2019/08/09 - Waterworks

[Argent]

Don't threaten to bite her earlobe. That might activate something you don't want right now.

In Gavin Maxwell's stories about his pet otters he had an otter named Mijbil. Mij was a trickster. He would act like a safe playful animal towards new people until they let him get close, then he would pierce their ears for them. One sharp otter canine tooth made for a perfect ear piercing... albeit not particularly a sterile one.

[Ash Greytree]

I don’t understand the confusion. Clearly the first bubble is Lois talking because like Wallace said she jokingly or seriously expects that it’s part of Marion’s master prank and he’s filming this from the shadows. Or even just nervous banter because she’s slowly coming to accept that despite how impossible it is, clearly this squirrel is Marion.

Hate to disagree, but I think the left-hand speech bubble is by Lois. Rick is really fastidious about the layout of speech in comics; he's posted about this separately. If both lines had been by Marion he'd have found a way to indicate this - for instance, by drawing a link between the two speech bubbles.

The way I read it, the final panel is a bit of nervous banter between the two of them. It's encouraging, though, because it hints at more communication to come.

I'm not so sure. If it was the same person talking it would make more sense to be one connected bubble like in panel 5, though having separate balloons is viable. It wouldn't be the squirrel posting this to Instagram, it would be the human Marion in the reeds recording Lois hugging a squirrel to complete the prank.

You're right; looking at it this morning, that's definitely Lois saying the first line. Last night I was more focused on the idea of Marion not wanting any pictures or video of him in his squirrely form being posted to Instagram. Like, if Marion's going to be living with Lois or something, he wouldn't want her sneaking photos or videos of him getting into embarrassing situations in his new form (and it's still new; he's only been a squirrel for like, a day) and posting them online. Lois joking about not wanting this squirrel-hug video to end up online or posted around before graduation makes a lot more sense.

Regarding what's going to happen in the next two strips, I'd like for Lois and Marion to meet up with Fox and Fido and explain the situation, and they either go back to the station or to a supernatural expert.

Either that, or something that I would absolutely love: they ditch the K-9's and go straight to Lois' house so that they can both get a good night's rest and then in the morning go to the station or look for other solutions on their own. The twist is that Tarot is waiting inside for Lois to return because Tarot is Lois' family pet. Marion freaks out at the dog and dashes up a bookshelf or something. Lois tries to explain the situation to Tarot in a manner that attempts to keep the potential craziness of the situation as a secret from the Pomeranian. But Lois actually doesn't know her pet is psychic; Tarot gets the vibe that something's off and this all has to do with Marion's disappearance. Lois coaxes Marion down from the bookshelf, and tries to get Marion to introduce himself to Tarot. Tarot gets a good look at Marion or shakes his hand, and realizes right away who he is. Tarot tells Lois that she knows this is Marion, Lois gets confused as to how she knows. The chapter ends on a very confused Lois, who's had her whole perception of what's possible flipped upside-down, and Tarot telling her that she'd better get ready because it'll only get weirder from here on out.

[First strip starts with Lois heading to her house with Marion on her shoulder, with Lois explaining what has to happen.]
Lois: If you're going to be living with us, we need to set the house rules. I know squirrels have big appetites, so no midnight cupboard raids.
Marion: Oh, you can Trust me on that, that's not something I'm going to risk.
Lois: Speaking from experience?
Marion: [Looks down and to the side, a bit embarrassed.] Yeah, didn't go well.
Lois: [She lets out a small chuckle.] Alright, we're here. [She unlocks the front door and walks in.] I know you've been over here a lot before and know her, but now that you're like this, please don't-
Tarot: [Runs up to Lois and was clearly worried about her.] Lois, where have you been? It's half past midnight!!
[Marion sees the dog and makes a mad dash off of Lois' shoulder and up the tallest object he can find in the house.]
Lois: [Disgruntled look on her face.] -freak out.

[Second and chapter-ending strip. Tarot looks up at Marion cowering on his new perch and then over to Lois, asking her to explain.]
Tarot: What, exactly, is going on?
Lois: [Rubbing the back of her neck, nervously trying to come up with an explanation.] Well, you know how I told you about how Marion was pulling some sort of prank and how he didn't show up at school today? He's actually kinda sorta been missing all day. And this squirrel, he- I mean, uh, she was part of his prank, and is the only lead I have. She's going to be living with us for a bit until we can find him.
[Tarot gets the feeling that something's amiss. She focuses in on Marion who, having calmed down a bit and remembering that he can trust Lois' dog, slowly climbs down and walks up to Tarot. The squirrel extends his paw to shake her hand and introduce himself.]
Marion: [Stuttering and still kind of nervous, trying to think of what to say.] H-hello, it's nice to meet you. My n-name is- uh...
[Tarot reaches down and out to shake the squirrel's hand. She looks at Marion's nervous expression, then down at his bracelet-necklace, and sees who he really is and everything he's gone through.
She lets go of Marion's hand and instead goes in for a hug with who she now realizes is her owners' boyfriend.]
Tarot: Oh, Marion! You poor thing... don't worry, we'll find some way to fix this.
Lois: What.
Marion: [Slightly freaked out that she knows it's him.]T-Tarot, wha- how did y- you know what? Nevermind. [He then reciprocates and hugs her back, gladly accepting this turn of events and warm fluffy reassurance after his tough day.]
Lois: Again, What.
Tarot: [Turns her head to talk to Lois while continuing to hug Marion.] We'd best head to your room. This is going to take some time to explain, and both of you are definitely going to want somewhere to lie down and contemplate reality afterwards...
[To Be Continued...]

And again, regarding the alt text, I still believe it refers to the hardship and circumstances that've led up to this point, with nobody believing Marion or willing to help him or just listen until now. I seriously don't think Rick would include foreshadowing that things will be getting worse in the alt text, foreshadowing that would serve to ruin the bittersweet sense of relief that this strip gives off.

[NHWestoN]

Wherever it goes, I just think it's going to get a lot more complicated than we can predict.

True, except that Lois now seems to recognize her pal, nothing's resolved at all. (Ask Jessica: "Where's my sammich?")

[dr_eirik]

Also find the threat to bite ones ears as more of a rodent thing, and Marion was briefly shown to be a tad bit in touch with squirrel actions like dashing up the tree so quickly.

It also just makes sense from their positioning. What else is he going to do but bite her on the ear? Besides, could be a thing between them....

Tarot: [Turns her head to talk to Lois while continuing to hug Marion.] We'd best head to your room. This is going to take some time to explain, and both of you are definitely going to want somewhere to lie down and contemplate reality afterwards...
[To Be Continued...]

I loved what you did here. I kind of hope that Lois turns out to have a connection with a pet somewhere. It might even explain why Marion didn't go to her house after his encounter with Kevin. There are tons we don't know the ownership of. And having someone that even Marion describes as rational would be an interesting counterpoint to Tarot. Especially if she's been able to hide her psychic side all this time.

[Frank]

Also find the threat to bite ones ears as more of a rodent thing, and Marion was briefly shown to be a tad bit in touch with squirrel actions like dashing up the tree so quickly.

It also just makes sense from their positioning. What else is he going to do but bite her on the ear? Besides, could be a thing between them....

If it is, it might explain why he got turned into, of all things, a squirrel

[trekkie]

Poor Marion, I too want to hug the poor squirrel.

I reckon Steward's gonna show up and ruin it.

I think he will too, to maybe transform Lois and have another minion for his scheme, and/or to prevent Marion from escaping his reach. This is all assuming that the alt-text refers to the future rather than Marion’s ordeal until now, I honestly hope it’s the latter Marion has been through enough.

[dr_eirik]

Poor Marion, I too want to hug the poor squirrel.

I think that most of us have since he tried and failed to contact his mother on the phone. I would have accepted seeing a friendly hug from Truck up to now!

I reckon Steward's gonna show up and ruin it.

I think he will too, to maybe transform Lois and have another minion for his scheme, and/or to prevent Marion from escaping his reach. This is all assuming that the alt-text refers to the future rather than Marion’s ordeal until now, I honestly hope it’s the latter Marion has been through enough.

I have no problem being wrong if this happens, but I'm just not expecting it now. I still don't think Steward was behind this at all, that the first time he's even hearing about any of this was when he meets Marion for the first time. He likely hasn't had time to come up with something that he can use.

I would not be surprised to see the badger follow these two out of the woods to see where they go. If Marion is paired with a human, then he likely will be content to wait a bit. A squirrel might be hard to find later, but not if he's got a home to live in. I would be surprised for him to spring the coin right this moment.

[Cesco]

Poor Marion once again... It's disheartening the amount of bad and sad things happened to him in so little time. Good that our little squirrel is realizing how difficult and frustrating is to make believe such things to a rational person, and this also sounds like a proof that Marion pretty knows well his girlfriend. Yeah, Lois, it's very important listen to someone, and hug, too... Oh, you really think about that after all this, Lois?

[Mctwisp]

My emotions man T-T

[Pumkin6]

I have two theories:
1. Steward has teamed up with a rival company of the Miltons, who is using the coin to turn its workers into animals for cheap and efficient labor. Marion was chosen to be turned into an animal because he moonlights as a photo-journalist who has incriminating evidence on the company's shady business practices. He hasn't brought this up because he lost those memories when he fell out of the tree at the beginning of the arc. The one who actually changed him was Ralph, because as we all know Ralph is the most evil creature in the entire universe. Boy I sure hate Ralph. I hope he gets eated by a bear in the next arc.
2. This actually is an elaborate prank by Marion, who is a technical genius who invented a device that can alter people's memories and switch their consciousnesses. First, Marion created a copy of his own memories that knew nothing about the device. To test the device, he used it on a squirrel and gave it his memories. However, he made a mistake and put the squirrel's consciousness in his own body, and his mind was put onto his computer. So Marion's body is running around naked in the woods, where it will be found by Fox and Fido. The situation will be resolved when Marion and the squirrel in his body are brought back to the computer, where it will fix everything. The computer didn't tell Marion this before because it was playing Minesweeper. After knowing that his invention works, Marion will initiate his master plan: kidnapping a bunch of animals, altering their memories, and forcing them to play a killing game. In order to better supervise the game, he will unlock his heart, splitting into his heartless and nobody, one of which will participate in the killing game and the other will be the mastermind. My evidence for this is that Lois is wearing a bandanna.

[dr_eirik]

I have two theories:
.

Those are theories all right...

To be fair, they are about as likely as anything I've theorized in this arc.

[fenrirblack]

I'm curious about that myself. "No, it won't all go the way it should" makes me think that, again, something is going to happen to Marion...like Lois tries to tell his mother but his mother won't believe her or something like that.

That seems like a pretty likely step, even if Marion is able to get help from Tarot or some other knowledgeable source, it's a lot for anyone to absorb. The idea that his mother may reject this explanation is actually pretty reasonable. It also could greatly complicate Marions already over complicated situation. As far as the evidence he left behind, the last one who may have had contact with Marion is Marion. As far as the world is concerned, there is still a missing teenager, after all. Assuming Marion isn't changed back, the powers that be will have to at least be satisfied that Marion doesn't know about Marion.

It's understandable that even with Lois on his side convincing his parents of what happened is going to be an uphill battle but at the same time would they rather Marion just be missing or be a squirrel? Having their son turning into a female squirrel isn't ideal but at least that way they can keep an eye on him instead of just being missing and presumed dead (remember after the first 24 hours the chances of survival are statistically less). Either Marion is going to have to pour on the waterworks again which might work better because a Mother should be able to recognize their child's cry. OR Marion is going to have to confess to something big.
Julia: You can't expect me to believe that my son is this squirrel.
Lois: I didn't believe it at first either but after a while it became pretty clear.
Julia: I just can't believe this. It's impossible.
Marion: Two years ago I broke a piece of your grandmother's gold plated fine china and super glued the pieces back together then stuck it underneath the rest so you wouldn't notice.
Julia: YOU WHAT?! GO TO YOUR ROOM!
Marion: So you believe me now?
Julia: I believe you are grounded for life! You're lucky I don't feed you to that fox that is outside staring at us through the window.

I was thinking about how this might go from here. If things were going to look up for Marion from this point, I think this page would have made a good chapter end. So who pops up now?

The most likely are Fox and Fido, who are possibly just off panel. If they witnessed all this, then the chance that they will take some level of control is pretty high. This seems to lead toward the happiest that we can expect from here.

There is also the chance that Karishad is still there. I picture him looking wistfully at the tear-filled reunion, hands under his chin, saying "I'm going to lose my lunch... literally. She carrying it away..." He's a wildcard, but he also knows what's going on. But Kari rarely seems to be a character that the plot hinges on. He's usually off on the edge nudging things along.

Tarot and/or Sabrina could show up. It depends a lot on just how much power either of them still have. That would be a bit strange since being led there is so easy. I could also see a jump-cut to their house.

Then I started wondering about the less likely appearances. I consider Steward making and active appearance unlikely. I think he could show up as having witnessed this, but not get actively involved.

A Celestial could show up. Kitsune being the most obvious, but perhaps we are about the veer into a really odd direction. Rick has thrown major curves before. What if this is a Heavenly screw-up and Cerebus I'has to come down to repair the damage?

The dino-demon, if he's responsible, is another possibility. That would really add a level of chaos to things, but we never saw that he had this kind of power.

Tarot and Sabrina are still the most likely option in my opinion. I don't see how it could not lead back to them unless we completely ignore Fox and Fido's involvement in this story so far and cut to Lois's house and let them sort it out themselves but is flawed on a number of levels. Because one thing that really hasn't happened yet is getting Marion involved with the other pets. So far he's had one interaction with Ralph and Kevin and he's spent some time with the ferals but his role with them is done for now except for Steward who still has plans for him but considering the other's reluctance to have anything to do with the ECP they're done. I'm not even going to bother to speculate about Steward changing Lois right now and instead shift my focus back to his plot to use Marion to move his devious plan along.
I wouldn't mind a celestial coming down from the heaven's and saying we need your help. You have been chosen. The world is in danger. But the problem with that is it goes against the very foundation of the comic. It would be a huge shift in the comic's formula.

I reckon Steward's gonna show up and ruin it.

I think he will too, to maybe transform Lois and have another minion for his scheme, and/or to prevent Marion from escaping his reach. This is all assuming that the alt-text refers to the future rather than Marion’s ordeal until now, I honestly hope it’s the latter Marion has been through enough.

It would be a slap in the face if Wed, Steward did change Lois but we had to wait a week or so to see what she changed into. Then the next chapter will be called "My lIfe as a teenage ___" (I'm still voting for lion)

Also find the threat to bite ones ears as more of a rodent thing, and Marion was briefly shown to be a tad bit in touch with squirrel actions like dashing up the tree so quickly.

It also just makes sense from their positioning. What else is he going to do but bite her on the ear? Besides, could be a thing between them....

Making off-handed jokes or comments about being a strange animal is not unusual in these situations. It is a coping mechanism that has less to do with instinct or past behavior and more to alleviate the situation and lighten the mood. Basically he's saying, I'm a squirrel now so I can do this stuff so watch out.

[Sir Chestnut]

If Lois gets transformed Im going to guess hedgehog or prairie dog.

[SeanWolf]

It would be a slap in the face if Wed, Steward did change Lois but we had to wait a week or so to see what she changed into. Then the next chapter will be called "My lIfe as a teenage ___" (I'm still voting for lion)

Here's a thought: What would happen if, at the end of the arc, Marion turned back into a human but Lois then turned into an animal?

[trekkie]

It would be a slap in the face if Wed, Steward did change Lois but we had to wait a week or so to see what she changed into. Then the next chapter will be called "My lIfe as a teenage ___" (I'm still voting for lion)

Here's a thought: What would happen if, at the end of the arc, Marion turned back into a human but Lois then turned into an animal?

Assuming Marion’s memory isn’t wiped, Lois will at least have someone who believes her.

[dr_eirik]

I wouldn't mind a celestial coming down from the heaven's and saying we need your help. You have been chosen. The world is in danger. But the problem with that is it goes against the very foundation of the comic. It would be a huge shift in the comic's formula.

I'm not sure how it would change the formula, but it would not have to be a world ending crisis. Kitsune could show up leaning against a nearby tree and just causally asking if they need some assistance. Or Cerabus arrives, looking worried, carrying paperwork and looking worried. Or one or both informing them that the dino-demon is behind this and the only way to turn back is to help find and contain him.

Since Tarot and Sabrina are neutered (magic(k)ally) then it makes sense for them to at least try and involve Kitsune. It just might be that he's not able or interested.

It would be a slap in the face if Wed, Steward did change Lois but we had to wait a week or so to see what she changed into. Then the next chapter will be called "My lIfe as a teenage ___" (I'm still voting for lion)

I think calling it a slap in the face is a bit strong. It could easily be a cliffhanger. It would be heart-stopping and I'd have a hard time not thinking about it for the following week, but if she about to be transformed then doing it in two more comics makes a lot of sense from a story perspective.

Thing is, she's been presented as a rational, intelligent young woman. I think there may be room for her in the strip for the time being as a human. It also could complicate the story a lot. If nothing else, now you'd have two missing teenagers.

Here's a thought: What would happen if, at the end of the arc, Marion turned back into a human but Lois then turned into an animal?

It's not the strangest theory, but it doesn't feel right. Then, in a sense, Marion has gone through all this for nothing. It could be made to work.

One thought that I had was that she takes Marion home and they both go to sleep, only to find that she has turned into a male squirrel in the morning.

[Silly Zealot]

Marion: "This better not end on Instagram or I'll chew out your earlobes."
Random Housepets fan: Reposts this comic on Instagram
Lois' earlobes:

~but I know, the heart of life is good~

I just wanted to say that I love your name!

[SeanWolf]

So, I went back a few strips to when Marion was still in Jess's home and was re-reading what Steward said in his final interaction with Marion, which was "But you can't always get what you want" and came up with this, based on that and what's going on now: Again, I don't buy into the idea that Steward changed Marion and I now have a solid reason. Look at how Steward's face is portrayed as he flips the coin and said that line...he's not hiding anything (like he changed Marion) but rather he knows what he's going through and understands he wants his life back as a human. To me, it seemed like he, at one point, wanted to be human again as well, but life threw him a curve-ball, in this case the coin, and with no known way of changing back ( Look at how he looks at himself in the coin here...that's not a look of 'I want revenge', but a look of 'Guess this is my life now' ), he's pretty much accepted his new life as a badger. Now here where my theory comes in: What if Steward wants to actually help Marion become human but he has the slightest idea how to do that so if he can get him and Marion to join the ECP, then they both can talk to Keene and see if he has any ideas (since he knew about the cursed coin and such). Hence, why he told Marion not to run off in the middle of the night as he was going to tell him that they should join the ECP for that exact reason.

[Sir Chestnut]

[quote="SeanWolf"

Here's a thought: What would happen if, at the end of the arc, Marion turned back into a human but Lois then turned into an animal?[/quote]

It'd be a really interesting twist if one of the animals got turned into a human.

[dr_eirik]

So, I went back a few strips to when Marion was still in Jess's home and was re-reading what Steward said in his final interaction with Marion, which was "But you can't always get what you want" and came up with this, based on that and what's going on now: Again, I don't buy into the idea that Steward changed Marion and I now have a solid reason. Look at how Steward's face is portrayed as he flips the coin and said that line...he's not hiding anything (like he changed Marion) but rather he knows what he's going through and understands he wants his life back as a human. To me, it seemed like he, at one point, wanted to be human again as well, but life threw him a curve-ball, in this case the coin, and with no known way of changing back ( Look at how he looks at himself in the coin here...that's not a look of 'I want revenge', but a look of 'Guess this is my life now' ), he's pretty much accepted his new life as a badger. Now here where my theory comes in: What if Steward wants to actually help Marion become human but he has the slightest idea how to do that so if he can get him and Marion to join the ECP, then they both can talk to Keene and see if he has any ideas (since he knew about the cursed coin and such). Hence, why he told Marion not to run off in the middle of the night as he was going to tell him that they should join the ECP for that exact reason.

It's not the oddest theory really. The idea that Steward might actually decide to really help Marion has crossed my mind, but we really don't know enough about his life after his transformation to know. I think I could see a turn here where he looks like the villan, but is really trying to be helpful.

There's a combo-possibility here, too. He helps Marion get into the ECP and lays everyone out to the Miltons in the hopes of turning human again, but still has ill-intent for them. I never had the sense that Steward was downright evil, which is one reason I think I've been unsure if the coin was going to come into play directly.

Another thought: the coin he has is not the real one. He's in a house filled with Traitor,s Thieves and Liars, to borrow a phrase. There are a number of them that could have swiped the coin and replaced it with a difference similar one later. In which case, it might have been the coin that changed Marion, but by accident.

[fenrirblack]

So, I went back a few strips to when Marion was still in Jess's home and was re-reading what Steward said in his final interaction with Marion, which was "But you can't always get what you want" and came up with this, based on that and what's going on now: Again, I don't buy into the idea that Steward changed Marion and I now have a solid reason. Look at how Steward's face is portrayed as he flips the coin and said that line...he's not hiding anything (like he changed Marion) but rather he knows what he's going through and understands he wants his life back as a human. To me, it seemed like he, at one point, wanted to be human again as well, but life threw him a curve-ball, in this case the coin, and with no known way of changing back ( Look at how he looks at himself in the coin here...that's not a look of 'I want revenge', but a look of 'Guess this is my life now' ), he's pretty much accepted his new life as a badger. Now here where my theory comes in: What if Steward wants to actually help Marion become human but he has the slightest idea how to do that so if he can get him and Marion to join the ECP, then they both can talk to Keene and see if he has any ideas (since he knew about the cursed coin and such). Hence, why he told Marion not to run off in the middle of the night as he was going to tell him that they should join the ECP for that exact reason.

It's not the oddest theory really. The idea that Steward might actually decide to really help Marion has crossed my mind, but we really don't know enough about his life after his transformation to know. I think I could see a turn here where he looks like the villan, but is really trying to be helpful.

There's a combo-possibility here, too. He helps Marion get into the ECP and lays everyone out to the Miltons in the hopes of turning human again, but still has ill-intent for them. I never had the sense that Steward was downright evil, which is one reason I think I've been unsure if the coin was going to come into play directly.

The idea of Steward helping change Marion back out of the goodness of his heart or the idea that he has accepted his life as a badger is very positive but seriously unlikely. Every time we see him he's either frustrated or openly manipulative or screams dangerous. I can see him planning on using Marion and the Miltons to return to human. That is a very possible idea but definitely not doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Even if he isn't planning on returning too human, he would at least want to get back some normalcy and out of that house and away from the ferals. This is a man who spent the nine years living in a mansion with a (i'm assuming) high paying job, and tried rob the Milton's. He's not going to roll over and accept that his life has been reduced to living as a feral animal in the woods when there is a way out.

I wouldn't mind a celestial coming down from the heaven's and saying we need your help. You have been chosen. The world is in danger. But the problem with that is it goes against the very foundation of the comic. It would be a huge shift in the comic's formula.

I'm not sure how it would change the formula, but it would not have to be a world ending crisis. Kitsune could show up leaning against a nearby tree and just causally asking if they need some assistance. Or Cerabus arrives, looking worried, carrying paperwork and looking worried. Or one or both informing them that the dino-demon is behind this and the only way to turn back is to help find and contain him.

Since Tarot and Sabrina are neutered (magic(k)ally) then it makes sense for them to at least try and involve Kitsune. It just might be that he's not able or interested.

If there is going to be a celestial element popping up, then I hope that it's at least a new celestial element. Kitsune is obvious but he's busy being Kitsune and watching over Pete and Dragon while playing with the geek squad. Besides, Kitsune has never been "active" when it comes to the earth threatening elements of the comic. He was always just there watching but not interfering. If there was an active threat to the planet then someone less passive would have to step up. Cerberus is the grim reaper so she doesn't have time to be Earth's protector.

[NHWestoN]

It would be a slap in the face if Wed, Steward did change Lois but we had to wait a week or so to see what she changed into. Then the next chapter will be called "My lIfe as a teenage ___" (I'm still voting for lion)

Here's a thought: What would happen if, at the end of the arc, Marion turned back into a human but Lois then turned into an animal?

well, after all he's been through, Marion might benefit from having a devoted pet....

[Nobody]

If Lois gets transformed Im going to guess hedgehog . . .

Gotta go fast.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Well that is ONE way to get your girlfriend to believe that you have been transformed into a gender-flipped squirrel. LOL

[Argent]

If Lois gets transformed Im going to guess hedgehog or prairie dog.

Mink.

[dr_eirik]

If Lois gets transformed Im going to guess hedgehog or prairie dog.

Mink.

OK, people (and others), she can't be all of our favorite critters!

Besides, she's clearly going to be a raccoon....

[shadowlucario50]

Honestly, the only way real way Marion could convince Lois is if he asked how he could convince Lois he is himself. Then Lois could put him through a test to see what to do.

I really need to shut my mouth. This was probably the better outcome than what I was thinking.

[Amazee Dayzee]

But that would have been way too logical and would have stopped there from being more conflict to the story.

[Buster]

i dunno, my money is on fox and fido having been a red herring, just to mess with the trio throwing theories around. i'd bet if we see them at all it'll be to confirm that they're back at the tree still trying to get in, or being misdirected by racoons or something.

i doubt there'll be a fix for marion any time this year, if ever, the pace so far has been more along the lines of a major arc not a minor one.

[angelmar741]

So is it Lois that threatens to bite the ear or Marion?

[fenrirblack]

So is it Lois that threatens to bite the ear or Marion?

Marion is the one making the threat.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I doubt that Rick would draw a human biting the ear of a squirrel even if he was formerly human. There is no way to make that cute.

[Champion Wallace]

Regarding what's going to happen in the next two strips, I'd like for Lois and Marion to meet up with Fox and Fido and explain the situation, and they either go back to the station or to a supernatural expert.

Either that, or something that I would absolutely love: they ditch the K-9's and go straight to Lois' house so that they can both get a good night's rest and then in the morning go to the station or look for other solutions on their own. The twist is that Tarot is waiting inside for Lois to return because Tarot is Lois' family pet. Marion freaks out at the dog and dashes up a bookshelf or something. Lois tries to explain the situation to Tarot in a manner that attempts to keep the potential craziness of the situation as a secret from the Pomeranian. But Lois actually doesn't know her pet is psychic; Tarot gets the vibe that something's off and this all has to do with Marion's disappearance. Lois coaxes Marion down from the bookshelf, and tries to get Marion to introduce himself to Tarot. Tarot gets a good look at Marion or shakes his hand, and realizes right away who he is. Tarot tells Lois that she knows this is Marion, Lois gets confused as to how she knows. The chapter ends on a very confused Lois, who's had her whole perception of what's possible flipped upside-down, and Tarot telling her that she'd better get ready because it'll only get weirder from here on out.

I really want something like that where Marion or Lois is related to Sabrina or Tarot, but I don't want to get my hopes up because I don't think it's likely enough.

I wouldn't mind a celestial coming down from the heaven's and saying we need your help. You have been chosen. The world is in danger. But the problem with that is it goes against the very foundation of the comic. It would be a huge shift in the comic's formula.

I'm not sure how it would change the formula, but it would not have to be a world ending crisis. Kitsune could show up leaning against a nearby tree and just causally asking if they need some assistance. Or Cerabus arrives, looking worried, carrying paperwork and looking worried. Or one or both informing them that the dino-demon is behind this and the only way to turn back is to help find and contain him.

Since Tarot and Sabrina are neutered (magic(k)ally) then it makes sense for them to at least try and involve Kitsune. It just might be that he's not able or interested.

It would be a change to the formula because that hypothetical was a world ending crisis. Based on historical data, there is close to a .2% chance a magical blue griffin will appear and mess up the characters. However, other than the Source of Unspeakable Power/The Forgotten, the world had never been in danger. Conflicts in Housepets! tend toward the fate of a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship side of the spectrum. Even the cosmic game only had essentially the egos of two characters on the line in terms of who won or lost.

Even though Tarot and Sabrina are neuters, I doubt Tarot's pride will let her go to Kitsune for help, especially after how her last interaction with him went.

[NHWestoN]

Tarot'll probably just brain Marion with a screen (worked on Sasha, right?).

Is Sabrina a "witch" officially or just an "apprentice"?

[Champion Wallace]

(In the span of the comic at least) Sabrina was always in Tarot's shadow as her apprentice (or intern), but possibly unlike Tarot, she has innate magical ability; Spirit Dragon only lent her her power in the Bailey fight, everything else out of Pete's temple was under her own power, like predicting the "spontanious wet fur contest". Also, even if she doesn't yet posses the magic(k)al strength to hex a door shut, she does have the know-how to do so when she does find a power source (Like Pete's temple).

[Wikirojo]

Oh my god this page was heartbreaking ;w;

[Amazee Dayzee]

Well of course it is going to be heartbreaking with what is going on. Plus it doesn't help that anytime a character has a breakdown like that it always tugs a bit at the heartstrings...

[NHWestoN]

Well of course it is going to be heartbreaking with what is going on. Plus it doesn't help that anytime a character has a breakdown like that it always tugs a bit at the heartstrings...

Rick's pretty good at tugging the ol' never-ending. His treatment of Peanut's struggle to accept Grape's growing affection for Maxwell is still classic. So, too, is Fox's emotional turmoil over his feelings for Sasha.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Still though, none of them were as huge as Marion's freakout in despair that nobody believes him.

[NHWestoN]

Yeah, Marion's a bit over the top - but then so is his frustration and pain level...….