#db rambles

[collecting-dustbunnies]

The longer I play Obey Me, the more I feel like Obey Me is a story about how the MC, in their quest to seek acceptance by the people they care about, ends up destroying themselves in the process and losing the very thing that made them so special and loved in the first place.

In the beginning of OG, they started off as just a normal human who got whisked away to a weird ass world where literally nobody respects them. Despite this, they recognised from the beginning that these demons and angels were not so different from humans. MC's ability to see the demons as actual people and not just beings controlled by their sins was what allowed them to form close bonds with them. They had good intentions to reunite the demon brothers who had undergone centuries of misunderstanding, resentment, and pent up grief. Even though they were excessively nosy, MC's unique position as a complete outsider allowed them to see just how much love the demon brothers had for each other, and how they can become closer if everybody would just better communicate with each other. Serving as the bridge to better improve the brothers' relationships was what convinced the demon brothers to also see MC as a member of their family.

But as the MC became more involved in the Devildom's problems, they started to adopt the same toxic traits that had created wedges between the brothers in the first place. From relying heavily on their pacts to subdue the brothers, to allowing a curse to control Barbatos (even though they had the ability to break it), to going along with the brothers' manipulative scheme to trick Satan into reconciling with Lucifer when Satan ran away to the human world -- it's almost like MC has unconsciously picked up on some of their loved ones' behaviour. Gone are the days where MC brings in a new perspective to problems. Now, they just embrace the chaos and their more darker traits, for that is what is expected of them to survive in the Devildom. And since everyone within their circle puts them on a pedestal, this further affirms to the MC that this is how they should be.

Dealing with the affairs of the Devildom had also caused the MC to grow more apathetic. In the beginning, they had been actively taking steps to form pacts with the brothers and were generally very invested in freeing Belphie from the attic. They remained true to themselves and insisted that they form a pact with Satan based on mutual trust and understanding, and not just as a means to smite Lucifer. Despite being in a helpless situation, MC never refused to give up their agency. But the longer MC gets involved with these shenanigans, the more they grew... numb to everything.

Solomon bringing me back to the Devildom unannounced? Oh, sure. Diavolo and Solomon hiding the reasons for my sudden return? Not my problem.

Simeon facing a problem to the point of having a quarter of the cast acting as his bodyguards? Eh, I'll just ignore it until I can't anymore.

Watching and waiting. That's what they have resorted to doing.

And that mindset of kicking problems down the line until it lands on MC's doorstep and they have no choice but to act -- that's exactly how they have been acting when they were stuck in NB, hasn't it? MC didn't bother forming pacts with the past version of the brothers until they were given an ultimatum, and even then, they simply relied on the convenient timing of each brother struggling with an inner crisis to swoop in, resolve the situation and tick them off their checklist.

MC in NB seems like an unfortunate culmination of everything they faced so far. They're too apathetic to care about getting sent to an unfamiliar place once again, too desensitised to life in the Devildom to reclaim their agency, and too desperate to earn the love of their former family to even think about anything else. They became so co-dependent to the demon brothers that they seem to think they cannot live without them or their affection, even if the ones they are living with in the past are different people from the ones they grew to love in the present.

The phrase "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" fits way too perfectly for the Obey Me MC. After all, MC keeps getting rewarded every time they try to get themselves killed (or even when they actually got killed). Maybe that's the only way they know how to resolve problems.

So if they can't die as the hero, they'll just learn to live as the villain.

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Final tally:

'Twas fun to do lol. Absolutely wild the Little Ds took over the hard mode entirely.

Decided to make this bingo card for the upcoming season as a salty and tired Triworlds and trio fan to inject some fun into a season I'm not particularly excited about. It contains things only I, and maybe like two other people, care about.

(Didn't bother labeling it as season 3 because I'll be shocked if a lot of this isn't a concern for future seasons.)

[luck-of-the-drawings]

OH MY DAYS i cant believe i never posted this one here (originally posted to twitter, JAN20 2023) (hes stabbing his little bathtub bed. is that obvious? i hope its obvious) OLD ART at this point but i still like the way i did expression and movement. also WEEE THE NIGHTMARE ARC WAS SO FUNNNN WASNT IT FUNNN?? WEEEE!!

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Lesson 58-A in a nutshell (SPOILERS!)

(Context under cut)

[audhdgoku]

OBSESSED That They Have Plates Of Actual Food For Vegeta, Bulma, And Goku, Tea For The Kai's, And Water For Mr. Popo And Piccolo lol

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Your theory post is really well-written, and I appreciate all the evidence you've brought up showing where Simeon being Nightbringer can fit! I also find it interesting you brought up the Solomon illusion sequence, because I had briefly discussed in one of my theory posts in the beginning that Nightbringer had been trying to push Solomon to pick a side between the angels and the demons... so if Simeon was one of the sides in that illusion, then it tracks that Nightbringer would want Solomon to side with him there.

I just wanted to piggy-back ride off this post to bring up some other tidbits that Simeon and other characters had presented which were left open-ended... perhaps they could tie in to what we're seeing right now?

Whose side are you really on?

Back in Lesson 14, Solomon asks MC whether they will lend him his support in his goal to protect humanity's interests against demons and angels, and if they would be willing to side with him even if it means going against the demons they care about.

Here, MC can resolve to find a solution where they can protect humans without going against the brothers or promise to side with Solomon regardless of the consequences. I found it interesting that if MC chooses the first option, Simeon's affection bar rises. Ignoring how tf MC's one choice over here raises the affection of a dude on the other side of the realm, the reaction here makes sense, since Simeon in NB had been conflicted about his duties to the Celestial Realm and his guilt over letting the brothers fall (and his affection for them, that still has not faded one bit). Simeon would also want a solution that avoids conflict from both sides. If Nightbringer brought MC to this world to help the brothers' adjust to their life in the Devildom, then perhaps Simeon, MC and Nightbringer are on the same page here? But if Nightbringer really wanted to force Solomon to pick a side back in Lesson 10, then maybe his motives are not as cut-and-dry.

If we continue along this conversation chain, MC can insist that a peaceful solution exists (by either challenging Solomon or urging him to drop his pessimistic outlook). Both times Solomon alludes to how they should hope for the best but expect the worst.

Speaking of Solomon and Simeon...

Remember back in Chapter 10 when Lucifer and Belphegor wanted to negotiate with Diavolo regarding Beelzebub's imprisonment? Solomon came up with the excuse that he had arranged to have tea with Simeon so that MC could go with them instead as the "neutral" party.

We later find out that Solomon and Simeon had a rather interesting conversation during their meeting. Could they have been in cahoots all along?

Simeon's assistance in the "past"

For somebody who has no clue about MC's main goal, Simeon had been surprisingly helpful in guiding MC and helping them form pacts with at least three of the brothers.

One very under-discussed part about Lesson 30, where MC was doing their angel trial and they lied for Luke, was that Simeon... totally made up the thing about the trial being about "understanding the essence of a lie". Because if Simeon was telling the truth here, why would Levi have bragged about passing the trial by "holing himself up in his room" to avoid having to lie? Why would the bracelet have broken when MC lied? If the point of the trial really was to "understand the essence of a lie" the bracelet would not have broken at all. The original goal of the trial must have been to avoid lying, and the bracelet reacted to that rule accoridngly.

And if MC remains skeptical about Simeon's explanation here by saying "Really..?" Simeon doesn't even deny that he's lying! He just says "angels don't tell lies that hurt others". But we as the readers know that's something that Simeon himself believes in rather than it being the ways of the Celestial Realm. And once again, picking this option raises Simeon's affection bar. At first I dismissed this as Simeon lying to stop Luke from dying/because he's a simp for MC, but if he was also invested in MC's goal to form their pacts? That puts a new spin on these events.

Not only that, Simeon was also the one to later guide MC to hear Levi out when Levi had found out the real reason MC wanted pacts with the brothers. And Simeon was the one to talk to MC and provide insight on Lucifer's true feelings, when Lucifer tried to gaslight gatekeep girlboss manipulate MC into admitting they do not want to leave him and his brothers behind to go back home.

Very suspicious...

--------

All that being said, the only way I can reconcile Simeon being Nightbringer with all the other information we have been given so far was if Simeon was working together with Barbatos to borrow one of his old names to act as Nightbringer in the "past". Barbatos is clearly aware of which timeline MC is really from and what their goal is, so it wouldn't make sense for him to not intervene otherwise. And the backstory with Solomon and "Nightbringer" fits more neatly if it was Barbatos that was referenced in the legends.

I will lose my mind if it turned out Barbatos, Simeon and Solomon were all working together at some point. Really drives home the point that you can't trust anyone in this game. Not even...yourself...

🧐 Simeon is Nightbringer and the signs have been there from the beginning! 🧐

I actually wasn’t sure they were going to go with the, “Simeon falls and becomes a demon” route as it seemed a bit repetitive since it already happened to the brothers. Now that it’s been confirmed he’s becoming a demon, I feel more confident to post this theory.

Simeon has always been on my list of NB candidates so these thoughts have been rolling around in my head for quite some time.

Below the cuts are my thoughts on how Simeon could be NB and why we were sent, “to the past”.

1. Nightbringer goes by many names. Simeon has a pen name for when he writes, nicknames from the brothers, and several different titles throughout his tenure in the Celestial Realm (aka demoted to archangel was a seraphim).

2. Where did Lesson 80 leave off in the OG? It was about Simeon becoming human and everyone finding out. They truly were continuing NB from the OG.

3. Nightbringer created the Fountain. The fountain contains books. Simeon is a writer.

4. He was literally in that illusion Nightbringer made for Solomon. Solomon’s conversation with NB strongly suggests NB wasn’t always a demon.

5. The storyline in NB is different from what we know of the past for a reason. This could be due to Simeon’s laments of not falling with the brothers. This is Simeon’s do over.

6. The ring of light, which Simeon stole and was the catalyst for his fall plays a role in Nightbringer.

7. Leviathan and MC are transported into an early TSL world in the beginning of NB. This could be a hint that we were thrown into a world that Simeon created.

8. Simeon is prophetic. NB is known to see through the past, present, and future. Simeon’s writings, IMO, reflect a combination of the past, present, and future. Some of them are prophetic.

9. Nightbringer is invested in MC’s happiness. Simeon stole the ring of light for MC’s survival so it’s not a stretch for him to also feel this way.

I believe we ended up in one of Simeon’s written worlds. More precisely, an alternate type of timeline where he was able to visit the brothers soon after their fall and be there for them. A world where both he and MC help the brothers to adjust to life in the Devildom.

Perhaps it was a shared dream to everyone else in the current timeline and they don’t remember it.

[nebuladreamz]

The voices are loud and I am WEAK

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Can the OM team stop being stinky and let me play past birthday events, if they're not gonna do anything useful on the OG app anymore

[omnybus]

Was thinking about the Don Bluth Anastasia movie and y'know, we need more animated films about real historical figures whose fate was a mystery mixed with wizards and dark magic and other batshit fantasy themes. I wanna see D.B. Cooper robbing a plane with the aid of his magical talking sugar glider friend

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Of course I didn't trust what Lucifer said lol. He only gave reasons for why demons shouldn't trust him, but no reason for why I shouldn't trust him. As for whether I trusted Solomon... it was more of a, "Don't trust Solomon? Nah, I'll be the judge of that."

And dude is just there to vibe and collect demons. Who am I to fault him on that?

please share after voting! :D

[audhdgoku]

I'm Sure This Has Been Done Already But W/e

[lavendarr00]

I'm missing Skyrim 😭

But if I play I'm going to want to download a billion (more) mods. Then I'll have to fix/patch them. Then I'll want to customize them. And I was already in the middle of making 2 replacers. And I'm still feeling burnt out with modding (it's why I haven't modded datv yet). And CK and SSEEdit are still being weird for me. And odds are I'll break something and lose my mind. And idk what half of my "fix it" screen grabs are about now 😵‍💫

Regardless, I'm still too obsessed with Lucanis Dragon Age right now. Anyways... lmao

[lullambre]

as a society, we should discuss princezam and spoke more. oh, destiny duo.. zam brought them up once in a conversation with derapchu and every day, i think about zam and spokes relationship and how its grown and changed since season 3

oh, princezam and spoke, fighting to save or blow up spawn... oh, spoke "i respect your hopes and dreams" is here.... oh, prince "yeah im talking about spoke" zam..... head in hands... i need to draw them. i need to remake my spoke design ... destiny duo...

like can you imagine how much spokes' actions genuinely shape zam? like hello? let's talk about devotions in season 4? i genuinely can't imagine they'd be as close as they are now if it weren't for spokes interference.. if it weren't for spoke practically forcing them onto a team, as willing as it was for them to team again.. i dont think they would have teamed in season 5, well "team"... ykwim

not to mention (i think) season 3 spoke is the reason why minute saw zam as a "hero" .. making zam fight to keep his friend close and alive... wanting to keep the server alive... sigh

but yeah.. small little destiny duo ramble,, yay

[collecting-dustbunnies]

No, no, it's not even that the demons don't want to serve you. It's that, for some reason, the MC DOESN'T WANT DEMONS TO SERVE THEM (with the exception of life-threatening situations and that overused "stay" gag).

Like, this is false advertising, I came here to make demons my bitch.

Obey Me advertising a BDSM sounding premise of being the master of these powerful demons and then you like..... never actually get to be their master or give them orders of have them serve you in any way is so lame lol

where are the boys who are eager to be ordered around i hate this weird tsundere reluctance/having to literally force them with the pacts where's the enthusiastic participation

really feels like primarily male writers who have that shallow straight-dude understanding of domming and think it's all about brute force and raw power and they don't understand the whole appeal of femdom (MC was initially written with a female audience in mind even if they use gender neutral pronouns) is the thrill of something powerful like a demon WANTING to serve you ENTHUSIASTICALLY and WILLINGLY

where's Mammon carrying his tired master to a bath he drew for them after a long day where's Lucifer kneeling down to lace their heels for them and pressing a kiss to their leg when he's done what about Beelzebub flustering as they pluck food off his plate without asking because he'd be enraged with anyone else but he's weirdly turned on knowing he's providing for them and they're taking it from him like it's just what they expect from him

there's such a weird lack of dom content in a game that advertises itself in such a kinky way

[shannonsketches]

he's so important to me

[sundove88]

A Quick Dragon Ball Super Headcanon:

After the events of the Universal Survival Saga, Beerus and Whis decided to tell the other Gods of Destruction and their Angel attendants the following:

“Go to the earth in your universe or in Universe 7. There, you will find the most delicious thing you’ll ever taste in your life!”

And so they do… and end up in a food coma by the end of the day. Maybe even gain a few pounds or two.

@artisticangel