Poem: "Where There Is No Respect for Life"
May. 20th, 2026 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the May 5, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from librarygeek, chanter1944, and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Escape" square in my 5-1-26 card for the Greek Myth Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek. It belongs to the series Fledgling Grace.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes reference to questionable historical activities, current tensions, hostility to immigrants and refugees, racism, ICE raids, inconvenient truths, violence in the streets, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
librarygeek, chanter1944, and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Escape" square in my 5-1-26 card for the Greek Myth Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek. It belongs to the series Fledgling Grace.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes reference to questionable historical activities, current tensions, hostility to immigrants and refugees, racism, ICE raids, inconvenient truths, violence in the streets, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
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Read "Small Planet"
May. 20th, 2026 08:38 pmysabetwordsmithSmall Planet is a new magazine about speculative fiction in translation. Read Issue 1 free online.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Small Planet: The SF in Translation Magazine ! Each issue will be available for free on this site. This publication will bring readers reports on the SF scene in other countries, reviews of older and newer SFT, interviews with translators, editors, and authors, stats, news, and more. The website will focus more now on highlighting forthcoming books, updating source language lists, and publishing reviews of recent SFT, while the magazine will offer readers a more expansive vision of the broader SFT world over the years and today, with a vibrant mix of dedicated and guest authors. We hope that this magazine will enrich our understanding of SF around the world for years to come.
If you are interested in speculative fiction outside of English, or translated into English, this is a good place to look. Also if you speak more than one language and wish to explore the possibility of translating things from one to another, it's a good networking resource. If you are a linguistic activist, check for speculative fiction in your target languages and see about getting that translated.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Small Planet: The SF in Translation Magazine ! Each issue will be available for free on this site. This publication will bring readers reports on the SF scene in other countries, reviews of older and newer SFT, interviews with translators, editors, and authors, stats, news, and more. The website will focus more now on highlighting forthcoming books, updating source language lists, and publishing reviews of recent SFT, while the magazine will offer readers a more expansive vision of the broader SFT world over the years and today, with a vibrant mix of dedicated and guest authors. We hope that this magazine will enrich our understanding of SF around the world for years to come.
If you are interested in speculative fiction outside of English, or translated into English, this is a good place to look. Also if you speak more than one language and wish to explore the possibility of translating things from one to another, it's a good networking resource. If you are a linguistic activist, check for speculative fiction in your target languages and see about getting that translated.
Birdfeeding
May. 20th, 2026 11:52 amysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- We went out to run errands and do some plant shopping. I found some things on my list but not everything. Stuff is just so much less consistent and reliable nowadays. :/
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I planted the 'Sunsugar' cherry tomato in a pot at the new picnic table.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I planted most of the marigolds in pots on the old and new picnic tables and the septic garden.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- We went out to run errands and do some plant shopping. I found some things on my list but not everything. Stuff is just so much less consistent and reliable nowadays. :/
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I planted the 'Sunsugar' cherry tomato in a pot at the new picnic table.
EDIT 5/20/26 -- I planted most of the marigolds in pots on the old and new picnic tables and the septic garden.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
Cuddle Party
May. 20th, 2026 11:04 amysabetwordsmithEveryone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.
We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
Poem: "Hear a Thousand Stars Singing"
May. 19th, 2026 10:56 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the February 2026 ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from curiosity. It also fills the "Praise" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics. It follows "Determine Where You Start," so read that first or this won't make much sense.
( Read more... )
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from curiosity. It also fills the "Praise" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics. It follows "Determine Where You Start," so read that first or this won't make much sense.( Read more... )
Poem: "Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
May. 19th, 2026 09:45 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the April 2026 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by comments fromwispfox, chanter1944, and readera under "Walnut Park" (which you should read first). It also fills the "Zinnia" square in my 4-1-26 card for the Flower Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Shiv and Broken Angels threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by comments fromwispfox, chanter1944, and readera under "Walnut Park" (which you should read first). It also fills the "Zinnia" square in my 4-1-26 card for the Flower Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Shiv and Broken Angels threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Bring Back Gothic Auctions
May. 19th, 2026 09:12 pmblue_green_dreamI was cruising around on Bluesky today when I found out that Kickstarter had briefly jumped on the adult content banwagon before creator outcry led them to backtrack and issue an apology. This follows on the heels of Itch.io blocking adult-oriented content due to major payment processors threatening to revoke Itch's access. Apparently a lot of this has to do with some sort of campaign or conservative front out of Australia. A lot of people are upset about this for a multitude of reasons, and rightly so. But the conversation about payment processors acting as de facto censorship boards has me wondering if there are other alternatives. After all, what if Mastercard, Visa, banks and other payment processors decide that they don't want people buying books from PM Press or listening to the likes of Neckbeard Deathcamp? How do we buy and sell goods without sending digital inputs over digital signals to pay with digital money?
Then I remembered that we had the answer to this question back in the early 2000s.
I was first clued in to Gothic Auctions by a college friend, who recommended it to me after I lamented that my attempts to sell items on eBay. The site was exactly what was on the tin — an auction site created by goths who wanted a place to sell gently used items that appealed to other goths. But despite the name, GA wasn't just a place to sell niche fashion or media. You could list just about anything, and it often sold in short order. (I was amazed when the pair of used, forest green Chuck Taylors that I listed received bids within hours of being listed, rather than sitting neglected like they did on eBay.) Buyers were easy to work with in my experience, as were sellers. There were forums where people discussed things like music, movies and fashion, but they were also used to warn about unscrupulous users, scam artists and other dangers to the community. (Bad actors tended to be dealt with swiftly.) And since these were in the days before Stripe, Apple Pay and other plug-and-play options, GA users had to get creative when sending or receiving money. I remember reading more than a few listings in which the seller stated that they took, "PayPal, check, money order, or well disguised cash," as payment.
While I'm sure that the site wasn't perfect, as no site is, I still have fond memories of it. I was never able or allowed to be part of the subculture, living as I did with strict parents in a suburb so conformist that I refer to it as Stepford. However, the users of GA were kind and welcoming, caring less about whether I was part of their subculture and more about whether I was honest with my listings and USPS shipping info. I think the site eventually disappeared due to...well, probably due to the same reasons so many other independent sites went under with the rise of Big Social.
It's a damn shame, to be honest. GA was an excellent model of what an ecommerce site could be as long as the userbase trusted each other enough. It would be incredible to see something like that come back today, both as a middle finger to censorship and as a community building exercise. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why it couldn't work today, especially when you throw the logistics of digital content into the mix, but it's nice to dream. Who knows — maybe the indie web will surprise me. Maybe Gen Z and Gen Alpha will rebuild something similar. Maybe people will once again be able to buy things as mundane as Chuck Taylors and as exotic as...well, some of the things you could buy on Gothic Auctions. An elder millennial can dream, right?
They should keep the old layout, though. It was beautiful and perfect in its simplicity.
Then I remembered that we had the answer to this question back in the early 2000s.
I was first clued in to Gothic Auctions by a college friend, who recommended it to me after I lamented that my attempts to sell items on eBay. The site was exactly what was on the tin — an auction site created by goths who wanted a place to sell gently used items that appealed to other goths. But despite the name, GA wasn't just a place to sell niche fashion or media. You could list just about anything, and it often sold in short order. (I was amazed when the pair of used, forest green Chuck Taylors that I listed received bids within hours of being listed, rather than sitting neglected like they did on eBay.) Buyers were easy to work with in my experience, as were sellers. There were forums where people discussed things like music, movies and fashion, but they were also used to warn about unscrupulous users, scam artists and other dangers to the community. (Bad actors tended to be dealt with swiftly.) And since these were in the days before Stripe, Apple Pay and other plug-and-play options, GA users had to get creative when sending or receiving money. I remember reading more than a few listings in which the seller stated that they took, "PayPal, check, money order, or well disguised cash," as payment.
While I'm sure that the site wasn't perfect, as no site is, I still have fond memories of it. I was never able or allowed to be part of the subculture, living as I did with strict parents in a suburb so conformist that I refer to it as Stepford. However, the users of GA were kind and welcoming, caring less about whether I was part of their subculture and more about whether I was honest with my listings and USPS shipping info. I think the site eventually disappeared due to...well, probably due to the same reasons so many other independent sites went under with the rise of Big Social.
It's a damn shame, to be honest. GA was an excellent model of what an ecommerce site could be as long as the userbase trusted each other enough. It would be incredible to see something like that come back today, both as a middle finger to censorship and as a community building exercise. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why it couldn't work today, especially when you throw the logistics of digital content into the mix, but it's nice to dream. Who knows — maybe the indie web will surprise me. Maybe Gen Z and Gen Alpha will rebuild something similar. Maybe people will once again be able to buy things as mundane as Chuck Taylors and as exotic as...well, some of the things you could buy on Gothic Auctions. An elder millennial can dream, right?
They should keep the old layout, though. It was beautiful and perfect in its simplicity.
Science
May. 19th, 2026 03:25 pmysabetwordsmithScientists hatch live chicks from artificial eggs, achieving another huge milestone in their de-extinction program
Colossal Biosciences, known for its ambitious de-extinction projects involving species like the woolly mammoth and thylacine, has announced that it successfully hatched healthy chicks using a completely artificial egg system.
The chicks developed without a biological shell at any stage. Instead, they grew inside an engineered structure designed to imitate and improve on nature’s design.
The achievement could reshape conservation biology, bird reproduction research, and even pharmaceutical manufacturing.
O_O Holy crap that's hard! You might think that faking an egg is easier than faking a uterus. It is not. A uterus is inside a body, so you can fake the casing and input. An egg is inside a membrane or shell outside a body. That shell has a bunch of jobs to do. To fake it, you either have to make something that can do all those jobs, or make a casing with holes for input/output which is not what that embryo expects. I am impressed.
... and of course it's Colossal. Those geeks are busting ass on de-extinction.
( Read more... )
Colossal Biosciences, known for its ambitious de-extinction projects involving species like the woolly mammoth and thylacine, has announced that it successfully hatched healthy chicks using a completely artificial egg system.
The chicks developed without a biological shell at any stage. Instead, they grew inside an engineered structure designed to imitate and improve on nature’s design.
The achievement could reshape conservation biology, bird reproduction research, and even pharmaceutical manufacturing.
O_O Holy crap that's hard! You might think that faking an egg is easier than faking a uterus. It is not. A uterus is inside a body, so you can fake the casing and input. An egg is inside a membrane or shell outside a body. That shell has a bunch of jobs to do. To fake it, you either have to make something that can do all those jobs, or make a casing with holes for input/output which is not what that embryo expects. I am impressed.
... and of course it's Colossal. Those geeks are busting ass on de-extinction.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
May. 19th, 2026 01:41 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, humid, and hot. It rained most of yesterday.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a starling at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I trimmed brush around where I want to plant the vernal witch hazel. The name means "spring" but they typically bloom in late winter.
A cool breeze is blowing from the west. It feels like a downdraft. No storm is visible on the horizon but rain is predicted, so I'm keeping an eye on things.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I planted the vernal witch hazel at the north edge of the forest yard, near a previous one that has survived so far. :D
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I planted 20 gladioli in the north notch of the prairie garden. Surprisingly, at least a couple survived from last year and are putting up leaves.
Already I can see tiny seedlings sprouting from recent sowing of seeds. Clover is among the fastest; I mix that with grass seed for the walking paths. Some others are wildflowers. \o/
Also I uncovered the remaining water jugs that had seedlings in them. I got 3 milkweed seedlings in that jug. 3 out of the 4 native grasses have several seedlings in each -- little bluestem, northern sea oats, and side-oats grama; only the switch grass didn't sprout there. So on the whole, mixed results, but for the ones that did work, worth repeating.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I tallied what pots I have available and what I need. I forgot to list the tomatoes that I already have though; still need to go back and do that.
I picked and ate the first couple of pea pods. :D I love being able to wander around the yard, pick things, and put them in my mouth.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I sowed a bunch of 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 'Avalanche' snow peas in pots that didn't already have any. So far 'Sugar Ann' seems to be growing better and producing earlier than 'Avalanche' but there are flowers and pea pods on both.
I wrote down what tomatoes I have already: chocolate cherry, 'Mr. Stripey' slicer, 'Old German' slicer, yellow pear, 'Santa' grape, and 'Cherokee Purple' slicer. I got a 4-pack of the chocolate cherries but they aren't doing great and one has already died. I could use a red or pink slicer, and I'm still looking for fancy striped cherries.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a starling at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I trimmed brush around where I want to plant the vernal witch hazel. The name means "spring" but they typically bloom in late winter.
A cool breeze is blowing from the west. It feels like a downdraft. No storm is visible on the horizon but rain is predicted, so I'm keeping an eye on things.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I planted the vernal witch hazel at the north edge of the forest yard, near a previous one that has survived so far. :D
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I planted 20 gladioli in the north notch of the prairie garden. Surprisingly, at least a couple survived from last year and are putting up leaves.
Already I can see tiny seedlings sprouting from recent sowing of seeds. Clover is among the fastest; I mix that with grass seed for the walking paths. Some others are wildflowers. \o/
Also I uncovered the remaining water jugs that had seedlings in them. I got 3 milkweed seedlings in that jug. 3 out of the 4 native grasses have several seedlings in each -- little bluestem, northern sea oats, and side-oats grama; only the switch grass didn't sprout there. So on the whole, mixed results, but for the ones that did work, worth repeating.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I tallied what pots I have available and what I need. I forgot to list the tomatoes that I already have though; still need to go back and do that.
I picked and ate the first couple of pea pods. :D I love being able to wander around the yard, pick things, and put them in my mouth.
EDIT 5/19/26 -- I sowed a bunch of 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 'Avalanche' snow peas in pots that didn't already have any. So far 'Sugar Ann' seems to be growing better and producing earlier than 'Avalanche' but there are flowers and pea pods on both.
I wrote down what tomatoes I have already: chocolate cherry, 'Mr. Stripey' slicer, 'Old German' slicer, yellow pear, 'Santa' grape, and 'Cherokee Purple' slicer. I got a 4-pack of the chocolate cherries but they aren't doing great and one has already died. I could use a red or pink slicer, and I'm still looking for fancy striped cherries.
.
Science Fiction
May. 19th, 2026 12:56 pmysabetwordsmithThe Novella Question, or, Wow, Marketing is Expensive in Late Stage Capitalism
Many of us are looking at the novella short lists for the popular awards (Hugos, Locus, Nebula) and going, “Ah, another Tor sweep!” When I first got into the Hugo Awards, the short fiction finalists were the magazines: Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Analog. It also included pieces from short fiction collections from when publishers still let editors put those together, with a smattering of other, lesser known (to me) outlets. I remember the Tordotcom announcement, too! We were excited and we’ve come a long way. Now I get the pleasure of paying almost $30 for a hardcover novella, which I’m not excited about. I'm not made of money, Macmillan!
( Read more... )
Many of us are looking at the novella short lists for the popular awards (Hugos, Locus, Nebula) and going, “Ah, another Tor sweep!” When I first got into the Hugo Awards, the short fiction finalists were the magazines: Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Analog. It also included pieces from short fiction collections from when publishers still let editors put those together, with a smattering of other, lesser known (to me) outlets. I remember the Tordotcom announcement, too! We were excited and we’ve come a long way. Now I get the pleasure of paying almost $30 for a hardcover novella, which I’m not excited about. I'm not made of money, Macmillan!
( Read more... )
At loose ends
May. 19th, 2026 11:12 ambill_schubertToday was volunteer day for me but I didn't have anything to do so I'm doing that. I caught up with the surgery scheduling and the person I'm working with now has a full time person working there and does not, apparently, need a volunteer. Having workers is work. Planning, training, scheduling, none of which she is doing. It's very typical of volunteer work and is OK. I'm happy with just doing the computer work at home and keeping up the surgery scheduling if that's what they need. I can always go visit the puppies if I want.
So I'm immersed in soccer this morning. The Austin FC coach and director were fired yesterday so the podcast knives are out and all the dirt is flying. Fun, fun. The team has been sucking for a while and clearly going nowhere but downhill with a lot of finger pointing. Not a fun time for them but now things might get better. Having watched nearly every game they've ever played I'm a bit invested.
The feeder continues to be very popular. I bought a 40 pound bag of seed yesterday which they seem to like. They cleaned out the feeder in one day. I think they need to go on a diet.
But it is fun to have my phone on the stand with the feeder on the screen. Watching the animals come and go. This is my little chickadee.
We've got a new food service starting today. I dumped Dinnerly. Their quality really went downhill and was not worth even as little as they charged. I still have Hello Fresh on the list but moved them to once a month. We're trying Cook Unity. It is a single serving meal in one dish kind of thing. It allows us to each have what we want. Today is day one and we're waiting for delivery so we'll see tonight how good the food is. The selection is excellent and changes week to week. It also has a great ordering window. The cost right now is $12/meal for 8 meals in a week but that is a newbee discount. We'll see where it ends up. Much as I hate the subscription thing it is the only game in town right now.
Dana's new phone comes tomorrow so I'm busy girding my loins preparing for the eSim showdown. At this point the phone can not even connect to a carrier. I'm thinking that I will set up parental controls on her new phone so she can't install anything. Won't make her happy but I actually think her phone is fine, just mucked up with Facebook spinnoff crap.
So I'm immersed in soccer this morning. The Austin FC coach and director were fired yesterday so the podcast knives are out and all the dirt is flying. Fun, fun. The team has been sucking for a while and clearly going nowhere but downhill with a lot of finger pointing. Not a fun time for them but now things might get better. Having watched nearly every game they've ever played I'm a bit invested.
The feeder continues to be very popular. I bought a 40 pound bag of seed yesterday which they seem to like. They cleaned out the feeder in one day. I think they need to go on a diet.
But it is fun to have my phone on the stand with the feeder on the screen. Watching the animals come and go. This is my little chickadee.
We've got a new food service starting today. I dumped Dinnerly. Their quality really went downhill and was not worth even as little as they charged. I still have Hello Fresh on the list but moved them to once a month. We're trying Cook Unity. It is a single serving meal in one dish kind of thing. It allows us to each have what we want. Today is day one and we're waiting for delivery so we'll see tonight how good the food is. The selection is excellent and changes week to week. It also has a great ordering window. The cost right now is $12/meal for 8 meals in a week but that is a newbee discount. We'll see where it ends up. Much as I hate the subscription thing it is the only game in town right now.
Dana's new phone comes tomorrow so I'm busy girding my loins preparing for the eSim showdown. At this point the phone can not even connect to a carrier. I'm thinking that I will set up parental controls on her new phone so she can't install anything. Won't make her happy but I actually think her phone is fine, just mucked up with Facebook spinnoff crap.
Wildlife
May. 18th, 2026 11:35 pmysabetwordsmithAn 8-year-old boy's backyard discovery literally changed science forever
One summer day, 8-year-old Hugo Deans spotted a cluster of tiny, BB-sized spheres near an ant nest under a fallen log in his backyard. He assumed they were some kind of seed, because that’s what they look like.
But his father, Andrew Deans – a Penn State entomology professor – recognized them instantly as oak galls, unusual plant growths caused by insects.
What he didn’t realize at first was that those little galls were clues to a surprisingly complex relationship between ants, wasps, and oak trees.
One summer day, 8-year-old Hugo Deans spotted a cluster of tiny, BB-sized spheres near an ant nest under a fallen log in his backyard. He assumed they were some kind of seed, because that’s what they look like.
But his father, Andrew Deans – a Penn State entomology professor – recognized them instantly as oak galls, unusual plant growths caused by insects.
What he didn’t realize at first was that those little galls were clues to a surprisingly complex relationship between ants, wasps, and oak trees.
Birdfeeding
May. 18th, 2026 01:49 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, mild, and wet. It has varied between light rain, pouring rain, and "the air is water" outside. We need the rain, though.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen any.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder, and a few small birds.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
It's still drizzling on and off.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen any.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder, and a few small birds.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 5/18/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
It's still drizzling on and off.
I am done for the night.
Poem: "A Spark in the Dark"
May. 18th, 2026 01:33 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the May 2026 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman. It also fills the "wait" square in my 5-1-26 card for the Greek Myth Fest bingo. This poem belongs to the Blueshift Troupers series.
( Read more... )
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman. It also fills the "wait" square in my 5-1-26 card for the Greek Myth Fest bingo. This poem belongs to the Blueshift Troupers series.( Read more... )
Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics
May. 18th, 2026 11:49 amysabetwordsmithThis week, the poetry of Polychrome Heroics is on sale for half price from Monday, May 18 through Sunday, May 24. 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 $5 to $319, 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 no open epics at present, so you may open one if you wish.
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.
"A Sense of Weather Changes"
"The Loving Embrace of Night"
"Generations of Cooks Past"
"Homefree and Clear "
"One Bite at a Time"
"Mishpocha"
"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.
Poems that unlock sequels: "Your Emotional Abilities"
Poems that have prerequisites: "A Beautiful Paradox"
FOR SALE
18 poems, $3,322 ÷ 2 = $1,661
prices from $5 to $319
BROKEN ANGELS (2 poems,was $323, sale price $161.50
"A Proper Community Is a Commonwealth"
Story Date: Mid-February, 2016
Summary: Boss Blaster watches Pressnall Pocket Neighborhood go from a site plan to a community with new residents.
329 lines,was $165, sale price $82.50
"Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
Story Date: Saturday, June 18, 2016
Summary: Shiv takes up Boss Blaster's offer to treat him at the food trucks.
316 lines,was $158, sale price $79 SOLD to janetmiles
KRAKEN (3 poems,was $154, sale price $77)
"The Frequent Passage from Hand to Hand"
Story Date: April 2002
Summary: Kraken appreciates BookCrossing.
56 lines,was $20, sale price $10
"Filled with Things You Don't Know"
Story Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Summary: Marjane works on library decor and gets a new assistant.
98 lines,was $49, sale price $24.50
"Lágrimas da Floresta Tropical"
Story Date: Monday, November 17, 2014
Summary: Pinion and Camberhawk team up with Kayapó forest guardians to stop a logging incursion.
170 lines,was $85, sale price $42.50
RUTLEDGE (5 poems,was $867, sale price $433.50)
"Nothing Like Looking"
Story Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Summary: Aria visits Rutledge as part of Many Paths Up the Mountain.
466 lines,was $233, sale price $116.50
"Your Emotional Abilities"
Story Date: Saturday, May 30, 2015
Summary: Amethyst gives Johan some ideas about accommodations that might help cope with his current challenges.
366 lines,was $183, sale price $91.50
"Shag Carpet Cuddles"
Story Date: June 2015
Summary: The Vermont Shag Carpet Cats love snuggling with people.
19 lines,was $10, sale price $5
"A Beautiful Paradox"
Story Date: Friday, June 5, 2015
Summary: Johan loses his temper
259 lines,was $130, sale price $65
Available for posting after "Your Emotional Abilities" has been sponsored and published.
"Learning New Skills"
Story Date: Sunday, June 12, 2016
Summary: Wrenley Immen teaches her new neighbor about gardening.
311 lines,was $311, sale price $155.50
Double price for research.
OTHER POLYCHROME POEMS (8 poems,was $1978, sale price $989)
"The Four Marks of True Repentance"
Story Date: Monday, August 13, 2013
Summary: Three former child soldiers move to America.
953 lines,was $477, sale price $238.50
"When Everyone Around You Has Theirs Bowed"
Story Date: Sunday, April 6, 2014
Summary: Therapy for men's genital injury tends to focus on loss, but Marvis Willing knows the proud history of eunuchs.
304 lines,was $152, sale price $76
"Let's Go on This Journey Together"
Story Date: Monday, September 29, 2014
Summary: After breaking his arm, Linus gets a lot of support from his friends.
638 lines,was $638, sale price $319 In microfunding now
Double price for research.
"Hear a Thousand Stars Singing"
Story Date: Night of Sunday, October 25, 2015
Summary: Fascinated by the idea of becoming a robonaut, Quain takes up stargazing.
28 lines,was $15, sale price $7.50 SOLD to janetmiles
"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
"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
"Upholding It, Wherever Found"
Story Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Summary: Gail Somerville works for Interpol, but feels increasingly uncomfortable with it.
256 lines,was $128, sale price $64
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 no open epics at present, so you may open one if you wish.
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.
"A Sense of Weather Changes"
"The Loving Embrace of Night"
"Generations of Cooks Past"
"Homefree and Clear "
"One Bite at a Time"
"Mishpocha"
"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.
Poems that unlock sequels: "Your Emotional Abilities"
Poems that have prerequisites: "A Beautiful Paradox"
FOR SALE
18 poems, $3,322 ÷ 2 = $1,661
prices from $5 to $319
BROKEN ANGELS (2 poems,
"A Proper Community Is a Commonwealth"
Story Date: Mid-February, 2016
Summary: Boss Blaster watches Pressnall Pocket Neighborhood go from a site plan to a community with new residents.
329 lines,
"Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
Story Date: Saturday, June 18, 2016
Summary: Shiv takes up Boss Blaster's offer to treat him at the food trucks.
316 lines,
janetmiles KRAKEN (3 poems,
"The Frequent Passage from Hand to Hand"
Story Date: April 2002
Summary: Kraken appreciates BookCrossing.
56 lines,
"Filled with Things You Don't Know"
Story Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Summary: Marjane works on library decor and gets a new assistant.
98 lines,
"Lágrimas da Floresta Tropical"
Story Date: Monday, November 17, 2014
Summary: Pinion and Camberhawk team up with Kayapó forest guardians to stop a logging incursion.
170 lines,
RUTLEDGE (5 poems,
"Nothing Like Looking"
Story Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Summary: Aria visits Rutledge as part of Many Paths Up the Mountain.
466 lines,
"Your Emotional Abilities"
Story Date: Saturday, May 30, 2015
Summary: Amethyst gives Johan some ideas about accommodations that might help cope with his current challenges.
366 lines,
"Shag Carpet Cuddles"
Story Date: June 2015
Summary: The Vermont Shag Carpet Cats love snuggling with people.
19 lines,
"A Beautiful Paradox"
Story Date: Friday, June 5, 2015
Summary: Johan loses his temper
259 lines,
Available for posting after "Your Emotional Abilities" has been sponsored and published.
"Learning New Skills"
Story Date: Sunday, June 12, 2016
Summary: Wrenley Immen teaches her new neighbor about gardening.
311 lines,
Double price for research.
OTHER POLYCHROME POEMS (8 poems,
"The Four Marks of True Repentance"
Story Date: Monday, August 13, 2013
Summary: Three former child soldiers move to America.
953 lines,
"When Everyone Around You Has Theirs Bowed"
Story Date: Sunday, April 6, 2014
Summary: Therapy for men's genital injury tends to focus on loss, but Marvis Willing knows the proud history of eunuchs.
304 lines,
"Let's Go on This Journey Together"
Story Date: Monday, September 29, 2014
Summary: After breaking his arm, Linus gets a lot of support from his friends.
638 lines,
Double price for research.
"Hear a Thousand Stars Singing"
Story Date: Night of Sunday, October 25, 2015
Summary: Fascinated by the idea of becoming a robonaut, Quain takes up stargazing.
28 lines,
janetmiles "Far Stronger Links"
Story Date: Friday, September 4, 2015
Summary: A coworker's loss inspires support at work.
515 lines,
"Aim a Little Above It"
Nagi deals with a young man who tries to rob her.
260 lines,
"Formidable Tasks of Adaptation"
Story Date: Sunday, March 20, 2016
Summary: Denim has had enough of her parents' shit.
359 lines,
"Upholding It, Wherever Found"
Story Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Summary: Gail Somerville works for Interpol, but feels increasingly uncomfortable with it.
256 lines,
Monday Update 5-18-26
May. 18th, 2026 12:57 amysabetwordsmithThese are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Economics
Birdfeeding
Geography
Affordable Housing
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Peace
Artificial Intelligence
Poem: "Never Turn Your Back"
Family Skills
Dreamwidth Points
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-15-26: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Spring 2026 A-I
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Books
Community Thursdays
Indigenous People
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Hard Things
Poem: "Walnut Park" has 46 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 83 comments. Safety has 83 comments.
There will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday, May 18-Sunday May 24.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth ran April 25-May 15. I have completed my posts for this year.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Music
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Painting
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Poetry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Sculpture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Conflict Resolution
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Cooking
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Coping Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Gardening
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Relationship Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Repairing
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Survival Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Anthropology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Biology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Chemistry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Linguistics
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Meteorology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Physics
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Psychology
"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" has 50 new verses. It belongs to Polychrome Heroics and needs $35 to be complete. Josué reads a funny poem to Maria-Vera.
The weather has been variable here. We got some rain the other day. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, a brown thrasher, a robin, a mourning dove, a gray catbird, and a fox squirrel. I saw a bobwhite quail in the savanna. :D I saw a ruby-throated hummingbird poking around the irises. I've heard the great horned owl but didn't see it. Currently blooming: pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, alliums, marigolds, honeysuckle, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, wild chives, wood hyacinths, columbine, peonies, irises, mock orange, bergamot, Washington hawthorn, blackberries. Green fruit: raspberries. Pink fruit: mulberries.
Economics
Birdfeeding
Geography
Affordable Housing
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Peace
Artificial Intelligence
Poem: "Never Turn Your Back"
Family Skills
Dreamwidth Points
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-15-26: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Spring 2026 A-I
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Books
Community Thursdays
Indigenous People
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Hard Things
Poem: "Walnut Park" has 46 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 83 comments. Safety has 83 comments.
There will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday, May 18-Sunday May 24.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth ran April 25-May 15. I have completed my posts for this year.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Music
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Painting
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Poetry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Sculpture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Conflict Resolution
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Cooking
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Coping Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Gardening
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Relationship Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Repairing
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Survival Skills
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Anthropology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Biology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Chemistry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Linguistics
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Meteorology
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Physics
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Psychology
"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" has 50 new verses. It belongs to Polychrome Heroics and needs $35 to be complete. Josué reads a funny poem to Maria-Vera.
The weather has been variable here. We got some rain the other day. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, a brown thrasher, a robin, a mourning dove, a gray catbird, and a fox squirrel. I saw a bobwhite quail in the savanna. :D I saw a ruby-throated hummingbird poking around the irises. I've heard the great horned owl but didn't see it. Currently blooming: pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, alliums, marigolds, honeysuckle, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, wild chives, wood hyacinths, columbine, peonies, irises, mock orange, bergamot, Washington hawthorn, blackberries. Green fruit: raspberries. Pink fruit: mulberries.