Welcome to my blog οεο //Call me Stolen or Mochi // ♉// no NSFW asks, requests or submissions, thank you💛// always here if you need to talk to someone//
To everyone who portrays Michael as an absolute monster. Reminder that he is one of the only (if not THE only) characters who has ever apologized to MC for the traumatic shit they’ve been through. When it wasn’t even his fault.
I want to start this off by saying that I agree with the masses that Season 4 was VERY poorly executed. I honestly have actual trust issues with the writers after how that season was handled, to the point that it actually prevented me from getting into Nightbringer until very recently.
...that said. I think that beneath the poor pacing, vague wording, misplaced focus, lack of closure, hidden signals and all-around awful handling, there is something here that deserves to be analyzed. So I'm writing this because I want to decode whatever the fuck the writers were going for. So, here we go.
The reason for Simeon's punishment was... confusing, to say the least. Yes, he did steal from the Celestial Realm, and from Michael personally. However... the reasons he did so are not only just, but reasons Michael should have personally agreed with. Even if Michael didn't give a damn about MC, he very clearly still loves Lucifer- and if Simeon hadn't done what he did, MC would have driven that knife straight through Lucifer's chest. What Simeon did saved the life of one of the most important people to Michael... not to mention protected the Celestial Realm. MC's ring of power was dangerously close to destabilizing all three realms, with the effects already starting to hit the Celestial Realm. What Simeon did was in the best interest of everyone, including Michael and the Celestial Realm. So, why was he punished...?
Well, this post is going to take a similar direction to my post about the fall. It wasn't actually meant to be a punishment at all.
When you look at Simeon's situation from a lens of punishment, certain details don't add up. It wasn't like Michael left Simeon out to dry. He sent arguably his most important angel, Raphael, to ensure Simeon's safety. He reached out to and to some extent collaborated with the Devildom- which he's made clear in the past that he distrusts and dislikes- just to keep everyone on the same page about Simeon and his protection. These acts don't exactly scream "punishment".
Then there was what Michael said to MC in season three- "I have to think about Simeon as well, after all."
This reads to me like Michael is- albeit subtly- angsting over the situation. Like he's still actively looking out for Simeon and his best interests, in his own way. It certainly doesn't sound like someone who has ill will towards him or is apathetic about his wellbeing.
Raphael doesn't seem particularly unhappy with Simeon over the whole thing either, and we all know how much of a stickler Raphael is for rules and doing the "right" thing. His full support of Simeon the entire time tells me that this is a little more complicated than a broken rule.
So... what exactly happened?
It's made very obvious that Simeon being turned human was because he stole the ring; that isn't up for debate. But that doesn't necessarily mean it was a punishment. What I think happened was that the incident made Michael realize a few things about Simeon- and that this was a long time coming, it's just that the situation with the ring was what made him feel that Simeon was better off not being an angel.
In the act of stealing the ring, Simeon made a very loud and clear statement about where his heart truly lies and what's important to him.
If his first and foremost thought was to be a good loyal angel, he would have let that dagger go straight through Lucifer's chest for the "greater good". Lucifer would have died, and MC would be worse for wear, but the Celestial Realm would be safe from the chaotic magic MC possessed.
...but that wasn't what was important to Simeon. That wasn't what mattered most to him.
What Simeon did saved the Celestial Realm, but that's not why he did it. He did it to save Lucifer and MC. That was what was important to him. His heart doesn't lie with the Celestial Realm, not anymore. It lies with MC, and with the brothers, and with the spirit of the exchange program- the fight to make bonds between the realms work.
I'll get into MC and Lucifer in a moment, but for now, that last point. His full and undying belief in doing what's best for all three realms. In Nightbringer, if MC tells Solomon that they want to find a way that's best for everyone instead of choosing between the demons, angels, and humans, it raises intimacy levels not with Solomon, but with Simeon. Who wasn't even in the room or anywhere near them at the time.
That is who Simeon is.
And the rules of the Celestial Realm confine him from doing what he was meant to do, the person he wanted to be.
As an angel, Simeon was only allowed to even see Lucifer and his brothers due to the exchange program- he wasn't allowed to venture down to visit his dear brother freely; in the original game's timeline he likely went centuries without being able to contact him.
He was even more restricted with MC, with whom he had to express clear restraint to avoid lustful sinning. Though most of the examples of this are locked behind Devilgrams (one of the many ways in which this whole arc was poorly handled)- one example I remember was one of his birthday cards from the year of S4 where he's shown sending MC away to hold himself back from "temptation". He couldn't love MC in the way he wanted to love them, because he was an angel.
And the relationship between the realms? Well, he can't do what's best for everyone if he's bound by the strict and oppressive rules of one. The rules that a very drunk Simeon in the devilgram "Simeon's Hidden Side" confesses were severely burning him out. The rules that, in Season 2, he spat in the face of with zero hesitation to pursue what he truly believed in. Simeon is a free spirit, one being slowly strangled by the Celestial Realm's jungle of rules and restrictions.
I don't think Michael did what he did because he was angry with Simeon. I think he did it because he knew it was time to let him go.
But that may not have been what he said. We all know by now that Michael isn't the brightest socially-speaking. When even Raphael, the most tactless being across the three realms, calls you socially inept, that's saying something.
I think what Michael meant to say was that the incident with the ring made him realize that Simeon is better off elsewhere. But what came out was "this is because of the ring"- which bears some very obvious negative implications. Especially when spoken to someone who is most likely in immense shock from the daunting situation they're being faced with. Simeon may be great at reading people and interpreting their motivations under normal circumstances, but it's very likely a part of Simeon's brain just turned off the moment he learned he was going to be human- honestly, who could blame him.
I think the whole "punishment" aspect was, largely, a miscommunication. Something that's backed up further towards the end of the season.
When Satan asks Simeon if it's because he stole the ring, Simeon's answer is rather vague.
"Something like that". That's... a rather strange response. It's rather roundabout. It indicates that it's a little more complicated.
Then there was what Simeon said later in that conversation.
"You-know-who has been waiting for me to figure that out."
Michael's been waiting for Simeon to realize why he actually did what he did. It wasn't about what Simeon did, but who he was. After all, as Simeon says, "this is who I am".
In short...
Yes, Simeon's transformation into a human was because he stole the ring. But no, that doesn't mean it was a punishment.
Simeon's act wasn't just a broken rule, it was a statement about who he is and where his heart lies- a statement that made Michael realize that he's not meant to be an angel. But when Michael said that he was turning Simeon human because he stole the ring, that was not what was gotten across- an in-shock Simeon interpreted it as a punishment, and viewed it as such until the end of the season where he realized what Michael actually meant.
And, honestly, I'm alright with this. I still have a bone to pick with the writers regarding how it was handled, I could rant for ages about that, but I can appreciate the idea itself. My only real concern now is that I hope Simeon keeps his angel lifespan. If he doesn't, then turning him human is essentially indirectly killing him down the line- which has moral issues I can't overlook or justify. That's really my only big problem here after looking at it under a microscope.
I'm also noticing a trend here, if my analysis is in any way accurate. It seems like Michael is the kind of person to make very big, very strange, morally dubious decisions that start to make a lot more sense when looked at more closely. It really lends credence to Simeon's whole "he does everything for a reason" thing. It's a part of Michael's character that I'm interested in seeing where it goes- but hoping for no more Simeon angst in the process, please. Please don’t hurt my boy again.
But, that's my two cents. If this doesn't make sense, it's because I wrote this in an ADHD-induced frenzy at 4 AM and apparently didn't edit it well (or at all) in the morning. Either way, I'll go ahead and claim my title as this hellsite's biggest Michael apologist before anyone can stick it to me. Kitty out.
When we first hear about what happened in the Great Celestial War, why the brothers fell, it's easy to go, "WTF". It's easy to blood-boilingly angry over the brothers' fate, how much they didn't deserve what they got. It's easy to consider their damnation a heartless, cruel decision, a punishment they never deserved.
But looking at it closer, it gets a lot more complicated. I don't think it was ever about what they "deserved" at all.
I want you to ask yourself. If Father was willing to punish Lilith as harshly as he wanted to just for falling in love with/saving a human, what do you think his punishment for a full-on, violent rebellion would have been?
It's always felt strange to me, that Lilith's punishment was so much harsher than her brothers'. Even if falling in love with a human and altering their lifespan was a grievous enough sin to warrant death or endless darkness, was what the brothers did any less? Compared to Lilith's projected punishment, both in the OG and in Nightbringer, the brothers' fate was significantly softer. Yes, it was harsh, and yes it was beyond traumatizing. But they at least had a chance. They had the room to adapt, and grow, and heal, and overcome. And to a degree, they already have. All things considered, it was a pretty tame punishment compared to what Father was fully ready to dish out on their sister.
...which is why I think Father had nothing to do with it at all.
In Season 3, Luke specifically implies that it was Michael who cast the brothers down.
This could have been ignorance on Luke's part- he wasn't alive back then so he could be misconstruing details from what he's heard- but I don't think so. Not only do more traditional biblical media often portray Michael as the one to cast Lucifer down as well, but even in Obey Me itself, the idea of Father being responsible for it (either doing it himself or ordering Michael to) just doesn't add up.
It's not just that the punishment seems unlike him. That's a large part of it, but there's also another hint from Nightbringer that feels like a dead giveaway.
...I'm sorry, but that just makes absolutely no sense. Even by the Celestial Realm's clearly wacked-out mindset, it makes no sense. Why would the Celestial Realm be angry at the Devildom for taking in the people they themselves sent there?
...unless it wasn't the Celestial Realm's decision at all.
Michael wasn't supposed to do what he did.
So why did he do it?
Remember what I said earlier, about how it seemed out-of-character for Father to give the brothers such a weak punishment. I think it's far more likely that Father wanted them either dead or sentenced to the same fate as Lilith.
And I think Michael couldn't do it.
Imagine you're Michael in this situation. You're fighting this war, against your own brother, who you love deeply. In the heat of the moment, you're about to finally stab him and... then you realize.
Why are you doing this?
You can't do it. You can't kill him.
But you can't just back away. Lucifer is already consumed by the heat of the moment; if you let your guard down for even a second, he's not going to realize you're no longer fighting, he's just going to see a chance to go in for the kill. And even if he doesn't, even if he miraculously calms down in the face of everything, what fate awaits him? If you don't do this, what will Father do to him? It won't be a quick and easy death; that's for sure.
You look around. The other six are also fighting against other angels. You see your other brothers and sisters tearing each other apart, just as you and Lucifer were. You realize you can't bear to kill your own brother, and you can't bear to let anyone else die either.
You need to stop it somehow. And there's only one way to make that happen.
You have to get the seven of them as far away from the Celestial Realm as possible.
It's the only way. That's the only way to end the bloodshed. That's the only way to end the war without execution.
Where do you send them?
The one place they have a friend, of course.
You knew about Lucifer and that demon prince. You knew. You know your brother; he isn't as slick as he thinks he is. You weren’t an idiot; you knew there was no way Father was sending Lucifer down for “diplomatic meetings” that often. You played dumb, you turned the other cheek, but you always knew. And now, you just had to hope that whatever unholy bond they had ran deep enough for Lord Diavolo to help him in the wake of what you were about to do next.
You back away, and you cast your magic. You watch them plummet, a feeling of shock and emptiness taking over you. Raphael stares at you in disbelief.
"Michael, what did you do?!"
"I don't know."
And that is that.
In short, I don't think the brothers' damnation was a punishment. I believe it was the desperate act of someone who didn't want anyone to die. I believe it was the lesser of many evils, in a situation where there was no right answer. I believe it was an act of mercy.
🧐 What Sins Will The New Side Characters Fall Under? 🧐
So I’ve had these theories floating around in my head for a while and I figure I’ll put it out there before they all become dateable. Here are my thoughts on what primary sin each new character falls under.
Thirteen: I think she will fall under Gluttony. takes MC to the cafe a lot, she mentions she likes being alone on her birthday to have an entire cake to herself, and was delighted when Barbatos made two cakes for her instead of one on a visit to the castle.
Mephistopheles: I want to say Pride because of his affiliation with Diavolo and being a braggy brag about being a noble HOWEVER he is also a strong contender for Envy. He’s clearly jealous of Lucifer’s closeness to Diavolo and also feels threatened by MC’s relationship with him.
Raphael: I was leaning towards Wrath for him, considering he is quick to unleash his spears at those that anger him but we already have an angel associated with Wrath so he may end up being something else. I could see Raphael being associated with Pride only for the fact that it seems he is very responsible and takes pride in his role in the Celestial Realm and being an angel.
Michael: Michael is without a doubt Sloth. He nods off during poetry readings, is known to leave Raphael with his own duties, shares interests with Belphegor, and Raphael has hinted at his laziness. Also, he doesn’t seem to follow through with threats.
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
gummygunk
yousharknotpass
titsay
turnnoffyourmind
