I’m just saying… I don’t ever recall Ethan anything but clean shaved. Only one I’d ever say is scruffy is the guy who’s been sporting a five-o-clock shadow for some months now
How is Ethan muscular, anyway? I mean, I can’t imagine he goes to the gym, given what we know of him. Unless band practice is really paying off dividends, given what physical feats Amber is capable of as well.
Oddly enough the thought doesn’t seem to have occurred to him.
I’m kind of hoping this leads to Joe meeting some gay guys. Trying to hook them up with “A friend of a friend who’s still in the closet” and obliviously repeating that description.
At which point, they’d probably think Joe is referring to himself and is thus trying to flirt with them. I mean, that description is pretty close to Joe.
How far could it go? Could they show up to the date fully expecting Joe only to find Ethan?
Or what if Ethan didn’t show up? Still nervous about everything. Then the date gets all pissed off at Joe thinking he stood them up! Coming at Joe all “What kind of games are you playing!” and getting frustrated when he keeps hiding behind the mysterious “Friend of a friend who’s still in the closet and looks a lot like me”.
When Joe figures out what’s going on will he think Danny’s pranked him? Maybe a rumor starts that Danny and Joe are on again off again lovers but Joe just can’t settle down and accept that side of himself, hiding behind a series of heterosexual conquests, and poor Danny’s finally just trying to move on and leave Joe to sort that out on his own.
I don’t recall Joe ever doing any PUA stuff. He hits on girls but he’s never done it in deceiving manner. I don’t recall him ever trying to use alcohol as a means to sleep with someone either. Maybe in the Walkyverse but not in DOA.
This is a guess, but Joe’s dad has a full beard. I believe that Joe is working hard to emulate him and the ‘five-o’clock shadow’ is his achievement to date.
34, and I’ve been told I look 17. I’m actually going gray, but it’s not that noticeable yet. What people do notice is that I’m petite and baby-faced, and they assume I’m younger than I am.
I’ve always thought Joe had some Jeff in him. Like, the other day I was wondering what costume each character would wear for Halloween (personal headcanon: Joyce as Elsa, Becky and Dina as dinosaurs, Ethan as Batman, Amber as Squirrelgirl, Danny as Catwoman (oh yeah) and Walky in a giant nachito costume), and I mean, Joe would definitely pull a Jeff Winger – get dressed as whatever gives him an excuse to go shirtless. Professional wrestler for example. 😉
Ive always been confused by the fact that Joe is a less developed character in Dumbing of Age than he was in roomies. How the hell can someone be more developed in freaking Roomies?
His reasoning for sexual orientations being consistent is that people are born that way, making it akin to race or gender which are also multiversally consistent.
He’s portrayed interest in things like transformers as fluid though. If I recall Joe in the Walkyverse wasn’t initially a transformers fan, but rather developed that interest later in life. Robin DeSanto similarly was not initially a fan of Batman, but developed that interest through her relationship with Ethan.
Arguably here in the Dumbiverse we’re seeing the same thing happen with Becky and her interest in Dinosaurs. You’ll notice that when Becky discovered she was a lesbian, she discovered that she had always been a lesbian, adding new context to feelings she had always felt but had never really understood. Her interest in dinosaurs hasn’t been treated with this same narrative though.
It follows that “Transformers Orientations” are unlike sexual orientations, race, or gender. They are malleable characteristics that can be freely changed from one universe to the next. That’s my perhaps too serious answer to that question.
Joe: actually, I do know this one guy who’s been thinking about going gay. Sandy brown hair, kinda gangly but in a charming way, it sounds like he and this tall friend of yours could really hit it off.
“Although he really seems to like glasses, perhaps your friend should invest in some”
“… Joe?”
“This guy’s voice is a tender soprano and he really likes comic books and his 3DS.”
“… Joe, please–”
“But gym class tells me this guy might not be very well endo–”
“JOE I’M LEAVING.”
“Good luck with your friend bro!”
(what is characterization? what is good dialogue writing? what is mask or no mask?? i’m so sorry no not really but like i have no idea what i’m writing about lmfao)
And isn’t it a thing that a lot of sex addicts will have gay sex at times when normally straight and vice versa? Road Joe’s going down he might be making a lot of gay friends if it’s true!
Yeahhhhh, but he hasn’t been the best at showing support for queer expressions of sexuality. People who believe they don’t know queer people may not mean to, but there’s usually something in how they are expressing themselves that makes the queer people in their lives go “hmm, I’m not entirely sure this person is safe to come out to.”
I’m probably reading too deeply between the lines here, but considering Joe said “I don’t know of any” versus “I don’t know any”, I think he’s open to the idea that some of his friends might not be straight, rather than outright denying that any could be.
I always figured he’d take it really badly when Danny fully came out to him, but maybe the ones insisting it’s more aggressive disinterest than anything else were correct.
“I dunno, who’s looking?” made me think he was considering having to set Danny up with someone.
I think Joe is more averse to Serious Talk than any discussion of queer sexuality, hence his reaction when Danny was coming to terms with his bisexuality.
Is his type also strong against dark types, but weak against steel and poison? There are gay guys who could take offense to being called that, even if the actual pokemon type is badass ;P
No, but let’s put some thought into this. If his type is tall dark and handsome, it means he’s weak against dark types. That leaves Danny as either a ghost or psychic. And since he’s not dead, he has to be a psychic!
That’s pretty flattering, huh. Umm, his type for girls seems to be short and nerdy? And regardless of gender he seems to be into well grounded people, so that could add up to weak against ground types… That would make him main type electric, fire, poison, rock, or steel….. so like the obvious fanon answer would be poison/psychic for dannying up, but the thing is that danny is very well-meaning so poison would be unfair…….. maybe electric/psychic because he’s into computer science? That actually works pretty well, then Amber is electric/ground while Amazi-girl is fight/ground, and it superworks out because Amazi-girl and Danny are weak against each other! Dorothy is psychic/ground and not weak in any way against Danny, although that would mean Amazi-girl is weak against Dorothy???…..
Neither Joe nor Danny are ‘bad’ guys.
Danny is just pretty clueless. He doesn’t hurt people intentionally, usually. But he doesn’t let that stop him from getting what he wants either. He dumped his friend Amber when she needed him most, so he could go with Amazi-girl.
A typical Danup is when he led Ambers abusive father Blain to her, and but attempted to protect her.
Danny is not particularly bad, just a bit lacking in common sense.
Joe, on the other hand is just very inward directed. He won’t allow anyone to get close, always going for the superficial relationships.
He treats Danny as he does most people. Someone to interact with, never to confide in.
On the other sub-topic, I was still getting carded at 35.
“He dumped Amber when she needed him most so he could date Amazi Girl.”
You mean he thought they were two different people and Amber pressured him into having her be a fake girlfriend for a day? (We know Amber did it as a way of getting away from her dad, Danny didn’t because he’s not omniscient and Amber refused to explain). I mean you can make that assertion that Danny was purposefully being the worst to Amber all you want, it doesn’t make it true.
I think you’re reading too much into the term “dumped” – the point is, yes, he thought they were two different people, and with that in mind he was awfully damn shitty as a friend to Amber. Honestly, if Amber were a separate person from Amazi-Girl, that arc would be pretty much like this one – Danny doesn’t trust himself to be faithful to his girlfriend so everyone else (Amber then, Ethan now) is the problem.
It’s the same thing going on with Ethan now. Danny isn’t comfortable being interested in someone other than his SO, so he starts panicking and trying to build walls around it.
Besides, Amber went way beyond the boundaries of friend when she pretended to be his girlfriend and Danny launched into a soliloquy about how fantastic she was.
Danny has a difficult time separating interest and full blown romance, so he’s having a hard time accepting that he’s attracted to Ethan while also being in love with Amber.
What I meant was that, on top of Amber being in super pushy girlfriend mode (because she actually was his girlfriend, while also trying to escape from Blaine), Danny started talking at length about how she’s perfect and wonderful instead of just coming up with a few reasons why she’s a nice girlfriend, and he kind of smacked himself in the face with why he was attracted to her.
So between realizing he actually did like her and his massive hang ups about romantic loyalty, Danny started panicking and tried to push her away. She stopped just being a friend to him, and in Dannyland, there can only be one person who’s more than friend, much like how Danny is wigging out now over his feelings for Ethan.
It’s still not the exact same. Amber was making advances towards Danny, and pressured Danny into saying she was his girlfriend, despite Danny saying that he was dating Amazi Girl and that he was uncomfortable with the idea.
Exactly. I don’t think he realized he actually was interested in Amber until after he talked at length about how she was the perfect girlfriend, but between actually realizing he did have feelings for her and Amber pushing at it, it made him hit the panic button and try to break everything off between the two.
Ethan, meanwhile, is just there, and Danny can’t come up with a good reason to start rejecting him, so he starts working with alternatives to have Ethan taken up by someone else so he can justify to himself why it can’t work. I think with Danny, he feels being attracted to someone else is the same as cheating.
“I think with Danny, he feels being attracted to someone else is the same as cheating.”
I find this to sum it up quite well!
I may have been that way when I was in my teens, but I eventually realized that fretting about it only resulted in giving more attention to the paradoxically undesired object of attraction, which is like piling contradiction upon contradiction until you become a huge mess and wreck something up, since there can only be so much instability before it all crumbles down into a pile of tearful sorrow.
Tbh I put impact before intentionality, and if one looks at it from that perspective Danny’s definitely bad. He tries really hard to be good, he tries so hard, but he just isn’t. I hope he is one day, but he’s not there yet
We’re getting closer and closer to fulfilling my desire for Joe and Ethan to hook up.
Look. Ethan wanted to date a Jewish nerd. UM Joe is a Jewish nerd. And he’s hot. And it would be funny because Danny would have to deal with his best friend boning his crush.
I actually think that Joe comes out very well from this strip. As shallow as he apparently can be when it comes to his own relationships, he has standards about passing recommendations on to his friends.
FWIW, depending on how insightful Joe is, Danny’s all but come out to him.
Indeed, this is the most genuinely queer supportive yet, which means he may be realizing that his bestie might actually be going through something he’s going to need to expand himself to support. And if he can do so without getting “girlie” emotions on him, then it’s worth the effort to him even if it’s outside of his normal wheelhouse.
language question here: can someone explain me the use of the pronoun “they” in that strip. As a non native english speaker, I don’t get if there’s a subtlety in that use.
They usually is a plural pronoun, but in this instance it’s been used in the singular. There’s been a movement to have they used as a gender neutral singular pronoun, in the likes of he or she, rather than having it dismissed as grammatically incorrect, due to this lexical gap that leaves non-binary people without a pronoun.
Joe uses “they” as the pronoun for “someone”, since it refers to an unspecified person, who in this general case could be a man or woman. That really is a standard and traditional use.
Danny is talking about Ethan, so could change to “he”. Instead he’s chosen to take things as filling in details about Joe’s someone and so is using the same pronoun.
It’s difficult to tell and a lot depends on perspicuous Joe is about his room-mate. It is possible that Danny has been dropping ‘tells’ about being bi (being a bit too interested in handsome men in popular culture, for example) but Joe is too well-mannered to mention it.
Well, he did bluntly ask Danny if he was gay back when Danny first started asking him if he had ever thought about guys, which then quickly dovetailed into how Joe never wants to talk about anything at all, plus when he and Roz first had sex Danny mentioned that Joe was “way hotter than usual” and he reacted pretty negatively to it.
So I think in this case Joe’s just trying to be a bro.
I think that he doesn’t want to push it after he asked Danny. I mean, Danny did imply that he only liked girls. Since we know he’s bi, it is easier for the audience to see that he was leaving things out on purpose, but to Joe, I can see how he would take his comment to mean that he is straight.
The way hotter than usual…I think that stems from Joe not wanting his best friend to think he’s hot. If my best friend was attracted to me, I’d be squicked out as well, and I’m pan!
But I do agree, Joe is trying to be a bro here. A good wingman.
When Danny and Ethan were going to do something together, Joe razed Danny as if they were going on a date. Which Danny took as serious, and freaked, and started sputtering that they weren’t going on a date. Which exasperated Joe, who said that he knew that, bease if they were going on a date he wouldn’t have joked about it. That seems indicative to me.
DON’T. DON’T DO IT. DON’T LET THE AUTHOR KNOW THAT THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER COUPLE THAT IS NOT DANNY AND ETHAN OR, IF HE LIKES IT, HE WILL CHANGE HIS MIND. DO. NOT. SHIP THEM.
Other than both being tall, hot Jewish guys who like Transformers (does Joe still like those in this verse?), I don’t think they’re at all alike. Ethan’s a really emotional, caring dude, while Joe just shuts absolutely everything out that doesn’t immediately suit his interests.
I wonder….Joe’s just been asked to help someone hook up, he might actually keep this in mind. I wonder if he’ll be thinking about the description and spot Ethan and put things together.
While I super super want Ethan/Joe, I do wonder how Joe would figure out that he is bi or pan. When Danny asked Joe if he’d slept with any guys, Joe’s answer was “No, of course not.” Now that could mean that he DOES know he’s bi or pan, and comes from him falling for men more than girls. We know that Joe has attachment and commitment issues. Maybe it will take him actually having a conversation with Ethan to think, ‘damn I’d hit that.’ Sorta what happened with Danny actually. xD I dunno. While Danny/Ethan is something I like, I do worry a lot about Amber becoming violent towards Danny or Ethan about that situation. Or towards herself. I’d really rather her leave Danny instead of the opposite. (maybe for Mike. *coughs*)
Yeah, I think Joe’s pretty firm in knowing his orientation. Danny thought he was straight too, but even then it was hinted here and there until it eventually came out, no pun intended.
With the way Joe has been hyper assertive about his sexuality and trying to blot out Danny’s attempts to talk to him about it, I can see where the theories come from, but I don’t think it’s true in Joe’s case.
Yeah. I could imagine the shallow insecure sex maniac Roomies!Joe living in denial about his sexuality, especially since his character had so many streaks of “did I mention I’m heterosexual today?”
But DOA’s Joe isn’t like that. He’s surprisingly progressive and confident. Less of a sex maniac and more sex-positive. And while open about his prolific promiscuity, he clearly considers it his own business (and pleasure.)
Joe reminds me of Barney from HIMYM, actually. Their main goal is of course to look out for number one, especially when it comes to having the good nekkid-times. But it is also important to them both that -other people- should also enjoy fun sexytimes a lot. Hence they end up trying to be wingmen for Ted and Danny, respectively. It also explains why Joe’s always having a sock handy for whenever one’s needed in the dorm; other people having enjoyable sex makes him happy (if not as happy as when gets some himself, of course).
Y’know, I appreciate that Joe says he doesn’t know OF any gay friends he might have, rather than outright saying he doesn’t know any gay dudes. Surprisingly thoughtful of him, avoiding the easy, normative assumption of “nobody I know has actually come out to me, therefore I don’t know anyone who is gay”.
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dat Joe eyebrow
he’s considering it
birth of the Danny-Joe ship
(d’oh)
it’s the joebrow
Ooh, nice Dinavatar.
More like an Ethan-Joe ship I’d say.
Hell to the motherfuckin’ yeah.
The two cutest guys together (I’m my opinion)
ALL OF MY YES!
Anyone else a bit concerned about the possible repercussions of Dan’s choice in description? Since it also fits Joe?
I was thinking that too. ~<3
Joe’s hair isn’t scruffy.
I sure would be funny if he take this as an indirect from Danny.
I ship everyone with everyone!
I think the total combinations possible were calculated a little while back.
Just one. Rodrigo ships them all at the same time, on a single pile
His face kinda is though
“Oh, and he’s Jewish.”
“….”
“Well, this is awkward. What are you tell me, Dan…?”
Well it does explain why Joe immediately said “sounds like a catch”, though so at “thoughtful and kind” hasn’t exactly applied to him.
“Thoughtful and kind”.
Would you really describe Joe as “Thoughtful and kind?” 😛
Oh, several people already got this. Disregard my too-quick reply!
The Good Ship Jonny has been creeping along since Roomies. Very slowly. It’s really more like a rowboat.
Fair enough.
“Oh hey I think I know one, name’s Dan E. Will Cox”
More like Will go for Cox!
eh? eh? 😀
Joe you arse.
The bro code knows no bounds.
Unless there’s a hoe near them,then Joe goes to…joe her up.
Joe, the Bro Code Breaker.
Joe Joe Joe Bro Bro Bro Bro
Joey Joe Bro Jobrosen
Joes before bros. Yo Joe!
with his lil’ joe!
Hey! HE WORKS HARD TO GO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND BRING THAT POSITIVITY BACK TOWARDS THEIR RELATIONSHIP!
yay not Danning it up.
give it time
Why would I go and do a fool thing like that?
So… is it just me or did it sound like Danny either A) Has Ethan down way too well to memory or B) Was just describing Joe?
*reads*
*rereads*
Oh god he IS describing Joe.
Totally.
I’m just saying… I don’t ever recall Ethan anything but clean shaved. Only one I’d ever say is scruffy is the guy who’s been sporting a five-o-clock shadow for some months now
Danny is saying “Black hair, scruffy.” As in, “Scruffy black hair.”
Guess that explains why he’d think the person is a catch.
I don’t know… since when has Joe been thoughtful and kind?
Joe thinks Joe is thoughtful and kind.
Yes. 😛
Naah Joe looks more solid as opposed to lean and his hair isn’t scruffy
Wide but lean though. Besides every time we’ve seen Ethan shirtless there’s muscles on that boy. Plus it might not be the hair thats the scruffy part
Fair call but I really can’t see Danny being attracted to Joe anytime soon especially when Ethans still on the scene
This could just be him slooooowly realizing Oh No I have a TYPE
And it’s type Joe Positive
We certainly know that Joyce’s type is Joe Negative.
could lead this type Joe negative of Joyce be a new order of Joyce division of types?
Joyce Division, Type Joe Negative… any more band references we can shoehorn into DoA character names?
How is Ethan muscular, anyway? I mean, I can’t imagine he goes to the gym, given what we know of him. Unless band practice is really paying off dividends, given what physical feats Amber is capable of as well.
carrying all those Transformers
college IS a lot of walking, though
No way. He said “thoughtful and kind”. 😛
Beat me to it.
So he’s making stuff up to talk up the prospect. Like we don’t all do that!
If he’d added “Jewish” to his description, he’d still be describing Joe.
Joe’s wondering “Why are you describing me?”
HA! Not the only one wondering it I see
Oddly enough the thought doesn’t seem to have occurred to him.
I’m kind of hoping this leads to Joe meeting some gay guys. Trying to hook them up with “A friend of a friend who’s still in the closet” and obliviously repeating that description.
At which point, they’d probably think Joe is referring to himself and is thus trying to flirt with them. I mean, that description is pretty close to Joe.
Exactly!
How far could it go? Could they show up to the date fully expecting Joe only to find Ethan?
Or what if Ethan didn’t show up? Still nervous about everything. Then the date gets all pissed off at Joe thinking he stood them up! Coming at Joe all “What kind of games are you playing!” and getting frustrated when he keeps hiding behind the mysterious “Friend of a friend who’s still in the closet and looks a lot like me”.
When Joe figures out what’s going on will he think Danny’s pranked him? Maybe a rumor starts that Danny and Joe are on again off again lovers but Joe just can’t settle down and accept that side of himself, hiding behind a series of heterosexual conquests, and poor Danny’s finally just trying to move on and leave Joe to sort that out on his own.
That’s the joke. Danny knows he’ll get Joe’s help if he describes someone that Joe approves, so he basically describes Ethan as Joe.
Except that Joe is neither thoughtful nor kind. At least, not to Danny.
“Do you have any bi-curious friends?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Then today’s your lucky day.”
joe and danny will develop an ‘awkward pause collection’
Danny could only score a 6 on the Joe Scale.
This is why I like joe
Joe, the Sometimes Bro.
You ask Joe a question without beating round the bush and he’ll give a straight answer which a lot of people won’t plus hes not homophobic
Yeah, last thing we need is “Joe the No Homo Bro”.
I’ve always thought Joess a decent guy and i don’t get the heat he seems to attract but then I don’t get the whole Danyy things up either
Hecause his fear of intimacy makes him emotionally distant, and he does this on purpose. You can’t be friends that way, just acquaintances.
For me, it’s mostly the PUA stuff he does and the “consent can be maneuvered around with alcohol” stuff that sets me off the most against him.
I don’t recall Joe ever doing any PUA stuff. He hits on girls but he’s never done it in deceiving manner. I don’t recall him ever trying to use alcohol as a means to sleep with someone either. Maybe in the Walkyverse but not in DOA.
Is there an incident in which Joe took advantage of someone UI, because he told Danny that that was a red line?
The fact he doesn’t know any gay people is a pretty straight answer, yes. (Bad-dum-tish.)
*blows whistle*
Two minutes in the punalty box!
Ha… ha!
I mean, good to know he’d look out for a buddy, even if he could have led with that.
I am so impressed with Joe’s 5-o’clock shadow for a freshman!
Some guys mature faster than others, so says the teenage-looking twenty-something.
15 year old looking 17 year old here
There was a senior in my high school who could grow a full-on man-beard! He could go into a lot of bars and order a beer without being carded.
Sean Connery started balding at 20 and wore a wig in all the Bond films.
He also stopped aging some time in the late 1980s, I’d say that’s worth a little baldness.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rS0qkAt-4-k/VRQxCVpW_tI/AAAAAAAAGyI/-yIJbA6LbAE/s1600/161105.jpg
sure he hasn’t
As the song says, “If you keep on living, you are gonna get old.”
Aye, I’m 24 yet still look about 16.
Don’t you hate it when they cast 30 year olds to play teenagers?
Maybe they are what teens are supposed to look like and the world’s been getting it wrong this whole time?
This is a guess, but Joe’s dad has a full beard. I believe that Joe is working hard to emulate him and the ‘five-o’clock shadow’ is his achievement to date.
34, and I’ve been told I look 17. I’m actually going gray, but it’s not that noticeable yet. What people do notice is that I’m petite and baby-faced, and they assume I’m younger than I am.
*plays “Simply Irresistable” on the Muzak*
Goddamn you, now I have to listen to it. You got it in my head. DX
*followed up by “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On”*
Joe seems decent for once.
I’m waiting for Danny to try total honesty on Joe. I could see Joe being the greatest friend ever but him being awful is not impossible.
Oh goodie. Joe.
Could have gone a lot longer without seeing him again.
When you cannot see Joe, you do not know if he can see you
That’s my reaction whenever we switch to Ruth.
Suspicious Joe is suspicious. I feel like he’s quite close to figuring this out.
Maybe. He also may not even try to figure it out
I think Joe already knows, he probably just doesn’t think its a big deal
I think he just doesn’t want to push it. He knows Danny. Danny would flip out if asked.
Suddenly, a thousand Joe/Ethan ships launch
Jothan (seems like a good ship name)
Maybe the other way- Ethoe?
Roseneigal? Team Jewish? Closet-Nerd & Closeted Nerd? Two tall hunks of well-chinned dude?
I was shipping it until Danny ended up being the bi one.
He’s not really into it, but not opposed. And he has always wondered what it is like to have sex with himself.
So he’s a little bit Jeff Winger?
I’ve always thought Joe had some Jeff in him. Like, the other day I was wondering what costume each character would wear for Halloween (personal headcanon: Joyce as Elsa, Becky and Dina as dinosaurs, Ethan as Batman, Amber as Squirrelgirl, Danny as Catwoman (oh yeah) and Walky in a giant nachito costume), and I mean, Joe would definitely pull a Jeff Winger – get dressed as whatever gives him an excuse to go shirtless. Professional wrestler for example. 😉
Holy shit he is.
LAUNCH TORPEDOES!
This one hits pretty close to home; when I first read DoA, it took longer than I’d like to admit before I could differentiate Ethan and Joe.
If he’s making a sex joke its joe.
If he’s making a batman joke its Ethan
nice! but if it’s a transformers joke…
actually, is joe into transformers in this one?
If it makes a transformers joke it’s probably Amber.
Ive always been confused by the fact that Joe is a less developed character in Dumbing of Age than he was in roomies. How the hell can someone be more developed in freaking Roomies?
He was the secondary main character in Roomies, so he ended up having a lot of focus, which later continued into It’s Walky and Shortpacked.
In DoA Joe’s just kind of around.
Has Willis not said whether Transformers orientations are conserved across universes? Seems at least as important as sexual orientation.
They definitely don’t, interests were changed to maintain differences between characters.
His reasoning for sexual orientations being consistent is that people are born that way, making it akin to race or gender which are also multiversally consistent.
He’s portrayed interest in things like transformers as fluid though. If I recall Joe in the Walkyverse wasn’t initially a transformers fan, but rather developed that interest later in life. Robin DeSanto similarly was not initially a fan of Batman, but developed that interest through her relationship with Ethan.
Arguably here in the Dumbiverse we’re seeing the same thing happen with Becky and her interest in Dinosaurs. You’ll notice that when Becky discovered she was a lesbian, she discovered that she had always been a lesbian, adding new context to feelings she had always felt but had never really understood. Her interest in dinosaurs hasn’t been treated with this same narrative though.
It follows that “Transformers Orientations” are unlike sexual orientations, race, or gender. They are malleable characteristics that can be freely changed from one universe to the next. That’s my perhaps too serious answer to that question.
Yes, he loves transformers actually. This hasn’t been shown just yet in this comic.
Going to Joe again….well at least he’s not being a shitty this time and actually being helpful.
Joe can be very helpful when you’re straightforward and not babbling at him.
“Who’s looking”, he said, with stars in his eyes
And shoujo bubbles, too.
Cherry blossoms blow in the wind…
He could use a little makeover to fit the shoujo type.
And some barbara walters camera filter
Joe: actually, I do know this one guy who’s been thinking about going gay. Sandy brown hair, kinda gangly but in a charming way, it sounds like he and this tall friend of yours could really hit it off.
PLEASE
This…
I lol’d
Thanks a lot, Joe. You pleasure me deeply…
In more ways than one.
Did you get your nickel?
“Although he really seems to like glasses, perhaps your friend should invest in some”
“… Joe?”
“This guy’s voice is a tender soprano and he really likes comic books and his 3DS.”
“… Joe, please–”
“But gym class tells me this guy might not be very well endo–”
“JOE I’M LEAVING.”
“Good luck with your friend bro!”
(what is characterization? what is good dialogue writing? what is mask or no mask?? i’m so sorry no not really but like i have no idea what i’m writing about lmfao)Joe definitely thinks Danny thinks he’s gay now.
“And when he holds you in his arms, you just feel so safe.”
“Wait, what?”
,,Ohnothingjustthinkingoutloud.”
I laughed out loud. Congratz, it’s a difficult feat to achieve!
On my list of “People Who Know They Have Gay Friends” Joe is definitely near the top of my list.
Said list being:
1. EVERYBODY ELSE
2. Joe
Nothing against Joe; it’s just that his singular and heterotastic view of the world wouldn’t necessarily give him the best gaydar.
On the other hand, he talks about sex constantly. If any of Joe’s friends wanted to be out, they’d have ample opportunity to correct him.
And isn’t it a thing that a lot of sex addicts will have gay sex at times when normally straight and vice versa? Road Joe’s going down he might be making a lot of gay friends if it’s true!
Joe’s not a sex addict. He does it for pleasure, not compulsion.
Yeahhhhh, but he hasn’t been the best at showing support for queer expressions of sexuality. People who believe they don’t know queer people may not mean to, but there’s usually something in how they are expressing themselves that makes the queer people in their lives go “hmm, I’m not entirely sure this person is safe to come out to.”
I’m probably reading too deeply between the lines here, but considering Joe said “I don’t know of any” versus “I don’t know any”, I think he’s open to the idea that some of his friends might not be straight, rather than outright denying that any could be.
I agree!
Wow, a respectful and friendly conversation between Joe and Danny.
Danny: [relevant question – i.e. has to do with sex]
Joe: [Takes question seriously, does not mock Danny]
Awww, Joe looks genuinely sad in the last panel. He SHOULD be able to help Danny. He should be able to help ANYONE with a hookup… but he can’t.
I always figured he’d take it really badly when Danny fully came out to him, but maybe the ones insisting it’s more aggressive disinterest than anything else were correct.
“I dunno, who’s looking?” made me think he was considering having to set Danny up with someone.
I think Joe is more averse to Serious Talk than any discussion of queer sexuality, hence his reaction when Danny was coming to terms with his bisexuality.
“Look, just do what you want, whatever that is. But don’t make me talk about feelings.”
Danny’s really got a type.
Is this type strong against Dragon Type?
But there’s one they fear..in their tongue he’s Dovahkox..Dannyborn!
I’ll admit I’m not a tamriel linguist nor have I actually played skyrim but wouldn’t “dovahcox” be “Dragon cox”?
Not gonna lie… I read that as Dovah Cock. lol
I don’t know. Danny doesn’t seem like an ice type.
Is his type also strong against dark types, but weak against steel and poison? There are gay guys who could take offense to being called that, even if the actual pokemon type is badass ;P
No, but let’s put some thought into this. If his type is tall dark and handsome, it means he’s weak against dark types. That leaves Danny as either a ghost or psychic. And since he’s not dead, he has to be a psychic!
That’s pretty flattering, huh. Umm, his type for girls seems to be short and nerdy? And regardless of gender he seems to be into well grounded people, so that could add up to weak against ground types… That would make him main type electric, fire, poison, rock, or steel….. so like the obvious fanon answer would be poison/psychic for dannying up, but the thing is that danny is very well-meaning so poison would be unfair…….. maybe electric/psychic because he’s into computer science? That actually works pretty well, then Amber is electric/ground while Amazi-girl is fight/ground, and it superworks out because Amazi-girl and Danny are weak against each other! Dorothy is psychic/ground and not weak in any way against Danny, although that would mean Amazi-girl is weak against Dorothy???…..
I need to go outside sorry bye
And fighting too
Neither Joe nor Danny are ‘bad’ guys.
Danny is just pretty clueless. He doesn’t hurt people intentionally, usually. But he doesn’t let that stop him from getting what he wants either. He dumped his friend Amber when she needed him most, so he could go with Amazi-girl.
A typical Danup is when he led Ambers abusive father Blain to her, and but attempted to protect her.
Danny is not particularly bad, just a bit lacking in common sense.
Joe, on the other hand is just very inward directed. He won’t allow anyone to get close, always going for the superficial relationships.
He treats Danny as he does most people. Someone to interact with, never to confide in.
On the other sub-topic, I was still getting carded at 35.
“He dumped Amber when she needed him most so he could date Amazi Girl.”
You mean he thought they were two different people and Amber pressured him into having her be a fake girlfriend for a day? (We know Amber did it as a way of getting away from her dad, Danny didn’t because he’s not omniscient and Amber refused to explain). I mean you can make that assertion that Danny was purposefully being the worst to Amber all you want, it doesn’t make it true.
I think you’re reading too much into the term “dumped” – the point is, yes, he thought they were two different people, and with that in mind he was awfully damn shitty as a friend to Amber. Honestly, if Amber were a separate person from Amazi-Girl, that arc would be pretty much like this one – Danny doesn’t trust himself to be faithful to his girlfriend so everyone else (Amber then, Ethan now) is the problem.
It’s the same thing going on with Ethan now. Danny isn’t comfortable being interested in someone other than his SO, so he starts panicking and trying to build walls around it.
Besides, Amber went way beyond the boundaries of friend when she pretended to be his girlfriend and Danny launched into a soliloquy about how fantastic she was.
(forgot to add this part)
Danny has a difficult time separating interest and full blown romance, so he’s having a hard time accepting that he’s attracted to Ethan while also being in love with Amber.
I like how it’s Amber’s fault that Danny went off into a soliloquy about his feelings for her.
What I meant was that, on top of Amber being in super pushy girlfriend mode (because she actually was his girlfriend, while also trying to escape from Blaine), Danny started talking at length about how she’s perfect and wonderful instead of just coming up with a few reasons why she’s a nice girlfriend, and he kind of smacked himself in the face with why he was attracted to her.
So between realizing he actually did like her and his massive hang ups about romantic loyalty, Danny started panicking and tried to push her away. She stopped just being a friend to him, and in Dannyland, there can only be one person who’s more than friend, much like how Danny is wigging out now over his feelings for Ethan.
It’s still not the exact same. Amber was making advances towards Danny, and pressured Danny into saying she was his girlfriend, despite Danny saying that he was dating Amazi Girl and that he was uncomfortable with the idea.
Ethan has done none of that.
Exactly. I don’t think he realized he actually was interested in Amber until after he talked at length about how she was the perfect girlfriend, but between actually realizing he did have feelings for her and Amber pushing at it, it made him hit the panic button and try to break everything off between the two.
Ethan, meanwhile, is just there, and Danny can’t come up with a good reason to start rejecting him, so he starts working with alternatives to have Ethan taken up by someone else so he can justify to himself why it can’t work. I think with Danny, he feels being attracted to someone else is the same as cheating.
“I think with Danny, he feels being attracted to someone else is the same as cheating.”
I find this to sum it up quite well!
I may have been that way when I was in my teens, but I eventually realized that fretting about it only resulted in giving more attention to the paradoxically undesired object of attraction, which is like piling contradiction upon contradiction until you become a huge mess and wreck something up, since there can only be so much instability before it all crumbles down into a pile of tearful sorrow.
I might have exaggerated a little.
Tbh I put impact before intentionality, and if one looks at it from that perspective Danny’s definitely bad. He tries really hard to be good, he tries so hard, but he just isn’t. I hope he is one day, but he’s not there yet
We’re getting closer and closer to fulfilling my desire for Joe and Ethan to hook up.
Look. Ethan wanted to date a Jewish nerd. UM Joe is a Jewish nerd. And he’s hot. And it would be funny because Danny would have to deal with his best friend boning his crush.
Sooooo can we get this going? Ship sailing?
MMMMMMM I ship it now. You have a convert.
Yessssss. 😀
I’ll be honest, this comic reminded me of their relationship in “It’s Walky”.
I actually think that Joe comes out very well from this strip. As shallow as he apparently can be when it comes to his own relationships, he has standards about passing recommendations on to his friends.
FWIW, depending on how insightful Joe is, Danny’s all but come out to him.
Indeed, this is the most genuinely queer supportive yet, which means he may be realizing that his bestie might actually be going through something he’s going to need to expand himself to support. And if he can do so without getting “girlie” emotions on him, then it’s worth the effort to him even if it’s outside of his normal wheelhouse.
I like how he’s describing Joe until the last two haha
Scan forward to Ethan being set up on a blind date with himself (Joe asks Jacob, Jacob asks Ethan, Ethan says he knows a guy…)
That’d be really depressing actually.
I don’t think Willis is THAT terrible.
Subtle, Danny.
Danny -really- needs to put more thought into his descriptions of people. This is becoming a trend.
language question here: can someone explain me the use of the pronoun “they” in that strip. As a non native english speaker, I don’t get if there’s a subtlety in that use.
They usually is a plural pronoun, but in this instance it’s been used in the singular. There’s been a movement to have they used as a gender neutral singular pronoun, in the likes of he or she, rather than having it dismissed as grammatically incorrect, due to this lexical gap that leaves non-binary people without a pronoun.
It’s not really clear though why one needs a gender neutral pronoun to describe someone defined in context to be a man.
Actually this usage (using they for a non-specific person) is quite old, even if the gender is specified.
Here’s a quote from Shakespeare that demonstrates that:
” ’Tis meet that some more audience than a mother, since nature makes them partial, should o’erhear the speech.”
Clearly, the gender of a mother is female; however, since he is not referring to a specific mother, the language still sounds quite natural.
I, personally, would use gendered pronouns if the gender of the generic person is known (and they if it is not), but Danny’s usage is not uncommon.
Also use they if sex/gender isn’t relevant to the issue under discusssion.
Joe uses “they” as the pronoun for “someone”, since it refers to an unspecified person, who in this general case could be a man or woman. That really is a standard and traditional use.
Danny is talking about Ethan, so could change to “he”. Instead he’s chosen to take things as filling in details about Joe’s someone and so is using the same pronoun.
So does Joe actually believe Danny’s trying to hook up a friend or does he think he’s trying to ask for himself using a fake description?
I’d say the former, if only because Joe knows he has a “fetishy superhero girlfriend”, but I think the latter could be possible as well.
It’s difficult to tell and a lot depends on perspicuous Joe is about his room-mate. It is possible that Danny has been dropping ‘tells’ about being bi (being a bit too interested in handsome men in popular culture, for example) but Joe is too well-mannered to mention it.
Well, he did bluntly ask Danny if he was gay back when Danny first started asking him if he had ever thought about guys, which then quickly dovetailed into how Joe never wants to talk about anything at all, plus when he and Roz first had sex Danny mentioned that Joe was “way hotter than usual” and he reacted pretty negatively to it.
So I think in this case Joe’s just trying to be a bro.
I think that he doesn’t want to push it after he asked Danny. I mean, Danny did imply that he only liked girls. Since we know he’s bi, it is easier for the audience to see that he was leaving things out on purpose, but to Joe, I can see how he would take his comment to mean that he is straight.
The way hotter than usual…I think that stems from Joe not wanting his best friend to think he’s hot. If my best friend was attracted to me, I’d be squicked out as well, and I’m pan!
But I do agree, Joe is trying to be a bro here. A good wingman.
When Danny and Ethan were going to do something together, Joe razed Danny as if they were going on a date. Which Danny took as serious, and freaked, and started sputtering that they weren’t going on a date. Which exasperated Joe, who said that he knew that, bease if they were going on a date he wouldn’t have joked about it. That seems indicative to me.
DON’T. DON’T DO IT. DON’T LET THE AUTHOR KNOW THAT THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER COUPLE THAT IS NOT DANNY AND ETHAN OR, IF HE LIKES IT, HE WILL CHANGE HIS MIND. DO. NOT. SHIP THEM.
More dudeships are always nice.
It might already be in the works though! (the other ship. Ethan/Joe) I hope we find out soon though!
Know what this subplot needs? Mike!
*psh* You think EVERY subplot needs more Mike.
Also, he’s a bit of a horndog and likes green shirts.
Oh, and he’s into Transformers.
I just realized: Ethan and Joe are the SAME PERSON except for having opposite attitudes in regard to relationships and sexuality.
Other than both being tall, hot Jewish guys who like Transformers (does Joe still like those in this verse?), I don’t think they’re at all alike. Ethan’s a really emotional, caring dude, while Joe just shuts absolutely everything out that doesn’t immediately suit his interests.
Does this mean Ethan’s alter ego is Joe? He just puts on a fucking eyemask and changes identities?
I wonder….Joe’s just been asked to help someone hook up, he might actually keep this in mind. I wonder if he’ll be thinking about the description and spot Ethan and put things together.
While I super super want Ethan/Joe, I do wonder how Joe would figure out that he is bi or pan. When Danny asked Joe if he’d slept with any guys, Joe’s answer was “No, of course not.” Now that could mean that he DOES know he’s bi or pan, and comes from him falling for men more than girls. We know that Joe has attachment and commitment issues. Maybe it will take him actually having a conversation with Ethan to think, ‘damn I’d hit that.’ Sorta what happened with Danny actually. xD I dunno. While Danny/Ethan is something I like, I do worry a lot about Amber becoming violent towards Danny or Ethan about that situation. Or towards herself. I’d really rather her leave Danny instead of the opposite. (maybe for Mike. *coughs*)
Joe kinda bottoms my list of people who could be not-hetero and not realise it.
Yeah, I think Joe’s pretty firm in knowing his orientation. Danny thought he was straight too, but even then it was hinted here and there until it eventually came out, no pun intended.
With the way Joe has been hyper assertive about his sexuality and trying to blot out Danny’s attempts to talk to him about it, I can see where the theories come from, but I don’t think it’s true in Joe’s case.
Yeah. I could imagine the shallow insecure sex maniac Roomies!Joe living in denial about his sexuality, especially since his character had so many streaks of “did I mention I’m heterosexual today?”
But DOA’s Joe isn’t like that. He’s surprisingly progressive and confident. Less of a sex maniac and more sex-positive. And while open about his prolific promiscuity, he clearly considers it his own business (and pleasure.)
That’s the one thing that has blown a hole in my ship. I’m fairly certain that Joe is completely and utterly as straight as you can get.
WE’LL SEE. Prove me wrong Willis, prove me wrong.
“What kind of 3-some did I have last night”
“Sounds like a catch”
Joe/Ethan is my new headcanon, even though I’m fully aware how unlikely it is that Joe’s into dudes.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/exploits/
Joe reminds me of Barney from HIMYM, actually. Their main goal is of course to look out for number one, especially when it comes to having the good nekkid-times. But it is also important to them both that -other people- should also enjoy fun sexytimes a lot. Hence they end up trying to be wingmen for Ted and Danny, respectively. It also explains why Joe’s always having a sock handy for whenever one’s needed in the dorm; other people having enjoyable sex makes him happy (if not as happy as when gets some himself, of course).
Y’know, I appreciate that Joe says he doesn’t know OF any gay friends he might have, rather than outright saying he doesn’t know any gay dudes. Surprisingly thoughtful of him, avoiding the easy, normative assumption of “nobody I know has actually come out to me, therefore I don’t know anyone who is gay”.
Danny. Danny! You don’t have to use gender neutral pronouns. We already know you’re looking for a man for a man.
You can call Ethan “he.”
♫All the single gay guys,
All the single gay guys,
All the single gay guys…♫