The Ultimate Legend of Zelda Fan Fiction Club has begun conducting interviews with its members. In these interviews we ask Zelda and writing related questions. If you would like to ask your own questions of these authors, please comment on their interview, and the ULOZFFC will forward your questions to them and include them in an updated section below the actual interview, or we will ask that they return a comment to you.

This month's author is Quor18, Member 2:


How old are you? And if you don't want to be specific then please tell us what decade you are at in your age.
26. I'm old

What part of the world are you from?
California. Los Angeles to be more precise.

What do you do for a living?
I TA (teachers assistant) for a class at my local college and work part time with autistic children teaching them appropriate social skills. I also recently got accepted to the masters of Marriage and Family therapy program at my college, so I'll start that in the fall.

How old were you when you first found Zelda and how did you find it?
The year it came out, which I think was 1988 or something. I remember the commercial for it; some guy dressed all in black running about in this minimalist setting while dancing from side to side saying monster names (octorok, peahat, zora) looking like he was trying to avoid stepping on them. I had no idea what it was, but I wanted it. Still have yet to beat the second quest; kept getting lost in the last dungeon.

What kind of Zelda merchandise do you own [including the games]?
Just the games mostly . Although when I was younger my dad made me a wooden sword and shield to play with so I could be Link in the back yard. That ruled. I have every Zelda console game, but only one of the portable games (Link's Awakening). I really need to get a damn DS.

Have you played all the games yet? If not, which ones do you need to play?
Nope. Still need to give Phantom Hourglass and the Oracle series a try.

Favourite Zelda game?
That's a tough one. OoT was awesome because it revolutionized things and it was so friggin' huge (for its time)! TP was awesome because it took Link and Zelda out of the "tween" ages and put them into the young adult phase, with all the implied maturity and levity that brings. I think the one that got me the most was Majora's Mask. Challenging gameplay, lots of extra stuff to do, and control over the flow of time itself. The feeling I get imagining Link as he's doing all that stuff, being one of two living beings who knows and remembers everything he did, and knowing that no one else will know what he did....that's just crazy. It also helps that I love stuff to do with paradox and time travel.

Least favourite Zelda game?
Adventure of Link. Not because it was bad, but only because I like it least compared to the others.

Favourite character(s)?
Zelda, Link, Ganon. Zelda has always been awesome in my mind, and Link is just great. Ganon is the quintessential evil; he's more often than not evil for nothing but pure desire, instead of the whole "fallen angel" type of thing you usually see. I also like that his past is ambiguous, which makes for good fiction fodder.

Characters you love to hate?
None really.

Characters you just hate?
Again, none that I can think of. Oh, there are some that annoyed the hell out of me, but I've never been unable to tolerate the presence of a particular character. Although that old man in the cave talking about the Dodongo can be a bastard sometimes.

Favourite Weapon/Item?
Mirror shield probably. Bouncing stuff back at things and killing ghosts with reflected light is awesome! I also like the hookshot/clawshot, but mostly because I want one.

Best death?
In terms of the story? Probably Ganondorf's death in the Wind Waker. In terms of humor? Watching my friends Z-targetting screw up in Ocarina of time and seeing him jump slash over a cliff to his death.

Best battle?
I really liked Goht in Majora's Mask. You're a gigantic spinning rock guy with spikes going hella fast chasing a huge evil mechanical goat thingy that's trying to shock you, bomb you, and drop rocks on you. Your objective? To ram it with your body over and over again. Such an intense feel of speed coupled with the most visceral of feelings that you can only get when body slamming something while dodging hell made manifest.

Favourite puzzle?
Man, that's a good question. I'd say the last dungeon in Marjora's Mask was the best collection of puzzles. All this room flipping and weight-sensitive multi-switch stuff. Real good head trip.

Now let's discuss writing. How old were you when you began writing?
Probably 12 or so. It was around 7th or 8th grade, so 12 or 13.

Any reason for why you started?
I had to do a paper for an english class. I sat down one night and started writing some fiction about a game called Werewolf: the Apocalypse. By the end of it I had nine pages of single-spaced writing and my teacher read all of it and loved it. I started just tossing down stuff that came to mind after that.

How many stories have you written?
Complete stories? Maybe....four or so. I have a bad habit of starting stuff and not finishing it. The Jenova Legacy is going to have at least 20 chapters by the time I'm done with it; the big question is when will I be done with it. In terms of short stories maybe a dozen or so, of varying lengths.

Have you ever co-written? If so, which did you prefer?
Co-writing or solo?
Nope. Be nice to try it once though.

What do you prefer to write? Fanfic or orignal stuff?
Both. I like good fanfics, of which there are few (most hit the "omg what if we put X and Y character together that'd be so awesomesauce!!!!1" mark and stop there) but I'm also picky about my original stuff. I prefer fiction myself because I think injecting an orignal character into another person's story is a bit presumptious. Not to know any OC writers or anything, it's just a personal thing. That doesn't stop me from doing it every now and then, it just means I get real critical of my writing when I do do it.

Which fandoms have you written stories for?
Final Fantasy, Zelda, Werewolf, Secret of Mana. A little Star Wars, some Homeworld.

What/who are your influences?
The creaters of Werewolf really got me into the whole storytelling mode, and a number of writers after that cultivated it further. David Eddings was big when I was in my teens, and I'm a huge fan of the late Robert Jordan, who has really changed how I write characters and situations. I also pull from Poe and hints of Shakespeare in the way I'll write some things or pattern certain passages.

Favourite fanfic author? Favourite professional author?
Professional? Robert Jordan. Fanfic? Tough call. I've seen a lot of good ones, and I don't really have a clear favorite.

Favourite fanfic (that isn't your own!)? Favourite novel?
There was this one fanfic written by someone who's name escapes me that basically details Aeriths (of FF7) last night alive. She's cold and alone in the northern areas when Sephiroth comes upon her and proceeds to have his way with her. But something about her, this quiet courage she has, stops him, and instead of doing the nasty against her will he keeps her warm against the night. Then the next day he kills her. Awesome writing.

For novels? There's a lot I like. Can't really place one or the other above another. I'm a bastard like that, I know.

What's the best thing you've ever written? Tell us a little about it.
I really think, to date, that my best work is Death and Love. I dunno what happened but I remember randomly looking up Midna/Link stuff on dA and I came upon a story written for Stephonika's contest. It was a good story, and it was with characters I really liked, so I figured I should try it. After reading up on the guidelines something hit me, and two hours later I had Death and Love, as well as a cramped ass from not moving anything but my hands for so long.

Who's your favourite character to write about? Tell us a little about them.
I really like Link for writing. He goes through so much crap and comes out on top while maintaining dignity all througout. He's the perfect example of what I call a "true" hero. He exemplies the ideal of true power need not be flaunted. He can handle his shit and get stuff done, but really he'd rather be chilling with his grandma and sister on Outset, or tending the horses in Ordon, or trying to mack on Saria in the Lost Woods. But shit hits the fan and Link comes out with the mentality that he has a job to get done and nothing is going to stop him. He's also thankfully deep, and his status as the silent type means a lot of storytelling can be done while avoiding actual conversation (which I personally find hinders a story more than helps it in most cases).

What kind of stuff do you prefer to write about?
I'm a big friggin' romantic at heart, but I also have this violent streak that needs to be appeased. So there's a good chance you'll get a nice heartbreaking love story with some very brutal combat thrown in. I like detailed descriptions of battle, with just enough ambiguity added in to keep peoples' imaginations going. Likewise, I like a lot of personal affection between characters, with enough detail added to make it hot and heavy but also enough blanks left for the reader to fill in.

Ever had writer's block?
Oh god yes. I've had it for over a year with my other story. Just ask poor Tishannia; she's been waiting on chapter 5 for who knows how long.

Any plans for the future?
Go to master's school, get my degree in therapy, become a therapist....something like that, although I harbor the fantasy of being a writer of some sort, either a published one who writes novels and whatnot for a living, or a magazine writer of some kind, preferably focused in and around gaming.

Any regrets?
I wish I had beat up that old man in the first Zelda more. The bastard....

Any tips for other writers?
Read read read read read read read. Also write. A lot. The more you write the better you get, but also make sure people read your writing and give you feedback on it. More isn't always better, and paragraphs are a good thing! If you find yourself explaining someting in a story too much because you're afraid it'll confuse people, just take that part out and worry about it later (or trash it completely)! Take frequent breaks and walk around so you don't get a numb ass like I do! Having a tub of bite-size chocolate chip cookies next to your writing area means you get crumbs everywhere, so beware!


To view this member's club gallery, follow this [link]

Please check in on us next month for another interview!
To view our fiction index, follow this [link]