Housepets!

Well, this should prove interesting. And darn my shipper mind for thinking things might happen with the ring, if there should even be one at all!

Nice to meet you too Cory ... Nice to meet you too ...

Ah, a new character… pretty soon we’re going to have a cast of thousands.
I’m really hoping that Cory’s mocking Zach when he calls him cute and “sugarbun” - or that Cory is a girl.

Xane wrote:You can't throw another critter onto the Jessica Rabbit ship!

This ^

yeah, I'm unclear on if Cory is male or female as well. "Cory" makes me think male, but I'm not used to males using phrases like "sugarbun" (I guess he could be a vaguely effeminate male)

Funny, at first I thought the gargoyle in the last strip was a skunk and I was like 'Yea new skunk character!' But then saw it was a gargoyle. So now let me say 'Yea, new skunk character! " Hope he's not a bad guy, skunks get enough bad press, I would hope Rick wouldn't fall into those tired tropes.

RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:yeah, I'm unclear on if Cory is male or female as well. "Cory" makes me think male, but I'm not used to males using phrases like "sugarbun" (I guess he could be a vaguely effeminate male)

Seeing as (s)he's hitting on Zach, that's not entirely outside of the realm of possibility.

Considering how much he gets lost in the forest, I think Zach needs to bring a GPS with him whenever he goes outside

I smell something fishy about all this-oh wait, it isn't fish I'm smelling...

Yay new character! I'm pretty sure it's a girl, at least I hope she is... if not, then this could get really awkward!

I know some girls named Cory, but then again some guys have that name too... Eh who knows?

I'm pretty sure that "Cory" is a female. And I see quite a love triangle in Zach's future.

On another note, the name "Cilantro" is a really weird name.

So Cilantro, his short name only makes sense to be Cory from 'Coriander', im really curious about why is he named with the spanish name of the aromatic herb o.o mysterious latino stunk, maybe?

EDIT: As a side note. In spanish, Cilantro is masculine noun, so i think it's a male

I think that Rick should have used the name "Coriander" instead because that sounds a lot more feminine and I do believe she is a female.

The crunch of commitment sounds through the snow,
a sound of loneliness echoed in the clear, bright, day,
the footpads of a reluctant hero tramping through the floe,
on his way to money; no intention to save today.
Travelling alone and meeting new friends braving the cold,
falling into untold plots and unknown plans gone astray
as the way closes wide ahead of the opener, his fear bold
and gone down the white, long lost along the way.
Do you put trust in a new friend not to lead you off the path?
Do you trust a spicy suspect who could really use a bath?
If she's the only one helping, do you accept the assistance?
Do you make the deal or does your conscience go the distance?

If Cory is male, I fear Rick may have just opened up a can of worms.

I think that Clinatro is a girl due to the use of "sugerbun" and that Clinatro is the name of a plant. I have only ever heard plant names as character names for girls, such as Katniss, Primrose, Rose, Lavender, Daisy, Blossom, Ginger, Heather, Iris, Lilly etc.
I wonder if the we will be treated to a lord of the rings reference soon?

Cilantro es cantante,
Cilantro es muy famoso,
Cilantro es el hombre con el queso del diablo.

(translation:
Cilantro is a singer
Cilantro is very famous
Cilantro is the man with the cheese of the devil)
(reference ended)

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:I have only ever heard plant names as character names for girls

Basil?

Douglas Collier wrote:If Cory is male, I fear Rick may have just opened up a can of worms.

We already have an official gay couple, the kangaroos, and someone hinted at two K9U secondary characters being gay. Nothing scandalous in a Cory and his funny antics, if he's gay as well.
But rather than, err, 'special interests' in Zach, I'd say that Cory is acting like some fishy dealer to win the confidence of the hapless housepet.

I wouldn't say that the kangaroos are gay because we don't know the gender of Roosevelt.

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:I wouldn't say that the kangaroos are gay because we don't know the gender of Roosevelt.

ah, it's definitely a gay couple. Officially, I mean. No mistakes. Seriously.

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:I wouldn't say that the kangaroos are gay because we don't know the gender of Roosevelt.

Roosevelt is a boy.

But how could you tell they have only been seen on very few occasions.
Sorry I just viewed the link.

See what I mean? We're already having debates.

Xane wrote:Cilantro/Coriander are different parts of the same plant (depending on the etymology and region you're from, sometimes they refer to the exact same thing, sometimes coriander is the seeds and cilantro is the leaves)

:O I didnt know this, english class said u translate "Cilanto" as "Coriander" and that was all. Thanks for the new piece of info ^^

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:I think that Clinatro is a girl due to the use of "sugerbun" and that Clinatro is the name of a plant. I have only ever heard plant names as character names for girls, such as Katniss, Primrose, Rose, Lavender, Daisy, Blossom etc.

Well these are plants, that's true, but those are flowers' names, and flowers' names are commonly used to name females (in many countries). But Coriander is not a flower name, also there a few male names coming from plants names. Ashton is one as far as i know.

Rick has said they're both male. It's 100% official.

now back to your regularly scheduled comic discussion :3

Okay I surrender Roosevelt is a boy.
Anyway back on topic who thinks this ring will lead to a lord of the rings reference.

Do those rules apply to pets as well? I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult for them to pawn off their owners' valuables otherwise.

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:Anyway back on topic who thinks this ring will lead to a lord of the rings reference.

One by one, the pets of Babylon Gardens fell to the power of the Ring.

Trading your food for a gold ring? Think I did that on a game called the Amazon Trail. Funny thing is, it wasn't starvation that did me in there.

I would think that Cory is a better short name than what whatever you could get from Cilantro. Honestly, still tripped out that coriander and cilantro are from the same plant, not sure why.

Loved how direct Zach was in that last panel, though!

One ring to rule them all
One ring to find them
One ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them!

yellowcrash10 wrote:

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:Anyway back on topic who thinks this ring will lead to a lord of the rings reference.

One by one, the pets of Babylon Gardens fell to the power of the Ring.

Aw. You guys already beat me to it!

Yay for new character though! I like him already! He's got that slick feel about him. I think he'll be a character to watch out for. Dangerous things could come out of him and not just because he's a skunk.

Number9Dysonsphere wrote:I have only ever heard plant names as character names for girls,

Have a flip though Watership Down. Almost all the rabbits are named for plants and most of them are male. Hazel, Blackberry, Acorn, Dandelion, Woundwort, Campion, Cowslip, Lord Rowan (Threarah), Holly, Buckthorn, Speedwell, Strawberry, and Bluebell are all male, and that's just some of the rabbits.

D-Rock wrote:Honestly, still tripped out that coriander and cilantro are from the same plant, not sure why.

Aparently this is the reason:
Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander, also deriving from coriandrum. It is the common term in North America for coriander leaves, due to their extensive use in Mexican cuisine.

Zach is sidetracked already, oh boy this will be fun. Time to see how long it takes him to get to the Miltons.

Wild guess from out in left field...this is Pete and Dragon's mortal form, accounting for the combination of male and femaleness ( and I can very easily hear in my mind's ear Dragon's half calling Zach 'sugarbun'.)

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Wild guess from out in left field...this is Pete and Dragon's mortal form, accounting for the combination of male and femaleness ( and I can very easily hear in my mind's ear Dragon's half calling Zach 'sugarbun'.)

Cory = Baron Ashura!

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Wild guess from out in left field...this is Pete and Dragon's mortal form, accounting for the combination of male and femaleness ( and I can very easily hear in my mind's ear Dragon's half calling Zach 'sugarbun'.)

Yes! This has to be it! And here's something I just noticed: Cilantro's eyes are green and yellow!

Cory's cute! I can't wait to see more...

yellowcrash10 wrote:

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Wild guess from out in left field...this is Pete and Dragon's mortal form...

Yes! This has to be it! And here's something I just noticed: Cilantro's eyes are green and yellow!

wild, wild possibility...
...strip's title itself would make sense in a totally new way...

okay that's a twist...but..you know...I noticed a pattern:
Jessica was introduced during winter and now Cory, could that be a new tradition?
I wouldn't mind it
Also I think Cory is a male, who just wants to sound cool
I think some of us know there this will lead, to one of Zach's wacks adventures

*Takes a deep breath* At the risk of holding this thread hostage to the subject of the skunk's gender/Roo's relationship...this really will likely be the last best chance to post some thoughts on the matter.

*Gathers thoughts*

Let me first note that one look at some of the fics on my tablet would disabuse anybody of the notion that I'm closed to fics involving characters in unconventional relationships. And yes, though I'm only interested in plot-centric works, as I'm usually somewhat out of the, eh, core demographic, some fast scanning over certain parts is usually involved.... Having said that - if you'll indulge me a moment, let me use the analogy of another work to make my point: Stephen King's 'The Stand'.

'The Stand' is considered by many fans to be King's greatest work. As with most of his work, it is at least in part a work of horror, though that term hardly does the work justice. And not surprisingly, there are graphic moments, some 'explicit' moments, and no shortage of obscenities. And one might rightly expect King to be as liberal( or not ) as any other author. Yet for all that - no offense to the authors of certain fanfics, and fully acknowledging that the author himself may disagree - 'alternative' relationships among the characters in the universe of that work, and just that work, would not work. Why? Because both the tone and themes of the story are strongly Abrahamic; More specific than that, while the work is never theological, the core of the core of the 'heroes', Mother Abigail, very much is. Her pride, over which she worries for much of the novel, eventually gives the enemy a temporary, costly opening. Later four men, men all, are sent out by her - carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs - to confront the baddie. There's also a strong scent of almost Calvinist( Macbethian? ) 'double pre-destination' in the 'sifting' of the good and evil among the survivors of the plague. Though not King's other works, perhaps not even the larger 'Dark Tower' universe to which it belongs, the work itself is, very consciously, 'traditionalist' in it's framework. A relationship between two men( or women ) within the universe would go down - to me - like a dropped note at a piano concert.

What on earth does this have to do with Housepets!, and how I'd choose to view the relationship of a certain pair of 'roos?

Well, because in a different way, I feel much the same about this comic! Think about the 'anti-cat/anti 'cat lover'' sentiment of some characters in the comic; Is it a particularly virulent form of the whole 'boys vs. girls' phase many children go through? A metaphor for racism? Or h.omophobia? Heck - sometimes it seems to stand in for furry bashing! Point being, each perspective on the the theme works and, most importantly, even the most 'childish' one is not only equally valid, but has it's own, cutesy appeal that stands on it's own. Think of the many, er, questions, that Joey and Squeak's relationship calls to mind( or better yet, depending on your spin - don't. ) Or on that subject, though too lazy to find the link to the strip, remember when Squeak showed one her friends what she saw in cats? Think about that one for a moment. And yet in each case, insoluably, the strips and/or themes work just as well, and as deeply, in nothing more than the most quote-unquote 'family friendly' light. Bf/gf are who the characters 'snuggle with'. Exactly when a relationship does/does not involve moving beyond 'snuggling', or whether that snuggling always comes with the intention to eventually go further 'if things work out', is left carefully vague.( And we're back to Joey and Squeak! ). And so on.

My point is that to me, this is a large part of the Housepets! magic; that it not only dances around but with these things so deftly, with such a lightness of foot, that it invites the reader to look at them through any number of lenses, without penalty, because 'Housepets!, the (pg) comic' is still just so much fun in it's own right.

So -- yeah...I'll be choosing to picture a couple of 'roos who are just much with the cuddling( awhhh! ) 'cause to me( caveat emptor, mileage will vary, as always ), straight 'outing' a pair of characters just like that clashes with this comic. For me. *Really hopes he didn't upset/offend anyone/made a lick of sense* *meep*

And for the record -- if that skunk's a male - straight or otherwise - I'll eat my shirt( with ketchup, thank you! )!



Joel

Given that this comic has a long, proud tradition of wrongfooting expectations of character's sex/sexuality, I don't think there's anyway we can call Cory either way for the moment.
And... do Housepets characters do more than snuggle? Yeah, 'course they do. Even the gay ones. I think that's utterly implicit in the tone of the comic, just as it will never be explicit because it's a PG comic.

yellowcrash10 wrote:

WhoElseButQuagmire wrote:Wild guess from out in left field...this is Pete and Dragon's mortal form, accounting for the combination of male and femaleness ( and I can very easily hear in my mind's ear Dragon's half calling Zach 'sugarbun'.)

Yes! This has to be it! And here's something I just noticed: Cilantro's eyes are green and yellow!

Wow you have a better monitor than I do... Even in extreme close up the best I can make out is Cory's yellow eye in the last panel.

HundKatzeMaus wrote:okay that's a twist...but..you know...I noticed a pattern:
Jessica was introduced during winter and now Cory, could that be a new tradition?
I wouldn't mind it

Pete too, now that you mention it, if Grape's vision counts as the first appearance

And Zach himself as he was a Christmas present.