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rthstewart ([personal profile] rthstewart) wrote2021-01-30 02:31 pm

Three Sentence Ficathon 2021

We have now opened a new post, for new prompts! Please leave all new prompts there. You may continue to fill existing prompts here. If you didn't get a prompt filled here, feel free to post it on the new post!





Welcome to the Three Sentence Ficathon!
2 Feb. 2021 See important edit below regarding where to find unfilled prompts.


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

What do I do first?
You can start 3SF by posting 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."

Open ended and anthropomorphic fills are popular too, such as:

Any, Any, "I don't like sand."

or

Earth geography, sand, "I don't like humans very much, either."

What happens after that?
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

I'm really overwhelmed by all the prompts and how much there is and how fast it goes. I can't read 1,000 prompts and fills. It's too much. 
I hear this a lot and it keeps a lot of people from participating.  The 3SF is big and it moves fast, especially at first. 
I get overwhelmed, too, and I'm hosting the thing. With 2020 and 2021 sucking so badly you don't want something that's supposed to be fun cause you anxiety.  I have a couple of suggestions for managing the 3SF volume. 
  • First, really, you don't have to read every prompt and fill on every page.  You can start at the last page of this and just go forward, or back a page or two.  It's fine.
  • You can come and go as time and energy allow, you don't have to participate the whole time, and it drops off quite a bit by mid-February.
  • Even after the 3SF and new prompting end, people fill prompts all year long.
  • You can fill an already filled prompt and you can can leave a prompt that's already been prompted before.  People do it all the time. 
Always make sure you're looking at top-level comments only, not threaded. That helps a lot. Your screen should look like this.




But shouldn't I read everything to see if someone already prompted the same prompt I want to leave if someone already filled it? 

No.  Prompt as many times as you want, as much as you want.  It doesn't matter if someone prompted the exact same prompt.  Go ahead and prompt again!

I left a prompt and no one filled it.  Can I prompt it again?
Absolutely!

Can I spread the word?
Yes, please. I generally fail at creating banners and embed codes but if you create one and make it really idiot-proof, I might be able to post and share it.  Feel free to cross-post this entry. If you create your own banners or icons, let me know and I'll share!
Please share the 3SF with your followers, friends, and any channels and comms you are active on.  I'll post on fandom calendar, Tumblr, and Twitter, but I don't have many connections in other spaces such as Discord.


How long will it go?

The 3SF closes to new prompts on February 28, 2021. The entry stays open permanently and people post fills all year long.

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 and archive warnings, triggers, pairings, ratings, tags, and squick?
I thought a lot about this. It boils down to reader beware.  In my experience, this typically gets too big, moves too fast, and the stories are too short for content warnings and ratings to even apply. It is too big for me to moderate in this way. You should assume spoilers are fair game and that the initial poster and the responder have opted to use no content warnings or tags. This means AO3 content warnings for dubcon, violence, canon character death, underage, etc. COULD be present. I've found personally that I can skim and scroll 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. In this format, the obligation is on you, the reader, to protect yourself from triggering content.
Some posters do include warnings and spoiler tags in subject lines or include spoiler space, but they don't have to do so.

Why is 3SF split among several posts?  That seems confusing.
It is confusing and we always lose momentum once we have to move to a second post. The reason is because at 5,000 comments to a single post, DW installs a human test CAPTCHA, which is a pain for users.  So, once this entry gets to the upper 4,000 comments, I open a new post.  If you've been waiting until things slow down to participate, when we open a second post is often a good place to join.

If I have questions, what do I do?

I'm rthstewart everywhere, here, Twitter, Tumblr, gmail and AO3.

A special thank you to [personal profile] conuly  .
Last year, Conuly started logging all unfilled prompts.
This year's (2021) unfilled prompts are here.
Last year's (2020) unfilled prompts are here.
Conuly asks that you not reply, as they want to be able to edit and add more prompts to the list.
Conuly does this just because they are an awesome person but should you want to write them fic in thanks, you can find a birthday wish list here.

Here is the 3SF 2021 Friending Meme to show of your new DW account.

Here, have some icons and banners and let me know if you've created your own!

 






text box you can try to cut and paste

















syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: Avengers, but like... The version they thought it would be 8 years ago

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Ahahaha that is brilliant, I love mischievous Steve and Bucky and how Tony is invested despite himself, and I can almost hear Thor waxing eloquent about magic (and who can tell whether he was serious or not?)
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: this is the headcanon i've been thinking about all month

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I LOVE THIS. Her names are all wonderful and filled with warm pride, and the line about the smug witch-king and his little prophecy omg, Eowyn’s laughter is gold. Thank you for this 💜
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
😂 This is perfect in every way!
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: I'm too sexy for my shirt.

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Somebody has his priorities straight, and Edmund’s snark is so well deserved LOL 😂
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Narnia, any, animals reacting to human idioms (e.g. “rat bastard” or “I could eat a horse”). Bonus points for “I object to that very strongly” (quoting the bulldog from Magician’s Nephew)
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Harry Potter, any character, cheese-based potions

(source: textbook by Gerda Curd referenced in the Harry Potter Mystery game - her name is too good not to drop here!)
Edited 2021-01-31 14:21 (UTC)
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Star Wars/Dune, any character, spice and sand people
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Star Trek Voyager, Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris, in secret celebration of Threshold Day
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
“Sometimes chivalry means decking the loudmouthed idiot in the tavern,” said George, proudly displaying his throbbing hand for Alanna to bandage.
Instead she dropped a handful of snow down the back of his shirt, eliciting a yelp and a curse. “Yes,” she said with a grin, “but a *smart* knight waits until the loudmouthed idiot removes his helmet first.”
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

By hook or by rook

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Ron knew that he should just man up, apologize to Harry in person, and tell him about the dragons all in one go — the next Triwizard task loomed too close, and Hermione was already breathing fire down his neck.
But he was more comfortable making one small move at a time, nothing obvious until the king was in check, and no one but Ron could ever backtrace the gambit to see just how long he’d been planning it.
And Ron didn’t really want Harry to know just how long he’d realized he’d been an idiot without owning up to it, so he found the words spilling out of his mouth: “Tell Harry that Seamus told me that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid was looking for him” — and that solved the dragon problem, buying him a little more time to figure out how to placate Hermione and repair his friendship with Harry.
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: Fill: we can't lose our selves, only mislay them for a time

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
This is WONDERFUL, Calvin reacting to concern but not scorn, and figuring out the trick of flight, and Hobbes’ joy... sniff. Love it.
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: College Preparations

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
😆 this is great, and conjures images of Spiff where no spaceman has gone before!
syrena_of_the_lake: (Default)

Re: [Narnia] armies march on their stomachs, wearing hand-knit socks

[personal profile] syrena_of_the_lake 2021-01-31 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
This is brilliant, and Susan is so fierce and wonderful on this new battlefield: girding her loins and wading into the fray to show the Narnians that how a real Queen gives freely instead of making cruel bargains.
glorious_spoon: (Default)

[personal profile] glorious_spoon 2021-01-31 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
IT movies, any, try again
glorious_spoon: (Default)

[personal profile] glorious_spoon 2021-01-31 02:52 pm (UTC)(link)
The Old Guard, Nile, the interstellar age
glorious_spoon: (Default)

[personal profile] glorious_spoon 2021-01-31 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
IT movies, Richie Tozier, 'You do not have to walk on your knees/ For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting/ You only have to let the soft animal of your body/ love what it loves.' (Mary Oliver)
eagleoftheninth: (Default)

Re: Fill: we can't lose our selves, only mislay them for a time

[personal profile] eagleoftheninth 2021-01-31 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!! I'm glad you liked it!

People being sarky or exasperated or straight-up hostile, that never touches Calvin where it counts-he just gets weirder in response. We see that all the time! But genuine worry...That, I think, would hit differently.

Re: By hook or by rook

(Anonymous) 2021-01-31 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Aahh, I love this! Ron using chess strategy in his personal life as well, it's amazing. I can just imagine him waiting for Harry and Hermione's moves before he decides his own next move. Always keeping his options open.
autumnia: Central Park (Default)

Re: Do I look like the bluebird of happiness?

[personal profile] autumnia 2021-01-31 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL Oh dear. Lady Bophus seems to insult even more Narnians every time she opens her mouth.
autumnia: Central Park (Default)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] autumnia 2021-01-31 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
This was very beautifully written. Lucy and Caspian can never be... at least not until they're all in Aslan's Country.
eagleoftheninth: (Default)

Fill: but all the magic i have known...

[personal profile] eagleoftheninth 2021-01-31 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
You'd think it'd be a muggleborn thing, the province of those fed up with being second-class citizens and returning to the home that birthed them, or a similar if more frightening last resort for Squibs. And certainly there are many tales like that. But just as often, young and curious purebloods will get to wondering, and take to wandering, and then find something dazzling and captivating in the world outside the Wizarding enclaves. Something they find they cannot bear to live without.

There are so many more Muggles than wizards, after all. More artists, more researchers, more reformers. And since they do not have magic handed to them on a platter, they use a million different methods to create it, instead.
Edited 2021-01-31 15:21 (UTC)
autumnia: Central Park (Default)

Re: Avengers, but like... The version they thought it would be 8 years ago

[personal profile] autumnia 2021-01-31 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Hahahahaha. LOVE this!
moetushie: Art credit unknown (a dame's a dame)

[personal profile] moetushie 2021-01-31 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Bridgerton, Simon Bassett/Daphne Bridgerton, modern AU