So, here's the Act 1 interlude. For this interlude, I'm doing some FAQs (of course, I don't really get asked questions, so it's basically the questions I would like to know if I were a reader) and a bit of behind-the-scenes stuff. So, on to the FAQ:
Q: Why did you choose the modern setting? What are your influences?
A: I just thought it would be fun. The project was inspired sort of partially by the TV Tropes title "The Urban Legend of Zelda" (though the trope itself is quite different) and partially by a April Fool's joke hinting at a modern/futuristic Zelda.
My biggest influence was primarily just "There Will Be Brawl," but I also drew heavily from all the games in the Zelda series. Since starting it, I have read the Stephen Crane novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, and that will probably influence it when I work on it in the future.
Q: Why does this suck so much?
A: Because I don't write fanfiction. I write original fiction. I don't know how to write for the fanfiction crowd, and originally misjudged all ficcers as the "ZOMG AWESOME!" sort of crowd. As a result, some things in the beginning are a bit over-the-top. On top of that, it was just something I fun project to help develop my style before I work on some more serious stuff. As of now, I'm pretty disappointed with it. It's nowhere near what I had originally envisioned. That's because I was more concerned about getting the story out than going into detail. As I got further along, more details were added, more ideas were had, and there's a lot of background info that's not in the story at this moment. This is essentially the abridged version of what I'd like to do with it. Look forward to a huge rewrite in the future. A lot's going to change. Probably even the title.
Q: How long will this story be?
A: I'm aiming for three acts of about ten chapters each (excluding the prologue and the interludes). I have the first two acts planned out, but I haven't even started on the Third.
Q: Will [insert favorite character here] appear?
A: Best I can give is a maybe. I want to include as many characters as possible, but I don't want to shoehorn anyone in. I will say that Anju and Kafei play a big part in Act 2, and that I'd like to at least include all of the Ocarina of Time sages. I can also say not to hold your breath for Medli, as I have absolutely no idea what to do with the Rito.
Q: I don't like what you did with [insert favorite character here].
A: All I can say is "tough." If you want to write your own fanfiction and do it differently, you're more than welcome. However, I'm interpreting characters in a way that works for me and for my story.
Q: But you made Malon a total—
A: Yeah, you can go ahead and stop right there. I know. I originally had her as just flirtatious and suggestive, but due to an alternate, more "adult" version of that scene floating in my head, she came across as a bit more…forward.
Q: There's an adult version of that scene? Where can I find it?
A: No, there's not. That was a typo. Next question, please.
Q: But if it was a typo, why didn't you just correct—
A: Next question, please.
Q: Have you read "The Legend of Zelda: Exoria" by Sudentor?
A: No, I have not. I was a few chapters into my story when I first heard about it, and while I have read the first chapter, I won't read the rest for a while, just because I don't want to somehow become influenced by it. It's another modern Zelda fic, but it's done quite differently from mine. From the bit I know about it, it sounds like it's got many more original characters (and even an original country or two), and he's probably got a much better grasp of politics than me. While I can say that I don't particularly like the writing style, that's just because my own writing style is so vastly different. I can tell that it's a very well-written story, and it's definitely worth checking out.
Q: Why don't you have page breaks between POV shifts?
A: Because I'm evidently stupid and don't know how to run . When I write the chapters, I do put an asterisk or three between breaks, but they evidently disappear when it gets posted. If anyone can message me telling me how to fix it, that'd be great. If not, I'll try figuring it out on my own. The reason I didn't really check is because I'm much more used to posting my work on forums, and assumed it would work the same way. Guess not. Whoops. I'll go back and try to edit them.
Q: Why does Impa have a Russian accent?
A: Have you seen her OoT incarnation? Seriously, I can't imagine her speaking in anything but.
Q: Oh, hey, it's Sheik. Gee, I wonder who this could possibly—wait, Sheik's not Zelda?
A: I really wanted to include Sheik, as she's (yes, she. Zelda most certainly does not become a male) such a cool and beloved character. However, pretty much everyone knows that Sheik is Zelda (apologies to those of you who have somehow managed to avoid both Ocarina of Time and Super Smash Bros.), and I wanted to retain the twist…in this case, Sheik not being Zelda. Which was also probably expected by quite a few of you. I can't say yet whether Sheik is male or female, or even if he/she is ultimately a friend or a foe, but I will say that he/she is, in fact, an existing Legend of Zelda character. Of course, I'm sure that some of you have already correctly guessed who Sheik is, but let's keep it a secret for now, shall we?
Q: Why does Link use a sword? Why not a gun, or even a gunsword like in Final Fantasy or Exoria? (Note: I have not read Exoria beyond the first chapter, but I do know just a few details. Like Link using a gunsword for example.)
A: Some people think that it'd work to give Link a gun. I personally disagree. Sure, I could see him using a gun in a modern setting, but I think he'd still have the sword, just because it's so integral to his character. It's important to his character in the games, so it's important to his character here.
Q: Are there any references you wish people got that you think they missed?
A: To avoid both tooting my own horn and ruining the joke entirely, I'm just going to say "yes" and let you hunt for them. I love catching subtle references when I read or watch something, so it's fun to work them into my own story.
Q: Are the characters from a specific game?
A: Yes and no. It really varies from character to character, and I'll go into the basis for most of the characters in a later Interlude. Essentially, it all depends. On one hand, you've got Zelda, who's very strongly based off of her Twilight Princess incarnation. On the other, you've got Link, who's not based off of any game in particular. Characters tend to be either carbon copies of game counterpart (e.g. Zelda), archetypes that seem to fit the character well (e.g. Navi as a guide and plucky sidekick), or reinterpretations based off of the settings (e.g. Talon/Malon or the Kokiri).
Q: Politics do not work that way!
A: That's not a question, but it is a valid point. My political views can probably best be described as "don't get involved." I don't really have an in-depth understanding of politics, and I really don't care to. I follow laws unless they interfere with my religious beliefs, and the government in turn ignores me and lets me seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's a system that works pretty well for me. Unfortunately, it means that I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to writing about politics.
Either way, the system is entirely fictional. I use the term "senator," but in reality, it's just a title that people will recognize as "someone who has approximately equal power to politicians with the same title." Kind of like how it's always "Princess" Zelda, even if she appears to be the only royal in Hyrule. It's a title people recognize.
My "senators" are really just sort of representatives. Each senator is a leader from each Hylian group, whether they're elected or came to power otherwise. For example, Zelda would be the senator from Castle Town, Ganondorf would be the senator from the Gerudo Valley, and Darunia the senator of the Kakariko Gorons. They all meet together in councils where they decide what needs to be done to better Hyrule. So really, in a sense, they are quite a bit like Senators. Of course, in addition to this overlying political system, each territory/province/town/culture has its own governing system. The Zoras have monarchies, the Gorons have chosen tribal leaders, and the Gerudo just automatically elect whoever is born male (unless there are no males, in which case, they'd probably be tribal like the Gorons).
And finally:
Q: Why did it take so long to write up this stupid Q&A thing? It's been about a month since you've posted something, and it's this?
A: Well, the plan was to post this before November and then announce that I'd be working on National Novel Writing Month. Of course, that sort of fell through, and I got busy, and didn't come back to this because, well, if I didn't have time for NaNoWriMo, I certainly didn't have time for this. And I probably won't be working on it anymore for a few weeks, because finals are coming up, and I have to study. Once Christmas Break comes, though, I'll be working on it again. I'll be resuming with the "abridged," but if you like the first part, you'll probably like the second part.