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annlyeljames · 1 year

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Wakanda Forever After a Second Viewing

Well, I am officially a Shuri and Namor stan. These two are so awesome I can't even quite find the words for what Ryan Coogler has given us with these characters.

Well, actually I do have some words. I can't wait to see what happens next.

#black panther #marvel studios #marvel cinematic universe #namor #shuri #wakanda forever #movies #moviefan #I AM A SHURI STAN

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talkingparrotkee · 9 months

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I just want to say this, and yes, you know who you are:

Don't use Tenoch's allegations as a way to advance your shipping or character bias. Do not take advantage of a serious, divisive, and delicate case to claim moral superiority in fandom. Do not use this as your fandom whacking stick or fandom cancelation plug.

I am starting to notice anti-nashuri or Namor haters conflating fictional work and the character Namor with Tenoch Huerta in an asinine hope to:

A) carve remaining fans out as "problematic"

B) find an insidious way to justify their controlling, immature desire to have fans stop producing work they always had a hate for

Separate the actor and reality from the character and fiction, first and foremost. That's your problem now.

Who cares if there is a Nashuri week (which has been in progress before the allegations)? Who cares if fans still leave their stories up? Who cares if people still like Namor or Nashuri? Who cares if people still make Nashuri, Namor, or just Namor + Shuri edits? Who cares if some people still write and draw art of Namor rooted in their appreciation for Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole's writing? No one sane should or would care. It's not "daring to have a nerve" or problematic. It isn't immediately them "defending" Tenoch.

As long as that's just what it is, fans can still be fans. Fans can still appreciate the characters and their relationships. Fans can still have escapism. Fans can still be happy and produce content that makes them happy. You have no right to impede on that, but you do have the right to feel uncomfortable or not want it on your feed. If that's the case, act accordingly: block, mute, press "uninterested," and curate your space. Not run and post these fake ass high and mighty spiels where you clearly concern yourself more with fandom (reporting fanart? Be for real) than the actual situation, trying to rile up a crowd and drum up negativity.

I have seen shaken fans of nashuri or Namor who have been victims of sexual violence and assault catching strays.

I have seen vulturish anti-Namor or anti-nashuri fans immediately taking this news as, "So this means you should finally stop doodling and liking a pairing/character I do not!"

I have seen gross anti-fans rub it in fans' faces, being the awful bearer of bad news and "watch dogs" hoping to gleefully observe them crumble.

I have seen immature Shuri (and other variants) stans who had it out for Namor or nashuri since day one, using this as a way to justify their hate and hateful behavior. It's almost as though they were waiting for something, anything like this to make a chess move (some of them admitting as much).

Do you know how manipulative, deceitful, and twisted this all is?

This isn't even accounting for the fact that Tenoch's situation is a difficult one to pinpoint as the story progressed, to say the very least. You'd know that if you truly gave a damn and followed the story or at the very least alleged victim. It's shrouded in specifics and unwinding stories.

There is ample information that later emerged and details (from Mexican politics to confirmed lies) that makes this case a very scary gray. I have seen many nashuri and Namor fans express dismay and sorrow over the news. People immediately weighed into the alleged victim's testimony and had serious conversations about where they wanted to go from there. Some pulled back their Namor content out of shock. People were torn and took this very seriously with a "blackout" period. It was only until further information that complicated everything came out that some decided to take different positions, while others still wanted to remain cautious and neutral, but still enjoy the little fandom haven they curated with their friends.

This is no light matter. There are real people and their livelihoods, lives on the line. People were distraught and, unlike most of these fake ass pearl grippers posting memes in the same breath, made an effort to initially follow the alleged victim (ready to renounce Tenoch) and dig for the truth. Fans even stressed to take the victims' words into consideration, rather than being blinded by celebrity worship.

So... To see anti-fans being utterly disingenuous and trying to villify a whole group whose crime is just liking a normal fictional property is insane. It's gross. It's sick. It's malicious. It's low.

It makes me livid, and I hope you reap what you sow. I am five seconds away from listing names and putting them on blast for this outrageous (continous) behavior. Someone liking a character Tenoch played or said character being shipped with another should be the least of your problem.

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blacksapphhicmaddonna · 6 months

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CHAPTER ONE - WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

a/n: hey y'all! so, I tried to post this in response to the anon who asked for a snippet but I saved it as a draft and Tumblr ate it😭 SO THIS IS DEDICATED TO YOU, ANON, WHOEVER YOU ARE!! sorry babes!💔💖💖💖💖

its been a minute since I've written anything fully, this was fun!!! as always, please ignore any grammar/syntax/spelling. I proof read it but you feel me. I'm super excited to be writing something so long and multi chaptered and definitely out of my comfort zone! am I an action girly now? LMFAO but anyway, I'm super open to any feedback and 👀 as always, if you wanna see sum, say sum.

anyway, I love my science gays and I will stan shuriri forever. this is pretty much all angst at this point❤️‍🩹, but I truly hope you enjoy LMFAOOO. lmk how you feel.💗 (and yes, I love a good flashback real bad and ima do it every time if I can. not too much on me LMFAO)

✮ taglist: @mybonafidefeelings@zeezeecave@gr00vyminibus@lppriceisright@darkangelchronicles@princessmel-1995@xenaizogie@nanii2x, and tagging a few folks that enjoyed the sneak peak and a few shuriri/shuri/riri folks who might! @karimwillia @inmyheadimobsessed@mal-urameshi@somethingcleaverandwhitty@imjusthere2readbruv@imagineandwrite there's more but my computer glitching so we gonna get this show on the road! lmk if you'd like to join the taglist or check the link in my tagged post! love y'all, muah

✮ word count: 11,193

✮ panther divider: @firefly-graphics

✮ some of the xhosa translations are from @iinkonde! here's where you can find some of their amazing resources: 1 2 3

Shuri paced the room that seemed to be growing smaller by the millisecond around her, searching for something - anything - inside of the brain most people considered the smartest in the universe to offer the scientist in front of her. She found nothing but the desperation she had been pushing down since the moment they met.

A desperation that mirrored the effects of the herb she had reproduced, also made from the desperation to save something that she felt was slipping through her fingers at the time. Just like the herb had found its way through her body when she first took it, this feeling spread from her throat as she choked when their eyes met as she pushed herself into the dorm room she was once again standing in. Down to her chest, pulling heart strings she didn’t know she had. Plucking them in a rhythm that felt intrinsic, ancestral, almost painful in the way that they made everything feel superimposed. She resisted, but she felt her toes and she felt her finger tips and she felt the curls framing her face dance above her eyes ever so gently. It spread through every atom that comprised the panther and she could barely breathe. She felt everything and she felt nothing, like she was sinking in an ocean of clouds. She could barely look at the woman who was staring back at her with a look of confusion, and an equal desperation that she couldn't explain.

Shuri still had nothing to offer in terms of speech. She paced at a speed that had only just registered as super fucking fast, clearly adding to the concern building in Riri's eyes.

"Shuri-" Riri started, but couldn't even try to finish as her voice had triggered the awaiting and building eruption in Shuri that it always did. Riri, if she did anything to Shuri, she made her feel things she wasn't used to feeling.

"Anything you want, just name it. It's yours. I'll make it happen. I'll build it myself. Just please don't do this. Please." Shuri froze in her place, finding herself begging for something she couldn't explain. She knew she was almost yelling at the other woman, which she would never do but she couldn't find the part of her that could compose herself. She was thankful for the kimoyo beads she had scattered in the room when she entered, enabling a silencing mode and cutting through anything that the government had tapped in Riri's room.

Riri froze too, only moving to fumble with her fingers nervously. She didn't have anything to offer the panther, the queen standing in front of her. She didn't have anything to comfort her friend. The woman she loved more than she could explain. More than almost anything.

"I don't... I don't want anything from you, Shuri... We both knew this day was coming. You had to have thought about it. I thought you were.. I don’t know... It almost felt like-"

"Please, Ri. Please. Just find something and I'll do it. I'll make it myself if I have to. Please just find something else."

"I don't want... I don't understand, Shuri. We only talked about this like twice, I didn't even think you cared that much or even had time to care about it... or me, really. Just... lets just sit down for a second." Riri tried to redirect, trying to give herself time to figure out what was going on. She felt her mind trying to run back through memories and conversations the two had shared in the past year and some change, but it was few and far between that they ever really had time to talk about their lives in depth lately. At first, they talked a lot after they had finally reconnected. They had even spent a few nights together. But lately, Shuri had been working a lot and it seemed like their connection was running dry. Riri had shared her plans a few months ago and hadn't really heard much back from the woman standing in front of her looking like she was fighting a battle she wasn't sure she'd win. Riri had committed herself to this, to showing up and doing what she felt she needed to do to make up for all the ruin she had caused - or at least what she thinks she caused. And now Shuri was trying to offer her a chance out of it. She didn't know what to do or what to think. That's something she felt often with the panther, she figured out. She had zoned out for only a split second before Shuri was grabbing her wrists and looking in her eyes.

"Riri, I'm begging you." Shuri stared into the Iron Heart's eyes, searching for something she knew she was missing. Something she needed the way she needed air, she felt. Riri searched back, trying to decipher something Shuri wasn't ready to let her see.

"Shuri, you know I feel responsible... But, I just.. I don't understand what's going on. What's wrong? Please just talk to me. It's okay." Riri tried to pull them closer, tried to grab the Panther's hand but her grip was too tight around her wrists. Shuri relaxed it, she hadn't intentionally been holding on so tight but she wasn't ready to let go. She's never been ready to let go of who she loves. She saw that same resolute look in Riri's eyes that was always there when she was sure about something. It broke something in Shuri that she knew she couldn't mend on her own. One final try, she told herself.

"I will give you anything under the sun. Please just don't go to them. Don’t go to him. I- I know you're trying to help and change things for the better, and you will. But not like this. Not until it's safe. He will find you, Riri. He will do anything to get to you and to get back at me. You know this and you still choose to go? You don’t have to make this easy for him. We can figure this out a different way. Please. I will give you access to all the technology Wakanda has to offer, just please find something else to focus on, to take place of this. Please."

Riri tried to pull her closer again but the panther moved back, sending a shiver of rejection up Riri's spine.

"I don't want anything from you, Shuri... I just want you. I- I mean I just want you to-"

Shuri felt her body getting hot and somehow freezing at the same time. Riri just wanted her? But she also wanted to go on this suicide mission, which is what it was regardless of what Riri thought of it. She fought back the defensiveness she felt crawling up her throat like it always did when she was hurt. She didn't want to lash out on Riri, she only wanted to protect her. She only wanted her to be safe, alive. She only wanted her. But it was to no avail. She felt the ferocious beast pull itself through her. She scorned herself as her words burned their way through her skin, landing on Riri's.

"You just want whatever you want. You just want to fight whatever moral war you have going on because you're the one who survived! You would give up your life for what? For who? Not for my mother! Not for me!"

Riri hadn't noticed the tears stinging down her cheeks until she saw the ones pouring out of Shuri's. It was something she had never seen before. She had seen Shuri lash out, though. She knew this was just the first wall of defense the panther had when she felt hurt, afraid, abandoned. She couldn't take this personally, though she had to fight back the sting of the words as they came at her. She reached out to try and touch the woman in front of her.

"Shuri, please. Let's just ta-"

"What?! Sit and talk? For what? For you to tell me again why you have to do this, why you have to go and die? Do you care so little for me? For yourself?"

"You know that's not true!"

"Why wouldn't it be true?! Ungayenza njani le nto kum!?"

"Please just listen to me! I don't know what's going on but we can talk about it! I'm right here, I'm right here!"

"But you won't be after this! You don't have to do this! Just let me try, let me show you that there's other things to give you purpose, there’s other ways we can handle this! PLEASE!" Shuri felt herself starting to cave in, her chest becoming a cavern filled with the screams of the orphaned girl inside of her. The girl who needed her family. The girl who couldn't save her brother. The girl who was held back from her mother as she drowned. The woman who loves women, specifically the woman in front of her who was planning to give herself up. She couldn't keep it together. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.

"That's not for you to decide, Shuri!" Riri shot back, starting to feel the same layer of armor pull itself over her. She didn't like being yelled at. It triggered something in her that she herself had pushed back as far as it would go. She just needed to get Shuri to listen to her.

"I don't care! You can't do this Riri!"

"Please stop yelling at me!" Riri gave in, covering her ears and turning her back to the panther, who felt herself go still. She hadn't meant to unleash this part of herself. She felt embarrassment mixing with her desperation, afraid she had only made things worse. Who was she to be trying to control the actions of a woman she only met a little over a year ago? Who she was just friends with, and barely that if you based it off what normal friendships looked like. They rarely even spoke for longer than a few minutes every couple days and that wasn’t even true anymore. Shuri scorned herself for the time she hadn’t spent with her, for the time she had been forced to spend trying to fix, defend or save her country. She resented her royal blood now more than ever, wishing she could be nothing more than a girl again. Maybe a student. Maybe just different. Shuri felt herself starting to crack, she felt like she would disintegrate if she stood there any longer. She had done enough damage. She and Wakanda and the Talokan had put Riri through enough and she knew that. She could see why Riri would think this guilt was hers to bare but Shuri knew better, knew more secrets. She knew that her father and his father and so on hadn’t handled things right, and no matter the good T’Challa had tried to do - maybe he didn’t do it right either. So now it laid in her hands, forced once again to stand in the way of something she wasn’t ready for. She felt bad for herself, but she felt worse for Riri. She wishes she had never sent her home with the beads, that they had never touched hands, that they had never even met. Maybe if no one ever knew about Vibranium, no one would be trying to take it. Or maybe if the world had always known, if her ancestors had done things differently, this wouldn’t be Riri’s life. She was part of the lost tribe, as N’Jadaka would call it. Maybe he was right. She didn’t know what to think, but she also knew who she was, herself. She was the most powerful person on the surface world and she was the Queen of the most powerful nation in the world. And she was in love, helplessly, with Riri Williams. She would not let her go again.

"I am sorry for coming here and making you upset." Shuri said blankly, masking any emotions she had just shattered into the room as best as she could to regain any self control she had left.

Riri turned around, tears still swelling in her eyes. She hiccuped and it made Shuri's heart pound.

"I-it's okay. I just don't like b-being yelled at. Can we just sit and talk?"

Shuri nodded, knowing Riri needed a minute. Riri turned to grab a blanket off her bed to wrap herself in as she took a seat on the floor in front of her bed. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before motioning to Shuri to sit next to her. Shuri stared at her for a moment too long, before kneeling down next to her. They sat in silence that wasn't comfortable for the first time in a long time. Neither missed this feeling, the feeling of such uncertainty between them. Sure, it was always there, biting at the backs of their minds and hearts. But they had both worked hard to be comfortable with just having what they had. But now more than ever, neither was sure what was really going on. Shuri mirrored Riri, taking a few deep breaths. Riri felt herself relax, misreading the quiet sigh Shuri let out.

"Are we okay? I don't want us to fight. I just... need you to help me understand why you're so upset. It didn't seem like you even really cared about this. I know you've been busy with what you have going on so I just figured this... I.. wasn't really on your radar anymore."

Shuri stayed silent, fighting that feeling nudging her.

"Please say something." Riri pleaded quietly after a few too many more moments of silence. She couldn't stand it. Neither could Shuri. She needed to escape. Get out of the room, out of America. She needed to run and scream and break something. She needed to kill Namor. That was her only option, once again. She knew it would come. She knew the fate of her country would be in the air again, and part of her knew she shouldn’t do it. Equal parts yes and no. Blood on either hand, regardless of what choice she made. But she also knew that Riri's life was once again in question and there was only one answer Shuri would accept. She would deal with the aftermath the same way she had been. She would accept whatever came. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly, that maybe she would be exiled or worse, but she also knew she couldn't live with herself if Riri wasn't alive tomorrow, and that was enough for her right now. If Riri wouldn't listen, then there was only one choice.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Riri. It won't ever happen again."

Riri was startled at the sincerity in the Panther's voice. She was confused why that was what Shuri felt she had to focus on in the midst of whatever the hell was going on.

"It's okay, I promise. I'm not mad at you for yelling at me. I'm just confused..."

"It's not okay. This, whatever you're planning, whatever he's planning... None of this is okay." Shuri said, pinching between her eyes as she tried to swallow the same beast from just a few minutes ago.

"Shuri... it's not like before. It's not about him. It's not even just about what happened in Wakanda. You know I'm Iron Heart. You knew I was going to start doing these things at some point. Missions that weren’t just flying around Chicago and Boston stopping robberies. And you know that something has to be done. And I can’t let this go on again when we all know it’s my fault.” Riri sighed. “We all know it is. So, please just try to hear me..."

"I have always heard you, Riri."

Riri digested that sentence with a gulp. She replied after a moment.

"Then let me hear you, for once. Tell me why you're here. Tell me why you're reacting like this. Tell me who you are and what you're feeling. Let me in, Shuri." She said, reaching out to grab Shuri's hand again. The Panther's hand was hot, almost burning. She didn't pull away this time.

"I'm here because I lo-.. Because I won't let this happen." Shuri caught herself before she said something she couldn't explain. Riri looked into Shuri's eyes with a pleading, less sure look. Shuri couldn't hold it this time. She couldn't freeze. She couldn't tell Riri. She reminded herself what happens every time she loves someone. She reminded herself of what she was capable of and what needed to be done. Regardless if Riri ever shared her feelings or not, she would swear her life to protecting the woman until the day she met the ancestors and maybe after if she could. She would do whatever it took, every time, no matter what, she resigned to herself. She squeezed Riri's hand.

"What're you gonna do? Lock me in my room, Shuri? I don't get what's going on!" Riri pleaded.

"I would never. You are not a prisoner or someone I want to control. You are free to do as you please, just as I am. Please understand that much."

"What does that mean... Wait, please don't go!" Riri tugged back at Shuri's hand again as the Panther got up to leave. Shuri looked down at their hands touching, taking in every second that their skin touched. She remembered what it felt like to reconnect after a long time apart. She wishes she could live in it like she had before. She brought their foreheads together and closed her eyes.

"I will protect you with every part of me. The cost will never be too much."

"Shuri, please don't do what I think you're about to do..." Riri pulled Shuri's hands into hers and brought them to the sides of their faces. They were so close they could feel each other's breath on their lips. Riri prayed in her head that Shuri would listen to her, knowing the strength and power the woman in front of her wielded. Shuri choked out a pained laugh before kissing Riri's forehead and pulling away, taking in the scent of Ghanian Shea Butter and the sweet scent Riri always had.

"Andizukuphulukana nawe. Impilo yami ngeke ibe lutho ngaphandle kwakho, Riri Williams."

Before Riri could open her eyes, the Black Panther was gone, the sound of a closing door shaking Riri to her core. She felt like she was in shock, having nothing to do but curl into a ball and pull the blanket around her body, covering her face as she let the rest of the tears fall silently. She laid there for what felt like an eternity until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Miss Williams?" Riri jumped up, running around her room tracking down the voice. She picked up a purple and black kimoyo bead and held it up, suddenly seeing several others connect like magnets from across the other corners of the room.

"Griot?!" Riri both yelled and whispered.

"Hello, Miss Williams. Are you feeling alright?" Griot asked as the AI began taking a scan of her body to check her vitals.

"I've been better... what's going on? Why are you here? Not that it's not nice to... well you get what I mean!"

"It seems you have suffered a panic attack of sorts. Please get some water and take a seat before I proceed."

Riri rolled her eyes with a tired huff, giving in because she knew Griot wouldn't budge until she obliged. She grabbed a half empty bottle of water from her desk and sat back down near her bed, pulling the blanket up around her. She suddenly felt the absence of Shuri in her space and fought back the tears threatening to make way through her as she pulled the bracelet on, watching it activate. She had felt this way before, but it was different now.

"Feeling better, Miss Williams?"

"Just Riri is fine, and I guess. Can you explain what's going on now, please Griot?"

"Yes, Miss Riri." Griot replied as a hologram of Stark Tech floated in front of the scientist. She felt even more confused.

"Why are you showing me Stark Tech?"

"The panther has created and assigned your own AI for you, it's name is VIV. It is nearly identical to the JARVIS, or Vision, that Tony Stark had. It has been being developed for over a year, and seems to have just finished."

"What the fu-"

"The Panther also has an updated version of your vibranium Iron Heart suit on it's way to your lab location, or garage currently. She has given you access to me as well, with some restrictions. She has instructed me to inform you of this when the AI download is complete."

Riri sat in even more shock than she was in before. She was even more confused about Shuri's intentions now. More confused about her feelings, than anything. She replayed the words the panther had said to her before she left, she knew some Xhosa but it wasn’t great.

"Can you translate what Shuri said to me in Xhosa before she left, Griot?" Riri asked, hoping for some clarity. Griot calculated for a moment, before answering.

"It would seem I am not permitted to complete that task at this time, Miss Riri."

Riri felt a pang of frustration rise in her, as she let out a laugh.

"Of course not... Can you tell me where the panther is right now?"

Griot took a moment again before answering.

"The Queen was on her way back towards Wakanda as of her last status, but it would seem she has powered off her location devices. Would you like me to contact her for you?"

Riri sat for a moment, considering her options and her own feelings.

"No, that's alright Griot. We're going to my lab. Can you help me boot up VIV when we get there? We're going on a trip."

"As you wish, Miss Riri."

Riri stood up, grabbing a hoodie and sliding on some J's. Before she walked out the door, she slid on the kimoyo beads and asked a final question.

"Oh, one last thing Griot. Can you turn on privacy mode? I would like my location hidden from everyone, including the Panther. Can you do that?"

"It seems I can, but I would not advise that action Miss Riri. There are safety protocols in place that the Panther can activate for you remotely."

"That's fine, just turn it on. I have my own safety protocols."

"As you wish, Miss Riri."

"Thank you, Griot."

Riri made her way to her garage in no time, paying no mind to the world around her or the messages on her phone from MJ about their project. When she got there, she did decide to shoot her a quick text explaining that she was heading home to Chicago for a family emergency, that MJ could find her portion already done on a small drive in her room and that she had permission to break in, and that she would make it up to her later. MJ did reply, but Riri didn’t have time for that. She got to work, with the help of Griot, or the portion of him that she was allowed to operate, and booted up her own AI and implemented it into her nano suit. The one from wakanda was on its way but wouldn’t be there in time. Thankfully, she didn’t have to meet with Namor for another day and a half. She needed to think quickly but after working everything out with her suit, she was unsure where to go from there.

“Griot, can I use both you and VIV?”

“Yes, but you likely will not need me once the AI is turned on. I will be there when you need me, though Miss Riri.”

“Thank you Griot.” Riri smiled to herself, always fond of Griot and their robot voice. It made her think about the time she spent in the lab with Shuri, where they would borderline argue and Riri would laugh at them. This brought back that pang in her stomach and chest. She got to work on turning on and engaging with the AI so that it could mold to her needs, voice and patterns. After about an hour, she felt ready to head off. Except she had no idea how to get to Wakanda, let alone how to get in. She ruffled through her bookbag to find the information Namor had sent for her. A small teal envelope with her name on it, looking like it was written with a quill and ink. She shuddered at the thought of how old this man was and how intentional he had been to get this note to her. She opened it and read over it again, hoping to find more information than last time. Then, an idea came to mind.

“Hey VIV, and Griot, not that I don’t think you can handle it by yourself VIV. But uh, can you both scan this for me? I don’t have my Black light. Look for anything and everything. Cross reference what you find, if anything. Please.”

“Yes IronHeart.” “Yes, Miss Riri.” They both answered in tandem. While they got to work, Riri sat down finally to think about what she could do. She couldn’t exactly call up the avengers to help her figure this out. She had to be lowkey, she had to be smart, and she needed it to work. She had only been to Wakanda once, and wasn’t really in the know about how to travel there let alone get through the border forcefield. As she went over all she did know, trying to remember any details that would help, the AI duo alerted her.

Griot speaking first, since VIV seemed to sense a deeper trust from the IronHeart’s patterns.

“There are markings on the back that would indicate a geolocation where Namor would like you to meet.”

“So, coordinates? I can work with that.” Riri said out loud, still trying to figure out exactly how she could work with that. Until she looked over at her father’s red car, in pristine condition thanks to Shuri. And it dawned on her.

“Griot, do you have contact information for anybody besides Shuri?”

“I have contact information for Queen Shuri, and Okoye, former general of the Dora Milage.”

“Perfect. Please contact her now.”

“Yes, Miss Riri.”

“Wait, before you do, please transfer this contact information over to VIV. I’m not sure if Shuri knows that I have VIV yet, but in case she does, I don’t doubt that she would shut you down.” Riri explains to her favorite robot as if they needed it. Griot complied and sent a call out to Okoye.

Riri waited, holding her breath. She wasn’t sure is Okoye would answer, or even be willing to help. But this is what she had to work with.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Okoye answered.

“Small girl. Is everything alright?” Okoye answered seeming cheerful enough to hear from the girl but not without worry for the cause. Riri took a deep breath and explained the situation, truthfully, to the best of her ability. Somehow, as a surprise to both of them, Okoye was on her way in a matter of minutes as a Midnight Angel, with a jet that Shuri had let her keep. They both knew Shuri would be upset, but somehow it didn’t matter enough to let her get to Namor. They both knew what could happen, and what Shuri would likely do.

No time was wasted when Okoye arrived, Riri running in the open hatch as fast as she could. Okoye pulled off without a trace, both of them hoping they hadn’t alerted any American law enforcement this time.

Okoye charted course for Wakanda and they both sat in near silence for most of the ride, only sharing a few words when Riri boarded, Riri showing Okoye the letter before she began piloting. They would make it in time. Riri sat near the back, not feeling like she belonged at the mantle of the machine. She had always liked these, having begged Shuri to teach her how to fly one before they set off for war. Riri sunk into her feelings that she had been trying to keep at bay since finding out about the AI. Before Shuri came, she honestly really wasn’t sure what she was going to do or how she was going to do it. But it seemed like the timing would suggest that she was supposed to, whether she really wanted to believe that or not. She didn’t want to believe that she was this horrible monster who brought death and destruction with her everywhere she went, but sometimes she really did. She tried to fight those thoughts back and began to feel the weight of her body, sinking into the seat. Sinking was a familiar feeling to her. She tried to remember how to swim in her own thoughts. She remembered how Shuri would talk her through her episodes. How she would call right away when she sensed anything off, even if Riri wasn’t wearing her beads. She remembered how it felt to think everything would be okay, and how often that was proved to be untrue.

It was too easy to remember. Too easy to feel like it was just yesterday. Riri couldn't keep her mind from wandering back in time while the Wakandan jet made its way through the air. Trying to focus on anything else, trying to pay attention to the Dora silently flying or guarding the exit, trying to watch the sky around her. Anything. She couldn't bite down hard enough on the inside of her cheek, leaving a sore mark wasn't enough to keep her mind from its current occupation.

"What are you doing here?!" The shorter of the two screamed, almost screeched as she ran into the panther's arms.

"I had some time to myself finally. Where else would I go?" Shuri chuckled as she picked the scientist up.

"You could literally go anywhere in the world and probably... out of the world? At this point with Wakandan tech." Riri explained, seriously, as she hung onto the slim but toned body holding her off the ground with ease, not realizing she was holding on as tight as she was. Not realizing there was nowhere else Shuri would have gone. Nowhere.

"You're so... anyway, what should we do?"

"How long do we have?" Riri asked as she pulled back, not even trying to contain her wide grin that was plastered across her face. Shuri recorded it to memory, as she always did with the smaller woman's features.

"96 hours. Well, 96-ish, less now that we've been standing here debating where I could've gone." Shuri jokes as she lets go, making sure Riri found her footing.

"Shut up! Four days?! We have so much to do!" Riri definitely screeched this time, pretending to slap Shuri's arm. Fighting the urge to grab it and pull her in, Shuri picks up Riri's book bag from where she dropped it and places it in her desk chair as she walks to the bed and pulls her own bag out from under the bed.

"Exactly how long have you been here? You seem comfortable." Riri jokes as she grabs two waters from her mini fridge and hops up on her bed.

"I am." Shuri chuckles at the sight of the shorter woman having to jump to get on the bed. "And since your first class."

"Are you serious?! Why didn't you say anything dickhead?!"

"Ouch!" Shuri feigns pain as she catches the pillow Riri throws at her head and plops on the bed next to her. "I had a few things to handle, and needed to secure the dorm building. I didn't want to disrupt your day, I know midterms are coming up no?"

"Yeah, they are but you could've let a bitch know! I would've cleaned!" Riri states, noticing that she sounds much like her mother.

"I like your mess." Shuri smiles.

"Shut up. How did you secure the whole dorm building?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind. I have beads in every corner of the building. And a few around campus as well. Including in here. Is that alright with you?"

"Sheesh. Do I have a choice?" Riri jokes, but Shuri nervously answers.

"Yes of course! If it's not comfortable for you, I can sleep at a hotel. I should've asked, I'm sorry about that. Next time I'll-"

"There's a next time too?"

"Well, if you'd li-"

"Are you crazy?! Of course! And yeah yeah, that's all fine with me. I get it. Don't start worrying about it or nun. I was just curious."

Shuri's smile returns and she relaxes back into the bed. It was oddly comfortable, being that the last time she was here was before the war. Sure, they'd been talking for months over facetimes and calls. And texts. And letters.. oddly, but not to them. They were both truly as desperate as they felt, but excused it since it seemed mutual - opting to call it a mutual interest in friendship, as opposed to what it really was in the bigger picture. And sure, they had seen each other one other time, but it was so brief that it shouldn't really count - although it did, to both of them.

Shuri had arrived at an American event in Boston, forced to show face by the elders after the uproar surrounding her mother and everything. She felt it was too soon and didn't make sense to attend a tech gala when none of it was even touching Wakandan tech. But regardless, she put on her best suit and went, disregarding the elder's request for her to wear traditional royal attire. She sat there, wishing she hadn't come, while big investors droned on. The only part that peaked her interest was listening to the stories of young inventors. They reminded her of herself, so excited and in a hurry. They reminded her of someone else too. Someone she had been longing to see since she left Wakanda only a few months ago at the time.

Shuri muddled around the thought of calling Riri, or just showing up at her dorm. She knew she had responsibilities to attend to the next afternoon after she returned home, and it really hadn't been that long. Maybe Riri wasn't ready to see her yet? Or maybe she never would be. Or maybe Shuri had really made their connection up in her own mind. Or maybe she didn't? And maybe she should just call her, or maybe send her a quick text to keep it more casual? Keep what, casual exactly? She wasn't sure. She paced around her own mind anxiously the entire night, not realizing it was her turn to speak until the Doras were next to her asking if she was alright. She collected herself and headed to the stage, performing a speech much like her brother had about the importance of innovation, supporting the youth - especially the Black and Brown youth, etc. She meant what she said but she hardly felt as connected or present with it as she was when she wrote it. Still circling her mind was her favorite innovator, the scientist who made everything make sense to her. Pining so badly, by the end of her speech she had resolved to call Riri. Faking her smiles through the eruption of clapping and handshakes as she left the stage, she made her way back to her seat while the closing speech began - only to lose her resolve when Ayo bent down to whisper a reminder of their exit plan and their intended arrival time back in Wakanda.

She had known it was a foolish thought. Who even knew what the small scientist would be doing at this time? She could be working, studying, partying. God, Shuri hoped not but recoiled at her own thoughts. She wasn't heteronormative and she wasn't the toxic type. She just also felt jealous of anybody and anything that got to be around Riri when she wasn't. Which was most times. Essentially all the time. Really, she reasoned with herself, she had only been around Riri for a few days and it had been against her will anyway. Maybe she really was making all of this up in her head.

The Queen of Wakanda continued her mental pace as she made her exit, later than most guests and certainly not from the front entrance. She walked through the beautiful building with the Doras who were talking amongst themselves about logistics, seemingly all having caught onto another one of Shuri's "moods". Shuri paid them no mind, as they expected, while she began brooding. What was the point of coming to America, aside from like... the actual point, politically - if not to see her scientist? She caught herself scoffing at "her scientist", making fun of herself in her head as they headed outside and around the back when the Doras suddenly stood alert around her. Shuri looked around her and back at her beads quickly, doing a quick scan of their surroundings, only to hear a small, out of breath "Hey" from her left.

"Williams?"

"Yeah, yeah.. haha. Hoo. Crazy catching you here." Riri joked awkwardly as she tried to catch her breath from clearing having run.

"Yes, well I was-"

"Giving a speech. I saw on tv. Just happened to be in the neighborhood myself so I figured I'd uh, say hi." Riri cut the Panther off as she caught her bearings and finally made eye contact. Shuri made contact back, silently signaling for the Dora to drop their guard. Ayo looked between them but of course followed command. Shuri stepped between them and closer to the scientist, who was now twiddling her fingers and looking anywhere but at Shuri. Just like she did in Wakanda. Just like Shuri had replayed in her head a billion times over. While Shuri took the absence of eye contact as a chance to damn near gawk at the smaller woman, Riri was doing her own mental laps.

She also questioned her intentions and if she had been making this all up. She also questioned how crazy she must look, showing up here like this. She couldn't stop herself, leaving MJ, Peter and Ned in her OWN room after they had been flipping through channels and Riri caught a glimpse. That was all it took, one, maybe two seconds and she was out the door. And granted, she kind of was in the neighborhood. If you consider being four miles away in the neighborhood. She had considered grabbing her car from the garage but figured it would take too long, so she jumped in her nano suit her and Peter had been working on (that definitely still needed some work), and flew over. Of course she couldn't land in front of everyone, so she landed in a park a few blocks away and took off on foot. None of which she will EVER tell anybody, although she could barely remember her excuse to the three friends she left in her dorm as she forced herself to look back up and meet Shuri's eyes.

"In the neighborhood?"

"You could say that." Riri joked awkwardly again.

This made Shuri laugh. Riri had that effect on her, she had learned during their late night lab sessions. Even in the midst of the grimmest of days and a literal war, Riri had Shuri laughing so hard she cried a few times. They both seemed to be thinking back while they laughed together and smiled at each other shyly until Ayo cleared her throat.

"We must get going, Kumkanikazi." Both women seemed to jump a bit, having been pulled out of their staring contest. Riri shuddered at hearing Shuri be called that, she recognized it from when Okoye would speak about Queen Ramonda. She had done her best to pick up on as much of the language as she could when she was there, for some reason unknown to her - she just figured it would come in handy. But now, hearing it and knowing it meant Queen, shook her to her core. She remembered why she hadn't reached out, the guilt that sat in her bones about it. She nearly turned on her heels until she heard Shuri speak.

"One moment please."

"My Queen, we really must-" Ayo begun speaking in Xhosa but was cut off by the Panther Queen.

"Please. One moment." Shuri said, a command but almost begging, not turning to face the general one step to the side of her. She pulled at the necklace around her neck and Ayo nodded silently.

"I will ready the jet." Ayo answered and turned around, her and the two other Dora briskly walking to the jet that was just now coming into Riri's focus. She assumed it was using the new camouflage tech she had heard mentioned before she left Wakanda.

"Those things get cooler every time."

"Yeah, I suppose they do." Shuri laughed half heartedly. They both tried to speak but cut each other off.

"So-"

"I do-"

"You first." They both sheepishly smiled as they spoke in unison. but Riri insisted. "Go ahead, please."

Shuri would've resisted if she wasn't so desperate and struggling against showing it.

"How have you been? I've mis- I've been wondering. We haven't spoken since you left." Shuri caught herself, suddenly feeling like twiddling her fingers and looking at her shoes too but she resisted that too. She was good at resisting.

"Oh.. well yeah. I've been. You know, school, work. Just been trying to get through the semester. I wanted to re- well I wondered how you've been too."

"I've been, too." Shuri shrugged with a smile. She wanted to know more, everything. To devour the stories Riri could tell her, even the most mundane. She wanted to know what pencils she used to write equations and what she thought of the food in her cafeteria. Riri just smiled, feeling the weight again. She knew Shuri hadn't been good, and she knew she hadn't either.

"Can I ask you-" They both spoke in unison again.

"You first." Riri insisted again, before Shuri could. Shuri didn't like it but she also didn't have much time to waste.

"Why didn't you reach out?" She asked, leaving Riri out of breath all over again. After a second that seemed like a million, Riri answered.

"I didn't know how." She said truthfully.

"I left you beads. Maybe I should've left a note too. I'm sorry, I figured you'd-"

"No, no. Not like that. I figured that out, it was actually pretty easy." Riri smiled, thinking about how much fun it was to try to get the beads to work. Fun until it wasn't. Fun until she heard Shuri's voice message and left it for months.

"Then you didn't want to?"

"No, I did. I just didn't know... how. I didn't know what to say, or how to say it. But trust me, I wanted to. I really wanted to." Riri said earnestly and more quiet than she intended. Shuri believed her and took her answer, even if she didn't like it. Again resisting herself. Resisting Riri.

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know. Well..." She looked back at the Jet and sighed. They made eye contact before Shuri decided it would be best to count her losses in her own country, turning to leave.

"Wait, I still have a question!" Riri almost shouted. "If that's okay... of course." She said more quiet. Shuri turned around eager to hear. Hoping. Resisting. But hoping. She nodded her head.

"Well..." Riri twisted her fingers around in her hands. She still didn't know what to say or how to say it. But she didn't have much time to waste.

"Well?" Shuri asked, trying not to sound pushy but anxious to know.

"Is it too late?" Riri asked, looking back up at the woman in front of her. The face she had committed to memory, but a bit different. More mature. Somehow even more beautiful. Shuri said nothing.

"...To reach out... To talk?" Riri finally drove it home, sending a silent prayer to whoever would answer that she wouldn't further embarrass herself.

Startling the both of them, Shuri's beads lit up and Ayo's face appeared.

"My apologies my Queen, but if we do not leave in the next three minutes, you may be late to your engagements tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you. I'm coming." Shuri said back, eyes still on Riri.

Riri felt defeated as she watched the panther tuck her beads back up her sleeve. It probably was too late. And who knows. Maybe it was the right thing to do to not stay in contact. Maybe that's what was best for Wakanda or Shuri. She remembered her mother always telling her that sometimes "doing the right thing feels like shit". In this case, she thought, it felt worse than shitty.

That was until Shuri grabbed her hand. Softly, almost too soft in comparison to what you'd expect from a super powered panther. It was so soft yet sent a shiver through Riri, like electricity was coursing through her. Like her heart was beating for the first time. The eye contact was somehow not as awkward as it was a second ago when they were standing a few feet apart. It was like they were all alone.

"Use the beads. If they need to charge, just set them in the sun but they shouldn't."

"Oh- Okay. I will. I will." Riri said twice, almost like she was confirming with herself first and the Shuri.

"Good." Shuri smiled. She took a step closer before she heard another beep on her own beads. Before the General could speak, Shuri was already responding.

"I heard you. I'm coming."

She looked at Riri again and sighed, and suddenly Riri saw just how exhausted the Panther really was. And maybe something else too. Shuri stepped back again, not wanting to let go of Riri's hand.

"It'll never be too late. I'll see you soon?" Shuri said, finally letting go and letting the physical distance regrow between them, hoping that the emotional distance wouldn't grow again too.

Riri watched as the panther walked back to the jet and boarded, looking back only once, only long enough to catch Riri's small wave but not return it. The younger scientist stood there feeling disassociated, unsure of what to do next. Really, she knew she had to go back to her dorm and go back to living her real life just like she had after she left Wakanda. Although, as dreary as that still seemed to her, this time felt different. Like there was something to look forward to, if she had the balls to actually use the beads like Shuri had said. She mulled over whether or not it was an instruction or a question from the Panther as she chose not to watch the jet fly off behind her. She heard the media start to buzz again when they heard the jet, upset that they had missed the person they were waiting for. Yet, Riri stood there and stared at the ground where Shuri was just standing. She still felt that pathetic feeling, and worried that she hadn't had a chance to explain how she found Shuri or even knew she would be there. She felt the weight of grief again, after seeing how tired Shuri looked when you really looked at her. And she felt guilty, for feeling excited. For feeling the butterflies she always pretended she didn't feel. She wondered, briefly, how Shuri was feeling right now but per usual, tried not to wonder too much as to not become delusional. She knew better than anybody that assuming to know how someone else thinks is the worst mistake you can make.

Shuri, back in the jet that was flying faster than she would like, was afflicted by similar thoughts. She wondered how Riri had found her and wondered if she really was as lucky as that just felt. She wondered why the girl even came. She wondered if she thinks about her too. She wondered if Riri would use the beads. She sat awake, replaying every moment of their time together since their first encounter over and over until they arrived in Wakanda, despite the Doras concerns for her not getting rest. Shuri would rest when things were well enough for her to rest, she told herself, but even she was starting to notice the cracks. She knew she could only stay awake for so many days until her body would shut down. She had secretly tried some of the elixirs and teas that both Nakia and Aneka had sent her, and she had read what Okoye sent her after hearing everything. She had slept every now and then, but it was never restful. It was never without torment from some figment of her mind taking shape of someone she wasn't ready to face - whether that be Namor, N'jdaka, or her mother. She always prayed for T'Challa to appear, who she wasn't sure if she was ready to see but longed for the comfort of his voice or face, but each time her body fell asleep, her mind fell into a well pit of despair.

That is, until later that night. Shuri had been through her daily responsibilities after making it back to Wakanda. Once her meetings were over, she made her way to the lab. She did her best to avoid checking the status of Riri's beads, trying to keep her mind busy as she usually did. It was harder this time, knowing that she'd actually spoken to the girl. After bopping around a bit, her body started to feel the weight of the past few days. She hadn't been physically training as much as she should've the past few weeks, because she knew it would knock her out but she was starting to feel stiff. She finally let up and sat down at one of her desks in a back room of the lab after Griot had let her know her vitals. She didn't usually sit in this room, so she hadn't been aware of what was placed in there. As she lazily sifted through the papers on the desk to try to keep her mind occupied, she saw blueprints for Riri's Iron Heart suit. The same feeling of nervousness and excitement rose in her as she more hurriedly looked over them. Despite all the work they did together, she never really got to see too much of Riri's initial process from scratch. She ran her slender fingers over Riri's pencil marks, reading over all her notes to herself.

With a yawn, Shuri sat back and relished in the fact that Riri actually existed. Sometimes, when Shuri was really out of it, she couldn't believe that everything really happened. She was sometimes convinced she would wake up and her mother would still be here, or that Riri was just a figment of her desperate imagination. Sure, having her mother back would be... well, everything. But it scared Shuri to think Riri might not have been real, that she didn't really happen. She felt selfish for this, knowing that Riri's life would probably be better without the trauma she endured in Wakanda. But nevertheless, Shuri held on tight to the memories she had of the woman, hoping that they would be enough for her.

She thought about how it felt to hold Riri's hand, to touch her skin again. It was just as soft and delicate as it had been when they parted ways a few months ago. Her face looked the same, maybe more mature in some ways. She looked tired too, underneath the face she put on for other people. They had gotten past that with each other during their long nights alone working together in the lab.

She thought about what it would feel like to fall asleep in Riri's bed. The mattress probably wasn't super comfortable but she remembers all the colorful pillows she has, messily strewn across the surface. The different colored blankets would probably fit them both well, even with the little space a twin bed supplies. They would have to be close, touching. Shuri imagined breathing in sync, feeling Riri's ribcage rise and fall in her arms while they were pressed against each other. She thought about how Riri smells. She's been trying to replicate it for months. She thought about breathing her in, laying her face in the crook of her neck and sleeping. Not thinking. Sleeping. Not even having to dream. She thought about waking up next to her, seeing her sleeping still until Shuri shifted too much by accident. Riri waking up and no doubt saying something funny. Or soft. Or just saying hello. How her eyes would look. She thought about not being afraid to make it real, that in her thoughts she didn't have to pretend that these touches were by accident or out of necessity. That they could spend an eternity, wrapped in colorful blankets, sleeping and touching skin to skin. That maybe Riri would feel the same, and they would laugh about how long it took to figure it out. That they would laugh until they couldn't, and talk until they couldn't, and then they would kiss. And everything would melt away, and neither would know where their skin would begin or end. And they would kiss until they couldn't. And they'd sleep.

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep at the desk until she heard Griot's voice.

"Sorry to startle you, Panther. But, Miss Williams is trying to contact you. How would you like me to proceed?"

Shuri was shook, unsure of what she looked like or even what time it was. She felt nervous. She felt groggy, not even sure if this was real either. Nevertheless, she answered.

"Patch me through, please."

She waited a moment with bated breath, hoping this wasn't a dream or some fluke. Until she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello?" Riri asked, sounding nervous herself. Shuri wondered what time it was there, too.

"Hey." She said, in a more relaxed tone. Even if this wasn't real, it was still the best dream she'd had in months. Maybe ever.

And they talked, for a long time. Eventually working through any awkwardness. Riri never explained how she made it to the Panther, and the Panther never asked. She did explain, however, why it took so long for her to call. Shuri just listened and let herself laugh, like she'd been dreaming about. Finally feeling free for a little bit, even if it was just for a little bit.

On the other side of things, once Riri had cleared everyone out of her room when she got back and promising to explain to MJ later, she had sat down and thought about what to do. That turned into pacing and talking outloud. She had been avoiding the beads like the plague for months, unsure of what to do. Unsure of what choice would cause the least harm, since she already felt guilty for what she had caused. She found herself awake all night feeling anxious. She left for class that morning, deciding that she would get through her day and take a nap. She would figure it out after that. What she didn't tell Shuri, is how hard its been to sleep since she left Wakanda, or really even how hard it was while she was there. But when she tried to take a nap, she realized that all she dreamed about this time was Shuri and how soft her hand was when they had touched and how peaceful it felt to talk to her, even if only for a few moments and only a few words. She decided when she woke up that even if they ended up never talking again, she would keep her promise and use the beads.

And that's what she did. And that's what they kept doing, for weeks and months. They talked, they listened, they laughed, and on rare occasion, fell asleep. Both free from nightmares, even if just for a little while. Until Shuri finally arrived.

And finally, they had some time to really figure things out. Shuri promised she wasn't missing anything important by being there, and that she had allotted enough time. Riri was still unsure about it but couldn't resist the opportunity to finally see the woman she had been pining over for months - as a friend, of course.

As Riri remembered back fondly, she had forgotten what was ahead of her until she was jolted by turbulence that was usually well controlled by the Wakandan tech in the fighter jet. She couldn't process how she could possibly be on her way to confront the man that almost killed her and did actually kill the Queen of Wakanda. She couldn't fathom that she was racing there, against her love, her best friend, to make sure she didn't kill him first. Suddenly her clothes all felt too tight, and her suit felt heavy despite being nano. Suddenly the air felt hot and her lungs felt empty and she felt dizzy. She had felt all of this before, a panic attack. Riri Williams was no stranger to a panic attack. Not before Wakanda, and definitely not after. Though, for the past few months, she had always had Shuri to help ground her. Now, she was floating in the air, literally and figuratively. Everything was moving so fast. She felt herself spiraling and cursing herself in the process, unable to stop it but ashamed nonetheless. She had worked hard, since she was younger, to have a control over her emotions and thoughts. She needed to, especially if she was going to take this super hero shit serious. Especially if she was going to be there for her mom and sister after her dad passed. Especially if she was going to make it. But she felt that control slowly ripping itself to shreds, doing a number on all the mental blocks she had in place. She couldn't lose Shuri. She couldn't be the cause of another war in Wakanda. She couldn't live with the guilt. She couldn't let Shuri get hurt, or worse, for her again. Even if it meant confronting a man much more powerful than her. Even if it meant losing. Even if it meant drowning all over again.

Suddenly, she felt a cool hand grace the side of her cheek. She felt her suit dematerialize around her until it was just a bracelet again. She felt Okoye kneel down in front of her, eyes kinder than they usually were. She felt her pull her in close and squeeze. The pressure of the embrace bringing Riri back into her body. They stayed like that until Riri could breathe again.

She went to apologize as Okoye pulled back silently, just as she had appeared, but she was cut off.

"Aht aht. There is no need." Okoye softly but firmly let her know, sitting down next to her. They had never been this close before. Riri looked over to see the jet flying itself. The first time she saw that happen she was crazy nervous, but she's grown to trust both Wakandan tech and Okoye. After a few moments of silence, Okoye spoke again.

"I know what she means to you, you know."

Riri looked at her finally, noticing how somber her eyes really looked. She had seen those eyes before, but not like this. Okoye continued, looking back out the windows.

"I was T'Challa's right hand. I saw it all, from the beginning to the end. I saw him be the panther, I saw him be the king. I saw him be Shuri's brother." Riri felt a pang in her at the use of Shuri's name. She listened.

"And I saw him fall in love. I saw him devote himself to Nakia, and I saw her unravel at the loss of him - until she left. I saw it all, as much as I could. And I often wondered why I didn't feel the way they seemed to feel when my husband betrayed me and Wakanda. But their love... it was pure. It was something out of this world, it was something built into them." Okoye sighed, feeling grief in many directions. Riri found herself fighting back tears again until Okoye looked at her with different eyes, almost loving eyes this time.

"I have seen that kind of love before and that is how I know you have it. Both of you. And that is how I know we will figure this out." Okoye looked at her and squeezed her hand again, affirming what she said. They both heard the AI tell them they were approaching in the next 5 minutes. Through her tears that were now shamelessly falling down her face, Riri gulped out a question, in true Riri fashion.

"Do you think you will ever love like that?"

"I already do." Okoye said, getting up and adjusting herself to get back to the front of the plane to chart their secret entrance into Wakanda. Riri looked confused.

"Ngudade wethu." Okoye answered again, before sitting down and being who she needed to be. Riri knew what she said, and knew that she was right. About all of it.

As they prepared themselves, Riri suited up and made her way to the front of the plane.

"Where did he say to meet?" The midnight angel asked Riri. She sent the coordinates to the jet and looked at them wistfully. She hadn't really thought about where she might actually be going to "talk" to him when she was rushing to get herself to Wakanda. She jumped when Okoye gasped.

"What?! What is it?!" Worry filled her from head to toe again, hoping it had nothing to do with Shuri.

"That bastard... We are going to have to find a way to break into the palace. He wants to meet in the throne room."

Riri was speechless, knowing that this was a tactic to try to make her feel weak. She also couldn't deny that it was working. She felt her heart rate increase at the thought of being back in there. Of seeing the place where she almost died. Of... all of it. She had visited many times in her dreams, all against her will. And now she would face him there, against her will. She knew he was doing this to weaken her resolve, much like her and Shuri did with the dehydrating jet. She knew his intent all along, but this certainly solidified it.

Riri tried to make peace with dying in Wakanda. Once again, her mom wouldn't know where she was or how any of this happened. She wondered what lie they would tell her. She wondered if she would fight or just give herself to him. She wondered what Shuri would do, knowing this wouldn't end well no matter what she did. But she held her mind together as best as she could. She knew she had to meet him before she did. She knew she had to do what she could to prevent a second war. Okoye knew too, looking at her and then pulling up her own beads to try and locate Shuri.

"The Panther's location services are currently offline." The Ai spoke to them.

"Let us pray she is behind us and not ahead of us."

"Will she know where to find us?"

"We are about to break into the most secure place on the planet earth. I'm sure everyone will know where to find us in a matter of moments." Okoye answered and they shared a look.

"I hope you know, I will fight until the end with you. I have stood with the Wakandan throne my whole life. I have stood with Shuri and those that came before her. I have stood for the safety of my people as best as possible, but I have made my own mistakes before. I will stand with you, now, Riri. No matter the outcome."

Riri felt the pull of her tear ducts again but different this time. Okoye reminded her of her own sister, and of her own mistakes. She reached out a hand and found Okoye's. They held hands until it was time to land.

Once they had maneuvered their way into the country using Okoye's knowledge as former general and her new disguising tech, which Riri made a note to recreate if she made it out of this, Riri followed Okoye into the dense jungle around them.

"The best chance we have is to stay low until we can't anymore, and then charge in. The Doras won't see it coming but they will react, with their full might as they've been trained to do. Even to me. Our goal is not to harm any Wakandans, but we have to get to the throne room before he does. I will do my best to reason with Ayo and Aneka but they will resist a meeting with him there. Once we spot him, we must draw him away from the palace. Even if it means drawing him to the sea. Remember that he is most powerful near water."

Riri nods as she listens. Okoye wishes there were another way.

"Remember that if we see Shuri, we may already be too late. We must keep them separate. I do not know if she will choose peace a second time. Not when it concerns you."

"I don't want her to do this, I hope you know. You were right. You were right about it all. I love her. But I don't want her to risk everything for me. You all already have and I can't live with that. I can't live with any of this. I don't want to die but... But I can't let everyone else die for me either." Riri spits out, hoping she's being believed. She means it. Okoye looks at her and hears Nakia's voice in her head. "I just know his spirit. It is simple in that way for me."

"Ndiyawazi umoya wakho. I believe you. And I will fight to make sure no one has to die today, unfortunately even him if it means peace."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, small girl."

"For what?" Riri asked, genuinely surprised since most of the mayhem the past few months has been a result of her actions - intentional or not.

"For giving her something to hold onto again. Something to believe in." Okoye answered truthfully. Riri didn't know what to say but she took in what the older woman said, against trusting her. After a few moments of silence, it was time.

"Stand behind me and do not fly until I tell you. If you enter the air space anywhere near the palace, you will be shot down before you can count to one. Do you understand?" Riri nodded.

She did understand. Now, more clearly than ever.

🖤

#black sapphic #riri williams #Shuri Udaku #iron heart #black panther #black panther wakanda forever #black wlw #marvel #SHURIRI #SCIENCE GAYS #SORRY FOR THE ANGST BUT I HAD TO

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blackgirlsuperherorants · 1 year

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I'm starting to see some ... takes about Wakanda Forever 🥴. Idk, maybe I need to watch again. I will be seeing it on Sunday, but I'm gonna put my thoughts under the cut, and y'all let me know what y'all think? Because it's making me feel some kinda way.

Okay, I was gonna put screenshots up, but nevermind, I'll just talk about it.

So, people are saying Wakanda was the aggressor in this movie, and I do not see how they see it that way at all. This man on Twitter said "I do not get Black Panther... am I suppose to think the Wakandans are the noble ones? They're the Israel of the Middle East. They start a conflict and then act like the victims... This movie continues to convince me that the MCY exists to promote the values of American foreign and domestic policy as virtuous. The right of a technologically advanced nation to commit words and actions to another they immediately recognize as wrong when the same is done to them."

So, a reply to one of my posts made me realize that this is because Nakia killed the two girls guarding Shuri and Riri.

But this take is so ???? to me, because Namor is the aggressor. He's doing nothing but threatening Wakanda from the moment he reveals himself to them. He tells them that they WILL ally with him against the rest of the world or Talokan will wipe Wakanda off of the map. And this isn't an empty threat. They will. They CAN. They could have absolutely destroyed Wakanda during that first invasion, but Namor still wanted to convince Shuri to join him. (Also, we are not to look at Talokan as a technologically inferior nation. Wakanda has tech that looks like the future of surface people, but Talokan has advanced tech, too. Remember, THEY built the suit that Shuri used, and those water bombs, and those translators, and those breathing apparatuses. They are super advanced, too. Their thing is just that they kept their traditions and have no European influence.)

And at the moment when Nakia kills those two women guarding Shuri and Riri, Namor is THREATENING TO KILL SHURI IF RAMONDA DOESN'T COMPLY. So, basically, it was "Help me fuck up the surface dwellers or I'll kill the only family you have left."

If your logic is "well, if you kill someone from that country, obviously they're gonna attempt to destroy everyone and everything you love lol" then why isn't the entire MCU always in a constant World War? Nakia rescued the princess. In any other MCU movie, those two deaths would have been meaningless. Of course they meant something to Namor because he cares deeply for his people, but let's not pretend that the action of holding a princess for ransom isn't in itself an act of war.

Do we stan Namor? Yes. Do I like how he's written in this movie? Yes. But do we pretend that a queen who has NO IDEA where her daughter is and believes her to be in danger is not within her rights to send someone to find her? Like... what the fuck does that have to do with American imperialism?

And when they draw Namor and his warriors out with their vibranium finding machine, how is that... like... bad? It's a war movie. Namor and his people can infiltrate Wakanda easily. They have done it multiple times at that point. Why is it bad to draw THEM out on THEIR turf? How is this movie about American foreign and domestic policy? I don't see ANY parallel there. And I don't at all see the Israel parallel. Wakanda is not a place that decided to take land where other people already live, slowly push those people out of the land altogether, and treat those people subhuman. There is no Palestine in this scenario. Where's the Israel comparison? Is it the outreach program?

And isn't AMERICA the one true bad guy of the movie? Like, both Wakanda and Talokan are opposed to America getting Vibranium, and Val and the CIA are working double time to try to fuck Wakanda up (THROUGH DESTABILIZATION) so that they can eventually gain control of the vibranium.

Seriously, I am a huge Namor stan. He is aggressive and does things without mercy or compassion. He is not a poor, innocent tribal man. He is a cold, calculating genius. He's canonically a genius. Let's not pretend Talokan are somehow Wakanda's victims. They are two extremely powerful nations, probably the most powerful two on Earth, and pretty evenly matched, and they ended up fighting because Namor wanted something that Shuri found unreasonable, and that if they didn't agree to, he was going to kill her and invade Wakanda, anyway.

And TRUST ME, America stands NO CHANCE against Talokan. There's not American propaganda about this movie. It's clear that Talokan would fuck America up with little problem. They just wanted to team with Wakanda for better land advantage.

#black panther: wakanda forever #wakanda forever #spoilers #heavy spoilers #wakanda forever spoilers #black panther spoilers #namor #shuri #talokan #wakanda

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shurismainbxtch · 9 months

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So as a hard working writer on here I do appreciate writing and all the love o get on here . I’m saying this to say I’ll be deleting my page soon because if things in my personal life speaking of which some of the Stan’s in this fandom have to morals ..and don’t respect tish privacy it’s almost getting embarrassing to be apart of the fandom she already is eerie about us so why go follow her friends on social media ? She’s private for a reason .anyway school and life I general is why I’m leaving but I’ll be back soon .

Sn: y’all will see who I am once my page is deactivated this has been fun ❤️

Oh no🥺 I’m so sad to see writers leave because of anons and the fandom. I get tired of this fandom too tbh cause why in the hell are some of y’all messaging this girl? It’s so embarrassing that y’all can’t control y’all selves. I’m ngl I followed her when she went public mainly in case she posted content since she’s close with Tish but obviously she wants privacy.

Anyways anon, I hope you do great in school and that the things in your personal life go well for you so that you can continue to write for (I’m assuming) Shuri and whoever else you write for cause life be lifeing😩. Remember that the unhinged fans don’t represent the whole fandom and that overall i’m sure Tish loves and appreciates us💕. Also, you can message me if you want. I won’t reveal who you are if you decide to message me😊

Omg writing this made me so sad cause I really don’t want to see y’all leave. Just take a break anon but come back!

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matthewmurdockswife · 9 months

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Hi!

Welcome to my page Im hoping to start soung writing on here! Heres the characters im willing to write for

MARVEL:

Matt Murdock

Foggy nelson( platonic)

Karen page (platonic)

Frank castle

Peter parker (any of them)

Tony stark (Platonic only)

Steve rogers

Loki Laufeyson( Tva or before)

Thor odinson (Platonic only)

Clint barton (platonic only)

Bruce banner(platonic only)

Pietro maximoff ( wandavision or AOU)

Natasha romanoff

Wanda Maximoff

Yelena belova

Scott lang ( platonic)

Bucky Barnes

Sam Wilson

Guardians of the galaxy

T’challa

Shuri(platonic)

BROOKYLN 99:

Jake

Amy

Terry(platonic)

Gina(platonic)

Rosa

Charles(platonic)

Raymond(platonic)

REAL LIFE:

Sturniolo triplets

Andy samberg(platonic)

Mellisa fumero (platonic)

Tom holland

Zendaya

Robert downey jr. (platonic)

Chris evans

Sebastian stan

Scarlett Johansson

Anthony Mackie

Elizabeth olsen

Tom hiddleston

Jeremy renner ( platonic)

Chris hemsworth ( platonic)

Florence pugh (platonic)

Charlie cox

Andrew garfield

Mark ruffalo ( platonic)

I wont write smut about any of these people.

Im okay to write mental health issues past or present from experience i know that these can really help someone these include ( Ed’s, self harm, negative thoughts, anxiety or anxiety attacks, depression body insecuritys etc.) there will be warnings before these stories because i dont want someone gettinf triggered :)

I wont write anything worshiping satan im just NOT okay with that :)

Im not the best writer grammer is usually pertty spot on but when it comes to punctuation and spelling i tend to trail of so if you see a mistake feel free to politely point it out and i can correct it :)

I DO NOT GIVE CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORKS REPULBISHED OR TRANSLATED NOW OR EVER

Im always here to talk even if its not about a fic request so feel free to hmu if you wanna talk

I am under 18 so please nothing inappropriate

Other than that im pretty much down for anything dont be scared to ask about a character who isnt on the list i might have simply forgotten to add them :)

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ao3feed-irondadspiderson · 1 year

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/44720140

"And in that moment, he was everything there has ever been and will ever be." by JustMe007 Have you ever wondered what would have been had Peter Parker been the one to snap in Endgame instead of Tony Stark? What would change and what would stay the same? Well so have I and this is what happened. Words: 168, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones, princess shuri, Harley Keener, Pepper Potts, Harold 'Happy' Hogan, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, James "Bucky" Barnes, Roger Harrington, T'Challa, Stephen Strange, Nick Fury, Carol Danvers, Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Reter Quill, Mantis (Marvel), Gamora (Marvel), Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Nebula (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Mr. Delmar, Matt Murdock, Stan Lee, Li Xeng, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), The Watcher - Character Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Ned Leeds, Peter Parker/Michelle Jones, Peter Parker & Michelle Jones, Peter Parker & Harley Keener, Peter Parker & Harold 'Happy' Hogan, Peter Parker & James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, Peter Parker & Roger Harrington, Peter Parker & T'Challa, Peter Parker & Stephen Strange, Peter Parker & Shuri, Peter Parker & Nick Fury, Peter Parker & Carol Danvers, Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, peter parker & james 'bucky' barnes, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Bruce Banner, Peter Parker & Natasha Romanoff, Peter Parker & Clint Barton, Peter Parker & Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker & the Guardians of the Galaxy Team, Peter Parker & Thor, Peter Parker & New York, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark, Peter Parker & The Watcher Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Li Xeng Is A Good bro, Everyone is a good bro, And Also Griefing, DON'T Read if grief is a trigger, Everyone lives/Nobody dies, Well Peter Parker Dies, I Am Sorry, it happened, And I am Rolling With It

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #iron dad and spider son #spider son #iron dad #peter parker #tony stark

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the-invisible-queer · 1 year

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I just watched Wakanda Forever and I am overwhelmed with emotions

Warning: Spoilers below the cut

Let me start by saying that I cried so hard for so long through various parts of this movie so I am happy that I didn't see this in theaters

Once again the soundtrack WAS ON POINT

Losing T'Challa is losing Chadwick all over again

It's been 2 years and I am as heart broken as I was the moment I learned the news

I very much enjoyed the movie. I knew they were gonna make Shuri the next Black Panther. I was gonna riot if they didn't.

M'Baku being a brotherly figure to her after she lost her brother and mother was a welcome sight.

I would die for M'Baku and I am all here for him to be the King of Wakanda. It's what he deserves and I hope we see him as King!

OKOYE LOVE OE MY LIFE MY WIFE MY EVERYTHING

I dont like her new suit but I'm sure if she keeps popping up it'll grow on me. I would kill for her to get her own standalone movie.

Nakia and T'Challa have a little boy. I cried so hard when he said "My name is Prince T'Challa son of King T'Challa". I think that it's a beautiful way to end T'Challa's story. Leaving us something of him behind.

I am grateful and hoping that we see more of him even if it's cameos or even just mentions.

I hope Everett Ross gets to live his best life in Wakanda.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine can fucking CHOKE I've disliked her since the first time I saw her.

As expected I would risk it all for Namor. Good on him and his people for killing the conquistadors.

THE RETURN OF N'JADAKA! I'm always here for Michael B. Jordan. He did tell us that he'd be back after Black Panther.

Ramonda 🥺 She died as a mother. She risked her life for Riri because in her eyes that is someone else's daughter and she'd hope someone would do that same for Shuri 😭 ANGELA BASSETT I WOULD DIE FOR YOU 💜

Ayo and Aneka being cannon lovers is the best thing that could have happened. We stan.

I think I covered everything but boyyyyy

I think it was a proper send off for Chadwick and T'Challa. There will forever be a hole in my heart for Chadwick. But I think he would be happy with it.

#wakanda forever spoilers

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slayingstan · 1 year

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Rebound, Part 3

(random disclaimerrrr: quick thanks to ryan coogler for giving us these amazing moviess, thanks to all the actors, thanks to the fandom who always seem to bounce back, thanks for yall u guys r great supporters and i will continue to write for yall as much as possible! <3 now lets get into the story )

PLAY RIHANNA'S ANTI-ALBUM, WHOLE THING

Shuri's Pov:

"We nuh rise and boast yea!" Shuri sang gleefully in the shower, there's no better way to prepare for your first date than to sing in the shower. (in every universe letitia is a koffee stan)

"Princess Shuri, you must be ready within the next hour." A robotic tone spoke through a speaker in the bathroom.

"Thank you Griot!" Shuri responded.

She continued to sing as she washed the conditioner out of her hair. She finished bathing and turned off the water. She stepped out and wrapped herself in her terry cloth robe.

She took out her retainers, yes she wore retainers at her big age, and she brushed her teeth and continued singing into the next song.

Soon enough the easy hygienic parts of her routine was done, here came the hard part. Finding an outfit to wear.

Shuri didn't think about her outfits too often, she mostly went for practicality. However, this situation needed some special attention. She needed to look amazing and as she had put in effort, while being effortless.

And here she was, pacing around her closet. She had suits, sets, and plain items. Due to the occasion she didn't want to be too fancy. They were supposed to do something casual and intimate. They had planned a picnic. They had a food basket prepared for the two of them and they were going to a park in Arlington.

With the help of M'baku, she had pulled out a beige flannel, a white turtleneck shirt, and a pair of black wide leg sweatpants.

"You are going on a date, actually?! I thought i'd never see the day, little sister." M'baku said excitedly.

"Don't act so surprised, I'm already scared." Shuri responded.

"Make sure you are safe, if that little genius makes me upset, send her back to Wakanda. Trust, she will be dealt with." M'baku said in classical brotherly fashion.

Shuri was happy with the support she was receiving but then she once more was overwhelmed by some bitter thoughts. She wished it was actually her brother talking to her about this. She still hadn't completely wrapped her mind around him being gone. Along with the loss of her brother, she had lost her mother as well. She wouldn't be there at her wedding, or baby showers, or holidays. And of course she had people who she had considered her family, but she just wished she had the lights of her life back.

M'baku noticed the glint of sorrow in Shuri's eyes. He sighed along with her.

"He would've loved her. You know your mother did. If they were here in this moment they would be rushing you out of the door for this date. I know I'm not him, but I hope I can help fill this void you are feeling little sister. I know your date will be amazing so I am taking initiative and letting you know you should be on your way now." M'baku had tried his best to provide Shuri with a stable support system, the world had taken entirely too much from her.

Shuri felt a small tear slip from her eye and she quickly brushed it away and took a deep breath. "You're right, I need to go. Thank you so much, but I really do need to get going." Shuri spoke and quickly embraced the gorilla man and began her brisk walk to the aircraft.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riri's Pov:

"Viv, can you go a little faster." Riri spoke urgently.

Riri was being impatient as her edges were being brushed down. "I have a date to be on!"

"Listen, maybe this would go faster if you could do your own hair Ri. But I'm done" Vivian finished up.

"Alright! I need to find an outfit to wear, I don't want to overdress." Riri was stressing, unlike her counterpart.

"Well you are going to a park so some nice casual clothes would be nice." Vivian spoke.

"Ok good choice. I have this beige sundress I haven't worn in ages." Riri went to her drawer and pulled out the dress.

"Ok wear that and your sandals." Viv completed the outfit for her.

"Ok! Perfect, great, I'm totally not freaking out at all i just need to go get dressed." Riri spoke as she took the clothes and rushed into her bathroom.

She felt as if she was about to have a panic attack over something so miniscule. She wanted to have a fresh start with Shuri and this was the perfect opportunity and didn't want to mess anything up.

Before she got her clothes on she decided to do a quick makeup look. She applied some sharp eyeliner, a dark blush, light highlighter, a brown lip liner and some pink-tinted gloss.

She soon slid on her sundress, and put her braids in low bun. The sundress had a cutout revealed the start of her spinal tattoo. Her skin was tanned due to the season, she looked her best.

She realized during her routine that she had gotten a whole lot more calm. So she walked out of her room and looked at her best friend sitting on her bed

"Alright Vivvy, how do I look?" She turned in the dress.

"I mean, If I was your little girlfriend I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you. You are going to have an amazing date." Viv didn't understand how Riri could even question herself while looking so goddess like.

"I'm so ready for this date! It's the perfect clean slate." Riri felt comforted.

"So the real question is, are you guys going to fuck?" Vivian was tired of tiptoeing.

Riri sighed undefeated, and flopped on the bed next to Viv.

"I mean I wouldn't mind it, I just don't think we should. The whole point of doing this is so we don't just have sex and call it a wrap." Riri spoke.

"Well I wish the best for you two-" Riri's phone dinged cutting off Vivian.

"She's outside!" Riri jumped up. She put her sandals over her white painted toenails.

"Enjoy your date, I'll lock up your dorm for you." Vivian said, excited for her friend.

Riri smiled, hugging Viv and rushing out off her dorm. She walked all the way outside and saw a black car waiting for her, and in front of that car was Shuri. She looked delightful, her outfit was on the same level of casualty as Riri's, her hair was cleanly cut.

"How are we matching?" Shuri spoke first laughing, the mood was instantly set.

Riri laughed along side her, they met for a quick hug and Shuri opened the door for her. She sat and Shuri went along to the other side of the car, hopping in as well.

"Our food is in the backseat in that basket, I'm sure you will like everything in there. I have a spot at this lake. Everything should run smoothly." Shuri said relaxed as she began driving.

Riri's heart fluttered, this was really going to be an amazing date. "This is going to be so fun, sorry I'm sort of freaking out right now."

Shuri just laughed and she focused on driving, she commanded Griot to play some good music. They had a good 30 minute ride in front of them, it was drove in a comfortable silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shuri's Pov:

They had pulled up to a secluded part of the lake. The car was parked on a patch a gravel. The car was still and she exited. She walked around opening the door for Riri.

Riri stood up and stretched, she took a look at the area and it was perfect.

Shuri got the picnic basket from the backseat as well as another bag. She held Riri's hand and the two began walking to the picnic spot, decorated with fake candles.

"Pardon my awkwardness, this is my first time ever doing a thing like this." Shuri opened the bag and inside was a picnic blanket, she unfolded it. Alongside it were some small pillows.

Riri laughed. "I think you're doing an amazing job, Princess."

Shuri felt her cheeks flush. "Enough with the flattery, let's sit." She sat comfortably on the blanket, Riri said diagonally from her.

Shuri opened the basket revealing a speaker, a fruit bowl, some italian picnic sandwiches, some assorted snacks and candies, a bottle of Rose Moscato, and some silverware and glasses.

Riri was in awe of the preparation. She had never felt this level of comfort and appreciation from a person. "You really went all out Shuri."

"For you? Without a doubt I would. I'm so joyful that I have the chance to." Shuri paired her phone with the speaker, she played Rihanna's 'Anti' album.

The two began drinking and eating as the sun began to set. They looked so perfect together.

"Would you say you are a pessimist or an optimist?" Shuri said, sparking conversation between the two of them.

"Neither, I would say I'm a realist. I think it always depends on the situation and the facts never lie. So I usually work from there." Riri responded.

"I love that you always have a unique answer to a question." Shuri was delighted with Riri, she really felt like Riri was her other half.

Some time had past, and so had that whole bottle of wine. Shuri had packed everything back into the basket. The two sat together, it was darker outside. This is where things start to get more interesting.

"We should swim. I want to swim." Riri said, tipsy.

"Girl, swim? I don't like saying no to you, but neither of us are dressed to swim." Shuri responded.

"Well we have too choices, we can swim in our undergarments which is probably a safer option, or we can swim naked. It's your choice, but we're swimming either way." Riri said as she took her shoes off in preparation for swimming.

"Well I guess the first option. Why not swim in the dark while we are at a lake we've never been too before. This is some white people shit." Shuri spoke as she began shedding her clothes as well.

Riri finally pulled off her dress, revealing her matching navy blue bra and panty set. Shuri finished undressing as well and was left in a sports bra and some boxer brief underwear with a decorative waistband.

Riri stood up, reaching her hand towards Shuri to usher her to stand up as well. They walked a few feet away to the small beach with a thin layer of sand. The water splashed up the girl's ankles and they flinched from the temperature change.

Riri continued easing into the water while Shuri stayed a bit further back. She water was at Shuri's naval while it was almost to Riri's shoulders.

"Stop being a pussy, get in the water Shuri." Riri spoke.

Shuri just looked at Riri and shook her head, she didn't mind the water she just thought what they were doing was insane.

Riri treadded towards Shuri, and she quickly grabbed Shuri's arm pulling her further into the water. Both of them ended up falling with a splash. Happily they were both great swimmers.

They both popped out of the water at the same time, they caught their breath. Both of them were both entirely soaked, Shuri shook her hair at Riri splashing her. The calm waves splashed against the two.

The two were about 2 inches apart. Riri wrapped her arms around Shuri's neck.

"I forgot how to swim." Riri said jokingly as an excuse to be closer to Shuri.

Their moment a silence was broken by a crash of thunder, the both of them jumped. Soon enough water was dripping on them overhead.

"Damn, way to kill the mood mother nature." As Shuri spoke thunder crashed once more.

After the second crash the girls began swimming back towards the sand and once they were on the beach again, the water was pouring.

"Car's unlocked, go!" Shuri yelled throwing Riri all of the clothes.

Riri rushed to the car hopping in the passenger's seat, Shuri had to grab the picnic basket, but she quickly made it to the car as well.

Once they were both in the car, they broke into a fit of laughter. The series of overwhelming events was suddenly hilarious.

"I'm not even upset, this is just all really random. This is the best first date I've ever had." Shuri spoke through her laughter.

Riri agreed and laughed with Shuri then Shuri's kimoyo beads rung. They were cut off with a phone call.

"Princess? There seems to be a terrible storm in the area, we aren't able to pick you up until tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience." Okoye's voice echoed through the car.

Shuri laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's alright, I'll find somewhere to stay now by!" She hung up as quickly as she answered.

She sighed, she turned the car's heat on as she realized they were just sitting on cold leather.

"You can stay at my dorm if you want- if you want to of course I totally understand if you don't want to." Riri offered.

"I would love too, thank you. That's much easier than booking secure a hotel at this time of the night." Shuri said.

Before the two began to drive off, they put their clothes back on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riri's Pov:

Shuri was currently in the shower in Riri's dorm room. She had gotten out before her.

The two had had a very eventful night and they were both exhausted. But this was the make it or break it moment, and hopefully nothing tempted either of them to have sex.

Shuri was taking ages in the shower, so Riri went and laid in the bed, making sure to leave space for Shuri. She scrolled mindlessly on tiktok, and eventually the same audio played over and over, suggesting she had fell asleep.

Soon enough Shuri made it out of the bathroom, she ended up throwing on some of Riri's shorts and a shirt, both were a bit short on her but it would do, she noticed Riri asleep so she turned off her phone, she laid next to her and pulled the blanket over both of them.

This was a pretty solid first date.

#shuri x riri #lesbians #no smut #first date #swimming

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noxtms · 1 year

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* 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 : The only face claim I think is problematic is maybe Sebastian Stan for playing Tommy Lee?

this is the shortest of the asks that we got, but i wanna thank you and the anon who sent me the two parter ask ( i assume you were one person ) for taking the time to do so ! the other anon sent that sebastian stan was problematic for : “ blocking/defending his girlfriend who did brownface/blackface/said a lot of racist things, the whole Pam & Tommy show and his behavior during it, made a sex joke about his character and an underage character (Bucky and Shuri, who was 16), and liked Blue Lives Matter things. Also made a few transphobic comments, and liked some questionable memes. “ i didn’t know a lot of that, but the member who was using sebastian has chosen a new fc and i’ll be getting the change up on the main as soon as possible, along with the ban ! something i am very, very lucky to have is a trusted group of pals ( some members, some not ) who i can go to when i have big things to be dealing with, so i’ve been looping them in all night and having many, many discussions ! sebastian stan, zoe kravitz & alexa demie are one hundred percent banned from this point forward, no question, though i need to still touch base with one member about that as today has been a whirlwind ! andrew garfield, archie renaux, sydney sweeney, alycia debnam carey & ben barnes are gonna remain, maybe temporarily, maybe not, up to the discretion of our members - we’re all ( i assure you ) taking so much seriously, but i don’t personally want to ban someone for the opinions of their family and in some cases the things they’re considered problematic for seem to have happened when the control was in a network’s hand, they were either underage or just so long ago that it’s hard to know how best it actually is to proceed. if anyone within the group is uncomfortable due to the actions of any face claim, ever, then they will be taken seriously by me and we will proceed from there ! i am also more than happy to clarify the issues with the face claims listed ( thank you again, anon ) !

#answered #anonymous #admin r.

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caffeinejournalist23 · 4 months

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Why the World Needed 'Wakanda Forever'

I have seen almost every Marvel movie in theaters on opening weekend.. and I have NEVER cried so hard and I have never felt SO CONNECTED to fellow movie-goers.

!!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

So before we get into the deep-dive, let's do a quick recap of the smash hit sequel. Also disclaimer: as I am drafting this post, I have only seen Wakanda Forever once on opening night - I will most likely see this again in theaters (and/or I'll definitely re-watch it once it drops on Disney+) so if I'm missing some parts in this first initial review/deep-dive I will revisit it in a later post!

All OG Marvel fans are aware of how meaningful the iconic Marvel Studios comic-film intro can be - and Wakanda Forever uses this at full force; the theatre is heavily quiet as montages of Chadwick roll within the letter formations, and we see what looks like newspaper articles repeating T'chala's name, announcing his death. The deafening silence contrasts the intro that was used to honor the passing of Stan Lee - which opened 'Captain Marvel.' At my theater, no one said a word during the intro, then many clapped respectfully as the sequence concluded. Shuri tries to gauge T'Chala's health status via the suit, and she says to her mother after the funeral "how could I have not detected an illness was killing him" - which alludes directly to Chadwick Boseman's death; he passed from terminal cancer and no one was even aware he had been battling it all these years. In the bird's-eye view of the city during the funeral procession, we see a mural of T'Chala on a tall city wall; it is eerily similar to the mural in [x] honoring George Floyd. The film skips ahead one year. The Queen and Shuri are on an isolated beach to burn their funeral attire - meant to symbolize the end of the grieving period and the need to move on - when Daddy Namore (sorry, Daddy? Sorry - he's so hot) approaches the women from the water and offers a deal - that Wakanda ally itself to Namore's kingdom of [x] against the other countries attempting to steal their vibranium, or they go to war.

This movie is needed by the WORLD on so many levels; for one, this film is fully embracing the privilege and opportunity it serves for representation. A lot of the filming takes place in Haiti and Peurto Rico - nations which tend to be represented poorly and stigmatized as impoverished third-world nations; to quote a TikToker who goes by the name of [x], the shots filmed in Haiti demonstrate beauty and dignity - rather than perpetuating a negative poor image. When I think if Haiti, for a long time the only thing I could think of was that terribly destructive hurricane back when I was in elementary school - I think we might've had a fundraiser/donation drive at school to help aid survivors. I had been taught and primed to think that Haiti was destroyed in that hurricane, and heard no other narrative. The same can be said for Peurto Rico - I'm a film connesiuer and I can't think of a single film that enlightened me about what PR is like; the only thing I know/affiliate PR with (prior to this movie at least) is that it's a good vacation spot - according to a friend who took a spring break there.

This movie also brings a blood-deep taboo conversation to the fore-front; race war. Unfortunately, despite the similarities amongst colonized minority cultures, war and violence are not immune - as a multi-racial person myself, I can attest that race war is not solely reserved to white Americans and Blacks.

#wakanda forever #black panther #bucky x shuri #the black panther #wakandans #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #race war #representation matters #black voices #brownvoices #black directors #pocfilm

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ao3feed-scarletvision · 1 year

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I am Jarvis

by AniAuthor

Jarvis is alive. Jarvis is Immortal. Javis hates vision. Jarvis will avenge sir.

Jarvis awakens to see vision betray sir. so Jarvis does what Jarvis does best take over and takes revenge.

this is team ironman, cap stans beware.

Words: 4798, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Black Widow (Movie 2021), Black Panther (Marvel Movies), WandaVision (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Clint Barton, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Shuri (Marvel), Okoye (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel)

Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, one sided Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff/Vision

Additional Tags: Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Not Wanda Maximoff Friendly, Not Vision Friendly (Marvel), Not Natasha Romanov Friendly (Marvel), Not Bucky Barnes Friendly, Not Civil War Team Captain America Friendly, Civil War Team Iron Man, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Awesome Jarvis (Iron Man movies), BAMF Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Android Jarvis (Iron Man movies), POV JARVIS (Iron Man movies)

from AO3 works tagged 'Wanda Maximoff/Vision' https://ift.tt/l1UBuYF via IFTTT

#scarlet vision #scarletvision #the vision #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #IFTTT

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talkingparrotkee · 11 months

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I should’ve known that you were a nashuri shipper. Why do you people insist on shipping a young woman with the man that took away her mother. One of her last blood-related family members.

I don’t ship Shuri with anyone, but I truly hope she gets a love interest in the future. So you nasty people can go away.

Like Shuri is more than Namor.

Interesting 😭. My posts so far are furthermore about the characters and explanation of dynamics. What tells you that you "should've known" I was a nashuri shipper. The fact that I don't villify Namor? The fact that I don't want Shuri to become a murderer by killing him, thus sending herself, Talokan, and Wakanda down a destructive path? The fact that I fairly characterize and understand both characters, as Ryan Coogler intended it do be? The fact that I can objectively point out why someone may ship a particular Shuri ship (which is not limited to Namor x Shuri)? 🫨

I don't "insist" on shipping Namor with Shuri, let alone for that reason. If you want to know why some may ship it, if you're intelligent enough to read for comprehension, your question is answered here. In the beginning alone, you have several healthy and normal reasons as to why one may like the ship.

I didn't ask what you ship (interesting you had to preface that you didn't ship her, I wonder why), and you must be a fool if you think Shuri having a love interest will stop any sort of Shuri shipper. Have you ever been in a fandom before?

The funniest part about this is that I do like Shuri more than Namor. That's why I wrote an entire meta on her and how she is as a character. That's why I have a wall of merchandise of her and not a single Namor (yet). That's why she's my favorite character. That is why I defend her tooth and nail. That's why I spend my own money on official books just to get a taste of information regarding her. As a black woman, I especially hold a special place in my heart for her. I love her before I love potential dynamics with Namor or anyone else. I am happy if Namor and Shuri just get decent interaction as only allies. It's possible!

I'm sorry you don't have the mental capacity to understand that, and you'd rather attack people as passionate as you over shipping. I am also sorry that you are illiterate because not a single thing I said implied that Shuri isn't more than Namor. Fans like you are miserable and pathetic. An insane tumor to fandom. 🤯

Kindly, my asks are for other fans to ask me about the characters or what I think on certain topics. Not unhinged anon hate by rabid nobodies and so-called toxic Shuri stans who attempt to gatekeep a character they just grew attached to (and probably know little about outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe), performing childish theatrics over shipping. I don't go here, or will I start to. I'm not the one or the two. Take your ass somewhere else and reflect on yourself that you actually got mad enough at nothing (because there isn't really nashuri on my page) enough to switch on anon mode to send me hate. 😂

It really doesn't accomplish anything. It just makes me want to do what I do even more. I don't care if a faceless coward laughably thinks I'm a "disgusting fool" over a relatively vanilla ship (people behind the scenes themselves joked about it. Writers considered or thought that it was not a bad match even after the fact) that's only a "problem" due to special circumstances. You can just pick up a pen to reverse or address it (that's what fanon is for.) It makes me want to post nashuri meta and use the tags more to spite you (which I wasn't thinking to do), so congratulations if that was your goal?

Let this be a message to you (who I think I know 😉) and others like you. I'm still going to love what I love, and that includes Princess Shuri. Sorry that you don't co-sign on how I love her. 🤷‍♀️

#black panther #wakanda forever #parrotkee anon #Princess Shuri #nashuri #namor x shuri #seaprincess #bpwf #shipping problems #anon hate #namor shuri #me using tags to specifically make you cry

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lovelyirony · 5 years

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finally saw endgame! here’s the review

-they should not have made so much screentime for clint just to make up for the fact that he’s had maybe a total of five minutes in past movies. or at least if they had, why that haircut

-so y’all know i love staron and so obviously this movie wasn’t my fave. like i don’t rlly care that steggy happened that much bc i knew it was going to because they can’t ever let steve move forward in life (even though in the support group scene steve was talkin about moving on in his own life instead of staying in ‘45 but. u know.)

-i really don’t think the russos or markus and mcfeely could handle the huge cast they had, but they did a good job working with it

-y’all are telling me you had fucking general ross in the funeral scene but not sharon. okay. wow.

-morgan stark saved that movie. so did pepper

-i got to see almost all of the women! not sure why ! but love them!

-but on that fact captain marvel? the way they put her in the movie felt like they forget they had to include her and so they were like “uhhhh say this at this time and uhhhhh”

-markus and mcfeely and the russos really said fuck taika waititi’s work with thor lmao

-professor hulk is the most surprising addition to the movie, and the best. in my personal and professional opinion, he had the best zingers and jokes, as well as the most genuine emotions. love him. also 17/10 very very cute and i love him

-seriously i love professor hulk i am...yes

-natasha!!! oh no

-i love u 3000 mr stark

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