Irhaboggle Pride (2019) Spectrum

Spirit

AN: This fic changes Iris' power into the ability to summon, see and speak to ghosts. That was actually her original power in my very first draft of her story, fun fact.

Also, hope everyone had a safe and happy Pride 2019! I know I did! And even though it's over now (sadly), we'll never stop being here and being queer! We must be gay enough to survive until June 2020, LOL! But until then, peace out!

Iris stood before the Stonewall Inn, awe and amusement on her face. Although, of course, she felt honored to be here, it looked so plain and simple that it was almost hard for to believe that this was the place where it all began. This was the place where, 50 years ago, the outcasts of the city finally rose up and screamed, "Enough! No more!", and fought back, and won.

In the warm summer sun, it looked nothing like a battlefield or place of revolution. It looked like just another old bar on a street lined with other old bars. Normal, everyday people passed her by as she continued to stare up at the Inn.

"Are you really where it all began?" she asked it, although she already knew the answer. "You, who seem so plain and unassuming now... You were the spark that lit the inferno! This was where people drank and brawled, lost and won, lived and died..." Then, she got an idea.

There were no Stonewall survivors nearby, but being who she was, she didn't always need a living person to have a conversation. Purple eyes began to glow as Iris focused hard, searching the area for any restless or lonely spirits. She knew better than anyone that not every person who died passed away into the afterlife. Some managed to stay back, lingering between two worlds, in a limbo only they could see. Her Gift, however, allowed her to see these spirits, and even if there were none in her immediate vicinity, she had the strength to bring them back anyway.

"Judy Garland, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Riveras, Stormé DeLarverie, Harvey Milk, Gilbert Baker!" Not everyone Iris tried to "wake up" had been involved with Stonewall directly, but they were all still queer icons in some fashion. One by one, the ghosts returned to the land of the living, pearlescent figures appearing on the street behind her. They all looked very surprised to be back, but it didn't take them long to understand.

For the next hour, Iris and her spirit friends talked. They sat beside the Inn and swapped stories. They talked about everything and nothing, topics covering gender, sexuality, identity, race, religion, class, revolution, bars, music, joy, strife, victory, suffering, death, life, love, hatred, politics, philosophy, morals, society, culture, heritage, dreams, and everything in between.

And all along the way, Iris called up more and more ghosts and spirits as the situation demanded. Suddenly, she was trapped in a sea of dead people. Nothing but pearly white for as far as her purple eye could see! Just for that moment, she began to understand how and why Stonewall could've created such an intense riot. To see the streets overflowing with people, even if they were people that only she could see, was most impressive (and a little intimidating). History was literally coming to life right before her very eyes.

Of course, Iris knew about the violence, war, gore, anger, hatred and police brutality, but to see the streets fill up made her realize that no matter how small or local the fight might've been, that didn't stop it from going global. Small start, big impact. It was a huge event whose story spread across the nation, even if it had occurred only in this one tiny section of the city.

Surrounded by all of these fallen heroes, soldiers and icons finally made Iris realized just how widespread and long this battle had been. Even if the riot only took place over the course of a night or two, the actual fight for queer rights had been much more far-reaching, both in terms of time and place. The magnitude, both in size and time, were much greater than she realized. People of all kinds were here, from celebrities to politicians to the casual, everyday person. Big and small, young and old, every shape and size and color, queer history was never just one thing.

But the one thing that tied all of them together was spirit. Not just in the literal sense, but in that every story shared, a theme persisted, and that was the theme of spirit. Of finding, having, maintaining and perpetuating spirit. Of never losing spirit. They reaffirmed the value of things like strength, courage and determination. Even if anger, desperation and fear sparked the riot, spirit carried them through.

Spirit, the ghosts said, was one of the most important traits a Stonewaller could possess. Without it, the fire of revolution would've slowly died out. But the fact that, half a century later, stories were still being told was proof that the revolt was far from finished or forgotten. But what could've carried multiple generations of people to continue this battle and story, expanding its horizons? Spirit. Spirit was what drove the movement, starting from before 1969 and extending well past it into 2019 and beyond.

Across history, spirit was what drove humanity to fight and win. And it was the queer spirit that rippled through time that led to the uprising, and all the activism that came after. From the initial gay liberation movement, to the inclusion of trans people and people of color, to the concept of intersectionality, it was a never-ending story. Spirit helped carry these brave warriors through time. It sustained the flames of revolution. Spirit was what helped the queer community survive through its darkest moments and be able to shine even after being so broken down. And because of the diversity in the community, there were a lot of different types of spirit and spirits to go around.

"But now it's up to you!" one of the ghosts whispered. "We hope that our spirit can fuel and fill yours just as our predecessors did for us! The fire will not die with us, so take the torch and carry it until it is your turn to pass it on. We're handing you a legacy, write your stories while you can, then one day, your spirit will drive others. That is how we will survive. Let us give you courage, strength and heart, and use it well."

"Yes, take our spirits to help motivate your own! Then keep yours alive so that you have something to pass onto the next generation! Help keep the wheels turning and inspire the future with what you do today! Let us help you now so that you can help others in turn."

Long after Iris dismissed the spirits, the ghosts of their words continued to ring in her ears. Even though things were getting better, they weren't done yet. And with intersectionality added into the equation, there were multiple fields the battle could take place in. She had a lot left to offer the world. So like the spirits had said, she was going to need all the spirit she could muster. But she wasn't going alone. She had the entire community, past and present, at her back.

And then, like the spirits also said, it was her duty to keep the ball rolling so that the future had something to work with. This was not just for her sake, but everyone's. She needed to keep her spirits up for everyone's sake. Then, after she was done writing her story and carrying the torch, she'd pass all of that spirit on to the next young hero. That way, the legacy would never die. So long as the spirit always remained, they would never die.