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onyourowndaisymae · 1 year

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obey me dateables (+ luke) presenting you with a friendship bracelet in return

lol sorry i've been a bit mia recently... i finish undergrad in a few days and have been a little swamped! + i have a mystery health condition i'm still trying to get under control that flares up with stress, so... clearly it's been a bit busy for me. i thought finally reversing my friendship bracelet prompt would be a wonderful way to get back in touch with all my blorbos. so! without any further ado, enjoy!

[presenting the demon brothers with a friendship bracelet]

[presenting the dateables (+ luke) with a friendship bracelet]

content warnings: none

prompt: you took the first step in commemorating your friendship by presenting him with a friendship bracelet. but it would be rude not to return the gesture, right? that's what he thinks. maybe that's why he's slaving away over these thin strings, all to see that smile on your face...

Diavolo

oh, what was that? yeah, he’s listening. lucifer, it’s fine, just let him–

diavolo had been ignoring the strange looks from several of his advisors all week as he took the craft in and out of meetings. usually, he'd just fidget with a pen as ancient demons droned on about witch pact laws and realm relations for the nth time this month. but now that he's on a quest to make you a cute friendship bracelet to match his own, he's got something to keep his hand busy-- and to keep him from getting a stern look from lucifer for clicking said pen under the desk over and over.

unfortunately, making the bracelet made him a much worse listener. it's not even that he's distracted by keeping the pattern going! but once he starts knotting the strings together, he starts thinking about you. would you like this gift, or should he get you something nicer? how long did it take you to make his bracelet? would you wear this bracelet? because if so, you should definitely let him know, because he can wear his and you two will match--

lord diavolo.

he looks up to find barbatos giving him a stern look. uh-oh. that means he's been lost in thought long enough for someone to notice.

he can't help it. not really. he's just never had a human friend like you before! you're just so fascinating. all your little childhood stories and human traditions send his mind racing a mile a minute. children in the devildom are often much rougher with each other. they're trying to get a grasp on their demonic instincts, and often their play turns to fighting in a matter of moments. diavolo loves the idea of childhood friendships-- something he never got and cannot make up now-- and little tokens of affection to commemorate them.

he might not be a child anymore, but something about your silly human traditions make him feel young and rambunctious again. last week, you told him you wanted to take him to a human world zoo to pet the sharks. petting animals! at the zoo! in the devildom, touching any of the zoo's creatures is practically a death sentence. yet humans could get up close and person with theirs and walk away unscathed. incredible! the more he hears about human culture, the more he wants to know everything.

when the meeting is over (and after a brief-- and well deserved-- scolding from both barbatos and lucifer), diavolo retreats to his office to finish the bracelet for you. his big hands and thick fingers struggle to find purchase on the tiny strings, but when they do, he ties each knot with the utmost care. this is for you, after all.

diavolo find you at RAD the next morning and presents you with his gift then. he craves your approval more than he'd ever let on-- with that expectant grin and pleading eyes, though, you're not exactly surprised.

he's overjoyed when you accept his gift and even more so when you ask for help putting it on immediately. that stupid, eager grin won't leave no matter how serious he tries to look. diavolo's just so glad that you think of him-- and now, when he looks down at his bracelet and remembers this exchange, he'll think of you, too.

Barbatos

weeks had gone by since you gave barbatos that friendship bracelet. it remains pinned against the inside of his uniform day in and day out for safekeeping-- and as a little reminder of your affection for him. it's nice that someone as wonderous as you has taken such an interest in a demon like him.

however, not once does making you a bracelet in return cross his mind, despite lord diavolo's not-so-subtle hints. he prefers to return your affections in other ways-- "accidentally" buying too much of a fruit you like at the market that morning, inviting you over to sample new varieties of tea he's preparing for lord diavolo, soft smiles and lingering eyes when your back is turned.

one morning, he's surprised by an urgent call from the demon prince's office.

barbatos makes his way to the young master's office right away, only to come across a surprising scene: the stacks of papers usually populating the desk are now tucked away on nearby shelves, replaced by a near-obscene amount of embroidery floss in every color of the rainbow. lord diavolo's face was twisted into a grin-- it was not often he was able to pull a fast one like this on the butler, but when he did, he was always very smug about it for the next few days.

"ahh, barbatos, it's good to have you here. please, sit."

the two of them danced around pleasantries for a few moments before barbatos quirked a brow-- that micro-expression asked everything he had on his mind.

"i've decided that we need to make those human friendship bracelets today. it's important that we foster bonds in our community, and exchanging traditions like this are a fantastic way to do so." the prince made this announcement with a very serious, earnest expression.

the two men stare at each other in silence for a few moments. finally, lord diavolo cracks a smile.

"do you think lucifer would wear a friendship bracelet if i made him one?"

"young master, i think he'll do anything you ask of him."

the rest of the afternoon is spent per the lord's whims, holed up in that office wasting the day with silly human world crafts. diavolo makes some excuses about "cultural exchange", but he's not fooling anyone. barbatos only allows this to happen because the young master has been on top of his paperwork all week. the castle has felt quite cold and suffocating lately-- it's nice to bring warm laughter and sunny smiles back between the gilded walls once again, even if just for a few hours.

barbatos is good at everything. in this case, he's able to simply look at the bracelet you gave him and recreate the pattern near-perfect on his first try. his nimble fingers create delicate knots with ease, leaving the future demon king in his dust (metaphorically, of course-- he has to help diavolo several times throughout the afternoon).

he presents the bracelet to you one day over afternoon tea. a thin, decorative box wrapped in golden ribbon appears by your side. inside is a friendship bracelet made in your favorite colors. he's very aloof as you ask questions about it, but he indulges you with the answers and accompanying stories of his little craft session with the young master.

his gloved fingers carefully secure the bracelet around your wrist. you don't neglect to notice the ghost of a smile on his lips-- a quiet moment of pride, of adoration-- after he moves on to finish serving tea.

Simeon

simeon had the perfect excuse to crave time out of his busy schedule to make you a friendship bracelet. hey luke? do you want to try this craft too?

he'd been waiting for a free afternoon where he could finally make you a friendship bracelet in return. you said it was a human tradition, right? well, it would certainly be rude to not reciprocate. and since it was a common tradition amongst kids, simeon figures he can rope luke into joining him while he's on babysitting duty.

he did what he always does when he wants to figure something out-- he sought out a book from the RAD library to teach him. satan guided him to the section on human culture and traditions. from there, he scoured the shelves until he found one with adequate instructions. that was the book he currently had sprawled out in front of him, propped open with a candle as his fingers were tangled in embroidery floss.

(satan did try to convince him to use a video instead. deviltube has many useful tutorials, y'know? learning from a book is much harder. yet peepaw simeon didn't trust himself to find a video, nor keep it up on his D.D.D. after satan leaves. which is... valid.)

the problem with following pictures is that they can only tell you so much. and the written instructions made enough sense to be passable, but to actually guide a beginner in the art of friendship bracelet creation? dubious. that was simeon's current predicament. he was supposed to be guiding the blonde cherub across from in on how to make his own bracelet, but... why was this so confusing?

at some point, solomon emerged from his lair room and found himself leaning over the grown angel's shoulder. even the sorcerer, who learned most everything from books, didn't quite get what the book meant. is that string supposed to go under...? maybe around...? these pictures are grainy as hell, too, so it's not like they're much help.

by the grace of god and many hours of trial and error, simeon managed to figure the pattern out. him and luke both finished the night with a few bracelets each. luke made one for simeon, one for solomon, and two for barbatos. simeon had several failed attempts of the bracelet he tried to make you, with one successful attempt to give to you the next time he saw you. solomon ducked in and out of the angels' crafting session and came away with one very ugly little bracelet-- he didn't mind, because apparently he'd been needing a new bookmark anyways.

simeon's a little sheepish the next time you come over to purgatory hall. it's not that he's ashamed to give you a gift in public, per se-- it's more that the whole thing feels strangely personal. he put a lot of effort into making that bracelet for you! now that he knows how much time you devoted to making him such a gift (he doesn't quite realize you didn't have to learn from scratch, so it took way less time for you), he really treasures the intimacy of homemade gifts.

still, despite his initial hesitation, he gives you the gift with a smile. he wanted to return the favor, you see, since he likes your gift so much. do you like it? please say you like it, his fingers are still sore

simeon will secure the bracelet to your wrist with a smile-- a bit clumsy, as the tie mechanism confused him as he was making the bracelet-- but he eventually gets the hang of it. the rest of the evening, he'll sneak little glances at your wrist, a proud little smile on his lips. he really likes seeing you-- what's that, luke? why is he smiling at mc like that? don't worry about it. you'll understand when your older.

Solomon

solomon had a not-so-healthy habit of staying up entirely too late, nose deep in experiments and new spells, that he often lost track of time and place. at times, the sleep deprivation made him careless. the night would usually end when he grows too frustrated with his groggy movements to go on.

tonight's experimenting ended in a flurry of hushed swears as the contents of this new potion spilled on him and across his chest. it's his fault-- he's the one who knocked the flask over-- yet he's cursing some abstract villain out to get him tonight.

in all the chaos, his bracelet is drenched in a viscous ooze, which quickly sunk right into the strings and refused to budge. great. what was that, his third ruined bracelet this month? if he didn't know any better, he'd think he was hexed to suffer a string of minor-yet-infuriating inconveniences every day.

he took the knife on his workbench and cut the ruined bracelet off. it hit the wood with a slop, strings fraying already from the new sever between strings. what was that, his third destroyed bracelet this month? he should really be more careful with these things.

still, though, part of him liked how you'd always make him a new one. ruining these bracelets gave him a reason to see you on a semi-regular basis.

strings uncoiled from each other, now freed from the confines of the knots that once held them together. solomon watched with tired fascination as it unraveled in slow motion.

was that all? just a couple of knots? he could do that.

his experiment now laid half-finished on his workbench, abandoned in favor of the new challenge laid out before him. a knotted pile of embroidery floss covered spellbooks and containers of potion ingredients. his hands shook from exhaustion-- at this point, he was so used to his shitty sleep schedule that he stopped noticing. his body may be tired, but his brain was hyperfocused on this task. he wasn't going to stop until he reverse engineered this friendship bracelet for you.

simeon found him slumped back in his chair the next morning, fast asleep with his neck quirked at an odd angle. he very carefully woke the sorcerer up with a hand on the shoulder and a few quiet words. before he did, though, he brought luke in to get a look. what? it's not often solomon let himself be caught slacking like this. if he didn't want two angels whispering and giggling over the way he slept with his arms crossed and head back (like an old man passed out in front of the TV), maybe he should learn to get in bed first.

after a rough morning dragging his sore body around purgatory hall (hmm, i wonder why?), solomon found you in the halls at RAD between classes. his tired expression melted into a smug grin as he found his way to your side.

ah-hem. behold, mc. a friendship bracelet. what's that? it's wonderful? of course it is. solomon is good at everything, after all. (this quite nearly erupts into chaos as mammon very loudly reminds him that even beel can't stand his cooking).

he's delighted by that surprised look on your face. that made the lack of sleep all worth it. you go to reach for the gift when he holds it out of your reach. nuh-uh, mc. see this bare wrist? yeah. it's that time of the month. he needs a new bracelet. solomon laughs off your exasperated sigh and gently takes your wrist in his cold hands. slender fingers ghost across your pulse points with care as he secures his creation to your wrist. a small, genuine smile pulls at his lips.

... he does still need a new bracelet, though. so, y'know... let him know when you finish. jackass

Luke

luke is immediately gung-ho about making you a friendship bracelet. he adores his! the only thing that would make it better was if the two of you were matching.

he's honestly ready to start working the moment you leave for the night. simeon is able to convince him to at least wait until the weekend. after all, RAD has demanding coursework that he needs to dedicate his time to during the week. luke doesn't like this much, seeing as he's already this excited just thinking about the craft.

simeon sweetens the pot like the responsible adult he is-- if luke can wait until the weekend, then simeon will run out and grab all the supplies they could possibly need. they can make a day of it, with snacks and other little crafts to make for their friends. doesn't that sound nice?

somehow, luke is able to muster up the patience to wait until the weekend to begin his friendship bracelet quest. he does wake simeon up ass early on saturday morning, though. he can't help it! he's just a kid, after all.

the morning starts with breakfast (luckily for everyone, solomon slept in too late to offer to cook). luke chatters on and on about his plan. he had the foresight to ask just how you made the bracelet when you gave him his, so he's confident he can follow the instructions you gave him.

it goes... okay. at least at first. in the beginning, he'd get frustrated about how he couldn't quite remember what to do here or why this knot here looked funky. some kind words and a little assistance from lithe-fingered simeon are able to fix both his bracelet and his mood. eventually, he's all giddy laughs and big grins as he looks over his masterpiece. white and gold strands are somewhat neatly knotted together to mimic the design of the bracelet you made for him.

monday morning, bright and early, the little angel bounds up to you like a golden retriever off-leash at a dog park, all gilded hair and excitement galloping down the hall until he's by your side. he shoves the bracelet up towards your face and grins. look, mc! i made you a friendship bracelet, too! now we can match!

every day you wear that bracelet is another day luke finds a way to express his appreciation for your friendship. his go-to is to absentmindedly toy with the strings around your wrist at lunch or in class. sometimes he'll bump your bracelets together and smile at you, a silent question hung in the air between your matching grins: best friends forever, right?

#wednesday. i am finally free wednesday.#college is exhausting #obey me swd #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me dateables #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me luke

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inhuman-obey-me · 1 year

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If obey me wasnt a otome game what do you think will be different? And it makes me laugh that we are romanticising the devil which just seems so funny. Ik its a game but its just a funny concept

Okay but we love romancing the devil. More games should let us smooch Lucifer/other demon royalty. Please.

But this is a fun thing to think about!

(long game design rambles below the cut)

Even if Obey Me was still a visual novel game but without the romance, there is a lot that could change. We'd have a lot less of the characters vying for the player's attention, meaning the game would also be less prone to gag-type situations and allow for a consistently more serious storyline. It could be something like Twisted Wonderland, where the MC still has a role but it isn't as big nor central to the conflicts and problems of the story, thus playing more of an observer role.

The devs actually mentioned in early videos that when making the game, they had to scale back some of their ideas because they "didn't want it to feel too much like an adventure game" and still focus on the romance since it was a dating sim. Interestingly, Nightbringer seems to be testing the waters on this now and going back to a more dramatic story, so maybe we'll actually get to see that kind of adventure vibe now!

If the game was still following the main points of gathering pacts with the demon brothers...well, maybe we really are just becoming Solomon 2.0 at that point, new title is Solomon Simulator 2023 BC. But really, there would probably be less of MC playing therapist and more letting us have adventures of our own, exploring the world in various ways. Hell, MC might even be living in Purgatory Hall with the other exchange students instead of oddly being the only one put in the House of Lamentation. And this more adventurous theming could also be reflected in events, with more AU themes (Pirates, Spies, Circus, etc) that allow for more fun event storylines that aren't so focused on "romantic" situations and fanservice moments.

Going along with that, we would likely get more character variety in a non-otome game, since it wouldn't be trying to make every character (except Luke) dateable or potentially future-dateable -- less ikemen, more non-male characters, maybe more body diversity! And because there'd be no expectation of romance, you could have more outright hostility too. Maybe Mephisto and Raphael could have actually fulfilled the more aggressive or antagonistic personalities they had been hinted to have! There might also be more of a canonical MC character personality too, since part of the reason it's left more open and vague is to let players self-insert for the romance. This could allow for more narration from MC as well.

Now, if we step away from the Visual Novel style, that could open up a whole new world of possibilities! Imagining OM as more of a fantasy RPG? Super fun thought.

Other characters could potentially be playable, and if so, we could perhaps see more of the characters without MC needing to be in the scene, allowing for more interactions between different characters outside the current format of occasional side/hard-mode stories.

We'd probably get a truer combat system too, even if we were just fighting random minor demons or something like the Little D's in Nightbringer's gameplay. (Apparently the only instruction the team got in making the original game was "it needs dance battles"???) The characters' skills could also be more unique to the characters since it wouldn't have to fit the rhythm/dance game format, so stuff like summoning Lotan could actually be a useful powerful thing instead of just a running gag! In fact, we could see way more powerful magic from all the characters, which would be great since OM as it is now just always conveniently forgets that these are extremely powerful demons for the sake of setting up random shenanigan situations.

A combat mechanic could also add to the narrative design of the game -- what better way to show us what a scary and dangerous place the Devildom is than to have the player have to defend themselves while navigating through it? Or imagine the characters' relationships with one another actually mattering to the gameplay, like Beel and Belphie getting a boost if they're in the party together, as with Fire Emblem's support system! Simeon being a healing angel member of the party at the start and then actually tangibly losing that as a combat ability when that part of the story happened? It would certainly hit different, that's for sure.

The story also wouldn't be confined to the 20-lesson format in that case, which could give more room for fleshing things out properly. And with a freer adventure-based storyline, it might also be a lot less focus on RAD, or maybe it wouldn't be a school setting at all! Perhaps it would focus more on the inter-realm diplomacy parts of the story. Plus, some aspects could get relegated to more environmental storytelling and interactable objects around you, leaving character interactions freed up to focus more on actual events going on.

And speaking of character interactions, there could also be a more complex and interesting system for relationships in a more RPG style game. Instead of an intimacy bar that only ever goes up and doesn't directly impact story events, you could have a more complex interaction event system, like in Telltale stuff or Mass Effect. That could still include romance without it being the central point of the game, and maybe they would also hold grudges over certain decisions, which could feed back into the combat system somehow. Unlike now, you wouldn't be able to go back to change your decisions, but there's a lot of replayability potential there.

Of course, the downside to all that it's way more work to make...game dev is hard, after all! So updates would be slower, it'd probably cost a whole lot more, and it's probably not feasible as a mobile game anymore then. But hey, a game like that would be pretty damn cool.

#yes mod chaos did study game dev in college; why do you ask?#but solmare please license someone to make this #or at least solmare please learn what narrative design is #learn a lot of things actually #we wanna kiss demons but we want to do other cool shit too #obey me #obey me!#obey me swd #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me nightbringer #ask and ye shall be answered #ask and ye shall receive (essays)

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