lallianacore

[lallianacore]

Obey Me Charms for @storethesoup 💖

[lallianacore]

Obey Me Angel Ranks

Season 3 (Lesson 43 & 44 spoilers) ahead!

In Lesson 43, we learn that Simeon’s current rank is an Archangel.

In Lesson 44, MC goes back in time and gets to see the brothers when they were still in the Celestial Realm. Based on the conversations that take place, it seems that this is shortly before the fall. And we learn that during this time Simeon is a Seraphim.

Now, assuming they are basing the angel ranks off of Christian mythology, this means Simeon suffered a pretty big demotion at some point. It’s unclear when or why this occurred. And I really hope they explain this during this Season!

If you remember back in Season 1, Michael himself is also referred to as an Archangel. But I think this may just be because the Obey Me team hasn’t fleshed out their lore well enough yet, and hadn’t intended on Michael and/or the Celestial Realm playing that big of a role in things.

I also read that it’s possible there are two different types of “archangels”. Arch-angels (big A) are the ones like Michael who possess a great deal of power. And archangels (little a), who are like Simeon and simply a lower ranking angel.

In Lesson 44 we also learn some important things about the ranks of the other brothers. Beel for example is a Cherubim, which is a very high ranked angel.

Mammon is also a very high ranking angel- serving in the role of throne. He apparently used to be an Archangel until Lucifer promoted him. This is also the first sign we see that Mammon appears to be struggling with his own insecurities since he mentions he would have rather stayed a lower rank. He tries to play it off like he’s just thinks the job is boring, but his expression hints at the fact that he has other reasons for feeling out of place.

Some of the mythology I read regarding angels had throne regarded as a pretty low tier - basically controlled by cherubim. But this seems to be contradictory to how the game talks about Mammon and his position, which seems to make it sound like it’s a very respectable and highly esteemed position.

Levi’s rank is never mentioned, but it’s implied he’s a very high ranking angel, serving in the role of General for the Angelic Army when they were still waging war constantly with the Devildom.

(I also found it interesting that even as an angel he commanded Lotan. My husband thinks Lotan must have been so sad when Levi fell and he couldn’t find him. So he looked high and low for his best friend until finally reuniting with him in the Devildom.)

Asmo and Belphie’s ranks are never mentioned either. And Satan of course wasn’t yet “born” independent of Lucifer so he’s not present.

[lallianacore]

Obey Me Angel Ranks

Season 3 (Lesson 43 & 44 spoilers) ahead!

In Lesson 43, we learn that Simeon’s current rank is an Archangel.

In Lesson 44, MC goes back in time and gets to see the brothers when they were still in the Celestial Realm. Based on the conversations that take place, it seems that this is shortly before the fall. And we learn that during this time Simeon is a Seraphim.

Now, assuming they are basing the angel ranks off of Christian mythology, this means Simeon suffered a pretty big demotion at some point. It’s unclear when or why this occurred. And I really hope they explain this during this Season!

If you remember back in Season 1, Michael himself is also referred to as an Archangel. But I think this may just be because the Obey Me team hasn’t fleshed out their lore well enough yet, and hadn’t intended on Michael and/or the Celestial Realm playing that big of a role in things.

I also read that it’s possible there are two different types of “archangels”. Arch-angels (big A) are the ones like Michael who possess a great deal of power. And archangels (little a), who are like Simeon and simply a lower ranking angel.

In Lesson 44 we also learn some important things about the ranks of the other brothers. Beel for example is a Cherubim, which is a very high ranked angel.

Mammon is also a very high ranking angel- serving in the role of throne. He apparently used to be an Archangel until Lucifer promoted him. This is also the first sign we see that Mammon appears to be struggling with his own insecurities since he mentions he would have rather stayed a lower rank. He tries to play it off like he’s just thinks the job is boring, but his expression hints at the fact that he has other reasons for feeling out of place.

Some of the mythology I read regarding angels had throne regarded as a pretty low tier - basically controlled by cherubim. But this seems to be contradictory to how the game talks about Mammon and his position, which seems to make it sound like it’s a very respectable and highly esteemed position.

Levi’s rank is never mentioned, but it’s implied he’s a very high ranking angel, serving in the role of General for the Angelic Army when they were still waging war constantly with the Devildom.

(I also found it interesting that even as an angel he commanded Lotan. My husband thinks Lotan must have been so sad when Levi fell and he couldn’t find him. So he looked high and low for his best friend until finally reuniting with him in the Devildom.)

Asmo and Belphie’s ranks are never mentioned either. And Satan of course wasn’t yet “born” independent of Lucifer so he’s not present.

[lallianacore]

🤑🤑🤑 Mammon: Everyone's Favorite Dumbass 🤑🤑🤑

The Avatar of Greed, "greedy for all the money in the world", who is somehow always getting himself into trouble with his get-rich-quick schemes. A little bit crybaby, a little bit reckless fool, a little bit shy. Even Lucifer thinks he's adorable! And isn't he?

Well, sure he is! But Mammon is also, after all, the second-most powerful demon brother, and his Greed is a deadly sin for a reason. He isn't some incompetent baby who needs to be protected from his brothers' bullying - there's a lot more to him than that. So, let's dive into it, shall we?

(includes spoilers through Season 3)

First, the "incompetent" part. Due to his seemingly constant streak of getting into trouble, it's easy to think that Mammon is just not good at things, or that he's just prone to fucking up. And sure, he certainly does get himself into trouble a lot! But this shouldn't be taken to mean that he's incapable of being responsible, or that he's dumb. For Mammon, it's often more about not applying himself, or occasionally even a calculated decision to fail.

There have also been times that MC is outright given the option of commenting on how he's actually quite competent if he puts his mind to it, such as in the Part-Time Jobs event. And other characters make similar remarks from time to time as well.

Even more to the point, his student I.D. lists his dislike as "work" -- meaning that, in the end, he just doesn't want to bother putting in the effort if he thinks there's an easier way to get what he wants. This is why Mammon's greed often turns him towards gambling and get-rich-quick schemes, which then bite him in the ass.

This is also not to say Mammon is incapable of working responsibly, either. He holds a steady part-time job as a model, and he's quite a successful one, in fact, making him actually some degree of self-sufficient if he wasn't always blowing his money so fast. In the Lord of Fools Devilgram story, he laments that he wants to prove that he’s got what it takes to be a leader since he almost never gets any responsible tasks to take care of. And much as Lucifer is Diavolo's right-hand man now, Mammon used to be the same to Lucifer back in the Celestial Realm, working as his most trusted assistant.

This brings us to our next point. Mammon is always in trouble because he is a troublemaker, and to some extent, he always has been. Even as an angel, he was too much for Michael to handle, and Lucifer was the only one who could get him under control.

After that, he revered Lucifer with the utmost respect and admiration, really being an "adorable baby brother" to him. And in that time, he was hardworking because of wanting to help his older brother. However, after they fell, Lucifer withdrew into himself a lot, shouldering more and more of the burden of responsibility onto himself instead of having Mammon and the others help him. That can be its whole own other essay and it will be but what this means for Mammon is, he's both no longer occupied with responsibilities to help Lucifer, and also is getting a lot less of Lucifer's attention than before. So what does he do? He goes back to being the troublemaker he's always been. He steals, he gambles, he buys things he can't afford, he's impulsive and finds himself in hot water all the time with the consequences he didn't think through.

And then he gets punished, and made fun of, and bullied by his brothers.

But just as he's not actually incompetent, Mammon's perpetual punishments can make him seem more defenseless than he really is. The brothers are ranked by power, not age, especially since age is meaningless at this point as they're all thousands of years old. As we said at the top, that means he is the second-most powerful of the brothers. Big Shot Number Two. We just don't see much of this because, while he talks big, it's not actually in his personality to lord over others with his power. But he calls himself the Great Mammon, and he surely isn't the only one to say it (though obviously the brothers do not call him this because, well, as the Seven Demon Lords, they would also be "The Great XYZ").

This power is partially demonstrated not in what he does, but what he doesn't do. He is one of the only brothers who can seemingly control his temper -- he yells and shouts a lot, but he won't go into a fit of demon-form rage often. This makes him one of the only two brothers never to have unleashed his demon form out of rage against MC. Instead, he's the one who can somewhat keep his cool and even sometimes steps in to try to get others to calm down -- even if that other person is Lucifer.

That's not to say he's never willing to unleash his power, though. In the Let Your Hair Down Devilgram story, we see him transform into his demon form after the three eldest brothers return home to hear their younger brothers shit talking them.

He seems to be taking glee in the idea of pummeling them, which goes to show that when he wants to, he can bring out his Number 2 card. He might not do it out of actual rage, but make no mistake, he can and will reveal that power when he sees fit.

All of this to say, neatly summarized by Mammon himself:

And don't you forget it.

[lallianacore]

[lallianacore]

posting soon!

[lallianacore]

mari, do you have any games on your phone?

[lallianacore]

Spa day for both of us🫵😾

and for the kids too

[lallianacore]

Thank you for everything boys!

Heard about the Obey Me games ending in December, and i thought i'd come back for one last drawing of these demon boys.

I havent touched this franchise in a LONG time now, (never even played nightbringer) but since it's ending soon, i wanted to pay tribute to the game that (quite literally) changed my life.

It was through this fandom that I was able to connect with so many people on here and I cherish that time in my life so much. During the days of the pandemic when everything was uncertain and connections were hard to make, the demon boys and the fandom really brought me a lot of comfort.

I got my first EVER commission thanks to this fandom. that gave me the confidence to open commission regularly during lockdown when I couldn't really get a "proper" job. Obey Me related commissions were really my bread and butter at that point sdfhf

And I really, actually met the love of my life thanks to this fandom. As stupid as it is, Obey Me will (unfortunately) be a part of my love story forever sdfhk It is absolutely insane to think about how i met my now fiance through this stupid ass dating sim, i am NOT happy about it SJFDG

Lastly, thank you to everyone who has supported me through everything and liking the endless mammon content that i posted and liking Mira!!! Really, it mean so much more than you know!

[lallianacore]

*kicks a large rock sadly but it was actually a geodude and you watch me fight for my life as it mauls me*

[lallianacore]

//did someone say asmodeus miku

(For OM! Advent calendar day 5: Asmodeus)

[lallianacore]

Entering Leviathan's room slowly while singing Ave Maria so as not to startle him, but it backfires and he starts yelling because the religious lyrics have some kind of exorcising effect.

[lallianacore]

𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑲𝑵𝑶𝑾 𝑨 𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑳𝒀 𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑨𝑮𝑨𝑰𝑵

life has been a little less empty for zayne with you in it

⟡ content: zayne x gn!reader; established relationship; a little bittersweet, but still with fluff 🫂; appearance of zayne's parents; bits of zayne's childhood; 1.5k words

⟡ a/n: title is from a quote by the wonderful brennan lee mulligan from the D20 season a court of fey and flowers <3 i was feeling very soft about zayne’s life and this was written as a result :’) i hope this is an enjoyable read !

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Emptiness was something Zayne had grown accustomed to. It was in the streets that he walked on at night following a late surgery shift. It was in the study rooms he frequented as a university student–often the last person to leave once all his peers had gone. It was even in the classrooms of his childhood–remaining there to read and draw whilst everyone else played outside during breaks. Emptiness gave him periods of focus, which was important considering the career path he eventually pursued. Though, he had not always welcomed emptiness as a companion in his life.

The first time that Zayne was left home alone was when his parents went on an emergency trip out of town for work. Being only a child, he wringed his small hands as his parents hurried to pack equipment he did not yet understand. Before they left, they repeated instructions to the young boy about what he should do for the night. Warm up dinner, finish his homework, brush his teeth, go to bed early. They did not repeat these because they believed Zayne would be disobedient, but because they knew how frightening aloneness could be for a child. Having set guidelines for what to do would hopefully help him to feel capable of being by himself.  

“Remember, we’re only a phone call away, sweetie,” his mother reassured, smoothing his hair back with her fingers.

His father lowered himself on one knee to kiss his son on the forehead, tousling his hair and the careful combing his wife had just done.

“We’ll be back by tomorrow,” his father also reassured.

As the door clicked shut, Zayne watched from the window, pushing the curtain aside. After seeing and hearing the whirring engine pull away, he let the curtain fall. He stood at the entrance for a moment.

All became still, and he was greeted by emptiness for the first time.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He was shocked to feel his heartbeat drumming in his chest and hear every small breath he took. His own internal systems were exposed in silence.

He shuffled further into the house, the once familiar space now feeling too big and labyrinthian. Even his thoughts seemed to echo off the walls as he recalled what his parents had told him to do. Yes, he had tasks he needed to complete. Going through his to-do list would surely rid of the uneasiness bubbling inside him.

Zayne checked things off one-by-one. He tried to focus intensely on what needed to be done to forget about the fact that he was alone.

At last, Zayne retreated to his bedroom. His penultimate task was reading one chapter from the library book he borrowed. However, the words were distant to him as the crawling feeling of isolation left goosebumps on his skin.

Patches of unlit space in his room turned into sinister voids waiting to suck him in. The rustle of wind against windows became Wanderers raking their claws against glass.

He closed his book and snuggled deeper and deeper into the blankets, tucking his head inside and squeezing his eyes shut. He prayed he would have no nightmares tonight. If he did have one, he would wake up to nothing but a hollow room and his heart rattling in his ribcage. Torn between needing rest and not wanting bad dreams, exhaustion eventually took hold.

Zayne awoke not to terrors of the emptiness, but to the comforting touch of his mother. Through his own bleary vision, he saw his mother’s tired but gentle eyes. He sat up groggily. 

“You were so very brave, my dear,” his mother praised.  

“W-where’s Dad?” Zayne asked, sleep lifting with each blink of his eyes.

“He’s making breakfast for us.”

Something flickered in his mum’s gaze after her reply. She opened her mouth, hesitating to speak again.

“Zayne.” She took his hands in hers, brushing a finger over his knuckles. “Me and your father… we need to help as many people as we can, so that means this might happen a lot more as you get older.”

She examined her son’s expression. Zayne nodded.

“We love you very much, and we want you to do exactly as you did last night if this happens again, okay?”

Zayne nodded again, understanding then that he and the emptiness would have to get along from now on.

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At the end of another shift at Akso Hospital, Zayne drove out of the parking lot into the deserted streets of Linkon past midnight. Classical music quietly played in the background as he headed home, unlit buildings passing by in the rear-view mirror.

At the red light, he was the only one waiting. Perhaps this hour of the night meant that phantom cars would be most active, bustling about to do their ghostly activities. That sounded like something you would say to comfort him. Zayne could hear your voice in his head, could see you wiggling your fingers in a poor attempt at mimicking spookiness. The corner of his mouth twitched at his own imagination.

But, you weren’t in the passenger seat beside him this time. He stared out the front windshield, emptiness before him.

Parking the car outside his home, he approached the front door. Hovering his fingerprint over the handle, the sensor gave a small buzz of confirmation before unlocking.

Zayne listed off what he needed to do in his head as he turned the handle and entered. Since he already showered at the hospital, he just needed to change into his sleep clothes, have something to eat, and complete his observations of the day in his journal. Tomorrow (or technically today, though the late hour made it difficult to believe this was a new day) marked the beginning of the weekend when he could spend time with you. If he completed his to-do list diligently, then he could rest quickly and see you sooner.

He slipped his shoes off and undid the laces before putting them beside his other pairs. Zayne expected he would be greeted by an empty, unlit interior. The emptiness was no longer was an unwelcome, unsettling sight like he thought it to be as a child. There was a calmness to it that he had grown to appreciate. But, if he dug deep enough inside himself, there was still a feeling of loneliness he could not quite shake.

That was why he frowned when he saw the lights had been turned on in the living room. He definitely recalled turning them off before he left.

Zayne walked further inside, keeping his guard somewhat up for the possibility of an unwanted intruder.

Rather than a burglar, he was surprised, and much more relieved, to see you instead. Curled up on the couch, a blanket wrapped around your body.

He almost didn’t want to interrupt you. You were so cozy and peaceful, bathed in the warm glow of the lights above. At the sound of Zayne’s footsteps, your tired eyes opened, and your head raised towards the noise.

“Zaynie,” you drawled.

Your voice was crackly with sleep, but your smile was as adoring as ever. Combined with the nickname you used for him, affection tugged at his heart.

He hung his bag up and loosened his tie, joining you on the couch.

“What are you doing here?” he asked softly, brushing loose strands of hair away from your face. “I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Mmm…” you leaned into his touch. “I thought I’d get a head start and see you earlier.”

 “Earlier being at two o’clock in the morning. You didn’t have to come all this way and wait for me.”

Hearing his point, your lips turned down into a pout.

“Firstly, all this way was only about a 20-minute drive from my place to yours,” you clarified, “and secondly, I wanted to wait for you.”

He breathed a laugh, something between incredulity and fondness. It wasn’t like you didn’t have work today either. Even after your own gruelling shift today fighting Wanderers after a flare-up in a no-hunt zone, you still had the energy to come see him after he finished. Zayne was about to give you a half-serious scolding about staying up late when you leaned closer to him. The words stopped short in his throat as your lips met his cheek.

His face, cold from just being in the night air, blossomed with warmth. Likely due to your tiredness, your reaction time was slower than usual as your kiss lingered for a second or two longer.

“Welcome home, Zayne,” you whispered by his ear as you pulled away.

Home.

His home.

A place that was no longer empty now that you were here. A once solitary existence now filled with your presence.

He wished that he could somehow speak to his younger self. He would say that he would one day be reunited with someone who would wait for him even in the dead of night. That person, with all their endearing stubbornness, would be the one to protect against Wanderers that might be stalking in the emptiness (for they were a renowned Hunter after all), and leave the lights on to dispel any deathly voids.

His mouth parted, breathing becoming unsteady as he whispered back,

“It’s good to be home, my love.”

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[lallianacore]

[lallianacore]

theeee lady gaga fans I drew some weeks back

[lallianacore]

Obey Me: Whitewashing

Amidst the excitement of the new season, new characters, and new cards, we gotta talk about something that is sadly still an issue, even after Solmare talked about inclusion.

Adding Mephistopheles and Raphael to the cast has increased the number of PoC characters from three to five - which is a great thing!

What isn't great, is that the two new characters have joined Mammon, Diavolo, and Simeon in being lightened and whitewashed in the in-game card art, and their skin tones made grey when in shadow, and WHITE when in light.

All the pictures on the right above are not how darker skin looks.

Mammon and Raphael are given white skin. Mephistopheles is given grey undertones. Simeon is lightened, and greyed. Diavolo is portrayed as white more often than he is with his actual skin colour.

Dark skin tones do not look like that in direct light or in shade.

And given that some of the card and game graphic artists can clearly manage this task very well, why are Solmare not making sure other artists adhere to the correct colour palettes?

Colour picking from the sprites does not work for these characters - it does not work for ANY characters - as those are extremely small file sizes, small resolution, and small detail.

But it is not difficult to find real world references for any skin tone.

Plus many artists, including Devi/dsm7, have written guides for how to colour darker skin tones. There are so many resources out there, for free!

No country is immune to colourism.

[Please do not infantalise artists in cultures that have institutionalised colourism and/or racism. If you would not excuse it happening in an English speaking country, it is not excusable anywhere - especially in a game that was originally released for an international English speaking audience!]

And note, I am not directly blaming the artists.

I have absolutely no idea what privileges or marginalisation apply to any one individual, and that is a very important thing to remember.

But as a company, Solmare does bear the responsibility to ensure that all the game art matches, both for aesthetic design purposes and, in this case, to avoid characters being white washed.

I have written before about the racist coding of Diavolo, that he has lighter skin in his human form, and darker skin in his demon form. With human vs demon recognised as good vs evil by all common story tropes, this means that dark skin is being likened to evil (demonic) and light skin is being likened to good (human).

This does not need to be intentional!

Racist and colourist coding can occur in any society that has institutionalised racism or colourism.

~

Sidebar: Fanart

The fault of the above lies with Solmare.

The fault of fanart though? Yeah, that's on fanartists and those who support fanartists who whitewash.

Because again, there is art in the game that shows the right skin tones, that matches the diversity Solmare seem to be striving for (that they aren't consistent with).

And there are no shortage of fans who support fanartists who know that whitewashing is wrong, and yet... Many fanartists who whitewash still get support from the fandom.

Every time you reblog or RT any art of an artist who whitewashed, you are endorsing and popularising whitewashing and racism in art.

Every time an artist blames their tools, their medium, their style, their lack of knowledge that other people(??) of different skin tones exist(???), they are endorsing and popularising whitewashing and racism in art.

You don't need to start or join in a dogpile but at the very minimum, you should not be supporting such people.

Otherwise, next time that artists opens commissions? How many people have you advertised a whitewashing artist to? How many people think whitewashing is okay because a popular artist does it, with support?

Nope. Do not support.

~

tl;dr

No, I highly doubt Solmare is doing this to be intentionally racist.

But yes, the effects of white washing media characters are still harmful regardless of intention.

And yes, it is easy to fix!

Some of the artists who work on the cards past and present seem to have no trouble managing different skin tones.

Solmare should ensure all art shows all characters as they are meant to look. Artistic interpretation does not extend to changing skin tone.

And they absolutely need to remove the canonical skin tone difference Diavolo has in his human and demon forms. If he has darker skin as a demon, he should have darker skin as a human. Easy!

~

[lallianacore]

he’s so 🤯