#but yeah time for more narilamb

[greedykrab]

Planning

[takofuus]

Took in a mortal cat, ended up with an immortal god

Pre-bishop Narinder and his local sheep friend he just started talking to one day

Hey Alexa play Drag Me Down by One Direction

[runningwithscizzorz]

(1)Learn the rules before you break them + Gather proper references

(2) Understand what you want to break and how

(3) Can't do it? Find someone who can

(4) It's going to look really bad for a while

(5) Have fun with it!

(1) -Yes, I am that kind of artist. Yet, not in the conventional way. I encourage people to go in guns blazing when it comes to drawing something new, then coming out analyzing what they know, and what they need to learn more of right away.

-Here, I broke down the anatomical pieces of Nour and Narinder's face with the same labels so you guys can understand this weird invisible pattern that I follow in my work. Doing this with any animal you're attempting to draw greatly improves your line confidence when drawing different face shapes. Also understanding the biological function for why animals look a certain way helps you keep consistency.

(3) Time to throw any artistic guilt you have for heavily referencing people's art OUT THE WINDOW and start ANALYZING PEOPLE'S WORK YOU WANT TO BE LIKE✨ I've always done this, having a reference of someone else's amazing work right next to my own drawing so I can try and understand how they make their magic work! No shame, no embarrassment, nada. Pure, unadulterated will and spite that I would be just as good as the artist who made me so motivated and happy with their work! I couldn't figure out how to make Nour's face both sheep-like, and humanly expressive, so I looked at a LOT of Zootopia and old Disney art for help!

(2) With how I draw narilamb, I'm still working on it (as you can see) but I wanted to break Narinder's face to be fluffier and slimmer, while Nour's face would be shorter and flatter. If you look at it for too long, it's absolutely going to look weird, in the way that if you look at Anna from Frozen for too long she starts looking really weird. The anatomy isn't meant to be correct or consistent, it's meant to convey the emotion and energy I want out of the characters in that moment. If you're able to properly get that across, then you don't need to think about how broken something looks, as long as your eye is happy enough to trick your brain into thinking what you're seeing is canny.

(4) Yeah, I hate this part too. It's going to look like shit at first. I can't even look at my art from a few months ago when I was figuring out their designs... God, so fucking ugly. If it weren't for the shittiness of those drawings, I would have never gotten here! Wading through the "trust the process" stage always really sucks, but it's absolutely worth the relief of when you finally get something to look right.

(5) Art is work, yes. It's stressful, it's long, it's straining, its draining, it's exclaiming, blah blah blah. But, I try to keep my art FUN. If I find my artwork becoming slow as I depressingly drag my pen over my tablet, I'm failing. You MUST keep spirit and life in your work. The spirit of emptiness or the life of sadness can have a very meaningful place in art, but those can only exist with keeping work light, easy, and fun! If you're stressing how a specific thing looks or how you can't get something to look right no matter what, FUCK IT. Draw something to bring the flavor back in your work! I'm kind of rambling, but just, HAVE FUN!✨️ Be messy, scream, laugh, slash canvases, throw paint, smash sculptures, tear apart books, GO CRAZY

[krysmcscience]

Hi this comic was just meant as lineless color practice but it took forever and now I never want to look at it again :)

Rambles and textless versions under the cut:

So yeah, I'm a little feral about the idea that the reason Narinder remains immortal if he's spared after his defeat is because the Lamb still has continued and unswerving devotion towards him.

I'm also kinda feral about the idea that said devotion lets him use more and more of his old powers over time up until he could even effectively RE-ascend to godhood.

And I'm especially feral about the idea that it very quickly has him latching onto the Lamb with his own equal and desperate devotion until it becomes this wild feedback loop between the two of them, and leaves them both not only grossly overpowered, but hopelessly and obsessively intertwined in the sort of love that would be concerning beyond belief if it involved literally any other two individuals but them.

Now have these textless versions:

I feel like the fourth panel is especially busy but Oh Well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I may have another mostly serious Narilamb comic in the works, but it's not going to be in color because it's five pages and that's a lot and I am so tired

[the-artist-grimm]

Brainworm won't leave me, about angst of your Narilamb but on the other side of the coin.

So Imma just write about it even if I should be sleeping right now. Do what you wish.

Fate is irreversible. The Lamb would die a sacrifice, even the God of Death couldn't prevent it. Sure they had delayed it; allowed the Lamb to show the Bishop of Old that their fate was already written. But with it done, there's nothing stopping fate to strike once more.

The Lamb could feel it in the air, in the bones. Perhaps the crown had allowed them to feel the presence of an end. And theirs was soon to arrive.

Perhaps Narinder still had hope, that their weapon could return after their sacrifice. That the Lamb could be kept by his side and that of his kits. Yet the Lamb knew better than to rely on only hope.

The Lamb's heart was full, of love for who is now considered family to them. For Narinder, Aym and Baal. And for them, The Lamb would do it. Sacrificing their life for their freedom. For the kits to finally see the world the Lamb has told them so much about. For Narinder to feel the rain against their fur once more.

With a resolve of steel, the Lamb is ready, in an outfit they've carefully curated for their last moment. Perhaps it is full of old memories; inspired by any remaining traditions of the sheepfolk who will soon vanish with the Lamb. Maybe something akin to marriage; as they have accepted that they would never see the day of their own and that the freedom of their loves should be the happiest day of their life.

With a sad smile, the Lamb dedicate their death to the three person who fills their heart with love. Ripping it from their chest and crushing it; letting the large amount of devotion they had for their God, and the Red Crown, float back to its rightful owner. The Lamb swore they heard the screams of Aym and Baal, calling for the first time their Baba. They could feel a pang tug and their heart, even if no longer in their chest; never knowing before how much they longed for the both of them to see the Lamb like a parent.

Their weapon discarded, both kits rushed to the Lamb's side, begging, pleading for them to not leave; grasping at the Lamb's ever colder body.

Maybe in a moment of clarity, The One Who Waits sheds their gargantuan form for that of a more reasonable one. They are silent, whirlwind of thoughts and emotions flying through their head yet they chose to ignore most; going straight for the Lamb. Tears already flowing unbeknownst to him. Maybe they were the Crown's.

It's kinda funny, the Lamb never thought they would had been able to hold Narinder in their arms fully; yet even in this form he is as beautiful as the day they first met him. The Lamb smile softly at him, barely hearing him talk about promises to bring them back, cursing himself for his greed and his stubbornness, that he shouldn't had ignored his feelings when really the only thing he now desired was fading infront of him.

Maybe, just maybe, the Lamb can reach for a goodbye kiss. Not the one they had dreamed of, but it was their last chance before vanishing into the same ashes that covers the entirety of Narinder's realm; leaving now three black cat free, yet so cold and alone.

THIS IS AMAZING WHAT THE HECK. ALSO HOW ARE YOU IN MY HEAD (adding the angst art first in case people don't wanna read my lore dump lol)

Like Anthea WOULD have died had Narinder not let slip just how much he cared about them. He didn’t confess his love-he wasn't ready to do so just yet, but upon seeing the lamb break down in the ruins of their home village shortly before they'd started on Silk Cradle, seeing them finally let all the years of grief and anger and guilt take over and swear that no matter what they’d get him and the kits out-that while they couldn’t save their family they would save his even if that meant their death, in the ‘good’ ending sort of speak (which yeah has the betrayal but it leads both to grow and eventually be happy again), he tells them no-that freedom isn’t worth it without the lamb leaving the gateway alongside the twins and himself. He would not accept any outcome that didn't have them by his side.

Having spent their whole life giving up things for others, Narinder essentially saying he’d give up his freedom, the thing he wanted most, for them was what made the lamb want to try and have a future. Because here was someone who wanted Anthea by his side because he cared for them, and they realized they wanted that too. It's why in the good end Anthea starts weaving a courtship sash for Narinder, because while they didn't bet on his feelings being romantic, that admission was what made them realize they'd long fallen in love, and it was the one thing they could do to show just how much those words meant to them. A promise in return to be by his side as well in whatever way he'd have them. A promise to live.

Had Narinder held his tongue and not given into the impulse to say ‘no’, or had he instead told the lamb that their fate was to die, then Anthea would have laid their life down one last time. They might've realized they'd fallen in love sometime before that, but the desire to see their beloved and their children free would've outweigh the desire to be 'selfish' and want to be free with them.

5 chains bound the god they’d grown to love, and though 4 were linked to his siblings the 5th metaphysical one could only be unlocked by the sacrifice of a devout heart. It had been Shamura’s final failsafe. They knew that Narinder may be able to kill the bishops in his rage, but had counted on him never finding someone willing to sacrifice themselves like that.

But the main theme of Crimson Angel is expressing your feelings, and in the bad end, neither Anthea or Narinder learn to do so. Narinder keeps his love close to his chest, while Anthea loves the one way they know how-through sacrifice.

So yeah thank you for the fic and I shall now add it to the little metaphorical trinket box of ‘fanart/gifts to look at in awe'

[ghosts-and-glory]

Gonna be honest, no idea what that last asker was talking about when they said Narinder deserved purgatory more. The guy is messed up, don't get me wrong, but the sheep genocide was completely out of his control. There isn't even any evidence that he got locked up for anything other than inventing a way to revive followers!

Narinder is much more palatable than the bishops and the fandom tends to forget that making him pissy/angry all the time is actually pretty ooc (ESPECIALLY considering the time it took between updates). He liked you as a god, he was mad for a while as a follower, AND THEN HE SAID HE RESPECTED YOU AS A GOD BEFORE YOU EVEN FULLY FINISHED HIS QUEST LINE!

Tldr; Narinder isn't as bad as the bishops, torture is cringe unless it's character building :)

That cat spent a thousand years being punished, let him rest. He’s been punished for his betrayal, a thousand years of it. During the game his crime is trying to escape a prison that he would never be allowed out of. He’s given no opportunity to reform, no time to rest and no end in sight.

I do enjoy it when follower Narinder is a bitch, I just want him to be mean to me is that too much to ask?

I’m a chronic adhd rambler and I hate scrolling by long posts. More thoughts on Narinder under the cut.

I do think this bit of dialogue is telling.

If you resurrect he seems to imply that resurrection is what started him towards his betrayal. He points out specifically that that there are no other gods to stop you from playing with life and death, this action makes him see himself in The Lamb. His reaction to the funeral is more reserved. Maybe he’s disappointed, maybe he feels some level of relief that you wouldn’t repeat his actions, maybe a bit of both.

And there’s his dialogue after his defeat.

I was originally gonna say something about his murder dialogue but I got distracted by how fucked up he is. Narinder, baby, I know you’re the god of death but begging to die is not normal.

But yeah the point that he seems to respect the Lamb’s godhood kinda supports my game theory that the Lamb is more death than Narinder. At the end of his godhood Nari was corrupt, driven by revenge and power. Depending on your actions as the Lamb you are now either walking the same corrupt path as he did, respecting the natural order of life and granting rest, or a bit of both.

I do think its easiest to love Narinder out of all of the npcs in the game. Yeah okay he’s evil in that good tumbly sexler man kinda way but he’s also the character with the most content. He has the most dialogue, you meet with him the most, he’s got the hardest boss battle with unique mechanics. I get why he’s the fan favourite and why people like Narilamb, what gayer than being character foils? Nothing.

He’s my little meow meow and I’m mean to him cause I love him. Mwah.

[deltamb3r]

Hellooooo can I uuuuhh get more Narilamb headcanons for your cotl AU pleaseeee

Oh yeah, sure! °^°

Okay so:

Narinder's a very light sleeper, he's aware of his surroundings when he naps, but there are exceptions: when he's way too tired, or wounded, he sleeps like a rock. Other exception is Shamura being sneaky enough to be the only one passing undetected when Narinder is asleep.

Lamb doesn't read Narinder's mind anymore. Not because they can't, but with Narinder getting stronger in his years of recovering and being a former god, he's now absolutely aware wenever Lamb reads his mind.

With Narinder around co-managing the cult, Lamb gets to spend more time for themself, with their favourite things to do being cooking dishes and sewing clothes.

Narinder passed from being the teased to being the teaser in their relationship

[cario55555]

Gonna be taking a bit of a break from art and such and so, specifically cotl stuff mainly because i got abunch of wips in the backlog and others stuff to doodle but also i like this little freakshow im making too so have abunch of fun facts about the funny lamb universe i got goin on for now under the cut

⁍ The Lamb would canonically win in a fight against 4 Leshy's or 2 Heket's, but not 3 Shamura's or 2 Kallamar's. ⁍ The Goat literally just walked into the Cult and acted like he already knew everyone. This somehow worked for 3 years. ⁍ I have no idea if Narilamb is canon in this or not, but if it was then it would not end well for anyone ⁍ Plimbo is the best character, this is a fact and you cannot dispute it. I tried designing him like 8? times and I just couldn't get it in a satisfying way. this is because he is without flaw. ⁍ The Lamb was fully aware of the prophecy before the beheading. They were counting on it. There is blood on their hands. ⁍ Sozo is very dead. Whatever's walking around the Cult, that's not Dr. Sozonius. ⁍ Look at this thing I can do ☺ isn't that wild ⁍ It takes place in a permadeath save. This means that the Lamb's delusions of power definitely weren't helped by the fact that they BARELY even knew Narinder, and the fact they killed 5 gods without sleeping. ⁍ Also Lamb killed Narinder lol ⁍ Mystic Seller is named "That Which Takes" ⁍ Leshycat's canon but I'll never design them its just gonna be like in Tom and Jerry where they're just slightly offscreen at all times ⁍ Midas that rat fuck owes me 20$ ⁍ Surprisingly, Heket got the closest to killing The Lamb. She wears this as a badge of honor, or as a means to make fun of the other Bishops. I forget which. ⁍ I might make a fanfic one of these days based on cult of the sham but it'd literally just be an always sunny episode lol ⁍ Webber is literally the exact same as the one from Don't Starve. They had to put him down because he kept placing spider nests all over the Cult, and Pigs kept trying to throw down. ⁍ A little gnome just ran behind you when you weren't looking. ⁍ The Lamb is ambidextrous, this is because I keep forgetting which hand to have them hold stuff with. They also have no idea what this word means. ⁍ The gnome ran behind you again you gotta pay more attention to this stuff ⁍ ☺sorry i didn't mean to do it that time ⁍ Clauneck and Kudaai like switching clothes and acting like eachother to fuck with people, it works every time without fail. ⁍ Aym and Baal are hanging out with Forneus. The Lamb didn't let them do this, they literally just booked it as soon as they got the chance and Forneus totally could beat the shit out of The Lamb. ⁍ help its red now ⁍ nevermind we're good ⁍ Ratau was driven mad by the crown. He's had the knowledge of the gods ripped from his skull and delicately placed onto some psychopathic woolen beast. He's not all there. ⁍ Any time I'm working on COTL stuff I'm usually listening to King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. To get the general tone I try and set, listen to their album "I'm In Your Mind Fuzz". Good stuff. ⁍ The Industrial Meat Grinder incident was an inside job.

thank y'all for all the support, means the world that people actually like the delusional ramblings that come out of my brain at...

yeah that tracks.

also one more little mini preview for a drawing that might get finished one of these days idk

why is webber there i genuinely do not remember???

[lamb-viscera]

Personal Relationship HC with Narilamb:

CW: discussion of unhealthy dynamics and toxic relationships below the cut.

TLDR: Narilamb is cute and I like to write it as relatively healthy, but I feel like their dynamic would more realistically fall along the lines of two terrible people who’s codependency on one another lead’s to their downfall.

Lemme preface by saying I love Narilamb. If you love sweet Narilamb, that’s dope! I’m glad you do! This post is in no way attempting to change your mind and/or insult you. I frequently indulge in fanart of the sunshine x tsundere dynamic that many people write them as having, however when I write them I can’t bring myself to write them as sweet cause like,,, they wouldn’t be? It’s a cult leader whose usurped multiple gods to become a god x a usurped god of death who mutilated his siblings to fulfill a prophecy in which he reshapes the world to his image and actively encourages sin (also, it’s a prophecy in which caused person A’s entire people to be eradicated). Am I looking too far into this? Absolutely, but I’m bored and got nothing else to do. ANYWAYS I’ve always seen them more as a “we have ripped pieces from each other, but the pieces we have left align when we’re together and I feel whole with you.” Kinda beat. Totally toxic, if you have that mindset in a relationship, that’s not good, you should be each other’s compliment not missing piece. BACK TO THE OG POINT OF THIS POST: they read as having codependency issues, two sides of the same coin that infect one another with their worst tendencies for their shared goal of security due to their own fears of failure/death/loss of control within their lives. With both their backstories, I froth at the mouth of their parallels of “I was out of control for the longest time, and I will do anything it takes to maintain it now.”. Honest to god, if they were my characters and/or I made an au, it would end with them becoming a conglomerate/amalgamation of flesh and bone and dubbing themselves a new god that cannot be separated/ has lost all semblance of peace and individuality. It’d end this way cause I couldn’t in good faith give them a happy ending, yall are NOT getting romanticized toxicity from me ✌️. But yeah I love my version of Narilamb in the way I love like horror movies or games. Like it’s a cluster fuck of toxicity between two awful people and would act more as a cautionary tale than anything else. Wooo boy can you tell I was in the mood for angst? N e ways thx for reading.

[c0gito]

Hello! Your art is very beautiful. Please tell us more about your COTL AU Nomadic Faith. Seems very interesting! Are you asking for art requests? May a kind month come to you. Eat your fruits and vegetables.

HII!!! omg this is my first ask about my cotl au (and first ask in general yippee!!) you have just released a demon my friend. (and tysm :3)

OK SO! I was kinda reading the lore tablets in game and didn’t understand what the fuck was going on so I decided to make my own lore and run with it! :3 I always thought it’d be interesting if the Sheep never worshipped the Old Faith, instead I envisioned them more like Plimbo or some of the NPCs who have livelihoods that overshadow any cult like behavior. Or at least any that abided to that of the Bishops rather than their own culture.

I took inspiration from nomadic groups like the romani people and other eastern tribes in terms of clothing and style. (which i have yet to post my designs oopsie…) The idea of nomads kinda flowed into that idea of a ‘herd mentality’ sheep carry by having them travel and bond together like that. They’re very musical and are insanely talented at detailed wool cloths and textile crafting and trading herbs and spices. (Also the little earrings you see my lamb wear also speak to their wood workmanship! Each earring has a specific meaning whether it accords to age, family, etc. But by the time the lamb becomes a god.., they forget half of it :( )

Once Narinder had split off from the Old Faith and began to get more greedy with his power and start to question the Old Gods, that’s when Shamura had the vision of the prophecy and the reaping began. So The Lamb (i don’t have a name for them yet but I’ve been thinking of Ewe = Eve like from the bible), is born during the reaping, and has very much grown up with a more hurried ‘on-the-road’ lifestyle.

Most of the Sheep actually turned to Narinder’s faith (that was separate from the old faith) because they saw comfort in death being something they could believe in. Sheep are prey animals by default, so the idea was even more instilled into the herds once the reaping began.

(ALSO! Narinder is very fond of sheep in general as they made for the most loyal of followers.. plus they made him really pretty garments and wrote songs as offerings)

I’ve just realized i’ve probably talked your ear off into oblivion (big apologizes to anyone who’s reading this far 😭) but yeah I’m just very passionate abt this au of mine.

So anyways! Once the reaping gets more severe, the herds begin to break off smaller and smaller to protect one another. Usually it would’ve been 4-6 big families and family friends traveling together, but by the time The Lamb was born, they’d only travel is groups of 1-2 families. Though she did get to experience the culture of her kind up until her early adulthood when her sister was kinda… slaughtered 💀 They had been the last two sheep unknowingly, and after much running, hiding, and crying alone in the woods. The Lamb was captured, brought to slaughter, and everyone knows the rest.

Though they did buck out at the Bishops and put up a decent fight beforehand.

There is MUCH more in regards to cult life, my au version of narilamb has a lot of meat to it, but I’ll spare the yap for another day HFHSHD


THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK THOUGH!!! may a kind month come to you too :3

[verysubarashi]

can you tell use more about Senso Of The Lamb, like what do you think the Narilamb (like when you beat the one who waits then spare) ending be like?

WHOLESOME COUPLE ENDING OFC

After everything return to peace again...not really but likely is. Narinder living his quiet life in small cabin on the outskirts of the capital (The Lamb kingdom ) Lamb come to visit him several times. Why didn't they live together? Lambert got rejected the marriage unfortunately (poor baby)...even they are leader they have power to force anyone to do anything but everyone have their diginity. This au people doesn't respect the leader for how strong are they but how they're treat their propulation, yeah. So they don't want to force him, but relationship without marry is not that bad tho. That's mean they can take some time to know each other more and make sure feeling they have isn't just a lie from suspension bridge effect

[queenofcats17]

28 for narilamb (if you want; otherwise just choose a ship of your liking)

Ooh! I've never done Narilamb before! I'll do my best!

28. …as a lie.

.

The One Who Waits was a being to be feared. He was the God of Death, the downfall of the Old Faith. He inspired awe and dread in all who looked upon him. He bowed to no one and followed no one's orders but his own.

And yet... Here he was following the orders of that blasted lamb.

He had tried to fight back against the Lamb, of course. He wasn't one to take this indignity lying down. He was the One Who Waits! The terrifying God of Death! He refused to be the follower of anyone! Least of all some upstart lamb. He had been the one to give the Lamb power in the first place! How dare that insolent creature use that stolen power to subjugate him? He would see his power returned, he vowed, and the Lamb crushed beneath his heel.

Unfortunately, though, none of his attempts at reclaiming his power had succeeded thus far. Every murder scheme, every attempt at sowing dissent, every sabotage, they all fell flat, foiled either by the Lamb or one of their followers. A lesser being might have been discouraged by this constant failure, but for Narinder, each failure only served to stoke the fires of his rage even more. He would suffer this humiliation for the time being, but he would reclaim his throne. He swore that.

Which led to where he was now, sitting on a log in front of the bonfire while the other followers danced around him in nothing but little leaves. He too was bereft of clothing, much to his chagrin. The Lamb was performing some sort of Lust ritual, for reasons Narinder neither understood nor cared about. He had been fully intending to stay in his tent while this went on, until his siblings had dragged him out, claiming that if they had to do this then so did he. So, here he was, sullenly sipping some wine while watching the other followers with barely disguised disdain. Quite a few of the other followers were drunk and sloppily flirting with each other. Narinder was about to turn his attention elsewhere, disgusted with their blatant displays of affection.

But then he noticed a few of the followers flirting with the Lamb.

And that gave him an idea.

He'd tried being aggressive. He'd tried being direct.

Maybe it was time he tried a... subtler approach.

He quickly finished his glass of wine before pouring himself another, full enough to swirl and slosh as he stumbled toward the Lamb, adopting a swaying and off-balance gait to simulate drunkenness.

"Lamb~" He called in a sing-song voice.

The Lamb turned away from where they were politely declining the advances of a different drunken follower. They gasped upon seeing Narinder seemingly stumbling drunkenly toward them.

"Nari! Are you drunk?" They asked, unable to hide the enormous grin that spread across their face.

"What can I say?" Narinder slung an arm around the Lamb's shoulder, deliberately slurring some of his words. "What you lack in godhood you seem to make up for in potent liquors."

The Lamb's expression flattened a bit and they rolled their eyes, patting Narinder's head. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh, don't make that face." Narinder leaned in closer, resting his cheek against the Lamb's. "You're doing well. For a usurper." He had to add that last part. Even when feigning weakness, he couldn't let the Lamb forget what they'd taken.

"Aw, I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me," the Lamb replied, patting Narinder's hand. "You're definitely gonna regret that tomorrow." They paused, then laughed. "You're probably gonna regret all of this tomorrow."

Narinder's expression suddenly grew solemn. "Then let's not think about tomorrow," he whispered, leaning closer.

"Huh?" The Lamb let out a squeak at the sudden closeness.

Their faces were close enough that their noses were almost touching, and Narinder was sure the Lamb could smell the alcohol on his breath, further strengthening the impression that this was all due to intoxication.

"I don't want to think about tomorrow," Narinder hissed, eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm tired of worrying all the time. Let me have this moment, Lamb."

The Lamb blinked, clearly flustered, but quickly regained their composure and smiled. "Well, alright. If you say so."

Narinder stared intently at them with half-lidded eyes. They weren't unattractive, he would admit that much. But they meant nothing to him, he reminded himself. They were nothing.

...Why was his heart beating faster now?

No, he had to focus on his plan.

"...Can I kiss you?" He asked.

The Lamb's eyes went wide. "...What?"

"Can I kiss you?" Narinder repeated.

"Okay, so I did hear you right. Uh..." The Lamb giggled nervously. "Do you... actually want that?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't." Narinder gave a lazy smile.

The Lamb paused, considering this. "Just one," they said after a moment of thought. "And only a quick one. I don't want to take advantage of you."

Internally, Narinder couldn't help but laugh. Oh, so they thought they were taking advantage of him in this situation. Oh, how adorable. If only they knew how wrong they were.

"How kind of you," Narinder purred. Then, he leaned in and pressed his lips to theirs.

It was just a ploy, he reminded himself as the Lamb closed their eyes and leaned in. This meant nothing. The Lamb meant nothing. They were a pawn who had outlived their usefulness and needed to be brought to heel. This kiss was nothing but a lie. A sweet one, but a lie nonetheless.

Who was he really lying to, though?

[the-one-who-lambs]

AO3 Questions Tag Game!

I was tagged by @bamsara (on my main @onethirdofimpossible but most of my readers follow me here for cotl stuff so I'm posting it here)

I tag @i-eat-deodorant and @megsiepoo!

Under the readmore because this is long as shit

1 – How many works do you have on AO3?

69 BAYBEEEE

2 – What’s your total AO3 word count?

213,360 words published

3 – What fandoms do you write for?

Previously: Pokemon (no longer online), Steven Universe, a few Deep-Sea Prisoner games (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea, The Grey Garden, Ice Scream)

Currently: Cult of the Lamb

4 – What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Care and Keeping of Eldritch Gods. Until the rewrite of RL/FG is done, this is my magnum opus

Present My first ever CotL fic. This was the first time I'd written fic in like four years and I was dusting off my writing muscles...

Smitten soft narilamb....

Cat(nip) Boy wrote this for shits and giggles in my early fandom days. The One Who Waits on catnip

How Narinder Takes His Tea First part of the old RL/FG series. Though I'm remaking it as a longform multichap fic, I'm keeping up the old series because of the memories + I don't want other people who saved the old one to lose it.

5 – Do you respond to comments?

All the time! I was able to respond to literally every single comment back in 2022, but as last year went on, I realized I probably can't realistically do that anymore. It's a blessing and a curse.

6 – What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

We already knew how this would turn out. Title not given directly in my answer in case of spoilers. My readers saw it coming because I had built up to it, but I took my time writing the gradual reveal in the last chapter to make sure it landed the way I wanted it to.

And one more comment I won't post here bc (for anyone who wants to read it) spoils the ending but shoutout to the person who physically felt the shock lurch through their body when the realization hit them after the slow build-up.

As much as I love angsty stories with happy endings, what gets me more are stories that are happy at face value, with endings that are heartwrenching because of the underbelly of what lurked beneath that facade.

7 – What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The Risen Lamb and the Fallen God. Bit a spoilers below if you're avoiding that

The original wedding fic (as part of the original series) is up, but it's going to get a good polishing in the rewrite. Lambert and Narinder are going to have a private first dance, Thenana and Narinder are going to have a deeper conversation, Ratau's interactions with Lambert are gonna be shown rather than just told, Aym and Baal will be revived.

8 – Do you get hate on fics?

Mostly no. There was one time last year that I was compared to another writer in the fandom and slowly asks evolved into "your own concepts are being done better by others" and shit, and the other writer got hate messages as well, and... well, it was a whole thing. Don't wanna talk too in detail about it because I don't wanna beat a dead horse but cotl writers have unionized so we got the last laugh I guess

9 – Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

lol ya it's on remainderofreality. What "kind?" uh. experimental because I'd never tried the genre before this fandom and it kinda shows but that's okay.

10 – Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Honestly, I'm not really into crossovers! Unless it's Webber in cotl. He can stay, he's cute.

11 – Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah. It was actually the first fic I posted online, ever. In middle school, I wrote a whole ~100k-ish word self-insert pokemon fanfic, which I wrote by hand in like five composition notebooks, so I never posted that online. But after that I decided to post shorter one-shots for pokemon online, and a few months later I found one of mine reposted without credit. Plagiarized entirely, basically. It scared me and I deleted everything I had posted online, and I don't have extra copies of the works now. :(

12 – Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'd be okay with it if I was asked beforehand and proper credit was given!

13 – Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yeah! Of Duty and Devotion is basically a glorified roleplay between me as Aym, @i-eat-deodorant as Baal, @checkplzjuliet as The Lamb, and @surfdudeboy as Narinder. I also wrote Hide and Seek, a cute little Bishop family one-shot, with @lordiedams (hi Damien I miss you).

14 – What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Narilamb. I haven't focused on a ship for this long, except maybe Rupphire back in the day, but I'm fixated so much more on CotL than I was for SU.

15 – What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Honestly, Of Duty and Devotion lmao. I'm much more focused on my own projects and so are Pavi, Surf, and Juliet. I do want to finish it though.

16 – What are your writing strengths?

Pacing, diction, syntax, getting the intended point across and doing it well. Once I commit to doing something, I don't usually let myself "give up" on it, hence why I barely have any unfinished WIPs. That's a skill honed with tons of practice, though. I have massive ADHD, and I'm bad at finishing things, but when it comes to writing by god I'm gonna do it.

17 – What are your writing weaknesses?

I often struggle to get to a point where I'm totally focused in on what I'm writing. It does happen once or twice a month, but honestly, I'm usually so busy with life stuff that I don't get to do that most of the time! I wish I had more time to make room for my hobbies, but alas. At least summer is coming up, and I'll be able to do that more often, hopefully!

18 – Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It's possible to do it naturally for sure, but I rarely see it done well in fic. I've never attempted it...... or, wait, have I? I guess Thenana's sign language counts, huh? ...I feel like I need to do more research about this topic to answer the question properly.

19 – First fandom you wrote for?

Pokemon <3

20 – Favorite fic you’ve written?

The Risen Lamb and the Fallen God or The Care and Keeping of Eldritch Gods.

Risen/Fallen (and the enemies-to-lovers narilamb dynamic) was like the first thing that I did to make a "mark" on this fandom, and I didn't expect it to inspire so many people for sure! But, the first iteration of the series was so rushed. I wrote the whole thing in just over three weeks and averaged one chapter published every day and a half. Now that I have a better grasp on the characters after playing with them for a long while, I get to see my improvement, and I get to see so many friends I've made along the way sticking with me, the revamped "director's cut" version is definitely on track to be my favorite work.

However. It has yet to surpass Care and Keeping. As the oldest of four kids in my family, I based so much of Shamura on my experiences as an eldest sibling, and many of the experiences the younger bishops had in their formative years on our own childhoods. I based Narinder's childhood off of brother #1's (brother who is two years younger than me), Kallamar's childhood on my own, Heket's childhood on my sister's (five years younger than me), and Leshy's off of my youngest brother's (ten years younger than me). This story wasn't just an exploration of the Bishops and their dynamic/relationship pre-canon, it's also a testament to my own love as an eldest sibling... and all the anxiety associated with that, too.

Thanks for tagging me! Back to working on my presentation...

[dogiperson]

You draw such lovely content so fast. Makes me mad! Im so jelly! I'm gonna try and race you!

More Narilamb for everyone!!!

Hehe thank u

Take your time, I'm drawing really slow actually...

I spend 5-4 hours for one drawing

But I draw 60 hours a week so... Yeah

Good luck in the race!

[lilpuffyart]

Something I hc (for narilamb fanchildren) is that Lamb isn't really trying to bring the sheep kind back. They're all dead, and it's not like their kind will ever come back (it's kinda impossible at this point, they can look like sheeps, but they're not sheeps), so it's better to accept it at this point.

So when Lamb and Narinder decide to have kids, its bc they both wanted them.

They end up having very different parenting styles. Lamb is somewhat strict, after all, someone needs to teach these kids how the world works. Doesn't mean theyre less loving or that they're mean to them, but they try to include the kids in things that they know they can handle (even if it just watching).

For Narinder, he surprisingly spends a lot of time with them. They sometimes crawl inside his hoodie when they're still small enough to fit in, so it makes it easy for them to stay close. Narinder believes that the kids will learn on their own time, but its not like he'll complain much about it. Lamb has more experience on this realm of living things than he will ever have.

But would he, in a hypothetical argument, side with the kids, even if the kids did something terrible???? Yeah :)

[fandomfrenzysworld]

Please read the notes for context.

Notes: For starters, Mercy Gone Wrong belongs to @faery-the-diamond. They've stated before that their AU does not contain Narilamb and wouldn't intentionally have it happen. But my brain wouldn't stop asking about how they ever could end up in a relationship. And thus, I wrote this little fanfic to finally silence those thoughts. This takes place in a future where Lambert has escaped the crown. (How? Don't know. Doesn't really matter for the fic.)

Notes TLDR; Not my AU, not a canon ship for the AU. Narilamb fanfic that takes place in the future.

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Lambert shivered as he walked through the cult grounds. The early onset winter winds were making him regret his usual decision of outfit. He held his cloak shut, trying to block any winds he could. After his final round of the cult, making triple sure everything was taken care of, at least as well as things could be in this place, he was ready to get back to his house and warm up.

My house, Lambert thought, slightly grimacing once he realized who would be waiting there. That stupid three-eyed cat with his cocky grin, higher than thou attitude, and-

"Let me guess, it's much colder outside than you figured it'd be this morning?" Narinder asked as Lambert walked in, not even bothering to look away from his book.

Lambert usually would've scolded Narinder for the comment but found himself thanking his roommate's fascination in reading. Nainder was laying down on the floor in front of an already raging fireplace, giving the lamb a clear look at his usually prim and pristine posture being replaced by a more casual and relaxed one. That's where the thoughts came back.

Lambert blushed. For the past few months, he'd been seeing Nainder in a different light. One of someone who could be more than just a companion, one of a partner. His frustrations from these thoughts snapped him from them. He took off his cloak and folded it up.

"Yeah, yeah. You're the all-knowing Narinder who can never be wrong," Lambert said.

"I lived in snowy mountains for the majority of my life. I know a thing or two about predicting when the weather is going to turn south," Narinder corrected.

Lambert just rolled his eyes as he set his cloak down, walking over to join Narinder in front of the fire. The cat sat up and shut his book, preparing to speak with Lambert.

"So, what are we going to do for the cult during the winter this time?" Narinder asked.

"Oh no, don't let me get in the way. You're the one who knows this stuff so well," Lambert said sarcastically. "But being serious, I trust you in this department. You've improved a lot of our preparations so far, so just keep up the good work."

"Aww, I'm touched," Narinder said half sarcastically as he gave Lambert a light punch to the shoulder. He was fairly shocked when Lambert actually winced from it and started to rub the area. "Umm, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just been struggling with a bit of stiffness today. Maybe it's the weather?" Lambert mused.

"Want me to help you relax?" Narinder offered.

Lambert looked at his previous employer with a bit of confusion, a faint blush coming to his cheeks from the less-than-optimal wording. Thankfully his wool made it hard to see.

"C-Come again?" Lambert asked.

"Do you want me to help you relax? Your stiffness is actually probably from the weather. So, working the stiff areas and applying heat will help them loosen," Narinder explained.

"Oh..." was all Lambert could get out at first. "Umm, yeah, sure. What should I do?"

"Just turn around and try to follow my lead," Narinder said.

"Promise this won't turn into acupuncture?" Lambert said as he turned.

Narinder sighed and decided to ignore that comment. He cracked his knuckles to loosen them up and grabbed Lambert's shoulder, getting a surprised bleat from the lamb in front of him.

"W-What are you-?!" Lambert stammered as his cheeks turned rosy red.

"Easy. Keep your shoulders loose. I said was working the stiff spots, didn't I?" Narinder said.

"I-I thought you meant shoulder rolls and stuff," Lambert reasoned.

"Do you want me to stop?" Narinder asked.

"...no," Lambert said.

With that, Narinder began to press into Lambert's stiff muscles, using firm but gentle motions to work the area. His paws were extremely warm, sending small shudders through Lambert's body as his shoulders started to loosen up.

During this, Lambert began thinking about his feelings towards Narinder again. Ever since they started finding common ground, his perspective slowly shifted from anger, to tension, to comfort, and eventually even what he'd call friendship. But as the weeks started to move by, he found his heart was not keen on stopping where his head did. Slowly but surely their usual greeting to one another started to make his heart flutter. Even when he had thoughts about Narinder's less than desirable personality quirks, one glace at those three eyes made him not care. Like those flaws didn't matter or were worth toughing it out. He'd gone from someone he couldn't stand, to someone he wasn't sure he could be without. And now that same person was grabbing at his shoulders and helping to ease a burden. A temporary one, but one he was still taking time to help with.

"Alright, how's that?" Narinder asked, his voice snapping Lambert from his trance.

"Ah, yeah, that's a lot better," Lambert said as he turned back around. He found himself considering Narinder's posture again. In public the cat carried himself to be ready to react to anything, all in an effort to not ruin his image. It was almost as if he viewed social interactions as a battle that he needed to be ten steps ahead of. But when it was just the two of them, Narinder relaxed, let his shoulders drop. He wasn't tensed in preparation for anything. If Lambert had wanted to, he could close the distance in an instant, exploiting Narinder's vulnerability to prank or do something to fluster him.

"Hey, you still with me?" Narinder asked. "You're kind of just star-mph!"

Lambert had gone in for the kill. Metaphorically speaking. He kissed the black cat. Spurred on by the comfortable and soothing atmosphere, he let his heart get before him again. Once he realized what he just did, his eyes went wide and he pulled away.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me, I just-!" Lambert shouted, trailing off when he heard Narinder start laughing. Then he caught sight of that stupid cocky smile on Narinder's face. "What's so..."

"I was wondering when you were gonna make your move. Though that was a lot bolder than I was expecting, I'll give you that," Narinder said.

Lambert sat there in disbelief, mouth agape. Soon enough his shock turned to anger, and his stare turned to a scowl. "You knew?!" he asked.

"Lambert, I've been alive for thousands of years. Had countless people develop feelings for me and confess to me. I started to pick up on signs a long, long time ago," Narinder explained.

"So you just let me sit there with my feelings bubbling up instead of talking to me?!" Lambert complained.

Narinder's smile faded as he sighed. "Honestly, I was thinking over my own feelings," he admitted.

Lambert's anger faded, taking the wind out of his sails.

"We've come a long way from how we used to see each other. And I got scared that maybe I was reading you wrong. I didn't want to be the one who made the first move. I guess I was scared I'd damage what we have. I could accept you not having feelings for me, but I couldn't stand the thought of going back to before. Of losing you and being alone," Narinder explained.

"Well, I guess we both had our reasons then..." Lambert said meekly. "I just wish mine were as good as yours."

Narinder raised an eyebrow at that.

"All cards on the table, I couldn't bring myself to confess because I was scared of what others would think. My followers, the people we talk to...and my people," Lambert admitted.

Narinder tensed. He knew Lambert didn't take discussions about his people lightly.

"I mean, what would they think if I brought them back and then told them that I was in love with the person they were put to the blade over? Would I be outcast, forced to leave you, face ridicule for being a disgra-ah!" Lambert ranted, only stopping once Narinder grabbed both sides of his face.

"I don't know. I know I don't care, but I also know you do. That's why I think we should take this slow. Figure out our feelings together without rushing into anything, and take it one step at a time," Nainder explained, trying to ease Lambert's worries.

"Uh...yeah, one step at a time. That sounds...nice," Lambert said.

Narinder let go and picked his book back up. He figured Lambert would need a little bit to process. He knew he couldn't change the lamb's mind, he learned that the hard way a long time ago.

He jumped a little bit when Lambert leaned into him, staying close as to not be completely alone with his thoughts. Narinder was happy to oblige, wrapping his arm around Lambert and holding him through the night.

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Wow, I really got into this. This was pretty fun to write. Hopefully it wasn't too cringy or cheesy.