[346] I want to help too

[Mezzaphor]

That's the first time we've seen Annie's face in profile.

Also, HOLY CRAP THE LAST PANEL HOLY CRAP

[popo]

Huh. Whenever annie touches something it goes back to how it was.

Well I guess now we know how the boy avoided seeing his own corpse.
EDIT: I'm pretty sure the boy knows he's dead now, or at least that something is very not right.

[mudmaniac]

So heres the thing. with all the reality rending happening around, is that just the kid's spirit, or is there really a DEAD HUMAN BODY in the storage closet.

Creepy.

[Myrani]

This... reaaaaally makes me start to once again contemplate the nick Annie received on the face from the ghostie lady by the Annan Waters. Well, more specifically, its apparent penchant for being indecisive as to whether it's actually there or not.

[Yin]

You know what? I think he's physically dead but his soul, spirit, whatever hasn't left his body. But he's affecting his appearance and his surroundings somehow.

[Goatmon]

sli said:

You know what? I think he's physically dead but his soul, spirit, whatever hasn't left his body. But he's affecting his appearance and his surroundings somehow.

I doubt it. I'm guessing this is purely a ghost situation. He's unable to accept what's happened to him, and it's only when Annie is touching him that she sees him for what he is.

This is probably going to be a very scary experience for both the kid and Annie, of whom neither seems very clear on what's going on.

myrani said:

This... reaaaaally makes me start to once again contemplate the nick Annie received on the face from the ghostie lady by the Annan Waters. Well, more specifically, its apparent penchant for being indecisive as to whether it's actually there or not.

I think it's more a matter of her being vulnerable to the spirits as a consequence of being able to communicate with them; When you see them, they see you.

[pencilears]

I think people are already dead when they go to that hospital. it's psychic space not real space.

it's a way station between incarnations and this is why Surma is there for so long and Anne's dad can't visit. she's dead and he's not. Anne may also be dead or have died before this is also why she can see the psycopomps.

the kid is dead, he died at home so he thinks he's still there because he refuses to think he's dead. this is why the space around his is still his room.

I wonder if he would turn into something like zimmy if left in that state for to long?

*yes I joined to post this*

[popo]

pencilears said:

I think people are already dead when they go to that hospital. it's psychic space not real space.

it's a way station between incarnations and this is why Surma is there for so long and Anne's dad can't visit. she's dead and he's not. Anne may also be dead or have died before this is also why she can see the psycopomps.

Ummm... wow.

[zivilyn]

That wouldn't make any sense. She called the hospital remember, and her father was a surgeon there.

All that's going on is she's interrupting the kid's projected reality. It's visible in every fame, around her, not just when she touches him.

[Yin]

Hey yeah, you're right, I didn't even spot that.

[pandapandapie]

pencilears said:

I think people are already dead when they go to that hospital. it's psychic space not real space.

it's a way station between incarnations and this is why Surma is there for so long and Anne's dad can't visit. she's dead and he's not. Anne may also be dead or have died before this is also why she can see the psycopomps.

I think it's far more likely that Annie and Surma can just see it because they're somehow special. And if it turns out that Annie was dead, I don't think I'll be able to enjoy this comic as much as I do now. I highly doubt that's the case.

[pandapandapie]

popo said:

I'm pretty sure the boy knows he's dead now, or at least that something is very not right.

I think it's far more likely that he'll just think Annie's doing something to him. He'll probably think that she's a witch too. That's the conclusion I would have jumped to if I were in his shoes.

[edzepp]

Annie touching him confirms my theory that reality is being bent around him. That is obviously not his room. Still doesn't explain why he's in there. He does mention that the guides keep trying to get into "his room". So does this mean that he brings his own little piece of reality wherever he goes so that it's still "his room" ? Denial ?

Hi, everyone. Happy to be joining in the speculation. Great comic today, Tom. Unsettled the heck out of me.

[ceezedby]

Ahem. That's not the arm of someone recently dead.

[chibisoma]

So every Tim Burton character ever gets his arm Quirrell'd by Annie?

This. Is. Awesome.

Vaguely creepy, but still really awesome.

[Coyoty]

ceezedby said:

Ahem. That's not the arm of someone recently dead.

It could be if he died from burns.

[Goatmon]

pencilears said:

it's a way station between incarnations and this is why Surma is there for so long and Anne's dad can't visit. she's dead and he's not. Anne may also be dead or have died before this is also why she can see the psycopomps.

I sincerely doubt that. It seems far more likely that the ability to see ghosts was a trait inherited from her mother.

And yeah, it's clear that reality around Annie is penetrating into the pseudo-reality this ghost is emanating. It's obvious from the start of this scene that the space around his bed is being affected, and made to look different. Clearly whatever is doing this has no affect on a living person, at least not subconsciously.

[todd]

So would any living being be able to dispell the ghost boy's illusions, or does it stem from Annie's own qualities?

(Annie doesn't seem to have that ability turned on all the time, judging from Chapter Four - her presence didn't dispell Mort's illusions or reality-alterations - but maybe Mort's abilities are of a different nature than the ghost-boy's here.)

[Boksha]

I'm guessing the whole dispelling illusion thing stems from her having qualities as a medium, inherited from her mother. Probably what the dog meant by "All she got to do is be there".
Additionally, I'm guessing Annie and the boy are the only ones that can even see that part of the room like that.

mezzaphor said:

That's the first time we've seen Annie's face in profile.

Huh. I figured something was different. I didn't notice why until you mentioned it.

[Bobbey]

Great comic today Tom, I really got freaked out in that last panel. At first glance, I thought his arm had become a branch of some sort, but then I went: "oh".

I guess I'm just releived that she didn't touch his face instead...

[Boksha]

There's always next update.

[popo]

todd said:

(Annie doesn't seem to have that ability turned on all the time, judging from Chapter Four - her presence didn't dispell Mort's illusions or reality-alterations - but maybe Mort's abilities are of a different nature than the ghost-boy's here.)

I think that they're the same, but since this boy is doing it subconsciously, they only work to a very small extent.

[Mezzaphor]

Now we know why Annie was so unimpressed when she first met Mort.

To compare the various instances of illusioneering or reality-altering that we've seen so far:

Mort illusions:
*visible to Mediums and Normals alike.
*under Mort's conscious control.
*not affected by Annie's presence.

ghost-lad's illusions:
*seem to be generated unconsciously.
*dispelled by Annie's proximity to the illusions themselves. (Current page: The blue carpet disappears around Annie.)
*visible to Annie and the boy; their visibility to Normals is unknown.

Zimmy's illusions:
*not under Zimmy's conscious control.
*dispelled by Annie's or Gamma's proximity to Zimmy. (P 191: Zimmy sees a cut on Annie's face, and it disappears when Zimmy moves closer to look at it.)
*can become real if left unchecked.
*possibly hallucinations visible only to Zimmy, at least initially.
*possibly reflect some spiritual/supernatural reality and/or Zimmy's memories ("This isn't real! It already happened!").

I agree Mort's and the misfortunate lad's illusions could both be the conscious and subconscious expressions of the same basic ability. Zimmy's power seems to be something else entirely.

[Goatmon]

bobbey said:

I guess I'm just releived that she didn't touch his face instead...

Oh God, don't even joke about that.

[geminisun]

My guess would be that any living person walking in would not see the boy's illusion, nor would he see them. Annie can see (and dispel) the illusion because she's a medium.

[popo]

Janet, and Paz can see Mort's illusions, and Kat can see Mort and the Faceless Ghost, and as far as we know they are just normal people. Plus they can all be seen by ghosts. So unless the boy is much different than Mort and the Faceless Ghost, or subconsciously blocking others out, the same goes for him.

[cenit]

Well, Mort is projecting illusions to scare, so he can make normal people see it. The Guides can also let themselves be seen if they want to (remember Kertrak).

The boy seems to be in a state of denial which makes him project a spiritual projection of a room, which accounts as to why no one in the hospital would be scared of it (can't see it) and why Annie can see it (medium) and why does the illusion vanishes at her close proximity (her own spirit forces reality around her).

Creepy dead arm.... could be for burns....but it looks some much like a wood arm...didn't anyone get the same feeling?

Also, Annie is really cute in the profile draw on pannel 5

[popo]

Have we even seen any hospital staff besides Anthony? And it seems that the room was pretty abandoned to begin with, probably never checked by anyone.

[Goatmon]

popo said:

Janet, and Paz can see Mort's illusions, and Kat can see Mort and the Faceless Ghost, and as far as we know they are just normal people. Plus they can all be seen by ghosts. So unless the boy is much different than Mort and the Faceless Ghost, or subconsciously blocking others out, the same goes for him.

I'm pretty sure "Ghosts" are visible to normal people because they are aware of what they are, and want people to see them.

Spirit guides like Muut and the like are unlikely to be the same as ordinary ghosts. Otherwise, Kat wouldn't have needed Annie's help to see the Insect guide at the start of this chapter.

[edzepp]

cenit said:

The boy seems to be in a state of denial which makes him project a spiritual projection of a room, which accounts as to why no one in the hospital would be scared of it (can't see it) and why Annie can see it (medium) and why does the illusion vanishes at her close proximity (her own spirit forces reality around her).

I'm not so sure. Is not knowing he's dead (as the Moddey Dhoo said) the same as denial? I do agree that the room is probably a subconscious thing, but the exact process of how and why the boy is doing it is a bit elusive as of now. Next comic please!