Gunnerkrigg Court 7: Psychopomp and Circumstance

[Haruspex_Pariah]

I vaguely remember this sub-plot. Coyote removed Ysengrin's memories of when he flipped out against Annie, because of reasons Coyote. It felt kind of sinister at the time, especially because Ysengrin was begging Coyote not to.

What Coyote's doing in this chapter, I have no idea. Is he returning the memories? Taking more away? Showing Ysengrin a flashback?

[eee]

I have no idea what's going on, but I find it vaguely terrifying...

[RCgothic]

I think it's Coyote sifting through Ysengrin's memories.

[Leewei]

From the look of it, Coyote is tearing out Ysengrin's joy of being with Annie. It looks like a monstrous betrayal against both of them.

[halfeye]

I don't like people in comics talking and us not being able to read it. If it doesn't matter, do it off-screen.

[eee]

OK, we're past 'vaguely terrifying' and into 'this is distressing. And creepy.'

[guttering flame]

I don't like people in comics talking and us not being able to read it. If it doesn't matter, do it off-screen.

I think it's meant to convey that Ysengrin is so mind addled right now he has no idea what the human is saying. Like a stroke victim who lost his linguistic abilities. So it's not the usual background chatter that's not important you see in comics.

[Lapak]

From the look of it, Coyote is tearing out Ysengrin's joy of being with Annie. It looks like a monstrous betrayal against both of them.

Pretty sure it’s the opposite.

I am betting that this is what happened to Reynard, in fact.

[Leewei]

Pretty sure it’s the opposite.

I am betting that this is what happened to Reynard, in fact.

Given Ysengrin's reaction to Annie, I'll concede this. Good idea regarding Reynard, too.

[Mith]

Renard is based off of the stories of Reynard the fox and the song Reynardine, I think that Renard has always liked humans. The difference being whether he obsessed over humans like he did with Surma.

I would think that the removal of memories and the reliance on external support makes Ysingrin slowly collapse in on himself. My reasoning is that while etheric beings are started by human beliefs, they also have the ability for self continuation beyond the humans that spawned them. See for example Coyote hanging out in Great Britain. Ysengrin doesn't have that agency, and Coyote arguably takes the moments of agency aways from him. I doubt that Ysengrin in his prime would have anything to do with humans. So the conflict for Ysengrin is that he enjoys his relationship with Annie, but hates the shackles that bind him (the tree form, his lost memories, etc.) that allowed the relationship to form.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

The plot thickens.

Did he not like Ysengrin's answer, and wanted keep asking until he got a different one, I wonder.

[Ellen]

The plot thickens.

Did he not like Ysengrin's answer, and wanted keep asking until he got a different one, I wonder.

My first thought was that Coyote was putting something in Ysengrin, not taking a memory out, but that makes sense.

Although, there are all those Trickster tales where what you thought you asked for and what you get are two very different things. Another disturbing thing is that, up until now, I thought Ysen had to actually make a deal with Coyote (for example, agree to get powers from him) before Coyote had the power to mess with his mind. Doesn't look like that's the way it works.

Which makes me a bit more worried for Rey and what Coyote may have been able to do to him.

[eee]

We've gone from 'vaguely terrifying' to 'really creepy' to 'the heck is going on here?'. Can't wait to see where we go next.

[eee]

OK, I don't *think* I've taken any hallucinogens recently, and I'm not delirious with the flu, so I have to conclude this is the actual strip and that, somehow, it makes sense. If we just knew what Coyote was actually doing...

[Haruspex_Pariah]

I mean, we've always known Coyote to be a trickster who doesn't give a rat's behind about nobody, but this seems kind of sinister. And I do remember him threatening to snip Annie's wrist off.

Coyote as an outright bad guy is a frightening concept, and it didn't occur to me before because of how frivolous and playful his character seemed.

Although, I still have no idea what he's trying to do here. Maybe he's trying to confirm that Ysengrin really has no other drives or desires? Seems a rather brute-force way to go about it, if so. I mean with all the memory manipulation.

[guttering flame]

I read it as Ysengrin always answering this question the same way but the personality behind the answer gradually changes from a righteous character who want the power to protect the Forest and its inhabitants to a raving lunatic that can be summed by
"I HATE HUMANS! aRRRR!!! "
Ysengrin the wise, introspective wolf lord exasperates Coyote. By culling his memories/soul he twists him into a two dimensional cartoon character he can chuckle about.

[Lapak]

Coyote as an outright bad guy is a frightening concept, and it didn't occur to me before because of how frivolous and playful his character seemed.

Literally all his stories about himself are “I am a terrible person who should not be trusted with holding your drink for a minute, let alone with anything important,” yet everyone around him loves him except when they are his current victim (and even then, sometimes.) Because that’s how Trickster gods work.

If there is only one lesson to take from mythology? Never trust a trickster god. No, especially not then. Not Even Once. It will end in utter disaster for everyone, even for the god in question. But if there is another lesson, it is that everyone is going to do it anyway.

[Giggling Ghast]

To me, the comic suggests Coyote keeps posing the same question to Ysengrin, then removing the associated memory so he can ask it again. To what end, I don't know. Amusement? Does he hope the answer will change?

In any case, I think Coyote is responsible in large part for Ysengrin's madness.

[Lethologica]

Ysengrin is also transforming into a more human shape as Coyote keeps asking the question. Whether that's meant to show time passing or the effects of Coyote's repeated lobotomies or both is unclear.

[Ellen]

The way Trickster God rules usually seem to work is that what you thought you agreed to/asked for is not what you get, but there is a connection.

So far, the only guess I have is that, instead of Ysengrim getting Coyote's power, he's becoming an extension of Coyote. Hence, he will be part of Coyote's strength.

[Zea mays]

...
So far, the only guess I have is that, instead of Ysengrim getting Coyote's power, he's becoming an extension of Coyote. Hence, he will be part of Coyote's strength.

Unless... unless all along Ysengrin was also The Coyote.

Yeah, that whole chapter, and everything Ysengrin says in it just become disturbing the more I read. Also, how did I not catch the parallel between the Coyote/Ysengrin body (and soul?) re-arrangement, and what Kat is (all in good faith) doing with Robot?

[eee]

Oh look, it's that girl again!

Red monster = red shirt...

[halfeye]

Oh look, it's that girl again!

Indeed, is this a flashback?

[eschmenk]

Indeed, is this a flashback?

It's a memory.

[eee]

Ah yes, now THIS memory will be interesting.

I wonder how close Coyote can get to the other shore before Jeanne goes after him. Perhaps as long as he doesn't actually intend to cross he can get REALLY close and just stand there telling her jokes.

[halfeye]

It's a memory.

So that's a "yes" then.

Ah yes, now THIS memory will be interesting.

I wonder how close Coyote can get to the other shore before Jeanne goes after him. Perhaps as long as he doesn't actually intend to cross he can get REALLY close and just stand there telling her jokes.

I don't think it is a memory any more, so Jeanne is gone, and Coyote could prance all the way across.

[eee]

So that's a "yes" then.



I don't think it is a memory any more, so Jeanne is gone, and Coyote could prance all the way across.

In the first two panels Ysengrin's not wearing his armor and his body is not wasted. That means those two, at least, are the past.

It's possible Coyote is actually talking to Ysengrin's memories. This might be like Harry Potter and the Pensieve; he can walk through what people remember, see what Ysengrin saw, and talk him, but not change the memories at all.

[Ninja Dragon]

This update:

[eee]

WHOA! Fasten your seat belts, I think Coyote's about to reveal what he's been up to! We may be in for a bumpy ride!

[halfeye]

In the first two panels Ysengrin's not wearing his armor and his body is not wasted. That means those two, at least, are the past.

Oh yeah, I agree, however I think the later panels are in the present.