Theme:
Poison Body ~ Forsaken Doll
Alter Theme:
Antique Terror
Tsukumogami:
It is said that a possession at first created and owned by humans, having been cast away for a hundred years, will attain loneliness so deep that they will take on a life of their own. Because of the manner of their birth, this type of youkai often holds a strong hatred for humans and may a display high degree of hostility towards them. If you are not familiar with the type of tsukumogami appearing before you, it's best to flee and seek advice.
Tsukumogami are, despite their youkai nature, still an object created by human hands. Thus there are as many kinds of tsukumogami as there are human devices. Some are particularly common and have been assigned a subtype and name, such as the karakasa obake.
Tsukumogami are animate objects, and their physical form is that of the original object that was thrown away. However, tsukumogami in Gensokyo have been known to manifest a human appearance in addition to their object "self". This human appearance is not in fact the real tsukumogami, although it can be harmed as if it were part of their body; the real youkai is the object, which is carried at all times by the human "self".
Overall, tsukumogami pose a valid threat to humans. Many of them are malevolent towards humans, and a number of these believe their hostility to be justified towards those that "abandoned" them. As they are in fact created by human actions, it is best that steps be taken to prevent many more of them being built. Have a care for your possessions, and do not throw them away callously.
-Hieda no Aichi, Perfect Memento vol. 8
"... people never seem to listen to advice, do they..."
Medicine's story is much as Aichi describes. Once a child's beloved doll, for reasons that she herself does not remember, she became abandoned on the Nameless Hill in Gensokyo, concealed in a broad patch of lily-of-the-valley flowers. Whatever the reason she became lost there, she was never found again. And when 100 years had passed, the doll awoke to find she was alive. She has lived quietly there since then, a half-known figure barely spoken of or mentioned.
So... who exactly is she? Medicine, as she came to call herself, is a recently born youkai, about the size of a regular human child. While she is shy and rarely engages humans unless directly attacked or intruded upon, she is nevertheless considered dangerous. Laying for 100 years in a suzuran field has imbued her body with the poison contained in the lily, to the point that it will cause a reaction simply from touching her skin. In addition, her poison expanded upon becoming a youkai, to the point that she now has the ability equating to manipulation of poison. Similarly to Yamame's diseases, she can create and manipulate poisons and their components, as long as they are of natural origin; she is blessedly unaware of artificially created compounds such as modern humans of the outside world use. She might also be able to use this ability to remove poison from others or concoct antidotes, but this has not yet occurred to her novice mind.
In terms of personality, Medicine is still fairly unknown. She appears to be shy around humans, and will flee from them if noticed; however, she has been sighted at the human village a number of times, possibly indicating her as curious about them. She does not appear to bear humans direct ill will, fo she does not attack them on sight, but is capable of using mind-affecting poisons to manipulate them, and may occasionally do so for her own amusement. As she is capable of creating horrifyingly lethal poisons and yet does not use them, it is likely she does not harbor malevolent feelings. It is certain, however, that she is mistrustful towards humans, often refusing to answer if approached and highly preferring youkai company. Chief among these are Alice Margatroid, though her relationship with her is highly variable, and Yuuka Kazami, who likewise holds a high love of flowers.
Overall, she is still very much a child at heart. Approaches to her must be cautious, or she will attempt to drive the irritating agent away with various poison gases; while non-lethal, these are obscuring to the eye and can cause pain or confusion. Touching her is not recommended; her body is saturated with an extremely powerful, unknown toxin that causes severe reactions in the skin. Hugging... is not something that has occurred to her yet. Humans should expect distrust and to be ignored by her initially, possibly for a long time. Persistence, however, is likely to confuse her, and confusion is perhaps the best way to draw her interest.
... really, in a lot of ways, she's just as "lost" as she was when she was a doll...
Bonus Images!
Medicine relaxing in her suzuran field. The little "fairy" is her doll self.
Alternate costume/coloring. Perhaps an older, more experienced Medicine?
... um... what?
The misfortune goddess and leader of the curse dolls, Hina Kagiyama, dressing both of Medicine's selves up like her. Perhaps a vision of things to come?
Nameless Hill, where stories say children were abandoned to sleep to their death among the lilies... a quiet, safe place for her, yet lonely... yet, home.
