294

Clues
Posted on July 30, 2015 by David M Willis
My pal Gordon McAlpin is soooooo close to Winning At Kickstarter!  His great webcomic, Multiplex, with which my Shortpacked! once crossed over, is trying to print a third volume.  Go help put him over the top!  Because I have the first two volumes and I need a complete set, you see.

294 thoughts on “Clues”

  1. Jen Aside

    “Because… because… if you AREN’T straight, then *I* might not be straight, because YOU had girlfriends, and *I* had girlfriends…”

    “Danny”

    “and gay people only date gay people, while straight people only date straight people… and I guess bisexuals date hermaphrodites?”

    “Danny”

    “and ANYWAY if you aren’t straight, and if I’m not straight, since you’re the hottest hunk of chin in history, I’d have to make out with you and have sweet, sweet gay sex”

    “Danny”

    “and I don’t know if I’m ready to take it in the butt”

    “Danny”

    “DO I EVEN HAVE MONEY TO TEST FOR BUTTS DISEASE”

    “Danny… three words: Student Health Clinic”

    “…oh Ethan”

    *make out*

    1. Mr. Random

      … HOW. … HOW?

      1. LiaHansen

        patreon
        *shakes fist at people with comic money*

        1. Maveric1984

          Yeah, and tomorrow’s comic is *really* good too.

        2. chiscii

          how do you all do it tho, i already feel kinda guilty reading this after midnight today cos i don’t feel it’s tomorrow yet

        3. AgentKeen

          …That is a super appropriate gravitar for that.

        4. Usayasha

          It updates before midnight in my time zone, so I get to check it out before it even IS tomorrow.

          I, however, am incapable of feeling guilt.

        5. Mr. Random

          It updates at 11:01 for me, but lately it’s been updating at 11:02 for some reason.

        6. brumagem

          Closer to 9:03 for me. I blame the hiveworks site (plus the fact that there are a thousand people all refreshing at once around that time).

        7. timemonkey

          Jen Aside used her influence to get the update pushed back a minute for everyone else, that’s why she’s always first comment no matter how long it is.

        8. Darkoneko

          Lucky you, I’d have to be awake at 6 AM to see it as it’s posted.

        9. WolfLann

          She actually installed a box on the main data line that does NOTHING but delay the data for everybody else but her. Just like in that Elementary episode

        10. Maveric1984

          Well, for one, I only check the site for the alt text anymore, rather than to comment. I just use the patreon site to read the comic instead of the main site.

        11. WolfLann

          But the comments are one of the best part!!!!
          I admit I don’t have time to read the whole 300-400 comments per comic cause I do it during break at work but I try to read at lest 50-100.

        12. sjmcc13

          Yes it is…

        13. Mr. Random

          At this point, it’s either that or he’s bribing Willis.

        14. Tacos

          I still maintain the notion Jen controls time.

        15. Jen Aside

          Oh, not ALL the time! Only when it was funny.

        16. Captain Batson

          I understood that reference.

        17. Disloyal Subject

          I did not. This saddens me.

        18. Agemegos

          “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. The bit where Roger takes his hands out of his handcuffs to hold them steady so that Eddie can cut through them with a hacksaw.

        19. JonRich

          Agemegos, I don’t think that helped….

        20. Bronttis

          It just means that you who don’t understand it get to see one of my favorite movies ever made for the first time! Wish I was that lucky!!!!!!!

          Oh yes indeed….

    2. nightsbridge

      I wish I could respond that fast. I even have patreon, but Jen posts before this strip loads for me.

      1. Doctor_Who

        My current theory is that Jen is secretly the CEO of Google, and has access to some sort of super fiber optic network prototype that loads webpages at 12:01 and one picosecond.

        I don’t know how I feel about the CEO of one of the most influential companies in the world going by “Jen Aside”.

        1. Jen Aside

          or you could purge your cache or something

        2. JonRich

          The CEO of Google going by “Jen Aside” would be absolutely terrifying.

        3. WolfLann

          Hehe made me chuckle. But i just mentionned in a post higher up it involves a data box that slow down everybody’s connection to the site but hers and Willis of course.

    3. Aeron

      “and I guess bisexuals date hermaphrodites?”

      *coughing and laughing*

      You would also be drawn and quartered on Gawker for saying that.

      1. Jen Aside

        that’s why Danny is saying it )=D

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          Danny does tend to say things that are so hilariously ignorant they could be taken as offensive…

    4. 6Qubed

      goddammit even the fanfiction has butts disease

      1. Disloyal Subject

        There is no escape

    5. Ples

      I like your version a lot better

  2. Mr. Random

    No clues whatso ever.

    1. JessWitt

      He’s without clues, clueless even.

      1. SonicBlueRanger

        The Clues bounce off Danny like Bullets off Superman.

        1. Deanatay

          The perfect superhero team-up!

          Amazi-Girl: Immune to Criticism
          The Danner: Immune to Facts

          Together, they are UNSTOPPABLE.

  3. dailybrad

    Ethan, please do the right thing. Your track record is… not good, but please do the right thing.

    1. Leorale

      It looks like he’s about to do exactly the right thing. Lookit that kind, patient, indulgent smile! So Dreamy

      1. Leorale

        (and the right thing is, hey I will patiently hold your hand through this learning process.)

        1. chiscii

          (tho maybe not literally cos danny might retreat into nohomo-ing and that’s not benefitial for the learning progress)

      2. Darkoneko

        He’s just so happy someone didn’t know. I think he needed that.

      3. Scoops

        (Patiently guides Danny towards accepting his sexuality.)
        (Does not apply his advice to himself.)

    2. Nono

      Ethan’s always been good at helping other people.

      Himself? Not so much.

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      1/ Ethan comes out to Danny
      2/ Danny comes out to Ethan
      3/ ??? (Slipshine?)
      4/ PROFIT!

      1. otusasio451

        So you’re saying that all the Underpants Gnomes have to do is make a Slipshine?

        1. Captain Batson

          I’m pretty sure that’s all anyone has to do.

      2. 4th Dimension

        Step 5. They are both violently murdered by the Horiffic Girl.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          And thus a villain is born from the ashes of a heroine.

        2. chiscii

          you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain

        3. JonRich

          Where does that quote come from?

        4. a snow ʍousɐ

          Sounds vaguely familiar… Is it The Dark Knight?

        5. a snow ʍousɐ

          (I’d put that in italics, but on mobile I’d rather not go through that hassle)

        6. Kamino Neko

          Yeah. When Bruce and Harvey are talking. Harv says it.

    4. setsun

      It’s what Spike Lee would’ve wanted.

    5. insanenoodlyguy

      Is the right thing sex that involves two peni and manbutt? Cause the right thing could happen.

      1. Kamino Neko

        What’s a penus?

  4. Plasma Mongoose

    Blue Clues; Danny missed them.

    1. Tacos

      Maybe he’s color blind and can’t see blue therefore missing the fact they were clues @_@

    2. Freemage

      Danny Dans the Dan harder than anyone else can.

      1. Tenchan

        I bet he does everyday. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    3. Usayasha

      He could really use a handy dandy notebook. You know, to help him recall these sorts of things.

    4. JonRich

      Oh god, these references. There’s a reason I love the DoA fandom. Is there a name for us?

      1. a snow ʍousɐ

        The dummies, perhaps

  5. otusasio451

    Once again, the Doasaurus wilcoxii demonstrates its seemingly less-than-average intelligence, though obliviousness towards highly apparent stimuli. This may endear itself to the D. siegelensis even more. Paleoecologists describe this event as a contribution to Stage II of the Willis-Slipshine potential.

    1. Someone

      However it has been noted that while the Doasaurus wilcoxii has trouble with understanding other members of the pack and emotions. It has a high ability to both understand and explain logical problems (as in problems with a set answer)

      1. Darkoneko

        I…see what you did there.

      2. Deanatay

        So, basically you’re saying Danny’s showing signs of Asperger’s. Maybe he should be wearing the Dina hat.

        1. WolfLann

          Did you just say Dina suffer from autism? She understand people fine. Just doesn’t know how to react socially. Like me most the time.

          Danny I can see but he need his own Danny hat.

        2. Someone

          A lot of people believe that Dina suffers from some sort of autism.

  6. Ethan

    Slipshine here we come

    1. Doctor_Who

      Wait your turn, Danny and Ethan are up first.

      1. Someone

        But his name is Ethan!

        1. Doctor_Who

          …I don’t know how I missed that. Must be the Leslietar.

          Proceed, Ethan.

  7. Badeyes

    He’s in Danial.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Have an internet or two.

    2. ə snow ʍouse

      Deniel’s not just a river in Egypt

  8. Blackbird

    I was worried that Danny wasn’t actively danning it up here. I’m relieved to find out he came into this conversation pre-danned.

  9. The Thing

    Yeah, okay, I changed my mind – you can do way better than him, Ethan. :V

  10. Nono

    Once again, Danny assumes that because one’s dated a girl, they have to be straight.

    Bisexuality exists, people! There has to be more people on the campus aware of this other than Dorothy, Billie and Joe.

    1. ə snow ʍouse

      Ruth is bi as well.

      1. ə snow ʍouse

        one imagines she’s aware of this

        1. Greenygal

          I’m not sure she is, actually.

        2. Gordon

          Given that comic, Ruth would probably best be described as questioning. She’s attracted to Billie, but beyond Billie we don’t know what she likes. It seems she doesn’t even know what she likes. Except Billie.

        3. Greenygal

          Word of god is that she’s bi, but yeah, I can’t remember anything in DoA where she expresses attraction to anyone but Billie.

        4. Spencer

          She also doesn’t know how to explain it to Howard, and she calls her relationship a Sexy Lesbian Suicide Pact.

          She probably assumes she’s gay because of her attraction to Billie.

        5. Lord Stoneheart

          She had a boyfriend once. He lived in Canada http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/lingerie/
          (I mean she is Canadian, so she’s not necessarily lying there).

        6. SonicBlueRanger

          Wait guys did he say Joe’s Bisexual? Because I’m pretty sure he isn’t.

        7. Spencer

          All indications of Joe so far point to him being hetero.

        8. a snow ʍousɐ

          Joe knows what bisexuality IS.

        9. a snow ʍousɐ

          That is where I’m basing my assumption, yes.

    2. Steven

      Gay people date straight people all the time for various reasons.

    3. Arianod

      More like he wants Ethan to be straight because the alternative makes things a lot more complicated.

  11. Streben

    Interesting comment in the second panel. He has to be straight, probably so Danny can convince himself?

    1. Leorale

      That’s how I read it, too. If Ethan’s gay, then Danny has to face his feelings for Ethan. That’s emotionally tougher than dealing with a terribly confusing unrequited mancrush… but also much nicer. 🙂

  12. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays The Purple One’s “Controversy” on the Muzak–and dodges C&D bulletins from the Minneapolis Mafia*
    Am I black or white?/Am I straight or gay?

  13. Doctor_Who

    Maybe Amber just emits some sort of Gaydiation. She’s turned one boyfriend gay, is working on another, and her roommate who barely seems to have any sexual interest at all is now kissing girls.

    I doubt this is the super power Amazi-Girl would have chosen, but considering we’ve seen her taste in fanfic maybe I’m wrong.

    1. chiscii

      it might be a transuniversal constant

    2. gkheyf

      ssshhh! you’ll make ethan’s mom right!

    3. AgentKeen

      …Lucy could do it too (“Now, kiss!”), so that seems to be a pretty solid theory.

      1. Doctor_Who

        Was that before or after Amber declared her the new Amazi-Girl? Maybe it comes with the cape.

    4. timemonkey

      I’ve said it before, Amber is like Elsa just with gay magic instead of ice magic. The more she feels the more she covers the campus in gay. One day she’ll snap and run away, triggering an unending pride parade.

  14. CC

    You have to

    (just delete the other one, I messed up the html)

    1. Usayasha

      …ow. Why would you link to that? How could you? What sort of monster do you think you are? When will your reign of terror end? Who hurt you? Where am I going with this list of questions?

      1. Disloyal Subject

        If they hadn’t done it, someone else would have. Hell, I would have if I weren’t so late.

  15. gkheyf

    danny being dense is such a comforting return to normalcy that ethan is suddenly calm. even danny calms down when it’s his turn to mock himself

  16. ə snow ʍouse

    please don’t break Amber’s heart
    even if Danny tries to Dan it up, Ethan has better sense than that, right?
    and even if Ethan gets overwhelmed with urges, Danny wouldn’t forget his feelings for Amber, right?
    right?!

    this is going to be a disaster

    1. Leorale

      I still don’t think that excessively-monogamous Danny will impulsively smooch Ethan. He thought that having a feeling for Amber was like cheating on Amazi-Girl and immediately broke off the friendship. Plus it’s nice to avoid the ‘bisexuals have no self-control’ stereotype.

      1. Leorale

        Ethan, on the other hand, he just looks so Danny-charmed that I don’t know!

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          Dammit Ethan I NEVER TRUSTED YOU

    2. Lord Stoneheart

      This is the Danny who freaked out at holding Amber’s hand, and thinking that he was cheating on Amazi Girl because he felt some genuine attraction towards her. Somehow, even if he’s thought about it, I can’t see him even kissing Ethan at the moment.

    3. timemonkey

      Danny wouldn’t, Ethan might, he’s just so repressed. But even that likely wouldn’t happen for a while now.

      1. a snow ʍousɐ

        Still, a while is too soon for my comfort…

  17. JessWitt

    Danny may have an obliviousness problem, he needs that checked.

    Is Dethan imminent? Sound the alarms!!

    1. ə snow ʍouse

      Ethanny

      1. ə snow ʍouse

        but what about Danber

        1. Kryss LaBryn

          Dambethan!

        2. Darkoneko

          Not questionning, more “I don’t care what plumbing they are”Damb and Damber ?

        3. Darkoneko

          aah damn, it posted. Got 2 messages mixed up and noticed too late.

        4. Darkoneko

          “Damb and Damber ?”

      2. Jen Aside

        Dethany!

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          Sounds like a Death x Ethan x Danny ship
          Or just D— with Bethany, whoever they are

    2. timemonkey

      No, Danber has to crash and burn first.

      1. a snow ʍousɐ

        Yeah, hopefully that happens before any Ethan/Danny mischief
        They’re cute, but not relationship-breaking cute

  18. Mandy

    I can’t mock Danny for being so clueless, because I am literally this oblivious in my own life.

    1. grantimusmax

      THANK YOU. I know for a fact people are going to be complaining about Danny, but for real, I’m pretty oblivious myself. Not good at reading between the lines sometimes. It happens to a lot of people.

      1. Someone

        My ultimate fear is that I’m a total asshole and just don’t realize it.

        1. grantimusmax

          Trust me, because you worry about that, you really don’t have to worry about it.

        2. Heavensrun

          But wait, if you stop worrying about it because you worrying about it means you don’t have to worry about it, that means you’re not worrying about it, so you need to start worrying because might have cause to worry now, but then you don’t have to worry so you stop worrying but that means you might need to worry so you start to worry again but then that means….

        3. Someone

          Everyones an asshole!!!

        4. Smashwidget

          or nobody is?

        5. Someone

          And once everyone is an asshole…no one will be

        6. Darkoneko

          Well, everybody got one.

    2. a4lbi

      Same. I have no Gaydar. Or proxy!Gaydar.

    3. JessWitt

      Same here, I’m aspie-ish so some social cues go over my head at times.

    4. AgentKeen

      I think that’s half the reason he gets mocked so much.

  19. Steven

    Hah!!!

    Its not that Amber is a good friend.

    Its that Danny is a terrible boyfriend.

    1. Lord Stoneheart

      To give him some credit, there’s other plausible explanations for those statements. Taken all together they strongly suggest that Ethan broke up with Amber because he’s gay. But Danny also knows that Ethan had a non-Amber girlfriend at college (and he found out they broke up yesterday). It’s not too out there to assume that when Amber says that she got dumped for dudes, it was with someone else. (Especially since that phrasing suggests another guy in the equation, not just “it didn’t work out due to incompatibility”)

      1. Idon'tcarenomore

        Amber and Ethan were dating and on prom night at the motel room, he told her he couldn’t go thru with it as he was gay.
        So yeah it was Ethan I think.

        1. insomniac

          Yes, bu Danny doesn’t know that.

        2. Captain Batson

          No, he found out he was gay when they tried to go through with it. There’s a difference.

        3. Lord Stoneheart

          I know full well that Ethan is gay. I have no idea how one would miss that. But Danny doesn’t know that, and he’s not the most clueless person because he missed it. (Well he’s clueless about a lot of things but assuming Ethan is straight because the man himself said so, plus he’s had multiple girlfriends isn’t a stupid assumption. We know he recloseted himself, Danny had no way of knowing that).

      2. anonymsly

        Agreed. At no point did Amber say or imply that she had only Ethan as a boyfriend in high school. Danny, having been through high school, surely knows that he and Dorothy (seemingly together throughout high school?) were the exception rather than the rule.

        He sees Amber as an attractive, smart, fun girl. Plus, she’s a superhero! He’d almost have to assume that she probably could have gotten just about any guy she wanted.

        1. Spencer

          Danny himself has had at least one girlfriend prior to Dorothy, so it’s clearly not out of the ordinary for him either.

        2. Lord Stoneheart

          He did? We know Dorothy had a boyfriend before Danny because she mentioned this guy (can’t remember if he had a name) being the first boy she seriously kissed, in an incident that later caused the guy to become a snot fetishist. But I don’t recall anything ever being mentioned about Danny having a previous girlfriend.

        3. Spencer

          Danny mentions he has had girlfriends before in and specified that he’s only had sex with one.

        4. Lord Stoneheart

          Ah, fair enough I missed that. Probably because we don’t hear any stories about him sneezing during a kiss.

  20. Just Me

    Danny really is Clueless….

    1. Arianod

      He’s got cluelessness down to an art form.

  21. Keroshino

    DANNY: KING OF DUMBASSES!!!

    1. Keroshino

      -Alternatively-
      DANZILLA: KING OF DUMBASSES!!!

      1. Deanatay

        ME DANNY AM KING!

  22. chris73

    Anyone else getting flashbacks?

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/hindsight/

    1. Tenn

      Holy crap, I forgot how scary Becky looked in panel three. O_O

  23. sjmcc13

    Needs more Dina…

    1. Someone

      Poor Dina she can’t even be the focus of her own story arc. When are we going to explore Dinas problems?

    2. timemonkey

      She’s actually standing right behind Ethan the whole time.

      1. Darkoneko

        Taking copious notes.

  24. Peter Sadlon

    Apply cluebat liberally until effective.

  25. Nena

    Oh boy. I wonder what will happen next. haha

  26. cookiecat

    I think Danny’s already pretty much accepted the reality that he’s not straight. I think him needing Ethan to be straight has more to do with the fact that as long as Ethan’s straight and unobtainable Danny can lust safe in knowing nothing can ever happen between them. If Ethan’s not straight that means that potentially something could happen and that’s a threat to Danny’s very serious feelings about monogamy.

    1. Cerberus

      yup.

      I don’t think he’s ever experienced being seriously interested in two people at once before and his brain is melting at the strain of where his thoughts are drifting…

      Quick, someone get him a book on poly! Stat!

      1. timemonkey

        *Danny reads book then tosses it away* Not for me.

        Seriously, poly relationships are not for everyone.

        1. Spencer

          Right, but we don’t know if they are or aren’t right for Danny because he’s never tried one, and Danny only has opinions on it insofar as Willis writes them in.

          I personally don’t think Danny is down with polyamory, I think his history in the comic is enough to suggest that, but college is a time for new ideas and experimentation. Maybe Danny can give it a go Ethan and Amber are okay with it.

          But yeah we really need to cut down on the “Danny’s bi? So now he has to bang them both, right?” narrative. It can happen, of course, but it’s not this immediate perfect conclusion people seem to want it to be. It’s going to take Danny a lot of soul searching and maturity to come to that.

        2. Spencer

          I should have phrased that so much better.

          “Danny being bi means he has to bang them both” and “Danny in a committed polyamorous relationship” are two completely different things.

        3. Z

          Yes, I”m sure that Amber will be ECSTATIC at her ex, the guy she was totally into but who wasn’t into her, dating her new boyfriend. I don’t think her feelings for Ethan have been totally worked out yet- and this will likely NOT HELP.

          If Danny were dating Dorothy still- it might work out. If Danny were into another dude- it might work out. But this is just such a bad idea. Amber still has HELLA issues to work out, including a serious problem with violence, and a very bad history with Ethan.

          (Also- Ethan still doesn’t want to publicly be known as gay, do we REALLY think he’ll be down with publicly being known as “that gay dude in a threesome”?)

        4. Spencer

          That was supposed to be “Maybe Danny can give it a go *if* Ethan and Amber are okay with it.” Communication is extremely important for poly relations, and none of the three are any good at that.

          I don’t think we’ve seen Ethan and Amber’s views on polyamory either way. Like, I don’t think any of the three would be up for it, but that could change as time goes on if Willis decides to take them that way. Walky, for example, doesn’t still want to be a sweet bachelor living with a cloned velociraptor.

    2. BenRG

      He’s also basically a nice guy and it’s affecting his reactions. He doesn’t want to betray Amber and I think that he’s also worried that he might start subconsciously flirting with Ethan and thus lead him on when he’s already in a committed relationship.

      Of course, as others have pointed out, there is Amber and her myriad mental issues to think of too.

  27. Someone

    Anyone else see some slight similarities between Danny and Dina?

    Confused sexual identity
    Prefers logical problems (such as dinosaurs or computer science)
    Name starts with D (okay that ones a stretch)
    Tends to be oblivious to social clues.

    1. Lord Stoneheart

      Dina’s not so much confused in regards to her sexuality as she is indifferent to where she actually is on the spectrum.

      She doesn’t know, but she figures she has time to figure it out. With science!

      1. Daashi

        Surely Dina would figure her sexuality out for science!

    2. Darkoneko

      Well, they have a lot of letters in common.

  28. Haven

    “Just the narrative butting in to mock Danny” Chris Claremont’s writing DoA now?

    1. butting

      I’m a narrative what, now?

  29. newllend(henryvolt)

    I’m not surprised I mean its Danny, the same guy that spent like a month around both Amazi-girl and Amber yet still couldn’t see they were the same person.

    1. Kryss LaBryn

      Well, to be fair, glasses.

      I was once playing hooky at the mall with some friends as a teen when we saw my Mum approaching in the distance. I quickly shoved my glasses in my pocket, swapped coats with a friend, and walked right past my own mother in broad daylight (well, fluorescent light) because the context was wrong for her to expect me and my face changed so much without the glasses.

      Not necessarily Danny being a dumbass there; plus Amber deliberately keeps a different hairstyle.

      1. newllend(henryvolt)

        ….wow

  30. cookiecat

    Yeah Danny’s going to friend dump Ethan because that’s how he deals with temptation. But I really hope we get to see it dragged out a little so it can hurt slightly more when it happens.

    1. timemonkey

      Not necessarily, Ethan hasn’t made it clear he wants to hook up with Danny. That was part of the problem with Amber, not only was he kinda into her but she was actively trying to hook up with him.

      1. Spencer

        I think Ethan does like Danny. He was very complementary of his appearance when they hung out, he’s shown to be emotionally available and supportive to him, and here he’s just kind of amused rather than getting pissed off at Danny’s assertion that he has to be straight

        1. timemonkey

          Not the point Spencer, DANNY doesn’t know Ethan’s into him. Amber got friend-dumped because she kept trying to hook up with him despite knowing all about his relationship with Amazi-Girl. Danny saw it as both disrespectful and dangerous because he did like Amber too. Ethan won’t be friend-dumped despite their mutual attraction because Ethan won’t make any overt moves.

        2. Spencer

          Ah.

          I don’t think Danny’s going to go through the friend dumping again, but I do think he’s going to try and actively avoid Ethan for a while, at least until he sorts out his own hang ups.

  31. Kepod

    Yeah, that first panel of Amber is a good reminder of how disastrous this can get. Even if Ethan and Danny both wind up admitting feelings for each other, it’s easy to imagine them trying to repress those feelings out of a belief that they need to maintain the status quo for the sake of Amber’s stability.

    Ethan in particular might not want to hurt her that way, by “stealing” Danny (assuming the characters are not up for poly relationships, if they’ve even heard of those).

    It’s interesting placing Danny between Ethan, who is finally dropping his fictional straight identity, and Amber, who is still so committed to her alter ego that she doesn’t let Danny publicly express affection towards her because he’s only dating AmaziGirl. The situation might put pressure on Amber to follow Ethan’s lead by accepting herself, even the parts she wants to distance and partition.

    Also… d’awwwwwww! 😀

  32. AgentKeen

    Narrative jumping onto the bandwagon, I see.

  33. Cerberus

    2 things:

    1) It’s adorable that Danny didn’t pick up on it. It’s 1 part oblivious assumption that everyone is straight unless stated otherwise and 1 part just good ol’ naive Danny charm, too earnest to really be suspicious or cynical… yet.

    2) That second panel… holee fuck. You can see the train wheels spinning off the track. No, but you have to be straight, because if you’re gay and single, then you’re available and so this thing I’ve been fantasizing about could be a thing. Which means my treacherous thoughts could actually go somewhere, but I can’t, because I’m in a relationship to Amber and because I’m Danny I can’t even begin to think about cheating on her. But this scary tumultuous idea is a possibility… and I don’t even know how to process that. So you have to be straight… otherwise my whole world could collapse…

    1. Spencer

      I feel that a lot of Danny’s difficulties with his attraction to Ethan is that he doesn’t know how to deal with being attracted to more than one person when it’s a guy. He’s spent his whole life until now assuming he’s straight, so he’s dealt with attraction to women before, he’s been able to say “Yes you’re very pretty but I’m interested in someone else”, but with Ethan it’s this suddenly new set of parameters he has to deal with.

      1. Usayasha

        Especially since it’s a feeling that he’s trying to explore and understand at the moment. He’ll have a hard time rejecting Ethan without rejecting his feelings for Ethan, and he’ll have a hard time exploring and validating his feelings without letting those feelings grow and flourish. So he’s at a moral conundrum, because growing as a person and being honest with himself (accepting his sexuality and feelings for Ethan) is now in conflict with protecting the feelings of someone he cares about and not abandoning his moral ideals (being unfaithful to Amber).

        It’s such an interesting conundrum to see fold out, and I really want to watch the resulting trainwreck as he Dans it up by being awkward, utterly oblivious, and surprisingly noble.

        1. Spencer

          Right. Danny doesn’t understand that it’s okay for him to be attracted to Ethan and it only has to go as far as he wants it to, because unlike how he’s able to compartmentalize his attraction to women, it’s new and different with Ethan, and everything’s going off like fireworks.

        2. Deanatay

          He just needs to find a new compartment for his new feelings. Yes, everything locked away in nice, neat little boxes…

        3. kepod

          Hah, you’re right. Amber can definitely give Danny advice about that.

  34. Kit

    The bottom right narrative panel, the “I mean, I’ve done some of this stuff before”–which strip is that from?

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      I’m assuming the Slipshine featuring those two.

    2. Captain Batson

      It is from the Slipshine. The slipshines are canon. Isn’t that fun to know?

      1. Kit

        Thanks. I haven’t read the Slipshines but I kinda figured. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

  35. Pedantic Peanut

    Every time Danny starts to climb back up his ignorant ass knocks itself back down.

    1. Someone

      More of very confused ass

  36. Freezer

    Obligatory “Dammit, Danny!”

  37. Idon'tcarenomore

    Sad.
    Danny has no consideration for Amber as he threw her under the bus when she needed him most so he could date AG.
    But he shouldn’t have to hide who he is either. The idea of a 3-way relationship would likely break his little mind.

    Amber is the one who is going to be hurt worse here: the first 2 guys she cares deeply about and both are not committed to one route. Everyone says ..here it comes, this is the thing that will break her. Maybe this is it. I hope she just go gets help for her anger.

    1. Rowen Morland

      Really? Wasn’t it more:

      “Amber you are interesting, lets be romantic possibilities.”, “Amber we should be friends because I like someone else.”, “AMBER WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!”, “Oh, you were Amazi-Girl all along, I guess that means we are more than friends.”

      (First two guys she is committed too aren’t committed to one route 🙁 )

    2. Em

      When she needed him most? All that happened was that he admitted his feelings, but told her that he was more interested in Amazi-Girl. She was doing fine at that point in the story.

      Amber will be hurt. This will be a huge deal for her. But I can see it playing out less in a ‘I’m dumping you for Ethan’ way and more of a ‘I’m dumping you because you won’t even let me compliment you in public, and you keep insisting that I’m not your boyfriend’ kind of way.

      I hate Amber/Danny and I want it to be OVER. But I would like it to end as smoothly as possible.

  38. HiiroArana79

    Danny’s hair is sooo much better in DoA.

    1. Rowen Morland

      Hiiro, sincere question. What was wrong with him in Roomies? (Or if nothing was wrong, what makes him better in DoA?)

      1. Spencer

        He was a stuck-up asshole the comic insisted was the loveable everyman. But then, everyone was an asshole in that comic.

        He eventually grew out of it. The idea that people only dislike Danny here because of Roomies is really overblown.

        1. Rowen Morland

          I guess, he was just kinda a kid who hadn’t worked stuff out though. Wasn’t he a fresher? They’re all idiots.

  39. Minibit

    Danny, you’re thick. You’re mister thick-thick thickety-thick from Thicktown, Thickania

    . . . And so’s yer dad.

    1. Agemegos

      “As thick as a whale omlette.”

    2. Darkoneko

      Taht’s what his mom said.

    3. Em

      Dan you’re thicker than my thighs

  40. BenRG

    I think that the word we’re all looking for here is ‘oblivious’. Seriously, it’s cute, in a way, that Danny is so focused on Amber and thr now of their relationship that he’s not really spent much time thinking about her exes.

    1. Darkoneko

      I think that fundamentally, Danny likes going along with the flow and doesn’t enjoy change.

    2. m2iCodeJockey

      As much package and shipping as everyone has joked, that seems more like him.

  41. Lapin

    Danny being Danny….in a non-frustrating way? Welp.

  42. TheHabbadasher

    Danny; utterly, and sometimes loveably, dense.

  43. KSClaw

    Honey, you’re in the deep end of De Nile.

  44. ninja_jesus

    This better not end up with Amber catching them at a moment of accidental (or intentional) intimacy. I will be really upset.

    1. Someone

      I can’t see Danny cheating on anyone so I think we’re safe.

  45. Cale Baird

    I think we can all unanimously agree that Danny’s a bigger f***ing idiot that Walky, yes?

    1. timemonkey

      Danny’s always been a bigger idiot. Walky’s a bigger asshole.

    2. Spencer

      Because he didn’t leap to the immediate conclusion that Ethan was gay?

      I get the joke with the flashback, but it’s silly to think that Danny should have deduced that Amber was talking about Ethan being gay.

      1. Rutee

        It’s funny you’re saying that 3 comics after Dina’s laid out her reasoning – and with less talking to Amber about her romantic life.

        1. Spencer

          I think we’ve established that Danny is not particularly observant.

          Anyway, there’s plenty of reasonings Danny could have used to avoid Ethan being gay, because to him the proof that Ethan is straight is that he dated Amber and is dating Joyce. We know that when Amber makes rueful references to past relationships she’s talking about Ethan, but Danny does not. Maybe Amber had a boyfriend who came out who wasn’t Ethan? After all, Ethan is dating a girl right now!

          Like, take for example the bottom-left panel. When Amber’s talking about how “nobody’s stealing anyone away” it’s because she thinks Danny is assuming that Ethan is trying to get back into her good graces, whereas it’s awkward to Danny because the day previous he realized he was into Ethan.

          Basically it’s the same song and dance as always. Danny isn’t an idiot because he’s not privy to the same info and context as the readers.

        2. anonymsly

          Ethan flat-out told Danny he was straight, plus Danny knows that Ethan is Amber’s ex and now Joyce’s ex. Ethan never flat-out told Dina that he’s straight. That’s the difference: Dina’s reasoning in something like a void, Danny’s not.

        3. Spencer

          Also the strip Rutee is citing has Dina refer to Ethan as Amber’s only ex that she’s aware of. She’s assuming Ethan is Amber’s gay ex-boyfriend because, as far as she knows, Ethan was her only previous relationship.

        4. Greenygal

          Right. Dina has a faulty chain of reasoning that happened to lead her to a correct conclusion; Danny isn’t stupid for not making the same assumption she did.

        5. Spencer

          See also Walky’s brilliant deduction that because he’s never seen Ethan touch Joyce the he must be gay.

        6. Rutee

          Is it fun to misread colloquial speech as completely and unambiguously literal?

        7. Spencer

          I think I’m misunderstanding you.

          Literally, Walky’s reasoning that Ethan was gay was that he never touched her, and since Joyce isn’t “unpretty” then Ethan should be as physically interested in her as Walky is with Dorothy. It’s an awful heteronormative viewpoint influenced by Walky’s views on proper masculinity.

        8. Rutee

          “His hands, and their proximity to her /never/”

          YOU are the one inserting this idea that he should be just as interested as Walky is. Walky is (mosy likely) referring to Ethan’s COMPLETE LACK OF INTEREST. Which he’s displayed in every single interaction with her. Because, fucking shock of shocks, HE ISN’T INTERESTED IN JOYCE AT ALL DESPITE DATING HER. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but gay men are indeed not physically interested in women – that is literally how it works. If a man is not physically interested in women (Not just the one, but in general), that is sort of fucking powerful evidence that they are gay (They could, of course, be asexual – ‘powerful’ is not ‘conclusive’.) How Walky ruled out asexual, I don’t know – my betting’s on ‘He didn’t consider it for a second, because he’s a dumb kid’.

          I am getting really tired of watching brave defenders of the gays talk about it as a negative that people actually use the available evidence to them to draw conclusions about a person’s sexuality – clues like ‘They have displayed not interest in a particular gods damned gender’. It’s the close cousin of “Nah, they couldn’t be gay – we haven’t seen sex on screen!’ that is so common amongst heteros.

        9. Spencer

          I just think it’s incredibly shitty to try and make assumptions of sexuality based on how they act in accordance to your views on how a straight dude should act with his girlfriend. Walky’s conclusion was rooted in his own perception of proper masculinity, and how if Ethan didn’t match this criteria then clearly he isn’t straight.

        10. Rutee

          You mean like DISPLAY INTEREST MORE THAN NEVER? Yeah that’s a fucking weird expectation alright. You keep assuming Walky’s just being shitty. We haven’t exactly seen any evidence he expected posturing (ESpecially of the sort of posturing he doesn’t do).

        11. Rutee

          Yeah, this was specious reasoning three days ago and it’s specious reasoning now. “That I know of” only implies that Amber is possibly hiding things from her (which she’s already done), not that she has not made a reasonable effort to determine Amber’s past.

        12. Rutee

          The characters say a lot of things that aren’t true. You have the narrative right there pointing out some of the things he could have used.

        13. Spencer

          The problem is that you’re assuming that Danny should have been able to make this deduction. Also those panels are Danny’s flashbacks. The alt text is just a joke about Danny being a loser again.

          – Amber mentions she doesn’t want to get dumped for dudes again. Never once does she specify that she’s only had one boyfriend. Danny has also never met Ethan at this point.

          – Amber worries that Ethan would leave her for more attractive people. This is also the first time Danny’s seen Ethan and he walks in on him kissing Joyce and announcing her as his girlfriend.

          – Danny spends time with both Amber and Ethan at once, and he knows Ethan is Amber’s ex, so Amber, after seeing Danny get redfaced again (because Ethan), assures him that nobody is stealing anybody way (because Amber is now hanging out with her ex and probably assumes Danny isn’t comfortable with it). Literally nothing here as anything to do with Ethan’s sexuality. At this time, Ethan has also flat out told Danny that he’s “not gay.”

          – Amber mentions having an awkward sexual history. This also has nothing to do with Ethan’s sexuality.

          The intent of this strip is not “Danny is an idiot because he didn’t solve the puzzle of Ethan’s sexuality” but instead him looking back on some of the things where we know Amber was talking about Ethan, but Danny did not, and interpreting them under the narrative of “Ethan is gay.”

        14. Rutee

          Wait, really? You’re simultaneously pushing for the idea that the characters’ words are completely to be taken at face value, while simultaneously saying that the alt text is being facetious and that Danny is lying in the final panel? Are you for real? This is hilarious. Alternately, and much more succinctly, the alt text is a joke – and the punchline is that Danny is being a loser here. It’s not like that’s Willis breaking new ground – in fact, I’m shocked you’re treating that as self-evidently not the case, given how frequently he’s made the exact same joke in the past.

          I mean, you keep treating this as an enigma-wrapped puzzle – it ain’t. Commenters have figured out actual surprises with less (Unless you believe all interactions are onscreen, for some reason)

        15. Spencer

          The panels are being drawn like flashbacks consistently have been in DoA. It’s not a stretch to assume that Danny is flashing back to past events with new context, especially since DoA rarely engages in that kind of fourth wall humour.

          Besides, this entire strip is based on the idea of Danny insisting that Ethan has to be straight. Can you not see the naturally flow of the joke? Danny denies it > Danny flashes back to conversations that suddenly make a lot of sense > Danny still denies it because he’s still confused about his attraction to Ethan.

          I really do not appreciate your attitude towards me. We don’t have to agree on everything but you don’t have to be so volatile.

        16. Rutee

          Oh, I understand your logic. This is an interpretation that actually makes sense, rather than misreading the words out of someone’s mouth. I’m just shocked that your reasoning that it MUST be that, rather than “the alt text is honest”, is “of course Willis wouldn’t make jokes about danny in the alt text”. Yeah, that’s totally a thing he doesn’t do.

          Also, fyi, this matches the Marcy/Sal parts as well, which were explicitly and implicitly not a flashback (depending on which segment). Willis has absolutely done this to make fun of someone – last time, it was Sal (and it was pretty great).

        17. Spencer

          You’re misinterpreting my point again. Obviously Willis makes fun of Danny all the time, but the sequence of events of this strip make me think it’s more that it’s Danny himself flashing back to Amber saying stuff that, under a new context, understanding that she was talking about Ethan being gay, and then he tries to hastily deny it. Like, you know deep denial and confusion about his sexuality and attraction to Ethan is kind of a thing with Danny right now, don’t you? Is it that much of a stretch to think that he’s trying to deny the truth, even after

          If I’m wrong, and sure, of course I can be wrong, that’s why it’s called interpretation, the joke is “this vague collection of panels that only make sense in context is the proof that Danny was too stupid to see” and that’s a fucking lame joke.

          Otherwise, the panels are just relevant flashbacks showing up without any sort of input from the character, which is how literally every single flashback in DoA has gone, save for the “Walky, Billie and Sal as kids” one.

          But, whatever. I don’t know whatever it is I did to piss you off so much but I seriously do not have the time to deal with your annoying vitriolic bullshit towards me over a comic.

        18. Rutee

          ” Is it that much of a stretch to think that he’s trying to deny the truth, even after?”

          If it were a more observant person, it wouldn’t be, but alas. It’s Danny, so this is kind of a stretch. Less so than most things you’ve said about him, but a stretch nonetheless.

          The joke is “Like with Amazi-girl, Danny had ample opportunity to sort this out on his own, and required it to be spelled out for him by the involved party’. You’re calling it lame because you can’t cotton to yer apparent favorite getting laughed at, but it’s pretty amusing.

        19. Rutee

          Also, get off your cross – I laid out what you did that actually made me actually angry. I don’t know if you’re straight or not, but pulling out the first cousin of “they can’t be gay, we haven’t seen them have sex and they haven’t used the exact words ‘I am gay for you'” makes me angry. Putting aside the ways that props up directly harmful ‘protection’ of the gays (which equates, in actual terms, to stuffing us collectively in the closet), not everyone on the planet wants to have to have a big old coming out. It would be a relief to some people if the facts would be understood without the need for awkward ceremony or ritual.

          Getting super defensive of Danny is vaguely irritating, but not something I’m angry about.

        20. Spencer

          Rutee, just think whatever you want of me. Jesus Christ I have tried to explain myself to you and you consistently go out of your way to assume it’s out of some seething overprotective behaviour of a cartoon character, rather than just, hey, I think it’s a shitty joke and I like my interpretation better.

          And no, I’m not straight, so quit acting like I’m trying to enforce some kind of shitty homophobic agenda about stuffing LGBT people into a closet because I think Walky was being a dick when he said “Ethan has to be gay because I have never seen him Joyce, which he should, because she is attractive.” Seriously? Fuck you. You think I haven’t had to put up with that kind of bullshit? Maybe the reason I think it’s shit is because I’ve had to deal with it?

        21. Rutee

          I’m getting REALLY tired of yoofs insisting their status as LGBT means they aren’t doing some shit that is bad. Super tired of it. I didn’t say you’re trying to do it; I said you’re doing it. I’m pretty sure you’re not trying to do that, but I also don’t rightly care one way or the other, because the actual effect of your words matters far more to me than the intent behind them.

          “Ethan is probably gay, because he has displayed no interest in Joyce, or any other woman, and in fact is behaving incredibly awkwardly whenever she makes romantic overtures, even of very slight gravity, but behaves normally in most respects.”

          He has good reason to discard general anxiety (All the moreso after the party, where he was a big ol’ cutey who was speaking well with everyone), and good reason to discard straight. It’s not ironclad, no – basically nothing except an unfiltered brain transcript is. It’s a solid provisional basis.

          And what in the name of all the gods makes you think I don’t, or haven’t, deal with having my sexuality analyzed? If you want people to ignore the evidence in front of them, good fucking luck!

    3. Tenn

      Yes. They both fuck, they are both idiots, and Danny is taller.

  46. JessWitt

    Whatever the densest thing on Earth is, it’s been dethroned by Danny. 😛

    1. cesium133

      He’s so dense, the earth and him orbit a common barycenter as a binary planet.

      1. Deanatay

        Nice! Someone’s been reading about Pluto, lately.

        Danny’s make a good craft beer – sweet, fruity, and with a thick head.

  47. Volkai

    Danny is so Danny he can even Danny up relevant flashbacks.

  48. Bagge

    Awww. Look at Ethan’s smile. Everyone else is a threat or a source of stress. But not Danny

    1. Darkoneko

      Because he didn’t know. That was a huge relief.

      1. Greenygal

        But he knows now, and instead of feeling upset Ethan is warmly amused.

  49. Agemegos

    Is one of those flashbacks from Slipshine? I don’t recognise the frame on the lower right.

    1. Agemegos

      Oops! Asked by Kit, answered by Captain Batson.

  50. Les

    The clue meter is reading zero…

    1. Agemegos

      Sorry.

  51. Spencer

    Everyone freaking out about “OMG DANNY BETTER NOT CHEAT ON AMBER”, you know just being bisexual doesn’t mean he’s going to immediately make out with Ethan, right? He’s attracted to him, and it’s causing him a lot of stress that he can’t compartmentalize, but that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly going to cheat. Danny had Billie’s tits in his face and he turned her down because he was interested in Amazi-Girl. That’s not going to suddenly disappear just because he’s attracted to a guy.

    1. RedFloyd

      Poly. For. The. Win.
      Then again, by the time we’ve developed that far in the plot, Poly might be the social norm. 😛

      1. timemonkey

        Poly is not for everyone. The only one who might be interested right now is Amber. They’d never be able to handle it.

        1. Rutee

          Poly is a bad idea for kids who can’t handle it, among other people (Like, you know, the manifestly disinterested). Nobody in this cast except Dorothy really has the maturity and stability for it.

      2. Em

        People throw around poly very quickly. But it’s not going to work. Danny is VERY VERY monogamous. I can’t speak for every poly person, but the people that I know who are poly have never in their lives felt the urge to be monogamous. It’s very clear that monogamy is important to Danny. One person dating two people with the others consent is great in theory, but can be problematic in practice if one person wants to become exclusive. Another reason this wouldn’t work is because Amber would freak out. She’d be wondering if Danny is actually poly or if he’s doing this because he doesn’t want to cheat on her, or hurt her feelings.

        I am all for healthy poly relationships, but this is not going to be one of them.

        Just because someone is bi does NOT mean they are automatically interested in a poly relationship.

        1. Jothki

          Danny seems to have trouble wrangling his head around the fact that just because he’s attracted to men and women, he doesn’t need to be attracted to a man and a woman. Of course, that’s because he’s Danny.

          That kind of a relationship, or even a one-night stand, would of course be horribly unhealthy. And since Ethan, Danny, and Amber’s capabilities for making healthy emotional decisions have been well demonstrated, we can take a guess at the likelihood of it ever happened.

          Honestly, I want to see a three-way just because of how much of a mess it would be. Between Ethan’s guilt over everything he had to dump on Amber, Amber’s stress over having Ethan’s issues dumped on her combined with how she can’t rationally assign him responsibility for them, and Danny’s lack of understanding of their history and terrible ability to read cues….

          Though I guess you could get pretty much the same result out of them sitting down and talking. Either way, Danny would be in for a mostly undeserved pounding by Amber.

  52. Usayasha

    I can actually kind of sympathize with Danny’s obliviousness. I’ve had plenty of people who, even if they pinged on my Gaydar, they would tell me they were straight and I would absolutely believe them.
    I mean, who knows them better than they do? I certainly don’t.
    Besides, they know they can be honest with me.
    It would be wrong to suspect them of dishonesty, right?

    Those are the kinds of things that went through my head, and I suspect they go through Danny’s as well, along with plenty of other reasons to believe Ethan when he said he was straight.

  53. Jimmy

    And I’m sure more Danny haters are commenting. I just kinda skip over it anymore when Danny’s in the comic. I can relate a lot to Danny and that’s why I like him, and always will.

  54. Chris Phoenix

    Hm. Two strips ago, “Oh, pardon”

    There’s a sentimental song, “Polkadots and Moonbeams” that starts “A country dance was being held in a garden / I felt a bump and heard an Oh, beg your pardon” – I wonder if Willis was thinking of this song?

    The last verse begins, “Now in a cottage build of lilacs and laughter, I know the meaning of the words Ever After” – I wonder if I’m reading too much into this?

    1. Chris Phoenix

      Argh, I had written Anglebracket BUMP CloseAnglebracket right before the “Oh, pardon” but the website ate it and there’s no edit.

  55. Darkoneko

    You, out of everyone.

    as in, “you, who’s banging with my Ex”, or “you, who I’m insanely crushing on” ?

    1. Lord Stoneheart

      Considering his follow up statement is “You hang out with Amber all that time and she hasn’t dropped any clues?” I’d say it’s the former. (I think Ethan likes Danny like that, but what he’s implying in that statement isn’t evidence of that).

  56. Spencer

    So I touched on this a bit above, but the intent of this strip is not “Danny is stupid because he didn’t figure out that Ethan is gay” is it? Like, I understand that those strips were Amber referencing her previous relationship and why it failed, but it’s plain wrongheaded to assume that Danny should have been able to interpret them the same way, let alone that, to Danny, Ethan cannot be Amber’s gay ex-boyfriend because he currently has a girlfriend.

    Sexuality is not a puzzle for straight people to solve. It was shitty of Walky to do it and it’s shitty to assume Danny should as well.

    1. Spencer

      “to Danny, Ethan cannot be Amber’s gay ex-boyfriend because Danny has seen him in a relationship with another woman.” is how I should have put that.

    2. Spencer

      Wait, shit, I think I’m looking at this all wrong. It’s Danny flashing back to these events under the context of “Ethan is gay” and putting the pieces together, but not wanting to admit it.

      1. Kraken

        Nah, he honestly missed all that stuff and just took Ethan at his word (the alt text confirms it’s not a flashback he’s having). I don’t understand the ridicule either. He just trusted Ethan basically and didn’t assume he was hiding something that he had to figure out.

        1. Spencer

          No I mean that at the time Danny didn’t put two and two together (nor should he have had to), but now that Danny’s being faced with the reality that Ethan is gay, he’s looking back at some of the things Amber has said under a new context, but he’s still trying to deny it because he’s still insisting Ethan has to be straight.

          I think that’s how it’s supposed to be taken, anyway.

      2. Lord Stoneheart

        Alt Text says that it’s nobodies flashbacks, the narrative itself is insulting Danny. I mean it’s not like the alt text is supposed to be 100% serious all the time though.

        1. Spencer

          Right, but I think that’s just a joke, because otherwise the punchline is “Danny is stupid for not noticing” and that would be awful.

        2. a snow ʍousɐ

          I think the punchline is “laugh at Danny for being an idiot.”
          Not that he is an idiot, but he’s a bit of a punching bag for actions taken elsewhere in the Walkyverse

        3. Spencer

          Sure, but there’s a significant difference between “Danny putting things together but not wanting to admit it” and “Danny is a moron because he didn’t figure it out.”

          The former is what he’s been doing this entire strip, because he doesn’t want to admit that his attraction to Ethan has a chance of being reciprocated, the latter is just awful heteronormative garbage.

        4. a snow ʍousɐ

          I don’t think Danny is stupid. But I don’t think he’s figured anything out, either. And I think Willis is poking fun at him for that.
          But it’s much easier to see the signs when you’re the audience and you already know that Ethan is gay.

        5. Kraken

          Well, I feel like if Dan did notice the clues in hindsight, he’d just admit it.

        6. Spencer

          I don’t think so, because Danny is super insistent right now that Ethan has to be straight, so he’s trying to ignore some of the clues he’s been given that now suddenly make sense if the narrative is “Ethan is gay.”

  57. darkoneko

    God damnit Ethan, don’t Ethan it up !

  58. Kraken

    If you don’t realize there’s a puzzle, you’ll probably miss clues.

    Danny pleading for Ethan to be straight is a bit much, but him taking how Ethan presented himself at face value (well not quite, but he didn’t know what bisexuality was so pretty much) and not trying to read into other clues seems good to me.

    1. Random832

      Ethan’s not bisexual (as far as we know). Danny is (as far as we know), but that doesn’t really affect the question of how he did/should have seen Ethan or how Ethan presented himself.

      1. Kraken

        I didn’t mean to imply that Ethan is bi. What I meant is if Danny is assuming Ethan’s relationship with Joyce was one of mutual sexual attraction (like his relationships), and that Ethan was being honest when he said he wasn’t gay, then Ethan must be either straight or bi. Of course there are way more explanations for that situation based on the complexities of relationships and sexual orientations, but Danny doesn’t understand any of that stuff. And even of those really assumption laden choices of straight or bi, Danny doesn’t even grasp the idea of bisexuality, so he was left believing Ethan is straight.

        I understand that a lot of Danny’s conclusions and ignorance of signs were also heavily influenced by him coming to cope with his own sexuality, his general obliviousness and a lot of assumptions he has about sexual orientations. But I still feel like the result of that is he took Ethan as he was trying to present himself without trying to dig deeper against his wishes. I don’t think that’s a bad result.

  59. Edupoet81

    It isn’t that the narrative is actually mocking Danny — those flashbacks are his. The Hat, being in close proximity to Danny at this time, are picking up on these flashbacks running through his head. The Hat then automatically transmits said flashbacks to Dina, its true master. Dina is now watching this montage play out in her own mind. And that, my friends, is why we have Danny flashbacks in a Dina POV storyline.

    Okay, my brain kind of went to a strange place there, as it often does.

    Seriously, though, I’m abysmal at reading between the lines, and putting two and two together regarding other people. Thus, it would be hypocritical of me to mock Danny, so I shall refrain from doing so.

  60. Em

    Okay but like am I the only one who thinks that this might just be a one sided crush?

    Danny/Ethan is one of my favorite pairings, but…I feel like Ethan isn’t that into it? Maybe he will be at some point, but right now he seems like he’s trying to calm down Danny and explain his sexuality, and maybe be ready to help Danny on his journey too. He seems like he feels happy to have another queer guy to hang out with, one that he was already friends with.

    Does anyone else get that feeling? (I also think that Ethan will be able to pick up on Danny’s feelings now that he’s aware that Danny is queer)

    1. Spencer

      Ethan hasn’t really expressed outright affection the same way Danny has for him, but he’s been very complementary and accepting of him. He’d probably go for it if it weren’t for Amber.

    2. cookiecat

      Word of alt text: Ethan wants to mount Danny like a stallion.

      1. a snow ʍousɐ

        Which alt-…
        oh
        it’s the future, isn’t it

        1. cookiecat

          Nope: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/wrongway/

      2. Em

        sign me THE FUCK UP
        also
        no spoils pls

        1. cookiecat

          That’s not a spoiler.

      3. PokeyPuppy

        I took that as DANNY wants to mount ETHAN like a stallion. In the first panel, it is Danny who is saying, “Don’t take this the wrong way,” after all.

    3. timemonkey

      Danny’s just more obvious because he’s confusing himself.

  61. Rob S.

    Dumb Danny is so dumb.

  62. Brady Kj

    The first of those flashbacks is the only one that would lead to the conclusion that she’s dated a gay guy. Two of them only indicate she’s had unpleasant romantic history, and one of them is just a joke about people stealing each other.

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