27-06-14 Take you to the gym

[Eisu]

The world is full of those people... I know a lot of intelligent, strong minded people who turned into, as you said, pink puddles in the presence of cuteness. Be it kittens, dogs, babies, a sloth, whatever that's cute and they are very focused when need be. You're putting your people scope only to the people you know, that's just a very narrow-space of thinking when trying to accept all sorts of characters in different entertainment medium, you know. Sure, relating things to other people you yourself know would be good but at the same time, you need to open your scope and accept that there are all sorts of people in this world.

See, my problem with what you said is not just the backhanded accidental insult to people who have cats and no relationship (me included) but the fact that you just straight off assume, the fact that she loves cute kittens make her weak. That's just a bad kind of thinking, you know? Loving cute stuff to the point of distract does not make you weak and it's not like she's completely distracted , sure she didn't answer Dillon calling him, but then why should she? To her at that time, Dillon has been nothing but trouble for her so now she sees something else cuter to focus her attention on and she did. If she was so distracted, she wouldn't have been conversing with Richie and would just be talking to the kitten alone without even knowing Richie is there.

A person can still be strong AND soft at the same time and a fictional character even more so. Whether Minew was introduced now or later doesn't matter, this is who Ruby is, a person that likes cats but is also self-dependent and smart. To take your argument that if she had shown the self-dependent first and then show that she likes cats would make her character more fleshed out really wouldn't make a difference, cos the way I see it, she's already shown how smart she is and how little she relies on people except for the bigger things (like getting a place to stay with her sister first but this, I assume, in her mind, is a temporary thing until she finds her own space) so now we see that she has a soft side, but a soft side does not make a whole weaker character and it does not mean she's going to be a crazy cat lady as you're assuming. That's just weak thinking there, cos you're thinking that this person cannot be strong cos she has a weakness for kittens. That's like saying Superman can't be Superman cos he has a weakness of Kryptonite. Cos even if he's in the presence of Kryptonite and is getting weak, he is still Superman.

A character can be one and the other and still be a strong person.

[CFT]

I know a lot of intelligent, strong minded people who turned into, as you said, pink puddles in the presence of cuteness. Be it kittens, dogs, babies, a sloth

I see what you did there ...

[Eisu]

Heh heh heh heh, good catch ^_~

[wiseguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oohdmBtn4eY

[Gholateg]

hehehehe sloths....

Dillion being flippant and bouncing around the emotion wheel is pretty much par for the course. I'm honestly wondering if there's not something messed up in his brain chemestry that he's hops so fast between high and low. Ruby's snark line was gold though. I could totality see Dillion Haversham-ing in his old age, wedding dress and all.

Calling Angel trying to get into Jerzy's pants again and Jerzy losing his shit in five, four, three...

[Spidrift]

Let's just remind ourselves that this comic is centered around Dillon and his dramatic escapades. Ruby's life is a side plot that will only be delved into when the plot calls for it.

Much as I might regret it, that's undeniably true.

As for people turning into 'pink gooey messes' over cats/kittens - it happens far more often than you think.

I probably know too many gardeners, bird-lovers, and asthmatics. I mean, I was brought up liking cats. There are people I know who I think actually categorise them as vermin. And other people who keep and like cats, but who can tell you everything you want to know about cat psychology and quite a lot you don't, because they remain clear-headed about the subject.

See, my problem with what you said is not just the backhanded accidental insult to people who have cats and no relationship (me included) but the fact that you just straight off assume, the fact that she loves cute kittens make her weak.

As I do keep saying, I don't think it makes her weak; I think it made her appear weak, especially at that particular point in the plot. Giving a fictional character a cute pet is a time-honoured way of "humanising" them, but Ruby didn't need that for me; what she needed was more chance to look self-possessed and self-assured. She's a flawed person, but she is very self-reliant - she has to be, there's nobody else she can trust; if she has to look a little bit lonely to emphasise that, well, that's the sort of person she is.

Now, if she'd picked up a cat a few months down the line, it could have been a whole other matter. Ruby-with-more-confidence would surely be exactly the sort of person to own a Siamese or two. Or, ten years down the line, a white fluffy Persian with a diamond collar...

... she's already shown how smart she is and how little she relies on people except for the bigger things ...

That, I'm afraid, is one of the problems I have with Ruby-as-written; her intelligence is what TV Tropes calls an Informed Attribute. She has that degree and all, but we very rarely see her doing anything smart, or even terribly self-reliant. That's why this latest plotline has been such a relief; we're finally seeing some flashes of the Ruby who's been described, and who logically must be there, but who's been mostly invisible before now.

[Don Alexander]

Re: Dillon. Not sure if serious...

[Fluffy]

And other people who keep and like cats, but who can tell you everything you want to know about cat psychology and quite a lot you don't, because they remain clear-headed about the subject.

Surprise! People who gush over cats (or any animal, for that matter) are very much capable of doing that, too.

[Spidrift]

Re: Dillon. Not sure if serious...

That is the question, isn't it? Is he actually that deluded, or is this all some weird joke to him... Or is it all some weird joke because this is, well, a comedy. In real life, I'd start wondering if he had clinical issues around now - but we all know that real life is a poor guide to the Ma3 universe.

[themacnut]

Re: Dillon;

As for Ruby's purported intelligence; a truly intelligent and strong-minded person would have seen themselves clear of this mess at the very beginning, not allowing themselves to be talked into going somewhere they didn't want to go, dressed up as a member of the opposite sex. But I suppose Ruby had to go because, well, comedy. And because Dillon basically owns her when he starts shedding tears.

....cos the way I see it, she's already shown how smart she is and how little she relies on people except for the bigger things (like getting a place to stay with her sister first but this, I assume, in her mind, is a temporary thing until she finds her own space)

Also, I don't expect Ruby to be moving out anytime soon, unless it's to her own spinoff series. Unless her relationship with her sister improves considerably, I doubt Ruby will ever want to see Amber again after she gets her own place, and as for Dillon, well, I'm sure she'll want to get a place as far away as possible while still being in the same city to avoid being drawn into another of his hare-brained schemes. So since she'd essentially disappear from SDB once she moved out, I don't expect to see that happen anytime soon.

[Cortez]

Did Dillon not notice that Ruby was basically calling him selfish?

[Fluffy]

That's a rhetorical question, right?

[Optimus Kate]

Eh, I've had a man say this to me before. Don't sweat it, Rubes.

[Spidrift]

Did Dillon not notice that Ruby was basically calling him selfish?

I'm afraid I completely agree with Fluffy on this. If you call Dillon selfish, his response is basically "Gosh, yes, aren't I cute?"

As for Ruby's purported intelligence; a truly intelligent and strong-minded person would have seen themselves clear of this mess at the very beginning, not allowing themselves to be talked into going somewhere they didn't want to go, dressed up as a member of the opposite sex. But I suppose Ruby had to go because, well, comedy. And because Dillon basically owns her when he starts shedding tears.

A lot of that, yeah. But I get the impression that Ruby does at heart want to get out more, and she may fall for things if they offer options for what seem like harmless adventures. She was resisting Dillon's bright idea fairly well until he mentioned the word "undercover"; then she started flashing on '70s cop shows. The poor kid just hasn't had enough fun before now.

Her problem is that the adventures will never be as harmless as expected, because plot. But even so, I'm afraid that she may soon find that her boredom threshold has shifted a dangerous few notches.

Also, I don't expect Ruby to be moving out anytime soon, unless it's to her own spinoff series. Unless her relationship with her sister improves considerably, I doubt Ruby will ever want to see Amber again after she gets her own place, and as for Dillon, well, I'm sure she'll want to get a place as far away as possible while still being in the same city to avoid being drawn into another of his hare-brained schemes. So since she'd essentially disappear from SDB once she moved out, I don't expect to see that happen anytime soon.

On the one hand, Dillon's "charm" has authorial plot immunity, so I suspect that Ruby will soon find that she likes him somehow, in defiance of all plausibility or sense. On the other, I'm assuming that Ruby's relationship with Amber is scheduled to improve somehow, though God knows how; Amber does not have a bloody clue how to even talk to Ruby. However, Ruby sets herself high moral standards, and clearly attaches a lot of value to family loyalty, so if Amber ever came to her with a request, she'd not feel able to turn it down.

But the point is probably moot, because Ruby has said that she'll probably be in the apartment for a few weeks - logically enough, given that she has to find a job, get a first payslip, find a place of her own... And given the speed with which time doesn't move in these comics, that's quite likely to mean several years of strips, even if these relationships don't improve.

[TwoWayStar]

As I've said before, Dillon's "charm" is actually "charming" for a lot of people, in universe and for those who follow the strip.

Ahh Ruby, consoling Dillon while also throwing in some much needed truth-snark as well. Too bad he didn't catch it! xD I hope she continues doing so as being around Dillon, though full of dangers of Boys and Romantic Schemes, is actually helping her develop herself without realizing it. She's pretty great.

@Spidrift, is Ruby your favorite character throughout all of the Pixietrix comics?