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residences-of-the-darkforest · 14 days

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Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 3)

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“Surrogacy?” Bloodlamb repeated the news with a gaping mouth, sharing Leafcurl’s earlier surprise. “What did you say?”

“That I would talk to you first,” Leafcurl answered, settling in their shared nest next to her. She watched as the wind buffeted the trees outside. It was difficult to take much notice of anything though, not with the hundreds of thoughts racing through her mind at once. Her claws were working in and out of the lichen-leaf nest under her.

It was one of two nests they had. They lived in a log wide enough to fit the two of them comfortably with space to spare, wedged in what must have once been a rockslide. One nest they had at the mouth of their den, meant for this purpose: to enjoy the scenery cozily. The other they had beyond the other end of the log, in an open space they had dug out of the landslide. That was where they slept.

They simply needed to pull the overhanging branches from nearby trees to cover the entrance. It cast the entire inside of the den in near-pure blackness. It had unsettled and frightened Leafcurl at first, but it became easier to deal with, and now it didn’t bother her at all.

Bloodlamb, on the other hand, was very welcome to the darkness. She had, after all, grown up in the Gaping Maw caves, a territory that was far from where they lived now. Because of me, Leafcurl thought, feeling a fresh wave of gratefulness for her love. Bloodlamb knew how important Leafcurl’s family and home was to her, and how uncomfortable new things could make her, and was more than willing to stay with her close to Leafcurl’s family, even if it meant moving away from her own.

Leafcurl purred, thinking of all the times Bloodlamb had soothed her in the darkness.

You don’t need to see, she had said. Just feel me next to you.

“You gonna say yes?” Bloodlamb asked, cutting into her thoughts and giving her a look.

“What? Uh, why?”

“Because you’re purring.”

“Oh.” Right. Their talk. The important talk. “What do you think?”

Bloodlamb was fiddling with a minnow bone between her teeth. “We’re both surrogacy kin, ain’t we? I have grandmothers, you, fathers.”

Leafcurl nodded. “Right.”

“My aunts 'n uncles never knew their father,” Bloodlamb went on. “Don’t know what he looks like.”

Leafcurl fidgeting with the leaves. “Sparktail and my papa were close friends before he had us with dad. We still see her lots.”

“Hon.” Bloodlamb placed a paw on Leafcurl’s shoulder. Her face was solemn, taking Leafcurl by surprise. “They don’t know what he looks like,” she said again, and this time, the words sunk in. What if the same happens with these kits? Would they never know Leafcurl, never know her pelt, never able to pick her from a crowd? Would the only thing they would ever know her as be the cat that carried them for a couple moons? Sure, she and her littermates saw Sparktail often and referred to her as their aunty, but she had been friends with their fathers long before they considered having kits. Leafcurl, Larksnow, and Tawnyshriek were an entirely different story.

Bloodlamb went on. “Right now, they’re just a thought. But love, two moons of carrying? A moon of nursing at least? Would you be ready to part after that? Give them up?”

“They’re not meant to be my kits,” Leafcurl told her, and partly told herself.

“That don’t make it any less painful when they’re taken away,” Bloodlamb replied lightly.

Leafcurl sucked in a breath. Was she right? She was silent for a long time, searching everywhere in her scattered mind until finally her racing thoughts were closer to organized and neatly packaged ideas. “Your aunts and uncles made your mothers happy, right?”

Bloodlamb grinned. “I like to think so.”

“I know my siblings and I made our fathers happy, and that they loved us and cared for us so much and so well.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I…” Leafcurl searched for a way to put it into words. “I want to allow someone else that happiness. I want to be the…the…”

“Miracle-maker,” Bloodlamb finished, eyes soft.

“But I need you to be okay with it, the kits and the–the making the kits, and the whole deal.”

Bloodlamb thought for a moment, sucking in the side of her cheek. Was she going to say no? Leafcurl’s heart sped up. “Your heart is so pure. I just worry that you’re doing this for them even if it hurts ya. We haven’t even talked about birthing kits. Everyone knows it hurts worse than a Star’s bite, and the ‘process,’ ya sure you’re comfortable with that?”

Leafcurl considered that, thinking. “Well I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not like I’m meant to. But I can handle it, both aspects. And…I don’t think I have to worry about not seeing them, not too much. Our families are close. We’re not, but–surely we’ll still see them lots. And I can ask to be a part of their lives, even if it’s small. Or maybe I can be a mentor, or volunteer at that place Fungichomp has.”

Bloodlamb licked the space between Leafcurl’s ears. A small gesture, but the strength behind it was more than enough to assure Leafcurl of her affection. “You sound sure. If you really want to, I’ll support ya. But give it some time, yeah? Sleep on it a few nights.”

Yeah, that was reasonable. Leafcurl smiled as her eyes met her mate’s. Bloodlamb could be so vicious and loud, swinging claws at anyone who so much as sneezed on her unintentionally, but with Leafcurl she was gentle, caring, loving. She didn’t have this talk for the sake of herself, but of concern for Leafcurl. And for that, Leafcurl thought that she had somehow fallen deeper in love, and she buried her chin deep in Bloodlamb’s side. “Can we sleep now?”

Bloodlamb’s turn to purr came. She curled around Leafcurl, resting her chin on the brown cat’s spine. This wasn’t their sleeping nest, but it would do just fine.

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--Blood has a fluctuating accent!

--We get a peak at the wlw couple!

--Sparktail is mentioned so psst @elementaldeityoffood

--I am writing this when I am about to fall asleep so fingers crossed it came out halfway intelligible.

#dark tales #dark forest tales #wc dark tales #shadows of guilt #the final gift #shadows of guilt: the final gift #bloodlamb #bloodlamb story #leafcurl #leafcurl story #smallbasil family #smallbasil #gaping maw #gaping maw family

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krispyweiss · 5 months

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Song Review: Dom Flemons - “The Final Gift”

If Bob Dylan was in the sea-shanty business, the results would likely sound much like Dom Flemons’ “The Final Gift.”

The nearly seven-minute solo-acoustic tells the tale of lovers parted - and reunited by - death.

All verses with no chorus, “The Final Gift” is like a novella in song, but with no happy ending.

It takes a few spins to sink in, but once it does, “The Final Gift” shows off Flemons’ literary skills more than his uncanny musical aptitude.

And that seems to be the point, as the song was commissioned by The Oxford American magazine for its Ballads Issue, on newsstands Dec. 5.

Grade card: Dom Flemons - “The Final Gift” - B

11/4/23

#Youtube #dom flemons #the final gift #the oxford american #carolina chocolate drops

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chloesimaginationthings · 2 months

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Michael Afton draws Vanny’s FNAF fursona,,

#myart #chloesimagination #comic #fnaf vanny #fnaf vanessa #michael afton #fnaf #security breach #sister location #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddy's #Michael and Vanny finally get along!!#their first not awkward interaction good for em #I can see clearly Michael just sketches a lot #so one time he just ended up drawing Vanny out #Nessa was very ready to yell at him but the art was nice so 🩵#she softened up #Vanny doesn’t usually get gifts so this was sweet

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lonicera-caprifolium · 5 months

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an early morning with your beloved 💕

#good omens #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #I did the rough sketch for this like a year ago #but didn't have the inspiration to finish it at the time #glad to finally finish it #this one's gonna be an extra gift mini-mini-print for patreon this month if you're in that tier

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bluestation · 7 months

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dishes for autumn

#one piece #sanji #a couple of friends near me have gotten into op through the netflix show!!#this was a gift for said friend in exchange for a frappe #my ability to whip out pirate drawings finally benefits me somehow

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theshitpostcalligrapher · 1 month

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WENT INTO A STARDEW FUGUE STATE LADS ITS FOUR THIRTY AM MY SLEEP SCHEDULE IS FUCKED GOOD NIGHT

#BIG OOPS #BUT I F I N A L L Y GOT THAT STUPID SECOND SNAKE VERTEBRAE I NEEDED #IN ORDER TO FINISH THE ARCHEOLOGICAL TENT MISSION #IN ORDER TO GET THE OSTRICH INCUBATOR #IN ORDER TO GET MORE OSTRICH EGGS #IN ORDER TO FINALLY FUCKING SHIP EVERY ITEM IN THE GAME FOR THAT ACHIEVEMENT #AUUGHUGRUHGGHGHGH IM ON LIKE YEAR FOUR OF THE GAME OR SOME SHIT #stardew valley #okay now its time to optimize moneygain im halfway through the 10 mill achievement #plus i need the gold to pay for obelisks #after that i just need to wait til spring fest cuz i forgot to buy a spring scarecrow and then i'll be able to craft the deluxe #finish up gifts for george and then the final special order is making vodka for pam #then its JUST the gold clock

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mobius-m-mobius · 6 months

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Loki + searching for Mobius moments after disaster

#mobius #loki #lokius #mcuedit #lokiedit #marveledit #loki spoilers #owen wilson #tom hiddleston #THE ROMANCE OF IT ALL 🥺😭#those s1 shots have lived rent free in my mind for YEARS now then s2 said thanks have more??#giving me all my rights because i talked about it constantly after the finale and it still wasn't enough lmao #taking the excuse to lose my mind over this again and running bc this is what love looks like to me. the one person who makes it all okay #and somehow this season has delivered that message time and time again in every ep what an actual gift 💖#loki s2 spoilers #marvel #owenwilsonedit #dianagifs

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killjoy-prince · 2 months

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House M.D. but it's when Wilson says House's name

#house md #james wilson #prince's talk tag #finally!!! it's done! this and the house version took almost two weeks to do #first off thank you to the clinic-duty team on livejournal for making the transcripts for these episodes #because this video would be near impossible to make without their clear transcripts. I hope y'all are doing well #ive been reading a lot of fics with these two and i see how the authors have the characters refer to each other in their fics #and that got me wondering how much do they say each other's name in the show and how do they refer to each other #since this is the wilson video ill put his stats here #s1 was 11 times s2 was 18 s3 was 45 s4 was 32 s5 was 41 s6 was 60 s7 was 47 and s8 was 48 #in total he says his name 302 times. Mostly refers to him just by House #the only time I've heard him say his first name its when he's being professional or when he's really angry (and that one time he proposed)#and even then it's always the full name not just the first name #the only instance I've seen him use just his first name was on that note he put on House's xmas gift that we see in season 5 #and as much as I wanted to put that moment in here he never actually says the contents of the note out loud so i had to leave it out #but what surprised me was he says House's name more than House says his name #especially when the earlier seasons didn't have him say his name as much

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counterspelling · 1 year

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Endless TLOU

Last of Us: Left Behind February 14, 2014 The Last of Us HBO: February 26, 2023

#ellie williams #riley abel #tlouedit #tlou hbo #tlou hbo spoilers #the last of us #the last of us hbo #tlou spoilers #thelastofusedit #tlou #tlouhboedit #myedit #endless tlou #tlounetwork #tloudaily #reminder that this dlc CAME OUT ON VALENTINE'S DAY #that was our gift canon queer ellie #10 years ago!!!#before the korra finale even

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underarchon · 7 months

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"What thinkest thou, of mine appearance?"

#my art #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #urianger augurelt #urianger #the exarchic casting set is a gift from hydaelyn #sometimes i paint things and im proud of them and i think there might be hope for me yet

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residences-of-the-darkforest · 9 days

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Shadows of Guilt: The Final Gift (part 5)

First

Leafcurl waited until they were out of earshot before she gave her mate a confused look. “Are you okay?” Bloodlamb had seemed eager–suddenly so–to get herself and Leafcurl away from the toms.

Bloodlamb’s eyes were round with worry. “Reckon I outta be asking you that. You were mighty nervous, maybe plumb scared. Shaking.”

“Oh–No, I…” Leafcurl pressed her side against Bloodlamb’s. They stumbled a bit, but continued to walk with their bodies flush together. Bloodlamb could be so protective, it was endearing, reminding Leafcurl how much her mate cared about her. “I still want to help them, it’s just…all so fast, I guess.” She was still reeling from the fact that she was asked to be a surrogate at all.

“I ‘kin tell ‘em to back off fer ya.”

Leafcurl shook her head. “I don’t want to be mean. It’s fine.”

Bloodlamb huffed. "If them bugs of Basiltooth's was bitin' ya, you wouldn't be growlin' at 'em. I love ya, and I love that big ol' heart of yours, but keep doin' folks favours against yer wishes and you gonna find yerself in a heap o' mess."

Leafcurl stopped so that she could look Bloodlamb in the eye. “It’s not against my wishes. We talked about that.” She paused. “Is it against yours?”

Bloodlamb blinked. "I like how our life is, is all. I respect the world outta ya for wantin' to help 'em, and I know that fer them it really means a lot, I just...don't know why it needs to be now."

Leafcurl frowned. She should have made sure she and Bloodlamb were on the same level long before they approached Larksnow and Tawnyshriek. “It doesn’t need to be now,” she soothed. “We can talk to Larksnow and Tawnyshriek, I’m sure they’ll understand. And it’ll give us more time to work things out. The–the boundaries, and stuff. And I’m sure they would appreciate the time to make a proper nursery.”

Bloodlamb nodded, though she still seemed uncertain. Leafcurl licked her cheek. “We can wait however long we need to, until we’re all ready. And if we never are, well, they can find a new surrogate. I want to help them, I do. And if I do help, then I want to be part of those kits’ lives. But that…I know that would change so much. If you’re not ready for that sort of life, I won’t push you into it.”

Bloodlamb let out a long sigh, then returned the lick. "If'n we don't hurry on, that idea is somethin' I could get on. Maybe over time, it could become a reality that suits me just fine. But it's gotta be a slow-go. Agree? And if them toms ain't on board, they can go chaw on a rock."

Leafcurl smiled, understanding her love’s words as soon as they left her lips. “Yeah, okay.”

Bloodlamb nuzzled her a moment longer before pulling away and padding on. “Well ain't that splendid! Now that that's taken care of, let's go git us some fish. Ain't nothin' like some fins to wash down a good ol' rock.”

Leafcurl gasped playfully. “We are not making them eat a rock!”

Bloodlamb’s laughter filled her ears, making her heart swell with love as they bounded down a slope in the direction of the Minnow Pool. “Ya never know what the day might bring!”

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--Just wanted to write more Bloodlamb chapters.

#shadows of guilt #the final gift #shadows of guilt: the final gift #bloodlamb #bloodlamb story #leafcurl #leafcurl story #dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #semi-long post

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afreakingmilkshake · 3 months

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BEHOLD, MY ACTUAL FINAL DESIGN FOR MY META KNIGHT GIJINKA!

#FINALLY #I HAVE A SOLID DESIGN FOR HIM #o and i think im getting the hang of digital art :3c #meta knight #morpho knight #kirby #kirby fanart #kirby gijinka #digital art #my art #nchidencfiencuidency9fedw i love the armor #enjoy my friends- i gift you big strong bulky man with claws and a death glare

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canisalbus · 27 days

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About that one ask where Machete murders everyone. I'm in my fire phase at the moment and thought blue would look good in contrast to Machete's usual red :)