#denver outlaws

[garadinervi]

Senga Nengudi, RSVP Performance Piece, (gelatin silver print), [Woods Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1977; Activators: Maren Hassinger, Senga Nengudi; Photograph by Harmon Outlaw], 1978 [The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY. Centre Pompidou, Paris. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO. © Senga Nengudi, Harmon Outlaw]

[izibella]

I made a Spotify playlist for those of you that like being an outlaw. :)

[insanethrottlebikernews]

Biker bar shooting in Denver that left 2 dead 5 injured

DENVER (AP) — Two men were killed and five other people were injured in a shooting after a confrontation at a private, after-hours motorcycle club in Denver over the weekend, police said. Denver police Lt. Matt Clark says they are investigating the shooting that happened around 3 a.m. Sunday outside the Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club. At least two guns were fired during the incident, police said…

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - July 25, 2023

If you're ready to "paws" for a moment of joy and laughter, read through stories that'll leave you feeling inspired. It's time to fetch some happiness, one headline at a time!

1. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs bill outlawing pelvic exams on unconscious patients without consent

A little-known practice that allowed medical students to perform pelvic and other intimate exams on unconscious patients without their consent is now banned in Missouri after action taken Thursday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.  

2. Indonesia market caves to pressure, ends dog, cat meat trade

Authorities on Friday announced the end of the “brutally cruel” dog and cat meat slaughter at a notorious animal market on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi following a years-long campaign by local activists and world celebrities. An anti-animal cruelty group will move the remaining live dogs and cats from the slaughterhouse to sanctuaries

3. Colorado food bank receives donation from Taylor Swift. She has been donating to food banks across the country during her "Eras Tour."

Taylor Swift made a donation to Food Bank of the Rockies on Friday before playing two sold-out stadium concerts in Denver.

Food Bank of the Rockies announced Swift's donation and said it will allow it to purchase food for 75,000 meals. 

4. Earth’s atmosphere can clean itself, groundbreaking research finds

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) by a previously unknown mechanism.

This molecule is crucial in helping to clear the air of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and other chemicals.

5. US woman, 55, searching for long-lost Singaporean pen pal, 56, reconnects with him after 30 years

The pair started exchanging letters way back in 1983 when they were still in their teens, but lost contact after 10 years of correspondence.

Now 55 years old, Kelly is eager to reconnect with Cheng, and has been actively searching for him via appeals on social media.

6. ‘Intuitive’ pet who ‘hears’ for deaf owner named National Cat of the Year

An “intuitive” cat who helps his deaf owner by alerting her to sounds around the house has won a national award.

Zebby was named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2023 in recognition of the way he supports owner Genevieve Moss, 66, by alerting her to noises like the phone ringing or a guest at the door.

7. Australian sailor and his dog survive two months at sea

An Australian sailor who survived two months in the Pacific Ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater is "stable and very well", a doctor says.

Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella left Mexico for French Polynesia in April, but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later. They were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them.

----

That's it for this week :)

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[ramblingoak]

The Cardinal's Bride, Chapter 9: Denver State of Mind

~~ Please visit The Outlaw Brides Masterpost to catch up and read more stories from this world ~~

Thank you to @tasty-ribz for the wanted poster and to @ghuleh-recs for the collage!  For some more amazing fanart check out: @meowsaidmissy (1 / 2), @snail-shell2335  here, @vahvco here, @ghulehgwen here, @rabidghoul here, @nocterish here, @enjoy-my-swearing​ here, @blacktie-whitenoise (1 /2), @z-xmyers (1/2/3/4), @foxybouquet here, @delulluart here, @mustluvecho here, _simpera_ on instagram and valkyrieinpink on twitter.  Also a huge thank you to @kissingghouls for all her help and emotional support.

Cardinal Copia x Female Reader ~ You finally learn what happened to the gang in Denver, but as your time at the farmhouse comes to an end you can't help but worry what the future holds.

Warnings: swearing, violence, angst, fluff, nsfw 18+ only, mdni, 6,300 words

~~~ Two Years Ago ~~~

“Hey shitheads, I have a plan.”

“Swiss, did you hear something?”  Copia was focused on the cards in his hand, idly shuffling them around.  “Also it’s your turn, stronzo.”

“All I hear is the sound of you desperately moving your cards around.”  Swiss grabbed a few chips and tossed them towards the small pile in the middle of the table.  When Sunshine shot her hand out and grabbed them before they landed he slammed his cards down.  “Goddammit, Sunshine.”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Yes, Sunshine, we heard you.”  Copia leaned his chair back on its back legs and smirked at the Ghoulette.  “We’re just not interest–cazzo!”

Copia grunted when he fell backwards, Sunshine having kicked at the leg of his chair and pushing it over.  He continued to curse in Italian as he jumped up onto his feet and glared down at the smirking Ghoulette.

“Do you want to listen now?”

“The last plan of yours we listened to nearly got half of us hanged.”  Swiss had set his cards down and crossed his arms as he glared at her.  “Also I got shot.”

The Ghoulette shrugged and reached over to swipe Swiss’s cards, clicking her tongue when she looked them over.

“Well lucky us, you survived. This hand is terrible, why are you betting on this?”

Swiss growled and grabbed his cards back, but after looking them over again he shook his head and threw them down onto the table.

“I nearly lost my arm!”  When Copia snorted, Swiss looked over and glared at him.  The glare deepened as he watched his boss drag the pile of chips over and start neatly stacking them with his others.  “That hand shouldn’t count.”

“You’re only saying that because you lost.”

“I lost because of interference.”

“Eh, you would’ve lost anyway with that hand.”  Swiss jumped up and attempted to grab Copia’s discarded cards but Copia slapped his hand away.  “Fuck off.”

“You fuck off, show me your cards.”  When Swiss reached out for them again Sunshine was the one to move his hand out of the way.  She grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm at a painful angle until he grunted and slapped the table with his other hand.  “Ok!  Ok, fucking fuck.”

The three settled back into their chairs, Copia shuffling the deck and starting to deal the next hand.  Sunshine cleared her throat a few times, glancing at Copia and Swiss after each one.  When neither man gave her attention she growled and hit her fist on the table.

“Doesn’t anyone want to hear my plan?!”  When Copia and Swiss continued to ignore her she took a deep breath before continuing.  “It involves Saltarian.”

She grinned when Copia’s eyebrows popped up and he set his cards down as he turned her way.  

“You have my attention.”

“Finally!  Alright so I got some information this morning an–”

“Wait, wait.”  Copia waved his hand back and forth while shaking his head.  “Who gave you this information?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.”  He leaned back in his chair, staring her down for a moment.  “It wasn’t Cowbell was it?”

“I don’t trust Cowbell to tell me the weather when we’re outside.”

“Okie dokie.  Continue.”

“Thank you.  Ok, so word is that some business associate of Salty’s from overseas has moved to Denver to open a new branch of his bank.  Frank Holden. Salty has invested in his for a very large sum of money.”

“How large?”  Sunshine glanced over at Swiss.  “Like, worth ‘getting shot at’ large?”

“Have you ever stopped to think about why you’re getting shot at all the time?”

“Yes and I’ve decided it’s because of you and your stupid fucking plans.”

“Children, children, can we focus?  Per favore?”  Copia looked pointedly at Sunshine until she sat back down, sheathing the knife she had pulled out.  “Alright, bene.  Keep going.”

“Well, there’s going to be a big party at this guy’s mansion to celebrate the grand opening, but it’s happening before the safe is delivered to the bank.  So Salty’s investment will be sitting somewhere in this guy’s house.”

“Sitting somewhere being guarded.”  Copia scratched at the stubble on his chin for a moment.  “Do we know how much money?”

“Enough to start a bank branch in a rich town.”

Copia grunted and stared down at the table in silence, only glancing back up when Swiss spoke.

“So far I haven’t heard a plan.”

“That’s because you both keep keep fucking interrupting me!”

Sunshine froze when a shadow loomed over her.  Both Swiss and Copia suddenly seemed extremely interested in their cards and wouldn’t look her way.  She sighed knowing that only one person in the casino, or anywhere, would have that effect on them.  She plastered a smile on her face and spun around to greet the newcomer.

“Bone Daddy!”

Secondo just loomed for a few beats, glaring at his brother and the two Ghouls.

“Why aren’t you working?”

“We’re on break, fratello.”

“I don’t give you breaks.  Sunshine, shouldn’t you be singing?”

“Nope I switched with Aurora.”  She smiled sweetly up at Secondo while batting her eyelashes.  “Kid’s got a set of pipes on her.”

“Si, that’s why I pay her.  Coincidentally it’s also why I pay you, but yet here you are playing cards.”  He turned his attention to Swiss.  “You’re supposed to be tending bar.”

“I switched with Aurora too.”

“So she’s singing and serving drinks?”

“Yeah she’s super talent–ow!  Ok, ok Papa!”  Swiss jerked his shoulder out of Secondo’s grasp, nearly toppling his chair over in the process.  “Sorry.”

“You have thirty minutes to get back to work.”  When Copia started to open his mouth Secondo shot him a glare that kept the younger man silent.  “Thirty.  Minutes.” 

The trio was quiet for a while after Secondo left, the only noises were the shuffling of cards although none of them were actually thinking of what was in their hands.  Copia eventually cleared his throat and laid his cards face down on the table.

“So.  Denver.”  Sunshine grinned at him and waggled her eyebrows.  “When is that money being delivered?”

“According to my source it'll be at this guy's house in a few days.”

“So no chance of intercepting it then.”  The two Ghouls knew Copia was mostly talking to himself as he mulled the information over in his mind.  “We’ll have to find a way into his house.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of guards.”  Swiss had laid his own cards down before leaning back in his chair.  “Big city like that?  It’s gonna be a lot of money.”

“Si, it won’t be easy.”  Copia clicked his tongue and then pointed at Swiss.  “We could pretend to be guards.”

“Oh please, those bastards’ll recognize you immediately.”  The Ghoul tapped his fingers on the table’s edge a few times before grinning.  “How about doing it the old fashioned way with dynamite?”

“When will you and Dewdrop learn that blowing things up doesn’t actually fucking help?”

“It’s better than your id–hey!”

Swiss and Copia both flinched when a handful of poker chips hit them in their faces courtesy of Sunshine.  The Ghoulette was glaring at them both, that familiar fire in her eyes that let them both know she was seconds from moving onto throwing sharper things at them.

“How about both of you shut up about your shitty plans and listen to mine, the actual plan.”

“Like you have a better idea?”

Sunshine rolled her eyes at Swiss, “Oh you mean better than dynamite?  Yeah, I do.”  She turned and smirked at Copia,  “We’ll be getting into the house, but not as guards.”

“As what then?  They’ll still recognize Copia.”

“Not if we clean and dress him up a bit.”  When Copia raised his eyebrow at her she grinned, slamming her hands down on the table in excitement.  “This is gonna work!  I can feel it!”

“Lucifer’s balls Sunshine, just fucking tell us.”

They all flinched when Secondo’s voice came booming out from behind them.  The trio looked over to see him glaring at them from across the common area the Ghouls used.

“Ten minutes!”

When Secondo was out of earshot Copia stood up, grabbing his whiskey glass and downing the rest before slamming it back down onto the table.

“Fuck it.  Will it just be us?”  Sunshine shoved her chair back, nodding to Copia as she stood up.  “I’m in.  Swiss?”

“Let’s see…stick around here and serve drinks or ride to Denver and have a good time?  That’s a tough one.”

“Okie dokie.”  Copia glanced towards the hallway to check for his brother before turning back to his Ghouls.  “Get your shit and meet me outside in five minutes.”

Sunshine pumped a fist into the air and immediately took off towards her room.  Swiss got up a little more slowly, raising an eyebrow at Copia as he stood up.

“Still don’t know what this plan involves.”

“Knowing Sunshine?  Probably a lot of knives.”  Copia slapped a hand on Swiss’s shoulder while flashing the Ghoul a grin.  “Maybe a little dynamite.”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“But who’s the girl?”  

Sunshine stopped arguing with Swiss and turned back towards you,  “The girl?”

“You said it started with a girl, but I haven’t heard anything about a girl yet.”

“She was just trying to be dramatic Principessa, there’s not really a girl involved.”

“Oh yes there is.”  Copia glared over at the Ghoulette, baring his teeth at her when Sunshine smirked at him.  “I’m getting there!”

You smiled at Sunshine as you settled back against Copia.  It felt silly to be hung up on some girl in Copia’s past, but you couldn’t help but remember what he had told you that night after Mary and Saltarian’s men had attacked you.  Although he did laugh about it afterwards, it was obvious that his broken heart wasn’t the worst wound he had gotten.  And you sincerely doubted whoever this girl was had actually broken his heart.

“Hey,”  You looked up at Copia when he nudged your shoulder,  “She was just some girl.”

“Like me?”

“You are far more than ‘some girl’ to me, Principessa.”  Your eyes fell shut when he leaned in and pressed a kiss into your hair.  His next words were said so quietly you almost missed them.  “Far more.”

“You lovebirds done?”  Copia groaned as he turned back towards Sunshine.  “Lots of story left.”

“There’s not that much night left though so let’s speed things up here.”

“Hey!  I’m trying to set the stage!”  When Copia stared at her silently she sighed and hung her head.  “Fine, fine.  Well, we made it to Denver and got things in motion.  The whole plan was contingent on being at this party so we had to work on getting ourselves in.”

“I still say we should have just blown up part of the house.”  When everyone but Dewdrop turned to glare at Swiss he shrugged.  “A very small part.”

“Anyway, I came up with the idea of Copia posing as some rich and interesting Italian lord, someone this banking guy would want to impress.  Now obviously, rich and interesting is a stretch for our Cardinal, but I had confidence he could make it work.”

You were desperately trying to hold in your laughter, but when Copia looked down to glare at you the giggles bubbled out.  He just looked so offended at Sunshine’s dig you couldn’t help it.  After a moment he growled, his arm tightening around you right before he yanked you into his lap.  You shrieked when his fingers dug into your sides and you desperately tried to wriggle away.  Copia just held tighter, laughing as you twisted around.

“Stop, stop!  I’m sorry!”  

He immediately relented at your apology, but when you tried to move out of his lap his grip stayed firm.  With a huff you settled back against him and attempted to smooth your hair out.  When you glanced over at Sunshine you froze as you caught her eyes already on you and a big grin on her face.

“You guys done?”  You hoped that she couldn’t see your blush, but you doubted it so you just nodded.  “Ok so, we got your man cleaned up, into some decent clothes and then threw him to the wolves basically.”

“The wolves?”

“So my plan was to get invited to the thing and that involved parading Copia around town.  Getting him seen.  Swiss had the idea of putting a notice in the paper about a visiting Italian dignitary and that was the push we needed.”  Sunshine swiped the whiskey bottle from Swiss’s hands and took a drink.  “Next thing we knew Holden came calling to where Copia was staying wondering if he wanted to invest in his bank!”

“You’re leaving out the best part.”  Sunshine turned to look at Swiss and you watched as they seemed to have a conversation with just their eyebrows.  “Stop it, the best part was he brought his daughter.”

It wasn’t hard to miss Copia freezing behind you and you couldn’t help but do the same.  

“Yeah it was obvious this guy had his own ulterior motive for meeting Copia.  He wanted to set up a marriage agreement right there.”  Sunshine noticed the look on your face and immediately corrected herself.  “But he didn’t!  I think Copia nearly choked to death on his breakfast when the guy brought it up.”

“No, I just had to go on playdates with her.”

You poked your finger into Copia’s side at that.

“Playdates?”

“Uh, si.  Just parading her around town.  Nothing fancy.”

Swiss snorted, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop from spitting out the swig of whiskey he just took.

“‘Nothing fancy?’  You bought her a damn horse!”  He yelped when Sunshine turned and punched him in the chest.  “Fuck, what?  I was just telling the story.”

“Well shut the fuck up, I’m the one telling it.”

“Then fucking tell it!  We’re gonna be here all night.  Just skip to the fucking party.”

The two of them continued to argue with each other, Rain finally sighing from his spot next to Copia and getting up.  He threw you a wink as he wandered over to the other side of the fire, settling in next to Mountain where he was talking with Aether and Dewdrop.  You glanced down at your lap, picking at one of your nails for a moment before turning to the side a bit so you could look up at Copia.

“What was her name?”

“Hmm?”  Copia leaned over and swiped up the bottle Rain had left behind, taking a quick drink before answering.  “Whose name?”

Stupid dense cowboy.

“Her name.  Holden's daughter.”

“Oh, eh.”  You narrowed your eyes when he shot a glance towards Sunshine.  She and Swiss were no longer arguing but the Ghoul was also on his back in the dirt clutching his stomach so that was probably why.  “Cara.”

“That’s lovely.”  It wasn’t, but the jealousy you were feeling was ridiculous.  “A very pretty name.”

“Yeah but that isn’t her actual name, right boss?”  Copia stiffened behind you at Swiss’s words.  The Ghoul groaned as he slowly got back up and settled next to Sunshine again.  “That’s just what you called her.”

“Wait, that’s her nickname?”  You dug your elbow into Copia’s gut when he didn’t answer.  “What’s her actual name?”

“I don’t remember.”

While Sunshine and Swiss burst out in laughter you just felt annoyed.  

“You spent a few days romancing this girl and you can’t even remember her name?”

“A few days?”  Sunshine snorted and pointed at Copia,  “Try weeks!”

“It wasn’t fucking weeks!  And I wasn’t romancing anyone.”  He squeezed your waist and dropped his mouth close to your ear.  “It was just for show, Principessa.”

“Do you know my name?”

You yelped when he nipped your ear lobe, squirming as his breath tickled your skin.

“You know I do, I remember saying it when you had my cock in your hands earlier.”  He chuckled when you gasped, his hands tightening on your waist to keep you still.  “Now stop squirming before I drag you back to the barn so we can do that again.”

With a little grin you settled back against him, eagerly taking a drink when he offered you the whiskey bottle.

“If you guys are done I’ll keep going.”  Sunshine was smirking when you glanced over at her.  “And for the sake of time I’ll skip to the party where everything went to absolute shit through no fault of my own.”

“This again?  Belial, give it a rest Sunshine.”

“Fuck off Swiss, it was all mostly your fault anyway.”

“My fault?!  I did exactly what you told me to do!”

“All I told you to do was create a distraction!”

“And I did, didn’t I?” 

“I didn’t mean to distract them with your dick!”

“Then be more specific next time!”

It looked like the two of them were about to start fighting again but they froze when Copia called out to them.

“It took more than Swiss’s dick to ruin the plan Sunshine and you know it.”  He grabbed the bottle back out of your hands and took another drink.  “The unexpected guests didn’t help either.”

“If you would have let me kill Mary back in Montana they wouldn’t have gotten in the way at the party.”

“We still would have had to deal with Secondo.”  You looked up at Copia with a raised eyebrow at his brother’s name.  “He apparently had been invited as a possible investor.”

“Trust me boss, I can handle your brother.”  Copia shuddered and mumbled something in Italian under his breath as Sunshine waggled her eyebrows.  “You’re right though, the unexpected guests didn’t help.  But neither did your tantrum...”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“You fucking did what?”

Sunshine flinched at the sound of Copia’s voice and quickly started scanning the crowd to try to find him.  She knew that tone of voice and nothing good ever came after he used it.  Her eyes finally fell on him as he stared down Holden’s daughter.  Ok yeah, he was pissed.  Sunshine downed the rest of her champagne and started pushing her way through the crowd towards them but she only made it a few steps before an arm sliding around her waist stopped her.

“Going somewhere, beautiful?”

“I’ll be dragging your body to the undertaker if you don’t get your hand off of me, Mary.”

“Aww c’mon, I was hoping you’d dance with me at least on–shit!”  Mary hissed, grabbing at Sunshine’s wrist to keep her from digging her knife into his stomach.  “Why do you always have to put up a fight?”

“Trust me, Mary.  It wouldn’t be a fight.”  She looked around her for Copia again but was distracted by the curious looks being thrown her and Mary’s way.  With a fake smile plastered on her face she deftly pulled the knife away and placed her hands on Mary’s shoulders.  “Stop smiling like that.”

“This is nice!  I missed this, having you all pressed up against me.”

“Don’t get used to it.  What the fuck are you doing here anyway?”

“Probably here for the same reasons you are.”  Mary smirked and leaned in close, being mindful of the socialites dancing around them.  “Money.”

She jerked back, glaring into Mary’s face when he continued to smirk.

“That money is gonna be ours, so don’t even bother.”

“Yours, huh?  I don’t know, it doesn't seem like you guys are much interested in the money to me.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Looks like Copia is about to be arrested.”  Sunshine quickly looked over to where he was, groaning when she saw Copia arguing with a few of the hired guards.  “And last I saw Swiss he was wandering off with Holden’s wife.”

She winced when Copia shoved a guard away only for two to come up behind him and grab his arms.  Oh fuck.  At Mary’s laugh she jerked her head back around.

“Swiss was supposed to wander off with the wife.”

“I don’t doubt it, but was Holden supposed to know about that?  Because he followed them not long after.”

“Fuck.”  She ignored the surprised glances being thrown her way and tried to think of what to do.  If Holden caught Swiss with his wife they were screwed.  An angry snarl drew her eyes back to Copia in time to see him punch Secondo in the nose.  Ok they were extra screwed.  “Fuck!”  

“I’m always willing Sunshine you just gotta ask me nice–fuck!”

Mary groaned, clutching at their crotch as they fell to the ground.  Sunshine turned back towards Copia but he was being dragged away by the guards.  Her eyes moved to Secondo’s, widening briefly when she noticed he was looking at her.  He was quite the sight at the moment, his usually perfectly styled hair disheveled on his head and blood dripping from his nose.  His eyes were narrowing as he took her in as well and Sunshine grinned, giving him a jaunty wave before spinning and moving quickly into the crowd.

She needed to find Swiss and get the fuck out of there.  They’d just have to worry about Copia later.  It wouldn’t be the first time he needed to be busted out of jail; she just hoped she wouldn’t have to do the same for Swiss later.  The crowd parted easily, most wandering over to where the commotion had happened with Copia.  Sunshine grabbed the skirt of her dress, picking up her speed as she got close to the stairs to the second level.  With any luck she would run into Swiss, hopefully with the key to where the money was being kept in his hand, and they could get the job done.  She jogged down a hallway, turning down a corner at the end where she immediately found herself running right into the Ghoul.

“Swiss!”  Her hands flung out to catch herself but she quickly recoiled when they were met with bare skin.  “Where the fuck are your clothes?”

He was hurriedly doing up his pants, his dress shirt they bought for the night balled up in his fist.

“No time for that, we gotta go.”  When he grabbed her arm she jerked away to glare at him.  “Sunshine, I'm serious we gotta go now.”

“What the fuck did you do?”

Swiss didn’t get a chance to answer her question, a shout from behind him making both Ghouls freeze.  Sunshine’s eyes widened when Holden, in a similar state of undress as Swiss, stumbled out of a room and started pointing his finger at him.

“Get back here now!”

Sunshine groaned, hanging her head as Holden started shouting for some guards.

“Satan’s dick.”      

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“So you all got arrested?”

“Yep!  As I have been saying from the beginning, these assholes ruined everything.”  She pointed a finger behind her at Swiss, who was practically laying on the ground now sulking.  “Swiss decided to romance not just Holden’s wife, but Holden himself.”

“I couldn’t say no to him when he had already caught us together!”

“Shut up.  Anyway, Swiss apparently didn’t tire the guy out enough because he got up after Swiss snuck outta the room and then realized his keys were missing.”

“I tired him out just fine thank you very much.”

“Shut up.  But then there was this guy,”  Sunshine pointed over at you and Copia as she continued on.  “This guy threw a fit because Cara sold the gift he got her.”

“What gift?”  You glanced up at Copia again with a confused look on your face, pausing briefly as the action made you a bit dizzy.  All the whiskey had finally started to get to you.  “Wait, the horse?  She sold the horse?”

“She claimed that he was too rambunctious for her.  Hard to handle.  Idiota.”  Copia shook his head in disgust.  “There is nothing wrong with Brizio!”

You snorted, immediately covering your mouth when Copia glared at you.

“You bought Brizio for her?”

“Si, but she gave him some stupid name like Snowfoot or something, I don’t remember.”

“Copia lost his shit when he found out, hence all the shouting I mentioned.  Unfortunately his Cara didn’t take too kindly to being called an idiot so she brought the guards over.”  Sunshine took a drink and then grinned as she continued.  “Secondo, who was desperately trying to ignore that we were all there, came over to try to calm Copia down, but…well that didn’t go over well.”

“Wasn’t the first time I punched him in the nose and it won’t be the last.”

“Sure, so yeah they shoved us all in jail and thanks to the ever helpful Mary Goore quickly figured out who we all actually were.”  She tipped the bottle back, finishing its contents before chucking it into the fire.  “We were set to be hanged in the morning.”

“Hanged?!”

“Those wanted posters say ‘Dead or Alive’ for a reason, Principessa.”  Copia gave your waist a squeeze before he continued.  “Luckily for us Secondo brought Dewdrop and Phantom with him when he came to town.”

“What do you mean?  Why is that lucky?”

It was Swiss’s turn to answer, although it sounded like he was half asleep.

“Dewdrop knew I stole some of his dynamite, not that he ever goes anywhere without a few sticks as well.”  Swiss lifted his head up to throw you a wink.  “Just in case.”

“So what, you guys blew up the jail?”  When you were met with silence from the three of them your mouth fell open.  “Really?”

“How else were we supposed to get out?  Dew only blew out one wall anyway, it wasn’t that bad.”  Sunshine shook her head as she laughed about it.  “Secondo sure as hell wasn’t gonna bail us out.”

“Why not?”

“Eh, he was a little upset over his nose.”  Copia had reached up to tap yours, laughing softly when you batted his hand away.  “He did come by to wish us luck getting out though.”

Now you felt even more nervous meeting his brother.  You were about to say as much before you yawned, your mouth stretching wide from the force of it.  Copia said something to Sunshine that you didn’t hear, the tiredness suddenly taking over.  All that whiskey probably didn’t help either.  You jumped a bit when Copia began to stand up behind you, gripping your elbows to tug you up with him.

“Wait, Copia, what about Brizio?”

He grinned, tugging you close to his chest and tucking some hair behind your ear.

“While the Ghouls got all of our stuff together I went and got Brizio back.”

“That easy huh?”

“It helped that while we were in jail someone stole the money, so that was a nice distraction.”  He turned towards the farmhouse, wrapping an arm around your waist to help you along.  “Mary beat us to it.”

“What an asshole.  Oh!”  You covered your mouth with your hands, laughing in disbelief at what you just said.  “You’re a bad influence.”

“Bene, I don’t want to be a good one.”

You looked down to hide your reddening cheeks, that grin of his making you blush like usual.  He tsked when you stumbled up the porch steps, the whiskey definitely starting to take its toll on you.  Copia let go of you briefly to open the front door but instead of going inside you stopped and looked up at him, remembering something Swiss had mentioned earlier.

“Copia, what happened in Montana?”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

“I don’t want to go to sleep.”

Copia chuckled as he helped you get into bed, the now familiar nightgown soft against your skin. 

“Your eyes have been closed since we got inside, Principessa.  I think sleep is happening whether you want it or not.”  

“No, no I have to stay awake.”  When Copia pulled away you managed to get your eyes open, watching his figure move around in the shadows.  He had quickly divested himself of his clothes and was pulling the big shirt from Harold over his head.  “If I fall asleep it’ll be tomorrow when I wake up.”

You frowned when he snorted, his head popping out of the neck of the shirt.  He moved back towards the bed and slid in next to you, under the covers much to your delight.  His arms were around you instantly, pulling you against his warm body.

“Tomorrow will happen no matter what.”  Copia placed a knuckle under your chin and tilted your head up so your eyes could meet.  “What’s so bad about tomorrow?”

“I don’t want to leave this place.  This house, the farm…Ethel.  I feel safe here.” 

“But you’ll still be with me.  I’m always going to keep you safe, Principessa.  Just like I promised.”

The tears were building up in your eyes before you could stop them and you angrily swiped them away.  You didn’t want to spend tonight like this, a weeping mess.

“I know, I know you did.  I feel safe with you, Copia, I do.”  Even the dark room couldn’t hide his grin and you did your best to match it despite how you were still feeling.  With a trembling hand you reached up and cupped his cheek, his beard was already growing in and the stubble felt rough against your palm.  “Kiss me.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.  I’ve come to find out your kisses lead to other things.”  He took your hand in his and brought your palm to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss in the middle as his mustache tickled your fingers.  “Besides, your breath smells like whiskey.”

He laughed when you yanked your hand out from his and roughly turned away.  Damn him and his teasing.  You stiffened when his arms slid back around you and you found yourself tucked back against him.  Despite your irritation you couldn’t help but relax, the warm feeling of being in his arms making you even sleepier.  

“You’re horrible.”  

His breath hit your ear when he huffed out a laugh, making you shiver.  Before you could stop them your eyes were falling closed again and your body relaxed as you began to drift off to sleep.  Copia’s breath tickled your ear again and you fell asleep clinging to what he murmured into your ear.

“I promise to be here when you wake up.”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Copia couldn’t sleep.

He hadn’t been able to bring himself to admit it to you, but he wasn’t looking forward to leaving either.  It had been so long since he had felt settled and at peace.  There had been moments he hadn’t even thought about why he was there or even why you were there.  You had already wormed your way inside his chest, like you had always been there.  Those moments made him feel guilty though, like he was forgetting his purpose.  Forgetting what had led him to this farmhouse to begin with.  

What had led him to you.

He couldn’t let his feelings, whatever they were, get in the way of why you were there in the first place.  Nothing could get in the way of him killing Saltarian.  Things were just more complicated now.  Even when he was initially planning everything, your kidnapping and the ransom demand, he hadn’t wanted you to get hurt but now…now he couldn’t let you get hurt.  Copia wasn’t sure if he deserved peace but he knew you did and he was going to do whatever he could to make sure you got it.

You mumbled something in your sleep and Copia tilted his head to look down at you.  After a few hours you had turned around, pushing him onto his back with a surprising amount of strength considering you were asleep.  Copia had let you do it with a smile on his face, amused at your grumbling as you eventually settled with an arm and a leg flung over him.  You were now snoring softly, your breath puffing against his chest with each exhale.  This was definitely something he’d be teasing you about later.  He reached down to tuck some of your hair back behind your ear but he froze when you started mumbling.

“It’s not fair.”

He stroked a thumb across your cheek as he grunted softly.

“Hm?  What isn’t?”

“Your smile.  Not,”  Your thought was interrupted by a big yawn before you relaxed back against him.  “Not fair.  I hate it.”

Copia snorted and squeezed you briefly, smiling when you snuggled further against him.  

“I’m sorry, Principessa.  I’ll smile less.”

All he got for an answer was another snore, but it was what finally helped him relax himself.  You hadn’t been what he expected, far from it, but now that you were here he wasn’t going to let you go.  At least not without a fight.  He let his eyes close and focused on the feel of your body against his.  He could get used to this, used to you.  

He whispered a prayer to Lucifer that he would be allowed to.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“Take the shot, Cardinal!”

Copia gritted his teeth as the flames drew closer.  The chapel was starting to fall apart around them, the sound of the flames crackling drowning out distant gunshots.  He couldn’t move, his entire body frozen in place as he looked on in horror.  Your eyes were full of fear as Saltarian kept you in front of him, blocking his body with yours.

“This is your chance!  This is what you wanted!”

You were so scared, Copia could see it.  He could feel it.  Were you scared of him?  Once more he tried to speak, to call out that he would keep you safe but he couldn’t get his mouth to work.

“You’re a coward, Copia!  All these years and you can’t do it.  Because of her.”

No, no no he had to do this.  He ignored the tears streaming down your face and the heat of the flames on his skin.  He had to do this.  This was his one chance.  When you screamed he shook his head, his heart clenching painfully as he watched you sob.  

“Take the shot, Cardinal!”

This was his one chance.

He raised his gun, his eyes meeting yours as he aimed.

He took the shot.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Copia woke up with a gasp, the sound of the gun firing seeming to echo around the room.  He quickly looked down and started to grab at you, needing to feel that you were there and safe.  Not sobbing and broken in front of him like you were in his nightmare.  You mumbled something as he ran his hands over your back and arms.  Your nose scrunching up like it did whenever you were annoyed with him.

“Is it morning?”

“No," He took a deep breath and let his head drop. "Go back to sleep Principessa.”  

He reached up to smooth your hair out, shaking his head slightly at his trembling hand.  The sounds of your crying were still echoing around in his mind.  You had been so scared, so frightened.  He gently pulled away and eased out of the bed, needing to get some distance between you.  You had been scared of him, of what he might do.  There hadn’t been any trust in your eyes, just fear and pain.  He couldn’t help but turn to look at you but even seeing you safe in bed the nightmare wouldn’t leave him.

Cirrus’s words from the other night ran through his head, words she had been repeating from his brother.  ‘You’re going to get this girl killed.’  ‘Your actions have put everyone at risk.’  He had ignored them at the time but now with the nightmare skittering under his skin it was all he could think about.  Would he actually be able to keep you safe like he promised?  Safe from Saltarian and his men?  

Safe from himself?

Copia immediately got up and stalked towards his clothes.  The nightmare had to be a sign, a message warning him about what could happen.  He couldn’t do it, he had worked too long to let anything get in his way now.  As he got dressed he kept pushing away thoughts of you, thoughts he had been thinking of only hours before.  Thoughts that he needed to stop thinking of.  

He fastened his gun belt before grabbing his hat, turning back towards the bed as he secured it on his head.  The moonlight was illuminating your face and he couldn’t help but stop to watch you for a moment.  His steps were quiet as he moved closer, kneeling down at the edge of the bed so his face was level with yours.  The leather of his gloves creaked when he clenched his hands, trying to stop himself from touching you.  

Copia watched you for as long as he dared, trying to memorize your face.  He wanted to remember you this way.  Soft and peaceful.  Beautiful like you had always been to him, even when you were nothing more than a city girl.  A pawn in his desire for revenge.  He had let you become more than that and he now realized how foolish that had been.  

Your mouth opened in a quiet snore and this time he couldn’t help but brush a hand over your hair.  He would still do everything he could to keep you safe, but this, whatever this was between you needed to stop.  Copia had spent the last ten years swearing vengeance and he couldn’t let anything get in his way now.  He stood up, clenching his fists again to stop himself from reaching out and holding you.

He had to let you go.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Read Chapter 10: Revelations

Thank you for reading! I appreciate all of you so much, thank you for every like, reblog and comment 💙

The Outlaw Brides Masterpost

My Fic Masterpost

My Archive of Our Own Page

[frosty-the-killer-doll]

i've figured you out, a mixen collection - legends of tomorrow s2e6 outlaw country, gif by @legends-of-today // isle of dogs // legends of tomorrow s2e6 outlaw country, gifs by @zaritarazi // werewolf by chloe moriondo // legends of tomorrow s3e13 the curse of the earth totem // legends of tomorrow s3e15 necromancing the stone // silas denver melvin // legends of tomorrow s2e8 the chicago way // legends of tomorrow s2e3 shogun // bonnie & clyde by the vermillion lies // brandon sanderson // margaret atwood // gifs by @zaritarazi // emily wilson // legends of tomorrow s2e8 the chicago way // cop car by mitski // i got heaven by mannequin pussy // legends of tomorrow s3e13 the curse of the earth totem, gif by @ccrogues // waiting room by phoebe bridgets // gifs by @zaritarazi // tory adiksson // legends of tomorrow s3e2 freakshow // kiki nicole

[bobfloydsbabe]

I've been listening to a lot of Dolly Parton lately so I've got two song fic titles for you: "Lonely Comin' Down" and "Cowgirl and The Dandy" whichever speaks to you more babe!

I hope your holiday was lovely and treated you well 🌸

Annie, my love, it's been a minute. It was nice to get away for a while, but I'm happy to be back. Lonely Comin' Down is a perfect song (and title) for the Outlaw!Rhett and Bartender!Lou AU my wonderful friend @joaquinwhorres put into my head a while ago. I'll share the little bit I've written for that.

“Abbott,” her smooth voice says without taking her eyes off the shot glasses she’s currently pouring tequila into.

He chuckles and slides onto an empty stool, folding his hands on the counter. His eyes follow her as she hands off the shots to two girls with ruddy cheeks and barely contained giggles.

He watches Lou add the shots to their tap in the system. She hasn’t changed much. Her hair is shorter than he remembers, and the cut she had near her elbow when he was last in town is just a faded white scar now.

“You’re a wanted man,” she says, placing a bottle in front of him on an off-white cocktail napkin.

“Always am,” he tells her with a half smile. “Ladies can’t get enough of me.”

She snorts, shaking her head, but he offers her a wink when her gaze meets his. “You’re a fugitive.”

He shrugs and sips from the beer bottle. The cold liquor glides down his throat, the familiar taste something akin to coming home. He knows this place, this beer, this girl like the back of his hand.

“I wish you weren’t so nonchalant about this,” she says, wringing the towel in her hands. Her fingers are long and slender, blue polish peeling off her nails, and that silver monogram ring, LK, she’s always worn on her index finger. The same as always.

“You worried about me, darlin’?”

She tosses the dish towel on the bar disk, leaning back against the counter behind her. “Luke Tillerson is the sheriff now,” she says, folding her arms across her chest and her jaw clenches. “He’s out for blood.”

Shaking his head, he takes another long draw from the bottle. He’s stalling, doesn’t want the girl who keeps him coming back that he’s worried.

“He’s always been out for blood,” he says finally, placing the bottle back on the napkin.

“But now he has authority,” Lou says with not a hint of mirth in those deep brown eyes. “He could lock you up on sight.”

Rhett shrugs. “What’s life without a little danger?”

She rolls her eyes at him, but he swears the corners of her mouth turn up as she walks to the opposite end of the bar to serve another patron.

Her ass still looks good in those jeans.

Rhett takes a long draw of his beer, taking in the sounds in the bar. A man coughs from years of smoking a pack a day. A group of young girls laugh and dare each other to go talk to a handsome cowboy. Could be him, could be Jimmy, who always sits in his booth alone, watching everyone come and go. Either way, they’ll be disappointed. Jimmy swings for the opposite team and Rhett only has eyes for the bartender.

“You enjoy your evening,” he hears Lou’s cheerful voice tell the patrons she’s just served. An out-of-town couple, Rhett thinks.

She takes a few steps back up the expanse of the bar, but something catches her eye. She moves a few bottles of cheap liquor to the side, revealing her phone hidden behind them. The screen shines with what he assumes is a new text.

Something akin to a bell jiggles nearby, bringing his attention away from Lou. He looks down toward the sound, finding a flurry of black and white fur coming towards him. Denver. He smiles to himself when the dog sits down at his side and lowers his head just slightly. He’s asking for pets, and Rhett complies.

“You taking good care of your Mama?”

Denver wags his tail, happily accepting the scratches to his head. “Yeah?”

“Abbott,” Lou calls as she’s walking back towards him, phone in hand. There’s a wild look in her eyes that he can’t quite place, but the free hand running through her hair is a telltale sign of anxiety.

“You have to go,” she says, grabbing his half-finished beer from the counter. “Tillerson knows you’re in town and he’s on his way here.”

“How the hell does he know that?”

Lou shrugs. “I don’t know,” she says, ushering him around the bar. “But Carrie Taylor overheard him talking about it and gave me a head’s up.”

Standing behind the counter in Lou’s bar isn’t entirely new to him. He still remembers when she was still renovating and had convinced him to help bring the wooden countertop inside. It was the first time he kissed her, right before he left town.

Standing here now, he sees the specks of gold in her rich brown eyes, and her lashes fanning across her cheeks. He leans down, ghosting his mouth over her lips, and she sucks in a breath like a promise. 

Denver gives off a warning bark.

“Down, cowboy,” Lou whispers, pointing down at the sticky floor and Rhett raises a brow.

“Down there?”

“That or be arrested,” she says, pulling back the curtain, revealing the kegs of beer, a bucket of wet rags, and a crate of empty bottles. Otherwise it’s empty, but there’s still hardly any space for him to squeeze into. Rhett’s a lean guy, but he’s tall and his shoulders are broad, so one of them is definitely going to poke out. “Your choice,” she says, as if he has other options.

“Fine,” Rhett grumbles and sinks down on his knees, the denim of his jeans sticking to the floor. It was under very different, and much more pleasurable, circumstances he was last on his knees in front of Lou.

send a fake fic title and i'll write a blurb

[buckybarnesevents]

Happy Valentine's Day, @angelicalslayer!

This is just a small snippet of what your admirer thought of "Fool's Gold'', nominated by one our participants!

Title: Fool's Gold Pairing: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, minor Peggy Carter/Gabe Jones Rating: Explicit Tags/Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Alternate Universe - Western, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Former Outlaw Steve, Outlaw Bucky, Sheriff Steve, Morally Grey Characters, Character Death, But not Steve or Bucky, depictions of violence, Depictions of Abuse, This will be dark, Gold Rush, Horses, Angst, Betrayal, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Inspired by Fanart, Explicit Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent, fast burn, PTSD, Flashbacks, POV Steve Rogers, Pre-Established Relationship, Lovers to enemies to lovers, BDSM, Dom Steve, sub bucky, Top Steve, Bottom Bucky, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex, caprbb2022, Cowboys, Bondage, Priest Fury, Teacher Sharon, Madam Maria Summary: On August 26, 1858, The Kansas City Journal of Commerce would report: 'The New Eldorado!!! Gold in Kansas Territory!! The Pikes Peak Mines! First Arrival of Gold Dust at Kansas City!!!'. Within 6 months, 40,000 people would arrive, and within a year, a hundred thousand. Someday far in the future, the place where Steve and Bucky stood would birth a new state and become the city of Denver, Colorado. Gold can do a lot of things. Give someone dreams, buy a new life, build a new nation, and turn even the most staunch of men into fools. But while gold makes men do crazy things, love makes them even crazier.

As part of our Valentine's Event, we encourage everyone to come check out this work and also drop some love! 💟

[byneddiedingo]

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)

Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Evans Evans, Gene Wilder. Screenplay: David Newman, Robert Benton. Cinematography: Burnett Guffey. Art direction: Dean Tavoularis. Film editing: Dede Allen. Music: Charles Strouse.

Calling a film a landmark, as Bonnie and Clyde so often has been called, does it a disservice in that it prioritizes historical significance over the aesthetic ones. It makes it difficult to appreciate or criticize the movie without recalling what it was like to see and to talk about the first time you saw it -- if, like me, you saw it in a theater when it was first released. It's a landmark because its success showed the Hollywood studios, which were mere surviving remnants of the old movie factories of the '30s and '40s, that there was an audience for something other than the big musicals and epics that had dominated American movies during the 1960s. There was a young audience out there that had grown up with the French New Wave and the great Italian and Japanese films of that decade, and was resistant to piety and platitudes. Along with The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967), Bonnie and Clyde gave this audience something they were looking for, and fed the revolution in filmmaking that made the 1970s one of the most adventurous decades in film history. It's no surprise that the screenwriters, Robert Benton and David Newman, were so familiar with the New Wave that they wanted François Truffaut or Jean-Luc Godard to direct their movie. And even today Warren Beatty, in the opening scenes of Bonnie and Clyde, is bound to remind one of Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless (Godard, 1960). It was a movie that launched the careers of Faye Dunaway and Gene Hackman, not to mention giving Beatty a boost into superstardom. It also put an end to some careers, most notably that of Bosley Crowther, who had been the New York Times's film critic since 1940 but was undone by his vitriolic attack on  Bonnie and Clyde, which he denounced not only in his initial review but also, after protests from the movie's admirers, in two subsequent articles. Crowther was replaced as the Times critic in 1968. On the other hand, Newsweek's critic, Joe Morgenstern, initially panned the film but, after being urged by readers to reconsider, recanted his original critique. So the question persists: Historical significance aside, is Bonnie and Clyde really any good? I'd have to say, after seeing it again for the first time in many years, that it holds up as entertainment. The acting is superb, and Burnett Guffey's cinematography, Dean Tavoularis's art direction, and Theadora van Runkle's costuming all provide a fine 1960s interpretation of 1930s style. Where it falls down for me is in substance: The screenplay, which was worked over by Robert Towne, is too preoccupied with Bonnie and Clyde as lovers with (especially Clyde) some psychosexual hangups. It only feints at demonstrating why the pair became cult figures in the Great Depression, most notably in a scene when Clyde refuses to take the money of a farmer who is in the bank they're robbing, and in a scene in which the wounded couple and C.W. Moss (endearingly played by Michael J. Pollard) stop for help at a bleak migrant camp. Only in scenes like these do we get a sense of the deep background of Depression-era misery, a fuller treatment of which might have elevated the film into greatness, the way Francis Ford Coppola's first two Godfather films  (1972, 1974) turned Mario Puzo's popular novel into an American myth. Otherwise, the criticism that it glamorizes the outlaws by turning them into fashion-model beauties still has some merit.

[garadinervi]

Senga Nengudi, RSVP Performance Piece, (gelatin silver print), [Woods Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1977; Activators: Maren Hassinger, Senga Nengudi; Photograph by Harmon Outlaw], 1978 [The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY. Centre Pompidou, Paris. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO. © Senga Nengudi, Harmon Outlaw]

[toonpunk-game]

So what happens next?

So.

Toonpunk Second Edition is out. While I have stories to tell in the Saskatoon setting, that part of my endeavor - creating the game and establishing the baseline for what its fiction and gameplay looks like - is, broadly speaking, “behind me”. I’m still going to fund and add more illustrations to fill out some missing spaces - that’s gonna take time, that’s gonna take multiple revisions of the PDF, but it’s all fairly easily done.

So here we arrive at the question: what’s “Next” for Toonpunk? 

Well, at risk of sounding a little like a carnie...you ain’t seen nothin yet. Toonpunk, as you know of it, has only ever been a preamble. The Saskatoon setting is just a foundation. For years I’ve known what I wanted to do next, but I just had to get this right. 

Before I can answer that question in detail, I gotta tell you about a tiny patch of land in central Alabama. 

The bounded area here - that weird little polygon - is where I’m from. I was born here. I’ve lived my entire life here. I’ve spent less than a cumulative two months of my life anywhere else. More than 99% of my life has been spent in this unremarkable subrural sprawl. I’ve watched the city expand and contract; I’ve watched the farmlands get shaved away and I’ve seen the buildings grow tall and then become rubble again. I’ve seen people come here seeking fortune and leave to seek it again. And I’ve come to live it all, as anyone loves their home. I love the long hot nights and the obstreperous Summer storms; I love the strange people and their bizarre customs; I love the rich forests and the undulating hills, where the roads wind so circuitously they at times seem noneuclidean. 

There’s between two and three hundred thousand people in this red polygon.

We, and it, are being erased.

We’re being erased by inches, the same way most people like us are. Year after year the thermometers keep rising and our politicians keep enacting more and more brutality against us. We, a hopeless people, prostrate ourselves before a system that we know hates us. Some of us have families that have been here since the time of our ancestors - when they were dragged here in iron to make some plantation owner rich. The rest of the country pretends not to see us; and when the rest of the world does look at us, it’s with disgust. It is commonly reproduced in everyday conversation that this is a land of hopelessly backwards racists, whose impending annihilation will do the world some measure of good.

And let’s not make any bones about it: there’s some real rotten goddamn people in this place. But no more than anywhere else. Here you find a world of kind souls, who tend a needy neighbor; noble outlaws who bring charity wherever they walk; people of the forest and the swamp, who love every creature under the sun as they love their own family; punk rockers, hopeful artists; a robust queer scene; decent people who were born here, and never gave up the ship. All clapped in irons by the rule of law, as my ancestors were before us, so that we may never take our freedom nor give our kindness.

And one day - one day soon - we will all be erased. Either the heat will go up so high we can’t live here, or the sea will rise and swallow us, or the fascist genocide crusade will liquidate every one of these decent souls. And when this happens, the news will be received in Denver and Sacramento and New York City with indifference; but more than that, with relief. A great many souls will hear that Alabama and Georgia and Louisiana and Mississippi are no more, and they will mutter “good”. And that shall be the end of that.

I don’t really think it’s in my power to change that. But I won’t let it happen quietly.

All of this is to say that my next project is Toonpunk: Hellsouth. A toonpunk expansion, and setting, that takes place in and around my home state of Alabama - a monument to the strange people, beautiful places, and idiosyncratic culture that brought me to this point.

As a game, it’s a near-complete overhaul of the toonpunk core mechanics that turn it into a tense resource-management survival-horror game, where the stakes get even higher and the fights get even uglier. I’ve got some incredible things to show you already: Movie-monster inspired abilities, which players can level up by forging pacts with the creatures of the deep black; a wholly retooled damage model, where even one bullet can be deadly; expanded mechanics built around bluffing and standoffs; weather simulations and long distance travel - all wrapped up in a unique cartoon/cyberpunk setting that didn’t “fall” through the cracks so much as it was “pushed”. This is a great labor of love that I’ve been working on for years; and, regrettably - it won’t be done for a long, long time to come.

Unlike the original Toonpunk, I intend this book to feature many stories from people who live in this part of the country, from many different storytellers. It is in some ways a cairn for my homeland, erected while it’s still mostly-intact. 

I don’t know if this book will really be for everyone. But if you feel like it might be for you, and you have a story about some place in Dixieland that’s near and dear to your heart - shoot me a DM.

Stay tooned. 

[rhinokck]

Outlaw Lager from Tivoli Brewing out of Denver CO on tap at Papa Keno’s Pizza in Lawrence, KS. More of a light lager but very crisp with a great lemony finish.

[ciceroandthelistener]

what sorta ocs do you have?

(this ended up being WAY more than i thought so im adding a keep reading)

__

i mainly have elder scrolls ocs, there's naelia, my dragonborn (who's playthrough i recently picked back up), champion of sheogorath and later the youngest member of house telvanni. she was born during the great war but was left an orphan when her father was killed in a skirmish and her mother died in childbirth. she was eventually adopted and thus grew up in blacklight, before eventually traveling back the imperial city in search of information about her parents. naturally this didn't go well and she ended up wandering the countryside of cyrodiil, and thus, into the middle of an imperial ambush marking the beginning of her time in skyrim.

othrril is my nerevarine! a former healer under the tribunal temple during his youth, he was the much beloved archmagister of house telvanni while he reluctantly accepts azura's prophecy. however, he vanished on an expedition to akavir, leaving the telvanni rattled, without leadership and, namely in the case of neloth, left mourning for centuries. he's also naelia's grandfather, with about eight generations (207-ish years) between them.

messerath is naelia's dremora companion. they've taken on an older sibling type of role, having known her since an accidental summoning when she was fourteen. they delight in showing up unannounced and tend to avoid getting in the middle of certain fights, but don't have any problem with taking a rowdy tavern patron by the collar of the shirt, or summoning a lesser daedra to deal with the more demanding incidents.

but i have my rdr2 oc cían! a cowboy turned outlaw hailing from westport, ireland, he briefly worked on a ranch in colorado following his mother's death, but took up with the van der linde gang after being shot and abandoned by three of the other ranch hands while on the road to denver. he's very out of place, having never robbed nor killed, but is perfectly happy helping around camp. he'd almost be a tiny version of miss grimshaw if he wasn't terrified of every shadow, but what else can he do besides get the work around camp done when he can barely stand moving camp at the drop of a hat, let alone having taken the life of a stranger? (he's also incredibly gay and trans :3)

[bewitchingbooktours]

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway Death’s Reckoning by Quinn Thomas

Death’s Reckoning

Mortal Aspects 

Book One

Quinn Thomas

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Publisher: Ebbing Neptune Publishing 

Date of Publication: July 18, 2023

ISBN: 979-8390605110

ASIN: B0BRWW31XH

Number of pages: 419

Word Count: ~125k

Tagline: The power of the dead gods is held by mere mortals. When the Aspect of Death, thought to be the last neutral force in the world, joins the struggle, he promises to bring an end to their wars by any means necessary.

Book Description: 

The battle for power is fierce in a world where mortals wield the strength of dead gods in this first book of a high-stakes epic fantasy series from Quinn Thomas.

A thousand years ago, the immortals were slain, their power passed down to a chosen few known as aspects. The competition between noble families for control of these aspects has plunged the land into a never-ending cycle of war and bloodshed.

The Tevulun family has been driven to the brink of extinction by the most recent war. When Tarana Tevulun, who possesses the abilities of Calamity, learns of her family's intention to murder her, she flees with the assistance of a band of mercenaries. The Tevulun’s enemy, the Ma’isans, take advantage of her absence to advance and besiege the capital city of Vicrum. Tarana returns to fight for the city, but faces a difficult challenge due to the involvement of the mortal aspect of Death – thought to be the sole remaining neutral aspect.

Meanwhile, a young soldier named Micol deserts the army after his first taste of battle. When he ends up in the besieged city of Vicrum, he finds himself embroiled with a group of outlaws. Thrust into a world of thieves and rebels, he must confront his deepest fears and make a decision that will change his life forever.

Death's Reckoning is a page-turning epic fantasy for fans of ensemble casts and character-driven plot twists, with echoes of Steven Erikson's Malazan series. Join these mortals as they wield god-like power in a world where even the noblest intentions can lead to destruction.

Available on Amazon

https://amzn.to/3MwqfeL

About the Author:

Quinn Thomas is an Epic Fantasy author and occasional pool shark from Denver, Colorado. When she’s not writing stories about people thrust into situations that turn them into heroes (or more frequently, villains), she’s wrestling her 100-lb labrador retriever. Her favorite fantasy series is Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

Things Quinn has tried exactly once and wants to mention because she thinks they make her seem cool: skydiving, surfing, paddle-boarding, yoga.

Things Quinn has tried several times and wants to mention because they make her seem less cool: eating Cheetos on the couch while wearing yoga pants, tripping on her own feet, singing karaoke songs completely sober.

Website: https://quinn-thomas.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29763228.Quinn_Thomas

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Quinn-Thomas/author/B0BS493VHK

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[onecornerface]

The FBI Paid a Violent Felon to Infiltrate Denver’s Racial Justice Movement

"What’s been publicly known about the federal government’s activity during the summer of 2020 is astonishing: The Justice Department charged hundreds of people for their roles in First Amendment-protected demonstrations; the Department of Homeland Security deployed more than 750 agents, dressed in military-style uniforms, to Portland and abducted demonstrators in unmarked vans; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, using surveillance powers intended to stop drug runners, spied on more than 50 racial justice groups nationwide, among them a peaceful group that held a vigil on a public university campus in Florida." "As Windecker [the FBI informant] gained prominence among the protesters, eventually rising to a leadership role, he was accusing real activists of being FBI informants. These baseless accusations sowed mistrust and undermined some of the most effective organizers in the community." "One rainy summer afternoon after becoming a paid informant, Windecker met with his FBI handler, Special Agent Scott Dahlstrom. The federal agent clicked on a hidden camera device. [...] Dahlstrom asked Windecker if he remembered his tasking orders — which involved enticing a Black racial justice activist into committing a felony." "Windecker introduced Shelby to his supposed outlaw biker buddy — an FBI undercover agent who went by the nickname “Red” — and together they drove to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s home. As a hidden camera recorded them, the undercover agent encouraged Shelby to commit to a plot to assassinate Weiser, and even suggested they could hire a hitman for as little as $500. Still, Shelby refused to move forward with any plans and immediately cut off contact with Windecker and the undercover agent. Although Shelby was not charged with a crime, local prosecutors used the FBI’s undercover recordings to convince a judge to seize Shelby’s guns under Colorado’s red flag law." "Windecker had given Hall money days earlier and asked him to buy a gun. Hall had agreed and bought a Smith & Wesson handgun for Windecker, despite knowing that Windecker was a convicted felon. Hall didn’t think he had a choice in the transaction. He believed that Windecker, who made the looming prospect of violence part of his identity, would come after him if he refused. [...] federal agents arrested Hall. He pleaded guilty to a felony firearms violation — for buying a gun, with the government’s money, for the government’s informant — and received three years of probation." https://theintercept.com/2023/02/07/fbi-denver-racial-justice-protests-informant/

[kwebtv]

Character Actor

Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997)  Film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of TV roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling Jr. in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, as Jesse Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985, as Mad Jack in the NBC television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and as the titular character's father, Buck Webb, in CBS's The Doris Day Show. In many of his roles, he portrayed either authority figures, or gruff, demanding father figures, often as comic relief.

Pyle guest-starred 14 times between 1951 and 1953 on the syndicated television series The Range Rider with Jock Mahoney and Dick Jones, and appeared as an outlaw in a 1951 episode of the television series The Lone Ranger titled "Backtrail", episode 71 "The Outcast", episode 166 "Woman in the White Mask", and episode 187 "Cross of Santo Domingo". 

 Other TV series he appeared in were The Roy Rogers Show, Frontier,  The Adventures of Superman, The Cisco Kid, Stories of the Century, Crossroads, Fury, The Public Defender, Gunsmoke, Behind Closed Doors, Ripcord, Men into Space, My Friend Flicka, The Restless Gun, 26 Men, Have Gun – Will Travel, Pony Express, The Man from Blackhawk, Tombstone Territory, State Trooper, The Gray Ghost, Bourbon Street Beat, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Rescue 8, The Real McCoys, Stagecoach West, Overland Trail, Two Faces West, National Velvet, Route 66, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Channing, Mr. Novak, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, Frontier Justice,The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days, Cheyenne,  How the West Was Won, The Rifleman, Perry Mason, Tammy (series regular), The High Chaparral, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, Kung Fu and The Love Boat. (Wikipedia)