#I feel like if Cassius were too live in any game it would definitely be monster prom

[macksarts]

Cassius in the Monster Prom style attempt 1!

#cassius scarcrest #macksarts #dnd ocs #tieflings #Gonna make an orchid bay recolor later #I feel like if Cassius were too live in any game it would definitely be monster prom #i may not have the style down just yet but its been so long since i've done something relatively finished for a character #all the things im making is gonna end up in my semester final installation alksjdf #i love heeeemm

[vcg73]

FIC: Kurt Birthday Drabbles

Earlier this week @elledelajoie left a comment on something I wrote all the way back in 2014.  I had genuinely forgotten I ever started it, but the original idea was to write 21 Kurt Hummel birthday drabbles. I had written just 7 of them, but after we chatted about it, I decided to go ahead and finish.  

If you’re not familiar, a drabble is a scene of exactly 100 words, not counting title headers. Since Chris Colfer and Kurt Hummel’s co-birthday (May 27) is coming up this Thursday, here they are. This goes definite AU at Birthday #19. Because you know I would never sentence my beloved Kurt to a life of being a doormat to people who did not appreciate and value him.

Never underestimate the power of feedback!

~*~*~*~*~

Birthday #1

Kurt’s blue eyes went wide as a frosted cupcake was set upon his high-chair tray, a single candle ablaze on its surface.  

When Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Andy, Grandpa Curtis and Grandma Eileen started singing to him, he smiled and clapped both hands hard around the tempting pile of frosting.

Kurt laughed when the sugary topping went flying and a big splatter of white abruptly decorated Daddy’s surprised face.

Everyone else started laughed too, including the startled father, who retaliated by giving his birthday boy a sticky peck on the cheek and then helped him to blow out a new candle.

Birthday #2

Kurt looked between his presents, confused.

Mommy had given him the pretty dolly he had begged for at the store. Daddy had given him a truck, not big enough to ride but too big to live with the little cars Daddy gave him at Christmas.

His parents seemed to be mad at each other.

Kurt looked at the doll, then at the truck. He smiled and placed Dolly inside the truck and began to drive her around the carpet.

Mommy and Daddy seemed surprised by his actions, but then they laughed, and Kurt knew he had figured out the puzzle.

 Birthday #3

His shoes were black and shiny, buckles on the sides and 1-inch heels on the base. He clomped over the hardwood floors, listening to the click-tap-click-tap in delight. They went perfectly with his dove gray coveralls with “Kurt” sewn on the pocket in black sequins. Mommy had made the outfit for him.

Spotting Daddy watching him, Kurt threw himself into waiting arms. Daddy’s smile looked like he had an owie but was trying to be a big boy and not cry.

Kurt hugged him. “It’s okay, Daddy.”

Burt looked surprised but hugged him back. “Yeah, buddy. I think it is.”

 Birthday #4

Ballet girls were nice. When they heard it was his birthday today, they threw him a party. Kurt puffed up with pleasure when presented with cookies, a sparkly wand and a tiara that read ‘Happy Birthday’ in shiny letters. He was not as fond of the kisses they gave, but four was very grown up, so he screwed up his face and allowed it. The teacher even let him wear the special puffy pink tutu over his little black leotard! 

 He saw Mommy and Daddy up in the gallery taking pictures, so he waved.

Kurt hoped today would last forever.

  Birthday #5

“Can I have cupcakes?”

Kurt’s mother looked up from her book. “I don’t think we have any, sweetheart.”

“Can we have some Thursday?  My birthday is the last day of preschool.”

“It is?” she said, looking surprised. “Is it your birthday already?”

He nodded seriously. “Don’t you remember, Mommy? You were there.”

She laughed. “Well, you have me there.  What kind of cupcakes would you like, sweetie? And don’t say cheesecake. Those are two completely different kinds of dessert.”

Kurt’s hopeful expression fell. “Oh,” he said, clearly disappointed. Then his face brightened again. “Chocolate?”

She nodded. “That we can do.”

   Birthday #6

“Daddy!”

Burt sat up just in time to catch the little body that launched at him. “What’s wrong, slugger?”

“It’s my birthday!”

Grinning despite the way his heart was hammering at the abrupt awakening, Burt asked, “Yeah? I like birthdays. Do I get a present?”

“No,” the boy scoffed. “I get presents!”

 Burt squinted at the clock. 3:15am. “Not until morning, you don’t.”

Kurt pouted and tried, “It’s almost morning.”

“Not close enough, kid. C’mere,” Burt pulled him into the warm bed between himself and his wife.

Kurt snuggled down and went right back to sleep.  

Burt was less lucky.

 Birthday #7

Kids had started treating him funny this year. He was too fancy, too girly, holding hands was weird.

Nobody was coming.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“Am I too late?”

They jumped as a little black girl with pom-pom hair popped out of nowhere.

“I’m Mercedes,” she greeted. “We just moved here. Mom said you would have invited me if you’d known.”

“I’m Kurt.” He smiled. “Do you like tea parties?”

“Is there cake?”

Mrs. Hummel beamed. “Cake, ice cream, and Kool-Aid.”

Kurt shrugged. “Nobody else came.”

She grabbed his hand like she’d known him forever. “More for us!  Happy Birthday, Kurt.”

 Birthday #8

Kurt took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and carefully blew out the candles. All but the extra one that his parents always put on his cake.

“Aren’t you gonna finish, bud?”

He looked from Daddy over to his mother, home again, but so frail he was sometimes afraid to hug her, worried she might pop like a fragile soap bubble. He offered her the candle. “Here, Mommy. Blow it out. Maybe you’ll get another year to grow on.”

The eyes of the two adults met, then Mommy nodded. The three of them blew out the final candle together.

 Birthday #9

Barely daring to hope, Kurt came down the stairs.  Birthday cakes and presents had been Mommy’s specialty.  Daddy had forgotten his own birthday and had nearly forgotten Christmas.

Kurt gasped when he saw it, waiting, shining and spectacular against the front door.

“A bike!”

Bright green, sissy bars with foil streamers, and a banana seat. Perfect!

Burt smiled. He had scoffed a such a “girly” bike when Kurt spotted it at the toy store. But now, looking at the all-too-rare joy in his son’s eyes and feeling the approving smile his wife would have given, he nodded. It was perfect.

 Birthday #10

Buying gifts was tough when your kid always clammed up on you. A dad had to be observant.

Ten years old. A landmark like that needed something special, but the only thing Kurt seemed into was clothes. He had enough of those for ten kids.  

He’d probably like a Barbie he could change in and out of different outfits, but Burt cringed at the thought.

He did doodle pretty good though. Sure, it was mostly pictures of clothes, but that was a start.

A fancy sketchpad with a case and a hundred different colored pencils. Yeah, that was the ticket.

 Birthday #11

“Dad, where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Kurt sighed with exaggerated impatience. He had come home from school to find Dad waiting at the truck, ordering him to get in, then not saying another word. The suspense was killing him.

“Ta-Dahhhh!”

They had pulled up in front of a nondescript brick building. “Columbus Culinary Arts?”

“You like to cook right?  Well, we’re gonna fix your birthday dinner this year with the help of a real chef. Lessons are once a week for the next couple months.”

Gourmet cooking lessons!

“Oh wow. Dad, this is amazing!”

Burt grinned. “Happy Birthday, kid.”

 Birthday #12

Last year’s surprise had gone so well that Burt had decided on a repeat. But when he saw the excitement on Kurt’s face at finding a pair of tickets inside his birthday card turn to disappointment and horror, quickly masked with a fake smile, he knew he’d goofed.

“I know baseball isn’t your thing,” he said, almost pleading. “But you’ve never seen a live game before. It’s a whole different experience. It’s a home game. We can yell and scream, and cheer our team on with thousands of other fans.”

The stiff not-smile never wavered. “Sounds . . . fun.”

 Birthday #13

Dad had bought out one of the partners at the garage this spring and now owned a majority share of the renamed “Hummel Tires & Lube”. Kurt wanted to snicker at that name, but he was proud too.

His birthday this year coincided with Friday Night Dinner. Dad had invited all the mechanics over for a potluck. They’d had Mary’s special fried chicken, Cassius’s homemade cornbread, and Davy’s mac’n’cheese. Now Dad brought out the cake.

Kurt laughed. A sheet-cake with a tow-truck and two little plastic mechanics for decoration.

“You and me kid. Partners.”

The mechanics cheered and everybody dug in.

  Birthday #14

Kurt froze when he saw tickets peeping out of his card. Not again. Noise, sunburn, unhealthy food, tacky uniforms, and Dad trying so hard to make a boring sport seem like fun.

He sighed and pasted on a smile, which quickly transformed into shock.

“Wicked?” he squeaked, staring hard at the little papers as if the printing might change if he dared to look away.

“Embassy Theater is giving regional business owners a discount this year,” Burt said apologetically. “It’s just a traveling production, not real Broadway, but I …”

His apology was cut off by a joyful teenaged hug.

 Birthday #15

“Don’t worry, son, you got this.  Just remember everything I taught you.  You got a whole year to get ready for the practical test.”

“I know.”

“And it’s okay if you don’t get it right the first time. Not everybody does.”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“I’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re through.”

“I know that, Dad. I’ll be okay, really.”

At that moment, Kurt’s name was called and he sprang from his hard green plastic chair. His dad’s repeated reassurances were making him jumpy.

Twenty minutes later, a brightly grinning Kurt was waving his freshly minted driver’s permit.

 Birthday #16

Burt patted the giant blue bow the dealership had provided over the hood of the shining black Lincoln Navigator.  

Kurt was gonna flip! He’d passed his DMV test with flying colors and was no doubt showing off his shiny new license to all his friends at school.  

He paused. Did Kurt have any friends to share this accomplishment with? He always seemed so alone.

Maybe that’s why he had decided to spoil his son with a huge birthday gift.

It wasn’t right for such a good kid to be all alone. Maybe having his own ride would help change that.

  Birthday #17

A dozen teens gathered in Kurt’s basement to celebrate the end-of-school, non-disbanding of Glee, and Kurt’s birthday, all in one.

“Not like ten years ago,” Mercedes said to Kurt, as they watched Mike and Brittany dance.

“Ten years?”

“Your seventh? It was just you, me, your mom, and lots of chocolate cake.”

Kurt was astounded. “That was you?”

“You forgot?”

“I remember a little girl who showed up and invited herself to my party.”

“And I remember a little boy who needed a friend as much as I did.”

He squeezed her hand. “Thanks for coming.”

She squeezed back. “Always.”

 Birthday #18

Kurt stared at his birthday cake, unable to think of anything to wish for.

He was 18-years-old today, a legal adult. He had new family in Carole and Finn, his dad was on the mend, he would be back at McKinley for senior year, he had made his first visit to New York City, and he had a boyfriend! One who had just told Kurt that he loved him for the very first time.

‘I wish for next year to be as good as this,” he thought, taking a deep breath and blowing.

The flames flickered out, all except one.

 Birthday #19

Senior year had been a disaster, and now he had not gotten into NYADA, despite his well-praised audition.

“Blaine wants me to spend another year here,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”

Burt’s callused hand squeezed his neck. “Then don’t. You’re 19 now, a man. You got talents galore, work experience from the garage, enough drive for ten kids, and your mom’s life insurance money to give you a start.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Burt said firmly. “You go on to New York and grab life by the balls.”

Kurt felt his optimism rise. “Help me look for apartments?”

“You got it.”

 Birthday #20

What a difference a year made.

He’d dumped Blaine after being cheated on less than a month after leaving Lima.  He was enrolled at FIT and sharing a shoebox apartment with a fellow design student and a Broadway hopeful, but both were young gay men from small towns, and they had a lot in common.

“Happy Birthday!” Elliott shouted, tossing a handful of glittery sequins at him.

Adam came in playing the birthday song on a kazoo he had gotten from who-knows-where. “Ready for Callbacks? $20 on who gets the first hot guy’s number!”

“I already have yours. I win!”

 Birthday #21

“I have the honor of presenting your first official grown-up drink,” Adam said, smiling lovingly at his grinning boyfriend of nearly a year. He set down a martini glass with a cherry floating on top. “A Manhattan seemed appropriate.”

Kurt beamed and gave him a kiss, then took an experimental sip. “I’ve had alcohol before,” he admitted. “Mostly wine, though.  Mm, this is good!”

“I thought you’d like it. Happy Birthday, my love.  May the future bring every good thing you wish for, and never more heartache than you can handle.”

Kurt could not have asked for a better sentiment.

THE END

#birthday drabbles #Kurt and Burt #Kurt and Mercedes #Kurt and Adam

[thebookkeeperslibrary]

Lost Time: Ch. 6

Fandom: Time Warp Trio

Author: The_Bookkeeper_96

Rating: T

Summary: Another summer at Horae Manor begins, but before Joe and Tessa get the chance to train, they are sent out on a mission to explore the magic capital of the universe, Mancika. Rumours of illegal magic conversion spread throughout the city, and Joe and Tessa need to locate those responsible. But after the events of last summer, Joe isn't eager to work with his Aether partner, and the two are struggling more with each other than with their enemies.

A/N: Look who's back ;) I promise, I'm not dead, and I still very much want to keep the small TWT community going. Hopefully, my updates will be more consistent going forward.

P.S.: Thinking about starting a tag list for story updates. Let me know if you're interested/want to be added.

Read on AO3

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"In reviewing the tragic incident that occurred at Horae Manor last week, the Great Council has decided to revise the current requirements for acceptance. From this point forward, for the safety of 'lesser magic' users, Horae Manor will only be open to current Warp and Aether wizards and their potential successors. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families of those affected by last week's events, and we hope this change will prevent such things going forward." - Excerpt of Great Council Decree 57 from the year 1908

"You can't be serious. He doesn't know anything!" Tessa exclaims, then suddenly remembers that I'm now standing right next to her. "No offense."

I bite my tongue. No point in arguing in front of Rowena and Cassius, they'd just punish us in some other way. Though forcing us to work together when we were clearly not on good terms seems cruel enough. I force myself to shrug like her little outburst doesn't sting at all.

She'd said that with no hesitation. So what if I didn't do my required reading? What good would knowing the history of magic do for me in a battle?

I briefly picture myself fighting a game show host who keeps shouting trivia questions at me. He demands to know who the first Warp Wizard was, and if I get the question wrong, his powers grow stronger. Three wrong answers and he can turn me into a mouse with the snap of his fingers or smite me with a single bolt of lighting.

I snap out of my daydream, hoping I haven't missed anything. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that could never happen. Knowledge wasn't one of the nine magics. Right?

Maybe one chapter wouldn't hurt…

"Tessa," Ro sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "this is a partnership. Warp and Aether wizards rely on each other. Your magic cannot exist without the other half. Your independence is admirable, but from now on you two need to be working together every step of the way."

"I know that, but shouldn't you at least teach him some basic magic first? How to put up a shield or shoot some energy balls?" Tessa frowns and stares at the floor. "This is serious stuff. He could get hurt, or worse."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I cross my arms. Ready now more than ever to start this fight. Why is she acting as if she cares about me getting hurt? She certainly didn't seem to mind last summer in Paris or Cealus. The concerned expression on her face is almost enough to make me believe her, but after last year, I know better than that. What game is she playing here?

"We have spent the last year trying to come up with exercises for the two of you to learn how to cooperate. I had hoped that once we revealed the time decay, you would understand the brevity of the situation. Clearly not." Cas crosses his arms, giving me the impression of a disappointed father.

I remember from our conversation last summer that Cassius is married. Did he have kids too? And had he really spent the last year focusing on Tessa and me instead of his own family? We can't be that special. I wonder if his wife ever came to visit here at Horae. Where did Cas live anyway when he wasn't here? I doubt he'd answer any of my questions about his personal life, especially since he wouldn't answer any of my questions about magic.

"Okay, so maybe our teamwork needs a little improvement," I relent. "But how are we supposed to work on that if you make us fight each other?"

"You're not fighting each other." Rowena flicks her wrist towards us.

I blink. Without warning, Tessa and I are standing on the far side of the gym facing down our mentors. This gym really is bigger than I thought. Or at least, Rowena made it seem that way.

"You're fighting us."

My heart plummets into my stomach. This has to be some weird test. They won't make us fight them. They're professional wizards who had years of magic experience. They are literally the greatest time and space magic-users alive. We would never be able to beat them. I have no training and Tessa only has a year under her belt. She did pretty well against Rowena alone, but with Cassius fighting her too? This would be a disaster for us.

"You guys are really on it with the jokes tonight. But seriously, what's the plan?" Apparently, Tessa is just as stunned as I am, which does nothing for my hopes. We really would be getting crushed. So much for having a good start for the summer.

"We are serious. Don't worry, we'll take it easy on you." Warm purple light glows around Rowena.

"You don't necessarily have to beat us, just knock us out of the arena. As long as we see a decent showing of teamwork from the both of you, we'll consider that a win for you." Cassius' body begins to glow that signature time magic green. "And we won't end this until you do."

Is it my imagination or is the room shifting in size and shape? And why does everything feel like it's moving a lot slower now? Ro and Cas couldn't be using their magic like that already, they weren't even doing anything except standing there. Just how powerful were they?

How powerful could Tessa and I become?

The thought gives me a burst of excitement. This battle could actually be a great way to learn what I will be able to do someday. Maybe there's some way I can trick Cas into showing off all his moves and tricks.

"We're starting now? You're not even going to give us time to strategize?" Tessa holds her arms out in exasperation.

"You will have very few fights in your life where you will have time to strategize. Besides, you know nothing about each other's strengths and weaknesses or fighting styles. And you've only seen Ro fight, not me." Cas cracks his knuckles, the green mist slowly curling farther and farther up his arms.

Okay, so we're doing this.

I try to remember how I felt every time I used my magic before. My hands would always tingle and my chest would feel warm, but the only time I'd ever been able to do anything was in high-stress situations. Like if my life was in danger or the life of someone I care about. But Cas and Ro had already said they'd be going easy on us, so there's no real danger here.

I feel nothing. No tingle. No warmth.

Great, maybe my magic is broken. Which means I have to rely on Tessa during this. Even better. I inwardly roll my eyes. Is that why they were doing this? To build my trust in her by forcing me to lean on her during a fight?

"We can win this if we play it smart. But you need to listen to what I say." Tessa snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Why do you get to be in charge?" I cross my arms. Even if that is Cas and Ro's plan, that doesn't mean I have to follow it. I can prove to them that I know what I'm doing.

"Because I'm the only here with any experience."

"So? You don't know what I've been up to this past year. Maybe I've been practicing my magic non-stop."

"Have you?"

"Well-"

My world turns green as Cas blasts us with magic. "Not off to a good start, you two."

I cringe. I can hear the disappointment in his voice from here. I guess it won't hurt to at least try to cooperate with Tessa. As long as she doesn't betray me again. If Cas and Ro think we're so important that they're spending all their free time thinking about us, the least we can do is try to live up to their expectations.

"Fine. What's your plan?"

"I need you to distract them."

"Distract them how?"

Tessa runs a hand over her face. "I don't know! Just think of something, and fast."

Before I can even blink, she throws up a shield in front of us, blocking another attack from our mentors. I can't help but cough as the smoke clears around us.

"Magic combat lesson number one: move."

Tessa winces and waves the smoke away. "Cas is right. Standing still like this is a death sentence. We have to run or hide."

"There's nowhere to hide."

"So run."

Just like that, she bounces away, using the last remaining smoke as cover.

Okay, distract two super powerful wizards. I can do that.

How do I do that?

My mind races as my feet start to carry me away. I have to get them to focus on me so Tessa can do… what exactly is Tessa planning on doing? I try to find her, before realizing that that's probably not going to help her.

The room shakes, and suddenly I'm running into a wall I'm pretty sure wasn't there two seconds ago.

A stinging pain flares up above my eye. My hand reaches up and pulls away with blood smeared across my palm. Okay, apparently 'go easy on us' doesn't mean we won't get hurt. Noted.

"You need to pay attention. Especially when your opponent can manipulate the battlefield," Rowena calls out.

Well, at least I had their attention. Hopefully, Tessa can go do her thing now. I want this fight to be over with as soon as possible. Cas was right. I'm nowhere near ready for this. Magic only came to me on accident or when someone was in serious danger. Even if I could, there was no way I could focus enough right now to summon any amount of power.

I laughed. "I meant to do that."

Both Ro and Cas raised their brows at me. "Really?"

"Totally. We definitely have a plan, and we are definitely going through with it." Another nervous chuckle escaped my throat. If I can keep them talking to me, Tessa should be able to go through with her plan. I tried not to frown or show any irritation. Of course, it really would help if I knew her plan.

Our mentors' hands begin to glow. I gulp down a bubble of air. This isn't good, but I can't let them see me panic.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tessa scaling the wall towards the seats where Cas and I had been earlier. Wait, is her plan to escape and leave me here while I get attacked? My fists clench. I shouldn't be surprised. This was exactly the kind of behavior she had shown last summer. A list of crude insults runs through my mind. I shake them away. No time to think about that. I have to focus on what's happening right in front of me.

A familiar warmth built up in my chest. Was it magic? One way to find out.

I lift my hands and close my eyes. Just push it out. That's all I have to do. I take a deep breath, feeling the warmth swirl deeper within me. My fingertips tingle in anticipation.

Without warning, the room shakes again, and my body flings to the side. I just barely manage to stay on my feet, but the warmth in me is suddenly replaced with nausea.

My arms wrap around my stomach. I bend over and try not to vomit. Damn space magic.

I look up to see Ro and Cas looking confused, and I understand why. They're no longer near me where they were. Instead, they're a hundred feet away from me on the other side of the arena. Had it always been this big?

I try to find Tessa, but I can't see her anywhere. So she really did leave. Great.

Ro's eyes scan the edges of the arena and land on something in the far corner. Try as I might, I can't see what she sees.

Pointing at the corner, her fingers curl into a fist, and she pulls her arm into her side.

The corner flies in closer, but there's nothing there.

Rowena frowns. "What?"

I see a flash of movement off to my side, but don't dare look at it. Maybe Tessa didn't abandon me after all. But looking at her wouldn't help her. It would only reveal her location to our opponents.

Now, Ro and Cas are both frantically looking around the room, trying to locate Tessa. But they're not having any luck.

Our roles had reversed since the start of the fight. Tessa was now serving as the perfect distraction. Both Cas and Ro were completely focused on her, which gave me the opportunity to strike. And how could I not?

All I have to do is summon one burst of magic and push Cas and Ro out of the arena. No problem. Not at all.

I tried to bring back the warmth that I felt earlier. Surprisingly, it did. The heat and tingling flare back to life, making me shudder. An uncontrollable grin splits open my face. Maybe I am good at this magic thing after all.

The heat increases and my whole body feels electrified. Had it always felt this intense and painful? Whatever, me and my magic were ready to go.

My hands are already glowing by the time I pull them up. I can't contain my excitement. I'm doing it! I'm really using magic! Focusing everything I have on my hands, I point at Ro and Cas who are both conveniently placed near the edge of the arena. They must be so focused on Tessa, they don't even realize where they're standing.

I smirk. This is too perfect. I could feel my magic ready to burst. With one final breath, I let my magic loose just as a wall of purple appears in front of me.

And my world goes white.

----------------------------------

My hearing returns first. A sharp ringing echoes in my head. As it slowly fades away, the sound of voices filters through.

"Do you know how difficult it's going to be to repair this gym?" The first voice is stern, angry.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know he would do that. I- I didn't want this to happen." The second voice sounds panicky and raspy. Had they been crying? "Why would you think that fight was a good idea? He could be dead!"

"He's not dead." A third voice, one very close to me, says. They didn't sound angry or panicked, just calm.

What's happening? I struggle to regain consciousness, my body fighting me the whole way. The last of the ringing in my ears disappears and all I can see is blurry lights. I hear a pained groan. Was that me?

"See? Not dead. A little battered, but that's to be expected." Something next to me stirs and moves away. "You didn't do anything wrong. We can repair the gym easily enough." A pause, and I think I hear someone huff. "Your shield didn't do this, Tessa. I think he depleted his magic when he blasted off there at the end."

Oh, right. The battle. My memory came back to me in a rush of bright images. Did Tessa and I cause some sort of explosion? That must be Cas talking now. Did he just say something about depleting my magic?

A bolt of alarm zips through me, pushing me back into consciousness. I shoot straight up, gasping for air.

Instantly, Ro, Cas, and Tessa gather around me, but I can't get my breathing under control enough to hear them. Deplete my magic? Like, all my magic? I couldn't feel any trace of the warmth from earlier. Did I just waste everything in one stupid fight? No, no, no! I never even got to do anything cool like stop time or warp without The Book. How could this have happened?

"Easy, Joe. Just breathe. You were knocked out for a few minutes, but everything is fine now." Cas's face fills my view and he puts my hand on his chest. "Breathe with me. In and out. In and out."

I match his breathing as best I can, and eventually the world comes back into focus. I manage to say a few words, "Is my magic gone forever?"

Cas's head jerks back in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you said I depleted my magic." My chest constricts and my breathing picks up again.

He laughs with a shake of his head. "No, your magic is not gone. In fact, I would say your magic is a lot stronger than I expected it to be at this stage. But that stunt you pulled did expend all of your energy. You'll need to rest for a day, but you'll be fine. I promise."

"Stunt?" I took a moment to look at all three of them. Rowena was frowning, but not at me. Her focus was on Tessa, whose eyes were red and locked onto me. "What exactly did I do?"

"You nearly turned yourself into a bomb!" Tessa threw her arms in the air. "I told you to distract them, not attack them!"

"I did?" For the first time, I take in the scene around me. The gym is completely destroyed. Black scorch marks cover the floor all around us and smoke still hovers in the air. Part of the seating had collapsed. Even the ceiling had cracks branching out from where I had been standing before I blacked out. "Oh. Uh, sorry?" What were you supposed to say when you nearly blew up a building?

Cas suppresses a smile. "It's really not that bad. This place has survived a lot worse, trust me. But no more magical attacks like that, until we've got you trained. Okay?"

I mutely nod, not sure what else to do. To be honest, I don't think I could summon any magic now even if I wanted to. I've never felt so exhausted in my entire life. Everything in me ached, and it took a lot of effort just to sit upright.

"Did I really do this all by myself?" The damage in the gym is intense. And what about that flash of purple I saw right before I tried to shoot at Cas and Ro? My magic did feel a little uncontrolled at the end, but surely I'm not capable of this kind of destruction.

"No, but Tessa's force field blocked your magic from going out." Rowena crossed her arms, still clearly upset with Tessa. "It bounced off the shield and shot straight back into itself."

"But I didn't know he was going to do that! I didn't mean to hurt him." Tessa turns to me with wide eyes. "Please, believe me, Joe. Even if we're not exactly friends, I would never try to hurt you like that."

I want to snap back and tell her I don't believe her, but something in her eyes makes me stop. She looks on the verge of tears and has clearly cried at some point already. Why did she care if I got hurt? She'd made it clear that she didn't care about anyone but herself.

Instead of saying anything, I simply turn away and glare at the ground.

"I-" Tessa starts, but is quickly interrupted.

"Enough." Cas puts himself between everyone. Stopping any fights before they can start. "We all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and we can all use a good night's rest."

"What's happening for us tomorrow?" I ask. He had mentioned he and Ro had a council meeting tomorrow, but what were Tessa and I going to be doing? Were we going to sit in with them?

"We'll talk about that at breakfast," Ro said in a tone that implied if she told us now, we wouldn't sleep at all tonight. Great, so something not fun was happening tomorrow.

With help from Cas, I got to my feet, and after an awkward good night to everyone, I stumbled to my room. I was asleep before my head even hit my pillow.

#time warp trio #time warp trio fanfiction #fanfiction #joe #sam #fred #oc #kellie writes #kellie fanfic #kellie twt #writeblr #writing #my post

[siverwrites]

Press Start Letter

AO3: Siver

There are some pretty big groups here, so there’s just a mix of things I like and prompts if you want them. As long as the DNWs are avoided it’s all good. Really can’t go wrong taking anything from my Likes list. A lot of found family vibes happening in this batch so anything in that vein in particular is great.

All requests are for fic or art. Art: Interactions of some sort: emoting at each other, talking, sharing some activity, taking a walk, hugs are always welcome, soft things, whatever suits the pair/group

Likes: fluff, hurt/comfort, comfort, missing scenes, friendships, long-term friendships, close relationships of any sort whether romantic or platonic, familial bonds, found family, sickfic, AUs, fandom crossovers or fusions, angst with a happy end, bonding, cuddling/hugs/holding, banter, mutual care and support, emotional bonding, loyalty, pre-canon, post-canon, reuniting, slice of life

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, virus things

Thank you!

Ghost Trick

Group: Alma/Cabanela Group: Alma/Jowd Group: Alma/Jowd & Cabanela Group: Alma/Jowd/Cabanela Group: Cabanela/Jowd Group: Cabanela & Pigeon Man Alma Cabanela Jowd Missile Sissel Group: Emma & Pigeon Man: What even happens here? Just such a bizarre and unexpected combo it had to happen.

I love this game, its characters and pretty much everything about it, so whatever you want to do will be great I am sure. New timeline mysteries and dealing with missing memories are always welcome where it makes sense. Alternate timelines and what-ifs are cool to explore. Fluff, comfort, family found or otherwise and friendships are always a go. Sissel and Missile involvements and tricks are always good. Any combination of these characters is more than welcome too! 

I only request that for various configurations of Alma, Jowd and Cabanela there is no infidelity. If it’s Cabanela/Jowd or Cabanela/Alma please let the third party be absent for whatever reason or dead... if a Cabanela/Jowd situation in game or a no reset timeline. But Alma’s absence should still be felt. Otherwise I love the trio so much and always love to see more.

Trails in the Sky

Group: Cassius Bright & Estelle Bright & Joshua Bright & Renne Bright: Family family family! Renne adjusting to a new life with them .

Group: Celeste D. Auslese & Renne Hayworth: What might they discuss in the Hermit’s Garden? What might Renne have to ask her?

Group: Estelle Bright & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese & Tita Russell: Sisters and best friend time!

Group: Julia Schwarz & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese: Mooore sister times

Group: Kloe Rinz & Celeste D. Auslese: Her ancestor... Kloe must have so many questions...

Group: Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese & Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor: Royals unite! They have a good allyship now going now it’d be cool to see them interact more

Group: Mayor Maybelle/Lila: they’re just sweet okay. Let Maybelle rest. Lila, also rest. Go on a vacation you two

Group: Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor & Mueller Vander: Exasperated but oh so caring Mueller always...

Group: Olivier Lenheim/Mueller Vander: Same as above but more romantic

Group: Ries Argent/Kevin Graham: Affectionate exasperation

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor: Just. Olivier. 

Missing scenes, scene extensions, travel along the roads, airship travel times, etc. Post Sky also welcome and at some points necessary. Ample opportunity for anything in the Garden in 3rd. I love these characters, their world, and their relationships.

Trails from Zero/Trails to Azure

Alex Dudley Elie MacDowell KeA Lloyd Bannings Randy Orlando Sergei Lou Tio Plato Zeit Group: Rixia Mao/Ilya Platiere Group: Sonya Baelz & Sergei Lou

These games hit my found family buttons hard. Anything portraying some kind of familial relationship among these characters is awesome. I love our SSS family (Dudley included, you’re an honorary part too, just the way it is). Any combination of these characters is more than welcome!

KeA winning Dudley over because no one can resist her? Always down for KeA and “Uncle” Sergei too. Randy and Tio sibling like times? An outing for our core four, Lloyd, Elie, Tio and Randy, possibly dragging Sergei with for a change? Dudley and Lloyd connecting over something whether the past with Guy or something else entirely? Zeit in any capacity is a very good boy. Sky’s the limit.

Please no shipping aside from the Rixia/Ilya.

Dragon Quest XI

Group: Marutina | Jade & Rou | Rab Group: Sena | Serena & Veronica Group: Sylvia | Sylvando & Dave Group: Sylvia | Sylvando & Graig | Hendrik Marutina | Jade Sylvia | Sylvando

While I wish there were a few more dynamics among the party outside of certain pairs I do love what there is and down for more.

I’d be interested in seeing more Jade and Rab grandfather adopted granddaughter moments. Could be something during the journey or something before they joined the party. Or something after it’s all over. Jade can return to her father in Heliodor but that’s a bond that won’t break.

Any kind of sister time for Serena and Veronica at any time. Can go angsty given Veronica’s situation as well.

I didn’t give Dave a lot of attention until playing the definitive edition and I loved how he was there for Sylv and was able to snap him out of his gloom. More interactions and them supporting each other would be great. Anything during the parade gathering is also great, or Dave’s search for him and Sylv’s recovery.

I love Hendrik and Sylvando’s dynamic. They have that shared history but they’re so different and Hendrik’s reactions are always a joy. But what are some other ways they can support each other?

Game did Jade dirty. Let her shine. Maybe overly ambitious but an AU where she kicks Booga’s ass and liberates Octagonia herself would be cool and she can look after it in a similar fashion to the Last Bastion. But overall anyway, just some attention for Jade.

Just. Sylvando. I love him. Sylv being Sylv can’t go wrong.

Bug Fables

Group: Elizant II & Leif Group: Kabbu & Vi & Leif Group: Prof. Honeycomb & Doctor H.B. Kabbu Leif Vi

My new love and I love the group dynamics! Party fun times while they’re travelling would be good. Really interested in more with Leif’s situation because that is a Lot and open to more introspection and dealing--Kabbu support go? Attempted Vi support go?

There’s also an interesting connection between Elizant II and Leif I’d be interested in seeing more. Leif’s out of time but holds memories of Elizant I. Elizant II is a more direct connection he’s otherwise lacking and it’s nice to see how his opinion of her shifts and grows.

Professor Honeycomb and Doctor H.B.: older cranky lady bees in science! I have no specific ideas, but exploring more of their rivalry would be fun. Hawk and long-suffering Crow involvement are A-okay too.

Final Fantasy VI

Cyan Celes Group: Edgar Roni Figaro & Macías "Mash" Rene Figaro | Sabin Rene Figaro Relm Arrowny

Any combination of any of these tags. Any kind of characters interaction among the party is great. Celes and Relm. Attempted reconciliation between Celes and Cyan. Edgar and Sabin having some sort of interaction with the spunky Relm--she probably trolling them in some way no doubt. Or perhaps something sweeter. Etc

Edgar & Sabin: Moments visiting Figaro during their journey. Or post-game trying to bond again and get to know each other after Sabin’s long absence without doom hanging over their heads. Something to do with or some fallout from the whole Gerad situation?

Celes: Her thoughts on having to sing at the opera? Or what she might be doing post-game. More exploration of her thoughts and feelings after she wakes up on the island? So much room for more expansion on Celes moments. Travelling with Sabin after finding him in the World of Ruin?

Relm: Lean on the magic of her paintings? Or post-game Relm dealing with the loss her powers and/or just trying to live normally again after all that?

Mutazione

Group: Bopek & Jell-A Group: Dennis & Nonno Group: Kai & Karoo Group: Kai & Semenya Group: Miu & Yoké Group: Nonno & Spike Group: Spike/Claire Group: Yoké & Claire Group: Yoké & Karoo Miu Yoké 

I don’t have any specific ideas for Mutazione but all these groups are cool. I enjoyed playing this game so much I’d love to dive back into this world. Leaning hard on its warmth, care and found family is most welcome. And plants! And music! I’m particularly fond of Yoké, but as said these are all great pairs and characters. 

Pyre

Group: Volfred Sandalwood & Ti'zo Group: Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel Volfred Sandalwood Ti’Zo

Found family joys. Daily activities while they travel? Wagon shenanigans. Post Peaceful revolution activities? Any combo here is great. Soft moments in configurations of Volfred, Tariq and Oralech, pre, post or in-game.   Snakes doing snake things. Imps doing imp things.

Volfred Sandalwood & Ti'zo: Tree and Imp, Tree and Imp! And who knew each other before so something relating to that would be cool. But honestly tree and imp...

Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: Something gentle for the tree and the moon who somehow fell for him, any time period

#press start #press start 2020 #press start letter #letter

[pbiskillingmehere]

Conquered (Marc Antony x MC)

Fandom: A Courtesan of Rome

Pairing: Marc Antony x MC (Maeve)

Genre: Angst, Smut

Word Count: ~4k

Rating: NSFW

Author’s Note: Just an FYI, I’m aware that intertwining the bargain with the *ahem* romance is kind of dicey. I definitely don’t think PB will do that this week when MC talks to Antony, but this is just a testament to how complicated and problematic their relationship can be. So just a disclaimer: if you like the political intrigue with MC and Marc Antony to be kind of separated from the romance, this might not be the fic for you. Feel free to put feedback in my inbox! 

Maeve gave up on going in with a plan halfway to Antony's villa. The most powerful courtesan in Rome and she had no cards to play. A single bead of sweat trailed a path down the length of her back. Pitting Syphax and her father against each other in the arena was like a knife poised for a killing blow. One wrong move could lead to tragedy.

Right after Xanthe had sneered the news at her, Maeve caught sight of Lena over Xanthe's shoulder, eyes filled with horror and sadness. She mouthed go before she came up beside Xanthe. "Dear, you cannot see Marc Antony in anything less than the scholae's finest. Come, I have the perfect dress."

Xanthe gave her one last cruel smile before letting Lena lead her away, and Maeve had to remind herself that cutting her throat would not save her father or Syphax before fleeing the scholae. Hopefully Lena would keep her occupied long enough.

Antony's villa was every bit the worthy home for Rome's most powerful man. It was larger and finer than any of the homes of other Roman elites. The marble columns were gleaming and unblemished, foreboding sentries that stood before an undoubtedly expansive home. However, it lacked the ornate luxury that she often saw in the homes of senators and other figures of influence. There were not complex carvings in the facade, no lush gardens or triumphant statues. Power without the frills. How very Antony.

She approached the guards, smiling airily. She could see the slight shift of tension in their shoulders as she came closer, but they did not relax. Antony would not have fools guarding his home. "I'm here for Antony," she said, her voice light and suggestive. "He should be expecting me." She brushed her dark curls back to reveal the chestnut skin of her neck and the curves and dips of her collarbones.

One guard chuckled, eyes never leaving her. "I'm surprised I haven't seen you here before, Queen of Vulcanalia," he said.

She laughed along with him. "I'm guessing you were at the celebration." She looked at her feet, feinting a touch of embarrassment. "I would have gladly come sooner, but Antony is a busy man. Luckily, I am very understanding," she purred, smiling as she looked up at them through her lashes.

The guards shared a lascivious look with one another at that. "He should be just inside," one said, motioning for her to pass.

She thanked them, and her muscles clenched in an effort to keep herself from running into the estate.

She entered the atrium, the room illuminated by the moonlight coming in from the square opening in the ceiling, casting a silvery glow against the shallow pool in the center of the floor. Reflected in the water, was Antony himself, leaning against the doorway on the opposite side of the room. Dressed in a purple-lined toga and wearing a studying expression, he was every bit the master of such a household.

Maeve's heart clenched, the blood in her veins turning white-hot. "You're not surprised to see me," she said, her voice indicating it was more of a statement than a question. Her words were warped to a sharp ring in the silence of the room.

Antony, stayed where he was, arms crossed as they always were. He gave a wry smirk. "That Xanthe has reliably loosed lips, as we've both learned," he said simply.

Maeve was almost shaking. He was speaking as if they were playing their usual games. He had cast her aside and now put Syphax and her father's lives at risk. She was done playing. "Did you expect me to come crying, begging?" she bit out. "Vulnerable and ready to bargain away my very soul for their sake?" There was no point in circling around her purpose here. He clearly already knew the reason.

"I had expected that you would want to talk," he replied, his tone and face revealing nothing.

She crossed her arms, matching him. "So now you want to hear what I have to say?" She scoffed, thinking back to how he dismissed her on Xanthe's word without hearing her explanation. "Of course you do when the fates of my father and my guard are in your hands."

Antony quirked an eyebrow. Usually when she took liberties with him, it was out of flirtation or disregard for the fear she should feel around him, but not this open rebellion. His gestures of casualness made her want to scream.

"Antony, tell me this wasn't you," she said, her voice so close to breaking. "Because you should know that if it was, I will take it to mean that you wish to be enemies." But it was him. There was no way around it. She just needed him to say the words.

Antony pushed off the doorway. "It was just how the ludus masters arranged it, Maeve. I had no hand in it." He began approaching her slowly, intently.

She laughed humorlessly. "Even if that was true," Maeve began, shaking her head. "You knew who they are to me, and you did nothing to alter their plans. You knew I would coming running hear as soon as I heard."

He stopped halfway to her, his face a study in light and dark as he stood half in the moonlight, half in the shadows. A little white scar winked at her near his eyebrow, and his features were sharper and stronger as some were illuminated and others ominously hidden. However, his expression was unmistakably hard. This was all beyond their usual dance. He was too serious and quiet and she was too angry and loud. It was uncharted territory.

Her eyes blazed a warpath on him, daring him to contradict her. "You scorned me when you thought I manipulated you, and yet you've manipulated me, and not for the first time. I knew you were many things, Marc Antony, but I did not think a petty hypocrite was one of them," she spat, baring her teeth.

That hit a nerve. "That is enough, Maeve," he snapped, his voice taking on a quality that had likely sent more than one soldier scrambling.

"I will say when it is enough!" she snarled, showing him the ferocity of the heir to the Catonnui.

And that is when she saw it, the hot flicker in his eyes that consumed her like a wildfire. Antony liked her playful and teasing, but he liked her vicious and bold even more. She just never expected him to enjoy it when it was directed at him. There was a part of her that begged herself to stop, that said this would unravel everything between them and leave her vulnerable, but it was drowned out by the fear and the anger that she felt at the thought of her father and Syphax fighting in the ring the next morning. "What is it, Antony? Do you want me by your side as an equal, or do you want at your mercy like a pawn? You cannot have it both ways."

A muscle in Antony's jaw ticked. He gave a long blink, and she saw that he took that moment to compose himself. "This is simple, Maeve," he said, ignoring her words completely. "You owe me too many favors, and now you need another one. It is only a matter of price. I cannot give you something for nothing. Especially if you are in league with Cassius against Caesar."

It took all of Lena's training for her not to throw something at his head. She needed to be strategic. The only thing she had to offer him was information. Antony would see through any seduction tactics, and she needed to prove that he could still trust her, but she still had ire in need of release. "Fine. You wanted to talk. Let's start with Cassius then. Cassius cares about me. A great deal."

Antony’s lip curled and a familiar feeling of being close to danger crept up her spine. It was like when she drew to close to a cliff's edge in Gaul or ambushed Roman soldiers with nothing but a sword and her wit. Her skin tingled and her blood sang with anticipation.

She took a step toward him. "And I have been using that to get information about Caesar and the Senate. I knew that I couldn't trick that information out of you, especially when you were unearthing every secret about myself I tried to keep buried. So I've been spending time entertaining Cassius," she said baldly. Antony already knew her to hate Caesar for the sake of her people, if she reminded him that her loyalty was to a long-gone tribe and not to Caesar's most vocal enemy, she would just be a bitter conquered woman rather than a traitor. It was a risk, but a calculated one. "What Xanthe saw, was me keeping a significant source of information at my ear. I might have told you that if you hadn't chosen the word of a spiteful, ambitious harpy over mine."

Antony wasn't eased just yet. "What am I to make of your relationship with me, then?” 

She let out a shaky breath."I cannot deny how much I've enjoyed your company." She paused. Only the hard truth would satisfy him, or some version of it. "As for the rest of it, you are the most powerful man in Rome. Only a fool would pretend to be blind to that. Being close to you keeps me safe and allows me powers I cannot acquire on my own." She stepped closer, letting the fear she felt flash across her face. "Invoking your name has kept Aquila from hurting me. Antony. Do you really need proof of what you are to me after I brought you him on a silver platter?"

Rage twisted Antony's face at her mention of Aquila, his fists clenched meanacingly. "He's a fool for ever thinking he could touch you and not suffer the consequences. And I fail to see how revealing him to me is a sign of your fealty when it benefited you as well.”

Slowly, she came to stand directly in front of him, so close she could see the lines of his face even in the semidarkness. She wanted to trace them and feel the history of them, but steeled herself at their proximity, choosing anger over lust. She put her hands on his shoulders, and Antony was like a statue.

Maeve turned her head, her lips a hairbreadth away from his jaw. His warmth radiated off of him and brought gooseflesh to her skin. “I was this close to him.” She pressed her hand into his throat as if she still had her blade. "I had my knife pressed to his throat, Antony. I could have slit his throat," she said quietly. His pulse was steady under her hand, unwavering. "The man who killed my people and enslaved my family," she choked out, barely a whisper. "But I didn't. I gave the object of my pain and hatred for the past eight years to you. Was I wrong in doing that?"

Antony roughly circled a strong arm around her waist, his other hand coming up to cup the back of her neck. "He is subject to the worst kind of punishment a man like him can get. Of course you were right," he said lowly.

The hand at his throat fanned out and lowered to his chest. "What about the part where I trusted you? When you reward me by hurting me in the worst way. As if I am not a force to be reckoned with." Her spite was like flint, at risk of sparking every dangerous bit of tinder between them.

Antony was silent for a long moment. "I see what you’re doing, Maeve. You're backed into a corner,” His voice was even, but it teetered precariously. The next words he practically snarled into her mouth as he turned into her. "And you're baring your teeth to save yourself."

She rose to the challenge, almost closing her eyes at the closeness of his lips and his breath on her face. "Call anything I've said a lie. I welcome it. Because you know I'm keen enough not to lie to you."

She could feel every movement of his mouth against hers as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Then tell me this. Do you want me?" The question seemed out of place, but it fit terribly, perfectly in this tangled web they were in. His voice suggested that simple yes would not suffice, that he meant did she want him beyond what power he could give her.

She pulled back and met his gaze, his eyes the color of steel, and just as sharp. "Only you," she breathed. "All you need to do is stop this, and let me have you."

With that, every bit of his restraint snapped. Antony hauled her body against his and finally captured her mouth in a kiss filled with a harsh passion that only he could produce. She moaned as he spun her to press her into the wall, hands clutching and pulling at the fabric of her dress. She bit at his bottom lip savagely and he growled his pleasure. She clutched at his shoulder and buried her hand into his short hair, her nails scraping his scalp. Even through the folds of her dress and his toga, she could feel the battle-harden muscles of his body, and the desire that he felt for her.

Maeve pulled back with a gasp, but Antony only moved to kissing and nipping at her jaw and neck. “We haven’t reached a resolution yet,” she said, determined but breathy. May the goddess punish her for how much pleasure she felt while the lives of those dear to her were still at stake.

"Choose one to win, make sure they give a good show, and I will spare them both," he said into her skin before biting her earlobe. He pushed his pelvis against her and her head fell back against the wall. "Just make sure it's convincing."

“And in return?” Her hearted ran a rabbit’s race in her chest.

His hand came up to burry into her hair. "You will come with me to every festivity I host. You will not see any other patrons, unless they may have something I need, and you will report necessary information back to me," he whispered in her ear.

She froze at this. “So you want me to be your pawn after all.” Despair crept at the edges of her mind, but what other choice did she have? She would just need to figure out how to work her ends from this new, very limiting role.

"I want you to be my spy, Maeve." He licked a line across her shoulder that roused her from her momentarily paralysis and had her bucking her hips against him. "You are in the perfect position for it, and you're more than adept at getting information out of foolish men." His hand buried underneath her dress to bring her leg around his hip, getting his fill of the skin of her thigh as he stroked her.

"Starting with Cassius," she guessed, trying to focus on his words and not his punishing touch.

He let out a mirthless laugh. "You've had no qualms about using him for your purposes. Using him for mine should be no different." Then he took to sucking at where her neck met her shoulder.

Except that it would be different. "You would have me aid Caesar.”

He stopped his ministrations to brush his nose along the column of her neck. "I would have you aid me. You made it clear that you've already separated the two of us in your mind. You've had your vengeance against the legate and the tribune, but moving against Caesar would be disastrous, and everyone and everything here that you care for would be at risk, not just your father and the gladiator." He finally looked at her, eyes darkened with lust but not dulled in the slightest. "You can have all the power and influence you have earned for yourself, just stay your vengeful hand against Caesar and me."

“This is more than just staying my hand. This is actively helping you plot against Caesar’s enemies.” She tried to turn her face away but he brought it back to him with the light push of his fingers.

His expression was almost entreating, as if he was capable of such a thing. “You would also have my protection in return. There are far crueler demands I could have of you, Maeve, and no amount of sharp words would have me believe you wouldn’t accept it.” He held her face in his hands, gaze steady. “I do want you at my side.”

She was unsure if he was just saying this to put her at ease, or if he actually spoke the truth. If a pawn believed itself to be a player, it did not change the fact that it was still at the mercy of a controlling hand. For now, she had to choose to believe him. She swallowed. “Okay,” she said softly, and she was still the fool she was eight years ago, the one that tricked herself into believing they could defeat the Romans.

He smiled. “It’s a deal then.” As soon as the words left his mouth he kissed her once again, tongue skillfully pushing against hers, undoubtedly feeling a great tension in her body release at the thought of her father and Syphax living another day. His hands began working under her skirt once more.

She pried herself away from him, one hand suddenly cupping his jaw, the other cupping his hardness through his toga and he jerked. "Beg my forgiveness for doing this,” she demanded. Pointless as it was, she still needed some small victory. “I can walk back to my villa right now and still keep my end of the bargain.”  

He cocked his head at her, a surprised and strangled laugh escaping him. "I don't think I've ever begged for anything in my life." Despite this, Antony carefully dropped to his knees, bringing her leg over his shoulder. His thumb brushed along her knee. "And don't pretend you would have done anything differently in my position. Like it or not, you and I are the same."

Maeve pursed her lips. "And would you not have me on my knees, asking for reconciliation, if you were in my position?" She placed a hand at his shoulder to steady herself.

He bit at her thigh, eyes never leaving hers, pushing more fabric out of his way. "I'm not sorry for doing the smart thing, and I'm not sorry for bringing you here. But I am sorry for the pain I saw in your eyes." For a moment he almost looked sweet, but that quickly changed when a positively ruinous smile formed on his lips. "Allow me to provide recompense." With that, he bunched the rest of her dress to her waist and licked at the wetness between her thighs.

She cried out, her grip on him tightening as his tongue worked inside her and his thumb pressed against her clit, wasting no time in pleasuring her. She panted as she let her head fall back against the wall. He gave a long, teasing lick along her slit, and she could practically feel how much he wanted to smile. She held the back of his head, harshly directing him to where she wanted him. The chuckle he gave reverberated against her and she nearly sobbed. 

One of his hands held her and her skirts in place as the other crept slowly up her body to cup her breast. “Antony,” she moaned as her pleasure crackled through her body to settle low in her abdomen, desperate for release. 

“It sounds like you’re the only begging here, lovely,” he chuckled. 

“I wouldn’t speak too soon. The night isn’t over yet,” she growled. 

He laughed one more time before returning his mouth to her with renewed vigor. He brought her so close to the edge that a traitorous part of her thought maybe begging would be worth it. But before she could entertain such a thing he sucked at her clit once more and she was shattering.

He stood as she caught her breath, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, his face a picture of obscenity. “Say you want me.” 

She lifted her chin, looking at him unwaveringly. “I want you. Dangerously so,” she declared. 

In a display of warrior’s strength, he effortlessly lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist, giving her but a moment to prepare before he hastily cast fabric aside and slid into her wet heat. 

He groaned and let out a soft, “Finally,” as he let her adjust to him. Then he pressed his face into her neck and set a harsh pace. She rolled her hips at every thrust, keening as he nearly ripped the top of her dress to free her breasts, palming and kneading them almost desperately. 

She bit his neck in retaliation, wrapping her arms around him as he pressed her further into the wall. “Would I be wrong in assuming you have a bed somewhere in this enormous place?” she panted. 

“Later,” Antony grunted. “I plan on having you in every room of this house before the night is done.” He kissed her again, his tongue unrelenting as it slid into her mouth. 

Maeve pulled away. “That’s quite the ambition. Are you sure you can keep up with a wild Gaul like me?” She slid a leg higher so he would hit a deeper angle. 

He breathing was uneven as he grinned at her. “That pretty mouth will soon get you into trouble, you silver-tongued viper,” he growled, tangling his hand in her curling hair. 

Before she could smile or construct and equally clever quip, his pace became faster and more erratic, blocking out every sensation but the slide of him inside her and the rough hands on her body. “You’re mine,” she whispered before pressing her mouth to his temple. 

In a final hard trust, Antony came deep inside her with a loud shout. Without missing a beat, he rubbed her clit once again until she followed him in her release, gasping his name as he held her. 

When Antony pulled out of her and put her back on her feet, she almost fell at the unsteady lightness in her legs, but his solid arms around her kept her upright. Their breathing was labored and their bodies slick from exertion.

Antony didn’t stop touching her, hands still wandering to caress every spot he could reach, his light touch bringing her an odd sense of comfort. Then he stopped. “You had better not make me fall in love with you, Maeve. Or I think we’ll both come to regret it.”

She pressed her palm into his cheek. “We are conquerors, Antony, not lovers.” 

#acor #a courtesan of rome #acor marc antony #marc antony x mc #mc x marc antony #pixelberry #playchoices acor #my fic

[roses-amet]

Magic and Illusion and Sports Pt. 3

With Nersillia sleeping and tucked away, Xio ran her hand over her hair with a warm smile across her face. She was happy that nothing went wrong with Nersillia today, but something else was on her mind. Those damn snooty soccer moms. She could hear them gossip between each other about her, commenting on her glass eye, and how plain her clothes are.

At least Sillia seemed happy that she had played with the other kids. That was enough for Xio to say it was a job well done. However, she did notice that she was uncomfortable with the disguise that Scarlet had crafted for her to make her appear human, almost as if it was a dress that was one size too small. Maybe there is an alternative way to approach this, but, Xio did not want to risk hurting Nersillia any more.

She turned to Smiley as he continued to sing their child a lullaby. Not wanting to interrupt him, Xio walked towards the door. She gave one last glance to Nersillia as she slumbered peaceful, then walked out with a smile.

She suddenly felt the heavy weight of weariness on her shoulders.

Xio stumbled into her own room that is between Smiley’s and Nersillia’s, and walked up to her bed. She just glared at the sheets for a moment, then plopped onto it, not even bothering to get under it. She wanted to stay awake for a bit longer, but she couldn’t fight away the exhaustion she felt after all she dealt with today.

---

“Look at her eye,” spoke up a blonde woman, with a sneer. “It’s horrendous...”

The brunette she was speaking to giggled. “Her eye? Look at her clothes! How... tacky. A purple sweater and jeans? It just doesn’t match with those shoes!”

---

Xio woke up the next morning, covered in drool. As she slowly tried to get up, she noticed she felt rather groggy, and worse, stressed. She definitely did not have a good night’s sleep, with those women’s insults playing again and again in her dreams.

Some part of her wanted to threatened them with some “special last minute surgery”, a bluff that she had learned from Rick a long time ago, but that would no doubt get her in trouble with authorities, again. Since she no longer works for an underground organization, there is no way for her to be bailed out, unless her family was willing to do it... but, no doubt, they would be questioning her why she threatened some soccer moms with “special surgery”.

But, she did have a feeling that Cassius or Alice would do something drastic to help her. She did not want that either.

And besides, for her child’s sake, and maybe even Smiley’s, she doesn’t want to cause them trouble. Someone would lose a finger, and it wouldn’t be either of those two.

Xio let out a snort at the thought of that.

Despite how tired she felt, Xio forced herself to get up and stretch her body. Maybe coffee would perk her up. After all, what those women were spreading was just bochinche- gossip to put certain others to shame, and right now, it has no place in her life... but she couldn’t deny it already got under her skin.

She let out a weary sigh as she decided to check on Nersillia first to greet her with a “Good morning”, then Smiley. She then tread slow sluggish steps towards the kitchen, to get a cup of coffee that Cassius had already prepared for her and Smiley. No doubt it would get Nersillia hyper if she ever took a sip of it... if she could drink it at all.

Xio thanked Cassius as she turned back to the living room to rest on the couch. The bitter scent of ground coffee beans was enough to make her alert, but the taste of it helped her get out of her fatigue. Unfortunately, it could not ease away her stress. For that, she needs some sort of punching bag, or maybe a jog through the park.

But, as much as the idea seemed pleasant, Xio preferred to rest on the couch instead.

“Um... Xio? Do you have a moment?” Smiley asked.

Though she did not wanted to be bothered, Xio simply straightened herself up, and replied, “I do. What’s up?”

“First of all, there was this weird man outside the house, wearing a hoodie. Cassius threatened to kill him, but he claimed he was a friend of your’s, right before he was chased down the street by Alice.”

Xio paused. “A hoodie? Was he tall and skinny, with dark patches that looked like bruises on his skin, and long black fingernails?”

“Yes...”

“Ah, that might had been Max... but then again...” She trailed off and shook her head to dismiss that thought. “Anyway, thanks for telling me that”

“No worries.”

“Is there something else you want to talk about?”

“Yes, um... are you feeling all right? You look tense today.”

Xio stared at Smiley, unsure if she should tell him the truth, or just brush it away with a simple, “Yeah I am okay,” until those venomous words surfaced in her head again. She let out a groan as she pushed her back deep into the couch, and took a sip of her coffee. “No, I am not all right... it’s those soccer moms and their arrogant asses! If they had something to say, they should just tell me out right, not bloody ‘whispering’ to each other behind my back!” The Bones family accent had a clear effect on her.

Smiley huffed. He was unsure on how to help Xio calm down, but he tried to, by placing a hand on her shoulder, and giving her a smile, albeit forced. While it didn’t ease Xio’s stress that much, just the fact that he tried to help was enough to stop her from yelling out profanities.

“I just... need a moment,” she said. “Maybe a walk could clear my mind... or I could take a bubble bath or something...”

“Do what you got to do,” he replied, as he pulled his hand away. “I will take care of Nersillia today.”

“Thanks, Smile.”

He gave a firm nod, right before he backed away from the couch, and went to go find Nersillia to play a game with her. Xio felt happy that he is starting to be a little bit more active nowadays, even though it is kind of obvious that he is still very much tired. Stress and depression, probably, with all that happened in Smiley’s past, along with the changes that comes with being human.

Or at least trying to be one.

Xio sighed as she eased back into the couch. “One day at a time,” she whispered. “I will show those soccer moms what’s what eventually...”

Until the next soccer game, she started to plan out some revenge methods, with various not so malicious yet questionably legal plans. Laxative is one way to bring them trouble, but certainly, there are other ways too... but, until then, she had spent her time teaching Nersillia on how to play soccer, along with Scarlet, Smiley, Alice, and Cassius, while bickering about calling it soccer instead of football.

It was all rather one sided, of course, but it did distract Xio away from her worries before the next game.

#needs to be edited #soccer mom xio is trying man #not only is she learning how to parent she is also dealing with socializing. #got dang.

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter One

'You going to give me the answer right now,' said the broad man whose expression was more like a gnarled tree than anything human. 'No one travels anywhere without permit. Where did you come from?' My wry grin only angered him more. Men like this don't know when to quit because they are too dumb to realise that they've been played.

'I told you, already.' With a dissatisfied grunt his crony threw a sharp punch at me that I dodged with ease.

'Come here!' the first man yelled, as I slid under their legs and sprinted out of the side street. Out into the crowd I ran, carefully weaving my way through the turbulence and clamour. Looking quickly over my shoulder I saw the soldiers, those men, barging people out of the way in pursuit of me. Grinning again, I upped the ante. This skill had taken me some time to acquire. Out of all my abilities this was the fluke, the one I'd learned by accident and had to figure to how to use it on command. Whenever anyone asked me how I'd mastered it, usually, my answer lead them to confusion, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Breathe. Breathe deeper. Look them in the eye. I turned to face them. Ten feet away.

'There she is!' The tree-faced man yelled. Five feet.

'Breathe,' I whispered as the crowd parted. A soldier lunged at me. The gasps of surprise were musical. Gone.

'Where did they go?! Find them for me, now!' Yelled tree-man. Little did he know I was stood behind him, smiling. Never gets old, I thought, as I wove back in the other direction.

Skirmishes like that were common, a monthly occurrence at least. I grabbed a roll of bread from the baker's cart and took a well-earned bite. He wouldn't miss the roll even if he'd seen me take it. Did I feel guilty anymore about stealing? Absolutely not. Not for survival anyway, especially in richer towns like this. Since I'd left the Society, I'd had to fend for myself, and getting a job when you are trying to remain hidden is difficult, especially when the Society has spies everywhere. This fact meant I lived out in the wilds alone when I could, and that was my exact destination.

Soldiers were posted on the town walls, stopping me in my tracks, their silver badges glinting in the morning sun. The rest of their armour was leather or iron, but that's not what they were known by. These were soldiers of the Silver Army, the nickname for the The Argyros Order, an empire that had conquered much of the known world. Adala was one of the last standing kingdoms... and now it had fallen to this hungry beast of conquest. The soldiers of the Order were well trained unlike the Adalans but getting past them was no challenge for me. I waited for a merchant to show her travel permit to a young soldier at the gates, and as her caravan of trinkets wheeled out into the countryside, I followed close behind. When I was out of sight of the road and in the thick forest up on the hills, I let down my façade.

'Freedom,' I sighed and finished the bread roll by the time I made it to my camp. I'd hidden all evidence of my existence from potentially patrolling soldiers under a large rock. I'd dug a hole beneath it so that I could slide it out the way and have access to my storage. My roll-mat, spare clothes, food and water pouch were all there, unmoved, in the exact placement I'd left them in. As far as I knew, I hadn't been found. It used to be easier to get around before the Silver Army took access to all of the roads. They wanted to count all citizens, to make sure anyone untrustworthy could by weeded out and stopped from inciting rebellion in more towns than one. A clever strategy, one that a dynastic empire had benefited from in the past. Due to my wandering status, I didn't have one of those handy and yet dangerous travel permits. The pros to one would be not having to sneak around and sleep in the rain. The cons would be losing my advantage, my ability to move and be unseen. I didn't particularly relish in being controlled, by anyone.

From out of the trees came a rustling. In the bushes behind me I sense movement. But I knew this game all to well. 'Talu?' The response I got was being pounced on from behind.

'Oof, Talu, bad girl, get off, off,' I said laughing. My mountain cat licked the back of my head with her sandpaper tongue, her purring like bottled thunder. I rolled over and looked at her big, blue eyes, stroking my hands through her fur. 'Let me up,' I said and slid out from under her playful gaze. You are no fun. I heard her thoughts and put my hands on my hips. 'We have to get moving, missy. Also, you are lucky you and I can disappear. For a mountain cat, you are terrible at ambushing.'

Good enough at ambushing to hunt. I'm not the one hiding like a coward.

'Oi. Rude,' but I knew there was no point taking offence with a cat. Cats never apologise. Calling me a coward was below the belt, but was she wrong? I gathered my things into my rucksack and packed that question away with them for another day, like every time the thought came up. Put it away for later, for when I'm ready.

Where are we going? Let me guess, a letter-hold?

'Yep. Want to see if Cassius cares whether I'm alive or not. It's spring, so I'm due the letter for the quarter.'

Four years. What a desperate human. She definitely wasn't wrong this time. The walk to the next letter-hold wasn't too far, a day at most. I checked my map to make sure I had my bearings and off we went. From time to time, Talu and I had to conceal ourselves from farmers or platoons of moving soldiers, always staying off main roads or roads at all if we could. The forest was the path we followed around the country. I never felt lonely and was never alone. That was one of the perks of understanding animals I suppose. Talu was the only one I could communicate with fluently. Some animals were only understandable to the extent that a foreign language is when someone points at an object and gives an action. Talu was the only creature I wanted to talk to anyways. Much more straightforward than humans, better at being a friend.

We were halfway to the destination just as the sun laid to rest on the horizon. Her golden rays kissed the canopy above us, and its light poured through in glimmering beams. 'We should eat. No cooking tonight. We are too close to the road.' Talu laid down to sleep. Travelling by day wasn't her favourite, and every time I stopped to rest, she'd doze off. Silly cat. As her breathing settled, I set up my camp. We would begin our journey again at the witching hour, when Talu was most alert and I most powerful. Laying down on my roll-mat, I read through the letters I'd seen too many times by now. It had been four years since I'd runaway. I was thirteen. In these letters were apology after apology, begging and pleas for my return. All from Cassius, the traitor. All of them betrayed me even Theo, my own brother. The Society did good to everyone but its own.

Here I lay, hating the sender of these missives, and yet, I was on the way to find another. Perhaps this was becoming some sort of tradition of mine. Checking to see how much they missed or didn't miss me, going to all the letter-holds in the dead of night when no one would know I'd come, placing an old letter in replacement so they'd never know I'd been. The latest letter had been entertaining.

Dear Tayn,

The winter festivals are underway and yes, I still wish you were here. You must think I'm an idiot by now, sending these letters to you.

'Oh, I do,' I said and carried on reading it, not for the first time.

I suppose it is like a ritual now. You'll think it morbid, but I feel like I'm talking to you as I place flowers on your gravestone.

'How dramatic, Cass. Bless, you always were. Not your fault of course.'

Do you remember how the amphitheatre looked in the winter? How it would be decorated in poinsettia, and the lanterns would glow orange on the columns. When we were kids and we'd weave in and out of them, and Isidore would tell us to stop running because 'the amphitheatre is a sacred place, you, mischiefs!' He wouldn't talk to me like that now. No. We are not children anymore. Tonight, the Society is putting on a play, as they always do. It's your favourite 'The Starred Goddess of Rene.' I have to go, even if I'd rather not. It's too much a reminder of that winter before.

The winter before. He hadn't forgotten, of course not, but something deep throbbed within me like a thorn lodged in my heart had been nudged further inwards.

Talu brushed my foot with her tail. You aren't reading that letter again, are you?

'You couldn't know which one I'm reading,' I huffed.

I don't know, but I feel. Sighing, I continued looked back at the paper, swallowing the emotions.

The Society is struggling to stay united under the pressure of The Argryros Order. We have spies within our ranks, no one is safe. You were lucky to get out whilst you did. You may not have liked the changes I've seen in people. I have never known such cruelty. Perhaps you have the gift of foresight too and knew we'd all turn out this way.

Oh, I wish it had been that way. I would've had more peace.

Wishing for you back hurts so I won't any longer. It's time to move on. It's time to let you go. I don't know how. But somehow, somehow, I will. I am sorry, for everything. I will keep writing the letters, because by now you probably look forward to them as much as I do. However, I'm sure you are fed up with me missing you. You would want me to grow up.

All the best to you, and enjoy the festivities,

Cassius.

I had, in fact, enjoyed the festivities this winter gone by. I'd even pressed a poinsettia as a bookmark for my diary. He knew me well enough to know that winter festivities would always sweep me up, no matter what. Maybe my bitterness was ebbing. But that thorn-like pain was too true an indicator that I hadn't let go of the past like Cassius had tried to do.

Maybe, maybe, reading the next letter would be closure. I'd never need to go and look at a letter-hold again.

'Maybe,' I whispered. 'Just maybe.'

#Fantasy FantasyFiction WIP LGBTQ+ NonBinaryFiction NonBinary Queer Battle Betrayal SecretSociety

[jdawg-14-blog]

og posts on racism in global sport

 Introduction

 Racism is sadly involved in everyday life even currently; however, it has come a long way from how racism was dealt with and how severe the abuse was many years ago whether it was in everyday life, in sport or in the work place in every country around the world. Within this blog, I will be speaking about the issues that racism has on certain sports, athletes and how the media may portray racism, now and how the media may have portrayed it in the past. The two sports I will mainly be talking about in this blog will be football and rugby, I have chosen to look at these sports as I feel that as well as being two of the most spoken about and watched sports in the world, I have also chosen to speak about racism in sport as my topic as I feel passionate about this subject and interested to explore how racism has changed over the years and answering whether it will ever stop?

 What is racism and where does it happen?

 According to Adl.org racism at https://www.adl.org/racism [online] (accessed 27th May 2017) racism is “the hatred of one person by another — or the belief that another person is less than human — because of skin colour, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.” The basic idea of racism originated as many as thousands of years where slavery was present and ethnic minorities were used in horrible ways, according to http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_40.html (last accessed 27th may 2017)the definition of slavery is where stereotypically richer white individuals or families would ‘buy’ the right to own an individual who then control where they live and what job they work. The ancient Greeks, romans, Incas and Aztecs all had slaves. Farrington et all says, ‘Race has been used as a mechanism to divide human groups based on physical differences such as skin colour, facial features, cranial capacity, etc. using skin colour as a primary marker of ‘race’ has been embraced’ this is another good example of a definition of racism as it can be quite hard when defining such a broad subject. One of the earliest and most famous examples of when racism has occurred­ was at the berlin Olympics in 1936 and is now known as ‘the Nazi Olympics’ due to the huge effect Adolf Hitler had on the world at that time and on those Olympic games. A black male American man had the most successful Olympics and had worked so hard to do his country proud I will be speaking more about Jesse Owens later in my blog. ­Another example of male ethnic minorities standing up to racism and slapping it in the face would be the two male boxers that (Long and Spracken 2010) speak about in their book. Jack Johnson and Cassius Clay, weren’t only elite and incredible boxers but were strong minded men who stood up to the white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and were set on gaining social justice.

 Racism within different global sports

Racism happens in a lot of sports around the world, Lapchick 2014 said, the year 2014 was filled with news stories about racism in sports. Although it seems we have made much progress in hiring practices in our front offices and league offices, there are still racial issues in sports we must deal with both domestically and, especially internationally. With 2014 being so recently this quote by Lapchick is supporting my points about racism still being recently present and has spoken about it being present in more than one sport. I feel that now we are growing into a more advanced future and freedom of speech is more blatant, I should compare what different sports do to reduce racism and how they deal with it. ‘kick it out’ is a campaign run within football and was established in 1993 (kickitout.org) they’re set out to ‘work throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change, the organisation is funded by the football association (FA), the professional footballers’ Association (PFA), the premier league and The English Football League (EFL). ‘kick it out’ was established as a body in 1997, and they have done an amazing job since then, making various television adverts and campaigns in other countries to spread this awareness. In 2006 Manchester City became the first club to achieve the intermediate level of the racial equality standard, showing that these premier league clubs are all opting in and taking part in this campaign. With this incident in mind, in 2015 there was a major incident involving Chelsea Football club’s fans when traveling to an away fixture against Paris St-Germain in the champions league. A middle aged black male was abused racially by a large group of these fans and was repeatedly pushed off a train and was chanted at in a racist way, the beam of light that came from this incident was firstly that these football fans were banned from all forms of football at stadiums for 5 years and Chelsea Football Club banned them for life. This allowed the nation to view the video that was captured of this incident and made people realise that racism still hasn’t been abolished via kickitout.org.

           South African Rugby team

 South Africa had the opportunity with a strong squad in the 2015 world cup to go on and win the trophy, however there was speculation when the manager picked his squad that he was racist and picked too many white players, this was a squad of 31 and eight black players were involved in this. Critics are saying that the team SHOULD include 30% of black players via (BBC Sport 2015) Oregan Hoskins said that efforts were being made to promote the game among black people, and he did not need a “lecture” on racial transformation, with Oregan Hoskins saying this according to BBC, critics also said that good black players were excluded and that racism is rife in South African rugby. South Africa was a country as of 21 years ago where white minority ruled and the past and the history the country has had it is understandable that some of the country’s press and leaders would feel upset and blame the coach for being a racist. The word racist can be thrown around sometimes but I believe that when picking a team for such a major sporting event such as the rugby world cup it doesn’t matter if the whole team was black or the whole team was white, if the coach believes that those players are the not only the best players in the country but the players with the most sporting attitude and behaviour also, colour should not determine whether they get into a team or not especially with south Africa’s talent and reputation. South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela in 1995 famously wore the jersey in a move at promoting racial reconciliation, from 1995 to now it may be upsetting for the black South African people to see this happening. (BBC 2015) quotes the South African rugby union president saying that it was “frankly laughable” that people were criticising the boss of the South African rugby team of racism and the rugby remains an “exclusive, white-dominated” sport. Mr Hoskins the South African Rugby union president also went on to say, “rugby has massively transformed since legalised discrimination ended”

     Ron Atkinson

The case of Ron Atkinson caught my eye when researching for this blog as he came up so many times and seems to be a hugely spoken about pundit, manager and analyst in football in 2004 he was caught on live television sayingReferring to the underwhelming performance of the French defender, Atkinson said: "He's what is known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger."  This is a different case to the South African national rugby team selection, as this was blatant racism. Ron Atkinson according to the independent.co.uk 2004 ‘What he describes as “a phrase I shall always regret” barely needs recapping, given that it has come to define him. A microphone feed remained on after Chelsea had blown their Champions League semi-final at Monaco in 2004, for which he was an ITV analyst. When he racially denigrated Marcel Desailly half of the Middle East heard his words’ Ron Atkinson was in some ways unlucky to have been saying what he said and it to be broadcast to millions of people across the world, however this should not in any way be tolerated and the right punishment was given, according to the gaudrian.com “An ITV spokesman said: "We don't in any way condone the comments in question, which were not broadcast as part of ITV's coverage but were made in an off-air conversation after the game. It was a regrettable lapse by a respected and experienced broadcaster. "He immediately offered his resignation which we have accepted." Ron Atkinson has also said that ‘If you look at my track record as a manager, I was one of the first managers in the game to give black players a chance." This quote suggests Ron is trying to defend himself but there is no denying what he said, whereas with the other case of racism in the south African Team, there’s arguments and disagreements, Ron Atkinson has ‘held his hands up’ and apologised for his actions, but will always be known to this day as a racist. Now linking back to when I mentioned kick it out campaign they had their say on this incident and said, “I think it is always disappointing to hear someone of his stature make the type of comment that he has” (thegaurdian.com)

  Conclusion

 To conclude this piece of writing, I cannot tell you whether racism will be stopped ever, but racism has been dealt with in the past couple of years, however the incidents are fluctuating constantly with major incidents like I have mentioned above, to smaller racial slurs occurring in everyday life. Jesse Owens is a sporting hero to have achieved what he did in one of the toughest times in history to be of an ethnic minority, and will be remembered by black Americans and in general sporting history for his bravery and attitude. The South African Rugby team in 2015 may be remembered by the people of South Africa as “the team that was too white” and maybe if they had included their best black players they maybe would have won the tournament? South Africa finished 3rd that year and it would be interesting to see what ratio of black to white players they have in their next major tournament. Ron Atkinson may have not been a racist but once silly comment has cost his reputation and job and only he will know if he truly is a racist and has anger towards black people. I hope that racism will become abolished soon and in a way that will not cause more wars and with harsh sanctions if anyone is to be found of blatant racism, so that it will make this world a safer and friendlier place for future generations, with refugees and mixed cultures mixing around the world I feel this will be a hard task for campaigns such as kick it out and generally in the public.

  Bibliography

 Adl.org https://www.adl.org/racism

The Abolition project http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_40.html

Sport, racism and social media- Farrington et all pages 30-31

Long and spracken 2010- Sport and challenges to racism

Richard Lapchick 2014- ESPN.com

Kickitout.org. (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.kickitout.org/about/ [Accessed 28 May 2017].

BBC News. (2017). South Africa rugby boss denies racism in World Cup team - BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34207135 [Accessed 28 May 2017].

Herbert, I. (2017). A career tarnished by racism - Ron Atkinson only has himself to blame. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/a-career-tarnished-by-racism-ron-atkinson-only-has-himself-to-blame-manchester-united-a7310101.html [Accessed 29 May 2017].

 Herbert, I. (2017). A career tarnished by racism - Ron Atkinson only has himself to blame. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/a-career-tarnished-by-racism-ron-atkinson-only-has-himself-to-blame-manchester-united-a7310101.html [Accessed 29 May 2017].