How did Annie end up like that?

[aline]

I just wanted to have all the crazy theories in one thread, while I'm waiting for the next chapter to begin. Feel free to mention you own crazy theory in the comments if I overlooked it.

[snipertom]

Good poll!

[hypixion]

I've read on some places that people think it's strange that Annie cutting off her hair would separate her from her fire spirit. But every time Annie went into the ether she was always connected to her physical body through her hair, so I think we can say for sure her hair has a lot to do with it. Maybe because the hair comes from her head and is close to her brain?
Another part that makes me think this is the fact that coyote seems to call her firehead girl a lot of times they meet, although that might because she has redish hair.
I think she achieved this by cutting her hair with the tooth. We never understood why coyote gave her the tooth, maybe he foresaw a situation where this action might have to be taken?

[hnau]

I kinda happend that, under much psychological stress, and after years of secret research, she tried Coyote's tooth on her own spirit, and now she's having a very literal form of multiple personality disorder...

[eyemyself]

Jun 29, 2015 13:18:33 GMT hnau said:

I kinda happend that, under much psychological stress, and after years of secret research, she tried Coyote's tooth on her own spirit, and now she's having a very literal form of multiple personality disorder...

With Anthony's help as soon as he was alone with her, of course. He's such a helpful dude when it comes to these things despite being a Jerk father!

[hnau]

Jun 29, 2015 13:20:35 GMT eyemyself said:

Jun 29, 2015 13:18:33 GMT hnau said:

I kinda happend that, under much psychological stress, and after years of secret research, she tried Coyote's tooth on her own spirit, and now she's having a very literal form of multiple personality disorder...

With Anthony's help as soon as he was alone with her, of course. He's such a helpful dude when it comes to these things despite being a Jerk father!

And the etheral power of belief of some forest fairies made Surma come back from the dead. Now they're all one big happy family: Annie, Surma, Anthony, Renard and the Elemental. The End.

[louisxiv]

I wonder if she figured out something from Coyote’s demonstration — how to take the life from the rabbit Fire Elemental and keep it…

You need to add “It’s all Coyote’s fault” as a poll option.

(Most polls ’round here should have that option of course…)

[aline]

Turns out I can't edit the poll afterwards, at least I don't see any option to do this. Too bad, I think "It's all Coyote's fault" is a nice theory!

[quark]

Jun 29, 2015 16:46:51 GMT louisxiv said:

I wonder if she figured out something from Coyote’s demonstration — how to take the life from the rabbit Fire Elemental and keep it…

You need to add “It’s all Coyote’s fault” as a poll option.

(Most polls ’round here should have that option of course…)

Yeah, that would fit in quite nicely with bodies without spirits being 'only a shell'. When you linked this, it gave me an idea, though - the fairy-shells and the fairy-spirits are connected by a thin line, and when they destroy their bodies, only their spirit remains. And the court has something to do with it.

Crazy theory time:
FUN Facts:
    Annie can leave her body and visit the ether. 
    Annie can manipulate physical things while in the ether - she's displayed strength (moving the boat) and precision (turning off the robots)
    Coyotes tooth is really damn sharp. It can cut a shadow from the ground! We haven't tested it on Jones' hair, yet, but it would be worth a try.
    While the mind is in the ether, a person can still go to class and do homework as well as react to their environment, but it's very subdued. (as evidenced by the foley students)
    Annie's hair is very important in the ether. It guides her in, and is her connection to the real world. Also, it doesn't have a natural haircolour, so it's safe to assume it's something she's got from her fire elemental ancestors 

Theory: Annie went into the ether, and cut off the thin line between her spirit and her body, correctly theorising that her hair might be the anchor! Since she's not an expert in how to do this and might not have the fine motor control needed, she just made a ponytail and cut it off with coyote's tooth while she's in the ether. (Explains the rough haircut, ragged, longer in the front than the back)
This is how she keeps control!

[Daedalus]

It's really morbid that the web address for this page is "annie-end".

[aline]

I seem to be the only one to think Anthony might be the evildoer. We have strong reason to believe that he's spent years trying to find out how to remove the fire elemental, in order to complete his work and save his daughter from her mother's fate. What a coincidence that Annie would end up doing exactly that the minute he comes back?

My crazy theory is:
- Removing the fire elemental was Tony's plan all along. He only came back to the court because he finally found how to do it, and he went on with it the minute he had enough alone time with his daughter.
- Annie was either talked into it, or only managed some last minute safeguards to protect her elemental nature
- Maybe she cut off the elemental herself to protect it from Tony's procedure, which might have destroyed it?
- Tony didn't expect for the elemental to stay as a flatmate, Annie is hiding the fact from him
- He didn't expect either that Annie wouldn't be or stay the good HomeworkIsMyLife he thought he had. Now that he's done, he's decided to go on with life and never mention any of the events again, but Annie has other plans.

[freeman]

Jun 30, 2015 13:06:39 GMT aline said:

- Annie was either talked into it, or only managed some last minute safeguards to protect her elemental nature
- Maybe she cut off the elemental herself to protect it from Tony's procedure, which might have destroyed it?
- Tony didn't expect for the elemental to stay as a flatmate, Annie is hiding the fact from him

I think the big argument against this and the several other speculations that say "Annie is in control" is the large empty room seemingly suitable for fire-elemental maintenance and containment, which Anthony has arranged for her to live in.

As a quick analysis, let me recap what has happened in the last three pages:

• the Carvers walk towards Annie's bunker, Anthony is having either his normal sad face, but I'm reading a hint of dedication, Annie is wearing her recently acquired stoic face.
  
• Anthony wishes good night for Her, almost looks like he's showing a hint of genuine caring; Annie replies promptly with a happy face, which could be genuine, could be exagerated. She's keeping her head a bit down, which signifies submission.
• What does holding her left arm like that signify, more submission or dishonesty?
  
• Annie watches her father go away.
• Annie goes in, still with the stoic expression and head down, but I'd judge it to be more happy than sad, or possibly "thinking lot of thoughts".
• She closes the door behind her and stops to lean against it. She's having her hands against her back, which I would read as "alone at last" pose, having her hands down would signify larger emotional relief and fatique, plus she's giving a face I'd judge to be as "happy, contempt". Could be she's just stretching her back; it doesn't really look like she was checking if the door was shut, or wanting to be as shut as possible.
• "You can come down now", with unquestionably positive expression.
• And we see the fire elemental spiral down to Annie, who's standing straight, but still having her eyes shut. How ever, her expression isn't no longer the stoic, but more like waiting.
  
• Finally, the "wham shot". Annie with michievous expression, looking at the fire-elemental. The iffy page, the iffiest page! Is she teasing the fire elemental which is trying reach back inside her but can't, or is she readening herself the to let it back in? Is she saying that for the elemental or herself? What is the thing that went quite well? Deceiving his father, or Donlands, or just maintaining the public image she deems her father finds most approvable?

So, I find three possible conclusions:
1) Annie is doing this in full cooperation with her father, in secrecy from the court, Donlans included. Their actions could be either pro fire-elementals or eventually aiming to eradicate it completely.
2) Anthony has planned this all along, but he might not know that it has already happened. Might be the exact outcome is defferent from his plans, as you have pointed out.
3) Bummer, it was just a metaphor!

Last time we saw Annie in that room:
- She was not playing the stoic and meek, but wasn't herself either. She was keeping something from Kat?
- She was dishonest towards her father, proven by Renard. I just wonder why she then gave it so easily for Kat, unless Kat tricked her after all? But "O~oh?"
- Full look to the empty space of the room was provided, with no visible signs of external fire-elemental activity.

I read the whole chapter with very careful eye. Specially, the dinnerparty section. Doesn't look so much "empty shell" as some have put it as much as maintaining a facade, but from whom; Tony, Donlans?

I must say I'm very anxious to see how this particular subplot unravels. Oh hey, Paz interlude! It's Dr. Disaster! Meanwhile, at the "Ties"! The summer of cityface!

[eyemyself]

Jun 30, 2015 16:25:39 GMT freeman said:

Nice angle reveals that her pubescent development is well on its way.

I'm sorry, but this comment just strikes me as unnecessary, creepy, and weird. Your chapter analysis would be perfectly fine without veering off into commenting on the developing secondary sexual characteristics of a fictional fourteen year old girl - which incidentally don't seem to have any bearing on any of your other points.

[aline]

Jun 30, 2015 16:25:39 GMT freeman said:

I think the big argument against this and the several other speculations that say "Annie is in control" is the large empty room seemingly suitable for fire-elemental maintenance and containment, which Anthony has arranged for her to live in

Yeah but on the other side:
- We don't know for sure what exactly is suitable to contain a fire elemental. Actually, it doesn't look nearly big enough to need all the space in that ridiculously huge corridor room.
- Why would Anthony want Annie to have the elemental in her room if he successfully removed it? OK, so maybe he doesn't have a choice, but... that should be an unsatisfactory solution to him
- One way to interpret Annie's words ("You can come down now") is that she is trying to keep her dad from finding out the elemental's presence.

You interpretation *would* explain the absurd rooming decisions, but I'm not too sure it's the answer yet.


Another idea: Someone / something that we do not yet know is helping Athony or pretending to help him, while playing another game... manipulating him and / or Annie.
But who would that be ?
Coyote ? Or someone we didn't meet yet? Seems a bit crazy, but...

[Daedalus]

Jun 30, 2015 17:44:30 GMT eyemyself said:

Jun 30, 2015 16:25:39 GMT freeman said:

Nice angle reveals that her pubescent development is well on its way.

I'm sorry, but this comment just strikes me as unnecessary, creepy, and weird. Your chapter analysis would be perfectly fine without veering off into commenting on the developing secondary sexual characteristics of a fictional fourteen year old girl - which incidentally don't seem to have any bearing on any of your other points.

Seconding. Not the first time the topic has come up, either:

May 3, 2014 15:39:24 GMT freeman said:

Our second protagonist too has started to grow a pair of bosoms, first time verifiable without doubt in panel 5.

(Plus a couple others.)

[vakri]

An idea that hit me like a wooden log- what if the elemental Annie is the real one, and the other one is a clone? We saw cloning in Totem, and it might have been a clue.

Of course that means she needed to give a sample of her DNA.

A sample like... for example... hair?

[Per]

How would that align with anyone's motivations?

[vakri]

Jul 3, 2015 13:09:24 GMT Per said:

How would that align with anyone's motivations?

Well, we don't know what motivations do Anne or Tony have- because they both did their best not to tell. And as this is Tom, it wil probably be totally mindblowing. So it might as well be connected with cloning somehow.

[warrl]

My wild theory is that Annie's hair did not get cut.

She cut away the fire spirit, and 2/3 of the length of her hair just disappeared.

If and when she re-merges with the fire spirit, the old length will be back.

(And when she accepted the job of Forest Medium, she didn't actually light her hair on fire. She just told a portion of her fire to stop pretending to be hair.)

[Daedalus]

Jul 3, 2015 20:14:00 GMT warrl said:

My wild theory is that Annie's hair did not get cut.

She cut away the fire spirit, and 2/3 of the length of her hair just disappeared.

If and when she re-merges with the fire spirit, the old length will be back.

Even crazier theory: she hasn't looked in a mirror since cutting her fire spirit away, and she doesn't know her hair was missing, and that's why she was confused when Kat said her father had made her cut her hair

[smurfton]

Jul 3, 2015 12:56:31 GMT vakri said:

Of course that means she needed to give a sample of her DNA.

A sample like... for example... hair?

Hair doesn't contain DNA. If you had some dead skin in the hair, that does work.

My theory: When Anthony came back to tell Annie off, the fire went out of her (literally and figuratively). Being an actual thing, the fire had to go somewhere. Once Annie manages to leave this state of mind, they should join back together.  I hope.

[keef]

I missed this poll due to holidays. Option two seems the most acceptable.

A possibility; Anthony's earlier attempt to surgery was somewhat successful, and Annie already knew she could now take this part out of herself. I don't think Anthony has a clue, otherwise she would not be hiding the elemental.
Probably the reason she didn't want Kat to interfere was she didn't need the help. She's even more manipulative and sneaky then I thought.

Jun 29, 2015 13:17:56 GMT hypixion said:

I've read on some places that people think it's strange that Annie cutting off her hair would separate her from her fire spirit. But every time Annie went into the ether she was always connected to her physical body through her hair

Not after the fairies severed the connection

Another part that makes me think this is the fact that coyote seems to call her firehead girl

It certainly puts that nickname in a new light

I think she achieved this by cutting her hair with the tooth. We never understood why coyote gave her the tooth, maybe he foresaw a situation where this action might have to be taken?

Hmm, I still think he aimed the tooth mainly at Jeanne and probably had Jones in mind as a secondary target.

Jun 29, 2015 16:46:51 GMT louisxiv said:

I wonder if she figured out something from Coyote’s demonstration — how to take the life from the rabbit Fire Elemental and keep it…

That's another good possibility. He may have shown her what could have saved her mother. Whether he was aware of it?


freeman Tom somewhat emphasizing Annie's boobs might be to show us the difference between Annie acting as a nine year old in the presence of her father, and the young woman she really is.

[paginalis]

So if we think that Annie cutting her hair had something to do with the separation of the fire elemental (which I certainly do, especially given how the cut is reflected on the elemental), what do we make of Surma's similar haircut? 

This is why I think it may really have been that she cut her hair with Coyote's tooth or in some special way to make this happen.  Unless Surma also separated her fire elemental...?

[Onomatopoeia]

Any scenario involving Coyote's tooth seems unlikely. Renard is the one that keeps it and he would have commented on it when asking whether Annie was ok; he would know for a fact that she's not.

More probably it was simply a use of her own etheric abilities that did the dirty deed.