2018/04/18 – Hug It Out

Post by **D-Rock** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:01 am

[2018/04/18 - Hug It Out]
Title Text: consolation prize: a hug

If you can be better than you were yesterday on the impossible path of attaining perfection, then it wasn’t a waste. Even better if you get hugs on occasion!

Saturn381 · Post by **Saturn381** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:02 am

Hugs make everything better!

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:04 am

I think it's funny in an awesome way he runs to Kitsune for hugs. Kitsune giving out free hugs =3

I think Tarot's hug in the third panels is sweet and adorable.

Gbr23 · Post by **Gbr23** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:04 am

Kitsune being more supportive than cocky, that’s a rare and nice view.

And of course I want a hug!

IceKitsune · Post by **IceKitsune** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:05 am

Everyone gets hugs!

TheSilverFox51 · Post by **TheSilverFox51** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:08 am

Tarot has been a favorite character of mine for a while (not at first, but she grew on me) and I find it exciting that we get to see a more human (mortal dog) side of her. Tarot has been getting a lot of hate during this arc, whether or not rightfully so is up for debate, but I find it interesting. She is no longer controlled and ordered around by Spirit Dragon, so Tarot has to figure things out for herself, and she finds it hard, but she strives to improve herself (somewhat). Anyway, quick! gotta say something witty so I get attention! Urm... uhm... yeah I suck at this. But I wish I had friends that gave hugs as freely as Peanut...

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:10 am

It looks like some problems need a different kind of magic to solve.

For some reason, I imagined Kitsune having a different voice in my head for this strip then his other apperenses (except for Statue Wary, where he had a different unique voice for me).

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:11 am

Peanut hugs. Sounds like a Valentines' day product from Reeses...

Doling out truths cheaper than hugs;
probably preferring Daffy over ol' Bugs,
silliness and serenity combined in him;
for one like Kitsune, life’s never grim.
Tarot’s path to happiness is perforated,
hopping between the holes thus stated,
looking for the important points to win;
never realising the heaven she’s in.
Peanut runs every day in pleasure
a Dog who sees in the moment a treasure.
He reacts to the friendliest of intent.
Never mind the angels, Tarot, he’s heaven-sent.

Bandit1990 · Post by **Bandit1990** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:15 am

Free hugs!

Nothing fazes that dog. I think this is the first time we've seen Peanut directly interact with GK, and questioning the situation does not even occur to him.

MX682XM · Post by **MX682XM** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:15 am

This is one of my favourite strips in this arc

Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:17 am

oh Peanut, never change.

I wanna hug his tails. they look so fluffy.

Arel_Grim · Post by **Arel_Grim** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:19 am

Free Hugs

leinglo · Post by **leinglo** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:20 am

YES! YES SO MANY WAYS TO SUNDAY! INFINITY! INFINITY YES IS THAT!

Sorry, it's just, that is something that Tarot has been desperately needing to hear from somebody for a long time now.

Also, did anyone else get a flashback to Legend of Korra where Tenzin realizes he has to stop trying to be Aang and start being himself?

CHAOKOCartoons · Post by **CHAOKOCartoons** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:22 am

All things considered, it's not often Avatars live to see the end of their game I imagine. They all live practically their entire life with that power, as do the rest of the hundreds of other Avatars until one wins (or draws, as we saw). In the case of Pets, most have the mentality of a child for a long time, and Tarot seems like one of the avatars that started not long after she was born. Giving a child the power of a God, then taking it away much later in their life is probably gonna result in some spoiled attitude. Not to mention Tarot was probably raised being told she'd be the savior of the universe by Dragon. I always kinda forgot that Tarot isn't actually as old as she might act, she's probably only a bit older than Peanut and co.

Also, Kitsune is a good God Dad/Uncle. He sclolds you, has fun, then comforts you and gives you good life advice... and approves of your boyfriend!

He's probably had to do this a few times as a DM, or at least had plenty of time to prepare for the one Avatar that makes it to the end of the game.

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:24 am

Bandit1990 wrote:Free hugs!

Nothing fazes that dog. I think this is the first time we've seen Peanut directly interact with GK, and questioning the situation does not even occur to him.

They've only been in the same strip once before and they weren't even in the same panel. Keep in mind Peanut isn't fazed by the supernatural; that would be silly.

Ryusuta · Post by **Ryusuta** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:28 am

Okay, I admit it. As much as I have issues with Tarot, this one put a lump in my throat a bit, dood... ;~;

Douglas Collier · Post by **Douglas Collier** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:29 am

Yay! Good advice from GK.

Happy to see Tarot loosening up a little.
Also, Peanut's ears and tail are a duller color than usual. Is he getting old and gray?

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:47 am

Very beguiling. A rate glimpse into GK's supportive, loving side.

Hey, flashback! Remember that ancient strip where Earl takes the collars off Peanut and Grape, and Grape gets so upset she wants to cry? Jill scoops poor Grape up in her arms, Grape starts to weep, and Jill reassures her that she's safe and loved. No sooner does Grape admit she doesn't want Peanut to see her crying than guess who shows up? And, seeing Jill and Grape in their tender moment, Peanut blurts out the same words, "Hugs! Can I have one?!" ...and now it's Tarot's turn to lose her moment...

Yeah, she's a bit of a stuffed shirt, and I'm still not clear how she retains the powers she does after being cut off from Dragon. But annoying as she is, she's not evil and Tarot does have her flashes of warmth and humor.
(I'm still in the Grapenut camp, though.)

A sweet, funny wind-down to a wild and ferocious ride.... Regards.

Bandit1990 · Post by **Bandit1990** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:59 am

NHWestoN wrote: Yeah, she's a bit of a stuffed shirt, and I'm still not clear how she retains the powers she does after being cut off from Dragon. But annoying as she is, she's not evil and Tarot does have her flashes of warmth and humor.

It was stated that Tarot and Sabrina would retain a spark of their former power after the game. Also, there's an entire support industry around maintaining magic(k)al artifacts like Tarot's CrystalTab™, so mortal magicians must be a thing in this universe.

Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:19 am

NHWestoN wrote:Peanut blurts out the same words, "Hugs! Can I have one?!"

same words, different inflection.
that strip he says "HUGS! CAN I HAVE ONE?!"
this strip he says "HUGS! CAN I HAVE ONE!?"
he's a bit calmer than in his younger days, only yelling hugs instead of the whole thing. and he also switched the ! and ? which I'm not sure how he did that in spoken form

Cerberusx · Post by **Cerberusx** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:16 am

I wonder how soft those tails are? Cause look they look super comfortable.

OrWasIt.EXE · Post by **OrWasIt.EXE** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:54 am

I love heartwarming moments like this! Great to see Tarot getting help with unwinding and her issues.

jonas · Post by **jonas** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 3:31 am

You are now thinking about how warm and soft and fluffy a hug from GK would be.

Scruff · Post by **Scruff** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 4:15 am

I want a Great Kitsune hug too! O.O

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:10 am

Come on... GROUP HUG!

Ah, there we go!

(you can overdo it though)

Bill in OK · Post by **Bill in OK** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:18 am

There's a good deal of wisdom in today's strip. I often find wisdom in Housepets!.

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:27 am

Savor the warmth...

I take your point, random. Peanut (and Grape) have matured incrementally as had to come. Thus, these episodes of puppy a d kittenish responses are all the more delightful.

HundKatzeMaus · Post by **HundKatzeMaus** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:49 am

Xane wrote:I get the feeling Kitsune hugs are gonna end up being another Patreon reward I miss out on

Res using the mana without the world ending does raise the question would Keene's idea have worked if they had explained the risks to him and ways to minimize them (possibly by not using all of it at once, since Res used it partially drained) instead of just a flat-out no. He said he didn't want a huge world-shattering change like his father had asked for, just a stronger push than money could ever buy.

I doubt Kitsune's hugs are a simple patreon reward

That is actually a good question. I think the reason no one really explained anything to Keene is because, he never straight out asked how to use it properly. At least I can't remember if he did.
Even if someone explained it to him, it would be still risky, since I'm sure with a wish like Keene's you have to be super precise or else something really unexpected, and most likely bad, could had happen. It could be something like, every human becomes a pet, which...wouldn't be that bad and help giving pets and human equal rights (since there aren't any humans anymore), or the power of the mana would had turned every animal into humans, which I would consider bad. Or something like in that Fairy Odd Parent could had happened, where Timmy wished everyone was equal (or was it just looking equal?) and the wish turned everyone into grey Pacman-ghosts.
Res just wanted to banish a demon-like entity, which is a more straight forward wish.
So in my opinion, Keene's plan, what he wanted to do with the mana, would had been too unprecise to fullfill it right.
At least these are my thoughts, maybe I overlooked something

Panther · Post by **Panther** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:59 am

Getting free hugs from Kitsune is priceless

Somewhere , i hate tarot : seeing how she's come between Grape and Peanut ........

Vuk91 · Post by **Vuk91** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:09 am

Panther wrote:Getting free hugs from Kitsune is priceless

Somewhere , i hate tarot : seeing how she's come between Grape and Peanut ........

Technically, Grape chose Maxwell first, only afterwards was Tarot involved with Peanut. Otherwise... You could say that Peanut did admit that He was still in love with Grape at some point, I dunno if we ever see that again, and there was Dragon's crush on Peanut too, whom thought that Dragon was Tarot... I don't know what to say about those. X3

I would've loved to see Peanut and Grape pull a full-on Fido and Sabrina pairing style, but I guess life's not as simple as that. -Except if You are Fido or King, neither of them were seen with anyone else before their respective gfs (Sabrina for Fido, Bailey for King), and thus, seem to hit jackpot with their first girlfriends. First try won for them it seems. :3 And let's not forget about Keene and Breel, now that We got them too-

Iceheart · Post by **Iceheart** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:17 am

Never change, Peanut.

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:21 am

Or getting more literary, in the Lathe of Heaven where an attempt to eliminate racism made it so everyone had always been grey.

But we don't know exactly what Keene's actual plan would have been. He might have had a whole Xanatos-class scheme set up ready to roll.

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:23 am

You're likely on target, Vuk. While I'd love to see a "Grapenut" turn, I doubt that's gonna happen after all this time. The Fido-Sabrina coupling covers that space and I don't see Rick expanding that motif into other pairings. But I do enjoy those increasingly rare arcs when its just Peanut and Grape playing, reflecting, being lovey with each other....just sentimental, I guess.

Also, there's an early arc where Fido has a date with Sasha. I wouldn't make much of it.

And I don't want to stray too far from this strip; we're all enjoying the Kitsune snuggles too much to feed off topic so soon. Regards.

vulpinator · Post by **vulpinator** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:23 am

Sigh... and now Rick forces me to choose between keeping the adorable last panel from the previous strip and the adorable last panel here of Peanut and Kitsune hugging... how dare you Rick. How. Dare. You.

CanzetYote · Post by **CanzetYote** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:31 am

Well, this comic has certainly reached a whole new level of adorable.

vulpinator · Post by **vulpinator** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:38 am

Xane wrote:Free Kitsune Hugs!
(limit one)

Are you kidding? With nine tails, he could hug ten pets! Eleven if two are small enough to wrap an arm around each. <3

Macsen · Post by **Macsen** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:54 am

‪*record needle scratch*‬

‪*freeze frame*‬

‪*slow zoom in on Tarot*‬

‪Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got myself into this situation.‬

WeirdGamer · Post by **WeirdGamer** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:58 am

Peanut has the right idea here.

Ryusuta · Post by **Ryusuta** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 11:13 am

The thing is, Tarot was FAR from perfect even when she WAS connected to Dragon. I mean... she was connected to DRAGON, which is pretty freaking far from perfection, dood. X3

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 11:26 am

...even demi-gods need a cuddle sometimes, huh, GK, you charming cosmic rogue, you?