Barb lay in the grass, feeling the light evening mist of Jaltron 4. She looked over at Athena, unable to deny the #magnetism of this woman, the leader of the cyborgs. What would the Cardinals think, Barb wondered. Lust they would understand, but the Pope, laying here, contemplating fusion? #vss365

Those who walk forgotten paths find forgotten things. Missing time, lost dreams, and the mossy tombs of the old gods who slumber in silence.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird." published on this day in 1960

The Orion, aka Jump Ship One, sat at the translation point beyond the solar system, its crew waiting to #embrace the future. ##vss365

A mech has had a child. It grew the machine inside itself, gave it some of its own parts, ingested materials to help it grow and then extracted it in a simulation of human birth. Watching the new mech in its parent’s #embrace, we’d arrived at the dawn of something new, and we were afraid. #vss365

A bewildered stranger entered the castle kitchen. "Lost, sir?" the cook said. "You found a hidden door that led to the same room?" "Why, yes!" "How many times did you go through?" "Five or six, why?" "This used to be a wizard's castle. That door moves you through time, not space."

Dinner by candlelight, no electricity up here at the castle. Rooms she daren’t enter. The servants scared, for they have seen what happens when he gets fangry. But he has a look that makes her #swoon, an ageless beauty that makes her feel safe. He asks her to join them. Forever. #vss365

Shoebills can fly. Despite standing up to 5 feet tall and weighing up to 16 pounds, these prehistoric-looking birds possess an impressive 8-foot wingspan, making them fully capable of flight. Pairi Daiza (privately owned zoo & botanical garden) Brugelette, Belgium

You approach the hill with #apprehension. It's a warm summer day, the wind whipping through the grass. You see him standing there, unaffected by the sun, holding the captain of your army by the neck, and cackling. Death may be the best outcome against the Lord of All Vampires. #vss365

The lights in the sky are back. First time in forty-three years, and back then it had been forty-three years since the time before. Newspaper people all over town, doing nothing more than hype rumours and #disgruntle the sheriff. Five will go missing. We’re just waiting to find out who. #vss365

LOOK WHAT JUST ARRIVED IN THE MAIL!! 🤩📦 I shrieked when I opened the package. The note inside from my S&S editor: “Yeah, you owe me.” 🤣 Facts!!! Much love to Peter Straub. 🕯️❤️ I cannot wait to dive into this, 🥹. NOTE: This was a special favor just for me. They’re *not* giving these out.

"We think we've found what destroyed Bradbury Station." A holo shot out from the projector embedded in the wall. "What is it?" "A nanobot, sir, smaller than a #flea, and able to infest the station with a dissolvant. Lab's still working on exactly what chemicals were used." #vss365 #scifisat

Old Phone Box, Tiree, inner Hebrides, painting by Ron Lawson, Scottish landscape artist.

Good morning bluesky It's bright and sunny this morning, and I've got my work wrapped up, so it's a graceful glide into weekend ☀️ Starting with a variant of this earlier "walnut tree" prompt :) `A lone walnut tree in a Transylvanian clearing` #synthart #AIArtCommunity

Michael looked up from his garden and saw a #batch of streaking orange lights over New Hibernia. He'd heard the rumors of a renewed offensive by Spar Conglomerate, but figured they were safe so far from Earth. Alphonse had seen it, too, and was already preparing their house for takeoff. #vss365

The submarine hovers in sunless depths. Its lights touch gloom. Unknown benthos. A glinting pair of eyes. Another pair. Then a multitude. Then a bang as something hits the hull. They’d come seeking knowledge. They’d found Y’ha-nthlei. Their doom. #vss #sff

I lift the weighty treasure; a crown of solid amethyst. The eyes of tomb-bound corpses witness my self-coronation. Lemurian psychicism fills me. In a breath, I am the queen of a telepathic empire. Then I hear it: The sleeper dreaming darkly in R’lyeh. I scream. #SciFanSat #vss #sff

Sit still in the forest and listen to the creatures, wild folk, and monsters shambling in the shadows. Breathe quietly and know you are among friends.

Watching Horror of Dracula. There is something otherworldly about the way Christopher Lee floats through the scenes.

Oldest story in the book. He was country. She was rock. He was dull and #stable. She was the life of the #party. He was a #cardinal. She was an eldritch #horror from the spiderweb dreamscape of the outer darkness. Love finds a way, you know? #2wordprompt #BraveWrite #vss365

Louise V Durham, stained glass and driftwood sculpture, Shoreham by Sea, UK #WomensArt

Poydras dreams. Climbing the ochre skies above Revastar B, flying upwards as fast as his wings can carry him, his suit thrusters on full burn. Being grabbed. Pulled. #Falling. Last command for the suit to seal. Falling #evermore. His mother's voice singing, that old prayer...Baba Yetu... #vss365

Goodnight 🌙

There is magic in the air. There are phantoms in the fog. There are spirits in trees, mountains, and rivers. There are mysteries in mossy forests and misty moors. There are secrets everywhere, waiting to be found.

Jeremiah approached the statute at the center of Celester's Citadel Plaza. "The Wonderous Primitive," the plaque beneath it read. Most people had no idea how little had changed in spacesuit functionality and design since the mythical Earth days. #vss365

There was only a #remnant of the aliens, a massive statue that had somehow still stood. The xenoeologists didn't know what it was made of, but its visage made them glad to never have met the ancient aliens. They had to drop a light-bender onto the area after the third crew member went mad. #vss365

"Captain, we have the results of the probe." "And...?" "It appears to be the #remnants of a #rift in space-time. The probe itself entered and fell harshly before we lost contact." "So, more of a #crevasse in space-time?" "Yes, sir." "Where and when is our probe now?" "There and then." #vss365

Life, when he found it, was at the bottom of a #crevasse on an icy moon of Blelg 8. Alone, several #levels below the surface, with no way to #interpret the creature's speech, he panicked as it nuzzled closer. He needed to figure out how to say: I'm not your #mother. #vss365 #2wordprompt #vssmagic

As the glacier melted, a crack widened into a deep #crevasse. Glothnar escaped his icy prison, climbing to the surface. "At last, humanity shall face my wrath!" But when the giant led his demon army across the world, the cities had already crumbled. The humans had done his job long ago. #vss365

why study the wind if you do not want to swept away? its turns and spins find every nook, crack, & cranny why dive if you don't plan on searching the deep? let water surround immersive why close your eyes on that first, magical kiss if you don't want to dream and let hope into your blood? #vss365

"Dragging a portal through a space fold isn't bold. It's, and forgive my language here, your Holiness, it's more...have you lost your fucking mind?" "Cardinal Nardone," responded Barb, "there was no danger. It was tethered to the ship." "That's not a battlestar! It's a dingy!" #scififri #vss365

Jordan woke by the fountain in this place beyond time called Yaoderna. How many times now, he wondered. How long...and he caught himself. Time had no meaning here. "Now do you understand why we had to untether you from the things you knew?" asked the Voice of Yaoderna. "So I could learn." #vss365

"Suit, what is that body of water ahead?" "Lake Schultz. Avoid at all costs. Hostile to all life, except the #feral version of the water species of the Blort." "Poisonous?" "Negative. Full of rage and hate." "The lake is sentient?" "Affirmative. And by all accounts, an asshole." #vss365

Pick a Bond from the photos ypu already have in your phone.

Most people lived in the cities. If you traveled, you flew or took a train to another major hub. The outskirts were considered #barren, lawless, and bleak, according to the news. But there were murmurs it wasn't like that, and if it weren't, people might try to leave the cage of the city. #vss365

“89 seconds before the refugees can spacefold,” the AI says. “We are the last escort.” “Seconds to the enemy fighters intercepting them?” “75.” “Intercept time if we interdict and force them to destroy us?” “95 seconds.” “Hard to port, Ship. Do it.” #SciFanSat #vss #sff

Report on system SJ325: Yellow star: still young, like ours. Planet 1: closest to star: #barren. Planet 2: in the habitable zone, but no water; no life. Planet 3: all water, no surface land. Aquatic life abundant. Planet 4: varied biomes, volcanoes, jungles, 3 headed giant lizards. #vss365

Whitby at night, photo by Denise Bartlett.

You may have noticed that the word for ‘night’ in many languages appears to be that language’s word for ‘eight’ with an ‘N' in front of it. English: N + eight = Night German: N + acht = Nacht French: N + huit = Nuit Spanish: N + ocho = Noche Italian: N + otto = Notte Portuguese: N + oito = Noite ⬇️

Carmilla, the unsung hero of the vampire literature. Without her, there may have never been a dracula, for Brahm Stoker was inspired by the early Irish story about a female vampire.

#vss365 #evenfall #poetry #blueskypoet The #prompt made me think of sunset, and that made me want to play with sunsets. Which leads to change, which leads to here, and here is a #poem.. (Also are these 'process' blurbs enjoyable or are they pretentious and I should just post the damn things?)

Scientists had boring names for planets, such as Cygnus 4 and Aves 7. Early explorers had a much more creative streak, poetic in the naming, almost to a fault. Jeremiah was grateful for this difference. His homeworld could have been Ralton 8, but the alternate designation was #Evenfall. #vss365

"Oh, and madam, would you tell her it's Barnabas Collins?"

As the world slows and lights soften, #evenfall wraps everything in quiet magic. No rush, no noise - just that perfect pause where day whispers goodbye and night leans in close. Who else feels most alive in the twilight? 🌅✨ #evenfall #vss365 #Poetry #Twilight

It takes 6 hours of sublight travel to get to New Roma from its furthest moon, Augustine. 6 hours, thought Barb, is plenty of time for all my ghosts to #haunt me. #vss365

Each night a new message was revealed in the #moonlight. The first message was friendly, "Hello" but then the messages got weirder. The Man in the Moon quickly grabbed his phone back from his toddler and reset the moon back to its default settings. #vss365 #writing #stories

SPACEBOY Spaceboy kneels beside the heather, green eyes full of rain and light, a moonbeam threads the thorns above him, sewing mercy into night. He touches moss as though it’s holy, lifts a moth from wind and stone, and all the stars grow kind around him, knowing goodness as their own. #vss365

"It's me or the Androids, Gibson!" Stella shoved Tommy to the side. "You can't lose your life over a corpse filled with metal!" Gibson firmed their step. They couldn't bare to see the Androids suffer as they were #dear to them. "Take me! Not the Androids!" #vss365