A meme, gacked from a_t_rain
Sep. 1st, 2008 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tree_and_leafI did the first lines meme: Post the first line from your 25 most recent fanfics and try to find a pattern.
I think I'll leave the pattern finding to you, though I note I do like first lines that suggest there's some quirk which the central character is hiding from others…
1. Caspian felt vaguely guilty about the stolen hours in the library, surrounded by papers and books, making notes he was always careful to lock up afterwards. (Fly Me To The Moon, Chronicles of Narnia. Shock, horror, shippy!)
2. Sun-filled days and nights bright with stars, sitting on deck, playing chess, telling tales, or singing. (Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader drabble.)
3. Mickey didn’t regret any of it. (Homeward Bound. Doctor Who, post S. XXX/ 4.)
4. She had the feeling she’d been missing an awful lot, probably for most of her life. (Untitled post Journey's End Donna-fic, Doctor Who, post S XXX.)
5. “The Varsity Match…?” said the Brigadier, gazing at the signboard outside Lords in surprise. “It’s not that they're not a hotbed of talent, but I’d have thought with a time-machine, you could have found a more historically significant game." (Another Time, Another Time. Doctor Who, Five takes the Brigadier to watch a cricket match featuring a batsman with a very distinctive late cut familiar to fans of a certain series of detective novels….)
6. The Reverend Magister stared in urbane and well disguised horror at the crowd of humans, fronted by an agitated young man in a silly hat who had just informed him that they were here because his friend was getting married, and where was Canon Smallwood anyway? (Not to be Enterprised Lightly. Doctor Who, prequel to "The Daemons", and written for the "Get Me To The Church on Time" challenge. Contains the Master and an awful lot of quotations from the BCP.)
7. “Bill has an odd taste in birthday presents, and the letter’s positively insulting” said Ron, frowning at the ugly ankh necklace: “For my favourite sister-in-law, I saw this and thought of you.” (Hermione Granger and the Amulet of Antiquity: three variations. Harry Potter, Hermione-centric gen, humour, with Indiana Jones making a guest appearance.)
8. “Just a moment,” said the Doctor to Sarah, and hurried over to the little pockmarked man in a light blue brocade coat, who was regarding the room of exiled Highlanders and French dignitaries as if he was the equal of them all. (To Absent Friends, Doctor Who/ Kidnapped crossover.)
9. The Muggles were already out in force when Moody and Dawlish arrived at the shore. (Alastor Moody and the Fury in the Dark Doctor Who/ Harry Potter crossover, with Moody tangling with the Third Doctor, The Brig and Liz Shaw. Still shamefully unfinished.)
10. Aubrey’s, located tangentially to the Strand, was without question the best wizarding restaurant in England. (Out of Joint. Harry Potter, post-DH. Draco is having a little trouble adjusting to post-war life, and Stan Shunpike is a war hero – and yes, it is DH compliant!)
11. Harry wished he could stop thinking about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, but he couldn’t. (Untitled Harry-centric missing moment from DH, really meta-fic on the gay! Dumbledore interview debate.)
12. “I’m not going to help you find the Doctor” said Martha, furiously, “Forget it, Mr Saxon, or whoever you are.” (Nothing more deadly than principles. Doctor Who, Martha and the Master, canon-shafted, in which the Master tries to detach Martha from the Doctor by telling the truth. I quite like it, despite its Jossing.)
13. “Right” said Dalziel decisively. “Pete, get over to Manchester and take a good hard look at our lad. Talk to the parole officer, and you might as well have a word with them useless bloody wankers at Social Services and all.” (As Ithers See Us Dalziel and Pascoe/ Life on Mars crossover ficlet. No plot to speak of, but this one still makes me smile, even though I says it as shouldn't.)
14. It took Andromeda some time to understand why Ted thought it was a bad idea for him to get her pregnant and present the Black family with a fait accompli. (Engaging the Enemy. Harry Potter, pre-first war.)
15. Phineas Nigellus would never have admitted it to anyone – not least his eldest son – but he rather enjoyed travelling by train. (The Blue Flower. Harry Potter, Phineas Nigellus, gen, historical, possibly excessive use of German romanticism. I am very proud of this story, and was sorry no-one asked for a commentary on it.)
16. Oxford was a strange place, even if you hadn’t spent your adolescence in the Wizarding world and the first years of your adulthood either fighting a war or mopping up the mess it had left behind, Hermione thought, but you got used to it eventually. (Hermione in Oxford. Harry Potter, post DH, untitled and unfinished – I know, I must do something to it. Contains Theo Nott and animal rights protesters who are not all they seem.)
17. Her pupils would certainly never have guessed it, but Minerva McGonagall was passionately fond of poetry. (Vitae Lampadae. McGonagall gen; lots of quotations from the Golden Treasury.)
18. “Getting posh, aren’t we? We never used to have a real tree!” laughed Rose, as she came into the Tylers’ living room on her first Christmas Eve in the new universe.(Untitled Who ficlet Rose spends a non-emo Christmas in the parallel universe, and goes off to save the world.)
19. “Well, Liz, I’m sorry you’re leaving, but I can’t say I’m surprised” the Doctor said, after the Brigadier, both surprised and somehow hurt, had gone. “You really did miss your own work, didn’t you?” (Untitled drabble, Doctor Who. The only fic I have written which has received no comments, which is probably fair enough, actually.)
20. UNIT was an impossible place to work, thought Liz, as she took off her lab coat and prepared to go home. Untitled Brig/ Liz friendship (or pre-ship) ficlet. Doctor Who.)
21. There were white roses on the bench, and in the dim light of the Old Bailey they looked almost ashen. (Tell Beauty How She Blasteth. That Sayers fic; a close echo of the novel it's AU for.)
22. “Well,” said the Doctor, cheerfully. “That’s the Autons seen to. Again. You’d think they’d get a better plan than murderous shop dummies, at least after the first half dozen times.” Untitled Who ficlet, with Nine and Rose in Oxford, and a non-speaking cameo for the Brig.
23. “Albus! I- I never heard such a suggestion. Surely you can’t be serious!” Septima Vector sounded uncharacteristically shocked. This seems to be untitled; Harry Potter, Snape-centric. It's the answer to the nagging question, why does Snape wear a cassock?
24. It took the Grangers some thought to come up with an answer to the question “And how’s poor Hermione?” In the end, they told the truth – more or less. Harry Potter, also untitled. Post war, probably still canon-compatible, though it's not entirely clear what did happen to the Grangers…
25. “Ernie gives lousy parties” muttered Harry. My first fanfic ever, written in response to the Preposterice challenge for the prompt "Cliched plot, Harry and Draco meet at a party, they drink, they sex." I don't know if it's clichéd, but I am proud that it meets all the elements of the plot while still being 100% gen.
I think I'll leave the pattern finding to you, though I note I do like first lines that suggest there's some quirk which the central character is hiding from others…
1. Caspian felt vaguely guilty about the stolen hours in the library, surrounded by papers and books, making notes he was always careful to lock up afterwards. (Fly Me To The Moon, Chronicles of Narnia. Shock, horror, shippy!)
2. Sun-filled days and nights bright with stars, sitting on deck, playing chess, telling tales, or singing. (Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader drabble.)
3. Mickey didn’t regret any of it. (Homeward Bound. Doctor Who, post S. XXX/ 4.)
4. She had the feeling she’d been missing an awful lot, probably for most of her life. (Untitled post Journey's End Donna-fic, Doctor Who, post S XXX.)
5. “The Varsity Match…?” said the Brigadier, gazing at the signboard outside Lords in surprise. “It’s not that they're not a hotbed of talent, but I’d have thought with a time-machine, you could have found a more historically significant game." (Another Time, Another Time. Doctor Who, Five takes the Brigadier to watch a cricket match featuring a batsman with a very distinctive late cut familiar to fans of a certain series of detective novels….)
6. The Reverend Magister stared in urbane and well disguised horror at the crowd of humans, fronted by an agitated young man in a silly hat who had just informed him that they were here because his friend was getting married, and where was Canon Smallwood anyway? (Not to be Enterprised Lightly. Doctor Who, prequel to "The Daemons", and written for the "Get Me To The Church on Time" challenge. Contains the Master and an awful lot of quotations from the BCP.)
7. “Bill has an odd taste in birthday presents, and the letter’s positively insulting” said Ron, frowning at the ugly ankh necklace: “For my favourite sister-in-law, I saw this and thought of you.” (Hermione Granger and the Amulet of Antiquity: three variations. Harry Potter, Hermione-centric gen, humour, with Indiana Jones making a guest appearance.)
8. “Just a moment,” said the Doctor to Sarah, and hurried over to the little pockmarked man in a light blue brocade coat, who was regarding the room of exiled Highlanders and French dignitaries as if he was the equal of them all. (To Absent Friends, Doctor Who/ Kidnapped crossover.)
9. The Muggles were already out in force when Moody and Dawlish arrived at the shore. (Alastor Moody and the Fury in the Dark Doctor Who/ Harry Potter crossover, with Moody tangling with the Third Doctor, The Brig and Liz Shaw. Still shamefully unfinished.)
10. Aubrey’s, located tangentially to the Strand, was without question the best wizarding restaurant in England. (Out of Joint. Harry Potter, post-DH. Draco is having a little trouble adjusting to post-war life, and Stan Shunpike is a war hero – and yes, it is DH compliant!)
11. Harry wished he could stop thinking about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, but he couldn’t. (Untitled Harry-centric missing moment from DH, really meta-fic on the gay! Dumbledore interview debate.)
12. “I’m not going to help you find the Doctor” said Martha, furiously, “Forget it, Mr Saxon, or whoever you are.” (Nothing more deadly than principles. Doctor Who, Martha and the Master, canon-shafted, in which the Master tries to detach Martha from the Doctor by telling the truth. I quite like it, despite its Jossing.)
13. “Right” said Dalziel decisively. “Pete, get over to Manchester and take a good hard look at our lad. Talk to the parole officer, and you might as well have a word with them useless bloody wankers at Social Services and all.” (As Ithers See Us Dalziel and Pascoe/ Life on Mars crossover ficlet. No plot to speak of, but this one still makes me smile, even though I says it as shouldn't.)
14. It took Andromeda some time to understand why Ted thought it was a bad idea for him to get her pregnant and present the Black family with a fait accompli. (Engaging the Enemy. Harry Potter, pre-first war.)
15. Phineas Nigellus would never have admitted it to anyone – not least his eldest son – but he rather enjoyed travelling by train. (The Blue Flower. Harry Potter, Phineas Nigellus, gen, historical, possibly excessive use of German romanticism. I am very proud of this story, and was sorry no-one asked for a commentary on it.)
16. Oxford was a strange place, even if you hadn’t spent your adolescence in the Wizarding world and the first years of your adulthood either fighting a war or mopping up the mess it had left behind, Hermione thought, but you got used to it eventually. (Hermione in Oxford. Harry Potter, post DH, untitled and unfinished – I know, I must do something to it. Contains Theo Nott and animal rights protesters who are not all they seem.)
17. Her pupils would certainly never have guessed it, but Minerva McGonagall was passionately fond of poetry. (Vitae Lampadae. McGonagall gen; lots of quotations from the Golden Treasury.)
18. “Getting posh, aren’t we? We never used to have a real tree!” laughed Rose, as she came into the Tylers’ living room on her first Christmas Eve in the new universe.(Untitled Who ficlet Rose spends a non-emo Christmas in the parallel universe, and goes off to save the world.)
19. “Well, Liz, I’m sorry you’re leaving, but I can’t say I’m surprised” the Doctor said, after the Brigadier, both surprised and somehow hurt, had gone. “You really did miss your own work, didn’t you?” (Untitled drabble, Doctor Who. The only fic I have written which has received no comments, which is probably fair enough, actually.)
20. UNIT was an impossible place to work, thought Liz, as she took off her lab coat and prepared to go home. Untitled Brig/ Liz friendship (or pre-ship) ficlet. Doctor Who.)
21. There were white roses on the bench, and in the dim light of the Old Bailey they looked almost ashen. (Tell Beauty How She Blasteth. That Sayers fic; a close echo of the novel it's AU for.)
22. “Well,” said the Doctor, cheerfully. “That’s the Autons seen to. Again. You’d think they’d get a better plan than murderous shop dummies, at least after the first half dozen times.” Untitled Who ficlet, with Nine and Rose in Oxford, and a non-speaking cameo for the Brig.
23. “Albus! I- I never heard such a suggestion. Surely you can’t be serious!” Septima Vector sounded uncharacteristically shocked. This seems to be untitled; Harry Potter, Snape-centric. It's the answer to the nagging question, why does Snape wear a cassock?
24. It took the Grangers some thought to come up with an answer to the question “And how’s poor Hermione?” In the end, they told the truth – more or less. Harry Potter, also untitled. Post war, probably still canon-compatible, though it's not entirely clear what did happen to the Grangers…
25. “Ernie gives lousy parties” muttered Harry. My first fanfic ever, written in response to the Preposterice challenge for the prompt "Cliched plot, Harry and Draco meet at a party, they drink, they sex." I don't know if it's clichéd, but I am proud that it meets all the elements of the plot while still being 100% gen.