Ashiera...

[the-hokage-of-peace]

If you think Kakashi reads porn, you’ve only watched Naruto through TikTok videos.

[An other long post because this is one of those misconceptions again that take me out.]

---

There is a difference between a running gag and a character flaw. And somewhere along the way, fandom decided to collapse that difference... which honestly makes me a little sad.

Yes, Kakashi reads the Icha Icha series written by Jiraiya. That is canon.

But what those books are, and how the narrative frames them, matters a lot.

So let's look at them - what they are:

They are adult romance novels.

They are text-based fiction (yes, with erotica in them, but also with plot, emotional arcs, longing, and melodrama woven into the story.) They are publicly sold and serialized.

They are treated in the Naruto universe as mildly embarrassing comedy.

What they are NOT:

They are not depicted as graphic magazines (everything's based on the reader's imagination)

They are not framed as moral corruption hidden behind a cute cover.

They are not presented as something dark or predatory (They really aren't)

The joke about the books is simple.

Kakashi reads them at the worst possible times - during missions, during conversations, in moments that demand seriousness.

The humor comes from the contrast: An elite, battle-hardened jonin calmly holding a smutty romance novel while chaos unfolds around him.

That’s the punchline.

Not that he’s depraved. Not that he’s secretly sick. Not that he’s a predator.

If that were the intent, the framing would be entirely different.

Canon even reinforces how harmless they are.

When Naruto returns from training with Jiraiya after three years, he brings Kakashi the newest volume of the Icha Icha series as a gift.He also penly admits that what’s inside the book is boring. He says he doesn’t understand why Kakashi likes it. But he gives it to him anyway, because he knows Kakashi enjoys reading them.

And what's also important is that:

He isn’t disgusted. He isn’t scandalized. He isn’t disturbed by the content - and he clearly knows it to some extent.

If these books were meant to signal predatory behavior, the narrative would not treat them this way. Naruto, the teenage protagonist, would not casually hand one over with mild annoyance and a shrug.

The story frames Kakashi's reading habits as a character quirk. Nothing less, nothing more.

And from the Kakashi retsuren novels we also get to know that he genuinely enjoys reading in general... these books just happen to be his favorites.

Then there’s how Kakashi relates to women based purely on what we actually see in the canon materials.

(Yes, i do consider the novels canon as Kishimoto supervised them.)

He respects Tsunade.

Not just formally as Hokage, but genuinely. He listens to her. He trusts her judgment. There is no condescension in how he speaks to her.

He is consistently kind to Sakura.

He mentors her. He protects her. He acknowledges her growth. He takes her potential seriously - not as "the girl on the team," but as a capable fighter and medic.

And No - I don’t think that moment where Kakashi warns Sakura about soldier pills was meant to be inappropriate.

He is cautioning her. The context of the scene is about the physical consequences of using soldier pills. When he says, “especially for a girl your age…” and Sakura reacts before he finishes the sentence, the phrasing creates room for interpretation. Temari responds to how it sounds - and from her perspective, the wording could be taken the wrong way. But the narrative does not give us any confirmation that Kakashi intended it that way. We never see a follow-up that supports a body-shaming or sexual meaning. The scene moves on.

Actually we see a similar pattern in a scene where Kakashi tries to express appreciation toward Naruto and phrases it in a way that sounds unintentionally strange - something along the lines of, “I’m really starting to take a liking to you, Kiddo.

Naruto immediately reacts as if it sounds weird. And all the teenagers start to speculating about their sexuality.

Again, the awkwardness of it comes from the delivery, not from hidden romantic intent.

Kakashi consistently struggles with articulating care in a smooth, emotionally polished way. When he tries to express concern, appreciation, or attachment, it often comes out bluntly or ambiguously - and other characters react to how it sounds rather than what he means.

Now, moving on to Rin.

What Kakashi carries for Rin lasts a lifetime. It shapes him in his youth, haunts him for years, and follows him into adulthood.

Even after a long while, even when his trauma becomes integrated and quieter - he still remembers her, but now from a place of quiet acceptance.

And most importantly:

He never catcalls women.

He never makes sexual comments toward them.

He never disrespects women because they are women.

He never treats women as inherently weaker or lesser.

There is no canon moment where Kakashi belittles a woman’s capability simply because she is female. There is no casual sexism. No entitlement. Nothing.

His “Icha Icha” gag never spills into how he interacts with actual women in his life. The boundary is absolute there.

And when you move into post-war canon - Kakashi Hiden - the direction becomes even clearer.

His romantic interest there is not naive. He doesn't fall for a young and easily influenced women or someone who would be dazzled by his power.

He quietly falls to a mature woman, who is politically competent, emotionally complex, carries her own trauma and strong in her own right.

If Kakashi were written as a shallow pervert archetype, that would not be the narrative choice in the novel either.

Instead, he is drawn to someone who mirrors him in depth and resilience, to an equal in age, experience, and strength.

That is why reducing Kakashi Hatake to a “funny porn addict” ignores the framing, the consistency of his behavior, and the emotional depth of his character.

If we’re going to critique characters, let’s critique what is actually there.

Because canon Kakashi is many things: mildly detached, grieving, guarded, sarcastic, deeply loyal, profoundly shaped by trauma.

But a predatory pervert?

That’s a ridiculously wrong fandom take.

And if his only "perversion" is reading smutty romance novels publicly without harming anyone, without disrespecting anyone, without objectifying the women in his life? Then that says more about how fandom chooses to frame him than about how he is actually written.

Especially when you consider who Kakashi is early in the series.

He is carrying unresolved trauma. He is living with active survivor’s guilt. He is emotionally isolated because he avoids connection out of fear of loss.

It is not unreasonable to read his attachment to those romance novels as escapism - as longing filtered through distance. Stories about connection, intimacy, and emotional closeness consumed safely on a page.

For someone struggling with intimacy because of complex PTSD, that interpretation makes far more narrative sense than the caricature people reduce him to.

You can dislike the gag. That's fair. You can critique Kishimoto’s humor.

But turning Kakashi into a meme about porn addiction isn’t all right.

It’s a wild fan take that collapses nuance for the sake of exaggeration.

And Kakashi - as he is written - deserves much better than that.

---

Sorry again for posting such a long take on this one, but my nerves catch on fire when i hear someone casually calls him a pervert because they were too lazy to actually get to know the story and the narrative around the character.

Also: I added some scenes for reference. Please share the post if you like it. And thank you for visiting my blog. 🥰

[samsa19]

theory: dazai is not completely human

In Chapter 1 of the Stormbringer novel, there’s this intriguing passage. 

Quoting my own shitty interpretation, it reads: 

“Abilities, of course, can’t be controlled by machines. Only human souls can seize them. However, simultaneously, it means that the limitations of abilities are defined by the soul…the ability thinks ‘there is a human’, and hence, grows under control [of the human].”

Now, this is interesting because 1) it means that abilities are canonically sentient, and 2) it associates with the souls of humans. 

Adding into consideration the plot of Dead Apple, it’s apparent that the human’s soul must be stronger than the ability itself. This enforces the symbiotic relationship between the user and the ability- the user allows the ability to manifest, and in exchange, the ability enhances the parameters of the capabilities of the user.

But what if the ability and the soul, are not in this relationship? 

Here I want to introduce an official artwork by Harukawa35-sensei. It’s apparently on one of the DVD sets sold a few years ago: 

And at the bottom you’ll notice: 

That Dazai’s bandages unravel– to what? To nothing. 

This could easily be a piece of imagery. But I think it’s too bold to mean anything abstract.

Because this scene exists: 

(I’ll explain more about the relevance of this later.) 

It’s openly revealed that No Longer Human is constantly active. Based on what we’ve seen from others, we also know that they can cause changes on the direct physical form of the user. 

This alone can be made into a simple conclusion- that No Longer Human is inflicting solid effect on Dazai’s form, which is transparency of this flesh. And it can just end there.

However. 

Let’s bring up, say, Atsushi’s tiger. Or Chuuya’s Corruption. The commonality with these two is that both are, although demonstrating visible effect on the flesh of the users, they are, in some way, under control. They take some time and some specific circumstances, but they are indeed manageable. And this management allows the user to return to their unmodified human form.

Taking this, it would mean that Dazai’s soul is not completely controlling his ability. 

What exactly would this look like? 

No Longer Human isn’t exactly out of control. Because if it can, it hasn’t gone wild. But it’s not in control, either, because it always exists on the user’s (Dazai’s) body. Meaning, the human we see as Dazai compiles both his original human soul, and also the direct entity of his ability.

I said before that I’ll explain the relevance of the Odasaku scene.

Let’s say that the space under the bandages was transparency. Transparency, taken up by the manifestation of the ability. 

If the hypothesis that Dazai is made both of soul and ability is true, this means that Dazai’s soul is dependent on his ability, and his ability is dependent on his soul. The more Dazai stayed in the Port Mafia, the more he was consumed by the darkness that was despair. If Dazai’s soul was healed by Odasaku’s dying wishes, it means that, the moment he said so, he was given a meaning to life- his soul was partially healed, and needed less dependence. And thus, the bandages revealed following this scene unraveled a complete and intact face.

So I could just stop here. But there’s more.

Because there’s another possibility I’m thinking about. (Though it won’t be very well-received, from what I gather.) 

I think the best way to start it is to analyze what the existence of No Longer Human means.

By definition, No Longer Human is a non-exceptional nullifier. It deactivates every ability it touches. 

The theory I’m about to propose builds on the guess that No Longer Human is a living paradox. If it expels everything that is an “ability”, that can’t exclude itself. Because its existence itself is indeed an ability. 

Theoretically. What would this lead to? Or in other words- what specific behavior would this manifest as? 

Of course, self-destruction.

I stated earlier that Dazai’s soul and ability depend on each other. They’re reliant. They’re connected.

So yes- I will say, that Dazai’s ability inflicts self-destruction on its user. 

Not just in the form of physical transparency, like it seems to be doing under his bandages. 

But also; suicide. 

So here, I wondered. 

What if Dazai himself indeed wasn’t human? 

In which case- the ability will have overwhelmed the human soul. Following its occupation of the spirit and flesh of a human, it will have consumed the user; until the remnants of the original human are reduced to such little humanity, that all that’s left is the growing self-destruction of the ability.

Sticking out on a limb, I say that the possible placement of Tsujima Shuuji as the “original human” would make sense. 

And the new, ability-consumed soul? 

Dazai Osamu. 

thank you for reading my bullshit theory till the end bye now have a wonderful day

[ashiera666]

What I find fascinating about Nanbaka, is the colour dynamics and dichotomy of the story. From beginning until the end, Nanbaka is so colourful and so full of life, until at the end, colours become less vibrant and more monotonous in a sense.

Similar can be said with the story, even if it is a story about prisoners, theres so much humour and life in these characters, that you can forget how dark character backstories and all until it hits you the face. Humour and then dark revelations appearing in a twisted cycle until you reach the end.

Now looking back after knowing the end of 423, so many things in perspective have changed. More manipulative, guilty, and straight up sad. It is so complex, this story.

I was saw that the sparkles can be a symbolism for “humanity”. I thought that this story was the most goddamned sparkly thing I’ve ever read, cause those sparkles were everywhere. Seeing it throughout the story, only to read the end with Jyugo and how little to none sparkles there are… it’s such a cool flip and progression. Also sad but understandable.

I genuinely cannot wait for any Nanbaka content, and the thought of a potential sequel is exciting.

[ohomich]

are you following or falling out?

live2D rig by @mi4tis

[tears-as-ink]

Eternity

"But it feels like an eternity Since I had you here with me Since I had to learn to be Someone you don't know To be with you in paradise What I wouldn't sacrifice Why'd you have to chase the light Somewhere I can't go? As I walk this world alone"

References:

Scenes from Honkai Star Rail Clips from Noxxis Gaming, Lmey Hsr, Abyss Breakdown, Streetwise Rhapsody Music: Eternity by Alex Warren

Masterlist

[ashiera666]

Its beautiful…

[orbitingnehasideblog]

Phainon Character Analysis

Okay so I meant to post this since I first finished (around 3.4) but it got waaaaaaaaay to much, anyways this is really just word vomit of phainon i wrote at 3 am cus he QUICKLYYYYYYYYY became my favorite, so enjoy this 2.6K (2,690 to be exact) word vomit of Phainon :3

(also quick shoutout to my bestie for proofreading and creating paragraphs so it's actually readable 😭 @/squiglyline)

Amphoreus is already confirmed to be just data and memoria, not a real planet. However, Amphoreus is a memory that was preserved by Fuli. Fuli is said to record the universe, and then use that information to prepare the universe after it is destroyed. Destruction is a path that believes that the universe was a mistake, and thus, destruction aims to destroy everything. This, however, also applies to the person following destruction. In short, the essence of the path of destruction is to destroy everything, including oneself. Nanook is the Aeon of Destruction, and his backstory is strangely similar to Phainon's. Nanook destroyed his home-planet, Adlivun, when they ascended to aeonhood. The reason they destroyed Adlivun is because Nanook believed that that was how The Swarm would stop destroying their planet. This is similar to how Phainon "destroyed" or killed the villagers from Aedes Elysiae due to the black tide. All of Nanook’s Lord Ravagers seek to destroy aeons of each path. The Lord Ravager Irontomb seeks to destroy Nous of the Erudition. Fuli of the Remembrance and Nous came to the conclusion to create Amphoreus. Amphoreus was created from one of the scepters, explaining why you are unable to see the "planet" without looking for it through light reflecting off of the mirrors in the garden of recollection, which is deeply related to the Remembrance. 

While Amphoreus is being run as an experiment from one of Nous' scepters, Remembrance is recording all of the information and running it back, ensuring that Irontomb cannot escape. The flamechase journey is a lost cause, and there is really no point to it. Given that Phainon's only wish has been to fulfill the wishes of others, it makes sense that he crashes out over the fact there was no point in it at all, hence the birth of the Flame Reaver. The Flame Reaver was created as a way for Phainon and Cyrene to save Amphoreus from its doomed fate. 

Phainon is upset at Nanook and Irontomb for this. Lygus, who's been pushing Phainon forward the whole time, intends to merge Phainon with Irontomb. Phainon's whole purpose is to be used as a divine vessel of sorts, solely to get Irontomb out of Amphoreus. In the 3.4 cutscene where Phainon fights Zephyro, it's all happening in the simulation of Amphoreus, up until the moment the sky is broken. Zephyro was still a part of the simulation, a way to see just how far Phainon's rage would take him. He broke out of the simulation out of pure spite, pure hatred for Nanook. Phainon hates everything destruction stands for, which is exactly why he is the perfect emanator for destruction. By all means, Phainon should be a preservation character. Preservation path-striders believe in giving up on your goals to fulfill a much larger one, which can be seen in an example of Aventurine, giving up his ideals for the IPC's. Phainon keeps mentioning that he lives for others. He's said that his only wish was to fulfill the wish of others, going along with this idea of "preservation". He yearns for the ideals that everyone else wants, chipping and burning away at his own individuality. However, Phainon's whole existence is the entire essence of destruction. I previously mentioned that the path of "destruction" includes the destruction of oneself, and that is exactly Phainon's goal. Over each cycle, he has grown more and more hateful towards Nanook and Irontomb, going to any length to stop them, to destroy them. The reason that Nanook gazed upon Phainon is because he sees himself in him. Phainon aims to destroy the path of destruction, to destroy Nanook, similar to how Nanook sought to destroy his homeland and himself. Phainon's aim to destroy destruction perfectly aligns with everything that destruction is about. 

Phainon's character story says that he will accept the request to "become the one who answers the world's hopes, carrying the wishes of all", however, it always ends up granting Phainon a life in solitary. Phainon has, however, constantly shown his need to believe in someone or something greater than himself, hence why he has given so much to the flame chase journey. He knows that his life is "of little consequence", also going back to the line about him in the Amphoreus book: "how could he love the world if he cannot even love himself." Phainon is constantly trying to give back, trying to be more than he can. In the end, it never works, because Phainon's rage for the emptiness of the flamechase journey will always outweigh his need to be part of something greater than himself. He believes he needs to always be an unwavering force for others to rely on (quote from his character story: ""deliverer, lead us forward". Hearing those words of relief from the weaver, he felt only a bitter ache, a worry he refused to show in front of the crowd"). Phainon will always be putting on a facade to stop others from seeing his worry and his pain, he wants to be someone for the people (quote from his character story: "I just want people to feel comfortable around me"). 

His tarot card is the "Deliverer", he has the idea that he must "deliver" safety and hope for a new world. However, in doing so, Phainon is destroying himself, albeit unintentionally. Everything that should make him a preservation unit is what makes him destruction in the bigger scale. Phainon is the very essence of destruction itself, delivering destruction through the rage and pure hatred he holds towards the epitome of destruction. 

But, Phainon also is not his real name, his real name is Khaoslana. Phainon only translates to "white destruction", and is more-so just a nickname he gave himself. Khaoslana is also called "Khaos" due to this. Now, destruction believes that everything must be destroyed and the universe is a mistake. A major part of Phainon's character is that he has no beliefs. His desire is for everyone to get along, for everyone to be happy. His whole character is based around being a side character. He wants everyone's desires to be fulfilled. So, obviously, upon learning the flamechase journey didn't mean anything, he snaps at Nanook. His whole character revolves around giving himself up for a purpose. And through this, he should be preservation. However, Phainon, Khaoslana, Khaos, however you want to call him, is the epitome of destruction. Khaoslana is literally just codes on a computer, however, his hatred for Nanook is what drove him. "Reckless, wrathful, and destructive actions are manifestations of the path of Destruction" is mentioned in the loading screen under "Destruction" tips. "Wrathful" is exactly what Khaoslana is. He had to watch his friends die for 33,550,336 cycles, and in the end he could not do anything for them, even though he was promised they would not die in vain. Khaoslana, the Deliverer, was meant to deliver a new hope, but in his hatred he could only deliver destruction. Destruction to himself, to Nanook, to Irontomb.

 His character story says "How could he love the world if he had never loved himself" and it fits him so much. Why, even, would Khaoslana love himself? He was never meant to be the main character, the savior he was promised to be. He grew up wanting to be a hero for Aedes Elysiae, but he ended up killing the population that lived there due to black tide. When killing those who turned to monsters due to the black tide, they said: “Why, Phainon? Aren’t we the bestest of friends?” Ever since the beginning, Phainon had to destroy the one thing he holds dearest; his friendship and loyalty. But, Khaoslana was never meant to be a hero, only the place holder. He was promised to be a Deliverer of Dawn, of hope, but...he wasn't. He had to stay behind and watch everything he loved get destroyed 33,550,336 times. Had to witness and kill his friends 33,550,336 times, all because of Nanook. He had to watch them sacrifice themselves to a lost cause, to die in vain,  just to save a world that could never be saved. Khaoslana's pure hatred for himself and for Nanook literally made him real, allowed a code to break out of a simulation. His whole existence shook the entire cosmos with how burning his rage was. Rather than being a deliverer of dawn and hope as promised, he became the deliverer of chaos, a destruction that he doesn't even want. His hatred stems from never being enough to become what he wants to be, but simply being a placeholder until the time comes. 33,550,336 cycles Khaoslana had to wait for a hero, wishing it were him, wishing he could save his friends and stop them from this fate. But he cannot, all because of Nanook. 

He was never destined to be the hero. He was a deliverer, but not of hope. No. While the Trailblazer became the deliverer of hope, Phainon became the deliverer of destruction, just another emanator of Nanook. He's always putting on a face of happiness, always trying to make everyone around him happy and comfortable. He masks with loud talks, smiles, dealing with his pain by throwing himself to deal with everyone else's first. He doesn't care who finds him annoying, as long as he can make them smile. Too much and never enough. He's always trying to be there for everyone, always telling a joke, but over time the jokes land too fast. 

A quote from his Amphoreus page: “He saw the creators choke his throat, gurgling and gasping. And in that boundless dream, he mistook them for his own jest.” Phainon is always laughing, always the optimist. Yet, the smile never reaches his eyes, and he still tries to convince everyone he's happy. But how could he ever be happy in this world, doomed to be destroyed. "Destruction is not a process, but the outcome. On the path THEY promised, all Paths and Aeons will terminate in the heat death of the universe." – Data Bank, Aeons. Amphoreus has always been doomed to be destroyed, no matter what, and Khaoslana is destined to witness this destruction alone. “If rage can't burn this twisted fate to ashes, then let me burn with it”. 

Phainon cannot even handle this cruel fate he was given. He was simply created as a plaything for the gods to toy with, being in hell yet gazing upon heaven. His entire life is a living hell, and he only knew heaven through the love of his friends. And yet, hate, hate, hate, hate, and utter hatred is all Khaoslana feels to the world now, burning himself to ashes in the light of a false promise of hope. Khaoslana has set himself ablaze for the world, and all he has gotten in return is an icy, still, loneliness. Holding the world on his shoulders, yet it is destined to fall, and he is destined to pick it right back up again with the knowledge it will fall again. Each time the weight gets heavier, breaking away at his humanity until he doesn't know who he is anymore, only identifiable by his hatred. But, the beauty in Phainon's character is that even though he was coded for hatred, he still finds ways to show his love. He is always finding ways to be there for his friends, to show his love to them. Sure, he may not love the world now, but he still finds ways to love everyone around him. He is love and beauty all wrapped in a tiny box that has no outlet. 

Phainon's character is like an apple. On the outside, he's sweet, easy going, like the feeling of the sun hitting your face on a cold day. But as time goes on, his core gets bitter, rotten like the world around him. He gives so much to others, never thinking of himself. “He is utterly unafraid to hurt himself”, the words written in his chapter. He does so constantly, allowing himself to be used as a vessel, tearing himself apart to keep this doomed world from falling. Throughout the pain, he doesn't allow himself to cry, how could he? Who in their right mind would let a drowning world witness the fall of the Messiah, their savior? “He once sought out the emotions of sorrow, and walked with the lowliest of people”, “He protected all for the people”, and yet, duty would never drive him to wield his blade. Only hatred could do that. Phainon was coded for hatred, so how does that hatred learn to love? Through friendship, through memories? Though Phainon's memories may be of fake people, the emotions he felt through them were real. Phainon connects with people through emotions, through burdening himself. It's the only way he knows how to feel. But, after so many years of Lygus’ torture, of course he grows tired of it. It's why his consciousness splits into the Flame Reaver, why he has to convince himself his friends are inhuman in order to make killing them easier. It's exactly why he starts avoiding people, why “he even avoids the funerals of the departed, only out of fear that he cannot cry for those in pain”. 

Phainon has grown so detached from his humanity to the point that any emotions except for rage has started to grow foreign to him, no matter how much love he still holds. The beauty in Phainon is in his fiery resolve, continuing on when he knows he cannot. “Witness the will of humanity”, Hyacine said when fighting Aquila, and that's exactly what Phainom is a representation of. He's the perfect example of a human. He is human. And humans are complex, complicated beings. “I will never submit to this idea of fate,” Phainon says, utterly sure of himself. He knows there is no point to fighting against it, but he still believes that it is for the best. In the face of utter despair, he holds a resilient front, because who is he to give up? If he gives up, then all of his friends' sacrifices would be in vain. “I still believe there is hope within the deepest dark” Phainon says, and that truly is the only thing keeping him going. Phainon is the epitome of humanity in his resilience, his determination, his utter need for hope. He knows he cannot prove fate to be wrong, yet he continues his fight. “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” Phainon is a direct mirror of Sisyphus, he is a warrior at heart. He’s been fighting all his life, fighting for his friends and the people of Amphoreus. The struggles he goes through constantly are what make him human, they’re what give him his incredible resilience, they’re how a 2-dimensional being, coded for hatred, grew to love everything life has to offer. For what is life without struggle? What is friendship if we do not share the blood spilled with our comrades? “He climbed toward the peak, over and over again, only to be shattered”. 

Life is an uphill struggle, and Phainon is the perfect representation of why we continue to struggle, even if, in the end, it all ends up being pointless. Phainon’s character demonstrates that life is all about the journey, the memories we make along the way. The endless need to love and to be loved, especially when we feel our love is unappreciated. Even if this love is only in vain. In 3.5, it’s shown that Phainon truly sacrificed himself to stop the black tide. His friends became happier only in a universe without him, and even in Phainon’s absence, his love for his friends still manages to bleed through. He only gets true freedom, peace for the first time, when he decides to utterly destroy himself, sacrificing himself for the future of Amphoreus. He is human, and while being human is utterly exhausting, it is the only way we know how to live.

if u made it this far thank you for reading I really appreciate it!! :333

[bekkomi]

These four idiots (they're not idiots, they're smarter than I'll ever be)

[kiwiandmint]

Throwing all my recent LOTM doodles here

[ralsriel]

Obsessed with whatever is going on rn

[gabbyp09]

[hollowhourglass]

Okay so I was thinking about what was going to happen with X in the future, how he will be involved in the plot and what his character development would be etc.

And I had an idea and suddenly I remembered the second To be Hero X trailer, in which X appears snapping and making images representing other heroes appear.

And. Guys. Fellas.

I think X might have been looking back in time, and that the entire 2D parts of the whole series is his literal POV.

Let me explain.

As I said, I have been thinking about what X's future whole thing would be. And since this episode's preview dropped last week, I've been thinking that X's character development would be actually caring about being a hero, and taking responsibility for his title and the duties it has towards society.

Personally, I thought it was going to be different, I thought that, after X said his whole "I make a point not to do overtime. Ever" thing Smile would come back at him saying "You know, you do not get to be a hero when convenient. That's not how it works, the people won't stop needing help, society won't stop seeking for safety and reassurance just because it's not a good time for you. Being a hero is dedicating yourself, wholeheartedly, to others, SPECIALLY when you are X"

So obviously that didn't happen. BUT after watching today's episode, and seeing a lot of discussions online, I think the basic idea behind that message WILL appear as part of X's character development.

In my opinion, his biggest flaw right now is that he does not care enough about being a hero. It seems all his power was something that was imposed onto him randomly, and he just went with it and now wants to quit. But as a LOT of people have said, this might not be the same after Smile's attack and possible tragedy. There is a very big chance that, after seeing what happened to his friend, a genuinely nice and good person and true hero, while X had been sleeping after waving aside Smile's confession of feeling sad... it's something that will make a big impact to X's current worldview, something that will push him into revaluating everything he knows and his stance in the Hero world - and very very possibly, making him decide to actually take his role as a hero, as X seriously and seek to do good and fix the rot between the hero industry.

So, I don't know if y'all remember the characters' profiles, but there is a section of likes and hobbies. Guess what one of X's hobbies is.

Information gathering.

So, now put yourselves in his shoes. One of your only friends is very very injured (at least) after being attacked by not one, but TWO heroes that were close to the top ten, right after that friend told you that the Commission was thinking about taking you out of your pedestal.

Now, I can imagine that X's first thought is going to be "I need to discover what the heck is going on. How did we reach this situation"

So he goes to wherever his HQ is

And starts snapping

He watches Cyan

He watches the Johnnies

He watches Ghostblade

He watches Queen.

With only those heroes, he already has a pretty good inside look of the Ruins incident: he can see Ghostblade being told to assassinate Little Johnny, he can see Big Johnny freaking out after being attacked by E-Soul, he can see Cyan and Queen rescuing the whole party.

So, after seeing Rock telling Ghostblade to kill other heroes and Little Johnny's father, a previous X, dying I mysterious circumstances, why not keep looking?

Whatever happened with E-Soul anyways.

Snap

Oh I see.

He also checks "Nice"'s fight against Wreck, you can clearly hear the snap in the background

And for some reason in the Trailer he also looks at Ahu!

So, all of this is to say:

I believe that, after the Smile Incident, X decides to actually take his job seriously, become a new, real type of hero and uncover the secrets behind the hero system and the Commission - and he does it the way he does it best: using his space, time and dimensional powers to gather information, turning the "real" 3D world into 2D (a dimension he has absolute control over) in order to watch everything that has happened so far with the current Top 10 heroes... And so, every 2D segment (or only the ones with a snap) in the 3D episodes, and ALL the 2D episodes are things X is watching, checking every hero one by one and going further and further back in time to unravel the events that ended up creating the Smile Incident, and the situation before the next Tournament.

So yeah, I think one of the big reveals of the X episode, when we are back at the beginning of the series, is that the series itself is a loop X created with his powers, in order to dismantle the system.

Cool eh?

[ashiera666]

To Be Hero X Episode 15 thoughts

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Holy fuckin’ shit, he’s her FATHER?!?!

and- Ghostblade? Goddamn.

This episode is actually pretty cool… kinda. It’s a lil’ trippy. Like a weird lucid dream. And man does it also remind me of The Magnus Archives. Especially with the butchery and animals.

[ashiera666]

That moment when you wanna be dark, brooding, and emo…

…except Soda Pop from KPop Demon Hunters is playing on repeat in my head. Like- didn’t want this cheerful sounding piece of music stuck in my head???? HELLO????

Huntrix was right, the song is annoyingly catchy.

[ashiera666]

Heh… “playing on repeat in my head”

Your idol is fricken’ haunting me. It’s okay, I like that song anyway. My sister’s actually hating me for playing the song on loop. And she get’s to look forward towards all the KDH references I will be making.

It was her fault. She made me watch the movie.

[ashiera666]

That moment when you wanna be dark, brooding, and emo…

…except Soda Pop from KPop Demon Hunters is playing on repeat in my head. Like- didn’t want this cheerful sounding piece of music stuck in my head???? HELLO????

Huntrix was right, the song is annoyingly catchy.

[mentallyhotpenguin]

did anyone else notice how at the start when jinu was introducing the saja boys to gwi-ma (?) there was a split second where the other sajas transformed into handsome guys from the original demon appearance - no, not the handsome ones we're familiar with, but i noticed a fang or something like that. also we've seen how demons have the power to turn into a human appearance with the staff we saw on the plane - so maybe jinu didn't actually have to go over all of the demon realm trying to find good looking demons to join his boy band (although that would have been funny lmao) he probably just told them to turn into the good-looking human version that the fans would like. wow, imagine how he studied up on other kpop idols for inspiration for his group HAHAA

on a side note though, i wonder how long he had to train them all to make them seem acceptable to the public lol

i can already imagine mystery trying to growl through half of the rehearsals

[ashiera666]

I managed to actually complete this.

Fun fact: I hate doing backgrounds. I do not like drawing plants or trees. They give me so much grief. And can you see the floor? I hate myself.

But hey, it actually turned out okay, and the person who commissioned it is happy. Happy creator, happy customer(??) right :)

[ashiera666]

Hi there, I’m currently getting my ass kicked by hyper-fixations. Like- have you SEEN this man?

Jinu from KPop Demon Hunters

Jinu-

I-

He has me in a chokehold. A VERY tight chokehold. Also, Your Idol frickin’ slaps. Its been on constant repeat until i manage to get most of the lyrics right.

So I looked up what the chants in the beginning of Your Idol meant. Y’know, using google translate. I’m not sorry, Imma cheap bi- ahem

Dies irae illa

That Day of Wrath

Vos solve in favilla

You turn into ashes

Maledictus erus

Cursed Master (or “you will be cursed” I’m more inclined towards this translation, but i really don’t know how reliable all these translations are. Please take all this with a grain of salt :D)

In flamas eternum

Into eternal flame

So, overall, my Boys are saying

“That Day of Wrath will turn you into ashes. You will be cursed into eternal flames.”

or alternatively,

“That Day of Wrath will turn you into ashes. Cursed Master, into eternal flames.”

So yeah, very cult-y. But also very catchy. Yes I am obsessed, good job Boys. The lyrics are quite literally playing on repeat in my head

Keeping you in check, keeping you obsessed

Play me on repeat, endlessly (kkeuteopsi) in your head