[toyg]

Dude, why creating something in an universe somebody else controls, for free? Wouldn't it be more creative to come up with your own world and characters? It would be more challenging, sure, but much more rewarding in every way (improving your narrative skills, benefiting 100% from publicity of your work, not risking to be nuked with a DMCA from orbit, etc etc).

In the end, if you really must have a Jenina Proudmoore, just call her something else and give her a similar-but-not-quite-same background.

[kitsunesoba]

Mainly because I like the universe and associated art style, music, etc and I (and I think most other fans, as well) would like to see it taking shape and given life in forms that Blizzard will probably never even consider.

If I try to come up with something of my own, I have the problem that first, I’m not a writer, making the creation of something with the depth and breadth of the Warcraft universe extremely difficult and if I make it stylistically similar to Warcraft I risk being seen as an uncreative two-bit copy of the real thing. It’s a tough spot to be in.

[toyg]

> if I make it stylistically similar to Warcraft I risk being seen as an uncreative

By doing it inside the same universe imho you're already putting your hands up, there. You're admitting it yourself when you say "I'm not a writer".

I agree you're in a top spot, but if you're going to invest significant amounts of time in your project, I think you owe it to yourself to protect it from somebody else's lawyers. There is nothing wrong with admitting your influences... Warcraft itself was a originally a Dune II clone with a fantasy skin!