[8/1/11]I...didn't want drama.

[Bo Lindbergh]

Stan actually falling for Lisa in equal measure, and staying loyal (and public about it) could be a definite tweest.

A hilarious one. Just imagine the reactions of Brandi, Michelle, and everyone else who knows Stan.

[maritza]

a) showing that he's always thinking of what HE can get out of any situation
b) not really thinking of other people, or caring if they get hurt (Michelle, Marshall) so long as it's easier on him.

And of course he's exhibiting the same behavior here (part A) in wanting a production credit where Lisa thought she could show him just "doing a nice thing."

And he exhibited part B with Brandi, who he supposedly cared about. Even after second chances, he goes back to these behavior patterns over and over.

He's ALWAYS like that.

Brandi: "It's so nice of you that you're making Sara's promo website!"
Stan: "It's so nice of her that she's letting me sell prints of her pics!"
Brandi: "..."

I really, really wouldn't want to be friends with a person like Stan. He's not only a user. He's also completely oblivious to the consequences of his acts. He does his thing, people get hurt, he does the puppy eye thing, he gets forgiven. Just to start the cycle over and over again.

[Alice Macher]

Of course, the Rule of Three says that if something happens in-plot three times, the third should be different in some way. Stan actually falling for Lisa in equal measure, and staying loyal (and public about it) could be a definite tweest.

It would, if there were enough time left in the comic for that to happen in a plausible way. Remember, first priority is still what happens with Penny and Aggie. And we all know T prefers to show things happen in snippets, rather than tell through infodumps. So we'd have to see Stan falling for Lisa, and being publicly loyal to her. And not "eighties teen comedy" style, i.e. Stan making a big speech in front of the entire cast, leading to a slow clap started by Jack. The outcome of Stan staying loyal to Lisa, and not putting himself first, would have to be shown over time. Time the comic doesn't really have.

[sgtrock]

a) showing that he's always thinking of what HE can get out of any situation
b) not really thinking of other people, or caring if they get hurt (Michelle, Marshall) so long as it's easier on him.

And of course he's exhibiting the same behavior here (part A) in wanting a production credit where Lisa thought she could show him just "doing a nice thing."

And he exhibited part B with Brandi, who he supposedly cared about. Even after second chances, he goes back to these behavior patterns over and over.

He's ALWAYS like that.

Brandi: "It's so nice of you that you're making Sara's promo website!"
Stan: "It's so nice of her that she's letting me sell prints of her pics!"
Brandi: "..."

I really, really wouldn't want to be friends with a person like Stan. He's not only a user. He's also completely oblivious to the consequences of his acts. He does his thing, people get hurt, he does the puppy eye thing, he gets forgiven. Just to start the cycle over and over again.

With respect, I pointed out several times where he did the right thing for the right reasons. I really wish I could find that Penny/Stan bedroom scene because I think that's the one where his character is really highlighted. At least, I think that's the right scene. The one where he and Penny talk about his campaign versus Cyndi, where he asks for Penny's help covering KA and Jack, and where he manages to resist temptation a whole lot better than I think I would have at that age!

[maritza]

"Resist temptation" = Kissing Penny completely out of the blue?

I'm not saying Stan is even evil. I'm just saying he's a dick. He's got a REALLY bad record.

[Twitcher]

[quote=brasca]Well, well, well Lisa. What's it like when you're in the hot seat? I seem to recall this event playing out with a different person. The name escapes me, but I'm sure Aggie will forgive you this transgression. [/quote]

That's where you'd be wrong, brasca. I honestly do like Helen as a character, and think she's reedemable, but Lisa doesn't knowingly have a hand in a plot to destroy a friend's reputation out of the desperate hopes that the backlash would hit someone she loathes for simply drifting apart from her, and that the group of pretty people she really hates and is envious of would let her hang out with them a couple of times more, just as a reward for having done so. Helen, though... yeah. She did that stuff, and should she come back to Belleville, Helen owes many people many apologies.

What the girls don't like Lisa for right now is... um, associating.... with a guy who was not operating with the same foreknowledge as Helen, but who willingly listened to a girl who he knew was bad news, in the possible hopes of getting nookie later. This is a guy whose little head has lead everybody involved with him into a whole helluva lot of trouble, and if Lisa decides to open with any variation of the phrase, "But... I've changed him! With my almighty yoni! SRSLY!" I'm going to go beat my head against a wall until the soothing darkness comes.

[sgtrock]

"Resist temptation" = Kissing Penny completely out of the blue?

I'm not saying Stan is even evil. I'm just saying he's a dick. He's got a REALLY bad record.

OK, I guess we're on the same page. Except for stealing a kiss from a REALLY good looking girl when he had the opportunity. That's just being male.

You did notice that he backed off as soon as Penny said, "Stop!", right?

[sun tzu]

"Resist temptation" = Kissing Penny completely out of the blue?

I'm not saying Stan is even evil. I'm just saying he's a dick. He's got a REALLY bad record.

OK, I guess we're on the same page. Except for stealing a kiss from a REALLY good looking girl when he had the opportunity. That's just being male.

As a male, I am deeply offended by this statement.

[maritza]

Honestly, stealing kisses counts as sexual harassment. Had he done that to me he'd have found himself doubled over the amazing kick in the balls I'd have given him.

But let's not get into that

[justvisiting]

Although, if Lisa does fall for Stan and get hurt, then I would have to nominate Stan as the Thunderbolt Trickster's new nemesis, the Smarmasaur....

Of course, the Rule of Three says that if something happens in-plot three times, the third should be different in some way. Stan actually falling for Lisa in equal measure, and staying loyal (and public about it) could be a definite tweest.

Or maybe Stan realizes it's happening again, manages to end things with Lisa without any hard feelings, and takes a break from casual sex for a while?

Granted, I don't really see that last part happening, but it could.

[Samie_Seraphim]

Ok... so I've been lurking and decided that I wanted to put my 2 cents in.

I would probably not be friends with Stan, true, but I don't see him as vile scum. I agree with sgtrock. He's a teenage boy. Sex is fun, so he likes it.

The whole Michelle thing... Speaking from someone who's best friend had an eating disorder. Stan didn't cause it. Yea, he might of kicked it into high gear so to speak, but she always seemed to me to be someone of low self-esteem. And to be honest, I never liked Penny to begin with. I've barely come to tolerate her, but she still seems a stuck up brat to me half the time. In the beginning, if I were Stan I would have felt the same way. And again, with the whole hating Penny because of Rich thing? GUYS DO THAT. Have none of the girls here had their boyfriend's friends be petty about them because they didn't get to see their friend enough?

The Brandi thing. They meant to keep it hush hush, she knew this. Stan got trapped. The only people that knew for sure that it was Brandi were her friends.

I'm sorry, but breaking up with someone or breaking their heart does not make someone scum. It doesn't. A lot of the Stan-haters don't seem to remember breaking up with someone. Or maybe if they did, they didn't see the person and assumed they were doing fine? (Girls especially seem to assume the guy is fine because guys don't show it as much.)

... I'm sorry, very confuddled, just had to say it.

[sgtrock]

Honestly, stealing kisses counts as sexual harassment. Had he done that to me he'd have found himself doubled over the amazing kick in the balls I'd have given him.

But let's not get into that

Well, I must admit that I'm cutting him some slack because the mutual physical attraction was so strong. And probably, to a guy with Stan's experience, pretty obvious.

If Penny was giving off "DON'T TOUCH ME YOU PERV" vibes and Stan tried to kiss her, I would've been pissed at Stan. As it was, Penny was doing more than a little 'checking out the merchandise' of her own. Under the circumstances, I could easily see a misread of the situation by any boy, let alone Stan. And as I noted earlier, he stopped when she made it abundantly clear she wanted him to.

[Valerie]

First panel... EYES OF DOOOOOOOOM...

And Sara's getting in on the righteous(??) indignation too, it seems.

Being absolutely fair, maybe the worst thing Stan has done is dumped two of their closest friends, at least one under false pretenses.

Two?
Last I checked Brandi dumped him, on some pretty arbitrary grounds that suggested that she didn't really value their relationship to begin with.

Now hold on a sec, I'm kind of on the defending-Stan side here, but I'm little bothered by this.

She didn't want to be second to his pride. No one should have to be second to their SO's pride. That's ridiculous. She loved him, possibly still does, but she had to take herself out of what might have turned into a bad situation. That doesn't mean she didn't value their relationship. She just saw that they had different ideas about priorities and jumped ship. There's nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't make her feelings invalid.

"Resist temptation" = Kissing Penny completely out of the blue?

I'm not saying Stan is even evil. I'm just saying he's a dick. He's got a REALLY bad record.

OK, I guess we're on the same page. Except for stealing a kiss from a REALLY good looking girl when he had the opportunity. That's just being male.

As a male, I am deeply offended by this statement.

He did that out of habit. He even says so. Given that casual sex is just a thing that he does, added to his reaction, I don't see that being a lie.

[Pineapple]

I always thought Stan and Brandi were only having casual sex - no strings attached. So while he may have done other horrible things, I don't count Brandi to be one of them.

[Valerie]

I always thought Stan and Brandi were only having casual sex - no strings attached. So while he may have done other horrible things, I don't count Brandi to be one of them.

Nah, that's addressed here. I think they just didn't quite get into the details of what that meant.