Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics
This week, the poetry of Polychrome Heroics is on sale for half price from Monday, April 16 through Sunday, April 22. 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 $16.50 to $342, so hopefully there will be something for everyone. There is only one open epics at present, in Polychrome Heroics, so you may open a new one if you wish. Prices on open epics are locked at the time of opening; however, if anyone wants to donate to an open epic 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.
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.
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.
"We Will Fade into You"
"The Open Gyre"
"Growing Green, Growing Gold"
"Mysterious and Impermanent"
"The Attack of the Dragon Shrimp"
"Greater Than the Sum"
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 parents 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 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.
Before placing your order, please check thissale page to see what is still unsold! I will try toupdate the page as things sell, and it's likely to be the case that some poemswill be marked SOLD beforeappearing in posts. People often buy things in batches, which means thatselling gets ahead of posting. Also sometimes people ask for the same thing atthe same time, so that not all overlaps are preventable. If you have alternateinstructions in case you request something that has just sold, please includethat 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. I have fans working on touching up the organization; for now, see the rough draft of the Storyline Guide and the thread pages for Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Cuoio and Chiara, and Shiv.
Poems that unlock sequels: "Even If It Is in Flames," "
Poems that have prerequisites: "Burnt and Experienced Hands," "Something Dark in Me," "A Way to Make Right," "Desperate Measures"
FOR SALE
24 poems, $5317 ÷ 2 = $2658.50
prices from $16.50 to $342
ANTIMATTER & STALWART STAN (3 poems,
"The Most Precious Right of Every Citizen"
Third in the “Voting” triptych
Summary: Stan and Lawrence share the experience of their first voting day.
598 lines, was $299, sale price $149.50 SOLD
"A Pattern of Devotion"
This inspired the free-verse poem "A Pattern of Devotion." Hefty and Fiddlesticks have one kind of relationship, Roger and Diamond have another, but they're all connected.
178 lines, was $89, sale price $44.50 SOLD
"The Grandfather of the Computer"
Your AI prompt inspired the free-verse poem "The Grandfather of the Computer." There's a player piano in Terramagne that can compose new music.
65 lines, was $33, sale price $16.50 SOLD
CUOIO AND CHIARA (2 poems, was $560, sale price $280)
"Without Having to Speak"
This contributed to the free-verse poem "Without Having to Speak," a sequel to "Small Beautiful Bones." Cuoio's new Family wants to know how his team is doing after the incident.
527 lines, was $264, sale price $132
"Forever in Your Broken Heart"
A DW prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Forever in Your Broken Heart." On the second anniversary of his father's death, Cuoio completely falls apart. His Family puts him back together again.
592 lines, was $296, sale price $148
SHIV (7 poems, was $1609, sale price $804.50)
"If You Have Almost Nothing"
After Shiv moves to the standard wing, Dr. G takes him on a field trip to a graffiti festival.
925 lines, was $463, sale price $231.50 SOLD
"Even If It Is in Flames"
Your prompt about bad tape inspired the free-verse poem "Even If It Is in Flames." The inside of Shiv's head is a mess, even before his attempt to make breakfast ends in utter disaster.
188 lines, was $94, sale price $47
"Burnt and Experienced Hands"
Your "bad tape" prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Burnt and Experienced Hands." After the kitchen fire upstairs, Cook takes care of Shiv.
496 lines, was $248, sale price $124
Available for publication after "Even If It Is in Flames" has been sponsored and posted.
"You Sure Do Change the Future"
Unable to process the lingering tension with Halley by himself, Shiv calls Dr. G for help.
522 lines, was $261, sale price $130.50 SOLD
"Escape from the Loneliness"
Your Gray/Shiv prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Escape from the Loneliness." Shiv flounders over the proper way to court someone in a platonic relationship, and how to deal with a head full of bad tape when actual therapy still tends to make him twitchier.
356 lines, was $178, sale price $89 SOLD
"Something Dark in Me"
Your Gray/Shiv prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Something Dark in Me." A play session goes very well -- and then very badly.
697 lines, was $349, sale price $174.50 SOLDAvailable for publication after "Escape from the Loneliness" has been sponsored and posted.
"Conscious of the Injustice"
After Shiv brings a new girl to the gang, Boss White calls Dr. G for help dealing with what he saw in her mind.
391 lines, was $196, sale price $98
SKINK (2 poems, was $495, sale price $247.50)
"Severance Pay"
Following a nasty cape incident, the police offer Skink a way out of supervillainy.
324 lines, was $162, sale price $81
"A Way to Make Right"
Skink follows through on his deal to repair some of the damage from the cape fight. This is hardcore hurt/comfort.
666 lines, was $333, sale price $166.50
Available for publication after "Severance Pay" has been sponsored and posted.
MISCELLANEOUS (10 poems, was $2232, sale price $1116)
"Purr Little Things"
A cat cuddler prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Purr Little Things." It relates the founding of one of T-America's most popular charities.
116 lines, was $58, sale price $29
"Retreading a New Trail"
This inspired the free-verse poem "Retreading a New Trail." Traumatic manifestation of superpowers bring new challenges and opportunities.
68 lines, was $34, sale price $17
"The Smallest Act of Caring"
An EFA prompt inspired the free-verse poem "The Smallest Act of Caring." Romy learns emotional first aid as a way of coping with his own feelings.
171 lines, was $86, sale price $43
"The Windows of Your Home"
Summary: Fireheart helps a cousin-by-marriage deal with her superpowered son.
68 lines, was $34, sale price $17
"The Gossamer Threads of Trust"
A quiet outing for Pips and Joshua gives them a chance to deepen their relationship and talk about the challenges of running a suddenly expanded household. Then one of the town bullies assaults Pips, and Joshua deals with the aftermath. This is hardcore hurt/comfort with a focus on competence, loyalty, and trust.
681 lines, was $341, sale price $170.50
"Where You Begin to Learn New Things"
Your prompt about Riley inspired the free-verse poem "Where You Begin to Learn New Things." The second appointment of the day introduces Riley to a sex/gender doctor who proves very helpful.
1368 lines, was $684, sale price $342
"A Curve That Sets Everything Straight"
Your street magician prompt inspired the free-verse poem "A Curve That Sets Everything Straight." Elonso has a miserable time in Italy, until he doesn't anymore.
190 lines, was $95, sale price $47.50
"Homemade Families"
Some DW prompts contributed to the free-verse poem "Homemade Families." Several young adults, recently aged out of the foster system, come together in a class on family skills.
689 lines, was $345, sale price $172.50
These two poems go together in sequence:
"Bitter Ice"
This inspired the free-verse poem "Bitter Ice." Some Kraken personnel make an amazing discovery in the Antarctic ice.
446 lines, was $223, sale price $111.50 SOLD
"Desperate Measures"
I finally managed to finish "Desperate Measures," the sequel to "Bitter Ice." This poem is written in free verse and features the crew waking up from suspended animation.
664 lines, was $332, sale price $166 SOLD
Available for publication after "Bitter Ice" has been sponsored and posted.