Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XXVII: God Has Nothing to do With This

[ericgrau]

Heyall,



I remember bringing this up during -- shudder -- Maltak.

Plants in DD must have the consistency of meat. That's the only explanation I can think of for a race of vegetarians to have fang filled maws and tusks. It's just another example of Mookie believing that Rule of Cool is more important than anything else. See: Hammer decapitation and inappropriate arrow volleys.

Rule of cooling it is fine as long as you don't make it a story point to tell characters: "If only you had tusks you'd be able to eat plants too."

The comic is flashing back and forth between Karnak eating roots and demon flesh, and now he has pointy teeth. Your theory may have some strange merit.

[rocketpony]

So... if we discarded Luna after that arc at her mothers' house, who would you propose to be Dominic's mate?
...
Jayden? Meh. That would be boring, except, would Siggie skulk around the house and accidentally end up in their bedroom while Domi is busy seeing important other stuff?

HE'S a cranky seer with delusions of omniscience!
SHE'S cheating on him with a royal knight!
THEY FIGHT CRIME

[SaintRidley]

So, regarding my revival of the idea to use the sword adept at killing idea in a story, I've figured out how I intend to do it.

In fact, it's going to be a bit of focus in a story or two and then a novel I hope to do down the road. And yes, it will make things far worse for the protagonist than things would have been had he never found it, as contending with an item like that and with an incomplete understanding of the situation will lead him to do very bad things in his attempt at his goal.

I like throwing protagonists into the deep end of the alignment pool for a bit of a swim. It helps them sort themselves out.

[averagejoe]

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Oh, so you're taking the SW route?

More seriously, I agree, and this is basically the reason why I personally avoid good/evil axes.
Problem is, in the Dominion, there is such an axis. It's definitely very D&D-inspired. So, from a general philosphical perspective, I agree that NG would be more logical (after all, it would take a certain altruism to dedicate yourself to maintaining a balance for the good of all things), but within the framework of the Dominion, Dominic's balance just... fails.

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It isn't good and evil, though, it's light and darkness, each of which can be good or evil. Dominic was supposed to balance law, chaos, light, and dark.

[Glass Mouse]

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It isn't good and evil, though, it's light and darkness, each of which can be good or evil. Dominic was supposed to balance law, chaos, light, and dark.

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Fair enough. But still... Darkness is basically necromancy - death and blight and destruction magic (the Rilian type). Light is basically healing and enhancement spells (the Gregory type).
Not downright good/evil, but... y'know, kinda close.

[Trazoi]

Far be it for me to defend Luna in any way, but she always struck me as simply someone who tries to be Neutral Good but is far too incompetent and self-centered to pull it off. She's not strictly evil -- just a complete idiot.

One of my problems with Dom and Luna as the all important heroes is that they are so self-absorbed they constantly fail to look heroic. Both of them seem to be motivated either by only helping their close circle of friends or stroking their own ego. Neither seem to give a damn about the ordinary Fifth Caste citizens. Whenever the Scooby Gang is involved in doing repair things for Barthis, Dom and Luna tend to sit on the side lines - they save their elemental workforce exclusively for Dom's personal mansion.

Admittedly when I think about it I'm not sure if selfishness by itself is enough to bump Luna from Neutral to Evil. She doesn't have the same number of clearly evil actions to her name that Dominic does. Her main sin is blind acceptance of whatever Dominic wishes.

So... if we discarded Luna after that arc at her mothers' house, who would you propose to be Dominic's mate?

I vaguely remember mention of Jayden being slated as Dominic's original destined mate at the very start of the comic before Luna became a permanent fixture. Jayden then was switched to Greg's potential girlfriend in the early arcs - I'm not sure whether Milov was originally meant to be bumped off or turn evil or something. That explains why Jayden's personality doesn't extend beyond "Potential Love Interest MacGuffin."

I'd pick Madame Zelda Zanzibar, purely to squick people out when they realise that Zelda is based on Mookie wearing a dress.

I think you're being a bit harsh on some of the ones you say are evil/neutral bordering on neutral/good. Well, when I say 'some' I mostly mean Donovan.

The problem with Donovan is that his trolling of the orcs for twenty years is so insanely CHAOTIC NEUTRAL it blanks out anything else he has ever done, ever.

[SaintRidley]

The problem with Donovan is that his trolling of the orcs for twenty years is so insanely CHAOTIC NEUTRAL it blanks out anything else he has ever done, ever.

And in a way is probably the most sensible and best portrayal of Chaotic Neutral I've seen in a long time.

[Coidzor]

The problem with Donovan is that his trolling of the orcs for twenty years is so insanely CHAOTIC NEUTRAL it blanks out anything else he has ever done, ever.

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Obviously we need Donovan doing the Successful Troll fist pump and thrust while wearing a banana hammock.

Or a Successful Troll in a banana hammock.

Either way, really.

And in a way is probably the most sensible and best portrayal of Chaotic Neutral I've seen in a long time.

I think this will now be an inspiration for my next CN character.


BTW, am I the only one who just fell in love with Runcible Spoon's name when he was introduced?

[Fawkes]

BTW, am I the only one who just fell in love with Runcible Spoon's name when he was introduced?

It's a great name.

[Coidzor]

Phew. So I'm not a lone crazy. ...I continually wonder how Mookie came up with it myself....x.x

[SaintRidley]

It comes from a phrase used in a story by Edward Lear.

[Trazoi]

Phew. So I'm not a lone crazy. ...I continually wonder how Mookie came up with it myself....x.x

Maybe the idea came to him from an early DD sporking?

[Glass Mouse]

It comes from a phrase used in a story by Edward Lear.

Was that a strategic google search, or did you just happen to have that knowledge lying around somewhere?

[SaintRidley]

Was that a strategic google search, or did you just happen to have that knowledge lying around somewhere?

Whichever thought makes you more comfortable.

[Coidzor]

Whichever thought makes you more comfortable.

Hmm, I'm going to just decide you're an awesome A.I. construct from beyond the internets so I don't have to start crushing on you if you continue to display such preternatural fu.

Maybe the idea came to him from an early DD sporking?

Sporking? Where does that term come from, I wonder...

[SaintRidley]

Would letting you know I'm a guy make it easier to keep from crushing on me?

I just like the female version of this icon better, really. It makes me feel pretty.

[guttering flame]

I vaguely remember mention of Jayden being slated as Dominic's original destined mate at the very start of the comic before Luna became a permanent fixture. Jayden then was switched to Greg's potential girlfriend in the early arcs - I'm not sure whether Milov was originally meant to be bumped off or turn evil or something. That explains why Jayden's personality doesn't extend beyond "Potential Love Interest MacGuffin."

As I said in my list, Jayden would have been boring. So even if she was Mookie's choice she wouldn't be ours.

I'd pick Madame Zelda Zanzibar, purely to squick people out when they realise that Zelda is based on Mookie wearing a dress.

Ah yes, she's actually the first person I meant to put on my list but I didn't know her name and by the time I finished my list I'd already forgotten about her.

She does have a distinct character I think so it's not... hey did you say Mookie, not Dominus??

[Trazoi]

Ah yes, she's actually the first person I meant to put on my list but I didn't know her name and by the time I finished my list I'd already forgotten about her.

She does have a distinct character I think so it's not... hey did you say Mookie, not Dominus??

Mwahahahaha! Read this newspost and see the truth!

Edit: Or maybe I should be less lazy and paste the relevant part here:

Second, Madam Zanzibar from yesterday's strip is... me. A couple of years ago I dressed (in drag) as a fortune teller for Halloween and called myself Madam Zanzibar. I carried around a pair of crystal balls and asked people if they wanted to see their future... in my balls. I found the "character" so amusing that I'd always wanted to put her in the strip. So there she was. That's some new year's trivia for you.

[Coidzor]

Would letting you know I'm a guy make it easier to keep from crushing on me?

I just like the female version of this icon better, really. It makes me feel pretty.

Well, it wouldn't really be that kind of crush anyway. So no worries there.

The far more pernicious kind where I'd have to remember you.

[Lillith]

So that's why she

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didn't get killed off.

[Glass Mouse]

Would letting you know I'm a guy make it easier to keep from crushing on me?

Well, that certainly didn't help me

I'm gonna go with the A.I. construct theory.

So that's why she

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didn't get killed off.

Haha! It also explains why she'd never become Dom's love interest. Now, Luna's on the other hand... Come on, you know Mookie wants to!

[Domochevsky]

...
Haha! It also explains why she'd never become Dom's love interest. Now, Luna's on the other hand... Come on, you know Mookie wants to!

He was close to it too! (But nooo, the Dominus, will all his willpower, would break down, cry like a baby and anihilate the Dominion. >_>)

[Lillith]

Haha! It also explains why she'd never become Dom's love interest. Now, Luna's on the other hand... Come on, you know Mookie wants to!

That would mean that Mookie was in love with himself/his best friend/his son.

[Coidzor]

Well, narcissism isn't exactly unknown...

[SaintRidley]

Well, that certainly didn't help me

I'm gonna go with the A.I. construct theory.

That's fine by me. Danish girls are cute.

But I can be an A.I., too.

[rocketpony]

Sneaky gate
En futur

BWAHAHA Karnak's gonna be so mad that I killed all these demons, guys, I'm the best at what I do
Also, what is going on in the second half of this update? Is he extruding armor? Or spikes? Or a cape? Or is all the blood from the scars clotting improbably? Or is it A GRAND ASCENSION INTO BEING A DEMON LORD? :O

[TheLaughingMan]

Also, what is going on in the second half of this update? Is he extruding armor? Or spikes? Or a cape? Or is all the blood from the scars clotting improbably? Or is it A GRAND ASCENSION INTO BEING A DEMON LORD? :O

He's slipping into something more... comfortable.

[SaintRidley]

And Siggy manages to continue being the single most interesting character in the comic.

[colonelslime]

Apparently Siggy has been screaming Karnak's name over and over again this entire time. He must really miss him.

Remember when Mookie was all about how he didn't like the "extreme" turn his classic heroes had taken, how he disliked the blood and gore/darkness nonsense that characterized the '80s? Anyone else feel like Mookie's tastes seem to have changed?

Edit: Removed sneaky gate link, due to Rocketpony being a no-good NINJA!

[M84]

Heyall,

Apparently Siggy has been screaming Karnak's name over and over again this entire time. He must really miss him.

Remember when Mookie was all about how he didn't like the "extreme" turn his classic heroes had taken, how he disliked the blood and gore/darkness nonsense that characterized the '80s? Anyone else feel like Mookie's tastes seem to have changed?

Edit: Removed sneaky gate link, due to Rocketpony being a no-good NINJA!

I'm willing to give Mookie a pass here -- it is Hell, after all.

Now, "Bortette" suddenly turning into Wolverine and tearing apart a bunch of poachers? That's another story entirely.