Something of the Cat About You

For @singularmoment - one of our ficlet winners in @doctorroseficreclists 1K Milestone Celebration

Nine x Rose Rated: T Summary: "What do you want to live like, Doctor?" A story of cats and denial. AO3 / TSP ~1800 words Notes: Brainstorming help and beta by @fleurdeneuf - thank you!!

Three times. Three times his lips had been this close to her lips, and he had yet to touch them. But he was about to give in. She glowed pink from the latest run-for-their-lives, wisps of hair loose around her face, beads of sweat on her forehead and under her eyes, and a triumphant smile that grazed across his cheek.

Rose puckered slightly as she bussed the corner of his mouth. Blood rushed to his face. He leaned away from her and her eyes rose to his and widened at what she found there. His hand plunged into the back of her hair and he pushed her against the TARDIS door with his thighs. Her loud exhale nearly made his second heart stop, and he skimmed his other hand under the bottom of her flowing skirt.

Slowly then, he brought his head down, eyes on her mouth to make his intent clear. She whispered, “Doctor” in the moment before he touched them, the softness to be taken and claimed for his own…

But she jumped and squealed in a completely different way than he expected, and her hands pushed on his chest. Confused but backing off instantly, he felt his heart twist in horror that he’d made a terrible mistake. Rose was...hopping? And looking around at the ground.

“Something touched me!”

“I-I’m sorry, I--” he lifted his offending hand, fingertips still tingling from the taste of soft skin.

She stopped and gave him a quizzical look, before grinning and grabbing his hand to kiss it softly. “Not you, numpty, I mean something, like you know, an alien or a killer vine or--

#ficandchips #doctorroseficreclists #nine x rose #singularmoment #hope you enjoy!!#romance #fluff #ust #cats #not smutty in spite of how the beginning looks :P #although don't think I haven't spent some time imagining the next part #csv writes #something of the cat about you

chiaroscuroverse reblogged

thirdstrikes

skaylanphear

Anonymous asked:

hi, do you have any advice for writing a satisfying romantic arc? i'm so new to all this but i want to be able to make my readers squeal when characters finally kiss, not feel underwhelmed

skaylanphear answered:

Well, it’s all about pacing. Balancing gradual development with character interaction. At least, that’s how I view it. Romance isn’t really that different from any other type of story arc, at least, not when it comes to building tension. The rule I give myself is this–give the reader enough to try and jump three steps ahead, but only allow them one. You have to constantly keep your reader looking forward to something else. Keep the story moving, never let it stall, but don’t be a speeding car on a freeway. Make sure to take the scenic route, but also make sure you go the speed limit. If you go too slowly through something that takes a long time, you’re bound to bore your readers.

This is actually a really hard question, and it’s more about narrative tension than actual romance. It’s… a difficult thing to describe, how to create tension. My best advice is that you should watch your fav romantic movies or read your fav romantic books and actively study how the narrative is structured. Not just the romantic parts, but the whole shebang. Creating tension is more involved than one story arc–there’s usually a few.

I don’t really know–this is bad advice. If I was looking at a story, I could point out issues I have with the tension and why the pacing maybe hurts the arc, but it’s hard without having something concrete in front of me. For example, an issue I have with a lot of fanfics is that the characters get to the endgame too easily and so the tension doesn’t exist. Or it takes too long because the writer thinks that a slow story creates tension, but it doesn’t (the two are not related). Just because something takes a long time, doesn’t mean it’s filled with expectation. But that’s a hard thing to describe without having something in front of me to analyze. And I guess I could explain how I structure my own arcs, but they’re so intertwined with other arcs that it’d literally be a twenty page essay (that’s how much thought I put into everything I write, not even kidding).

But the best way to learn is to actively think about your favorite narratives. Ask yourself why you like this romantic arc, why it keeps you invested. That’s one of the things I think a lot of aspiring writers forget to do. Learning to write isn’t as simple as being told “write this way.” You have to be aware of the stories around you and why they’re turning out the way they are. You have to know what tools are at your disposal and how to use them before actually doing it. Just as artists have to learn new ways of looking at the world before being able to create their vision, just as musicians have to learn new ways of listening before being able to create their music.

Study the romantic arcs that you like, examine in great detail why you like them. And I don’t mean things like “I like this character because he’s tall, dark, and handome.” Literally look at the character interactions and at the pace at which their relationship develops. Look at the small intricacies and how those pieces mesh with other arcs around them.

You can’t write something until you know how it works. So, in the end, it just comes down to practice and always being consciously observant of the narratives around you. Does this make you a horrible critic? Yes, yes it does. Does it ruin fun movies for you because you’re too busy being annoyed at how the characters were handled or how the pacing was horrible? Yes. But it will also make you a much, much better writer.

GIF by yourreactiongifs

breeeliss

~~awkwardly stumbles here in the hopes it’s okay to add on???~~

nail a bare bones plot first. personally i find it easier to construct a romantic narrative around an existing plot (i.e. person A has a company going out of business, person B is homeless trying to find a home, honestly anything, you get what I mean). this is gonna help you build conflict later on :D
figure out what kind of relationship you want your characters to have
vast majority of stories typically follow the whole “couple meets, couple gets closer, couple faces conflict, couple resolves it, couple is end game, the end.” i personally recommend to try something different than this.
maybe they become established by the middle of the story. maybe there are frequent break ups throughout the course of the story. maybe there’s the aftermath of a divorce. maybe “end game” never happens.
think of real life relationships. they’re messy and not clearly lined out. don’t be afraid to do something different.
figure out how you want your romance to look. it doesn’t always have to be kisses and hugs and sex and confessions.
romance can build based on building up trust. romantic can look like slowly making time for someone. love can look like an exchange of gifts, an exchange of promises to be involved in some way in someone’s life.
also, keeping this in mind, i should be able to sense romance without characters explicitly saying so. it shouldn’t take an “i love you” for me to know that a character is in love. really push the whole show don’t tell thing
intimacy. slowly revealing information about yourself. risking things they value for the other person. again, use your imagination.
make your characters want something, and then don’t give it to them. best way to build tension.
important caveat: don’t get carried away with this. if you do it too often, you’re gonna frustrate your readers and lose them. you don’t want to make it seem like you’re purposefully torturing your character.
give your characters some opposition. one is reluctant to enter a relationship. one has trouble picking up on signals. one comes on too strong. make it so that they don’t both want the same thing in the same way.
and then….don’t give it to them. put them in a situation where a kiss makes sense….but don’t make it happen. put them in a situation where something could be said, but don’t have them say it. play around with emotions here. show longing. show fear. show excitement. show nerves.
when you’re writing specific physical moments (i.e. kisses, hugs, any other form of contact, etc.) make it vivid!
this is usually where people get caught up in your story. make readers feel like they’re experiencing this themselves. what does person A’s skin feel like? what can person B feel? is there skin tingling? are they clammy because they’re nervous? is their heart racing?
try to get into their heads. are they excited? panicking? unsure? tentative? eager? show these emotions! don’t tell us what they are! show don’t tell!
don’t be afraid to ask people about their relationships! movies and books tend to play out the same old tropes and that can make your writing boring. talk to people about their relationships if they’re comfortable. hear about the troubles. pay attention to what strikes you. never be afraid to steal from real life to help inspire you.
warnings/suggestions
(unless you’re purposefully and intentionally depicting an unhealthy relationship) make sure communication is happening. make sure consent is clear. don’t force affection, that’s what a lot of romance novels and movies will perpetuate and it’s overplayed.
i personally find the whole “simple understanding turns into an angst fest” trope ridiculous. it’s also an unnecessary way to build drama. find other ways to do this. if an understanding can be resolved by one conversation, don’t drag that out.
if you’re depicting queer people, poc people, disabled people, etc. talk to people who share these identities before you write a story. trust me. you don’t want to be perpetuating shitty romance tropes.

best advice i could give is to be comfortable subverting common tropes. try to tell a story you’ve never heard before. try to find new ways of expressing intimacy and trust. find new ways to express love without expressly saying it. and, of course, always always always have people read your work. multiple opinions is crucial.

#writing #romance #scuroqueue

chiaroscuroverse

Sheffield Steel (1/2)

For @timepetalsprompts weekly prompt: In Between

Inspiration struck with this post. For further visuals, see here. (Shame it’s only a plastic abomination. ;)

Beta’d by the amazing @sequencefairy

Nine x Rose

T (this chapter)

Summary: The Doctor is a perfectionist about certain rituals, and in the aftermath of a rough adventure, Rose gets to see one.

Chapter 2 (note rating change)

AO3/TSP

~1900 words

They’re covered in soot and holding hands. An alien ship levitates into an alien sky and rockets toward the atmosphere, sonic boom in its wake, chastened, heading for its home galaxy. Harsh words still ring in her ears, and she hesitates before turning to him, not wanting the crush of disappointment. But when she glances over, it takes her breath away. He’s not watching the departing ship. He’s watching her, and she doesn’t have to ask if she’s forgiven. He looks at her like she’s the answer and the question all in one, and she cuts her eyes back up to the ship, not knowing what to do.

Rose couldn’t stop thinking about that look, and it buoyed her as she slipped down a dim Tardis hallway, because she couldn’t fall asleep and she needed to be close to him. The hallway ended in front of a carved insignia on a wooden door. Trust the Tardis to have her back. She knocked and the door swung open under her hand.

#ficandchips #timepetalsprompts #nine x rose #in between #fluff #romance #shaving #cw: blood #just a bit #csv writes #my fic #sheffield steel

chiaroscuroverse

Lions and Loose Lips (2/2)

Nine x Rose

Rating: T

Summary: fluff, h/c. A planet, a jail cell, huddling for warmth, a little medicine, a little alien physiology– the classics

Now with links! Chapter 1 / Ao3 / Tsp

The Doctor had been worried about her.

Each passing minute had been a calculation of the risk to Rose versus the likelihood of having to hurt someone to get out of this place. And he really didn’t want to hurt anyone. But these taciturn aliens had been unresponsive to all his attempts to reason his way out. They didn’t know how close they came. He did have quite a bit of confidence in her, but she was only human.

And then she was walking in, disheveled, bare skin covered in dirt and scraps of leaves, and so very here. And he’d wanted to laugh hysterically, because she was fine, and she was here, and he could throw his arms around her to hide how amused he was by her face being the most adorable combination of cross and exhausted. He had impulsively offered himself as a place to sleep without considering the repercussions until he’d already said it. But, no matter, it was for her. The least he could do for all that he regularly put her through. He’d felt a more than a little guilty when he realized she was actually hurt.

#ficandchips #dwfic #nine x rose #rose tyler #regenerate nine #ninth doctor #csv writes #fluff #cuddling #romance #lions and loose lips #no beta so the inevitable typos are all mine to curse about later #how on gallifrey do you all do regular life and write and keep up with tumblr??#I'm days behind around here #though my ratio of writing to staring at the words could be to blame #much appreciation for all those fic writer memes that go around now