AWWWWW OH MY GOD

Unexpected/10, outstanding work

Says a lot that Annie’s idea of ideal dad being the wolf. I’m sure we can take a lot from that.

Teacher's Pet, but teacher is himself Coyote's Pet.

ok genuinely wasn't expecting that but now that I think about it it's really the only option,

Oh, well. That, I did not call. Neat.

This illusionary realm is really very appealing...

LMAO that's her dad? ????????????

Papa Ysengrin!

Oh, that's actually kind of tragic..

Oh Antimony, stay here forever

It's nice to see such an expression on Ysengrin.

OH THIS IS EVEN CUTER THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT

Car + road arrangement isn't American-style, I see. I thought I saw that in the earlier bit, with Jerrick and them, but it was harder to tell since we didn't get a closer look.

Not me crying

Wolfdad!

Ann, I hope you've taken a shower at least. Also interesting she and Ys immediately gravitated to each other the second she appeared in this inner world.

You can't have both hands on the wheel when you're driving stick. Even in an alternate reality. :D

ah, he calls her Sprout cause he's part plant. And I assume the car's an EV, for the environment (although those have issues on their own)

Indeed. We all learned to operate the stick with our tails, as car manufacturers intended! Using your hand is just plain unsafe!

TOM. I’m dead. ???????????????????? How many years have I waited to see Ysengrin and Annie together again??????

They are in a lotus eater machine in a distortion out of the earth and still left-driving. And so cruel of Coyote not giving Ysengring his missing ear

Good good Good good Yes good Good.

although I wonder how Teacher Isengrin would react to finding out about Annie copying someone else's homework/tests.

This page made me all teary. Look at them being so happy.

Are they... Married? I was soooo not expecting this.

Why would you hurt me in this way?

does it mean for everyone (probably except Zimmy and Coyote) the history has changed, and everyone thinks they were always here?!

Ah, no nice. Who would want to ever leave? But it is just an illusion.

I was surprised to see Ysengrin, but it makes sense: he was already close to Annie before. Anyway, I disagree that he should have both hands on the wheel: he is clearly switching gears and need one hand on the gear lever for that.

I always thought the most powerful characters here are some kind of gods in disguise... Now i think Zimmy is... Mnemozyne - Greek Titaness of memory :O

So the forest creatures are represented in the distortion, living or dead. Wuff-wuff! Not strange at all when anything is possible (unless you refuse to believe it.)

Ysengrin! I missed him.

Tree Father?! (Ysengrin calling Annie "sprout" is quite fitting.) I wasn't sure if there'd be a version of Tony in this world, but I was kinda expecting an uncaged Tony! Instead we have the old wolf dad back, which is nice in a bittersweet way.

That's not even remotely who I was expecting to be in the house.

oh no come on man

Huh. How long until they figure out that they're NOT living a real life. Again...

Can't keep both hands on the wheel when you're shifting. And why is the dog driving?

using a manual transmission, it's pretty much normal to have one hand on the gear stick...

Coyoteeee. You had to put Annie & Ysengrin in the same setting, didn't you...

HAHAHA XD you're the best, Zimmy! And Tom of course, no one here guessed it! • Can Zimmy not add people who aren't there? Come to think of it has she ever conjured someone without help? Surma appeared because Zimmy was protecting her guilt into the Annies' own conflicted feelings for their mother. • Is Kat also there or is she the opposite of Gamma-less street urchin Zimmy, barely able to navigate the illusionary world because she can see the real one (or as real as the distortion can be?). "They act like they're in school but it's just an empty lot!"

Awwww :) In the previous page, I thought it might be her mother calling through the door, but Loup is also sweet :)

LMAO WHAT THE HELL

I guess he still is missing his ear.

NO. NO. YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.

This is both somewhat strange and extremely tragic.

Unless he is driving a stick.

This somehow makes perfect sense.

But at least he's keeping an ear out for emergency sirens! [Too soon?]

Okay I'm alright with this fake reality

Yay! Not Surma. Love it.

IF YSENGRIN IS HER FATHER WHERE THE FUDGE IS RENARD. THIS IS THE AU I DIDNT ASK FOR AND IM LAUGHING

*SPITS OUT DRINK* O_O

Not just Ysengrin, but Ysengrin DOING HUMAN THINGS! *takes another drink and spits it out again*

so, now this is the kind of scary story where everyone starts off smiling happily, but the more you watch, the worse and stranger it gets...

Ooooookay. We are chin deep in shojo manga here. I didn't realize Zimmy was into it this much.Thah, I saw the earlier comics but making Annie and Ysengrin a family is over the top. Especially since he seems to be in his tree phase.

Oh this is unfair

Of all the things I wasn’t expecting, this is the thing I wasn’t expecting the most

Zimmy-zims is Officially Cool for sorting Ysengrin and Annie into the same House.

"he really should have both hands on the wheel" no he should not. the advice/ rule when driving is to have both hands available to the driving activity and no distraction. the left (because British) hand on the stick is normal when changing speed,and just being passive on or away from the wheel when not adjusting the turning angle is normal

OK. I didn't see that coming.

And change gear with what?

Oh nooooo he’s so happy

Hahahahahahahah! It’s Ysengrin! Doesn’t this mean Annie is now the teacher’s kid again?! I love it!

This is so adorable, and yet so cruel at the same time.

SPROUT

Between him and Tony they almost form a fully functional dad.

Ah… no way.

I gotta say, it fits: Ysengrin was Annie's father figure while her biological father was on sabbatical trying to resurrect Surma.

I mean, he has to change gears somehow. I was kind of expecting Tony, but then it dawned on me that he wasn't there. Ysengrin makes sense

You know, it's something really fascinating that Annie's subconsious is treating Isengrim as her Dad more than her real father.

You know, it's something really fascinating that Annie's subconsious is treating Isengrim as her Dad more than her real father.

The Zimmyverse is really good at giving everybody their best lives. Bummer.

I was expecting Surma but this is so much better

I was pretty sure it'd be him. It seemed to me like Zimmyworld wasn't constructing anybody whole cloth.

Can't wait to see Renard! Hm, I wonder if Cat using Omega to free the fairies from this place was the same thing that is going to kill Zimmy

HAHAHAHA wtf!

Ysendad??? That's fun

I really hoped it would be Ysengrin, despite being sure it would be Surma and Tony. Very happy about this development - its probably because Loup is present whereas Surma and Tony aren't, but I still feel like Ysengrin is more of a parent to Annie than either of them at the end of the day (though Surma did the best she could, and Tony is trying to make up for it now, still....) Very funny to see the old wolf happy in a suit and car. I suppose this version of him lacks the complexes about humanity?

The fact Ysengrin is the father figure here...

Oh this is so cute... Sprout.... Genuinely did not expect the parental figure to be Ysengrin but that's sweet. I thought maybe it was Renard.

This Dream Daddy update looks amazing

I can tell it's not real because the driver's on the wrong side of the car.

> He really should have both hands on the wheel. But then how would he shift gears? :o

He drives a stick shift like a real man.

Ysengrin is driving a manual car and in the process of changing gear, so today's comment is nonsense.

Pretty sure there's no way to shift gears in a standard without taking a hand off the wheel...

while shifting?? I think not

So if hes her dad, does that mean that coyote is her mom here? Lol

Awwwww

Oh no... This is too sweet... Who'd want it all to come crashing down...

I've said it before here and I'll say it again: I did not see that coming.

Ok, I was not expecting that! :)

BREAKING MY HEART LIKE THAT

I did NOT see that coming! And I love it! (And they drive on the “other” side of the road! Wow!)

Hold on HOLD ON

"Both hands on the wheel" doesn't work well if he's driving a stick. ???? I'm guessing this is Ysengrin's dream. Annie would be with Tony in her own...

AAAAH HES HER DAD I LOVE THIS!!! ANNIE! YESENGRIIIIIN! ANNIE IS STILL TEACHER'S DAUGHTER BUT HER DAD IS (bigfont) 'GRINNNN! and he calls her sprout im dying tom how could you give us this perfect world that we know will not last I hate you I love this you are the best human ever

HAH

Well, would you look at that.

OK, my jaw dropped!

Can't wait to see the comments on this one, LOL.

Considering everything, not too surprising this is how Annie got integrated.

Look at her having a healthy father figure! I'm so happy for her.

Ohh... Dadwolf. ;_;

Wolf dad: Replace your normal dad with one today! Normal dad replaces hand. Wolf dad replaces whole body. Which is more “dadly?”

Kinda wholesome if you didn't know they are stuck within some kind of distorted dreamscape so one girl can live a "normal life" to the detriment of everyone outside of it.

Alright, the principal who spends a lot of time teaching is also your dad. As I said, extremely normal. Actually, to bring the real world into this... after I posted that last comment making light of a principal who's teaching classes... it came out that some schools in America are starting to get so underfunded that they've had to move classes into the principal's office.

This makes more sense than Tony, whom I expected, lol.

Yes. This is good. Ideal, even. At least this way he'll be content for a bit.

Tooom, noooo! I miss him so much T^T

Only this comic could make me emotional over seeing a giant furry operating a motor vehicle

Well that's a surprise!

I... okay. sure. tbh Ysengrin probably needs more smooches in his life.

Ysengrin driving a car is something I thought we's never see

TOM

I think this may be the 1st time a car was present in a comic page

I don't think we've ever seen Ysengrin look so happy! (I wonder where the others are, and how they were fitted into the distortion?)

This...dealt,,, some kind of damage to me... Oh,,,

Not if it's a stick shift!

He does have to shift you know.

oh ysengrin ohhhhh my god I am going to cry don't do this to me rn

That was unexpected.

You know what, that makes sense. The zimmiverse can’t seem to conjure up anyone that exists in the real world unless they are already in the zimmiverse.

Ok please just roll with this and end the comic with this utopian bliss

"And now..human music."

"And now..human music."

Dad?

Wow, so in the distortion they still drive on the British side of the road.

Why does my heart hurt so much to see how caring they are with one another! Now I want Zimmy's alternate world to go on longer.

Okay... I have questions! Is Annie a student or a teacher? She looks like she's wearing a suit set, but that could just be a fasion choice. Are they married in this reality? Guardian and ward? I NEED TO KNOW!

I haven't seen him this happy - ever. Shame it can't last...

Yes. Let the real world burn and let Annie and Ysengrin have this forever.

oh no, happy reynard, my greatest weekness

Ysegrin as her father is a nice fantasy.

Props for the one who guessed it. So, she’s teacher’s daughter in this reality too? Hardly seems a coincidence. I always thought Ysengrin seemed to be a father figure to Annie, especially in “Annie in the Forest”. Is he somehow a manifestation of Tony?

Just another normal day.

I just figured it was a manual shift. Seems like the sort of thing Ysengrin would prefer.

No one saw this coming haha

You know what? I like this right now. Let's make this a happy story and not have the moment where she realizes her reality is all wrong, and then THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Him calling Antimony 'Sprout' seems so weird and yet kind of natural?

But of course he drives a manual

My heart! Ysengrin... I do have to wonder where Tony is, though

me when this chapter started: "sigh. MUST they get swept up in this? I wanted them to be more competent compared to the witches..." me, now: "OOF OUCH AUGH MY HEART" she gets to be his daughter... he gets to be her dad.... wahhhhh

Of course.

Genuinely cried on the reveal that it's Ysengrin playing parent -_-

It's beautiful. I love every part of this. Ysengrin being her father, still healthy, strong, and sane without Coyote's meddling. Helping wake her up in the morning before school. Waiting downstairs to welcome her into the kitchen, already having prepared what looks like another mug of tea for her. Dressing in a handsome outfit that pairs so neatly with hers. Calling her by a cute little nickname. Smiling while she gives him a gentle kiss on the forehead. Driving her to school while she happily chats to him. The purity of the love and affection between them. And her smile. A smile she never had at the start of this story. A smile she might have had then if this had been real, if she could have had a father who loved her enough to stay and continue raising her after her mother died and help her heal from the grief. They both look so happy. I'm crying. She's been without him for so long. I want him back for her so badly.

That looks like a manual transmission and he's changing gears. When driving a car with a manual transmission and you need to shift gears, you really cannot have both hands on the wheel. OK, it's possible for the passenger to do the gear shifting for you, but I did try that once with a passenger who knew how to drive manual and it really really really did not go well. (It could have gone worse - I could have not noticed what they did instead of what they were supposed to and released the clutch. But other than that save, it was the dreaded downshift from fifth to reverse, which is basically some kind of accident.)

Ysengrin is such a bean.

Annie's actual dad: -_-

OF COURSE HES A FATHER FIGURE TO HER I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THIS, ok, everyone who expected it to be ysengrin congratulations, you can claim your billion dollars at the exit

I... I am ok with this.

I assume this means she thinks of him as more of a father figure then her father? I mean, it makes sense. Dad issues.

HAHAHA of course she's cast as the principal's kid!

This is heartbreaking

How wonderful and also cruel, bravo

My feels T.T

They mak na cute couple!

Awwwwwwww ... the dadfigure she dreamt of and the sprout he wished for.

Not what I was expecting! I wonder if this is secretly the life Ysengrin had always hoped for. (He's... driving stick? If he keeps both hands on the wheel the car won't go anywhere other than rolling down the driveway in neutral??)

This is a bit creepy

Bwuh? Bweh?

He's shifting gear!

Why have I never considered Ysengrin as dad before? He's so dad... And Loup is like the weird kid next door who keeps drinking all your milk.

da boiiii

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I mean, he's clearly shifting into reverse. He probably put both hands on the wheel after completing the action.

YSENDAD!!!!!!!

Driver on the right, stick shift, school uniform. UK vibes from a few decades ago.

Why does this make too much sense, she has a father figure and he is loved.

Dang. (Hallucination) wolf dad showing Antimony more love in 30 minutes than her real dad.

Nah, it's clearly a manual gearbox, so he has to shift up as he pulls away! Interesting that the only times we've seen Ysengrin smile are when Annie is doing something he approves of (getting ready quickly in this case). Sprout is such a sweet nickname from a being with terrifying skills of gardening, too. :)

Ooooohhh. I didn’t even consider this, but it is every bit as heartbreaking as if it had been Surma. Well played.

Real man drives manual, hell yeah!

…wut

Tom, you've made me cry!

Annie latched onto Yisengrim as a stable parental figure when she just came to the court, having literally JUST lost her mom and been abandoned by her father. This makes me undertsnad much of her behvior towards him, especially in the early comic. While Zimmy's bubble isn't real, it creates an "ideal reality' for the charachters, and I think their roles reveal much about them. Yisengrim defintly saw Annie as an apprentice, but little Annie latched onto him when looking for a stable adult figure in her life (Yisengrim is NOT stable and never was. fun storytelling!)

Ah, back to wish-world it is.

bruhhh, istg if all of this was a dream I'm going to cry

Not dad and daughter Ysengrin and Annie! Nooooooo.

Annie, tell us how you really feel about your dad...

Eerie Theramin music

I am deeply invested in finding out the nature of their relationship.

It makes sense that Ysegrim would be feel more like a father to her than her -actual- father.

Does this mean that she loves Ysngrim more than her dad? Her dad neglected her, but he never tried to kill her in a fit of rage.

Sad (but understandable) that Isengrim is more of a dad figure than her actual dad.

First day at school.

I thought Annie's bedroom looked a lot like the forest. What a wonderful development! Now I don't want to go back to the real world either.

Oof! a blow to Tony, lol

Me, then: we already saw her get closure on her mom, whoever is downstairs can't be that sad Me, now: IT'S SAD

I don't know who I was expecting, but it was not him. Ow my feelings lol

ah of course he's the caring father in this fantasy

Seriously(?).

Safe to say none of us expected this.

Ok, that's the one I did not expect, and yet I feel that I should have expected it. This is the place where people can be happy.

Ok, that's the one I did not expect, and yet I feel that I should have expected it. This is the place where people can be happy.

Aaaah! Dadsengrin is best!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Y'know, I get that Ysengrin's driving since he's the adult and all, but /can/ Annie drive? Like, is there driver's ed at Gunnerkrig??

It's interesting that Ysengrin is her father here. I would've expected just a more upbeat and expressive Tony. Or is Tony not an option here because she didn't get sucked into this world? Because in that case, Ysengrin is the best option.

absolutely spectacular, no notes

Huh! Did not expect that, but I guess he fufills the roll!

Somehow this was not who i was expecting.

Ok I love this we can stay in this reality please and thank you

Wow they have a stick-shift gasoline car! The car otherwise a looks modern so that is a real choice. Can’t have both hands on the wheel when you need one for operating the manual shifter, and he’s probably got a heavy foot on the accelerator and is an active, engaged driver because that’s who he is.

Never has a page just instantly made me feel so sad

Not Daddy Ysingrin T-T

Ok but who gave that wolf his driver's license

Ok but who gave that wolf his driver's license

Ysengrrrrrriiiiiin!!! sobs

I've been with this ride for oh I dunno, 16 ish years? Something like that, and this panel made me cry. This is Antimony's dream normal

ohmygodddddd

Ah, a bizzaro timeline i see?

I hypothesize that in order to create Zimmy's domestic paradise, she had to split herself the way Loup split Annie. The price of Distortion!Zimmy living get best life was the Zimmy we've seen throughout the strip living in constant torment with the ether. She believes this form is her punishment for trapping everyone in her world. That's why she believes she deserves this fate, while Distortion!Zimmy ignores this by letting Coyote take her guilt. I think the resolution where Kat "kills" Zimmy will be something that recombines the two Zimmys, the way Annie was also made whole.

Does the house look different in this page compared to the last page?

Not while shifting gears.

He's driving properly for using a stick shift!

Eh…hopefully the charade doesn’t last too long.

ohhhh!! tears in my eyes!! oh my goodness!!

Naaaww this is very cute. It's probably a dream/fantasy/lotus eater situation. But I think it's very sweet that Annie sees Ysengrin as her dad. I miss him.

Of all the people to play her father figure...yeah, that checks out.

Did he just Piccolo the fatherhood role?

Not if he is shifting gears on a manual transmission...

Bith gands? Nah, if that's a manual, then that's a totally normal way to drive!

Why father, what large teeth you have...

So heartbreaking, Antimony has woken up in her ideal world, living a peaceful life, her dear fried Ysengrin by side.

Be strong, everyone. Don't get too spicy in the comments.

… did not see that one coming. Is she unconcerned that her dad is a wolf?

It's a stickshift - you can tell by the little gather at the base of the shifter

My heaaaaaaaart

Im going to cry

Actually, I can appreciate the joy of having a hand on the stick shift. It really helps connect with the car.

This page almost made me cry (in the best way). It definitely says something that, in her dream life, Annie has Ysengrin for a father, rather than some facsimile of Tony. I really hope Ysengrin has a chance to be a healthy, happy version of himself before the comic's over. I know he has good in him. He just needs a chance.

LOL that Ysengrin's dream is to be Annie's dad. I thought she described them as friends! Does he want to have control over her somewhat?

Professor wolf daddy

I can see why the murder teens didn't go after them. The happiness would destroy them.

I love that Ysengrin drives stick shift

...but then how would he shift, Tom?

Oh, cool, Dadsengrin.

My favorite character is Kat! She is very creative! ???????

Daddy Ysengrin!

Is he also all illusory now or is Ysengrim in there, partaking in the same illusion?

Sorry but my dad ate my homework

You’re breaking my heart.

Aww Ysengrin and Anne :)

Does this mean that Annie saw Ysengrin as a sort of surrogate father during the few years she had little to no contact with Tony? That kind of makes sense, but isn't something I ever thought about myself. Until just now, obviously.

Sprout?!?! That's so goddamn cute!!!

there is a record breaking amount of comments on this page and it is sending me

Okay, well, that's better than anything I could have predicted. Well played Tom.

Oh my god that is fantastic. This is everything both of these characters need

Well that's cute. Wonder if Jack's group got switched up or if they could protect themselves.

Oh, this is ADORABLE~!

Yeah. This makes perfect sense.

What a good dad! :3

AntimonyVision

The spit take I had just now

What in the nine hells??? Ysengrim???? But... He's the teacher???

OH MY GOD IT'S TOO WHOLESOME

My heart is melting... this is everything I ever wanted for them... oh no...

The wheel is on the wrong side of the car....

> check Gunnerkrigg > scroll down > see 240 comments "Oh."

Hahahaha I would feel so proud if I were you Tom. You got us. I wonder what percentage of us was 100% sure it would be Surma.