2019/12/16 - Well Duh

Post by **Dissension** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:00 am

[ Well Duh ]

Title Text: keene has been having a very personal-space-violating day

I think I speak for everyone when I say... well... the title...

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:03 am

I've been saying for a while that Steward was a red herring... and perhaps I've been wrong all this time. At least they are heading back to the treehouse. Hope Lois remembers the sandwich.

Nobody · Post by **Nobody** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:04 am

Yup.

Also, Marion is a very large squirrel, or else Keene is a very small ferret.

Also also, I love the phrase "sensible hoard of unimaginable wealth."

Char89Charizard · Post by **Char89Charizard** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:05 am

I knew Steward is responsible. I knew it all along.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:06 am

Congratulations Marion. You've figured it out.

Steward being the obvious suspect. Hmm. Still doesn't answer literally any question of how or why he did it (if he did).

Keene's world is about to be rocked when he finds out that A, Steward is living in the treehouse and B. has a one.

I have a feeling Steward is going to be long gone by the time they get there.

Olive · Post by **Olive** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:07 am

“That’s no fun!”

OR IS IT?

Gotta love Kitsune’s pedestal.

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:09 am

Interesting reversal where Marion is the largest in the frame and Lois and Kitsune are the ones with dot eyes. I think Marion's recollection is the last panel of this strip in particular. How many strips before a character asks how Steward could've accessed Marion in his room between 3AM to 7AM and hit up Lois without anyone seeing?

LunarFox · Post by **LunarFox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:10 am

Come on, we knew it...

--

Steward, okay, what's your plan here?
Human-animal equivocation?
I think you're going to have someone to fear
Now they have new information...

But what's the relation, where's the link
Between squirrel, bobcat, and badger?
Is the answer quite what we think?
Or is Steward just plain a bad fur,

Malevolent, crafty, and vile?
I don't know, but Kitsune implies
That yes, that's sure their style,
So how long until fur flies?

Even though we figured all along,
We don't know how he did it,
Or why he'd do something so wrong,
Break their lives apart bit by bit.

I'm still wondering how this ends,
We've got still nine days to go,
Will there be any more bends?
Any more truths to show?

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:10 am

fenrirblack wrote:Congratulations Marion. You've figured it out.

Steward being the obvious suspect. Hmm. Still doesn't answer literally any question of how or why he did it (if he did).

Keene's world is about to be rocked when he finds out that A, Steward is living in the treehouse and B. has a one.

I have a feeling Steward is going to be long gone by the time they get there.

It still seems odd that Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence. And you're right, this doesn't answer really anything. But Marion made the main connection to the one known object that could have transformed them.

Steward or not, I think we find out that part of the mystery for sure in the next few days.

Sir Chestnut · Post by **Sir Chestnut** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:12 am

I wonder if we'll see a Bobcat vs Badger battle coming up?

BTW looks like Keene was planning on staying awhile and got comfortable, since he doesn't have his collar on. Unless Marion ripped it off lol

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:13 am

Keene takes the questions on top of his chest
as Marion tries to add two and two.
Whether he’s right with the answer he’s guessed
it seems it’s the right thing to do.
Steward was evil, of that there’s no doubt,
he plotted and planned all against them;
but has he calmed since his new becoming?
Is a new theory enough to condemn?
It’s back to Jess’s place after all this,
where Keene may locate his Steward.
Is this a plan to bring them together?
Is someone about to get his reward?

Saturn381 · Post by **Saturn381** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:14 am

I knew it was the badger!

IceKitsune · Post by **IceKitsune** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:16 am

The issue with this is why and when exactly? Is he related to Marion? I can't think of too many reasons he would have picked him to do this too. Though I guess it could have been at random, and he just caught him walking down the street to get to the bus stop, or get home or something like that, and picked him out of simple convenience. Then Lois would be because she was close to him at the time making it easier to keep track of them both.

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:18 am

Char89Charizard wrote:I knew Steward is responsible. I knew it all along.

Saturn381 wrote:I knew it was the badger!

Let's not get too hasty. Steward might not have the monopoly on coins people think he does.

dr_eirik wrote:
fenrirblack wrote:Congratulations Marion. You've figured it out.

Steward being the obvious suspect. Hmm. Still doesn't answer literally any question of how or why he did it (if he did).

Keene's world is about to be rocked when he finds out that A, Steward is living in the treehouse and B. has a one.

I have a feeling Steward is going to be long gone by the time they get there.
It still seems odd that Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence. And you're right, this doesn't answer really anything. But Marion made the main connection to the one known object that could have transformed them.

Steward or not, I think we find out that part of the mystery for sure in the next few days.

What makes you think Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence?

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:19 am

IceKitsune wrote:The issue with this is why and when exactly? Is he related to Marion? I can't think of too many reasons he would have picked him to do this too. Though I guess it could have been at random, and he just caught him walking down the street to get to the bus stop, or get home or something like that, and picked him out of simple convenience. Then Lois would be because she was close to him at the time making it easier to keep track of them both.

I have a feeling that, once we know the answer, itll be obvious. I suspect other bits have been in the strips we all might have missed that will make more sense later.

Gbr23 · Post by **Gbr23** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:27 am

Ok ok ok, it all points to the obvious... but isn't it too obvious? What if Steward isn't the actual villain? What if he's not working alone?

Am I ovethinking it? MAYBE

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:27 am

Champion Wallace wrote:
dr_eirik wrote:
Steward or not, I think we find out that part of the mystery for sure in the next few days.
What makes you think Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence?

I actually dont think that, I was riffing off what Fenrir said. I was thinking that the badger has secretly working for Keene and the ECP as a recruiter with an eye toward getting something of his old life back. I have as much evidence for that as about a million other theories.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:27 am

Okay, real talk. If it was Steward after all which still seems either too on the nose or Rick really didn't try for a twist this time.
How did he do it? He would have literally had to wait for Marion to go to sleep, break into his home and touch him with the coin. If you look at it another way, Steward came into the house in the early morning like while Julia was leaving and did it which makes more sense if he timed it right but still farfetched.
Why Marion? He went through a lot of trouble for one specific kid. His conversation with Marion still strikes me as odd. He really didn't give anything away of whether or not he knew who Marion was.
The real issue is the Lois factor. How did he know about Lois unless he had been keeping tabs on them? Bird or no, there doesn't seem like there is any logic to him knowing where they were at the time, that they were talking to Thomas, or that a bird could touch her with the coin, fly off without anyone noticing anymore than he could have crawled out of the bushes and done it. The only answer I can really think of is that he is working with someone who is A, insightful B, telling him where to go and what to do, and C, has a cloak of invisibility. It just seems silly to have Lois touched by the coin in public with Poncho right there and no one notice. BUT at the same time we haven't established any other means of transforming so unless the next few strips do that I'm at a lost.
Still the only real logic is that he's not working alone.

So that said, there are three ways this can go. (four really). Steward isn't at the treehouse when they arrive because he's on the run or He is there and is wrongly accused which brings him into Keene's inner circle or he's not there but still being framed. Or he did do it, he isn't running away and gets arrested but there is still no way to change anyone back.

Champion Wallace wrote:What makes you think Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence?

It would be funnier that way.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:37 am

fenrirblack wrote:Okay, real talk. If it was Steward after all which still seems either too on the nose or Rick really didn't try for a twist this time.
How did he do it? He would have literally had to wait for Marion to go to sleep, break into his home and touch him with the coin. If you look at it another way, Steward came into the house in the early morning like while Julia was leaving and did it which makes more sense if he timed it right but still farfetched.
Why Marion? He went through a lot of trouble for one specific kid. His conversation with Marion still strikes me as odd. He really didn't give anything away of whether or not he knew who Marion was.
The real issue is the Lois factor. How did he know about Lois unless he had been keeping tabs on them? Bird or no, there doesn't seem like there is any logic to him knowing where they were at the time, that they were talking to Thomas, or that a bird could touch her with the coin, fly off without anyone noticing anymore than he could have crawled out of the bushes and done it. The only answer I can really think of is that he is working with someone who is A, insightful B, telling him where to go and what to do, and C, has a cloak of invisibility. It just seems silly to have Lois touched by the coin in public with Poncho right there and no one notice. BUT at the same time we haven't established any other means of transforming so unless the next few strips do that I'm at a lost.
Still the only real logic is that he's not working alone.

So that said, there are two ways this can go. (Three really). Steward isn't at the treehouse when they arrive because he's on the run or He is there and is wrongly accused which brings him into Keene's inner circle or he's not there but still being framed.

Champion Wallace wrote:What makes you think Keene was completely unaware of the badgers existence?
It would be funnier that way.

Perhaps hes not working alone, but not working with anyone. It seems possible that the kits got hold of the coin and did something that Steward noticed but didnt really think about until Marion shows up. Maybe they tried a ritual or something that transformed Marion from afar. Though, for that to work. Kitsune would have to have allowed it, which makes all this his fault

Hmm. I'm not sure I like this theory much, but there it is.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:45 am

Okay one last time. Most of this still feels spot on for the most part.

Theories
Is Steward A Villain: YES.

Steward's Goal: Regaining his Old Life and/or Revenge

Did He Change Marion: No (Yeah, now I'm not sure)

Who Changed Marion and Lois: Mastermind or another new supernatural character that has not been introduced.

The Marion & Lois Part
-Keene is unhelpful but leads them to Kitsune who provides more accurate information while Keene helps deal with the arrangements for Lois and Marion.
--The Miltons try to come up with a solution to prevent the media and masses from finding out about this to prevent any negative backlash.
--The Miltons curve the media by making sure that they are not to blame but bolster the ECP during this potential crisis by making them look like heroes by taking care of the therianthropes.

The Steward Part
-Steward steps out of the shadows and forces Keene to take him back as the media begins to blame him for both Lois and Marion's sudden and random transformations
-Steward plans on using this transformation outbreak to find a way to access a source of magic to change back to human
-Steward goes behind Keene's back and starts transforming humans into animals for the ECP to get back into Keene's good graces.
-Steward found an ally with another character and together plot to take down the ECP and/or change back to human

What if it was always the simplest solutions like Marion had a doggie door (wouldn't be our fault we didn't know about it) and Lois and Poncho were in fact super obvious to the badger in the bushes at the Zoo. Marion was chosen JUST because Steward has easy access to his house at the crack of dawn.

HundKatzeMaus · Post by **HundKatzeMaus** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:08 am

But hey you have to admit that was pretty clever that Marion remembered the gold coin.
I would had thought it would take them longer

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:09 am

Just hope we're not barking up the wrong tree house here ........

LunarFox · Post by **LunarFox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:11 am

NHWestoN wrote:Just hope we're not barking up the wrong tree house here ........

That's my hope too, West.

leinglo · Post by **leinglo** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 3:37 am

I know I've quietly insisted that it must the coin all this time, but now that Rick actually seems to be heading in that direction I suddenly feel like it might not be that after all. Like, I can totally see Marion and Louis going after Steward thinking he's behind everything only for Rick to pull a fast one on us and have it to turn out to be something else. That is the kind of thing Rick would do.

LunarFox · Post by **LunarFox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 3:45 am

Well, we have three strips to find out, so... we'll see really soon!

VeryAngryDeer · Post by **VeryAngryDeer** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:17 am

As Fenrirblack noted, there are a lot of logistical and practical issues with the idea that Steward transformed M&L with the coin.

Add on to that that it still doesn't explain the sex-swaps and I still don't believe that Steward is the culprit. He's a lead, but I don't think he's the guy.

Also, we do know of at least one means of transforming besides the coins. The whole temple hat thing. Res even proved that it could happen outside the temple whe he sneezed. I'm not saying that M&L's transformation has anything to do with the temple's transformative properties, but it does show that the treasure is not the only way.

Plus a ranged method like a ritual or spell would better explain how M&L got transformed without anyone seeming to get near them.

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 7:04 am

Cory and Trinket could have their own coin.

fenrirblack wrote:Steward being the obvious suspect. Hmm. Still doesn't answer literally any question of how or why he did it (if he did).

Why: Get a mole in the ECP even if he's actually a squirrel and not a mole.

How: Marion left his window open and Trinket flew in and tagged him.

Why him? Target of opportunity.

Sir Chestnut wrote:I wonder if we'll see a Bobcat vs Badger battle coming up?

Looks like there's at least three of those on Youtube already.

Jixstun · Post by **Jixstun** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 7:33 am

I thought Kitsune would be cryptic (that's kinda his thing) but he seems to have been much more direct with his hints than I was expecting. Possibly, after all the dead ends they'd run into, he was going easy on them?

And for the Marion, the penny, or rather, the coin, drops...

While i fully expect them to now go charging after Steward, something tells me that while i'm still pretty sure that he has something to do with M&L's transformation, all the discussion on these pages has convinced me that there's still some twists yet to be discovered, such as how he managed it, did he have help, what he was hoping to accomplish, & why Marion & Lois? Chosen, or random?

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 7:51 am

Oh yeah, it's all coming together now. Whether Steward is responsible or not, seems the gang is headed in his direction, and I'm looking forward to that encounter.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:02 am

It's been a while since I've seen "cryptic" used correctly so this strip makes me irrationally happy

LunarFox wrote:Come on, we knew it...

"Think, boy! What kind of an adventure would you have had if I'd brought you here with the turn of a page?" --The Pagemaster

fenrirblack wrote:Okay, real talk. If it was Steward after all which still seems either too on the nose or Rick really didn't try for a twist this time.
How did he do it? He would have literally had to wait for Marion to go to sleep, break into his home and touch him with the coin.

I don't think the coin works that way. I think you need to take it and accept it's yours. After all, the two times we saw it act, it took at least a second

FireworkFox · Post by **FireworkFox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:48 am

Poor Keene. That must hurt.
Also, detective Marion!

FireworkFox · Post by **FireworkFox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:49 am

Olive wrote:“That’s no fun!”

OR IS IT?

Gotta love Kitsune’s pedestal.

I wonder if it has a mind of it's own, or if Kitsune is controlling it...

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:53 am

So Steward IS a suspect...though I never realized he was that buff looking. Now the question remains: Why did Steward do the curse? Random theory: He was lonely.

Nobody · Post by **Nobody** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 9:40 am

SeanWolf wrote:So Steward IS a suspect...though I never realized he was that buff looking. Now the question remains: Why did Steward do the curse? Random theory: He was lonely.

My thought? Marion was chosen at random. Steward just wanted to test the coin.

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:16 am

LunarFox wrote:Well, we have three strips to find out, so... we'll see really soon!

The suspense is just MURDER!! Oh, wait, that's the Housepets: Hunger Games thread, isn't it?

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:17 am

Nobody wrote:
SeanWolf wrote:So Steward IS a suspect...though I never realized he was that buff looking. Now the question remains: Why did Steward do the curse? Random theory: He was lonely.
My thought? Marion was chosen at random. Steward just wanted to test the coin.

So.. A large Badger snuck into a random teenager's bedroom whilst he was sleeping, then managed to creep up on Lois and Poncho at the zoo? Not sure I buy that...

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:19 am

Nobody wrote:
SeanWolf wrote:So Steward IS a suspect...though I never realized he was that buff looking. Now the question remains: Why did Steward do the curse? Random theory: He was lonely.
My thought? Marion was chosen at random. Steward just wanted to test the coin.

Well, we still need to know why Lois got transformed, too. Marion did spend a bunch of time around his schoolmates and none of them "fur-poofed". Or did they? Who knows what happens in Housepets off-camera!

Vertigo Fox · Post by **Vertigo Fox** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:36 am

At this point I don't suspect Keene at all anymore. He's never been this good a liar, it's pretty clear he's just incredibly confused by all of this.

Macsen · Post by **Macsen** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:46 am

Part of me thinks the Milton fortune is (still) a red herring. Unless the gender change is completely random, with both Thomas and Steward getting (un)lucky to keep their gender, and both Marion and Lois getting (un)lucky to switch their gender.

But still, is there even going to be a way for Marion and Lois to change back? And can Kitsune do something about the curse in general, regardless of whether or not he can (or wants) to change people afflicted by it back?

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:47 am

Macsen wrote:Part of me thinks the Milton fortune is a red herring. Unless the gender change is completely random, with both Thomas and Steward getting (un)lucky to keep their gender, and both Marion and Lois getting (un)lucky to switch their gender.

But still, is there even going to be a way for Marion and Lois to change back?

Well, if it was a gold coin that cursed them...maybe either a silver coin would turn them back or something from Dragon's temple?