Sun Eater is a high fantasy flash fiction piece that was originally written for the Penprints Flash Fiction Dash in 2018. It became one of my favorite short stories, and was very well received by readers when it first released. So naturally I wanted to pull it to be a part of the first season of Imperfect Expressions.
I hired an artist from Upwork to create two images for this episode. Here’s how the artwork of the first image developed! Patricio did a great job.
He first sent me six composition sketches. I couldn’t decide between two of them becuase they both had elements I really liked, so he combined those two and came back with these three.
From there, he rendered them out in color. He knew this first scene took place in the early morning, so he gave me two mood variations to choose between. The golden hour effect of the second one was perfect.
And then there was the final image! In the video, we gave it a 3D/animated effect. The smoke drifts upward, the clouds move slowly, the water ripples, the trees and clothes shift slightly, light and dust filter across the screen, and occasionally a flock of birds can be seen flying up from behind the temple!
You can see the final animated images in the YouTube audio-drama video here, or if you’d rather read the story, you can find the original Penprints post here.
I’ve been told that Sun Eater’s world feels like Assassin’s Creed Origin. It takes place in polished temples and dark chasms. And it’s not just a glimpse into a story, as many flash pieces are – it tells an entire tale. So dive on in!
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Here are some of the comments the story originally received!
Just B. Jordan is an award-winning author of fantasy and sci-fi. She graduated high school a year early and received her first publishing contract at the age of 18. To Ashes We Run is her most recent novel. Find it here.
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