First lines meme

[aadler]

I got this from selenak, who cited astrogirl as her source: the first lines of the last ten fanfictions I’ve written. So,

1. The ‘intervention’ in the library was over.
   [Better Left Unspoken, July 2018]
2. Sitting on the other side of the little table, Joyce Summers took a measured sip from her cup and said, “At the moment, the most important thing to me is that you fully understand where I’m coming from.”
   [Deepest, Darkest, Blackest Night, Without a Single Spark of Light, February 2018]
3. Life had a rhythm, and that suited him.
   [Friends with the Monster, December 2017]
4. Very well, then, before I begin this recitation I must be certain that you understand: nothing I am about to tell you has anything to do with the supernatural.
   [Lesson the First, July 2017]
5. It’s been going on for weeks now.
   [There Ought to Be Clowns, December 2016]
6. Jenny had stopped shivering, or seemed to have done, but Giles was taking no chances.
   [the Final Cut, August 2016]
7. The lizard was back, and Emily kept an eye on it as the two young women worked their way across the plain.
   [the Other Night I Dreamt of Knives, April 2016]
8. The office was neat, tasteful, organized, furnished in subtle, soothing shades.
   [Curious Poses, February 2016]
9. Fusco was having a little trouble following the conversation.
   [Tea and Oranges, December 2015]
10. Faith felt like shit.
    [Just Can’t Kill the Beast, June 2015]

A few quick observations.

First, I had to go back three years to come up with ten stories. Not too bad, but well down from how I was doing when I had the momentum.

Second, ALL the stories are set in the Buffyverse (except for one, a remix, that crossed BtVS with Person of Interest). I’ve done a few otherfandom stories here and there, but none since 2013 … though there is a crossover idea I’ve been mulling that might find itself in print sometime over the next several months.

Longest line, 38 words (and the only one to include dialogue). Shortest, four words (and it was also the entire first paragraph of the story).

All but one was in past tense. I’ve done a decent number of stories in present tense, but apparently not in the last three years. (The single exception I cited? that story alternated italicized sections in present tense, with past-tense narrative. Sort of a hybrid creature.)

Perspective breakdown: 3 Giles (understandable, since they were Summer of Giles stories), 2 Xander, one each for Buffy, Faith, and Joyce. That covered eight of the ten. The remainder were Fusco (Person of Interest) and an OC Slayer. I’ve done a lot of work with secondary characters over the years — in fact, it was practically my trademark for a while — but it would appear that lately I’ve balanced that with more focus on the BtVS core.

Oh, and eight of the ten were Independent stories, with only two being part of my Backstage Series, which I still consider my ‘real’ work.

I could go on, but hey, it’s just a meme, and I don’t expect others to find me as fascinating as I find myself.