[3022] "Did ya finish your homework?!"

[imaginaryfriend]

Jerrek and Coyote didn't do their homework. Is anyone surprised?

...and as anticipated, there's Lana.

[arf]

Widdle Jerrek!

[arf]

No surprise Lana's still around. Nice to see it confirmed though: devouring someone whole is not cool, Coyote.

[blahzor]

Coyote gonna be the 5th wheel.

[aggadahGothic]

I had wondered if Loup would be decomposed into Coyote and Ysengrin, but perhaps the logic of the ether works differently...

Jerrek seems rather human here, almost as if he does not know that he is Loup anymore. There is an interesting minor motif in the comic of people mistaking themselves for others. Coyote with the dead goose; Zimmy and Annie in Spring Heeled.

[speedwell]

Nov 20, 2024 8:15:43 GMT aggadahGothic said:

I had wondered if Loup would be decomposed into Coyote and Ysengrin, but perhaps the logic of the ether works differently...

Jerrek seems rather human here, almost as if he does not know that he is Loup anymore. There is an interesting minor motif in the comic of people mistaking themselves for others. Coyote with the dead goose; Zimmy and Annie in Spring Heeled.

Eh, if Coyote can be dead and also aware, having his awareness shunted into something not-dead was always the obvious answer. Not very obvious, to be sure.

None of the characters on this page are unfamiliar with the idea of the self bouncing around in various bodies, even multiple bodies, and likewise should we readers be, by now, familiar with it. This time it appears that the bodies only even exist as virtual bodies, contextual.

[imaginaryfriend]

I think it's too early to give up on Ys making an appearance... though if he is around he might be big on cutting class so he might not appear for some time.

[speedwell]

Nov 20, 2024 8:24:05 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

I think it's too early to give up on Ys making an appearance... though if he is around he might be big on cutting class so he might not appear for some time.

It's Renard who would have been the charismatic class clown and Isengrin who would have been the big dumb kid who nearly always took the fall for his misbehaviour. Both characters have developed from their medieval roots, of course. What odds Ys is a teacher?

[laaaa]

Who'll be the teacher?

[blahzor]

Nov 20, 2024 8:31:10 GMT laaaa said:

Who'll be the teacher?

Jones and she just goes along with it to see what happens knowing nothing can harm her

[aggadahGothic]

Nov 20, 2024 8:24:05 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

I think it's too early to give up on Ys making an appearance... though if he is around he might be big on cutting class so he might not appear for some time.

Ysengrin should be careful if he intends on smoking behind the bike shed... He might catch fire.

[imaginaryfriend]

The boring possibility will be that the teachers and unimportant students will just be shadows that are only interacted with occasionally and in a vague manner. Hopefully not. There were a lot of New People (Cylons?) that were caught in the distortion, so I think there's a good chance that the NPCs will fill the npc roles.

The teachers may be older randos or maybe actual teachers. Ys as a teacher? At best a gym teacher. More likely a homeless kid who lives in the woods behind the athletic fields.

[Geekette]

Nov 20, 2024 8:31:10 GMT laaaa said:

Who'll be the teacher?

If Tom really wanted to mess with us, it will be Gamma.

Interesting is that we don't see any visual clues that Jerrek is Loup, the way we have visual clues for Coyote and Zimmy. His eyes aren't even green.

I don't know whether that means Jerrek has become his own being separate to Loup, if Loup is so deep that he's forgotten what was before this illusion, or if he's just completely willing to commit to making this the forever world because Lana is here.

(I suppose hypothetically it could be the only reason Zimmy and Coyote know better is because its their contact that caused this to happen and Loup didn't actually participate, but I don't know that matches up with what we saw before.)

[blahzor]

Ladies love age-gap romance

[morrahadesigns]

Aawww it's all so cute and friendly! I'd love it if it were real, but I hate it knowing that somehow it's all gotta fall apart. 

Nov 20, 2024 8:38:50 GMT blahzor said:

Nov 20, 2024 8:31:10 GMT laaaa said:

Who'll be the teacher?

Jones and she just goes along with it to see what happens knowing nothing can harm her

I like this idea. 

[Isildur]

To me, the absence (so far) of Gamma (and Zimmy's lack of perturbation with that) is unsettling. Though the whole personality shift (down to that good-humored elbow-nudge in the previous page) is unsettling.

Of course, it's possible (buzzzzzzzz) that people aren't even who they seem.

[laaaa]

The concept of Eldrich abomination all-knowing Coyote doing homework is hilarious (I mean... I guess he didn't do it, but he still has to go to class heh)

[Sky Schemer]

Maybe I am projecting here, but it seems Lana is annoying even in the distortion.

[silverberry]

The continued absence of Gamma is striking. It would be an interesting twist if, unlike previous distortions where Zimmy suffered, Gamma was the one suffering this time, with Zimmy having to sacrifice what seems to be a pretty ideal world for her in order to save Gamma. I mean, what happens to an etheric heatsink when overwhelmed by ether like this? It is also possible that Gamma's absence is necessary for the distortion to exist, as historically, Zimmy distortions have been ended by Zimmy finding and reuniting with Gamma.

As for Zimmy's distortion world being so domestic, it actually to me harks back to Zimmy's very first appearance as a rival to Kat in the science fair. We kind of wrote that off as early installment weirdness, and Tom himself IIRC has sort of handwaved it as Zimmy not feeling too crummy that day, but here it seems sort of recontextualized as Zimmy grasping at a fantasy of normalcy. And here she is actually having done the homework? I think Zimmy may actually be a closet nerd.

[ctso74]

Jerrek didn't have toast in his mouth, but kind of close.

Nov 20, 2024 8:15:30 GMT blahzor said:

Coyote gonna be the 5th wheel.

I get the feeling Coyote would be fine being a fifth wheel. Especially on a vehicle's roof.

[pyradonis]

This feels actually more fun than I expected so far!

Nov 20, 2024 13:56:52 GMT silverberry said:

The continued absence of Gamma is striking. It would be an interesting twist if, unlike previous distortions where Zimmy suffered, Gamma was the one suffering this time, with Zimmy having to sacrifice what seems to be a pretty ideal world for her in order to save Gamma.

I think four pages in is a bit early to speak of someone's continued absence. After all, two of the five people that were at the center of the distortion only turned up on this page, and it all seems to be expected for the others. For all we know, Gamma could simply join them on their way to school on the next page.

Regarding the theory of who suffers and who doesn't... I understand what you mean, but can't help think that Gamma's life in the real world is crappy as well...what would have to happen to her here to make her previous life of no sleep, no friends and no one besides Zimmy to frigging talk to most of the time, the better choice?

[guntherkrieg]

Gunnerkrigg Hill theme tune intensifies.

[storyteller]

Nov 20, 2024 13:56:52 GMT silverberry said:

The continued absence of Gamma is striking. It would be an interesting twist if, unlike previous distortions where Zimmy suffered, Gamma was the one suffering this time, with Zimmy having to sacrifice what seems to be a pretty ideal world for her in order to save Gamma. I mean, what happens to an etheric heatsink when overwhelmed by ether like this? It is also possible that Gamma's absence is necessary for the distortion to exist, as historically, Zimmy distortions have been ended by Zimmy finding and reuniting with Gamma.

As for Zimmy's distortion world being so domestic, it actually to me harks back to Zimmy's very first appearance as a rival to Kat in the science fair. We kind of wrote that off as early installment weirdness, and Tom himself IIRC has sort of handwaved it as Zimmy not feeling too crummy that day, but here it seems sort of recontextualized as Zimmy grasping at a fantasy of normalcy. And here she is actually having done the homework? I think Zimmy may actually be a closet nerd.

Something else with that Kat vs Zimmy comparison.

Kat is in a compare and contrast with Diego in regards to relationships.

Diego and Jeanne - Diego refuses to let go and accept she wants someone/something other than being his partner.

Now Kat obviously let Paz go. But note that the relationship was driven apart because Kat was going so far into her work and Paz decided it was better for herself to go.

Meanwhile we have Omega who did appear to have a good relationship with her chosen husband. Who did stay as Omega went further and further.

If Zimmy is a closet nerd that on a good day would actually really like to go to a science fair...

Well that'd fit her into this grouping as we've not had someone that'd choose their partner over their work.

And Zimmy back in Power Station, origin of the live Coyote recently paralleled, was extremely clear that she'd destroy the world and herself if Gamma asked.

Gamma typically wouldn't but in a Lotus Eater machine scenario? Where is Gamma is a very important question as if there's anything Zimmy has been consistent about it's that Gamma is her priority.

If Gamma is in trouble - well suddenly Coyote might not be the larger problem

[Gemini Jim]

Interesting. So Zimmy and Coyote, as seen on the last page, are self-aware of the illusion.

Jerrek has gone full Dead Goose Wife. (Never go full Dead Goose Wife.) Alternatively, if it turns out he's aware, he's role playing his part really hard.

Is he even real? Is he a figment of Zimmy and/ or Coyote's imagination?

Lana.... we haven't heard enough from her to know what's up with her.


I hope we follow this (romcom? harem manga? definitely slice-of-life) plot for a couple of pages.

So far, it's just the characters involved in the whole Coyote/ Loup/ Jerrek/ Lana drama, with Zimmy as an innocent (sort of) bystander.


But Annie or Kat or somebody could show up as a transfer student....

[Gemminie]

Zimmy and Coyote are walking down the sidewalk toward the entrance to a peaked-roof brick building with pilasters that's surrounded by a wrought-iron fence supported by brick posts. This is likely to be their school. As they walk, Jerrek comes running up, asking Coyote whether he did his homework; the answer, of course, is no. Jerrek needs to copy homework from somebody or he'll be "dead" (likely just meaning in trouble, but who knows, given that this is a distortion scenario whose rules we don't know). Zimmy says he can copy hers, to Jerrek's great relief.

And, in the final panel, Lana shows up, happily saying good morning to all. Is this the real Lana or an NPC created by the scenario? It's been strongly hinted that Lana is alive; is this confirmation?

Seeing both Jerrek and Coyote is again making me wonder about Coyote's state of existence: alive or dead? He said before that he was very much dead and that this was just a little bit of himself he left behind. We were told that Coyote and Ysengrin no longer exist; they combined to form a new being, Loup. But I suppose part of him that's still Coyote is still there? Or is this the echo Coyote left behind, capable of using Loup's powers? Apparently he was attracted to the dark light of Zimmy, thinking that was the god who had created the New People, but I suppose he must have realized that wasn't the case ... what's Coyote's goal here? Did he create this scenario? What game is he playing?

Or did Lana create the scenario? I believe we heard that she read a lot of manga. Is that why this is looking like a school story?

Also, how much does everyone know about what's going on? Jerrek seems to think he has to do homework.

[fia]

Oh gee, new thought: what if Gamma is the one dreaming this up?
Or, well, she could just be in an older group of kids.

I also want to note that apparently Zimmy had attended other schools before.

[gpvos]

Welcome to the forum, silverberry !

[silverberry]

Nov 20, 2024 15:10:46 GMT pyradonis said:

This feels actually more fun than I expected so far!

Nov 20, 2024 13:56:52 GMT silverberry said:

The continued absence of Gamma is striking. It would be an interesting twist if, unlike previous distortions where Zimmy suffered, Gamma was the one suffering this time, with Zimmy having to sacrifice what seems to be a pretty ideal world for her in order to save Gamma.

I think four pages in is a bit early to speak of someone's continued absence. After all, two of the five people that were at the center of the distortion only turned up on this page, and it all seems to be expected for the others. For all we know, Gamma could simply join them on their way to school on the next page.

Regarding the theory of who suffers and who doesn't... I understand what you mean, but can't help think that Gamma's life in the real world is crappy as well...what would have to happen to her here to make her previous life of no sleep, no friends and no one besides Zimmy to frigging talk to most of the time, the better choice?

I wouldn't be shocked if Gamma appeared on the next page, but given how joined at the hip she and Zimmy usually are, this is longer without seeing her than usual outside of distortions, where finding Gamma to end the distortion is usually the goal. It's a lot of little things that are priming my brain to expect Gamma being absent.

As for Gamma's life in the real world being crappy, you're definitely not wrong there, but it could still be a lot worse. She's not typically in active pain or distress.

Though I do also feel like a more benign but still intriguing possibility is that Gamma is fine in the distortion, too, but reuniting with Zimmy will end it. So they have to choose between a happy illusion separate from each other, or a life together dealing with all their usual miseries.

Or I could be totally wrong and Gamma could show up next page! Even Omega can't predict everything that'll happen here; what chance do I have? 

Nov 20, 2024 20:08:05 GMT gpvos said:

Welcome to the forum, silverberry !

Thank you! I made this account ages ago in order to view full size images in various threads, but never really intended to post with it, until this latest comic finally got me intrigued enough to comment with speculation.

[aggadahGothic]

Nov 20, 2024 15:10:46 GMT pyradonis said:

Nov 20, 2024 13:56:52 GMT silverberry said:

The continued absence of Gamma is striking. It would be an interesting twist if, unlike previous distortions where Zimmy suffered, Gamma was the one suffering this time, with Zimmy having to sacrifice what seems to be a pretty ideal world for her in order to save Gamma.

Regarding the theory of who suffers and who doesn't... I understand what you mean, but can't help think that Gamma's life in the real world is crappy as well...what would have to happen to her here to make her previous life of no sleep, no friends and no one besides Zimmy to frigging talk to most of the time, the better choice?

We do not entirely know what kind of life Gamma wants. She abandoned everything to love and care for a poor, sopping wet cat of a girl. No one forced her to do so, not as Zimmy was burdened with her own powers. ("I do it because I love you, Zimmy.") Gamma is 'normal', to quote a Formspring answer, and so perhaps normalcy is, for her, merely the hell she wishes to leave behind. (I know this is somewhat 'edgy' as it were, but Gamma is very literally a teenage girl who always wears black makeup.)

In any case, being separated somehow from Zimmy might certainly qualify to make life in the real world the more attractive option. 

(I will now tread into the territory of egregiously tenuous theorisation: we have Formspring answers explaining both that Gamma had not been in England particularly long before meeting Zimmy, and that she and her parents had not immigrated there. It is possible that she was not permanently residing in the country; her parents may have been traveling for leisure or work. If this area of the distortion is based on the memories of Zimmy and Gamma, as is reasonable to assume, then Gamma may be very far away.)

[pyradonis]

Nov 20, 2024 21:52:03 GMT silverberry said:

I wouldn't be shocked if Gamma appeared on the next page, but given how joined at the hip she and Zimmy usually are, this is longer without seeing her than usual outside of distortions, where finding Gamma to end the distortion is usually the goal. It's a lot of little things that are priming my brain to expect Gamma being absent.

That's interesting - for me, basically, the fact that every distortion ends with Zimmy and Gamma reuniting prompts me to not think about the fact that they are not in the same place right now.

Nov 20, 2024 22:10:22 GMT aggadahGothic said:

We do not entirely know what kind of life Gamma wants. She abandoned everything to love and care for a poor, sopping wet cat of a girl. No one forced her to do so, not as Zimmy was burdened with her own powers. ("I do it because I love you, Zimmy.") Gamma is 'normal', to quote a Formspring answer, and so perhaps normalcy is, for her, merely the hell she wishes to leave behind. (I know this is somewhat 'edgy' as it were, but Gamma is very literally a teenage girl who always wears black makeup.)

In any case, being separated somehow from Zimmy might certainly qualify to make life in the real world the more attractive option. 

(I will now tread into the territory of egregiously tenuous theorisation: we have Formspring answers explaining both that Gamma had not been in England particularly long before meeting Zimmy, and that she and her parents had not immigrated there. It is possible that she was not permanently residing in the country; her parents may have been traveling for leisure or work. If this area of the distortion is based on the memories of Zimmy and Gamma, as is reasonable to assume, then Gamma may be very far away.)

Now I went through every archived Formspring answer that included Gamma. They also include that Gamma's life was already "not too great" when she met Zimmy, and that she doesn't want to think about her parents, so perhaps she ran away from them. I also thought that it was once said somewhere that both Zimmy and Gamma were living on the street when they met, but might have been imagining things there... So yeah in terms of getting certain base needs met, Gamma might even be better off than before. I also have to say that reading the Formsping answers made me shudder with all the things pointed out about Zimmy's possessiveness, selfishness and gaslighting, and Gamma not having any other life except for following Zimmy around.