nythowl

[nythowl]

Movement

Pairing: drummer x girl! OC

Note: Okay, it's basically some draft about a girl having a crush on a drummer.

It's not really finished, it's messy, but this is driving me fucking crazy, i have to get it out of my system and have some feedback/reaction, so please let me know!

(btw English isn't my first language, sorry in advance for any mistakes)

TW: age gap (22-37), alcohol, smoking, a bit of cursing? and that's probably it, tell me if you find one i haven't mentioned.

Word accounts: 2K

Charlie was moving to the blasting music under blue lights, before the track playing was cut short, making the crowd complain. At the same time, some people in the front started cheering for a band climbing on stage.

She frowned a bit, looking at the hour. It was around 1AM, usually live sets stopped at 11pm. Plus, the bar announced a DJ set, they were just supposed to play rock’n’roll that night. She peered again at the band. There were three men, probably around their forties, looking pretty basic for rock musicians, a style revolving around jeans, band tee-shirts and flannel shirts. They made her think of some of her dad's friends.

Someone on her right elbowed her, so she would turn around.

-”Hey I got a phone call, the 2000’s want its hairstyle back!” Lucie said while pointing at the drummer with her chin.

She snorted at the comment, looking at the drummer, effectively wearing his hair like Justin Bieber when he was sixteen. That didn’t stop him from looking kind of nice. Maybe a bit too nerdy, but nice. Abigail and Lucie were debating getting drinks while the band was getting ready.

-”Do you want something to drink Charlie ?”

-”No no I’m fine, thank you!”

-”Come on girl, let us repay you for coming with us tonight!” insisted Abigail.

She wasn’t supposed to do anything this friday night, she actually arranged herself to have her whole week-end to finish her work and chill a bit. She did plan to see Abigail and Lucie for a drink around 5pm, and she ended up at the bar, half willingly.

She didn’t even had the time to go back to her place, she was still wearing her old jeans that used to belong to her dad, hanging low on her hips and covered in paint, worn especially today in the foresight of her classes. 

-”Okay okay, get me something cheap and sugary.” she finally said.

The two girls left while Charlie searched for a nice spot to watch the concert, not too far from the stage. She settled next to a pillar, on the right of the stage, so they wouldn’t be too pushed by the crowd forming. The musicians were apparently ready, as they were looking at each other, nodding their heads in synchronicity with the rhythm the drummer just started, annunciating the beginning of a song.

The crowd cheered loudly as everyone recognized a cover from Maneskin, immediately jumping around and singing.

Charlie finally saw her friends after three songs, alternating between covers and original songs. As they were walking towards her, Abigail was talking to a man following them, definitely trying to get something from her. Lucie hurried forward while the conversation with the man was heating up.

-”What’s happening?” worried Charlie.

-”It’s fine, it’s just, this guy’s been trying to get me a drink, and he was touchy and too pushy even though i said “no” multiple times”

Charlie pretended to puke while Abigail pushed some people to get to them, looking pretty scary and screaming.

-”What a fucking asshole!”

-”Yeah, if he ever gets close to you, I’ll rip his head off” spat Charlie while putting her arm over Lucie’s shoulder, sending a dirty look to said guy.

He smiled and waved, and leaned towards the man next to him to whisper in his ear. She was utterly disgusted, and promised herself to keep an eye on that weirdo and her friends. 

She grabbed the bright pink drink Abigail was handing her and turned her attention to the band.

The middle-aged basic men had turned into some kind of rockstar, born to die on stage. The energy had totally shifted, just as if electricity was running in the air.

And if she thought the drummer looked nice earlier, he was ten times hotter right now. Lucie and Abigail seemed to agree as they fanned themselves in an exaggerated manner.

-”The drummer’s fucking hot!”

As if on cue, the band ended their song as Abigail was screaming this. Some other girls whistled as the band chuckled.

-”I don’t know who said that, but thanks” chuckled the concerned man.

Abigail was totally mortified, and Lucie was howling with laughter, supporting herself with the wall.

Charlie’s mouth felt slightly agape as the drummer took off his jacket and rolled the sleeve of his tee-shirt, revealing his arms. He grabbed his drumsticks and kicked off with another song, the effort emphasizing his muscles. And now he was singing, and fucking hell his voice was so hot, a bit raspy but not low, almost whining. 

Well everything about him was so hot that it brought Charlie back to earth in a split second. For fuck’s sake the man was hardly younger than her dad, he probably had a wife and a kid. She immediately checked out his left hand, relieved to find nothing on his ring finger. She indulged herself with a bit of study, spending a hard minute fixed on those long and slender fingers, bones poking out a bit and veins forming around his wrist.

She cursed herself, this was getting out of hand, quite literally. Her friends had noticed, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

-”Well well well, that’s interesting. Isn’t our little Charlie finally getting a crush?” teased Lucie.

-”And a grown man at that! Be careful girl, your daddy issues are showing.”

Charlie rolled her eyes as Abigail elbowed her, glad to have something to piss her off about.

-”At least I’m not playing the mom for immature little boys, miss cougar” shooted back Charlie.

Lucie booed Abigail as she acted offended. She raised her hands in the air in an act of surrender.

-”Touché. But you do have a crush on that man. I have to admit, he’s pretty cute. A bit old for me, but cute”

-”What do you mean, cute?! That guy is reeking of sexual tension, he’s so fucking hot I feel the heat waves coming from him!” Lucie hollered in her ear.

-”Come on Lucie, leave the old man for Charlie, she does look pretty desperate” Abigail winked at her.

-”Okay, okay, I’ll admit, I have a fucking crush on him. But he’s at least forty, so I’ll just content myself of drooling a bit over him, that’s it”

-”Whatever you say!”

As it was getting later, it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on anything else other than the drummer. He was now completely disheveled, his arms coated in sweat, little drops rolling off his wet hair from when he emptied a bottle of water on his head earlier. He had that devil grin, a manic and insane glaze over his eyes.

Charlie herself was getting hot, mainly because the venue was so crowded and badly ventilated. But hey, let’s be honest, it wasn’t the only reason. She had peeled away the little jacket she had over her top, earning some double takes from horny teenagers.

The drummer was playing as if he was in a trance, head falling back and mouth open, frowning slightly, his Adam’s apple jolting. The second after, he was back to singing, eyes frantically looking around until, until … He stopped. Looking right at her, still singing. 

“And i want it now, 

I want it now,

Give me your heart and your soul”

His arms were still moving, hitting tirelessly the drums, but his gaze was glued on her, it couldn’t be a mistake. His smile grew wider and wider, looking like a madman, like a wolf, and she felt for a brief instant that he would jump off of stage to her. 

Charlie’s heart skipped a beat before doubling its speed. He looked away and the adrenaline rushed through her. At the same time, the music changed to another one, and she realized she had stopped dancing. 

Eyes blinking fast, she went back to the same time zone as her friends, and for good measure, she downed her drink. 

The next hour was a bit of blur, Lucie was plastered, and clinging to Charlie, dancing together. Abigail was hyping them up, screaming lyrics at the top of her lungs, and yeah, they were having a pretty good time. 

Charlie met his eyes a few times, and she felt him glancing at her, like she was glancing at him when he was looking elsewhere. 

Now the space was filled with smoke and totally bonded. She’d gone to the smoker area at the end of the concert, while the girls went to the bathroom. She didn’t wait for them to pull a cigarette from her pack. As she was looking for her lighter, she felt some fresh air on her face, signaling that the door of the smoking room was open, and people cheered for someone. She didn’t see what was happening from her spot against the wall and behind the heads of people, but she felt the crowd moving and parting. Someone bumped into her, crashing her a bit against the wall. The man was preventing himself from falling further onto her with a hand on the wall, trapping her. Behind, smokers were still moving, making way for the two guitarists from the band.

Shit, that meant-

-”Oh, hello you.”

The soft spoken word sent a chill down her spine. Sure enough, it was the drummer slightly bent over her. The commotion had stopped, and so he straightened, still standing in front of her.

-”Sorry for shoving you, wasn’t my intention” he spoke again.

-”That’s quite okay, no harm done”

Charlie was surprised to find her voice clear and steady, she was not that panicked. It was more some sort of excitement and easiness that came over her. She hopped on her chance.

-”You wouldn’t happen to have a lighter by any chance? To excuse yourself for crushing me against a wall?” she asked innocently.

-”Sure thing, let me find that for you”

As he was rummaging through his pockets, she examined him. He was calmer, though his presence was still very intense. His eyes were back to a normal state, his moves way less erratic. His voice was so intriguing, slower than earlier, not that deep, but still vibrating.

Finally he pulled out a box of matches. She scoffed a bit. He raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his lips.

-”What, are my matches not cool enough for you?”

-”No, no, I actually think they’re pretty cool.” She looked up at him “I just didn’t know you were that old”

-”O-oh, okay, if that’s a problem for you” he insisted on those words and their meanings, his gaze a bit more serious, “ I’ll keep my matches for myself”

She smirked, pleased with how the conversation was going, pleased to notice that on top of his good looks, he was charming and respectful. If she could, she would kick her feets in the air and giggle a bit.

-”I was only teasing. Please, enlighten me'' she said. 

He looked at her while she brought the cigarette to her mouth and got closer. He lighted a match and put it at the end of her fag. He hovered a hand over the fire while she inhaled deeply, the light casting a warm glow on her features. 

She stepped back and smocked away. They stood there in silence for a second, as she smoked and he put away his box. His eyes weren’t leaving her, and he had that sly yet quiet smile.

Despite his intimidating presence, she felt the urge to speak.

-”By the way, I really liked your music, the concert was amazing!”

-”Oh I guessed so, thank you. I saw you dancing, you clearly were enjoying yourself.”

His tone was stripped from any weird connotation, and when she checked his face, so was his expression. He was now leaning on the wall with his shoulder, calmly and patiently observing her. 

She couldn’t help but catch her breath, as some heat was rising in her cheeks. Fortunately, she already had a nice red patch across her nose and cheeks, due to the ambient warmth. Nonetheless, she gave herself some composure by putting her hair up, to get some heat off her neck. 

-”Can I?”

She looked up, mid ponytail, hands busy as he pointed the stick hanging from her mouth. She nodded, and he brought his fingers to her lips, slightly brushing them as he collected the cigarette. He put his lips where her lipstick was, watching her intently while she finished tying her hair up.

(Sorry for cutting it short, hope you enjoyed it anyway, the rest will probably come soon)

[nythowl]

it’s incredible how peaceful i feel from reading this

perishable hours 

tasm!peter x reader 

summary: peter reminds you how important sleeping is. and then proceeds to keep you awake. 

warnings: fluff, insomnia, half-asleep drabbles. 

a/n: and in this i attempt to write fluff without writing fluff 

*

Keep reading

[nythowl]

Don’t ever play with me

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x OC

TW: i don’t think of any, maybe some angst and swearing, and kind of sexual stuffs?

Words account: 2744

Note: Well this is my first fanfic with Thomas, and english isn’t my first language, feel free to correct my mistakes!

I feel into a deep obsession with Peaky Blinders lately, and I absolutely had to write something bc i’m going crazy. Also I haven’t watched anything after the 2nd season, so no spoilers

edit: i might turn this into a longer fanfic rather than an one shot, i have a lot of inspiration ;)

second edit: nevermind i'm afraid of commitment

Enjoy !

As soon as Thomas entered the room, he saw her. She was standing right next to the bar, surrounded by a few men in black costume, and of course one of her brothers, standing in her shadow. He must have been looking a bit too hard, because she noticed that the three Shelby’s brothers were here. She excused herself, grabbed the glass of wine from the counter and made her way towards the boys. 

She was all smile and pretty eyes, her earrings catching the light and her dress making flowy movement as she rolled her hips. Tommy thought she was pretty confident walking towards a group of criminals men, knowing she just sold them a cargo full of shitty merchandise. 

“Hello sirs, it’s a pleasure to see you here.” she said when she arrived at their level. 

“Pleasure’s all ours.” replied John with a coy smile.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it, before his brothers could make any comments. If eyes could kill, he’d be dead on the spot. Tommy had his hands in his pockets, jaw locked and scowling at his brother, rightly pissed by the naive behavior of John. 

Arthur looked grumpy as always, but more about the fact that he didn’t have the easiness of his brother to be so outfront with such a beautiful creature. John backed away and pretended to watch something else, feeling the cold anger of his brother.

But despite the evident tension even her brothers could feel from across the room full of people, Gabrielle didn’t flinch and kept smiling softly.

“I assume that if all three of you are here and looking so serious, this has something to do with business?” she asked brightly. 

“Right.” replied Tommy.

“Of course it is, I admire your dedication to work!” A little laugh escaped her throat, crystal clear. 

He asked himself how such an angel could be so devilish, selling drugs and all sorts of other illegal things for the account of the family business, while maintaining a perfect and innocent facade.

“Unfortunately I fear we can not talk right now for many reasons. If you want to stay here, I should be able to get some time for you later in the evening. Otherwise we can schedule a meeting dur-

“I’m here because you tried to sell us shit thinking I wouldn’t notice. I don’t like people taking me for a moron. You could either take us to a more private place where we can discuss this calmly, or…” 

Tommy let a little silence hang in the air while giving Gabrielle a discreet look at the cross of his gun. Her whole body language changed, and her brothers around the room became alert, giving clear signs to the Shelby’s that she was well protected.

“I think there is a misunderstanding, I provided you exactly what you asked for. Now is not the place nor the moment to talk about that. I suggest you wait, as it seems to be a rather urgent matter. “

Her honey-like voice and doe eyes were gone. She was standing straighter, her chin held high and looking right at Tommy. She didn’t seem to be fazed by his gaze or his threat. 

Actually, it looked like the more Tommy was trying to intimidate her, the less she was actually impressed. She never backed once, always stood her grounds through the danger. 

Tommy evaluated the situation. He didn’t manage to scare her, and it was not worth pulling a scene right now considering the number of people. A part of him also knew his business with Gabrielle’s family was quite important, and it would benefit him to keep it as it was, rather than starting a war. Even if the girl was seriously getting on his nerves.

He put his hands in the air, surrendering.

“We’ll wait.”

The woman relaxed, and smiled again.

“Perfect then, I’m glad we could find an arrangement.”

The polite and professional mask was back on, as if she just wasn’t threatened to death, a threat which was only pushed back for later by the way.

“Everything you order is on me, as a way to apologize for making you wait.” she walked past them, putting her hand on John’s shoulder as she did so. “Please make sure to enjoy your time here.”

She gave them a last and languid look and left. John watched her walk away, dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on her hips. Tommy slapped him on the back of the head, startling him. He muttered something about his brother being an idiot, and made a beeline to the bar. 

If he was going to deal with this fucking woman, he might as well be drunk. 

Despite the party around and the cheery atmosphere, no one dared getting close to the three brothers. Arthur was getting ridiculously drunk, and John was sulking in his corner, feeling like a punished child. Thomas was as serious as always, keeping a steady eye on Gabrielle.

She was a social butterfly, keeping conversations to everyone. It was now pretty late, and the party had slowed down. Soft music was playing in the background, and people were talking around tables, still drinking and talking about serious matters such as politics and business. 

Gabrielle now had a glass of whisky, and she was talking to an old man and one of her brothers. 

Tommy was starting to get more and more angry, and even his brothers were slowly getting away from him, fearing he might explode. He wasn’t even trying to be patient or subtle anymore, and was pointedly staring at her. She didn’t seem to care or even notice. 

He turned his eyes away for a few seconds to check on his brothers, who had managed to leave him, and were talking to some girls a bit further at the bar. 

When he went back to the woman, she had disappeared. Tommy stood up abruptly, and started scanning the room. 

She was climbing some stairs, trying to get away from people for a moment. The man she was talking to seconds ago was dismissing her, and was clearly more interested in talking business with Lucas, her oldest brother. She tried to slide into the conversation a few times, but was rejected as a child who asks too many questions. 

Anyway, she was going to have to talk to Thomas Shelby, so she decided to leave for a moment before talking to him and his brothers. 

She liked to be prepared when she saw him, at least mentally. She knew she had to take a moment for herself before talking to Thomas, at least to get a hold of herself. This man took every opportunity to try to intimidate or provoke her. Gabrielle was convinced it had nothing to do with her being a woman, it was more about pride and control.

First time she saw them, it was actually Arthur who brought her down and refused to talk business with her. But Thomas didn’t seem to give a fuck, and so they signed a pact to work together. 

The problem came later when she refused to be scared of him. She made it clear that she was working with him, and not for him, and therefore she had no order or bullshit to take from him. 

And Thomas couldn't do anything against her or he would break an important business, and mostly declare war. So he just had to wait for her to make a mistake by trying to break her patience, provoke her and bring her down anytime he could. He always kept her on her nerves, always wanting to scare her.

She couldn’t allow him to have control over her. At first it was a question of business, but then it became personal. 

Those fuckers really ruined her night, especially Tommy. They had the audacity to barge at the party she hosted, where she invited them, and to accuse her of god knows what. 

They didn’t seem to care talking about private and illegal affairs in a public place. Why should they? They were known criminals.

She didn’t even know what happened with what she provided. She even went to check everything was in order herself, because she knew not to mess up with the Shelbys, especially as a woman in business. 

Fucking hell. She could feel herself getting reckless and losing her temper. She was now in the bathroom, drinking water and splashing some in her neck. She cleared her throat and spat in the sink.

“Not exactly what I expected from a lady.”

Gabrielle raised her head in surprise, catching Thomas's reflection in the mirror in front of her. She laughed slightly, but it sounded tired. She looked in his eyes through the mirror.

“Can you expect anything ladylike from a woman selling anything illegal?”

“Yes. I expect that she will respect her word and honor our contract.”

Gabrielle sighed heavily.

“I’m sorry but I truly don’t know what you’re talking about. I was here when the merchandise left and I had just checked it. If you can explain to me further what happened, I’m sure we can find a solution.”

She was still looking at him through the mirror, as he was standing in the back of the room. She was leaning forward, her hands on the bathroom counter. She saw him cross his arms, and his jaw tightening. 

“Stop trying to fuck with me, and tell me the truth.”

Gabrielle let her head fall to avoid having to watch him in the eyes. She let out a nervous laugh and before she could think of what she was saying, drunk words were spilled.

“Darling, if I wanted to fuck you, that’s not how I would do it.”

 She winced just after saying the words. This was going to be the end of her, she knew it. She could already hear him approach, but she did not dare look up.

Suddenly, his chest pushed against her back, her hips were pinned between his and the counter, where he put his hands next to hers. She could feel his breath on her neck, and she heard his slow voice against her skin.

“Oh yeah? And how would you do it?” 

She felt herself trembling slightly, and a warm ball forming in her stomach. In the mirror, she could see him resting against her, and watching intently her reflection with his head tilted, his lips inches away from her ear. 

She couldn’t form any words, let alone a coherent sentence. 

He laughed sarcastically, and she felt the rumble coming from his chest travel through her own body.

“You sure got a big mouth, but you won’t do a thing." he teased again.

Enough with the provocation, she wanted to make him shut up. She actually wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. She had run out of patience, and wanted to finally get back at him for every time he had looked down on her. 

She swiftly turned around, now facing his chest. She pushed herself to sit on the bathroom countertop, and she saw him instinctively reaching for her waist, before she put a hand on his torso. 

He stopped mid-track and noticed he wasn’t actually thinking of what he was doing. Gabrielle looked very pleased with herself, her cheeks were pink, her eyes were a bit glassy and devilish. But she hadn’t finished just yet.

The hand that was resting on his torso grabbed his tie. She slowly wrapped it around her finger while dragging Thomas closer to her. 

She opened her legs and tucked a bit harder to bring him. His hips crashed against hers, riding up her dress almost to the top of her thighs. 

She was still holding his tie, looking up at him, their foreheads nearly touching.

Now his hands were on her waist, she could feel his finger digging in her flesh, she could feel the heat of his body around her, and she could feel his lips inching closer, longing for more.

Shivers were roaming her body, she could barely hide the fact that she was shaking like a leaf. 

It had been years since a man touched her like this. Right now, she was living for his attention, for his desire she could feel burning. 

Thomas was breathing with some difficulties, not really understanding how he ended up in this situation, and why he liked it. Their hips were connected, and the sight of her bare legs drove him crazy. In the desperate need of feeling more, he grabbed her thigh and lifted it up a bit to get them even closer. Now their chests were smashed against each other, and Tommy’s hand had slipped under her thigh, grabbing the soft skin inside her leg. 

Gabrielle drew what was left of her confidence and strength to say a full sentence.

“See? That’s how I would fuck you, if I wanted.”

If she wanted. Of course, if she wanted, she could tear him apart right now, and Tommy would gladly let her. He realized she had him wrapped around her finger. In fact, she had them all. He saw how John fell to his knees every time he saw her, and how Arthur didn’t muster the courage to look her in the eyes. Hell, even Aunt Polly seemed to like her, and that was something in itself. 

Fucking hell. A few minutes ago, he was the one in control, pushing her into a corner.

Now she had him by the balls, quite literally. And she was still looking at him, waiting for his reaction.

“Stop looking at me with those fucking eyes” his voice was clearly threatening.

“What eyes?” she asked innocently, watching him through her eyelashes, raising slightly her eyebrows. 

Talking back was way more fun than answering politely. She was tiptoeing between his wrath and his lust, playing around the edges, and she loved the danger, the rush of it.

He leaned back a bit, taking all his time to watch her, letting his gaze linger on her exposed legs, his hands wrapped around it. One of her straps had fallen, and let an open view to the beginning of her breasts. He took a look at her lips, before meeting her eyes.

“Don’t ever play with me” there was no appeal, what he said was definitive. He didn’t seem to be angry, but his voice was so calm and cold, and she could actually see his rage behind his eyes. 

“Or what.”

Gabrielle feared it was the last words she would ever say. But the alcohol had finally kicked in, and she never felt more alive. She was letting go of months of tension and hatred towards the man, in a rather strange fashion that seemed to work.

Before she knew it, the hand that was on her waist was at the back of her neck, pulling her hair. She let her head fall back as he leaned towards her, supporting her head and firmly gripping her thigh.  

Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and she knew that if he were to look down, he would see her panties. Fortunately for her, he was too occupied biting her neck.

Fucking hell, he was biting her neck! She let out a pained noise and panicked a bit about marks that he may leave. 

“Not so eager now, uh? Worried I might leave some bruises?”

He leaned back again so she could sit normally, but he didn’t let go of his hold on her.

“Or I could leave them somewhere only I could see.” he offered while running his rough fingers inside her thigh. 

The seriousness of the situation suddenly hit her like a brick. Was she really going to fuck with him? She didn’t realize what she was doing and what she implied. Actually, a little part of herself knew, and was begging for her to fuck him like an animal, right here, right now. But that was the little part of herself who usually wanted to down a whole bottle of whisky, or jump in the water fully clothed. So not such a good idea. 

But before she could actually decide what happened next, Thomas cut her.

“Don't get worked up over nothing, darling” he insisted on the last word on purpose. “We can be both to play this game”

And with that, he stepped back, totally detaching his body from her. 

[nythowl]

Please do not support Amazon’s LOTR TV show, The Rings of Power 

Content warning: mentions of genocide, racism, anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, sexism, sexual harassment, and discrimination against immigrants.

I’m writing this post ahead of February 13th, when Amazon is expected to release the first trailer for their TV show The Rings of Power, which is set in Middle-earth and is being marketed as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings.

This is a reminder that:

Amazon profits from the forced labor of Uighurs in China and has ties to a Chinese company that is directly involved in the Chinese Government’s ongoing genocide against the Uighur people (ASPI, LA Times, The Hill).

Amazon systematically discriminates against Black employees, female employees, and especially Black women, including denying them promotions and failing to address a toxic work environment where racist and misogynistic comments and harassment frequently go unchecked, even when reported to human resources (Vox, King5, Reuters). Amazon faces multiple lawsuits from employees who experienced racist and sexist discrimination (USA Today, The Hill). 

Amazon has repeatedly sold anti-Semitic materials—including merchandise that explicitly promotes Nazi ideology and books that promote Holocaust denial—and only removed the items from their store after waves of criticism from human rights groups (LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post). This has happened multiple times since at least 2008, and has happened as recently as 2020 (ProPublica).

Amazon profits from the surveillance and criminalization of immigrant communities and the militarization of the US-Mexico border, including by supplying facial recognition technology to US law enforcement that helps ICE and the Department of Homeland Security track and detain immigrants (ACLU, The Guardian, AFSC).

Amazon routinely forces its employees to work in unsafe conditions, sometimes resulting in injury or death—in December, Amazon’s refusal to let employees evacuate a warehouse during a tornado led to six workers dying when the building collapsed (KDSK). During the filming of The Rings of Power, at least three stunt workers were seriously injured after their concerns about safety standards were not met (NZ Herald). 

Amazon has made coordinated efforts to prevent its employees from unionizing, including threatening them with reprisal, threatening them with loss of employment, and using surveillance to prevent and deter union activities (The Guardian, The New York Times, CNBC, Business Insider).

Amazon’s COVID-19 policies have harmed workers, including by failing to provide adequate protection in warehouses,denying workers sick leave, and retaliating against workers who spoke out (The Guardian). After Amazon received negative press because of this, its public relations team sent scripted statements to nearly a dozen US news outlets portraying Amazon’s COVID-19 response in a favorable light—and the statements were aired (The Guardian, The Verge).

Amazon has a huge carbon footprint that has been growing every year, along with the waste it generates, even as Amazon tries to portray itself as environmentally friendly (AP News, CNBC, Forbes). Amazon is among several top companies that exaggerate their efforts to combat climate change and cut their own environmental impacts (BBC). In addition, Amazon sells books that promote climate change denial, which are boosted by its own algorithms (LA Times).

Amazon has paid a fraction of the taxes that it should have paid over the past ten years, allowing it to become even richer and more powerful; Amazon has also been found to be the worst offender for tax evasion among other similar large corporations (The Guardian). Amazon made record-breaking profits in 2020, but avoided paying $2.3 billion in federal taxes (ITEP).

This list could be a lot longer, but it all comes down to one thing: Amazon is an extraordinarily unethical company. Even when compared with other similar corporations, Amazon stands out as exceptionally corrupt. 

Do not let them fool you. Even if The Rings of Power is diverse, Amazon directly and systematically harms people of color. Even if the show promises a glimpse of Middle-earth’s beautiful landscapes, Amazon is destroying nature and contributing to climate change. Even if the show parrots LOTR’s messages about good triumphing over evil and how power corrupts, Amazon has made its mountain of wealth by abusing its employees, and continues to do so.

I also want to point out that Amazon is trying to use the popularity of LOTR not only for financial gain, but to soften its image and increase its popularity. The Rings of Power could be a huge soft power win for them.  

Please do not financially support Amazon or The Rings of Power. If you are determined to watch the show, then pirate it. Please do not give Amazon positive promotion by sharing trailers, posters, or other promotional materials for the show.

I don’t have a Twitter account and if I made one right now it would have no followers, but if you’re a LOTR fan who is on Twitter, let’s get this trending:

#RejectRingsOfPower

You have my permission to share this post on any other website, as well as my previous posts here and here. 

Note: It is unacceptable to harass actors, writers or other workers who are involved in The Rings of Power. Instead, help raise awareness about these issues and refrain from supporting Amazon. 

People are also encouraged to reply to and add onto this post. 

(However—because this has come up before—don’t reply to this saying “let people enjoy things.” That makes sense in certain contexts, but not when someone criticizes something that is legitimately harmful. Also, don’t tell me to “stop posting negativity.” While it’s generally considered disrespectful to post ship hate or character hate in the corresponding tags, that’s not what I’m doing. If your knee-jerk reaction to this post is annoyance because you think it’s “negativity,” please examine why you’re more upset about that than about the topics discussed in the post.)

[nythowl]

Disclaimer: this post contains major spoilers from House of Sky and Breath

This was so much fun to make, it'll make everyone's lives easier including myself haha so happy reading everyone! I tried my best to include accurate info🤍

Posted on Instagram

[nythowl]

video essays i’ve loved a lot recently!

the history of dieting is crazier than you think - a history of diet culture, its phases, faces, and diet culture media by mina le

When Hollywood Speaks Chinese, I Cringe - short essay about the cringey racist way Chinese language is portrayed in Hollywood

Good LGBT Representation is Boring (and why that’s a problem) - essay that dives into the double edge sword of “unproblematic” lgbt rep

The Decline of History Channel - a history of the history channel and how it lost almost all credibility. 

The Black Right Wing - fascinating essay on Black Americans who support Donald Trump, right wing politics and why that is. 

Can We Kill the Final Girl Trope Already? - one of my favourite essays ever about the first girl who dies in horror films.

Exploring The “Gender Critical” Radicalization Pipeline - tw: major transphobia, an essay about how TERF ideology online radicalises people to the right

A Buffet of Black Food History - do not watch this on an empty stomach! essay about the history of Black American food, culture and the success of Black cooks/chefs

No, Superhero Movies are NOT Like Westerns - excellent breakdown of all the reasons why the current proliferation of superhero films is not comparable culturally, economically or artistically to Westerns.

Maybe you should stay in the closet?…Coming Out re-examined - personal vlog/video essay about the history of “coming out” as lgbt and the culture around doing so has changed

The Matrix Resurrections Is Absolutely Beautiful - an analysis/review of the beautifully executed trans-ness of latest matrix films

make more characters bi, you cowards: why (not) romance? - analysis on the current state of bisexual representation in pop culture 

Heterofatalism: WHY straight women aren’t okay. - absolutely wild essay on the complex cultural attitudes that encourages straight women to hate themselves for loving men

The Pandemic Onscreen - How Film & TV Do Covid - analysis of the different ways fictional media is acknowledging the pandemic

[nythowl]

There's a sort of goodbye that comes with 17.

All questions of 'who do you want to be when you grow up' turn to 'who are you becoming now?' 17 is young, 17 is old. It's everything you wanted. It's everything you despised. It's messy and ruthless and full of grief at times. And 17 is scary as hell because now you know that you finally have to say goodbye to childhood.

-Ritika Jyala, excerpt from The Flesh I Burned (source)

[nythowl]

Was just informed by my mom that I do in fact have ADHD and the reason I thought I didn’t was because ever since I was seven whenever I got super energetic my mom would have me go chop wood so now when I’m feeling The ADHD I go chop wood and I thought it was just some sort of routine I started when I was little and wanted to blow off steam

[nythowl]

chipped

[nythowl]

[nythowl]

handletheheat.com

[nythowl]

As someone recently diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, one thing that’s been helping me grapple with the intense shame I have over all my “wasted potential” is accepting that potential doesn’t exist and never did.

This sounds so harsh, but please bare with me.

I procrastinated a lot growing up. I still procrastinate today, but less so. And yet, I got good grades. I could write an A+ paper that “knocked [my professor]’s socks off” in the hour before class and print it with sweat running down my face.

I was so used to hearing from teachers and family that if I just didn’t procrastinate and worked all the time, I could do anything! I had all this potential I wasn’t living up to!

And that’s true, as far as it goes, but that’s like saying if Usain Bolt just kept going he could be the fastest marathon runner in the world. Why does he stop at the end of the race??

If ANYONE could make their top speed/most productive setting the one they used all the time, anyone could do anything. But you can’t. Your top speed is not a speed you’re able to sustain.

Now, I’ve found that I do need to work on not procrastinating. Not because the product is better, even, but because it’s better for my mental health and physical health to not have a full, sweating, panicked breakdown over every task even if the task itself turns out excellently. It’s a shitty way to live! You feel bad ALL the time! And I don’t deserve to live like that anymore.

So all of this to say, I’m not wasting a ton of potential. I don’t have an ocean of productivity and accomplishments inside of me that I could easily, effortlessly access if I just sat down 8 hours a day and worked. There’s no fucking way. That’s not real. It’s an illusion. It’s fine not to live up to an illusion.

And if you have ADHD, I mean this from the bottom of my heart: you do not have limitless potential confounded by your laziness. You have the good potential of a good person, and you can access it with practice and work, but do not accept the story that you are choosing not to be all that you are or can be. You are just a human person.

[nythowl]

I won't accept any others forms of flirting

A Writers Guide to Dwarvish Courting

Dwarves are private, very secretive, but caring folk. Courting is serious business to this race, and if you’re given the opportunity to court one, you shouldn’t take it likely.

To start the courting, everyone must know of your affection.

The courting bead is a declaration of affection and their courtship. It declares that the courtee is off limits to any other male or female trying to get close to them. Typically this courting bead is put into the courtee’s hair by the older of the two or the one who began the courtship. If it mutually began instead of one pursuing another, by default the older of the two will give the courting bead. It isn’t put into the hair until a few days later.

Courting beads are typically worn in the beard holding a courting braid, against the sides of the jaw. If one of the courted doesn’t have a beard, the beads are placed in the hair on the side of the face in braids.

Giving a courting braid is a very intimate act, the couple typically goes alone to a secluded place like a cabin or outside in a secret location. This is similar to the human ‘honeymoon,’ except they aren’t married. The couple will spend one day prepping the hair, using oils and mixtures of honey and vanilla to prepare it for easier braiding.

The next day, the couple will brush each others hair a total of one hundred strokes. This is not only intimate but gives one of the others to think about the commitment they’re about to make. Once the courting braid is in, the courting is official and all have to respect it. It is severely frowned upon to flirt or try to interrupt a courtship when the courting braid and bead are in place.

After the courting is established to the community, the second step is the gifting. Handmade gifts are bests, such as small figurines, a love poem, or even a song. Any gift will do, but the more personalized it is, the more it shows how you feel about the person. Dwarves are commonly craftsmen specializing in weaponry, jewelry, and other things that can be made out of metal and iron. Most common gifts are daggers with intricate detail work on the hilts and in the blade itself.

Alongside the gifting, is the strength rituals. Whoever began the courtship will try to impress their beloved, hunting the biggest animals they can find, public brawls, and overall showing of their strength. Example: Seeing your beloved shirtless to show their muscles while they chop wood for the winter, this is an example of strength for they wish to show off their muscles and their ability with an ax in hope to impress you.

This form of courtship is similar to that of an orc, however, towards the end of it, Dwarves take a different approach. While orcs get married within six months of the beginning on a courtship, Dwarvish courtship can go on for years. The key component to ending the courtship and officially began preparations for marriage is when the courtee announces to the courter that they wish to spend the rest of their life with them. This will tell the dwarf in question that their efforts have been successful.

To end a courtship, the courtee must announce that they are unhappy with their courtship and it will end without question. No courtship is forced or forced to continue after one of the two is unhappy, although unhappy couplings are rare. The courtship is all about the couple, so while a parent can strongly disagree, by Dwarvish law they cannot oppose or stop the courtship without the consent of the courtees. This is to prevent parents from arranging marriages and keeping One’s apart.

While affection is common through the courting, being sexually intimate is typically saved for after the marriage. This is to hold a final vow, “I give my all to you, and only you” between the couple. This is one thing that only One’s are to share. Sex outside of courtships is common, but is frowned upon and typically not spoken of in public.

The One is the dwarvish equivalent to Soulmates. How they meet depends simply on fate, but one thing is for certain, every dwarf has a One. Gender doesn’t matter to the dwarves since male dwarves out-populate the females by 2 to 1. They simply believe love is love, regardless of any gender or sexual identity.

Dwarves are secretive folk. They do not open up about their traditions or rituals very easily. If you find yourself lucky to be one of those individuals that do know the information directly from the mouth, cherish it closely, for you are special to a certain dwarf. 

[nythowl]

Just saving this for later

hello librarian! do you have any fics where remus and sirius are teachers? enemies to lovers or strangers to friends to lovers? can be hogwarts or muggle aus!

Hello friend! The first two fics on the list below include BOTH of them as teachers, but there are also quite a few fics where at least one of them is a teacher in the list below and the previous lists as well. Hope this list includes something fun for you!

Wolfstar Teacher Fics

Wolfstar Teacher Fics 2

Wolfstar Hogwarts Professors

Wolfstar Teachers 3/ Hogwarts Professors 2

Teaching and Learning by @halictus-writer

When Sirius grows bored of his bachelorhood without new Hogwarts teacher James, he pays a visit to the old wizarding school. He quickly finds himself working with an alluring man who has plenty of secrets, starts questioning his real purpose in life, and (maybe even) finally grows up.

good old-fashioned lover boy by all2well

During the 1994-95 school year, Professor Remus Lupin continues to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, and is joined by the newly-exonerated Sirius Black, who takes on a one-year teaching position as a Charms professor. Somewhere between the stars and the moon lies their love for one another, a ballad that they thought had ended with the tragedies of 1981. This is the story of how they rediscover that love - and themselves - over the course of one fateful academic year. Mostly Wolfstar fluff, occasional angst, and a good deal of raising teenaged Harry James Potter.

Signs of Affection series by @kittycargo

“Hello, everyone! My name is-” the professor did something quick with his fingers and the interpreter paused for just a moment before continuing, “-Remus Lupin. I’ll be your teacher for ASL I." When Sirius learns that he'll have a Deaf student in his class next year, he takes an ASL I summer course at his local community college. He didn't expect the professor to be so attractive though.

Honeydew by @quoththethestral

Healer Sirius Black feels like his life is going through the motions. He is still recovering from the tragic death of his best friends four years prior while doing his best to parent their five-year-old son. However, when a new patient's encounter with a mysterious creature leads him to contact a person from his past, his life gets shaken up into one giant beautiful mess that he isn't sure he knows how to handle. Or, That magic feeling when you find someone who can see you when you can't even see yourself.

Living It All -orphaned fic After being disowned and disinherited, Sirius Black never imagined a tragic accident would leave him guardian of his younger brother. But there he was, dealing with a sullen teen who was facing both the loss of his parents and his sight. Sirius does his best to take care of him, and when Regulus joins a music class, Sirius certainly doesn’t expect to fall for the adorable music teacher.

Look What You Made Me Do by SeasOfTrees

In which Sirius is a hard working small business owner, Remus makes a pretty big mistake, and James and Lily just need sleep. But it all turns out okay at the end. Eventually. That classic Sex Shop/Dungeon Master AU.

Melting the Ice by @kittycargo

Remus, a school teacher, likes his life. He has a place of his own, a loving found family, and a job he enjoys. But can he make room for two more when a handsome stranger, Sirius Black, and his little brother, Regulus, who he has custody of enters his life?

Feel free to add on your own recs!

[nythowl]

stop telling your teenage daughters who say they don't want kids that they'll change their mind

[nythowl]

yes yes yes I need that, this is vital

Frog Tea Set w/ Tadpole Mugs by SakurajapanJP

[nythowl]

Mossmossmoss MOSS

Nagano forest by K MORII