[2408] "Those elf kids!"

[drmemory]

Sure, sure, the wisps. They aren't very spider-like though. Also they are intelligent and don't act like wasps or whatever they are meant to resemble. My bad for bringing up the insect-like thing I guess.

Runningflame found a couple spiders I missed. Nice, and thanks!

The first one was there when we first saw Zimmy (which adds to the Zimmy/spider theme IMHO). I just flat out missed that there were spiders in her first appearance ever. That seems like it adds to the Zimmy/spider link rather than weaken it though.

The second one, that was startled by Shadow 2, I also missed. That's the only background spider I can remember seeing where Zimmy was nowhere around. So this proves it is possible for there to be spiders with no Zimmy but I don't think it weakens the theory that Zimmy attracts (or creates) spiders.

The third one, in the Ketrak scene, is a normal-looking 3D spider, the only one I can remember seeing in the court ever. The only other fleshed out spider I can remember seeing was in the forest in Zimmy's adventure in Annie's mind, in Divine, p.1035. When I look back at it, it looks even more interesting to me, because in panel 1, Zimmy's taken hold of that leaf, and there is no spider visible, and in panel 2, all of a sudden there is this huge spider on the leaf, crawling on to her. She casually flicks it off, which is in keeping with her reaction to such things. She doesn't really look to happy about it in panel 3.

Runningflame's fourth find is hilarious, and shows that Tom likes spiders. Or at least likes to draw them.

Look, I'm not saying that all the spiders are belong to Zimmy. I'm saying that she either attracts them or makes them. I certainly don't expect Tom to fill in all the spiders and rats or whatever might be crawling around at random times. I'm more pointing out that he seems to make it a point to draw spiders when Zimmy is about. Maybe that's the kind of demon she is - mother of all spiders or like that? Or maybe she just has spider pheromones on her from the whitelegs trying to hitch rides.

I like to think that her science project here involves spiders in some way. Maybe tiny spiders with human heads? That would certainly be an abomination!

[pyradonis]

Feb 3, 2021 4:12:56 GMT drmemory said:

[...] I certainly don't expect Tom to fill in all the spiders and rats or whatever might be crawling around at random times.[...]

"You know there are no rats in the Court."

[drmemory]

But what is this then (in panel 4)? www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=27 The size and perspective seem off for it to be Basil. We see the hole again on the next page, and it's clearly more suitable to a rat or whatever. I've certainly always assumed it was a rat.

Of course, it could be a different kind of vermin, or maybe Basil can change size. Who knows?

If we assume that Gamma was making an accurate comment, I must wonder why there are no rats. Rodent-killing robots? Anti-rodent spells? You pretty much get rats in old, decrepit buildings like those in the course unless some sort of serious measures are taken to prevent them from being there. Maybe the spiders eat them...

Speaking of Gamma, we see her and Zimmy hanging out 11403 hours in the past here.  If we use the simplifying assumption that there are 30 days in a month, that would be around 15 months before that chapter.  Do they already know each other, or is this their first meeting?

Then 11107 hours in the past we see Gamma saving Zimmy from a giant mecha-spider here. That's less than 2 weeks after the previous flashback scene. At that point, they know about the library being a place worth getting to, we see Gamma save Zimmy from a monster, and we see Gamma in dire need of immediate sleep.

9384 hours in the past we see Gamma saving Zimmy from what could be a very messed-up version of Renard. Maybe even a mecha-Renard, which puts me in mind of Kat.

Finally, at an unknown time, we see two creepy court representatives invite Gamma and Zimmy to the Court.  Another oddity about this page is how the first panel seems to take place at a different time from the rest - we see Zimmy in front of a bookshelf, startled by something, with the time banner for flashbacks present but messed up, then next panel they are in an alley with creepy court dudes.

None of these incidents were ever really explained further or even mentioned. Only Zimmy saw them, right? At the time I was thinking that they were just meant to show that Zimmy and Gamma had a long history, but maybe there is more to it.  Perhaps these are key events - first meeting of Zeta and Gamma, demonstration of how things work between then and about Gamma being awake and libraries are both important, a really disturbing appearance by something that resembles both Renard and Kat (and thus may be related to one or both) and confirmation that Gamma doesn't know why she can do what she does, and their invite to the court, which Zimmy accepts because it will keep Gamma safe.

This would show them coming to the court less than 13 months after the mecha-Renard incident. If that is the case, then they haven't known each other all that long - just a few years now.

It seems to hold together - Gamma in the flashbacks and Gamma in the chapter don't look very different, where as present-day Gamma looks noticeably older.

Oh, and we have never actually seen a rat in the court, just those suspicious red eyes that one time. 

If this has already been discussed to death or something is known that contradicts my theories, please let me know. 

[pyradonis]

Feb 5, 2021 1:27:27 GMT drmemory said:

But what is this then (in panel 4)? www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=27 The size and perspective seem off for it to be Basil. We see the hole again on the next page, and it's clearly more suitable to a rat or whatever. I've certainly always assumed it was a rat.

Of course, it could be a different kind of vermin, or maybe Basil can change size. Who knows?

Well, I had indeed long forgotten about those eyes in the dark (and I assume most other readers have as well). Normally I would say, a rat's eyes don't glow red in the dark, but Basil's eyes are depicted glowing red on the same page, which they obviously don't later, so it's probably just Tom fooling around to make the atmosphere creepier. Yet, the court is full of strange beings who could lurk inside holes, so I'd argue those eyes in the dark are no supporting evidence for anything.

But Gamma is not the only character who has explicitly stated that there are no rats in the Court. Kat did so as well, again replying to something Zimmy said. It has to mean something.