#opening line patterns

[fiskerpen]

Opening Line Patterns

Tagged by @kageyuuki

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

-I'm awake! I'm awake.

Let's see what sort of pattern I have for starting my fics...

Archetype 101

Raz groaned as he leaned his head against the dorm room door.

A Gut Feeling

Dion, once again, couldn’t sleep that night.

Catching Cobblewhomps with Milk Tea

(Main Story Proper)

Lucrecia carefully poured the water into a medium pot, filling it halfway before placing a lid on it.

(Story with the Story)

Once upon a time, there was an innkeeper in a sleepy old town by the name of Mrs. Lavender.

Setting the Record (I should get back to that fic)

Lucrecia looked around the big, airy atrium of the Motherlobe, the new headquarters for the Psychonauts since she was gone.

Eggs on their Faces

Speed watched the road as he drove the Mach 5 through the city.

Empire State of Mind (I should get back to this one, too)

The sound of crickets chirped through the night.

I'm gonna cheat for this next bit and grab from WIPs:

Working Title: Nono

"...What on Earth is that?" Ford said as he and Compton took a look at the flatiron-looking gadget on Otto Mentallis's desk.

Deer in the Headlights

“Mr. Ferno didn’t!”

Wow, I thought I had more opening lines

Conclusions:

Aside from "I need to work on these more often?" and "I have too many WIPs?" Most of my earlier fics started with a character, while later ones experimented a lot more.

I also noticed the first thing I tend to write in a fic is not the opening lines, but the first bit of dialogue that comes to mind.

Tag time! I don't know a lot of writers who haven't already been tagged, but I'm tagging @boom-fanfic-a-latta and @ahimaysokamu! Might also poke some Discord mutuals later on.

Hope you enjoyed!

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Tag Game: Writing Pattern

Thank you to @writer-of-worlds for the tag!

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

Gently tagging @fourwingedwriter @stargazer-luna @blackrosesandwhump @annakayy @elizaellwrites and open tag! :D

Here goes nothing!

June of Doom Day 1

Whumpee sprinted blindly through the thicket, hands uselessly trying to protect their face from the branches that whipped and stung at their skin.

Victoria Rescues Sam

“I wish to speak with Blizzard."

Killian Poison Ficlet

In hindsight, Killian should’ve expected something to go wrong.

Gunblade Duo Used as Bait Oneshot

The trek back through Zariya was even more tense than the initial trip.

Moonlight

The moonshadow elf had been following Jin for some time now.

First Meeting

First contact happened the night Diana decided against going out to play for the nearby inn.

Getting Stabbed Hurts, Who'd have thought? (Magician's Bait, Part 6)

Reese’s head pounded like her skull was being used as a child’s drum set.

Cinderheart

Jin was surrounded by darkness, no longer the angry, invincible, uncontrollable monster but herself before the painful transformation.

Please Don't Kill the Messenger

Octavian moved quickly through the forest, following an old deer path south.

Whumpril Day 8, Day 16

Whumpee could feel the cough rising in their chest, the unbearable tickling, burning sensation in their throat as they held it back.

[dinosaurcharcuterie]

Derailing project of the moment, Project "Nephew's Birthday Gift" is... Technically done. Added side seams, because he's turning four, and pockets, because cool rocks exist.

I also kept the promise of it not taking up much space. It's about the size of a T-shirt, and I'm so very very tempted to just... Buy a T-shirt and play an innocent prank on the birthday boy.

And then the fiber craft demons struck, in the shape of a very charming man in the open air museum doing a demonstration with five dozen cards and sewing thread on a +5m inkle loom, and I decided nephew needs a knighty belt. Because that's what kindergartners care about: handmade decorative techniques that were available to people in the era. It's definitely not just that he wants a dress-up outfit to boink his brother on the butt with a toy sword in.

[icewindandboringhorror]

examining a seemingly normal image only to slowly realize the clear signs of AI generated art.... i know what you are... you cannot hide your true nature from me... go back where you came from... out of my sight with haste, wretched and vile husk

[robthegoodfellow]

Writing Patterns Game

Rules: share the first line of your last 10 published works or as many as you are able and see if there's any patterns.

Tagged by @dragonflylady77 awhile back! 💛

3DPC4EVA

A car never forgot the moment it came to—became aware.

¿Por qué no Halloween?

The line outside Club Quarry snaked around the block, an impatient technicolor parade of glitter and sequins, leather and feathers—and skin.

Only One Bed

Eddie got a job bartending at the Hideout a couple months before he finally graduated—third time’s the charm—in large part because the owner, Sam, was a close friend of the family.

A Little Death Do Us Part

Billy had been dead for four days when Steve finally made a breakthrough, muffled cracks as bones restitched and the crushed chest cavity filled, the rasp of rusted lungs expanding with breath.

Step Up

The divorce was finalized around Christmas, which is when Steve resolved to tell Robin.

Step 9

Steve didn’t know what he’d been expecting until the bells above the diner door let out a merry jingle—and there he was.

I'm Glad My Dad Died

Billy had a secret: he was glad his dad was dead.

Here I Go Again

Billy’d been warned against stopping in Stark County, but when you gotta go, you gotta go—and anyway, he was running low on gas.

Drummer Boy

Billy had always been a side sleeper, one hand wedged beneath his pillow—or tucked under his ear to hear the thrum of his pulse, steady and lulling on good nights, thudding fast on others, a dull roar that drowned out the shouts through the wall if he listened hard.

For My Baby, For My Man

Steve felt like a real asshole when Robin asked out of the blue one day, maybe a month after he and Billy became roommates, if the guy was paying part of his rent in labor.

no pressure tags (sorry if you already did this back when the game swept through originally): @imsodishy @ihni @shieldofiron @fizzigigsimmer @adelacreations

@suometar @spaceofentropy

[tea-cat-arts]

I'm willing to at least hear out most of the "xyz plot point is heavily tied to abc cultural context" brands of posts but the "wwx isn't meant to be read as morally gray" and "the western fandom made up Sizhui being wangxian's son" brands of post make me feel like my cultural ignorance is being used to gaslight me

[cartoon-skeleton]

almost 2 years ago my dad half-jokingly asked me to sew a “wizard robe” for him, so I said I would for his birthday, and I started but messed up so many times that I gave up— then I went back to college and stuff and never had time so it was just in my closet for all that time— BUT TODAY. I saw a kid walking down the street in a wizard robe (real) and I was like OMG I FORGOT DADS WIZARD ROBE and I got home and laser-focused for hours til I finished it. so now he’s wearing it around the house and saying shit like “this is my rarest garment” “the only one of its kind in the entire multiverse” so I think he likes it

[ask-thearchivists]

charmer, did you ever have clothes made out of Titan babies? ^-^

The Charmer: Babies? No. But if you want to know more, the Curator makes all of our clothes, ask them.

The Curator: Wait, those boots that I made you, you gave me fur to line them with, you said you made it-

The Charmer: I did make it.

[naurnaville]

...He liked to think aloud in my presence. His remarks could hardly be said to be made to me—many of them would have been as appropriately addressed to his bedstead—but none the less, having formed the habit, it had become in some way helpful that I should register and interject. If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.

While reading through CREE, I found how funny it was to me how modest Watson places himself as, which I think can lead to borderline undermining himself through describing his acts of service as simply "humble". Though he's certainly honest about his efforts when mentioning how he isn't at the same intellectual speed as Holmes, I feel as if he's overlooking just how important his supposed "humble abilities" are. I mean, the fact that the whole paragraph is basically about how he's able to reliably provide a shining light to Holmes' mental abilities and thought process is kind of ironic to how modest he wants to place himself as, including how he compares his usual presence while Holmes is thinking to no different than "his bedstead". Though the latter point being more about Holmes' usual thinking process, I believe that he overlooks just how strong and reliable of a companion he is by focusing on what he's supposedly not as well equipped on, but even Holmes himself has commented on how undermining Watson is to himself as a whole more than once:

...I would take this opportunity to remark that if I burden myself with a companion in my various little inquiries it is not done out of sentiment or caprice, but it is that Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own to which in his modesty he has given small attention amid his exaggerated estimates of my own performances. A confederate who foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, is indeed an ideal helpmate.

Here, in BLAN, Holmes notes on how Watson does, in fact, consistently put down his own reliable abilities to strengthen Holmes', and even goes to say how ideal of a companion he is because of his "weaknesses". This also extends to:

...And here it is that I miss my Watson. By cunning questions and ejaculations of wonder he could elevate my simple art, which is but systematized common sense, into a prodigy.

Not only is Holmes literally overlooking his own abilities here, but he is, at the same time, trying to uplift Watson's abilities and how notable his presence is, which seems to be nearly the exact opposite as how Watson sees himself as. He really is more than just a "humble whetstone" to Holmes, and it's ironic and a little discouraging how this essentially continues throughout the canon, with some exceptions. Even with these cases both in the press, they still can't come to the same conclusion between each other, that they are being too modest about themselves to the other. The mutual "humble and simple service" is really interesting to see throughout the canon, if not all of it, but just a bit disappointing.

[triskhellion]

First & Last Lines / Writing Patterns

tagged by @dear-massacre 🖤 & @renmackree 💙!

Combining these since I'll be using the same posted fics for both because I tend to bounce around on my unpublished fics/chapters and am not sure of the order including those.

Rules:

Post the first and last lines of the last 10 fics you worked on. WIPs are allowed! / List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Gingerly: 2k, Sterek, teen (complete)

First: Stiles began working on his magic over the summer, but didn’t tell anyone because he wanted to have something impressive, or at least reliable, to show when he was inevitably asked to demonstrate. Last: It seemed like he was going to show off his tattoos after all.

Anticipation (Chosen 5): drabble, Sterek, mature

First: He lifted a hand to his throbbing mark, unsteady from the new and intense sensations coursing through him. Last: Daunting.

Mine (Chosen 4): drabble, Sterek, teen

First: Derek stilled as his senses expanded and were overwhelmed all at once. Last: Mine.

Mouth Stuff: 1.7k, Sterek/pre-Steraac, teen (complete)

First: The scent of intense irritation wafted over to where Derek was reading in his favorite chair.  Last: And if he had an interesting dream about both of them that night, well, it was no one’s business but his. 

Acceptance (Chosen 3): drabble, Sterek, teen

First: “…Mieczysław.” Last: A hungry mouth trailed kisses over his marked skin before fangs clamped down.

Answer (Chosen 2): drabble, Sterek, teen

First: Derek listened to the rabbiting heart of his intended over the white noise of the heater. Last: "Yes." 

Chosen: (Chosen 1): drabble, Sterek, teen

First: Stiles could tell from the size of the bite on his neck that he was in trouble.  Last: “I think you know.”

15 Shades of Red: 20.8k, Sterek, explicit (WIP)

First: His cool, calm, and collected demeanor was at odds with the anxiety and anticipation roiling inside him.  Last: M — Stilinski — had just entered the room, his room, and he was incensed.

Legs: 4.3k, Sterek, explicit (complete)

First: “Thank fucking God,” Stiles muttered to himself as the key finally turned in the lock after jiggling the damn door until everything lined up just right.  Last: And no matter who came in first, he was going to win either way.

Hunter, Dragon, Wolf: 1k, Sterek, mature (complete)

First: Every decision — theirs and yours — has led to this.  Last: Entwined.

Consider yourself tagged if you want to join in!

[monster-noises]

I'll put this under a cut and also don't read the tags if like... talk about what might be disordered eating habits or like.. struggling with food/eating are an issue for you.

I drink my tea and I try not to think about it, I eat my dinner and I try not to think about it, I worry that I've been trying not to think about it too much (despite calculating every meal and snack as carefully as I can with some exceptions for special occasions, which haunt me like regretful specters) and so I've Fucked myself, So I think about it, Everything in my brain starts to scream and, despite being hungry, I don't want to eat anymore or ever again, because clearly everything Bad and Dangerous, doubly so if it's Tasty and brings me Joy and if eating isn't Enjoyable then what's the fucking point? and I'm starting to think there Are no Good Foods Anyway, everything's going to add to the blazing pyre that Will kill me (It's a manageable disease that thousands if not millions of people live with, if it even develops, but it is still very dangerous and that frightens me) and I have no way of keeping track of what's happening inside my body or knowing if I'll ever not feel frayed and stressed and anxious (which affects my work and my art, which is the biggest most heartbreaking theft in all of this) or be able to enjoy a nice meal ever again and then I Spiral Spiral Spiral and Spiral, and then I realize I need to be up at 5am and I keep eating dinner and trying not to think about it.

[northwestofinsanity]

Hello? I have never seen this video in such good quality?

[unopenablebox]

i will admit that i think it is intrinsically a bit silly and embarrassing to claim that it is more surprising to encounter known wildlife than a thing that absolutely should not exist in any way at all. but, you know, survivable. especially if you are interpreting 'surprise' to instead mean something along the lines of "which thing causes you to immediately shriek and slam the door" or similar, in which case you're probably just objectively right to pick the walrus. absolutely close door on walrus. this makes sense as a stronger instinct to have than any specific reaction to an impossible but humanoid thing

however it's extremely goofy to post a defensive yet smug tumblr-wacky-anecdote-toned post about how actually, you're completely right to think animals are more surprising than things that don't exist, because how could an animal ever get to and then knock on a door??? what situation could ever exist where a knocking-like sound precedes an animal outside a door???? checkmate, literal atheists

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Writing Patterns Tag Game

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

Well; "fics" gotta be a very vague term here, huh? Probably the downside of novella/novel length works.

Caldyn’s head hurt. (Thorns)

“Look at that. A little thief.” (Nuisance)

“Don’t call me Fifi!” (Second Chances)

It was a figure in the crowd, a missed sign, a tiny movement of his finger that changed Damien’s life forever. (Undeserved)

“One hundred and fifty-four. One hundred and fifty-five. One hundred and fifty-six.” (Glass Shards)

Boring. (Fancy Boots)

Finnian hated dealing with sick people. (Till Death)

Watchmaker. Tailor. Candy store. Shoemaker. Herbalist. (Sweet Little Lies)

And since I am running out of actually published "real" things, I'm gonna add two little oneshots:

Dark. (Gwyneth: Hold On)

Once upon a time, there was a merchant. The merchant had three daughters, and whenever he returned from his travels, he brought gifts for all of them. (The Rose)

If there's a pattern, I can't see it. Except perhaps that those are all very short - those are not only the first sentence but the first paragraph each.

I also don't know who to tag, because everyone I know on here has the same "issue" of posting fewer long works, so I am leaving it an open tag.

[practicecourts]

Opening Lines

Thanks for the tag, @mppmaraudergirl, @missgryffin & @nodirectionhome-ao3

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

In an unlit corridor, one of many that run through the large house, a boy sits on the floor, his legs crossed.

Midwinter Magic

Green eyes stare into the night. 

Head Over Handlebars For You

As Lily clicked through her emails about her sister's hen-do, she checked her calendar, something was very wrong.

Silent Night

It’s the dead of night, yet Hope lies awake in her bed. 

An Idiot In Love

James slipped his Invisibility Cape off as the portrait closed behind him. 

Sunrise, Sunset

Padded feet galloped along the path, up the hill. 

Jockey

“Oi, what’s that jockey think he’s doing, pushing so hard? With half a mile to go, that horse will fade for sure,” James said, shaking his head at the display of stupidity on the racetrack.

Here Comes The Sun

“Lily, could you please pick some cards?” Mary asked from where she sat on the comfortable couch in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Summer Time

“I think I just set some sort of record,” he says, stretching his arms above his head. 

Shall We Shag Now Or Later? (adding this one bc it's a proper OPENING line ... I couldn't stop thinking about pick-up lines at first when I read this ;-)

“Why didn’t we ever shag, Evans? It feels like a wrong we should set right,” James Potter says as he sets his empty glass on the bar.

Hmm, I remember doing this a long time back and then I felt most of these were some kind of ... trouble or problem (like the HOH beginning) > these seem more of a dive into either scene/setting and or action (dialogue or real action)

Anyone else feel that once you start looking at these they feel very ... underwhelming? No? just me then ;-)

tagging (sorry if you were already tagged and zero pressure) @jamesunderwater @charmsandtealeaves @annabtg @petals2fish @mabelexclamationpoint @welsh-green @eastwindmlk @fiendishfyre @blitheringmcgonagall @maraudersftw @corinnesamuels @kay-elle-cee @wearingaberetinparis @abihastastybeans @joyseuphoria

[thedragonaspect]

From @keriweird

List the First Line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Long Shot (Mass Effect)

At first glance it looks tropical, but the steamy haze filling the canyon is close to boiling and the lush green on the walls is a heat-resistant algae.

Dead End (Mass Effect)

Even in death, Private Callahan couldn’t seem to shut up.

Re-construct (Mass Effect)

“Oh, you fucker!”

Downtime (Mass Effect)

It took a minute to register that someone was calling her by name.

Llathasa (Skyrim)

"Sleep well?"