As we’ve said elsewhere, we had no idea how the Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event would be received. It was so different from our other events. It was timed! There were rigid requirements! The fics had to be complete by a deadline! Really, we were prepared for anything…except maybe what you guys gave us.
Here's the breakdown. Please note the gross (overall total of authors and fics) and the net (qualifying total of those who completed and successfully fulfilled each prompt) totals for each, as we wanted to recognize everyone who participated whether they qualified or not. Awards have been issued to all qualifying authors, as well as all betas, artists, and commenters (whether or not the fic qualified). If you should have received an award and don’t see it on your profile, don’t hesitate to reach out to Holly either by PM or email (ssolace@gmail.com).
- Banners created – 22
- Number of authors (gross) – 34
- Number of authors (net) – 31
- Chapters added (gross) – 167
- Chapters added (net) – 155
- Words added (gross) – 804,668
- Words added (net) – 754,498
- Comments received – 1,843
- Likes received – 3,271
Given that we weren’t sure if you guys would love or hate this, we were fully prepared for this to be a one-off event that we’d never speak of again. As it is, we’ll be back next July with five new prompts. And since some of the feedback we’ve received suggests that we made it too easy…well, all we can say is the Mods are more than happy to accept YOUR challenge. Be careful what you wish for. 
--The Mods on August 16, 2021 06:05am 14 Comments
It was a blast! 
The only problem I had was that some days, there was so very much to read🙂
This was so much fun to do. Though, really, guys? A BBQ fork?
Thank you, mods for running this.
As Barney Stinson would say... Challenge accepted 
But we have to wait for a whole year?? oooh...
Thank you for your work, it got me writing again after more than 15 years, and fanfic for the first time ever, so, yeah, thank you so much, you rock! 
It was super fun! The deadlines were killers, but it made me stick to a writing schedule, which was awesome!! Thanks so much for organizing this and all the other wonderful events on the site!! 
Oh, and no need to be hasty with amping up the prompts next year! 
EF events have inspired my muses and have encouraged me to write stuff again. I am really grateful to the mods for coming up with all these creative events on the site. The mystery-fic-a-thon was one of the most creative and muse-inspiring you guys have come up with so far. I wouldn't mind a repeat of this next year! 
I didn't think it was too easy at all! Marcie and Ethan, attics, BBQ forks, and aliens are totally out of my wheelhouse.
Also aliens in Zimbabwe were actually a thing. https://mg.co.za/article/2014-09-04-remembering-zimbabwes-great-alien-invasion/
Thank you for hosting this event! It gave me an excuse to try writing these characters, which I greatly appreciate.
The prompts gave me puzzles that my muse could use to figure out a story in (for me) a very short amount of time. I thought they were madcap enough make us all step out of the usual, but were not too too easy, at all.
I'm also especially, deeply grateful to the lovely folks who left comments during the challenge; their work to keep up with so many stories was amazing! You all rock!
Really appreciate this event!: I adore the story it inspired for me. Thanks for organizing and keeping this community so engaged and active!
Wonderful fun, and great reads for us lucky lurkers.
congrats and thank you all!
Kudos to all who participated in any way. I'm a voracious reader but I could not keep up, although I tried! .
I'm still reading and enjoying these! This was so much fun, both writing and reading.
I'll be working my way through the entries (aside from the few I've already finished) for some time. I think it was a great challenge!