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Strip! http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-s ... look_tense

Nope. Not at all, at all.

Oh good; we now get the yaoi club contingent back on screen. Given that Ruby will be desperate for ideas or advice on how to handle this situation with Andy, this could lead to some interesting conversations. I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct. Or maybe we'll get the entire club contributing suggestions, and then being eager for the full story when they next meet.

Meanwhile, Dillon's jealousy of his friends' relationships isn't pretty, but I guess that it's understandable. Given that the plot hasn't thrown him another prospect yet, his interactions at the club may also be interesting.

And, well, poor Ruby. It's a small and simple issue she's dealing with, really, but it's looming so large for her. Despite what Dillon says, her tension really is much worse than it has been for a while. She found the situation in the apartment stressful until she got used to it, and not having a job got to her, and she's always tightly-wound and focused, but she'd been on quite a good roll until Andy threw this at her.

Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment. In both, we have intelligent young women facing what should be very straightforward and easy decisions about their sex lives, but making things complicated through embarrassment, politeness, and over-thinking. One imagines Ruby and Marie getting into an anonymous Internet chat and comparing notes.

Alas, Spidrift, given the social attitudes about sex, especially directed towards women, this seems to happen in real life quite often too.

Spidrift wrote:Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment.

Given that SotR is running fully a month and a half late? I doubt it.

Spidrift wrote:Oh good; we now get the yaoi club contingent back on screen. Given that Ruby will be desperate for ideas or advice on how to handle this situation with Andy, this could lead to some interesting conversations. I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct. Or maybe we'll get the entire club contributing suggestions, and then being eager for the full story when they next meet.

I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.

Spidrift wrote:And, well, poor Ruby. It's a small and simple issue she's dealing with, really, but it's looming so large for her. Despite what Dillon says, her tension really is much worse than it has been for a while. She found the situation in the apartment stressful until she got used to it, and not having a job got to her, and she's always tightly-wound and focused, but she'd been on quite a good roll until Andy threw this at her.

Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment. In both, we have intelligent young women facing what should be very straightforward and easy decisions about their sex lives, but making things complicated through embarrassment, politeness, and over-thinking. One imagines Ruby and Marie getting into an anonymous Internet chat and comparing notes.

Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.

So suggesting Ray and Amber should room together did backfire on Ruby in the end.

Zippy wrote:

Spidrift wrote:Oh, and I'm now almost wondering if this comic and SotR are deliberately running in parallel at the moment.

Given that SotR is running fully a month and a half late? I doubt it.

Good point. Okay, call it an accidental echo effect.

brasca wrote:I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.

Angel and Zii would be useful on the mechanics, but would be about as much use as Amber on the emotional problems; they'd both very likely go (a) Is he cute? (b) Are you straight or at least bi? (c) What are you waiting for? Zii may have learned from observations of Gary and Yuki by now that there can be complications, but she doesn't seem to understand them very well.

Julian could at least provide the sympathetic perspective of someone who's working up to his own first time. Ramona seems like she's probably even less experienced than Ruby, what with being young, not a great looker, having medical issues to distract her, and having a protective big sister from hell always by her side -- but she also seems likely to be sympathetic, and she knows about making the most of the hand you're dealt. Though I suspect that she'd encourage Ruby to go for it in order to get a report on whether or not it's as good as yaoi.

brasca wrote:Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.

Oh, they're different problems -- but they're both problem with simple answers, obscured by fear and politeness. Ruby has a simple personal choice; she can either say "No thanks, I'm not ready" or "Okay, what the hell, let's go for it". Either is her business, and Andy is probably nice enough to react to either gently. But she doesn't want to lose one of her few friends, and let's face it, she pretty clearly wants to say yes loud and clear -- and yet, yes, she's also terrified. Marie, conversely, got into this situation through dumb teenage naivety, and now she needs to take a deep breath and say "Look, I'm terribly sorry, but I got into this situation through stupidity, and now I've realised that I'm straight, even though you're sexy as hell -- please forgive me and I'll call up a friend who can advise..." But she's a teenager, so she's terrified of looking stupid and losing a new friend...

Like I said, accidental echoes.

Cortez wrote:So suggesting Ray and Amber should room together did backfire on Ruby in the end.

She didn't suggest that -- and anyway, I don't see how that's part of her current problems.

She kinda did, since Dillon Suggested Ray should bunk with him and Ruby should bunk with Amber. But Ruby nixed that.

Uh, not really. Amber nixed it, Dillon said that Ruby maybe should have a vote, and Ruby made it clear where her vote would go if she was asked.

Anyhow, that's nothing to do with Ruby's current problems, which are about whether she should go to "the next level" with Andy. Whose bed she sleeps in at the time is likely to be pretty much irrelevant.

Spidrift wrote:

brasca wrote:I doubt Ramona or Julian could contribute much, but Angel and Zii (if they can get along) could provide some information. It might not be the best information, but it will be informative.

Angel and Zii would be useful on the mechanics, but would be about as much use as Amber on the emotional problems; they'd both very likely go (a) Is he cute? (b) Are you straight or at least bi? (c) What are you waiting for? Zii may have learned from observations of Gary and Yuki by now that there can be complications, but she doesn't seem to understand them very well.

Agreed, but for the first time ever Zii can relate to someone who feels tense because of lack of sex. Of course this could be misinterpreted in any number of comedic ways. Zii may think Ruby is worried that she can't match her sister because of her past sexual history which is why she would confide this with her and not Amber. As such she might not understand some of the complexities of having sex with someone and then what happens the next day.

Spidrift wrote:Julian could at least provide the sympathetic perspective of someone who's working up to his own first time. Ramona seems like she's probably even less experienced than Ruby, what with being young, not a great looker, having medical issues to distract her, and having a protective big sister from hell always by her side -- but she also seems likely to be sympathetic, and she knows about making the most of the hand you're dealt. Though I suspect that she'd encourage Ruby to go for it in order to get a report on whether or not it's as good as yaoi.

They would be supportive, but I don't think Ruby would want to openly discuss her sex life or lack of it so more than likely Dillon will spill the beans.

Spidrift wrote:

brasca wrote:Ruby's problem is not all that complicated. Her libido is getting stronger and she cannot deny it and the prospect of sex terrifies her. A lot of people go through that, but at an earlier age. Marie on the other hand wanted to impress her idol so she pretended to be a lesbian without ever thinking about whether or not she is sexually attracted to women.

Oh, they're different problems -- but they're both problem with simple answers, obscured by fear and politeness. Ruby has a simple personal choice; she can either say "No thanks, I'm not ready" or "Okay, what the hell, let's go for it". Either is her business, and Andy is probably nice enough to react to either gently. But she doesn't want to lose one of her few friends, and let's face it, she pretty clearly wants to say yes loud and clear -- and yet, yes, she's also terrified. Marie, conversely, got into this situation through dumb teenage naivety, and now she needs to take a deep breath and say "Look, I'm terribly sorry, but I got into this situation through stupidity, and now I've realised that I'm straight, even though you're sexy as hell -- please forgive me and I'll call up a friend who can advise..." But she's a teenager, so she's terrified of looking stupid and losing a new friend...

Not quite. While Ruby might be reluctant to decline out of concern that this could end her relationship with Andy I don't think she'd go that far just to placate him if that's what she thinks he wants. I think she places a higher value on friendship than courtship at this point, but she may go into this next date prepared for sex after everyone's coaching only to have Andy's interpretation of the next level to be something innocuous. As for Marie she told Ingrid that she was on a journey of sexual discovery and hops on board. Typically if someone wants to experiment they have some sexual attraction to that gender. She might be able to offer a flimsy excuse that something was lost in the translation and she wasn't actually interested in sex.

brasca wrote:Agreed, but for the first time ever Zii can relate to someone who feels tense because of lack of sex.

That's the other thing, of course; Zii may join Dillon in being jealous of Ruby's opportunities here. If Ruby does blab in the hopes of getting some sympathetic advice, she may even face an entire room full of people going "FFS - he's cute, you're horny, you're both single - stop complaining and get on with it, you lucky *€>$@".

They would be supportive, but I don't think Ruby would want to openly discuss her sex life or lack of it so more than likely Dillon will spill the beans.

Remember that Ruby is painfully truthful and tends to run off at the mouth when under stress. I can imagine all sorts of ways in which she winds up accidentally telling the entire club her problems.

She might be able to offer a flimsy excuse that something was lost in the translation and she wasn't actually interested in sex.

I think it's much too late for that now.

Spidrift wrote:Uh, not really. Amber nixed it, Dillon said that Ruby maybe should have a vote, and Ruby made it clear where her vote would go if she was asked.

Anyhow, that's nothing to do with Ruby's current problems, which are about whether she should go to "the next level" with Andy. Whose bed she sleeps in at the time is likely to be pretty much irrelevant.

Except she's clearly annoyed with Amber and Ray getting it on, like last time.

Spidrift wrote:I think that my long-shot guess about her consulting Zii may prove correct.

Cue the following scene:

Ruby hears grunts, moans, exclamations of very sexual nature... Despite herself, she enters the room (wherever it is), and sees:

Zii riding Andy, who has a total + expression.

She looks up at Ruby (who is utterly aghast and basically bluescreening) and tells her, yup, he's good to go, and she can give Ruby some tips on what the boy likes.

Cortez wrote:Except she's clearly annoyed with Amber and Ray getting it on, like last time.

I don't read this strip that way at all. I assume that Ruby is still stressed out over the thing that stunned her in the immediately preceding strip; the realisation that Andy apparently wants to initiate a pants-off situation after dinner on Saturday. Aside from the fact that this provides plot continuity, it makes Dillon's line about Ruby using Andy for stress relief nicely unintentionally ironic.

Also, when Ruby got annoyed at Amber with Ray, it was because Amber was (a) making a racket and (b) stealing Dillon's live-action-yaoi partner. So Ruby was openly annoyed by those external stimuli. This time, she's looking more confused and tensed up by something that's preying on her mind. Which fits the Andy problem better than the Amber-Ray shenanigans.

Don Alexander wrote:Zii riding Andy, who has a total + expression.

She looks up at Ruby (who is utterly aghast and basically bluescreening) and tells her, yup, he's good to go, and she can give Ruby some tips on what the boy likes.

The fact that Zii has her own needs just now did cross my mind. But actually, not bagging a friend's SO (without permission) seems to be one of the few sexual rules that most of these characters do actually respect. Most of the time. Usually.

Which said, I could certainly see Zii saying to Ruby "Well, if he's cute, and you don't want him..." Though I think that the effect of that would be to nudge Ruby into making a Launch Go decision. Which Zii might even class as a good result, through gritted teeth.