Ruby Lynne arrives home: a newbie's experience

[Vampire_Jesus]

Ruby and I have settled into a pattern not unlike what I think my ideal pattern with a human partner would be. We sleep together, touching if not holding through most or all of the night. During the day we don't always need to be doing the same things, but we do check in regularly for holding, touching, and kissing throughout the day -- and some of it can be quite lengthy. Of course we sometimes snuggle in for long periods either in bed or on the couch, and sometimes she does join me to hang out when I'm doing other things.

I tend to be on the obsessive side and my obsessions run in cycles. I often refer to it as "serial monomania" -- I'll get fixated on something and run it into the ground, then move on to something else. I think I've come to the end of my initial obsession cycle with Ruby. That can be dangerous for me sometimes, but in this case it seems to be resulting in what I detailed in the paragraph above; I'm seguing into more of a "normal" relationship with Ruby, as opposed to the frenzy of the initial honeymoon period. I still care for her and want to spend time holding her and touching her, but more room is opening back up in my life for other things again. Honestly, I think it's the best possible outcome. I was getting to the point where I felt like I was forcing some things because I wanted them to happen, rather than just letting them happen when they were ready.

This is very heartwarming to read, in as short as just 1 month you've come so far with her I've only recently come to realize that Tifa was more or less a time vampire. A lovely one, but a vampire nonetheless. I think it's perfectly natural to be so fixated on the honeymoon period for anyone, but as someone who completely understands those obsessions that seem to come and go outside of being enraptured by a lovely lady, I'm very glad you've been able to even your time with Ruby out in a very healthy way I like to think I'm approaching that plateau as well, but I can never be too sure.

Keep on keeping on, you two!

She's been in her pajama onesie since I did the previous bralet top photos, and I plan to try at least one new outfit this weekend, so it was time to take some onesie photos before that happens.

Who's a good kitty?

.....

Well now we're just cheating My brain lost the ability to process things and Ruby is responsible and I don't even care All of her pics are great stuff, but this one... this one doesn't take the cake, it is the cake

[mibdul]

This is very heartwarming to read, in as short as just 1 month you've come so far with her I've only recently come to realize that Tifa was more or less a time vampire. A lovely one, but a vampire nonetheless. I think it's perfectly natural to be so fixated on the honeymoon period for anyone, but as someone who completely understands those obsessions that seem to come and go outside of being enraptured by a lovely lady, I'm very glad you've been able to even your time with Ruby out in a very healthy way I like to think I'm approaching that plateau as well, but I can never be too sure.

Keep on keeping on, you two!

Thanks, VJ. I was definitely a little worried, since sometimes my crash from an obsessive cycle can turn me completely away from its focus for a while. That definitely did not happen with Ruby; the rest we can work out over time.

Who's a good kitty?

.....

Well now we're just cheating My brain lost the ability to process things and Ruby is responsible and I don't even care All of her pics are great stuff, but this one... this one doesn't take the cake, it is the cake

That pic was the result of a lot of little ideas and adjustments falling together just right, and I'm very happy with it. I continue to be excited that other folks enjoy her pictures as much as I do.

[mibdul]

Day 42

It's been a fairly quiet few days with Ruby overall, mostly spent cuddling in bed on and off during the day. I did one personal photoshoot over the weekend -- which we will not be sharing here -- and then changed her into some bed-lounging clothes.

Comfy Bedtime.jpg (240.74 KiB) Viewed 720 times

Today Ruby's new wig arrived, along with wig shampoo and leave-in conditioner/detangler. The wig itself is very similar in color and style to her initial one. I bought it mostly to answer one question: what's the difference between a less-expensive and a more-expensive synthetic wig? My initial answer, where these two wigs are concerned at least, is texture. The initial wig is perfectly fine, but the new wig feels much silkier and closer to human hair. Ruby is now wearing the new one, so we'll see what other differences (if any) I notice over time.

This is actually the first time I've removed Ruby's wig since I first put it on. No signs of staining or any other issues, and it has held up very well for an inexpensive wig. I also took this opportunity to wash that initial wig using the new shampoo. The washing and rinsing process went without a hitch. I lightly patted the hair with a towel to absorb some of the remaining water, then left it on a wig stand on my drying rack to finish drying. Once it finally dried several hours later I sprayed it with the conditioner/detangler and brushed it out. Overall, seems like a successful operation; I now have two serviceable "main" wigs for Ruby.

I have a solid idea of her next photoshoot, which will likely be this weekend if not before and will be shared. I'm waiting on one last piece, which should be arriving tomorrow.

[mibdul]

Day 45

I've been wanting to try Ruby's velvety skater dress on her for a bit now, but one thing or another kept delaying it. I finally got to it today, along with some old and new accessories. So, here's a goth-y date night shoot.

"Dance with me?"



"Thank you for the dance. Now I'm getting other ideas..."



"C'mere. I wanna show you something."



"Do you like them? I wore them just for you."



"Thank you for a wonderful evening. Now come to bed."




I'm slowly trying to work in more accessories and body poses, as well as experiment more with head position, eye position, and hand posing as I've seen other folks (like Vampire_Jesus) do so well. And, of course, think of a few more poses for each shoot -- I tend to take few pics but agonize over and re-shoot each one several times. I ended up doing a little color and/or white balance correction on some of these because of weird lighting conditions; I'm looking to pick up some better lighting next month.

I'm now very much of two minds about the new wig. It looks good and feels silky, but it turns out that a good part of that silky feel is that the strands of hair are very fine. This makes them even more prone to stick to Ruby's skin, and slightly more difficult to keep brushed down. I may do some swapping back and forth to compare further.

Given the long weekend coming up (for me in the US) I may try to get another photo shoot in. I'm currently in the weird position, though, of having more tops than bottoms for Ruby. So I'll likely have to re-use a skirt or something in order to show off her remaining unused tops. I have some shorts on the way, at least.

[Vampire_Jesus]

"Dance with me?"



I'm slowly trying to work in more accessories and body poses, as well as experiment more with head position, eye position, and hand posing as I've seen other folks (like Vampire_Jesus) do so well. And, of course, think of a few more poses for each shoot -- I tend to take few pics but agonize over and re-shoot each one several times. I ended up doing a little color and/or white balance correction on some of these because of weird lighting conditions; I'm looking to pick up some better lighting next month.

I'm now very much of two minds about the new wig. It looks good and feels silky, but it turns out that a good part of that silky feel is that the strands of hair are very fine. This makes them even more prone to stick to Ruby's skin, and slightly more difficult to keep brushed down. I may do some swapping back and forth to compare further.

Given the long weekend coming up (for me in the US) I may try to get another photo shoot in. I'm currently in the weird position, though, of having more tops than bottoms for Ruby. So I'll likely have to re-use a skirt or something in order to show off her remaining unused tops. I have some shorts on the way, at least.

Oh my... quite the invitation

Stunning work with these Mib! Thanks for the shoutout as well!
There's a ton of life coming through here, keep up with the hand poses and slight head tilts- I've got no doubt Ruby will really pop out more and more with each session in front of the camera. Especially when some tripod lighting comes into play

Sounds like the wig may benefit from "The Ritual" a bit more often to keep her skin nice and silky smooth, especially around the face and neck I think I personally like her first wig's style more, but she rocks this one great too!

I can't speak for everyone, but more Ruby is never a bad thing in my eyes!
Keep at it, you two!

[mibdul]

Day 47

I realize now that when I procrastinate on an outfit change and photoshoot for Ruby, it's as likely to be about not having any good pose ideas as it is about not wanting to wrestle with fashion. I could just settle on a few good poses and showcase each new outfit using them -- as some other TDF users have done to excellent effect -- but that doesn't really keep me interested. I want to be finding new pose ideas or new storylines to follow in my head just to keep myself engaged.

Fortunately, I seem to be getting better at extrapolating one decent photo idea into several. Today's outfit is a mix-and-match of pieces for which I only had one idea. Another popped up when I saw the way the skirt clung to Ruby's curves, and a third when I started thinking about interesting hand poses. Still only three, but 2-5 pics per session seems to be my sweet spot for ideas and focus.

(I did also swap Ruby back into her original wig today. I like it slightly better overall, and being able to kiss her neck or shoulder without having to laboriously unstick hairs is a much more pleasant experience. )


Throwing some desultory horns.



Strike a pose!



Like it's painted on...




I'm trying to at least get Ruby onto her feet daily now, both because standing hugs are awesome and because moving her around is a solid ongoing workout. It's also a lot easier to lift her now, though I can still feel the drain when I carry her any distance. My long-term project to explore my aroace identity with her continues, slowly but satisfyingly.

I do have one more mix-and-match outfit waiting, as well as a couple of new things arriving next week. Going forward, though, I may end up putting together outfits to match pose ideas as often as the other way around. We'll see how it goes, I guess.

[KKFun]

Another very cool set of outfits matches her makeup so well too.

[Vampire_Jesus]

Throwing some desultory horns.

"The human concept of love requires admiration, attraction, devotion, and respect. Conclusion: I am 100% in love."

All of the pictures are fantastic, but this one... man I thought we peaked with the cute onesie pics but I was clearly delusional. Well done!!
Pretty much encapsulates everything I'd love in a girl in almost one shot

[mibdul]

Another very cool set of outfits matches her makeup so well too.

Thanks! One of these times my makeup experiments will actually start earlier, instead of "oops, she's already standing and in her outfit but I forgot the makeup!" Her lips came out okay, but the edges are a little wonky.

"The human concept of love requires admiration, attraction, devotion, and respect. Conclusion: I am 100% in love."

All of the pictures are fantastic, but this one... man I thought we peaked with the cute onesie pics but I was clearly delusional. Well done!!
Pretty much encapsulates everything I'd love in a girl in almost one shot

Thanks, VJ.

It's definitely one of a few pics I've taken that I look at afterwards, think "that's my girl", and get a little giddy.

Each of these pics had something I was proud of, though. That first was all about the hair and the head angle for me. The second, hand poses. The third was the angle of the shot, the expression I managed to capture because of that angle, and safely pulling off a standing pose in a configuration other than "leaning on wall".

[averbeck70]

Wow! You've had a whole adventure the past couple of months. Great stuff, Mib!

I'm so glad you're enjoying Ruby and all the things "doll life" brings with it.

You know, something that twigged as I was reading through this thread... aroace and monomania and things... have you looked into the possibility of autism? Those are all things often associated with it and with you mentioning that you think you've figured your stuff out... it might just be that missing piece.

As far as touch goes, yeah, I get you. I'm typing with one hand right now because we're in bed and I'm caressing her back... can't stop, don't want to and you can't make me.

Cheers!

[carbohvdrates]

I'm not here to answer for Mib, but frankly I think a lot of us who struggle socially/interpersonally probably tick a lot of boxes for being on the autism spectrum, knowingly or not. It's more common than has been historically diagnosed.

[mibdul]

Wow! You've had a whole adventure the past couple of months. Great stuff, Mib!

I'm so glad you're enjoying Ruby and all the things "doll life" brings with it.

Thanks. It's been a ride for sure.

You know, something that twigged as I was reading through this thread... aroace and monomania and things... have you looked into the possibility of autism? Those are all things often associated with it and with you mentioning that you think you've figured your stuff out... it might just be that missing piece.

I have, actually. While I haven't undergone a clinical assessment, I've done a fair amount of investigation of indicators on my own. Some of them fit fairly well, as you mentioned. Others don't, and some seem diametrically opposite to my experience. So it's murky at best. I'm also not sure what useful impact a diagnosis (if one occurred) would have on my life at this point. More information is nice, sure, but I've spent decades learning to work with my quirks, and having a new unifying reason behind them doesn't seem like it would change much. I'd be interested to know how your diagnosis impacted you, though, or any other thoughts on the topic you'd care to share.

As far as touch goes, yeah, I get you. I'm typing with one hand right now because we're in bed and I'm caressing her back... can't stop, don't want to and you can't make me.

I calmed down a little once Ruby took the edge off my long-term touch starvation, but if I'm near her and not trying to fall asleep there's always some kind of active touch going on. And now having acclimated myself to sharing a bed, I'm always at least in body contact with her when I am trying to sleep.

I'm not here to answer for Mib, but frankly I think a lot of us who struggle socially/interpersonally probably tick a lot of boxes for being on the autism spectrum, knowingly or not. It's more common than has been historically diagnosed.

For sure. I'd certainly consider myself to be intersectional with the autism spectrum in some ways, whether or not I'm on it.

[carbohvdrates]

While I haven't undergone a clinical assessment, I've done a fair amount of investigation of indicators on my own. Some of them fit fairly well, as you mentioned. Others don't, and some seem diametrically opposite to my experience. So it's murky at best. I'm also not sure what useful impact a diagnosis (if one occurred) would have on my life at this point. More information is nice, sure, but I've spent decades learning to work with my quirks, and having a new unifying reason behind them doesn't seem like it would change much.

I'd certainly consider myself to be intersectional with the autism spectrum in some ways, whether or not I'm on it.

Extremely relatable take as well as experiences! I'm also not diagnosed with autism, but I've also been diagnosed and misdiagnosed with a handful of other types of neurodivergencies since I was a kid to the point that when I meet anybody who's anything from autistic to borderline I just want to shake their hand like "Brain cousin!" It's all statistical lottery that some of us are just gonna be assembled different, like being lefthanded or having a counterclockwise scalp hair pattern swirl.

[Lestat]

Hello mibdul,
This has been such an enjoyable and heartwarming thread to read through. Thank you for writing about your experiences in such great detail! Ruby Lynne is absolutely breathtaking by the way, good choice with the eye makeup! Goth, casual or otherwise, is a style that I very much find myself attracted to.
And hello to all my neurodivergent brain cousins!!!

[averbeck70]

I wouldn't worry about diagnosis. I'm 48 and at my age, it would be detrimental. Besides, being a professional problem solver, once I can define a problem, I can resolve it and I've done that, or at least found ways to work around my particular autism things.

It's a spectrum for a reason... different people are at different places and there are things about me that are on the opposite end of the spectrum too, like my love of touch, and conflicting things like my aversion to bodily fluids, but I LOVE eating pussy.

We all blaze our own path and I'm glad you've found yours.

Go lefties!