Grimm: Tsukumo

[Professor Wednesday Haptasnytrir]

Tsukumo

Tsukumo are Creatures of Grimm that are capable of “subsuming” and controlling any inert, man-made object.

Image: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... nknown.png

True Form
A Tsukumo’s true form is thought to be similar to that of a Geist, although conclusive evidence has yet to emerge to prove such a claim given its nature. It doesn’t seem to have a “true form” and the only way to know that it is a Tsukumo is by the form it takes, diverse as that form may be. Some traits are common and distinct enough to identify it and separate it from a Geist. Tsukumo create a black tattered cloth or ripped flesh-like substance from the objects that make up their bodies whereas Geists are known to appear as tattered or ghost-like in their base forms, but lose these features when possessing an object.

A typical Tsukumo can appear as rusted metal roughly in the shape of a skeletal man, white armor segments acting as a frame poking out from mangled scrap from which tattered black cloth hangs caught as if a flayed skin.

Powers and Abilities
A Tsukumo is a possession-type Grimm, capable of controlling any inorganic matter or inert mass it subsumes as an extension of its body. It is difficult to consider it as a “single entity” as the entire scope of material that composes it is the Tsukumo. Cutting a limb off will hamper it until it can subsume more material to make up for the loss, but the discarded limb will in time become a new Tsukumo if left alone. This ability has limits as enough damage to its materials will end it and new Tsukumo will not be able to propagate if the object it is a part of loses its structural integrity. The central “face” of the Grimm is its true vulnerability and destroying it will prevent propagating new Tsukumo as well as rendering all material it has subsumed inert.

Geists have the option to abandon their possessed materials should they receive too much damage, but Tsukumo are inextricably tied to their physical forms. This is a matter of their different types of possession. Whereas Geist can freely take over any material they have on hand, Tsukumo must add on to the material they already possess. They become amalgamations of whatever discard objects they are able to find and subsume into their bodies. This process has given them the distinct appearance of walking junk piles; cobbled together to form a somewhat coherent form ranging from a simple biped to a malformed chimera.

Tsukumo supposedly lack true forms. The sheer variety in their means to inflict harm more than makes that a negligible matter. Subsuming junk into their forms can make some weapons in both senses as their level of intellect appears to rise with quantity and quality of their material. They have been known to grow a capacity to wield weapons and tactics beyond the norm of instinctual creatures.

Some colonies of this Grimm form with multiple creatures coming together into one collective being. Tsukumo will rarely be alone, acting in small packs or as one mobile colony.

If multiple Tsukumo are observed interacting, the usual order of events is a "melding" of the instances into a singular entity amassing the components of all. The resulting “Shin Tsukumo” will be stronger than the previous instances in both strength and intellect.

Trivia
Prevalent in communities that have a history with excess or needless waste.

The rise of these Grimm types brought about cultures of recycling and general waste management. A culture of respect and consideration towards using resources properly and with care.

Given its heavy influence on some cultures of Remnant and its process of inception, many myths point to the discarded object’s malice at being thrown away for the root of this species of Grimm. The negative emotions tied to the object manifesting it and seeking revenge against Man that threw it away.