Penny And Aggie

Eh, there's something that makes me think Penny just sort of went along with it so as to not rock the boat. It can be hard to tell.

The latest comic reassures me, because it conveys the idea that their encounter was meant within the comic to be something they're still feeling their way through, rather than something T tacked on to make it spicier, or due to Author Appeal.

@Rebochan: Enough with the "Aggie is a rapist" stuff already. Don't trivialize actual rape by labelling this sexual assault just because you've always hated Aggie.

I haven't called Aggie a rapist, I've pointed out that the same actions she's taken are being portrayed as a romnatic that would get a GUY described as a rapist. My feelings on Aggie as a character have nothing to do with a badly-written "love" scene.

...People seem to be hiding their real feelings from Aggie a lot. They didn't used to do that. It bothers me.

So, it appears that our multi-colored hairr stands as the voice of reason against an army of women scorned. This will end well.

Dude, Stan has been a unrepetant dick the entire series. Sure, he'll feel bad, but he'll also go back to being a dick when it serves him, so it's not like he's going to change when he's been given multiple chances.

So he's a dick. What's your point? He's not an actively malevolent dick-at least not as far as I can call. He's just the kind of guy who's a con man, you always know he's a con man, and you keep him at con-man's arms length.

The reaction from Penny and Aggie right now is more vitriolic rage than a rational disdain for someone of dubious trustworthiness.

At the end of the Popcicle Wars, they all signed a pledge that they'd be respectful of each other, and give people second chances. Aggie even wrote down Bob's cell # after that one party, hoping to touch base with him after he tried to get a girl drunk so he could have his way with her.

So, Bob the potential date rapist gets a second chance, Stan not so much.

Really?

REALLY?

They did give Stan a second chance. Remember how he was a key player in Karen's revenge plot and did so with a big smile because he hated Penny for hooking up with his man-crush? How he was absolutely cruel to Michelle when they broke up instead of manning up and admitting the relationship she wanted wasn't the one he was up for?

Yea, so after all that, the bum got a second chance. Which he blew when he threw Brandi under the bus for a school election. A frikkin'. School. Election.

Now, I don't know how much involvement he has here and how much of this was Lisa's idea to try and help her new friend-with-benefits. If this was entirely his doing, let's also add "manipulated Lisa into forcing himself to be involved in a project against the wills of the project participants...and then demanding they give him credit for his generosity".

He is who he is.

Also: welching on a revenge plot is a bad turn of character? Pfft.

In any event, regardless of whether or not Stan deserves another chance or not, the way the girls are responding to his very name is dehumanizing. I don't respond that way to Glenn Beck-they shouldn't be responding that way to some guy who ran for public office. Well, school office.

Demanding? Look, if he starts using extortion saying "I won't allow you to release this if-" then fine, but right now, he just wants his participation known here.

Stan lives fast and loose. As long as you don't take anything he says or does as a commitment you're fine.

edited 1st Aug '11 12:28:38 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

Yes, but after getting repeatedly burned by the bum, no kidding Penny and Sarah are reacting that way to him. Especially Penny - the guy was part and parcel to destroying her and her best friend (who is still recovering from it) but Penny still let him have one more chance. He used that chance to roll over another personal friend. It's pretty dirty to ask for favors after that.

Ask for favors? He's lending them his assistance. I'm not entirely sure what diabolical master plan you think Stan could possibly be working at here.

And the thing with Brandi really was more of a tragedy than anything else. Stan has an okay (not good-okay) heart but cares more about his image. If you keep remembering that about him, you don't have problems.

I don't really see what all the rage is about.

So he's a jerk, and it's their fault for not accepting him as a jerk that WILL put his needs ahead of theirs? Also, again, conspired with Penny's rival to destroy her and was still part of the whole psychological manipulation that nearly got Michelle killed (he only changed his tune when he realized it went that far) and also led to the rape accusation against Sara and Penny (not that the comic has treated that with nearly the gravity such an event would actually gather). He had a shot at redeeming himself and amazingly, all the people he'd helped to destroy were willing to forgive him. He turned around and screwed over Brandi. He's hardly doing these things on purpose (which makes him not overtly evil like Cyndi), but the problem is he still does them and isn't terribly concerned changing HIMSELF to stop hurting other people.

People like this are walking disasters and Penny and Sara have clearly tried to wash their hands of him and keep him out of their lives. Now he's manipulated himself back in and wants recognition for it. It's pretty minor compared to other things he's pulled, but it's not an honest attempt at reconciliation either - it's self-serving.

What are you talking about? He didn't "screw over Brandi." He didn't go out of his way to protect the relationship as much as she wanted, but they were a bad match in the first place.

They're right to stay away from Stan, and right to be annoyed at his worming his way into their circle. They're wrong to respond with the kind of vitriol they're displaying here.

edited 2nd Aug '11 10:22:22 AM by TheyCallMeTomu

It's pretty normal when their only experiences with him are being screwed over repeatedly. No, he's not Cyndi evil, but he's still scummy and hasn't done anything worth getting a friendly reaction from.

Regarding the one that went up tonight, it looks like EVERYONE'S hypocrisy is getting called out! Hope some of this stuff sticks. But Lisa is seriously oversimplifying this and being extremely nasty about it. On the other hand, for all her comments about Stan being a guilt-free lay, she's suddenly being a lot more loyal to the guy than you'd expect. I wonder if she's figured out that right now she's no different than Brandi or Michelle?

Possible. It could go either way. Or perhaps the "moral center" of how to deal with Stan will never be answered. Who knows?

I certainly agree that it's suspicious that Lisa is making such a strong case here, but I find her arguments compelling. Her own vested interests are relevant, but to another extent, I think it's just her own rejection of group think where-ever it occurs, and in this case, it's in the group-think vitriol of Stan.

Ultimately, the "Lisa's point doesn't matter because she's sleeping with Stan" point is an automatic red flag for me. The fact that if that information were out in the open she'd immediately be marginalized, regardless of the content of the argument, strikes me as rather telling.

edited 3rd Aug '11 12:27:59 AM by TheyCallMeTomu

I think she's being influenced by it whether she recognizes it or not. She wouldn't be the first girl to initially have a friends-with-benefits relationship with the guy only to start treating him with far more loyalty than he's shown to have. I guess there's something about the guy that pulls people in.

And she's not entirely wrong here. It is a bit hypocritical who got thrown out of the group and who didn't, though I think Stan's one of the few cases I didn't bat an eyelash over.

However, she shouldn't have done this in such a manipulative way, where the girls suddenly owe him a favor they didn't sign up for.

Actually, I find it interesting that Lisa was right there and apparently well aware of what Stan did to Brandi at the time it happened, but is suddenly changing her tune here and hoisting more the blame on Brandi instead. I'm not sure we're intended to overlook it either considering how the first panel is using it as a backdrop.

edited 3rd Aug '11 11:13:02 AM by Rebochan

I get the sense that, to Stan, "it's just highschool. It'll be painful now, but in the future, we'll look back on it as a bittersweet memory. Right now, what's most important is investing in our futures." So he can really sign on to a "project" because it helps him in his path towards further education and a career. Is the thing with Brandi painful for all parties involved? Sure. But it's not going to ruin anyone's lives.

Michelle was a different case, but I don't remember the details thereof.

I think Stan is seriously overestimating the accomplishments he has made and is underestimating what the effects of stepping on a lot of people's heads are. On the other hand, he'll probably make a great politician someday

I also have trouble working up too much sympathy for the guy because, unlike say Cyndi or Karen who lost big when they got their just desserts, Stan just lost the respect of a small circle of people. He still won the school election and he's still popular and he's even still got his best friend sticking up for him. Not being friends with two girls who he royally stomped on isn't going to ruin his life either.

I think you're overestimating the impact here.

What may be the single most controversial and intentionally provocative strip since the end of "20 2020 Pennnies": Round One.

Thoughts?

It's only conterversial because the disclaimer lies.

Oh those two~

The official forum has gotten a lot of "THAT'S IT, I'M OUTTA HERE! *slams door behind themselves*" posts, but I'm not one of them.

I admit, this was a weird jump, but at the same time, they've had a contention relationship since comic 1. I think what's shocking people is the fact that two teenage girls are *GASP* into rough sex. If their horizontal hulas didn't involve all this biting and yanking and wrestling, how many people would be bailing on this comic?

Actually, there have been less than a handful of "I'm not gonna read this comic anymore" posts. I was in fact expecting more, even though I liked the latest strip well enough. What we are seeing is a number of posts either unhappy with the turn Agenny has taken, or reiterating that the poster was always against that ship, and a couple of people saying the strip hasn't been as good since the end of "The Popsicle War." "Ragequit" posts...not so much.