Only One Of These Is Actually Three Sentences Long.
Here's a roundup of my fills for the 2025 Three-Sentence Ficathon so far!
Death Note, L/Light, 80 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'I love you, it's ruining my life.'
“I’m going to die,” L says, quietly. “Aren’t I? I lost the moment we met.”
You lost before we met, Light wants to say. You lost the moment you decided to come after me.
“Because I saw your face?” he asks, instead. “I’m not Kira, Ryuzaki-kun.”
L shakes his head. “That’s not what killed me.”
“In any case,” Light says, “we’re all going to die, surely.”
There’s something strangely fond in the way L meets his eyes. “I don’t think you really believe that.”
Severance, Mark S, 70 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt "You don't own me. You don't even *know* me."
“You don’t own me,” Mark says, giddy and terrified; they’ll put him in the break room for this, but Dr Ricken’s words echo in his mind, making him brave. “You don’t own me, you don’t even know me, you can’t treat people like-”
“I know you,” Ms Cobel says, evenly, “better than you know yourself,” and it steals the breath out of Mark’s lungs, because he knows it’s true.
Danganronpa V3, Kokichi and Kaito, 320 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'Lights, camera, bitch, smile.'
Kaito scrambles out from under the press the moment it stops.
“What’s wrong?” Kokichi asks, as he descends the steps from the controls. He’s kind of lightheaded from the poison; he has to hold on to the handrail to keep his balance. “Anyone would think you’re not comfortable.”
“Gotta admit,” Kaito says, “I was kind of afraid you’d just go ahead and crush me.”
“That would have been very funny.” Kokichi climbs into the press himself, careful not to disturb Kaito’s coat. “Not much of a mystery, though.”
There’s not much to be seen from here, with that huge slab of metal in the way. But Kaito’s legs are still visible; he’s just standing there, by the side of the press. Kokichi pokes his arm out and makes a pointed gesture in the general direction of the controls.
“Are you sure about this?” Kaito asks. “It’s pretty messed up.”
“It’s this or the poison,” Kokichi says. “I’d rather die interestingly.”
Kaito’s legs linger for a moment longer. But then he starts walking, and Kokichi lets out a quiet breath.
This is it. The press is just above his nose, claustrophobically close. It’s going to hurt a lot, probably; it’ll only be a few seconds, but it’ll be slow enough for him to really feel it. At least he doesn’t have to lie here for the full gradual descent, just watching it inch closer.
It feels like he’s lying there for minutes on end. How long does it take to stand in front of a button and pick up a camera?
“Are you ready?” Kaito’s voice calls at last, uncertain.
If Kokichi is going out, he’s going to go out laughing. Whoever’s making them kill each other, they’re never going to untangle the mess he’s made for them. He’s won this stupid game.
He bares his teeth in a grin at the press that’s going to kill him.
“I’m ready,” he says.
Ace Attorney, Phoenix and Larry, 130 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'everything is the same except Larry Butz is the one who always needs saving from the defendant's chair.'
Some time into their latest round of celebratory post-exoneration drinks, Phoenix braces himself and just asks. “You are innocent, aren’t you?”
“Nick!” Larry exclaims, the picture of wounded innocence. “You doubt me? After all these years?”
“Well, you have to admit that you do end up at a lot of crime scenes,” Phoenix says. “I don’t see why you were even in the orca pool to begin with.”
“Maybe I just want to toss a few bucks my lawyer friend’s way every once in a while, huh? You ever think of that?”
Phoenix stares at him.
“Are you saying,” he says, “that you keep getting yourself arrested so I’ll have work?”
“Well, there was the one guy I actually killed,” Larry says, “but that was a total accident.”
The Quarry, Travis and Laura, 270 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'Six weeks of breathing clean air / I still miss the smoke'.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you again,” Travis says, wary. Feels like a mistake, but he opens the door enough to let her into the sheriff’s office, with a glance at the sky; it’ll be time for the hunt soon.
Laura shrugs as she pushes past him. “Turns out you fucked me up.” She waves a hand in the direction of the cells. “I tried going back to my life. It was just so fucking... safe.”
“You fucked yourself up,” Travis says. “I was trying to keep you alive. You’re the one who walked straight into the den of wolves.”
“Whatever,” Laura says. “I’m fucked up either way. Silas is still alive, right?”
Travis nods, slowly. “For now.”
“I need to kill something,” Laura says. “It’s him or you. Take your pick.”
Travis raises his eyebrows. “Killing my family gave you a taste for blood, did it?”
Laura meets his gaze defiantly. “Do you want an apology, or do you want a hunting partner?”
“I’ll take both, if they’re going.”
They look at each other for a long moment. She looks too clean, after all this time back in her regular life; it doesn’t suit her. When he pictures her - and he pictures her more than he’ll admit if she asks - he pictures her covered in blood.
Eventually, she sighs. “I’m sorry. If you’d just fucking told me about Silas in the first place-”
“This an actual apology?”
“I’m better at hunting than apologising,” Laura says. “Get the guns. Let’s just go.”
He’s better at hunting than talking, so he guesses he can understand. “Yes, ma’am.”
A disproportionate number of these fills are for doreyg's prompts. I keep scrolling through and going 'oh, here's a perfect prompt for me!' and then realising Dorey has once again laid an expertly baited Riona trap.
Death Note, L/Light, 80 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'I love you, it's ruining my life.'
“I’m going to die,” L says, quietly. “Aren’t I? I lost the moment we met.”
You lost before we met, Light wants to say. You lost the moment you decided to come after me.
“Because I saw your face?” he asks, instead. “I’m not Kira, Ryuzaki-kun.”
L shakes his head. “That’s not what killed me.”
“In any case,” Light says, “we’re all going to die, surely.”
There’s something strangely fond in the way L meets his eyes. “I don’t think you really believe that.”
Severance, Mark S, 70 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt "You don't own me. You don't even *know* me."
“You don’t own me,” Mark says, giddy and terrified; they’ll put him in the break room for this, but Dr Ricken’s words echo in his mind, making him brave. “You don’t own me, you don’t even know me, you can’t treat people like-”
“I know you,” Ms Cobel says, evenly, “better than you know yourself,” and it steals the breath out of Mark’s lungs, because he knows it’s true.
Danganronpa V3, Kokichi and Kaito, 320 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'Lights, camera, bitch, smile.'
Kaito scrambles out from under the press the moment it stops.
“What’s wrong?” Kokichi asks, as he descends the steps from the controls. He’s kind of lightheaded from the poison; he has to hold on to the handrail to keep his balance. “Anyone would think you’re not comfortable.”
“Gotta admit,” Kaito says, “I was kind of afraid you’d just go ahead and crush me.”
“That would have been very funny.” Kokichi climbs into the press himself, careful not to disturb Kaito’s coat. “Not much of a mystery, though.”
There’s not much to be seen from here, with that huge slab of metal in the way. But Kaito’s legs are still visible; he’s just standing there, by the side of the press. Kokichi pokes his arm out and makes a pointed gesture in the general direction of the controls.
“Are you sure about this?” Kaito asks. “It’s pretty messed up.”
“It’s this or the poison,” Kokichi says. “I’d rather die interestingly.”
Kaito’s legs linger for a moment longer. But then he starts walking, and Kokichi lets out a quiet breath.
This is it. The press is just above his nose, claustrophobically close. It’s going to hurt a lot, probably; it’ll only be a few seconds, but it’ll be slow enough for him to really feel it. At least he doesn’t have to lie here for the full gradual descent, just watching it inch closer.
It feels like he’s lying there for minutes on end. How long does it take to stand in front of a button and pick up a camera?
“Are you ready?” Kaito’s voice calls at last, uncertain.
If Kokichi is going out, he’s going to go out laughing. Whoever’s making them kill each other, they’re never going to untangle the mess he’s made for them. He’s won this stupid game.
He bares his teeth in a grin at the press that’s going to kill him.
“I’m ready,” he says.
Ace Attorney, Phoenix and Larry, 130 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'everything is the same except Larry Butz is the one who always needs saving from the defendant's chair.'
Some time into their latest round of celebratory post-exoneration drinks, Phoenix braces himself and just asks. “You are innocent, aren’t you?”
“Nick!” Larry exclaims, the picture of wounded innocence. “You doubt me? After all these years?”
“Well, you have to admit that you do end up at a lot of crime scenes,” Phoenix says. “I don’t see why you were even in the orca pool to begin with.”
“Maybe I just want to toss a few bucks my lawyer friend’s way every once in a while, huh? You ever think of that?”
Phoenix stares at him.
“Are you saying,” he says, “that you keep getting yourself arrested so I’ll have work?”
“Well, there was the one guy I actually killed,” Larry says, “but that was a total accident.”
The Quarry, Travis and Laura, 270 words. First posted here, in response to the prompt 'Six weeks of breathing clean air / I still miss the smoke'.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you again,” Travis says, wary. Feels like a mistake, but he opens the door enough to let her into the sheriff’s office, with a glance at the sky; it’ll be time for the hunt soon.
Laura shrugs as she pushes past him. “Turns out you fucked me up.” She waves a hand in the direction of the cells. “I tried going back to my life. It was just so fucking... safe.”
“You fucked yourself up,” Travis says. “I was trying to keep you alive. You’re the one who walked straight into the den of wolves.”
“Whatever,” Laura says. “I’m fucked up either way. Silas is still alive, right?”
Travis nods, slowly. “For now.”
“I need to kill something,” Laura says. “It’s him or you. Take your pick.”
Travis raises his eyebrows. “Killing my family gave you a taste for blood, did it?”
Laura meets his gaze defiantly. “Do you want an apology, or do you want a hunting partner?”
“I’ll take both, if they’re going.”
They look at each other for a long moment. She looks too clean, after all this time back in her regular life; it doesn’t suit her. When he pictures her - and he pictures her more than he’ll admit if she asks - he pictures her covered in blood.
Eventually, she sighs. “I’m sorry. If you’d just fucking told me about Silas in the first place-”
“This an actual apology?”
“I’m better at hunting than apologising,” Laura says. “Get the guns. Let’s just go.”
He’s better at hunting than talking, so he guesses he can understand. “Yes, ma’am.”
A disproportionate number of these fills are for doreyg's prompts. I keep scrolling through and going 'oh, here's a perfect prompt for me!' and then realising Dorey has once again laid an expertly baited Riona trap.