Stories and thoughts about being a queer girl geek in the 21st Century.
Author: joanne the geek
I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. My interests include writing, film, music, art, books, and pursuing my geek interests such as Star Wars, and Magic the Gathering.
Passage through the forest was viable she had been informed, but the forest itself was inhabited by elves who shot humans on sight, apparently. Nevertheless, she plunged into the forest while making as little noise as possible.
“Human!’ A voice said from the treetops. “What are you doing here?”
“Just passing through.” She replied nervously.
“Keep moving!” The voice commanded. She moved as fast as she could. When she eventually came back out into the sunlight, she reckoned she heard laughter behind her.
Jess got out of the tractor. Due to an excessive amount of rain the south field had turned into a swamp. Her tractor was mired, the tires caked with mud. She sighed. Already she had tried for several hours to get the tractor moving again, but to no avail. Cindy had gone to Faerie to meet the Elven Queen. She had been gone a couple of days now. Jess hated it when Cindy wasn’t here. The farm never felt right without her. Jess decided to walk back to the homestead and figure out what to do over some coffee.
Joanne Fisher
Word count: 99
This was written with the prompt mud on the tires provided by the Carrot Ranch September 19 Story Challenge.
Anne drew her cutlass and grabbed hold of a rope. In one move she swung over to The Damnation while urging her crew to follow. As soon as she landed on the deck of her enemy, her crew also began boarding the ship. She was immediately attacked by several of Harrington’s men. Fending them off she looked around for Harrington, but couldn’t see him. Was he skulking below decks? She signaled to Stryker to lead the assault while she looked for Harrington. Stryker nodded back at her as she went below deck.
She went down a narrow passageway that led to his cabin, but found he wasn’t there. She came to a door that was locked. Breaking the lock she opened the door to find, to her surprise, a young woman with long dark hair who looked terrified. She was chained to the bed, while on a table sat Anne’s jewelry box along with other treasures. Anne stood there wordlessly while the sound of fighting above got louder. They stared at each other in confusion.
“You looking for me girl?” said a familiar rough voice behind Anne. She spun round and parried Harrington’s blow.
“Harrington!” she spat out. “Interesting company you keep. I didn’t realise you had a guest staying.”
“You’re welcome to join her.” Harrington replied as he swung his cutlass at her again. She parried it and drove forwards forcing him into the passageway. Anne then swung her blade at him, which he dodged.
“I’d rather set her free.” Anne told him as she launched another attack. This time he parried her attack. He grinned at her with his rotting teeth.
“No girl can be a pirate.” He stated as he sliced at her with his cutlass. She dodged out of the way while grimly smiling at him.
“But a woman can.” She replied as she swung at him again, this time cutting him across the forehead when he failed to get out of the way. Blinded by the blood streaming into his eyes his next attack was a wild swing that Anne easily dodged. She then smacked him in the head with her blade and he collapsed onto the floor. Finding some rope, she tied him up. She went back into the cabin. The young woman there still looked terrified. Anne sheathed her cutlass.
“Who are you?” the woman asked.
“My name is Anne. I’m captain of The Red Arrow. I’m here to free you.” Anne said. The woman looked at her uncertainly.
“My name is Katherine, though everyone calls me Kate. That man attacked the ship I was on. I’m the only survivor. He’s kept me in here for days. I don’t know how long. He kept bringing jewels every time he came in here…” Her voice trailed off. She looked away while tears began to fall. Anne understood.
“Don’t worry, he’ll never bother you again.” Anne told her. Stryker, her First Mate, appeared.
“His crew has mostly surrendered. Their morale was rather low.” He informed her.
They freed Kate and took what gold and jewels they could find. Several of Harrington’s men joined her crew, while the others were put into her ships brig to be released later. Anne and a few others deliberately scuttled The Damnation. They all watched the black ship sink below the water.
“Davy Jones can have that cursed ship.” Anne stated once the ship had fully disappeared under the waves. “How’s our ship First Mate?”
“We are quite damaged Captain, but I reckon we can make it back to Port Royal. We can always do some repairs on the way.” Stryker replied. Kate had joined them on the forecastle and had watched The Damnation sink with quiet satisfaction.
“Have you anything left of your own belongings?” Anne asked Kate.
“No. Most of my things were left aboard the ship when Harrington sank it.” Kate replied. Anne brought out her jewelry box and, after taking a couple of things out of it, gave it to Kate.
“Well this is a start.” Anne told her. Kate accepted it with gratitude.
“Is he truly gone?” Kate asked.
“Yes Harrington is with Davy Jones now, along with the remains of his ship.” Anne replied. She smiled darkly at the water. “You’re welcome to join us you know.”
“I’m not sure if I’m a pirate, but thanks for saving me.” Kate said. Anne nodded.
Confines
today I'm at South Brighton
walking along the foaming sand
watching escalator waves
rolling in
mechanically
I'm holding my camera tightly
as if you were contained
within its body
& you are
earlier
we were in the garden
& I was storing images
your rare smiles
frozen
for a single
microsecond
the flurry of movement
caught
indelibly
later
all I have is
a dozen blurred pictures
of your embarrased
shy smiles
trying to escape
the lens
Joanne Fisher
Sara knocked on my door late one evening. There were bruises on her face and a nasty cut on her arm, which I quickly bandaged before taking her to the hospital and contacting the police. Why this beautiful woman was living with such a violent man I couldn’t fathom. If she had been into women, I would have gladly lived with her.
So we found two marks. They were a couple of successful businessmen. We pretended to be investment brokers who had discovered a way to get speedy returns. They were suspicious of us at first, but we convinced them to invest a small amount of money which we gave back to them shortly afterwards with some of our own.. Satisfied, they then gave us a couple of million in briefcases to invest, which we then ran off with. It was all going swimmingly until we were suddenly surrounded by cops. It turned out our marks were undercover policeman all along.
Joanne Fisher
Word count: 99
This was written with the prompt swimmingly provided by the Carrot Ranch September 5 Story Challenge.
Last night around midnight I found a notification on my phone that Queen Elizabeth was seriously ill. I went to the BBC World coverage to find that Buckingham Palace had released an unprecedented statement saying doctors were concerned about Queen Elizabeth’s health and that family members were quickly traveling to Balmoral Castle in Aberdeen where she was currently staying. The coverage showed the gates of Balmoral Castle and vehicles coming and going through it.. A photo captured some of the royals in a car looking rather grim. It all seemed rather serious. Rather than go to bed, I kept watching wondering if there was about to be some imminent announcement.
A person in a comments section postulated that maybe the Queen was already dead as they noted the BBC presenters were all dressed in black. That person stated that Elizabeth’s death would only be announced in the early evening, even if she had died some hours before. Sure enough at 6:30pm in the United Kingdom (5:30am here) the death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 was finally announced. An end of an era. We all knew this day was going to come, but we are all shocked it’s finally happened. I have randomly burst into tears several times since then, much to my surprise.
A rainbow appearing briefly while the flag is being lowered.
I wouldn’t class myself as a monarchist by any means, though members of my family are, but I’ve always had a certain amount of admiration and respect for Queen Elizabeth. She was the head of state of 15 countries, including my own country of New Zealand. I’ve never known any other head of state my entire life, until now with Prince Charles becoming King Charles III. When she was 21 years of age Elizabeth, in a speech, dedicated her life to public service, and that is indeed what she did for the rest of her life. She became Queen at the young age of 25 after her father King George VI died prematurely. Only two days before she died, she made Liz Truss the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after accepting Boris Johnson’s resignation.
I remember when I was six years old being given a small flag to wave as the Queen’s car drove past during one of her visits to New Zealand. I think the car was a black Rolls Royce or something similar. I didn’t manage to see her as it went past, but that was the closest I ever got to actually seeing her in real life. She last visited New Zealand in 2002, over twenty years ago now. Interestingly, Charles, as prince, has visited New Zealand far more often than his mother ever did.
Queen Elizabeth II in New Zealand (1977)
One of the themes being mentioned today is how Elizabeth provided a constant presence in our lives during a period of sustained change. Elizabeth was queen for 70 years. The longest reigning monarch in British history and the second longest reigning monarch of all time (after Louis XIV of France who was king for over 72 years). As already stated, she’s always been the head of state throughout my life and now it feels so strange she is no longer there, like there is something missing. One of her legacies is that she modernised the British Monarchy so it would remain relevant in the modern world, even though monarchy is regarded as an archaic institution by many. Another legacy is that she helped turn the crumbling British Empire into the Commonwealth, what today is an association of 56 free and equal member states.
During Elizabeth’s 70 year reign she visited 117 countries, many of them multiple times. She came to New Zealand ten times and visited Canada the most often (22 times). There were 15 prime ministers of the United Kingdom during her reign beginning with Winston Churchill and ending with Liz Truss. She also met 13 Presidents of the United States (the only President she didn’t meet during this time was Lyndon Johnson), and countless other world leaders. She probably met more heads of state than any other person in history.
It will take sometime to get used to Queen Elizabeth’s death, and to now having a king as head of state. There will be subtle changes, such as King Charles’s head replacing hers on our coins, and the public holiday Queen’s Birthday now being King’s Birthday. King Charles has become king at 73 years of age. I suspect his reign may be a transitional one before the younger generation of royals take over, though that said his father Prince Phillip died at the age of 99 in 2021, so theoretically he may still have 20 plus years on the throne. Charles may be more outspoken than his mother was, as he has shown he is passionate about issues such as the environment, though he has said as king that is all behind him now. I guess we will wait and see what sort of monarch he will become, but Queen Elizabeth has left some awfully big shoes to fill.
I was originally hoping to publish this as a small e-book with illustrations, but I could never find an illustrator for it…
Aalen’s Saga: The Hunter
Part One: The Forest
I
The crystal had shown terrible things. The Elder walked slowly out her dwelling. She clapped her hands and the entire village looked up at her.
“Humans are coming with axes to destroy our forest. We must protect it! All remaining archers need to go to our northern border. Falnek, take the children to the sacred Bloodwood.” There was sudden activity in the village. “Aalen, when the humans are defeated come back to us.” Aalen nodded and left with her wolf bounding in front of her.
The Elder looked over the village and her people. The crystal had shown terrible things.
II
Aalen was hidden in one of the trees. She stood at the base of a large branch with her back against the trunk watching the army of humans about to enter the forest below her. The way they were armed suggested they were heading for her village still some miles away from here.
As soon as they set foot into her land she nocked an arrow and then aimed her longbow at one of the men. She knew her companions in the other trees would be doing the same. None of these trespassers would survive. She waited for the signal.
III
Something seemed strange when Aalen returned to her village in the heart of the forest. She had returned now the human attack on the borders of their land had been repelled. But it was too quiet, and Aalen couldn’t see any sentries hiding up in the trees with her sharp eyes. Then Aalen cried out dropping to her knees in despair.
In the centre of the village, where there was a natural colonnade formed by a double row of trees, were all the villagers hanging from them. All of them dead.
The attack on the borders had been a diversion.
IV
Aalen cut down all the bodies from the trees in the village. She spent some days burying her kin in the village outskirts. Every time saying a prayer to the Goddess while wiping away tears.
She removed the sacred crystal shards from around the neck of the village Elder and buried her last. She cupped the largest one in her hands praying for a way to find the killers of her people. The shard glowing brilliantly in her hands showing her the way.
A rage filled her heart. She grabbed all her weapons and followed the path she had seen.
V
Aalen’s path took her northwards. As she went further the trees became sparse until she came to the shoreline of a wide sea.
She had never seen the ocean before and although her sight was partially obscured by the sea-mist around the shore, it looked as though it went on forever.
Standing there, Aalen began to realise the world was far larger than she had ever dreamed. Where there other distant shores? Her heart yearned for revenge, but also to explore this world she barely knew.
She watched the tumultuous waves and then finally turned away following the tracks eastward.
VI
Aalen followed the tracks of the human soldiers through the forest. Along the way she began calling out:
“Vilja! Vilja! Where are you?” But there was no response, the only sound was the breeze sighing through the branches and usual forest life. Aalen wondered where Vilja had got to. He had accompanied her to the border, but then a short time later he ran off back into the forest. She hoped no harm had come to him. Aalen continued following the tracks. A sizeable army had come this way.
“Vilja!” she called out again. Where had her wolf got to?
VII
Aalen found herself in a thicket. Coming into a clearing she found two dead bodies before her. Both were human soldiers dressed in similar garb to the ones she killed on the borders of her land. Probably scouts of some kind. One had an arrow through his throat, while the other had one through the right eye. Pinpoint accuracy. Both arrows painted black. She was unaware of anyone who did this. The fact that someone else seemed to be hunting them, Aalen took as a sign she had taken the right course.
Somewhere out there did she have an ally?
VIII
Aalen had made camp for the night. Not feeling like sleeping, she had found a piece of wood and used a sharp stone for a chisel. She began chiselling it into shape, though she had no idea what she was making. She then heard movement in the bushes near her and suddenly there was a loud panting by her ear.
“I wondered when you were going to show up.” Aalen said as she looked at Vilja. “They’re all dead Vilja. Killed in cold blood. We need to make things right.” She hugged her wolf and wept. Vilja licked her face.
IX
There was a figure hiding in the bushes. Aalen knew they had an arrow trained on her, just as she had one trained on them. With her heart beating loudly she slowly rose. The other figure did the same. It was a human female with long black hair.
“My name is Aalen. I’m tracking some humans who slaughtered my village.”
“My name is Ashalla. Also known as The Black Arrow. I’m hunting down this group of soldiers too.”
Though her heart was full of hate, Aalen slowly lowered her bow. Ashalla did the same. They both stared at one another.
X
Aalen and Ashalla were hiding on an outcrop looking down on the soldiers in the distance. Aalen’s wolf Vilja lay between them.
“Last year there was a drought and game was scarce. These soldiers came to our village demanding food. When we refused because we needed our food stocks for the winter, they began killing all the hunters until we acquiesced. I came back to find my brothers had been murdered. I painted my arrows black and started hunting them down.” Ashalla told her.
Aalen looked down at the army. Once they set up camp, that’s when they would attack.
XI
The sentries were taken out silently. Aalen and Ashalla moved quickly into the camp. In the centre a fire-pit still smouldered. While Ashalla took care of the drunken stragglers, Aalen spied the largest tent and silently went inside. She roused the leader awake. He looked confused.
“I thought we had killed you all.” he said.
“Why destroy my village?”
“I was only acting under orders. We wanted to cut down your forest for timber, but we knew your people wouldn’t allow it. So we decided to kill you all. The Baron sent us.”
Aalen stuck her knife in his throat.
XII
“Beggars can’t be choosers!” Ashalla said as she tried on a pair of boots she had taken from one of the soldiers. They almost fit.
With their leader dead, the army had become fragmented and disorganised. It wasn’t hard to pick them off in smaller groups.
“Now all we need is to find the person who sent them. The one they call The Baron.” Aalen said as she washed herself in the river and Vilja hungrily crunched on a joint he had found.
“Not an easy man to get to, but I’m sure we can find a way.” Ashalla replied.
XIII
Aalen and Ashalla traveled southwards. Aalen could hear Vilja ahead bounding along.
“In my village we do what we’re best at. If you’re good at protecting the borders, than that’s what you do. It doesn’t matter if you’re female or male.” Aalen told her.
“Where I’m from it tends to be the men that are the hunters and use bows. When I told my parents I wanted to be a hunter, it raised a few eyebrows.” Ashalla responded.
“Why do you only let men be hunters? Do human bows need penises to operate them?” asked Aalen.
Ashalla laughed out loud.
XIV
They had spent the entire day walking south and now they were both exhausted. In the darkest part of the night Aalen kept watch since she could see perfectly well in the starlight.
She looked at the sleeping form of Ashalla covered with a blanket. She had grown fond of this human and had thought that could never have been possible. All her life she had been trained to keep humans out of their forest, or hunt them down if they dared to enter. And now she was friends with one. Maybe they weren’t all as bad as she believed.
XV
As Aalen, Ashalla, and Vilja got nearer to the city they saw the land become more cultivated and ordered.
“How many years do your people usually live?” Ashalla asked.
“We don’t measure time the same way as you.” Aalen replied. “So I don’t know. As we get older our responsibilities increase. I helped protect the borders, so little was expected of me, but if I survived I would have eventually become an Elder of the village who were the sources of our wisdom and knowledge.”
Aalen looked out at the land. She knew that future was now gone for her.
XVI
Aalen was suspended above the Bloodwood, the most ancient and sacred tree of their forest. The tree was part of their spring rites when they celebrated the fertility of the villagers and the natural world. As she hung there, she saw there was huge crack in the Bloodwood that went down the entire tree, as if it was ready to split open.
Aalen awoke with a start. She could hear Ashalla softly breathing beside her. Vilja was curled up beside the glowing embers. Bleary-eyed she got up realising they hadn’t set a watch.
In the dark she pondered the dream.
Part Two: The Keep
XVII
“What are your names?” The sentry asked.
“My name is Ashalla of Woodhall.”
“My name is Aalen Liadon.” As soon as she spoke the sentry looked at her.
“Please remove your hood miss.” He ordered. Aalen complied revealing her long golden hair and bright green eyes.
“I’m one of the forest folk.” Aalen admitted.
“And presumably that wolf is yours?” Vilja stood there with his tongue hanging out.
“He’s my companion. He’s good-natured and won’t harm anyone unless provoked.”
“Fine.” The sentry said. He waved them through.
As Vilja happily ran through the narrow streets many small hands patted him.
XVIII
“We’re going to have to wait, The Baron is away for a few more days.” Ashalla informed her.
“I can wait.” Aalen replied looking around the crowded streets. She hadn’t realised there were so many people here in this city. Where had they all come from?
They were standing in the city square. Above them all, the Baron’s Keep rose like a giant solitary black tooth. Aalen spied the walls of the fortifications. She thought she could scale them with no problems, and reckoned Ashalla could do the same.
Revenge would come. She could wait. What was a few days?
XIX
Aalen and Ashalla stayed in an inn. They sat on the bed while Vilja curled up on the floor. Ashalla had brought back some bread after scoping out The Baron’s keep a further time.
“If only I had some cheese.” Ashalla said as she ate the bread.
“Wait a moment.” Aalen said producing a vial from her belongings. “When the fruit in the forest ripens my people make this.” Ashalla spread some on her bread.
“Yum! You can taste all the forest berries!” Ashalla said.
“It reminds me of home.” Aalen replied wondering if it would ever be made again.
XX
Exploring the city Aalen was surprised by how many different races were here. There were humans, dwarves, half-people, and even some human/elf hybrids living and working together in this city.
“You Elf!” A voice suddenly called out. Aalen turned to see a group of soldiers observing her.
“You talking to me?” Aalen asked while lightly touching one of her daggers.
“What are you doing in this city?” one asked.
“Just passing through.” Aalen told them. The soldiers kept a close eye on her as they moved on.
Soon the Baron would be dead, and she would be gone from here.
XXI
This morning Aalen and Ashalla found the streets were packed with people. It seemed as though the entire city’s population had turned out. Soldiers marched towards the Keep.
“What’s happening?” Aalen asked.
“I think the Baron is finally returning.” Ashalla replied trying to see over the crowds.
The people cheered as a carriage drawn by six horses passed by. Inside was a man with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a red coat with gold filigree. He ignored the crowds that had come out to see him. Aalen stared at him.
“Perfect!” Aalen said. “Tonight we attack.”
XXII
They waited until dark. Silently as shadows they slipped over the wall unseen. The Keep now stood before them. Aalen and Ashalla climbed up the side. It was steep, but fortunately they found places for their hands to hold on to as they ascended.
Once they clambered over the ramparts, there were two sentries who hadn’t seen them. One got a well-aimed throwing knife in his throat, while Aalen was upon the other before he could make a sound. They both sneaked to the doorway and came into a room with a stairwell.
They were now inside the Baron’s Keep.
XXIII
“The Baron will be on one of the top floors.” Aalen said. They moved quickly up the stairwell. Aalen went to the very top floor, while Ashalla searched the one below.
Aalen came to a large set of ornate wooden doors. She quietly opened them and saw The Baron seated at a long wooden table eating his dinner. Unexpectedly, he looked up at her.
“Ah! Aalen Liadon, I have been expecting you!” He said smiling at her. All the doors behind Aalen suddenly burst open and she quickly found herself surrounded by soldiers. “Perhaps you will join me for dinner?”
XXIV
“Come a little closer Aalen.” The Baron ordered. As the guards moved her into the room, Aalen tried getting one of her hands free, hoping no one would notice. Another group of soldiers appeared with Ashalla. “And now we have Ashalla!”
“So I guess you’re planning to execute us?” Ashalla asked belligerently. The Baron laughed.
“You’re both far too valuable to kill. The two of you wiped out my army single-handedly. You have a range of skills that are useful to me. Rather than kill me, have you considered working for me instead?” The Baron asked. Aalen’s mouth dropped open.
XXV
“Work for you? You killed my people. You destroyed my home. How could you think I would ever work for you?” Aalen asked. The Baron just shrugged.
“In my experience, everyone has their price. What would yours be Aalen? I can provide you with anything.”
“I want my people back.” Aalen replied.
“That’s beyond my abilities. What about you Ashalla? What do you want?”
“You killed my father and my brothers. I want you to be dead.” Ashalla responded. The Baron looked disappointed.
“My death won’t bring your loved ones back.”
“But it will stop you killing others.” Aalen replied.
XXVI
The Baron looked at both of them disappointed.
“Obviously you are both still very angry. I think some time in my dungeons will cool you off. Maybe then you will have a change of heart and be more reasonable.” He motioned with his hands for the guards to take them away.
Just then, Aalen managed to get one of her hands free. She pulled out a concealed knife and, before anyone could stop her, she threw it The Baron. The knife quickly embedded itself in his throat. He gave a surprised look and then fell forward onto his dinner plate.
XXVII
In the confusion following The Baron’s sudden death, Aalen managed to free herself from the soldiers who had captured her. She swiftly recovered her bow, and stepped back a few paces while quickly loading arrows and shooting the soldiers before her at point blank range.
With soldiers starting to fall, Ashalla freed herself and drew her broadsword. They both managed to clear a path through their opposition and ran out the hall with the remaining soldiers chasing them.
“Hopefully most of the guards were up here waiting to capture us.” Aalen stated as they quickly ran down the winding stair.
XXVIII
Running down the stairs they met little resistance, but they heard the soldiers from above following. Once they were far enough below, they went through a window and, with series of jumps, managed to get free of the Keep. As they ran they heard a voice behind them.
“Stop or I will shoot!” They turned to see a soldier in a red cloak with a crossbow in his hand aimed directly at Aalen. Vilja suddenly leapt up and bit down on the soldiers arm. The soldier screamed, dropping the crossbow.
Aalen and Ashalla ran to the city wall. Vilja followed.
XXIX
Once they were over the city wall they quickly found some cover amongst some trees and hid there a while.
“Thanks for helping.” Aalen said as she gave Vilja a long hug.
When the sun rose, they crept away from the city using trees and rocks as cover and hid quietly when patrols appeared.
After a few days passed, and they hadn’t seen any further patrols of soldiers for a while, they began to feel safer.
“So with The Baron dead, what do you plan to do now?” Ashalla asked. Aalen surveyed the land around them.
She hadn’t considered that.
XXX
“I guess I should go back to my village. The border guards should have survived.” Aalen answered.
“I want to explore the world,” Ashalla said. Aalen looked at the mountains in the distance. She wondered what lay beyond them and found herself yearning to also explore a world she barely knew.
“I’m sure my village can wait. Maybe I can tag along with you? You’ll probably need my help anyway.” Aalen found herself saying. Ashalla smiled and took Aalen in her arms.
“I would like that.” Ashalla replied.
The three of them set off in the direction of the mountains.
joanne the geek 