Ms. Cornell has been an outspoken supporter of Casltevania's first outings into the 3D realm. She has recently completed her first Castlevania fan fiction, Castlevania: Dark Destiny. It is available to be read at Fanfiction.net. She has also been happily married to Cornell for 5 years. They currently reside in the province of Wallachia.
1.For starters, would you please talk about which Castlevania games are your favorite and why?
Obviously, Legacy of Darkness is my favorite because it has a lot of story to it. I think that all four story lines are interesting, even though Henry's saga could have been elaborated on a bit more. Not many games give me the goose bumps upon finishing, but at the end of Cornell's game, when they were sitting around the campfire and he was reflecting on what Dracula said to him, I thought of all his character went through just to find his sister, etc, and felt it was so touching. The only other game I felt that way about was Ocarina of Time. I would also have to say, Symphony of the Night, because of Alucard's situation. His story was so great, and so heart-rending, that it definitely makes it one of my favorites.
2. Your story is based in the time frame of Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. In it, you offer a very distinct take on Cornell's background and history. For example, you allude to a war between man-wolves and humans as well as the inclusion of a larger supporting cast in the form of Cornell's ²pack brothers². What inspired you to take this route?
Well, I wanted to start at the beginning of Cornell's quest, and since Konami did give some insight to his past and man wolf heritage, you know, how he broke the seal and so forth, I thought it would be a good idea to elaborate on the events leading up to LoD.
3. In general, how do you feel about including original characters in fan-fictions that did not exist in the original game?
I think it's absolutely great to add your own characters into the story, as long as they ²fit in² to the story line properly. Crossovers, I do not like because I find them to be more silly than serious. However, I have read a few and thought them to be OK, but still, I would never give anyone a bad review because I believe that each story is a personal work of art that the writer took time to put together. So I think we should respect each story and give the writer credit for trying his or her best.
4. Games many times offer little insight into the personality of characters that we control. How did you tackle the job of giving character to the protagonists of Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, specifically Cornell, Ortega, and Ada?
Well,
for Cornell, I went on how I saw his character to be in the game, you know, the
sweet, caring brother...(hears Cornell yell out...²You
forgot handsome and powerful²!) Oh
yes, and handsome and powerful J...and
Ada, his bratty little sister! And of course, Ortega had to be the bully because
all along, he wanted Cornell's wolf powers and never really cared about the
friendship between them.
5. As a writer, what do you consider your biggest obstacle?
The ending!! I still haven't reached it yet! J I will finish it, have faith. Believe it or not, I had the beginning and the end of the story all down pat, but it was more the middle parts, the fillers, which I had trouble with. I wanted to give Cornell a life, you know, friends, family, a girl. So thinking up all those little in-between scenes proved to be a bit tough.
6. What do you consider to be the biggest problem (s) plaguing Fan-Fiction?
The readers. Some people are way too serious and picky when they read these things. I look at some of the reviews, and people are so critical, it's ridiculous. I mean, JUST READ AND ENJOY THE STORY, FOR PETE²S SAKE! J If after reading a story, you come to find that you didn't enjoy it for some reason, simply move on. Adding a negative review only leads other's to do the same. Also, some people who see a story that has maybe 20 chapters or more, may be hesitant to start reading and will go to the reviews to get other's opinions before they start reading, so I think that if you don't have anything nice or encouraging to say, then refrain from saying anything at all. It's only fair.
7. Where do you stand on the 2D/3D controversy? Also, being a big supporter of both Castlevania 64 and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, what are your thoughts on the recent Lament of Innocence?
This is a good question, and I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, I believe that each and every Castlevania game is great for it's time. Each game has it's own ²fun² to it, whether it be 2D or 3D. I can't imagine SoTN being anything but 2D, because it was perfect for that platform. I do not oppose 2D games, and I still play them, SoTN being one of them. But I prefer 3D for the atmosphere and ability to move the character around, so you can check out the scenery. Some games are just so beautifully done in terms of picturesque scenery, that it would be a shame to waste on 2D. I like to see the whole picture when I play a game. But that's just me. J
As for LOI...I love the game. I think Konami did a great job with it and I hope they make more like it. I don't get this whole thing with comparing Lament of Innocence with Devil May Cry. I really can't see any similarities. If anything, I think the game is more like SoTN, with the items and the merchant. But it also has many characteristics of Legacy of Darkness, with the drawbridge that comes down for Leon to cross just like it did for Cornell to enter the Castle Wall. Also the area in Dark Palace of Waterfalls, where the blades swing just like they did in Tower of Execution, and the stairs leading to Walter's room highly resembles the stairs that led to Dracula's lair. But all-in-all, I couldn't find anything to complain about with LOI, except that I wish it was longer.
8. Do you think that the relative unpopularity of the 3D Castlevanias' give Fan Fictions based on their characters, a disadvantage as opposed to works starring characters like Alucard, Juste, Richter, etc.?
Absolutely. Today's gamers are very picky, and expect too much. I think if Konami would have released LoD first and without CV64, the reviews would have been a lot better, therefore, fans would want to write about LoD more than they do now. Fans were slightly irritated that they had to spend money to buy two games, which were relatively the same. (not me, of course, I loved both games J ) Ever since the release of Symphony, all the fans ever wanted was a carbon copy of that game, so anything that came out after that time, wasn't good enough. I believe that hurts fan fictions for any of the other CV's. How many stories do you read about that have Simon or Trevor in them? Not very many.
9. If Konami would let you write any Castlevania story, what story would you write?
That's a good question. I would like to say Legacy of Darkness, because I know more about that game than any other, but I really would like to elaborate on Alucard's story. His was such a poignant, intense story...watching his mother die at the stake, having to come to terms with being half man/half vampire, then having to confront his father knowing that Dracula really did care about him and his mother, and that he was only being ruled by his dark side. And then in the end, he was forced to fight his own father and defeat him, once again leaving Alucard alone. I think every CV fan harbors a soft-spot for Al. J
10. Any words of wisdom for future Fan Fiction writers?
I don't know, do you have any for me, Victor? Ha Ha.
The only thing I can say is to write with your heart and don't let other's sway your thinking with unkind words or bad reviews. A little criticism never hurts, but don't take it too serious. As long as you the writer, feel the story is good, then it is. I'd also like to commend all of the Castlevania writers, because mostly every one of the stories I've read were great, so keep 'em coming! J