Coyote makes the world (info post)
The quick and the dirty: This is Old Man Coyote. He's from Coyote Blue, by Christopher Moore. And yes, he's that Coyote. Which means he's lewd, crude, tricky, and archetypical, with a handful of handy dandy powers.
And he's only here to have fun.
The rest of what you might want to know:
Pronunciation guide (riffed straight from the text):
Right, so he's 'that Coyote'. What does that mean?
As you can probably guess, I freaking love them.
Right, so, uh, he's a god?
Sort of. While that word is used to describe Coyote in canon, I think a more appropriate description is that he's a spirit. A spirit of chaos and ridiculousness. A spirit of change.
Which makes him somewhat powerful. Being a creature of story and legend, he tends to have whatever powers work best at the particular moment to make a good story. Very deus ex machina. That being said, his powers, while having a touch of mystery, are actually fairly well defined within the canon I'm drawing him from.
Did I mention this guy's horny? Tricksters are traditionally very closely linked to sex, as well, though it should be noted that he's only ever after the ladies. Any lady. Any time.
Coyote is Chief of Without Fires. Those are the animals. He's been given command of the animals by Great Spirit, so he can order them around. They just don't have to listen to him unless the situation is dire. Mostly, he just talks to them and tries to persuade them/trick them into doing what he wants them to. He has this ability in whatever form he happens to be in.
Because he's a spirit, he has access to the Spirit World, both in astral form and physical form. He has, in fact, spent most of the 20th century over there, and only recently got back and started figuring out all the nifty advances mankind has made, like, say, phones. He also has access to the Underworld, which is where we get into the big leap that Christopher Moore made from traditional stories in Coyote's characterization.
See, Coyote is brother to Anubis. While Anubis stayed home in the Old World to take over the duties of running the Underworld and watch out for the family, Coyote ended up drifting on over to the New World, where he got to run around free and act as crazy as he likes. Needless to say, Anubis is a little bit bitter, so Coyote doesn't like to go visit him, much. Unfortunately, Coyote has his idiot moments and can be killed pretty much the same way a human can, so he does tend to visit on occasion. When this happens, Anubis brings him back to life (but only after much protest and lecturing on being responsible and such). This access to Anubis and the Underworld means that Coyote could be called upon to help raise another dead character, but be warned, he's not going to be happy doing it, and will need a great deal of persuasion. He'll show you the road, but he's not gonna help you try to talk Anubis into it.
Just to throw that out there.
So why's he in Fandom?
Coyote is coming to Fandom after the events of the novel. He's spent most of the last century hanging out in the Spirit World rather than among humans, and canon has shown him that he's missed a lot of great, interesting new things. So he's here to find out about them, and basically have fun. Which means games and tricks and pulling one over on as many of people as he can.
He'll be opening a medicine shop here in town. Medicine in the Crow culture as shown in the canon isn't just pharmaceuticals. Medicine is any sort of magic to help mankind. It's man's link to his or her spirit helper or power animal. For instance, warrior medicine, such as that from Bear or Eagle, helps make one strong and powerful in battle. Coyote Medicine, Coyote's shop, will have medicine bundles and songs available for sale. It'll have resources for those who want to make spirit quests, and a sweat lodge for steam cooking purification purposes. It'll also have any sort of cliched, stereotypical "cowboys and Indians" type gear that one can imagine right along side all the authentic stuff, because Coyote thinks it's funny.
In addition to this, Coyote will be spending some time around town as Lloyd Commerce, his middle-aged white guy salesman persona, selling "Miracles". That's the Miracle vacuum cleaner, naturally. Or Miracle medicine, when the mood strikes. Cures all your ills! Banishes colds! Conquers canker sores! Gets rid of screech owls! Everyone needs a Miracle!
Coyote and you
Coyote's main goal in life is to get as many good stories told about him as possible. He's all about the notoriety. As such, he'll make no effort whatsoever to pretend to be anything other than Coyote, unless it's to pull a specific prank. Coyote wants to be known. Well, he wants to be revered, but he'll settle for known.
That being said, I will not have Coyote pull any tricks on your character (except maybe hit on them if they're female) without your express permission.
It should be noted that while Coyote is the Trickster, that doesn't mean he's always going to win. In fact, he's generally not going to. Part of Coyote's charm is how infinitely fallible he is. If he's placing a bet, he's really, really probably going to lose, and keep losing till he's got nothing left. And then lose some more.
Coyote's tricks can at times be mean-spirited, but he's generally a good guy. He's not out to hurt anyone unless he feels they really deserve it, which only really happens if they're messing with someone he likes. And he always pays his debts. If he bets his ass -- which he's been known to do -- he'll cut it off to make sure he hands it over when all is said and done.
You . . . might want to avoid getting him to bet his ass unless you really want to be handed a pile of bloody butt meat when you win. ;D
I think that's everything. And, wow, it's longer than I first thought it'd be. Questions, comments, etc. are all more than welcome.
And he's only here to have fun.
The rest of what you might want to know:
Pronunciation guide (riffed straight from the text):
- NOUN
When the word coyote refers to a canine animal it is pronounced KAI-YO-TEE.
PROPER NOUN
When Coyote refers to a character of human appearance, or in the name Old Man Coyote, it is pronounced KAI-YOTE.
ADJECTIVE
When coyote is used as a modifier, as in coyote ugly (if you wake up in bed with your arm under the head of someone who is coyote ugly, and you would gnaw it off rather than wake that person up), it is pronounced KAI-YO-TEE.
TITLE
The title of [the canon] is pronounced KAI-YO-TEE BLEW. Readers who have a problem with pronunciation might want to read it silently the first time through. This is doubly important if you are reading this on an airplane.
Right, so he's 'that Coyote'. What does that mean?
- "Who are you?" he asked.
The Indian smiled and his eyes lit up like an excited child's. "I am the stink in your shoe, the buzz in your ear, the wind through the trees. I am the --"
"Who are you?" Sam interrupted. "What is your name?"
The Indian continued to grin while smoke trickled between his teeth. He said, "The Cheyenne call me Wihio, the Sioux, Iktome. The Blackfeet call me Napi Old man. The Cree call me Saultaux, the Micmac, Glooscap. I am the Great Hare on the East Coast and Raven on the West. You know me, Samson Hunts Alone, I am your spirit helper."
Sam gulped. "Coyote?"
"Yep."
As you can probably guess, I freaking love them.
Right, so, uh, he's a god?
Sort of. While that word is used to describe Coyote in canon, I think a more appropriate description is that he's a spirit. A spirit of chaos and ridiculousness. A spirit of change.
Which makes him somewhat powerful. Being a creature of story and legend, he tends to have whatever powers work best at the particular moment to make a good story. Very deus ex machina. That being said, his powers, while having a touch of mystery, are actually fairly well defined within the canon I'm drawing him from.
- "Come here, kid," Great Spirit said. "Look, you're stuck with a lousy name, but maybe I can make up for it. You have to keep the name, but from now on, you are Chief of Without Fires. And from now on, you can take on any shape that you choose and wear it as long as you wish."
Coyote thought about it for a minute. It was a pretty good gift; maybe he should work this pity angle more often. "So that means that everyone has to do what I say?"
"Somtimes," Great Spirit said.
Did I mention this guy's horny? Tricksters are traditionally very closely linked to sex, as well, though it should be noted that he's only ever after the ladies. Any lady. Any time.
Coyote is Chief of Without Fires. Those are the animals. He's been given command of the animals by Great Spirit, so he can order them around. They just don't have to listen to him unless the situation is dire. Mostly, he just talks to them and tries to persuade them/trick them into doing what he wants them to. He has this ability in whatever form he happens to be in.
Because he's a spirit, he has access to the Spirit World, both in astral form and physical form. He has, in fact, spent most of the 20th century over there, and only recently got back and started figuring out all the nifty advances mankind has made, like, say, phones. He also has access to the Underworld, which is where we get into the big leap that Christopher Moore made from traditional stories in Coyote's characterization.
See, Coyote is brother to Anubis. While Anubis stayed home in the Old World to take over the duties of running the Underworld and watch out for the family, Coyote ended up drifting on over to the New World, where he got to run around free and act as crazy as he likes. Needless to say, Anubis is a little bit bitter, so Coyote doesn't like to go visit him, much. Unfortunately, Coyote has his idiot moments and can be killed pretty much the same way a human can, so he does tend to visit on occasion. When this happens, Anubis brings him back to life (but only after much protest and lecturing on being responsible and such). This access to Anubis and the Underworld means that Coyote could be called upon to help raise another dead character, but be warned, he's not going to be happy doing it, and will need a great deal of persuasion. He'll show you the road, but he's not gonna help you try to talk Anubis into it.
Just to throw that out there.
So why's he in Fandom?
Coyote is coming to Fandom after the events of the novel. He's spent most of the last century hanging out in the Spirit World rather than among humans, and canon has shown him that he's missed a lot of great, interesting new things. So he's here to find out about them, and basically have fun. Which means games and tricks and pulling one over on as many of people as he can.
He'll be opening a medicine shop here in town. Medicine in the Crow culture as shown in the canon isn't just pharmaceuticals. Medicine is any sort of magic to help mankind. It's man's link to his or her spirit helper or power animal. For instance, warrior medicine, such as that from Bear or Eagle, helps make one strong and powerful in battle. Coyote Medicine, Coyote's shop, will have medicine bundles and songs available for sale. It'll have resources for those who want to make spirit quests, and a sweat lodge for steam cooking purification purposes. It'll also have any sort of cliched, stereotypical "cowboys and Indians" type gear that one can imagine right along side all the authentic stuff, because Coyote thinks it's funny.
In addition to this, Coyote will be spending some time around town as Lloyd Commerce, his middle-aged white guy salesman persona, selling "Miracles". That's the Miracle vacuum cleaner, naturally. Or Miracle medicine, when the mood strikes. Cures all your ills! Banishes colds! Conquers canker sores! Gets rid of screech owls! Everyone needs a Miracle!
Coyote and you
Coyote's main goal in life is to get as many good stories told about him as possible. He's all about the notoriety. As such, he'll make no effort whatsoever to pretend to be anything other than Coyote, unless it's to pull a specific prank. Coyote wants to be known. Well, he wants to be revered, but he'll settle for known.
That being said, I will not have Coyote pull any tricks on your character (except maybe hit on them if they're female) without your express permission.
It should be noted that while Coyote is the Trickster, that doesn't mean he's always going to win. In fact, he's generally not going to. Part of Coyote's charm is how infinitely fallible he is. If he's placing a bet, he's really, really probably going to lose, and keep losing till he's got nothing left. And then lose some more.
Coyote's tricks can at times be mean-spirited, but he's generally a good guy. He's not out to hurt anyone unless he feels they really deserve it, which only really happens if they're messing with someone he likes. And he always pays his debts. If he bets his ass -- which he's been known to do -- he'll cut it off to make sure he hands it over when all is said and done.
You . . . might want to avoid getting him to bet his ass unless you really want to be handed a pile of bloody butt meat when you win. ;D
I think that's everything. And, wow, it's longer than I first thought it'd be. Questions, comments, etc. are all more than welcome.