Three Sentence Ficathon Part 2

[rthstewart]

THE 2021 3 SENTENCE FICATHON IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW PROMPTS!

THIS IS THE NEW POST FOR PART 2 OF THE 3 SENTENCE FICATHON -- ALL NEW PROMPTS SHOULD BE POSTED HERE
You may continue to fill prompts (but not leave new ones) at the original Post 1 here.

conuly 's unclaimed prompt list here

Thank you all for participating! We had a rush of prompts at the end so be sure to check it out and if you want someone to fill something in particular, and assuming they don't mind being contacted (I know I  don't!), be sure to let them know!

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 does this just because she is an awesome person but should you want to write her 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/168256.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/168256.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/168256.html" _fcksavedurl="https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/168256.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>

Comments

[harmony_lover]

rthstewart, here is a little bit more, and I'm working on the rest! :)

Peter raised his cup of coffee to his lips, drinking desperately to try and give himself a bit of energy. He had stolen about four hours of sleep with El the night before, and every other minute had been devoted to figuring out how they were going to bring down this smuggling ring.

Kirk had called the mysterious Mrs. Caspian right after they had found the mysterious artifacts in the ledger the previous afternoon, and she had promised to get the next flight out of Heathrow. She was supposed to land at 5:30 a.m. their time, and Kirk was bringing her along to where they were waiting at Red Hook. Peter had notified the Red Hook authorities as well, and so all that remained was to catch the smugglers as they checked the shipping containers for the final time.

It was now 7 a.m., and Peter was expecting Neal and their other guests any minute. He took another sip of coffee as Diana came over and leaned against their unmarked car.

“Boss, I don’t like this,” she said quietly. “This Kirk Rilian is a total mystery. Code breaking, arms smuggling, some hush-hush negotiations in the Middle East, spy work for both MI6 and CIA. And I mean, sure, he’s one of the ‘good guys’ on paper, for a given value of good, but we don’t know anything about who he really is. And Mrs. Caspian - forget it. The woman is a ghost. I could confirm that she’s highly placed in MI6, but that’s all I could get.”

Peter nodded. “I don’t like it either, Diana, but - Neal trusts him. And while I don’t always trust who Neal trusts, Kirk openly admitted that he owes Neal his life. I don’t think, from what I saw of him yesterday, that he’ll forget that. Honor among thieves, you know.”

“I hope you’re right,” Diana murmured.

Peter hoped he was, too.

Neal sauntered up at that moment, carrying his own cup of coffee. He was outfitted in his usual flawless suit and fedora, and while Peter could see the signs of fatigue in his face, he doubted anyone else would notice unless they were really looking.

“Morning,” Neal said. “Morning, Diana,” he said, his face softening into a grin; he was fond of Peter’s deputy. “No Kirk yet?”

“Not yet,” Peter said tightly.

“He’ll be here, Peter,” Neal said reassuringly. “I’ve never had him go back on a deal, and whatever these items are, he wants to get his hands on them. He’ll be here, hopefully with this Mrs. Caspian in tow.”

A cab pulled up behind them right as Neal finished speaking, and he gestured as if to say, “See?”

Peter rolled his eyes.

Kirk emerged from the cab first, followed by a woman who was so beautiful that Peter momentarily forgot himself and gaped. Diana elbowed him in the ribs, and he hastily composed his features.

It also did not escape him that she had the same coloring and facial structure as Kirk. They had to be related.

Mrs. Caspian walked straight up to Peter, and while her face was perfectly composed, Peter could somehow sense the unease in her body. “Agent Burke,” she said, and her voice was warm despite the coolness of her outward demeanor. “Thank you for allowing our agencies to cooperate on this case. This is - for these items to turn up this way is disconcerting, to say the least.”

“Are either of you ever going to explain what these things are?” Peter said pointedly.

“Let’s see if they’re authentic or not, first,” Mrs. Caspian said. “If they aren’t, that’s one problem, and I will track down where they came from. If they are - well,” she said, her lips tightening. “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Mozzie may be able to help track down their origins, Mrs. Caspian,” Neal said, offering her one of his most winning smiles. “Kirk helped us crack this - I’d be happy to return the favor.”

“Mrs. Caspian is right, Neal,” Kirk said quietly. “We should see what they are, first. If they’re real - we know where they came from. If they’re fakes - Mozzie may be of some help.”

“Neal Caffrey,” Mrs. Caspian said, and her smile was genuine and utterly breathtaking. She reached out and clasped Neal’s hand. “Kirk speaks very highly of you. I’m very grateful to you for the help you’ve given him over the years.”

“It was my pleasure,” Neal said sincerely. “He’s always been a friend, and returned the help when I needed it.”

“All right, let’s suit up,” Jones said, appearing next to Diana. “The smugglers should be here any minute.”

“We’re coming with you,” Mrs. Caspian said determinedly.

“That’s not a good idea,” Peter said. “Ma’am, this could get ugly. Diana can come get you as soon as we’ve taken them into custody.”

Mrs. Caspian pinned him with a stare that frankly gave Peter the shivers. “We’ve been doing this a long time, Agent Burke. We’ll be fine.”

“Well, if they’re coming, I’m coming too,” Neal said, and Peter sighed in exasperation.

“Neal, you hate guns, and I have a hunch there are going to be a lot of them,” he said. “Would you please, just for once, do this my way?”

“No,” Neal retorted, and Peter could see the stubborn set of his chin that meant he was going to find either a good or a bad route to getting his way. “These are potentially priceless antiquities, Peter, and I’m your expert. And whatever these things are that Kirk and Mrs. Caspian are after, whether they are authentic or not, there’s another case there. I’m coming.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Fine. Just please try your best not to get shot. I’m not apologizing or explaining to El if you get hurt.”

[wingedflight]

I need mooooooooore!! Omg this is so fantastic. I need everything. Is this modern!AU Ed and Su? Or are they somehow immortal and have just been relatively the same age since the 50s? Are the items real or fake? How will Neal and Peter inevitably find out the truth behind the Pevensie siblings??

[harmony_lover]

I'm still working out a lot of this, but my thought was that Ed and Su have, yes, been relatively the same age since the '50s, as have their siblings. I love the de-aging/re-aging/aging slowly trope, and it's so fun to use here! And the items could be real or fake, and I think make for a different story either way, so I'm still trying to choose. :)

[rthstewart]

Loving how Mrs. Caspian is a ghost and Kirk Rilian is... a thief? a negotiator? And Arms Dealer who speaks many languages and just so mysterious. Mrs. Caspian emerges and --- you know, she's like M at this point or Q, she could be running the whole damn thing. AND I'd not even thought about the aging thing. Oh My Giddy Aunt. And Susan is absolutely right that, whether real or fake, it is Deeply Concerning. Just loving it so much. Thank you for expanding and bringing the gorgeous (and still magically YOUNG) Mrs. Caspian into it.

[harmony_lover]

You're so welcome! <3 I think Susan is definitely more like M or Q at this point, though no one is going to admit that, least of all her. And I think Kirk Rilian has been all over the map, trying to prevent various kinds of disasters at various points in time, probably with a fair amount of Susan in his ear. I may have to turn this into a full-fledged story just to figure out how it ends! :)

[elementalraven]

Another part!! This is amazing, I love all the interactions, they are so on point, and Susan and Edmund both being mysterious and badass is always fantastic, and you excecuted it really well! I also loved this: “No,” Neal retorted, and Peter could see the stubborn set of his chin that meant he was going to find either a good or a bad route to getting his way." - I could just hear him say it!
Can't wait for the rest!

[harmony_lover]

Thank you so much! :) I'm very glad you're enjoying it.

[edenfalling]

Oooh! *camps in thread hoping for more*

[harmony_lover]

Thank you! :) Just posted another little piece. :)

[harmony_lover]

rthstewart, wingedflight, elementalraven :)

Thankfully, the initial ambush went very fast and was over very quickly. The smugglers had been utterly unprepared for someone to have broken their ledger code, and so when Peter and his two teammates, plus Mrs. Caspian, Kirk, and Neal had them at gunpoint inside a shipping container, blocking their only way out, the smugglers were all swift to put down their guns.

Once the four smugglers were cuffed, Jones and Diana took two of them out to their car, leaving Peter and Mrs. Caspian standing over the remaining two, while Kirk and Neal began to open the heavy wooden crates of various sizes inside the shipping container.

Neal got his open first, and stared at the elaborately carved gold mask inside. “Wow. This almost looks like some kind of death mask, but not one I’m familiar with.”

Kirk was still struggling with his own large crate, but Mrs. Caspian’s voice suddenly rang out, and Peter jumped. “Neal, don’t touch that!”

Neal pulled his hand back as though he’d been stung, turning to stare at Mrs. Caspian. “What? What is it?”

Kirk looked over, taking in what lay in the box, and his face darkened.

“Ed - Kirk,” Mrs. Caspian said, and Peter could hear real, genuine fear in her voice. “What if it’s real? What if it’s - what if you -”

Kirk ventured closer, peering at the mask. “I don’t think it’s real,” he said softly. “It’s a terribly good imitation, though. But if it is the real thing - if anything happens - I’ll be all right,” he said, smiling just a little at Mrs. Caspian. “You know He is always watching over us.”

(What the hell did that mean? Peter wondered. And Mrs. Caspian had started to say something else, before she had caught and corrected herself. Ed. Had that been the beginning of Kirk’s real name? And if so, it was an indicator of how badly frightened Mrs. Caspian was, to have made such a slip.)

Mrs. Caspian pressed her lips tight, and her hands shook, even while she kept her handgun pointed at their other two captives.

Kirk reached out and carefully picked up the mask, seemingly holding his breath as he did so. When nothing happened after a few moments, he let out a slow breath, and Mrs. Caspian seemed to become smaller as the tension drained out of her.

“What is that thing?” Neal asked, hushed, and Peter wondered if he’d ever seen Kirk so wary and cautious.

Kirk pulled the mask toward him and inspected it closely, frowning. “It’s an excellent imitation of a Telemarine battle mask,” he said. “Again - I don’t think it’s real. There are some tiny differences, but only tiny; not ones you’d notice if you didn’t know what you were looking at.”

“You’ve seen these before,” Neal said, and there was only the barest hint of a question.

“It’s been a long time,” Kirk said, and the expression that flitted across his face was full of disgust, “but yes.”

“Why were you so afraid?” Peter asked bluntly, directing his question to Mrs. Caspian. “You don’t seem like the type to be superstitious.”

Mrs. Caspian had pulled herself together, and the relieved woman of a moment before was gone, replaced by the imperious MI6 operative who had first arrived. When she spoke, her tone was icy with anger. “The Telemarines are a - vanished people,” she said, her words clipped. “What we know about them is that they were ruthless, violent, and exploitive, as well as being powerful. It is entirely possible for them to have cursed an object such as that, if it were real. Do not speak of what you do not know, Agent Burke.”

Peter opened his lips to retort, but Jones and Diana reappeared then, and Peter decided it wasn’t worth the fight. Mrs. Caspian clearly believed what she was saying, and he could sort out the real and the fictitious later.

Diana raised her eyebrows at him in question, and Peter sighed. “Diana, can you and Jones take these other two away, please? And if you want to get started on the questioning, be my guest.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, glancing around meaningfully.

“We’re okay,” Peter assured her. “We’ll see you back at the office. Good work today.”

Diana and Jones moved forward to take custody of the remaining two smugglers, and Peter lowered his weapon, as did Mrs. Caspian.

“Thanks, Jones,” Peter said as the younger man went past him, and Jones nodded.

“Any time, boss,” he said with a satisfied smile.

“Okay, so we know this one wasn’t real,” Neal said, addressing Kirk. “What’s in your crate?”

[edenfalling]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[harmony_lover]

:)

[elementalraven]

Yesss!!! Love it, Aaahh Susan being so frightened she slips up (and Edmund comforting her), the Telmarine mask, the mystery of what is next and where those fakes come from, amazing! You're basically writing a whole fic here, and all your characters continue to be so on point, and I am sooo curious about how this is going to end! Brilliant

[harmony_lover]

Thank you! I keep working it out in little dribs and drabs, and it's just so fun! It wasn't my intention to write a whole fic here, but - oops. :D