Housepets!

Well to be fair, how would you try to explain that you got turned into a squirrel?

"Freak Out" path it is then. The most obvious if not the saddest option this story could have taken.

This is exactly what I expected to happen Whelp time for him to explore the wide wide world out there as a squirrel. Should be fun.

Obvious reaction is obvious; at least if Marion meets Falstaff they'll have something in common to share

IceKitsune wrote:This is exactly what I expected to happen Whelp time for him to explore the wide wide world out there as a squirrel. Should be fun.

What about Lois? What if she came by Marion's place and told his mom about the situation? She'll likely assumed that it was the squirrel that did the texting, which is exactly true as Marion is a squirrel.

Oh no, Marion... Hopefully Lois is on her way over after school.

fenrirblack wrote:

"Freak Out" path it is then. The most obvious if not the saddest option this story could have taken.

Seriously, even the broom was involved.

That's not a freak out. That's 'wild animal in my house'. He didn't/couldn't explain. She thought he was an intruder.

Well it went like we worried,
the boy battling the old broom,
the nutter nobbled by the newcomer,
the 'Ratty' rushed from the room.
His Mother made him miss his line
and dropped him down the path;
missing his message on manipulation
and walloping well with her wrath.
Mom may mourn her mayhem
as time ticks by on the day;
even with every explanation
she may not see what he has to say.

Sad and Predictable, but cute.

And now Marion doesn't even have access to his phone.



Hopefully Lois doesn't live too far away.

Welsh Halfwit wrote: That's not a freak out. That's 'wild animal in my house'. He didn't/couldn't explain. She thought he was an intruder.

If there is a wild animal/intruder in your house you are going to freak out. But wasn't even that her reaction was natural, it was the fact that she could have handled it better and Marion could have explained it better or at all.

Great job Rick Griffin on making Marion look small in the third panel. Marion's bracelet/neckless should count for something when convincing his mom, although not enough apparently.

D-Rock wrote:This is why you get to the point as quickly as you can.

Marion's mom put the broom down to let Marion get to his point, it's just the point he got to was, well... pointless.

Lockely wrote:Oh no, Marion... Hopefully Lois is on her way over after school.

School's only been in session for about 3 hours so Marion would have to wait (unless there was a shortened school day that day).

Oooh, things are getting more interesting now that we're out of the house =D

Also, even if he was able to properly explain his situation (and not the gag in the third panel) do you really think the mother would hear him out? She'd probably think he was a loon like poor Steve here. Still though, I'm very excited to see where we go from here.

Marion is so cute here!
Poor guy. Can't wait to see where this is going!

Now that's he's finally outside, I find it hard to imagine any alternative for him besides ending up with Steward. I mean there are three new paths this story can take. The "Pet" path where he meets up with the main cast. The "Feral" path where he ends up in the forest with Steward or a bunch of ferals. Or the "Lois" path where he hangs out at her house and come up with a solution.
No matter what path he takes it should be temporary because his parents are eventually going to realize that he's missing. It might take a few days. Even if they might not want to believe his claims that he is their son, they are eventually going to have to accept that is the reality. Hopefully Marion can use the next few hours to actually come up with a method of getting them (or anyone) to believe him.
Lois is his best option so he'll most likely go to her house. Whether or not he crosses paths with the pets or someone else is unknown at the moment. Hopefully he can avoid the woods and therefore Steward. I still don't know if he's involved personally or not but he's still a threat.

Aw. Poor Marion. Hopefully he finds someone to help him, and hopefully his parents will belatedly believe him. He could try to stay around the house and try and sneak back in or he could go to someone like Lois, who might be able to help him explain to his parents or just help him think through his predicament.

Obviously, a modern parent. She stopped and let Marion have his say before doing exactly what she intended to do anyhow.

As has been mentioned before, considering that Marion's Mom doesn't even have her proper name in the page tag, we're probably not going to see her again until Marion regains his humanity. If he regains it.

As for how he might do that, assuming this is the coin at work, remember this?

Craig/Pete might be the only way to get that countercurse now. Even if he doesn't have any power anymore, he might at least remember how it works.

Cody wrote:Perhaps the most obvious route, but also the most plausible and logical route as well.

Also, that second panel is just eeeeeeee!! <3 He's so cute

I really do hope he stumbles into King and Fox and asks them for help. That would be my favourite outcome of this arc, although, with only a few strips left, I do wonder what the big cliffhanger's gonna be... Hmm!

What makes you think there's only a few strips left?

mr_abomination wrote:What makes you think there's only a few strips left?

Oh, that's because drum roll The 11th anniversary of Housepets! is next week! Rick always ends the current story arc (or at least the first part of it) at the end of each Housepets! year.

Wow, hard to not sympathize for Marion here. Day just keeps getting worse for him.

This is why you should always have a secret recognition code shared with your family in case you get turned into a squirrel or car or return from the dead or something. It's one of the standard sudden urban fantasy cliches after all, right next to having your future self show up. You've got a code for that too, so you can tell your future self from your mirror universe evil twin right?

Someone that's not a Sandwich using the broom, too?

Obviously Grape's real mom.

Ok, i'll show myself out this time. *exits stage left*

Oh dear. Then again, I doubt if his mom even knew it was him as wouldn't his voice have changed too (like wouldn't it be more higher pitched as a squirrel)?

GameCobra wrote:Someone that's not a Sandwich using the broom, too?

Obviously Grape's real mom.

Ok, i'll show myself out this time. *exits stage left*

...pursued by a bear.

Poor Marion. Maybe he'll get a second chance to state his case once his family realizes the human Marion is nowhere to be seen. But for now the neighborhood pets are the best people he can turn to.

The squirrel is so cute. I just wanna pick them up and huggles them.

On another note, this is going to be very interesting, and I wounder if they will meet the coin transformations or king first. Seems like both eventually.

I've been wondering how this would play out, given that this is a world where animals being able to talk is normal. In other Transform-into-animal stories (well, movies) talking or reading or otherwise being able to communicate becomes a huge factor in convincing the family/acquaintances that "it's me!" And in real life, not being able to communicate when an animal that gets in your house is a major frustration point in trying to calm them down.

To the mother's credit, She didn't just say "shut up" or ignore him or assume it was lies; she actually listened to his explanation (at least long enough for him to botch it)

…… trying to remember, apropos of nuthin', have we ever had a feral talk to a human is this comic? Marion's exchange with his mom might be a first, then, assuming she understood him and his words didn't come out as squirrel jabber.

NHWestoN wrote:…… trying to remember, apropos of nuthin', have we ever had a feral talk to a human is this comic? Marion's exchange with his mom might be a first, then, assuming she understood him and his words didn't come out as squirrel jabber.

I aussme you arnt counting the wolves, but foes Jessica count? Back in the state fair arc she talked to a guy who was concerned she was in the petting zoo.

To be fair, it probably happens alot and I just don't remember other ones xP

22xander wrote:

NHWestoN wrote:…… trying to remember, apropos of nuthin', have we ever had a feral talk to a human is this comic? Marion's exchange with his mom might be a first, then, assuming she understood him and his words didn't come out as squirrel jabber.

I aussme you arnt counting the wolves, but foes Jessica count? Back in the state fair arc she talked to a guy who was concerned she was in the petting zoo.

To be fair, it probably happens alot and I just don't remember other ones xP

Also Gale and Pueblo. Gale at least was talking in the phone.

I am perhaps slightly disappointed in this turn because its predictable, but also if his mom went all in on believing him it would be a very different story.

Marion's mom should probably realize something is up shortly. She's going to see his phone/bookbag/shoes still in the house. Then she'll see the squirrel was using the computer and I imagine the recent search history is going to hint at his situation.

If his school is anything like most modern schools, they may have even called/emailed to tell her he didn't show.

Add in calling his best friend Lois and getting that last piece of the puzzle and she might just realize she kicked her tiny furry son out.

Lockely wrote:Marion's mom should probably realize something is up shortly. She's going to see his phone/bookbag/shoes still in the house. Then she'll see the squirrel was using the computer and I imagine the recent search history is going to hint at his situation.

If his school is anything like most modern schools, they may have even called/emailed to tell her he didn't show.

Add in calling his best friend Lois and getting that last piece of the puzzle and she might just realize she kicked her tiny furry son out.

That all seems likely, but it'll take time to put together and by then Marion might be off into the woods somewhere.

I kind of suspect we're going to see him up a tree and sobbing pretty soon. At this moment, what else can he do? He's stuck in the body of a female squirrel, his girlfriend thinks its a prank, his mother didn't believe him, and he has no idea how to survive.

I guess it’s time to be realistic. Moving forward there is not a lot that can happen besides Marion meeting Steward simply because who else is going to stop him? The way I see it Marion is going to find himself at Stewards doorstep and Steward is going to manipulate Marion into helping him with whatever his goal is. The most likely option would be Steward dangling information about Marion’s transformation and/or a way to reverse it. Lend a sympathetic ear as a fellow victim and gain Marion’s trust. Marion has done nothing but suffer since waking up and now he’s been kicked out of the house, I’m sure he’s at his breaking point.

My best guess for where the later part of Marion’s story is going would be a break-in of Milton Manor. Marion is small enough to sneak in, and due to the many years Steward lived and worked there, he has knowledge of whatever junk Henry Milton kept. There could be some artifact that could aid Steward towards his endgame. Not to mention the wolves are gone so the security is lacking.

My fear is that Steward might convince Marion to stay in the forest long term.
Steward: “What kind of life could you have now that you’re a squirrel? Your family will never accept you as you are now. Even if they believe what you tell them, what are they going to do? They can’t help you but I can. I understand what it feels like to lose everything, your home, your friends, your humanity. You can be happy here with us. We’ll take care of you.”

While connecting with Steward seems a likely direction, it's not the only one. I feel like if that happens, Marion would also cross paths with Kitsune, who would take an interest in the little critters current predicament. Even if that interest boils down to, "Sorry pal, can't help ya."

As for his future... I guess that depends on how Rick feels about the character. Is Marion a "one-off" for this arc and then finds a way to return to his humanity? Or is he destined to be a rat with a nicer tail for the rest of his life? I'm anxious to see.

To her credit, Marion’s mom stopped and gave him the chance to explain. He should have taken that opportunity to prove who he was - but I suppose the caffeine overload impaired his judgement somewhat.

dr_eirik wrote:While connecting with Steward seems a likely direction, it's not the only one. I feel like if that happens, Marion would also cross paths with Kitsune, who would take an interest in the little critters current predicament. Even if that interest boils down to, "Sorry pal, can't help ya."

As for his future... I guess that depends on how Rick feels about the character. Is Marion a "one-off" for this arc and then finds a way to return to his humanity? Or is he destined to be a rat with a nicer tail for the rest of his life? I'm anxious to see.

I doubt Marion would be a single use character, that's not Rick's style. Just from the amount of effort that has gone into developing Marion's character and setting up his role in the comic shows that he is going to have some kind of significant role even if it is limited to finding a way to return to normal which if King's story is any indication, could take a while. Plus depending on where Rick wants to go, Marion could still serve as a type of bridge between connecting animals and humans which has been a common theme in the comic since practically the beginning.

The problem with the "Pet" path or even the "Lois" path is the same problem that any alternative path Julia could have taken in that it doesn't move the plot forward. Meeting the pets or hanging with Lois will only delay the inevitable which is that Marion is most likely Steward's foil given that even if we don't know how Marion was changed, again who else is going to stop Steward? No one else has a connection to Steward besides the ferrets (and ferals) and clearly they don't care. If Marion was one of Steward's victims that establishes a connection right there. Seeking out Kitsune would be his best option but since Kitsune is watching over Pete and Dragon that puts Marion in Steward's path since they are all together. Like you said, Kitsune is not going help because unlike with Pete, this is a mortal matter. Not to mention that if Marion is going to be the hero, he has to remain a squirrel just for that purpose.

Getting back to the pets since that is a less likely option but still on the table, what are they going to do with him? What can they do? If he was changed into a "pet" animal then it would make more sense for him to go to them but since he was turned into a "feral" animal then it makes more sense for him to go to the ferals. Say he runs into the main cast, the most they can do is introduce him to Kitsune (statue) which again would be useless. Right now Marion needs to find shelter so unless one of them wants to offer their homes for the poor guy, there is nothing gained from including them at the moment. Tarot and Sabrina weren't exactly helpful when it came to King and that was when they were all involved with the Game. Marion is just a random TF victim that has no connection to the pets or even Babylon Gardens (as far as we know).

fenrirblack wrote:

dr_eirik wrote:While connecting with Steward seems a likely direction, it's not the only one. I feel like if that happens, Marion would also cross paths with Kitsune, who would take an interest in the little critters current predicament. Even if that interest boils down to, "Sorry pal, can't help ya."

As for his future... I guess that depends on how Rick feels about the character. Is Marion a "one-off" for this arc and then finds a way to return to his humanity? Or is he destined to be a rat with a nicer tail for the rest of his life? I'm anxious to see.

I doubt Marion would be a single use character, that's not Rick's style. Just from the amount of effort that has gone into developing Marion's character and setting up his role in the comic shows that he is going to have some kind of significant role even if it is limited to finding a way to return to normal which if King's story is any indication, could take a while. Plus depending on where Rick wants to go, Marion could still serve as a type of bridge between connecting animals and humans which has been a common theme in the comic since practically the beginning.

The problem with the "Pet" path or even the "Lois" path is the same problem that any alternative path Julia could have taken in that it doesn't move the plot forward. Meeting the pets or hanging with Lois will only delay the inevitable which is that Marion is most likely Steward's foil given that even if we don't know how Marion was changed, again who else is going to stop Steward? No one else has a connection to Steward besides the ferrets (and ferals) and clearly they don't care. If Marion was one of Steward's victims that establishes a connection right there. Seeking out Kitsune would be his best option but since Kitsune is watching over Pete and Dragon that puts Marion in Steward's path since they are all together. Like you said, Kitsune is not going help because unlike with Pete, this is a mortal matter. Not to mention that if Marion is going to be the hero, he has to remain a squirrel just for that purpose.

Getting back to the pets since that is a less likely option but still on the table, what are they going to do with him? What can they do? If he was changed into a "pet" animal then it would make more sense for him to go to them but since he was turned into a "feral" animal then it makes more sense for him to go to the ferals. Say he runs into the main cast, the most they can do is introduce him to Kitsune (statue) which again would be useless. Right now Marion needs to find shelter so unless one of them wants to offer their homes for the poor guy, there is nothing gained from including them at the moment. Tarot and Sabrina weren't exactly helpful when it came to King and that was when they were all involved with the Game. Marion is just a random TF victim that has no connection to the pets or even Babylon Gardens (as far as we know).

Yeah, we're all a bit handicapped by not knowing several key details. The biggest is how/why he was transformed in the first place and possibly why this form in particular. Once we learn that (I assume we will at some point) a lot of the pieces will start to come together.

I know there's been some speculation that Marion was the random teenage boy that was a friend of one of the younger wolves we saw some time back in on panel, which if that's the case if means that he might seek them out. Though, if any of them would give him a chance to explain before he became dinner is another matter.

I do like to think that, assuming that he can't turn back, he will eventually be allowed to return home. It would just take time.