16-09-14 A little solitude

[Spidrift]

Ah Spidrift old boy, I think you underestimate the power of denial in the psyche of a person who simply does not want to think too hard about a certain subject. Makes the Dark Side of the Force look like a fluffy light grey cloud in an otherwise blue sky.

If that applies, she needs an excuse for what she's doing in that last panel, if only for herself - and she hasn't got one (yet). She went to that shelf and got the books down. Now, on past form, she might, say, have done so to destroy them - but they're Dillon's property, and she really isn't that rude to him. Without that, well, she's got to admit to at least being curious. It might be disgusted-curious for now, but you can bet that she'll be going back to those books, or something similar - and the contradictions have to get to her quite fast. She's not stupid, and she's not actually schizophrenic.

And it really should be obvious by now that Ruby is already quite damaged, where her attitudes toward sex are concerned.

Less damaged than first appeared, actually, if only to preserve the comedy. She isn't Yuki; no fugue states, no serious physical violence. She's constructed a coherent, conscious, quite rational explanation of her view of sex; she's too busy and not interested, and the whole thing is faintly yucky. There are sane people out there for whom that would actually be true (at least in the real world, if not in the Ma3 universe); it just isn't for her. She's annoyed by other people's open interest in sex, but she hasn't really condemned anyone for it since those first few seconds in that wardrobe.

Which is good for her, but actually makes her look stupid instead of damaged. She can think about sex without throwing up, she has a fair idea how relationships work, she's had her first kiss, and she's not especially embarrassed about her body. And yet, she's still in denial about the fact that she can be turned on in a perfectly unremarkable way. How many weak-kneed blushes and trips to that bookshelf will she have to endure before she at least tells herself "Fine, I like the sight of hot guys" and either does something about it or consciously sacrifices the option for now?

I mean, someone ought to tell her that she's in danger of being rude to Andy by stringing him along. If she said to him "You're cute, but I need to sort my life out - this isn't fair to either of us. Call me in six months", that'd be fine.

[themacnut]

If she was consciously aware that was what she was doing, then yeah. But she quite simply doesn't know what the heck she's doing in the romance and sex department, having virtually no experience in it and all. I doubt she's even sure whether she wants to keep seeing Andy.

Quote removed. The DAMNed

[Spidrift]

She was wondering whether she ought to respond to his latest text or not. I assume that her conscious reason for doing so (and so keeping that sub-plot going) will be politeness; she accidentally said that she'd see him again, she's prone to old-fashioned good manners, and she doesn't know how to break that promise politely (because of her inexperience).

Unconsciously, of course, she's ... interested. Even if her urge to get into his pants is buried deep (and it rose to the surface in her sleep easily enough), she had to admit to Amber that she possibly wanted their previous night out to be a date, and the prospect of a kiss had her very confused rather than horrified. And she really doesn't want to be "boring", as her dream suggested; even if she has any interest in sex well repressed, trying this dating stuff is different and new - which means something to a bright girl like her.

And despite her total inexperience, she surely has some idea about dating in theory, and can deduce more. She's just finished telling Dillon those hard truths, remember; she watches too much TV, and she's not Gary - she has a clue how people's minds work. She might even be more nervous than she needs to be about men and dates because TV tends to assume that relationships progress faster than Andy would expect.

But the idea that she might be stringing Andy along (which is more likely to come from Amber than Andy himself) would be a big problem for her, because she'd have to work out how to dump him politely - on which, Amber and Dillon would be hopeless for advice.

[Quinlan1973]

We've had a nude Ruby before now. We just haven't seen her below shoulder level. Conversely, women in that universe do not automatically take all their clothes off when masturbating.

Look, this comic is full of opportunities for explicit character nudity if that was what was needed. It isn't. Deal.

Wasn't complaining, just pointing out.