Because in the end, it IS the little things that matter the most.
Made this one a few days ago for Jezebel. I cannot stress how much I like this chick! She has so much energy and took the Haven by storm and gave it some much needed pizazz. She reminds me of the smattering of many of my former besties from the Haven that have moved on and if I am the slightest bit jaded about something, I can just look at her work and a smile will slowly crawl across my face like I'm some TG Grinch that makes my heart 3 sizes bigger again!
The picture just screamed Jinny, and I knew I had to use it. The look is somewhat Emo so I figured, why not embrace that? Right away I wanted to focus on the earrings and the shirt, so to tie everything together like Lebowski's rug, I created a background that hopefully drove it home before you even realized it was relevant to the overall caption.
Puberty / growing up in your teen years is hard enough to go through, as its a battle to define exactly what you are and what your place is in the world. Now, throw in a gender change, whether accidentally or by choice, and now you are navigating choppy waters. Just when you think you've got it down, you are competing against a new body, hormones, societal norms, and self-image.
I tried to convey that as simply as I could in a caption that was emphasizing just a mundane (for most people) event we've gone through so many times, finding new clothes, albeit for first day of school, new job, etc ... Its why I love to make my stories a "moment in time" snapshot, because I think the themes are universal and ground the necessary "suspension of disbelief" the reader has to make to accept what is going on.
For this caption, its just about being comfortable in your own skin and how a person close to you can always seem to sense what's wrong and figure out a way to make it right. Jinny's mom takes something he loved from his past and re-purposes it into an acceptable new item more fitting to what she's become. Then its celebrating the closeness between them as they discover the path for Jinny that's awaiting her .. that she doesn't have to be a completely new person just because the body has changed.
No nudity or big titties, no embarrassment, no compulsions built upon layers of hypnosis, no wonderfully crafted bits of witty dialog, etc ... but its still one of my favorite captions I've made of the last few months. Its genuinely sweet and uplifting in a way that I often am not. My personal nectar is often laced with vinegar, but its always laden with the best intentions. Just stick with me and you'll get all the flavors when you least expect them so you'll never be thirsty!
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Did the caption live up to what I tried to do within it? What did you like about it and what fell short? Did it strike a chord inside you or where you more just sort of "meh" about it all?