Mindless Chatter

Thanks to the wonderful @glim on Tumblr for tagging me!! <3

1. Esca had fought in dozens of gladiator spectacles by now, and he knew what to expect, but he still despised having to kill for the amusement of these crowds as much as he ever had when he was first bought. It didn’t feel right, didn’t feel honorable, to fight just for the sake of fighting with no real purpose. 
(GOOD LORD this has to be the most dramatic beginning paragraph I’ve ever written 😂 No ragrets tho) (In Hoc Modo Incidemus)

2. It’s late, well past the time Morse should have set aside the files on the latest case and gone to sleep, when he hears the knock on the door of his flat. He half wonders if it’s just in his mind, but he’s not that tired, he hasn’t even had much alcohol, so it must have been real. He stands, making his way toward the door and turning down the volume of his record player as he goes.
(I speak of love awake, I speak of love in dreams)

3. Oxford. 

The City of Dreaming Spires.

It was just as beautiful as Shirley had imagined, and the first few days she was there before starting her new job she spent just exploring the city.
(First Meetings)

4. When Theresa booked her and Maxie’s flight to Fitton, her first impression of the MJN Air pilots was that they weren’t too terribly professional. She couldn’t blame them for being skeptical about getting a call from a princess, though, and she was more amused than anything that they both thought the other was pulling a prank.

Still, she really wasn’t expecting to like them as much as she did.
(Bobsled Team)

5. It had been almost a month since Morse had taken his sergeants exam, and George knew he’d been waiting very eagerly for his results. He talked to George about it every night, worried that he might not make it, even though George didn’t think it was possible that he could take it and not succeed.
(Oxford 99) (one of my fave self-indulgent stories tbh)

6.“Y’know, you’ve never actually told me what your first name is,” George said, teasingly, and Morse felt his face flushing immediately. He’d hoped George wouldn’t care, but then, he’d have to be an absolute idiot to think a man like George wouldn’t want to know his partner’s first name. With as attentive as he was to everything else about Morse, from exploring the music Morse liked to asking about his difficult relationship with his family, Morse was surprised he’d let their relationship go this long—nearly a month and a half, now—without even knowing his name. 
(What’s In A Name)

7. Hearing Monica’s knock at the door came as a surprise. Morse felt entirely undeserving of her company at the moment, and completely unequal to conversation with anyone. He felt so useless after Thursday’s order to go home, and he hadn’t been able to move from his position in bed for the rest of the day, too full of self-loathing and frustration to do anything. He should be working to solve the case, and maybe if he hadn’t shouted at Bright and Thursday, he’d still be able to.
(Another dramatic beginning lol XD ) (Soft Smiles and Soft Words)

8. “A career won’t hold you at three in the morning when the wolves come circling,” he’d told Trewlove, and as he said it, he’d thought of George. Sweet, caring George, would take care of him whenever he needed it, Morse was sure.

So weeks later, when Morse woke in the middle of the night to the sound of his own desperate shouts, the fresh memory of the tiger’s powerful claws scoring over his chest imprinted on his mind, he was relieved to feel familiar hands on his arms and his chest, and quickly started to feel if not calm then slightly less panicked.
(The Wolves Come Circling)

9. His first day of work at the Oxford CID was off to a slow start. He arrived at the station at eight and was told to wait until his new DI came back. George sighed and sat down at the nearest desk, which was impeccably clean except for a pen and a newspaper with half the crossword filled out. He flipped to the sports page and read the latest about last weekend’s football match, only getting through the first three paragraphs before he heard the door opening.(Small Talk)

10. Looking out at the sea of people here to celebrate her husband’s successes, Elizabeth MacMillan-Carver felt proud. Elliot deserved this, he really did; it had been his dream for a long time to become a famous media and news source, even if it wasn’t always by the most honest means. The rail was cold under her hands; she turned to a passing waiter to order a drink. She sipped it and sighed; a few years ago, she never would have thought this would be her life, but here she was, the wife of a wealthy, famous man.

“I always wondered how I’d feel if I ever saw you again.” The voice behind her was sharply, shockingly familiar, and Elizabeth turned around, hardly daring to believe that she was here.
(something came up)

Well I think we all know I do a lot of Dramatic Beginnings lol! As @glim also said, I think I definitely establish the who & where & when in the beginning paragraph or so. I try to kinda make the first few sentences attention-catching so people want to keep reading. (Lol I think that was probably a tip I heard in an English/literature class at some point??) If anyone feels inspired to try this, please go ahead, & please tag me!!