From be7a43b9941766297d3f7bc84656c91801607caf Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Madison Scott-Clary Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 21:05:07 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] update from sparkleup --- writing/post-self/mitzvot/020.md | 12 ++++++------ writing/post-self/mitzvot/021.md | 2 +- 2 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/writing/post-self/mitzvot/020.md b/writing/post-self/mitzvot/020.md index ef9fcba6..6bd179c5 100644 --- a/writing/post-self/mitzvot/020.md +++ b/writing/post-self/mitzvot/020.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ ----- -While True Name continued to integrate the merge more and more fully --- or, as she put it, became more whatever her new self was meant to be --- and she spent less time taken by long silences or the need to go lay down in the quiet for some lingering conflict, her mood nonetheless continued to decline. Those moments of easy conversation came further and further apart, and while the skunk remained as polite as could be, she also bowed out of nearly every topic other than the food, the weather, only the most surface-level details of how she was feeling. *I am not comfortable talking about that now* became her constant refrain. +While True Name continued to integrate the merge more and more fully --- or, as she put it, became more whatever her new self was meant to be --- and she spent less time taken by long silences or the need to go lay down in the quiet for some lingering conflict, her mood nonetheless continued to decline. Those moments of easy conversation came further and further apart, and while the skunk remained as polite as could be, she also bowed out of nearly every topic other than the food, the weather, and only the most surface-level details of how she was feeling. *I am not comfortable talking about that now* became her constant refrain. Though neither Ioan nor May were necessarily happy for this change, it meant that they *had* to stop talking about all these dire topics. It forced them to take a step back as well, and at least try to get some work done. Given all that had happened, no one was comfortable with them continuing to perform, least of all A Finger Pointing, so they were removed from the bill for the time being, with either their roles replaced or their shows canceled. @@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ Mostly, though, ey dealt in letters to and from the other members of eir clade. The one conversation of note came on the fourth day after the merge, when the skunk asked, "How did you two get together?" -Both Ioan and May had stared at her until she held up her hands. +Both Ioan and May had stared at her until she held up her paws. -"Other than the forces behind the scenes. I mean." +"Other than the forces behind the scenes, I mean." "From my point of view," Ioan said, guessing at the meaning behind her question. "It just kind of happened over the course of a few years. May was her usual affectionate self, and we just wound up building patterns around that that turned us from coworkers to friends to partners." @@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ The skunk hesitated, gaze drifting away from her cocladist. "Ask another questio The skunk only shrugged. -"Well, I think the events with Qoheleth got me thinking about existence here on the System. My own, sure, but in general. Prior to that, I think I lived my life solely as an observer of others. I'd watch people and write what they did and turn it into a story, and I was just kind of...I don't know. Transparent?" Ey shrugged. "I was just a pair of glasses to be used by others. I relied really heavily on memory to do my job, though, and it wasn't until that was specifically called out and brought into question that I started thinking of myself as more than an observer, which then got me thinking about how I interact with those around me. That's where Codrin came from, I think" +"Well, I think the events with Qoheleth got me thinking about existence here on the System. My own, sure, but in general. Prior to that, I think I lived my life solely as an observer of others. I'd watch people and write what they did and turn it into a story, and I was just kind of...I don't know. Transparent?" Ey shrugged. "I was just a pair of glasses to be used by others. I relied really heavily on memory to do my job, though, and it wasn't until that was specifically called out and brought into question that I started thinking of myself as more than an observer, which then got me thinking about how I interact with those around me. That's where Codrin came from, I think." May chimed in. "Ey was the version of you who learned that most strongly, perhaps. You were left with the memories of it to work with, but without the context of the experience." @@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ True Name nodded. "That is the word I would use to describe my feelings towards May smiled and reached out across the dining table to pat at True Name's paw. -"It is what I feel for End Waking and Debarre, too, though in a far more round-about way. I have memories of the ways in which End Waking changed in order to let Debarre into his life, but I cannot place them in context. I do not have what is required to understand them, I may watch them, I may understand one at a time, but integration of all of them eludes me. Those experiences which are left to integrate are the ones clashing the most." She gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "I can remember what it feels like to fall in love but not what to do then. I can remember what it feels like to be in love but not how I got there." +"It is what I feel for End Waking and Debarre, too, though in a far more round-about way. I have memories of the ways in which End Waking changed in order to let Debarre into his life, but I cannot place them in context. I do not have what is required to understand them; I may watch them, I may understand one at a time, but integration of all of them eludes me. Those experiences which are left to integrate are the ones clashing the most." She gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "I can remember what it feels like to fall in love but not what to do then. I can remember what it feels like to be in love but not how I got there." Ioan and May glanced at each other briefly, but both nodded. @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ She rested her head against eir shoulder. "No, but...I do not know, my dear. Eve She nodded. -"Can I stay for tonight? I'll help get some meals prepped and some of my stuff in order. It'll give me a chance to contact Douglas, too." +"Can I stay for tonight?" Ioan asked gently. "I'll help get some meals prepped and some of my stuff in order. It'll give me a chance to contact Douglas, too." "Of course, my dear. I am not...there yet, but I am close." diff --git a/writing/post-self/mitzvot/021.md b/writing/post-self/mitzvot/021.md index a48b7680..2634d829 100644 --- a/writing/post-self/mitzvot/021.md +++ b/writing/post-self/mitzvot/021.md @@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Ey tried not to let it rankle. Everything felt so confined and restricted. So mu Ey looked down to eir small stack of notebooks and the three-pen case resting atop it and sighed. "And talking to yourself doesn't count." -With that, ey peeked in the bedroom one last time. May had sat up and was staring dully down into her mug of coffee, blanket worn like a hooded robe. Her cheek-fur already streaked with tears. +With that, ey peeked in the bedroom one last time. May had sat up and was staring dully down into her mug of coffee, blanket worn like a hooded robe. Her cheek-fur was already streaked with tears. "I'm going to head out, May. Douglas's, as usual. Be safe, okay?"