2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Post by **Dissension** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:45 pm

[ An Auspicious Beginning ]

Title Text: this only ever seems to happen to people who don't appreciate it, weird

Marion is so cute~. It's about time this comic had a squirrel protagonist!

Saturn381 · Post by **Saturn381** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:01 am

New Character!

Post by **D-Rock** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am

Outta nowhere, new human-turned-animal protagonist. Let's do this.

bjchan95 · Post by **bjchan95** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am

Transformation enthusiasts rejoice

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am

AND HE CALLS IT!

Gbr23 · Post by **Gbr23** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:03 am

WHAT. WHAT. WHAT.

Char89Charizard · Post by **Char89Charizard** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:04 am

I wonder who could be responsible for this unlikely transformation.

MrBlueSky7 · Post by **MrBlueSky7** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:05 am

Calling it: Every Human in Babylon Gardens is gonna turn into Animals. I am so all for that...

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:07 am

I'm guessing Marion is this kid.

leinglo · Post by **leinglo** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:12 am

I'm calling it, Steward has claimed his first victim with the cursed coin!

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:16 am

Marion. Boy or Girl? For now, I'm thinking Girl. (It's still more commonly a Girl's name)

Someone has lost some considerable height,
to say nothing about a lot of weight
as we may all now begin to wonder
where is the cursed coin that changed her fate?
Is ol’ Steward testing out its’ power?
Is she the victim of his first test run?
How has this odd thing happened to the girl?
Has his war on humanity begun?
Or is something else occurring by here?
Is this some plan of a god like Kitsune?
Mind you, I’m pretty sure this Squirrel...
she’s going to think she’s gone loony.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:18 am

It's everything I wanted and more. Hang on,

I need a moment. I've waited a YEAR for this................................okay.

Now to business.
There are a few options before we get ahead of ourselves. The most obvious option being that Steward was responsible. BUT why did Marion wake up as a squirrel? Did Steward break into some random kid's house and place the coin in his hand? That leads me to a another possible theory that this could have been the work of divine intervention. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone *cough Kitsune* but this could be a unlikely hero scenario. The "You have been chosen" to stop the forces of evil from wreaking havoc on the world. This is unlikely but possible if Rick wanted to mix things up a little. There is also the possibility that everyone in the neighborhood or town has been affected which is highly unlikely because I doubt the coin has that kind of power. Who does, the dino-demon maybe? But this is all speculation.

Also we don't know where this is currently. As it has been stated, teenagers in Babylon Gardens are rarer than unicorns so this could be taking place somewhere else. Which leads me to believe, if that is the case, that Marion is Rockstar's friend or will seek out the wolves which may take a few strips. This is most likely the case no matter where Marion lives since again the wolves are probably the bet option for any type of animal who may know anything or be of any help AND because the Kitsune statue is still at the Wolf House.

Getting back to Wallace's comment about that kid from earlier. I hope so and will bet it is because A. the hair color. B. why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later. C. Matching jeans?

Also wanted to point out that if that alarm is ringing that probably means its a school day....

Douglas Collier · Post by **Douglas Collier** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:27 am

So, did Marion work in a library?

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:31 am

Douglas Collier wrote:So, did Marion work in a library?

If that is a reference to Thomas Khatt then you have my upmost respect.

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:36 am

Welsh Halfwit wrote:Marion. Boy or Girl? For now, I'm thinking Girl. (It's still more commonly a Girl's name)

While at its peak in the 1910s (and roughly the same at other points, though it began to even out more) Marion was almost three times more common as a girl's name than a boy's name, I think this character was a boy because before they realized what happened they were thinking about shaving their beard and that's something men have to deal with. There isn't really any evidence for this yet, though it would be interesting if when the coin changed somebody's body, their sex is also determined by the same unknowable ruleset that determines species and Thomas and Steward just happened to stay male.

Douglas Collier · Post by **Douglas Collier** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:36 am

fenrirblack wrote:
Douglas Collier wrote:So, did Marion work in a library?
If that is a reference to Thomas Khatt then you have my upmost respect.

It was actually a play on “Marian The Librarian” from The Music Man.

IceKitsune · Post by **IceKitsune** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:38 am

Hmmmm so how did this happen? Dragon and Pete are gone and I doubt that Kitsune would do something like this randomly; so they had to have found a piece of the gold from the temple maybe? Though that would turn them right away IIRC. Maybe Steward is starting to leave the coin that he had around?

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:51 am

IceKitsune wrote:Hmmmm so how did this happen? Dragon and Pete are gone and I doubt that Kitsune would do something like this randomly; so they had to have found a piece of the gold from the temple maybe? Though that would turn them right away IIRC. Maybe Steward is starting to leave the coin that he had around?

I'm thinking this is Steward making a test run...

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:02 am

Let me dump out the last of my thoughts and feelings while I still can.
I wanted to point out how normal this scene is. I mean think about something. When was the last time we saw a normal bedroom in this comic? King's was normal for a grown man but this is teenager normal. Teenager, which is again rare. I can't get over how normal this all is. Also this means that when he meets the pet's he'll have a completely different perspective then King. No baggage, no kidnapping (I hope), no childhood issues, just innocent character being thrown into a world he doesn't understand.
That also means that unlike King's story this is going to have the traditional normal kid wakes up as an animal track.

Guess who's probably making a comeback.

Also wanted to point this out.

So judging from this picture, I will make two theories. One being that Marion is in a relationship (was anyway

) and two that whoever the L is (the one who he is tendering rubbing while crying) will be essential to the future of his character and this arc.

Lastly, I want to say that I doubt this will end with Marion in a happy relationship after overcoming a lifetime of abuse and issues like King did.

Post by **Obbl** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:07 am

fenrirblack wrote:why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later.

I always find it weird when people feel like ever character that pops up has to be reused. Like, sometimes a background character is just a background character...

Yeah, why does this always gotta happen to the people who aren't like "Woohoo! My wildest dreams have come true!"

I mean I get it, but come on, where the transformation enthusiasts be at?

bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice

Ah. There they are

Raku · Post by **Raku** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:18 am

Making my first post to say that I'm actually looking forward to another story like this. I loved reading King's arc (would like to explore more of his past in the future), and will be excited to go over this one.

I wonder how Marion will handle their surprise transformation after such a waking shock calms down?

Obbl wrote:
bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice
Ah. There they are

I'd be down to transform, just as long as I got to choose which animal I would become (would most likely be a monkey

)

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:28 am

I'm super excited for this arc. Joel didn't have anyone close to him that would hurt at his disappearance. Marion on the other hand has parents and school that need to be dealt with soon.

Dissension wrote:Title Text: this only ever seems to happen to people who don't appreciate it, weird

I don't think it's that weird when you take a statistics approach and consider how few people were changed and what proportion of the population are furries (yes, people who are furries and people who would appreciate being transformed into an animal are not 1 to 1, but it gets the point across).

fenrirblack wrote:Getting back to Wallace's comment about that kid from earlier. I hope so and will bet it is because A. the hair color. B. why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later. C. Matching jeans?

I went back and checked and the hair/fur color is so close, but not the same. The human hair is #84796D and the squirrel fur is #897F7D. If it was identical, that would've cinched it, but close makes it just another piece of evidence. I think the kid was in that scene, originally at least, just for someone for Rockstar to be embarrassed at. Again, I think the theory has merit, but jeans aren't much of a defining factor for someone.

Where did you get that picture?

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:32 am

Can't wait to see how long before Marion starts pulling off the old King Arthur tricks =P

AgentJX7 · Post by **AgentJX7** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:49 am

Honestly, I'm pulling for Marion to be a girl. Been a while since a female protagonist was introduced, and it seems like this character is gonna be pretty important for a good while, so it'd be nice.

ChekeBello · Post by **ChekeBello** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:27 am

There are no current game being played that we know of, so this is most likely Steward’s coin on work; but why target a teenage? I don’t get what he could win from this scheme

Ryusuta · Post by **Ryusuta** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:31 am

Ohhhhhh... MAN, this is gonna be GOOD.

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:51 am

D-Rock wrote:Outta nowhere, new human-turned-animal protagonist. Let's do this.

bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice

The hypetrain calls and I hop aboard!

John-056 · Post by **John-056** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:19 am

ChekeBello wrote:There are no current game being played that we know of, so this is most likely Steward’s coin on work; but why target a teenager? I don’t get what he could win from this scheme

Likely as a Test Run, to see if the Magic Wasn't a One-off thing.

And I can see two Reasons, One being that "If there are no Humans at all, Keene will have wasted his efforts."

Another, can be a Leaf taken out of Zootopia. Marion is a Teenager, and One with a family. Suddenly becoming a Anthro can cause a Stir among the Public, which will lead to mistrust on Anthros, because it Would start feeling like a Plague that only targets Humans, which, technically speaking, it does.

And in This regard, it still brings up me annoyance at Great Kitsune, with how he clearly saw everything, but does nothing to stop what can clearly lead to needless Death, were it not for the PG rating on This.

Why? Because whenever I see similar cases, it normally leads to death due to Hysteria among the masses.

HundKatzeMaus · Post by **HundKatzeMaus** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:44 am

So is this more or less the new "King"?
You know our human-turend-animal protagonist?
Awesome, things are getting real

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 5:29 am

AAaaaaaahhh yes! I've been hoping for another human-turned-animal-against-their-will arc type stuff, and now we've got one!

I for one think Marion is a boy for now because while yes some girls need to shave, it's way more common for males to be doing that

This could quite easily become another favorite character of mine, which I hope it does!

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:32 am

New protagonist, nice

I don't know what to expect, I'm excited!

Gameb18oy · Post by **Gameb18oy** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:42 am

Wow Diss, I can’t believe Rick decided to put you in to the story. Jesting aside, curious who our clearly coin transformed squirrel is gonna talk to first. If he’s the kid Rockstar Hawk seemed friends with, the wolves might be a good first choice, likely with a joke explaining why they don’t end up eating him (I’ll bet Miles or Hawk might still be able to pick up his scent). If not that, then it’s gonna be establishing who his parents are/if they are anyone we already know or not. Wonder if Rick plans to make him the only person transformed or not in this arc or not. A theory I had seems to have enough data to be confirmed now though, the coin seems to transform you into an animal you’d assume was wild, so far no pet species have shown up.

trekkie · Post by **trekkie** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:57 am

Ooh. A new character, and a squirrel, at that, I like it. I wonder if Marion will encounter Jessica, Zach, and the raccoons, if so that could cause him/her to run into Steward.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:10 am

Curious to see where this arc goes (Though if it was me, I wouldn't be screamnig...I'd probably go YES then go back to bed hehe)! Same time, how do we know his name Marion?

Gameb18oy · Post by **Gameb18oy** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:25 am

SeanWolf wrote:Curious to see where this arc goes (Though if it was me, I wouldn't be screamnig...I'd probably go YES then go back to bed hehe)! Same time, how do we know his name Marion?

To be fair, Diss is the only one present who’d want to be a squirrel. I personally would be happier as an otter or a fox

LunarFox · Post by **LunarFox** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:26 am

We know his name's Marion because it was in the character tags at the bottom of the page. On another tack, yay, a new character!

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:53 am

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

Raku wrote:I'd be down to transform, just as long as I got to choose which animal I would become (would most likely be a monkey )

Dibs on marten!

Gameb18oy · Post by **Gameb18oy** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:12 am

fenrirblack wrote:Let me dump out the last of my thoughts and feelings while I still can.
I wanted to point out how normal this scene is. I mean think about something. When was the last time we saw a normal bedroom in this comic? King's was normal for a grown man but this is teenager normal. Teenager, which is again rare. I can't get over how normal this all is. Also this means that when he meets the pet's he'll have a completely different perspective then King. No baggage, no kidnapping (I hope), no childhood issues, just innocent character being thrown into a world he doesn't understand.
That also means that unlike King's story this is going to have the traditional normal kid wakes up as an animal track.

Guess who's probably making a comeback.

Also wanted to point this out.

So judging from this picture, I will make two theories. One being that Marion is in a relationship (was anyway ) and two that whoever the L is (the one who he is tendering rubbing while crying) will be essential to the future of his character and this arc.

Lastly, I want to say that I doubt this will end with Marion in a happy relationship after overcoming a lifetime of abuse and issues like King did.

Fen, I love your big theories, but I’m gonna have to disagree with you. The darkest realistic outcome I can see coming is Steward is gonna turn people he bets the response to the transformation (from other people) is going to be bad, making them easy targets to recruit into Custom Ink’s cult... possibly with ambitions to turn it into a zealous army. I’m still trying to guess the long game with Steward’s plan for the coin, he clearly has one though and what I’m suggesting now I think is at least in the ballpark of possibilities. Still, that’s unrelated to Marion, and Steward has showcased he’s smart, so chances are his first victim is someone low profile, kids sometimes run away so that make Marion a decent pick if he chooses to not try (and succeed) in getting his parents to know what happened to him. If there was even a hint the kid was in a relationship, then Steward probably would have recognized that be a poor choice, more people that notice he disappeared without a trace, the more problems it could cause down the line. Of course, that’s me assuming that at least for the first person, it’s supposed to happen in secret, for all I know, Steward wants it to be big and noticeable what happened, in which case, you’re correct, but wouldn’t that lead to more people trying to find the source of the problem? Sorry for being long winded, these are just my thoughts

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:24 am

Gives a whole new meaning to "don't take money from strangers"

Nobody · Post by **Nobody** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:51 am

I expected to be waiting for a long time before getting any follow-up to this.

Not that I'm complaining. This was what I got into the comic for in the first place.