2019/07/17 - Technowizardry

[Argent]

Having her turn into something that eats squirrels would be bad.

[dr_eirik]

Although, someone on the Housepets subreddit mentioned that almost every other human that's gotten a right-proper introduction like this and factors heavily into the story gets transformed into an animal sooner or later. And who knows where Steward is headed off to with the coin at the end of the last arc... We could be actually looking at squirrelified Lois on the sooner side, rather than later. I fully agree with Argent:

I don't think I follow with that. There are several humans who have figured to various levels in the plot that are still human, not the least of whom is Ceilia who to some degree was in on the plot that got her co-conspirators switched over to a couple of new taxonomic classes. Leaving aside the various owners, who as far as we know are oblivious to most of the neighborhood going ons, you've got Jeeves and Mr. London who have to be aware to some degree.

I'm probably looking to far into this but what if the coin (and this is just me speculating) transforms someone into an animal that is based on their personality and/or soul? If true, then maybe Lois would probably turn into something other then a squirrel.

I still don't think the coin is what transformed Marion. Steward still has it, and while he seemed to connect the dots pretty fast on meeting Marion, I don't think he or the coin is responsible, unless there is another one laying around out there. I lean toward this being the dino-demon as Ferrinblack has suggested or a new player we haven't met.

I do think it's reasonable to assume that they will find Marion pretty quickly, possibly before Steward can even put his plans into action....

[Marions bedroom, night. The squirrel is curled up on the pillow, exhausted from the stress of the last few days. He is woken from a sound sleep by a tapping on his window. He wakes to see a familiar badger trying to delicately wake him.]

Marion: <yawning> Steward? What are you doing here?
Steward: You left the tree house before we could really talk.
Marion: Well, yeah. My girlfriend found me and took me home. We're getting things figured out. <Looks down at his furry body> Well, mostly.
Steward: Look, kid I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to cut to the chase. My name is Herman Steward. Until a year ago, I worked for the Milton ferrets. I was also human.
Marion: What? How?
Steward: <holds up a familiar shiny coin> This fell into my hands and it turned me into a badger. Unless you help me, I'll see to it that it finds its way into the hands of someone you love....

[fenrirblack]

Although, someone on the Housepets subreddit mentioned that almost every other human that's gotten a right-proper introduction like this and factors heavily into the story gets transformed into an animal sooner or later. And who knows where Steward is headed off to with the coin at the end of the last arc... We could be actually looking at squirrelified Lois on the sooner side, rather than later. I fully agree with Argent:

I don't think I follow with that. There are several humans who have figured to various levels in the plot that are still human, not the least of whom is Ceilia who to some degree was in on the plot that got her co-conspirators switched over to a couple of new taxonomic classes. Leaving aside the various owners, who as far as we know are oblivious to most of the neighborhood going ons, you've got Jeeves and Mr. London who have to be aware to some degree.

It's not the best theory but I feel like there is some truth to it. Being introduced and seeing your face does at least put you in the running but you also have to have a significant role in the comic which is why several characters would not be chosen. Celia is old news, I doubt she's coming back and she was never important enough to bother with. Although if Thomas did manage to call her and have her return to Babylon Gardens then maybe but Rick would still have to find a way to fit her into the comic and design an animal character for her which I can't imagine him wanting to do. Jeeves can't be an animal because the Milton's need him to be human. Mr. London I could totally see. The owners varies because even though they meet the requirements they would be more useful as human than animals for the sake for the cast. So by being an owner you are out of the running unless something changes then NO ONE IS SAFE. The only owner I could ever really see being changed is Bill.

[Nobody]

Marion may've gotten transformed into a squirrel because a squirrel with a tree nut allergy is highly ironic.

*sigh
Another misuse of the word irony. I should quit fighting the losing battle.

[Ash Greytree]

*sigh
Another misuse of the word irony. I should quit fighting the losing battle.

A human cursed to be a squirrel but unable to partake in a squirrel's trademark favorite food strikes me personally as quite ironic, but even if it's not, it still seems like the kind of thing the coin would do to troll Marion. Again, if the coin was the actual cause of his transformation.

Having her turn into something that eats squirrels would be bad.

That gave me the thought of Lois transforming into something like a bobcat. A female bobcat with that red bandana that she's wearing right now would actually be a pretty cool design, now that I think about it...

[Cesco]

Good to finally see Lois, Marion's girlfriend, worried for his missing and now reporting the case at the police. Has passed just one day so far, probably. That photo Marion took is really important, keep it on the phone. Oh, wow... Are really police departments there so obsolete? Well, take the phone and do a print of the screen with the copy machine.

[dr_eirik]

. So by being an owner you are out of the running unless something changes then NO ONE IS SAFE. The only owner I could ever really see being changed is Bill.

Bill as in Fox and Baileys owner? Why him? Though given his penchant for uncooked meat, I suppose he would make it work. I would think Sashas owner would be a more likely target it the owners start to get their own fur coats (perhaps a call-back to Pete saying she was protected... we never did see how or why)

On a side note, it's nice to see that both Lois and Steward apparently shop at the same optometrists office. <shrug> I'm an eye doc, i try and notice these things....

[TendoTwo]

Wait.... is this implying that the police are actually taking the "My boyfriend turned into a squirrel" story seriously?

[Welsh Halfwit]

Wait.... is this implying that the police are actually taking the "My boyfriend turned into a squirrel" story seriously?

They take all reports of missing people seriously. As their only lead is a Squirrel, the K9 unit will probably be called. Especially as one's wandering by.

[dr_eirik]

Wait.... is this implying that the police are actually taking the "My boyfriend turned into a squirrel" story seriously?

They take all reports of missing people seriously. As their only lead is a Squirrel, the K9 unit will probably be called. Especially as one's wandering by.

This is also a world where you can and should take animals as possible serious witnesses. I don't think Lois thinks for a moment that Marion is actually the squirrel, but given the exact events it seems likely that the squirrel knows something.

It always made sense that, once he was reported missing, the K9's were going to get involved. It makes even more sense when the witness they are looking for is a squirrel...

...though perhaps Kevin should stay at the station for this one.

[fenrirblack]

. So by being an owner you are out of the running unless something changes then NO ONE IS SAFE. The only owner I could ever really see being changed is Bill.

Bill as in Fox and Baileys owner? Why him? Though given his penchant for uncooked meat, I suppose he would make it work. I would think Sashas owner would be a more likely target it the owners start to get their own fur coats (perhaps a call-back to Pete saying she was protected... we never did see how or why)

On a side note, it's nice to see that both Lois and Steward apparently shop at the same optometrists office. <shrug> I'm an eye doc, i try and notice these things....

I don't think Mr. Hartford would be important enough to bother with even for the sake of karma. I can barely think of a situation where it would help like if they needed him "out of the picture" to earn Sasha's freedom but still. Bill makes more senes because of his connection to the K-9's, his relationship to King, and his weird not terrible but still the best treatment of the pets, his bachelorness, and honestly out of all of them he would be the most ideal for the sake of development and humor. Compared to the other owners who would be bland if transformed like Earl for example.

Wait.... is this implying that the police are actually taking the "My boyfriend turned into a squirrel" story seriously?

They take all reports of missing people seriously. As their only lead is a Squirrel, the K9 unit will probably be called. Especially as one's wandering by.

This is also a world where you can and should take animals as possible serious witnesses. I don't think Lois thinks for a moment that Marion is actually the squirrel, but given the exact events it seems likely that the squirrel knows something.

It always made sense that, once he was reported missing, the K9's were going to get involved. It makes even more sense when the witness they are looking for is a squirrel...

...though perhaps Kevin should stay at the station for this one.

Another reason why they should call in Fox for this one instead of Kevin.
I'm sure in a moment of weakness she considered the possibility that maybe it was possible.
Let's think about this from Lois's perspective and get into her head. Marion sent a pic of a random squirrel claiming to be said squirrel then disappears. Phone, car, everything is still in his room. So Marion played a prank on her by convincing this female squirrel that she's him then hides away in the woods because he's not driving anywhere then either gets lost or kidnapped because he's an idiot who didn't think to bring his phone. All of this was during finals week of their senior year after which they are both going to college. Clearly something must have happened but nothing supernatural because stuff like that doesn't exist. I wonder how worldly Lois is compared to Marion like if she reads or watches more fantasy genre things.

[dr_eirik]

I don't think Mr. Hartford would be important enough to bother with even for the sake of karma. I can barely think of a situation where it would help like if they needed him "out of the picture" to earn Sasha's freedom but still. Bill makes more senes because of his connection to the K-9's, his relationship to King, and his weird not terrible but still the best treatment of the pets, his bachelorness, and honestly out of all of them he would be the most ideal for the sake of development and humor. Compared to the other owners who would be bland if transformed like Earl for example.

I can see your point from a general story or comedic perspective. That, of course, supposes that Rick wants to make transformation an even bigger part of this comic. While it's central to a huge part of it, it's still been used very sparingly given the characters and powers involved. The more humans that get transformed, the more widespread this knowledge would have to go.

All that being said, I admit that seeing Bill turned into a wolf would be pretty funny. He was so suspicious of them in the beginning and already loves his steak on the blue side. I think he'd be great friends with most of the pack.

..

...though perhaps Kevin should stay at the station for this one.

Another reason why they should call in Fox for this one instead of Kevin.
I'm sure in a moment of weakness she considered the possibility that maybe it was possible.
Let's think about this from Lois's perspective and get into her head. Marion sent a pic of a random squirrel claiming to be said squirrel then disappears. Phone, car, everything is still in his room. So Marion played a prank on her by convincing this female squirrel that she's him then hides away in the woods because he's not driving anywhere then either gets lost or kidnapped because he's an idiot who didn't think to bring his phone. All of this was during finals week of their senior year after which they are both going to college. Clearly something must have happened but nothing supernatural because stuff like that doesn't exist. I wonder how worldly Lois is compared to Marion like if she reads or watches more fantasy genre things.

The only possible direct exposure to the supernatural seems like it would be the momentary appearance of Pete when he escaped the temple. It was apparent that a lot of humans saw that, even if they never knew what they saw. Assuming that she even saw it, she'd have been a child then, assuming that one year in comic time is about one year in universe. It's hard to make that leap into her thinking, even for a second, that he's really a gray squirrel.

Problem for figuring out just how much anyone known about the supernatural is that we only really see the slice of life that is Babylon Gardens. The K9's didn't exactly ponder the meaning of existence when they discovered the Aztec ghost, and the appearance of the boat in the evidence room didn't (apparently) cause a greater understanding of magic we've seen (though I have a feeling that Terrance may be more than willing to believe it exists.) But if random transformation was a thing that was documented, then Marion would have found it on his internet search.

Oh, and Rick, if you're reading this, I have to thank you again. I can finally spell "squirrel" without spell check.

[GameCobra]

Lois has long hair and glasses. She's totally going to be transformed.

Also, I think she's cool already. :3

[fenrirblack]

I don't think Mr. Hartford would be important enough to bother with even for the sake of karma. I can barely think of a situation where it would help like if they needed him "out of the picture" to earn Sasha's freedom but still. Bill makes more senes because of his connection to the K-9's, his relationship to King, and his weird not terrible but still the best treatment of the pets, his bachelorness, and honestly out of all of them he would be the most ideal for the sake of development and humor. Compared to the other owners who would be bland if transformed like Earl for example.

I can see your point from a general story or comedic perspective. That, of course, supposes that Rick wants to make transformation an even bigger part of this comic. While it's central to a huge part of it, it's still been used very sparingly given the characters and powers involved. The more humans that get transformed, the more widespread this knowledge would have to go.

All that being said, I admit that seeing Bill turned into a wolf would be pretty funny. He was so suspicious of them in the beginning and already loves his steak on the blue side. I think he'd be great friends with most of the pack.

Bill as a wolf would be awesome. Just thinking about him joining the K-9's would be great. Not only was he a former human cop but also the first wolf in the K-9's. He would be breaking all kinds of boundaries. Plus wolf would be the most logical because of his size and stature and meat consumption.

.....though perhaps Kevin should stay at the station for this one.

Another reason why they should call in Fox for this one instead of Kevin.
I'm sure in a moment of weakness she considered the possibility that maybe it was possible.
Let's think about this from Lois's perspective and get into her head. Marion sent a pic of a random squirrel claiming to be said squirrel then disappears. Phone, car, everything is still in his room. So Marion played a prank on her by convincing this female squirrel that she's him then hides away in the woods because he's not driving anywhere then either gets lost or kidnapped because he's an idiot who didn't think to bring his phone. All of this was during finals week of their senior year after which they are both going to college. Clearly something must have happened but nothing supernatural because stuff like that doesn't exist. I wonder how worldly Lois is compared to Marion like if she reads or watches more fantasy genre things.

The only possible direct exposure to the supernatural seems like it would be the momentary appearance of Pete when he escaped the temple. It was apparent that a lot of humans saw that, even if they never knew what they saw. Assuming that she even saw it, she'd have been a child then, assuming that one year in comic time is about one year in universe. It's hard to make that leap into her thinking, even for a second, that he's really a gray squirrel.

Problem for figuring out just how much anyone known about the supernatural is that we only really see the slice of life that is Babylon Gardens. The K9's didn't exactly ponder the meaning of existence when they discovered the Aztec ghost, and the appearance of the boat in the evidence room didn't (apparently) cause a greater understanding of magic we've seen (though I have a feeling that Terrance may be more than willing to believe it exists.) But if random transformation was a thing that was documented, then Marion would have found it on his internet search.

Oh, and Rick, if you're reading this, I have to thank you again. I can finally spell "squirrel" without spell check.

The internet is a fickle thing. If there was any kind of documented case before Marion then it would be in the bowls of the internet and probably somewhere that no one would trust. Even then before Pete came along I doubt too much magical what not was happening and if it was then it was before the internet. I would be funny if there were "documented" cases of therianthropy but it was treated as folklore or myth so no one believe it was real. I think Marion's problem was that he tired find "real" information like scientific journal or medical study or even something beyond furry literature but nothing like that would exist so he was out of luck. Not the mention that even the most serious people would be drowned by all the crazies like when Tarot tried to learn about time travel.

[dr_eirik]

=
Bill as a wolf would be awesome. Just thinking about him joining the K-9's would be great. Not only was he a former human cop but also the first wolf in the K-9's. He would be breaking all kinds of boundaries. Plus wolf would be the most logical because of his size and stature and meat consumption.

We are veering way off into "arcs that will never happen" I think, but there is a certain imagery of Bill being a wolf, but somehow retaining his status as a motorcycle cop.

<sniff, sniff> "You've been drinking tonight, sir?"
"Of course not! Just one beer!"
<Sniff, SNIFFFFFF> One Corona, five shots of tequila, and at least three burgers. Will you step out of the car?"

[Argent]

I don't think he or the coin is responsible, unless there is another one laying around out there.

Thomas most likely has at least one since he said the one he gave Steward was *his share*.

[Nobody]

*sigh
Another misuse of the word irony. I should quit fighting the losing battle.

A human cursed to be a squirrel but unable to partake in a squirrel's trademark favorite food strikes me personally as quite ironic, but even if it's not, it still seems like the kind of thing the coin would do to troll Marion. Again, if the coin was the actual cause of his transformation.
That gave me the thought of Lois transforming into something like a bobcat. A female bobcat with that red bandana that she's wearing right now would actually be a pretty cool design, now that I think about it...

Irony is a rhetorical device where a statement contradicts its intent with the express purpose of drawing attention to the contradiction and emphasizing the intent. Sarcasm, for example, is a form of irony.
Alternately, there's dramatic irony, where a character's words or actions within a story directly contradict what is going to happen in the future and said moment is meant to draw attention to what it's foreshadowing. Often, dramatic irony isn't noticed until after the fact.
Neither of these things is what you describe. There is definitely a pattern for something like what you're talking about, but I don't think there's an actual term for it. People misuse irony for things like this because it's similar, but it's not quite right.

Not gonna argue about it being a total troll move that Pete (and by extension a curse he created) would do, though.

[Silly Zealot]

Wow they are quite behind the times. Must make solving cases so much harder.

If Holmes, Poirot and Dupin could get by when phones were barely a thing, why can't these guys?
-"These guys are not Holmes, they are Lestrade."
.....Oh.

Also, cute that we dont even get an initial for the city name.

Oh my gosh, Rick! You mad genius!

For years, I suspected "Babylon Gardens" was just the name of the neighbouhood and not the whole town, but I wanted to believe otherwise. *Sigh* I wanted to believe otherwise.

[dr_eirik]

Also, cute that we dont even get an initial for the city name.

Oh my gosh, Rick! You mad genius!

For years, I suspected "Babylon Gardens" was just the name of the neighbouhood and not the whole town, but I wanted to believe otherwise. *Sigh* I wanted to believe otherwise.

I think it was pretty clear this was, at most, a district in the town. It was said that Milton built it. Building a city from the ground up is ambitious even for a billionaire. A neighborhood? Even a large one wouldn't be that hard. But Babylon Gardens definitely would not be an out-of-place name of a neighborhood in the US. I've lived in a couple of different states in neighborhoods like "Arneill Ranch" or "Stevens Cove". Seems to often follow a pattern here, with a name (either a person or place) and a location (like Plantation or Canyon).

[max7345]

Wonder why Lois is reporting this and not his mom?

Marion's mom likely reported Marion's disappearance by calling the police from her home. The only reason I can think of as to why Lois is at the station in person is that she's the only one with any kind of lead and is providing it to the police as such. They'll likely fill out the report, but Fox will probably be the only one who won't think it's some kind of joke or wild goose chase given his experience with King and The Cosmic Game.

[Obbl]

*sigh
Another misuse of the word irony. I should quit fighting the losing battle.

A human cursed to be a squirrel but unable to partake in a squirrel's trademark favorite food strikes me personally as quite ironic

There is definitely a pattern for something like what you're talking about, but I don't think there's an actual term for it. People misuse irony for things like this because it's similar, but it's not quite right.

There is definitely a pattern for it, and there seems to be no other widely known term for it. Therefore, people misuse the word "irony" for things like this because it's similar, even though it's not quite the original academic meaning. But there is no rigorous method of determining what usage of a word is "right", and no rigorous method to determine which usage is standard other than the way people use it. And since it is widely considered normal to use "irony" in this way, linguists must say that this is fairly standard usage.

[Frank]

Now I know we've seen Officer Mustache somewhere... but where?

Not going to lie, absolutely love her hairstyle. Also, how out of date is this police department?

seconded

[fenrirblack]

Wonder why Lois is reporting this and not his mom?

Marion's mom likely reported Marion's disappearance by calling the police from her home. The only reason I can think of as to why Lois is at the station in person is that she's the only one with any kind of lead and is providing it to the police as such. They'll likely fill out the report, but Fox will probably be the only one who won't think it's some kind of joke or wild goose chase given his experience with King and The Cosmic Game.

I'm going to assume the positive and say that once Julia realized that her son missed curfew and was missing that she proceeded to freak out. She called Lois who told her that she would go down to the police station while Julia remained home to wait to see if Marion would either call or show up.
The writer in me thinks that Lois is there for one very clear reason and that she is the one playing a major role in the story so she needs to be there to take her place in the plot progression instead of Julia or Marion's father (if he has one in the picture). In the real world, Julia would be the one but this is a story and Lois is the character currently in the spotlight. If my earlier theory about her meeting Ralph and/or Kevin holds true then Lois needs to be there to meet them and show the picture that in "conveniently" on her phone.

Now I know we've seen Officer Mustache somewhere... but where?

Thank goodness, I'm not the only one. The closest I could find was this one.

[dr_eirik]

Now I know we've seen Officer Mustache somewhere... but where?

Thank goodness, I'm not the only one. The closest I could find was this one.

I was looking at the wedding crowd image and I saw a guy in a sorta police uniform that looked really similar but had a much lighter skin tone and his badge is on the wrong side. Hes on the right side, aisle, in front of Joey and Dallas. I dont see a name to match up.

[Silly Zealot]

If Bill were to be turned into an animal, I'd figure it be a bear. Or a rhinoceros. Or a mamut. Or a Tyrannosaur.
Something BIG!

Also, I can picture the owner of the Mister Biggleworths turning into an animal.
Can't figure which, though.
Tip of the tongue.

She'll make a cute squirrel.

Note to self: Don't let Argent near the coins.

I wonder what Lois is going to think when she realizes that she flashed her boyfriends nude pics to everyone?

Bury me. I died of laughter

I don't know why Rick doesn't like drawing humans (or was that mainly conjecture?)

I'll pay you a million (imaginary) dollars if you can find the answer to that question.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Another reason why they should call in Fox for this one instead of Kevin.

I don't get this 'Call Fox, Fox will know all about this, CALL FOX' mentality from some posters. (It's not just you, Fenrir, my friend). WE know Fox knows all about the magic happening locally and about transformed Humans but, unless he wants to tell Ralph how his best friend is a transformed Human who happened to be a former P.E.T.A. activist who carried out a number of illegal acts and then escaped from prison you can bet he hasn't said word one to anyone on the force about it! They'd either think him crazy or, worse, believe him.
They currently have no reason whatsoever to call him in specifically. He may get called in because he's available or because Ralph wants the squad on this and it's quite likely that Officer 'tache is going to palm Lois off onto Ralph.

[Argent]

She'll make a cute squirrel.

Note to self: Don't let Argent near the coins.

That's the marten formerly known as Argent, thank you very much.

[Sir Chestnut]

Fox also seems too obvious and expected to get involved at this point. I for one would think Keene and/or Breel would be interesting to bring in. We don't really know exactly how long after the hot spring arc this is taking place, so it's entirely possible that Ralph had Keene and Breel detained which would place them at the police station for this arc. Even if he wasn't, seeing as the police station lacks computer equipment, Keene could conveniently walk in to the door at this moment with a check to pay off his fine and overhear their conversation.

[dr_eirik]

Fox also seems too obvious and expected to get involved at this point. I for one would think Keene and/or Breel would be interesting to bring in. We don't really know exactly how long after the hot spring arc this is taking place, so it's entirely possible that Ralph had Keene and Breel detained which would place them at the police station for this arc. Even if he wasn't, seeing as the police station lacks computer equipment, Keene could conveniently walk in to the door at this moment with a check to pay off his fine and overhear their conversation.

The hot springs arc took place at some point in the winter, and this story is taking place in very late spring to early summer. So at least a few months have passed. I don't think we'd see Breele detained at all, he wasn't responsible for anything that happened. I suppose that Keene might have, but I suppose that he likely got off with a really big fine (which went to repair Mungo related damage) or maybe a short stint inside.

I don't doubt that Keene and Breele will become involved at some point. Keene has an interest in the Celestials and Breele was a resident of Heaven. Even if both have moved on, I would think that they would both be interested in this kind of thing. Thing is, there are a *lot* of characters who have much greater insight than those that have thus far intersacted with Marion, with the exception of Steward. Even with the K9s we know, I think Rick has populated this arc with those who know little or nothing about the greater happenings around them. It's almost like he planned that or something....

[Ash Greytree]

I don't get this 'Call Fox, Fox will know all about this, CALL FOX' mentality from some posters. (It's not just you, Fenrir, my friend). WE know Fox knows all about the magic happening locally and about transformed Humans but, unless he wants to tell Ralph how his best friend is a transformed Human who happened to be a former P.E.T.A. activist who carried out a number of illegal acts and then escaped from prison you can bet he hasn't said word one to anyone on the force about it! They'd either think him crazy or, worse, believe him.
They currently have no reason whatsoever to call him in specifically. He may get called in because he's available or because Ralph wants the squad on this and it's quite likely that Officer 'tache is going to palm Lois off onto Ralph.

You're right. He wouldn't put King in jeopardy like that. If Fox ever gets word of this female squirrel, specifically info about how he claims he used to be a male human, the route Fox would most likely take is to avoid talking about it with anyone except for King on the sly, who could then get Kitsune, Sabrina, and Tarot involved.

But still, it's fun to imagine him getting into a situation where he absolutely had to explain to everyone all the crazy magic(k) stuff. I came up with this idea yesterday: Fox, Terrance, and Kevin are the K9 search party that go out to search for Marion that night, with Lois coming along with them. One thing leads to another and they reach the treehouse. The K9's knock at the door but Lois hangs back out of sight. A bunch of confusion and maybe some hilarious chaos ensues for a bit and then Lois peeks her head (or however much of herself she can fit) into the treehouse:

Lois: Pardon the interruption, but can somebody tell me what the heck is going on in here?!?
[Everyone stops mid-argument/fight and stares at Lois. The scene is played for laughs; Truck is holding a chair and was about to hit an unaware Terrance over the head, Karishad has what looks like a blowtorch hidden behind his back while whistling coyly, etc.]
Marion: Lois?!? Oh thank goodness it's you!
Jess: [An incredibly nonchalant expression on her face] Huh. And how, praytell, does our squirrel here know you?
Lois: [Angrily rolls her left sleeve up to reveal an "L & M" bracelet] I'm his girlfriend.
[Almost everyone, including Jess, flops over like Marion did, except for Fox, who just facepalms.]
Fox: I'm going to have to do so much explaining...

[Keldor]

Having her turn into something that eats squirrels would be bad.

Hrmm. I wonder what species Argent could be talking about.

[dr_eirik]

But still, it's fun to imagine him getting into a situation where he absolutely had to explain to everyone all the crazy magic(k) stuff. I came up with this idea yesterday: Fox, Terrance, and Kevin are the K9 search party that go out to search for Marion that night, with Lois coming along with them. One thing leads to another and they reach the treehouse. The K9's knock at the door but Lois hangs back out of sight. A bunch of confusion and maybe some hilarious chaos ensues for a bit and then Lois peeks her head (or however much of herself she can fit) into the treehouse:

Lois: Pardon the interruption, but can somebody tell me what the heck is going on in here?!?
[Everyone stops mid-argument/fight and stares at Lois. The scene is played for laughs; Truck is holding a chair and was about to hit an unaware Terrance over the head, Karishad has what looks like a blowtorch hidden behind his back while whistling coyly, etc.]
Marion: Lois?!? Oh thank goodness it's you!
Jess: [An incredibly nonchalant expression on her face] Huh. And how, praytell, does our squirrel here know you?
Lois: [Angrily rolls her left sleeve up to reveal an "L & M" bracelet] I'm his girlfriend.
[Almost everyone, including Jess, flops over like Marion did, except for Fox, who just facepalms.]
Fox: I'm going to have to do so much explaining...

It's actually kind of shocking how close your mental image was to mine of that possible meeting. You have a better setup than what was in my head. Though the chair over Terrance feels more like a Falstaff move than Truck, who should be clinging to someones leg. Also, there should be a moment between Marion seeing Lois and Jess's question:

<Marion bounds across the room, though the frozen chaos, and leaps at Lois, hugging her tightly around the neck. After a second, she pulls him back and looks, REALLY looks at him, then touches the bracelet he is wearing as a necklace.>
Lois: You... you're not... You can't be. Marion?

[fenrirblack]

Another reason why they should call in Fox for this one instead of Kevin.

I don't get this 'Call Fox, Fox will know all about this, CALL FOX' mentality from some posters. (It's not just you, Fenrir, my friend). WE know Fox knows all about the magic happening locally and about transformed Humans but, unless he wants to tell Ralph how his best friend is a transformed Human who happened to be a former P.E.T.A. activist who carried out a number of illegal acts and then escaped from prison you can bet he hasn't said word one to anyone on the force about it! They'd either think him crazy or, worse, believe him.
They currently have no reason whatsoever to call him in specifically. He may get called in because he's available or because Ralph wants the squad on this and it's quite likely that Officer 'tache is going to palm Lois off onto Ralph.

He wouldn't get called in specifically unless he just happen to be there. It wouldn't even be hard to insert himself into the case without going into details of why he's interesting in this missing person's case. No one is expecting them to seek him out personally because he knows stuff. Think about this. Kevin and Ralph had the earlier shift so Fox and Mungo get the later. Lois just happens to get there during the shift change. As Ralph and Kevin are heading home for the night they see the picture and overhear the conversation with Lois. Ralph, being off duty, dumps the job on Fox who just happen conveniently be there for his shift. No one has to know anything about anyone, all this is, is matter of timing. Fox might not be involved at all. Kevin and Ralph, or, sigh, Terrance could easily play detective with Lois and help her find Marion. Honestly I could see it as a joke where they pass Fox as they leave the station without telling him what's going on.
Actually now that it's brought up, how much does Mungo know? He was in the temple so he knows about magic and the supernatural but how much did they actually explain? The Game, King, Pete and Dragon?

[Keldor]

There is definitely a pattern for something like what you're talking about, but I don't think there's an actual term for it. People misuse irony for things like this because it's similar, but it's not quite right.

There is definitely a pattern for it, and there seems to be no other widely known term for it. Therefore, people misuse the word "irony" for things like this because it's similar, even though it's not quite the original academic meaning. But there is no rigorous method of determining what usage of a word is "right", and no rigorous method to determine which usage is standard other than the way people use it. And since it is widely considered normal to use "irony" in this way, linguists must say that this is fairly standard usage.

"Irony" is absolutely the correct term to use here. There are three major forms of irony, verbal, situational, and dramatic. Verbal and dramatic irony have already been alluded to, but the form we're interested in is situational irony.

The dictionary defines situational irony as "a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result". A squirrel being allergic to nuts is situationally ironic because squirrels are expected to eat nuts!

Since we're talking about irony, I might note that Kelvin suggesting asking Fox followed by Ralph dismissing the idea is a good example of dramatic irony.

[Elwood Blutarsky]

Wait, could Lois is related to Steward? That's why Marion sounded familiar and he couldn't peg it.

No matter how it plays out Lois could be a fun addition to the cast. I think she's either the help Marion needs to get his humanity back, she's a Mauve Shirt about to get a tail slapped on her rear, or she could be some human help to the forest animals. The fact her arc isn't obvious is what makes it fun.

[dr_eirik]

Actually now that it's brought up, how much does Mungo know? He was in the temple so he knows about magic and the supernatural but how much did they actually explain? The Game, King, Pete and Dragon?

I've assumed he knows enough. That's about it. He's new friends with Sabrina and knows Tarot enough to be scared of her. I doubt that he's aware of The Game, Pete or Dragon other than the really broad strokes. I doubt that he knows about King at all.

I kinda feel like him and Fido are in the same general area of knowing. They know there's real magic(k), they know that at least Tarot and Sabrina know how to use it, and not that much beyond that. Fido knows and believes it enough that, when Sabrina threatened to make him never born (not just wish he wasn't born) that Fido did what she told him to do.

In both cases, just like Fox, I think if any of the three caught wind of Marion that any of them would go to their designated magic using counterpart and get them involved. Which is why I suspect we haven't seen any of them in this arc yet.

It's like Rick planned this or something....

[Ash Greytree]

Also, there should be a moment between Marion seeing Lois and Jess's question:

<Marion bounds across the room, though the frozen chaos, and leaps at Lois, hugging her tightly around the neck. After a second, she pulls him back and looks, REALLY looks at him, then touches the bracelet he is wearing as a necklace.>
Lois: You... you're not... You can't be. Marion?

That’d be awesome; the perfect thing to make the scene a great combo of hilarious and heartwarming.

[Silly Zealot]

Fox also seems too obvious and expected to get involved at this point. I for one would think Keene and/or Breel would be interesting to bring in. We don't really know exactly how long after the hot spring arc this is taking place, so it's entirely possible that Ralph had Keene and Breel detained which would place them at the police station for this arc. Even if he wasn't, seeing as the police station lacks computer equipment, Keene could conveniently walk in to the door at this moment with a check to pay off his fine and overhear their conversation.

The hot springs arc took place at some point in the winter, and this story is taking place in very late spring to early summer. So at least a few months have passed. I don't think we'd see Breele detained at all, he wasn't responsible for anything that happened. I suppose that Keene might have, but I suppose that he likely got off with a really big fine (which went to repair Mungo related damage) or maybe a short stint inside.

Knowing Keene, he probably paid all the fines he got charged with before the water from the spa had even gotten cold.

The dictionary defines situational irony as "a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result". A squirrel being allergic to nuts is situationally ironic because squirrels are expected to eat nuts!

Thank you, Keldor! You have saved the day for lovers of that word everywhere!

Having her turn into something that eats squirrels would be bad.

Hrmm. I wonder what species Argent could be talking about.

Why, it's obviously his favourite animal ever:
The boa constrictor!

Do I know the guy or what!

It's almost like he planned that or something....

You guys and your crazy fan theories.

[Champion Wallace]

Wonder why Lois is reporting this and not his mom?

They talked on the phone so they must've agreed for what ever reason it would be better is Lois made the report. Maybe she lives closer to the police station. From the last panel, it seems despite agreeing to it, Lois is not happy being the one to report this.

Oh that's Marion's gf, cool cool.

Right, cops. We need them. Don't they have to wait 24 hours to classify someone as missing?

I've heard that is mostly a myth. Police will move faster if there is suspicion of foul play. We also dont know what time it is. If its morning, then it's been about 24 hours.

We know atleast one full day has passed, since this strip mentions that h/she has a curfew, and Marion has slept for quite a bit.

Not quite a full day. Curfew is in the evening and it's still dark out, so it isn't 7am yet.

Steward is going to discover that Marion was once human and gets the idea in his head to use the coin to turn other humans into animals (again the coin DOES have to be used eventually)

I'm not questioning that the coin will come into play eventually, but you do realize that "eventually" might mean nearly three years after its introduction and used by completely different people for a completely different purpose than originally assumed.

Having her turn into something that eats squirrels would be bad.

That's what commercial pet food is for.

Celia is old news, I doubt she's coming back and she was never important enough to bother with.

Thomas was old news until Temple Crashers 2 and we saw how he ended up. Terrence was old news but now here he is again. Both Mr. Milton and Rufus died and still came back despite that, long after they were introduced. You're old news until you're not, it's not a forever kind of deal.

I don't know why Rick doesn't like drawing humans (or was that mainly conjecture?)

I'll pay you a million (imaginary) dollars if you can find the answer to that question.

I'm pretty sure that came about because of how frequently when a human was in a strip, most of their face would be as conveniently covered as the sign is in this strip.

...Lois: [Angrily rolls her left sleeve up to reveal an "L & M" bracelet] I'm his girlfriend.
[Almost everyone, including Jess, flops over like Marion did, except for Fox, who just facepalms.]
Fox: I'm going to have to do so much explaining...

Lois: You... you're not... You can't be. Marion?

Lois has already seen (a picture of) a squirrel with the bracelet. Coming across one with it in the tree house alone isn't going to convincer her more that Marion really was transformed. The far more logical conclusion would be that the squirrel Marion "hired" ran off with it after the photo session or something happened to Marion before he got the bracelet back making that squirrel the last person to see Marion before his kidnaping or whatever.

Wait, could Lois is related to Steward? That's why Marion sounded familiar and he couldn't peg it.

Even if they are related, you wouldn't be able to tell by listening any more then by looking; he has squirrel vocal cords now. At best someone could recognize his diction and the way he speaks, but that's not likely since neither his mother nor old babysitter picked up on anything.

[fenrirblack]

Steward is going to discover that Marion was once human and gets the idea in his head to use the coin to turn other humans into animals (again the coin DOES have to be used eventually)

I'm not questioning that the coin will come into play eventually, but you do realize that "eventually" might mean nearly three years after its introduction and used by completely different people for a completely different purpose than originally assumed.

Yeah, and the point is?

Celia is old news, I doubt she's coming back and she was never important enough to bother with.

Thomas was old news until Temple Crashers 2 and we saw how he ended up. Terrence was old news but now here he is again. Both Mr. Milton and Rufus died and still came back despite that, long after they were introduced. You're old news until you're not, it's not a forever kind of deal.

I don't know why Rick doesn't like drawing humans (or was that mainly conjecture?)

Thomas was always in the background off temple hunting. Celia has essentially cut all ties with Thomas and the Miltons. I'm not completely ruling out the possibility she could random return for some reason, that Rick's call, but the odds are unlikely.