Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XXXVIII: This Show Blew My Boogeyman

[Traab]

The issue with this is that a) the audience doesn't have swords and b) that the contestants (however many they are) are using show-props.

Good luck with that, people.

Feh, do you really think mookie is smart enough to think of the contestants NOT using live steel in a competition? Apparently chance swinging his blade around was considered dangerous, he certainly gouged the heck out of butlers face. Of course, chance has seen a sword. Also, the way szark and scarletti were talking, i dont think they were using blunted weapons.

[Zaq]

The issue with this is that a) the audience doesn't have swords and b) that the contestants (however many they are) are using show-props.

Good luck with that, people.

Ah, but they BELIEVE they're using real swords, and in the psychoplanes, that counts for a lot!

(Yeah, OK, I can't even say that with a straight face.)

[AgentofOdd]

Y'know, the more I think about it, I really can't see any realistic way for Dominic to get out of this w/o people thinking he's some abomination summoning criminal. Hell, if Celestro was feeling extra vindictive towards Dominic, he could have the mini Snugglies kill some people, then "rescue" the rest of the audience by "banishing" them. At this point, I suspect he should want to get rid of Dominic for the greater good.

[TheLaughingMan]

At this point, the only thing that can prevent Dominic from being lynched is for Celesto to lose what IQ he has left and start monologuing in front of the large, startled crowd. Or that everyone puts the whole experience down as a bad trip and never speaks to anyone about it ever.

My, this should be fun.

[T-O-E]

The issue with this is that a) the audience doesn't have swords and b) that the contestants (however many they are) are using show-props.

Good luck with that, people.

Scarlatti's resistant sword would be useful right about now. Also it could protect him from mental influence (which worked so well last time.)

[Welf]

Since no one mentioned it so far: what's that sword lying around in panel 7? It looks like the sword of truthseeing of Dominic. If we're in the physical plane, how can it exist? If we're in the mental plane, why did Dominic let if fall?

[Traab]

Since no one mentioned it so far: what's that sword lying around in panel 7? It looks like the sword of truthseeing of Dominic. If we're in the physical plane, how can it exist? If we're in the mental plane, why did Dominic let if fall?

Despite THINKING he is an awesome swordsman, he really isnt. He dropped it after doing his thundercats rally cry of "see see see the truuuuuuuuth!" Much like his lobster mask, he doesnt actually have the skills, he just dresses up a good game.

[sihnfahl]

At this point, I suspect he should want to get rid of Dominic for the greater good.

If Dom won't play along, even after being given chance after chance to buy in...

Sure.

[AgentofOdd]

At this point, the only thing that can prevent Dominic from being lynched is for Celesto to lose what IQ he has left and start monologuing in front of the large, startled crowd. Or that everyone puts the whole experience down as a bad trip and never speaks to anyone about it ever.

My, this should be fun.

The only thing that could save Dominic's ass now is Celestro's desire to somehow frame the king. I guess it's possible that this whole battle was merely Celestro's attempt to exhaust Dominic, so when he... I dunno shows up disguised as the King, monologuing about how his new pets will scour the world, Dominic won't have the energy to dispel the illusion.

[Palmer]

It'd be pretty exceptionally stupid to ruin Celesto's entire plan. The only real thing he objected to was killing Chance. If he can frame the king without killing anyone he'd be doing Dominic's job for her.

[Trazoi]

It'd be pretty exceptionally stupid to ruin Celesto's entire plan.

It was a stupid plan to begin with. Kill Chance with a Snuglet -> Alert the Populace to Evil King DJ is missing a huge key step.

@TheArsenal: Siggy was always racist. Or rather, speciest. But at the beginning it didn't seem that bad that a medieval warrior might have an ingrained distrust against orcs. It was a minor part of his character until he was given the mark of death for being too popular an evil jock not one-dimensional enough for Mookie to write about a needed sacrifice for a forced dramatic point in a story arc oh I don't know anymore.

[Kris Strife]

According to Mookie, so he wouldn't have to have a character arc about someone with shades of grey overcoming their inner demons.

Could have done the same thing by just shipping him off to Aberthast Cathedral.

[Palmer]

It was a stupid plan to begin with. Kill Chance with a Snuglet -> Alert the Populace to Evil King DJ is missing a huge key step.

Yeah, Celesto's original plan was stupid, but now that Dominic's merged the...psychoplane....realities....shown the truth....and his psychoplane creations have manifested in the real world, he could disguise himself as a royal seer again or the king and at least have a case

[TheArsenal]

@TheArsenal: Siggy was always racist. Or rather, speciest. But at the beginning it didn't seem that bad that a medieval warrior might have an ingrained distrust against orcs. It was a minor part of his character until he was given the mark of death for being too popular an evil jock not one-dimensional enough for Mookie to write about a needed sacrifice for a forced dramatic point in a story arc oh I don't know anymore.

Sorry-Should have said=Turned the racism up to eleven.

TWAS KILLIN ORC CHILODREN AS A BEBEH! YEAAAAAH!

[Trazoi]

Yeah, Celesto's original plan was stupid, but now that Dominic's merged the...psychoplane....realities....shown the truth....and his psychoplane creations have manifested in the real world, he could disguise himself as a royal seer again or the king and at least have a case

Eh, I can see valid reasons for Dominic not to want to get involved. It's hard to take the moral high ground if you're doing dodgy stuff like frame your liege for jockicide. Plus if the plan fails and you're exposed as a scummy traitor no-one at all is going to believe you when you start pointing to actual evidence rather than the made up stuff.

But I'm not sure if the king is going to be further involved in this current arc. He's too far up the chain of plot. I fear in the end all this arc will do is give Dominic a fancy new sword-scry method to get past the wards of the castle, while we all headdesk at the sheer pointlessnes of it all.

[rocketpony]

Yeah, Celesto's original plan was stupid

What plan?
It could be that everyone in Dominion knows that the battlecasters are actually a bunch of squid-looking dudes with single eyeballs, and watching them erupt out of Chance is the final connection they all need to realize oh hey maybe we shouldn't trust these squid-looking dudes, and the king who imposed them upon us.
That's why we never see battlecaster faces, bee tee dubs, because they don't have faces, just eyeballs, and sometimes teeth I guess?

Under such circumstances, I'd say Celesto's plan is... not unreasonable, let's say that.

This won't happen, but it's fun to make up fanfiction while waiting for the sneaky gate.

[Palmer]

Eh, I can see valid reasons for Dominic not to want to get involved. It's hard to take the moral high ground if you're doing dodgy stuff like frame your liege for jockicide. Plus if the plan fails and you're exposed as a scummy traitor no-one at all is going to believe you when you start pointing to actual evidence rather than the made up stuff.

To a logical man, of course. To Dominic Deegan? Hell no. Tell your brother he'll punch some girl's head off in the future, or construct an intricate new identity for him and let him live out his power fantasy, putting an entire village at risk? Try to calm your wolf friend down, or make him think he killed his girlfriend? Manipulating people is Dominic's raison d'etre, consequences be damned!

[Trazoi]

Manipulating people is Dominic's raison d'etre, consequences be damned!

It's why DD is so maddening yet captivating. Every arc I think, this is the one where Mookie realises that Dominic's actual character flaw is his arrogance (rather than all this bulldust about legs, teeth and phobias that come and go when they're convenient). But every arc it gets worse.

It's why for me Snowsong is simultaneously one of the best and worst arcs. I don't actually mind the SuperGreg stuff that much. What gets me is that the structure oh-so-very-almost manages to make it that one where Dominic's arrogance goes that step too far and his inner circle starts to resent him, but it pikes out at the very last moment.

Of course now we've had 2010, the Dominic-less year, it's clear that every protagonist is by default unbearably arrogant so it's never, ever going to be addressed.

[Trazoi]

Dominic update!
In which the Snuglets get sick of their role in the story and decide to pretend they're in World of Goo.

Dominikudigan:

Spoiler

Show

[Humbug]

Arg! Szark could have at least tried, that way if people didn't believe him they would be the stupid ones instead of him. But no, he was too worried that people would think he's crazay! I have absolutely no sympathy for Szark, it's his own damn fault.

[Castel]

I think it's nice that Chance actually gave the sword to someone instead of trying to fight the mini-snugglies himself. Even nicer that he didn't instantly become fan #1 of Szark.

And snouts become about 10 times funnier when the Dominion Ape sporting them has a moustache.

[Darkmyst]

Right. So. Is Scarlatti in the psych-plane, or are the minisnugglies in the real one? Either way, can this be over now please?

Edit: Scratch that. Everything is in the psych plane from this point onwards, otherwise it means that Dom has the new power of being able to make swords appear out of nowhere in the regular world, and that would just be silly.

[M84]

So are they all in the psychoplane or did Dominic just bring the Snuglets into the real world? I'm still not sure, but either case seems pretty bad since Dominic is exposing the crowd to danger either way.

Still, it's great that Chance tossed the sword to Scarlatti instead of Szark. Maybe Scarlatti will get a chance to be awesome next week.

And did Szark even know about the Snuglets before he saw them? He acted the way he did just because Dominic told him to do it.

[rocketpony]

Okay, I've been one of the folk who've been saying "Szark, just say wizards, just say wizards are making you do it." Because this is a world with wizards.
But M84 is correct. Szark didn't really have this information.

All he had to go on - all the rationale he needed for using an actual weapon, live steel, on a group of people who were actually completely unarmed, in an effort to stop them from helping a child - was the cryptic instruction of a voice in his head. The single instruction "Keep swinging the sword."

No, wait, that's still eminently reasonable in a world with wizards.

Szark: so worried about sounding crazy that he decided it would make more sense to act insane.

[Traab]

Right. So. Is Scarlatti in the psych-plane, or are the minisnugglies in the real one? Either way, can this be over now please?

Edit: Scratch that. Everything is in the psych plane from this point onwards, otherwise it means that Dom has the new power of being able to make swords appear out of nowhere in the regular world, and that would just be silly.

The most likely explanation is the snugs were pulled completely into the real world. Remember, celestos entire plan was to make people SEE a snuggly popping out of chances chest. That infers they can already enter the material plane, so dom basically set that up so everyone else could see them before the chest bursting occurs. It sucks that the rules of magic are virtually nonexsitant in this area, my original theory is that the snugs were some sort of incorporeal creatures capable of becoming solid when they wish. Now? i dont care enough to keep trying to come up with a reasonable excuse for this.

Ok, lets guess what the mini snugs are doing now!

1) Spelling out a message of some sort. (Seems to make some sense considering szarks words at the end.)

2) Forming a full sized snuggly beast

3) Linking together to unleash some sort of lyns brook level of destruction.

4) Forming a net so noone can escape, while celestro sets up his framing of the king

5) Same as 4 but celestro ruins his own plan by revealing himself and yelling at dom.

[Mewtarthio]

But I'm not sure if the king is going to be further involved in this current arc. He's too far up the chain of plot. I fear in the end all this arc will do is give Dominic a fancy new sword-scry method to get past the wards of the castle, while we all headdesk at the sheer pointlessnes of it all.

Heh. Oh, Trazoi. Sweet, innocent, naive Trazoi. Do you honestly believe that sword-scrying will ever be mentioned again after this arc?

1) Spelling out a message of some sort. (Seems to make some sense considering szarks words at the end.)

2) Forming a full sized snuggly beast

3) Linking together to unleash some sort of lyns brook level of destruction.

4) Forming a net so noone can escape, while celestro sets up his framing of the king

5) Same as 4 but celestro ruins his own plan by revealing himself and yelling at dom.

6) Dance party!

[T-O-E]

Scarlatti's face in panel 4 is horrendous. Just look at it!

[Mr. McGician]

Bingo!

Spoiler

Show

Top left: A problem is solved off-screen with no explanation given.
Top center: Mookie takes one of his own metaphors too literally.
Top right: Chance and Heliner have to work together.
Center left: The King has a plan that’s at least as stupid as Celesto’s.
Center: Spark does something vaguely useful.
Center right: Lobster Dom shows up again.
Bottom left: Mookie creates a Voodoo Shark when trying to patch up a plot hole.
Bottom center: Dominic has to use a sword for some reason.
Bottom right: A strip brings up a problem that was just pointed out in one of the forums.

[Trazoi]

6) Dance party!

Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Doo
I've got another puzzle for you.
Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
What do you get when you're fighting with swords
Prancing around for some chinzy awards?
Fencing a sport where you look like a fool
If your style is to swish about trying to look cool
You are not an ice skater
Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Dah
If you're no jock than you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Do!

[Traab]

Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Doo
I've got another puzzle for you.
Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
What do you get when you're fighting with swords
Prancing around for some chinzy awards?
Fencing a sport where you look like a fool
If your style is to swish about trying to look cool
You are not an ice skater
Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Dah
If you're no jock than you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Snuggly Wuggly Duggalee Do!

I... I think I hate you! God damn oompa loompas! My mind kept trying to picture a snuggly merger with the oompas but it was like my mental computer was freezing and spamming error messages.