Knuckleheads in Space

What is the Medicine Seller?

The subjectivity of Mononoke is a large part of what makes the series unique. But, one of the biggest mysteries that the show leaves unanswered is what exactly the Medicine Seller is supposed to be. From his weird powers, traits, and appearance to the fact that he clearly doesn’t age, it’s an understatement to say that this isn’t a normal guy. All kinds of theories have been floating around about the Medicine Seller’s true identity, that he’s a onmyōji, a god, or some kind of benevolent mononoke. 

However, for my money, looking at all the evidence combined from the show and Japanese mythology, I’ve concluded that the Medicine Seller is most likely a kitsune. 

Now, I feel like most anime viewers have at least a cursory idea what a kitsune is, but just to recap: “Kitsune” (狐) is the Japanese word for fox. Traditional Japanese folk beliefs attributed all sorts of mysterious powers to foxes, including shapeshifting, creating illusions, and warding off evil spirits. Taking cues from ancient Chinese lore about fox spirits, kitsune have captured the imagination of Japanese artists and storytellers for centuries and continue to do so in the present day.

I’m far from the first person to come up with the “Medicine Seller is a fox” theory. It’s the only theory cited on the admittedly bare-bones Mononoke Wiki, and numerous commentators and Tropers have speculated that our favorite flamboyant exorcist might be a fox in disguise. So, allow me to take some time to display all the compiled evidence as to why I think this is the most plausible theory.

Luke: Oh no, Grogu, I want to take you back to your dad but Leia just forced me to babysit Ben because he is biting the parliament again…and he’s really unsafe to drive in the X-Wing at this age…I don’t know what to do D:

Grogu: [Artoo and I can drive!]

Luke “Could proficiently shoot womp-rats by age ten, could drive speeders when he was in the single digits, who ran away when he was young to go on an adventure, who fought the slavers when he was 8, who would just wander off into Begger’s Canyon, who spent 19-years on space Australia, who has one brain-cell, who has the Skywalker genes, who probably invented the word yeet, who has known shit about fuck for most of his life, who is as gullible and a pushover for the word “please”, who is learning about a dead culture through like 7 books, who is I’ll wing-it and it’ll work, who thinks getting shot at is just normal but trying to function as a normal, mature, kind teacher…is struggling on the first two badly" Skywalker: Is…is fifty old enough to do that?

Grogu: [Uhhh….yes?]

Force Ghost Anakin “also grew up in space Australia, also probably invented the word Yeet, raced a deadly pod-race when he was 9, was a Jedi before 21, was about to be a Master before he was 25 (potentially), made SO many things explode, hot-wired at least 700 ships for fun and not for missions, hot-wired at least 1400 ships for missions, does not think it’s a flying trip unless there are a few dozen spins and twirls, ate raw live bugs as a delicacy, did his best to make everyone around him age by thirty years, cannot function without hitting hyperspeed at least twice a day, has no braincells, thinks everyone should nearly die in a speeder wreck at least once to feel alive" Skywalker: He’s fine! I was a Jedi, remember son? Totally can do this on his own. He’s all good.

Luke: *squints at his raunchy murder bot and need-for-speed-and-violence student/son* Well…ok! (tosses them the keys) Have fun and tell your dad I said hi! :D

Sometimes not knowing how things work bug me. Like, a LOT. I do not control the hyperfixation, ok?!

I know Star Wars has bigger fish to fry than explaining how slave collars stay on, but goddammit I’ll figure out a way myself. You can’t tell me that they’re just glued to the skin somehow or the slaves would find a way to yank them off. What’s a little skin if it means you can escape? 

But with this, actually succeeding in pulling it out would mean catastrophic damage to the neck, and the points of the anchors are nicely positioned to be able to deliver electrical shocks directly to the spine.

Note that I am but a humble artist with only a passing knowledge of internal anatomy. So the positioning or size of the posts are negotiable depending on how much function they’re impeding.

(Select bones and schematic skeletal of Berthasaura leopoldinae, with preserved bones in white, from de Souza et al., 2021)

Meaning of name: Berthasaura = [Brazilian zoologist and politician who was a leading figure during the Pan American feminist movement] Bertha Maria Júlia Lutz’s lizard; leopoldinae = for Maria Leopoldina [the first Empress of Brazil]

Age: Early Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian)

Where found: Goio Erê Formation, Paraná, Brazil

How much is known: Nearly complete skeleton of one individual.

Notes: Berthasaura was a small ceratosaurian theropod, less than a meter long in total body length. To be fair, the only known specimen was probably not fully grown. Based on comparison to other ceratosaurs with more completely known growth series, however, it was likely not an early juvenile individual either.

Whereas most other ceratosaurs were sharp-toothed predators, Berthasaura was extremely unusual in having toothless jaws, and it may have instead been an herbivore or an omnivore. The only other toothless ceratosaur named previously was Limusaurus from the Late Jurassic of China. Interestingly, the describers of Berthasaura found that it was probably not especially closely related to Limusaurus. If this is correct, ceratosaurs evolved into toothless forms at least two separate times in their evolutionary history.

Although Limusaurus was a toothless herbivore as an adult, it had sharp teeth as a juvenile. If Berthasaura also went through this process, it might have lost its teeth at an earlier growth stage than Limusaurus did, given the immaturity of the type specimen. However, it is also possible that it was toothless throughout its life. Without additional fossils of Berthasaura at other growth stages, it is hard to be sure.

(Type specimen of Berthasaura leopoldinae, from de Souza et al., 2021)

THE NAME OF THIS PRECIOUS CREATURE IS THE

The designs will feature text and an illustration. Currently I have:

I’m a writer and in my story you might already be dead

I trap human souls inside books for fun

Thank you all for the feedback! I really like these two suggestions ^ Going to work on these three designs:

Currently plotting a murder

The pen is mightier than the sword

Limited edition! Available until October 13, 2021!

[Tees | Hoodies | Sweatshirts| Mugs]

*The artwork is very large, so it is compressed and appears pixelated in the t-shirt preview. However, it’s 300 dots per inch: the print is of high quality.

thank you so much @writing-prompt-s

These are back until November 29, 2021! The hoodies now have the design on the back, looks better imo.

[Tees | Hoodies | Sweatshirts | Mugs]

*The artwork is very large, so it is compressed and appears pixelated in the t-shirt preview. However, it’s 300 dots per inch: the print is of high quality.