20-02-15 Totally at ease around any man

[Giz]

New strip! http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-s ... nd_any_man

[Azrael]

And the verbal one-upsmanship continues.

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[Spidrift]

Hmm. Kind of stretching out the same small set of jokes at this point. I get it that (a) the team want to make full use of their ideas, (b) writing these characters (especially Ruby) when they make a bit of progress will get a bit complicated, and (c) this will look a lot less protracted in book form in a year or so's time, but like I've said before, right now, with just two strips per week, I do find I'm getting a bit impatient for some of these people to start yelling stuff at each other cathartically.

Anyway, stuff we do get today. Ray will apparently be sticking around for at least a little while, rather than loving Amber and leaving her - which leaves Amber looking happy and sexually satisfied, more than the once. TCampbell keeps saying that Amber has problems, which we'll see in due course, but honestly, as of now, what are they? She got swirly'd one night and the next morning, then banged enthusiastically by a good-natured guy the next night, and he's prepared to hang around. And she's still got the job, the apartment, and the friends. Ruby seems fully entitled to feel that she got handed the shitty end of the stick in that family.

And Dillon gets further confirmation that Ruby has a working libido, if he needed it. This gives him a little more excuse for trying to persuade her to relax and loosen up a bit - but it's not like he needed that.

Oh, and Ray seems to have realised that, in this apartment, Ruby's opinions don't matter. He apologises to Dillon, his old school friend, for wandering round in a towel - but not to Ruby, the girl he barely knows and who he believes has a jealous boyfriend (and who he prevented from sleeping in her normal room last night). Bros before hos, eh, dude?

Oh well, maybe we'll finally get some interesting Ruby/Amber interaction on Tuesday.

[vampire hunter D]

When did Ruby stop wearing the grandma nightie?

[Spidrift]

She'd stopped by the night of the gig (so it's not just that Amber and Ray stopped her getting to her case). I don't think we have any evidence for the intervening period.

You could take it as symbolic of her fitting into the atmosphere of the apartment a little better; she hasn't gone native, but she does accept that this is the 21st century now. Alternatively, you could guess that she was scared when she first arrived -- she was venturing into Amber's dangerous sexual world, so she armoured up in the most anti-sexual thing she could lay hands on; now she feels relatively safe (and is a bit more scared of being thought boring), she can wear something more comfortable. Certainly, she may only have the one such old-fashioned item of sleepwear.

But that's all probably over-thinking. On the one hand, Giz may just have forgotten; on the other, well, she likes making her characters good-looking, and it's easier to make Ruby cute in a tee than that first thing.

[Milnoc]

And the verbal one-upsmanship continues.

I believe it's become physical now.

[Spidrift]

And the verbal one-upsmanship continues.

Honestly, at this level, it just makes these two look like friends to me. Neither of them is actually trying to hurt here; they're just fencing. After Dillon's perpetual low-level bullying of Gary, and the way that he and Amber treat each other as cute pets and personal shoppers, this makes him look much more likeable and worth knowing. It also shows Ruby relaxing a bit, giving her brain a gentle work-out while slowly admitting that, well, maybe she does like looking at hot guys.

[Azrael]

Didn't say it was malicious one-upsmanship. Fencing, sparring, it's all the same.

[Bambikles]

Ruby exhibits much more control there, good ! I admit that Ray totally ignoring Ruby once Dillon appears feels weird. He's totally at ease to be half-naked in front of a girl he barely knows. He seems very comfortable with nudity, at least.
Almost forgot, love Dillon's face in the last panel !

[Spidrift]

I admit that Ray totally ignoring Ruby once Dillon appears feels weird.

I imagine it's just a glitch in the writing, to be honest. But if it's a deliberate bit of characterisation, it makes Ray look a bit of a jerk, frankly. And it puts his eagerness to get Ruby to help with the kissing practise in more of a bad light, too. He's beginning to look like someone who doesn't take women entirely seriously. He's not in the Yvan league, but he may be a bit of an arrogant jock. Which may mean that he does eventually walk away from Amber without a backward glance, too.

Or, like I said, this may be reading too much into things.

He seems very comfortable with nudity, at least.

That I'd take as realism. Professional sportsman; a lot of time in changing rooms and stuff.

[christopheftw]

Ray focusing on his former best friend with whom he's just reconnected doesn't seem at all strange to me. They used to do everything together, even sleep in the same bed on occasion. I expect Ray is going to want to talk more about that kiss at some point. Maybe when he's not so busy walking around half naked and strategically dropping towels.

What exactly is Ray looking at in the second panel?

I may be channeling Ruby, but here's hoping Ray's acting career takes off, but he only gets cast in leading man roles in gay shows.

[Spidrift]

Ray focusing on his former best friend with whom he's just reconnected doesn't seem at all strange to me.

Understandable, perhaps, but still rude or thoughtless.

I may be channeling Ruby, but here's hoping Ray's acting career takes off, but he only gets cast in leading man roles in gay shows.

I have a sneaking feeling that he may be up for a certain gay crime-fighter role soon.

[Don Alexander]

Almost forgot, love Dillon's face in the last panel !

In my case, second-to-last panel. Made me laugh out loud.

[Quinlan1973]

That last panel is adorkable!

[Artemisia]

Dillon- proving that there really isn't enough blood for both ends...