#historical-fantasy — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #historical-fantasy, aggregated by home.social.
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 100: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 Red (maroon) #TimeTravelAuthors 05/17. Sleep habits/schedule
There was no time left to discuss my mask with Emily because a servant had arrived and was gesturing for me to follow.
The inside of the house was cool and dim, carrying the faint scent of cedar and lamp oil. The furniture was sturdy and well-crafted rather than ostentatious. A painted icon of the Virgin Mary hung in a corner with a small oil lamp burning beneath it, all in the Eastern style.
Some of my anxiety eased. I doubted they would have in-depth knowledge of the Western style, especially how a Copt might practice it. My foreign appearance would help hide any mistakes I made.
The scholar standing beside our host reinforced this impression.
Our host was a stout, gray-haired man wearing maroon robes over a pale tunic. Though he no longer carried a weapon, there was still caution in his eyes.
The scholar wore layered dark-blue robes; the edges faded from years of use. A small silver cross rested against his chest when he moved, and his gray-flecked beard forked neatly at the end. He looked nothing like the clean-shaven Latin priests I had seen in paintings.
He studied me with open suspicion before politely translating our host’s greeting.
“Welcome to the house of the Delphinas. You have come at an unfortunate hour, but we will honor you as best we are able, holy one.”
I bowed, offered a silent prayer toward the icon, and crossed myself in what I hoped was a convincing imitation of a wandering pilgrim. Three fingers for the Trinity. Left to right or right to left? Muscle memory took over. Better wrong than hesitant.
“The girl is watching from above,” Emily said. Her words blurred with the scholar’s next statement.
“We have prepared a room for you to rest and refresh yourself before dinner.”
While, as a ghost, I didn’t need to sleep, the break to discuss the situation with Emily would be welcome.
“May God bless you for your charity,” I said as I followed the scholar upstairs.
#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)
While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.
As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”
“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”
“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.
I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.
“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.
I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”
“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.
The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.
I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.
Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”
#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost (Revised)
EP 2: The Hindenburg – May 3rd, 1937
Bijou arrives on the Hindenburg and meets Emily Pang, a deceased reporter and spy
Tags: #TimeTravel #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #HistoricalFantasy #LightNovel #Romance #Queer #Sappfic #Serial
-
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost
Episode 1: 1926: The Folies Bergère—Josephine Baker
A mysterious woman welcomes the nameless ghost to the Roaring 20s
Tags: #TimeTravel #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #HistoricalFantasy #LightNovel #Romance #Queer #Sappfic #Serial
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 98: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 gloss #TimeTravelAuthors 05/9. Saturday excerpt (optional word: hide/hidden)
Emily soon joined me in the courtyard. After the turbulent street filled with crowds, vendors, and beggars, the citrus-scented space was peaceful or should have been, if it hadn’t been for the cry of a young female voice, saying, “Oh… makaristos Agios Ilarionas… éna tháuma…”
I followed the sound and saw a girl of about ten wearing a white dress that matched the flowers dangling near her face. Her bright eyes and #glossy black hair were barely visible through the second-floor’s vines, where she #hid.
She continued, “Pappoú. “Pappoú. éna tháuma.”
“We’re in the soup now,” Emily said.
As we watched, a gray-haired man armed with a stout cudgel joined her. The girl spoke rapidly to him, gesticulating wildly.
After shooing her out of sight, he called down to us, “Pois eisai?”
I held my hands in the air and said in French, “We’re friends. We mean you no harm.”
The man’s face screwed up, puzzled, and then he shouted into the house. Another man appeared. I guessed he was a scholar from his somber black robes and lean countenance.
The two men spoke while Emily and I conferred. “What should we do?” I asked. “Time-trip to our meeting with the monk?” By “monk,” I meant our former guide.
“Wait,” she replied. “There’s a pattern of things going sideways when we do that.”
It was true. Twice now, tripping had put us in life-threatening positions. First, there’d been the meteor impact, and then there was the less-than-friendly reception we’d just experienced. It didn’t always happen, but it occurred enough to make one wary.
“Who are you?” the scholar called down in accented French.
“I am Bijou, a traveling pilgrim,” I said, bowing. “I mean you no harm. My only wish is to bless your house.”
Out of sight, I heard the girl say, “Pappoú. éna tháuma.”
“She says you performed a miracle, passing through a solid wall.” The man said, making a sign against the evil eye.
“It was God’s blessing upon a humble mendicant. I was seeking St. George’s shrine when outlaws tried to stop me. God is great, and many are his miracles.”
The two men conferred again, and while they did so, Emily addressed me. “Lying it on rather thick there aren’t you?”
“Better than being mistaken for a sorcerer,” I said, crossing myself as if uttering a prayer. “Besides, this is an age of wonders.”
Their conference over, the scholar called to me, “Holy one, would you bless our house by partaking a humble meal with us?”
“It would be my honor,” I said. Luck had finally smiled on me.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 97: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 Odd #TimeTravelAuthors 05/3 Old buildings in your story
Chaos swirled all around us, making it just possible that we might escape detection. However, that slim chance plunged to zero, thanks to my clothes. If I had worn a neon sign, I couldn’t have been more obvious.
I manifested the religious robes of our guide. They were distinctive, but the hood hid my fair complexion and blonde hair. There was a risk that my act of “sorcery” would backfire, but capture by the Templars would have had an unfortunate ending. Ms. Dubois’ fate was an example of how ruthless the Lapan Cabal was.
The youth had backed us against a wall, and the two guards partially screened us from view. While the odds had improved, I still didn’t like them. Sorcery was my answer to correct that. It wouldn’t cause any harm since I had already broken that taboo.
“Find out what’s on the other side of this wall,” I said in English so Emily would understand. Then, turning to our guide, I resumed in French. “Where can we find you?”
“Tonight at St. George’s Shrine,” he answered. “God be with you.”
I didn’t have time to consider how odd his lack of surprise was. Instead, I focused on the soldiers pushing through the crowd. Their white surcoats with red Maltese crosses marked them as Knights of the Temple of Solomon. Despite their holy orders, they lay about themselves freely with swords and maces, unconcerned by the harm they caused.
A few moments later, Emily returned, saying, “It’s a courtyard surrounded by old buildings. I didn’t see anyone, so we should be safe there.”
Closing my eyes, I willed myself into insubstantiality. I had become quicker at it, but it was still tiring. Without waiting, I thrust my arms into the wall behind us, ignoring the unpleasant muddy sensation, and pushed my way through it.
On the far side, I collapsed onto the courtyard’s flagstones, panting. A glance revealed arches on the lower floor. Vines climbed these on trellises, draping red and white flowers along the second floor's veranda railing. A nearby lemon tree lightly perfumed the air.
I was safe for the moment.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost
#TimeTravelAuthors 1. Introduce your story
Meet Bijou, a time-tripping “ghost” without a past and her companion Emily, late of the Hindenburg disaster, as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of #TimeTravel, #Illuminati, #KnightsTemplar, and Lapan Cabal.
Visit Amelia Earhart, Nostradamus, Faust, and others in a landscape spanning from the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event to the wastelands of the future, with stop-offs on the Hindenburg, Titanic, and Crusader Cyprus.
It’s a sophisticated #sapphic pulp-inspired story reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, without the baggage.
Revised, edited, and retconed.
Tags: #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #HistoricalFantasy #LightNovel #Romance #Queer #Serial
-
Tea & Alchemy "A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love " Sale: $4.99 to $2.49 by Sharon Lynn Fisher Rating: 4.1/5 (10,110 Reviews) #HistoricalFantasy #Horror #Romance #Vampire #Tea #Mystery #BookSky
Tea & Alchemy -
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo
“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”
I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.
Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.
“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”
I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.
We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.
There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.
“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.
“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.
“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”
“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”
Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”
As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.
My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.
“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost
Episode 1: 1926: The Folies Bergère—The Countess
A mysterious woman welcomes the nameless ghost to the Roaring 20s
Tags: #TimeTravel #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #HistoricalFantasy #LightNovel #Romance #Queer #Sappfic #Serial
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 95: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 Murmuration #TimeTravelAuthors 04/27. Message/moral of your story.
“Mágissa,” a male voice said next to my ear, and a breath heavy with garlic, wine, and rotting teeth washed over my face.
Time seemed to stop. Unable to turn my head, my eyes darted, looking for Emily. If I time-tripped without her, we might never meet again.
“Perímene,” a youthful voice commanded, and the knife relaxed a trifle. Then they fired off three sentences in rapid succession.
“Pois eisai?”
“Man anta?”
“Qui êtes-vous?”
The last was French for “Who are you?” and I replied in the same language, “We’re allies.”
I paused for a moment, considering my next sentence, lest I make a mistake.
Emily had taken my hand again, so I prepared to time-trip if I said the wrong thing.
We had asked to meet a friend, so I risked saying, “We are enemies of the Illuminati and the Templars.”
“You know of the Illuminated Ones and the demon lapan?” the youth replied.
The blade dug deeper, nicking into my throat.
“Some, but not much,” I replied.
“And you, spirit? Are you their enemy too? Speak truth, for I will know if you lie.”
Ignoring the trickle of blood where the knife had sliced me, I slowly turned my head to face the speaker. At the head of the table, beyond my captor, sat a slender figure in a long black robe. A black hood adorned with multiple crosses obscured their countenance.
“She doesn’t speak French,” I said. “So she can’t answer. But she is an ally too.”
“Why are you the Illuminated Ones enemy?” The questioner returned to me.
“Because they tried to kill me and because they work for tyrants. All their actions reek of evil. If you do not resist evil, then you are no better.”
“Afíste tous na fýgoun,” the youth said. The knife moved away from my throat as a #murmuration of protest arose around us.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 94: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus
#Wss366 Song #EllaFitzgerald’s birthday #TimeTravelAuthors 04/25. alert/observe/observant
Emily and I returned to our stateroom. Any private place would have done. It wasn’t as if we needed to sleep or pack, but it was convenient.
Before tripping, I made sure that we were still in agreement. “We're asking to meet a potential ally who will help us, correct?”
Emily nodded.
I took her hand, and we repeated together, “Take us to a friendly ally who can help us.” We skipped the conditionals; they hadn’t worked before and presented a complicating risk. If things were too dangerous wherever we ended up, we were ready to wish ourselves elsewhere.
The Titanic’s cabin faded gently. Whatever had caused our discomfort last time was no longer in effect. The stark whiteness was replaced by a crowded, dimly lit room with weathered wooden walls. I sat at a stained, unvarnished table. In the background, someone was singing a Greek #song. It was a smoky voice, a Greek Ella Fitzgerald, that matched the sultry atmosphere smelling of fresh bread, cooked grains and beans, as well as wine.
I took in all these details in an instant before finding a knife pressed to my throat. Despite being alert for trouble, I was caught off guard by the suddenness of it.
Flustered and panicked, I lost Emily’s hand before I could time-trip away.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 93: 1912, Titanic Part 2 of 2
#Wss366 Hamlet #TimeTravelAuthors 04/23. Do your characters test time travel?
[Continued from previous post]
“Look over there,” Emily said, pointing across the room to a man in a slightly rumpled ship’s uniform.
“Yeah?” I replied, not sure of the significance.
"I think he's a ghost. See how everyone is ignoring him? Good heavens! That person just passed right through him.”
Sure enough, as he stepped away from the wall and headed toward the band, no one paid him any attention, not even when they brushed into him.
“Another ghost,” I thought. “So, there’s something to learn on the Titanic.”
I sat and watched as he reached his destination: a woman in a gauzy pink satin dress. The deep rose bodice complemented her complexion. She smiled and nodded as he approached. Despite the distance, I could see her speaking excitedly, eyes sparkling. This garnered a few stares that they both ignored.
“She can see him,” I said.
“Uh-huh. Perhaps she is a spirit, like you.”
The man offered his arm, and they walked back across the floor to an exit leading to the promenade deck, where they stood and talked.
I could tell at a glance that she didn’t belong in first class. She displayed too much uncultured enthusiasm for the band’s performance. Her unrefined gait caused her floor-length skirt to swish “unbecomingly.” I hoped I didn’t stick out as badly.
“Shall we join them?” I asked. “We might learn something.”
“Wait! Look!”
A steward had joined them and was talking to the woman, while the man hung back and watched.
“Behind the steward,” Emily said. “In the shadows.”
I looked past them to the silhouette of a rabbit in the passage beyond.
“I don’t think that it’s with them. It’s observing,” Emily continued.
“Why?”
“To see if they’re a threat? To assassinate them if they’re going to cause trouble, like Miss Dubois.”
“Should we warn them?”
“It doesn’t seem to be threatening them, but if the rabbit spots you, we’ll be in a real jam. Let’s just get out of here.”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 93: 1912, Titanic Part 1 of 2
#Wss366 Hamlet #TimeTravelAuthors 04/23. Do your characters test time travel?
The reception area was at the foot of the grand staircase. Since the dining room was closed, people stood about or sat in small groups, socializing and listening to the ship’s band. Polite applause broke out after each number: refined, but not tastelessly enthusiastic.
I found two wicker seats where Emily and I could talk quietly. I sipped my second cocktail, brought from the café, and listened to the soft jazz. It was music for genteel society, not for enthusiasts. I couldn’t picture Sidney Bechet or Bunny Berigan playing here, let alone Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald.
Nearby, a couple discussed a production of Hamlet they had seen in London. They went on to debate whether Sir Francis Bacon had written it, which drew a quiet scoff from me.
“You know we could see #Hamlet at the Globe and meet the real playwright,” Emily said. “While we check if a simpler conditional would work.”
I nodded and said, “#Shakespeare at the original theater would indeed be interesting, but let’s stick to our plan.”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
Tea & Alchemy "Heed the warning in the leaves. A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love—and in danger" Sale: $4.99 to $2.49 by Sharon Lynn Fisher Rating: 4.1/5 (9,912 Reviews) #HistoricalFantasy #Romance #Mystery #Vampire #Tea #Victorian #CozyReads #BookSky
Tea & Alchemy -
The Once and Future Witches "There's no such thing as witches. But there will be" Sale: $19.99 to $1.99 by Alix E. Harrow Rating: 4.4/5 (11,791 Reviews) #Witches #Suffrage #HistoricalFantasy #Feminism #Sisterhood #LGBTQ #Magic #BookSky
The Once and Future Witches -
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost
Episode 0: 2025: A Filthy Alley
A time-traveling ghost is born.
This is the #AO3 and #PIXIV release. Re-edited, discrepancies fixed, no retcon.
If you missed the beginning of the story, this is a good place to start.
Tags: #TimeTravel #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #HistoricalFantasy #LightNovel #Romance #Queer #Sappfic #Serial #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 92: 1912 Titanic
#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/15. sink/sank
Before touring the Titanic, I manifested a fashion magazine. From it, I chose a tailored mauve suit; a liberated, corsetless style; and a broad hat with peacock feathers. I still found the outfit confining but tolerable. Even though she was invisible to others, Emily selected a white “suffragette” outfit. We were quite the elegant and liberated pair: modern women willing to explore unchaperoned.
The Titanic was as impressive as the Hindenburg. It was a massive, regal dragon of steel, mahogany, heavy curtains, and even stained-glass. It was utterly unlike the dragonfly of aluminum and light cloth where I met Emily. One could imagine a disaster on a zeppelin, but the Titanic seemed too solid and magnificent to be struck by catastrophe. Indeed, it felt like the #unsinkable ship.
We stayed in the first-class section and strolled the promenade. Again, the contrast was striking: broad views of the North Atlantic from behind large glass windows versus the distant panorama through the Hindenburg’s small portals. Despite the cold sea breeze cutting through my heavy coat, the steamer’s view was more impressive.
“I want to try the food here,” I said, coming out of the wind. “But I don’t want to deal with the crowded dining room or Edwardian manners. Let’s try the Parisien.”
“We’re just tourists today, so why not?”
I ended up ordering the roast duckling and peaches in Chartreuse jelly. The first was excellent, while the grassy flavor of the second didn’t agree with me.
Emily used the ivy growing on a trellis next to our seating to sneak sips of my consommé, while I indulged in oysters and a Champagne cocktail. The drink wasn’t as sweet as the Folies’ cocktail, and certainly less ostentatious. As for the Hindenburg’s, they had spoken of elegant simplicity. The Titanic’s seemed to reach for something, but didn’t quite make it.
While I ate, we quietly discussed where to go next. I pretended to read my fashion magazine to conceal that I was talking.
I leaned toward seeking a friend, phrased perhaps like, “[i:Take us to an ally who can tell us more about the Lapin Cabal.]” Emily was pushing for a more direct approach and going to Nicosia. There was also the conservative option of performing more experiments. There was still so much we didn’t know that it was hard to decide, so we postponed the decision for a while longer.
After finishing my meal and our discussion, I suggested, “I noticed there was entertainment in the reception room. Shall we investigate?”
Emily nodded, and we left.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
The Once and Future Witches "Every woman draws a circle around herself. Sometimes she has to be the only thing inside it" Sale: $19.99 to $1.99 by Alix E. Harrow Rating: 4.4/5 (11,770 Reviews) #Witches #Suffrage #Sisterhood #HistoricalFantasy #LGBTQ #Feminism #BookSky
The Once and Future Witches -
Another good #book I've read lately: Death by Silver, by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold. It's basically gay Sherlock Holmes with magic, and it's a delight. Excellent murder mystery (the butler did not do it!) with lots of commentary on the 19th century culture and assorted "isms."
Note: Contains flashbacks to abusive boarding school, including one brief scene of sexual abuse (not by the protags), in case that's a concern.
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 91: 1912 Titanic 2 of 2
#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/11. Point
[Continued from previous post]
I put down the first letter, picked up the second, and began reading it.
Today, I visited Dr. Faust to clarify some #points about time-travel.
I’m glad I don’t live in the Middle Ages. It was smelly and uncomfortable-looking. I wouldn’t eat anything there.
The doctor appeared only mildly surprised by my visit and proposed a question exchange, which I agreed to.
Who or what are the ICE-Nine rabbits? He responded, “I don’t know what ICE-Nine is, but the rabbits are God’s guardians of time.” He seemed serious, though I doubted his answer. It’s more likely that they’re demonic agents. For heaven’s sake, according to that newspaper, they tortured and assassinated me.
Have you ever tried to change history? He answered, “Unsuccessfully. I’ve tried saving my lover, Marguerite, several times, but to no avail. It takes something big to alter history.”
Legend has it you sold your soul to Satan. What really happened? He laughed. “The devil, God—are they not the same? I have torn my soul loose from the world, but I have not sold it. I have sworn allegiance to the Illuminated Ones, and they have promised me knowledge beyond my wildest dreams. No matter what history says, I am not wrong. You should do the same before God’s wrath falls upon you.”
I stopped again. “I’m Glad we didn’t visit Faust. It sounds like he’s one of the bad guys.”
Emily waved her hand for me to continue.
There was a knock at the door just then, and my host said, “There they are now. You should leave or be prepared to swear an oath to them. God’s emissaries will show you mercy.”
I did the former. No good could come of dealing with the Illuminated Ones.
“That’s it,” I said, putting the letters down. “I guess we’ll never know how or why they murdered me.”
“Not the details, but I think you got into the soup visiting Faust. Let’s not make the same mistake.”
That was one major option out, so I suggested an alternative. “Given what has worked, I bet it’s possible to visit an opponent of the rabbits.”
“And end up meeting one of those prehistoric monsters we saw in the mural. Bad idea.”
“I wonder if saying ‘meet an ally’ would work better?”
“Might. I #lean in favor of that. But before we decide our next move, let’s get dressed and explore the ship.”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 91: 1912 #Titanic 1 of 2
#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/11. Point
Emily nodded in response to my question, so I began reading the first letter.
This was my first trip, so I started conservatively and jumped ahead a week to find the newspaper I needed for Professor Skully. However, time-pressure swept me all the way to April 2026. Things haven’t improved there. According to a student paper, there’s a war in the Middle East. ICE-Nine was running unchecked and was pepper-spraying protesters and killing opposition figures. The newspaper claimed that i9 was behind my murder.
MY MURDER!!!
Why didn’t you guys warn me about that? If I knew more, maybe I could avoid being killed!
I stopped reading to say, “Burned.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Emily said, shrugging. She then rolled onto her back and said, “Continue.”
I went to visit Professor Skully to learn more about my death. However, I found i9 agents in our building, accompanied by the creepiest rabbits I’d ever seen. At least you warned me about them. Rather than risk being caught, I traveled home right away.
“What do you make of that?” I asked Emily.
“You can travel into the future, but it’s unreliable. You can return to your starting #point. And that you’ve stirred up the Illuminati/Knights Templar/Lapin Cabal. Whatever we’re going to do, they want to stop it.”
“Lapin Cabal, I like that.”
“Did you notice anything else?” she asked.
“Nope, that sums it up. Oh, there was the abbreviation for ICE-Nine.”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 90: 1912 #Titanic
#Wss366 Fare #MastoPrompt Hesitate #TimeTravelAuthors 04/9. Will your characters admit they're wrong?
“We want to go to an unoccupied first-class cabin on the Titanic on the afternoon of April 14, 1912, unless there’ll be a disaster on board before it reaches New York. If so, take us to the Golden Spike ceremony for the linking of the two sides of the transcontinental railway.”
This wish included several experiments: 1) a very specific location; 2) a conditional; and 3) complex instructions. Theoretically, we should arrive in the American West.
That wasn’t what happened; instead, there was a ripping sensation as red lights flashed before our eyes. I gasped in pain, staggered, and braced myself against a metal wall that had appeared. We found ourselves in a white room with two single beds, a carpet, a sink, a couch, and a writing desk. The steam pipes and painted walls were far less luxurious than I had expected. Still, after the Hindenburg, it seemed spacious. The #fare for this cabin probably cost a lot, though not as much as the wood-paneled suites I had imagined.
I sank onto the couch. “So only part of that worked. That’s too bad,” I said.
Emily shrugged and flopped down on a bed. As expected, she left no impression on the white sheets.
“I need to apologize,” I said. “I wasn’t supposed to risk the rabbits spotting us.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll both feel better knowing you tried.”
I spread the letters from the cache on the couch. That was part of why I’d scared Ms. Dubois, but I was glad Emily gave me credit for having nobler intentions. In hindsight, I could have grabbed the letters and ditched the professor. I #hesitated to give myself nobler intentions.
“There are only two notes here. We’ll never know what was in the one she was carrying,” I said.
Emily shrugged.
“Shall I?” I asked, holding up the first note.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 2 of 2
#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story
[Continued from previous post]
Once I was out of sight, I whispered, “We need to head Ms. Dubois off before they learn about the letter cache. Be ready to time-trip if the #rabbits spot us.”
It didn’t come to that. The rabbits were focused on the professor.
We were also fortunate that the path the professor was on curved down into a ravine and then backtracked to the statue. That meant we could dive straight through the woods using an unofficial trail. The extra time allowed us to be cautious.
Periodically, we glimpsed ICE-nine uniforms and hid. It was a grim game of hide-and-seek. It kept #boredom at bay but was nowhere near as fun as playing pinochle or bezique with Emily.
While on our way, I came up with a plan and manifested a loose-fitting trench coat, fedora, and surgical mask. I also doused myself with Old Clipper cologne to hide any unique smells. Sus, I am sure, but I figured in the dim light I would pass as a man, someone clearly not Henrietta Bijou.
I was ready by the time we stumbled out of the ravine onto the path. I leaned against a tree, panting. A new idea occurred to me, and I hurriedly manifested an empty bottle of cheap vodka. Then I waited for my living counterpart to arrive. As she drew near, she moved to the far side of the trail. Yeah, I was suspicious, definitely creepy.
A look of terror came over Ms. Dubois’ face as I lurched across the trail. “Flee! The rabbits are on to you,” I whispered. Finished, I staggered away, dropping the liquor bottle. Lurching explained.
To my relief, the professor turned back, hurrying in the direction she had come from.
I turned in the other way and rushed to the tree to fetch the notes that were already there.
Emily drifted up as I shoved the papers into a pocket of my coat. “That was a plucky move,” she said.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 1 of 2
#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story
By the time we had finished eating, the park was emptying as dusk approached. The effort of materializing meant Emily had to rest after finishing her cake. “But it was worth it,” she said.
I pointed to a collection of budding maples. “The statue is over there in that grove,” It was convenient that I knew where it was, but also frightening. What would happen if this new persona took over? Something told me I would forget about the rabbits, the Illuminati, and all that had happened to us. I might even forget Emily, a thought that made me sad.
“Isn’t that you?” Emily said, pointing to a familiar figure hurrying down the path ahead of us. “Let’s ask her about being absorbed.”
I nodded, brushed cake crumbs off myself, and stood up. We’d need to hurry; Professor Dubios was walking fast and glancing over her shoulder.
We had almost caught up when I spotted something lurking in the shadows of the maples. “Psst! Hide ICE-Nine.” I resisted pointing.
Emily nodded toward the nearby trees and slipped into the shrubbery underneath them.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 88: 2025 Arkham
#Wss366 Set #MastoPrompt Palm #TimeTravelAuthors 04/3. What kind of coffee/caffeinated beverage do your characters like?
“Want a sip of my coffee and see what it’s like? French Roast with chicory,” I asked, while thinking about the new mystery. “That is, if you don’t mind that I’ve already drunk some.”
“I don’t mind a secondary kiss,” Emily replied.
I began passing my cup to her, then stopped. “Secondary kiss? That’s a weeb term.”
I laughed, embarrassed. “Forget it. You wouldn’t know what a weeb is.”
“Weeb? It’s like being a Japanophile or an Orientalist, only interested in anime and manga. Wait! I shouldn’t know any of that! None of that stuff existed when I was alive!”
“We’re being absorbed into this time-particle, aren’t we?” I asked.
She nodded, took a thoughtful sip of my coffee, and #set it down, grimacing: “Bitter!”
“So, what do you think?”
“I think you're right about being absorbed. The coffee? I prefer the one you bought me, mellower or tea. I got a taste for it while I was in China.”
“Let’s get those letters and move on before we forget what we are doing.”
Emily held up her #palm in a halt gesture. “Let’s finish the cake first. It’s good.”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri #Mystery
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 87: 2025 Arkham
#Wss366 Suit #MastoPrompt Lessen #TimeTravelAuthors 03/31. Author's choice/promo #WordWeavers 31 Share or tell us about a fun scene you recently wrote.
The rest of the trip was awkward. I kept catching Emily glancing at me. Logically, I knew this was a good sign. I had feelings for her, but it didn’t #lessen the feeling that I wanted to escape. Her jealousy of the women in my life before we met raised red flags.
It was more than that, though. There was a sense of dread and panic. I found myself thinking things like, “Been there, done that,” or “It never turns out well.” It frustrated me that I couldn’t pinpoint why I felt that way. Was it an intuition about Emily, or was it something from my past?
Other than that, the trip was fun. It was nice to just enjoy things without worrying about anthropomorphic rabbits, the Illuminati, or other hidden terrors.
When I asked Emily if she enjoyed herself, she said, “I had a swell time.”
The day we arrived back in Arkham, it was sunny. A robin greeted us from a tree near the station. People had smiles on their faces. It was hard to believe that tomorrow someone would discover my mutilated body in Franklin Park.
It was still early, so I pointed out a café. “That’s one of my favorites. I think it’ll #suit you. They make excellent coffee, and the coffee cake is that old-fashioned kind with lots of brown sugar on top. We can go to the park where you can have some.”
“That’s peachy. I’m glad you’re getting your memories back. Is any of it useful?”
“Memory?” I asked.
“The café?
I blinked. “It wasn’t really a memory. Just a feeling.”
It would have been an inconsequential occurrence, soon forgotten, except for the server's greeting upon entering the café: “How was your vacation, Professor Bijou?”
I was stunned. Had she addressed me as Professor Dubois, I would have assumed my makeup was an inadequate disguise. But this woman knew my name.
I ordered two coffees and some pastries, then hurried out. There were people all around, so I didn’t dare talk to Emily until we reached the park.
We found a quiet bench where Emily sat next to me. She materialized, taking a sip of coffee and a bite of cake. Then she asked, “How did you know the way to the park?”
It was the third shock in a row. I answered, “I don’t know. I just did, and I know where the statue and oak are as well.” That was something I hadn’t known before. This wasn’t like returned memory.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri #NMWW #NMPrompts
-
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 86: 2025 Arkham
#Wss366 Minister #TimeTravelAuthors 03/29. Characters' eye colors
We wrapped things up from there and departed, leaving behind a mystified professor. I suppose we could have told her that a prehistoric race of giant rabbits was about to gruesomely murder her, but if events were immutable, why add that grief to her life?
Now we had to wait to retrieve any letters Ms. Dubois might have left for us. The best time for that would be just before they found her body. From Professor Skully’s story, we gathered we had a narrow window of opportunity before time-pressure would erase the letters.
In the meantime, we would wait rather than risk a time-trip.
That left us with a few days to enjoy ourselves. Had it been later in the year, we might have gone to Vermont to enjoy the countryside. Instead, we took a train to New York to see a few shows. Since money was no object, I bought tickets to The Great #Minister, a play about Winston Churchill. It would be a good history lesson for Emily.
On the train down, we discussed what we would do next. We had already rejected time tourism or finding a cozy refuge. That left three options: go directly to investigate the Council of Nicosia; visit Faust for more information; or experiment with commands by doing some safe time-tripping.
Once we had made our decision, Emily looked at me, her cobalt eyes surrounded by little creases. "So, who is Sarah Lockwell?"
“Are you jealous?” I asked.
“Just answer the question.”
“I truly don’t know who Sarah Lockwell is. I only used her name for the mail because it was the first thing that came to mind. Please believe me!”
She continued to peer into my eyes.
It was disconcerting, so I nervously asked, "What do you see?"
“They are brown like good fudge.”
She looked away. “Okay, I believe you. But if you’re lying, you’re a real mug.”
“Oh, boy,” I thought. “Are things going to get complicated?”
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri