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2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:45 pm
by Dissension
[ An Auspicious Beginning ]

Title Text: this only ever seems to happen to people who don't appreciate it, weird

Marion is so cute~. It's about time this comic had a squirrel protagonist!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:01 am
by Saturn381
New Character! :D

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am
by D-Rock
Outta nowhere, new human-turned-animal protagonist. Let's do this.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am
by bjchan95
Transformation enthusiasts rejoice 8-)

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:02 am
by fenrirblack
AND HE CALLS IT!

Image

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:03 am
by Gbr23
WHAT. WHAT. WHAT.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:04 am
by Char89Charizard
I wonder who could be responsible for this unlikely transformation.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:05 am
by MrBlueSky7
Calling it: Every Human in Babylon Gardens is gonna turn into Animals. I am so all for that... :D

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:07 am
by Champion Wallace
I'm guessing Marion is this kid.
Image

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:12 am
by leinglo
I'm calling it, Steward has claimed his first victim with the cursed coin!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:16 am
by Welsh Halfwit
Marion. Boy or Girl? For now, I'm thinking Girl. (It's still more commonly a Girl's name)

Someone has lost some considerable height,
to say nothing about a lot of weight
as we may all now begin to wonder
where is the cursed coin that changed her fate?
Is ol’ Steward testing out its’ power?
Is she the victim of his first test run?
How has this odd thing happened to the girl?
Has his war on humanity begun?
Or is something else occurring by here?
Is this some plan of a god like Kitsune?
Mind you, I’m pretty sure this Squirrel...
she’s going to think she’s gone loony.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:18 am
by fenrirblack
It's everything I wanted and more. Hang on,
Image

I need a moment. I've waited a YEAR for this................................okay.

Now to business.
There are a few options before we get ahead of ourselves. The most obvious option being that Steward was responsible. BUT why did Marion wake up as a squirrel? Did Steward break into some random kid's house and place the coin in his hand? That leads me to a another possible theory that this could have been the work of divine intervention. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone *cough Kitsune* but this could be a unlikely hero scenario. The "You have been chosen" to stop the forces of evil from wreaking havoc on the world. This is unlikely but possible if Rick wanted to mix things up a little. There is also the possibility that everyone in the neighborhood or town has been affected which is highly unlikely because I doubt the coin has that kind of power. Who does, the dino-demon maybe? But this is all speculation.

Also we don't know where this is currently. As it has been stated, teenagers in Babylon Gardens are rarer than unicorns so this could be taking place somewhere else. Which leads me to believe, if that is the case, that Marion is Rockstar's friend or will seek out the wolves which may take a few strips. This is most likely the case no matter where Marion lives since again the wolves are probably the bet option for any type of animal who may know anything or be of any help AND because the Kitsune statue is still at the Wolf House.

Getting back to Wallace's comment about that kid from earlier. I hope so and will bet it is because A. the hair color. B. why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later. C. Matching jeans?

Also wanted to point out that if that alarm is ringing that probably means its a school day.... :lol:

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:27 am
by Douglas Collier
So, did Marion work in a library? :P

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:31 am
by fenrirblack
Douglas Collier wrote:So, did Marion work in a library? :P
If that is a reference to Thomas Khatt then you have my upmost respect.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:36 am
by Champion Wallace
Welsh Halfwit wrote:Marion. Boy or Girl? For now, I'm thinking Girl. (It's still more commonly a Girl's name)
While at its peak in the 1910s (and roughly the same at other points, though it began to even out more) Marion was almost three times more common as a girl's name than a boy's name, I think this character was a boy because before they realized what happened they were thinking about shaving their beard and that's something men have to deal with. There isn't really any evidence for this yet, though it would be interesting if when the coin changed somebody's body, their sex is also determined by the same unknowable ruleset that determines species and Thomas and Steward just happened to stay male.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:36 am
by Douglas Collier
fenrirblack wrote:
Douglas Collier wrote:So, did Marion work in a library? :P
If that is a reference to Thomas Khatt then you have my upmost respect.
It was actually a play on “Marian The Librarian” from The Music Man.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:38 am
by IceKitsune
Hmmmm so how did this happen? Dragon and Pete are gone and I doubt that Kitsune would do something like this randomly; so they had to have found a piece of the gold from the temple maybe? Though that would turn them right away IIRC. Maybe Steward is starting to leave the coin that he had around?

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:51 am
by Welsh Halfwit
IceKitsune wrote:Hmmmm so how did this happen? Dragon and Pete are gone and I doubt that Kitsune would do something like this randomly; so they had to have found a piece of the gold from the temple maybe? Though that would turn them right away IIRC. Maybe Steward is starting to leave the coin that he had around?
I'm thinking this is Steward making a test run...

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:02 am
by fenrirblack
Let me dump out the last of my thoughts and feelings while I still can.
I wanted to point out how normal this scene is. I mean think about something. When was the last time we saw a normal bedroom in this comic? King's was normal for a grown man but this is teenager normal. Teenager, which is again rare. I can't get over how normal this all is. Also this means that when he meets the pet's he'll have a completely different perspective then King. No baggage, no kidnapping (I hope), no childhood issues, just innocent character being thrown into a world he doesn't understand.
That also means that unlike King's story this is going to have the traditional normal kid wakes up as an animal track.

Guess who's probably making a comeback.

Also wanted to point this out.
Image
So judging from this picture, I will make two theories. One being that Marion is in a relationship (was anyway :? ) and two that whoever the L is (the one who he is tendering rubbing while crying) will be essential to the future of his character and this arc.

Lastly, I want to say that I doubt this will end with Marion in a happy relationship after overcoming a lifetime of abuse and issues like King did.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:07 am
by Obbl
fenrirblack wrote:why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later.
I always find it weird when people feel like ever character that pops up has to be reused. Like, sometimes a background character is just a background character...

Yeah, why does this always gotta happen to the people who aren't like "Woohoo! My wildest dreams have come true!" :lol: I mean I get it, but come on, where the transformation enthusiasts be at?
bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice 8-)
Ah. There they are :D

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:18 am
by Raku
Making my first post to say that I'm actually looking forward to another story like this. I loved reading King's arc (would like to explore more of his past in the future), and will be excited to go over this one.

I wonder how Marion will handle their surprise transformation after such a waking shock calms down?
Obbl wrote:
bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice 8-)
Ah. There they are :D
I'd be down to transform, just as long as I got to choose which animal I would become (would most likely be a monkey ;))

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:28 am
by Champion Wallace
I'm super excited for this arc. Joel didn't have anyone close to him that would hurt at his disappearance. Marion on the other hand has parents and school that need to be dealt with soon.
Dissension wrote:Title Text: this only ever seems to happen to people who don't appreciate it, weird
I don't think it's that weird when you take a statistics approach and consider how few people were changed and what proportion of the population are furries (yes, people who are furries and people who would appreciate being transformed into an animal are not 1 to 1, but it gets the point across).
fenrirblack wrote:Getting back to Wallace's comment about that kid from earlier. I hope so and will bet it is because A. the hair color. B. why else would he be in that scene other than if Rick wanted to use him later. C. Matching jeans?
I went back and checked and the hair/fur color is so close, but not the same. The human hair is #84796D and the squirrel fur is #897F7D. If it was identical, that would've cinched it, but close makes it just another piece of evidence. I think the kid was in that scene, originally at least, just for someone for Rockstar to be embarrassed at. Again, I think the theory has merit, but jeans aren't much of a defining factor for someone.

Where did you get that picture?

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:32 am
by GameCobra
Can't wait to see how long before Marion starts pulling off the old King Arthur tricks =P

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:49 am
by AgentJX7
Honestly, I'm pulling for Marion to be a girl. Been a while since a female protagonist was introduced, and it seems like this character is gonna be pretty important for a good while, so it'd be nice.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:27 am
by ChekeBello
There are no current game being played that we know of, so this is most likely Steward’s coin on work; but why target a teenage? I don’t get what he could win from this scheme

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:31 am
by Ryusuta
Ohhhhhh... MAN, this is gonna be GOOD.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:51 am
by Silly Zealot
D-Rock wrote:Outta nowhere, new human-turned-animal protagonist. Let's do this.
bjchan95 wrote:Transformation enthusiasts rejoice 8-)
The hypetrain calls and I hop aboard!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:19 am
by John-056
ChekeBello wrote:There are no current game being played that we know of, so this is most likely Steward’s coin on work; but why target a teenager? I don’t get what he could win from this scheme
Likely as a Test Run, to see if the Magic Wasn't a One-off thing.

And I can see two Reasons, One being that "If there are no Humans at all, Keene will have wasted his efforts."

Another, can be a Leaf taken out of Zootopia. Marion is a Teenager, and One with a family. Suddenly becoming a Anthro can cause a Stir among the Public, which will lead to mistrust on Anthros, because it Would start feeling like a Plague that only targets Humans, which, technically speaking, it does.

And in This regard, it still brings up me annoyance at Great Kitsune, with how he clearly saw everything, but does nothing to stop what can clearly lead to needless Death, were it not for the PG rating on This.

Why? Because whenever I see similar cases, it normally leads to death due to Hysteria among the masses.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:44 am
by HundKatzeMaus
So is this more or less the new "King"?
You know our human-turend-animal protagonist?
Awesome, things are getting real :mrgreen:

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 5:29 am
by Cody
AAaaaaaahhh yes! I've been hoping for another human-turned-animal-against-their-will arc type stuff, and now we've got one! :D

I for one think Marion is a boy for now because while yes some girls need to shave, it's way more common for males to be doing that :P

This could quite easily become another favorite character of mine, which I hope it does!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:32 am
by Nathan Kerbonaut
New protagonist, nice :D I don't know what to expect, I'm excited!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:42 am
by Gameb18oy
Wow Diss, I can’t believe Rick decided to put you in to the story. Jesting aside, curious who our clearly coin transformed squirrel is gonna talk to first. If he’s the kid Rockstar Hawk seemed friends with, the wolves might be a good first choice, likely with a joke explaining why they don’t end up eating him (I’ll bet Miles or Hawk might still be able to pick up his scent). If not that, then it’s gonna be establishing who his parents are/if they are anyone we already know or not. Wonder if Rick plans to make him the only person transformed or not in this arc or not. A theory I had seems to have enough data to be confirmed now though, the coin seems to transform you into an animal you’d assume was wild, so far no pet species have shown up.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:57 am
by trekkie
Ooh. A new character, and a squirrel, at that, I like it. I wonder if Marion will encounter Jessica, Zach, and the raccoons, if so that could cause him/her to run into Steward.

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:10 am
by SeanWolf
Curious to see where this arc goes (Though if it was me, I wouldn't be screamnig...I'd probably go YES then go back to bed hehe)! Same time, how do we know his name Marion?

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:25 am
by Gameb18oy
SeanWolf wrote:Curious to see where this arc goes (Though if it was me, I wouldn't be screamnig...I'd probably go YES then go back to bed hehe)! Same time, how do we know his name Marion?
To be fair, Diss is the only one present who’d want to be a squirrel. I personally would be happier as an otter or a fox

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:26 am
by LunarFox
We know his name's Marion because it was in the character tags at the bottom of the page. On another tack, yay, a new character!

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:53 am
by Argent
What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.
Raku wrote:I'd be down to transform, just as long as I got to choose which animal I would become (would most likely be a monkey ;))
Dibs on marten!

Image

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:12 am
by Gameb18oy
fenrirblack wrote:Let me dump out the last of my thoughts and feelings while I still can.
I wanted to point out how normal this scene is. I mean think about something. When was the last time we saw a normal bedroom in this comic? King's was normal for a grown man but this is teenager normal. Teenager, which is again rare. I can't get over how normal this all is. Also this means that when he meets the pet's he'll have a completely different perspective then King. No baggage, no kidnapping (I hope), no childhood issues, just innocent character being thrown into a world he doesn't understand.
That also means that unlike King's story this is going to have the traditional normal kid wakes up as an animal track.

Guess who's probably making a comeback.

Also wanted to point this out.
Image
So judging from this picture, I will make two theories. One being that Marion is in a relationship (was anyway :? ) and two that whoever the L is (the one who he is tendering rubbing while crying) will be essential to the future of his character and this arc.

Lastly, I want to say that I doubt this will end with Marion in a happy relationship after overcoming a lifetime of abuse and issues like King did.
Fen, I love your big theories, but I’m gonna have to disagree with you. The darkest realistic outcome I can see coming is Steward is gonna turn people he bets the response to the transformation (from other people) is going to be bad, making them easy targets to recruit into Custom Ink’s cult... possibly with ambitions to turn it into a zealous army. I’m still trying to guess the long game with Steward’s plan for the coin, he clearly has one though and what I’m suggesting now I think is at least in the ballpark of possibilities. Still, that’s unrelated to Marion, and Steward has showcased he’s smart, so chances are his first victim is someone low profile, kids sometimes run away so that make Marion a decent pick if he chooses to not try (and succeed) in getting his parents to know what happened to him. If there was even a hint the kid was in a relationship, then Steward probably would have recognized that be a poor choice, more people that notice he disappeared without a trace, the more problems it could cause down the line. Of course, that’s me assuming that at least for the first person, it’s supposed to happen in secret, for all I know, Steward wants it to be big and noticeable what happened, in which case, you’re correct, but wouldn’t that lead to more people trying to find the source of the problem? Sorry for being long winded, these are just my thoughts

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:24 am
by Frank
Gives a whole new meaning to "don't take money from strangers"

Re: 2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:51 am
by Nobody
I expected to be waiting for a long time before getting any follow-up to this.

Not that I'm complaining. This was what I got into the comic for in the first place.