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<img alt="A Little Book for Little Skunks" src="/front.png">

<p class="buy">
<a href="https://makyo.itch.io/motes-played" target="_blank">Order ebook</a>
<a href="https://makyo-ink.square.site/product/motes-played/17" target="_blank">Order paperback</a> 
<a href="/read">Read in the browser</a>
<a href="/thoughts-on-motes">Thoughts on Motes</a>
</p>

> 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 with fire.
> 
> Motes played, because how could she not?

### Content Notes

This book relies on the plots of The Post-Self Cycle, particularly [*Mitzvot*](https://mitzvot.post-self.ink). It is strongly recommended that you read those works first. They may all be found [here](https://post-self.ink/cycle) as paperbacks, ebooks, and free to read in the browser. If you would prefer to jump right in, spoilers be damned, you can find a primer [here](/primer).

The tilde (~) is the punctuation mark of whimsy and on this I will not be swayed.

Contains mentions of rough, but consensual sex with one vague description; blood; adult characters engaging with the world as children, unrelated to sex; themes of familial abuse.

## Advance Praise

> There's not that much literature out there that touches on this sort of 5-12 year old kidcore aesthetic and it was nice to see it done so beautifully. I absolutely loved it, it's up there with some of my favorite pieces.
>
> — Faux

-----

## More Motes

Along with *Motes Played,* there are a few bonus bits to read:

* ["Milestones of Memory"](/milestones-of-memory) — Some musings from Beholden, A Finger Pointing, and Motes on what it might mean to grow up after so long, also co-written by the authors of *Motes Played.*
* ["In it for the long haul"](/long-haul) — A short drabble by Madison Rye Progress, written to go along with a piece of fan art by <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/biddyfox" target="_blank">biddyfox</a>.
* ["Thoughts on Motes"](/thoughts-on-motes) — An essay about the creation of *Motes Played* what Motes means to the authors, written by Madison Rye Progress.

-----

## About the authors

<figure>
<img alt="Art by Voksa" src="/echo-hours.png" style="filter: none;">
<figcaption>Art by <a href="https://vox-space.neocities.org" target="_blank">Voksa</a></figcaption>
</figure>

Madison Rye Progress and Samantha Yule Fireheart are a couple'a nerds living in the mountains with their dog. Together, they have shepherded the Post-Self universe from a simple setting for a few stories to an entire world, working to curate the history and mechanics, as well as building the community that has sprung up around the setting. 

<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0"><a href="https://makyo.ink" target="_blank">makyo.ink</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0"><a href="https://cohost.org/hamratza" target="_blank">cohost.org/hamratza</a></p>

-----

## About the artist

<figure>
<img alt="Art by B. Root" src="/astolpho-color.png" style="filter: none">
</figure>

B. Root is an illustrator, 3d artist, and VR enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. He is also a rather small lion.

<p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0"><a href="https://roots.works" target="_blank">roots.works</a></p>

-----

## Acknowledgements {#acknowledgements .unnumbered}

Thanks, as always, to the polycule, who have been endlessly supportive, but most especially to Sam, so many of whose words appear within this book. Thanks as well as to Tomash, Ellen, Andréa, and all the rest of the Post-Self community, who have helped build this lovely world, to Isiat and Faux for their kind words, and to Lilium who made me think most about the impact of my work.

Thanks also to my patrons:

\$10+
:   Ammy; Andréa C. Mason; Donna Karr (thanks, mom); Erika Kovac; Fuzz Wolf; green; Kit Redgrave; Merry Cearley; Mx. Juniper System; Orrery; Rob; Sariya Meolody

\$5
:   Some Egrets; ramshackle; Christi; Erica; Junkie Dawg; Lhexa; Lorxus, an actual fox on the internet; Norm Steadman; Petrov Neutrino; raxraxraxraxrax; Sasha Moore, Strawberry Daquiri; ubuntor; Zeta Syanthis

\$1
:   Alicia Goranson; Ayla Ounce; Bel; BowieBarks; Katt, sky-guided vulpine friend; Kindar; Muruski; Peter Hayes; Ruari ORourke; Sethvir; Yana Winters

Thanks is due as well to all of the backers of the *Marsh* Kickstarter, without whom *Motes Played* would not be possible:

> ***Krzysztof Drewniak, Nathan Merrifield, Andréa CERES Mason, Lhexa,*** *Strawberry, Amdusias, Saphire Lattice, Ash Holland, Michael Miele, Ashley Hale, Mimir, Vendryth, Petrov Neutrino, Alexandrea Christina Leal,* Kuviare, Nova, Vernon Jones, Andy Oxenreider, LadyLenalia, ramshackle heather, MisfitMephit, Some Egrets, NightEyes DaySpring, critters-system, doctorlit, Rachel Dillon, Joel Kreissman, Kate Eckhart, Giantrobots42, raine, Ayla Ounce, Alicia E. Goranson, James Tatum, Saghiir, Ember Cloke, Payson R. Harris, Vulpis, lenientsy, Campbell Royales, Laura, AntarcticFox, ubuntor, Asha Jade Goodwin, Barac Baker Wiley, Me, Robert Armstrong, Sethvir, Richie