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

[T-O-E]

Dominic isn't allowed to be surprised for even a panel.

[Glass Mouse]

Originally Posted by Bobikus

If Seers were such a risk to mindbreak that you have to keep sending them exotic gifts so they don't become psychic timebombs, the more logical result is that Seers are culled once discovered.

Eh. They're persons with power in your kingdom, exotic gifts would be a good idea anyway.

[Mr. McGician]

Originally Posted by Trazoi

[*]I hope the last panel isn't alluding to Star Power being set in the same universe as Dominic Deegan. Seriously Mookie, don't do that. Edit: Or do, so everyone knows they can mock it from Day 1.[/list]

Ugh. If that happens, then it's not a question of whether I'd bash my head against the wall, but how many times I'd do it. Mookie needs to start afresh with a world where he decides a proper tone and which elements would fit in and which wouldn't. The Deeganverse is such a trainwreck that not even good writer could write a story set in it. Adding sci-fi themes to it would only make it worse.

[Johnny Blade]

Originally Posted by Mr. McGician

Ugh. If that happens, then it's not a question of whether I'd bash my head against the wall, but how many times I'd do it. Mookie needs to start afresh with a world where he decides a proper tone and which elements would fit in and which wouldn't. The Deeganverse is such a trainwreck that not even good writer could write a story set in it. Adding sci-fi themes to it would only make it worse.

I don't really see that happening. I mean, this is a fantasy world, and the new comic is going to be about superherohwait.

Originally Posted by random11

- Will there ever be an actual plan on HOW to get back the necklace (not to mention how to keep it safe)?
So far, the plans of "I'll get captured" and "I'll just wait for the right time" don't seem to be working.

I'm surprised he wasn't handed a way out by Rilian today. I mean, we now had a random plot vision and an ancient guardian character visiting Dominic to give him some info on stuff, and neither one just handed him the lowdown on how to deal with the king here.
Now what's left? Klo Tark or some other characters we haven't seen in a while out of nowhere? See the Truth? Dominic exploiting some magical thing that we have never heard about?

After all, Mookie surely won't actually have a character come up with a plan, but he'll start running out of other options if he isn't careful.

Although, I guess Rilian could still sacrifice himself to allow Dominic to do something or simply escape. Which would mean he just kinda accepted being used to raze Aberthast and reanimate the priests as zombies (which made Dominic surrender himself in the first place).

- And of course, just yesterday (not including the filler), Dominic was in a bad shape.
Nothing like "I'm actually someone else you met a year ago", and "you're dying" to calm people down.

It's amazing how Mookie just kept piling these things on.
That whole idea of Dominic freaking out because he can't tell what's real anymore and Brian changing his face in front of him to calm him down was hilarious in its own right.
Then Dominic immediately goes "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Why wouldn't you accompany me on a cruise wearing a fatsuit?", this after the Beast tried to perform an extraction on him, by the way, which means access to memories.
And then Rilian decides it would be a good idea to just tell him that he better act fast because they're dying (and he, the first necromancer, hasn't found a way out or at least one to keep that whole rotting away thing under control).

Simply amazing. It's kind of what I'm expecting from Mookie at this point, but sometimes I still wonder how this ends up being uploaded. I mean, with the filler comic taken into account, he sat on this dialogue for days and it never occurred to him how completely ridiculous this all is.

Originally Posted by Humbug

"It's because we're dying."

Oh gee, if Rillian had never pointed that I wouldnt have guessed. There's plenty of ways to make Dominic look like he's about to cack it, he could look emaciated, or almost falling apart from blight, or bleeding from every orifice, anything except looking "exhuasted".

Ugh, is it worth getting all riled up from all this telling? It's pretty much all Mookie can do nowadays.

I like that Mookie apparently feels the need to go out of his way to tell us that dealing with the Beast and DJ Callan is dangerous and he's totally gonna kill off more characters.

"Stakes are high this time! No, really, they are!"

[Mewtarthio]

Originally Posted by Humbug

"It's because we're dying."

Oh gee, if Rillian had never pointed that I wouldnt have guessed. There's plenty of ways to make Dominic look like he's about to cack it, he could look emaciated, or almost falling apart from blight, or bleeding from every orifice, anything except looking "exhuasted".

Ugh, is it worth getting all riled up from all this telling? It's pretty much all Mookie can do nowadays.

To be fair, we've seen people recover from being brutally dismembered and mummified without the use of magic. Mookie literally cannot use the "Show, don't tell" rule because there's such a vast disconnect between what this comic shows us and what it tells us.

Of course, there's an equally vast disconnect between what it tells us now and what it told us earlier ("Luna shall never have children!" vs "Luna's super-eggs are really so superspecialawesome that she is morally obligated to donate them!", anyone?). Still, this could work as a way to heighten the drama, indicating that, nope, Dominic's definitely not going bounce back from this one...

...if we didn't already know that Dominic totally will bounce back from it anyway. And if the whole "people near death become telepathic" thing had been estabilshed earlier.

[Squark]

I think its not that people near death become telepathic, but that Necromancers of Rilan's caliber can communicate with the dieing. Which is still completely out of left field, but at least marginally less stupid.

[Johnny Blade]

There have never been any limits to what Rilian knows or where he can appear, really.

Exhibit A: Rilian is Freddy Krueger.

Exhibit B: "Allow me to teleport right into your bedroom. Since I know everything, including what you just thought, I know I'm not interrupting anything."

Exhibit C: Starts here, ends a few months later. (When we are also reminded of his sense of privacy. Last speech bubble here;and when that was originally said.)



So him being an omniscient and omnipresent plot dispenser is a well-established character trait, which means it's all okay.



(Also: "I know where Helixa can find Miranda Deegan ... her husband ... and her three children. You should try ... their house.")

[Trazoi]

Originally Posted by Johnny Blade

There have never been any limits to what Rilian knows or where he can appear, really.

Rilian was (still is?) one of the very few characters who will call out Dominic without immediately being character assassinated into bullying random people for the hell of it, calling orcs piggarts and then being violently murdered for great justice.

Celesto too*. And he and Rilian were the only two characters actually doing something about Dave and the Beast before Dominic screwed up their plans.

* Although Celesto does get a fair bit of the assassination and violent payback thing.

...try (2004-11-02)...

Goth Teen Jacob, being all .

[Bobikus]

Also to go back to the talk about the current CAD arc, a big part of the reason it doesn't work is because Ethan isn't even remotely a sympathetic character. It's like with a lot of DD characters, they're such bad people that you don't really want to them to succeed so the attempts at drama just fall flat.

[Trazoi]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

A teensy bit late, Dominic.

Originally Posted by Bobikus

Also to go back to the talk about the current CAD arc, a big part of the reason it doesn't work is because Ethan isn't even remotely a sympathetic character. It's like with a lot of DD characters, they're such bad people that you don't really want to them to succeed so the attempts at drama just fall flat.

Unsympathetic characters can work well for comedy or comedy-drama, but the the difference is the writers who make them work recognise that they are writing horribly flawed miserable bastards who deserve a kicking instead of Mary Sues who get the world on a platter. See: pretty much every British sitcom ever.

[Mr. McGician]

Yes, all of your friends... who you didn't even say goodbye to before embarking on your absurd suicide mission. I'm certain you care about them very much.

[Mewtarthio]

It's a good thing we had today's strip to remind us that Dominic is aware of the existence of other people, because I was about to forget.

Also, panel six? That is not the face of a man about to get his second wind.

Spoiler

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Originally Posted by Mewtarthio

Also, panel six? That is not the face of a man about to get his second wind.

Spoiler

Sir, you have made my evening. Thanks you so much for this.

[random11]

News post:

Faced with the possibility of losing his friends and family, and the love of his life, Dominic chooses not to despair... but to fight.

Wasn't it the exact same reason he surrendered himself in the first place?

[Johnny Blade]

Originally Posted by Mewtarthio

Also, panel six? That is not the face of a man about to get his second wind.

Spoiler

Beautiful.

Similarly, Luna looks more smug than anything else in panel 7.

I mean, look at this without dialogue:

Spoiler

I don't know how you read that scene, but here's what I see:

Spoiler

[Wraith]

So, Dominic has made the carefully weighed, much debated and finally conscious decision to 'not die'.

On the one hand, I'm amazed that this had to be said out loud. It really is the sort of thing that one would automatically expect of not just a heroic protagonist in a story, but of any sapient creature (which, I might add, also fuels the theory that Dominion Apes are actually some kind of pod-being and that the Inappropriate Wall is in fact the dominant intelligent life-form on the planet...)

On the other, of all the conclusions that Dominic could have come to, this one disappoints me the most.

[Valencia]

Originally Posted by Trazoi

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

A teensy bit late, Dominic.

Unsympathetic characters can work well for comedy or comedy-drama, but the the difference is the writers who make them work recognise that they are writing horribly flawed miserable bastards who deserve a kicking instead of Mary Sues who get the world on a platter. See: pretty much every British sitcom ever.

Firstly, on topically, I started reading Dominic Deegan again, since I heard it was ending. In short I've had the same opinions on the matter as the snarkers have in the last few threads and at this point I'm more or less just waiting for it to finally end, since I'm somehow morbidly curious as to how it'll happen. (It's always worse than expected in execution)

And seeing the above comments... I've never read CAD, and I thought to give it a go, to see what everyone hates so much. I'm just over a year into it and I'm having a hard time continuing. I didn't think that the "Mary Sue who's actually a horrid person who literally gets whatever he wants and gets to act out in INSANE ways that should lose him all his "friends" and whatever" didn't actually start IMMEDIATELY. Boy... wow.... maybe I had bad expectations going in but Ethan is a -horrible- person, and I'm not even that far into it. I'd thought about a blog or a thread or somesuch a "watch Valencia read through this thing" sort of situation, but I'm not sure I can get through all that sane. Yikes. (That and I understand there's a lot of vitriol that can get said threads locked in regards to that particular subject)

[Morty]

Alternate text for the last panel: "Wait, I was ready to die for these ********? Screw that!"

[T-O-E]

Originally Posted by Valencia

Firstly, on topically, I started reading Dominic Deegan again, since I heard it was ending. In short I've had the same opinions on the matter as the snarkers have in the last few threads and at this point I'm more or less just waiting for it to finally end, since I'm somehow morbidly curious as to how it'll happen. (It's always worse than expected in execution)

And seeing the above comments... I've never read CAD, and I thought to give it a go, to see what everyone hates so much. I'm just over a year into it and I'm having a hard time continuing. I didn't think that the "Mary Sue who's actually a horrid person who literally gets whatever he wants and gets to act out in INSANE ways that should lose him all his "friends" and whatever" didn't actually start IMMEDIATELY. Boy... wow.... maybe I had bad expectations going in but Ethan is a -horrible- person, and I'm not even that far into it. I'd thought about a blog or a thread or somesuch a "watch Valencia read through this thing" sort of situation, but I'm not sure I can get through all that sane. Yikes. (That and I understand there's a lot of vitriol that can get said threads locked in regards to that particular subject)

CAD is definitely not a joke, and I have no intention of making light of it. And it can be a tough and emotional thing for readers to go through, speaking from personal experience. And I know that it's often much harder on the fan than on the hater. However, I also know that it doesn't necessarily turn you into a sad, depressed sack of tears for the rest of your life. People can move past it, and heal.

[Valencia]

Originally Posted by T-O-E

CAD is definitely not a joke, and I have no intention of making light of it. And it can be a tough and emotional thing for readers to go through, speaking from personal experience. And I know that it's often much harder on the fan than on the hater. However, I also know that it doesn't necessarily turn you into a sad, depressed sack of tears for the rest of your life. People can move past it, and heal.

Yeah, the more I thought on it, the more I thought it was a bad idea. I might continue to attempt to read through it, but on my own and in small doses. Maybe.

[Turcano]

Originally Posted by Johnny Blade

Yesssss!

(And once again I'm sad animated avatars are against the forum rules.)

You and me both.

I still miss my Star Trek Roxbury avatar.

[Traab]

Originally Posted by Johnny Blade

Beautiful.

Similarly, Luna looks more smug than anything else in panel 7.

I mean, look at this without dialogue:

Spoiler

I don't know how you read that scene, but here's what I see:

Spoiler

She looks more drugged and sleepy/happy than anything. Like she should be saying, "Oh man, I have NO idea where I am right now!"

[Zaq]

Originally Posted by Traab

She looks more drugged and sleepy/happy than anything. Like she should be saying, "Oh man, I have NO idea where I am right now!"

Stoned. Gassy. Toddler.

[random11]

I think he is pissed at all the people who should have stopped him from surrendering himself, but didn't.

[Sweetie Welf]

Something that bugs me: last week we saw Dominic in a vision with his replacement foot. But it has been established that Dominic projects himself without injuries. In a better comic that would be a subtle hint that Dominic's corruption has affected him, and he starts to project damaged versions of himself.
Theoretically I could just assume that was the intent and this isn't just a mistake. But if it was so, Mookie would tell us in the newspost.

[random11]

Originally Posted by Sweetie Welf

Something that bugs me: last week we saw Dominic in a vision with his replacement foot. But it has been established that Dominic projects himself without injuries. In a better comic that would be a subtle hint that Dominic's corruption has affected him, and he starts to project damaged versions of himself.
Theoretically I could just assume that was the intent and this isn't just a mistake. But if it was so, Mookie would tell us in the newspost.

Usually, Dominic controls the vision, or at least aware it is a vision, so he appears in the way he wants to appear in the mind-scape-thingy.
In his current state of confusion, when he's not sure if it's reality or not, his mind sees himself closer to reality, without a good leg.

Or, it could be a mistake, but you have to admit it's a good excuse

[Traab]

Originally Posted by random11

Usually, Dominic controls the vision, or at least aware it is a vision, so he appears in the way he wants to appear in the mind-scape-thingy.
In his current state of confusion, when he's not sure if it's reality or not, his mind sees himself closer to reality, without a good leg.

Or, it could be a mistake, but you have to admit it's a good excuse

Or its not an actual vision, its snuggly playing tricks on his mind to get the info it is after. He has his fake foot, because snuggly has invaded his mind and convinced him its real.

[Mewtarthio]

"We can assault the sanctum from a secret entrance that David doesn't know about!"

...Seriously, this is starting to sound like bad fanfiction.

[Trazoi]

DD was at "bad fanfiction" several years ago. This is... something else.

I know Mookie solves his protagonist's problems by re-writing the world and this is a particularly bad case (there's absolutely no reason for Miranda to have put in a secret entrance). But bad enough as that is, I think what gets me more is the plan is just "gather up the most powerful characters and throw them at Dave". Like Dave couldn't have possibly foreseen a response by the Maestro or the Quiral mages or even the Eld.

Possibly I'm jumping the gun and Miranda's plan will fail horribly as this is the sort of plan the heroes are meant to try first and get crushed, but this is Dominic Deegan and Mookie and we're too late for that to happen and argh make it stop.

I Love Dominique, take away the pain:

Spoiler

[Analysis]

... really? A secret entrance? The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system.

Eh.