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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

















vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-01-31 09:59 am (UTC)(link)
“You’ve never been more beautiful,” he murmurs, and she can feel the desperate desire in his hands as they push back the hair blowing in her face, cradling her head in his palms as though he can hold her mind there with him, on the shores of Aslan’s Country, for always.

But he can’t; she knows it, sure as she knows the feel of Aslan’s breath warm on the back of her neck, as she knows the weight of Ed’s gaze, the cool clear blue of the waters, pristine at her feet.

So she breathes in deep, the scent of this liminal place filling her, tying itself to him, inextricable until the end of her days, and presses her forehead to his, feeling their breath mingle; turns away before she can ruin the moment with weeping, the only thought she can manage echoing empty in her head: Just because a thing is doomed doesn’t make it any less real.
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.
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-01-31 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! Someday, perhaps, they'll have their chance.
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-01-31 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
You know I'm always thrilled to be here, and to write for your wonderful prompts! I'm glad it hit the spot.

(You've been banned from tumblr comms?? Seriously?)
loveandrockmusic: (Default)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] loveandrockmusic 2021-01-31 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
AHHHHHHHHH!!! Gorgeous!! Describing Narnia as liminal for Lucy is piercing my HEART
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-01-31 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Lucy's relationship with Narnia is such an interesting one, I love thinking about it. I often feel she's both the most attached and unattached of all the siblings.

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] buttonloops 2021-01-31 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
GAH YES THIS IS SUCH DISTILLED LUCIAN BEAUTY I LOVE IT
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-01-31 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay I'm glad to hear it!!
metogator: (Default)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] metogator 2021-02-02 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Your fills are always one of my most favorite parts of the 3SF - this is so gorgeous, so bittersweet and poetic and beautiful!
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-02-02 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, thank you, that's very kind! I'm glad this one lived up to expectations.
marnanel: (Default)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] marnanel 2021-02-05 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Right in the feels. Beautiful.
harmony_lover: (Default)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] harmony_lover 2021-02-05 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
This is amazing. So gorgeous! I love Lucian in my heart of hearts, and you've captured them beautifully here!
snacky: (narnia vdt lucy says hello)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] snacky 2021-02-06 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
♥♥♥
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-02-06 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
You're here!!
snacky: (narnia kings and queens)

Re: Just Don't Say a Word

[personal profile] snacky 2021-02-06 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I finally made it! :D
snacky: (narnia vdt caspian on a boat)

I feel that I can't stand much more of this, yet I don't want it to stop

[personal profile] snacky 2021-02-06 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Caspian watches as Reep glides up, up, up the enormous wave, breath caught in his throat and Lucy's hand caught in his, and thinks, only the first goodbye.

He turns to Lucy, wanting to pull her into his arms and never let go. The tears in her eyes match the ones in his, but to his surprise there's an enormous smile on her face and thinks even in this place of marvels and ecstasy, he's never seen anything lovelier. "We will never — " he begins before his voice falters.

Lucy catches his other hand in hers and squeezes tight, glancing at Aslan before she speaks. "No, we will," she says, her smile as bright as the light around them. "I've made my choice, and I'll stay with you."

(Okay, longer than three sentences! But I am NOT SORRY.)
vialethe: (Narnia Group)

Re: I feel that I can't stand much more of this, yet I don't want it to stop

[personal profile] vialethe 2021-02-06 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Well Lucy broke the rules, so why shouldn't you!! And good for her, I say.
snacky: (narnia lucy)

Re: I feel that I can't stand much more of this, yet I don't want it to stop

[personal profile] snacky 2021-02-06 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
She always was Aslan's favorite!
snacky: (Default)

Re: I feel that I can't stand much more of this, yet I don't want it to stop

[personal profile] snacky 2021-02-07 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Lucy knows what she wants! :D