On this day 85 years ago the last known thylacine, ‘Benjamin’, died of exposure in Beaumaris Zoo, Tasmania. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) just recently released a restored and colourised version of footage taken of Benjamin at the zoo, it’s amazing to watch, I used it as a reference for painting these two quick little illustrations. Lyrics are from the song ‘Deuteronomy 2:10’ by The Mountain Goats.

I'm just finishing up FFS and i just wanted to say that I really like the way you bring the side characters to life, like Leo, Han Yuen and Professor Adeyemi. They feel very real considering they have very little time in the narrative, it's something i think a lot of writers struggle with

Hi anon,

Thank you so much!!

Honestly, I think a big part of it, especially with those characters, is that I actually just like to imagine them as being real people themselves with their own motivations and quirks etc. That's something I really love doing. :D

The rest is under a cut because it's basically suggestions to writers and idk if you're a writer anon dslakfjasd

Part of making side characters seem realistic is giving them motives that often have nothing to do with the main character, or only have a little to do with the main character. We can tell Leo's got stuff going on his life, especially around his parents, based on the content of his poetry. He has a shy and friendly disposition, and seems eager to please, so he might be someone who's got some boundary issues in his own life, and some stuff he's working through!

Han Yuen is clearly competitive and very involved in poetry, and has a theme that she strongly adheres to. We get the sense that she's very passionate while also enjoying the deep connections poetry gives her. She doesn't have much interest in Efnisien at all, but she's friends with Leo, and by the time she does come into Efnisien's life, we get the sense she's been living her own just fine.

Professor Adayemi is the same. She has her own motives, she'd absolutely fire Efnisien if he wasn't efficient and she sees him as nothing more than a fast typist/worker who keeps late hours for reasons she doesn't really care about. While she's a great boss that's convenient for Efnisien, she doesn't exist to be a great boss to him, they're just compatible in that sense. She's ferociously competitive in her area of academia (anyone who is publishing as much as she does, is).

When we finally get to see her office, and meet her, we realise that she's a lot more complex than even Efnisien's given her credit! She has a femme side, she can be girly, she likes simple pleasures, she can be messy. In a way, they were both kind of 'useful' to each other until they became people to each other. We also know from her surname and her area of study in anthropology, that she's likely an extremely strong feminist and voice for Black people in her arena, and potentially has some political motivations for the direction she chose in life, or at least informing the reason she's publishing as much as she is.

I really love writing side characters actually, because part of the fun is realising them as people and then picking some thing - something big, something small - that will make them interact with the main character. I enjoy seeing them even if I'm only writing a handful of lines for them in a chapter, because in my head, they're so much more richly realised, it's like meeting a friend you haven't caught up with in a while.

This doesn't have to involve days and days of research or work, either. All of these things are constructed around several key points, and at least one or two things the side character is passionate about.

It doesn't have to be a struggle, and it's something writers can do in their spare time when they have writer's block and are too tired to work on their story, but want to get 'some writing' done. Sitting down and banking some side characters and attaching some passions, motivations, culture etc. to them and putting them in a document somewhere, can give them side characters in a pinch when they need them.

Constructing side characters - both minor and major - is one of those things that can be done at any time, independently of a story. Adayemi could work in a sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, etc. setting. So could Han Yuen and Leo. What makes them them isn't the setting, and that stretches them into 'real beings' or solid characters that are transferable and can exist in many different places.

If you're stuck thinking of how to describe side characters, you can try practice runs with real characters. Pick a handful of main or side characters from your favourite TV shows or movies, and then give yourself only 3 sentences to describe them (or three paragraphs). Practice getting the hang of seeing the big details the fastest, and then adding on what I would call 'textural details' that add sensory anchors (it might be the foods they like to eat, the clothing they like to wear and its texture, the flowers they like to sniff, the scents they wear etc.)

It doesn't take long to build confidence doing this! And then you'll have to stop yourself from adding too many side characters to your stories like I do lmao

Because you only use three sentences or paragraphs to describe them, then - along with the dialogue - that's actually all you need to establish them in your story!

Establishing good/solid dialogue is another part of this, and I've written about that before but am too lazy to link it here. But constructing character can happen long before you get to dialogue. :D

Underline the Gold (omegaverse) - 08/?

Title: Underline the Gold

Pairing: Anton Valenosk (the Brave)/Alois Flitmouse

Notes: An Underline the Black side-story

Summary: Alpha Anton is assigned a new omega, Alois Flitmouse, who is Hillview Rehabilitation Facility’s very first voluntary admission and an older, independent omega who is escaping unfortunate circumstances and seeking protection, and is too jaded and tired to consider bonding with anyone. To Anton’s dismay, Flitmouse just wants a place where he can starve to death, something Hillview is determined not to let happen.

Its rating is currently Explicit with some disturbing themes (mention of suicidal ideation, eating disorder, and historic domestic violence). This is a no mpreg universe.

Underline the Gold - 08 - The Unconventional Cure - on AO3!

In which Flitmouse's corrupt heat worsens precipitously, to the point that Temsen begins making suggestions that might serve as a stopgap before potential hospitalisation. Flitmouse seems surprisingly amenable, but he is an omega after all.

Underline the Blue (early access) - Chapter 09 @ Patreon || Ream

In which Flitmouse is put into a controlled coma / under sedation when their solution stops working. After a frightening three days, Flitmouse realises just how close he came to dying, and just how much he might want to live, if Anton is there with him.

—

-Thanks to all the Patreon supporters for making this story possible!

The following early access extras are also currently available on the Augus & Gwyn, and Efnisien & Gary tiers at Patreon and Ream:

Underline the Red - 05 - Caleb/Faber Underline the Red - 06 - Caleb/Faber Underline the Gold - 09 - Flitmouse/Anton The Nascent Diplomat - 44 - Augus/Gwyn - Final Constellations - 06 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Constellations - 07 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Constellations - 08 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Underline the Blue - 14 - Nate/Janusz Underline the Blue - 15 - Nate/Janusz

Want another way to support my writing? // I have a Patreon account! // Come check out REAM! (Patreon mirror) // Buy a Ko-Fi!

Daily excerpt from chapter 9 of Underline the Gold:

‘I keep thinking it’s so cruel that Vadim had all my good heats, even while he was beating me, and you get one like this.’ Anton straddled Flitmouse, sliding strong arms beneath his back and gathering him close. Flitmouse’s nose found the crook of soft, perfect skin between Anton’s neck and shoulder. There, the impossible scent of a dessert bakery in the morning, or a spiced Christmas pudding, and Flitmouse wanted to cry again. It was his favourite scent in the whole world. He wanted to rub his face in it. He pressed his nose closer, inhaling deeply, over and over again. ‘You’ll have a good heat one day,’ Anton said. ‘You didn’t do this to punish me, Alois. This is just how it is now, and it won’t be like this later. Even if you never have a good heat, or they’re not what they used to be, we can still – when you feel ready – do whatever we like together. We don’t have to wait for your heats. Or we can wait forever. These last three days…I was lost without you, sweetheart.’

Friendly reminder that fan-made content (fanart, fanfic, fanvids, etc) are:

extremely time consuming. Remember someone actually took time out of their life to create that, time they could’ve used to, idk, sleep, for example

entertainment you’re consuming for free. I can’t stress this enough: you’re enjoying someone else’s craft for free. You paid exactly zero money to look at/read/watch it.

S H A R E D  with you, not made for you. This is the most important point: someone created that, put it online and you found it. No one forced you to consume that fanwork, you C H O S E  to do it. 

Whenever you feel like leaving a mean comment, anonymous hate or make a ~clever post about how ‘lol look at all of these overused tropes every fic writer crams into their fics’ remember you’re being a dick to someone who shared their work with you. You’re not being funny, you’re not being edgy, you’re not being brave for calling something out - you’re being a dick.

Hi! I probably missed it in your writing but what are the age differences (if any) in UtB and Spoils between Efnisien and Gwyn?

Hi anon!

You haven't missed it because I don't think I've made it explicit. When ages are very close to each other I tend to get confused a lot more easily because of the dyscalculia. The reality is I rarely specifically work out many character's exact ages, or the years that they were born. (As an example, if I say a character is 29 then they mentally stay 29 for me even if we jump ahead 10 years).

I would say Efnisien and Gwyn were actually born within about a year of each other, but don't quote me on that, because there might be references to them being in different years in school etc. But I always imagine them as being very close because I imagine Penny and Crielle sort of timing things to be close together.

In the canon, Efnisien was born first. But they were still fairly close to each other.

*stares back* wat

the whump fan’s dilemma

Actual roman epitaph for a dog

I cannot express how jarring it was after being raised by a "Porn Addiction Coach" to get into a relationship with a woman and come face to face with the fact that she did actually want me to sexually desire her.

Like, in Evangelical Purity Culture, male desire was basically poison. It was a threat. It was this constant temptation that would destroy everything. And even after leaving, in the sort of queer, feminist spaces i spend most of my time in that wasn't something that pretty much anyone was spending time actively dissuading me from feeling.

But my desire is good. It's not something that I'm being accepted in spite of. It's a positive thing. It's a bonus. Not even just vanilla stuff, all the stuff I'd convinced myself were these weird terrible desires that were shameful to have.

It honestly took me over a decade to fully accept that. To stop dissociating during sex and confront that I was, in fact, being a massive perv and that was fantastic and preferable and that I could accept that into my self-image without shame or self hatred.

But it's important to do. It's important to leave relationships that don't welcome that part of you. To know that your sexuality is valuable and valid and worth owning and celebrating. Because the alternative is just...not being. Either existing as yourself and repressing the part of your identity that is sexual or allowing that sexuality to exist but turning off your self while it does.

87/? - Underline the Black (omegaverse) - Efnisien/Gary

Title: Underline the Black Rating: Explicit Pairing: Efnisien ap Wledig/Dr Gary Konowalous Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Darkfic, Disturbing themes, Age Gap, Omegaverse, Alpha/Alpha, no Mpreg, Medical experimentation, Medical trauma, Dominance/Submission, Dystopian universe, Forced bonding, Forced relationship, Imprisonment, Nonconsensual medical procedures, PTSD, Flashbacks, Nightmares, Chronic illness, Mating cycles/Heats, Knotting, Miscommunication, Trauma recovery, Mind control, Child Abuse, Hope, Hopeful ending.

Summary: Efnisien ap Wledig is an omega born into an all-alpha family. Abandoned by his birth mother and raised by his aunt, he is subjected to a lifetime of medical experimentation and brainwashing and believes himself to be an alpha. But the experiments begin to fail, and he is abandoned yet again to an Omega Rehabilitation Facility, where the family expects he will be retrained into the ‘perfect omega’ and placed in an arranged marriage, or be eliminated if this is no longer possible.

The Facility don’t know about the experiments, and Efnisien doesn’t even know why he’s in there in the first place, since he’s an alpha…isn’t he? One thing’s for certain, he definitely doesn’t need an alpha companion, no matter what the staff at the facility seem to think.

Underline the Black - Chapter 87 - A Big Fuck Up @ AO3

In which Gary comes back to his senses, realises what he's done, panics, and institutes as much damage control as he possibly can.

– Thanks to all the Patreon and Ream supporters for making this story possible!

The following early access extras are also currently available on the Augus & Gwyn, and Efnisien & Gary tiers at Patreon and Ream:

Underline the Red - 05 - Caleb/Faber Underline the Red - 06 - Caleb/Faber Underline the Gold - 08 - Flitmouse/Anton The Nascent Diplomat - 44 - Augus/Gwyn (final) Constellations - 06 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Constellations - 07 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Constellations - 08 - Efnisien + Gwyn (post Falling Falling Stars) Underline the Blue - 14 - Nate/Janusz Underline the Blue - 15 - Nate/Janusz

Want another way to support my writing? // I have a Patreon account! // Come check out REAM! (Patreon mirror) // Buy a Ko-Fi!

want to be clear that if i ever talk about a headcanon and then later discuss a headcanon that is directly contradictory to the first one, that’s because headcanons exist in a quantum state where they are all simultaneously true and not true up until the point where i discuss it in detail, in which case that is the one that is true in that instance. schroedinger’s headcanons

Reading Fic Pre-Posting: No typos whatsoever. Reads well. Flows beautifully. I have definitely found all possible spelling and grammar errors.

Reading Fic After Posting: A typo every three lines. Ten grammatical errors. Switches tense twice. POV changes for no discernible reason. Uses the word “look” five times in one sentence.

Am I getting a good grade in tumblr mutual?

Daily excerpt from chapter 87 of Underline the Black:

'Oh, Efnisien,' Gary said, at a particularly thin whimper from the boy. 'I am sorry. Come on, I've made some hot chocolate for the both of us. Do you want marshmallows?' 'Do you want me to have them?' Efnisien said.  A swift spike of anger because he loathed Efnisien behaving like an automaton around him. He'd had enough of that from omegas, and it made his skin crawl. They couldn't help it, he couldn't help it, but this... What if this was permanent?  'Efnisien,' Gary said again, reaching out and curling his hand gently around Efnisien's ankle. 'Come on now, this response, it's physiological. It's not you, sweetheart.'

I think one of the worst things about depression is honestly that people are so incredibly kind, or they can be so incredibly kind and generous, but...you still have depression. It's not their fault, and you feel worse that you can't honour them the way they deserve.

Anyway, I mean there are many 'worst things' about depression, but seeing the kindness of folks and not having the spoons to properly acknowledge them or *feel* that kindness is a whole thing.

an important principle of fandom (and life, actually) is that if you want more of Less Popular Thing, it is good to create positive spaces and events for it. however, if you use those spaces to take cracks at the More Popular Thing which you perceive as stealing oxygen from your Less Popular Thing, you do not increase the audience for Less Popular Thing. you decrease it, because you irk people who like both Things. and depending on the relative popularity, there are quite possibly more people who like both Things than people who only like Less Popular Thing. (not to mention - you kill your chances of recruiting people who like More Popular Thing but are neutral on or haven’t considered Less Popular Thing.) 

you’re not campaigning for votes (where There Can Be Only One), you’re marketing for a share of people’s attention. don’t be petty. be effective.