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Percy’s Writing Blog

@disaster-wip

[Header Image Description: a hand drawing of a meedite, a fictional species from my works, and the elemental symbols from said work, along with the title, Mu. /end header image description.] [profile picture image description: a goose crossing the road in the sidewalk. /end profile picture image description.]
Percy/Lilly | 21 | they/them
This is my writing blog - any characters I draw, drabbles I share, or writing nonsense will appear here | follows from @ussrootcanal

Aaaaaalright, intro (about me) time - 2022.06.29 edition!

Note: this is a long post, so feel free to just read the tl;dr at the end for the important stuff/basics. I have also bolded important sections for easier readability.

My name is Percival, but on here I go by either that or my internet-name Lilly. My older works probably have one of those names (or another one, or something) on them, so don’t be surprised if the names don’t always match each other or my header ^_^.

I am 21 years old as of the time of writing this, and live in Massachusetts in the United States. I’m physically and mentally ill/disabled as well as neurodivergent, and accessibility is very important to me, so you’ll probably notice things like image/audio descriptions, tl;drs, trigger warnings, and occasionally tone indicators. If there’s anything in particular you’d like tagged, described, or done for accessibility, feel free to shoot me an ask or DM. I don’t bite, and I also keep anon messages on in case anyone is anxious about asking non-anonymously. I am of course by no means perfect, so I always appreciate notification of errors in my descriptions or tagging, or asks for clarification.

In addition to that, I am trans and ace and queer - I will not tag the word queer as a slur, as it is my identity, and I will not accept exclusionists (be it against aces/aros, bis/pans, or trans/NBs) or terfs. My pronouns are they/them and I prefer to be addressed in a gender neutral manner, but if you have difficulty finding a non-gendered term to use, or just difficulty grasping it in general (due to disability or language barriers, not just because you don’t want to) I’m fine with being referred to in a masculine manner or with he/him as well.

I also will not accept racism, antisemitism, islamaphobia, anti-religion (as a whole - including conflating all religions with Christianity. I am more than welcoming to atheists/agnostics so long as they are not against religion for other people - I believe everyone should be free to believe - or not believe - as they so choose), ableism, misogyny, queerphobia, or any other hatred, discrimination, or bigotry towards any marginalized group. On that same note, if you notice me reblogging, writing, or posting/speaking/drawing/behaving/etc in a way that is bigoted, insensitive, or against any of the above, please feel free to let me know either in asks or DM, anonymously or not. I know I’m not perfect, and if I mess up, I want to fix it the best I can.

My religious/ethnic background is mixed, and I am patrilinearly Ashkenazi Jewish. I’ve struggled a lot with finding my place when I’ve often felt too much of one culture to be another, and yet not enough of the first to truly belong. A lot of my writing has been an attempt to reconcile my feelings on this and other matters, and make peace with who and what I am. I have a lot of religious and spiritual beliefs, and I write about it a fair bit — if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to unfollow and/or block - I know many people have religious trauma or complicated feelings around it, and I won’t take offense, I promise.

I speak English, a bit of Dutch, a few choice words in Yiddish, and can speak but not read Hebrew, so if anyone has anything in English or Dutch they’d like me to read, I’d be happy to look.

My dates are tagged on all my work, and in the format of YYYY.MM.DD. Trigger warning are tagged “[trigger] tw”.

I love being tagged in tag games.

Finally for this part, if anyone ever needs someone to talk to, or wants resources/advice/my opinion on any of the above, feel free to shoot me an ask/dm, anonymously or not. I’m fairly shy and might not reach out to others as much, but I always answer as soon as I can if I get an ask/DM.

Onto the fun stuff:

My fav genres to write: sci fi, fantasy, adventure, angst, fiction in general

My fav genres to read: sci fi, fantasy, romance, angst, fluff, fiction and science nonfiction

Currently Reading: (fiction) Lucky 7, Rae D. Magdon; (nonfiction) Behave, Robert M. Sapolsky

Current WIPS:

  1. Mu - fiction - sci fi/fantasy, mystery - almost 200 years after the Hallowed War - the war that changed everything - the world of Monumentaliominosa is finally at some form of peace. As Fellyn works as Fraye’s lead inter-nation diplomat to prepare for the Summit marking the anniversary of said war, HamoN makes choice after choice, stepping further and further into a path she can’t turn back from. HamoN and Fellyn come from two different species, two different nations, and two very different cultures… or so they think, but when HamoN and her uncle Aust flee home to live with Fellyn, Aust’s friend from over 50 years prior, they start to realize exactly how similar they are - both as people, and as citizens of two surprisingly similar nations - despite their veneer of difference. As Fellyn struggles with her guilt over where she comes from, what she’s done, and who she’s lost, HamoN struggles to make sense of the same. Together, can they clear HamoN’s name, figure out what happened to Fellyn’s long-missing partner, and reconcile the state of their homes and themselves? Or will they end up drowning in the current of grief they are swept up in?
  2. We Thought We Knew (What Comes After) - fiction - sci fi/fantasy, post-apocalypse - It’s 1000 years since HamoN and Fellyn walked their planet, lived their lives, and made their peace. It’s been only 500 years since HamoN’s home nation of mNet discovered a nuclear weapon so potent, so terrible, it destroyed their entire culture - and nearly the entire planet. A mNetan researcher, lLum mNulu, named for the first recorded disaster in mNetan history, and descendant of one of the mNetan outposts that managed to survive the most recent one, decides it’s finally time to learn what really happened to mNet. But are they really ready to relive the ghosts of their ancestors? The more lLum learns about mNet, the more they wonder if it wasn’t an accident that caused the nuclear fallout, but sabotage. But by who, and why, and - most importantly - how do you hold someone accountable 500 years later? And if that wasn’t enough to contend with already… it’s becoming increasingly clear that someone, both 500 years ago and now, would do anything to keep the truth from coming out. Whoever it is, it’s personal…. But it’s also personal to lLum.
  3. Star Empire Crossed Lovers - fanfiction (Star Trek Online) - enemies to lovers, sci fi, comedy, crack ship - D’Tan and Hakeev are rivals, obviously. No, they’re more than that - sworn enemies, opposing not just the other’s policies, actions, and hatred, but their existence. Well. That’s what they’d like everyone to believe, anyways. But the more D’Tan pays attention to Hakeev, the harder it is to deny that there’s something there. And Hakeev? From the beginning, he’s known exactly what he wanted (D’Tan) and how to get it (sure, destroy everything, but save what D’Tan loves). It’s all well and good of course, except for the fact that D’Tan is proncunsol of the Romulan Republic, and Hakeev is head of the Romulan Star Empire’s Tal Shiar. And they’re supposed to hate each other. Neither can risk admitting they like each other, but can they really risk not admitting it either? Well. Sooner or later, someone is gonna find out. But it’s going to take more than Sela, Kererek, Satrar, and the entire combined force of both their armies to keep these two star empire crossed lovers apart. And maybe, just maybe, love is what is needed to heal the rifts in the Romulan people. Maybe. No. Probably not. Yeah. Well. At least it’s a start.

TL;DR: Call me Lilly or Percy. Age 21. Pronouns they/them. Accessibility is a priority, let me know if I can do anything to help with that. No bigotry allowed here. Writes primarily sci fi/fantasy with humor and a healthy heaping of angst. Feel free to DM or send an Ask anytime. I love being tagged in tag games.

Enjoy~<3

Honestly be pretentious as fuck about the stuff you create. Do a press release for your fanfic updates. Do a Q&A about your webcomic. Make fake merch designs for your OCs. Commission "official" book covers. Very few of us will ever get to a stage where something we've created Makes It Big but even if you have an audience of 5 people plus a shoelace fucking indulge yourself and pretend!! It's the only way to live!!

Oh and quick note for writers:

One difference between this strike and the last one is that there are a lot more fellowships targeted at early career tv writers than there used to be (there have always been some, but the fellowship model is way more commonplace these days)

Studios are about to make a ton more of these opportunities and advertise them widely as a way to break into the industry, and they will be very specific about the fellowship not technically counting as a writers room or a tv job

THIS IS A TRICK TO GET YOU TO SCAB

Sharing any written content with a studio (even if they route it through a 3rd party "foundation" or development org or something) IS SCABBING

What you do in regards to the strike is your business, but the WGA has been very clear that anyone who scabs will be BANNED FROM JOINING THE UNION FOR LIFE. That means even if you get hired, that's no health & pension and no union protections for your entire career. This shit is serious

So please please double check and dig into any new submission opportunities you see in the next weeks. Playwrights especially be careful - many studios are finding their writers through play scripts these days so be very careful about how and where your work is being shared

No writing going to the studios means NO WRITING of any kind

(if you see suspicious fellowship stuff being passed around let me know, I'd love to keep an eye on that for my peeps)

Advice for Creating a Magic System

As a fantasy author, I thought I'd share my 5 tips for creating a captivating magic system.

1. Are you writing low fantasy or high fantasy?

  • Firstly, it's good to know from the get-go whether you're creating a magic system for a low fantasy or high fantasy story.
  • Low fantasy doesn't necessarily mean there are less fantastical elements or that the story has to take place in a version of the real world. Low fantasy simply indicates that the fantasy elements/magic is not commonplace in that world. Magic and other fantasy elements exist, but only a privy few know about it.
  • Examples of low fantasy stories include Harry Potter by She Who Shall Not be Named, the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and my book To Wear A Crown.
  • High fantasy, on the other hand, indicates that the fantastical elements and magic are known about and commonplace in that world. The people of the world know that magic exists, that there are fantastical beings, other races etc.
  • Examples of high fantasy stories include Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Crescent City by Sarah J Maas, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

2. Hard magic systems vs soft magic systems

  • The next thing that's vital to decide is whether you're creating a hard or soft magic system.
  • A hard magic system has built-in limitations. There are certain things that magic can do and that's it. Examples of stories with hard magic systems include Avatar: The Last Airbender and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
  • A soft magic system doesn't have inherent limitations in relation to what it can achieve. Examples of soft magic systems include Eragon, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

3. What can magic do?

  • Now that you know whether you're writing low or high fantasy, and whether you're working with a hard or soft magic system, it's time to create some magic!
  • This is the part where I can't give you too much guidance, because it's all about your creativity.
  • What do you want magic to look like in your story? What do you want magic to be able to achieve? How big of a role do you want magic to play in the story and your characters' lives?
  • Do you want different classes of magic wielders, each with mastery over their own element? Do you want magic to be a flexible tool that can be used to achieve almost anything? Do you want your magic to be limited to telepathic actions or creating portals? Do you want different people to have power over different aspects of nature or different magical disciplines?
  • Can wielders use magic without any tools, or do they need spells, runes or rituals?
  • The possibilities are endless, but it's important to establish exactly what magic is capable of in your world.

4. How does it work and where does it come from?

  • Now we know what the magic can do. Next up is why it can do those things. Where does the power of the magic come from and how do wielders command it?
  • Does the power/force of magic come from within the wielder? Does it draw from inner life force and energy? Does it draw on energy from another realm or dimension? Does it pull from the surrounding natural elements? Does the power come from a deity or from demonic forces?
  • Identify the source/origin of the magic.
  • From there, elaborate on how it works. How does a wielder access the source of the magic? Is it through strength of will, incantations, selling their soul etc.?
  • For example, let's say that the power of your world's magic comes from the cosmic energy of another dimension. In order for wielders to access that energy, they draw specific sigils on their skin and these sigils act as portals to that world. Once the sigil is complete, the cosmic power flows into the wielder and they can now command it.

5. The limitations

  • Very importantly, you have to be clear on the limitations of your magic system. Fantasy magic systems often fall flat because they don't have clear confines.
  • If you're writing a hard magic system, this step is a bit easier, since there are inherent restrictions on what magic can do. With soft magic systems, you have to decide just how much magic is capable of.
  • But whether you're writing a hard or soft magic system, you need to consider the cost of using magic.
  • Does the use of magic drain the wielder's energy? Does each instance of using magic darken the wielder's soul or deteriorate their body further? Does using magic damage the natural world around the wielder or drain others of their life force?
  • Magic without a cost, limitations or consequences just isn't as captivating.

Reblog if you liked these tips. Comment with your own advice. Follow me for similar content.

I hate the trend of just describing books with what minorities the main characters represent and nothing else. not only does it feel weird + exploitative to me it's also such a shoddy ineffective marketing technique. "this is my book with queer polyam disabled vampires you should buy it" ok great but what is it like. about. what are the themes. why should I read it

And I hate both the fact that publishers no doubt force authors to do this AND the fact that independent authors do it of their own violation too. and that it works on most people. actually let's just abolish the way that people on tiktok and some extremely annoying parts of tumblr talk about books in general forever

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for the love of god, write all the self-indulgent scenes you want.  be utterly  shameless about including every last fantasy.  i know everyone likes to share quotes and quips about how miserably hard writing is, but please please try thinking of it as a joyful act where you get to be a messy human who makes art rather than some pain filled quest for icy perfection.

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Still obsessed with Arthur Conan Doyle’s letter to Bram Stoker gushing about how wonderful a book Dracula is, but particularly how it makes such a good template for leaving fic comments, so I’m gonna to a BREAKDOWN:

  • Just say you loved reading it - “I am sure that you will not think it an impertinence if I write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed reading Dracula.”
  • Comment on a detail of the craft or structure that impressed you - “It is really wonderful how with so much exciting interest over so long a book there is never an anticlimax.“
  • Comment on how it emotionally affected you - “It holds you from the very start and grows more and more engrossing until it is quite painfully vivid.”
  • SHARE YOUR BLORBO FEELINGS - “The old Professor is most excellent and so are the two girls.”
  • Show appreciation for them as an author - “I congratulate you with all my heart for having written so fine a book.”

Next time you don’t know what to say on a fic you enjoyed, just use the ACD method~

PSA: Don't use Open Office

I keep seeing people recommending Open Office as an alternative to Word, and uh... look, it is, technically, an open source alternative to Word. And it can do a lot of what Word can, genuinely! But it is also an abandoned project that hasn't been updated in nine years, and there's an active fork of it which is still receiving updates, and that fork is called LibreOffice, and it's fantastic.

Seriously, if you think that your choices are either "grit your teeth and pay Microsoft for a subscription" or "support free software but have a kind of subpar office suite experience", I guarantee that it's because you're working with outdated information, or outdated software. Most people I know who have used the latest version of LibreOffice prefer it to Word. I even know a handful of people who prefer it to Scrivener.

Open Office was the original project, and so it has the most name recognition, and as far as I can tell, that's really the only reason people are still recommending it. It's kind of like if people were saying "hey, the iPhone 14 isn't your only smart phone option!" but then were only ever recommending the Samsung Galaxy S5 as an alternative. LibreOffice is literally a version of the same exact program as Open Office that's just newer and better – please don't get locked into using a worse tool just because the updated version of the program has a different name!

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Myths That Harm Blind People

MYTH: All “real” blind people are totally blind and only those “real” people can use canes.

TRUTH: Most blind people have some residual vision in one eye or both. In fact, less than 15% of blind people lack vision and light perception. ANY of these people are allowed to use canes, especially for crossing the street. Canes help with safety and allow others (drivers) to identify blind people. Even if these people have some vision, the cane lets people know “oh that person can’t see well or at all so I shouldn’t expect them to get out of the way or to see me approaching”. When crossing the street, a person with a cane will hold their cane out in the street for drivers to see. They will use their hearing or what vision they have to ascertain if there is a car approaching. Usually the car will stop, allowing the blind person to cross.

CONSEQUENCES OF BELIEVING THE MYTH: -You harass people who don’t “look” blind. -You believe blind people who look both ways before crossing the street, moving around you, or move toward/away from bright lights are “faking”. -You yell at, hit, and sometimes break the canes of those blind people you decided are faking based on your limited understanding of blindness. You make them explain themselves when they shouldn’t need to. -You make ignorant posts online about these ideas, spreading them around. -You make people afraid to use their canes when they need to.

MYTH: Blind people don’t use phones/computers

TRUTH: All phones and computers have accessibility features. This includes VoiceOver or large text. Some people simply hold the phone close to their face. Being able to use a phone does not mean anyone is “faking”. This shows how assumptions based on ignorance lead to other, more harmful assumptions.

CONSEQUENCES OF BELIEVING THE MYTH: -You accuse people using canes and phones of “faking” with zero understanding of the consequences. -You use this as an excuse to harass, yell at, and bully blind people for “faking”, both on the street and online. -You assume blind people don’t use social media which makes you think you: are free to make ignorant ignorant jokes, post pictures of blind people using phones, and ignore blind people online when they say something bothers them because “what? Blind people don’t use the internet”. -You post inaccessible content - no image descriptions or audio description for videos, etc

MYTH: Blind people have superior hearing

TRUTH: Blind people do not have superior hearing. They just rely on their hearing more.

CONSEQUENCES OF BELIEVING THE MYTH: This one is just annoying. It makes sighted people feel better or like blind people have something they don’t. It also gives them an excuse to assume blind people would have no problem crossing the street because they can just use their superior hearing.

MYTH: Blind people cannot read

TRUTH: Blind people CAN read. Look up Braille, accessibility in phones and computers, audio books, etc. Similarly: Blind people only read Braille.

CONSEQUENCES OF BELIEVING THE MYTH: This is something people like to say as a joke, but a surprising amount of people mean it. Many people know about Braille (and compare it to sign languages for some reason, but that’s another rant), and will often use these myths to exclude blind people from online spaces.

I made this because these myths are prevalent even in supposed progressive spaces. People will talk about ableism and in the same breath, make one of these assumptions. While it is frustrating that no one bothers to do the research, it is only assumptions and not well-meaning questions that hurt the blind community. Questions allow a person to respond; assumptions do not.

These assumptions have nothing to do with being a bad person, hating the blind community, etc. Therefore, they can apply to anyone. I would like for everyone to explore how they have interacted with or spread these myths and simply change their behaviors. In this instance, your intent only matters so much. It is your behavior that creates change and makes things easier for that blind person you pass tomorrow. Not harassing them, not accusing them of faking, will make their lives 100% easier.

I started this blog so that writers could include blind characters in their stories, thus easing some of the pressure of navigating confusing online myths that slip into otherwise meaningful research. In addition to including blind people in our fiction (either as characters or acknowledging them as consumers by ensuring accessibility), we should make things easier in real life by taking down these myths and correcting those who believe them. Even if we come across as harsh or humorless by doing so. And if you are someone who still wants to believe these things, ask yourself why you are so committed to “helping” blind people in ways they have expressed does not in fact help them at all. Thanks for reading!

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A lovely person pointed out a typo! Very much appreciated!

Also feel free to reblog to increase awareness. Thank you.

The problem with being a Creative Person is I want to create all the things. I want to draw a little drawing. I want to write a fic. I want to write a book. I want to paint with watercolors. I want to paint with oil paints. I want to animate. I want to make something out of clay. I want to sew a dress. I want to play a song on the ukulele. I want to play a song on the cello. I want to play a song on the harp. I want to write a song. I want to write a musical. I want to make a webcomic. I want to make a video game.

I want to do EVERYTHING but I don’t have the TIME or MONEY or MOTIVATION

i love symbolism so much i'm so glad we decided that things could be represented by other things and dedicated so much of our creativity to interpreting their meaning

I feel like when I say ‘relatable’ what I really mean is ‘resonant.’ I don’t want characters who I feel are like me, I want characters who have emotions so strong I can feel them through the page.

more stories where one of the characters is undead should have a scene where they take advantage of that and "play dead" when faced with the consequences of their actions so it looks to everyone else watching like the other person is just getting really mad at a corpse