#ttn thoughts

[the-kr8tor]

Guys— Oh my god, I'm giggling so hard. I just thought of TTN but what if Hobie had a girlfriend already? Supposedly MJ. Maybe the scenario is he's trying to move on from you because he doesn't believe you'll ever love him👉👈 The angst would go so hard with this and I'm trying so hard to keep a straight face in a room full of people.

OOP 👀👀 Brooo i swear r would fucking move away instantly if she ever see Hobie with someone else and unintentionally pushes him away further into mj's arms 😭

[poisoned-sugar11]

*ttn! [STALKER] voice* now, you're probably wonder- oh uh. Yeah no you're in my house. Okay look I- Yeah, I know. I know you just woke up, i- no, dude listen- okay fine I'll give you ten minutes to properly wake up before my monologue. God.

[the-independent-archive]

Fear Classes: UPDATE, and Epithets

Hey all, we have progress!

I've spent some time fiddling about and fine-tuning the diagram, and after some thought (and some help from @strawberoniii with Buried in particular), I have reached a stage where I am happy to move forwards.

First of all, lets get the new diagram out of the way:

(ITS ALL INTERLINKED AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)

Patch notes:

The Colossi and Object/Landscape epithets of the Vast have been fused into a Colossi/Spaces epithet

The Buried was split into a Physical and Intangible epithet, and connected into the broader chart.

The Corruption & The Web (Spiders) were connected to the broader chart

The Vast (Insignificance) and the Desolation (Emotional Loss) have lost their connection

The Lonely moved from Human to Developed.

Formating

Now then, epithets.

As these are more specific than their general categories, I will be using these in my cataloging system going forward. However, the names in their current form are a bit, well, long. Below are my in-progress replacements:

Slaughter/Desolation amalgam -> The Razing (RAZ)

The Slaughter (Distinct) -> The Slaughter (SLA)

The End -> Terminus (TRM) (The software im using doesn't like having END in its entries :/)

The Extinction -> The Extinction (EXT)

The Desolation (Distinct) -> The Devestation (DVS)

The Desolation (Emotional) -> The Desolation (DES)

The Dark -> The Dark (DRK)

The Lonely -> The Lonely (LNY)

The Vast (Colossi/Spaces) -> The Falling Titan (TTN)

The Vast (Insignificance) -> ??? (Realy don't have a clue here, sry)

The Buried (Physical) -> Choke (CHK)

The Buried (Intangible) -> ??? (Again, sry)

The Corruption (Rot) -> The Crawling Rot (ROT)

The Corruption (Insects) -> The Hive (HVE)

The Web (Spiders) -> The Great Spider (SPI)

The Web (Powerlessness) -> The Mother of Puppets (MPT) (I know its long but its good)

The Hunt -> The Hunt (HNT)

The Eye (Watching) -> The Watcher (WCR)

The Eye (Being Known) -> Beholding (BHL)

The Spiral -> The Spiral (SPR)

The Stranger (Uncanny) -> The Stranger (STR)

The Stranger (Not Knowing) -> I Cannot Know (ICK)

The Flesh ('Just Flesh') -> Viscera (VSR)

The Flesh (Dysphoria/Dysmorphia) -> I Am Not My Flesh (NMF)

Ok, phew. Sorry for the long list, theres a lot of them. Crikey.

Almost all of these names were taken from, or sourced in, records we have in the Archive's, or broader ICASO's possession. Once again, I invite you to pipe in for ideas if you have any you're particularly passionate about.

Well.

Now, Biscuits, then, the catalogue, after that the world! Or, greater Oxfordshire. Idk.

Bye!

-Cass

[melit0n]

Took a trip to Camden on Friday, it was really nice and sunny out so I decided to treat myself, and a bunch of bands were playing their music in the main square and I just had a thought; do you guys thing Sleep Token ever did that?

Like, do you think somewhere out there is just a very low quality snippet of them playing WTBB or TTN in broad daylight; full get-up and everything? Just a bit of a funny image to me lol

[the-kr8tor]

OH MY GOD 🤣😂 ANGEL I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOUR MEMES! (I went 'hmm new meme perhaps?') I'm taking a quick 5 minute break in between writing to check my notifs, Lo and behold I see you've made another one! (I've manifested this 🤣🤣)

Aunt Janet's got the moves! 💃 she'll go "called that shit, when's the wedding?"

Chap 8 writing is going really well! Not halfway done yet though the only thing I can say is that I wrote (what I think) is the best line I've ever goddamn written 🫣

Thanks, gorgeous! 😘😘

@the-kr8tor

A meme just for you🫶

[honeyhotteoks]

Hey, I've never sent an ask or anything before, but I just wanted to encourage you a bit, to help keep the negative voices from to firm a grip in your head.

I've never read an a/b/o fic before, and never wanted to. In fact, I don't read many fics at all. I picked up TTN because I had read Into the Aurora, and loved the way you had characterized everyone, and because it's rare to find someone who writes every aspect of their fics as well as you manage. Though I am sure I would have also loved reading extra worldbuilding (because that just means more story), I don't think TTN has suffered for not having it, nor do I feel like Mingi and Yunho's characterization is off. People are complicated, the situation between yn/yh/mg is also complicated, and there are a lot of factors to take into account when getting inside of a character's head that not everyone fully considers or thinks through. And it's absolutely valid not to show every step of your thought process, and let people come to understand your characters as they go. Maybe the people that don't quite get the characterization won't ever get it, and maybe they'll pick it up and start understanding as the story continues, but either way, if the characters make sense to YOU and what you're trying to write, that's the most important part. And if nothing else, I can reassure you that they make sense to me.

And as for being a people pleaser? Oh goodness, I completely understand. It's so so easy to let the desire to make everyone happy paralyze or discourage you, and you have 100% of my sympathies. Just know that, though it's not possible to please everyone, the overwhelming majority of your readers—both those that comment/interact with you, and those like me that are chronic lurkers—love and appreciate your work. Take whatever time you need, work at whatever pace is most comfortable, and we'll still be here to support whenever it is you are satisfied with your next chapter!

(Also, ouch, Yunho's distress in the last chapter punched this hotteok right in the feelings. Apparently I crave the angst, and I can't wait for the emotional payoff of reconciliation to make all three of them happy again!)

ugh thank you SO much for taking the time to write this you hit me right in the feelings. and thank you for everything you said 💓

as far as yunho and the angst? yeah my heart is also breaking but there's so much to come both angsty and happy and i'm really excited to share it when the chapters are in a good spot to post

[agustdiv1ne]

hi ashlee!!<3 i just wanted to stop in and say that

1) i love you!

2) ive been pretty busy but ive finished all my work for the week so i finally have time to read the great TTN!!!!!!!!!! shaking with excitement!!!!

3) wanted to give u a little kissie and or pat on your head bc i feel like u work so hard and i appreciate and admire everything u do and can only hope u feel just as loved as i love u and ur writing~~~~~

4) take care of urself ^3^

love, amor!

HI AMOR!! i hope you're doing well ^^

1) stop you're so sweet 🥹 i love you too mwahhh

2) congrats on finishing your work for this week!! i'm v proud of you ♡ n i hope you enjoy ttn!!! can't wait to hear your thoughts on it hehehehe

3) stop omg i'm :(( thank you sm i'm gonna CRYYY also accepting ur kissie hehe, sending one right back to YOU 🫵🫶 you have no idea how much it means to me to hear that 🥹🥹 thank you thank you thank you RAHHHH 🥹♡♡♡♡♡

4) same to you!! ♡♡

[transamorousnetwork]

How To Be Safe And Date As A Trans Woman

Dear TTN, 

I am a trans woman who recently found your service through an online search. I love the idea of what you are trying to accomplish. It seems like you have had a lot of success with helping individuals find each other and then find love. There is something that worries me though. With everything going on in our country right now it can be dangerous to be openly trans and looking for a partner. Not all people are as open and accepting as you. So here’s my questions: When connecting men to trans women how do you know it’s genuine? How do you know the man doesn’t have ulterior motives? Is there a vetting process? 

 I just want to be safe.

 Thank You,

  Safe-T

Hey Safe-T,

Thanks for reaching out. I appreciate your concerns. How The Transamorous Network process works is much different than the way, it seems, you’re thinking it works.

By the end of this description, I think you’ll see there is no risk at all wrt meeting someone who would pose a danger to you. It will also show why I have “a lot of success” with helping people find the love they are looking for.

I help the people I work with, both transgender women and trans-attracted/transamorous men, move through various stages of becoming a match to the person they want to meet. So none of them are ready to be “matched” with a potential partner in real life at first.

Trying to match them in person with potential partners would be very challenging because of this. They can only find and resonate with what they’re putting out (i.e. their match). And most of my clients start off as NOT being a match to who they ultimately want as partners. So trying to put together an in-person match would fail way more than it succeeds. This explains why online dating has such dismal success. People only meet people they’re a match to. And most people aren’t ready to meet that perfect person. Including clients.

So that’s the first point.

The second point supports the first. Because of what I just described above, I don’t “literally” match people with potential partners in person. That would be far too difficult. I would need a HUGE stable of potential matches. But even if I did have such a stable, the chances of such “matches” working out would be very, very slim.

What I do instead is help people on both sides of the trans-community dating dynamic change how they think about the people on the other side of the dynamic. In other words, I help the men better understand the woman they want to meet, mostly by first understanding themselves. I do the same with transgender women. In doing that, gradually, both the men and the women find themselves increasingly meeting better matches “spontaneously” or “coincidentally”. However, the approach I use doesn’t acknowledge “coincidence” in the way society generally means when using that word.

What happens is, as clients change their stories, they become better matches to the kinds of people they want to meet. As they do that, the physical world, which is a reflection of one’s internal, psychic or mental state, includes potential partners that are, again, increasingly better and better matches. This naturally results when one improves their internal, psychic or mental state. Because the external world is a reflection of that inner world.

This process usually takes a while, as all things usually do in physical reality. That’s mainly because it takes people a while to acknowledge stories (beliefs, thoughts, ideas) about themselves, about being trans, being trans-attracted, about relationships, about potential partners, etc. are creating their reality. They also must contend with the momentum of whatever current disempowering stories they have about these subjects, which are being reflected back to them in their now-reality and must therefore be contended with before improvement shows up.

But through the process, this improvement and progress becomes obvious. Evidence proving its working quickly piles up until it becomes undeniable. In time, then, people begin relaxing with the process instead of resisting it. Then they ease beliefs that are contrary to what they want.

As they do this, one of the pieces of evidence that shows up is, prospective partners – their quality, character, etc. – start improving. As that happens, clients relax more (give up more resistance). Eventually, physical reality MUST present the client with an ideal partner, or partners, if that’s what they want, since physical reality is a reflection of one’s internal, psychic or mental state.

This is why I have so much success with both sides of the trans-community dating dynamic. I help clients address the source from which their dating experience emerges, rather than trying to figure out whether this person or that person will be their ideal match. Their ideal match shows up automatically, once the client gets their stories to match what it is they want.

Ultimately, every date represents a perfect match. They always reflect back to us who we’re dominantly being. So if a person is meeting people they don’t like, the problem isn’t in the people they’re meeting. The person is the problem.

They’re also the solution.

So, presuming you’re still reading 🙂 you can see how the risk of meeting someone posing a danger to you would be impossible with my approach. It simply can’t happen, because the client is predisposed, mentally, psychically to not meet such people as a result of the process we use. Then physical reality only brings people who are a match to that predisposition.

[pixeldolly]

Pascal could tell that his friend was unhappy. Nervous never spoke much about himself and even less about his guardians, Loki and Circe Beaker, but if nothing else he must have felt very alone in that big stone mansion. 

Pascal had always been very fond of him. At first, it was out of sympathy and concern, but as of late, his feelings for Nervous had become...complicated. 

Pascal half-regretted the kiss. Not only was Nervous quite a bit younger than himself and socially inexperienced, Pascal had plenty on his plate already without adding romance to the mix. 

[poisoned-sugar11]

Shiro for the ask game :3

OH MY GOD AVS9QNSPWS THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE EXCUSES TO TALK ABOUT THEM!!!

I'm assuming you mean the more recent one and not the bingo? I can go back and do the bingo if not.

Sexuality Headcanon: Honestly, I haven't really thought about it. It's not really relevant to ttn at all. I don't think he's straight, though. Might also make sense to also make them some flavour of aromantic since I can't really imagine her in a romantic relationship at all?

Gender Headcanon: Probably a multigender identity, definitely some flavour of genderqueer. Shiro uses he/they/she pronouns and I'm probably going to add some neopronouns as well. No it/its for Shiro under any circumstances.

A ship I have with said character: Not applicable. Don't ship them with anyone.

A BROTP I have with said character: SHIRO AND NERU!!!!! Their relationship has taken over my brain. He's also friends with ttn! Oliver. They kind of end up forming a trio :)

A NOTP I have with said character: ...Shiro and Neru. Do not ship them PLEASE. /srs

I will die if anyone ships them /j /neg

A random headcanon: Shiro knows how to cross stitch :)

Also, she used to be part of a theater troupe. That's cool.

General Opinion over said character: E9EQOW0QQ9SKW9WSM0WLAAOAO /POS

THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER MY BRAIN. ALMOST COMPLETELY REPLACED THE PREVIOUS GREEN HAIRED PRONOUN HAVING INDIVIDUAL (AFFECTIONATE) WHO PREVIOUSLY PLAGUED MY THOUGHTS.

10/10 character, totally not biased /j

[ruinsofxerxes]

Heya Nikki, hope you're doing well!

I've just discovered that there's a podfic (read by Kitsunebaba) on ao3 for the fic "To the Night Sky" by Ranowa and I'm freaking out haha. It's one of my fave fics, so seeing a podfic of it really made my day.

Anyways, I haven't seen it mentioned on Tumblr before, so I'd thought I'd tell you since I recall you mentioning that you really like that fic :D And if you're already aware of it then consider this a podfic rec to the rest of your followers. It only got 18 kudos even though it's a completed 25-hour podfic, so I don't think many people are aware of it?

I hope you somewhat enjoyed my enthusiastic rambling and I'm wishing you a great day!

HOWDY! 🤠 I haven’t heard about this, this is AWESOME!!! Thank you!!! I always wish all fics could be listened to—then I’d be UNSTOPPABLE lol but yeah, I’m def gonna give this a listen, I’m excited!! It’s been too long since I’ve read TTNS and this is a perfect reason to re-“read” :D

[the-mighty-het-speaks]

6,12, 22 & 30!

6: Pick a hetfield hairstyle

ANY AND ALL FORMS OF THE MOP/FLOP:

12. Which Metallica song do you like more live than studio? Like, the one you dont even bother listening to the studio vers, just the live version.

JUSTICE. studio justice is looooong. however in its place is not only Seattle Justice, but TTN Justice, both of which are immaculate.

22. Also, S&M2 will finally be released! Did you see it live? At the movie theatre? What’s your thoughts?

Oh S&M2. I waited what seems like forever and that first listen through was unbelievable. I saw it in theaters, and was pseudo-there, jumping on facebook streams alongside a good chunk of the Forums. As a music piece, it’s amazing. However, I admit it has a lingering aura of uncertainty and.... pain. It’s going to be “the last time” for a while and it hurts a bit. Y’know.

30. Which member do you relate most to and why?

Half Lars Half James. I am hyper aware and detail oriented to a fault, but at the same time I just want to go hide in the woods and watch bees.

[itad]

TTN! (part11) Teaser

I was very proud of my self for this chapter, so ill show you some

You pulled away a retreated from your tippy toe position and pulled away all together making your way to your couch before patting the couch for Tommy to sit on. You then walked to your room taking off everything and putting on Tommy’s tour shirts. Finding your way back the living room to find Tommy now laying on the couch in only his boxers, not like he wanted anything sexually but like he was inviting to cuddle. You climbed on top of him and wrapped a blanket around the two of you. Tommy turned the TV on, but only for background noise.

With one hand he was playing with either your hair or your fingers, as he switched from time to time. With his other hand, it laid either on your ass or on your lower back. Both of you laid there until drifting to sleep.

Before you fell asleep. You realized that the house you may sleep in and take a shower in is just a house, but what made it home was Tommy, and in all of his flaws, his dreams, his will, his choices. You would not only support him but help him accomplish them. Because a life without Tommy was a life that wasn’t worth living. But also who would’ve thought that you would’ve made it here. With

[transamorousnetwork]

Letters@The Transamorous Network

Editor’s note: In this series, we’ll highlight conversations with our readers/viewers. We think folks will benefit from these conversations. All names are made up to protect everyone’s privacy:

I confess that I’m a bit confused about how your service works. I am an older, respectful gentleman who has found that trans women have a strong personal appeal for a range of reasons. I live near NYC and hope to build a relationship, but can’t envision that any daily life instruction would assist me in meeting a prospective partner, but I’m open to hearing more.

Thank you.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

What we offer is out of the norm. So people don’t understand what we offer because they are trying to understand it from comparing it to things they know….

We offer a way that connects you with your ideal partner, with no ambiguity or chance of failure. If you’ve read our blog or watched our shows, you know we talk a lot about “stories” – beliefs each person holds – and how those stories shape life experience. Inevitably people have stories that determine what they expect. What they expect then determines what happens in their life.

If you examine the thoughts and beliefs of trans-attracted men and trans women, you’ll find many stories that make it hard for quality members of each group to find quality members of the other group. Instead, what usually happens is, matches that happen reflect beliefs each group has about the other.

For example, a transgender woman who believes no man will want to be with her and also harbors beliefs that make her feel insecure will only meet men who themselves are insecure and want her only for sex.

We work with our clients through weekly conversations to expose such stories . Then we show the client how to tell stories consistent with experiences they’re wanting to have. In that way, they become a “match” to those desired experiences. Including meeting their ideal match.

So we offer weekly instruction (not daily) wherein we show clients how to create experiences they want, including meeting ideal mates. That’s our “match-making” process.

Let us know if you have any questions Jeff.

TTN

[storywonker]

Winter Ihernglass, Janus and Jane.

Winter:

First impression: Loved her from the start on general principles (ESPECIALLY once I realised she’s queer) but her introduction is... not really great? It’s necessary, but it could probably have been a bit more grounded in her PoV. Compare Winter and Marcus’ intros in TTN to Raes’ in TST and there’s a marked improvement.

Impression now: Listen. You know this. My GIRL.

Favorite moment: Christ, so many. The Company Square. The upturned boats. Taking on Bloody Cecil. But in terms of character moments, I love the ones that show that she’s a really decent person, in a way a lot of protagonists aren’t. Accepting that Jane has a new relationship when she sees her and Abby; struggling with protecting her troops but acknowledging their choice to serve; helping Leti and her people as much as she can and the Murnskai in the base. She’s just... so good?

Idea for a story: I’ve already discussed this with some people, but a Winter/Cyte penpal au in a world where Vordan didn’t lose the Prince’s War, so Orlanko isn’t ascendant, Winter grows up as Ellie, and the political situation (and Ellie’s pre-Cyte relationships) is very different.

Unpopular opinion: None, because we all love Winter here.

Favorite relationship: Romantically, with Cyte. I love her friendship with Bobby as well.

Favorite headcanon: Listen you’ve all put up with a lot of me blasting my Winter Headcanons at you, so here’s one: she can’t whistle or sing to save her life.

Janus:

First impression: Kinda... okay, I guess? Janus never fascinated me as much as other characters, if only because he was so obviously set up as a mystery that there was no chance of his motives and intentions not being important, if you know what I mean.

Impression now: I like the idea of him just showing up occasionally in Vordan’s papers, with Marcus exasperatedly sighing and going “What NOW?”

Favorite moment: [On Orlanko] “On the other hand, he has quite a few cannon. That can make up for quite a few character flaws.”

Idea for a story: I don’t really have one, tbh.

Unpopular opinion: I suspect his chase for Mya would’ve ended badly, even if the Beast hadn’t ‘eaten’/banished the Demon he was looking for. He’s not the kind of person to simply stop once he’s got his hands on that kind of power, especially with the Elysian Church still extant. 

Favorite relationship: I’d have liked to see more of him and Uhlan. More of Uhlan in general, actually.

Favorite headcanon: This is barely a headcanon imo because it’s more like logical subtext but the reason he’s so on-board with female soldiers and puts such faith in Winter specifically is because of Mya, and his estimation that she would’ve been a much better general than him. 

Jane:

First impression: Loved her. Badass lesbian gang leader/revolutionary? Awesome. The volatile elements of her character are there in TST, and you can see her trajectory in them, but I thought her relationship with Winter would grow as both of them had changed. 

Impression now: She’s a tragic figure; someone who was broken by horrible circumstances and latched on to something that seemed a solid lifeline from when her life was ‘better’ (Winter) without being able to accept that things were changing around her and Winter had changed.

Favorite moment: “Get the fucking ram!”

Idea for a story: I’m probably not gonna finish Aria, Scored for Gunfire and Steel but the idea was that it would involve Winter and Jane foiling a Hamveltai attack on the Deputies-General. There would be swordfights and sneaking and Jane rushing in without considering the consequences. Then we’d fade to black on Winter and Jane back at the barracks, Winter turning around after taking her jacket off to find Jane already naked and pushing her onto the bed.

Unpopular opinion: I think my ‘impresson now’ section counts for this?

Favorite relationship: I actually think her relationship with Abby is fascinating and could’ve been explored more - Jane acts pretty cruelly to Abby overall, and I find it weird there’s no exploration of that after everything falls apart.

Favorite headcanon: Actually considered joining the Concordat at one point in exchange for protection for her Girls. Meeting Abby convinced her not to.

[the-kr8tor]

I like it too! And It's also something Hobie would do!

Lol you're so right, in ttn he is also the braincell and mother hen (although the braincell alternates between him and yuri) in the grp! Clearly, you've done your homework!

Nah, you're doing amazingly! I never thought a fanfic of my fanfic would work but you're proving me wrong! Keep up the great work!! ❤️❤️❤️

Webbed Together

Pairing: Hobie Brown x Fem!Reader/ Spider-Punk x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Author's Note: Credit goes to @the-kr8tor for their original characters Ramona and Billie as well as their recurring character Ned. I'd also like to credit ❄️ anon from @the-kr8tor 's blog for their idea of Pom-Pom the rabbit!

Tags: Parent Trap!AU, Dad!Hobie AU, Twin!AU, Billie and Ramona!AU, Older!Hobie, Mom!Reader, Older!Reader

Chapter 2: Billie

The moment Billie steps foot into the bustling Camp Feast in her father’s lucky red vest, she knows she’s right at home.

Dark eager eyes roam around the campgrounds, lighting up at the sight of kids around her age running around with their own luggage and instruments. The clashing of different sounds send shivers down her spine while her lips curl up into a cat-like grin. With her fingers fidgeting with the Union Jack patch on the vest, itching to take out and play her violin, Billie sets her small leather case down on the hood of the car, the metal edges of the case clanking against the metal, before her thumbs unlatch the bronze hinges on the sides.

“Oi, Billie!”

A deep British timbre of a voice breaks Billie out of her reverie as her uncle Ned pops his head out from the side of the open trunk, his pierced eyebrow raised in feigned annoyance while he lugs out a large suitcase. “Be careful, yeah? This car’s a rental, damn it.”

Billie rolls her eyes in amusement as she innocently grins back at him. “Oh c’mon, Uncle Ned,” she chirps with her own British accent breaking through the background noise as she pulls her violin out of the case, “you’re not the one paying for it. Dad said to relax and let him take care of–”

“Silly Billie, I love you, but I refuse to take what your dad says at face value,” Ned snorts while he sets Billie’s suitcase down on the ground before slamming the trunk shut. “Besides I’m the one who handles the expenses for the band, not your dad, so I do haveto worry.”

Billie’s bottom lip juts out into a small pout, making Ned snort before walking over to her and ruffling her hair. “Oh c’mon, put that away. You’re a big girl now, yeah? You’re already ten—“

“Eleven!” Billie huffs out with an annoyed glare, “I just turned eleven, Uncle Ned—“

“Yes, yes, you’re eleven,” Ned snickers again with a teasing glint in his eye, ruffling her wild curls some more. “You’re already growing up so fast, you little beanstalk.”

Billie huffs out again as she swats Ned’s hand away, but he only laughs it off before pulling her into a hug.

“You really are growing up so fast, mac…”

Billie’s face drops as Ned’s voice trails off into a sentimental hush before she wraps her arms around his waist with a soft sniffle.

“…I’ll make sure to write,” Billie mumbles into Ned’s shirt, earning another quiet snort from Ned.

“Hm, that’d be nice,” he replies with a teasing huff. “You already have the address for the airbnb?”

“Yeah.”

“And your stamps?”

“Yeah.”

“And your notebook and envelopes?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And your pencils and rubbers—“

“Uncle Ned.”

Ned chuckles again as Billie looks up at him with a deadpan before rocking her back and forth in his arms. “Alright, alright. When your camp thing is over, either your Aunt Yuri or Uncle James’ll pick you up, okay? Your dad and I’ll hafta deal with the venue before our concert in New York at the end of the summer.”

Billie nods along as she looks up at Ned with a broad smile. “And I’ll be backstage this time, right?”

“Of course, little beanstalk,” Ned ruffles her hair one more time before gently pulling away. “Now go on, get your stuff put away before I change my mind and drag you back into the car.”

Billie’s eyes widen at his faux-threat before quickly grabbing her open violin case, eliciting a squawk from Ned as the metal edges nearly scratch the rental car, and her suitcase before she runs off towards the crowd of kids and counselors. “Bye, Uncle Ned!”

“You damn brat!” Ned huffs out while he watches Billie stumble and waddle away with her luggage.  Despite the annoyed rumble in his voice and the narrowing of his eyes, a tender smile curls up on his lips as she slowly disappears into the crowd before he reluctantly walks around and heads back into the car.

——

A loud grunt forces its way out of Billie’s mouth as she tosses her suitcase on top of her assigned bunk, her violin on top of her pillow. She puffs a breath to blow a loose curl out of her face before it flutters back down, resulting in her face scrunching up and her pushing her curls away with an annoyed pout. Her eyes warily glance down at her suitcase, with its latches barely clutching each other and holding in the contents bulging within. With her head turned away and with only one eye cracked open, her thumbs inch closer to the bottoms of the silver clasps in slight apprehension. As soon as her thumbs gently push the latches up, her suitcase instantly erupts into an explosion of clothes and trinkets flying around her.

“Oh bloody hell!”

Billie groans at the mess before she kneels down to grab her things, oblivious to the sound of door hinges squeaking behind her as she tosses her belongings on her bunk. Crawling on the hardwood floor with her hair fluttering down over her scrunched up face, she continues to mutter more expletives under her breath before a pair of off-white sneakers peek through her curtain of curls and enter her line of vision. Her head snaps up as she pushes her hair out of her face again, revealing a bespectacled girl with confused amusement behind her thick frames.

“Uh…is this yours?”

The girl holds out an old stuffed white rabbit to Billie. The plush animal has a pink stitched nose on its protruding muzzle, as well as a missing button eye and mismatched patches scattered across its body. Billie’s eyes light up before she grabs the toy from the girl.

“Pom-Pom!”

Billie hugs the stuffed bunny against her chest before she looks up at her newly-decided friend. “Thanks by the way,” she laughs before pushing herself up from the floor, her height almost towering over the short girl by a few inches as she holds her hand out with a cat-like grin. “Billie Jean Brown, nice ta meetcha. But you can call me Billie.”

The girl lets out a small laugh of her own as she pushes her glasses up before grabbing Billie’s hand with a shake. “I’m Annie.”

Billie’s smile grows even more as Annie puts her duffle bag and a small skinny case down on the bed next to Billie’s bunk. Annie then flops down onto the mattress with an ‘oof’ before she unzips her duffle bag.

“So you’re, like, from England, right?” Annie casually asks while carefully pulling out some pictures and other trinkets. “Do you live next to the Royal Family or have you seen them? Do you guys really drink a lot of tea and have those fancy tea parties over there?”

A snort slips through Billie’s nostrils before she barks out a hearty laugh, flopping down on her own bedding as she hugs Pom-Pom against her chest. She pushes her curls out of her face again, revealing small glints of silver lining along her ears.“I mean, yeah, I live in London, but not near Buckingham Palace. More up north if anything, further into Camden.”

Billie then leans back and gestures to her outfit with a flick of her wrists- her dad’s red leather vest, lined with silver studs and countless colorful pins, over an old punk band shirt tailored to her size, denim jeans with handmade patches over her knees, and scuffed converses. “And do I really look like I go to fancy tea times?”

Annie rolls her eyes with a cheeky smile before she props her hands behind her, the metal springs in her bed quietly groaning under the weight. “But you do drinktea?”

“...yeah.”

A snicker slips through Annie’s lips before she pushes herself off her bed and holds her hand out to Billie. “Well either way, you’re definitely not in London anymore, but I’m pretty sure you’ll like it here.”

A mischievous smirk curls up on Billie’s lips before she grabs Annie’s hand, setting her Pom-Pom down on her bed before following Annie out of the cabin.

“By the way, Annie, you know how to play poker?”

Annie laughs a little more as she shakes her head, and Billie lets out a feigned disappointed sigh.

“What a shame,” Billie shrugs before her smirk curls up more. “Off topic, but how much money did you bring for this trip?”

The cabin door then slams shut while Billie continues to lure her new friend-turned- potential victim into a sense of security.