Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XLIV: Stunt Bro and Hella Jayden

[Cavelcade]

That's Greg? Holy cow. I honestly thought it was some female relative of Luna (if any are left?) or something.

[Trazoi]

The biggest problem with all of these fight scenes is that Mookie refuses to put his protagonists in any actual danger. Ever since he chickened out on killing off Luna, any drama related to the main characters' mortality vanished.

This. It's not necessarily a problem that we know writers won't kill off their protagonists - in a James Bond film, we know Bond is going to survive - but the writers can't pretend there's any cliffhanger drama about killing Bond. When Bond is put into a deathtrap, we're curious not about whether Bond will escape but how he will escape. A key difference is that when Bond uses one of Q's gadgets to escape it's always demoed at the beginning rather than Deegan's tendency to invent new powers when the circumstances demand.

Another key difference is that Bond's villains tend to win most battles right up to the very end, as their plan needs to be almost complete so Bond can win the day. Deegan villains not only always lose, but they also don't have plans.

[Trazoi]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link.

About time.

Also: fire"ball"

[Acanous]

Looks more like a Kelgore's Firebolt to me >.>

Also, there ARE some DD chars who might be killed off, just none of the main cast.
Usually ones we haven't seen in years, who make cameos just to die.

That said, we do need some carnage here if we're going to take the villains seriously.

[random11]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link.

About time.

Also: fire"ball"

Wow, even spells that we saw before look just like beam weapons now.

Itch-mage is down, glad that's over (for his sake, I don't want him to be more humiliated)

Another villain enters, but make no mistake, just because he was threatening before doesn't mean he will pose a threat here.
In the past year (at least) Mookie took out his wand and shouted "REDUCIO" at each and every character he ever had. I fear the next target just appeared.

[Rappy]

I love how the fireball is beam-shaped.

[AgentofOdd]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link.

About time.

Also: fire"ball"

Well, at least Mookie won't have to shoe horn Greg regaining his white magic in the final battle now.

[Trazoi]

Also, there ARE some DD chars who might be killed off, just none of the main cast.
Usually ones we haven't seen in years, who make cameos just to die.

I'll have to give Mookie this: for his Friday cliffhanger he's picked the one target out of his assembled Deeganites that I give a non-zero chance of actually being killed off.

(Also Quilt, but in his case he'd be reassembled so he doesn't count.)

That said, we do need some carnage here if we're going to take the villains seriously.

In a standard vanilla plot, this would be the point where TIM kills a semi-major character and takes the McGuffin to establish that the villain is a threat. That looks like what is happening, so it's going to be double the letdown if the heroes win again with only a scratch.

But on the positive side, I wrote "if the heroes win again" instead of "when". I agonised over it, but I'll have to admit for the first time in ages I have a teensy bit of hope that some actual proper storytelling is going to happen.

[Shogo]

Luna. You are a terrible mage. And also stupid. You clearly don't know what a ball is. You also completely and utterly failed with those illusions as far as I'm concerned. None of those Bumper copies should have been close enough to each other that someone could reach out and destroy several of them, and get the real Bumper, with a single swipe of a clawed gauntlet.

[T-O-E]

Oh look, a non-lethal wound!

Also, cannot believe how weak the fire beam reveal was.

Well, at least Mookie won't have to shoe horn Greg regaining his white magic in the final battle now.

I think Mookie said in an interview that Greg would never get his powers back. But then he gave him a metal scream so maybe he changed his mind (it's not like he plans ahead at all.)

TIM's about to lose his fangs. Well, baby teeth.

EDIT: I just had an awful thought. Dominic is going to tell the blind king to "see the truth." It's going to happen, you all know it.

Oh, and two days ago Mookie linked to this in his newspost. I might have to give credit for symmetry. If this continues, I'm guessing Miranda will come at the last minute to banish TIM, but this time for good. Oh, and she defeated that airmage with a magic fan.

[Humbug]

Any character that wasn't introduced solely as cannon fodder will not be killed off. Example: Tessa, a really unimportant character that has no relevance to the plot whatsoever. I'm absolutely certain Mookie won't have the heart to kill her. Hell, He couldn't even kill of Runtshername.

Any deaths we are likely to see that are not the baddies will be the nameless townsfolk at best.

[Welf]

EDIT: I just had an awful thought. Dominic is going to tell the blind king to "see the truth." It's going to happen, you all know it.

....followed by an annoyed 4th wall look of DJ.

[Mono Vertigo]

It randomly occurred to me that See The Truth® might not just be a stupid plot device magical thingy.
Perhaps it's actually directed at the readers. So they can see the truth of just how terrible the whole webcomic is. It's a metaspell. Thing.
... carry on.

[T-O-E]

....followed by an annoyed 4th wall look of DJ.

Annoyed sidelook more like. He can't see where the fourth wall is exactly.

It randomly occurred to me that See The Truth® might not just be a stupid plot device magical thingy.
Perhaps it's actually directed at the readers. So they can see the truth of just how terrible the whole webcomic is. It's a metaspell. Thing.
... carry on.

That's brilliant. The final few panels will be Dominic superimposed onto the tweets of his last remaining fans, and Tangents' website. He will shout "See the truth", they will gasp and then delete the comic from their bookmarks. But by then it will have already finished.

EDIT:

No wonder all the characters look the same.

Spoiler

Show

[Saph]

You know, I keep seeing it in these threads and I'm curious: what does TIM stand for?

[elros]

The InfernoMancer. It also refers to this guy, which is from one of the greatest movies ever.

This arc has become so lame that I am certain TIM will just move the plot along without any real drama. I see some stupid blasts, lots of emo, and then TIM escaping with the necklace. Then Momma Deegan will use her magical gauntlet to wipe out TIM in one second and put him to rest for good. (yawn)

[rocketpony]

You know, I keep seeing it in these threads and I'm curious: what does TIM stand for?

Either

• The InfernoMancer
• or a callout to this guy

I've seen both explanations.

EDIT: beaten to the punch! NOW WHAT CAN I DRINK.

RE: today's comic
So, Luna was behind the bug guy, I guess? That's how she shot him, from behind, with a mighty Firebeam spell. So, I guess it's possible that they didn't turn their backs on him, he just kind of walked harmlessly past them, with his hand beams radiating in all directions somehow failing to affect them in any sense.
I think it might help setup if he had something like a D&D table, so he could keep track of where everyone is in relation to each other, and see things like "Oh, for these guys to be here, they need to have passed this guy, here, and if he did not attack them in transit that is ridiculous."
Also: is it kind of weird to anyone else that the archmages were just the opening band for TIM? Like, the people who've trained all their lives to bend reality and just throw people into other dimensions for no good reason, and were mind-slaved / augmented by THE BEAST were a warmup, and Timmy the Dancing Knife is the main guy?

[elros]

We just ninja'ed each other. Cool.

[Myrdhale]

I just mentioned yesterday that if DJ was actually serious about this attempts to get the necklace he would use TIM instead of the semi-enslaved Archmages who aren't giving it their all.

So I guess DJ is getting serious now. Well at least it gives some tension.

Though it doesn't look like TIM is any more commited to this than the Archmages. He had no problem bisecting people before with his extendo claws, so his chest swipe at Bumper is kinda half-hearted. You'd think he would've just stabbed him, instead of a superficial swipe at his abdomen.

Maybe he was going for a disemboweling.

Either way, if Bumper survives this, Mookie will have officially declawed TIM.
So, yeah, get ready for that Monday.

[Traab]

See now THIS is closer to real tension! If mookie wasnt a hack that refuses to kill his characters, this scenario could end in death very dramatically. TIM guts bumper, takes the necklace, and he gives out some final words letting them know what happens just as he dies in stunts arms. The grand reunion tragically never taking place. The Deegan crew, being all rage empowered with grief, manage to obliterate or otherwise overpower/free the mage from mind control, probably in a blackout inducing case of overdoing things, and the story moves on. Mantis mage gives us some talking head time as we get some exposition and the actual plot moves forward!

Too bad that wont happen. TIM will reach for the necklace and get clobbered by the flying body of a burning bug mage, or something equally as stupid. Then we will have a 2 on however many people the deegans are with right now style battle.

[Myrdhale]

Too bad that wont happen. TIM will reach for the necklace and get clobbered by the flying body of a burning bug mage, or something equally as stupid. Then we will have a 2 on however many people the deegans are with right now style battle.

We haven't seen Spark in any panel lately. Is that stupid enough?

[Traab]

We haven't seen Spark in any panel lately. Is that stupid enough?

Oh god. Not even spark is stupid enough to try death from above on an infernomancer right? I mean hell, even against JACOB he hitched a ride with that stupid golem thing with an eye tick. And jacob wasnt as likely to gut the cat on a whim.

[Analytica]

So, at one point, TIM was the servant of the "demon lord of wounds". Anything he cut would never, ever heal. Basically, Dex's fate for whoever he got to. I found this seriously creepy, and I found it made him an actually fearsome villain (given that anything else, more or less, can be fixed with white magic, and the idea of going the rest of your life with wounds that keep on bleeding and leaking pus where you previously had organs is kind of horrible). When did this stop? I strongly suspect the petty thief won't have an ever-bleeding stomach wound from this, so...

[Veridis Quo]

So, at one point, TIM was the servant of the "demon lord of wounds". Anything he cut would never, ever heal. Basically, Dex's fate for whoever he got to. I found this seriously creepy, and I found it made him an actually fearsome villain (given that anything else, more or less, can be fixed with white magic, and the idea of going the rest of your life with wounds that keep on bleeding and leaking pus where you previously had organs is kind of horrible). When did this stop? I strongly suspect the petty thief won't have an ever-bleeding stomach wound from this, so...

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't his contract with Karnak severed at this point? That would mean that his wounds would be severe, but not outside the realm of healing.

[Traab]

So, at one point, TIM was the servant of the "demon lord of wounds". Anything he cut would never, ever heal. Basically, Dex's fate for whoever he got to. I found this seriously creepy, and I found it made him an actually fearsome villain (given that anything else, more or less, can be fixed with white magic, and the idea of going the rest of your life with wounds that keep on bleeding and leaking pus where you previously had organs is kind of horrible). When did this stop? I strongly suspect the petty thief won't have an ever-bleeding stomach wound from this, so...

It stopped shortly after when TIM went to hell, broke into karnaks stronghold, and stole a gauntlet from him. He stopped being karnaks infernomancer after he was sent into the elmecca by momma deegan and he became posessed by the beast. Now his "wounds" are pretty much gone, he ripped off his own face to show off a single big eye while fighting celesto/greg in lyns brook.

[Analytica]

I see. So, basically he was declawed long ago.

[Traab]

I see. So, basically he was declawed long ago.

Not really, he did slaughter a whole bunch of mooks and leave the inspiration for facebath barely clinging to life after he lost his wound ability. Oh, and tore the white magic out of greg. I mean, that battle was way more badass than his first fight. He gets his throat slit, but doesnt mind, then gets beat up by greg going super saiyan on him. And reading back a bit, I think only karnak is the one who leaves wounds that dont heal, dom got gutted royally in the first fight and was healed with greg not even realizing he was doing it.

[Analytica]

Ah, OK. Or... no, wasn't the unhealing factor what made Nimmel's eye the way it is? I guess I am focusing on this mainly because TIM _could_ have been made really scary in the present context, if every wound he inflicted was unhealing.

[Glass Mouse]

Ah, OK. Or... no, wasn't the unhealing factor what made Nimmel's eye the way it is? I guess I am focusing on this mainly because TIM _could_ have been made really scary in the present context, if every wound he inflicted was unhealing.

Nope, that's because the wound is infernal. Which it is because of the gauntlet.

True about the potential lost, but that's par for the course here

[Mewtarthio]

Ah, OK. Or... no, wasn't the unhealing factor what made Nimmel's eye the way it is?

I think that was because he had the Gauntlet at the time. Karnak has always been able to deal unhealing wounds (see Szark), and that Gauntlet had a good portion of his power.