update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/mitzvot/031.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 When Debarre received the ping from End Waking, he quickly excused himself from dinner and dashed out into the back yard to respond. The last time he'd received a ping in the middle of a period of overflowing, it had been when the skunk's leg had been impaled on a branch, so he hoped against hope that it wasn't the entire tent washing away in a flood this time. It was getting on in spring --- still a bit early for floods, but one never knew...
 
-"E.W.?" ey said. "What's up? You okay? Is the tent?"
+"E.W.?" he said. "What's up? You okay? Is the tent?"
 
 "The tent is fine, my dear," he replied. "I apologize if I interrupted, but I have some news regarding May Then My Name, Ioan, and True Name, and you requested that I message you. Besides, I need to speak about it with someone other than them. Someone not an Odist."
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ There was a sense of a sigh from the other end. "I am sorry, my love."
 
 "You? Impatient?" Debarre laughed. "I'll be right over."
 
-He forked off Debarre#RelEW and watched him step from the sim, then spent another few seconds looking out into the yard, trying to remember the last time anything had been so important that it had required him leaving immediately Something other than a tree falling on End Waking, that was.
+He forked off Debarre#RelEW and watched him step from the sim, then spent another few seconds looking out into the yard, trying to remember the last time anything had been so important that it had required him leaving immediately Something other than a tree falling on his boyfriend, that was.
 
 "Well, shit," he mumbled turning to head back inside. "This is gonna be a mess."
 
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ She blinked, looking startled. "Yes, actually. How did you guess?"
 
 "Ioan mentioned it when we talked last. How'd it go? Did she explode?"
 
-"Not at all, no." She shrugged, poking at the dirt with a twig. "Actually, I am finding myself rather fond of her, now."
+"Not at all, no. Actually..." She shrugged, poking at the dirt with a twig. "Actually, I am finding myself rather fond of her, now."
 
 "Bullshit," he growled.
 
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ Still, it was hard to square the image of End Waking and True Name meeting up vo
 
 The skunk was crouching at the edge of the stream, washing his paws after having apparently just finished gutting a trio of large trout.
 
-"I understand if you are upset, Debarre," he said, keeping his gaze on his paws as he scrubbed rather than looking up to Debarre.
+"I understand if you are upset, Debarre," he said, keeping his gaze on his paws as he scrubbed rather than looking up to him.
 
 "No," Debarre said, sitting down next to him. "Or, well, I am, but it's whatever. I just don't see how something as stupid as May Then My Name merging down solves anything about this. Suddenly, you two are all buddy-buddy?"
 
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ Debarre scrambled to his feet, eyes darting around through the trees. "What the
 
 He growled. "Well, shit. I mean, I guess I'm an obvious enough choice for it."
 
-"You are, yes, and doubtless the powers that be have been keeping their eye on you since Secession. I do not know the specifics, nor do I want to. As I said, I will not betray you." End Waking smiled wryly, adding, "And I do not think I am of much interest to any of them, anyway. I rarely leave, and I never enter a building when I do. I am more focused on my next meal that anything else."
+"You are, yes, and doubtless the powers that be have been keeping their eye on you since the dissolution of the Council. I do not know the specifics, nor do I want to. As I said, I will not betray you." End Waking smiled wryly, adding, "And I do not think I am of much interest to any of them, anyway. I rarely leave, and I never enter a building when I do. I am more focused on my next meal that anything else."
 
 "Skunks just wanna get fat."
 

writing/post-self/mitzvot/032.md

@@ -58,17 +58,17 @@ Debarre sat, silent. The comment all but demanded silence from him, so rare was
 
 "Still thinking of cutting your ties? Dropping the clade name?"
 
-End Waking shrugged. "Would that be so bad? May Then My Name would become simply a friend, rather than a cocladist. True Name would become someone I know. I do not speak with the others. Serene, perhaps? But even then, it has been many years. It would not change my relationship with you. The forest will not care if I am an Odist or if I am not. To it, I am called Nobody, and when I die and moulder beneath the roots, then it will say that it feasts on Nobody."
+End Waking shrugged. "Would that be so bad? May Then My Name would become simply a friend, rather than a cocladist. True Name would become someone I know rather than a down-tree instance. I do not speak with the others. Serene, perhaps? But even then, it has been many years. It would not change my relationship with you. The forest will not care if I am an Odist or if I am not. To it, I am called Nobody, and when I die and moulder beneath the roots, then it will say that it feasts on Nobody."
 
 Debarre sighed. Hearing End Waking talk so much was a rarity, but that the death-thoughts were still there, meant it'd be a while yet before he'd be allowed back to stay.
 
-"And AwDae? The Name?" he asked. As he always did when Debarre said their friends name, the skunk stiffened, hunched his shoulders, and drew his hood up over his head. All the same, he'd made it a point to say it at least once per visit. There had been a row the first few times, but he'd won on point that AwDae had been his friend, too.
+"And AwDae? The Name?" he asked. As he always did when Debarre said their friend's name, the skunk stiffened, hunched his shoulders, and drew his hood up over his head. All the same, he'd made it a point to say it at least once per visit. There had been a row the first few times, but he'd won on point that AwDae had been his friend, too.
 
 "I do not know, Debarre. That is, I think, the one thing that I will ever defer to True Name on."
 
 He snorted. "Really?"
 
-"If she, of all of us, were ever to feel comfortable speaking it, to talking about em, then I will know that this embargo will have been lifted."
+"If she, of all of us, were ever to feel comfortable speaking it, talking about em, then I will know that this embargo will have been lifted."
 
 "Well, fair," the weasel said, finishing his tea before handing the mug back to End Waking to let the skunk snack on the remnants. He'd never really enjoyed them enough to do so himself. "I'm happy for you, you know that?"
 
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ The slight sag in End Waking's shoulders spoke of relief. He nodded, saying, "Of
 
 "Love you too."
 
-Debarre quit, rather than bothering with stepping back home. The pile of memories caught his down-tree instance in the middle of a sentence --- thankfully something unimportant --- and he had to spend a minute reconciling the memories with the ones he'd made since.
+Debarre quit, rather than bothering with stepping back home. The pile of experiences caught his down-tree instance in the middle of a sentence --- thankfully something unimportant --- and he had to spend a minute reconciling the memories with the ones he'd made since.
 
 "Well, that was interesting."