Zimbits

Pairing
Pairing:	Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmerman
Alternative name(s):	Zimbits
Gender category:	m/m
Fandom:	Check Please!
Canonical?:	yes (as of Feb 26, 2016)
Prevalence:	small
Archives:	AO3 pairing Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmerman
Other:
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Zimbits is the pairing name portmanteau of the characters Jack Zimmerman and Eric Bittle in the webcomic Check Please! on Tumblr.

Eric Bittle is the POV character and spent several years pining for the Hockey Team Captain Jack Zimmerman. In the strip dated Feb 26, 2016, they finally kissed. As the central canonical pairing of the comic, it is no surprise that it attracts a large following, and its becoming canon instantly drew more attention to the comic and fandom.

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.

Fandom

The tumblr tag for the pairing is zimbits

AO3 pairing tag is Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmerman

Destination: Toast! posted a statistical analysis of what happened after the pairing became canon: both tumblr and AO3 showed significant increases in activity.

• In October 2016, there were 1832 works for the pairing on AO3.
• In May 2017, there are 2669 works for the pairing on AO3.

Common Tropes & Genre

• Pining & Getting Together: For a long time, Bitty has a crush on Jack which he is sure will not be reciprocated, and attempts to hide his feeling. Before the ship was canon, works exploring how their feelings for each other would finally be expressed were popular. When the ship became canon, it became apparent that Jack had known of an reciprocated Bitty's crush but was afraid to act on it.
• Mental Illness & Anxiety: Jack canonically struggles with anxiety. How this and his history of overdose shape him and his approach to a relationship are often explored.
• Coming Out: Both Bitty and Jack are closeted, Bitty when it comes to his parents and Jack the entire public, and face different challenges in coming out. Similar to Hockey RPF, it is popular to explore how Jack, as a professional hockey player in the public eye, would come out, often wanting to make his relationship with Bitty public.

Characterisation of Jack

• "110% Jack Zimmerman" - e.g. loads of roses on Valentine's Day
• Some fans differ on how socially awkward to portray him - his anxiety and some misunderstandings are canon, but he's also used to being in the limelight due to his parents
• Fans vary in how they portray his view of his past relationship with Kent Parson, and what that relationship consisted of. This has changed slightly since it came up in canon and we heard Jack's view there, but there is still room for interpretation.

Characterisation of Bitty

• Attitude to physicality varies - he was scared of checking, but that may or may not translate into other things.
• Attitude to money varies - bakers don't earn much, Jack has NHL salary, but Coach will have earned a fair amount as a high school football coach in Georgia, so Bitty may be more comfortable with money than some fans assume.

Notable Fanworks

• maybe i'm waking up by idrilka
• Mixing It Up by sinspiration
• Being in Motion by marswithghosts
• A Wall Around Me by angryspaceravenclaw
• Thin Ice by psocoptera
• Something Like This by emmagrant01
• Drop It While It's Hot by esterbrook

Awards

In 2023, the relationship won 3rd place in the second MLM Ship Bracket Tournament out of 32 entrants.