Friday, April 15, 2011

The Widow's web. A suckubus tale


I barely know where to start with this one. But I had always wanted to play around with Smitty's Suckubus series, (Must read!) But was pretty busy with giveaways, trade debt, and then the rewards I had offered to do.

One of the rewards was to Smitty himself, who was gracious enough to give me time to work through my writers block or at least until I got a bit of inspiration to do a cap or two.  I asked him if there was anything in particular he would like to see for the caption and he asked if I could take a swing at the succubus universe he had created. WHAT LUCK!

This is my attempt, you can read it now and join me after the page break to see some behind the scenes of the caption. But I recommend that you read Smitty's caps as well for the full effect of everything I put in the caption.

Lots of detail and spoilers ahead! Don't read unless you really want to know the whole story!



Mmm, Tasty...
It's still hard to narrow down where to begin. But I had been working on the story for a long while. Mostly trying to come up with how to fit that universe into a single length caption.

I could have turned this into a series length caption, but Smitty also requested I turn into it to a single length caption. He really enjoyed what I did for his Smitty character when I tried it before.

With Smitty I had a well established character to play off of. His personalty was biggest thing I had to shoot for in the caption. He stands out in every series he's in, no matter what other characters are in the story, Smitty will still make an impression. Usually the victim is the most stand out, but you can't forget Smitty.

But I didn't just have to capture their character, but also their super-natural overwhelming powers over the flesh and mind.  They have a lot of nasty powers to make their prey whimper in fear and ecstasy.

I wanted to overcome the single length limitation with making part of the story visual, I knew that is one thing I wanted to do right from the start.  I was happy to accept it and took it on as a challenge to test myself, with not only the layout, but what I could do for a single cap. I did end up blowing the thing up to about 4 times the normal size, but hey! It's still one panel. heh

I went through a few rough drafts and even made a few finished caps. (Basically) But none of them felt right, I just wasn't getting it. Trying to force an idea out instead of letting it come to me.  That is, until Smitty posted the most recent suckubus series. Bam! Like a kick to the head I had my story, my character, and even the setting. I just needed to find the pics...

Which I was up for a long time last night looking and looking and looking..  All the while dreaming up the idea and fleshing it out. I knew what I wanted to do with the story, I wanted to set it in a office setting, Not just because it's one of my favorite subjects, but I could show how much she had taking away from him. Obviously he was a powerful executive and it was that position that he used to capture his own prey.

He had numerous office affairs, usually unwanted And he made sure to never make a move on them until he had them right where he wanted them. I know it may not look like it, but I must have cut out 4 times as much material in this caption. Do you know how many pictures are in this cap? There are 14 pictures here, Many of which you will never see unless you read this post. But each one even had their own story to tell! I though it would help with getting part of the story out through the layout and from what I've heard, it worked! YAY!

Ok, so.. bear with me here but I'm going to go through each picture one by one. This first one here, the girl being dragged away by the officer.  you can see the officer's head right above the whining test box. For this one, I figured the victim of the story had sent one girl to jail for embezzlement. But really it was just a way to get rid of her when she threatened to report him for sexual harassment.
"NO! No! I'm telling you that asshole Put all that money in my account! I didn't touch a dime!"
The next picture you will not see in the caption. It's probably the tiniest bit visible, but it's mostly obscured by the second picture of the suckubus. Still, there was even a story for it. In the caption I had cut out the guy, so he dosen't have anything to with it. But she's the type of girl that's seen this sort of pig a dozen times. She knows he only hired her for her body and she despises him for it, because she's actually very intelligent and smarter then him. but she couldn't let him know that, she just had to let him think he was.
I did not go to Harvard for this..
This one is right under the first picture and again cuts out the guy. Still, the victim of the caption was just off screen telling her to lift her skirt. She was timid and afraid of him and of losing her job, so she just did as he asked and kept her mouth shut. A experience that still haunts her to this day.
"hi..Higher? Like this?"
You can find the top of her head sticking out above the first suckubus photo in the caption. And i figured she was a a mother and wife that needed the job desperately. He could tell she was willing to do anything for the job, but of course never dreamed he would do this.

"You're kidding.. right?"

This girl was a pure slut from the start, she knew how to dress for him and what it is he liked in her girls. But He isn't just satisfied with having sex with them, he wanted to lord his power over them and remind them that he was better, smarter, and stronger then any of these office bimbos. It's one reason The suckubus in the series brings up drawing the short straw in life. It's how he would always refer to their situation,   Maybe not those exact words but along those lines.  Of course having a completely willing slut didn't do anything for him, she liked being on the bottom, so he got her hooked on drugs and left her in the gutter after a few months of use.The guys a total dick!
No text, but you can see her leg just under the third photo. 

The next girl didn't look like it to him, but she was smarter and more capable at his job then he was. But still, she didn't have the lucky breaks he had in life. Which he took to mean he was special, better then everyone else. This girl had to work hard to pay for her collage education and needed a job badly. All she wanted was a chance and he took that and crushed it. Treated her like a piece of meat for a month or so and then fired her for one reason or another.She felt she was entitled to just as much in this world as he was, but he didn't exactly agree. You can find it in the center of the caption buried under the text.

"Just this once... then I can get that raise and start living life like I was meant to!"

This girl is at the top right corner of the cap, and even though it too dosen't have text, I had a story for her. Mostly her tale was about the anger and humiliation of what it means to be his little plaything. In a longer series I could have expanded on this, and I don't know, maybe I will. But I am very proud of what I accomplished with this single length story. In the extended story I planed to have the suckubus give a run down of all of these girls he once had something to do with. Only this time she would put him in their shoes, their memory's of their time with him and where it took them in their life's. but more on that later.
No text, but I planed to have the suckubus comment about her dripping chin.
This was my favorite picture of all the stuff I threw in there. The way it not only shows the victim while he was still male, but how he treats the girls while he has his way with them. She dosen't like it, but he dosen't care about her enjoyment at all, Just his own and the thrill he gets from imposing his will on all of them. I also cut out the other couple in the photo, they had nothing to do with the story. You can find this picture right under the top right corner head shot.
"*ugh* *ugh* UGHNNN! your *UGH* Hurting me AHH!"

This idea for this next one was to show that their torment from running into this guy didn't just end when he fired them. All of his actions left a huge mark on all of their life's and for this girl she wound up in a padded cell. I like the idea that she really went crazy, but I ended up going with the idea that he had her put away. But not because she was going to squeal, she challenged him to do his worst to her, that she was tired of not standing up for her self.  This was what he came up with. You really can't see it in the caption though.

That motherfucker.. it should be him sitting in the loony bin!
This is the one located on the bottom left corner of the caption. I cut out the guy for the same reason I cut out the others. He didn't look anything like the one guy with the beard. I chose him because he didn't look like a traditional physically strong alpha male. No, instead he used his money and power from the job he had to get what he wanted. Kinda like the suckubuss themselves, but they actually are strong.  It shows that he didn't just force him self on the girls at work, but also his hired help at home.
Just because I work for you dosen' Humppf!!
I liked this one a lot too. He has plenty of girls to wreck, but every now and then he would go out and rent out a easy whore,. subjecting them to all sorts of humiliating tasks and making them feel like shit for a couple of bucks. Which he probably would throw in their face once he was through with them. Here's she's licking his shoe, you can find it in the bottom right corner.
No text, but it is also a slight nod to the Smitty cap I had done.




This one can be seen right next to the fourth photo of the suckubus in the caption. She had a Husband and was very vocal about not cheating on him, but after a couple of weeks of cat and mouse, he got her right where he wanted her. So ashamed and afraid of what would happen if she told the truth, she couldn't tell him that he forced her to do it. After all, who would believe her story over her bosses team of well paid lawyers and the threat of something even worse happening to her if she breathed a word of it? Sadly, her husband did find out and they split up because of it.

I hope I can keep this from my husband. *sob*

 Wheew! So there's all the pics you can't really make out and the text that joined them. is it any wonder I took like 10 hours for this? not to mention the 2 months I tried to prep for it. While I had been working on the series I Casually mentioned to a friend that I wish I had the deluxe version of comic life so I could do this sort of stuff. I wanted to use some of the tools it had for my Jennifer story and this suckubus caption. I just couldn't see a way around it.

to my shock and awe, my friend bought me the deluxe version! I don't want to put up her name here to keep her privacy, but she is super awesome and super sweet! and I hope I can make her something with the new comic-life that will knock her skirt off! /Thank you! I feel like I'm really only halve way through this post, so I hope your still with me Because here comes my favorite part!

 
The Widow!
I LOVE her Character so much! Everything I just detailed had a purpose and that's because the widow has a very peculiar eating habit. She feeds on strong alpha males, but nothing tastes sweeter to her then someone with a false sense of power and abuses it. She abuses her own power too, only using it to trap her little snacks in her web of sex and deceit. She gets close to the victim and learns everything about them first hand, making her own memory's and experiences with them along the way. She lets them treat her like dirt and just bides her time.
UGhnn! I'm just your little simpering bitch now! HAhahah!

The thing that's most striking to me in the suckubus series is the suckubus's them self's. Each one is unique and have their own goals. Their characters seem bigger then the story they are in, so I had to try to do the same for my own suckubus. Who would have guessed she would be pure fucking evil? >_> heh. I had this vision of her just finishing her meal and taunting her new pet, She won, she's happy, and she's very satisfied. and now it's time for the real fun! When I found the photo set, I fell in love with it! Oh god it showed everything that I wanted from her.

I tried to cut the smoking angle at first, but the more I looked through the set, the more I liked the idea of her lighting up a cigarette. it showed the satisfaction she got from her meal and any orgasm's she had while she played her game with him. And it also showed how confident she was in her victory over him. the messed up make up and latex shows that she had been used and abused, but it's exactly what she wanted. She wanted him at his worse for her, so she could bring him down to his lowest when he felt like he was on top of the world. Now she gets to turn the tables and remind him for an eternity who's the real alpha dog!

"Ugyhnnaa" heh, better get use to this sweetie.
She chooses the time and place to spring her trap, spinning her web for how ever long she feels she needs too. in the mean time she feeds off of a straggler here and there, but only to help keep her eyes focused on what she's really hungry for. Nothing else will do for her, if given the choice between a goody two shoes she could drain right that instant, and a evil sick twisted bastard that she had to wait months to drain and starve in the mean time, she would pick the bastard every single time.

"WHAAA! I have boobies now!" Shut up whore! At least I gave you a bigger pair then mine, Gives me something to grab when I'm pegging the fuck out of you!

She's also got a severe anger problem that will pop up every now and then. in the cap she showed a little bit of it, but the picture above is a good example of a outburst on one of her new daughters. She is always taunting, teasing, and flaunting her hold over them. But she will put real fear in them just to change things up, keep them on their toes. and in case I missed it, like she says in the caption, she really is just like the victim in the caption. The only difference is, she has real power! and Just like a black widow, she gets what she needs and then devours her mate.

Ohh.. *chuckle* This is going to feel sooo good... For me!

 Ok, so I'm almost done here. The last thing I wanted to mention was, I placed the text in a spiral for a different reason then usual. For one, the background of all the past experiences she went and relieved just so she could use them on her prey later on, is meant to show the mind ripping feeling the shared experience might give the victim. And two, it's sort of the web for the picture. So the text is like the spinneret strands of silk, giving a slight overwhelming feeling just by looking at it.  Some things people will not pick up on in this cap, but every single thing in it I did for a reason  And I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it up!

P.S. Anyone catch the Muffet nick name she gave her pet?

Along came a spider, Who sat down beside her..


5 comments:

  1. Jennifer,

    I loved the cap before I read your write up on. And I love it even more now! I thought I was sly and got a lot of the background pictures and text, and their meaning. What I got was a feeling from it, that this direct explanation enhances.

    I often read the write up on caps to get more about the creative process that other artists go through... and I DID get that from this, but I also got so much more out of the cap.

    I'll be the first to admit that the 'succubus' idea isn't my ball of wax. It doesn't turn my crank. I can understand the appeal for the people who do like it... but it doesn't do much for me.

    Well color me a fan now. I love it!

    I can't say enough good things about your cap. I normally only gush over caps that hit me in a more personal way, but your creativity, your story telling, your layout, your design, your voice, your style have all combined into a category five hurricane cap.

    WOW!

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  2. There aren't many pastiche TG captions out there. It could be that it is very time-comsuming (as you've mentioned) or complicated to build. Other reasons could be the amount of effort involved in making something that will only create atmosphere and the details will be lost on the average reader.

    However, the effort you put into this does show up in spades. The claustrophobic element really crowds the words and lends an overwhelmingly distraught mood that essentially seeps into the plot. Stylistically, its perfect in execution for what you were trying to achieve!

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  3. That was a fascinating read into your dirty little mind. The general idea of all those background scenes definitely comes through, but it's great to hear the plot that went into them even if it's not entirely visible.

    @Caitlyn. Well of course Jennifer can make any universe look good. As for me I was surprised when I created the Suckubus caps that anyone liked them. It's a pretty specific fantasy so I understand it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I'd bet you'd make a killer suckubus cap to come to think of it...

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  4. Wow. When I initially read the caption, I thought you must have put some work into it, but I see now that you REALLY put some work in it. I must say it was worth it. This is very intense--in the cramped in, tied up, oh my god I'm fucked sense--which is perfect. I wish more captions were like this, though I admit I won't (I simply don't have the talent for spacial art like this). Caitlyn is certainly doing a nice job, as are you. But I'd expect more. You make the most of all of your pictures, bringing them out to scream when you want them to, or subduing them to the background where they wander around like a desperate, humiliated subconscious. This one hurts in all the right ways.

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  5. @ Caitlyn
    *Big blush* Thank you very much! And I'm very happy to have opened you up to the suckubus universe. I think the series it self offers enough freedom in what you can tell in them that almost anyone that likes a supernatural caption, would find something they would enjoy in at least one of the tales. Looks like I was right! ^_^

    @ Dee
    I think it's mostly because all that hard work would be lost on a lot of people. I knew going in that not everyone would pick up on it and I was afraid that people would have to know a little about Smitty's suckubus series to get the most out of it. But I was willing to sacrifice that for the sake of the caption and story and it was a very rewarding experience.

    @ Smitty
    ^_^ all the time and work I put into it was all worth it and now they are very happy memory's for me now. I'm so glad it all worked out this well and that you enjoyed it, You did such a wonderful job with the Jennifer story, I'm glad I could give back a little. ^_^

    @ Trisha
    "This one hurts in all the right ways" Music to my ears! ^_^ I am so glad you enjoyed it, I really wanted to nail that hopeless bleak feeling and that is exactly what I love to hear. heh.

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