Musasat Alsh-Shabab | |
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Notables: | Malcolm Caulfield |
A Musasat Alsh-Shabab (moo-suh-SAHT al-shuh-BOB; Arabic مُصَاصَة الشِّباب "youth sucker") is a scarab beetle-like Wesen that appeared in "Skin Deep".
Characteristics[]
When they woge, the Musasat Alsh-Shabab gains a partial, gray scarab-like exoskeleton over their faces and parts of their arms in a spiral-like pattern. The skin that is not covered by this exoskeleton becomes exposed dermis, the second layer of skin beneath the epidermis. They also gain four mandibles around their mouths and two large, scarab-like jaws, which they can manipulate at will. Their teeth become needle-like, but their hair remains the same in their woged form as their human form.
The Musasat Alsh-Shabab has the ability to use its mandibles to pierce the face of its victims and suck the youth out of them. A liquid substance is collected in two sacs on either side of its cheeks that expand as they are filled, and the substance that is regurgitated is called Yanbue (Arabic الينبوع "fountain"). The victims, meanwhile, will at first appear unaffected, but sometime in the next 48 hours, they suddenly succumb to accelerated aging, causing them to resemble a person in their 90's. The victims age to the point of organ and tissue failure, which kills them. Clusters of these types of deaths have been studied by humans and are thought to be just a medical abnormality or cases of an extremely rare infectious disease. Some in the medical community actually fear that the "disease" could lead to an outbreak if left unchecked, despite not knowing or understanding the vector of the disease.
Yanbue can be used to restore a youthful appearance to people if massaged into the skin, especially when activated by ultra violet light. However, it is addictive, and taking too much will cause the subject to become obsessed with continuing to take it, slowly becoming more deluded, unstable, and anti-social. After prolonged use it will cause the subject to become disfigured, and finally will cause death.
Musasat Alsh-Shabab are strong Wesen, able to wrestle with Blutbaden and Grimms, if only temporarily.
Behavior[]
Some Musasat Alsh-Shabab use their ability to steal a person's Yanbue and make money selling it for cosmetic purposes. They find young victims and either drug or overpower them before extracting the Yanbue. Despite their greed, they are wary creatures, well aware of the effects that Yanbue will have if overused and the dangers of bringing too much attention or suspicion on themselves.
Despite their wariness, Musasat Alsh-Shabab will fight if confronted, even against Grimms. They also are willing to use their mandibles offensively.
Excerpt from Grimm Diaries[]
And when it melts into the skin, age disappears, but it becomes highly addictive, shattering lives, and making monsters of those who use it. Knowing how difficult it would be to kill, I lay in wait for him in his room. After I cut off its head, I discovered a small fortune hidden in the walls, but I realized, only too late, that he was only the supplier of the Yanbue. But now that he was dead, I would never know who he was selling it to.
Season 5 Blu-ray Grimm Guide Profile[]
“ | Khepera beetle Wesen are capable of piercing a human's face and removing proteins from their bodies, causing aging. They regurgitate the proteins to create an anti-aging concoction called "Yanbue." Hailing from Egypt, they are a very old species of Wesen who may have been treasured among the Ancient Egyptians and their youth obsessed leaders. | ” |
Images[]
Video[]
Trivia[]
- The Arabic word "مُصَاصَة" is the wrong kind of sucker, as it is literally the word for "pacifier" or "lollipop."
- This was the first Wesen with a name in Arabic.
Season 5 Appearances | ||||||||||
"The Grimm Identity": X |
"Clear and Wesen Danger": X |
"Lost Boys": X |
"Maiden Quest": X |
"The Rat King": X |
"Wesen Nacht": X |
"Eve of Destruction": X |
"A Reptile Dysfunction": X |
"Star-Crossed": X |
"Map of the Seven Knights": X |
"Key Move": X |
"Into the Schwarzwald": X |
"Silence of the Slams": X |
"Lycanthropia": X |
"Skin Deep": ✓ |
"The Believer": X |
"Inugami": X |
"Good to the Bone": X |
"The Taming of the Wu": X |
"Bad Night": Ref |
"Set Up": X |
"The Beginning of the End": X |