wi1dfire wrote:Quite frankly, I would hope that my 6-7 years older sister would be at least on the surface a lot more put together and settled in their life. Especially when I was comparing them to my first few weeks out of college. If Ruby truly felt that she deserved to have more of Maslow's needs checked off than Amber right at this moment, then it isn't proof of anything except that Ruby is a self-absorbed jerk that feels entitled to things she hasn't earned.
If they were broadly similar characters on broadly similar paths, I'd agree with you. I'd expect a vaguely reasonable Ruby to be asking Amber for advice on life strategies, in that case. But Ruby defines herself as the not-Amber; the self-disciplined, respectable one, who's done the hard work and acquired the education and the qualifications. Which is why I suspect that Amber's (seemingly?) comfortable, successful life is part (just part) of what makes Amber perpetually angry at Amber (as Amber has noticed).
I'm not saying that Ruby consciously wants Amber to suffer; she takes family loyalty too seriously for that. But if Amber
was visibly suffering in some way, or at least admitting to being discontented with her life, it would confirm Ruby's ideas about how the world is supposed to work. From Ruby's point of view, she's had seven years of hard work, lying to her parents, and possibly becoming boring - and what has it got her? Not a tenth of what Amber seems to have. That's going to niggle, at least until Ruby lands a job.
wi1dfire wrote:Which, since I like Ruby, I'm not of the opinion she feels that way. Annoyed and exasperated by her older sister, yes, but I haven't seen any evidence that she thinks Amber should have a crappy life. I'm willing to listen to your arguments that Ruby feels Amber caused her to have a crappy life, but those aren't quite the same opinions.
Ruby is frequently angry at Amber, for reasons that she doesn't seem to understand herself, or at least that she can't express to Amber. A lot of that is going to be about the lying to their parents, and her belief that Amber is those parents' favourite; I suspect that in turn is part of a broader sense that Amber (the pretty extrovert) gets all the attention and popularity from people in general. But if Amber's life had its own complications and difficulties, Ruby might be fair-minded enough to acknowledge that everything comes with a price. It's the sense that Amber gets it all, without any visible effort, that's going to offend Ruby's sense of propriety, as much as anything.
wi1dfire wrote:I think more conversation passed between Ruby and Ray before Dillon came out. Maybe not a lot more, but enough that Ruby had fully come into the hallway in the meantime. So perhaps they already acknowledged his state of dress, or Ray simply noticed that Ruby was having trouble meeting his eyes, and decided not to put her on the spot for it.
That's perfectly possible, but in that case, I think that the writers would have done better to have acknowledged it in some way, by at least a throwaway line in this strip or the preceding one. Ray apologising for his state of undress, and Ruby hysterically claiming that she wasn't worried by it, would have worked; after all, Ruby desperately trying to seem cool and sophisticated is one of the standard jokes for her. Without it, Ray does seem rather inconsiderate, to say the least.
(And yes, that in turn may be a matter of available space. Still, solving these problems is why writers get paid the big bucks.*)
brasca wrote:I think most women who accept that they have a working libido would find it hard to look away. I doubt Peggy's behavior would be any different.
Uh, yes? Not sure how that relates to or contradicts what I said.
brasca wrote:Ray knows that Ruby is Dillon's roommate and not much else. Seeing as how Amber is also his roommate and he just got acquainted with her... repeatedly he might be assuming that if Ruby is anything like Amber she is probably accustomed to the sight of naked men.
For one thing, Ruby simply doesn't act that way - and assuming that someone you've just met must think exactly like her sister, when that sister is something of an extreme personality, is a bit rude in itself. And for another, Ruby told him - twice - that she has a very jealous boyfriend, and was visibly nervous at the idea of kissing him. He really should have noticed that she has a rather strong tendency to propriety, if he's making assumptions about her. And honestly, if I was staying in someone's home, and I bumped into someone I hardly knew while I was wearing just a skimpy towel, I'd feel obliged to apologise even if I thought she was a part-time nudist.
*
Joke.