Housepets!

Spoilers: He never read the flashcards.

Well, atleast he doesn’t need to sit the test anymore.

Mmmmmm Overwatch and not Fortnite or Apex? Interesting kid you are Marion

That was the worse good cop/bad cop I've ever seen and it still worked. Marion is such a good boy. Not a good student mind you. I hope he wasn't expecting to copy off Lois during the exam.

The energy drink suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Clearly it wasn't on the Switch since it won't come out for another four months comic time.

Okay, jokes aside. That means somewhere between the four hours he went to bed and woke up, he became a squirrel. That doesn't tell us much but all mysteries have to start somewhere.

Clearly that was not chamomile tea.

So what is Fox writing down? "Ask potential transformation victims about video game use. "

So now we start getting a bit more information. He didn't stumble home exhausted and somehow missing that he had transformed, but apparently climbed into bed as human. Nothing that hadn't been speculated about, but nice to see it.

I can remember putting off studying for more than one test playing Civilization. Civ 1 at that... I'm old, sue me.

So true!

I think someone's mentioned this before, but whenever we've had a TF, the animal that they end up as reflects their personality... and Marion is really squirrelly.

Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

Is it me or does Fox have that expression of "Dude relax, we've all been there."

Also Marion's expression in the first panel is such a "King" face.

D-Rock wrote:Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

King: Do you remember who you were playing?
Marion: Not really. I do remember one had a really weird name like DeeveeSanchez and then there was another named Catnipjones-58. Does that help?
King: It doesn't help solve this mystery but it does explain why I keep hearing all that noise from down the hall at night.

Jokes aside, DeeVee and the other wolves playing video games all night might explain why King didn't get the pups to sleep until almost three.

D-Rock wrote:Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

In a world where this is possible, that is a kind of shockingly plausible idea. Heck, a few years back a kid in my town got SWATed because he beat someone in a video game tournament where there was prize money on the line.

King, some animals will play Overwatch
(well we mainly know of one certain Wolf)
but then I suppose if you knew of that,
then the human question would have gone poof.
So Marion wasn’t a great student,
as he was burning the candle at both ends?
Is this a clue as to what occurred?
Is this a curse laid by internet ‘friends’?
All three Canine good boys are listening,
even though Fido’s clearly showing shock.
The tale continues into the morning sun;
they’re racking up the overtime clock...

Up All Night For Good Fun origin.
The real question is what hero does Marion play.

fenrirblack wrote:That was the worse good cop/bad cop I've ever seen and it still worked.

That was just good cop/good cop.

LunarFox wrote:I think someone's mentioned this before, but whenever we've had a TF, the animal that they end up as reflects their personality... and Marion is really squirrelly.

Someone broached that way back for Turn In Your Badger

TheOne wrote:

SuperStar wrote:THEORY: The coin turns the human into the last animal they touched. Thomas was with Sofia. Maybe Steward bumped past a badger on his way out of the forest.

My best guess is that it's based on personality. Badgers are known for being very aggressive, so perhaps Steward has that type of personality. Although they can move fast, most people think of camels as slow, fat, and lazy. That seems like Thomas.

...And later when discussing Technowizardry

SeanWolf wrote:

Ash Greytree wrote:

Argent wrote:She'll make a cute squirrel.

The coin(s) are magic, and based on what I've seen, they might like turning people into rather fitting and/or ironic. Thomas got turned into a camel because he was with Sofia and wanted to haul all that gold out of there, and camels are pack animals. Steward probably got turned into a badger because he wouldn't stop badgering Keene about burning through money. If the coin was indeed used, Marion may've gotten transformed into a squirrel because a squirrel with a tree nut allergy is highly ironic. If Steward sneaks the coin into Lois' hands (it has to be in their hands to take effect, right?), the coin might go "Alrighty, what do we have here? Lois, girlfriend to Marion who I turned into a squirrel earlier... Man, it's getting late tonight; I'm just going to turn her into a girl squirrel too so they can both spend the rest of their lives cursed to be bushy-tailed and climbing trees together."

I'm probably looking to far into this but what if the coin (and this is just me speculating) transforms someone into an animal that is based on their personality and/or soul? If true, then maybe Lois would probably turn into something other then a squirrel.

It is mildly amusing that Marion seems to be worried about getting yelled at by his mom over his study habits. Seems like she is not going to be thinking about that much.

Maybe Marion will someday co-host with DeeVee. Marion is probably safe, there. DeeVee doesn't hunt anything more challenging than a Cheeto these days.

Either King is even shorter than I thought or Marion is bigger. Or both
Marion seems to be only about a squirrel-head shorter than King.

Ah the perfect way to study for school.

This strip made me think of this.

dr_eirik wrote: Either King is even shorter than I thought or Marion is bigger. Or both
Marion seems to be only about a squirrel-head shorter than King.

I'm wondering if Marion might be sitting on a book or something. But Marion was a little shy of being up to Jessica's neck, and King is a little bit shorter than Jessica.

My bets are on Eudoant being the one who changed Marion. It would take the instincts of a beast to track down and retrieve those three escapees, and since the actual animals seem to be under the protection of Heaven, he would need to exploit a loophole: Pick out a human who lives nearby and tap into their basest, most primal instincts to turn them into the agent he needs!

In waiting until spring and summer enter the arc like they promised when they left fox in the final temple crashers arc. That's my guess as to how they resolve marion.

Marion must have drawn the wrong card. Time to page Tarot and Sabrina.

dr_eirik wrote:

D-Rock wrote:Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

In a world where this is possible, that is a kind of shockingly plausible idea. Heck, a few years back a kid in my town got SWATed because he beat someone in a video game tournament where there was prize money on the line.

People have died being SWATed. Police go on only with info they given, and they act accodingly.

Anyone who calls police on someone else under false pretences should be put up for attempted murder, or murder if they get killed. No manslaughter, straight second degree.

NHWestoN wrote:Marion must have drawn the wrong card. Time to page Tarot and Sabrina.

Nah, save time. Tag in Kitsune.

Ohhh... check it out! Fox is left-handed! =D

Mr. Whisper wrote:My bets are on Eudoant being the one who changed Marion. It would take the instincts of a beast to track down and retrieve those three escapees, and since the actual animals seem to be under the protection of Heaven, he would need to exploit a loophole: Pick out a human who lives nearby and tap into their basest, most primal instincts to turn them into the agent he needs!

This... would have to be my favorite from left field theory yet.

I am now firmly in the Eudoant Camp"

Cheers it on. "COme on Eu Can Doant!

Ah, the age-old "use flashcards to procrastinate".

In my case, I would always end up writing barely anything on the cards themselves, then spend all my time doodling OCs and such on the back.

Ryusuta wrote:Ohhh... check it out! Fox is left-handed! =D

if I recall, isn't he also shown holding the pencil with his left in Pet Peeve?

Overwatch is now turning people into animals, yup.

That's how they keep their cast interesting.

Gbr23 wrote:not Fortnite

no, that just means he has good taste in games.

D-Rock wrote:Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

unlikely, unless he's a streamer or in a tournament they wouldn't know each others real names or locations in most cases. gamers have gotten more careful about that ever since Swatting became a thing.

Hey, a fellow Overwatch player! Wonder if he mains Wrecking Ball.

Buster wrote:

Gbr23 wrote:not Fortnite

no, that just means he has good taste in games.

D-Rock wrote:Maybe he ticked off someone who played against him. Could be a sore loser, or Marion himself got out of hand with his own loss.

unlikely, unless he's a streamer or in a tournament they wouldn't know each others real names or locations in most cases. gamers have gotten more careful about that ever since Swatting became a thing.

While true, in this scenario you're dealing with an entity who is either a demigod or is borrowing the power of one. Finding Marion would seem to be the easy part. Think Kitsune with a fragile ego.

Kind of is my new favorite out-there theory.

"Why do you have tarot cards mixed in with your flash cards?"

"No, Death doesn't mean death, it means change..."

dr_eirik wrote:I can remember putting off studying for more than one test playing Civilization. Civ 1 at that... I'm old, sue me.

Zork. On a mainframe, the home computer version wasn't out yet.

dr_eirik wrote:Either King is even shorter than I thought or Marion is bigger. Or both
Marion seems to be only about a squirrel-head shorter than King.

I was sure they had Marion on two booster seats because there's no way he'd be able to sit that high on human furniture. But that last shot is more like they're in a funhouse interrogation room with weird perspectives.

Sir Chestnut wrote:

dr_eirik wrote: Either King is even shorter than I thought or Marion is bigger. Or both
Marion seems to be only about a squirrel-head shorter than King.

I'm wondering if Marion might be sitting on a book or something. But Marion was a little shy of being up to Jessica's neck, and King is a little bit shorter than Jessica.

Hes not on a book, you'd see it in the wide shots. He keeps standing up, I think, when hes worked up.

I think I need to see most of the cast arrested and in a lineup. Then we can find out how tall everyone is.

Well, we’ve got another clue as to how and when Marion was transformed. I’m glad Fox is calling Marion by his name, I’m sure it relaxed the squirrel. I do like how Fox is trying to calm Marion with his words and expression. Don’t worry Marion, I’m sure you’ll get to make up the exam, being transformed into a squirrel should count as an illness or injury. To defend Marion a little he was determined to go to school, he didn’t immediately think “hey I’m a squirrel, sick day!”, so he was a diligent student, even if he wasn’t the best, and it is possible that he studied for the exam on some prior evenings. I’m wondering how much sleep the poor guy got as he got only about four hours of sleep the night the previous night, and we don’t really know how muck sleep he’s gotten tonight.

dr_eirik wrote: I think I need to see most of the cast arrested and in a lineup. Then we can find out how tall everyone is.

I think the closest we'll get is when Rick did the cast drawings in his regular art style. But it would be nice to see.



Thinking of other characters that might be playing Overwatch; Deevee and the other cubs would be almost definite, Jessica/Zach own a Switch so it's possible, Peanut, and most of the Geek Squad would be likely.

It's unlikely, but maybe The Opener or Karishad's favorite Dalmatian could be unwillingly linked to this somehow.

Argent wrote:"

dr_eirik wrote:I can remember putting off studying for more than one test playing Civilization. Civ 1 at that... I'm old, sue me.

Zork. On a mainframe, the home computer version wasn't out yet.

For me it was Fallout 2 and rise of Nations : P

Sir Chestnut wrote:

Thinking of other characters that might be playing Overwatch; Deevee and the other cubs would be almost definite, Jessica/Zach own a Switch so it's possible, Peanut, and most of the Geek Squad would be likely.

It's unlikely, but maybe The Opener or Karishad's favorite Dalmatian could be unwillingly linked to this somehow.

There are a lot of the pets who are likely gamers. As Dallas once pointed out, they dont have much to do. Funny to think that Marion may already know half the cast, just as screen names.

Okay, then. Let us recap:

Theories
Is Steward A Villain: YES.

Steward's Goal: Revenge or Regaining his Old Life

Did He Change Marion: No

Who Changed Marion: Dino-Demon or another new supernatural character that has not been introduced

The Name Of Fox's New Love Intere-

No, wait. I'm not the one supposed to do this. Carry on, ladies and gentlemen.

--------------------------

Somehow, I think being turned into a squirrel and having an excuse to retake the test was the best thing that could have happened to Marion.

Argent wrote:"Why do you have tarot cards mixed in with your flash cards?"

"No, Death doesn't mean death, it means change..."

Gives me a small idea....

King: Whst were you studying?
Marion: Ancient Civilization and their use of magic.
King: <blinks> Really?
Marion: No! It was physics! You're as bright as those raccoons.
King: Let me see how much you learned. How far can a sleep deprived, annoyed purebred Pembroke Corgi throw a annoying squirrel who he is just trying to help?
Marion: <long pause> Sorry.
King: Good girl.
Marion: Boy.
King: Sorry. <looks up at Fox> My eyes are crossing. You have any coffee around here?
Fox: Just standard cop coffee.
King: Can you get me some?
Marion: Can I have....
King/Fox/Fido: NO!

They already handed him a cup of cofee, right there on the table.

I like to think it just has bottom sips of cofee in it.

As I was going to sleep last night I remembered something. King understands Marion a lot more than we realize. Here's a passage from All the King's Men.
Cherished memories from the summer days of his youth unexpectedly swept him away. All the countless, thrilling, 16-bit blast processing hours of game play he could recall between he and his pets. How they would play endlessly into the night down in the basement; the number of times they swore Bloody Mary at each other over a string of cheap moves. Or best of all, the borderline ridiculous excuses they'd make together whenever mom or dad found them up at three in the morning."
So yeah, King can definitely relate to Marion. Also this was the Sega Genesis he was playing.

King: Don't worry Marion, I understand. I too am guilty of staying up until 3 a.m. playing on my Sega Genesis.
Marion: Wait. A Sega Genesis? Isn't that from the eighties? How old are you?
King: Okay, first technically it came out in 89 and I'm talking about when I was playing it in the nineties.
Marion: That doesn't answer my question.

Silly Zealot wrote:Okay, then. Let us recap:

Theories
Is Steward A Villain: YES.

Steward's Goal: Revenge or Regaining his Old Life

Did He Change Marion: No

Who Changed Marion: Dino-Demon or another new supernatural character that has not been introduced

The Name Of Fox's New Love Intere-

No, wait. I'm not the one supposed to do this. Carry on, ladies and gentlemen.

Yeah, I'll update it again once something major happens or probably Monday. Nothing's changed so far so there wasn't much to do with it.

fenrirblack wrote:
King: Don't worry Marion, I understand. I too am guilty of staying up until 3 a.m. playing on my Sega Genesis.
Marion: Wait. A Sega Genesis? Isn't that from the eighties? How old are you?
King: Okay, first technically it came out in 89 and I'm talking about when I was playing it in the nineties.
Marion: That doesn't answer my question.

[

King: Let me answer it this way. Remember the physics problem I asked you earlier?
Marion: Never mind.
King: Good gi... boy.

trekkie wrote:Well, we’ve got another clue as to how and when Marion was transformed. I’m glad Fox is calling Marion by his name, I’m sure it relaxed the squirrel. I do like how Fox is trying to calm Marion with his words and expression. Don’t worry Marion, I’m sure you’ll get to make up the exam, being transformed into a squirrel should count as an illness or injury. To defend Marion a little he was determined to go to school, he didn’t immediately think “hey I’m a squirrel, sick day!”, so he was a diligent student, even if he wasn’t the best, and it is possible that he studied for the exam on some prior evenings. I’m wondering how much sleep the poor guy got as he got only about four hours of sleep the night the previous night, and we don’t really know how muck sleep he’s gotten tonight.

Still think it might be helpful bringing in Spo. Snarky as he is, being close to Marion in size, he might make the poor acorn-snatcher feel more at ease. King and Marion don't seem to be hitting it off.

I kinda like Eudoant as the malefactor here, maybe just to get her back in the game. (Oh, right, Eudoant's male - still can't get that right.)

Cerberus: "Okay, Infernal, you take the pot tonight. That means you get to prank a mortal. Remember, nothing fatal or seriously dastardly. Celestials have to clean up after you Pandemonians."
Eudoant: "Sheesh, you're a barrel of laughs, pup. How'bout transforming a human into a critter? We've done that before, always good for a giggle."
Cerberus: "Sounds pretty safe. Nothing too mean, though."
Eudoant: "Can I target some neurotic like your gryphon pal did?"
Cerberus: "Okay with you, Kitsune? You've handled these cases before?"
Kitsune: "Why not? But no more dogs or cats, they're getting boring. How about a butterfly?"
Eudoant: "A what!? Come'on, I don't get to do this that often! Make it a crocodile … or a vulture."
Cerberus: "No, we're going for cute and harmless here. Maybe a bunny..."
Eudoant: "Or a dino-demon. They're really cute and so unpredictable. That'ud be fun."
Cerberus: "You do NOT want to bring up dino-demons, Eudoant!"
Eudoant: "Celestials - no senses of humor. Alright, how about a raccoon or a chipmunk or a squirrel? Something hyperactive and mildly deranged, safe enough right?"
Kitsune: "Yeah, school's starting for mortal adolescents - that could be really wild, but not harmful."
Cerberus: "Okay, I dealt so I get to choose - make it a squirrel."
Eudoant: "... and I'll pick someone in Babylon Gardens - maybe I can get a little payback after those fur burns I got from those Temple intruders."
Kitsune: "Tsk tsk, shouldn't carry grudges, Eudoant. They're spiritual chains, you know …."
Eudoant: " I … like … chains … GK. We … make … them … for … fun … And … for … export."