On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

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AuraSight
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On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by AuraSight »

I'm going to start off by acknowledging that the thoughts I share below might make me a bit unpopular, but I do not mean to attack anyone, and I do not dislike the characters of King and Bailey at all. These are only my observations and opinions, and I am completely open to having my mind changed through discussion! That's the whole point of opening a conversation like this.

So I think it's safe to say that King and Bailey are one of the largest "ships" in Housepets, and certainly the most hard-pressed into the comic's cannon, as they are the only pair so far to be married. They're cute, they're loving, they're devoted... But what else?

My current opinions on King and Bailey's relationship started to form as I was re-reading "The King and I" arc, and came across the following strip:
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Alt Text: "And you?" "She smells nice and rescued my thing once" "I figured"

And all's well and funny, but it got me thinking: Why do King and Bailey love each other? I understand that the basic premise of their relationship is that Bailey was King's Love-At-First-Sight, and I'm not complaining at that. That's a legitimate claim to the start of a relationship in this sense. And certainly they've shown their devotion to one-another through personal sacrifice.

But outside of that, what "chemistry" have King and Bailey shown, outside of adorable snuggles? What do they share? What do they enjoy? Why do they care so much for each other to get married?

I would argue that Grape and Max, though not being married and having I believe less screen-time, are a more developed and believable couple. They've been shown having the same likes, going on dates, talking about things normal couples would, from idle banter to personal feelings of inferiority:
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(Peanut and Tarot have a similar chemistry, though a bit less developed)

I know that King and Bailey have also had their talks similar to this, but without the same kind of simple grounding of friendship that Grape and Max have.

Love-At-First-Sight is fine, but I feel it's left King and Bailey without the same chemistry other couples in this comic have.

But maybe I'm wrong! As I said above, these are just my opinions, and I'd love to hear what other people think on this matter! Maybe I missed something. Maybe there is a real "spark" to be seen between these two.

What do you think?
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Obbl »

I actually agree that their "on-screen" relationship has leaned a little toward tropes for establishment at the beginning, but I think that actual relationship building does take place enough for me to see what chemistry exists. For me that is what The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dog is all about. This is where we see the two personalities and get to see how much King really cares about Bailey and how much Bailey cares for King. The way they handled their fight is where I see the depth of their relationship. It's establishing their willingness to keep trying. And at the end, King pours out his heart and Bailey decides to go through with marriage, looking past society's position on it because she sees what it means to King.
There are other smaller things in other arcs (in particular here), and yes, self-sacrifice on both sides which I consider a rather important indicator as well. But also the general attitude of contentedness in each other. To me it just appears that they genuinely enjoy being together -- and not even always romantically, just togetherness. They reinforce that with their words: "I will move heaven and earth to get you", "Understand when I say 'I love you' I do not say it lightly". This is a serious commitment to them, and I really like seeing that. There's not a whole lot of bells, whistles or sparkle-dust about the whole thing. After the love at first sight part, things seem to have settled down to more of what relationships really are about.
So I kinda want to leave this on a question. You say they're "loving" and "devoted" and ask what else is there, but I ask what more is needed when two people love each other and are truly devoted to a long and lasting relationship?
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Douglas Collier »

I guess (for me at least) mostly it's been that we haven't seen them together as a couple consistently in quite a while. After their wedding, aside for a couple of one-offs, we didn't see much interaction between the two until the first Heaven's Not Enough arc - in which Bailey and King were separated for nearly three months. It's as if their ship sailed into the Bermuda Triangle for a while.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

My gripe is that I feel like most of their build-up has happened and it still is happening off-screen.

They met in the strip "Rosey Gasses" and King fell head over heels in love with Bailey. Two strips later we have Bailey diving in and saving King's watch when we didn't see the two of them start any friendship or anything to why Bailey would dive into a pond for a complete stranger. Two strips later, they got intimate and still no build up to that moment. The next time we see them, a significant amount of time has passed as the next arc after that was about Grape rescuing Fox and Max and they are already in a relationship. They spent a huge amount of time together in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dog" and then he proposed. It just seems like most of their relationship is off-screen and it still is. I know Rick has to focus on other characters, but that was way too quick. Like soap opera speed in my opinion.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by valerio »

Obbl wrote:I actually agree that their "on-screen" relationship has leaned a little toward tropes for establishment at the beginning, but I think that actual relationship building does take place enough for me to see what chemistry exists. For me that is what The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dog is all about. This is where we see the two personalities and get to see how much King really cares about Bailey and how much Bailey cares for King. The way they handled their fight is where I see the depth of their relationship. It's establishing their willingness to keep trying. And at the end, King pours out his heart and Bailey decides to go through with marriage, looking past society's position on it because she sees what it means to King.
There are other smaller things in other arcs (in particular here), and yes, self-sacrifice on both sides which I consider a rather important indicator as well. But also the general attitude of contentedness in each other. To me it just appears that they genuinely enjoy being together -- and not even always romantically, just togetherness. They reinforce that with their words: "I will move heaven and earth to get you", "Understand when I say 'I love you' I do not say it lightly". This is a serious commitment to them, and I really like seeing that. There's not a whole lot of bells, whistles or sparkle-dust about the whole thing. After the love at first sight part, things seem to have settled down to more of what relationships really are about.
So I kinda want to leave this on a question. You say they're "loving" and "devoted" and ask what else is there, but I ask what more is needed when two people love each other and are truly devoted to a long and lasting relationship?
couldn't have put it better^^
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Obbl »

Sorry to nitpick, but... :P
Amazee Dayzee wrote:Two strips later we have Bailey diving in and saving King's watch when we didn't see the two of them start any friendship or anything to why Bailey would dive into a pond for a complete stranger.
Well, King is a good friend of her cousin. And that's really her character, is it not? The bully kid is picking on the smaller, more helpless dog and she jumps in to save him. It does perhaps show a certain amount of fondness for King, and that would have developed off-screen, but I don't personally feel it's too much to expect out of general goodwill.
Amazee Dayzee wrote:The next time we see them, a significant amount of time has passed as the next arc after that was about Grape rescuing Fox and Max and they are already in a relationship. They spent a huge amount of time together in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dog" and then he proposed... that was way too quick. Like soap opera speed in my opinion.
Well, it had been a year. While a lot of the relationship building between those two by this point was indeed off-screen... it had been a year. That's not entirely out of the question for a relationship where two people go into it with the understanding this is intended to be a permanent thing.

So, yes, the initial relationship building was done mostly off-screen, but I feel like Rick does a good job establishing that it is there. And what about Grape and Max's relationship. If you go back and do the same analysis, you'll find it follows a not too dissimilar pattern ;) Sure there are moments, like AuraSight pointed out, of relationship stuff, but a lot of the initial build up just seems to suddenly appear. But that's not too dissimilar from a lot of relationships, right? I mean, some people are more guarded and take a while to warm up to a relationship, but others are more willing to dive in a bit and see what happens. For those, it would look rather sudden.
But I feel like, for most people, if they can get into a conversation with someone and their senses of humor are fairly in line, you wouldn't be able to tell a new friendship from an old one. And when someone decides to seriously pursue a relationship it's bound to look like it took a sudden jump from casual relationship to more something more romantic, right?
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Macsen »

Take heart, Aura. :3

Personally, though it's clear Grape adores and cares about Maxie, I can't help but wonder at times if he takes their relationship seriously.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by SuperStar »

Kitch wrote:Take heart, Aura. :3

Personally, though it's clear Grape adores and cares about Maxie, I can't help but wonder at times if he takes their relationship seriously.
That pic there. I think that actually shows a lot about Max. That pic was from before Gallifrax, and as we find out in Gallifrax(and Jungle Fever) Max actually worries that he is not good enough for Grape. When you look at that pic in hindsight, you realize that Max is astonished cause he doesn't think he's good enough, and that he's afraid of failing Grape. It's really actually quite cute in hindsight.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by deepskycyan »

SuperStar wrote:That pic there. I think that actually shows a lot about Max. That pic was from before Gallifrax, and as we find out in Gallifrax(and Jungle Fever) Max actually worries that he is not good enough for Grape. When you look at that pic in hindsight, you realize that Max is astonished cause he doesn't think he's good enough, and that he's afraid of failing Grape. It's really actually quite cute in hindsight.
Hmm. I think you may be overthinking it. Keep in mind that "no one takes pet marriages seriously", and Max may simply be surprised at Grape's suggestion. However it does tell us that Max is not ready for such a commitment.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by AuraSight »

Obbl wrote:For me that is what The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dog is all about.
Actually, thank you very much for pointing that out. I'll admit I had forgotten the struggles and development present in that arc.

In reference to the closing statement:
Obbl wrote:You say they're "loving" and "devoted" and ask what else is there, but I ask what more is needed when two people love each other and are truly devoted to a long and lasting relationship?
That is a fair point. Those are great qualities and absolutely necessary for a relationship. However, what I'm looking for when I ask "what else is there?" is from whence that love and devotion arises. Why do they love each other? What draws them together? Why do they care so much for each other that they would make enormous sacrifices?

Going back to my comparison to Grape and Max, they have qualities that make it believable that they'd want to be together. They both like the same things, a la "Pridelands", they both have a rebellious disposition, and they both have similar views on "mushy" love.

I guess I could say my issue is that King and Bailey seem to have a "Fairy Tale" type of love. They see each other and just know they're meant to be together. They love each other just because they love each other. I expect to get a biiiiiiit of a rise from saying that. Certainly in this comic there's nothing wrong with having a Fairy-Tale romance of indescribable passion. I just feels like it's... not enough for me to get behind.

Also I just realized this whole conversation is well-matched to the Book 5 cover...
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I swear, I did NOT plan this when I posted this topic. :shock:
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by valerio »

AuraSight wrote:Actually, thank you very much for pointing that out. I'll admit I had forgotten the struggles and development present in that arc.

In reference to the closing statement:
Obbl wrote:You say they're "loving" and "devoted" and ask what else is there, but I ask what more is needed when two people love each other and are truly devoted to a long and lasting relationship?
That is a fair point. Those are great qualities and absolutely necessary for a relationship. However, what I'm looking for when I ask "what else is there?" is from whence that love and devotion arises. Why do they love each other? What draws them together? Why do they care so much for each other that they would make enormous sacrifices?

Going back to my comparison to Grape and Max, they have qualities that make it believable that they'd want to be together. They both like the same things, a la "Pridelands", they both have a rebellious disposition, and they both have similar views on "mushy" love.

I guess I could say my issue is that King and Bailey seem to have a "Fairy Tale" type of love. They see each other and just know they're meant to be together. They love each other just because they love each other. I expect to get a biiiiiiit of a rise from saying that. Certainly in this comic there's nothing wrong with having a Fairy-Tale romance of indescribable passion. I just feels like it's... not enough for me to get behind.

Also I just realized this whole conversation is well-matched to the Book 5 cover...
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I swear, I did NOT plan this when I posted this topic. :shock:
You keep missing the point here, then.
Even among us humans in RL, love is not 'explained' in 'whys' and hows'. Ask ANY couple you know why they are so devoted to each other, and you'll get different answers every time.
There is nothing gratuitious about the commitment of these two canines. Their struggles prove exactly the contrary. If we wanted a full explanation of every mind and biological process as you imply, Rick should create a dedicated appendix.
So you tell us: WHAT do you expect?
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by GameCobra »

The key word here is commitment, honestly. A love at first sight relationship shows itself the best when time moves on and we see how hard they commit to one another. That's the beauty of those kind of relationships. Not much time to go into details, you gotta show it off. Granted, I was skeptical of King because of his personality, but the last couple of comics have been showing after the barriers were removed that they have a stronger relationship than we realize.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by AuraSight »

Hmmm... Looking over the comments here, looking back at the comic and reevaluating myself, I think my opinions have, in fact, changed.

From the points raised by the people here, I've come to see that King and Bailey have had a lot more development than I gave them credit for. Certainly, yes, their commitment and devotion in and of itself can be enough to show the strength of their relationship. It's been a few years, many arcs, but one thing that can be said for certain is that these two are still going just as strong, if not stronger than, the day they met.

Thank you to those who have posted here and given their thoughts and ideas! As I said, I was open to having my mind changed, and it seems it has been. And that's not a bad thing at all. <3

So, for what it may be worth, here's to King and Bailey! It's been about year and a half since the big day, and to Heaven and back. Here's to many more years of happy marriage and (gentle) snuggles!
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I just wish that we could have seen them on-screen more and developed before they jumped into the marriage. maybe they could have held off on the marriage or engagement until after the Heaven arc.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

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Amazee Dayzee wrote:I just wish that we could have seen them on-screen more and developed before they jumped into the marriage. maybe they could have held off on the marriage or engagement until after the Heaven arc.
Their marriage is just part of what gave them the strength to carry on when things got really bad. King's promise to move heaven and earth during the wedding kiss was his seal to his new life. From that moment on, it was clear that nothing else would've mattered, that his commitment was true. In the 'Heaven's not Enough' saga, he defied a demigod, renounced paradise, almost spat in the face of Bahamut, because that was his FAMILY at stake, not his own prospect of happiness, but Bailey's safety. The saga proved, if there was ever need to, that both of them cared for each other to the point of self-sacrifice.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Douglas Collier »

I'm still going to be looking forward to the strip where King and Bailey start calling each other mushy names before King realizes what they're doing. :P
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by valerio »

Douglas Collier wrote:I'm still going to be looking forward to the strip where King and Bailey start calling each other mushy names before King realizes what they're doing. :P
If Rick took commissions again, I'd ask him the first butt-sniffing scene between them :mrgreen:
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Douglas Collier »

Somehow I don't think King has given up on all of his human reservations. :roll: ;)
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Foxstar »

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I just wish that we could have seen them on-screen more and developed before they jumped into the marriage. maybe they could have held off on the marriage or engagement until after the Heaven arc.
Uh, how much on screen time are we talking about? This is Housepets, not "King and Bailey." Plus, I really, really don't think you guys realize how much work and effort Rick puts into storylines
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Douglas Collier »

Easy, Foxstar - be gentle with us. We're not trying to openly criticize Rick - we're just pointing out some holes in the portrayal of King's and Bailey's relationship that we've perceived (perhaps incorrectly). No need to castigate us. :oops:
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Obbl »

When Foxstar is castigating you, you'll know. This is not it. ;)
Foxstar wrote:
Amazee Dayzee wrote:I just wish that we could have seen them on-screen more and developed before they jumped into the marriage. maybe they could have held off on the marriage or engagement until after the Heaven arc.
Uh, how much on screen time are we talking about? This is Housepets, not "King and Bailey." Plus, I really, really don't think you guys realize how much work and effort Rick puts into storylines
To echo Foxstar, the comic has way too many characters to give you a full synopsis of their relationship build up. Plus, the vast majority of it is phone conversations where they talk about each other's days. I suppose some of them could be interesting conversations, but I think it was a good choice of Rick's to simply show us that such conversations had been happening regularly and leave it to our imaginations to fill in the details.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Douglas Collier »

Yeah, I'm sorry for my overreaction, Foxstar. :oops:
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Foxstar wrote:
Amazee Dayzee wrote:I just wish that we could have seen them on-screen more and developed before they jumped into the marriage. maybe they could have held off on the marriage or engagement until after the Heaven arc.
Uh, how much on screen time are we talking about? This is Housepets, not "King and Bailey." Plus, I really, really don't think you guys realize how much work and effort Rick puts into storylines
I know that you aren't attacking me and you are simply telling me about how Rick comes up with the storylines and it is't about Kingley, but it really does sort of that you are attacking me. ._. Could you let up, just a teensy bit? ._.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Silly Zealot »

Being from a school of thought which believes all stories try to convey a message or moral lesson, I am ashamed of being an idiot and not realising that this love story was just a feel good escapism for so long.
Foxstar wrote:I really, really don't think you guys realize how much work and effort Rick puts into storylines
You know me well.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Sleepy, Godly Raptor »

King should marry Sleepy instead
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by rickgriffin »

It bothers me a bit that this thread had to be marked with a plea to not castigate someone who'd question my storytelling.

Because my storytelling is not perfect. I don't like to pretend it is. The only thing I'd really ask anyone is that they approach it in good faith, rather than assuming that the fact I've written a series that's maybe marginally successful means I'm basking in the glow of tiny personal compliments and ignoring everything else.

If you think that of me, you reeeally don't know me very well.

That said, here's something I've noticed early on about my writing style: I do not like to belabor a point.

My writing has been criticized as "breakneck". I recognize this; I'm always looking for better ways to approach it without falling into padding-for-padding's sake or losing the impact that brevity has on storytelling. Especially when it comes to points where things are bogged down by technical explanations: I do not like these, but certainly don't want to stretch the story even further just to get it all in; I'd rather have two overly-technical comics than ten (my own personal criticism with the arc The Trial In Heaven)

As far as anything goes with the King/Bailey arc, I started where I felt comfortable and moved on from there. When it comes to people saying it's not "enough" I always have to ask, "What more do you want?" And there certainly could be more that can be said, which I have not written about. But I often do not write about it because I'm not sure it needs to be said, nor do I have anything particularly special to say: I feel like doing so belabors the point.

For some reason, readers readily accept certain "skips" in the explanation of certain story elements, but not others. For a lot of people, romance is the one that needs to be hammered in hard. For me, the specifics of the King/Bailey romance hasn't been as important as the circumstances of their relationship; this is why I've often focused on stories that work on their dynamic rather than their specific reasons for involvement with one another.

It is not my opinion that every story needs to involve all of its POSSIBLE elements equally. Especially when one of those elements necessitates finding the humor in situations.

Yes I did lampshade that in the wedding arc. I lampshaded it because I know it bothers people when they don't always "feel" the specific reasons characters are connected to one another. But the thing is: I can really only give you an argument for why they're together. A reader can easily reject any such explanation I give. "There's no reason they should have blah blah, why did they forgive each other, this matter was entirely irrelevant, etc".

Such matters I usually don't feel like need full arcs to dig into. But I don't think it's irrelevant: I talk about it here and there. I presume it's already built-in to the characters, and it comes out in various ways during other stories. That's the way I usually operate. I want to trust the reader to pick up on the nature of the relationship without having to spell it out across the screen, unless I think spelling across the screen is otherwise relevant.

Why do I do it like that? Probably because I don't like the idea that I have to "earn" the clearance to tell certain stories only when I reach a certain threshold of prerequisite stories. Or something.

I don't think this is the best way of going about it, but I only have so long to work on these and I'm not a machine. I know it has problems. I have said in the past Housepets is a perpetual experiment, and I don't expect to try and tell a romance the same way I told King and Bailey's. There are always things I would do differently if I could go back, but it's always difficult to compare how things did turn out with how they could have turned out.

But I mean, there was that guy on the forums who insisted that a proper story had to literally connect every single plot and character point together all the time and there could not be any skipping inbetween steps that can easily be presumed. That way lies utter madness.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Silly Zealot »

I, for one, don't fear that you might be offended, I think critics mostly fear your fans. They can be quite *puts on shades* fanatical!
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by copper »

Honestly, King and Bailey's relationship is one of the many examples as to why I love this comic so much. Rick does a good job with building the psychology of characters, making a strong background and letting them play off each other. There are many types of romantic connections out there, and this is one of the ones I personally enjoy. They have complementary personalities. You have Bailey, naturally protective and intelligent, though down to earth and in the moment; then you have King, who is impulsive, rash to judgement, hurt in his past and bitter to the world, but wanting to be happy, yet worrying about the future and what is ahead. They were drawn to each other, and their feelings probably developed from that week they spent together (or few days, however long Fox and King visited the farm). If one was to look back at their on screen relationship one could easily make this connection through their conversations. Sorry for not explaining it well. I can try better if need be.


As for the title, I have faith in this community that they are rational enough to not attack another user for putting an opinion up. If not, we are here to help! Be bold everyone, just keep it in forum rules and we love to talk about this sort of thing! :D
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Macsen »

I thought the "be gentle" thing was a joke, to be honest. Based on the comic where they actually hit it off.

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I think your storytelling is awesome, Rick. And I'm not saying that just because I'm "employed" here. Housepets! is the one furry comic I always follow without having to think about it. I, for one, trust you to tell the story the way you see fit. :3
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by AuraSight »

Kitch wrote:I thought the "be gentle" thing was a joke, to be honest. Based on the comic where they actually hit it off.

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I can confirm that the addition to the title of this thread was about 95% joke for just that reason. :3

It was, however, a slight appeal against castigation. I love this comic, and my creation of this thread was in no way an attempt to belittle its author or its writing. After forming my initial opinion and criticism, I wanted to share it in the hopes of opening a conversation on the relationships and storytelling of Housepets!, because I like the ability to discuss such things and I think it's healthy to do so. But from being a part of "fandom culture" for a little while, I've learned that people don't tend to have a great first reaction if you share an opinion that criticizes a work that they enjoy, especially when criticizing a specific and popular ship. The addition of "BE GENTLE!" to the title of the thread was mainly supposed to be a joke on the couple, as Kitch pointed out, but also a bit of a subliminal suggestion to keep the conversation friendly and open.

Since posting this thread, reading reactions and thinking, my initial opinion on King and Bailey's relationship, as well as the nature of relationships in storytelling has changed. I've come to respect the type of writing it takes for various romances and that not everything must be shown or told in order to have a good story. I deeply appreciate those who have posted here for allowing me to change my thoughts!

I also really appreciate Rick commenting and describing his point on his writing. It's quite enlightening, and I never really expected to hear his reactions. Thank you very much, Rick!
And, uh, I truly meant no offence in my small critique. :oops:
Please don't think I love your work any less for it. ^^""
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by RockstarRaccoon »

rickgriffin wrote:My writing has been criticized as "breakneck". I recognize this; I'm always looking for better ways to approach it without falling into padding-for-padding's sake or losing the impact that brevity has on storytelling. Especially when it comes to points where things are bogged down by technical explanations: I do not like these, but certainly don't want to stretch the story even further just to get it all in; I'd rather have two overly-technical comics than ten (my own personal criticism with the arc The Trial In Heaven)
Actually, I think the relatively fast pace that plots unfold at is one of Housepets' strengths: you've refined this storytelling style where you manage to wrap up arcs in a month or so, while still keeping them fun and entertaining and not just stuff happening. You work within your time constraints, and you don't leave us strung out waiting for the arc to resolve or the story to progress: you give a minimum story-progression and minimum humor-drop per strip, and you've consistently kept it going for several years.

This isn't like Little Coyote where I have whole 30 minute episodes at a time to draw out a single case that Scratch Sandwalker has to solve.
This isn't like Marco where I have a 4 hour game to be played in chunks to tell some sort of epic adventure.
This is Housepets, where you have to progress the story with a very limited flow of information that comes at a relatively slow pace: you have to make every strip count, and you do it better than someone like Tatsuya Ishida, who (even at a strip a day) tends to take so long to resolve arcs that the beginning isn't even that relevant to current real-world events by the time we see an end, if we ever even do. (though, to be fair, Sinfest has always been one of those "along for the ride" comics)

Maybe if it was more than 3 short strips a week, I'd say you should go slower and draw it out, but as you said...
I only have so long to work on these and I'm not a machine. I know it has problems. I have said in the past Housepets is a perpetual experiment, and I don't expect to try and tell a romance the same way I told King and Bailey's. There are always things I would do differently if I could go back, but it's always difficult to compare how things did turn out with how they could have turned out.
And of course, that's perfectly acceptable: you do other work, and that work is also good work, and you have that right to choose what to devote yourself to. (not that I would schedule myself the same way, but hey, I'm not you)
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Shadowstar23 »

I'll start off this comment that King and Bailey are fast approaching their 3-yr wedding anniversary and that I wish them good fortunes.
Now, you have recieved fair points from everyone and I would like to add mine. King and Bailey's relationship is kind of "go with flow". Neither has openly questioned the actions of the other toward them or the others opinion of life. Bailey is cute, funny, attractive, and a hard worker to boot. King is smart, handsome, has a dry sense of humor, and always does his best to keep any of his relationships going no matter the cost. In short, King is loyal and Bailey is flexible. Now, Bailey(and King) can be stubborn, impatient, absent-minded at times, and misunderstanding. King is short-fused, skeptical, dissatisfied with several things, and has a weary outlook on the world. They've proven that they do have arguments and that they can compromise after letting their tempers cool down. It is safe to say they are opposites of each other, and it is said that "opposites attract". Meaning they balance each other out, which(in my opinion) makes their relationship stable and one they are lucky to have. As for the development of the relationship, Rick has other characters to focus on. Like Rick, I feel that you should say what you need to say on a subject and move on. That doesn't mean that Rick is simply skipping it. He's doing it like a sort of "Meanwhile...." thing and I think he has a suitable explanation for it. So, what I'm trying to say is, step back and take a deep breath and let it go where the wind blows. That is all I have to say.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by RemonyRavine »

Shadowstar23 wrote:I'll start off this comment that King and Bailey are fast approaching their 3-yr wedding anniversary and that I wish them good fortunes.
Now, you have recieved fair points from everyone and I would like to add mine. King and Bailey's relationship is kind of "go with flow". Neither has openly questioned the actions of the other toward them or the others opinion of life. Bailey is cute, funny, attractive, and a hard worker to boot. King is smart, handsome, has a dry sense of humor, and always does his best to keep any of his relationships going no matter the cost. In short, King is loyal and Bailey is flexible. Now, Bailey(and King) can be stubborn, impatient, absent-minded at times, and misunderstanding. King is short-fused, skeptical, dissatisfied with several things, and has a weary outlook on the world. They've proven that they do have arguments and that they can compromise after letting their tempers cool down. It is safe to say they are opposites of each other, and it is said that "opposites attract". Meaning they balance each other out, which(in my opinion) makes their relationship stable and one they are lucky to have. As for the development of the relationship, Rick has other characters to focus on. Like Rick, I feel that you should say what you need to say on a subject and move on. That doesn't mean that Rick is simply skipping it. He's doing it like a sort of "Meanwhile...." thing and I think he has a suitable explanation for it. So, what I'm trying to say is, step back and take a deep breath and let it go where the wind blows. That is all I have to say.
*Gives a round of applause*

Well said--couldn't have put it better myself.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I forgot that Bailey likes to jump right to the point. But then again, who WOULDN'T wanna snuggle with a cute little corgi like King. You have to admit he is adorable.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Civilization »

King and Bailey have been through a lot, they may not be perfect but they have a strong bond that will keep. At least they have Fox as a common friend.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Foxstar »

Civilization wrote:King and Bailey have been through a lot, they may not be perfect but they have a strong bond that will keep. At least they have Fox as a common friend.
He's not just a simple friend anymore, he's family as well now.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Fox is Bailey's biological cousin and pet cousin (the opposite of Bino and Joey) so Fox is indeed family to both of them.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by King Bailey »

Kitch wrote:I thought the "be gentle" thing was a joke, to be honest. Based on the comic where they actually hit it off.

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I think your storytelling is awesome, Rick. And I'm not saying that just because I'm "employed" here. Housepets! is the one furry comic I always follow without having to think about it. I, for one, trust you to tell the story the way you see fit. :3
Yeah, based on her reactions when King told her to be gentle with the puppies, I doubt she was gentle in his sense of the word.
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by BlankM »

Personally I also raised an eyebrow at how "quick" their relationship moved but by the time I was caught up (Yes, I'm a new reader who binge-read the series) I felt it was slightly justified for two reasons.

1: It feels as if the main development of the two characters was supposed to start here. Compared to the rest of the cast, King took significantly more time to setup the emotional context behind his behavior than the rest of the mainstays. This also meant these circumstances had to resolve in a timely manner to avoid the "plot" revolving around him, and considering most if not all characters required very little introduction this could have most certainly been the case. If Housepets is to be the self-aware slice-of-life/romantic comedy it sneakily hints to be, the scenario we have now is much more suitable to the interactions we gain that from.

2: The pace at which they bonded speaks a bit more to their character than anything really. While the slightly more nuanced, and playful relationships of the rest of the cast are appreciated, King and Bailey are a good contrast in how straightforward and committed they are. King, having no doubt spent some time as an angst-ridden recluse in a jail cell, is more than willing to settle down at the sign of unconditional kindness. Bailey didn't receive much screen time aside from I think that one Christmas panel, so we had to infer a lot of her personality from what we know about Fox. Fox was quick to become King's best friend, remains loyal to Bino despite the judgment of his character, and finally gets over King's past life without much hesitance. And we see this degree of selflessness in Bailey's first few acts to King, almost a total stranger to her at the time, so it may just run in the family.

All in all I did think it was as believable as the Housepets universe will probably be and their current chapter has been pretty enjoyable!
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Re: On King and Bailey's Relationship (BE GENTLE!)

Post by Macsen »

BTW: Pups :3

Rook is starting to look a lot like King.
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