radioactive-beese

[radioactive-beese]

What if both tho.

What if I just wrote everything.

Not writing a fanfic nobody asked for but writing fanfic for yourself and that one other person who is equally insane about the idea

[radioactive-beese]

Some ideas for Beese. :3 Looking up tips on how to include and describe the boy's TAIL! I'm too often guilty of forgetting it exists.

Do you have any tips on writing characters with a tail?

YESSSSSS

TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE CHARACTERS WITH TAILS (FOR BOTH FANFIC WRITERS AND ORIGINAL CONTENT WRITERS)

1. Only make a tail if it’s strictly necessary (your character’s tail has to serve a purpose)

Unlike what you may think, tails are very, very tricky to write about if you’re putting them on humans, which I assume is what @dollyjean911 is asking about. There’s something about them that makes it incredibly difficult to describe them without making it seem silly. (Unless your character is a mermaid / has a tail that’s used for swimming; in that case, it’s reasonable, which is exactly what you want- for it to be reasonable).

If your fantasy species/character has a tail, make sure that it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, because otherwise you risk your readers finding it ridiculous, especially if the tail is just used for comic relief like annoying other characters (I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take out the tail if it’s used for comic relief, I’m just saying if that’s the only thing that the tail does, you might want to reconsider giving your character one). 

Things that your character’s tail can be used for:

Balance

Battle

Holding things

It’s relevant to the creature that your character is (aka a dragon or something)

Portraying emotion

Swimming

2. Know That There Are Many Kinds Of Tails and They All Serve a Different Purpose

We seem to be one of the few animals that lack a tail. All animals have it, and therefore that means there are plenty of kinds of tails for you to choose from, both real and imaginary. Here’s a list:

Bird

Bovine (Cow / Ox / Wildebeest / etc.)

Canine (Wolf / Dog / Dingo / etc.)

Cervine (Deer / Elk / Caribou / etc.)

Equine (Horse / Pony)

Feline (Housecat / Tiger / Lion / etc.)

Mermaid/man

Monkey

Rat / Mouse

Reptilian (Dragon / Iguana / etc.)

Plus many more!

3. Unless it’s Magic, Your Character’s Tail Has Limits; DO RESEARCH

Unless specified, your character’s tail can’t do loop-de-loops and stretch to crazy lengths or whatnot.

Some tails are powerful and muscular, capable of doing some hefty destruction (aka Reptilian and Mermaid) and others are dainty and delicate, more of a nuisance in battle than an actual weapon (Feline).

Like I said, tails have different jobs, and if you have a dog tail doing a monkey tail’s job, you’re gonna have some serious backlash from the readers, who will either critique harshly or simply stop reading altogether, and that’s the LAST thing you want.

If after this you don’t heed my warning and DO YOUR RESEARCH PLEASE!, I can guarantee that your readers will not be a fan of your character’s tail, even if you think you know everything there is to know about it.

3. Unless It’s a Mermaid, the Tail Shouldn’t Be the Only Trait That Your Character Has If They’re a Part of a Fictional Species

“Oh yeah, I’m a dragon but the only thing I have is this tail.”

“Lit.”

“Yeah, just like your home with your family in it rn.”

If you’re writing about a fictional species, as a reader I am begging you not to just put the tail as a defining feature. Otherwise, your creature is gonna feel pretty lame.

Dragon?

Add horns and/ or wings! (See my incredibly popular post about writing characters with wings here)

Perhaps maybe scales on the backs of the hands/ cheekbones / down the spine!

Werewolf?

Add fangs or fur in various places!

Werecat?

What about various fur patterns like stripes or spots on parts of the body?

(See my popular post about shape-shifters here)

Monkey creature?

How about fur on parts of the body like with the werewolf?

And so on. It’s not necessary, but it’s recommended if your character with a tail is a part of a species, just to spice it up a bit!

4. Please Be Professional

This is just for the people writing professionally, as well as for people who want to write serious fanfiction.

Like I said, tails are risky business. One wrong move and your story can seem like a nine-year-old’s first furry yaoi fanfic, and unless that’s what you’re going for, I suggest you listen to what I’m about to tell you:

!!!!!****SHOW, DO NOT TELL*****!!!!!

Yes, I know you hear this all the time;

The writing advice community shoves it in your face whenever they possibly can, but with tails, this is a necessity. It will make or break your novel/fic/story/etc.

“Her cat tail fluffed up in surprise”

The above sentence should not exist.

I don’t mean to be harsh, and you may feel bad if you’ve written like this (I admit I’ve written like this myself!), but that sentence sounds very unprofessional, and many readers will close the tab/ the book as soon as they read it.

You need to introduce your character’s tail by means of describing it. Unlike with wings, you can’t just say “cat tail” and be done with it. It doesn’t sound like professional work, which is what you probably want to write.

This is COMPLETELY a matter of opinion, and I’m just saying what I as a reader and a writer believe. Some people have different tastes, and that’s ok!

Here’s how you should introduce your character’s tail:

Instead of:

“Her cat tail fluffed up in surprise.”

It could be:

“Her eyes widened, and he caught a glimpse of movement behind her. Fearing it was one of those creatures from before, his hand flew to his gun, only to find a/n [adjective] tail curling around her leg.”

I know that writing is subjective, but doesn’t that second description sound a whole lot better?

I don’t know about you, but in my opinion I’d rather be presenting my readers with the second description than with the first.

(Granted, I did add a few details, but that’s what has to be the case. Besides, it boosts your word count!)

5. Do Not Ignore Your Character’s Tails!

(Honestly I’m just copying and pasting parts of this section from my wing post because it’s the exact same thing and just as important)

Tails are a 100% real, 24/7 thing! It’s bothersome when writers mention the tail in one chapter and then only bring it up for comic relief or to knock something over and block the bad guys! Most of the time, I forget that the characters even have a tail at all!

Here are some pros of having a tail (these are also things you can use for description)

Bludgeon enemies (if they’re bulky)

Balance

Convey emotion

Use for swimming (mermaid tails)

Intimidation

Knocking things over to block enemies

Cause general havoc (pranks)

There is also the fact that tails have many cons, even more so then they have pros!

They knock things over

They can get stepped on

They can get grabbed in battle

Unless they’re bulky or can grab things like monkey tails, they are useless against enemies

They can get caught in things

They can annoy other characters

Your character’s tail is an extra appendage; it’s a part of your character! You don’t have to spend every second reminding the readers that it’s there, but don’t go long stretches of time without even mentioning it.

6. Tails Can Convey Emotions, Too!

When cats are angry, their tails lash back and forth.

When dogs are happy, their tails wag.

When cats are surprised, their tails fluff up.

Like with the showing and not telling, this tip can boost your word count 100000% and can pack that little extra punch to make your readers more enthusiastic about your writing.

Here are some things your character’s tails can do:

Happy

Curl

Wave

Wag

Nervous

Curl around character’s leg

Fluff up

Fidget

Tuck between the legs

Angry

Lash back and forth

Bristle

Fluff up

Smack

During Battle

Knock people’s feet out from under them

Bludgeon (it probably won’t will but it sure will leave a hell of a bruise if the tail is muscular enough)

Distract enemies

Sexytimes

;)

There are more, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.

Hope this helped!

[radioactive-beese]

He has a therapy Dustin now.

[radioactive-beese]

More Scarlet hollow content! 🥳

[radioactive-beese]

Last day: Free day/crossover. Of course I had to draw a Scarlet Hollow crossover because I’m insane about that game… so tread carefully cuz the tags might hold spoilers!

FINAL THING FOR @princessappreciationweek! Sorry it’s a bit late, but since school is starting for me I had to take a small break, but now I’m back with an excuse to draw [REDACTED] and Den because I think they can be kind of similar.

Also a little bonus

[radioactive-beese]

I have so many sketches of him that I wanna start turning into digital art, so I’m starting that. Also HI SCARLET HOLLOW FANDOM! I LIVE! Bunch of other doodles + the original sketch below:

I draw him differently every time, it’s so strange…

[radioactive-beese]

Speaking of catboy Reese I did a sprite edit. Might go back and spruce it up a bit and give him some more wrinkles but here’s where I’m at. :3

[radioactive-beese]

Someone mentioned Reese in these headphones and I Could Not Resist. Had to pop them on one of my fanart redraws of him.

From Abby’s sketch of the three watching a movie!

[radioactive-beese]

okay i have finally "finished" (is the artists work ever truly finished?) recreating this painting from Reese's bedroom. material: oil on canvas, 20"x24"

i have nowhere in my house to put this right now...

[radioactive-beese]

I have nicknamed my OC after this meme.

This is Erazmus, and all his file names have slutch in them.

I hate your fucking green hairrr they remind me of toxic slutch

i never posted this because i wanted to keep it forever but i think posting it is the best way. i say “toxic slutch” many times a week. thank you.

[radioactive-beese]

Another of my lined and colored fanart redraws!!

Original on the right, by the og artist, Abby.

[radioactive-beese]

Three moods when I see my favorite artists/writers

[radioactive-beese]

Pre-teen angy Reese sucking on a lollipop. Look how bebe he is.

Based on The Second Time by @radioactive-beese

[radioactive-beese]

mmkay they're done huuuuge shoutout to the BTG discord server for the lovely people in there who continuously cheer me on when i'm drawing, writing, etc.

anyhow: some speculative "end screen" paintings for Scarlet Hollow.

[radioactive-beese]

Some more digital art crimes with the scarlet hollow media press kit.

I drew a marshmallow, guys… I’m awesome at art.

[radioactive-beese]

And the rest of my old sprite edits!

Tabby makeover along with an unedited sprite for a before & after look.

[radioactive-beese]

hmm. what if they kissed though