#nmtta — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nmtta, aggregated by home.social.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 08/7. If your work was an ice cream flavor, what would it be?
Speaking as an author, black sesame ice creep, dark, sweet, and exotic for Westerners.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 08/7. If your work was an ice cream flavor, what would it be?
Speaking as an author, black sesame ice creep, dark, sweet, and exotic for Westerners.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 07/27. Does your story's time travel ever surprise you?
Surprised? Mildly, when I figure out a ramification of something I have set up, but only mildly. I am less a world builder than a character builder. My characters are more likely to surprise me, though after I had an unpleasant experience with them in my first novel attempt, I keep them under control.
Time-travel mechanics do sometimes wander off in a way I hadn’t anticipated. For example, complications with manifestation caught me off guard, i.e., why are some objects manifestable and others not? (And how can I fix an apparent rule violation?) For example, why can Bijou manifest safari clothes but not an elephant gun or bug spray? Eventually, there will be a side story explaining this apparent breach of my time-particle rules. (But first, the characters must discover and explain the rules. so the side story isn’t a spoiler.)
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#Wss366 #Compass #TimeTravelAuthors 07/23. Tip for writing time travel
Personal compass
Echo’s through time
Following followTime-slip paradox
The rules are for you••⋅☾ #WakaPoetry / #Tanka ☽⋅••
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#Wss366 #Compass #TimeTravelAuthors 07/23. Tip for writing time travel
Personal compass
Echo’s through time
Following followTime-slip paradox
The rules are for you••⋅☾ #WakaPoetry / #Tanka ☽⋅••
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#TimeTravelAuthors 07/21. Anything your characters time travel to fix?
Emily and Bijou are still trying to figure out what the Lapin Cabel is up to. So far they have not risked any time fixing.
Sumika and Airisu have set off to rescue Okiku in Edo Japan. I'm not sure if this qualifies as fixing since the point they appear at is after the events recorded in “Banchō Sarayashiki.” I suppose it does because they traveled to save her earlier; it's just not the time point Sumika’s spell brought them to. -
#TimeTravelAuthors 6/15. Characters' mental health
Interesting question. It made me realize that Bijou and Emily are my first MC pair free of depression, anxiety, and excessive trauma. They are well within one standard deviation of the mean. I have still to decide if ghosts/spirits can develop PTSD.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 6/15. Characters' mental health
Interesting question. It made me realize that Bijou and Emily are my first MC pair free of depression, anxiety, and excessive trauma. They are well within one standard deviation of the mean. I have still to decide if ghosts/spirits can develop PTSD.
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#TimeTravelingGhost #TimeTravelAuthors 06/9. Would it be better for your characters if time travel never existed?
For Bijou, it might have been better. She wouldn’t have drawn the attention of the Lapin Cabal. (Who wouldn’t have existed without time-travel) Which would mean she wouldn’t be murdered. On the other hand, she wouldn’t have met Emily. But that is a story for the future.
There are too many unanswered questions to decide for Emily. Did the Lapin Cabal sabotage the Hindenburg? Will Nazis succeed in their experiments with mind-reading? Would the Nazis even have taken power if they hadn’t had help from the Lapin Cabal?
Assuming the Nazi were still in power and the Hindenburg exploded, then without time travel, Emily would have been stuck haunting the zeppelin and would have been unable to deliver the papers exposing the mind reading experiment, which in turn might mean that Germany would have had mind reading and won WWII, leaving poor Emily haunting the New Jersey aerodrome, watching the hated Nazis take over the world and her beloved country. (Of course, that is all speculation since there is no Lapin Cabal without time travel.)
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#TimeTravelingGhost #TimeTravelAuthors 06/7. Mundane/boring use for time travel?
Excluding manifestation, which is probably beyond the normal powers of time travel, one could time-trip to go shopping, eat out, or sightseeing anywhere, any time you wanted. The visit with Amelia Earhart was basically time tourism. Nostradamus has clearly used it to create a museum of rare artifacts and suggested using for budget art collection.
Maybe those are too interesting, so using the same principle but mundane:
If they are out of your favorite brand of peanut butter, go back to last week and buy it on sale. Miss your doctor’s appointment, but go back. Oversleep, no problem, time travel back to when you were supposed to be at work.
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#TimeTravelAuthors Char. meet any relatives when they time travel?
Bijou meets herself at two or three stages of her life, and her father, which is something she isn't willing to own up to.
This option was presented to reader votes and never scored high.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 05/19. How organized are your characters?
My protags form tight, chosen family organizations. One is a marginal leader who listens to the other members. Each person provides a different perspective. They seldom have detailed long-term plans.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 05/19. How organized are your characters?
My protags form tight, chosen family organizations. One is a marginal leader who listens to the other members. Each person provides a different perspective. They seldom have detailed long-term plans.
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#TimeTravelingGhost #TimeTravelAuthors 05/7. First lines spoken by an unimportant, non-major, or unnamed character
“Is that Hemingway?”
Spoken outside the Folies Bergère (1926) by an unnamed character.
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#TimeTravelingGhost #TimeTravelAuthors 05/5. A character's favorite snack**
Emily specially ordered pretzels at a bar. So she must be fond of them.
Bijou doesn’t remember her past, but given what we have seen, it is probably bar food of some kind.
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#TimeTravelingGhost #TimeTravelAuthors 05/5. A character's favorite snack**
Emily specially ordered pretzels at a bar. So she must be fond of them.
Bijou doesn’t remember her past, but given what we have seen, it is probably bar food of some kind.
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#TimeTravelAuthors Message
True confession time.
The messages of my novels are quite simple. The message for this one is:
"#PulpFiction can be fun."
The secondary message is that fascism is bad, which includes MAGA is bad.
Nothing deep. It wouldn't be pulp with a deep message.
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#TimeTravelAuthors Message
True confession time.
The messages of my novels are quite simple. The message for this one is:
"#PulpFiction can be fun."
The secondary message is that fascism is bad, which includes MAGA is bad.
Nothing deep. It wouldn't be pulp with a deep message.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 21 In the spirit of communication
@QuasiTemporal Time to do some ketsup on your serial. And thanks for the beta reading.
@juliebihn Thanks for hosting. Enjoyed your first book and look forward to the second. Stay tuned for the next EP it has something special for you.
@ixtlidekami I am very glad I’m not in your universe. It sounds messed up.
@elfbiter It sounds like our styles are at polar opposites of the baroque scale.
@klepsydra Welcome to the group. I’m not yet familiar with what your write. Later.
@lyssachiavari On my TBR.
@ringles Guess you only post on the Atmosphere side. -
#TimeTravelAuthors 21 In the spirit of communication
@QuasiTemporal Time to do some ketsup on your serial. And thanks for the beta reading.
@juliebihn Thanks for hosting. Enjoyed your first book and look forward to the second. Stay tuned for the next EP it has something special for you.
@ixtlidekami I am very glad I’m not in your universe. It sounds messed up.
@elfbiter It sounds like our styles are at polar opposites of the baroque scale.
@klepsydra Welcome to the group. I’m not yet familiar with what your write. Later.
@lyssachiavari On my TBR.
@ringles Guess you only post on the Atmosphere side. -
#TimeTravelAuthors 04/19. Any authorities in your story
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost: The three authorities on time travel mentioned are Professor Henrietta Dubois, #Faust, and #NumaPompilius, 2nd king of Rome (reigned 715–672 BCE). It is unclear just how much they know, since none are very communicative.
Nothing is known about the authorities within the #KnightsTemplar, the #Illuminati, or the Lapin Cabal, but they must clearly have some. (To be revealed.)
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch: Airisu has degrees in mysticism and Japanese mythology. This makes her handy when the characters slip into the Japanese Edo period.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 04/17. How do you feel about story structure?
Stylistically, I am a postmodern writer, which means I am very flexible about story structure: no three acts or hero's quest. Often, multiple plotlines are presented non-sequentially. I adhere to only two structural rules: 1) The beginning should tell the reader what to expect, and then I keep that covenant. 2) The ending should wrap up all important threads and provide an HEA ending for the main characters.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 04/17. How do you feel about story structure?
Stylistically, I am a postmodern writer, which means I am very flexible about story structure: no three acts or hero's quest. Often, multiple plotlines are presented non-sequentially. I adhere to only two structural rules: 1) The beginning should tell the reader what to expect, and then I keep that covenant. 2) The ending should wrap up all important threads and provide an HEA ending for the main characters.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 04/13. Silliest character
No one in #TimeTravelingGhost is what I would call silly. In "#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch," there’s the crow. She can be silly at times. So far, the time-travel element of that story is minimal, with only a brief mention of the Edo period or an Edo-like setting in Kakuriyo.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 03/23. Something that surprised you about your story
- That I have written over 29K of this story. And that people are still following, retcon and all.
- And that it reads as smoothly as it does when put it together and start editing for broader release.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 03/19. Servants in your story
Many eras have servants. As wandering ghosts, neither Bijou nor Emily has personal servants. They do, however, stay at ritzy places when they do. Scene below is a clip from Episode 2: 1937: The Hindenburg
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#TimeTravelAuthors 03/9. Explain your story's time travel method with emojis
Story: 🐰 🔪 ➡️ 🪦 👻 ➡️ ⏲️ 🚅 ➡️ 👀 🐇
Method: 👻 🙏 ➡️ ⏲️ 🚅
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/19. How honest are your characters?
Which ones? I imagine #Bijou and Emily are honest. The rabbits, not at all.
#Airisu, the crow: Honesty is not something I would expect from a crow. I watch them steal from each other all the time. As for the witch, I haven’t decided.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/19. How honest are your characters?
Which ones? I imagine #Bijou and Emily are honest. The rabbits, not at all.
#Airisu, the crow: Honesty is not something I would expect from a crow. I watch them steal from each other all the time. As for the witch, I haven’t decided.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/17. Does your world have the butterfly effect?
Bijou: The concept of “Time-pressure” prevents the butterfly effect. It is a very important plot point, which, for spoiler reasons, I will not go into.
Crow: #Meta See tomorrow’s #Wss366 post: While it isn’t obvious right now, this is a butterfly that has historical consequences. In fact, it will be quite a while until you even understand why it is in the story.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/17. Does your world have the butterfly effect?
Bijou: The concept of “Time-pressure” prevents the butterfly effect. It is a very important plot point, which, for spoiler reasons, I will not go into.
Crow: #Meta See tomorrow’s #Wss366 post: While it isn’t obvious right now, this is a butterfly that has historical consequences. In fact, it will be quite a while until you even understand why it is in the story.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/15. Comp titles?
Jack Vance: The Dying Earth and any of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ space stories.
None that I am aware of in the genre. I am not well-read in this area, except @juliebihn and @QuasiTemporal work. And a few light novels like “Qualia the Purple” or “Cogs of Time.” I’m sure I read “A Wrinkle in Time” as a child.
What I am saying is I’m a nob in this genre and have no comp titles.Outside the genre: Too light-hearted for Lovecraft. Too much quality for Michael Moorcock or Kenneth Robeson.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 02/15. Comp titles?
Jack Vance: The Dying Earth and any of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ space stories.
None that I am aware of in the genre. I am not well-read in this area, except @juliebihn and @QuasiTemporal work. And a few light novels like “Qualia the Purple” or “Cogs of Time.” I’m sure I read “A Wrinkle in Time” as a child.
What I am saying is I’m a nob in this genre and have no comp titles.Outside the genre: Too light-hearted for Lovecraft. Too much quality for Michael Moorcock or Kenneth Robeson.
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#TimeTravelAuthors Jan. 5th: Languages in your story
Bijou speaks English and French.
Emily speaks English, German, and Mandarin Chinese.
We have also seen Latin writings and will soon see Vedic Sanskrit, medieval Latin, and Hellenic Greek. Undoubtedly, we will at some point run into eye dialect and probably the use of waka and katatsu poetry for communication. -
#TimeTravelAuthors 3/1. Is your work a standalone or a series?
- Bijou is serialized. Who knows if it will end up standalone or a series.
- The yet unnamed crow story will have some time-travel in it. The current vision is for a series of Slice of Life short stories and novellas that connect.
- Goldilocks and Three Grim Fates is standalone flash fiction.
- Waiting for Takiyasha-tenno is envisioned as 3-4 light novel volumes.
None were or are standalone if you consider the original releases were serialized.
#NMTTA #NMPrompts -
#TimeTravelAuthors 1/2 Introduce your story (optional: use the word "love")
If you enjoy conscious pulp and #love the surreal, “Bijou the Time Traveling Ghost” is for you. Bijou, a ghost with no memory of her past, has the power to time-travel. When she teams g up with a woman who died in the crash of the Hindenburg, they set off to discover the secrets of the time-traveling and sinister Nazi rabbits that keep popping up? Is it the #Illuminati? Or the #ElderGods? Or something else?
Serialized irregularly through the #TimeTravelAuthors hashtag.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 29/2. What trigger warnings would you give?
To date, the only CW any of my time-travel fiction has warranted is "Death of a Main Character."
Other stories have had tags such as:
- Implied/Referenced Suicide
- Implied/Referenced Self-harm
- Implied/Referenced Bullying
- Implied/Referenced Homophobia
- Graphic COVID-19
- Swearing
- R18
- R18G
- Ecchi
I don’t see Bijou requiring any of these. Unless you want to include tagging it as "Pulp" as a CW.
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 63: Jurassic Era
1/21/26 #TimeTravelAuthors #count #Wss366 #Roger #Mastoprompt
“Chosen ones?” Emily repeated. “Could you explain?”
"It's a literary trope where someone, usually unsuitable, is 'chosen' to save the world while fighting against impossible odds."
“Trope? Pray tell, what does that mean?”
“A literary cliché.”
“So, you think we’ve been chosen to stop the Illuminati?”
“Not really. It’s more likely that we're Lovecraftian characters who will be polished off or driven insane by implacable dark forces.”
“We could just travel to a pleasant time and place and live out our ghostly lives.”
“When you were alive, you could have just written a nice ‘women’s column,’ and ignored the threat in Europe. But you didn’t.”
Emily smiled, kicked a piece of coral, and then said, “No more than you can turn your back on this. There are things more significant than our puny lives and happiness.”
“#Roger that! Bogart couldn’t have said it better.”
“You know I can’t #count the number of times you make references I don’t understand.”
“Actor, 1940s. He starred in big films, including ‘Casablanca,’ where he says, ‘It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.’”
“It’s a good line even if your imitation smells like yesterday’s fish.”
Casablanca (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, & Paul Henreid:
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 63: Jurassic Era
1/21/26 #TimeTravelAuthors #count #Wss366 #Roger #Mastoprompt
“Chosen ones?” Emily repeated. “Could you explain?”
"It's a literary trope where someone, usually unsuitable, is 'chosen' to save the world while fighting against impossible odds."
“Trope? Pray tell, what does that mean?”
“A literary cliché.”
“So, you think we’ve been chosen to stop the Illuminati?”
“Not really. It’s more likely that we're Lovecraftian characters who will be polished off or driven insane by implacable dark forces.”
“We could just travel to a pleasant time and place and live out our ghostly lives.”
“When you were alive, you could have just written a nice ‘women’s column,’ and ignored the threat in Europe. But you didn’t.”
Emily smiled, kicked a piece of coral, and then said, “No more than you can turn your back on this. There are things more significant than our puny lives and happiness.”
“#Roger that! Bogart couldn’t have said it better.”
“You know I can’t #count the number of times you make references I don’t understand.”
“Actor, 1940s. He starred in big films, including ‘Casablanca,’ where he says, ‘It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.’”
“It’s a good line even if your imitation smells like yesterday’s fish.”
Casablanca (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, & Paul Henreid:
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 62: Jurassic Era
1/19/26 #TimeTravelAuthors A character's goal #Wss366 #coke (implied)
The two of us spent the next couple of days playing cards and observing the pyramids. We learned more about the former than the latter. I taught Emily pinochle, and she taught me bezique. She liked that pinochle was more intense; I liked that bezique took its time. We had plenty of it to kill. Now and then we mixed up the terminology, which led to some friendly squabbling.
More importantly, we learned creatures avoided the pyramids. This wasn't immediately apparent, as flying creatures took flight from the pyramid closest to us. That was until one flew near us.
“An ornithopter,” I exclaimed as a pterodactyl-like machine flew by.
“A what?”
“An airplane that flies by flapping its wings.”
Emily shook her head. “At least it’s not trying to kill us. Still, no sane pilot would trust that.”
“Sane or not, we had better try our experiment before one of those spots us.”
“Agreed. We’d be in a jam if they knew we were here.”
We joined hands and repeated together: “We want to be on the central island five minutes after the big ornithopter took off.”
The cave faded, and we stood with the central pyramid in front of us, a towering mass of coral.
Emily touched it and asked, “Do you think it grew here?”
“I don’t know. I’d believe anything at this point.”
“Holy moley! Wait, I think there’s writing over there.”
We walked down a beach of pink sand, prehistoric shells, and fine, black ash until we faced the words carved into the pyramid:
OCULUS APERTUS ERAT
ANTEQUAM REGES ESSENTWe guided the fire.
We guided the crown.
We shall guide the end.“Masons/Illuminati,” we said at the same time.
What followed was a laugh, a strained echo of our squabbling over cards.
The laughter trailed off as we looked at each other.
“Nazis, Illuminati, eldritch horrors—why do we have to be the chosen ones?” I said, collapsing against the monolith.
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 62: Jurassic Era
1/19/26 #TimeTravelAuthors A character's goal #Wss366 #coke (implied)
The two of us spent the next couple of days playing cards and observing the pyramids. We learned more about the former than the latter. I taught Emily pinochle, and she taught me bezique. She liked that pinochle was more intense; I liked that bezique took its time. We had plenty of it to kill. Now and then we mixed up the terminology, which led to some friendly squabbling.
More importantly, we learned creatures avoided the pyramids. This wasn't immediately apparent, as flying creatures took flight from the pyramid closest to us. That was until one flew near us.
“An ornithopter,” I exclaimed as a pterodactyl-like machine flew by.
“A what?”
“An airplane that flies by flapping its wings.”
Emily shook her head. “At least it’s not trying to kill us. Still, no sane pilot would trust that.”
“Sane or not, we had better try our experiment before one of those spots us.”
“Agreed. We’d be in a jam if they knew we were here.”
We joined hands and repeated together: “We want to be on the central island five minutes after the big ornithopter took off.”
The cave faded, and we stood with the central pyramid in front of us, a towering mass of coral.
Emily touched it and asked, “Do you think it grew here?”
“I don’t know. I’d believe anything at this point.”
“Holy moley! Wait, I think there’s writing over there.”
We walked down a beach of pink sand, prehistoric shells, and fine, black ash until we faced the words carved into the pyramid:
OCULUS APERTUS ERAT
ANTEQUAM REGES ESSENTWe guided the fire.
We guided the crown.
We shall guide the end.“Masons/Illuminati,” we said at the same time.
What followed was a laugh, a strained echo of our squabbling over cards.
The laughter trailed off as we looked at each other.
“Nazis, Illuminati, eldritch horrors—why do we have to be the chosen ones?” I said, collapsing against the monolith.
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 60: Jurassic Era
1/15/26 #TimeTravelAuthors The cost of time travel #Wss366 pyramid #MastoPrompt aromatic
I kicked the detritus near the edge of the cave, then sat down with my legs dangling over the edge. An #aromatic breeze, reminiscent of ferns and conifers, rose from below, masking the odor of guano.
"If we want to learn what the rabbits are up to, we're going to have to go out there," I said, pointing to the surreal #pyramids.
“Can you fly that far? You'd be easy pickings out there on the water.”
“Yeah, I can’t see myself building a raft and paddling across open water. I don’t suppose we could just time-travel over there? We don’t seem limited spacially when doing it. And it doesn’t seem as taxing as dematerialisation.”
“All we can do is try.”
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 60: Jurassic Era
1/15/26 #TimeTravelAuthors The cost of time travel #Wss366 pyramid #MastoPrompt aromatic
I kicked the detritus near the edge of the cave, then sat down with my legs dangling over the edge. An #aromatic breeze, reminiscent of ferns and conifers, rose from below, masking the odor of guano.
"If we want to learn what the rabbits are up to, we're going to have to go out there," I said, pointing to the surreal #pyramids.
“Can you fly that far? You'd be easy pickings out there on the water.”
“Yeah, I can’t see myself building a raft and paddling across open water. I don’t suppose we could just time-travel over there? We don’t seem limited spacially when doing it. And it doesn’t seem as taxing as dematerialisation.”
“All we can do is try.”
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#TimeTravelAuthors 13. How realistic is your story?
The plot? Not realistic at all. I consider “Bijou the Time Traveling Ghost” deliberate #pulp. I blend time travel with Lovecraftian #WeirdTales, #Illuminati conspiracy theories, historical events, and outright #surrealism.
Historical events and time periods are presented as accurately as possible. Some things, like Amelia Earhart’s crash, are speculative but presented realistically as if they had been true.
It’s my speciality blending realistic historical settings with the surreal supernatural.
PS: Two days ago I forgot #HitoricalFantasy but I don’t know the tropes there either.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 11. Time travel tropes you love.
As I have previously said, I haven’t read enough travel lit to have things I love. I have offered chances for people to explore the “kill Hitler trope,” but traveling to the prehistoric world won. Which is a trope with things like “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” and other lost realms lit. side-loading the situation.
Probably, cabal is a trope. All we know is that it exists, but not its nature or aims, and it would be a spoiler to reveal it now. (#UrbanFantasy trope.)
Anyone here who is reading along would be better at identifying the tropes I use. Feel free to respond and enlighten me.
PS: #Yuri tropes are in effect, but that is another subject. (#Slowburn and #DisasterLesbians.) And #Wierdtales (Tongue-in-cheek #EldritchHorrors.) tropes. As well as #PulpFiction tropes.
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 59: Jurassic Era
#TimeTravelAuthors 1/7/26 Name #Wss366 Dash
Bijou continued to look at the pyramids. “I wonder if Tolkien had visions of that?”
At Emily’s questioning look, she said, “He’s a famous writer from the 1950s. His villain, Sauron, was depicted as a giant eye that peered out over the world from his tower. ‘One ring to rule them all and in the darkness to bind them.’”
“That sounds grim.”
“I suppose it’s better than Lovecraft and beings that Should Not Be #Named.”
“I don’t suppose either of those offers any clues on what we might face?” Emily asked.
“Let’s hope not. They’re both way out of our league.”
“#Dash it! I was hoping for some help here.”
“I think Nazi Rabbits are more our speed. Let’s not wish for eldritch gods.”
“Well then, here is to Nazi Rabbits.”
Bijou finished the cheer: “And the Illuminati.”
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#TimeTravelAuthors 9. Your goals for 2026
When I finish Konbini Idol, I need to decide if I will start on “Waiting for Princess Takiyasha,” which has some psuedo-time-travel or edit “Bijou the Time Traveling Ghost” as an external serial, i.e., published other places besides the Fedi.
I have started noticing more books with time-travel as an element: isakais, where a person restarts their life; time “slipping” when people witness the past and possibly interact with it; etc. I hope to introduce more of that in my shorter work, as I did with “Goldilocks and Three Grim Fates.”
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 58: Jurassic Era
1/3/26 #TimeTravelAuthors Deal #Wss366
We approached the caves cautiously. The thrum of the dragonflies added to the sinister feeling. Inside, anarchistic cave-#drawings showed monstrosities with many tentacled faces fighting toadish creatures. Further down, the octopi beings were shown being roasted alive over huge fires. Underfoot, seashells, small bones, and scurrying beetles crunched.
A breeze blew from the far end of the cave, dispersing the stench we had smelled climbing the ridge. The open sky at the far end beckoned, offering relief from the ominous atmosphere of the cave.
Our relief was short-lived. Below, we could see a narrow strip of jungle stretching along an aquamarine sea. Islands dotted the water. Each of the four largest islands had a pyramid on it. Three white pyramids formed a triangle, with a towering, coral-pink pyramid rising in the center. An enormous eye, carved at the pinnacle of the fourth pyramid, peered over the others.
“What’s the #deal? The Eye of Providence? Freemasons? Here?” Emily questioned.
“I think you mean the Illuminati. That’s their symbol,” Bijou corrected her.
“Illuminati? Perhaps. Until recently, I would have thought you were a bit of a mug if you’d said that, but now, seeing it… it gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
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#TimeTravelingGhost EP 5 Part 57: Jurassic Era
#TimeTravelAuthors 12/31
Eventually, the cliffs Emily had mentioned loomed overhead. White streaks marred their limestone faces. And the smell!
The closer we got, the stronger the reek of ammonia became. Overhead, pterodactyls became more numerous. A few even buzzed us, checking us out. They varied in size, but none were large enough to pose a threat. When the base of the cliffs came into view, the source of the smell became obvious: heaps of pterodactyl guano. Insects swarmed, feasting on it. Dragonflies with wingspans like small birds, all wings—shimmering flashes of blue and green—in turn, feasted on them.
Then there were the caves. Some high-up, where pterodactyls launched themselves into the air. Others at ground level. It was these caves that we were aiming for.
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#Goldilocks and Three Grim Fates: This One is Just Right
-> #Mythpunk #Horror
#Wss366 #Mastoprompt #TimeTravelAuthors 25. Midnight?Above me towered the bronze statue of Peter the Great, snow clinging to his horse’s back. In the background, the voices of a choir rose, drowning out the sound of machine gunfire.
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was time for a change
I killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vainThe cacophony was so loud that I almost missed the voice saying, “Папа, папа.” If it hadn’t been for the tone, I would’ve missed it. Claire was calling me.
I tried to turn toward her but realized that I couldn’t move. It was like sleep paralysis, where everything was frozen except my eyes. When I squinted to the side, I looked out over a sparkling white field, like a #park or city plaza. It was a flat expanse cut in half by a glass plane that curved overhead. Through it towered the distorted shape of a can of red bean soup. Beyond that, I could see the inside of the cabin facing the bedroom. Floating above it all was Claire’s distorted, terrified face.
Somewhere, a clock tolled the hour. Claire turned and walked toward the bedroom. The choir fell #silent, and the gunfire faded and vanished. Each booming chime broke the silence, stirring the snow. Large flakes drifted down, dislodged from the statue above.
In the bedroom, three shadows danced in the air like smoke from a plague pyre.
“This noose is too big.”
“No!” I silently screamed, struggling to move.
“This noose is too sloppy.”
Peter the Great grinned down at me, his once solemn face now leering. It was a twisted smile that all but laughed.
The clock struck midnight.
“But this noose is just right.”
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 56: EP 5: Jurassic Era — Rabbits
**#TimeTravelAuthors #Wss366 #Mastoprompt 12/13
As the gentle #fluid #folds of the conifer forested hills ended, the ridge rose steeply in front of us. Although climbing it would be difficult, the incline was a good thing. I doubted the big dinosaurs could climb it. Still, I needed to watch out for smaller ones. Airborne reptiles didn't seem like a problem. The only ones we had seen were small pterodactyls. The largest had a wingspan of about one meter and was no more threatening than a fish eagle.
I zigzagged up the grueling slope, stopping frequently to catch my breath and to ask Emily, "How #far?" until she snapped, "How old are you? Three?"
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 55: EP 5: Jurassic Era — Rabbits
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 12/9
The rumbling of the behemoths diminished and then vanished. I opened my eyes. Emily was seated nearby on a mossy log with her mouth set in a concerned line.
“You okay?” she asked, biting her lip.
I felt heavy, and my legs were numb, but I could sit up. “Yeah, but I need to rest. I panicked a bit there.”
A smile touched her lips, easing the pinched look on her face. “I’ll say. Anyone would with those things coming at them.”
“How much more of this is there?”
“The good news is we can cut over to the ridge about a quarter mile out. The bad news is the slope’s wide open, so we’ll be plain as day. And believe me, there are some mean customers out there. Those boys weren’t stampeding for the sheer fun of it.”
My smile felt stiff. I could picture “mean customers” with lots of sharp teeth.
“Buck up; it’s the toll for being able to enjoy food and drink. Besides, you’re pretty spry. You have turning ectoplasmic down pat. If you didn’t—Ghost flapjacks.”
I laughed, “Ghost flapjacks,” that was a wonderful turn of phrase.
“Well, we’d better get moving. It looks like the no-man’s-land after the Jerries gave it a good shellacking.”
I groaned and got up, but was pleased to find my knee was better. There were lots of advantages of being a ghost.
My pleasure didn’t last long. As Emily had indicated, the trail became a quagmire of churned mud, torn vegetation, and a #soapy froth. It was a hellacious quarter mile.
Despite the “doughboy” slog to the ridge, there was only one incident. We had reached an open conifer forest running at the foot of the ridge when a stegosaurus burst from behind a grove of trees where it had hidden.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a carnivore. The only damage I sustained was a near heart attack when the immense beast lumbered past. It was almost comical, with its plates rattling, the thud of feet, and its tail striking against trees. There was a #chipped plate midway down its back. It was only funny because I was far enough away for the tail to pose no threat.
A minute later, Emily landed and apologized for not spotting it.
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 54: EP 5: Jurassic Era — Rabbits
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 12/3
I was about to test whether an elephant gun would manifest, as it was a more appropriate weapon for the Jurassic era, when Emily shouted, “Off the trail! We have company!”
The edge of the path was about thirty meters away, with a tangle of crushed fern-trees and cattails blocking my way. The ground shook. At first, I frantically tried to scramble toward the edge, pulling at the ferns and clambering over logs. Ferns slapped my face leaving it stinging, and thorns tore at my clothes.
“Ahrrr.” My knee buckled as my leg plunged into a footprint the size of a drainage pipe and as deep as a #post-hole.
I tried to pull my leg out, mud dragging at it. I pulled harder, and my foot pulled out of my boot. Pain shot up my leg. It felt like my knee had become dislocated. Brown streaks and stars blurred my vision.
“I was a ghost,” I thought. “This shouldn't be happening.”
But it was.
I had to do something. Not only was the ground shaking, but I could also hear crashing trees and thunderous footsteps, like a stampede of elephants.
Time was running out.
“Breathe, breathe,” I whispered to myself. “Calm down. You can #cope. Breath. Fade away.”
The pain ebbed, and I floated up and then through the wreckage blocking my way until I was deep inside the forest. Once there, I materialized and collapsed. At least I hadn’t passed out as I did at the aerodrome.
My relief was brief. Overhead, the trees thrashed as if in a hurricane, and beneath me, the ground rolled in waves. The air was full of the sound of splintering timber. Deep booming grunts, like those of a giant hippo, drowned my scream as the head of a brontosaurus-like creature appeared. Vegetation dangled from its mouth like insane Christmas #decorations.
My instincts kicked in, and I tried to scramble deeper into the brush, but I couldn't move. I couldn’t feel my legs and when I tried to lift my arms, my hands only flopped. All I could do was close my eyes and pray.
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 53: EP 5: Jurassic Era — Rabbits
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 11/29
#ScribesAndMakers 11.29 — Cantankerous?It was interesting how my view of Emily had changed. At first, I had found her humorless and grouchy, almost #cantankerous. She was definitely serious, but she had a humorous side and was perfectly capable of engaging in verbal sparring.
She was a bit sadistic too. I could tell by the way her lips turned up in a smile as I pushed my way through the thick forest growth, and by her uproarious laughter when a #pillbox-shaped bug as big as my fist caused me to shriek in surprise.
We eventually reached the “trail,” a muddy, trampled swath of land that ambled through the forest. Fallen trees littered the path, and huge footprints lurked in the dense ferns, threatening to break the legs of the unwary. The expedition clothes I had manifested soon turned into leather chaps and a jacket. Despite the heat, it was better than being #rent by the long dagger-like thorns that hid amid the foliage.
My attempts to transform my clothes into futuristic lightweight armor were a flop. There were clearly limits to my power. As an experiment, I tried to manifest money and then a gun. Again, the experiments failed. I had better luck with manifesting a machete.
My woes weren't limited to the heat and flora. Clouds of gnats followed me. A safari hat with mosquito netting helped, but hindered my movement through the brush. The machete and short stints of immateriality were helpful, but tiring. Indiana Jones, I wasn’t.
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#TimeTravelAuthors 11/27. Page 11 - 11th sentence (No context)
Each a symbol of how far I had fallen.
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 52: EP 5: Jurassic Era — Rabbits
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 10/25. Saturday excerpt (Word: back)
“That shouldn’t be here,” Emily said, staring at the carving I had discovered.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “But there it is.”
“Humans haven’t evolved yet.”
“There are sentient rabbits and who knows what else that science hasn’t revealed.”
She shivered and nodded. “The rock is foreign too. I didn’t see any volcanic activity.”
“Is that what you think is unnatural here?” I moved to toe the carving, but thought better of it. “It’s positively Lovecraftian!”
Emily looked blank, so I amended my statement to: “Nightmarish and occult, hinting at secrets and things that are better left unknown.”
“Sounds like the Nazis. And on a different subject, there is a ridge with limestone caves that way.” She pointed to the jungle. “There are some rough trails we can use, but be careful; there are big dinosaurs on them.”
I superstitiously covered the cursed stone #back up. I felt it would cause less harm that way.
She pointed at the stream. “Follow that for a hundred feet and you'll find a trail, oh, ‘Girl of the #Limberlost.’ I’ll fly overhead and warn you of any major dangers. Take care and keep your eyes peeled, or you’ll be in the soup.”
For a second, I thought she meant I’d fall into the murky river. I smiled as I deciphered it. It was my turn to be blindsided by period slang. The reference to “The Girl of the Limberlost” especially threw me. But, as a #Johnny-come-lately, shouldn’t I have had an advantage here?
"Roger that," I replied. That was from the '40s, wasn’t it?
“That’s solid. Let’s get this show on the road,” she responded, beginning to drift up.
Note 1: Girl of the Limberlost:
Note 2: Free to read at: -
#TimeTravelingGhost Part 47: EP 4: 1937 Amelia Earhart.
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 10/7. Something odd/weird you've experienced
We didn’t have to walk far before Amelia came into view again. She stood where the inlet met the sea. Creamy currents ran past her as the lagoon emptied. A signal fire danced in front of her. Its ghostly blue flames #curled and flickered. The exposed white coral behind her blended into her ethereal form. She appeared to be the spirit of the island itself: white coral edging a deep indigo ocean. It wasn’t the weirdest thing I had ever seen, but it was close.
Emily grabbed my arm, and we stopped. Turning to face her, I waited for her to speak.
“How are we going to convince her she’s a ghost?”
“I don’t know yet.”
She nodded. “We might not be able to do things like stop the Great War, but we can do little things, like freeing her.”
“We can do that, but there might be more we can do. Next, let’s find out more about the rabbits. I think they’re up to no good.”
She nodded in agreement.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Serial #TimeTravel #NMTTA #NMV366 #Spooktober
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 47: EP 4: 1937 Amelia Earhart.
#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #TimeTravelAuthors 10/5. Why are you important to the story?
As we stood there, trying to figure out what to say, the moon topped the surrounding trees. The apparition became even fainter.
“I need to tend the signal fire,” she said, gliding by us. It felt like a chill wind, and in the warm tropical night, it raised goosebumps on my skin. Inland, a bird #piped, eerie and forlorn.
“I suppose we should follow her,” I said, starting back down the track. “You’re lucky you weren’t caught in an obsessive loop like her.”
“Explain?”
“Classical ghost stories feature spirits caught in a loop created by unfulfilled desires, grudges, or death trauma. They’re doomed to repeat the same actions over and over.”
She nodded. “I might have been, except you came along. We wouldn’t be traveling through time except for you.”
She paused, thinking, then spoke. “Neither of us is a typical ghost, especially you. Are you sure you’re even a ghost?”
“It’s the only term I can come up with.”
The mist was thicker when we emerged from the jungle. White tendrils passed over the moon, causing an unsettling flicker. The clicking of crabs communicating had ceased in the direction the ghostly form had gone. Behind us, the sound resumed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Serial #TimeTravel #NMTTA #NMV366 #Spooktober
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#TimeTravelAuthors 10/3. Your first appearance and/or line of dialogue in the story
Snip Bijou: The Time Traveling Ghost
“What was I?”
“A ghost.” That answer came easily enough. I knew that meant I was dead, but beyond that, the word held little meaning. “Can I pass through walls? Disappear? Drain life essence?” I didn’t know.
“So what can I do? There must be something.”
Again, the answer came quickly. “I can travel through time, space, and reality.” I suppose that was useful, but for what? Revenge, maybe, but that idea led nowhere.
End Snip
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#TimeTravelingGhost Part 47: EP 4: 1937 Amelia Earhart.
#Wss366 #TimeTravelAuthors 9/29. Author's choice/promo
“At last! I thought no one would find us,” Amelia said. “Fred went to find water; we have none. He’s been gone a long time.” She waved toward a row of coconut shells on the clearing's edge. Her rambling speech gave no hint of what our eyes could plainly see: a rotting skeleton and the jungle visible through the aviator’s translucent body.
I whispered to Emily so that the apparition couldn’t hear. “In 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared while crossing the Pacific. I don’t think she knows she’s dead. We need to break it to her slowly.”
“I didn’t hear a plane,” Amelia resumed. “Did you come from Howland Island? We missed it. Thank goodness we spotted Gardner.” [Note 5]
Note 5 Gardner/Nikumaroro
[Note 6] It is a #cardinal sin to omit the prompt word, so I cheated.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Serial #TimeTravel #NMPrompts #NMTTA #NMV366 #NMMP