So I understand the whole mating part, but how did the whole "marking a mate" start? It is used extensively in the IY fandom due to a youkai's bestial possessiveness and all, but I do not know of any actual real basis for marking mates--alpha wolves do not mark their mates in any way, and neither do dogs.

I have no idea, but I'm kinda curious about the matter too.

I suppose the answer lies somewhere in the murky and early days of the fandom. I'd guess someone came up with the idea and used it in the fic, and others thought it was awesome and copied it... But as I said, I don't know at all, so I can only guess.

Anyone out there able to shed light on this mystery?

Dogs do not mark their mates but they do bite their mates quite often. Dogs aren't exactly... gentle. It did start in fandom, obviously, a long (really long) time ago. I would say it is likely that someone decided to add a more animalistic version of handfasting or wedding rings, some sort of symbolic gesture that the lover belongs to the claimant.

it's actually pulled in from the DBZ universe. Fandom stuff crossed over b/c a lot of DBZ-ness was ending fanfiction wise, when IY was jsut starting up. If you actually read any of the IY manga, or even jsut watch the anime, never once does anyone say the word "mate" or talk about "mating" it's always wife/husband/marriage.

It's pulled in from DBZ where Saiyans DO have mates. and it just stuck. :3

* DBZ = Dragon Ball Z

sugar0o wrote:
It's pulled in from DBZ where Saiyans DO have mates. and it just stuck. :3


Ah... I've learned something. Who knew DBZ was so influential?!

I thought the markings may have come from the whole vampire lover genre since in those cases the sexual partner is marked with a bite and transformed into a new 'species'.

nope :3 DBZ.

You have to remember, even though we're still loving and rocking IY fanfiction for SK, that it started way back in 1997. When DBZ was still in it's hayday. (Original run December 3, 1984 – June 5, 1995) and still on television as well! that being said, New IY fans of the manga, that wasn't an anime yet, kinda pulled from there and brought it to IY.

Probably if you looked at some of the REALLY oldest stuff you'd see more talk of marriage then anything, and then as the transition from DBZ to IY started then you'd see more mating. This trend has actually even jumped from DBZ to IY, and is now in Naruto, as his Kyuubi though it is a chakra beast, often authors for this will speak of him lik he's a demon. And will speak of him mating.

I asked this question to someone a while ago (i think on another site) and I BELIEVE they told me it started somewhere where when actual dogs... copulate... the male holds down the female by biting the thick part of her shoulder. I can't find anything to back this up though... Actually, its CATS that do this, not dogs really. So, maybe it started there and became what it is today???? Just guessing.

Also, our dogs today usually don't mate for life, but wolves naturally do (well, they will, but mostly its just one mate at a time until that mate dies or something). So, that part is used either way in fics.

@r0o- I was unaware of that. Interesting...

well i suppose it's the "mating" from DBZ, i dont think they have marks? @_@ as to marks themselves, i think it has probably spawned from the idea that if you have fangs and you bite then it would leave a mark. maybe our fandom has spawned that specific aspect from within itself?

Usually, in most of the older fics i've read, there's always some power transfer, so perhaps it's just a side effect, like scaring that started the MARK itself. but yeah the mating thing comes from DBZ.

However authors have them mark and/or mate, let's keep those fics going ;]

I've been cruising the "Stephanie Plum" and "The Sentinel" fanfic, which is, like Americana, probably not too cross-pollinated by anime, and see the "marking" thing all the time in those fics, as well. Maybe a lot of people really like neck kissing and sucking, and the marking idea just feeds into that?

Paynesgrey wrote a satire which mocked the well-established cliche of mating marks in Inuyasha fanfiction way back in May 2005. www.fanfiction.net/s/2415642/1/The_Origin_of_Mating_Marks

ADMINISTRATOR EDIT: Link to M rated story.

XD Too hilarious, but whenever I read ficlets that have the 'marking' in them with the fangs, and the biting all I can think is 'Owtch' 'cause seriously that would have to hurt!

~ Pyre

O.o I am impressed at the number of responses, and thanks for the info all! That cleared up a lot for me!

I have a question to sugar0o: where do they say anything about mating in DBZ? Kinda confuses me cus Ive seen it like 3 times by now ;P and haven't heard about it.
It might be because Polish took the French version to translate, and this french one was like 1/3 shorter than original, japanese(they found a lotta things inappropriate so maybe the mating was one of 'em?)
OR maybe Polish translators messed up?

I'm wondering where it was mentioned as well. It's been forever since I was really into DBZ and DBZ fanfiction, but I do remember that mating was pretty much a given at all times.