A shifter version of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" where two shifters shrink themselves down and have themselves wrapped up in ornate boxes as a gift for the other one. After sitting around under the tree for hours, they realize that something has gone sideways so they each use their emergency escape knives to saw their ways out of their respective presents. Under the light of a single brilliant star shining in the window, they both realize that the greatest gift is their love for each other. Then they both win the Mega-Millions Powerball.

Beklemekten yoruldum. Düşünmekten yoruldum. Her şeyi bırakıp o zavallı yorgun yapraklardan biri gibi süzüle süzüle gitmek istiyorum...

From today I'll be posting all the pictures that I painted during my hiatus with Tumblr. I posted them all on YouTube and Facebook so if you follow me there already, just ignore these posts since recurring posts can be real annoying! I'm going to start with my favorite one —

Rapunzel and Eugene as Della and Jim.

"The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men— who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child. They were the first to give Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones. And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi." — O.Henry

Link to the drawing process

William S. Porter was found guilty of embezzlement on March 28, 1898. [page 1] 

Porter is better known by his pen name of O. Henry. 

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States

Series: Criminal Case Files

File Unit: United States v. William S. Porter

Transcription: 

The United States, )

                                        )  No. 1148-1174-1175 consolidated.

              vs.                )

                                        )     Friday March 25th, 1898.

W.  S.  P o r t e r.       )

This day this cause being again called the United States appeared by their District Attorney, and the defendant W. S. Porter was brought into open Court in person in charge of the Marshal, for the purpose of having the sentence of the law pronounced in accordance with the verdict and judgment herein rendered and entered against him on a former day of this term, towit  :  February 17th A. D. 1898; and thereupon the defendant W.S. Porter was asked by the Court whether he had anything to say [handwritten] ^why [typed] said sentence should not be pronounced against him, and he answered nothing in bar thereof. Whereupon the Court proceeded, in the presence of the said defendant W. S. Porter to pronounce sentence against him as follows  :

It is the order of the Court that the defendant W. S. Porter, who has been adjudged to be guilty of the offense of having on the twelfth day of November A.D. 1895 in the County of Travis, State of Texas, and within the Western District of said State of Texas, he, the said W. S. Porter being then and there the teller and agent of a certain national banking association, then and there known and designated as "The First National Bank of Austin", and located and doing business in the City of Austin, County of Travis and State of Texas, and which said association had been theretofore created and organized under and by virtue of the laws of the United States concerning national banks, and which said association was then and there transacting and carrying on a banking business in the City of Austin, in said State of Texas, and within the Western District thereof, under and by virtue of the laws of the United States as aforesaid, then and there unlawfully, knowingly and feloniously embezzled certain of the moneys and funds of the said banking association, towit  :  the sum of Two Hundred ninety nine dollars and sixty cents, ($299.60) in lawful legal tender money of the United States of America of the value of $299.60, which said moneys and funds had come into the control and custody of him the said W. S. Porter by virtue of his employment aforesaid, without the consent of the said banking association, or of its Board of Directors, and without any proper authority whatever, and

TikTok influencer who goes to a bunch of jewelers and asks for a pocket watch chain if they trade their long, luxurious, well-kempt hair until someone finally says yes.

"A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows."

O. Henry, short-story writer (11th September 1862-1910)

-- Some old-timer paying his regards to a lady said: "To have loved her was a liberal education." Well, even to have looked over the black hair and neat white shirtwaist of [her] was equal to a full course in any correspondence school in the country."

al things considered — when i post my masterpiece #1249

first posted in facebook december 14, 2023

il sassetta (stefano di giovanni) -- "the journey of the magi" (ca. 1435)

"the magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the babe in the manger. they invented the art of giving christmas presents" … o. henry

"last we consider the time of their coming, the season of the year. it was no summer progress. a cold coming they had of it at this time of the year, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey. the ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short … the very dead of winter" … lancelot andrewes

"oh the magi were the prophets and they wandered through the desert they saw the star above them and they knew they'd find their way through the valley of the shadow with the hope of human kindness they were strengthened by the vision of a new and brighter day" … joe henry

"all this was a long time ago, i remember and i would do it again, but set down this set down this: were we led all that way for birth or death? there was a birth, certainly, we had evidence and no doubt. i had seen birth and death, but had thought they were different; this birth was hard and bitter agony for us, like death, our death. we returned to our places, these kingdoms but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation with an alien people clutching their gods. i should be glad of another death" … t.s. eliot

"death the halls with boughs of folly fa la la la la, al al … al al" … al janik

41 Stories by O. Henry

Cheers: "The Executive's Executioner"

Valeria Luiselli, author most recently of the novel Lost Children Archive (Knopf, 2019), in “ A Fertile Contamination: Considering Translations Among the Year’s Best Short Stories.”

RULES FOR WRITERS

“I’ll give you the sole secret of short-story writing, and here it is: Rule 1. Write stories that please yourself. There is no rule 2."

- William Sidney Porter aka O. Henry

The Last Leaf - O. Henry

She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the universal act of woman to proclaim ownership).

O. Henry