Moved To @lcgcndxry!

@donttellcap‘s post made me realize that i haven’t talked about shuri and ai yet, so here we go!

Alright, this might be a bit rambly because I haven’t taken a bunch of time to solidify it, but oh well. Idk if you guys remember the comic that came out right before iw, but there was a scene where shuri and t’challa are talking about her plans for bucky. in it, though, she quickly references how the algorithm she’s creating could help them make their very own ai, and it got me thinking.

 there’s no way that the question of ai hadn’t come up before, as almost everyone has one at that point in the timeline. it wouldn’t be hard for shuri and the design group to conjure up their own, but at the same time it was nearly impossible. not because of lack of resources or knowledge, but because of the elders. after watching the madness unfold in sokovia, i’m almost completely certain that they completely shut down any slivers of ideas about ai. 

@vi-brain-ium // theme park sc.

“Come on!” There’s a grin spread from ear to ear on his face as they practically run through the park, refusing to STOP for anything. Well, except for the lines, that is. When Mr. Stark had told him he was taking him to Disney World, Peter had been over the moon, but hearing the SHURI could come with him too?! Everything had just gotten better and better! And now here he is, running around a theme park with his best friend, having the time of his life. 

His eyes are SHINING with awe as he gets a look around. The hot sun beating down on his skin doesn’t even matter, because he’s too amazed by the theme park, a ride with twirling spaceships moving in circles, Monsters Inc and Lilo and Stitch Attractions, but what really catches his eye is Space Mountain. 

“I wanna do Space Mountain, like, REALLY badly! The map on my phone says it’s a roller coaster, and it’s SPACE themed, which gives it double points. Let’s go!” 

Finally. After practically begging for what seemed like more than a year, the Princess had arrived in her kingdom. Racing Peter from ride to ride with the biggest smile on her face, it was obvious to anybody that Shuri was having the time of her life. It was the first time that she truly felt like a child in Bast knew how long, as running two of Wakanda’s most important science programs had taken its toll. 

At the mention of a roller coaster, Shuri’s stomach did a flip. Whether it was from nerves or the sheer amount of sugar in her system, she had no idea. (Dole Whips, she’d quickly realized, were dangerous.)

              Look closely and the suspicion in his eyes is noticeable. But it’s balanced out by the vague smile on his face. Brows only lightly furrowed, Bucky can’t help but think she’s up to something. She seems…skittish.  ( Weird. Maybe he’ll just chalk it up to jet lag or something. )  Still, he accepts the hug, telling her,  “ Well – glad you’re back. ”  As he pulls back from the hug, he combs his hand through his hair, allowing his fingers to massage the back of his neck for a moment. He yawns – again.  ( Note to self, Barnes : get some extra sleep tonight. )

              Eyes lift to look at her and dark brows raise as she asks for his help. There’s a mumbled response of,  “ Yeah, sure, ”  and he nods. So he walks to the work table, reaching for the box and pulling it closer toward him. He’s not really sure what he was expecting to see when he slid the lid off, but a little ball of fur and claws wasn’t exactly on the list of probable outcomes.  

              “ Uh – Shuri? ”  The confusion in his voice is palpable and he’s tentative about reaching into the box. All he can think about is that mean stray cat that scratched him real bad when he was a kid.  ( His sisters named him Sammy and always said he was nice ; they were wrong. )  This one is small though – it’s a kitten – so, it can’t do that much, can it? His hand slowly reaches down into the box and fingers cautiously, but gently, pet the kitten between the ears. It mews at him, lifting its tiny paws up the side of the box more.  ( Well, at least this one is nice. )

              Bucky slides his hand underneath its belly and scoops it up. It’s only meowing at him more, its hind legs dangling in the air. He finally turns around, facing Shuri, but he seems a little focused on the small white animal in his hand. Really, he has to admit… It’s pretty cute. Even gets him to smile and let out a breathy chuckle while it continues to swing its back legs around in the air and mew at him. 

              He moves his hand closer to his chest to give the kitten a little more support. it immediately attaches its claws into his shirt and begins climbing toward his chin.  “ Hey – ! ”  Bucky glances up at the teenager while he attempts to pry the cat from his chest and keep it from trying to wander around him any more.

                    “ So – I’m guessing there’s a reason behind this. ”

As soon as Bucky’s hand hovered over the lid of the box, Shuri stopped working on her pretend project, setting her tools down on the table before taking the few steps to join him. It was strange seeing him with such a small animal, as it made the kitten seem more like a small mouse. Amusement twinkled in her eyes as the cat dangled in his hand, almost as if he was trying to swim in the air.

Then the kitten started exploring his new friend, and Shuri couldn’t help but laugh and encourage the antics, flipping over her wrists to snap a picture as he reached Bucky’s shoulder. 

“He is a curious one,” she mused, smile growing wider as she took her eyes away from the cat and back to her friend. “He was found outside the Outreach Center last week, trying to find safety from the cold. There was no name tag, as I’ve seen with other pets, so I did not think he had been claimed.” She reached her hand out and gave his side a small rub, coaxing another small meow from him. 

@shellheadtm | Black Panther Soundtrack Meme ( accepting! )

“I don’t know.” The words felt alien on her lips, the words of defeat. In a way she had given up, sitting amongst a sea of crumped papers and empty cups of coffee. It wasn’t like her to not have a plan - just as it wasn’t like her to fail. 

But fail she had, and her actions leading up to the universe’s demise played on repeat in her head. She should have worked faster, she should have come up with something better. In confidence she had dismissed their worry, and she had let her brother’s friends down, killing T’Challa in the process. 

She let her eyes trail across the floor for a moment before meeting the man’s gaze, feeling the familiar lump of frustration in her throat. Nothing that she’d thought of seemed to work, and with every failed solution, the girl’s hope started to dwindle. Her country was in shambles, and in an even worse condition if she were to have to take the throne. She didn’t even want to think about that, immediately pushing the possibility away. 

How did everything get so distorted so quickly?