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Refute therapy centre offers reasonably priced services with good facilities. We are the best physiotherapist in Chennai. For book an appointment visit us at www.refutetherapycentre.com
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Discover the Best Dietician in Delhi for Weight Loss: Top Expert in Delhi NCR
Looking for the best dietician in Delhi for weight loss? Look no further! Our renowned team offers expert guidance tailored to help you achieve your weight loss goals effectively and sustainably. As the best dietician near you, we provide personalized nutrition plans and support to fit your unique lifestyle and needs. Serving the Delhi NCR area, our specialists are dedicated to delivering top-notch care and results. Trust us to guide you on your journey to better health with the expertise of the leading dieticians in the region.
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10 Signs of Childhood Trauma You Shouldn't Ignore
Recognizing signs of childhood trauma is crucial for early intervention and healing. Symptoms like anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties can signal unresolved trauma. If you or a loved one is experiencing these signs, seeking support from the best therapist for depression near me is essential. They can provide compassionate guidance and evidence-based therapies to navigate through difficult emotions and experiences. Taking this step can lead to profound healing and a healthier, happier future.
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6 Warning Signs You are Suffering From Mental Health Problems
It is not surprising that our routine day-to-day life stresses us both physically and mentally. While we tend to take care of ourselves physically, we tend to ignore our mental health consistently
Best Mental Illness Doctors in Bangalore explain that it is extremely vital to take a moment and reflect on our mental health as it impacts every aspect of our lives.
The best way to deal with Mental Health issues is to first be aware of the warning signs that can indicate that you need to meet your physician or psychiatrist. This blog explores 6 common signs that might signal a mental health issue.
Warning Signs That Matter
Whether we realize it or not, mental health plays a significant role in our happiness, productivity, and relationships.
Continued feeling of Sadness/ Moroseness Experts associated with the Best Mental Health Clinic in Bangalore indicate that feeling sad and morose for a prolonged period of time can indicate an underlying mental health condition.
Feeling Isolated Feeling lonely and lost is a clear indication of something disturbing in your mind. Withdrawing or staying away from social gatherings and meetings can seriously impact your day-to-day routines and can even propel you to make drastic decisions. This condition must be overcome at the earliest to help you stay strong and confident.
Varying sleep patterns and food habits Changes in sleep patterns and food habits can lead to nutritional imbalances and can impact energy levels and mood.
Difficulty in focusing An undiagnosed mental health disorder can affect your ability to focus on activities a great deal. This can impact your overall productivity and progress.
Physical ailments with no particular reason Certain physical ailments with no specific cause could indicate a possible mental health issue. Unexplained symptoms, such as headaches, digestive issues, body aches, or fatigue, should not be disregarded as they can generate emotional stress impacting physical well-being.
Frustration leading to thoughts of suicide Thoughts of self-harm or suicide are critical warning signs that should never be ignored or dismissed. They indicate immense emotional distress and require urgent attention.
Ignoring any symptom of a likely mental health issue can not only be demoralizing but also disastrous. It needs the best and calmest minds to understand your situation and show you the way forward. Hence, if you are wondering, “Who is the Best to Reach Out for Mental Health Counseling Near Me”, think no further than Maarga Mindcare. You will immediately feel the difference by speaking to our experts.
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Best psychiatrist in Bangalore
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3.23 Making an Impression
Part 1 of 2
It’s the day of my hike with Lucy and Lacey. I somehow manage to convince a few other coworkers to come with us even though a lot of us aren’t particularly athletic. Robi, Clara, Quinn, and Lilly are joining us and I’m feeling pretty good about my plan to help Lucy make friends.
While we’re waiting for Lucy and her brother to show up, Lilly shows off her hiking fit. She always has the craziest outfits and they’re usually themed, which is fun.
Today she’s wearing a fishing hat with fabric fish attached to the brim. As Lilly poses for us, Lacey swats at them and they swirl around each other like they’re in a chase. “What’s with the fishing hat?” Lacey asks her.
Lilly starts untangling the fish. “It’s the most outdoorsy thing I own,” she explains. “I thought it really completed the outfit.”
“I think it’s cute,” Clara tells her. “No one said you had to be practical.”
“I don’t think Lilly could be practical if she tried,” Robi laughs.
“I’ll take that as a compliment!”
“I meant it as one!”
“I think that’s Lucy,” Quinn says, looking toward the entrance to the trails. She abruptly slaps herself on the neck, which makes all of us stare at her in confusion. “Mosquito,” she explains, her face flushing red. “They always eat me up.”
Lucy and her crew approach us. A guy I assume is her brother is with her; he looks like the stereotypical Tartosan with his jet black hair and I can see a family resemblance. There's another girl with them, which is great because if there's one thing this trip is lacking, it's female energy.
Lucy introduces them as her brother Paul and his best friend Danica.
Once the introductions are done, we all start making our way up the hiking trail.
“What do you two do?” Clara asks Paul and Danica.
“We’re both students at Foxbury,” Danica answers. “We’re in undergrad now, but I want to be a Psychologist and Paul’s going to be a doctor.”
“Wow, that’s really cool!” Clara replies.
“What kind of doctor do you want to be, Paul?” inquires Lacey.
“I’m not sure yet,” Paul admits. “I want to wait until I’ve done a few clinical rotations in med school before I settle on anything.”
“That’s really wise,” Lilly says, sounding impressed.
All of the girls make their way towards Paul as soon as they hear the word "doctor." They start talking to him about his bright future.
Wow, Paul, it’s so cool that you got a full ride scholarship!
You must be really smart!
I love when guys have a strong work ethic!
I hate to admit that I start feeling a bit irritated. A few weeks ago they all gushed over me when they saw my drawing, but now it doesn’t seem as impressive.
We come to a cliff that Lucy informs us is a popular climbing spot. “If you feel confident in your climbing skills you can go up this way. Otherwise the trail takes you to the top,” she explains.
“I think I’ll climb up,” Paul says confidently. The girls look at him in admiration. I can practically see the hearts forming in their eyes.
I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but I blurt out, “Yeah, me, too.”
As soon as we begin to scale the rocks, I realize I made a big mistake. Why would I think climbing was a good idea? I don’t have any experience and Paul is clearly in better shape. Of course, he reaches the top of the wall with no problem and I’m left struggling halfway up. All I can think about is how badly I need a cigarette.
“Johnny, do you want to just climb back down?” Lacey calls up, with more concern in her voice than I feel comfortable acknowledging.
“No, I’m good,” I lie. It takes what seems like forever for me to get near the top. Every passing second just fills me with more embarrassment.
As I approach the top of the cliff, I see Paul crouch down at the edge and reach his hand out. “Need some help?” he offers.
No, nope, not going to happen! I scream internally, but then I start to lose my footing. Faced with the possibility of this horrible moment being my last one on earth and forever cementing me in everyone's memories as The Dumbass Who Fell Off a Mountain Trying to Impress Girls, I see no better option than to take Paul’s hand. I feel defeated, but at least I still have the rest of my life ahead of me to try and save face.
“I have a lot of climbing experience,” Paul tells me once I’m secure at the top of the cliff.
“No problem, I was just trying to be funny.” Liar! Now that the moment is over and done with, I realize I’m more embarrassed by trying to engage in some sort of macho competition for the girls’ attention than I am in my lack of skill. It’s not the sort of thing I usually do.
“Oh, okay,” Paul responds. He doesn’t sound convinced but at least he doesn’t call me out.
“Are you okay?” Lacey asks me once we catch up with the others.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I tell her. Just a bruised ego is all.
“We’re almost to the top!” Lucy exclaims. We round the corner and Lucy guides us to the edge. “Be careful,” she warns, and I ignore that she’s looking right at me when she says it.
Cautiously, I peek down over the edge. I’m surprised at how much of the city I can see. It doesn’t seem like we went that high up, but laid out below us are hundreds of buildings and trees that seem surreal in their tininess. “Cool,” is all I can manage to say.
“I can see the studio!” Lilly points below, and the rest of us look excitedly at the building we spend 5 days a week in. It’s funny how something we see everyday seems so much more impressive when it’s viewed it from a different angle.
“There’s where the food truck parks!” Clara shouts and we all turn our heads like we’ve discovered a hidden treasure.
“Great, now I want tacos,” I joke, and I feel the embrace of laughter surrounding me. Maybe the day won’t be a total waste.
Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next
#welcome to safe harbor paul and danica#enjoy your stay#i started spelling danica's name wrong somewhere along the way oops#ts4#sims 4#ts4 story#simblr#sims story#sims storytelling#simlit#sims community#stksafeharbor#safeharborstory#sh:johnny#sh:clara#sh:danica#sh:lacey#sh:lilly#sh:lucy#sh:paul#sh:quinn#sh:robi#oc: lucy dimarco#oc: paul dimarco#oc: danika courtney#sh:chapter3
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This is a flag I found for ASPD. There's an entire archive of support flags for people with different kinds of Cluster B Disorders. I just really like this version.
Antisocial Personality Disorder can be disabling and is considered a social disability. Depending on the psychologist it’s also considered an emotional disability like ADHD or Bipolar.
This may not make sense at a glance, but there’s psychologically found logic behind this.
People with ASPD have severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Chronic Depressive Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder GAD).
The disorder also tends to be comorbid with Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder (DDD), as well as some psychotic disorders like Brief Psychosis Disorder and Schizophrenia. although these last two aren't as common.
There's also a chance for people with ASPD to have overlapping traits from other Cluster-B Disorders (NPD, BPD, HPD). And many people with ASPD struggle with impulse disorders. Common impulse disorders related to ASPD are as follows:
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED): Characterized by recurrent outbursts of verbal or physical aggression that are disproportionate to the provocation.
Kleptomania: A recurrent urge to steal items that are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value.
Pyromania: An impulse control disorder characterized by recurrent and deliberate fire-setting behavior.
Pathological Gambling: Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior that leads to significant distress or impairment.
Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder): An irresistible urge to pull out one's own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss.
Many people with ASPD also struggle with addiction and may be fighting addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, binge eating, and social media because these are quick endorphin fixes that help us feel something due to the inherent nature of ASPD to be numb almost 24/7.
It's extremely rare for someone with ASPD to get disability aid. Which probably sounds ridiculous, when you look at this massive list of issues. A large part of it is our society. People tend to see someone who has a label that is synonymous with Sociopath and Psychopath (there's a difference between the two) and immediately want them in jail. And it doesn't matter how long they've known that person, or what their relationship is. (I got dumped last year when my ex found out I have ASPD and almost disowned during Christmas when I told my dad. The only reason I haven't been being that he thinks it's a demonic issue that can be "cured with prayer".)
On top of that, our psychology system isn't built to handle someone with a personality disorder like ASPD (or even NPD). I get told a lot "You're really self-aware." Which is basically them saying they aren't going to help you. Of course I'm self-aware if I'm going into the therapist's office for advice (at the least) and actual help (would be great), but I get turned away because if I'm "self-aware", so I should be able to figure it out. This isn't an issue that pertains directly to ASPD, it's also one that affects every disorder that's hard for a neurotypical to understand.
This is more personal. Feel free to read this in a mildly irritated, but not very much, tone of voice. Preferably a tired scholar from Skyrim, that'll make my day.
I cannot function in today's society. I can't hold down a job, and I've tried time and time again. I get a few months in and I hit a wall and my mental health goes to shit. I had to quit my last job for my physical safety because I got bored with just life in general, to the point I was seriously considering sticking my arm in a fry vat.
I haven't even managed to get a proper diagnosis because I don't have health insurance, and I have so many false disorders on my medical diagnosis sheet from my narcissistic father bullying my long-term therapist into giving me damn near every disorder except for ADHD and Conduct Disorder (I was below the age of 18, but it would have helped me in the here and now with securing the diagnosis I need for medical reasons.) Growing up several doctors I worked with wanted to get me set up for an ASPD diagnosis and my father told them no. And because of where I lived I had no say in it, and even if I did my father was abusive, so goodbye to ever speaking up for myself.
On top of that, I'm a woman. There's a severe gender bias in ASPD, as well as the fact that women with ASPD are reportedly less likely to be physically aggressive and more likely to be mentally aggressive, so our symptoms show up slightly differently than the stereotype. And don't even get me started on the stereotypes. Plus women are more likely to be studied for comorbid disorders than psychologists even considering ASPD. This is the same shit autistic women struggled with.
There's a massive underreporting in the female ASPD populace because of this, and a lot more masking going on because everything gets chalked up to "she's just a bitch" or "hormones". There's also just not enough research done on females with ASPD to understand how it may be different from a male with ASPD.
I'm tired. I've been fighting for a year to get people to recognize me as an individual who deals with ASPD. Every time I run into threats of being abandoned (which is horrible, considering I was abused and then abandoned by my biological mom, then put in foster care for the next 4 years), or the road block of "You're a woman. Are you sure you don't have BPD? That's the female disorder." Or just getting tired of the uphill slope. I only have so much stamina, and sure I have a lot of spite for the world, but eventually that's going to run out too. And then I'll probably kill myself.
The suicide rate in general is less than 2%.
The suicide rate for people with ASPD is 23%.
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Dancing 'til the break of dawn - Pt11
<Pt10
(TWST Zombie apocalypse AU where Yuu beast tames just a little too close to the sun)
Ace squinted at the apartment in front of them. Yuu decided that this was simply because Ace was an asshole who hated the poor, and not because Ace disapproved of his life decisions. Regardless of what Ace may say, Yuu knew the truth.
“You didn’t have to come,” Yuu pointed out.
“Grim would probably kill me the second you left,” Ace said.
“He didn’t kill Deuce when they were cuddling,” Yuu said, raising an eyebrow.
Deuce flushed red. “Grim crawled over while I was asleep! It wasn’t purposeful!”
Yuu had never said it was. But now he was considering that maybe it might have been. Yuu frowned. His arms were already crossed over his chest, since that was (weirdly) the most comfortable position for his shoulder right now, but he was crossing them a second time in spirit.
Trey also frowned, but it didn’t seem to be due to jealousy: “That’s not good. If you can’t wake up when something touches you, you could get bitten.”
“Which isn’t a problem for us,” Yuu said, quickly, trying to sound more confident about this than he actually was. “Because Grim doesn’t kill me or my friends!”
“Anymore,” mumbled Deuce.
“As long as they’re not girls,” added Ace.
“Shut up!” Yuu said, which might not have been the best comeback, but he didn’t really have one, not in this kind of scenario. It was true, after all. Grim still didn’t allow Yuu to be near female zombies, let alone an actual, live woman. And, while the zombie had mellowed out somewhat with the murdering Yuu’s friends thing, this didn’t change the fact that he had done so at one point.
(Okay, maybe not at one point. It was, probably, closer to at four points. Five, if you count that one time with his family, but Yuu didn’t, that was… different. But the point stands.)
Trey walked up to the entrance. The glass doors had long since been broken, but were recently boarded over by the looks of things. He gave one long, resigned sigh before trying to remove the boards.
No one bothered to help him.
Yuu would love to go back in time. Not to stop the apocalypse or anything, that was impossible he promises. He simply wanted to have a chat with all of those people who used to think that humanity would come together when faced with a horrible threat. Because… no. If anything, they had all gotten a million times worse. Whether that was because all of the ‘good’ people had died off due to their pesky morals, or if the ‘bad’ people were simply more noticeable now that laws were no longer around to protect them, or it was simply impossible to be ‘good’ when under this much stress for this long… Yuu wasn’t sure, to be honest. He was a teenager, not a psychologist. And it wasn’t as if he could poll all of the survivors or anything – he’d die to the aforementioned ‘bad’ people.
Yuu had no intentions of dying anytime soon, he was actually very allergic to dying and he was avoiding an averse reaction like the plague (or, for a more apt comparison, like the plague of zombies that everyone else had to run from). He certainly wasn’t going to die for science. It had been his worst subject in school. Therefore he hates it.
He sighed, his chin coming to rest on top of Deuce’s head. Mostly just to be annoying.
Unfortunately for him, Deuce didn’t seem to mind that much, only bothering to move his bat off of his shoulder, hanging from a lazy hand.
“You need to touch up your dye,” Yuu murmured, poking his friend’s cheek. He will annoy him. If only for the sake of entertainment. “The blue is fading. It’s kinda got a green look to it, now.”
“My hair’s blue?” Deuce asked.
Yuu opened and closed his mouth a few times. He had not been prepared for this kind of situation. Abort mission. He looked around for something else to pay attention to, ignoring Deuce’s elbow digging into his side and increasingly insistent questions.
Aha, right, there were other people. Standing over by the apartment’s entrance. He rushed over to join them, Deuce on his heels.
Deuce immediately grabbed Ace. Mission success! Yuu has managed to pawn off his problems on someone else once again!
“Is my hair blue?”
“Uhhhhhhhhhh,” Ace said, blue-screening. “I’m colorblind!”
Yuu, who had picked out clothes with Ace a mere two days ago, knew this was bullshit. That liar!
Why hadn’t Yuu thought of that?!
Deuce groaned and turned to their two seniors for help, but they seemed preoccupied. Which made sense for Trey, who was trying to break into the complex. But made less sense for Cater, who was simply leaning against the wall, his eyes on the horizon.
Yuu followed his gaze. He found that, if you were tall enough, you could still see the tip of the radio tower’s antenna, poking above the skyline.
Which meant no one but Yuu, Cater, and Trey could see it. Sucks to suck, short people. Try again next time.
Cater didn’t seem to share his sense of humor:
“I didn’t know there were people so close by,” he said, softly.
“This is a great area,” Trey said, the words almost lost as the board under his hand gave way. “The amount of zombies here is surprisingly low.” His eyes flicked to Yuu and Grim. “Er… I guess it’s not surprising anymore…”
“The property value around Yuu is through the roof, yeah,” said Ace, grinning. “If only there was a way to capitalize on this...”
Yuu rolled his eyes. “I can sic Grim on you at any point, you know, don’t get too comfortable.”
Ace grinned, leaning against Yuu’s side, batting his eyelashes. “You can, but you woooon’t.”
“I will if you try and use Grim.”
“Ha! Rejected,” Deuce said.
Yuu snorted. “The same thing goes for you.”
Deuce sulked.
He hesitated, before giving in with a sigh. “Fine, you’re right, I’d probably just beat you up over it. I could never kill you, Deuce.”
“The fuck kinda favoritism is this?” Ace said. “I was your friend first, y’know!”
“Yeah, but Deuce is a sweetheart.”
(Deuce was currently smirking at Ace in a distinctly not-sweetheart way, but it is what it is.)
“I can be sweet!”
Even Trey and Cater looked disbelieving.
Yuu snickered. “The only ‘sweetheart’ you know is those little candy things you can eat.”
“Those are called SweetTarts.”
Yuu frowned. Was that true? Had he been reading the label wrong his entire life?
… no, it was Ace who was wrong, he was sure.
Whatever. He could use this. “Thanks for proving my point.”
Ace scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s just get this shit over with.”
Trey gave a tired little laugh, another board giving way. There is a small gap, now, enough for a skinny person to squeeze through, albeit with some effort. Thankfully, this was the apocalypse, so skinny people were not in short supply. They all had muscles, sure, at least on some level, but there wasn’t enough food to go around for them to be anything but lean.
Yuu wondered how the bodybuilders were all feeling these days. Surely not that great.
Oh. What about sumo wrestlers? What happened to those guys?
Hm. On second thought. He wasn’t sure whether he actually wanted to know. He stepped towards the door, intent on literally moving on from that thought, but he was stopped by an arm thrown in his way. He blinked at Trey.
“I need to make sure you guys aren’t bringing any weapons in.”
There was an awkward silence. It wasn’t that they all intended to hurt… whoever Trey thought he was protecting. However, no one was particularly fond of the idea of leaving themselves weaponless in an unfamiliar place while meeting a person they didn’t know.
Granted, they didn’t think that Trey was luring them away to kill them. He could have done so long ago. The cookies he’d given them, in hindsight, could have been poisoned in some way. They shouldn’t be in any danger. But old habits die hard.
This is why Yuu refused to form habits at all! He didn’t care about being searched by Trey. He was weaponless, anyway. That was, like, maybe 10% of the reason they had gone to Cater’s radio station in the first place. So, he let Trey pat him down without complaint. It wasn’t like he had much on him, really.
He did have a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Trey didn’t seem too concerned about this, starting to hand them back to Yuu.
Only for Ace to snatch them away. “YOU SMOKE?! SINCE WHEN?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!”
“They’re not mine,” said Yuu. His life was just going to be pain and suffering the whole way through, huh?
“That’s what they all say,” Cater pointed out. Whose side are you on, Cater?! Why isn’t it Yuu’s?!
“I mean, sure, but I’m not lying.”
“So, you just have cigarettes in your pocket for fun?”
Yuu pressed his face into his hands.
“He’s telling the truth. They’re mine,” admitted Deuce, looking like he would rather be anywhere else.
If you watched carefully, you could see the exact moment where Ace’s brain struggled to recalibrate.
“Why does he have them then?” Trey asked, genuinely curious rather than outright teasing. It was a nice change of pace. Too bad Trey was problematic.
“Because he’s trying to quit,” Yuu explained, shrugging. “And it’s my job to see whether a situation is stressful enough to ‘justify’ him getting one.”
“Speaking of! I want one! You were shot!” said Deuce, his hand out.
Yuu considered this. And then shook his head. “Nah, your statute of limitations is up.”
Deuce spluttered. “I should’ve asked Ace instead.”
Yuu had never been so offended in his life. How dare Deuce imply he was replaceable? And by Ace no less! “Ace would’ve given it to you whenever you asked!”
“That’s the point —.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t have given him any,” Ace said. “Funnier to see him suffer.”
“Why do all of my friends suck?” Deuce asked, staring at the sky as if it could provide all of the answers he craved. The sky, being the sky, did not relinquish its knowledge so easily.
Ace, however, was happy to answer Deuce, wrapping his arms around him and smushing their cheeks together as he said, “Because you suck, too!”
Deuce scowled, pushing him away, into Yuu, who didn’t really want him, either. But fine, whatever.
Ace was quickly pulled off of him, at least, so Trey could pat him down next. Ace had… a frankly impossible number of knives on him. Yuu had always suspected that Ace would have some ‘cards’ up his sleeves in the case of emergency, but he had never expected quite so many. Of multiple varieties, as well! Yuu counted the butcher’s knife that Ace always carried around. Then, Trey found way too many steak knives duck taped to the inside of his varsity jacket, so he made Ace take it off, only to find two paring knives duck taped to his arms. After that, Trey searched him much more thoroughly, and everyone was both surprised and very much not when his search ended with him finding a switchblade in his left shoe and a butterfly knife in the right one.
“You have a problem,” said Cater, flatly.
Ace, who had been sulking since Trey had thought to search his shoes, stuck his tongue out at him. “Yeah? Let’s see you give up your weapon, then!”
Cater shrugged and walked to the nearest bush, stashing his gun away, seeming to not have a single care in the world.
Yuu, who had been shot by this man not that long ago and was determined to be petty about it until one of them died, called bullshit. But whatever, it wasn’t as if they had no tricks up their sleeves themselves, and as long as Cater didn’t call them on it then… whatever, he could have some insurance, too.
Not that you would know of this silent agreement, looking at Ace. The boy was staring down at the pile of knives at his feet, his carefully curated collected discarded. He was making a good show of looking absolutely devastated. It was, probably, at least partially real. “Really? Can’t I, at least, have a paring knife? They’re dinky little things…”
“I bake, Ace, I know exactly how much damage one of those things can do,” Trey said, shortly.
He turned to Deuce, who tossed his bat to the side, looking reminiscent of an actual baseball player, someone about to run for first base.
Yuu considered the bat on the ground for a moment, before pointedly looking away. He stretched his arms over his head, his sweater riding up for a moment before he sighed and set his arms back down. “Right, that should be everyone.”
“We all good now?” Ace asked, sounding more petulant than Yuu had ever heard him. Which was saying something.
Trey smiled. “Yep! Oh, and the cat stays outside, just for the record.”
Yuu made a dying sound in the back of his throat. Because that is what he was doing. Dying. His emotional support zombie! This should be listed under cruel and unusual punishment. He hadn’t even done anything!
… as far as Trey knew!
Ace grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him over to the hole. “If I had to give up my knives, you have to give up your cat.”
“Those aren’t the same! One is inanimate, the other deserves all of the love and attention in the world! Which I can’t give him, if he’s not with me at all times!”
Cater seemed somewhere between amused and mildly weirded out. “Honestly, I’m not sure whether you or your cat is worse.”
Yuu opened his mouth, and then closed it, struck with a strange dilemma. Yuu, of course, had been perfect since the day he’d been born. But then there was Grim, who was his precious and could do no wrong if he tried. Which was worse?
He pondered this question right up until they opened the door to a ground-floor apartment.
Trey opened the door just a crack, stepping in, explaining to the person on the other side that he had visitors.
And then he let the door swing open wider.
A boy was sitting in the windowsill, a book open in his lap, using the sunlight to read. He was done, now, though, it seemed. He neatly placed a bookmark between the pages and then slipped off of the windowsill. He was tiny enough to be mistaken for a child, if not for the frown lines between his brows. His hair was red, to an unnatural extent – dully, Yuu thought he could give Deuce tips on how to dye his own hair.
The stranger glanced them all up and down for a moment, taking in their slightly grubby appearances. People tried to stay clean, but it just wasn’t an easy thing to do. Unless you’re this nameless guy, apparently, who sat in this tidy little apartment, without a single hair out of place. It felt as if the door had led them into another universe entirely. One that was far nicer. One that smelled of pastries instead of rot. One where water was still in plentiful supply, to the point where using it to clean wasn’t a waste, one where people didn’t chug sodas to make sure they didn’t dehydrate. One where laughs weren’t muffled for fear of being overheard, where grins and smirks were still smiles, where smiles didn’t bely deception.
It was disorienting. He almost didn’t want to step inside.
They didn’t belong in a world like this, not anymore.
“It’s impolite to wear shoes inside,” the stranger said, eventually.
Ace and Deuce sent Yuu smug grins, which he ignored in favor of toeing off his shoes and setting them by the door.
He smiled, lacing his hands behind his back as he stepped through the doorway. The knife Ace had shoved into his waistband pressed against the back of his thumbs. “It’s impolite to scold someone before introductions can take place, too, y’know!”
~~~~~
Pt12>
#twisted wonderland#ace trappola#deuce spade#twst yuu#twst grim#trey clover#cater diamond#riddle rosehearts#heartslabyul#we finally collected them all boysssss
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Frostbite - Part 2
Originally posted on AO3 under the same name.
A/N: It’s been almost a year since I published the first part. I’m pretty excited to finally be able to release this one. This will most likely be the last time I write them because I like where it leaves them.
Pairing: Yautja (Male) x OC (Female)
Word Count: 9529
Content Warnings: mild dub-con, NSFW
Part One
-
-
It was in the very early morning when Lisa Stewart was finally released from the four-walled confines of the minimally decorated meeting room, in which the glaringly obvious fake plant in the corner of the room existed only to spruce up the place with a bit of colour (Lisa oftentimes wondered if the plastic plant was a stupid nod at the botany team). She and the few other exhausted and, to be quite honest, highly annoyed ethologists were forced to participate in weekly briefings on their recent findings — which was never really much because, well, they couldn’t do much. This time, however, the meeting had been a little different (if not full of outrage, hence the late finish time). Their stupid superiors of the Istratus Investigations team were considering a Round Two of Getting Fucked in the Ass by the Istratus B Expedition. The winter season was finally coming to an end, and the planet was moving towards a ‘much calmer spring-like season’, if their mathematical data was correct, because it was so correct last time, too.
And, of course, the ethology team was one of the first groups of scientists to be nominated for the expedition. The others were less than keen and a little wary of the idea of stepping foot on that surface again, and rightfully so, for their memories were still plagued with the blizzard that had abruptly brought their journey to an end. The entire trip had been a huge financial blow to the research team, what with the lack of data and samples they’d accumulated, on top of the detrimental loss of expensive equipment. The I.I. sponsors were less than pleased to hear their money had essentially gone to waste, and it’d taken a good long month for the leading researchers to convince both their sponsors and the United Nations government for more money that certainly wouldn’t go to waste this time because, apparently, the seasonal conditions during the spring months weren’t as volatile as winter.
Truth be told, Lisa had been more than ready for the entire investigations team to be cut and for everyone to be sent home. Others had been just as pessimistic in the wake of their failure, but the leading researchers had been adamant that all their previous work couldn’t be for nothing. However, it wasn’t them that would be stepping foot on Istratus B again. Researching from a different planet had made the investigation entirely appealing, but actually being there had taken away most of its appeal for everyone else.
However, Lisa couldn’t entirely say she had turned off the planet. And she guessed there was a small part of her that convinced her to stay on the investigations team — a small, probably outlandish, hope. Her experience hadn’t been as traumatic or nightmarish as the others, and sometimes she found herself debating if it actually happened or if her mind had been so desperate to protect itself, she’d created an entire species while in some state of delusion.
Either way, hearing about the expedition plans had her thinking about him.
Lisa had neglected to inform the UNSM soldiers about Za’the upon her return to the tent those few months ago. And when she, along with everyone else, was forced to counsel with the team’s psychologists, she’d perfected some bullshit story that everything had been so sudden that she couldn’t really remember what had happened. They’d chalked it up to trauma, and they had encouraged further sessions to help ‘uncover the blockage’, but Lisa had adamantly refused and fled, afraid that she would be put under some hypnotic spell and accidentally confess what she’d seen and done. She hadn’t stepped foot near the mental health department again.
The building in which the science department gathered and worked every day was a giant, rounded structure near the centre of the I.I. base of Proxima B. An orange hologram that bore their logo spun in slow circles above the domed ceiling, the light of which glowing against the sleek metal structures and walkways, the likes of which extended from the platform that the building sat proudly upon.
Lisa checked her wristband to find that it was a little past midnight. The day and night cycles were exceptionally longer here than on Earth. It’d majorly tripped Lisa up when she discovered that they ran on 32-hour clocks. As such, she opted to watch the live depiction of their rotating planet available on their wristbands, using this as a way to determine sunup and sundown. It was less of a headache than looking at the time only to see it was 27:54 or something like that. She was slowly getting used to it.
“Doctor Stewart.”
Lisa looked over her shoulder to see Doctor Jesse Adderman hurrying up behind her. He wore none of the usual professional attire he donned during their working hours — he’d been slacking off as of late, taking the team less and less seriously as the available data grew scarcer. He was in his thirties, most notable for the goofy glasses always askew on his head, probably as so from when he got punched in the face by a UNSM soldier on a previous job. And judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy with the recent news.
“Hey, Jesse,” Lisa said. She lowered her wrist as they walked side-by-side down the catwalk built upon the rocky surface. Small holograms glitched every now and then, warning passers-by that falling off the edge would result in injury or death.
“Can you believe it?” Jesse adjusted his thick-framed glasses. “The entire idea just seems like one big joke.”
Yeah, it did. Their superiors had wanted the ethology team to closely observe how the wildlife transitioned from the winter months to the spring months, but Lisa couldn’t really imagine much difference from Earthen animals. It just sounded like some excuse to send people back onto the surface — perhaps it was a guise for facilitating human integration and seasonal adaption. There had been talks of colonisation on Istratus B, but it had been kept hush-hush; even so, Lisa found it hard to integrate a human society without damaging the ecosystem or succumbing to the volatile weather patterns.
“It does,” Lisa said. “But, I mean, you could always go back to the wildlife conservation on Earth.” She lightly smiled. Apparently, Jesse’s early career days had been traumatic. No one knows why.
“No, thank you!” Jesse said. “I’ll take my chances here. Even if a goddamn blizzard does end up killing me.”
“How exciting,” Lisa said. “Freezing to death in a blizzard. I’d rather get eaten by lions.”
“Seriously?”
“Sounds cooler.” Lisa shrugged. They reached Jesse’s unit first — shrouded in darkness, decorated only with a small windmill that jutted from the pebbles of another fake plant. There was no wind tonight, so the stupid thing sat still in its perch.
“Right, well, see you first thing,” Jesse said.
Lisa bid him goodbye and continued the short walk to Unit 367, her own. It sat even blander, with no decoration, just a sad little box of metal amongst the other boxes of metal. She activated the digital key by the sliding door, which synced with her wristband, granting her access inside.
The units were quite small, much like an Earthen studio apartment. As much as it sucked, the conditions were liveable, and at least Lisa could say she was on a different planet. Though the more society advanced, the less impressive the feat seemed, and she oftentimes found herself browsing the new job opportunities that stretched further and further into space. She had felt blessed and positively excited about the I.I. opportunity, but as more exciting opportunities became available to the general public, she found herself stuck and bored doing the same thing over and over again.
Perhaps Lisa had chosen the wrong career path. She hated being stuck inside all day. And even though she’d joked about it, the idea of moving back to Earth and working in the field became entirely enticing.
Lisa sighed. She looked out the window. She wanted nothing more than to see a sky full of stars amongst the night, but living on Proxima B, it was necessary for colonies to have metal shield protectors that sat high above their structures. Due to their proximity to the sun, the planet was often exposed to solar flares, and unpredictable as they were, shields became the only things that helped sustain life. Most of the ‘sunlight’ the colony received was actually from the massive artificial lights installed into the shields, the likes of which were programmed to mimic Earthen temperatures. It was supposed to boost mental health and whatnot (it didn’t), but the lack of vitamin D made it a requirement for everyone to take supplements daily.
The cons list was only growing larger, and Lisa found herself coming to more and more startling realisations.
The blonde slowly, sluggishly, pulled off her work uniform and tossed them onto her designated dirty washing chair (she would wear them the next day, anyway). Lisa flopped onto the thin mattress in the corner of the unit — she couldn’t be stuffed doing anything else. She hated late finishes with a passion and the fact she’ll still have to get up early only further grated on her nerves. The cherry on top was the knowledge she’d have an irate team for company, not to mention their nosy superiors who’d be on their cases to convince them that a second expedition would be beneficial for the data.
While the idea as a whole didn’t bother Lisa so much… it was the rumour that the intentions weren’t so honest anymore. She didn’t want to contribute to the possible destruction of habitats in order for humans to live comfortably on yet another alien planet. Their research for the ecosystem’s benefit seemed only excessive and laughable now.
The churning thoughts kept Lisa up for more than she liked.
▲▲▲
“I just don’t get it… why can’t they send a rover? Or some cheap android that’s fallen off the market?” Doctor Kayla Cook said after she stormed into the break room. Like Lisa, she was also one of the newest hires, having just graduated with a PhD only a couple of months before the first expedition.
The ethology team had just endured an hour or two’s worth of presentation from the senior researchers who had organised the entire study. It was a basic rundown of what a second trip would entail and what data and observations they expected. Apparently, some of their equipment had been upgraded, including the emergency survival kits that would now consider those stuck in harsher environments. The presentation had only been an outline, and they would spend the next month or two filling in the gaps.
The premise, for now, was to simply observe the wildlife’s behaviour within the ecosystem of a designated patch of land. They’d mentioned nothing about the Remither, which had been their previous main focal point. Lisa believed the seniors had somehow convinced their sponsors and the government that Istratus B would be a great place to expand human colonisation, hence why their priorities had shifted from something so precise to something so broad. Perhaps they wanted to minimise as much destruction as possible, and perhaps the seniors were now under such extreme stress to try and prove their theory.
But if Lisa kept theorising in her head all day, she knew it’d explode. The rumours had been kept only amongst the departments in the science building, and the seniors had yet to catch wind of it. But some had said that the rumour had actually started from one of the seniors themselves… which, well, didn’t quite make it a rumour then, did it?
They had no reason to lie.
“Androids aren’t cheap. Even if they have fallen off the market,” Jesse said. He sat at the table by the window, sorting through his lunchbox. Kayla strolled over to the coffee machine.
“Fuck it. Just salvage one from the tip,” Kayla said. She grabbed her personal mug from the sink and pressed a capsule into the machine. It buzzed loudly.
“Language,” Jesse said. He peeled off the lid covering his cold leftovers and quickly gave them a stir with his small metal fork.
Lisa, who sat at a table in the corner by, yet another, stupid fake plant, rose her brows. “I’m sure Weyland will find some way to tax that.”
Weyland-Yutani was the biggest manufacturer of androids and similar A.I. systems, but most of their creations never even left the building. They were also the biggest consumers, and not many people were lucky enough to get their hands on a WY android. There were other companies, but business was difficult when WY could produce some appealing products, which meant lower sales and higher prices. Of course, there were the more generic companies, for example, the ones who produced retail and general androids who did all the jobs no one else wanted to do anymore. But they were commonplace now, and they weren’t programmed to do anything above general duties. The real deals were only ever really produced by Weyland-Yutani, and that’s exactly what the I.I. team would hugely benefit from. But most of their unusable technology was disposed of secretly, and their spare parts were left in huge tips, where they would later be recycled. The I.I. team could never be big nor important enough for WY to even glance their way, let alone consider lending such a piece of valuable technology.
“Pfft,” Kayla dismissed. She turned the milk frothing machine off and poured it into her waiting coffee shots. “They don’t have to know. Besides, it’s safer that way, anyway.”
“They don’t care about us,” Lisa said. “We’re like… an ant colony that sometimes gets in their way. You know?”
“Excellent analogy,” Jesse said. He adjusted his glasses before shovelling some food into his mouth.
“Thanks.” Lisa looked back to Kayla, who’d turned and now leaned against the counter. “Come on. We’ve all heard the rumours. An android or a rover could never experience something the way a human does.”
“Let’s not gossip.” Jesse shot her a knowing look.
Kayla sighed. “For once, drop the act, Jesse,” she said wearily. “I’m sick of this shit. Between you guys and me, I’ve been looking for a way out. Got a few jobs of interest.”
“I hate this idea, too. It’s stupid,” Jesse said. “But think of it this way. It could be the biggest break of our career.”
“You switched fast.” Lisa looked him up and down.
“Whatever. I’m not dying for this fucking company,” Kayla said. “There’s a job opportunity that’s opened up on Mars. A few, actually. You guys should look into it.” She quickly clocked the look Lisa and Jesse shot each other. Kayla sighed again, this time louder. “It’s better pay. Better conditions. And it’s contract work, so you can spend your time off on Earth. With real fucking sunlight.” Kayla exaggeratedly threw her hands out, almost spilling her coffee.
“So, are you applying?” Lisa asked casually. She didn’t want Jesse to see that the news had gripped her interest. She’d never been to Mars; it was still enduring the terraforming process, but last she’d heard, more and more colonies were popping up across the rocky surface.
Kayla cocked a brow. “Yeah. Duh.”
“You’ve convinced me.”
“What?!” Jesse exclaimed so suddenly that some of his food fell out of his mouth. He didn’t even notice. “Come on, Lisa. What’s there to do, anyway? Watch how bacteria crawls over the rocks?”
“Actually, they’ve bio-engineered a few of the extinct Martian species,” Kayla said. She shrugged as if the entire idea was an ordinary occurrence. “They want to trial environmental reintegration.”
“I know what you’re doing,” Jesse said casually, jabbing his fork in Kayla’s direction. The two women tried to ignore the piece of salad hanging off his lip. “And it’s working.”
Kayla smiled cheekily. She sipped some of her coffee to hide her smug expression, the very idea of the three of them working on Mars lifting her spirits. “I’ll send you guys the details.”
▲▲▲
Lisa trudged sluggishly down the catwalk. It was a journey she took with Jesse after work every day, but the poor guy had been held back to discuss something in private with one of their superiors. Yikes, she truly empathised with him. Perhaps the superiors had caught wind of the rumours and somehow assumed Jesse was responsible for them.
Her wristband illuminated her face in the dark. There were a few documents Lisa was supposed to revise in her free time to ‘familiarise’ herself with the recently discovered predators that had come out of hibernation on Istratus B. It was just another point of study for the ethology team, and Lisa was half-convinced she should just submit a report inferring that the predators weren’t actually predators and were completely safe to be around. If the weather couldn’t deter the I.I., then perhaps the local fauna can.
A notification popped up in the left-hand corner — a message from Kayla. It was the job listing she’d promised to send her earlier. Lisa perused the description before marking it as unread, deciding she would review it properly on her tablet when she got back to her unit.
The sad, stupid thing sat in the shadows amongst the row of other units. So used to her routine, Lisa walked straight up to her door and unlocked it before realising something was sitting on the windowsill.
Her heart stopped.
It was a skull.
Lisa quickly looked around, but no one was in sight. It also wouldn’t make sense for anyone to be hiding behind the units, for the terrain was much too rough and jagged to do so safely, not unless they wanted to risk falling ass-first or face-first onto a sharp rock.
The skull wasn’t entirely small; it sat comfortably enough on the windowsill, but big enough that had she accidentally knocked it, the entire thing would’ve fallen. Lisa couldn’t make out many details in the dark, but she couldn’t immediately liken the skull to any animal she’d seen before. She hesitated, staring at it, before slowly moving to pick it up.
It was smooth, but it was definitely real. Lisa had seen a lot of skeletons in her life to know what bone looked and felt like. It seemed fresh — that word made her icky. It seemed new. And it didn’t even appear damaged, nor were there any bits of flesh still stuck to the bone.
Lisa looked up and around one last time before slipping inside. When the door slid shut, she used her wristband to lock it and then placed the skull on her small, round table. When the fluorescent light flicked on, the blonde stood back and analysed it from a distance. The best she could liken it to was a sabre-tooth tiger, but something in that deduction felt wrong.
The entire situation felt wrong. Was this a threat? Perhaps she should let her unit neighbour know. Josh was an I.I. appointed security guard, and Lisa had become well-acquainted with him during her studies in the research facility. He was good at keeping secrets, but this felt like too much of a secret to keep. A threat to an I.I. member was a threat to the entire team. And Josh didn’t take too kindly to threats.
But who could have done it? Lisa had never really pissed anyone off before, and it wasn’t like an outsider had come in. Special permission was required from the United Nations Government to touch down on any research colony, and if they were getting visitors, it was mandatory for, at the very least, the superiors to know about it. And it wasn’t like they could keep it a secret. The spaceship docking port, while small, was easily visible from the science department building. Someone would’ve seen something.
Besides, ships are loud. No one would be able to sneak up on them.
“Right,” Lisa breathed. She’d been tired before, but this new discovery had completely eradicated the desire to sleep. “This… is fucking… weird.”
The blonde sat down on the edge of her bed. Her wristband buzzed with another notification, and when Lisa checked, it was a follow-up message from Kayla, who was asking if she’d applied already. That was a great idea. If Lisa was being threatened, Proxima B wouldn’t be safe anymore. She needed to get the hell out, and Mars was the next best thing if she didn’t just up and retire to Earth.
Lisa grabbed her glass tablet from its charging port and switched it on. The files synced from her wristband, and as they did so, began popping up one by one. The Istratus B predator profiles came up painfully slow, but a particular image burned Lisa’s retinas before it flashed off her screen, and the job listing popped up.
She tried to bring the document back up again, but the tablet only flashed a loading wheel. Lisa aggressively tapped her finger on the screen until the profile popped back up, her tablet glitching with the action.
Well, that solved the mystery. The skull clearly matched an Istratus B predator — it was as big as a brown bear, with similar features, but the head had overly large canines, making it permanently unable to close its mouth. The ears were long and folded back along its head, and its body was covered in a thick layer of bristled fur.
A thought popped into Lisa’s head. It couldn’t possibly be, could it?
She slowly looked back to the skull.
▲▲▲
Lisa spent most of her days anxiously checking over her shoulders. The irrational side of her rejected the idea that it wasn’t a crazy stalker and, thus, the blonde used about ten seconds of every minute wildly looking around her surroundings with owlish eyes. She had not, in fact, informed Josh the security guard about the skull; she hadn’t even told Jesse or Kayla. Though they did comment about her hypervigilance, they assumed it was because there was a new rumour going around the science department that the ethology team were planning on overthrowing their superiors.
Whatever that meant.
The idea seemed even more ludicrous after Jesse came back and informed her that they’d offered him the position of the ethology team leader since their previous one had handed in his notice of resignation. Jesse was still sitting on the idea, but the poor guy was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’d been considering what Kayla had said in the lunchroom that day, but this new senior position was winking at his bank account and resume.
Regardless, Lisa assumed that the future coup d’état rumour originated from the ecology team. There’d been a bit of a blowout between the two over the supposed job responsibilities for Istratus B Expedition Part Two. They’d noted that their roles were quite similar and had suggested cutting the ethology team to save expenses, which had received a bit of bite back from the other scientists. At this rate, Lisa was too frazzled to even care if their superiors ended up agreeing with the ecologists and axing their positions.
It had been a few days since Lisa had discovered the skull on her windowsill. She’d already heard back from the Martian job, and they had requested an interview, which was dated a few Earthen weeks from now. Apparently, there weren’t many people applying for the job because they were questioning the ethics behind their bio-engineering projects. Lisa hadn’t even known that there was an ethology forum dedicated to boycotting the bio-engineering company that had kickstarted on Mars.
In other words, going for the job would be career suicide. But Lisa was running out of options — the I.I. project was falling to shambles as more and more scientists grew fed up with the poor management and left. A couple had been disqualified on mental health grounds, and one had mysteriously disappeared, which was strange because none of the Proxima B space pods had taken off. A team of begrudging security guards had been sent off earlier that morning in an enclosed hovercraft to locate the scientist, but they’d returned late afternoon empty-handed.
For the fourth night in a row, Jesse was held back in the science department to discuss leadership positions on the team, and apparently, he’d gone armed with propositions for better treatment or else he wasn’t taking the job. Kayla had laughed and wished him good luck.
On her way back to the unit, Lisa bumped into Josh, who was dragging his feet along the catwalk for a late-night report to the security centre. Apparently, the second scout team had found the scientist stuck amongst the rocky terrain, and he’d been transferred to the medical department. Josh was the unlucky one that had to deliver him before making his way back up for the debriefing.
By the time Lisa finally arrived back at her unit, she’d all but forgotten about the skull. It was just another card on the table amongst the others, the importance of it overshadowed by the stress that had begun to creep up into her mind. It had been another late finish today — poor Jesse, who probably wouldn’t even be able to sleep for another hour or so.
Lisa’s eyes were heavy. She unlocked her front door and shuffled inside, barely registering the woosh of it shutting. Her fingers fumbled to remove the wristband, and she placed it on her bedside table before slowly shrugging off her clothes until she was in her underwear. She’d had a small bite to eat in the hour before finishing, so Lisa promised herself she’d eat a bigger breakfast. Making dinner right now would consume too much energy.
The blonde collapsed face-first onto her bed in the corner. She lay on top of the covers for about a minute, her eyelids growing heavier as sleep lulled her closer.
There was a tap on the door.
Lisa’s eyes snapped open. No one had ever knocked on her door before — a simple message would suffice. The buzz of the bloody wristband was so loud on her bedside table, it could be heard from three units down.
Lisa slowly rolled onto her back and gazed up out the back window. There was nothing but darkness. She heaved a deep sigh. Maybe this was so important the person didn’t want to message? Perhaps Jesse wanted to chat shit about their superiors, and he didn’t want to risk their chat thread being exposed.
Heaving herself up, Lisa dragged herself across the room and snatched a robe from her dirty laundry pile. She tied it around her waist before she approached the door and manually inputted the code to unlock it. It swished open to reveal… nothing.
“Seriously?” Lisa asked. She was about to step away when a heavy figure landed right in the doorway. She barely even screamed as the figure lunged forward to quickly cover her mouth. They stumbled backwards, and the door swished shut as it registered her lack of presence (perfect!).
The figure was frighteningly big, and their hand was rough against Lisa’s mouth. The blonde began to struggle, but it was the noise the figure made that gave her pause.
Purring.
Now, she’d heard that before. Lisa’s struggles stilled, and the figure held her there for a second longer before they slowly pulled away. Lisa took a couple of steps back.
“Za’the?” She asked incredulously.
“Liiisa.”
Yep, there was no denying the caveman-like drawl the Yautja had. Lisa heaved a deep sigh, both in relief and exaggeration. Out of all the reunions she’d imagined to help herself get to sleep, this wasn’t one of them.
“Seriously? I thought I was being kidnapped!” Lisa said, throwing her hands out. She could see Za’the’s silhouetted head tilt. He probably didn’t even know what that word meant. Lisa sighed again. “Come here, ya idiot.”
When she held her arms out and beckoned him closer, Za’the stepped forward unsurely. Lisa wrapped her arms around his middle, securing herself to his warmth. His thick arms reciprocated the gesture immediately, his consistent purr rumbling deeper. The blonde pressed her face against his chest, inhaling deeply. While wholly comforting, Za’the’s scent was uniquely strange, like citrussy blended roasted coffee beans.
Lisa pulled away first, running her fingers over his warm hide. She felt his ribs expand with a breath she couldn’t hear. “Let me turn on the lights,” she said. Za’the stepped to the side so Lisa could brush past him. She accessed the touch panel by the door and pressed a few buttons.
The overhead light slowly brightened in time with the slider that Lisa adjusted. When she thought it to be acceptable, she pulled away to finally look at the male that had been in the back of her mind since they first met.
Healthier and stronger now, Za’the had never looked more imposing. He’d repaired the mesh covering over his body, and he’d replaced the armour that had been too damaged to salvage. It was interesting to note that he never fixed his mask, with one horn pointing upwards with pride, and the other cut clean in half by the base. Perhaps a testament to what he’d survived?
Za’the seemed to reciprocate the action. He surveyed her, drinking in the exhaustion and dishevelled-ness. Perhaps she’d had just as hard a time as he.
Leaving Istratus B had been more of a pain in the ass than he’d initially expected. The Bad Blood had gotten away scotch free from the attack, but he’d been pissed beyond measure that the hijacking hadn’t gone to plan. He obviously hadn’t expected Za’the to be as aggressive as he had been — after all, it was his ship. And Za’the would have preferred his ship blown to pieces than in the hands of an honourless Yautja.
What was a little bit of suffering if he kept his dignity intact? Though, Za’the did face a bit of heat after he was picked up by a hunt brother. Za’the was an Emissary, a representative for his clan, and he’d been on his way to another clan to help heal some age-old blood feuds. Of course, his absence had been taken as a dismissal, and it had created an unwanted ripple effect that the Clan Council had swiftly tried to deal with.
The other clan had hardly believed Za’the when he told them he’d been attacked. This was a bit confusing to him because Emissary-tagged ships were more often than not targeted by Bad Bloods. The honourless considered Emissaries weak — not good enough to be an Arbitrator —, but it was far from the truth. Za’the had spent most of his life hunting, and he’d gotten to a point where he valued knowledge over strength. It didn’t make him weak.
An Arbitrator had been sent to retrieve the Bad Blood’s head. And as a sign of peace, he gifted it to the other clan. Za’the had been a little pissed. The Arbitrator had basically done his job for him and practically soiled Za’the’s reputation in the other clan. Most of the Clan Council over there thought him incompetent, but they didn’t understand that an Emissary’s job was more dangerous than what was led to believe. And one random attack didn’t make Za’the any less worthy of that title. The Elders in his home clan had encouraged him to make amends with the others, so Za’the had spent more cycles than he cared to admit trying to polish his reputation. It kind of worked, but he had spent most of that time glaring at the Bad Blood’s skull.
At the thought of skulls, he glanced around Lisa’s unit in search of the one he’d hunted. It was sitting on a round table to the left. Za’the had been around a lot of females before. He’d also been around a lot of humans before. But there’d never been anyone who’d captured him more than Lisa did, as curious as the human was. There was an inexplicable draw between them. It just felt right.
“Chooz you,” Za’the suddenly rumbled. There was a reason why he was here, and he had been given only a short amount of time by the Elders. “Chooz me?”
Lisa darted her eyes around the room as if something there would magically provide the answer as to what the hell he was even asking. “Yeah…” she said. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
Za’the’s chest puffed. Okay, that was a good start, right? “Like geeft?” he said.
Lisa rose her brows. “Huh?” She asked. Gift? Was he saying gift?
The male pointed his index finger at the skull. “Geeft,” he confirmed.
“Oh!” Lisa exclaimed. She observed the skull for a second before turning back to Za’the. “Umm. It’s certainly unique.” She had expected this. But, of course, her mind liked to play tricks on her. It’s a crazy stalker from the ecology team! Oooo!
“Acks-zept?” Za’the asked. Okay, at least it was becoming easier to understand him.
“Yeah,” Lisa said. “Yeah, sure.” Whatever the hell that meant. She ‘accepted’ it the moment she brought it inside, right? The fact it wasn’t in the trash was a sure indicator she hadn’t rejected him.
Za’the started purring again, a baritone rumbling that began slowly. He waited for a second or two longer, observing Lisa before he walked forward. His large hands encompassed Lisa’s waist, and the blonde made a noise of surprise as she was suddenly lifted into the air. The male’s radiating warmth seeped through her pores, the heat only intensifying when he pressed their bodies together. The reverberations of his purr rumbled within Lisa, too. She looked down at his mask and wrapped her legs around his waist, a more instinctive action than anything.
“Right,” Lisa said unsurely as her cheeks flushed deeply. Her eyes kept flicking from Za’the’s masked face to other places in her boxy room. “Um. Do you greet everyone like this?”
She wondered for a moment if she’d said something to indicate this level of intimacy. Perhaps accepting a gift in their culture meant something entirely different. While this prospect was slightly intimidating, and only in the respect that she didn’t really know how to handle these types of interactions, she couldn’t deny how right it felt to finally be pressed back against his body.
The first time it happened, they were only trying to survive. It felt much more intimate now. Lisa had burned the feel of him wrapped around her into her memory. There had been an instantaneous click; an undeniable draw that magnetised them to each other.
Za’the adjusted his grip so he could hold her up with one hand. With the other, he dragged it up and down her side, feeling her through the material of her robe. Lisa’s heart raced in her chest at the contact, and her stomach twisted with nerves at the implication of his actions.
She looked at him again, mustering the courage to make eye-contact. Za’the pressed his forehead against hers, his mask cold to the touch, before he pulled back and strode over to the bed. He placed her down on top and then crawled over her, the movement bordering predatory as his purr climbed into an expectant growl.
Za’the’s tresses curtained Lisa’s face. She exhaled shakily as a large hand was placed by her head. The other caressed her face before following the curve of her jawline and down her throat. His claws delicately scraped her skin, encouraging a shiver to run down Lisa’s spine. She almost closed her eyes until his fingers wrapped around her throat. He didn’t squeeze, but he left them there for a second before he dragged his hand down to run over her collarbone.
The fabric of her robe pulled back, revealing more of her chest before it dropped back into place. Lisa shakily exhaled again as he brushed over the curve of her breasts. Out of all the ways she’d imagined them meeting each other again, this wasn’t one of them.
Actually, that was a lie. Lisa had a few dreams. But she’d never expected Za’the to take initiative so quickly. He hadn’t seemed the type when they met, but then again, she couldn’t say she knew him well enough to tell.
Za’the suddenly sat up, his thighs straddling hers, his weight heavy. He continued to stare down at her as he slowly, deliberately, began to remove pieces of his armour. There were heavy clinks as he reached over to place them on the bedside table.
“Oh,” Lisa exhaled. Her heart hammered wildly. “Oh, okay. We’re doing this,” she said more to herself. The nerves had fully set in once she realised what was about to happen. What was the sudden rush?!
Za’the finally removed the last piece — his mask. There was the hissing of air expulsion before he lifted it away from his face and stretched his mandibles. His orange eyes blazed with a level of intensity that ignited a heat within Lisa. She just about held her breath as he leaned over to place his mask on the bedside table.
“You know, I didn’t really expect this,” Lisa said. She didn’t really know how to handle this situation. So, she did what she knew best — talked.
But before Lisa could say anything else, Za’the covered her mouth with his hand. He then ducked to graze his tusks over her cheek, his hot breath fanning over her face. Lisa shivered at the contact. She barely noticed as Za’the’s other hand crept down to rip open the front of her robe.
Her skin prickled as soon as it was exposed. Lisa’s gasp came out muffled beneath the warm palm that covered her mouth. Her hands instinctively flew up to grab Za’the’s shoulders as he erotically palmed her stomach. He quickly moved his hand lower to graze over her hip.
Lisa moved her grasp from the male’s shoulders, over his back, and then crept her hands up through his tresses. She carded her fingers through them, curiously exploring their warm and fleshy nature. The action induced a full-body shudder and a deep growl from Za’the, who immediately pulled back to look at her, almost pinning her in place with the intensity of his gaze. His pupils were blown, and the orange of his irises were dark and heated.
Za’the immediately grabbed the materials of her underwear and bra and shredded them with his claws. He tossed the scraps away and pulled Lisa up to pull off her robe and toss it to the side. The blonde had half the mind to stress about her torn clothes. She hadn’t exactly moved to Istratus B with an abundance of clothing articles.
Her train of thought flitted every which way after. Lisa briefly thought about what exactly she was going to do. She hadn’t had sex with anyone in a long, long time, and here she was, about to do it with someone she’d only met once before. With an alien, no less! She then worried that anyone would hear them. Oh God, her poor neighbours! What would they think?
Her thoughts were cut short, and she was brought back to the present time when Za’the leaned down to paw at her boobs, purring appreciatively as he admired them. His fingers curiously brushed over her nipples, and Lisa arched her back at the electrifying contact. Za’the’s purr deepened at her reaction.
The male moved himself so he could knock Lisa’s legs apart with his knees, and once he did this, he settled between them, lingering his touch on the blonde’s nipples before dragging his palms lower until he reached the junction of her thighs.
Za’the was no stranger to sex. He’d sired his fair share of pups, and while he thoroughly enjoyed mating with a Yautja female, this entire experience was tantalising. He’d never imagined becoming attracted, sexually or otherwise, to a human before, but here, with Lisa sprawled out so willing and responsive before him, his cock throbbed with anticipation of what was to come.
With one hand he held Lisa’s hips down, and with the other, he exploratively dragged a finger through the folds of her lips. Wetness had already begun to develop there, and it coated his digit with a sleek sheen as his ministrations incited breathless gasps from the writhing woman.
Lisa tried to lift her hips to further the contact, but his hand firmly held her down. Za’the curiously dragged his finger back up and gently grazed the nub between her folds. Lisa jolted at the feeling, and she couldn’t help the deep exhale.
“There,” she said quietly. Za’the rumbled as he pressed his thumb against her clitoris and slowly rubbed it in small circles. “Yes, yes!” Lisa cried out. She quickly covered her mouth, worried that someone would hear (namely Josh, if he was home now), but Za’the stopped his movements to grab her wrist and pull it away from her face.
“No,” he scolded deeply. He flexed his mandibles before he lowered his hand back down and continued.
Lisa fisted the blankets beneath her, trying her best to minimise the noises she so badly wanted to make. Her abdomen began to tighten at the building pressure; a cord that was growing so tight, it was about to snap. She could feel a sense of wetness dripping out of her core as the pleasure began to burn.
Nearly all of her muscles were tense until the cord finally snapped, and a billowing warmth spread from her pelvis and through her body. Lisa cried out at the sensation, and her walls began to rhythmically clench around nothing, aching to be filled despite the orgasm she’d just had.
Za’the didn’t stop, though. He kept going, his eyes hungrily watching Lisa as she finally began to untense. But the pleasure quickly began to burn, and she tightened her abdomen again. “Sensitive. I’m sensitive!” She cried out.
This time, Za’the did stop. He brought his hand away to reveal a coat of wetness around his fingers. He maintained heavy eye-contact as he brought it up to his face and flicked his long tongue out to taste it. His purr kickstarted for a few brief seconds at the sweetness that tasted like ripe fruit.
Lisa breathed heavily, a flare of need igniting in her groin at the sight of him tasting her. Za’the then flicked his tongue out to taste the air, and an intense growl reverberated deeply in his throat, felt more than heard.
He reached down to untie his loincloth, which he discarded to the side. It hid a codpiece that was secured tightly to his groin, and Za’the was quick to unlatch it. His thick, throbbing cock sprung up from its confinement, the tip already leaking with pre-cum. This time, he cared less as he tossed the codpiece somewhere to the side, the likes of which clattering somewhere on the floor.
Lisa’s mouth watered. He was big in girth, veiny, with small nubs on the underside, the sight of which made her walls clench again. The colouration of his dick followed the rest of his body, a mottling of coffee brown and cream that was so exotically alien, it incited a rush of excitement through Lisa’s body.
Za’the wrapped his fingers around his length and began to slowly pump up and down his shaft, his breaths coming harder and faster at the sensation. He then shuffled forward and pushed Lisa’s legs further apart. She had half the mind to think he wouldn’t fit, but before she could voice any concerns, Za’the had already begun to line the tip up with her entrance.
Slowly, he pushed in. Though Lisa was undoubtedly turned on and thoroughly prepared, she winced at the sting of his girthy intrusion. She gasped as the tip popped inside, and Za’the released a long, throaty groan. He tossed his head back and grabbed Lisa’s hips as if they were his lifeline.
Perhaps it had been a long time for him, too.
Za’the began to rock back and forth in small movements, thrusting more of his shaft into her warmth each time. Lisa gasped as his nubs popped inside her, providing a deeply pleasurable sensation that assisted in her relaxation. Eventually, the sting subsided, and it gave way to toe-curling pleasure.
Their hips met as Za’the finally fed the entire length of his dick inside her. He adjusted his grip onto her thighs instead, and he sharply inhaled to maintain his composure. Lisa squeezed around him, and the feeling snapped him into action. He pulled out all the way to the tip, but Lisa barely had time to adjust before he was slamming all the way back in, their hips loudly slapping together.
Within seconds, Za’the was thrusting in and out of her, grunting and rumbling at the gratifying pleasure. He’d never experienced anything quite like this; a velvety warmth that was so tight it was almost painful.
The tension was beginning to build again. Lisa didn’t think it was possible for her to orgasm through penetration alone, but Za’the’s precise thrusts were edging her closer to completion than she’d ever been in the past. The size of him alone was probably enough to make her come undone.
There were loud squelching sounds with every deep thrust, and the fleshy sounds of their hips slapping against one another echoed in the small room. Lisa felt a flare of embarrassment at the noises. Za’the paused to pick her up and then brought her flush to his body, and Lisa couldn’t help the moan that rolled off her tongue as his shaft penetrated deeper than before.
Za’the began thrusting upwards, holding her as close to him as possible. The tip of his cock kissed her cervix every time, but it only added a heightened sense of pleasure that sent tingles down Lisa’s spine. She quickly threaded her fingers through Za’the’s tresses and pulled and squeezed, encouraging further throaty groans from the male.
His grip on her briefly tightened as he shuddered. Za’the bent his head to ensnare Lisa’s shoulders with his tusks. He grazed her flesh with his teeth before sinking them in, his tongue quickly lapping up the blood that oozed from the wound.
Pain flared from the site, but Lisa only found herself hurtling towards the peak of the crest. Hot, intense pleasure erupted in her abdomen, and her vision momentarily went white as her entire body froze. Her walls fluttered around Za’the’s shaft, hugging them so tightly it hurled him off the edge, too.
He muffled his roar with the bite he still had clamped on Lisa’s shoulder. He slammed the blonde down to meet his hips as molten-like cum decorated her inner walls in thick ropes. Lisa breathlessly moaned at the burning, wet sensation of him filling her up, the pressure building to insurmountable levels as Za’the pressed as deeply inside her as possible.
The squelches were louder as the male began to lightly thrust in and out of her again, milking the last of his cum from him. The gliding movements were wetter and smoother, and eventually, he stilled. The silence was broken by heavy breaths as they each slowly gathered themselves.
Za’the pulled his teeth from her flesh, not missing the way Lisa flinched at the pain. He gently lathered the blood with his tongue, soothing the wound, before he leaned back to pull his cock free from her sex. It came free with a wet popping sound, and he watched, fascinated, as his cum began to ooze out of her.
Lisa cringed at the feeling. She felt much like jelly as Za’the moved her back onto the bed, and he briefly left her to gather some materials from his med-kit. He slathered some gel over the bite mark, purring lowly as he did so. Then, he grabbed the first bit of cloth he saw, whether it was one of her clothes or not, ran it under some water, and then returned to the bed.
Za’the cleaned his cum from her, wiping it delicately as if she were made of porcelain. He discarded the cloth to the side and then crawled over Lisa again, but he stopped as she placed a hand on his chest.
“Uh, uh. You bit me,” she said. She indicated her shoulder as if to prove her point.
Za’the cocked his head to the side. “Yess. Mate mark,” he said. He fondly grazed his fingertips over her collarbone.
“Mate mark?” Lisa asked.
“Yess. Chooz me. Chooz you.” Za’the lowered himself down beside her and nuzzled the side of her face. His purring had kicked up a notch.
Oh. Oh! It finally dawned on Lisa what Za’the had meant. She had accepted his gift, which meant she had chosen him as her mate.
The blonde turned to face him. Whatever was in the gel had surely worked its magic, because she no longer felt the burning pain she did when Za’the had clamped down on her skin.
Lisa cupped the male’s lower mandibles. She then leaned over to place a gentle kiss just below his tusk, and Za’the grabbed the back of her head. They manoeuvred into a more comfortable position, with her wrapped up in his arms, and her head tucked underneath his jaw.
Though the bed was a bit too small for Za’the. He had to curl up to fit, only further trapping Lisa into his embrace. The woman began to drift off to sleep, her eyes heavy, and her body thoroughly satiated.
▲▲▲
Lisa had slept in.
“Oh, shit!” She exclaimed. Lisa jolted out of bed once she realised how bright it was outside. Za’the, who had been awake for quite some time, casually watched as the woman leapt to her feet to check her wristband.
Jesse had left a message. It was a bit wordy and he was clearly upset, but Lisa got the gist of what he was saying. He’d ‘covered’ for her, but no one was happy that she hadn’t shown up to the science department that morning, and apparently, the excuse he used wouldn’t hold up for another day. He expected some sort of payment, and Lisa assumed he wanted to see her completely embarrass herself in front of their superiors just for a laugh.
“Okay?” Za’the rumbled. He had a hand behind his head and one knee propped up. The casual yet admittedly enticing position made Lisa’s cheeks flush. She looked away.
“Everything’s fine. I’m just late for work,” Lisa said. “God. They’re gonna kill me. You know, tensions are pretty fucking high right now. Actually, you know what? Maybe this is my chance to get the hell out of here.”
Za’the cut her ramblings short. “Sei’i. Get outtt. Come.”
“Huh?”
“Lisaa mate. Come with Za’the,” he said. Za’the sat up and stretched his limbs, the likes of which were sore from holding the same position for so long.
Lisa halted. She slowly lowered her wristband to stare at him. “Go with you where?”
“Clan,” Za’the said. He would tell her everything later after he got her a translator. He wished he’d been able to bring one with him, but he’d gone straight from the other clan’s ship to Proxima B. And he would rather chew his own foot than test his luck asking for a piece of their technology.
He almost bristled at the thought of the other clan. It was Elders like those that made him question his decision to become an Emissary. Za’the caught himself before he did, lest Lisa thought she was the cause of his ire.
“Right.” Lisa should have expected that. They were mates now, as Za’the had put it. Well, if the bite mark on her shoulder was anything to prove. Of course, he would want her to come with him. “What about my job?”
“Neww chob,” Za’the said. Lisa rose her brows. She doubted she could get an ethology-related job on a Yautjan clanship.
But she couldn’t deny the appeal. It wasn’t like Lisa was in the best of places. There was no point in working for the I.I. anymore unless she wanted to risk her own ass, and the Martian job was a bust. The only things she would truly be missing were Jesse and Kayla. They had grown to become her anchors on this depressing planet. Josh, too, but he was more of a neighbouring acquaintance. (No hard feelings.)
But Lisa didn’t know if she could walk away from Za’the a second time. There was something there, and she would kick herself to the ends of the universe if she didn’t explore it. Lisa knew it was taboo for humans to run away with an alien. But did she care?
“Okay,” Lisa said. She smiled as the male purred. “Can I have time to say goodbye to my friends?”
It would be hard leaving Jesse and Kayla. Lisa felt a little bad. But she wasn’t about to tether herself down from an opportunity that could change her life. They would understand. Perhaps Lisa could manipulate the truth a little.
So, I met a guy!
“Sei’i,” Za’the rumbled. Lisa remembered it meant yes. She had just about absorbed everything he’d told her on Istratus B. She was like a magnet for his information.
“Cool,” Lisa said awkwardly. She placed her wristband back on the table, and her eyes flitted to the skull. It sat there, staring at them creepily, but Lisa had come to realise its significance. She turned back to Za’the. “Well, it’ll be a while until they have some free time. You in a rush?”
There was a pause as Za’the mentally translated her words. He wasn’t rushing anywhere. Did he seem to be? He eventually shook his head no, hoping that the question hadn’t meant anything important.
“Okay.” Lisa nodded. She looked around the room.
Za’the could sense how awkward she was. She probably hadn’t expected him to initiate a coupling so quickly. If it were up to him, he would’ve given it more time. But he was on a tight schedule. The Council of his clan expected him back within the next cycle. How else was he supposed to sensibly deliver a mated mark?
His thoughts drifted as he watched Lisa. She was the most beautiful being he’d ever seen. Za’the had been in contact with a multitude of alien species before. The tensions were still quite high between the Yautja and the human government. He had attempted to work with a team of their military after an incident with a particularly notorious Bad Blood. But they hadn’t trusted him one bit, and the Elders had pulled him out under the suspicion that they may try to assassinate him.
But Yautja and human mated pairs were becoming more common. While it wasn’t the norm, there had been an exponential boom. Their government would have to one day accept that it was happening whether they wanted it to or not. Even most other Yautjan clans weren’t averse to it anymore. There had been a sense of cultural shift away from traditionalism amid the integration of humans amongst themselves.
Za’the wondered how Lisa would fit into his life. He never really imagined himself settling down with someone, he rather thought his lifestyle would be unappealing to others. But he had felt the connection when they first met.
Perhaps he could retire from his position as an Emissary. There were many things he could do otherwise to contribute to his clan. The Clan Council, for one. While he was nowhere near the age of an Elder yet, he could perhaps do something for them that was similar to his job now. That was assuming Lisa wouldn’t be happy with his lifestyle. It wasn’t often he was away from the clan, but when he was, he could be gone for long periods of time.
Za’the imagined the things they could do between those times. He was sure Lisa could find a place within the clan. They could find her a job. He imagined her with a swollen belly, a pup in her womb; perhaps that could be her contribution. Warmth flooded his groin at the imagery in his mind.
“Come,” Za’the said. He held out a hand. They may as well practice, then, right?
Lisa eyed him suspiciously, but her face quickly broke into a smile. She was glad to be rid of the awkwardness (all of which only came from herself). She stepped forward and grabbed his outstretched hand.
The blonde made a noise of surprise as Za’the grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed. He rolled on top of her and caged her in, his throat and chest vibrating with an alluring purr. The sound of Lisa’s laughter warmed his chest, and he briefly wondered what his life would look like if she’d never found him that day in the cave.
#yautja#yautja x human#predator#yautja x reader#avp#prey 2022#predator x human#yautja x oc#aliens vs predator
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Top 5 Kim Coates roles ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
YEAHHHHH ACE U ACTIVATED MY TISM TRAP CARD!!!! So I'm gonna go from 5 to 1 cause i love he so much sdfgfrfghtrd
5. Bennett in Resident Evil: Afterlife
I know he's not in the movie long but FUCKKKKKKK he's just perfect Kim Coates role, he's doing his thang and it's amazing. What an asshole, scummy asshole film producer, I love him.
4. Steve Serrano in King of Sorrow
This one is a BANGER role for him. He plays a corrupt cop that does drugs and does vigilante kills for his fucked up morals, and ends up hooking up with a psychologist who is also fucked up and they are fucked up together. It's great and I love him. I haven't made gifs of it yet but look at this bit crushed image of him in boxers chained to the toilet as he tries to go cold turkey from heroin.
3. Maurice and Sal in Ferocious
So Kim plays TWINSSSSSSSS in this movie, both of them nasty gross guys, they're not on screen at the same time cause Maurice bites it almost immediately but then you get Sal doing his deranged freak shit and oughhhhhhh he's so hot as both of them it's unfair and unreal and he deepthroats a gun at the end of the movie and he does it in such a slutty way. (not a real good pic of him as Maurice so again another movie i need to gif cause apparently this shit falls to me)
2. David Snow in A Friend of the Family
So this was a fucking Lifetime movie adjacent movie that was damn near impossible to find but I found it on ONE website and my god am I glad I did cause holy shitttttttt He basically plays a yandere stalker who's obsessed with his new next door neighbor and wants to kill her husband and basically gas lights her and keeps trying to get her to get with him as he slowly keeps trying to ruin her life because she won't get with him. It's INSANE and APPARENTLY supposed to be based on a real story that they blew out of proportion but anyways finding a movie where he's such a yandere AFTER I made Alan is like..... *AGGRESSIVE MONKEY NOISES*
Tig Trager in Sons of Anarchy
Okay I mean this one is obvious, right? Like this is the DEFINITIVE Kim Coates role. Tig gives you everything. You get slut, you get asshole, you get secret sweet dude, you get loyal till his last breath guy, he's your ride or die man. I'm obsessed with him.
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