24-07-18 SDB-Minew says
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:59 am
Fan boards for Pixie Trix Comix and Hiveworks
http://www.pixietrixcomix.com/forum/
http://www.pixietrixcomix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17473
One small detail of interest in this strip is the one-line picture of their very early relationship. I'm not surprised that they apparently got on okay when they were both very young; that fits with everything else. But it sounds like Ruby's introversion goes way back, if even her own sister had to communicate with her via her dolls.worldshaking00 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:05 pmI enjoyed this strip, even if it took a while to get to this point in the sisters' lives. I really hope that they can mend their relationship, even if just a little bit.
Actually, Amber isn't very experienced in conventional relationships herself. Her life has been a bit weird by conventional standards. I'm putting her good advice here down to a lucky (though perfectly reasonable) guess, reinforced by the fact that, in her frame of reference, of course there must be something wrong with a straight guy who rejects an offer of sex from an attractive woman.worldshaking00 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:05 pmAmber has some very solid insights that would be quite useful for Ruby if Ruby could just learn to trust her. Baby steps, since Ruby has a lot to work through. But I can appreciate Amber taking steps to be Ruby's experienced (in a LOT of ways) older sister.
I'm not sure that she understands that much more yet -- and Dillon isn't all that perceptive himself. He might have picked up something at the concert, when Ruby remembered being locked out of Amber's room, but Ruby has never let on much about her friendlessness -- and he's not, so far as we know, had many clues about her resentment at having to lie to her parents. (Amber should really have spotted that by now...)
Whoa. This is a side of you I’ve not seen before Spidrift. I didn’t know you felt so strongly this way about Gary and Gary fans. I will admit I only started frequenting the forums about 6 months ago, and that my schedule has not allowed me to be consistent in reading each day. I agree with you about it being a poor move to insert Gary here as a possible hook up (or more) for Ruby.Spidrift wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 4:18 pmOh gods no. Fuck that idea.
To begin with, Gary is a whiny little dork who has semi-logically mutated into a fairly reasonable human being, and whose personal story is approaching its conclusion, and who has an obnoxious fanbase who treat him as the most important thing in the Ma3 universe. Bringing him in here would deform and distort this story, and give unwarranted comfort to his deplorable cultus.
You make a lot of good points, but I think Ruby would have more chemistry with Gary than Andy albeit marginally.Spidrift wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 4:18 pmOh gods no. Fuck that idea.
To begin with, Gary is a whiny little dork who has semi-logically mutated into a fairly reasonable human being, and whose personal story is approaching its conclusion, and who has an obnoxious fanbase who treat him as the most important thing in the Ma3 universe. Bringing him in here would deform and distort this story, and give unwarranted comfort to his deplorable cultus.
Secondly, Gary has recently shown actual discomfort at the idea of being used as a walking, talking vibrator, and the desire for a more meaningful relationship -- and he actually has both an on-going semi-meaningful relationship (with Peggy) and the possible prospect of an interesting concluding passion (with Zii). Throwing Ruby at him would do him no favours at all.
And third, Ruby is a nervous introvert virgin who has come to realise that she might like sex, but who still needs her partner to be someone she knows and trusts. Admittedly her relationship with Andy has been annoyingly thinly sketched, but she's clearly put some time and emotional investment into that. She needs to try and sort that out, if only because otherwise she'll feel like a failure and a reject; at the very least, the story needs some kind of firm explanation of what the hell's up with Andy, for the sake of a satisfactory resolution. Until that's done, throwing other male characters at Ruby would just be confusing and messy.
For that matter, for all his new-found virtues, Gary still isn't that much of a genius with people, and would probably say a string of stupid things to Ruby. She doesn't need a string of guaranteed orgasms (I rather suspect that once she gets into bed with someone she likes, those will come easily enough); she needs help working through her emotional issues.
Plus, she thinks of Gary as Dillon's lost love. Getting close to him would feel like stealing him from Dillon, to her.
I think it may be more that the comic is taking multiple strips, in which Ruby consults several people, to come to the difficult conclusion that, yes, asking Andy what the problem is might work. People do talk sometimes in the Ma3 universe, but it tends to be a desperation measure when all else fails.Opus the Poet wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 5:53 pmYu know the quickest and easiest way to find out why Andy doesn't respond to Ruby's overtures would be the direct route, asking him. But as part of the MA3verse that ain't never gonna happen
Amber has all the clues she needs to understand the problem, but I don't think that she's quite there yet. If she'd put it together, she wouldn't look so sad and puzzled when Ruby explodes in her face, and she could be moving towards a solution.corwinargentus wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:20 pmI think Amber has a very clear understanding of Ruby’s view of where her problems come from, and cares for her enough to communicate with her (a) the way she did when they were young and on better terms), and (b) is willing to allow Ruby to see Amber as the bad guy and cause of Ruby’s troubles, though it is plain Amber is just living her life and Ruby’s personality and introversion are not Amber’s fault. Amber wants to and is trying to help, and is doing so without defending herself to Ruby. I’m not coming down on Ruby either, lots of things could have contributed to her current issues. I’m glad to see Amber trying to help her sister, and Ruby at least listening and giving a tentative nod to Amber’s ideas.
To be honest, if we were just talking about Gary on his own, I wouldn't get half so irritated. I do think that he's underwritten and a bit characterless, and he's certainly a bit too much of a geek wish-fulfillment fantasy (despite being a classic geek with extra-high geek credibility, he's slim, strikingly good-looking when he remembers to stand up straight, and possesses a magical power that makes women addicted to him if the go to bed with him), but as a comedy device, he should be mostly harmless. If he was a real person, I'd probably get on with him okay; I know far worse cases of geekiness.corwinargentus wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:38 pmI didn’t know you felt so strongly this way about Gary and Gary fans. I will admit I only started frequenting the forums about 6 months ago, and that my schedule has not allowed me to be consistent in reading each day. I agree with you about it being a poor move to insert Gary here as a possible hook up (or more) for Ruby.
I guess Gary has been over the years (I have read the whole comic) shy, geeky, nerdy, and has allowed himself to be a doormat quite regularly. I don’t know if I would call him whiny. In my experience it does not seem like he complains very vocally about his mistreatment at the hands of others or the predicaments he finds himself in.
There seems to be a recurrent problem where, if Gary appears in a scene, people start talking about him at the expense of the rest of the characters present (see for example his recent one-panel background joke appearance at the comics shop), and if he doesn't appear for a few scenes running, his fans start complaining. We don't see the worst of it here, but Giz periodically mentions that she's bombarded with complaints whenever things wander away from Gary; there was a recent example on her Facebook page when the current SDB-in-Ma3 sequence started, starting on the 13th of this month.corwinargentus wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:38 pmAs far as his “obnoxious fanbase” and “deplorable cultus,” I think it’s understandable why maybe at least a third of regular readers might take a deep interest in his character, seeing he is one of the three main protagonists.
I dunno, maybe I just haven’t been reading closely enough, but I have not been getting this obnoxious read on very many of the posters. Got an example or examples I can peruse to see what you mean? Thanks!
Does that say anything about Gary, or is it just a sign of how thinly Andy has been written?