I'm just a lil guy doing a big write with my tiny hands

hi I'm Mouse [t/t] I write under several pen names because the self is mutable oops

[scrawlingmouse]

other places you can find me:

art blog | ao3 | Patreon

Starslinger Tales

[verylittlebird]

                                distraptor velociraptor =     ———————-

                               timeraptor

[thecaptainisdrawing]

Some DND pieces I did over the past year bc Ive realized it's been nearly a year since I last posted about him lol

Amazing what a year can do to a style shift ✨

Bonus:

[scrawlingmouse]

Hey this guy's gonna be in an anthology!! Go check it out here✨ or read more @thewhumpyprintingpress c:

[thewhumpyprintingpress]

Cosmic Consequences Cover Reveal

We're thrilled to reveal the fantastic cover for Cosmic Consequences, illustrated by the supremely talented Nicole Alessi!

The theme of this anthology is whump ... but in space! There are over 30 space-whump themed stories, covering everything from equipment malfunctions to hostile aliens. The table of contents includes:

Shield Fall by Kras Nebula @scrawlingmouse

Between Darkness and the Void by John M. Campbell

Subject 371 (Homo Sapien) by Scarlett Skyes

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, As Interpreted by An Ex-Space space station, by Yasmeen Ambro

The Specimen by Dr. Suvajeet Duttagupta

A Lesson in Cooperation by Marti @galaxywhump

Thunderstorm by Marti @galaxywhump

The Gamble by Nox Spacey @not-a-space-alien

In the Event of Total Annihilation, Please Take Some Calming Breaths by Scarlett Skyes

Flesh and Bone, Wires and Steel by LadyWallace @lady-wallace

Test Mission by Moss @mossteriouslydrawn

Shine Bright For Us by Scarlett Skyes

Courier by Nate Jaros

Adrift Among a Quiet Sea of Stars by Lorelai Deasy

World Eaters’ Return by Booker G.A. Feniks @up-in-flames-writing

To Take an Order (to take a life) by Scarlett Skyes

Microbial High by Sarina Dorie

It Can Still Play Card Games by Nox Spacey @not-a-space-alien

Last Night by Zi Trone @whumpshaped

Sneezes and Space Pirates by E.J. LeRoy

Celestial by C.L. Urbana @pigeonwhumps

The Rediscovery of the Starship Aurora by Kay Hanifen

Martian Wallpaper by Wen Wen Yang

Echoes of the Lost by A. E. Pillow @nature-wants-you-dead

Insults from the Universe by Leanne Albilar

Ananke by T. Lane @t-lane-writes

Kenophobia by Booker G.A. Feniks @up-in-flames-writing

Specter by Aiden E. Messer @aidenemesser

The Great Red Frontier by Asidian Morris @asidian

The Cost of a Life is Measured in Blood by Lux Thorn @whump-me

Lost by Zi Trone @whumpshaped

Found by Mil Cohen @whumpsday

Cosmic Consequences launches on BackerKit on May 28, 2026! You can check out the project here.

[scrawlingmouse]

I'm in this one!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳 If you like bad things happening in space and also magical exhaustion go pick it up! c:

[thewhumpyprintingpress]

Where to Find WPP Books

The Whumpy Printing Press books are available on many different platforms and retailers. Here's a handy overview of where you can pick up your next whumpy read!

Public libraries

Did you know that you can read WPP books for FREE through your local public library? Our books are available in ebook through hoopla and Overdrive/Libby. You can suggest that your local library purchase a WPP ebook right in the Libby app. Just search for the title and click the "Notify Me" button. This lets your library know that you're interested in them acquiring a copy!

You can also suggest that your library purchase a paperback. Each library has a slightly different process, so search "suggest a purchase" on your library website to find instructions. The majority of our books are distributed through Ingram, which is the system that most libraries order from.

Ebook Retailers

Our books are available on most major ebook retailers, including Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and Bookshop.org. Select titles are also available on Amazon and Google Play.

Subscription Services

You can also grab WPP ebooks through subscription services such as Kobo Plus and Everand. Both of these programs offer free trials.

Paperback Retailers

The best place to purchase WPP paperbacks is bookshop.org. Full disclosure: we are a bookshop.org affiliate, so we receive a small commission for any books purchased through their site using our link, at no extra cost to you.

Our paperbacks are also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Booktopia, Foyles, Thalia, Waterstones, and more!

Direct

We offer paperbacks and ebooks of select books over on our ko-fi. We also hold crowdfunding campaigns on BackerKit for larger projects like anthologies.

[darlingofdots]

been stewing on an analytical approach to fiction which I call "is this book afraid of me?" and in order to answer this question you determine how hard the book is trying to make sure you don't come after the writer on twitter

[bill-blake-fans-anonymous]

Tags via @deadpanwalking, editor and ass-kicker extraordinaire

[gingisnap]

Please keep making art. Please make it for yourself. Please don’t let everything become even more of the same flat general appeal nonsense that doesn’t seem to have anything to say

[ashen-crest]

I can do it. I can write a chapter. I am capable of putting sentences together. I know what a comma is. I am Aware of the Character.

[dykescully]

me trying to remember what newfoundlands are called earlier: big dog he's an island

[dykescully]

big dog he's an island :)

[shovelwareyaoi]

do you ever see someone get so far into fanon of their favorite character that they forget the core conceit of that character

[shovelwareyaoi]

[pangur-and-grim]

@creekfiend was very kind in sharing some writing resources with me, and I thought I'd pass along the kindness by listing them down below.

N.K. Jemisin's article 'Describing characters of color in writing'

Mary Anne Mohanraj's article on approaching characters of colour

Renee Harleston's article How to 'Write Characters of Color Without Using Stereotypes'

Working with Colour, a resource site for writers

the book Writing the Other by by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, which had a description that cut deep, because I've definitely fallen into this trap out of fear:

and then a video recommended by @sheprd (thank you!) about pitfalls in descriptive language

if anyone else has more resources to add, feel free to reblog with them! this is something I want to learn more about.

[pangur-and-grim]

I was talking yesterday about how I should probably change the skin colour of a character in a not-yet-written book, because that character is a large, aggressive dragon-shifter and I was worried about her being read with unintentional and offensive subtext.

I haven't gotten my hands on Writing the Other yet (it's still in the mail!) but from reading my way through these articles and watching the Princess Weekes video, I now understand that 'white-ifying' a character you're worried about is a lazy and cowardly solution. so, if I do ever finish the book Eres loses Everything, I'll keep her as is, do my best to be thoughtful, and hire a sensitivity reader to pick out any blind spots.

thank you to everyone who passed on resources, I really appreciate it!

[wordfather]

[freeze frame] yeah thats me. you're probably wondering how i got here. me too. i dont remember anything ever so i need to see this as much as you do [unfreeze frame]

[snakebites-and-ink]

I've already said that my number one piece of writing advice is to read.

But my number two piece of advice is this: be deliberate.

Honestly this would fix so many pieces of bad writing advice. Don't forbid people from doing something, tell them to be conscious and deliberate about it. This could help stop people from falling into common mistakes without limiting their creativity. Black and white imperatives may stop a few annoying beginner habits, but ultimately they will restrict artistic expression.

Instead of "don't use epithets": "Know the effect epithets have and be deliberate about using them." Because yes, beginners often misuse them, but they can be useful when a character's name isn't known or when you want to reduce them to a particular trait they have.

Instead of "don't use 'said'" or "just use 'said'": "Be deliberate about your use of dialogue tags." Because sometimes you'll want "said" which fades into the background nicely, but sometimes you will need a more descriptive alternative to convey what a character is doing.

Instead of "don't use passive voice": "Be deliberate about when you use passive voice." Because using it when it's not needed can detract from your writing, but sometimes it can be useful to change the emphasis of a sentence or to portray a particular state of mind.

Instead of blindly following or ignorantly neglecting the rules of writing, familiarize yourself with them and their consequences so you can choose when and if breaking them would serve what you're trying to get across.

Your writing is yours. Take control of it.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here because most of my mutuals are already great writers. But I'm hoping this will make it to the right people.

[caba-111]

I like this advice. "you can do what you want, just do it with intention" applies to a lot of things.

[valtsv]

everything is actually ghosts, except ghosts, which are a story we tell to avoid acknowledging just how profoundly haunted everything is

[writeouswriter]

Controversial, but I think it's harmful to tell people you're never going to write something good on the first try or it's always going to be pure garbage, like that may be helpful for some on some level, but I personally don't think it's a healthy way of thinking, and it causes others to second guess work that is good. Is editing often helpful? Yes. But you're not going to have to Ship of Theseus everything you ever make. Anyway, the phrase "idk, man, it depends" strikes again.

[valtsv]

What do you think the difference is between taking inspiration from a work and ripping it off? [Not meant to be aggressive/confrontational, I had wanted to ask specifically because you seem to have a grasp of literary nuance that I lack. The essays I've found seem to mostly be an excuse to talk about copyright laws/lack thereof, depending.]

by making creative output a commodifiable resource, we've introduced an implicit pressure that encourages intertextual competition instead of collaboration and communication. instead of being inspired by and motivated to create by others, we at the very least subconsciously compare and contrast ourselves and each other, forming ranked hierarchical frameworks where everyone is defined by being lesser-than or greater-than. this in turn breeds resentment and a sense of entitlement rooted in an "us vs. them" mentality, leading to conflict for what is seen as a finite, jealously guarded resource instead of an unlimited opportunity for creative exploration and experimentation. the very concept of "ripoffs" is an indictment of this reinforced mentality, and the inevitable consequence of creators being systematically alienated from their peers. plagiarism exists because of the ways that we value - and devalue - art.

[valtsv]

+ this also intersects with identity politics and how we define the worth of a work by how we value the one who created it. where the line is drawn between inspiration and plagiarism is heavily influenced by whether its author is judged as sufficiently worthy of being associated with it.

[scrawlingmouse]

The thing you must understand about my work is my themes are more often than not related to grief and autonomy or a lack thereof and are dealt with all the gravity they deserve

But at my core I am a profoundly silly person

[scrawlingmouse]

Anyways I'm working on the outline for book 3 still (KAILEY DONT LOOK IM WORKING ON IT I SWEAR) and this is your sign to just

Cut the scene you're struggling with. You don't need it your story doesn't need it if it feels like pulling nails to even draft or outline that's your sign to pull back and reevaluate if you even need it

Signed: someone having a much easier time with chapter 2 and a much clearer vision for the book as a whole. Why focus on real dinosaurs when there's ghost dinosaurs???????