Is anyone else thinking that Annie isn't quite grasping how dangerous Zimmyham is?The thing with Zimmy is that she's not
malicious but she is
dangerous. I was rereading older chapters where Zimmy's Zimmyness showed up. And I think that this is one of the information categories where Annie is very much missing
critical pieces. I'm also unsure of how much Annie has realized over the years that Zimmy knows what the hell she is talking about during those encounters. There are a
lot of time, that Annie specifically does not have all the information. I'm also not sure she's realized just how much she always had the safeties on when it came to Zimmyham.
Times Zimmy and Gamma have shown up and summaries of important information and Annie's understanding that we've seen.
1. Two Strange Girls - Okay one of the major things with this chapter is that we were in Annie/Kat's perspectives the other time and even now I think the girls have only realized one of the three things set up here and that's despite Zimmy later trying to communicate the Angel Kat scary thing,
twice. The big things are A. Library/Books -> Protective. B. Kat Angel foreshadowing begins IE - Zimmy really does not like Kat. C. Zimmy is able to sense/see things otherwise hidden. IE - She was the one that revealed Renard Plush.
2. Dobranac, Gamma - Annie specifically calls out in this chapter that she doesn't understand the importance of her staying up with Zimmy while Gamma sleeps. Also the chapter where we see the high end of Destructive Zimmy. There's a lot of things the audience used to piece things together here that I don't think Annie ever figured out. Like the high end of how dangerous Zimmyham can become for Zimmy. That books are protective. Also that there's a proximity effect to effectiveness
3. Power Station - Annie meets Zimmyham. I think she never actually really listened to Zimmy here - and in particular I'm reminded of Zimmy was originally essentially terrified of the faceless. And that Annie I don't think was particularly listening to Zimmy. I'll come back to this later. Because this page really reminds of
these three pages. Also various points that tie into Dobranac Gamma and Two Strange Girls. Really on reread what Power Station did was setting up Zimmyham as a location to draw people in, setting up Spring Heeled, and general Annie and Zimmy interactions. This I think is also the only utterly unmanaged Zimmy control fail. 1 and 7 no Zimmy breaks. 2 was a possible control fail but being managed. 4 and 5 were Zimmy stuff but not control
breaks except for the tail end of Divine and that was a risk that they were managing with Gamma showing up really quickly. And Divine is about as much Zimmy's fault as someone in need of their medication going off it when an individual steals it specifically for the purpose of making them go off it.
4. Spring Heeled Part 2 - Some information from Jones on Zimmy - with illustrations that was for the audience's advantage that I'm not sure Annie got the gist from Jones words of because drawing on Dobranac, Gamma. Specifically a portion that we have absolutely no indication that Annie understood. Annie connects to the
Whitelegs being dangerous.
5. Divine - Okay this is the one where the audience got the both barrels on Zimmy knowing stuff even if her interpretations are not always one to one. But the information she gets is accurate. This is also one of the best contrasts to this episode of not having Gamma around. Zimmy was able to start affecting things. It was also the point where Zimmy noticed that things were getting bad - and specifically had distinct trouble stopping it. She had to anger Annie to get out - and things only really calmed back down when Gamma showed up. Who is seemingly not present.
6. Torn Sea - Angel Kat Cult starting Zimmyhell on the High Seas. So really Zimmy was more causing a backdrop to let all the other things occur here. But I do wonder if Annie took a wrong lesson here. Zimmyham was freaky and letting Kat manipulate things but really the dangers was the Cruise Ship and the Seraphs (and Robot's manipulations). Also given everything it took Zimmy awhile to lose control.
7. Moving - The one time since Two Strange Girls where shenanigans because of Zimmy don't happen. Which in hindsight I'm not sure if Annie realized that the reason that the two were willing to let Gamma nap outside of the library was because there was two Annie's present. Especially as I don't think she ever realized that the two were in the library for a reason. Also I think that they weren't replacements for Gamma but more of sufficient supplements to sleeping Gamma that a library and other defenses weren't
needed. Zimmy says Gamma's ability to buffer her abilities doesn't work as well when Gamma is sleeping not that it doesn't work at all. Which would be important information if Annie thinks that two of her can straight up replace Gamma.
8. Behind It All - Zimmy essentially gets thrown around in the Ether and stumbles upon the mention of Omega. How much she understands and what Omega is... we have no idea.
9. Finding Yourself - Now
In more Detail
Two Strange Girls
So the thing with the first page with Zimmy and Gamma is that it's a case of Zimmy and Gamma managing/coping. Gamma's napping, and Zimmy's up but in the library with a protective
circle. General Zimmy being aggressive towards Kat has long been discovered by the Forum to be due to Angel Kat which freaks Zimmy out. And then there's Zimmy revealing
Renardine.
But one of the things that stands out to me in hindsight is that most of these things have never been spelled out by the characters themselves but figured out by the audience. The books are connected to Dobranac, Gamma. Zimmy being aggressive to Kat was revealed back in Divine, which going by the forum page was a big "OH" moment. That Zimmy is really able to find stuff out because of what she sees is something that I think Annie still has not really understood even
recently. The big thing that is revealed is Zimmy knowing about Renardine. Which is something she can force out because Renardine reacts to
her. Something that in hindsight stands out to me is that Annie does apologize to Zimmy - but Zimmy doesn't let her
finish. Just something that stands out to me given how Dobranac, Gamma and Power Stations go. Annie does not feel particularly skilled at listening to Zimmy early on. Which... on one hand makes sense. Zimmy does not have much social "listen to me" flags. On the other - Zimmy is the person who understands her symptoms the best. (You may tell that I'm anuerotypical and have a lot of problems getting neurotypical family to listen to me) Though that could be me projecting, just some bits of Annie's dialogue in earlier chapters rubs me as the type of things I hear when I'm at the end of my rope and people can't understand why "I can't act normal".
Dobranac, GammaOne of the big things you have to remember with this chapter is that it's consistently intercut with flashbacks of before Zimmy and Gamma came to the court. Zimmy and Gamma
meeting. Zimmy and Gamma enroute to Library when Gamma falls asleep, cue giant bug
monster. And Gamma banishing Renardine
thing. Between these things we get the hints that library books are effective at helping Zimmy manage her symptoms, which is due to the audience putting together that Zimmy and Gamma were trying to get to the library before Gamma fell asleep and the fact that previously we saw Gamma napping in two strange girls... in the library. This is also where the audience gets the higher end of how dangerous Zimmyham is to Zimmy in particular. Annie doesn't get this information. She also never notices the disappearing cut on her cheek.
The cut that Annie received from Jeanne and the Renard bit is the audience's first clues that Zimmy very much has some version of ether sight.
Annie never gets either of these pieces of information.
The information Annie does get is - Zimmy doesn't sleep,
ever. That Gamma tunes things out for Zimmy, that it doesn't work as well when Gamma sleeps, Annie somewhat works but not as well and that things change for real when things get
bad. Oh and rain
helps. A lot.
Very important thing - Annie really did not get a lot of what was going on. She knew it helped but didn't understand
why. Given that this chapter is a basis for understanding a lot of Zimmy's behavior that's important.
An early indicator in hindsight that Zimmy knows about the dangers of her head - the extra page. Detailing hunting of
spiders.
Power Plant
So secondary note that sets up Torn Sea shenanigans - Zimmy does not react well to
Ether machine extractions. Zimmy and Gamma went specifically looking for it
even.
So what does Annie find out:
Zimmyham is a thing.
Othes being drawn in is sign of a bad one.
Nobodies are a thing, (and Zimmy really does not like them)
Gopping is a thing, that Gamma just defaults to doing it whenever, and Zimmy can't always tell the difference between real people and nobodies because real people do not always have faces.
Now one of the things that Zimmy tells Annie that I don't think Annie understands due to lack of information that the audience does - when Zimmy says that she's only alive because of Gamma the audience can look back to Dobranac, Gamma. I think Annie thought Zimmy was exaggerating.
Something else the forum figured out that I don't Annie did was the toy soldier circle. Aka - Cover image for this chapter that made people think Zimmy. Partially connected to the circle of protective books here.
Spring Heeled Part 2
So small thing to keep in mind that is not spelled out explicitly in the story really - or at least I'm not sure Annie realizes it. Jack with Whitelegs in his brain specifically turned on the Power Plant to
stress Zimmy to bring her out of hiding. Really most of everything that Annie learns is what the audience knows. Ether in the water of rain helps soothe Zimmy and Whitelegs are dangerous.
DvineDivine is the doozie chapter. It's also the one that is r
eally explicit of the characters really really having no clue as to what happened. Which is important because this is one of the big chapters showing what Zimmy's abilities do and one of the big things for getting the audience to see Zimmy as a good source of information.
It's also the big one for setting up the audience to understand that while Zimmy can't always interpret correctly the information she gets is not inaccurate. It starts with the reminder of Annie's
Scar, moves into being able to read Kat's thoughts which always
fits with prior known information. And then you have the secrets that Annie does not share that we see with Zimmy, like Coyote's fangs around her
wrist. And her copying Kat's
homework. Which essentially for the audience members not reading the forums is setup for establishing Zimmy's bonifides - and so when she
says it's Anthony Carver doing things the audience has reasons to think she's right. (Bonus points for when it's later revealed that yeah it very much is bones doing things to Annie because Anthony cut off his own hand.) And you know the
Kat thing - which explains a lot of Zimmy's behavior around Kat. Furthermore supported by everything going on with Robot.
Then the sequence turns from proving to the audience not only that Zimmy does see stuff that things do in fact "When it get bad things start to change. Like, for real." Because Anthony later on very much does have a scar from Zimmy's intervention. And very pertinent to this chapter's misadventures we see that when Zimmy gets stuck its really
hard for
her to get
out. Gamma showing up is very much one of the things that probably stopped things from going bad.
Torn Sea
Okay the thing about the Torn Sea is that it's really more of a Kat/Robot cult piece that makes use of Zimmy than a Zimmy Gamma thing. But I do think it probably lead to Annie seeing Zimmyham as safer than it actually is. One - the sequence makes use of the facts that
sufficient numbers of ether siphons messes with Zimmy's head. Separation from Gamma - just the works. It's very much an artificial break in Zimmy's control. If she had free reign of movement she and Gamma probably would have left the area before it happened. Because Zimmy is separated from Gamma on page
1399, she only finally hits breaking point at
1405, with the Seraphs actively trying to make her snap. Zimmy was remarkably level headed all things considered with this break.
The actual danger of Zimmyham was the Seraphs, not Zimmyham itself. Moving
Moving is interesting as it is Zimmy giving her perspective on Magic, Science and Ether. Which frankly I expect will make more sense in the future.
She also gives us the news that the Court has taken down the Ether stations and seem to be done with her and Gamma. But the big thing for this topic is this
here.
Annie (Court) asks Zimmy: "How can you be sure of [Kat breaking through to the unseen world and grinding her gears]?" Zimmy tells her that she saw it. Always did. The thing is that Annie never saw Divine. And Kat thought it was a dream, and Zimmy never actually described Kat to Kat. Annie's seen Angel Kat. But she doesn't know that Zimmy has.
Behind It All
We really don't find anything out, besides questions. But it's a reminder that Zimmy can get
wrecked in the Ether. And once again Annie didn't see it.
Find YourselfI have a sinking feeling/theory that Annie never really clicked that Zimmyham is legitimately dangerous here. This page in particular I think is important to ask how much Annie actually listened to Zimmy
here.
I have a light sensitivity. Lower light temperatures, like 1k will actively mess with my head given the right stressors. And I mean adult old enough to drink put head down on restaurant table in public and want to die mess with my head stressors. I don't like 2k-3k temp lights. I don't like turning on lights in the house sometimes and prefer gray light from the windows because the light makes sense to my brain more. I switch out my bedroom lamp from 2.7 K lightbulbs to 5k. (Warm whitelight to as close to the Daylight spectrum as I can get)
Explaining it to people typically doesn't work. Especially people that have seen me on better days. Because some days are better than others. If I was in a crowd are dead in the noise, late... I will be out of mental spoons. I will be exhausted and just trying to outlast the dinner. I reliably will disappear for long stretches into the bathroom to plug music in my ears and come down. Other times I will turn off the lights turn on the fan and just ride out long enough to continue with Round 2 going on Christmas Dinners with family. It's hell. Because I know the stressors, and I'm aware of the stressors. I'm usually the only one watching them so the difference between a good and bad day for me to others seem really random.
Annie as far as I can see going through the archive has never before now seen Zimmy on a bad day. Look at the stressors we have here. No Gamma, scared and chased by four individuals who think she is a demon, and possibly wanting her harm, and sudden surprise. Zimmy has never slammed so quickly into a full on Zimmyham experience.
Dobranac, Gamma was stretching into a meltdown. Power Plant we have enough time for her to be surprised at the rain not working. We don't know what happened with Spring Heeled Part 2 but both it and Power Plant had the etheric stations adding stress. And it seems that it switched such that Zimmy lost herself and then she and Gamma slipped into a hallucination. But it's hard to tell because of the perspective switch in that chapter. Divine was
going bad but Gamma stepped in before it went to Zimmyham. And Torn Sea was explicitly outside forces aiming for a break that took enough time to get the students out of the dance room and a "Send Help" message out.
And Back to those Three Pages.
So back to
those three pages. You know what I can't help thinking with the current page? That the Annies are at: "Those elf kids!" "They won't have any idea what's going on!" Implies that they think the problem is that the kids will be scared.
For Annie the Nobodies Gopped. When Zimmy was next to Gamma on the roof. Zimmy was scared of the Nobodies. At what point has Zimmy been shown to not be rightfully scared of things? The only thing I can think of is her scared of Gamma leaving her. Zimmy was scared of the Nobodies. Annie isn't. Annie is used to the Nobodies Gopping at her touch. She also implied that she thinks Zimmy can control it: "You have a strange gift, Zimmy. Have you thought about controlling it?" Reminder - all signs point to it being a mildly bad day for Zimmy.
Gamma isn't here. This is going to be a very bad Zimmyham day. I'm not so sure these Nobodies will GOP. And if they don't GOP I think we'll be finding out why Zimmy was afraid of them back in Power Station.
