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''[[Motes Played]]'' is a novella coming out in August, written collaboratively by myself and my partner. It follows a little (both in the sense that she looks like a kid and also that she is an adult who engages with the world as a kid) skunk named [[Motes]] (natch) as she comes into conflict with those around her over her Identity. There is a synopsis [[Motes Played/synopsis|here]], and you can read the draft [https://motes-played.post-self.ink/draft here]. | ''[[Motes Played]]'' is a novella written in the style of a fairy tale/chapter book coming out in August, written collaboratively by myself and my partner. It follows a little (both in the sense that she looks like a kid and also that she is an adult who engages with the world as a kid) skunk named [[Motes]] (natch) as she comes into conflict with those around her over her Identity. There is a synopsis [[Motes Played/synopsis|here]], and you can read the draft [https://motes-played.post-self.ink/draft here]. | ||
The setting is a place where people can make copies of themselves who can go on and live their own lives or merge back down to share their memories. [[What is Post-Self?|It's a bit more complex than that]], but that's the only relevant part. As such, most of the characters are all long diverged forks of the same personality. | The setting is a place where people can make copies of themselves who can go on and live their own lives or merge back down to share their memories. [[What is Post-Self?|It's a bit more complex than that]], but that's the only relevant part. As such, most of the characters are all long diverged forks of the same personality. | ||
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Motes is a skunk looking to be maybe in the 7-10 range most of the time. She tends to dress the part in overalls or corduroys with brightly colored T-shirts. As a painter (both of paintings and of theatre sets), she's almost always got paint splotches on her clothes, and occasionally her fur. She's a pudgy sort, despite her high energy and constant zipping around. Some references are available [https://art.makyo.io/posts/query=motes here] (though I will note that those thick-ass thighs are an artifact of the VR avatar and probably not canon :P ). | Motes is a skunk looking to be maybe in the 7-10 range most of the time. She tends to dress the part in overalls or corduroys with brightly colored T-shirts. As a painter (both of paintings and of theatre sets), she's almost always got paint splotches on her clothes, and occasionally her fur. She's a pudgy sort, despite her high energy and constant zipping around. Some references are available [https://art.makyo.io/posts/query=motes here] (though I will note that those thick-ass thighs are an artifact of the VR avatar and probably not canon :P ). | ||
One | One motif that is common for her to dream about is a giant ultrablack square or rectangle in the middle distance that seems to hungrily devour all light. It's so common an occurrence that it usually shows up in her otherwise prosaic landscape paintings. I don't know how well this would work as an element on the cover, but it's worth keeping in mind. | ||
Another common motif is dandelions in the flower state, rather than the puffball state. She and those around her are a bit obsessed with them. | Another common motif is dandelions in the flower state, rather than the puffball state. She and those around her are a bit obsessed with them. | ||
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The dimensions of the covers are 5.625x8.75" including bleed, and the spine is 0.485", leading to a full spread of 11.735x8.75". The resolution required is 300dpi. There should be a spot free of interesting stuff on the bottom of the back cover 1.5x3" for a barcode, but no need to make a rectangle; the printer adds their own. | The dimensions of the covers are 5.625x8.75" including bleed, and the spine is 0.485", leading to a full spread of 11.735x8.75". The resolution required is 300dpi. There should be a spot free of interesting stuff on the bottom of the back cover 1.5x3" for a barcode, but no need to make a rectangle; the printer adds their own. | ||
I am happy to do the cover design once the art is done, but if you would like to do it, the full title is ''Motes Played'' and the authors are ''Madison | I am happy to do the cover design once the art is done, but if you would like to do it, the full title is ''Motes Played'' and the authors are ''Madison Rye Progress and Fireheart'' (''Progress / Fireheart'' for the spine). The internal fonts are [https://software.sil.org/gentium/ Gentium Book Plus] and [https://github.com/EkType/Gotu Gotu], but no need to stick with those. The back copy is:<blockquote>Motes played. | ||
She played because she ''was'' play. She played because that was her role in life, because that is just who she was. She played with color, played with life, played with death. | She played because she ''was'' play. She played because that was her role in life, because that is just who she was. She played with color, played with life, played with death. | ||
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=== [https://motes-played.post-self.ink/draft/3 2] === | === [https://motes-played.post-self.ink/draft/3 2] === | ||
* Motes goes out to a rave in big-mode (looking rather like her human mom above but with a very flower-child vibe, complete with flower crown of | * Motes goes out to a rave in big-mode (looking rather like her human mom above but with a very flower-child vibe, complete with flower crown of marigolds) and gets taken home by an otter for the night. | ||
* Returning to the community theatre she works at sometimes, she meets up with another of her cocladists, Sasha, a [https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2Fab%2F03%2Fe0%2Fab03e0a66bffa3bc0700785b03cd72a2--striped-skunk--years.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e2f9c0dd7c8063779033b8ea88b13b7e4a82756f5df9b6874a2e5538a890df7c&ipo=images mocha-colored] skunk, and returns to little-mode to talk. They sit on the stage while Sasha marks up script pages, but when Motes gets distraught, she lays down with her head in Sasha's lap. | * Returning to the community theatre she works at sometimes, she meets up with another of her cocladists, Sasha, a [https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2Fab%2F03%2Fe0%2Fab03e0a66bffa3bc0700785b03cd72a2--striped-skunk--years.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e2f9c0dd7c8063779033b8ea88b13b7e4a82756f5df9b6874a2e5538a890df7c&ipo=images mocha-colored] skunk, and returns to little-mode to talk. They sit on the stage while Sasha marks up script pages, but when Motes gets distraught, she lays down with her head in Sasha's lap. | ||
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In a dreamy haze, Motes remembers the process of leaning into little space through a series of vignettes mixed with memories of her childhood: | In a dreamy haze, Motes remembers the process of leaning into little space through a series of vignettes mixed with memories of her childhood: | ||
* When Michelle was a child in kindergarten, she sat in a patch of red paint and her teacher yelled at her until she cried. When her mom came to pick her up, she reassured her she loved her | * When [[Michelle Hadje/Sasha|Michelle]] was a child in kindergarten, she sat in a patch of red paint and her teacher yelled at her until she cried. When her mom came to pick her up, she reassured her she loved her | ||
* When she was a grown up and newly Motes, she sat in a patch of red paint while working on the stage and decided to lean into that memory, doodling on the stage itself. | * When she was a grown up and newly Motes, she sat in a patch of red paint while working on the stage and decided to lean into that memory, doodling on the stage itself. | ||
* After she leaned into the kid form, she picked up jump-roping with a friend, before eventually falling out with her after losing interest. | * After she leaned into the kid form, she picked up jump-roping with a friend, before eventually falling out with her after losing interest. | ||
* When her cocladists decide to protect her from weirdos and creeps, she finds herself having a hard time making friends when in Big Motes mode. She catches up with Slow Hours to talk about this. | * When her cocladists decide to protect her from weirdos and creeps, she finds herself having a hard time making friends when in Big Motes mode. She catches up with Slow Hours to talk about this. | ||
* Motes and Michelle used to spend time together at least once a year, making flower crowns or painting nails or finding shapes in clouds, just hanging out and talking. | |||
* Finally, she has one of her dreams, where she is sitting on a field speckled with dandelions, and the day is so nice she starts rolling around in the grass, but just in the distance is one of those hyper-black rectangles. | * Finally, she has one of her dreams, where she is sitting on a field speckled with dandelions, and the day is so nice she starts rolling around in the grass, but just in the distance is one of those hyper-black rectangles. | ||