Donor Perk: Give Me Prompts: ysabetwordsmith

Donor Perk: Give Me Prompts

This call for prompts is now CLOSED. Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

[EDIT 9/16/11] I have unlocked this entry so that everyone can see the prompts that inspired the poems.

The September 6, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl met the $150 goal, so you get a free series poem. (Thank you for your support and enthusiasm!)  If you're reading this, you're on the donor filter currently, so you get to influence what kind of poem it will be.

The serial poetry poll was tied, after a very close race, and the people I usually ask to break ties had already voted.  So I just said fine, we'll try this with two series. Those are Fiorenza, the Italian Herbalist and Path of the Paladins. (For previous poems in these series, see the "Serial Poetry" page on my website.) You may leave prompts for either or both series. I will keep the prompt call open at least until Wednesday evening.

Each donor may leave up to TWO prompts, one for each series. You can ask for a character, an event, a local color motif, an Italian form of poetry -- the usual kind of stuff that prompts can be -- related to the Fiorenza series and/or the Paladins series.  You're also allowed to ask for "side story" or "bit character" explorations since that was part of the original inspiration for this perk, a chance to go a bit further than what tends to appear in the main line of the series.    Please leave your prompts in a comment to this post.

Background
There are currently 12 poems listed for Path of the Paladins, 4 of them unpublished. If you want to know where the timeline is currently, "Gallery of Souls" is the town visit for trading the unicorn hairs for supplies; and the last published poem, "One Eye on the Horizon," returns to Ari's brother Larn (and the mule) when Ari's package reaches the farm. This low fantasy series deals with such themes as moral strength, service, surviving traumatic experiences, and exploring human/divine relationships.

There are currently 10 poems listed for Fiorenza, the Italian Herbalist, 2 of them unpublished. Regarding the timeline, "From the Free City" recounts the aftermath of an attack on Fermo, and "Plumbing the Depths" shows Fiorenza working on a mystical challenge while Giacinto looks on. Last up is "Farm and Field" about the livestock in Fiorenza's village. This historical fantasy series takes place in a magical version of Italy, probably late Renaissance or post-Renaissance. Its themes include fairytale magic, rural life and relationships, gender studies, and Italian culture.

I may mix and match the prompts, or develop a poem from a single prompt, as usual. You will get one poem for free, per the terms of the perk. It's possible that more than one poem will emerge from this activity, which is fine. If there are extras, I'll look at what I have and figure out what to do with those -- you'll get a chance to sponsor the extras sooner or later. This is still a relatively new perk, so there may be other developments. I'll keep you posted.

janetmiles

September 13 2011, 19:37:18 UTC 9 years ago

New comment

Does Fiorenza have any living family? If so, why does she choose to live away from them?

Poem

ysabetwordsmith

September 14 2011, 03:58:55 UTC 9 years ago

This combined with prompts from

jenny_evergreen,

aldersprig, and

laffingkat. The result is "Winter Apples," a free-verse poem in which Fiorenza gossips with her aunts while putting up apples for storage. But something nefarious may be going on...

Re: Poem

laffingkat

9 years ago

jenny_evergreen

September 13 2011, 19:41:42 UTC 9 years ago

Fiorenza is supposed to deal with the paranormal, but we haven't seen her doing that for a while; maybe it's time?

I was thinking that it might be nice to get more details about where Shahana came from, the shining city and the bright temple.

haikujaguar

September 13 2011, 19:46:24 UTC 9 years ago

I wonder if there are other god/goddesses in the Path universe, that also have wandering clergy/knights, and what they might think of Gailah's scattered foundlings. (I would hope some of them think kindly.)

I like Fiorenza's focus on the rural, but I'd like to see a city-dweller visit, for a hint of the contrast, and what a magical-version-of-Italy does with its cities. (Goodness, can you imagine a magical version of Venice? It is magical enough!)

marina_bonomi

September 13 2011, 19:57:22 UTC 9 years ago

Oh, I'd love this!

Maybe Fiorenza needs some rare ingredient, something that can't be found either in her village or Fermo.

Or...What about someone high up in Urbino having an unusual problem? The ducal palace there has always looked magical to me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Ducale,_Urbino

Or maybe in the village's countryside there are the summer residences of a few city families, that was common enough over here.

September 15 2011, 06:25:35 UTC 9 years ago

You're right, the Palazzo Ducale is quite magical. When I read the article, I found some tidbits that are an utterly perfect fit for aspects of Fiorenza's world.

From this I got "A Small Separation," a free-verse poem. A messenger from the Duke hires Fiorenza to visit Urbino because 1) the palace is tilting on its foundation, and 2) something is making a bizarre racket. Can our clever country girl solve a magical mystery in a big city? Read and find out!

the_vulture

September 13 2011, 20:11:04 UTC 9 years ago

It's pretty clear that Ari has benefitted from being taken in by Shahana. At the very least, she's now protected from the raiders who attacked her village and raped her. Certainly, the adventure she's upon is also expanding her knowledge and awareness. However, I don't think it's all one sided benefit. The obvious things she brings to the table is companionship (NOT to be underestimated) and has proven to be a logistical benefit with the care taking and such. But is there more to this? What of the intangible things? When Shahana first took Ari under her wing, it appeared to be mostly from a sense of duty. Has that changed? Is she seeing some of the things that we, as an audience, do? Is Ari the only one rescued by this partnership?

September 14 2011, 08:34:07 UTC 9 years ago

I put this together with prompts from

haikujaguar,

laffingkat. The result is "Opening the Gate," a free-verse poem. Shahana and Ari walk through mostly-empty pastures, talking about war and peace and history. Then the present intrudes with harsh demands of its own.

September 13 2011, 20:13:01 UTC 9 years ago

As for Fiorenza, what's going on with the witch's son? Do we ever hear back from him? It's clear that his expertise in things supernatural differs from hers (werewolves versus vampires). What if one needed to consult the other on such a matter? (What if one is merely looking for an excuse to consult with the other?)

aldersprig

September 13 2011, 20:13:10 UTC 9 years ago

How do others, outsiders, see Shahana and the paladins of the fallen temple?

What does evil look like in Fiorenza's world? What about winter, preparing for winter? Putting up supplies...

minor_architect

September 14 2011, 02:10:42 UTC 9 years ago

For Path of the Paladins: as I've mentioned before, I want to know more about Johan. What are these "standards" he and Gailah can't measure up to? And how did he displease his "lord"...whoever that may be?

For Fiorenza: I agree with

jenny_evergreen, she needs another supernatural problem to solve! Maybe something odd is ravaging the crops or Fiorenza's herb garden? Or the wells go dry for no apparent reason?

September 15 2011, 03:03:23 UTC 9 years ago

The last time I talked to Johan, he clammed up and wouldn't say much of substance.

This time, he wouldn't shut up. (I get the impression that "moderation" is not in his vocabulary.) So today I wrote two long, evocative poems from his perspective. I have inklings of other things in the future.

"Will Not" is a free-verse poem that takes place some days after "Stained." Johan walks through the forest, lost in thought, and winds up spending the night in a travel shack with a priest of Talaton, god of balance. Johan isn't too keen on that, but the encounter does not go quite as he expects.

"Strike Twice" is a free-verse poem set considerably later, so it's not for sale yet. Johan's sense of duty drags him into a confrontation between a group of mercenaries and some children in a village. Ouchy hurty action ensues.

I am beginning to realize that what Johan thinks he thinks, and what his actions imply he actually thinks, are so far apart that it's a wonder he can keep one foot on each of them at the same time.

Hmm...

September 14 2011, 03:24:05 UTC 9 years ago

For Path of the Paladins, I love learning more about this world and its inhabitants through our heroines travels and discussions. Has it always been devastated by war and slavery, or did things change when the war-priests gained power? How many different deities are there, and are rivalries amongst them common?

For Fiorenza, I really want to see "From the Free City" and "Plumbing the Depths" funded so that we can watch Fiorenza's relationships develop with some continuity. How will Don Candido and the other villagers react? It seems like we've mostly seen Fiorenza interacting with men. How does she get along with the women in the village, or at the market in Fermo?

September 14 2011, 08:58:40 UTC 9 years ago

Regarding Fiorenza interacting with women, I put that together with a prompt from

jenny_evergreen. The result is the free-verse poem "Husband by Hand." Fiorenza isn't the only girl in the village who a) is getting pressure to marry and b) isn't terribly impressed with the local options. But not everyone opts for the same solution to this dilemma...

Done!

September 15 2011, 06:32:29 UTC 9 years ago

Okay, I think I'm done with this batch of prompts for now. I may revisit some of the others eventually; you gave me great ideas here.

I wrote 6 poems. I'm going to go back over these and revise them before I post a poll for the general audience to pick the freebie. Hopefully it won't tie again. The poems are:

"Winter Apples" (Fiorenza)
"Opening the Gate" (Paladins: Shahana & Ari)
"Husband by Hand" (Fiorenza)
"Strike Twice (Paladins: Johan)
"Will Not" (Paladins: Johan, not for sale yet)
"A Small Separation" (Fiorenza)

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Donor Perk: Give Me Prompts

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