#nor will I explain my reasons for not using a ladder (I am lazy)

[lordofthefeline]

[tchallasbabymama]

M’Baku’s Love- Chapter 8

Hey y’all, so um...let just pretend there were a few years between Black Panther and Infinity War. K? Check out my masterlist HERE to catch up and check out my other stories. FYI, when this one finishes I’ll be starting up “Ménage `a Trois”, a T’Challa x  OC x M’Baku throuple fic. Check out the preview here!

As usual, let me know if you want to be tagged in anything (even though my tags don’t seem to be working right now😒.)

Enjoy!

CW: Smut, Infinity War spoilers...kind of? 

Word Count: 5,719

Monday morning at the Outreach Center, Monae and M’Baku were the main topic of conversation. People had always speculated about the two, but seeing them leave the gala together was kindling for the gossip flames. Before they even arrived word had already gotten around about them, but when the volunteers saw them pull up together it spread like wildfire. 

“You think they know?”

“I do not know, nor do I care,” he leaned down and kissed her cheek as they entered the building, coming face to face with Neicey. “Ah, Neicey...how are you today?”

“I’ve been better,” she eyed Monae with a smirk, “but I see you don’t waste any time.”

“Yes, well-”

“No need. Y’all are cute together, by the way.” she said as she sauntered off towards her classroom.

“Well that was uneventful,” Monae said under her breath and M’Baku playfully nudged her as they walked up the stairs to the third floor and he gave her yet another kiss as they separated to go to their respective offices on opposite sides of the Center. When Monae reached her office and turned the doorknob she was met with the sight of dozens of white roses. She wanted to run down the hall, jump on M’Baku, and kiss all over his handsome face, but had to remain professional while at work. She set her stuff down and picked up the card from the bouquet on her desk.

“When did he even have time to do this?” she mused to herself out loud.

She opened the card and the smile on her face grew twice as big.

“A mountain of snow-white flowers from your favorite Jabari chief.”

She held the card to her chest and sighed before moving a couple of the bouquets around to get to her desk. She settled in for the day, but got almost nothing done because she kept looking at the clock, waiting until lunchtime to see her man.

M’Baku was just as distracted in his office as Deontae tried to hold his attention on the task at hand.

“M’Baku, hello?”

“I am sorry, please continue,” he shook himself from his daze.

“That’s the third time you’ve done that in the last five minutes. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” a smirk creeped up on his face before he could tamp it back down.

“Mmmhm, if you say so,” Deontae side-eyed him and kept shuffling through papers, looking up at M’Baku from time to time to catch him staring off in the distance with a half-smile on his face.

When noon came around he jumped up from his desk and almost ran over Deontae on his way out the door. He made his way down the hall until he got to the art wing of the center. There she was, his love, coming out of her office just as he rounded the corner.

Their eyes met and he pulled her in for a quick kiss before grabbing her hand and walking her towards the stairs and down to the first floor.

“What are we having today?”

“Sushi? I’ve been craving fish and there’s that one place you like with the veggie rolls.”

“Sushi it is, then. How has your day been…” he trailed off at the sight of Deontae with his mouth wide open.

“I knew something was up with you,” he said excitedly, happy to have been right. “So this is a thing now?” He gestured between the two of them and smiled.

“Yeah it’s a thing,” Monae wlooked up at M’Baku and they smiled at each other. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple, pulling her in close.

“Awww, y’all are cute...and reminding me I’m tragically single,” he sighed, putting his head back down into his tablet and bidding them adieu, shuffling back in the direction he came from.

By the time the two got back from lunch, the whole Outreach Center was abuzz with the news of the new couple. So much so that when M’Baku visited her classroom before the end of the day, even the kids knew, though they always suspected. 

As the days passed by, M’Baku and Monae formed a routine. He basically moved into her apartment and every morning they would wake up and have slow and steamy “good morning” sex before showering and cooking breakfast together. They’d arrive at work and go their separate ways before meeting up for lunch around noon, then he would stop by her class before the end of the day. Every time, the kids greeted him with their bright, snaggletoothed smiles and a chorus of “Hiiii Mr. M’Baku!” before he took his place in the back of the class and watched her do her thing. Every now and then Kehinde would ask M’Baku to sub in for him on the drums and he’d gladly oblige. After class, they’d go home to her apartment and one of them would cook for the other or they’d order in. Their nights were spent either passed out on the couch with the tv watching them, or staying up all hours exploring each other’s bodies. 

She kept the thermostat low for him, but he noticed she looked uncomfortable all bundled up around the apartment in her fuzzy socks and old college hoodie, so he turned it back up for her one day while she was out running errands. When she came home and felt the temperature, she was worried that he was maybe sick or something, but when he explained the change to her she had to take some time to compose herself upon realizing just how much he cared for her. After a few days, he got used to the sparing use of the air conditioner. Especially since the warmer it was, the less clothing she wore around the apartment, and he loved seeing her in little skimpy outfits or nothing at all. Even when it wasn’t sexual, the sight of her body warmed him from the inside out.

They even got to know each other’s families. M’Baku called his mother, Ada, once or twice a week to check in, and one day Monae loudly ran into the room fussing to him about some dance competition show kicking off the best contestant and Ada heard everything. She was tickled by her vivaciousness and the two of them spoke on the phone. Now every time M’Baku calls his mama she wants to speak to Monae. She was quickly becoming her favorite and it only slightly annoyed M’Baku.

A month into their relationship, Monae’s sister Jazz came to visit and he moved back into his place for the weekend so as not to crowd the small apartment. Neither one of them got much sleep, both missing the feeling of their lover’s body pressed up against theirs through the night. Jazz and M’Baku got along great, though, and Monae often caught herself wondering what it would be like if the three of them could be one small happy family. She shook the thought out of her head every time, reminding herself of his duty to his people. 

Their relationship wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. Monae had a nasty habit of pulling away from him at times when she got sad thinking about his eventual departure, but that always came to an end when M’Baku fucked the attitude right out of her. He tried his best to not think about leaving, even though the date grew closer and closer, but it constantly crossed his mind. He was just better at hiding it. 

Almost every night they laid curled up in bed, talking the night away and stealing every last second they could with each other, but for some reason this night was different. When she climbed off his still throbbing dick and plopped down next to him, he could tell something was bothering her.

“What is it, my love?”

She looked at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen.

“That right there. ‘My love’,” a single tear rolled down her cheek and he reached out to wipe it away, but she turned her face away from him as more tears appeared.

M’Baku sat up against the headboard, already aware of where her mind was. He was there too. They only had a week left and both of them wished they could stop time to avoid the inevitable, but it was coming fast.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry-”

“Babygirl, it is ok to cry about it,” his voice cracked and she looked up to see tears threatening to fall from his eyes. She curled up on his lap and the two of them sobbed into each other for what felt like hours.

“Do you...do you think you’ll come visit the Center?”

“I do not think I will be able to make it often, but I will visit when I can,” he kissed her temple and rested his cheek against the top of her head as she sniffled. 

“Y-you’ll have to get married to some beautiful warrior princess and she’ll give you a bunch of big ass Jabari babies-”

He chuckled and she smiled at him before her face turned sad again.

“I don’t want you to forget me, but I know you’ll have to.”

“I could never forget you, Monae,” he tilted her chin up towards him and kissed her lips softly. She pulled back and stared into his big brown eyes, reddened from his tears.

“M’Baku, I need you to do something for me…”

“Anything, my love,” he pecked her lips.

“I-I can’t see you off...I can’t wave goodbye while you take off in the Talon, I don’t think I can do it. I need you to be ok with that, I can’t watch you leave me.”

He nodded in understanding and wiped her tears.

“I understand, babygirl.”

He stroked her hair softly and the two of them stayed silently cuddled up all night, until they drifted off to sleep.

--------

“A little higher on the left, Rodney,” Monae instructed and she stood back, looking at the banner the kids had painted for M’Baku’s going away party. He adjusted his side and she took another look at it, giving him a thumbs up. “Perfect!”

Rodney hopped down off the step ladder and dusted his hands off before taking a look at the banner, himself.

“You know, he’s gonna love it,” he said, turning to Monae and flashing his adorable crooked smile. She wanted to smile back, but the most she could muster was a lazy smirk. She was still worried about making sure every little thing was in place for his going away party, but she knew he’d love it. Some of the older kids had drawn “We’ll miss you, M’Baku!” in graffiti on the banner and the younger kids had added their colorful handprints.

“I hope so,” she whispered under her breath and let out a sigh. 

“Rod’s right, you gotta relax Monae,” N’Jadaka came up on her other side.

“I just want it to be perfect for him, is that a crime?”

“No, but you know he’s a simple man. It’s the thought that counts and you’ve really put your heart into this,” he said as he watched the kids rehearse their choreographed Jabari dance. Their faux fur-accented costumes looked so cute and Monae had a few volunteers and other instructors to thank for doing such a good job on them. N’Jadaka’s eyes met hers and he grinned, “You know he’s gonna miss the fuck out of you, right?”

“Yeah I know.”

There was silence for a moment before N’Jadaka cleared his throat.

“Anyways, just give me the signal and I’ll go grab him and bring him down here,” he said before walking away to sneak a snack from the refreshment table.

Monae smiled warmly thinking about the royal family’s willingness to help her plan M’Baku’s going away party and how they helped keep him busy over the past week to keep him from finding out about Monae’s surprise. She shook herself out of her thoughts for a moment to do one final check of the party before she had N'Jadaka go retrieve M’Baku. 

The vegetarian-friendly snack table was fully stocked despite the prince’s best efforts, and the kids’ mountain range and gorilla-themed art hung proudly on the walls. Volunteers, staff, and some kids and their families had gathered at the Center after hours to say goodbye to M’Baku who had quickly become a favorite among the kids and adults alike. 

“Ok,” she took a deep breath, “I think we’re ready...I think I’m ready.”

She went to go find N’Jadaka and let him know it was time, and the prince disappeared to go collect M’Baku. He texted her when they were almost back and she queued up Rodney and Kehinde on the drums. M’Baku walked in the room to see  her leading kids of all ages in a Jabari dance he had taught her. His smile was so big it probably reflected all the way to Jabari Land, and a tear came to his eye as he took in the banner above their heads. He watched as Monae and the kids’ feet stomped in rhythm to the drums and as the performance came to an end he was the first to applaud, clapping harder than everyone in the room. He went over and lifted her in his arms, spinning her around and planting a kiss on her lips, ignoring the chorus of “ewwwwww” coming from most of the kids and “awwwww” from most of the adults. When he put her back down she wiped away the tears that had escaped from his sad eyes.

“I’m glad you like it,” she smiled warmly at him, biting her bottom lip.

“I love it,” he kissed her again.

“I have a gift for you when we get home.”

“This was not enough?” he laughed and she playfully slapped his strong chest.

“No it wasn’t. I think you’ll like that one too.”

“I am sure I will love it,” he kissed her nose before they separated to give other people the chance to say goodbye to him too. She brought him a plate from the refreshment table and he kissed her cheek to say thank you while he spoke to some of the parents he met several weeks ago at the Open House. He had made quite the impression on a lot of people and those people all wanted to tell him goodbye, so the party went pretty late. As the numbers dwindled Monae started to clean up the space before a voice interrupted her.

“Why don’t you let us handle it?” Shuri offered, seemingly coming from out of nowhere with her cousin begrudgingly following behind her.

“Are you sure?” Monae was hesitant since this whole mess was her idea in the first place.

“Monae, go be with your man, we can handle this,” said the princess, taking the trash bag from her hand without waiting for a response.

Monae smiled at Shuri and thanked her before sauntering back over to M’Baku as the last person left the party.

“Ready to go?”

“More than ready, talking to so many people is exhausting.”

She giggled and they made their way back to her apartment, stealing glances and kisses whenever they could on the car ride home. When they got to her apartment he attacked her mouth with his and pushed her back against the door.

“Thank you. You did not have to do all of that, but you did and it was beautiful. Seeing you dancing like that turned me on so much,” he buried his head in the crook of her neck and kissed her softly before licking a stripe up to her ear and biting her earlobe. She let out a whimper before weaseling out of his grasp, making his eyebrows furrow. 

“Uh-unh, not yet Daddy.” She dipped into the second bedroom, that she had turned into her work space, and returned with a large gift-wrapped box that looked to have some weight to it. When she set it down on the kitchen table he looked at her questioningly. “Don’t just stare at it,” she laughed and pulled out her phone to record him. 

He tore at the paper and ripped the tape from the box before opening it. When he saw the contents more tears came to his eyes. She had given him her copies of all the books from their “Captain America Lists” plus a couple of her favorites.

“I thought you’d like my old beat-up books since they have my notes and scribbles in the margins. It’ll be like we’re reading together.”

He reached his hand out for her and she took it, intertwining their fingers as he pulled her into him for a hungry kiss.

“I love it, thank you Babygirl.”

Her hands rested on his chest as his arms circled her waist before their foreheads connected and they began swaying from side to side. He started humming and she recognized the song, but couldn’t quite place it.

“What is that? It sounds familiar,” she said, resting her head where her hands were and moving her hands to around his broad shoulders.

“Remember Nia’s party?”

“Mhm.”

“It is the song we danced to in the hallway outside her apartment, I looked up the lyrics and found it online. It is ‘Collide’  by EarthGang and Tiana Major9.”

She beamed against his chest, “I love it.”

M’Baku tilted her head up towards his and looked her head in her eyes, “And I love you.”

“I love you, too...more than anything.”

Their lips met in yet another hungry kiss and she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. He carefully laid her down and kissed down her body before she brought his face back up to hers.

“I want you inside me.”

He obliged, undressing himself slowly and watching as she did the same. When their lips met again he climbed on top of her and slowly pushed her back into the pillows. His fingers traced her lower lips and found their way inside her, getting her ready for him until she grabbed his wrist and shook her head.

“Now.”

M’Baku lined himself up with her opening and slowly slid in until he was fully sheathed inside her. Neither one of them moved, imprinting the feel of the other into their brains and bodies forever. When their hips both started to roll into each other slowly they both moaned in unison and he pulled his dick most of the way out before entering her again as deep as he could. He did this over and over, rolling his hips and hitting that spot in the back of Monae’s pussy that made her mind go numb.

“M’Baku, baby,” she moaned as she felt him deep in her soul and he growled into her upon hearing the way his name tumbled from her lips, picking up the pace but still digging impossibly deep inside her. “Oooh Daddy, you’re so deep.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist, not wanting to ever let him go as he grinded his hips into hers, making tears fall from her eyes from both pleasure and sorrow. He kissed them away and continued to rock her world. 

“I-I’m-”

“Mhm, I can feel it, come for me,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Cum for your chief.”

That sent her over the edge and the tingling feeling she felt in her pussy gave way to a flood as her body tensed and released. She pulled him in deeper and her nails clawed at his back as she spasmed beneath him. Feeling her contracting around him almost sent him over the edge with her, but he wasn’t done with her yet. She released her legs and he pulled out, immediately diving between her legs to clean up her mess. The moan she let out was so loud it had to have woken up the neighbors, but his tongue continued to circle her overstimulated clit until he latched his lips around it and she came in his mouth. He tongued her into one more orgasm before flipping her over and raising her hips. She stuck her ass out for him and he wasted no time getting back inside her. 

This time he wasn't so gentle. He grabbed her throat, pulling her back into him, deepening the arch in her back until she lifted completely from the bed and leaned back into his chest as he gave it to her good. One of his strong hands pulled her hips back into his as he whispered sweet, filthy nothings into her ear.

“I love you, Monae.”

“I love how you feel around me.”

“I love how you say my name when I hit this spot right here.”

“M’Baku!” she yelled as his hips dug deep and his dick hit right where he said he would.

“Mhm, just like that.” 

She stroked the back of his head as his left hand came up and around to play with her nipples before trailing down and rubbing circles over her clit.

“Cum again.”

And she did, over and over throughout the night. He somehow held off, and it wasn’t until she took control and lowered her ample hips onto his dick that he began to feel his composure slipping away. She bounced herself up and down, flexing her kegel muscles around him and paying special attention to the tip of his dick before corkscrewing her hips down so that they met pelvis-to-pelvis. M’Baku let himself go and succumbed to her charms, moaning her name as he released deep inside her. Her hips still moved in circles, draining him of every last drop as she leaned down to lock lips with him. Their kiss was slow and deep and her hips continued to wind on him, pulling whimpers out of him that she had never heard before.

“Monae, please,” he begged, which only egged her on more. She hopped off his dick slowly, tightening her pussy walls on the way up just to fuck with him, and dropped to her knees before taking his throbbing dick into her mouth.

“Ah, fuck!” his legs shook and he came again down her throat as she sucked him dry, jaws working overtime to incapacitate him. Once she was satisfied, she reached her hand out to him and he sat up, disoriented from his orgasm. 

“You ok?” she giggled.

“Yeah, yeah, I am...girl you almost killed me,” he said with a laugh, which she joined in on as she sashayed into the bathroom to turn on the shower. They both got in and scrubbed down before M’Baku took it upon himself to eat her pussy again, wanting to taste her one last time. Monae was thankful that the water hid her tears as she held onto the back of his head, wishing she could feel this feeling forever, but knowing their time was at an end. When she came she burst into tears and without a word he finished cleaning her up before carrying her from the shower. He dried her off and lotioned her up before sliding one of his t-shirts over her head.

She sniffled and looked up at him as he cared for her with tears in his eyes, too proud to fall at this moment. She placed her hand on his face and the dam broke, sending tear after tear from his eyes.

She returned his favor by getting him ready for bed as they both cried and sniffled before crawling into bed and curling up with each other. She buried her face into his chest and swung her leg across his body while he ran his fingers over her hair and his other hand traced symbols of love and protection into her thigh. They both silently prayed over each other, wishing the other to find happiness, before dreamland confiscated their consciousnesses. 

Monae could barely sleep, instead choosing to stay awake and listen to his soft snores. Around 6am he started to stir as usual, so she closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep when he carefully unwrapped her arm and leg from around him. He slid from under her and sat on the side of the bed just staring at her face as she breathed in and out. He got up momentarily and pulled something from the drawer he kept his things in, which had been emptied out a couple days ago with the exception of a couple things Monae wanted to keep. She felt him sit on the end of the bed and heard the sounds of a pen on paper. It took everything in her to not open her eyes and say something, but she had told him she couldn’t watch him leave and she still couldn't even though her lack of sleep forced her to hear him leave her instead.

He finished scribbling on the paper and placed it on his pillow before leaning over and lightly kissing her forehead so as not to wake her. It took all of Monae’s strength to keep her tears from falling as he walked across the room and shut the door behind him. She opened her eyes and stared at the paper beside her as she heard him sniffling in the hallway. She heard Juju meow and he let out a little laugh as he reached down to say goodbye to her.

“Take good care of her for me,” he said to the cat, who purred at him as he scratched her head. 

She heard him pick up his bags and it wasn't until the front door closed behind him that she allowed herself to break down. Tears flowed from her eyes as she sat up in bed and held her knees to her chest, wailing as she finally allowed herself to feel the pain of him leaving her. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see him again, but even if she did he could never be her M’Baku again. He’d have to be Lord M’Baku, Chief of the Jabari, Husband to _____. He’d have to produce heirs and she would just have to go on about her daily life like she never fell in love with the Great Gorilla. She curled up into a ball and reached for his note to read it as best she could in the sliver of sunlight that shone into the room, when she noticed something roll off the pillow onto the bed. It was a small ring made of Jabari wood that was just the right size for her, so she slid it onto her ring finger as she looked down at the note.

My Chieftess,

I am sorry for leaving you this way, but I cannot say goodbye to you either. I really do not know what to say here other than I love you and I always will. I will miss you with my whole heart, Monae, but you will always have a piece of me with you. This ring is an exact replica of my chief ring, but in your size. Wear it and think of me, as I will think of you every time I look at mine.

Until we meet again…

Yours always,

M’Baku

Her eyes overflowed with tears and her body jerked as she sobbed even more, careful to not cry on the page that she’d keep forever. She stared at the ring on her finger and felt like she was floating among the clouds with him instead of being dragged down by the weight of it like her previous ring from the nonfactor named Derrick. Looking back, she couldn’t believe she thought that was love, but now she knew what real love felt like and she could never go back. Though it was hard to picture herself with someone else, she knew it would probably happen one day, so she silently thanked her big mountain man for teaching her how she deserved to be loved. 

--------

Two months passed by and M’Baku still could not get her out of his head, even as the council paraded eligible bachelorettes in front of him on a daily basis. Ada said nothing because she knew of the situation, but she also knew M’Baku was well aware he would have to pick a wife soon. Most days he sat on his throne with a pout on his face, barely listening to whatever the current discussion was and daydreaming of his love.

Monae wasn’t doing much better, but the kids knew why she was sad and did everything they could to cheer her up. Of course their smiles made her happy in the moment, but when she went home to her apartment it just felt empty and sad. She had been toying around with the idea of visiting her great aunt, Sarah, back home for a change of scenery and finally decided she’d take off for a couple weeks to get her head back on straight. 

The Outreach Center was running just fine, even though M’Baku’s presence was missed, until one day N’Jadaka and Shuri were called back to Wakanda for an emergency. T’Challa had Nakia stay in Oakland because someone had to run the Center in their absence, but Monae secretly wondered if it was more for her safety than anything. She had asked Nakia what was going on, but even the queen of Wakanda had no idea. Monae closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for her friends and her love to stay safe, but when she opened her eyes the sight before her shook her to her core. 

Children and workers were disintegrating before her eyes and screams rang out among the untouched. Monae reached out to grab a volunteer as she slipped away, but all she felt was dust. She and the few adults left tried to calm the children, but it was no use since they themselves were horrified by what they had just witnessed.

They heard honking from multiple cars and screaming before a van crashed into the front lobby, no driver in the seat. The children clung onto the adults as everyone tried not to panic. 

Nobody knew what happened, but half the world's population disappeared in the blink of an eye. Monae’s sister and great aunt were untouched, but her friends were gone. Juju made it, but most of her neighbors had been taken in what the news was now calling “The Blip”. 

T’Challa had lost his sister and his mother in The Blip, which in turn caused the Center to lose the heads of its Social and STEM programs since Nakia decided to stay in Wakanda. When he and N’Jadaka returned to take in what was left of their staff and kids, they decided it was best to close the Outreach Center’s doors until they could find more staff and department heads. Most of the kids had disappeared and the few that remained were too traumatized by what they saw there to want to stick around.  

When they visited Monae’s office they found her frantically running around trying to organize her things to keep her mind off of the chaos going on around her. When T’Challa cleared his throat and she looked up, she made eye contact with him and she knew by the look on his face...he was gone.

Monae decided that with the Center closing she would move back home, so she packed up all her stuff, and she and Juju went on a cross-country roadtrip from Oakland to Nashville. When they arrived at her Aunt Sarah’s house she was so thankful to be in the arms of a loved one that she broke down into tears. They both held each other and cried, and when Jazz showed up a couple days later the three of them hugged each other tight, not wanting to let go of the only family they had left. 

About a week later Monae realized she hadn’t gotten her period yet, but chalked it up to the stress of The Blip and moving across the country. Another week passed and still, no period. She began to worry and then Aunt Sarah made an announcement at breakfast one morning.

“One of you is pregnant.”

Both girls narrowly avoided a spit take.

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean ‘pregnant’?”

“I had a dream about fish last night...so which one of you is it?” she asked, looking from Monae to Jazz and back again, waiting for one of them to say something. Silence stretched over the table and when Jazz and Monae locked eyes, she broke.

“I think it’s me. I-I don’t know for sure yet, but I’m late.”

“Aww baby, it’s ok,” Sarah said as she reached out and comforted her niece.

“No it’s not, M’Baku he...he’s gone.”

“Yeah, but if you tell him-”

“No, Jazz he’s gone gone. The Blip took him,” she hung her head and played with the wooden ring on her finger.

There was silence around the table again, but this time Aunt Sarah broke it.

“So do you want to keep the baby?”

The two younger Johnson women looked at their great aunt in shock, surprised she would even ask instead of just assuming.

“I don't even know that there is one yet.”

“Chile between my dreams and your period not showing up, you’re pregnant. Go pee on one of them lil sticks, you’ll see. Now, what are you gonna do, baby?”

Monae thought about her options. Even though her mom had two kids by the time she was Monae’s age, she didn’t feel like she was ready to have children yet. Had the father been someone else, she wouldn’t even have to think it over, but this was M’Baku’s baby. She had a chance to have a little bit of him with her always, and especially now that he was gone forever she couldn’t help but want to have him around in whatever way she could.

“I’m keeping it.”

Aunt Sarah nodded in understanding and Jazz squeezed Monae’s hand.

“I’m gonna be the best Auntie I can be to that little Jabari.”

“Second best,” Aunt Sarah said with an attitude as she got up to hug Monae close. “We’re here for you honey.”

Next Chapter

Taglist: @devnicolee @maddeningmayhem @theblulife

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About that ONE SCENE from “Covention

As promised after my "Young Blood, Old Souls" review, I am going to review the rest of The Owl House episodes that I missed. And now that they're all on Disney+ (WATCH ‘EM), I'm currently making an effort to rewatch every episode to gather my thoughts for each one. Unfortunately, they're going to be my general thoughts and won't include any in-depth analysis.

However, the episode "Covention" has such a great scene that I have to break down what makes it so incredible. I'm, of course talking, about the “Hallway scene,” which is a definitive moment in Luz and Amity's relationship. And here's how:

(By the way, you’re gonna want this scene on standby while you read this. Because I have no idea how to get pictures from the episode and add them to a Tumblr post. And I’m too lazy to figure out how.)

Luz runs off to find Amity: Keep in mind that Luz had no reason to do so. Amity treated our favorite weirdo like garbage, and Luz had every right to just let Amity sulk. And yet, she still goes off to check on her. Why? Because it's in Luz's DNA to help others when they're clearly in distress. That willingness to be a kind-hearted person is why Luz is one of my favorite characters. She has moments of drawing the line when someone takes it a step too far, but her heart is always in the right place when the time calls for it.

Where Luz finds Amity: It's odd how fans refer to this scene as "the Hallway Scene" because Amity isn't really in a hallway. It's more of a dark corner if anything else. However, the exact name of her location doesn't matter because it's how that location is shown that makes an impact, due to how it perfectly illustrates who Amity is and how vital Luz is to her. Here, we see Amity down and depressed while sitting alone in the dark, where Luz is watching while in the light. This very idea comes more poignant soon, but there are a few things I want to mention first.

Amity’s tone when Luz apologises: Let's give a round of applause to Mae Whitman, who did a great job at this moment. She perfectly captures someone who is trying hard to be angry but is too distraught that she can't completely hide her real emotions. You see it better when Amity snaps at Luz, and her expression briefly changes into something more sad than mad. It's a sign that she's capable of thinking against her "can't show weakness" mindset that her parents clearly drilled into. So kudos to everyone in charge of that.

“You made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor’s Coven. My future!”: Notice how she says, "My future." Not "My dream" nor "My desire," either of which would make it clear that it's something Amity wants. Instead, she says, "My future." Hinting that perhaps joining the coven isn't entirely what Amity wants. I'm sure that she's somewhat excited to do so (You don't make an adorable squee at the idea of joining something if you're not into it), but the way Amity says "My future" gives the impression that it's more of a requirement for her. That if she fails to do this one thing, then she will face a worse punishment than the tedious task of finding a new career path. And it’s the fear you see in her eyes that all but confirms this.

“I have been working my whole life to get to the top!”: This shows so much of Amity than fans could have ever realized. First off, it reveals that Amity is more than just some snooty rich girl who tries to be better than everyone else to boost her own ego, like many other characters (Looking at you Boscha). Instead, we see Amity's reason to be the best is so that she can work hard at getting "her future." It also hints that she ever takes a break to be a normal kid, given the "my whole life" aspect of this line. This pretty much gets confirmed in later episodes, and it really shows how genius the show's writing is in the way it can be subtle and blatant at the same time.

“Say it! Say you’re not a witch!”/”...I’m not a witch…”: This is Luz's arc for the episode, coming to a complete end. At the start, Luz fought back Amity's resentment with even more hostility. But after seeing how upset Amity is and exactly why she's upset, Luz decides to give in. You can tell it pains Luz to admit Amity's right, both from her tone and expression, but it's apparent that it is something that she needs to say. However, Luz doesn't call it a day after admitting what Amity demanded to hear…

Luz performs her light spell: Instead, Luz meets Amity halfway by explaining her own situation in a peaceful manner. And this is what I meant when I said that Luz is vital to Amity. It's no coincidence that Luz's first spell is a light spell. She brings light figuratively, and literally in this case, to everyone she cares about. Look at Amity's face when she stares at the light spell. She's clearly amazed, and for a brief moment, we see more than that bully that she acted as in the beginning.

“That’s nothing. A child could do a light spell.”: But the sad thing about brief moments is that they don't last forever, as it doesn't take long for her "show no weakness" mentality to come back. This is shown through the fact that Amity physically, literally, retreats back into the darkness and passes Luz's accomplishment off as nothing special.

“But...I’ve never seen it cast like that.”: And yet, Luz broke through anyway. Because now, not only is Amity curious, but she's interested enough to rebel against that toxic mentality for quite possibly the first time. It's here that we get a glimpse of the person Amity could be. The person she wants to be.

“It doesn't come naturally to me like it does for you, so I've had to improvise.”: And it's here where Luz once again sees a chance to get Amity to open up. A chance for Luz to find common ground and explain that while Amity thinks that Luz has it "so easy," the reality is that the opposite is true. That she also has to work hard, but she doesn't have a fear of failing when her efforts don't work out.

Amity unbinds the Everlasting Oath: I love this. Not only because Luz didn't have to ask Amity to do this, but also because Amity doesn't give a reason for doing so.  Did she consider the duel a draw because they both cheated? Or did she finally see the person Luz really is and decided to do the right thing? There's no clear answer, and that's why I love it. Because even if it's the ladder, Amity can easily use the former as an excuse for why she showed weakness. And if it turns out that Amity did decide the duel is a draw, then it still works because it makes sense for her character at this point in the story.

“Humans have no magical ability. But I doubt that’ll stop you.”: Do me a favor: Read that quote. Don't just read it in Amity's voice, or read it as how it was said. Read this quote as exactly how you would say it if you haven't seen it before.

...

Did you do it? Because it looks like a compliment, doesn't it? Almost as if Amity is telling Luz that she does have the capability to become a witch. Despite her setbacks. Well, that's what this could be if not for Amity's tone. For it suggests that she's indifferent to Luz's success. But because Luz still broke through to the nice side of Amity that she wants to show to the world, Amity finds a way to try to be kind while giving the appearance that she's following her parent's mentality.

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So, yeah. This scene is f**king amazing. Through the span of a minute, here's what we get: So much development from Amity, why Luz is such a kind and supportive character, and the beginnings of their complicated relationship. This might just be the best, well-handled scene in the entire series, and it doesn't have elements of what makes recomend the show. There is no fantastic animation, there is no hilarious comedy, and there is no LGBTQ+ representation...Ok, there might be that, but you have to squint to see it. This scene is just two characters talking, and through their conversation, we learn and love so much more about them.

...

And yet, people STILL wonder why Lumity is the most popular ship of the fandom. It's because of s**t like this, people. It's because of s**t. Like. This.

(But seriously, though. This is a great scene from a great episode!)

[placetobenation]

SmackDown on Fox Episode #27 SmackDown Episode # 1,076 Orlando, FL – WWE Performance Center 4/3//20 *Just a heads up this will be a more abbreviated version of the SD report as I will not be doing the usual play by play breakdown of the matches for this week due to the fact that I want to get this posted ASAP so that my thoughts and opinions aren’t outdated due to WrestleMania being two days.* We open with the intro video and then it looks like we are going to get an episode of Miz TV, however, The Usos come out instead and say that they couldn’t wait to get invited to the Dirt Sheet after what happened last week. The New Day then comes out and they argue with The Usos over who is going to become the tag team champions. The Miz & John Morrison come out and say that they are used to being disrespected despite the fact that they are the tag team champions who beat the entire tag division in the Elimination Chamber. Miz says that they plan on watching New Day and The Usos destroy each other and then they will climb the ladder and retain their titles and then Miz and Morrison climb the ladders placed on the stage.  New Day and Usos run toward Miz & Morrison and beat them down until one of the Usos accidentally superkicks Kofi which leads to Big E clotheslining him and then throwing the other Uso over the barricade. Miz & Morrison send Big E into the steps and then take Kingston down with a ladder. Miz & Morrison pose on the top of the ladders as the segment comes to an end.  This was a fine segment to hype the ladder match this weekend as it was pretty much what you would expect for the go-home show for a match like this.  Michael Cole announces that we will be seeing the Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels match from WrestleMania XXIV tonight.   Naomi makes her way to the ring as we go to commercial.  We come back from the break and see that Sasha Banks & Bayley have joined commentary for the next match.  Match #1: Tamina Snuka def Naomi & Lacey Evans via Pinfall  Match Rating: **¼ After the match, Bayley gets in the ring and tries to kiss Tamina’s ass but she isn’t buying it as she drops Bayley with a superkick. Sasha enters the ring and brings up their days as members of Team B.A.D. and wants a fist bump, but instead, she receives a back bump as Tamina lays her out with a Samoan drop.  They are really doing as much as they possibly can to try and convince people that Tamina has a shot at winning the title after shoehorning her into it due to Carmella being unavailable, unfortunately, we all know that she has no chance of winning it nor should she…I really hope that doesn’t come back to bite me and they put the title on her for no other reason than to be unpredictable. I thought Sasha and Bayley were great on commentary during the match and I love that the streak of people screwing around with Michael Cole is continuing by Lacey Evans placing her giant hat on Cole’s head.  After the break, we go to the back where Tucker and Mandy are chatting and then we get the glitch and it tells us that “The Truth Will Be Heard”  We then go to the “I’ve already seen this” match of the night.  Michael Cole lets us know that the match between Elias and King Corbin is still scheduled despite the fact that Elias isn’t cleared to compete.  I don’t think people care one way or another if this match happens or not as it will most likely be the pee break match of one of the two nights.  We are also told out of nowhere without any explanation that Braun Strowman is the one taking Roman’s place against Goldberg at WrestleMania, this was a bit surprising as all week Triple H had been saying in interviews that the reason they didn’t reveal Strowman as Goldberg’s opponent last week was that they didn’t want to spoil the unique way in which he gets put into the match, well this was definitely unique alright Why does WWE insist on being lazy and inconsiderate of their fans, I am just glad I’m a hardcore fan because if not I would probably be confused as hell as to why and how Reigns was removed from the match and replaced by Strowman. All they had to do was just tell the truth about Reigns pulling out of the match and then have Strowman cut a promo where he says that he has talked to Reigns and that there is so much respect between them after the battles they had a few years ago and because of this Reigns has gifted him the opportunity to challenge for the Universal Title in his place as he knows that Strowman has the best chance of taking the title off the old part-timer. Then have Goldberg cut a promo running down both Reigns and Strowman. It’s really not that hard to come up with something to explain how Strowman got into the match, but WWE doesn’t give a shit enough to do something that simple and that is quite sad and pathetic.  We cut to the back where Otis and Tucker are talking and Tucker says that Mandy was asking about him earlier, but he thinks she was just being nice. Otis suddenly gets a text and walks off all happy and excited.  Match #2: Tucker def Dolph Ziggler via DQ   Match Rating: **½ After the match, Ziggler continues to beat down Tucker and looks to slam the steps on Tucker’s head, but Mandy runs out and yells for him to stop and then Otis runs out to make the save. We get the blue glitch once again and this time it cuts to a control room where a dark hooded figure appears and he proceeds to show security camera footage from back on Valentine’s Day. The footage shows Mandy talking about how sweet Otis is and then Sonya comes in and says she supports Mandy and then Mandy walks off to go on her date with Otis. Sonya picks up Mandy’s phone that she had left behind and finally we see that it was Sonya who sent the texts to Otis on that night. We then cut to footage of Sonya and Ziggler conspiring and this is enough to make Mandy walkout as Sonya begs to let her explain but Mandy ignores her pleas. Otis goes after Ziggler and tries to tackle him but Ziggler is able to escape as we go to commercial break.  We come back from commercial to see that Mandy is pissed as she continues to storm off with Sonya in tow begging for her to stop, but yet again her pleas are ignored.  I was right all along that it was Sonya who sent the text. During the post-match, I was in the middle of fixing food but I completely stopped what I was doing once I heard Mandy telling Ziggler to stop. I ran over to the TV to see what was going to happen next and that shows just how invested I am in this story because I usually don’t get distracted when it comes to food lol. Not only did we get the reveal of Sonya sending the text, but we also got what the blue glitch things had been leading up to. This could be a cool thing where this mysterious figure (who is most likely Ali) is able to hack into security cameras and other technologies in order to catch heels in the act, sort of like a one-man version of the real-life group of hackers called Anonymous. I find it odd that they did this reveal on the go-home show rather than on WrestleMania, but I guess WrestleMania is either where Mandy ends up with Otis or in the big Vince Russo twist she and Sonya end up together, either way, I look forward to seeing how all of this ends up as it has been the most interesting story on SmackDown and it’s kind of sad that it will finally come to an end.  Match #3: Daniel Bryan w/ Drew Gulak def Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Cesaro & Zayn via DQ  Match Rating: *** After the match, Gulak tackles Cesaro out of the ring and locks in a guillotine choke, but Cesaro uses his power to backdrop Gulak over the barricade. Cesaro then throws Bryan into the announce table and this gives Gulak time to recover but he is quickly double teamed by Cesaro and Nakamura and sent into the stairs. Cesaro, Nakamura, & Zayn triple-teamed Bryan and hit their finishers on him as the segment came to a close.  This Intercontinental Title match could be one of the best matches of the weekend if they let Zayn wrestle like we all know he can rather than having him running around being a chicken shit heel and constantly relying on Cesaro and Nakamura.  We go to our final break of the night.  We come back and see a replay of last week’s Firefly Funhouse.  John Cena comes out and talks about how WWE made the decision to continue running shows from the PC and he talks about how it has been a learning curve to perform in front of no fans and he thanks us for sticking with them. He says that it is the final moments of the final show before an unprecedented WrestleMania and he talks about how WrestleMania will be one of the most viewed and anticipated WrestleManias for the sole reason being that nobody knows exactly what is going to happen.  Cena talks about how he has been challenged to a Firefly Funhouse match but he doesn’t even know what that is and on top of that he doesn’t even think Wyatt knows what it is. He talks about how The Fiend thrives off uncertainty because uncertainty leads to fear and fear leads to panic and panic leads to collapse and those same traits are how The Fiend has dominated the WWE.  Cena says he will not panic and he will not be afraid and at Mania, he is going to finish what he started six years ago. He says that Wyatt isn’t even on the level below him and then calls him a bootleg Mr. Rogers. Cena says he was ready to step aside but The Fiend made the challenge and to make things worse The Fiend has tried to take every advantage he can and then Cena accepts Wyatt’s challenge to a Firefly Funhouse match.  Ramblin’ Rabbit pops up behind the barricade and says he is excited because after The Fiend is done with Cena he will be playing with them forever. The rest of the Firefly Funhouse puppets start popping up and start chanting forever before Ramblin’ Rabbit lets us know that The Fiend is here. The lights go out and when they come back on the PC has turned red and The Fiend is shown standing on the balcony, The Fiend and Cena stare each other down and then out of nowhere Wyatt pops up behind Cena and says to “Let Him In” and then the lights go back out and when they come back on Cena is standing alone in the ring as both Wyatt and The Fiend have vanished as the WrestleMania 36 go home episode comes to a close.  Finally, WWE decided to let someone somewhat address on TV  how strange it is for them to be in the PC and how crazy and chaotic this WrestleMania lead up has been. It was interesting how a lot of what Cena said in terms of the fear and uncertainty surrounding The Fiend mirrors how everyone is feeling during these crazy times we are living in.  I’m glad to see that Ramblin’ Rabbit has recovered once again from being ground up in a blender. The ending moments of Cena staring down The Fiend felt like something you would expect to see in Lucha Underground as it had more of a cinematic feel to it rather than a sports entertainment feel and we even got a jump scare at the end which was nice. I look forward to seeing exactly what a Firefly Funhouse match is and the same goes for the Boneyard match.  With the exception of giving no explanation as to why Braun Strowman replaced Roman Reigns I thought this was a really good go-home show for SmackDown as their final hype for the Otis vs Ziggler match and the Cena vs Wyatt has me more excited to see what is going to happen at WrestleMania.    My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone especially those living in the hot spot areas and a big thank you to all of the essential workers still having to go out and risk their lives to either save other lives or to provide the essential things we need in order to keep going. I hope everyone has a fun time watching WrestleMania and for the time that it is on you are able to mentally escape for 3-4 hours because right now we need that kind of escape more than ever and for that reason alone I am happy that WWE continued on with these shows.