SEMI-FINALISTS 2!
The finalist winners will be announced on Sunday. Until then, I’m thrilled to show you a few more of the semi-finalists. This time, the theme is: EARLY FALSE PRINCE.
Warning for those who have not read the first book: some of these entries could contain spoilers.
KALINDA
This one made my jaw drop. It’s so beautiful and emotional and tragic and wonderful, and brilliantly done in every way. Make sure you keep scrolling to the end. View the work HERE!
MEGAN
I already loved that Megan was filling in a missing scene, but the change in perspective on this story really caught my attention. I hope to be seeing more of Megan’s work in the future. This was a great read!
SOFIA
What I love most about Sofia’s work is the perfect way she captured Sage’s smirk. I imagine that Conner saw that exact look many times – no wonder Conner hated Sage. This is wonderful art work.
DARIYA
I always love mood boards, and especially loved Dariya’s choice in theme for this one. She chose images that I could sink myself into and that broadened my understanding of exactly how profound Sage’s choice was.
SANYA
This story is told from Darius’s point of view, and gets inside that character’s head in a profound and highly emotional way. I felt so much sympathy for him as I read THIS PIECE, and Sanya proved to have great talent in writing it.
SOPHIE
How beautiful is this? I want to make a print of it and hang it on my wall forever, and it only becomes more interesting the longer I study it – such as the way the bridge is crumbling in the foreground – brilliant!
LEM
Lem has been a fan of the series almost from its earliest days, but I also adore not only the quality of this art, but the accuracy of it. I created the castle and Farthenwood both from existing photos of places and then slightly moderated both. Lem nailed both pieces to perfection. These are accurate enough I could have used them as originals to describe these places in the books.
EMMA
There is something of play and fun in Emma’s work, but she also captured the two halves of this one highly conflicted main character in a way that I think draws the reader to him even more. It’s excellent artwork, and something I appreciate even more when I compare the expressions in the eyes. So well done!
LARISSA
This song will go straight to your heart, as it did mine, but it’s best described in Larissa’s own words: I named the piece Saudade, which means “a feeling of melancholy, or nostalgia.”
I imagine Sage looking back and reminiscing about his past. How he set fire to the tapestries in the throne room. How he challenged the King of Mendenwal to a duel. How his father tried to send him away to a school in Bymar. How he escaped the ship and pirate attack. And how his father told him to leave and never come back.
Sage also thinks about what could have been. What if his father had let him return to the castle? What if he had never met Conner? What if his family was still alive? What if . . .
LISTEN HERE.
MOLLY
Aside from being so well-written, Molly handles the emotions of THIS MISSING SCENE very skillfully, and the ending will hit you hard.
Thank you all for your dedication, enthusiasm, and talents. The next round of semi-finalists will be posted on Friday – so stay tuned!
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If there is an afterlife as the priests tell, I imagine a scene something like this would've happened.
Eckbert and Darius greet Erin at the gates. After embracing them each in turn her face grows pensive as she searches the faces behind them. Father and son exchange a meaningful glance. "You're looking for him aren't you," Eckbert says. A statement not a question. Nodding Erin replies, "Jaron has to be here. He may have been a willful child, but there was no real malice in him. Surely the saints wouldn't deny a child entry," her voice trails off as she tries to catch Darius' eyes that slide away guiltily. Staggering slightly as the realization hits her. Eckbert catches her arm, but she tears it away. "You lied to me. Both of you!," her voice rising with the anger inside her. She hadn't thought you could feel such anger and betrayal in the afterlife. "He did survive the pirate attack. And you found him, then left him, where? The streets of Avinia?" A sob burst in her throat. Another emotion not supposed to dwell with the saints was gripping her. Draping his arm over her shoulders Eckbert says, "I did what I thought would save him. He was almost killed once, we have enemies practically encompassing our borders. And look at where we are now. I obviously couldn't keep us safe even from my own court,". Erin leaning on Eckbert's chest says, "You could have told me. Do you have any idea the pain I went through?". Stepping closer Darius answers, "But would you have let him be? If we had told. You would have demanded we bring him back to Drylliad," Erin nodded, she couldn't deny her mother's instincts, "If he's still alive that means he will have to rule. He never wanted to be king. How will he manage or even be able to claim the throne? It's been four years, he could have changed a lot,". Eckbert stops her breathless rant with a soft squeeze on her shoulder. "I provided him with a way back if it was ever necessary," he says gently. "Besides Jaron's stronger than you think and more clever than I ever was," Darius adds, "As long as he remembers to keep his tongue, he'll be a great king,". A wobbly smile crossing her face Erin agrees, "Yes, that would help him greatly,". Together the walk away from the gates further into eternity.