EPTRecently I participated in a HotS Beta Key contest on Reddit.
The competition was a haiku competition (read more on the rules here),
and in this blog post I'll go through the entries I submitted.
(Notable highlights: Number 1, 4, 6, U1, U2 and U3)
The competition was a haiku competition (read more on the rules here),
and in this blog post I'll go through the entries I submitted.
(Notable highlights: Number 1, 4, 6, U1, U2 and U3)
My serious entries
The following are the entries I submitted that followed the rules given and that I actually thought/hoped would/could render me a key.
1.
Fire shards of Char
A birth under burning skies --
The queen spreads her wings
For me Kerrigan is the most iconic/impressive character in the whole of the SC lore. In this entry I tried to convey the feeling of a dark rising power as Kerrigan exits the chrysalis on the terrible planet of Char. I thought that if any haiku of mine would win it would be this one, as it got quite neat with its alliterative touch.
2.
Miniature sun...
A thousand probes exploding
The ghost steals away
No StarCraft without nuclear launches, obviously. With the above lines I tried to ride the missile path to success while still having a fresh take on the thing by means of slightly different imagery (as opposed to the other contestants - the miniature sun/nuclear explosion is still cliched in a wider context I guess...
)3.
Lost in the vast black
Children of the Overmind --
Their minds so silent now
I always envisioned the Overmind as quite literally a voice in the minds of the Swarm. And I envisioned the creatures as thinking of the voice as benevolent and a guide. As such they would feel lost and alone, without hope, as the Overmind died. Unfortunately the haiku didn't become what I wanted. I had a version going where they drifted slowly through space in search for the guiding voice, epically ending with the line "The Overmind long gone" but I couldn't get the syllable count down so it mutated into a so-so compromise.
4. (Point winner!)
Minerals glisten
Little drones chirp angrily --
Get lost stupid probe
Drones are cute and try to work hard for the Overmind / Kerrigan. But the terrible probes sting them with their bright lights and strange sounds and steal their minerals.
I am very happy with this one. I think it works well as a lighter type of in-universe/lore haiku, and a "game-aware" haiku.
5.
In his sleep he smiles...
"Me and Jimmy gonna rule"
Tychus Findlay dreams
For various reasons I always thought Tychus Findlay was a boring (super boring) character. As a writing exercise I tried to come up with something that would make him more interesting. And I figured, what if Tychus was jealous on all the other things Jim Raynor focused on, and Tychus longed to have the good old times back? What if he dreamed of a future with his best friend and the easy living they once shared?
I honestly think this haiku got a little sad and heartbreaking. I think it's cool how in the last line you realize that a) it is Tychus Findlay who is the sleeping person whose hopes you are taking part of, and b) the hopes will not be fulfilled. + Show Spoiler +
(what with Jimmy shooting him and all).
6. (KEY WINNER!)
A telltale shimmer
Vast ships born from thunder skies --
The Protoss are here
I have a vision of Protoss armies as the most visually badass, the most magnificent and awe-inspiring, when they come as saviors or destroyers with their mighty air armies. This was my attempt to write an epic Protoss entry and instill some pride in the hearts of Protosses. (The esteemed and most wise judges deemed it worthy of a key)
7.
Every seconds counts
Rifle rising -- templar frowns
And the ghost lies dead
Obviously (?) we have a meeting here between a high templar and a ghost. The ghost moves its rifle to take aim at the templar, and the templar frowns as it directs terrible psionic powers towards the enemy. Then abruptly, we understand that the templar got the better part of that exchange. A so-so haiku. Can't win 'em all!
My not so serious but I daresay no less genius entries
Too much epicness can get a little boring sometimes. The following sentries are those I knew would not have a chance due to their out-of-universe or casual nature but posted anyway since I just gotta haiku.
U1.
Vacation on Char
What's that with the tentacles!?
Want my money back.
As a tourist new to the sector and the xenomorphs of space, unscrupulous travel agents will sometimes take advantage of you.
U2.
New title so cool --
"Queen Bitch of the Universe"
Sarah high-fives Zasz
This one is an alternate take on Kerrigan where she's much more easy-going. Also nice for the SC1 cerebrate lore aficionados.
U3.
Just taking a dump
Then pain -- explosion of blue
Archon toilet strikes
Having written this haiku I laughed for several minutes and honestly considered not posting it because I thought it would make my other entries look boring and bland. Maybe it's hubris (and a weird preference of style) but I think it got really good.
Thanks for reading!
I was going to write... like a congratulatory Haiku... and then I realized that some people are actually good at haiku and i'm not... WOW this made me so happy,
