update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/motes/003.md

@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ They elbow-crawled over to drape unceremoniously over Motes's front, sighing now
 
 "Mmhm mmhm mmhm." She grinned over at Warmth. "Whatcha doin', anyway?"
 
-It giggled and pushed its paws up over her face. "Motes, Motes Motes! Look at you, all growed up, using contractions."
+It giggled and pushed its paws up over her face. "Motes Motes Motes! Look at you, all growed up, using contractions."
 
 "Mmnf! Is 'whatcha' a contraction?"
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ Warmth dismissed the *frahabrodåt* and stretched out on their belly. "Now why d
 
 She shrugged, peeking over at the other skunk through the blades of grass and drooping columbines. "Just family stuff on the brain."
 
-"Precious little of that, my dear," ey said, gently rapping her atop the head while making a hollow clicking noise with its tongue. When Motes merely stuck out her tongue, their expression softened. "Sorry, Motes. Why family stuff? Why is that mope-inducing? Usually you love that. Sometimes you go on about 'ma and Bee this' and 'Sis Hours that' and it is *lovely.*"
+"Precious little of that, my dear," ey said, gently rapping her atop the head while making a hollow clicking noise with its tongue. When Motes merely stuck out her tongue, their expression softened. "Sorry, Mote. Why family stuff? Why is that mope-inducing? Usually you love that. Sometimes you go on about 'ma and Bee this' and 'Sis Hours that' and it is *lovely.*"
 
 "Slow Hours hates it when I call her that," Motes said, smirking, then returned her gaze to the sky. "Just been lots of thinking and talk lately about how much trouble me being small causes."
 
@@ -158,6 +158,58 @@ The other skunk subsided. "I know. And I think I know what you mean, too: there
 
 Ey furrowed their brow. "You are?" they asked dubiously. "I though you knew that, too."
 
-She laughed, rolling onto her back again. "I know there are lots of people who hate the whole bit. I meant more like Hammered Silver cutting off our whole stanza 
+She laughed, rolling onto her back again. "I know there are lots of people who hate the whole bit. I meant more like Hammered Silver cutting off our whole stanza."
 
-(things to talk about: Warmth incorporating most of down-trees than any other Odist)
+"Oh."
+
+"Yeah," Motes said, sighing. "Like, Sasha was the last straw, sure, but it was also because of me being a kid and because we have the whole family dynamic."
+
+Warmth sighed, stretching their arms in front of em. "I know she has not *actually* cut me off, but she might as well have. Her and In Dreams both, with their stanzas."
+
+"How do you mean?"
+
+"Well, they cut off Dear, right?" it said. "And I am rather a lot of Dear. I am Dear and Rye and Praiseworthy! I am all of my down-trees. I *like* being all of my down-trees. I am proud of it!" She grinned. "I think of all of those, they might like Rye okay, but they hate Dear, and I cannot imagine them being too into Praiseworthy after the *History* named her as the propagandist during Secession."
+
+Motes frowned. "Wait, really?"
+
+"I mean, I have not actually talked to them, but they cut off Dear for less." Ey laughed bitterly. "But again, I am also a little one, right? We also have our family dynamic, yes? Hell, Rye and A Finger Pointing are *plenty* chummy, if you know what I mean."
+
+She laughed. "They write each other letters!"
+
+"Yeah. Sexy letters."
+
+"Well, okay," Motes said, still giggling. "Do you really think they have cut you off? Effectively if not actually, I mean."
+
+"I have not talked with them, but neither have they talked with me," they said. "I think that I am one step away from being in their cross-hairs. I am over here doing my weird stuff, making things and food and whatever. I am not really political, I am not being sneaky or dating a Bălan or whatever. I *am* part Dear, though, and I *am* small like you."
+
+"Which do you think would piss them off more?"
+
+"Fuck if I know," Warmth said cheerily.
+
+Motes snorted. "You do not sound like you would mind too much."
+
+Ey shrugged. "It would suck, but yeah." It thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I will amend that somewhat. Even if it would not be any big loss for me, I do not think it would make any of us feel good. No one wants to be an outcast."
+
+"Yeah..."
+
+"Sorry, Mote." Warmth scooted closer and draped an arm over her front. "I did not mean to rub it in any."
+
+She nodded and tugged Warmth's arm up to hug her own around it. "It is okay, just had not heard it put like that before."
+
+"Dear got its fair share of getting cast out as it became more and more of a snotty little shit, and some of that rubbed off onto us. I have a fair few people who dislike me because of that."
+
+"People just looking up Dear in the directory, seeing you, and then hating you for no reason?"
+
+It grinned, nodded.
+
+"Weeeird," Motes said, frowning.
+
+"It is whatever. It stings sometimes, but what is there to do about it?"
+
+"Mmhm." She sighed, finally rolling to face her cocladist. "I wonder if that is why they are so mean about all of this. The *History* came out and they felt that and realized how much it stung, so they started lashing out. I know they got mad at me before then, too, but it got way worse after that and after we took on Sasha."
+
+Warmth bumped eir nose against hers. "Maybe. I do not know, Mote. Even if the timing does not work, you are probably right that they feel hurt by all that. I am sorry you were also one of their targets."
+
+She sighed, nodded. "Thanks."
+
+"Mmhm. Now, come on. Let us lick a battery terminal and eat a passion fruit and see how it stacks up against *frahabrodåt,* and then get some *actual* food."

writing/post-self/motes/index.md

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Story about Hammered Silver losing her shit and cutting out the fifth stanza for
 
 * [o] [Intro](001) --- About Motes; Motes paints; Beholden and boss are heading out; Dry Grass comes over.
 * [o] [Sasha speaks](002) --- Motes gets fucked (and fucked up); talks with Sasha about what happened.
-* [.] [Warmth speaks](003) --- Collab: visiting Warmth and Rye; The Warmth/Motes Dynamic™; discussing the nature of being an outcast (viz both Dear being a shit as well as Hammered Silver cutting off part of the ninth). Good option for Slow Hours/talking about her, too, so that the next bit makes sense.
+* [o] [Warmth speaks](003) --- Visiting Warmth and Rye; The Warmth/Motes Dynamic™; discussing the nature of being an outcast (viz both Dear being a shit as well as Hammered Silver cutting off part of the ninth). Good option for Slow Hours/talking about her, too, so that the next bit makes sense.
 * [.] [A nightmare](004) --- Motes has a nightmare; Motes joins Beholden and A Finger Pointing to calm down; talks with Slow Hours about dreams.
 * [ ] [A letter from Hammered Silver](005) --- The letter; going for a walk as big Motes; staying that way for a week; pulled aside to talk about it.
 * [ ] [A Finger Pointing and Hammered Silver](006) --- Collab: A Finger Pointing gets a letter, too; discussing what to do about it; risk assessment with Waking World and Sasha; message to Hammered Silver.