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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

















alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)

[personal profile] alexseanchai 2021-01-31 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
any, a cat's job is never done

(feel free to substitute another sort of animal! it's just that the inspiration for this prompt is Thea Bellatrix Housecat, RSI Prevention Officer)
ladyjax: (Default)

[personal profile] ladyjax 2021-02-01 07:46 am (UTC)(link)
Star Trek: Discovery, Grudge, a cat's job is never done

Grudge hates being on the ship alone but the only person who actually understands her, Book, did not return when he said he would. That means he has been taken. HER PERSON. If she were in her Home Den, she'd have warriors of her set swarming those who'd dare touch what was hers.

Instead, she has been transported like so much baggage to the one group who might be able to help.

She taps the com toggle with an impatient paw and when one red-headed, bemused human says, "Grudge?", she meows prettily. If this is what is required to bring Book back then she will bear it.
ladyjax: (Default)

[personal profile] ladyjax 2021-02-01 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh! Kitty, indeed.
theseatheseatheopensea: A person reading, with a cat on their lap. (Reader and cat.)

[personal profile] theseatheseatheopensea 2021-02-06 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
SHE IS A QUEEN!

I loved this, sooo perfect! <3
kalira: cartoon representation of Kalira (pale skin, long brown hair, fangy smile, with thumb and two fingers raised), wearing a black tank top and cardigan, on a galaxy in ace flag stripes/colours (Default)

In Good Paws (Naruto; Madara/Tobirama)

[personal profile] kalira 2021-02-01 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
The things, Aoi thinks as she leaps lightly up to a very cluttered desk with careful paws, she does for her summoner. Still, she is also fond of his mate, and he had asked very nicely for her help; her summoner understands cats, she thinks smugly, and sits down squarely in the middle of a - dry - scroll covered in complex inked symbols.

"Aoi?" Tobirama asks as he startles, his fingers loosening around his brush, and Aoi perks her ears towards him and miaows delicately, with a touch of pleading to draw him away from his research in concern.
alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)

Re: In Good Paws (Naruto; Madara/Tobirama)

[personal profile] alexseanchai 2021-02-01 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
good kitty
kalira: cartoon representation of Kalira (pale skin, long brown hair, fangy smile, with thumb and two fingers raised), wearing a black tank top and cardigan, on a galaxy in ace flag stripes/colours (Default)

Re: In Good Paws (Naruto; Madara/Tobirama)

[personal profile] kalira 2021-02-01 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Definitely! And she knows it. ;)
fullupwithfire: a clock face with keys at each number place instead (pic | show them a crack)

Oxventures, post-Unreal Estate, Merilwen & Corazón

[personal profile] fullupwithfire 2021-02-01 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
The small, dark hole they find in the corner of an unused bedroom turns out to be nothing after all, just an empty tunnel that leads to a half-covered spot in the bedroom Dob had set himself up in. Merilwen reemerges to share the news, still a little sulky that she had to resist the urge to go curl up on the beddings and make herself comfortable, and pauses as the emptiness of the room registers.

The others have moved on or, more likely, gotten distracted, leaving Corazón alone, sitting on the ground and unmoving, despite the dripping paintbrush still in his hand. His eyes are wet, and instinct takes over as Merilwen's worry for her friend spikes all over again. She slinks forward instead of changing shape as soon as she's clear of the confines of the hole, until she can get her paws up on Corazón's leg, meowing softly at him.

He startles, clears his throat and sets down the paintbrush, clearly preparing to cover for the moment she's caught him in. She climbs into his lap before he gets a chance, nuzzling against him, and waits patiently until he gives in and starts petting. It only takes a few more moments after that for him to break and scoop her into his arms.

"This never happened," he mutters into her fur, barely loud enough for her to hear him over her own purring, and she nuzzles into his shoulder until the dampness on his cheeks starts to dry.
alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)

Re: Oxventures, post-Unreal Estate, Merilwen & Corazón

[personal profile] alexseanchai 2021-02-01 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
good kitty!
tellshannon815: (larry the cat)

Larry the Cat from Downing Street

[personal profile] tellshannon815 2021-02-08 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
There were news stories once about Larry the Cat being an ineffective mouser after he had been seen allowing a mouse to go by, and his record was compared negatively to Palmerston’s (was it any wonder they fought?)

Foolish humans and their tabloid rags, Larry thought - did they not know that Larry was the one truly running the country as opposed to that scruffy haired philanderer? What with photo ops, tweeting out the sense his housemate wasn’t giving, and mouse catching, a cat’s work was never done.
alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)

Re: Larry the Cat from Downing Street

[personal profile] alexseanchai 2021-02-08 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
😹
edenfalling: stylized black-and-white line art of a sunset over water (Default)

Partership (The Magnus Archives)

[personal profile] edenfalling 2021-02-08 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
His Person was in the quiet room again, and he knew a Good Cat wouldn't interrupt while she hunted just like she didn't interrupt while he chased the tricky red dot, but she'd been in there for so long and it was nearly Dinner Time.

Fortunately he knew how to get in -- leap, catch the lever, let his weight pull down, twist and kick just so until the door swung open -- after which he trotted across the floor, leapt onto the Desk Of Don't Touch, caught his Person's eye, and very deliberately swatted one of the scratchy black things.

"Admiral, no!" she said, but the note in her voice said 'playing, chase-and-pounce' and also 'tired and hungry,' so he knew she didn't mean it; when she gathered him into her arms and carried him to the kitchen, humming under her breath the way that was almost like purring, that only proved what he already knew: sometimes he needed her (to open the Cans of Wet Food and scratch the hard-to-reach places), but sometimes his Person needed him just as much.
alexseanchai: Katsuki Yuuri wearing a blue jacket and his glasses and holding a poodle, in front of the asexual pride flag with a rainbow heart inset. (Default)

Re: Partership (The Magnus Archives)

[personal profile] alexseanchai 2021-02-08 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
gooood kitty
edenfalling: stylized black-and-white line art of a sunset over water (Default)

Re: Partership (The Magnus Archives)

[personal profile] edenfalling 2021-02-08 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
The Admiral is a very good cat. :)
melime: (Default)

Star Trek TNG, Data & Spot, A cat's job

[personal profile] melime 2021-02-28 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
She saw her human cry for the first time after the world fell, although she didn’t know why he was crying, since he seemed to be unharmed, and she had found a safe place to hide, feeling the bumps as the world crashed but not hurt beyond that. As he held her tight in his arms, in a constricting way she didn’t like to be held, she realized that he was crying because he had lost her and now he had found her, so she grabbed his shirt with her claws, holding on tightly to him as well, because he had found her but she had found him too. Even as the world crashed and its broken remains were all around them, it was her job to comfort him, to let him know that he was safe.