Borrowed from toujours_nigel, whose own is here. The idea is to put up the first line of each of the last ten stories I have posted, and see if there are any commonalities or patterns. Going back ten covers everything I've done this year as well as the stories I wrote for Yuletide last year. Rather neatly, too: none of the Yulefic has had to be omitted.

So here goes:

• "All good things must come to an end."
  
  "Hot Buttered Crumpets", 5K, written for artemis1000 in the Everywoman gift exchange.
  
  Crossover between The Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. Back in England after the children's first visit to Narnia, Lucy meets the real Alice.



• "This is the Last Will and Testament of me, Natalya Maria Balandin née Sukhareva…."
  
  "Gone Where the Goblins Go", 5K, written for nycmacysgirl in FK Fic Fest.
  
  Forever Knight. Fill between Seasons One and Two, elaborating on the backstory for Natalie that was introduced in the Season Three episode, "Dead of Night". She is reluctant to go to see her grandmother's lawyer when the old lady dies.



• "The heist was, of course, planned to the second."
  
  "Stopped Cold", 17K, written for rivulet027 in the Worldbuilding Exchange.
  
  The Flash (TV series). Some months after Captain Cold returns to Central City after being rescued from the Oculus explosion, the newly formed Rogues pull their first heist. There are unexpected consequences....



• "‘What the hell just happened?’"
  
  "Truth and Lies", 431 words, written for sperrywink in Chocolate Box.
  
  The Flash (TV series). After the episode "Rogue Air", Cisco and Caitlin talk about the attempt to transfer the prisoners from the Pipeline.



• "He kissed her, caressed her—and sank his teeth into her neck."
  
  "To Perfect Her for the Taking", 572 words, written for monicawoe in Chocolate Box.
  
  Forever Knight. LaCroix's perspective on the events in the flashback to the Season Three episode "Trophy Girl", in which Nick drains Liselle, whom his master had intended as his own prey.



• "‘We should’ve kept the emerald,’ said Mick out of the blue."
  
  "Price above Emeralds", 386 words, written for sperrywink in Chocolate Box.
  
  DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Mick talks to Len after the events of the Season One episode "Blood Ties".



• "After becoming a vampire, Javier did not return to Pizarro’s army for long."
  
  "A Tale of Cain and Abel", 2K, written for androcksandthings in Yuletide.
  
  Forever Knight. In 1531, Vachon slowly flies north from Lake Titicaca, eventually arriving in Mexico City. The Inca is ever in pursuit.



• "Let ol’ Screed tell yer, the advan’age o’ rats is ’ow simple they are as prey."
  
  "A Rat's Eye View of the World", 1K, written for ladygray99 in Yuletide.
  
  Forever Knight. Screed's perspective on food and friendship, and his life as a carouche. Written in his own idiosyncratic idiolectal blend of Nadsat and Cockney.



• "‘He never caned me at school.’"
  
  "Don't Insult My Intelligence", 2K, written for moetushie in Yuletide.
  
  The Charioteer. As Bunny drives back to Bridstow after dropping Laurie at the hospital, he considers the implications of their conversation.



• "She was alone."
  
  "Entire of Herself", ~3K, written for swmbo in Yuletide.
  
  Swallows and Amazons series. While the others go sailing, Susan stays behind on Wild Cat Island to set up camp herself. Takes place shortly after The Picts and the Martyrs.

Ye-e-e-s. I can see one obvious thing most of these have in common. As first lines go, they tend to be short and snappy. They're designed to grab you fast and toss you on to the rest of the paragraph, wherein lies the real interest. In fact, seen in isolation, some of them are remarkably uninformative! One would really need the first paragraph, I think, to make much sense of "All good things must come to an end": it's just a saying, and could lead almost anywhere. And "He never caned me at school" is a direct quotation from the novel.

I wonder if, should I go back further, I'd find that this is true of my earlier stories as well? Is this a consistent aspect of my style or a relatively recent evolution?