Hi! I'm britt (she/they, 30+ years old elder nerd) and I obsess about fandoms intensely for as long as they give me dopamine. My main blog is an old Tolkien RP blog (@masteroftheseas), so if you get a follow or see comments on your posts or get likes from that blog, it me. 🐟
I'm a writer and gamer, and use this blog to share my own works or gather things others have made/curated. I also will reblog personal or political things, but will use tags to help you curate your own dashboards safely.
Please please please feel welcome to reblog anything I write, or to reply with commentary. Likes are lovely, reblogs add a year to my life, comments are my lifeblood.
my AO3 - Mirtathor
my (general) writing tag
my writing masterlist (obey me)
my art tag
my TWC writing tag
my Noelle tag (TWC detective, Noelle/Nate) (character sheet) (fanart 🥺💕)
my Sai tag (TWC detective, Sai/Mason) (character sheet)
my Bailey tag (TWC OC, Bailey/Farah) (fanart 😭💖)
my AO3 - The Beanhaven Chronicler (for TWC fics)
the Detective Character Sheet template for anyone's use
I do not give permission for my writing to be fed into an AI for any purpose. If you have a request, message me. Do not use my works for AI fuel.
TWC: nate/rose
wc: 1.8k
rose takes nate to an old haunt.
It doesn't take much for Nate to match Rose's stride.
She huffs and puffs, strutting with her chest in the air, tiring herself out while Nate glides along with an easy gait.
"I have something to show you," Rose says. He's grateful she has anything to show him at all.
She doesn't grab his hand, she doesn't look back to check if he's still there. She tries not to make it easy for him. It never really works. Nate is hard to shake, like a bad cold.
In the parking lot behind her apartment building, Rose's blue Volvo 240 beeps to life. Nate clicks his tongue.
"I don't suppose there's any other mode of transportation, is there?"
"Nope, squeeze in!"
Nate ducks in and leans his head against the headrest in the passenger seat. Rose cranks the ignition once…twice…
"Just give it a second, she's"—she turns the key once more, until the engine hums—"temperamental."
"She?"
"Yeah, Eloise." Rose swipes a strand of hair from her face. "Technically my dad named her."
"It's a way to honor him."
"Yeah. I guess. I never would've put it that way." Her brows furrow, forehead creased. Rose twists to face him before slumping back in her seat. So sentimental.
She puts the car in drive and takes the wheel, the engine stuttering as she pulls out of the parking lot. Nate leans his arm on the center console, his eyes casting over every little detail—the stains on the headliner, the charm bracelet hanging from the rearview mirror, the photo booth cards of a teenage rose on the dashboard. He picks the photo cards up. "Do you miss your youth?"
"I'm twenty-six! I'm as young as I will ever be."
(Sometimes—and he'll never admit it—he goads her into playful indignation. To his credit, it's not hard.)
"I mean, do you miss when you were a kid? A teenager?" A smile plays on his lips, watching from the periphery how she rolls her eyes.
"Not really." And then… "I miss the freedom. Well, what felt like freedom."
Nate hums, thumb running over the strips of photos. Rose smiling the widest he's ever seen, a cigarette hanging between her fingers, friends hanging on to her. She had dark hair back then, and she wore it up.
An entire history before him. And he knows what she's going to ask next.
"What about you?" She's tried this before. It never really works. Nate is hard to reveal, like a secret you take to your grave.
"There's not much to miss." And then… "My family."
"Hmm, right. Yeah."
Rose's focus on the road tightens, but there's nothing to look at. She doesn't want to know what he looks like right now. And she doesn't want him to—she doesn't want him to ask. Not about Rook, not about her mom. But he never does.
Nate opens his palm on the console, an invitation. After a beat of thick silence she rests her hand on top. He closes the gap, resting his fingers in between hers. He waits a moment, wonders how the hell he has butterflies at three hundred years old, and lets out a soft breath when she doesn't pull away.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Nate asks, the silence weighing heavy in his voice.
"You wanted to know more about me," Rose starts. "There's this bar a little ways out of town. If you want to drink without the whole town finding out, you go to the Velvet Axe."
"I see. You are…" Nate sputters a laugh, "There is so much to you."
"I'm hurt you thought I was one-note."
"No, it's not that. It's…you're so much more alive than you try to convince others you are."
Rose removes her hand from Nate's grasp, putting it back on the wheel. Her shoulders straighten. She misses the wonder in his eyes, and the damp look his face when he loses her touch.
"Anyway, when I was younger, my friends and I would drive out here. We'd argue with the bouncer and then get high in the woods. Got the cops called on us once, Rebeca let me spend the night in jail. Thought it might help. Not sure it really did."
When Nate doesn't respond, Rose waves her hand in the air. "You can laugh, it's funny."
"It is not, and I'm sorry." She chances a glance at him this time, catching the sad smile on his face. Then the car veers onto the shoulder, and she swerves back onto the road.
"Shit, sorry."
"I'm usually glad to be a distraction."
Some song about love plays on the radio in the background. Rose turns the volume down.
Another fifteen minutes, and Rose turns onto a gravel road. A neon red sign in the shape of an axe points in their direction. The bar is a small, not exactly pretty place. Rose parks crooked, slamming the car door behind her. She doesn't seem to mind at all.
"Ta-da!" Rose flings her arms out. "Come on."
Nate follows behind her, his hands in his pockets.
As they approach the door, the bouncer shakes his head fondly. "Rose, been a while."
"Well, it's still too soon, Johnny. Hold the fort down." Rose pushes by him without a second thought. Nate throws him a polite, almost apologetic wave.
"So, no love lost there?" He guesses.
"God, no. I'll tell you that story another time."
There's a modest crowd inside the bar, country music bouncing off the walls. It's almost too much for the vampire. But he bears it, as he will most things, for her. "Do you drink?" Rose pulls him to the bar.
"Water is just fine."
"Rose!" The bartender calls out. She's young, tall. Nate recognizes her from the pictures in Rose's car.
"Two waters and a shot of tequila." Rose leans on her tip toes, tossing her credit card down on the slick counter.
"Tequila?"
"Mhm, does that say anything about me?"
"Not quite sure yet, but I'll come up with something." Nate loops his arm around hers. Rose closes the gap, leaning her head on his arm while waiting for their drinks. He's not used to her touch, not used to her seeking out his comfort. It's a gamble. One minute she's there and she needs him. Until its too much. Like a skittish cat coming in from the cold.
Rose leads him to a booth in the corner and sits across from him. He misses her side pressed against him.
"Here, look." Her fingers splay across a few letters etched into the wood. R + B.
"Who's B?" The question tumbles out of him faster than he's proud of.
"Who do you think?"
A sound of disgust rolls off Nate's tongue.
"I kind of like it when you get a little catty," Rose admits. "He wasn't a very good boyfriend, I'm sure you can tell."
"I've gathered." Nate leans back in his seat, eyes tracing the R.
"But, it's still a good memory, and I like that a piece of me is still here."
"Is that important to you?"
Rose remembers hating his curiosity—persistent, tenacious. Always wanting to know. But then, she would've given anything to be asked so many questions once. Sometimes, she can't help but pour out into his empty cup, then regretting the spill.
"I want to be remembered, I guess. When I move on from something, I want to at least leave a mark."
He wonders then, what sort of mark will she leave on him. Will he grieve before it's time?
"Everyone seems to know you," He wonders aloud.
"Well, I used to be a regular." Rose takes a sip of her drink, with an eyebrow cocked. "If you really want to know anything about me all you have to do is ask around."
"I have been asking."
"The wrong people!"
"I've been asking you," Nate insists, leaning up and against the table.
"I'm the wrong person!" Rose taps her head, as if to say, "duh!"
Nate folds his hands out in front of him. "What is this? Tonight, what are we doing?"
"What do you think we're doing?"
A glass breaks, a crowd cheers, boots hit the ground with a resounding thud. Rose holds his stare, exposed and wary, ready to bolt.
"I think you're trying to scare me away, and failing." Two open palms this time, a question. An opportunity.
Rose takes a deep breath, a shaky exhale. A collapse of a bluff. Her hands hover over his, grazing over his skin, but not bearing the full weight down.
"Do you…like any of this?" Any of me?
Nate scrunches his nose, trying to understand what she means. The answer seems so obvious, how could she miss it? And then he wonders, has he been speaking her language?
"Like, really look and tell me how serious you are. Because if I cross the line and you let me down, then I gotta go." Her foot taps the ground, up and down, up and down. Erratic.
"Please, let me prove it to you. I'll spend my whole life proving it to you," Nate says, almost yelling over the noise in the room.
Rose nods, a sobering, gentle motion. She sets her hands down, finally, absentmindedly playing with the hair tie on his wrist. She stands on the precipice, ready to fall.
"Okay. I want to smoke."
"That's…all?" Nate tilts his head, half-standing anxiously.
"Just, follow me."
Rose leads Nate out of the bar, tugging on his sleeve. He doesn't remember seeing her down the shot of tequila she ordered, but when he looks back the plastic shot glass is empty.
Outside, the country is darkly serene. The night is waning. Rose lights a yellow American Spirit.
"Here's the thing." She takes a drag. "I just had to make sure."
Nate lets out a relieved huff, leaning back on his heels. "That gladdens me, although I promise the theatrics were unnecessary. You could have just asked me, or told me how you felt."
"I'm not good at that, " Rose admits sullenly. "I'm sorry. I know it's not fair."
"Try. And I'll try to be more open about who I am too."
Rose reaches up to kiss him on the cheek, before dragging him down to meet her halfway. "We are gonna have to figure this height thing out, I am not doing this every time I want to kiss you."
With a start, Nate hoists her around his waist. "An easy fix, I can assure you."
The cigarette in Rose's grasp falls to the ground, forgotten. She pulls his face to her own, then turns his head with her grip on his chin before giving him a small peck to his cheek. Her head falls into the crook of his neck.
🎁 - What kind of gift-giver are they? Do they give thoughtful gifts? Expensive gifts? Practical gifts?
🍹 - Does your OC drink? If so, what’s their drink of choice?
🍺 - What kind of drunk are they? (e.g. talkative, sleepy, flirty etc.)
for noelle?
hi hobbs thank you for the asks! already laughing at Two Noelle Drinking Questions very excellent. prompts from here and still open~
🎁 - What kind of gift-giver are they? Do they give thoughtful gifts? Expensive gifts? Practical gifts?
prank gifter i fear, none of the above. she wants to be a thoughtful gift-giver but when it comes time to buy a gift for someone (birthday approaching, holiday around corner, etc) she always has the Brain Empty Only Crickets glitch unfortunately.
in a way it sort of is thoughtful but generally not to the degree the giftee would like. dgjdbgjhsb but she picks gifts related to inside jokes or recurring bits with the person.
🍹 - Does your OC drink? If so, what’s their drink of choice?
yes. 😩 um, she doesn't really have a Signature Drink in some classy sense, she goes for Delicious and Hits You Like A Sledgehammer. she keeps a lot of those frozen single-serve cocktails in her freezer, she'll get boxed wine for Something To Drink In A Pinch On A Lame Night. when she's out, she's usually going for a margarita the size of her head or something very colorful and fruity that goes down sweet and easy and will fuck her up.
🍺 - What kind of drunk are they? (e.g. talkative, sleepy, flirty etc.)
SO talkative, dangerously honest. she's already chatty but her General Chattiness is intentionally light, diverts from anything deeply personal, and fits into her shields of sarcasm and flirtatious barbs.
but drunk Noelle? will tell Nate his eyes are stupid gorgeous and they should be classified as a weapon because she forgets what she was talking about when the eye contact gets too deep and too long, and wants Adam to know that his tits are truly fantastic and probably make great pillows she's wondered about it a few times he seems like he'd give really good hugs too, and thinks she's just thinking about wanting to cuddle with Nate tonight but surprise she did say that out loud.
(that's probably how the Orion Obvious Crush first came out in Infamous!verse tbh. Noelle drunk and word vomiting how he's just so supportive you know like wow he Quit His Job for them???? that's so romantic when you really think about it. he's so romantic. isn't he just so great you guys?)
from the OC questions meme! 🩸 for Tareq and 🥦 for Alana? -from 🐢turtleybeachin
I haven't thought about dear Tareq in ages! <3
🩸 - Does your OC believe in blood being thicker than water? (meaning family relationships and loyalties are the most important)
Hmmmm. I do think he finds family relationships to be very important. Family, however, isn't defined by blood I don't think. [I say like this isn't my own oc] But I don't believe it is the MOST. I think loyalties and responsibilities, in general, matter
🥦 - Does your OC eat healthily or live off junk food?
Does she eat?
JK. Yes she does and she does generally eat healthy in the sense of -- carb, meat, vegetable. Sometimes a girl is in the rush or feeling nervous, and all she can stomach is a granola bar .... ORION.
Hello! 🎭🌅 for Noelle and Sai? And I'm curious if Noelle's answers are different in Wayhaven versus Infamous?
serennnnn ✨ thank you dear! still accepting prompts here~
starting at the end actually, as far as Wayhaven v. Infamous Noelle:
not really! I considered initially answering for each (or having people specify which) but Noelle is fairly consistent across both universes. it worked out neatly lmao, given that Infamous!MC's parents are also absent workaholics who abandoned their child who wanted their love and approval for years before giving up on them, and Infamous!MC also had a young love that they were sure was Forever that then blew up in their face and left them pretty jaded and with a tattoo.
all that really changes between universes for Noelle are Specific Circumstances but the building blocks of her personality are... all pretty much identical lmao.
🎭 - Does your OC show different sides of themselves to different people?
for the most part, Noelle is Noelle to everyone: cocky, blunt, flirtatious, playful, sarcastic. she doesn't really try to Act Better around authority figures or Be Nicer around family or whatnot.
however, i will make the Exception that with someone she truly loves and trusts she might soften her walls and show glimpses of a more honest and vulnerable side over time.
Sai, on the other hand, does. He's very good at masking and at being what people want or expect him to be. He ends up being his most honest with UB -- in a way, their ability to read his body's signals sort of gives him permission to drop all the masks? He doesn't have to try to impress them or fit a mold, because they know. And they still choose him and accept him anyway.
🌅 - What is your OCs favourite time of day? Are they a morning person or a night owl?
Noelle likes evenings. She's not at ALL a morning person, so evening is kind of like morning in reverse you know. Temperature starts to go down a bit, nice time to go out for a jog while it's still daylight but not Hot Bright Mid-Day Gross, and it's also usually when her energy is peaking.
Sai likes mornings. For similar reasons to Mason, actually. It's quiet and still, the sun is just coming out so it's not hot or sticky yet outside. He is a morning person so he tends to wake early and give himself time to have a very slow morning, setting the tone for the day ahead.
thank you for the prompts! ✨ still accepting from here.
🩸 - Does your OC believe in blood being thicker than water? (meaning family relationships and loyalties are the most important)
absolutely not.
noelle would say she doesn't have a family, and she certainly feels no loyalty to rebecca.
sai... is a bit more complex of a No. he doesn't believe in any sort of arbitrarily required-loyalty or respect solely due to a title or circumstance. but he does also feel obligated to try to be a good son to rebecca even if she never put as much effort into trying to be a mother. so no, family isn't most important, but he does feel like he should prioritize family higher than he wants to.
✂ i answered over here.
🧸 - On a scale of 1 - 10, how ‘soft’ is your OC? 1 being the edgiest of edges and 10 being a literal teddy bear that cries at everything? (Bonus questions, where on the scale would your OC place themselves, and where would they like to be on the scale?)
Noelle I would put at a 4. She puts on a 1 front, wrapping herself in an armor of not giving a fuck about anyone or anything and having no fears or regrets or concerns. But also she is the inventor of Road Time, and she's desperate to be wanted and loved even as she pushes everyone away and refuses to let anyone want or love her.
She'd call herself a 2. Because it's totally 🙄 obvious and cringe to rank yourself The Most on any scale. But she is, FYI. The most edgiest edge you've ever edged. Ask Nate.
She.... oof. I think she'd want to be the 1 that she pretends she is. Most of her fear of a relationship stems from the trauma of having made herself vulnerable to people in the past and being let down by them, so she would want to be a total independent hardass bad bitch.
---
Sai is-- my first instinct was to throw him at a 10 but I'll put him at I think an 8. He's very empathetic and people-pleasing and a pacifist. But he can grow a spine when required, and if the stars align politely.
I think he would put himself at a... he'd say a seven, then he'd pause and frown and think harder, and sigh deeply, and say "actually, probably more... of a nine." He would not be proud of this correction.
He'd like to be.... actually probably at the seven. He doesn't think it's a bad thing to be soft, and to care 'too much', and to feel his emotions deeply. But he also wishes he could be a little firmer, a little more self-confident, a little stronger.
Hi Nevi! thank you for the prompts!!! 😙💜 still accepting from here!
✂️ - What kind of thing would have your OC cut someone out of their life? How likely are they to let someone back in?
god Sai is so bad about setting boundaries for his own sake and actually enforcing them. ... I think he's most likely to cut people out of his life for hurting other people in his life. so probably being vile to the vampires (it boggles his mind to hear them talk about other human agents seeing vampires in a negative light) or like, disrespecting Verda or hurting his family...? I don't think anyone in Sai's life would do such a thing to begin with but that's how you'd get cut out.
getting let back in would be... apologizing and actually demonstrating your sincerity. not just words but actions.
for Noelle, she's much quicker to cut people out (ask Rebecca). there's probably Endless Ways to upset her tbh, but I think the main method is disrespecting her. and not For A Bit or just being rude, but like genuine disrespect. the mayor talking down to her and weaponizing her dead dad as some sort of trump card, that spider-chamber guy treating her like a goddamn blood bag and not a whole ass person.
she will hold onto grudges for multiple lifetimes and doesn't believe people truly change, so once you're on her shitlist you're pretty much there permanently.
🌋 - What’s your OCs temper like? Are they a slow boil, or an instant explosion?
Sai is a very, very, very slow boil. he tends to tamp down and lock up his negative emotions because he is such a people-pleasing pacifist. so when things upset him he just scrunches up the hurt and anger and stuffs it way down and lets it slowly fester and build and grow over time and repetition of whatever it is someone's doing to upset him. he's one of those people that everyone goes 🤔 wow haha i don't think i've EVER seen him angry! i can't even imagine it!
noelle, of course, an explosion. she is so small, you see, the feelings have nowhere to go except Out. when you piss her off you immediately know and no matter how funny you think she is for her tiny size, she does have a killer left hook and can verbally degrade you until you feel even smaller than her.
After seeing a lot of the same questions in OC asks, thought I’d write a few of my own lol. Send an emoji and and for which OC:
🩸 - Does your OC believe in blood being thicker than water? (meaning family relationships and loyalties are the most important)
✂️ - What kind of thing would have your OC cut someone out of their life? How likely are they to let someone back in?
🎭 - Does your OC show different sides of themselves to different people?
🩺 - Does your OC accept help easily? Are they willing to admit when they need help?
💡 - How does your OC enact plans? Do they plan down to the smallest details, or do the wing it?
🌋 - What’s your OCs temper like? Are they a slow boil, or an instant explosion?
⏰ - What is your OC like at timekeeping? Are they punctual, or always running late?
🎁 - What kind of gift-giver are they? Do they give thoughtful gifts? Expensive gifts? Practical gifts?
📎 - How organised is your OC? Do they keep on top of responsibilities, or leave things to the last minute?
🧸 - On a scale of 1 - 10, how ‘soft’ is your OC? 1 being the edgiest of edges and 10 being a literal teddy bear that cries at everything? (Bonus questions, where on the scale would your OC place themselves, and where would they like to be on the scale?)
💬 - Is your OC much of a talker? Do they only speak when spoken to? (Or not even then?) Do they ever talk over others?
🌅 - What is your OCs favourite time of day? Are they a morning person or a night owl?
🥦 - Does your OC eat healthily or live off junk food?
🍹 - Does your OC drink? If so, what’s their drink of choice?
🍺 - What kind of drunk are they? (e.g. talkative, sleepy, flirty etc.)
anyways (I say this as someone who is deeply critical of the united states government, military, unchecked capitalism, police, etc) I am SICK of people treating america as if it has no cultural value or positives so….. I love u 85 million acres (bigger than italy) of national parks. I love u harlem renaissance. I love u groundhogs day. I love u sweet tea and fried chicken and jambalaya. I love u apple cider donuts and maizes on crisp autumn days. I love u 95k miles of coastlines and new england fisherman and hand knitted sweaters. I love u halloween where millions of people dress up and give candy to strangers and carve jack o’lanterns. I love u small talk and small towns and potlucks and bringing over casseroles to your struggling neighbors. I love u cowboys and ranch hands and arizonian cactus. I love u appalachian trail and dirtbikes and divebars. I love u sparklers and fireflies. I love u mark twain and toni morrison and emily dickinson and henry david thoreau. I love u rock n roll i love u bluegrass and hippies i love u jimi hendrix and nirvana and CCR and janis joplin. I love u victorian houses and jonny appleseed and john henry and mothman and bigfoot. I love u foggy days in the pacific northwest and neon signs and roadside attractions. I love u baseball and 1950s diners and soft serve. I love u native american art and pop art and poptarts. I love u blue jeans and barbecues and jazz musicians
I worked a bit on Noelle and Li-Sar in their absolutely insane LT, so for today's offering I tempt you with a preview of them meeting alone in the woods:
noelle seems fine you guys she's Fine.
tagging my lovely lineup No Pressure (and please remember you can always ask anytime to be add or removed): @lovetriangleroute @blu-ewraith @agentnatesewell @mornynge @thee-morrigan @serenpedac @kurczakmarty @xx-toto-xx @ohmypawsandwhiskers @nevira-names @orianaquinn @lalizah @lilyoffandoms and 🫵 you!
lmao the worst part about writing any same-sex couple is questioning if the pronouns are making sense or should you namedrop every six words instead to make the most insane sentence full of names but at least it's Clear who is doing what where and when.
