Tickle Writers #2: Interview with Featherscape

1. Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself and your hobbies?

My name is April and I’ve been writing tickle fiction and running the Featherscape channel for about twelve years now. I am from the United States, specifically North Carolina, but I currently live in Florida. Of course I enjoy writing, but mostly I simply like creating in any medium in which I feel I’m able. I contribute a taste of graphic design to the channel and have also dabbled in game design. I like playing games with friends, mostly a wide array of tabletop games, and in my spare time I like to paint miniatures.

2. When was the passion for storytelling born in you? What about the one for tickling?

Storytelling has always been a fascination of mine. It’s been mostly an escapist outlet into worlds, scenarios, and experiences that most might not ever get to see for themselves. Growing up with untreated ADHD, I often struggled in my early school days because I’d find myself exploring these fantastical realms of imagination, and then writing and doodling them out in my notebooks, some even happened to involve tickling. For as long as I can remember, I’ve harbored a special interest in tickling as well. Throughout childhood and preadolescence, I withheld this interest from most people and wouldn’t discover what it actually was until I was in my teens. Both writing and tickling have been prominent themes of my upbringing; even my first attempts at creative writing for pleasure were, in fact, tickle stories around the age of 8 or 9.

3. Do you draw inspiration for your tickle stories from any particular author or source?

The inspiration, like with most creators, is pulled from an ample variety of consumed media. When writing commissions, I’ll consult closely with the commissioner on the project, but originals are largely internalized from my own imagination. There may be themes and moments inspired by other writers, even other tickle stories, but nearly all ideas get filtered into something more original than directly recreated, particularly when involving the more traditionally recycled plots for short tickle stories. I would say that the inventive storytelling and the stellar depictions of emotional reaction in works by the phenomenal ticklerotica artists BaronStrap and Caroo employ a depth of thoughtfulness, an exploration of what tickle media can be, that I personally aspire to avail in my own works.

4. What tickle scenarios do you love to describe?

With tickle scenarios specifically, I am partial to feet tickling. I reserve this area for a lot of original works since many commissions will have me focus on other spots, but tickling feet is my personal favorite. The scenarios themselves can vary in preference day by day, but I am fond of some F/M tickle domination and works that can pull from my long list of other fetishes like degradation, humiliation, exhibitionism, slave play, pet play… I could keep going, but that’s the general idea. However, I do also enjoy the plot elements of many stories that are more tender and romantic.

Wasting no more time, Kesha’s fingers flew into a scribbling assault against both of Alicia’s exposed, slender pits. The sudden rush of ticklish stimulation exploded within the girl’s body. Her muscles contracted, her figure tugging at each of the binds holding her in place. The stockade shifted. The chains rattled against one another. Alicia’s arms jolted as she threw her chest out and head up, her mouth dropping into an eruption of ticklish laughter.
“Neeaaaaaahhhhahahhahahaa!!!” Alicia yelped. “Ohhh gaaahhahahahahaaaad!!”

Ticklish Secrecy at the Silver Stallion – F/F, 18+

5. Why do you think tickle stories are so popular?

Contrasted with more live media like pictures or video, I believe tickle stories offer a broader range of possibilities for one’s imagination to flourish, both as a reader and a writer. It employs a more consistent medium for stories, particularly longer stories that may not translate as well to drawn art, and is far more cost effective than animation. For me, personally, I’ve never been able to draw. That’s been a skill that I’ve always wanted to develop, but what I could do, before I even contemplated having a talent for it, was put words together to help better visualize the fantasies that I knew I could only experience in fiction. And tickle stories, while requiring more effort on the part of the audience than with other, more visual platforms of tickle media, I feel have paid off greatly in my own experiences of exploring what all the tickle community has to offer.

6. Do your readers ask or appreciate tickle scenes in particular?

In my experience, F/M is a very popular combination, particularly when it’s a more mature woman tickling a younger, usually college-aged, male. I get a lot of pitches for stories involving aunts and babysitters. Usually the requests and pitches are for more domestic settings that are largely grounded in reality. And these are certainly fun to work with, but these do provide a challenge every time to bring something original to a setting that is so repetitively familiar. I do enjoy a good challenge.

7. Can you give some suggestions on how to write an exciting tickling story?

So much of it is pulling from your own tastes. One of the best pieces of writing advice is to write what you would want to read and tickle stories are no different. Explore your own fantasies, elaborate on every detail that matters to you, and take your time. My first stories were me writing for me. They were rough on the technicals, but I didn’t care because it was a pleasurable experience. Don’t be afraid to write something you feel has been done before, everything has been done before. Don’t be afraid to upload and share your creation. Don’t ever compare yourself to other writers/artists, your readers will simply be excited that a new tickle story exists. Try new things when you feel comfortable doing so, but also don’t be afraid to retreat to the comfort of more conventional storytelling. An exciting tickle story is one you feel best captures you, one that shares your vision and your passion, and yes, you can do it.

8. Can you turn your passion for tickle storytelling into a profitable business?

It certainly is a challenge to profit off of such a niche form of media, but within the art world, there are so many possibilities and opportunities waiting to be explored. With Featherscape, I have established a subscription service for benefits regarding regular uploads and exclusive stories, but I also have an online shop wherein I sell my books and other exclusive shorts, all of which are tickling-related (currently Patreon and Gumroad respectively). Aside from this, there have been other outlets that have helped me stabilize Featherscape as a full-time operation. I have been hired by Agency Publishing to write various tickling comics, animation scripts, books, and video games. I still do commissions which help a lot with finances. There are other opportunities along the horizon from where I am that will help better make Featherscape the sustainable channel for tickle media that I know it can be, but it takes a lot of work, creativity, and a strong drive to keep going.

9. What are some goals in this field that you are proud to have achieved?

Having been approached by Agency Publishing to work on their prestigious lineup of original tickling stories has been one of the biggest honors so far. To me, I am still just that girl who wanted to see her tickling fantasies written out in text playing around with whatever comes to mind. Any and all acknowledgements of the influence I’ve had in this whole endeavor never seem real. I am always grateful to hear from my readers and to know how my stories have affected them. But I will say that, as far as goals that I’m proud to have accomplished go, I have to say that establishing and maintaining the Patreon page has been the biggest and the most rewarding milestone in the history of Featherscape. Not only was it a risky move toward something more career-oriented, but it also helped establish a community of readers and fans that I cherish as close, personal friends. I’ve gotten to know so many people through all of this, and easily the biggest pride and accomplishment in all of these years of tireless typing, burnouts, all-nighters, and mountains upon mountains of notes about stories and other projects has been the amazing friends that I’ve made along the way. In so many ways, none of this would be possible without the love and support of the wonderful friends I’ve known through Featherscape.

10. Do you think AIs can harm or improve tickle stories?

I believe that AI, in regards to artistic application, is best utilized as a tool, but is no substitution for the emotional process of creating. AI may be used as a prompt generator for a writer that may not know what they want to be working on, but even in that regard, the writer is sacrificing an element of personal investment for convenience. AI may also be used as a means of continuing a passage for when a writer hits a wall they don’t know how to proceed through, however only as an idea to be rewritten in the author’s own words for when they cannot overcome this timeless obstacle on their own. While you will never find AI in my own work, I believe that AI can be acceptably useful as a writing aide, however not at the expense of AI being used by many to simply replace the art of imaginative creation. I, like many artists, personally oppose this brand of application and what that means for the future of art as an extension of the human experience.

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