graycardinal | Meme: 20 Sentences

Likeastrogirl, I remembered doing one of these...but was startled to discover that the last iteration I'd posted was almost two and a half years back, and that I'd written enough in the interval that almost three-quarters of these are new. (As it turns out, she'd done another more recently that I didn't pick up.) In any event, this one is sufficiently different that I'm willing to go ahead and commit. I'm also going to reframe a bit, because (a) also like astrogirl, I dislike the "tag" format, and (b) I like the interactive element of the meme process, and this one came to me a bit light in that department. So:

List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!).

(1) Choose your favorite opening line.
(2) See if there are any patterns.
(3) Invite your readership to choose their favorite(s) from the list, and/or to ask questions about particular entries in the list.
(4) ~~Then tag 10 authors!~~ Encourage people to post their own lists.

The 20 sentences:

“Personal log, stardate 57728.1. The Cerritos has just left the Coridan system, where we picked up a shipment of experimental medical technology at the Phlox Institute of Medical Studies.["] (Things Half in Shadow and Halfway in Light - Star Trek: Lower Decks; Star Trek: the Next Generation)

It was apparent at once that his captors didn’t understand what they had wrought. (The Greater Game - Star Trek: the Next Generation; Professor Moriarty series, Michael Kurland)

Hardison kept eyes on the mark for a good five minutes after he and his camera operator left the building. (The Ursa Major Job, aka "Not Exactly Your Uncle Walter's Remix - Leverage; Charmin "Bears" commercials)

“The whole thing is sketchy as hell,” Nate said flatly. (The Fourth Wall Job - Leverage; Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?)

Mycroft had warned me of what was coming. (The Women in the Case - Enola Holmes series, Nancy Springer; Mary Russell series, Laurie R. King; Adventure of the Peerless Peer, Philip José Farmer)

Editor’s Note: It’s one thing entirely to pretend to be Sherlock Holmes or John Watson – or Mycroft, or Enola, or one of the Charlottes, or Mrs. Hudson, et cetera) for purposes of dramatic license. (The Apprentice's Beekeeper - Mary Russell series, Laurie R. King)

I don’t know why I was surprised to find myself back in California, even if only for a week, after the business with the vampires finished shaking itself out. (A Bit of Swordplay - Dobrenica series, Sherwood Smith)

“I’m sending you a lady with a bat,” said the voice of the Roadshow triage-desk appraiser, over the headset in Leila Dunbar’s ear. (The Bat Lady, the Ball Boy, and the Appraiser from Boston - Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence Thayer; Antiques Roadshow RPF)

Let it be understood at once: nothing in the following account can be blamed on John Watson. (The Affair of the Black Count - Sherlock Holmes series, Arthur Conan Doyle; Dracula & Related Fandoms; Zenda novels, Anthony Hope)

“Mrs. Pollifax is going where?” (Mrs. Pollifax and the Irish Expatriate - Mrs. Pollifax series, Dorothy Gilman)

-- have just -- been severely injured. -- leave Keys -- with Camp-- down -- Kincardine. -- expect -- arrangements -- first. -- supremely -- unfortunate. R-- be paid -- Marylebone. (The Kincardine File: Notes from an Untold Case - Sherlock Holmes series, Arthur Conan Doyle)

As far as three of the four men in the luxurious 28^th-floor suite were concerned, Della Street might as well not have been there. (X-Ceptional - Perry Mason; X:Men Alternate Timeline Movies)

Eloise Drew paused, her fork hovering over a crisp salad of summer greens, expertly diced tomatoes, and a liberal portion of miniature shrimp dressed in a light vinaigrette. (A Little Self-Knowledge - Nancy Drew series, Carolyn Keene)

“There is one thing more,” said my brother Mycroft, “that I believe we should discuss regarding your matriculation at Oxford, and indeed your future in general.” (By Any Other Name - Enola Holmes series, Nancy Springer)

“I admit,” said Professor James Moriarty, “to a certain degree of concern.["] (A Case of Identities - Sherlock Holmes/Doctor Who)

If you’re reading this, you’ve certainly been following the newsfeeds from Keltia since contact was first made almost two years ago. (Verses from the Keltiad - Keltiad series, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison)

Over the years, Jessica Fletcher had spoken to a good many people – innocent and guilty alike – from the opposite side of the glass in prison interview rooms. (The Carson Drew Murder Case - Murder, She Wrote/Nancy Drew)

It would almost – only almost, mind – have been easier to use magic. (Hunting the Lion - The "Truth in Fiction is Strange" Remix - Harry Potter)

There was never any doubt that Joe would end up writing books about the adventures he, Danny, and Irene shared while growing up in Midston. (Three Inventions Danny Dunn Doesn't Talk About - Danny Dunn series, Williams & Abrashkin)

The funniest aspect of Pepper’s evolution into a superhero – or at least a superpowered CEO – was that Tony was one of the last people to find out. (An Oblique Approach - Iron Man movies/MCU)
The answers:

Favorite: No contest here - for sheer narrative skulduggery, I have to go with the fragmentary hash that begins The Kincardine File. That whole story was an exercise in sneakiness; not only was I constructing a series of events specifically intended to confuse Holmes and Watson, I was also doing my level best to disguise my prose style so that my gift recipient,

scfrankles , wouldn't be able to deduce who'd written the story during Holmestice's guessing phase. As it turned out, I did indeed slip through the guessing phase mostly undetected, and the general comments on the story proper were uniformly positive.

Patterns? Hmm. On reading through these, I actually see fewer than I'd expected. Most of the Sherlock Holmes material is in first person, but that's largely an artifact inherited from the source canon's prose style. Overall, it's a mix - some dialogue, some scene-setting, some implicit retrospective assessment. (The last of these comes closest to being a 'tic'; three of the four oldest stories take that tack, but almost none of the rest make use of that particular device.)

So: which of these makes you most want to click through for the rest of the story? And indeed, feel free to post your own lists with associated commentary.