Well... Dee was right. Reading what Helena said made me wonder how exactly the Devil could make someone over as a woman without lying.
I spent quite awhile this morning looking for images that would help me with the idea (I found this image as well as a treasure trove of other images here) and even though this image is as clean as a priest's sock drawer, I kept seeing a reluctantly new girl arguing with the Devil. And what song should pop up at that time... why Sympathy for the Devil by the Stones of course!
So with that song playing and this image opened in Photoshop I got to writing. I pictured it as a conversation/argument so I went with the tried and true dialog format. My first swing was good... but when I went to re-read the comment that started this, I realized I hadn't represented one key part of it. "...He can seduce people with the truth alone..."
Here is what I wrote. You can see that I didn't have that part in mind:
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And there... done. Pleased to meet you... Helena!
Wait.. Is that MY hair? And what the... I HAVE TITS!! I didn't want to be a woman! What the hell did you do!?
Funny choice of words my dear. I did exactly as you asked. I gave you everything you desired and will be back in twenty years to accept payment.
Desired? I asked to be famous! I wanted to have thousands of screaming fans! I fucking wanted to star in movies! I did NOT ask to be a woman. You... you lied to me!
Tut tut tut my dear. You'll eventually find out that I cannot lie. Nor do I have to. I gave you just what you asked for... is it my fault that you weren't specific in what you asked for? You will be famous as you will soon begin your... ahem... acting career. You'll star in dozens of movies and even get awards including Best Film Actress, Best Video Actress, Female Performer of the Year, Best New Starlet, Best Anal Sex Scene and my favorite... Best Oral Sex Scene!
Umm... are those... oh my fucking god are those AVN Awards? PORN AWARDS!??
Of course they are my darling new starlet. How else did you expect to get thousands of screaming fans? You'll have them screaming our your name every night!!
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While technically the Devil didn't lie, he certainly didn't seduce Helena into this new feminine world. So before I even tried to fit it into the cap, I started over. It took a little longer this time because my mind kept going to trickery, and I wanted this to be more about seduction.
Once I had it written to my satisfaction, I contemplated the design. There's a lot of empty space in the photo, as all I want to do is emphasize their faces... but when I did a standard text over muted text box, I realized that it would cover up more of her hair than I liked. I didn't mind covering up his jacket, but I wanted her hair to be present as it's a sign of her new found femininity that I didn't mention in the story.
So I went back to the dialog style.... separate lines for each voice. And as long as I was going with this style I added a little more oomph to it. I made His words a nice dark bold and italic red with a white background to let it pop. I made her voice a seriffed font without any embellishment (which made placing it more critical... it would be washed away in the lighter areas of the photo). I did that to really emphasize their general strength. He was speaking strongly and confidently from a position of power, while she was speaking slowly and hesitantly from a position of weakness and temptation.
I don't think it's too overt, but that's what I had in mind.
One last design note... I've really been enjoying Kendall's blog lately, and she's been using this GREAT font for the titles of her caps. Someone was aking me about fonts recently and I pointed them to 1001fonts.com... so just on a lark I checked to see if I could find a similar font... and low and behold I believe I found the very font that Kendall is using! I won't use it that often, as Kendall is doing a great job with it, but I just couldn't help using it here at least once!
So... let this be a lesson to you. Commenting CAN lead to caps, even when you are talking about Devil Musicals!
Honestly Caitlin, I rarely visit your blog, not because I don't like your captions, they are masterpieces. I'm not sure how to put this in words, so I'll compare you with some local painters. You are a Rembrandt amongst the caption artists, but I like van Gogh more. I guess that's why I pop up at Dee's so often. Yet every now and then I enjoy Rembrandt as well. So now and then I visit your blog as well.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and Dee don't mind being compared with some local painters.
I have no idea why I visited your blog now.I guess I was in the mood for Rembrandt but the timing couldn't have been better for me.
I truly feel honoured to be in one of your captions, and such a great one as well.
I just may start liking Rembrandt much better;-)
Helena,
DeleteHey, if somebody wants to categorize me as a Rembrandt among caption artists then they are free to visit whenever they want! I don't believe any tg capping artist has universal appeal. We all cater to our own desires and therefore cater to people who share our desires. Dee and I both have unique styles that show up in our captions and still share a wide audience. I certainly can't fault you for liking Dee's "Van Goghesque" captions more... I like her caps a lot myself.
So... go ahead and stop by whenever you like. I'm glad that you enjoyed the caption and hope that you can find some others that you enjoy too! And thank you for the wonderful comparisons!
So I get to be the relatively insane, self-mutilating, unappreciated in his own life time, starving artist? In other words, someone who inspires a bunch of people to do their own thing and shock the world? Sounds good to me!
DeleteI enjoyed the caption, as I usually do, and the fact that it came due to something said in my blog really makes me happy and proud, like Socrates maintaining a discourse with others .. now just pass me some hemlock!
Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo. Great caption! Not only am I a massive stones fan but that was one sexy caption!
ReplyDeleteThanks Evie! It was fun pulling lines from the song and to be honest, wasn't that hard to make them line up with what I already had in mind.
DeleteWhat a great caption Caitlyn. I think this is one of my favorite caps by you. I really believe we have all, at least once, thought if we would sell our souls to have what we can only dream. I really enjoyed this because Helena was already transformed into a beautiful woman. Once you get what you want. It's hard to see what you need. Oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteGreat cap and wonderful image. Very creative.
xoxoxo Katie
Thanks Katie! I like occasionally going for the 'after transformation' cap, where it's not abut being changed, but accepting and even embracing your new feminine life.
Delete"No, you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need!"
My first thought was, HOT HOT HOT! But really, that doesn't do the cap any justice. The seduction angle really strikes a chord with me and I think you nailed it. The way he talks her into giving in and just enjoying the pleasure is bit of a mind game on me as well. I don't know if i could have said no! lol
ReplyDeleteAlso, the whole club angle reminds me of the devil from the sandman comics. Some people might not have read them around here, but at one point he ran a classy nightclub. Even though the devil in your cap was about to sell her out as a stripper/call girl, it still had this feeling of class to it.
That she was going to be more then just a whore for money. That every thing in her new life was just going to drown her in the pleasures of femininity and make her forget her new life. I kind of think that every client she gets would just be another way to seduce her and pull her deeper and deeper into her new life.
In other words, great job!
Thanks Jennifer! I'll admit I'm not familiar with the devil in the sandman comics, but that sounds about right. In the back of my mind I pictured Caitlyn (and now Helena) working at a very upscale 'Gentlemans Club'. One where only the best girls work and only the best clientele visit.
DeleteI don't want to spoil too much about the whole story. But the over all vibe I got off your devil, was the same I got off gaimans devil. Just over all different situations and key motivations.
DeleteWell first off, thanks for the shoutout! I didn't really recognize the font of the title though, so I think you might've found a new one :P
ReplyDeleteAs for the cap, I quite enjoyed also reading the original dialogue script! I actually found it to be more humourous so that was rather entertaining. The final cap though was also intriguing.
One thing that struck me in particular was the lack of dialogue from the transformee. All of her lines are very short or somewhat incoherent babbling and I thought the contrast of the amount of speech that the Devil does in comparison to her was an interesting pairing that added to the cap.
And a 10 minute orgasm? Someone sign me up! Great concept, use of the picture, and execution!
Thanks Kendall! Yeah, the first draft was done with more humor in mind than the last. I really tried to focus on the seductiveness of what the devil was offering in the latter version.
DeleteAs for the lack of dialog from Helena... I picture her mind being a flurry of activity. Equally dreading her new life, while at the same time being pulled in by the Devil's words. And he keeps talking, giving that inner fight a chance to win her over. I had thought of adding in little murmmurs or moans from Helena during the Devil's dialog (stuff like "Mmmm..", "Ohhh..", and "Ahhh..."), but I thought it might interupt the feeling I was going for. Besides, design wise it would be a royal pain to drop those in.
Wow, terrific caption! I usually do not enjoy voluntary transformation stories as much, but you did such a good job with the seduction angle I found it even more enjoyable than any forced themed caption. You are a great writer, I would honestly love to read a story around this idea. Even without any eroticism it's just a really well though out idea, such a great example of seducing people with the truth! Also the interwoven lines from one of my favorite songs was just the icing on the cake. You rock!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous! I appreciate you saying that.
DeleteBut sadly I doubt I'd ever take this idea further. It's a struggle to write with that seductive voice and I'm not sure I could maintain it in a longer setting.