11-08-15 What looks good on a man

[brasca]

In fact I wish Kiley would be in this comic for once. She could do miracles with Ruby for sure.

Given that Ruby's problems would be incredibly simple to solve if she just admitted to herself what they were, I doubt that we'll ever see her in private conversation with Kiley. It would short-circuit her characterisation.

They could still meet and Kiley could actually tell her some things that would solve Ruby's problems quickly and then Matt would show up and beg forgiveness about last night's orgy and disclose a lot of other information that would destroy her credibility. Ruby on the verge of a breakthrough decides to do the opposite of what she was advised because her so called therapist is too crazy to trust and the amusing status quo is maintained.

[Spidrift]

...I don't think I've ever heard it called "cleavage" before, but I can't for the life of me think what it is called... about forty years out of style in this part of the world, isn't it?

On a guy, it's just "chest". There shouldn't be any more specific features there to be called anything, even on a '70s medallion man. And yes, Dillon has gone very '70s on us here, but I guess that this is what you get when you have a gay man written by a Kiss fan.

In fact I wish Kiley would be in this comic for once. She could do miracles with Ruby for sure.

Given that Ruby's problems would be incredibly simple to solve if she just admitted to herself what they were, I doubt that we'll ever see her in private conversation with Kiley. It would short-circuit her characterisation.

They could still meet and Kiley could actually tell her some things that would solve Ruby's problems quickly and then Matt would show up and beg forgiveness about last night's orgy and disclose a lot of other information that would destroy her credibility. Ruby on the verge of a breakthrough decides to do the opposite of what she was advised because her so called therapist is too crazy to trust and the amusing status quo is maintained.

But then, that wouldn't grant Bambikles any of that wish. Which makes the whole idea a bit pointless.

Kiley could come in, tell Ruby what she needs to know, and be ignored. But then, practically anybody could do that. Ruby's problems and needs aren't actually at all complicated, though Kiley would work them out in seconds flat. No need for a crossover guest star.

[themacnut]

Honestly, Ruby needs a BOB if not a flesh-and-blood boyfriend, and soon. She's tying herself up in knots, getting overheated, and now she's suffering twinges about someone she knows very well she can never have - and not just because he's a safe option.

Actually, it'll be interesting to see how Ruby reacts to further contact from Andy. She was previously all "he'll just want to get into my pants, and I'm not interested in boys" - but she can't really kid herself with the last any more, at least not without looking stupid even to herself.

The dam holding back Ruby's libido is getting some huge cracks in it, plus the tide of her hormones is rising perilously close to the top. The dam will either burst or overflow any day now. So the next time we see Andy he may be getting ridden by Ruby like a prize Thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby.

Out Of Character you say? I say the same could have been said of her love of Yaoi back when she was first introduced - she had all appearances of someone who had totally and ruthlessly suppressed her libido. But that was then, and as SilentChaos87 says;

I know it's been said in many ways in as many times, but Ruby got her hormones less kick-started and more fired out of a fucking cannon.

[Spidrift]

I kind of imagine Andy picking up the 'phone one day and hearing Ruby saying "Shut up and listen. I'm on my own here tonight. Come round, and bring a bottle of wine and a six-pack of condoms. And if you ever tell anyone anything about the next twelve hours, you're going to die."

But in truth, I don't think that Ruby would hit a moment of honest self-knowledge quite that hard, or that she'd be dumb enough to assume that her flatmates wouldn't come back unexpectedly. Plus, watching her get the hang of just kissing Andy properly may be too good a plot to skip. (There may also be a sequence where Ruby Googles what she thinks she'll need to know...) But, well, we know she's adaptable - she hasn't killed Dillon yet - so anything's possible.

[UnsightlyWalrus]

I know Dillon is 100% gay man but somehow in some way I'm still shipping him with Ruby...

[themacnut]

I kind of imagine Andy picking up the 'phone one day and hearing Ruby saying "Shut up and listen. I'm on my own here tonight. Come round, and bring a bottle of wine and a six-pack of condoms. And if you ever tell anyone anything about the next twelve hours, you're going to die."

But in truth, I don't think that Ruby would hit a moment of honest self-knowledge quite that hard, or that she'd be dumb enough to assume that her flatmates wouldn't come back unexpectedly. Plus, watching her get the hang of just kissing Andy properly may be too good a plot to skip.

I don't think Ruby will be that verbally explicit either, but in her increasingly...volatile state, even a kiss is liable to lead to Andy's clothes being ripped off and him being pounced on like a mouse before a hungry cat. Ruby may not be able to help herself if she's alone with him long enough.

On the other hand, Ruby's sex drive may take a more familiar and comfortable tack - for her anyway. She may still regard having sex herself as "Ew, gross!", but upon getting together with Andy, Ruby may try very hard to throw him together with Dillon, in the hope of seeing more live yaoi. That was her first "sexual experience" after all, watching Dillon and Jerzy get it on.

[Spidrift]

I'm not sure that she'd throw Andy at Dillon, unless he carries on making himself seem quite so gay with his weird Dillon-worship. Ruby has noted previously that Andy seems to be straight, and is supposedly impervious to Dillon's charms, and I think that she needs the excuse to herself that she's only encouraging people to do what they really want to do. Plus, she does seem to have a degree of half-admitted curiosity about kissing, and admitting that Andy might be "hers" rather than "Dillon's" could enable her to explore that.

And yes, I agree that there's an outside chance that she'll end up in bed with Andy sometime almost by accident, thanks to her libido suddenly breaking through in a situation where she's confused how to act. Though then, well, this comic has its realistic moments, and Ruby is a sensible girl; I'd expect a few strips of Andy being sent to the nearest late-night shop for condoms, and probably coming back with an assortment of options just as Dillon or Amber comes home unexpectedly.

[themacnut]

It's be realistic for Ruby's surging libido to overwhelm her common sense too...

[Spidrift]

I'd be slightly disappointed in that, given that I certainly don't expect this comic to wander off into the realm of pregnancy scares and morning-after pills, and the writers have dropped the occasional quiet hint that, yes, their characters are sensible on this sort of thing. Just ignoring the problem if Ruby lost control would be a lapse in the usual level of discreet realism.

Though I could see Ruby and Andy being interrupted somehow the first time, letting us assume that they're prepared on the second...

[brasca]

A pregnancy scare would be more dramatic than usual, but not out of the realm of possibility for people who do not plan for sexual activity. Whether someone is promiscuous or casual about sex the smart ones prepare since they hope and expect it will happen, but those that stick to abstinence rely solely on will power and too often they do not bring anything as backup because it would be acknowledging that they are too weak to abstain. Since Ruby is so dead set against it I doubt she would have any condoms in her purse if her hormones pulled off a coup in her brain so hopefully if Andy should be the one he will have contraceptives available. Seeing as how he had a cock ring it would be reasonable to assume he bought some condoms too.

[Spidrift]

If Ruby thought that she'd got herself at even the risk of pregnancy, I reckon that her anger at herself would last about sixty strips. That's precisely the kind of stupid mistake she prides herself on avoiding, only worse than she can imagine.

It'd just be ... not quite in character for this comic, though. We get more serious drama here than in Ma3, but the tone just wouldn't seem quite right. Plus, it'd take days to clear up, at best, which would probably translate to about three volumes of strips getting weighed down. Ruby turning all Ruby at the last possible moment is more in keeping, and Andy being sent on an expedition to the corner store would have plenty of comic potential.

And if Andy turned out to have some precautions in his wallet left over from their first date, well, that'd be an interesting conversation. "Do you always..." "No, these are just something I brought when I thought..." "The other night?" "Yes." "When you had me confused with my sister..."

Or, this being the Ma3 universe, we might get Andy being instructed in the finer points of pearl polishing.