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truths33k3r4 · 2 months ago

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How would you say Lotus’ relationship is growing with the brothers?

I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO RESPOND TO-

I was on vacation and away from my precious computer with all my lovely files and sketches on it, so I had to wait till I got home to answer-

ANYWAYS! To your question!

Ooooh hehe this is gonna be another long one~ STRAP IN HAHA!

(Before I begin I'm going to give a little warning, because this is, technically, discussing spoilers of my story! You have been warned!)

(TW- mention of ptsd, needles, medical phobias, implied experimentation, trauma)

Lotus begins her time with the brothers pretty... rough. She's hurt, afraid, and continually fighting to keep control of her emotions and ptsd. She attempts (at first) to cover this up by speaking with more confidence than she truly has. She's blunt with her words, never allowing someone to misunderstand her. But her honesty becomes troublesome as Mikey becomes more curious about what happened to her. He constantly asks questions, and in order to keep from scarring the younger turtle, she vigilantly censors and blurs her answers.

It helps that Mikey has been in the Medbay so many times himself. Many of Lotus' triggers lie in that medicinal room, and Mikey quickly learns this. It doesn't quite make sense to him at first why she's so scared. He's been sat down on that exam table more times than he can count, but any time fear tried to show its ugly mug, the love and gentleness of his oldest brother's care pushed it back into the shadows.

To Lotus, Mikey looks and acts about the same age as she might be, so she feels a natural sibling comradery with him. It takes some time for her to finally open up to him, (again, for fear that she will legit BREAK THIS POOR BOY), but his gentle encouragement eventually pulls the last brick of her crumbling walls loose.

Lotus and Don share many similarities: Their lack of patience for any kind of stupidity, their shared mentality of logic over emotion, and especially~ the reason of their work ethic.

Don is the only brother who has a "human" job. He works in IT, helping customers with their computers, files, softwares, etc. He has put this large responsibility of a full-time, remote job on his shoulders so he can be of more use to his family. Sure, he takes care of the various leaks and loose screws (his brothers) around their home, but it never feels like it's enough. God gave him a brain- so he better put it to good use! Like a rusted piece of an engine, you're only so useful for so long, and can easily be replaced if a better substitute comes along.

Lotus, (after recovering enough to stand and walk on her own again), quickly tries to find a chore she can do for the family that took her in. They went out of their way to take her into their home; giving her a bed to sleep in, real food to eat, and a warmth in her heart she never dreamed of feeling.

Their grace will never be wasted on her.

After finding that she was still too weak to do most of the chores around the lair, she defeatedly went to Don for advice on what she could do. They brainstormed for some time. Don would click and clack on his computer, jotting down all the possible choices for her, until one in particular caught Lotus' attention.

BAKING.

With his thorough understanding of chemistry, as well as years of watching and helping Splinter as a child, Don was the perfect teacher for her. After his shift ended, he and Gliss, (his nickname for Lotus), went into the kitchen and baked an array of strudels, croissants, cakes, and many other delectable treats. Don would even sneak a few pastries from their load of "stale" baked goods from the bakery down the street, to use as reference for techniques on folding, braiding, and so forth. They would also get some good ninja practice in while fending off Don's thieving brothers from their sweet treats.

(Here's some old concept art of a later scene of Don and Lo on the rooftops) :)

Lotus and Raph don't always see eye to eye. In fact- they fight. A lot. Like Don, Lotus is also extremely similar to her fiery brother. Their boldness and tempers mix violently, creating a flaming whirlwind of spite and annoyance in a matter of seconds. Neither will usually back down, often leaving that particular responsibility to someone else. Their arguments can range from a long and low-flickering rivalry, to a raging inferno that will swallow both of them up if not stopped.

However, the worst of enemies can also become the closest of friends.

When Lotus begins having horrible side affects of her treatments, (or lack thereof), she vigilantly tries to keep her sickness hidden. (She can NOT be a burden to the family that took her in- not EVER) Raph is one of the first, (alongside Leo), who catches on to what she's keeping hidden from them. When all is revealed, and arguments begin, Lotus finally breaks about her guilt of being a burden to her the family. Raph recognizes this guilt as the same in his own heart from years of being an enemy of one of his brothers. This connection of weakness bonds the two.

Over time, they learn to respect the other's opinions and feelings, no matter if they make sense or not. The specific Bible verse "A fool uttereth all his words, but a wise man keepeth them in" is continually referenced by their brothers on the road to their relationship's recovery.

Curt replies and snide remarks become clarifications and encouragement.

Competition becomes humility.

Rivalry becomes tenderness.

Eventually, Lotus is often found chilling alongside Raph in Don's office while the freckled brother works. Lotus loves to watch Raph sketch in his notebook, and Raph soon learns to allow the subtle scrutiny, so long as he gets to spend time with his sis and twin. Their passion and creativity blend into something beautiful when they come together to create a very important mural.

(More concept art- and also something else the two share.. A fear of needles. :( )

Lotus and Leo's relationship begins pretty badly at first.

After the dreaded surgery gone wrong, Leo becomes more nervous and hesitant around Lo. His guilt of what went wrong during the surgery being his fault drives him to be extra cautious around her, trying not to bring up anything that will trigger her in any sort of way.

Lotus both appreciates it and hates it. She loves his care for her, but she despises being coddled in any kind of way. She isn't some delicate flower that will blow away with one sneeze. She also becomes more hesitant to be near him, (not just because he works in that awful room), always choosing to hang out with Mikey or the twins.

Leo can't blame her.

When Lotus begins having tense side affects to her treatments in the labs, Leo and Raph combine forces to get her to tell them when she's sick. "I'm fine" is no longer a liable answer to how she was feeling. Nope- they demanded descriptive and thorough answers.

The road of Lotus' recovery is a long and tedious one.

Every second spent in the Medbay filled Lotus' heart with the paralyzing chill of her past. And despite previously forgiving Leo for the surgery gone wrong, she still had a stubborn spark of distrust in her heart towards him. Especially when he treated her.

But after an exhausting few months, she slowly grows stronger and healthier. Her Medbay visits become less frequent, (much to her delight), and her independence finally is given the chance to bloom. Leo still catches himself coddling her, but always cuts himself off and dismisses his oldest brother protective instincts.

Over time Leo introduces her to one of his favorite past times~ puzzles while listening to music. Something simple, that didn't require too much brain work, and also could be done sitting down. It was the perfect mental getaway for the leader; Something so calm and relaxing that he could do to recover from a mission or a stressful day in the Medbay. (And of course he could organize every single puzzle piece and not get flack for it, because that is LITERALLY HOW you do a puzzle, and it is NOT WRONG to enjoy the organization process of shapes and colors~)

So whenever they weren't training, or off saving the small world of New York, Lotus and Leo would sit and hum to various soundtracks, while placing and organizing the puzzle pieces.

Okay, that's all I have for now! :) I have been writing this for two hours now heheh XD

Thanks for the question, Anon!!

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

#tmnt #my version of tmnt!!#the strength in weakness #SIW Lotus #SIW Leo #SIW Raph #SIW Don #SIW Mikey #SIW ask #C2G asks #great question!!!#That was a lot XD #tw trauma #tw medical phobias #tw needles #tw implied experimentation

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krysmcscience · 5 months ago

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It’s finally done, guys – five whole pages of Narilamb AU comic AND MORE be upon you! (If you have trouble reading any of the text, view the full-size! These pages are huge!)

Yeesh, this took forever. <:)

There’s probably a ton of inconsistencies and anatomy/perspective wonkeries, but this was mostly just comic practice, so Oh Hekkin Well, Lol <:D

(Yes, I am aware the Gateway’s door isn’t present in the Afterlife, and the actual way in is just a pentagram portal. Yes, I put the door in there anyway because Artistic License, i.e. it felt more impactful for there to be a prison door of sorts to walk through to freedom, rather than just a bland boring portal on the ground. 😠)

anyway, i hate backgrounds so much lmao

Alternate ending and a buttload of bonus art under the cut, followed by goofy AU rambles and headcanon stuff:

I’m calling it the Revival AU. It’s not all that creative a title, and someone else has probably used it already, but I am too lazy to really care, LOL

Alternate ending page, which you will Definitely need to view the full-size for, Whoopsie Daisy:

The alternate ending was actually the first ending I finished things off with, because I had a brief badbrain moment where I forgot the emotional beat I initially wanted the comic to end on, and I tend to write comedy, anyway. I later remembered and drew out the proper ending, but I preserved and finished this one, too, because it still makes me giggle.

They had to go back for the followers off-screen in the AU’s real ending. And by ‘they’ I mean just the Lamb, because they weren’t about to ask three newly freed cats to go back into what used to be their prison. The Lamb DID spend some time watching Narinder and the bois enjoying the outdoors first, though:

In other news, here’s the Lamb and me making fun of my anatomy-drawing ‘skills’:

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering why the Lamb is just a-okay with how things went down vis a vis Their Murder, this bonus comic should answer at least some of your questions:

Ah, yes, also this is how they get engaged outside of the alternate ending. Forgot to mention that bit. XD (I already refuse to believe that Narinder is capable of flirting normally, so why would his initial marriage proposal be any better???)

Oh, and before any of them get a chance to actually head back to the cult grounds, there is one potential problem:

And by ‘problem’ I mean something Narinder intends to ignore for At Minimum a thousand years. Cuz he’s a petty bitch like that. :D

what do you mean i drew the lamb too tall compared to the background? clearly they’re standing on top of baal and aym lmao, why else would you think those two aren’t in this one??? (aym and baal got way too excited about finally being outside, you see, and their silly modes are nothing to sneeze at)

And, speaking of heading back to the cult grounds, I’m sure y’all would love to know how the Lamb’s followers felt about the brand new change in management:

It all went better than expected. <:D Tiny ramble now, feel free to skip down to the next comic.

Before you ask, no, the Lamb does not have any actual powers anymore, other than the immortality Narinder definitely grants them. The Red Crown just thinks it’s funny to suggest otherwise, and Narinder does nothing to discourage this. Also, the Lamb and Narinder aren’t actually married here yet, but, uh. Pretty safe to say that particular ritual directly follows the events of this comic. XD

Given how quickly he mellows out in canon, Narinder probably chills out a lot in this AU once he’s in charge of the cult, too, if only because 1.) He’s finally free, and 2.) He’s equally smitten with and distracted by the Lamb. He’s definitely in charge at least 95% of the time, though, because the Lamb never actually wanted to be a cult leader and, now that their time as a vessel is done, they just want to be a normal(ish) sheep who’s wholly devoted to their hot new divine husband.

Some followers do still have some valid concerns about these two being together, though, which I’m sure at least a few of you might share…

Unfortunately for any such concerns, the Lamb is a bonafide masochist in this AU. :D

They’re also 100% a sub, obviously

Anyone at all: Your relationship is problematic and potentially toxic

The Lamb: fuck yeah it is, it’s so hot~ OuO

Here’s just the last panel, made transparent for whatever nefarious purposes y’all might have for it:

Additional exchange Narinder and the Lamb have at some point, probably after the Lamb does a fatal whoopsie while out on a mission trip or in response to things getting a little too sadistic in the bedroom, ahaha:

Look, there is a very important distinction between life and death, and if you don’t understand that, then you’re probably not worthy of being the God of Death, anyway. (At least, according to Narinder, and ONLY Narinder.)

Last but not least, have these shittens:

~Such creative naming conventions I have utilized, lololol~ :D Anyway, there's a few deets on them in the rambles down below.

The rest is all ramble, so before I get to that, I’ll just say – likes and especially reblogs are very much appreciated!!! :D If you happen to really really REALLY like my stuff, meanwhile, I do have a link in my bio to my ko-fi page, where I’m accepting commissions and donations if you’re especially generous… ÓuÒ

Now, BE FREE IF YOU AIN’T DOWN FOR READING MY GOOFY RAMBLES

First ramble is re: Baal’s question of ‘Did it really work?’, since I didn’t feel like expanding on it in the comic proper, and it’s arguably pretty vague? He doesn’t ask because he doubts Narinder or his capabilities, exactly, but because neither Baal nor Aym have ever actually seen their god at full power before (he’s still technically not at full power here, either). It’s not expressly stated how soon the brothers were brought to Narinder after his imprisonment, but whether it was early on or after a length of time for Shamura to (somewhat) recover from his attack, he must have already been weakened, since I have no doubts that there was a huge battle that accompanied the Bishops working together to trap him. So, between that fight with all four of his siblings, sharing his power with a variety of vessels over time, and being chained immobile for a thousand years, he must have been severely weakened by the time he lent the Red Crown out to the Lamb, which would have only weakened him further.

I like to think this is how the Lamb is able to defeat him if they refuse to be sacrificed, despite how it took all four Bishops working together to subdue and chain Narinder in the first place.

All that aside, the three cats have been trapped in the Afterlife for so long that Baal also wanted verbal reassurance that they are all, indeed, actually able to leave it now – something that I headcanon isn’t possible without a significant amount of power (i.e. the Red Crown’s cooperation with its bearer/vessel).

(On a semi-related note, I don’t headcanon Aym and Baal as twins. I like sweetheart big bro Baal and snarky little goth bro Aym too much to have them be that close in age.)

Ah, teeny thing: If you noticed I switched up the art style for Narinder on the second page, that was intentional. It's sort of a visual indicator that there has been a Big Change for him - that being, how much power he has after sacrificing the Lamb. As for why I changed up his arms in the grass rollin' pic, I don't really subscribe to the notion that his arms are spooky bones because they're horrifically injured (beyond chain-chafing scars, that is), but rather just because he's the Bishop of Death, so he can change how normal-to-spooky they look at will. At some point I might doodle out how I imagine his appearance to range between least to most eldritch... 🤔

Next ramble, regarding Narinder’s feelings towards the Lamb...he was initially too focused on being freed from his imprisonment to form any real attachment to them. They were a tool for his use, first and foremost, but he did notice their intense devotion towards him. It was impossible not to notice, because the Lamb was always very happy to see him, even if it was because they died during a crusade (yet again). He wasn’t originally planning to revive them once he was freed, either, because he saw no real point to it – after all, they were already dead when they first met him, just as any other mortal would be when meeting him in the Afterlife, so death has very little real consequence in his eyes. But, once the chains were off, and it really sank in that he stood to lose the most devoted follower he’s ever had, he decided…why put their soul to rest for good or leave them stuck in the Afterlife when he could just as easily revive them again? And why not reward them for their hard work, anyway? Not only would it cost him nothing by comparison, but the future devotion that could come of it would surely make up for his (bare minimum) effort in reviving them.

He wasn’t expecting to get a full dose of that devotion and a smiling face so soon after killing them, though~ :3c (because the Lamb is a bonafide freak, and not-so-secretly into the fucked up power dynamics going on here, lol)

I should mention here that I am firmly of the belief that any non-god/vessel who crosses through the Gateway and into the Afterlife just straight up dies. So, Aym and Baal? Also straight up dead, from the second Shamura brought them through. Their souls were just never put to rest so that Narinder could have some company – if only according to Shamura. Narinder kept the two around mostly out of bewilderment, because honestly, who are these kittens, and what is Shamura’s game here, anyway??? They never even explained anything, they just tossed these kittens into the Afterlife and LEFT!!! At any rate, Aym and Baal being dead is how I explain why their souls apparently become lost in the void if they’re killed, along with the added complications required to revive the two because of it.

So, with those deets in mind, and given a bit of time, if Narinder hadn’t chosen to revive the Lamb, and also hadn’t chosen to put their soul to rest, they still would have woken up at some point, despite being as straight up dead as Aym and Baal. Who, don’t worry, were also properly revived while Narinder was waiting for the Lamb to wake up. Because I am also firmly of the belief that, first, the dead cannot leave the Afterlife without the use of a ritual/relic (and can't stay in the living world for long regardless), and second, dead followers’ devotion isn’t anywhere near as potent as that of the living, given how much more the living stand to lose.

Final ramble, regarding the Lamb’s feelings towards Narinder, and why they’re so devoted to him…

Well, you don’t spend most of your life on the run with your steadily-dwindling herd, trying to evade the ongoing genocide of your species, without becoming a little fucked up in the head. Maybe a lot fucked up in the head. Life is suffering, so might as well have fun with it, right? Maybe start finding death and pain to be kind of hilarious, even a little bit hot, once everyone you know and love is dead and gone, leaving you all alone? And maybe after that, there’s something comforting in how, despite the cold, cruel uncertainties of life, at least you can always count on the inevitability of death, patiently waiting for you until your very last breath? Who knows. Either way, as soon as the Lamb was killed, and they learned that the literal God of Death was offering them a second chance at life and vengeance via effective immortality, they were 100% ride-or-die-devoted all at once. Turns out death is kinder than life – go figure. (Of course, it helps that Narinder is 100% their type.)

They weren’t put off by Narinder’s thinly-veiled sadism or manipulations, either – they’re not too different in those regards, albeit opting for vastly different methods. It’s a very ‘two sides of the same coin’ sort of deal. In order to stay alive once they were made the last of their kind, the Lamb had no qualms with using others to their advantage, and that did not change once they were revived and expected to run a cult. They didn’t care for the position of authority, though – being a sheep and all, they’re much more of a follower than a leader, and thus greatly appreciated Narinder’s need for control. With how they had to keep on their toes for so long, the Lamb was also pretty good at reading people by the time they died, so they could recognize that a lot of Narinder’s posturing was just that – posturing. Dude’s 95% bluster and only 5% bite. He could obviously be vicious when he wanted or needed to (the Bishops' injuries were clear proof of that), but underneath his outer layer of cruelty was a generous layer of tsundere, and underneath all THAT was a soft squishy middle sibling velcro cat in desperate need of attention and affection.

(Which, for the record, he Did Not feel comfortable getting from Aym and Baal – Narinder still has no idea why the fuck Shamura sent them to him, beyond acting as keepers at best or trying to sabotage his attempts to escape at worst. Which, he thought HE sabotaged in turn, by guiding the kittens into being his devoted disciples instead. He thought he was very clever for it. ‘I outsmarted Shamura!’ he thought, despite that there was never anything there to outsmart. ‘What do you mean, Shamura sent your kittens to me for company?’ he demands of Forneus later. It may or may not lead him to pull Shamura out of Purgatory just so he can shake them and scream about how they should have Fucking Explained that!!!)

But, getting back on track as to why the Lamb was so willing to be sacrificed, I cannot stress this enough – if you pay even a minimal amount of attention to what he’s saying, Narinder is REALLY NOT SUBTLE about his intentions. ‘Death is of little consequence.’ ‘Followers are for you to use to your advantage.’ ‘Sacrifice a follower to absorb more power.’ So, yeah, the Lamb knew exactly what would be expected of them once the other Bishops were dead. They knew Narinder would expect them to die for him one last time. But, after all, death is of little consequence (not to mention hot), so when the time came, they wanted to see him freed, even if it meant oblivion for them in the end.

He’d given them a second life, and the ability to avenge their kin, and they felt indebted to him for that – so, while they were still pretty glum about the possibility that they might not get to see him free of his chains, nothing beyond their devotion and debt to him mattered. They never wanted all the drama and expectations that came with the Red Crown’s power, anyway, so, better for Narinder to have it back so that he could deal with it. What he did with the Lamb afterward would be up to him, and seeing as he was their god, they’d accept his decision gladly.

Were they in love with him by that point? Oh, obsessively so, but only in the devotional sense – romance was nowhere on their mind nor radar. That is, until he unexpectedly revived them again, told them he still needed them, and then offered down his hand to help them up.

The Lamb fell HARD for him in that moment. :3c

And now, a tiny shitten ramble. Lu and Li are twins, because sheep tend to have those a lot, and are conceived not long after the Lamb and Narinder’s marriage ceremony. Lu is the minutes older one, but Li is much more mature. I have put no further thought into these two, other than that they are utter menaces, birthed by the Lamb, cling hard to both their parents but especially Narinder (who spoils them rotten), and they are both genderfluid, using whichever pronouns/names they feel like at any given time. They are also both intersex, same as the Lamb, who was initially infertile up until Something Something Vague Magic, which I have also put no further thought into ¯\_(シ)_/¯

oh, and before anyone tries to suggest i headcanon this AU’s lamb as trending more female due to them giving birth or whatever, no, no, a thousand times no, they might have a vag, but they've also got a dick, and even if it's not as big as they'd like, they still know how to use it

Finally, the very tentative name for the Lamb in this AU is Yazdi, which is really just another name for the Baluchi breed of sheep XD (Not that the Lamb is this specific breed, I just didn’t like any of the other sheep-related names I found, ahaha...)

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW (collapses into an exhausted pile of goopy limbs)

#fanart #comics #cult of the lamb #cotl #narilamb #cotl lamb #cotl narinder #cotl shitten #cotl mystic seller #cotl aym #cotl baal #aym and baal #this is why i have been especially quiet lately XD #even just the bonus stuff took several days to finish because i don't know the meaning of DOODLE anymore apparently #everything must be fully inked and colored with backgrounds I Fukken Guess #at least using medibang's sumi brush keeps me from focusing on making my lines perfect :\#and yeah i copy-pasta'd a lot of my own backgrounds don't at me bro #if you're on desktop and want to full view but don't know how: right click the image - open in new tab - zoom in as needed :)#feel free to ask questions about the AU if you want - but uh - this is basically the extent to which i've thought it through LOL #edit: oh right - aym and baal really out there assuming narinder already put the lamb's soul to rest so the body's just fodder now lmao #last edit i hope: fixed the transparent cult certified freak image 8|#nope - one more edit: there is one (1) loophole for how living mortals can be in the afterlife without dying #that loophole is currently narinder XD #'sorry universe but the god of death says i can be in here so back off with your rules and regulations'

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