Borgin and Burkes Magical Item Contest

Jul 01, 2010

Posted by: John Admin

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Borgin and Burkes Magical Item Contest


Curses and jinxes and dark
objects, OH MY!

Something wicked this way comes, and it’s
designed by you! For July’s contest, we are asking you to design and
illustrate an original object that might be found in Borgin and Burkes.
It must be an object we have never seen before (i.e., not from the
books or from interviews, etc) and must be of a magical nature. It can
be a dark object (like the Hand of Glory) or a powerful magical item
(such as Hufflepuff’s cup). The judges will not be looking for great
artistic skill, just clarity so we can see what you have described.

Contest
Rules

  • Design and illustrate (you may use any medium:
    hand drawn, 3D, digital) a magical item you would expect to find in
    Borgin and Burkes and write a short description of its appearance and
    properties.
  • The description should not exceed 150 words. This
    is just a short description of the item and what it does, not a story or
    an advertisement. (However, a bullet list would be acceptable instead
    of a description, if you choose.)
  • Anyone 13 years of age and
    over may enter the contest, including staff members who are not involved
    in the judging process.
  • One entry per person.
  • All
    submissions must be the original work of the contestant. Any entries
    found to contain the work of another artist will be disqualified.
  • All
    entries must meet PG-13 standards of decency and good taste.
  • Please
    include the name you would like to have appear with your illustration
    (real name or Leaky Lounge name).
  • Please copy-paste the
    description (please remember to name your object!) into the body of your
    e-mail with your name and you may submit up to two photos.
  • Photographs
    may be from digital cameras or scanned “paper” photos, but they must be
    submitted by email, in .jpg, .png, or .gif format. Paper photos are to
    be 4″ x 6″ or 6″ x 4″ and digital photos of approximately the same
    length and width. File sizes no larger than 1 MB, please. 2 MB total if
    you submit two photos.
  • All submissions must be e-mailed to [email protected]
    by 11:59 pm (EDT) on July 31st
    , with “Borgin and Burkes” in the
    subject line of the e-mail.
  • All decisions by the judges are
    final.
  • The first place winner will receive a handcrafted wand
    donated by Wizard
    Wood Wands
    (changes monthly) and 200 MyLeaky points.
  • Please
    refer to our FAQ if you are not sure of something.
  • If
    you have any questions not answered on the FAQ, or would like to discuss this Contest, please
    come to the Contest Corner Forum of The Leaky Lounge.

UPDATE: The winners have been picked and are below for your enjoyment. An illustration accompanies each description.

First
place
: Gloves of the Unarmed by Niceman

Gloves
of the Unarmed illustration

These gloves carry a glamour on
them to match the style of dress and situation, ranging in style from
nondescript and common to elegant and ornate. More importantly these
gloves have a dissolusionment charm on them so a small item picked up
and held will be rendered invisible. There is also a minor sticking
charm on the gloves so hidden objects will not fall from the hand even
if presented open-palmed for inspection. It’s origin was with duelers,
agents, and assassins. The gloves would enable the wearer to smuggle a
wand, dagger, or vial of poison past defenses or get close enough to the
target to launch a surprise attack. While in modern times assassins are
(supposedly) rare, the gloves still find use among thieves interested
in small valuables or the wizard looking for an edge against an enemy.

Second
place
: The K.I.D. by CH

K.I.D.
illustration

The K.I.D. (Killer In Disguise) is a cute,
cuddly, and fluffy teddy bear wearing a yellow shirt with black stripes.
The gender and name is determined by the owner. The K.I.D. preys on
children, both Muggle and magic. In Muggle homes, the bear is immobile,
but in wizarding households, the bear is alive and acts like a sweet,
cute, normal teddy bear. When the family is asleep, the K.I.D. goes to
the kitchen, takes a sharp knife, and kills its owner. It is then sold
to another unsuspecting young child. For each murder the bear commits, a
black stripe is added to its shirt. There is only one known K.I.D. in
existence.

Third place: Dastardly Dice
by HermioNay

Dastardly
Dice illustration

This set of dice is by all appearances the
same as any other, although they do appear rather old. Made of granite,
they are attractive to wizards and muggles alike. Unfortunately they
hide their cursed secret well. The player that throws these dice will be
safe as long as he does not throw “Snake Eyes” also known as double
ones. If the unlucky player throws such a roll, instantly a snake will
erupt from each “eye” and attack the one that conjured them. The snakes’
bites are very poisonous and little can be done to reverse the effects
of the venom. Once the snakes deliver their fatal blow, they will
disappear back into the dice whence they came, awaiting the opportunity
to strike again.

So player bewares. Enjoy throwing your lots, but
do so at your own risk.

Honorable mention: The
Stowaway Glove by MalfoyDiva

Stowaway
Glove illustration

One lavender left handed glove (no one
knows what happened to its mate).

It is imbued with an undetectable
sempiternal extension charm, meaning that the charm never fades or
fails. No one knows the identity of the glove’s creator only that he or
she must have been very powerful to create such an enduring charm.

The
glove’s duty when released by its master is to stowaway in the handbag
or pocket of the nearest person. Once it is carried to their place of
residence it waits until it is alone then moves silently about taking
anything of value, stowing the objects inside itself. When the glove has
scoured every last corner it vacates the residence and returns to its
master.

One thing that makes the glove especially dangerous is if
it is caught during its raid or retreat it has been known to strangle
the witness(s).

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