rthstewart: (3sf banner icon)
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

















theseatheseatheopensea: Lyrics from the song Stolen property, by The Triffids, handwritten by David McComb. (Default)

Re: Heroes

[personal profile] theseatheseatheopensea 2021-02-12 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
Yes good, I love it! <3
mad_madam_m: Mad Madam Mim as a dragon (Default)

Castlevania (Netflix), Alucard, Hidden

[personal profile] mad_madam_m 2021-02-12 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
Alucard finds the box hidden behind a false wall in his father's study; it isn't a very large box, but it's clearly been cared for. The lock is complex, which tells him whatever is inside was extraordinarily valuable to his father, and it takes Alucard the better part of an hour to finally break it.

He eases the lid open to find a handful of letters tied with a blue ribbon and his mother's handwriting across them, and immediately slams it shut again; at some point he may have the emotional fortitude to read her words again, but it is most certainly not now.
astrogirl: (Aziraphale and Crowley)

[personal profile] astrogirl 2021-02-12 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
For six thousand years, this has been the paradox of their existence: the world alters itself so easily to accommodate their casual whims they scarcely notice, while with a focused effort they can persuade it to change even its deepest nature, and yet when it comes to the desires of their own deepest natures, they can only push furtively and with restraint against the limits of far more arbitrary rules.

But love is an irresistible force, and the edicts of Heaven and Hell are not immovable.

In the end, the miracle wins.
Edited 2021-02-12 04:32 (UTC)
loveandrockmusic: (Default)

Re: A băga mâna în foc pentru cineva (put your hand in the fire for someone)

[personal profile] loveandrockmusic 2021-02-12 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
HOT AND ANGRY HOT AND ANGRTYYYYYYYYY

OMG SO PERFECT? SO VIVID??!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!! FULL OF ALL MY FAVORITE THINGS, OMFG RTH ILU SO VERY VERY MUCH!!!

Susan kissing him and raking him with her nails is fucking HOTTTT
loveandrockmusic: (Default)

Re: A băga mâna în foc pentru cineva (put your hand in the fire for someone)

[personal profile] loveandrockmusic 2021-02-12 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
okay like don't laugh, but i've had a few drinks & when i first looked at the title i forgot that i don't speak a single word of romanian and i mentally translated A băga mâna în foc pentru cineva and 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' and was then to surprised to see the english in paretheses somehow not match lmaooooo

I speak NO Romanian
I am an idiot
You are freaking incredible and i love this so very much
vialethe: (Susan)

Re: A băga mâna în foc pentru cineva (put your hand in the fire for someone)

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-02-12 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
"Keep the manacles on" Oh my god, these two. Also "He really shouldn’t have fucked her and then fucked her." EDMUND no lol.

I love all the details of poor Valeriu's life and day (which is uh...definitely not going to get any better from here), and how utterly wrong he is about everything. And Peter. He'll RIP YOUR SPINE OUT. Thank you as always for this little slice of your world, Ruth.

(Anonymous) 2021-02-12 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
awh, I love this!!

Re: A Big Cat is Still a Cat

(Anonymous) 2021-02-12 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
yes yes yes!! love it :D

(Anonymous) 2021-02-12 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
<3 <3 <3
eagleoftheninth: (Default)

[personal profile] eagleoftheninth 2021-02-12 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
Holy CRAP this is beautifully creepy and ominous.
schoolsasaint: (Default)

Re: Create a monster to fight a monster

[personal profile] schoolsasaint 2021-02-12 09:32 am (UTC)(link)
!!!!

(Anonymous) 2021-02-12 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
Would it be so wrong, Edgar wondered, to have Gogo put on a crown and sit on the throne for a day? To gain just a little time?

But as he passed through the castle's lower chambers, and saw Gogo there, solemn and mystical and pinned by the worshipful gaze of a handful of acolytes - and he realised the high priestess must have had the same idea, and acted on it first - his heart felt lighter even in the knowledge that he had just lost his one opportunity for a day off.
sawthefaeriequeen: (Default)

Re: Obsidian & Blood, Acatl/Teomitl

[personal profile] sawthefaeriequeen 2021-02-12 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks so much for the rec and the link! <3

I’ve been sniffing around for interesting adult speculative fiction lately and this definitely sounds like it's outside of the usual wheelhouse and not to mention it sounds FUN. I mean, how often does one see Aztec murder mystery as a category…ever? :D

And wow, you are a prolific powerhouse!

this has not stopped me.
As it shouldn’t!
ernest: (Default)

[personal profile] ernest 2021-02-12 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
thank you so much! i love these sad creepy sandbox kids!
harmony_lover: (Default)

Re: A băga mâna în foc pentru cineva (put your hand in the fire for someone)

[personal profile] harmony_lover 2021-02-12 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooooh, this is amazing! And I feel sorry for Valeriu, really. His daily life is not going to get easier. And I love how one of the continuously consistent things in your verse is that everyone trades cigarettes, chocolate, and condoms in profusion.

And while, you know, handcuffs don't really do anything for me, I can see Susan being furious that Tebbitt got himself captured, and probably even more annoyed that she has to drag her brothers into it in order to rescue him. And Peter would DEFINITELY rip someone's spine out for saying the wrong thing - much better a straightforward fight than all of this spycraft, thank you very much. :) <333 This is amazing, as are you!
paxilam: (Default)

Re: Mary Poppins (etc)

[personal profile] paxilam 2021-02-12 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
so nice!! I imagined their silhouettes in front of the theatre with only some feeble light
smallhobbit: (Default)

Re: Mary Poppins (etc)

[personal profile] smallhobbit 2021-02-12 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you - I think that's about right :)
vaznetti: (Default)

time for memory, 12 Monkeys, Jennifer Goines

[personal profile] vaznetti 2021-02-12 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
She searches her daughters' features now for the faces they will have when she met them for the first time: she doesn't remember most of them yet, doesn't know whether they will live or die, make jokes or start fights, steal from strangers or from friends, stick with her or sneak off in the night. But this one, the little girl Otter Eyes has left with her (left with her more than once, maybe), this one she remembers. She'll name her for Time, a reminder to them all of who's really in charge of this whole shitshow, whatever Jonesy thinks.
vaznetti: (Default)

12 Monkeys, Jose Ramse, this life or the last

[personal profile] vaznetti 2021-02-12 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Sam and Elena tease him gently about his obsession with food: how he'll dig through the whole grocery store to find five perfect tomatoes, how he will always choose fresh ingredients over canned, or whole spices over ground, how he spends hours in secondhand stores looking though cookbooks for some new set of tastes. "In another life you must have been a chef," Elena says, her eyes closing in pleasure as she tastes his latest masterpiece. The memories come back to him one day, leaving him clutching at his gut, to tell him something different: in another life he starved.
wallwalker: Venetian mask, dark purple with gold gilding. (Default)

Adopted (FFX, Kimahri + Yuna, SFW)

[personal profile] wallwalker 2021-02-12 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Kimahri had been nearly inseparable from Yuna ever since they'd arrived at Besaid. Some of the priests had objected to him staying, but there had been no denying him in the end, not when he was so determined to do as the little girl had asked.

Seeing the young lady walk along the jungle paths, giggling, as the Ronso towered behind her and held his spear ready to attack anything that dared to harm her... it certainly put a different light on the old joke about being adopted by a cat.
Edited 2021-02-12 16:27 (UTC)
siver: (Default)

[personal profile] siver 2021-02-12 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Ha! Gogo can handle any of the castle duties. Maybe next time Edgar. Love it :D
stephmcx: (Default)

Shameless, Gallavich, Terry Milkovich POV — TW: Homophobia

[personal profile] stephmcx 2021-02-12 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Mickey had always been soft as far as Terry remembers, not that he had paid all that much attention back in the day, when childcare had rightfully been a woman's job, but he had, on occasion, brought the kids home in the evening and and while he usually was proud to find Iggy and Joey fighting the other neighborhood kids, he distinctly remembers finding Mickey right among the bunch of no good Gallagher brats every. single. time.

Terry remembers how he'd been relieved when Mickey grew older, that he had toughened up, that he had chosen to be the brains to Iggy and Joey's brawns, that he had started claiming his place in the neighborhood, building a reputation as a true Milkovich by taking what he wants and brute force if necessary, or going after the red-headed Gallagher kid with a baseball bat to defend his sister's honor.

That's why it's the weirdest mixture of never-saw-this-coming and knew-all-along-there-was-something-wrong-with-this-kid when he finds them fucking, Mickey and the red-head, right in the middle of his living room, and the anger is sudden, the hate vicious when Terry pulls out his gun and starts to throw punches, not caring if he pistol-whips Mickey or his fag friend, he's determined to beat the gay out of 'em—

Little does he know it won't work and that a few years down the road they'll not just be sickenly in love but happily fucking married, too.