mocho

ENG: Back when Sojo was still a bit lucid... I wanted to draw them exploring with Mushroomo and finding a yummy mushroom. I'm really happy because the background colors came out looking so warm and cozy👍

Yeah, after his volatile reaction to the flowers that grow whether or not Leshy walks among them. After likening the very dead Heket to poison mushrooms, a thing that has no concept of death. After wishing for a reminder of Kallamar’s demise, only to reminisce how a monument to his power was “a thing of beauty.” Are those displays of conventional, acceptable grief, untainted by resentment? Of course not. But there’s not nothing there.

Certainly, his relationship with Shamura is the most complex in terms of how they came to motivate both his own actions against the Bishops and the Bishops’ actions against him. Certainly, they’re the one who was most openly wounded by this violent shift in the family’s dynamic, and that triggers a unique reaction in Narinder.

But let’s not forget that by the time the Lamb has that conversation with him, Narinder’s defenses have likely been whittled down to the point where he is displaying more grief than resentment. Is that a shift that would have happened if he hadn’t meditated on his relationships with the other Bishops?

And while it’s tempting to contextualize this all in the realm of character personalities alone, the Old Faith was a religious institution that shaped much of who Narinder was. It only makes sense that the more time passes in his life outside of the Old Faith, the more contemplative he gets as to what he has lost, what his place in the world is. His reaction to the spider silk is a turning point in his questline, not its culmination.

ENG: "I really love Marchosias. Actually, I've been wanting to draw them ever since Woolhaven came out, but I kept putting it off because of work. Now that I've quit my job, and since a Twitter mutual I've admired for a long time also happens to really love Marchosias, I really wanted to draw this for her as a gift.

You know, I've also been kinda partial to Madame Furfur, I think she's very interesting. I wanna see your take on her, if that's okay?

ENG: Hello, anonymous Berith fan! I am so sorry for the late reply. I've been incredibly busy recently preparing to resign from my job. I've finally quit, and I am free at last!

Madam Furfur is a grandma, but she's really cute. The way she yells at us is exactly like my own grandma. I actually live with my grandma, and I find it so adorable because they are so alike.

Thank you so much for waiting, and have a wonderful day!

no one [in the fandom] ever defines redemption. even though this is the game where you literally decide which actions are sinful! and since you, as a player, are a cult leader, it feels somewhat annoying to go "I'm the good ruler, these NPCs are the bad ones". <- like I understand that the Bishops slaughtered almost all of the sheep, tortured their followers, abused their powers.. but the Lamb's done that too. not to the same brutal extent, but there's some amount of manipulation/coercion/brainwashing required to lead the flock.

2. the Bishops suffered in Purgatory for an indeterminate amount of time, stuck between life and death, wounds gaping and festering. if punishment equates to redemption, haven't they had enough? <- I feel like the emphasis is often placed on "suffering as a source of of holiness", and not "okay, they were tortured, how do they start making amends"? and then they were stripped of their Crowns, forced into mortal bodies, and shoved into the last Cult.

3. there's so many save files, and thusly, so many directions canon could go in. I may not like someone's saccharine Narinder/Lamb fanfiction, but it isn't necessarily out of character if you've glimpsed the character-buildup first. (example: the Bishops forgiving? forging a truce with Narinder now that they're all followers).

4. also! <- you don't have to answer this immediately, or at all, but I feel like the fandom of "the game where you interrogate what morality is and redefine it" defaults to.. evangelical "martyrdom -> redemption" (which makes. sense??) but. after awhile it just tires me out. there's so many different versions of the Lamb--as the player, as a force of nature, as the arbiter of justice--that could be written!

..and so often the fandom defaults to "the Lamb would HATE them FOREVER >:[". at least in my experience. +I feel like it's more interesting to write the Lamb as "merciful". (example: "I'll let you shelter in my Cult.. as long as you serve me for eternity :3 and if you disobey, I will hunt down what remains of your sect and show them what I HAVE REDUCED YOU TO. Okay? We're clear on that? Yay! ^u^" kindness for the apparent greater good, etc etc).

Sincerely,

Swooning-Sofa

(post-script: I hope you're doing okay-er in regards to your wearisome job. Also the Lamb plushie you displayed looks so cute!! A friend gifted one to me and my first response turned out to be "..oh! you've given me a stuffed animal version of.. me? thanks! -wait a moment.." lol).

+I hope your day's gone well. :O :D

ENG: I’ve been wanting to answer this question so badly for a while now. My job kept getting in the way, but now I’m finally free! Thank you so much for waiting so long, Sofa!!!

1. About Redemption... Maybe it's because I like the Bishops, but I really disliked how the fandom constantly depicted them as absolute evil. If you think about it, didn't the official lore describe Shamura as Lawful Evil? I believe they were simply doing what was necessary on the stage of CotL, even if their methods might seem somewhat violent from our perspective. They only seemed like the bad bosses because our playable character was the Lamb. If we were playing as minions of the Old Faith or the Bishops themselves, the Lamb would have looked like the evil boss. It's entirely a matter of perspective.

2. Suffering and Redemption To be honest, I was also a bit dissatisfied at first that the update allowed us to recruit the Bishops as our followers. Because once they become followers, they just happily laugh, chat, and reunite with their family. But thinking about it again, I realized that this itself is actually the punishment given to them. That's why I even mentioned in a comic I posted in the past that the reason the Lamb spared the Bishops was to subject them to eternal punishment. Furthermore, it's only after a significant amount of time has passed since becoming followers that the Bishop family requests relics, purifies them, and finally meets again to reconcile. Only then do they atone for their sins, occasionally making confessions to the Lamb, and eventually reconciling right in front of them. After that event, the Bishops become official figures in the Lamb's cult and gain the trait of never becoming dissenters. I believe this is exactly the final destination of their atonement. Because of this, I actually thought that there is no specific form of "redemption" in this game. Depending on the perspective, it might feel like redemption, but it's not entirely that either. It seems there is no concept of absolutes here. And through the depiction in Woolhaven showing that the Lamb's species weren't purely good either, I realized that these characters cannot be divided into black and white; their story progresses within that ambiguous, gray boundary. I think this is a truly massive charm point of the game. And I also want to strongly support your opinion of the Lamb as a "benevolent tyrant." The way they smile warmly on the outside but cleanly execute any dissenters who disobey them—that aspect of an absolute ruler really gives me a thrill!

3. The Multiverse I think I saw something in the Woolhaven AMA saying that every playable save data is its own separate universe. So, your words and all of our theories can't really be considered wrong. Because of that, I've decided to just lightly pass over fanworks that aren't my taste now, haha.

Honestly, my heart is pounding because it's been a while since I read something this insightful. It was a bit long, but I really love posts like this that leave me with such deep thoughts. Thank you again for waiting so long!!

전부터 이 답변을 너무나도 하고 싶었어요ㅜ. 회사가 방해했지만 이제는 드디어 자유랍니다ㅜ 정말 오랫동안 기다려주셔서 감사합니다 Sofa!!!

1.구원에 대하여... 주교들을 좋아해서인지 팬덤에서 마냥 주교들을 절대 악으로 묘사하는 걸 보기 싫었어요. 따지고 보면 공식에서 샤무라를 질서악이라고 표현했잖아요? 주교들은 이 무대에서 반드시 필요한 행동을 했던 거 뿐이라고 생각합니다. 그 방법이 우리 입장에서는 다소 폭력적으로 보일 수 있더라도... 우리 플레이어블 캐릭터가 어린 양이었기 때문에 그들이 악으로 보였던 것이지, 만약 옛 신앙의 부하라던가 주교들이었다면, 어린 양이 악으로 보였을 테죠. 완전히 관점의 차이라고 생각합니다.

2. 고통과 구원 저도 사실 업데이트로 인해 주교들을 우리 추종자로 영입을 할 수 있었던 것에 조금 불만이 있었습니다. 우리 추종자가 되면 마냥 행복하게 웃고 떠들며 가족과 다시 재회하잖아요. 하지만 다시금 생각해보니 오히려 이것이야말로 주교들에게 주어진 형벌이라는 생각이 들었어요. 그렇기에 과거 포스트 올린 만화에서도 어린 양이 주교들을 살린 이유가 그들에게 영원한 형벌을 부여하기 위해서라고 언급한 적이 있었죠ㅎㅎ 또 주교 가족들은 팔로워가 된 지 꽤 시간이 흘러서야 유물을 요청하고, 정화하며 결국 그들이 다시금 만나 화해를 해요. 이제서야 그들은 자신의 죄를 속죄하고 때로는 어린 양에게 고해성사를 하며, 결국 이들은 어린 양 앞에서 화해를 했죠. 그 이벤트 이후로 주교들은 어린 양의 교단에 공식적인 주교가 되며, 절대로 이단자가 되지 않는 특성을 가지게 되죠. 이게 바로 그 속죄의 종착점이라고 생각합니다. 그래서 저는 사실 이 게임의 구원이란 형태는 특별히 없다고 생각했습니다. 관점에 따라서는 구원이라고 느낄 수 있어도, 또 마냥 구원은 아닌거죠. 이 곳에서는 절대적인 개념이 없는 거 같아요. 그리고 이번 울헤이븐에서도 어린 양족이 마냥 선한 존재가 아니었다는 묘사를 통해 이 캐릭터들은 흑백으로 나눌 수 없고 회새과 같은 애매한 경계선 안에서 이야기가 진행된다 사실을 깨달았어요. 정말 이게 큰 매력 포인트라고 생각해요. 그리고 어린 양이 자비로운 폭군이라는 해석을 적극 지지하고 싶네요ㅎㅎ. 겉으로는 생긋 웃지만, 자신의 말을 듣지 않는 이단자들을 말끔히 사살해버리는 절대적인 지배자의 면모가 저를 기분 좋게 만들거든요! ㅎㅎㅎ

3.다중우주 울헤이븐AMA에서 우리 플레이어블 세이브 데이터 하나 당 하나의 우주라는 비슷한 말을 보았던 거 같아요. 그러니까 나의 말도, 당신의 말도, 우리 모두의 해석도 마냥 틀렸다고는 볼 수 없지. 그래서 이제는 저도 제 취향이 아닌 작품은 가볍게 넘기기로 했네요ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I wanted to share with you a theory I came up with a friend about Laplace and his role as God (and how possible he was a Chosen God).

After analyzing it a bit, I felt that the appropriate title for Laplace would be a God of Destiny, who connects the destiny of chance, in addition to the destiny of souls. It seems that Laplace has a strong connection with both things.

It is also said that his main role would be to guide the souls that will probably end up lost or in purgatory, and that he would have access to this layer without needing the Mystic Seller. It seems that The Lamb does not have natural access to this place and needed the Mystic Seller to enter. So the theory would be that Laplace's concept allowed one to enter this layer of the world naturally. Furthermore, the coins would serve as payment and an identifier of pure and blasphemous souls. So that Laplace would know which souls he should guide to the afterlife and which others had their punishment pending in purgatory.

Regarding a design for Laplace, a friend made a great design that I love. Laplace, having his crown on the back of his head, and which cannot be seen from the front. Besides, the design of the crown is so unique.

If there were more fanart of Laplace, it would surely be great to see him on a boat carrying souls while telling stories of the past.

ENG: Laplace's Demon, the motif behind Laplace's name, is known as a god of destiny. They can perfectly calculate everything that will happen in the future and are depicted as a being that symbolizes determinism.

And when I reread the description of Laplace's relic based on your theories, I realized there was actually a mention of death regarding the coin relic! If this is true, it makes it a bit easier to understand why Narinder was an unchosen god.

Even though death is an absolutely essential element for living beings to exist, the reason the First Gods didn't appoint a God of Death could be that Laplace was already fulfilling that role. You know, like the underworld ferryman rowing a boat that is so often mentioned in the West, hahaha.

The hypothesis that he sorts out which realm souls should enter because he already knows the destiny of all living beings is also incredibly interesting. If Narinder simply lets the souls rest, perhaps Laplace was the one handling the work that came after.

Wow, I also absolutely love the Laplace design your friend made! He looks like a reliable, somewhat scary, but highly dependable oldest brother, haha. Thank you so much for sharing!

라플라스 이름의 모티브가 된 라플라스의 악마는 운명의 신으로 알려져 있죠. 그들은 미래에 일어날 모든 일을 완벽하게 계산할 수 있는데다 운명 결정론을 상징하는 존재로 묘사돼요. 그리고 당신이 추측한 글을 기반으로 라플라스의 유물 설명을 다시 읽어보니, 동전 유물에 죽음과 관련된 언급이 있었네요. 만약 이게 사실이라면 나린더가 왜 선택받지 못한 신이었는 지 조금 이해가 갑니다. 분명 "죽음" 은 생명체가 존재하면 절대적으로 필요한 개념임에도 첫번째 신들이 죽음의 신을 임명하지 않았던 이유는 이미 라플라스가 그 역할을 하고 있었기 때문이라고도 말할 수 있겠네요. 서양에서 흔히 말하는 저승 뱃사공이요ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 라플라스는 모든 생명체의 운명을 알고 있었기 때문에 그 영혼이 어느 공간으로 들어가야할 지 선별한다는 가설도 흥미로워요. 나린더가 영혼을 그저 쉬게만 한다면, 그 후의 작업은 라플라스가 했었을 지도 모르겠네요.

[ Blind Heart ]

my take (that i do not expect to have been the actual thought process from the developers and if they give us more information ill change my headcanon lore) is that in the universe of cotl, sheep as a species are infantilised as a form of their oppression, since abrahamic religions call for specifically a sacrificial lamb

even before the bishops called for their complete extermination, sheep were the favoured victims for sacrifice; how that came to be no one truly remembers, but does that really matter anymore? sheep are typically referred to as "lambs", from the belief that they will die young, either from sacrifice or from other factors (famine, disease, etc that affect them disproportionately due to them being stuck on the lower rungs of the social ladder). they are also referred to as children derogatorily, as is the case with several types of real life oppression

the lamb is known as The Lamb for several reasons:

literal: they are the last sheep alive (until reviving yngya of course) so they truly are The Lamb

to demean them: they are treated as nothing but a child and not worthy of respect. they are just A Lamb

irony: they cannot die young because, as the new god of death, they will never die

but back to temi, her being associated with youth is a little different than the titular Lamb. while she did die young (though she is clearly not a child, since she is the same size as the other adult sheep rather than keru and aza) it represents her wide eyed idealism, her fascination and fixation on death and gore with an Innocence (her title) that can only be described as "childlike". she leans into the infantilisation of her species, but not the way typically expected. she is not weak and frail, she is incredibly strong. maybe not physically but mentally. they cannot break her. if they managed to find her, she would not have given them the satisfaction of her tears

also, according to the wiki (i am unsure if this has been confirmed or just a theory) she was named after the angel Temeluchus, who looks after children who died of infanticide. maybe she babysits keru and aza? this would make sense to me, since the Fleece of Youth (which is not her fleece. her fleece is "fleece of the innocent" and looks like what she wears) is covered in stars

just like keru and aza

i dont know if its been said whether well get more on the woolhaven sheep but i expect temi has some sort of ties to the twins specifically. for her little red riding hood motif... maybe she lead a (metaphorical OR literal) wolf in sheeps clothing to woolhaven and ensured their doom. whether it was accidental or because the little freak wanted to see what would happen, i dont know

Is this how people usually request stuff on tumblr? why so intense 💀

Anyway

❗️SLIGHT WOOLHAVEN SPOILERS❗️

This is a little theory that occurred to me after looking a bit more at the Lore Room.

The full progress of making clay Shamura

its funny how despite the fact they used to be gods and stuff, the bishops get the randomized preset convert thoughts when you indoctrinate them. like, what do you mean heket is grateful i converted her? leshy is happy he’s here??? he sure doesn’t act like it!

(￣∇￣)

the rest of the bishops (+ narinder) were just about what i expected though. kallamar got used to his new life nearly immediately.