Yukkuri
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Yukkuris are fictional creatures created by the fanbase of the Touhou video game series. They consist of the (usually) disembodied heads of various characters from Touhou, which are somehow able to move about, speak, and eat despite being only heads. A large amount of cartoons, stories and background concerning them has been created, despite not being official parts of the Touhou series.
They get their name from their catchphrase in Japanese, "Yukkuri shiteitte ne!" which literally means "Do it slowly!" but is more often translated as "Take it easy!" The term "Yukkuri" is Japanese for "slowly", but has connotations of being at ease or relaxing. Thus, their name is literally "Slow" or "Easy".
[edit] Origin of Yukkuri
The images of Yukkuri predate the catchphrase; once they were combined, the blogger Makako took note and began making comics. For a detailed explanation, see the Book of Genesis. http://riceballman.fc2web.com/AA-Illust/Data/Yukkuri.html
[edit] Naming Conventions
Because Yukkuri are based off of existing Touhou characters, they are usually called "Yukkuri (Name of Touhou character)". Because Japanese names go family name first, given name last, the name of the Touhou character is their "given name", though in practice it acts as a "species name" because many individuals based on one Touhou character exist. It is not clear if the "Yukkuri" in their names should be considered a family name, a title, or an adjective. The Yukkuri themselves most often refer to each other by just the "species name", and even themselves in the third person by their "species name". Humans will often simply refer to them as "Yukkuri".
Because there are multiple individual Yukkuris based on the same character, it is nearly impossible to tell apart different individuals of the same "species". Neither humans nor the Yukkuri themselves seem to use separate names for individuals of a "species" (based on the same Touhou character); They are all referred to by their "species name". In some situations they will append a title, such as "Mama Reimu" or "Big Sister Alice".
Several species have nicknames. For example, Yukkuri Reimu = Yukkureimu, Yukkuri Marisa = Yukkurisa, Yukkuri Shameimaru = Kimeemaru.
Juvenile Yukkuris are called "koyukkuri" or "baby yukkuri" as a whole, but when calling them by name, they use the regular "Yukkuri (Name)" format; people sometimes use "(Name) koyukkuri", or, if the species has a nickname, sometimes they prefix "ko-" to the name to differentiate between children and adults, e.g., "Koyukkureimu" "Koyukkurisa".
[edit] Physical Description
The physiology of Yukkuris is not standardized, and many authors make up their own rules for Yukkuri biology. Some of the properties are contradictory. This section is on the most commonly used properties.
The Yukkuri are (possibly magically) animated manjuu, a kind of pastry. Usually they're filled with anko (red bean paste), but some types have different filling. (See the comparison table and profile pages for individual types.)
The average "adult" Yukkuri is about the size of a basketball, but there is no actual limit to their size. If the Yukkuri has enough food, it will continue to grow, reaching a diameter of 2 meters or more and weighing several tons.
They usually move by jumping, though other methods of locomotion also appear. Most notably, some types are able to fly.
They can manipulate items using their mouths and tongues.
They behave in loud, rude and obnoxious ways, and have a tendency to invading people's homes, eating all the food and destroying everything else. This leads to people torturing or killing them. Some theories speculate the presence of a "Crying moe" psionic field that affects people around them, leading to increased aggression, while others claim their behaviour alone is sufficient.
They reproduce extremely fast, and are thus sometimes compared to Star Trek tribbles.
Newborn Yukkuris are usually the size of a small tomato, though they can be as small as a cherry if they're born prematurely.
Despite apparently possessing anatomical elements such as teeth and hair, and accessories made of cloth, a Yukkuri is completely edible. Humans are often portrayed swallowing smaller Yukkuri whole.
Pain, suffering, fear and despair make a Yukkuri’s bean paste sweeter. Conversely, emotionally dead yukkuris taste bad. Koyukkuris are slightly sour.
Yukkuris have various accessories, usually hats and ribbons. These items are present from birth and grow with the Yukkuri. A Yukkuri that has lost its accessory is despised by other Yukkuris; sometimes they don't perceive the non-accessoried ones as Yukkuri at all, instead viewing them as some strange and hostile creatures.
There are various theories about Yukkuris' accessories. They may be made of tough dough, hardened bean paste or some form of cotton candy. They are more resistant to water than the Yukkuri itself. Yukkuri Marisas are sometimes portrayed using their hats as boats or umbrellas. This resistance to water may be due to the accessory's more dense (concentrated) structure, or simply to magic.
Anything they eat is converted into bean paste (or the appropriate filling). This process is magical in nature and doesn't obey the rules of chemistry—e.g., a Yukkuri may convert radioactive waste into harmless bean paste, effectively transmuting uranium and various isotopes into compounds of mostly carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.
Their intellectual capabilities are low, usually on an animal level, with the exception of capability for speech (see theories), and their memory span is usually very short.
As they are made of dough, they pose little threat to humans and bigger animals, and they are easily damaged in accidents such as falls. They weaken even further when exposed to water, sometimes turning into a pile of sludge or dissolving entirely. See also: injuries
They have strong regenerative powers, augmented by access to food, especially sugar and sweets. Given food and care, a Yukkuri who has lost about 1/4th of its body can fully recover in a matter of several minutes up to one hour.
[edit] Behavior
Typical speech patterns of a Yukkuri:
- proclaiming "Take it easy", also as a form of greeting. Sometimes it's an instinctive reaction to anyone saying "Take it easy."
- adding "easy" or "slow" in their sentences, even if it makes no sense. (see Take it easy and the top of this page explanations).
- referring to themselves in the third person, usually using the name of the character the given Yukkuri is based on, e.g., a Yukkuri Reimu that desires food might say, "Reimu wants food easy."
- employing distinctive speech patterns, catch phrases and idiosyncrasies, which differ between types of Yukkuri.
Typical Yukkuri behaviour:
- entering a human household and eating all the food. (Due to their fast reproductive rate, it's possible for them to exhaust any reasonable food storage in a short time.)
- breaking any item that is not food.
- eating all the vegetables found on a field.
- demanding and expecting servitude from humans.
- accidentally eating other Yukkuri.
[edit] Relations To Non-Yukkuris
Yukkuri generally annoy most humans and other 'normal' inhabitants of Gensokyo. In most of the fan comics, the Anon's get rid of them using undescribable violence.But several have taken a liking to them and keep them as pets/companions.
There exists a shadowy group raising Yukkuris in a factory under inhumane conditions. ("Shadowy" in the sense of "shady, of questionable merit, uncertain, unreliable and disreputable".)
