Wolfhearted - Varian & Anduin (Warcraft)

[Andrea]

I've never played WoW, but this site (and Windrunner!) really make me tempted to try or, at the very least, read up on the lore!

The layout is so gorgeous! The artwork you used is just lovely, and I like how you changed up the sizes of the images to complement and also divide your content.

Although I'm not familiar with the characters or the world, I didn't have any problems reading your shrine. You chronicle their bond so well while also illustrating their dynamics with one another. And then the ending... ugh, just the way their roles reverse—as you said—really speaks to how much they and their bond have grown over time. This was such a great way to end the shrine, BUT knowing that there may be more content in the future is exciting!

I can't believe you created such a great site in such a short amount of time! HOW?! In any case, although your initial topic didn't work out, I'm glad you joined in on DD—especially since we get to see a site like this. Nice job!

[Laura]

Oh, Andrea! Your comments are so sweet, they really mean a lot! Thank you! I'm really glad that everything was easy to understand and that I succeeded in doing their relationship justice. :) And to think I've gotten you interested in the lore! :D Muahahah! That alone definitely encourages me to work more on Windrunner soon!

If you do decide to play, at least you know there are a bunch of us who are active in the game regularly and Amassment has its own guild on the Zul'jin server. ;) Otherwise, if you just want to read about the lore, I strongly suggest picking up Warcraft: Chronicles Vol 1. It details the history of Azeroth from start to modern time and it's a really fascinating read. :3 Otherwise, I will do my best to add more information on my sites. XD (I have at least 2 more planned for other characters in the future, muahaha~) My Sylvanas shrine will have more background information about the world too. :3

As for how I got it done in one day? I HAVE NO IDEA. I guess it's because I had all of the information in my head from playing the game and reading novels so it wasn't too hard for me to write up the sections. If only my other shrines were as easy..! xD

[Aku]

Lauraaa, I promised you when you plugged in Discord that I'd read your shrine and HERE I AM 23424234234 weeks later~~ (ノ ◑‿◑)ノ

Firstly, because I am a design geek, I must compliment your layout! The large header is gorgeous, I love the typography and I feel the "handwritten" element just suits the art and story so well. The way you've laid out your shrine is really lovely and editorial!

Your writing is much like Blizzard tells it's stories--reads like an old tale or storybook! I feel like the aesthetic of the shrine really matches this way of storytelling, like I should be reading this in front of a hearth (ayyy ;D) so I really appreciate your writing.

Also, easy to follow despite not knowing any WoW lore. I'm a person who can sometimes get overly deep explaining lore in a shrine so I really love how you've made it approachable without "leaving me in the dust". The contrast between father and son's ideals in the beginning of your shrine, and how they have influenced one another towards the end, are also really lovely, and I think the evolution of the characters is really clear in your writing.

TL;DR, WELL MET!! I see from prior comments that you decided to do this rather last minute and I think that despite the amount of time it was done it you've done a lovely job. <3 Congrats on finishing!

[Laura]

Akuuuuuu!! Thank you so much for your complements!! Feeling that the shrine was made to be like a storybook has encouraged me to think about doing the same approach for some other topics, but we'll see. XD

And again, I'm glad you also find the content easy to follow without knowing any lore. :D I can get lost in over-explaining things too so it was a worry of mine. It was a bit easier because I'm just talking about father and son, rather than like... an entire race of people. XD But I do try to make it easy for everyone to understand. <3

Thanks again! :)

[Megan A]

Ahhh, I'm excited to see World of Warcraft sites. I really like that everything is all on one page. I think it works really nicely with the font and images all lining up perfectly. I also love the artwork! Despite playing WoW for over 10 years, I have never checked out anything else so I've never seen any of it.

I also really love the format of the content and how you present it in a chronological but also still analyze the two characters. I like how you introduce the two characters and how their relationship grows overtime. I have a special place in my heart for these two characters because I remember exploring the area in Theramore where Varian was held captive, and I hung out in Stormwind with Anduin and Bolvar Fordragon (my husband) a lot thanks to PVP.

So I already like the shrine due to its subject. But what is really amazing the way you presented how the characters develop due to their relationship with one another, and it's very obvious that the Varian and Anduin characters care for each other despite their (apparent) shortcomings. I think that this format works wonderfully with how you wrote their stories (and the writing is perfect) because it really feels like I am reading a book about the two. I love it<3

Also, I'm really sad about what happened in Legion. :( I anticipate learning more about how Anduin handles things though.

[Laura]

Thanks, Megan! :) You should definitely check out the Legion comics/animations, they were really well done! They tie into the prelude for the expansion and omg the audio drama! <3

I also have really fond memories of trying to find Varian! I don't know how many times I did that quest line back in Burning Crusade but it never got old... especially when they eventually added more to it and we finally found him. XD; OMG DON'T GET ME STARTED ON BOLVAR. TOO SOOOOON

I'm really glad that as a fan of the series, you really enjoyed the site. :) Your comments mean a lot as someone who's familiar with the subject so thank you!!

(I'm also bummed out about Legion. T_T oh god the feels... and Tirion too... /sob)