Hubris isn't just the plural of hubri! Wait! It isn't? The other way around? NO?
Sometimes it doesn't pay to be cocky. Especially when you are trying to appear like you don't have a cock! Ashlee learned that the hard way. Dee had to go along for the ride.
Made this for Totalditz, who as I mentioned in the last post, has a new Valentine's Day story available on Kindle at Amazon .. for only 99 cents! Anyway, I like making captions for her because it satisfies my AR preferences, and along with some light embarrassment and tepid humiliation, which is just so much fun to write. And since I usually get to co-star in them, it's even more pleasure than I could possibly hope to stand! Who doesn't want to relive their youth, but in (perhaps?) a slightly better all-around situation than our actual pubescent happenings?
And this caption is a good example of me taking what a photo gives me and working with it. There usually has to be some sort of anchor in it to make me want to elaborate on the story, and tell people what is going on at that moment in time. This is why there are times where I won't make captions for a week or two, when I can't find good source material. And why I have such a large archive of pictures to go through if nothing is coming down along the image pike.
Four out of the last 6 captions posted have had 10+ comments! Yeah, half of them are replies from me, but THAT means we are having conversations and community building! Let's keep it up .. and if you don't wish to talk about this particular caption, I have something else lined up.
One of the reasons I started this blog up so many years ago was to talk shop about the creation of captions, how they are done, and the behind-the-scenes view of "why" I did what I did. Hopefully it gets others motivated to make their own, and get their dreams and fantasies out there too. For the rest of the week, post here in the comments, or in the next few captions I make, and ASK AWAY about anything you'd like to know about ANYTHING related to TG captions .. or TG fiction too. I can give you my experiences and thoughts, and since we have quite a few other captioners and authors .. they can give you their two cents as well. Maybe some of you can avoid the same mistakes we already made .. please do learn from the path we've already trod upon! And I'm not immune to this either, as I've had my horizons expanded so many times by people who've done things I'd never even thought of trying. I'ts made my captions (and my actual life!) a much more fulfilling!
Another wonderful cap! It matches the picture perfectly <3
ReplyDeleteAnd a chance to pick your brain?? Sign me up!
My two biggest things for me so far are: do you have any tips for making your caption visually pop as far as layout goes?
Second I guess is do you feel like you make captions for your audience or do you just try to make ones you enjoy? I had tried making captions a year or so ago and always worried about what others like and it made me stop.
Some basic guidelines for making a caption pop would be to :
Delete(1) try to incorporate colors in the source photo into the caption background. In this caption, I used the color of the door and a shade from the fire alarm to tie the picture in together with the text.
(2) Try to integrate the picture as best you can into the layout. For instance, in the picture above, the girls are all facing slightly to the readers right, so I put the text to their right so that they are facing the middle. I try not to have them looking "out" of the boundaries of the caption, unless they are supposed to be looking at someone in that direction.
(3) Anything that isn't necessarily needed to tell your story COULD be cropped out of the picture. The closer you are to the "action" by zooming in, the more it could bring out the character and make them a bigger part of the caption. For instance, in a prom date setting, you probably want her entire dress and heels to be visible, but most of the stairs and end table to the right of her could be cut without affecting the plot.
Hope that can give some clarity. I would suggest watching Youtube videos for more fancy editing within your chosen caption builder, ie Photoshop or Paint.net or Powerpoint.
For the second question, it's much harder to make captions when you aren't invested in the story line. I would say about 85 percent of the captions here are trades on the Haven so I have to please the recipient, but I also have to remain true to myself. Luckily I have a bit of notoriety, so by this point in time, many people WANT a Dee caption, so I get a bit more leeway.
But unless you are on the Haven and trading captions, make things that you enjoy, and are representative of who you are and what you like. An audience will find you .. eventually, which is why it's best to do what makes you the most comfortable. Feedback is HARD to come by, and if you are looking for that, you are in for a shock. Most people start out by making captions that they don't see on other sites .. in not seeing what they like. Some like Ashlee and Courtney, wanted PG captions without sexual situations. There are others that are Indian, and make captions about men in saris and/or tradition garb with ethnic situations people in the US don't understand. Long story made longer, write what you would like to see .. there are bound to be others that will enjoy the same thing.
Hope this helps!
That was incredibly helpful <3
DeleteThanks for taking the time to respond Dee!
Dear Dee, your mastery of captions is the stuff of legend! I love your creations. Two considerations stand out, since you ask for comments as critical feedback. (1) What are the males doing? (noting how they react to the new females is a way of eliciting emotion); and (2) Emotional content---having one of the girls cry or shed tears of joy, whichever, will help you explain the choices that are made and un-maid when a guy becomes a gal. ^^
ReplyDeleteTo caption is to imagine; you do that lovingly. I wish to be like you, Dee.
Not quite sure what you are referring to with your questions.
DeleteEmotions can be a good thing to write about, though it often shows in the faces of the models. If you have a photo of two women frowning, you probably don't want to write a story where they are giving each other orgasms, unless it's part of "nope, having a girl do this to me doesn't turn me on .. I must like guys now? UGGH!"
And I think a big part of captioning is knowing when to imply something, rather than beat the reader over the head with a situation. I enjoy reading people's interpretations of what I wrote, because sometimes they don't get the point I was trying to make, BUT will personalize it to their own story. Who am I to say that their viewpoint wasn't more valid than mine, especially if they got enjoyment from the caption.
Fee free to elaborate more though if I didn't quite get the point you making, and thanks for the compliment!
Hey Dee....I was in Dance class in HS for a couple of years....the Madame didn't want me there and all the girls there weren't so thrilled either!!!
ReplyDeleteBut they came around after they saw me putting in the effort!!!!
And there were a few times that I got a little enthusiastic....and it was usually met with laughter....
Kisses
Kaaren
I think that effort is always a good balm for those who don't believe in you! I don't even pretend to know what the hell is going on with ballet, other than I'd totally suck ass doing it .. though I think I'd look uber cute in the outfits!
DeleteFun cap.
ReplyDeleteNice to see a ballet cap where ballet isn't considered humiliating.
For the people who are interested in ballet positions, you might want to check Armando Braswell in "Ballet 101" By Eric Gauthier on You Tube.
Almost surprised you don't have it as your video, Dee. Then again, Florence and the Machine is always a good choice.
As I alluded to in Kaaren's comment, I know jack squat about ballet. For all I know, "jack squat" could be an actual dance move in ballet!
DeleteAnd yes, the humiliation part comes from being exposed by our own doing, not from the perpetrator who set it all up. It's hard work, and to do it even remotely correctly, it takes much dedication, and I wouldn't try to make it seem easy .. unlike how often we captioners make appearing like a woman seem like a piece of cake. For WOMEN, it isn't always easy to look good; never mind guys who have been raised as men for their formative years.
I love the way you did this one, hon. It has the lost bet and humiliation angle, but is really kind of sweet and happy, a gentle sort of tale of finding common ground, bonding, and supporting one another . . . and then the accidental twist!
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to bait the trap with something sweet to catch people off guard! Nobody expect the Dee-ish Exposition!
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