This round goes to my co-runner KataraLover. This is his third win in the contest, in fact he's now won a round for each of his three entries! Round 3: Best Leading Man was won with Gabriel from Brave2. Round 4: Best Villain: was won with Jehan from The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2: the Revenge. And finally, round 9: Best Character Development has been won with From Paws To Thumbs! So with further ado here is the interview.
This is your third win. How does it feel to win not one, not two, but three rounds?
It feels absolutely AMAZING! I’m especially happy that I won the best character development round because I always like to make sure that the characters I write are well-developed. I know that I’m not going to be the user that is dominating the contest but I am glad that I’m actually winning something. I’m also glad that From Paws To Thumbs is actually winning something.
You write fanfiction, so you know how hard it is to develop characters and keep in character at the same. How does it feel that people think you were the best at developing your characters?
I don’t write too many fanfictions, I dabble a little bit in it. Anyway, it really is HARD writing characters that already exist and making sure they’re well-developed. I’ve written two fanfictions about Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender and I’ve always been horrible at writing her. Her development always seemed rushed and made her seem out of character a lot of the time. But I digress. It feels amazing knowing that I’ve won best character development because I always want to make sure a character learns and changes from their journey. I think characters like Tramp and Naveen are poorly developed because I never felt like their development was well-paced and was just rushed. I’m so just honored that people think I’m the best at making characters well-developed.
Who would you say was the hardest character to develop and why?
Honestly, it was the parents, particularly Lady and Tramp. I relate more to the three main characters than I do the parents, so the kids were easy for me to write but I had to look at the parents from a different perspective. I had to try to look through their eyes and make them realistic because they do love their children. I had to make sure they weren’t flat and undeveloped characters because it would be very poor writing on my part. But thanks to a friend of mine on Fanpop, AllegroGiocoso, who helped me with making the parents stay true to their characters but also become more mature and grow.
Who would you say was the easiest character to develop and why?
It would definitely be Scamp. He’s my favorite character in the story and you can clearly see that when you read the story. I relate to him a lot so I found him very easy to write and develop as a character.
Which of the characters was the most fun to write about and develop? And why?
All three of the kids were A LOT of fun to write but the most fun was Scamp. I loved every single second of writing him and helping him grow as a character. I always felt like, while I LOVED him in the movie, that he could have been written better. I love how he still makes mistakes but he genuinely feels bad for them and how they affect the ones that he loves. I really love how he knows all the bad things his dad has done but realizes that he truly loves him and then tries to do all that he can to make him and his mother proud of him. Which is why I thought proud of your boy was the right song for the movie and for the right character. Plus, it was an amazing way to honor the late Howard Ashman; the song meant a great deal to him and it was unfortunately cut from Aladdin. I hope that this is made into a movie, so this song can help Howard’s legacy live on.
Which of the characters was the most boring/least fun to write about and develop? And why?
Scamp’s Sisters were the most boring and least fun to write. I’ve always hated these annoying, spoiled little brats! They were horribly written in the movie, bully Scamp, are superficial, egotistical, and are among my least favorite fictional characters. I did try to make them more developed and sympathetic but there is only so much a writer can do. I do feel like I wrote them better than the movie did, but they are still just terrible characters and they were irritating every second I was writing them, except for their redemption.
What do you think is the hardest thing about writing pre-existing characters in fanfiction and why?
Making sure that I stay true to the personalities of the characters I don’t relate or connect to as easily. Also making sure I do justice and honor characters that people love so much.
What do you think the easiest thing about writing pre-existing characters in fanfiction and why?
I guess its writing characters I relate to in the stories. It just feels so natural when I write characters like Scamp.
How hard would you say it is to develop a pre-existing character, and also keep that character’s original personality, at the same time?
It’s actually both hard and easy for me. Like I said, with characters like Tramp and Lady, it’s hard because I need to do them the justice they deserve and also have them grow and learn. Even with characters like Scamp, Angel, and Patch, it was kind of hard because I had to make sure they kept their flaws but were still likable and grew as characters. So it is challenging in some ways but for some reason it’s also kind of easy and I don’t know why.
A big part of developing the characters is also developing their relationships with the other characters in a believable way. Was this hard or easy to do and why?
Some were hard and others were easy. I mean, in my story there are characters that have never even met each other. So I need to make sure the characters that are from the same franchise have their relationships in a realistic and believable way but I also needed to develop the relationships between them and the characters they’ve never even met. I suppose it was pretty easy for Scamp and Angel to become friends with Patch because they are all three kindred spirits that relate to each other a lot. But it was challenging because I had to make sure their friendship was strong and not forced. Also the relationship between Cruella and Buster had to be developed in a way that’s believable but also keep in mind that they are greedy villains that will stop at nothing to get what they want.
But I also found it really fun that I got to help the relationships between the characters develop the characters themselves. Scamp and Tramp have a very strained relationship but deep down inside they love each other. I also enjoyed being able to help develop the relationship Lady has with Scamp and Angel, two relationships we didn’t get to see much of in the actual movie. I always wanted Scamp and Lady to have more screen time together and actually have some dialogue with one another. Seriously, they don’t even speak to each other in the movie AT ALL! I even found that weird when I was a little kid. With Lady and Angel, after the climax they actually share a moment with each other. I knew that Patch would have both of his parents to talk to and that Scamp would have to go to his injured dad, so I figured that Angel and Lady would be a good choice. It shows that Scamp’s family does love Angel like family.
Which relationship was the most fun to develop and why?
This is really hard because I love the relationships between Scamp and Tramp, Scamp and Angel, and Patch’s relationship between Scamp and Angel. But I’m going to have to say that the most fun was the relationships that my character has with Scamp, Angel, and Patch. That’s kind of cheating but I’m going with that answer. I mean this is the only character in the story that is completely made up and I had to make sure the relationship was well-written. I didn’t want it to seem like my character was instantly attached to them because he sort of had to take care of them because his potion is what turned them human. Plus, waking up in the morning and finding three naked little kids in your house sleeping with dog collars on. Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable in that situation too? That is, if you didn’t call the cops or chase them out of your house, waving your fists in the air, and shouting “YOU ROTTEN KIDS.” I didn’t have him be a character that hates kids but I didn’t make him instantly love kids. I wanted him to seem like someone who likes kids okay but didn’t know much about them. He was getting irritated by having to take care of other living creatures besides himself, something he wasn’t used to. However, when they got sick, he felt really concerned and when they each feel asleep in his arms he saw how rewarding all of it was.
It was also the first time in a long time that my character actually let someone in to his life and let himself get close to someone, so it was a big thing for him. He wanted them to stay human so this happiness would never have to end but he knew it wasn’t the right thing. He loves them so much that he was willing to put his needs aside for what’s best for these kids. He has a strong bond with each of the kids. He helps them discover that they can be something grander than they themselves can comprehend if they just have a little confidence and believe in themselves. When they have their moments of insecurities, he was always there for them and never gave up on them. When they ran away, he could have just let them go but he did all that he could to find them. However, he also has his own insecurities and they are there for him because they have such a strong bond that they’re like a family. In the end, it’s because of their incredible friendship and love for each other, along with their love for their family, that they were able to defeat the villains. Their love is what conquered Cruella and Busters hate and evil. I also really love when Angel actually opens up to Chris about her past, which she’s only told Scamp about. It’s a very sweet moment and she even ends up deciding to live with Chris, so all three families are one. I just love this relationship, or relationships, SO MUCH! Plus, it’s me hanging out with some of my favorite fictional characters! Gotta love it!
Which relationship was the most boring/least fun to develop and why?[u]
That’s a hard one too. But I guess it was Scamp’s Sisters relationships between Scamp. They treat him like trash and are part of why he has so many insecurities. I also hate the relationship between Scamp’s Sisters and Angel. They treat her horribly just because she’s prettier than them and do all they can to make her miserable. Even Patch and Lucky’s relationship, while flawed, is more realistic and developed than Scamp’s Sisters relationships are with Scamp and Angel. Lucky, while I dislike him, has his redemption and redeeming qualities that keep me from hating him. Scamp’s Sisters on the other hand, are FAR from that and they just treat Scamp and Angel like they are complete scum. They are unlikable and ruin anything in the story, including the relationships they have with other characters.
[u]Which couple do you like the most; Lady and Tramp, Pongo and Perdita, or Scamp and Angel?
That is absolutely EASY! I hate Lady and Tramp as a couple, though I tolerate them in the sequel and in my fanfiction. I also felt that their romance came out of nowhere, was based off lies, and that they had no chemistry. Pongo and Perdita, I really like but it’s kind of bland and generic. Scamp and Angel are absolutely amazing! I know it’s just a gender reversal of Lady and Tramp, except it’s done a TRILLION times better! First, I love the whole idea of how they come from two different worlds, the boy from the right side of town and the girl from the wrong side of town. Scamp is the first person that Angel has ever let in and opened up to, something she’s always been afraid to do. She believed that the world was full of bad people that would hurt her and she couldn’t trust. But Scamp comes in and shows her how to finally trust and feel something for someone. She also tries to do all she can to make sure that Scamp doesn’t end up like her and will go back to his family. They are absolutely dedicated to each other, they learn from one another, and they inspire the other to want to be a better person, someone who is worthy of the other. They have a TON of chemistry and are one of my favorite Disney couples.
What inspired you to write this story?
Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what inspired me to write this story; it kind of just came to me. I do remember that at the time, I was really into the Disney sequels. I was also planning to do a fanfic about Melody meeting her cousins (Ariel’s sisters children), which I actually never got to. But I digress. I got this idea in my head because I love imaging Disney animals as humans, specifically Scamp and Angel. I for some reason thought of making a crossover between Lady and The Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, which of course I would focus on Scamp, Angel, and Patch because I love them so much. I guess I also got the idea of them being human because I love The Little Mermaid so much. I’m not exactly sure how I came up with this idea but I’m glad I came up with it because I fell in love with it.
You claim that you want to make From Paws To Thumbs into an actual Disney movie and this was the first fanfiction you took seriously. What was it about this story that caused you to come to this ambition?
I’m not too sure. I mean, I never took the fanfics I wrote too seriously, they were just for fun. But something about this story just made me fall in love with it. I must really love this story because this desire has been inside my head for years, so I know I must be serious about it if I’ve been thinking about it for this long. I love this story so much because the characters have so much depth, relatability, development, and heart. The story is pretty unique because, while it is a story about non-human characters becoming humans (not exactly something new), it also shows the characters learning from their mistakes and in the end willing to give up their happiness to be with the ones they love. I just feel such an attachment to this story that it makes my heart ache in a good way. This story while it has romance in it, doesn’t lose track of the fact that it’s a story about family. I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but I think this story is absolutely incredible and that if it was given a chance that it could be among the great Disney films. I will stop at nothing to have this story made into a Disney film, even if it takes me until I’m a one-hundred-year-old man.
In your story you made yourself an actual character in it, which is often considered a big no, no in writing. What made you decide to do this?
Well, you have to understand that I was doing this as a fanfiction for fun and that I wasn’t taking it too seriously. So I figured why not? I’ve always wanted to be a Disney character, like pretty much everyone does, so I just made this decision for the Disney geek inside of me. I mean, I’m a Disney character, I’m a wizard, and I’m in a story with some of my favorite Disney characters. Could you blame me? Don’t tell me that none of you wouldn’t be at least tempted to do it. I just have the guts to do so. However, I didn’t make myself too perfect or the typical Gary Stu. Part of why that wouldn’t work is because the readers are Fanpop users, who know me very well, so to make myself perfect and flawless would make me a DIRTY LIAR! Besides, Gary Stu’s are very pathetic characters and not interesting AT ALL! I mean, I did do the cliché of a Gary Stu of giving my character a kind of sad backstory. However, one plot point of the story I thankfully cut out was making my character this all powerful wizard and basically the Avatar of the wizard world. At the time, I didn’t know that this was a cliché for a Gary Stu; I just got rid of it because I didn’t think it worked very well with the story and was kind of dumb. Looks like I made a good decision by doing so. But I made sure my character had flaws. What good is a character without flaws? I was pretty easy to write because I know every single thing about me. LOL
You helped develop characters like Angel, Tramp, and Buster by giving them more backstory. How did you come up with these ideas and how do you think they add to the characters that makes them so well-rounded?
With Buster, you can’t develop a villain too much, unless they’re going to reform, which Buster is not. However, I had Buster have more depth to his character. I mean, we did see that he had resentments again Tramp for leaving him for Lady, which led to the very popular assumption that Buster is gay for Tramp. But I digress. While we did see that, I felt like they could have got more into what their relationship was like because it would have made Tramp leaving him for Lady all the more heartbreaking. I got the idea for Tramp taking Peg away from Buster because I thought it was very interesting. I knew a lot of people liked Peg, so I had to give her a shout-out. I figured that it would make for good continuity because it looks like Tramp had left Buster before he met Lady, so this made all the more sense. It showed that these are two friends that cared about each other but there was also a lot of betrayal, jealousy, and resentment that led to how Buster became who he was. It also helped Tramp come to face his past and show that Scamp knew that his father wasn’t perfect but that he still loved him. So it also helped Scamp develop.
As for Angel, she’s kind of a complex for a Disney character. She’s been through a lot because she’s had five families that got rid of her, she was forced to join a junkyard gang in order to survive, she wants a family but she’s afraid of getting hurt, and she wants to feel something for someone but is afraid that it will just end badly. I added her backstory with her parents and she blames herself for their death. I mean, a lot of people in her position would blame the dogcatcher for what happened, but she’s so vulnerable and insecure that she blames herself. Scamp was the only one she ever told this story to, before my character, so it shows how she’s really afraid of getting close to someone but also adds to her relationship with Scamp. She finally is able to let herself be happy, get close to others (besides Scamp), and let go of the past in the end. She even has the chance to have her parents come back to life, if she’ll just leave her friends to die, but she refuses the deal because she knows her parents wouldn’t approve, that it’s wrong, and that her friends are her family. It’s just wonderful character development for her and makes her even more amazing than she already is.
Some might argue that Lucky is kind of out of character because of how horrible he acts. What inspired you to make Lucky act so terrible in the story?
I based him off two things, one was that small scene where him and Patch fight in the original and the second one was how he was a really bad character in the TV series, which is a very bad show by the way. In the show, his character was arrogant, reckless, immature, irresponsible, kind of rude, and even when he got in trouble he never changed or learned anything. I do take that character and make it a bit more extreme, but it wasn’t that farfetched. I’ve always disliked Lucky. In the original he was a whiny damsel in distress and in the TV series he was an arrogant and irresponsible jerk that never learned anything. At least in my story I had him finally learned something and change.
What do you think is the biggest problem with fanfiction writers when it comes to developing their pre-existing characters?
People just don’t seem to try to keep them as their original selves and want to make them absolutely perfect with no flaws. I had this problem with the first fanfiction I ever wrote on Fanpop. It was where the Disney Princesses all got together to defeat the villains and you can clearly see that I was making Ariel a Mary-Sue with no flaws and the most important character in the story. It was truly bad! But I’ve learned that I need to keep the character the same but also make them well-developed by adding my personal touch of having them grow and mature.
Another problem is that they make characters they hate be completely unlikeable. In this one fanfiction I wrote, I made Suki, a character I hate, from Avatar: The Last Airbender, be a villain, even though she’s one of the good guys on the show. But I must say that I actually found her more interesting as a villain because she’s a major bore, a Mary-Sue, and an unnecessary character that is only there to be a love interest for one of the main characters. But I was being really biased and not being true to her character.
Who do you think are the best and worst fanfiction writers you’ve seen? And why? (not just on fanpop and please be honest)
I think the best would have to be an old Fanpop user called dweeb. He made great fanfictions like “Ursula’s Beginning” and one about Aladdin’s daughter. They were absolutely brilliant and everyone on Fanpop just adored the stories and commented on it all the time. I have to say that I’m completely jealous of him because my stories never got as much attention as his stories did; my stories hardly ever get any comments. I always look forward to seeing comments on my stories and I hardly get any at all. But I digress. I would say go check out dweeb’s stories but when he removed his account, he also removed his fanfictions. It’s really a shame because his stories are absolutely phenomenal. His story about Ursula actually has me looking at Ursula in a different perspective every time I watch The Little Mermaid. But I also think AllegroGiocoso and cruella (both from Fanpop) are fantastic fanfiction writers. They keep the characters true to themselves, have great stories, and I always enjoy reading them.side note from cruella- Thank you :)
I think the worst fanfiction writer is Jackie Diaz, who wrote the universally hated Avatar fanfiction, “How I Became Yours.” I will admit that the artwork in the fan-comic is fantastic, even though she’s just coloring over pictures and claiming she didn’t even though it’s obvious that she did. However, it has absolutely no continuity with the show. Katara and Zuko become a couple out of nowhere, even though in the show Katara is with Aang and Zuko is with Mai. She had Mai becomes one of the main villains just so Katara and Zuko could be together, even though there was never any romantic hints between the two of them at all. Suki just disappears out of nowhere, not that I mind that, but she doesn’t bother to explain what happens to her and why her and Sokka aren’t together anymore. Speaking of Sokka, he hooks up with Azula, I don’t mind that couple but it’s kind of forced. She also has Azula be sane, even though she lost her mind at the end of the show. She just says that Azula was so crazy that she lost her memory and is now your typical Disney Princess, which is FAR from what she is in reality. Toph and Aang also become a couple, to satisfy her Taang love, and just like with Zutara, doesn’t explain why they’re in love and completely ignores the show. If Toph had to end up with someone, why not Sokka? They had a really strong bond and there were hints that Toph had feelings for Sokka. There was none of that between Aang and Toph, especially compared to Aang and Katara. She also has Toph become Katara’s girly lady-in-waiting, which is FAR from what Toph was. She was a HARDCORE tomboy and would never be someone’s lady-in-waiting. Plus, this story is meant to be set years after the show ended and both Aang and Toph look like twelve-year-olds with the bodies of sixteen-year-olds, which is very creepy. This story was made into an unofficial comic and there are a TON of spelling and grammar errors. Now, I’m known for making those kinds of mistakes in my stories, but if you’re going to make them into a comic or a book, you should do all you can to make the story as perfect as you can. It’s a complete mess and is just horrible.
You’ve made both an old version and a new version of From Paws To Thumbs. What made you decide to remake it?
Well, when I was getting close to the end of my fanfiction, that was when I decided I wanted it to be made into a Disney movie. However, the more I thought about the story I found that the story had more and more problems that I needed to fix. Patch wasn’t as active and developed as he could have been, the parents were bland and not themselves, Cruella was how she was in that bad animated TV series and not what she’s really like, the climax was really lame, the writing was too simple, some parts weren’t all that good, the character development wasn’t as good, the relationships weren’t as strong, there were some scene that needed to be there, the plot needed some tweaking, and I was completely unsatisfied with the ending. The old version was good but not great and I’m a little embarrassed about it. The new version is fantastic, in my honest opinion. I wanted to make sure that this would be a movie that would be worthy of being called a Disney movie and I wanted to put my all into this.
I want to talk about the ending, because it was the hardest thing of all for me to make. I know that Broken Shards of A Frozen Heart will win the best ending round, since that story has been DOMINATING this contest, and I really want to talk about this because it was part of the character development. In the first ending ever, the three main characters turn back into puppies and my character just leaves to fix his family problems and doesn’t say goodbye. That was really bad and completely unsatisfying. In the second version of the ending, I put two endings and let the audience decide which was better. In both of them, my character goes back to his family and doesn’t say goodbye to his friends because it would have been too painful, but unlike the old ending, you actually see him go to his family and patch things up. But he ends up going back to his friends after his mother convinces him to go back to them. In one version, the kids stayed puppies and in the other they turn back into humans and go to live with my character. Most people preferred the one where they stay puppies and I still wasn’t satisfied.
However, I got a message from AllegroGiocoso about how they could turn back into humans. It was to have the parents and siblings turn human too and show how they were willing to sacrifice their lives and struggle in order to make their kids happy. Unfortunately, I just felt that it wouldn’t work. But it sparked a new idea for an ending that was absolutely PERFECT! I had the parents make that offer but the kids refused because they didn’t want their family to be unhappy and suffer just to make them happy. It shows amazing character development for both the parents and the kids. The parents love their kids so much that they were willing to sacrifice the life they love to make them happy and shows how the kids are willing to give up their happiness in order to keep their families from suffering. They realized they had been selfish and that it wasn’t right for them to have their family give up their life styles for them. However, my character comes up with an idea to turn the kids human and have their owners adopt them, so they can be human and stay with their families. They all agree with it and I use my magic to turn them human. However, Angel decides to live with me to show that they were all one family, and I even used my magic to transport my house and Jim Dear and Darling’s house to the Dalmatian Plantation, so we could all live next door and show that we stand united. The kids thank their parents for all they done and tell them they love them. But in the story, there is also a magic mirror that reveals ones true form, similar to how Ursula saw herself in the mirror when she was Vanessa, but when the kids looked into the mirror they saw one half of their faces as dogs and the other half was them as humans. In the end, when they look into the mirror they just see themselves as human, which is a wonderful stage of character realization of who they are. And the story ends with me and the kids flying on my magic carpet, along with Anita revealing to Roger that she’s pregnant. That was a completely satisfying ending and everyone thought it was the perfect ending to the story
You’re a judge for the contest, so if you were allowed to vote for yourself, would you? (be honest)
To be honest, yes I would have. I don’t think that makes me arrogant, just confident and there is nothing wrong with that.
And finally, do you think you deserved to win this round? (be honest)
Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t others that deserved it as well.
This is your third win. How does it feel to win not one, not two, but three rounds?
It feels absolutely AMAZING! I’m especially happy that I won the best character development round because I always like to make sure that the characters I write are well-developed. I know that I’m not going to be the user that is dominating the contest but I am glad that I’m actually winning something. I’m also glad that From Paws To Thumbs is actually winning something.
You write fanfiction, so you know how hard it is to develop characters and keep in character at the same. How does it feel that people think you were the best at developing your characters?
I don’t write too many fanfictions, I dabble a little bit in it. Anyway, it really is HARD writing characters that already exist and making sure they’re well-developed. I’ve written two fanfictions about Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender and I’ve always been horrible at writing her. Her development always seemed rushed and made her seem out of character a lot of the time. But I digress. It feels amazing knowing that I’ve won best character development because I always want to make sure a character learns and changes from their journey. I think characters like Tramp and Naveen are poorly developed because I never felt like their development was well-paced and was just rushed. I’m so just honored that people think I’m the best at making characters well-developed.
Who would you say was the hardest character to develop and why?
Honestly, it was the parents, particularly Lady and Tramp. I relate more to the three main characters than I do the parents, so the kids were easy for me to write but I had to look at the parents from a different perspective. I had to try to look through their eyes and make them realistic because they do love their children. I had to make sure they weren’t flat and undeveloped characters because it would be very poor writing on my part. But thanks to a friend of mine on Fanpop, AllegroGiocoso, who helped me with making the parents stay true to their characters but also become more mature and grow.
Who would you say was the easiest character to develop and why?
It would definitely be Scamp. He’s my favorite character in the story and you can clearly see that when you read the story. I relate to him a lot so I found him very easy to write and develop as a character.
Which of the characters was the most fun to write about and develop? And why?
All three of the kids were A LOT of fun to write but the most fun was Scamp. I loved every single second of writing him and helping him grow as a character. I always felt like, while I LOVED him in the movie, that he could have been written better. I love how he still makes mistakes but he genuinely feels bad for them and how they affect the ones that he loves. I really love how he knows all the bad things his dad has done but realizes that he truly loves him and then tries to do all that he can to make him and his mother proud of him. Which is why I thought proud of your boy was the right song for the movie and for the right character. Plus, it was an amazing way to honor the late Howard Ashman; the song meant a great deal to him and it was unfortunately cut from Aladdin. I hope that this is made into a movie, so this song can help Howard’s legacy live on.
Which of the characters was the most boring/least fun to write about and develop? And why?
Scamp’s Sisters were the most boring and least fun to write. I’ve always hated these annoying, spoiled little brats! They were horribly written in the movie, bully Scamp, are superficial, egotistical, and are among my least favorite fictional characters. I did try to make them more developed and sympathetic but there is only so much a writer can do. I do feel like I wrote them better than the movie did, but they are still just terrible characters and they were irritating every second I was writing them, except for their redemption.
What do you think is the hardest thing about writing pre-existing characters in fanfiction and why?
Making sure that I stay true to the personalities of the characters I don’t relate or connect to as easily. Also making sure I do justice and honor characters that people love so much.
What do you think the easiest thing about writing pre-existing characters in fanfiction and why?
I guess its writing characters I relate to in the stories. It just feels so natural when I write characters like Scamp.
How hard would you say it is to develop a pre-existing character, and also keep that character’s original personality, at the same time?
It’s actually both hard and easy for me. Like I said, with characters like Tramp and Lady, it’s hard because I need to do them the justice they deserve and also have them grow and learn. Even with characters like Scamp, Angel, and Patch, it was kind of hard because I had to make sure they kept their flaws but were still likable and grew as characters. So it is challenging in some ways but for some reason it’s also kind of easy and I don’t know why.
A big part of developing the characters is also developing their relationships with the other characters in a believable way. Was this hard or easy to do and why?
Some were hard and others were easy. I mean, in my story there are characters that have never even met each other. So I need to make sure the characters that are from the same franchise have their relationships in a realistic and believable way but I also needed to develop the relationships between them and the characters they’ve never even met. I suppose it was pretty easy for Scamp and Angel to become friends with Patch because they are all three kindred spirits that relate to each other a lot. But it was challenging because I had to make sure their friendship was strong and not forced. Also the relationship between Cruella and Buster had to be developed in a way that’s believable but also keep in mind that they are greedy villains that will stop at nothing to get what they want.
But I also found it really fun that I got to help the relationships between the characters develop the characters themselves. Scamp and Tramp have a very strained relationship but deep down inside they love each other. I also enjoyed being able to help develop the relationship Lady has with Scamp and Angel, two relationships we didn’t get to see much of in the actual movie. I always wanted Scamp and Lady to have more screen time together and actually have some dialogue with one another. Seriously, they don’t even speak to each other in the movie AT ALL! I even found that weird when I was a little kid. With Lady and Angel, after the climax they actually share a moment with each other. I knew that Patch would have both of his parents to talk to and that Scamp would have to go to his injured dad, so I figured that Angel and Lady would be a good choice. It shows that Scamp’s family does love Angel like family.
Which relationship was the most fun to develop and why?
This is really hard because I love the relationships between Scamp and Tramp, Scamp and Angel, and Patch’s relationship between Scamp and Angel. But I’m going to have to say that the most fun was the relationships that my character has with Scamp, Angel, and Patch. That’s kind of cheating but I’m going with that answer. I mean this is the only character in the story that is completely made up and I had to make sure the relationship was well-written. I didn’t want it to seem like my character was instantly attached to them because he sort of had to take care of them because his potion is what turned them human. Plus, waking up in the morning and finding three naked little kids in your house sleeping with dog collars on. Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable in that situation too? That is, if you didn’t call the cops or chase them out of your house, waving your fists in the air, and shouting “YOU ROTTEN KIDS.” I didn’t have him be a character that hates kids but I didn’t make him instantly love kids. I wanted him to seem like someone who likes kids okay but didn’t know much about them. He was getting irritated by having to take care of other living creatures besides himself, something he wasn’t used to. However, when they got sick, he felt really concerned and when they each feel asleep in his arms he saw how rewarding all of it was.
It was also the first time in a long time that my character actually let someone in to his life and let himself get close to someone, so it was a big thing for him. He wanted them to stay human so this happiness would never have to end but he knew it wasn’t the right thing. He loves them so much that he was willing to put his needs aside for what’s best for these kids. He has a strong bond with each of the kids. He helps them discover that they can be something grander than they themselves can comprehend if they just have a little confidence and believe in themselves. When they have their moments of insecurities, he was always there for them and never gave up on them. When they ran away, he could have just let them go but he did all that he could to find them. However, he also has his own insecurities and they are there for him because they have such a strong bond that they’re like a family. In the end, it’s because of their incredible friendship and love for each other, along with their love for their family, that they were able to defeat the villains. Their love is what conquered Cruella and Busters hate and evil. I also really love when Angel actually opens up to Chris about her past, which she’s only told Scamp about. It’s a very sweet moment and she even ends up deciding to live with Chris, so all three families are one. I just love this relationship, or relationships, SO MUCH! Plus, it’s me hanging out with some of my favorite fictional characters! Gotta love it!
Which relationship was the most boring/least fun to develop and why?[u]
That’s a hard one too. But I guess it was Scamp’s Sisters relationships between Scamp. They treat him like trash and are part of why he has so many insecurities. I also hate the relationship between Scamp’s Sisters and Angel. They treat her horribly just because she’s prettier than them and do all they can to make her miserable. Even Patch and Lucky’s relationship, while flawed, is more realistic and developed than Scamp’s Sisters relationships are with Scamp and Angel. Lucky, while I dislike him, has his redemption and redeeming qualities that keep me from hating him. Scamp’s Sisters on the other hand, are FAR from that and they just treat Scamp and Angel like they are complete scum. They are unlikable and ruin anything in the story, including the relationships they have with other characters.
[u]Which couple do you like the most; Lady and Tramp, Pongo and Perdita, or Scamp and Angel?
That is absolutely EASY! I hate Lady and Tramp as a couple, though I tolerate them in the sequel and in my fanfiction. I also felt that their romance came out of nowhere, was based off lies, and that they had no chemistry. Pongo and Perdita, I really like but it’s kind of bland and generic. Scamp and Angel are absolutely amazing! I know it’s just a gender reversal of Lady and Tramp, except it’s done a TRILLION times better! First, I love the whole idea of how they come from two different worlds, the boy from the right side of town and the girl from the wrong side of town. Scamp is the first person that Angel has ever let in and opened up to, something she’s always been afraid to do. She believed that the world was full of bad people that would hurt her and she couldn’t trust. But Scamp comes in and shows her how to finally trust and feel something for someone. She also tries to do all she can to make sure that Scamp doesn’t end up like her and will go back to his family. They are absolutely dedicated to each other, they learn from one another, and they inspire the other to want to be a better person, someone who is worthy of the other. They have a TON of chemistry and are one of my favorite Disney couples.
What inspired you to write this story?
Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what inspired me to write this story; it kind of just came to me. I do remember that at the time, I was really into the Disney sequels. I was also planning to do a fanfic about Melody meeting her cousins (Ariel’s sisters children), which I actually never got to. But I digress. I got this idea in my head because I love imaging Disney animals as humans, specifically Scamp and Angel. I for some reason thought of making a crossover between Lady and The Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, which of course I would focus on Scamp, Angel, and Patch because I love them so much. I guess I also got the idea of them being human because I love The Little Mermaid so much. I’m not exactly sure how I came up with this idea but I’m glad I came up with it because I fell in love with it.
You claim that you want to make From Paws To Thumbs into an actual Disney movie and this was the first fanfiction you took seriously. What was it about this story that caused you to come to this ambition?
I’m not too sure. I mean, I never took the fanfics I wrote too seriously, they were just for fun. But something about this story just made me fall in love with it. I must really love this story because this desire has been inside my head for years, so I know I must be serious about it if I’ve been thinking about it for this long. I love this story so much because the characters have so much depth, relatability, development, and heart. The story is pretty unique because, while it is a story about non-human characters becoming humans (not exactly something new), it also shows the characters learning from their mistakes and in the end willing to give up their happiness to be with the ones they love. I just feel such an attachment to this story that it makes my heart ache in a good way. This story while it has romance in it, doesn’t lose track of the fact that it’s a story about family. I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but I think this story is absolutely incredible and that if it was given a chance that it could be among the great Disney films. I will stop at nothing to have this story made into a Disney film, even if it takes me until I’m a one-hundred-year-old man.
In your story you made yourself an actual character in it, which is often considered a big no, no in writing. What made you decide to do this?
Well, you have to understand that I was doing this as a fanfiction for fun and that I wasn’t taking it too seriously. So I figured why not? I’ve always wanted to be a Disney character, like pretty much everyone does, so I just made this decision for the Disney geek inside of me. I mean, I’m a Disney character, I’m a wizard, and I’m in a story with some of my favorite Disney characters. Could you blame me? Don’t tell me that none of you wouldn’t be at least tempted to do it. I just have the guts to do so. However, I didn’t make myself too perfect or the typical Gary Stu. Part of why that wouldn’t work is because the readers are Fanpop users, who know me very well, so to make myself perfect and flawless would make me a DIRTY LIAR! Besides, Gary Stu’s are very pathetic characters and not interesting AT ALL! I mean, I did do the cliché of a Gary Stu of giving my character a kind of sad backstory. However, one plot point of the story I thankfully cut out was making my character this all powerful wizard and basically the Avatar of the wizard world. At the time, I didn’t know that this was a cliché for a Gary Stu; I just got rid of it because I didn’t think it worked very well with the story and was kind of dumb. Looks like I made a good decision by doing so. But I made sure my character had flaws. What good is a character without flaws? I was pretty easy to write because I know every single thing about me. LOL
You helped develop characters like Angel, Tramp, and Buster by giving them more backstory. How did you come up with these ideas and how do you think they add to the characters that makes them so well-rounded?
With Buster, you can’t develop a villain too much, unless they’re going to reform, which Buster is not. However, I had Buster have more depth to his character. I mean, we did see that he had resentments again Tramp for leaving him for Lady, which led to the very popular assumption that Buster is gay for Tramp. But I digress. While we did see that, I felt like they could have got more into what their relationship was like because it would have made Tramp leaving him for Lady all the more heartbreaking. I got the idea for Tramp taking Peg away from Buster because I thought it was very interesting. I knew a lot of people liked Peg, so I had to give her a shout-out. I figured that it would make for good continuity because it looks like Tramp had left Buster before he met Lady, so this made all the more sense. It showed that these are two friends that cared about each other but there was also a lot of betrayal, jealousy, and resentment that led to how Buster became who he was. It also helped Tramp come to face his past and show that Scamp knew that his father wasn’t perfect but that he still loved him. So it also helped Scamp develop.
As for Angel, she’s kind of a complex for a Disney character. She’s been through a lot because she’s had five families that got rid of her, she was forced to join a junkyard gang in order to survive, she wants a family but she’s afraid of getting hurt, and she wants to feel something for someone but is afraid that it will just end badly. I added her backstory with her parents and she blames herself for their death. I mean, a lot of people in her position would blame the dogcatcher for what happened, but she’s so vulnerable and insecure that she blames herself. Scamp was the only one she ever told this story to, before my character, so it shows how she’s really afraid of getting close to someone but also adds to her relationship with Scamp. She finally is able to let herself be happy, get close to others (besides Scamp), and let go of the past in the end. She even has the chance to have her parents come back to life, if she’ll just leave her friends to die, but she refuses the deal because she knows her parents wouldn’t approve, that it’s wrong, and that her friends are her family. It’s just wonderful character development for her and makes her even more amazing than she already is.
Some might argue that Lucky is kind of out of character because of how horrible he acts. What inspired you to make Lucky act so terrible in the story?
I based him off two things, one was that small scene where him and Patch fight in the original and the second one was how he was a really bad character in the TV series, which is a very bad show by the way. In the show, his character was arrogant, reckless, immature, irresponsible, kind of rude, and even when he got in trouble he never changed or learned anything. I do take that character and make it a bit more extreme, but it wasn’t that farfetched. I’ve always disliked Lucky. In the original he was a whiny damsel in distress and in the TV series he was an arrogant and irresponsible jerk that never learned anything. At least in my story I had him finally learned something and change.
What do you think is the biggest problem with fanfiction writers when it comes to developing their pre-existing characters?
People just don’t seem to try to keep them as their original selves and want to make them absolutely perfect with no flaws. I had this problem with the first fanfiction I ever wrote on Fanpop. It was where the Disney Princesses all got together to defeat the villains and you can clearly see that I was making Ariel a Mary-Sue with no flaws and the most important character in the story. It was truly bad! But I’ve learned that I need to keep the character the same but also make them well-developed by adding my personal touch of having them grow and mature.
Another problem is that they make characters they hate be completely unlikeable. In this one fanfiction I wrote, I made Suki, a character I hate, from Avatar: The Last Airbender, be a villain, even though she’s one of the good guys on the show. But I must say that I actually found her more interesting as a villain because she’s a major bore, a Mary-Sue, and an unnecessary character that is only there to be a love interest for one of the main characters. But I was being really biased and not being true to her character.
Who do you think are the best and worst fanfiction writers you’ve seen? And why? (not just on fanpop and please be honest)
I think the best would have to be an old Fanpop user called dweeb. He made great fanfictions like “Ursula’s Beginning” and one about Aladdin’s daughter. They were absolutely brilliant and everyone on Fanpop just adored the stories and commented on it all the time. I have to say that I’m completely jealous of him because my stories never got as much attention as his stories did; my stories hardly ever get any comments. I always look forward to seeing comments on my stories and I hardly get any at all. But I digress. I would say go check out dweeb’s stories but when he removed his account, he also removed his fanfictions. It’s really a shame because his stories are absolutely phenomenal. His story about Ursula actually has me looking at Ursula in a different perspective every time I watch The Little Mermaid. But I also think AllegroGiocoso and cruella (both from Fanpop) are fantastic fanfiction writers. They keep the characters true to themselves, have great stories, and I always enjoy reading them.side note from cruella- Thank you :)
I think the worst fanfiction writer is Jackie Diaz, who wrote the universally hated Avatar fanfiction, “How I Became Yours.” I will admit that the artwork in the fan-comic is fantastic, even though she’s just coloring over pictures and claiming she didn’t even though it’s obvious that she did. However, it has absolutely no continuity with the show. Katara and Zuko become a couple out of nowhere, even though in the show Katara is with Aang and Zuko is with Mai. She had Mai becomes one of the main villains just so Katara and Zuko could be together, even though there was never any romantic hints between the two of them at all. Suki just disappears out of nowhere, not that I mind that, but she doesn’t bother to explain what happens to her and why her and Sokka aren’t together anymore. Speaking of Sokka, he hooks up with Azula, I don’t mind that couple but it’s kind of forced. She also has Azula be sane, even though she lost her mind at the end of the show. She just says that Azula was so crazy that she lost her memory and is now your typical Disney Princess, which is FAR from what she is in reality. Toph and Aang also become a couple, to satisfy her Taang love, and just like with Zutara, doesn’t explain why they’re in love and completely ignores the show. If Toph had to end up with someone, why not Sokka? They had a really strong bond and there were hints that Toph had feelings for Sokka. There was none of that between Aang and Toph, especially compared to Aang and Katara. She also has Toph become Katara’s girly lady-in-waiting, which is FAR from what Toph was. She was a HARDCORE tomboy and would never be someone’s lady-in-waiting. Plus, this story is meant to be set years after the show ended and both Aang and Toph look like twelve-year-olds with the bodies of sixteen-year-olds, which is very creepy. This story was made into an unofficial comic and there are a TON of spelling and grammar errors. Now, I’m known for making those kinds of mistakes in my stories, but if you’re going to make them into a comic or a book, you should do all you can to make the story as perfect as you can. It’s a complete mess and is just horrible.
You’ve made both an old version and a new version of From Paws To Thumbs. What made you decide to remake it?
Well, when I was getting close to the end of my fanfiction, that was when I decided I wanted it to be made into a Disney movie. However, the more I thought about the story I found that the story had more and more problems that I needed to fix. Patch wasn’t as active and developed as he could have been, the parents were bland and not themselves, Cruella was how she was in that bad animated TV series and not what she’s really like, the climax was really lame, the writing was too simple, some parts weren’t all that good, the character development wasn’t as good, the relationships weren’t as strong, there were some scene that needed to be there, the plot needed some tweaking, and I was completely unsatisfied with the ending. The old version was good but not great and I’m a little embarrassed about it. The new version is fantastic, in my honest opinion. I wanted to make sure that this would be a movie that would be worthy of being called a Disney movie and I wanted to put my all into this.
I want to talk about the ending, because it was the hardest thing of all for me to make. I know that Broken Shards of A Frozen Heart will win the best ending round, since that story has been DOMINATING this contest, and I really want to talk about this because it was part of the character development. In the first ending ever, the three main characters turn back into puppies and my character just leaves to fix his family problems and doesn’t say goodbye. That was really bad and completely unsatisfying. In the second version of the ending, I put two endings and let the audience decide which was better. In both of them, my character goes back to his family and doesn’t say goodbye to his friends because it would have been too painful, but unlike the old ending, you actually see him go to his family and patch things up. But he ends up going back to his friends after his mother convinces him to go back to them. In one version, the kids stayed puppies and in the other they turn back into humans and go to live with my character. Most people preferred the one where they stay puppies and I still wasn’t satisfied.
However, I got a message from AllegroGiocoso about how they could turn back into humans. It was to have the parents and siblings turn human too and show how they were willing to sacrifice their lives and struggle in order to make their kids happy. Unfortunately, I just felt that it wouldn’t work. But it sparked a new idea for an ending that was absolutely PERFECT! I had the parents make that offer but the kids refused because they didn’t want their family to be unhappy and suffer just to make them happy. It shows amazing character development for both the parents and the kids. The parents love their kids so much that they were willing to sacrifice the life they love to make them happy and shows how the kids are willing to give up their happiness in order to keep their families from suffering. They realized they had been selfish and that it wasn’t right for them to have their family give up their life styles for them. However, my character comes up with an idea to turn the kids human and have their owners adopt them, so they can be human and stay with their families. They all agree with it and I use my magic to turn them human. However, Angel decides to live with me to show that they were all one family, and I even used my magic to transport my house and Jim Dear and Darling’s house to the Dalmatian Plantation, so we could all live next door and show that we stand united. The kids thank their parents for all they done and tell them they love them. But in the story, there is also a magic mirror that reveals ones true form, similar to how Ursula saw herself in the mirror when she was Vanessa, but when the kids looked into the mirror they saw one half of their faces as dogs and the other half was them as humans. In the end, when they look into the mirror they just see themselves as human, which is a wonderful stage of character realization of who they are. And the story ends with me and the kids flying on my magic carpet, along with Anita revealing to Roger that she’s pregnant. That was a completely satisfying ending and everyone thought it was the perfect ending to the story
You’re a judge for the contest, so if you were allowed to vote for yourself, would you? (be honest)
To be honest, yes I would have. I don’t think that makes me arrogant, just confident and there is nothing wrong with that.
And finally, do you think you deserved to win this round? (be honest)
Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t others that deserved it as well.