I've been looking at guides for them and I think I have the basic principle down... What works for me best seems to be the skeletal model. just gotta practice now.
I think this literally the first yukkuri story I've seen where yukkuri abuse/killing is generally frowned upon. In most of them, everyone seems to think it's just awesome except for a few fringe weirdos, which seems weird -- you'd think there'd be a lot more outcry from the general public over the mistreatment of seemingly-sapient creatures capable of speech.
The idea that it's a fact of life among certain people who have to deal with their actual consequences as pests, but most people see it as questionable at best and would-be abusers need to keep their activities hidden... I like this. Seems more realistic and more interesting to me.