rthstewart: (Default)
rthstewart ([personal profile] rthstewart) wrote2022-01-15 12:00 pm

Three Sentence Ficathon 2022

This post is NOW CLOSED TO NEW PROMPTS!  PLEASE POST YOUR NEW PROMPTS HERE, IN POST 2!  Do continue to fill prompts here but please put all new prompts in Post 2.






 
Welcome to the Three Sentence Ficathon!

Here's a Friending meme!

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 at bit after about 2 weeks and especially once we open a new post because this one is approaching 4,500 comments.
  • 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.

Here's my attempt at a text box that might go horribly awry.






How long will it go?

The 3SF closes to new prompts on February 13, 2022. The entry stays open permanently and people post fills all year long.  (There were a bunch of new posts to the 2021 3SF this week!)

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 (and much more). 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, protect yourself, 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 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.

 

Here, have some icons and banners and let me know if you've created your own!



      


















(Anonymous) 2022-01-16 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Any, any, "What I can protect, I can also destroy!"
ultra_fic: (Leverage)

Trust and Love (Leverage, Eliot/Parker)

[personal profile] ultra_fic 2022-01-16 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"Don't you understand, I'm not built for this, for a relationship, it's not going to work, Parker!"

When he tries to walk away she gets in his path, hands on his shoulders, gaze meeting his own, as determined as he could ever hope to be himself.

"I trust you, Eliot," she promises him, glad to see most of the anger, fear, and doubt dissolve from his eyes in the seconds that follow, "and I love you."
elementalraven: (Default)

Re: Trust and Love (Leverage, Eliot/Parker)

[personal profile] elementalraven 2022-01-18 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I love this!
ultra_fic: (Default)

Re: Trust and Love (Leverage, Eliot/Parker)

[personal profile] ultra_fic 2022-01-18 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
:)
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)

Resignation Contemplations (Marginal Prince; Ivey/Stanislav)

[personal profile] kalira 2022-01-17 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
". . .I know we were hired to protect the royal little snot, discreetly, but are you ever tempted-"

"Inescapably." Ivey said wryly, stretching lazily further across his lover's bed. "You know if we take the little snot to pieces, we are guaranteed to have . . . difficulties, after, even with the escape route I prepped when we first landed on this island."

Stanislav huffed, flinging himself across the bed - and nearly across Ivey's legs - and muttering something about it potentially being worth it; Ivey wouldn't be surprised if his impatience - and irritation - finally overcame his well-paid loyalty to his duty soon, and . . . made a mental note to check their go-bags were still ready - after all, his lover wasn't the only one with a bloodthirsty side, he just had less talent for hiding it and less patience than Ivey.
raisedbymoogles: (Zidane - flight)

Transformers G1, Ratchet & Optimus

[personal profile] raisedbymoogles 2022-01-18 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
When they hauled the Prime in they expected Ratchet to be unhappy, but even the twins were unprepared for Ratchet's explosion of temper. "I just fixed that converter, you lugnut!" he shouted as Optimus, fresh from battle and clutching his injured side, let Sideswipe ease him up onto the nearest repair berth with a minimum of wincing. "What did you do, charge up to Megatron and ask him for a Simfur Special?"

"Close enough," Sideswipe volunteered, slag-stirrer that he was.

Optimus let a little chuff of exasperation escape through his smokestacks. "Please stop helping."

Ratchet groaned and whipped around to rummage through the supply cabinets. "I told you to take it easy for a few days. I told you to let Superion deal with Megatron. I oughta just not replace your converter this time," he sniped. "See how far you get."

"Apologies, Ratchet." Optimus shuttered his optics, clearly choosing not to argue back, but Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged a communicative look - not even that would be enough to keep Optimus down for long.
raisedbymoogles: (Zidane - flight)

Transformers G1, Ratchet & Megatron

[personal profile] raisedbymoogles 2022-01-18 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
(I know I know sorry for spamming but as soon as I clicked post I thought 'okay but you know what would be even funnier?)

Megatron sat up cautiously, ordered his internal diagnostics to run a full scan, and blinked as the report came back completely clean. No maintenance issues, no sneaky little well-meaning Autobot viruses. The Autobot had even topped up his coolant.

"Well," he said. "I'm impressed, Ratchet."

The Autobots' medic had his back to him in what had to be a deliberate show of - unconcern, perhaps, trust was the wrong word - but turned to look at the tyrant as he spoke. "Slaggin' right you are. Now shoo, I have other patients."

Megatron had every intention of obeying - no matter how skilled the medic, he still didn't like lingering in medbays - but as he swung his legs over the side, he couldn't resist adding, "Are you sure I can't tempt you to the winning side? The Decepticons would highly prize a medic of your caliber."

Ratchet sighed, set down the tool he'd evidently been cleaning, and turned to face Megatron fully. "Say that again and I'll be taking back those components I just installed," he informed the Decepticon leader with a look that Megatron knew from extensive experience with medical professionals: that was a look that slagging meant business.

Megatron feared no mech, but occasionally found strategic retreat to be the prudent option, and now was evidently one of those times. With a nod of understanding, he left Ratchet in peace.
silveradept: A kodama with a trombone. The trombone is playing music, even though it is held in a rest position (Default)

Frozen, Elsa, Responsibilities

[personal profile] silveradept 2022-01-22 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
She mostly stays in Northuldra, working with the people there to restore the connections they had to the spirits before they lost their way, but when she's in Arendelle, she mostly stays in the castle she raised, a familiar environment where she knows each and every shard and flake.

She's not going to risk another heart to her powers other than her own.

It's safer that way.

Obsidian & Blood, Acatl

[personal profile] notapaladin 2022-04-22 05:16 am (UTC)(link)

He’d sworn to serve and protect the Revered Speaker of Tenochtitlan, the man he’d helped bring back to life and place upon the throne to which he had been appointed. He’d sworn to stand against his enemies, to keep the balance between worlds.

He’d sworn many things. They hang upon him like cobwebs now, easily brushed aside.

Regicide should be harder, he thinks idly. But Tizoc’s life has hung by a spider’s thread since he and the other High Priests brought him back, and to snap that thread is the work of a moment. He doesn’t need to wait for Teomitl’s ambition or Mihmatini’s prudence or Acamapichtli’s revenge. He only needs to reach out with his magic, cold and final as an icicle to the base of the neck, and finish the job he should have started years ago.

He feels it when it takes hold, the seismic shift in the foundations of the world. The boundaries will be weak for a while now. He’ll have to be vigilant.

Less vigilant than he’s been for a knife in the dark, a garrote at his throat. Less vigilant than he’s been for a terrible gap in the ranks of returning warriors, a space where Neutemoc or Teomitl should stand. Less vigilant than he’s been for ghosts walking the streets of his city.

As he performs the necessary rituals, he can’t help but smile.