#we will do whatever it takes to kill you: TAMAYO

[purpurapoena]

tag dump

[sunflower-author]

Haii :3

can I request a yandere platonic lady Tamayo who is very protective of reader

OMG, I AM SO SORRY, I KNOW IT HAS BEEN LIKE 60 DAYS SINCE YOU ASKED I AM EXTREMELY SORRY BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

IM A LITTLE BEHIND BUT WORKING ON ALL THE OTHER REQUEST!!

TRUST!!!

Anyway I hope you like this<3

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     "Y/N I told you many times haven't I," Tamayo scolded you, in your room.

"I just wanted to go out to see the festival... It only happens once a year..." You complained.

"Still that doesn't justify sneaking out. You could have lost control, gotten lost, or Kibutsuki might have found you, or-"

"I had human blood yesterday, and you know I handle a least a week without it, and I know the village, I've been reading about it for a while, and we haven't heard about... 'him' being around here my entire lifetime..." you cut her off by saying.

"You've never been around so many people, since you've been turned into a demon, there was no telling if you could handle, all the new walking blood bags around you, and reading about things is different than actually seeing things in real life, as for Kibutsuki, even he we heard no word about him being here, there is still his underlings that lurk around here. remember the last time Yushiro told us about the encounter he had with one of them?" Tamayo asks you.

"... Four days ago..." you say looking down, feeling guilty, knowing that she is right.

"Exactly four days ago, they are probably still hiding in this town somewhere, it's dangerous to go out alone...  you know, if you truly asked me and Yushiro, we would have taken you..." Tamayo says sighing.

"Yeah right... you're just saying that right now... but we both know if I asked you before, you would have said no, lecture me more about being outside, humans, demons... 'him' exactly what you're doing right now," you say, knowing the type of manipulation tactics she has used on you ever since you met her.

"All I'm doing is trying to protect you... ever since I met you, don't you forget who was the one that saved you all those years ago... That demon was about to devour you, and I was the one who killed him, if I wasn't there, you would have been dead..." Tamayo said. 

Every time the two of you argued and she had enough, Tamayo would always bring up your past trauma, guilt-tripping you to go along with whatever she was saying.

You stay silent knowing that you can't say anything, after she pulls 'that' card on you.

"I care about you Y/N, I truly do," Tamayo says sitting down beside you on your bed.

"Listen, maybe when you're older... give it a few years, and I promise, you me and Yushiro will all go to that festival," Tamayo says, with her signature smile.

It makes her look innocent, but we both know it is always used to hide what she truly is feeling. Her obsessed, psycho, crazy side, or maybe annoyed, irritated side, probably both.

"Older? I'm old enough, I am in my teens no doubt late teen years, in a few years I might well be in my twenties," you snap back at her.

"Correction, you would be in your twenties if you were still human... Demons age differently since they can live well longer compared to humans, menially it takes... even I am not too sure." Tamayo says calmly. 

"Yes you have been here a few years, however menially you've probably only aged a few months, and let's not forget about your physical state, when you get turned into a demon, you stop growing physically," Tamayo says.

As she put her hand on your head, in hopes of comforting you a bit.

"I managed fine on my own before you found me," You counter back.

"You lasted what? A little over a year, before I found about to be devoured by a low-level demon-"

"I was younger, I was still getting used to being a demon, but now I know how to do things, thanks to you and Yushiro, I'll be able to handle myself, Tamayo," You cut her off, not wanting her to say anymore.

"And if you were to run into Kibutsuki? Then what? how will you defend yourself, if he found out you were associated with me? He would do unspeakable things to you Y/N," Tamayo says sternly.

"The chances of running into him are very small, just how much demons actually get to see his face?" you say again.

"Y/N L/N, drop this," Tamayo says, sternly, before sighing and calming herself down.

Finally having enough of this, you stay silent, you can never win against Tamayo. This is how all your arguing ends with her, once she says your full name everything ends.

"You acting childish, auguring with me, selfish for leaving me and Yushiro worried-" Realizing what she is saying stops, looking down at her lap, it is never her intention to make you feel bad.

"Y/n I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Yeah yeah, you didn't mean all those bad things you said and were about to say to me," giving her attitude. 

Rolling your eyes, you start to lie down on the bed, facing away from her.

"Well, since you're already mad at me, minus well tell you your punishment, no books for a month, and you will stay in your room for a week," Tamayo says turning to look at you.

You just stay silent looking the other way, waiting for her to go.

Getting the signal, Tamayo gets up from the bed walks to the door, turns off the light, grabs the door she looks at you for a moment.

"Goodnight Y/N," She says softly, only to be met with silence.

Sighing again, she closes the door, locking it.

[demonslayedher]

Well, briefly recalling the question where nezuko and mitsuri kick Muzan's crotch and how that would be useless...what if nezuko sets him on fire?

Ah yes, this Ask, in which we examined the crotch weakness question and I arrived at the conclusion that he wouldn't be particularly weak there. We do know he is weak enough against regular fire to have it slow his regeneration, however slightly--hence, the explosion in Chapter 138 and Sanemi's surprised oil and match technique in Chapter 185. We also know that Nezuko's fire works specifically against demons, and she hates Muzan so much that just being around more of his cells empowers her to develop newer and more powerful skills more rapidly, like when she faced Daki (and for that matter, Rui).

Yes, I think we're on to something here. Ufufu.

I was just pondering the other day how much shorter of a series this would be if Nezuko went running after Tanjiro in Asakusa that night, for she'd have gotten pissed off at Muzan right away and probably developed some anger-driven power, but seeing as she's still not that powerful of a demon when facing the Swamp Demon--quick to get thrown off by a single injury, slow to recovery, very quickly in need of sleep--she'd be killed immediately if she tried to attack Muzan as she was. Ultimately, Nezuko's power started off from the cells of Muzan inside of her, and although she developed it through her own will, it would take a lot for her to be strong enough to take him on and hold her own.

However! As you said, the secret here is fire, something rare among demons who already have an innate desire not to get burned--one of the few things Muzan fears! I think we can say that part of her abilities is being a Kamado, with generations and generations of fire workers before her. Even if she didn't inherit the red eyes which all her siblings did, or the extra red tints that Kakushaku-no-Ko Tanjiro did, she still has that background in her blood.

However... Kakushaku-no-Ko Tanjiro sure showed her up with how much faster he mastered the sun than she did. I suspect this is both due to his extra-looking inheritance of whatever fire-related blessings their family inherited through careful generations of work (life's not fair if you're not an eldest son, I guess), as well as the effect that practicing Hinokami Kagura may have had on his body, which primed it for quick mastery of the sun. Tanjiro was believably more powerful than Muzan, and had a whole lot more of Muzan's blood in the first place. Nezuko's got the family background too, but she had to rely so much more on her own willpower. (Nezuko, girl, you're amazing.)

So! Let's take Nezuko at her potential strongest. Nezuko's had a really good nap! Nezuko's mastered the sun! Nezuko's got humans to protect! Nezuko's got the love and support of her brother! Nezuko's got rage in the presence of her family's killer! Nezuko's got... a butt-chin!!

If we take Nezuko at her very strongest, spilling just about all the blood she's got, I think she could do very, very serious damage. Would it be enough, though, to demolish him quickly enough that he doesn't kill her first? Even if the curse doesn't affect her, that's not his only way of squashing demons. Tamayo showed us that she could battle Muzan will willpower and retain some form for a very long time before ultimately being reabsorbed into him, and Nezuko's will is strong enough that she might stand a chance, but...

I think the safer bet would be Tanjiro using Hinokami Kagura's 13th floor first--using it to the very best of his potential abilities, though that would probably still put him no where close to Yoriichi, and Tanjiro was still no where near this when he had no choice but to use his imperfect Hinokami Kagura against Muzan. But, if he could do even partially what Yoriichi accomplished, then Nezuko would probably have a safe bet of burning the last of that flesh away forever.

Here's an AU--maybe if the timeline were a little different...

[forsworned]

Nah I get ya, that's understandable, so uhhh, I guess you can make the judgement based off of this?

So the idea I had in mind was

Kyojuro's S/O being turned into a demon, but they don't want to eat people, maybe even surviving something else instead (like idk, bamboo, tree bark, just anything besides humans tbh)

Is that teetering on the edge of too self-indulgent or am I cool?

[. . . Whatever it takes I will make you human again, I promise it . . .]

+warnings. angsty af, mentioning of violence and blood

+word count. 1.8k

+categories. f/m

+relationships. kyoujurou rengoku x f!reader

+characters. kyoujurou rengoku guest appearance(s): yushiro, tamayo

+author’s note. personally i think kyoujurou wouldn't put up with this and he would ask to kill his s/o out of mercy, like he wouldn't want them to go to hell or whatever the place that demons end up going to. like he would want to have them meet in the afterlife? so i can see him trying to find a cure for them as tanjiro does for nezuko currently, here it goes !! as context, this will be set as post mugen train arc and kyoujurou somehow survives. if you can recall just before his death he accepts nezuko so in this he will be a retired demon slayer. so his will to kill his s/o is not as much as it would be if he were still an active demon slayer. also this shit took my fucking whole being to post this bc it was being a bitch and PLS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT ASK ME FOR A PART TWO THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH I CAN MENTALLY HANDLE

Kyoujurou was not one to have mercy or sympathy for demons. That was until one faithful day. Kyoujurou had come home from the city as he was visiting the rest of the Hashira. He was retired after he had miraculously survived his fatal wounds. His missing eye was now covered with an eyepatch, so he had no choice but to retire. Kyoujurou was expecting you to greet him with your using beautiful beaming face, but instead he had found you writhing on ground. "D-don't come near me!!" You shrieked in fetal position convulsing. Kyoujurou's worse nightmare had come true as he clutched onto the sheathe of his sword not knowing what to do. Oh, how cruel life could be. Tears pricked at his eyes as he struggled to search for the words he wanted to say, but nothing was coming out. "[name], please don't tell me..." His voice trailed off as his eyes widened in shock and horror. You finally met his gaze. Your once beautiful [e/c] human hues were now a perverse version of them. Pupils slitted like a cat and they were a luminescent purple and orange. Your claws were practically ripped from your skin and your teeth were now elongated into fangs that were now meant for shredding human skin. Your breathing was raged as tears stream down your face. "K-kill me." Kyoujurou's shaking hand gripped onto his sword, but he could not find himself to raise it from its place and slice your head clean. You were the love of his life after all. I can fix this. He shut his eyes tightly as he grit his teeth. "I can't." He stepped forward and opened his eyes to meet yours once again and you backed away against the tatami floor. "Who did this to you?" You watched as he crouched down to you level and reached out to cup your cheek but you turned away. "It was...It was..." You tried to recall your memory, but it was in fragments. It appeared in small flashbacks as you recollected the man in your head. He was an uppermoon. His long hair in a high ponytail and two scars on his forehead and neck and how could you forget the six eyes he possessed. But that's all you could remember before you blacked out and then woke up in agonizing pain, and then falling back into unconsciousness over and over and over again. "It was an upper moon...Koku-kokushibo...?" You said breathlessly recalling a short lived flashback of him speaking but the only words you could make out was his name. It was like it was a warning... You gasped. "We need to leave. Now." He searched your face for an answer. "Why? What's happened? Did you remember something?" "This was...this was suppose to be a warning to the demon slayer corps...Just kill me, Kyoujurou. I cannot bear this any longer." You twisted in agony. "No, I cannot allow that." He shook his head as he wept. He took another step forward to your body. He noticed that you were not healing and that made him gulped dryly. "Tamayo. Let us go see her. I recall Tanjiro talking about her whereabouts. She can, she can fix you." "Kyoujurou..." You cried out holding on to his arm in pain as the tears trickling down your face. "I cannot live like this. This vile creature that's threathening to come out of me." Kyoujurou wanted to scream. "I cannot let you die, [name]!" And with that he quickly sent out a crow to Tamayo warning her of what the situation was. He wrapped you up in a blanket and cloth and attached you to his back and then he was off. He never looked back at the home you used to share. Life was ever moving. By the time he had arrived to Tamayo's secret estate, she was already prepared for his arrival and rushed him inside to begin the procedure. "Why isn't she healing?" Tamayo gasped looking down at you as he laid you down on the operating table. "I don't know! Can you fix her?" Kyoujurou panted as he looked down at you and then her. Tamayo nodded with full resolve. "I will do my best." Time past by agnozingly slow as Kyoujurou sat there with clammy palms begging to anything and everything that you would come out okay. Yushiro sat there only staring at him in silence as Tamayo liked to work alone. "Do you know

who did this to her?" Yushiro asked as he watched Kyoujurou praying to what ever was up there. "I'm, I'm not sure. She said he was an upper moon, he went by the name...Koku...Kokushibo." Kyoujurou's voice was unusually quiet as he spoke. Yushiro froze for a moment at the name. He didn't want to let Kyoujurou be aware so he changed the subject quickly. "She's going to be okay." Yushiro licked his finger and flipped the next page of novel. Kyoujurou's fiery eyes were now on him. "How can you be so sure." That irritated Yushiro as Tamayo-san was the best at what she did, so how dare he insult her?! But this was a dire situation in which the former demon slayer's significant other was involved, so he calmed down. "Because Tamayo-san is the best. She would never let your precious [name] die on her table. She couldn't live with herself knowing she did that to her. She is precious to her as well. Just like that other demon child." "Nezuko." Kyoujurou recalled her name. "Tanjiro's sister, yes she's quite the child." "Yes, well, while I think she's nothing special, Tamayo-san adores her. She's working on a cure." "A cure?" Kyoujurou was on the edge of his seat hearing about this. He had never heard of a cure for demons. "Yes, Tanjiro is gathering blood samples of the upper moons to bring back to Tamayo-san so she can find a cure for Nezuko. I'm sure she's going to put [name] on the same roster, so please try not to worry." He replied nonchalantly. Kyoujurou almost felt relieved hearing this news, but before he could reply Tamayo had come out of her operating room. "She's awake and I stopped the bleeding. She's regenerating, but it's slow. I was able to reverse her curse, and I gave her something for the pain. Just try to speak quietly to her." She stopped Kyoujurou midway with a gentle hand to his chest. He winced a little at her cold touch. Although, he was accepting of Nezuko, he wasn't used to being around demons that wouldn't rip your head off and feast upon it the moment they had an opportunity. She noticed this and slowly put her hand to her side. "She's in critical condition, so please do not try to make her remember anything that occured earlier today when she turned. Turning is...pure anguish mentally, physically and emotionally. Be gentle." Although, Tamayo's words were painfully obvious it did help reinforce anything that Kyoujurou may want tp say when he wanted to be by your side. Millions of thoughts were racing through his head and he wanted nothing more than tear of this Kokushibo's head right off. Unbeknownest to Kyoujurou, Yushiro had whispered that name to Tamayo and she froze in place. Froze in complete disbelief that he had gone that far as to send a message to the demon slayers. "My love." Kyoujurou whispered as he approached your crumpled body. Your eyes that he was not used to shifted to him and he gulped at the sight of you. He smiled at you regardless as he touched your face. You sighed at his warm hand meeting your skin. "I'm sorry..." "Don't apologize. It's not your fault." Kyoujurou soothed as he took a seat beside you. "I cannot lie, my love, it is killing me to see you like this." "I know." You took his hand in your own and he had to force himself not to flinch at your touch. Your fingernails were razor sharp and yet they only grazed at your skin. "I remember what happened now." "Please, do not talk of this just yet. You must rest." She squeezed his hand gently and Kyoujurou could not believe how you were not hurting him one bit. Tamayo and Yushiro noticed this immediately and a smile was now upon her gentle face. "But--" You began, but Kyoujurou only shook his head. "But, nothing. Rest and we will speak of this tomorrow." Kyoujurou wasn't one to tell you what to do, but this time--this time he really needed you to listen to him. "Okay." You croaked out and nodded. He smiled tenderly at you. "You can carry her to her room. We will need her to stay here a few days to monitor her progress and see how she heals. You are free to stay with her." Tamayo spoke in a gentle tone to

him. "It's down this hallway on the second door to the left." And with one swift movement, Kyoujurou was carrying you off to your temporary room and slid the door open with his foot and entered. It was a relatively nice tatami room with a large and comfortable looking futon. He laid you ever so gently onto it. "Thank you, Kyo." You murmured still feeling like you were in a daze. "Whatever pain medication Tamayo-san gave to me is really making me feel woozy." You held your hand to your head. Kyoujurou softly chuckled at you. Your same mannerisms, your same soft voice and gentle touch. It was as if nothing changed. "[name]." He held your hand suddenly ans squeezed it. "Whatever it takes I will make you human again, I promise it." He had tears running down his smooth visage and it was enough for you to bring out the waterworks. You only nodded not trusting your voice. He immediately enveloped you into his arms. His scent overwhelming delicious and sweet, but for some reason no matter how good he smelled to you you held no urge to devour him. You only felt sleep overcome you. "I love you, Kyo." You whispered into the darkness as you felt yourself go limp. Subconsciousness was beginning to take over as you felt your eyes droop. You felt wetness against ythe nape of your neck and you sighed.

"I love you too, [name]. Just wait a little longer..." Was the last thing you heard before you drifted to sleep.

[irlsweetrain]

Happy Birthday Lady Tamayo!

Happy Birthday Tamayo-sama!

     ~ 2nd July ~  

"That's right. I am... a demon, but I am also a doctor and I wish to annihilate that man, Kibutsuji."

"You still use... the term "person"... to refer to even a transformed demon. And you're trying to save him. Allow me, then, to lend you a hand."

"I don't need to be stronger than you to kill you. I can just make you weaker. Just as you'll do whatever it takes to stay alive, I... No, we will do whatever it takes to kill you."

"Today... is... the day... you... will fall... into... hell..."

Trivia/facts: (spoilers!)

- Lady Tamayo was with Muzan in his fight against Yoriichi and that was when she broke free of his control - that means that she is at least 500 years old!

- Tamayo's name contains the kanji for "pearl" and "world".

- During her collaboration with the Insect Hashira Kochou Shinobu, she aided and helped the swordswoman when she was ingesting the wisteria poison, and helped to keep the damage of the poison to a complete minimum in Shinobu’s body - so hardly any of the already small damage was noticed.

------ More pictures ------

[mysaldate]

hii! in honour of valentine's day, can you please give me some pick up lines the demons/demon slayers would say✌🥺 have a good day btww!

I’m terribly sorry for getting to you this late! There’s a lot of characters and as you all know, I was on a bit of an unwilling hiatus lately. Hopefully, I will be able to make up for the wait with this. Some of them will have more than one pick up line, some of them will even have serious ones since I felt like it would be better that way than to just meme my way through.

Demons and Demon Slayers Pick up Lines

Demons

Muzan: Not only would I kill for you but I would die for you all the same.Or: Do you prefer men or women? I just want to know how to boost my chances with you.

Kokushibou: My eyes are only on you.Or: My blood art is called Flesh sword. Want me to impale you?

Douma: I’ve been guiding people to paradise my whole life but only now did I finally find my own.Or: You’re lucky I’m not hungry because you sure are a snack!

Akaza: You should get a tattoo like me because you just stole my heart.Or: Wanna play basketball? Your hands can be the basket and I’ll give you the balls.

Hantengu: Every last bit of me likes you. Including the one that hates everyone.Or: I’d ask you out but you would most likely say no so I’ll just sit here and cry over a bottle of vodka and a whole chocolate cake. If you change your mind, I’ll share with you.

Nakime: I can make you fall for me in more ways than one.

Gyokko: Something’s fishy – you’re not dating me yet!Or: Wanna hold hands? I’ve got six of them!

Daki: Most humans are disgusting but you’re not so bad.

Gyutaro: The benefit of dating me is you would never have to worry about anyone wanting to steal me away from you.

Kaigaku: (before we get to him, here, have my exact thought process)

Kaigaku: You thought your first kiss would be Zenitsu but it was I, Kaigaku!Or: I’m gonna eat your peaches like no one has before.

Enmu: I’d like to drive my train in your station tonight.Or: Let’s see... This is like a dream for me. To die by your hand in person. And I so enjoyed hearing the other demons’ last gasps! I feel so blessed! Because I love to see others in despair and agony. Because it’s like a dream come true for me. I thank you for leaving me for last! (that was a pick-up line and you cannot convince me otherwise)

Rokuro: I was meaning to ask you out but then I realized how incredibly stupid that would be. I’ll leave you alone forever now.

Wakuraba: Damn, I’m losing my head over you.

Mukago: I accidentally bought two tickets to a scary movie so I’m looking for a cuddle partner right now. You interested?

Rui: Let’s play house. I could be your boyfriend.

Kamanue: Sure, it’s easy for you to say you can do better but what am I supposed to do when I want the best?

Sister Spider demon: My thread may be smooth as silk but good luck getting out of it once you’re tied to my bed.

Brother Spider demon: You know, my poison isn’t the only thing I can fill you with.

Father Spider demon: (Honestly, I have no idea. He isn’t exactly well-spoken. My best guess is he would just throw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and take you with him.)

Mother Spider demon: I hope you like bad girls because I am bad at everything!

Kyogai: They say you can’t write what you don’t know. Would you like to help me write the most romantic story ever?

Susamaru: Even if you say no, I will hug you with all my eight limbs like a giant spider until you go out with me.Or: I’d let you play with my balls any day.

Yahaba: If you don’t come to me on your own, I can simply make you, you know?

Swamp demon: We’re a package deal of everything you may ever need – the voice of reason, the voice of emotion and the voice that will break your enemies’ eardrums.

Hand demon: Ever heard of kitsune udon? Would you like me to make some for you?

Temple demon: I ain’t no saint but damn do I pray you’re single!

Tamayo: Eternity is a curse but by your side, I wouldn’t mind staying cursed forever.Or: If I weren’t already obsessed with ruining the life of another person, you would be on top of my list.

Yushiro: Lady Tamayo might have competition in you soon, you better watch out.

Nezuko: It doesn’t matter if the sun doesn’t burn me because your smile is much brighter anyway!

Demon Slayers

Yoriichi: I couldn’t slay Muzan but you, I am quite sure I can.

Jiggoro: It may be hard and it may be painful but after this hellish training is completed, our garden will be magnificent!

Urokodaki: I’m very good with children. Some of them even lived beyond their sixteenth birthday.

Shinjuro: At least if you marry me, you’ll get two great sons to compensate.

Uzui: I’m opening up the applications for my fourth wife position. Interested?

Himejima: Though I lived in a temple, I am not exactly a monk. I have made no celibacy promise.

Kyojuro: Darling, you set my heart ablaze!Or: Would you like to see my crimson red blade?

Obanai: Are you a snake charmer, because I sure am charmed.

Mitsuri: In the name of love, please go out with me!

Muichiro: I lost my phone number. Could I get yours?

Shinobu: You believe in female supremacy? Good.

Kanae: Let’s start as friends and maybe we can work our way up? Let’s work hard!

Genya: You know, demons aren’t the only thing I can eat really well.

Tanjiro: You smell really nice. Would you mind if I got a taste as well?

Sanemi: I will not share my ohagi with you but that doesn’t mean I don’t care, ok? Just so we’re clear.

Giyuu: As the water pillar, I know a lot about making people wet. Especially with tears.

Zenitsu: PLEASE MARRY ME OR I’LL DIE ALONE!Or: Do you like bad boys? No? Oh, thank goodness!

Inosuke: Among the boars, I would sing for you and give you lots of hugs and attention. Will you let me try even though you’re human?

Kanao: The coin told me to say yes to whatever request you may have. Pick wisely.Or: I was told to follow my heart. And it lead me to you.

Murata: I’m a completely average guy but sometimes that’s better than someone special, right?

Aoi: I may be frail but I can handle brats like you just like you deserve – with lots of love and strict training routine.

[mizukixtsukiyomi]

Second request: Could I have another KNY scenario where Kagome meets Muzan for the first time? I think it'll be interesting to see.

She was frozen under his crimson gaze. The chill down her spine had nothing to do with the winter beginning to sprinkle on earth, but his aura slowly emitting from his body to dominate with solely his stare. Kagome slowly swallowed whatever ounce of fear she could down her throat as she directed her elderly patients out to the other room of her small cottage. 

“Please, everyone feel free to rest in the room. I’ll come around when I help this man.” She sent her patients a warm smile. “Rin-chan, could you help with this patient?” 

The petite apprentice child nodded as she hurried to set the tray of empty tea cups on the nearby wooden table and coming to help the elderly woman up on her feet and lead her out of the ominous tension. 

Kagome sighed, waiting to see Rin, the child she had taken in as her apprentice, slide the shoji door to a close before facing the man at her genkan. She turned her head back to him before noticing the woman timidly standing behind him. A beautiful woman with fair skin and long black hair held back into a bun with a decorative pin. Despite her pupils hidden behind the purple hues she had, Kagome could not help but let her suspicion grow. These two…

They were no ordinary travelers. The man dressed in all white suit and black tie had made his appearance out of nowhere. The long black coat hanging off his shoulders swayed with the breeze to reveal the long nails at his side. The door to her home had burst open with the snowstorm’s chilly air beginning to brew inside. The last thing she needed was her patients stress levels to go up when they were already ill from the famine her village was trying to conquer. 

The priestess slowly stood from the wooden floor and straightened her spine. “How may I help you on this cold night?” 

Waiting for his reply, Kagome’s eyes caught the mysterious lady behind him come around to show her full figure. Her hands were kept low at the front as she took a small bow. “Are you the one they call Kagome?” 

Kagome’s eyes shifted from her to the man before resting back on the woman. “Depends what this matters is about…”. 

Their aura could not be flimsy mistaken; she knew it too well. 

“Please do pardon my intrusion; my name is Tamayo.” The mysterious woman placed her right palm over her chest, “but we have come for your services.” 

Her brow crooked up at her apology. Her single apology. She was not apologizing on behalf of his intrusion but solely on hers. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the man’s stoic expression. “We?” She questioned. She was not foreign to these dangers, in fact, compared to normal humans, she knew how to handle their class. 

But it did not mean she would not set her guard high. 

Especially when the one before her had the hairs on the back of her neck stand at a still. Right now she had to fear not only for her own safety, but those inside her home. There was no telling what this man could do. 

“Rumors have rippled about a priestess having experience working with demons.” Tamayo’s expression remained cold. “We hoped to come and have you work with us.” 

Kagome could not help but fixate her focus back and forth from Tamayo and the man. Demons? So she had been right. But there was something…off. Way off. The said priestess’s eyes narrowed slowly as the fire flames on her candles flickered slowly to reveal the crimson in his gaze darkening on her person. No doubt waiting for her acceptance or his attack upon her rejection. 

“What exactly is your goal?” Kagome had to know. “For as long as I had known…demons went either into hiding or extinct. The world progressed too quickly.” 

A scoff emitted out of the man. Both women froze at his sinister smirk. 

“Humans surely believe they would out best demons? Do you all believe human blood reigns over all?” 

His cold tone had her glaring; she dropped her tense shoulders. “Then why is it that a demon, who believes they are all might, is seeking help from a mere human?” 

The man’s brow twitched as a vein on his forehead slowly prodded. 

Tamayo’s mouth went agape at the priestess’s courage to speak against her master. Her eyes flickered back and forth before taking a deep bow. “Please! Muzan-sama is not asking for your help but is demanding it! I know this is a situation you would not trust, but please, Muzan-sama will leave everyone untouched if you just come with us.” 

The priestess’s eyes returned to the male demon. ‘Muzan? That’s his name, huh?’ And she received a threat nonetheless. He was willing to kill everyone under this roof. Her right hand came over to the ribbons holding her kimono sleeves and pulled to let them fall. Closing her eyes, Kagome sighed and wrapped the ribbons around her wrists after releasing the other side. “Then let’s hear it; what exactly is that you need from this mere human?” 

She would need to hear it first. Where had this demon come from? 

Tamayo released a quiet sigh before her eyes pulled back from her shock with Muzan’s outburst. “Muzan-sama seeks to conquer the sun.” 

Kagome immediately let her expression melt into a state of surprise. The sun? What was she talking about...? 

Before she could vocally question her storm of question, Kagome’s breath hitched at the sight of black and and red whips made out of blood and bone sprout from his back. The end of one of the whips swiftly stopped mere inches away from the throbbing vein at her neck. A droplet of sweat clung on her cheek as her eyes cautiously lowered to see the sharp point of his whip. 

“You will come with us.” His voice became lathered with threat. “You will assist me on my goal.” 

[dropintomanga]

To the Future - Demon Slayer’s Ending

When I first heard rumors about Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba ending a few months ago, I was shocked to hear about the manga ending so soon. I thought there were some other mysteries to be unraveled after this. Then while reading through the final arc, it started to feel that this was it.

And after only 205 chapters, Demon Slayer is known as one of the very few popular manga that reached insane heights in terms of sales, but not continuing on for the sake of popularity.

(Huge spoilers incoming after the jump)

The final arcs happened somewhat quickly as all the Demon Slayer Corps banded together in a desperate attempt to finish off their eternal nemesis, Muzan Kibutsuji, for good. Muzan, with whoever was left of his elite army (the Upper Moons of the Mizuki), visits the HQ of the Corps to finish off them off for good and ends up being caught in an elaborate plan to defeat him. A good number of notable characters (almost all of the Hashira and all of the Miuki) die throughout the process. Tanjiro ends up taking out Muzan despite being injected in one eye with demon blood during the fight. Muzan tries to possess Tanjiro after his defeat through his demon blood, but Tanjiro rejects him thanks to his friends. Nezuko finally becomes human too. All is well. The final chapter fast-forwards from the Taisho era to the 21st century where the descendants of all the major characters are living in peaceful times. 

One of the things I liked about Demon Slayer is how the deaths of the Hashira have been used to help Tanjiro get better. Their whole lives were dedicated to defeating Muzan for good. With Tanjiro arguably being their best chance since he actually met Muzan back in the beginning of the series, the Hashira had to put their faith in him. It started with Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Pillar. His death at the end of the Infinity Train arc was shocking to me as I didn’t expect a major hero character to die after debuting for a short while (he was on the cover of Volume 8 too). Yet Kyojuro was willing to accept dying as long as he was able to protect humans and anyone he cared about from demons. His last words to Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira were touching and truly spoke to the power of the human spirit.

Not only were the Hashira deaths impactful, so were the demons’ deaths. Almost every member of Muzan’s Mizuki/Twelve Demon Moons army had flashbacks. I feel they were mostly well-done. It’s hard to say which one was my favorite. I still feel Rui’s flashbacks still spoke to me much better than the others because struggles to find/build a family are super-relatable. 

The major deaths on both sides seem to highlight how we all lose something important as we grow as people. The Hashira and Mizuki were expected to give their lives as needed to serve their respective masters. Someone told me that the only certain things about the future are that we will experience great joy and tragedy. Both do come hand-in-hand. 

It takes a group of people to make something of tragedy in a way that helps everyone affected by it. Hard work isn’t enough. I did like that the final battle with Muzan took the efforts of the Demon Slayer Corps as one collective unit to kill him. Tanjiro isn’t Goku, Ichigo or Saitama; he’s just a boy with great potential who wanted to wanted to make his sister human again. A good number of the Demon Slayer battles were team efforts honestly.

A lot of amazing progress can be made due to multiple sacrifices for the greater good. It may come down to just a matter of not being afraid or jumping in with that fear. I think that’s another thing that comes to mind when it came to reading through Demon Slayer - the Mizuki were so afraid of dying or losing meaning in their lives when their past human lives were filled with so much loss. They subjected themselves to Muzan’s tyranny to ease their uncertainty at the cost of their humanity. The Hashira were the opposite of that. They knew that despite whatever bad things people were capable of, they were also capable of being good.

I think that’s what I enjoyed most about Demon Slayer - the fact it acknowledges we all can be demons and we can choose not to be. I mean, we had two demon characters (Yushiro and Tamayo) that chose to fight back and both had major roles in the end in killing Muzan. Of course, we all can be good and choose to be demons ourselves. It just comes down to how we process the eventual losses in our lives and that in order for them to be processed, we have to be able to let in people who want to genuinely help us. 

Demon Slayer’s all about having a sense of family and community because they are what helps people become resilient in the face of overwhelming tragedy. For a country like Japan that values those sentiments, I see why it’s a title for the manga record books. 

Also, with it ending at around 23 volumes, I’m glad Demon Slayer wasn’t extended longer than it needs to be. We’re in a time where almost everyone is trying to be popular or gain some higher status and maintain it via whatever means necessary. Demon Slayer was trying to be likable enough to many. It’s not the most well-written or complex shonen series out there, but it’s well-liked. I think Koyoharu Gotoge (the series’ author) was trying to tell a story that spoke to an audience trying to balance Eastern and Western influences in their own country.

Plus, it’s okay to give up on or quit something of great importance when the process may end up taking a great toll on your well-being. Having a measure of self-respect is an undervalued quality. In a strange way, Gotoge ending the series on their own terms illustrates what I said earlier about sacrificing today for a possible better tomorrow. You don’t know want to be known as just one label when you’re so much more than that. Human beings are full of all kinds of interests and emotions. I guess that’s how I see it since a good amount of people don’t like to think of others as more than black-or-white in most cases.

Anyway, it’s been a pleasure, Gotoge-sensei and Demon Slayer. I know the popularity for the anime will still be around for a while, but it’s amazing to see how the manga sold like hotcakes in 2020 compared to 2019. Yusuke Murata, of Eyeshield 21 and One Punch Man fame, said that Demon Slayer has done wonders for the manga industry as a whole. I believe that.

Here’s to a future of new and continued manga readership that can transform loss into something amazing that can last for generations to come.

[demon-slayer-imagines]

Demon Protection Corp

I came up with a new thing for demon slayer so enjoy me and my ramblings ;v;

The demon protection squad is a group of highly trained and powerful demons. These demons are led by their leader who is human and who gathered them together, using Tamayo’s medicine to lower their need for feasting on humans, only needing minor amounts of blood to get them through several months. Their leader also specializes in Demon hypnosis, tricking a violent demons insanity back into sanity.

The protection squad is made up of 8 high class demons.

The squad

#0-Kiyoshi

“ I lock away the evil spirits within my casket, along with my own...”

Kiyoshi is the squads sealing demon. He has a large coffin on his back that contains the evil intentions and pasts of other demons. He is often called upon by the leader to erase demons memories, create fake ones, or seal their spirit away so he can place a peaceful soul within them. He isn’t much of a fighter, often staying in the back lines to let others do the harder work. If need be, he will fight and uses his coffin as a barrier/shield. He uses puncture needles to fight, wanting to do as little damage as possible to his opponent and opting to knocking them out instead. It is rumored that Kiyoshi’s own evil spirit is the actual coffin that holds the other evil spirits.

Strength: 3/5

Defense: 5/5

Agility: 2/5

Healing abilities: 3/5

Demon rank: B

#1-Aobu

“ I always know what path I am heading towards, whether it be with my heart or with my eyes, I know where to go.”

Aobu is the youngest of the squad, being only 13 years old. He was turned into a demon around the age of 8 being an extremely sick child and his family having no means to help him heal. For a child so young, he has the man of a mind and the strength of one as well. He is extremely swift and flexible, and uses torches to fight with. He loves controlling fire so fighting with torches is fun for him. He is the team’s quickest fighter, but he’s also extremely clumsy and can often get into trouble he shouldn’t be in. He helps train tanjiro on fire every now and again

Strength: 2/5

Agility:5/5

Healing abilities:4/5

Defense:1/5

Demon rank: B

#2-kappa

“ Our job is to save demons along with humans. We want to get along with them not to succumb to evil nature.”

Kappa is a lonely boy who loves the water. He can often be found in the waterfalls nearby the town the demons reside in for protection. He loves learning and teaching water techniques and is a very supportive creature. He doesn’t say much, and likes to be alone most of the time. He always carries a lily pad around which has healing qualities to it, often feeling slimy and looks clear. Kappa is the shortest out of the whole group and is the most peaceful. He is the peace maker of the group.

Strength: 3/5

Agility: 3/5

Healing abilities:4/5

Defense:2/5

Demon rank:A

#3-Sakura

“ The flowers, aren’t they beautiful? They bloom innocently and die innocently as well. What a nice life to live”

Sakura is a quite but sharp tongued demon. She has a deep love for flowers, especially Sakura cherry blossoms. She fights with flowers, and other plant like species. She produces toxins, medicines, perfume and other products through the plants. She’s known as the team’s medic, she knows about almost all demon diseases and toxins that can hurt other demons and humans.

Strength: 2/5

Defense: 2/5

Agility: 5/5

Healing abilities: 5/5

Demon rank: A

#4-Moubo

“ All I remember is my husband and my daughter risked their lives to protect me, it was in vain. But now they rest peacefully and I will remember them and their brave deeds.”

Moubo is the half woman, half snake demon, that often takes care of the younger demons/demon children in the town. She is extremely intelligent and forgiving, but never forgets. When she was transformed into a demon, she did not eat the remains that were left of her husband and daughter, instead making a mural for them and locking them away in a chest that she keeps in her room with their picture over top of it. Her poison is extremely deadly and dangerous, killing humans in mere seconds and injuring demons to the point they cannot heal or it takes months even years to fully heal the injury. She dislikes conflict especially against younger demons, she’s also extremely flexible and fast.

Agility:5/5

Strength: 2/5

Defense: 3/5

Healing abilities: 4/5

Demon rank: A

#5-Hanya

“ Humans are the true demons. Not us...”

Hanya is a young looking boy that actually isn’t you g at all. He named himself after the Japanese masks because at one point he was an extremely ugly demon. No one wanted to befriend him or come near him, demon or human, but one day he met a human that became his friend and worried not about his outward appearance. Eventually the human started drifting away from him, gaining a wife and child and leaving him alone. He once listened in to his conversations with his wife, to which the man told his wife he was blessed to be rid of the ugly demon, stating no one could ever love or befriend a demon as ugly as him. Because of this, Hanya ripped apart his body, constantly ripping his face off once it healed back, ripping off his legs, arms, chest, whatever his claws could reach, he tore into it like a monster, until his skin became younger and more toned. He went from being an ugly demon to a young looking boy. He kept all the faces and body parts he ripped off of him, turning them into masks and prosthetic limbs to keep. He truly hates humans, believing they all have darker hearts than demons do. He doesn’t even want to be apart of the protection squad, but their leader wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Strength: 5/5

Agility: 5/5

Defense:3/5

Healing abilities: 4/5

Demon rank: S

#6-Enma

“ Fightings one thing I know how to do best! So you better stay outta my way!!”

Enma is a fiesty demoness that wields twin hammers. She loves to fight and receive pain, no pain no gain is her go to phrase. She can often be found at the bamboo forest punching or head butting down bamboo shoots. She also likes to poke fun at others and pester other people until they tell her things she wants to know. She specializes in earth forms of techniques.

Strength: 5/5

Agility:3/5

Healing abilities:3/5

Defense:5/5

Demon rank: A

#7-Ebisu

“ Sake and women are a mans best friend!”

Ebisu is a very flirty and drunken man. He will often be found flirting with the other female demons or drinking away in his small cabin. He always looks on the bright side of things, and it takes a lot for him to be serious. He often looks down on others by accident, not realizing it until he is told to stop. He is an electric technique user, and loves when it storms so he can put out and do his thunder clap dance. It’s a beautiful dance that all demons gather to see and marvel in.

Strength:4/5

Defense:4/5

Agility:4/5

Healing abilities: 3/5

Demon rank: A

#8- Lord Koroko

“We will fight until both demons and humans learn to coexist with each other.”

Lord koroko is a well known man in the demon town. He leads under the main leader, and is looked up to by many if not all. He is a father figure to many while also being a good leader and being respectful to those around him. He always makes time for others and their problems no matter how big or small. He is always the first to know of a situation and calls upon the rest of his teammates to take care of it or to gather for a meeting. He is the one that makes all the attack and capture plans. Not much is known of his backstory besides that his daughter Atsugi is the only other human in the demon town but is passed off by a demon because of Sakura’s medicines to hide her human scent.

Strength: 5/5

Agility: 3/5

Defense:5/5

Healing abilities: 5/5

Demon rank: S

[magicalmaidenholywish]

Plot Bunny 01

Lady Tamayo comes across a mythical creature of some sort (nine tailed fox? bakeneko? tengu? giant earthquake causing catfish?) and manages to acquire a DNA sample before the creature disappears for whatever reasons (killed? off to deal with it’s own concerns?) and after doing some studies on it, determines that she might be able to combine the DNA sample with a human being to create an anti-demon fighting bioweapon, basically.

(Obviously, she does not put it in those words.)

She deliberates on the matter for a while, but somehow or another Yushiro ends up with the sample, and when push comes to shove, ends up injecting an unsuspecting human girl with the DNA, causing her to transform into a Mew Mew; she is subsequently taken in by the Demon Slayer Corps, especially when it’s discovered that her special attack actually purifies demons of Muzan’s influence, allowing most of them to return to being regular humans. . . albeit regular humans who have to live with the fact that there was a point when they were happily into cannibalism but you know.

Also, sometimes when she gets super flustered or startled, her Mythical Creature DNA takes over, because what was Tokyo Mew Mew even about other than Ichigo randomly getting cat ears around her crush???

Love interest evaluation under the cut. Obviously the concept works with anyone, but like, this is who I would go with if I were to write this. I’m not gonna write it though. That’s why I’m putting it here.

For an adult woman, works well with Shinobu and Muzan; Muzan because, obviously, he’s gotta deal with this completely unexpected turn of events. How is he supposed to be all powerful if someone just like. Undoes his hard work? How is he supposed to sleep at night knowing someone could just make him human again? Yikes. For Shinobu, I think it contrasts really well with her struggles regarding demons -- this is an Easy Solution to a problem she’s struggled with for a Long Time and I think she’d have really complicated feelings about it, especially if the Demon Slayer Corps were like “look, you’re really useful in these Very Specific Circumstances, but also we can’t risk losing you because of HOW useful you are??? So we’re gonna uh. Keep you safe back here and we’ll bring you demons to purify when we can, okay? Okay.”

For an underage girl, Tanjiro is an obvious choice, probably especially in a love triangle with either Zenitsu or Inosuke. I think Tanjiro would be really happy if she could make Nezuko human again . . . but also that has certain Plot Ramifications that I think would need to be handled carefully. Like, what do Nezuko and Tanjiro do once Nezuko is human again? Does Nezuko try to learn a Breathing Art? Does she retain any demonic qualifiers? Is it harder to turn her back because of the special circumstances surrounding her? How does this effect the hypnosis she’s under???

(I’m not sure about Nezuko as a love interest because it’s a little hard for me to pin down her personality, but I know she’s bae for some people and would probably be a really good love interest for this character just because of the plot emphasis, in which case you could totally go ham with oblivious siblings pining for the same person and No One Wants To Tell Them and actually I’m invested in this concept now)

[demonslayedher]

How Does Eating Humans Work?

Hello, Gotou here. We’re shamelessly borrowing from the format of a KnY Fanbook #2 comic to launch an investigation into demon metabolism and development by crossing the Sanzu River again to interview demons in the underworld. While we’ll be using canon materials as a base, the analysis and conjecture herein is personal, so we ask for your understanding. Also, please note that consuming any food in the underworld will make you unable to return, and we cannot promise your safety even though the interview subjects are dead, so please come along at your own risk.

Some of the questions we’d like to answer are, why do demons need to eat humans? How much do they need to eat to survive? Are there factors that influence how eating humans makes them stronger? If they don’t want to kill humans, what are their other options? We’ve rounded up some special guests below the cut (hidden for length and grossness), everyone from the lowly Temple Demon to the lovely Tamayo, to see what their actions in canon might tell us.

First, a review of what canon tells us, mostly as summarized in Fanbook #2: 1. With one exception named Yushirou, all demons were created by Kibutsuji Muzan, for his own purposes. They all have some amount of his blood, and can be divided into four classes depending on how powerful they are. From top to bottom, the Upper Moons, the Lower Moons, demons with special abilities, and other demons without any special characteristics. 2. Demons may be stronger depending on how much of Kibutsuji Muzan’s blood they have. Most beings’ cannot handle a large amount of his blood, and it will rupture the cells and that being will die, but there are demons who adapt well to it. 3. Typically, sunlight is the only way to kill a demon, by either bathing them in sunlight or cutting of their head with a Nichirin blade. However, there are powerful demons for whom chopping off their head does not work, and if it’s strong enough, demons can also be killed by wisteria poison.

4. Demons eat human blood and flesh. The more they eat, the stronger they become, and the faster their regenerative abilities become. Some humans have “Marechi,” a rare blood type, which is especially nutritious to demons, and eating one Marechi is the equivalent of eating several humans.

That’s an interesting thing we’d like to come back to, especially since we’re looking for quantitative information about how demons gain nutrition (though I have my doubts we'll get enough for statistical analysis). As an interesting note, Fanbook #2 also tells us that if demons try to consume the same edibles humans do, they’ll vomit it back up.

I’m told that Miss Tamayo drinks tea, though. That’ll be an interesting question for later. In my notes, it seems she’s also explained to Tanjirou back in Chapter 15 that demons will normally go berserk if they go a long time without consuming any blood or flesh. Berserk is one thing, but I wonder if they can starve to death? We’ll see if these canon clues will lead us to anything. We’ll begin now in an interview format. Hopefully this will go smoothly, but I’ve got a feeling it won’t. First up, we’ve the Temple Demon.

Temple: Who were you calling ‘lowly’ just now? Up there, above the cut?

Gotou: That was in a literal sense, not having Blood Techniques means you’re in the bottom common tier of demons.

Temple: Argh. Fine. What do you want to know?

Gotou: In Chapter 2, you were spotted with three human victims. However, it seems you left their bodies mostly intact and only ate small parts instead of consuming one full human at a time. Could you comment on this?

Temple: I’d have gotten to more later if that whelp with the strong legs didn’t interrupt me! Who’s got time to eat entire humans anyway? I went for the easy stuff first.

Gotou: I see. It appears you might had focused on key organs, like the heart and the liver. Would you say these are especially nutritionally dense?

Temple: I guess. If I’m going to eat humans, I’m going to start with what’s worth bothering to digest. Blood’s easier on the stomach, so that’s what I was busy with on the lady there.

Gotou: Then it takes effort to digest? Hmm. Let’s come back to this later. How many humans would you say you consumed, including these three?

Temple: Not a lot… I tried to get a variety so I could get stronger faster, but…

Gotou: I’ll put down a guess as ten or less. Let’s move on to someone who has a sharper memory for numbers. One of our longer-lived guests at Mt. Fujikasane for 47 years, the Hand Demon. While most of the demons on the mountain had only eaten two or three humans, you’ve eaten a whole 50 of the children who headed into the Final Selection, didn’t you?

Hand: Yes, that’s right. It was hard at first since I wasn’t very strong, and the demons usually all went crazy there eating each other, just like that one brat who got away in Chapter 7 said. If you could manage to kill any of the kids, you had the other demons to fight off to even get a piece to yourself. That was enough to get me by, and stronger, little by little. Your body learns to make your meals last, and make the most of what you can get. I usually only had a bite of one child a year, can you imagine how horrible that was? Most demons who survive usually figure out some way to develop and survive better, and once my cells found something that worked for me, I kept doing it. I got really good at snatching away prey from other demons, and soon enough I was a bigger threat than any of them. None of them could, you might say, lay a hand on me.

Gotou: That’s an interesting point about self-development. A demon named Nezuko was spent two years doing that in her sleep.

Hand: She must have had a big meal before that!

Gotou: Well, anyway. It seems that in near starving conditions, your metabolism made the most of what you had, leading to the most efficient use of whatever food was available to you.

Hand: That’s right, I got really good at it. Wasn’t always pretty, but I made it work. I got to a point where I could go two years without eating and still keep my wits about me while the other demons were going mad. But I chose to eat. I liked to keep my appetite for specific children.

Gotou: That smile is not reassuring. Some humans taste better than others, I guess?

Hand: That’s for sure. This one kid tasted awful, like rust and man sweat! I still don’t have that disgusting taste out of my mouth! But he was one of my more satisfying meals, so I ate more of him.

Gotou: Then why would you… nevermind, I don’t like that smile, no further questions. While I had hoped to keep these interviews focused on quantities of humans consumed, it does seem personal taste is worth asking about. I had tried to invite a Swamp Demon from Chapter 11, but it kept arguing with itself and it felt like I’d be wasting my time. The one definite thing I learned was that this demon is picky, with a distinct preference for 16-year-old girls. Based on the number of trinkets he kept, it seems he had consumed at least seventeen of them, including several in one town. Sheesh, that’s sort of a rough mission to send a first-timer on. I’ve got a more cooperative guest here to discuss her tastes, a Snake Demon who, according to Chapter 188, has a special taste for baby flesh.

Snake: Thank you for having me here. It’s good to be appreciated again.

Gotou: Did you only eat babies?

Snake: Goodness, no. Babies are delicious, but they aren’t very nutritious. And their skulls certainly aren’t that big, the ones I lounged around with were from the people whom I killed and stole from. But you know the nice thing about baby skulls? They’re still soft. They take a long time to digest, but I can swallow them whole.

Gotou: Like… like a snake, then. Sorry, I’m a little ill hearing that. Let’s back up, were all those skulls the remains of adults you ate, then?

Snake: Meh, I ate some of them of better-looking ones, but most of them I only killed. I could usually kill a lot more at a time than I could bother eating, my killing record was fifty women all at once.

Gotou: And you didn’t find that wasteful?

Snake: Wasteful? Not at all. I wasn’t exactly in dire straits, I lived a more luxurious life than most demons do. That meant I could afford to wait for a truly delicious meal, like how you humans might leave something in a slow-cooker to enjoy the perfect combination of doneness and tenderness, plated in the most appetizing of ways.

Gotou: I guess demons and humans are similar in that regard.

Snake: I’m so glad you can relate! Then you understand the frustration of a meal you’ve be preparing for years opening up the slow-cooker and running away right when they were just about done.

Gotou: I have never had that experience.

Snake: I’ll get you, my pretty. And your little snake, too.

Gotou: I think we might have gotten a little off-topic here. It does seem digesting humans comes with some difficulty. I’d like to invite the Drum Demon in next. Your name is Kyougai, I hear?

Kyougai: !!

Gotou: Kyogai, right?

Kyougai: You’ve heard of me! You know my name!

Gotou: I happened to, yes.

Kyougai: What have you heard???

Gotou: That you were kicked out of the Lower Moons for being unable to consume enough humans.

Kyougai: Oh. ……..yeah, that’s me.

Gotou: I thought demons go berserk if they go a long time without consuming humans. Wouldn’t that make an inability to consume them problematic?

Kyougai: It wasn’t that I couldn’t eat them! Like I said in Chapter 24, I had to in order to sustain myself, just like any other demon. But, at some point, I couldn’t eat as much as I used to. That happens to humans too, doesn’t it? When you just can’t stomach anymore?

Gotou: You mean like when you’ve overeaten? In a human’s case that feeling may go away within a few hours.

Kyougai: Sort of like that, but you know, humans reach a time when nothing is appetizing or the thought of eating makes them feel sick, right? Isn’t that the human condition?

Gotou: …uh… maybe if they have a medical condition? Or anxiety? Do demons get anxiety? Or eating disorders?

Kyougai: I… I don’t know. I just wasn’t good enough.

Gotou: I think it’s plenty good if you stopped eating humans. Though to have developed Blood Techniques and been a Lower Moon in the first place, you must had eaten a great number of them.

Kyougai: You think I’m great?

Gotou: What?

Kyougai: No, sorry, I was getting ahead of myself. It’s true, I used to be able to eat as many as the other Lower Moons always consumed. Our stomachs were stronger, you might say. Demons got strong by eating humans, and then the more you did that the better you usually got at it, so the strong ones would eat more and more and keep getting stronger and stronger. At least, that’s how it usually worked. I’ve seen other demons below me reached that point too, where they feel the drive to eat, but then they have trouble digesting it for a long time, so they don’t wind up eating that many people.

Gotou: Then it would make sense to eat the most nutritionally dense parts first.

Kyougai: Or a Marechi.

Gotou: Yes, or a Marechi.

Kyougai: It was a great idea, wasn’t it?

Gotou: I cannot condone any consumption of humans as a good idea.

Kyougai: I knew it. I’m nothing. Go ahead, stomp all over everything I ever tried to accomplish.

Gotou: I think I’m going to move on to my next interviewee now. It looks like we’ve got… oh, would you look at this? Lower Moon One. Enmu, I believe.

Enmu: You can believe whatever you want. I’m happy to help.

Gotou: I don’t need any help, thanks. I’m curious, since you were one of the stronger demons out there, it seems you had a stronger capacity for consuming humans.

Enmu: I did, I was always careful and paced myself so the Demon Slayers wouldn’t notice me. I took my time. I liked to enjoy e-e-e-a-c-h one.

Gotou: Then you had tastes too? Like babies, or 16-year-old girls?

Enmu: I could season any human to my liking. They’re all very easy to prepare.

Gotou: I’m still trying to get quantitative data. Can you tell me at least a rough estimate of how many humans you consumed?

Enmu: I told this more precisely to that boy with the earrings back in Chapter 59, and I can tell you this too. At my best, I could had eaten over two-hundred people at once if I took my time.

Gotou: OH MY GAW----sorry, I dropped my pen. Two hundred, at once?

Enmu: Yes. If I had just. Had. A little. More. Time.

Gotou: Clearly there is a huge difference between what common demons are capable of and what the Twelve Moons are capable of.

Daki: Psh, those were all any random common people. That’s nothing to brag about.

Gotou: Excuse me, and you are?

Daki: Daki, Upper Moon Six. You want something really impressive, you talk to the Upper Moons.

Gotou: I’m sorry, I don’t see you on my list.

Daki: What! Your list is stupid. Look me in the eyes, I’m Upper Moon Six!

Gotou: Very well, then. What can you tell me about your diet, Miss Upper Moon Six?

Daki: That’s more like it. It’s true that digestion takes a while, and takes some effort. Even though we Upper Moons may have eaten hundreds of people in our lifetimes, it’s not as if we gorge ourselves. The clever ones among us save prey for later to eat when we feel ready for it.

Gotou: Food storage? How do you keep them fresh?

Daki: You leave them still alive, numbskull. Nobody wants to eat something cold, that’s gross.

Gotou: I see, so that’s why demons prefer to go after new kills instead of saving what they’ve already managed to kill. That also might explain why the demons on Mt. Fujikasane wouldn’t had eaten many humans, if they found long dead ones in edible.

Daki: You want to know the real secret to eating humans? You can eat what you find tastes good, sure. But to get stronger, you eat strong people. Like your Corp members, the ones besides chumps like you? Using all that Breath makes their muscles really lean and potent, it’s like they come offering themselves as protein bars for us.

Gotou: You make them sound like a fad diet…

Daki: The real secret is eating Pillars. Besides Marechi, they’re the strongest meals out there. Guess how many I’ve eaten?

Gotou: I don’t have the data to make an educated guess.

Daki: Then get educated! Look back at Chapter 88! I’ve eaten seven Pillars, and my brother has eaten fifteen!

Gotou: Your brother? Who is he, then, Upper Moon Five?

Daki: What? Ew. Gross. Gross! No way, ew!

Gotou: Hmm… eating Pillars, huh? Well, I can think of one Pillar who was…

Douma: Me too!

Gotou: Speak of the devil.

Douma: Actually, we Upper Moons can! And he's not Satan, that's not how this works. But I guess Muzan-sama’s curse doesn’t effect us now. Ask me anything you want!

Gotou: That Chapter 143 reference was such a rude entrance. I understand that Pillars are particularly nutritious—

Douma: Oh, please don’t misunderstand! I don’t even eat all the Pillars I’ve encountered. There was the one Flower Pillar who got away from me, but some of the boy pillars I just leave around. What’s really the key to consistent nutritional intake is women! It’s really unhealthy for a demon not to get enough women in their diet, that’s why even if you’re only looking for Marechi or Pillars, your metabolism is going to get thrown out of whack with sudden big meals. You grow a stronger metabolism with consistency, I believe!

Gotou: If I could stop you there, I had an image from Chapter 142 I preferred to focus on for this case study. I see you keep a wide collection of skulls, from victims whom I assume you ate.

Douma: Yes, they all stayed together inside me for eternity, but the room looked lonely without décor.

Gotou: It seems other demons usually go for nutritionally dense organs like hearts or livers, or easy to digest parts of the body, perhaps just blood sometimes. Eating the entire victim, bones and all, doesn’t seem to be the norm.

Douma: Bones are organs too, you know! That’s where blood is made, at its freshest. They do take more practice in learning to digest, and I had to find a way around not having to chew them, but the bone marrow is very, very good for you, so I make sure to consume it frequently. It may take more time and it causes some of my followers to panic more while they wait, though, that’s a bit of a downside. Oh, and I guess bones can make good storage for some sneaky poison. Even fingernails and hair follicles, who’d have thought?

Gotou: I don’t think hair would have much nutritional value in the first place. In all my years, I can never recall seeing a victim with their hair eaten.

Douma: Tsk, tsk! Clearly you haven’t done much metabolism research in advance. I was really impressed by how well Shinobu-chan understood how my digestion would work. Eating hair can do amazing things! Isn’t that right, Genya-kun?

Genya: ?????????

Gotou: Genya-kun!?

Genya: What am I doing here?

Gotou: I don’t think you’re supposed to be here. Isn’t there, you know, another side? The other direction?

Genya: What are you doing here? Did you die?

Gotou: I’m here doing research on demon metabolism and how they get stronger by consuming flesh.

Douma: What can you tell us about what up with having your friend feed you hair you found on the floor in Chapters 170-171, Genya-kun?

Genya: I’m not a demon!! Why the hell are you asking me?

Douma: ‘Hell’! Haha, good one!

Gotou: How do you even know about that? You were dead almost a full volume before that. And Genya’s different, he’s not a case study in how demons consuming humans works!

Douma: Are you certain?

Gotou: I hear the term get thrown around a lot that he’s ‘half-demon’, but—

Genya: I’m not a demon!!!

Gotou: --how would that even work? That would imply that one of his parents had to be a demon, and that—

Genya: What did you say about my mother!?!

Gotou: What? Nothing—

Genya: You say that to my face! You just trying saying something about my mother to my face! My mother never actually ate any flesh, you got that? She doesn’t deserve any of this!

Gotou: Genya, calm down, what—

Douma: I see we’re learning nothing about hair at all. Maybe Kokushibou-dono would provide better commentary on that?

Genya: Mom? Mo-o-o-o-m? Are you down here somewhere?

Gotou: And there he goes… wait, did you say Kokushibou? Upper Moon One? Oh no—he—he didn’t want me bothering him, he did not agree to another interview—

Douma: He-e-e-e-e-y, Kokushibou-dono! How did that work with Genya-kun eating your hair? Hair can be nutritious, right?

Kokushibou: You would gain… nothing… from consuming human hair… it’s not… flesh… you wasted your energy digesting it…

Douma: Aww, cutting it off them would had been sad, though.

Kokushibou: Demon hair… like demon weapons… is made… from our unique cells. It’s not dead… like human locks. Because that boy ate my live cells… it affected him…

Gotou: Yes, because he had a very, very unique metabolism, analyzed separately in this post. To be perfectly clear, Genya is completely human with cells that could temporarily transform, and he never consumed human flesh.

Kokushibou: He… vexes me…

Gotou: Um… while I’ve got you here, you’re one of the longest lived demons, clocking in at over three, maybe four centuries. Do you have any estimate of how many humans you’ve consumed?

Kokushibou: ……I see in… Chapter 100… that you are 23 years old?

Gotou: That is correct.

Kokushibou: Do you bother… remembering how many meals… you’ve had in a mere 23 years?

Gotou: I’m very sorry to have bothered you.

Douma: Kokushibou-dono’s ancient compared to the rest of us! But if I tried, I could probably recall. Let’s see. One, two, three, four…

Gotou: Is that? Your finger in your brain? Oh—ohhh—that is disgusting---I really don’t need to know numbers that badly, please stop. Is there maybe just some average you can give me for the Upper Moons instead? Like how many you’d eat in a month?

Douma: I wish I could, but a certain someone was an annoying outlier and didn’t like to eat so many humans. He made me worry all the time about his health.

Gotou: Really? Who might that be?

Douma: Hello-o-o-o-o-? Akaza-dono? Yoohoo! He spends all his time with his wife now and never answers when I call, it makes me so sad. Akaza-dono did eat humans, plenty of strong ones, but any time he wasn’t under orders from Muzan he liked to spend his time training instead of eating. Fanbook #1 says he did that way more than eating!

Gotou: Training? What sort of training?

Douma: Similar things to what your Corp members did, I imagine. Doing squats, throwing punches, things like that.

Gotou: Then demon muscles had similar function to human muscles, and could be strengthened through hard work? That’s surprising.

Douma: I know, right? I’ll let you in on a secret, I don’t think it was the physically repetition that did anything. I think it was his willpower getting honed and shaping his muscles.

Douma: I had to focus when I acquired new skills too, like breaking down poisons. A lot of sad, lowly demons, like that Hand Demon fellow? They focus as hard as they can in their desperation, or focus on some strong emotion or attachment or whatever, and they grow and develop because of it. Sometimes all their weak bodies can manage is an ugly mutation, but that’s proof enough of how much focus they had.

Gotou: That sheds a lot of light on Nezuko, actually.

Douma: Shed “light” on Nezuko-chan, hahaha! Sunlight! You humans are all so witty!

Gotou: Speaking of willpower, I’ve got one more interview I need to get to down here. Of all the demons I have records of, only Nezuko went her whole time as a demon without consuming any human flesh, although she did go through moments of berserk cravings for it. It’s possible that other demons were killed before they could consume anything, but typically they will consume flesh as soon as possible, which is why its common for their family and close relations to be among the first ones killed. Tomioka-san even mentioned in Chapter 1 that these close relations are especially nutritious.

Gotou: A demon about as old as Kokushibou, if not older, is a special case of her own. She was one of the only demons we know of to have escaped Kibutsuji’s curse and acted in dependently of him, including having created a demon of her own after two hundred years of trying. Most notably to our purposes, she trained herself to subsist on small amounts of blood, after having survived on corpses and wild animals for a time, according to the extensive Taisho Secrets at the end of Volume 21.

Tamayo: I explained this in more detail to Tanjirou-san in Chapter 15, but I went on to purchase blood from poor people, and extracted it in ways that wouldn’t be harmful to them. The one demon I created, Yushirou, could subsist on even less. I gained enough self-control that I could treat injured humans without feeling tempted into a berserk state.

Gotou: I was just talking to Douma about willpower making demons capable of accomplishing new physical developments. Was that how you were able to gain this state? I heard you even enjoy a cup of tea now and then.

Tamayo: Yes, I’ve taken a liking to it. I’d offer you some if not for this, you know, being hell. It’s nothing like the hell I went through when first resisting consuming humans, though. My demon body refused to take anything but fresh human flesh at first, but in the hardest moments, I always remembered a kind demon hunter who said he believed in me and my desire to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan. I believe Nezuko may have summoned her strength to resist the call of her demon cells in a similar way; she knew she had her brother there to rely on. Once she mastered something as remarkable as resisting the need for human flesh, it gave her the freedom to prioritize other developments.

Gotou: You spent centuries researching demon cells, especially how demons may break down and metabolize poisons.

Tamayo: I had not studied the metabolism of poisons until working with Shinobu-san. The medicine we concocted for Kibutsuji was only possible thanks to her work, and I couldn’t had worked with many of those wisteria-based substances on my own. I feel I was only there to fill in the gaps of her brilliant understanding.

Gotou: You’re very humble. I would pass along my thanks and compliments to Shinobu-sama too, but I’m pretty sure she’s not down here. On that note, did Genya-kun go back home?

Tamayo: He did after a nice reunion with his mother just now, it was very sweet. Shizu-san and I get along well, after all, we both carry similar guilt.

Gotou: Wait, was his mother a demon? That means Wind-sama’s mother was too? Wait?? What??

Tamayo: The worst hell I went through, or that any demon has gone through, is to realize what you’ve eaten after the hunger-driven madness clears. Being similar to your own cells, they’re easy on a volatile new anatomy to break down and digest. That’s why many demons may have driven themselves to forget everything all over again, or to twist their personalities to justify the horror, saying that because they ate the hearts of their loved ones and because demon flesh can live forever, then they never truly killed them. The truth always remained untwisted for me, and to this day, it torments me more than anything in this underworld can try.

Gotou: …

Tamayo: You should wake up now, Gotou. You’ve been through a lot; the nightmares must be taxing on your health. Please remember to eat well.

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 157 Review

The last chapter was emotional with a great ending to a great battle. I don’t know if this is really the final arc or not, albeit many indications say the former, I have no idea where do we go from there. Maybe a change of plan was made, or this is all accordingly. Whatever it is, I’m ready. This chapter delivered the fallout from that great battle that cleverly segue to the battle that instantly got me very intrigued.

Right from the start, a reminder of why the last chapter was emotional is displayed with Hakuji reuniting with his loved one in the afterlife. Damn, I really like this ending. I joked around using the phrase, “coolest guy ever,” to say how a bad guy gets away with the worst deeds, but this one was handled so well, he truly earned it. Akaza is finally gone and despite the kills and all, he deserve this: rest in peace.

I haven’t felt so good from a huge sigh of relief in a while, but this is well earned for a hell of a battle. Tanjiro is finally knocked out, but he did want to go to Tamayo. Giyu finally collapse, but press his sword to the ground to keep his body barely standing on his knees. I love that large panel with those two on their exhausted state. It presented perfectly of how incredibly hard that battle was and how much of a relief it is to survive. This was a standing ovation; rest, our heroes. I am curious on what’s next for them. Do they have Senzu Bean in this world, so they can recover full health? Muzan is still around. What is the setup for the endgame? So many questions.

When it comes to reactions, it’s the demon’s turn to react to the loss of their “comrade.” Unsurprisingly, there’s no remorse. Upper Moon 1 is disappointed in him for not only be defeated, but fall short to reach greater heights. His design still look sick. Interesting that he’s not against anyone at this time, but his sword skill is terrifying. The reaction towards Akaza’s loss is a really good way to segue back to Douma, who is still fighting against Kanao. She looks kind of tired, but not out just yet. It also segue to a really compelling confrontation, starting with great interactions with determination and hatred.

As many already know, Douma is a prick who didn’t think so much of the loss; it’s just another day. That said he does pinpoint something interesting about Akaza. He never killed nor eat a woman in his life. Even after Douma encouraged him to eat them for better nutritious and pregnancy is like two for a price of one (told you he’s a prick), Akaza never took that in. Clearly, his love for Koyuki is so powerful, even demon life can’t change that. How can a writer continue to make someone such a wonderful person, even after death, let alone a demon? So well earned for a proper burial. Douma cries because his best friend died. Time for Kanao to tell the fans a new favorite is here.

She’s an interesting case. Nezuko is the main heroine, while Kanao is a heroine in the making. It’s not to say she will replace her, seeing how the series is closing (I think), but this is her time to rise after many developments and hints on her talent. I was intrigued already to see her in combat, but I was more intrigued on her attitude. To begin with, I thought that was nice of her to call herself the younger sister of Kocho siblings. That shows how much she adored Shinobu, taking the honor of their name. What really strikes me is her intimidation. Never trust the quiet one.

I like the fact she called out Douma’s lies; she’s not falling any sympathy from him. It’s kind of amazing how those two collide, yet both involved with emotions. One hides it but deeply feels it, and the other express it but feels nothing. I didn’t think about it before, but they’re technically foil characters. Kanao pinpoints everything that proves that not only Douma is lying, but can’t feel anything. He is nothing but a hollow shell. She may be a mute before, but her feelings were shared with others. That’s nice and all, but here comes the insults.

It’s worth noting that she was handling the conversation normally with a blank expression. That is until she starts talking about how he is so clever to hide his inner feelings, which is none. When she starts smiling, I thought, “Oh crap. She is sadistic.” She is taunting him so bad, that line about him being born is pointless is a stab to the heart. Ouch. When you made Douma pissed off, you know you’re doing something right. She is after for his blood. I’m more hyped than ever. She closes it off by restating about pointless birth, now with a charming smile. Did the best girl just spawn?

The strike exchange scene is really good. Douma tries to catch her off-guard but nicely dodges and brutally slash him for his guts to spill. We get a clarification on Shinobu’s last message for her. It was a sign to brief her to avoid breathing powder freeze. That explains why Kanao didn’t lose already. It’s worth reminding that speed is key as it comes down to swift and fatal contact. She have the speed and strength, so this is going to be a really good battle. Will she win on her own? Hard to say. This series is all about knowing the strength and weakness to increase your chances. If it wasn’t for the sign, she would have died a long time ago, like fighting a boss in a gas room without a gas mask. That’s one less obstacle to worry. For now, it relies on skills.

This was a pretty good chapter after a satisfying battle. I know it because the beginning reminded the fans how long, scary, tough, and relief it is to win; whatever it takes. The words exchange between Kanao and Douma was captivating and insightful, even with harsh but rightfully deserved words from a person who I least expected to say. Tanjiro, watch your back. I’m intrigued with her character and looking forward to the battle. I’m not sure how this one will go down, but I’m excited. The battle of life and death has begun, even if one is already dead.

[drink-n-watch]

  Well, here we are. It was quite a ride! Demon Slayer was not without its lows, but it’s highs were impressive and now that season 1 is all said and done, I can confidently say that I am very happy I got to watch this! But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here. First, let’s get to some important stuff: How are you Crow?

    Hi, Irina! I’m doing well. I hope you enjoyed your week! Gotta say — this episode’s energy surprised me. It felt more like an opening than a closing! Oh, I’m bold, and we’ll likely have spoilers. Don’t want to mislead anyone!

  For those of you that may not know – Demon Slayer was Crow’s recommendation and I’m sure glad he made it! How about we get this finale rolling.

When the episode opened back in Shinobu’s hospital, I thought we were in for another training montage and although I enjoy those, it seemed a little lackluster for a last episode, you know?

I was pretty happy when we suddenly moved to some creepy otherworldly demon meeting. Let’s say that poor guy’s question of “Where the Hell is this” may have been a little too accurate! But as hellish as it was, that twisty house was superb! Don’t you think?

It was architecturally fantastic. I felt like I was inside an M. C. Escher painting. It was also really cool to see how the demons themselves reacted. More than one of them were completely freaked out, which gave even more power to the feeling of unease. I’m pretty sure Crow hadn’t noticed my title when he made this comment….

And it was beautiful, too. This show excels at making evil look good.

As it happens the lower 5 kuzukis (Rui’s contemporaries) had been brought together by a rather dissatisfied Muzan. But they didn’t quite know that yet. I have been consistent in my praise for the Demons’ designs in Demon Slayer, and this episode was a treat in that regard. The lower 5 were just as varied and interesting as the hashiras but they don’t have to conform to a uniform or reasonable designs which made them even more interesting to me.

It’s impressive how much effort was put into each of their very individual appearances and even personalities considering how much time they got.

The range was amazing and the designs vibrant with individuality. One of the demons was more classical in that she had horns. The other, Lower One, was quiet and almost conservative, but here eyes and facial markings made it clear she was a demon. Even without know what was to come, there was something about her that marked her as particularly dangerous. Maybe the way she walked? How she stayed calm when some of the other demons were clearly skittish? Whatever it was, the show continued its tradition of being gorgeous. 

Turns out, Muzan had decided to be a beautiful Japanese lady that day. No one knows why. Just in the mood for it I guess. It’s all good. The thing is, this particular design overlaps somewhat with lady Tamayo, and it’s never in your advantage to compare yourself to Tamayo

I don’t know about you, but a female Muzan felt terrifying in a way the male form never did for me. It might be that I kept seeing Michael Jackson instead! But his female form? Dang. 

What follows was an education. It made sure I had properly assimilated the lessons of this season of Demon Slayer. (I say this season, I’ll get back to it).

First, being a Demon is no fun. It simply isn’t. They might grin like cheshires but no one wants to end up in their shoes. Well, maybe some people do but they are not o.k. Demons are without value even to each other as even kuzukis’ lives are cheap. Although I guess those aren’t exactly “lives”.

Second, Muzan is a monster, and whatever humanity he may have had has leaked out a while ago. There’s little point in hoping for any type of understanding. He’s also a rather horrible boss. I certainly have a whole new appreciation for mine after this episode.

And third, Tanjiro is special. Out of everything that is happening to encite Muzan’s rage; all the priorities he may have with the Demon Slayer corp nipping at his heels; the one thing he cares about is getting the slayer with the hanafuda earrings. At this point I’m seriously beginning to wonder why Tanjiro doesn’t take those earrings off, they constantly get him in trouble.

What were your takeaways from the scene?

His interactions with them were brutal. Of the demons was dumb enough to beg for mercy. What was he thinking? Another tried to argue; that didn’t get much farther. A third tired to escape — you can guess what happened to him. And when another tried to plead his case, Muzan accused him of disagreeing. “Whatever I say is right is the right thing,” he said as he killed the poor demon.

By the end of the scene, that’s how I thought of these blood-thirsty creatures — poor demons! 

But did you see how Lower One watched the others die before fashioning her response? “This is like a dream to me,” she said. “To die by your hand in person… I thank you for leaving me for last.”

He “spared” her by giving her an injection of his own blood, which will give her a power up — if she survives!

You’re absolutely right. Being a Demon is no fun!

After Muzan neetly culls his troupe, leaving only one particularly interesting looking one behind (this guy (or girl – seems Crow thinks it’s a girl and he may be right) will make for some great cosplay – also that gravity defying transition shot was the bomb!) the episode brings us back to the present where Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke seem to have mostly recovered from their wounds. And just in time as it seems the “train incident” is getting worse!

Before leaving on their new mission though, the boys have on last day at Shinobu’s to say their goodbyes. We mostly follow Tanjiro, though, and he is his usual overly earnest and touching self. First he takes on Aoi in a scene that was touching but rang hollow to me.

Aoi is chastising herself for not being an active combattant and Tanjiro cheers her up by saying he’ll carry her feelings in battle with him. I would feel worse if someone told me that. Aoi works tirelessly to help slayers recover. She basically was their nurse, doctor, maid, cook and physical therapist for months. That’s no small feat! Why is Tanjiro just basically saying – Yup you’re a coward but it’s OK cause I’m brave! I know it was animated and conveened as words of compassion and encouragement and that’s how most fans will see them. Just for me, I thought the double message was pretty amusing.

I didn’t take it that way — and I think this might be a case of a gender bias I didn’t realize I had. I saw the scene as touching: Here was Tanjiro being the combat form of Tooru Honda again, spreading cheer and forgiveness! But if I put myself in Aoi’s position, and if Tanjiro were to say that to me, I would feel humiliated. 

I’m reminded of when the two Kakushi grabbed Tanjiro and Nezuko back in episode 23. Tanjiro seriously wanted to head butt Sanemi for stabbing Nezuko, but the Master finally convinced him to stand down. As the two Kakushi carried our two heroes to the hospital, one of them practically screamed that she was furious with him for putting her in such a terrifying position. “Ready the room!” she yelled at him. That’s Tanjiro, though, isn’t it? He’s so earnest that he often misses little details — like he does later with Kanao! 

Then Tanjiro bid farewell to Kanao in a scene that was akin to emotional fanservice. I’m saying that as a good thing. I do think most fans would really enjoy this scene. It was very sweet.

For a second I thought Tanjiro may actually have lost the coin (I thought he was going to throw it away for a bit as well), and that the entire thing would have turned to slapstick comedy with Kanao royally beating him up. It stayed sweet instead.

This is where Tanjiro showed his oblivious side again! When he told her that he was going to flip the coin to determine if she would listen to the little voice in her heart, she almost looked panicked. The prospect was clearly scary for her! He showed her it was heads and was so happy that he grabbed both her hands. He had no idea what he was doing to her feelings at that point. He was just focused on the idea that he had helped her move forward!

And when he gave her his carefree grin and said goodbye, he had not a clue the emotional confusion he left in his wake. He had just introduced a huge change into his life, then skipped off to war! 

Seriously, Tanjiro, read the room!

I forgot to mention that we also saw scar boy in the halls and I don’t know what type of Demon steroids he’s been taking. I think he was roughly the same size as Tanjiro last time we saw him, now he dwarfs him. And it’s not like Tanjiro has been laying around on the couch eating chips or anything…

Can confirm. Not a single chip was consumed.

Were you as surprised as I was by the fact that all three of them could break the big jugs with their breath? Zenitsu and Inosuke actually ended up taking their training seriously enough to not be left behind. That’s pretty impressive. I figure Inosuke may have powered through on brute force but Zenitsu must have actually put in the work at some point!

They even got a reward from the three scary therapy girls. With the way they handle Zenitsu and Inosuke, I’m thinking just send these three after the demons, they’ll make short work of it. Or is that too mean to the demons?

I didn’t think they were scary! To be fair, I didn’t try to subject them to emotional blackmail like Zenitsu did. I loved how they told him, “Maser Zenitsu, please try to learn how to be considerate and respectful of girls.” I laughed even harder when he asked if they were even a little sad he was leaving.

In unison, they answered, “We are not sad.”

From that perspective? I can see how scary they can be! And good for them.

As the last scenes were coming up, I realized something. This isn’t an ending. As in, not even close. It’s a clear set up for the next arc. There’s no pretense that the story has any sort of end point here. You might as well have stopped the season mid sentence.

The reason it took me so long to realize this though is because the boys were about to board a train. A first for both Inosuke and Tanjiro who have lived isolated in the mountains their entire lives. So it was up to city boy Zenitsu to be the voice of wisdom. And he was! It was so weird!!

I almost felt dizzy because of that. It was so disorienting! 

Not only did this last scene set up the “train incident” it also brought up a lot of other great world building tidbits. Trains are still not common in the countryside, which means the world of Demon Slayer is right at the cusp of heavy industrialization. This is bound to change how Demons live and how Slayers hunt! Tanjiro has visited the big city once, it’s where he met Muzan but he was in a daze and frantic then. I’m not sure Inosuke ever has. How will they take the culture shock? Slayers are not officially sanctioned, and it seems law enforcement does take its job seriously. A clash between Slayers and the government could be an amazing storyline. And why aren’t they sanctioned, aren’t demons a huge problem? All these questions brought up in the last minutes. How mean!

I agree. It didn’t feel like an ending at all. The energy was much more like the first few episodes! 

Back in the first episode, I did a little research. According to Manga Tokyo, the series takes place during the Taisho Era, which was between 1912 and 1926. I hadn’t considered that “modern” transportation wouldn’t have reached non urban areas. It was hilarious how Inosuke thought the locomotive was the master of the land — an opponent he had to confront. Tanjiro spoke up, and I thought okay, he’s going to correct Inosuke. But no, he suggested they shouldn’t attack because it might be the “guardian spirit of this land.” Like you said, it was Zenitsu who set them straight.

Did you notice how he was more subdued this episode? Do you think it’s too much to hope this is a permanent thing?

I firmly believe it will last for the rest of the season….

All in all, this last episode was a showcase for what Demon Slayer does best. Breathtaking animation, ambitious CG integration, eye popping designs mixed with a bit of action, a bit of comedy, a measure of intrigue, a few feels for good measure, and just buckets of blood! It was fun, heartwarming and harshly disturbing all in a single episode without giving me whiplash! What did you think Crow?

I think you summed it up! Oh, do you want to share the news about the movie? Or do you want me to?

Well all we really know for now is that a movie adaptation of the Infinite Train arc has been greenlit. Demon Slayer must be so impressive on a big screen!

*** I had made a gif for my header but it turned out a bit too gruesome so I made a different one. Still it was a nice gif so here it is:

Reviews of the Other Episodes

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 01: Cruelty

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 02: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 03: Sabito and Makomo

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 04: Final Selection

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 05: My Own Steel

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 06: A Friend fo All Humans

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 07: Muzan Kibutsuji

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 08: The Smell of Enchanting Blood

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 09: Temari Demon and Arrow Demon

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 10: Together Forever

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 11: Tsuzumi Mansion

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 12: The Boar Bears Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 13: Something More Important Than Life

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 14: The House with the Wisteria Family Crest

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 15: Mount Natagumo

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 16: Letting Someone Else Go First

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 17: You Must Master a Single Thing

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 18: In which Tanjiro Dispenses Good Advice

Review Of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 19: The Bonds That Tie Us And A Family Affair

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 20: Playing House

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 21: Challenge Accepted and Be Careful With That Thing

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 22: Master of the Mansion

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 23: Hashira Meeting

Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 25: Tanjiro Triumphant and What’s Up with Kanao?

  Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 26: The House of Escher Well, here we are. It was quite a ride! Demon Slayer was not without its lows, but it’s highs were impressive and now that season 1 is all said and done, I can confidently say that I am very happy I got to watch this!

[childofaura]

Rating the anime I’ve watched in 2019: A really short list

Kinda just felt like doing this, 2019 has been a REALLY interesting year in anime. I didn’t watch a whole lot of stuff, but I wanted to kind of go over what I did watch. So I’ll talk about what I thought and rate it 1-10.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: THEY’RE RATED SOLELY ON MY OPINIONS, IF I DON’T FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT ONE PLEASE DON’T GET MAD. ALSO ALL OF THESE WERE WATCHED IN SUBS. ALSO SPOILERS AHOY.

1. Dororo.

The OP was AWESOME. The animation in the first half of the series was really smooth, but there was a slightly noticeable dip in animation later on. Not huge, but still there. Actors were FANTASTIC, and the little girl who plays Dororo is so cute! Characters were incredibly well written and varied, Hyakkimaru still struggled despite his honed reflexes and training, and Tahomaru was so morally divisive, it was great. Somber tones really bring out the nasty forbidden underside of the Shogunate’s “lasting peace”. Though the ending with Tahomaru, Hyakkimaru’s mother, and his father figure all dying in the fire was rather... disappointing, Hyakkimaru forgiving his father and Dororo deciding what to do with the large sum of money left behind, to use it for the greater good, wraps everything up.

Dororo’s a solid 8/10.

2. Rising of the Shield Hero

I ended up checking this one out after hearing all the controversy it was stirring up, because I wanted to see what it was. Like always, the “controversy” was a big tepid pile of nothing, and I got to experience an isekai that operates under a different mood with different dynamics. Animation quality is consistent and good, and there’s a LOT of female characters that are well rounded and strong, like Raphtalia, Melty, the Filolial Queen, Glass, etc. Scenery is beautiful, and Naofumi’s growth into trusting again is nice to watch. Also the soundtrack is so enjoyable, Kansas is my favorite song. Cons, though few, are still there: the pacing can be a little funky at times (Mainly what comes to mind is that AWFUL filler episode where they fight the Church from the molten pit, and don’t move AT ALL. Worst episode ever), the physical growth of some of the characters like Filo is jarring (In two days she grows horse sized, after they had that montage of taking care of her) even with an explanation. The last thing that rubs me the wrong way (It’s not really a con in general, just a con for me) is Raphtalia’s crush on Naofumi. It’s simply that they spend the first few episodes building their relationship as a father/daughter, then they try to shift to romance after establishing that first familial relationship.

Rising of the Shield Hero’s an 8/10.

3. The Promised Neverland

AAAAAAAH HOT DAMN I LOVED THIS ONE. It was completely out of my range of what I normally watched at the beginning of 2019, BUT I LOVED IT SO MUCH. The animation is eerie, especially the facial expressions and how smoothly they move. The children are so darling and thinking about how they might have possibly died in S1 broke my heart, as well as me hoping they didn’t, lol. Every episode leaves off on this wonderfully tantalizing cliffhanger, so binging the episodes are a must. Characters like Mama and Sister Krone are terrifying, though in the latter’s case I love how clever she was, and was sad when she died. Her Japanese actress definitely blew it out of the water and had a lot of fun with the character. I’d say the only (not really a con, but) thing that weirds me out is how close the characters’ mouths are to their faces, but that’s a stylistic thing and I won’t fault them for that. The children are strong and resilient and I can’t wait for the next season.

The Promised Neverland’s a 9/10.

4. Demon Slayer

I got into this one late, and I hate myself for getting into it late. But nonetheless, I’m so glad I watched it and I can say with confidence it’s up there with FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s level of excellence. Tanjiro is such a kind-hearted boy who constantly puts himself through physical torture for his only remaining family; Nezuko’s “hypnotism” to see humans as family feels more like placebo because she just genuinely has compassion for people, especially when she looks at Ms Tamayo and Yushiro as family when they’re also demons. All the characters are deeply involved in this story with either known or hidden (Zenitsu) strengths that allow them to conquer their struggles. The style is unique and the character designs are pretty, and HOO BOY THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS, THE STYLIZED TECHNIQUES. MWAH! MUCH LOVE! I love the soundtrack so much, it almost reminds me of the Pokemon movies’ orchestra pieces. The story is well paced, and no issues with filler. Showing how even demons deserve compassion is a beautifully unexpected twist in this show.

Demon Slayer’s a 10/10

5. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts

I do love this series dearly, and while the good outweighs the “meh”, I still have to address the issues. BUT FIRST, THE GOOD THINGS: Characters in this show are incredibly in-depth, even the soldiers. The designs of the Incarnates are fantastic, terrifying and imposing. Schaal is a strong young girl who sets off with just a suitcase and a rifle and, after meeting Hank, decides to get inside his mindset to see why he’s doing what he does, and why he had to kill her father. Hank is a man in constant suffering who has to see his best friends losing themselves to insanity, knowing that they’re not the people they used to be but questioning whether he’s really doing the right thing regardless. All the soldiers have their own focal point in the episodes they show up in, showing their unique traits and attitudes, and how it links to the monsters they are now. The concept of Incarnate soldiers is parallel to veterans with PTSD. While Liza’s a bit of a ridiculous fan-service character, there’s really no complaints because the fan-service in this show is balanced; they show Hank unnecessarily shirtless a LOT (Though honestly I’d be fine if they let him wear his shirts more). But the cons. There are a decent amount of them. Animation is clunky and lower budget. Pacing is not easy to keep up with, as the split between Hank’s mission and the main conflict with Cain interrupt each other quite jarringly. Schaal’s father seemingly rises as a zombie again to serve no other purpose other than Schaal’s character growth, as we could assume that a LOT of the other monsters like Keynes, with the fire of justice, would also come back to life. Liza doesn’t really seem to do much or contribute much as a character; she came close when she volunteered to take up the Incarnate Extermination Squad’s equipment by saying she knew how it worked but she literally. Just. Held up a shield for the commander (forgot his name, Cain’s little bro) to jump off of. She needs to do more. Love the series and I love watching it, but it’s a mixed bag.

To the Abandoned Sacred Beast’s a 7/10.

6. Fire Force.

Well... this one is definitely gonna be tough to deal with, because I only got maybe 8 or 9 episodes in before I had to break away. So I’ll break it down simply.

Pros: Animation is SOLID. ABSOLUTE. FLUID AND DYNAMIC. It’s literally Midoriya vs Todoroki, but in EVERY EPISODE. Some characters are fascinating and enjoyable like Shinra, Maki, Joker, and Hibana. The concept of Infernals, people who just burst into flames without warning, are a solid idea to run on. The OP is a banger. The soundtrack fits the mood perfectly.

Cons, and a lot of them: There isn’t a whole lot going on in terms of variety, it’s mainly fighting Infernals in the city. It picks up eventually, but slowly. While some characters were enjoyable, others were either flat or downright unbearable to deal with; flat characters like Obi (He’s not a bad character, but he feels... generic) and Iris (Also not bad, she’s strong in what she’s had to deal with and being kind regardless, but it’s just standard quiet girl.). Unbearable character is really just two so far: The lieutenant, who gets borderline abusive (both mentally and physically) with Maki (Like I get it dude, you had trauma with fire and Infernals but you don’t need to be an abusive shit), and Tamaki, ESPECIALLY Tamaki. She’s rude, screechy, treated Shinra like utter shit when they first meet, and respects almost no one outside of her district for no real reason. And she also falls into the next con: The one-sided fan-service. Now I will defend the right to fan-service with everything I believe in, but I’m still allowed to have my opinion on it, and the way it goes in Fire Force is just... so awful. Fan-service jarringly interrupts what are supposed to be heavy emotional or important scenes (Iris sitting on the ground with nothing but a towel, Iris getting her clothes burned off by Hibana, Tamaki sticking her butt out after getting hurt by her district partner, Tamaki’s clothes being burned up and being against the wall with that weird-ass kitty pose with her wrists, etc.), Tamaki’s “lucky lechery” is supposed to be funny somehow but it makes literally no sense, and oh cool she ends up sexually harassing the dudes with it, too. I could understand this level of fan-service if it was like a harem anime or a cheese-cake-ish anime or whatever, but it’s- it’s a shounen. There’s nothing that really shows you there’s gonna be this weird level of fan-service.

I respect everyone who loves Fire Force, but it’s just not my cup of tea. That’s all.

Fire Force’s a 6.5/10.

7. Vinland Saga

THIS ANIME. THIS ANIME IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY AND YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE MY MIND. The first OP PERFECTLY encapsulates just how much of a hellish live Thorfinn is about to live. The animation (Being from the same company as Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) is SUPERB where the characters move with weight and purpose. Seriously, have you seen how the characters jump forward? With their legs and arms forward? It’s a little detail but it’s so great. Characters are multi-faceted and it gives me strong feelings about how awful they are but how clever or strong or brilliant they are. The pacing of the anime is perfect; something plot-important happens in each episode, the characters travel long distances to give you a feel of movement, and there’s not a single episode that could really be considered “filler”. Dynamics of these characters work in fascinating ways at times. The actors absolutely own their roles; Askeladd’s actor nails that perfect nonchalance where he seems surprised but you know he’s truly not, Thorfinn’s older actor knows how to scream his lungs out in anger. The main star, though? Thorkell, hands down. That guy is absolutely having fun with his character.

Vinland Saga’s a solid 10/10.

[demonslayedher]

Do you think that demons can have offspring with other demons and humans? Do you think they are born as demons, humans or even I can see a hybrid there?

'Sup, Anon! I think the heart of a question like this is whether that little girl was Tsukihiko's (aka Muzan's) daughter or not. I'm inclined to say not, because Rei had a previous husband whom Muzan killed so he could use her for her connections. (And while it's never been stated and people can interpret it however they want, I assume they are dead. Or at least, if they're alive, that's the last night they ever saw him.) Because it's stressed in canon material that only Muzan's blood (even if via other demons, whether willfully or not (and that's a whole different can of canon worms)) or specific medicines developed by the Heian doctor and Tamayo could turn people into demons, I'm inclined to believe that they may be a bit like standard zombies--it only works if the body was previously a normal human and the key is that a change had occurred--and that they can't reproduce like humans can. For instance, if demon metabolism and sleep patterns and healing and growth don't work like normal humans, I hardly expect any of them to go through menstrual cycles. And, in the name of fairness, I headcanon any potential sperm as duds. So while I'm inclined to think the answer to this question is no, I also don't have any evidence beyond this, and if people want to make half-demon OC's, I will not stand in anyone's way (and I won't stand in anyone's way no matter how wrong I might think a take on canon is; fanwork is ultimately meant to be whatever you find fun and interesting). What I would suggest is to at least have these children born with teeth, like Hakuji was, which resulted in him being called a demon child. There are other examples of this in wider Japanese folklore, like legends surrounding Kidomaru (said to be the half-demon bastard of the big baddie of Heian era demons), and the Genpei War era absurdly strong warrior monk, Musashibo Benkei. To quote the relevant part of an old article I wrote about him, emphasis added:

...Though they remained married (and supposedly happy together), he went off to do his wandering warrior monk stuff and Benkichi remained in Nagami Village with a tough pregnancy ahead of her. It was said to have took a whole thirteen months, and she had such a strong craving for iron that she absentmindedly started eating gardens hoes. She was halfway through eating the tenth one when the other villagers finally noticed and stopped her.

In the morning on the third day of the third month of the first year of the Ninpyou period (that would be March 29, 1151, but again, this is merely the contents of this letter and not the only story out there), baby Benta was finally born. He would later be called “Oniwaka” (something akin to Young Ogre), and later still he would change his name to Benkei. Baby Benta was born with long hair, teeth, the name of a Buddhist god of war written on his left shoulder and the name of a Great Tengu written on his right shoulder. Most of his skin was iron and black, except for a little bit around his throat because his mother did not finish eating that tenth garden hoe. He was a frightening looking child, but Benkichi was thrilled to have him. While telling her adult son this story later, she admitted he was born looking like this because she had eaten so much iron during the pregnancy.

(Btw, I love Benkichi and already did a Benkei-inspired crossover with Mitsuri (and by extension, Obanai as Yoshitsune). But that was before I saw Himejima dressed as Benkei in an official Kabuki crossover and was like, hell yeah, that works *too* well. Absurdly strong monks ftw.) So, in the cultural context of KnY we can reasonably find babies like Hakuji called demons, but for all canon has stated about how actual demons are made, it may be more of a stretch.

[demonslayedher]

Sorry to hear about the practice test! Honestly, those details sound ridiculous. I hope you're remembering to take breaks and stay well hydrated ^^

While I'm here, I wanted to ask you what you thought about Muzan and Rui's relationship. Personally, I feel Muzan might have had a soft spot for him because they both grew up sick. I wish we could have seen Muzan interact with the Lower Moons (and others in general). But in another reality where we did get such fleshed out relationships, what do you think it'd be like?

Thank you, I agree, this nerd test is a bit ridiculous, but I am a bit ridiculous. And hydrated now, thank you! As for Muzan having a soft spot for Rui, I am so here for this interpretation. (And I have drawn silly interactions for them before, tee hee hee.)

A lot of people have pointed out that Muzan may have felt sympathy for Rui due to also having been born sickly, though I have analyzed Muzan as only being able to see his own interests and therefore may not had pitied Rui, persay. However, that clear aversion to disease, and Muzan's (perhaps frequent) offer to give dying people a way to overcome it, has also led me to think that Muzan & Yushiro could had gotten along really, really well if Muzan had gotten to Yushiro before Tamayo did. Muzan does, after all, have likes and dislikes among his demons (some clear favoritism is at play with demons who are obedient or useful or stroke his ego in whatever way suits his mood), especially the ones with the highest concentration of his blood, the Twelve Moons. A factoid from the first fanbook tells us:

"Muzan was the one who named the Twelve Moon demons. He's been searching for someone with cells capable of mastering the sun, so he's generally been looking for people with qualities to their blood and body types different from the demons he's made so far, but he also wants strong demons, so he tends to aim for people with similar physicality to the demons who managed to become Upper Moons."

It's a little ambiguous whether that simply means he came up with the "Twelve Moons" term (which I find obvious that he would had been the one to do that), or if he personally gave names to the demons who were powerful enough for him to pay any attention to them. With that being the case, it's interesting to see where he chose to change someone's name and where he didn't, like, "Ume? No. We'll call her Daki. Excuse me, did I hear you talking back, what is your name? Gyutaro? Oh, that's funny, I like that, you can keep that," or "Michikatsu? Ha. No. You're Kokushibo now. Glad you like it." Rui, however, still has the name his parents called him. And, Rui initially got to keep living his somewhat normal life with them until it came crashing down, and Muzan came to collect him. When Muzan meets Rui, he's all alone, dressed in Western attire. He would have long established his Twelve Moons by then, however many rounds the Lower Moons have already been through. If we read into Tamayo's comments about how she wanted to live long enough to see her children grow old, we might guess that she was also sick, and Muzan has turned sick people into demons before. He tends to lose interest in turning certain types of people into demons once he sees what happens, like how one experiment with a Breath user was enough to satisfy him, and one attack on a charcoal-raising family was enough to see if that would be what it takes to master the sun. There wouldn't have been much incentive to enter the room of a sick little boy, all alone, especially one who he intends to leave there with the rest of his family unscathed. All he says is, "How pitiful. I'll save you." And maybe, maybe he really only meant to do that. If that's the case, my bet is that it was a passing whim, not a strong pull to this boy, but then when it didn't pan out, he felt he had to go back and finish what he started. After all, that boy did become a strong demon, he was useful. So strong, in fact, that it wouldn't had made sense for him not to be one of the Twelve Moons, however low his position. Rui didn't have much ambition in the first place, and he and Muzan both seemed pleased with the stagnant Lower Moon Five position for him. Rather than put pressure on him like he put on the other Lower Moons, he gave Rui leniency to share his unique demon cells (something which could potential lead to a demon gaining influence against Muzan), and allowed him to keep playing house. After all, as much as Muzan might not care about things like family or weak human parents, he might recognize that his actions were what led to Rui losing what he cared about more than having a strong body. It's unlikely Muzan would had seen anyone else in the same light he saw himself even if he did see similarities between his past and Rui's; Rui is like a stray pet he took responsibility for.

This is really uncharacteristic of Muzan. He probably wouldn't have been open to anyone questioning his oddly merciful treatment of Rui, so when Rui's defeat upset that untouchable balance, that may have been part of why Muzan reacted so strongly. It was preemptive, so that no one would dare to think Muzan ever had tolerance for an unambitious demon. And if there was affection, Muzan probably doesn't even realize it. As for Muzan getting along with his moons in another reality, I still think he'd treat them all as dispensable tools, like in the 4-panel comic of Muzan telling Gyokko to go something and Gyokko laughs along with him like, "oh, but I'll be killed!" and Muzan's like, "yeah, I don't care" and Gyokko is all, "........" What I would love is a modern day AU in an office setting where all the Lower Moons are there and Muzan is the boss. There's office cliques and gossip and antics on the company clock and then as soon as they start getting unruly Muzan makes a threat to fire them and everything goes quiet again. Kokushibo and Nakime are pretty assured of job security, and even if he doesn't give him unearned promotions or anything like that, everyone notices that the boss speaks in an oddly kinder manner to the quiet boy with the moles who stays to himself in his cubicle of family photos.