Housepets!

So the avatars have accepted the penalty of remaining mortal... Sounds good to me - not so good for the demigods.

Of course, I suppose if that were to happen, Tarot would lose her psychic powers and become *gasp* NORMAL. (And of course that also means no more hyperreal sensurround imaginating or trips to Gallifrax... )

Hmmmm I wonder if Petes better at sucking up than he is at playing the game?

Although I do feel it's definitely going to end in a GAME OVER, I feel Pete has one last trick up his sleeve...

Ten minutes? Yeah I don't think they'll be able to convince them (But that does beg the question: Did the 10 Minutes start AFTER GK said he'll give them ten minutes, or did they start after both Pete and Dragon entered the Cafe, OR did the ten minutes begin AFTER GK appeared in the Cafe?). Though I do wonder what are the penalties are going to be. Nothing really bad I hope.

Well this is over with, especially for Pete, at this point he has absolutely nothing to bargain with at all. So even if Dragon could convince Tarot and Sabrina (which it looks very unlikely) Pete still would lose. Also IIRC there aren't very many non-epilogue based strips left in this arc anyway.

Xane wrote:
Kitsune's still a jerk too, no matter how adorably fuzzy he is. >_>

Nah, he's just watching the game, controlling it.

Boy, Tarot's pretty ticked off at Dragon - don't think I've ever seen her look that aggravated.

ConvoyWolf wrote:Hmmmm I wonder if Petes better at sucking up than he is at playing the game?

He's probably gonna start bawling in front of everyone begging for Bailey to keep playing. Well, in my world that would be perfect.
Also, DAT FACE DOE!!!

Xane wrote:Heck hath no fury like a pom scorned. But a pom scorned has no fury like a cat aggrieved!

Hmm, I wonder what Dragon did/said about Max and Jata.

Kitsune's still a jerk too, no matter how adorably fuzzy he is. >_>

Actually I like Kitsune a bit more now, at least he approaches this kind of stuff more responsibly that Pete and Dragon. Plus he seems to take things not at serious. Were as Cerberus ( Who I also enjoy ) seems to take everything seriously. well, two thirds of her do.

Kitsune's still a jerk too, no matter how adorably fuzzy he is. >_>

But he's a jerk in our favor, so it makes him all the more likeable.

Rick, what? Dragon all the sudden seems unlikable, what happened?

Miles the Wolf wrote:

ConvoyWolf wrote:Hmmmm I wonder if Petes better at sucking up than he is at playing the game?

He's probably gonna start bawling in front of everyone begging for Bailey to keep playing. Well, in my world that would be perfect.
Also, DAT FACE DOE!!!

Douglas Collier wrote:Boy, Tarot's pretty ticked off at Dragon - don't think I've ever seen her look that aggravated.

Face it everyone. We're finally gonna get what we've been dying for…
Pete and Dragon living mortal lives!!

Acritic2 wrote:

Miles the Wolf wrote:

ConvoyWolf wrote:Hmmmm I wonder if Petes better at sucking up than he is at playing the game?

He's probably gonna start bawling in front of everyone begging for Bailey to keep playing. Well, in my world that would be perfect.
Also, DAT FACE DOE!!!

Douglas Collier wrote:Boy, Tarot's pretty ticked off at Dragon - don't think I've ever seen her look that aggravated.

Face it everyone. We're finally gonna get what we've been dying for…
Pete and Dragon living mortal lives!!

YAY!!! But I kind of feel bad cheering for other misfortunes... ah who cares, YAY!!!

wait a minute , ex-boyfriends ? I thought she only has 1 before Fido

SuperStar wrote:Rick, what? Dragon all the sudden seems unlikable, what happened?

maybe it's just me but she seems to be pretty much the same to me

Pete will probably pull something, but if he did what Dragon did.....

Pete: "Bailey! What must I do to convince you?!"
Bailey: "Hmm, I dunno.......let me ask my husband."
King: *evil grin*

You know, its funny because I was just wondering if Kitsune was going to pull something like this on them after reading this this comic and this comic again.

Basically, I'm willing to bet that even though he experiences time subjectively, the Great Kitsune is as sick of the bickering as King/Joel is. Going from the art alone, I'm willing to bet that something happened to Pete's previous avatar here (probably death) and Pete was pretty attached to her, as gamers tend to get. Pete blamed Dragon or a decision she made, so he tried to take "control" over the gaming group, which led to the duel.

Since Pete's avatar in that comic appears to be a nomad barbarian (note she's not wearing armor) and we know that this conflict has been going on for at least 5,000 years, its possible at the very least. With so much time passing from the mortal perspective, its quite possible that this feud has completely ruined whatever plans the Great Kitsune had for his campaign. Great Kitsune definitely has a storyteller's attitude, as seen from his comment here.

Going from all of this, I think the Great Kitsune is smart enough to know that even if one of the wins the duel, the conflict won't really be over because the loosing party is going to be pretty sore at the winning party, and the whole thing will happen again. As a matter of fact, given that Pete specifically says that the Great Kitsune loves, "to screw with player plans with that book of his," it is possible that Great Kitsune has been planning to "screw" with Pete AND Spirit Dragon's expectations, tricking them BOTH into loosing so they have to suffer the same, exact fate. One entire lifetime as mortals. Because they BOTH need a slice of humility pie.

So for my final prediction (I've been wrong at every single one I've made so far, so maybe this'll be it!), I'm going to guess that the Great Kitsune is counting on neither Bailey, King, Sabrina, or Tarot agreeing to return to the fight. When they both fail, then Pete and Spirit Dragon will have to serve out their bargain, to live as mortals for one full lifetime. As Bailey's pups. By the time Pete and Spirit Dragon have served out their agreement, everyone who has ever been affected by their duel will have died, allowing Pete, Spirit Dragon, and the Great Kitsune to start their gaming group fresh. 100 years isn't all that long for the Great Kitsune to wait when he gets to enjoy reality subjectively (though he'll probably spend every waking moment bugging Pete and Spirit Dragon while wearing his big, silly grin).

Wow, that's quite a book, Sabrina. Don't think Pete would fare any better, unless he tries the contract thing.

D3ath_0ps wrote:Although I do feel it's definitely going to end in a GAME OVER, I feel Pete has one last trick up his sleeve...

Only other thing I can think of besides the contract would be him swiping the watch, which he's not even allowed to touch. That may be why Cerberus was brought along.

Douglas Collier wrote:Boy, Tarot's pretty ticked off at Dragon - don't think I've ever seen her look that aggravated.

I will have to point you in the direction of The Gallifrax Protocol. Though that time, it was directed at Peanut.

SuperStar wrote:Rick, what? Dragon all the sudden seems unlikable, what happened?

Think it's more that we have finally been getting pieces of Dragon's personality. She's a good character, but that doesn't mean she's the best of individuals.

Boy, dragons are the worse kind of people.

As for you, Petey, pay for the outstanding check racked-up by Daryl and we'll call it even... Nah, we're just kidding, we demand far more than that.

Also, I'm probably not the first to appreciate this, but I find this long-standing motif of ignoring "the game" quite interesting and deep.

https://www.housepetscomic.com/comics/2 ... escape.png

Guys, do you hear the sound of a bell? That means school is in session. XD

dryideabat wrote:Boy, dragons are the worse kind of people.

HEY! I RESENT THAT!

I don't know why, but I have a feeling that by the end of this arc, everyone's wishes are going to be granted. Well accept for Pete and Dragon. And I'm also thinking about shipping Pete and Dra... *get's bricked*I'm just kidding guys, calm down.

For me Spirit Dragon has always been the nicer of the two. This does not mean she is actually Nice but may mean she doesn't realise she's been horrible to them at times.

Desperate times call for desperate measures,
especially for those to be denied Heaven's treasures.
Their wings clipped, their power confined
unless they persuade a mortal to change their mind.
The all-knowing GM's quite a cool guy,
all powerful here, but keeping Cerb close by
in case Pete decides to actually strike out
with fists rather than tongue. He's a lout.
Magic books list out their grievances
turning their plans into weaknesses
as even the 'nice' Dragon's manipulances show
that she, like 'monster' Pete, has room to grow.

D-Rock wrote:

Douglas Collier wrote:Boy, Tarot's pretty ticked off at Dragon - don't think I've ever seen her look that aggravated.

I will have to point you in the direction of The Gallifrax Protocol. Though that time, it was directed at Peanut.

Good point. Hopefully Tarot will cool off once she's back with Peanut again, though.

Kitsune is literally the greatest GM ever
I love all the expressions here. This is top notch comedy

Welsh Halfwit wrote:For me Spirit Dragon has always been the nicer of the two. This does not mean she is actually Nice but may mean she doesn't realise she's been horrible to them at times.

Desperate times call for desperate measures,
especially for those to be denied Heaven's treasures.
Their wings clipped, their power confined
unless they persuade a mortal to change their mind.
The all-knowing GM's quite a cool guy,
all powerful here, but keeping Cerb close by
in case Pete decides to actually strike out
with fists rather than tongue. He's a lout.
Magic books list out their grievances
turning their plans into weaknesses
as even the 'nice' Dragon's manipulances show
that she, like 'monster' Pete, has room to grow.

Out of all you're poems, this one is my favorite.

Welsh Halfwit wrote:For me Spirit Dragon has always been the nicer of the two. This does not mean she is actually Nice but may mean she doesn't realise she's been horrible to them at times.

yeah I agree , she's actually like me (sort of ) from what I've seen , maaaybe she doesn't have good motive , but at least she's more gentle about it , not that I don't like Pete , he's hilarious at times , but ya know

You know, between Bailey and Sabrina, those glasses seem to make characters age 6 years.

Maybe Kitsune is enjoying this a little too much, but who am I to criticize the GM

Also, whoa, if I have ever seen a look of utter desperation...

Well, Draggy's true colors are showing, though still she's trying to hide it behind a cute doe mask.
Sabrina, Tarot, please let me humbly ask your forgiveness for being a tad too precipitous in judging you. Kiss and make up?
Pete of course can either be fatalistic about it or starts doing open threats. Cosmic crybabies are like that. Because King nor Bailey will NEVER fall for his 'sweet guy' attitude again.
Oh, and 101 pun. GREAT, KITSUNE!! *runs away from bricks*

I think that the glasses are cool on them

Ryusuta wrote:Guys, do you hear the sound of a bell? That means school is in session. XD

dryideabat wrote:Boy, dragons are the worse kind of people.

HEY! I RESENT THAT!

My apologies... Green spirit dragons named Dragon who manipulate the emotions and love affairs of mortals are the worse kind of people.

dryideabat wrote:

Ryusuta wrote:Guys, do you hear the sound of a bell? That means school is in session. XD

dryideabat wrote:Boy, dragons are the worse kind of people.

HEY! I RESENT THAT!

My apologies... Green spirit dragons named Dragon who manipulate the emotions and love affairs of mortals are the worse kind of people.

Dragon did try to take Peanut, but she hasn't really "manipulated" the emotions and love affairs of mortals, that seems more like Pete.

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Nah, he's just watching the game, controlling it.

One night in Perth makes a hard demigod humble.

Dahan wrote:

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Nah, he's just watching the game, controlling it.

One night in Perth makes a hard demigod humble.

Well it IS a nice place - with a completely free Bus service.

And Kitsune's always had a sense of humour and it seems he's spent a lot of time learning the rules on Earth and, quite possibly, interacting with mortals.

Oh my sides. I have to admit that was fun. The best of this arc so far. Perhaps this may end better than I expected.
The faces on this comic are priceless. Seriously, look at Pete! *Can't stop laughing*

Hehe, this comic is bad news for the Taroshad shippers. Also, Dragon may be (partially) responsable for Sabrina's breakups with Max, Jata and other possible suitors. Not sure why though, but I guess it was only to lock Fido and thus prevent Pete to get an avatar, just as she did with Peanut.

Now I want to know more about the penalties. I wonder what are they willing to endure in order to end this game?

valerio wrote: Pete of course can either be fatalistic about it or starts doing open threats. Cosmic crybabies are like that. Because King nor Bailey will NEVER fall for his 'sweet guy' attitude again.
Oh, and 101 pun. GREAT, KITSUNE!! *runs away from bricks*

I think that the glasses are cool on them

Or he could hold up a tennisball and offer it to Bailey in return for being his avatar again. That may work. Dogs will do anything for tennisballs.

Gren wrote:The faces on this comic are priceless.

Dragon's face is like "HOLY CARP! ONLY 10 MINUTES?" XD

ten minutes...in non-subjective time.
Ooohh, Petey, you're in for SOME hard time!

Dahan wrote:

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Nah, he's just watching the game, controlling it.

One night in Perth makes a hard demigod humble.

Yay! I was hoping someone would get the reference And welcome to the forum, Dahan.


I hope Cameron and Rock are getting this all on film. Although it'll probably turn out that Demigods can't be photographed, or something like that.

valerio wrote:ten minutes...in non-subjective time.

Use 10 minutes of(?) Venus. Then there 1 day and a half or so