Three Sentence Ficathon

[rthstewart]

UPDATE! EDIT!
 We're running into the Dreamwidth comment limits so all new prompts should be posted here Keep responding to and filling already posted prompts here, but all new ones should go to the new thread!

Someone did this banner for me a couple of years ago.  It's great, isn't it?  If it was you, please step up and take a bow!
It was st_aurafina!   Thank you again!


caramelsilver ran one last year on Livejournal and I did two over here a few years ago. We'll keep it open until January 31, 2019 which should give everyone time to play a little. This is a delightful part of the online fandom community.


What is the 3 Sentence Ficathon?
This is a challenge where you answer a prompt with a fic consisting of only three sentences. It's open to all fandoms and you can post and answer as many prompts as you like, as many times as you want.

What do I do first?
You post prompts! When posting a prompt please format it this way:

fandom, character(s), prompt word/sentence.

Only one prompt per comment please.  So, for example,

Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I don't like sand."

What else?
You answer other posters' prompts in three sentences (or more if you can't stop yourself) and fill as many prompts as you want, as many times as you wish. If you see that a prompt you loved has already been filled, go ahead and fill it again! Multiple fills of the same prompt are allowed and even encouraged!  (We get really fun stories going this way).

Can I still post if I need more than 3 sentences?  Or should I just abuse grammar in ways the English language never contemplated?
Yes.  Yes.


But I'm not a member of Dreamwidth
No problem. You can comment anonymously or through open ID

Can anyone play?
Yes! Please signal boost this to your flist, followers, and any other places you frequent. Come one, come all!
The more people who come and play, the better!

Can I spread the word? 
Yes, please.  I'd love to create a nifty banner with an embed code but I fail at it.  So if you create one, I'll post it and everyone can use it.

How long will it go?
Tentatively, we'll close it on January 31, 2019. 

Are there any rules about cross-posting?
Nope, you can post wherever you want, whenever you want. A lot of folks collected their responses together and posted them on AO3 under the 3 sentence fiction tag. 3SFs are a terrific prompt for remixes and could be helpful for Yuletide bears, too.

What about spoilers, content warnings, triggers, pairings, ratings, tags, and squick?
I thought about this.  It wasn't an issue the last 2 times I ran this but times change.  In my experience, this typically gets too big, moves too fast, and the stories are too short for content warnings and ratings. You should assume spoilers are fair game and that the initial poster and responder have opted to use no content warnings or tags. I've found personally that I can skim by stuff that, from the prompt, I can tell isn't my favorite flavor of delicious cake. Use your best judgment and be prepared to skip over things that aren't your thing.


And here, have some icons!










I'll start things off...

Edit to add on 12/18/2018 Please check out this update here. And this friending meme if you're so inclined here.

Comments

[betony]

Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie Hatter & Jane Farrier, a long overdue explanation

Have a long reply....

[lisatelramor]

"Oh! Miss Hatter!" Across the way was Jane Farrier. Sophie paused in her shopping, not quite sure what to do with being recognized here in Kingsbury of all places--she hadn't run into Jane since she ran off. "Miss Hatter," Jane said with a smile, "it's a surprise to see you here, unless your luck has changed too?"

She looked happier than Sophie remembered her, the drab colors she'd worn before gone in exchange for bright color that suited her much better, complimenting her riot of curls in a way the mushroom pleated bonnet hadn't. Sophie smiled, stiffly. She'd never been close to Jane Farrier, barely knew her beyond town gossip. "I suppose my luck has changed," she said.

"I don't suppose you've opened a hat shop in Kingsbury?" Jane asked, looking around like one might materialize. "This might sound silly, but I've yet to find a hat shop I whose wares I find as agreeable as back home."

"No, actually." Sophie paused. "I'm no longer in the hat making business. The shop was sold. It's a flower shop now."

Jane drooped. "Oh. Well." She shook herself. "I meant to thank you. Maybe it is superstitious, but my life changed for the better after I bought your hat. I thought I'd spend my whole life in that little town and now here I am. Like magic." Jane laughed lightly.

Sophie felt a prickle of guilt. She hadn't meant to enchant Jane's bonnet. Granted she did a lot of enchantments she didn't mean to do. "About that. Actually, it seems I sold you a magic bonnet."

"Oh?" Jane leaned forward. "What did it do?"

The guilt became less of a prickle and more of a line of sweat. It wasn't as if she could blurt out that she'd felt sorry for a bonnet. Pity was something no one liked. Sophie cleared her throat. "It, er, it let someone special see the best in the wearer," she offered weakly. "I should have realized it was magic."

At that, Jane's smile went fond, the private sort of smile Sophie saw on lovers. "Well it worked and as I said, my life changed for the better. I'm engaged to be married you see."

Sophie wondered if it was the same poor Count she'd run off with in the first place. He hadn't seemed to be the reliable sort. If anything, Sophie had felt responsible for a horrible misunderstanding and a poor match. And yet seeing Jane's smile... Perhaps it wasn't a poor match after all. "You seem happier," she said.

"I am. My fiance is a bit of a mess," Jane said with a laugh, "but he's a good man and means the world to me."

"That's good," Sophie said, wondering if she ever had the same look on her face when she thought of Howl. She hoped not. He would be insufferable about it if she did; he wasn't a modest man.

"You seem like you're happier too," Jane said.

"I suppose I am," Sophie said. "Making hats didn't suit me after all."

Jane laughed. "Well, if you ever decide to go back into the business, I wouldn't say no to another of your hats. You have a magic touch with the needle."

Oh if Jane only knew.

A man's voice called out, the Count of Catterack, as short as ever. Jane lit up at the sight of him. He tripped trying to cross the street and she made a worried sound. "Oh dear. See what I mean? I'd best go help him before he gets hit with a cart. But thank you again, Miss Hatter," Jane said, giving Sophie one last smile. She waved and hurried toward her fiance.

Sophie stared after her, unsure what to feel about the encounter.

"Sophie!" Howl called from where he was supposed to be negotiating for spell ingredients. Sophie saw more items at his side than he was supposed to be getting. "Have you finished your shopping yet?"

"Almost done," she called back. "You'd better not be buying anything off budget."

"It's only a little thing!"

"Put it back, Howl." Well, Sophie couldn't fault Jane for falling for a man with flaws. She'd done the same after all.