09-09-14 You were played for a fool

[MoonshadowDark]

Fuck you, Ruby. You made Dilly cry.

[Spidrift]

I think the issue in the last panel is that Ruby wants to comfort Dillon, but at the same time she can't disagree with what he's saying.

Not saying that's wrong - Ruby's truthfulness really is a big thing with her - but at the same time, her body language there seems to me to involve problems bringing herself to touch him.

[themacnut]

Maybe that's how the conflict is manifesting. Ruby can't separate physical comfort from verbal comfort, she doesn't know how to comfort him verbally without lying, so she can't bring herself to touch him either.

As for Ruby's specific discomfort with Dillon touching her, remember every time he's touched her has pretty much been an invasion of her personal space. So it makes sense that she's not comfortable with any kind of physical contact with him anyway.

Meanwhile....ahhhhh, Dillon's tears are SO nourishing.

[Spidrift]

Maybe that's how the conflict is manifesting. Ruby can't separate physical comfort from verbal comfort, she doesn't know how to comfort him verbally without lying, so she can't bring herself to touch him either.

That works, I guess.

As for Ruby's specific discomfort with Dillon touching her, remember every time he's touched her has pretty much been an invasion of her personal space. So it makes sense that she's not comfortable with any kind of physical contact with him anyway.

Pretty well any contact probably counts as an invasion of Ruby's personal space. Nothing about her says "tactile". But she puts up with Amber sprawling around the bed, and she handled Andy's brief kiss fairly well. I think the problem with Dillon is that he's usually invading her emotional space at the same time.

[Azrael]

Does Sway still need these?

sdb20140909.png (99.25 KiB) Viewed 8068 times

[Zippy]

Spidrift, the gag seems pretty simple. She's trying to "comfort him" by saying "You're not a fool", but can't bring herself to do it because he so obviously is. Him dogpiling on himself with more complete truth is just making it harder and harder for her not to say "Yes, you are" rather than "You're not a fool/etc".

[Broadly, she needs to destroy this Dillon so he can regenerate into someone better. Or at least more self-aware.]

Does Sway still need these?

Perhaps more interestingly...

[DrAngryEd]

I'm feeling it for Dillon, but I think he's just being a baby right now. I know there are quite sensitive people, but those tears are flooding the room worst than last night, and Jerzy's conflict is way more serious than this Oprah nonsense.

[RickSmith]

Hi all,
The way I read this comic is that Ruby wants to say, "No you are not an idiot..." etc., but she can not lie. So she is starting to say, "No, you aren't..." but her honesty prevents her from saying it, so she is just stuttering, "Nnnn NNnnnNN..."

She wants to be comforting, but her honesty is warring with her because she DOES think he is an idiot.

Warm regards, Rick.

[Mistress Dizzy]

*shakes head* I'm sorry, but... let him 'cry'. If that's what it takes for his straggling, atrophied neurons to fire off and learn some sense, then... yeah. I'm not certain those aren't the same loud crocodile tears he always displays.

[Spidrift]

Spidrift, the gag seems pretty simple. She's trying to "comfort him" by saying "You're not a fool", but can't bring herself to do it because he so obviously is. Him dogpiling on himself with more complete truth is just making it harder and harder for her not to say "Yes, you are" rather than "You're not a fool/etc".

Okay, okay, this is all a Ruby Truthfulness issue.

(I get the feeling that when the creative team initially defined Ruby's character, "Truthful" was the first adjective they wrote down...)

Perhaps more interestingly...

Thanks for that; an interesting illustration of the art and skill of inking and shading. Someone keep a copy of the #153 bluelines so they can do the same with that, perhaps.

I'm feeling it for Dillon, but I think he's just being a baby right now. I know there are quite sensitive people, but those tears are flooding the room worst than last night, and Jerzy's conflict is way more serious than this Oprah nonsense.

Ah, but what happened last night was just the latest in Dillon's long list of failed relationships. He didn't enjoy it, but it's just Dillon's melodramatic life being what it is. This is Dillon's whole self-image being called into question; his life being exposed as cardboard.

I'm not certain those aren't the same loud crocodile tears he always displays.

That's the other possibility (although Dillon may be scaling his crocodile tears to the scale of the perceived problem). And I know that we're being reminded that Ruby is a nice, soft-hearted person under her paper-thin attempt at a hard exterior, but she's not supposed to be stupid; she really should be questioning the sincerity of any of his crying jags by now.

[crimzontearz]

*shakes head* I'm sorry, but... let him 'cry'. If that's what it takes for his straggling, atrophied neurons to fire off and learn some sense, then... yeah. I'm not certain those aren't the same loud crocodile tears he always displays.

Yes this.

And this is also a good time to start listing all his other aggravatingly slapstick ways of thinking and point out just how idiotic they are now that he is admitting his stupidity.

[CFT]

Perhaps more interestingly...

Thanks for that; an interesting illustration of the art and skill of inking and shading. Someone keep a copy of the #153 bluelines so they can do the same with that, perhaps.

I'm confused. What is the "interesting" thing that everybody's seeing? That the bluelines and the final (inked and shaded) are practically identical? Is that it?

[Spidrift]

The inking and shading are applied over the bluelines; that's assumed. The interesting thing is the way that the shading and the line weights add depth and subtlety to the images.

It certainly also tells me that this stuff is a skill. It's not just about turning the blue lines black. I couldn't do it.

[Quinlan1973]

Fuck you, Ruby. You made Dilly cry.

That wouldn't really be very hard.

[TheEighth]

Can someone explain to me exactly what Dillon is upset about?

The fact that he was lied to?
The fact that he believed it?

He doesn't really seem to have any issue with Nathan boning him so.....

What's the problem?