extrapenguin

Blatantly grabbed from

schneefink. The first line of my 20 latest fics!

[The Goblin Emperor]
As always, Cala returns soon enough.
I couldn't figure out how to set up my 2nd person POV PWP so I started in medias res-ish!

[TGE]
Vala Cerethar's trousers and shoes were wet.
This is basically a setting-setting line that's only in its place because it's more appealing than the second paragraph of exposition. Also the state of Vala's legwear is an important call line before he finds a tentacle monster and porn happens.

[TGE]
Telimezh opened the door with trepidation.
(Yes, this is here, and only once, since the "write an alternative ending" takes have the same opening line.)
Telimezh opens a door. The trepidation is there to alert the reader that ACTION will be happening.

[TGE]
“We feel it- unjust that you have to cease your lives when ours does,” Maia said.
Another example of my inability to get from canon to Desired Starting Point legitly, and another example of me sidestepping my weakness with the tactical application of in medias res! Also a gutpunch.

[TGE]
If Dazhis had been completely frank, he'd probably have admitted it to himself.
Tension, created by a) Dazhis b) what is the "it" Dazhis speaks of. Serviceable.

[TGE]
Cala had not taken with him the entire contents of the Athmaz'are library, for that would be foolish.
Sets up Cala having to go to the Athmaz'are library rather nicely.

[Vorkosigan]
The most enticing offer Simon had ever received had been from the Cetagandans.
This automatically creates an incentive for the reader to discover what the Cetas' offer was! (The fic itself, though, needs a rewrite; I dashed it off quicker than usual and I think it could be told better.)

[TGE]
Dazhis had not grown up in squalor.
Tension from the presence of Dazhis! Tension from the fact that he did not grow up in squalor, so why is it being brought up now?

[Yoko Tsuno]
This time, Yoko was staying on the dark side of Vinéa with Khâny.
I tell y'all where Yoko is and whom she's with. Not especially inspired, but the "this time" hints that Yoko-Khâny meetings are common enough occurrences.

[a song: Burn Witch Burn - Ego Likeness]
“The court has lost perspective”, she snarled.
The italics indicate it's not part of the story's "now"; later, we find out it was a flashforward. Raises a lot of questions! Hopefully works as a decent hook?

[TGE]
Karo Voskhodin was sixteen when she entered the hallowed ranks of the pneumatic girls.
"Hi this is my OC. More info to follow. She's 16!" Well, I mean, anyone who clicked on the story knowing it was OFC gen is probably not going to bail at this. It's not like it's "Hi my name is Karo Revethv'oran Incendiary Nazhcreis Voskhodin and Im 16 years old!!" or anything of that sort. (It's sad that I am not all that good at writing summaries, since summaries are what readers base their clicks on. Well, maybe not in my fandoms where everyone reads everything, but you catch my drift. I am ok/good at starting lines, but not summaries or tags. Sigh.)

[a song: Memories - Within Temptation]
The amaranths were trying to take over the hydroponics again.
There are amaranths (symbols of immortality or eternity or whatever) and they're in hydroponics! Why are they in hydroponics? Are they sentient? (No.)

[FTL: Faster Than Light]
It took some convincing, but his team was given permission to do it, as well as the necessary funding.
This is certainly a starting line. Also some tension thing about WTF our protagonist got permission to do.

20 analyses is a lot.

[TGE]
Mer Miris Niüma had been a second-rate philosopher, with only one book to his name.
This is certainly an opening line for the opening paragraph, which is actually about Vedero rather than Random OMC Philosopher. The paragraph's good. This is certainly evocative, but not necessarily all that accurate re: the rest of the fic.

[TGE]
Eris Akheda, 150 centimeters short and very slight, opened his mail.
Oh wait I'm capable of physical description??? Also another "here is my OC!" situation. Though honestly I don't think anyone clicked on this for any reason other than maybe linguistics nerdery. Or getting confused.

[TGE]
“An you so wish to see your daughter married to a member of the Drazhada, then we offer her a marriage to our Cousin Idra.”
Okay I cheated, the first line is actually just Idra, but that's ... short. The title sez all in this case: "Five fiancé(e)s Stano Bazhevin married (and one she didn't)". This line is certainly to the point. Not for me, long intros!

[TGE]
Maia settled into his chair in the Corazhas.
Okay lol this almost counts as a crook. Maia isn't The Point of the fic, and neither is the Corazhas. There is minor Corazhas things, but this is about ... another bunch of OCs. And mazei in general, I guess.

[TGE]
Cala pulled Beshelar (Deret?) closer and kissed him.
Short fluffy sweet relationship stuff. Works for the purpose.

[TGE]
The first few weeks after the Imperial Wedding were hectic, but after that initial burst of activity, Csethiro had the opportunity to visit Vedero.
HERE IS A SETUP YES SETUP VERY SETUP A+ GOOD. Sorry, it's 11pm. Csethiro and Vedero have a short talk! Very accurate opening.

[Incompetent Time-Travelling Saxophone Haters]
Stella was not all that surprised (but more than minorly pissed off) when Viktor called her at four AM.
There's a Stella, and a Viktor, and they are of different genders for pronoun reasons! Also there's 4am phonecalls. Also fits with the tone of the rest of the fic I suppose!

In general, I tend to (especially in the last half of this year) have the initial sentence in the plusquamperfect and summarize past events with it and then either elaborate on said events or contrast with the present. Not all that much dialogue or action.