Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XLVI: A Tark of the Klones, Electric Boogaloo

[Cen]

How can I count it as a twist if even DJ didn't see it coming?

How could he, he has no eyes.
This Elemecca is pretty cool guy. Trading useless, rotting eyeballs for obedient cosmic horror abomination? anytime!
But seriously, I'm now wondering what will be created of Dominic's leg? When eyes+Elemecca=Eyeball and tentacles monster would it mean that leg+Elemecca=leg+tentacles monster?

[Welf]

This arc is so much better than the Nimmel-Katya or the other emo arcs, and it is clear that Mookie is trying to do something original, so I give him credit for improving. The thing is that I would really like to see a comic about DJ!

Me too. He has aims! He does stuff!

Funny how everyone in the comic who actually does stuff and has goals - Celesto, Siggy, king DJ - is canonically considered crazy and evil, and everyone who is apathetic and aimless - team Dominic, old king and queen - are considered wise and good. There might be a message?

[random11]

Me too. He has aims! He does stuff!

Funny how everyone in the comic who actually does stuff and has goals - Celesto, Siggy, king DJ - is canonically considered crazy and evil, and everyone who is apathetic and aimless - team Dominic, old king and queen - are considered wise and good. There might be a message?

He didn't exactly "do stuff", it only looks like it because of the time skip between panels.

He sent a probe, went away for some time, and came back only to see that something unexpected happened.
It wasn't his goal, or even part of his plan.
I don't think he HAD any plan other than gather information at that point.

Granted, even that is more than what the good guys usually do, but it still doesn't count as a goal.

[Oracle_Hunter]

He didn't exactly "do stuff", it only looks like it because of the time skip between panels.

He sent a probe, went away for some time, and came back only to see that something unexpected happened.
It wasn't his goal, or even part of his plan.
I don't think he HAD any plan other than gather information at that point.

Granted, even that is more than what the good guys usually do, but it still doesn't count as a goal.

Not only does he have a goal, he has a motive.

GOAL: Control the Heart of Magic
MOTIVE: To preserve the dominance of the Callanian Magic

This is at least twice as much as any so-called "protagonist" in this comic whose motives and goals change with the breeze. Admittedly DJ Callan's plan needs some work but at least he made a plan and stuck to it!

DJ Callan for Protagonist!

[rocketpony]

RE: the newspost, I'm not going to lie, when Luna went to the realm that didn't drive her crazy, I figured it was because it wasn't the real realm, since the whole point of that arc was "Oh, that crazy Celesto, he was impersonating THE BEAST that whole time! None of that stuff was for real."
But, uh, I guess it was? So.

So.

[mwchase]

Yeah. "The King's eyes have been gentrifying the outer planes..." We were not prepped for that, IMO.

[Skaven]

Next arc, the squiggly leg arc. Where a beast made of noodles with a leg at the end of each tentacle begins attacking reality. The good guys have to travel to the plane of legs to deal with this new threat.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Yeah. "The King's eyes have been gentrifying the outer planes..." We were not prepped for that, IMO.

Hipster Snuggly!

The people demand it

[Zaq]

OK, so, hang on a sec.

Mominus knew about SnuggleLand. Which is the flat world from recycled scrap assembled by DJ's eyes. She knew enough about it to know that it exists, and to know how to send someone there, and to know that it was "between dimensions" (whatever that means), and to know that it was supposedly really hard to get out of, even though it wasn't, and to know that there were "horrors" there. OK. And she didn't know that it was part of the Elemecca, or that it was made up of recycled scrap, or that it contained Snuggly.

This is supposedly a really tiny demiplane, right? Or at least an obscure one? Because if not, then the archmagi wouldn't have had to do all that research on it, because they would have known about it. It seems like the kind of thing that you don't just know about casually. Either you have no idea it's there, or you would presumably poke around and see what the hell it actually is. Except that that's not what Mominus did.

It just bothers me. If she knows enough about it to know that it's a place you can send your foes and, presumably, make them regret it, she should know enough about it to know what the hell it is!

[Trazoi]

Sneaky Gate is up.

Shock horror, everyone - turns out King Dave is a big ol' racist! (Speciest. Whatever.)

Also shock - Mookie can't layout a comic. Left to right, top to bottom, shape flow to guide natural eye movement, Mookie.

[guttering flame]

Council of Evil Dudes!

Let's call them Beardie and the Eye.

Anyone reminded of that part about the grafted Evil Hand in Angel? Only here it's lamer and more ridiculous.

The art in the big central panel is really bad. Why are the eye and tentacles protruding out of an invisible plane? We can clearly see distant rocks in the background so it's like DJ is facing the Big (invisible) Wall at the edge of the dimension. And what's with those ribbons DJ has? They look like extra limbs or something. There's no reason for them to stand out like that.

As for the text... Snuggly is really lame. There, I've said it. He's been granted the powers of a Creator, what's he doing trying to steal some lame Dominion-land? If he wants foreign stuff he can just ask DJ to help him import it to his home. Laaaame.



Edit to add: Oh I see you already posted the linkies, Trazoi. This layout is nothing new. Mookie already did it a few times. Not that it makes it better necessarily.

[slayerx]

"you want a world of wizards"
ok, this is not bad... it's ambitious but not evil and potentially beneficial... good motivation that can create a more interesting villain

"A world of HUMAN wizards"
... And now he suffers from token racism.

"I'll help you if you let me devour ALL non humans"
... extreme genocidal racism

And any shred of light is lost.

[Trazoi]

"A world of HUMAN wizards"
... And now he suffers from token racism.

I like how Dave is simply racist for no explained reason. It even goes against canon - Callan is the most diverse nation in the Dominion, and in War in Hell Dave has an orc court infernomancer for some weird reason.

Today's I Love Dominique:

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[Bobikus]

In true Mookie fashion, he makes a small ascent to the beginning of an interesting concept, and then dives down into a sea of awful.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

C-c-c-c-combo Breaker!

You were so close to a tolerable week, Mookie.

[Rhapsh]

It's always speciesism/racism as the final thing Mookie just throws in there to tell the audience someone is bad. It's so very...juvenile.

I mean, all you had to do was make him lust after personal power. That's a well travelled road for most villains. But nope, got to throw down the racism/speciesism card all the time.

You know what, go for it David. Because honestly, screw the Orcs.

[Zaq]

I thought Snuggly started out only able to speak in staticky squiggles, then gained the ability to talk later, after Mookie decided to downgrade his threat level.

Mookie forgot, I guess.

[Trazoi]

It's always speciesism/racism as the final thing Mookie just throws in there to tell the audience someone is bad. It's so very...juvenile.

It's hilarious because it always happens, every single time. Even the orc chief of the Bikta became racist against orcs.

I mean, all you had to do was make him lust after personal power. That's a well travelled road for most villains. But nope, got to throw down the racism/speciesism card all the time.

I thought Dave was ultra-nationalist - beloved Callan above all else - which is kind of similar but different enough to be interesting by DD's standards. But nope, turns out that's too hard. He's racist now.

I love how bizarre it is that he's having that conversation with his own eyes as if they're equals.

[Humbug]

Is Mookie pulling a Siggy on us with DJ or is he just an unimaginative hack that the only evil thing he can think off for a villain is racist genocidal maniac?

"GASP. Can't have the King actually be likeable now, what's the most heinous thing I can do to make everyone hate him? I know! Racism! How do you like your favourite character now? Huh? Huh?"

[T-O-E]

I like how Dave is simply racist for no explained reason. It even goes against canon - Callan is the most diverse nation in the Dominion, and in War in Hell Dave has an orc court infernomancer for some weird reason.

Today's I Love Dominique:

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Not even joking, the writing is legitimately so much better than the actual comic and makes more sense.

"Power claimed the world and my heart."

[Rhapsh]

I thought Dave was ultra-nationalist - beloved Callan above all else - which is kind of similar but different enough to be interesting by DD's standards. But nope, turns out that's too hard. He's racist now.

Ya, that would be more interesting. At least then as the ruler you could say he was trying to do what's best for his kingdom.

Also, this exchange just seems really stupid.
"Help me and I will devour your world."
"Well, that doesn't sound good for me."
"I'll only eat the people you don't like. Tentacle swear."

[Johnny Blade]

So, okay, trying to make sense of this all, let's look at what happened:

DJ looks at Heart of Magic, which is the Face of God.

DJ goes blind, but his eyes are supercharged by magical energy straight from God, as said by himself when he calls them a focus.

DJ plucks his eyes out and throws them in the Elemecca's trash can.

The Eyes turn into the Beast.

We have seen a lot of things get thrown into the Elemecca, though, and this didn't happen to them. Celesto and TIM were sent there; they were altered by the Beast, not the Elemecca. That one leader of the Chosen, Raf Maliksh or whatever, was there, hanging out as a spirit, not a tentacle monster. Dominic's leg has (sadly) not returned as Godzilleg.

It follows that the Beast is therefore not a product of the Elemecca's magic, but exposure to the Heart of Magic, aka Face of God.

The Face of God makes you want to kill and eat filthy piggarts.

The King is on a mission from God.

A flat world from recycled scraps is actually amazing writing. I wish DD was that awesome instead of just confusing. :(

It's the best, and almost poetic, description of Mookie's worldbuilding I have ever read and oh I love it so.

OK, so, hang on a sec.

Mominus knew about SnuggleLand. Which is the flat world from recycled scrap assembled by DJ's eyes.

Hahahahaha, holy ****, man.
I didn't remember how exactly this went, so I just figured, eh, she sent him into the garbage dump of the universe.
But no. She knew there was a strange monster there. Apparently a disturbance in the Elemecca is not something Archmages care to investigate much, but hey, nice to have an alternative when Beamspam won't cut it.

Is Mookie pulling a Siggy on us with DJ or is he just an unimaginative hack that the only evil thing he can think off for a villain is racist genocidal maniac?

I think minor villains are allowed to just be sexist.

[T-O-E]

Looks like some fan made a flash video of today's comic. It's pretty impressive considering the comic was only posted a few hours ago. I can't wait for Dominic to see Truth.

Hahahahaha, holy ****, man.
I didn't remember how exactly this went, so I just figured, eh, she sent him into the garbage dump of the universe.
But no. She knew there was a strange monster though. Apparently a disturbance in the Elemecca is not something Archmages care to investigate much, but hey, nice to have an alternative when Beamspam won't cut it.

"...And he won't need eyes to see the horrors that await him there."

That's very specific, Miranda. Did you know about the King's meeting with his eye son?

EDIT: Holy crap. This comic is taking place in "the planes beyond all reason and imagination" and what are we getting? A nonsensical plot cobbled together from different sources into something uniquely horrible. That is so geniusly meta, if only Mookie had intended it.

EDIT2: The things Mookie are showing us is not really important in fleshing out the villain that much. How did he see the Face of Mookie? How did his blindness affect him? Did he get better at magic? Does he love his country or does he love the magic which allows him to see and wants to provide that for more people? Why is he a racist? No, "evil" is not a valid reason. It'd be more interesting if the King wanted to help people overcome their disabilities with magic like he did and to that end tried to make the Heart of Mookie accessible to everyone. There, a sympathetic motive but which also has the potential for immense destruction.

I guarantee you that there will be a scene at the end where Dave's magic is nullified (possibly by the Beast) and he breaks down completely. It will be bad.

[Johnny Blade]

Holy crap. This comic is taking place in "the planes beyond all reason and imagination" and what are we getting? A nonsensical plot cobbled together from different sources into something uniquely horrible. That is so geniusly meta, if only Mookie had intended it.

Hah!

I'll say, I was doubting Mookie there for some time of this arc (like the last two years or so), but he's turned it into something completely amazing again. I may even say he's saved the best story for last.

This comic never fails to disappoint.

[Trazoi]

I tried the "I Love Dominique" (current Dominikudigan) technique on that old strip:

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I think I've fed so much Dominic Deegan into Translation Party it has learned how to genuinely write it better.

[elros]

I think I've fed so much Dominic Deegan into Translation Party it has learned how to genuinely write it better.

+1. That translation is really good!

BTW, I think I like DJ even more for wanting to make a "world of human mages." It seems that Team Deegan can't live without them having all the power!
And for the racist card: Mookie really make anything else evil, because he has already shown rape and violence against women to be okay.

[rocketpony]

The part about human wizards just seems shoehorned into the art, even. A last-minute addition to make the king EVIL instead of just, y'know, a guy who has goals that oppose those of the protagonist.

Also, Dave, my boy, please, before you take the plunge here, think just for a minute about the dangers inherent in giving a guy whose stated desire is to "eat part of the world" the ability to eat parts of the world. It just seems like a situation that could very easily escalate out of control, and given that you're apparently a big ol' racist (for some reason?), are you really comfortable with giving a non-human world-eating powers?

[Mr. McGician]

This evil plan is... shockingly boring. I was expecting something beautifully inane as DJ Callan's ultimate plan, but this is just "annihilate the parts of the world I don't like, using a plot device with a lazily written and nonsensical origin story."

Also, it contradicts a number of years of the comic's history, depending on when this happened. If they formulated this plot at this point in history, what has Smuggly been doing this whole time? If Smuggly's so powerful, he should have made at least decent progress in devouring the universe at this point. Instead, all he's done is infect some people and attempt some truly pathetic attacks on Dominic.

[Oracle_Hunter]

This evil plan is... shockingly boring. I was expecting something beautifully inane as DJ Callan's ultimate plan, but this is just "annihilate the parts of the world I don't like, using a plot device with a lazily written and nonsensical origin story."

Also, it contradicts a number of years of the comic's history, depending on when this happened. If they formulated this plot at this point in history, what has Smuggly been doing this whole time? If Smuggly's so powerful, he should have made at least decent progress in devouring the universe at this point. Instead, all he's done is infect some people and attempt some truly pathetic attacks on Dominic.

Plot holes, in my Dominic Deegan? It's more likely than you think

It is somewhat fitting that the ultimate villain in DD is the result of an early throwaway-line that has been inflated into a mysterious threat before being defined with a lazy, inconsistent (and racist!) backstory and finally deflated in the face of the Protagonist's inability to lose.

[M84]

Welp, good feeling's gone. It's gotten to the point where TIM of all people is the only villain who isn't explicitly a racist/speciesist.

We get it Mookie. Racism is bad.