Topic: WCDT Strips 3006-3010 (20 to 24 July 2015) (Read 33099 times)

BenRG · « **Reply #150 on:** 22 Jul 2015, 23:22 »

So, Pintsize is pouring out his existential angst to the nice lady killbot? This is either a pick-up line or he's genuine. Either way, he may have a date!

I'm wondering what size-based misjudgments Bubbles faces. Maybe she really does like feminine pursuits but finds that people expect her to be some kind of super-physical bruiser due to her size? Maybe she'd enjoy helping Faye out with more aesthetic stuff!

Near Lurker · « **Reply #151 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 00:58 »

Quote from: jheartney on 22 Jul 2015, 21:20

Hint: don't try this at home, kiddies. The IRS will take your tax payment and then turn your name in to the relevant authorities. In Faye's case, it would be trivial to follow her to her place of work and bust the whole operation.

They can't, mostly. Once she's been charged, they can use her tax returns against her, but the IRS can't report her. Timothy Leary, dearie. (I'm pretty confident on this... no further comment.)

Random832 · « **Reply #152 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 07:18 »

Quote from: ReindeerFlotilla on 22 Jul 2015, 21:02

Because it's financially shady.

We don't comply with the tax code, which is illegal, so we pay under the table, which is also illegal.

But why don't they comply with the tax code? You're not actually addressing my argument.

If their core activity isn't in some way illegal, there's no reason for them to be underground (which limits revenue, erasing any gain from avoiding taxes).

KOK · « **Reply #153 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 07:23 »

Quote from: jwhouk on 22 Jul 2015, 18:30

Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies...

PLEASE do not let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not LET them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let THEM get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let them GET the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let them get the idea of trading BODIES.

Radium_Coyote · « **Reply #154 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 07:39 »

This is not actually that hard. You set up a shell corporation in Nevada or New Jersey, which costs $200 in either place, and then your shell corporation opens a bank account and that's where your money goes. You never touch it. You want a 70-inch plasma TV? That's actually the property of the "Radium Coyote 70-inch Plasma TV Holding Company." You're just USING it.

Al Capone's biggest failing, aside from contracting syphilis, was not hiring a decent accountant.

War Sparrow · « **Reply #155 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 08:01 »

QC..making me interested in the fictional expression of another country's tax code. World building!

I think Bubbles might be my new favourite character. I hope she and Pintsize become friends.

Welu · « **Reply #156 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 09:18 »

The more I see of Bubbles, the more I like her.

Xader · « **Reply #157 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 09:20 »

Quote from: KOK on 23 Jul 2015, 07:23

Quote from: jwhouk on 22 Jul 2015, 18:30
Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do NOT let them get the idea of trading bodies...
PLEASE do not let them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not LET them get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let THEM get the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let them GET the idea of trading bodies, Please do not let them get the idea of trading BODIES.

I came here to post that they would switch bodies, and a thousand years of darkness and Pintsize's reign of terror would descend upon the Earth.

ReindeerFlotilla · « **Reply #158 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 09:45 »

Quote from: Random832 on 23 Jul 2015, 07:18

Quote from: ReindeerFlotilla on 22 Jul 2015, 21:02
Because it's financially shady.

We don't comply with the tax code, which is illegal, so we pay under the table, which is also illegal.

But why don't they comply with the tax code? You're not actually addressing my argument.

If their core activity isn't in some way illegal, there's no reason for them to be underground (which limits revenue, erasing any gain from avoiding taxes).

Cake is legal. Selling cake, under certain amounts of cake sold, is legal. Over those amounts, selling cake is taxable (technically, it always taxable, but you can get away with not reporting it, and no one is going to bust you for selling the odd cake).

Cigarettes are legal. Under no circumstance that I am aware of is it legal to sell cigarettes without collecting the requisite taxes.

We do not know what legal status robot fights actually have. But it is possible to conjecture that there are tax rules, possibly related to gambling, that make it legal only when it occurs under oversight such that taxes and fees can be collected.

This is exactly analogous to underground sport fighting. It could a perfectly legal form of sport, so long as it occurs in designated areas, under designated oversight with designated taxes and fees.

Underground sports, for a number of reasons, doesn't want to pay those fees.

jheartney · « **Reply #159 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 10:06 »

Quote from: ReindeerFlotilla on 23 Jul 2015, 09:45

[We do not know what legal status robot fights actually have. But it is possible to conjecture that there are tax rules, possibly related to gambling, that make it legal only when it occurs under oversight such that taxes and fees can be collected.

That's true. However the fact that it's happening in an unmarked venue suggests that robot fights themselves are illegal, in the same way that cockfighting is illegal.

ReindeerFlotilla · « **Reply #160 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 10:20 »

Quote from: jheartney on 23 Jul 2015, 10:06

Quote from: ReindeerFlotilla on 23 Jul 2015, 09:45
[We do not know what legal status robot fights actually have. But it is possible to conjecture that there are tax rules, possibly related to gambling, that make it legal only when it occurs under oversight such that taxes and fees can be collected.

That's true. However the fact that it's happening in an unmarked venue suggests that robot fights themselves are illegal, in the same way that cockfighting is illegal.

Not really. An illegal operation that operates out of marked venue invites scrutiny. Doesn't really matter why it's illegal. Something that it tacitly approved of by the authorities typically keeps that approval by keeping a low profile.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #161 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 11:11 »

Plus a few people have mentioned it as illegal.

Kugai · « **Reply #162 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 13:41 »

Now we know what Bubbles does as a side job

Method of Madness · « **Reply #163 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 13:42 »

I must be missing something.

Radium_Coyote · « **Reply #164 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 14:30 »

Actually a pintsize-bubbles romance would definitely be an interesting change. As has been previously noted, Pintsize, while appearing to be a self-interested jerk, has actually IMPROVED the lives of everyone around him. I think his ultimate goal may be to save everyone he knows.

Akima · « **Reply #165 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 16:03 »

Quote from: jheartney on 23 Jul 2015, 10:06

However the fact that it's happening in an unmarked venue suggests that robot fights themselves are illegal, in the same way that cockfighting is illegal.

Cockfighting is perfectly legal in several jurisdictions.

On the face of it, it is a bit puzzling why robot-fights would be illegal in the first place. Participation is voluntary, the brains of the participants are protected, and body damage could be addressed through repair or replacement of parts. Possibly laws relating to mutually-agreed fighting have not caught up with the existence of self-aware, sentient robots, and assume that the participants are more fragile, or possibly it is not the fights that are regarded as undesirable so much as the gambling that is probably part of the scene. Cockfighting was banned for a time in Cuba because of hostility to gambling and private enterprise, but later restored on a state-run basis.

moriastar · « **Reply #166 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 17:31 »

*Ahem* Faye gets a support group! Pintsize gets a support group! You get a support group! Everyone gets a support group!

...now THAT'S out of my system....

I imagine it's illegal because it's not going through the proper channels and safety precautions. For example, there are legal fighting rings for humans beings. We still have illegal ones were people can stand to make more money, particularly if they have issues finding work elsewhere.

ZoeB · « **Reply #167 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 18:41 »

Quote

Modern Bare Knuckle Boxing

Professional Bouts are now held, created and managed by the World Bareknuckle Boxing Association which itself is not recognized as a sports organization anywhere outside of the United States. It is also a fact that any tournaments are illegal and/or unregulated in most countries today. However in the British Isles where the sports are still very popular there are efforts for the sport to be brought out of the underground and into the mainstream.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-knuckle_boxing

osaka · « **Reply #168 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 18:45 »

Pintsize on to the regular schedule of shenanigans.

Zebediah · « **Reply #169 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 19:12 »

When Marten learns that Pintsize was telling the truth about helping Faye get a job, he's going to wonder if Pintsize might have been telling the truth about the other things too.

DSL · « **Reply #170 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 19:32 »

Quote from: Zebediah on 23 Jul 2015, 19:12

When Marten learns that Pintsize was telling the truth about helping Faye get a job, he's going to wonder if Pintsize might have been telling the truth about the other things too.

Jeph says he was.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #171 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 19:34 »

Jeph could've been joking, though.

Wildroses · « **Reply #172 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 19:43 »

That grin in the last panel...Pintsize was totally aiming for that reaction so he can later say in a wounded fashion: "But I told you the truth? Why didn't you believe me? *snicker*. Pranks are a major part of what makes Pintsize tick, it's just a little hard to see because the majority of them are...well, lets just say inappropriate.

Perfectly Reasonable · « **Reply #173 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 20:46 »

Y'know, I'm kinda disappointed that we, being ugly bags of mostly water, are trying so hard to fit this into our own experience. My cherished hope is that Jeph will use a unique AI perspective to turn those expectations inside out.
And you didn't see that coming, did you, Mr. Jones?

* * * * * * * *
Google is my friend.
It turns out that 'hot-room yoga' is a Real Thing. Makes you sweat a lot. Why robots would want to do that, I don't know...
And ketamine can be safely used as an anesthetic on birds. Why Pintsize would want to roofie ducks... I don't wanna go there.

Rghfrgl · « **Reply #174 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 21:26 »

D'awww at snuggleclaire popping her head in panel 1.

QuestionableIntentions · « **Reply #175 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 21:45 »

You know, the more hints I see of Pintsize having hidden depths (like taking his companion role seriously and being able to manipulate Marten like in this strip) the more creeped out I become

Kugai · « **Reply #176 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 23:01 »

It's ALL true.

BenRG · « **Reply #177 on:** 23 Jul 2015, 23:04 »

So, now we know why Pintsize is always saying such outrageous things: for whatever reason, he doesn't want Marten to believe what he really does! You're left wondering just what adventures Pintsize has been on about which he's carefully salted the Earth to ensure that Marten won't believe it!

Meanwhile, we do know what Marten and Claire do on shared days off: Snuggle like the cute lovers that they are!

[Edit]
I'm proud of myself. As I woke this morning, I thought that we were going to have this arc wrapped up today.

Now, I wonder if Faye will tell Marten about her new job or will she Pinkie Swear with Corpse Witch to keep the secret?

DSL · « **Reply #178 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 04:15 »

Quote from: Method of Madness on 23 Jul 2015, 19:34

Jeph could've been joking, though.

What? No taking a possibly offhand remark at full face value and picking it apart by molecule by molecule, looking for ways to project our own lives into it, to take offense to it? Am I in the right forum?

Method of Madness · « **Reply #179 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 05:38 »

Only if it's in the comic itself.

Thrudd · « **Reply #180 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 06:10 »

Quote from: DSL on 24 Jul 2015, 04:15

Am I in the right forum?

How did you gain entry to the 5th dimension? It is supposed to only be accessible to the mxyzptlk.

cesium133 · « **Reply #181 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 06:31 »

Quote from: Thrudd on 24 Jul 2015, 06:10

Quote from: DSL on 24 Jul 2015, 04:15
Am I in the right forum?
How did you gain entry to the 5th dimension? It is supposed to only be accessible to the mxyzptlk.

Who is Kebert Xela?

Storel · « **Reply #182 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 06:32 »

That's Mr. Mxyzptlk to you, pal.

DSL · « **Reply #183 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 12:10 »

Joe Btfsplk let me in.

Endellion · « **Reply #184 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 12:44 »

Quote from: Rghfrgl on 23 Jul 2015, 21:26

snuggleclaire

I approve of this term

Quote from: QuestionableIntentions on 23 Jul 2015, 21:45

You know, the more hints I see of Pintsize having hidden depths

They're full of porn.

Radium_Coyote · « **Reply #185 on:** 24 Jul 2015, 21:43 »

Pintsize has been nothing but helpful... in fact you could reasonably say he has saved people's lives, and say it with a straight face. Just... he's done it in the most awkward way you COULD. I think that may be the personal goal he has set for himself.

osaka · « **Reply #186 on:** 25 Jul 2015, 01:23 »

Pintsize is the boner fairy. He'll help you even more that you could possibly imagine, but approach it in a way only he is comfortable.

ZoeB · « **Reply #187 on:** 26 Jul 2015, 01:54 »

Quote from: Thrudd on 24 Jul 2015, 06:10

How did you gain entry to the 5th dimension?

The stars have to be in the right alignment. Like CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN.

Or just buy an album.

Kugai · « **Reply #188 on:** 26 Jul 2015, 14:54 »

Naaah, it's just a jump to the left

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Poll

Oh Canada! What Strips Does Jeph Draw?

Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3006-3010 (20 to 24 July 2015) (Read 33099 times)