C'mon in .. the water's fine!

 
Don't think I'd done any Bikini Beach captions before, so this was a new arena to work in. I remember most of the stories when they originally came out, and it might be the 2nd oldest TG universe (other than Spells R Us) that is still being used from time to time.

Please read/view the caption first before continuing to read this blog entry.

I am not sure if someone wrote a story that mirrors the one I wrote here, but it wouldn't shock me. If there was such a thing as Bikini Beach, I would think this might happen a lot. Its what came to mind when I saw this picture, thinking about how "make a wish" kids often want to spend time in the water with dolphins, and how gentle they can be with people with medical issues (the compassion is amazing, considering that its been proven that dolphins can/will rape.)

Any problems I encountered with making this were of the .. how far should I go in dealing with something serious that has had to effect almost every viewer of the caption? I wanted to put some levity in, and show a new start .. and show apprehension ... all without making it a complete and utter downer.

What I did was try to put everything the reader needed to know in subtle hints, as the last thing I wanted to do was make it cloying and heavy handed. Making a story and setting up the "read between the lines" is not the easiest thing to do. I'm hoping that even though I left it vague, most readers know what was going on (the results were probably debilitating at best, and possibly terminal), and why Tom's wife did what she did.

I made this for Shauna because she's had some medical issues, and thought she'd appreciate the thought behind it. Its always hard to feel your way through a topic like this, but I figured she would be up for it.

This caption would not be very successful (and I am proud of it, trust me) if it wasn't for the picture. That photo sells the new life and opportunity that Shauna has been presented with, and it, in my mind at least, balances the seriousness of the initial situation, not only makes the ending more lighthearted, but also showing a shot of redemption for both of them.

I know why people don't often attempt to do captions or stories like this. Then again, I'm not like most people and want to see what I can do when I'm inspired. There isn't a Bikini Beach out there, but there are REAL organizations out there that try to fulfill the wishes of those less in less fortunate positions. Please make sure you remember them this year during the holiday season. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can have the biggest impact.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How did your initial reaction to the caption match up with the discussion? Did I do a good enough job conveying what I had tried to lay out? I really don't mind people venting that they don't like this caption, it's too depressing, etc ... Tell me how you feel.