2019/04/29 - An Auspicious Beginning

[Temno the wolf]

Was wondering when Steward was gonna use that coin (Assuming it is*)

Also that is probably what my first reaction would be due to the shock of it, second reaction would be a pinch with the possibility of accidentally clawing myself.

[shadowlucario50]

Everyone's posting theories, so I'll throw a random fact to see any theories for what you come up with.

Notice something about the bed. There are two pillows next to each other. Furthermore, the teenage squirrel is on the right side of the bed. Was there someone on the left side?

[Gameb18oy]

Everyone's posting theories, so I'll throw a random fact to see any theories for what you come up with.

Notice something about the bed. There are two pillows next to each other. Furthermore, the teenage squirrel is on the right side of the bed. Was there someone on the left side?

... probably not, Steward would have done something to them as well if there had been

[NHWestoN]

Made a gotta folks giddy, there, Rick. Don't know where it's going but the options are really branching out!

[Douglas Collier]

Everyone's posting theories, so I'll throw a random fact to see any theories for what you come up with.

Notice something about the bed. There are two pillows next to each other. Furthermore, the teenage squirrel is on the right side of the bed. Was there someone on the left side?

I have a big bed with two pillows; nobody sleeps on the other side (except my dog, who sleeps at the foot of the bed).

[Gameb18oy]

Everyone's posting theories, so I'll throw a random fact to see any theories for what you come up with.

Notice something about the bed. There are two pillows next to each other. Furthermore, the teenage squirrel is on the right side of the bed. Was there someone on the left side?

I have a big bed with two pillows; nobody sleeps on the other side (except my dog, who sleeps at the foot of the bed).

This comment is made a little funnier by your icon Douglas. It’s like a milder version of the goofy and Pluto debate

[Render]

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.

After reading the comic I was sure it's a boy. Then I checked the skirrl's name and it left me totally confused. In German Marion is a 100% female name. While some guys carry Maria as a second name, I've never heard of Marion as a name for boys.

[Argent]

Marion makes me think of Marion Barry.

[fenrirblack]

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

Steward is smart but not all that smart considering how his grand scheme to rob the Milton’s turned out. But he’s had a year to come up with a scheme for the coin so there are several options at this point. The thing is though there is still one factor that bothers me and that is how did Marion get changed? We know it’s instant so how is he waking up as a squirrel if the coin and Steward were involved? Does the coin have more ways of effecting people without touching it? is Marion so oblivious that he never realized he was changed until now? Why him? That is a good question. Yes, he must have parents, which I’m glad you brought up because that leads me to a tangent.

Parents and transformation are a fickle thing. They have a tendency to suck the fun out it. Depending on if Marion gets his parents involved (which could not even happen for a number of reasons including they’re busy or away) could effect the story in several ways. First he tries to hide it which after that screaming would be hard, they see him and freak out because they think he’s a feral squirrel, or they have a family meeting to discuss what happened and steps to overcome it. If I was writing this I would go with hide it from them and sneak out the window. Like I said parents and magic don’t mix most of the time. Unless they try to take him to the vet which could definitely be funny.

Steward chose him there must be a reason unless it was random. Marion could shout it from the rooftops that he was transformed but King, Thomas, And Steward didn’t (for obvious reasons) so I doubt Marion will either. So people finding out and searching for the cause is not a factor Steward would not affect his decision. This also could simply be a test of the coins power. Find a rando and change them. From from I know about serial killers it is that if even if someone disappears without a trace they’re going to be hard to find if said serial killer covers their tracks well. It would not matter if Marion was in a relationship or has a loving family. Steward could have been watching him for a while too determine if he would be suitable but I doubt that because that seems like a lot of wasted effort. There is no good way to trace Marion’s transformation back to Steward or the cult. The only ones who would be able to help would be Keene and the other pets which fits into the way the comic is structured.

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.

Where did you get that picture?

Yes, we are totally on the same page.

Rick’s Twitter

[Macsen]

For those wondering about whether or not "his parents will miss him":

How do we know Marion isn't already home? That adds a whole new dimension to this. How would his parents react to finding a squirrel in their son's bed instead of their son?

They might actually be home, and dumbfounded at that high-pitched chipmunk sound that sounds vaguely like their son.

[Argent]

Lucky he doesn't sleep in pajamas.

[Macsen]

It's probable he slept just in underwear, and those fell off when his species changed. It's in all likelihood he's a lot smaller now than he was as a human.

He also could've inadvertently crawled out of his now-way-too-big pj's when he woke up.

[Gameb18oy]

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.

After reading the comic I was sure it's a boy. Then I checked the skirrl's name and it left me totally confused. In German Marion is a 100% female name. While some guys carry Maria as a second name, I've never heard of Marion as a name for boys.

Well there’s Marion Moseby if you ever watched Disney Channel or saw the memes about him

[Silly Zealot]

So is this more or less the new "King"?
You know our human-turend-animal protagonist?
Awesome, things are getting real

The King dead busy, All hail the king!

It's everything I wanted and more. Hang on,

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

My, my. It truly HAS been an entire year since we last saw the evil coins, hasn't it? Time sure flies!

This story is gonna be the best! What excitement!

[Keldor]

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

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!

*SNIP*

Have to be a mongoose, you know!



Still, something like that would definitely be the sort of decision you'd have to really think about.

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

[Gameb18oy]

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

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!

*SNIP*

Have to be a mongoose, you know!



Still, something like that would definitely be the sort of decision you'd have to really think about.

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

Yeah in hindsight, King had a mild reaction, only seeming upset by the nakedness and not the fact that he was in a body that wasn’t his own

[Postcard]

After reading the comic I was sure it's a boy. Then I checked the skirrl's name and it left me totally confused. In German Marion is a 100% female name. While some guys carry Maria as a second name, I've never heard of Marion as a name for boys.

I work with a Polish guy who's first name is Marion. Personally, I'm thinking the squirrel is a boy.

[CyberDragon]

Hear's a hypothesis. Marion is related to Stewart and he's turning his family into animals to get them back with him?

[CunningFox]

Typical Monday morning.

[D-Rock]

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

Very true. Lots of new things about your body you'd have to learn. The tail control, for instance, and in this case as well, losing a finger. Little changes have a tendency of making people nervous. This on the other hand is a big change.

Also, this adds a lot more than the others had. Frankly, safety is now a major concern, what with nearly every animal we know being a potential predator animal.

Also, there's heavy implication of him having a lot to lose. Joel was disconnected from what was left of his family, and friends seem unlikely. Marion seems to not only have a family, but possibly in a relationship, judging from what he's wearing in the concept art.

Or it could be a younger siblings, but relationship is usually the case.

Hear's a hypothesis. Marion is related to Stewart and he's turning his family into animals to get them back with him?

Is it bad that I was thinking this, too? Horrid way to test the coin, though, what with the randomization and lack of consent.

[Cesco]

Oh, another person got transformed in animal. It's a normal thing there. And this time while sleeping, that's not nice to discover when waking up, actually... If the squirrel seems to be a female because of the name, it's weird that apparently was talking about shaving the face. This beginning is interesting, looking ahead for more new stuff.

[Elwood Blutarsky]

I'll be the one to go out a limb and be the one to bet this has nothing to do with Steward. Maybe this is some sort of karmic payback, like he was mean to squirrels or something, or maybe it has something to do with all the deities behaving badly that hang around the area but randomly turning teenagers into medium-sized rodents doesn't seem like something Steward would do, he's not a cult leader he's a failed bank employee who tried to scam the ferrets and got his comeuppance. If the coin is somehow involved I would bank on it being accidental, like Jessica collected it for rent and used it at a store where this kid works or Karishad did something with it. If its the latter we should consider ourselves lucky only Marion grew a tail.

Oh, another person got transformed in animal. It's a normal thing there.

It's a recurring problem that's driving down property values in Babylon Gardens. On the plus side that makes the area more affordable, it's not far from downtown, and the schools are pretty good if you don't mind the fact its now full of mostly well-behaved wolves...and that your child could be randomly turned into a river mink or a coyote within six months of attending it.

For the Marion as a boys name I think everyone is missing the most famous Marion of all, Marion Morrison. Of course when he was at work he went by another name, John Wayne.

[Elwood Blutarsky]

Marion does have one thing going for him and that's that he is a new character. There's no buildup like there was for King or Steward and that means it initially looks like this isn't automatically a divine punishment. Could it be possible he'll be a one-off and escape his potential nut gathering fate at the end of the arc? The coin can be reversed in theory if it's involved. Of course those reversal spells are under several thousand tons of rubble...maybe he could squeeze through because he is so small?

Alternate theory: He's always been a squirrel, he drank too much orange soda, he sneaked through a window of this house then passed out on the bed, and now he thinks he was human when he never was.

[fenrirblack]

I'll be the one to go out a limb and be the one to bet this has nothing to do with Steward. Maybe this is some sort of karmic payback, like he was mean to squirrels or something, or maybe it has something to do with all the deities behaving badly that hang around the area but randomly turning teenagers into medium-sized rodents doesn't seem like something Steward would do, he's not a cult leader he's a failed bank employee who tried to scam the ferrets and got his comeuppance. If the coin is somehow involved I would bank on it being accidental, like Jessica collected it for rent and used it at a store where this kid works or Karishad did something with it. If its the latter we should consider ourselves lucky only Marion grew a tail.

I'm glad someone else is thinking the same thing. I doubt it's karmic payback, the squirrel thing is most likely a author's choice and has no real reason other than Rick has a plan and/or has a checklist of animals rarely/if ever seen in the comic. Steward did lose a lot and that kind of damage could warp his mind. Cult leader maybe not but there is no telling what a man with nothing to lose can do but again part of me is really unsure if he's involved with Marion at least.

Oh, another person got transformed in animal. It's a normal thing there.

It's a recurring problem that's driving down property values in Babylon Gardens. On the plus side that makes the area more affordable, it's not far from downtown, and the schools are pretty good if you don't mind the fact its now full of mostly well-behaved wolves...and that your child could be randomly turned into a river mink or a coyote within six months of attending it.

I was thinking the same thing. If it is the same kid with Rockstar than that means that any association with the animals from Babylon Gardens puts a target on your back. Things could have been much different for King if he and Orwell decided to go to a different neighborhood that day.

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

Very true. Lots of new things about your body you'd have to learn. The tail control, for instance, and in this case as well, losing a finger. Little changes have a tendency of making people nervous. This on the other hand is a big change.

Also, this adds a lot more than the others had. Frankly, safety is now a major concern, what with nearly every animal we know being a potential predator animal.

Also, there's heavy implication of him having a lot to lose. Joel was disconnected from what was left of his family, and friends seem unlikely. Marion seems to not only have a family, but possibly in a relationship, judging from what he's wearing in the concept art.

Or it could be a younger siblings, but relationship is usually the case.

I've read a lot of stories like this and "freaking out" is the main reaction even in worlds where the possibility of this happening is strong. Usually the freak out happens one of two ways. Either fear and shock or anger and annoyance. It helps to have an outside source help deal with the change, someone to slap you across the face when you are acting like a lunatic.
Besides he's a squirrel which as was stated is not exactly an ideal animal to change into. For starters he's like one-two feet tall now which is going to make just getting out of the room difficult. His voice is probably higher now which his never fun. His entire diet is completely different. If you were going to change into an animal, you'd at least want it to be a cool animal. But on the bright side at least he changed in a world where animals talk and can walk upright. Though it would still be more ideal if he could have kept his height for his own well-being.

I love that he has depth judging from the necklace. King had baggage but nothing to lose. Marion clearly has a lot of lose which is something that hasn't been seen before. Even Thomas and Steward had nothing by the time they were transformed. Also (and this is my own guess) he has done nothing to deserve this fate which is something else new.

This is totally my kind of character. I mean literally, Nick from my fan fiction had this exact same problem of being changed into an animal and losing his fiancé. It was/is his core character trait.

[Gameb18oy]

I'll be the one to go out a limb and be the one to bet this has nothing to do with Steward. Maybe this is some sort of karmic payback, like he was mean to squirrels or something, or maybe it has something to do with all the deities behaving badly that hang around the area but randomly turning teenagers into medium-sized rodents doesn't seem like something Steward would do, he's not a cult leader he's a failed bank employee who tried to scam the ferrets and got his comeuppance. If the coin is somehow involved I would bank on it being accidental, like Jessica collected it for rent and used it at a store where this kid works or Karishad did something with it. If its the latter we should consider ourselves lucky only Marion grew a tail.

I'm glad someone else is thinking the same thing. I doubt it's karmic payback, the squirrel thing is most likely a author's choice and has no real reason other than Rick has a plan and/or has a checklist of animals rarely/if ever seen in the comic. Steward did lose a lot and that kind of damage could warp his mind. Cult leader maybe not but there is no telling what a man with nothing to lose can do but again part of me is really unsure if he's involved with Marion at least.

Oh, another person got transformed in animal. It's a normal thing there.

It's a recurring problem that's driving down property values in Babylon Gardens. On the plus side that makes the area more affordable, it's not far from downtown, and the schools are pretty good if you don't mind the fact its now full of mostly well-behaved wolves...and that your child could be randomly turned into a river mink or a coyote within six months of attending it.

I was thinking the same thing. If it is the same kid with Rockstar than that means that any association with the animals from Babylon Gardens puts a target on your back. Things could have been much different for King if he and Orwell decided to go to a different neighborhood that day.

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

Very true. Lots of new things about your body you'd have to learn. The tail control, for instance, and in this case as well, losing a finger. Little changes have a tendency of making people nervous. This on the other hand is a big change.

Also, this adds a lot more than the others had. Frankly, safety is now a major concern, what with nearly every animal we know being a potential predator animal.

Also, there's heavy implication of him having a lot to lose. Joel was disconnected from what was left of his family, and friends seem unlikely. Marion seems to not only have a family, but possibly in a relationship, judging from what he's wearing in the concept art.

Or it could be a younger siblings, but relationship is usually the case.

I've read a lot of stories like this and "freaking out" is the main reaction even in worlds where the possibility of this happening is strong. Usually the freak out happens one of two ways. Either fear and shock or anger and annoyance. It helps to have an outside source help deal with the change, someone to slap you across the face when you are acting like a lunatic.
Besides he's a squirrel which as was stated is not exactly an ideal animal to change into. For starters he's like one-two feet tall now which is going to make just getting out of the room difficult. His voice is probably higher now which his never fun. His entire diet is completely different. If you were going to change into an animal, you'd at least want it to be a cool animal. But on the bright side at least he changed in a world where animals talk and can walk upright. Though it would still be more ideal if he could have kept his height for his own well-being.

I love that he has depth judging from the necklace. King had baggage but nothing to lose. Marion clearly has a lot of lose which is something that hasn't been seen before. Even Thomas and Steward had nothing by the time they were transformed. Also (and this is my own guess) he has done nothing to deserve this fate which is something else new.

This is totally my kind of character. I mean literally, Nick from my fan fiction had this exact same problem of being changed into an animal and losing his fiancé. It was/is his core character trait.

Just gonna point out, the diet thing doesn’t really effect much aside from stuff like orange soda being alcohol to them. If it did, Rick couldn’t have the pets get stuff like coffee. It’s basically another version of chocolate, mostly due to the caffeine. The animals of Housepets just like foods similar to our version’s counterparts, with the only time their real diet came up was with Spo and Squeak separately on not liking cheese, and that should be taken with a grain of salt as all the pets acted more like animals than humans back then anyway. That being said, squirrels aren’t impossible to keep as pets, so luckily for Marion, if Rick has set him up with parents that aren’t the immediately kick him out type and the Milton’s help him out like they did with the wolves and King, technically aside from how he looks and what he can physically do now, there’s a chance all that’s gonna change is the squirrel will legally have to be considered a pet and if the possibility that if he’s Hawk’s human classmate we saw that he’s going to make sure that they know, as a certain shark once said “friend, not food”. Personally, while some of you might disagree, I think that might be one of the more interesting routes to go down, have one of the humans not have hide who they were before at all, the other three really didn’t have that option + it make it a lot easier for Rick to draw arcs set in the school if he had more non-humans to draw. Rick doesn’t make it a real secret that he doesn’t tend to enjoy drawing humans (especially their faces), and I don’t doubt some arcs are tossed out as he’d need to draw them more within them. Personally, my fingers are still crossed for some of the owners to get transmogrified so we can see more of them. Mr. London, Bill, both Mr. and Mrs. Sandwich, Jeeves (not wanting him transformed, just don’t want to leave off the butler), and even Sasha’s owner (into a mouse or something for karma) are all characters with enough personality to want to see more of, but we’re all fully aware won’t at this point in time. It’s not too outlandish a theory to say that’s likely why Thomas Milton got turned into a camel, Rick clearly wanted to be able to do more with the character in the future, and wanted to change what he draws into something more fun to work with... and I’m writing way too much again so gonna stop myself here and just ask what everyone else thinks of my contributions.

[Champion Wallace]

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.

That would be really tragic if Marion had to lose a boyfriend/girlfriend because of the species difference from a transformation. Wait, wasn't that the core of King's dilemma?

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

I don't believe anyone did that.

Was wondering when Steward was gonna use that coin (Assuming it is*)

Also that is probably what my first reaction would be due to the shock of it, second reaction would be a pinch with the possibility of accidentally clawing myself.

I never understood why people pinched themselves if they thought they were dreaming.

The thing is though there is still one factor that bothers me and that is how did Marion get changed? We know it’s instant so how is he waking up as a squirrel if the coin and Steward were involved? Does the coin have more ways of effecting people without touching it? is Marion so oblivious that he never realized he was changed until now?

Both King and Thomas didn't realize they had transformed until they physically looked at themselves. If Marion changed while sleeping it probably wouldn't wake him up. If this is caused by Steward and the coin though, that raises the question of how Steward was able to sneak into a teenager's room, touch their hand to a coin (assuming he correctly guessed the "human hands" part) and than sneak out without being detected.

For those wondering about whether or not "his parents will miss him":

How do we know Marion isn't already home? That adds a whole new dimension to this. How would his parents react to finding a squirrel in their son's bed instead of their son?

They might actually be home, and dumbfounded at that high-pitched chipmunk sound that sounds vaguely like their son.

This is what I'm thinking as well.

Lucky he doesn't sleep in pajamas.

With every other transformation all the clothes disappeared off the person (with the one exception of Stewards glasses). Marion could've been wearing pajamas before he was a squirrel.

And regardless of your feelings, unexpectedly waking up as an animal would be quite alarming and worthy of a freak out.

Very true. Lots of new things about your body you'd have to learn. The tail control, for instance, and in this case as well, losing a finger. Little changes have a tendency of making people nervous. This on the other hand is a big change.

I don't think learning how to physically squirrel will be an issue. In All the King’s Men, part 2 King reflected on his transformation "He was a dog right from the start; there was no fumbling over his paws or re-learning how to speak with the added three or four inches of muzzle protruding from his face, just dog." It's possible Pete's curse works differently than when he transforms you himself, but Thomas had no trouble getting around as a quadruped.

It’s not too outlandish a theory to say that’s likely why Thomas Milton got turned into a camel, Rick clearly wanted to be able to do more with the character in the future, and wanted to change what he draws into something more fun to work with.

Except Thomas said he was going to be put in a zoo, and I think you're fully aware of how hard it is for the focus of the story to swing back there.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I'm wondering if something had went wrong with the coin due to Steward living in the same house as Karishad who seems to warp all space and time and now random people have begun to transform into animals. It would not be that weird if his parents if he lives with them were also transformed most likely into different animals. XD

[trekkie]

I forgot about Kari. Good catch, AD.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Though I doubt that he has anything at all to do with this here and even if he did then, it would probably be just existing.

[fenrirblack]

Just gonna point out, the diet thing doesn’t really effect much aside from stuff like orange soda being alcohol to them. If it did, Rick couldn’t have the pets get stuff like coffee. It’s basically another version of chocolate, mostly due to the caffeine. The animals of Housepets just like foods similar to our version’s counterparts, with the only time their real diet came up was with Spo and Squeak separately on not liking cheese, and that should be taken with a grain of salt as all the pets acted more like animals than humans back then anyway.

The thing about squirrel's is that the diet is so vastly different than the other pets. I mean it's mainly nuts. For King his diet hadn't changed much because as it's been established pets can eat human food. We've seen it but those were cats and dogs therefore carnivores. What we've haven't really seen is what herbivores eat as much. Even if Marion could eat junk food or something there still are going to be things that his new body simply will not be able to tolerate.

That being said, squirrels aren’t impossible to keep as pets, so luckily for Marion, if Rick has set him up with parents that aren’t the immediately kick him out type and the Milton’s help him out like they did with the wolves and King, technically aside from how he looks and what he can physically do now, there’s a chance all that’s gonna change is the squirrel will legally have to be considered a pet and if the possibility that if he’s Hawk’s human classmate we saw that he’s going to make sure that they know, as a certain shark once said “friend, not food”. Personally, while some of you might disagree, I think that might be one of the more interesting routes to go down, have one of the humans not have hide who they were before at all, the other three really didn’t have that option + it make it a lot easier for Rick to draw arcs set in the school if he had more non-humans to draw. Rick doesn’t make it a real secret that he doesn’t tend to enjoy drawing humans (especially their faces), and I don’t doubt some arcs are tossed out as he’d need to draw them more within them.

I agree with "have one of the humans not have hide who they were before at all" because I still wish King was more open about it after Pete went away. Part of me thinks he would have been if he wasn't a criminal one the run (I guess he still is technically) and same goes for Thomas and Steward. Although Thomas, despite being scum of the earth, never did anything too illegal so he could announce who he is but the problem comes from who would take him seriously or believe him. He seemed awfully accepting of his fate of ending up in a zoo which has always bothered me. Part of me wonders if Keene ever goes visiting him just to rub it in his face. Anyway Marion shouldn't have that problem so this opens up a whole new world of possibilities like I've and others have pointed out before. The real question becomes whether or not he chooses to act on it. I'm still in the idea that he's going to not tell his parents. I believe this is the case for two reasons: A. Rick doesn't like drawing humans so not involving them helps and even though he could still do the voices that would add at least one if not two new characters to the roster even if it just their voices. B. I think it makes for a more compelling and easier plot. If he tells his parents or they discover him that means that we would spend X amount of strips dealing with that when he could be outside seeking help from someone more useful. Again seek out the wolves and therefore Kitsune. Beyond all that though, just to get the help he needs he will have to tell the pets who he is and what happened to him so yeah, he shouldn't and most likely will not keep it a secret. It comes down to who he tells.

[CyberDragon]

I believe Squirrels are actually omnivorous.

[shadowlucario50]

I believe Squirrels are actually omnivorous.

"Squirrels are omnivores, which means they like to eat plants and meat. Squirrels mainly eat fungi, seeds, nuts and fruits, but they will also munch on eggs, small insects, caterpillars, small animals and even young snakes." - (Squirrels: Diet, Habits & Other Facts by Alina Bradford)

Everyone's posting theories, so I'll throw a random fact to see any theories for what you come up with.

Notice something about the bed. There are two pillows next to each other. Furthermore, the teenage squirrel is on the right side of the bed. Was there someone on the left side?

I have a big bed with two pillows; nobody sleeps on the other side (except my dog, who sleeps at the foot of the bed).

I guess I'm too used to having a twin bed with one or two pillows in the center. Thanks for the clarification!

---

Now that I'm at home from school, I can throw out my thoughts without a time limit. People make notes of how it could be Steward's family, but I don't think they're related at all. I actually think that this is just a random person.

I love that he has depth judging from the necklace. King had baggage but nothing to lose. Marion clearly has a lot of lose which is something that hasn't been seen before. Even Thomas and Steward had nothing by the time they were transformed. Also (and this is my own guess) he has done nothing to deserve this fate which is something else new.

This statement here formed my reasoning. If someone had a lot to lose, they would do everything they could to take it back. There's the possibility that Marion might actually be a pawn, with Steward could be observing how Marion would go about it and try to return back to normal form. If Marion fails and starts accepting his/her new life as a squirrel, there's no loss for Steward. He can just move on to the next target and observe them to see if they'll show results. However...

If this is caused by Steward and the coin though, that raises the question of how Steward was able to sneak into a teenager's room, touch their hand to a coin (assuming he correctly guessed the "human hands" part) and than sneak out without being detected.

However, there's also the possibility that it wasn't Steward at all. It's possible that Marion was transformed by unnatural (or divine) causes. If it was Kitsune, maybe he has a plan to test someone (like King or Tarot) in helping Marion. Or maybe it was caused by a malfunction within the heavenly realm and is going to be fixed in no time at all! Which, for mortals, would be a few months to a few years, or maybe it will be fixed right in the next comic strip.

Either way, this plotline certainly captured my attention. I await to see how this goes.

[D-Rock]

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

Well, I guess to be fair, they do look like GIFs, so an easy mistake. Fen, those are MP4 files.

[Sleet]

Marion is adorable!

But man, so many characters.

[Fish Preferred]

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

Well, seeing as Keene has already given up on that effort, and as no humans => no disparity between humans and non-humans, I'd doubt it has anything to do with that. For all we know, it might be as simple as resentment over now being on the losing end of that disparity.

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

Uh ... Where, exactly, do you see cases similar to this one?

[...] 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 we hastily assume (as most of us apparently have) that this is Steward's doing, and also assume that discretion is a priority, he's taking a huge liability here. Your angsty teens running off in the night is one thing. Arbitrary wild animals concurrently breaking into your home and claiming to be your missing children seems a bit too much of an eyebrow-raiser; not something I'd expect a meticulous plotter to risk.

One semi-plausible scenario along these lines is that the kid already ran off to some party or other, became heavily intoxicated, lost-in-woods, coin-cursed after mistaken for a vagrant, stumbled home oblivious to the fact, and finally made it to bed after what would undoubtedly be an extremely adorable series of mishaps where he confuses small household items for much larger household items, which, after thinking about it, is now something I really want to see.

[Gameb18oy]

Just gonna point out, the diet thing doesn’t really effect much aside from stuff like orange soda being alcohol to them. If it did, Rick couldn’t have the pets get stuff like coffee. It’s basically another version of chocolate, mostly due to the caffeine. The animals of Housepets just like foods similar to our version’s counterparts, with the only time their real diet came up was with Spo and Squeak separately on not liking cheese, and that should be taken with a grain of salt as all the pets acted more like animals than humans back then anyway.

The thing about squirrel's is that the diet is so vastly different than the other pets. I mean it's mainly nuts. For King his diet hadn't changed much because as it's been established pets can eat human food. We've seen it but those were cats and dogs therefore carnivores. What we've haven't really seen is what herbivores eat as much. Even if Marion could eat junk food or something there still are going to be things that his new body simply will not be able to tolerate.

That being said, squirrels aren’t impossible to keep as pets, so luckily for Marion, if Rick has set him up with parents that aren’t the immediately kick him out type and the Milton’s help him out like they did with the wolves and King, technically aside from how he looks and what he can physically do now, there’s a chance all that’s gonna change is the squirrel will legally have to be considered a pet and if the possibility that if he’s Hawk’s human classmate we saw that he’s going to make sure that they know, as a certain shark once said “friend, not food”. Personally, while some of you might disagree, I think that might be one of the more interesting routes to go down, have one of the humans not have hide who they were before at all, the other three really didn’t have that option + it make it a lot easier for Rick to draw arcs set in the school if he had more non-humans to draw. Rick doesn’t make it a real secret that he doesn’t tend to enjoy drawing humans (especially their faces), and I don’t doubt some arcs are tossed out as he’d need to draw them more within them.

I agree with "have one of the humans not have hide who they were before at all" because I still wish King was more open about it after Pete went away. Part of me thinks he would have been if he wasn't a criminal one the run (I guess he still is technically) and same goes for Thomas and Steward. Although Thomas, despite being scum of the earth, never did anything too illegal so he could announce who he is but the problem comes from who would take him seriously or believe him. He seemed awfully accepting of his fate of ending up in a zoo which has always bothered me. Part of me wonders if Keene ever goes visiting him just to rub it in his face. Anyway Marion shouldn't have that problem so this opens up a whole new world of possibilities like I've and others have pointed out before. The real question becomes whether or not he chooses to act on it. I'm still in the idea that he's going to not tell his parents. I believe this is the case for two reasons: A. Rick doesn't like drawing humans so not involving them helps and even though he could still do the voices that would add at least one if not two new characters to the roster even if it just their voices. B. I think it makes for a more compelling and easier plot. If he tells his parents or they discover him that means that we would spend X amount of strips dealing with that when he could be outside seeking help from someone more useful. Again seek out the wolves and therefore Kitsune. Beyond all that though, just to get the help he needs he will have to tell the pets who he is and what happened to him so yeah, he shouldn't and most likely will not keep it a secret. It comes down to who he tells.

I’ve been meaning to ask, but I thought Thomas going to the zoo to hideout was more of a fan theory thing concerning where he could go. I don’t know where he’d go if he didn’t go there, but I don’t think Rick in comic actually confirmed that one way or another... and I’m still holding out on the fact if he is there that Rick does have one or two zoo comics planned out and maybe he’ll finally move us away from Roosevelt and Bruce. Considering how many comics those two got, it be nice if we got an extended look at anywhere else in the zoo, or maybe show if most of them are basically paid workers considering it’s mildly been implied that the zoo animals are workers/performers. Consider: A. While Rick seems to drop it most of the time, the kangaroos apparently put on thick accents when not in front of regulars B. Poncho can work there part-time, which suggests he’s compensated somehow C. The kangaroos were allowed out of the zoo to be kinda tour guides for the crew when they went to Australia. D. I keep saying more arcs would just become available if a some of the Housepets got jobs. There are a lot of locations they’d have no reason to stick around unless someone was forced to stay there for a bit. For example, you can’t stay around a vet’s clinic long because in general pet’s are scared of it, but if you had one doing something like training to become a therapy animal (which Mungo has shown do exist in the universe) they suddenly have a reason to be there exploring the environment instead of being freaked out by stuff like having to get their shots, or maybe it give Keys and Fiddler some time as more than background characters if we could see how they approach the music world

[fenrirblack]

[...] 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 we hastily assume (as most of us apparently have) that this is Steward's doing, and also assume that discretion is a priority, he's taking a huge liability here. Your angsty teens running off in the night is one thing. Arbitrary wild animals concurrently breaking into your home and claiming to be your missing children seems a bit too much of an eyebrow-raiser; not something I'd expect a meticulous plotter to risk.

I've been this some though and while I'm still leaning towards this particular transformation was not Steward's or the coin's doing there is a theory I want to float by. If this is Steward's doing then his plan could be something very simple as revenge. I mean a high profile target could be the best option if he wanted everyone in the world to know that magic is real and random people are being transformed into animals. Think about this, the coin is the cause of Marion's transformation but who brought the coin to Babylon Gardens? Henry Milton, when he moved the temple. If Steward wanted to he could create mass panic with the Milton's to blame. The ECP would be ruined and so would Henry Milton's legacy. Keene and the others would be liable for any kind of damage Steward could accomplish with the coin. Not to mention the nut jobs and lunatics that would come out of the woodwork if the existence of magic was common knowledge and could be found in Babylon Gardens. Steward could literally create anarchy just by transforming the right person. If Steward is creating a more complicated plan then Marion could just be the first domino to fall.

What is this with people posting <img> links to videos? That's not how it works.

Well, I guess to be fair, they do look like GIFs, so an easy mistake. Fen, those are MP4 files.

Okay, you're going to have to walk me through the difference. I just get them from the gif box on twitter.

[Frank]

For those wondering about whether or not "his parents will miss him":

How do we know Marion isn't already home? That adds a whole new dimension to this. How would his parents react to finding a squirrel in their son's bed instead of their son?

They might actually be home, and dumbfounded at that high-pitched chipmunk sound that sounds vaguely like their son.

I was going to wait until Wednesday, but my guess is: the last few transformations (Steward and Thomas) may have made the news, so maybe they won't think much of this one beyond "oh dear he caught the bug going around" or "do you know how much paperwork we're going to have to fill now?"

[Champion Wallace]

Does anyone think it's possible that Marion is just their squirrel name similar to how King and Joel have two separate tags?

I’ve been meaning to ask, but I thought Thomas going to the zoo to hideout was more of a fan theory thing concerning where he could go. I don’t know where he’d go if he didn’t go there, but I don’t think Rick in comic actually confirmed that one way or another...

[Therolyn]

I'm sure few may have considered this but note that in theory Steward's coin is not the only one in existence.

Its very much possible that all of the others, not being a direct product of the temple they were housed in were only merely buried in its ruins, rather than being destroyed or disappearing. All it would take is the ruins being disturbed or cleared away for those coins to be spread around and to be found by others, thus allowing others to be exposed to its effects...

I'm a sucker for such change, so I'll be very interested in seeing how this all pans out.

Although I'm divided between my like for squirrels here, my own keen interest to find out what caused Marion to end up that way and not wanting to have to feel too much of a feeling of sadness or pity.