#but also she keeps her distance... leo had to literally shake her pain out of her...

[9990zara]

thinking about. narukami arashi. in all her messy self. augh...

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

pls scream about Leo a lil bit cause my love for that man is neverending and i live for you guys' blog,,, and ur comte love fuels me??? head empty except for those two pureblood clowns

HNGNGNG I hope that both you and everyone that reads my shenanigans knows how utterly understood I feel when I see anyone stan Comte, if not both of those idiot purebloods bc good lord...I live for two tired fossil men that just want DOMESTIC BLISS. Literally they have no brain cells beyond respect women and we love that for us, it’s spectacular!!

Under a cut bc I went off and is long:

That being said I’d be happy to yell abt Leo!! Where do I even begin, this man was the reason I got into Ikevamp in the first place, and I’ve read just about every single one of his events at this point. He just makes me so TENDER!!!!!! For whatever reason the first thing that came to mind was this one time he lies about being jealous and MC is lolol u a fool if you think I can’t tell when you lie to me. And he’s so fuckiNG SHOOK?????? It’s even funnier because she’s internally like [I’m not 100% sure but for a second there he almost looked mad...time to test this theory even if it’s just A GAME T H E O R Y] And he’s so fucking pikachu meme that shit sends me. I can’t handle the fact that he’s so used to people just assuming he’s fine, that he can handle himself. That he’s lived for so long without really anyone noticing at all. (Comte absolutely notices and will lightly roast him, but doesn’t really push him about it or wants to overstep). And so when MC just actively pays attention and is so gentle with him he’s just floored???

God I’m crying now, but I will just never forget the funeral scene in his fucking rt. This asshole, this absolute moron, straight up tries to come at us with “yOu GeT uSeD tO iT aFtEr HaLf A mIlLeNiUm, i’M nOt SaD”. Like are you serious. Come here and let me hold you before I throttle you. Absolute clown. He’s just always trying so hard to get by on his own and it breaks my heart. How long...how long has he lived just getting by, nursing his own wounds and dragging himself up all by himself. HE LEFT HOME AT LIKE 14 (whatever the fuCK SOME TOO YOUNG AGE) AND RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE THAT HATED HIM FOR HIS TALENT. HE REMEMBERS HIS MENTORS DESTROYING HIS UTENSILS WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE PARENTS THAT WHOLEHEARTEDLY REJECTED ANY EXPRESSION OF LOVE OR COMPASSION FOR HUMANITY THAT HE CHERISHED SO DEEPLY. I DON’T NEED SLEEP I NEED TO HUG HIM IMMEDIATELY FUCKING HELL.

Like.........there’s just........I don’t know how to explain it, but I once saw it explained so well in a post. It was basically talking about Castlevania, and how in that show Dracula sees humanity’s folly and develops so much hatred he just goes straight to murder rage. And while in some ways I understand that, I understand even more deeply Trevor’s response to humanity’s fear and violence. He says that he knows they’re short-sighted, that maybe we all just don’t deserve saving...but that he’s going to do it anyway. Leonardo just so much gives me that energy of knowing there’s so much pain in the world, but all we can do is keep walking--keep trying, even if we have to claw our way forward. Because if you only see the awfulness in front of you, you forget the way that strangers make silly faces at babies to make them laugh on the train, how a friend will put everything down to race over to someone and comfort them with some ice cream--do anything they can to distract them from the hurt. How the sight of a child crying will prompt careful cooing from a stranger as to their bravery, an offering of cool water, the gentle placement of a bandaid. How a pair of teenagers will spot a lost child in milliseconds and help them seek out their parents protectively. There is so much wretchedness, but also so much beauty in it all, and the older I get the more I see myself wanting to believe in the latter. I want to be hopeful, and easily impressed, and full of love. To be bitter and jaded accomplishes nothing, and only becomes a worsening self-fulfilling prophecy. The more you seek negativity, the more you will find it; and worse, create it.

I also scream a little bit bc like. I’ve gone on and on about how Comte is very obviously in love with MC all the time, and sure that may be true. But...I really don’t think Leo is exempt from that either if I’m honest lmfao. Only because what does Leonardo do when it isn’t his route? He almost never shows up. Once in a while he might appear for a split second in a scene, but he almost never converses with MC beyond those short moments. While Comte is the one to pine openly, I’d wager Leo is the opposite. He pines in absolute silence, because he knows that if he gets any closer--he’s going to fall. He’s going to enjoy it too much, going to keep seeking out more before he can stop himself. And losing another person he loves...he just can’t do it anymore. In his first meeting story he talks about seeing MC’s eyes and feeling like he’d known them all his life, and even in his MS he speaks to just being completely fascinated by and enamored of her. She doesn’t hesitate, always does her best, meets people head-on and without much hesitation. After a lifetime of people that are probably just immediately interested in him for his talents, or always seeking out his company for the novelty, this is someone that doesn’t give a single fuck if he’s Leonardo da Vinci. Sure she’s aware, and sure she’s impressed to some extent, but her respect--her attraction and admiration--is something that has to be earned. 

There’s something so refreshing about how their love was written. Sure it’s the whole fake marriage to a real relationship, but it’s also a kind of subtle enemies to lovers pulled off masterfully. MC is 100% minding her own business, just wants to do what she must in order to get home, tries to focus on her work to keep from thinking about how much she misses her old life. She doesn’t rely on anyone, doesn’t talk about how hard it is or how scary it is or how confusing. And even Leonardo forgets in his curiosity, is just chillin and also just trying to do the bare minimum to keep from getting too attached--figures he can admire her from a distance. And then he sees her staring at the hourglass. And suddenly, he can’t just watch her do that herself. Just wait for the hard times to pass, just sit with her own loneliness--that hollowing silence. There’s something so moving about it because he reaches out precisely because he knows that feeling to his fucking marrow, and literally just cannot watch somebody else do that to themselves. Sure he’s been dealing with it for three hundred years, BUT THIS GOOD BABIE CHILD DOES NOT DESERVE THIS. SHE WORKS HARD AND DESERVES NICE THINGS!!!!!!!! And so he drives her crazy as he races ahead of her, intercepting any attempt for her to preserve that silence and hide. She doesn’t see any pattern to it, and that’s just how he likes it--he doesn’t want her to worry about the how or why. 

Like I fully remembering playing in Japanese and being like oh my fucking god this is hilarious, this man is just a wild fucker and I love this. I was enjoying myself, mostly laughing and shaking my head. But then it just gets so, so serious. I was having so much fun that I, like a fool, forgot the anime effect. If you’re having fun, it’s going to come crashing down without mercy soon enough. And it does. He helps a little girl without any hope play her violin again, and maybe I’m just too English major but I was fucking FLOORED when I realized I didn’t see that that was straight foreshadowing. That little girl without hope? That was MC (and by extension depending on how you play, us). Though the metaphor isn’t quite so easily mapped without a physical space, the connection is clear when you think about it. With his careful social awareness, he makes a place for MC to exist in the mansion so naturally--as though she was meant to be there from the start, crafts a positive impression of her presence with each of the residents. And he does it with zero expectation of anything in return; he’s just happy to see her not stressing herself out anymore or trying to do everything alone. MC doesn’t fall in love with him despite their differences, she falls in love with him because they are the same in a singular and all-encompassing way that matters; they both care about other people so deeply, to the point where they will forego any personal needs in order to make that person’s life easier. Whether it be muting their own hardship, or working to involve another person in a new space (or opening up to the point of self-destruction to keep a person from feeling alone), they go above and beyond what anybody asks of them--perhaps strong to the point of their own detriment, in some cases. 

It’s why I always laugh when he says to Sebastian “That cara mia, she has a good heart.” Of course she does, Leonardo; it certainly takes one to know one. 

And because I literally have no brain cells beyond being in fucking love with Leonardo THE LAKE SCENE IS AN AFFRONT TO MY DIGNITY AND SELF-CONTROL. HOW DARE YOU, SIGNORE. HOW DARE YOU ASK ME TO SIT THERE AND WATCH YOU OPEN YOUR HEART TO ME AND NOT BAWL MY EYES OUT AND TRY TO KISS YOU ALL AT THE SAME TIME. SIGNORE “hAhA yOu’Re So SmAlL yOu LoOk LiKe YoU’rE DrOwNiNg In My CoAt.” I WOULD DROWN AND DIE HAPPY--BITCH I TELL YOU THAT.

Like. I can’t think of another route I’ve ever done where I spent a good amount of time like “lmfao this guy is so wild im gonna punch him” to just be in a whirlpool of my own tears, regretting my entire fucking LIFE days later. Like Leonardo’s cultural impact???? Fucking immeasurable, I wish every white man disaster I ever met had a hidden heart of gold in all of his boyish dumbassery, an ICONIC himbo of our time. 

Also because I remembered it before posting and I am Dying^TM. The event where MC was a pureblood and he was human. That entire fucking event. I literally can’t think about it without screaming and crying. Her just so flustered at his reaction to her like “oh look, free real estate” as he plops her in his lap, absolutely no fear, treating her like a princess because of her noble title despite NO NECESSITY BEYOND PLAYFULNESS BUT ALSO STILL MEANING IT IN AN EARNEST WAY, being charming to no END just to see her laugh or look away shyly. 

WHEN HE SAID. WHEN HE SAID “...Can’t leave you alone, or you might go off someplace I can’t follow.” I. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU STRIPPED DEVOTION DOWN TO ITS BARE ESSENTIALS!!!!!! GAH HOW MC HERSELF SAYS “I would tell him the truth but...he’s much too generous for a human. I know he would offer his life without a moment’s hesitation.” How Leo describes the aftermath of her biting him: “Lucky for you, I’m a true gentleman, Unlike my principessa, who took me like a storm” HELLO??????? H E L  L O ???????????????????????? ARE WE JUST GOING TO SLEEP ON THE FACT THAT HE LOST HIS ENTIRE SOUL WHEN SHE BIT HIM???? I--

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

(Also as much as I love him the cigarillos have got to go at some point, boy do you have any idea the shit secondhand smoke does good lordt)

[silvershadow1711]

The Road Not Trekked (excerpt)

Fuck yeah, I'm shameless. Here's the first chapter of the prologue if my two branch, 40+ chapter Fates rewrite. If you don't hate it, then make my day by checking me out on ff.net and ao3 (just your friendly, neighborhood SilverShadow1711)

(also, this is my first time trying to use html on the tumblr app cuz I'm on my phone and I can't seem to code it in the browser, so sorry if it doesn't actually code...)

Prologue- “Where It All Begins”

“Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world...”

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Ch.1- “Family Ties”

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Autumn was quickly settling over the kingdom of Nohr, but it was known by all that the chilling winds where but a brief warning of the freezing weather that would soon follow. Farmers were busy harvesting their crops, whilst all others were making preparations for the winter season. But that was life far outside the boundaries of the Northern Citadel. In the fortress, routines rarely changed in relation to the passing seasons. And the most strictly followed routine was that of training.

Training was over for the day (the sun set so quickly in the colder months one had to be up before it even rose to make the most of the daylight hours), a fact for which Nerr was eternally grateful. Despite the cold, she was drenched in sweat and though she had felt overheated in the midst of her mock battle, the chilled air had quickly set her freezing. A fact only emphasized by her bare feet, which were fast turning an unflattering shade of purple. Even as she made her way in from the courtyard, she dashed across the worn marble tiles on tip toe, trying to let as little bare flesh make contact with the cold floor as possible. It always baffled her friends and family why she didn't just wear shoes, even in the dead of winter. The answer was simple- she didn't like them. They were uncomfortable and restricting- like stays, but for your feet. Besides, it wasn't like shoes did much more to keep out the cold.

It was slow going, running up the stairs on her bare, frozen feet, her armor clanking with every step and every muscle sore and screaming for rest, but Nerr pushed aside her discomfort and persevered, for she knew the reward that lay in wait for her at the top of the tower she called home. And as she finally made her way to the last landing, one of the doors opened as if on cue, a vision of sheer loveliness in Nerr's eyes emerging from it. It was a young maid, about the same age that she was, her icy blue hair tied in neat pigtails. And as the maid spotted the frozen girl, she smiled slightly.

“There you are, Lady Nerr. You must be exhausted. I've prepared a bath for you.” Nerr laughed in delight, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the maid. She knew it wasn't the most thoughtful thing to do, what with her sweaty, disgusting armor and all, but she was too happy to care.

“Oh, Flora, you are my savior. You are a gift from the gods themselves, and I thank them every day for you!” The maid flushed slightly and looked away, clearly not comfortable with the praises lauded upon her.

“Oh, not at all, Lady Nerr. I'm just doing my--”

By that time, Flora's audience had long since run into the room she'd just vacated. A loud clanking and several colorful swears could be heard from it's depths. Smiling and shaking her head in good natured exasperation, Flora went back into the room to find her ladyship engaged in a vicious battle with her own armor, pulling at the straps in an attempt to undo them. Were it anyone else, Flora would've been disgusted with their gross incompetence, but she could see the other girl's fingers were stiff from cold, and her armor was rather complicated.

“Here, milady. Allow me to do that.” Obviously relieved to have someone who knew what they were doing take over, Nerr smiled gratefully and tried to keep from trembling too much as her maid quickly dismantled her armor. There was a rather large tub in the center of the room, filled nearly to the brim with hot water. As the warm steam wafted over her, it carried the scent of jasmine. Nerr had only seen the purple flowers in books, but knew that they grew in the southern regions of Nohr, where the climate was warmer. For so long she'd dreamed of seeing them, not just smelling them in her bath water or on her clothes, or the dried, dead petals that came in sachets, but real, living flowers. Now, finally, that dream was withing shouting distance.

As Flora pulled off the last piece of her armor, Nerr quickly stripped her clothes off. She'd have tried to fold them normally, making such a mess of things that the maid would eventually beg her to just leave them alone, but she was quickly loosing the feeling in her toes. With as much restraint as she could manage (which was not much, given that she was almost completely numb in her extremities), she climbed into the bath, letting out a mixed cry of pain and relief as the hot water engulfed her. The heat was almost too much to bear on her frozen skin, and it felt like she had sat in a thousand needles, but she needed it. Eventually, the pain ebbed away, leaving only the relaxing pleasure that coursed through her body. Sighing, she leaned against the chilled tiles, goosebumps rising up along her arms. Flora had just finished organizing the various plates of her armor, and walked over to the tub, carrying a few glass bottles filled with different colored liquids.

“Your training must've been grueling today, milady. You look fit to collapse.” Nerr chuckled slightly, remembering her training. All in all, it had consisted of basic drills. The only thing that really made it difficult was the cold.

“It was fairly standard. But I'll tell you, Flora, after that hellish endurance training last week, I'm just happy to do something I can sleep at the end of.”

An unsuppressed shudder went through Nerr as she remembered the 'endurance training'. It was something all prospective Nohrian knights had to go through before they were actually knighted, at least five days of non-stop, grueling training with only the bare minimum food and sleep. It was meant to simulate actual battle conditions in the field, and very few squires actually made it through. She had heard from Leo that people sometimes died in the middle of it. Nerr hadn't believed that at first, but after five days of no food, no sleep and pushing her body beyond it's limit, she had literally begged for death herself. Or so Jakob told her- she honestly didn't remember anything of that last day.

“I had almost forgotten about that. You were unconscious for two days afterwards. Should you really be training again so soon?” Nerr tilted her head back to look at Flora. Even upside down, she looked concerned.

“I have to.” She answered simply. “Now that I'm of age, I have to prove to Father that I'm fit to join our armies on the battlefield. It's bad enough I have to be quarantined here just because of a little trauma a hundred years ago- if I can't shake off one tiny coma, I'll never be allowed outside!”

She tilted her head further back, dipping her hair into the water, warming her scalp and wishing she could just duck her whole face under for a minute or two. But as she watched Flora uncork the bottles, she knew her self indulgence would have to wait a while longer.

“I know that, Lady Nerr. And I know how much this opportunity means to you. I'm just worried that you might be pushing yourself too hard.” Nerr could not help but smile as she sat up again, the warm water cascading over her. The maid behind her made quick work of untying her hair and undoing the braids she wore in it. It was hard to remember a time when Flora hadn't been there to do that for her. It was hard to remember a lot of things that happened before, but she had a feeling that was more because she didn't want to remember than anything. Nerr only let her focus stay on the good things.

“I know, Flora. I'm so grateful to have you looking out for me. But really, you don't have to worry. I feel fine. Better than fine, I'm on top of the world! Training was a piece of cake.”

“Still, it seems unfair that you would have to train on your birthday.” Nerr tried to look over her should once more, but Flora set her looking straight ahead as she began pouring the contents of one of the bottles on her lady's head. She cringed at the cold that now seemed to creep down her spine, but quickly refocused her thoughts.

“I don't see why. You're from the Ice tribe, and they're all about having strong warriors. Didn't you have to train on your birthday?” She couldn't see it, but the maid was scowling deeply. She wasn't wrong, and had anyone else said such a thing, Flora undoubtedly would have been very upset with them, but it was clear to anyone who knew her that the Nohrian princess did not mean anything cruel with her words. She never strove to be unkind, and she truly was ignorant in the ways of the world outside the boundary of the citadel, so Flora quickly bit back her anger.

“I did train on my birthday, and that is precisely why I say it is unfair.”

Rolling her sleeves up, she began working a lather into her ladyship's hair, perhaps a touch more forcefully than she normally would've done.

“But I got to see my family today. And not just one or two of them. Everyone came out to wish me a happy birthday, and they all stayed until noon, so how can I complain about a little training? I say it's a small price to pay.”

Maybe there were other people who wouldn't think two whole hours spent with their family was a big deal, but to Nerr, those people were crazy. The citadel she was the liege-lord of was two hours from the main castle on horseback, and her sibling were all very busy with their own duties. As such, she cherished every moment she could spend with them. Visits were few and far between, and rarely lasted an hour, so for all of her siblings to schedule so much time for her was indeed the most touching gift they could ever give her. Flora smiled softly as she continued lathering.

“I'm sure it warms your family's hearts to know you think so dearly of them...”

After her hair and back were washed, Nerr quickly fished in the bath. She would've enjoyed staying in the warm water a while longer, but alas, the water was quickly cooling. Hot things did not stay that way for long in the drafty fortress, despite everyone's best attempts to close all the holes and cracks. Nerr wondered if it was warmer in the main castle. It probably was- that was where the king and royal family lived, after all. It wouldn't do for the crown prince to catch his death from a chill. She looked forward to the day she and her retainers and household could move in as well, to be nearer to her family, and the rest of the world in general. Flora helped her into her nightgown and braided her hair for her the way she always wore it to sleep. For the first time, the thought struck her that, if she truly did join the Nohrian army, chances were she would not be able to bring Flora along. That wouldn't be fair to all the soldiers that weren't royalty. She needed to ask the maid how to braid her own her before she went anywhere.

The excitement and physical exhaustion of the day was beginning to catch up to her. Flora, in her infinite kindness, offered to escort Nerr back to her room, though they both knew it was more because the princess was in the habit of falling asleep wherever she got tired, and it would do no one any good if she caught a draft sleeping on the floor. The thought of crawling into bed and pulling her comforters over herself was almost as happy as that of her siblings. She had been suppressing a yawn as she opened the door to her room and once she walked in, it was difficult to tell if she had opened her eyes or not. The room was completely dark. Normally, such things didn't bother Nerr- she often found she could see in the dark just as well as in the light, but she was too tired to make sense of what she was looking at.

“Flora, why's it so dark in here?”

“Oh dear, I must've forgotten to light the torches. Don't worry, I'll get a light.”

She pulled Nerr into the doorway and stepped away. The darkness was so soothing, it was tempting to just lean against the door frame and go to sleep. The young princess was seriously contemplating that thought when a faint light appeared in the dark. Several, actually, all crowded close together. It was the warm, flickering light of candles, in the center of her room. And illuminated in the dim glow were the faces of her retainers and servants, smiling up at her. A cake lay on the table in front of them. Taken aback, Nerr slowly approached them, making sure to keep her breathing steady. It did not do for a princess of Nohr to go to pieces at the slightest provocation.

“What's this?” She asked, knowing the answer, but still curious if it wasn't something different.

“It's a birthday celebration.” Jakob answered primly.

“You guys know you don't have to do this. My birthday is nothing special.”

“We respectfully disagree, my lady.” Gunther interjected. “This is the day the gods gave you to us. That is something very special indeed.” Felicia nodded energetically, her long hair bouncing about.

“Yeah! Not to mention today, you're officially an adult. We gotta celebrate that!” Lilith, the newest member of her household, smiled up at her shyly.

“You mean so much to us, Lady Nerr. This is the least we can do to show you.”

Nerr felt her throat tighten as she look at the illuminated faces. She swallowed the happy tears that threatened to overtake her (a princess must always be in control of their emotions), and beamed back at them.

“Thank you all. This means so much to me....”

“Well, don't just stand there getting emotional,” Flora teased. “Make a wish.”

She looked down at the candles, their tiny, fragile light reminding her of the stars she often looked up at, especially on cold, clear nights like this.They said if you saw a falling star, you could make a wish, but she had never been that lucky. She wished she could've seen at least one before, for now, there were so many wishes she wanted to make. She wanted to finally leave the citadel, she wanted her father to finally be proud of her... she wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by the person she loved... But as the memory of this perfect, happy day filled her chest, all of those other wishes fell away, replaced by something that mattered much, much more. Leaning down, she took a deep breath. 'Gods... please don't take this happiness away...'As she blew out the candles with as much force as she could, the room was once more thrown into darkness.

“Oh. That... wasn't smart...” There was a throaty chuckle from across the table.

“I'll put the lights back on, my lady.”

000

Nerr had smiled consistently throughout late birthday celebration. It was a strange feeling, to sit and eat with so many other people. Although there was a dining room in the citadel somewhere, she always took her meals in her room, and she assumed her retainers did the same. There weren't enough chairs for everyone, so Felicia, Lilith and (with some coaxing) Flora crowded together with her on her bed.

The cake was apple spice kugelhopf, since apparently there had been a decent crop of apples that year (though she was fairly certain she had overheard Xander mention something about the wheat crop failing). The princess delighted in the fact that she had been born in the midst of the harvest season when fruit abounded. Not that it benefited anyone else since, as Leo, and Gunther, and occasionally Jakob bemoaned, she ate all the damn fruit before anyone else had a chance to. They had to hide a secret stash just for this occasion.

“That was clever. I mean, it's also sneaky and insulting and disloyal, but very clever.” Jakob sat a little straighter in his seat, unable to keep the smile completely off his face.

“Thank you, Lady Nerr. It was my idea. The cake was also my work.”

“Hey!” From beside her- as in, right in her ear- Felicia protested loudly. “I helped too!” At once, Jakob's smile slid from his face, replaced with a deep frown.

“If by 'helped' you mean 'almost completely ruined everything', then yes. You 'helped' a lot.” Felicia gasped, affronted. It seemed that this disagreement was about to turn into a full-on screaming match. Lilith edged away from the young maid as the temperature around her began dropping. Nerr desperately wished she could do the same, but she was unfortunately sandwiched between Felicia and her sister. Sighing loudly, Gunther rolled his eyes skywards.

“For the gods' sake, can you two not bicker for one day? Is that truly too much to ask? Normally I'd tell you to go outside and settle your silly argument with combat, but I wouldn't want Lady Nerr's birthday further ruined with one of you losing an eye.” Jakob and Felicia awkwardly looked to the floor, shame-faced. Nerr felt her heart go out to both of them, and she smiled gently.

“Aw, they're not ruining anything, Gunther. I'm used to them arguing. We all are, I think. I, for one, can't imagine not waking up in the ungodly hours of the morning to the sounds of crashing and yelling.” Badly suppressed giggles came from either side of her, and both domestics looked up, clearly relieved they hadn't ruined her birthday. Besides, she added silently to herself, families fight. They argue and make up and go back to being families.

It was fun and surprisingly relaxing to share a meal with others, to talk and laugh. Sometimes she would read about families sitting down to dinner together. She wondered if her siblings ate like this, with father at the head of the table, discussing their lessons or training... It was a nice thought. She truly hoped they did and that when she could finally join them in the castle, that she could take part as well. But even if that was just a dream that could never come true, she was happy with this family.

It was quite late when the conversation finally began tapering off. Though Nerr was loathe to admit it, her exhaustion was catching up to her. Perhaps noticing her drooping eyelids, the servants quickly remembered the chores left to them before they could turn in for the night. Lilith had to feed the horses, Flora and Jakob had to tidy the kitchen, and Felicia... had to try not to break any more plates. They all excused themselves, wishing their liege a happy birthday one last time as they took their leave. Nerr was in the middle of contemplating the practicality of replacing all the citadel's ceramic dishes with metal ones to avoid another Felicia disaster when she suddenly realized there was still one member of her makeshift family in the room with her.

“Gunther. What are you still doing here? I thought you left with the others.” The older man bowed his head.

“My apologies, my lady. I'll be but a moment and then leave you to your peace.” Nerr frowned a bit. That didn't sound at all like Gunther. Normally, her retainer was the one telling her to stop dawdling and get a move on.

“Is something wrong?” She asked quietly. She prayed there wasn't. The thought of something being wrong with her oldest, dearest companion made her stomach clench painfully in fear. Noticing her concern, the old knight laughed softly.

“No. There's nothing wrong, my lady. Just the passage of time...”

“What do you mean?” He sighed, softly but she still caught it.

“It just seems impossible to me that fifteen years could have passed so quickly. I still remember when you were a little girl, begging me to pick you up and carry you about on my shoulders...” Nerr felt the heat rise in her cheeks at the memory. It was hazy, but it was there.

“Don't remind me of those things, Gunther. It's embarrassing. I'm not a child anymore.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet, as if he were speaking more to himself than to her. “I know that better than anyone. It's just so hard to believe that that playful little girl grew up into the strong, beautiful woman that sits before me now.” Her cheeks burned hotter, but pleasantly so this time. She could not help but smile a bit as she asked, somewhat shyly,

“You think I'm beautiful?” Perhaps a younger man would've been flustered, but Gunther possessed a nonchalance that could only come with age.

“I doubt there is a soul in this kingdom that does not.”

It was a non-answer, but Nerr was still flattered. The older man got to his feet and approached her, stopping a respectful distance from her bed.

“I'm sure Jakob would kill me in my sleep if he knew about this, but... I have a gift for you.” Despite her insistence that she was an adult, the princess could not contain the childish burst of excitement she felt at those words. Perhaps because it had been so long since she last heard them. When she was younger, back when Gunther still left the fortress to go on patrols with the rest of the active duty knights, he would always bring her presents from the town in the capital. Sweets and toys and books... it was not so much the presents themselves that she adored (though she truly did, and kept every one of those treasures squirreled away somewhere safe), but rather, what they represented. The world beyond the confines of her cage, places she could only dream of going.

As she got older, the gifts became less frequent until they stopped all together. She never questioned it, of course- that would come across as horribly selfish and entitled, and besides, she had probably just outgrown that little tradition just as she had outgrown everything else that served as a happy reprieve. Now, her heart leapt as she jumped to her feet, bouncing on her toes in joyful anticipation.

“Ooh, what is it? What is it?” Reaching into the pouch he wore on his sword belt, Gunther pulled out a small, plain wooden box. It was unwrapped, but his presents always were. Biting back a squeal of excitement, she reached out as calmly as she could, using all her restraint to not snatch the box from his hand- that would be a terrible show of decorum.

“Can I open it?” She asked hopefully. It seemed unlikely it was something that needed to be opened in private, but one could never be too sure. He smiled at her, that hybrid amused-slash-exasperated smile that was always accompanied with a shake of the head.

“That's why I gave it to you.” The box was hinged, and there was a small latch that she quickly undid, opening it. It was lined just as simply with dark cloth, and there in the middle was a rather large butterfly. Not a live creature, or even a dead one to be put on display, but a broach or something of that sort. It was sculpted of beautifully polished brass, it's body and the details of it's wings inlaid with some black stone- jet, she assumed.

“It's a hairpin.” He explained, silently gauging her reaction. “I know my lady rarely has use for such frivolities, but when I saw it, I could not help but think of you.” She looked up at him, confused. “Butterflies symbolize change, and I've given it to you filled with the hope that your life will change only for the better.”

Silently, Nerr looked back down at her gift. It glinted dully as it caught the light of the torches on her walls. Slowly, her smile had been fading, and now, she simply looked impassive. Though it did not show on his face, Gunther was surely apprehensive of his mistress's sudden change in demeanor. It could've been for any number of reasons; perhaps she thought him too forward, perhaps she felt such a thing was beneath her...That certainly seemed likely, so he spoke up once more, with a bit less enthusiasm than before, though...

“Of course, I understand that a cheap trinket is far beneath royalty. A princess deserves gold and jewels, but... I fear a soldier's salary is not so exorbitant--!!” He started as he felt her arms wrap around his waist. Sometime in the midst of his humiliating defense, she had set the box down on her bed and approached him, drawing him into a hug. That he didn't notice her until it was too late... it seemed his reflexes were going to seed...

For Nerr, this was another one of those happy things that she no longer had. As a child, Gunther had indulged her desire for hugs and affection freely, but one day, with no warning, he'd pulled away from her embrace and chided her. She was no longer a child, such behavior was unacceptable from a young lady, et cetera, et cetera. It seemed that from that day, a lonely, empty space had been born inside her. Of course, Elise and Camilla still freely gave hugs (it seemed that only hugging the opposite sex was bad, because hugging Jakob one day had resulted in a harsh scolding for both of them), and it wasn't as if anyone was cold to her, but still... The lesson she had taken away from that new rule was that being a mature, responsible adult meant giving up one's happiness. And though it made her sad, Nerr resigned herself to the fact that, if that was what was expected of her, that was what she would do.

While she told herself she was okay with that, in this particular moment, she could not force herself to think or behave like a dignified princess of Nohr. Just for a while, she needed to not be Nerr Von Krakenburg, and just be Nerr the girl. Gunther had not pulled away and begun chastising her yet, but it could've just been that he was in shock. She tightened her grip on his tunic just in case. He was right about one thing, though; the years certainly had passed. The last time she clearly remembered hugging him, her head barely came up to his stomach, and he'd had to stoop uncomfortably to return her embrace. Now, she could rest her cheek against his chest, her sensitive ears picking up the faint rhythm of his heart. There were tears in her eyes, and when she blinked, they stained the linen of his shirt a darker shade of purple.

“Lady Nerr? He asked, his voice quiet, but rumbling through her face and arms like distant thunder. “Are you alright?”

“I love it.” She sniffled. Clearly Gunther had not idea what she was on about.

“I don't--”

“Your gift. I love it, more than anything. It's the most wonderful present I've ever received.”

“It's just a piece of polished metal...” Nerr looked up at him, not bothering to wipe away her tears as they kept falling anyway.

“So is a crown. They're both just pieces of metal you wear- the value comes when someone says, 'this has value'. And so I say this hairpin is more valuable to me than all of the jewels in Castle Krakenburg.” Gunther gaped at her, ever so slightly.

“That's a bit of an exaggeration, I think...”

“I don't. It's the unmitigated truth. What would a handful of shiny rocks matter to me? This...” She glanced back to where the box lay on her bed. “This is something precious, given to me by the person I hold dearest in the world.”

“Lady Nerr...” She ignored him, pressing on as if she had said nothing wrong.

“It made you think of me, and it's filled with your hopes for me. I place more value on that than diamonds and gold.”

For a long time there was silence, and Nerr was too afraid to look up. Normally, her brain filtered out things like that before they got to her mouth, but today... she would blame it on her exhaustion. After a while, a low, deep laugh reverberated through her. She chanced a quick glance up and saw Gunther smiling down at her, a familiar, tender look in his eyes.

“You certainly know how to make a pauper feel like a king of kings. No doubt you could rally the world behind any cause you choose with those honeyed words.” Oh. So that was what he thought of her speech as- idle flattery. Reigning in her disappointment, she closed her eyes and leaned back against his chest (if he wasn't going to push her away, then she would enjoy the closeness for as long as she could), frustrated and tired.

“I spoke only the truth. I don't laud praise on things that don't deserve it.”

“I know, my lady. Your praise is the most honest critique. I truly do not deserve such distinction.”

“Nonsense...” she tried- and failed- to stifle a yawn. She was beginning to wish she was already in bed. “You're... a wonderful person, Gunther...”

“Heh. I think my lady might be sleep talking.”

Gently, he eased her back over to her bed, her legs giving out the moment they brushed against the mattress. Fighting another yawn, she used the last reserves of her strength to move her precious gift over to her nightstand, and swing her legs onto the bed as well. As she lay down, Gunther pulled the covers over her the same way he had done years ago. Reaching up, he brushed an ever-errant lock of hair from her forehead, another old habit, though it seemed his touch lingered just a little longer than it used to. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking from Nerr's half-dreaming mind.

“Good night, my little ladyship.” He whispered, using his old pet name for her. More asleep than awake, she smiled slightly.

“Good night, Gunther...” As his footsteps grew fainter and the door quietly squealed closed, she cracked her eyes open, a sliver of bright crimson visible in the darkness. She moved her lips silently. 'I love you...'

[mannunope]

HOO Superhero AU

This pretty much covers the Olympians. Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico. They only unite for large scale threats, like Kronos, an immortal time controlling warrior from the Bronze Age, Calamity, a woman who can shake the Earth to it’s very core and the one responsible for the destruction of the Atlanteans, and the Snow Queen, a woman who controls and creates a deadly form of ice that is poisonous even to the Olympians. She seeks to freeze the whole world over with her lethal ice and leave no survival for humanity.

Alright so I couldn’t keep this in. I cannot stop thinking of a superhero AU for PJO, and I’ll be damned if I take it to my grave.

Percy

His superhero alias is the Typhoon.

He can control water, it’s temperature, and has control over it’s two other states (vapor and ice).

He swims crazy fast. Like, 240 mph crazy fast.

He is strong enough to lift 25 tons above land.

He can lift 50 tons when under or submerged in water.

If the situation deems it necessary, Percy can create tsunamis and hurricanes.

On one scary occasion, he controls blood and poison. He has only used this ability once.

Percy has divinity over all sea animals. He’s pretty tight with the Loch Ness Monster, though.

He doubles as Percy Jackson, 20 year old lifeguard and college student majoring in marine biology.

For in those really tough spots, water heals Percy of almost any wound.

So basically, Percy is a way cooler Aquaman.

He wields an indestructible glowing bronze cutlass (a lil pirate theme) with blue Atlantean runes that glow whenever he uses his powers. It’s an ancient Atlantean sword found under the ruins  of Atlantis, only to be wielded by it’s king.

Percy’s been a superhero since the age of fourteen.

His role in the Olympians is the loose cannon/the glue that keeps them together. He sometimes takes charge in areas where Jason lacks the strength to.

Annabeth

So her name is totally the Silver Owl.

Annabeth has eidetic memory.

She had a genius level intellect with an IQ of 205.

She is an excellent strategist...so don’t ever go against her in chess. She can and will demolish you.

She is a pro gymnast and acrobat, with a ninth degree black belt in karate. She has peak human everything. So yeah...she kicks ass.

Annabeth can become naked to the human eye.

Later on, she also can become intangible, allowing for gruesome torture tactics on spies and villains that won’t talk. She rarely does this.

Annabeth engineered these awesome silver wings that are almost sentient.

They are synced up to her mind, so they react like extra limbs.

Her wings’ feathers are deadly and razor sharp. With a single thought, Annabeth can fire them machine gun style at an enemy.

These feathers are magnetic, so they return back to her wings once their uses are fulfilled.

These feathers can break through steel.

By day she is a part time librarian and a 21 college student getting her masters in Architecture.

She serves as the strategist of the group and the voice of reason.

She’s been at this superhero shit since the age of nine.

Frank

I struggled with this one, but the superhero name I came up with for him is the Crimson Beast.

Frank can turn into any beast imaginable.

Unicorn? Been there, done that.

Dragon? Please, don’t make him laugh.

Lizard with the butt of a donkey? Frank would hate to admit it, but he’s tried it before.

He is crazy strong. His limit is 75 tons.

Frank can telepathically communicate with any animal in existence.

He is honestly bulletproof.

For some reason, when I think of superhero!Frank, I think of a X from Magnus Chase. So yeah, berserker!Frank.

When you piss Frank off too hard, he becomes an invulnerable, nigh unstoppable force of nature.

He is one of the two legacies on the team. A legacy is a descendent of a superhero. Frank’s father, Berserker,

He serves as the muscle of the team.

Don’t worry though, he’s still a softie on the inside. He’s an 20 year old college student who majors in Veterinary Medicine.

Frank’s been at this doing his thing since he was 15.

Hazel

She is the Misteria

Hazel summon’s jewels to her aide, as well as being able to cause earthquakes.

Her eyes glow a golden yellow when she uses her “Mist” abilities.

Her “Mist” can curse objects and people with bad luck.

She can fire her jewels straight from the ground with some thought.

It eventually gets to the point where she can summon a layered and protective barrier of gems to protect her from most any attack.

Her mist control can also erase memories

A strong 40 tonner.

Hazel doesn’t even wield her sword. She controls it telepathically.

Hazel is a high school sophomore who just wants to prove herself. She lives with her half brother Nico di Angelo and their father, Hades.

She works at her father’s jewelry store with Piper.

Jason

Now presenting to you, the paragon of justice- Skybolt!

This dude can fly.

He can control the winds and storms.

Jason can fly at speeds up to 250 mph.

He’s pretty strong-a 40 tonner.

He can create a funnel of wind to misdirect most long distance attacks.

Jason fights with the use of his electrokinesis.

He’s a long ranged type of guy, who likes blasting his enemies from afar.

He is struggling with the concept of electromagnetism, while his older sister, Thalia, was bomb af at it.

He is much more comfortable with his air powers though, and can literally take one’s breath away. Tornadoes are his shit.

Best believe he is the golden boy and the leader of the Olympians.

He is known for keeping calm in tough situations.

He is constantly trying to live up to his powerful father, Captain Jupiter’s expectations.

He’s been superheroing ever since he was 6 years old and thrust into the role as Captain Jupiter’s sidekick since Thalia pulled a Nightwing.

Eventually he grows out of the sidekick role and owns villains on his own terms.

He is an 20 year old college student studying economics.

Piper

Her name is Nightingale

Her voice is appealing to anyone who hears it.

Like it takes the sound of whatever sound is most appealing to the person.

It lulls you asleep as your body takes over to whatever she wants you to do.

Her power is hypnosis, and she uses that to her advantage a lot.

This power has grown to the point where she can even control animals and mass (100-200) hordes of people before using up energy.

She also uses a form of precognition, in which she can see glimpses of the future.

She can also sense feelings. She has to touch the person first in order to gain this.

This indirectly allows her to find the most important tie to their soul (the person’s most powerful memory).

She can also bring the recently dead back to life. She can restart a heart and lessen pain intake with her sweet, soft voice.

By day she is an 20 year old, insanely talented journalist.

She often functions as the distraction in missions.

Leo

Leo is Infierno.

He, obviously, has pyrokinesis.

His white hot flames can mend steel.

Leo is very pissed that the Human Torch in comics can fly but he can’t.

He has found a way by inventing the F.E.S.T.U.S. Network, which can do a variety of things. Hacking into supercomputers, access to stoplight signals, records of all criminals; you name it, it can do it.

F.E.S.T.U.S. can deploy a fire proof hoverboard meant to clock in at speeds of 200 mph.

He can sort of glide without it by lightning his arms on fire as thrusters.

Leo keeps the F.E.S.T.U.S. network in a high tech red watch.

Leo is impervious to heat and has a high tolerance to low temperatures.

He is wary around ice, since the evil supervillain the Snow Queen wields it with malicious intent, and is dominates his only weakness.

Leo is a 20 mechanic who helps out in his dad’s workshop ever since his older brother, Charles, died.

Leo functions as the team’s technician, though is jokingly called by Piper the “Repair Boy” and by Percy as “Grease Monkey”.

Leo hates this. He will, however, answer to Supreme Commander Leo.

Leo has been a superhero since the age of 15.

Nico di Angelo

Nico di Angelo is the Night Wraith.

Nico serves as the team’s detective.

He can summon ghosts. He often uses them to find any leads on villains.

He uses a form of teleportation known as shadow travelling to get from Point A to Point B.

He later on finds that he can summon the undead to his aid and create his own band of skilled zombie soldiers.

His favorite thing to do is summon a huge ass T-Rex skeleton to do his bidding and ride on.

Nico is so skilled with shadows to the point that he can expand his own and use it to escape harsh situations.

Nico can solidify darkness into a lethal sword for him to use.

He can use the shadows as a portal to transport his undead army to his desired location.

This tires Nico greatly, and he often passes out after doing this act.

Nico also manipulates the darkness to create hands and claws to trip on-foot criminals.

Nico is the 18 year old son of Hadrian “Hades” di Angelo, the owner of a jewelry store and a successful funeral arrangement company. He lives with his half-sister, Hazel.

Nico’s weakness is intense, ultraviolet light. This can disorient and sap Nico’s power.

Nico’s been a hero since the age of 13.

[meghanpage]

over and over the only truth

Pairing: Supercorp

Words: 6787

Also on ao3 and ff.net

---

They say repetition can form habits. So maybe it’s a habit, the way Kara feels about Lena. But maybe, all she really needs is a few tries for the feelings to sink in.

Kara’s hurrying along the street, styrofoam cup in hand, having just stopped by Noonan’s for a coffee for Snapper. Not that he had asked her for one, but she had thought that maybe, just maybe, she can get him to like her a little better if she plies him with a bit of caffeine. She puts a little zip in her step - not superspeed type zip, no, she would never - hoping to get it to him before the morning really starts.

Of course, at that moment her super-hearing picks up the sound of screaming coming from across the city.

With a last forlorn look at the coffee in her hand, she dumps it into a trashcan, then ducks into the nearest alleyway, emerging in a blur of blue and red as she takes to the air. In a matter of moments she has located the source of the screams - her heart lurching when she realizes they were coming from outside L-Corp - and touches down in the courtyard in front of Lena’s building.

What she sees makes her stop in its tracks.

Here and there across the courtyard stand people frozen in place - literally. It looks like some perverse freeze-tag, where everyone has just become locked in mid-motion. Some are cowering, while others have their arms and legs bent like they are running - a few even hovering mid-step. But all are utterly motionless. One man even has his own cup of coffee, frozen as it tips from his hand, its arc of spilled contents creating a Rorschach blot against the air.

And just beyond the frozen individuals is the source of the screams - spread out across the middle of the courtyard are five men dressed all in black, four with pistols flanking one that is obviously the leader, who is wielding a huge, strange-looking gun. Its odd, angular shape and unfamiliar metal mark it as clearly alien.

Even as Kara starts forward to stop them, the man with the strange gun fires. Two lances of bluish light shoot from the weapon, hitting a pair of fleeing pedestrians and freezing them in place.

All five men let out harsh laughs, and the leader gives the gun an appreciative heft. “I love this thing!” he cheers.

He turns it towards the far end of the courtyard, his gaze becoming flinty. “How would you like your turn, sweetheart?”

Kara looks past him to find his target, and suddenly her worst fears are realized.

Crowded close to the glass walls of her building, square in the sights of the freeze gun, is Lena Luthor.

She is struggling against another man, trying to free herself from his grip around her bicep. Kara thinks for a second it’s a sixth thug, until she sees that he is stiff as a board. Finally recognizing the uniform he wears, she places him as one of Lena’s security team, frozen in place as he tried to remove Lena from danger, instead trapping her there.

“Hey!” Kara calls out, immediately taking up her most intimidating pose, fists firm on her hips. “Stop right there!”

The attackers immediately spin to face her, surprise melting into scorn when they see who is speaking.

“Oh, well if it isn’t Supergirl!” the leader jeers, sharing derisive looks with his companions.

Without warning, he fires on her, hitting her straight in the chest with a blue-white bolt. The blast throws her backwards, hurling her to the ground with enough force to crack the cement.

Though the gun doesn’t have its intended affect on her, it knocks the breath straight from her lungs, and by the time she has hauled herself back to her feet the gunmen have closed in around her.

Even as they opened fire on her, Kara finds her attention drawn away, back towards the opposite end of the courtyard. Instead of focussing on her, as she had hoped, the man with the freeze gun has turned back towards Lena. Kara sees her begin to struggle even harder against her involuntary captor as he advances on her with slow, taunting steps.

Springing into action, Kara quickly dispatches one gunman and then another, sending the other two scrambling towards safety. Not bothering to watch them go, she whirls back around and leans forward, sending a flash of her laser vision towards the leader. It hits the gun straight in what she guesses is its power source, causing a shower of sparks to rain from the weapon.

It gives a few coughing clicks as the attacker tries futilely to pull the trigger, and he gives it a desperate shake as Kara approaches, ready to take him down. But even as she steps towards him, the sound of gunshots ring out again, and she feels bullets bounce off of her shoulder and back.

Spinning back around, she sees that one of the other thugs has come back and is firing wildly at her. Leaping into the air to keep the frenzied spray of bullets away from Lena, Kara holds out her hand, carefully angling it to deflect one of his shots and send it straight back into his leg.

He drops with a cry of pain, and Kara reels to confront the man with the freeze gun - only to find that he’s gone.

She swivels her head, catching sight of his back just as it disappears into a dark van, which immediately peels away from the curb and around the corner.

As the van vanishes from sight, the figures around her unfreeze, stumbling as they unlock from their positions, a few finally releasing cut-off cries. The security guard holding Lena jerks into motion, dragging her a few steps before coming to a halt to look around him in confusion.

Kara slowly drifts down to land in front of Lena, first turning to address the unfrozen citizens.

“Don’t worry, you’re all safe!” Kara calls out across the courtyard, trying to calm the alarmed looks of the people as they tried to figure out had happened. “The freeze gun’s effects have worn off, and the gunmen are gone.”

Satisfied that no one is going to start panicking again, she turns back to Lena, who is surreptitiously rubbing her arm from her security guard’s grip.

“Are you alright?” she asks, stepping up next to her.

Lena lifts her chin slightly, her professional mask slipping into place, even though Kara can see her hands still trembling. “Yes, thank you, Supergirl.”

Kara nods, gesturing slightly towards the entrance to L-Corp. “Will you let me escort you to your office?”

“Of course.” Lena looks to her bodyguard, who is still hovering uncertainly. “You may go, Leo. Thank you.”

The man nods at her in appreciation, touches his fingers to his forehead in a semi-salute towards Kara, then makes off into the lobby.

Kara hovers her hand over the small of Lena’s back as she walks her inside, using her super-senses to watch out for any lingering danger. Only when the door to Lena’s office is safely closed behind them after one last sweep of the room with her x-ray vision does she let herself relax.

“Some agents will be here in a moment to debrief you,” she tells Lena as the other woman walks across the room.

Lena nods as she makes her way behind her desk, crossing her arms as she gazes out the window. Kara watches her, thinking how she always hated the distance that sprung up between them when she was Supergirl instead of plain old Kara. It makes her chest hurt in a way she can’t quite place.

After a moment, Lena speaks up. “I supposed I owe you my life thrice over now.” She turns to Kara with a rueful smile.

Kara shakes her head, quickly denying, “Oh, no, I mean, you don’t owe me any debts. It’s what I do.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regrets them - they sound so dismissive, like she had saved Lena’s life only because it was her job. Lena glances away, her smile fading as she presses her lips together.

Just as Kara is opening her mouth to try to explain, there’s a knock at the door. Lena flinches, and Kara quickly uses her x-ray vision to peek through it.

“It’s just the agents,” she reassures her, opening the door to let Alex and the two agents accompanying her in.

“Hello Supergirl, Miss Luthor,” Alex greets as she stepped inside. Lena gives her a nod, but makes no effort to move away from her desk. “Supergirl, have you already done a sweep of the building?”

“Nothing thorough, just checking on things as we came up,” Kara reports.

Alex nods to the other two agents, signaling for them conduct the sweep themselves. She waits until the door had closed behind them, then pulls out a tiny field notebook. “Mind if I ask you some questions about what happened this morning?” she asks.

“No, please, have a seat,” Lena replies, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk before sitting in her own.

As the two women move to sit, Kara crosses to the other side of the office, pretending to study the painting hung there. But instead of looking at the art, she stands peering out of the corner of her eye, watching Lena as she speaks. She takes in the way Lena sits with such excellent posture, her legs crossed neatly at her ankles; the way her dark hair falls elegantly across her shoulders; the way her dark red lips forms answers to Alex’s questions…

She’s pulled from her reverie when Alex and Lena stood, shaking hands over Lena’s desk.

“Thank you for your time, Miss Luthor, this information will be helpful in tracking down the men that attacked you.”

“Of course. I hope you’re able to catch them soon.”

Kara strides over to join them as Alex tucks her notebook in one of the pockets on her pants.

“Your best course of action,” Alex advises, “would be to lay low for the day, cancel any plans you have -”

“I can’t.”

The sisters glance at each other, stunned.

“I have a charity auction tonight,” Lena continues. “Perhaps you’ve caught word of it? I’ve been planning it for weeks. I can’t just cancel last minute.”

Kara touches a hand to her forehead and takes a step forward. “Miss Luthor, I’m sorry, but this event can’t be important enough to risk putting yourself in danger for. Not after everything...”

Lena’s eyes grow steely. “My brother is jail. Now so is my mother. I’m the only Luthor left, and I plan to start using that name for good. This event is going to benefit charities all across the city. I won’t cancel it just because I’m at risk again.”

“Miss Luthor…”

“I’m sorry, Supergirl, that’s my decision.” Lena crosses her arms, lifting her chin as she holds Kara’s gaze.

Alex lays her hand on Kara’s arms as she opens her mouth to argue further. “Well if we can’t convince you to cancel, will you at least allow Supergirl to go and keep an eye on things?”

Lena’s gaze immediately softens. “Of course. I’d be glad to have her.”

Kara fights down a blush, instead giving her a stoic nod. “I’ll be there.”

There’s a moment of silence, then Alex clears her throat. “I’m sure you’re a busy woman,” she says to Lena. “If there’s nothing else?”

“No, no, thank you,” Lena says, coming out from behind her desk and walking them to the door. “And I’m sure you’d like to start looking for those men.”

Opening the door, she looks at Kara once more, her gaze coming from beneath her lashes. “And thank you, Supergirl. I don’t think I expressed my gratitude before. I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

“Oh, yes, I, um…” Kara stutters. She reaches for glasses that aren’t there, instead tucking a curl behind her ear.

She can almost hear Alex’s eyes rolling behind her as she puts an arm around her shoulders. “Right. C’mon, Supergirl.”

Kara allows herself to be guided from the room, giving one last little wave from her hip as the door swings closed behind them. She gazes through it for a minute, watching as Lena reseated herself at her desk, then turns back to a very exasperated-looking Alex.

“What?” she demands.

Alex just shakes her head and makes her way down the hall towards the elevator.

Kara scampers after her. “Alex, what?”

Back at the DEO, Kara’s eyes are starting to cross as blueprint after blueprint for alien weaponry flash on the wall of screens in front of her.

“None of these look familiar to you?” Winn asks, checking over his shoulder for her lack of recognition before scrolling to the next image.

Kara sighs in annoyance and crosses her arms. “Still nothing.”

“And you’ve never seen a gun like that before?” When Kara shoots him a glare, he holds up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, sorry, I’ve already asked that a bunch of times, I know. It’s just that this is taking forever. Maybe if we narrowed the specs a little more…?”

Kara lets out a huff as she drops into a chair. “I’ve already told you everything I remember. It was big, like, the guy had to hold it with two hands. It had a big blocky end where the power source must have been and a long, skinny nose.”

“Barrel,” Alex corrects.

Kara waves a hand at her. “That. That’s the best description I can give you.”

Winn nods, tapping absentmindedly at a key on his keyboard. “What about the power source?”

Kara tilts her head.

“I mean, you said you thought you hit it, right?” Kara nods. “What’d it look like? What made you aim there?”

“Oh.” She thinks for a minute. “Well, that was where the light was coming from.”

Alex perks up off of the desk she had slouched against. “Light?”

“Yeah,” Kara says, her eyes growing animated as she began to remember. “Yeah, there were these, these little rectangular boxes on either side that glowed. They were the same color as the bolts it shot out so I thought that must be what was was powering them.”

Winn spins back to his computer, typing rapidly. Within moments he brings up a new spread of blueprints across the wall of screens. “Any of these look -”

“That one!” Kara jabs a finger at the image excitedly.

“Yes!” Winn cheers, pumping a fist in the air. He enlarges the picture and brings up the gun’s specs. “And it looks like our winner is… a Malorian temporal rifle.” He leans close to his screen to read the information. “Holy crap, these guys had some crazy advanced theories on time energy. It looks like this thing literally freezes time within its target. Or maybe not so much freezes it as sends the target to an alternate temporal plane where time is slowed to an infinitesimal crawl...”

“This has Cadmus written all over it. Mrs. Luthor must not be taking her move to maximum security well,” Alex interrupts, her face dark. “I’ll go let J’onn know we found the type of weapon. You try to find a way we can track it,” she tells Winn.

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” he says, his brow pulled in fake seriousness as he salutes her, then spins back to his computer, immediately hunching over to type.

Alex rolls her eyes then turns to Kara. “And you’d better get back to your day job.”

Kara’s eyes widen, and she muffles a groan in the hands that cover her face. “Snapper’s gonna kill me for missing the meeting this morning.”

Snapper’s ire is tempered - slightly - when Kara tells him she had been at L-Corp during the attack and can write him a first-hand account of what had happened.

She manages to write up a decent draft and send it to him, a minor miracle considering how far away her thoughts are. Each time she tries to recall a detail of the attack, all she can think of was the way Lena had twisted as she tried to free herself from the stone grasp of her guard, the whites of her eyes clearly visible as she watched the man with the freeze gun stalk ever closer to her. Her worry for Lena makes the draft take twice as long as it should for her to write - and unfortunately the anxiety doesn’t let up as the day goes on. Finally, she can’t stand it any longer, and, during her lunch break, climbs to the roof.

She changes quickly in the alleyway across from L-Corp then crosses to the building, calling a greeting to Lena’s secretary as she enters.

“Hi, Jess! Is Lena available?”

Jess gives her a guarded once-over, as if worried she’ll bolt if she looks away. “She just went on lunch. She’ll probably still be up in her office though, she usually just works through it.”

Kara nods, feeling a weird mix of concern and fondness. Because constantly working through breaks is bad for you, but oh, if that isn’t so Lena.

“Thanks. So I’ll just… go up?” she says, pointing up towards Lena’s office.

Jess cocks her hip and crosses her arms, frowning slightly. “According to Miss Luthor, I can’t exactly stop you.”

“O-oh. Okay. Well, um, it was nice seeing you.” Kara jabs the elevator button, fidgeting from foot to foot while Jess continues to watch her. When the elevator doors finally ding open, she hurries inside, waving to Jess until they slide closed.

As the elevator hums upwards, Kara tries to craft a convincing argument against holding the charity auction tonight. But even as she wracks her brain for the right words, the elevator halts, depositing her on the top floor. She walks up to Lena’s door, taking a few preparatory breaths before knocking.

“Come in,” comes Lena’s voice, and Kara pushes open the door to find Lena leaning casually against the front of her desk.

“Kara!” she greets warmly as she straightens up and approaches, and Kara’s glad she hasn’t figured out anything to say, because that grin would have chased it all from her head. “Jess called ahead to say you were coming up. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

As it is, it takes Kara a few tries to get started. “I – uh – there was – I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She gestures out the window towards the courtyard. “I was… in the area when the attack happened. Are you okay?”

Lena’s eyes soften, and she tilts her head towards her couch. The two women settle onto it before she finally answers, “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Really?” Kara asks. “It’s fine if you’re not, you know, if you’re just putting on a brave face. ‘Cause you don’t have to, with – with me.” Her cheeks pink as the last part slips out.

A soft smile spreads across Lena’s face, and her hand lands on the cushion just short of Kara’s knee. “I know, Kara. So I hope you’ll believe me when I say I really am all right.”

At Kara’s nod, her fingers twitch, and Kara thinks for a moment she might actually move them to her knee before she draws her hand back into her lap. Kara forlornly watches it go. “Good. Now there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Kara looks up in surprise when she says, “Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight?” Before she can even answer, she continues, “I’m sorry for asking so last minute, I had just thought…”

Kara tilts her head, forgetting that she’s supposed to be talking Lena out of the auction at the other woman’s uncharacteristic hesitation. “Thought what?”

Lena glances down briefly and fidgets with her skirt. Bringing her eyes back to Kara’s, she admits, “I, well, I was afraid that, with the way the last event I asked you to turned out, you might be… reluctant to accept an invitation from me again.”

Though she keeps her voice light and her gaze on Kara’s, Kara can see the sadness and uncertainty in her eyes. She blurts, “What? No!”

Blushing as she realizes how much like a rejection that sounds, she scrambles to clarify, “No, I mean, no, I would never think that. You’re my friend, Lena. I’d love to spend more time with you.”

Lena lets out a soft laugh, tucking a dark lock behind her ear, and Kara’s heart gives a jump.

“Good,” she says, her shoulders relaxing imperceptibly. “That’s… I’m glad to hear. In that case, I’ll see you there? It starts at 8 o’clock.”

“Oh, um, yeah,” Kara said, nodding a little dazedly. “8 o’clock it is.”

The women smiled at each other for a moment, until Kara gave a little start. “Oh, I’m sorry, you probably want to get back to your work. I’ll, um, I’ll get going?”

Lena rose gracefully from the couch and accompanied Kara to the door. “I’m really glad you agreed to come tonight,” she says softly. “It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events.”

Kara just smiles at her, her stomach swooping pleasantly. “Yes, yeah, for sure. So um, you… and me… 8 o’clock?”

Lena laughs, her eyes twinkling. “Yes, and you better not be late.”

Kara shakes her head vehemently. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Cross my heart,” she says, drawing an x over her chest with her finger.

Lena smiles warmly as she opened the door for Kara, leaning a little against its edge.

“Bye, Lena,” Kara says, pressing a finger to the side of her glasses before giving a little wave.

“Goodbye, Kara,” Lena returns, still smiling at her around the edge of the door as she begins to close it.

“Bye,” Kara repeats as she backs away down the hall, keeping her eyes on Lena until the door swings fully closed in front of her. There’s a floaty feeling in her chest, and she really wants to just take off through the window, but she manages to make herself wait for the elevator like a regular human.

It isn’t until she’s descending towards the ground floor that she realizes she had done the exact opposite of what she came there to do. The charity auction is still going on, and now she’s expected to be there as both Kara and Supergirl.

Her forehead dents the aluminum wall of the elevator as she drops her head against it with a groan.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to run Operation Doubtfire again?” Winn whispers as they wait for the briefing to begin. It’s only a few hours before the charity auction begins, and they’ve been unable to find any leads on the location or identity of Lena’s attackers. Now they have to focus their attention on protecting Lena and her guests at her event, and the collected agents wait for J’onn to give them the details of the operation.

“It’s much more exclusive than last time,” Kara tells him. “I’m not sure I could get you in.”

“I could be your plus one?”

Kara crinkles her brow, unable to stop a light blush as she says, “I think I’m Lena’s plus one.”

Before Winn can respond to that, J’onn walks to the front of the room, causing a hush to fall throughout through the waiting agents.

“As you all know,” he begins, “Lena Luthor is once again the target of attempts on her life. And once again, she’s decided to hold a public event that will likely be the target of an attack. So here’s how tonight is going to go.”

The plan is simple. Kara will go as herself, making a fleeting appearance as Supergirl as she had at Lena’s last gala, but for the most part surveilling the auction from inside the event. Because the auction is invite-only, none of the other agents will be able to get inside, but will set up a perimeter around the ballroom, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.

After J’onn finishes with the brief, the agents all scatter to their various posts, and Kara makes her way to the locker room to get ready. She changes quickly, donning a plum purple calf-length dress with a daring scoop in the back, cinched at the waist with a lighter purple ribbon. For her hair she ties a loose braid at the side of her head, leading it back into a low bun.

Alex catches her as she’s finishing her hair, a handful of bobby pins held between her lips as she tries to tame her flyaways.

“Shouldn’t you just leave those?” she says, propping a hip against the counter next to Kara. “You’ll just have to fix them again when you change back and forth, right? Besides,” she reaches out for a curl in front of Kara’s ear, “they’re cute.”

Kara takes the bobby pins from her mouth, touching the wispy hairs at her temples as she looks this way and that. “You think?”

Alex raises an eyebrow, barely holding back a smirk. “I think Lena will think so.”

“What?” A flush spreads across Kara’s cheeks. “I’m not... I mean, that’s good, because it’s her party, and she invited me, so -”

Taking pity on her, Alex leans over to bump her with her shoulder, Kara swaying obligingly. “Whatever you say, little sis.” She pushes off from the counter, making her way back to the locker room door. Turning in the doorway, she says, “I meant it though.”

She gestures to her temple, signifying Kara’s flyaways, but Kara catches her implied meaning. About the other thing too.

Kara smiles at her in the mirror, tucking the bobby pins in her little makeup bag. The time will come when she’ll have to examine how good it makes her feel that Lena might like how she looks, but for now... “Thanks, Alex.”

A smile quirks the corner of Alex’s mouth, and she gives Kara a nod before turning down the hall.

The auction is being held in a historic section of National City, in one of the city’s oldest and largest ballrooms. Kara admires the towering stone archways above the doors as the bouncer checks her name against a list of approved guests, praying that they won’t be riddled with bullet holes by the night’s end. Although Kara knew this was the biggest ballroom in the city, she still isn’t fully prepared for the sight of it. Warm, golden hardwood floors stretch across the expanse of the room, meeting creamy white walls. In between the floor and the filigreed ceilings high overhead, a balcony wraps around the room, connecting to a stone counterpart outside. The space is already filled with National City’s socialites and elites, their voices creating a low din over the string quintet playing in the corner.

Many are already looking at the items up for auction settled on cloth-covered tables around the perimeter of the room. Though most tables hold displays of jewelry or tickets to events around National City, Kara spots a truly massive 4K TV in one corner, and even - are those Bravak quills?

Kara’s distracted from her inspection when a hush falls over the crowd. She follows everyone’s gazes to a small raised platform along the back wall, where Lena’s now standing in front of a microphone. She’s dressed in a deep emerald green dress, the color serving to bring out the green in her pale eyes. The form-fitting silk of the gown clings to her every curve, the high jeweled collar covering her throat but leaving her white shoulders bare.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lena begins, and Kara closes her mouth, hoping no one had caught her staring. “Welcome to L-Corp’s first annual charity auction.”

She holds for the polite applause, then continues, “Since our rebranding, L-Corp has worked to become a company focused on improving the lives of our neighbors and fellow citizens with innovation and emerging technologies. In thanks to National City for working with us towards this goal, we wanted to give back to the community. Please feel free to look around at the objects for auction tonight, all of which have been provided by generous donors. All funds raised tonight will go towards various charities across National City, which are detailed in your programs. Let the bidding begin!”

She smiles graciously as she applauds along with the crowd, flashbulbs going off around her. Then she climbs down from the platform, and Kara can see her eyes roaming the crowd.

Kara quickly makes her way over to her, ducking her shoulders and waving as Lena finally catches sight of her.

“Kara! I’m so glad you could make it. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you at the door, I had to make my introductory speech.” Lena beams at her when they’re finally face to face, her stiletto heels making her just barely taller than Kara.

Kara feels an echoing grin stretch across her cheeks, accompanied by that warm, fuzzy feeling she gets whenever she makes Lena smile for her like she will for no one else.

“That’s all right,” she says, waving her hand. “It was a very nice speech.”

Lena dips her head. “Thank you. So, what do you think?” she asks, gesturing around the ballroom.

Kara lets out a short laugh. “I mean, wow, Lena, this is…”

“Hoity-toity, I know. But I have to give the upper escalons what they want,” she says wryly.

“No, I was gonna say amazing,” Kara corrects, gazing around her. “I’ve been to events with Cat, I mean, for CatCo before, but this feels… more grand.”

Lena smiled at her and cupped the air near Kara’s elbow, gesturing her further into the room. “In that case, I’ll try to make it pleasurable for you.”

They meandered through the crowd, stopping here or there to talk with a business investor or politician whom Lena recognized. Kara watched Lena as she switched from light banter to serious discussion with ease, playing each conversation to her advantage. Finally, they ended up at the refreshment table, where Lena orders them each a champagne and Kara devours at least half the tiny sandwiches on the display in front of her.

“I’m sorry for all of that,” Lena says, her brows drawing contritely. “I said I was going to make this interesting for you, and instead you had to watch me schmooze a bunch of old white men.”

Kara struggles to swallow her mouthful of sandwiches, finally getting out, “No, don’t worry, it was interesting. You know so many people, it’s kind of amazing.”

Lena lets out a quiet chuckle, then sets her champagne glass onto the counter. She seems to hesitate for a moment, then holds her palm out towards Kara. “May I?”

Kara stares at it dumbly for a moment before it clicks. “Oh! I - you - You want to dance with me?”

“Yes, if… that’s alright, of course.” Lena falters, her fingers beginning to curl back on themselves.

Kara grabs her hand before they can. “Yes!” She coughs, tries again a little more calmly. “I mean, yes, that would be great. I’d love to.”

Lena beams at her, then draws her out to the middle of the ballroom where couples have already paired off and are waltzing around the floor. She draws in a breath, then guides Kara’s hand to her shoulder, slipping her own around Kara’s back. Kara feels a frisson of excitement as her cool fingers settle below her shoulder blade, realizing Lena means to take the lead.

They’re still for a moment as Lena catches the rhythm, then away they spin, merging into the flow of dancing couples. Kara finds she can hardly catch her breath, not with Lena’s bright eyes so close, her shoulder soft under her hand. She lets out a peal of laughter as Lena spins her once, twice, ending the dance pink-cheeked and breathing hard.

Lena lets go of her as soon as the music ended, but Kara knows it isn’t from regret when she drops an adorable curtsey to her, smiling widely. Kara mimics her with another giggle, and they slip off the dance floor and draw back to the fringes of the ballroom.

“You dance very well, for never having been to a fancy ball before,” Lena compliments as they walk along the row of display tables.

Kara reaches out to fiddle with a necklace on display to keep Lena from seeing the way her cheeks darken. “Oh, well, thank you.”

They amble in silence for a moment before Kara points upwards towards the balcony.

“Want to go outside? It’s so nice tonight, we could get some air…” Kara offers, giving Lena a crooked smile.

Lena returns it, leading her up the spiral staircase at the corner of the room and out into the night air. As they lean against the high stone ledge, Lena props her chin on her hand, letting out a soft sigh.

“National City is beautiful at night,” she says.

Kara hums, joining Lena in staring out at the twinkling lights of the city around them, its residents making their way here and there on the road below them. “I love the city at night. I love to listen to all of its sounds - or,” she stutters, “the sounds from the street outside my apartment, because that’s the only part I can hear.”

“That’s funny, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a night owl.” Lena pins her with a playful, appraising look.

“Oh, well, sometimes my um, job keeps me up late.” Not a complete lie - superheroing does cause her to keep some odd hours.

“Staying up to keep those deadlines?” Lena teases.

Kara fidgets with one of the loose curls on her neck. “Ha. Yeah. That.”

Speaking of superheroing - Kara suddenly realizes she has yet to make her appearance as Supergirl.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asks, already backing towards the door. “I’ll go get some drinks. Is there punch?”

Lena turns to lean her back against the ledge, watching Kara retreat. She tilts her head apologetically. “Sorry, I don’t think I ordered punch.”

“Right, duh, this isn’t high school prom. I’ll get more champagne.” Kara spins around, barely avoiding the door frame, and ducks into the ballroom.

Within moments, Supergirl floats gently down to hover on the opposite side of the ledge from Lena. She’s still watching the door where Kara had disappeared, so Kara takes a second to get into her pose - hands on hips, one knee cocked - before clearing her throat lightly.

“Oh!” Lena whirls around, one hand going to her collarbone. “Supergirl, you startled me.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara apologizes. She drifts over the top of the ledge, touching down a few feet away from Lena. “I just wanted to check in with you.”

Lena nods, straightening and clasping her hands in front of her. “Yes, I was beginning to wonder if you were actually coming or not.” Her tone is playful, but with just an edge of chill that has Kara regretting her lack of attention.

“I’ve been here,” Kara tells her, “just, keeping out of the way. It looked like you were having… fun. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

She could have sworn she sees a barely-there blush slide over Lena’s cheeks as she responds, “Yes, it has been a nice evening.”

The corners of Lena’s lips turn up as a faraway look comes into her eyes, and Kara hates to ruin it by asking, but Supergirl’s there for a reason, so… “Have you seen any sign of your attackers?”

Sure enough, Lena’s smile falls away, her lips drawing into a thin line. “Not yet.”

“My people haven’t seen them yet, either. But I assure you, if they show their faces here, we will stop them,” Kara says, conviction coloring her tone.

“You’re so earnest,” Lena says with a tilt of her head, and Kara can’t entirely tell if her tone is scornful or fond.

There’s a booming crash below them, the high-pitched whine of an energy discharge, and then the screaming starts.

Both women’s heads whip towards the ballroom, where they can see the crowd below begin to scatter in panic. Somehow, it’s Lena that moves before Kara, stepping towards the balcony door with her hand outstretched.

“Kara!”

She doesn’t get farther than that one step before Kara zips in front of her, blocking the doorway. “Don’t worry, I’ve got her,” she promises, feeling odd about speaking about herself like this. “Stay here.”

She lingers just long enough to catch Lena’s small nod, then throws herself through the door and straight over the balcony, landing hard, knees bent, fist down, but holding herself back from cracking the historic floorboards.

Rising, she takes in the scene: frozen partygoers, in a thick cluster near the door, which was now flung wide, then thinning as the attackers made their way into the ballroom. There are only three of them this time, the leader flanked by two subordinates - manageable, Kara thinks, until her eyes land on the temporal rifle the leader still carried. Kara can’t stop her eyes from widening as she takes in the curling wires protruding from the power cells, welded sporadically and looking about as stable as a child’s homemade creation.

“What did you do to it?” she asks, unable to keep the apprehension from her voice.

The leader grins maliciously and hefts the weapon in his hands. “You like? I made some upgrades. Should be able to take even you on, now.”

The grin fades, and he levels the gun at her. She just manages to spin out of the way, feeling the cold heat of the freeze ray as it flew past her. A rush of dismay and guilt floods through her as it hits a group of civilians clustered behind her, freezing them all. From what she had seen that morning, the gun had only affected the specific person it had hit. It looks like the leader has managed to boost the freeze gun’s power, after all.

Kara looks at the guests cowering against the walls and behind the tables around her. “Run! Go!” she calls to them, and they flee along the edges of the ballroom. She fires two quick beams of her laser vision when the lackeys turned their guns to follow them, making them drop the white-hot weapons.

The leader fires his rifle at her, then again, and she ducks and weaves to avoid the boosted beams. Too wary to use her laser vision against the monstrosity he had made the weapon, she knows she has to disarm him somehow, and quickly. But that’s easier said than done as he keeps up a constant barrage of fire.

“Where is she, Supergirlie?” the leader bellows as she throws herself into the air. “Where’s the Luthor?”

Kara flies even further away from the balcony door, keeping his attention from it and praying Lena won’t do anything stupid. “She’s under my protection, and you’re not getting to her!”

She swoops down at him, but he manages to get the rifle up just in time, firing a shot straight into her stomach. It slings her back, historic plaster crumbling around her shoulders as she slams into the wall.

She has a brief second to feel bad about it before there comes a stuttered whining sound, like a car battery trying to turn over, and Kara’s eyes widen to saucers because oh Rao, it’s coming from the mangled gun. She pushes off from the wall, flings herself towards the man, but she’s too late - an orb of blue-white light explodes from the disintegrating gun, and she’s hurled back, her back slamming into…

Concrete? For a second, Kara’s mind blanks out with pain and confusion, the air punched from her lungs, unable to figure out where she is. She’s outside, and it’s day, and there are -

Gunshots pop nearby, bullets pinging off her prone body, and she rolls instinctively, bringing her cape up to shield herself. As she kneels there, cape pulled over her head, she looks frantically around, trying to figure out what’s happened. It’s then that she catches sight of a man frozen in mid-motion, coffee spilling in a motionless crescent from his hand.

The same man from that morning. With the same coffee. She looks around further - she’s in L-Corp’s courtyard, frozen figures surrounding her, lances of blue-white light flashing sporadically.

It hits her then. Whatever that man had done to bastardize the temporal rifle, it had caused it to malfunction, and malfunction spectacularly. Spectacularly enough to punch Kara straight back through time.

[sophdlpaz]

Sorta-kinda-like MMFF 2016 Movie Reviews

I know, I know I’m a tad late for this. But I’m doing it nonetheless because I was really happy with the Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 line-up. Plus, it’s National Arts Month, sooo yeah. (Lusot haha) 

Instead of featuring the usuals – an Enteng Kabisote and ______ ______ (fill in the blanks), movies casting the hottest loveteams (KathNiel, LizQuen, JaDine, AlDub, you name it), Shake, Rattle, and Roll 3497, Mano Po 34, they showcased, yup, INDIE FILMS (Well, majority of them.) *happy dance* It was only last year when the indie film lover that is me showed interest in MMFF and moved her as* to really go to the theaters and see them.

But given my busy schedule last December (huwaw), I was only able to see 3 out of the 8 full-length films. And I’ll give my best to squeeze whatever I was able to absorb from them through my pwede-na reviews. 

SAVING SALLY

Photo from Saving Sally Facebook page

I won’t give my score for this movie because uhmm, I fell asleep while seeing it. Okay, I have to explain. No, it’s not because the movie was bad. I haven’t had a decent sleep for 3-4 consecutive days prior to that night when I saw the film with my friends. Plus Cinema ‘76 has a really comfy couch (with throw pillows) and the AC was in full-blast, so yeah, you get what I mean. :P But I was still able to capture the gist, okay. (Defensive tone off)

At first I was hesitant in seeing this film because I’m not really into animation shiz. But I wanted to see the end result of the makers of this film who spent 12 years for it. YES, 12 YEARS.  Well, it was a typical story of two people who started out as friends, became strangers from each other but eventually turned into lovers.  After saving comic book artist Marty (Enzo Marcos - I used to see him in my favorite show back then, 5 and Up.) from a bully at the school they both went to, gadget inventor Sally (Rhian Ramos) would often go to Marty’s house, make him keep some of her “contrabands” (her parents are super strict), go with him in comic bookstores, eat streetfood with him, and take pictures of random sleeping people with him. Because of this fun friendship, no wonder Marty developed his feelings for Sally. He has his bedroom wall covered with his drawings of Sally (which he covers with a set of other drawings whenever she visits him). But as their relationship deepens, he also learned that Sally is physically abused by her parents. She reasons out her “secret project” as the cause so they’d both shrug off the scars and bruises she has. Marty also learned about Sally’s other secret – Nick (TJ Trinidad), her boyfriend. But instead of keeping distance from her, he helps as the “bridge” of the secret lovers. Eventually, he found out Nick’s not really taking Sally too seriously.

Marty was so eager to go to the same college and take the same course that Sally also plans to take, but Sally was put on the “waiting list” for Fine Arts. He also got a call from a comic book publisher to pitch a comic book storyline. He initially presented a story of a war between aliens and humans which was approved by the editor and which he had to do drawings for. Marty then tweaked his storyline featuring an astronomer who tries to save a girl caught by aliens, basing it on his experience with Sally, her parents, and Nick.

As I was saying, Marty learned about Nick’s infidelity and wants to take revenge for Sally but the latter tries to stop him, leading to an argument. Marty then admits his feelings for this girl but didn’t turn out to be good. They become aloof from each other, causing Marty’s depression. They come across each other again eventually in college and regain the level of relationship they once had.. or prolly a notch higher than that. *wink wink*

As mentioned, I’m not really a fan of animations but this film left me with so much awe. With this passion for this film (I mean, HELLO, 12 YEARS), along with the level of talent they deliver, I’m proud to say Filipino filmmakers can already be at par with their foreign counterparts (despite me not being sure of the animation formats they used, hehe). I’m just glad that Filipinos are already gaining reputation in filmmaking. Saving Sally is just one proof of this. Elibs ako, seryoso. KUDOS!

DIE BEAUTIFUL

Photo from Die Beautiful Facebook page

Verdict: 4 out of 5

This multi-awarded movie presents the joys and discloses the pains of being gay. Patrick (Paolo Ballesteros) experienced rejection from his father (Joel Torre) because of his gender preference. His father punishes him whenever he sees him dressing up as a beauty contestant when he was still a child. But that didn’t stop Patrick in doing what he loves. He sneaks out of their house to still join barangay gay contests, even if his sister Beth (Gladys Reyes) stops him from doing so. This led him to being disowned by his father. Patrick took advantage of this emancipation and later evolved into Trisha Echevarria.

Trisha found home in her best friend Barbs (Christian Bables) and her adopted daughter Shirley Mae (Faye Alhambra/Inah de Belen). Her new family became her source of strength when she got gang-raped, when she got his heart broken so many times, and when she lost in several beauty contests. They gave their support in her gradual transformation to becoming a woman. Her child was also never judging despite being bullied by her classmates for having a gay mother. But after achieving her ultimate goal and being crowned as Binibining Gay Pilipinas, Trisha collapsed and died.

I must admit, even though I keep an open mind about LGBT issues, I still got stunned upon seeing the rape scenes and hearing them use vulgar words. They were so raw and crisp that I think 13-year old’s wouldn’t be that ready yet  to witness these scenes, even with their parents’ company. (The movie has an R-13 rating.) Also, I’m fully aware of the purpose of having a lot of retrospective scenes (being flashed in no particular order) but I think it made some viewers quite confused. (Or maybe they were just not too keen with the details? Hahaha.)

Anywaaay, apart from the rejection, discrimination, and the beautiful transition showed in the film, I think it also emphasized how far your passion can make you work for your dreams. Trisha envisioned herself even then as a beauty queen. She hopped from one barangay to another, along with her gay aspirant-friends, with the hopes of winning the crown. She experimented on her looks, got herself some boobs and did some gimmicks (one of which didn’t go well) just to catch the attention of the judges and audience. She even tried hard to memorize the written answers by her mentor for the canned questions. (Sadly, she only got to retain one in mind.) After almost giving up her dream, she managed to still give it a try one last time wherein she luckily picked the question corresponding to the sole answer she mastered.

I also liked how the movie showed the loyalty of Barbs to her bestfriend. She was the one who brought Trisha to the hospital after learning about the rape incident. She literally fought with someone who stole Trisha’s boyfriend. Barbs also became Trisha’s make-up artist even during Trisha’s wake. She kept her promise that she’ll make Trisha appear glamorous even in her death bed, looking like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, etc on each day. Most especially, Barbs fought for her right to keep the remains of Trisha with her despite the firmness of Trisha’s father. She wanted to show everybody the beauty that transpired in Trisha until the very end as opposed to the shame that Trisha’s father is showing because of his child’s sexuality. Barbs is the ultimate bes you will seek to have.

Die Beautiful greatly deserved to be acknowledged not just because it served as an eye-opener to peoples who still don’t have the heart to accept LGBT but because it genuinely celebrated the complexities and beauty of being a gay woman. This movie is a manifestation of the LGBT’s message to the whole world that they deserve our respect ‘cause they’re humans too, just like everyone else.

SUNDAY BEAUTY QUEEN

Photo from Sunday Beauty Queen Facebook page

Verdict: 5 out of 5

This movie gives you a glimpse of the lives of Leo, Hazel, Mylyn and other Hong Kong-based Filipina domestic helpers. They serve as all-around helpers/caretakers/nannies 6 days a week, each of them has different stories to tell. They only get to socialize with their kababayans every Sunday when they usually hold beauty contests.

Photos from Sunday Beauty Queen Facebook page

As expected, this documentary delivers the stories of these Filipinas in a very direct way – showing where they live, what they usually do for their employers, what type of employers they have, what restrictions their employers impose on them, and the list goes on. Most of them are expected to stay in the houses of their employers; they’re lucky if they’re allowed to get their own place (like Leo). Some employers really appreciate the presence and the warmth that Filipina domestic helpers provide but there are just some who look down on them and don’t allow them to eat at the dining area and sleep in a decent bedroom.

It’s already hard to work in the Philippines given the traffic, the requirements, and the range of wage extended to most employees. But it’s much harder to even work in a foreign country where you’re not even familiar with the culture and the people. Furthermore, you have to endure not just the challenges of the workload but also the put-down of some employers, not to mention the loneliness that you have to go through. It’s tough to be miles apart from your family. But since they’re also your driving force why you’re there, you just keep on moving.

These women always look forward to Sunday, their usual free day, when they usually hold their beauty pageants. They really exert so much effort for this, mind you. They spend time rehearsing for their dance numbers, attending photo shoots, and choosing among which shoes and gowns to wear. It goes to show how Filipinos love pageants, in general. Hehe. It’s also cool to know that Philippine NGO’s and government-funded agencies support these kinds of events. I guess, it’s one way to say to these workers that “Hey, it’s okay. Have fun, mingle with your friends. And confidently show to everyone the beauty of Filipinas inside and out.”

Shout out to Mylyn. Girl, you really touched my heart. I know you’ve gone through a lot – from the loss of your boyfriend to the death of your beloved employer. But that didn’t stop you to keep working hard. Because you always do it with love. You, along with the other Filipina workers in HK, have my utmost respect.