#Oliver;

[magiclwritings]

"Think someone'd be pretty relaxed if they were in your shoes." Cass' lips turned in on themselves. It took damn near every part of his being to keep him from laughing in Apollo's face at that request. His brow did raise at the concern and it was really clear to him that Apollo didn't have the faintest idea what had just happened to him. His gaze landed on the swing door where both his boyfriend and Isaac were now with that child. "Apollo, I really don't think it's that serious." He brushed him off, not sure where his place was meant to be in this because if he was right in what happened between his best friend and his boyfriend upstairs and he said something? He could count his days of private visitation with him as over. "I think you just got caught up in the moment and you guys had it out. Don't be so in your head about it. We don't care." Well, that wasn't entirely true, Oliver cared. He shrugged as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Mostly because it wasn't the worst thing that had happened in Apollo and Isaac's relationship and honestly, who was Cass to start that shit show for them.

And even saying it he know Apollo wouldn't let it go and so he sighed, his head hanging back as he moved to his friend and placed his hands on his chest. "Aside from your afternoon rendezvous and the kid." He smiled, moving his hands down the right arm of Apollo and he assessed with his eyes and then any sense anything he could on his friend. But how did he tell Apollo it was just their veela boyfriend pissing all over him? "How's your day been so far?" He joked, moving from that side to the other and he moved to his backside, tracing lines down his back as he did. "Didn't have time to pick up an extra family three towns over did you? Pull one from your dad's play book?" He teased, his hands sliding up through the other's scalp and he still found nothing.

"Think that kid's a plant?" He asked low, watching over the other's shoulder to the door. He could hear Oliver and Isaac talking animatedly. If nothing else, Cass was happy the two of them got along. And they did too, very well. It would have been nice if just he and Isaac could. Though after today, they would be having a talk. He could appreciate that Isaac didn't like them being friends after all the bullshit they seemed to always be in and drag both he and Oliver in to. "I don't feel like it's their style but it was the only thing that could make sense. I mean ... did you even want a kid? Surely not." He plowed right through that line of thinking without giving him the chance. "I know we said we'd be done soon and I mean it but ..." He sighed, his forehead pressing to Apollo's shoulder blade for comfort. "This shit is real weird, Apollo. I don't like it."

Feeling the weight of the little boy nestled against his chest warmed Isaac to his very core. All the craziness going on with them and yet there was this child, just simply existing in complete and total knowledge that all of them would work to keep him alive and happy. It was something to feel that sort of trust blindly given. It spoke worlds to the way of the world when it came to them as children and them as adults. It was only looking at his sleeping face did Isaac feel that what he'd done to Apollo was wrong. Well, it was more selfish than anything else. He hugged the babe closer and turned to watch Oliver in his mad dash to find whatever it was he was looking for.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight and think how crazily different he was to Cassio. The name turned his nose up slightly but Isaac scolded himself and allowed the thought to fully process. Because Cass was Apollo's best friend and whatever the two of them had overcome in their childhood, Isaac couldn't relate to and shouldn't be too harsh over. If Oliver in all his big ways and thoughts could find a way to let them live and still be happy, he could too. "'m sorry 'bou' earlier." He spoke, not wanting to talk about hem disappearing or the fact that Isaac was starting to tell the after effects of that session more fiercely just then. "I's been a real lon' day 'n I jus' should ha'e been betta abou' everythin'." He spoke a little quieter feeling the boy move and readjust against Isaac's chest. It was hard not to look down at him and just feel this sense that it was right. He wasn't sure if that hurt more than not knowing who he truly was.

"Apollo didn' say wha' exactly we're doin' an' 'm no' sure 'm happy wit' jus' lettin' this poo' boy be subject ta all sorts of magic." He shouldn't have been so protective over this little one but he just couldn't help it. It felt right to speak up on behalf of him but still want the best for him. What the hell was going on? "'m jus' worried ..." Oliver looked at him then with full arms and Isaac drew in a deeper breath. "'m worried for all o' us."

Apollo had been in horrible situations before. Some were even life or death, but walking down those stairs and seeing Cassio was one of the hardest things he had ever done because he could see it in his best friend’s face. And then their eyes met, and it was gone in a flash. If he hadn’t known the blonde so well, he would have missed it, but Apollo knew Cassio better than anyone. He knew Cassio wouldn’t judge him; he would know Apollo would be harder on himself than he could ever be, but there was still shame sitting in his stomach over what had happened. On the other hand, Isaac seemed to have no shame at all. He waltzed down into the living room and swept Theo up in arms as if they had been upstairs cleaning the bathroom instead of raw dogging it while their friends were downstairs. 

“Yeah, of course,” He said, walking into the center of the living room. His eyes scanned the little boy, feeling an odd tug at his heartstrings over his sleeping face, pressed to Isaac’s shoulder. Apollo had never wanted to be a father and had no desire for kids because of what he had been through. There would always be the underlying fear that he would end up like his parents, that any child he had a part in raising would end up ruined because of him. If Theo somehow ended up being his, he didn’t know what he would do, but he knew the little boy deserved someone far better than him. 

The spell regarding Theo should have been his priority, but going into the boy’s mind would require concentration, which Apollo didn’t have because of what had happened. He was almost positive it was some kind of magical influence and needed to clear that up before he went through with it. Apollo wouldn’t endanger Theo that way. “You know the herbs we’ll need?” Apollo met Oliver’s gaze, and the man nodded. “You can find it in the pantry and I’ll start setting up in here.” Oliver left for the kitchen while Apollo crossed the room to the couch, rifting through his bag. He counted in his head until he heard the man call for help. Then he turned his head, meeting Isaac’s gaze. “Do you mind helping him?” 

Once, he was alone in the living room with Cassio. Apollo stopped looking through his bag and went to him. “I need you to analyze me,” he said softly, urgently. “For any kind of residual trace of magic or a spell, I don’t know. Something happened, and I don’t have time to process it, but I can’t do this spell on Theo if I’m not focused, and right now I am on fucking edge. If I fuck up that toddler because I can’t pay attention, I will never forgive myself.” He felt crazy, wild even,  as he explained all of this in a hushed tone to Cassio. “But we don’t have much time, like a couple of minutes at most, until they realize what they’re looking for isn’t in the pantry.”

[rammingthestein]

Oliver and Christoph backstage at Rammstein's show in Moscow, Russia, 2019 © Jens Koch

[susiephone]

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, 11x14

[victusinveritas]

[lovelylonelymoonlight]

Bruce unintentionally dissing the league while praising his kids is so funny to me

Bruce: we need an expert marksman for this job

Oliver: *getting ready to stand up to fully accept Bruce’s praise*

Bruce: Redhood will be here shortly. We also need someone quick on their feet. Luckily Cass is working on a case nearby so we can ask her

[miametropolis]

last chance to evacuate

as you may know, israel has begun its ground operation in rafah. they dropped leaflets last night ordering people to evacuate, and bombing in east rafah has already begun.

The border is about to become unreachable.

Rafah is trapped.

We have literal hours until no-one, all the GoFundMe's you've scrolled past, all the people desperately begging on TikTok, will be able to escape.

Give now. Give whatever you can.

I am fundraising for the Odeh family, which is only 3k away from meeting its goal.

you will not get another chance.

GIVE HERE

[luthienne]

i wake up thirsty and i think of palestine. i go to the doctor’s office and i think of palestine. a sign in the corner of the waiting room says ‘this is a place of healing, disruptive behavior will not be tolerated’ and i think of palestine. they probably weren’t thinking of bombs and snipers and mass graves in parking lots. i call my parents and i think of palestine. i drive to the grocery store and i think of palestine. i look at the clear blue sky and i think of palestine. i put the dishes away and i think of palestine. i feed my cat and i think of palestine. i listen to music and i think of palestine. i read poetry and i think of palestine. i text my friends and i think of palestine. i think of palestine and i think of palestine and i think of palestine

[pixelephant]

[turboemmy]

its olive !! the other reindeer !!

[heritageposts]

I'm reading about how Israel, in the immediate aftermath of the 1948 Nakba, deliberately replaced olive trees and other indigenous flora with European plants. This ecological disaster, which is now proudly hailed under the banner of 'making the desert bloom,' was done to 'de-Arabize' the landscape, and to cover up - often with fast-growing European pine trees -the ruins of Palestinian villages that were destroyed by Zionists forces.

And I just need everyone to read this passage from Pappé, because the symbolism of what happened to those European pine trees in the desert speaks for itself:

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, by Ilan Pappé (2006, p. 227-228.)

[magiclwritings]

Sometimes he was truly left in awe of those around him. And maybe that was why magical creatures were always made out to be stuck up and overbearing. But as Apollo raced around their room when Isaac's magic finally waned was possibly the funniest thing he'd ever witnessed. He didn't dare say a word though. This was serious, and it was. Theo was something very serious. He just nodded and did as Apollo asked which he'd found challenging for the first attempt at moving after the fact.

His cheeks reddened and he held onto Apollo for support out of the bed. Perhaps he'd asked for it a little too rough. No such thing. But still, he gladly helped Isaac dress and fix his bed ruined curls until he looked mildly respectable. He truly wasn't worried about rejoining the two but he knew Apollo was going to get the ass about it and so he kissed him softly and brought his boyfriend in for another tight hug. "Ya go' ta take a breath, Apollo." He told him, kissing his temple gently and he nuzzled his nose just under the other's ear. "We gon' figure this ou'. Especially wit' all the help." He'd meant that genuinely but he needed him to know he'd meant it. Regardless of how they'd gotten sidetracked, Theo was the focus.

"Magic isn't just a linear thing." Cass countered but he couldn't deny that Oliver had a point. Even if he didn't want to admit that for once his brother was going to pull through. He'd never say that to his boyfriend but he supposed if he was going to have this man in his life, then he'd have to start trusting his feelings too. It wasn't as if Olive had ever lead him in a wrong direction. Or to work with men that could possibly kill him and/or everything and everyone he's ever loved ever. "And I don't think what's going on with this little one has much to do with what happened to those two." Cass tried his best to not roll his eyes but still found it happening despite himself. "Don't repeat that." He quickly added, knowing damn well Oliver was going to only want to know what that meant even more.

Cass turned finally to see the pair of them coming down. Though the tension seemed lessened, he didn't take kindly to being disrespected in such a way. But he'd swallow it for Apollo. Hopefully whatever that was, fixed his little problem for the time being. He had really hoped that Apollo's theory of them all growing out of this phase one day was true because if not ..., well, there really wasn't another alternative, Cass hated his life without Maddox in and would suffer the world to continue to make it happen. "Oliver says we've got to get on Orion's spell." He didn't wait for Apollo to agree or redirect anywhere, they'd wasted enough time and the blond preferred to keep the peace so long as it was allowed.

"Oliver?" He asked, watching Isaac pluck the sleeping boy into his arms and switch seats with the man in question. He looked ... settled, almost serene like. Cass hadn't had the chance to ever see Isaac in such a fashion, so unbothered. It wasn't a wonder why Apollo had been attracted to him but now, without all the fury, he could see why. Beautiful. The blond shook his head and found his hand in Oliver's before he knew it. "There's everything you could need and more in the house if need be, what can I do to help you?"

It was nothing new for Cassio to see Apollo naked. It wasn’t anything new for him to see Apollo post sex, though he didn’t dare mention that to Issac because he didn’t want his best friend murdered. Of course, he participated when Cassio had seen him in such a state. He had never seen Apollo in a post-sex haze with someone else. He couldn’t look at his friend as he stood in their bedroom doorway. Apollo’s stared at the comforter, brow furrowed. He had forgotten entirely that Cassio and Oliver were even downstairs. His heart raced, and he sat up, clutching at his chest. “Fuck,” He muttered as the door closed and Isaac locked it. Apollo had forgotten that Theo was downstairs. “What the fuck?” He said again, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and slipping out of it. 

He searched wildly around the room, gathering his clothes and tossing them on messily. It wasn’t like him to get swept up in the moment like that or to forget something as huge as a kid claiming to be his son. He had a spell to perform, he had answers to get, and he was up here fucking? “How did I…” He muttered, picking up Isaac’s shirt instead of his own and tossing it backward to his boyfriend. “That wasn’t…” Apollo hopped on one foot, putting his socks on. “I’ve never…”

When he was dressed, Apollo turned to Isaac, seeing him still on the bed with his clothes in front of him. “Isaac,” He said breathlessly, his pupils blown out and his gaze wild. “I think there’s some kind of magic protecting Theo or-or stopping me from performing this spell to find more answers. I think we were victims of it. Like a distraction spell or a protection one? To prevent us from finding the truth of what’s going on.” He had never heard of such a thing, but when magic was involved, anything was possible. “Get dressed,” Apollo said as he made his way to Isaac, leaning forward to kiss the top of his head. “And let’s get downstairs. I’ll have Cassio analyze us to see what kind of traces that magic was so we know what we’re dealing with.” 

Oliver was shocked to see Cassio return alone. Something isn’t right. He felt it in his bones. Apollo and Isaac didn’t act like this; it wasn’t the first or even fifth fight they had seen the couple have. It never ended up with them abandoning the company to fuck it out. “But if Theo’s mom did this and altered all our memories, she’d have to be around us. You’ve probably met her, and Isaac probably has, but I’ve never met her. She wouldn’t even know about me unless it’s a proximity thing around Theo. Like anyone around him gets their memories jumbled, but the neighbor watching him remembered him.” Oliver stroked the boy’s hair, pushing it away from his forehead. Was it wrong that he hoped he was Apollo’s son? Because he didn’t want his new nephew to not be in his life as selfish as that was. “We have to do my brother’s spell and get to the bottom of Theo and whatever happened to Apollo and Isaac.”

[rammingthestein]

Oliver Riedel in Prague, Czech Republic, for Rammstein's 2017 festival's tour © Milan Říský

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Penelope's final gambit, you will always be famous, no matter the subtext.

[frownyalfred]

reactions to Batman coming up to the Watchtower for a JL meeting without his cowl just wearing a domino mask, in order of hilarity:

oh no he’s hot (Clark)

he’s older than I thought he was (Diana)

he’s younger than I thought he was (Hal)

he has hair??? (Barry)

why do I recognize that scar above his left eyebrow? (both Dinah and Ollie, simultaneously)

good lord how is he so hot (still Clark)

[mournfulroses]

Mary Oliver, from a poem titled "August," featured in White Pine: Poems & Prose Poems