It's so strange. These past few days, I've been feeling really good about myself. Happy, and content, and with a good outlook for the future. I haven't felt like this since I was much younger. It's been years. And for the first time, I feel on the brink of actually breaking away from everything that's hurt me from that same time. Like the piece of glass that's finally coming free of the skin, it's finally starting to seem less painful.

I know I'm not entirely free from it yet. In fact, I'll probably still walk around with it in my foot for years to come. But you know... it's like it's finally starting to come loose. And that's awesome.

But knowing it's still there is keeping me from fully celebrating. I mean, it could get jammed back in there, for all I know.

At least for now, though, I'm happy. I went to the meeting today and for once seemed like I got something out of it. I went the whole day without blowing up at anyone. It's great.

I better enjoy it while it lasts though. If I get this job, the next few days will be really stressful, I'm sure. ^_^

Anyways, here's a meme I first saw done by ivy_chan. I didn't do it at first because I didn't think I had that many stories.

Well lo and behold, I looked today and saw that I do, in fact. I think I forgot to count the one-shots. Heheh. Anyways, enjoy! I decided to exclude poems, by the way. Just seemed easier. 

Post the first lines from your last 25 stories. Do you see any patterns?"

1. Raph had never liked the sewer tunnels. (Tunnel Vision)
2. He’d laughed while picking the beetle off Raph’s neck, who’d been scared- he just wouldn’t admit it. (Shells)
3. She sensed the sword arcing towards her throat even before her father made the move. (Ah, Tights!)
4. It is the way of the ninja to stick to the shadows; to blend with them. (Eight Seconds) 
5. Beneath the dim glow of the lightbulb, a large rat had his nose nestled over the worn pages of a National Geographic. (Moonlight and Sonshine)
6. Getting down on his knees, the small turtle stuck his hands into the sewer water. (When Napollieyun Beat Washington at Pearl Harbor!)
7. With a yawn, Raphael rolled over from his carapace and onto his side, ignoring the coldness of the hardwood floor. (What Never Happened)
8. It'd already been ten months. (Cork)
9. Do you know what it's like? (Satori)
10. Every time the doorknob turns, somebody dies. (The Doorknob)
11. Turning the page eagerly, a young Michelangelo kept his face two inches from the colorful comic that rested on the floor. (Evil Twin)
12. The man moved in almost a drunken haze, a large grin on his face. (Infection)
13. Thunderous claps of gunfire and metallic scrapings. (Edge of Calamity)
14. We’d been wanting to understand what was wrong with Raph for quite a while now. (Heartache)
15. Blood; a scarlet ribbon adorning his chest, legs, arms, and fingertips; glistening in the soft, cerulean-white light that methodically beat overhead. (Pulse)
16. How long had he been sitting here? (Avalon)
17. “And now, my son,” Splinter finished his lesson, “that is how you write the letter ‘Z’.” (Owls and Continents)
18. In the winter, a turtle had to be careful while outside. (Suicide II: Darkness Waits)
19. There’s blood on my hands. (Hardness)
20. "Raphael!" (Actions Unknown)
21. Power outages weren’t the happiest moments of young Michaelangelo’s life. (Under the Bed)
22. A drop of blood trickled down his cheek, meeting a bead of sweat on its way down. (Rest in Peace)
23. Ya know, the more I think about it, the more I realize how well me and my brothers’ masks fit our personalities. (More)
24. Leo sat on a dumpster in an alley, a katana in one hand. (Suicide)
25. He was alone, alone in a place he couldn't even see. (Dead of Night)
 

Now for the things I noticed. (takes deep breath)

-Oh dear God, I sucked ass at writing when I was younger! ;_; (runs around in circles) I'm sorry! Forgive meeeee! I was fourteen- I didn't know how to properly start a sentence, much less write an actual story and make it good! (continues blubbering)
- ...For being a Leo fan, a disturbing number of my stories mention Raphael in the first sentence. O.o
- In my first year of writing, my sentences tended to start off as statements or nods to location.
- In my second year, I did a lot with sensory input.
- In my third year, I went from writing short and to-the-point sentences to long and action-wordy ones.

See anything else I missed? Point it out! Oh- and clicky on the dragon, please. :3