• In spirit of Curie's mission to promote undiscovered but exceptional content, we wish to use this weekly section to provide an author showcase for some of the outstanding authors who received Curie upvotes in past week. Curie curators and reviewers nominate authors for inclusion in this showcase and author approval is sought and attained.

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Featured Author: @syndicateframes
FLYING OVER A LAKE | SUNSET/SUNRISE | CINEMATIC MOOD VIDEO (Steemit exclusive)

Image by @syndicateframes - used with permission

Every now and then you stumble across a post that is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. I was completely transfixed watching this short cinematic mood video. There is a dreamlike quality to the smooth flight of a well-piloted drone, and here this is enhanced by a masterful job of editing the footage and simply stunning vistas. Words do not do this post justice. Go watch the video, then get to know the poster below.

@syndicateframes joined Steem at the beginning of January, made a dizzying introduceyourself post and has been sharing amazing original videos ever since. He even made a Youtube video promoting Steem and DTube to Youtubers.

While @syndicateframes is a professional when it comes to drone footage, landing gigs including filming promotional footage for an international airport, he has also been branching out into vlogging in his posting here with his customary attention to detail in editing. His latest vlog efforts are even accompanied by original electronic music! I love to see talented creative posters recognizing the potential in Steem and DTube and jumping in so wholeheartedly, in this case not just sharing exclusive footage but even promoting Steem outside the blockchain. Thanks @syndicateframes!

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Featured Author: @jeffstoner
Victime et Bourreau

Image by @jeffstoner - used with permission

I am a huge science fiction fan and this next featured post really has me excited. Victime et Bourreau ("victim and executioner" in French) tells the story of a chance encounter between a young girl named Raina and a priest on a moon orbiting a gas giant. The writing is fantastic, with thought-provoking dialogue and beautiful turns of phrase. @jeffstoner skillfully reveals a future universe by showing us small elements of day-to-day life that hint of a larger world without once relying on exposition. In the author's own words:

My name is Jeff Stoner. Mild-mannered software engineer by day, SF Noir writer by night. I've had a universe of original characters and SF stories bubbling inside my head for decades.

Victime et Bourreau and my novella What Price the Stars? are set in a universe I call Reversed Black Maria. I'm working on a trilogy of novels that follow Raina and her strange journey of self-discovery across the galaxy. My short story The Emperor's Liar will be published 1/31/2018 in Planet Scumm Magazine.

In the past few days @jeffstoner has already graced us with two more stories set in the Reversed Black Maria universe, also featuring Raina: Valhalla and More Clearly at the Last. I am pleased to report that both of these science fiction shorts are every bit as enjoyable as Victime et Bourreau. Please check these posts out as well and show @jeffstoner your support!

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Featured Author: @hellfire-labs
Vacuum Chamber Upgrade!

Image by @hellfire-labs - used with permission

I would like to let our next featured author, @hellfire-labs, share a brief bio:

I am an Aerospace engineering student as well as a home brew scientist. I enjoy building atypical things with a specialty in high voltage and vacuum systems. Many of the things I do are just for fun, and I hope to share as much of my knowledge as possible!

@hellfire-labs may only have posted three times, but these three posts have really counted! How many people do you know who have built their own hobby rail gun? Returning after a two month hiatus since the railgun post, it is clear that @hellfire-labs has been busy in the interim... sourcing the components for and hand welding a vacuum chamber with viewport!

The viewport allows @hellfire-labs to photograph some eerily beautiful high voltage plasma formations in the low-pressure environment, and he also explains in brief the particle physics behind what we are observing as well as the process of constructing the vacuum chamber. This is some of the most interesting original science posting I have encountered yet here on the Steem blockchain and I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself.

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Featured Author: @tysonjames
Fabricated Films: "I Am a Flamingo" Production Photos - Puppets Pt.2

Image by @tysonjames - used with permission

@tysonjames is a professional stop motion animator and filmmaker. From his introduction post:

[I] am super excited about this platform. My goal is to establish an animation community here on the steemit platform, with an emphasis on the stop motion industry. I love to critique animation, discuss projects, and the state of the animation industry overall, so if that is something that interests you let me know and we'll get a conversation going!

@tysonjames has been working on a stop-motion animation film called I Am a Flamingo, scheduled to be released in early February (stay tuned to his blog for more on that!). In advance of the release he has been sharing some behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of I Am a Flamingo, including most recently the making of the set.

Our showcase post details the design and creation of the "Allie" puppet used in the animation. It is fascinating to see this adorable alligator come to life from the first quick sketches of a character design, through the sculpting and molding process, and finally to the paint job that brings her to life. I can't wait to see I Am a Flamingo now! To whet your appetite further, make sure to check out the making of Mingo the Flamingo post as well.

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Featured Author: @alaynaclair
My Scar Story: part 2, Crazy Love (TRIGGER WARNING: Pictures and videos containing domestic violence)

Image by @alaynaclair - used with permission

I am going to get more personal here. It was physically hard for me to finish reading this post and I did so through tears. Do not treat the trigger warnings in the title lightly. You are unlikely to find a more unflinching and brutally honest look at a severely abusive relationship, graphically documented with photographs and video.

https://steemit.com/photo/@alaynaclair/my-scar-story-part-2-crazy-love-trigger-warning-pictures-and-videos-depicting-domestic-violence

Ask yourself this. Whats the number 1 question people ask when women find themselves in this situation?

Why would she stay?

Why would she continue a relationship with someone who's physically beating her?

As crazy as this sounds, I had no idea I was being abused. I thought I was just tolerating the effects of being with a man in pain. I was in complete denial. Again, if anyone were to tell me that I was going to find myself in this situation, I would've thought they were crazy. But statistically, according to NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner. At that age, we're perfect targets. We don't know any better. It's easy to trap young women into the cycle of abuse.

I know it took a tremendous amount of courage to write this post and I hope you join Curie in supporting @alaynaclair in her effort to speak out about and against domestic violence.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity. It means a lot to me knowing my story might just help bring awareness to others!" - @alaynaclair

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This Curie Author Showcase was written by regular top Curie curator @carlgnash with input from other Curie curators and reviewers.