Depends if you really define a meta “trope” like this as a trope like the SSD.
Stu
There’s also “TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life” if we’re talking in terms of reader/viewership.
Needfuldoer
Wikipedia can be just as bad if you stumble onto a good vein of interesting content. (My weakness is articles about the Space Race… I still can’t believe they thought about sending an extended Apollo mission on a flyby of Venus, or one of the Gemini capsules actually flew twice and the Air Force wanted to have a manned reconnaissance space station in the early 60s.)
There needs to be a browser plugin that limits how many pages on those rabbit hole sites you can click on in a row. You can lose hours and open dozens of tabs on an “oh, that’s neat” trawl.
You know, a smidge better, just enough to make him feel like thinks are normal again, for a few fleeting moments before things suddenly get lots lots lots worse.
I’ve seen like one trailer and two clips, one where three dudes reveal that they all have the same sort of crystal and immediatley become bros, and the bit where the blond dude ends a conversation by saying bullshit, turning on his limp bizkit, walks like 50 feet and then turns the music off to continue the conversation
It looks incredible
Spencer
What if I told you that the instantly iconic scene of Jack Garland calling someone’s speech about the nature of hope bullshit and then playing Limp Bizkit on his smartphone, an act he is doing in-universe that the cinematography conveys he did the entire time the group walked out of the Chaos Shrine, was made even better in the final game?
The best way I can describe Final Fantasy Origin (other than that the combat is legitimately stellar) is that every ten minutes, something happens that makes me laugh my ass off, and it’s usually because Jack Garland has absolutely zero ability to parse through conversations with other human beings that aren’t about being pointed in the direction of Chaos.
Honestly, to me it seems like Joe is dealing with an internal struggle here. Most of the comments I’m seeing are about how Joe is still after the same thing he’s been after since the comic began, but he really hasn’t been interested in that at all.
Honestly Joe seems like he’s trying to keep up the “manly man who has all the sex” facade, but it’s just a facade now. With everything that’s happened to him, whether it’s stemming from the idea that his life failed a reverse Bechdel test, or any of the insanity that happened with Becky’s Dad, he doesn’t seem to actually care about the sex and sexuality aspect of everything now.
The Joe we knew at the start of this comic wouldn’t have ever tried to understand Dina, because the way her mind worked was just too far outside his personal experience, and it wouldn’t help him get some action. But now, we’ve got a Joe that seems to interact with her on her level, and to not only respond to her in the same way, but also seems to have a firm understanding of why she interacts that way, and he relates to it.
Joe is not a horndog anymore; he’s just afraid of what it means to stop being a horndog. It’s all the dude’s known.
I believe Joe is mistaken. They may be good “lab partners” but I have feeling that as lab partners, Dina does all the work and Becky’s job is just to sit there and look pretty. Though it is very nice that Dian takes the time to teach Becky science – the pinnacle of romantic gestures.
Right. Dina’s got a huge head start, but I do think Becky’s enthusiasm has been genuine. She really did seem energized by rejecting “Young Earth” schlock.
True Survivor
I know. I think Becky wants to help, but seems like she’s just behind the curve due to her upbringing. Also, she seems like the type to try and have some fun and be a bit of a goofball while working while Dina is more focused.
While Becky certainly has gaps in her understanding, she isn’t completely clueless, and more importantly she is equally ENGAGED, which counts for a lot in a classroom setting. If Becky were more passive, or if Dina were less willing to accomodate Becky’s background, it could easily wind up being Dina doing all the work, but they’re actually a fantastic complement to one another in that way.
He doesn’t have a decade-long facade to keep with Dina (and Becky). TBH I’m glad he’s slowly building some spaces to be more sincere, it’s good for his soul
I think if it were just Dina, he might actually be willing to be a bit more open than usual. She’s someone he’s only on casually positive terms with, doesn’t seem to have any sexual interest in, and crucially, has never been a close friend of Joyce’s with a habit of being very loud about things.
No expectations, no history to maintain, no need for more pretense than he’d show a mirror, but more likely to make a useful sounding board.
I wanna hug this dude so bad. He’s been having all sort of realizations and getting closer to Dina (and Becky) apart from Joyce but… I think this is the first time (that I remember) he blatantly says something like “you know what? I envy your monogamous relationship that’s so healthy it doesn’t even have to fall back on sex to have a good time and communicate”.
Which is one hell of a run-on sentence. Took 3 panels to process. He was only wanting to say something nice to two girls he platonically likes and look what happened!
PS: As far as he knows Dina and Becky aren’t fucking, but Dina did say how bad she’d wreck him in an hypothetical sex situation. Casual as weather in small talk! Which adds a bit of spice at this Envy Cauldron Of Swirling.
The further we get on this Joe having revelations about himself and his emotions the more I get trans vibes from him. Idk if that’s what we’ll get but it would be interesting
96 thoughts on “Envy”
Ana Chronistic
Suspiciously Specific Affirmation
*runs away*
Kyrik Michalowski
I’ve always wondered, is there a trope for using too many tropes?
Kyrik Michalowski
Also i just noticed we both have Sal gravatars(even if yours is custom.)
Sal gravatars, unite!
Clif
Or untie as the case may be.
MIB4u
I heart it. I wish I could upvote. ♥♥♥
Schpoonman
Kinda.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/TropeOverdosed
Depends if you really define a meta “trope” like this as a trope like the SSD.
Stu
There’s also “TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life” if we’re talking in terms of reader/viewership.
Needfuldoer
Wikipedia can be just as bad if you stumble onto a good vein of interesting content. (My weakness is articles about the Space Race… I still can’t believe they thought about sending an extended Apollo mission on a flyby of Venus, or one of the Gemini capsules actually flew twice and the Air Force wanted to have a manned reconnaissance space station in the early 60s.)
There needs to be a browser plugin that limits how many pages on those rabbit hole sites you can click on in a row. You can lose hours and open dozens of tabs on an “oh, that’s neat” trawl.
Doctor_Who
He must’ve seen the Joe Signal in the sky.
(Joe Signal not shown because it is incredibly vulgar)
Jamie
Can’t be that vulgar. Joyce drew it all over the dorm.
Gash
Joe signal is a pair of bouncing spotlights in the sky
True Survivor
This made me chuckle. Thank you.
Opus the Poet
Giggles.?
Kyrik Michalowski
Oh Joe, this is going to get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?
ThunderNight
depends if he can find a lab partner in time
Reltzik
It could get better first!
You know, a smidge better, just enough to make him feel like thinks are normal again, for a few fleeting moments before things suddenly get lots lots lots worse.
Prince Mech
just in time for him to have emotionless and unfulfilling sex with Malaya, again!
The Wellerman
So WONDERFUL!!! ?
How very fitting for a moonlit night like this one! ?
*plays “Fly Me to the Moon” on Hacked Muzak*
Casi
I was hoping it was this version of Fly Me to the Moon! Not that Sinatra isn’t great, but this version has much more emotion behind it
Opus the Poet
Ahh yes the closing theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Azhrei Vep
Aah yes, the battle theme from Bayonetta.
Spencer
Ah yes, that song by Frank Sinatra, whose other classic, My Way, is featured in-universe in Final Fantasy Origin.
(that one game where the guy says CHAOS a lot, it’s actually really good)
Thag Simmons
I’ve seen like one trailer and two clips, one where three dudes reveal that they all have the same sort of crystal and immediatley become bros, and the bit where the blond dude ends a conversation by saying bullshit, turning on his limp bizkit, walks like 50 feet and then turns the music off to continue the conversation
It looks incredible
Spencer
What if I told you that the instantly iconic scene of Jack Garland calling someone’s speech about the nature of hope bullshit and then playing Limp Bizkit on his smartphone, an act he is doing in-universe that the cinematography conveys he did the entire time the group walked out of the Chaos Shrine, was made even better in the final game?
The best way I can describe Final Fantasy Origin (other than that the combat is legitimately stellar) is that every ten minutes, something happens that makes me laugh my ass off, and it’s usually because Jack Garland has absolutely zero ability to parse through conversations with other human beings that aren’t about being pointed in the direction of Chaos.
He’s like if Dina was Doomguy. It fucking rules.
BBCC
Oh no! Feelings!
Quick! To the escape hatch!
Keulen
Ew, feelings, disgusting. Not on my watch.
King Daniel
Is Ball State Girl one of those anonymous rando babes, Joe?
ADLegend21
[chanting] address the self loathing! address the self loathing!
jeffepp
“No one will ever know!”
Clif
They don’t suspect a thing.
goggleOgler
Honestly, to me it seems like Joe is dealing with an internal struggle here. Most of the comments I’m seeing are about how Joe is still after the same thing he’s been after since the comic began, but he really hasn’t been interested in that at all.
Honestly Joe seems like he’s trying to keep up the “manly man who has all the sex” facade, but it’s just a facade now. With everything that’s happened to him, whether it’s stemming from the idea that his life failed a reverse Bechdel test, or any of the insanity that happened with Becky’s Dad, he doesn’t seem to actually care about the sex and sexuality aspect of everything now.
The Joe we knew at the start of this comic wouldn’t have ever tried to understand Dina, because the way her mind worked was just too far outside his personal experience, and it wouldn’t help him get some action. But now, we’ve got a Joe that seems to interact with her on her level, and to not only respond to her in the same way, but also seems to have a firm understanding of why she interacts that way, and he relates to it.
Joe is not a horndog anymore; he’s just afraid of what it means to stop being a horndog. It’s all the dude’s known.
crow
And they were lab partners…
Clif
But how did Joe know that they had been doing Science?
PirateTawnee
They didn’t blind him with Science.
Jenn
Oh my god they were lab partners!
Arianod
They did science together!
Tan
The straights are not okay.
True Survivor
Its called puppy love but it hits like a Mac Truck.
Clif
What is it with this comic and trucks?
Thag Simmons
you ever been bitten by a puppy? still hurts
True Survivor
I have. Their teeth are like needles, but their body is soft and bendy. They are like furry worms with fangs and gangly legs.
True Survivor
I believe Joe is mistaken. They may be good “lab partners” but I have feeling that as lab partners, Dina does all the work and Becky’s job is just to sit there and look pretty. Though it is very nice that Dian takes the time to teach Becky science – the pinnacle of romantic gestures.
The Wellerman
Surely Becky does her share of work as she learns about the science she loves, right?
DailyBrad
Right. Dina’s got a huge head start, but I do think Becky’s enthusiasm has been genuine. She really did seem energized by rejecting “Young Earth” schlock.
True Survivor
I know. I think Becky wants to help, but seems like she’s just behind the curve due to her upbringing. Also, she seems like the type to try and have some fun and be a bit of a goofball while working while Dina is more focused.
Thag Simmons
I dunno, Becky seemed pretty enthusiastic to me.
Tan
While Becky certainly has gaps in her understanding, she isn’t completely clueless, and more importantly she is equally ENGAGED, which counts for a lot in a classroom setting. If Becky were more passive, or if Dina were less willing to accomodate Becky’s background, it could easily wind up being Dina doing all the work, but they’re actually a fantastic complement to one another in that way.
Jay M Ferguson
I wonder if Joe’s rilly going to fix Joyce with his penis, as advertised.
seregiel
Joycestick not included and must be purchased separately.
DailyBrad
Joe: “Fuck, I accidentally allowed myself to be emotionally vulnerable for a moment! With casual friends!”
I say that, but he might be MORE uncomfortable if it were, say, Danny or Dorothy, people he knows much more.
WanderingLynx
He doesn’t have a decade-long facade to keep with Dina (and Becky). TBH I’m glad he’s slowly building some spaces to be more sincere, it’s good for his soul
Reltzik
Except Becky’s far more likely to share any suspicions she has with Joyce than Dorothy is.
Azhrei Vep
I think if it were just Dina, he might actually be willing to be a bit more open than usual. She’s someone he’s only on casually positive terms with, doesn’t seem to have any sexual interest in, and crucially, has never been a close friend of Joyce’s with a habit of being very loud about things.
No expectations, no history to maintain, no need for more pretense than he’d show a mirror, but more likely to make a useful sounding board.
Regalli
Dina and Becky: Well, that was weird.
drs
No, no.
Becky: “Well, that was weird.”
Dina: “I am pleased to have confirmation that that was weird.”
RassilonTDavros
Ah yes, the Joe Secret Technique.
Rose by Any Other Name
Something something Jojo reference something.
The Wellerman
To be continued… ?
*plays “Roundabout” by Yes! on Joe’s Phone*
Azhrei Vep
Oooh, thanks. That’s a great song that I haven’t thought about in a while now.
Spencer
Joseph Joestarenthal
WanderingLynx
I wanna hug this dude so bad. He’s been having all sort of realizations and getting closer to Dina (and Becky) apart from Joyce but… I think this is the first time (that I remember) he blatantly says something like “you know what? I envy your monogamous relationship that’s so healthy it doesn’t even have to fall back on sex to have a good time and communicate”.
Which is one hell of a run-on sentence. Took 3 panels to process. He was only wanting to say something nice to two girls he platonically likes and look what happened!
WanderingLynx
PS: As far as he knows Dina and Becky aren’t fucking, but Dina did say how bad she’d wreck him in an hypothetical sex situation. Casual as weather in small talk! Which adds a bit of spice at this Envy Cauldron Of Swirling.
FlamestAndLight
The further we get on this Joe having revelations about himself and his emotions the more I get trans vibes from him. Idk if that’s what we’ll get but it would be interesting
Bagge
Or maybe a lot of anonymous science?
Charlie
historians will say they were great lab partners
Carms
FUCKING AMAZING. SHIT ME. GO BE A GOOD LAB PARTNER JOE
BubbaFett
I’m liking the lack of snark between Joe and Becky
foducool
so that’s his coping mechanism…
Eldritchy
[insert Eddie Murphy-looking guy tapping the side of his head with a smile]
You can’t get emotionally hurt if you don’t care.
Rabisch