A high number of Yukkuri-themed works on the Internet feature abuse, sometimes dubbed "abYUse", to the point where it's sometimes the only thing associated with the Yukkuri community. However, the Yukkuri community's tendency towards abuse does not seem to reflect on the greater Touhou fandom.
Makako may have planted the seeds for abuse pics with this picture, which established Yukkuries as edible manjūs filled with bean paste that came to life somehow. (The Reimu in the picture is saying "EAT ME EASY!") This is ironic, because Makako never drew outright abuse pics, and is believed to have quit drawing Yukkuri art over abuse. Clammbon and Kiriraitaa are more prominent abuse artists.
Abuse started becoming more popular as the original Internet meme exploded on 2Chan. It's believed that the people who were engaging in abuse works were then doing so out of spite, because they were sick and tired of Yukkuri-themed artwork clogging up their forums and wanted to push back, in a similar vein to an oft-circulated online video where someone screams "STOP POSTING AMOGUS!!!" The problem, though, is that by drawing abuse art, they were only making the meme explode even more.
The abuse that is seen in abuse pictures is often very over-the-top as well as extremely gory and detailed, to the point where it would qualify as guro (and subsequently get their uploaders in potentially serious trouble) if done on actual animals or humans; the fact that Yukkuries are manjus, and thus, it's not actually blood and guts that are spilling out of them when they're, e.g., smashed to bits seems to provide all the cover against consequences that the artists could ever want or need.
Yukkuri abuse tropes[]
- Rarely will a Yukkuri be drawn the way Reimu and Marisa were in the original pic...instead, they will be drawn in an excessively cute "moe-blob" style. Most notably in the early days, the Yukkuri would lack visible ears (earless Yukkuries are much more common in all works today).
- Just prior to their abuse, abused Yukkuries tend to be portrayed as extremely annoying, crying all the time and pee peeing or poo pooing all over the house of a frustrated owner. Or they may be portrayed as shitheads. This is all done to make the abuse seem justified in the eyes of the audience; rarely will an abuse fic feature an actual sociopath abusing nicehead Yukkuries for fun, contrary to any stereotypes.
- Some abuse fics will show the Yukkuries as pests who invaded their abuser's house.
- Koyukkuries seem to get abused more often than adult Yukkuries. Not helping much is the possibility that a newborn Yukkuri via stalk birth may die if it has a bad landing after jumping from the stalk.
- The affected Yukkuri will often cry "IT HURRRRRRRRRRRTS!!!" and/or "can't take it easy". If subjected to heat, they may also scream "HWOTTTTTCH!!!"
- If a Koyukkuri is being subjected to abuse, the parent will often scream "GIVE ME BACK MY KID(S)!!!"
- Abused Yukkuries often die, and those who survive are often too badly banged up to live.
- Typical torture methods: Stepping on them, crushing them in hand, flinging them to the ground, drowning, cutting, cooking (either in a microwave or by boiling them on a pot), stealing and destroying their accessory, and shaving their hair.
- In general, the victim Yukkuri is almost never seen fighting back, unless one counts those who puff up at their attackers. Yukkuri Utsuho is a notable exception to this; she is almost never seen abused thanks to the reputation her main character has, and when she is abused, it often ends VERY badly for the abuser.
The stereotypical depiction of Yukkuri abuse is human on Yukkuri. The humans are usually nameless and faceless, although some artists will have the actual Touhou characters get involved, Rorinko, with Hieda no Akyu, being a prominent example. However, Yukkuri-on-Yukkuri violence, such as in Shell Marisa, has a following, as does anything involving a Yukkuri Remilia. Other abuse fics involve Gutter Trash Yukkuris or wild Yukkuries being abused by the harshness of inner city life or nature, often by way of melting due to rain, developing mold, or starving. Others take the form of "too dumb to live" art where the Yukkuri kills itself by its own stupidity, such as pee-peeing on a live electrical socket.
Rorinko may have also created the notion that a Yukkuri tastes sweeter if it's subjected to fear and despair.