#He was willing to do everything for Bad because his kid was in danger he didn’t need to involve himself he could have focused on sunny | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mercvry-glow · 27 days ago

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Want and need (18+)

parings. andrew "pope" cody x reader

summary. you're tired of pope's staring, so this time you give him something to do about it.

warnings. this is an 18+ fic so mdni, unprotected sex, rough sex, p in v, possessive!pope, age gap (pope is late 30s, reader is 25), typical animal kingdom stuff, mentions of drug addiction and drinking (but nothing in depth), pope and reader have wanted each other for a long time and all hell breaks loose, I am not responsible for what you read online, let me know if there's anything else!

notes. I really don't even know what to say, this was really self indulgent but also a shit ton of people asked for this. this is my first time writing smut, so please go easy on me 😭 I love y'all tho and I hope this makes those who asked for this very happy and I'd be more than willing to try for other characters too. as always any and all feedback is appreciated!

wc. 4100+

You were young when you were taken into the Cody household. Barely ten or eleven, chasing the coattails of Baz, Pope, and Julia. They were older, reckless, and way more fun than Deran and Craig in your young mind. You were just a kid back then, all scraped knees and wide eyes, desperate to be seen, to be wanted. And they gave you that—chaotic, dangerous, and messy as it was.

Now, you were older. Maybe not in their eyes, not entirely. To them, you’d always be the kid who used to sneak beers from the cooler and fall asleep on the couch mid-party. But you’d grown. Twenty-five looked good on you. It felt even better.

With the kind of money Smurf funneled your way—whether out of guilt, habit, or because she saw something useful in you—you were living comfortably. Shopping trips in LA with Julia’s old taste still lingering in the back of your mind, a crisp white sports car that purred when you touched the gas, and a room in Smurf’s homethat came with a 12-foot deep pool and too much sunshine. It wasn’t just surviving anymore. You were lounging, tanning, sipping something cold, and living the dream—Cody style.

But even with all of it—the car, the clothes, the pool—you still found yourself looking for him.

Andrew.

He was the one who never really changed. Still guarded. Still intense. Still carrying every unspoken burden like it was strapped to his chest. And even after all these years, you hadn’t outgrown the way he made you feel—safe, seen, even when you didn’t want him to see everything.

Sometimes he’d come by, dropping something off for Smurf, checking on Craig or Deran through you, but his eyes always lingered a little longer when you were around. Not in a creepy way. Just… aware. Like he was always assessing, always measuring how close was too close.

But you weren’t a kid anymore.

And you were starting to wonder if he knew that too.

He was always too worried about Julia or Cath to notice the young girl that gravitated toward him more than his brothers—and that was okay, it had been okay. You weren’t supposed to be seen back then, just allowed to linger. And Pope, for all his walls and rough edges, let you. He never pushed you away, never told you to stop following him like a shadow. But he never really looked at you, either.

Then life changed—fast and hard.

Julia left, tearing a hole right through the Cody family like a storm no one saw coming. She vanished into the haze of addiction, baby in tow, and that was that. Cath and Baz fell into each other in the aftermath, and that burned too—more for Pope than he ever admitted out loud. And when Pope finally cracked under the pressure, when he went to jail after a job went bad, everything fractured. The center couldn’t hold.

Life moved on, and you along with it.

You learned not to wait for anyone. You learned how to handle yourself, how to use what the Codys gave you—protection, money, a name that opened doors and slammed others shut. You carved a place for yourself in the world they ruled. No one questioned why you were there anymore. You weren’t the kid tagging along.

You were a woman now.

And when Pope got out, when he came back into that sun-soaked chaos of a world you both knew too well, he noticed.

Really noticed.

Maybe it was the way you carried yourself now—confident, sharper, always watching like you used to—but from a different angle. Maybe it was the way you didn’t look at him like a lost, broken thing the way everyone else did. Or maybe it was just time. Maybe he finally realized you weren’t following anymore.

You were standing still. And he was the one stopping in his tracks.

"You gonna keep watching me like a creep or are you gonna come sit and talk with me?" you called out, not even turning your head, just lazily lifting your sunglasses as you lounged beside the pool.

Your bikini left little to the imagination—tiny, tied at the hips, glistening slightly from the coconut tanning oil that coated your sun-warmed skin. The scent mixed with the citrusy bite of the cocktail you’d been nursing for the past hour, the condensation from the glass dripping down your fingers as you swirled the straw.

You could feel his eyes on you before you even spoke. He always tried to be subtle, lurking in the doorway or leaning against the fence like he had any real reason to be there. But Pope was never good at hiding his intensity, not from you.

"No one else is here anyway," you added, voice lower this time, laced with something soft—an invitation, not a challenge.

You finally turned to look at him. He hadn’t moved yet, still standing a few feet away like he was weighing his options. Same old Pope. Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, like walking ten feet to a lounge chair might cost him something heavy. But there was something in his expression that wasn’t so guarded now. Something careful. Curious.

“You worried Smurf’s gonna pop out of the bushes or something?” you teased, tilting your head with a little smirk. “She doesn’t care what I do. You know that.”

He shifted his weight but didn’t answer right away, jaw flexing like he was grinding down words before they made it to his mouth. Then finally, he started walking—slow, measured, like he was still deciding if this was a mistake.

But he came anyway and sat right at your feet.

"What's on your mind?" you asked, nudging him with your pedicured foot—painted a glossy shade of white that caught the sunlight just right. It was playful, meant to break through the stiff walls he always had up. You weren’t trying to push too hard. Just enough to remind him he didn’t have to sit there like a stone.

He didn’t flinch at the touch, just looked down at your foot resting lightly against his jean covered thigh, then back up at you with that unreadable expression he always wore. But there was something different in his eyes. Softer. Or maybe tired.

"Nothing," he muttered, eyes drifting to the water. "Just making sure you’re alright."

You rolled your eyes, “Of course I’m fine, you’re watching over me aren’t ya?”

He didn’t answer, but the faintest flicker of something passed through his eyes—something just shy of a smirk. You caught it, even if he tried to bury it again just as fast.

You leaned back against the lounge, arching your back just a little as you stretched out your legs, your toes still resting against his thigh. “You always do that, you know,” you said, your voice low and smooth, laced with something warm. “Watch me like you’re trying to memorize every move, but never saying a damn thing.”

Pope’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. Didn’t deny it either.

“I used to wonder if it was guilt,” you went on, your eyes locked on him now, studying his face. “Me being around… all the time. If maybe, you thought I was just another thing you had to take care of.”

His gaze finally slid from the pool back to you—slower this time. Steady. That unreadable expression giving way to something heavier.

“It wasn’t guilt,” he said. Voice rough, low enough you almost didn’t hear it over the soft splash of water from the filter nearby.

Your lips curved slightly. “No?”

He shook his head once.

Your foot pressed a little firmer against his thigh, not teasing anymore—more like claiming space, letting him feel the weight of your presence. “Then what was it, Andrew?” you asked, letting his name linger in the air between you like the taste of the rum still on your lips.

“Why do you still look at me like that?”

Silence stretched for a moment too long. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, and Pope never needed many. He was more action than speech. Always had been.

So you sat up slowly, cocktail forgotten now, your body turned toward him as you leaned forward just enough to let your fingers brush his wrist. His skin was warm. Tense. Alive under your touch.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” you said, softly now, like it was a secret between the two of you. “You can tell me things...”

His breath hitched—so slight, but you felt it. Saw it in the way his hand twitched under yours, like he was holding himself back with every ounce of control he had.

You leaned in a little closer, close enough that he could smell the sweet coconut clinging to your skin, the soft salt of pool water in your hair. “You can touch me now, Andrew,” you whispered, barely louder than the wind rustling through the palm trees overhead. “If you want to.”

His hand moved then, slow and unsure at first, like he was afraid you might vanish if he did. But you didn’t. You stayed right there, watching him, heart pounding in your chest as his calloused fingers brushed your thigh—just a whisper of contact, but it lit a fire low in your stomach.

And he looked at you like he didn’t know how to breathe anymore.

“You sure?” he asked, voice hoarse, thick with restraint.

You nodded, smile turning sultry, sure. “Go ahead.”

And for the first time since you were a kid chasing his shadow, Pope Cody didn’t run.

The tension between you snapped like a live wire—sharp, charged, inevitable.

You shifted, slow and deliberate, rising just enough to swing one bronzed leg over his lap. His eyes followed the movement, hands clenched at his sides like he was trying to stop himself from grabbing you right then and there. But when you settled on top of him, thighs hugging his hips and your hands bracing against his chest, he didn’t move away. Didn’t even blink.

He just stared up at you, jaw tight, pupils blown wide, chest rising and falling like he was caught between every wrong instinct he’d ever had—and the one that felt right.

You leaned in slowly, your lips just a breath away from his, fingers sliding up the sides of his neck, thumbs tracing his jaw. “Tell me to stop,” you whispered, though your tone dared him to.

He didn’t.

So you kissed him.

It started slow—soft, testing. But the second your mouth met his, the switch flipped. His hands gripped your hips like he’d been dying to touch you for years and finally stopped pretending he didn’t want to. You moved against him instinctively, gasping softly when he deepened the kiss, his mouth hungry and rough, like he was trying to swallow every second of the years he’d lost, every second he hadn’t let himself want this.

Your fingers twisted into his curls as you rocked against him, feeling him grow harder beneath you. His groan rumbled in his chest, low and feral, vibrating against your lips. He kissed like he fought—intensely, without hesitation, like nothing else mattered but this moment. But even now, even like this, his touch wasn’t careless.

One hand slid up your back, fingers splayed over your spine, grounding you. The other stayed planted at your waist, as if anchoring himself to you, needing you close but terrified of losing control. You could feel it in the way he held you—like he didn’t want to break you. Like part of him still saw that girl who followed him around, and the rest of him was warring with the woman now straddling him in the late afternoon sun.

You pulled back just slightly, lips swollen, eyes locked on his. “I’m not scared of you,” you breathed.

His eyes darkened. “Maybe you should be.”

You smiled. Slow. Wicked. “But I’m not.”

And then you kissed him again, deeper this time, letting your body press flush against his, the heat between you scorching, undeniable, and no longer something either of you could ignore.

A hand slipped under your bikini top, rough palm closing over one of your tits, you gasped into his mouth. His thumb brushed against your nipple, and the sharp jolt it sent through you had you rocking harder against him, your hands fisting in his shirt.

“Fuck—just take it off me,” you muttered against his lips, breathless, needy.

Pope didn’t hesitate. He tugged at the knot behind your neck, and the top came undone with a quick flick of his fingers. You didn’t even care where it landed—just felt the warm afternoon air on your bare skin and the heat of his gaze as he pulled back to look.

His eyes swept over you like a storm cloud rolling in—dark, intense, and full of want. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he rasped, voice strained as he leaned in, lips brushing the swell of your chest.

Your fingers threaded into his dark curls, nails gently scraping his scalp as he sucked a mark into your skin, his stubble rough against your soft flesh. You moaned low in your throat, head falling back as he worshiped you with his mouth, biting, licking, claiming.

“You’ve always been mine,” he muttered, more to himself than to you.

You looked down at him, your body flushed and burning, heart pounding so loud you swore he could hear it. “Say it again,” you whispered, grinding down against the bulge in his jeans.

And in the next second, he surged up, one arm wrapping around your waist as he stood, lifting you with him like you weighed nothing. You wrapped your legs around him instinctively, breath catching as his mouth returned to yours—urgent and possessive. He didn’t say another word as he carried you inside, but his kiss said everything. Every step was heavy with purpose. Like he’d finally given in to what he’d been fighting for years.

He pushed the sliding door open with his foot, barely breaking stride as he carried you inside, your bare chest pressed to him, his lips never straying far from yours. The house was quiet, golden sunlight spilling across the hardwood floors as you clung to him, your fingers tugging at his shirt, desperate to feel skin against skin.

By the time he made it to your bedroom, the tension had hit a fever pitch. He laid you down on the edge of the bed, standing between your thighs, eyes sweeping over your half-naked body like he couldn’t decide whether to worship you or ruin you.

You propped yourself up on your elbows, heart thudding, watching the way his hands shook slightly as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. The way his chest rose and fell, same as your own, like he was holding back something dangerous.

"You look like you're about to bust," you said with a teasing smirk, voice low and breathy.

“I am,” he said simply, stepping closer, his hands sliding up your thighs, thumbs brushing the edges of your bikini bottoms. “You’re driving me insane.”

“Then lose the rest,” you whispered, voice nearly a dare.

He hooked his fingers under the ties, and with one smooth tug, the last piece of fabric between you was gone. You leaned back slowly, watching his eyes drag over every inch of you, hunger and restraint warring in his expression.

Then he was back on you, like wet on water.

Mouth on yours again, harder this time, kissing you like he was drowning and you were air. His hands roamed everywhere—your waist, your hips, the inside of your thighs—like he couldn’t touch enough fast enough. And you didn’t want him to stop. You wrapped your legs around his slim waist, pulling him closer, grinding against his buldge pressed between you. He was rock hard.

Every kiss, every touch felt like years in the making—pent-up tension finally snapping in the heat of that bedroom. You moaned into his mouth, nails digging into his back as he pushed you further onto the bed, hovering over you like he wanted to devour you whole.

“Fuck—tell me you want this,” he growled against your neck, voice ragged.

“I’ve always wanted this,” you breathed, eyes locked on his. “I’ve always wanted you.”

He crashed his mouth against yours again, and this time, there was no hesitation—just raw need, years of it unraveling all at once. His weight pressed you into the mattress, solid and grounding, as if he was trying to make sure this was real.

That you were real.

That after all the years of watching, waiting, denying, he could finally touch you the way he’d needed to.

Your hands were everywhere—his back, his chest, tugging at the waistband of his jeans with trembling fingers until he groaned against your skin. “Jesus, kid,” he muttered, breaking the kiss just long enough to yank them off with a rough urgency, kicking them away as he settled between your legs again.

You arched up into him, your body already aching, your thighs spreading to welcome him as he hovered over you. There was a flicker of hesitation—his eyes searching yours, his thumb brushing your cheek in a moment of quiet, reverent pause.

“You sure?” he asked, voice low and gruff, but laced with something almost tender.

You reached up, fingers curling around the back of his neck as you pulled him back down to you. “Fuck me,”

That was all he needed.

He tugged on his cock a few times before sliding into you slowly, carefully, and your head fell back with a soft cry—his name spilling from your lips like a prayer. He filled you completely, a delicious stretch that had your nails digging into his shoulders, your legs tightening around his waist.

He didn’t move right away—just held himself there, forehead pressed to yours, breathing hard, like he was memorizing every second. “You feel like… fuck,” he whispered. “You were made for me.”

And then he started to move.

Slow, deep thrusts that left you gasping, your hands clutching at him like he was the only thing tethering you to the earth. He kissed your neck, your collarbone, the swell of your chest, his hands gripping your hips with a bruising intensity, pulling you closer every time he drove into you.

“You’ve always been mine,” he murmured against your skin, lips brushing your ear.

Your heart twisted, heat building, rising between you in waves. You met every thrust, your bodies moving in sync like they were meant to be tangled like this. And as his pace quickened, rougher now, needier, you clung to him—your body trembling, your voice breaking as the edge drew closer.

“Pope—” you gasped, barely able to get his name out before it hit you. A rush of heat, pleasure, everything blurring as your back arched as you came, orgasm tearing through you, raw and electric.

He wasn’t far behind—groaning into your neck, his rhythm faltering, then stilling as he found his own release, his entire body shuddering above you.

The room was quiet except for the sound of your breath and the faint rustle of sheets. Pope didn’t move for a while—just rested there, head buried against your shoulder, arms still wrapped around you like letting go might shatter the moment. When he finally looked at you again, something had shifted. There was no going back.

His grip on your waist tightened as he thrust deeper again, rougher now—no more holding back. His mouth was at your throat, breathing you in like he needed your scent to stay sane, his teeth grazing your skin as he growled, “You don’t know how long I’ve fucking waited for this.”

You moaned, your fingers tangled in his hair as you clung to him, legs locked tight around his hips once again. “Fuck-ddon’t stop,” you whispered. “Show me.”

That snapped something loose in him.

“You want me to show you?” he rasped, voice thick with hunger. “You think I can be gentle with you now? After all these years, watching you walk around in those little shorts, laughing like you didn’t know what you were doing to me?”

His hand slid up your body, wrapping lightly around your throat, thumb resting on your jaw as he looked down at you, eyes blazing. “This body’s mine now. Say it.”

Your lips parted, breath hitched, your voice shaky, “It’s yours- fuck! All yours,”

“Damn right it is,” he grunted, thrusting into you hard enough to knock the air from your lungs, his other hand gripping your thigh and hitching it higher around his waist. “You’ve always been mine, I knew I’d take you like this.”

You cried out, body burning under his every touch, the filth of his words twisting deliciously in your stomach.

“You like that?” he growled against your ear, biting your lobe before sucking it. “You like me talkin’ to you like this? Fuckin’ you like you were made for it?”

“Y-Yes—God, yes—Pope,” you gasped, head swimming as he hit deeper, angling his hips just right to make your toes curl.

“I don’t want anyone else lookin’ at you like this,” he snarled. “No more showing off at that pool like you’re just some pretty slut.”

“Wh-why? You jealous?” you teased, barely able to keep your voice steady as your back arched into him.

He bit down on your shoulder—not enough to break skin, just to mark you. “I own you.”

With that, he flipped you onto your stomach in one rough motion, dragging your hips back until you were up on your knees, face pressed into the sheets. You gasped, the new angle hitting something brutal, perfect, as he thrust back in with a groan.

“This is mine,” he growled, one hand fisting in your hair, the other gripping your hip so hard you knew it’d bruise. “You’re mine.”

The way he said it—like a promise, like a warning—you believed every word.

“Fuck- I get it—Oh my god!” you gasped as he tugged on your hair, hips barely able to meet his harsh pace.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he groans out, bucking even harder as he fucks you with intent. You pant, eyes fluttering as he continues his brutal rhythm that’s hard enough to shake the bed frame.

You’re not even in your own body anymore, the sound of skin on skin filling the room. The once lavender scent of your room, now replaced with sex and what lingured of Pope’s cologne.

He slides a hand down between the two of you, thick fingers catching on your clit as he rubs in tight circles bringing you closer to your next orgasm.

“I- fuck Andrew… I’m- I can’t!” you moan into the bed, fists wrapped in the sheets like your grip will somehow alleviate the growing feeling in your stomach.

“Cum for me baby, I want to feel you.” he head dips to your shoulder blades, kissing down your back as he eases you to the brink once again.

It’s a white hot feeling as it rips through you, but Pope doesn’t stop. He fucks you through it, pulling back just enough only to slam back into you one last time.

He tenses, body stiff as he gives you a few more sloppy thrusts as he cums inside you—thick, hot, and everything you want as he pulls and lays beside you taking a few deep breaths.

You can feel him dripping out of you, but you don’t care. Too spent, you take your time before turning to look at him. Pope’s curls are a mess, though you’re sure your own hair isn’t much better.

It’s silent for a while.

you’re cuddled up to him, tracing little shapes on his chest with his arm thrown around you. It keeps you close to him, like maybe you’ll disappear if he’s not touching you in some way.

“Why’d you let me do that?” His voice is soft and gravely, but genuine all the same.

“Believe it or not, I’ve wanted you to do that forever…” you give him a small smile, still tracing your little shapes into his freckled skin.

He sighs, something deep and heavy laced in it. “I’m not good for you,” he mutters.

“I think I can decide that for myself,” you shift your head to look up at him, deep hazel eyes meeting your own.

His lips capture yours in a kiss, something softer than earlier but the meaning is still the same.

You're his, and honestly you don’t really mind it.

mercvry-glow 2025

#animal kingdom #animal kingdom tnt #animal kingdom x reader #animal kingdom x you #andrew cody #andrew cody x reader #andrew cody x you #pope cody #pope cody x reader #pope cody x you #andrew pope cody #andrew pope cody x reader #andrew pope cody x you #shawn hatosy #❥ - Pope Cody

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nfr-girly · 1 month ago

Text

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾

Joel Miller x f!reader (use of y/n) 4k+ word count

summary: the last thing Joel will do is admit he cares about you, but when you one day go out on patrol and don’t come back, Joel has to admit to himself he does care and shows his affection the only way he knows how

~~~~~~~~~~fluff, angst,bloodthirstyJoel~~~~~~~~~

Joel doesn’t like thinking about his life before the outbreak, it’s too much of a reminder of everything he had lost. He made a promise to himself to keep everything he cared about protected at all costs. For a while he didn’t think he’d have anyone to protect anyway.

He’s settled in to his life in Jackson, he’s appreciative of it, sure, but he’s not used to the sudden safety that surrounds him. He’s learnt to be aware of everything that moves around him, every sound, every action. Part of him prefers it that way.

He can’t help it, but he constantly pushes people away, it’s natural for him. He’s very selective with the people he lets into his heart because he’s had it broken before, and fuck did it hurt

So Joel had no hesitation to avoid you when you first arrived. He’s not even sure where you came from, he remembers you came with a small group of people, all of you just wanting somewhere warm to sleep. He almost felt sorry for you, really. But about a week into you being here it was like you put some happy spell onto the town.

Everywhere you walked Joel could swear flowers grew, you spoke to everyone in the town, exchanging smiles with everyone as if the dangers that went beyond the town didn’t exist. He truly didn’t understand what made you so optimistic all the time, all he knew was that he had to stay away

Even Ellie, who had lost everyone she loved let herself be consumed by your energy. Don’t get him wrong, he liked seeing her happy, but she’s still a kid, he wouldn’t dream of letting himself be vulnerable like that, not when he has to protect her.

Part of him felt bad that he ignored you, he couldn’t keep count of the times you had tried to talk to him, hoping to open up that heart of his, but he wouldn’t let you. He doesn’t do it because he hates you, Jesus was that even possible? He’s scared of corrupting you. He had seen too much and done too much, for you, a literal angel on earth to be associated with him.

Joel would be lying if he said you didn’t cross his mind. He’s not that strong, it took him only a month before he found himself getting nervous at the mere thought of you. Eventually, you became the main reason he would even get up in the mornings.

He hates the feeling of caring for someone in that way, he knows how badly things could end, and he isn’t willing to put up with any more heartbreak, so Joel is content with only imagining what he could have with you.

One day, him and Tommy were arranging patrol shifts, Joel goes over the roster and notices your name on it. Thursday, August 5th - (y/n) (y/l/n). Usually, Joel wouldn’t care if you did patrol, he’s seen you go out with Jesse, or Dina almost a million times. But you weren’t alone then, so why the hell are you now?

“Hey tommy, why is only her name on here? Who’s her partner?” He asks

Tommy looks up, “oh, she didn’t have a partner, said she wanted to go out on her own”

By now, Joel was practically digging daggers at Tommy. “What the hell you mean she’s out on her own?”

Tommy looks at Joel in confusion, he couldn’t think of a time when Joel actually cared for what you did.

“Well we weren’t gonna have her out today, but she insisted she wanted to try it out by herself, said she wanted to ‘build her confidence’ or something” Tommy responds, Joel swears it’s the most stupidest thing he’s ever heard.

“What so you thought it was a good idea to send someone like that out on their own? Where there are hundreds of clickers just roaming around, and you thought it was a fucking good idea?” Joel steps in front of Tommy, raising his voice now

“She’s a grown adult Joel, she can handle herself , besides she’s only out until 3 no later.”

Joel scoffs, shaking his head. What kind of idiot was his brother to send you out? He didn’t care that it was your decision, he should’ve said no.

Joel starts heading to the stables, Tommy following him. “The hell you doin’ Joel?”

“Im going to bring her back, she shouldn’t be out there on her own”

“Joel stop!” Tommy yells, and even Joel is slightly taken back. “She is grown. She knows what she’s doing, and if she needs help I’ve given her a flare, somebody will see it”

Joel stays silent, still being too stubborn to listen.

“You don’t think I’ve seen the way you look at her? I know you care, but she’ll be fine Joel.”

Joel looks at Tommy before looking down at his hands, he slowly nods and turns around. Before he walks away he walks towards Tommy. “If she comes back with a single scratch it’ll be on you”

Tommy watches Joel walk away, he knows he hasn’t changed his mind, and frankly he can’t exactly blame him. He knows you’re strong but Tommy would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little worried.

~~~

Joel’s alarm goes off, he wakes up, hair spewing in every direction, his arm holding his pillow as he turns off the noise. 7 o’clock

Joel decided to have a nap earlier in the day, but ultimately decided to extend it to 6 hours. Joel got out of bed and made his way downstairs, Ellie was on the couch reading a book.

“Hey kid” Joel calls out

“Finally awake?” Ellie responds

Joel turns the kettle on, “yeah.”

Ellie jumps up, turning to look at Joel “Is y/n back yet? I wanna see her”

Joel heart skips at beat, he almost forgot you were out

“She should be, supposed to have been back 4 hours ago”

Ellie furrows her eyebrows “what do you mean? I went to her house 20 minutes ago but she wasn’t there”

Joel froze, his head already going through every possibility of where you could be, “What do you mean?”

“Well she isn’t back yet.”

Joel didn’t need to hear another word before he stormed out of the house, ignoring the shout of his name coming from Ellie.

Joel didn’t waste one second, he rushed to the stables and got a horse. Coincidently, Tommy was there.

“Joel what are you doin-“ “don’t.”

He didn’t need to hear another word from Joel to figure out what was going on.

“Joel we can send out a search party for her I promise she’s okay. A lot of people stay out for a couple more hours on patrol.”

“What on their own? Don’t give me that shit Tommy you should’ve figured out something was wrong hours ago.” Joel doesn’t stay to hear Tommy’s response, instead he heads towards to the exit

Joel sees a group of a men surveying the gates, but frankly he doesn’t have time to argue. He just needs to get to you. “Let me through” Joel speaks out

“Joel we need permission from Tom-“ Joel interrupts them

“Don’t fucking do that. You wanna start explaining to me why none of y’all thought to check if she was okay? 4 hours have gone by and not a single one of you dumbasses thought to send someone out for her?”

None of the men respond.

“No? Well then move over and let me through” the men look at eachother, until one of them opens the gate for him

Joel doesn’t give them a second thought before rushing out of Jackson, all his determination is set on finding you.

Joel finds himself venturing into the woods, 20 minutes have gone by and he hasn’t seen sight of you yet.

that is until he stumbles upon a cabin, although it looks abandoned, and likely has no supplies based on how run down it is, he doesn’t want to risk anything. He gets off his horse and ties it to a nearby tree.

He loads up his gun and heads very slowly into the cabin. As soon as he enters he can hear faint noises, almost crying. He grips his gun and very carefully makes his way to the back. The noise gets louder, and all of a sudden he can hear a second voice.

“Jesus would you stop making that noise? If you want I can just put a fucking bullet in your head, shut you up.” It’s a man’s voice, a raider, Joel assumes.

He still doesn’t know if it’s you or not, but he isn’t taking any chances. He turns the corner and slowly walks into the room, his eyes go wide at the sight. There you are, shrivelled up in the corner, putting pressure on your stomach. He really hopes you haven’t been bleeding for too long, because he doesn’t want to think of how much blood you’ve lost. Your eyes are closed so you don’t see him, all you can hear is the raider in front of you going through your bag of supplies.

Joel lifts his gun up, moving closer to the raider, but just his luck the floor creaks, and the raider immediately stands up, turns around and points his gun at Joel. “Put your gun down, give me your bag or she gets hurt”. Joel’s gun is loaded, he can easily shoot the guy, but he doesn’t want to risk the possibility of him getting shot first and not being able to save you. He slowly puts down his gun, takes his bag off his shoulder and tosses it to the guy. By now, you’ve opened your eyes and can see Joel is here, but you’re in too much pain to react. Joel looks towards you in guilt, he shouldn’t have let you go out on your own, he shouldn’t have ignored you every time you tried to talk to him, and now you’ll probably bleed out in front of him before he can tell you how much he cares.

The raider doesn’t let go of his gun but happily takes Joel’s bag and starts looking inside it. Joel sees his gun is pointed at the ground, and without even thinking about it, he bolts towards the guy and shoves him onto the ground.

The sound of a gunshot can be heard, and you jump back, the bullet piercing the wall behind the two. Joel knocks the gun out of the guys hand, and without a second thought he starts punching him. His hand moves on its own, each punch harder than the last, he can hear his jaw break, his teeth cracking, his nose breaking. Joel doesn’t even know where he’s punching anymore and frankly he doesn’t care. His knuckles hurt, and he’s starting to slow down, but he keeps on going. The guy was dead two minutes ago, but Joel’s too angry to notice. He knows you’re looking, part of him wants to tell you to look away, because even he’s disgusted at the sight of the guys face now. But in some sick way, this is Joel’s way of telling you he cares.

At some point, Joel finally stops, his breathing becomes rapid as he tries to catch his breath. He looks at the guy. Jesus, he didn’t think he could do that much damage. He turns the guy around so his face is facing the floor. Joel notices the room is quiet now, no whimpering, no breathing, nothing can be heard from your side of the room. He stays still, and honestly, he’s terrified to look up. He’s trying to avoid the possibility that he’ll look up and see your lifeless eyes staring back at him.

He knows he has to, so he does quickly, your head lies in the corner, he can see you’re breathing, but barely. You’re looking down at the floor and your hand has lost grip on your wound, by now, blood is practically flowing out your body. Joel reacts quickly, coming towards you and kneeling down, he grabs a bandage from your bag and wraps it around your stomach to slow down the blood

“It’s okay baby I’ve got you”, you look up at him weakly, all you can mutter out is a soft “Joel..”

“I’m here sweetheart, we’re gonna take you back to Jackson, get you all patched up and healthy you hear me?” Joel knows you’ve lost too much blood, you both do, but Joel doesn’t want to face that yet.

You shake your head, you’re trying to tell him there’s no point, but he refuses. “Cmon, I’m gon’ get you up”

Joel picks you up bridal style, you cry out in pain and Joel’s heart breaks at the sound. “I know I know I’m sorry.”

Joel rushes out the cabin, he doesn’t bother picking up his gun or any of the supplies. He needs to get you back to Jackson.

Somehow, he manages to get you up on his horse, the whole time you were in pain and he wishes he could do something to stop it. He gets on the horse and allows you to lie on his chest. He wraps one arm around you and the order controls the horse, who is running through the forest as fast as it can.

Too many thoughts are going through his mind right now, but the one that he can’t get out of head is if you’re going to make it. This is exactly what he was afraid of, that he would let himself care for someone just for them to go and die.

The whole time he’s trying to get you to talk, to get you to cling onto any life you have left. “Cmon baby talk to me, Ellie’s birthdays next week, she’s real excited for you to come to her party.”

“Joel.. it hurts” you say, you cling onto his shirt, you’re losing blood by the minute, and honestly, you’re just really fucking tired.

“I know baby I know, a few more minutes and we’re almost there I promise.” Joel makes his horse go faster, he didn’t realise how far away you had gotten

Finally, he can see the gates, Joel shouts out to the men and they hear him, he can’t see their faces but he knows they can see you with him.

They open the gate and Joel’s horse finally catches up. Tommy rushes over and his eyes widen at your state.

“Tommy help me” Joel shouts out, a moment of Deja vu hits him.

Tommy doesn’t hesitate and carefully holds you as Joel places you in his arms. “Get her to the hospital. Now.” Tommy practically runs, Joel following quickly behind him

They get to the hospital and the nurses get you into the operating room, Joel’s overwhelmed with everything going on but all he can do is look at you. He’s never heard you be this quiet before and he hates it. He wants to hear your sweet voice again, your infectious laugh, he wants to see you light up a room the minute you walk in it, he wants to hold you, he wants to be able to tell you that you have his heart. Joel doesn’t know if he’ll be able to do any of that.

Tommy makes Joel go wait in the waiting room, much to his disapproval. He knows he won’t leave until he knows for sure you’re okay.

~~~~

*several hours later*

A nurse approaches Joel, who’s now fast asleep on the waiting room chair. She gently wakes him up and he takes a second before standing up. “What happened is she okay?” Joel begs

“Yes she is. She lost a lot of blood so she’s in weak condition right now, but we managed to stitch her up, so she’ll be okay.”

Joel breathes out a massive sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem, she’s actually asking for you. Would you like to see her?”

Joel freezes, he didn’t think you’d want him to come in. He wasn’t sure if you’d remember what happened, but he needed to see you.

“Yeah, okay” he says. “Okay, follow me” the nurse replies

He follows her into the room and his heart stops at the sight of you, all kinds of machines are attached to you, it scares him, but the moment you look at him it’s like he gets lost in a trance.

“I’ll leave you two alone” the nurse leaves the room. “Hi Joel” you say, weakly. You’re laying on your side, gently holding a pillow.

Joel slowly walks towards your bed. “Hey baby, how are you doing?”.

You nod, “I’m okay, i just feel tired”.

“You should get some more sleep, you’ve lost a lot of blood.” Joel declares

You look up at him, eyes glossy, “can you stay here with me?”

Joel eyes slightly widen in surprise, but he hears the vulnerability in your voice, and he can’t say no to you.

“Okay baby girl.” Joel softly says, he carefully gets into the bed, he lays down next to you and you very carefully move your head onto his chest. Joel accepts, and wraps his arms around you as you fall into a sleep, you almost miss the way his lips kiss your head

~~ *the next morning*

Hair dishevelled, Joel wakes up. He takes a minute to get used to his surroundings before remembering where he is.

He looks down to see you, your head lying on his chest. All he can think about is how desperately he wants this moment to last. A moment where you don’t think he hates you, where he’s vulnerable with you, where you wrap your arms around him. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever get to experience it again, if you’ll wake up and be disgusted by him. Too overcome with pain to have felt it yesterday.

He doesn’t have time to let his thoughts take over before you turn, eyes slowly opening.

You look up at him and your eyes shift around the room, trying to get used to the brightness. Joel looks at you, almost prepared be kicked out of the bed.

But that never comes, all you can say is “hi”.

Joel stares at you for a moment . Unsure of what to say.

“How are you doing?” he manages to mutter out, careful with how he comes off.

“Not great, but a lot better than yesterday.” You crack a small smile

“Why did you go out on patrol on your own?” Joel knows you’ve only just woken up; he’s not even sure if you remember much of yesterday, but he needs to know

Your smile falters, “I don’t know. I know it was stupid and I should’ve gone with someone but, I just wanted it to seem like I could do it you know?”

Joel furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

You look up at him and sigh. “I know I can come across as a little annoying sometimes, and I’m not exactly the most useful. Just wanted to see if maybe I could prove that I could do something like this on my own.”

Joel feels his heart break. How could you think for even a second that you weren’t useful? And think that you were annoying? He wonders if some of these thoughts are his fault.

“Don’t say that. You contribute more than enough to this town”

You laugh quietly, shaking your head. “It’s okay. I know you think it too.”

He can physically feel his heart shatter

“I know people say I have some sort of ‘gift’, keeping everyone’s moods up. Which I guess is good but, strength wise I’m nothing.”

Joel didn’t want to hear any more of what you were saying, he got closer to you and held the side of your face with his hand, gently turning you to look at him.

“You are not nothing. You think I haven’t seen what you do around here? Every day I come out and you’re working. Helping Mrs Hayes carry stuff, volunteering at the farm. And I’ve seen you out on patrol, you definitely know your way ‘round a gun” Joel chuckles at the last bit, earning you a small smile

“You’re strong, but there are people out there who don’t need strength to harm you, people like that raider who are willing to do anything to make sure they get even the littlest amount of materials, even if that involving killing people.” you look up at him as he talks. His hand moves away from your face into your hands.

“That’s why we never go out on our own, if one of us gets hurt the other can help us. It’s the only way we can survive in this world.” You look down at your hands, taking in his words.

Joel looks down at you. He’s not used to this. He knows he has to let himself be vulnerable, to let you in.

Joel moves his hand away from yours, the absence of his touch makes you look up and he wipes your eyes, you hadn’t even noticed you were crying.

“You know you’re wrong, when you say you think I see you as annoying. It’s the opposite. I don’t know how you do it but you’ve managed to make me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. And I… I didn’t know if I wanted to.”

you let him continue

“I don’t trust anyone that easily, I don’t even trust half this town. I’m old, I’ve seen things, and I don’t know how much you’ve seen but either way you don’t let it get to you. Every day it’s like you leave reality behind at the door, you act like the world hasn’t gone to shit. People see you as a reason to believe, to have hope that eventually we can all leave our past behind. I can’t. I can’t leave mine behind because I want mine back.”

Deep down you know who’s he’s talking about.

“This world hasn’t been a world I wanna be in for a long time. Without my baby girl I just-..”

Joel’s voice breaks, looking down, he regains his composure.

“The only people in this world worth a damn are Ellie, Tommy and you”

Your eyes widen slightly as you take in his sudden confession. You shift yourself closer to him, showing you’re listening.

“I’m sorry I pushed you away. I’m just scared. I don’t know if I can handle losing someone I love again.”

You don’t acknowledge the fact he admitted his love for you, but you bring your hands up to hold his face.

“You won’t. I’m not gonna do something like that again I promise.”

Joel stares at you, he nods, still shy of what to say

You aren’t sure how long the silent between you lasts, and you don’t remember who leaned in first, but you seem to meet eachother halfway as he gently kisses you. It felt like you two were moulded to fit eachother perfectly. He holds the side of your face and you lay your hands on his jaw. A few smaller and shorter kisses are exchanged before you both let go for air.

“Why don’t you let me take you out, after you get outta’ here” he whispers, placing his forehead onto yours

You smile and nod, “I’d like that, maybe you can bring Ellie too” you suggest

Joel smiles before connecting your lips once more, you two stay in bed with a newfound happiness, and for the first time in a long time, Joel’s heart feels full.

~~~~~~

this has been marinating in my drafts for months hope you like it <3

:: masterlist

#joel miller #joel tlou #joel the last of us #joel x reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #the last of us #tlou hbo #tlou #pedro pascal

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newkatzkafe2023 · 3 months ago

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💜What If Babba Chopes Or the Nightmare Critters was Y/N pet's?

@lara-legomonkiekid

POPPY'S PLAYTIME CHAPTER 4 IS OUT!!!🥳🥳

I feel like each Wukong would have a critter he would be closest to the most😉😉😉

(Lmk Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhh wow... this should be hilarious Wukong had no idea that you have an army of rather unusual pets. Wukong found out you had pets called the nightmare critters, and they were a group of Vicious and rather rambunctious little babies that love you ever so Fiercely. Dispite them being a bit weird Wukong found them cute and not to mention fun especially when pranks wars are involved. Overall he's really cool with the nightmare critters

(Maggie Mako) she is his special little gal, you would often find the two sharing late night snacks and other Junk food. Wukong had totally won her little black heart when he snuck her a cupcake behind your back, and the two were pals ever since🦈😆

(MKR Wukong) Holy cow when you told Wukong that you had pets, he wasn't expecting a bunch of plushy like animals. Not to mention how those little critters knew how to throw down and thrown hands, especially baba chops. It turns out that the critters were Fiercely protective and caring over you, especially when you had pulled them out of a bad situation. Wukong respects that and doesn't bother them to much, however they do extend their assistance to him as well, especially in battle after all he's part of the family now.

(Baba Chops) Now Wukong loves baba chops attitude especially since she's the leader of the nightmare critters. Their are times where Wukong doesn't want to be bothered especially by the monk, and baba chops feel the same way about it being a recluse herself. So don't be surprised when you find them hanging out together quietly🐑.

(NR Wukong).........Well this is definitely something he never thought he would ever since, your telling him your little friends pets are a group of the world's most ferocious group of plushies. Now the old monkey has truly seen everything however it's not all bad, the nightmare critters got along very well with Wukong's mini monkey clones. Not to mention the critters take naps on him because they noticed how fluffy he is, just like they are In the end they definitely approve of your husband are willing to assist him if the situation calls for it.

(Allister Gator) You can't tell me this lazy gator wouldn't sleep on his head the most, which is strange because of how hyperactive wukong is. Though that doesn't mean he won't take a peak at what Wukong's doing half of the time, he'll just Quietly observe🐊.

(HIB Wukong) It was love at first sight...well for Luier and Silly girl to the nightmare critters. The nightmare critters became very fast friends with the two children, playing games, taking naps even baba chops joining in the fun. However It was a bit of a facade the nightmare critters would mess with Wukong but never in bad way, it's just how they bond with him and with each other. Over all they can be Acceptable to Wukong's Presents after all He makes you and the kids very happy and that's all that matters to them.

(Poe) Man Wukong and that bird go together like Expresso coffee and paranoia. These pair of brooders would often sit on the side and just watch everyone play or hang out. Poe would be found chilling on Wukong's shoulder most of the time, which would be handy if they spot danger before Wukong can🐦‍⬛.

(Netflix Wukong) His jaw was on the floor when be met baba chops and the others nightmare critters. What's worse he was stupid enough to go and underestimated them as well, because of their cute and cuddly appearance however They shut that illusion down instantly. Wukong could never look at children's plushies the same when he watched the nightmare critters savagely attack a man because he pushed you to the ground. Well at least he was one thing in common everybody means business whenever you're involved.

(Rabie baby) Pfffff oh my god can you imagine the Gossip they would exchange on the daily basis. The two would be on the side looking smug as they bad mouth the celestials, despite the obvious language barrier Wukong would ack like he knows exactly what she is telling him🦇. Squeak Squeak....What?! Really?! Noooo and then what happened😈???

(BMW Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhh He's not taking them seriously at all, like just look at them so tiny and Squishy. Like he knows their pets but they look ridiculous and would deliberately laugh in their tiny faces, which was his first and final mistake. Wukong Quickly learned how Treacherous and mildy violent the critters turn out to be, he also learns that the nightmare critters take your care and protection very seriously. Like they don't mess around when it comes to you and Wukong learned and respect that, and over time he got you to them and vise versa for them too.

(Simon smoke) Man those to would be bumping heads the most especially when their both megalomaniacs. It's always a competition between the two especially when it's about either you or their popularity and image. With their shared competitive nature it's gonna be pure chaos... With a hint of hilarity🐲

(Destined one) Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the poor Destined one was so very perplexed by what was infront of him. I mean when you told him you had pets he wasn't expecting those said pets to be a group of plushies lead by a Medium size lamb. Though the Destined one didn't comment on it especially when he's seen so much weird crap, however the nightmare critters take an instant liking to the Destined one. They would be found following him around or sitting quietly whenever he would meditate, it wasn't all that creepy, as long as he doesn't make eye contact. Though they do help you and him sleep and relax with their cuddles and smells so that's always nice.

(Touilee) the selective mute and the chatterbox what a pair, Poor D.O just had to be favored by the Noisious mouse plushy . The little mouse would squeak away about anything and everything, never shutting up. The Destined one had actively covered his ears to block the sounds of the mouse plush. Touilee actually makes the Destined one miss living with Wukong.

(Lotmk Wukong) Oh boy, I headcanon that the nightmare critters can smell weakness.......that weakness thy name is Sun Wukong. Which is why they like to bully and troll him every chance they get, but not out of spite or to be mean nooooo........at least not this time. Nope, the nightmare critters were actively trying to toughen Wukong up for the late future. After all, he has you to take care of now, and the critters want him to be ready for any potential threat that may come your way. When they learn that Wukong has a powerful and dangerous temper, they help him channel it into power along with his love for you. They still think Wukong isn't ready, but he's clearly a work in progress.

(Icky Licky) Now believe it or not it's Icky Licky that takes Wukong under his much shorter arms. Icky's competitiveness becomes a might handy tool especially when he training with Wukong on a personal level, he makes sure to always put Wukong up to the challenge. The never hold back from each other as their love for you feuls them both in battle.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG👃

#monkey king reborn #monkey king netflix #monkey king x reader #nezha reborn #lmk monkey king #monkey king hero is back #x female y/n #black myth wukong #the destined one x reader #poppy playtime #poppy playtime chapter 4 #poppy playtime au #nightmare critters #my headcanons

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apollabarnes · 2 months ago

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part three

"—and then he has the gall to ask if we can fly him back up to the top so he can get his fucking selfie," tommy rants, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"what did you say?"

"that if he wanted to keep his leg we should probably go straight to the hospital," tommy concedes, making athena laugh. "his leg wasn't actually in danger but none of us wanted to reward him for it."

"and here i thought the guy who threw up glittery gummi bears in the back of my cruiser would take the cake this week."

tommy grimaces, pushing his leftover onion rings in front of athena. "if that was a trick to get the rest of these, i applaud your methods."

"harry asked me if i had photos of the backseat," athena offers dryly.

"gross," tommy says, shaking his head.

it's been a rough week. half the pilots at harbor are out with food poisoning, and tommy doesn't even have time to feel smug about the fact he told the others that deli seemed sketchy because he's been taking enough shifts that if it wasn't an emergency, he'd have been grounded two days ago. he'd caved, texting athena to say he was exhausted and skipping the meeting and he'd see her some other time. they didn't really communicate outside of their semi-regular meetings, so he knew that she'd understand it wasn't a casual brush off. she'd texted him back an address and a time.

tommy wants to be surprised athena had picked up on the fact that if she gave him an inch he would have taken it and gone running; would have stopped going to their meeting; might have stopped going to all of them, period. would have stopped whatever this is. he's not. there's a reason she's the best at her job.

"you want to talk about it?"

"too many flights, not enough pilots." different day, same shit. tommy shrugs, twisting the straw wrapped around his finger. it's not an unfamiliar story to any first responder; there's never enough of them when things go bad. tommy would write to the mayor, but he needs to sleep before he goes back on duty.

"you getting enough rest in between?"

tommy snorts out a laugh. his sleep habits have been abysmal since he was a kid. sometimes having someone draped over him like a gigantic weighted blanket helps, but tommy isn't willing to hook up with a stranger just for that.

evan used to—

"enough," he says instead.

athena hums.

"how's everything going with you?" tommy asks. athena has a way of letting tommy talk without saying too much about herself, and he appreciates it — her life is so entwined with the 118 that (when he wants to be uncharitable with himself) it feels like spying on his ex — but there's a point where avoidance becomes selfish on his end. so he makes sure athena has a chance to vent, even if hearing about them sometimes makes him squirm.

"i'm worried about that idiot rookie. he's a disaster waiting to happen, and there's nothing we can do until he messes up."

"you warned his new training officer?"

"mmhmm."

"and your superiors?"

"that's right."

"i think that's the most you can hope for," tommy sits back, looking at athena. he's been staring at the spectre of a car crash in front of him since he was sixteen and waiting to see if he can manage to avoid it. he can see the same wariness in her. "you've put up as many defences and roadblocks as you can. everyone is going in with their eyes open. what happens next isn't on you."

"it would be nice if it actually felt like that was true," athena mutters, finishing the last of tommy's abandoned onion rings.

"sure would," tommy agrees. it's never felt like that.

"darius' lease is up in a few months," athena changes the subject abruptly. "three guesses what may wants to do."

tommy can feel his heart seize and his breath catches in his throat. why be apart when we can be together? "i think i only need one."

"if i had a leg to stand on i'd tell her she was being foolish, but."

"she's twenty three. it'll be good for her."

part one // part two

#tommy kinard #athena grant #bucktommy #911 fic #this is the queue speaking

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courtneysmovieblog · 2 months ago

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I’m not Suzanne Collins, but I think too many people overlook the fact Gale’s arc in Mockingjay is a warning against radikewl politics.

Gale wants to make the Capitol and the Career Districts suffer the way the other Districts have. Never mind that there are civilians that didn’t deserve to die for their ignorance, or didn’t have a say in what their government does. Even Haymitch was able to recognize this in Sunrise on the Reaping, and he had twice as much to be angry and vengeful about.

Not Gale, In his eyes, they’re all complicit, and if they got caught in the crossfire, it was karma. Fight fire with fire, and all that.

Until it blows up in his face.

But in the book, by this time he’s so emotionally dead that he can’t even bring himself to try to apologize, let alone acknowledge Prim, who had practically been his little sister. All that seems to matter to him was that her death destroyed whatever chance he had with Katniss. (In the movie, he’s at least more horrified and remorseful about it.)

Katniss herself later acknowledges her own guilt into this mentality, since she has her own list of war crimes/civilian deaths (which the movie also cut, unfortunately). Maybe she wonders if Prim’s death was her own personal karma for all that. More on that in a minute,

Anyway, the Rebellion gets what they want. Snow falls and the Capitol is under their control. Innocent people are dead, but the good guys still win. Yay.

Now what? What happens to the Capitol people?

Coin proposes a new Hunger Games with Capitol children. Which completely defeats the point of everything they were fighting for in the first place.

We never know what Gale would think of this. Heck, we aren’t even sure he’s really sorry about his bombs being on Capitol children, or if he was only sorry because Prim got killed. Maybe it’s better that we don’t know…it was horrifying enough that other characters like Johanna were okay with it.

Yet Katniss, unlike Gale, ultimately realizes what Gale couldn’t: that the Rebellion under Coin was becoming another Capitol. Snow and Coin were mirrors to each other. The only difference was that even Snow of all people thought it was overkill to bomb the kids right when he was about to surrender.

And that’s why Katniss kills Coin. By then, she’s so sick of the war in general. It didn’t matter to her who was good or bad anymore. She was done with everyone willing to murder people for whatever justification.

Even at the end, Plutarch isn’t sure of all this suffering will lead to a better world, or if the Districts will just wind up repeating their own mistakes and/or turn into another Capitol. All he can do is hope.

This the point that people miss about the series in general. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. Nobody is immune from the dangers of propaganda. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The ends never truly justify their means.

That is Gale’s tragedy. And too many people are failing to learn from that.

#hunger games #mockingjay #sunrise on the reaping #commentary

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the-silliest-lad · 1 month ago

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Not to connect my interests or anything, but in both the Hunger Games and Dead Boy Detectives I think there’s a minor similarity in how Katniss and Peeta view one another and how Edwin and Charles view one another.

Throughout the Hunger Games trilogy, both Katniss and Peeta spend just about all their time trying to protect each other, in a self sacrificial way. This is especially true throughout Catching Fire, where both of their purposes is to protect the other, even though it means their death. All of this stems from the idea that the other is inherently good and deserving of life, while the other is inherently bad and does not deserve/have to live and will sacrifice themselves to see the other is okay. For Katniss, she feels like Peeta is good, that he has not been broken by the games as she has, and that he can have a good life - that he deserves a good life - with a wife and kids and a family that love him. Something she cannot give him. She sees him as “The BSo she protects him, all of her actions are with him in mind. But all the while Peeta is doing the same. For him, there is no one at home who cares for him - not like Katniss does - as him mother is abusive and the rest of his family doesn’t do anything about it. Yet Katniss has a family who needs her, and because he loves her and knows he could not live without her, he tries to protect her. Then, in Mockingjay after being hijacked, he is turned into a weapon against her. This is when his feelings of “you’re the good one and I’m just the weapon, you deserve peace and I don’t” truly come into play, as the shame he feels for having harmed her in any way come into focus. Neither of them are truly “good people” because neither ever had the chance to be, but their partner is because they must be.

Now take all that and think about Charles and Edwin. All throughout the show, we see how they see their partner (in a detective, super platonic way trust me) is a good person, and that they therefore are not. But they will do anything and everything to protect each other and become incredibly angry and distressed when they cannot. Edwin is a damned soul, even if it was on a technicality. We see throughout season 1 and are told that these cases are his way of redeeming himself, a case against being sent to hell. We also see the way he views Charles as good (You, Charles Rowland, are the best person I know.). To him, Charles is perfect, he’s everything Edwin isn’t and couldn’t be. In the Devlin House, we see how much it pains him that he can not help him, that he has to watch all of these horrible events happen and the pain it brings Charles and he can do nothing. Charles is constantly seen physically defending Edwin, always the first to step in the line of danger when it comes to him, and often his most reckless actions are when there is a threat to Edwin. Charles does not feel like a good person, his breakdown in episode 5 shows us that, but he does think Edwin is. He hates that Edwin was sent to hell, because it’s not at all what Edwin - the boy who sat with him while he died - deserves. He even makes a deal to go to the afterlife if it means he can get Edwin out of Hell. His self sacrificial nature, even as a ghost, stems from the questions “am I a good person?” This seems to stem from his abusive father, only furthered by his he died. Similarly to how Edwin solves cases to prove his goodness, Charles protects others, and even then they both would be willing to sacrifice themselves in an instant if it meant the other could be safe, because their other half is the best thing about them.

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lacunammmm · 2 months ago

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Hate how the manga kept trying to seem like it was criticizing sacrificing yourself/pushing yourself too hard as a heroic act wasn’t actually a good thing but it constantly went back to the opposite.

Aizawa and Nighteye criticizing Midoriya about rushing in without a plan? Not a problem, he’s a true hero when he saved Eri!

Pushing limits/getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing to help grow, but the manga never found a healthy balance of that theme.

Nothing encapsulates the phenomenon you described more than Iron Might. The reason Iron Might was bad, besides him absorbing the hero kid's potential fights/contributions vs AFO, the implausibility of this tech and All Might getting access to it in time, and the fact that he kept it a secret, is because it tramples all over All Might's arc for the sake of a "cool" fight We have a whole series teaching us that All Might's brand of self sacrificing heroics is bad and these actions destroy your life and the lives of the people around you. Toshinori has what, three close friends when we meet him? Nezu, Recovery Girl, and Naomasa. He hasn't spoken to Torino or Night Eye in years. Night Eye left him explicitly because of his desire to keep being All Might even if it killed him. He's forgone any sort of close relationships. He doesn't have any family. Everything has been dedicated to being the hero that society needs to the cost of his life. He's fully willing to die to ensure other people are okay. His mentality changes when he meets Izuku because he wants to live to raise him right. Great! So, he loses his powers and then he has to navigate being a mentor and teacher for the next generation. So far, so good. He sees with Deku what a lone gun mentality does. The story even has Bakugo blame all of Izuku's mental problems on All Might's teachings and behavior. Perfect. We've fully established this is bad. And then we learn that, no, actually, he had a super suit designed months ago that would let him 1 vs 1 the quirk devil and he was keeping it a complete secret from everyone. Just so he could don some ironman armor and have one last hoorah as a hero. He doesn't join Endeavor or Deku in their respective battles. No, the guy keeps this to himself so he can pull it out at the most dramatic moment possible. He let himself be swayed by Stain, a notable crazy man and All Might zealot fanboy that no, actually, All Might was perfect and he totally had the right idea about things. I wish this series would allow characters to suffer for their mistakes and arrogance. Do you know what should have happened, if we're going to allow the insanity of a super suit that can fight high level opponents like this? AFO sees Iron Might, then activates his Radio Waves quirk. You know, the quirk that has the effect of releasing an EMP wave if the user desires it? The same one he and Tomura used to bust out of Tartarus? All Might's super suit becomes an immobile metal coffin and he needs to be rescued. He actively put more people in danger because of a selfish decision he made so he could relive his hero days.

Instead of All Might stealing the spotlight from Class A, all of these students have to scramble to get hits in on AFO to save HIM! Because the story isn't going to allow a guy to go against its themes in a selfish, suicidal gambit that All Might should have grown past by now...and get away with it! It's absolutely ridiculous that a story allegedly about the next generation turned into two old men fighting. But this is an issue with MHA: it wants to have its cake and eat it too. Self sacrifice is bad, except when it works out and it's cool.

#bnha critical #mha critical #mha criticism #mmmasks #all might critical

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dg-outlaw · 1 year ago

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Batman #148 Thoughts... or Why Jason Todd is Awesome and Batman Doesn't Deserve Him.

So... I know a lot of the discussion about this issue has been about what happens to Jason, and IYKYK. What I want to discuss are parts of the rest of the issue and why I think Jason is one of the best characters (and more than how many perceive him). *spoilers ahead*

I know many outsiders and even those in fandom look at Jason Todd or the Red Hood and think of him as the hot, angsty edge lord who isn't afraid to break Batman's one rule. He's cool and badass so you want to be like him or he's the romantic fantasy bad boy with a soft side. These things are fine, but this is often where people stop with Jason or if they dislike him the above descriptions are why.

Some people want him to be an antagonist again because villains are cool and this is where we get things like 'The Boys' because it's edgy, subversive, or some intelligent deconstruction of superheroes. Colorful and honorable superheroes like Superman or Spider-Man are boring, just a fantasy, or for kids who don't understand the real world. Again, fine if that's your take, but I don't believe that one "graduates" from one to the other.

Beyond the Fast and Furious style cool factor of fast cars, guns, and explosions that often get associated with Jason, there's more to him than that and it's why he's still one of my favorites. Hell, this is the same character that writers thought would be a priest in the Flashpoint universe, a universe that had gone to hell in a handbasket but in all that chaos and darkness he became a PRIEST.

(The World of Flashpoint: Issue #2)

Say what you will about organized religion, Christianity, or the Catholic church (because there are definitely issues there), but I think two of Jason's core traits that I admire are his faith and hope. Traits that often get Jason hurt by the people closest to him, but that often see him through the darkest times.

The cheapness of using Jason's "death" aside, these traits are seen again in Batman #148. Not only is Jason willing to put his faith in Bruce again (after everything "not" Bruce did to him in Gotham War), but he's the first down into the cave.

This isn't blind faith, but a willingness to try. A hope that maybe this time he won't be hurt, even if time and time again history has proven otherwise. Note: This can be a slippery and dangerous slope and not one without consequences as many people fall into the trap of going back into or staying in toxic relationships that only bring them pain. (And I never said his greatest strengths can't also be his greatest weaknesses).

We also see some emotional maturity and growth in this issue and I love that for Jason. Has he been going to therapy? Maybe, but my money is that he's probably been reading lots of self-help books or something.

Does Bruce deserve this level of forgiveness and compassion from Jason? No, but Jason gives it to him anyway. I also feel like this is a soft challenge from Jason. "I'm not here to save you from yourself or to ask you to save me. We do this together or not at all."

And if you're thinking, "Oh no, Jason has gone soft. Not my Jason Todd!" He's still a cheeky bastard in battle, even when he's on the ropes.

Now, for Jason's "death", one could say that it was a cheap ploy by the writer or DC to get people talking or to have a random "Jason dies" scene (though he's revived in the same issue so I feel the emotional stakes/hype are less compared to leaving it open-ended until the next issue).

One could also look at it in a cynical light given it's Jason that Bruce brings down into the cave during the flashback reveal with the secret Lazarus Kool-Aid. Did Bruce plan that knowing Jason would volunteer in some sort of reverse psychology manipulation? Was it just a random plot explanation to justify having the "Jason dies" scene? Who knows? Though I think Dick or Tim would've volunteered as well. But my focus is on the conversation.

This is another example of Jason's hope and faith, and his faith in Bruce. Bruce's plan isn't tested, though one could assume that he's done the math so to speak, but it's still Jason literally putting his life in Bruce's hands. It's also fairly clever because if Failsafe is some echo of Batman, then something in his programming probably knows about the emotional pain of Jason's initial death. So not only is "killing" going to make him glitch out, but killing Jason is probably the ultimate Failsafe glitch.

Deep down I think Jason knows how much he means to Bruce, even if Bruce is terrible at showing it sometimes. He's willing to take the risk and die, not for Bruce, but for the greater good of saving the day.

Let's also not forget that in the span of a short amount of (in-universe) time, Jason has saved the entire East Coast (end of Gotham War), Gotham City (end of The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing), and is now ready to die again to stop Failsafe--all while his brain is still probably a little messed up from Gotham War.

Let this young man take a damn vacation!

Was this issue perfect? No. And I agree with others about it not being cool that Steph, Cass, and Duke got sidelined as the clean-up crew, but I do think it showed a lot of Jason's deeper character (flawed or not) and how he's more than just the edgy, sarcastic bad boy. That part of him is just the hard candy shell he's had to create to protect the gooey center that is his hope, faith, and love. After all, Damian has previously (and rightly) called him out as the "emotional one".

P.S. I know my previous post picked on Jason's Red Hood outfit at the end and I still stand by the fact that it wasn't my favorite, but seeing that it's Jorge Jimenez's art, I can forgive it. I love most of Jorge's art and would kill (not literally) to be as talented as him, but that outfit design is still a no for me. Sorry, Jorge. :(

#jason todd #red hood #bruce wayne #batman #batman 148 #dc comics #batfam #emotional growth #emotional maturity #long post

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fastestmanalive333 · 4 months ago

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Romance is Underrated

Set after Teen Titans Vol. 3 #20: Identity Theft

If Gar had known that his little verbal faux pax was going to get Raven so mad at him, he never would have said it. If he’d known Raven would have been so hurt by it, he never would have even thought it.

Unfortunately, precognition was not counted among his many and varied abilities and powers. He hadn’t known, and now he had to deal with the fallout. Namely, one recently reincarnated – and damn beautiful when she was angry, even more so when she was sad, because all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and croon comforting words to her – Raven.

He had to deal with the fallout in the hallway, and why couldn’t he die somewhere where the first person to find his body wouldn’t probably be one of the kids? Gar thought that sucked even more than the conversation he and Raven were about to have.

“Why did you say it, Gar?” Raven asked, her tone wounding him almost as much as what it might mean that she was calling him by his nickname. Out of all of his friends, she was the only one to call him by his full name; she’d never called him Gar like everybody else.

Maybe she didn’t view him as a friend anymore, in view of how inconsiderate he’d been of her feelings last week. Gar couldn’t blame her; it did sound rather bad, in hindsight, anyway. In hindsight, in foresight, in any sight under the rainbow. “Um…I said it because…” Well, he’d meant it, but saying that would make her madder and sadder, and it wasn’t really the whole answer. “It wasn’t that I was making fun of you,” he started to explain, “just…” And there he faltered.

“Just what?” Raven demanded, not willing to bend an inch. Her glare was so hot, Gar felt that it should melt his skin off his bones.

“Eh-heh.” Gar winced, looking anywhere but at Raven, and tugged his now too-tight collar away from his suddenly sweaty neck. “Um, well, it, uh…it was just that you never tried being ‘normal’ before…before, and I…kinda got used to it.” He shrugged weakly. “That’s all.”

Night-dark eyes narrowing at him, Raven practically bared her teeth as she hissed, “It’s more than that. You’re hiding something from me.” She punctuated her last sentence with a finger jab at Gar’s chest, and he reflexively retreated from her black-polished, half-inch talons. They weren’t sharp, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t do damage. She was Raven, after all, and Gar had always considered her the most dangerous woman in the Titans.

Gar sighed. He never could hide anything from Raven, and that didn’t have anything to do with her empathy. “Okay, it’s just…” He swallowed, and raised his eyes from the floor to lock with hers. “I’ve always thought that you were like me.”

Now Raven looked puzzled. “Like you?” she asked, voice wavering, but gaze holding steady with his.

Gar nodes slowly. “That you thought being ‘normal’ was, well, overrated. And now with you trying to be normal, I just…it really brings it home to me how much you’ve…changed.” It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected her to change but he hadn’t wanted her to change so much that she…that he didn’t feel the same way about her.

But she had, and he…he hadn’t. And it was very confusing to him. Change begets change, and if she’d changed and he hadn’t… Or maybe he had changed. Maybe he’d grown up enough to realize that love could change, too, but still stay as strong as ever.

“Garfield,” Raven said softly, voice tender yet exasperated, and she was still the only one who ever called him that. “Not everything normal is overrated.”

And then she kissed him.

Gar thought that maybe Raven was right. Romance definitely wasn’t overrated.

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mixelation · 17 days ago

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oh yeah i saw a revenge of the sith screening. unfortunately my audience was well behaved and didn't scream memes at the movie, so i had to pay attention. here's my sizzling hot star wars takes

Remembered why I don't like Anakin: he is so whiney. I actually googled how old he was supposed to be in this film because his behavior and attitude was on par with a twelve year old and characters kept commenting on how young he was. He's 22 but personally I feel Hayden's glowering made him look much older and it really emphasized how immature and whiney he was. I do think there were several instances were the Jedi should have been more communicative with him, but at the same time he reacts like a child to almost everything, so I can also see why they took a different approach. Certainly Anakin failed to communicate he was frustrated about the lack of communication (the closest he gets is randomly apologizing to Obi-wan and saying he's frustrated, but he doesn't really articulate his particular frustrations, TBH just based on this movie, it's not particularly clear WHY becoming a master immediately is so important to him, which adds to why him bitching about it feels so whiney). Note that Palpatine's manipulations involve speaking to Anakin like he's a child.

why are Grievous's internal organs so flammable

anyone defending Padme's writing/characterization in this movie in particular is kidding themselves. I am absolutely pro headcanon-ing such that female characters get more interesting, and I'm under the impression that her writing in other pieces of media is better (her writing in the first two prequels is better, even), but please do not pretend like she was secretly well-written to be anything but Anakin's prize he smashes in a fit of jealousy. we no longer see her working in the senate-- there's only a VERY short scene of her even in the senate. she even says that "the queen probably won't let her" keep working in the senate once she has a baby (???). the closest she gets to being a sharp witted politician is when she asks anakin if HE thinks anything's wrong in the senate and expresses anxiety over if "they're on the right side," but within the context of this movie we're not shown why she thinks that and she spends 80% of the film sitting around her apartment looking pretty for anakin rather than doing anything about it. the closest she gets to agency is going off on her own to confront anakin, but narratively this is only to maneuver Obi-wan to him and then to show Anakin final "fall" by him lashing out on her.

honestly think obi-wan should have mercy killed anakin lmao, and surprised i've never seen this take? someone must have had this take. like why did he leave him. either he genuinely thought he was going to die and left him to go out in a horrible and cruel manner, or he knew there was a chance he'd live and palpatine would scoop him up. i guess he also could have hauled anakin back to the ship-- it's not like the guy was going to fight back? also wtf was this movie's stance on killing an unarmed but highly dangerous opponent. it was bad when anakin did it, but bad to stop mace windu, but obi-wan just leave anakin burning alive ????

my hottest take is that order 66 being a "brain chip" is stupid. let the clones willing kill jedi

#star warriors

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newkatzkafe2023 · 8 months ago

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Ok after reading that

Now I want a meet up with their team/friends XD

HOW WOULD THEY REACT TO SEEING BOTH QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS AND QUEEN OF THE APES ARE WUKONG'S WIVES??????

WHAT IS THE MONKEY KING DOING ON HIS FREE TIME?!?!?!??!🤣😧🤯

(Lmk Wukong) The panic the public feels is so bad it reached two other realms😥🫣. Everyone was either Filming or getting ready to evaluate Megaspolis as both Goddesszilla and Queen kong show up in the city today. Tang saw from outside pigsy's restaurant and his soul totally left his body at this and everyone ran outside to see the Chaos. Mk, Mei, and Redson were stuck between being Scared and being amazed upon seeing you and Queen Kong.

(Wukong) HEY GUYS I WANTED YOU TO MEET GODDESSZILLA AND QUEEN KONG MY 2 WIVES!!!!!🥰🥰

Mk and Mei were loosing it all over the place with stars in their eyes🤩

Redson was literally praying, I kid you, not he was praying as he hid in the men's bathroom. He called his parents, saying his potentially final good byes and that he always loved them😱

Sandy waved and welcomed you both, as he was very happy to meet you both.

Pigsy had to calm down a screaming Tang as the Scholar totally loses his mind😨

Elsewhere the Spider queen was discussing with her family/minions about moving out of the city Feeling like they were the ones in danger now😱

DBK and PIF share a look of shock as they listen Redson's semi-tearful rambling as the can see Goddesszilla and Queen kong from out their window

The Brotherhood absolutely moved out of the city as they don't want any of the ancient radiation heat from both of you😬

The Mayor's Whole body was so pale that People mistaken him as a ghost😱 and wants to join lady bone demon in her gravesite😨🥶

Jin and Yin were fanboying all over the place, throwing themselves as party as they asked you both for autographs🤩

A fearful Nezha spread the word to all of heaven, well it wasn't news, It was a clearly very much a warning, a warning that flipped the heavens on their heads for a good few centuries to come😬😬😬

And finally,Macaque😰 is really missing being dead right about now, as he feels you and your sisters glare on him😠

(MKR Wukong) The monk had a really bad stroke upon seeing you and your sister queen kong😂🤣. He and Pigsy noticed that he was in a better mood lately, and more Reasonable to deal with and immediately something was up. Sandy was just happy the death threats Wukong would give him occasionally stopped. Then one morning the pilgrims were asleep until the ground shook like their was an earthquake. This made pigsy Shat and piss his pants as he paled and scream like a girl upon what he saw, it was you and Queen kong, and Sandy straight up pale like seriously he was ash at that point. Then Finally the monk who had a heart attack and Stroke at the same time, as the saw you and Queen kong. Finally, Wukong showed up and excitedly introduced you both as his 2 beautiful wives. That's right. He absolutely got married behind the monk and heavens back, and if they know what's good for them, they better not do anything😈.

(NR Wukong) Li felt a serious mingrain form upon meeting Wukong's 2 wives, aka you and your sister Queen kong. Meanwhile, everybody was willing out and had so many questions for both of you, Li and Su's friend group. Welcome you both with open arms. Queen Kong was so happy to make new friends as she talked to everyone about practically everything, and shared stories about when you both were younger. You, of course didn't join the conversations, but that doesn't mean you weren't listening as you were just laying next to Wukong, but you were very happy that your sister had come out of her shell and made friends.

Meanwhile, the Ao Bing and his father went into hiding, because well.....between you and me, it turns the dragon king of the east actually owes you money And You're somehow scarier than a regular lone shark, and Queen kong has beef with Ao bing because the little Bastard set fire to part of her home and she's still mad about it this day. So they both better stay out of our line of sight😈👿

(HIB Wukong) He's kinda embarrassed, but not in a bad way. It's more like he's huffing while getting scolded by Queen Kong about not making you both aware that he was a single father. You both loved Silly Girl and Luier in an instant. Like Wukong, you would sometimes get annoyed with Luier's motor mouth and never ending questions, but your both saved by Queen king's godly Patience with him And answered every question to the best of her ability. Meanwhile, you took a liking to Silly Girl because she seems like a fighter to you, and with a bit of self defense Training She could be a force to be Reckon with, plus you always wanted a daughter🥰. Pigsy knew better to try both of you, as you could both totally Crush him under your thumb. But overall Luier and Silly girl love you both and already accepted you both as mother figures.

(Netflix Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh dear here we go. So you should know by now how annoying heaven found Wukong to be, but you should also know about how hard they shat and pissed themselves and went into a PTSD level state of panic when they found out about you both. Now they did hear the rumor that the monkey That was pestering them getting hitched, Which is probably why he wasn't bothering them for a while, but they had Absolutely no idea That he got married to not one but two wives, AND IT'S BOTH THE QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS AND THE QUEEN OF THE GORILLAS!!!!!!!! this has to be a dream. A incredibly traumatizing dream And if you think the heavens were suffering with this information you can imagine how the dragon king felt about this😬. HE messed with the husband of the Queens and lived to tell other people about it, He felt like this was the end he felt like this His final moments As he writes as will, Preparing To take his medicine and punishment.

Meanwhile You and Queen kong fawned over Lin like the daughter Neither view ever had. Spoiling her with food, treasures, and clothes as you both learned from Wukong that she was alone for most of her life. Well That's clearly about to change as you both welcome and adopted her as your daughter🥰🥰🥰

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

#monkey king netflix #monkey king reborn #monkey king x reader #nezha reborn #lmk monkey king #monkey king hero is back #x female y/n #godzilla vs kingkong #godzilla vs kong #godzilla #godzilla king of the monsters #King Kong

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