#obey me timeline

[devildomwriter]

Timeline Confirmation

Confirmation that Nightbringer takes place several thousand years in the past. With this context and the fact we know Lucifer is millions of years old, he really still hasn’t been a demon very long in comparison, not even 1/100th of his life thus far.

[acaribeau]

We have a time reference!!!

This story (obviously the pussy on boots, or originally called "le chat botté") was recompiled in 1695 (and published in 1697).

Soooo the fall is after 1690. If Solomon's age is the same as his historical counterpart, past Solomon has 2500-2600 years old.

[misc-obeyme]

"Can you see us in every timeline?" you ask.

Barbatos smiles down at you, meeting your bright and curious gaze. Your head is in his lap, both of you stretched out on a soft blanket in the castle garden. Barbatos is leaning back against a tree, a cup of tea held in his gloved hands. The sky drips with stars.

"I see many possibilities," he says, his voice eternally gentle, forever content to answer your endless questions.

You reach up and brush your fingers through his strand of bright hair. "It's just that I wouldn't be the same person without you," you say. "And the thought of there being other mes in other timelines that aren't with you… well, it makes me sad."

You blush a little at this admission because it sounds silly when you say it out loud.

Barbatos chuckles softly, but he puts down his teacup. He takes your hand, even as your fingers are still entangled in his hair. He puts his other hand against your cheek.

"We may not find each other in every timeline," he says. "But I have found that the echoes of each timeline ripple through the others. You are inevitably linked to every other you."

"But they won't feel what I feel," you say.

"They will have impressions of your feelings," Barbatos says. "Have you ever had an inexplicable feeling of hope or despair wash over you? That is a reverberation from yourself in another timeline."

You consider what he's saying. That somehow, you in your present time and space can impact the lives of other yous, if even briefly.

"What do you think they feel from me?" you ask.

"I cannot predict it," Barbatos says. He smiles and the way it lights up his face is so entrancing, you lose yourself in it. "I can only hope they receive soft moments where they feel my love, every time I see you, every time I touch you, every time I kiss you."

Your fingers squeeze around the hand that's holding yours and you lift yourself up to kiss him. His arm moves behind your back to lend you support as he returns the kiss - soft and sweet and with the lingering taste of hellfire rose tea. In another timeline, an unexpected warmth floods through you.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[frankenbuggee]

The salute of good luck🍀

Inspired by this chat.

[winterweary]

Having thoughts about how much I just love Solomon’s character, especially with how Nightbringer has developed him.

He’s a nigh immortal being with hundreds of years of loves and losses and loneliness and he fills that that gaping emptiness with an untiring pursuit of knowledge and power. He’s ambitious, needing to be the best sorcerer with the most demon pacts not for the sake of power itself but to champion humanity as a whole. And he seems to have succeeded – I personally wonder if part of the reason Lucifer dislikes him so much is because Solomon is one of the few beings that can actually pose Lucifer a serious threat.

He’s been moving through decades playing with the people around him and resisting attachments until suddenly and inexplicably one single ordinary human screeches everything to the most interesting halt. At first we’re just another toy for him, an new variable that brings some novelty to the monotony of time that immortality can bring.

But as time goes on he finds himself getting more and more attached, no matter how many times he tries to keep his heart in check, knowing exactly how this ends, how it always ends.

Then Nightbringer, where we’re ripped from our home, our family, maybe our loves, and dropped into a mirror world with hostile friends and no bonds to rely on. And he says, “Well, that simply won’t do”, and drops everything to ensure that we have at least one person we can always release our mask around and be ourselves with.

And even then he expects so little, couching his brief weak flirtations with laughs and ‘Just kidding’s’, as if to convince himself as well as us that it’s just a joke, this ache in his heart, this burning desire to claim us over the demon brothers, to be the one we favor even as we are completely consumed with trying to set the boys back on the right track. When we don’t come home because we’re stuck late with them, he goes drinking alone and gets lost in memories of the other losses he’s suffered, thinking if maybe he relives the hurt enough it will finally drive home that we can never truly be his.

But as soon as he sees us the next morning, sleepily rubbing our eyes over coffee we’re pouring for him, he topples hopelessly, madly back into love. And he thinks guiltily, self loathingly, that maybe us getting lost in time was the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

[princessozera]

Devildom musings; Fallen angels

Do you ever wonder about the others? 

  The other angels, fallen after the war. So many in number. So bright, so burned, that their image still lingers in the Devildom sky.

None other than the royals had ever seen angels before so they flocked outside in awe, crowding to watch a brilliant meteor shower. Who could have guessed that something so beautiful was the result of something so tragic. Not they, the original citizens who had never had much cause to wonder about their celestial counterparts. They were completely unaware of what had happened in the realm above, until the first body turns to mush on the ground.

Most survived, the endless falling giving them enough time for the corruption to set in, the fear of falling subsiding only to the sharp pain of horns breaking through bone, the burn of skin pulled too taunt as part of it was lost to the new wings forming on backs. Not all were so lucky. Even now, if you’re not careful when walking through the meadows, your foot will catch on the lip of a hole obscured by grass. You’ll take a hard tumble, much like its creator.

Do you wonder about those who fought, not for their own ideals or desires, but for Lucifer? It’s never an easy choice to go against all you know and are, no matter how opposed you are to it. No matter how much of an outcast, the need to conform is imbedded in survival.  But this is Lucifer. The pride and glory of the celestial realm, of Michael himself. A noble leader. An angel who can only be outranked by a small handful of others. Surely if he feels the need to go against everything he’s known, it is a cause worth supporting even if the details are a bit murky. From staying loyal to a cold and maybe even tyrannical ruler that most have never seen, to siding with the man who has helped you in you times of need- seen you grow and rise in rank, the decision gets a little easier when seeing some of the strongest generals and soldiers flank him without hesitation.

They followed him into combat. The defeat was thorough and drawn out. They lost everything that seemed to fundamentally make them who they are, but it was the sight of Lucifer- their great leader- broken and chained that finally crushed their souls. The man they followed to the ends of the realm, who they’d always leaned on as a crutch, disappeared without a trace, taking his strongest generals with him and leaving thousands of souls stumbling through this endless night.

There was no reprieve. No home to go to, no glory to be had. It seemed the feathers on their wings were not the only thing that burned on the way down. There were no friends to be found, even amongst the other fallen. The betrayal ran deep, and congregating together drew more ire from the devildom citizens. While their general was kept in the prince’s castle with posh rooms and being well fed, they were cast out of every shop and restaurant as soon as they stepped in. No matter how hard they tried to blend in, it was as if “Angel” was carved into their skin. 

Seeing Lucifer and the generals come out years later did not bring the relief most thought it would. They seemed the most changed, rambunctious and self serving, only slivers of their old personalities still visible. It had taken decades to finally start getting some acceptance from the local devildom citizens, but the lords came rampaging in and undoing most of that good favor overnight. Like spoiled children, pompous cats, they took all they wanted and left little regard for anyone else. Even the most devout of the fallen couldn’t stomach it for long, instead giving them a wide berth, further separating the brothers from everyone in the Devildom. It was a small comfort to see them get thrown out of shops and start to face the reality so many had struggled with in their absence, but the reminder that the lords were backed by the prince himself was always looming overhead. The lords were untouchable. They were dispensable.

[mellonyheart]

I really do not like this. I do not like this at all. You have officially ruined any understanding of what timeline we're in. Can't be the present because this would be impossible. So are we in the past? Weren't we just in the present though?!

What the actual hell?!?!

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME SOLMARE?!?!

[666writingcafe]

A Revealing Conversation

Lucifer

I don't know what exactly prompts me to do this, but I find myself walking inside the library with a cup of coffee in my hand. The door to the attached study is slightly ajar. Poking my head in reveals Zephyr fast asleep with their head resting on top of the desk. Setting the mug down on an empty spot on the desk, I touch their shoulder and gently shake it, successfully waking them up.

"What time is it?" they ask, rubbing the sleepiness out of their eyes.

"Eight," I respond."

"Morning?"

"Yes. I brought you coffee." Zephyr gives me a quizzical look. "I made a pot for myself, and I didn't want it to go to waste." A partial lie, but I don't want them teasing me if they knew the truth: that I intentionally made enough for the two of us to share.

"Thanks." They take a sip of the coffee, making a face as soon as the beverage hits their tongue.

Which is odd. I don't recall burning it.

"Oh, don't mind me," Zephyr tells me, setting the mug back down. "Some blends of Devildom coffee tend to be too bitter for my taste. I do appreciate you grabbing me a cup, though. It'll definitely help me feel more awake." They pause briefly. "Just out of curiosity, what did you use this morning?"

"Something called hell coffee, I believe? The person that helped me pick it out at the store said that it's rather strong, so I figured that meant it had a decent amount of caffeine in it."

"I see." They look slightly amused as they pick the mug up again. The next thing I know, they're downing the coffee like it was a shot.

Which I've only seen Diavolo do. It's not like I've done it.

Another lie. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Zephyr softly smiles, appearing to pick up on my confusion.

"Someday, you'll understand why I did that, but for now, just know that some of the foods and drinks around here are laced with magic." Before I can tell them off for being vague, they turn their attention towards the biggest stack of paperwork and begin working through it. I should take that as my cue to leave them alone so that they can focus on what Diavolo assigned them.

But I don't. I can't.

I quietly sit down in one of the chairs across from them and watch them work for a moment. They seem poised, even when doing something this menial.

Even when punishing my brothers. How can they remain so composed when I want to scream and bang my head against the wall?

It just isn't fair.

"Something on your mind?" Zephyr asks, glancing up at me. If it weren't for the genuine curiosity in their eyes, I would've simply brushed them off by saying I was simply staring off into space or something.

Instead, I ask them,

"How can you stay calm in all this chaos?"

"Years of practice," they answer, still focused on their paperwork. "And knowing that there will always be quiet periods where I can decompress."

"What about in the moment, when you're confronted with it and can't escape it?"

"Well, that's when I start cursing to myself. The key with dealing with chaos is to not let your frustrations show. If the people around you sense that you're upset, then they're more likely to reflect those emotions back at you, making everything that much more tedious to slog through."

"What would you call last night, then?" Zephyr appears to contemplate my question as they continue working.

"Karma." In an attempt to hold back laughter, I end up going into a coughing fit.

"Hold your arms up," they instruct. "It'll relax the muscles enough for you to breathe properly." Surprisingly, their advice works.

"Better?" I nod my head. What I feel to be an awkward silence settles between us, but given their peaceful demeanor, it's probably just me.

"You can stay if you want, Lucifer. I don't mind your presence. We can continue talking, or you can simply enjoy the quiet if that's what you'd prefer."

"How are you not scared of me?" The question slips out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

"Pardon?" Zephyr's giving me their full attention now. I shouldn't have said anything.

Because now I can't hold back anymore.

"Most people either see me as a heartless monster or put me on this ridiculously high pedestal. They get so nervous around me that they can't even string two words together, let alone have a proper conversation with me. I wish I can say that my brothers are exceptions to that, but I can't. I still see the fear in their eyes sometimes when they look at me. The only way I've been able to have some degree of companionship is with those in the same position of authority as me, and even then they have to get used to me first before they feel comfortable around me.

"I think you might just be the first to see me as a normal person. Even Diavolo looks at me like I'm a shiny new toy, and he's the closest thing I have to a friend in this godforsaken place. I just don't understand how a previously low-ranking demon is able to do the one thing no one else has been able to do in my entire existence. What do you have that they don't?"

Zephyr sets their pen down. I wouldn't be surprised if they told me to leave. I just dumped a whole lot of trauma on their lap without seeing if they were okay with it.

"Many years ago, I met someone that was pretty similar to you," they respond. "He intimidated everyone they came into contact with due to both his attitude and position. He also tended to push anyone that wanted to get close to him away. I didn't let him do that to me. Even when he screamed at me to go away, I stubbornly stuck around. After a while, he decided that he might as well trust me if I was that determined to stay by his side, and he did. It didn't happen all at once, but little by little, he allowed me to see the more vulnerable, intimate sides of him that he previously kept to himself.

"So, to answer your question, Lucifer, I'd like to think I have a pretty decent amount of patience and compassion. Certainly more than a lot of people in this world."

"Do you still keep in contact with him?" I ask after several moments of silence. The question seems to make Zephyr a bit sad.

"Unfortunately, no. I was forced to move far away from him and assume a new identity. To reach back out to him would put both of us in harm's way, and I care too much about him to do that to him."

"Do you love him?" They don't answer me initially. "I understand if you don't want to tell me. I'm probably overstepping my boundaries--"

"Yes." They look directly into my eyes. "I miss him every single day. If circumstances were different, I would have married him and spent the rest of my life with him. But that simply isn't possible."

"Zephyr, I--"

"It's not your fault, Lucifer. You didn't know." They softly smile. "I've learned a long time ago to not dwell too much on the past, because then you end up missing out on the present, which is chock full of fun and exciting opportunities. Instead, it's best to think of the past as lessons that you've learned, and to use that knowledge to help you grow and develop as a person. Does that make sense?"

Before I can respond to them, someone loudly knocks on the front door. Zephyr hits the power button on their phone to check the time.

"Son of a bitch," they mutter.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, I told Solomon to pick me up at around nine so that I can drop stuff off at home before we run some errands. It's just that I hoped to be more or less ready to go when he arrived."

"I'm sorry, Zephyr. If I'd known you were expecting him--"

"It's quite alright!" they exclaim. "No need to apologize. I enjoyed talking to you."

Has the study always been this warm, or is it just me?

"I'll at least help you gather your stuff." Zephyr smiles.

"That'd be lovely, Lucifer. Thank you."

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr

[celestialrealms]

🥺🥺🥺

[nocreativityfornames]

Welp, THAT'S a case of late realization if I've ever seen one...

I mean, the brothers have known that we're looking for a way home for what, almost twenty lessons? Since you know, during that meeting at the Council Room we told them that we were brought to the Devildom by someone else and that Solomon was helping us find a way back.

I'm guessing that Levi ( and probably the others too ) didn't expect things to happen so quickly ( in the brothers' perspective, at least, since to them we haven't been there for long ), and knowing that we only have four pacts to go, and could very soon leave the Devildom, he got overwhelmed by all of it.

Which is totally understandable, by the way.

The only friend he has outside his brothers - and romantic interest if your relationship with him goes that way - is leaving him and it fucking kills him.

[acaribeau]

Ch 16 wasn’t the first time we traveled back in time

And I'm not talking about NB

Theory time! (And a little rant)

Too much text incoming

What if I tell you that the timeline that we see in cannon (specifically S1) wasn't the first time we lived that year? What if we repeated that year over and over until it came right, not for us (and definitely not for the neckless MC that died in Mammon's arms) but for Diavolo?

You don't believe me? Well, I have a theory...

In multiple times, the brothers had told us that "they wouldn't do something like that for a random human".

But they had, indeed, showed too much attention and attraction to a random human. (Yes, MC isn't completely human but if Angel!Lucifer couldn't see what they were, they just saw a random human with a nice soul). Some of them didn't do pacts at all.

Even Lucifer was flirting with MC (in the form of dead threats like a good demon 😈)

What if that was the remanant of the feelings that they built in the previous time-lines?

But Barbatos vowed to never use his powers... Wrong!

Yes, he vowed to never see the future again... For himself. Diavolo can have totally control over them, over Barbatos. He's his butler and he has vowed to serve him. If assuring the succes of the exchange program (the first step to Diavolo's dream of interdimensional peace) wasn't important enough to use his power, when could they use it?

Barbatos already used his powers in front of everyone in ch16. But... Wasn't too ideal that he knew that MC only needed 5 pacts? As if... He already saw them open the attic before? How did he knew he needed to warp time? Because I'm not going to buy that he leaded MC to Mammon's room by accident. How did they knew (or even suspect) that MC were descendant of Lilith? (And that we could revive magically by her).

Barbatos, ordered by Diavolo, rewinded time and time again that year for assure that neither of the exchange students died in that year (any dead could mean war, depending of how good is the relationship with the Celestial Real. We already saw the threats that Michael send to Diavolo through Simeon in S2).

And like a cerise in a cake, end that annoying and dangerous 'hate for humans' of Belphegor. (And assure again the loyalty of all the brothers for Diavolo at letting them know the reason behind Lucifer's pact was to save their sister)

All ended too good for Diavolo. But for achive that, MC had to gain the affection of the brothers, little by little, or one by one. By the time the cannon is happening, Barbatos already knows what to do without seeing the future...

Of course I'm not saying that all the pacts were for his direct intervention. Mammon's and Satan's were for prophecies (arguably Levi's. When have you seen Barbatos left something dirty for more than 5 seconds? But he wasn't in Levi's competition, so Mammon slipped... but that could be thinking too much) but he helped planning the retire for doing Asmo's pact (remember that they are very close friends, how could he not know how to push his buttons? He could even ask Solomon to lend MC his magic if he wasn't planning it).

And of course, probably that's how they knew about the prophecies of TSL (and why Diavolo avoided the final act, and made Simeon rewrite it), seeing things that no matter what he did, there were thing that always happened. Not in the same way, but inevitable and unavoidable things.

Now! For finishing this :

We all know how OM like to insert the media (normally Levi's animes and games) with long and uncannily titles that adjust too perfectly to the situation they are living.

Poor MC with so many prophecies in their life, I don't know how they aren't paranoid in all their elections.

So... Diavolo said this in a chat.

The actual theory

There were routes. Bad ending routes. We died many times, and in at least one we survived thanks to friendship Lilith's magic and freed Belphegor (in the same or separate timelines). We said what she told us, but something was incomplete, something was wrong and we died again.

Then Barbatos did the little things that could done to be sure that we made the pacts. The moment MC had the 5 pacts, an MC from another timeline came, opened the attic and returned to their timeline (because this Barbatos wasn't an asshole and made the portal door close to the attic).

Belphie, Beel and MC go to PH.

Belph is a prisoner.

MC didn't die.

Lilith doesn't tell them their message (No good Belphie here 😔 only hate).

Then, as things weren't as good as they could be, Barbatos decide to... Expand his options, bending time. How? Well... Being an asshole Making MC to change the past.

He knows MC has to die to "speak" with Lilith and a Belphie filled with blame of killing 'a part of' Lilith again is a good Belphie. A Belphie that won't start a masacre or war in the human world. So, he sends MC to Mammon's room, directly to the past brothers (why risk that MC could be sneaky enough to avoid them in the Hall? Throw them directly to them!) And the rest is history...

So... The questions that we all are thinking (or at least me)...

Will OM! Music Nightbringer give us that bad ending routes?

Will they connect that past-timeline with the present OM, doing this theory semi-accurate or completely wrong?

Will they finally explain the limits of Barbatos' powers? Or is he an ancient god without limits?

Were Mammon's instantly crush in MC product of a past timeline that neither of them remember?

Were Diavolo and Barbatos assholes? Yes

Will Simeon fall?

Will I ever overcome my ADHD and procrastination and write a fic about this theory?

Did I overthink too much an Otome game?

[meowsgirldrawing]

-----Obey Me Next Gen-----

[misc-obeyme]

mammon finds smthn that happened in like human history and just comes to mc like

"mc did they try to stop this?"

"idk"

"how do you not know??!! youre human!!"

"mammon i was ONE"

LOL. Listen he's a demon, you can't really expect him to understand this human aging stuff!

I think it'd also be funny if it was something really old.

Mammon: MC, did you know about this Roman empire? They were conquering all kinds of places!

MC: Do you... think I was alive back then?

Mammon: ... weren't you?

MC: Do I LOOK like Solomon to you?!?

[sweetbrier2908]

my scenario of what happens if we can go back to the original timeline.

You made pacts with all of them, and now what?

You regained your power, Solomon regained his power, and now what?

The brothers are surely happy now; Satan finally accepted his family; the others finally accepted their identities as demons; and the whole devildom finally accepted the brothers as their seven lords of hell.

And now what?

Now you're able to go back to your timeline, and now what?

You didn't belong to this world; you knew it from the bones, and when you go back, the brothers in this world will forget you completely; only your impact remains with them, and now what?

You had to go. You needed to go back. You knew for sure.

Solomon took you to the demon lord's castle and explained how it's time for you and him to go back to the human world (one more time, again, he had explained it before); Diavolo expressed his gratitude, and Barbatos said the portal was ready.

And there they were, behind your back. You had told them about this a few weeks ago, and you had said all sorts of goodbye. and there they were, looking at you. They thought your leaving was just temporary; they thought you would come back any time soon or they could come to the human world because you had promised you would summon them only if you could.

Barbatos opened the portal, and you turned your back to look at them for the last time ever. Those familiar faces, but you don't belong to this world, and you don't belong to those demons, as they don't belong to you.

Lucifer watched you leave with a straight face; somehow he knew that you would never come back, but... even if it was just his fantasy or the complete faith he put in you, or maybe he just loved you too much to expose your lie, your awful lie, he still wanted to see you again. Mammon couldn't bring himself to look at you; he never could. Your mammon in another timeline could never too, but you knew he was always watching you. Levi hung his head low, Satan waved at you, and Asmo cried. Beel gave you the saddest look that you knew would haunt you, and Belphie buried his face in his twin's chest.

You waved at them and mumbled, "I'll see you soon, I promise." You promised.

You didn't want them to see you cry. You will see them again soon, when you're back in your world. You would see them—or the version of themselves of thousands of years later—and you would be with them again, you promised.

Solomon wrapped his arm around your shoulder, and you two stepped through Barbatos's portal. When this portal takes you to the human world, Solomon will take both of you back to your own timeline. Yet you wondered, if this was a right decision?

You hardly remembered everything that happened after going through the portal. You felt dizzy, so you kept your eyes closed. You were pretty sure you were walking through several portals. Solomon was holding you in his arms the whole time, like he was scared that you would disappear from his life one more time and he couldn't bring you back.

After a while, Solomon stopped walking. He whispered into your ears, "Are you ready to go back?".

You couldn't answer. Are you ready? Are you really ready to go back? You still kept your eyes closed, and you could feel his grip on your shoulder just a little bit tighter.

You were scared.You didn't know why, but you were terrified. The strange look they once gave you still haunts you in the back of your mind. You were terrified. "What am I going to do if we can't get back? What am I going to do if I can't go back to them?". You were scared.

Maybe you were not ready yet, but you wanted to go back to them. You are the type of person who always keeps their promises.

“Let’s go, solomon.” You whispered back to your sorcerer. You could feel Solomon tighten his grip; you could hear him read the teleportation spell; and then you could feel yourself falling again.

One.

Two.

Three.

You landed on top of someone.

The whole room stared at you in disbelief.

The emerald eyes were staring into yours in disbelief.

And before you could ever know if you were actually back to your devildom or not, the devil you just landed on held you tight, and then there was his trembling voice: “You’re back.”

“I’m home.”

[leniisreallycool]

Herbalist MC Part 1

Disclaimer: this is based on my own limited knowledge and experience. Do not take any of this as medical advice to any capacity until you have done your own thorough research. Some of the mentioned herbs are toxic and even deadly when handled improperly. As an herbalist I strive to maintain factual accuracy, but I may make mistakes that could be fatal. Do your own research.

---

I feel like Solomon is one of the first to recognize their skills. They were using the kitchen in Purgatory Hall instead of the one at the House of Lamentation (it was under repair once again) to prepare a human-safe cream for their dry skin.

"What's this? Is my dear apprentice finally taking a hands on interest in sorcery?" Solomon steps into the kitchen when he hears glass clinking and someone clattering around noisily, usually a sure sign someone was preparing a meal. This time, however, it was you.

He takes a look around. The pleasant floral scent over calendula fills the air. There's a massive pot on the stove, something boiling furiously inside. Curiously, the lid is on upside down with a plastic bag of melting ice on top.

On the other side of the kitchen, a glass jar lays tipped over on the granite countertop, golden flower heads scattered on the counter. That must have been the source of the glass he heard moments ago.

You look over at him with a slight grin as you sweep the fallen petals from the counter into a clean bowl. "No, this is all human world stuff. I'm going to make a cream for my hands. Asmo keeps scolding me for letting them get so dry."

Solomon hums softly. It had been many decades since he himself had practiced human medicine. No longer familiar with herbalism techniques, he steps inside and pulls out a stool to watch. "You don't mind if I stick around, do you?"

"No, that's fine with me! Just don't touch anything. I know what I'm doing and if you mess with anything I might not be able to fix it."

He's content to just watch in peaceful silence for now. You do seem to know what you're doing - you're confident in every movement you make. The moment feels oddly domestic, with you whipping up some interesting concoction and him sitting contentedly to the side, allowing you to work.

Eventually, his curiosity gets the better of him. "You mentioned a hand cream, but what is that on the stove?"

Setting the bowl of petals down on the now clean counter with a quiet clink, you remove the baggie from the lid and dump the water into the sink. "I'm making a hydrosol first," you reply, refilling the baggie with ice from the freezer next to the stove, "to be one of the main ingredients in the cream. Calendula is really good for a lot of different things, but in this case we're mostly focusing on its wound healing properties. It's anti-inflammatory and soothing to dry, cracked skin."

"I see. If I remember correctly, calendula is believed to induce prophetic dreams to protect against theft and burglary. You could certainly use that around a certain brother." Solomon holds his chin in that silly philosophical pose he does so often. "I'm all for experimentation in pursuit of knowledge, but is that pot not a simplified pressure cooker with none of the testing to ensure its safety?"

You giggle and shake your head. "No, it's perfectly safe. Maybe if I wasn't monitoring it, it could be dangerous, but I've done this plenty of times. See, having the lid on would normally create pressure with the water boiling in the bottom, but the ice on top rapidly cools the water vapor, making it drip into a bowl inside the pot. Basically the steam cools down so quickly pressure can't build up."

He nods once more, content with your explanation. For once, he's not the expert and he's willing to learn from you. "Interesting how similar this is to sorcery..." he muses.

"Yeah, I've noticed that." You replace the baggie ice in the lid again. "I think that's why so many herbalists were ostracized or punished for being witches, even if they weren't. The main difference I've seen, now that I've practiced both, is whether there's magic involved or not."

"Or if you're using ingredients native to either the Devildom or the Celestial Realm. Which I suppose is a more specific way of saying there's magic involved," Solomon adds.

Neither of you have much of relevance to say after that. After an hour or so, you remove the finished hydrosol from the pot (ignoring Solomon's gentle teasing about the slightly insane but creative usage of an upside down colander to hold the little glass jar above the boiling herbs) and let it cool before doing anything else.

"Making the hydrosol took longer than I expected, so I don't have time to make the cream today. The hydrosol has to be room temperature before I can start," you say. "And now I also have this super concentrated calendula tea in addition to the hydrosol. Maybe I'll make soap out of it."

"You know how to make soap?" Solomon asks. His gray eyes, normally guarded, widened in disbelief makes you laugh.

"Yeah, it's not hard. I can come over again soon to show you how, if you want." It's a genuine offer. He taught you most of your practical sorcery, so it's only fair for you to teach him ordinary chemistry and herbalism in return. That, and you just enjoy his company.

Solomon grins, openly joyful at the prospect. "Absolutely! I would love that."

"Okay! I'll text you when I have time to come back."

---

Note: The disclaimer at the top won't always apply but I will add it to every post in this series. Some herbs are entirely harmless. However, I don't want anyone to see this and think it's okay to use any herb in any preparation without doing their own research. I don't know what kind of skills you have. I don't know what allergies you have. You might not know what allergies you have. Always take these types of things with a grain of salt.

[bbnibini]

I wonder if it's a design choice or the devs themselves can't make up their mind, but why did Solomon's eye colour "change" in NB? The chibi sprites in the OG show his eyes are shades of grey to brown/almost gold-bronze.

The NB chibi sprite shows his eyes to be dark blue and brownish-gold.

Don't even get me started with the cards and merch that can't make up his effing eye colour

To my Solobesties (I'm calling Solomon stans this now. I think we formed a strange kinship after lesson 17 even if we never interact lmao), especially artist solobesties, hats off to you and your service to the community.

My personal HC is kinda a spoiler for uhhhh something I'm writing, but here it is:

"It's just…your eyes are like you: I can't figure them out." "MC, I-" "No! No! Solomon, I'm sorry! No…it's not like that, I promise! Look at me, won't you? Please look at me." So he did. His eyes trembled as he met with yours. How could he have hidden this part of himself for this long? How could you not notice? How could you forget? How could Father be so cruel to him and you for simply existing? You traced the corner of his lips with your thumb as you held him by the cheek. He was leaning onto your right hand, unable to maintain his gaze. He was surprisingly bashful. Adorably shy without his facades. But he looked like he would crumble even with a gentle word so you did not say anything. He looked at you expectantly, then looked away as your gaze burned onto him for too long and muttered, "You can't figure me out?"in almost a whisper, after a long-drawn out silence, weighing in his words, watching your expressions and body language. Afraid, so deathly afraid. You smiled. "It's like I'm looking at a mirror. Sometimes it's silver, sometimes it's midnight. When you look at the world around you and then look back at me, I feel like you've captured the sky and the oceans in your eyes. It's beautiful." His face was red all over, even to the tips of his ears. It was such a shame. You haven't even said everything you wanted to say to him yet. That he was the moon and the stars to your daytime; gold and silver gazes, looking after you from afar in the many branches of realities he couldn't be as honest with you as he was now. Ah. What will you do without him now? How can you give this up after remembering everything? You knew it was selfish, but you love him. Both of him. Every part of him just as much as he loved you and every part of you that existed. But now, you had to say goodbye. Again. How truly unfair.