#Outlawed

[girlactionfigure]

The British government: The Islamist organization "Hizb al-Tahrir", which is among the organizers of the Palestinian protests throughout the UK, "is a terrorist organization", and "is therefore outlawed.”

[saecookie]

Cyclops. Scott Summers. Current X-Man. Always a Champion.

[pridepages]

🌈 Happy Pride! 🌈

This June, good things come in sets of six as I spotlight some of my favorite rainbow reads.

✨ Category is: Be Gay, Do Crime✨

Learn more about these titles under the cut!

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar (a YA historical sapphic thriller as a girl gang sets out to pull off a heist on the high seas. But the mission turns into a deadly race against the clock when the Titanic strike an iceberg… Rep: F/F, BIPOC characters)

Outlawed by Anna North (Historical fiction, in a world where AFAB people are reduced to their reproductive value, an outlaw band seeks to create a paradise for the forgotten queer children who dare to defy the norm. Rep: trans/nonbinary mc, sapphic characters)

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (Dark Historical Romance, In Victorian England, a thief poses as a lady’s maid to con her employer. But what happens when she falls for the mark? Rep: F/F)

Aces Wild by Amanda Dewitt (YA, a group of online friends meets IRL to plan a casino heist to save one of their own. Ever thought Ocean’s 11 would be better without the distraction of sex and romance? Rep: NB/M, trans/nonbinary mc, asexual mcs, asexual scs, aromantic scs, BIPOC characters)

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (Historical Romance, a young lordling hires an ex highway man to teach him how to stand and deliver. The two find their partnership becomes more than they bargained for. Rep: M/M, gay mc, bisexual characters)

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen (Historical Mystery, an ex policeman newly outed and ostracized is given a new job: investigate the death of a mysterious soap magnate. But behind the doors of Lavender House hides more than one secret…could someone among this queer found family have murdered one of their own? Rep: M/M, F/F, gay characters, lesbian scs)

[samasmith23]

The best Saladin Ahmed Ms. Marvel scene

One of the strongest elements from the original G. Willow Wilson run on Ms. Marvel IMO was the complicated relationship between Kamala Khan and her best friend Bruno Carrelli. While Kamala & Bruno already had a long history as childhood friends, Wilson portrayed both characters struggling with developing romantic feelings for each another due to them now being teenagers and dealing with hormones and all that jazz. Saladin Ahmed followed-up on this subplot during his run on Magnificent Ms. Marvel after Wilson left the title, and in Issue #9 seems to finally settle the "will-they/won't they" drama of the character's relationship by having Kamala suddenly kiss Bruno when she was torn between stopping a supervillain's rampage and staying at the hospital with her dying Abu.

However, by Issue #15 after Kamala felt awkward about publicly dating Bruno and suffered a near-death experience due to the events of the Outlawed crossover, the two decide to have an incredibly honest and earnest conversation about the status of their relationship:

Although I’ve used to be a huge shipper of these two as a couple, I can honestly understand both Kamala & Bruno’s perspectives here on why they feel it won’t work for them and feel they should just stay friends despite their feelings for one-another. And I love how Kamala acknowledges being confused about her feelings for Bruno since she kissed him in a heat of passion when she was emotionally stressed due to other factors like the Stormranger Nanosuit influencing Kamala's physical behavior to try and kill her arch-nemesis Discord (aka, Josh Richardson) and her grief and anger over her Abu dying in the hospital while she had to go off and fight the supervillain Mr. Hyde.

Additionally, Bruno acknowledges that maybe he was too fixated in the ideal relationship he always imagined having with Kamala that and ended up being a jerk about wanting to be more open about their relationship after the kiss. And while it’s a more subtle implication, Bruno’s mentioning of his ex-girlfriend Mike from G. Willow Wilson’s run is a reference to Bruno and Mike’s relationship developing at a more natural pace without any of the awkward baggage that comes with Bruno & Kamala being best friends since childhood.

Furthermore, this conversation between Kamala & Bruno served as a nice callback to the rooftop scene from the Last Days arc of Wilson’s run wherein Kamala similarly stated that she wasn't ready to pursue romance due to her life as Ms. Marvel. Except here, Ahmed provides some resolution and closure to Wilson leaving possibility of a relationship developing between the two open-ended, settling on the two characters deciding that the messiness of being a couple isn't worth risking their friendship over.

Overall, I was surprisingly impressed by how Saladin Ahmed handled Kamala and Bruno maturely sorting out their relationship and their decision to remain friends going forward. And I say all this as someone who defended and championed the KamalaXBruno ship for quite awhile (especially since a large subsection of Ms. Marvel fans on Twitter seem to actively despise Bruno as a character for reasons that I honestly don't understand...).

From Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019) #15 by Saladin Ahmed & Minkyu Jung.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1933 – The anti-Fianna Fáil Army Comrades Association, which developed into a fascist-inspired group nicknamed the “Blueshirts,” is outlawed.

Éamon de Valera denounced the Blue Shirts organisation as unlawful, yet despite the Government’s ban, the Blueshirts also known as the National Guard paraded throughout the country. The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later the National Guard, then Young Ireland and finally League of Youth, but better known by the nickname The Blueshirts, was a far-right organisation in the Irish Free State in…

[watch-joey-collect]

[seeseagulls]

[edensungilda]

New story on wattpad | Your Demise

Hey guys! Just published two chapters on a story I'm working on. I'm still practicing and writing on "FIREWEAVER" and will finish that first before I continue on "Your Demise" just wanted to get feedback on how the first two chapters are before I continue working on it. Would mean a lot if you take a look because I hope to self publish <3

-Description-

Lunaris Sernet, an outlaw who narrowly escapes her execution, finds herself entangled in the arms of one of the very rangers who could have her killed. Arson Chaucer, a ranger who risks it all for a girl he barely knows, chases phantoms and memories as he tries to unravel a decade old plot. Can the two learn to trust each other in this country filled with serpents and thieves, or will they be the others demise? Isarapho is a country in the fantastical world of Irevia, filled with brimming biomes of deserts and timber forests, a mountain with century old secrets, and a political conflict that threatens to explode into an all out war. For Lunaris Sernet, all she cares about is surviving the wildfire and hiding within the ashes. She's tired of running. And she'll do everything she can to leave the Wild West of Isarapho, even if it means leaving her heart behind. **SLOW UPDATES**

-PREVIEW-

Well this put being six feet under into a whole new perspective.

I lay in a coffin, staring blankly up at the wooden surface that kept my small space separate from the outside world. It was surreal, but my dreams had a funny way of tricking me like that.

I couldn't feel anything. Or maybe that's just what being dead feels like. I wasn't sure. Oddly, I was okay with either outcome. So long as I got out of this place one way or another.

I pressed my palms against the veil that kept my surroundings hidden, sliding the cover off with a bit of effort on my part.

Sunlight met my eyes and I winced, fluttering my lashes before adjusting to the light.

My breath caught in my throat. I was in front of my little cabin, surrounded by a beautiful field of poppies and tall stalks of grass.

Just as I was about to step out I felt myself pulled through the world, the poppies becoming smaller and smaller as the dream slipped through my fingers. I crashed into what felt like cold water, before my eyes flashed open, my lips inhaling a mixture of air and liquid.

I sputtered, coughing as a man clad in armor stood above my form, holding the bucket that had assaulted me.

I caught my breath after a moment and looked up at him with a vice. Not only had he interrupted what very well may be my last dream, but he was late.

'I thought an execution was supposed to be on time?'

I was ushered from the floor to stand in my humid hot cell, my hands quickly restrained behind my back. Heavy, muffled breathing of the guard who awakened me seemed to be the only noise that filled the silence.

I fidgeted, twitched, and tapped my foot in every known possible way to show my impatience. Yes, here I was, impatient for my own demise. All I did for five sennights was await this day, and now even my executioners seemed to take delight in drawing out my suspense.

The guard finished binding my hands, leading me out of the cell and into a dimly lit hallway. My eyes adjusted to the drastic change between my shrouded cell room to the oil lamps illuminating dark shadows against the walls.

I was guided to walk to the left- or more so poked and shoved forward as the chains around my wrists bit painfully into my skin. The clinking echoed down the hall as we walked, my legs aching with a numb sort of pain, like the kind of tingling when one sat too long in one spot, or like pin needles stabbing over and over.

My hands ached and I tried to readjust my wrists, earning myself a sharp jab between my shoulder blades. I stumbled ahead, gritting my teeth and regaining my balance.

I walked past a puddle on the floor, water dripping from a crack in the ceiling. I licked my chapped lips. I wonder if they would be so merciful to allow me a last drink and meal before my execution?

I seemed to walk down an infinite passage, counting the graving on the wall, each lamp and wooden beam to try and retain some sort of time frame to how long I was walking for.

Finally, I faced another wall as a corner came into view. I felt the guard's metallic grip tighten around my arm, moving me around into the passageway and facing a stair case.

The stone looked blankly back at me, stark grey and making my throat tighten as I looked up at its height. I hesitated. I hadn't walked in ages, my bare feet already sore from traversing the tile. It looked intimidating, and I wondered how many steps I'd survive before falling to my death. Maybe this was their way of killing ne.

I wasn't allowed much time to swallow my nerves though, the guard yanking me forward and beginning to climb the extensive flight of steps.

I could feel sparks fluttering to my fingertips as my heart rushed to my ears. It was finally sinking in, the uneasiness of knowing your fate lied just at the top. That in a quick short succession of being condemned and imprisoned, your life was just a fleeting moment away from being cut short.

And my crime, I wondered? I wasn't sure anymore. I had been running before most could even walk. Now it seemed I had finally found myself at the end of those tracks, unable to escape as I looked at the edge of a very high cliff, the world closing in and threatening to shove me off.

I counted the several balusters that emulated the timber trees up north, the framing etched with carvings surprisingly fancy for a staircase leading out of a dungeon. That explained why the rest of the place was in shambles.

As I finally reached the top, I let out a sigh of relief to finally see sunlight. The hallway's left wall was covered with tall glass pane windows, suffusing my surroundings with warm yellow. I didn't bother to familiarize myself with the rest, I didn't want to have my prison be the last thing I remembered.

Instead I found myself thinking of the fields the sun must be basking right now, filled with poppies and tall stalks of grass that tilted in the wind like rolling waves.

I wondered if they'd spare me the favor of burying me there. It was a silly dream, why would they ever do that for an outlaw such as I? And how were they planning to kill me anyway? I speculated it must be something of equal punishment for an individual like me.

For thieves, their hands were cut off before being hung. For murderers, they usually were sent to the guillotine. Blasphemers had their tongue cut out and burned at the stake.

Liars and betrayers, hung by their legs upside down, waterboarded til they asphyxiated.

But for my crime, oh the council would not be so merciful. They were very meticulous, treating every execution like artistry. Everything had to symbolize something. Had to be a punishment equal to the crime, balancing the weights lady Justice held.

I snapped out of my thoughts as we entered a large courtyard. Sand filled it with an open view of the sky above, the only coverings overhanging on either wall with marble pillars etched with the same illustrations of timber trees, except this time including the imagery of huge birds, their talons claiming the shoulders of their victims and lifting them into the sky.

I looked to the middle of the clearing, a wooden platform with a rosetted trim. Two armored sentinels awaited me. A tall wooden pole stood in the middle of the platform, rope woven into a noose meeting my eyes.

A dull way to die. Quick and easy. Not a gaudy execution or showy display. I see why the council had chosen it. They were trying to tell me that my life was too insignificant for the effort. Which also played in part the lack of audience.

I closed my eyes, willing myself to move.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

[potterandpromises]

Random Word BPC

Day 23: Struggle

[shokuto]

What if Outlawed was a battle royale everyone has to compete in if they're under 21 and whether or not they can actually remain a superhero hinges entirely on their performance...it'd be insane but god would it be entertaining

[cryptidussy]

Just got "Outlawed" by Anna North and I REALLY hope it's worth it!!! Anyone else read it?

[pridepages]

Whether or not I liked men seemed unworthy of even that small consideration, since not liking men had never been presented to me as an option.

Ada, Outlawed by Anna North

[samasmith23]

It was really awesome to see Discord’s arc receive some resolution in Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019) #17, with Kamala not only freeing Josh from the Lovecraftian villain Monopoly’s mind-control but also Josh's decision to voluntarily surrender himself to the authorities and finally accepting responsibility for his crimes!

Josh has been my favorite Ms. Marvel villain since the Mecca arc of G. Willow Wilson's run and Saladin Ahmed provides some solid closure for Josh's role as an antagonist in the penultimate issue of Magnificent Ms. Marvel!

From Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019) #17 by Saladin Ahmed & Minkyu Jung.

[gyllenhallelujah]

i’m only gonna say this once: white boys twerking should be ILLEGAL

[watch-joey-collect]

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1933 – The anti-Fianna Fáil Army Comrades Association, which developed into a fascist-inspired group nicknamed the “Blueshirts,” is outlawed.

#OTD in 1933 – The anti-Fianna Fáil Army Comrades Association, which developed into a fascist-inspired group nicknamed the “Blueshirts,” is outlawed.

Éamon de Valera denounced the Blue Shirts organisation as unlawful, yet despite the Government’s ban, the Blueshirts also known as the National Guard paraded throughout the country. The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later the National Guard, then Young Ireland and finally League of Youth, but better known by the nickname The Blueshirts, was a far-right organisation in the Irish Free State in…