#and Barbatos always has the most elegant card designs

[misc-obeyme]

i would read the barbatos essay ‼️

Anon, you have made my entire day lol. I'm always worried about answering asks with lengthy posts because I can really ramble on and on. But since you asked for the Barbatos essay, well...

Buckle up 'cause this turned out quite long! I'm putting it under a cut just so people don't have to scroll.

There's only one section of spoilers, which I indicate so you can skip it if you like!

Here it is, my Why I Love Barbatos essay:

Okay, first we have his design and the color scheme. That teal is just so pretty. And the way his hair has that one streak of brighter teal? Perfection. I very much think Barb would look amazing with long hair, too.

The way his uniform is altered to look more like a butler. The way he's always wearing those white gloves. When he actually does take off the gloves?? Though I do wish they had given him a casual outfit, they kinda do this with all the side characters - all of them are missing at least one outfit that the bros have. BUT it's funny to think that Barb just wears his uniform all the time instead AND sometimes he does take off the jacket when he's about to get into something. Such as in the Dust-Fighting Demon SSR and the Face Paint Charm SSR.

And then there's his human world outfit?! It's perfect for him. Elegant and unique and just visually interesting. And if iirc it's like a tea merchant outfit? I mean. Of course it is.

Demon form? Perfection. THAT TAIL. I wanna touch it so bad. And his horns are just so different from everybody else's. They're so unique. And the outfit? It's like butler uniform but upgraded. The patterns and the colors and the frills that come out of the wrists I just love it so much.

Needless to say, I very much love Barbatos's design. Visually he's just so pretty and I think that is part of what initially drew me to him. But in the end, what it really comes down to for me is personality, too.

I think there are a couple of things about Barbatos that I really love that just made him become my absolute favorite.

He's not instantly in love with MC. People have talked about this before. It takes basically all four seasons for Barbatos to say or do anything that indicates he might have feelings for MC. A lot of his more romantic interactions happen in his Devilgrams and the events, which are outside of the main story line. (A Party Just For Two UR card is one of my all time faves when it comes to romance with Barb and most of it happens in the kitchen lol.)

The thing about this that was always interesting to me was that he didn't act like he was NOT interested or that he disliked MC or anything. In fact, he always seemed to be curiously intrigued by MC. While most of the other characters usually develop a kind of crush on MC before they're just straight up in love with them, Barb is just kind of like, oh you are interesting. But that's it until much later in the story. And even THEN we don't get a straight confession out of him.

I have always been a fan of the slow burn. The little moments that just steadily increase the character's feelings, the build up, the anticipation... it's so good.

And then there's just how mysterious he is in general. We know very little about him. In the beginning I was like okay so who is this guy? He's just a butler? I don't get it. And yeah, he's a butler, but then you find out he's also got time powers and portal powers and suddenly he's a lot more than just a butler.

NB spoilers here for his Tea Time With You UR+ Devilgram:

The story in this Devilgram really hints to there being so much more about WHY Barbatos is Diavolo's butler. He talks a lot about atonement and how something he did had a profound impact on both Diavolo and Solomon. He won't tell us what it was because he's not ready to reveal it, which is not surprising, but also indicates that it still weighs on him pretty heavily. At least it does in the NB timeline. To me, this added a whole new layer to his air of mystery. We don't know why he stays as Diavolo's butler except that he says he likes it and that's what he wants to do. But there is clearly another piece to that involving some self imposed penalty for whatever he did.

End spoilers.

And even though there's a lot we don't know about him and especially his past (which to be fair, there are probably a billion years of past there so we'll never know all of it lol), he just has this comforting way about him. Once he accepts someone as sort of being in his charge, he takes care of them without being overbearing. He sort of does this thing where he gives each person in his life as much as they need from him.

Diavolo is the obvious example and he needs the most from Barb. So Barbatos does a lot for him and Dia is always his priority. But then we've also got characters like Luke and Solomon. With Luke, Barbatos is always ready to teach him how to bake or give him advice when he asks for it. But he also doesn't smother him or anything. He knows that Luke has Simeon and Solomon that help him, too. And with Solomon, Barbatos only really helps him when Solomon asks. In the OG, it's pretty clear that by that point, Solomon is incredibly independent. He doesn't need a lot of attention from Barbatos anymore, so Barb just lets him do his thing for the most part. But if Solomon does need him, Barbatos has no problem helping. (I am assuming, of course, that the only time that Sol forced Barb to do something he didn't want to do was in the labyrinth in NB.)

And I think this tendency to care for people extends to MC as well, but he knows that MC has everyone else looking out for them, too. So he's willing to sort of stay in the background, but you know that he's paying attention to MC. He will sometimes ask MC to come help him with something in daily chats or he'll invite them over for tea and he always says something about being happy to see them.

Another thing I love about his personality is his tendency to be subtly teasing. He's always so super formal and restrained that sometimes it's hard to tell when he's teasing because he does it the way he does everything else. But we all know that one demon sticker he sometimes uses, the one that's covering its mouth 'cause it's laughing slyly. Yeah, that one. It's kind of similar to the way he always smiles even when he's angry. He never breaks his butler persona, but those who know him can tell when he's being playful and when he's actually angry. (Unless he's really angry, which we have seen in the way he interacts with Solomon in Nightbringer.)

And then there are his interests. He loves tea, as we know, and he likes to cook and to bake. For me personally, these are big reasons why I love him, too. I drink both coffee and tea, but when it comes to tea I'm really picky. I only drink loose leaf tea that I buy by the ounce and I know about the different kinds and what my favorites are and how to make them correctly. I sometimes cold brew loose leaf tea to make iced tea and I have a very particular way of making it. So like... I get all that, you know? I think I would love to experience the way Barbatos makes tea. I also enjoy cooking and baking, but I don't get to do it very often. However, I absolutely have a sweet tooth. So again, I'm just imagining tea parties with Barbatos in the garden with some tasty dessert he made and that sounds like absolute heaven to me lol.

He's also just a little less boisterous than most of the other characters. He's calm and collected. I have some anxiety issues and I'm an introvert, but I just get the feeling that spending time with him would be so nice and relaxing. There's just something about him that makes me feel peaceful and contented.

And all of that is why I'm in love with Barbatos.

If he turns out to be Nightbringer, I don't know how I'll feel about it. I'm just hoping they don't change his character too much because I love him just as he is now.

#thank you for this ask #and giving me the chance to talk about how much I love Barbatos #barbatos my true love #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me barbatos #misc talks about characters #anon asks #misc answers

[vermillioncarousel]

Winter warmth

Fandom: Shall We Date? Obey Me!

Pairing: Barbatos/F!MC(Reader)

Word count: 1584 words

Summary: Winter has arrived in the Devildom, and Barbatos worries for the human exchange student. He decides to give her a homemade scarf, but it turns out they both had the same idea.

It was common knowledge among demonkind that humans couldn't withstand the same temperatures they could. So, when the winds blowing from the Ninth Circle foretold the arrival of the harsh Devildom winter, Barbatos couldn't help but worry about a certain exchange student. Unlike Solomon, who'd use his magic to keep himself warm, and could survive conditions other humans wouldn't be able to bear thanks to his immortality, the other human currently in the Devildom would be unlikely to handle the cold of winter. And while he doubted that Lucifer and his brothers would allow MC to suffer, Barbatos still resolved to take precautions that would ensure her comfort and safety.

On one of his daily trips to the market, he ventured to an area he didn't need to visit very often, where the textile merchants sold their wares. Green eyes scanned the many stalls, salesdemons calling out the deals they were offering, but Barbatos’s gaze was drawn to one stall in particular. Colourful hanks of yarn stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?"

Barbatos's gaze shifted to the face of the salesdemon at the question. He supposed that he might as well get as much assistance in buying the most suitable material as he could.

"Which of your wares would be most suited for keeping a human warm?"

The demon hummed, their expression turning thoughtful for a moment.

"Suited for a human, eh? There are a lot of things to keep in mind for them, but I suggest using one of these." They waved their hand to a particular corner of the stall. "They're harmless to the human skin, of course, but these yarns are made from the fur of creatures with fire magic. They retain heat well, so they're well-suited for winter clothes."

Barbatos made his way to the part of the stall he had been directed to. He slipped one of his pristine gloves off, humming as his hands carded through the many colours, testing the texture and quality of the yarns. His eyes took note of the ones he thought would suit his human best, considering the ones most flattering to her complexion, eventually settling on a colour MC seemed to favour wearing often.

As he paid the salesdemon, he noticed them slipping a hank of bright teal in with the rest of his purchase.

"I beg your pardon, but I didn't pay for that-"

"That one's on the house," they interrupted him, smiling. "If you plan on using this yarn on what I think it's for, wouldn't you want her to think of you every time she wears or looks at what you've made for her?"

He made no attempt at arguing as they handed him his wares.

"Come again!" the salesdemon cheerfully called after him as he left, their words weighing on his mind.

Having returned to his room, Barbatos set to work. The design he had settled on creating was simple yet elegant, but he felt like something was lacking. His hand stilled as he drew the pattern for the scarf, the teal of the extra yarn drawing his attention from the corner of his eyes. The very idea of his human in his signature colour, thinking of him whenever she wore or even saw his gift to her, did things to him that spoke to the greed that slumbered deep in his bones and blood. It made him want to show her off as his, yet at the same time he wanted to keep the sight for his eyes only.

Shaking his head, he continued drawing, adding small sections of teal, making sure it was absolutely perfect before he began knitting. Regardless of his want to keep MC to himself, he would always be by her side, in a way, if she wore his gift.

He continued to diligently work on the scarf when time permitted him to, determined to finish it before the worst chill arrived, every stitch imbued with his affection, and the desire to keep his beloved human warm. The end result was Barbatos's best work yet, in his opinion.

After putting the finishing touches on the scarf, the butler neatly folded the fabric and carefully packaged it. Then he pulled out his phone to message MC, arranging for a time and place to meet up so he could give her the scarf. In the end, it was decided that they would meet up in front of Hocus Pocus in two hours, as she still had some tasks to finish at the House of Lamentation.

As the time for their meeting drew nearer, Barbatos couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous. He straightened out his clothing and hair, making sure he looked his best.The wrapped scarf had been put into a bag, and he made sure he wouldn’t forget to take it with him when the time came to make his way to his destination.

The Young Master had smiled knowingly at him as he made his way to the castle’s doors, and Barbatos couldn’t help but slightly quicken his pace, both eager to meet up with MC and to escape the inevitable teasing his prince had in mind.

He arrived at the meeting spot early, not wanting her to wait for him, but MC seemed to have had the same idea, smiling gently at him as he blinked in surprise. She, too, was carrying something, trying to hide it from view.

"I'm glad you agreed to meet up with me, Barbatos," MC said, nervously shifting her weight as she pulled something from behind her back: a neatly-wrapped package. "I… actually have something I want to give to you."

"What a coincidence," Barbatos murmured, stepping closer to her as he pulled his gift from his bag. "I have something I prepared for you, as well."

MC's eyebrows rose in surprise before she laughed softly, tucking her gift in the crook of her left elbow.

"It's probably for the best if we sit down somewhere before exchanging these. I want to see you open it."

Barbatos made a noise of agreement, returning his package to his bag before offering MC his arm and leading her to a nearby bench. They sat down closer than would be considered proper, but neither of them paid it any mind. MC shivered as Barbatos pulled out the scarf again.

"You're cold," he said softly, tilting his head to the side a little. The longer side of his hair swayed with the movement, the teal strands brushing the shoulder of his coat. "Please take this. It will be most helpful."

He handed her the package, waiting with bated breath as she unwrapped it, her eyes widening as she laid eyes on his gift.

"This is-"

"A scarf," Barbatos finished for her, watching as her hands gently ran over the knitted fabric, idly tracing the pattern. "I was worried about you, as humans generally are not very suited to the cold of the Devildom winter. Therefore, I decided to make this scarf for you." A gloved hand reached for one of her slowly reddening cheeks, tilting her face in his direction. "Will you permit me to put it on you?"

"Yes," came her whispered reply, turning to face the demon next to her more properly. "Thank you."

Barbatos took the scarf from her, deftly wrapping it around her neck. He smiled a more genuine smile than usual. His scarf looked good on her.

"And now for what I have for you," MC said as her face returned to its usual colour. She handed him the item she had been carrying around. Barbatos neatly opened it, pausing when his eyes fell on what was inside. Then he laughed, slowly unrolling a dark green scarf.

"It seems we had the same idea, hm?" he said, his eyes gleaming in amusement.

"We did," MC replied, reaching over to put the scarf on him. "I'm afraid my work's not as good as yours, though."

She made to remove her hand from his person, but Barbatos moved before he could think, taking her hand in his, rubbing his thumb in soft, slow circles against the back.

"I love it," he murmured. "Thank you."

"I didn't want you to be cold," she replied breathlessly. She craned her head up, meeting his gaze before leaning in, placing a gentle kiss on his left cheek.

His hand that wasn't holding one of hers came to her face, holding her in place as he leaned closer. She could feel his warm breath against her face, his lips giving hers the barest brush.

"May I?" Barbatos whispered. The only reply he got was her closing the nearly non-existent distance between the two of them, pressing her lips firmly against his as her arm wrapped around him, pulling him against her.

They sat like that for a little while, kissing as snow slowly started drifting down, until Barbatos broke their kiss.

"It will get even colder," he said, admiring her face as the snow caught in her hair. "Let's return to the Demon Lord's Castle. I'll make some tea to warm us up."

"I'd like that," she replied, taking his hand as she stood up.

And as the two of them made their way to the castle, a thought came to Barbatos.It wasn't just the scarves or the tea that would warm the two of them up that winter, but perhaps also the feelings they had revealed to each other that day.

#obey me! fanfic #Obey Me! Barbatos #Barbatos/F!MC #Female MC #Self-indulgent