#vss365 #prompt Feb 26 Once orbital #velocity is reached, you travel so fast that you're always in free fall but never get closer to Earth. Each moment a balance of speed and vulnerability. Our love is the same, each outrunning our fears, constant motion, eternal commitment.

‘How was my childhood? What kinda question is that?’ ‘Just one to get to know you better.’ ‘I’d say my childhood was normal.’ ‘Mine wasn’t. I had helicopter parents. Always hovering around in #orbital proximity.’ ‘Oh, well in that case, I guess you’d say I had submarine parents.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt Feb 25 Her heart always remained on a suborbital ballistic arc. Her crushes never reached #orbital velocity. Her flirtatious gambits always fell at 2x standard gravity. i.e. flat. She never was quite able to cross the event horizon.

‘Do you know what drives #stellar activity?’ ‘You mean, like, the stars?’ ‘Yeah, don’t you ever wonder how something forms in space?’ ‘I guess I never really thought about it.’ ‘The force that drives everything is gravity.’ ‘Huh. Well what happens when you remove it?’ ‘You get gravy.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt Feb 24 -I admire the #stellar structure, I say, and you think I'm talking about the physical structures and processes of the sun, but I really mean your body, lithe and tall and pale, and your internal processes, your intellect, your gravity, your exactitude.

‘Look, I mean no offense but-‘ ‘Wait! Stop right there. Whenever you say that, it means you’re about to say something #knowingly offensive.’ ‘No, it doesn’t.’ ‘Totally does.’ ‘I was gonna say, that… oh no. You’re right. Nevermind.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt Feb 23 When she #knowingly steals the keystone and the entire bridge collapses, she is branded a traitor. But as the two warring parties spend weeks on opposite sides of the river without being able to kill each other, they transform her into Angelus Pacis.

‘What’s the #crazed drink special?’ ‘Ice cream soda.’ ‘Ice cream soda? That sounds interesting. How do you make it?’ ‘Aaarrrggghh!!! Ice cream soda whole bar hears me!’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt Feb 22 In Galactic Quadrant IV sits Furens Vortice, or #Crazed Wormhole. If you dare, if you dare, nose your ship into its unassuming depths. Only one ship has returned, with the crew the happiest people ever known, but they no longer remember their own names.

‘This farm is pretty nice.’ ‘I thought you’d like getting out of the city & seeing the country.’ ‘I like all the cute animals.’ ‘Do you know why those cows wear bells?’ ‘Are you going to give me one of your #blatant examples of stupid humor?’ ‘Because their horns don’t work.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt Feb 21 -Mr. Jangles, your owner says it's a #blatant case of assault. -My holographic recording— -Mr. Jangles, robots have no right to present evidence. Mr. Jangles freezes. -You will be decommissioned, Mr. Jangles. -I should have tried harder, Mr. Jangles says.

#vss365 #prompt Feb 20 As a thin paring of sun sat on the horizon, she peeked out her window. He prowled her garden already, this nighttime monster. She pulled the curtain on his #beastly presence. Rosemary and frankincense, woven into a protection ward, seemed too fragile to protect her tonight.

‘I have a new idea for a restaurant.’ ‘Oh, no. What stupid idea have you come up with this time?’ ‘I’ll cater to carnivores. Only serve #beastly meals. No vegetarians or vegans.’ ‘Uh, huh. And what will you call this place?’ ‘The Beastro.’ #vss365

‘You look stumped. What’s up?’ ‘I don’t want to say anything since you’re the self-proclaimed smartest person in the world & I’ll feel stupid.’ ‘Tell me. What’s got you #mystified?’ ‘This word quiz. Can you find a word that uses all the vowels and Y?’ ‘Unquestionably.’ #vss365

Oops, #mystified! 🤭 The quazmuffin must have eaten the missing i...

‘You should take better care of yourself.’ ‘I tried that for a while. It wasn’t any fun.’ ‘If you treat your body like a temple-eat a proper diet & exercise, then you’ll live a long life.’ ‘What’s the point of living a long, boring life? I’d rather treat my body like a #bouncy house.’ #vss365

The gravitational strength of the moon means that things that are not usually bouncy are bouncy, and things that are usually bouncy are now suborbital. #vss365 #prompt #bouncy Feb 18

‘Don’t you worry that you have no goals for your life?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘How can you live like that?’ ‘Easy. Ever think about those freakish ambitious people who climb in a #mountainous region like Everest?’ ‘Yes. They had a goal. A plan.’ ‘Yeah, well so did the people who died doing it.’ #vss365

#vss365 Feb 17 #prompt word Approaching his #mountainous childhood home, the soldier reined in. Seven years ago he'd left with his four best friends, aiming for glory in the southern wars. Now he rode alone. In the distance, a woman called to her child. He turned back south.

‘I had the strangest dream last night about Hawaii. We went scuba diving in an #enchanted underwater cavern.’ ‘Oh yeah? Probably from that funny weed we smoked.’ ‘Yeah. All the fish were glowing like crazy. Then this weird creature popped out of the cave.’ ‘Gnarly.’ ‘No. It was Sir Eel.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt She sat, #enchanted by wildflowers. Soft floral scents, blossoms nodding gently as if agreeing with her every thought... three bunnies in little morning suits and top hats... -Would you like to attend a bunny wedding? She jumped to her feet. -Yes, please!

I’ll be posting from Honolulu for the next few days… Aloha😎

‘First dates are so awkward. I can’t believe friends set us up.’ ‘I know, right?’ ‘I heard you had a warped sense of humor.’ ‘I heard you don’t like long explanations.’ ‘So, tell me about your life in a nutshell.’ ‘Well, there’s #minuscule room to move around & it’s very dark.’ #vss365

#vss365 #prompt #minuscule He encloses my hand in his, warmth radiating from his body to mine. It is the last time we will touch each other for five days, although we will still be side by side. I am suddenly shy as we pull on our pressure suits.

#vss365 This has been a wonderful experience, but over too soon. This is such a fantastic, supportive community. This is my 2nd time hosting, and just as fun this time. There were so many marvelous entries. Don't forget to follow @daniellestejust.bsky.social, who will be your new host starting tmw.

My eyes remain shut, but I'm sure that in between each #kiss, he pulls back to look at me; nothing like the fervor of our recent intimate encounters. It strikes me as tender and gentle, like young love, when in reality it's foreign, intense, and forbidden with no future. #vss365

‘Here’s your Valentine’s Day present.’ ‘Books? Ohmigod, you know me so well. You get a big #kiss.’ ‘Thanks. But it looks like these won’t fit anywhere.’ ‘Are you suggesting I get rid of some of these?’ ‘Who’s fault is it that you have too many books?’ ‘I have only my shelf to blame.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 14 is #kiss "And when he has fled - like a squirrel - his laughter still vibrates on every leaf, and you can see, startled by a bullfinch, the Golden Kiss of the Wood, gathering itself together again." 'Faun's Head', Arthur Rimbaud #14

‘Huh, the word today is #lacuna.’ ‘Like the beach?’ ‘No, that’s Laguna. It’s like a void where something’s supposed to be. A gap. Now I have to find a way to use it in a story.’ ‘Oh, that sounds easy.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Just write about that space in your head where your brain should be.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 13 is #lacuna “lagoon? No, lacuna . . . different from lagoon. Not a cave exactly but an opening, like a mouth, that swallows things. He opened his mouth to show. It goes into the belly of the world.” Barbara Kingsolver #13 Definition: Lacuna - Unfilled space, gap

‘I think my #dark sense of humor is affecting my parenting skills.’ ‘Why? What happened?’ ‘Well, my son is at that awkward age. He’s extremely curious & starting to ask questions about the human body.’ ‘Oh, that’s a tough one.’ ‘I know. Now I have to find a new place to hide it.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 12 is #dark "Dewdrop, let me cleanse in your brief sweet waters... These dark hands of life" 'Dewdrop, let me cleanse', Matsuo Basho #12

Anyone else have this conversation with their kids? ‘Who broke the lamp?’ ‘Not me’ ‘Didn’t #touch it.’ ‘So, you expect me to believe that someone broke into the house & the only thing they did was knock over this lamp?’ ‘Uh…’ #vss365

‘Here’s my application. Does this mean I’ll get the job?’ ‘We need to verify a few things. It seems to indicate you may be of lesser intelligence.’ ‘Such as?’ ‘Under education, you put-just a #touch’ ‘Yep. Self taught.’ ‘Huh. Can you spell orange?’ ‘You mean the color or the fruit?’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 11 is #touch "There is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of spirit on the body. Seawater begs the pearl to break its shell. and the lily, how passionately it needs some wild darling!" Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi #11

‘You sure about this?’ ‘No. But you keep buggin’ me about it. Gives me an ear #ache.’ ‘I hear other couples enjoy it.’ ‘I’ll do anything to help our relationship.’ ‘We should have a safe word.’ ‘Ok. Meatloaf.’ ‘Meatloaf?’ ‘Right. Cuz I’d do anything for love - but I won’t do that.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 10 is #ache "I wish to run my trembling fingers long Through the black tangles of your heavy hair, To plunge my aching head amorous of Your skirts as into secret, perfumed bowers, To breathe your scent as from pale withered flowers" 'Le Léthé', Charles Baudelaire #10

‘How do you like this boot camp?’ ‘The drills are excruciating. At the end of every day, so far, my #bones ache.’ ‘Getting the body back in shape is hard work.’ ‘You know what they say about what doesn’t kill you.’ ‘It gives you unhealthy coping mechanisms & a warped sense of humor?’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 9 is #bones "...a fortnight dead, Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell And the profit and loss. A current under sea Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell He passed the stages of his age and youth Entering the whirlpool." T. S. Eliot #9

‘I spotted the #pale squirrel.’ ‘You mean albino squirrel.’ ‘The white one, whatever.’ ‘It must be your lucky day. I haven’t seen one in a while.’ ‘Well, now it should be easier to see with the black spots I put on it.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 8 is #pale "The light wraps you in its mortal flame. Abstracted pale mourner, standing that way against the old propellers of the twilight that revolves around you." 'The Light Wraps You', Pablo Neruda #8

‘Whoa! Stop & catch your breath. Why’re you so excited?’ ‘I just beat the local chess champion in 5 moves.’ ‘Really? That’s amazing. You always called him an arrogant snob. When did you learn how to play chess?’ ‘I didn’t.’ ‘Oh. Guess that explains the #blood on your hands.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 7 is #blood "A gracious spring, turned to blood-ravenous autumn, A turmoil of wars-men, spread over the middle kingdom, Three hundred and sixty thousand, And sorrow, sorrow like rain." 'Lament of the Frontier Guard', Li Bai #7

‘Don’t you get it? I’ll never go out with you. Ever!’ ‘Don’t you admire my persistence?’ ‘No! You’re like an annoying gnat that I swat away-but just keeps coming back.’ ‘Your words may #wound me, but they’ll never kill my spirit.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I’m a querying author. I thrive on rejection.’ #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 6 is #wound "and yet she waits for me, year after year, to so delicately undo an old wound, to empty my breath from its bad prison." 'Wanting to Die', Anne Sexton #6

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My brain after reading through contributions for today’s #vss365 prompt #lambent. I wasn’t familiar with the word. Now I realize it’s like hellbent, but with glowing sheep.🤗🤗🤗

‘Oooh, the fire’s glowing nicely now.’ ‘I love how the flickering, #lambent flames waver like an undulating crowd.’ ‘Wow, that’s some poetic language.’ ‘This thing has a romantic twist, don’t ya think?’ ‘Look! There’s your ex! We gotta run or he’ll figure out we set his Tesla on fire. #vss365

Your #vss365 #prompt for Feb 5 is #lambent "Where brooding day stares down upon the sea In dull disdain. Uplift and sway, O golden vine, Thy clustered fruits to love's full flood, Lambent and vast and ruthless as is thine Incertitude." 'Flood', James Joyce #5 lambent:definition - glowing softly

‘Dammit! It’s here again!’ ‘What? I don’t see anything.’ ‘Oh, you can’t? I guess only certain people can see the #ghost. It’s really annoying & tries to be a bartender.’ ‘And you don’t like it cuz it scares people?’ ‘Not exactly. It gives out free boos.’ #vss365