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

[Kizor]

Thursday's strip got me thinking: have you guys seen a good (and sane) mission control? That's the voice in your earpiece who says "I'm detecting massive energy readings in the hangar bay" or the fairy by your side who tells you about monsters. Most of them are in video games, where they just seem to annoy the player with insipidities on par with Dominic telling a weather mage that he's a weather mage.

It'd be great to see more fun, charming or competent characters as mission control. Either in games, or on film or in television - the latter two could have a mentor figure keeping the rookies from freaking out, keeping them aware of their mission and tools, and bringing out the best in his men. I bet that could be a good dynamic.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Thursday's strip got me thinking: have you guys seen a good (and sane) mission control? That's the voice in your earpiece who says "I'm detecting massive energy readings in the hangar bay" or the fairy by your side who tells you about monsters. Most of them are in video games, where they just seem to annoy the player with insipidities on par with Dominic telling a weather mage that he's a weather mage.

It'd be great to see more fun, charming or competent characters as mission control. Either in games, or on film or in television - the latter two could have a mentor figure keeping the rookies from freaking out, keeping them aware of their mission and tools, and bringing out the best in his men. I bet that could be a good dynamic.

There is an game where this is a major mechanic.

It is called Bliss Stage.

[Trazoi]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

Talking heads yammer on about how Mookinsert is so great - check.

At this pace I'm not sure if there's going to be much to discuss until next week's filler of demo art for Mookie's new comic.

[Rhapsh]

Edit: Nevermind, I just looked back in the archive and was wrong. He had the Tark say something about being stronger than you realize.

Still, I can't believe one self insert is guiding another self insert to victory.

[AgentofOdd]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

Nimmel's in a life or death situation, slowly becoming exhausted holding off the inevitable swirls of energy that'll tear him into pieces, and the thought of siphoning all the energy around him never once entered his mind? Nimmel's lack of even the slightest spark of creativity in this desperate situation makes me wonder if he's even meant to be human.

I guess it's possible either Nimmel's too distracted listening to Dominic yammer on in his head, or since the Great Teacher Dominic is at his side, he no longer feels the need to use his creative thinking skills.

EDIT: Actually, it's more likely Mookie simply likes stories where the protagonist acts like a motivational cheerleader to characters with low self esteem.

[random11]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

Talking heads yammer on about how Mookinsert is so great - check.

At this pace I'm not sure if there's going to be much to discuss until next week's filler of demo art for Mookie's new comic.

"You are starting to lose your dream to get out. Remember what I taught you in class, remember when I shattered your dreams, you are used to it, so you can handle the storm"

[Gez]

Last week, we had this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic granted.

This week, we have this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic efficiently, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic efficiently granted.

Next week, we'll have this:

Nimmel: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic granted.

[Mr. McGician]

Why is there lightning here? Lightning occurs when negative charges in the air travel down to positive charges in the ground, but since there is no ground...

[Cavelcade]

You know what? This could have worked. This sequence could really have worked at showing (not telling) the audience how powerful Nimmel is, without him realising it. It wouldn't even have taken much changing (and would have cut two strips into one). The comic would have gone:

First panel, Nimmel falls in, second panel, Dominic using Katya to scry, or whatever he did, third and fourth panels are Nimmel, independently starting to use his magic to control the Tempest, fourth and fifth are Dominic getting up to speed with what's going on there and reminding him of second sight use - that would then be fine, or fineish, because hey, he's in his Element so of course he'd forget other forms of magic. 7th and 8th panels then are the last two from today's comic.

That would genuinely have shown him to be competent - and hey, even kind of awesome.

Instead we have...this.

[Kizor]

Why is there lightning here? Lightning occurs when negative charges in the air travel down to positive charges in the ground, but since there is no ground...

I saw the biggest thunderstorm of my life last weekend. The roll of thunder was constant, sometimes rumbling in the background, sometimes breaking into crack-a-thooms, and cloud-to-cloud lightning was everywhere. While groundbound lightning bolts are gone before you can realize it, I could see the cloudbound ones unfold, but in a choppy and disjointed way - either they were entirely different from groundbound bolts, or I could just barely see them.

If I could convey the power of that storm, I'd consider myself a good writer.

[PhantomFox]

Why is there lightning here? Lightning occurs when negative charges in the air travel down to positive charges in the ground, but since there is no ground...

I believe cloud-to-cloud lightning is possible?

[Kizor]

I tried to say as much, but I'm boring.

[guttering flame]

I believe cloud-to-cloud lightning is possible?

That's one nifty avatar you have there phantomfox

[guttering flame]

Last week, we had this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic granted.

This week, we have this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic efficiently, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic efficiently granted.

Next week, we'll have this:

Nimmel: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic granted.

Well, maybe Mookie is just being super nostalgic?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Why is there lightning here? Lightning occurs when negative charges in the air travel down to positive charges in the ground, but since there is no ground...

You can have both negative and positive charges within the clouds; lightning doesn't always go to ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Types

[Zaq]

Last week, we had this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic granted.

This week, we have this:

Nimmel: Permission to use magic efficiently, sir?
Dominus: Permission to use magic efficiently granted.

Next week, we'll have this:

Nimmel: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic, sir?
Dominus: Permission to actually solve the problem with efficient use of magic granted.

Mookie didn't happen to be on the Other M team, did he? Because that would explain a lot.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Mookie didn't happen to be on the Other M team, did he? Because that would explain a lot.

No, but he probably thought it was an intriguing look at the background of an otherwise one-dimensional action hero.

[Rhapsh]

So it's kinda hard to tell, but from the manner of speaking in Panel 1, that's runt girl and not Dominic. Right? So if that is the case, did Mookie write it so runt's powers gave her vision of Nimmels location, specifically so she could see how cool Nimmel is.

Specifically so she could see how cool/powerful what is being heavily, heavily implied as her love interest is.

Please. Please Mookie, don't make Nimmel and runt a couple. I'd forgive you Nimmel being the worst written hero in the comic if you'd just make it so she doesn't fall in "true luv" with him. Make them friends, have Nimmel hook up with Jayden if you need an emotionally damaged female for your lead, just don't do this.

[T-O-E]

So it's kinda hard to tell, but from the manner of speaking in Panel 1, that's runt girl and not Dominic. Right? So if that is the case, did Mookie write it so runt's powers gave her vision of Nimmels location, specifically so she could see how cool Nimmel is.

Specifically so she could see how cool/powerful what is being heavily, heavily implied as her love interest is.

Please. Please Mookie, don't make Nimmel and runt a couple. I'd forgive you Nimmel being the worst written hero in the comic if you'd just make it so she doesn't fall in "true luv" with him. Make them friends, have Nimmel hook up with Jayden if you need an emotionally damaged female for your lead, just don't do this.

I think it might be best if you stopped reading the comic and just pretend that that's what happened.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

What does it say about me that this was the first thing my mind pictured when I read today's comic?

Spoiler

Show

[masterjoda99]

That you've an intricate imagination and a budding talent for strip slays?

[Rhapsh]

I think it might be best if you stopped reading the comic and just pretend that that's what happened.

I know it's not going to be true. But I can dream.

[Trazoi]

150 points for Gryffindor! (Sneaky Gate)
Future Link

"And the collective ire of the internet grew so great that it broke the fourth wall and vaporised them all. The End."

[Welf]

And the saga of Nimmel, Mindless Moron, continues. I like how that giant storm apparently ended in panel 5 as soon as he got the quest item.

[random11]

150 points for Gryffindor! (Sneaky Gate)
Future Link

So Nimmel is home after being struck by lightning?
Is this "adventure" over?

I'd ask if we can get to something more interesting, but I'm a realist.

[Mr. McGician]

Nimmel's "now what?" might have been funnier if he hadn't already been asking that constantly in the previous strips.

"Nimmel, remember to use that type of magic that you always use!"
"Okay... now what?"
"Nimmel, remember to use that ridiculously useful type of magic that you should always be using because of its ridiculous usefulness!"
"Okay... now what?"

[Cavelcade]

It seems like the lightning strike has completely disintegrated those around it, presumably including Dominic and Katya. No doubt this will lead to a crisis of conscience for Nimmel, before he sees the truth that it was really the eld behind the beast behind the king all along and turns the tempest against them aah this is stupid.

[The Succubus]

You can have both negative and positive charges within the clouds; lightning doesn't always go to ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Types

Congratulations Mookie, you've managed to take one of the most awesome and terrifyingly powerful forces in nature and bore me rigid with it. Bravo.

Congratulations Nerdy, you've managed to take one of the most awesome and terrifyingly powerful forces in nature and rekindle my interest in it again. Bravo. =p

[Rhapsh]

Well, that pretty accurately describes Nimmel's adventure.

Now what?

[Veridis Quo]

No, but he probably thought it was an intriguing look at the background of an otherwise one-dimensional action hero.

Hmm. I kind of want to refute the whole "Samus as one-dimensional hero" statement. Looking at the Prime Trilogy and Metroid fusion these games do a great deal to flesh out samus' character. What she was prior to Other M was a silent protagonist, but she did have depth to her character.

But that might just be my opinion.

Edit: Not trying to derail the thread but out of curiosity can anyone explain what makes pre-Other M Samus a one dimensional character? I've seen some thoughts on the subject, but I'm always looking for a new perspective.