2023/02/21 - Your New Reality

[D-Rock]

[ 2023/02/21 - Your New Reality ]

Title Text: If you say it louder your unsubstantiated opinions are more correct

Seriously

[Startrekfan47]

Scientist is definitely some kind of weird naked cat. Housescientists are naked all the time.™

[Were Jack]

Scientist is definitely some kind of weird naked cat. Housescientists are naked all the time.™

So, if Housepets count as naked, then he is double naked? Also sphinxes are awesome.

[CryosR]

And standard paranoia and fear spreading to try and make people fear new things that could benefit them.

It's true, the more things change the more they stay the same

[Frank]

"What makes you say that?"
"Look at me! I transformed and I fully intend to commit crimes!"
"Sounds like we should call the authorities on just you then"
"No, not like that!"

[OtherStr8aura]

I'm happy we get to know the one-off news ticker's fursona.

That being said, this certainly seems to indicate a pet theory of mine that the majority or entirety of humans would stay transformed, but the singular human at the end seems to imply that isn't *entirely* the case. Just saying, a massive world-changing wave of transformation magic(k) would be a hell of a note to end the series on.

[OtherStr8aura]

And standard paranoia and fear spreading to try and make people fear new things that could benefit them.

It's true, the more things change the more they stay the same

to be completely fair, this isn't a walk in the park. This is a massive revelation for quite possibly the entire planet, and is (hopefully) going to cause mass repercussions as a result. At least, I hope so. Housepets passed into being a TF comic a long time ago- mass swathes of population turning into furries in fun-sized M.A.D. would be sick.

[Nobody]

Sc(k)ience!

[Welsh Halfwit]

News at eleven!
Changes not from Heaven!
Although it might be tragic
I see science just like magic!
It's all just explained
even if not retained
So the guy's now nude,
and the prompter's prude?
An explanation that fits
(even if only for right twits)
that makes it better for heroes...
Accepted now; not zeroes...

[GameCobra]

Cats are the best scientists :3

So it's not exactly a fuzzy boom. However, did Marion invent a way for people to transform? SCIENTIFICALLY?!? :3

Though i suspect there's more to it than that.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Welp, it looks like the route that Marion took was to have everybody that had been transformed stay transformed and everybody else stays the same. So it is against their will. But because our protagonists agreed it was the best outcome we HAVE to like it.

Yeah.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Welp, it looks like the route that Marion took was to have everybody that had been transformed stay transformed and everybody else stays the same. So it is against their will. But because our protagonists agreed it was the best outcome we HAVE to like it.

Yeah.

There was no right choice. But, now it's 'explained', the world can move on. Keene's foundation can grow. Universities will accept more applications from Squirrels. In other words, one of the aims of the strip - to bridge the gap between Human and Animal - just took a whopper of a step closer.

[Cesco]

Funny intermission with the news. And yeah, this host got transformed, too... Well, this should be a scientific way to explain this magic(k) thing. At least, it has explained how the transformation works. That statement is so negative and possible, but come on, what a title.. Since when turn into animals is an apocalypse? Eheh, the opinions of people who wrote books, so true... They say all and nothing at the same time.

[D-Rock]

Welp, it looks like the route that Marion took was to have everybody that had been transformed stay transformed and everybody else stays the same. So it is against their will. But because our protagonists agreed it was the best outcome we HAVE to like it.

Yeah.

There was no right choice. But, now it's 'explained', the world can move on. Keene's foundation can grow. Universities will accept more applications from Squirrels. In other words, one of the aims of the strip - to bridge the gap between Human and Animal - just took a whopper of a step closer.

Nice to know that it took stripping the choice away from so many.

[Nobody]

Welp, it looks like the route that Marion took was to have everybody that had been transformed stay transformed and everybody else stays the same. So it is against their will. But because our protagonists agreed it was the best outcome we HAVE to like it.

Yeah.

There was no right choice. But, now it's 'explained', the world can move on. Keene's foundation can grow. Universities will accept more applications from Squirrels. In other words, one of the aims of the strip - to bridge the gap between Human and Animal - just took a whopper of a step closer.

Nice to know that it took stripping the choice away from so many.

I think you might be missing the point. If there's an explanation for how it happened, there can be development of way to undo it. It gives everyone time to decide what they really want so they can make the choice when they're ready.
That's my reading anyway.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Welp, it looks like the route that Marion took was to have everybody that had been transformed stay transformed and everybody else stays the same. So it is against their will. But because our protagonists agreed it was the best outcome we HAVE to like it.

Yeah.

There was no right choice. But, now it's 'explained', the world can move on. Keene's foundation can grow. Universities will accept more applications from Squirrels. In other words, one of the aims of the strip - to bridge the gap between Human and Animal - just took a whopper of a step closer.

Nice to know that it took stripping the choice away from so many.

Like I said. No right choice.

[johnwolf]

will point out that everyone who transformed can change back if they want too. so the choice is theirs.

[Harry Johnathan]

Guys, I don’t even think this is the “boon reveal”, just a short interlude reestablishing what’s going on down on Earth.

[CyberDragon]

Guys, I don’t even think this is the “boon reveal”, just a short interlude reestablishing what’s going on down on Earth.

I'd hope not, but the title of the comic seems to indicate otherwise...

[Wrenisprobablyb0red]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

[NHWestoN]

Clears that up.

[Nobody]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

That's very passive-aggressive.

[Wrenisprobablyb0red]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

That's very passive-aggressive.

Yes, I wasn't being particularly subtle lol.

[FalinkesInculta]

Bingus scientist!

[andwhyisit]

I'm happy we get to know the one-off news ticker's fursona.

The guy on the right in the last panel also shows up on this page:
https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/20 ... -balanced/

[Amazee Dayzee]

Unless this ends with people getting the choice to change back or stay animals this is kind of an unsatisfactory ending. I have yet to see any evidence of this though.

[CryosR]

I honestly have no idea where this is going.

But I just noticed that bear is the same "ambush reporter" as before.

The more things change the more things stay the same.

People too apparently

[Harry Johnathan]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

The bafflingly obvious defiance of the arc’s whole “don’t play God” and “make your own choices” theme is why I don’t think this strip is supposed to be the resolution at all.

[Nobody]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

The bafflingly obvious defiance of the arc’s whole “don’t play God” and “make your own choices” theme is why I don’t think this strip is supposed to be the resolution at all.

I'm waiting until we actually see "The End" on the page before I decide I know where it's going. Made that mistake previously and won't do it again. So, I reserve judgement for now.

[Shryke]

Love it when resolutions have no thematic tie-in to anything in the story

The bafflingly obvious defiance of the arc’s whole “don’t play God” and “make your own choices” theme is why I don’t think this strip is supposed to be the resolution at all.

I hope this isn't "it" as well. Without (hopefully) getting too sociological on you all, this seems like it will lead to all sorts of problems. The humans-then-animals would probably resent the offer of the ECP since they were just recently in charge. Those that do will likely cause a schism of sorts, as the once-humans might think themselves superior to the always-animals.

Then there's the issue of those humans who were in jobs that their animal equivalent may be physically unable to perform (drivers, pilots, etc) or that people may not want in those jobs (cook, surgeon, etc).

And since the reporter mentioned "thousands" of transformations, it does seem to be limited to the BG area. This would invite in scores of scientists to study the animals, military to see how they can make use of them, and businesses to see how they can exploit this for profit. End result there is a miserable existence for our pets.

And what would happen if Earl and Jill were animal-ized (for example)? How would that dynamic work?

No, I hope this goes back the "other way" somehow (FIX IT KITSUNE!!!!!).

Maybe I'm applying too much socio-economic-religious-existentialism to this, but Rick started it!

[MischaTheWolf]

I think you have some truth in what you say. This is something that would cause pandemonium and tear society apart as we know it. I kind of prefer when humans transforming into animals was an extreme rarity, where the point was to develop individual characters rather than society as a whole.

I frankly think educating humans to be better makes a lot more sense than randomly transforming people into animals without control over their end fate, which would only make people more resentful of the ECP. Sometimes transformation adds purpose to their lives and develops their character, e.g. King and a few other characters, but those are exceptions and they actually got a choice.

[Amazee Dayzee]

To be fair though at first Joel DIDN'T get a choice and it took a lot of time and him falling in love with Bailey to get him to accept being an animal. I don't think it will work if Rick tries to do the same thing with all the transformed humans.

[MischaTheWolf]

Yup! That’s what I was getting at. Joel/King is an exception in that his life and character qualities improved by being transformed to the point that even when he was given the choice to go back to being human with the promise of an easy and comfortable life, he rejected it. Like you said, I also don’t think doing that with most of the other ex-humans would work.

[Shryke]

Some may be driven to depression or worse….

[Harry Johnathan]

To be fair though at first Joel DIDN'T get a choice and it took a lot of time and him falling in love with Bailey to get him to accept being an animal. I don't think it will work if Rick tries to do the same thing with all the transformed humans.

See, Joel was just one guy. This is the entire world. To put that into perspective: I commit a murder, that's a small-time tragedy. I blow up an entire continent, that's an international atrocity.

Not that a funny animal comic-strip is that serious, obviously, but arguing is fun.

[MischaTheWolf]

I kinda agree. I mean imagine writing a whole novel about a single murder with conflict and resolution, and then drop a sequel where everyone in North America dies in the same way as the first victim. I imagine that might not work out too great, but we're still yet to see how this ends.

[Noir The Sable]

Ah.

I'm in agreement with the others that I'm not a fan of "they stay animals but they're inexplicably fine with it" as a resolution, but I'd also say that this seems to be just a part of it rather than the whole shebang. If I had to guess, I'd suspect this is teeing up the compromise that an "instantaneous transformation ritual" will be hammered out and documented by Science™ which would let people "explore" like Marion wanted.

From the last panel, it suggests that at least a good amount of the immediate negative consequences of open transformation (e.g, "non-traceable identities") may be swept under the rug as part of the boon (or maybe it's just not at a scale where it's apparent yet).

To be fair though at first Joel DIDN'T get a choice and it took a lot of time and him falling in love with Bailey to get him to accept being an animal. I don't think it will work if Rick tries to do the same thing with all the transformed humans.

See, Joel was just one guy. This is the entire world. To put that into perspective: I commit a murder, that's a small-time tragedy. I blow up an entire continent, that's an international atrocity.

Not that a funny animal comic-strip is that serious, obviously, but arguing is fun.

To be fair, Kate the Newscaster says that it was on the order of magnitude of "thousands" (as opposed to, e.g., "millions"), so I would guess it's (so far still) fairly localized to the town.

Still, explains why Keene was so "keen" on this.

[D-Rock]

Just give the guy who was explained multiple times why he can’t have what he wants, well, what he wants. Remember when he had this exact idea and Lois thought it was worth non-verbally warning him against it?

[Amazee Dayzee]

I don't think that we are supposed to remember it at all honestly. Its been swept under the rug.

[Harry Johnathan]

Ah.

Can I just say this, I love the aesthetic of your pfp, lol.