#first 10 lines

[tathrin]

10 First Lines:

Rules: Share the first lines of your ten most recent fics and then tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy—share anyway! tagged by @aroace-moron (thank you!)

1 . On The Other Side of Mahal's Halls: They walked a-ways before Gimli noticed that Legolas's fingers were trembling in his grip.

2 . And In The Darkness To Unmake Them: Upon the ringing of the bell, Frodo fell into step beside Bilbo and together the two Hobbits followed Gandalf out to the porch where Frodo had spoken with his friends the evening before.

3 . Dead Faces In The Water; Dead Faces Everywhere: It started, at least in Mirkwood, when the king came home.

4 . To Live In Undying Lands: Gulls wheeled overhead and for once their cries did not pierce through Legolas’s heart like the blades of cold knives.

5 . The Last Temptation of Narvi of Khazad-dûm: Narvi flings the whole mess—sketches, gemstones, glittering metal bands, sheafs of scrap-paper covered in tiny terrible runes—down on the workbench and glowers.

6 . Within A Lonely Mountain Dark With Cold And Shadow: So this was how it ended.

7 . Will the Waves Carry Me Away? Thirty-five years, and Gimli still disliked riding horseback.

8. No Living Dwarf: When the Fellowship passed through the Doors of Durin, they found themselves walking in a tomb.

9 . Dream In Colors Borrowed From The Sea: My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.

10 . Blows Uncounted: Legolas lost count.

tagging: @bifuriouswaterbender @roselightfairy @realtacuardach @sallysavestheday @katajainen @estel-of-the-eyrie @babybat98 @storytellingdreamer @thescrapwitch @nocompromise-noregrets

[hannah-heartstrings]

Writing Patterns/First 10 Lines Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @emeraldhazeart!

Tagging: @druidx @inkysqueed, and I'm not sure who all else has 10 fics posted, so: open tag!

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

I think I already know what the patterns are going to be, but we'll see. I'm assuming I go backwards. I also assume posted fics doesn't count wips. I'm not sure about snippets either but I included a few of the longer ones that feel kinda like fics to me.

1. Local Rule

            Stepping out of the barracks and into the dim morning light, Fairwyn crossed the courtyard where Garrus was already talking to a young redguard.

2. I didn't give it a name here on tumblr, but its file name is Date

            Garrus tugged on his red silk cuff. This shirt was way too expensive for him, what was he even doing?

3. Sweet Surprise

            Cradling two sweet rolls in one hand Lecrinn held them close as she pushed the heavy door with the other. She opened it just enough to slip out, leaving the chatter and warmth of the busy inn for the street outside. It was also busy and warm but more tolerably so.

4. Heart Warmed

            Cheydinhal marketplace swirled with activity from people and snow.

5. I Got You

            The world had faded away. Lecrinn and Garrus stood by the road, her head nestled against his shoulder as his leaned down where their foreheads touched, eyes closed, arms around the other.

6. Friday Kiss Tag Game

            Sitting along the riverbank, Lecrinn and Garrus laughed.

7. Starlight

            She was like a shooting star, Garrus thought as Lecrinn walked down the street towards him, showing up unexpected and catching all of your attention.

8. Stalemate

            Warm light flickered across the stone floor as the fireplace crackled, it turning to a blur as Baurus’s eyelids drooped. As his head began to nod he quickly straightened, snapping himself back awake. “All right, Martin,” he walked over to the table covered in a pile of books, “time for bed.”

9. You're My Rest

            Willow branches swayed over the lake shore, their shadows dancing across a quilt and the dishes strewn across, left with crumbs, drops, and last bites.

10. Shield You from the Rain

            Light rain patted against the dirt road, rippled through puddles, and left drops on the grass. It stirred up the scent of fresh earth and left a chill in the late morning air.

What I thought, I like to start by setting the scene. I always have but I haven't always been good at it. I used to struggle with it so much that I'd end up skipping over it. A lot of times the first paragraph was the last thing I wrote, which actually helped a lot so, can recommend.

My favorite ones here though break from the pattern a bit. Starlight and I Got You start with a quick line that sets up the theme and then sets the scene, I might look for opportunities to do that more often, I like the effect.

The other patterns are that they're all Oblivion fanfiction and they're mostly my ship. And that I don't finish nearly as much as I write, the amount of files I scrolled past to find the posted ones. 😅

[bbcphile]

Writing Patterns

List the first sentence of your last 10 AO3 works.

(I’ve also seen the “and the last sentence” variant, so I went ahead and did that.)

Thanks for the tag, @eirenical, @kingsandbastardz, and @momosandlemonsoda! (Sorry it took me so long to do this!)

Everything listed here is Horatio Hornblower fic, and includes canon era and my modern AU (canon era is all Horatio Hornblower/Archie Kennedy, and modern AU is Horatio Hornblower/Archie Kennedy/William Bush).

Also, if you go read any of them, mind the tags/trigger warnings on AO3! They're all about PTSD/trauma recovery in one way or other, which means they have a bunch of triggers. If you want more details before reading any of them, feel free to ask me!

And now, the examples:

Nunc Atque Semper 

Opening line: Maria checked the clock on the bookshelf again.

Closing lines: Horatio’s eyes grew distant, and a faint, bitter hint of a smile twisted the corner of his lips. He sighed, his eyes fluttering closed. “Welcome to purgatory.

2. Taking Hands Against a Sea of Troubles

Opening lines: Archie halted in mid-stride in the centre of the crowded street and snapped his head around to stare at Horatio. “What do you mean, you’ve never been to Drury Lane?”

Closing line: But, as long as Archie was alive and breathing by his side, nothing else mattered.

3. Holding Fast

Opening Line: “Bush! What’s our status?”

Closing line: He let his eyes fall shut.

4. The Vital Importance of Doing Research

Opening Lines: Admiralty Office, February 4, 1809

Pursuant to an Act of Parliament, passed in the Twenty-fifth Year of His late Majesty’s Reign, this is to give Notice to those whom it may concern, that Information has been received at this Office, that the Galliot Maria, of Gibraltar, whereof George Heseltine was Master, (Owners’ Name not known), laden with Oranges, from Seville, and bound to London, was stranded in the Night of the--

Will blinked and rubbed his bleary eyes as he swallowed back a yawn. He’d be asleep in five minutes if he didn’t take a break.

Closing line: Thank goodness he’d grown up since then.

5. Ships and Swans

Opening line: “Are you sure about this, Horatio?”

Closing line: “Lead on. I’m right behind you.”

6. The Best Is Yet to Come

Opening Line: “I’m home! Happy anniversary, love!”

Closing line: Then again, he’d never been known for his imagination.

7. Relative Bearing

Opening line: Will’s phone pinged quietly in the pocket of his jeans.

Closing line: He’d just have to wait.

8. Harboured and Encompassed

Opening lines: “And when those patrons bring back their materials, make sure nothing’s damaged, mark the item as returned in the system, and give them back their ID. Have you got that?”

Closing line: But it was a start.

9. Turning Over the Sands of Time

Opening line: “Eight,” Archie murmured as the cane in Matthews’ hand struck its target again.

Closing line: They would survive, one day at a time, until the sand ran out.

10. Much Ado about Shakespeare: Love’s Labours Won

Opening line: Archie Kennedy closed his eyes, willing this time to be different.

Closing line: Horatio threw a stocking at him.

Bonus:

Opening line of MLC WIP: Li Lianhua crashed to his hands and knees on the ground as the last trickle of his borrowed qi abandoned him, the densely-packed sand doing nothing to cushion the blow. 

Patterns: For opening lines, I definitely have a history of starting with dialogue that hints at the central issue the fic addresses, and I usually start either right when something has changed or with a character who has just reached the limit of what they can handle in a bad situation. For closing lines, I generally tend to use short sentences that are either punchlines if it’s a more comedic fic, reflections on time, change, or growth if it’s more serious (and usually in ways that are commenting on some central aspect of the POV’s character), and almost all of them are in some way about healing and finding comfort/learning to move on after terrible things, or in the more tragic ones, about the inability to move on.

Now the real question is, will I use this newfound knowledge to try to never use these patterns again to avoid being so predictable? Who knows! (Actually, when I realized I usually started with dialogue in 2018, I decided to stop starting with dialogue, soooooo, yeah. Realistically, expect something completely different in future fics, lol.)

Tagging @howdaretrashships, @nutcasewithaknife, @wuxia-vanlifer, @rose-tinted-vision, @xthelastknownsurvivorx, and @enbysaurus-rex (As always, no obligation to do it, and if you see it and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!)

[expelliarmus]

[lilybug-02]

Wow. That could not have turned out worse.

Part 23 || First || Previous || Next

--Full Series--

This comic will be on Holiday Hiatus this December and January! While on a cliffhanger? What a scam! >:/

[neon-ufo]

It's true the world is ugly But everything could change, someday

Song for April: Someday by Cub

~~~ Last month's wobbly little animation made me want to try actually animating again! I also wanted to do something with an old game vibe for the background, so I used photos to get that effect. <:

[marshmallowgoop]

no thoughts just Heiji Hattori (HD)

[brother-emperors]

OCTAVIA AND KLEOPATRA

listen it's like. cleopatra had gifts put aside for octavia. and livia, but that's not as interesting to me. there's an implication, and outline, of some kind of relationship, and that not all hope was lost there. yet.

Octavia Minor and the Transition from Republic to Empire, Katrina Moore

however. octavia is made of the same cloth as her brother. octavian said roman dominance: be consumed or get buried, and octavia took that directive in her hands and open mouth kissed it with tongue. mark antony never stood a chance, but this isn't about him. he was already buried, kleopatra stayed a moment longer, and octavia outlived them both. it's checkmate or nothing, baby!

[automatonknight]

id: a digital drawing of pioneer 9 and 10, as well as juice from 17776. they’re shown standing in line, holding hands and dancing. 9 is the most to the left and they’re leaning back and throwing their free hand up into the air. 10 is in the middle, lifting one of her legs up. juice is to the right, doing a sort of kneel while also pointing up with his free hand, on which he’s wearing one of those big hands made out of foam. both pioneer 9 and 10 are wearing jumpsuits, while juice is wearing a scraft, t-shirts and shorts. the background is black and the characters are only lined in their corresponding colors-9 using pink/red, 10 using green and juice using yellow. end id

[cough-droplet]

[heartorbit]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NENE 🐠💚

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ON THE TOPIC OF BARNABY. as well as his relationship with Wally.

So. To kick this off - Riv (@funonion) and I were Speculating, and they introduced me to the johari window:

They put Barnaby in the “facade” section, and I entirely agree. To quote them;

“So he’s Wally’s guide, right? He’s the “knowledgeable” one of the two and is always the one teaching him new things. And you know, it’s one thing if you’re just teaching him how to laugh or how to tell a joke. But.

Clown has given us two doors. One says that Barnaby understands Wally in a way the rest of the neighborhood doesn’t, and is willing to do his dirty work so to speak. The other says that their friendship was not a natural occurring thing and had to be enforced repeatedly within the show. HOW THAT’S BEING ENFORCED IS ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY but it is worth it to note.

What is Barnaby willing to keep? What is he willing to bury for his little buddy? I can’t say anything definitively yet, but the fact that I even have to ask is telling. The class clown archetype is usually used as a way to cover up for something else a character might be experiencing”

And my response, (I won’t directly quote because I have little things in the phrasing & elaboration to add / tweak );

Barnaby being a Comic Relief Character immediately raised so many alarms in my head. I love comic relief characters. They’re always so fucked up in one way or another, and Barnaby is almost certainly SO inauthentic. He’s wearing a comedy mask just as opaque as Wally’s own mask. In everything we’ve seen about him so far he’s either Teaching Wally, wisecracking/joking, or… pretty much nothing else. We got that moment of concern in audio 14-14, but that doesn’t reveal anything beyond genuine care for Wally.

Comedic characters have the best disguises. Their poker faces & ability to deflect is always top tier [and practiced], and just look at comedy-focused actors and entertainers - so many of them have severe issues, either with their mental health or life. From what i’ve observed both in that aspect & with fictional characters, they play it off & work hard to entertain/deflect [one in the same] right up until the end. Sometimes it’s a coping mechanism. Usually it’s both. If they laugh loud enough and make people think they’re lighthearted fools w/ nothing underneath, no one will look any deeper and thus they’re “safe”. 

& I’m a little suspicious that Barnaby’s red/orange/yellow spots aren’t naturally those colors. While yes, he could be (in-universe) designed that way to echo Ms. Beagle, there’s a strong possibility that that’s not it. What if he paints them to feel a connection to her, or it’s a physical manifestation of Barnaby covering up his insecurities/issues - what if it’s part of him striving to convince the world that he is what he paints himself as. 

The laidback funnyguy with a loving mom and not a problem in the world. 

And I mean, Barnaby claims to be a natural blue and I believe him! But the other colors? I’m doubtful

(I was going to include the Cast As Lil Kids Designs in this since Barnaby has all blue spots, but given how early in 2021 it was posted and how there seem to be little discrepancies from the ~official~ designs, I don’t want to provide it as evidence.)

& on the topic of Wally and Barnaby’s relationship being both real and not - disclaimer, this conversation happened before my Updated Thoughts On Them post, so there may be some minor rephrasing here from what I originally said - I’m sure that the relationship started out as inauthentic. Wally was assigned Barnaby as a best friend and technically vice versa, but I don’t doubt for a second that it became real to some extent. Clown wouldn’t treat their relationship outside of “canon” WH stuff the way that he does if they weren’t actually friends. They’ve said that Wally & Barnaby would be friends in every universe (which melts my heart <3 platonic soulmates my beloved <3), so then I have to agree with Riv. what WILL Barnaby do for Wally? I touched on this in the Milk Theory, but especially if Barnaby prides himself on “knowing Wally better than anything else”, what would Barn do to preserve that?

This relates to another conversation we had - Barnaby possibly having abandonment issues. It’s such a choice to have him of all characters be explicitly stated as an orphan. That and while every other Neighbor with a mentioned family have a somewhat large one (Howdy and his gajillion relatives, Julie and her three siblings, Poppy and her crowded tree [note: Eddie has a mentioned mother, but that info is tenuous and who knows if there are other Dears]), Barnaby has also explicitly stated that Ms. Beagle is his only family. That’s it. And farm life can’t be a sociable way to grow up, not with all the chores he must have had and how rural he might have grown up. Barnaby jokes that Home is the “Big Apple”, which could just be a joke - but jokes often come from a place of truth, and Home might be the most populated area Barnaby has lived in. Who’s to say!

Either way, Barnaby was orphaned one way or another, and I don’t doubt that it weighs on him. Especially if  his birth parents really did abandon him. That added to a possible life of loneliness… I wonder if he’s latched onto Wally emotionally, which would hit all the painful places if it turns out that my “Barnaby is more attached to Wally than Wally is to Barnaby” theory has merit. Abandonment issues could also strongly back the apparent walls he’s plastered over with circus tent fabric

Back to Barnaby & Wally: the fact that, at present, Barnaby and Wally seem to have the best disguises / strongest masks. That. looking at 14-14, i suspect that Barnaby is excellent at keeping his up, but as soon as Wally’s mask cracks, so does Barnaby’s. 

And then there’s the side of their dynamic that we could look at - it seems to be a very multifaceted relationship. The way that Barnaby genuinely cares yet in the 00 Halloween audio Wally was left off to the side and Barnaby was just “checking on him” while socializing (then again, this could be part of Barnaby understanding Wally & respecting his space / Wally wanting a break from that socialization). Barnaby is patient with Wally and yet he seems to sometimes treat Wally as his sidekick / let him fade into the background and yet Barnaby kept checking in on Wally during the 14 bug audios (this last one I could tie into the abandonment issues theory). 

Then there’s how Barnaby calls Wally kid & can tend to treat him like one despite both of them being in the same age group. The way that all of this could, in a way, relate to the infantilization of autistic people (no matter how well-meaning or unintentional) & internalized ableism. 

Note: Riv pointed out that Barnaby does seem to be doing the best with what he has, and that this can connect to the Johari Window’s blind spot / unknown. 

I do agree with this wholeheartedly! And I have to mention that - and making a Very educated guess here - the interactions we’ve seen take place in the very late 60s / very early 70s, so Barnaby’s behavior towards Wally is actually pretty fucking stellar given the time period. We can’t expect him to be perfect or do everything / say everything right. That would be boring I think! And one thing I deeply appreciate about the Neighbors & their dynamics is that they feel like real layered people, not cardboard cutouts being perfect caricatures of what people are “supposed” to be like.

Riv also presented this:

We likely are going to reach a point where Wally asks Barnaby something that he can’t / doesn’t want to / won’t answer. And like.. Ok. This is a slight tangent but I swear it’s related! When I first discovered WH and learned the Wally basics, I wondered two things.

Are we going to watch Wally “discover” new emotions? Because he certainly has them. Clown has said that Wally only ever feels happy, and a lot of people took that to mean that Wally can’t feel anything else. I don’t think we should take that answer at face value, because. I mean. Look at the project & creator we’re talking about. Layers, guys. Indirect direct answers. I think that Clown meant that Wally only ever feels happy in the Neighborhood because he has no reason to feel any negative emotion. Everything is as it should be. Until it isn’t - and I think that’s where he’s going to have to struggle with new emotions as he encounters them through new situations/events unfolding as the “story” starts to deteriorate. We’ve actually seen this a little bit - in Wally’s record audios (i believe the chronological second to last?), the way he says “Let Me In” so insistently. That’s definitely not a positive emotion being expressed. 

How will the topic of death be handled - because it will be handled, it’s stated in the project warnings. I was wondering this even before I read the list, because I was presented with a blank slate puppet character and so went “oh fuck, this dude doesn’t know about death, does he?” Obviously I wanted to know how that would go. I want to know how it Will go! 

How would Barnaby explain emotions that Wally doesn’t know how to convey? How would Barnaby explain death in a way that Wally would understand - given that Barnaby (& all the Neighbors sans Wally) knows what death is  - and would Barnaby be willing to explain such a thing? I have a feeling we may find out.

And in a way, I suspect that if none of them know, Wally will find out himself and have to process it without help. But then again, how can something die if it was never really alive in the first place? Unless the death warning relates to human characters… I’m currently assuming it relates to both humans and puppets. 

In conclusion: Barnaby has a carefully fabricated facade, he's doing the best with what he has but it likely won't be enough, and uh. shits fucked!

[houseswife]

Residence reference spotted in my coursework 😨🫵

[intotheelliwoods]

if I had a nickel for each rottmnt trend I set I would have 3 damn shiny nickels

[columboscreens]

[deku-verde]

“Is This A Date?” Part 2

(part 1)

the end~