10-04-15 Grabbing a show

[daryljfontaine]

Ruby Red Presents: "First Blush: Erotic Yaoi Photography"

Rule 1: Monetize your hobby.

[chupacabra555]

If more people could learn to make money off their pervy interests... (well, I could, but then it stops becoming a fun, stress relieving past time and starts becoming a job.....

And, NO, its not THAT!!! )

I'm talking about what I laughingly refer to as my 'art'

[Cortez]

But Ruby wouldn't be doing videos, it seems she's focusing on portraits/pictures.

I'm not sure that makes a lot of difference.

It makes a world of difference, what she's suggesting isn't exactly hardcore stuff, it's at best soft core.

In fact, it kinda sounds like fluff.

Also, just because she might not see something as exploitive doesn't mean her employee would agree.

It kinda does. Unless Ruby makes forces them to do something they're not comfortable with, it wouldn't exactly be exploitative.

I mean, Ruby would likely tell them what the job involves before hand. They probably would know what they are getting into.

[wi1dfire]

The point is that Ruby might not know she's forcing them to do something they aren't comfortable with, like what happened when Amber and Dillon originally negotiated with Nathan for the apartment. This is where her lack of perspective in this arena might bite her. And if her employee is more worried about upsetting the boss and losing a paycheck, well, they might not object. It wouldn't be her fault. It wouldn't be anyone's fault. The damage might be done, regardless of all their good intentions.

I don't think its likely we'll see that though. I think it's more likely that Ruby would be the traumatized one, after finding out that her actors are willing to go a lot farther than she's comfortable with. Then again, we've seen something along those lines with her interaction with Matt, so maybe not that either.

Quote removed. The DAMNed

[Spidrift]

Indeed. If the writers want to get into a bit of deep-ish characterisation without getting too serious, Ruby's practical education about sex may get quite complicated. She could even end up as a worryingly knowledgeable virgin before she gets around to making use of that knowledge for herself - and in a more thoughtful way than Gary.

On some specific points...

It makes a world of difference, what she's suggesting isn't exactly hardcore stuff, it's at best soft core.

But whether it's videos or still pictures has nothing to do with that. One could take sickeningly hardcore still photographs or fluffy romantic videos.

(Proof, as they say, is left as matter between the reader and their search log.)

In fact, it kinda sounds like fluff.

I'm sure it would be. Ruby has a proven broad romantic streak, and being new to all this, won't have escalated far up the romantic/softcore/hardcore ladder yet. Her libido is pretty much at pubertal teen girl levels in many ways. But being intellectually a bright twentysomething, she's probably capable of creating rather high-grade fluff, given some practice.

Also, just because she might not see something as exploitive doesn't mean her employee would agree.

It kinda does. Unless Ruby makes forces them to do something they're not comfortable with, it wouldn't exactly be exploitative.

Everybody has different thresholds and comfort zones. Gauging other people's limits is genuinely difficult. Some people might regard any kind of sexual expression as very private, so even if they got into the work for the money, they'd always feel exploited. Heck, some people might happily screw random people mechanically on camera, but find that being asked to express an emotional connection made this too personal and was deeply uncomfortable for them

People are weird.

I mean, Ruby would likely tell them what the job involves before hand. They probably would know what they are getting into.

I'm positive that she would. Ruby spends half this strip talking ethics and consent, after all. That doesn't mean that someone who was desperate for cash or to prove a point couldn't force themself to do something they actually found distressing and exploitative.

And even if that wasn't an issue, third parties might still consider the whole business to be inherently exploitative. Because sex.

People's sexual ethics are really weird.

[wiseguy]

there is a chance that their parents have never spoken about the "subject of sex" but does not mean that they are "squeaky clean" about it, and they might know about Amber Amber, but are waiting for her to come forward about it, instead of forcing her to tell the truth.

which might make things very interesting as both Larose girls are expecting certain reactions about Amber's past in porn(as she is now mainstream acting) and even Ruby expecting something different from what actually happens about they finding about her interest in yaoi

[GES280]

and just like that Ruby is self employed.

[FlashD81]

I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this. As interesting as this is an idea for Ruby to chase I am not sure how she will handle her new hobby with her business knowledge.

Some people can and have done so yes (examples escape me ATM), but Ruby is also dealing with an ever increasing amount of hormonal desire trying to burst out of her.

One thing is for sure, if nothing else this should be entertaining.

[Spidrift]

I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this. As interesting as this is an idea for Ruby to chase I am not sure how she will handle her new hobby with her business knowledge.

To be honest, realistically, this would be a fairly terrible idea. But I'm not expecting realism. The clash between Ruby's basic sweetly truthful nature, emerging libido, and desire to prove herself as a serious contender, is just going to be too interesting for the project to just crash and burn.

Some people can and have done so yes (examples escape me ATM)...

It's tricky, but anyone who manages to make an adequate living from a creative interest is managing part of the trick, and some such people demonstrate adequate business senses. Name practically any good professional artist or writer and you're probably talking about someone having much more fun than they would have in any other career. In-comic, Zii is trying to head in that direction.

Parlaying a less creative interest into serious money is trickier again, but not impossible. Artistic production companies, academia, and the hospitality/catering industry aren't far off the kind of thing that Ruby is hoping for.

And nobody has pointed out the obvious parallel here. Ruby is trying to work out how to monetise tasteful pansexual erotica, and I reckon she'll aim for something 15-rated at most. Now, who do we all know of who's faced a very similar challenge? How about the creators of a trio of good-natured sex comedy Webcomics?

...but Ruby is also dealing with an ever increasing amount of hormonal desire trying to burst out of her.

And there's the fun twist in this case. Ruby is apparently looking to make money out of assuaging exactly the kind of impulses that she's trying to clamp down on in herself. That could be a recipe for disaster, or could give her a very sharp instinct for what might work. Watching the components of her personality bouncing round the pinball table of her new life could be fascinating. The question is, if she makes it as a virgin pornographer, can she ever afford to sacrifice her secret advantage?

One thing is for sure, if nothing else this should be entertaining.

True that.

[brasca]

I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this. As interesting as this is an idea for Ruby to chase I am not sure how she will handle her new hobby with her business knowledge.

Some people can and have done so yes (examples escape me ATM), but Ruby is also dealing with an ever increasing amount of hormonal desire trying to burst out of her.

Perhaps, but now that she is looking at things from a business perspective it might give her the rationale for her yaoi craving. It's not personal it's business or so she will think in the beginning. The immediate problem is funding her business. It might be easier to find a job than it will be to get the capital to start a business that I doubt she would have the nerve to ask a bank for a business loan to fund. She might have to ask Nathan for a loan or some other shady characters if she was rejected one too many times.

One thing is for sure, if nothing else this should be entertaining.

http://www.ma3comic.com/?module=article ... ay&ptid=17 If this guest strip is any indication of the future then Ruby might be the equivalent of Jack Horner (from Boogie Nights).

[Spidrift]

It might be easier to find a job than it will be to get the capital to start a business that I doubt she would have the nerve to ask a bank for a business loan to fund. She might have to ask Nathan for a loan or some other shady characters if she was rejected one too many times.

I dunno. She might just try. As you say, she might be capable of convincing herself that this is business, and people ask for business loans for far worse things than this. Or, hey, remember that parallel in my last post? Wanna bet whether Ruby can crowdfund this?

One can also imagine her pulling something of a classic start-up strategy and asking friends of friends to work for share options. "Zii, do you know any gay guys who'd mind being photographed half-na... Sorry, forget I bothered you, I can handle this myself. So long as he doesn't recognise me..."

http://www.ma3comic.com/?module=article ... ay&ptid=17

Oops. Da classic rookie mishtook.

[OldBrit]

And nobody has pointed out the obvious parallel here. Ruby is trying to work out how to monetise tasteful pansexual erotica, and I reckon she'll aim for something 15-rated at most. Now, who do we all know of who's faced a very similar challenge? How about the creators of a trio of good-natured sex comedy Webcomics?

Whose trading name just happens to be the same as that of Zii's employer.
I wonder if said employer would be willing to put up some of the seed capital, in exchange for first dibs on the product.

[Spidrift]

I'm not sure that Jung would want to carry photographic erotica in the shop. It's not really his area of competence, and even very mild stuff might risk the place getting a seedy image. (Yeah, it carries yaoi - but that's comics.) Anyhow, canonically, Jung isn't the boss; he reports to someone faceless higher up the tree.

On the other hand, Jung does love his cash income, so who knows what he might finesse?

[brasca]

http://www.ma3comic.com/?module=article ... ay&ptid=17

Oops. Da classic rookie mishtook.

Sorry. I tried to post the link, but it does not seem to work and I do not have the time to figure out why. I refer to the Menage a 3 guest strip "Boneularity" It is between 483 and 484 from August 1, 2011.

[Quinlan1973]

And an entrepreneur in born.