My week started off with a trip to the hospital, Reader. But such is life when you live with rare chronic illnesses.

You can be fine one moment and then BAM you wake up in the dark hours of not quite morning and everything just feels wrong. 😵‍💫

Now if you find yourself in a situation like mine where you’re down sick or injured, but you just can’t bear not to be creative you can…

Watch a show 📺

Watch a movie 🎬

Watch a docu-series 📹

…related to what you’re currently working on.

It may not be all you planned to accomplish that day, but it will still leave you feeling like you accomplished something and moved forward on your creative project.

So when I got back from the hospital that’s exactly what I did. (Well after I posted this week’s chapter of 2 Turtledoves to Wattpad). I stretched out on the couch, got comfy with my kitty Akimi, and put on a few shows and movies that were related to a story project I’m working on.

Which brings me to…

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Here are 6 stories with a unique take on the Time Loop / Groundhog’s Day style plot that I highly recommend:

1) The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

Available on Amazon Prime

Mark has been stuck repeating the same day in his idyllic small town. Doing his part to—more or less—make people’s lives a little bit better when he runs into Margaret, another teen also stuck in a perpetual time loop. The two then devise a plan to break out of the loop by mapping out all the perfect moments that happen in their loop.

What’s Unique?

2 characters stuck in a time loop + The story starts with Mark already well into being trapped in the time loop

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2) Summer Time Rendering (Samā Taimu Renda)

Available on Hulu in both English dubbed and Japanese subtitled

Shinpei Ajiro returns to his hometown of Hitogashima Island for the funeral of his friend and adoptive sister Ushio. Details surrounding her death lead Shinpei on a quest that ends in his murder. But instead of the afterlife, he wakes to find himself on the ferry pier on the day of Ushio’s funeral once again.

What’s Unique?

Even though Shinpei is trapped in a time loop the starting point of the loop moves forward a little more each time he loops + the end of the loop is death not midnight

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3) The 7 Lives of Léa (Les 7 vies de Léa)

Available on Netflix

While at an outdoor party by a river in June 2021, Léa stumbles upon a dead body. She wakes up the next day, thirty years in the past inside the body of Ismaël—the person she found dead. For the next 6 days, she inhabits the bodies of 6 people that contributed to the death of Ismaël. All the while Léa’s trying desperately to save him from his grisly fate.

What’s Unique?

Freaky Friday meets Groundhog’s Day + a murder mystery + time travel

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4) Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi “The Town Where Only I Am Missing”)

Available on Netflix in both English Dubbed and Japanese subtitled anime and live action

29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma has an ability known as “Revival.” The power to send himself back in time moments before a life-threatening incident and prevent it from happening. But when his mother is murdered it sends him back 18 years to his hometown where he has the chance to prevent more than just one death.

What’s Unique?

Time looping is an ability of the character + murder mystery + time travel

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5) Tokyo Revengers (Tōkyō Ribenjāzu)

Available on HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime & Crunchyroll in both English dubbed and Japanese subtitled

On the day that 26-year-old Takemichi Hanagaki learns that his middle school girlfriend and her little brother were killed by the Tokyo Manji Gang, Takemichi is pushed onto the train tracks. But instead of the afterlife, he wakes to find himself in the body of his 14-year-old self. And the actions he takes next creates a paradox that allows him to jump back and forth through time within his own body as he tries desperately to prevent their deaths. And then others.

What’s Unique?

The time loop’s starting point moves forward + Time looping is an ability of the character + murder mystery + time travel

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6) Russian Doll

Available on Netflix

Nadia is trapped as the guest of honor at her seemingly inescapable 36th birthday party. The loop always starts at the same moment in the party and ends—quite frequently with her death. And then she meets Alan who is also aware he’s stuck in a loop and weirdly also shares the same birthday.

What’s Unique?

2 characters stuck in a time loop + the end of the loop is death not midnight

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Well, I hope you’ll enjoy some of these Time Loop recommendations tomorrow for Groundhog’s Day, Reader. Until next week this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat signing off.

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Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

🐱

PS 👉 I’m working on putting together a free mini-course to help you create the foundation of your story. If story structure or construction has you feeling like

THIS 👇

Then click here and I’ll put you on the list to be the first to receive an invite to this free mini-course when it goes live on Teachable in the coming weeks.

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PSS 👉 I’m trying out something new and fun where each week I give you a writing prompt in the form of a “quest” down here in the PS section. If it helped spark your creative catfish hit reply and let me know or Story me on The Gram 😸

Quest of the Week

Your Legendary Character is stuck in a time loop repeating the same day over and over. What causes loop? Is it midnight? Is it death? Is it when they try to leave the boundaries of the city or town?

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