Tagged by @startrekgeorgiouery (still can't @ your main @aleksandrachaev adsfg), thanks so much! <3 without even looking at mine I already bet yours have way more variety than my sentences bc you have some short ones and I tend to use monster sentences only? XD we'll see!
Taking fic prompts, btw! Especially for shortfics I can write rn, stuck on trains all day again so I need sth to do xD
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!
Okay here goes
Lilolilyrae on Ao3
1. "Is this, um, Management Systems 101, right?" Andy asks, slightly breathless, as she stumbles into the seminar room on the third floor of her University.
2. Philippa laughs in delight when the shuttle makes a sharp turn.
3. Adrenaline is still running through Andy's body when she lets the stranger -- Celeste, the girl's name is Celeste, and Andromache has always thought that knowing a name and a face makes someone less of a stranger already -- stitch up her injury.
4. Madeleine giggles as she turns around, her eyes following the line of fairy lights Sam has helped Emily stick to the edge of the ceiling earlier that day.
5. Myka looks harried when she gets out of the train in London, wondering not for the first time how Helena can be so cheerful after travelling for three days already when she still feels the jetlag from when they first arrived in Europe and absolutely despised having to sit on a train all day to get to the British Isles.
(ok these are from my (posted) abandoned drafts pile, idk whether to count them or not... And I took the first actual fic-text-like sentences instead of the actual first ones as some start out with summaries or hc ideas
Andy falling for Miranda, seeing through her facade...
Phryne being loud and colourful and maybe dancing with Jack or singing or both is what attracts Mac, she's glad to see a familiar face because she already figured out the date from a newspaper and is Seriously Freaking The Fuck Out and not much has the power to freak out Elizabeth MacMillan.
Hermione was always somewhat fascinated with the Slytherins at school - Hogwarts, a History, was still one of the first books on magic she ever read, telling her about the different houses and associated personality traits.
I'll just put 3 more sentences total to get to the 20)
6. "Looks like I was not the only one who needed to get away from all that... Merriment." Jack Robinson steps onto the balcony where Doctor Elizabeth 'Mac' MacMillan is already leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette.
7. I'm sitting in the sand, sketchbook open on my knees.
8. I'm standing by the window, staring at the pouring rain.
9. Jane Rizzoli has her eyes fixed to the screen of her partner Maura Isles's small universe signature scanner.
10. Miranda wakes feeling well rested and content.
11. Squinting down at the papers in front of her, Florence tries to focus enough to read them, but it's no use, everything turns blurred and painful again after a moment.
12. Helena is pacing between the kitchen and living room of the B&B.
13. "Good girl," Quỳnh husks into the kiss when Andromache melts against her, letting go of all tension as she lets Quỳnh dominate her, pressing her into the ground.
14. Madeleine stands in her new room in the library, staring at the walls.
15. Anna May is sitting on her living room couch, idly TV channel-surfing, but nothing quite catches her attention.
16. They were swaying together in the darkness of the late evening in Bogotá, the dancefloor only illuminated by the fairy lights hanging from the trees.
17. Madeleine notices quickly where her hand is because Florence has hair there, never shaves it
18. In the olden days on earth, soulmates used to be a thing of fairy tales, of myths – some believed in them, some even said they had found them.
19. "What, Andromache, have you gone slow in your old age?" Quynh laughs as she jumps into the circle they have designated as their fighting arena – no mat or other cushioning, just a line drawn in the dirt by the toe of Andy's boot.
20. Bernie curses under her breath when she almost slips on the frozen sidewalk, steadying herself at the last second on a lamppost.
& Bonus bc there wasn't any GOmens fic in here yet: 21. "Wha' is this?!" Crowley quickly hits the pause button and hisses at the TV screen in something between shock, dismay and admiration.
Alright to analyse: I have a lot more short opening sentences that I expected! (Tho still not half as short as some of yours, Kat xD & some monster sentences made it in as well), and I seem to have just two or three modus operandi for starting fic
- x is doing y, while z happens
- *dialogue* x says while doing y, (while z happens)
- *description of past event*
I wrote for way, Way more different ships than I thought I would in just about two dozen fics and fic ideas?
- We've got a lot of Floreleine of course, fluff, h/c and smut and some Florence character study ficlets, also librarywives ot3 but I think no other Gunpowder Milkshake ships
- several Andromaquynh and one Andy/Celeste for The Old Guard, though I think I only really got back into writing for that fandom through gift exchanges and now the big bangs (which aren't finished yet, but when I'm writing for the fandom already oneshot inspiration tends to find me)
-Mirandy (and I'm sure some of the opening sentences it's hard to tell whether it's Andrea-Andy or Andromache-Andy from TOG^
- Milippa my beloved! Just Prime though, I think? My fav Milippa so that checks out... No wait, one's polymilippa MxPxP, ot3s rule always <3
- another ot3: MacPhrack (idk whether they already have a shipname, couldn't find any, looks like I'm the only one seriously shipping Elizabeth MacMillan/Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries anyway)
- I did not expect there to be not one but Two Bering & Wells (Myka/Helena from Warehouse 13) fics in here, it's one of these fandoms I read way more for than I write
- 1 each for Cissamione, Berena, Rizzoli&Isles (and ineffable spouses)
Great tag meme, was fun having a look at this :D
Tagging, if you want to do it, @yelowjackets @cryhardanddanceharder @habrenwrites @guardianrock @bobbseynumber3 @squishmittenficfan @kaorimaxwell-blog @girlgoneangsty @ba-lailah @thefallenmutineer @i-lovefandom @petrichoraflora @purlturtle @salzundhonig @aeternumregina @onaperduamedee @tea-lizard @cookie-sheet-toboggan @daisydoctor13 @batnbreakfast @songbookff @verbumproxen @xvnot15 @lonely-night @andunetir @les-begay-together @accio-baqat @poemsingreenink and any of my other writer mutuals/friends who actually scrolled this far xDxD
For this one I don't mind if you reblog my post as it's kind of fic recs, but if you do the tagging meme, pls make your own post, don't create a giant reblog chain!
Give us boots or I make you dress like a spermatozoan
Contrary to popular belief, Keyla and Joann aren’t inseparable. Do they like it? No, but are they capable of it? Yes. Despite what Georgiou says.
Duty has kept them apart tonight, with Joann’s post-mission debriefing keeping her well past shift hours, and Keyla’s heroic donut leading her in an easy meander to the mess hall for a drink. Several drinks, really. (It’s not her fault people want to toast her!)
“Tilly to Owosekun.” Joann frowns when the messages blips from her comm, interrupting Pike’s post-mission presentation.
“Apologies, Captain.” Pike nods, and Joann taps her comm. “Go ahead.”
“I know you’re in debrief, but, uh, your girlfriend’s asking for you.” Even over a line, Tilly’s blush is tangible. “She kind of went shot for shot with Ariam.”
Ariam? Keyla, a human (fantastic drinker, but still human) had gone shot for shot with Ariam??
Joann wants to bury her head in her hands. Except she can’t, because the captain and Commander Burnham are staring at her like she’s grown a third head, and there’s the teensy matter of Joann not yet having disclosed her relationship with Keyla to Starfleet.
(She’s been meaning to fill out that paperwork. But Klingons invaded and Georgiou nagged and all of a sudden they were preventing a planet wide extinction event. All she needed was twenty goddamn minutes.)
“Did you cut her off?” she mumbles.
“About three shots ago, but she’s well past sober.” Tilly sounds apologetic. “Just wanted to warn you about what you might come into.”
Joann sighs. “Thanks, Tils.” Maybe she can salvage what’s left of her career after this. “I’m terrible sorry, Captain, what were you saying?”
“I was saying that I think an appeal to Starfleet’s general orders might be in order, and as it so happens, that was the last thing in my list.” He shoots them both an easygoing smile, and the knot intermittently tightening itself in Joann’s chest loosens. “Dismissed, both of you. Get some food, get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
“Oh, and Lt. Owosekun —“ Joann swivels her head just as she’s almost at the door. “Make sure you fill out your fraternization paperwork.”
She’s going to kill Keyla.
“Jo!” is what she’s greeted with upon first entering into the mess hall, courtesy of a very inebriated Keyla. “See?” Keyla asks to nobody in particular. “Tha’s my girlfriend! Jo’s my girlfriend!”
“My lovely girlfriend who interrupted me in the middle of debriefing.” Keyla’s kiss tastes like one too many shots of Fireball (does she want to know who got ahold of those?) and Saurian whiskey. “I think it’s time for bed, Key.”
Keyla pouts. “Wait!” she exclaims, and loosely beckons to everyone milling around. “I told everyone this before, but they didn’t believe me, so you have to prove it to them.”
Oh, no. “…what is it?”
With a giggle, Keyla pokes Joann’s triceps. “Arms,” she says succinctly. “You’re Joann Oswolesekun,”
Behind her, Joann can see the rest of the bridge crew trying to hold in their laughter without overwhelming success. “Go ahead,” she tells them, and Bryce and Rhys practically explode with laughter, their grip on each other’s shoulders changing from stifling their amusement to holding themselves upright.
Still, Keyla pouts. “You gotta show them,” she all but whines. “They gots to see your arms, Jo.” A sly grin crosses her features. “I wanna see your arms.”
If it got her girlfriend to bed…
Sighing, Joann sheds her jacket and drapes it over Keyla, who immediately starts whooping. “I told you!” she exclaims again, pointing at Joann’s now-exposed muscles. “Oswolesekun! I fucking told you!”
“You got an arms girl, huh,” Tilly snorts. “Never pegged Detmer for an arms girl, yet here we are.”
“Pegged?” Keyla looks up at the mention of the word. “I like to be —“
“Aaaaaaand that’s enough for you,” Joann covers Keyla’s mouth before she can give any more clues about their sex life to the bridge crew. “It is definitely time for bed, Key.” Before her girlfriend blurted something equally as embarrassing out.
Keyla licks her palm almost wolfishly before giving her a grin. “Only if you carry me.”
9. what’s one show you thought you’d hate but turned out to really enjoy?
tbh i don’t start watching things i think i won’t like but i wasn’t all that interested in the good place when i first started (was watching simply bc of kbell) and as it turned out it became one of my favorite tv shows of all times :)
30. what’s one show you could probably write a 2,000 word essay on, and what would be your topic?
lmao funny you should ask because i did write a much bigger essay on buffy, the vampire slayer and chose to talk about how its feminist premise, although 100% consistent with the 90s movement, became a post-feminism narrative, especially when it started including gay people
32. what’s one show you could watch over and over?
buffy, the vampire slayer; friends; the good place; b99; dollhouse; ghost whisperer; grey’s anatomy (up until 9x19); wandavision
This I did for @aleksandrachaev to help... Motivate her (and to say thank you) to update her awesome fic Asphodel. This scene from her fic came from chapter something, paragraph something-else, and it was a really touching moment that Kat had the absolute genius to write.
So Kat thank you for updating! The fic is one of my favourites. I hope this piece did your fic justice. 💙☺️😍
So @aosrecweek is doing this Best of 2020 challenge and I wanted to join in! Basically, you post however many works of your own that you are proud of this year, and then recommend the same amount of works done by others! (Click here for more info on the @aosrecweek blog).
It’s worth noting that there are SO many more amazing works out there by my friends that I know I’m forgetting. These few are ones that have stuck with me for various reasons, and just know if you didn’t make this short rec list, I love you so much and appreciate your contributions to the fandom! <3
So without further ado, let me tell you what works I enjoyed in 2020!
My works from the year that I loved (in no particular order):
Farewell for a While - Rated G - Daisy revisits her loss of Coulson, her loss of May, and the events that lead them both back to her in the end. I’m proud of this one because I wrote it on my phone in about an hour at midnight one night after a random stroke of inspiration. That may not be a big deal to some of you, but it is for me. :)
I Took You for Granted - Rated G - May is supposedly an unfeeling kill bot. Daisy and Sousa don’t buy it. This one makes me happy because Mama May and Daisy feels while Daisy is in the healing chamber. 🥺
It’s Only a Matter of Time - Rated G - Major Character Death - The team is split up through the decades in my alternate take on season 7. (Ok, this might be my favorite thing I’ve written. Ever.) Do you like Mama May and Daisy feels? Would you like to sob for several minutes as you read a fic? Then look no further! I’m proud of this one because it was literally my worst fear for how the show could’ve ended that I wrote into a fic to make myself sad. And y’all, I succeeded. I sobbed for at least two hours writing this(and still cry if I read it again).
Stay Alive, That Would be Enough - Rated T - Major Character Death - What if swayed Daisy accidentally killed a member of her team? Written for the AoS Angst War. I’m proud of my fight scenes in this one. :)
Little Black Dress - Rated G - Melinda has a date with Phil, and her 11 year-old daughter, Daisy, has opinions on what she should wear. This one was something new for me. I hadn’t previously written anything with a young version of Daisy. So I’m proud of the cuteness that ensued. And also @justanalto‘s comment on this one made me so happy!
Blame it on the Alcohol - Rated T - Phil is drunk at a bar with the guys. Like. Really drunk. So May goes to pick him up. Drunk hilarity follows. Also, Hunter and Fitz arguing at the bar is comedy gold even if I do say so myself. (Also this title took me all the way back to those awkward high school dances where they occasionally played music that was way too inappropriate for 15 year-olds.)
Works by my friends (also in no particular order):
Teach Me How to Say Goodbye - Rated T - by @aleksandrachaev (Sanctuaria on AO3). Ok, look. Do I whine when people kill May? Yes. Do I also still continue to read those fics and cry like a baby when people kill May? Also yes. So that said, if you love May, or Daisy, or the relationship between them, read this. You will probably cry, and probably still end up thanking Kat for stabbing you directly in the heart with this fic. (Really, read it. It’s GREAT!)
I love you (back) - Rated T - by @elbirbi (danixjamie on AO3). Remember how I said, I keep reading fic where May dies? Well add this to the list. I cried just thinking about this fic when I got ready to pick which one of El’s fics to rec on this post (they literally have too many amazing ones, and I could do a whole rec post just on their works). But anyway, this fic is literally a masterclass on how to make me cry, and overall just a gorgeous fic! I mean, the choice of words, I could hear it in Daisy’s voice in my head. I- oof. I could ramble to you all day about this fic, but I won’t take up too much of your dash. Just know there are MayDaisy feels everywhere in this, and you’ll love it!
This headcanon post from @herosofmarvelanddc. Did I prompt Lauren for this? Yes. But did she surprise me with amazing headcanons that were 1000 times better than anything I could’ve dreamed up? YES. Mama May helping Daisy shop for a wedding dress. HELP. I’m feeling too many feelings!
This Philinda Stargazing post on Zi’s @agentsofcuteanimals blog. I yelled at Zi for like 2 days over the line “I know there isn’t a universe where I won’t love you.” I’m still not over it honestly. *sobs*
This Philinda appreciation gif post by @marvelsaos. I have entirely too many Philinda feels from seeing this post. (and the many, many, many others) *sobs again* Also, can we all take a moment to say thank you so, so, so much to @marvelsaos? I mean. Spending so much time, taking gif requests and giving SO much to the fandom? I love them for it!
And last, but certainly not least is my friend @browneyedgenius with her Angst War fic We made all the wrong choices. I still periodically think back to this, M. It really was so good. I knew when I beta read this it was likely going to be the winner because it was... whew. It was amazing! Tugged all the heartstrings and made me feel all the feelings!
Beverly Crusher? maybe, or...Kathryn Janeway, because she’s a wonderful mess. former Emperor Philippa Georgiou (though she is HARD TO WRITE ZOMG). Beverly’s so wise and intelligent and kind and funny and just, determined. I love that. Kathryn is kind of a wreck and kind of incredible all at the same time.
Her Imperial High Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponious Centarius has the highest self-esteem and the most terrible self-worth and can’t handle feelings, yet has them and is just the most amazing wonderful contradiction. She’s so fun. Her dialogue is SO HARD because shes so smart and snappy and funny and thinking three things but saying the 4th. Dammit.
15) why did you start writing?
I was lonely. I was a quiet kid who didn’t go to school until I was 12 and it was this incredible escape because it gave me something to think about when I was alone or school was boring or I was playing by myself. If you had a story, you were never alone really.
It’s like that now, except work is insane and I spend most of my time with a tiny human who doesn’t really do sentences yet and my thoughts and feelings don’t really have a place in my life but I can write about other people’s thoughts and feelings.
20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?
So, before Felix, I’d have time before classes or time on the bus or when class was boring, so it was little chunks here and there. I used to write fic on happy meal bags when I worked at McDonald’s in high school and stuff it in my pockets when drive through was slow.
After Felix, tiny spurts is just what I have, maybe it’s twenty minutes I’m awake at night or half an hour while he very very slowly eats dinner, or the amount of time he finds Sesame Street interesting, or how long I can stay awake after he’s gone to bed. It’s tiny fleeting moments. I do most of my plotting by rambling away at people (thanks for that, you’re wonderful) and then whenever I get a chance, I see if I have words. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. (Today I do! yay!)
23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?
SCUBA diving, because it is such a weird sensory experience. Having had bad sex, because I have opinions on good sex. Parenting, because I’ve learned so many new words for things. Waiting in airports and train stations, because there’s so much people watching and you can pick up a lot.
Teaching, because I meet so many interesting people and see so much emotion from my students.
