global-writing-contest-2010
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World of WarCrafts: Blizzard fan fiction runner-up Corwin D. Riddle
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Sentinel Hill, nestled in Westfall, was a zone filled with sorrow and conflict in vanilla World of Warcraft. Part of it was the harsh and unforgiving landscape, unsuitable for farming; but the majority of the conflict lay in the hands of Edwin VanCleef, leader of the Defias Brotherhood, a band of thieves and scoundrels that preyed upon any who were foolish enough to roam the roads of Westfall unprotected. The story of the Defias Brotherhood is fairly well known, but we know little of the events surrounding Edwin's decision to defy Stormwind nobility and take matters into his own hands. Defiant, a story by Corwin D. Riddle, explores the little-known origins of Edwin VanCleef's descent into one of the most wanted men in the Eastern Kingdoms. It's an exploration into the events that directly resulted in the Brotherhood's formation, including an appearance by Lady Katrana Prestor and the rest of the House of Nobles and their confrontation with the leader of the Stonemasons. But it's also a beautiful look into the fall of VanCleef, from leader of a guild of architects, builders, and engineers to the leader of a rebel band of mercenaries out for the pay they were denied.
World of WarCrafts: Blizzard fan fiction runner-up Saif Ansari
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. The Lich King may be dead, but the assault on Icecrown Citadel and its fallout will never be forgotten. Over the course of Wrath of the Lich King, many players fought their way through Naxxramas, explored the mysteries of Ulduar, challenged themselves at the Trial of the Crusade and finally scaled the frozen peaks of Icecrown to challenge the Lich King at the foot of the Frozen Throne. But what of those who didn't fight the Lich King face to face? What of those who paved the way, those who dealt with the bodies of the fallen? In Entombed, author Saif Ansari explores the lives of those who weren't warriors on the front lines -- the lives of those who quietly worked behind the scenes, addressing the carnage and preventing as many souls as possible from succumbing to the Lich King's grasp, and the lives of those left alone and abandoned in the midst of battle to fend for themselves. Interesting? Even more interesting is the exploration into the link between Ulduar and Icecrown Citadel, a link many may have overlooked or forgotten.
World of WarCrafts: Blizzard fan fiction runner-up Marika Kermode
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. The new race and class combinations in Cataclysm raised a lot of questions and opened a lot of doors as far as the lore and story behind the new combinations. In the case of night elf mages, we were presented with Mordent Evenshade, a member of the Shen'dralar who ventured into Darnassus to seek the help of Tyrande Whisperwind. But how and why did Mordent make the journey, and how did he handle the chilly reception once he'd arrived? In The Wicked and the Righteous, author Marika Kermode explores just that with a tale about Mordent, the Shen'dralar, and the hope of an alliance. It's an interesting take on the scene that played out in the Temple of the Moon months before Cataclysm's release -- and unlike the scene in game, Mordent isn't left to eternally beg for an audience with Tyrande Whisperwind. It's a tale of two factions and the still-smoldering, leftover preconceptions from a war that occurred 10,000 years ago.
World of WarCrafts: Blizzard fan fiction runner-up Meghan O'Hara
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. What is it that makes a Forsaken a Forsaken, and what keeps him from giving up and letting go? A few weeks ago, we interviewed 2010 Global Writing Contest runner up Celine Taillefer, whose story In the Blood told the tale of Blood Queen Lana'thel and her place in Icecrown Citadel. This week, we have a story of a different kind, one that explores the link between Scourge and Forsaken and what happens when that link is broken. In the story Fresh, author Meghan O'Hara tells the chilling tale of once simple farmer Henry Walker and his development from mindless fiend of the Scourge armies to Forsaken priest. It's an eerie, well-written exploration into what exactly keeps an undead man sane and what drives him to continue waking up and moving on day after day. But beyond that, Fresh is an unlikely, strange and beautiful love story and a look into the interaction between the undead and the powers of the Light.
World of WarCrafts: Blizzard fan fiction runner-up Celine Taillefer
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. We talked a few weeks ago about the art of fan fiction, stories written about characters in the setting of a pre-established world. Last year, Blizzard held a Global Writing Contest -- the second of its kind -- for fan fiction authors around the world to share their works involving Blizzard properties. The response was enormous, with stories submitted totalling 18 million words worth of fictional prose -- an astonishing amount of written material. The winner of the Global Writing Contest received a trip to Blizzard's headquarters among other prizes, and the runners-up received a ton of Blizzard books as a reward for their writing efforts. So what's it like writing a submission for a winning contest entry? Today we chat with runner-up Celine Taillefer, whose entry In the Blood involved the most unlikely of protagonists, Blood Queen Lana'thel, the ringleader in charge of the Blood Wing in Icecrown Citadel.
Global writing contest winners announced
After what felt like an eternity, Blizzard has finally released the full list of winners of the 2010 global writing contest along with snippets of their submissions. It had previously announced the winners' character names, but we have quite a bit more information now. Raphael Ahad's Silver Hand, Ebon Blade took the grand prize, and you can read the full story on Blizzard's official site. You can also read excerpts of the runners-up, though I wish we could read the full story for those, too. If they were released in an anthology, I would be first in line to pick it up. I'd love read the entirety of stories like In the Blood -- the teaser is just ... well, a tease, I suppose. It's a shame that we may never see them in full.
