2019/11/15 - To Answer Your Question

[Vertigo Fox]

Yeeeah but... this is a world where animals are a lot more like humans. So who knows?
The alt-text kinda jokes about that.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Yeeeah but... this is a world where animals are a lot more like humans. So who knows?
The alt-text kinda jokes about that.

Besides, we've never seen Grape grumpy, have...? Oh.

Substitute Sabrina there, would you?(!)

[Nobody]

Actually, I want to address some reasons why Kitsune can't just poof everything better that aren't metanarative.
I mean, obviously the story's no good if Kitsune just Deus Ex Machina solves it, but there are plenty of good in-story reasons why he can't, too.

First of all, how much does Kitsune know about what's going on? Does he know what the cause is? For all he knows, it might be another celestial game someone else is playing and he can't get involved until he knows what's going on.
Secondly, this is all fall-out from the game one way or another. He's stated directly that he's not going to just stop it from happening in the Satu arc. Satu being in the future was a direct result of Dragon's actions, so he was going to let those consequences play out. When asked, he commented, "If you want fairness, I can always get Cerberus to expedite your fate." And Tarot clearly saw this as a bad idea. So, I'm pretty sure Kitsune will say the same thing here.
Thirdly, fairness may be an absolute thing in the celestial world. It may be more along the lines of Justice. Remember that when King spoke to Bahamut and asked for things to be made fair and for the wrong-doers to be punished, Bahamut's response was to ask if King would like to be punished for everything wrong he'd ever done. It could be that for the celestials to make everything fair, they have to make EVERYTHING absolutely fair, meaning that everyone who demands punishment must also be punished for their own wrongdoings. Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

[dr_eirik]

How much do you want to bet we won’t see Poncho anymore after this. I would not be surprised if he peeled out as soon as Lois’s paws touched the asphalt. Poor Poncho doesn’t need this carp in his life. His only job was to track them down and report back.

I don't know. I think Lois got him thinking that maybe he has been an unwitting participant and he'll want to know those answers. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that he's still with them in the house.

[Sir Chestnut]

Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

Kitsune reminds me of Q,
"I wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did. "

[dr_eirik]

Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

Kitsune reminds me of Q,
"I wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did. "

I've always liked one of his other lines, upon dumping the Enterprise in the Delta Quadrant.

"The halls been rented, the orchestra engaged. It's time to see if you can dance."

Kitsune is going to be an interesting problem. I tend toward thinking that he'll appear and just nudge the characters in the right direction but won't give them that much help because he doesn't work that way. He may well have the ability to fix all of this, but he won't.

The other possibility is that he simply won't appear at all. It's not like any of the characters can compel him. It does feel like his name at least has to come up.

[fenrirblack]

Even more importantly, what is to stop Kitsune from snapping his fingers and changing them back other than some weak logic or simply saying "he doesn't want too."

Tricksters be trickstin'.
As to the rest, I personally don't see that as narrative satisfying. All of Gale and Pueblo's story was about the wolves. Their purpose in the plot was to add more details to their characters, fill out their backstory. Patah and Satu likely won't be back because they're in the far distant past and how is anyone supposed to interact with them? However, they do have connections to Res and Mungo. There may be something about that which could come up later, though I can't imagine what at this time.
But Marion and Lois have been the focus of their own story for a long sequence of time. Why go to the trouble of getting us invested if they aren't going to be used after this arc concludes? Remember, when King's arc first started, he totally displaced all the main characters and he still has never had anything to do with them. It's one of the actual tangible flaws of the Celestial Game arcs. Grape and Peanut were both set up to be involved, but as soon as King comes along, they drop out of it and it becomes about this character invented more or less for that purpose. Despite Peanut's girlfriend being central to it, Peanut and Grape themselves became footnotes in the story. So, this comic isn't afraid to displace established characters for new ones.

I have put some thought into why invest so much time in two characters and then have them leave. Short answer is to think of this as a novel in a series. Life as a Teenager Squirrel is just one self-sustained novel in the Housepets series. Maybe even an extra special edition story. There are a bunch of these in the world. We get invested in the characters but we never see them again. Example, Ship Breaker. Basically they are supposed to do four things and once those four things are done they get tossed. We did get invested with them but they were always supposed to be fleeting. They did what they needed to do but trying to shoehorn them into the series future would be way too complicated. Not to mention the way they are designed. This is just my theory about the situation, but why a squirrel? An animal that is so small and helpless that his role was limited from the start and would constantly struggle just to survive. What is a squirrel supposed to do with the ECP or the rest of the cast? He can barely use the bathroom. The gender-swap thing is another one. The fact that to this day, it has had zero plot significance or purpose tells me that Rick threw into the story knowing it would only be temporary. What is gained by having any of this going for the long-haul? What are either of them supposed to do with the rest of the cast or when the time comes for the pets to go to Egypt? What are they supposed to do with the ECP? They aren't needed there. Marion can't get a job. He will be lucky to graduate. They're going to change back eventually so drag it out only to make them miserable and everyone else confused and concerned. Answer, they had a role, they fulfilled the role, time to move on. We enjoyed our time with them but the "Marion and Lois" special is over. Honestly, if Marion was a different species then maybe I could see it but for right now I'm leaning toward they're done after the "Life as a Teen Squirrel" chapters are over. If I'm being more honest, Keeping them like this is honestly kinda sadistic. King was better off. Thomas and Steward deserved it and they both have a role in the story going forward. But Housepets doesn't go out of its way to be overly mean to the characters despite first appearances. King's life improved but these two got worse so why prolong their misery. They don't want to be animals, they don't want to be the wrong gender, they don't want to deal with Keene. No one wants to deal with Keene. And I could be dead wrong about all of this but that thought process at the moment.

Actually, I want to address some reasons why Kitsune can't just poof everything better that aren't metanarative.
I mean, obviously the story's no good if Kitsune just Deus Ex Machina solves it, but there are plenty of good in-story reasons why he can't, too.

First of all, how much does Kitsune know about what's going on? Does he know what the cause is? For all he knows, it might be another celestial game someone else is playing and he can't get involved until he knows what's going on.

He is omniscient so theoretically he would know what's going on. When Tarot came to Satau he asked what took them so long. He knew but couldn't actively interfere unless they chose to involve him. Free Will is a big theme in the story.

Thirdly, fairness may be an absolute thing in the celestial world. It may be more along the lines of Justice. Remember that when King spoke to Bahamut and asked for things to be made fair and for the wrong-doers to be punished, Bahamut's response was to ask if King would like to be punished for everything wrong he'd ever done. It could be that for the celestials to make everything fair, they have to make EVERYTHING absolutely fair, meaning that everyone who demands punishment must also be punished for their own wrongdoings. Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

With Kitsune there is a scheme or at least there was. With King, he couldn't change him back because he needed him to defeat Pete and King was better off as a dog. Satau was similar in that it was better for Kitsune's interests that they go back in time as well as better for the overall story thread. It doesn't have anything to do with punishment or fairness. It's all about getting what he wants by manipulating the situation and what Kitsune wants is the betterment of everyone else but they have to work for it. The problem is that Marion and Lois may have nothing to do with anything. They are human and have no connection to the pets, game, or otherwise. Depending on Kitsune's scheme, if there even is one in this case, they might have already fulfilled their duty by the time they talk to him. The better question would be is, would Kitsune change them back if directly asked? Technically he doesn't have to but on the other hand he wouldn't have a excuse not to. Pete said something along the lines of "Heaven has a special place for those who pray." If Marion and Lois prayed to Kitsune, he might answer. If not change them back himself, at least point them in the right direction which would still lead them down the road to changing back before the end of the arc.

[Argent]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but technically Marion doesn't have to worry about "that time" either. Humans are actually the only species that still undergo that process. Other mammals have evolved to not need it.

I noted that already, and it's the other way around... only humans have developed the requirement as a defense against the strange hyper-invasive fetal cells that seem to also be unique to our species.

[CunningFox]

I wonder if Grape's hunk sense has been set off yet.

[dr_eirik]

I wonder if Grape's hunk sense has been set off yet.

<Grape wakes from a nap, perplexed. Peanut didn't wake her. She gets up and walks to the window and stares. Peanut walks up behind her.>
Peanut: Whats wrong?
Grape: I don't know. It's as if a thousand cats cried out in glee and were suddenly silenced.

[Cesco]

Oh, I already had that suspect! Indeed, Marion, Lois looks a male lynx... Wow, you two switched gender. Yeah, that's not a big issue to worry right now, and you Marion said pretty much the same about your discover of having turned into a female. Ah, right, that time of the month... Another thing Marion has to care about, troubles never end to our squirrel... Anyway, they arrived.
Nice pose in the last panel, and it makes me think that Marion could become a parrot to perch on the arm, instead.

[Robotech_Master]

You know, the poses here are similar enough, I wonder if Rick intentionally drew this panel as a Nausicaa reference.

[GameCobra]

I wonder if Grape's hunk sense has been set off yet.

I think it would be funny to see this ~ except there is a twist. Like Lois telling her she use to be a girl or Lois weirdly being attracted to Max. (Mostly because she thinks he's adorable)

[dr_eirik]

I wonder if Grape's hunk sense has been set off yet.

I think it would be funny to see this ~ except there is a twist. Like Lois telling her she use to be a girl or Lois weirdly being attracted to Max. (Mostly because she thinks he's adorable)

I can see that being a whole thing. Lois has some innocuous, positive interaction with Max and Grape goes to great lengths to keep them apart, much to both of their bewilderment.

It could be a HP version of "Three's Company".

[Nobody]

You know, the poses here are similar enough, I wonder if Rick intentionally drew this panel as a Nausicaa reference.

This is now my head cannon and I do not care what anyone else says.

[Ash Greytree]

Ah, so Lois did have her sex swapped after all, rather than this being a situation where all female feral cat types (like Gale) are just buff and that merely rendered Lois more androgynous and confusing to the audience.

The silver lining here is, as others have discussed, that Marion isn't alone in having his sex swapped; we're now two-for-two on that, and it could help narrow down the cause/source of the transformation when the real investigating gets started. The two transform-ees we know of from this current slate of transformations are two people who knew each other, were in a romantic relationship, and they both got their biological sexes swapped when they became animals. That simply can't be a coincidence.

Marion perching on Lois' arm is also hilarious. I could imagine him leaping off to attack Keene (either on his own or at Lois' command) if the ferret says something particularly incriminating or angering.

Speaking of Keene and them having arrived at his house, I wonder if Breel will make an appearance? We haven't seen him in a while.

[Silly Zealot]

That pose in panel 3 looks like it should be on the cover of some superhero comic.

I was reminded more of Mordecai and Bloodwing/Talon from Borderlands.

You know, the poses here are similar enough, I wonder if Rick intentionally drew this panel as a Nausicaa reference.

You guys know that hunting with falcons is a millenia old tradition that exists to this day right?

Right?

Borderlands.

Ooooooh, oooooooh
Housepets! is no place for no hero,
Housepets! is no place for no better man.

[Nobody]

Even more importantly, what is to stop Kitsune from snapping his fingers and changing them back other than some weak logic or simply saying "he doesn't want too."

Tricksters be trickstin'.
As to the rest, I personally don't see that as narrative satisfying. All of Gale and Pueblo's story was about the wolves. Their purpose in the plot was to add more details to their characters, fill out their backstory. Patah and Satu likely won't be back because they're in the far distant past and how is anyone supposed to interact with them? However, they do have connections to Res and Mungo. There may be something about that which could come up later, though I can't imagine what at this time.
But Marion and Lois have been the focus of their own story for a long sequence of time. Why go to the trouble of getting us invested if they aren't going to be used after this arc concludes? Remember, when King's arc first started, he totally displaced all the main characters and he still has never had anything to do with them. It's one of the actual tangible flaws of the Celestial Game arcs. Grape and Peanut were both set up to be involved, but as soon as King comes along, they drop out of it and it becomes about this character invented more or less for that purpose. Despite Peanut's girlfriend being central to it, Peanut and Grape themselves became footnotes in the story. So, this comic isn't afraid to displace established characters for new ones.

I have put some thought into why invest so much time in two characters and then have them leave. Short answer is to think of this as a novel in a series. Life as a Teenager Squirrel is just one self-sustained novel in the Housepets series. Maybe even an extra special edition story. There are a bunch of these in the world. We get invested in the characters but we never see them again. Example, Ship Breaker. Basically they are supposed to do four things and once those four things are done they get tossed. We did get invested with them but they were always supposed to be fleeting. They did what they needed to do but trying to shoehorn them into the series future would be way too complicated. Not to mention the way they are designed. This is just my theory about the situation, but why a squirrel? An animal that is so small and helpless that his role was limited from the start and would constantly struggle just to survive. What is a squirrel supposed to do with the ECP or the rest of the cast? He can barely use the bathroom. The gender-swap thing is another one. The fact that to this day, it has had zero plot significance or purpose tells me that Rick threw into the story knowing it would only be temporary. What is gained by having any of this going for the long-haul? What are either of them supposed to do with the rest of the cast or when the time comes for the pets to go to Egypt? What are they supposed to do with the ECP? They aren't needed there. Marion can't get a job. He will be lucky to graduate. They're going to change back eventually so drag it out only to make them miserable and everyone else confused and concerned. Answer, they had a role, they fulfilled the role, time to move on. We enjoyed our time with them but the "Marion and Lois" special is over. Honestly, if Marion was a different species then maybe I could see it but for right now I'm leaning toward they're done after the "Life as a Teen Squirrel" chapters are over. If I'm being more honest, Keeping them like this is honestly kinda sadistic. King was better off. Thomas and Steward deserved it and they both have a role in the story going forward. But Housepets doesn't go out of its way to be overly mean to the characters despite first appearances. King's life improved but these two got worse so why prolong their misery. They don't want to be animals, they don't want to be the wrong gender, they don't want to deal with Keene. No one wants to deal with Keene. And I could be dead wrong about all of this but that thought process at the moment.

Actually, I want to address some reasons why Kitsune can't just poof everything better that aren't metanarative.
I mean, obviously the story's no good if Kitsune just Deus Ex Machina solves it, but there are plenty of good in-story reasons why he can't, too.

First of all, how much does Kitsune know about what's going on? Does he know what the cause is? For all he knows, it might be another celestial game someone else is playing and he can't get involved until he knows what's going on.

He is omniscient so theoretically he would know what's going on. When Tarot came to Satau he asked what took them so long. He knew but couldn't actively interfere unless they chose to involve him. Free Will is a big theme in the story.

Thirdly, fairness may be an absolute thing in the celestial world. It may be more along the lines of Justice. Remember that when King spoke to Bahamut and asked for things to be made fair and for the wrong-doers to be punished, Bahamut's response was to ask if King would like to be punished for everything wrong he'd ever done. It could be that for the celestials to make everything fair, they have to make EVERYTHING absolutely fair, meaning that everyone who demands punishment must also be punished for their own wrongdoings. Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

With Kitsune there is a scheme or at least there was. With King, he couldn't change him back because he needed him to defeat Pete and King was better off as a dog. Satau was similar in that it was better for Kitsune's interests that they go back in time as well as better for the overall story thread. It doesn't have anything to do with punishment or fairness. It's all about getting what he wants by manipulating the situation and what Kitsune wants is the betterment of everyone else but they have to work for it. The problem is that Marion and Lois may have nothing to do with anything. They are human and have no connection to the pets, game, or otherwise. Depending on Kitsune's scheme, if there even is one in this case, they might have already fulfilled their duty by the time they talk to him. The better question would be is, would Kitsune change them back if directly asked? Technically he doesn't have to but on the other hand he wouldn't have a excuse not to. Pete said something along the lines of "Heaven has a special place for those who pray." If Marion and Lois prayed to Kitsune, he might answer. If not change them back himself, at least point them in the right direction which would still lead them down the road to changing back before the end of the arc.

Okay, so, I could get behind Kitsune giving them a nudge. That works just fine. But what you said initially, of him just snapping his fingers and poofing up a solution, no, that won't happen. Deus Ex Machina like that is a mistake so amateur that even amateurs rarely make it.
While Lois and Marion may not have ever been directly involved in the game, I still don't really read Kitsune as a character who just fixes things. I really do think it would be more to his liking to make Lois and Marion work it out for their own benefit and then maybe give them some additional reward for the trouble they went through. That feels way more his style.

The whole of Marion and Lois's story could be intended to be a novel in a whole series, I'm hesitant to expect it to go that way because nothing else in this comic really has. Everything - except for one-offs - has been predicated on something in the running narrative(s). Even Gale and Pueblo severed the larger purpose of developing the wolves history, as I said previously. It just doesn't seem to be Rick's style. That said, there is no narrative reason why it couldn't be done that way and we have no idea how long Rick's going to carry this on, so it's hard to say what he's trying to set up or accomplish. If he really is trying to tell all of this in one giant sitting, then this story could go on for a really long time, given how many conflict points need to be resolved by the end of it. But there are places where it could get to stopping points to break for other things to happen, let things develop on the side, and such.
If the plan is for there to be a break and there be more arcs around these two characters, the only conflict point that I feel NEEDS to be resolved for it to feel narratively complete is that Marion and Lois have their new state of normalcy established and the audience needs to at least have some clue as to how this all started. The CHARACTERS don't need to know that, but just a single epilogue page where the person behind it all makes a brief appearance to do something appropriately villainous ("Ah, yes, my plan is going exactly how I wanted it too!"). And I suppose technically we don't need to know who's behind it for it to work overall, but with the webcomic format, I don't feel the audience would be able to tolerate that secret being kept that long.
But again, this is purely speculation because I don't know what Rick has plans to do. And how he plans to go about it changes everything that needs to be done to make the story work.

[Gameb18oy]

Actually, I want to address some reasons why Kitsune can't just poof everything better that aren't metanarative.
I mean, obviously the story's no good if Kitsune just Deus Ex Machina solves it, but there are plenty of good in-story reasons why he can't, too.

First of all, how much does Kitsune know about what's going on? Does he know what the cause is? For all he knows, it might be another celestial game someone else is playing and he can't get involved until he knows what's going on.
Secondly, this is all fall-out from the game one way or another. He's stated directly that he's not going to just stop it from happening in the Satu arc. Satu being in the future was a direct result of Dragon's actions, so he was going to let those consequences play out. When asked, he commented, "If you want fairness, I can always get Cerberus to expedite your fate." And Tarot clearly saw this as a bad idea. So, I'm pretty sure Kitsune will say the same thing here.
Thirdly, fairness may be an absolute thing in the celestial world. It may be more along the lines of Justice. Remember that when King spoke to Bahamut and asked for things to be made fair and for the wrong-doers to be punished, Bahamut's response was to ask if King would like to be punished for everything wrong he'd ever done. It could be that for the celestials to make everything fair, they have to make EVERYTHING absolutely fair, meaning that everyone who demands punishment must also be punished for their own wrongdoings. Since Kitsune has stated that he plays in this world because he likes the people in it, I don't think he's the type to go for that. He prefers a system where sometimes people have trouble for a while, but in the end things go well for everybody and nobody gets punished too harshly. He can't make that happen if he has to be absolutely fair.
And finally, Kitsune is a trickster and making simple things complicated is kinda his thing. It's pretty clear to me that he enjoys the mess as long as things turn out alright in the end. I really don't see him helping directly, when a) it's better for everyone if they solve the problem themselves; and b) it's more fun to watch people figure things out for themselves.

All good reasons, but I still hope he isn't shown to be powerless though, like maybe he can at least address the gender-swapping thing if nothing else. I also kinda hope there is gonna be some character development for him in the future through the teased relationship between him and Kix though. While he's definitely the most mature of the celestial nerds, that isn't really saying much.

[Fish Preferred]

Basically they're prototypes and once they have served their purpose get tossed. Ptah and Satau were the same way.

Well, no, those two were only appropriate to the setting of the arc they were in. Having them as recurring characters would be nonsensical.

Even more importantly, what is to stop Kitsune from snapping his fingers and changing them back other than some weak logic or simply saying "he doesn't want too."

Kitsune isn't really into coddling mortals whenever things don't go their way. He'd have no reason to change them back. For all we know, he could have caused their transformation because he foresaw that it would improve the world in some way.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Not to mention how do we KNOW that Kitsune is EVEN able to undo what happened? He might just be able to keep them as their species but correct their genders.

[fenrirblack]

Basically they're prototypes and once they have served their purpose get tossed. Ptah and Satau were the same way.

Well, no, those two were only appropriate to the setting of the arc they were in. Having them as recurring characters would be nonsensical.

Marion and Lois are the same. Just because they live in the same neighborhood doesn't mean they aren't worlds apart even now.

Even more importantly, what is to stop Kitsune from snapping his fingers and changing them back other than some weak logic or simply saying "he doesn't want too."

Kitsune isn't really into coddling mortals whenever things don't go their way. He'd have no reason to change them back. For all we know, he could have caused their transformation because he foresaw that it would improve the world in some way.

Kitsune is a lot of things. He'd have no reason to change them back but no reason to refuse if asked. That's the kickers there. If he says "No," he's a jerk but if he does it then he's coddling. BUT even then though is it? I mean IF there is some kind of lingering force of the Game or heavenly/demonic force causing problems as an being of Heaven he should be responsible of fixing it. And it's not like they're going to him to ask to fix a hangnail. This is a pretty big deal. If magic is reeking havoc, Kitsune should fix it if he is asked as decent celestial being. Theoretically it wouldn't be do it because he's asked. It's Kitsune so there is going to be strings. Safe money is if they can find the source and stop it, he'll reward them for their actions. I did the same for my fan fiction. Nick had to kill Rowan and save the world before Kitsune broke his curse. King was the same way. He had to stop Pete and end the Game. Even though it's not a game of U&U, it is still a game in its own right. Once the game is over, then maybe Kitsune will snap his fingers.

[GameCobra]

Pretty sure Kitsune's involvement went out the window the moment King didn't get Tarot involved. If he did return, I would be surprised.

The idea of Rick teasing in an epilogue who actually did this is the obvious route if Rick plans on keeping these two around, but i'm under the bigger impression these two aren't the only ones anymore.

[VeryAngryDeer]

Might even be that its caused by some higher celestial being with more power.

We could get a scene where Kitsune tries to turn them back, only to find that nothing happens. Maybe he transforms a random passerby for a few seconds just to check his powers still work.

I doubt it though.

[Ash Greytree]

If the plan is for there to be a break and there be more arcs around these two characters, the only conflict point that I feel NEEDS to be resolved for it to feel narratively complete is that Marion and Lois have their new state of normalcy established and the audience needs to at least have some clue as to how this all started. The CHARACTERS don't need to know that, but just a single epilogue page where the person behind it all makes a brief appearance to do something appropriately villainous ("Ah, yes, my plan is going exactly how I wanted it too!"). And I suppose technically we don't need to know who's behind it for it to work overall, but with the webcomic format, I don't feel the audience would be able to tolerate that secret being kept that long.

Agree with pretty much everything you've said here, but especially in regards to seeing what Marion and Lois' new status-quo is going to be. At the end of this Part 5, I'd like to at the very least see some sort of montage of Marion and Lois wrapping up their last week of high school and getting set up with a new routine in Babylon Gardens and with the ECP.

[Nobody]

All good reasons, but I still hope he isn't shown to be powerless though, like maybe he can at least address the gender-swapping thing if nothing else. I also kinda hope there is gonna be some character development for him in the future through the teased relationship between him and Kix though. While he's definitely the most mature of the celestial nerds, that isn't really saying much.

There's a difference between powerless and bound by rules. He might be capable of doing anything by the way we see it, but the rules prevent him from taking certain actions.
And again, being powerless is also different from being unwilling to do things a certain way. Most of my arguments are that I don't think it fits his personality to just instantly fix everything. That isn't the same as not helping at all. After all, he did help in the temple crashers arc, namely by giving encouragement to Res. And since he seems to have a connection to Karishad, the fact that Karishad just happened to walk by with the mana when they needed it MIGHT have been Kitsune helping them there, too. And the fact that it's super ambiguous and we have no way of knowing one way or the other also seems to fit his personality. He probably gets a kick out of it.
And I kinda want to see them address that, too, if it fits within the pacing of the story. I mean, just having a scene where they go to Kitsune (even with King protesting that it will be a waste of time), could make for some interesting moments. And he, more than anyone else, could at least give Marion and Lois more hope that it will turn out alright, which might get them being more proactive.
Plus, I'm super curious to know what Kitsune thinks of Marion and Lois as people. I imagine he likes how Lois is proactive. I can just imagine her taking charge of the conversation and Kitsu just being like, "Oh, I like her."

Kitsune is a lot of things. He'd have no reason to change them back but no reason to refuse if asked. That's the kickers there. If he says "No," he's a jerk but if he does it then he's coddling. BUT even then though is it? I mean IF there is some kind of lingering force of the Game or heavenly/demonic force causing problems as an being of Heaven he should be responsible of fixing it. And it's not like they're going to him to ask to fix a hangnail. This is a pretty big deal. If magic is reeking havoc, Kitsune should fix it if he is asked as decent celestial being. Theoretically it wouldn't be do it because he's asked. It's Kitsune so there is going to be strings. Safe money is if they can find the source and stop it, he'll reward them for their actions. I did the same for my fan fiction. Nick had to kill Rowan and save the world before Kitsune broke his curse. King was the same way. He had to stop Pete and end the Game. Even though it's not a game of U&U, it is still a game in its own right. Once the game is over, then maybe Kitsune will snap his fingers.

The "He'd be a jerk if he didn't" is . . . well, let's call it "Mortal thinking." That's you trying to impose our limited perspective on entities that exist in a much larger realm who have a different perspective on things. I really do think Kitsu will take the long-way round on everything, partly because it's fun, but also because it provides growth opportunities for the characters involved. What would seem like jerk behavior to us might have a higher order that makes it better in the long run. Or at least that would be his intention.
And really, if The Forgotten wasn't an important enough world-ending threat for Kitsu to get directly involved, I highly doubt that this is, either.

[fenrirblack]

Okay, so, I could get behind Kitsune giving them a nudge. That works just fine. But what you said initially, of him just snapping his fingers and poofing up a solution, no, that won't happen. Deus Ex Machina like that is a mistake so amateur that even amateurs rarely make it.
While Lois and Marion may not have ever been directly involved in the game, I still don't really read Kitsune as a character who just fixes things. I really do think it would be more to his liking to make Lois and Marion work it out for their own benefit and then maybe give them some additional reward for the trouble they went through. That feels way more his style.

The whole of Marion and Lois's story could be intended to be a novel in a whole series, I'm hesitant to expect it to go that way because nothing else in this comic really has. Everything - except for one-offs - has been predicated on something in the running narrative(s). Even Gale and Pueblo severed the larger purpose of developing the wolves history, as I said previously. It just doesn't seem to be Rick's style. That said, there is no narrative reason why it couldn't be done that way and we have no idea how long Rick's going to carry this on, so it's hard to say what he's trying to set up or accomplish. If he really is trying to tell all of this in one giant sitting, then this story could go on for a really long time, given how many conflict points need to be resolved by the end of it. But there are places where it could get to stopping points to break for other things to happen, let things develop on the side, and such.
If the plan is for there to be a break and there be more arcs around these two characters, the only conflict point that I feel NEEDS to be resolved for it to feel narratively complete is that Marion and Lois have their new state of normalcy established and the audience needs to at least have some clue as to how this all started. The CHARACTERS don't need to know that, but just a single epilogue page where the person behind it all makes a brief appearance to do something appropriately villainous ("Ah, yes, my plan is going exactly how I wanted it too!"). And I suppose technically we don't need to know who's behind it for it to work overall, but with the webcomic format, I don't feel the audience would be able to tolerate that secret being kept that long.
But again, this is purely speculation because I don't know what Rick has plans to do. And how he plans to go about it changes everything that needs to be done to make the story work.

As far Deus Ex Machina goes, Housepets does that a lot in certain way. Think about this. Heaven's Not Enough, how did it end? They just stopped fighting. That was it. King charged in, gave a speech, and they stopped. Very anti-climatic. Real Stories of the K-9PD, Tarot hit Sasha with the Slab to wake her up. That was it. Case solved. Not to mention everything Fox did didn't matter because Ralph caught the bad guy. Jata's wedding. The wolves get their tails whooped and Uncle Dead-Eye, a god among men, ends the fight with zero effort. Miles's fight with Gale, he's about to lose then Gale decides to join the ECP and that's it. Housepets works in simple solutions. When it comes to the comic, how the plot is resolved is less important than what is accomplished along the way. If you peel back the comic and looked at the underlying threads that connect the beginning to the end, you can see how little things happen that propel the grand story line forward. Marion and Lois are no exception. Whether or not their story ends soon or dragged on, they have accomplished a lot when it comes to the grand storyline of establishing the ECP as a real thing and changing the world to be better for humans and animals. That has been the main thread throughout the entire comic, establishing real equality between animals and humans. Almost every major event has been a step towards that. It's actually quite brilliant really. Little things you may not notice until you start pulling at the thread.

Marion and Lois are like Gale and Pueblo more than any one else. Gale served to push the wolves into human society and further the ECP. Then they got jobs, and she moved into the neighborhood. Marion and Lois have done something similar. Think about everything Marion has done and all the places he's been.
Marion goes to the treehouse, and three things are established
1) Steward has the coin and is actively searching for recruits for the ECP.
2) the ferals are refusing to join
3) Marion hints that he was human and establishes a connection to him. This forms an inspiration or idea that can grow at a later date.
Marion, Fox, and King talk to Keene about getting Marion and to an extent humans into the ECP if they spontaneously transform.
1) The K9PD now knows that humans can become animals and should watch out for that.
2) Keene gets the idea that humans will join the ECP no matter what if they are transformed into animals so to retain their rights.
Marion goes to school
1) The other students learn that human-animal transformation is real and some are willing to take part in it for their own selfish gains.
2) This brings the reality of therianthropy to the wider human world.
Marion and Lois go to the Zoo.
1) Thomas is officially back in play. What does this mean, I don't know but judging from his reaction nothing good.

This is just my theory but the ECP needs a push. A real push. Ferals don't want to join. Pets don't need to join. Therianthropes do and want to. So let's make some. Government change laws. Animal equality for everybody and I'll bet you anything Kitsune planned it all from the very beginning.

[Gameb18oy]

All good reasons, but I still hope he isn't shown to be powerless though, like maybe he can at least address the gender-swapping thing if nothing else. I also kinda hope there is gonna be some character development for him in the future through the teased relationship between him and Kix though. While he's definitely the most mature of the celestial nerds, that isn't really saying much.

There's a difference between powerless and bound by rules. He might be capable of doing anything by the way we see it, but the rules prevent him from taking certain actions.
And again, being powerless is also different from being unwilling to do things a certain way. Most of my arguments are that I don't think it fits his personality to just instantly fix everything. That isn't the same as not helping at all. After all, he did help in the temple crashers arc, namely by giving encouragement to Res. And since he seems to have a connection to Karishad, the fact that Karishad just happened to walk by with the mana when they needed it MIGHT have been Kitsune helping them there, too. And the fact that it's super ambiguous and we have no way of knowing one way or the other also seems to fit his personality. He probably gets a kick out of it.
And I kinda want to see them address that, too, if it fits within the pacing of the story. I mean, just having a scene where they go to Kitsune (even with King protesting that it will be a waste of time), could make for some interesting moments. And he, more than anyone else, could at least give Marion and Lois more hope that it will turn out alright, which might get them being more proactive.
Plus, I'm super curious to know what Kitsune thinks of Marion and Lois as people. I imagine he likes how Lois is proactive. I can just imagine her taking charge of the conversation and Kitsu just being like, "Oh, I like her."

Kitsune is a lot of things. He'd have no reason to change them back but no reason to refuse if asked. That's the kickers there. If he says "No," he's a jerk but if he does it then he's coddling. BUT even then though is it? I mean IF there is some kind of lingering force of the Game or heavenly/demonic force causing problems as an being of Heaven he should be responsible of fixing it. And it's not like they're going to him to ask to fix a hangnail. This is a pretty big deal. If magic is reeking havoc, Kitsune should fix it if he is asked as decent celestial being. Theoretically it wouldn't be do it because he's asked. It's Kitsune so there is going to be strings. Safe money is if they can find the source and stop it, he'll reward them for their actions. I did the same for my fan fiction. Nick had to kill Rowan and save the world before Kitsune broke his curse. King was the same way. He had to stop Pete and end the Game. Even though it's not a game of U&U, it is still a game in its own right. Once the game is over, then maybe Kitsune will snap his fingers.

The "He'd be a jerk if he didn't" is . . . well, let's call it "Mortal thinking." That's you trying to impose our limited perspective on entities that exist in a much larger realm who have a different perspective on things. I really do think Kitsu will take the long-way round on everything, partly because it's fun, but also because it provides growth opportunities for the characters involved. What would seem like jerk behavior to us might have a higher order that makes it better in the long run. Or at least that would be his intention.
And really, if The Forgotten wasn't an important enough world-ending threat for Kitsu to get directly involved, I highly doubt that this is, either.

Oh, hey, this one is dependent on if this is what's causing Marion and Lois's transformations, but if the lizard demon is the cause, then the idea that the denizens of basically hell are from one of the few realms the celestials don't exactly have some power over would explain why kitsune doesn't immediately help them.

[Nobody]

As far Deus Ex Machina goes, Housepets does that a lot in certain way. Think about this. Heaven's Not Enough, how did it end? They just stopped fighting. That was it. King charged in, gave a speech, and they stopped. Very anti-climatic. Real Stories of the K-9PD, Tarot hit Sasha with the Slab to wake her up. That was it. Case solved. Not to mention everything Fox did didn't matter because Ralph caught the bad guy. Jata's wedding. The wolves get their tails whooped and Uncle Dead-Eye, a god among men, ends the fight with zero effort. Miles's fight with Gale, he's about to lose then Gale decides to join the ECP and that's it. Housepets works in simple solutions. When it comes to the comic, how the plot is resolved is less important than what is accomplished along the way. If you peel back the comic and looked at the underlying threads that connect the beginning to the end, you can see how little things happen that propel the grand story line forward. Marion and Lois are no exception. Whether or not their story ends soon or dragged on, they have accomplished a lot when it comes to the grand storyline of establishing the ECP as a real thing and changing the world to be better for humans and animals. That has been the main thread throughout the entire comic, establishing real equality between animals and humans. Almost every major event has been a step towards that. It's actually quite brilliant really. Little things you may not notice until you start pulling at the thread.

Methinks you do not know what the terms "deus ex machina" and "anti-climax" mean, because there was neither in Heaven's Not Enough.
A Deus Ex Machina is when an outside force other than the main characters solves the problem, stripping the characters of the agency. You saw this most often in ancient Greek plays, where the play-writes would back their characters into a corner, not know how to solve it, so they just had Gods come in and fix everything.
The solution to Heaven's Not Enough was King finding out that the outside powers weren't going to solve anything and then TAKING CHARGE. That is exactly the opposite of Deus Ex Machina.
As for it being an anti-climax, again, no. An anti-climax is a conclusion that is significantly less powerful, striking, or important than expected. An anti-climax is like when you build up a bad guy as this huge deal, but then have him killed off in a trivial matter. A good example that springs to mind is the death of Dekim Barton in Endless Waltz: they build him up as the puppet master running things and then when the final confrontation happens, some no-name soldier shoots him in the back because he let slip his real goals to someone who believed his lies.
King standing up to Pete, on the other hand, is a HUGE climax. It hinged on him taking initiative and standing up when before he'd just always caved, or let other people solve his problems for him. It was momentously impactful because it was the culmination of his entire character arc, completing his transformation from someone trying to play the woe-is-me card to someone who defeated a demi-god by standing on principles.
Uncle Dead-eye defeating Jata isn't an anti-climax because the point of the story was not whether or not Jata could be defeated in combat. The point of that story was the test of Sabrina and Fido's relationship. The climax of that story was Fido coming out and admitting to the world that he loved Sabrina. Everything after that was falling action.
Gale joining the ECP, now that is an anticlimax, but keep in mind, an anticlimax is a narrative device and when used well, it can work. You make it work by making the anti-climax the point of the story. The point of that story was the wolves coming to realize that civilization was better because it provides easy solutions that make life less dangerous and brutish. So Gale suddenly learning that civilization was an option and just stopping the fight, though anti-climactic, actually does hammer home the point the story was making. Also, anti-climax works better in comedy than it does in drama, because it can be used to astonishing comedic effect.
Deus Ex Machina, on the other hand, is ALWAYS narrative unsatisfying because it takes control of the story out of the hands of the characters the story is about.

[fenrirblack]

Yeah, I didn't know what it meant until you explained it. Either way, my point stands that Housepets works in simply solutions when it comes to solving a problem because the problem is less of the point than what is gained by the actions taken to resolve it. Anyway, Kitsune wouldn't be Deus Ex Machina if they purposely went to him and made the decision to resolve the problem by using Kitsune as a tool that is available to them like Fox in Real Stories of the K9PD. It would only be Deus Ex Machina if Kitsune showed up out of the blue and did it without any lead up.
Let's look at the Kitsune Resolution from an anti-climatic perspective. For comedic effect, well if it is pointed out they could have gone to him all along and suffered through these last few days for nothing, that is kinda of funny especially depending on how they react to the news again like Fox. The point of the story as a whole, in my mind anyway, is revealing/ setting up a future where humans becoming animals is not only possible but commonplace. That idea has already been established as I pointed out earlier.
I mean you could prolong it by having them play detective and solve the mystery of the whatever that changed the two of them. This would mean putting them on a shelf for a prolonged period of time until a new lead pops up like someone else inexplicably transforms or continuing this story into 2020 through any number of means until the mystery is resolved in the near future i.e. before the End of Year 12. This could work depending on the fallout of the events and how the comic moves forward like what happened with the temple.
The other thing is that Kitsune isn't really important right now. I blame myself for bringing him up and coming back to him. Whether he can or can't do anything is irrelevant because he's not in the story at the moment and neither is anyone who would direct Marion and Lois to him. They didn't drive to the wolf house, they drove to Keene's. I think one of the reasons he has not been involved yet is because he can do it so to avoid having that option we're ignoring him altogether and instead focusing on solving the mystery. The mystery is the main focus and until it is resolved they can't change back no matter what.

[Robotech_Master]

It's kind of ironic that the question of whether Kitsune can fix it should come up in response to a comic about answering a long-held question.

Because I suspect this question may well have to wait another few weeks for an answer.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I don't think that this arc is gonna be resolved anytime soon. At least not during Thanksgiving or Christmas. It might go a few months into the New Year.

[Nobody]

Yeah, I didn't know what it meant until you explained it. Either way, my point stands that Housepets works in simply solutions when it comes to solving a problem because the problem is less of the point than what is gained by the actions taken to resolve it. Anyway, Kitsune wouldn't be Deus Ex Machina if they purposely went to him and made the decision to resolve the problem by using Kitsune as a tool that is available to them like Fox in Real Stories of the K9PD. It would only be Deus Ex Machina if Kitsune showed up out of the blue and did it without any lead up.
Let's look at the Kitsune Resolution from an anti-climatic perspective. For comedic effect, well if it is pointed out they could have gone to him all along and suffered through these last few days for nothing, that is kinda of funny especially depending on how they react to the news again like Fox. The point of the story as a whole, in my mind anyway, is revealing/ setting up a future where humans becoming animals is not only possible but commonplace. That idea has already been established as I pointed out earlier.
I mean you could prolong it by having them play detective and solve the mystery of the whatever that changed the two of them. This would mean putting them on a shelf for a prolonged period of time until a new lead pops up like someone else inexplicably transforms or continuing this story into 2020 through any number of means until the mystery is resolved in the near future i.e. before the End of Year 12. This could work depending on the fallout of the events and how the comic moves forward like what happened with the temple.
The other thing is that Kitsune isn't really important right now. I blame myself for bringing him up and coming back to him. Whether he can or can't do anything is irrelevant because he's not in the story at the moment and neither is anyone who would direct Marion and Lois to him. They didn't drive to the wolf house, they drove to Keene's. I think one of the reasons he has not been involved yet is because he can do it so to avoid having that option we're ignoring him altogether and instead focusing on solving the mystery. The mystery is the main focus and until it is resolved they can't change back no matter what.

Bit of relief. As I was lying in bed, I began to wonder if I was coming across as condescending with that "Methinks" line. Started worrying you might have felt insulted.
For clarification, the technical definition of Deus Ex Machina does state the outside source has to show up out of nowhere at the end, but I personally define it a bit more broadly than that - which is something a lot of literature critics do. I personally would extend it to be anything where the problem is not solved by the main characters, but by any outside source beyond them which hasn't been critical to the running story thread. Because for a story to be most satisfying, the actions that drive the story should be the ones the main characters do.
But even in the strict definition, if we're looking at this arc as its own story, Kitsune has never been brought up in this arc before now, so him showing up to fix it would be Deus Ex Machina, because the context for his character exists outside the story currently being told.

In any case, I actually want to focus on something you just said because I think it's actually an interesting point. IS this story a mystery? I mean, yes there's the unknown element of we're not sure how it happened and who's behind it, but that's just how we as the audience are reacting because we all have our own ideas of what we want to see. But is the story REALLY a mystery? Is "whodunnit?" really the focus of this story? Because I'm actually not sure it is. The way this story is playing out, the focus seems to be built more as a character study: the focus of the story is not the plot or the unanswered questions, but the way the characters react to it. Because until just the end of the last part, where they go to see Thomas, the story put no emphasis whatsoever on the question of how it happened. And even then, their goal wasn't to figure out how it happened for the sake of knowing, but how they might undo it. And it wasn't until Thomas put the idea of Keene doing it intentionally that the characters even seemed to care about the question of who was behind it.
If that's the case, it would mean that the narrative needs are very different from what we've been focusing on all this time.

I don't think that this arc is gonna be resolved anytime soon. At least not during Thanksgiving or Christmas. It might go a few months into the New Year.

I'm beginning to think you might be right on that. Given the way this story has been going, I'm not sure how you could wrap it up before New Years without the ending feeling rushed.

[LunarFox]

I'm beginning to think you might be right on that. Given the way this story has been going, I'm not sure how you could wrap it up before New Years without the ending feeling rushed.

I don't think you can... you know, there are people who think that HP! is a prequel to A&H Club. I'm wondering if that's where we're going, where the whole world is going to be animals.

[fenrirblack]

In any case, I actually want to focus on something you just said because I think it's actually an interesting point. IS this story a mystery? I mean, yes there's the unknown element of we're not sure how it happened and who's behind it, but that's just how we as the audience are reacting because we all have our own ideas of what we want to see. But is the story REALLY a mystery? Is "whodunnit?" really the focus of this story? Because I'm actually not sure it is. The way this story is playing out, the focus seems to be built more as a character study: the focus of the story is not the plot or the unanswered questions, but the way the characters react to it. Because until just the end of the last part, where they go to see Thomas, the story put no emphasis whatsoever on the question of how it happened. And even then, their goal wasn't to figure out how it happened for the sake of knowing, but how they might undo it. And it wasn't until Thomas put the idea of Keene doing it intentionally that the characters even seemed to care about the question of who was behind it.
If that's the case, it would mean that the narrative needs are very different from what we've been focusing on all this time.

The “whodunit” is important because they need to know to change back and that in itself is a mystery. But it’s not just a mystery because other variables are in play. Marion from the beginning was collecting clues (and failing) through the internet and asking other animals. Even talking to the ferals, suspects were being collected even if it wasn’t super obvious of “let’s put their pictures on a wall and Lois herself from the beginning has pushed solving the mystery but it shifted from “Where’s Marion?” To “What happened to Marion?” It’s like a crime drama where the mystery plot is the main focus but other more personal elements are in play such as Marion adapting and going to school because he can’t put his life on hold to solve the mystery because he doesn’t know how long it’ll take. Even now it is turning into a mystery saga since that Lois is directly involved. She’s made it clear from the moment they went to the zoo, she’s determined to find answers. Her reaction is solving the mystery.

[NHWestoN]

I don't think that this arc is gonna be resolved anytime soon. At least not during Thanksgiving or Christmas. It might go a few months into the New Year.

A break-away to a different arc might be welcome as a narrative diversion ("Meanwhile, back at the ranch …") - this one's gone on awhile. According to the Characters Wiki, the list of characters by number of appearances, Marion Squirrel is now #21 out of 139 characters in Housepets. That's more than a lot of the old familiars such as Tiger, Kevin, Breel, or Great Kitsune.

But, it's Rick's world ....

[Gameb18oy]

I'm beginning to think you might be right on that. Given the way this story has been going, I'm not sure how you could wrap it up before New Years without the ending feeling rushed.

I don't think you can... you know, there are people who think that HP! is a prequel to A&H Club. I'm wondering if that's where we're going, where the whole world is going to be animals.

I'm not against this idea

[LunarFox]

I'm beginning to think you might be right on that. Given the way this story has been going, I'm not sure how you could wrap it up before New Years without the ending feeling rushed.

I don't think you can... you know, there are people who think that HP! is a prequel to A&H Club. I'm wondering if that's where we're going, where the whole world is going to be animals.

I'm not against this idea

Me neither.

[NHWestoN]

Rick's world at any rate.

[Nobody]

In any case, I actually want to focus on something you just said because I think it's actually an interesting point. IS this story a mystery? I mean, yes there's the unknown element of we're not sure how it happened and who's behind it, but that's just how we as the audience are reacting because we all have our own ideas of what we want to see. But is the story REALLY a mystery? Is "whodunnit?" really the focus of this story? Because I'm actually not sure it is. The way this story is playing out, the focus seems to be built more as a character study: the focus of the story is not the plot or the unanswered questions, but the way the characters react to it. Because until just the end of the last part, where they go to see Thomas, the story put no emphasis whatsoever on the question of how it happened. And even then, their goal wasn't to figure out how it happened for the sake of knowing, but how they might undo it. And it wasn't until Thomas put the idea of Keene doing it intentionally that the characters even seemed to care about the question of who was behind it.
If that's the case, it would mean that the narrative needs are very different from what we've been focusing on all this time.

The “whodunit” is important because they need to know to change back and that in itself is a mystery. But it’s not just a mystery because other variables are in play. Marion from the beginning was collecting clues (and failing) through the internet and asking other animals. Even talking to the ferals, suspects were being collected even if it wasn’t super obvious of “let’s put their pictures on a wall and Lois herself from the beginning has pushed solving the mystery but it shifted from “Where’s Marion?” To “What happened to Marion?” It’s like a crime drama where the mystery plot is the main focus but other more personal elements are in play such as Marion adapting and going to school because he can’t put his life on hold to solve the mystery because he doesn’t know how long it’ll take. Even now it is turning into a mystery saga since that Lois is directly involved. She’s made it clear from the moment they went to the zoo, she’s determined to find answers. Her reaction is solving the mystery.

Well, yes the mystery is there, but what I mean is, IS the story an actual mystery, or is it a character study that has a mystery in it? Because it's not playing out like a mystery. I mean in the genre sense. If this is supposed to be a mystery, then it's got a lot of wasted time on things unrelated to said mystery. The difference may seem slight, but it does change what fits the story's flow and what the audience expects. See, if it is a mystery, like we've been treating it, then audience expectation drives them to probe the work for clues, which is what we're doing. On the other hand, if this is being written as a character study with a mystery in it, then us looking for clues in what's happened so far might be a waste of time, because the character study is not obliged to drop clues. Its purpose is to explore the character and if structuring the story around setting up clues doesn't provide any useful insight into the character, then it's not important. The story is allowed to hand-wave more things and it's not obliged to have the actual explanation of the mystery be something the audience was able to predict based on the evidence provided. That makes a huge difference in how the author needs to plot the story. And if we're reading the story with the wrong expectations, that can really throw you for a loop when the story completes itself.