Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire

[Gez]

But alack if some1 is Chaotic then they HAVE to go against the rules

No.

If they were compelled to always react to the rules in a certain way, then they would be lawful, wouldn't they?

[sihnfahl]

By the way, Jayden's alignment is now Lawful Useless

Nah, like the stereotypical D&D paladin, Jayden is Lawful Stupid.

[Tekraen]

And only when they're TIRED AND WORN OUT.

Like the jokes.

*ba dum tshh*

[Duke Malagigi]

Nah, like the stereotypical D&D paladin, Jayden is Lawful Stupid.

Just without the homocidal tendancies.

[sihnfahl]

Like the jokes. *ba dum tshh*

Wait, DD is supposed to be funny? There are jokes in it?

[Oracle_Hunter]

Wait, DD is supposed to be funny? There are jokes in it?

Don't forget the rampant sexual innuendo!

And occasional Freudian slips.

[16bitperformanc]

Wait, DD is supposed to be funny? There are jokes in it?

lol, too true. But i really do not understand why Milov and Dominic have tentacles now? If you can't see them on the last panel there seems to be some sort of entanglment in the middle.
I also don't see what dominic can do to Siggy Physicaly. What will he do look into the future whilst being beaten to death and impaled? I hope Dominic looses his second leg in this or maybe another limb or maybe a head. Then we will see how useful Dominic is when he is not in some1's mind (and lacks the power of his magical balls of death)

Note:- I did miss out the tentacle rape, well into now

Edit: I also expect that when some characters go off to the Cathedral they go there for some Sexual Healing (sorry but i have it stuck in my head) seeing as Mookie is somewhat obsesed with it even though he lacks knowledge of the human body

[sihnfahl]

I also don't see what dominic can do to Siggy Physicaly.

Look closer. "He's in our heads." Siggy isn't physically there; this is purely a battle on the mental plane (where Dom excels).

Dom and Milov can do anything their minds say they can do. It's more of a battle of wills than muscle.

[ElfLad]

Nah, Dom could totally have taken Siggy on, he just didn't want Milov to feel worthless

By the way, Jayden's alignment is now Lawful Useless

Oh no, Jayden is True Useless.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Look closer. "He's in our heads." Siggy isn't physically there; this is purely a battle on the mental plane (where Dom excels).

Dom and Milov can do anything their minds say they can do. It's more of a battle of wills than muscle.

Of course, we already know Dom is more than a match for Karnak. Yes, Karnak is now the Lord of Hell, but Dom is now the Oracle, which has got to be on a similar level - you know, what with the world-saving and all.

Chances are, Dom is actually only As Strong As He Needs To Be. Milov probably suffers from Red Mage Syndrome - jack of all trades, but he sucks at all of them.

[Tekraen]

ElfLad wins the thread.

Again.

Y'know, in retrospect, if I add the tentacle rape slays just prior to today's strip, panel 2 is just so much better.

[Winterwind]

EDIT: Oh, how can I resist granting alignments!
Celesto: CN
Dominic: NG
Donovan: CG
Gregory: LG
Karnak: CE
Luna: LN
Milov: LN
Siegfried: LN
Szark (Original): NE
Szark (Reformed): N

Sounds about right, except for Gregory, who strikes me as the NG archetype. I don't recall when or where he does anything particularly Lawful, and he seems of a too irresponsible and childish mindset for that to me. On the other hand, doing Good is all he's about, and I doubt considerations of Law and Chaos matter for him when Good is concerned. Therefore, NG.
Luna might be anything from TN to LG, I'm not sure. Why did you choose LN?

Oh no, Jayden is True Useless.

Indeed.

[Morty]

Gregory, on the other hand, is neither LG or NG, just True Stupid. Without Dominic, he'd be dead long ago, not because he'd be killed by one villain or another, but because he'd forget to eat, sleep or breathe.

[Gez]

I think with the SuperGreg episode it was clear that Gregory was chaotic.

[sihnfahl]

Chances are, Dom is actually only As Strong As He Needs To Be.

Naturally.

Milov probably suffers from Red Mage Syndrome - jack of all trades, but he sucks at all of them.

Milov's the Warrior Poet, actually.

[Tekraen]

Naturally.


Milov's the Warrior Poet, actually.

*gets sucked back into TvTropes*

[Mewtarthio]

Re: Law vs Chaos:

I find that most definitions make no sense. One could easily say that Robin Hood is Lawful because he follows a strict code of "the aristocrats are unworthy, all hail the proletariat!"... I mean, "steal from the unworthy rich and give back to the poor." Or that he's Chaotic because he disobeys laws and does what he deems best. Or that he's Neutral because he is solely devoted to Good and doesn't concern himself with Law or Chaos. I say we should just change "Law" to "Order," as "Order vs Chaos" is much more clearly defined (namely, "Order" means "believes that everything should be governed by a higher power," while "Chaos" means "believes that everyone should live their own lives without interference"). At fist glance, this new system would appear to be inherently flawed as it is similar to Mookie's system; however, the resemblance is only superficial, as the Mookiverse defines "Order" as "has a penchant for casting alliterative spells" and "Chaos" as "completely ignores all rules of reality when necessary."

[Gez]

Re: Law vs Chaos:

I find that most definitions make no sense.

I tell you: Law puts emphasis on the community to the detriment of the individual; Chaos puts emphasis on the individual to the detriment of the community.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Sounds about right, except for Gregory, who strikes me as the NG archetype. I don't recall when or where he does anything particularly Lawful, and he seems of a too irresponsible and childish mindset for that to me. On the other hand, doing Good is all he's about, and I doubt considerations of Law and Chaos matter for him when Good is concerned. Therefore, NG.
Luna might be anything from TN to LG, I'm not sure. Why did you choose LN?

You have a point about Gregory. I put him at LG because he seems to fit the White Knight archetype so well, but on reflection, he just doesn't care about rules or the lack of them. So yes, NG.

Now, I put Luna as LN because she is so very orderly - indeed, lawful - in her spellcasting. But, outside of Technobabble, she doesn't really do anything aside from smacking stuff around. She's definitely Neutral (3rd Edition), but her lack of interest means she cannot be True Neutral (2nd Edition).

The more I think about Luna, the more I notice how weak her characterization is. It really is shocking.

Oh, and re: Luna's Depression - I found the strip when she made it all better. Bet you forgot about it, 'cause I sure did.

[Mewtarthio]

Oh, and re: Luna's Depression - I found the strip when she made it all better. Bet you forgot about it, 'cause I sure did.

I'm sorry, I don't have a good grasp on psychology, but do people in depressions often talk themselves out of it?

I like how she puts the word "the" in bold. "You've gone toe-to-toe against The Infernomancer! Most people only go toe-to-toe against an infernomancer!" Though it's a bit odd that she'd choose that particular example: As I recall, her first battle with TIM resulted in her simply healing the guy before Gregory took him down, and the second just had her utterly fail at illusions before Miranda took him down.

That's right, Luna: You got upstaged by Gregory!

[Jack Mann]

I just realized what Dominic Deegan reminds me of. Piers Anthony. Same crap juvenile writing with an overinflated sense of talent and a clueless fanbase. The only difference is that Dominic Deegan doesn't have as much nigh-porn action.

[Friv]

I tell you: Law puts emphasis on the community to the detriment of the individual; Chaos puts emphasis on the individual to the detriment of the community.

This is pretty much the best way to sum it up.

Chaos is not evil, nor is it "always acting against the rules". It is about acting to support the individual without concern for what the greater society thinks. If you are good, that often means you're still propping up a community, just a more free-wheeling one. If you are evil, it means random destruction.

The actual Robin Hood would have been Lawful Good; he stayed loyal to the proper order of the community against an unlawful usurper. He wasn't actually robbing from the rich, just from the supporters of the evil king.

Robin Hood as we usually think of him is Chaotic Good; he prefers individual lives and freedoms over toeing the line and working inside the system.

[RationalGoblin]

Hmmm.. Since we're talking about DD character Alignments, what would Jacob be? Neutral Evil, I guess? He really doesn't care about laws or lack thereof, he just wants to be a skeleton, so I'd say thats correct.

[16bitperformanc]

i still don't have a clue about all this true something or neutral something (that one is new to me) But i think Jacob is evil due to him wanting to be skelatal and how he kills lots of people just because he either can or to get parts for somesort of golem. But he is not Uber evil for in the First Barthis Arc he acted somewhat good in killing all of the chosen who were there. But then he also did almost kill Gregory just so he could become more skelton like and somehow mroe powerful as a necromancer (i have no idea how getting rid of the good feelings some1 has for you makes you stronger as a necromaner)

[Manticorkscrew]

I just realized what Dominic Deegan reminds me of. Piers Anthony. Same crap juvenile writing with an overinflated sense of talent and a clueless fanbase. The only difference is that Dominic Deegan doesn't have as much nigh-porn action.

Doesn't it?

Well... if only because Mookie couldn't draw an erotic scene if his life depended on it.

I liked "A Spell for Chamelion". After that I was turned away from Piers Anthony's books by his overwhelming sexism rather than by his shoddy writing and over-reliance on puns.

Wait... shoddy writing... over-reliance on puns... Jack Mann, you're right! Mookie is Piers Anthony for the Webcomic generation.

I don't think that Mookie is as sexist as Piers Anthony (although that isn't much of a compliment). Although, whether or not there is underlying sexism in Mookie's work is a moot point (by which I mean that it's worth debating).

To be fair, he has tried to portray many of the female characters as competent Action Girls, although Luna occasionally slips into Faux Action Girl territory.

I'll invoke Bechdel's Rule here:

Bechdel's Rule: A movie or TV series is only worth watching (for a woman) if:

• it includes at least two women,
• who have a conversation with each other
• about something other than a man.

Well, DD fits all the criteria. I can't think of many occasions where two women have talked to each other about something other than Dominic men, but I can think of at least one.

Personally, I'd have to give Mookie the benefit of the doubt with this one. I'd say he's definitely trying to be politically correct. Whether he succeeds in that is a matter of conjecture. The current Jayden storyline may be stupid, but male characters don't seem to be any less susceptible to the idiot plot. Although... it is an adultery storyline, and Jayden seems to be coming off worse than either of the male participants in the love triangle, despite the fact that Milov decapitated her in a jealous rage. Oh sorry, he decapitated her illusion. My mistake.

No, I still can't get over that. It just comes across as so wrong.

[Mewtarthio]

(i have no idea how getting rid of the good feelings some1 has for you makes you stronger as a necromaner)

It doesn't. He just wanted to be sure that he'd completely severed the ties to his old life. Having his entire family, up to and including the ridiculously naive Gregory, disown him ensures that he can continue his work without ever worrying about being tempted back into his old life. Think Cortez burning the ships.

As for alignment, he's clearly willing to torture and kill anyone if it furthers his research, so he's definately Evil. I'd also put him at ethically Neutral, since he lives outside of society and cares only about achieving undead apotheosis. He is wholly and completely selfish and doesn't concern himself with the affairs of the outside world.

[Oracle_Hunter]

It doesn't. He just wanted to be sure that he'd completely severed the ties to his old life. Having his entire family, up to and including the ridiculously naive Gregory, disown him ensures that he can continue his work without ever worrying about being tempted back into his old life. Think Cortez burning the ships.

As for alignment, he's clearly willing to torture and kill anyone if it furthers his research, so he's definately Evil. I'd also put him at ethically Neutral, since he lives outside of society and cares only about achieving undead apotheosis. He is wholly and completely selfish and doesn't concern himself with the affairs of the outside world.

I'd have to say Jacob is much more Chaotic Evil. It's often hard to identify non-insane version of CE, but I think the best way to see it would be as "true selfish;" the belief that absolutely nothing beyond yourself and your desires matters in the world. A NE character is selfish and is willing to injure others to get his ends, but he does not absolutely reject outside society. He can take it or leave it, but unlike the CE, a NE character will occasionally work within a group.

But what about Jacob's decision to join the Chosen? Well, as he puts it he joined the Chosen to forward his own ends exclusively. Once they could not do it, he left.

To be honest, Jacob may be Mookie's best character. He has a (fairly) clearly defined motivation, and because he's not on-screen very much, he hasn't been Spikefied like the other series Badass. I fear the day that Celesto, the Badass Longcoat that he is, returns to the narrative, and thus is at the mercy of Mookie

EDIT: On True Neutral

Spoiler

Show

"True Neutral" was a deeply silly interpretation of the center square of the D&D alignment grid. It was to represent a person who only looked at the Big Picture, and sought to keep it in balance. This is a deeply silly alignment because it meant that, were a PC to have it, they would probably change sides in the middle of an adventure, because the PCs were doing too darn much good. In 3rd Edition, the center square is just "neutral," which is an animal-like apathy towards larger concerns. You don't particularly care about society, one way or another, nor do you privileged others above yourself (nor vice versa).

I think the best description of "neutral" is the Peasant Alignment. It is the alignment that the guy who just wants to hoe his own row and is willing to roll with whatever punches life throws at him.

Both of these alignments can be done quite well, but, in my opinion, both make for poor adventurer alignments, though True Neutral is the worse.

[Turcano]

Re: Law vs Chaos:

I find that most definitions make no sense. One could easily say that Robin Hood is Lawful because he follows a strict code of "the aristocrats are unworthy, all hail the proletariat!"... I mean, "steal from the unworthy rich and give back to the poor." Or that he's Chaotic because he disobeys laws and does what he deems best. Or that he's Neutral because he is solely devoted to Good and doesn't concern himself with Law or Chaos. I say we should just change "Law" to "Order," as "Order vs Chaos" is much more clearly defined (namely, "Order" means "believes that everything should be governed by a higher power," while "Chaos" means "believes that everyone should live their own lives without interference"). At fist glance, this new system would appear to be inherently flawed as it is similar to Mookie's system; however, the resemblance is only superficial, as the Mookiverse defines "Order" as "has a penchant for casting alliterative spells" and "Chaos" as "completely ignores all rules of reality when necessary."

That would cut down on all the misinterpretation, but "order" lacks a good adjectival form. "Orderly good" just sounds stupid.

Anyway, is it just me, or does Dominic look even more wooden than normal in that last panel?

[ElfLad]

Anyway, is it just me, or does Dominic look even more wooden than normal in that last panel?

He looks like a bit of a ponce.

[Turcano]

He looks like a bit of a ponce.

Well, that too.