2019/07/22 - Lockdown

Post by **D-Rock** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:03 am

[2019/07/22 - Lockdown]
Title Text: well she hasn't made THAT expression since at least noon

And that, loyal viewers, is how you extend the conflict in an organic manner.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:05 am

Not exactly how I expected this to go, but not exactly out of character for Jessica.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:06 am

That was fast....we skipped a lot of scenes I expected and wanted to see. I really wanted to see that exchange of knowing looks when Lois told them about the “prank.”

Lois even there with them or did they leave her behind to do their jobs?

I guess we’re shifting back to Marion again. He has some explaining to do. Worse part is they’re still showing everyone that really unflattering photo.

leinglo · Post by **leinglo** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:06 am

I wonder if it was the the Miltons or Karishad that arranged for the installment of lockdown equipment.

Probably Karishad, if the basement is any indication.

IceKitsune · Post by **IceKitsune** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:07 am

Jessica wants absolutely none of this!

So are they going to force him to stay or will they turn him over? Will he want to go and have to convince them to let him? Or will he be too afraid to thinking the police might not believe him? So many possibilities.

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:08 am

It would be so noble of Jessica for granting asylum if it weren't so tragic. Her reaction would indicate to the dogs this would be a fruitful place to look into (remember Jessica has no rights), but to investigate they need to find a way in there. Where's Mungo when you need him?

Gbr23 · Post by **Gbr23** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:08 am

Jess be like: RUN MARION RUUUUUUUUUN

And Marion like: why?

And Jess: YOU’LL NEVER CATCH HIIIIIMMMM

Saturn381 · Post by **Saturn381** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:09 am

Looks like it’s on to plan B.

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:10 am

I think they might have a clue
about where the Squirrel is hiding
as Jess shows no composure
and sees no time for confiding.
Fear, for once, overcomes fury
and Fox knows her too well;
she might as well have said ‘yes’;
her actions ring his alarm bell.
She won’t talk to the coppers, pal,
she’ll never tell you her story.
And, can you blame her, Fox,
when one of her friends is Cory?

Char89Charizard · Post by **Char89Charizard** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:10 am

*laughs out loud* Oh my god, that was hilarious. Who would've thought Jessica is afraid of cops? It's almost like she committed a crime.

Douglas Collier · Post by **Douglas Collier** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:11 am

It’s a good thing she didn’t use that function when Mungo dropped in last time.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:12 am

fenrirblack wrote:That was fast....we skipped a lot of scenes I expected and wanted to see. I really wanted to see that exchange of knowing looks when Lois told them about the “prank.”

Lois even there with them or did they leave her behind to do their jobs?

I guess we’re shifting back to Marion again. He has some explaining to do. Worse part is they’re still showing everyone that really unflattering photo.

I'm not so sure they know everything. It feels like they got a picture and were told to look for the squirrel as a witness. Hard to be sure.

I kinda think Jessica will defend Marion to the end if she thinks its neccessary.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:18 am

The worse part is that Fido didn’t even finish his sentence so if Jess warns Marion that they’re there looking for him, he wouldn’t even know why or that he really really needs to talk to them. Or that Lois maybe there with them.

I want to see Lois bang on the door and shout “I know your in there! What did you do with my boyfriend?”

LunarFox · Post by **LunarFox** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:31 am

fenrirblack wrote:The worst part is that Fido didn’t even finish his sentence so if Jess warns Marion that they’re there looking for him, he wouldn’t even know why or that he really really needs to talk to them. Or that Lois maybe there with them.

I want to see Lois bang on the door and shout “I know you're in there! What did you do with my boyfriend?”

That'd be nice! Guess we're waiting 'til Wednesday to see...

Ash Greytree · Post by **Ash Greytree** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:54 am

A hard skip ahead to them questioning Jess about missing persons. It implies that Lois didn’t tell them about how the text messages said he transformed into that squirrel and didn’t get the gears spinning in Fox’s head about possible magic being involved, and that Lois went back home and decided not to tag along with the investigation. I know that she has finals in the morning but it would’ve been nice to see more of her.

So, are the K-9’s going to stay there? The way Jess reacted and locked the whole place down definitely seems like probable cause. If they just up and leave, that’d be a massive bummer and potentially rule out the K-9’s as an avenue for help again. As well, if they do in fact leave, I feel like it’d be a bad plot contrivance just so that Marion has to wait even longer for a break from all the setbacks, conveniently keeping it so that something good actually happening to him is a long way off. I know I said that Rick has to break Marion down to build him back up, but it’s getting exhausting seeing the squirrel’s hopes getting dashed on a near-constant basis.

HundKatzeMaus · Post by **HundKatzeMaus** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 1:18 am

Douglas Collier wrote:It’s a good thing she didn’t use that function when Mungo dropped in last time.

I think she has this stuff, because of the last time or Jess did something very wrong during the time between the last time and now

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 5:43 am

CHEESE IT THE COPS!

IceKitsune wrote:Will he want to go and have to convince them to let him?

20 Quatloos on this one.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:00 am

I wonder when she had time to install that type of security on the tree!

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:17 am

SeanWolf wrote:I wonder when she had time to install that type of security on the tree!

Karishad lives there. It was probably done in an afternoon when she was out.

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:48 am

Rick knows how to keep us viewers surprised

Classic case of extreme misunderstanding. Unless Jessica has something to hide...?

Nobody · Post by **Nobody** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:59 am

Well, time to go get the master key. I mean Mungo.

Gameb18oy · Post by **Gameb18oy** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:08 am

Wow Fido, you chose the absolute worst way to say that. Are Fox and Mungo the only K9 members that are competent at their jobs? I feel like Rick is trying to suggest that as of late

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:16 am

Gameb18oy wrote:Wow Fido, you chose the absolute worst way to say that. Are Fox and Mungo the only K9 members that are competent at their jobs? I feel like Rick is trying to suggest that as of late

It does seem that way.

leinglo · Post by **leinglo** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:31 am

SeanWolf wrote:
Gameb18oy wrote:Wow Fido, you chose the absolute worst way to say that. Are Fox and Mungo the only K9 members that are competent at their jobs? I feel like Rick is trying to suggest that as of late
It does seem that way.

To be fair to the rest of the K-9s, they did figure out the whole brainwashing situation with Sasha, and did so far more effectively than Fox.

Though I will admit, they haven't exactly been at their best lately.

shadowlucario50 · Post by **shadowlucario50** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:48 am

So... Does Jessica feel like she's now hoarding a refugee who's supposed to be prisoner, or...?

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:57 am

Gameb18oy wrote:Wow Fido, you chose the absolute worst way to say that.

He's still channeling Mister Grumpymuzzle.

trekkie · Post by **trekkie** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 9:30 am

Yeah, Fido definitely could have said that better. I believe that Jessica is just being ultra protective, and had Fido said that they just wanted to talk with Marion, than she might’ve been more open to them coming in. I don’t think that the K-9s will leave this time as this is now at the very least a missing person case, and as far as they know could be a kidnapping.

Ash Greytree · Post by **Ash Greytree** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:13 am

trekkie wrote:I don’t think that the K-9s will leave this time as this is now at the very least a missing person case, and as far as they know could be a kidnapping.

I hope you're right. I'm just really really curious as to where this is all leading to, cause right now I feel kinda let down. An arc focusing on Fox, Fido, and Lois going around at night to track down the squirrel and Marion (who, unbeknownst to them, are one and the same) would've made for some good reading.

As for where it could go from here, I have an idea, mainly centering around what's been happening to Marion constantly, what with him continuing to be strung along by circumstance away from any possible help he could get. It could be revealed that Steward managed to dig a hole out from the basement as a secret exit to the treehouse. Marion gets freaked out by the lockdown and asks Jess what happened, and she lies or dodges the question. He gets suspicious of Jess and Steward tells him they have to leave, takes him down through some tunnels and out somewhere else, and Marion ends up serving as Steward's lackey/protegé for a while with whatever plan the badger's got going on.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:44 am

Ash Greytree wrote:
trekkie wrote:I don’t think that the K-9s will leave this time as this is now at the very least a missing person case, and as far as they know could be a kidnapping.
I hope you're right. I'm just really really curious as to where this is all leading to, cause right now I feel kinda let down. An arc focusing on Fox, Fido, and Lois going around at night to track down the squirrel and Marion (who, unbeknownst to them, are one and the same) would've made for some good reading.

As for where it could go from here, I have an idea, mainly centering around what's been happening to Marion constantly, what with him continuing to be strung along by circumstance away from any possible help he could get. It could be revealed that Steward managed to dig a hole out from the basement as a secret exit to the treehouse. Marion gets freaked out by the lockdown and asks Jess what happened, and she lies or dodges the question. He gets suspicious of Jess and Steward tells him they have to leave, takes him down through some tunnels and out somewhere else, and Marion ends up serving as Steward's lackey/protegé for a while with whatever plan the badger's got going on.

The problem is, there is the story that we are all creating and seeing in our heads, which changes every couple of days as we see a new clip of things. I absolutely love to speculate about what is about to happen, but this is Ricks story and we are seeing it unfold slowly over a long period of time.

I can't remember when I first discovered this comic, it was a number of years ago but it was shortly after King was transformed. I was able to see those early arcs of his life in an afternoon sitting in my office. It made for a tight, interesting story that hooked me. I can't imagine what the discussion of those early, hard to figure out bits of the story must have been like. If its anything like we see here now, I'm going to guess it was insane. Even looking at the final Temple Crashers arc, if you handed that story to me at any point, there are 50 different directions that I might have gone, and I doubt any of them would have been where Rick took us.... and now I can't think of a better way to do it.

So I would resist the urge to get disappointed because stuff we speculate doesn't happen. None of us know where things are going or what the story that Rick has in mind is. I'm also open to the possibility that he might make some changes just to confound us.

And, after saying all that.... I think you could be right about the next bit. Jess, Steward and/or Karishad might have a secret back door to hustle Marion out of, possibly against his will or without him knowing exactly why. From there, hard to say where they go. If it's Jess, I'd think her first instinct would be to take him to Zachs. Karishad, if he doesn't do something spectacularly strange like take him to Arby's, would possibly be a line to the Miltons. Steward? Who knows.

Oh, and the best evidence that Fido and Fox weren't told about the possibility that this actually is Marion is Fido says that "she" is wanted. Not much to go on, since the squirrel is female, but it fits.

fenrirblack · Post by **fenrirblack** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:09 pm

I hope Lois is there, for a lot of reasons, but right now want her there to showcase a real normal human's reaction to the pet's/animal's shenanigans. The owners are probably used to most of this but Lois strikes me as one of those characters who lives in an entirely separate world and is virtually clueless to the weirdness that lurks under the human's noses.

I want her to be like, "What the...how the...when did she...how did she?"
Then Fox says, "You get used to. You haven't seen anything yet."

Ash Greytree · Post by **Ash Greytree** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:12 pm

dr_eirik wrote:The problem is, there is the story that we are all creating and seeing in our heads, which changes every couple of days as we see a new clip of things. I absolutely love to speculate about what is about to happen, but this is Ricks story and we are seeing it unfold slowly over a long period of time.

[...]

So I would resist the urge to get disappointed because stuff we speculate doesn't happen. None of us know where things are going or what the story that Rick has in mind is. I'm also open to the possibility that he might make some changes just to confound us.

I know. It's just that the jump straight to the treehouse with only Fox and Fido there is jarring. I personally felt like there was a real good flow to the story across the last few arcs so far, and doing an "And so..." hard cut to this lockdown situation broke that flow. Also, I would've loved for a break from things potentially getting worse or more complicated for Marion, especially after the ending of the prior arc. Like I said in my prior comment farther up, it's getting exhausting seeing the squirrel's hopes getting dashed on a near-constant basis; a perspective shift that lasted a bit longer than two strips would've been refreshing.

dr_eirik wrote:And, after saying all that.... I think you could be right about the next bit. Jess, Steward and/or Karishad might have a secret back door to hustle Marion out of, possibly against his will or without him knowing exactly why. From there, hard to say where they go. If it's Jess, I'd think her first instinct would be to take him to Zachs. Karishad, if he doesn't do something spectacularly strange like take him to Arby's, would possibly be a line to the Miltons. Steward? Who knows.

Wherever Marion possibly gets whisked away to, if that is indeed what's going to happen, it'd be nice for him to get a confidant who'll be there for some genuine support, or a big hug from someone, or just some good sleep. How long did it take for Fox to become King's confidant? I'm asking genuinely here, since I've never read through the comic in its entirety.

dr_eirik wrote:Oh, and the best evidence that Fido and Fox weren't told about the possibility that this actually is Marion is Fido says that "she" is wanted. Not much to go on, since the squirrel is female, but it fits.

This also makes it seem that Lois didn't tell them at all about the context behind the text messages, which could've gotten things moving in Fox's head about possible supernatural ties. Or maybe Lois in fact did do that, and later on at a certain point we're going to get a flashback. A flashback to a point where, after leaving the station, Fox formulated some kind of plan by himself or with Fido in order to get Marion to Sabrina/Tarot/King/whoever in order to give Marion a thorough supernatural check-up. I really hope this is the case or that Fox gets a hold of Marion some other way. It's just, like... he's the only character in this arc right now besides Steward who knows that humans transforming into animals via magic is a thing. If him getting involved here is just a red herring and the current misunderstanding with the K-9's is meant to merely serve as a catalyst to move Marion on to somewhere else where he still has no answers, won't get any answers, or he'll possibly get lied to or tricked by someone...

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 1:24 pm

Ash Greytree wrote:This also makes it seem that Lois didn't tell them at all about the context behind the text messages, which could've gotten things moving in Fox's head about possible supernatural ties.

Well, of course she's not told them. We know they know about that sort of thing but Lois doesn't and doesn't know they do. As far as she knows, she'd sound like a complete and utter fruit loop if she told them and they'd never go look for him.

Cesco · Post by **Cesco** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 1:27 pm

Wow, Fido, congrats!

You already got in the right place to investigate, you already knew where to check.

Oh, Jessica looks a bit scared, and how rude to slam the door in front of an agent.

But, Jessica, why have you to hide it so evidently? You suddenly create suspects acting so...

I agree, Fox, but with some force (Mungo's force

) you could enter inside and check.

I wasn't expecting that door to be so lockable, though.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 1:28 pm

Ash Greytree wrote:
I know. It's just that the jump straight to the treehouse with only Fox and Fido there is jarring. I personally felt like there was a real good flow to the story across the last few arcs so far, and doing an "And so..." hard cut to this lockdown situation broke that flow. Also, I would've loved for a break from things potentially getting worse or more complicated for Marion, especially after the ending of the prior arc. Like I said in my prior comment farther up, it's getting exhausting seeing the squirrel's hopes getting dashed on a near-constant basis; a perspective shift that lasted a bit longer than two strips would've been refreshing.

I don't disagree, it felt almost rushed from what we see. It would be nice to know how Fox and Fido knew to go to Jessicas house. Did they start at the Ward house and work their way there, or did they decide to start with her? Jessica is certainly known to the pets, Fox has been to the treehouse and King seemed at least familiar with her in the hot springs arc. I suspect all the K9's know or know of her. Did they just decide to start with one of the few feral dwellings with a fixed address?

But I suspect it will all hang together in the end.

Wherever Marion possibly gets whisked away to, if that is indeed what's going to happen, it'd be nice for him to get a confidant who'll be there for some genuine support, or a big hug from someone, or just some good sleep. How long did it take for Fox to become King's confidant? I'm asking genuinely here, since I've never read through the comic in its entirety.

Fox and King fell into friendship very fast, like in one or two strips and right after King was transformed. I think it looked like it was just a couple of days at most. I would say that Fox became a confidant pretty quick, as well. Certainly by the time King meets Bailey for the first time. They became close enough that, when it's finally revealed to Fox that King is really Joel, he forgives him after giving him the thrashing that he promised.

This also makes it seem that Lois didn't tell them at all about the context behind the text messages, which could've gotten things moving in Fox's head about possible supernatural ties. Or maybe Lois in fact did do that, and later on at a certain point we're going to get a flashback. A flashback to a point where, after leaving the station, Fox formulated some kind of plan by himself or with Fido in order to get Marion to Sabrina/Tarot/King/whoever in order to give Marion a thorough supernatural check-up. I really hope this is the case or that Fox gets a hold of Marion some other way. It's just, like... he's the only character in this arc right now besides Steward who knows that humans transforming into animals via magic is a thing. If him getting involved here is just a red herring and the current misunderstanding with the K-9's is meant to merely serve as a catalyst to move Marion on to somewhere else where he still has no answers, won't get any answers, or he'll possibly get lied to or tricked by someone...

I think we need to see what happens in the next strip to see what she told them. If they read the texts then they at least are aware of the possibility, but likely would have wanted to speak to the squirrel in person before dragging their magic counterparts out of bed. It's also possible that they are treating this differently, since Fido is aware of magic(k) but not nearly to the same level as Fox. But Fido is the superior officer and Fox has been slapped down for overstepping in the past.

It really is hard to see what the next step is. Squirreling Marion out the back seems likely. A standoff by a larger number of K9's is possible. Lois, assuming she's with them, pleading with Jessica is another.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:15 pm

Ash Greytree wrote:So, are the K-9’s going to stay there? The way Jess reacted and locked the whole place down definitely seems like probable cause.

You're assuming Jess has any rights to begin with

Champion Wallace · Post by **Champion Wallace** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:23 pm

dr_eirik wrote:It would be nice to know how Fox and Fido knew to go to Jessicas house. Did they start at the Ward house and work their way there, or did they decide to start with her? Jessica is certainly known to the pets, Fox has been to the treehouse and King seemed at least familiar with her in the hot springs arc. I suspect all the K9's know or know of her. Did they just decide to start with one of the few feral dwellings with a fixed address?

When looking for a feral, it makes sense to start at a location with thirty-or-so grouped together. It's not clear how much is on police record, but the treehouse is a good option because even if their mark isn't there, Jessica, Custom Ink, and Karishad all live there and know people. Additionally, we don't even know if this is their fist stop or how long they spent barking up the wrong tree (sorry).

dr_eirik wrote:
Ash Greytree wrote:Wherever Marion possibly gets whisked away to, if that is indeed what's going to happen, it'd be nice for him to get a confidant who'll be there for some genuine support, or a big hug from someone, or just some good sleep. How long did it take for Fox to become King's confidant? I'm asking genuinely here, since I've never read through the comic in its entirety.
Fox and King fell into friendship very fast, like in one or two strips and right after King was transformed. I think it looked like it was just a couple of days at most. I would say that Fox became a confidant pretty quick, as well. Certainly by the time King meets Bailey for the first time. They became close enough that, when it's finally revealed to Fox that King is really Joel, he forgives him after giving him the thrashing that he promised.

King was in four strips before Fox was introduced to him. They become friends over the course of the next three strips, so, one to two weeks our time depending on how you want to define it.

Ash Greytree · Post by **Ash Greytree** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 6:15 pm

So King and Fox hit it off pretty well quite fast into King's transformation. I thought that maybe Marion would be able to have Falstaff and Truck be the Fox to his King since they seem to have warmed up to him a bit. More Truck than Falstaff, though. Truck specifically seemed nice to him, wanting to help him when they first got introduced and giving him some hospitality. Of course, until we know for sure where the heck Marion is going to be settling down for real, it's tough to get an idea on who exactly he'll be able to make close enough friends with so that he can share the fact that he used to be human with them. The way the story's been going so far, poor squirrel seems like he's going to be kicked out of, stolen away to, and/or escape from nearly every major location in Babylon Gardens before finding someplace with someone he can bond with and trust.

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:54 pm

dr_eirik wrote:It would be nice to know how Fox and Fido knew to go to Jessicas house.

She's probably the only feral who actually has an address.

CunningFox · Post by **CunningFox** » Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:08 am

When you consider there are probably large predators in the area, having this sort of equipment on your house makes sense.

dr_eirik · Post by **dr_eirik** » Tue Jul 23, 2019 11:03 am

CunningFox wrote:When you consider there are probably large predators in the area, having this sort of equipment on your house makes sense.

I've never had the impression that Jessica is all that worried about predetors. I think she would see an unfortunate encounter with a bobcat or a wolf as a fact of life. But she has shown herself to be fearful of the police and/or animal control. I suspect the storm shutters that slammed down are a Karishad upgrade that Jess might not even have known about.

There has been something about Fox in this strip that's... well, not bugged me but had me wondering. His arms crossed stance and his sarcastic comment, are those directed at Jess or Fido? On one hand, he's clearly frustrated at what he probably saw as a predictable outcome dealing with her, but on the other the few interactions with Fox and Fido have seemed go be less than friendly since his relationship with Sabrina was outed. He laid it out to her, but has he ever with him?