#sham's inbox

[sweet-beezus]

hello!~ i hope you’re doing well. this might sound personal so please feel free to answer this privately if you wish ^^ 🩷 you might forgotten about me but I used to be a former AoR member. I’m unsure if you’re still in that group, but I hope things are going well over there. I sought to reach out to the members I briefly remember but I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable — or rather make myself uncomfortable at the time haha! Anyways, I just wanted to reach out and say I hope you’re doing alright and that you have a nice day as well as everyone else in there. I lowkey kinda miss them. I’ve been at a better place and I thought of you and the others and thought it would be okay to reach out if it didn’t feel awkward ahah. Anyways! May your heart be your guiding key sham! 🩷🩷

[Holding you gently in my hands like a baby bird]

It's always good to hear from you, I'm so happy to hear you're doing well!! I never forget a good friend, so I'm always here if you ever want to catch up! I need to know what shenanigans Hoa Sen is up to nowadays, or how Sea of Stars is coming along if you're still working on it!!

Everyone's still around in bits and bobs, though I hardly keep up with social media in the ways they do lol. If they happen to see this post I'm sure they'd love to say hi when you have the time! Group's still together too, and I'm sure we'd love to have you back if you ever wanted to spectate again! Only if you're comfortable, of course!

Love you always!!! You're amazing and appreciated, and I miss you dearly ❤️ ❤️

[vellichorom]

i think it's been a hot minute (year or more) since i was caught up with more thierry content honestly (my fault cause i haven't been in the fandom for a while) .. i went to check rq on your thierry drawings and GOD he's still as pleasant and sassy as i remember .

he looks like he'd taste like pancakes with hot cocoa on a fine and warm morning ....

WEEPS & WAILS !!!!!! ADAM IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU POP BACK UP IN MY FEED AGAIN !!!!!! always so nice to me,,, ouuee.... such a beautiful complement,, i'm gonna be thinking about that one for weeks,

I HOPE YOU'VE BEEN TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF THE PAST LITTLE WHILE! CRAZY TIMES WE'RE LIVING IN HUH

[machtech]

A collection of album stamps. Some offsite requests for friends. pt1. pt2. pt3.

[palespawn]

❛ tell me, what is this insufferable darkness? ❜

“ the shadow curse would be my guess, ” because he just can't help himself. this is more than that, however. the deeper they encroached on shar's domain the darker the shadows, to which no light seemed to be capable of penetrating. unsurprisingly, the only person thoroughly contented by them was shadowheart, under some grandiose delusion that she held her goddess' favour. how laughable.

he bats a hand through the air like one attempts to disperse smoke, the other tightening its grip on the stave of his torch. “ you're right about it being insufferable. it's even worse than a crypt's gloom, ” and doesn't he know that firsthand. where an enclosed crypt only threatened to drive it's captive to insanity, the shadow curse turned one inside out. no longer salvageable, a blight who's only way out was in death. tragic, really. that being said, underneath the flickering fire of their torches, shams appeared to transcend the dusk and despair unlike the rest of them— as sunshine does filter through leaves, or seep through the gaps of a closed door.

as they descend the stairwell, the decor resembles that which they found in the grymforge; dark stone, glittering gold contours and crumbling statues depicting a masked woman. where some look to their gods and goddesses with admiration and prayer, astarion's indifference manifests a scowl, “ and we have shar to thank for it. honestly, perhaps we ought to just throw our lot in with her sister, ” if his voice raises it's definitely not because their sharran cleric was in earshot.

astarion's fleeting amusement turns forlorn sigh, and he turns to shams with a pout. “ ... and just when i was getting used to the sun again. ”

nosferatu sentence starters, @adamanteine.

[mythvoiced]

(but wait, I also have a whipped dragon too I'M; ALSO FEEL FREE to do anything you wish with this IWHEDIHED ♥︎♥︎♥︎) There he goes, this azure dragon taking a soft hold of Hyun's face. The softest he can, despite calloused hands. "Here you are." He says with the brightest of smiles, one palm moving as to caress the side of their face, fingertips sliding up, getting to brush part of their hair. "The most beautiful being I've ever seen." And he leans in, pressing several kisses to their cheek; almost in a playful tempo. "Gorgeous Ruby and Onyx." Voice turns even more dulcet before kissing cheek again, this kiss being more tender than the others; lingering.

@theimpalpable | oh GOSh the inventors of Love-

---

It's difficult for themself, sometimes, remembering where they are.

The room looks familiar enough, warm and cozy, permeated by the familiar scent of rain and warmth, or safety, in other words, in the embrace of scales and hands seemingly designed to make them feel like the world might just be that good a place they'd originally thought it to be.

But love doesn't get rid of scars or reprogram a brain to forget its carved instincts to keep itself and its attached body safe. As much as Hyun wants it to, Boram can't chase all the ghosts away.

No, that's... a bad way to phrase it. Hyun doesn't want Boram to chase their ghosts away, that's not a responsibility that should be placed upon him, not when they keep their heart so very safe already, not when they genuinely already do more for them during those days than they'd sometimes cared to put in the effort to do for themself - the really bad ones, where 'fuck it' was just easier than the exhausting feat of looking after themself.

But Hyun would like to be... better in a way good enough that Boram won't ever have to worry about the potentials of the thought of... well, does it mean anything when not even Boram can make the really bad... better?

And then he flies right in again, their rainy prince, as if he'd developed a sixth sense for when Hyun's 'bad' had unfortunately dipped its toes into Boram-related insecurities.

They're detestable.

There are so little things in life they're less certain of than they are Boram. Loving Boram is a certainty that lacks words, no amount of their language developing ever since they first met has come with new ways to better describe what it is like for Hyun to love Boram.

Boram is as good to him as air is, except even air can be too much if arranged wrong - been reading some science texts, huh? Even too much oxygen can kill, there's never 'too much' Boram in Hyun's life.

Detestable, and an easy way to slip into another rabbit hole.

And then...

And then...

And then suddenly Hyun is being asked to pay attention to their lighthouse and anchor, to the one thing they can be certain of, no matter whether they should be allowed to love this much or not. Their beautiful, kind dragon, who creates an empire and uses the money to make gardens, who still knows them after centuries, who looks at them and the past they shared and finds it in himself to love them anyway, no matter what might have tied them together at first.

Hyun succumbs to the hands on their face. It's easy to relax into them, a natural, instant response, slumping into something safe and comfortable. They feel like they might look a little silly, unaware of how fragile their features have become, that little twitch that had moved from wide-eyed intrigue to something small and sad, before the sense of belonging had overtaken their face and painted a soft sigh into it instead.

The kisses make them smile, and even that is slightly wounded at the corners.

The pet name, the wordy compliment in colours, makes them giggle. Their cheeks are already rosy under Boram's lips, they're half tempted to half-heartedly smack them for making them any redder. They could forego pinching them for a blush effect at this point.

Their eyes flutter shut at the last kiss.

It's more than even Boram might be able to put into words, what that kiss means, how it both makes them shatter in Boram's hands, and puts them back together in a way that makes sense.

They open their eyes again with a soft prayer sent to the Heavens that they may get to keep this a little longer.

No matter what.

There's nothing they wouldn't do for their prince.

"Here I am," they whisper back, placing one hand on the back of one of Boram's. If poets could see the look in Hyun's eyes as they meet Boram's, would they find the words?

"I mean, I think I am," they add, more cheekily, "you can kiss again to make sure, though, if you'd rather~"

[shou-gana1]

i've decided to put all the blogs of palestinians who have sent fundraisers to my inbox since i do get a lot of them a day, and i don't my rbs of their posts don't end up getting buried under all of my usual reblogs. please try to boost their voices or donate if possible : )

put under cut since the list is very long. notice that not everyone here is confirmed to be vetted so feel free to tell me if i put a fake account here as i do want the list to be 100% accurate

@ahmedmatatsblog

@mo-shamiaa

@zinaanqar

@moatasemmoatasem

@montahafamily

@mohammedgaza10

@asmaayyad1

@ahmadbasilgaza

@hazemsuhail

@heba-213

@amanyay556

@hala-15

@dahdoohfamily

@hossamqazaz12

@janaabunaje

@hazemsfamily

@olagaza

@mohameddsaker

@acertainfadi

@mahmodsyj

@hany333

@nedaabd12

@noor508

@abeeribrahimss

@abedalahdiaburas

@abdomar

@tim1999hamad

@samhderar2

@nasserakar4

@kaw95thar

@ahlamramadan1

@alaa-gaza5

@eyadanqer

@valentina-leonardi

@anas-ahmad-family1

@jomana-ha

@khalledismaeil

@haitham-20

@ahmadalterk

@familysondos-gaza2

@osama-nasr

@abued

@amani-raed

@malikhilles

@jaber-dah

@ayamohammed2024

@s-sa-mo

@anas12b

@ameertaims

@massagaza

@amirashawikh

@olagaza

@mahmoudayyads

@shamfarhat1

@shadi90

@ahmaedworld1

@magdeasem2

@ahmadfromgaza

@abuhamza94

@abdquffa9

@supportmohammedmsiam1

@tim1999hamad

@ebraheem--abd

@magdeasem2

@anasbasilgaza1

@ahlam910

@hanan-famliy2

@fayezjadallah

@maysaasalman

@hind3en

@loaykolabloay1

@nadadohan44

@najahmeq2

@nournour-22

@ahmad-syam2

@amira-nimer

@helpgaza2

@sondos22002

@rana-kh22

@mahmoudayyads

@savepalestineinfamily19

@gehadalanqer

@aboalwaleed

@osamafamilygaza

@eman-family

@leenmata123

@abdallahalashis-blog

@emanalmadhoun8

@shatha-abo-amsha

@hind3en

@ashjanaziz1

@glitteryluminarytheorist

@alaa-gaza7

@aboalwaleed

@roaanaji76-blog

@heltawil660

@omarabuasake

@magdeasem2

@ahmedsada1

@doaasalh

@mohmmed88

@ahmedhells-blog

@ghadeerarqan

@childrengaza12345

@hane55

@najw551991

@hadeelmekki

@jehad-aldahdooh

@abo-nasr

@asmaayyad2

@kenzish5

@rehamyasir

@moatasem

@voice-of-1tareq-family1

@kenzish5

@sohafouad

@riima7900

@hane98

@ahmedbasilps

@yasmeenmahmoudgaza

@marwasbneh

@rozfamilys-blog

@salehalayoupi

@ayameq0

@grandcollectivetyphoon

@savebasmalafamily1

@merwangaza

@maysasalman

@hananmahmoud1

@ahmadalanqar1993

@farah-blog23

@rana-famle

@ibrahim-family1

@palestinian-mo60

@jomana-ha

@youseffamily

@loaykolabloay-2

@smarsajjjja

@sakheringaza

@mohammedzatr

@dodoomar12

@mahakamal2

@ahlam2ram

@malak4ayman

@talal-and-maha

@moatazsstuff

@amirashawikh

@moha-madhoun

@wasimhourani10

@hananmahmoud0

@linsaif

@amal-alkfarna2

@hadiah1111

@hanan-famliiy

@sham-moner

@olagaza

@blogcarlos

@maramrafat

@ghada-family

@furryreviewearthquake

@hildanasr1

@mohmoud-j

@nadadohan1999

@saeid19

@gazandentist

@farah-alaa

@abd-gaza2

@hadeelahmed

@mahmodjsy

@mohammedayyads-blog

@kaw95thar1

@ahmedalnabih54

@ibrahim-family1

@nadadohan2004

@linakhames5

@aymangazaa

@deliciouslightpenguin

@hazemsuhail

@ahmed-walid-sadeq94

@haifa823

@mohamedashraf11

@momenalmadhoun

@mohammed-gaza7

@abuadam86

@malak4ayman

@mohmadelser

@supportpalestine-2

@ahmaedworld1

@marahkatoa2000

@sohafouad

@ahmaedworld1

@alamoudi-ghazi

@deyaa-97

@yossef-gaza11

@blogcarlos

@aboodalqedra5

@hadeelalifamily8

@ameera2abeer

@help-mona

@waledps

@amoona-221

@bellalhaj01

@rubafayez

@sameerkilani

@majed-2

@najahmeq4

@wafaaresh4

@mahmoudysh

@asilo62

@hane789

@hnoo66666

@mohammedaldeeb

@belalay2d

@sohafouad

@yousefalyazjii1

@asd199821

@ahmed-danii

@moomen-msehal

@almasrady

@rozitta-kh2006

@aligazafrom

@aisha657

@hala-dawoud

@leenmata-1

@hanan-family1993

@omarfamily10

@remaros

@ahmed-doaa

@qualitycherryblossombluebird

@ahmed-danii

@ahmed-family-1

@jaberfamilygaza1

@mahmoud2002gaza

@mariamblogs

@yousefalyazjii1

@hala-dawoud

@ahmedsd

@yazan-famillly

@bellalhaj01

@princessworlds-posts

@karamingaza

@beardedcandyhideout

@lulu198513

@shimashaheen89

@belalay2d

@nedaafamily

@raghad-sadeq2004

@ghadeerarqan

@sitatimohamed

@waledps

@eslamfa9

@amalashuor

@shadialwan1

@aid-alaa

@farahyounis

@mohanaadfarhat

@ahmadsalem94

@hashem-bader

@waledps

@ahed-familly

@shaimayasser

@nadera00

@sameerblogs13

@hananalanqar78

@ahmed-4422

@shareeffamily

@ahmadturk-family

@reallyoptimisticface

@amirashawikh

@sfaamq10

@asada4

@maysolin

@sondosahmed

@aymangazaa

@lamah0urani

@mohhnaser

@banan202

@ranaalanqer

@mahafamily

@sebaall

@farahyounis

@mohammedshaat

@mehmetabdullah

@asmafamil

@ayoosh-gaza06

@asmafamil

@lobnaalseer

@farahibrahim80

@heshamfamily123

@hane1986

@ghazimekawi

@bellalhaj01

@yehiaalqoqa6

@maha4568

@fidaa-family2

@amahmed20

@shamhusam

@hosamalpana

@abedullafamily

@farah-blog23

@familgazaamal1

@hadiah1111

@m36ps

@nona0

@wajdiifamily

@hosamalpana

@anas518

@shamhusam

@ahmedhadeel84

@aiamaher2

@shimashaheen89

@abuyasin156

@ranaalanqer

@mohammadram

@olasfamily

@rewaa04

@elhamlolo202

@heshamfamily123456

@marymfamily6

@universallyharmonyblaze

@marymfamily4

@walaafamily9

@abedullafamily

@akram-2024

@twogazans

@safafamily

@rawan-family98

@sakheringaza

@abuyasin156

@naeema2003

@kholoodgaza

@familemohammed88

@ranafamily7

@asada5

@helenbasil10

@cleverturtlecrown

@hyamshehabfamile

@enasfamily33

@farahibrahim80

@ahmadashi1

@ahedfamily

@moomen-mes

@haitham-20

@malikhilles

@osama-family

@ahmedalnabih54

@mahakamalfamily

@hesham23

@mohammedaldeeb

@hildanasr1

@walid-family

@helenbasil10

@moha-madhoun

@alaaalkhateeb

@save-alaa-children

@1leenmatar

@nouralmadhoun11

@moatasem

@hildanasr1

@nono88sstuff

@yehiaalqoqa6

@sameryousef5

@nouralmadhoun2

@islamgzacc4

@jalal-hells

@savemotasemfamily

@kefahfamily

@salehfamily

@irontimemachinepeanut

@amalalkfarna9

@shimabshahin

@abedalahdiaburas

@ghada-ayyad

@maryam1998

@abedalahdiaburas

@hasanfamily

@mahmoud2002gaza

@rewaida0

@nouralmadhoun2

@zakariasabra

@familyrantise2003

@sitatimohamed

@talal-and-maha

@lamahourani7

@ahmadkolab2

@basel1995s

@alaafamily11

@yasminfamilysblog

@emanfamily-2

@shahedeissa

@safo-ana-98

@tareqayad

@laylaayman-blog

@raed-abo-ras

@ahmadingaza

@yara-1

@amraabed

@mohammadaboglaba

@babygentlemenmusic

@mfamily

@samaayyad15

@mssb9994

@lobnaalseer2

@mo-shamiaa

@farahf2

@heshamghgd

@colorfulsandwichhologram

@mohamedabuzoor

@freepaleatine95

@safo-ana-98

@kholoodgaza

@samifamilysblog

@feras8

@asalamashni6

@amal-alkfarna8

@asma-ahmad

@nidaagaza

@abedallahmusallam

@hanan-alsfamily

@shaimayasser

@ahmed-fathi-gaza

@shadyharmonything

@najwa-shawwa

@molbn

@naseermoh95

@safaayasser24

@falesten-iw

@anqarfamily

@abdalsalam1990

@mohammedzatr

@anetteslife

@gazacitizens-blog

@alaa8alseer9

@rababb-4

@ramaaaibrahim

@nabila188

@monayazjii2

@yehiaalqoqa6

@mohammedsaqrr

@samafamily2

@fairouz-33

@sameerblogs11

@aya19gaza

@denakareem

@hashem19794

@awsam2

@mahmoudizz90

@aysil-nedal

@nevinfamily-2

@lobnaalseer2

@samiraaymaan

@m-ohammd

@mahmoudfamilysblog

@wasimhourani45

@ahmad-gaza-3

@eslamgaza1

@mostafa-3

@twogazans

@hanangaza8

@yousefjehad20

@lobnaalseer2

@mowhmmed-gaza42

@fatoam232

@mariamkhismael

@mhammedmosa62m

@ahmed-fathi-gaza

@amoona22

@moh12ram

@ahmed-al-anqar

@helplayan

@aahmedll

@eyad-anqer

@motazgaza

@samialkhliliy1

@amoonabelal11

@hashemabdallah86

@savehadeelfamily2

@gazacitizen

@mostafa-3

@ramaaaibrahim

@ghada-ayyad

@adhamgfree

@almadhounfamily

@fbalawi11

@abd-1999

@mohammad-onaba

@momenalmdhoun

@shakeralserr

@amerfamily

@ahmad-gaza-3

@abdullah-2001

@sham-moner

@saifmansour1306

@ananoora

@asma-94

@mohammedjn1987

@moh12ram

@ahmedmoneeranq

@maha023

@familyazhar1991

@suleemankh

@ahmedgaza119

@mahmooud-sharif

@jalal-44

@ibrah-01

@resam1919

@akram-2024

@linakhames

@rimaalser

@farahgaza19

@asada17

@karemangaza3

@noarfamily

@asoom-gaza919

@mohamudyasein

@noorayman3

@doaasal4

@mohammedmabrok

@ezzdeenfamily

@keencollectionface

@rawangaza

@karemndohan1

@ameerafamily

@ghazimekawi

@emanalmadhoun8

@abd2756

@husein93

@m0hammedashraf0

@gazamaha

@abushihab17

@mobiused

@ahmedfamily02

@ahmadwaleed55

@najahmeq5

@islamgzacc4

@maram12tts

@dh-maher

@saharfamilyy-78

@farhgaza

@six-sisters-of-palstine

@siraj-2

@massagaza1

@shireenmah

@ahmadfamely6

@hashembadr

@mohammedgaza100

@yousefalyazjii1

@emanalmadhoun-4

@family-frompalestine

@fathialhaj

@mosabsdr

@shamsfamily12

@aboadamsworld

@youseffamilys-blog

@family4

@eman-family-5

@nasergz

@a-from-gaza

@almostteenagedragon

@bitchycreationenemy

@ahmedfamily36

@inasimad893

@aisha-family

@inasimad41

@anas-fromgazaa

@amlshel

@nourasbasha

@ezzdeenangel

@gazano0or

@ihab1978

@nariman97

@ayoosh-gaza167

@esraamohy

@mahmoudgazza78

@chryspinewhite

@hananfamily7

@nadamdohan11

@vettedfundraiser

@hamad328

@mohamedtalla2

@amlshel

@gloriousllamaangel

@mohamedtalla2

@supportahmed

@amal-alkfarnna--3

@hananfamliy6

@raneen2025a

@ahmed3amar

@samargaza8

@aboodfmly

@zenelbadrsawee

@mahmodsafy6

@nohaebrahim2

@eamirainspireamirac

@nadinfamily

@suhailaalwan55

@wasimhourani-2

@asmaa-gaza123

@hane000

@wesam99

@suhailaalwan115

@hanefamilyoo

@amal--316

@abood-hourani3

@nohaebrahim2

@diab-family11

@hifa3322

@enashammad2000

@wheartwithlightp

@nasr-daher

@wajdi-family1

@fmosabneedsyoufaitho

@lamahourani10

@musabhelp

@amal-0-2

@ghadaahmed

@hashemgaza

@fayez-5471

@pheartwithhopew

@aseeltaha

@amalalkfarna-4

@saja-2023

@ghadaahmed

@yosefgaza

@lamahourani05

@aseeltaha

@othmanjehad3

@malakgazaaa

@mimigaza

@shahdgazza

@hazem-1family

@abd-1999

@abadborhm

@mmmgazal

@nasserakar9

@abdallahf1

@wasimhournai-09

@hanefamilyoo

@imanroqa1

@mason-hamada

@mohammed1family

@mosabahmad1

@raneen2025

@esraamohamm

@khloud-family1

[multi-fandom-imagine]

Hii, hope you're ok, fed and hydrated 🙇‍♀️☺️

I had made an ask not too long ago when you wrote the Epic the Musical stuff (btw LOVE what you're doing for the x reader part of this fandom, I was STARVED)

(If you already saw it, I'm sorry, plz ignore me-)

It was about my manz Poseidon and something sweet/angsty about comfort after the events of Polyphemus (and maybe helping him find peace in his heart) OR even worse better: finding him after 600 strikes and tending to him, helping him deal with the loss and stop his quest for vengeance

A/n: Thank you! I just been very tired from work >< and I am sorry! I thought I had this but my inbox must have fucked up 😩.

The smell of blood hit you, your heart aching with your every step sinking into the sand.

And then you saw him.

Poseidon—the tyrant of the seas, the feared and untouchable god—was on his knees. His trident lay shattered beside him, and his body, once immaculate, was carved in deep crimson. His hair was matted with sweat and blood, but more haunting than the injuries was the look in his eyes: not anger, not pain, but a quiet, hollow kind of stillness.

You approached slowly, your breath caught in your throat. “Poseidon…” your lips quivered for a moment as you knelt down beside him. You didn't mind the fact that your dress was getting wet, stained because the only thing that mattered was the man in front of you.

He didn’t look up. “Leave me.”

His voice was hoarse, the usual power stripped away. But you didn’t leave.

Shaking your head you gently brushed aside the damp strands of hair from his forehead. He flinched—just slightly—but didn’t stop you.

“You’re hurt,” you whispered.

“I am a god,” he muttered, as if that word alone should erase his suffering. As if something like that mattered in your eyes.

“And even gods bleed,” you said, soft but firm. “Let me help.”

You didn’t wait for permission. You tore strips from your dress, pressing them to his worst wounds. He hissed quietly but didn’t push you away. For a long while, there was only the sound of your hands working, the slow rhythm of your breathing, and the faint crash of waves somewhere deep within his soul.

“I deserved to lose,” he said suddenly, eyes cast to the ground. “I was arrogant. Cold.”

You paused, fingers stilling over a bruised rib. “You were hurt. Before the battle, long before. You built walls so no one could touch you—not even the ones who tried.”

His silence was confirmation.

You cupped his face, tilting it toward you. “You don’t have to carry all of it alone anymore.”

For the first time, Poseidon met your eyes—not with disdain or godly superiority, but with something raw and uncertain. His hand, trembling, reached up to rest against yours.

“I don’t know how to be… anything else.”

“Then let me show you,” you said. “One step at a time.”

He leaned into your touch, just slightly, and for the first time in centuries, Poseidon let himself be held.

"I don’t understand you,” he said finally. “You touch a monster and treat it like a man.”

“You’re not a monster, Poseidon. You’re just… hurt. Angry. Alone.” You turned to him. “But I’ve seen who you are beneath all of that.”

He shook his head, and for a moment his voice cracked. “You saw me broken. That is not who I am.”

“It is,” you said gently. “But that’s not all you are. You’re also the one who bore those 600 strikes and stood back up. The one who lets me be close, even when it scares him.”

His jaw tightened, his gaze slipping back to the sea. But this time, when you placed your hand over his heart, he didn’t move away.

“You don’t have to be Poseidon the Tyrant with me,” you whispered. “You can just be… you.”

He looked at you then, and something shattered—not in violence, but in quiet surrender. His defenses fell like waves retreating from shore.

Poseidon slowly rested his forehead against yours. “I don’t know what I’m becoming… but if it’s with you, I’ll endure it.”

You wrapped your arms around him as he allowed himself—for the first time—to be held without shame. A soft smile forming on your face as you held the man close.

And beneath the moonlight, a god known for his silence finally began to breathe.

[ingravinoveritas]

Speaking choices. It shows who a person is to repost the Jesus on the cross scene from GO and the importance of kindness and then spend the entire weekend shitting on a person’s social media posts because you think they didn’t express their love for their spouse enough or reposted something with or without knowing the possible problematic content and a picture you dislike.

Why do you spend your time picking apart someone’s lives? Do you think David Tennant would thank you that you are the breeder of critical content about his wife? That you and the others pick at every little thing searching for secret meanings that their relationship is a sham or abusive. It’s all well and fine to not be a fan of someone, but you do realize you are a creating a bullying atmosphere and encouraging others to judge a person by their social media posts. This is not the kind behavior you claim to want.

There are actual real and immediate problems in this world. The government is kidnapping people and putting them into gulags. A new Joseph Goebbles wants to “cure” autism and speaks about the autistic population in dehumanizing and dangerous language. This woman is not your enemy. She has never hurt you. She has never wronged you. And the fact you cannot help but revel in a completely benign post by being a judgmental, self-important, self-righteous person says more about you than her. The fact you spend your time attacking her than people doing you actually harm is really telling. Even if her social media posts can be awkward at least she’s fighting for social injustices, too.

Again, David Tennant would not thank you for what you are doing. You don’t know him. You don’t know his wife. And the fact that you think you do is really unsettling.

A person is not only who they are from their social media posts. From your posts I would presume you have a erotomania fixation on two actors and attack their spouse and partner because you think they’re unworthy of your fixations. I would think you are an arrogant, self-important individual who craves attention from sycophants. But I know that social media is not who we only are and I know you probably try to do good in this world. I don’t doubt you are someone who capable of kindness, but from what I see on your blog is hypocritical to your post asking for a kinder world. Do better.

Hello, Anon.

I hope this helped you feel better. I can tell that you must have a lot on your mind, to make the choice to put this message in my inbox. To say all of this--well, I suppose not to my face, since we are online and you're anonymous--but directly to me, or at least to the person you think I am.

In point of correction, I did not "spend the entire weekend shitting on someone's social media posts." I barely had time to even be on Tumblr this past weekend because of what I was actually doing.

What I did this weekend was take care of my parents. Not sleep, because my mother, who has Parkinson's, needed my help to get from bed to the bathroom at 4:30 in the morning. Ran around to the point of exhaustion helping my dad, who is still not very mobile because of his fractured ankle, and cooking an entire Easter dinner for the first time ever. All of this while also processing and coping with the emotions of that same day being exactly 20 years to the day my grandmother passed away. My Grandma, who always made every Easter so special.

That is what I did this weekend. And in the tiny moments where I didn't want to either cry or collapse, I posted on Tumblr. And out of the 1,000+ asks in my inbox, I answered two that were right at the top, because they were the easiest to answer. I also received multiple DMs that came in from others who had seen Georgia's posts and had a similar reaction, and there were public posts and comments made by other people hours before I'd even seen what Georgia posted.

The point I'm making here, Anon, is that you know fully well that I am not the only person who saw something wrong in what Georgia posted (particularly the video of the African dancers, which is a hell of a thing to reduce to "possible problematic content"). But you decided to come for me because although I am not your enemy, and I have never wronged you, I am the easiest target. Other people have made it acceptable to hate me. And that somehow means it's okay. In that same vein, how do we describe a bullying atmosphere? Would that be an environment where someone shares their observations based on multiple sources of information and opinions formed gradually over time? Where someone tells people not to blindly agree with anything, to make up their own minds, and speaks out against sending threats or hateful comments directly? Or would it be an environment where someone creates a blog (multiple blogs, even) solely for the sake of attacking someone? Talking about how ugly they are, how worthless their life is? Calling them things like "stupid bitch" and flooding the tags with hateful rhetoric almost every day for the last ten months, while encouraging attacks to where that person had to turn off Anon for almost a year because they were getting so many threats and insults.

That certainly seems a lot like bullying to me.

What's also interesting is that you go on to talk about the bigger things happening in the world and how it's more important to focus on those, a statement that is then contradicted by your subsequent point. By your definition, there should not be a reason to get upset about what RFK Jr. has said because I do not know him. He has never wronged or hurt me. But according to you, I'm only allowed to care if it affects me personally.

What this ultimately means is that someone does not have to (and should not have to) be personally affected to care about how something affects other people. I don't need RFK's behavior or actions to affect me specifically to care about others being potentially hurt by them, and the same thing applies to Georgia and how she treats people. That is where I am coming from, and that is why I care. Because I'm not the most important part of this equation, nor have I ever claimed to be.

(Also, in talking about attacking RFK Jr., perhaps you might have missed that I did exactly that last week, when I gave an interview in Newsweek and spoke out against his abhorrent comments about autistic people. Every facet of my life is dedicated to fighting for autistic people, particularly in the area of sex education and sexual health. Which tells me that you've never actually looked at anything on my blog other than what you needed to create a narrative about me that suited your purposes.)

My final point of contention is this notion of "do better," which I notice is only applied to people you dislike. The fans who have viciously attacked me and others earn a free pass. As does Georgia, whom it seems you expect absolutely nothing from. I fail to comprehend how it's possible that she can set someone up to receive death threats (as happened on Twitter a few years ago), "jokingly" insult her husband over and over, block fans for absolutely no reason at all (including an account that only posts about David's fashion)...and you will not hold her to a single standard. Yet you will come here and tell me to "do better."

Also, I very periodically receive kind comments/Anons from followers of my blog--comments I'm always surprised to get, as I still tend to be more prepared to read something negative than positive. I enjoy reading those comments and they make me happy, and by your definition, that makes me "arrogant" and "self-important" and someone who "craves attention from sycophants"...yet just last week, Georgia reshared hundreds of Insta stories from fans who'd listened to the recent podcasts, almost all of which were telling her how amazing she is, calling her "queen," saying what a great interviewer she is, how she should have her own podcast, etc. How is that different? Do you suppose Georgia shared those because she doesn't crave attention from admirers? Because that doesn't seem to make much sense.

The truth is, Anon, that if you genuinely believed that it's wrong to attack someone you don't know and who has never wronged you, you wouldn't have sent me this message in the first place. Because you would believe that no one deserves to be talked to this way. I believe that no one deserves to be bullied or made to feel worthless, and I have actively spoken against behavior that I've seen from fans to that effect. Hell, I've even defended Georgia on more than one occasion, because I don't have to like someone to think they don't deserve to be treated a certain way.

And if that is how you feel, then it is certainly not apparent from this message, because it seems to me that you think nastiness is just fine as long as it's aimed at someone you don't like.

I'm sure you do good things in this world, Anon. I don't doubt you are capable of kindness. But I have to stop and wonder when the only part of you I'm seeing here is a message full of needless cruelty.

[thewalrusespublicist]

Hii! Thank you so much for making this blog and answering all these questions, helps us out a ton ❤️

I'd like to ask about your opinion on John & Yokos relationship, do you believe it was abusive or manipulative? (mostly on Yoko's part but John is absolutely not a saint and it wasn't healthy from both ways), I've also seen many people say that John's affair (and eventual relationship) w/ Yoko was some sort of coping mechanism because of his dropping mental health

What do you think?

Hi anon!

Thank you so much, that's really kind of you to say (though I know i could do a lot better with the inbox lol). Your questions though! Thorny doesen't even BEGIN to describe them! I'll answer the second question here first as that is easier to answer and answer the first question in a separate post as that requires a lot of attention and nuance.

As to if Yoko was a coping mechanism, the very short, tl:dr version is: you don't get with your stalker if you're doing well emotionally.

For the longer answer, Yoko came in during a perfect storm for John. By 1967, the Beatles had stopped touring, John was living isolated in Surrey in a dying/dead marriage, had just lost a fundamental stabilizing force in Brian and was wrestling with what happens when you've become filthy rich and ultra-famous for being a specific persona of yourself in your mid-twenties. It was the first time he'd had to actual process the whole chaos of the Beatlemania and what that meant along with the trauma that he'd been running from his entire life. It was just too much.

Adding to the compounding depression, as John told Pete Shotton, George and Paul were also establishing their own lives and had less time for him. Not good for a man with crippling abandonment issues. The psychedelics frying his brain were just the trippy sprinkles on top of the overall breakdown. John was from his POV losing everything: his motivation, his confidence, his writing ability, his core Beatle family and his sense of who he was and wanted to be. No wonder he felt so threatened by Paul who was doing 'so well', and having crises about his Beatles contribution.

The maharishi thing being a bust to him was like the final straw. He needed something, anything to be a new answer, to save him from this mental dead-end. Then in comes Yoko, the something kind of new, the something interesting with new ideas, the someone who doesn't know him for being a Beatle *cough* lie *cough* and sees something in him that could be 'more', could be greater than the sham he believes he is and what his life to be. I haatttte to say it but as harsh as it is I have to agree with John Green summation of the situation here:

"I've heard that story, but I never believed it. I know men who were cloistered monks at that time, and even they knew who the Beatles were. I think that that was just Yoko's way of telling you that she was so busy with 'real' art and 'real' culture that she never noticed your scene. I think you believed her because under all your bravado and surface confidence, you have a very poor sense of self-worth. She told you that you were unimportant and you accepted it because you secretly believed it, so much so that you gave away half your hard-earned position in pop music to someone whose major talent was giving you her undivided attention.

Dakota Days, John Green

The talent remark is not at all fair but the rest... Let's just say Yoko saw and empathised with John's vulnerability and pain, gave John the out of being Beatle John, bolstered his ego whilst undermining his overall sense of self worth and autonomy, took control when he felt out of control and seemed to offer something no one else could: endless inexhaustible love and attention. Yoko was o b s e s s e d with him, like no exaggeration actual stalker obsessed, and John was so insecure that that was the level of focus he craved. It must have felt like breathing again, to have something pull him up from 'drowning' and guide him in a new direction so that he's never alone again. Add heroin to the mix as a bonding tool and yeahhhhh....

I don't think it's entirely fair to think that John would never ever have been interested in Yoko prior to 67 (he loved art, zany ideas and there's reason to believe he was into androgynous looks ) but you can't understand JohnandYoko without understanding the preceding crisis in John's life and why he ignored all of the red flags to pursue the relationship.

As for if I believe John & Yoko's relationship to be abusive or manipulative, that's for another post that I'll link when I have it up. Edit: it's up :)

[hrizantemy]

Because my inbox isn’t letting me respond to this message directly, I’ll be doing it here instead.

Here’s the message I received:

“You’re making a lesbian storyline about Clotho and girl? Why not make Clotho and a male be something instead? That would be better wouldn’t it? I would rather read about her getting sex like from Azriel or some Fae male she falls for than a human female. Do you not see where I am coming from on this post?

She is High Fae why give her someone human if it won’t last long or if she can’t be made.

She is High Fae why give someone who is naturally stunning and flawless in a beauty stand point to someone who Clotho will look better than.

She is High Fae and a high priestess, which means she needs to have children of her own, how do you know if she doesn’t want children.

If you’re going to make it a female story why not make it with someone who is on her level. Like Mor if it has to be a female?

I am not saying that Clotho looks down on humans at all. She does not give that type of vibe off her at all, nor does she look like she cares about those type of things, if anything I would say she does not look down on humans just because they are humans. She doesn’t seem like she thinks her kind and humans are unequal in any way or form, she does seem like the type who thinks very highly of humans! I just think she deserves better. Merrill her right hand could even be a choice a great one if we chose to make her a lesbian. At least someone of her kind can bring her to higher sexual relations.

This post is not to be rude I love your works and how you think, I just am asking questions that are on my mind from your stories and the things people request not just from you, yourself, but from Tumblr writers in general.

Who even asked for a story like this? Not everyone needs to be kissing females when one is a female!”

Thank you for being honest and for taking the time to write out your thoughts. I can tell this message wasn’t meant with outright hostility, but I do want to gently—and firmly—push back on the ideas you’ve shared, because there are several assumptions in your message that are not just hurtful, but rooted in a way of thinking that reinforces hierarchy, beauty standards, heteronormativity, and even a bit of fae supremacy in a fandom where we’re supposed to be imagining beyond those limits.

1. “Why not make Clotho and a male be something instead?”

“Wouldn’t that be better?”

No, it wouldn’t. Not inherently. There’s nothing “better” about a heterosexual romance over a sapphic one. Love between two women is not a downgrade. It is not an afterthought. It is not a placeholder for when a man shows up.

If your reaction to a female character finding love, safety, intimacy, and healing in another woman is disappointment because she “could’ve been with a male,” then that’s not a narrative flaw—that’s an internal bias that should be examined.

Clotho falling in love with a human girl named Thalia is not about rejecting male love. It’s about softness. It’s about safety. It’s about someone finally looking at her, and not flinching. That is a story worth telling.

2. “She’s High Fae. Why give her a human if it won’t last long?”

This is a classic fantasy genre argument, but it falls apart quickly—especially in ACOTAR, where humans get turned Fae all the time. Elain, Nesta, and Feyre are three examples off the top of our heads.

But more than that, this argument implies that human characters are less worthy of love, which is a dangerous assumption in any story—especially one that already flirts with fae elitism. If we write a world where humans and fae can live alongside one another, then we also write a world where love across those lines is not only possible���it’s meaningful.

Clotho falling for a mortal doesn’t mean she’s “settling.” It means she’s brave enough to love someone she could lose.

3. “She’s High Fae, stunning and flawless. Why give her someone she’ll look better than?”

Let’s be very clear here: this is body-shaming disguised as worldbuilding. And it’s cruel.

Thalia—this mortal girl—is not being written as less beautiful, less worthy, or less significant. You are making that assumption based on her being human. That’s not just unfair—it’s fundamentally at odds with how Clotho herself views the world.

Clotho, who was violated and disfigured, whose voice was taken from her, whose body bears scars no one dares to look at—that Clotho? She doesn’t want perfection. She doesn’t want beauty. She wants someone who sees her and does not flinch. And Thalia does that.

It’s not about who’s “hotter.” It’s about who’s kind. About who’s safe. About who treats her like she matters.

4. “She needs to have children. How do you know she doesn’t want children?”

This is a familiar but dangerous belief: that a woman’s value, especially in fantasy, is tied to her ability to reproduce.

Not all women want children. Not all priestesses want children. Not all relationships are built around children. And even if Clotho did want children, there are countless ways she could raise or adopt them. This comment equates queerness with a lack of future, as though queer relationships are inherently infertile, loveless, or incomplete.

That’s just not true. Sapphic relationships are not lesser just because they don’t conform to patriarchal expectations of lineage and birthright.

5. “If you’re going to make her queer, why not pair her with Mor?”

Why should every queer woman in the series be paired with the only canonically queer woman in the series?

This mindset:

• Reduces queer characters to a matchmaking system.

• Suggests that sapphic stories only matter if both people are fae, beautiful, and powerful.

• Ignores how class, trauma, and quietness shape who people love.

Clotho isn’t Mor. She doesn’t need a Mor. She needs someone who sits with her in silence and still understands her.

6. “This isn’t to be rude, I just think she deserves better.”

I genuinely believe you didn’t mean harm. But here’s the thing—“better” is subjective. You’re defining better as:

• Male

• Fae

• Powerful

• Physically ideal

But what if Clotho’s “better” is someone who sees past power and perfection?

That line—“Who even asked for a story like this? Not everyone needs to be kissing females when one is a female”—is where the intent of the message stops sounding like “just asking questions” and starts revealing the deeper problem:

You’re not actually asking who requested the story. You’re saying it shouldn’t exist. And that’s where I draw the line.

Because here’s the truth:

People did ask for stories like this.

Queer people. Survivors. Readers who are exhausted by every powerful woman being given to a man like a prize. People who saw themselves in Clotho’s silence, her scars, her quiet strength—and wanted to imagine a kind of love that didn’t look like domination or conquest or control.

We’ve read stories like Rhys/Feyre a thousand times. We’ve watched women be claimed, broken, mated, redeemed, and sexualized for centuries in fantasy. And for once, we’re asking:

What if the story was about softness?

What if it didn’t center power or gender roles or beauty?

What if love was chosen, not fated?

What if it was between two women?

So when you say “not everyone needs to be kissing females,” what you’re really saying is: I’m uncomfortable when queerness is treated as normal, central, or sacred.

But here’s the thing: queerness doesn’t exist to be palatable to you. Sapphic love doesn’t need justification. It doesn’t need to be “earned” by matching power levels or species or beauty standards.

Clotho and Thalia’s story isn’t taking something away from you.

It’s giving something to people who have rarely seen themselves loved without condition.

So if it’s not for you? That’s okay. No one’s forcing you to read it. But don’t ask why it exists. Because the answer is simple:

It exists because we do.

Because queer love is real.

Because softness matters.

Because we asked for it. And we will keep asking. And keep writing. And keep loving.

Whether you understand it or not.

[daily-shadow-milk-plushie]

no deceit here! this blog will post one image of my shadow milk cookie plush DAILY if i can manage to maintain that schedule anyway!

and who is the cunning, handsome mastermind behind this spectacular blog, you ask? you can call me sham or mod 🫐, and im the only one pulling the strings back here! it'll remain that way unless later stated otherwise.

asks will be open as well. and im sure we'd all like to keep it that way so please do try not to get too unhinged in the inbox!

that seems to be about it. now, without further ado, let the show begin!

[sweet-beezus]

Are you happy?

Hesitated on answering simply because it's such a loaded and unexpected question, however the short of it is that I am happy, at the very least, to be alive to experience wonders I never imagined I'd get the chance to!

I'd say that's as simple as it needs to be right now :)

[holy-puckslibrary]

sid to a furry friend's rescue!

florist!reader gets flustered during sid's calendar shoot

parents mentors for the day

someone's going on a date with chief crosby... and it ain't our girl </3

gif from @matbaerzal

To Sidney, this sham is nothing more than a meat-market legitimized. His fierce, formidable crew, flaunted and auctioned off in the name of "charity," as upstanding members of the local community brazenly gawk and drink themselves into a courageous stupor.

Gathered in packs around the local watering hole on a Friday night, the only things missing are high-res Animal Planet cameras and the calm wonder of Sir David Attenborough. It's only a matter of time before they start throwing themselves at each other like elk during mating season.

It's a shame Sidney won't be around to see it.

"Don't even think about it, Chief."

Sidney slumps; he spoke too soon.

Now, he's caught between cracked-door freedom and the firm grip of his Assistant Fire Chief. Kneading at the annoyance budding between his brows, Sidney turns on his heel to face his childhood best friend.

"C'mon, really? This is a circus, Nate. I shouldn't—Is this really something I should be doing? Y'know, it's not exactly... becoming of a civil servant."

"I'm doing it," Nate shrugs. "You don't see me pitching a fit."

The Chief glares. "Yeah, because you already know who you're going home with."

"Not true; tonight's could be the night Emmy decides to act on her grade school crush," the blonde jokes, his chin tipped across the gymnasium. "And who'd blame her? Flower's lookin' better than usual tonight."

"Nate."

The younger of the two only laughs in response to the dramatic groan of his name.

"No, I get it. You're acting pissy because your flower's stuck at home with a stomach bug, and, subsequently, you've been condemned to the terrible fate of having Cole Harbour's hottest fight tooth and nail for a date with you—oh, the horror! Truly, I feel for you, Saint Crosby."

"Bandwagon much?" he grumbles.

As Nate's grin widens, Sid's frown deepens.

Blue eyes twinkling with satisfaction, Nate teases, "You didn't deny it this time."

"D-Deny, what?"

Nate rolls his eyes; Sid's refusal to acknowledge anything, let alone something so obvious to anyone with eyes, was starting to get old, and fast.

"Yeah, sure, okay. Play dumb if it makes you feel better. But I'd figure my shit out sooner rather than later if I were you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sidney blinks.

"Oh, nothing... Just that you aren't the only civil servant sniffing around Blossom & Bloom these days."

With a parting wink, Nate vanishes into the crowd, leaving Sidney to stew in a fresh pot of bubbling unease.

—

and the plot thickens... hehehe 😈

as always, i would really appreciate if you reblogged my work, left a comment or dropped by my inbox w some feedback :) fandom runs on engagement, and so do writers!! thx a mil in advance!

DIRECT CONTINUATION HERE!

[catboybiologist]

Hot girl summer happened in the exact four days I didn't have internet? An absolute sham

Y'all better be in my inbox by the time I have more stable access, I'm operating off of an inconsistent connection rn

[worlds-worst-ships]

Do you ship it? ("always shower first" edition)

Based on an idea by one of the most valuable patrons to the blog, @sleepy-sham (the festive edition)

Well Sham, its good to see you in the inbox again, and now we get to fight the dollar store heroes together, because every time I post disney princesses, I get my arse kicked.

[lilacliquors]

pairing: billy butcher x reader

word count: 1166

notes: on the twelfth day of ficmas, lilacliquors gave to me ... billy butcher learning the true meaning of christmas!

and this is the final day of ficmas!! i said it the other day, but thank you so much for participating in our very successful 12 days of ficmas, and for enjoying the little one shots.

the full masterlist will be queued up for christmas day as a little gift to you, and then i'll go back to posting the stuff in my inbox / some other things in the coming days! have a happy holiday if you celebrate, and a very happy new year <3

if anyone was a pre-roast beast carving grinch, it was billy butcher. he was never one to get into the holiday spirit, claiming he had nothing to celebrate. nothing you did could help change his mind, he was so set in his ways. you, on the other hand, loved the holidays. they filled you with a kind of joy that only came around once a year. it had always been a big holiday with your family, and you carried on a lot of the traditions you all had. 

you had your three types of cookies to bake: almond crescent, peppermint pinwheels, and gingerbread men. you started playing christmas music on black friday, queueing up your favorites right away and changing the radio station on the weekends to the one you knew would be playing nonstop holiday tunes. you had your whole apartment decorated just days after thanksgiving, and it looked perfect every time. so perfect, in fact, that billy couldn’t help but be in awe when he came by to visit you.

he knew you loved the holidays, he just couldn’t understand why. to him, it was just any other time of year, just much colder and far more annoying when you had random people ringing bells and collecting for sham charities. it was a load of bullshit to him, but rather than dim your light, he kept his mouth shut when he was with you. today was going to be a little harder, though, because he was joining you on a little shopping trip.

“why are we doing this again?” he asked, watching as you wrapped your scarf around your neck.

“because i picked a few names from an angel tree, and we’re going to give those kids a merry christmas. come on, this is the fun part,” you said.

“angel tree? the fuck is that?” he held the door open for you, and you both ventured out into the cold.

“okay, so, it’s a tree that has the names, ages, and christmas wishes of children from families that might not have the means to celebrate christmas. so, you pick a name, or a few, from the tree, and you fulfill their christmas wish! i think it’s a really great cause, i do it every year,” you explained, walking beside him down the sidewalk. billy said nothing, but just simply shrugged his shoulders. sounded like a load of shit to him, but you were excited for it, so what was the harm in humoring you?

you made it to the department store, and once inside, you pulled out the tags of the children whose names you picked. to billy’s surprise, you had around five tags in your hands, and he guided you to the side as you read them out.

“okay, i picked ones who asked for clothes, but not as many toys. they’ve got the sizes listed, so this will be a piece of cake. come on!” you tucked the tags away, took billy’s hand, and started making your way to the children’s section of the floor. 

“i thought kids wanted all them fuckin’ noisy pieces of junk. why’d you pick clothes?” he asked, watching as you thumbed through the wracks of clothes.

“clothes tend to be more expensive, and not as many people feel inclined to pick them. they think toys are easier, and that all kids want toys, no matter what. but sometimes, all these boys and girls want is a new winter coat, since theirs is two sizes two small. or warm pajamas, or new sneakers because their feet are too big. they don’t ask for much, they know they can’t. so why deny them this in favor of some plastic?”

billy fell silent as he watched you hold up a coat. it was purple with a soft lavender lining, a hood on the back, and pockets that zipped shut. it looked warm, cozy, perfect for a little girl. you set it over your arm and went back to looking, and billy held out his hand.

“here, let me hold the tags. i’ll read them out to you,” he said, and you smiled.

“thanks. here you go.” you handed him the tags, and he read them over himself. just like you had described, four out of the five asked for winter jackets. one asked for a sweater, another for new winter boots. he glanced up at you, and you now had a few more coats in your arms, and you looked over to confirm you had the right sizes.

“all right, you think these will do?” you asked, holding up your haul.

“i think they’re perfect. let’s go find that sweater, and those boots.”

you walked along together, and with him beside you this time, you looked through the children’s sweaters. this one was for a little girl, age six, and nothing was really speaking to you. but then, to your surprise, billy held up a light blue sweater with beautifully knitted snowflakes on it.

“what do you think of this one?” he asked, angling it so you could see better.

“i think it’s perfect, but check the size.”

“already did. it’ll fit her, promise.”

you smiled, then gave him a thumbs up. he smiled a bit, then draped it over his arm before you went on to find the rest of the items on the tags. soon, both his and your arms were full of other clothes, the coats, and one teddy bear that billy picked out for a little boy. you made it to the register, and together, you split the cost of everything. once it was bagged and you were on your way, billy wrapped his arm around your shoulders and tucked you close to his side.

“you’re a good one, you know that?” he asked as you walked.

“so are you,” you replied.

“nah, not me. always been a heartless bastard.”

“a heartless bastard wouldn’t have found that teddy bear. or that sweater. give yourself some credit here, butcher. you’re gonna help make this christmas the best one some of these kids have ever had. it’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all. season of giving and all that,” you said, nudging him gently. he glanced down at the bags between you, then shrugged again and offered a small smile.

“yeah, maybe it is. but that one woman in the toy aisle was a right cunt. did you see the look she was givin’ me?” he asked, and you laughed.

“oh my god, of course i did! it was like she’d never seen a grown man with a teddy bear before. he was a cutie, by the way.”

“mh, cute little fucker. guess that’s what this is all about, eh? making other people happy?” 

“that’s how i’ve always seen it.”

“then … as long as i get to make you happy, i can give this holiday shit a try. starting next year.”

a whole 365 days away? you smiled. after all, it was a start.