This week, the poetry of
Polychrome Heroics is on sale for half price from Monday, July 15 through Sunday, July 21. This series is superhero fantasy. It features themes of heroism, coming of age, diversity, identity kink, family of choice, friendship, and cultural engineering. Sale prices range from $35.50 to $525.50, so hopefully there will be something for everyone.
Prices on open epics are locked at the time of opening; however, if anyone wants to donate to open epics and buy poetry, spending $100 will get you the quarter-price rate on the new poems, regardless of the rate on the open epic(s) you support. There are three open epics at present, so I'd rather not open another until at least one of these finishes. "
Before You Can Love Me" belongs to the Iron Horses thread of the
Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $138 to be complete. "
The Simple Act of Caring" belongs to
the Big One thread of the
Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $176 to be complete. "
Dealing with Historical Events and Characters" belongs to the
Dr. Infanta thread of the
Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $42 to be complete.
We are repeating the special discount for purchases of $100 or more, in which you get poetry at 25% of its original price instead of 50%. (Note that this increases the amount of poetry you get, rather than reducing the amount of money spent; the point is to get this stuff off of my desk. Yes, I can afford it.) That size of donation also makes you a k-fan which comes with some other perks, like a year-end collection of a poetic series. If several folks want to bundle their orders to make the $100 threshold and have one person send it all, that's okay; you'll get the discount and I'll list all your names as donors, but you'll have to decide amongst you who gets the k-fan credit. If you host a pool, please close it the day before the sale closes, so you have time to collect funds and turn them in on time.
Some of the poems are in sequence of related action, so in places there are prerequisites before a poem can be published. They can be sponsored at any time, just might have to wait for publication until something else gets posted first. Those are marked accordingly. I have also made lists of poems which unlock sequels, and poems which have prerequisites.
Linkback perk: The following poems have verses left to reveal. Boost the signal for this half-price sale and tell me which poem you want to extend.
"
Pumpkin Spice Prosperity"
"
Delight in Another"
"
A Sense of Weather Changes"
"
Ouroboros Insects"
"
The Loving Embrace of Night"
"
Generations of Cooks Past"
"
Homefree and Clear"
"
One Bite at a Time"
"
Stars and Diamonds"
"
Mishpocha""
There's an Art to It"
"
The Glass Cat"
"
Changing Your Nature"
"
Besa"
About characters and storylines: The storylines feature multiple characters, so if you want poems about ONE specific character, look closely. The thumbnail descriptions here give some indication who features in each poem. The storyline pages are adding precise, complete information about which characters appear in each poem. If you need more than what's already visible, you can ask me.
About timing: If you want maximum choice, shop early. We usually send a batch of things to my father near the end of a sale, and those poems will be posted as I have time.
About pools: Yes, you can combine your funds with other prompters to get the quarter-price rate. Yes, you can combine your funds with other prompters to buy a bigger poem. Yes, you can offer to match donations by other people. However, the wordsmith is not also a math whiz! After several attempts to find a way that I can work with pools and matches, I have concluded that this is over my head. (I did figure out how to avoid generating fractional pennies, though: all initial prices are now whole dollars, which means they cut evenly into halves and quarters.) So if you want to host a pool or a match, make a post for that in your blog or other venue, then comment here with what you're doing and include a link to wherever the discussion will be. You figure out the poems, you collect the funds, and when stuff is fully funded, you send me the money and the list of what it's for. Then I'll post the goodies. Please close the pool in time to collect donations by the end of the sale, so I can start posting pool poems no later than the day after the sale.
Before placing your order, please check this sale page to see what is still unsold! I will try to update the page as things sell, and it's likely to be the case that some poems will be marked SOLD before appearing in posts. People often buy things in batches, which means that selling gets ahead of posting. Also sometimes people ask for the same thing at the same time, so that not all overlaps are preventable. If you have alternate instructions in case you request something that has just sold, please include that in your message; otherwise I'll email you back and ask what you want to do.
Currently available are the following poems. Some are in series chronological order, and others are just kind of stuck wherever, because sequencing Polychrome Heroics is like trying to sequence a dozen different comic book titles from the same publisher. See the thread pages for
the Big One,
Dr. Infanta, and
Shiv.
Poems that unlock sequels: "Help Others to Grow Up," "The Sound of Anguish," "A Human Scale, Full-Featured Settlement," "A Blues Song Waiting to Happen," "A Light from the Shadows Shall Spring"
Poems that have prerequisites: "The Sound of Anguish," "A Heaviness of Heart," "Technique, Timing, and Leverage," "A Reminder to Stay Present in the Moment," "In the Pipeline"
FOR SALE
27 poems, $6,793 ÷ 2 = $3396.50
prices from $35.50 to $525.50
THE BIG ONE (2 poems, was $1148, sale price $574)
"A Human Scale, Full-Featured Settlement"
Story Date: Afternoon of Saturday, May 28, 2016 in Cowlick Ecovillage, Washington
Summary: Sightline is assigned to survey Cowlick Ecovillage.
1051 lines, was $1051, sale price $525.50
Double price for research.
"Technique, Timing, and Leverage"
Story Date: Friday, June 3, 2016
Summary: Sightline and Nylah defend Cowlick Ecovillage from interlopers.
193 lines, was $97, sale price $48.50
Available for posting after "A Human Scale, Full-Featured Settlement" has been sponsored and posted.
DR. INFANTA (2 poems, was $395, sale price $197.50)
"Thaw With Her Gentle Persuasion"
Story Date: November 2014
Summary: Dr. Infanta helps the survivors of the Skadi.
587 lines, was $294, sale price $147
"
Sand Won't Save You This Time"
Story Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Summary: Israel is messing with chemicals that Dr. Infanta really doesn't want to deal with.
202 lines, was $101, sale price $50.50 SOLD
FINN FAMILY (3 poems, was $247, sale price $494)
"
Among the Imperishable Ones"
Story Date: Thursday, May 7, 2015]
Summary: Aidan and Drew visit the Temple of Bastet in Egypt to check on one of Aidan's caches.
549 lines, was $275, sale price $137.50 In microfunding now
"To Form a New Idea"
Story Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Summary: Halley's everyday speech is more than many people can handle.
146 lines, was $73, sale price $36.50
"Rigor, Innovation, Accessibility, and Accountability"
Story Date: Monday, September 12, 2016
Summary: Aida and her think tank explore ways to improve the Maldives.
292 lines, was $146, sale price $73
MARIONETTES (3 poems, was $657, sale price $328.50)
"Help Others to Grow Up"
Story Date: July, 2014
Summary: A worn-down Mobster and a superbaby find comfort in each other.
781 lines, was $391, sale price $195.50
"The Sound of Anguish"
Story Date: Saturday, August 2, 2014
Summary: Hector Jefferson supports a bereaved friend.
194 lines, was $97, sale price $48.50
Available for posting after "Help Others to Grow Up" has been sponsored and published.
"A Heaviness of Heart"
Story Date: Saturday, August 2, 2014
Summary: Frettoloso finds out that Boss Chiefari was murdered.
337 lines, was $169, sale price $84.50
Available for posting after "Help Others to Grow Up" and "The Sound of Anguish" have been sponsored and published.
RUTLEDGE (2 poems, was $233, sale price $116.50)
"Like I Could Throw Off Sparks"
Story Date: Evening of Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Immediately follows "Why People Hold onto Memories."
Summary: Oscar tells Labib about an opportunity to learn fireworks and fire safety. Labib is twitchy but willing to listen.
289 lines, was $145, sale price $72.50
"
Your Own Blissful Path"
Story Date: Friday, May 29, 2015
Summary: After the recent discoveries, Johan seeks guidance from the hippies in Rutledge, Vermont.
176 lines, was $88, sale price $44 SOLD
SHIV (6 poems, was $1765, sale price $882.50)
"A Marvel of Mechanical Skill"
Story Date: Monday, October 20, 2014
Summary: Tolli and Simon take Shiv to the Museum of Metallurgy. Shiv is reluctant. Tolli and Simon know what they're doing.
780 lines, was $390, sale price $195
"Not a Destination, But a Process"
Summary: Liberty meets Dr. G.
227 lines, was $114, sale price $57
"
A Blues Song Waiting to Happen"
Story Date: Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 6:15 PM in Omaha, Nebraska
Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 4:15 PM in San Francisco, California
Summary: After the Big One, Boss White puts Shiv in charge of the large team emptying the storage building.
1155 lines, was $578, sale price $289 SOLD
"
A Reminder to Stay Present in the Moment"
Story Date: Evening of Saturday, May 28, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska
Summary: Shiv and Liberty hang out after a hard day.
199 lines, was $100, sale price $50 SOLD
Available for posting after "A Blues Song Waiting to Happen" has been sponsored and posted.
"
A Light from the Shadows Shall Spring"
Story Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Summary: Arthur coaxes Shiv into meeting the Worldbuilding teacher.
875 lines, was $438, sale price $219 SOLD
"
In the Pipeline"
Story Date: Sunday, September 11, 2016
Summary: Shiv makes a construction model for jungle gyms, which attracts attention at a Finn party.
289 lines, was $145, sale price $72.50 SOLD
Available after "A Light from the Shadows Shall Spring" has been sponsored and posted.
OTHER POLYCHROME POEMS (7 poems, was $1356, sale price $678)
"Red Shoes"
Story Date: 1830
Summary: A Chipewyan woman goes to rescue her daughter from a mission school.
327 lines, was $327, sale price $163.50
Double price for research.
"What's Given by Nature"
Story Date: 2010-2015
Summary: Damaris Eiffel is a harpy striving to appreciate her body and find a place in the world.
260 lines, was $130, sale price $65
"Never Be Silent"
Story Date: Monday, October 6, 2014
Summary: Principal Diego Ramirez deals with a complaint from an outraged parent.
145 lines, was $73, sale price $36.50
"Far Stronger Links"
Story Date: Friday, September 4, 2015
Summary: A coworker's loss inspires support at work.
515 lines, was $258, sale price $129
"The Wall in the Room We Shared"
Story Date: Saturday, December 5, 2015
Ferd and Wil escape from a wretched foster home.
516 lines, was $258, sale price $129
"Aim a Little Above It"
Nagi deals with a young man who tries to rob her.
260 lines, was $130, sale price $65
"Formidable Tasks of Adaptation"
Story Date: Sunday, March 20, 2016
Summary: Denim has had enough of her parents' shit.
359 lines, was $180, sale price $90
SCHRODINGER'S HEROES CROSSOVERS (2 poems, was $251, sale price $125.50)
"And Everything Collapses"
Summary: Chris and Kay respond to an incursion alert at the Tef to find what amounts to a lifeboat full of young refugees.
This poem is an AU of Schrodinger's Heroes and Polychrome Heroics.
360 lines, was $180, sale price $90
"Invisible Because It Is So Normal"
Summary: Juan Carlos and friends deal with rowdy people in Waxahachie.
141 lines, was $71, sale price $35.50