About the Be-muse-d universe
Is your fursona also your muse? That’d mean that you are your fursona whenever you’re writing, drawing and brainstorming! It’d be interesting getting to meet your own characters as your fursona … just watch out for writer’s block!
The Be-muse-d world is licensed CC-By-SA by Jared Spurbeck, aka Tachyon Feathertail. Read on to find out how you can write your own stories set in this world!
Stories set in this world
How to write a story set in this world
- Read this document all the way through.
- Write your own story inspired by it!
- Include a note saying your story is licensed CC-By-SA, and crediting Feathertail for creating the Be-muse-d world. A link to this page would be handy!
- OPTIONAL: If you don’t want people to use your fursona in their stories, include another note saying your fursona belongs to you and can’t be used without your permission.
- OPTIONAL: If your story abides by Virmir’s PG Rating and does not contain age-regression, cross-gender TF, or graphic TF scenes, contact me so I can link people to it.
Got a story you’d like me to link to?
Your muse and you
Some people call it a muse. Others call it their creative side. Whatever it is, it’s a hidden depth to the character of creative artists and writers … those strange, often socially awkward creatures, who seem so ungainly on land but are in their element when they’re creating things. Has anyone who knows you “IRL” ever mentioned that you seem different online? Maybe it’s because you’re better able to channel your muse on the Internet!
Even to you, though, your muse may seem separate from your “real self.” Sometimes you may even argue with it. It’s not really a separate being, but since it’s rooted in your subconscious it might seem that way. That’s because this part of you processes the things that you see and hear without your realizing it, and turns them into creative ideas that seem to come out of nowhere. It’s the reason why writers are often surprised by their muses, and why their characters seem to think for themselves.
That’s not to say that there’s no spiritual component to inspiration. I personally pray for guidance before writing anything, and I like to think that it’s helped. This story concept is about personifying your subconscious mind, though, not about talking to or channeling real supernatural beings. (That’s for a different story.)
Different author, different muse
Everyone’s muse is different. Yours may be your fursona, or it may be a separate being. See, your fursona can be whatever you like; your ideal self, your “inner self,” or just a roleplaying character. Your muse, on the other hand, is your subconscious mind. It’s you when you’re in a state of creative flow.
Writers aren’t the only people who have muses. Digital painters, clay sculptors, fursuit makers and programmers all have their own, as do other creatives. Do you ever find that you lose track of time, and some creative thing you’re working on just comes easily to you? Even if only for a few minutes. That’s when your muse is being channeled. That’s when you are your muse.
Not everyone’s “muse” is an anthropomorphic animal. People who aren’t into that kind of thing might see their muses as eccentric-but-human friends, or even as actual muses from classical Greek mythology. If you’re the kind who’s inexplicably drawn to pictures and stories about “funny animals,” though, you’ll probably see your muse as one. And it’ll probably fit right in with your other characters.
Creative block: Enemy or friend?
You’d think writer’s block (and other forms of creative blockage) would be a muse’s worst enemy. In reality, though, it’s a message from your muse. You’re trying to create something that it doesn’t like, and it’s not going to cooperate. You can try scattershot brainstorming, writing any old thing that comes to mind and seeing what happens; you may have to, if you’re on a deadline. But if you want to get rid of the block, you need to get back in touch with your muse.
Question the premises you started with. Question your motives, even. Are you doing this project because you enjoy it, or because you want money or fame? You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to your muse. And even if you enjoy the process, you may have gotten hung up on your own expectations, or tried to shoehorn something in when it shouldn’t be there. Spend some time pacing, or knitting, or doing whatever repetitive activity you have that helps you think. That way your conscious mind can be occupied, while your muse gets to work on the problem.
This advice is probably nothing new to you. If you’re writing a story about becoming your muse, though, writer’s block is one of the biggest things that might keep this becoming from happening. Throw in some added pressure, like readers’ expectations or an empty bank account, and watch what happens. If you’re lucky, you may gain an insight into the reasons why you create to begin with.
And now for the fun part
Stories set in this world (or based on this premise, really) aren’t just about introspection. They’re also a chance to throw all of your characters from every story you’ve written together, and see what happens.
Even characters who wouldn’t usually talk to each other can, for this. The rebels can play foosball with the emperor. Your most annoyingly happy character can try to cheer up your inner angst! You can make up characters for this if you like, or if you’re writing about a fictional writer. But since you’re creating them out of nowhere, they’ll tend towards being stereotypes. It’s best if you use characters that you’ve already written for, assuming that you have permission to do so. They might even take the chance to say or do things that they otherwise couldn’t.
The part where you overcome your creative block doesn’t have to involve a Fantasia-style musical sequence, like it did in the story that I wrote for Traxer. It could be anything you want it to be, from a scene where you live out the story (or picture) yourself to just a scene of your fursona-muse, quietly, happily writing. Likewise, it doesn’t have to be at the climax of your story that this happens. You might have no trouble becoming your muse, and the conflict could come from some other source.
Your turn
If you write a story that meets Become Your Fursona standards for family-friendliness, and decide to set it in this world, let us know by using the form near the top! And if you have any questions, feel free to leave them as comments.