Pet Yukkuris

Yukkuri Pets
Nickname(s)	Pet Yus, Mini Yus
Based on	Depends from the main species
Accessories	Depends from the main species
Filling	Depends from the main species
Bodied?	Depends from the main species
Special Abilities	Depends from the main species
Rarity	Depends from the main species

A well kept and well-behaved Reimu.

A type of yukkuri. These are members of the main yukkuri species, at times modified by artificial selection at the Factory or breeders. Much as several canine races were severely altered during centuries of evolution, the short lifespan and high breeding rate of yukkuris, along with the pliability of their manju bodies, made it possible for yukkuri breeders to send lots of different captive-bred exemplars, mostly with characteristics that would be a death warrant in the wild, to Yukkuri Pet Shops.

Overview

Since the introduction of yukkuri into the world, some humans have decided to keep them as pets rather then harm them. With the help of the Factory, yukkuri are easy to come by as pets and come in many different types. Generally speaking, the most valued pet yukkuri would be one that is the size of a baseball (though finding ones that are volleyball size isn't uncommon), can speak clearly, is well behaved, and above all else, what the potential owner is looking for.

A child playing with a pet Marsia. A good nature Marsia will be a great addition to a household.

Yukkuri make attractive pets for a number of reasons. The most obvious being their ability to speak, which if trained well, can lead to interesting and at times insightful conversations. This can also prove beneficial for an owner, who can know right away what is wrong with their pet. And while the tendency of their deaths (mainly due to abuse) being well known, yukkuri are surprisingly hardy of a species when it comes to other pets. They do not have many illnesses, with mold being the only disease they may suffer (which can be curable and very easy to prevent). Unlike other animal species, they are not overtly picky about food and rarely require special diets. Regular dry pet food, leafy greens, even crickets can be given as food sources to a yukkuri. Even on that matter, injuries that could be life-threatening to other pets can be easily fixed in pet yukkuri with orange juice. Yukkuri also have a fair life span of between one to five years, and if breed, the genetic memory of the parent will pass onto the offspring.

a happy and well behaved pet reimu.

Yukkuri also do not require much space to live. While giving them the largest possible yukkaruim or cage is best advised, they can feel at ease in things like cardboard boxes, glass jars, even in unused desk drawers. So long as the yukkuri feels at ease, it will not complain about their homes.

Though despite the multiple pros, there are some cons of owning a yukkuri. They can at times be rude or mean to their owners (especially untrained ones), and would appear to know a variety of human curse words. Hearing things such as "shit" or "fuck" isn't uncommon in rude yukkuri, and they at other times make rather sexual remarks usually referring to masturbation. Those with younger children should be cautious when buying a yukkari, least it be a bad influence on the child. Spoiling a pet yukkuri is not uncommon, and can lead it to becoming quite rude.

Despite the cons, yukkuri still make attractive pets, and with proper training a yukkuri can become a well behaved and well loved pet.

Sub-types

Instant Yukkuris

Much like the "Sea Monkey" fad, one of the earliest commercial alterations to the main yukkuri (in-universe time) race were the “instant yukkuris,” house yu-sized yukkuri that, due to breeding, have fewer language skills and a simplistic mindset (enough to stifle shithead behavior). By tweaking the hibernation mechanism wild yukkuri possess, it was possible to freeze them in packs (usually with a weaker koyukkuri thrown in as an “extra” due to its lower rate of survival) to let the prospective owner thaw them. Because lack of training and just being thawed, most of these yukkuri tend to act negatively to their owner. Many of these types have suffered abuse and death by owners because of their behavior.

However, there are plenty of owners willing to take the time to raise these yukkuri to proper standard. A "proper" instant yukkuri is one that is well formed in shape, has a independent and polite personality. It should be noted that placing instant yukkuris with regular-sized yukkuri will generally lead to the death of the instant yukkuri. Only keep instant yukkuri with other instant yukkuri or mini-yukkuri.

Mini Yukkuris

A brief guide explaining how to care for a Mini Yukkuri.

A mini-Marsia nesting. This behavior is to be expected with newly bought pets, and should not be hampered for the yukkuri unless the owner does not wish for their yukkuri to start a family.

Due to the constraints of living in an apartment, most pet yukkuris are bred to be small. Possibly related to the House Yu, one of the most sold types of pet yukkuris are the “mini yukkuris.” While the instant yukkuris are meant to be cheap gifts for children (thus, with a very dim survival rate at most unless properly taken care of), mini yukkuris are meant to be expensive (but still more affordable than the average pet) novelty pets and companions.

A mini yukkuri doesn't grow more than a couple of inches (5 centimeters, more or less), and its koyukkuris are usually smaller than a fingertip. As such, they’re much weaker and less resilient than their “regular size” counterparts, and their lack of stamina forces them to breed in small numbers, a bonus for the average yukkuri owner, who thus avoids having to give away or get rid of unwanted koyukkuris, but also one of the reasons for their high retail price. Their mindset seems also permanently affected by the change in their size. An adult mini yukkuri has the same slurred speech pattern as a regular size koyukkuri, acting also more submissive and dependent toward its owner. A mini-sized pet koyukkuri, much like a full-size premature, are sometimes unable to speak at all save for faint, unintelligible yuiing interjections such as “Yupipi” and “Yu!”. Interestingly, while the average human can't sort out what those sounds mean, other mini-sized yukkuris, regardless of age, will be able to understand the childish calls of a mini-sized baby and even carry entire communications by yuuing together, to the amusement of their owner.

A Mini-Yukkuri.

However, despite their playful, joyful and childish disposition, their extreme similarities to a koyukkuri and their small size, mini-yukkuri are still able to reach maturity. As such, an inexperienced owner will be dismayed at discovering a Mini-Yu showing signs of psychical maturity, such as an increased drive for nesting, breeding and form its own (albeit smaller due to its inability to breed in large numbers as fast as a regular size yukkuri) family. As such every precaution taken for normal sized Pet, from sterilization to a strict education, is needed even for the cuter looking Mini-Yus. Otherwise, the owner could still allow them to nest; despite their physical limitations, mini-yukkuris can still be fine parents and addressing their needs for increased food intake and new, soft materials for the small koyukkuris to fall after detaching their pregnancies will be as safe as the ones of regular sized Yukkuris.

When purchasing a mini-yukkuri, caution is to be taken as some sellers may try to sell a koyukkuri as a "full-grown mini-yukkuri". While the major tell-tale sign is the mini-yukkuri becoming larger, the yukkuri can be easily tested by asking where its parents are. While koyukkuri will generally begin to cry when they notice their parents aren't around, "mini-yukkuri" will generally not seem to mind. Other signs are the yukkuri's obsession to "wub-wub" and excrement attached to the body (as koyukkuri are still unable to clean themselves).

Aquatic Marisas

Aquatic Marsias in a well-stocked tank. The fish in the bottom is used to eat algae, and gets along fine with their floating counterparts

Another novelty yukkuri, which have been observed in the wild, are mini-sized Aquatic Marisas which can be kept in a small aquarium and at times retain a faint, barely audible slurring voice. Aquatic Marisas bred as pets effectively replace goldfish, being sold in small plastic bags or given away as prizes in several fairs, where there will always be a stall allowing children to “fish” a koyukkuri Marisa among the many other in a large tank. While an Aquatic Marisa may live its entire lifespan in a fishbowl, it's better giving it a proper fish tank with lots of space to float in its hat and some platforms to rest and eat. However, Aquatic Marisas bred as pets are often unable to live on land for much time, having been bred and raised in a completely aquatic habitat.

A rarer variation of Aquatic Marisas are the Shelled Marisas, with a natural conch growing from their heads instead their small witch hat and able to live in a fully submerged habitat. Some unscrupulous pet shops may resort to selling "Counterfeit Aquatic Marisas"; regular land-dwelling koyukkurisas presented in a fishbowl and forced to live in a water against their will and instincts and/or koyukkurisas with their hats replaced by mundane shells. However, counterfeit pets are bound to develop anti-yukkuritis and die quickly. If an owner suspects their pet is a fake, the best course of action is to place it in a regular-sized land-based container (if they wish to keep their pet) or return it to the store.

Crying Yukkuris

A byproduct of breeding and training (or possibly the utter lack of training), the crying yukkuris are mini-sized pet yukkuris unable to stop crying, fearful and easily scared, sold at low prices for abuse purposes. The role of a crying yukkuri is as a vent for its human owner’s frustrations, thus they’re meant to be cheap and annoying. However, some owners have reported that with proper training and care, the yukkuri will stop crying and behave like a regular yukkuri.

Cellphone Yukkuris/Novelty Yukkiris

Other less “natural” modifications involve attaching to mini-yukkuris or koyukkuris to keychains and cellphone straps. However, such modifications greatly shorten their life-span, as often unscrupulous stores offer to seal up the Anyaru and the Mamu Mamu of pet yukkuris sold for that purpose (to avoid soiling purses and pockets), ending in a frail yukkuri that can't eat or drink without dying. Other invasive modifications include the “Piko Piko Balls,” metallic spheres with a mini Reimu sealed inside, with only the two small fluffy “piko pikos” (the “arms” resembling Reimu Hakurei’s sheathed forelocks) poking out through holes in the sides. For added cuteness, often the rare "wasa wasa" variant of the Reimu-type is used, because of its fluffier, aesthetically pleasing "piko pikos".

As the metallic ball hides the Yukkuri's features and muffles its screams into faint, inaudible sounds, a Piko Piko Ball is meant as a stress reliever, fueled by periodic injection of orange juice through a hole in the top of the ball. People who wish to buy these devices and "free" the yukkuri inside, it is advised they don't as even if the yukkuri is free, it will still die. Another popular "Piko Piko ball" is made of bio-degradable plastic, allowing the owner to toss it out once the yukkuri has perished and not worry about the environmental impact. Recently, a new type of strap has been invented. Larger then the older versions, these metallic balls feature a small toilet (to capture excrement), a small window for the yukkuri to see out the of the ball, and a way for the owner to remove their Reimu or other yukkuri from the ball to give it proper feeding and care. However, due to the price and the fact the balls seem like more work for a stress-release device, they haven't caught on.

A more extreme behavioral and physical modification dealt to Reimu-types, both the regular and the Wasa Wasa ones, is the creation of "Aquatic Reimus", to be sold as companions of the Aquatic Marisas (true ones or counterfeits). A "Aquatic Reimu" is a Reimu with its ribbon replaced by a waterproof replica, forced by training to raft in tanks filled with Aquatic Marisas. As with the counterfeit Marisas, they're bound to die of Anti-Yukkuritis due to their unnatural upbringing and lack of a proper accessory, but also risk to fall from their artificial accessory, drowning and melting. However, reports of "true" aquatic Reimus, if by natural selection or training, have been reported.

Another novelty yukkuri is the “Yukkuri Clock Alarm,” a very small yukkurarium with a mini yukkuri cooped inside. If fed regularly and well treated, the yukkuri will happily sing for the owner when the clock wakes it up. Otherwise, it will cry, leaving the owner free to abuse, kill or shut it down peacefully. Another kind of novelty Yukkuri are the "Bottle Yukkuris". Appeared in Anko1704, a yukkuri story, they're often a "Fanmade" variation of domesticated Yukkuri rarely seen in shops. To obtain a "Bottle Yukkuri" the owner should acquire a pregnant Yukkuri, with an already formed stalk, and affix the bottle on the stalk after killing off every premature koyukkuri save for one. To hasten the process the owner could force fed the parent Yukkuri with orange juice or sugary foods; when the koyukkuri finally detatches itself from the stalk, the owner should spray it with sugary water as a form of nutrition (giving it solid food is not advisable). The koyukkuri will grow bigger than the bottle opening, and thus will be unable to escape. However, nice looking as they are, bottle Yukkuris have several drawbacks preventing them from being a sales hit; whenever they're fed with solid food, they'll do poo poo, and as their bottle is difficult to clean without breaking it or injuring the yukkuri, they'll be terminally scared from their poo and develop anti-yukkuritis. They also may grow increasingly stressed because their enclosed living space, and very noisy as a result. Also, if more than a single koyukkuri is placed in a single bottle, the more deibuistic yukkuri of the group may kill the others. Lastly, if the koyukkuri inside is overfed, it may grow bigger than the bottle allows, and, when its body warps to accommodate the cylindrical shape of its "prison", it'll become unable to feed at all, and will die of starvation.

Training

Nearly every pet yukkuri, even the regular sized ones, are subjected to intensive training since birth to curb their natural instincts and eventual shithead tendencies and to make them ready for the badge system, if their owner decides to go through with it. However, it’s not uncommon for a pet yukkuri to display some unwanted tendencies as wanting to “refresh” with a stray or needing additional discipline.

It’s also possible to acquire an untrained koyukkuri, freshly born, for a minor price, often less than a single dollar. Some yukkuri pet shops can sell koyukkuris, even untrained ones, for a higher price (still affordable, however, never more than $10) to discourage abusive owners from acquiring large quantities of yukkuris for abusive purposes. Those “pet yukkuris” are actually little more than the koyukkuri form of regular yukkuris, or house yus, thus devoid of the special training and behavioral modifications. Due to their young age and lack of contact with Deibu-istic adults, however, they’re somewhat “blank slates,” allowing a prospective owner to train them as thoroughly as a Factory/shop-trained Yukkuri. Still, some in-universe manuals suggest, even with increased prices, to acquire a large number of koyukkuris or ask the clerk permission to perform certain simple, non-destructive tests on the merchandise, such as lifting and holding close a single koyukkuri at time, immediately disregard the ones complaining with rude language and behavior or acting bossy towards the humans in the shop. The valued koyukkuri are those that are polite, active and happy, and of course pleasing to the owner. Take note that regardless of these activities, training is still advised even for the nicest yukkuri.

It should be noted that factory-trained and owner-trained pet yukkuris still have the physical urge to refresh and have little ones, their role as future parents deeply ingrained in their filling. As such, a friendly and well-behaved koyukkuri, upon reaching sexual maturity, may become secretive and take on seemingly shithead behavior such as stealing, acting picky or pestering for more sweets sweets in lieu of proper nutrition, while it may just be hoarding some “Mister Treasures” for its future offspring and striving to please a deibu yukkuri it’s become smitten with. As such, a pet yukkuri in mature age should be guarded closely, eventually castrated (if not already) to restrict at least the mammalian pregnancies and allow the yukkuri to only employ the more controllable stalk pregnancy.

Some Yukkuri owners go so far to believe that once a pet yukkuri gets pregnant, its life as a pet is over; while many other pets are easy to manage even during their pregnancy, the yukkuri mindset makes sure that pregnancy itself makes of yukkuri training a nigh impossible task. A pet yukkuri will always keep in its "Easy Place" the other yukkuri parent, that may even be a shithead yukkuri, abusive with both its spouse, andits human owner. Even if both yukkuri are proper nicehead, the owner will find themselves saddled with an entire Yukkuri family, constantly growing because of the yukkuri natural drive to procreate and increase in numbers and their staunch refusal to part from their little ones until they're mature enough to leave the nest on their own. Thus, some owners unable to care for a large number of pets may decide to send their pregnant yukkuris and their spouses away, to the factory or to some owner with a larger living space. Other owners, generally more experienced ones, find this growth to be a acceptable challenge. Guides exist online that provide help for owners with a new family, and it's not uncommon to see owners change rather rude yukkuri into nice-heads, though at times some owners report success if the "bad influence" (the shithead parent) is removed.

A koyukkuri Alice with doll.

It’s also advisable, if the owner has enough space, to buy a couple of pet yukkuris so that they never feel lonely as little ones and, as grown up yukkuris, may count on a proper, affordable partner giving their owner a litter of easy and proper koyukkuris to keep or give to parents and friends. For the owner lacking the space, will or ability to adopt a second pet yukkuri, Yukkuri Pet Shops often sell special “yukkuri Dolls,” life-sized dolls made of real or realistic yukkuri accessories and a plastic or fabric body, sometimes equipped with recorded phrases. A koyukkuri, and sometimes even an adult, won’t be able to tell the difference and spend hours playing with its doll-friend.

Yukkuri Jump Work (Yukkuri Junk)

Some recent ankos, fictional yukkuri stories, imply a different approach to deal with Pet Yukkuri, based on their own logic. Since a Yukkuri is always like to turn into a shithead when it starts believing in its self worth, and the whole Badge System is geared to make a Yukkuri feel "entitled" to be cared by humans in exchange for its badge training, the Factory has devised a radical new way of training.

So, some Pet shops sell koyukkuris along with the Jump Work machine and a set of educational DVD for Yukkuris. The owner is instructed to choose a suitable pet, but instead of letting it do its home declaration and greet it happily upon reaching home, the owner should berate it loudly, claiming that the Pet Shop has given him the wrong yukkuri and its making him uneasy.

When the koyukkuri is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the owner may offer it to stay as a tenant of some sort, exposing it to the Yukkuri Junk machine. The Yu-Junk is just a small plastic food dispenser, loaded with pellets and a special, graduated, dish. The koyukkuri will then be allowed to do its home declaration in its yukkurarium, cage or a small corner of the room where it's meant to live, but with the added rule that, since the house belongs to the Mister Human, the koyukkuri will have to give him every day a certain number of food pellets to pay for rent. Failure to do so will result in eviction.

When the koyukkuri starts to understand the idea, the owner, always claiming to be its tenant, will show him the educational DVDs showing the hardships that strays have to suffer daily and the sufferings of abandoned yukkuris (eventually, feeding the ko some orange juice to prevent it from suffering of anti-yukkuritis because of the vision), and claiming that an evicted yukkuri always becomes a stray, bound to suffer of starvation and mold. After that, the owner will put a prize on every small thing a yukkuri tends to take for granted. Aside for the basic price needed to keep ownership on their "Easy Place", the koyukkuri may pay a small number of pellets to be allowed to visit its "Mister Human" to his home, thus leaving its yukkurarium to play in the rest of the house.

The owner is encouraged to bond as usual with the koyukkuri, offering some nice Mister Treasure for their games. However, the koyukkuri will not be able to bring the Mister Treasure back to its nest, but will have to pay a much larger prize for that, thus forcing it to learn how to "save money" by rationing its food pellets. Ehen the yukkuri grows up, the same system will be used to regulate its daily walk in the park, as the yukkuri will have to pay a daily sum to "hire" the Mister Human as its bodyguard, or to get a family, as every parent yukkuri will have to pay for its rent, the rent of their little ones, their mister treasures and their right to play and bond with their "Mister Human". When a Yukkuri is pregnant, the Yukkuri Junk can be fitted to allow it work at it by pulling a lever with its braids instead of jumping: however, a good practice is forcing the non-pregnant parent to pay rent for its whole family, assuming that every yukkuri that refuses is a shithead. By doing so, the owner ensures that the pregnant parent and the now starving koyukkuris will revile their deibuistic family member, renouncing it.

As of current, this method has had mixed results. While owners report that their yukkuri have grown into well-respected pets with gold and silver badges, other report that the yukkuri (especially koyukkuri) suffered to much to be enjoyable as a pet or the program takes to much time. For owners, it is advised that their yukkuri are to be raised with methods that work the best for their time and schedule.