#unbowed

[beeeinyourbonnet]

Here is a clip of Dead Fish that @killingkueen made for me because she is the best <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

In case someone needs it for reading a fic 👀

[cann1bal-kitt3n-x]

Jay Tavare and Tembi Locke in Unbowed (1999)

[beastlycheese]

Here's a lil fanfic fan art collage for the awesome Unbowed by @beeeinyourbonnet Danny Devine, Felix da Souza and Col. Ives all in one story. What could possibly go right or wrong for Belle?

[annlyeljames]

Finding this beautiful period piece romance between a Black woman and Native American man is one of the great joys I’ve had as a lover of cinema. This movie gripped me and never let go!

[thekekita]

It's okay, my warden is Dalish and wouldn't stop Sten, as long as nobody stops her from fighting blight and researching cures--and nobody messes with the clans--she doesn't care about political shemanigans.

replaying origins and i just maxed out sten's approval so naturally i thought of this tweet and had to make it

[wyrdwaysrockshow]

Wyrd Ways Rock Show CDXVIII

So here it is. The last Wyrd Ways Rock Show of 2024. This one focusses on the bands I discovered in the last 12 months, so may not be what you might have expected.  Then again, with me, what’s “the expected”? Thanks for listening during this year and I hope that continues into 2025. Here’s the Acast player:   Here’s the playlist: Unbowed – Delay Deny Depose Frau Fleischer – Out Of Control The…

[lejournaldupeintre]

Mélenchon, Israel and the French left

Has Mélenchon become a problem for the entire French left ? France Unbowed party (LFI , La France Insoumise) faces accusations of complacency over antisemitism in recent years, with the latest rift threatening its fragile coalition on the left. The French far left is coming under increasing pressure over its refusal to condemn Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel. The indignation, which comes from…

[missmarybennetinthemiddle]

Princess Elia Martell by artist adelikashere

[beeeinyourbonnet]

Fic Masterlist

I needed a new pinned post so here is my new masterlist of fics that I have either finished or am actively working on, which I will update as I post new things. Sorry for the unhinged tags, they are there for me and will almost certainly grow longer and more unhinged yolo. Also I accept prompts for any ficlets or character questions in anything from this list (possibly also other stuff on my AO3 if I'm feeling it)!

Rumbelle

By Hook or by Crook - E - complete, 28/28 chapters Just when Belle thinks she's doomed to a life without adventure, an investment banking firm all the way from New York City plops its new headquarters in Storybrooke's abandoned cannery. Winner of best rumbelle fic and best comedy smut CCAs 2025

By the Book (By Hook or by Crook) - T - complete, 1/1 chapter After Gold brings a partially-conscious Belle to the Nolans', he and David have to find out what happened (set between chapters 20 and 21 of By Hook or by Crook).

Gilded - E - complete, 1/1 chapter Mr. Gold runs a speakeasy during Prohibition and hires a new waitress. RSS 2024 fic. Winner of best RSS fic and best one-shot CCAs 2025.

The First Thanksgiving - T - complete, 1/1 chapter Newly married Emma and Neal invite Belle to the first Thanksgiving they're hosting in an attempt to set her up on a blind date, not knowing that she has been keeping a secret from them since the wedding. Fluffapalooza 2025

The Twenty-Eighth Date (The First Thanksgiving) - G - complete, 1/1 chapter A prequel to The First Thanksgiving, Belle and Gold meet at Neal's wedding while both are trying to hide from someone else. The Siren - T - complete, 1/1 chapter The town librarian is behaving strangely, and Mr. Gold definitely does not care (third round entry from the rumbelle showdown 2024).

In the Glow of Moonlight - E - complete, 3/3 chapters Rumpelstiltskin gets cursed and, when the cure is to experience happiness, he assumes he'll be cursed forever. (tentacles)

Wrong Number - M - incomplete, under 10 chapters at present Belle has struck up a strange friendship with a man she only knows over text. Having finally escaped a bad living situation, she gets involved in the local city council, where she meets Mr. Gold, who seems hellbent on hating her guts. It's a good thing she has her mysterious text friend for comfort. Updates tuesdays and fridays.

Anyelle

Nostelle (Nosty from Safe x Belle) Covetous - E - complete, 25/25 chapters Father Joseph MacAvoy wakes up in a library across town with no idea of how he got there, and when the kind librarian doesn’t kick him out immediately, he considers that maybe there’s more to life than alcohol. Unfortunately for the Father, the kind librarian has a habit of taking in dangerous men, and MacAvoy feels wholly unequipped to protect her heart from them--and his own. Winner of best bobby squared CCA 2025

First Kiss (Covetous)- T - complete, 1/1 chapter Belle and Nosty kiss for the first time.

Bellish (Hamish Macbeth x Belle) The Beginning of a New Book - E - complete, 27/27 chapters When Belle discovers that her fiance is not the man she thought he was, she finds herself in witness protection in a little Scottish town called Lochdubh.

Almost a Widower (The Beginning of a New Book) - complete, 1/1 chapter Sergei learns that Belle has disappeared.

Develle (Danny Devine from Dead Fish x Belle) Unbowed - E - complete, 48 chapters Belle works nights at the Parrot Club as an assistant to pay off her estranged husband’s debts to Danny Devine, and days at a bookstore where she has struck up a friendship with a gentleman named Ives. Belle is just supposed to do Danny's books and keep the office organized, but when Something Happens, she gets drawn into a world she never expected. Also includes ivelle (belle x ives from Ravenous).

Devine Intervention - M - incomplete, series of one-shot ficlets This are all my old develle ficlets that I post as I edit them, where she is his assistant to work off her dad's debt.

Plunkelle (Will Plunkett from Plunkett & Macleane x Belle) An Ever-Fixed Mark - E - incomplete, under 20 chapters presently The widowed Lady Belle desires nothing more than freedom. When her father brings her to London in an attempt to find her a new husband, she instead meets a highwayman who could use a woman on the inside. Updates Mondays and Thursdays.

Lachelle (Lachlan Macaldonich from California Solo x Belle) On the Rocks - M - incomplete, under 5 chapters presently Desperate to stay in America, Lachlan vows to quit drinking, but it's hard when he lives alone and there's nothing else to do in the farmlands of California. Luckily for him, he meets a woman outside the AA meeting. On hiatus.

[gracielikegrapes]

Arianne is calculating, adventurous, and fierce-tempered. When she sees something she desires, she strives to obtain it at all cost.

[ex-coolgirl]

Thinking about these art pieces by Denis Maznev

[sleepynegress]

I'm back to link another example of handling Black hair, a clip from a romance between two different ethnicities of color that has all but disappeared, Unbowed.

Black Hair Couple Interactions: Boyfriend Playing with his Black Girlfriend’s Hair

Judefranknoir asked:

Hi there!! Do you have any tips or resources for describing how one would go about playing with a Black person’s hair without hurting them? I thought I saw a resource on your blog before but I can’t seem to find it now. I want the girl and her boyfriend (both Black) to have a cute moment, not cause each other physical pain…Thank you so much <3

This will entirely depend on the specific hair and style the character is wearing. I’ll try to offer some suggestions on how one might play with the character’s hair depending on their style.

Curly, coils

Wrap one of her curls around his finger, carefully following the curl pattern to avoid tangling. 

Run a hand over her curls instead of pushing it through each individual strand

Push one of her loosened curls in place or behind her ear

Braids or dreads

Running a hand over her braids instead of pushing it through each individual strand 

Playing with individual braids or dreads

Straightened 

As you would play with straight hair, but avoid touching with wet hands, which would revert hair back to a curly state.

Afro / Puff or puffs

Pat or fluff at the fro (but not like she’s a pet, please!)

Fluff the fro back out (my husband automatically does this to me after I’ve been laying back in my car’s seat. The seat flattens out my fro/ curls!)

Special / intricate style

If it’s something where touching it might get things out of place, and there’s a lot of product in it, consider instead….

Only briefly floating hand over hair, or just touching their face

Admiring the style with a compliment to show appreciation of how good it looks

This will depend on style and the person

Other thoughts

The partner(s) could also:

Help braid, style, wash and / or massage their scalp. Very cute!

Retrieve their silk bonnet or head scarf at night

Help wrap their hair in a scarf

A special note: generally Black people are not happy with random strangers, family or friends touching and petting them without asking. 

Obviously, boundaries may differ within a close kinship or relationship. 

Some would like their partner to ask at least the first time

Some won’t mind at all and don’t feel they need to grant an okay

Other folks generally don’t want their hair touched at all

Also, their feelings about it may depend on if they have a specific style they’re trying to maintain. 

Again, this will vary by person. I hope this gives some ideas!

~Mod Colette

[theotherdragomirgirl]

ELIA OF DORNE and ANDROMACHE OF TROY

I have long wanted to write this meta of sorts, because if there is one mythological woman Elia Nymeros Martell has always reminded me of, it's Princess Andromache of Troy (or Andromache of Cilician Thebe).

In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Trojan Prince Hector, daughter of King Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled.

Following the Trojan War, after Achilles has killed Hector and Troy is being captured and sacked by the Greeks, her son by Hector, named Astyanax (born Scamandrius) was murdered by being thrown off the city walls. His killer, Neoptolemus, son of the mythical warrior Achilles, then took Andromache as his concubine. By him, she was the mother of Molossus, Pielus, Pergamus and Amphialus.

The world of ancient Greek Mythology mostly does not sees rape of women conquered in war as rape at all, and yet, King Priam of Troy, father in law of Andromache, himself talks of the mass rape that will happen should Troy fall.

In Iliad, Andromache is portrayed as the perfect wife, weaving a cloak for her husband in the innermost chambers of the house and preparing a bath in anticipation of his return from battle. Just as Princess Elia is said to be "a good woman, kind and clever, with a gentle heart and a sweet wit", enough so that even her melancholic prince, who even by accounts of those who admired him most, did not have it in himself to be happy, grew "very fond of her".

Just like Andromache represents the injustice done to the women of Troy, to women of war torn lands in general, Elia represents the injustice done to women in King's Landing during the sack of the city.

Andromache and Elia are both widows of Crown Princes when their cities are sacked, but that doesn't save them from gruesome fates. If anything, being married to the dead heir to the throne dooms them too. One to a lifetime of misery, the other to an unbelievably horrific death.

We first learn about Elia through Daenerys, as she imagines the fall of the Targaryen dynasty:

"Yet sometimes Dany would picture the way it had been, so often had her brother told her the stories. The sack of King’s Landing by the ones Viserys called the Usurper’s dogs, the lords Lannister and Stark. Princess Elia of Dorne pleading for mercy as Rhaegar’s heir was ripped from her breast and murdered before her eyes. The polished skulls of the last dragons staring down sightlessly from the walls of the throne room while the Kingslayer opened Father’s throat with a golden sword."

Daenerys' description of the sack, and what happened to Elia and the rest of the Targaryen royals during it, is very similar to what befell Andromache. Her son was ripped from her arms, and murdered before her eyes, while her father-in-law was murdered by the invading forces. Elia and Andromache's role as mother, a fundamental element of their position in marriage, is emphasized within the text of their respective tales.

Following the murders of their sons (and daughter also, in Elia's case) both women are subjected to aggravated rape. Andromache is made a sex slave, and Elia is raped to death.

Both women had their family entirely stripped from them by the violence of war, making them fulfill the fate of conquered women in ancient warfare.

Both are wives of admired, beloved crown princes seen as the hope and future of their dynasty. And later, widows.

Both loose everything due to their husbands dying in war at the hands of a great warrior. Robert of House Baratheon, in case of Elia. And Achilles, in case of Andromache.

The so-called (or so-perceived) "good guys" of the stories victimize Elia and Andromache, or outright benefit from their victimization.

In some versions, it is Odysseus who kills Andromache's infant son, and then takes her mother-in-law, Hecuba, as his war prize.

Robert Baratheon had a just cause to rise against the man literally named "the mad king", but he defiles the justness of his own cause by walking to his throne of swords over the brutalized dead bodies of Elia and her children (Princess Rhaenys, not even three years old, stabbed half a hundred times, infant Aegon bashed into a bloody pulp against the wall, Elia raped with her son's blood and brain on her rapist's hands, then cut in half by him), calling them "dragonspawn" with disgust. Not only refusing her family justice, but actually awarding the man who orchestrated the monstrous deeds with a crown for his daughter.

Then there is their treatment by other women:

Hermione, daughter of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and his wife, Helen of Troy, wife of Andromache's captor and rapist Neoptolemus, blamed Andromache for her inability to become pregnant, claiming that she was casting spells on her to keep her barren. To the point that she asked her father to kill Andromache and her son while Neoptolemus was away at Delphi.

The same way, in text, Cersei Lannister blames Elia for her unhappiness as wife of Robert. Basically declaring that if Rhaegar had only married her, not Elia, everything and everyone would be well and happy. That it must have been madness that drove King Aerys to marry his son to the Dornish Princess.

Outside of text, we have the fandom's treatment of, and attitude towards, Elia. People who prefer Rhaegar Targaryen with Lyanna Stark, treat Elia as if she was the interloper in the marriage, and not his lawfully wedded legal wife, in eyes of both the Old Gods and the new. I have seen people outright say "fuck Elia and her children". It is honestly... Bizarre.

Andromache was famous for her fidelity and virtue. And it is safe to say Elia was both of those things too. Since even her biggest detractors, Jon Connington and Cersei Lannister, two people who wanted her husband for themselves, could not find any fault in Elia in that regard. Jon could only complain that Elia was sickly and unworthy of Rhaegar, despite the fact that she gave him two children in two years, and Cersei could only complain about Elia's breast size.

And yet, for all their amazing qualities, both women still suffered unquestionably and immensely, all for someone else's "love story".

Paris made off with Helen, and Andromache payed the price with all that she held dear.

Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna and thousands died for it. Including his innocent wife and children.

Andromache.

Elia.

Daughter

Princess

Sister

Wife

Mother

[itsburningsa4ge]

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞 ☀️

"Princess Elia was a good woman, Your Grace. She was kind and clever, with a gentle heart and a sweet wit. I know the prince was very fond of her." Barristan Selmy to Daenerys Targaryen

commissions open 💌

[kikiofthevast]

Idk I love putting Arthur Lester in yellow clothes. He is inseparable from the King in Yellow. He is in symbiosis with a piece of a god. He cannot see and therefore is protected from so much of the madness. He wears yellow like a challenge. He's saying look at me, and my defiance. He has been changed irrevocably by the King in Yellow but he does not pledge his service. He stands against a god.

[beeeinyourbonnet]

HSUIALSHRUJKAGNJADKNJKVSNJAKNLVNA USIKJGAEL JIKJVSKADNJKVS DIHNSJKDA AKGNOH;RIAJGLVKALK JURILANJVNAJKVSMD EAJKHLERUJKG AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I'M S C R E A M I N G DALHEURIAGLJIEDKFV

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(link to fic in case this has enticed anyone 👀)

Here's a lil fanfic fan art collage for the awesome Unbowed by @beeeinyourbonnet Danny Devine, Felix da Souza and Col. Ives all in one story. What could possibly go right or wrong for Belle?