Thank You for the Venom

[EDIT: added Yuuka's plaid stripes! Rather rushed - Tres had to remind me, ack, how could I forget? Hopefully it's not too noticeable ... ]

Oh dear. Oh dear, dearie dear ... how long we've dragged out this contest for! >,>

This is the product of a challenge I threw down to around three weeks back, having found out that our shared secret crush / weakness in the Touhouverse is none other than Kazami Yuuka.


In order to prove our devotion I declared a battle of wits in the form of an artistic duel. We enlisted the help of as head judge and theme-devisor; she graciously provided us with ... BETRAYAL. and also agreed to join the judging panel and help oversee this bout. Thus, our herculean theatre of war was drawn!

Tres, you are freaking incredible, okay? I was SO GLAD to have someone spurring me on towards finishing, and someone to stay up and scribble with. Thank you for saving me in too many ways. *draws sword and prepares to charge*

Okay. Yuuka was defined as the challenge subject ... I added Medicine because betrayal needs an agent or recipient, ne? The thought of the mighty Flower Youkai being upended by a relative nobody, and a trusted loved one at that ... it seemed like a topic worth tackling.

Story goes that Yuuka loves her sunflowers, her garden and fawns over them every day. Meanwhile, little Medi struggles to make her affections felt, but to no avail. One day, Yuuka leaves on a trip, and entrusts her abode to the care of Medicine. Medi obediently cares for everything, waiting on her masters' return.

Yuuka arrives back, she flocks to her beloved children, her plants, dotes on them with souvenirs from abroad, and pays Medicine nothing but a passing thanks, returning to her own neglect of her. The next time Yuuka leaves, Medicine hones her venom, calls HER friends over and decides not to play so nice ...

All the animals and fungi included are poisonous or venomous types. MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ARE SO PRETTY YET TOXIC! Please excuse the randomness of Medi's "friends" ... they're just there symbolically and to fill up space ... although, the thought of all these critters marching onto Yuuka's turf with a defiant grin across each of their toxic mugs is bizarrely enticing in itself.

Title taken from an MCR song: [link]

On a final aside, some of you may notice the art drift? I'm experimenting, returning to my older roots. It's nice to be able wander into a sequel of the "Violet Ash" style once more.

See Tres' answer to the challenge, HERE: [link]

Hope you like it. ~

<3

- D.

Touhou Project belongs to ZUN.
Art and poem by me, ard done in PS Elements 8 on a Wacom Bamboo.