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sapphic-coded · 8 months

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hey beautiful could u write about a nat x reader break up and there’s so much tension between them until they both break at a dinner party with the team and their dates 😋

Hey Friend! You're so sweet. I hope this lands somewhere in the ballpark of what you were hoping for. Thank you for the request!

No Use In You Trying, Baby

You are invited to a dinner party. Reluctantly, you go and run into your ex.

Natasha Romanoff x fem Reader

Warnings: Hurt feelings. Language Cap wouldn't approve of.

Word Count: 2.8k

You were content to spend all your time in your lab. It was your happy place. Your playground. This was where you could think clearly, and where all your best ideas originated from. Plus, it wasn’t as if you were hiding away in some basement cut off from the outside world. Your lab at the Compound was huge and had plenty of equally huge windows that allowed plenty of bright, warm sunlight in. And if you needed to socialize, there were plenty of people who walked by your lab daily.

But you didn’t want to socialize. You wanted to focus on your work because for the first time in months you were finally making progress. Broken equipment and weapons that had just been sitting in your lab were finally leaving polished and new. Projects that had just only been sitting nestled in the back of your mind were suddenly finding life. It was amazing what you could accomplish in a single day without any distractions.

You rolled backwards on your black swivel chair as you stared at your notes on the yellow legal pad in your hands. You were curious what Clint would think of your idea for this new arrow. The idea had come to you last night, and you had been thinking about it ever since. The back of your chair pressed against one of the many lab tables. You lowered your notepad and turned. All thoughts regarding your new arrow idea fled at the sight of the batons laying on the table.

You held the batons in your hands and your brow furrowed as your thumbs pressed down on the button built into the base of the weapon. The usual quiet hum of the electrical discharge was silent. You tapped both of the batons together as if that would fix the problem, but nothing changed.

A pair of arms wrapped around you from behind. Familiar, warm hands settled against your stomach while her chin came to rest over your left shoulder.

“I tried that too,” her voice brushed against your ear.

You sighed as you studied the twin weapons. “It shouldn’t be too hard to fix. It’s probably a broken conductor or…” You trailed off when you felt her hands travel lower. Her fingers slipped underneath the hem of your shirt.

Who the hell put those there?

“Incoming call from Mr. Stark,” F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice penetrated the quiet of your lab.

You stood up and collected the batons. “Put him through.” You listened as Tony’s voice echoed throughout your lab. You carried the batons over to a growing stack of boxes running along the right side of your lab. You opened up the lid on one of the cardboard boxes as Tony went into detail about partnering up on another project he had in mind. You listened for key words while your thumb pressed down on the button at the base of one of the batons. You frowned. Still broken.

“I also need you at the Tower tonight,” Tony said.

You dumped the batons into the box. “Why?”

“Because I’m throwing together a little dinner party,” Tony replied. “Just the team. We haven’t done one of those in a while.”

“I’m busy,” your reply was automatic.

“You finished your last official project two weeks ago.”

“I’m working through my backlog,” you replied.

“Fine,” Tony said. There was a moment of quiet when you wondered if he had hung up the phone. Your question was answered when you turned your back to the boxes. “I’ll be very interested to see how you manage to do that without any power.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Trust me, I’m wearing my serious face,” Tony replied. “I can demonstrate if you want.”

The lights in your lab flickered.

“Fine. I’ll be there.”

– – –

You used to spend most of your time at Avengers Tower. This was where you got your start working for Tony Stark. When you first arrived at the Tower, you thought the labs there couldn’t get any better. You had been allowed to play around with tech you could only fantasize about. The amount of resources you had at your disposal was endless. It was fun. You loved creating weapons and upgrading equipment for the team. There were few things better than challenging yourself to create something better than the perfect project you just finished.

When you entered the Tower, you were tempted to just go to your old floor. You hadn’t been able to move everything from your old lab to your new one at the Compound. Playing around with what you had left behind seemed like a better idea than attending a dinner party. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to see the team. You did. But it hadn’t even been a month since your last conversation with Natasha. The one that had ended badly. You knew she would be here, and the last thing you wanted to do was see her. Because then everything you had been ignoring would come rushing back. You wouldn’t know what to say, and everything would just be easier if you kept your distance.

Too bad you weren’t going to get what you wanted.

When you reached the top floor, Tony was the first to greet you. It seemed you were the last to arrive as the rest of the team were talking amongst each other. You spotted familiar faces. Most of the team had brought along their dates. It made you want to leave even more, but you put on your best smile as you made small talk with the team. Thor was in the middle of telling you a tale of his most recent battle when you saw her.

She was standing near the bar talking to Laura. Despite trying your best to focus on Thor’s story, you couldn’t help but notice that she looked beautiful. Then again, Natasha always looked stunning. The black dress she wore now only complimented her features. Or rather, the dress acted more like a reminder of a lost privilege. You gripped your glass of expensive wine tighter at the thought. Privilege? You hadn’t lost anything like that. Just a relationship that was bound to crash and burn.

“...and then he went flying off the mountain,” Thor’s laugh drew your attention back to the god. “Never thought it’d end like that.” He shook his head and then took a long drink from his flask. “So, I hear you spend your time forging new weapons.”

“Uh, yeah,” you looked past Thor. Natasha smiled at something Laura had said. Stop it. You focused back on Thor and started talking about all the projects you had completed recently. You chose to only talk about the projects you knew would keep Thor’s attention: equipment upgrades, a very close to being completed laser sword, and an attempt to copy his hammer. He found that last bit very funny.

You were grateful when everyone was summoned to the table for the actual dinner. All you had to do now was eat the food, make a tiny amount of more small talk, and then you could leave. You already had your excuses prepared. But as you approached the table, you realized that Tony had thrown a curveball your way. Tony had gone through (or rather he had someone else go through) and assigned the team seats. You already had an idea of where this was going, and your suspicion was confirmed when you found your seat right next to Natasha.

You looked over at Tony. He winked at you, and you were tempted to leave. Instead, you sat down in your seat and set your expensive wine down on the table. You could do this. She hadn’t approached you yet this entire evening. The feeling of not wanting to interact with each other was mutual. You both could talk to other people. This was fine.

The smell of her perfume hit you first. It grabbed hold of you and yanked you back through countless memories. You remembered the smell of jasmine with the barest hint of vanilla flooding your senses when she pulled you in for that first kiss. You remembered how your legs turned to jelly, and you were terrified that you were going to fall. You didn’t fall. Somehow, you stayed on your feet until the kiss was over. Your mind had gone blank. You had felt painfully dumb. What were you supposed to do?

She smiled as her hands settled at your waist. “Aren’t you going to kiss me back?”

You looked to your left as she sat down in her seat. She looked gorgeous and happy. As if nothing life altering had happened. You felt a spike of jealousy. She probably had forgotten all about you by now. Breaking off your relationship hadn’t changed anything for her. You had been right to doubt your relationship all along. You had only been a convenient fuck. You were so stupid to believe all those promises she made you. She certainly couldn’t keep many of them.

You looked away and took a good, long drink of whatever Tony had poured into your glass. A wait staff appeared and set plates filled with delicious smelling food down in front of everyone. You set your now empty glass down, and another waiter appeared to refill it. You picked up your knife and fork and began cutting into the meat. You could do this. You should just pretend she isn’t here. Rogers was sitting to your right. You could always just make conversation with him.

“Is this what we’re doing now?” her voice was low enough for only you to catch.

You forced yourself to keep your focus on your plate as you continued to cut into the meat. Red juices leaked from what was probably a delicious cut of meat. “Yup.” You stabbed your fork into the tender meat and pushed it into your mouth. You chewed. Fuck. It was good. You heard her sigh, and you didn’t need to look at her to know she was also, most likely, shaking her head.

“It’s a bad move,” she said.

You bit back the first thought that came to mind and continued to eat.

“This is obviously a setup. They’re trying to fix things,” she continued when you didn’t respond.

You looked around at the table as you chewed. Everyone else was busy talking amongst themselves. You swallowed and still refused to look at her. “There’s nothing to fix.” She didn’t respond right away and you reached for your glass. Maybe this was all about to end.

“Then I suggest we play along unless you want to go through this again,” she said.

You set your glass down before you could take a sip and finally looked over at her. “I’m not going to play along.” You spotted the familiar look of frustration cross her face. It didn’t surprise you. Whenever you refused to go along with any of her plans, she got annoyed with you. You should have known from the very beginning that this relationship was never going to work. You felt stupid for even trying.

“Fine. I guess I’ll see you at the next dinner party,” Natasha looked away from you.

“Don’t hold your breath,” you stabbed your fork into another piece of meat. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be too busy to attend the next one.”

“Didn’t you already try that excuse?” she asked.

You shoveled the piece of meat into your mouth and chewed. You didn’t bother to ask how she knew that. It was Natasha. She knew everything about you. You hated it. You hated that she was right. You hated sitting here so close to her. Every minute that passed was just more reminders of what had made you happy. It was gone, and you just wanted it all to stay dead. Why hadn’t Natasha shown up with the date? Why didn't you? You could think of a dozen ways you could have approached this whole stupid thing differently.

“Y/N,” her voice was softer now and you felt a burning behind your eyes.

“I can’t do this,” you heard the waver in your voice. You shouldn’t have come. You knew what would happen. You knew you would see her. You knew you would feel all these things. You weren’t sure if you couldn’t hear the other conversations happening around the table because people had stopped talking or because your quickening heart beat was now filling your ears. “I can’t.”

You felt her hand fall over your own, and you quickly snatched your hand back and stood up. You felt the rest of the team’s eyes on you as you quickly left. You heard their voices all rise up as one, but you didn’t look back. You just needed to leave. Get some fresh air. Go back to the Compound and forget about all of this.

Your pace quickened as you left the team behind and hurried towards the elevator. You were grateful that the doors parted immediately upon pushing the button. You stepped inside and pressed the button that would take you down to the garage. Your vision blurred and you felt a hot tear spill down your cheek. You quickly wiped it away. Stupid. This had been stupid. The doors started to close and just when you thought your escape was complete, Natasha slipped into the elevator.

The doors shut completely and you shook your head. “No.” Your hand reached out towards the panel of buttons. You went to push the button that would force the elevator doors back open, but Natasha grabbed your hand before you could. “Let go, Nat. I’m not going back to that stupid party.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” she said and released your hand the moment the elevator began to descend.

Your hand dropped back down to your side. “Then why are you here?” You realized that was the wrong question to ask as her red lips parted to answer. You shook your head. “No! No. I don’t want to know. Just leave me alone.”

She took a small step closer to you, and you instinctively stepped back and felt your back pressed against the cool wall of the elevator. “You’re not even going to give me a chance?”

“A chance to do what? Lure me back to your side with more fake promises of some happy life together? You can’t use that bullshit on me anymore. I was just a convenient fuck for you,” you felt another tear slip, and you used the back of your hand to wipe it away.

“You broke up with me,” she argued.

“Because you pushed me away,” your voice wavered again, and you hated it. “Every time I tried to help or understand, you kept me out. The only time you let me in was when you wanted to fuck me. The only time you wanted me around was if you wanted to have sex with me. I wasn’t your girlfriend. I was your toy.”

“I know.”

You were ready for anything. You had replayed all your arguments in your head hundreds of times. You were ready for any of her arguments. Except for that. Those two words caught you completely off guard.

“I messed up,” she said. “And I’m sorry.”

What was happening? This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. You were supposed to argue back and forth until you were both spent and upset and eager to get away from each other.

“Please let me try again.”

She had somehow managed to get even closer to you. Her voice was soft, and her olive green eyes were searching your face. She was trying to gauge your emotions. You could only wonder what she saw because you didn’t know how to feel. Tears still threatened to spill down your cheeks from all the pain you had been shoving down these past few weeks. Walking away from her had hurt so much. Because you did love her, and it had killed you to realize that she didn’t love you.

You wanted to leap at this chance. You wanted it so badly, but you were hesitant. You had barely been able to walk away from her last time. You weren’t sure you would be able to do it again if all of this happened again. But you wanted to believe it wouldn’t. You wanted to believe that there was still some life in this dying husk of a relationship.

You didn’t realize what had happened until her lips were pressed against yours. It felt like your first kiss all over again, only better. It felt familiar. The kiss was soft but needy. It reminded you of all the other ways she had kissed you before. The smell of her perfume flooded your senses, and you just wanted to collapse into her arms. You were tired of being angry. Tired of being upset. You wanted this. The kiss ended far too soon, and you started to lean forward to chase her retreating lips.

You saw her smile when the elevator reached the garage floor, and the doors opened. You didn’t make any move to leave. Instead, you waited for the elevator doors to close before you leaned forward to kiss her back.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #black widow fanfiction #natasha romanoff fanfic #fanfic request #sapphic september #i'm tempted to write a part two but i'm not sure

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spacebarbarianweird · 3 months

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HC of Astarion x fem Elf Tav who’s a Druid, more specifically of the Circle of The Spores subclass. She wears skirts and dresses of dark teals and blacks with gold embroidery and legs round gold glasses, always travels with herbs and roots in her pockets and pouches, and is never afraid to raise an army of the fungal infested undead for the hell of it. Basically she’s the healer who puts on a neutral front but is begging for the chance to rightfully unleash chaos and destruction

Hi! Oh, this is a nice design of a character! And I am sucker for elf!Tav because they can live for many centuries. And Spore Circle is absolutely badass. It turned out to be weird, creepy and bittersweet and I hope you like it! I also tag @tolkien-fantasy since they love Spore Druids.

Astarion x Spore Circle Druid!Tav

There is a thing about Spore Druids.

Unlike your colleagues, you don't particularly hate the undead.

If anything, your magic is about death, too.

Mold and fungi transform lifeless material into something new and weird.

Death isn't the end, it's just a new stage.

The problem with the undead is that they often wish things would stay the same and never change.

Which is unnatural.

Life is about growth and death is about transformation.

You encourage Astarion to heal and grow.

The worst thing about his past was stability and the belief nothing was going to change.

But somehow he preserved his personality and now he slowly demonstrates his ability to "live" in his undeath.

Though, you scare him a bit.

You can resurrect the dead with spores, turning them into zombies, alive and dead, hungry and terrifying.

You infect the corpses and transform them into your loyal servants.

And you can use the same spores to make your enemies blind, deaf, or paralyzed.

Astarion calls you a walking hotbed of plague.

Though, of course, he is in awe - mostly because everything you do is between life and death, which is the stage he himself is stuck in.

But your magic is beautiful.

Mushrooms growing on dead bodies.

Mold desecrating the food.

Fungi bringing life to the most desolate places.

Post-game, Astarion doubts whether to go with you, but you assure him that the Spore Circle will accept him due to his ability to change.

You study the fungi to find answers to your questions and his problems.

The spores can make him more like a living person.

They can protect him from the sun, and they can let him eat normal food.

The prospect scares Astarion - he's seen the infected corpses. It's creepy.

And what if this magic fungi takes over his mind?

You don't insist. It's his choice, after all.

And you are an elf yourself, you have plenty of time.

But the life in the shadows and hunger take a toll on Astarion.

He doesn't want to be an undead. He wants to be alive.

And if his vampirism can't be cured, why not let nature change him?

At least, if you promise his personality won't be affected.

It won't, you are sure of that.

Astarion lets you infect him with the spores.

This transformation is nothing like becoming a vampire.

It's soft, gentle, warm.

Astarion feels like dreaming, sleeping in a warm bed.

The only thing he acknowledges is your presence. You check on him all the time sometimes meditating close to his "fungi grave".

It take almost a year for spores to finish their job, reconstructing his dead flesh.

A lonely year of being alone in your bed.

When Astarion wakes up, he doesn't feel the hunger anymore.

The sun doesn't burn him and he stays in the sunlight for hours before you come to take him home.

The symbiotic fungi has restored his organs to the point where they functioned as they are supposed to.

Astarion is scared to see himself in the mirror - but when he does he sees himself.

Though, there are some changes.

There are golden spots of spores in is eyes and barely visible cobwebs on his legs and arms.

And he is warm. He is so warm.

With his newfound "life", Astarion gets some new abilities, similar to the ones you have.

He can cast spores and rise up the dead, infecting them.

He can hear the fungi songs, connecting his mind with this ancient entity.

And he can feel you.

You know each other thoughts, each other intentions, and presence.

He always knows where you are. He feels your emotions, your sorrows and happiness and you feel him the same way.

You are more than thiramins, more than lovers.

But the best gift the spores gave to Astarion is mortality.

One day, the fungi will slowly take over his body and mind, transforming the flesh once again, bringing him mor, the final death.

And if you are still alive by this moment, you will let spores take over you so you can be together in this next stage of life and death.

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars @marina-and-the-memes @waking-electric @ayselluna @connorsui @asterordinary @darkarchangel96 @locallegume @brainfullofhotsauce

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kcwriter-blog · 5 months

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Just recently I asked myself an important question. Why do I, a person not usually into angst, continue to romance Solas. It’s not like it’s going to end differently. My Lavellan will always get her heart broken.

The simple answer? It’s worth it. There is a gentleness in how they treat each other that you don’t find in many real-life relationships much less in a video game. It’s soft, quiet, and tender. It’s what love looks like after years with someone you truly care about.

How can that be? Solas isn’t being honest with her. To Solas’ credit, he realizes that. He takes her to Crestwood to tell her the truth. When he realizes he can’t, he breaks it off. Which in and of itself is an act of love.

What he is honest about is his love for Lavellan. He never denies his feelings. A case in point is the aftermath of the first kiss. It would be so easy for Solas to say that he just got caught up in the moment. He doesn’t. He may say that it’s been a long time and that he thinks a relationship isn’t a good idea, but he never denies that he has feelings for her. Even when he breaks it off, he refuses to lie and say she was a casual dalliance or that he doesn’t love her.

For her part, Lavellan never pushes Solas. When he asks for time to think, she grants it. “Take all the time you need.” She understands him. He has trust issues. Getting into a relationship with her would be a big step for him. She may not know what made him that way, but she cares enough to let him decide if a relationship is something he truly wants. She is willing to wait.

This demonstrates a respect for each other and for their budding relationship. They are honest about their feelings. They are willing to take it slow. They talk about it like adults. They go into it knowing there will be risks.

An underrated aspect of the relationship is the conversations where Solas shares his recollections of things he saw in the Fade. Solas isn’t just randomly pulling stories out of his hat. He is telling Lavellan about the things he saw that meant the most to him. He is opening up to her, trusting that she won’t laugh at him or dismiss him. For her part, she actively listens. It’s a quiet kind of loving and, for me, one of the most intimate things you can do in a relationship.

The balcony scene is another place where this plays out. Solas wants to be with Lavellan. He has come up to the balcony to tell her that. He still has reservations. He wants her but he doesn’t want to hurt her.

Lavellan knows he must be the one to make the choice. Instead of kissing him, she puts her hands behind her back. If he wants this, he will have to kiss her. He balks. She asks him not to go. Many people interpret this as begging. That’s not it. She is telling him, quietly, that if he leaves, she won’t wait any longer. “It would be kinder in the long run but losing you would…” He can’t. He loves her. He decides to take the risk.

There is also a strong spiritual component to their relationship. Solas isn’t attracted by her physical beauty. He is all about the spirit. To him she is wonderful. Someone wise. Someone who thinks before she acts. He calls her beautiful in Crestwood, but I think he is talking about her soul, not what she looks like.

There are many other small moments that give us clues as to what their relationship looks like post balcony scene. Solas attempts to comfort her at the Winter Palace by dancing or taking her in his arms. She reassures him that he can trust her. They hold hands in Crestwood. He calls her “my heart” and it’s clear she is precious to him. His voice when he speaks with her in Crestwood is intimate. It’s a vocal tenor we don’t hear anywhere else. He remonstrates with Sera when she jokes about his relationship with Lavellan.

I find it interesting that even if Lavellan is angry, when Solas finds the broken orb she isn’t fist pumping because he didn’t get what he wanted. She treats him with kindness.

He goes out of his way to tell her what they had was real – or that she was right to be angry. No matter what happened they acknowledge each other’s feelings.

Everything paints a picture of an intensely private, intimate, loving relationship. That’s what I love about it and it’s why I keep coming back for more.

#solas #solavellan #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #solas x female lavellan #sometimes its about tenderness

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pandorasfavorite · 1 year

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Summary: Aonung is nothing but sweet towards you, till one day he isn't.

Note: This is short but angsty and also I think I should've made the ending different but idk.

He doesn't even remember why he yelled at you because there's nothing you could do that would anger him. But it happened because that tear-stained face and those pinned-backed ears will forever be etched into his memories. This day will forever be in the back of his head labeled as the moment he broke your heart.

Now he is just reminiscing over what just happened but a harsh shove to his shoulder makes it hard. Loak is running after you after delivering the harsh shove and a few curses. Neteyam is far behind him but instead of shoving past Aonung, he confronts him, "Why would you say that to the woman you are betrothed to?". Aonung hangs his head in shame like a child being scolded he isn't aware of Neteyams departure or his sisters. So he is left alone on shore aching to talk to the woman he loves.

~before~

His duties the day prior were not to Toniwaris standards, Aonung was scolded and punished that morning before training began. Maybe if it wasn't for the Sully's needing assistance he would've done better so this is their fault. Aonung was in a bad mood all day ignoring your advances to talk to him and even shielding away from your hidden touches. Aonung didn't want to act this way towards you, it's improper to disregard the woman you are courting. But the annoyance from being scolded and punished lingered heavily. After tense ilu lessons next were breathing exercises, where everyone sat beside each other in a circle and was coached.

It was going smoothly for the most part, with a few chuckles and giggles from around the circle, also some chit-chat. Aonungs mood did not go unnoticed by anyone though. You tap Aonungs knee hearing a grunt come from him signaling you to speak, "What is wrong yawne?". He does not reply instead he makes a demonstration on the proper way to breathe. Your mind is focused on Aonung and how you can help him so you try again, "Did I do something wrong?" you say in a whisper touching his knee once more. The annoyed growl that Aonung produces stops all the conversation and all eyes turn toward him. "Can you do anything right?", Loak and Neteyam visibly straighten up at his words, "Hey man lay off of-" you cut Loak off with a raise of your hand. Aonung continues his proclamation, "I mean seriously you sit here poking and prodding at me when you have so much to learn. You're so obviously behind that it's pathetic y/n. Maybe it is time I start looking for a more suitable mate" he says finishing with a huff.

Everyone around him gasps except you, you're too heartbroken to even consider gasping. No. Instead, tears roll down your face uncontrollably as you stand, "I agree" you walk away, yet somehow you start running all the same.

~back to present~

He knows he must apologize and make things right, cause maybe he still has a chance to be with you forever. So he sprints as fast as his legs can carry him the sand getting kicked behind him trying to slow him down. He skids to a stop seeing you kicking your feet at the water below you where you sit. You know he's there, you can sense his presence from miles away because of the love you carry for him. Even though you know Aonung is there you speak no words of acknowledgment to him. So he speaks first moving his body to sit next to yours.

"I didn't mean what I said" he speaks looking at your face apologetically.

"I know," you say watching your feet in the water below you.

"I'm sorry".

"I know".

He feels his heart crack with every syllable that leaves your lips, somehow even through this pain you are facing, you are still the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. You put your hand out right where the space is still not looking at him. Aonung places his hand right on top of yours looking down at the water similar to yours.

"I hurt you didn't I?" Aonung says already knowing the answer.

"You did," you say with a sniffle.

Aonung nods at this feeling his heart shatter even more than before, "I'll fix this. I'll do anything for you. You are all I want yawne". You lean your head on his chest exhaling as you hear his heartbeat, "You'll fix this" you repeated to him in reply.

He nods his head in agreement putting his arms around your torso, "I will".

#aonung #aonung x reader #aonung x you #aonung imagine #aonung x female reader #aonung x y/n #avatar way of water

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theweeklydiscourse · 10 months

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The Darkling decided early on how much he would disclose to Alina about his plans for the coup based on a conversation they had on the way to the palace.

I like to look back at this scene from Shadow and Bone that takes place after Alina was seconds away from being killed by a Fjerdan assassin. She denies that she is Grisha, pointing to her plain and scrawny appearance for proof of her certainty and Aleksander responds with a remark about how Alina doesn’t understand what being Grisha even means.

It’s a telling scene because it shows just how surface-level Alina’s view of Grisha is. To her, Grisha are shiny, beautiful and strong and they are prioritized over the common folk soldiers she once belonged with. Of course, Aleksander knows that there is so much more to being Grisha than just beauty, but realizes that there’s so much to unpack with Alina’s statement he doesn’t even know where to start.

This exchange explains one of the reasons why he didn’t disclose his true plans to Alina, much less his ultimate secret. If Alina has such a shallow understanding of Grisha identity, she will also have a shallow understanding of just how much is at stake in this conflict. Alina is no ordinary Grisha, so it hasn’t quite sunk in that she has skin in the game and is more significant than she realizes. Her denial of her Grisha identity (despite obvious evidence proving otherwise) Alina is staunch in her assertion that she is just a normal girl. It is that same denial that tells Aleksander that Alina cannot be viewed as reliable just yet, time needs to be taken to teach her a better understanding of the Grisha first.

This next exchange is the second reason why Aleksander doesn’t tell her. Though Alina herself may not have said that superstition out loud, it still demonstrates how Alina was exposed to those views during her formative years. It raises his suspicion that Alina may hold some remnants of the Serf’s ideas and perhaps compels him to think ahead to assess if this could grow into a potential threat. He ABSOLUTELY cannot tell her the truth anytime soon if there is even the slightest possibility that she believes that he’s soulless and “truly evil”. If Alina snitched on him, his entire operation could be shut down for good and set the Grisha back decades. Not to mention the fact that it could get a lot of Grisha killed.

“You didn’t hurt his feelings.” Dear Reader, this was only the beginning of Alina denying Aleksander’s humanity in order to avoid taking responsibility for her prejudice and to avoid the complex reality of the situation. You can almost hear the incorrect answer buzzer go off in Aleksander’s mind as Alina tells him her answer, I can almost feel his pure disappointment through the page.

Because Aleksander poses an important question that reveals one of Alina’s central conflicts that will continue throughout the trilogy. Alina is still deeply uncomfortable with the idea of Grisha powers after spending her life among people who call them unnatural and strange. To the point that it wasn’t just the fact that the assassin was sliced in two that bothered her, but because of the magic that sliced him. Why on earth would he trust her with his greatest secret when she reacts with such hesitation? He was testing her to gauge how long it would be before Alina could be trusted as an ally to Grisha and received an answer that told him it might take a while. If Alina can’t handle her the idea of her own powers, she cannot be trusted with a secret that could determine the future of Ravka.

I don’t know about you, but I fully believe that Aleksander had every intention of telling Alina the truth, it’s just that prioritizing his personal relationship with her over the safety of his people was a risk he couldn’t take. This gets a bit muddled later on because Alina’s narration seems to care more about her personal feelings of betrayal than the consequences this plan could have on the country. She never takes a moment to look at the bigger picture and consider the consequences of her reckless actions.

I know that I’m just breaking the scene down and explaining what’s happening in it, but it truly is such an informative scene that hints at a potentially fascinating storyline.

#shadow and bone #lb critical #s&b critical #alina starkov #s&b netflix #s&b salt #the darkling #darklina #aleksander morovoza #pro darkling #grishaverse meta #ruin and rising #shadow and bone season 2 #aleksander morozova #anti leigh bardugo #anti shadow and bone #close reading

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klmp11s · 1 month

Note

Your profile looks like your fav is rook so could I request rook with male reader that finds his hunter stalking behaviors cute and actually tries to reverse the role and make Rook his prey 💘

Haha! Yes, Rook is one of my favorite characters. 🫶(English is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes)

Summary: reader that finds his behaviors cute and actually tries to reverse the role and make Rook his prey Character: Rook Hunt Warning: male!reader, stalking behaviours(?), ooc(?), hcs

Rook Hunt

When you first met Rook, he was as interested in you as you were in him.

Often when you met, you listened to his sweet speeches, poems and you could also answer him in the same way.

Later, when you already saw his “hunting” behavior, you could say you fell in love at first sight.

He's so cute! You often asked if he could demonstrate archery to you, or even spar with you.

Did I mention he has a bow? So, dear, you have a crossbow 🫢🤫

I think the first time when you were interested in his behavior passed so that you could remember his habits.

But don't forget, he's a hunter for a reason, right? Apparently he noticed that the shine in your eyes became brighter when he once again showed you archery

When a Crossbow Bolt crashed into his desk during class, he found it very interesting. Plus, if you also attached a note to it.

An inscription, a poem, a drawing or just a doodle - he will accept it all. Don't be surprised if next time, while you're relaxing in the garden, an arrow flies into the tree you were leaning on.

I can say that now you two are flirting in the language of adrenaline and hunting.

If you want to make a hunter into prey, you need to try, you know? I think suddenly putting a knife to your neck can also be considered flirting between the two of you.

What if you still look into each other's eyes? Yes, he completely agrees and LOVES it.

The game of cat and mouse reaches a new level when you two try to find each other in the forest. I hope you have keen hearing or very fast reflexes, because you wouldn’t want to pull the arrow out of yourself, right?

If you can get even the slightest bit of bolt on him, boy, is he in love.

But I also hope that you didn't hurt his face, otherwise you will have to fear not him, but HIS DORM LEADER

I think your friends compare you to him and say that you are like two peas in a pod.

100% there were situations when you were relaxing with your friends and suddenly an arrow with a note flies into the ground a couple of centimeters from you. You are literally friends:😨😱😧 , then when you literally glow with happiness: 😍☺️🥰

Notes or gifts in each other's rooms out of nowhere? Yes.

He just walks into his room when he sees a tiny box with his initials on it on the bed. Obviously, he knows who it is from, there is only one person who can make such wonderful surprises!

Your gifts to each other are arrows, bolts, some cute trinkets, hunting items and absolutely everything in that spirit. I think even his dorm members compare you and call you a "scary married couple"

And you didn’t even say anything against it, unless you weren’t even in a relationship with him. “The hunter gets the prey and then does whatever he wants with it” - this is your principle.

You also told your friends what “cute” gestures Rook made for you.

Although they don't think it's cute to sneak into someone else's room, they are used to your personality and will likely soon become accustomed to Rook's personality.

I'm not sure you two will have a healthy relationship, but minus for minus makes a plus, right? If you two like it, that's all that matters.

He will definitely enjoy sparring with you after a short game of cat and mouse. This is the first time that the hunter becomes the hunted, so why not make the most of this fact?

If you manage to pin him to the ground beneath you, then you are definitely making him feel the wrong way. You hear ringing laughter and his beautiful speeches in French. Lifting his face a little by the chin, you expose his neck and lean closer. At that moment, he becomes silent and closely monitors your actions. You can do almost anything and he will love it, but god if you BITE - he is ready to die on the spot.

He will also not hide your marks, bites, etc. at all - he may even, on the contrary, try to emphasize it

He literally won't tell you anything if you decide to bite his throat, do you understand that?

Abrasions, bruises, scratches from your games with him bring him some kind of incomprehensible joy.

If you are physically stronger and more agile than him, then this is another reason why he likes you so much. Everyone runs away and tries not to contact him, and you? You simply charm! You get into trouble yourself, how unusual!

"Are they trying to kill each other?" "They're flirting.🙄 "

Are you both in a relationship? May be. Are you two in love? Absolutely right

His whole dorm is already used to the two of you constantly walking together, if they see one of you two alone - it’s strange for them

Threatening each other as courtship is absolutely true. I think during your game with him at the end, a couple of times you just sat on top of him in his hat and talked to him, keeping your finger on his pulse.

But do you remember that of the two of you and him, you are the hunter? Keep this in mind.

Sometimes he would tell you something about the day's events, to which you would simply respond, “Oh, yes, I know.” and just bat your beautiful eyelashes. I think that sometimes he could forget that it was YOU who caught him, and not the other way around.

Grab him in the hallway and just carry him away? It happened more than once. You are sure that you have almost learned French, considering how often you communicate with Rook, this is even a plus for you.

What if you take a bow instead of a crossbow? Okay, boy I'm pretty sure that, yeah, YOU'RE HOT

If you're training, he might just come over and watch you, but more often than not he'll just watch nearby and test your wits and reflexes. Yes, he can definitely shoot you, are you surprised?

You even adopted his habit of sweet speeches. God, your friends literally don't see the difference between you two, are you and him already married?

I think official recognition will happen on both sides at the same time, without any agreement. Okay, now you're in a relationship with a hunter but you obviously like it, you've never seen a cuter guy than Rook, you're so lucky, right?

The characters do not belong to me, they belong to their rightful owners, please do not edit, translate, repost my works on other platforms, also without my permission and @

#rook hunt x reader #twst x reader #twst x male reader #twisted wonderland x male reader #rook hunt x male reader #rook hunt

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the-angeleno · 4 months

Note

gekko x female reader where like basically finds her super attractive and is nervous to talk to her so reader starts to think he doesn’t like her since hes so social w the other agents I hope that kinda makes sense?? Also hes so bbg<33

FIRST IMPRESSIONS! gekko x f!reader ✴ fluff!! no warnings!

[note!!] ↳ i apologize for taking so long with requests, i was just overwhelmed and flooded with so many and then uni got super chaotic but we made it! merry christmas / happy holidays!

mateo’s introduction to the protocol went as smooth as being introduced to by reyna could go. he’s not sure exactly what she said to get him in, as it seemed to be pretty exclusive and he’s not entirely sure if he has the professionalism they were looking for.

he doesn’t, but they don’t seem to mind. well, brimstone has complained here and there about how difficult the boy was to reach, he never answered his phone or replied to his texts but the motherfucker was always on tiktok whenever the protocol held meetings.

he got away with a lot by practically being reyna’s little brother, everyone was too scared to do anything to reprimand the boy. other than viper of course, nothing scared that woman it seemed.

being one of the younger agents, and the newest, left him anxious, but as time went on, he’s gotten his own seat at the table. he knew what the first day jitters felt like, how everything was intimidating, and he had already known reyna prior and she still kind of scares him so he can’t imagine how intimidating the woman would be to you.

brim asked beforehand if anyone wanted to step up and show you the ropes, before gekko even had the chance to volunteer, almost every head in the room turned to him anyway.

“i’d be honored.” he bowed dramatically, turning to harbor, “i’ll make you proud coach!”

he didn’t. not because he was a bad coach necessarily, he just couldn’t get a proper sentence out without bumbling like a fool.

the new agent was really pretty, and mateo’s had crushes before in the past but nothing like this, where the moment he looked at her he felt the carpet pull out from under him.

nobody else seemed affected by your beauty, even chamber seemed too occupied with his work to ogle at you. the knowing looks from jett and phoenix only made him more flustered as he knew his attraction to you was written all over his face.

neon and raze were stifling laughter, watching his sad attempt at demonstrating how to defuse a spike.

“s-so yeah um .. after y’know c-clearing corners and stuff you uh… um usually brim will c-comm? yeah he’ll comm us uh let us know the game plan.” he clears his throat, looking down at his hands and shaking his head in an attempt to clear out his thoughts.

you watched him with such a kind expression on your face, it was almost a little infuriating how good you were at maintaining eye contact with him, mateo feels like he might die of heatstroke with how hot his face has become.

you notice how nervous he is and hesitantly reach for him, placing your hand on his shoulder.

“hey i know we just met and all, but i promise i'm not gonna kill you…” an awkward laugh accompanied your words, and you couldn’t hide some of the hurt in your voice. why was he so terrified of you? “i’m not! scared of you or anything-“

“did i do something that made you uncomfortable?”

“no! nothing like that you’re just uh..” he looks around the room, relieved when he sees the others seemed to have moved on from watching his horrible teaching skills.

he glances at his critters, dizzy curled up as always in slumber, wingman on the couch waving his arms excitedly in support of his train of thoughts.

he breathes deeply, before finally meeting eyes with you.

“you’re just really pretty.” he says, without stuttering, or losing eye contact, and the intensity of it all leaves a red hot flush to climb up your neck and up to your cheeks.

“o-oh.” you stutter, mind going a mile a minute because what the fuck do you even say to that? you just met him, but you can’t deny how attractive he is too. you bite back a smile and look down in embarrassment.

“thank you… that’s sweet of you to say.”

“yeah but i just made things weird.”

“no you didn’t, things don’t have to be weird if we don’t make it weird.” you reassure, nudging his shoulder.

“now you said something about brim giving comms, do we wait for an OK before defusing or should we defuse as soon as we reach the site?”

he was grateful for the change in topic, and with that finally off his chest he was able to finally get his wavering voice back under control.

“yeah so he’ll comm with the OK; if everything is clear and it’s safe to defuse then go for it and regroup before evacuating.”

your first mission goes surprisingly well, gekko at your side through the whole thing, watching your back with every corner you turned and alerting you of enemies you missed before taking care of them himself.

he was the perfect partner anyone could ask for really, so when the other agents were hyping you up for your performance you couldn’t help but redirect the praise to mateo.

every mission went on like that, a success, the two of you made an incredible team. it wasn’t until six months later, on one of the biggest missions you’ve yet to go on, that you really showed the other agents in the protocol just how much you’ve grown.

“that quick scope was insane even reyna was impressed!” phoenix says over the sound of his comrades whooping and cheering you on.

“who knew our new agent would be our new little prodigy?” jett cooed, pinching at your cheeks. you swat her hand away, laughing at her teasing.

“nah it was all gekko and really i wouldn’t have gotten off that shot without dizzy and the spike wouldn’t have been defused without wingman. i just have the best coach, right ‘teo?” you turn to look at him and he grins, throwing an arm over your shoulder and pulling you into a side hug.

“of course hermosa, with me showing you the ropes you’ll kick everyone’s ass, radiant or not.”

his little compliment left you flustered, quick to hide your face into his neck, before feeling the vibrations of his laughter rumbling against his chest. he tilts his head down to peek at you,

“why’re you hidin’ chica?” he smirks knowingly, you were always so easy to fluster, it was incredibly endearing.

he pouts his lips out in a kissy face, laughing when you groan and roll your eyes at him.

the other agents watch silently as the two of you, almost in your own world, tease and bicker with each other back and forth, mateo’s arms still wrapped around your waist.

“i dunno why i let you take all the glory for our missions, i’m gonna stop being humble-“

“you? humble? chalè chica have you met yourself?” his words are all bark no bite, if the grin on his face was any indication.

you stuck your tongue out at him, and he sticks his right back, blowing a raspberry in your face and laughing when you yell and swat at him for spitting on you.

jett and neon share a knowing look, they bet on how long it’d take for the two of you to get together, and neon couldn’t hide the smirk on her face.

“not too late to forfeit~”

“no way, they’ve been dancing around each other like this for months im telling you they’re both too dumb to do anything for at least another two months-“

“yea like how it took you and phoenix two years to finally confess to each other?” she teased before quickly ducking the fist jett sent her way.

“wish someone would look at me like that.” chamber mutters, glancing over at viper who whistles absently, busying herself with some papers on her desk that suddenly need to be reorganized.

“can you let me go now?” you whined at him, giving him your most promising pout, he tilted his head in faux consideration, before shrugging,

“nah. don’t want to.”

“so you’re just gonna hold me hostage here?”

“don’t act like you don’t love it.”

“i don’t, you spat on me.”

“okay and you drooled on me on the way back to base-“

“shut up! you were the one who insisted i slept on your shoulder-“

“yeah because i didn’t wanna deal with you whining later about your neck hurting-“

“teo, let me go so i can punch you.”

“no can do, hermosa.”

“i’ll knee you in the balls.”

he pouts again, debating if he should free you from his embrace, before he gets the chance to, you lean forward on your tiptoes and plant an obnoxious smooch on his lips, prying yourself free from him when he loosens his grip in surprise.

“HA!” you laugh maniacally, running away from the boy who was already chasing you,

“oh so that’s how you’re gonna play huh?” he yells, ignoring brimstone who is shouting at the two of you to stop running around HQ.

“did you not just see what she did!” he whines like a child, glaring at neon and jett who are trying to stifle their laughter to no avail.

you run and hide behind raze and killjoy on the couch, catching your breath, you peek your head over and spot mateo,

“you’re harboring a criminal, release her.” he declares to the couple, and raze rises, holding her arms out in front of you, blocking you away from gekko.

“you gotta get through me first.” she stands firm, winking at killjoy who only rolls her eyes at the idiocy happening before her.

“can you guys take this fight back to the playground please?” she asks, turning over on the couch to look down at you. you hold your finger to your lips, a dramatic sh! the only response offered to her.

she tries to flick your forehead but you are quick to swat her hand away, earning a snort from the engineer before she turns to sit forward on the couch.

“what are her crimes even?” killjoy asks and you feel your face burning before mateo even opens his mouth.

“i was holding her hostage in a hug and she kissed me to escape-“

“oh god gross-“ raze’s arms falter.

“are you two fucking serious?” neon says in fake disgust.

“ew guys get a room-“ killjoy remarks with a loud groan.

“GROSS!” chamber shouts from across the room.

with you defenseless, mateo is quick to dive over the couch, grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder in one fell swoop.

he ignores your shouts and demands to be put down as he carries you away to an empty meeting room, closing the door behind him with his foot before setting you down with a mischievous smirk on his face.

“look at the scene you caused, mensa. now everyone knows about your dirty little tricks.” he had you pushed up against the door, his face incredibly close to yours, and you were suddenly grateful he had carried you off like that, away from the eyes of your comrades who probably have an idea of what’s going on back here anyways.

the close proximity leaves you flustered, but the competitive side of you can’t seem to back down to mateo.

“didn’t expect you to get so worked up over a little kiss, you got a crush on me or something?” you teased, sounding more confident than you actually felt.

he leans closer, lips nearly touching yours before gliding upwards and caressing the shell of your ear.

“maybe i do, but the thing is cariño…” his lips trail down your cheek, stopping right over yours, “i think you like me too.” he breathes a laugh against you and it sets you aflame, your heart pounding incessantly in your chest.

“should i kiss you this time and find out?” his lips are centimeters away from your own, his hands that are now cupping your jaw tilt your head upwards to brush against his lips, a gasp slipping past them to which he chuckles amusedly at.

the anticipation of his touch practically eating you alive at this point, how desperate you are to feel his lips against yours again.. you swallow, biting back your pride before nodding,

“please… ‘teo-“

his lips are against yours in an instant, eager and passionate, moving with a desperation you hadn’t anticipated. you reach up to pull him closer by the neck, kissing him back with just as much passion and fervor.

he bites down on your lip, smirking against you when you whine and open up for him, he’s quick to use the opportunity to slip his tongue in to taste you properly.

sweet like saccharine, he couldn’t get enough, the feeling of your tongues intertwined has him dizzy, his brain short-circuiting.

he can’t believe he’s finally kissing you, finally tasting the lips he’s been craving since the day he first laid eyes on them.

you whine his name, muffled in between kisses as he sucks particularly hard on your tongue, leaving you breathless and desperate for air.

prying the boy off of you, you finally manage to catch your breath, panting harshly against him as he smirks at you.

“yeah you definitely like me, ‘please teo!’ he mocks and you hide your face in his neck, groaning and punching him lightly on the chest.

“you’re such an ass mateo."

[note!!] ↳ this might be ass, ngl i wrote it high on my phone at like 2am, i think the second half with all the other agents is kinda wild n messy but so is mateo so shhh. - feel free to send in more reqs!!

#gekko x reader #valorant x reader #mateo x reader #mateo armendáriz de la fuente x reader #gekko valorant x reader #valorant #gekko imagines #gekko scenarios #valorant imagines #valorant scenarios

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praisethesuuun · 6 months

Text

Zoro x reader: what words don't say

Type: smut🔞

Warnings: oral (giving), blowjob, sex, adult themes, mention of alcohol

For him, it was just too good: all it took was a beer, a few sneaky touches and nice words to make you fall at his feet. Zoro had always had trouble showing how much he cared, acting more serious than usual when someone flirted with you or when you refused to assist him in his training; yet, your attraction was evident.

Tonight, he had simply decided to put a stop to all those times you tried to run away from him.

His hand was immersed in your soft locks, squeezing tightly to guide your movements, a trickle of saliva ran down your chin, making the swordsman smirk: "Look just how messy you are..."

Zoro's voice was hoarse, low, sending jolts down your spine, while you still asked yourself how you ended up in that situation. Your moans, completely smothered by the fullness of your mouth, sending sweet vibrations up the length of him, making Zoro moves his hips a bit more.

The wooden floor of the cabin was uncomfortable and hard under your knees, yet the pain took a backseat to the pleasure: why did you care if it left a mark on you? You had much else to think about...

Soft as silk, your hands tightened around his thighs, moving up only to tease the swordsman's abs; you could feel them flex every time Zoro groaned too much. "You love it in your mouth, I can see it in your eyes" he began, looking down at you and increasing his grip on your hair.

Meanwhile, your brain had simply stopped working, your eyes looking up at him: the soft light of the room, that of the moon, filtering through a window, kissed every curve and concavity of his body. You could see the veins in his arm and that little vein on his neck that swelled every time he flexed his muscles. You couldn't even feel your legs anymore, being too focused on keeping your mouth open enough for him, using your tongue as a cushion and afraid of your own teeth, you didn't want it to end. Oh no, it had to be perfect.

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe the way Zoro's body responded to your touch, but the atmosphere was taking your breath away more than his cock in your mouth. "You are mine, understand?"

But you couldn't answer. A gurgling sound was all it took to move his hips even more. The growls that came from his throat made you even wetter and you were sure that your underwear needed to be changed: they were really dump and you had probably already come as soon as the tip of his dick had touched the back your throat.

At the same time, Zoro also demonstrated moments of tenderness, wiping away the tears falling from your eyes with his thumb. In those small moments, you noticed a radical change in his eyes, which became so sweet that it almost made you cry harder. They made you wonder if he could have them even when he fucked you, treating you like a precious treasure instead of a prey, captured after days of unbridled hunting.

The swordsman was also approaching his limit, not surprisingly his breathing had become heavier as his toes writhed from the pleasure in his boots. He couldn't help it, you were becoming like a drug: the way your throat tightened around him, as his movements pushed him deeper and deeper...

"You really like taking it in your mouth, huh?” Zoro asks, his voice more like a groan. He could feel the way his cock hit your vocal chords and you were so beautiful, oh my, you were beautiful...with those soft lips of yours kissing every vein and that cute nose of yours nestled in his green curls.

Tell the truth, you had decided to drive him crazy, otherwise it wouldn't have explained itself.

"Take it...oh fuck, take it...I know you can do that"

And the grip on your hair became tighter, your mouth hotter than before. All the little sounds you made entered his head like a mantra, and when Zoro looked into your eyes, he couldn't stop himself from breathing even more heavily.

You loved him, you had to be honest with yourself and admit it, you loved the way he treated you, the smell of beer and sex on his toned body. He was more like an animal than a man, running after the desperate need to release all that tension and honestly, it suited you just fine. Then, you decided to break away for a while: you took deep breaths, but your hand stroked his dick gently. Your cheeks were now red, but not sunken like before, Zoro didn't know which version was better.

"Don't tell me you were out of breath" he teased you, looking down with a smirk. What a jerk.

"So mean..."

Your voice was higher, it reminded him of the meow of a kitten, especially given the little licks you were giving to his lenght. You were so cute: the effort you made to take it was irresistible, making the swordsman feel proud of himself. You wanted to bring that green-haired bastard to exhaustion, it was the best punishment for making you wait all that time for making love with him, that blowjob would have turned against him. Oh, you were sure of that. Maybe he already saw that coming, but in the end, he didn't care too much about who would dominate who either, the important thing was to feel your skin soft and warm against his own. You completely clouded his mind and made him stop wanting to come in your mouth. "Don't you dare making me cum like that, I want to see it drip from somewhere else..."

The night was still young and the rest of the crew were still on the dock celebrating and, even if they had entered the cabins, they would have been too drunk to hear you. Backing out wasn't an option and Zoro wanted to make the most of that opportunity...

#one piece #one piece x female reader #one piece x y/n #one piece x you #one piece x reader #one piece smut #roronoa zoro #zoro #one piece zoro #zoro x reader #zoro x you

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tetsunabouquet · 3 months

Note

Hey! How are you? :) I have a very specific scenario lmao bear with me. I work as a Disney princess (Aurora, sleeping beauty) in my local themepark, I spend time with children, answer any questions if they have any, read them book, sing my songs. If there is a birthday party in correlation with Disney I get invited and stuff. I was wondering if you could write how gom's would react to an s/o with a job like this, their reaction with the s/o spending too much time with the assigned prince actors and stuff. This is so horribly cringe omg but I love your writing and wanna see how you demonstrate this! Thanks for reading :)

A/N: Again, than you so much for this request, I cannot express how much I loved writing this.

Akashi

-Considering he has two personalities, it obviously depends on the personality how he reacts to it. -Original Akashi actually is pleasantly surprised and quite interested. I think he really digs a s/o that is wonderful with children. -He is amazed at the way you can remain calm and cheerful even when the kids are acting like complete brats. -Honestly just seeing you on the job is enough to convince Akashi you are marriage material. Your ability to play a role, your warmth that never seems to waver despite how bad some of the kids can be sometimes, it convinces him you are the perfect wife for the Akashi household and as warm as a mother as his own was. -Which is why he actually likes watching you on the job. -He isn't envious of the actors who come and play your prince in a possessive kind of manner, but he always wonders what it would be like to play the part of Prince himself. He often likes to imagine himself playing the part, and sweeping you off your feet in front of the kids. -As for Akashi's emperor persona on the other hand, things are naturally different. -For one, this one can be quite clingy and possessive and he has threatened the life of the prince actors at least once per person. -He's not afraid to make a brat cry so honestly one should tell him to stay away. -But no one ever does, because they know Akashi won't listen. -However, this version of Akashi is the likeliest out of everyone to force your boss to pay you well, and your boss honestly worships you afterwards as your boss feels like the only reason their family is still alive is your grace.

Kise

-At first, he doesn't knows wether he should be happy you are the center of attention for once, or wether he should feel envious he's not everyone's sun at the moment. -Kise actually is wonderful with the kids and gets along great with them. You muse it must be his childish side and his ability to be friendly and charming. -Kise, as a model, does have a little understanding of what it is to be in the entertainment industry and the two of you often talk about your jobs and vision for the future together. -As a model, he isn't jealous of the prince actors either. He also has to do a shoot with female models sometimes, so he understands that its business. -Eventually, he actually gets curious and wants to try out as a prince actor himself, because he's good with kids and he honestly wants to see what its like sometimes. -He didn't last long though. His fangirls quickly got wind of it and booked him so many times for parties, that he had to quit.

Muraskibara

-Nobody was surprised about your job, after all, Murasakibara can be like a toddler himself so the fact you are trained to handle them honestly made his teammates think something along the lines of, 'So that's why she's so great with him'. -He honestly shouldn't be taken to visit you at your job because Murasakibara isn't afraid to go after the kids who steal his candy. His murderous look is enough to have any parent present fear for their kids. -Murasakibara doesn't really cares for the prince actors, but he's annoyed with how much time they and your job requires. He genuinely wants you to be around him 24/7. -However Murasakibara always tries to comfort you in his own ways when he notices you have had a rough day on the job. He can be a surprisingly good listener. -He has his own sweet but weird idea of being romantic. For one, whenever it is December he will buy Disney princess themed chocolate calendars because Aurora was on it.

Aomine

-Honestly his first reaction is some kind of flirtatious comment that should be categorized in the 'horrible pick-up line' section of flirting. You end up laughing at it and thinking he looks so cute when he gets redfaced. -Will not hold back his tongue when a brat is acting up, but if the kid bursts out in tears he gets so apologetic that you think he's only ever looked that sincere whenever he hurts you or Momoi. -He can actually be act like a friendly older brother to the good behaved kids, and you secretly think its the cutest thing ever. -Aomine gets quite jealous in regards to the prince actors. He will try to act nice enough when there are kids around, but if its just you hanging out with your co-workers, then he honestly wants to be there so he can keep an eye on the young men around you. -He's not afraid to throw punches at them if they ever dare to make a move on you. -But leave it to Momoi to have a plan to convince you Aomine is your one and only prince. You honestly could not believe him when he showed up on your doorstep in perfect cosplay, but you were enarmored with the gesture for sure.

Midorima

-Is totally flabbergasted when he learns about our job. Honestly, his reaction is the most comical. -Though he actually does expresses interest and always asks you how your day at work was. -Whilst Takao and Midorima occasionally visit you on the job, Midorima is too busy just appreciating how pretty you look to pay the prince actors some attention. As long as they are nice too you, Midorima is cool with it. -Midorima does worry they are underpaying you sometimes. -Because you have to be good with kids on the job, he actually dares to open up with you about his little sister and any fight or worries he has regarding her (he's too prideful to ask Takao for advice). -His sister adores your job more then he does, which is why he booked you and the other princesses at the park for her birthday. She was so happy seeing 'Nee-Chan' and everyone else dressed up like real princesses for her party and actually dressed up as a tiny Aurora herself to match you. Midorima honestly was melting at how cute the two of you were from a distance, where he took many and many photos.

#knb #kuroko's basketball #akashi #akashi seijuro #knb x reader #midorima #midorima shintarou #kise #kise ryouta #murasakibara #murasakibara atsushi #aomine #aomine daiki #disney princess

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talkingparrotkee · 1 year

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Re: Namor x Shuri working from a storytelling standpoint

I stumbled on a post trying to give an analysis of how Namor and Shuri "don't work" from a storytelling standpoint. After reading several of the objectionable points made and realizing I've seen them all before, I felt like trying my own hand to exemplify why these kinds of criticisms against "Nashuri" don't actually work. I didn't directly reblog to avoid being convoluted or dogpiling, but I'll be responding to specific points throughout.

Direct quotes are in orange

Linked sources and further information are in green

Warning: This article has many layers, musings, and points. After all, it's essentially a master collection of material. If you just want to jump to a certain point, you can. There are subtitles for every point.

The Oxymoron of Improbable and "Non-Sensical" Story Writing

In the context of specifically Wakanda Forever's story and nothing else, yes: as of now, Namor and Shuri being a romantic couple does not make "sense."

However, there is no such thing as a ship that doesn't make sense from a story-writing perspective.

With your pen, reality can be shaped according to your whim, or elements can be bent to fit the mold of a given reality. Story-writing-wise, anything can happen, and anything can work with the proper execution. A good writer knows how to suspend the reader's disbelief and make the seemingly improbable, seem probable.

Namor and Shuri already have the ingredients for chemistry and compatibility as characters, which are the two essential requirements in relationships. The media they're in gives you the room to potentially address their circumstance, like reviving Ramonda (coming back to life is no foreign concept to Marvel) or building off of the concepts already there (e.g., the Ancestral Plane or "dead not meaning gone"). There are also AUs.

Saying otherwise is simply putting a cap on your creativity and demonstrates a sheer lack of imagination.

Why Do People Ship Namor And Shuri?

To answer this question, Namor and Shuri:

Have undeniably strong chemistry. That was the first thing that had people question what their relationship would be. You don't have to register this as inherently romantic, but they have chemistry nevertheless.

Deeply connected with and paralleled-equaled one another. Shuri opened up to only Namor about her true grief. With Ramonda, Shuri closed herself off. When her mask cracked, she lamented that if she sat and merely thought of T'Challa, she'd burn the world and everyone in it. The ancestral plane, tethered to her subconscious and emotional state, lit up on fire the moment N'Jadaka mentioned T'Challa. Yet... Shuri felt that she could be emotionally vulnerable to Namor, seeking solace and answers within him. She could not only think of but also talk about T'Challa with Namor. This is after Namor was, in exchange, completely vulnerable and honest to her, showing her his scars and his cherished nation. Both characters did things they wouldn't do with anyone else. They felt seen and heard by the other. That is a beautiful testament to the bond they were forging before uh, yeah.

Shuri was healing in Talokan. It is directly said in the script Shuri was better than she was before she left, but the movie let it be a "show, don't tell." We already established she was finally unveiling her grief to Namor, but Talokan was also an escape for her. Her behavior and attitude were a sheer contrast to how she was earlier in the movie. Shuri was shown beaming, marveling at, and practically glowing as Namor showed her his world. Approximately, she genuinely smiled 11 times in under 3 minutes. She forgot her worries. The tension rolled off of her and let herself go "with the breeze". Her admiration and sense of wonder made him smile too. She was taken care of, a shame that her reason of stay wasn't preferable.

Shared several purposefully intimate moments.

Look hot and are hot together. Argue with a wall.

Can be the strongest, most unstoppable MCU power couple to date.

Create a rich, ethnic, and main poc ship and representation between a black African woman and a brown-skinned indigenous man. That's not common at all, and the thought of their cultures being connected, becoming one through their union is hair-twirling inducing. The idea of them creating a new era filled to the brim with their respective cultures and identities together, with them learning from one another, is very interesting.

They have many, many classic romantic-fantastical tropes poured into the batter that is their dynamic. You may have heard the comparisons to Beauty and The Beast (say thank you, Riri!), Aladdin ("I Can Show You The World"), Peter Pan and Wendy (Namor is deemed of a "Peter Pan" archetype. "Peter Pan" lost his Wendy, who is Shuri in this case. See Inframundo.) and Hades-Persephone.

The only reason why they're on opposite ends is due to outer forces and unfavorable circumstances at work. There's something interesting about their nuanced tragedy. There's a fun intrigue to find a way to "fix" what seems broken beyond repair, through understanding, love, character development, and healing.

Have a romantic anthem: Con La Brisa is a tender love song specifically created based on the underwater scene between Namor and Shuri. Foudequesh revealed that the meaning of the song was showing someone the sun for the first time.

Additionally, Namor and Shuri having romantic chemistry is not baseless. It was initially toyed with. Though they decided to characterize their relationship a bit differently and focus on grief-shared trauma, elements were still left in to give their relationship complexity. The way they relate and the things they did gave romantic undertones you can't just pluck out. Micheal P. Shawver, a colleague of Ryan Coogler and an editor of Wakanda Forever, said this much when asked about the possibility of Namor and Shuri having romance in their cards.

Note how Ryan Coogler, a writer and director of both Black Panther, even apparently thinks that Namor and Shuri are not unsuited for one another even then.

You can also view the original script where Namor is described as "charmed" and "smitten" with Shuri. It's only natural people pick up the pieces purposefully left behind.

Clarification Notes

Before we jump into this, there are things you need to know.

Note 1: None of this is bashing or permission to bash Ramonda, Riri, Shuri, or Nakia. They were justified and operating under grief and dramatic irony if you look at it from every perspective. Currently, this is just clearing up Namor and Talokan's perspectives because that is what's being targetted and unceremoniously characterized, but everyone has a case for them.

Note 2: This doesn't mean you need to ship Shuri and Namor. It's explaining why some do and clearing up misconceptions about their dynamic as well as individual characters. Your takeaway should be this and valueable information on Black Panther, not a decree of what you should or shouldn't ship.

Positive and Negative Chemistry

"Positive" and "negative" chemistry is confusing terminology at best and doesn't exist at worse. It's either you have or lack chemistry. There are also two different kinds of chemistry: platonic and romantic.

When describing how characters wouldn't be compatible in a given relationship, you may be looking for the term, "compatibility".

Chemistry: magnetism, attraction, and natural connection. Compatibility: a more "logical" component: your degree of harmony and cohesiveness.

You can have chemistry without compatibility, and compatibility without chemistry. Healthy and long-lasting relationships have both.

Namor's view of Shuri

Namor does not view Shuri as an equal, despite their similarities.

Pause. Namor does view Shuri as an equal. Shuri is arguably the person he respects the most.

The idea That Namor-Talokan does not relate, respect, connect with, or even view Shuri-Wakanda as human directly goes against the meta-pillar theme of Wakanda Forever.

You said it yourself:

"these are fictional characters (who represent real-world dynamics)"

“We talked to so many experts and really made relationships with them, because there was a lot to go through,” says Beachler. “There are a lot of parallels between Africans and Latin Americans as far as the colonization of their communities and cities, the enslavement of their people, the lies that were told about their culture, the misinterpretation of their words, and the ways they were made out to look demonized in order to elevate a European country.”

Besides honoring Chadwick Boseman, motherhood, and the dead not being gone, grief, trauma, the effects of colonialism, and the connectivity between African-Mesoamerican indigenous culture are central points of the film. Namor and Shuri and by extension Talokan and Wakanda are explicitly supposed to relate and be equal to one another for this reason. You are supposed to struggle with choosing a side, and Namor is a complex antagonist or even anti-hero rather than an actual villain (An antagonist just opposes or challenges the protagonist in the context of the story, they're not inherently good or evil. Villians are inherently evil and with malice.) Their fight is supposed to feel wrong, intimate, and emotionally charged, unlike most generic action hero fights. They are natural allies, and therefore unnatural enemies.

Namor bent in ways he wouldn't have with anyone else.

This is why it's an in-fandom joke that he was whipped or smitten. What he says on his throne when waging "war", was "Máansa'ab u nej miis tin wich." Josué Maychi confirms that this means, "They passed the cat's tail in front of my face with the hope of an alliance."

"If you see cats, jaguars or panthers when they go hunting they wag their tails because it is a way of hypnotizing the prey, then that image is what happened to Namor, that someone did like that with the tail."

Namor virtually said he was hypnotized, but the Spanish and English translations didn't quite convey that cat-involved metaphor (although keeping the crux of his lament.).

Namor could have killed Riri the moment she touched Talokan grounds, but he showed temporary "mercy" because of Shuri and Shuri alone. He didn't need Shuri's permission nor did he have to communicate with Shuri. Riri was in his domain, Shuri did not really have much power there, yet he treated her as if she did.

"It goes back to the point of him never seeing Shuri as human or recognizing her feelings as valid."

Two of Namor's quotes in the movie alone prove this wrong:

"I know you wanted me to spare the life of the scientist (recognizing and acknowledging what she wants), but now you see what I have to protect."

"So you can understand why I need to kill the scientist."

He didn't need to seek her approval or give her the ability to negotiate with him, yet he did and on top of that dressed her in the finest silks fit for royalty, consistently trying to convince Shuri like her opinion mattered, and that he wanted her on his side. It wasn't that he didn't "recognize her feelings as valid," he just felt that, based on how many of their lives are at stake, he couldn't risk it (Movie quote: "I cannot risk that, princess...").

He was absolutely gobsmacked when she said, "Take me instead." He wouldn't speak then, uncharacteristically breaking eye contact. When he could finally speak, he couldn't answer her directly, his voice awkwardly raised an interval and suddenly, unnecessarily, speaking with his hands.

Shuri wanted to see Talokan, and Namor, the pessimistic isolationist who never let a surfacer step foot in Talokan, immediately caved into her desire. There was no reason for him to do that and it demonstrates an immense level of trust. He also, quite literally, showed her the keys to his kingdom. He waited until she was beside him, looked to see if she was watching him, and then did his hand sign in the rock to open the "doors" to Talokan.

As writer Joe Cole said in The Movie Report panel interview, Shuri demands him to make the right choice that was yielding, and he does yield to her, which wasn't something he'd ever consider in his hundreds of years of being alive.

Namor gives his beloved mother's bracelet to Shuri

Fen was Namor's beloved mother. Her memory is something he held dear to him. The bracelet he gave not only was the last piece of her left with him, but it directly signified his birthright as king, was a priceless national object, and was made with their sacred plant's fibers.

He gives it to Shuri twice. One immediately to hold when he sees she's attracted to it, two he ties on her (after receiving her non-verbal permission, another sign of respect) for her keeping as a "gift of gratitude."

Namor saw his mother in Shuri

Namor saw his mother in her highest state, induced by Shuri. She was unchanged, young, and in their homes, outstretching a hand to him as Shuri metaphorically did.

Namor paints the mural of their fight

in his personal hut no less, where he preserves their history and culture. He paints them entangled in a battle with neither side besting the other. She is the Jaguar-Black Panther, a revered, highly respected animal in Maya culture with connections to godhood, and he is a mere human, humbling himself in a sense. That speaks volumes, and it's furthered when he tells Namora that Shuri had every single reason to kill him. He also speaks very highly of her, stating she's the strongest person on the surface, of the strongest nation.

None of this makes sense AT ALL if he supposedly did not view Shuri as a respected equal, let alone "human." If he somehow doesn't see her as a "human", then he sees her as higher than.

Talokan's "Violence" to Wakanda's "Pacifism"

"Namor and the Talokanil, immediately resort to violence and war when they feel a threat from the surface world. But since no one knows they exist, this threat is hypothetical for now."

This is not true. Talokan has constantly been evasive with relocating being their immediate resort. In the film, Namor says, "Talokan will not move, again" for a reason. They didn't "feel" a threat, there was a threat. People found the Vibranium within their domain and were drilling to seize it. War was a later development after Shuri took killing Riri off the table, which is what Namor initially wanted to do (in the script, this is furthered, with him saying he'd prefer picking off one person to outright war.).

"A direct contrast to Ramonda and Shuri, who in the face of real eminent threats, resorted to peace and showed their aggressors mercy."

Ignoring the insinuation that Namor was not faced with real eminent threats when he was, there is a reason for that contrast. Remember that while Wakanda was being threatened, they have never been conquered or forced to move. They're confirmed less vulnerable than Talokan, who does not have shields and lives in the ocean. They can afford to reveal themselves. Talokan cannot, and they're collateral damage to Wakanda's choice of revealing themselves and the power of Vibranium to the world.

The beginning village of Talokan has been conquered and mass murdered before the rebirth into the blue people we see now, with their ancestral lands plundered and made into slave houses. Namor almost died and was sick in the womb because the conquistadors brought smallpox. His father who he never met died due to their disease. He witnessed countless treacheries, betrayals, and wars from the surface lands. Namor spent his entire childhood watching his mother grieve due to them. As a result, Talokan has a more pessimistic perspective compared to Wakanda's privileged optimistic one.

So yeah, Talokan isn't going to play patty cake with their active aggressors who are trying to plunder them. Nor should they, because Namor is proven right with America actively seeking to destabilize Wakanda under the guise of retrieving Riri (see the meeting Ross has with government officials), and the ending with Val.

Wakanda wants to delay inevitable war and minimize the loss across the board but will go to war if pushed, which is fair. Talokan is tired and ready to give the smoke, striking fast and hard to merely end what threatens them once and for all after centuries of patience and displacement. That is also fair.

"Namor, despite wanting Wakanda’s help with his mission, ultimately doesn’t view Wakanda with anymore sympathy than he does the rest of the world. He has made it clear that he hates the surface world and everyone in it, which includes the Wakandans."

You're right, he doesn't sympathize with Wakanda. There's nothing to sympathize with. He empathizes with them, a stronger feeling and sense of connection than sympathy. He admires Wakanda and feels a sense of kinship, maybe a bit of jealousy (Joe Cole). To him, Wakanda was a threat if they weren't on his side. Why?

A) Wakanda (unintentionally) compromised them by revealing themselves to the world and the power of Vibranium. Now everyone else, armed with that dangerous knowledge, is looking for it to wield it. Wakanda can more or less protect their Vibranium, claiming ownership of it when it's on their lands, they have the power to, and they're the ones who revealed it. But what can Talokan do? They'd be forcefully revealed in some way and be subjected to attacks just because they dared to also have Vibranium.

B) Wakanda is compromising them again by harboring Riri, who is the one source capable of the machine the FBI is currently chasing down. There is no guarantee Riri would stay with them (Riri is not their citizen, and America can easily use her as a means to undercut Wakanda and force them to either give vibranium or fork Riri over, so she can build the machine, and they'll get vibranium anyway through Talokan) or wouldn't rebuild her machine. The solutions Namor could fathom were either taking Riri out of the equation for sure (a case of killing one person and saving everyone else) or taking out the threat of those who seek to exploit her.

C) Wakanda was already shaking hands with nations that wanted to destabilize and plunder them, and will want to do the same with Talokan.

D) Wakanda is the only nation that can rival them that now also knows of their existence. If they're not allies with that information, that's dangerous and makes Talokan vulnerable.

With all things considered and understandably from Namor's perspective, there's no "in-between" here. You can't be "neutral." You either are with them or facilitate your own and their destruction.

This doesn't mean he hates Wakanda or Shuri. It is nothing he wants, but something he perceives he has to do for his people, as their protector, father, god, and king. In the script, this is only further exemplified, by his, "I don’t want it to come to this. But I will not hesitate."

Namor Killing Ramonda

His line of "You are queen now" showed that he was never willing to conduct business with Ramonda likely because she was the only person on the surface world who bested him when she lured him out of Talokan(...). He was simply looking for an excuse to get her out of the picture."

At that point, Ramonda threatened to reveal Talokan. Ramonda purposefully played decoy with him and sent in a war dog to infiltrate their nation and retrieve not only their national threat but the princess who has all of their secrets without a sense of closure. The result of this act was the death of two of his "children". Did you just gloss over that fact, because Ramonda didn't just "lure" him away? He wasn't throwing a fit because he was bested. People literally died? He was cradling a dying child in his arms?

Namor was "willing" to conduct business with Ramonda, proven by the simple fact that he approached Ramonda and gave her the shell to contact him. Namor went out to answer Ramonda's call in the first place when he could've just ignored it when he had what he wanted and more in Talokan.

Namor saying "You're queen now" doesn't at all connect to him not seeing Shuri as an equal. That doesn't make any sense. If anything that undermines your point, because before Shuri is officially crowned, he immediately sees her as the sovereign leader, much like himself.

He says "you're queen now" because Shuri is likely the queen now. It's simple math: Shuri is the heir apparent. There's no royal before her now that is leading.

"It's also another reason why he killed Ramonda with no hesitation despite knowing what he knew about Shuri"

Again, Namor did what he did with no hesitation or care if Ramonda is collateral damage because in his eyes, Ramonda betrayed him, he was acting as a vehicle of vengeance for two souls, and he was defending Talokan. When she stepped in front of Riri glaring him down, that was his final nail in the coffin (no pun intended, please, no pun intended.). It was never personal to him nor did he look at it as him killing Shuri's mom. He was playing the role of a protector and king in conflict with another royal, but of course, it's inherently personal to Shuri because that royal happens to be her mother.

Ryan Coogler confirmed it was not personal for him in the Disney+ movie commentary, Tenoch Huerta says killing the queen was never in his initial plans, and Namor says this himself in the script, explaining he did what he did because the queen "betrayed" him with not only a guard, but a child dying as a result when Shuri was never in danger ("you were safe in my care").

Recklessness With Grief

No, Shuri did not have a better handle on how she externalizes her grief until the final of the movie.

"She recognizes that even though she is angry at T’Challa’s death, the rest of the world doesn’t deserve to feel the extent of her wrath."

That's not at all what she recognized at any point. "It will not be these clothes, I'll burn. It will be the world. And everyone in it."

"Even when Namor does kill her mother, she rightfully directs her anger at him."

At the expense of her people's safety and risk of eternal war. She tells M'Baku straight up that nothing else matters except what she wants, and she wants Namor dead. She threateningly pointed a finger, giving M'Baku no choice and leaving him with the command to help her in her endeavors, even if it meant sending them all to their watery graves.

Nakia: "If you go to war for vengeance, it will not fill the hole left from your loss. It will only grow larger, and it will consume you!"

Shuri: "It already has."

With every blow she landed and exchanged with Namor, we cut back to Wakanda receiving blows and being backed up into a corner.

Namor and Shuri were on collision courses where they were destroying themselves, each other, and their people by not handling their grief properly, being consumed by their vengeance, and committing destructive actions ignited by their pain.

Shuri just later had the strength to break that cycle by recognizing what he said to her back in Talokan ("broken leaders"), their connectivity, and shared traumas. She saved them both and quietened Namor's own flames in the process.

"Sure, she has some outbursts at Nakia and M’baku, but she never really alienates them."

Do not downplay the fact that Shuri is dangerous and was not healthily dealing with her grief, but instead was on a path of destruction. Ryan explicitly states that Namor shares this with Shuri: they're both trying to process and similarly struggle grappling with their grief.

Why else do you think Ramonda took Shuri outside to touch grass and do a ritual? Shuri was not ok. From the moment her beloved brother died, she was not ok. She was not magnanimous to the world. She was angry at it. She thought that there was no point in the Black Panther mantle or herb when T'Challa isn't there. As M'Baku even pointed out, she buried herself in her technology as a coping mechanism, which she ought to stop.

Shuri does alienate Nakia. Not only does she snap several times and harshly shove Nakia off of her after she took the herb, but it's also shown at the beginning of the movie she's ignoring all of her calls. In the script, she explicitly considers Nakia dead, immensely angry she missed T'Challa's funeral.

She doesn't listen to M'baku, but consistently tries to push him and his wisdom away during Ramonda's funeral. She even pushed away and tried closing herself off with Ramonda in the lab and river scene.

Namor's Desire

"All he wanted to do was push her to the extremes of grief so she would become reckless as she was."

Namor's true desire was safety for his people. He didn't want to move again or have to change who they are to survive. Namor later had a genuine desire for an alliance with Wakanda, a nation he canonically admires. Namor didn't want to "push her to the extremes of grief to become like him" because she already was like him. He just wanted to channel their shared feelings of reaping "destruction" to the common enemy.

“I think that a lot of the emotion that I was trying to put into it [Talokan] was this idea that Namor is not wanting to move his people again,” says Beachler. “So there is also, this sense of grieving, even there, of this idea of being encroached upon by humans, who are somewhat inconsiderate of them.”

"Instead you see a mutant emerging not out of genetics, but out of the crucible of oppression. Whereas mutants in the comics are born, in Wakanda Forever, they are made. And that history isn't the side story, it's the entire story. It explains Namor's rage, his desperation, and the path he takes which eventually leads to a collision with Wakanda."

It was never a case of Namor only loving and can love his people while hating everyone else, seeing them as inhuman. Namor was prioritizing what he loved the most above what he may also like, admire, or empathize with. He was fulfilling the role given to him he was forced to take from the moment he was born.

"I mean, “no love” is literally his name."

Let's slow down a bit and mayhaps rethink a little on using the meaning of his alias "Namor" as a point about him being loveless, no? That was a "name" given to him by a racist, slave-owning Conquistador priest who also called him, "son of satan" all the while he was burying his mother, the only and last immediate family he had. Namor took that alias to empower himself and take away the sting. He clearly does have love when all of his life he has been a selfless agent for his people. He thought a single or two lives were worth war over. Yes, he explicitly said it was to convey he had "no love" for the surface, but there is context to that.

"Wanting to destroy the whole world, funny enough, including other Mayan descendants who were enslaved or colonized"

When Namor burned down the Hacienda, slaves ran free. Only the Consquisdators were killed. The village elder relayed that they know of Namor's existence and were able to live with that knowledge. The only ones who died were the ones who sought him out with ill intent. The script also featured the factoid of Namor saving the elder and her husband from drowning on their wedding night, if that's worth anything. In the movie, he doesn't want to include Wakanda in the mix of the nations they're at war with either.

Clearly, he is discriminatory with who he'd kill. Who said he'd include Mayan descendants that were enslaved and colonized? The last time I checked, the only person who said anything about burning everyone was Shuri.

Namor: "It is no longer about the scientist. For centuries, the surface nations have conquered and enslaved people like us. Over resources. Since the day I buried my mother, I have prepared my people for the time they would come for us. And that machine? Is the sign that the time is now. I need to know if Wakanda is an ally, or an enemy. There is no in-between."

Shuri: "So you plan to wage war on the entire world, and want Wakanda to help you?"

Namor: [leans in and nods slightly]

Shuri: "That's madness!"

Namor: "There isn't a nation that wouldn't plunder Wakanda if given a chance. If we make an alliance, we can protect each other by striking them first. Then, when the threat of these nations have been eliminated, the scientist will be returned to Wakanda."

Namor wanting to remove the teeth from the lion's mouth and hitting first isn't the same thing as destroying everything and anything. Mind you, he is being chaotic, but he clearly has a concentrated target. Don't get it twisted.

Namor's Regret

It is suggested that Namor in particular felt regret and dislike for the situation in interviews, script, and in-film.

A) Namor is seen pensively on his throne, touching and cradling the shell phone as he awaits contact.

B) Namor's, "It could've been different."

C) Interestingly, Ryan and Joe Cole corroborated in The Movie Report panel interview, more regret was in every blow exchanged. Namor in particular did not want to exchange a fatal blow until he was pushed to impale Shuri on the rock in a desperate attempt to his life.

Equaling and Relating

Relating to someone is different from equalling someone. Out of all who were listed, whether it was Peter Parker, Riri Williams, or Namor, Namor is the only one out of those that is explicitly and purposefully depicted as equalling and relating to Shuri.

Namor And Shuri

The reasoning given for how Shuri works paired with Peter Parker or Riri Williams strongly applies to Shuri with Namor, so operating under the same logic, they largely work too.

"What makes both of these pairings work to a degree is the idea of them being equal in some regard(...) They clearly see each other as equal. They more or less agree on a common enemy and how to deal with said enemy, with morals and values that more or less align."

They do agree on a common enemy. That's literally half of the premise for Namor proposing an alliance where they protect one another. The problem just was how they go about handling things. Tragedy, trauma, and dramatic irony unfavorably played factors.

Otherwise, they're practically the same, and are now on the "same page". Their morals and values aren't far off either. Wakanda and Talokan are eerily similar, whether it be in having spying channels, an isolationistic approach, finding jurisdiction wherever they feel it (aka, if it regards and threatens them), only wanting to protect what they love, embracing-involving their culture-traditions, being environmentalists, and using defensive-offensive means if provoked by a perceived threat.

In visuals alone, they took great care to portray Shuri and Namor as Parallel Characters.

The "boy without love" and the "child who scoffs at tradition." They do have a few healthy differences (I'll save that for another article), but they are equal and deeply relate.

As said on The Movie Report panel interview, Shuri became the Panther god (the Black Panther is canonically Bast's avatar), while he is the god of his civilization. They're both royals and leaders of their own nations. Said nations are sister nations, both having the power of vibranium and the highest levels of advancement. They are both broken and with a shared trauma etched deep in their hearts. They both have a righteous, divine fire and an acute sense of avenging. They both were haunted by similar grief and pain that pushed them to seek solace in one another.

Namor is described as lonely and with loneliness by Ryan Coogler, and that's exactly how Shuri felt in the beginning as well (see her Interlude), and unfortunately, later in the movie after Ramonda "dies" (but in the end, it's revealed that Ramonda, like T'Challa, is not gone.). They brought innovative technology and a new era of living to their people. They share the same love languages: acts of service and gifts.

There was an entire montage near the end of the film showcasing this.

Riri Williams

Riri Williams relates to Shuri in a sense of being young black women whose intelligence and talents aren't always respected by their elders. They can also relate to their fathers being murdered (if they take a page out of comics for Riri, see Ironheart #9) or the loved ones that taught them what they know being ripped away from them. Maybe they also know about diffusion too as geeks, but it stops there.

Riri, like Peter, is a teenager (19 years old) new to college (the same college Okoye states is the equivalent of a Wakandan elementary school), trying to grapple with her emerging life and school. Shuri is a princess of the most powerful nation and head of Wakandan Technology. She completed the journey of school and became a college assistant at the age of 13. Wakanda Forever was Riri's debut and entry into the game. Wakanda Forever was Shuri, who is already a non-teenaged adult at this point, journeying through her womanhood and immense grief. Shuri is not new to the game, having been in countless wars and accumulated countless experiences Riri has yet to touch.

Throughout the film, Shuri acted as the voice Riri didn't have that Namor would hear, largely due to T'Challa's influence. At the end of the film, Riri invites Shuri to a basketball game. Shuri says no, prioritizing her duties and having a full plate compared to Riri's less uncomplicated, lighthearted one. This alone highlights their differences in placement and mental space.

Big sisters do not "equal" their younger siblings. They guide and protect, having some level of authority and experience over them.

And That's Perfectly By Design

Riri and Shuri are not equals and have noticeable divergences where one cannot ever relate to or feel what the other does. Shuri won't know how Riri feels the need to prove herself as a black woman in a society where black people, black women, are given the shorter end of the stick. Shuri doesn't know anything about how it is for African Americans and law enforcement. Riri won't know the privileges or how it feels like to carry the burdens Shuri does to the extent she does. Riri does not entirely relate to Shuri's grief either. Riri was a fish out of water who constantly wanted to go home despite the beauty and safety in Wakanda. They belong to two different worlds.

It is great that they have these differences because, in the words of Dominque Thorne, they can learn from each other. Their relationship in the film is contextualized as Shuri perceiving Riri as her reflection and then taking on a mentor role. Riri is, in Letitia's words, a reflection of T'Challa's choice. There are several parallels between Riri-Shuri and T'Challa-Shuri. It gives Shuri more of a personal incentive and investment in the outreach program her brother enacted. T'Challa had the connection, learning experience, and realization of the Lost Tribe and their struggles through N'Jadaka. Shuri now has that with Riri, but positively! Riri also can offer a breath of fresh air every now and again, fulfilling the chemistry she had (bubbly, plucky younger one) with T'Challa (the more composed, older, responsible one).

Whether you want to mold and configure this into a romantic dynamic, is up to you. The point is that yes they relate, yes they do have chemistry, but no, Riri and Shuri aren't equals.

Peter Parker

Hypothetically, Peter relates to Shuri in their intelligence (although I'd argue Shuri is smarter, Shuri's probably smarter than everyone), but that doesn't at all suggest they'd have the same interests. It doesn't work like that.

Peter (2001 baby) is younger than Shuri (1997-1998). He is just starting college. Shuri is around 22, 23 years old due to the snap. She was 19, 20 in Infinity War. Peter was 16. It's not a big age gap, but I wouldn't say they're peers. Age proximity doesn't indicate relatability either, especially if the maturity levels and experiences differ.

However, I will say, I think Peter and Shuri can relate to being orphans that do feel lonely (although Shuri lost and later gained family, Peter is left off completely alone), going through personal dark arcs, and suffering immense pain that changes the trajectory of their lives. They used to be more lighthearted, but now were forced to grow up and their perspectives darkened.

That's about it though. They aren't on the same wavelength or of the same caliber when it comes to their types of threats, challenges, and predicaments. Namor could entirely relate with her being another nation of vibranium of a culture the other nations seek to destabilize, destroy, or conquer, as well as someone with a similar depth and sense of grief. Riri could relate as a black woman living in America (lost tribe) who'd know a thing or two about persecution and was thrown into the mix between the Talokan-Wakanda conflict. Peter?

This isn't factoring in their standings either, with Shuri being an heir apparent and leader of the strongest nation on the surface with Peter being "your friendly (and now depressed) neighborhood Spiderman" that occasionally gets thrown outside his payroll.

Peter and Shuri can probably relate and it's easy to assume they'd have chemistry and may do a little chemistry together. But they do not equal either.

In Conclusion

Yes, ship and let ship. These are all great fictional characters with compelling dynamics. Shipping is largely for fun and often depends on the person's taste.

Looking at this from a perspective of a writer and storyteller, there's no such thing as it "not" working or "making sense" unless you have, excuse my language, shit and uninspiring writing.

#Parotkee's Musings #wakanda forever #princess shuri #shuri black panther #mcu namor #nashuri #namor shuri #shuri riri #shuri peter #seaprincess #black panther #Update tag: this isn't “fighting” or if Nashuri “should” be shipped #read properly next time before subtumblring lol #bpwf #namuri

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kundusaysthings · 1 month

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I've been thinking about asexuality and aromanticism and art

I've been thinking about how most relationships that are portrayed in media, in some way, use the model of demisexuality or demiromanticism in how they present themselves. Most media relationships that we are supposed to understand as good try to convey the idea that one can only form meaningful relationships via close emotional intimacy, and that close emotional intimacy always leads to a relationship with romantic and sexual connotations. It feels somewhat insidious to me, upon reflection - and might be part of why ace people find themselves in an uncanny valley of sorts when it comes to representation. Like, it's using some of the right ideas, but it's not actually there, and that makes it more wrong.

I've spent a while processing that my dislike for sex is not a symbol of some form of wrongness. But I still find myself balking at the idea of being 'aromantic'. I find myself yearning for the poetic companionship of grand operatic narratives - mostly because I am a sucker for grand operatic narratives as a whole, but also because I find the idea of a 'soulmate' beautiful. But I struggle to find signifiers of romance that appeal to me. Like, I find myself drawn to the idea of Achilles and Patroclus, but, you know, differently.

And I find myself wondering whether what I am searching for is a demonstration of my romantic desires or a recognition of my need for healthy relationships as a human being. And whether it is even possible to divine the answer given that we all live within the larger media landscape that has defined both the creation and our understanding of art through a mostly cis-allo-het lens.

Mostly, I don't know how to square my desire to not be alone, with my desire for no romantic or sexual connection at all. And I understand that labels are only tools for identifying broad groups and trends, but having some explanation for this yearning sure would help. Did it come because of what most media says people should be? Or is it a normal part of me?

<s>Is there an option for operatic/dramatic/poetic asexual?</s>

#asexual #aromantic #demisexual #demiromantic #aroace #media analysis

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the-fluff-piece · 1 year

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A heart for a heart

A sfw Trafalgar x fem!reader fluff story

Part 1

Part 2 out now

Part 3!

Also check my masterlist for more stories!

Part 1, where the polar tang stops at a small island for the night. Law wouldn't have expected that there, on this backwater island, he would treat a patient that would steal his heart

Note: I just wanted to write Law absolutely over the top falling in love

Ever since he had become a samurai of the seas and the world knew about his powers as a doctor, all kinds of people came before Trafalgar D. Water Law begging to heal them or prolong their life. There where kings, merchants, pirates and bandits - even a marine admiral - that sought him out and beseeched him to treat their ailments. His title "the surgeon of death" never deterred them.

He turned all of them away. He swore he would only use his power to heal for his crew - or if he felt like it, and a tyrant or a merciless merchant kneeling before him was not going to sway him. The stories of disease and pain quickly annoyed him, because all he saw was mighty men and women, uncaring for the world around them, asking him for more time to leave their heinous mark on the world. It had become such a nuisance that he didn't even answer anymore - he just flipped them his finger and let his crew dispose of them.

He didn't think it would ever be any different until they stopped at a small, uninteresting island where people were too poor to attract any sort of attention. They went to the only tavern in town for some fun and occupied the place for the evening. Law was residing in the most comfortable chair, enjoying a drink and meal with his crew - when it happened. Again. He already rolled his eyes when he heard the pleading "please...very sick...will die..." at the door. He trusted that Bepo would throw them out - it was doubtlessly some wealthy arsehole that tracked him down, begging to be saved - when the white bear stood before him, looking rather flustered.

"Captain, I think you should have a look at this" he said in a sad voice.

"Why?", Law grunted. His first mate should know better by now.

"I...this really is different, maybe we should make an exception?" the bear asked.

"We? I am the captain here and I have the power, I alone decide when I make an exception. If I just treat one, they'll all come running to me" Law said in a stern voice - and he saw his old friend bring out his biggest arguments: his sad eyes. Not many people know that the eyes of a mink bear where as strong as a 1000 puppy eyes, and even Trafalgar was not immune to them, although he wouldn't even admit that under torture.

The bear stared at him with such an incredibly adorable expression, he broke Law's will into a thousand pieces.

Dammit, if he does that it must be urgent. Law ground his teeth in frustration. "Let's have a look - and than I'll tell you why I won't do anything", Law said, not looking at the bear to conceal that he had melted.

Flashing Law a happy grin, Bepo waved a young man to them, and he was carrying something. Or rather: someone.

Law tried to give that intruder a cursory glance before denying his request to appease Bepo, but Laws demonstrably disinterested look froze when he saw the patient that was laid out before him on the table.

A young girl, about his own age, clad in a simple dress - nothing special one would say. But for him, the sight felt like he was just hit by the marines buster call. As soon as he saw her face, his heart skipped a beat, or two, he couldn't really tell anymore. The world beneath his feet dissolved until only he and that girl were left - and he fell, deeply. Something about her features, that he couldn't even explain to himself, captured him completely. He couldn't say if it was the beautiful eyes looking up at him, the noble shape of her nose or the elegant curve of her mouth, but he was already absolutely obsessed. As his greedy eyes drank her appearance in, he knew he would never be satisfied.

A powerful longing to possess her controlled his thoughts. The sudden onslaught of feeling overwhelmed him and it took all his willpower to reign himself back in and take control of his emotions again.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at her or what emotions he had shown. He closed his mouth to swallow. Everyone looked at him utterly confused. He cleared his throat and tried as best as he could to mimic the bored and relaxed posture he had had a moment before, even though he felt nothing like it through the adrenaline pumping through his body right now. What he wouldn't give to possess hormone-level control of his bodyfunctions right now to calm down.

"State your request", he prompted the man, his eyes fixed on the girl on the table. She seemed to be barely awake, looking around with hazed eyes.

The man fell to his knees and bowed down until he touched the ground with his forehead, his desperate pleading could be heard in the whole room: "Oh great Trafalgar Law, Samurei of the seas and greatest surgeon alive, this is my sister, she's very sick! The doctor said her heart was weak and she would not get old. We weren't able to find a doctor willing to treat her. She's gotten worse over the last week, you are our only hope, please save her! The me and the whole village will repay you anyway we can!"

Law only half listened to the probably worthless explanation and flattery of the brother and already began to examine her for symptoms.

Her skin looked pale and sweaty, the breath was rattling. A heart problem is plausible, although he would need to do some more tests. He took her small hand into his, the soft skin was cold and damp and her fingers seemed to be swollen. If it was only a heart defect he could easily cure her.

There was no careful weighing of options here, he knew that he would absolutely do anything to save her, no matter how much he told himself that he still had a choice. And that he would have to take her with him.

"How about we talk about the price after the surgery", Law said, his poker face back in place. The plan was formulated and he would go through with it. He picked her up easily, she felt and looked emaciated. The soft whimper that escaped from her blue lips was like a knife to his heart. He would have to begin treatment as soon as possible, luckily he had a stash of spare organs in excellent shape on the tang - for emergencies like this.

As he turned to go back to the submarine, the brother danced around him in joy, promising him everything if his sister lived. Law assured him that the village would absolutely be able to pay what he would ask.

Back on the polar tang, after a short confirming examination, he immediately began surgery with the assistance of his crewmembers. A heart transplant was easy for Law, the power of his devil fruit was designed for this purpose, the success rate at almost 100%.

She would get a strong heart that would safe her from certain death and carry through life.

Half of the village was camping in front of the polar tang in the harbour, awaiting the end of the surgery.

Of course, it was a success. He never doubted that. He would now wait at her bed until she woke up, monitoring her closely to ensure her safety.

As the anesthetic wore off, she opened her eyes and really looked at Law for the first time. Her lips had already regained a healthy colour, her skin looked rosy again and her gaze was focused - on him. He stared. He couldn't help it. She was even more irresistible now, he couldn't have anticipated how badly it would affect him.

He prided himself on being educated, eloquent and sophisticated - he wanted to tell her who he was, that she was in the best and most capable hands.

"Uhm...hey", was the only thing he could think of to say when he finally met her gaze for the first time. How embarrassing. Since he first saw her the question of who she was dominated his mind. While she slept he had built a hundred scenarios in his head how he would introduce himself to her. "Hey" was not among them.

"Hey", she answered, smiling at him. He couldn't have imagined a more perfect smile. It played around her pink lips, kind and warm. Home, he felt like he was coming home.

"You're...uhm...ok now, you know", he heard his idiot voice say. He could have impressed her by being every inch the doctor his father raised him to be, he could have told her how he saved her life. Instead, he told her "she was ok now". Well done Law, he thought.

"I feel...so much better! What happened?", her excited, melodic voice made his ears ring. It made him think of cozy winter evenings spend at a warm fire, it was the kind of voice that made him feel like being wrapped in a warm blanket. He felt a wide grin expand over his face.

"I g...gave you a new h...heart", he stuttered this most basic expression, incapable of retrieving his medical expressions from behind the blockade of hormones in his brain.

She stared at him for a moment, he stared at her. She touched her chest with her hand, just above the heart and looked as though she would cry.

"I'm cured?", she asked shakily. He nodded. "You cured me?" He nodded. "Yeah".

She fell around his neck, crying and thanking him. He wasn't prepared for this. Her soft hair was caressing his cheek, her arms tightly closed around him. Her scent and warmth washed over him, ripping down every emotion defence he had built, like an ocean surge destroying every dyke in its path. He didn't know what to do. Could he touch her? Should he? He lay one of his hands on her back to return the hug, but he just lightly padded her back. It was enough to make his whole body explode with a tingling sensation and send his heart on a wild race. Never let her go again. He would never, ever let her go again. He knew that now.

___________________

Stay tuned for part 2!

Now that you've read the whole thing, let me know what you think in the comments!

#one piece fanfiction #one piece x you #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar law x y/n #trafalgar d water law #trafalgar one piece #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law x you #trafalgar law fluff #trafalgar law fanfiction #law x y/n #law x reader #law x you #law x female reader

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