the-devils-see Application
C H A R A C T E R
☓ Name: Coyote
☓ Series: Gunnerkrigg Court
☓ Reference: Some legends about the Coyote, some general info on Coyote Myth, Coyote’s Self Introduction, a canon retelling of a Coyote Myth.
☓ Canon point: Some time between his first and second meeting with Antimony, i.e. between chapters 21 and 26
☓ Age: Ageless (God)
☓ Personality: The first piece of concrete information we hear about Coyote is that he is not a liar. Coming from Ms. Jones who has been established as a neutral character with no reason for the audience to suspect as a liar, this statement can be taken as truth. He may be a trickster, but Coyote will almost always tell the truth. He uses this to his advantage when planning any trick. Anything he says must be analyzed for any loopholes or missing details. His honesty seems to be a personal choice as much as anything else. Although Antimony can sometimes see through his tricks, it doesn’t seem to bother him. This might be because Antimony is one of his favorites, but more likely he is comfortable enough with his own honesty that it doesn’t bother him if a trick or two fails in the process. The truth is less a sacrifice for him and more of a tool.
Another thing that Ms. Jones says about Coyote is that if he makes a promise, he will do everything in his power to keep it. That is another one of his arbitrary rules: he is true to his word. There isn’t any reason behind it apart from it being simply what Gods do. From all evidence, although the higher order spiritual beings of Gunnerkrigg each have their own rules, they are generally straightforward and honest.
The thing that seems to set Coyote apart from other Gods and higher order beings is his childish behavior. He is constantly grinning or laughing and easily bored by doing the same thing for extended periods of time. There is a certain energy to everything he does that gives the impression of enjoying the world for all it is worth, with fresh eyes.
In our first proper introduction to the Coyote, it is made abundantly clear that he is very proud and something of a braggart. He prepared a show for Antimony, describing to her in flowery language how he is the forest. In some metaphorical god-like sense, his statements are true, however it is clearly all a vie for attention and a little fun. He also tells her on several occasions that he is powerful and loved by the creatures under his power. He knows how great he is, and he wants everyone else to know it too. If they don’t, he would be more than happy to show them exactly why he is worshipped as the Trickster God.
He is also completely shameless. He easily admits to his tricks, even when they have negative outcomes. For example, when telling Antimony about how he put the stars in the sky, he laughs and brags about it being his fault that the sky seems so messy. He even laughs about the mistake he made in not painting a picture of himself in the night sky. This utter lack of remorse is what makes the Coyote so frightening. There is no right and wrong with him, only fun.
This pride of his is not his downfall as it might be for the ‘lowly’ humans. In fact, despite any doubt humans may have about his power or the general lack of knowledge regarding his existence, Coyote doesn’t show any disappointment. If he even feels disappointment, it is quickly disregarded. He would much rather tell the stories of his life from his own perspective, honestly but with his own spin to it, than be doted on by somebody who’s already heard all of them. In this way, Coyote is very much about the ‘new’. New tricks, new people, new situations.
That said, he is not without feeling. He obviously cares very little for Ysengrin, but had strong feelings for his ‘cousin’ Reynardine and Antimony’s mother, Surma. One of the few times we see Coyote being dignified (or just in general not grinning like a bobcat) is when he sees he upset Antimony by talking about her mother. He comforts her in a very sweet manner, telling her that the whole forest misses Surma and giving her a coyote hug. The people he is most attracted to are tricksters like him, anyone who is more than they appear to be, because they garner his respect. Those that he favors gain all of his love.
Coyote’s love comes in some abnormal forms. The two that he loves the most (that we know of) are Reynardine and Antimony. In his affection for Reynardine, Coyote attempted to share his powers with the fox. When the fox refused in favor of remaining friendly with the humans, Coyote respected his decision but was still thrilled when he finally did ask for some measure of power. When this resulted in Reynardine being tricked into staying at Gunnerkrigg Court Coyote was distraught and enraged, but did very little to try to steal him back.
His relationship with Antimony is equally laid back. Although he seizes the opportunities given to win her over and keep her in the forest, he never actively goes after her. One reason for this might be that as a ‘God’, he has an indefinitely lengthened lifespan. He has all the time in the world to get what he wants, and if someone is lost surely someone else would come to replace them. This perspective doesn’t make him devalue the present, rather he seems to view it with a sort of eager neutrality. Mortal things may come and go, but there will always be fun to be had.
☓ Abilities: Coyotes full powers are probably greater than those directly noted in canon. The ones that we know of are more or less as follows:
Godhood
> This is more or less the ability to turn metaphor into reality. He can pluck the moon from the sky, score the earth with his great paw, place the stars in the sky, etc.
Shapeshifting
> Coyote can bend and stretch his body, change size, shape, voice, anything he likes. He was even the moon once. Presumably this means he can also levitate when he wants to. This may be the reason that he is able to juggle his own eyeballs and how his tooth can be turned into a blade sharp enough to cut through the very earth. Presumably his tooth is capable of the same on its own without being removed.
Possession
> One ability that he taught to Reynardine was the ability to posses any body that had eyes. Coyote is able to leave the body without any harm to the host. Presumably the host retains no memory of the encounter.
Healing?
> He is able to remove part of his body (such as a tooth) and replace it unnoticeably with something similar (such as a rock).
Mind Reading
> Or at the very least, dream reading. If he chooses, Coyote is able to peek into a person’s mind and see what they’re dreaming about.
Binding Oath
> Coyote can, using what may or may not be a part of his own body, place a binding on someone else. In canon, this has only been seen as what appears to be an odd mark that looks like a bracelet but cannot be removed. If you betray his trust, he can cause the binding to shrink immediately, in the case of the bracelet cutting your wrist clean off.
Most of these powers will be out of his reach on the island, however the less intrusive ones (such as shapeshifting) will be kept. (And not abused.)
☓ Weaknesses: Although he wouldn’t consider it a weakness, Coyote is honest and true to his word. Even as a notorious trickster, he will not lie or break a promise. This is a weakness because it ruins some of his jokes.
It may also be considered a weakness that his jokes are almost never as funny as he thinks they are.
☓ Strengths: He is a God, with no sense of remorse, nothing to fear, and a great sense of humor. He would love to play along with the game. See also: Abilities.
☓ Intranet post sample:
[ Video ]
[ The video feeds comes on mysteriously, with a rather fantastic view of the beach and the deceptively calm waves of the ocean. A small whimpering sound can be heard. After a moment, something furry and black passes the bottom of the screen. ]
[ Text/Video ]
;,pojnugvdxrtyasdjhbvokfgjk nxbv
[ Video ]
[ When the text stops, there’s a sound like tiny paws pressing on a screen and a puppy’s face appears in front of the camera. He whimpers before barking twice, a little pathetically. The poor thing is soaked. ]
[ Awwwww. ]
☓ Log post sample:
He was wet, and he didn’t know why. That was different. Not much of a problem, but definitely very different. Coyote shook himself off, coughing a little to spit out the seawater that he seemed to have swallowed before taking in his surroundings.
There was a forest. But it wasn’t his forest. He had no clue how he had gotten there. Most unusual. For once, someone had succeeded in playing a trick on him. He had a few ideas who it might be. The ever-present grin grew wider as he looked over his new home, for the time being. He could tell that he was weakened. He knew that most of his powers were gone. But he could also tell that there were humans around. Some frightened, to be sure, some simply exhausted, and all filthy by human standards. All strangers. It was the smell that gave them away. Even in his weakened state he could smell how different they were from this place. A few of them didn’t even smell like humans, but none of them smelled completely of this place.
Well. If one of his many cousins wanted to play, who was he to say no? Coyote could appreciate a good game. Especially when there were humans involved. There should be plenty to do.
Nearby was a piece of human technology. It had to be something that the humans would notice, and that was exactly what he wanted. The design was so simplistic (and so boringly human in its simplicity) that it took him no time to figure out how it worked. The only thing left to do was use what little power he had to do what he did best: play a trick. A grand trick, he thought, changing shape with some difficulty to become a small, defenseless puppy. His fur was still wet and stank of seawater and something else much more wicked, but that didn’t bother him. It was all a part of the illusion.
A gust of wind blew sand into his fur and he glanced into the sky, spotting the weasel creatures easily. Kamaitachi. Mischievous, like himself, but they always played the same tricks.
“Shoo,” he told them, in a voice a hundred times larger and more menacing than should ever have come from such an adorable animal. The monsters stopped in their tracks to stare at him for a moment. The puppy form grinned and Coyote’s eyes developed a familiar blue ring as they glimmered with something like insanity.
The Kamaitachi turned around fast enough to make the puppy laugh, a shrill and horrifying thing more common to hyenas than any Coyote you would meet in the wild.
Now that he was alone, truly alone, his prank could begin.
☓ Name: Coyote
☓ Series: Gunnerkrigg Court
☓ Reference: Some legends about the Coyote, some general info on Coyote Myth, Coyote’s Self Introduction, a canon retelling of a Coyote Myth.
☓ Canon point: Some time between his first and second meeting with Antimony, i.e. between chapters 21 and 26
☓ Age: Ageless (God)
☓ Personality: The first piece of concrete information we hear about Coyote is that he is not a liar. Coming from Ms. Jones who has been established as a neutral character with no reason for the audience to suspect as a liar, this statement can be taken as truth. He may be a trickster, but Coyote will almost always tell the truth. He uses this to his advantage when planning any trick. Anything he says must be analyzed for any loopholes or missing details. His honesty seems to be a personal choice as much as anything else. Although Antimony can sometimes see through his tricks, it doesn’t seem to bother him. This might be because Antimony is one of his favorites, but more likely he is comfortable enough with his own honesty that it doesn’t bother him if a trick or two fails in the process. The truth is less a sacrifice for him and more of a tool.
Another thing that Ms. Jones says about Coyote is that if he makes a promise, he will do everything in his power to keep it. That is another one of his arbitrary rules: he is true to his word. There isn’t any reason behind it apart from it being simply what Gods do. From all evidence, although the higher order spiritual beings of Gunnerkrigg each have their own rules, they are generally straightforward and honest.
The thing that seems to set Coyote apart from other Gods and higher order beings is his childish behavior. He is constantly grinning or laughing and easily bored by doing the same thing for extended periods of time. There is a certain energy to everything he does that gives the impression of enjoying the world for all it is worth, with fresh eyes.
In our first proper introduction to the Coyote, it is made abundantly clear that he is very proud and something of a braggart. He prepared a show for Antimony, describing to her in flowery language how he is the forest. In some metaphorical god-like sense, his statements are true, however it is clearly all a vie for attention and a little fun. He also tells her on several occasions that he is powerful and loved by the creatures under his power. He knows how great he is, and he wants everyone else to know it too. If they don’t, he would be more than happy to show them exactly why he is worshipped as the Trickster God.
He is also completely shameless. He easily admits to his tricks, even when they have negative outcomes. For example, when telling Antimony about how he put the stars in the sky, he laughs and brags about it being his fault that the sky seems so messy. He even laughs about the mistake he made in not painting a picture of himself in the night sky. This utter lack of remorse is what makes the Coyote so frightening. There is no right and wrong with him, only fun.
This pride of his is not his downfall as it might be for the ‘lowly’ humans. In fact, despite any doubt humans may have about his power or the general lack of knowledge regarding his existence, Coyote doesn’t show any disappointment. If he even feels disappointment, it is quickly disregarded. He would much rather tell the stories of his life from his own perspective, honestly but with his own spin to it, than be doted on by somebody who’s already heard all of them. In this way, Coyote is very much about the ‘new’. New tricks, new people, new situations.
That said, he is not without feeling. He obviously cares very little for Ysengrin, but had strong feelings for his ‘cousin’ Reynardine and Antimony’s mother, Surma. One of the few times we see Coyote being dignified (or just in general not grinning like a bobcat) is when he sees he upset Antimony by talking about her mother. He comforts her in a very sweet manner, telling her that the whole forest misses Surma and giving her a coyote hug. The people he is most attracted to are tricksters like him, anyone who is more than they appear to be, because they garner his respect. Those that he favors gain all of his love.
Coyote’s love comes in some abnormal forms. The two that he loves the most (that we know of) are Reynardine and Antimony. In his affection for Reynardine, Coyote attempted to share his powers with the fox. When the fox refused in favor of remaining friendly with the humans, Coyote respected his decision but was still thrilled when he finally did ask for some measure of power. When this resulted in Reynardine being tricked into staying at Gunnerkrigg Court Coyote was distraught and enraged, but did very little to try to steal him back.
His relationship with Antimony is equally laid back. Although he seizes the opportunities given to win her over and keep her in the forest, he never actively goes after her. One reason for this might be that as a ‘God’, he has an indefinitely lengthened lifespan. He has all the time in the world to get what he wants, and if someone is lost surely someone else would come to replace them. This perspective doesn’t make him devalue the present, rather he seems to view it with a sort of eager neutrality. Mortal things may come and go, but there will always be fun to be had.
☓ Abilities: Coyotes full powers are probably greater than those directly noted in canon. The ones that we know of are more or less as follows:
Godhood
> This is more or less the ability to turn metaphor into reality. He can pluck the moon from the sky, score the earth with his great paw, place the stars in the sky, etc.
Shapeshifting
> Coyote can bend and stretch his body, change size, shape, voice, anything he likes. He was even the moon once. Presumably this means he can also levitate when he wants to. This may be the reason that he is able to juggle his own eyeballs and how his tooth can be turned into a blade sharp enough to cut through the very earth. Presumably his tooth is capable of the same on its own without being removed.
Possession
> One ability that he taught to Reynardine was the ability to posses any body that had eyes. Coyote is able to leave the body without any harm to the host. Presumably the host retains no memory of the encounter.
Healing?
> He is able to remove part of his body (such as a tooth) and replace it unnoticeably with something similar (such as a rock).
Mind Reading
> Or at the very least, dream reading. If he chooses, Coyote is able to peek into a person’s mind and see what they’re dreaming about.
Binding Oath
> Coyote can, using what may or may not be a part of his own body, place a binding on someone else. In canon, this has only been seen as what appears to be an odd mark that looks like a bracelet but cannot be removed. If you betray his trust, he can cause the binding to shrink immediately, in the case of the bracelet cutting your wrist clean off.
Most of these powers will be out of his reach on the island, however the less intrusive ones (such as shapeshifting) will be kept. (And not abused.)
☓ Weaknesses: Although he wouldn’t consider it a weakness, Coyote is honest and true to his word. Even as a notorious trickster, he will not lie or break a promise. This is a weakness because it ruins some of his jokes.
It may also be considered a weakness that his jokes are almost never as funny as he thinks they are.
☓ Strengths: He is a God, with no sense of remorse, nothing to fear, and a great sense of humor. He would love to play along with the game. See also: Abilities.
☓ Intranet post sample:
[ Video ]
[ The video feeds comes on mysteriously, with a rather fantastic view of the beach and the deceptively calm waves of the ocean. A small whimpering sound can be heard. After a moment, something furry and black passes the bottom of the screen. ]
[ Text/Video ]
;,pojnugvdxrtyasdjhbvokfgjk nxbv
[ Video ]
[ When the text stops, there’s a sound like tiny paws pressing on a screen and a puppy’s face appears in front of the camera. He whimpers before barking twice, a little pathetically. The poor thing is soaked. ]
[ Awwwww. ]
☓ Log post sample:
He was wet, and he didn’t know why. That was different. Not much of a problem, but definitely very different. Coyote shook himself off, coughing a little to spit out the seawater that he seemed to have swallowed before taking in his surroundings.
There was a forest. But it wasn’t his forest. He had no clue how he had gotten there. Most unusual. For once, someone had succeeded in playing a trick on him. He had a few ideas who it might be. The ever-present grin grew wider as he looked over his new home, for the time being. He could tell that he was weakened. He knew that most of his powers were gone. But he could also tell that there were humans around. Some frightened, to be sure, some simply exhausted, and all filthy by human standards. All strangers. It was the smell that gave them away. Even in his weakened state he could smell how different they were from this place. A few of them didn’t even smell like humans, but none of them smelled completely of this place.
Well. If one of his many cousins wanted to play, who was he to say no? Coyote could appreciate a good game. Especially when there were humans involved. There should be plenty to do.
Nearby was a piece of human technology. It had to be something that the humans would notice, and that was exactly what he wanted. The design was so simplistic (and so boringly human in its simplicity) that it took him no time to figure out how it worked. The only thing left to do was use what little power he had to do what he did best: play a trick. A grand trick, he thought, changing shape with some difficulty to become a small, defenseless puppy. His fur was still wet and stank of seawater and something else much more wicked, but that didn’t bother him. It was all a part of the illusion.
A gust of wind blew sand into his fur and he glanced into the sky, spotting the weasel creatures easily. Kamaitachi. Mischievous, like himself, but they always played the same tricks.
“Shoo,” he told them, in a voice a hundred times larger and more menacing than should ever have come from such an adorable animal. The monsters stopped in their tracks to stare at him for a moment. The puppy form grinned and Coyote’s eyes developed a familiar blue ring as they glimmered with something like insanity.
The Kamaitachi turned around fast enough to make the puppy laugh, a shrill and horrifying thing more common to hyenas than any Coyote you would meet in the wild.
Now that he was alone, truly alone, his prank could begin.