Today's Reread Is Blood Sins - A #FlynnFriday Imagines Series By @doctorliamsr, @timelesshonesttrailer

NaNoWriMo - My Cartoon of the Day - Day 6: Word Sprints

No matter if you are way ahead and are cruising on your way to 50000 words or if you are falling behind on your daily word count or even if you are deciding only now to get started and crush this challenge: word sprints can help you get those words for today.

Day 06: Word Sprints. On Your Places! Ready? Set? Write!

Set a timer, pick up the pen or put your hands on the keyboard and write, write, write as fast as you can. Challenge your fellow WriMos, race together and add words, and words, and words today! I love the freedom of small sprints and the way that they add up to more and more and more when I add them to the total.

Whether you are fast or slow, ahead or behind, let’s race together and compete only with ourselves. Every word counts and our stories matter. On Your Places! Ready? Set. Write!

The Timeless story No End, No Beginning by MandyCandy is endlessly fascinating. It's a powerful what-if? A reimagining of our history if at certain tipping points things happened differently.

One person's utopia is another's dystopia. This is one of the most far-reaching options I have read on fighting Rittenhouse by dismantling the very structures that made & kept them powerful in the first place.

By whom is history recorded? Lucy is a historian multiple times over in this story and it's powerful & real. Tecumseh is a wonderful character and seeing him in glimpses to see the impact he could have had is powerful. There is so much history & research that went into this story - there's a full bibliography & maps in the final chapter - and it is marvelous. As a European, American & Canadian history is not something that was touched upon a lot and stories like these bring me tipping points that I like to read more about.

Jiya is so resourceful & necessary to the plan in this story & Rufus likewise has a tangible effect on history.

It's a powerful reimagining. The story takes a bit to come into its own (as it was written & revised on the go as we often see with fanfiction) but stick with it. It's well-worth it.

The Timeless story Q&A by @somekindofflowergirl features Lucy & Flynn talking: "Lucy & Flynn develop routine during their nighttime chats. She's allowed one loaded question and he's allowed one loaded apology."

It's a thoughtful, mature and slow story that explores trust, respect & friendship before it eventually blossoms into romantic love. I like the intimacy in the story, the lack of rushing and their tactility. The small scene at the end with Rufus where they acknowledge what him & Jiya are owed is marvelous.

The retelling of Timeless season 2 in the story: Zajednički by @insane-sociopath is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it. (It's technically a WIP, but there's already so much gold here.)

It features:

a mature & self-aware Wyatt Logan who understands PTSD and what it does to a person. Who is a very decent & supportive friend (even if he still messes up occasionally as humans do).

A PTSD-suffering Garcia Flynn who is decidedly unaccustomed to being treated with kindness.

A hilarious Rufus who is his brilliant bantering self and an absolute genius. The Flynn & Rufus banter & flirting had me giggling out loud multiple times.

A brilliant nickname for Flynn that even Denise Christopher cannot resist (though she courageously tries for a long time.)

A slowly developing Lucy & Flynn relationship centered around emotional connection & mutual support.

Flashback moments with all characters to counter out our mildly unreliable Flynn perspective.

Bunker improvements!

Talking things out. Awareness of mental health. Open & honest conversations. Self Care. Discussions around sexuality & gender in a light, humorous but serious way. Adults using their words instead of toxic passive aggressiveness. Character growth. Still lots of story conflict without creating (unnecessary) personal drama to "spice it up". (I get snarky sometimes ;-)).

As might be obvious from my story recs so far, I love stories where our beloved characters act like adults. Where they talk about stuff. Where there is grace & maturity. Even if people are still people, misunderstandings happen and they mess up occasionally, they learn & grow & apologize if needed.

At the moment, this story is at 33 chapters and 129474 words, currently on a bit of a cliffhanger, and Edward requested we help feed the muse! So throw lots of writing/Timeless prompts towards @insane-sociopath please.

Jiya & Rufus take a grieving & self-loathing Flynn under their wing in the most accepting, warm & graceful way in this Timeless story To Find A Home by @misscrazyfangirl321

It's got a lot of sweet moments and cameos for Lucy, Wyatt, Jessica & Denise but the core of the story focuses on Flynn's friendship with Jiya & Rufus.

I like the glimpses of the healthy and loving relationship between Jiya & Rufus, as well as the slow acceptance on Flynn's side that he's allowed their comfort & warmth & community. Redemption is both internal & external. It's sweet & lovely.

NaNoWriMo - My Cartoon of the Day - Day 28: Seeing Yourself Reflected

Storytelling can be like looking in a mirror. Every story, like every author, is unique. There are glimpses of yourself hidden away and buried deep. Perhaps you consciously added details of your own life and own philosophy. Perhaps they creeped in on their own.

Day 28: Seeing Yourself Reflected

It is both a beauty of writing and a terror: the fear of being known to your readers. And yet is it not also marvelous: to leave something of yourself and who you were. We still engage with literature written millenia ago, study its contents, enjoy its humour, tragedy and catharsis. We are all human, storytelling is deeply engrained in us and yet the unique particularities that you bring are like no other.

We are in the final days of this NaNo and there is still time to get your words written and your story out. Take heart in the feeling of community and know we are here to cheer you on. Keep writing and share your thoughts!

A Flynn Family Portrait

I had fun practicing my art skills again! The Flynn family: Garcia, Lorena & Iris were not treated well in Timeless canon, to say the least, but their memory and existence matter so much in the story we saw. This is a portrait of happier times.

This drawing is made with Jaycee (aka RedGold or @timelesshonesttrailer) in mind who loves the Flynns and wrote my favourite headcanons about Lorena Flynn. Her series Team Flynn is wonderful & poignant & I love it.

There are not nearly enough fanfic stories where Lorena & Iris live, but she's been working hard to fill that void. Thanks to all the fanfic writers who imagine better futures for them ❤️. I love reading it.

Now also on AO3

The Timeless story The Assassin's Holiday by @secretnerdprincess had me giggling from the moment I first read its premise:

Garcia Flynn and Jiya Mara are highly trained assassins who own the elite MurderVision Inc.. With the help of Rufus Carlin, they take care of messy problems for those with the money to afford their solutions. They've just got one last job to finish up before Christmas. When they accepted the contract for Dr. Lucy Preston, they never expected one simple historian could cause so much trouble. In the end, this Christmas holiday might change all their lives.

There's highly entertaining banter between Garcia Flynn & Jiya. A very capable Dr Lucy Preston who cleverly improvises her way to thwarting Flynn's attempts to murder her and yet is still her usual clumsy self. There's theatre, a multi-day cross country trainride, a movie-esc escape & helicopter rescue. There's a fascinating little twist on the journal & how Lucy's life changed.

Overall, this is a story to read when you're in the mood for some hilarious adventure & laughter.

This story is part of the @garcysecretsanta exchange that has been spoiling me with a whole bunch of new Timeless stories to read. The collection can be found here on AO3. Thanks to all the writers & contributors! It is simply marvelous.

NaNoWriMo - My Cartoon of the Day - Day 19: Rescue Mission Alert

Uh'oh! Someone is in trouble! Time to break out all the stops & plan the rescue mission! Have you got your Loveable Dragon? Feisty Princess? Hidden tower far away? Adventure Map? Story Ninjas? Bumbling Knight? Superskilled and sly Character Assassin accompanied by the ever elusive & infamous Traveling Shovel of Death?

Day 19: Rescue Mission Alert

While your characters are off endangering themselves and saving each other: how are you holding up yourself? In need of rescue yet? Have you been feeding your plot bunnies? Or are they so vicious they are running away with you? What is the goal you set for yourself? Plan your own mission and consider: what do you need to keep your momentum going for the next few days? Remember: there is still a large chunk of the month left & we can do this!

NaNoWriMo - My Cartoon of the Day - Day 13: Draw From the Well of Creativity

There's a concept called "An Artist's Date":* where you plan a date with yourself to refill your artistic well of creativity. For some, that's visiting a museum, or playing around with pencils or crayons, or taking a walk in nature, or crocheting nice warm dragon scale mittons for winter. Treat you inner artist to a fun, engaging experience that will spark your imagination & inspiration!

Day 13: Draw From the Well of Creativity

During NaNo, we draw heavily from our well! Is the creativity still flowing nicely? Take stock, replenish it & draw upon its stores! Are you inspired by your story? Your characters? Let them experience your walk through their senses! Send them on a mission to indulge their passions! What nourishes your & their inner artists? 

*From Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. She recommends scheduling an Artist's Date regularly to grant yourself the time to refill your well of creativity.