#first sentences

The affair was going to end anyway, but I'm still sorry he's dead.

Unfortunately, they didn't notice the fire in the basement until it was too late.

I've decided today's the day I'm finally going to tell her.

EP 1: "This Is George Beard And Harold Hutchins."

EP 2: "This Is George Beard And Harold Hutchins."

EP 3: "I Sure Am Glad We Found That Amulet That Turned Us Into Space Giants."

EP 4: "This Is George Beard And Harold Hutchins."

EP 5: "This Is George Beard And Harold Hutchins."

EP 6: "This Is George Beard And Harold Hutchins."

Tagged by @deadheaddaisy and @sarcasticsciencefictionwriter 💜💜

Share the first sentence from your last 10 fics and then tag some buddies to do the same. (As always, feel free to accept the psychic tag from me if there isn't a visible one!)

This could be interesting (or not) because writing a punchy first sentence is not something I give much (or any) thought. 😅 (still behind on uploading to ao3 and generally slow so these span about a year and a half)

Commander Tucker sighed as he straightened his shirt, glaring down a smirking crewman he passed in the corridor.

Playing with Fire ~ my mirror!Tripol banging in a lift fic ❤️‍🔥ENT

2. “Kelby!” Captain Tucker called as he approached the Chief Engineer at his station. There was no time to admire the beautiful sight of a warp engine in bloom. “They call it a Warp Five Engine, but see if you can push her a little harder.”

Redline the Engines ~ Endeavour responds to Enterprise's distress call. Trip & Travis friendship (fun fact: this is the 'au' version of an anniversary prompt i still haven't posted lol ... and also I owe this an update 😅) ENT

3. John hummed to himself and drummed a beat against his thigh with restless fingers.

I'd take a bullet for you ~ Silly flirty John/Aeryn fun 'cause someone finally watched Farscape!

4. For a lifelong insomniac, being awake at – Mulder glanced at the clock – 2:14 am was hardly unusual, but waking up to an empty bed was rare these days.

For love of the game ~ Mulder/Scully banter fic from the X Files xmas exchange 💚 The X Files

Thanks for the tag @nanneramma (x) and @apricitydays-lazynights (x)! I already know I'm guilty of writing super short first sentences. And IT'S FINE. I'm fine. Everything's fine.

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

💜 The White Cat [Bellatrix/Dolores, T, 450]

A white cat visits Bellatrix.

💜 Left Spellbound [James Sirius/Severus, E, 1.5k]

“It’s my first time,” he says. “I’m a little nervous.”

💜 up here, i'm floating [Bellatrix/Molly, M, 1.2k]

The boy was alive, resurrected in the giant’s arms.

💜 Healthy [Draco/Harry, G, 200]

Draco spots Harry in the Emergency Care Unit first. He's tired and bruised but still has all his limbs intact, so that’s saying something.

💜 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Dates (or Less) [Draco/Harry, M, 13.6k]

“Men are pigs,” Pansy proclaimed. She swiped a lock of dark hair from her brow and swallowed the rest of her martini without pause.

💜 Those Tight Tight Shorts [Sirius/Harry, E, 6.6k]

The war was over, the big baddie defeated. It had been months since You Know Poo had shown his snakey face.

💜 The Black Dahlia [Mrs Zabini/Ginny, M, 1.0k]

“This is it,” I say. “There is nowhere else for you to go, nowhere for you to run.”

💜 Pick a Pumpkin, Pick them all [Luna/George, G, 200]

“Isn’t this enough?” George questioned as Luna dropped yet another pumpkin into the cart. “We’ve nearly bought half the yard.”

💜 When the Castle [Lily/The Black Sisters, M, 500]

Lily had wandered in one stormy night. 

💜 The Antidote [Newt/Theseus, E, 500]

“Is this” — Theseus glanced at the long metal syringe then looked away — “really necessary?”

I am so behind on tags, but I am determined to catch up eventually!

Thank you to @oknowkiss and @quackquackcey for the tags, I loved your first lines! You can finds theirs here and here.

rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Keep You In This Heart of Mine || Drarry || 1.8k || T

You know the second he walks through the gates, feel the familiar thrum of his magic as the castle welcomes him home.

Confessions || Drarry || 292 || M

"I have a confession."

Simple || Drarry || 184 || M

When we were young, I imagined this.

A Little Bit of You || Drarry || 2.7k || T

Draco entered his office and shut the door behind him, drowning out his gossiping coworkers.

This Time || Drarry || 2k || M

He walked through the corridors, fingers running along the stone walls, eyes bright and heart heavy.

(They) Keep Me Warm || Hermione/Harry/Ron || 5.8k || E

Harry stared at himself in the mirror.

Right Over Left || Drarry || 920 || G

Harry entered their room to find Eltanin cross-legged in front of their mirror, their eyebrows drawn together as they moved sections of their hair this way and that.

The Promise of Things to Come || Drarry, pre-Dronarry || 3.8k || T

Hermione crashed into the office Draco shared with Ron, shattering the remnants of Draco’s extremely frayed nerves. 

The Perfect Knit || Drarry || 1.7k || G

Harry paced restlessly up and down the hallway as he waited for the dog trainer to arrive.

Colour Outside The Lines || Gen || 389 || T

To be trans, Harry thinks, is to be a stranger in a strange land.

Apparently I like to jump straight into the action? It's kinda weird to see all my openings laid out like this, but cool too.

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 posted fics and see if there’s a pattern!

Tagged by @kisahawklin... let's gooo! 1. "Don't worry." Call and Response, MK Li Mei/Sindel, T.

2. "We shouldn't have our asses in these chairs," Johnny Cage muttered under his breath to the figure beside him. If You Want Something Done Right..., MK Sonya/Johnny/Kenshi, M.

3. Sonya Blade slaps at her phone with the particular level of irritation reserved for Monday mornings that involve climbing out of a comfortable bed. Fringe Benefits, MK Sonya/Johnny, E.

4. "And all of this is necessary?" Legacies in Memory and Dust, MK Sonya/Johnny, Liu Kang/Kitana, M.

5. Maomao sneezed. One Blossom Now In Bloom, Apothecary Diaries Maomao/Jinshi, E.

6. Zheng Yi Sao closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the Revenge creaking around her.  The Calm and the Storm, Our Flag Means Death Archie/Olu/Zheng/Jim, G.

7. The books hit the elegantly carved table with a thud more ominous than the cart door on the very day of her capture so many months ago. Distractions, Apothecary Diaries, G.

8. It felt strange to sit on the deck of a ship, and stranger still to be doing it because she wasn't dazed, a prisoner, or injured in some way. Breaks in the Day, Our Flag Means Death Archie/Olu/Zheng/Jim, G.

9. "Come see my new alphabet agency, you said. Come meet some people, you said." The Weather Outside, MK Sonya/Johnny, E.

10. She barrels into the jinsei chamber at the head of a squad, following a trail of bodies and memories, desperately hoping that she's not too late. Trigonometry, MK Sonya/Johnny/Kenshi, E.

--

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Tag some people to play the next round!

Patience: Link could barely breathe because he used his strength to grit his teeth instead of turning the pretty smile before him into a toothless grimace.

Stolen Kisses: Despite his rather grim surroundings of the heavily damaged Hateno Fort, Olivar had a jovile tune on his lips as he arranged his tools on the stone floor.

A stolen hour (or two): The sound of clattering armor rang around the corner and Link froze.

The blanket fort: When Link heard that Zelda had never participated in childhood shenanigans one hundred years before, he couldn’t believe it.

For your eyes only: "Honey, I'm home!" Link called as soon as he had closed the door after him.

Of sappy love letters, poisoned chocolates, and true love: Link looked Zelda dead in the eye with the most solemn expression she had ever seen on him.

Flour, water, salt, yeast, love: With quick steps, Zelda fled the stream of warm air rushing out from the store entrance to keep the harsh winter day outside.

A restless spirit: Together with the Champions, Rhoam looked down at Zelda and Link, ready to part forever.

Sweet as honey: With a trace of envy, Zelda eyed Link who was sprawling in the lush grass of his hometown.

Light my fire: The last rays of sunlight filtered through the glass facade of Castle Town's most impressive skyscraper as Urbosa exhaled slowly through her nose, closing her eyes for a beat.

Hush!: Princess Zelda of Hyrule is many things.

The benefits of a big inventory: "This is the fifth time you ask me to dance tonight, Your Highness," Link said and kissed Zelda's knuckles.

Elevator Pranks: The moment that Link recognized the logo of the TV station moving into the basement of his workplace, he realized that the elevator wasn't safe anymore — this team was famous for candid camera jokes.

Touch bound bracelets: As the Hero, Link was busy clearing out monster camps and fulfilling representative tasks for the king.

Of surprises: Slipping out of bed, Link's bare feet hit the wooden floor.

Comic Con: Link fumbled with the ocarina in his pocket when a group of Avengers shouted at him, "Look! Peter Pan!"

Falling: Link fell.

The language of love: On their way back from the field kitchen, Zelda balanced her hot stew through the commotion of the military camp, Urbosa doing the same next to her.

Stitches - Hurt&Comfort: The needle slipped from Zelda's fingers when the discomfort showed its first signs.

Building the future: "Show me what you have."

Wow, that’s a lot and it’s not even half of my stories. A lot of these stories are from my tumblr follower milestones where I limited myself to a specific word count (200/300/400). It’s a fun exercise to tell a story in so little words and concentrate on the necessary parts. Therefore, most starter sentences dive directly into the action/story. I usually try to have something happening/someone moving in the first (few) sentence(s) to catch the attention of the reader. Nothing more boring to me than starting with description... “Hyrule Castle was built directly in a rock structure, its paths cut into the stone in decades of work. Proud banners showed the wealth of the Kingdom off that hadn’t been seen so prospering in years. Countless generations had wandered the halls...” Yawn...no thanks, not my style. 😄

My favorite is hard to pick, but I go with 12, The benefit of a big inventory. The story is only 300 words long and ends with a first kiss. Therefore, I needed to get the romantic built-up done quickly, but believable. The first sentence covers a lot of information without saying “they have a crush on each other”. We learn that Zelda has asked Link repeatedly to dance and that Link teases her about it and is comfortable enough around her to casually kiss her hand in public. That’s not bad for one sentence, I’d say! 😉