Yeah, it has nothing to do with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Please read on!
Though I DID name the illusionist Prefect.
I made this for AnneOniMouse about a week and a half ago. I had the picture saved for what seems like months (actually 3 years! Just looked it up!) but hadn't used it. Not really sure why I hadn't to be honest, but it does give a bit of a "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies" feel though I think this is a much better scenario for how it concluded!
To me, the picture was of a changed girl that was leaving a carnival sideshow tent off a shady midway visiting a small town. I've worked around some small fairs and got to know quite a few of the carnie folk, and they were definitely an interesting bunch. The stories I could tell! Anyway, if things like this happened in real life, I bet a bunch of you would be running out to get some fried dough and go insult the gypsy women every day until you got what you wanted!
I didn't really expect the response from others though that posted to the Haven. Anne replied first and said, "Dee, that is beautiful. You have managed to get over the whole thing so elegantly. I love this sort of story and this done with class." I am so happy when what I create can make a connection for the recipient. Helena mentioned, "It is indeed very elegant. Lovely caption. This is one of those captions I can read again and again." Among other comments, Simone told me, "This is some of my favorite of your recent work. Perhaps ever! It has all your trademarks and uses the picture in a way few would have considered." Now I am positively glowing with the positive feedback!
Things like this make all the captions that get 0-1 comments not matter in the grand scheme of things. The encouragement and recognition captioning peers and fans makes you walk on air! You can "write off" the clunkers or misfires and just let them bounce off like raindrops.
Over the last week or so, I've been trying to stop by people's blogs and let them know I appreciate their effort. I have been busy but supporting others is an important thing. If you see a blog that hasn't been that active lately, tell the creators that you miss them and hope they are doing ok. Encourage the newer captioners to keep working hard. Give the big-time names in the TG arena assurances that you don't take their work for granted and cherish the hours of pleasure they've given you. These TG blogs don't HAVE to be passive. Interact and your enjoyment can grow exponentially. Trust me!
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Simone mentioned that I used "the picture in a way that few would have considered." What would YOU have come up with if you just had the picture to play with? Feel free to elaborate below! If you aren't a captioner, you can still do this. Perhaps I'll take what you had and work it into another version of this caption. If you've ever WANTED to make a caption, here's the original image!
UPDATE: An anonymous person decided to write up something in the comments section. I had a few minutes, so with a few minor edits, I marked up what they submitted as it fit well into my own design very well! Hope everyone enjoys!
Great cap Dee! You've written a fun story and I agree it's not what I would have done with the photo. Where you saw a newly transformed girl leaving a show, I see a newly transformed girl peeking out onto the stage. Maybe seeing someone else get transformed, or maybe even something bad happening to the magician ensuring that she'll stay in this body forever.
ReplyDeleteI looked up that movie and was all ready to add it to my 'movies to watch' list, when I noticed a few key words.... "The film was billed as the first "monster musical".
Monster Musical? Umm... no thanks!
Yeah, the only way to watch "Incredibly Strange Creatures .." is to find the MST3k version, as its a bit more fun to deal with. For a better horror musical, try "Devil's Carnival" which I included a clip from in my music section. Made by the same people that did "Repo: A Genetic Opera".
DeleteI think that Simone might be right. The way you described the picture seems just like what you would do with it, especially the trapped aspect of it.
Love, love, love your caption! Not a captioner myself but since you've put the invitation out there, here's what I come up with:
ReplyDelete"Karen felt dazed and confused. . .confused at being confused. Everyone back-stage called her by name without hesitation or question and smiled at her with delighted recognition. So why had it seemed so unfamiliar back there? At least the stage seemed very familiar. . .but even that. . .It was like she had never seen it from this perspective before. She wasn't used to having to squint into the light. In her head, she thought she could hear the fading echoes of someone she thought had been named "Keith" calling "Yeah, take it all off, Bitch!" Her eyes rolled back into her head. She gave her body a shake and the respondent cheers and whistles pushed all thoughts of uncertainty aside. She knew exactly what the men in the crowd wanted to watch and see. She knew exactly what things to do and how to do them. She didn't care whether she knew all this from having done it a thousand times before. . or having watched it a thousand times before."
Very good writing for someone that hasn't done this sort of thing before, unless you write fiction someplace. I thought it was very good nonetheless, so I had a few minutes to plug it into my setting, with only a few minor tweaks. You'll find it in the main body of this post.
DeleteThanks! I love how you worked it into the picture and the tweaks too!
DeleteAs I already said on the Haven, I can read this again and again, and so I did when I came here, and again I got lost in the Devil's Carnival. Love that.
DeleteWell, Anonymous. I Agree with Dee. It is good. Congratulations on the nice job you did, and thank you for the lovely bonus for me to read.
"Interact and your enjoyment can grow exponentially. Trust me!" I can see by your reaction, you discovered Dee was right.
"Now I am positively glowing with the positive feedback!"
"The encouragement and recognition captioning peers and fans makes you walk on air!" Yes, I made the experience myself.
Great story Anonymous that matches very well to the photograph! Keep up the good work!
DeleteThanks for posting your reactions and thanks especially to Dee! It's really exciting to see my ideas and wording turned into an actual caption and it was really nice of you, Dee, to take the time to put it together and post it for me to see along with others' reactions to it.
DeleteSay, Anonymous. It's not to long ago I started commenting more regular, and before Caitlyn gave me the advice of creating a blogger account I used to sign my anonymous comments with "Helena"
DeleteI can tell from my own experience, that if you at least sign a comment with a name, the interaction between you and the blogger you comment on, like Dee here, will change. Get better, because they recognize and remember you.
You don't need to use your real name of course.
And it's nice to have a name for someone, other than Anonymous;)
WOW!! I haven't been scanning any blogs for a few weeks. And I am so glad I picked this caption to come back on. I loved it so much Dee. Great cap and once again you see a whole story in a single frame and write is so perfect. Again and again you prove to be one of my favorite caption artists. Thanks for a great cap.
ReplyDeletexoxoxo Katie