Dominic Deegan, Mk. XLVII: A Flat World From Recycled Scrap

[random11]

I hate Luna. Really, seriously, dangerously, tie-her-up-with-duct-tape-and-shove-her-into-the-boot-of-my-car-with-a-dozen-angry-weasels despise her.

She has one function to help save her husband - go find a dragon and ask it to help out. That was a week ago. A week that she spent crying and then remembered, actually, I have no idea how to do it.

I think Luna was genuinely shocked (at least for three seconds) when she considered the possibility that she needs to DO something.

And why shouldn't she be shocked?
Let's review all the plot points the protagonists got so far, let me know if I missed anything:

- Dominic and Luna searched for a proof against the king for two and a half arcs until they moved to more important things like their wedding.
Who got the proof? A combination of Celesto's TV screen, Complete stupidity of the battle casters, and evidences that were gathered off screen by mundane means.

- Stuck in another plane of existence? Cloak of Ara to the rescue.
As a bonus, it is also a quick way to gather information without doing anything, and a contact to an entire alien race with space ships, hurray to tension!

- Necklace of Luana, the key required for the plan was regained and smuggled without any problems by two people. Priestess what's-her-name didn't know it was crucial for the plot, she just went out TO DIE, and Stunt didn't even know the thing existed.

- Great arch-magi as super-powered antagonists? Not to worry, they all committed suicide. Three of them even solve protagonist problems while they did it.

- I'm not even mentioning visions. We got used to the plot-convenient visions over the years.

So really, what makes "Luna searching for the dragon" any different?


I think the only protagonist who actually did something was Miranda, in her battle against the king.
Sure, she lost, but losing against the main antagonist is fine as long as you try something, and she even managed to get out of it in style.

And when I think about it, Even Miranda owes both her power and rank to David.

[Johnny Blade]

"Hey, Luna. Thought I'd teleport you over here now that you're done with the blubbering you're obliged to do due to the two sentences worth of characterization you've received over the past decade. So, how's it going?

...

Ah, pity. Of course, I already knew that, because I am a creature of the plot like my good friend Rilian.

...

Oh, me? Fine, I guess. I mean, I've kinda been bleeding profusely for the past couple of days or so, but it's probably nothing.

...

Yeah, I guess I could have brought you here before you broke down crying. Or directly after I was attacked. Maybe even sought you out to help you way before that. But you always seemed to be so busy being stupid and clueless, I didn't want to interrupt. Anyway, I've got some fresh plot for you, wanna hear?"

[Trazoi]

"Yeah, I guess I could have brought you here before you broke down crying. Or directly after I was attacked. Maybe even sought you out to help you way before that. But you always seemed to be so busy being stupid and clueless, I didn't want to interrupt. Anyway, I've got some fresh plot for you, wanna hear?"

What gets me is that the dragon's function is a blatant plot-dumping device and yet Mookie still manages to screw that up. He could have had the beat up dragon contact Luna out of the blue and it would serve exactly the same function, but instead we got a couple of days of Luna trying to contact him.

I'm honestly wondering if Mookie writes any notes for his writing at all or whether he has to throw in stuff like Luna saying "I want to contact the dragon" into the strips as a reminder to about what to do next week.

[Valencia]

Ugh. Plot dumps from creepy ass dragon... I might skip this week.

[random11]

Ugh. Plot dumps from creepy ass dragon... I might skip this week.

Don't worry, this is a fast one:

Sneaky!

Future?

And we have artifact number six that comes without any effort, or is it seven? Who can keep the count with all this BS...


And wow, the bigger they are, the more pathetic.
Both Rillian and now also the dragon, lost to a suicidal magi who wanted nothing more than to die.

[Trazoi]

Well geez Mr. Dragon, you had a Heart of a Dragon and you utterly failed twice. Better give that power to the woman who proved herself in Maltak by spending her entire time being drugged, ensorceled or captured.

[Johnny Blade]

I'm honestly wondering if Mookie writes any notes for his writing at all or whether he has to throw in stuff like Luna saying "I want to contact the dragon" into the strips as a reminder to about what to do next week.

It could explain why most of the comic's continuity seems to come from Mookie regurgitating old comics (and proudly posting "linky reminders" so everyone knows).

I kind of have this mental image now of Mookie scouring his own archives for plot devices the dragon could hand to Luna for hours, then at some point throwing his hands in the air, frustrated that he can't find anything directly applicable, and just going "Well screw it all then, guess I'll just have to make something up."

[Trazoi]

I know Mookie has been playing Skyrim in 2012, does a dragon give someone its heart in that?

[Khosan]

I know Mookie has been playing Skyrim in 2012, does a dragon give someone its heart in that?

Nope.

This is straight up Dragonheart though.

[Skaven]

This comic... urgh.. its done it.

it is officially orbiting a shark.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

This comic... urgh.. its done it.

it is officially orbiting a shark.

This is not jumping the shark. Oh no...

Spoiler

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Thish ish jumping the shark, coming beck, shooting et in tha' balls, raping et, ettin' it'sh flesh, conshuming it'sh soul, mounting it'sh head on a wall, and then doing tha' shame thing to twelve other sharks.

[Trazoi]

Nope.

This is straight up Dragonheart though.

If this means Luna gets killed by Dennis Quaid, I'm all for it.

[SaintRidley]

There are better ways to sneak in a reference to Dragonforce, Mookie. At least you didn't shout about how clever you were in doing so. Oh, wait, you did? At least you were smart enough to at least let us infer the obvious.

Heart of a Dragon

[Valencia]

Well geez Mr. Dragon, you had a Heart of a Dragon and you utterly failed twice. Better give that power to the woman who proved herself in Maltak by spending her entire time being drugged, ensorceled or captured.

Which, given the continuity that main characters can do NOTHING to get something done, is PERFECT! She never does ANYTHING! Give her the "heart of a Dragon" power up and insta-win.

[Cavelcade]

Someone please email Mookie with a list of things the characters have gotten without doing ANY work. Sometimes I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and think he isn't raising laziness to an art. Then...this.

[Mr. McGician]

Wow. This may very well be the stupidest DD strip I've ever read. Maybe some the strips in the King's Rise to Power flashback might have been stupider, but this is definitely in the Top Three. Absurd retcons combined with showing instead of telling (too bad we missed the epic fight between the dragon and Masutel and instead get a boring speech bubble telling us about it!), plus Luna gets a plot device that was made up on the spot, with the justification that she's worthy even though she's displayed all the competence of a stick of celery.

[Mewtarthio]

I don't know why everyone's complaining. Luna is clearly the most worthy person to weild the Heart of the Dragon. After all, isn't the cliche supposed to be that anyone who would seek such power for himself is clearly unworthy of weilding it? Luna, however, spends all her time moping and waiting for things to happen to her. She is totally passive. She will never abuse the Heart of the Dragon, because she lacks the willpower to do anything for herself.

(Seriously, how can any author be so blind?)

[Veridis Quo]

You would think that if a natural born dragon; who has lived countless centuries, and wields enough power to casually teleport people into his realm or mindscape, has lost a fight while possessing a dragon's heart. That just giving it to some nobody whose only defining character trait is being a doormat, that said doormat would lose the fight as well.

I'm having a hard time understanding what qualifications Luna actually has. At best she's used Ackibek's Principle to make a regular fireball into a Kamehaha attack. But outside of that she's relied on her boyfriend/husband to do all the heavy lifting.

[MReav]

You would think that if a natural born dragon; who has lived countless centuries, and wields enough power to casually teleport people into his realm or mindscape, has lost a fight while possessing a dragon's heart. That just giving it to some nobody whose only defining character trait is being a doormat, that said doormat would lose the fight as well.

Ah, but he's not a First Caste.

I'm having a hard time understanding what qualifications Luna actually has. At best she's used Ackibek's Principle to make a regular fireball into a Kamehaha attack. But outside of that she's relied on her boyfriend/husband to do all the heavy lifting.

Hey, she helped remake Maltak by making her fangs her own... somehow...

[Mephit]

Mookie should probably decide on whether the dragons in his universe have claws or fingers.

[Cavelcade]

Also, I just noticed the dragon is doing it's 'lounging' act again in panel 6.


'Draw me like your one of your French girls.'


That is how a human moves, Mookie, not something that moves on four legs and now he has claws instead of fingers okay fine whatever jesus this is so dumb.

[Johnny Blade]

Also, I just noticed the dragon is doing it's 'lounging' act again in panel 6.


'Draw me like your one of your French girls.'


That is how a human moves, Mookie, not something that moves on four legs and now he has claws instead of fingers okay fine whatever jesus this is so dumb.

Ahahahaha, holy ****. I was so distracted by the terrible dialogue that I didn't even notice the terrible art until you brought it up.



Just look at that blur effect in the last panel. What a pro.


Also his tail just straight up disappears at some point.

[guttering flame]

Also, I just noticed the dragon is doing it's 'lounging' act again in panel 6.


'Draw me like your one of your French girls.'


That is how a human moves, Mookie, not something that moves on four legs and now he has claws instead of fingers okay fine whatever jesus this is so dumb.

Really, I thought after all the clues Mookie gave us this should be obvious.

The 'Dragon' was never seen in the real Dominion world. It only appeared to Luna in visions. We were shown repeatedly how mages can make themselves look however they like in such a place. This 'dragon' isn't really a dragon. The non-dragonish are a dead giveaway. So who is he? Well, we've seen what DJ's eyes are capable of. I think it was time for Dominic's leg to make its countermove. Giving Luna its heart (ie, the Big Piggie) only goes to show how in love all of Dominic is with her.

[random11]

I don't know why you say Luna is weak.
Luna, and in a similar way, all the first caste, are amazingly powerful.

In D&D terms, they can cast "wish" spell more or less whenever they want to.
Stuck in another dimension? *POOF* not any more.
Wish you knew a way to contact the dragon? *POOF* here he is.
And it's much better than the spell's version in the D&D rules. You don't even have to be specific in what you wish for, it can be as vague as "information" or "way to sneak in"

As for cost or consequences, remember the good ol' days when the protagonists suffered from harsh physical strain like a nose bleed? It appears they got stronger, and now there is no cost and even no need to chant spells.
Just wish it, and it will come.

The only downside, is that sometimes, when they are out of wish spells, they need to rest for a bit to recover the spells (usually, that takes around one Greg band arc).

[Zaq]

Words fail me.

I lack the energy to facepalm. Or to snark. Luna just sucks the joy out of everything and makes everything worse.

She's so great you guys. So great.

[Humbug]

AHAHAHAHA What is this I don't even

Does Mookie think Dragon Luna is cool and badass? It's more ridiculous than anything.

[SaintRidley]

I don't even...

[AgentofOdd]

Words fail me.

I lack the energy to facepalm. Or to snark. Luna just sucks the joy out of everything and makes everything worse.

She's so great you guys. So great.

The image doesn't fit because this should be a somber moment where the forces of Deegan are gathering every scrap of power and connections they have. It's rather jarring to see a childish and wasteful display of transformative magic and blah blah blah. Basically boils down to the usual complaints of Mookie is terrible at mood.

[guttering flame]

Explanation: Luna's just been daydreaming about how cool it would be to get the Dragon Heart.

Spark: "So, you gonna get off your butt anytime soon?"

[Veridis Quo]

First, she wanted to be an Orc Princess [Because growing up with a physical dissability, Curse, Tusks can be tough]
Second, she wanted to be a loving and supportive girlfriend. [Because finding a slightly crazy man would make me hot under the collar too...wait what?]
Third, She became a well versed mage [Because getting handouts from the above slightly crazy man's mother is A-OK]
Fourth, she became the goddess of the entire Orc race and lifted them from cultural disparity. [Becaue___________]

---Some stuff happened in between but I don't think it really matters after Maltak---

Now, she is going to become a Dragonborn Human/Orc mage blessed by the Gods themselves. Is Mookie even trying anymore?

Because I noticed that his writing style reminds me of another author/sequential artist who is ending their decade long series. You'll notice that both Mookie and this other guy have a similar view on how backgrounds should be implemented.

Spoiler

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Here's a hint...It's Bleach by Tite Kubo