Reynir Árnason -- Character Development

[Vafhudr]

I am so upset right now. (Putting my incoherent rant in the spoilers but really I don't know if anyone will be spoilered? New page is up.)

Spoiler: show

Reynir is the youngest child. He's a cheerful, ebullient, excitable personality, who feels like he constantly has to be useful. Which means that growing up (if his family is typical according to the families I'm used to) this happened a lot:
"Reynir, you're not helping."
"Go and bug somebody else."
"Ugh, you're so annoying."
"Reynir. Stop."
"Calm down already!"
Baby Reynir would be subdued for a few moments, then probably try to 'help' some more, leading to more explicit rebuffs. He would probably feel like a burden when he was permitted to help with 'grown-up' tasks, being significantly less able than his older siblings---probably his only peers. And he would definitely have the youngest child complex of needing almost constant attention.
Okay, back to why I'm upset: panel five, page 308.
".....Oooh. I got it. I'm sorry."
HE KNOWS THAT TUURI'S LYING TO HIM. HE KNOWS SHE LOCKED HIM OUT. HE KNOWS THAT HE WAS ANNOYING HER. This is just further validation of the "Reynir's annoying" he would have heard from his (still loving) older siblings. REYNIR IS APOLOGIZING FOR HIMSELF.
And then Mikkel shows up. "And I'm sorry to see you wandering around without supervision." *reinforces dependence* "You'll stay where I don't have to keep an eye on you." *reinforces that Reynir's a burden* Look at Reynir's face. He's chewing on his cheek again---which is what he does when he's confused/unsure/conflicted, etc. The next panel? He's trying to make himself less of a burden. "I didn't have nightmares." He's touching his neck---that's a clear body-language indicator of discomfort. Also an indicator of lying.
So there we have it. In just one page, Reynir is psychologically squashed back into place, is made, once again, to feel that he is nothing but a burden, a hindrance, and an annoyance to others. Probably the same way he was made to feel when he was a young child. Am I reading too much into this? PROBABLY. *retires sobbing into the night*

No, I think you hit the mark. Big family dynamics - sense that he's an accident, the last, the not necessarily wanted - compensation by wanting to make himself useful - both because he's nice and because it's a source of worth.

Also, I think that's more Mikkel's way of expressing himself (not that it doesn't affect Reynir in the way you described), deadpan, but he doesn't mean that though I am having a hard time explaining how he's acting - like I know what he's doing, but I am not sure how to put it in words. Indirect caring? Like Mikkel has been consistently been doing the watching over people thing and Reynir's no different in that respect in this scene.

 

Though I am not sure he's lying about the nightmares. He might really have no recollection or awareness of his mage dream things.

[LooNEY_DAC]

Aaah. That's a mechanic I was not aware of - the whole avoiding name thing.

Circumlocution (="Talking around it") to avoid invocation (="Calling up") by the power of something's "True" or "Right" name is a prevalent idea in mythologies/mysticisms world wide; even Jewish mythology (superstition/legend not acknowledged by Judaism proper) features it, which is why Jews (and those from similar cultures) are masters of sarcasm: it's ingrained in their culture to avoid saying bad things in order to keep the bad things from occurring.

[Sunflower]

Circumlocution (="Talking around it") to avoid invocation (="Calling up") by the power of something's "True" or "Right" name is a prevalent idea in mythologies/mysticisms world wide; even Jewish mythology (superstition/legend not acknowledged by Judaism proper) features it, which is why Jews (and those from similar cultures) are masters of sarcasm: it's ingrained in their culture to avoid saying bad things in order to keep the bad things from occurring.

Mm-hm.  Laufey has mentioned the Finnish superstition about not saying the "true" name for "bear."  In ancient, pre-classical Rome, a similar prohibition attached to the word for "wolf."  I wonder if that was a common pattern among hunting cultures, not to use the "true" name of whatever was the local top predator/most prestigious trophy kill?

I have a vague recollection that many aboriginal cultures (e.g. Native Americans) won't use a baby's name out loud, for fear spirits/devils/whatever might latch on.  They'll just say "the baby" or "Little Girl," etc.

[SeaAngel]

I am so upset right now. (Putting my incoherent rant in the spoilers but really I don't know if anyone will be spoilered? New page is up.)

Spoiler: show

Reynir is the youngest child. He's a cheerful, ebullient, excitable personality, who feels like he constantly has to be useful. Which means that growing up (if his family is typical according to the families I'm used to) this happened a lot:
"Reynir, you're not helping."
"Go and bug somebody else."
"Ugh, you're so annoying."
"Reynir. Stop."
"Calm down already!"
Baby Reynir would be subdued for a few moments, then probably try to 'help' some more, leading to more explicit rebuffs. He would probably feel like a burden when he was permitted to help with 'grown-up' tasks, being significantly less able than his older siblings---probably his only peers. And he would definitely have the youngest child complex of needing almost constant attention.
Okay, back to why I'm upset: panel five, page 308.
".....Oooh. I got it. I'm sorry."
HE KNOWS THAT TUURI'S LYING TO HIM. HE KNOWS SHE LOCKED HIM OUT. HE KNOWS THAT HE WAS ANNOYING HER. This is just further validation of the "Reynir's annoying" he would have heard from his (still loving) older siblings. REYNIR IS APOLOGIZING FOR HIMSELF.
And then Mikkel shows up. "And I'm sorry to see you wandering around without supervision." *reinforces dependence* "You'll stay where I don't have to keep an eye on you." *reinforces that Reynir's a burden* Look at Reynir's face. He's chewing on his cheek again---which is what he does when he's confused/unsure/conflicted, etc. The next panel? He's trying to make himself less of a burden. "I didn't have nightmares." He's touching his neck---that's a clear body-language indicator of discomfort. Also an indicator of lying.
So there we have it. In just one page, Reynir is psychologically squashed back into place, is made, once again, to feel that he is nothing but a burden, a hindrance, and an annoyance to others. Probably the same way he was made to feel when he was a young child. Am I reading too much into this? PROBABLY. *retires sobbing into the night*

That is an interesting analysis, but I disagree.
I think the reason he's trying to be so helpful here is because he IS a burden. He could cause a lot of trouble for the mission, and he has already done so, by replacing some of their food. It's natural that he would feel guilty about it--I know I would. I would behave exactly as he does, and no one has ever called me useless.
Besides, I doubt he considered himself useless in his home. He was a sheep herder, he had a job, and thus participated in his family's income. And when he left, it wasn't so he could earn more money for his family, or stop being a burden for them, he just wanted to amuse himself. If everyone treated his as a burden he wouldn't do that.
As for the dream thing: I don't think he lied about the nightmares. In fact, I was expecting him to say something like that. Since apparently he is an untrained icelandic mage, whose powers are (among others) prophetic dreams, I was wondering exactly WHY Reynir never thought himself a mage. There must be a reason he does not remember his visits to the dreamworld.

[wildfire]

I am so upset right now. (Putting my incoherent rant in the spoilers but really I don't know if anyone will be spoilered? New page is up.)

Spoiler: show

Reynir is the youngest child. He's a cheerful, ebullient, excitable personality, who feels like he constantly has to be useful. Which means that growing up (if his family is typical according to the families I'm used to) this happened a lot:
"Reynir, you're not helping."
"Go and bug somebody else."
"Ugh, you're so annoying."
"Reynir. Stop."
"Calm down already!"
Baby Reynir would be subdued for a few moments, then probably try to 'help' some more, leading to more explicit rebuffs. He would probably feel like a burden when he was permitted to help with 'grown-up' tasks, being significantly less able than his older siblings---probably his only peers. And he would definitely have the youngest child complex of needing almost constant attention.
Okay, back to why I'm upset: panel five, page 308.
".....Oooh. I got it. I'm sorry."
HE KNOWS THAT TUURI'S LYING TO HIM. HE KNOWS SHE LOCKED HIM OUT. HE KNOWS THAT HE WAS ANNOYING HER. This is just further validation of the "Reynir's annoying" he would have heard from his (still loving) older siblings. REYNIR IS APOLOGIZING FOR HIMSELF.
And then Mikkel shows up. "And I'm sorry to see you wandering around without supervision." *reinforces dependence* "You'll stay where I don't have to keep an eye on you." *reinforces that Reynir's a burden* Look at Reynir's face. He's chewing on his cheek again---which is what he does when he's confused/unsure/conflicted, etc. The next panel? He's trying to make himself less of a burden. "I didn't have nightmares." He's touching his neck---that's a clear body-language indicator of discomfort. Also an indicator of lying.
So there we have it. In just one page, Reynir is psychologically squashed back into place, is made, once again, to feel that he is nothing but a burden, a hindrance, and an annoyance to others. Probably the same way he was made to feel when he was a young child. Am I reading too much into this? PROBABLY. *retires sobbing into the night*

I am not going to claim that you're right, but I'm not going to claim that you're not right. I think you might be very, very right, and I'll explain myself under the spoiler tag.

Spoiler: show

I am the youngest of four children, and maybe four children aren't that many children, but keep in mind, I have a disabled sister and my brother had leukemia few years before I was born. My father also had tuberculosis when I was little, and I see a lot of myself in Reynir. (To be honest, I cried when I read the newest page because it felt so very, very familiar. And I feel like crying now too, because this theory seems so very, very familiar.) I understand what SeaAngel is saying, too, but if I were in the same position as Reynir, I actually think I might have done the same thing - because sometimes you do things without thinking it through properly, and then you do something stupid and you just have to find a way to make the best out of it. And this seemed like something Reynir really wanted to do, and if he's anything like me, he WILL do all that is within his powers to make his own wishes come true. And sometimes, in this process, you forget what harm you might put upon others.

I wouldn't be surprised if this theory would turn out to be correct. Also, I'm sorry if my rant is filled with bad english grammar, this is not my native language!

[RandomTexanReader]

That is an interesting analysis, but I disagree.
I think the reason he's trying to be so helpful here is because he IS a burden. He could cause a lot of trouble for the mission, and he has already done so, by replacing some of their food. It's natural that he would feel guilty about it--I know I would. I would behave exactly as he does, and no one has ever called me useless.
Besides, I doubt he considered himself useless in his home. He was a sheep herder, he had a job, and thus participated in his family's income. And when he left, it wasn't so he could earn more money for his family, or stop being a burden for them, he just wanted to amuse himself. If everyone treated his as a burden he wouldn't do that.
As for the dream thing: I don't think he lied about the nightmares. In fact, I was expecting him to say something like that. Since apparently he is an untrained icelandic mage, whose powers are (among others) prophetic dreams, I was wondering exactly WHY Reynir never thought himself a mage. There must be a reason he does not remember his visits to the dreamworld.

To be perfectly honest, I doubt he's lying too. But I think that he is lying about the subtext: "You don't have to worry about me." "I'm not a burden."
I agree that a large part of his eagerness to help comes from the fact that his mistake has inconvenienced and harmed our intrepid team, but I think that actually backs up my analysis: he has internalized that the way to fix being a burden is by helping. Also he seemed very eager to help when working his way across to Bornholm (which I understand is a different situation), but perhaps it's too early to claim that helpfulness is a part of his personality. The important thing is that having his help rejected would not a new experience for him, and he recognizes exactly what Tuuri's doing.
I also agree that he didn't consider himself useless---once he was able to truly contribute. But as a child, he would have felt useless, because when you're significantly younger than everyone else around you, ya kinda are. And yes, he did escape for his own amusement. I don't think that what I described is his primary motivation, but I definitely think it's a facet.

Vafhudr, I agree that Mikkel didn't mean what Reynir heard. His job description is basically "keep them alive," and I think he's focused on that.
wildfire, I totally agree. All he wanted was to see something of the world.

[Mayabird]

I have wondered if Mikkel was a younger child in his family, so this dynamic might be familiar to him.  I suspect he's trying here to head it off as quickly as possible because the margins of survival are just too tight to have to deal with interpersonal drama too. 

[RandomTexanReader]

I have wondered if Mikkel was a younger child in his family, so this dynamic might be familiar to him.  I suspect he's trying here to head it off as quickly as possible because the margins of survival are just too tight to have to deal with interpersonal drama too.

To be 100% honest, the whole uber-responsible and passive-aggressive tendencies read more "oldest child" to me, although I could be wrong. I think that he is definitely heading off the drama for the reasons you noted by cutting in and pulling Reynir out of the "I'm sorry" loop, but I think he's recognizing it from a different perspective.

[SeaAngel]

To be perfectly honest, I doubt he's lying too. But I think that he is lying about the subtext: "You don't have to worry about me." "I'm not a burden."
I agree that a large part of his eagerness to help comes from the fact that his mistake has inconvenienced and harmed our intrepid team, but I think that actually backs up my analysis: he has internalized that the way to fix being a burden is by helping. Also he seemed very eager to help when working his way across to Bornholm (which I understand is a different situation), but perhaps it's too early to claim that helpfulness is a part of his personality. The important thing is that having his help rejected would not a new experience for him, and he recognizes exactly what Tuuri's doing.
I also agree that he didn't consider himself useless---once he was able to truly contribute. But as a child, he would have felt useless, because when you're significantly younger than everyone else around you, ya kinda are. And yes, he did escape for his own amusement. I don't think that what I described is his primary motivation, but I definitely think it's a facet.

Yeah, I agree that this would not be a new experience to him (and I didn't find Tuuri being particularly elegant in her attemp to shoo him, he would be pretty dumb if he didn't understand what was happening) and that as a child he might have felt it, we agree :-)
I just doubt that the current situation would bring back up particularly painful memories: the present is dangerous enough and filled with guilt, I think his experience with his siblings would pale in comparison.

[RandomTexanReader]

Yeah, I agree that this would not be a new experience to him (and I didn't find Tuuri being particularly elegant in her attemp to shoo him, he would be pretty dump if he didn't understand what was happening) and that as a child he might have felt it, we agree :-)
I just doubt that the current situation would bring back up particularly painful memories: the present is dangerous enough and filled with guilt, I think his experience with his siblings would pale in comparison.

Oh yeah, totally. I don't think he's been horribly traumatized and scarred for life by growing up the youngest in a (from what we've seen) well-adjusted and loving family. But there's always going to be that complex there.

[FinnishViking]

Hmm well imo he should be more worried about being left alone with the sleeping man cat, but i think this might be the start for him to realize he has magic powers.

Something like him trying to socialize with Lalli, giving up in the hopeless task and going to sleep only to find out himself wondering in Lallis dreams and Lalli getting what was going on.
Maybe even a potential Onni scene through the sleep network?

[Laufey]

To be 100% honest, the whole uber-responsible and passive-aggressive tendencies read more "oldest child" to me, although I could be wrong. I think that he is definitely heading off the drama for the reasons you noted by cutting in and pulling Reynir out of the "I'm sorry" loop, but I think he's recognizing it from a different perspective.

Oldest child here and you're definitely right about those tendencies. You grow them when you spend your childhood being responsible for your sibling/s and always end up in worse trouble than they if they do silly stuff on your watch... *grumble* Mikkel might well be the oldest child.

As for Reynir, don't forget that he also grew up knowing he was lacking something that his siblings had (immunity) and that because of that - something he couldn't help himself - he was seemingly eternally doomed to boring farm life. It was such a huge influence in his life that when he found out that nothing actually stopped him from leaving he didn't even stop to think, up until the moment he was told he was stuck in troll county with no way out...

[SeaAngel]

Oh yeah, totally. I don't think he's been horribly traumatized and scarred for life by growing up the youngest in a (from what we've seen) well-adjusted and loving family. But there's always going to be that complex there.

With this I agree :-) :-)

[KMK]

Mm-hm.  Laufey has mentioned the Finnish superstition about not saying the "true" name for "bear."  In ancient, pre-classical Rome, a similar prohibition attached to the word for "wolf."  I wonder if that was a common pattern among hunting cultures, not to use the "true" name of whatever was the local top predator/most prestigious trophy kill?

I have a vague recollection that many aboriginal cultures (e.g. Native Americans) won't use a baby's name out loud, for fear spirits/devils/whatever might latch on.  They'll just say "the baby" or "Little Girl," etc.

In South America they do not use the jaguars name. If talking about him he is referred to as El Tigre (the tiger).

[Sunflower]

Poor Reynir.  As of p. 322, he's *still* calling himself "stupid."  Hopefully he'll get a chance to earn some self-esteem.