing to share are: I'm male, I'm over 30 years old, and I live in the U.S.
Why Zootopia?
Good question, and one that I don't have a short answer to.
The most obvious answer is that I like the movie. Do I think it's the perfect movie? No. There are silly moments, plot holes, and questionable choices. But overall, it really appeals to me. The main characters are very relatable and likeable, the voice work is fantastic, and I'm enough of a geek to marvel at the technological achievements represented in the film.
Like, seriously. Don't get me started on the evolution of cinematic rendering software.
Isn't Zootopia just prettied-up copaganda?
Whoof, imaginary question-asker. That's pretty blunt.
You can certainly look at it that way. Judy's drive to become a cop is presented as completely innocent and honorable. The closest things there are to crooked cops in the movie are the unnamed sheep who apparently help with the villain's plot. There's the subtext of species-as-races and associated prejudices, but everything is mostly swept into a neat little pile once Judy and Nick "prove themselves".
I hate to play this card, but it's a children's movie, released by Walt Disney Animated Pictures and rated PG in the United States. They slip in a bit of social commentary, mostly along the lines of species-based prejudice, but ultimately it isn't meant as a documentary or intentional copaganda. There have always been kids who want to be police officers when they grow up. Judy's a kid when she announces her intention. She just sticks with it, as opposed to most kids who move on to firefighters, astronauts, or whatever.
Since you write fanfic of Zootopia, does that mean you're a 'back-the-blue-no-matter-what' type?
No. I believe the police are just as fallible as any other people, and unfortunately, when they abuse their power, it can (and often does) have a much more devastating impact than if they were, say, a store manager.
But essentially, my interest in writing silly little stories about a fox and bunny have almost nothing to do with them being cops. I don't know police procedure and it doesn't really interest me. What does interest me is their dynamic and the potential of their relationship. I'd probably be just as into writing Zoots if Nick and Judy were pastry chefs.
Did you see the information dropped in D23 about Zootopia 2? If so, are you excited about it?
Yes and YES, respectively.
Are you a furry?
My first answer here was a flat "no". Now I'm not so sure. Check again in a few months.
Here's what I consider an important point: I don't write WildeHopps fanfiction because they're animals. To me, fanfiction -- hell, any fiction, including anthro, sf, fantasy, or whatever -- is a way to examine the human condition. No, the characters in Zootopia aren't human. But they act like humans. They walk and talk like humans. The way they relate to each other is very human.
This probably has a big effect on both my writing and my reading preferences. As a gross generalization, I don't like stories that delve into biological details of the characters' species. It's fine to mention that Judy doesn't eat meat, or that Nick has good night vision, or things like that. But the further the story gets into 'canids must ingest a certain amount of taurine or else they go blind', the more likely I am to click away from it.
Don't take that as a gauntlet thrown down before anyone who does write fanfic like that. It's just not what I enjoy.
I really enjoyed one or more fanfics you wrote. Would you mind if I [created my own fanfic based on it | created fanart based on it]?
I would be absolutely delighted, and only ask that you credit me in some way. If you don't have an account anywhere to host your work, I can either host it here or on another site.
Even if you don't feel moved to write or draw something based on it, if you liked a story, I'd love to read any comment you care to leave on AO3.
All of your stories seem to be WildeHopps. Do you write smutty WildeHopps stories?
No. Maybe some time in the future I will, but for now, I don't. There are mental hurdles I can't clear when it comes to writing anthro sex scenes -- like how human or animal should it be? That said, I read WildeHopps smutfics sometimes with no real problems.
Why don't you write stories about [Zistopia | a new form of Night Howlers | Jack Savage and Skye | your topic here]?
Writing comes easiest to me when I'm writing about a topic I enjoy, or at least one that interests me. So far, the things I've been most interested in revolve around Nick and Judy's relationship. In time, I may get to (your topic here), or I may not.
Do you take requests or commissions?
Short answer: No.
All of the fanfics I've written so far have been on my own time, on my own schedule. That's how I work best. I don't handle deadlines or obligations well, and I feel pretty confident that if I tried to write under those constraints, I'd end up running around in little circles and never getting anything done.
Would you accept prompts or story ideas?
Accept them? Sure. Follow through on writing anything based on them? Possibly, under very limited circumstances.
Basically, see the answer above (the one about requests and commissions). If your suggestion is so far out of my wheelhouse that I don't know anything about it and have no interest in it, then I will almost definitely ignore it. If it happens to catch my interest just right, I may run with it and see how it turns out. If I end up publishing the result, I'll credit you in the author's notes. (Since I don't make any money at all from my writing, obviously there won't be any profit-sharing.)
Do you do RP (roleplay)?
I do not.
I really hate this thing you wrote.
Sorry to hear that. You aren't obligated to read anything I write, so if any of my stories bother you, feel free to not read any more of them.
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