Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XXXV: DJ Callan Turns the Tables

[BlackDragonKing]

The Royal Seer, perhaps

Touche, I'd forgotten about him...

The king, who apparently thinks that owning multiple businesses is wrong, might want to check up on one of the richest guys in his kingdom, no? Or the police, who were interested in the death of Countess Nicolette Prennitaria and might be looking for motive? Or even one of the people that a jerk like Serk might have pissed off over the course of his business dealings.

Given that Serk pointed out that you can't use scrying as evidence, it still basically has to be someone like Dominic who can make contact with just about everyone involved in the whole affair and knew Szark's dad, who was working on a legal nightmare for free. DJ Callan could've brought down Serk if he wanted to, but apparently DJ Callan hasn't been checking up on a lot of things like that. :/

Were there no other Seers available? Did the centuries old Necromancer not know any Seers? Or maybe think that the ability to spy on your enemies and notice when you're being spied upon could be handy if you're running a secret cult?

Given that Helixia is the only apprentice Rilian's ever had, there's always the consideration that she can notice when she's being spied on the same way Rilian can even without being a seer. However, even if she did do any scrying, Dominic's already been TOLD everything he needs to know without having to spy on what she's spying on.

...link plz.

Doesn't directly state it, but this is the second time Szark's been shown to not have magic affect him, good or bad. Luna's spells bounce harmlessly off of him in the chapter immediately before being a resistant is explained via Dex (which is happening at the same time in-comic, so Mookie was foreshadowing that people like that existed) and the Scarlatti disarm doesn't matter; Szark's NEVER been able to be healed with White Magic, which goes beyond the standard issue of wounds inflicted by Karnak never, ever healing properly. Demonic power in a great enough concentration can still apparently affect Resistants at least a little, given that Dex is in a massive amount of pain after absorbing a blast from TIM. Karnak is in the top five or so most powerful beings in the Dominion, so I'd assume our rules are not his rules, particularly when he has a connection to Szark through a demonic wound.

I could've sworn the blinder effect didn't work on Szark, but apparently it did, even if it did so badly. Odd.

[Garland]

If Szark was a resistant Mookie would have told us endlessly and wordily (is that a word?) about it. He would be called Szark (who is gay and resistant). He'd never resist (heh) the lure of needless exposition.

Szark: have I mentioned that I'm gay straight today? Also resistant?

[Oracle_Hunter]

Given that Serk pointed out that you can't use scrying as evidence, it still basically has to be someone like Dominic who can make contact with just about everyone involved in the whole affair and knew Szark's dad, who was working on a legal nightmare for free. DJ Callan could've brought down Serk if he wanted to, but apparently DJ Callan hasn't been checking up on a lot of things like that. :/

Or, y'know, just check through the papers of the estate which Szark's Dad only took to organizing because he was willing to work for free. It was a ridiculously easy conspiracy to unravel, even without all the inconsequential stuff regarding other Crimes Against the First Caste.

I could've sworn the blinder effect didn't work on Szark, but apparently it did, even if it did so badly. Odd.

What do you mean, it worked perfectly.

Szark clearly isn't Resistant, since real Resistants are immune to the charm. The Healing Magic thing was only due to his Infernal Wound; I still don't know why that makes him immune to Luna's Black Magic.

[BlackDragonKing]

Or, y'know, just check through the papers of the estate which Szark's Dad only took to organizing because he was willing to work for free. It was a ridiculously easy conspiracy to unravel, even without all the inconsequential stuff regarding other Crimes Against the First Caste.


What do you mean, it worked perfectly.

Szark clearly isn't Resistant, since real Resistants are immune to the charm. The Healing Magic thing was only due to his Infernal Wound; I still don't know why that makes him immune to Luna's Black Magic.

Or why no healing at all works on him; one wound never closing is one thing, but why would future wounds not be able to be healed, either? Unless being wounded by Karnak means you can't be healed at all in any way, but that doesn't really work either, since Dominic's been healed from wounds inflicted by Karnak's direct mortal agent and even though a number of Miranda's students were crippled by TIM, only three were hurt badly enough to die. Now I'm just wondering if Mookie started out writing Szark as a resistant but decided he wasn't after a while...given how little attention I paid to the Oracle Hunter's encounter with Szark, I'd taken it as a given he was a resistant until today.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Or why no healing at all works on him; one wound never closing is one thing, but why would future wounds not be able to be healed, either? Unless being wounded by Karnak means you can't be healed at all in any way, but that doesn't really work either, since Dominic's been healed from wounds inflicted by Karnak's direct mortal agent and even though a number of Miranda's students were crippled by TIM, only three were hurt badly enough to die. Now I'm just wondering if Mookie started out writing Szark as a resistant but decided he wasn't after a while...given how little attention I paid to the Oracle Hunter's encounter with Szark, I'd taken it as a given he was a resistant until today.

...yeah, after re-reading your link I was wondering the same thing. Like I said: Mookie is terrible at making internally consistent worlds. Just plain awful.

[TheArsenal]

Or why no healing at all works on him; one wound never closing is one thing, but why would future wounds not be able to be healed, either?

Actualy I found that the Demon thing made sense (And sounded good):

A Wound from the demon of Wounds Never Closes
Poison from the Demon of Poison Doesn't have an antidoteb
A Lie From the Demon of lies always remains.

Shame Mookie got rid of them.

[BlackDragonKing]

...And so one of the things I'd held as a perfectly logical progression in the comic comes to an end, and now that's going to bug me from here on out.. I'm afraid I'm going to stop being a fan of the comic before the conclusion at this rate.

I turn to Gerald, immeasurable badass but quiet, understated sage, to express my feelings;



Thank you, Gerald. That was beautiful.

[TheArsenal]

I turn to Gerald, immeasurable badass but quiet, understated sage, to express my feelings;

But I feel bad for you feeling bad....Now I wish you found a logical explanation for everything so you continued being a fan and happy.

[Fangly]

I turn to Gerald, immeasurable badass but quiet, understated sage, to express my feelings;



Thank you, Gerald. That was beautiful.

When I look at Gerald's sad face, I see everything I regret. All the missed opportunities, loves lost, unkind remarks, and that time my mother left me a message saying "I love you" in my lunch and after ridicule from my friends I just... threw it away.

The time I missed the winning shot at the Southwest Regional Pacific Beer Pong Quarter Finals.

...And so one of the things I'd held as a perfectly logical progression in the comic comes to an end, and now that's going to bug me from here on out.. I'm afraid I'm going to stop being a fan of the comic before the conclusion at this rate.

Yeah, seriously you need stop reading this thread if you want to stay a fan. I don't mean to sound unwelcoming or anything, but this place will make you see the many many flaws of this comic. Flaws you may not wish to see.

But fans are always fun while they last. They spur discussion and make one think critically. That's how we get giant treatises on the caste system and Dominion physics.

[Fawkes]

He isn't. It's Dex who's resistant. (And you well know that there can't be two people with the same special trait in this comic.) Szark just has a weapon that is made of resistant metal (except when it's not.)

No, that's Scarlatti.

[Darkmyst]

Yeah, seriously you need stop reading this thread if you want to stay a fan. I don't mean to sound unwelcoming or anything, but this place will make you see the many many flaws of this comic. Flaws you may not wish to see.

I can't decide; is it ironic or appropriate that the best way to destroy a fan of DD is to make him see the truth?

[BlackDragonKing]

Wait...wait...

I see it! Miranda mentioned during the War In Hell arc that she couldn't treat her students or Szark's wound with white magic because it came from Karnak's gauntlets, but she could cure that with the angelic gauntlet!

It must mean that wounds inflicted by Karnak's gauntlets are more powerful than the Infernomancer's standard attacks that Gregory was able to heal before; the wounds are demonically influenced to reject white magic, which would make magically healing anyone wounded by them impossible! Szark's WOUND was the reason he can't be healed by white magic even if he gets later injuries unrelated by Karnak; until it heals, white magic won't work properly on him due to the demonic influence in his body.

That explains the white magic, but I'd need some more conjecture for why Luna's spells didn't hurt Szark at all.

The simplest solution seems to be that Szark's wound makes him appear to play by rules similar to the infernomancers, due to the connection drawn between him and Karnak. In which case, if black magic heals them, or at least fire magic does, it's possible that Szark is simply less vulnerable to black magic in his wounded pseudo-infernal state at the cost of being unable to heal magically until after the War In Hell.

Shaky, but it's better than nothing...

[colonelslime]

Not that I disagree (at all) with the idea of DD being a bad comic "in truth", but it's hardly the only piece of media that can be severely criticized. I was just discussing with my brother how Red Dead Redemption really is full of fallacies about the actual frontier west, but then was forced to admit that it made a great game and story regardless. DD is admittedly very full of flaws, but sometimes it's worth remembering that almost any work of fiction has contradictions, inconsistencies, simplifications, convenient coincidences, and inaccuracies. DD sins are myriad, but I still don't hate it as much as (what I consider) the true nadirs of webcomic entertainment, such as sonichu, or another comic I won't repeat the name of (you know the one) .

On a tangent, I have a love/hate relationship with xkcd. Sometimes I find the comic witty, and a few times I find it insightful. It appeals to the science nerd in me. But it's crass and insufferably preachy most of the time.

[Johnny Blade]

Today in "Almost Interesting": First Celesto pops the totally-crystal bubble. Then Quilt logs out. Luna is still in the internetplane despite not even doing the scrying. I'm almost interested in an explanation for this.

[Trazoi]

Today in "Almost Interesting": First Celesto pops the totally-crystal bubble. Then Quilt logs out. Luna is still in the internetplane despite not even doing the scrying. I'm almost interested in an explanation for this.

Luna is left to drift the internetplane forever. Frail cripple Dominic can't help her as he was killed by the full-on golem tackle. The comic is now about Gerald.

I can dream.

[Zaq]

Today in "Almost Interesting": First Celesto pops the totally-crystal bubble. Then Quilt logs out. Luna is still in the internetplane despite not even doing the scrying. I'm almost interested in an explanation for this.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T DRAW BACKGROUNDS, MOOKIE ending punctuation not found, try again later

[Castel]

Sneaky Gate is now open!
A Link to the future!
Future Link. Sorry.

Oh no! Poor Dominic's old, weak bones couldn't take it after all! If only he wasn't so not a Mary Sue, he wouldn't have any of these horrible flaws that are so very much shown and not at all only talked about!

[Palmer]

God, if only Dominic had the ability to teleport, Things would be so much easier!
Or, or what if he could "bookmark" these "sites" in advance for easy travel? Damn, if only we had been shown him doing these exact things before!

[Garland]

So that's it then? They just murdered Gerald in cold-blood and nobody gets punished?

I ASK YOU, IS THIS JUSTICE!?

[TheLaughingMan]

So that's it then? They just murdered Gerald in cold-blood and nobody gets punished?

I ASK YOU, IS THIS JUSTICE!?

It's a bit sad when hanging someone for taking down a note-smiley would be a step-up in storytelling.

They'd call it "Tying the Knot." And it'd be the best wedding arc ever.

[BlackDragonKing]

So that's it then? They just murdered Gerald in cold-blood and nobody gets punished?

I ASK YOU, IS THIS JUSTICE!?

*slaps*

Pull yourself together, man! A true man like Gerald never dies, even when he's killed!

We do not yet see his new form, but rest assured; Gerald still walks among us.

[colonelslime]

So that's it, two clippings with events somehow tangentially related to Celesto's past, (you know, before his adventures that completely changed his view of the world?). I was expecting A Beautiful Mind, but instead it's an investigation so simple the Hardy Boys wouldn't find it challenging. DJ Callan is a terrible seer if he can't find Celesto faster than the Deegan bunch.

[Darkmyst]

Hmm. So Mookie is going to show off this "teleport network" of his after all eh? Fair enough. (This is of course presupposing that he will indeed attend both. After all, he'd have to have some sort of ability to view things remotely if he wanted to see them both while remaining in hiding, and what are the chances of that?) Still bracing for another week of filler before anything actually starts happening though.

RIP Gerald.

[Bobikus]

This is sort of just too dull still for me to even really comment on, aside from that for as brittle and crippled as people keep saying Dom is, getting tackled like that shouldn't be something he can immediately just smile and shrug off.

[Garland]

You better not make Gerald angry.



YOU WOULDN'T LIKE IT WHEN HE'S ANGRY

[Zaq]

"[Celesto] was involved with Szark . . ." Holy crap. Mookie remembered. I had genuinely believed that he had forgotten. To be honest, I'm kind of shocked.

Why does Quilt have Smuggreg's face in p. 2?

[Humbug]

Is Smug Greg the new Stunt's Head now?

[Trazoi]

Domikudigan:

Spoiler

Show

For the comic itself, I don't know what to say. It's like everything in the Dominion is being roped into one epic arc for the grand finale, but none of it actually matters.

[Palmer]

Domikudigan:

Spoiler

Show

For the comic itself, I don't know what to say. It's like everything in the Dominion is being roped into one epic arc for the grand finale, but none of it actually matters.

Luna's a Nazi, get her!

[Johnny Blade]

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T DRAW BACKGROUNDS, MOOKIE

Heh. I actually thought that those bubbles in the first two panels were something like a background indicating the scry was still ongoing. But, apparently, they were just bubbles.
It's really hard to tell with neither backgrounds nor logic to fall back on.



(Nothing in today's comic is almost interesting.)