Irhaboggle Pride (2020) Quarantine Edition

Hope

"Well, this certainly isn't how I was hoping to spend this year's Pride," Nia muttered.

"This certainly isn't how I was hoping to spend this year," Brainy agreed.

"Same," Kara sighed. After George Floyd was killed by the police, protests popped up across the globe. Now was National City's time.

"Well, I have good faith in our people to keep their heads. For the most part," J'onn muttered. Even though he and the others were going to the protest as attendees, it was still agreed upon that they would also be watching over the proceedings just in case anything did get out of control. They weren't going in as official law enforcement, per se, but if anyone would be able to stop a riot, it would be a band of superpowered aliens.

"I hope," Alex couldn't stop a small scoff. She was the most cynical. Although she agreed that National City was probably one of the safer cities to have a protest in, they were not strangers to riots either. Besides, in some capacity, she was a cop, so to see all of this happening affected her on a much deeper and more personal level than anyone else.

That was not to say she agreed with the actions of the cops who killed George Floyd (because she didn't). Instead, Alex believed that, as a cop, it became all the more important for her to take a stand against the violence in order to make a point. And she considered it a duty both to herself and her fellow law-enforcers to keep them in check.

But at the same time, it still stung her to think that the career field she'd chosen was associated with such violence and racism. Even if her own name, personally, was clean, the institution she was heavily associated with was now a dark stain upon the country's name. It felt like a personal blow because Alex had expected better of her fellow officers.

But when Alex ran into Kelly, who was already at the protest, her eyes lit up.

"Kelly!" she heaved an audible sigh of relief and joy, not hesitating to race into the other woman's arms and hold her close.

"Alex!" Kelly sounded just as happy, and Kara could hear her sniffle into Alex's shoulder as they embraced. Alex even dared to quickly lift her mask to sneak a kiss onto Kelly's cheek. It earned a small laugh from Kelly. Even Nia, Brainy and J'onn looked happier. Cliché as it sounded, it was the little things like this that gave them hope, and reminded them all what they were fighting for.

And for Kara, personally, it just made her smile to see her sister being so comfortable in her sexuality. Just a couple years back, Alex had been so shy and scared about showing public affection to her girlfriend. Now here she was, bravely and blatantly kissing Kelly on the cheek. For Kara, it was the little things like this that reminded her what Pride was all about, and it restored her faith in the annual celebration.

After all, Nia was still celebrating. Her mask was pattered like the trans flag and the sign she was carrying had two sides. One side said, "BLACK TRANS WOMEN ARE VALID" and the other said "BLACK TRANS MATTERS". She was going to make absolutely certain that when they were marching for Black lives, they were marching for all Black lives and that queer people would not be forgotten.

And she was far from alone. As the crowd continued to grow in anticipation, Kara saw several other signs that referenced the queer community, as well as other marginalized identities that could intersect with race (such as religion, age, class, etc).

Kelly's own sign had no words, but instead, it was of a circle of hands all clasped together, every hand a different color, a rainbow in the center.

Brainy held a "Stronger Together!" sign with Supergirl's crest on it, one black hand and one white hand shaking in front of it.