2020/01/15 - Talent Show

[D-Rock]

[2020/01/15 - Talent Show]
Title Text: don't talk so loud

[Gbr23]

Oh Oh I bet we're gonna know about King's job!

[CuriousCnidarian]

Whoever guessed Sasha got emancipated, you were right. I like that Kevin's holding the decree backwards too.

Also, I'm not sure what it is, but something about how King and Sasha are drawn in the last panel just seems... off to me. Can't quite put my finger on it. I think it's the legs? King more so than Sasha.

[fenrirblack]

Called it. She's a free dog.

Wait Monetizable skills? What skills does King have? I mean we know he has secret skills from a dark and seedy past but what are they? I need to know these things.

Okay so this answers some questions about why they're there. Clearly they did need King's expertise on living independently. Still doesn't explain the romance angle.
Maybe Kevin needs romantic advise from King.....yeah right I couldn't type that with a straight face.

[Welsh Halfwit]

She’s pulling her ears,
not tugging his tail;
Kev got her free;
he didn’t fail.
She has her ways
and shows her joys;
jumping upon
both of her boys.
King got checked
by a white knight;
now he’ll inspect
his neck’s alright.

[IceKitsune]

Ok this went in a direction I did not expect, at least not as soon as it did anyway. I expected this might be the end game of the arc but I guess its just the beginning of the plot.

[dr_eirik]

Called it. She's a free dog.

Wait Monetizable skills? What skills does King have? I mean we know he has secret skills from a dark and seedy past but what are they? I need to know these things.

Okay so this answers some questions about why they're there. Clearly they did need King's expertise on living independently. Still doesn't explain the romance angle.
Maybe Kevin needs romantic advise from King.....yeah right I couldn't type that with a straight face.

The monitable skills is a new one, not exactly sure what that means. King has some, he can use a computer and I'm sure could work a lot of different office or retail jobs without the burden of his human record. I tend not to think he is working for the ECP since the whole idea was for them to find work elsewhere.

I suspect this is the Wolf house and she's being boarded there until they open the new boarding house. If this is the Lindburg place, then perhaps Bill agreed to take her in until she can be on her own. Who knows? Maybe there is a bit of nervousness about Mr. Hartford and they wanted her in a police officers home if possible.

EDIT: Just had an awful thought. What if the title is more Stalker than lover? Hartford has been presented as a distasteful kind of guy. What if this is an arc about him trying to get her back as his pet? We know she doesn't see him as badly as everyone else does. Does she even realize what just happened?

[NHWestoN]

Well, we know she can play the piano, improvise a composition, and just kills a cocktail gown. That's gainful employment, ain't it?

[Champion Wallace]

Sasha has skills; she got a job as a burlesque performer (she may look unskilled but the whistles and “aroooos” say otherwise). I’m surprised Sasha is so happy in this strip. She was the one who most on-board with Sasha being Mr. Hartford’s pet (possibly more than Mr. Hartford himself). Then again, Sasha’s always happy. I think this is the first time Sasha’s left ear hasn’t been bent forward, but this isn’t the first time an ear has flopped like that.

[dr_eirik]

Sasha has skills; she got a job as a burlesque performer (she may look unskilled but the whistles and “aroooos” say otherwise). I’m surprised Sasha is so happy in this strip. She was the one who most on-board with Sasha being Mr. Hartford’s pet (possibly more than Mr. Hartford himself). Then again, Sasha’s always happy. I think this is the first time Sasha’s left ear hasn’t been bent forward, but this isn’t the first time an ear has flopped

She may not have been a GOOD singer, since she didnt learn the words. Thout I'm not sure a single dog in that room cared. But she does have marketable skills. I only just recalled she was briefly an actress in a commercial and the face of a kibble brand. Wonder if she got money from that or if Hartford got it all.

[leinglo]

Just had an awful thought. What if the title is more Stalker than lover? Hartford has been presented as a distasteful kind of guy. What if this is an arc about him trying to get her back as his pet? We know she doesn't see him as badly as everyone else does. Does she even realize what just happened?

Unless this arc reveals a really possessive side of Hartford, I doubt it. He never seemed to care all that much about Sasha, one way or the other. If anything he'd probably be more relieved that he doesn't have to buy even a token amount of dog food anymore. Seems like the only reason he even had Sasha to begin with was to try and use her to attract girlfriends for himself, and that clearly never worked out.

[VeryAngryDeer]

Called it. She's a free dog.

Wait Monetizable skills? What skills does King have? I mean we know he has secret skills from a dark and seedy past but what are they? I need to know these things.

He can drive a van, or a car.

... of course, he would have the same problem as Lois in that regard.

[GameCobra]

Hear me out.

Sasha - Weather Reporter.

[Argent]

Wait Monetizable skills? What skills does King have?

College education?

[LunarFox]

Called it. She's a free dog.

Wait Monetizable skills? What skills does King have? I mean we know he has secret skills from a dark and seedy past but what are they? I need to know these things.

Okay so this answers some questions about why they're there. Clearly they did need King's expertise on living independently. Still doesn't explain the romance angle.
Maybe Kevin needs romantic advise from King.....yeah right I couldn't type that with a straight face.

The monitable skills is a new one, not exactly sure what that means. King has some, he can use a computer and I'm sure could work a lot of different office or retail jobs without the burden of his human record. I tend not to think he is working for the ECP since the whole idea was for them to find work elsewhere.

I suspect this is the Wolf house and she's being boarded there until they open the new boarding house. If this is the Lindburg place, then perhaps Bill agreed to take her in until she can be on her own. Who knows? Maybe there is a bit of nervousness about Mr. Hartford and they wanted her in a police officers home if possible.

EDIT: Just had an awful thought. What if the title is more Stalker than lover? Hartford has been presented as a distasteful kind of guy. What if this is an arc about him trying to get her back as his pet? We know she doesn't see him as badly as everyone else does. Does she even realize what just happened?

I was wondering the same thing, honestly. Sasha may not be the smartest, but she's not exactly an idiot, either. This has me wondering if Stewards "You're going to be getting more and more!" has to do with mammals joining the ECP... more mammals equals more expenses, and like Steward said, he wanted to bankrupt the Miltons...
--

Sasha's more skilled than she looks,
Maybe even she cooks?
What she can do is pop her ears,
Something that just confirms all of King's fears
That Sasha'll be a drag on the system.
Thankfully, Kevin can assist him.
What's going to be Sasha's job?
Especially when she acts dim as a doorknob?
She's not stupid, that we know,
But when will her real skills show?

[SeanWolf]

So Sasha is a free dog now? Nice!

I like that Kevin's holding the decree backwards too.

I just now noticed that

[Robotech_Master]

I do wonder whether "Be Mine" is a pun on pet ownership, and the arc will look at whether some pets are actually not suited to do without it.

[Elwood Blutarsky]

Kevin actually did get her emancipated. Good boy. Very good boy. Hopefully someone gets him a biscuit for that.

What a great moment to see Sasha finally free of her drunk "daddy." Of course now comes the comedy...

[dr_eirik]

I do wonder whether "Be Mine" is a pun on pet ownership, and the arc will look at whether some pets are actually not suited to do without it.

I think, like the ferals, a lot wouldn't want the ECP if it was offered. In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

I'm trying to think of the neighborhood pets that would even want to join. I would think abusive or cruel ownership would be a catalyst. Sasha is the only one we know of that fits that bill. The working dogs, maybe, but we dont know the ownership of most of them.

[FireworkFox]

Sasha is adorable, isn't she? I'm glad she was rescued from her owner.

[Ash Greytree]

This continues the thread that I saw in My Life As A Teenage Squirrel. At the end of that arc, I took note in a forum post of how much of MLAATS seemed to be structured around giving the ECP a role in a good bit of story arcs in the future, and setting up engaging and interesting arcs. I'm curious to see what all this entails. As Robotech Master pointed out, this could be an arc that presents the fact that even the ECP has limits of some kind. We could also get some inklings of what King is doing for work and income. Maybe he's taking college classes alongside Marion & Lois so that he can earn a degree?
Regardless of any skills he gained from human education, he'd have to re-earn a certification in order to use it again as King. A scene where he, Lois, and Marion are sitting around a dining room table at one of their houses to get some studying done as a group would be neat.

[Sir Chestnut]

I'm trying to think of the neighborhood pets that would even want to join. I would think abusive or cruel ownership would be a catalyst. Sasha is the only one we know of that fits that bill. The working dogs, maybe, but we dont know the ownership of most of them.

Maybe Bino would want to just to be independent and rebellious, but I can't picture him wanting to work.

[Cesco]

Great! That sounds a very nice news for Sasha, and King should hopefully remember about how bad is her owner when he got to see that in their house... He said to don't like him, then. Good that the ECP now requires monetizable skills by their members, so to keep it staying alive. Ehm, is she popping her head or what? I agree with you, King, and that's going to bring lot of money. Your real skill is to remain always the same, Sasha!

[fenrirblack]

I do wonder whether "Be Mine" is a pun on pet ownership, and the arc will look at whether some pets are actually not suited to do without it.

I think, like the ferals, a lot wouldn't want the ECP if it was offered. In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

I'm trying to think of the neighborhood pets that would even want to join. I would think abusive or cruel ownership would be a catalyst. Sasha is the only one we know of that fits that bill. The working dogs, maybe, but we dont know the ownership of most of them.

It is interesting because in all honesty its not a dog thing. I mean if you could live rent free and have someone take care of you your entire life and not have to worry about anything, would you take it? I mean there are some downsides like not having an actual income to buy things you want and having your life controlled by another but pros and cons. I think that ECP is still so new that a lot of pets don't even know what do with it if it was offered to them. The idea of living their owners and being dependent is such a foreign concept that they can't even imagine the possibility. Sasha could be the next stage in showing the others the good things about being dependent. She is the first pet to join. But still there is no point for the other pets to leave their cushy lifestyles. Even King was enjoying it until Lana dropped that bomb on him. I could see King working from home as like a computer programmer since he got that computer that we have never seen since their date.

[dr_eirik]

I'm trying to think of the neighborhood pets that would even want to join. I would think abusive or cruel ownership would be a catalyst. Sasha is the only one we know of that fits that bill. The working dogs, maybe, but we dont know the ownership of most of them.

Maybe Bino would want to just to be independent and rebellious, but I can't picture him wanting to work.

Bino might be the only other pet that I could see doing this, actually. He doesn't have a great relationship with his owner. He is the only pet where we've seen his "dad" in quotes when he says it. And he thinks very highly of himself. I suspect he'd think he could walk into any company and take over inside of a year.

Reality would slap him around pretty fast, but he's used to that.

[VeryAngryDeer]

In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

Even King didn't volunteer. When Pete disappeared, Keene just up and took ownership of King, and put him on the ECP, all while King was asleep.

King was fine with it, but still. If he hadn't been put on it already, would he have thought about it?

[Amazee Dayzee]

So it looks like Kevin managed to change Sasha's mind about her abusive ****** of a father and she is free. So with that I'm thinking that will mark the end of Hartford in the comic then since we last saw him a while ago and since Sasha has managed to become emancipated I'm not sure he will bother to get her back.

[Frank]

"Skills is short for Silky gills, right?"
"Silk what now?"
"Isn't that what the little folds in your ears are called?

[dr_eirik]

In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

Even King didn't volunteer. When Pete disappeared, Keene just up and took ownership of King, and put him on the ECP, all while King was asleep.

King was fine with it, but still. If he hadn't been put on it already, would he have thought about it?

King, at that time, is a little hard to read. But I think he would have pursued it. It was the only way he would have gotten even a sliver of his life back

[Champion Wallace]

Sasha has skills; she got a job as a burlesque performer (she may look unskilled but the whistles and “aroooos” say otherwise). I’m surprised Sasha is so happy in this strip. She was the one who most on-board with Sasha being Mr. Hartford’s pet (possibly more than Mr. Hartford himself). Then again, Sasha’s always happy. I think this is the first time Sasha’s left ear hasn’t been bent forward, but this isn’t the first time an ear has flopped

She may not have been a GOOD singer, since she didnt learn the words. Thout I'm not sure a single dog in that room cared. But she does have marketable skills. I only just recalled she was briefly an actress in a commercial and the face of a kibble brand. Wonder if she got money from that or if Hartford got it all.

That's assuming Rock paid her at all.

Ehm, is she popping her head or what?

She's turning here ears inside out. Some dog's ears ar long enough and flexible enough that that's possible. However, it's still closer to the "talent show" side of the skill spectrum than "monetizable".

In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

Even King didn't volunteer. When Pete disappeared, Keene just up and took ownership of King, and put him on the ECP, all while King was asleep.

King was fine with it, but still. If he hadn't been put on it already, would he have thought about it?

Pete wasn't just treating him badly by human standards like Mr. Hartford, he was actively trying to make King miserable because it benefited him. King was more than fine with joining the ECP. You can't send a clearer message you don't want to be with someone than begging "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GRANT ME ASYLUM" at the prospect of their return.

[VeryAngryDeer]

In fact, despite the Miltons being right ther, King is the only member of the ECP in the neighborhood. in fact, iirc, he was the first member that was not a feral.

Even King didn't volunteer. When Pete disappeared, Keene just up and took ownership of King, and put him on the ECP, all while King was asleep.

King was fine with it, but still. If he hadn't been put on it already, would he have thought about it?

Pete wasn't just treating him badly by human standards like Mr. Hartford, he was actively trying to make King miserable because it benefited him. King was more than fine with joining the ECP. You can't send a clearer message you don't want to be with someone than begging "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GRANT ME ASYLUM" at the prospect of their return.

Fair enough.

[GameCobra]

Something that bothers me is i wasn't excited for Sasha's release from her owner than I initially thought. I'm super proud that she is her own independant self now and want to really know where this goes in the future and maybe in this arc, but i'm sorta sad that her owner never got the chance to put Sasha's talents to good use in the future.

Now we get to see Sasha's full power

[Amazee Dayzee]

That might be a good thing because knowing her owner he would probably exploit them selfishly.