Meet the ZNN Team! Part 7: The Comeback!

It’s such an honor to be writing this article. A year ago, I would be freaking out if I had known I’d be part of ZNN,  let alone the fact that I’m a team leader! I literally would have fainted. From someone who has followed ZNN and read almost every article, it’s really an honor to be a part of ZNN and to be writing this article. – Jimm9v

It’s been over a year since the last “Meet the ZNN Team,” and since then, we’ve hit many milestones and have been through so much — from members leaving and returning, the call for new members in the recruitment center, the creation of the Community Discord, and hitting 11 Million Pageviews!

We’ve had many members come through ZNN (including myself) and have been growing ever since. Since the last “Meet the ZNN Team,” we’ve received 17 new members, along with 3 members who have returned to ZNN to dedicate their time and talents once again! From these members, we’ve gotten new Artists, Social Butterflies, Treasure Hunters, Translators, and the new role of Content Curators.

These members have become vital to ZNN, and this post is made to not only showcase the new members, but it’s also to recognize them for joining ZNN and making us proud! This time around, we’ve made it a little bit more personal, as you’ll be getting to know them a little bit more than before, directly from the members themselves!

We had each new member of ZNN provide and answer these questions to fully introduce themselves:

1.  A Short Description of Yourself
2.  How did you get into ZNN?
3.  Your role, and contributions to ZNN and/or to the Zootopia Community. (these include artworks, fanfictions, or just loving the community)

We will also re-introduce returning members, Members who have left ZNN and returned to dedicate their service once more! These returning members will share their stories on why they left and returned, along with what they were doing before they left; and what they’re doing today.

Join us in (finally) welcoming the newest members of ZNN right after the break, in the lengthy feature article!

Lets start with the results of the Recruitment Center from last year, and who came out on top!

Kevin Valentine [KeyToTruth12] : [Translation Team]

1. I’m just your usual weeb fox that likes anime way too much. Been in the Zootopia community for almost two years now, which is kinda insane now that I think about it, how time has passed so fast since Zootopia came out. The fandom is still going on strong, thankfully, otherwise we’d probably be out of business already, hahaha. Either way, it’s nice meeting with y’all. Let’s hope for this movie’s longevity!
2. There was a recruitment thingy posted on the website and I thought I’d give a shot on being a ZNN. And then here I am, writing this for y’all.
3. I used to cover videos and comics that hasn’t been featured before, but now I’ve moved onto the translation team. I edit and typeset found comics in foreign languages, mainly Japanese cuz there’s TONS of Zootopia mangas out there. As for my contributions… I guess just being one of the OG members? That counts right? 😀

We also have new members that hadn’t spawned from the recruitment center; that came to contribute!

YFWE : [Abyss Gazer / Fanfic Reader]

1. I’m YFWE, and I’m an alcoh–I mean, I read and write things.
2. *takes a cigarette drag* I remember it like it was yesterday. Or a year ago. Time is a flat circle. Anyway, I read so many fanfics that someone asked me if I wanted to read them for ZNN. I have trouble saying no to things. They haven’t fired me yet.
3. I’m part of the Pre-reading team! I also apply skills from my real-life job and copy edit articles before they go live on the site, which mostly involves making sure people spell words correctly and don’t add commas where they don’t belong. Otherwise, I sit dormant in our Discord server and occasionally pipe up when someone makes a reference to some music I like. So, y’know, the way I am in all Discord servers.

Gorgan : [Abyss Gazer / Fanfic Reader]

1. I am a coffee and theme park lover, a film buff, and a photographer. I take a humorous view to life and am always willing to lend a helping hand!
2. I helped with NaZo Pre-reading and was accepted on to stay permanently.
3. I am a Pre-reader, helping to review submitted fanfics and to help find fanfics that should be reviewed and shared.

Calidian : [Abyss Gazer / Fanfic Reader]

1. I’m the quiet type that prefers to sit in the corner of the room reading. I can get actively engaged when in a small group, but any more than 5 or 6 expect me to just hush down and listen.
2. Back in November of 2017, I was part of the volunteers that read through fanfic submissions for NaNoWriMo. After working with GorganCoffee reviewing a super long fanfic, I was invited to join ZNN.
3. Currently I’m on break, but I am part of the Abyss Gazers, the group of Pre-readers who read fanfic submissions and review them before being highlighted by ZNN.

Translation Bear : [Translation Team]

1. Translator of Japanese Zootopia Content.
2. Got recruited off of Tumblr.
3. I translate Japanese Zootopia comics into English, and currently have ~1,200 translated images under my belt.

HarrytheStampy (Pudong) : [Translation Team]

1. I am a boisterous Chinese youngster who loves laughing at (sometimes unfunny) jokes, and can be quite helpful if anyone ever needs my assistance. Learning about Chinese Culture is one of my favorite hobbies, as is translating the language into English and vice versa. I’ve had much experience working as a team, so I’m confident I’ll be able to employ my talents to make ZNN a better network.
2. I had been using ZNN for quite a while, and one day as I was scrolling through some of the ancient posts written by Andy, I discovered that the Network was searching for Chinese speakers to translate fandom-related material on Chinese social media. Eager for a way to give back to the community (since I was already a ZNN user), I immediately emailed Andy and before long, I was accepted into the Translation Team after a lengthy discussion Andy had with the rest of the staff.
3. I am currently the only Chinese translator around, and one of the first projects I finished after joining was writing a guide on how to download a Zootopia-related video game produced by a renowned Chinese company. I’ve also translated various Chinese posters that came out with the movie back in ’16. Currently, as there is a serious lack of Chinese comics, I am working on translating several feature articles on Zootopia that are immensely popular in China- some with over ten thousand likes on our social media.

PinkStar_DJLily : [Translation Team]

1. I’m a quiet and reserved Mexican girl, but I have a huge passion for many things such as music, films, literature, photography, and Disney. I like researching and learning new stuff everyday. One of my life goals is travelling to my dream destinations like Venice, Praga, Barcelona, Tokio, etc.
2. At one point of late 2018, the ZNN Team mentioned doing a recruitment for an editor in the Translation Team. I decided to apply because it seemed fun and I got it! It’s been a lot of fun since joining the team.
3. My main role is type-fonting in the Translation Team, but I also occasionally help as a Treasure Hunter.

Cimar of Turalis/WildeHopps : [Special Eyes]

1. Happy go lucky kanga who likes to write
2. Was asked to help out with getting lesser known artists and writers known.
3. “Artist/Writer of the Week” features

WildeCard : [Special Eyes]

1. I earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Tennessee in 2017 and am currently a postdoctoral scholar in the philosophy department at the University of South Florida. My research specialty is applied ethics, and most of my recent work focuses on issues like climate change and the ethical treatment of animals. My biggest current project is a book (under contract with Routledge) that examines the link between population growth and various environmental impacts and then considers what we should do to slow population growth. You can read more about my academic research and teaching at trevor.hedberg.com.Outside of academics, my main hobbies include video games and tennis. I have been playing video games for 25 years and have sampled great games in just about every genre. Personal favorites include Perfect Dark, Resident Evil 4, Persona 4, Star Fox 64, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Xcom: Enemy Within. On the athletic side of things, I was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American in college and won Kansas 6A State Doubles in high school. I still get on the tennis court from time to time, but I’m nowhere near as good as I once was.
2. After seeing Zootopia for the first time, I thought that it could be used as a teaching tool in my Contemporary Moral Problems class in Spring 2017. The film does a remarkable job of illustrating the psychological aspects of contemporary prejudice and latent biases, and that was one of the topics I intended to cover during the semester. The film was a big hit with my students, and I submitted a bit of my work on the film to ZNN. About 6 months later, Andy asked if I would be interested in making contributions to ZNN on a recurring basis, and I agreed. Philosophy is often undervalued even in the universities where it is taught, and so I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to expose people to philosophical reasoning through the lens of a film they really like.
3. I write articles that focus on philosophical issues present within the film or related to its core content. I was on the staff for about 3 weeks before Borba’s comic “I Will Survive” went viral, so I wrote about that comic from the perspective of someone who has taught about the abortion issue in college courses about a dozen times. Since then, I’ve started a series of posts looking at ethical questions tied to the film. Zootopia is a very rich film, so I hope to continue contributing the occasional write-up for the foreseeable future.

FeverWildeHopps : [Artist]

1. Fan Artist.
2. Lagopus reached out to me and asked last minute if I could draw a cover image for ZNN’s 2 year anniversary featuring some of the staff members, which I provided. Afterwards I was invited to join the team as an Artful Dodger.
3. Artful Dodger; so far I’ve drawn a cover image for ZNN’s 2 year anniversary and illustrated the template for ZNN’s Halloween coloring contest. Community wise, I’m a typical fan artist contributing a comic (“I Missed You”) and a sort of ‘fandom holiday’ on Tumblr (“Spicy Nick Day”) but I don’t know if you want to include those things

Gabriel LaVedier : [Content Curator / News Writer]

1. Just another mammal, a poodle of taste, refinement and the occasional bad media binge. Nobody’s perfect.
2. I just browsed around, hit upon the place and coasted, also contributing stories now and again. Then there was an open call for volunteers. I was only too happy to join.
3. I’m a Content Curator. To paraphrase Comicus in History of the World, “I coalesce the vapors of human experience into a tangible form.” A bunk artist waxing poetic about the wonderful things fans make, doing my best to give them their due. I also write a little, mostly about the experiences of mammals in interspecies relationships.

Upplet : [Content Curation / Article Writer]

1. My name is Upplet, and I’m a big Zootopia (and Wildehopps) fan, and an author in the fandom. I am the creator of “When Instinct Falls”, among other far smaller stories. I fell in love with the movie when it came out in early 2016, and simply couldn’t resist writing for it. I adore exploring the rich world of Zootopia through my writing, and further developing the characters introduced in the movie. My FanFiction work has garnered a fair amount of attention, and through it, I am constantly trying to give something back, however small, to the community that has taught me so much.
2. I’ve been keeping up with ZNN since late spring of 2016, and have always been looking forward to whatever new content it features, and am beyond thankful for the role that it and its members have had in helping to keep the fandom’s passion strong since day one – Providing fresh enjoyment for anyone seeking it, and working its best to keep the fandom chugging along into the future. That is something I’ve always admired, so when I got an invitation to become a member of the Content-Curator team, I simply couldn’t turn it down.
3. As a member of the Content-Curator team, I help to write up articles on special topics that might hold interest in the fandom, such as the unveilings of fan projects, and the discovery of never-before-seen concept art, for example. To the Zootopia community, I am most known for my work on the FanFiction story When Instinct Falls, which is among the largest and oldest stories in the fandom, centering around the married life of officers Nick and Judy as they work to combat against Zootopia’s most notorious criminals, all the while exploring the city and learning more about themselves along the way. A few ships (including Wildehopps, of course) and characters from the story have proven themselves to be somewhat impactful with the community – perhaps most notably being the story’s primary antagonist, a vampire bat mob boss with the tongue-tying name of Vladzotz – so some people might know me from them. Some people might even know me for my personal depictions of the Nocturnal-District and Outback-Island, two unused districts from the movie’s development. But no matter what I’m known for, I’d say I’m just a guy trying to provide others entertainment with my services, and better myself as both a writer and person along the way.

SmashGenesis : [Content Curation / Article Writer]

1. I’m an upbeat and yet always anxious guy in his mid-20s with a passion for writing, fanfiction and otherwise! I’m still somehow working on my college degree after many years, but that won’t stop me from me getting it someday or from working on ZNN posts!
2. In May 2016 or so, I started writing “Ultrasonic”, a Zootopia/Miraculous Ladybug crossover! It became far more popular than I could ever have guessed, and by sheer coincidence, I ran into Andy Lagopus on a Miraculous Ladybug Discord server I’m no longer in. It turned out that he’d already read my fanfiction and I was utterly THRILLED to hear he liked it! We friended each other, but only talked intermittently for probably a year or so after that when Julius asked me if I’d interested in contributing to his fansite! I said yes, he ran it by his team, and they all voted me in in late 2018!
3. I mostly write posts about fandom videos and crafts! So, stuff like comic dubs and analyses, along with the occasional behind-the-scenes update. As for my contributions to the fandom? I already mentioned my fanfic, (which you should totally check out) (please) (it would fill my lungs with air) so I guess not much! I’m not terribly active in the ZNN Discord just due to having friends from a few other fandoms that I talk with more often, but who knows? Maybe I’ll participate more one day!

Bringing in new members into ZNN also brings us some new Team Leaders! Meet two of your newest Team Leaders for ZNN!

Blueberrycarrots : [Team Leader for Content Curators] [oh hey dats me]

1. I’m an 19 year old computer science student who is really obsessed over Zootopia and WildeHopps! I’m a minor league bowling player, straight-A student, semi-pro CS:GO Esports player and an Artist! I’m very hardworking (even though I procrastinate ALOT!) and overall a very chill person to be around! (Soon to be U.S Airman!)
2. I was one of the outcomes from the first recruitment call from ZNN’s Recruitment Center. I saw the call on ZNN’s IG, and I immediately took the opportunity. I tried out for Social Butterfly and Treasure Hunter and ended up getting both roles!
3. I’m currently the Team Leader for ZNN’s Content Curators, and I’m also the Social Butterfly for ZNN’s Pinterest Account. I create most of the posts related to media or comics along with my team. Before ZNN however, I mostly drew and made Zootopia related GIF’s over at Tumblr.

John Urie (Merc_Marten) : [Treasure Hunter]

1. Probably the oldest Staff Member here, I turn 65 in a couple months (Will you still need me, will you still feed me?) I live in Portland Oregon. Currently on disability, (cancer survivor). Been writing Anthro-fiction since ’99, so I was naturally drawn to Zootopia.
2. Came in on the recruitment drive last year
3. Team leader of the Treasure Hunters group. Author of the Zootopia Fanfic, “The Fire Triangle”.

And lastly; ZNN’s Returnees! Members who have seen the youth of ZNN and came back to bring life to our community!

Fonzi : [Team Leader for Social Butterflies]

1. My sona is a Red Wolf, and a combination of two different red wolf patterns (thanks Quirky for the design!). I’m also a photographer, which I started at the end of 2016 by just using my phone, but ended up transferring over to my Nikon D7000! Photography is such an important aspect of my life now, as it gives me a way to put my negative energy into creating something. I never understood how amazing it was to have a creative outlet, and I feel it’s helped me grow and evolve as a person tenfold!
2. I originally joined in January of 2017 to be a reviewer like Surrika! In 2018; I ended up joining back as a member to run the ZNN Instagram, as well as work on creating a few articles! It took me two guest articles and a bit of messaging with Julius, but it ended up working out! In 2018; I pitched the idea of a ZNN Instagram to Julius, and after consulting with the rets of the team, decided it was a great idea!
3. I have two roles currently, one being a social butterfly (for running the ZNN Instagram), and another role of Content Curator! I also used to be active on the Zootopia Reddit.
   ZNN Tale of Proportions! (Why did you leave and return?)
   
   I ended up leaving in 2017 as I just wasn’t in a position that i wanted to be in when it came to my own happiness, and I could tell that I was treating others poorly because of it. Before I tried to join back in 2018, I went and apologized to as many ZNN members as I could. Although I know it can’t fix what I did, I knew that it was the first step to becoming friends with all the members again! I was given forgiveness and understanding by all my friends here, and I know I don’t want to waste it. I’m extremely thankful for the second chance I was given, and all the friends I have made because of it!

Ryo : [Team Leader for Translation Team]

1. I’m a student living in Japan. I used to live in CT, USA for seven years. And of course, I love Zootopia!
2. I learned that ZNN needed Japanese translators, and I applied. Fortunately, I was accepted in!
3. I’m the ZNN Translation Team Lead! I translate Japanese comics into English, for all you English-speaking fans out there 😀
   ZNN Tale of Proportions! (Why did you leave and return?)Real life was being super busy and uncooperative, so I had to take a break. However, I couldn’t just give up translating like that, so after a while, I decided to return to ZNN. Since rejoining earlier in 2018; as Translation Team Lead, I’ve been setting up an organized system for the translation team to work by. (And getting back in the hang of translating!) I apologize for our still rather slow-paced posting schedule, but I promise we have lots of exciting projects in the works!

Darkflamewolf : [Fearless Leader for all Featured Content]

1. I am one of the ZNN Fearless Leaders and Zootopia fanfic writer. I’ve also created custom fangames and mission packs.
2. Was referred to Julius by Berserker88 whom had both read my “Death Becomes You” fanfic and loved it.
3. I am now one of the Fearless Leaders of ZNN and watch over the featured content portion of the site. I’ve contributed my time and effort to build the ZNN community server and own it. I’ve also in the middle of writing several fanfics for Zootopia.

• ZNN Tale of Proportions! (Why did you leave and return?)
  
  
  • I was once a prereader within ZNN as my first job. However, I quickly rose up the ranks with my ideas and plans for the team and eventually became the first Team Lead in all of ZNN and introduced the concept of leads for each team and helped split ZNN into compartmentalized groups that would have heads that would oversee operations to help ease the burden on ZNN leaders.However, over time, it became increasingly hard to get further ideas and concepts implemented and everything I suggested was stonewalled or rejected either due to time constraints, unwillingness to enforce or other reasons.So I felt unneeded and unappreciated. I left and put the prereading team in the capable hands of DrummerMax64. Earlier in 2018, I was requested to come back and help rebuild ZNN which had been losing members and steam. I said I would not be coming back as anything less than a Fearless Leader and with all powers necessary to do what I needed to do to remake ZNN from the inside out.So I helped restructure the entire inner framework of how each team and group would function, helped choose Team Leads, helped set up a new posting schedule and put in motion actions that would lead to a mass recruitment of new folks into ZNN and the building of the ZNN community server.As of right now, I current own the community server as a service to keep it running while I let more capable folks who got the time to run and manage the thing. I also am working on some internal projects within ZNN to help get more original content out there that is more personalized by the ZNN staff members themselves! So be prepared to be reading some awesome new content that was generated by our own members! It has been a crazy, yet productive, year for ZNN and I hope to be around when Zootopia 2 or something similar is announced!

And now that should be everyone new on ZNN!  We still cannot thank you guys enough for 11 million!  As what Andy would say…

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