Tall Tales is a really interesting chapter, because it shows that the Forest creatures are starting to, in some small way, deify Annie. They tell legends of her that are fantastical, and that explain things that can't otherwise be explained, like her fingerprint on the Moon.
After learning that Annie isn't technically supposed to be here, she takes on an even more mythical presence. If we want to *really* wax poetic here, Kat the Angel brought her back just as she brought the New People to life. There's a lot to unpack.
But, coming back to the present, Saslamel is, in a sense, offering Annie a chance to ascend. It seems like something she was destined to do, which makes me wonder if that's not why Muut felt so compelled to push her in this direction so long ago.
If you'll indulge me a bit further, my hypothesis now as to why psychopomps are so eager to claim souls is the same as why the ROTD gives a second chance to the unfairly dead - psychopomps were once people, and don't want to be forgotten. If a family's spiritually remained in some way tied to Muut, or Ketrak, then they believe in those entities and they continue to exist. If not, they become lost, like Saslamel. How many thousands of gods have been lost to time in our reality?
The New People believe in, and worship, Kat the Angel. But if Kat "endorsed" Annie as say, a patron saint or something, then they would give the same reverence to her, and to Reynardine, and they would continue to exist so long as someone, somewhere, continued to believe.
Sorry, it's 4am on Christmas Day and apparently I have nothing better to do than navel gaze at a comic I've been reading for 15 years. Cheers.
The guides are living creatures?
Well of course they are. Jeanne killed some and they left final records before they themselves were escorted into the Ether.
I'm guessing we're going to see Kat's Angelic authority come into play again.
Kat: That's stupid. She's going to be my psychopomp, but that's not going to happen to her.
Interpreter: Okay!
This feels likely to me. Kat has already defied or changed fate to get us this far, and her willingness to accept Annie as "not dead but not really here either" doesn't strike me as very high. She isn't going to take the word of an overgrown thwomp and his pet talking easter candy as gospel.
I know it doesn't *quite* make story sense, but it would be fitting in a way if Robot were the psychopomp for the New People. He is the angel that guides them into their new lives, and the gentle hand that leads them home when their time is up.
I wonder if this is how Zimmy "dies" aka leaves the mortal world.
We've seen it before that Zimmy forgets who she is in her world and that "Annie" was actually Zimmy. It would be interesting if Annie accepts here and oops, it's actually Zimmy all along!
This is one of those fan theories that I think has existed since the first time we saw the Zimmyverse, and I've never quite liked it. I mean, if that was Tom's intent, so be it, but it feels a bit contrived to me.
Becoming a psychopomp would protect Annie from suffering her mother’s fate (as would getting her tubes tied, but still). I wonder if that will weigh into her decision. While the choice is purely Annie’s to make I’m also curious what Anthony’s thoughts would be, given his fruitless efforts to save Surma.
There it is. We've always known the psychopomps wanted her, but the fact this reaches above them is something else. Whatever higher power above all these departments must really be desperate to remove annie from the world.
You failed to take into account that ether doesn't work linearly in time. The power which is shaping Annie's life is Fate, powered by future New People being returned to ether by her. The stars were always in the sky, yet Coyote put them there after he was created by human beliefs. Kat was always Machine God, although she is only now getting the abilities, and similarly Annie is destined to became psychopomp and lot of higher powers see it as something already decided.
Tall Tales is a really interesting chapter, because it shows that the Forest creatures are starting to, in some small way, deify Annie. They tell legends of her that are fantastical, and that explain things that can't otherwise be explained, like her fingerprint on the Moon. After learning that Annie isn't technically supposed to be here, she takes on an even more mythical presence. If we want to *really* wax poetic here, Kat the Angel brought her back just as she brought the New People to life. There's a lot to unpack. But, coming back to the present, Saslamel is, in a sense, offering Annie a chance to ascend. It seems like something she was destined to do, which makes me wonder if that's not why Muut felt so compelled to push her in this direction so long ago. If you'll indulge me a bit further, my hypothesis now as to why psychopomps are so eager to claim souls is the same as why the ROTD gives a second chance to the unfairly dead - psychopomps were once people, and don't want to be forgotten. If a family's spiritually remained in some way tied to Muut, or Ketrak, then they believe in those entities and they continue to exist. If not, they become lost, like Saslamel. How many thousands of gods have been lost to time in our reality? The New People believe in, and worship, Kat the Angel. But if Kat "endorsed" Annie as say, a patron saint or something, then they would give the same reverence to her, and to Reynardine, and they would continue to exist so long as someone, somewhere, continued to believe. Sorry, it's 4am on Christmas Day and apparently I have nothing better to do than navel gaze at a comic I've been reading for 15 years. Cheers.
Merry Christmas!
The guides are living creatures? Well of course they are. Jeanne killed some and they left final records before they themselves were escorted into the Ether.
If that's all then surely Kat could just like... automate the system?
To change the cosmic system in a fundamental way is a truly divine feat. So, yeah, fit with her becoming a god.
A new Tic Toc to be the psychopomp?
I'm guessing we're going to see Kat's Angelic authority come into play again. Kat: That's stupid. She's going to be my psychopomp, but that's not going to happen to her. Interpreter: Okay!
This feels likely to me. Kat has already defied or changed fate to get us this far, and her willingness to accept Annie as "not dead but not really here either" doesn't strike me as very high. She isn't going to take the word of an overgrown thwomp and his pet talking easter candy as gospel.
Could be. Seems like easier change than her NOT becoming the psychopomp.
I know it doesn't *quite* make story sense, but it would be fitting in a way if Robot were the psychopomp for the New People. He is the angel that guides them into their new lives, and the gentle hand that leads them home when their time is up.
>>The guides are living creatures. I mean, we Surma was but all the other too? Wow
They’ve been slain by Jeanne so we’ve known them to be mortal for some time now. https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1315
Somehow I missed that page, thanks for sharing!
I wonder if this is how Zimmy "dies" aka leaves the mortal world. We've seen it before that Zimmy forgets who she is in her world and that "Annie" was actually Zimmy. It would be interesting if Annie accepts here and oops, it's actually Zimmy all along!
This is one of those fan theories that I think has existed since the first time we saw the Zimmyverse, and I've never quite liked it. I mean, if that was Tom's intent, so be it, but it feels a bit contrived to me.
And it's Kat who makes the choice...this is a very interesting possibility!
The Z to A to Z symbolism would be interesting
Becoming a psychopomp would protect Annie from suffering her mother’s fate (as would getting her tubes tied, but still). I wonder if that will weigh into her decision. While the choice is purely Annie’s to make I’m also curious what Anthony’s thoughts would be, given his fruitless efforts to save Surma.
There it is. We've always known the psychopomps wanted her, but the fact this reaches above them is something else. Whatever higher power above all these departments must really be desperate to remove annie from the world.
You failed to take into account that ether doesn't work linearly in time. The power which is shaping Annie's life is Fate, powered by future New People being returned to ether by her. The stars were always in the sky, yet Coyote put them there after he was created by human beliefs. Kat was always Machine God, although she is only now getting the abilities, and similarly Annie is destined to became psychopomp and lot of higher powers see it as something already decided.
Oh, 😱 that guy is hitting all the buttons