Pondering on demon dogs...
Jan. 30th, 2007 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
senoritafish(The following bit of fluffy insanity was written several months ago after an Inuyasha movie marathon and waaay too much coffee. Forgive me.)
Indulge me if I go off on some Inuyasha musings. Inuyasha, being an anime series about a modern-day girl who falls down a well to find herself in feudal Japan and the companion of a long-haired boy who, strangely enough, has dog ears (go here, for the unfamiliar curious). This post is not about the girl.
Yeah, I know, I keep hearing it's a tired series, it's gone on too long, it's repeating itself, the ending of the anime is frustrating (the story is supposed to continue in the manga). I actually missed quite a few of the last airings because I never remembered when it was on, and frankly one fight with an evil demon is much the same as another (and does anyone else besides me feel faintly embarassed that every anime character has to scream out really silly attack names during a fight?). However, it generates some wonderful fanart, and just recently a couple of wonderfully written stories by a fanfiction author who calls herself "Resmiranda" have made it difficult for me to get "stupid, stupid, pretty hair" out of my head recently (although perhaps that's a topic for another post). The airing of the third movie on CN didn't help much either. Entirely too little of their father in it, dammit.
Anyhow...
Pondering # 1: Demon toughness...- If Sesshomaru asserts that he is so damn much tougher than his little brother (since being half human = weak, in demon eyes), why does he wear shoes, while InuYasha is constantly barefoot? Maybe more of a I-am-arrogant/beautiful/powerful/full-of-myself-not-to-mention-classy-therefore-no-one-shall-observe-me-unshod kind of a thing? And I get the impression that bare feet are InuYasha's preference, rather than he can't afford them. After, he's a prince in his own right, not only in that he's also the son of the the Great Dog General, Lord of West, and the most powerful demon, but his mother was also a princess, though apparently shunned by her family for bearing the child of a demon.
Pondering #2: Dogs...all-powerful?- How did a dog demon get to be so much more powerful than all of the other demons? And where did Sesshomaru's arrogant attitude towards humans (and wolf demons, for that matter) come from, given that dogs were bred from wolves, by humans? Maybe it's just Sesshomaru and not typical of other dog demons? (And yes, I know now; he got it from his mother.) Are there other dog demons? Besides Sesh's immediate family, that is...
Pondering #3: Does Sesshomaru smell doggy? - (This was posed by DeviantArt user Zanne, when I commented on her adorable pic of Sesh (in his giant dog form) and Kagome having a bit of a nap); she wondered Does Sesshomaru smell doggy? (and is Kagome liable to drown in drool while she sleeps?) Hmm, well just how much time does he spend in that giant doggy form? Kept clean and brushed, he might not smell much at all – but can you imagine brushing that vast expanse of long-haired dog? No wonder Jaken looks so careworn. Allowing smelliness anywhere about his person doesn’t seem to fit with his seeming fastidiousness, whichever form he happens to be taking. Maybe he takes his usual humanoid form because there’s less maintenance. Then again, maybe demons have body odors we might find pleasant (think of the angel in Michael, whom women always thought smelled like cookies or baked goods). Related tidbit - somewhere in that linked-to Wikipedia entry is a statement that Rumiko Takahashi, the creator, claimed Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are supposed to be Akita Inu. However, to me Sesshomaru and his father in their true forms look to me more like a spaniel or maybe a Saluki, with the floppy ears and the flowing hair (Inuyasha is never shown transforming; possibly he can't change because he's a mutt).
(An aside- It’s funny; it’s always struck me that for being dog demons, both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have a lot of cat characteristics: both of them use their claws as a weapon; they have vertical pupils (at least, it looks it to me – hard to tell with the eye shine that always gets drawn in); Sesshomaru’s excellent grooming – never a hair out of place or a smudge on his pristine clothing; and Inuyasha’s penchant of sitting 30 feet off the ground in trees – all very undoglike, if you ask me - unless they are not dogs,
but rather, gray foxes.)
Back to the picture. As for drool, I dunno if Kagome’s completely safe – I’ve had both cats and dogs that drooled on me when they were asleep. Maybe she should make sure his muzzle is pointing downhill next time. However…*ponders again*…although Sesshomaru’s unmistakably a dog here, he looks so comfortable and relaxed, I don’t think it’d be out of place for him to be purring.
Pondering #4: The color of his stripes...or placement, rather... - Where exactly are Sesshomaru's stripes? Just something I've observed... Sesshomaru looks overtly humanoid; the only nods to his demon origin being pointed ears and reddish markings on his eyelids, temples, and other parts of his body. They are sometimes shown on his arms, on the rare occasions his kimono sleeves slide up to his elbows (although you'd think a guy who fights with a sword as much as he does would wear something less cumbersome). However, even canon images are inconsistant - sometimes they are from his wrists over the back of his hands, and sometimes they wrap around his forearms down to his wrist, but always in pairs. There also seems to be some variation as their color; sometimes they appear bright red, and other times mauve or purple, although this may be due to lighting (or maybe his mood?). This seems to have led to some speculation among fanartists as to what's normally covered by his kimono. Shoulders, elbows, hips, calves? Who knows? I've seen one or two people nearly make him tiger-striped (and yes, there are quite few artists who like to draw him with somewhat less clothing than he usually appears in - no, really! ;p ).
Pondering #5: Hybrid vigor...or not... - Is Inuyasha capable of reproducing? (posed by LJ user yamievandar in the anime community, who actually asked "Can Inuyasha have children?" - resulting in a bunch of offended teenage males completely and/or deliberately misunderstanding, bellowing "He's a guy, of course he can't!!" and "Where in hell would it come out?!!")
This being fantasy, all bets are off. However, I'm guessing the poser of the question was referring to the fact that, in nature, the offspring of two different species with a common ancestor is often sterile, a mule. Not always though.
In what little I could ferret out with a quick search (and dredging through what little I remember of long ago genetics courses), many hybrids are sterile because of masking effects that genes on the X and Y chromosomes (the chromosomes that determine gender - males=XY, females=XX) have on each other. And it often tends to be the Y chromosome that gets masked. In Ligers, the offspring of a male lion and female tiger, females are still fertile and able to have offspring – with a lion or a tiger. Males are sterile, and while they still have a bit of a mane, it’s nowhere near as impressive as their father’s. You might say they are feminized. However, sterility is not the same as impotence; male ligers and tigons (a rarer mix of tiger father/lion mother) often mate; they just do not produce any offspring.
So it looks like Inuyasha’s chances for reproducing in his normal form would have been better had he been born a girl; albeit he'd still be able to.. ahem,..perform. However, he does have that reverse werewolf thing going on where he turns into a full human at the dark of the moon – whether that affects his genetic structure and makes him fertile, I have no idea. Throw into the mix that if you look at his brother Sesshomaru, humanoid full demons seem to be a bit feminized anyway, so maybe the masking effect wouldn’t come into play… Or, if demons are merely a race of humans (or visa versa, but can you see either admitting that?!), then Inuyasha would not be a hybrid at all, but only mixed race, and perfectly able to make more little Inuyashas.
Ouch, I think I broke my brain…
But it tickles me to play science against fantasy. I may have to fiddle around some more with this. If any other biologist comes across this, please feel free to correct my hastily assembled hypotheses.
0__o
;)
XD
Indulge me if I go off on some Inuyasha musings. Inuyasha, being an anime series about a modern-day girl who falls down a well to find herself in feudal Japan and the companion of a long-haired boy who, strangely enough, has dog ears (go here, for the unfamiliar curious). This post is not about the girl.
Yeah, I know, I keep hearing it's a tired series, it's gone on too long, it's repeating itself, the ending of the anime is frustrating (the story is supposed to continue in the manga). I actually missed quite a few of the last airings because I never remembered when it was on, and frankly one fight with an evil demon is much the same as another (and does anyone else besides me feel faintly embarassed that every anime character has to scream out really silly attack names during a fight?). However, it generates some wonderful fanart, and just recently a couple of wonderfully written stories by a fanfiction author who calls herself "Resmiranda" have made it difficult for me to get "stupid, stupid, pretty hair" out of my head recently (although perhaps that's a topic for another post). The airing of the third movie on CN didn't help much either. Entirely too little of their father in it, dammit.
Anyhow...
Pondering # 1: Demon toughness...- If Sesshomaru asserts that he is so damn much tougher than his little brother (since being half human = weak, in demon eyes), why does he wear shoes, while InuYasha is constantly barefoot? Maybe more of a I-am-arrogant/beautiful/powerful/full-of-myself-not-to-mention-classy-therefore-no-one-shall-observe-me-unshod kind of a thing? And I get the impression that bare feet are InuYasha's preference, rather than he can't afford them. After, he's a prince in his own right, not only in that he's also the son of the the Great Dog General, Lord of West, and the most powerful demon, but his mother was also a princess, though apparently shunned by her family for bearing the child of a demon.
Pondering #2: Dogs...all-powerful?- How did a dog demon get to be so much more powerful than all of the other demons? And where did Sesshomaru's arrogant attitude towards humans (and wolf demons, for that matter) come from, given that dogs were bred from wolves, by humans? Maybe it's just Sesshomaru and not typical of other dog demons? (And yes, I know now; he got it from his mother.) Are there other dog demons? Besides Sesh's immediate family, that is...
Pondering #3: Does Sesshomaru smell doggy? - (This was posed by DeviantArt user Zanne, when I commented on her adorable pic of Sesh (in his giant dog form) and Kagome having a bit of a nap); she wondered Does Sesshomaru smell doggy? (and is Kagome liable to drown in drool while she sleeps?) Hmm, well just how much time does he spend in that giant doggy form? Kept clean and brushed, he might not smell much at all – but can you imagine brushing that vast expanse of long-haired dog? No wonder Jaken looks so careworn. Allowing smelliness anywhere about his person doesn’t seem to fit with his seeming fastidiousness, whichever form he happens to be taking. Maybe he takes his usual humanoid form because there’s less maintenance. Then again, maybe demons have body odors we might find pleasant (think of the angel in Michael, whom women always thought smelled like cookies or baked goods). Related tidbit - somewhere in that linked-to Wikipedia entry is a statement that Rumiko Takahashi, the creator, claimed Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are supposed to be Akita Inu. However, to me Sesshomaru and his father in their true forms look to me more like a spaniel or maybe a Saluki, with the floppy ears and the flowing hair (Inuyasha is never shown transforming; possibly he can't change because he's a mutt).
(An aside- It’s funny; it’s always struck me that for being dog demons, both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have a lot of cat characteristics: both of them use their claws as a weapon; they have vertical pupils (at least, it looks it to me – hard to tell with the eye shine that always gets drawn in); Sesshomaru’s excellent grooming – never a hair out of place or a smudge on his pristine clothing; and Inuyasha’s penchant of sitting 30 feet off the ground in trees – all very undoglike, if you ask me - unless they are not dogs,
but rather, gray foxes.)
Back to the picture. As for drool, I dunno if Kagome’s completely safe – I’ve had both cats and dogs that drooled on me when they were asleep. Maybe she should make sure his muzzle is pointing downhill next time. However…*ponders again*…although Sesshomaru’s unmistakably a dog here, he looks so comfortable and relaxed, I don’t think it’d be out of place for him to be purring.
Pondering #4: The color of his stripes...or placement, rather... - Where exactly are Sesshomaru's stripes? Just something I've observed... Sesshomaru looks overtly humanoid; the only nods to his demon origin being pointed ears and reddish markings on his eyelids, temples, and other parts of his body. They are sometimes shown on his arms, on the rare occasions his kimono sleeves slide up to his elbows (although you'd think a guy who fights with a sword as much as he does would wear something less cumbersome). However, even canon images are inconsistant - sometimes they are from his wrists over the back of his hands, and sometimes they wrap around his forearms down to his wrist, but always in pairs. There also seems to be some variation as their color; sometimes they appear bright red, and other times mauve or purple, although this may be due to lighting (or maybe his mood?). This seems to have led to some speculation among fanartists as to what's normally covered by his kimono. Shoulders, elbows, hips, calves? Who knows? I've seen one or two people nearly make him tiger-striped (and yes, there are quite few artists who like to draw him with somewhat less clothing than he usually appears in - no, really! ;p ).
Pondering #5: Hybrid vigor...or not... - Is Inuyasha capable of reproducing? (posed by LJ user yamievandar in the anime community, who actually asked "Can Inuyasha have children?" - resulting in a bunch of offended teenage males completely and/or deliberately misunderstanding, bellowing "He's a guy, of course he can't!!" and "Where in hell would it come out?!!")
This being fantasy, all bets are off. However, I'm guessing the poser of the question was referring to the fact that, in nature, the offspring of two different species with a common ancestor is often sterile, a mule. Not always though.
In what little I could ferret out with a quick search (and dredging through what little I remember of long ago genetics courses), many hybrids are sterile because of masking effects that genes on the X and Y chromosomes (the chromosomes that determine gender - males=XY, females=XX) have on each other. And it often tends to be the Y chromosome that gets masked. In Ligers, the offspring of a male lion and female tiger, females are still fertile and able to have offspring – with a lion or a tiger. Males are sterile, and while they still have a bit of a mane, it’s nowhere near as impressive as their father’s. You might say they are feminized. However, sterility is not the same as impotence; male ligers and tigons (a rarer mix of tiger father/lion mother) often mate; they just do not produce any offspring.
So it looks like Inuyasha’s chances for reproducing in his normal form would have been better had he been born a girl; albeit he'd still be able to.. ahem,..perform. However, he does have that reverse werewolf thing going on where he turns into a full human at the dark of the moon – whether that affects his genetic structure and makes him fertile, I have no idea. Throw into the mix that if you look at his brother Sesshomaru, humanoid full demons seem to be a bit feminized anyway, so maybe the masking effect wouldn’t come into play… Or, if demons are merely a race of humans (or visa versa, but can you see either admitting that?!), then Inuyasha would not be a hybrid at all, but only mixed race, and perfectly able to make more little Inuyashas.
Ouch, I think I broke my brain…
But it tickles me to play science against fantasy. I may have to fiddle around some more with this. If any other biologist comes across this, please feel free to correct my hastily assembled hypotheses.
0__o
;)
XD
