It takes two to tango

No matter the time or the place there is one couple that you can't separate - want to take a guess ? Nope ..  you won't find the answer in the picture this time, even if pictures paints a thousand words! .. and this is an awfully nice picture ... it could very well be the climax of a lesfic story line as in ... no I'm not the writer - I'm the reader! And that's who they are, the couple .. not the dancers silly ! The couple that you can't separate, the couple who need each other like ... well whatever You Need.

... the reader and the writer .. it's a bliss when you find each other. You can be her first, she can be your latest and you can be each others ... whatever you are it might be for life. 

You can bookmark her, put her among your favourites or on a shelf - she won't mind. She will think of you while she puts her words on paper and ponders the story line, but you don't have to brush your teeth before you take her to bed. 

It's a match made in heaven, but it's not free. You'll have to commit your reading time as she will have to commit herself to slaving over the keyboard. She will wonder if you read her lines, as you will wonder the meaning of her words. 

You are together yet separate, your lives merely touching, but still she can linger in your head for days like the tune of a favourite song that you hum to yourself over and over again.

What you do to her is your choice, but if you like her writing drop her a line - STOP lurking and be a pal feed the bard!  ... now I don't know the couple but they could easily picture characters from a favourite story line - even if short blond and tall dark aren't in the picture.... could it be Caid the "Balantine Babe" from Dabkey's "And Playing the role of herself" and her love interest Robyn who just happened to be sporting both a very visible boyfriend Josh and a less obvious stalker. Well probably not as both Caid and Robyn tends to be a bit protective of their private lives and not much is private when you are an actress. On the other hand it might be Mimi and Jolly as you might say that privacy is not high their list. Mimi is waiting in the wings - and not quit patiently - for the love of her life, Jolly to notice what is right in front of her eyes ... the love of her life, and once the cobweb has been dusted of Jolly's mind, they find "A place to Dance" very much in the spotlight or rather in their fathers face ...yes check it out!

Dancing is certainly not uncommon in our lesfic story lines and to some it's almost a lifestyle. Take Sheridan who is a regular on the dance floor with just about any hot babe that she can lay her eyes on ... well that is until Keefer happens to put herself firmly in the picture, but "Caution: Under construction" might just leave you a little breathless even if you aren't  joining the ladies on the dance floor. 

If you go for the more serene dancing then an evening in the company of D.S. Bauden and "A Saving Solace" might be more to your liking. It's just one dance in the confinement of Kelly's home but it does take the story and the ladies to the next level. As is the case for Laurel and her friend Caden in Kim Pritekel's "Again". A dance in the privacy of home is just the thing that gets things moving towards the living happily ever after. If this is playing it a bit safe then try your hand with Xenasgrll's "A Safe Place" where Paige treats Madison to a dance which would not be deemed safe in a public place. Do you want me to go on .. then lets turn up the heat a notch with J Brownell's "Now and Forever" this time the ladies doesn't even make it to the dance floor even if they are dressed up to the nines and almost there, but then again they don't really need to go to the next level, they are already there. 

Now don't get the impression that a dance is all it takes, sometimes a dance can spell disaster waiting to happen as is the case for Clancy in "Miss-Match" by AC Henley, but then again Max wasn't really whom she should have chosen for her first dance and she might think to thank Carmen for getting her ass out of trouble. As for dancing with the "wrong" woman Artemis Callaghan will set up Kit for trouble in the long run by accepting a dance with the wrong sister at the right time. A mix up YES - is it easy to fix - NO or YES - as long as you don't mind playing the fence a bit. Follow the ladies in Hen Night, Wedding reception, Honeymoon, Divorcee.

Go on there is a woman and a writer out there who is the ONE for you....

"Single White Female Looking for a Woman like ...."

I know that every morning you go thumbing through the personal want ads. You grab the latest copy, a cup of coffee, and settle in for a good time, trying to find something to catch your eye, hoping and praying that today's edition is gonna catch your attention... 

"Single white female looking for that special lover. A one Women Woman who doesn't want no other !  

Oh, you never can tell She just might be your dream come true. A single white female looking for a woman like you !

Ok ... so this is definitely not my choice of words, not that I wouldn't want to put words together like that. It's just that they are not mine! The words are a slightly adapted version of Cheryl Wrights "Single White Female" - a popish country song. You can watch the music video here or the slightly twisted edition from Capital Pride here).

I've been pondering the question of Looking. Not the stalking kind of looking, but rather the kind of Looking you would do if you where Looking for Love. For a woman to share your life with or maybe - if that's your thing - a woman to share a shortish fling.

Who will catch your eye ? The Bookish Butch Woman from Montréal or the Femme ? I for one hate the labels ! Why would you want to divide the world in Butch / Femme ... in those who put on a nice shade of lipstick to go out and those who keep their hair short, in whom shave their legs and whom doesn't, in which women wear heels and which prefer comfortable shoes, in who reads F/F romance's to relax and who tinker with her car for exactly the same reason ?

And what about the woman who change the wheels on her car on Saturday morning, puts on comfortable boots for a walk in the afternoon, and gets herself ready for going out ... in lipstick and heels in the evening ? What label would you put on her ? 

Let's leave the labels behind and take a look around the F/F Universe. This is a place for stereotypes and that's actually a lot like labels, but who cares it just for fun .... right?!

So I'm out looking for love ... hopefully in the right places ... and where would I go if I wanted a gentle(wo)man. "Love in Photographs" by Alex Tryst would be a good place to start. I'm not really an Alex Tryst fan, probably because the stereotypes got to strong for me, but the photographer Torrance might be a match for ... Annett Benning. Torrance is talented and rich (a nice combination), and she finds what her heart is looking for in her model Helen ... but she has to put in a bit of work to get what she wants !

I am a big Badsquirrel fan, but "Dark Side of the Moon" explores a way of life that is really not my cup of tea, it might be yours, so if the world of BDSM and a bit of gender bending is what you are looking for then I think that Jordan -  master of the house - might be able to match Annett Benning in style!

I know that Milla Jovovich and her Versace Jeans is not new to you, but this picture reminds me of Sheridan of Vertigo's "Caution: Under Construction". Sheridan is a woman in trades, a skilled construction worker and a womaniser, who meets her match in Keefer, a building inspector with a love interest ... Sheridan! You can read this for the hot stuff .... or just for the romance.

When we speak of women of trades I have to mention "Rumors" by Badsquirrel. This is where you'll meet Kelly the auto mechanic with the softest of soft hearts, all of it invested in the memory of a teenage crush on Hannah - the owner of "Doggie Styles". This is among my absolute favourites.

I'll leave the picture of Milla Jovovich while pointing you in the direction of Eunice, the owner of a horse farm (is that a rancher ??) with a broken heart, which will heal to the tones of Molly's guitar and soft songs in Dee's "Fenced Fields", but I'm not done with the women of trades. I have to introduce you to Sara from L.A. Tucker's "The Light Fantastic". This is a great story where you'll find Sara playing the role as "Jack of all trades" at her brothers up and coming golf course while hiding from the world. Well that is until Chloe gets her hands on her heart.

If you like the women of trades, you might also fancy Cordie. She is captain of the swordfishing boat "Dawn Piper". You might ask why you should go visit with Cordie .... what kind of romance could a week long  swordfishing trip amount to for a lesbian among a crew of fishermen .... ok ok - I'll give you a clue ... Cordie is ordered to take out the boss's daughter and introduce her to the world of swordfishing! I'll leave the rest to your imagination or to the pen of Barbara Davies in "Beneath the Surface". This is Bound to fascinate you ;-)

It's been rather easy to find F/F stories picturing the stereotype gentle(wo)men wearing a suit, sporting a manish name, and harbouring a heart just waiting for the right woman to tear down the walls build around it. 

I find it a bit more difficult to locate the "women I want" when I go looking for the opposite. The women with a clearly feminine touch, a nice shade of lipstick, wearing skirt and heels, not for the sake of an office job, but because this is her preference. It's not that these women don't exist in F/F stories, they do. I think that it's just that they don't stand out as much as the stereotype manish lesbians. If you are looking for the feminine touch you can follow along as I hunt for women in heels. 

A couple of women in heels and nice dresses ..... well I do think that Beth and Amy of Fingersmiths "Once" lets our minds eye enjoy them in pretty gowns for a wedding. Now don't jump ahead of the storyline - it's definitely not their wedding, they are just friends (!) - but I guess that it's safe to say that each of them would love to be more than that .... if they could only find a way.

I think that it's also safe to say that Mimi looks quit stunning in her gown for the charity auction which proves to be her first date with her stepsister Jolly, whom Mimi has had the BIGGEST crush on since puberty...... I guess that the almost incestuous reference might sound a bit upsetting, but trust me on this, Mimi looks good in her gown and equally good when dressed in leather or in the buff ... and once her master carpenter and architect Jolly gets past the sisterhood thing Molly do get a chance to take charge of her life and of Jolly's. In case you are wondering this is Ali Vali's "A Place to Dance"

As for heels I do think that Torrey fund a pair to go with her pant suit when Taylor finally found the time and place to take her out! This is B.L.Millers "None So Blind", and if you haven't read this romance yet, I think you should. Torrey and Taylor goes way back, but - as usual - a misunderstanding had them separate before they could declare their love. So we get their story in flashbacks while we follow the slow rekindling of their friendship and the reshaping of their future ... it's an enjoyable read.

I'll keep on the lookout for women in heel's - let me know if you get lucky .... NO not that kind of lucky ! Just you know lucky ...  as in stumbling on a woman in heels - preferably purple ones in your reading.

Ramble - Revisiting Old Friends!

Do you ever get tired of exploring new territory ? Meeting new people ? Do you sometimes just long to wander around all the safe haunts ... to go to that place by the river you know is so tranquil, to have a drink at the café that you know serves the best coffee, to meet up with the friend you know will make you laugh and kick your butt because you need it ... again!

In RL we can't always lounge around in the safe places, we have to venture out into the unknown, be daring, try our hands at things that we don't know if we can do, but in the world of fan fiction we don't have to be daring all the time. Sometimes we can just sit back with an old favourite fic and enjoy a good read - no harm in that! Let someone else struggle with all the new stories for a little while.

If you feel the inclination to visit with a few of my old friends from the mushy part of the uber fan fiction universe feel free to join me as is ramble down memory lane .....

This time my ramble takes off in Michigan with Keegan the pregnant ex-soccer player who still has a flame burning for her former partner Gwen "America's Sweetheart". However much I think that even expecting mothers should keep up with their exercises this is not about exercise or sport for that matter, but a mushy romance that will show us that it's possible to win back the love of your life if you are willing to risk your heart - and I guess that some things or rather some women are worth a bit of a risk.

Hmm I just realized that I never put "America's Sweetheart" on the Top10 page - what a miss - even with some rough spots in the dramatic parts of the storyline - this is a gem - if you like mushy romance.

If mushy romance wont satisfy your cravings you might want to wander down a little dark side street .... this is where you'll find the mushy romance with an erotic twist or maybe it's the other way around ... erotica with a romantic twist?? Anyway don't read these stories at work .... never did understand why anyone would take time out to read fan fiction during office hours - sorry I have high work ethics .. perhaps be course I love what I do?? 

"Caution: Under Construction" .... don't worry this is not an unfinished fic but an extra long and well crafted story by Vertigo sporting the ultimate butch construction worker Sheridan, her rather undisciplined dogs and a long legged brunette Keefer that proves to be just the thing Sheridan needs to quit her habit of playing ladies for one night stands. The women are sweet, the romance mushy and the sex scenes plentiful!

If you are still struggling to keep warm take a few step farther down the little dark street and look up Wilder and her long time friend Darcy while they take an almost scientific approach to establishing whether sex with a woman is more pleasurable than with a man. You might take a guess at the outcome before you look up "Unlimited Sexual Favours".

Let's move back up toward the main street where the light is better and the atmosphere less steamy ! This time lets knock on Delaney's door, she is a player like Sheridan, the butch construction worker from Vertigo's "Caution: Under Construction", and like Sheridan she has a soft heart under her tough exterior, but it's well hidden and even her friends aren't quite sure that she has one. The woman to teach Delaney to play by a new tune is Hannah. A sweet woman who needs a friend and certainly shouldn't be used for an one night stand, but that's all Delaney is about isn't it ? If you want to know what made Hannah vulnerable and how Delaney tackles the new challenge then look up "Endgame" by Meghan O'Brien.

The view is even better if we aim for high ground or perhaps even the summit of Kilimanjaro. If you feel like taking a real hike whiles relaxing on the sofa then venture out with Mary Kate when she decides to follow her dream of trekking to the top of the Kilimanjaro. This is not just an adventure but turns out to be a well crafted romance when Kristin joins the trekking party on "The Road from Kilimanjaro".

I have several "old friends" that I revisit from time to time, the above mentioned fic's are just the one's I have revisited recently. If you want to know a bit more about the stories mentioned before you venture out for a first time visit then look up the reviews by way of the author tags. 

I would love to know if you have a favourite story that you revisit from time to time - maybe I've missed out on something ;-)

Blazing Dreams by Larisa

Are you into construction workers and the likes? You know the strong butch woman with powerful forearms, muscular thighs and perhaps a stocky build, the women who are really soft at heart when you get past the tough exterior? Well if you are then you have amble chance to meet a woman of your heart in the world of f/f fan fiction.

You might already know some of my favourite characters in this genre - how about Sheridan in Vertigo’s “Caution: Under Construction”*, she is not only good at putting up drywall but also an imaginative lover, or Branson in Larisa’s “Phantom”*, who looses her heart to a farmer.

Actually you’ll find a huge number of these big softies in the stories by Larisa, like Taylor the cement truck driver in “Kicking and Screaming”* who will win a toaster own and the heart of a rather confused straight woman, Rouge from “Rough Warrior” who comes to the rescue with her strange truck when Taylor needs a friend, or Ed in “Haunted Past” who mourns the loss of her wife who left her because ... well you’ll have to look up the story if you want to know why and to learn if she will ever return.

You’ll probably find the farmer Elise in “The Harvest”* by G.E. Birch a bit less butch than Larisa’s characters but she does have a trade that requires quite a bit of muscular power, and a heart looking for someone to love. If you find female farmers who wears their hearts on their sleeves alluring you could also go meet up with Eunice in “Fenced Fields”* by Dee.

Should you prefer the female characters with a tough job on the sea you might want to look up Captain Cordie in "Beneath the Surface”* by Barbara Davids, who will take you and Piper sword-fishing which proves to be no easy trade.

As I said the butch women are plentiful in f/f fan fiction and if you want them at the roughest go look up the ones in the Larisa Universe. They all have big hearts that needs a special woman to love, and more often than not it’s great fun to watch how the romance unfolds.

If you know all of the stories mentioned above you could try Larisa’s “Blazing Dream” sporting not one but two women with a strong connection to the world of construction, but maybe you should take a quick peek at life in the woods before you decide to venture out. The first thing that you’ll notice is the sound of axe and chainsaw that create a steady flow of noise from dawn till dusk as Rowan tries to fight of her demons by cutting and splitting logs.

If you choose to stay home to have some peace and quiet, I know someone who will venture out - that's Brandy - she has just inherited a rather run-down property from her aunt, and now she is looking to spend some time fixing it up with her next-door neighbour Rowan looking on.

If it wasn’t for the noise of Rowan’s axe and chainsaw or the occasional gift she leaves at Brandy’s door, Brandy wouldn’t know that anyone was around watching her work, that’s until the day - months later - when she slides of her roof only to be caught in Rowans strong arms! From then on thoughts of soft black hair, blue eyes and a gorgeous body crowed Brandy’s dream, but it will take Latisha the Queen to bring Rowan out of her hiding and into Brandy’s life.

“Blazing Dream” has a standard Larisa storyline, a funny dialogue, weird characters and a couple of woman who really needs someone to love. So if you like the strong butch characters in a funny setting, and can accept a fast moving romance - you could venture out into the woods with Brandy, Rowan and Latisha the Queen.

* These stories have been reviewed at this site and at Fan Fiction Reviews. You can look up the reviews by way of the list of author tags.

Caution: Under Construction by Vertigo

I’ve been telling myself that I should under no circumstances do a review of Vertigo’s “Under Construction”. What will the readers think of me if I admit that I actually did enjoy the story, even if something like half of it consists of long and graphical description of sex of the f/f nature?

So what happened – well I did one of many rereads of the story and I decided that the romance is so well crafted that you should not miss out on it, just because the author goes a bit overboard in the sex drive of the ladies involved.

Sheridan is the ultimate butch woman with her strong muscular body, her daytime job as a construction worker, and a reputation as a slick player to protect. But inside the tough exterior you will find a woman with a soft heart, and maybe you will even find it – her heart I mean - before Sheridan realises that she has one. With all her fast and furious sexual encounters at the dance club, she doesn’t really see herself as someone with a girlfriend, or as someone who could fall in love, but at the age of 31, I guess it’s just a matter of time, even for Sheridan.

Keefer is a tall gorgeous brunette who is in need of rescuing, not only from her cheating girlfriend, Danni, but also from her shy self. Sheridan doesn't have a white horse or shining armour but she does have a little black Corvette, and with her newfound “white knight” tendencies she takes it upon herself to punch Danni in the nose for cheating on Keefer – or something like that.

And that’s how the story of Keefer and Sheridan begins. It’s a long story so you will have ample time to get acquainted with the ladies and to follow their gradual move from friends to lovers, and to see how Sheridan coops with her own growing. If you are a lover of dogs you might even have a bit of fun with Fifi, Pharaoh and Zeus – they are a bit of a wild bunch.

For me it all sums up to a nice romance with agreeable characters, a good “supporting cast” that gets to play along in the “side wings” of the plot, and a lot of sex. Fortunately the author has an ability to pen a number of variations on the theme of sex. Otherwise it would have become a bit dull to read page upon page on this rather one-tracked topic. If you are not keen on the sex parts, you should just skip the story – it’s going to take you too much time to scroll through them.

Enjoy !