Just for the sake of whatever little is left of Marion's sanity, I hope that doesn't end up happening.

So, I guess this page confirms that the characters can in fact see things the readers cannot. In light of this new information, I'm just going to say that I hope none of the wolf cubs ever happens to develop a crush on anyone at that school...

I did link that comic, it's so nice that you remember! Makes me so happy!
Don't think much of it, though. Like you said, it was a gag comic, a pun strip made years ago. (And it's still just as good as the day it was posted )


Oooh, found that comic in October. Didn't know someone else here read it!
(It's rated +18, though, mostly for potty-mouths and adult humour, so be careful.)


Oh, sanity, sanity. Let me tell you something about sanity.

Still though, I was shocked at how perfect of a foreshadow it was... Even though we both agree it was most likely some one off gag. Obviously the idea stayed with Rick since then.



Yeah, I actually found that comic first... It got me into the mood for some more webcomics (or other media) involving transforming as a plotline, and found HousePets thanks to a mention about King's introduction on some trope website.

You must be talking about TVTropes in that case then. That is how I found out about the comic also.

I found that site. You should see what they call Pete on the page they mention King.
Wow, Marion is already on the Housepets TVTropes page. They don't mess around.

It'll be interesting to see how Marion handles all this once things are less in flux for him.

Side note: I don't think we can rule out the coin just yet, but I have a feeling if it were involved, we'd probably know already this many strips in. At least having it hinted at. I don't know think Steward would be into breaking and entering a teenager's room just to test out some plans. It'd be much easier to test in other ways.

They is us.

Marion is handling things surprisingly well, I’d be freaking out myself. Hopefully he can stay calm and find his way through this.

Fingers crossed, but if I found myself a squirrel in the morning, I'd flip, and even more so if what happened to Marion happened to me...!

Now, the next hurtle is - what happens when he encounters someone he knows and they react to his transformation....

*Mom walks in.* "You wouldn't believe what happened to me at work today!" (She's now a fennec fox.)

*Sees Marion* "Orrrrr, maybe you would."

Yes, more uncharted territory considering the ones who came before at least had some experience with Babylon Gardens weirdness, Steward for instance. Fox's reaction to King was...less than ideal. It could go either way depending on how open minded they are. So far Lois was not to keen on helping or believing him but hopefully that will change when she actually makes her appearance which still might be a long shot considering you know humans and all that in the comic, but at this point anything can happen. Fingers still crossed for a Detective Pikachu type scenario.

Fox's reaction wasn't ideal because he found out his best friend/cousin-in-law/brother-in-law was the guy that tried to kidnap him. Of COURSE he was gonna pound the daylights out of him. I'm surprised he didn't go further.

I am more partial to a classic pirouette, but your take on acrobatics is fine, too!


Honestly, I'm surprised he remembered the guy's face after, what? Five years?

Well, considering they're the only animals at school I'd hope that wouldn't- you know what? Let's not go down this road of arguments.

I still love that scene so much. The emotion. The anger. The tears.
Yes, well, trauma sticks with you even after a long time. Fox never truly got over it considering his reaction when Bino just mentioned Joel's name.

Yes. In real life paws work on touchscreens, even capacitive touchscreens.As far as we know, Marion is not aware that on average pets are more likely to know about magic(k), so he wouldn't be included to seek them out.Any room can look grandiose if the frame of reference is the size of a squirrel.

I think that it looks big and very fancy even without Marion being the size of a squirrel at this point. It reminds me of a master bathroom.

Honestly, it looks pretty modest to me. My bathroom is arranged almost exactly like you see in the comic (even the same globe lights above the mirror!), and I live in an old small townhouse. It's just Marion's size that's making it look big.

Why not? It's not like this comic has shied away from inter-species dating. Kinda the opposite with the Fido and Sabrina, Joey and Squeak, and Keene and Breel pairings. There isn't much of an opportunity for the Babylon Gardens wolfs to find a wolf mate as Poncho pointed out. If a wolf does end up falling for one of his classmates, it technically wouldn't even be the first Homo sapiens-Canis lupus dating attempt.

Has this line of discussion EVER been useful at all in any context that you can find?

Anyway changing the subject, I just realized why the mirror and the sink in the bathroom looks kind of familiar: it GREATLY resembles the sink and the bathroom in my grandmother's house. Only difference is that there is a toilet and a window to the right of the sink and her bathroom is green with black and pink tile.

What, shipping? *ponders for a moment* No, I guess you're right. Discussions about shipping haven't ever been useful (doesn't mean they're not worthwhile or fun ).

The latter is what I was asking about if it had ever been useful. But since its been established its not, time to move on!

Yeah, I still think Marion's a boy squirrel. First because of the screencap where Rick said in the art stream to keep calling him a he, second because of his design having no female characteristics like Macsen said (and I think those running gags would be pretty funny), and third because I want him to still have some part of his original self left; the kid's suffered enough and if he has to be a female squirrel for a very long period of time and maybe even permanently thanks to circumstances entirely out of his control, on top of everything else he's endured/will have to endure, it'd break my heart

I honestly think that thi, will turn out to be "for their own good" as transformations are supposed to be. If they are a female squirl, it will turn out to be for their own good. Just like being a dog was for king

That’s true, it could be revealed that this is a “for their own good situation” where Marion had to be turned into a male or female squirrel for certain reasons we don’t know yet. Given how the arc frames him as sympathetic, I don’t think this is a situation where he deserved to be turned into a squirrel for some past infractions he committed. It could be along the lines of “The universe needs Marion to be a male or female squirrel now”. Or he’s a hapless victim of a larger circumstances which turned into a squirrel and he eventually links up with King and company and they figure out what that is. Just personally hoping that he’s male, again because the evidence currently leans towards that being the case, and because stories with elements where a character loses almost their entire former identity have never sat right with me. They give me a gut-wrenching tragic feeling.

I’m pretty sure Marion’s headed for a happy ending to his main arc in the future. I could deal with Marion being a male squirrel for the rest of his life no problem, but if he actually did get changed into a female squirrel, and by the end of his main character arc it turns out it’s permanent, I’d have to go lie down for a while. Even if he eventually came to terms with his new identity, starting to think of herself as female, etc. and being happy that way, having so much of what she was before that taken away would be crushingly bittersweet.

I don't think Rick would want to risk the uproar that the fans would have if he kept Marion as a female squirrel and had him give up his entire former life because unlike King, Marion seemed to actually have a fairly average life before he got turned into a squirrel.

I was partialy implying that they might end up reflecting and realising they identify more with the femanine aspect. It's something I've been thinking for a bit, but I didn't want to come on too strong about saying it.

Also, I've clearly been a teenager alot more recently than all of ya'll. I doubt there's a single teenager, especialy right before finals, who wouldn't be perfectly happy Bicycle Repair Man off and never coming back XD

I trust in Rick to do it justice, so there's no worry there, but I totally understand your concerns because I share them too. Dropping someone into not one, but two kinds of dysphoria is a special kind a cruel, but I don't think Rick would do that without a plan to address it eventually. He's a good bean, we just gotta ride it out and see where the story takes both Marion and us.

I agree with all this which is why I believe that Marion is going to be the hero of whatever developing plot is beginning. Like with King we need a character with a goal or ambition, something to fight for which is something that most animals simply don’t have. Fox said to King that he was content and happy with his life and it’s safe to assume that applies to all animals so no pet is going to bend over backwards to save the world. It needs to be an animal that has the knowledge and strive of a human but, well, the body of An animal. Enter Marion. The way Rick has developed him so far makes him a sympathetic underdog who can gather support and fans like with King who had the tragic backstory only Marion is the character who lost everything in the present and the reader would want him to get it back. It’s a personal preference of who or what Marion should be when he accomplishes that. If he remains a squirrel it at least helps build bridges between animals and humans but I have a feeling before it’s over for good Marion will be human again. At least he’ll still have the perspective and insight to build those bridges but from the human side which might be better since we already have King.

Even when he turns back into a human he can still have those experiences and it can help him to be the one that gets humans and animals to support one another.

I'm not ready to see Marion in a messianic context just yet. I'd first like to see how he interacts with another animal.

Well of course. I wasn't suggesting that he get it now. I don't wanna rush too far ahead.