< Encyclopedia: Magician | Back to Title of Contents | Patchouli Knowledge > Seven-Colored Puppeteer Alice Margatroid Ability: Manipulation of dolls Threat level: Low Human friendship level: High Main place of activity: Any kind of place The magician that appears in front of crowds during festivals and displays her performances with her dolls would be Alice Margatroid. She is an artistic magician who manipulates dolls with magic and makes it appear as if they were alive. She has blond hair and pale skin, looking very much like a doll herself. She is the type of magician that was originally human and became one through training. Because of this, she is very understanding of humans. However, her history as a magician is short, and she is a novice. She still eats and sleeps and does everything a human would, despite not needing to do so. She usually lives in a cozy western house in the Forest of Magic. If you happen to wander into the Forest of Magic, lose your way and end up at her house, it is said that she will cheerfully allow you to stay the night. However, while she says that, all she does is research magic and control her dolls without really conversing, which is unsettling, so it seems one would want to run away as soon as possible (*1). 1: However, running into the Forest of Magic at night is also scary, so you would have no choice but to bear with it. Ability Doll manipulation magic is magic that makes it seem as if the dolls were alive. It is not magic that gives life to the dolls, but allows the user to control them with magical strings, so long distance manipulation is very difficult. However, dolls cannot defy orders or harm their user. The dolls she uses are not all special dolls; there are many normal dolls. Most of them were made by her. By attaching magical threads to her handmade dolls, she manipulates them freely (*2). 2: She is very dexterous. However, magical threads are not controlled by the hands, but by magic. Daily Life It is said that cooking, laundry, cleaning and other household chores are mostly done by her dolls. It seems convenient at first, but the dolls are not moving by themselves, so she always has her hands full concentrating. It is said that she can make her dolls move in nearly any way a human can. She can even have her dolls control other dolls. However, there is one thing she does not have her dolls do. That is creating dolls. It seems to be the only thing she does by her own hands. Eyewitness Reports "She said that she controls all the dolls herself, but that sounds like a whopper." (Marisa Kirisame) I believe people who have seen her would understand, but she controls several dolls and makes each one perform separate actions, at times makes them cooperate, and the dolls move completely asynchronously. It really does not seem like she is controlling them, but... "There were a large number of dolls floating down the river. Wasn't that the work of a doll youkai?" (Anonymous) That might be nagashi-bina(*3). "A while ago, I saw a weird doll with another doll inside it. Isn't that the work of a doll youkai?" (Reimu Hakurei) That's a matryoshka doll. 3: The act of transferring misfortune and impurity onto dolls and floating them down a river. Lately, it is believed to cause pollution so this practice has waned. Countermeasures Since she was originally human, she most likely rarely attacks humans. However, she unexpectedly enjoys battles, and if you challenge her she will gladly accept. Since she is accompanied by her dolls, if you challenge her, you will be forced into a battle highly outnumbered. Unless you are very confident in your abilities, a difficult battle is inevitable. Also, attempting to destroy her dolls is meaningless, like pouring water over a hot stone. And at times, she makes her dolls explode. You must not attack the dolls. She may seem like a youkai that is difficult to deal with, but she has a weak point. That is Alice herself. She has her hands full manipulating the dolls, so her movements are sluggish and her fighting ability is low. If you are ever in a match with her, aim for her directly. < Encyclopedia: Magician | Back to Title of Contents | Patchouli Knowledge >