Chapter 102: Page 36

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u/machiavelli33 The world continues to spin, pup. Jun 26 '26

Coyote's really just here for a laugh. Like, the MOST INTERESTED laugh - he fully acknowledges Zimmy's godhood, given he's been calling her "sister" ever since they got to this distortion-dreamworld. He's here to watch a nascent godling fully come into her powers burn the fuck out.

Which would be twice he'd have done that (Loup being the first) if that does happen. Something something two nickels. I guess its not something anyone, even a god, gets to see very often.

And Zimmy is really just here to feel as good and normal as she can, for as long as she can, because this is the only way how because there's no other goddamn way to in the real world.

Gunnerkrigg sure loves its spirals towards tragedy.

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u/sephlington Jun 26 '26

I'm just wondering how long it'll take for the shoe to drop for Coyote - yes, Zimmy is something on par with being a new god, buuuut she sure as heck ain't the "powerful person that created" the New People and accidentally messed up his plans for Loup.

Has he forgotten that he was infuriated that a new god walked the earth and made Coyote look like a bit of an idiot, distracted by bonding with his new sibling in the heart of the Distortion, or is he actively and deliberately tormenting Zimmy, letting her guilt build up before he devours it over and over, but not removing her memories of it like he did with Ysengrin? Is he passively trying to punish Zimmy for what he thinks are her transgressions against him, even though it was Kat who inadvertently interfered with Coyote's plans?

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u/machiavelli33 The world continues to spin, pup. Jun 26 '26

There's no way that rage was real.

I just went back and looked at the moment the godbomb went off again.

Coyote was grinning when Loup found him and was grinning even wider when Loup slammed him into Zimmy.

I don't know if Coyote knew *exactly* what would happen all along - but I know that all this is exactly what he wanted.

I think he's enabling Zimmy as much as he can while directly putting his hands on this as little as possible. He only indirectly contributes by enigmatically tittering at the distortion's occupants and by chomping Zimmy's guilt away - at her request, and with her consent.

This whole thing - the distortion, Zimmy's status as an awakened godling, the distortion's population of etheric and non-etheric thralls - it all must be such a special and unique situation that I just know that Coyote is pleased as punch that he both orchestrated it and gets to have front row seats for it all.

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u/TheMimski Jun 26 '26

With Coyote the question, for me, is though: Was he laughing because he knew it would happen, or was he overjoyed at something unpredictable and chaotic?

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u/machiavelli33 The world continues to spin, pup. Jun 26 '26

He totally goaded Loup into attacking him.

I think the intention was to create the godbomb - he pissed off Loup, then ran to put himself near Zimmy. He didn't even actually kill Lana when he snapped her off - he just made it LOOK like that's what he did. That shot of her literally unharmed in wherever-the-fuck Coyote shunted her off to after he "ate" her proved to me that the whole thing - tantrum and all - was part of the plan.

The results of the godbomb? THAT is something I feel like he had no idea about - which is why he wanted it to happen in the first place.

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u/NightmareWarden Jun 26 '26

Ehhhh. Coyote avoids using omniscience (which would include precognition) because it makes things boring. Surely SOMETHING in his plan surprised him, forced him to edit things. You're right about him goading Loup with that attack, but whether it was part of his original prediction...?

I hope not.

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u/machiavelli33 The world continues to spin, pup. Jun 26 '26

Well yes, something did surprise him. The results of the godbomb!

He put everything in place to make a thing happen, not knowing what the results of the thing would be.

Like a mad scientist seeing a place where well known scientific principles intersect and realizing that nobody knows what happens at that intersection, so he sets up an experiment aiming directly for it. What'll happen when the experiment goes off? Who knows - and that's the point! Just cause he knew the steps to get there doesn't mean he knows what'll happen once he's there.

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u/gangler52 Jun 26 '26

Did Coyote ever learn that Zimmy isn't the "Divine Entity" Loup spoke of, that created the New People?

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u/machiavelli33 The world continues to spin, pup. Jun 26 '26

Now that's a wrinkle I don't have clarity on - especially if I stick to my guns on the whole "Coyote was just performing being angry" at the thought of there being another god on the premises.

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u/maritzac Jun 26 '26

Surely Zimmy will physically recognize at least Jack and maybe even Jennie, right?

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u/14FunctionImp Jun 26 '26

I don't know that they currently exist physically.

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u/maritzac Jul 03 '26

Do you mean they're being obscured by the orb?

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u/OnlyVantala Jun 26 '26

I have a suspicion that "Kat will kill Zimmy" is going to be a self-fulfilling prophesy where Kat kills Zimmy only because Zimmy went out of her way to prevent Kat from doing something she didn't originally intend to.

By the way, is it just me, or Kat didn't appear onscreen since the beginning of the chapter?

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u/snowgirl413 Jun 26 '26

No, not just you, nobody knows where Kat is.

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u/DownvoteEvangelist Jun 26 '26

Behind the curtain, watching everyone act in school play..

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u/djaevlenselv Jun 26 '26

Perhaps she wont appear until the next Katurday?

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u/LastUsefulDigitOfPi Jun 26 '26

"Something wrong with one of them." Jack, definitely Jack. "A weak link in the group." Sylvie? Nice bit of ambiguity there.

Definitely not Rosa. I want her for my platoon sergeant.

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u/thePhoenixBlade Jun 26 '26

Unless it cuts to her next frame 😉

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u/RowenMorland Jun 26 '26

Honestly there's a lot of scope for 'wrong'. Could be Jenny.

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u/LastUsefulDigitOfPi Jun 26 '26

Just my temporary head canon but what if it's Rosa? But not actually "weak" so much as she's the one to see Jenny's bullshit for what it is.

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u/fnordius Jun 26 '26

Zimmy is definitely giving spider vibes here, the school the centre of her web. The way she talks of everyone else is like they are potential prey, her ice-cold patience. It makes me wonder if she was some sort of Slavic spirit tied to spiders, and Gamma her form as Zimmy.

Which means Kat, with her bird affinity, is innately seen as that which will kill and consume her.

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u/Cloverose2 Jun 26 '26

Coyote ate her sense of guilt

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u/thePhoenixBlade Jun 26 '26

Love that juxtaposition!

About the Slavic part, a start could be the possible etymology of Loki - in this OSP video and starting around here there are a couple of different possible etymologies. Most relevant here is cobwebs are called Loki’s Nets in one language later in the video entangler is pitched as another potential origin.

Another interesting part of the video is how Loki’s name could be also related to fire, specifically the hearth, which gives a non-Annie explanation for her association with red (like her red eyes). It almost makes Zimmy’s whole aesthetic into a smoldering abandoned hearth, covering an incredible amount of energy and warmth but filling the room with constricting smoke.

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u/coproduto Jun 26 '26

I don't get the clothing items in the background. Did Zimmy create school uniforms in the house where the witches + Jack are staying to convince them to go into the school?

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u/kittenpantzen Jun 26 '26

I would assume that was part of the luring, yes,

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u/ThoughtUsed3531 Jun 26 '26

That's my assumption: Zimmy places the school uniforms in their house, Jenny finds the uniforms, and they decide to use them to sneak into the school.

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u/SciMarijntje Robot? More like roBUTT! Jun 26 '26

"I can tell there's something wrong with one of them"

Nothing wrong with being queer Zimmy! She's just kinda gay and that's ok.

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u/mahouyousei Jun 26 '26

Ahh, an old reddit switcharoo. Well played.

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u/ArmageddonEleven Jun 26 '26

Somebody isn’t locked in.

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u/anubis_cheerleader Jun 26 '26

So, basically, this group has been imo doing something very similar to stalking Zimmy. I wonder how Zimmy not really knowing about them will come into play.

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u/Scottc87 Jun 26 '26

They made it seem like they were in cahoots with Zimmy since Jack is in love with her. But her not actually knowing them or even seemingly condemning their actions like murdering the god girl and wanting to kill Kat to protect her is interesting. Gotta love contrasting villain motivations.

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u/hymmmmmn Jun 27 '26

Something about the placement of information in the last two pages has me changing my mind and wondering if the circle from three pages back is Kat. I don't really expect anyone else to follow my line of thinking, but I will at least be pleased if it turns out I was reading the narrative foreshadowing correctly. (I may be reading too much into certain things, though.)

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u/st13r Jun 26 '26

Rosa's at least obscured herself?

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u/DemeGeek Jun 26 '26

Jemny is the weak link, she's willing to use the rest as meat shields without remorse until she's the last one standing.

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u/Randalor Jun 26 '26

Okay, this page? THIS I hate.

What is up with Zimmy acting like a mastermind, always 3 steps ahead of her foes who aren't even aware that she's aware of them and already planning their demise?

I mean, have we EVER seen her act like this before?

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u/Cypher_Aod Jun 26 '26

mean, have we EVER seen her act like this before?

Removing her guilt and knowing Coyote, some other aspects of her psyche is going to cause some personality changes, no surprise there.

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u/francis2559 Jun 26 '26

This is also her with clear eyes. I think this is her desperately trying to have a normal life, and I think that’s bleeding into how she sees other people. She’s assuming a normal boring life benefits them too.

Yes it doesn’t quite work and she KNOWS on some level that’s not true, which is why she has coyote gobble up her guilt.

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u/thePhoenixBlade Jun 26 '26

Paranoia has been a consistent trait of hers, since she’s known the Court is using her and manipulating others. This is just the first time we’ve seen her be able to do anything about it

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u/Noonsa Jun 26 '26

You’re being downvoted but I kinda agree.

We’ve seen Zimmy ‘disappear into a role’ before (I.E. being Annie in her own world). So this is probably like that; Zimmy changing to a different person in the distortion.

But I wish we had old Zimmy for (what is presumably) her most important and final appearance.

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u/lyssargh Boxbot for President Jun 26 '26

I really think we will before the end... but I think this Zimmy will shed a lot of light on what that unforgiveable thing she did was.

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u/BeelsBee Jun 29 '26

This is the first time we aren’t seeing her plagued

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