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goldenskies20 · 5 years ago

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Obey Me Theory: In Which God is an Asshole and Solomon Might be a Good Guy?

Okay, here’s the deal. I have way too much time on my hands at the moment and was suddenly struck with inspiration, so I decided to cook up a little theory of my own.

Well, not so little. I’ve been writing this over the last few days, and this turned into something bigger than I was expecting.

Alright, here we go.

One of the great mysteries of this game: who the fuck wrote the whole Tale of the Seven Lords series? I mean, it foreshadows so much of the game’s plot twists that it’s absolutely insane! My initial thought was that Barbatos wrote it, especially since he’s the one who has a bunch of time travel/timeline powers that are, frankly, quite frightening. However, this theory leaves one gaping plot hole: how does Simeon know what’s gonna happen in the upcoming volume? Even Mammon and Satan take note of the fact that they have no idea why Simeon would know something like that. Who besides Barbatos could possibly have the power to see the future? Given this game’s penchant for foreshadowing, this is undoubtedly an important question we need to ask ourselves.

And I’d like to make you think about something as you answer that question.

While we know a fair bit about Barbatos’s power, we know practically nothing about the angels’ powers. Surely it doesn’t make sense that the demons have access to this wild reality-bending power that the angels don’t. Unless they actually do. How is this possible? Well, I turn to my knowledge of Christianity for this part of the theory.

According to many people’s interpretation of Judaism and Christianity, God is supposed to be an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing entity. He knows anything and everything that has happened, is happening, and can/will happen in the future. Additionally, He can set everything up so that events happen according to His plan. Pretty difficult to go up against, right? Now, granted, we don’t know a lot about the game’s interpretation of God (yet); there are enough twists on Biblical canon that it is difficult to determine what direction this is going to go in. However, I do expect that God is supposed to be a ridiculously powerful character in-game; maybe as powerful as (or even more so than) Barbatos.

Side note: However, he is not all-powerful, and here’s how I know: he wasn’t able to just erase Lilith. Yes, I’m sure he was powerful enough to kill her, but not so powerful that he could just kill her immediately free of consequences.

But more on this later; now back to my original point. God is the author of TSL. Or, at the very least, is the divine inspiration behind it (where one of the angels or a specifically chosen human is the one to transcribe it). This explains why an angel such as Simeon would have knowledge of the upcoming plot. Another piece of evidence to back up my point: exposure to divinity. One point that pops up a few times in the Bible is the idea that anyone/anything who comes too close to God’s presence directly will perish. A couple of examples of this are the burning bush that Moses faces and the Ark of the Covenant which the Israelites are forbidden to touch. Now, you may be wondering what these examples have to do with Obey Me. The answer is simple: the TSL soundtrack. Remember why Lucifer was so interested in this soundtrack in the first place?

First off, a scene where the Lord of Corruption places a curse on the heroes? I have a few thoughts on that, but I’ll get to that in a little bit. What I’d like to focus on is the mysterious composer and the people who die surrounding the soundtrack. Lucifer tells us on our final night in the Devildom that the record isn’t actually cursed:

But. Well. I don’t trust that. He’s (probably) not purposefully lying to us, but I don’t think this can be a coincidence. I think that TSL was divinely inspired (along with its soundtrack) and for some reason, this particular soundtrack was too much for ordinary humans to handle (we know that MC isn’t ordinary because of their amount of hidden power that has been discussed; more on that later.)

So I’d like to bring up something else. Propaganda.

God has already spread copious amounts of propaganda about the brothers. Why do I say this? Well, I’m going off the assumption that the human world MC comes from is pretty similar to the human world that all of you readers (and me, obviously) live in. Why does this matter? Religious texts. There’s no denying that Judaism/Christian and their respective texts have greatly influenced the course of world history. Which means, in canon, those same texts no doubt exist in the Human Realm. Now, assuming they were “divinely inspired” (another assumption, but one that seems to make sense to me), a plethora of lies were told. First of all, many of these texts paint Lucifer (the Morningstar) as: the original Fallen Angel, The Devil, the Prince of Hell, and the reason why Sin and Death entered the world (meaning he was the one who tempted Eve). In Obey Me canon, Lucifer was the leader of the rebellion, yes, but he is very different from how he would be painted in Biblical texts. First of all, the Devildom was around for a very long time before the Fall (leading to questions on the true power of the realms, but more on that later). Furthermore, Diavolo and the Demon King are more of what we consider to be “the Devil”; sketchy motives aside (which I’ve discussed in other posts), they are the ones that have the final say in the Devildom’s affairs. Not Lucifer. Yes, the brothers might hold the titles and responsibilities of being the “Seven Rulers of Hell,” but ultimately their will is overridden by Diavolo’s. Additionally, I’d like to talk about that last point: sin and death. In the Bible, Lucifer brought sin and death into the world by tempting Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. However, in Obey Me canon, we know this is not the case; death existed long before the Fall. We know this because Lilith’s human lover was going to die, hence why she fed him forbidden food from the Celestial Realm. Then, God was going to have her erased and ultimately sparked the Rebellion against Him.

So. We know that God is plenty willing to pin plenty of shit on Lucifer. But other than causing an abnormal amount of daddy issues, what does this have to do with anything? Well, remember how I noted earlier with the TSL soundtrack that it was supposed to be used in a scene where the Lord of Corruption placed a curse on the heroes? Well, the Lord of Corruption represents Lucifer. So, given the game’s penchant for foreshadowing, it seems like Lucifer is going to place a curse on the heroes (forgive me for making yet another assumption, but I interpret MC and the brothers as the heroes). Given Lucifer’s love for his family (and later MC), this doesn’t really make any sense. My initial thought was that the whole attic debacle was the curse, but that doesn’t really make sense either. But. Remember what I just said about God pinning shit on Lucifer. What if God is the one planning to put a curse on the heroes? Just think about that for a bit, let it sink in.

Now, why would God place a curse on the heroes? We know that He and the angels were able to defeat the brothers before, so they could do so again if the need ever arose, right? And why place a curse on MC, an ordinary human?

Well, not-so-ordinary human.

Remember why Asmo made a pact with MC in the first place? Solomon talks to us about how everyone has magical power within them, and it manifests itself in some, but not in others (this is already suspicious as fuck to me that a power as strong as MC’s wouldn’t manifest itself, but our in-game knowledge of magic is vague enough that I’m not really gonna dance around that right now). Anyways, MC gets stuck with Mammon, Beel, and Levi in the underground labyrinth again, and they summon Asmo and draw out even more power than Solomon can. Pretty strange, right? Belphegor also alludes to MC’s great power with his whole “you have the power to control demons” speech.

So basically we have this incredible power. And, if I’m on the right track here, then we’re a threat to God. As I explain here, Lilith is the reason we were chosen for the exchange program in the first place. Additionally, when you meet her as you’re dying and you reply to her and ask her what she’s doing, she says this:

So… there’s a lot going on in her whole dialogue. Really. There’s so much to dissect. And frankly, I don’t think I can dissect it all. So for now, I’m going to focus on the snippets that stood out to me. “I’ve been waiting for so long, you see. I’ve been waiting for you to come find me.” Um, what? First of all, Lilith’s spirit has been around for several thousands of years, right? Granted, the Obey Me timeline isn’t super clear, but still. Even if Lilith has been waiting around for MC ever since their birth, MC is however old the player is (probably late teens or in their twenties since that’s the demographic the game is geared towards); but even if MC is supposed to be way older than that, their lifespan is a very short time compared to Lilith’s existence. Unless. Unless Lilith has been waiting for longer than MC is supposed to be alive. Unless Lilith knew that someone as powerful as MC would come into existence and… do whatever it is Lilith wants us to do. Still not completely sure about that. (Also take note that Lilith never tells us herself that MC is her descendant; make of that what you will).

Also, she says that she’s worried about all her brothers and tells us to “save them” and that she’ll “lend us her powers.” So at first, I thought she was worried about them emotionally, and that she wanted us to save them by serving as emotional support for them. But we didn’t need her for our consciousness to transfer, and Barbatos took care of our alternate self. So what did we need her power boost for? The answer: something that’s coming up in the future. What exactly? I’m not completely sure. But, I do know that Solomon has an idea of what it is, based on the text conversation with him right after leaving the Devildom.

Now, is it possible Solomon knows because of his pact with Barbatos? Yes, it absolutely is. I know that I’ve said time and time again that Solomon’s pact with Barbatos is going to prove to be crucial in future chapters, and I still firmly believe that. However, if something is happening on the Celestial Realm side of things, Solomon has a connection there which would allow him to know the goings-on.

So for those of you who grew up in religious families, you probably remember a little bit about King Solomon; the “man after God’s own heart” (different translations may say something slightly different, but that’s the version most of us probably heard) who, when he had the chance to ask for one gift from God, chose to ask for wisdom. Now, many clues in-game point to show that there’s a good chance that this Solomon is supposed to be that very same guy. Such clues include his mystical powers and his many pacts, particularly his pact with Asmodeus. Now, remember when Solomon told us near the beginning of the game about the Ring of Wisdom he received? He never tells us about the mystery person who gave it to him, but I personally think he received it from God; since in Biblical canon God “gave him wisdom.” Additionally, remember how he talked about getting drunk off its power at first? That piece of information coincides with my earlier point about how exposure to divinity is difficult for humans to handle.

Also, remember that Solomon is a VERY big fan of TSL. (Enough to impress Levi, and enough that he has that super-rare pendant of the Lord of Corruption’s wing). So, given that God is probably the one behind the creation of this series, it stands to reason that his connection to God has something to do with this.

Additionally, while on the topic of Solomon, there is yet another chat (the one that he sends you on your birthday) that shows that he seems to be well aware of something that you, the player, are not:

As I’ve said before, this game really loves its foreshadowing. So, we’re definitely gonna have to save Solomon at some point: now, I know I’ve called him shady many times before, and he really truly is. But.

Maybe he’s not nearly as evil as I originally thought. He has helped us before, but it’s admittedly difficult to pin down his motives. However, if saving him is going to be necessary to the plot, then Solmare probably isn’t gonna make us rescue a bad guy. Emphasis on probably.

Also… he says “first birthday here in the Devildom”… which leads me to believe that MC will have many, many birthdays with the brothers to come in the future. So. Now that I’ve talked about Solomon, I’d like to talk about Luke.

He sends you a chat that opens up some pretty good insight into the whole situation:

Now, we know that Luke is pretty fond of MC, and we’re led to believe that Simeon cares about MC too; however, this whole “charm that attracts both demons and angels alike” doesn’t sit quite right with me. Now, yes, both the in-game angels care about MC, but that doesn’t seem to quite cover Luke’s statement. But what if… There are other angels that have taken an interest in MC? And I don’t mean romantically, I mean… what if one or more of them know about our power? As I said before, Lilith gave us a power boost for something that’s coming up in the future. Something big. And if MC truly has a special sort of charm that attracts demons and angels alike, they could prove to be very dangerous if, say, there were to be another power struggle between realms. But what does this all have to do with Luke anyways? Remember who Luke works for? Michael. Yes, that’s right, the Archangel Michael. Probably the most powerful angel in all of the Celestial Realm. What does this have to do with anything? Well, after the exchange program ends, the higher-ranked angels (including Michael) are no doubt going to want reports of everything that happened during the exchange program… including information about MC. And really, who better to ask that information from than someone as utterly devoted to Michael himself as we’ve seen Luke is?

And if this is the case… Michael will probably hand all of that information right over to God. Given how the Obey Me God seems to be, this is not good news for MC or the brothers.

Now. Just because we can’t trust God doesn’t mean we should go blindly trusting Diavolo and Barbatos either. In fact, @phairfantooooom does a phenomenal job here explaining just how sketchy and terrifying they really are. Maybe I’ll have more of my own comments to add later if the mood strikes me, but for now I’m gonna leave it at that.

One final word: MC is being used as a pawn in a grander game between the realms for which they have no idea how to play, but they better figure it out fast.

Or maybe, just maybe, I’m losing my mind during quarantine and I really just want the sexy, shady sorcerer to not be a bad guy.

We’ll see. So… what do you all make of this? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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goldenskies20 · 5 years ago

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Some Obey me thoughts (spoil for ch.15 and 16)

Now that Belphie got free from Lucifer jail and everyone is all gucci, are we still gonna forming pact with the bro? I mean we still got Lucifer and Belphie on the list but is it necessary? Our 1st goal was to form pact in order to release Belphegor, but now that he's free, there isn't much need to finish that task.

Will there be a new challenge up ahead that requires all of the brother to work together? Will we ever see Lilith's face (probably not)? There's still that sketchy message between Diavolo and Barbatos conversation about how Lucifer will be deeply mentally wounded

And that one message Grisella (witch got stab on train) that warned us he's gonna lost his faith in us (could have happened but idk where):

WILL WE COMMIT SOME KIND OF OUTRAGEOUS ACT THAT COULD MAKE US BE DAMNED AND MAKE LUCIFER HATE US?! LIKE STABBING THE BROS IM THE BACK?!

WILL THERE BE SOMEONE THAT MANIPULATE US IN THE SHADOW FOR US TO DO THAT ACTION?! IS THE FINAL BOSS SOLOMON OR DIAVOLO?! OR EVEN BARBATOS?

But anyway, it's just a thought.

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goldenskies20 · 5 years ago

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Hey! Umm...I only wanted to know if I did send you an ask about Mammon’s chest markings? It’s because I can’t remember if I did, and I’mp pretty interested in your opinion, as you’re really good with the theories and such hahaha Sorry If I’m bothering you too much ;;;

Definitely not bothering me - I love thinking about these things and theorising, thank you! 💖 And this hadn't been asked til now.

The Theory of Mammon's Markings

Mammon's markings are interesting to me, as only he and Diavolo show such 'occult' markings in their demon forms. Mind, they are also the only ones who show enough of their skin to tell! For all we know, each demon has markings beneath their demon form clothes.

Asmo and Levi both have markings too, but they're much more connected to their overall outfits - hearts for the Avatar of Lust, and diamonds to match the scales of the great Leviathan. The markings of Mammon and Diavolo are far more intricate, and thus perhaps have hidden meaning.

Mammon is also the only demon with white markings instead of black, which cements his overall distinction from the rest of the demons - he is always the white to their darker palette.

As for the markings themselves, let's have a look:

Symbolism

Firstly, the positioning on the chest and torso is notable. Traditionally across many cultures, markings and tattoos on the male chest and torso signify strength. Triangles are of particular importance in symbolising both strength and protection. The upper part of the markings bear some resemblance to traditional bird tattoos, particularly of the frigate bird in non-Western cultures, the swallow, and the dove.

The frigate bird is a symbol of strength across many cultures, but it is also notable for its thieving behaviour.

Triangles are of great import in the occult - and their direction is important. Pointing downwards signifies the element of water, and thus the feminine, and thus evil (gee can you tell men wrote all this stuff back then?!). The triangle is replicated on his outfit in diamonds, with the downwards direction emphasised as greater.

A triangle within a triangle is essentially an intensifier - very evil. This direction of triangle also alludes to the bottom of the inverted pentagram or hexagram, either of which is said to be evil and/or of protection. A triangle, like a circle, can also be used to summon demons.

There is also a single mark on his throat - the heart of the Prince of Tempters powers to mislead and, well, tempt, but this is also a traditional location to symbolise courage, to bring good fortune, and to draw attention to the power of one's words.

While the overall shape in the negative space is of a "V" (strength, protection, victory), I don't think it's too much of a stretch to see that it also looks somewhat like a heart. This fits this iteration of Mammon rather well - a demon who shows and expresses every emotion as he feels it, who falls head over heels for his human, and who very much wears his soft heart on his sleeve.

Demonology

Unlike Barbatos and Asmodeus, Mammon was not favoured - or caught - by Solomon, and thus has no sigil in the popular grimoires that circulated in the 14th-17th centuries. The various sigils that claim to be of Mammon are therefore far more modern, which is perhaps why there are several different ones touted as the ~real deal~.

However, one sigil that did arise in the 18th century Grimorium Verum (purporting to be of 1517 and of a tradition originating with Solomon) is that of Lucifer.

This sigil is as often attributed to Satan as Lucifer, but the correct ownership is the latter.

And THAT is the one we're going to look at:

This sigil is not an exact map to Mammon's markings, but the similarities are striking - the double triangles pointing downwards, the bird like shape at the top, the white matching the chalk required to draw the sigil.

Here the double triangle of evil, or of the feminine, makes double the sense - Lucifer is traditionally associated with the planet Venus, the morning star, and the symbol of the divine feminine.

The cross on the sigil isn't found on Mammon's markings, but it's curious that the straps of his outfit just so happen to provide it instead - as well as reinforcing those triangles and V shape 👀

The rest of Lucifer's sigil fits with the symbolism of Mammon's markings - the V, the bottom of the pentagram, the doubling, etc - and can be added to the thieving bird, heart shape, and chest positioning.

And how fitting is it perhaps, that the demon markings of Mammon, that give him strength and protection, that he wears openly and proudly, link him further to the elder brother who sees him as his most favourite sibling?

Mammon wears his heart and his loyalty, not on his sleeve, but on his chest 😌

~~~

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goldenskies20 · 5 years ago

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a mammon theory (?)

i don’t think i can call this a theory per se, but i noticed something.

in mammon’s design, he looks a lot closer to an angel- or atleast in color palettes in a way. His hair is white, and unlike everyone else..he has white markings. don’t you see the white pattern on his chest? it’s a bit peculiar to me

i mean, diavolo also has a marked chest- that’s shown in the game. But the markings are black, and if you look closely to the brothers with markings that are seen, they’re also black. I have a small ‘theory’ on this.

Maybe it’s because he didn’t really have a reason to fight? if you think about it, the twins fought for lilith- and lucifer was the one who led the rebellion. Even levi and asmo had infatuations with earth and the humans, but what about mammon? what was his purpose for fighting?

i hope to try and answer that. I have a small feeling that it’s because of his brothers. Time and time again, he’s always there for his brothers, even if he’s seen as a scumbag or a moron by them. He’s always given off the big brother feel whenever we see his interactions with his brothers, even when his brothers agitate him- he doesn’t attack them or even insult back. What’s the case?

he doesn’t like angels, as seen when he was getting annoyed when the angels were coming to the devil dom. The reason why- is because he was following lucifer. Lucifer is the eldest, a person of power in his heart. The only other being older than him in his family- he must’ve looked up to him a lot. He fought in the war because of the loyalty he had to his elder brother, because he’s the one he trusts. That spreads to my other question-

why the markings? - My answer is a little bit of a stretch, but here we go. The brothers all fought for a reasons that was either for themselves or somebody close (i.e lilith and the infatuation with humanity from asmo) But as i was saying, i think mammon was doing it for loyalty and maybe even protecting his brothers from harm. When he was being kicked out/fell from grace, i feel like he still had some of his angel parts BECAUSE he didn’t have a obvious reason other than loyalty to his brother. While he became a demon, he still kept some of the angel inside of him because he just wanted to protect his brothers- but in gods eyes that never excused him from the war. Maybe as punishment in a way, god left him with the white markings as a reminder that he failed, that he used to be one of the beings that hurt his own brothers.

maybe this is why he hates angels too, because he still had some of it in him- we’ve seen that he gets a little down about it whenever his brothers bully him. I think that he loathes himself a little, maybe for not protecting them enough? Maybe he also hates angels because it’s the reason his brothers and sister were hurt.

but that’s just a theory...

a game theory

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goldenskies20 · 5 years ago

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Obey me headcanon:

Levi is autistic

Proof:

His special interest is anime and manga and he gets really excited when you talk to him about them. One of his biggest interest is TSL

It is canon that he knows everything or pretty much everything there is to know about his special interests

Likes and will info dump about his special interests on anyone willing to listen

Doesn’t like activity where many people are involved

Has a strict circle of friends and persons he likes

Maybe this is why Lucifer doesn’t really say anything about the fact that Levi takes his classes online instead of taking them at school, because Lucifer doesn’t really care if Levi physically go to school as long as long as he do his work at home.

Lucifer might be the one to suggest Levi to do his schooling online because he knows that all the people and noise at RAD may be overwhelming for Levi

All the other brothers would be supportive too!

Mammon would go get item related to Levi’s special interests and take them back to him when the items can’t be delivered by mail and requires interactions with other people in order to get it, because he knows that Levi doesn’t feel comfortable in these type of situation

Satan would recommend books, movies or series to Levi that fit his taste. Also, they both like to talk and share about books or movies they like (as it is canon that Levi gave us a lecture about TSL for at least an hour and that Satan was truly passionate about his detective show and that when he got mc to watch the show with him, he was really happy), so sometimes, they get together to talk about their common interests, when this happens nothing can stop them. They can talk for hours about their favourite show or book.

When Asmo go shopping, he will search for clothes that Levi feels comfortable in and buys them. He knows which material Levi hates and which one he likes. He also knows which colour fit best Levi and tries his best to respect Levi’s style even if Asmo doesn’t always approve of it. He thinks that some of the clothes in Levi closet should be burn off the facade of the world but there is also some outfit that he finds acceptable

Beel would know what food have a nice “feel” for Levi and what food doesn’t, so that he knows what to use or avoid when he cooks dinner

Belphie is the one that Levi likes to go to when he wants company but doesn’t want to talk because Belphie isn’t noisy like mammon or the other brothers. Belphie understand that Levi doesn’t need anything else than company and Belphie is fine with not saying a word and doing his own thing while Levi does his beside him. So Belphie doesn’t comment when Levi comes to his room and sit near Him to read or watch anime by himself. Belphie is use to it but he is always ready to talk or listen to Levi if he needs him, all Levi has to do is start the conversation when he is comfortable and Belphie will listen to him. And Levi knows all that.

Belphie have a special weighted blanket for Levi. So that when levi comes to his room, Belphie hands him silently the blanket and continues whatever he was doing. Creating a warm and cozy atmosphere that they both likes.

Please feel free to add things to this list or respectfully tell me that I am wrong and why. I may be projecting myself onto this character, but I personally think that Levi being autistic would be really cool because it would give representation to the autistic community and having an autistic character in a otome game could destroy some stereotypes about the romantic life of people with autism by supporting the fact that even though someone is autistic, that they can still be romantic and take part in a romantic relationship. But that is just my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, I would like to hear what you think about this headcanon.

Sorry for the mistakes.

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