Sunday Snippet: Yarn Spinning

Where on earth did the month of May go? I realize I noted it was almost over last week, but, honestly, I feel like I blinked and the week flew by.

Another so-so week of television viewing. I had a lot on my calendar and needed to do some serious focusing while working. I did get some quality viewing in.

I started and finished the third episode of Blue Heelers. I like it. The cast is pretty stellar and the storylines are fun for me.

Caught Arrow's emerald archer episode and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm going to miss this show so much when it's over next season. I'm really hoping some of the cast stays available to do the crossover episodes in the Arrowverse.

Watched another episode of The Murders. This show… I'm very into it. It's not really a shipping kind of show but I'd be totally down with Nolan and Kate hooking up. It would add an interesting layer to their partnership.

Watched what I think is the penultimate episode of Painkiller Jane. One episode left then it's on to a new show on The Roku Channel.

Caught another episode of Durham County. Man, this show is dark. Which I like, don't get me wrong. I spend most of the episode wanting something terrible to happen to Ray Prager. The guy is just… creepy. I'm really hoping to find out why he hates his own kid so much.

Watched another episode of Midsomer Murders. The first episode of series fifteen ended up being terrific. James Callis played twins, one an arrogant jerk and one a rather affable guy… until the murderer is revealed. Great episode.

Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn. I'd seen both already but they were pretty good so I didn't mind watching again at all.

Watched two more episodes of Doctor Who and finished out The Ark storyline. Looking forward to starting a new group of shows.

In the Dark's third episode was… pretty good. There are times when the awkward mess Murphy makes of her life is hard to watch but I think that's part of the reason I like the show so much. She's so prickly and obnoxious but she's also got a softer side that she has no idea what to do with.

Started episode two of my Banshee rewatch and I'll have more to discuss next week.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Yarn Spinning, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of writing a story that involves a lie.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Torrin Becks and Gaelan Van Zant pull duty on the same scout ship, which creates a good bit of tension in the five man crew. Torrin and Gaelan have something of a history and when the yarn spinning—who has the greatest exploit—starts, Torrin has to decide if she'll call Gaelan out on a big fat fib, or let the story stand as the winner.

And a sneaky peek…

Gaelan would never admit to hiding on the transport to the scout ship… but he did. He found the seat in the corner and prayed Torrin wouldn't be anywhere near him.

Filing out at the last possible moment, he snorted. "No chance of that." He'd pretty much guaranteed she'd give him wide berth.

Which she had, staying in the front section directly behind the pilot.

Just as well, too. Since she'd dumped Eric, the guy had gone down a dark hole and still hadn't clawed his way out. He kept hooking up with random women and, according to what he told Gaelan, none of them had what Eric wanted.

Gaelan took that to mean none of the women were Torrin.

Which he got… more than he should.

Another reason he'd rather not be trapped on a small ship with her.

After checking in with the captain, he made his way to the crew quarters and found his bunk area. Fuck. Right next to Torrin.

He dropped his rucksack on the deck and keyed in the entry code to his space.

Torrin glanced over her shoulder and sighed. "I'll try to change spots with one of the other crewmen." She pushed the hatch open and dragged her bag inside the room.

Gaelan frowned. "I'm not sure why—" He glanced inside his space and discovered the reason. The bunk areas had a shared bathroom with curtains separating the space.

Dammit.

Torrin shrugged. "Give me twenty-four hours. I'll see what I can do." She didn't wait for a reply before shutting the hatch.

Gaelan picked his rucksack up and tossed it on the bunk. "Whatever. If she can't find a switch, maybe I can." He blew out a long breath. "Figures. If Torrin and Eric were still together, this might have been fun." He used to love spending time with the couple.

But Eric's rendition of their breakup forever altered Gaelan's opinion of Torrin. To be as cruel as she'd been… well, Eric probably dodged a bullet when she dumped him. Not that Gaelan could convince his friend of that fact.

Gaelan dropped down on the bunk. "Now I get to share space with someone I don't even like anymore."

How fun.

Not.

Nothing like some close quarters to make things really awkward. Gaelan and Torrin are going to have a lot of fun trying to avoid each other. Not.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yanking the Pipe

Wow… I can't believe May is almost over. The whole time speeding up thing has to be true. Or maybe I just try to pack too much stuff into life? Who knows.

Kind of a so-so week of television viewing. I had quite a few irons in the fire and needed some solid focus on a couple of projects. Still, not a bad slate of shows overall.

As usual, I caught two episodes of Peter Gunn. One I remember seeing before the other one I didn't. Also caught two episodes of Classic Who, starting The Ark storyline.

Watched the second episode of In the Dark and while it didn't charm me as much as the first episode did, I enjoyed it. Even though I love how flawed our heroine is, I can see her abrasiveness becoming a tired gimmick at some point. I'll definitely keep watching because I really want to know what happened to her friend.

Caught another episode of Blade and it's one I remembered featuring Chase's rehab after being burned almost to a crisp… literally. I'm about halfway through the season and if memory serves, things start getting really intense from here on out.

Started a rewatch of Banshee. Man… I'd forgotten how crazy the first episode ended up being. This show didn't flinch from violence in any way and it's one of the reasons I couldn't stop watching. Ugh… not because I love violence. More because the characters jumped right out and grabbed my attention. I also fell in love with Job's character at first sight.

Began a new Australian series called Blue Heelers and have almost two episodes watched. I found the show on the TubiTV app but I'm watching on the Freedive app so I can catch the series from the beginning.

Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and it ended up being pretty decent. I'm not sure about the whole Kelly and Stella vibe, but I like that they're still supportive of each other even if they're not together. Also liked Matt being something of a dick to Herrman. I know, I know… why would I like that? Because I want to see how he deals with his trauma of almost being shot.

Caught episode nine of Iron Fist and, holy crap, it didn't disappoint. Danny fighting without the fist and nailing Davos with the syringe blew me away. Colleen fighting the gang of goons kicked ass. Ward and Walker's interaction almost made me laugh out loud, but it also ended up being kind of touching in a bizarre way. The fact that Ward immediately knew Joy needed help speaks volumes, even if Joy doesn't want to hear about it. Watching her fall a full story down was… actually kind of mind-blowing. And, of course, Misty is always an added benefit to the show. The end… well, I'm excited to see where things go.

Watched the premiere episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries's second season. Great episode with lots of good stuff for the women to do. I like Frankie's interactions with her mom and I loved Trudy saving the day.

Picked back up with Riverdale's third season. I'm not all the way through the episode yet but I already want to smack Hiram. I'm really not sure about the whole G&G thing but part of loving this show is embracing the completely batshit crazy storylines. I'm happy to be back in the game so to speak.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Yanking the Pipe, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of writing about pranks gone wrong.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sammie Shields and Firth Fairmountain have fun yanking the pipe—pulling anonymous pranks—until one of their fellow soldiers gets injured. Their commanding officer gives them a choice—transfer to a marine unit to learn discipline or get busted down a rank. Sammie opts for demotion, but Firth chooses the alternate and finds a new mission, which Sammie struggles to accept.

And a sneaky peek…

Firth braced for the impact of Sammie's reaction.

She didn't wait long. "Screw that. I didn't train to fly a multi-billion credit spacecrafts to wind up in a marine grunt unit." Her face twisted in a grimace.

His dad quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? That training included instruction in yanking the pipe, then?" He folded his arms over his chest.

Sammie had the grace to flush a little. "Well, no. I'm kind of a natural when it comes to that stuff." Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.

Firth shook his head. "Not helping, Sammie. You can shut up now." Before she really jumped into the fire.

She swung her gaze around to him. "No. Because this is bullshit, Firth." She paced back and forth again. "I get we need to face some kind of repercussion, but a demotion? When we've worked our asses off to be the best?" She flung an arm out. "Or worse, a transfer to the meathead marines, where there's never a fight they won't settle or an ass they won't kick." She stopped and braced her hands on her hips. "No. No way." She met the commanding officer's gaze head-on.

Fairmountain straightened. "I figured you'd say that." He reached behind him and retrieved a box.

Opening it, he handed it to her. Lieutenant pips. Son of a bitch. His dad definitely prepared for this confrontation.

Sammie's jaw dropped but she had little choice but to face her situation. She snapped the container shut along with her mouth. Then she tucked the box into her pocket. Lieutenant Shields. Damn, Firth's stomach roiled with the idea.

But it strengthened his resolve.

Fairmountain met his son's gaze. "Well?" He said nothing else, leaving the choice firmly in Firth's hands.

Firth lifted his chin. "I'll report immediately to the gunnery sergeant." Which would be interesting, considering Firth outranked him.

One side of his dad's mouth curved upward slightly and he turned, signing Firth's new orders.

Sammie's shocked gasp rang in Firth's ears. She'd expected him to follow her down the ladder. And he could take the easy way, but a fellow crewman got hurt and Firth didn't like how the knowledge he'd been responsible sat with him. Past time for him to step up and act like he'd had the training Sammie spewed on about. His path would be different from hers.

His dad held the papers out. "You're both dismissed."

Firth took the new orders from his dad and snapped off a salute. He turned and the hurt and betrayal in Sammie's eyes almost had him rethinking his decision. Almost. Maybe some time apart and away from each other's influence would be a good thing.

Sammie obviously didn't agree. "I can't believe you did that. Why are you leaving me?"

Poor Sammie is in for a tough ride. Without Firth backing her plays, she's not going to handle things well at all.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yank the Chain

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. It's rainy and chilly in Ohio and a nice day to stay in and be pampered. A few quiet hours alone is on my agenda today.

Had a solid television watching week. Since I watched so many penultimate episodes last week, this week ended up putting me in the finale zone. I started with the final episode of Underbelly: Razor. I'll admit I ended up being pretty satisfied with how things turned out. Kate and Tillie ended up living to ripe old ages for the times and Nellie, oddly enough, had an ending that rather suited her. Big Jim definitely got his due as did Phil the Jew.

Caught two more episodes of Midsomer Murders and thoroughly enjoyed both. I do like John and his wife along with their dog Sykes. Also watched two more episodes of Peter Gunn.

Started a new show from the CW. In the Dark ended up being more than I expected and, honestly, I enjoyed it. The heroine is messy and prickly and I like her flaws. The supporting cast is excellent. I'll watch more and see how it goes. It's been renewed for another season so I hope I like the rest of this one.

Watched another episode of Blade and remembered most of this one. There were a few bits I missed the first time around so it's nice to have those blanks filled in.

Also caught two more episodes of Classic Who and finished out the time meddler episodes. If memory serves, this is really the first sighting of the Master. Kind of like his origin story.

Watched the finale of Strike Back and I'm happy to say everyone I lived that I wanted to see still standing at the end. With the exception of Wyatt's marriage, which I have a feeling didn't survive. I can't wait for the final season now.

Caught Chicago Fire and enjoyed the episode. I'm not sold on Grissom being an okay guy yet but here's hoping they go in that direction. I really don't want to see Severied used as a pawn on the chessboard so I'll be pissed if that happens.

Iron Fist had a decent episode. Danny and Colleen are walking a very fine line and I'm hopeful their relationship can withstand the coming nightmare of dealing with Davos. Joy and Ward had some personal growth and Mary's storyline meshed well with the others. Davos is Davos and I'm still struggling to find some kind of empathy with him. It's not working.

Caught a great episode of Arrow and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not a big fan of Diggle and Lyla keeping big secrets but I'll hold back from judging too much. Really loved Oliver and Laurel's reckoning with past sins. I love Oliver the most when he's pushing to be better than his parents.

Watched the finale of Murdoch Mysteries and, whew, I'm so glad things worked out the way they did. Miss Hart should probably watch her step and I'm kind of hoping she ends up becoming a good character. Nice to see where everyone is at the end, mostly in great places with their personal relationships.

Caught another episode of The Murders and I'm really loving this show. I'm excited to find out who is messing with Kate and I liked seeing Nolan not dealing with his personal life. Also loved having Kate back him up.

Watched the finale to Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and, wow, I truly hoped the stupid superintendent would get what he deserved. Of course, he didn't and Peregrine might have lost her edge with him. We'll see what happens… if there's a second season. The chemistry between Steed and Peregrine is so delicious.

I'm nearing the end of my Painkiller Jane rewatch and I completely missed the episode I caught the first time around. Glad I got it in. I think there are two episodes left in this season, but I can't remember for certain.

Started another new show for me, Durham County. It's dark and twisty and I think I'm going to like it a lot. The first episode had a good mix of creepy happenings along with some good exposition. Looking forward to more.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Yank the Chain, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of creating a scene or story set around being in the brig or jail a week before a big event.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When pilot Riley Wang refuses to cave in and sleep with an arrogant major, she ends up in hack a week before graduation from flight school. Moss Mordecai bails her out, but keeps her from going after her superior officer. If Riley wants back on the roster, she needs a plan and spending more time in the brig isn't a good one.

And a sneaky peek…

Riley Wang blinked and shook her head. "Excuse me, you want me to what?" She couldn't have heard the major correctly.

Major Anton Cabella folded his hands on his desk. "You heard what I said. Don't pretend you didn't." He got up and came around to stand almost toe-to-toe with her. "I'm thinking between nineteen hundred and nineteen thirty." He trailed a finger from her shoulder to her forearm. "Uniform isn't necessary." His eyes narrowed, no doubt while his brain pictured her out of said uniform.

Riley fought back a shudder. This seriously couldn't be happening. She'd fought hard to get into the expanded training program and worked her ass off to prove she had the chops to become one of the elite pilots in the newly formed squadron. Her better half, Moss Mordecai encouraged her to apply and become a member of the new unit he'd joined last year.

Riley edged backward. "You do know I'm in a relationship, right?" One she didn't want to fuck up.

Cabella shrugged. "We're not meeting for a date, Lieutenant. I require no more than a few hours of your time." He pinned her with his hawk-like gaze. "Surely you can find some excuse for Lieutenant Mordecai to let you have an evening to yourself." His eyebrow quirked.

As if she needed Moss's permission. She didn't. He'd never ask her to explain an absence. Not that the major needed to know.

She eased a little further away. "It's not about that. I have no interest in spending any kind of personal time with you. I'm definitely not interested in sharing your bed." Her brain rebelled at even thinking about it.

Cabella smirked. "I guess I'll give your spot on the roster to someone else then." He reached behind him and pulled her fit rep.

Red hot anger flashed behind Riley's eyelids. The fucker wanted to ground her? Because she had zero desire to sleep with him.

She exhaled slowly, fighting to keep the rage at bay. "You're not serious." No way would he follow through. "You can't ground me. My stats are better than anyone else's." She'd bet her next pay grade they were better than his.

The major sneered. "Numbers aren't everything, Lieutenant." He grabbed another file, a thick one, and flipped it open. "You're not exactly known for keeping a low profile. I'm pretty sure I can find a reason to revoke your active status. One that'll hold up unless you make the right decision here." He closed the folder and tucked it under his arm.

Using her past transgressions as a threat pissed Riley off. She worked hard to clean up her act and keep it that way. Revoking her flight status over something trumped up? She didn't think so.

Riley didn't fight the urge anymore. The right decision? She'd give it to him…

Right now.

She hauled her arm back and punched the smug bastard in the face.

Riley's actions have repercussions but she's got a good guy in her corner… but she'll have to convince him she's not sliding back into bad habits.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: XO on the Warpath

Well… May is starting out with a crazy-busy schedule. I've got two new projects underway along with my regular work. That said, I love being busy so I won't complain.

I got to spend time with two of my best friends from high school. It's so much fun to catch up with them and we're hoping to make this a several times a year thing. Good food and terrific wine… a fabulous way to spend an evening.

Had a semi-decent week of television viewing. I started out with an episode of Blade: The Series and discovered I'd missed this one. Glad I caught up with it… it had several good pieces of information in it.

I caught the penultimate episode of Strike Back and, wow, as usual, it delivered. Gotta say I'm sad we didn't get to see Coltrane in action between the sheets, especially considering we've seen almost everyone else.

Also watched another episode of Classic Roswell and it's another episode I thoroughly enjoyed but didn't quite remember fully. I love revisiting this series.

Caught another episode of Arrow and got to finally discover Oliver's newest family member. The hits really do keep coming for Oliver and I love to watch him react to each one. Also starting to enjoy the futurescape a lot. I'm going to miss this show so much when it ends after the next season. But I'll look forward to having a dark Gotham to visit if Batwoman gets a pickup.

Watched the penultimate—a frequent refrain this week—episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I have to admit I'm disappointed with a couple of things. Miss Hart's seeming underhandedness is a big one and I'm holding out hope it's smoke and mirrors on that end. And, seriously, the character assassination of John Brackenreid makes my head spin. I truly hope the finale swings the pendulum back to normal.

The Murders had a terrific fourth episode. I like the little bit of mystery surrounding Kate and I definitely like Nolan's slow spiral. It looks like the next episode starts to address his issues and I'm totally there for it.

Caught the… you guessed it… penultimate episode of Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and, man, I loved it! This show is so. Much. Fun. Seriously, I'm crossing every appendage I have that there might be a second season.

Watched the first part of Chicago Fire's crossover with Chicago PD. Haven't watched the police episode yet but really wanted to watch Cruz go undercover. I'm not quite sure what to think about Grissom's about-face with Severied. That might not go anywhere good. Just saying.

Caught episode seven of Iron Fist and actually enjoyed it a lot. I'm sad to view what's going on with Danny and Colleen but I also think it's an interesting wrinkle in their relationship. Davos, as usual, irritates the ever loving crap out of me. I'm totally hoping Joy is making a long play to get her hands on the bowl but won't hold my breath. As usual, Ward and Misty entertained just by being on screen. I'll miss not having new episodes after this season ends.

Watched an episode of Painkiller Jane and it's another one I didn't get to see on the first run of the series. Glad I caught it. I do like how Jane finally accepts being part of the team and starts to consider them family.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from XO on the Warpath, a novella that got its start with a two-word prompt of "take me". Honestly… how much fun is that?

Here's the mini-blurb:

Garrick Mellark, executive officer of the Methone, is on the warpath. His crew is bucking orders and he's not going to deal with it anymore. Shay Vamper gets elected to soothe the snarly XO into his usual jovial self, which shouldn't be hard considering she's his current flame.

And a sneaky peek…

Garrick stood at the podium, his hands gripping the edge with white-knuckled intensity. "This has been the worst week of fuck-ups I've ever seen." He pinned the entire room with a nasty look. "And that's for the entire history of the ship." He'd checked the numbers.

A group of pilots in the front row chuckled and Garrick nearly lost his shit right there in front of the whole assembled group. Since the CAG got put on medical leave, Garrick had pulled double duty and received an extra-large dose of sheer stupidity as his reward.

Everything went wrong—mistakes, errors, sheer dumb luck. In the air, on the deck, in the galley, the head, and everywhere in between. Time to read the whole crew the riot act and hold them accountable. And they weren't going to like it.

Too damned bad.

Shay sat in the back of the room. She'd be as surprised as anyone. They'd had maybe all of an hour together in the last week. But she'd been the one to nudge him to create an action plan because burning the pipe at both ends didn't look good on him.

No shit. The extra duty sucked balls. And she basically refused to make his nightmare worse by stepping in to the CAG role. The paperwork aspect alone gave her hives, which she freely admitted. No way would she add insult to the injustice of being the XO and the CAG simultaneously.

So, here he stood, calling the shots since he got stuck with the responsibility. "I'm not putting up with it anymore. You're all on notice." He raised his voice for the last part and a collective wave a silence met his ears.

Finally.

Sweeping his gaze through the room, he dropped the next bombshell. "Every mistake, error, lapse in judgment, or dumbass move will warrant brig time from this point forward." He stepped away from the podium and delivered his parting shot. "I suggest you all pay attention and make sure you're on your game because I don't care if every single crewman ends up in hack. This ends now." He paused one moment. "You're dismissed." He only just cleared the hatch before the room erupted into pandemonium.

Good. He'd bet his next pay grade he'd have no less than five people in the brig within the next hour.

Garrick is at his wit's end and he's not messing around anymore. I can't wait for Shay's plan of action to soothe his bruised psyche.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye