2020/10/14 - Turning [s]Japanese[/s] Chinese

[Silly Zealot]

Reminds me of the Steward from Infinity Train.

That one's from Ghost in the Shell. Best scene, in my opinion. X D

[CuriousCnidarian]

First time I've checked the comic for a while, glad to see things picking back up. And with a new (probably) antagonistic character! Very nice. Also, since Marion is back and I don't think I ever previously mentioned it, I had always thought it was more of a female name, so I was surprised to see it be given to a male character. turns out John Wayne's birth name was Marion, and it's really more of a unisex name. So I guess Marion's parents are either huge John Wayne fans, or just don't like Marion. Seriously, who names their kid Marion in this day and age? It's like they wanted him to have a hard time growing up.

Oh my gosh, Stewart did get a bunch of people changed off panel. How much of the town is still human at this point?

It's only one badger and a bird, but taking into account they've been at this for a year, give or take, and there's enough people in the city changed that the *county* does something (though it is a larger city and likely the seat of the county), I'd say no more than 20%. Probably closer to 10%.

I'd very much doubt he's been that busy. Disappearances happen every day. Animals claiming they were once Human probably happens quite often too. Mass disappearances, however, brings in Federal investigators. Spontaneous transformations bring in people like the C.D.C. We've seen neither Feds nor C.D.C., just an uptick in registered Animals.

I see where you're coming from. In regards to "Animals claiming they were once Human probably happens quite often too", I'm not quite sure; I think we'd have heard about it happening at some point in the past. Even if that's the case, you'd think the new transformations transformations would have proof of their personhood, same as you or I. Social Security, passwords, memories only the real John/Jane Doe would know, etc. Think about it - if you woke up tomorrow having been affected by the cursed coin, how would you go about proving that you're you? Anyone affected by it likely has their own ways, too. Though I will probably still drop my initial estimation. I mean, COVID has a mortality rate of, what, 2.7% in the US according to the data I can find, and it's nigh on the end of the world with the reaction to it*. Seeing as how frivolously this "transformation epidemic" is being taken due to how unbelievable it is, I'd say its "mortality rate" is closer to 1%, or a fraction of 1%. I'dd adjust my estimation to around 100 individuals, give or take. Alternatively, I'm putting way too much thought into this.

*(I use mortality as opposed to infection mainly to compare outcomes - worst-case outcome for COVID is death, and with the coin, well, there IS only one outcome of transformation - the worse outcome, by default - leading to a "mortality rate" of 100%. I'd have used COVID infection rate, but that tends to vary wildly depending on what sources you look at, and COVID is communicable whereas the coin is not. Perhaps not he best analogy, but it's the first thing I thought of to help demonstrate my point. Pls don't hurt me, mods)

[VeryAngryDeer]

Think about it - if you woke up tomorrow having been affected by the cursed coin, how would you go about proving that you're you?

Bank card PIN, banking phone app pass number (different to the PIN), knowing the passwords to my computers and all my most frequently used website accounts.

Knowledge of the physical position of things that only someone with access to my family's house could know, like "The kit-built 3D printer I never used is at the end of the loft with the light builb, next to the crates of model railway stuff". I couldn't know that unless I'd been up there myself, and even if an impostor had been up there, how would they know I'd never used that printer?

Discussing situations where only I was present with a family member. For instance, I could bring up the conversation I had with my Dad about where I'd put the keys to my van when I wanted to go to the beach. No one else was there, no one else could have overheard it. It's definitely not something an impostor would guess we'd ever talked about.

Things that would be of no significance to anyone else, but that mean something to us, like "Remember how you bought me a tiny CRT TV and you said I could only keep it if I behaved well?" or "Remember how we had an OnDigital set-top box in our old house, and an NTL keyboard that was purple with big grey buttons?"

Those are just what I can think of off the top of my head.

[NHWestoN]

"Who," said the Caterpillar, "who are you?"

"I hardly know, sir just at present" said Alice. "At least I knew who I was when I got up this morning, but I must have changed several times since then."

"What do you mean by that?" said the Caterpillar. "Explain yourself."

"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir," said Alice, "because I'm not myself, you see."

"I do not see," replied the Caterpillar.

"I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly," Alice replied, very politely, "for I can't understand it myself to begin with ... and being several different sizes in a day is very confusing."

"It isn't," said the Caterpillar.

"Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet," said Alice, "But when you turn into a chrysalis and then into a butterfly. I should think you'll feel a little queer, won't you?"

"Not a bit," said the Caterpillar.

"Well, perhaps your feelings may be different," said Alice. "All I know is, it would feel very queer to me."

"You!" said the Caterpillar contemptuously. "Who are you?"

[VeryAngryDeer]

When thinking about "what would I do if this happened to me", it occurred to me that since I wear my keys on a chain most of the time, they'd be one of the things to vanish in the transformation. One of those keys is for my van, and the guy at the Transit Centre said it would cost £400 to get a replacement made and coded... and that's presumably with the original still around.

Makes me wonder if Lois wasn't driving her car not because she couldn't reach the pedals, but because she had no key to put in the ignition.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Since when was it ever proven that if you get transformed anything you have on you would disappear? Lois had her glasses on and they didn't disappear.

[VeryAngryDeer]

Since when was it ever proven that if you get transformed anything you have on you would disappear? Lois had her glasses on and they didn't disappear.

She kept her glasses and bandana. Everything else, even the bag she brought Marion to the zoo in, disappeared. Every other character we've seen transformed lost their clothes in the process (except Marion, who may have been sleeping commando).

[dr_eirik]

Since when was it ever proven that if you get transformed anything you have on you would disappear? Lois had her glasses on and they didn't disappear.

She kept her glasses and bandana. Everything else, even the bag she brought Marion to the zoo in, disappeared. Every other character we've seen transformed lost their clothes in the process (except Marion, who may have been sleeping commando).

Steward also retained his glasses, but everything else vanished. We could say the magic works inconsistently.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I'm going to go with the explanation that the magic works inconsistently so you possibly COULD still have your keys.