rthstewart | Three Sentence Ficathon 2021

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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

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

<a href="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/166704.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/166704.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/166704.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/166704.html" target="_blank"><img src=" https://imgur.com/f3B21LX.png?2" _fcksavedurl=" https://imgur.com/f3B21LX.png?2" _fcksavedurl=" https://imgur.com/f3B21LX?2" _fcksavedurl=" https://imgur.com/f3B21LX.png?2" alt="" /></a>

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh Susan is so vulnerable here. And she's doing this all, playing this very dangerous game to protect Narnia and provide the cover for what Edmund is doing. This is just a wonderful take on the relationship and their reasons for being there.

Ack, I commented and it disappeared, stupid captcha. I babbled happily and crying about whether they all went home together and died happily ever after or if Susan was left alone, with just this memory of Edmund. this is just a terrific fill and you are so good at capturing Susan.

What a great twist, that she remembers just enough of herself and her story to hopefully drive Edmund away, so that she's not responsible for his treason -- and there is only one treason in the family, so to speak.

Great fill, Ernest!

an there is only one treason in the family, so to speak. oof, i know i wrote it, but for some reason that phrasing just makes it all hurt even more. thank you, i'm glad you liked it!

I said this earlier but it's just delightful to see all your fills across so many fandoms.

it's been a lot of fun! there's a couple fandoms i always come back to every year for the TSF and pretty much don't write the rest of the year, and narnia was the second fandom i was ever active in (after doctor who) so it's always a great nostalgia kick to return -- once a king or queen of narnia, after all!

In his dreams, he ascends the mountain and enters Carp Tower through gates of gold to an opulent courtyard where servants and disciples bow to welcome him home, a warm bath and a fresh set of clothes prepared.

He leads the disciples in their training, his juniors looking to him adoringly and seniors offering guidance, as his father looks on and rewards his successes with gifts and praises.

When he wakes however, Jin Guangyao finds that Lanling Jin’s gold is the only thing that glitters.

JAINA. I love her so much and I love this so much. Mara training her as ruthless as she herself had been trained.

Dang, that’s gorgeous.

Rinoa's not a soldier. She could be, though—that's what's so frustrating! She could have been a soldier last year, except—she's a Caraway, and obviously General Caraway's daughter needs to join as an officer, not a private. And you need to be eighteen for that.

(Besides. Her father is...protective. He's still kinda hoping that she'll decide to serve her country by taking up diplomacy instead. It's an honourable path, she knows that, but she knows herself too, and she would never, ever make it as a diplomat, or as a spy like her mother. She's too blunt, too honest, too straightforward. She doesn't have the correct sort of mind to tell pretty lies and hide her true intentions.)

So; she's not a soldier, and she's not here as one. She is armed, as a failsafe, but she's not supposed to get involved in any actual combat—or any actual spying, for that matter. She's here to be secretary and gopher and tea-maker to the real officers and diplomats and intelligence, to get some firsthand observational experience of how the machineries of state and military work on the ground. Balamb is in a precarious position right now, a sort of civil almost-war, divided between Garden and the rebels. Galbadian influence could tip the scales to one side or the other. Either way could prove helpful to her country—or utterly disastrous. It all depends on picking the right spot to apply pressure.

And she means to obey orders and stay out of trouble. She really does. It's not her fault that Angelo goes missing—and her bosses are such jerks, they can't get it through their stupid sexist heads that Angelo's a proper war-dog not (ugh) 'Princess Caraway's pet'—she's Rinoa's partner and she has to get her back and if nobody will help her then fine, she'll do it alone!

So really her actions are totally justified and not at all a flagrant disregard of the chain of command.

And then it turns out that Angelo's been dognapped by the rebels. And then the rebels take Rinoa prisoner.

And then it turns out that the rebels are led by a bunch of kids her age.

Like...she was told they were ex-Garden students, but there's a difference between being told that and actually knowing?

And, also, they're...weirdly likeable. It seems that Angelo was less 'captured' and more 'taken in because we thought she was a stray or someone's lost pet and also Zell and Selphie are both suckers for a fluffy puppy'. And then Rinoa's capture was pretty much an act of panic. So now they're in this awkward situation where they don't really want to keep her prisoner and clearly don't really know how to do it right but also can't afford to just let her go.

And Zell and Selphie really are suckers for a cute dog. And Quistis is cool and smart and elegant. And their leader...Squall is grumpy and annoying but the more time she spends around him the more she can tell that he's overwhelmed and permanently tired and wants very much to do the right thing but isn't sure how anymore?

(Also; he's cute. Like, not just hot, the hot is obvious. He's actually cute.)

And then she gets to hear how the rebellion actually started, and why. Rinoa—and her bosses—had assumed it was something to do with a bunch of Garden kids realising that hey, training kids for battle from age five is kind of messed up! Like, okay, the other countries aren't squeaky clean either, Galbadia included, but Galbadia hasn't had a military draft since the war with Esthar and even then they didn't draft tiny kids!

But it turns out that's...part of the reason, yes. But not anywhere near all of it.

"It's the Matron, the Headmaster's wife," Squall explains.

(Galbadia had not paid much attention to Edea Kramer, except in the form of jokes about how a guy with Headmaster Cid's looks had landed such a knockout. Rinoa remembers her mother, the lovely songstress who watched and listened and learnt everything without ever being suspected of being any kind of danger, and she thinks; sexism is one hell of a blind spot.)

"She's a Sorceress. And she's gone mad."

What.

"She's using SeeD and Garden to do something and I wish I could believe it was as simple as world domination."

WHAT.

At that point there's really no choice, Rinoa thinks.

So that's how she goes AWOL and joins Squall Leonhart's rebellion against the sorceress.

She's probably going to get declared a traitor to her country at least but she stands by her actions. They all made perfect sense.

Edited 2021-06-16 12:26 (UTC)

So, the thing about blood is, it clots. It has to. That's how wounds heal. If it didn't do that, people would just bleed to death from any cut at all.

But sometimes it clots when it isn't supposed to. When there's no wound, when it's inside the body. And when it does that, the clot blocks the flow, and some part of the body doesn't get as much blood as it should.

Depending on where the clot is located, this ranges from 'excruciatingly painful' to 'deadly'. Also depending on where it is, it's possible for nobody to notice or to be able to tell what the problem is until your heart or brain just crap out from it.

Except.

Katara can tell. Because Hama was right, she is a bloodbender now, and so she can feel the channels of vein and artery the same as those that water carves in mud or rock. She can tell where the obstruction is (and full moon makes it easiest, but she thinks—perhaps she can learn to do it even without her power at its high-tide) and with the tiniest, most careful movement of her fingers, she can dissolve it as if it had never been.

She isn't sure at first. Hama's horrible laugh is etched into her memory. She thinks of people walking like jerky puppets, and is afraid.

But when she senses the blockage building in Gran-Gran's heart, when she knows what it means and yet amazingly, miraculously, can undo it and forestall that fate literally with a wave of her hand—

Well, after that, she knows; no matter that she's frightened, bloodbending is not just a skill she has. It's a skill that she needs to teach.

Thank you! :)

I've never thought about Kyoko possibly having food security issues but now that you say it it'd make a lot of sense! And how she doesn't mind sharing food because it's also "safe" on the stomachs of her loved ones, or it helps them be safe. I agree she probably made the deal with Kyubey in the end due to her family, even if there was other elements there too (assuming what her father would want, perhaps even gain his approval, preserve his ideals, not being shunned by others).

I know it's not the most common opinion, but I loved Rebellion while the anime left me feeling more depressed. ^^' It's a very important movie for me for personal reasons - I watched it while I was depressed and suicidal because of PTSD, and seeing that experience reflected on the screen through Homura was cathartic and, even though it may sound strange, very hopeful. It kept me going when I had no other reasons to. Though if I watched it now that I'm in a much better place, I'd probably think the same as you.

Lol, Kyoko and her "trustworthiness tests" reminds me of cats in a way. First she shares space with Homura, then she comes closer but is still wary, then she does a friendly but reserved gesture, not quite relaxing while observing how the other reacts and judging if this person is safe.

I agree with Homura just resigning herself to be misunderstood! It happened in the anime with Mami and Sayaka. And in the movie with all the other girls. I think the only ones who see through it in the anime are Madoka (but Homura can't never bring herself to be completely cold-hearted when it comes to her) and Kyoko (who's also misunderstood). I think Kyoko noticing that detail in your fic makes her savvier and more aware of interpersonal nuances than how she was portrayed in canon, and I love it (she's portrayed as a bit more oblivious in canon imo, although not entirely ignorant).

You've definitely succeeded in packing a lot of meaning in a short story here! There's a lot that could be further developed. Thank you for this ficlet!

lovely!

nice!

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Nice fill!

This is delightful.

Thank you! :D

Well, in her flashback she and her sister are eating a meal of just half an apple so... not very hard to connect the dots there. Kyoko made the wish for a lot of reasons, but I think the source of the wish, the spirit if you will, is that she wanted her family to be happy and healthy. Unfortunately Kyubey is very literal and children aren't good at noticing these kind of tricks or consequences.

Really? Thats very interesting! I'm glad the movie hit at a pivotal time for you. I read a summary w some theorizing and apparently Urobachi just wanted to end it with homura in mg heaven with madoka, lol. I think with more distance now, I could watch the movie and enjoy its messy and messed up, ambiguous ending.

Something like that! Kyoko doesn't trust easily bc she cant be Vulnerable!! but she can be close to people who make the effort to understand her. the food also helps.

Poor kids... homura is definitely cold as a trauma response, just repeating "its fine if i can save madoka" to herself to justify her suffering. If Kyoko is more insightful here it's because she can recognize the sort of suffering she's gone through in others, and also because they've established a rapport. They have a lot in common and it's nice to explore that, as one traumakid to another. since kyoko has the new context of "wow homura really thinks shes responsible for the whole world", she cottons on more about homura's seemingly callous attitude really being from a place of hurt.

Thank you! I'm glad I succeeded and I'm glad you liked it!

Jyn's only mostly sure of her decision to join the Rebellion, telling herself it's the right thing to do, because she wants to keep fighting with her friends (friends, she thinks, something she never had the luxury of having), and she's tired of being afraid of own name.

Cassian listens intently to all these reasons from his bed in the medbay, even as she rambles on with how she'll be hoping for regular ration bars (or maybe she's starting to sound foolish and maybe she should change her mind).

"So you're staying?" he says softly, and when she nods, the smile he gives her leaves Jyn so awestruck, she wonders why she even doubted her decision.

"Headwoman Silvia, how do you get blood out of cloth?"

The poor girl looks half out of her wits, but Piemur hasn't said any of the apprentices are teasing Menolly this—ah, but there's the likely reason for the question.

"I suppose none of this lot would know what to do when that time comes upon us, would they?" she asks, and Menolly's face brightens at having found someone who understands.

Fix me, for I am broken, I'm hurting, I have lost a piece of myself and I need you to find it, to give it back to me, to make me whole again, make me feel—something, anything, you.

Conflict me, for I don't know how to give, I don't know how to care, I don't know how to love, I have never been shown how to do it, I have never been cared for, I have never allowed myself to feel loved.

I'll take anything you care to give me, I love you, I'm yours.

Oh, this is lovely!!

(Also, I've had this prompt open in a tab for days because I wanted to fill it and now that I finally had the right idea, someone else managed to post almost at the same time. I love how completely different both replies are! :))

He points his gun into the sky!

"Wait."

In that moment, between the realization and the flash of the muzzle, Burr feels someone, likely the source of that unknown voice, gently brush him, enough to move his aim, and the single bullet of his life that will fly true drives itself into the tree behind his bespectacled opponent.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 203 of 222

Three Sentence Ficathon 2021

Re: Narnia, Susan/Edmund, back when I was living for the hope of it all

Re: I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

Re: Susan as Jadis!

Re: Susan as Jadis!

Re: Susan as Jadis!

Re: Susan as Jadis!

The Untamed, Jin Guangyao, In his dreams...

Re: Create a monster to fight a monster

Re: Deep Roots Are Not Reached by the Frost

FFVIII, How Rinoa Caraway's Entire Life Totally Lost The Plot

Fill: pharmakon

Re: Deep Roots Are Not Reached by the Frost

no subject

Re: The secret garden - Colin/Dickon - he is an animal charmer and i am sort of an boy animal

Re: Waiting For A Star To Fall (FFX, Lulu/Yuna, SFW)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Rogue One, Jyn/Cassian

Woman Things

Hawaii 5-0, Steve McGarrett

Re: Rogue One, Jyn/Cassian

Hamilton, Hamilton and Burr, The Duel