#NOW THEY CAN MAKE OUT

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

ALRIGHT time to finish up the cocaptives arc!! This was so fun to set up!! Okay now I can post things with them kissing--

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

TWs: hypothermia, fever, broken bones mentioned, hospital setting, needle mention, death, violence, captivity, blood, people being burned alive

“C-come h-here.” Dimitri’s voice was soft and hoarse as he cupped Mariano’s face. Mariano leaned into the touch, into Dimitri. He let himself be tucked up close, did his best to roll onto his side for more contact, whining from the effort. 

One of those broken arms painstakingly lifted, draping over Dimitri’s waist. Mariano’s fever had only progressed further as the days had gone on, but Dimitri couldn’t help but be a little grateful for it. His scalding forehead felt like heaven up against his own chest. 

Mariano whimpered as his shoulders tensed, another wave of pain dragging its teeth through him. Dimitri slid a thumb along his cheek, back and forth, giving him something nicer to focus on. "I kn-know…I know." 

Glazed over eyes looked up at him as Mariano relaxed again, barely aware but wanting touch and gentleness and mercy from someone. Anyone at all, it seemed, if he was so eager to receive it from Dimitri of all people. When Dimitri pulled Mariano fully into his arms again he shivered, a cracking moan drifting through their cell. 

They were running out of time. Mariano was barely hanging on, and Dimitri knew he didn’t have much more of himself to give. His own beating earlier had left the room spinning for hours, and he wasn’t sure if he could come back from a third trip to the freezer. These people didn’t seem like they had the best emergency care available, either.

If the others didn’t show up soon, they might just be bringing bodies back. 

Mariano buried his face into Dimitri’s neck. It seemed like he understood the stakes too, on a level. Dimitri took a deep breath, letting tension seep from his shoulders. 

There was no need to worry about it at that moment. There was nothing he could do. In the end, they’d either die here or they wouldn’t. 

Dimitri didn’t remember falling asleep. He woke with ice still in his bones and shudders snaking through his limbs. Mariano was radiating heat, bloody hands wound into Dimitri’s shirt. Footsteps entered Dimitri’s awareness next. Three people. 

He couldn’t open his eyes. Wouldn’t. He didn’t want those three guards to be the last people he ever saw.

He curled in close around Mariano. He didn’t care about training. He didn’t care about procedure. One hand wound into Mariano’s hair, holding him tight. 

“P-please–” Dimitri stuttered out as their cell door rattled open. “Please…” His voice cracked. He didn’t know what to ask for anymore. He couldn’t give anything else. “M-me.” It slipped out before he could think. “M-my t-turn…n-not done.”

“Shit–” That voice sounded like Laredo. “Can we even…”

“We have to.” That one sounded like Manuel. A hand came to rest on Dimitri’s forehead. It was smooth and calloused. Small. Whoever it was hissed. “God, yeah, he’s frozen and Mariano’s burning up. I don’t know if they can handle healing magic–not being this dehydrated, so...”  

Scaled hands slid up under Dimitri’s, unwinding his fingers. They were so, so warm. Warmer than Mariano was, even if it wasn’t by much. “Hey. Hey. It’s okay, it’s alright. Let go.” A soft, growling voice sounded nearby. “It’s us.” That didn’t sound like any of the guards. 

It sounded like Bastian.    

Dimitri hesitantly opened his eyes. He blinked hard, trying to will his vision to focus through the exhaustion and aches. Silver eyes with slit pupils looked back at him. Scales that glittered like diamonds grew along dark skin. Those teeth were pitch black and sharp as knives. “Wh…what…? Bas-stian?”

“Yeah, it’s me. The others are here too, Izan's in the van. Let go of Mariano so we can get you guys out. He’s too warm for me to carry him.” Bastian glanced at Mariano, then to the side. When Dimitri followed his gaze, he saw Laredo.

Laredo looked furious, heartbroken, and joyous all at once. Blood was splattered along his clothes, hands, and face. He’d taken point during this raid. “Yeah, let go of Marito. I’ve got him now.” His hands were at Mariano’s chest and forehead. One of his thumbs slid back and forth along Mariano’s sweat-soaked brow. “Bastian’s even warmer than me. Let him take care of you.” 

Dimitri finally let go. He let Bastian and Laredo untangle them, the desperate, panicked whine that Mariano made as they were separated only tugging at Dimitri even more. “Shhh.” Dimitri heard Laredo whisper. “I know–I know. You’re okay, Rookie. Manuel’s gonna take care of you in the van...” He didn’t catch much else as his world tilted and smeared when they both stood. Bastian’s grip pressed in on bruises and lashes and breaks, and it wiped all thought from his mind. 

The dragon was warm, though. He was so warm, even through Dimitri’s damp, chilled clothes. His arms were even softer than Mariano’s–closer to Laredo’s. Manuel was chattering away, filling Laredo and Bastian in on what the next steps were, and Dimitri felt the sway of Bastian jogging. He tucked his face up against Bastian’s chest, basking in the heat rolling off of him. 

At some point, the air filled with the smell of burnt hair. Flashes lit up the world beyond Dimitri’s eyelids. There was shouting, Manuel shouting. Laredo joining in, barking for someone to drop their weapons or else they’d wind up like their friends. It was so familiar, so comforting. 

The desperate, cracking screaming of someone burning alive was the last thing Dimitri heard.

When he woke up next, the room was dim and dark. The bed wasn't the softest, but after the concrete floor it felt like heaven. A heavy blanket was draped over him, and he was warm. Someone was holding his hand.

Opening his eyes was the hardest thing Dimitri thought he'd ever done. Messy, short black hair, tense shoulders, and tired brown eyes greeted him. "Welcome back, Dimitri." Laredo said, one hand reaching up to rest on Dimitri’s forehead. "You scared us, stubborn old bastard."

Dimitri laughed quietly, and he realized he wasn't impossibly thirsty anymore. Glancing down, he saw that there was an IV in his hand giving him warmed fluids. "Takes more than that to kill me." He leaned into Laredo’s palm anyway.

"Not much more."

"But still more." Dimitri said with a sigh as Laredo moved to cup his cheek. He lifted one hand and brought it to rest over Laredo’s, relaxing further and letting his eyes drift shut again. “Is…is Marito okay?” 

Laredo’s thumb started to slide along Dimitri’s cheek. “He’s real fucked up, but he's alive. Bed's to your left. He’s just resting right now.” 

When Dimitri looked over, he saw Mariano lying in a similar hospital bed. He had an IV in, casts on his arms, and Bastian's jacket draped over his shoulders like an extra blanket. There was no blood flaking off his skin, and he was in a similar hospital gown. 

He didn’t look as close to being a corpse as before. 

Even with his broken glasses and the lingering pallor on his face, he seemed more alive. He seemed to feel Dimitri looking at him too, as dark, exhausted eyes drifted over to meet his own. It took a moment, since Mariano probably needed a second to process anything with that fever. But then he smiled. 

“Holding up alright, little lamb?” Dimitri asked.

“Mmmhm. Glad you're awake, banana bread.” Mariano slurred, smile not wavering.

Laredo snorted, choking back a louder laugh. “That’s going in my phone right now.” As promised, he pulled out his phone and opened up his contacts. 

Dimitri just sighed, not able to bring himself to feel angry or irritated. “Whatever…” He muttered, settling back in against his pillow. 

When the other war mages filed in with Bastian right behind them, happy gasps and worried chatter filled the air. Manuel and Izan gave him the same updates they'd given Mariano earlier as Bastian took his seat next to his mage. They'd gone through and exterminated everyone there. No one died quick death. 

They’d even gotten him some shitty coffee on their way back from getting lunch. It was burned. It was too bitter, and watered down horribly. It wasn’t even that warm. Laredo had to help him sit up to drink it, with a steady hand at his back.

It was exactly what Dimitri needed.

[ducktracy]

sharing a very sage bit of advice from The Simpsons' own John Swartzwelder that i've been trying to hamper down in my writing and drawing alike. let your inner crappy little elf do his worst

[pigswithwings]

above all else a trans woman is a person. above all else a trans women is a woman who goes to the same grocery store as you and buys fruits in the same grocery cart as you and goes home and eats her dinner the same as you. above all else a trans woman is a woman who dresses like you do and talks the same way you do. above all else a trans woman is a woman who wants to be cared about the same way you want to be cared about and a trans woman is a woman who makes friends the same way you make friends. above all else you should care about trans women because they are people. treat her as such.

[mistbix]

so i've been re-watching atla....... expect more art soon

[ao3-shenanigans]

WE MADE IT FOLKS!!!

[several-breathing-eyes]

I saw somebody say that watching the Percy Jackson show made them realize that in the first books Percy doesn't even say half the stuff he thinks and he's just a quiet kid silently judging everyone, like they're so right.

Think about it from Grover's perspective. You know Percy as a quiet boy who certainly has his judgy thoughts but (aside from telling them to you) keeps them to himself. He's just trying to make it through school, for his mom.

Then his mom dies. And he loses the ability to give absolutely any fucks. He starts saying all this shit he never said out loud and to people who could do infinitely worse things to him than anything Nancy Bobifit ever even tried. And it only gets worse as he gets older.

Like bro went from quiet kid in the back of the class to fist fighting a god in the span of like a week. Then he openly told the gods to pay their child support. Grover was having heart attacks every other minute.

[chloesimaginationthings]

William Afton has top tier FNAF parenting skills

[ninjasmudge]

thats a red flag narinder, get that crown back while you still can

+ top panel without text below the cut

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

Physically? I am sitting in my bedroom. Mentally? Spiritually? I AM DEAD ON THE FLOOR!!!!! THESE TWO HAVE KILLED ME!!!!

(Another drawing! This was originally attempt #1 at drawing stan, and then fiddleford just showed up. Kinda feels like them five minutes after the above acting like nothing happened though, so it works sdjkgkjfshj)

[angsty-art-ist]

my magnum opus actually

[hinamie]

unconditionally

[greyias]

Oh look, it seems everyone has been opted into the unfortunate "experiment" now. For everyone who has been blissfully using the old UI up until now, welcome to hell :)

Do you not like hell? Do you want to leave and crawl back up into the sunlight of the old UI? Well, have I got a link for you! A beautiful tumblr user (who is not me) has gone and fixed things beautifully for you already: https://github.com/enchanted-sword/dashboard-unfucker

You will need to have Tampermonkey installed on your browser of choice, and once that's done, just go to the github link above, and peruse the readme to install. And voila! You have your old dash back!

The authors of XKit Rewritten said during the experiments that at the time, since this was an "experiment" they weren't going to implement anything to revert to the old UI (although who knows if they'll do it now). And the dashboard unfucker has worked beautifully enough for me to where I genuinely couldn't tell if they had ended the experiment or not.

[ruporas]

trigunned the hades or hadesed the trigun (id in alt)

[r-aindr0p]

✨The shroud brothers (and yuu) wish you a happy pride month ✨

[sealpup9]

I'm not certain as to how many people checked the description of the new hbomberguy video but he linked a playlist to queer creators on youtube!

Your New Favorite YouTubers - Queer YouTubers you should check out, meticulously compiled by Kat.

It's worth a look! Please don't forget to support your fellow queer creators on YouTube whilst spreading memes and jokes about James Somerton and discussing the hbomberguy video!!

EDIT: @cursedgamerchild pointed out THIS REDDIT THREAD made by Kat

Which is a thread to share more discoveries of plagiarism and also to share more queer creators who could use some love! There's also a link to a google form if you don't have reddit and want to share said information.

[leverage-ot3]