15-02-13 Shall we toast

[Spidrift]

Ruby might need a crash course in operating those B.O.B

We haven't the faintest idea what Ruby knows and needs yet, frankly. Anyone could be surprised to have a vibrator start up under the cushion they're sitting on.

She's being written as a bit formal and uptight so far, but there's a huge gap between that and "frustrated ignorant virgin". She may have been a bit too busy snagging her degree to run a standard Ma3 sex life, but hey, Kiley seems to have managed okay.

[Kiggy]

*Panty & Stocking avatar*

Yes!!!! P&S for the win!!!!

Anyway, I am really liking Ruby Want to see more of her (in more ways than one ;) )

Mmmmm those legs



I'm still hoping that the Gary/Ruby ship gets to sail. And that it doesn't suffer the same fate as the Carnival Triumph

[Chantelune]

Seriously, guy, I was just making a silly and completely random comment for fun and you have to over-analyse that ? Woah, you really don't have anything better to do than that.

Well, have fun with 10 pages of nonsensic and pointless debate, I'll do something fun myself.

[Spidrift]

Who's over-analysing? For me, four sentences isn't over-analysing. Four long paragraphs might be over-analysing...

I do get the vague feeling that some people (not specifically Chantelune) are trying to pigeon-hole Ruby as some kind of frustrated frigid virgin, when so far we just don't have enough on her to say anything much. She looks like she's being set up as a bit of a contrast to her sister, but that still leaves a lot of room for complexity. This setting already has Gary; it doesn't need another non-character on those exact lines.

Anyway, if I'm going to be accused of over-analysis, I'm damn well going to be hung for a flock of expensive sheep...

We don't know much about Ruby yet, but here's an obvious, default guess about what's going on here. Older sister, attractive, vivacious; younger sister, more reserved and academic. Older sister gets more attention, inside and outside the family; younger sister sees this as favouritism. She may be unfair - perhaps Amber is equally unhappy at the way that her parents keep telling her she should work harder and be more responsible, like Ruby - but so far, this is just routine sibling rivalry and slightly cocked-up parenting. No worries, they'll get over it.

Then older sister goes off into the big world and mostly drops out of contact. Funnily enough, the parents worry about her, and talk about her a fair amount. Younger sister, who is doing well in school and then university, takes this as more evidence that they prefer older sister. Then, younger sister finds out what older sister is actually doing. Note that she's not totally messed up by the rivalry; she doesn't tell the parents. The trouble is, they keep talking about older sister. Younger sister keeps biting her tongue and thinking "if only you knew".

And now, the parents have basically chucked the younger sister out of the house and told her to go live with their bubble-brained porn star favourite. This, she thinks, is what she gets for, you know, trying to do something with her life and being the intelligent good one. Frankly, she's being remarkably civil to Amber so far...

[Snakie]

Jobless and BBA in hand? How weird!
I'm sure that... errr... what was I saying?

[OldBrit]

What we do know about Ruby is she wears heart-covered panties, a skirt so short we know about the panties, and a formal jacket. While there's nothing wrong with any of the garments individually, the combination strikes my as incongruous.
I reckon Ruby is considerbly more than just an uptight business administrator and jealous sister.

[Spidrift]

Jobless and BBA in hand? How weird!

There's a recession on. I doubt that this is good for Ruby's temper.

What we do know about Ruby is she wears heart-covered panties, a skirt so short we know about the panties, and a formal jacket. While there's nothing wrong with any of the garments individually, the combination strikes my as incongruous.

Manga-style character.

[Don Alexander]

Ah, I see. The Foil.

BBA? Jeez, I hate her already... I mean, not even an MBA??

I'm still hoping that the Gary/Ruby ship gets to sail. And that it doesn't suffer the same fate as the Carnival Triumph

That was a Triumph of Carnival, alright. CARNIVAL RAKDOS STYLE!

[Artemisia]

The recession didn't hurt Canada as badly as it did other places, but the problem is that there's a glut of BBA's and MBA's on the market...and honestly, I believe that this was a degree invented in order to destabilize the economy.

[Ravenhull]

I worry about shipping, for I am afraid that a Gary/Ruby ship might have to be drug into port just like the one that that had to be towed in here last night...

Interesting dynamic between those two. I don't read any hostility towards her sister from Ruby beyond some minor jealousy regarding 'favorites'. I mean, if she was actually hostile to Amber, I am sure her parents would have at least got an 'annonymous' letter about their daughter's profession.

I don't see her as being 'uptight' or 'frigid' as much as maybe sheltered and not raised to deal with such subjects. From the look of things, Amber didn't know much about sex till Zii 'corrupted' her. I think we may see somebody who is not comfortable with those subjects, yet will not go running away... or at least not running far enough to make a difference. ;)

[Spidrift]

The recession didn't hurt Canada as badly as it did other places, but the problem is that there's a glut of BBA's and MBA's on the market...and honestly, I believe that this was a degree invented in order to destabilize the economy.

Discovering that she's acquired a BBA just in time to see such business degrees going out of fashion is also not going to be good for Ruby's temper.

I worry about shipping, for I am afraid that a Gary/Ruby ship might have to be drug into port just like the one that that had to be towed in here last night...

With sewage flowing down the walls and passengers fighting over onion sandwiches?

Interesting dynamic between those two. I don't read any hostility towards her sister from Ruby beyond some minor jealousy regarding 'favorites'. I mean, if she was actually hostile to Amber, I am sure her parents would have at least got an 'annonymous' letter about their daughter's profession.

Blood is thicker than water, and there are some lines you just don't cross if you want any option to patch things up later. Also, if Ruby knows at heart that her parents would be forgiving, pulling some little stunt like that might just backfire somehow. And yeah, we've certainly had no indication that Ruby is vicious enough to want to hurt her sister and her parents that badly. This is regular sibling rivalry, not King Lear.

On the other hand, "We choose our friends - God gives us our relations". It looks like the "favourite sister" perception has been niggling with Ruby for a while - she only has to mention it for Amber to snap back at her quite angrily. Conversely, Amber obviously recognises it as a touchy subject; she stops snapping and tried to change the subject a frame later. But then, Amber has been too nervous to confess to her parents, and Ruby's comment in that second panel could be taken as a quiet threat to blow her cover. And if there's any truth to the suggestion of favouritism, that puts Amber in a doubly difficult situation.

Sigh. Families.

I don't see her as being 'uptight' or 'frigid' as much as maybe sheltered and not raised to deal with such subjects. From the look of things, Amber didn't know much about sex till Zii 'corrupted' her. I think we may see somebody who is not comfortable with those subjects, yet will not go running away... or at least not running far enough to make a difference.

Their parents are doctors. That doesn't usually make for overly sheltered children. But whatever their upbringing, Ruby may well have been concentrating hard on her education until recently. I'm not going to assume a Gary-grade virgin, but I can quite believe a fairly short list of not-very-passionate relationships and a strong sense that Amber is an irresponsible twerp.

[Artemisia]

The recession didn't hurt Canada as badly as it did other places, but the problem is that there's a glut of BBA's and MBA's on the market...and honestly, I believe that this was a degree invented in order to destabilize the economy.

Discovering that she's acquired a BBA just in time to see such business degrees going out of fashion is also not going to be good for Ruby's temper.

Definitely. Those degrees are so common you could throw a dead chihuahua and hit someone with a business degree.

[Azrael]

I worry about shipping, for I am afraid that a Gary/Ruby ship might have to be drug into port just like the one that that had to be towed in here last night...

Wait, there's shipping on these fora? That's it, I'm outta here.

[Spidrift]

Three other thoughts:

(a) Ruby still seems to be doing what Mummy tells her, even though she's a graduate and a legal adult. Okay, this is probably mostly down to "can't get a job, had to move home while she was looking, feels obliged to go along with suggestions from the person who's paying the bills", but it suggests a certain wish for parental approval. Extra fuel to the "Amber is their favourite" fire.

(b) Presumably, Ruby and Zii will know each other from home, though probably not well. Comments from either on the other awaited.

(c) If this comic keeps jumping back and forth between the main characters each strip ... well, it's just as well that Grrl Power and Order of the Stick have trained me in patience.

[Kiggy]

Ok, I 've gotta say this: in that last panel Ruby looks like she's liking her encounter with the B.O.B.