If You Can Carry a Tune

If you can carry a tune you might be one to sing those awfully sad songs of love lost ... at least on a rainy day? Or like Erin with her "Haunted Past" (**) you might just hear the echo of a sad tune while you nurse a drink meant to sooth the heartache .... but I guess you know that a drink will not get Erin anywhere but closer to the memory of the terrible day when Gillian left her. Knowing Larisa we won't have to watch Erin waste away though, but we may have to watch the ladies dance around a bit before they kiss and make up.

Now grab a coffee while I find something with a good tune for you to read ..... how about Kim Pritekel's "Twilight"(**). In this story there is music to be found, as in the popular singer and songwriter Christine who is badly in need of a helping hand to get her act back together and find a little happiness ... and she might just find what she needs in Willow a nurse, wife and soon to be expecting mother ... yes you might say that Kim Pritekel has her work cut out for her if she wants the ladies to be more than friends. If you choose to sing along with Christine and Willow then settle in for a long read - it's a catching one with hurt and comfort, drama and romance and a well defined cast of characters. I would say that "Twilight" is among Pritekel's most well tuned stories.

Sometimes the tunes you play will get you fame and a truckload of money but most often it might not even put bread on the table or a roof over your head. Take Sam for instance she lives her life in her car going where the next job is most likely to be found. One day Sam finds herself stranded in the small town of "Piperton" (**) and her ability to play the piano and sing a tune the shortest way to a bit of cash. Even if her tunes ain't getting her a world of fame, Sam's soft songs of lost love is what gets her a new chance in life .... the attention of Janie. I'll leave you to explore the route that Sam and Janie travel on your own.

When we leave Piperton I suggest we explore one of the less talked about F/F fiction sites "Sapphic Voices" lets do so by listening in on Storm and her Stormtroopers soon to be Stormclouds in F.J.Davey's "Images"(**). This is music meeting the world of business and an unnourished heart finding love in a new and unexpected place. It's also a chance for you to explore the overseas .... well I guess that really is a question of where you have set up home ... but to me Australia and Zimbabwe is definitely out of everyday reach. So if you are willing to take a chance with the popular tunes of the Sixties, Eighties and even Nineties then follow along and see how the fierce temper and hot looks of lead singer Storm sparks when met with Kathryn's smooth businesslike manners and cool distance. The question is if there will ever be more than just sparks flying .... and I might warn you it's not just you and me looking in on Storm and Kathryn we got another a pair of eyes, a pair of too interested eyes, following the moves. So watch out !

I'm going to leave you to the music of your own choice but on my way out I'll set up a list of stories sporting protagonists who have a connection to the music scene. The stories might not quite match the above mentioned in quality but you might still find something that matches the rhythm of your heart:

• Sidney's Serenade by JL Nickey 
• Two Part Harmony by Colleen
• The Sister by Zuke
• Magic of the Heart by CJ Harte
• Whips and Chains by Larisa

If you have stories you want to add to the list please let me know!

"Gone for Soldiers Every One" or just "Women in Uniform"

I am really not in favor of War, especially not when the result is coffins with the bodies of young soldiers brought back from faraway places, but with the recent repeal of DADT in the US I thought that it was time to venture out to look for a few "Women in Uniform".

This time we could start out in the movies! The first female soldier I think that I came across was "Private Benjamin" as in a Goldie Hawn flick from the '80's - a lot of fun at the time, but perhaps a bit out of date by now (?) - and even if there is a hint of bisexuality in the movie it's all just for "fun".

Kelly McGillis as Top Gun Instructor

I know that Kelly McGillis wasn't really a soldier in "Top Gun" and that the movie was too high on testosterone to ring any bells, but I am pretty sure she would have been able to find a well fitting flight suite had she needed one!

Demi Moore as Lt. Jordan O'Neil

If we continue down the movie trail we will eventually hit the ocean ... you know that the sea is the perfect element for a SEAL, don't you? So I guess that we could go see if "GI Jane" chose to ring the bell ... now this woman IS a soldier and she chose to be tested with the best, but I think that she might be overdoing it just a bit - even if her one-handed push ups is impressive.

We might want equal opportunities, but should it be on male terms and standards ... ? 

On-handed push ups!

In "GI Jane" we get a hint on the consequences of living as a homosexual in the military, but even if Lt. Jordan O'Neil turns herself into one hard butch GI for the sake of joining a SEAL team, and has her sexuality questioned in the process, we don't really get to see if this has any impact on her love life.  

Glenn Close

Glenn Close and Judy Davis

Further down the movie trail we encounter "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story". This is the real-life story of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer of the US National Guard who was involuntary discharge when she admitted she was gay. This is the story of her coming out and her legal battle following the discharge.

I think Glenn Close and Judy Davis made a nice couple and it's fun to watch the slightly up-tight colonel trying to find equal footing with her more bohemian love interest, but beware this is a movie from the mid '90s  - you might find it a bit dated!

Should you want to explore the theme of real life LGBT veterans, you can look up the publication "Proud to Serve". Some of the pictures from the book is available here.

Now lets turn to Fan Fic's with a theme on "Women in Uniform" or perhaps just a woman in uniform. I think that we should start out with the end..... serving in the military and especially at a time when your country choose to go to war might bear the ultimate consequence for you and your family. This is the theme that Cheyne explore in "Requiem" - so don't go there unless you have a tissue handy.

While we visit with Cheyne I might as well tell you that she has written a much longer story with Women in Uniform - "Permission to Recover". All 582 pages (!) of this story is posted at The Athemaeum and very well rated by the readers, but due to the length I've never read it. So I can't really tell you if the story is worth you time - let me know if it's a good read!

Moving on to Ft. Bragg we get to meet the Top of Headquarters Company. The long and lean 1SG Karen Wilson and her new "butter bar" 2Lt Whitney Gordon who is going to serve as the company XO. What could have been a nasty battle of strength between a competent NCO and a still "wet behind the ear" officer, turns out to be a - not too mushy - but still enjoyable meeting of two women both in need of a new friend and perhaps more .... if just one of them has the nerve to break the silence that DADT and the band on fraternisation poses on them. "XO" by C. Paradee is not a story of war but a little romance and drama mixed on the backdrop of an army base and some military jargon. 

If you want real fighting you could look up Larisa's "Da Nang", but you will be looking at VC snipers and sneaky fighting, dirt, blood and death bodies - so join the fun at you own risk. If you want your soldier in Dress White you can take a look at Pez in Larisa's "The Ice Princess", but even though Pez do her fair bit of fighting, it's still in the relatively calm scenery of an ER and not on the battlefield. Should you on the other hand want to go to Officer Candidate School you can join Brennen Magdonn as she enters at The Quantico Marine Corps Base, and don't worry there are lot's of butch lesbians who is always faith full ... "Semper Fi" by Larisa.

Leaving Larisa will get us into combat again this time with Master Sgt. Halley a Marine trained for specialized missions in hostile countries. 15 years in the service and wondering if this is what life has to offer, Halley starts to question her heart and what she find is the blue eyes of Commander Eden a Top Gun Navy Aviator. But before Halley and Eden can say more than "Hallo" the women find themselves on a deadly mission in enemy territory, where finding cover is much more important than "Finding Your Heart"!

I for one prefer to have my soldiers in a more relaxed setting, so I'll venture out on a "Blind Date" by D with a nervous marine by the name of Lark, and an annoyed Mel who has been pushed hard by her best friend Claire to have dinner with Lark, while she is home on leave. You won't get much soldiering done in this fic, but you will get to "see" our marine in her green class A service uniform - a formidable look if we go by Mel's judgment!

For a more humorous outlook on life in the service look up Major Sheila Patton when she attach "The Nipple Factory" .... only to find a lonely and frustrated woman in need of some hand holding.

Now I will leave you to your reading - please dodge any bullets coming your way - stay safe!

The Nipple Factory by JLNicky and Honeybakedham

Don’t you just hate that - the beginning of chaos in you world of definite order. It might be a stack of books not put away on the right shelf in the bookcase, a number of half-finished items of food in the fridge, the enormous amount of shoes that accumulate in the closet with every change of season …… Well actually I’m not a neat freak; I do tend to leave little piles of things lying around the house, where I think that I might need them ….soon. I mean why put yesterday’s newspaper away if you didn’t finish reading it? I’ll surly …not… get around to reading it tomorrow, but one can always hope.

Major Shiela Patton certainly don’t agree with leaving piles of stuff around that don’t fit in her well-ordered military warehouse, so when a delivery from Babies 1st Nipples of 100.000 baby bottle replacement nipples arrive at the door she immediately set into action – this stuff has to go back NOW. Unfortunately that does prove to be a rather difficult task to carry out, even if you have a commanding attitude like Major Patton.

If you want your protagonist butch, look no further for your fun. Major Patton is everything you need - six feet tall and sharply dressed in fatigue and combat boots, with an athletic body and raven coloured hair, wearing sunglasses regardless of being inside, or out. So what can wear down a career soldier like our Major Patton ? Surly you must have guessed ? A woman’s tears !

And tears are what Major Patton encounters when she tries to get Bobbi Dellicroix - the owner of the Babies 1st Nipples company - to pick up the out-of-place goods from her warehouse. As you can imagine the tearful apologies of Bobbi convinces Major Patton to help rectify the problem herself - she loads up a 5 ton truck with the goods and drives off to meet Bobbi.

Did you guess ? You probably did! Yes - Bobbi is a small woman with the most beautiful green eyes! But she has something above and beyond green eyes which will keep Major Patton occupied for a while. If you want to know what it is, you will have to look up this story and go visit the war zone that the Major has landed in.

This is humour and at places actually rather fun, even if "The Nipple Factory" doesn’t really have a consistent storyline. When I think about it this story is essentially a number of funny one liners, and I guess that I chose to let you know about the story because I liked the basic idea of the storyline even if it wasn’t really explored to its full extent.

In the story a number of – let’s say – unnecessary characters fools around for no apparent reason. I get the feeling that some of these extra characters are moulded over “well-known” fictional characters that I’m not familiar with? What ever else might be the reason for including something like 15 siblings of the Major in a story 44 pages long?

As you might know I’m partial to the humour you can find in a standard Larisa storyline – so if you want humour and a bit of romance in a more structured storyline you could look up my favourite Larisa story “The Phantom” or perhaps “Kicking and Screaming”. Larisa has also written a story featuring a protagonist in the military it’s titled “Da Nang”. I didn’t find this story to be quit so funny and catching as other Larisa stories, but it seems to be well-liked by other readers as it has a high rating on The Athenaeum, so maybe it’s just that the war theme is not my cup of tea.

Angels Heart by Mavis Applewater

The other day I came across a new fic posted at The Academy of Bards based on a “women in prison” theme – so I thought why no put together a list of fic’s on this topic. I guess that I should let you know though that I missed out on the English TV-series “Bad girls” which explains why I haven’t included any Nikki/Helen fan fic - I never caught that particular “bug”.

If you want an “education” in prison life look up "Redemption" by Sword’n’Quill (Susanne Beck) and take a walk with Angel and let her tell you the tale of her years in “The Bog”, of the righteous women of The Amazon gang who makes sure every one follow the rules and of her attraction to Ice - the leader of the pack of Amazons. You might know this story already as Incognito reviewed it back in October 2009, but I do think that it belongs on this list as I do agree with Incognito on the merit of the fic.

In “The Bog” you either wise up fast or go for an equally swift downward spin. Luckily enough Angel happens to make a narrow escape from a couple of beastly woman into the prison library very early in her “prison career”. This earns her the support of Corinne - the old and wise prison librarian - and the protection of The Amazons. It does take some time though before Angel sets her eyes on Ice but when she does, you get hit with the entire soul mate theme – of souls calling out and visions of past lives led and sacrifices made spinning around – this is a Xena Uber of the “original” kind!

“Redemption” is a drama with lots of fighting and with a very slow moving romance at its core, it’s well written, with a bit of funny dialogue at times as well as a broad storyline and a wide cast of “bad” women to entertain you. If you have amble time on your hands go look it up.

“Redemption” is the first in a series of three – the two sequels are titled “Retribution” and “Restitution”. I read the stories ages ago and I haven’t taken the time to do a complete rereading – so you are on you own with the sequels.

The very productive Mavis Applewater penned one of the first fan fic’s on the “women in prison” theme that I read. As a number of the fic’s by this author “Angels Heart” and the sequel “Angel Unchained” is more or less a PWP, but I think that the stories has a bit of an alt romance at heart even if the setting is a tad harsh and the “hot stuff” a bit rough and repetitive for my taste.

In the Angels series your get to meet Angel and her small “family” of inmates at the Seaside Correctional Institution for Women. Angel - a three-timer doing an extended stretch of time at the facility - decides to “spread her wings” over Luann a desolated looking newbie who is unwilling to defend herself against the “brutes” in the prison. To keep Luann safe Angel has to “claim” Luann as her own and as you can imagine, this is done by public displays of sex – not once, but a number of times – those inmates has to be reminded ! But don’t worry, our Angel is pure at heart and even tough she harbours not only sexual but also romantic feelings for Luann, she doesn’t take advantage of her – it’s al just a bit of “acting” – at least for awhile.

I have no idea what a women’s correctional facility is like, but somehow I find it hard to imagine that women are as brutal or as sexually charged as portrayed in this fic, but who cares – it’s fiction right!

In “Prison Grove” by Geon Cannon the setting is almost the same, a harsh correction facility, a newbie and a seasoned inmate, two women falling in love and living out the romance and their sexual relationship under the restrictions of the prison rules. The plot in this storyline is even simpler than in Mavis’ “Angels series” as this story focuses solely on the 19 years old newbie Amy’s sexual maturing through her relationship with an older inmate. This fic is also a PWP, but with a slightly unexpected twist in the end.

A somewhat different approach is to be found in “Hard as Stone” by JL Nicky. This story is set in the 1930s and revolves around Sara (Stone) and Tammy (Twig’s) both doing time for murder. Stone is a quiet six feet tall, dark haired woman who keeps to herself, that’s until she sets eyes on the new green eyed girl Tammy, who is being pursued by “Snow and her sister White” ;-). Stone is the guarding angel that Tammy needs to survive in the The Bickett Correctional Facility, the one that will teach her how to breaking quarry rock, see to her aching back and open her eyes to the possibilities of romance. This is not a PWP – so don’t go to Bickett for hot sex. The story is a bit uneven in the storyline and with a changing focus, but it does fit nicely with the theme of “women in prison”.

If you like the theme you can take a look at three shorter fics that I’ve mentioned above, but don’t expect too much – they are entertaining enough, but not high quality neither in editing nor storyline.