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

















ext_1576548: (Default)

[identity profile] ruanchunxian0.livejournal.com 2021-02-01 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
Narnia, this post: https://travelingstrawberry.tumblr.com/post/640133997407649793 (racoon artist)
Edited 2021-02-01 06:18 (UTC)
last_haven: (narnia)

One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[personal profile] last_haven 2021-02-01 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Have you looked at the portfolio I sent you?" Edmund asked as he spread jam over his toast and tried not to grin at the Principal Painter in Ordinary before him. "I thought it was very promising."

"Ah, yes," drawled the portraitist, adding enough sugar to his lassi that Edmund's teeth hurt when he watched him sip it. "Very colorful and bold. How old is the child who made it? I would encourage them to keep the bold palettes, but maybe check to make sure the paint is dry before smashing projects together like that. Unless that is the point, but I'm afraid that's a little too experimental for my tastes."

"The artist is four so you don't have to worry about her taking your position just yet," Edmund answered before adding "but then, she's a raccoon and pretty much an adult. Watch out, my friend, or you'll be out of a job."

The head royal painter nodded in appreciation and then savagely kicked him under the table.

"I'll get you back for that later," the king promised, even as he tried not to laugh.

Peter, walking by with his own strongly brewed cup of tea, grumbled at the both of them. "Save it for the bedroom, lads. It's too early for flirting."

The younger king and royal painter managed a whole minute of peace before the kicking started up again.
ext_1576548: (Default)

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[identity profile] ruanchunxian0.livejournal.com 2021-02-01 12:02 pm (UTC)(link)
The domesticity of this is brilliant!!!
last_haven: (Default)

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[personal profile] last_haven 2021-02-01 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a big soft spot for domesticity, I can't lie. Thank you for commenting!
wingedflight: (Default)

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[personal profile] wingedflight 2021-02-01 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
amazinggggg
last_haven: (Default)

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[personal profile] last_haven 2021-02-01 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

(Anonymous) 2021-02-04 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
Awwwwww I love this! So funny and sweet!
last_haven: (Default)

Re: One day I'll write a whole story of Edmund and his painter boyfriend; until then, have this.

[personal profile] last_haven 2021-02-05 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!
ext_1576548: (Default)

[identity profile] ruanchunxian0.livejournal.com 2021-02-02 09:02 am (UTC)(link)
lol the reactions from each of the four is perfectly on point!