Three Sentence Ficathon -- Update from the Admin/Mod

[rthstewart]

I'm not sure what I am?  Admin?  Mod?  Completely overwhelmed with over 3200 notifications in my inbox in the last 8 days?  Yeah, definitely that last one.

So thank you all to everyone for participating and I hope you are having a great time and that 3SF isn't keeping you from finishing your Yuletide or maybe it's a nice little break for you.  (And btw, requests for Yuletide pinch hits have been going out all day, so if you feel like it, pitch in! And I'd not be surprised if 3SF fills probably would meet some Yuletide Treats, so definitely check that out if you are so inclined.  You can find all relevant links at yuletide_admin 

I am delighted to see so many familiar names and so many new ones.  I read or at least skim virtually all the posts and comments and so far I've not seen anything concerning.  I've noticed a few people putting in content and spoiler warnings but, as I said in the master post, reader beware because you can and will find anything here.  And I really think I need to figure out what Fallen London is based upon all the amazing prompts and fills.

It's also lovely to see the number of prompts that don't specify any fandom and so the responses are all over the place in the best possible way.  There's also original fic here.  It's all very exciting. 

If you've got any concerns go ahead and message me.  I'm at this handle everywhere (here, Twitter, AO3, Tumblr) and have anon posting enabled here and on Tumblr. 

So, a few FAQs, housekeeping and Q&A's.

Icons and banners are here and here, so continue spread the word!

Wow, there are some really amazing people here. 
There are, so let's introduce one another in this friending meme, here.

I've noticed some people are putting titles and their prompts/fills in the Re: lines.  Can I do that?
Sure!
Do I have to do that?
Nope.

I can't possibly read all the past comments and fills.  I'm really overwhelmed.  What do I do?
I understand.  It can definitely feel overwhelming.  But that's OK.  I suggest that you pIck a page, any page,and start scrolling.  Or pick something you'd like to read and prompt it.  Or try searching for key words.  You don't have to go back to page 1 unless you have a lot of time on your hands and are curious.

But what if I prompt something that's already been prompted and filled? 
It happens all the time, virtually every hour.  The appetite for 3SF, across fandoms, folklore, mythology and history is limitless.  See above regarding what are probably 2 dozen prompts for Fallen London and many, many prompts and fills for the Trojan War, Greek mythology, House of York and the Plantagenets. 

I don't have time now. 
I don't either.  Good think we'll be here until January 31, 2019.

3200 comments and growing is getting a little unwieldy.  Are you going to do anything about that?
Let's keep an eye on it, OK?  At some point, it may get too big.  I'm not sure if DW has a comment limit.  A couple of years ago, participation was so strong I did end up opening up a second post.  There was a big drop in participation.  If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Comments

[kalira]

Thanks for hosting the 3SF, it's super fun! <3 (And sheesh your poor notification inbox. O.O I can't imagine.)

[archersangel]

This.

[rthstewart]

My inbox is terrifying. But it's all worth it!!

[rosage]

Thanks so much for hosting this! It's been really awesome and inspiring so far.

[hebethen]

I'm pretty sure DW has a comment limit -- the anonmemes and kinkmemes back on LJ regularly had to make new posts when they hit their comment limit, and I still see new anonmeme/kinkmeme posts occasionally on /latest. It's possible they're just, idk, upholding tradition rather than being forced to make a new post due to technical limitations, but my internet money's on the latter.

[jenett]

Once you hit (I think) 5000 comments, people will get asked to captcha, which is a pain and is usually what leads people to start new posts. Maybe 6000.

[rthstewart]

Thank you both. so we'll stop at 5K and move to the next one!

[alexseanchai]

*eyes current comment count on existing post* I suspect nowish would be a good time for the new post, so as to maximize avoiding of captchas on fills and feedback on first-post prompts

[rthstewart]

Yeah. I noticed too. I was hoping to make it to the weekend and it did slow down a bit but seems to be picking up again now that people are coming up for air. I'll open it tomorrow.

[zdenka]

Thank you for hosting this! I always enjoy these.

[kalira]

I just looked it up and it seems DW's comment limit is 10,000 on an entry (and after 5,000 every comment gets a 'human test') so I have a suspicion the 3SF may reach it. >.>

Also if it reaches the limit on still prompts then people can no longer fill older prompts or comment on minifics! *gasp* (I think that's why most prompt memes call it and make a new post at/around 7,000 comments?)

[rthstewart]

Given that at 5K they start Captcha, I'll open a new thread comment at that point.

[kalira]

Sounds good! \o/

[runespoor]

Thank you so much for hosting the 3SF! It's my favorite thing about this time of the year, and it's always such a pleasure to participate!

[st_aurafina]

I think I made the banner? I seem to recall making it. The stripey one.

SO LONG AGO OMG.

[rthstewart]

DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER! and post will be edited accordingly. I originally had someone else and that person came back and said,nope, not me.

[yalumesse]

That's a terrifying amount of comments. I'm proud of you for braving through it! And glad it's all worth it :)

[ultra_fic]

I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon your Three Sentence Ficathon, but I'm so glad I did - it's great fun, so thank you :)

[archersangel]

I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon your Three Sentence Ficathon....

i'm not either.

[rthstewart]

And I'm so glad you found it!

[nyctanthes]

And I really think I need to figure out what Fallen London is based upon all the amazing prompts and fills.

I had the same thought!

Thanks so much for hosting (and reading and commenting). I'm getting my toes wet in terms of writing to prompts, and am looking forward to participating more through January.

[rthstewart]

Me too! I'll have to open a new post before we reach 5K because after that, everyone has to do captcha.

[yeomanrand]

http://www.fallenlondon.com/ It's kind of a turn-based text-based game but also...not.

[meridian_rose]

I know I'm having fun and because these are so low pressure it's helped me do more writing as we near the end of the year :) A couple of friends on the promo post I made have joined in, one saying the same, that these are a nice way to start writing again. So thanks so much for hosting this again :)

[liquidtears]

I'm one all the way from LJ where I kind of am more active on, though this is a great way of blowing the cyberdust off my Dreamwidth account. *BIG HUGS*

[rthstewart]

Excellent!

[tryslora]

I had not seen this in prior times, but a friend pointed me here and I've enjoyed looking through and getting to do one fill (so far). It's such a lovely idea!

[archersangel]

i can't believe i've been participating in these since 2013!

thank you so much for continuing to host this.

[liquidtears]

Thanks so much for hosting it!!

[candlesinthewell]

Thank you for hosting this! It’s been a lot of fun!

And, since people are wondering, Fallen London is a free indie browser game set in an alternate universe where Victorian London was stolen by bats (well, technically, they purchased it, fair and square), and dragged underground to a place where normal rules do not apply. The tone is a mix of whimsical and dark, and it’s got great atmosphere, worldbuilding, and humor. However – fair warning – it can require a lot of repetitive grinding to advance various stories and acquire resources, which is likely to be a dealbreaker for some people, and with a few exceptions it’s more about immersion and gradually figuring out the lore than any strong, central plot.

[kalira]

Oo sounds interesting! Also sounds like something I should not check out until I have more free time coming up because man I know myself. >.>

[candlesinthewell]

Yeah, it’s a lot of fun and I recommend it. I hope you like it if you ever do decide to check it out.

[rthstewart]

SAME. Though it might be good to not explore Fallen London until after 3SF!

[rosaxx50]

Thank you for hosting the 3SF! I haven't had this much fun writing in ages.

Something I found useful when browsing was flat view with the most recent entries, which let me see updates more quickly -- fills and prompts! IDK if others might also find it useful.

[sandrine]

Thanks for hosting this every year - it's always so much one.

One question: Is there a collection on AO3 into which to post our fills?

[rthstewart]

Sorry to take so long to get back to this. Things got buried and I've been traveling and dealing with our sick dog. No, there's no formal collection. But 3 sentence ficathon or 3 sentence fiction are tags that people use on AO3. If you look around there, you'll see some of the common tags. I've used 3 sentence fiction and 3 sentence ficathon before.

[kore]

Thank you so much for doing this!

[liquidtears]

Thank you so much hosting this! It has made me so happy filling prompts! Wishing you a Happy 2019!

[rthstewart]

And to you!

[scarletcorvid]

This has helped me get my writing mojo back after dealing with some health issues. I can't thank you enough for hosting this fest! And thank you to everyone who posted prompts! You've all been so super creative, and have encouraged me to play with different ideas and fandoms. You guys rock! :D

[rthstewart]

You have been prolific and awesome and I'm so glad it's been a good experience!!