I read your fanfiction Kataware Doki on AO3 and really loved how deep and layered your writing is. It has the feel of those old novels, which is something quite rare these days. I can easily imagine your fic printed in a yellow-paged book, and when that is combined with the richness of detail and perspective within the story, the historical context of the setting, and Demon Slayer's supernatural aesthetic, it becomes incredibly captivating to me.
Your story brings together many things I have always looked for in Demon Slayer fanfiction but rarely found: originality, Kokushibō knowing Tanjurō and becoming friends with him, then adopting Tanjiro, Nezuko, Yuichiro, and Muichiro (the tags seem to imply that the twins will eventually be adopted as well), and, as a bonus, Dōma with Inosuke!
You mentioned on Tumblr that "the fic leans heavily into the supernatural aspect of Demon Slayer, with the implications of gods and curses and reincarnation, and it also focuses on canon's theme of demonism = humanity taking the easy way out—though it's less of a commentary on the Buddhist aspects of the story and more of an inspection of the human part of it." That really resonated with me. The series often gives me the same feeling as Japanese horror films, or even the kind of existential horror found in the Old Testament, and that creates an incredible sense of tension around the parental bonds forming between demon characters and human children.
I especially appreciate that your story is not immediate. Good writing takes time. Because of that, there is this implicit question running through the narrative: what will ultimately come from these demons' relationships with these human children? Will the curse be passed on or not—whether literally (becoming demons) or metaphorically (inheriting destructive traits, a ruined future, social ostracism, and so on)? That tension feels tangible.
Your story explores many themes without stating them outright, which creates a great deal of friction and depth. The characters—both human and demon—feel alive, and the story itself feels alive.
Do you intend to extend this supernatural-versus-natural tension into the power scaling as well?
I do not mean in the sense of the human characters becoming planet-destroying monsters because they were trained by demons, nor surpassing Yoriichi. Rather, I mean the historical and natural human cycle of passing down adapted tools, knowledge, and survival skills from parent to child—one of humanity's greatest expressions of love, but also something deeply primal—coming into conflict with the demons' biological superiority over humans and their tendency either to consume them physically or curse them supernaturally. That creates an enormous power imbalance that naturally threatens to break those bonds, whether from within or from outside forces (such as the other demons opposing this small family unit).
After all, humanity does not form meaningful relationships with ants, for example, because the power imbalance is simply too great. In the long term, maintaining these bonds requires some form of narrowing of that gap, and one of the most effective ways to do that is through training and the transmission of strength. Humanity perpetuates itself through adaptation, and one of the strongest symbols of that process is epigenetics.
It would be a remarkable achievement if the Kamado siblings and the Tokitō twins (through Kokushibō), as well as Inosuke (through Dōma), experienced meaningful changes in their power scaling as a consequence of training under demon mentors—especially considering that such training began before puberty.
Do you plan to explore the impact of these demon-human relationships on power scaling as well? If power scaling is not really an area of interest for you as a writer, that's perfectly fine.
i don't really subscribe to the modern practice of power scaling, not in its current most popular form on the internet anyway. i use it to write the fic's lore bible and keep tabs on what resources everyone has in a fight or a matchup, but that's pretty much it, since fights are dependent on so many other factors outside of skill and strength (and as you've said, i'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to writing; this is how i've learned to do it). that besides, a big thing in canon that's especially prevalent in KD is cooperation and teamwork.
also, on the topic of humanity not forming bonds with ants—that's not really the approach of kataware doki, nor is that the angle it's trying to inspect canon through. demonization in canon is often used as a metaphor for people who have found themselves in dire situations, most of the time beyond their control (sickness, poverty, tragedy) and either being taken advantage of, or purposefully turning to detachment and violence because of it. that's the reading kataware aims to look into (which is why it focuses so hard on kokushibo and douma's—and soon, akaza's—relationships and interactions with the people around them, demons and humans alike). it's more a matter of personhood.
