M.L. Skye's Blog, page 35
April 28, 2019
The Xanthic Flu
Whew! My daughter's third prom is down and out of the way. She's the junior class president so I had chaperone duties and, wow, let me tell you… I ran my ass off last night. LOL And, of course, the weather ended up being a complete downer. Rainy and actually pretty chilly for the end of April. However, I think this year's dress is pretty much my favorite.
Anyway… while I'm putting my feet up, I'll dive into this week's television viewing. I Finished up Iron Fist and it didn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed Ward and Joy's conversation. I'll be really happy to see Davos taken down. I want to be sympathetic, but yeah, not really feeling it. Misty and Colleen need their own show. Just saying.
Caught the Classic Roswell episode, "Heat Wave" and it's one I really loved when it aired the first time. Still loved it this time around too.
Watched the Arrow Elseworlds episode. Quite enjoyed it even though it's the only one I've seen in the crossover event. I'll have to catch The Flash and Supergirl when they make it to a streaming platform. It really annoys me that full seasons aren't available on the network's app. Or at least keep the crossover on for the full season.
Also caught another episode of Murdoch Mysteries. Based on a little google fu, it looks like there will be another season, which makes me very happy.
Watched episode three of The Murders and I like where this show is going. I'm kind of happy to know why Nolan isn't a big fan of Paul in guns and gangs. I'm also glad to have a little more insight into Kate's relationship with her mom.
Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries is such a great spinoff. I really hope there ends up being another season of this one. The second episode had terrific chemistry between all of the characters and I'm such a fan of the secondary ones.
I have some things to discuss about Roswell, New Mexico'sfinale and I'll save those for later. Caught an episode of Painkiller Jane and it's one I like the first time around. Answers start revealing themselves about Jane's ability. I truly do wish this series had a second season if only for more of those.
Underbelly Razor's penultimate episode dropped some big moves and is titled the same. With one more episode left in this incarnation, I'm excited to see how things end for the women.
Watched a Midsomer Murders episode and, well, found it kind of odd. Then again, with fourteen seasons in front of it and several more to go, there has to be an odd one here and there, right?
Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and I don't remember seeing either of them previously. I'm such a fan of how Peter's group of friends and colleagues add so much to the show.
Okay… Roswell, New Mexico's season finale. Wow. Seriously. It's been a long time since a show gave me a gut-punch feeling and I'm not quite sure how I feel about having one. The episode had so much going on, but all the episodes usually do. The acting ended up being stellar, from, I'm not kidding, everyone. As for where things went? I'm honestly still working through how I feel. I'm thrilled there's a second season, which hopefully means a solution for the thing that happened. I haven't decided if I trust this showrunner yet. So far, I've loved everything from the characters to the plot points, even with the somewhat neglected Maria, and pulling a shock-value move makes me slightly twitchy, hence my inability to fully trust how things will play out. That said, you can bet my ass will glued to the screen when the second season premieres, so there's that. I might have more about the season overall on my sister blog Universes Altered.
And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from The Xanthic Plague (or Flu… I haven't quite decided yet), a novella that started with a writing community prompt of creating a scene or story where the characters are sick with a cold, the flu, something where all they can do is sit back and let others take care of them.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Rowan Buel and Fuller Beckett are competitive by nature, but when they contract the Xanthic flu—a nasty virus that turns the skin yellow—at the same time, it takes their game of one-ups-manship to the extreme. Isolated and quarantined together, they duo learns working together can actually be fun.
And a sneaky peek…
Fuller backed out of the shower stall and grabbed his towel. "Shit. No way." He carried it with him into the changing area instead of drying off. "It'll just make me itch more."Rowan groaned. "Wish I'd thought of that. I'm dying over here." Her arms braced against the locker and her head hung low between her shoulders.She didn't have a stitch of clothing on.Geez. Under better circumstances, I'd enjoy the terrific view.But… her back had at least a dozen welts, standing in stark red contrast to her pale skin. His probably matched. Those damned bugs were relentless. She even had a couple of raised areas on her very nice ass.Rowan heaved a sigh. "How many?" Her head rose and she angled to look back over her shoulder.Fuller blinked and cleared his head. "Uh, what?" Hopefully, he'd kept his blatant staring hidden.Rowan smirked. "Bites. How many bites do you have?" She reached inside the locker and yanked out a T-shirt.Okay, he hadn't managed to keep his ogling under wraps.He tossed his unused towel in his cubby. "Ones I can see? Twenty-two." His arms were covered and his neck had several on each side.She checked him out. "Looks like you've got a line of them going up your ribs." She held up her right arm. "I got a string on my inner bicep." Sure enough, four welts dotted her skin in an almost straight path.Fuller angled his back around. "Got three on my back on two on my shoulders." They itched like crazy, probably because they were talking about them.Rowan snorted. "Did you count the three on your ass?" She raised an eyebrow.Fuller snarked right back. "Did you count the two you have there?"She groaned. "Dammit. That puts me at twenty-three. You've got me beat." Her face brightened. "You know, I think I'm okay with your win on this one." She gingerly dragged the T-shirt over her head.Fuller rolled his eyes. "Figures you're all grace and goodness when I come out ahead with something that sucks ass." He dreaded putting clothes on and having the fabric chafe at the bites.Rowan shimmied into a pair of fatigues then winced. "Shit. This is awful. I'm not even fully dressed and the itching is insane." She flexed her fingers but didn't scratch at the various bites covering her.Fuller finished dressing and couldn't disagree. No way would they get much work done if they didn't find some kind of relief from the bug bites.He left his shirt untucked and closed his locker. "I'm going to check in with Doc Ambrose in the infirmary. See if he's got anything to alleviate the itching." He glanced over his shoulder. "Wanna come with?"She grimaced. "Not really, but I will. Haven't had clothes on for five minutes and I already want to strip back down to nothing." She fell into step beside him. "Something tells me the XO won't let us walk around naked."Fuller snorted. "You've got a point." He leaned in closer and pitched his voice low. "Although, I wouldn't mind the view. Welts and all." He straightened and kept his gaze straight ahead.Rowan carefully nudged him with her shoulder. "You say the sweetest things. I'd bet my next pay grade you'd have half the ship lined up to watch you pull a maintenance detail if you weren't wearing anything."As far as compliments went, he'd take that one, especially coming from Rowan.And she'd be about the only person he'd want to watch him work in the nude.
They think the worst is over… it's so not. LOL
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Anyway… while I'm putting my feet up, I'll dive into this week's television viewing. I Finished up Iron Fist and it didn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed Ward and Joy's conversation. I'll be really happy to see Davos taken down. I want to be sympathetic, but yeah, not really feeling it. Misty and Colleen need their own show. Just saying.
Caught the Classic Roswell episode, "Heat Wave" and it's one I really loved when it aired the first time. Still loved it this time around too.
Watched the Arrow Elseworlds episode. Quite enjoyed it even though it's the only one I've seen in the crossover event. I'll have to catch The Flash and Supergirl when they make it to a streaming platform. It really annoys me that full seasons aren't available on the network's app. Or at least keep the crossover on for the full season.
Also caught another episode of Murdoch Mysteries. Based on a little google fu, it looks like there will be another season, which makes me very happy.
Watched episode three of The Murders and I like where this show is going. I'm kind of happy to know why Nolan isn't a big fan of Paul in guns and gangs. I'm also glad to have a little more insight into Kate's relationship with her mom.
Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries is such a great spinoff. I really hope there ends up being another season of this one. The second episode had terrific chemistry between all of the characters and I'm such a fan of the secondary ones.
I have some things to discuss about Roswell, New Mexico'sfinale and I'll save those for later. Caught an episode of Painkiller Jane and it's one I like the first time around. Answers start revealing themselves about Jane's ability. I truly do wish this series had a second season if only for more of those.
Underbelly Razor's penultimate episode dropped some big moves and is titled the same. With one more episode left in this incarnation, I'm excited to see how things end for the women.
Watched a Midsomer Murders episode and, well, found it kind of odd. Then again, with fourteen seasons in front of it and several more to go, there has to be an odd one here and there, right?
Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and I don't remember seeing either of them previously. I'm such a fan of how Peter's group of friends and colleagues add so much to the show.
Okay… Roswell, New Mexico's season finale. Wow. Seriously. It's been a long time since a show gave me a gut-punch feeling and I'm not quite sure how I feel about having one. The episode had so much going on, but all the episodes usually do. The acting ended up being stellar, from, I'm not kidding, everyone. As for where things went? I'm honestly still working through how I feel. I'm thrilled there's a second season, which hopefully means a solution for the thing that happened. I haven't decided if I trust this showrunner yet. So far, I've loved everything from the characters to the plot points, even with the somewhat neglected Maria, and pulling a shock-value move makes me slightly twitchy, hence my inability to fully trust how things will play out. That said, you can bet my ass will glued to the screen when the second season premieres, so there's that. I might have more about the season overall on my sister blog Universes Altered.
And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from The Xanthic Plague (or Flu… I haven't quite decided yet), a novella that started with a writing community prompt of creating a scene or story where the characters are sick with a cold, the flu, something where all they can do is sit back and let others take care of them.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Rowan Buel and Fuller Beckett are competitive by nature, but when they contract the Xanthic flu—a nasty virus that turns the skin yellow—at the same time, it takes their game of one-ups-manship to the extreme. Isolated and quarantined together, they duo learns working together can actually be fun.
And a sneaky peek…
Fuller backed out of the shower stall and grabbed his towel. "Shit. No way." He carried it with him into the changing area instead of drying off. "It'll just make me itch more."Rowan groaned. "Wish I'd thought of that. I'm dying over here." Her arms braced against the locker and her head hung low between her shoulders.She didn't have a stitch of clothing on.Geez. Under better circumstances, I'd enjoy the terrific view.But… her back had at least a dozen welts, standing in stark red contrast to her pale skin. His probably matched. Those damned bugs were relentless. She even had a couple of raised areas on her very nice ass.Rowan heaved a sigh. "How many?" Her head rose and she angled to look back over her shoulder.Fuller blinked and cleared his head. "Uh, what?" Hopefully, he'd kept his blatant staring hidden.Rowan smirked. "Bites. How many bites do you have?" She reached inside the locker and yanked out a T-shirt.Okay, he hadn't managed to keep his ogling under wraps.He tossed his unused towel in his cubby. "Ones I can see? Twenty-two." His arms were covered and his neck had several on each side.She checked him out. "Looks like you've got a line of them going up your ribs." She held up her right arm. "I got a string on my inner bicep." Sure enough, four welts dotted her skin in an almost straight path.Fuller angled his back around. "Got three on my back on two on my shoulders." They itched like crazy, probably because they were talking about them.Rowan snorted. "Did you count the three on your ass?" She raised an eyebrow.Fuller snarked right back. "Did you count the two you have there?"She groaned. "Dammit. That puts me at twenty-three. You've got me beat." Her face brightened. "You know, I think I'm okay with your win on this one." She gingerly dragged the T-shirt over her head.Fuller rolled his eyes. "Figures you're all grace and goodness when I come out ahead with something that sucks ass." He dreaded putting clothes on and having the fabric chafe at the bites.Rowan shimmied into a pair of fatigues then winced. "Shit. This is awful. I'm not even fully dressed and the itching is insane." She flexed her fingers but didn't scratch at the various bites covering her.Fuller finished dressing and couldn't disagree. No way would they get much work done if they didn't find some kind of relief from the bug bites.He left his shirt untucked and closed his locker. "I'm going to check in with Doc Ambrose in the infirmary. See if he's got anything to alleviate the itching." He glanced over his shoulder. "Wanna come with?"She grimaced. "Not really, but I will. Haven't had clothes on for five minutes and I already want to strip back down to nothing." She fell into step beside him. "Something tells me the XO won't let us walk around naked."Fuller snorted. "You've got a point." He leaned in closer and pitched his voice low. "Although, I wouldn't mind the view. Welts and all." He straightened and kept his gaze straight ahead.Rowan carefully nudged him with her shoulder. "You say the sweetest things. I'd bet my next pay grade you'd have half the ship lined up to watch you pull a maintenance detail if you weren't wearing anything."As far as compliments went, he'd take that one, especially coming from Rowan.And she'd be about the only person he'd want to watch him work in the nude.
They think the worst is over… it's so not. LOL
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
April 21, 2019
Sunday Snippet: X-Ray Tango
To all who celebrate Easter, I hope it's a good holiday. Another weird weather week in Ohio. I know, big shock, right? Actually turned on the AC one day because the house was stuffy and humid. The next day, I turned it off because the temperature dropped thirty degrees again. Needless to say, it's a combination of AC and furnace for the next few weeks.
Decent television week. I did get to finish Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and it was… soooo good. I'll finish up the other three episodes, but I'm pretty sure I'd like to see more. Here's hoping they'll do another season.
Caught another episode of Painkiller Jane and it's one I remembered from the original run. I'll admit I was disappointed there weren't more episodes even though fandom in general thought the show fared poorly against the source material.
Watched another episode of Underbelly: Razor and, yeah, the women are starting to feel the burn from the law. I wanted to empathize with Tillie but couldn't quite get there. She's just not drawing my sympathy and I can't really explain why. Kate, though, I kind of sympathize with. Nellie… is Nellie. Not quite sure what I feel for her plight.
Finished up Midsomer Murders and enjoyed the rest of the episode. I'm almost through the fourteenth series and I'm still liking the show. There's never a shortage of interesting little bits worked into the stories.
Roswell, New Mexico… the penultimate episode. Holy crap. So much happened. Questions were answered but a ton of new ones popped up from those answers. I really need another season because there's no way it can have a satisfying end with only one more episode to go. I need to know how Maria's mom fits into the situation at Caufield, if she even does, or at the very least, I need to know why she's so scrambled. And, dammit, I need Maria to know what's going on and put her two cents in. I dipped my toe into the fandom waters and, yeah, I'll probably steer clear. I love the potential interactions with everyone, including Alex, Michael, and Maria. While I'm not a full-on fan of triangles, I do like messy and awkward feelings that have to be resolved somehow. I also love how many different definitions of family there is to wade through on the show. The kind of big thing I'm dreading is a possible death in the last episode. I've got a gut feeling of who it might be and I’m not ready for it.
Also, I'm sad to see Jenna go, if she really does. Here's hoping she might make her way back in the future. The interactions between Jenna and Liz were so damn good, as in there was awkwardness but none of the bitchy-girl, fur-flying stuff that's so lame. Kudos for that!
Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and both were ones I hadn't seen. Pete and Edie remind me of Nick and Nora. Weird, I know. I think it's a vibe thing. Nora totally had Nick's number and I think Edie is the same way with Peter.
Watched episode four of Blade. Nice to come back to this after a long hiatus. I'm looking forward to more one season wonders on the CW Seed app.
Caught Strike Back and loved so much about this episode. Nice to have Zarkova back among the group. So cool to see Chetri pretty much rescue herself. And Alexander ending up in Moscow was better than expected. Wyatt and Novin are never boring and Mac needs to keep his choose better times to get sexed up. That's a lot of information to pack into a one-hour nutshell.
Watched the beginning of the next arc of Classic Who. This one is about the time meddler and I'm interested to see where it goes. Got a surprise when the guy from the Dalek episodes showed up. Didn't see that coming.
Caught a majorly great episode of Chicago Fire. Watching the women deal with the terrible accident in Indiana while the guys held a chili cook-off worked really well. The fact that the doom and gloom crew won—and one of the members is the dude from the Sonic commercials—kind of made my day.
Also started an episode of Iron Fist and it's full of Misty right now so I'm loving the hell out of it. Just saying.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from X-Ray Tango, a novella that started with a story prompt of… your characters love to fight but they can't win all the time; nasty wounds and bruises require comfort, right?
Here's the mini-blurb:
Kellan Gates and Josh Robertson do not get along, constantly vying for top position in their squadron. But when they're transferred to another ship, Josh is targeted by a former nemesis that uses program X-ray Tango to keep Josh in check, which fires up Kellan—no one is allowed to give Josh a hard way to go except her.
And a sneaky peek…
Well, shit. She had him there. No one flew like she did, or put the same amount of work into being the best.Josh snapped his mouth shut and gave her a terse nod. The victorious look she sent his way had him shaking his head. In less than two seconds she'd be gloating like she owned the world.And he'd never hear the end of it. Of course, her swaggering out of the briefing room gave him a brief moment to brace for impact and let her crow in victory to the milling pilots outside.He tilted his head to one side, enjoying the way her ass moved under her fatigues. "Maybe having her strutting around like she owns the universe won't be so bad after all." He followed her out into the corridor and, sure enough, she had the squadron gathered around her.Kellan poked her head up over the assembled group to flash him a grin. "Nice of you to join us, Robo. Any requests about your wingman before I get started on the flight roster?" The challenge in her gaze didn't go unnoticed by the group.Josh shrugged. "I fly at your leisure. Whoever you assign as my wingman is all right with me." He did an invisible hat tip and started down the causeway.One of the perks of being squadron leader gave them the responsibility of shuffling the lineup. The CAG made a tentative schedule and left it up to the leader to post the final version. Josh usually tweaked one or two slots and only when he had to. And Kellen, oddly enough, got her shorts in a twist whenever he made those changes. The woman didn't like anything that mucked up her routine.Or maybe she only enjoyed giving him shit all the time.Kellan broke away from the pilots. "Hold up, Robertson." She hustled to his side. "You seriously don't care who I put you with?" Her tone held a teasing edge.Josh kept moving but glanced in her direction. She had a smirk on her face, which somehow looked sweet and sultry at the same time. Ugh. The pull of attraction whenever he landed in her orbit reared up again.I need to get a handle on that.And figure out what kind of answer she wanted. "Look, put me with Roundabout. He could probably use the good numbers." Les Wagner had the worst stats in the squadron.Kellan's lips thinned to a flat line and she paused. "You're zero fun, Josh." She pitched her voice low so only he could hear. "Nobody wants to fly with Roundabout. His numbers will go up but yours will suffer." She emphasized her point with raised eyebrows.Josh snorted. "And that's bad for you how?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Means you might get to squadron leader next week too." Fairly pleased, he ambled forward and left her sputtering for a response."You're an ass, Robertson."He grinned but didn't let her see it. "I'm told it's a gift, Gates. And it keeps on giving." He rounded the corner and barely kept from laughing. "Round one goes to me."Which meant he'd better have his shit together if he wanted to stay a step ahead of her.
I like how this one is going. Josh and Kellen's rivalry needs to be established but it's also important to get their attraction on the page. They're going to need it and each other for what comes later.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Decent television week. I did get to finish Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and it was… soooo good. I'll finish up the other three episodes, but I'm pretty sure I'd like to see more. Here's hoping they'll do another season.
Caught another episode of Painkiller Jane and it's one I remembered from the original run. I'll admit I was disappointed there weren't more episodes even though fandom in general thought the show fared poorly against the source material.
Watched another episode of Underbelly: Razor and, yeah, the women are starting to feel the burn from the law. I wanted to empathize with Tillie but couldn't quite get there. She's just not drawing my sympathy and I can't really explain why. Kate, though, I kind of sympathize with. Nellie… is Nellie. Not quite sure what I feel for her plight.
Finished up Midsomer Murders and enjoyed the rest of the episode. I'm almost through the fourteenth series and I'm still liking the show. There's never a shortage of interesting little bits worked into the stories.
Roswell, New Mexico… the penultimate episode. Holy crap. So much happened. Questions were answered but a ton of new ones popped up from those answers. I really need another season because there's no way it can have a satisfying end with only one more episode to go. I need to know how Maria's mom fits into the situation at Caufield, if she even does, or at the very least, I need to know why she's so scrambled. And, dammit, I need Maria to know what's going on and put her two cents in. I dipped my toe into the fandom waters and, yeah, I'll probably steer clear. I love the potential interactions with everyone, including Alex, Michael, and Maria. While I'm not a full-on fan of triangles, I do like messy and awkward feelings that have to be resolved somehow. I also love how many different definitions of family there is to wade through on the show. The kind of big thing I'm dreading is a possible death in the last episode. I've got a gut feeling of who it might be and I’m not ready for it.
Also, I'm sad to see Jenna go, if she really does. Here's hoping she might make her way back in the future. The interactions between Jenna and Liz were so damn good, as in there was awkwardness but none of the bitchy-girl, fur-flying stuff that's so lame. Kudos for that!
Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and both were ones I hadn't seen. Pete and Edie remind me of Nick and Nora. Weird, I know. I think it's a vibe thing. Nora totally had Nick's number and I think Edie is the same way with Peter.
Watched episode four of Blade. Nice to come back to this after a long hiatus. I'm looking forward to more one season wonders on the CW Seed app.
Caught Strike Back and loved so much about this episode. Nice to have Zarkova back among the group. So cool to see Chetri pretty much rescue herself. And Alexander ending up in Moscow was better than expected. Wyatt and Novin are never boring and Mac needs to keep his choose better times to get sexed up. That's a lot of information to pack into a one-hour nutshell.
Watched the beginning of the next arc of Classic Who. This one is about the time meddler and I'm interested to see where it goes. Got a surprise when the guy from the Dalek episodes showed up. Didn't see that coming.
Caught a majorly great episode of Chicago Fire. Watching the women deal with the terrible accident in Indiana while the guys held a chili cook-off worked really well. The fact that the doom and gloom crew won—and one of the members is the dude from the Sonic commercials—kind of made my day.
Also started an episode of Iron Fist and it's full of Misty right now so I'm loving the hell out of it. Just saying.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from X-Ray Tango, a novella that started with a story prompt of… your characters love to fight but they can't win all the time; nasty wounds and bruises require comfort, right?
Here's the mini-blurb:
Kellan Gates and Josh Robertson do not get along, constantly vying for top position in their squadron. But when they're transferred to another ship, Josh is targeted by a former nemesis that uses program X-ray Tango to keep Josh in check, which fires up Kellan—no one is allowed to give Josh a hard way to go except her.
And a sneaky peek…
Well, shit. She had him there. No one flew like she did, or put the same amount of work into being the best.Josh snapped his mouth shut and gave her a terse nod. The victorious look she sent his way had him shaking his head. In less than two seconds she'd be gloating like she owned the world.And he'd never hear the end of it. Of course, her swaggering out of the briefing room gave him a brief moment to brace for impact and let her crow in victory to the milling pilots outside.He tilted his head to one side, enjoying the way her ass moved under her fatigues. "Maybe having her strutting around like she owns the universe won't be so bad after all." He followed her out into the corridor and, sure enough, she had the squadron gathered around her.Kellan poked her head up over the assembled group to flash him a grin. "Nice of you to join us, Robo. Any requests about your wingman before I get started on the flight roster?" The challenge in her gaze didn't go unnoticed by the group.Josh shrugged. "I fly at your leisure. Whoever you assign as my wingman is all right with me." He did an invisible hat tip and started down the causeway.One of the perks of being squadron leader gave them the responsibility of shuffling the lineup. The CAG made a tentative schedule and left it up to the leader to post the final version. Josh usually tweaked one or two slots and only when he had to. And Kellen, oddly enough, got her shorts in a twist whenever he made those changes. The woman didn't like anything that mucked up her routine.Or maybe she only enjoyed giving him shit all the time.Kellan broke away from the pilots. "Hold up, Robertson." She hustled to his side. "You seriously don't care who I put you with?" Her tone held a teasing edge.Josh kept moving but glanced in her direction. She had a smirk on her face, which somehow looked sweet and sultry at the same time. Ugh. The pull of attraction whenever he landed in her orbit reared up again.I need to get a handle on that.And figure out what kind of answer she wanted. "Look, put me with Roundabout. He could probably use the good numbers." Les Wagner had the worst stats in the squadron.Kellan's lips thinned to a flat line and she paused. "You're zero fun, Josh." She pitched her voice low so only he could hear. "Nobody wants to fly with Roundabout. His numbers will go up but yours will suffer." She emphasized her point with raised eyebrows.Josh snorted. "And that's bad for you how?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Means you might get to squadron leader next week too." Fairly pleased, he ambled forward and left her sputtering for a response."You're an ass, Robertson."He grinned but didn't let her see it. "I'm told it's a gift, Gates. And it keeps on giving." He rounded the corner and barely kept from laughing. "Round one goes to me."Which meant he'd better have his shit together if he wanted to stay a step ahead of her.
I like how this one is going. Josh and Kellen's rivalry needs to be established but it's also important to get their attraction on the page. They're going to need it and each other for what comes later.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
April 14, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Wounded Birds
It's been a busy, busy week. I've got a new long-term project in a new to me genre and I’m excited to get started. Also finished up a couple of copy editing projects that were fun to work on.
About normal television viewing. I finished up the rewatch of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm serious when I say this show is kind of consuming me right now. Also caught the newest episode and it's everything I expected as to the reveal of the fourth alien but it also surpassed my expectations in so many ways. I don't know if there's going to be a triangle with Michael, Maria, and Alex but I actually like where things are right now. I'm not a huge fan of triangles but this has potential to be really interesting.
Caught another episode of Underbelly: Razor and really liked where things went. Wally leaving Kate came at just the right time and I'm interested to see how she fares without him. I'm also excited to see where Tillie and Nellie end up. Probably not in the best circumstances.
Watched two more episodes of Peter Gunn. This is such a great show for inspiration when I want to write something with a flair of noir. It's moody and stylish and the mix of grim and dark with humor is excellent.
Caught an episode of Strike Back and my heart goes out to Wyatt. At the same time, I'm totally down with Coltrane going rogue. It's such a section twenty thing to do. And the responses from the team? Perfect. I'm kind of hoping Katrina sees used-to-be Pavel as the evil force he is and switches allegiance again. We'll see what happens.
Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and loved how the group came together for Foster. Doctor Asshat definitely got the message. At least I hope he did.
Iron Fist had a great episode. I love watching Ward try to navigate through emotions. Joy, I'm not so sure about. I can't quite decide if I understand and sympathize where she's coming from or if I want to write her off the way I've written Trish off in Jessica Jones.
Caught an episode of Classic Roswell and Alex and Liz broke my heart all over again. I did love, love, love the way they took Topolski down though.
Watched an episode Murdoch Mysteries. The reporter lady drives me nuts but I loved how she handled getting William and Julie to recognize how much George contributed to their book. The murder case also entertained.
Caught the second episode of The Murders and I really like the partnership between Nolan and Kate. I want to know more about both characters.
I started Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and I'm excited to see how this show stacks up to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
That's pretty much it for TV this week. Tonight's post is from Wounded Birds, a novella that started with a writing community prompt to write about sickness. Sounds like a weird concept but it ended up being fun.
Here's the mini-blurb:
When weeping sickness hits a space carrier hard, pilots Minka Kovak and Channing Santclar are two of the first to go down, which creates a problem since the fleet relies on them to keep the planes in the air. But when the duo gets through the worst of the virus—without killing each other—they end up working from their isolation alcove to shuffle the schedule and fill the flight roster.
And a sneaky peek…
Two hours later, Channing rolled his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side. "Ugh. Okay, break time." He glanced at the stack of panels they had left. "We've got what? Maybe two years of information left to scan and send?" The tedious work had his muscles all kinked up.Minka jumped off her stool. "Finally!" She came around the counter and leapt on top of him.He caught her with both hands, but crashed back against the neighboring shelves, sending a bunch of sealed glass beakers crashing to the floor. Minka stilled in his arms, glancing over his shoulder. He followed her line of sight to the growing pool of rainbow colors mixing on the floor.Minka swung her gaze back to his. "Oops. Sorry about that." She wriggled out of his grasp. "Think we better clean that up?" Her eyes shifted back and forth, no doubt seeking something to mop up the spilled liquid.Channing shook his head. "Why bother? No one's coming back here once we get those panels uploaded." He reached for her, grabbing her hips and pulling her flush against him.Her lips curved in a sexy smirk. "Hmmm. I think someone wants to get down and dirty more than cleaning stuff up." She rubbed her groin into his. "And I'm totally here for that idea." Her hand worked the button of his fatigues loose while she toed off her boots.Lowering his head, he nibbled the column of her throat. "I'll admit I'd rather be buried balls deep in you than swiping a mop across the floor." Licking a trail along her jawline, he brought his mouth close to hers. "Any objections?" His lips hovered barely a breath away.Minka flicked her tongue out. "Hell, no. I've spent the last two hours waiting not so patiently for some fun." Her fingers lowered the zipper on his pants and she fished her hand inside to grasp his cock.Her warm fist made a poor substitute for what he wanted. He kicked his boots off.Easing away from her, he yanked his shirt over his head. "Fun sound good." He pushed her shirt up, his palms gliding over her skin to cup her breasts.Minka let go of his dick and shed her tee and bra. "It always does, especially with you." Her pants hit the floor and she shoved them aside with her foot.He dropped trou and stepped away from the fatigues pooled around his ankles. "Hard and fast or nice and slow?" His fingers wrapped around his hard shaft.Minka licked her lips. "How about both?" She turned away from him and stuck her ass out. "Gimme hard and fast first." She crooked her finger and wiggled her butt.His mouth watered and a moan rumbled up from his chest. Her sculpted cheeks would tempt anyone to gaze and stare. And appreciate.Minka snapped her fingers. "Channing. Don't make me wait." She braced a hand on the counter and used the other to delve between her legs. "I'm hot, wet, and ready."He moved forward and guided his dick between her slick folds, nudging the head inside her core. "Feels good, Minka." He flexed his hips, sinking deep, her warmth an enveloping perfection.He only waited a second before drawing back and sliding forward again. He gripped her hips in his hands and set a rapid staccato of retreat and return.Minka groaned. "Yeah, it does. It feels incredible."
I'm actually having a lot of fun with this. Minka and Channing are about to learn a lesson about using caution when they're off the ship.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
About normal television viewing. I finished up the rewatch of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm serious when I say this show is kind of consuming me right now. Also caught the newest episode and it's everything I expected as to the reveal of the fourth alien but it also surpassed my expectations in so many ways. I don't know if there's going to be a triangle with Michael, Maria, and Alex but I actually like where things are right now. I'm not a huge fan of triangles but this has potential to be really interesting.
Caught another episode of Underbelly: Razor and really liked where things went. Wally leaving Kate came at just the right time and I'm interested to see how she fares without him. I'm also excited to see where Tillie and Nellie end up. Probably not in the best circumstances.
Watched two more episodes of Peter Gunn. This is such a great show for inspiration when I want to write something with a flair of noir. It's moody and stylish and the mix of grim and dark with humor is excellent.
Caught an episode of Strike Back and my heart goes out to Wyatt. At the same time, I'm totally down with Coltrane going rogue. It's such a section twenty thing to do. And the responses from the team? Perfect. I'm kind of hoping Katrina sees used-to-be Pavel as the evil force he is and switches allegiance again. We'll see what happens.
Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and loved how the group came together for Foster. Doctor Asshat definitely got the message. At least I hope he did.
Iron Fist had a great episode. I love watching Ward try to navigate through emotions. Joy, I'm not so sure about. I can't quite decide if I understand and sympathize where she's coming from or if I want to write her off the way I've written Trish off in Jessica Jones.
Caught an episode of Classic Roswell and Alex and Liz broke my heart all over again. I did love, love, love the way they took Topolski down though.
Watched an episode Murdoch Mysteries. The reporter lady drives me nuts but I loved how she handled getting William and Julie to recognize how much George contributed to their book. The murder case also entertained.
Caught the second episode of The Murders and I really like the partnership between Nolan and Kate. I want to know more about both characters.
I started Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and I'm excited to see how this show stacks up to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
That's pretty much it for TV this week. Tonight's post is from Wounded Birds, a novella that started with a writing community prompt to write about sickness. Sounds like a weird concept but it ended up being fun.
Here's the mini-blurb:
When weeping sickness hits a space carrier hard, pilots Minka Kovak and Channing Santclar are two of the first to go down, which creates a problem since the fleet relies on them to keep the planes in the air. But when the duo gets through the worst of the virus—without killing each other—they end up working from their isolation alcove to shuffle the schedule and fill the flight roster.
And a sneaky peek…
Two hours later, Channing rolled his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side. "Ugh. Okay, break time." He glanced at the stack of panels they had left. "We've got what? Maybe two years of information left to scan and send?" The tedious work had his muscles all kinked up.Minka jumped off her stool. "Finally!" She came around the counter and leapt on top of him.He caught her with both hands, but crashed back against the neighboring shelves, sending a bunch of sealed glass beakers crashing to the floor. Minka stilled in his arms, glancing over his shoulder. He followed her line of sight to the growing pool of rainbow colors mixing on the floor.Minka swung her gaze back to his. "Oops. Sorry about that." She wriggled out of his grasp. "Think we better clean that up?" Her eyes shifted back and forth, no doubt seeking something to mop up the spilled liquid.Channing shook his head. "Why bother? No one's coming back here once we get those panels uploaded." He reached for her, grabbing her hips and pulling her flush against him.Her lips curved in a sexy smirk. "Hmmm. I think someone wants to get down and dirty more than cleaning stuff up." She rubbed her groin into his. "And I'm totally here for that idea." Her hand worked the button of his fatigues loose while she toed off her boots.Lowering his head, he nibbled the column of her throat. "I'll admit I'd rather be buried balls deep in you than swiping a mop across the floor." Licking a trail along her jawline, he brought his mouth close to hers. "Any objections?" His lips hovered barely a breath away.Minka flicked her tongue out. "Hell, no. I've spent the last two hours waiting not so patiently for some fun." Her fingers lowered the zipper on his pants and she fished her hand inside to grasp his cock.Her warm fist made a poor substitute for what he wanted. He kicked his boots off.Easing away from her, he yanked his shirt over his head. "Fun sound good." He pushed her shirt up, his palms gliding over her skin to cup her breasts.Minka let go of his dick and shed her tee and bra. "It always does, especially with you." Her pants hit the floor and she shoved them aside with her foot.He dropped trou and stepped away from the fatigues pooled around his ankles. "Hard and fast or nice and slow?" His fingers wrapped around his hard shaft.Minka licked her lips. "How about both?" She turned away from him and stuck her ass out. "Gimme hard and fast first." She crooked her finger and wiggled her butt.His mouth watered and a moan rumbled up from his chest. Her sculpted cheeks would tempt anyone to gaze and stare. And appreciate.Minka snapped her fingers. "Channing. Don't make me wait." She braced a hand on the counter and used the other to delve between her legs. "I'm hot, wet, and ready."He moved forward and guided his dick between her slick folds, nudging the head inside her core. "Feels good, Minka." He flexed his hips, sinking deep, her warmth an enveloping perfection.He only waited a second before drawing back and sliding forward again. He gripped her hips in his hands and set a rapid staccato of retreat and return.Minka groaned. "Yeah, it does. It feels incredible."
I'm actually having a lot of fun with this. Minka and Channing are about to learn a lesson about using caution when they're off the ship.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
April 7, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Words Not Necessary
So… not a bad week overall. A little slower, which I truly appreciate. I did have a sick kid, but she's on the mend now. A quick trip to pick her up from work had to happen but otherwise, she's feeling much better.
Had some decent television viewing. Mainly some repeat watches of current favorite shows and catching up on a few marathons. I did catch a few new episodes also.
Chicago Fire had a terrific episode. I have to say I'm not a fan of the boys fighting amongst themselves. New guy breaking the ice is going to be one of my favorite bits from the series.
Watched Iron Fist and things are moving along. Nice to see a little progress with Ward but I have a dreadful feeling his trust will bite him on the ass. Thrilled to finally see what the hell is up with Mary and, boy, the reveal didn't disappoint. Looking forward to the next episode.
Caught another episode of Classic Roswell. I'd forgotten about the Native American angle. Looking forward to the next episode.
Also watched an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I don't know if this is the last season, but they seem to be tying off a lot of loose ends. If it is… it's been a wonderful twelve years.
I started casually watching Blue Bloods. It's not really a show I want to add to my roster, but marathons are on every day and I've seen pretty much of the first five seasons. I'm now paying more attention and trying to catch up on season six and onward. I do love the family angle of this show.
Started a new Canadian show, The Murders, mainly because Dylan Bruce is one of the regulars. That said, I loved the first episode. I'm looking forward to more.
With no new episode of Roswell, New Mexico this week, I started another rewatch. This show… man, I can't get enough of it right now. I might have to start a recap series on my fandom blog. Stay tuned. I'll let everyone know if it happens.
That's pretty much my week in television. Tonight's post is from Words Not Necessary, a novella that started with a challenge of writing a scene with all dialog but no tags or conversely write something with no dialog with the goal of having the reader be able to tell which character said or did what. I took the prompt and gave it something of a spin.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Sometimes an outside observer can provide a lot of insight on a couple's relationship, even if they'll never understand it. London and Braun are so in tune with each other they rarely speak, yet their communication is evident for anyone to see.
And a sneaky peek…
London strolled into the quarters, fresh from a shower. "Do you remember the time we planned the Bell's outpost op?"Braun glanced up from reading an after action report. "I do. Went off without much of a hitch, didn't it?" Where did she pull that memory from?London nodded and took the file from him. "It did." She swung a leg over his lap and straddled his thighs. "Think that's the first time we did the communicating without words thing?" Her hands landed on his shoulders and she leaned against the table.He cocked his head to one side, considering the question. "Maybe. Actually, yeah, I think it was." Man… he'd never thought much about how often they kind of carried on entire conversations without speaking a word. "What brought this subject up?"She smiled. "Your little pep talk on the hangar deck. Delia, Specialist Carruthers, wanted to know how we do what we do and I honestly couldn't give her an answer." Her lips twisted again. "Except that we just do." Her fingers dug into his shoulders, kneading a knot he didn't know he had.Braun quirked an eyebrow. "And her question got you thinking about what? The first time we were on the same wave length?" They were almost always on the same page, weirdly attuned to each other's thoughts.He rarely gave it much consideration. Maybe he should.London nodded. "Mm-hm. I mean, I think we probably finished each other's sentences for a long time before that mission prep, but that's the first time I remember really being a zone with you to the point we kind of planned the whole thing without saying a word." She eased forward, nuzzling her lips along his throat.His eyes slid shut and his mind went back to that planning session. They'd been in a meeting with five other people—three pilots, the tactical weapons officer, and the XO. After almost thirty minutes of strategizing and getting nowhere, London swept all the mock ships off the board and started from scratch.Braun followed her placement while the rest of the group argued back and forth over what they wouldn't be doing. He picked up a model representing an enemy alert fighter and placed it on the lit-up table. London shook her head and pointed two grids over. Yep. That would be where they'd come from. They continued planning the entire op by pointing, swiping, moving pieces around, followed by shaking their heads, nodding, making stabbing and sweeping motions. They agreed, disagreed, argued, and compromised—all without speaking. Or noticing the room had gone silent also. When everything met on the grid to their satisfaction, they high-fived each other.The XO stood with his arms folded across his chest and made a snarky comment. "Looks pretty and all, but do you maybe wanna share the details with the rest of the group so someone can brief the necessary personnel?"Which they had, obviously. And they'd done the weird no-words conversations since then.London brushed her lips over his and mumbled against his mouth. "Does this whole kinship thing make us strange or special?"Braun reached around and cupped her ass cheeks in his hands. "Let's go with a special kind of strange." He drew her forward, nudging his hard-on against the heat at the apex of her thighs.London chuckled, a low throaty sound. "Yeah, I like that. A special kind of strange." Her chin lowered and her lips slanted over his.
I'm having fun with the challenge of showing how communicating without words works for this couple.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Had some decent television viewing. Mainly some repeat watches of current favorite shows and catching up on a few marathons. I did catch a few new episodes also.
Chicago Fire had a terrific episode. I have to say I'm not a fan of the boys fighting amongst themselves. New guy breaking the ice is going to be one of my favorite bits from the series.
Watched Iron Fist and things are moving along. Nice to see a little progress with Ward but I have a dreadful feeling his trust will bite him on the ass. Thrilled to finally see what the hell is up with Mary and, boy, the reveal didn't disappoint. Looking forward to the next episode.
Caught another episode of Classic Roswell. I'd forgotten about the Native American angle. Looking forward to the next episode.
Also watched an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I don't know if this is the last season, but they seem to be tying off a lot of loose ends. If it is… it's been a wonderful twelve years.
I started casually watching Blue Bloods. It's not really a show I want to add to my roster, but marathons are on every day and I've seen pretty much of the first five seasons. I'm now paying more attention and trying to catch up on season six and onward. I do love the family angle of this show.
Started a new Canadian show, The Murders, mainly because Dylan Bruce is one of the regulars. That said, I loved the first episode. I'm looking forward to more.
With no new episode of Roswell, New Mexico this week, I started another rewatch. This show… man, I can't get enough of it right now. I might have to start a recap series on my fandom blog. Stay tuned. I'll let everyone know if it happens.
That's pretty much my week in television. Tonight's post is from Words Not Necessary, a novella that started with a challenge of writing a scene with all dialog but no tags or conversely write something with no dialog with the goal of having the reader be able to tell which character said or did what. I took the prompt and gave it something of a spin.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Sometimes an outside observer can provide a lot of insight on a couple's relationship, even if they'll never understand it. London and Braun are so in tune with each other they rarely speak, yet their communication is evident for anyone to see.
And a sneaky peek…
London strolled into the quarters, fresh from a shower. "Do you remember the time we planned the Bell's outpost op?"Braun glanced up from reading an after action report. "I do. Went off without much of a hitch, didn't it?" Where did she pull that memory from?London nodded and took the file from him. "It did." She swung a leg over his lap and straddled his thighs. "Think that's the first time we did the communicating without words thing?" Her hands landed on his shoulders and she leaned against the table.He cocked his head to one side, considering the question. "Maybe. Actually, yeah, I think it was." Man… he'd never thought much about how often they kind of carried on entire conversations without speaking a word. "What brought this subject up?"She smiled. "Your little pep talk on the hangar deck. Delia, Specialist Carruthers, wanted to know how we do what we do and I honestly couldn't give her an answer." Her lips twisted again. "Except that we just do." Her fingers dug into his shoulders, kneading a knot he didn't know he had.Braun quirked an eyebrow. "And her question got you thinking about what? The first time we were on the same wave length?" They were almost always on the same page, weirdly attuned to each other's thoughts.He rarely gave it much consideration. Maybe he should.London nodded. "Mm-hm. I mean, I think we probably finished each other's sentences for a long time before that mission prep, but that's the first time I remember really being a zone with you to the point we kind of planned the whole thing without saying a word." She eased forward, nuzzling her lips along his throat.His eyes slid shut and his mind went back to that planning session. They'd been in a meeting with five other people—three pilots, the tactical weapons officer, and the XO. After almost thirty minutes of strategizing and getting nowhere, London swept all the mock ships off the board and started from scratch.Braun followed her placement while the rest of the group argued back and forth over what they wouldn't be doing. He picked up a model representing an enemy alert fighter and placed it on the lit-up table. London shook her head and pointed two grids over. Yep. That would be where they'd come from. They continued planning the entire op by pointing, swiping, moving pieces around, followed by shaking their heads, nodding, making stabbing and sweeping motions. They agreed, disagreed, argued, and compromised—all without speaking. Or noticing the room had gone silent also. When everything met on the grid to their satisfaction, they high-fived each other.The XO stood with his arms folded across his chest and made a snarky comment. "Looks pretty and all, but do you maybe wanna share the details with the rest of the group so someone can brief the necessary personnel?"Which they had, obviously. And they'd done the weird no-words conversations since then.London brushed her lips over his and mumbled against his mouth. "Does this whole kinship thing make us strange or special?"Braun reached around and cupped her ass cheeks in his hands. "Let's go with a special kind of strange." He drew her forward, nudging his hard-on against the heat at the apex of her thighs.London chuckled, a low throaty sound. "Yeah, I like that. A special kind of strange." Her chin lowered and her lips slanted over his.
I'm having fun with the challenge of showing how communicating without words works for this couple.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
March 31, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Wires Crossed
Man… another week full of crazy sauce. In all honesty, I could do with a bit of slowing down and a tiny amount of smooth sailing. That said… I won't hold my breath. And it's not like anything majorly negative is going on. It's only being busier than I normally am.
Not a bad week in television. My current obsession with Roswell, New Mexico continues and I rewatched the first nine episodes. This week's episode didn't disappoint and my conspiracy theory side is having a heyday about the fourth alien. I'm such a big fan of how… messy… the relationships are. Awkward interactions abound and I'm totally here for watching all that unfold. So far, I'm also a big fan of how those touchy moments are being portrayed. I love how the core characters are letting the subtext shine and mixing it with lots of snark and offbeat comments. This show… if you're not watching it, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.
Caught another episode of Murdoch Mysteries and loved how the show title got worked into the book William and Julia are writing. It makes me wonder if the twelfth season might be the last. If so, I'll fondly say goodbye and look forward to rewatching from the start.
Watched the Arrow "Unmasked" episode and thoroughly enjoyed. I should be to the point where I can catch up on the crossover event with The Flash and Supergirl. I'm behind on The Flash but, sadly, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
Caught a great episode of Painkiller Jane. I remembered this one and enjoyed the second viewing. I actually wouldn't mind a reboot or reimagining of this concept at some point.
Started from the beginning of Peter Gunn and watched the first two episodes. I finally found another streaming source that has all of the first season episodes. This is such a great show to watch when the mood to write noir strikes me.
Watched another episode of Underbelly: Razor. Things move fast in this series and I kind of enjoyed watching Kate get served even when she did the right thing. Communication would go a long way in her world. Tillie and Nellie are probably next and I'll look forward to seeing how the cracks and chips start showing in their armor too.
Caught one of my favorite episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I truly loved how Jessie's gambit finally got revealed and the sole purpose she brought Riley back to the past came into play. And I also liked how Derek is finally edging toward knowing they're working at cross purposes. Good stuff.
Watched the final episode of Birds of Prey and I'm glad I took the time to rewatch this single season show. The last scene is more than worth watching the entire series for.
Started the sixth episode of Strike Back's sixth season. Gotta say the Mac and Wyatt interactions are terrific in this episode. Also love Coltrane's bits so far. I really want to see him rip into the DEA agent for blowing their cover. He's too smart not to know she had a big ass hand in doing that.
And that's it for this television this week. Tonight's post is from Wires Crossed, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of writing a scene where a training exercise goes wrong.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Vanessa Twill and Justin Hardwick don't always see eye to eye and the tension between them is thick and taut. When a training exercise goes bad, the duo is grounded until they get their act together. Forced to communicate, they work out some issues and realize they didn't have their wires crossed… a saboteur did. Literally.
And a sneaky peek…
Justin grabbed hold of Vanessa's shoulder. "Hold up, Twill. Care to explain why you were all over Red Hen's ass?" He tucked his helmet under his arm and braced his legs.She sighed and jerked her head toward the briefing room. He didn't necessarily want to be alone with her. Not right now. Red-hot irritation chafed at him but he followed her inside the darkened room.She turned and folded her arms across her chest. "Because I had the XO in my face as soon as I landed. His words were, and I quote, 'that was a little too close for comfort' and 'let's make sure it doesn't happen again.'" Her hard look underscored her next words. "Didn't have the heart, or frankly, the balls, to tell him Red Hen isn't mine, but he tagged me in front of everyone. Didn't have much choice but to tear Hernandez a new one." Her brow quirked upward, daring him to push back.He couldn't. At least not on that point. But he did have an issue with a few things she'd berated the junior pilot over.Setting his helmet in one of the chairs, he matched her cross-armed stance. "Did you have to tell him how much ejections cost?" Seriously? Not the thing pilots want to hear when they've just lost a plane.She made a garbled choking sound. "Why the hell shouldn't I? You do realize it's part of our training budget, right?" Flinging an arm out, she started pacing back and forth. "I mean, you're a numbers guy, aren't you? Always pulling random statistics out of your ass to make a point." Her eyes rolled and she paused.His face heated, but he gave a nod. "Statistics don't lie." They were the foundation the military built almost everything on.Vanessa snorted. "Maybe not, but they can be manipulated. Which is why developing good instincts makes better pilots." A phrase she repeated almost ad nauseam.Justin waved his hand. "Instinct only carries them so far. Practice, repeating the same exercises over and over, builds muscle memory and hones fine motor skill." And, yes, he had a stack of reports that backed his statement up.Which Vanessa would know.She sighed. "Look, you're awfully comfortable taking chances with multibillion-dollar space crafts, but I'm not as blasé about the bottom line." Dropping into one of the seats, she slumped down and kicked her feet out. "Or about training our pilots in the fine art of flying them correctly so they don't have to eject."Okay, ouch. Vanessa didn't usually bring out the bitch card so early in a discussion. Then again, she rarely ended up on the XO's shit list either.But… Justin had a semi-ready comeback. "The planes don't actually cost billions to make. The government factors in the lifetime of use, the pay grades of the flight crew and pilots, the officers in the comms, hell, everything it takes to fly in the price they list for public review." The planes cost maybe two million to source and produce, tops. "As for the fine art of training, we've surpassed our counterparts on five other ships. I think we're doing something right." Even if they argued incessantly about their methods.Vanessa's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Okay, there is that." She got up and met his gaze. "Look, it got hairy out there today and I'm still processing everything. I stand by what I said to Red Hen but if you want to smooth things over, I don't have any objections."As far as concessions went, he'd take the peace offering.Shaking his head, he grabbed his helmet again. "Nah. You gave him a lot to think about. We'll start fresh tomorrow and see how he handles being back out there." He thrust his free hand forward. "Thanks for explaining."She grasped his palm. "Sure. Let's hope today's fiasco is used by everyone when we get back out there."He could've done without the reminder but she made a fair point. And he'd wisely keep his mouth shut for now.With a quick lift of his chin, he stepped out of the briefing room. "They're doing some kind of buffet for dinner tonight. Wanna join me?" Maybe if they spent some downtime together, they'd make some headway and argue less often.She tilted her head to one side. "I'd like that. But I have a sim session scheduled with Catnap. Can we meet afterward?"He agreed and actually looked forward to seeing how they got along outside of their usual roles.
I'm enjoying how Vanessa and Justin are interacting and how both make good, solid arguments for their point of view.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Not a bad week in television. My current obsession with Roswell, New Mexico continues and I rewatched the first nine episodes. This week's episode didn't disappoint and my conspiracy theory side is having a heyday about the fourth alien. I'm such a big fan of how… messy… the relationships are. Awkward interactions abound and I'm totally here for watching all that unfold. So far, I'm also a big fan of how those touchy moments are being portrayed. I love how the core characters are letting the subtext shine and mixing it with lots of snark and offbeat comments. This show… if you're not watching it, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.
Caught another episode of Murdoch Mysteries and loved how the show title got worked into the book William and Julia are writing. It makes me wonder if the twelfth season might be the last. If so, I'll fondly say goodbye and look forward to rewatching from the start.
Watched the Arrow "Unmasked" episode and thoroughly enjoyed. I should be to the point where I can catch up on the crossover event with The Flash and Supergirl. I'm behind on The Flash but, sadly, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
Caught a great episode of Painkiller Jane. I remembered this one and enjoyed the second viewing. I actually wouldn't mind a reboot or reimagining of this concept at some point.
Started from the beginning of Peter Gunn and watched the first two episodes. I finally found another streaming source that has all of the first season episodes. This is such a great show to watch when the mood to write noir strikes me.
Watched another episode of Underbelly: Razor. Things move fast in this series and I kind of enjoyed watching Kate get served even when she did the right thing. Communication would go a long way in her world. Tillie and Nellie are probably next and I'll look forward to seeing how the cracks and chips start showing in their armor too.
Caught one of my favorite episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I truly loved how Jessie's gambit finally got revealed and the sole purpose she brought Riley back to the past came into play. And I also liked how Derek is finally edging toward knowing they're working at cross purposes. Good stuff.
Watched the final episode of Birds of Prey and I'm glad I took the time to rewatch this single season show. The last scene is more than worth watching the entire series for.
Started the sixth episode of Strike Back's sixth season. Gotta say the Mac and Wyatt interactions are terrific in this episode. Also love Coltrane's bits so far. I really want to see him rip into the DEA agent for blowing their cover. He's too smart not to know she had a big ass hand in doing that.
And that's it for this television this week. Tonight's post is from Wires Crossed, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of writing a scene where a training exercise goes wrong.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Vanessa Twill and Justin Hardwick don't always see eye to eye and the tension between them is thick and taut. When a training exercise goes bad, the duo is grounded until they get their act together. Forced to communicate, they work out some issues and realize they didn't have their wires crossed… a saboteur did. Literally.
And a sneaky peek…
Justin grabbed hold of Vanessa's shoulder. "Hold up, Twill. Care to explain why you were all over Red Hen's ass?" He tucked his helmet under his arm and braced his legs.She sighed and jerked her head toward the briefing room. He didn't necessarily want to be alone with her. Not right now. Red-hot irritation chafed at him but he followed her inside the darkened room.She turned and folded her arms across her chest. "Because I had the XO in my face as soon as I landed. His words were, and I quote, 'that was a little too close for comfort' and 'let's make sure it doesn't happen again.'" Her hard look underscored her next words. "Didn't have the heart, or frankly, the balls, to tell him Red Hen isn't mine, but he tagged me in front of everyone. Didn't have much choice but to tear Hernandez a new one." Her brow quirked upward, daring him to push back.He couldn't. At least not on that point. But he did have an issue with a few things she'd berated the junior pilot over.Setting his helmet in one of the chairs, he matched her cross-armed stance. "Did you have to tell him how much ejections cost?" Seriously? Not the thing pilots want to hear when they've just lost a plane.She made a garbled choking sound. "Why the hell shouldn't I? You do realize it's part of our training budget, right?" Flinging an arm out, she started pacing back and forth. "I mean, you're a numbers guy, aren't you? Always pulling random statistics out of your ass to make a point." Her eyes rolled and she paused.His face heated, but he gave a nod. "Statistics don't lie." They were the foundation the military built almost everything on.Vanessa snorted. "Maybe not, but they can be manipulated. Which is why developing good instincts makes better pilots." A phrase she repeated almost ad nauseam.Justin waved his hand. "Instinct only carries them so far. Practice, repeating the same exercises over and over, builds muscle memory and hones fine motor skill." And, yes, he had a stack of reports that backed his statement up.Which Vanessa would know.She sighed. "Look, you're awfully comfortable taking chances with multibillion-dollar space crafts, but I'm not as blasé about the bottom line." Dropping into one of the seats, she slumped down and kicked her feet out. "Or about training our pilots in the fine art of flying them correctly so they don't have to eject."Okay, ouch. Vanessa didn't usually bring out the bitch card so early in a discussion. Then again, she rarely ended up on the XO's shit list either.But… Justin had a semi-ready comeback. "The planes don't actually cost billions to make. The government factors in the lifetime of use, the pay grades of the flight crew and pilots, the officers in the comms, hell, everything it takes to fly in the price they list for public review." The planes cost maybe two million to source and produce, tops. "As for the fine art of training, we've surpassed our counterparts on five other ships. I think we're doing something right." Even if they argued incessantly about their methods.Vanessa's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Okay, there is that." She got up and met his gaze. "Look, it got hairy out there today and I'm still processing everything. I stand by what I said to Red Hen but if you want to smooth things over, I don't have any objections."As far as concessions went, he'd take the peace offering.Shaking his head, he grabbed his helmet again. "Nah. You gave him a lot to think about. We'll start fresh tomorrow and see how he handles being back out there." He thrust his free hand forward. "Thanks for explaining."She grasped his palm. "Sure. Let's hope today's fiasco is used by everyone when we get back out there."He could've done without the reminder but she made a fair point. And he'd wisely keep his mouth shut for now.With a quick lift of his chin, he stepped out of the briefing room. "They're doing some kind of buffet for dinner tonight. Wanna join me?" Maybe if they spent some downtime together, they'd make some headway and argue less often.She tilted her head to one side. "I'd like that. But I have a sim session scheduled with Catnap. Can we meet afterward?"He agreed and actually looked forward to seeing how they got along outside of their usual roles.
I'm enjoying how Vanessa and Justin are interacting and how both make good, solid arguments for their point of view.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
March 24, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Wings Get Clipped
Whew. Very long week where focus became a huge hurdle. Without getting into a whole too much information thing, hormones are a total pain in the ass and not a lot of fun to deal with. Bleh.
Decent viewing week in television. Caught another episode of Endeavour and it ended up being pretty terrific. Two more episodes of season five then a wait for season six.
Next up… Roswell, New Mexico. This show has been eating my brain in a really good way. I caught up on all the back episodes and started a rewatch already. Seriously, I haven't had a show do this to me since Battlestar Galactica and Arrow. I'm going to be so disappointed if Roswell, NM doesn't get a second season.
Started an episode of Midsomer Murders and it's rather interesting to see Jones sporting a beard. The character looks so different, especially when glasses are added to the mix.
Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles and it's one I'd forgotten about. Only six or so more episodes before the end of the line. Also caught the next to last episode of Birds of Prey. I'll finish up that series and head back to Blade on CW Seed.
Watched the fifth episode of Strike Back and loved the twist and reveal of who Kingfisher actually is. Gotta say I didn't see it coming and loved not knowing. Things will get very tricky now, or more tricky because this show doesn't do anything else. With luck, the DEA agent will meet with a satisfying end. Just saying.
Caught an episode of Chicago Fire and have to comment how nice it is to not have the squirrely deputy commissioner in my face anymore. I'll keep saying that in the hopes he'll never grace the screen again. I'm still kind of "bleh" about Stella and Kelly's breakup. A little too contrived and disappointing.
Watched a Classic Roswell episode. I'd forgotten how much of an ass Kyle is in the first season. Geez.
Also caught a couple Classic Who episodes. Getting ready to watch the Time Meddler episodes, which should be fun.
And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wings Get Clipped, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.
Here's the mini-blurb:
In the middle of a war, a long-standing personal vendetta comes to light against Schuler Grace and Gren Gambolina's commanding officer and it puts the two soldiers directly in the line of fire. Fighting the enemy within, while doing battle with their adversaries on the warfront, Schuler and Gren form an unbreakable bond to see them through their biggest challenge.
And a sneaky peek…
Admiral Marcus Shellan sat before the joint council, ready to deliver his final demand. "You're going to put me in charge of the Andromeda theater." He'd already received concessions for several topics and he'd saved the most important for last.The chairman leaned forward. "Shellan, we won't allow you to pursue a personal vendetta in the middle of a war. If that's your plan, you can stay in the Triangulum theater."Shellan nodded slowly. "I assure you I'm not gunning for Wharton. I know the Andromeda theater and you need my knowledge." He paused, waiting several long beats. "If you want to win."The members of council glanced back and forth between each other, two going so far as to bob their heads up and down. Shellan settled back in his seat. He'd won this round. The chairman wouldn't be able to refuse Shellan's demand to move his command to the outpost in Andromeda.And Shellan would get his chance to take Wharton down, once and for all.The chairman folded his hands on the table. "Admiral Shellan. You're hereby assigned as the supreme commander of the Andromeda theater. But… I caution you, on the record, about using this post to enact a personal vendetta against Commander Wharton. You'll be removed from command and stripped of all commendations if we get any kind of indication you're abusing your rank, are you perfectly clear on that topic?" Wizened eyes pinned Shellan with their gaze.The admiral gave a curt nod. "I am." He didn't stand on ceremony and rose from his seat. "I'll leave immediately." He strode toward the exit and twisted the knob. "I'll get results. You can count on it." Yanking the door open, he walked out of the room, back straight and head high.His aide fell into step beside him. "Sir? Everything went according to your plan?"Shellan let a wide, slow smile grace his face. "Of course, Schwartz." He made a turn and strode down into the landing bay where his flagship waited to depart.Schwartz leaned in closer to the admiral. "And Wharton? Did they question you about him?"Shellan sent his aide a sideways glance. "Of course they did. They sputtered and spewed their usual ass-covering platitudes then gave me exactly what I wanted."Schwartz followed Shellan onto the ship. "And that would be?"Shellan turned and faced his aide. "The chance to kill two enemies in one go, Schwartz, what else?"
Shellan is definitely going to get his ass handed to him in a big way. He thinks he knows what he's doing, but he'll be outplayed… and probably not by anyone he expects.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Decent viewing week in television. Caught another episode of Endeavour and it ended up being pretty terrific. Two more episodes of season five then a wait for season six.
Next up… Roswell, New Mexico. This show has been eating my brain in a really good way. I caught up on all the back episodes and started a rewatch already. Seriously, I haven't had a show do this to me since Battlestar Galactica and Arrow. I'm going to be so disappointed if Roswell, NM doesn't get a second season.
Started an episode of Midsomer Murders and it's rather interesting to see Jones sporting a beard. The character looks so different, especially when glasses are added to the mix.
Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles and it's one I'd forgotten about. Only six or so more episodes before the end of the line. Also caught the next to last episode of Birds of Prey. I'll finish up that series and head back to Blade on CW Seed.
Watched the fifth episode of Strike Back and loved the twist and reveal of who Kingfisher actually is. Gotta say I didn't see it coming and loved not knowing. Things will get very tricky now, or more tricky because this show doesn't do anything else. With luck, the DEA agent will meet with a satisfying end. Just saying.
Caught an episode of Chicago Fire and have to comment how nice it is to not have the squirrely deputy commissioner in my face anymore. I'll keep saying that in the hopes he'll never grace the screen again. I'm still kind of "bleh" about Stella and Kelly's breakup. A little too contrived and disappointing.
Watched a Classic Roswell episode. I'd forgotten how much of an ass Kyle is in the first season. Geez.
Also caught a couple Classic Who episodes. Getting ready to watch the Time Meddler episodes, which should be fun.
And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wings Get Clipped, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.
Here's the mini-blurb:
In the middle of a war, a long-standing personal vendetta comes to light against Schuler Grace and Gren Gambolina's commanding officer and it puts the two soldiers directly in the line of fire. Fighting the enemy within, while doing battle with their adversaries on the warfront, Schuler and Gren form an unbreakable bond to see them through their biggest challenge.
And a sneaky peek…
Admiral Marcus Shellan sat before the joint council, ready to deliver his final demand. "You're going to put me in charge of the Andromeda theater." He'd already received concessions for several topics and he'd saved the most important for last.The chairman leaned forward. "Shellan, we won't allow you to pursue a personal vendetta in the middle of a war. If that's your plan, you can stay in the Triangulum theater."Shellan nodded slowly. "I assure you I'm not gunning for Wharton. I know the Andromeda theater and you need my knowledge." He paused, waiting several long beats. "If you want to win."The members of council glanced back and forth between each other, two going so far as to bob their heads up and down. Shellan settled back in his seat. He'd won this round. The chairman wouldn't be able to refuse Shellan's demand to move his command to the outpost in Andromeda.And Shellan would get his chance to take Wharton down, once and for all.The chairman folded his hands on the table. "Admiral Shellan. You're hereby assigned as the supreme commander of the Andromeda theater. But… I caution you, on the record, about using this post to enact a personal vendetta against Commander Wharton. You'll be removed from command and stripped of all commendations if we get any kind of indication you're abusing your rank, are you perfectly clear on that topic?" Wizened eyes pinned Shellan with their gaze.The admiral gave a curt nod. "I am." He didn't stand on ceremony and rose from his seat. "I'll leave immediately." He strode toward the exit and twisted the knob. "I'll get results. You can count on it." Yanking the door open, he walked out of the room, back straight and head high.His aide fell into step beside him. "Sir? Everything went according to your plan?"Shellan let a wide, slow smile grace his face. "Of course, Schwartz." He made a turn and strode down into the landing bay where his flagship waited to depart.Schwartz leaned in closer to the admiral. "And Wharton? Did they question you about him?"Shellan sent his aide a sideways glance. "Of course they did. They sputtered and spewed their usual ass-covering platitudes then gave me exactly what I wanted."Schwartz followed Shellan onto the ship. "And that would be?"Shellan turned and faced his aide. "The chance to kill two enemies in one go, Schwartz, what else?"
Shellan is definitely going to get his ass handed to him in a big way. He thinks he knows what he's doing, but he'll be outplayed… and probably not by anyone he expects.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
March 17, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Why We Fight
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate. I'm not big on drinking green beer, but I do have Irish—apparently from County Cork and County Down—on both sides of my family so I love to visit some of the traditions around this time.
Once again, we've had crazy back and forth weather. A lovely high in the upper seventies on Thursday with a thirty-degree drop to the mid-forties on Friday. Lots of wind and rain Thursday night. Everyone who just got over the nasty upper respiratory ick that went around is probably going to end up with it again. Bleh.
Had a decent week for television. Caught another episode of Chicago Fire. Gotta say I'm a little "meh" about the whole Stella and Severied breakup. Honestly, and I don't say this lightly, her accusation of Kelly being jealous kind of put me off. First… because she's the one who went a little crazy when Kelly's former flame came back to town, and second, because Kelly never really tried to keep her from hanging out with creepy friend dude. The distant thing, I definitely feel. But if she knows Kelly… and she does… his go-to coping mechanism is to be kind of aloof and alone, not to mention he's been giving her some space because of creepy friend dude. So, yeah, the whole breakup thing? Not thrilled with it. Too forced, in my opinion. Casey's situation, though, really played out well. I enjoyed the whole storyline of the reporter getting her story with his help.
Caught an episode of Iron Fist. Actually loved Ward and Joy's interactions with everyone. Ward is such a dickhole but I love how it's played. Kudos to the actor because he's perfect for the part. Danny and Colleen make me happy even when they're not really communicating well. The whole Mary or whatever her name is better start making sense soon. I'm a little lost with that arc.
Watched another Passionflix movie, The Protector, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm truly thrilled to be a founding member of this group. If you haven't checked out a subscription, please do. And if you're not big on streaming subscriptions, maybe think about getting a DVD. Their original movies and programs are excellent.
Also caught another episode of Classic Roswell. The one where Liz's journal goes missing and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed that episode. Michael started growing on me after this one.
Watched an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and I'm getting into the story of William and Julia's endeavor to write a book. The case this week also intrigued me. I love having some backstory with William.
Caught another episode of Arrow and it's one I've been waiting to see. "Slabside Redemption" didn't disappoint. I've been excited to see how the prison storyline would end and I'm quite happy with how it played out. My one and only "meh" moment? Stanley's escape. That means we'll be seeing him again, right?
Watched another episode of Roswell, New Mexico. This show is starting to eat my brain in the best way. It's messy and I love it. There's nothing uncomplicated about any of the relationships. I'd love to see a better and stronger Maria and Liz vibe because I loved that friendship in the original. The Rosa storyline is starting to grow on me and I'm hoping the whole illegal alien thing smooths out soon. On one hand, I like the topical aspect to making Liz's dad illegal. On the other, I struggle a little because it's so very different from the classic version. We'll see if that one starts growing on me.
Caught another Painkiller Jane episode I either missed or forgot about the first time around. "Breakdown" ended up being a terrific episode. I loved how it ended.
Started another episode of Underbelly: Razor. This show goes to some interesting places and I'm kind of interested in where this episode will end and who will be left standing. Hopefully will have time to finish it soon.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Why We Fight, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of make one main character a solider and the other a reporter.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Emmett Barley, an embedded investigative reporter, pushes Pier Luphen, the squadron leader, for honest answers about the war they're fighting. She tries to take the status quo, but Emmett won't have it. He's heard the military party line his entire life and he wants the truth or nothing. He also wants Pier, but she's not willing to compromise her mission regardless of how she feels about Emmett.
And a sneaky peek…
"Hello? Lieutenant Lupher?" Janey Midway, the ensign assigned to Pier's supply detail snapped her fingers in front of Pier's face.Pier blinked her attention back to Janey and got on with checking in the supplies. "Yeah, sorry. Here's the next sheet." So not the time to be distracted.And the reason proved even worse. The idea of dinner with the hot Emmett Barley definitely shouldn't be having this effect on Pier. So what if he'd probably end up being better company than she'd had in ages?A reporter is a reporter, Pier. Don't get tangled up any more than you have to.Pier finished up the count and started marking the boxes. "These are the ones designated for transport to the outpost." She gave up trying to shove thoughts of Emmett Barley out of her head. "Why does that name seem so familiar?" And it had nothing to do with Ambry. The guy had friends in all branches of the military.Janey quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me, Lieutenant?" Her gaze questioned Pier's sanity at the moment.Rightfully so.Pier shook her head. "Nothing, Ensign. Trying to place where I've heard Barley before." Better than admitting how much space Emmett occupied in her brain right now.The ensign's eye widened. "Maybe from a textbook, Sir. Major General Ethan Barley, decorated hero of the first Tehune War kind of rewrote the book for the army."Pier closed her eyes. "Son of a bitch. That would be why." Could she be any stupider?How could she not have made that connection? Okay, the war had been two decades ago. But still…Janey propped her elbow on top of a crate. "Yeah, the name is pretty famous, obviously. And the general has three sons. Two are up and coming officers in the army; the other is your new headache." She chuckled and went back to moving the inventory.Pier lifted an eyebrow. "Exactly how do you know this?" Janey didn't strike Pier as a military fangirl.The ensign flushed, her cheeks going pink. "Army brat here, Sir. My dad's unit was attached to the general's attack force at the tail end of the war. I grew up listening about his exploits." She lifted a shoulder. "Since then, well, I've sort of followed the news about his career." Glancing away, she mumbled. "If you'll pardon me for oversharing the information."Janey could overshare as much as she wanted, but Pier didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Maybe a change in subject would help.Pier tilted her head to one side. "How did you end up on a sea carrier if your dad fought infantry?"Janey laughed. "Dad loved the water but suffers from vicious seasickness." She smiled, wide and true. "I don't have that particular problem."Pier chuckled. "It's a good thing you don't. But it makes you a great addition to the joint task force. Who knew we'd be spending as much time inland as we have?" Moving on to the next row of crates, she started the new checklist.Between the two of them, the supervising took most of the day. By the time they had the transfer complete and ready for transport, Pier had a long list of questions running through her head and all of them swirled around Emmett Barley.Did he get along with his siblings? How did having a war hero dad help or hurt while growing up? But the biggest one of all? Why had he chosen journalism over soldiering?Hopefully, she'd get to ask a few when she took him to the mess hall. And, damn, if she didn't look forward to dinner. Not that she'd ever admit that fact to him.
Pier's curiosity will definitely get the better of her but she won't have to admit she's looking forward to the dinner. Emmett's a smart guy. He'll figure it out.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Once again, we've had crazy back and forth weather. A lovely high in the upper seventies on Thursday with a thirty-degree drop to the mid-forties on Friday. Lots of wind and rain Thursday night. Everyone who just got over the nasty upper respiratory ick that went around is probably going to end up with it again. Bleh.
Had a decent week for television. Caught another episode of Chicago Fire. Gotta say I'm a little "meh" about the whole Stella and Severied breakup. Honestly, and I don't say this lightly, her accusation of Kelly being jealous kind of put me off. First… because she's the one who went a little crazy when Kelly's former flame came back to town, and second, because Kelly never really tried to keep her from hanging out with creepy friend dude. The distant thing, I definitely feel. But if she knows Kelly… and she does… his go-to coping mechanism is to be kind of aloof and alone, not to mention he's been giving her some space because of creepy friend dude. So, yeah, the whole breakup thing? Not thrilled with it. Too forced, in my opinion. Casey's situation, though, really played out well. I enjoyed the whole storyline of the reporter getting her story with his help.
Caught an episode of Iron Fist. Actually loved Ward and Joy's interactions with everyone. Ward is such a dickhole but I love how it's played. Kudos to the actor because he's perfect for the part. Danny and Colleen make me happy even when they're not really communicating well. The whole Mary or whatever her name is better start making sense soon. I'm a little lost with that arc.
Watched another Passionflix movie, The Protector, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm truly thrilled to be a founding member of this group. If you haven't checked out a subscription, please do. And if you're not big on streaming subscriptions, maybe think about getting a DVD. Their original movies and programs are excellent.
Also caught another episode of Classic Roswell. The one where Liz's journal goes missing and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed that episode. Michael started growing on me after this one.
Watched an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and I'm getting into the story of William and Julia's endeavor to write a book. The case this week also intrigued me. I love having some backstory with William.
Caught another episode of Arrow and it's one I've been waiting to see. "Slabside Redemption" didn't disappoint. I've been excited to see how the prison storyline would end and I'm quite happy with how it played out. My one and only "meh" moment? Stanley's escape. That means we'll be seeing him again, right?
Watched another episode of Roswell, New Mexico. This show is starting to eat my brain in the best way. It's messy and I love it. There's nothing uncomplicated about any of the relationships. I'd love to see a better and stronger Maria and Liz vibe because I loved that friendship in the original. The Rosa storyline is starting to grow on me and I'm hoping the whole illegal alien thing smooths out soon. On one hand, I like the topical aspect to making Liz's dad illegal. On the other, I struggle a little because it's so very different from the classic version. We'll see if that one starts growing on me.
Caught another Painkiller Jane episode I either missed or forgot about the first time around. "Breakdown" ended up being a terrific episode. I loved how it ended.
Started another episode of Underbelly: Razor. This show goes to some interesting places and I'm kind of interested in where this episode will end and who will be left standing. Hopefully will have time to finish it soon.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Why We Fight, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of make one main character a solider and the other a reporter.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Emmett Barley, an embedded investigative reporter, pushes Pier Luphen, the squadron leader, for honest answers about the war they're fighting. She tries to take the status quo, but Emmett won't have it. He's heard the military party line his entire life and he wants the truth or nothing. He also wants Pier, but she's not willing to compromise her mission regardless of how she feels about Emmett.
And a sneaky peek…
"Hello? Lieutenant Lupher?" Janey Midway, the ensign assigned to Pier's supply detail snapped her fingers in front of Pier's face.Pier blinked her attention back to Janey and got on with checking in the supplies. "Yeah, sorry. Here's the next sheet." So not the time to be distracted.And the reason proved even worse. The idea of dinner with the hot Emmett Barley definitely shouldn't be having this effect on Pier. So what if he'd probably end up being better company than she'd had in ages?A reporter is a reporter, Pier. Don't get tangled up any more than you have to.Pier finished up the count and started marking the boxes. "These are the ones designated for transport to the outpost." She gave up trying to shove thoughts of Emmett Barley out of her head. "Why does that name seem so familiar?" And it had nothing to do with Ambry. The guy had friends in all branches of the military.Janey quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me, Lieutenant?" Her gaze questioned Pier's sanity at the moment.Rightfully so.Pier shook her head. "Nothing, Ensign. Trying to place where I've heard Barley before." Better than admitting how much space Emmett occupied in her brain right now.The ensign's eye widened. "Maybe from a textbook, Sir. Major General Ethan Barley, decorated hero of the first Tehune War kind of rewrote the book for the army."Pier closed her eyes. "Son of a bitch. That would be why." Could she be any stupider?How could she not have made that connection? Okay, the war had been two decades ago. But still…Janey propped her elbow on top of a crate. "Yeah, the name is pretty famous, obviously. And the general has three sons. Two are up and coming officers in the army; the other is your new headache." She chuckled and went back to moving the inventory.Pier lifted an eyebrow. "Exactly how do you know this?" Janey didn't strike Pier as a military fangirl.The ensign flushed, her cheeks going pink. "Army brat here, Sir. My dad's unit was attached to the general's attack force at the tail end of the war. I grew up listening about his exploits." She lifted a shoulder. "Since then, well, I've sort of followed the news about his career." Glancing away, she mumbled. "If you'll pardon me for oversharing the information."Janey could overshare as much as she wanted, but Pier didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Maybe a change in subject would help.Pier tilted her head to one side. "How did you end up on a sea carrier if your dad fought infantry?"Janey laughed. "Dad loved the water but suffers from vicious seasickness." She smiled, wide and true. "I don't have that particular problem."Pier chuckled. "It's a good thing you don't. But it makes you a great addition to the joint task force. Who knew we'd be spending as much time inland as we have?" Moving on to the next row of crates, she started the new checklist.Between the two of them, the supervising took most of the day. By the time they had the transfer complete and ready for transport, Pier had a long list of questions running through her head and all of them swirled around Emmett Barley.Did he get along with his siblings? How did having a war hero dad help or hurt while growing up? But the biggest one of all? Why had he chosen journalism over soldiering?Hopefully, she'd get to ask a few when she took him to the mess hall. And, damn, if she didn't look forward to dinner. Not that she'd ever admit that fact to him.
Pier's curiosity will definitely get the better of her but she won't have to admit she's looking forward to the dinner. Emmett's a smart guy. He'll figure it out.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
March 10, 2019
Sunday Snippet: While We Still Can
As usual, the weather in Ohio is crazy. Snow and cold to start and last most of the week and a semi-thaw today with a ton of rain and wind. It's supposed to get cold again by next weekend. Sigh.
Kind of a slow week for television. I had several work deadlines that needed a lot of my attention and focus. I did get some viewing in though.
Finished up the Killjoys season and, holy crap, I'm truly ready for next season already. Where they left things? Yeah, I need to know what happens.
Caught another episode of Painkiller Jane and it was another one I didn't remember for the original airing. A pretty good one, too.
I watched an episode of Underbelly: Razor and I gotta say I'm really mad at Kate. That's the whole point but the whole deal with Bruce just burns my chaps. Tillie and Nellie are ripe for a downfall and I'll be interested in seeing how that comes about.
Caught the third episode of Endeavour and really enjoyed the case and hints dropped about the robberies. I like that there's something of a through line into the next episode. At least I hope that's what will happen. The robbery guys are total doltheads, just saying.
Watched one of my favorite episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles and I’m almost at the end of the road for the series. I really forgot how terrific and ahead of its time the show is.
Caught the third episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm truly loving this show and have become quite a fan. Here's hoping it gets a second season.
I'm two episodes from the end of Birds of Prey. Watched "Reunion" this week and enjoyed how Barbara and Helena discovered some internal truths. Also caught the first episode of Pensacola Wings of Gold season two. Not sure about continuing but I did like how they transitioned from the previous season.
Started episode four of Strike Back. Got distracted by work so I'll have to finish it up in the near future. Hopefully the very near future.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from While We Still Can, a sexy short that started with a writing community prompt of take a scene from your favorite show and switch the roles of the main characters.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Maura Sells and Cobb Kinkleman are fighting in a long and bloody war. During a rare moment of downtime, Cobb decides they need to get what they can, while they can and quickly convinces Maura with a heated kiss. They face a bleak future and stealing a night of hot passion may be their only reprieve.
And a sneaky peek…
There she is… the Maura I know and love.He tossed back the liquid in his glass. "Rolling with the punches is probably one of your greatest traits." Another refill.Her eyes narrowed. "When did you decide that one?" Her fingers twirled the tumbler around.He didn't hesitate. "First day of basic training, so… what? Almost ten years ago?" Kicking back on the hind legs of the chair, he nodded.Maura's eyes went wide. "Seriously? I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning and you remember the first day of basic?" She shook her head. "Has it really been ten years?" Her voice held a nostalgic tone.Cobb straightened, putting the chair upright again. "Yeah, it has. And, yes, you do remember the first day. This is me you're talking to." She could brush off the topic and change the subject with anyone else.But not him.She rolled her eyes. "You always call me on my bullshit. From day one. That I remember." Her lips curved. "Man, I kind of miss those days."Who the hell didn't? Before the weight of war seeped into every aspect of their life. Before friends started dying. Before—Yeah, enough of the morose bullshit.Cobb poured another round. "Fun times." He lifted his glass. "Here's to more of those." If they made it back.Maura raised her tumbler and dipped her chin. "Would be nice to have some again." The last month had taken a heavy toll.Cobb sipped the contents this time. "Hey… the bash we had for Windigo wasn't half bad." But, wow, how long ago had the birthday celebration been?Maura drained her glass. "No, it wasn't. But seven memorials since then kind of sucks the joy out of everything, you know?" She reached for the bottle this time and tilted it for a refill.Cobb didn't comment. What could he say? Especially when two more might be on deck. His. And hers.He stared at the liquid sloshing out from the bottle then raised his gaze to study Maura. He couldn't have a better pilot flying the upcoming operation with him. He'd trust her with his life. Hell, he'd done so on numerous occasions. If he believed in fated destinies, he'd bet his entwined with hers.But he didn't give credence to fate. What a joke. Yet, their paths crossed often over the last decade, zigzagging in and out of each other's orbit. How many times had they come this close to… something? Only to have common sense kick in with a healthy dose of reality.War meant death and possibly losing the person flying one's wing.Maura snapped her fingers. "Hey, you got quiet. What're you thinking about?"He shrugged. "Everything. Past, present, future." Or lack thereof.Maura snorted. "What future? The damned war isn't going to leave us with one." Bitterness tinged her tone along with something else… regret, maybe.Which lit a spark in his mind. What if. What if they didn't make it back? What if their story ended with the upcoming mission? What if—Maura cut into his thoughts. "Talk to me, Cobb. It's no fun to drink in silence." She shot him a quirky smile, one he'd become familiar with over the years.A sudden truth smacked him hard. He didn't want to leave this plane of existence without putting everything on the line. When would he have another opportunity?Sitting up, he rested his forearms on the table. "Why didn't we ever get together?" He phrased it as a question… maybe she didn't feel the same way about him.Maura opened her mouth but closed it again.After swallowing, she answered. "Um, I don't know. We're fighting a war…" Her voice trailed off and she glanced away. "Who has time?" She shifted in her chair, fidgeting with the glass again.Cobb pushed back. "Maybe people should make time." A thread of challenge entered his tone.Maura met his gaze again. "For what?" Her eyebrow rose with the question.Cobb pressed his case. "Holding on to something. Making a connection." Digging deeper on an emotional level.Maura studied him a few moments. "Hmm. Never thought about it. Mainly because we're taught to give up the dream for a happy future." Her lips twisted into a frown.He nodded. "Yeah, take what we can because bright, shiny moments don't last." Screw that… bright and shiny were overrated, but something real and true… he wanted both.He picked up his glass and finished off the alcohol. Liquid courage for what came next.Setting the tumbler down, he met and held her gaze. "So why don't we?"Maura quirked a brow. "Why don't we what?"He leaned across the table, cupped her face in his hands, and slanted his mouth over hers.Contact. Connection. Communication.
I'm having a great time with this one. I love switching the roles of the main characters and adding my spin on them.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Kind of a slow week for television. I had several work deadlines that needed a lot of my attention and focus. I did get some viewing in though.
Finished up the Killjoys season and, holy crap, I'm truly ready for next season already. Where they left things? Yeah, I need to know what happens.
Caught another episode of Painkiller Jane and it was another one I didn't remember for the original airing. A pretty good one, too.
I watched an episode of Underbelly: Razor and I gotta say I'm really mad at Kate. That's the whole point but the whole deal with Bruce just burns my chaps. Tillie and Nellie are ripe for a downfall and I'll be interested in seeing how that comes about.
Caught the third episode of Endeavour and really enjoyed the case and hints dropped about the robberies. I like that there's something of a through line into the next episode. At least I hope that's what will happen. The robbery guys are total doltheads, just saying.
Watched one of my favorite episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles and I’m almost at the end of the road for the series. I really forgot how terrific and ahead of its time the show is.
Caught the third episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm truly loving this show and have become quite a fan. Here's hoping it gets a second season.
I'm two episodes from the end of Birds of Prey. Watched "Reunion" this week and enjoyed how Barbara and Helena discovered some internal truths. Also caught the first episode of Pensacola Wings of Gold season two. Not sure about continuing but I did like how they transitioned from the previous season.
Started episode four of Strike Back. Got distracted by work so I'll have to finish it up in the near future. Hopefully the very near future.
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from While We Still Can, a sexy short that started with a writing community prompt of take a scene from your favorite show and switch the roles of the main characters.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Maura Sells and Cobb Kinkleman are fighting in a long and bloody war. During a rare moment of downtime, Cobb decides they need to get what they can, while they can and quickly convinces Maura with a heated kiss. They face a bleak future and stealing a night of hot passion may be their only reprieve.
And a sneaky peek…
There she is… the Maura I know and love.He tossed back the liquid in his glass. "Rolling with the punches is probably one of your greatest traits." Another refill.Her eyes narrowed. "When did you decide that one?" Her fingers twirled the tumbler around.He didn't hesitate. "First day of basic training, so… what? Almost ten years ago?" Kicking back on the hind legs of the chair, he nodded.Maura's eyes went wide. "Seriously? I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning and you remember the first day of basic?" She shook her head. "Has it really been ten years?" Her voice held a nostalgic tone.Cobb straightened, putting the chair upright again. "Yeah, it has. And, yes, you do remember the first day. This is me you're talking to." She could brush off the topic and change the subject with anyone else.But not him.She rolled her eyes. "You always call me on my bullshit. From day one. That I remember." Her lips curved. "Man, I kind of miss those days."Who the hell didn't? Before the weight of war seeped into every aspect of their life. Before friends started dying. Before—Yeah, enough of the morose bullshit.Cobb poured another round. "Fun times." He lifted his glass. "Here's to more of those." If they made it back.Maura raised her tumbler and dipped her chin. "Would be nice to have some again." The last month had taken a heavy toll.Cobb sipped the contents this time. "Hey… the bash we had for Windigo wasn't half bad." But, wow, how long ago had the birthday celebration been?Maura drained her glass. "No, it wasn't. But seven memorials since then kind of sucks the joy out of everything, you know?" She reached for the bottle this time and tilted it for a refill.Cobb didn't comment. What could he say? Especially when two more might be on deck. His. And hers.He stared at the liquid sloshing out from the bottle then raised his gaze to study Maura. He couldn't have a better pilot flying the upcoming operation with him. He'd trust her with his life. Hell, he'd done so on numerous occasions. If he believed in fated destinies, he'd bet his entwined with hers.But he didn't give credence to fate. What a joke. Yet, their paths crossed often over the last decade, zigzagging in and out of each other's orbit. How many times had they come this close to… something? Only to have common sense kick in with a healthy dose of reality.War meant death and possibly losing the person flying one's wing.Maura snapped her fingers. "Hey, you got quiet. What're you thinking about?"He shrugged. "Everything. Past, present, future." Or lack thereof.Maura snorted. "What future? The damned war isn't going to leave us with one." Bitterness tinged her tone along with something else… regret, maybe.Which lit a spark in his mind. What if. What if they didn't make it back? What if their story ended with the upcoming mission? What if—Maura cut into his thoughts. "Talk to me, Cobb. It's no fun to drink in silence." She shot him a quirky smile, one he'd become familiar with over the years.A sudden truth smacked him hard. He didn't want to leave this plane of existence without putting everything on the line. When would he have another opportunity?Sitting up, he rested his forearms on the table. "Why didn't we ever get together?" He phrased it as a question… maybe she didn't feel the same way about him.Maura opened her mouth but closed it again.After swallowing, she answered. "Um, I don't know. We're fighting a war…" Her voice trailed off and she glanced away. "Who has time?" She shifted in her chair, fidgeting with the glass again.Cobb pushed back. "Maybe people should make time." A thread of challenge entered his tone.Maura met his gaze again. "For what?" Her eyebrow rose with the question.Cobb pressed his case. "Holding on to something. Making a connection." Digging deeper on an emotional level.Maura studied him a few moments. "Hmm. Never thought about it. Mainly because we're taught to give up the dream for a happy future." Her lips twisted into a frown.He nodded. "Yeah, take what we can because bright, shiny moments don't last." Screw that… bright and shiny were overrated, but something real and true… he wanted both.He picked up his glass and finished off the alcohol. Liquid courage for what came next.Setting the tumbler down, he met and held her gaze. "So why don't we?"Maura quirked a brow. "Why don't we what?"He leaned across the table, cupped her face in his hands, and slanted his mouth over hers.Contact. Connection. Communication.
I'm having a great time with this one. I love switching the roles of the main characters and adding my spin on them.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
March 3, 2019
Sunday Snippet: We Have a Winner
Well, hello, March. So far, I'm still battling the stupid respiratory crud I thought I was over last week. It was just a little reprieve. That said, I do feel way better than I did three days ago when I had a moment where I thought death might actually be a better option than being sick. LOL Then I remembered to not be a ninny and get over myself. In the grand scheme of things, a stupid recurring cold won't last forever.
I did have a decent week of television viewing. Started off with a weird episode of Lexx that I honestly don't remember if I finished or not. Cold meds make things a wee bit fuzzy.
Followed up with an episode of Strike Back and, man, did they cram a lot of stuff into a single episode. I love that about this show. So much goes down it's hard to keep up.
Started an episode of Midsomer Murders while doing laundry. One of the best things I've ever done is add a television to my laundry room. Makes the chore of sorting and folding much more enjoyable.
Watched the first episode of Iron Fist's new season. While the pace is a little slow, I loved catching up to where everyone is. Joy is the biggest surprise that isn't actually a surprise. It'll be interesting to see where she ends up by the end. And Ward just fascinates me. Looking forward to seeing him work through all of his issues. Or not. LOL Danny and Colleen are terrific and I'm curious about how the episode ended. Danny's got some internal drama to work through or so it seems.
Chicago Fire had a great episode. I'll be really pissed if anything happens to Cruz's Chloe. Here's hoping that works out okay. The way the episode ended though, with Matt's place in flames, doesn't bode well for him.
Gotham had such a great episode. The ending though? Holy crap. I did not see that coming. I'm actually loving this season so much.
Caught another Classic Roswell episode and it's one of my favorites where Liz's grandmother suffers a stroke and doesn't make it. Michael being sneaky is such a not-Michael thing and I loved it, too.
Watched another episode of Arrow and I'm slowly but surely getting caught up. A great theme about what being a hero entails. Also liked getting confirmation that Stanley's a weasel. Loved Oliver's face when that realization kicked in. Also watched another episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I loved seeing some of the secondary characters shine in this one.
Caught a few episodes of Classic Who while attempting to get through the huge stack of dishes I have waiting to be washed. Being down with the sickness doesn't mean those buggers wash themselves. Bleh.
That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from We Have a Winner, a sexy short that started with a writing community prompt of write a scene or story about someone winning a bet on when a couple would hookup.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Kella Yates and Weston Grogan can't fight their attraction and everyone knows it. The entire crew of their ship waits in anticipation for their inevitable hook-up. When they finally cave in to their lust, the winner of the when will it happen pool can be declared.
And a sneaky peek…
"Last but not least, the super-secret pool of when Kella and Weston will finally hookup has not been won yet." Josh Hardway glanced at the clipboard in his hands. "That means Jones, Morrison, Benji, uh… Michael and Melli are out in the cold." He raised his head. "Any of you want to place a wager on a new date?"Melli sighed. "Dammit, I would've won if I didn't have such crappy timing." A round of commiseration went through the room. "I swear if I'd been five minutes later, I would've caught them." With her luck, they probably finished what they started as soon as she left.Didn't matter. The pool specifically stated the duo had to be caught in the act not necessarily that it had to be their first time. For all the rest of the crew knew, Kella and Weston fornicated like rabbits on a regular basis.Melli shivered. What a visual.Josh hand-waved her protest. "Yeah, yeah. No proof and foreplay doesn't count." He gave her a pointed look. "You're out of luck." Waving the clipboard, he waggled his eyebrows.Melli grabbed a five from her pocket and slapped it on the table. "Fine. Give me the next open date." With the popularity of this pool, she might be looking at some time next year.Josh smirked and pocketed the money. "Can't quit while you're ahead, can you?"Melli snorted. "There is no ahead in this pool. It's all in or lose out." She'd been in from the beginning and she'd stay to the bitter end.Too bad no one figured it would be over six months with no winner. The wild-eyed chemistry between Kella and Weston all but set the ship on fire. Maybe they'd found some out of the way place to get it on.Josh laughed then held up the clipboard again. "Any of you other losers wanna get back in the pool?"Jones and Michael opted out, but Morrison and Benji stayed in, handing over their money. Melli did a quick calculation and shook her head.She got up and faced the gathered group. "Seriously? Whoever wins this better throw the biggest damn party we've ever seen." There had to be close to a thousand bucks on the line.Definitely not the usual fifty to one hundred they usually collected if they won a pool.Melli planned to stake out the couple on her downtime to up the chances she'd walk away the winner. After all, she had more than money invested in the outcome. Her romantic side wanted Kella and Weston to find happiness in each other's arms.
I'm having a lot of fun with this little story. Kella and Weston have quite the following on the ship.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
I did have a decent week of television viewing. Started off with a weird episode of Lexx that I honestly don't remember if I finished or not. Cold meds make things a wee bit fuzzy.
Followed up with an episode of Strike Back and, man, did they cram a lot of stuff into a single episode. I love that about this show. So much goes down it's hard to keep up.
Started an episode of Midsomer Murders while doing laundry. One of the best things I've ever done is add a television to my laundry room. Makes the chore of sorting and folding much more enjoyable.
Watched the first episode of Iron Fist's new season. While the pace is a little slow, I loved catching up to where everyone is. Joy is the biggest surprise that isn't actually a surprise. It'll be interesting to see where she ends up by the end. And Ward just fascinates me. Looking forward to seeing him work through all of his issues. Or not. LOL Danny and Colleen are terrific and I'm curious about how the episode ended. Danny's got some internal drama to work through or so it seems.
Chicago Fire had a great episode. I'll be really pissed if anything happens to Cruz's Chloe. Here's hoping that works out okay. The way the episode ended though, with Matt's place in flames, doesn't bode well for him.
Gotham had such a great episode. The ending though? Holy crap. I did not see that coming. I'm actually loving this season so much.
Caught another Classic Roswell episode and it's one of my favorites where Liz's grandmother suffers a stroke and doesn't make it. Michael being sneaky is such a not-Michael thing and I loved it, too.
Watched another episode of Arrow and I'm slowly but surely getting caught up. A great theme about what being a hero entails. Also liked getting confirmation that Stanley's a weasel. Loved Oliver's face when that realization kicked in. Also watched another episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I loved seeing some of the secondary characters shine in this one.
Caught a few episodes of Classic Who while attempting to get through the huge stack of dishes I have waiting to be washed. Being down with the sickness doesn't mean those buggers wash themselves. Bleh.
That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from We Have a Winner, a sexy short that started with a writing community prompt of write a scene or story about someone winning a bet on when a couple would hookup.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Kella Yates and Weston Grogan can't fight their attraction and everyone knows it. The entire crew of their ship waits in anticipation for their inevitable hook-up. When they finally cave in to their lust, the winner of the when will it happen pool can be declared.
And a sneaky peek…
"Last but not least, the super-secret pool of when Kella and Weston will finally hookup has not been won yet." Josh Hardway glanced at the clipboard in his hands. "That means Jones, Morrison, Benji, uh… Michael and Melli are out in the cold." He raised his head. "Any of you want to place a wager on a new date?"Melli sighed. "Dammit, I would've won if I didn't have such crappy timing." A round of commiseration went through the room. "I swear if I'd been five minutes later, I would've caught them." With her luck, they probably finished what they started as soon as she left.Didn't matter. The pool specifically stated the duo had to be caught in the act not necessarily that it had to be their first time. For all the rest of the crew knew, Kella and Weston fornicated like rabbits on a regular basis.Melli shivered. What a visual.Josh hand-waved her protest. "Yeah, yeah. No proof and foreplay doesn't count." He gave her a pointed look. "You're out of luck." Waving the clipboard, he waggled his eyebrows.Melli grabbed a five from her pocket and slapped it on the table. "Fine. Give me the next open date." With the popularity of this pool, she might be looking at some time next year.Josh smirked and pocketed the money. "Can't quit while you're ahead, can you?"Melli snorted. "There is no ahead in this pool. It's all in or lose out." She'd been in from the beginning and she'd stay to the bitter end.Too bad no one figured it would be over six months with no winner. The wild-eyed chemistry between Kella and Weston all but set the ship on fire. Maybe they'd found some out of the way place to get it on.Josh laughed then held up the clipboard again. "Any of you other losers wanna get back in the pool?"Jones and Michael opted out, but Morrison and Benji stayed in, handing over their money. Melli did a quick calculation and shook her head.She got up and faced the gathered group. "Seriously? Whoever wins this better throw the biggest damn party we've ever seen." There had to be close to a thousand bucks on the line.Definitely not the usual fifty to one hundred they usually collected if they won a pool.Melli planned to stake out the couple on her downtime to up the chances she'd walk away the winner. After all, she had more than money invested in the outcome. Her romantic side wanted Kella and Weston to find happiness in each other's arms.
I'm having a lot of fun with this little story. Kella and Weston have quite the following on the ship.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
February 24, 2019
Sunday Snippet: Wasted Credits
I'm finally pretty much through the worst of the respiratory nastiness. It's so nice to breathe semi-normal again. It's amazing what a difference it makes to take a deep breath on not end on a coughing spasm.
Not a bad week for television viewing. I finished up Endeavour's second episode of the fifth season. Also caught an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I rather like where they've put things with Brackenreid.
Finished Luke Cage and, honestly? I liked where the series ended. I'd love to see more and I'm disappointed I won't be able to. The biggest drawback to all the streaming options now is how proprietary they're all becoming. Makes me a little sad.
Watched some Classic Roswell, third episode of the first season, which ended up dovetailing in an interesting way with the second episode of Roswell, New Mexico. Isobel using her powers to freak Maria out in the classic version played against Michael and Isobel using theirs to mess with Liz in the reboot. I'm invested way more than I thought I'd be in the new version. It's moving up the list of shows I don't want to miss.
Caught the Killjoys episode where they rescue the kids and blow up the RAC… and lose one of their own. Seriously, this show grabs me every time I watch. There's so much going on but the emotional beats always shine and don't get lost in the action. I'm looking forward to finishing out season four.
I'm through the halfway mark of Underbelly: Razor. The death toll keeps rising and the "Blood Alley" episode added to it with one of the major players going down. I'm loving the odd little beats of inner betrayal and turmoil, too.
On the sci-fi front, I watched an episode of Painkiller Jane and The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Each episode had a theme of painful past memories. Also caught an episode of Birds of Prey and had forgotten this one. I think I'm at the next to last episode before the series ends.
Finally, I watched the season one ender of Pensacola Wings of Gold. It's a to-be-continued-in-season-two thing and I guess I'll watch the first episode to see how they resolve getting rid of the entire team and starting from scratch. After that… eh… not sure I'll watch more.
That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wasted Credits, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of setting a story around one of the main characters paying for sex. I actually liked the challenge of that prompt and decided to set it to tie in with the Furlough 99 universe.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Valora Prime can't figure out why a smart, attractive man like Hackett Barnes pays for sex. When she corners him to find the answer, his response catches her off guard and she has to make a quick decision. Let him in or let him go.
And a sneaky peek…
What the hell happened to me? Valora Prime happened. Not that he could admit his problem out loud.Valora narrowed her eyes. "Not like you to copout or dwell. You're the most put one foot forward and keep moving on person I know." Her head tilted to the side and she studied him with a curious stare.Hackett waved a hand. "Look, forget I said anything. I've got too much time on my hands right now." He turned, putting some space between them. "For the record, I'm not doing anything others haven't done. And contrary to what you think, I can't just have anyone." Living proof stood right in front of him. "I'm a supervisor, meaning I have to act like it." Sleeping with anyone in a subordinate position created complications. "That means keeping things simple. No fucking crewmembers." He might one exception and only one.And he'd rather she not find out because she'd totally call bullshit.Valora frowned. "That's ridiculous. The work around is to not sleep with anyone you directly supervise. There are more than ten crews, Hack."He snorted. "Right. With constant transfers. What happens if I'm hooking up with someone and they get transferred to my unit?" Donovan would hand Hackett his ass on plate—something he wanted to avoid.Just like he wanted to avoid this conversation.Valora's mouth thinned to a straight line. She crinkled her nose, a habit she used when she didn't have a ready comeback. Or when she couldn't argue a point.Hackett drove his reasoning home. "What else is there, Val? I really don't have time to dedicate to a full-on relationship. And aside from recently, it's not like I take a lot of downtime to find someone else." No one interested him anyway… except Valora.She quirked a brow. "Your lack of R and R is on you. You earn the time but don't use it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "There's more to the story here. You're just not sharing."Well, hell. She nailed it in one.Fine. If she wanted truth, he'd give it to her. Let her wallow in the honesty she valued above all else.And… holy shit. A factoid dropped in his mind and crystallized into something akin to a bizarre certainty.Valora's outrageous indignation had nothing to do with Hackett using the sex dens… or the idea he'd been paying for his female companionship. Could she possibly be… jealous?He wanted to find out. "Again, Val, why do you care?" She wouldn't answer before, maybe she would now.She opened her mouth. Closed it. Almost literally bit her tongue to keep from commenting.Interesting.He advanced and she backed up. Retreat from Valora? Almost unheard of.Hackett pressed onward. "Val? Why. Does. It. Matter. Who. I. Sleep. With?" He spoke each word as a sentence, driving home the question.Val's eyes widened when her back hit the wall. "It doesn't. Not really." She glanced away.Hackett grasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Bullshit. Try again."Valora swallowed hard but met his gaze head-on. "Because you matter, Hackett. To me."Finally. But now what?
I'm having some fun with this story. I love the dynamic between Hackett and Valora.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
Not a bad week for television viewing. I finished up Endeavour's second episode of the fifth season. Also caught an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I rather like where they've put things with Brackenreid.
Finished Luke Cage and, honestly? I liked where the series ended. I'd love to see more and I'm disappointed I won't be able to. The biggest drawback to all the streaming options now is how proprietary they're all becoming. Makes me a little sad.
Watched some Classic Roswell, third episode of the first season, which ended up dovetailing in an interesting way with the second episode of Roswell, New Mexico. Isobel using her powers to freak Maria out in the classic version played against Michael and Isobel using theirs to mess with Liz in the reboot. I'm invested way more than I thought I'd be in the new version. It's moving up the list of shows I don't want to miss.
Caught the Killjoys episode where they rescue the kids and blow up the RAC… and lose one of their own. Seriously, this show grabs me every time I watch. There's so much going on but the emotional beats always shine and don't get lost in the action. I'm looking forward to finishing out season four.
I'm through the halfway mark of Underbelly: Razor. The death toll keeps rising and the "Blood Alley" episode added to it with one of the major players going down. I'm loving the odd little beats of inner betrayal and turmoil, too.
On the sci-fi front, I watched an episode of Painkiller Jane and The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Each episode had a theme of painful past memories. Also caught an episode of Birds of Prey and had forgotten this one. I think I'm at the next to last episode before the series ends.
Finally, I watched the season one ender of Pensacola Wings of Gold. It's a to-be-continued-in-season-two thing and I guess I'll watch the first episode to see how they resolve getting rid of the entire team and starting from scratch. After that… eh… not sure I'll watch more.
That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wasted Credits, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of setting a story around one of the main characters paying for sex. I actually liked the challenge of that prompt and decided to set it to tie in with the Furlough 99 universe.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Valora Prime can't figure out why a smart, attractive man like Hackett Barnes pays for sex. When she corners him to find the answer, his response catches her off guard and she has to make a quick decision. Let him in or let him go.
And a sneaky peek…
What the hell happened to me? Valora Prime happened. Not that he could admit his problem out loud.Valora narrowed her eyes. "Not like you to copout or dwell. You're the most put one foot forward and keep moving on person I know." Her head tilted to the side and she studied him with a curious stare.Hackett waved a hand. "Look, forget I said anything. I've got too much time on my hands right now." He turned, putting some space between them. "For the record, I'm not doing anything others haven't done. And contrary to what you think, I can't just have anyone." Living proof stood right in front of him. "I'm a supervisor, meaning I have to act like it." Sleeping with anyone in a subordinate position created complications. "That means keeping things simple. No fucking crewmembers." He might one exception and only one.And he'd rather she not find out because she'd totally call bullshit.Valora frowned. "That's ridiculous. The work around is to not sleep with anyone you directly supervise. There are more than ten crews, Hack."He snorted. "Right. With constant transfers. What happens if I'm hooking up with someone and they get transferred to my unit?" Donovan would hand Hackett his ass on plate—something he wanted to avoid.Just like he wanted to avoid this conversation.Valora's mouth thinned to a straight line. She crinkled her nose, a habit she used when she didn't have a ready comeback. Or when she couldn't argue a point.Hackett drove his reasoning home. "What else is there, Val? I really don't have time to dedicate to a full-on relationship. And aside from recently, it's not like I take a lot of downtime to find someone else." No one interested him anyway… except Valora.She quirked a brow. "Your lack of R and R is on you. You earn the time but don't use it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "There's more to the story here. You're just not sharing."Well, hell. She nailed it in one.Fine. If she wanted truth, he'd give it to her. Let her wallow in the honesty she valued above all else.And… holy shit. A factoid dropped in his mind and crystallized into something akin to a bizarre certainty.Valora's outrageous indignation had nothing to do with Hackett using the sex dens… or the idea he'd been paying for his female companionship. Could she possibly be… jealous?He wanted to find out. "Again, Val, why do you care?" She wouldn't answer before, maybe she would now.She opened her mouth. Closed it. Almost literally bit her tongue to keep from commenting.Interesting.He advanced and she backed up. Retreat from Valora? Almost unheard of.Hackett pressed onward. "Val? Why. Does. It. Matter. Who. I. Sleep. With?" He spoke each word as a sentence, driving home the question.Val's eyes widened when her back hit the wall. "It doesn't. Not really." She glanced away.Hackett grasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Bullshit. Try again."Valora swallowed hard but met his gaze head-on. "Because you matter, Hackett. To me."Finally. But now what?
I'm having some fun with this story. I love the dynamic between Hackett and Valora.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
