12-02-16 Do I look tense
- Shouri
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:29 am
- Location: Argentina
- Contact:
- Azrael
- Mischief Maker
- Posts: 24100
- Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:48 am
- Location: Down below, where the dead men go
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Nope. Not at all, at all.
Grand Low Maker of Mischief, Claw of Chaos, Fang of Anarchy
politics: n. pl. from the Grk polis, meaning many, and the OE ticia, meaning blood sucking insects.
politics: n. pl. from the Grk polis, meaning many, and the OE ticia, meaning blood sucking insects.
- Spidrift
- Posts: 13180
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Oh good; we now get the yaoi club contingent back on screen. Given that Ruby will be desperate for ideas or advice on how to handle this situation with Andy, this could lead to some interesting conversations. I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct. Or maybe we'll get the entire club contributing suggestions, and then being eager for the full story when they next meet.
Meanwhile, Dillon's jealousy of his friends' relationships isn't pretty, but I guess that it's understandable. Given that the plot hasn't thrown him another prospect yet, his interactions at the club may also be interesting.
And, well, poor Ruby. It's a small and simple issue she's dealing with, really, but it's looming so large for her. Despite what Dillon says, her tension really is much worse than it has been for a while. She found the situation in the apartment stressful until she got used to it, and not having a job got to her, and she's always tightly-wound and focused, but she'd been on quite a good roll until Andy threw this at her.
Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment. In both, we have intelligent young women facing what should be very straightforward and easy decisions about their sex lives, but making things complicated through embarrassment, politeness, and over-thinking. One imagines Ruby and Marie getting into an anonymous Internet chat and comparing notes.
Meanwhile, Dillon's jealousy of his friends' relationships isn't pretty, but I guess that it's understandable. Given that the plot hasn't thrown him another prospect yet, his interactions at the club may also be interesting.
And, well, poor Ruby. It's a small and simple issue she's dealing with, really, but it's looming so large for her. Despite what Dillon says, her tension really is much worse than it has been for a while. She found the situation in the apartment stressful until she got used to it, and not having a job got to her, and she's always tightly-wound and focused, but she'd been on quite a good roll until Andy threw this at her.
Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment. In both, we have intelligent young women facing what should be very straightforward and easy decisions about their sex lives, but making things complicated through embarrassment, politeness, and over-thinking. One imagines Ruby and Marie getting into an anonymous Internet chat and comparing notes.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
- Artemisia
- Mistress of Oddities
- Posts: 12513
- Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:46 pm
- Location: Deep in the mountains where the elves roam.
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Alas, Spidrift, given the social attitudes about sex, especially directed towards women, this seems to happen in real life quite often too.
Avatar thanks to Saikoh
"I'm going to do what I do best...lecture her."- Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
"Hello, I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time, and this is my wife." - Madam Vastra (Doctor Who "The Snowmen")
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." The 4th Doctor Doctor Who "Robot"
"I'm going to do what I do best...lecture her."- Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
"Hello, I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time, and this is my wife." - Madam Vastra (Doctor Who "The Snowmen")
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." The 4th Doctor Doctor Who "Robot"
- Zippy
- Posts: 1079
- Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:15 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Given that SotR is running fully a month and a half late? I doubt it.Spidrift wrote:Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment.
- brasca
- Posts: 3848
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:04 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.Spidrift wrote:Oh good; we now get the yaoi club contingent back on screen. Given that Ruby will be desperate for ideas or advice on how to handle this situation with Andy, this could lead to some interesting conversations. I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct. Or maybe we'll get the entire club contributing suggestions, and then being eager for the full story when they next meet.
Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.Spidrift wrote:And, well, poor Ruby. It's a small and simple issue she's dealing with, really, but it's looming so large for her. Despite what Dillon says, her tension really is much worse than it has been for a while. She found the situation in the apartment stressful until she got used to it, and not having a job got to her, and she's always tightly-wound and focused, but she'd been on quite a good roll until Andy threw this at her.
Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment. In both, we have intelligent young women facing what should be very straightforward and easy decisions about their sex lives, but making things complicated through embarrassment, politeness, and over-thinking. One imagines Ruby and Marie getting into an anonymous Internet chat and comparing notes.
- Cortez
- Posts: 2419
- Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:53 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
So suggesting Ray and Amber should room together did backfire on Ruby in the end.
- Spidrift
- Posts: 13180
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Good point. Okay, call it an accidental echo effect.Zippy wrote:Given that SotR is running fully a month and a half late? I doubt it.Spidrift wrote:Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment.
Angel and Zii would be useful on the mechanics, but would be about as much use as Amber on the emotional problems; they'd both very likely go (a) Is he cute? (b) Are you straight or at least bi? (c) What are you waiting for? Zii may have learned from observations of Gary and Yuki by now that there can be complications, but she doesn't seem to understand them very well.brasca wrote:I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.
Julian could at least provide the sympathetic perspective of someone who's working up to his own first time. Ramona seems like she's probably even less experienced than Ruby, what with being young, not a great looker, having medical issues to distract her, and having a protective big sister from hell always by her side -- but she also seems likely to be sympathetic, and she knows about making the most of the hand you're dealt. Though I suspect that she'd encourage Ruby to go for it in order to get a report on whether or not it's as good as yaoi.
Oh, they're different problems -- but they're both problem with simple answers, obscured by fear and politeness. Ruby has a simple personal choice; she can either say "No thanks, I'm not ready" or "Okay, what the hell, let's go for it". Either is her business, and Andy is probably nice enough to react to either gently. But she doesn't want to lose one of her few friends, and let's face it, she pretty clearly wants to say yes loud and clear -- and yet, yes, she's also terrified. Marie, conversely, got into this situation through dumb teenage naivety, and now she needs to take a deep breath and say "Look, I'm terribly sorry, but I got into this situation through stupidity, and now I've realised that I'm straight, even though you're sexy as hell -- please forgive me and I'll call up a friend who can advise..." But she's a teenager, so she's terrified of looking stupid and losing a new friend...brasca wrote:Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.
Like I said, accidental echoes.
She didn't suggest that -- and anyway, I don't see how that's part of her current problems.Cortez wrote:So suggesting Ray and Amber should room together did backfire on Ruby in the end.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
- Cortez
- Posts: 2419
- Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:53 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
She kinda did, since Dillon Suggested Ray should bunk with him and Ruby should bunk with Amber. But Ruby nixed that.
- Spidrift
- Posts: 13180
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Uh, not really. Amber nixed it, Dillon said that Ruby maybe should have a vote, and Ruby made it clear where her vote would go if she was asked.
Anyhow, that's nothing to do with Ruby's current problems, which are about whether she should go to "the next level" with Andy. Whose bed she sleeps in at the time is likely to be pretty much irrelevant.
Anyhow, that's nothing to do with Ruby's current problems, which are about whether she should go to "the next level" with Andy. Whose bed she sleeps in at the time is likely to be pretty much irrelevant.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
- brasca
- Posts: 3848
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:04 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Agreed, but for the first time ever Zii can relate to someone who feels tense because of lack of sex. Of course this could be misinterpreted in any number of comedic ways. Zii may think Ruby is worried that she can't match her sister because of her past sexual history which is why she would confide this with her and not Amber. As such she might not understand some of the complexities of having sex with someone and then what happens the next day.Spidrift wrote:Angel and Zii would be useful on the mechanics, but would be about as much use as Amber on the emotional problems; they'd both very likely go (a) Is he cute? (b) Are you straight or at least bi? (c) What are you waiting for? Zii may have learned from observations of Gary and Yuki by now that there can be complications, but she doesn't seem to understand them very well.brasca wrote:I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.
They would be supportive, but I don't think Ruby would want to openly discuss her sex life or lack of it so more than likely Dillon will spill the beans.Spidrift wrote:Julian could at least provide the sympathetic perspective of someone who's working up to his own first time. Ramona seems like she's probably even less experienced than Ruby, what with being young, not a great looker, having medical issues to distract her, and having a protective big sister from hell always by her side -- but she also seems likely to be sympathetic, and she knows about making the most of the hand you're dealt. Though I suspect that she'd encourage Ruby to go for it in order to get a report on whether or not it's as good as yaoi.
Not quite. While Ruby might be reluctant to decline out of concern that this could end her relationship with Andy I don't think she'd go that far just to placate him if that's what she thinks he wants. I think she places a higher value on friendship than courtship at this point, but she may go into this next date prepared for sex after everyone's coaching only to have Andy's interpretation of the next level to be something innocuous. As for Marie she told Ingrid that she was on a journey of sexual discovery and hops on board. Typically if someone wants to experiment they have some sexual attraction to that gender. She might be able to offer a flimsy excuse that something was lost in the translation and she wasn't actually interested in sex.Spidrift wrote:Oh, they're different problems -- but they're both problem with simple answers, obscured by fear and politeness. Ruby has a simple personal choice; she can either say "No thanks, I'm not ready" or "Okay, what the hell, let's go for it". Either is her business, and Andy is probably nice enough to react to either gently. But she doesn't want to lose one of her few friends, and let's face it, she pretty clearly wants to say yes loud and clear -- and yet, yes, she's also terrified. Marie, conversely, got into this situation through dumb teenage naivety, and now she needs to take a deep breath and say "Look, I'm terribly sorry, but I got into this situation through stupidity, and now I've realised that I'm straight, even though you're sexy as hell -- please forgive me and I'll call up a friend who can advise..." But she's a teenager, so she's terrified of looking stupid and losing a new friend...brasca wrote:Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.
- Spidrift
- Posts: 13180
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
That's the other thing, of course; Zii may join Dillon in being jealous of Ruby's opportunities here. If Ruby does blab in the hopes of getting some sympathetic advice, she may even face an entire room full of people going "FFS - he's cute, you're horny, you're both single - stop complaining and get on with it, you lucky *€>$@".brasca wrote:Agreed, but for the first time ever Zii can relate to someone who feels tense because of lack of sex.
Remember that Ruby is painfully truthful and tends to run off at the mouth when under stress. I can imagine all sorts of ways in which she winds up accidentally telling the entire club her problems.They would be supportive, but I don't think Ruby would want to openly discuss her sex life or lack of it so more than likely Dillon will spill the beans.
I think it's much too late for that now.She might be able to offer a flimsy excuse that something was lost in the translation and she wasn't actually interested in sex.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
- Cortez
- Posts: 2419
- Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:53 am
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Except she's clearly annoyed with Amber and Ray getting it on, like last time.Spidrift wrote:Uh, not really. Amber nixed it, Dillon said that Ruby maybe should have a vote, and Ruby made it clear where her vote would go if she was asked.
Anyhow, that's nothing to do with Ruby's current problems, which are about whether she should go to "the next level" with Andy. Whose bed she sleeps in at the time is likely to be pretty much irrelevant.
- Don Alexander
- Dr. Ebil SithMod
- Posts: 28238
- Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:26 am
- Location: Under the arms of the ancient oak, where daylight hangs by a lunar noose...
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
Cue the following scene:Spidrift wrote:I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct.
Ruby hears grunts, moans, exclamations of very sexual nature... Despite herself, she enters the room (wherever it is), and sees:
Zii riding Andy, who has a total + expression.
She looks up at Ruby (who is utterly aghast and basically bluescreening) and tells her, yup, he's good to go, and she can give Ruby some tips on what the boy likes.
Sithlord of the Sithling and best customer of McLovecraft's , in the business of keeping the little Platypus in business
Moderations in GREEN and signed by the DAMNed. I am not anonymous! Also, MODSMACK!!
Winner of the... 2010 Kilopost FRANKIE; 2010 Mad March Nom Off; 2010 Joker Cleavage Contest; 2010 Fan-Thing Contest; 2010 Mimic Contest (tied); 2011 Joker Cleavage Contest; 2011 Contest-for-the-next-Contest (tied)
- Spidrift
- Posts: 13180
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:11 pm
Re: 12-02-16 Do I look tense
I don't read this strip that way at all. I assume that Ruby is still stressed out over the thing that stunned her in the immediately preceding strip; the realisation that Andy apparently wants to initiate a pants-off situation after dinner on Saturday. Aside from the fact that this provides plot continuity, it makes Dillon's line about Ruby using Andy for stress relief nicely unintentionally ironic.Cortez wrote:Except she's clearly annoyed with Amber and Ray getting it on, like last time.
Also, when Ruby got annoyed at Amber with Ray, it was because Amber was (a) making a racket and (b) stealing Dillon's live-action-yaoi partner. So Ruby was openly annoyed by those external stimuli. This time, she's looking more confused and tensed up by something that's preying on her mind. Which fits the Andy problem better than the Amber-Ray shenanigans.
The fact that Zii has her own needs just now did cross my mind. But actually, not bagging a friend's SO (without permission) seems to be one of the few sexual rules that most of these characters do actually respect. Most of the time. Usually.Don Alexander wrote:Zii riding Andy, who has a total + expression.
She looks up at Ruby (who is utterly aghast and basically bluescreening) and tells her, yup, he's good to go, and she can give Ruby some tips on what the boy likes.
Which said, I could certainly see Zii saying to Ruby "Well, if he's cute, and you don't want him..." Though I think that the effect of that would be to nudge Ruby into making a Launch Go decision. Which Zii might even class as a good result, through gritted teeth.
---------
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.
Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.