Who Is Ellen - 84 - HD

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In this case I'd say the behaviour comes from *lack* of experience. Rich's experience is, at least as far as this small slice I've seen of it is...normal. Nobody comes through adolescence intact. Not you, not me, not Rich. Growing up, you can't know how to take a hit until you've taken a hit. Adolescence delivers hits to learn how to take. Intervention would only be needed to keep a kid from being beaten down.. I'd agree with you in those cases. Constant and continual intervention only creates dependence and we each of us need to learn we can stand alone. Normal parental attention and discipline is usually enough for most kids.

John Trauger

Agreed. It doesn't. The difference is likely ignorance, not malice.

John Trauger

maybe for some. but most cases I've heard of someone minmaxing, they were doing it to be the "best"

Joe Blue

That's true. It's important to recognize that toxic behavior, like any other negative pattern, is a learned thing inherited from experience. The damage it does is real, and people who need to isolate themselves from toxicity should do so, but especially when the toxicity is coming from kids or teens, there needs to be outside invtervention to break the pattern.

Bob Grannan

Min maxing is helpful in making characters 'do' what you want mechanically, tho, it's not just about 'winning'.

Crissa Kentavr

That doesn't stop them from being toxic, tho.

Crissa Kentavr

While it is possible that Larry's friends were actually toxic, they could have just been run-of-the-mill preteen or early-teen boys. "Insecure, demanding jerks" is practically the rule with boys that age. I don't mean to minimize Larry's experience so much as point out that adolescence really sucks and adolescent boys tend to be sucky people until they learn how to cope with what testosterone does to their heads.

John Trauger

There's the realization I've been waiting for. :) I know what it's like to realize the people you called friends were actually toxic and just not nice people. But that makes it a little easier to recognize when you find some good people.

M.

I think Tensaided would be the type to abide strongly by the rules, but not the type to use the rules as a weapon. More Lawful Neutral (probably with Good tendencies) than Lawful Evil.

M.

In my particular RPG culture, a rules lawyer was someone who favored the rules over roleplaying as the main fun of the game. It also implied being a minmaxer - someone who thought the point was to "win" the RPG by having the "best" characters and dominating stories. As @Thisguy said, this includes having all decisions be based on "winning" by choosing rules-optimized paths.

Carl Fink

He finally understands! Time to find different friends.

Opus the Poet

https://youtu.be/-xtbAuhhHjg I Ain't No Nice Guy - Motorhead

wargrunt42

At this moment, I could totally see Rich looking at Ellen (because you don't just gloss over a paradigm shift), and being like, "Hey... just so you know... I admit it already. You win the bet... but... can we continue the game?"

Harmony Petersen

time to accept your new friend group and distance your old one.

Dan Curtis

I have a feeling that Tensaided (who we have established does play) would be rules lawyer. Mostly because he uses the rules to make optimised characters. But still probably on the chiller side of things.

Thisguy

Last panel: *insert Jojo 'YES! YES! YES!' meme"

KC

Demanding does work... but honestly, the word that really comes to my mind is "entitled"

AstroChaos

Really love the way this story is shaping, Mr. Shiv. Thank you for the representation. 🖤💜🖤

Haunted Hermit