Cortez wrote:Mean would implied she insulted her, she didn't. Adequate isn't an insult.
Uh, really, honestly - in that sort of context, it is. I
like Ruby, but that line was her damning with "praise" so faint that it's virtually invisible, in a way that was clearly deliberate. "Adequate" means "the absolute minimum that does the job"; after her comments to Dillon, it was a hard slap-down.
Plus, there was the snarky twist of her checking that Amber's cheque had cleared first. That (a) implies that Amber might pass dud cheques, a serious insult in itself, and (b) makes it clear that Ruby is only even saying "adequate" because Amber was paying her. Which was arguably a slap-down that Amber deserved after asking for praise and mentioning money, but was still quite mean. To be fair to Amber, I'd believe that she only mentioned the money because she was hurt that Ruby was ignoring her, but it was still a foolish thing for her to say - and her expression in the last panel shows that she took Ruby's line hard.
Actually, the best thing about that strip may have been Ruby developing a really effective snarky side, which suits her. She turned Amber's complaint back on Amber with a certain ruthless efficiency, but also, her line to Dillon looked like justified teasing about his sexual vanity, albeit teasing that he wouldn't recognise as such. She's developing a certain pawky wit against which others will have to guard themselves.
Cortez wrote:Plus this strip shows Ruby doing her job and keeping Amber's priority in order. Mean would be doing the opposite.
That efficiency
is interesting, but actually, it confirms something we'd already seen about Ruby; that she takes a lot of pride in being good at her job. She needs that even more than she needs to hurt Amber. She can insult her sister on her own time.
Which ties up with her fetish for "respectability". Ruby has had trouble making friends, she's sublimated her sex drive for years, she fears that her parents don't love her - but the one thing she can control is how seriously she's taken. Dignity, respectability, doing a good job, being able to afford smart clothes - they're all parts of the same thing. If she can't be loved, she can at least be respected. The worst danger is that she'll eventually go full Tatiana and decide that she wants to be
feared.
brasca wrote:Sorry I thought you were referring to Charlotte Simms and Cyndi Kristoffer from Penny & Aggie, but misspelled the names.
Because "Grote" looks just like "Simms", and I'm the sort of person who spells "Cyndi" as "Sydney"...
brasca wrote:And Something Positive's PeeJee Shou would be another.
I'd rather keep things less misanthropic and sour than that.