Theory: IRUMA IS YOUNGER AND I'M NOT OKAY
OKAY SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT. NORMAL HUMAN HOURS. AND THEN MY BRAIN WENT:
"What if 14 human years isn't 14 demon years?"
AND I COULD NOT UN-THINK IT.
We have NO confirmed ages for ANY Adult demon in this series. None. Zero. Zilch. The adults? Vague. The students? Kinda. The aging process? Apparently weird even BY DEMON STANDARDS.
But here's what we DO know:
Derkila disappeared centuries age... Sullivan was his advisor and seemed relatively young/adult-presenting at the time... Poro was also around and looks roughly the same age as Sullivan... They are both still alive. Active. Functioning. And Poro looks exactly the same!
That means demons can live for CENTURIES and still be in their prime. Sullivan isn't decrepit. He's not elderly. He's running a school and adopting children and being chaos incarnate. Hell others wanted him to be the demon king!!! (This also explains the technology evolution in the Netherworld and why having children is harder for demons.)
So if demons live that long…
WHAT DOES 14 EVEN MEAN TO THEM???
HUMAN LIFESPAN: ~80-100 years if we're lucky
DEMON LIFESPAN: AT LEAST several centuries, probably more
If a demon can live for 500+ years, then 14 years is NOTHING. It's a fraction. A blink. A MOMENT.
14 human years = approximately 17.5% of a human lifespan
14 demon years = approximately 2.8% of a 500-year lifespan
THAT'S NOT A TEENAGER. THAT'S NOT EVEN A CHILD.
THAT'S A TODDLER. AN INFANT. A DENLETTE.
"Denlette" - *I love this fandom term* you know, the stage where demons are supposed to be SAFE. WARM. COMFORTABLE. IN THE DEN. PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. The stage where the entire community would lose their MINDS if anything threatened them. The stage where you DON'T send them to school. You DON'T make them fight for survival. You DON'T throw them into harvest festivals.
YOU KEEP THEM IN THE DEN.
This little denlette was:
SOLD by his parents *disgusting human beings*
Left to SURVIVE ALONE in the human world
Literally EATING DIRT AND GRASS to stay alive
Developed SURVIVAL INSTINCTS that no baby should have
*my personal head cannon* Has SCARS from his experiences
*this going off au's where Iruma is a demon and kidnapped to the human world* And then he gets summoned to the demon world and everyone is like "oh cool, let's send him to school, make him compete in festivals, put him in dangerous situations"
They think he is demon age. They think he's developmentally appropriate for these things.
BUT HE'S NOT. HE'S A BABY. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BABY.
The human world is arguably LESS dangerous for humans than the demon world is for demons, right? Like, that's the whole thing. Humans are squishy and weak compared to demons. But Iruma survived the human world ALONE. As a DENLETTE. In an environment that WASN'T EVEN HIS. He was a tiny baby in the wrong world, fighting to survive, and the demon world is now like "wow you're so strong and capable"
NO. NO HE'S NOT CAPABLE. HE'S TRAUMATIZED. HE'S A BABY WHO LEARNED TO BE SCARED AND HUNGRY AND ALONE.
IMAGINE THE DEMON ADULTS FINDING OUT.
Opera. Sullivan. Kalego. Balam. ALL OF THEM.
They already get protective over Iruma. Sullivan literally adopted him IMMEDIATELY. Opera is constantly watching over him. Kalego pretends to be annoyed but we all know. But that's based on "this is a fledgling child who needs guidance." What happens when they realize it's actually "this is a DENLETTE who should have never left the den and has been through hell"?
THE PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS WOULD BE UNHINGED.
Not just "oh we'll keep an eye on him."
"No one touches the denlette"
"Everyone who has ever harmed the denlette will be found"
"The denlette does not leave the house without an escort"
"The denlette is wrapped in blankets and fed snacks at all times"
"Anyone who looks at the denlette wrong gets destroyed"
THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR MINDS.
And honestly? They'd be RIGHT to.
Let's sit with that for a second.
A DENLETTE DID THE HARVEST FESTIVAL.
A baby. In a survival competition. Fighting for points. Against older demons. In a dangerous forest. With actual threats.
SOMEONE PUT A BABY IN A HUNGER GAMES SITUATION AND EVERYONE WAS LIKE "YEAH THIS IS FINE"
It's not fine. It was never fine. They just didn't KNOW.
AND HERE'S THE WORST PART: Its better if he is human like in cannon. Because Iruma is human, he mentally ages at a human rate. So he SEEMS like he can handle things. He SEEMS mature for his age (which, you know, trauma will do that). Mental aging between species like Grace and Rocky from Project Hail Mary. He would at least be mentally on par with his class mates as a human.
But if he's actually a demon? If he's actually supposed to be a denlette He's a baby who LOOKS like he can handle adult situations because he had to grow up too fast in a world that wasn't his.
If 14 human = denlette, then how old are his classmates?
Azz? Probably still young but OLDER
The rest of the Misfit Class?
They're all older than him. Maybe significantly so. They just don't realize it because they're measuring in demon years. Iruma is the BABY of the group. Not just youngest. BABY. And they're all like "wow Iruma is so inspiring and strong" meanwhile he's a literal INFANT who has been through more trauma than most adult demons have experienced.
Every time someone praises his survival instincts - no, he's a DENLETTE who SHOULDN'T HAVE NEEDED TO SURVIVE.
Every time he's put in a dangerous situation - that's a BABY being endangered and everyone is clapping.
Everyone who ever hurt Iruma or put him in danger would be in serious trouble.
Iruma is a tiny baby who deserves to be in a den, warm and safe and loved, and instead he's out here fighting for his life and everyone thinks he's SO COOL for it. He's not cool. He's a BABY. And I need everyone to know that.
Demon lifespans = centuries at minimum
14 human years = DENLETTE age by demon standards
Iruma is a BABY who should be protected
Instead he's been through HELL
The adults would LOSE IT if they knew
The harvest festival was basically infant endangerment
I am going to think about this forever
SOMEONE HOLD THAT DENLETTE AND NEVER LET GO.
Tagging @irumathegargoyle because we are in this together and I need moral support
