Daiyu and Shankcraft do both seem particularly well suited to the environment. After the group comes to some kind of truce with the intelligent life they may have just killed, the two may feel compelled to live among them rather than return, so I could see it happening. Plus, that crosses off the last remaining HC scientists from the story.

Pete is really hiding Zoe's anima for some reason. I'm thinking, either there's something fundamentally wrong with it that the gang doesn't realize but the natives will, or this is a setup for a joke. Or both.

It could be out of sight, or it could actually be something very small sitting on her shoulder that we just haven't seen up close yet. I had the disturbing thought when I read the current comic, given Zoe's the Storm Breaker, that it might be a bug. But if so Gwynn wouldn't be nearly as comfortable and at ease as we've seen her.

Could it be that one of the Trevors represents Chaz?

Unlikely. Shankcraft also have Anima with two "heads".

Joke it is!
See the great thing about proposing multiple theories at once is that you're more likely to be fractionally right!

Lemarc, you also get fractions!

I think that the Trevors look like a cross between dragon Aylee and Isp and Osp. I think that's deliberate. Both Aylee and Mosp were two "monsters" that responded well to Torg's optimistic faith in their inner goodness. That "faith" is an inherent part of who Torg is, and that's why his anima is portrayed in this manner. I think to a certain extent that the two heads may also represent the devil vs. angel personalities that we've previously seen, or more likely represent Torg's dual immature boy vs. tactical leader parts of his personality.

I like that the animae exhibit inner thoughts that on Earth would be hidden. This could lead to some interesting exchanges in between dealing with whatever other challenges this planet provides our gang.

Gwynn's objections over her cat hanging around Riff's robot fulfilled that prediction of mine. But because I didn't write it out, I don't get credit. :-( It is curious that Gwynn's animae is a cat. Yes, cats are often portrayed as witch's companions, but they are also known for curiosity and intelligence - and narcissism. Gwynn has definitely shown signs of the latter; but she has also displayed a lack of intellectual curiosity. That lack may be one of the masks that she wears, that the cat betrays.... Just a thought...

Does anyone else have any ideas on why Zoë is stuck with a "stupid little emoji"? Zoë is relatively uncomplicated compared to the rest of the gang, but I predict that we'll find out a good reason for it eventually. Any predictions?

The reason that I thought that the animae might have a modicum of independence is that "other Trevor" sulked when Torg gave him that name. Well, we'll see where this goes........

Gwynn put a protection spell over Zoe's soul right? I'm thinking her anima isn't allowed to take it's true form because of that spell.

Yes…I can't remember when Gwynn originally cast the spell, but in this strip the Book told Gwynn it had kept Zoë hidden from the spirit world at her request.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that the anima are technically part of the spirit world. If they were, I wouldn't expect Zoë to have anything hovering over her shoulder. Perhaps these "ghost buddies" have more in common with the id monsters from Forbidden Planet than with actual ghosts in that they are simply projections of the subconscious of any sentient being. It will be interesting to see whether or not they can actually interact with the physical world just as the id monsters could…

I think the animae are somehow tied to this world's blue moon. They're visible during the day, so it's not "by the light of the blue moon" thing, but it's odd that a celestial object would have an anima.

The current subchapter is "Evolution". I wonder if we'll be seeing the animae change and develop complexity over time.

I'm gonna keep screaming Kitten until I get it. Psychological sluggy humour horror. The longer they stay, the more emboldened they will get. Feeding off of their hosts' inner thoughts and fears, they begin to influence their hosts, bringing out their darkest thoughts. When the host finally gives in to the darkness, it breaks free and tries to kill everyone!

Or maybe I'm just remembering one of those Persona video games, now that I read what I wrote. Wouldn't mind seeing that with a sluggy twist though!

So we've seen before that Zoe took being reconstructed by nanites after basically dying pretty hard - she's not sure if she's really herself or a copy. And in a world where spirits and ghosts exist but you can also create a 'copy' of someone's body and mind (but not of magical necklaces) using file as happened at the end of 4U City, this seems pretty reasonable to me.

So since we've seen that she's still deeply affected by it even recently, I'm speculating that Zoe is worried that her anima somehow shows a 'fake' or 'incomplete' soul and that this fuels her anger over it.

That's true, I hadn't thought about it that way, but in that light, her reaction makes sense. It's hard to tell how much time has passed in the sluggy-verse since 4U City, but the trauma is still with Riff and Zoe (in different ways).

Hmm. Possibly. I'm going to stick to 'relatively uncomplicated' compared to her companions. Remember when Zoë was a DJ? She relished the temporary spotlight - it made her feel special. There have been hints of Zoë's feelings of insecurity and inadequacy throughout. I think her anger and then frustration is fueled by her thought that her anima is the least interesting compared to her companions. But at the same time, Zoë is no shrinking violet. She comes through when she needs to, and she's more intelligent than she gives herself credit for. I have a feeling that Zoë will end up being the bug-squisher savior once again, and that ultimately her anima will reflect that ability to shine through when necessary.

It will be revealed that this world is named Trolor (or some variation thereof) and the women are fond of dancing.

I'm definitely considering that Zoe's anima may be the way it is due to being - or at least acting for a lot of the time we've seen her - relatively uncomplicated. I personally would guess that Zoe's soul/spirit is just fine, but I wonder if angst about her reconstruction is fueling her feelings about her emoji - she really seems quite distressed to me by the end of that strip.

I guess I'm speccing that Zoe will link how she feels about her anima and her worries verbally to someone (so the audience becomes aware of this), and that this arc will involve character growth for Zoe on a deeper level than we've seen with her for a while.