Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, MK XVIII - At the Mountains of Madness

[Johnny Blade]

Eighteen threads and counting.

We're still here. That is, Brothers and Sisters in Snark, perhaps the most important thing to be noted. No matter how long this arc went on, we have prevailed. Sure, a few threads were derailed over the course of the last 10 months, DIY lobotomies were performed, and we even came close to serious internet drama, but still we snark.
Know this, then, and trust in our, in your perseverance, when you brace yourselves to climb the Mountains of Madness.


Chronology
Thread I (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26550) - 77 pages, the first half of which actually contained praise yet. Then Snowsong came about...
Thread II (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53160) - the epic one, 301 pages, OVER NINE THOUSAAAND posts. Here the foundations of Domiology - our snarky fanon - were created.
Thread III (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82855) - 63 pages of snarky goodness, first one to contain the archives in the first post.
Thread IV (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87587) - 50 pages, the one that carried us through the first half of the horrid Vacation Arc and brought the first actual fans into our threads (of course, their resolve starts to falter by now :smalltongue:)
Thread V (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91533) - 50 pages, the Vacation Arc continues to our unimaginable horror.
Thread VI (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94191) - 50 pages, the final part of the vacation. So much to be learnt about walls and limbs; knowledge that Mookie, unfortunately, shall never possess.
Thread VII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96181) - 50 pages, finally the Plot Creature caught up - but what has Mookie done to Celesto and TIM?
Thread VIII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98206) - 51 pages, wherein Dex rises from the dead and we are introduced to Sn'gl'euth'u, the cutest extradimensional Lovecraftian being since Hello Cthulhu.
Thread IX (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100412) - 50 pages, which taught us that orcs not only have despicable traditions, they are also completely insane.
Thread X (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105160) - 50 pages, which taught us that orcs are not only completely insane, they are actually crazy enough to make Cthulhu roll Sanity checks!
Thread XI (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108632) - 51 pages, in which the orcs are at their height of insanity (going one step beyond), Luna is the designated Messiah of Everything and that tusks make you speshul.
Thread XII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110535) - 50 pages, where the orcs, after reaching the height of insanity previously, find ways to fly to entirely new planes of mind-crushing madness, sufficient to warp their plain to the size of a backyard and time to freeze, as nothing interesting happens at all.
Thread XIII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113899) - 50 pages, where the orcs continue to plumb the bottomless depths of inanity. Oh, and insanity too. Meanwhile, Luna discovers a new Sue power: inflicting the worst monologues ever on hapless readers. Also, Jacob is evil.
Thread XIV (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117735) - 50 pages, where we are still occupied with Orcs. Orcs. Orcs, everywhere! Oh gods, is this arc not going to end ever?! I repent, Mookie! I repent! Just make it stop! Make it stooooop!
Thread XV (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120700) - 50 pages, with Orcs, who do Orc things and KILL THEM, KILL ALL THE ORCS, EXTERMINATE THEM, SO THIS HORROR CAN END!
Thread XVI (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124177) - 50 pages. Do I have to tell you what it was about at this point anymore? You have three guesses. And the first two don't count.
Thread XVII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126357) - The Orcs are still insane, and in this thread, they managed to temporarily infect us. Among the results are a debate about relativism and many pictures of various cute, funny, and weird animals. There also was a decapitation. It was metal.

And our sister threads:
Strip Slays, the best thread ever (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37014)
Strip Slays 2: the best thread strikes back (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91628)
Strip Slays 3 - Someone Is Going To Slay For This Outrage. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108763)
If the madness of this thread does not suffice to bring your SAN rating down, those will. For sure. :smallcool:
Dominic Deegan - The Second Coming (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99280) - the on-going Dominic Deegan rewrite, where everyone can contribute!

And of course, the Dominic Deegan Wiki (http://dominic-deegan.wikia.com/).

There is also an Archive of all Dominic Deegan threads, courtesy of Whoracle:
I finally got my lazy backside to bring the backups up-to-date, that means up to Thread XIII.
But there's more:
The previous backups were simply saved pages off the GiantITP-Archives, which were kind of fractured. But no longer!
I present you the backups in not one, not two, but three different versions:

Ultralight Version (http://www.frozeninfinity.de/austausch/dd_snark_backup_ultralite.rar)
The ultralight version is the same as the backups I madebefore.
It contains each thread in a single folder, with html-files named thread_X_Y.htm(l), where X is the thread number and Y is the page mumber as presented in the GiantITP-Archives.
Furthermore it contains a file named current_status.txt, which is a plain text file including information on the date and time of the last backup, the threads backupped and who made the backup.

This version has the smallest filesize, but is not that convenient for full text searches, especially in the legendary thread.

Light Version (http://www.frozeninfinity.de/austausch/dd_snark_backup_lite.rar)
The light version includes everything from the ultralight version.
In addition to this I added another folder called complete threads that contains files named X-complete.html, where X is the thread number.

These files contain the complete thread that corresponds to its respective number.

While larger than the ultralight version, the good thing about this is that you have a much easier time full text searching the threads if you now in what thread to look.

Complete Version (http://www.frozeninfinity.de/austausch/dd_snark_backup.rar)
The complete Version conatins everything from the previous versions.
In addition to this I merged every single page into one big (20+ MB) file called Dominic Deegan Backup.html that resides in the document root of the archive, plus I made a backup of the GiantITP-Archive-stylesheet, so even if giantitp.com should someday go offline (I expect this to happen shortly after satan starts ordering winter woolens :) ), the integrity and viewing pleasure of the backups won't be disrupted.

I added an index in the beginning of The Big File(tm) for easier referencing.

This version is the biggest of the bunch. I recommend you download this if you want the easiest way of full text searching something.

!::! WARNING !::!
[i]The Big File(tm) is really big, and some PCs might experience browser or even system crashes opening it. I recommend at least 1 GB of RAM for viewing this, as that's the spec I tested it with. I take no responsibility for any damage that occurs to your PC when opening that file.
!::! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !::!

All files are virus checked and should be ok, but better be safe than sorry: Go ahead and check them again before unpacking.

Averagejoe's One Panel Arcs
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u282/teddifunken/onepanel3.jpg

The Encyclopedia Dominica
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA DOMINICA!
created by the joint efforts of all the Mookiemockers in this very thread, working tiredlessly to reveal the secrets and inner workings of the Deeganverse and the broken plots, drawings and writing of our most favourite (to make fun of) author.

Aberthast Cathedral
Resocialization centre. People who go there return as mindless sheep in service to the Dominus. It is a horrible place, where - no, please, no, don't take me, take Oracle_Hunter instead, please, it was him who---
Nothing to see here, citizen. Keep going. The Dominic is Your Friend.

Acibek's Principle
Makes any spell better for just about zero extra effort, even when chucked into a spell as an afterthought. Nobody really knows what it does, not even the Lord Dominus, just that it is better.
Basically the magic equivalent to painting vehicles red.

Airships
Magical boats that fly through the air at approximately twice the speed of plot, which can therefore only catch up for brief moments while the ship is in dock for extended periods. The planks on an airship change direction from moment to moment, possibly as a result of its powerful magic.

Ass Shot, Inappropriate
Is a myth, or maybe propaganda spread by vile Mookiemockers opposed to the just rule of Lord Dominus. There is, in fact, no situation which cannot be improved by showing the behind of a female character. Especially well suited are scenes when the character in question is either dying, traumatised, despaired or fighting her former friends. In short, drama and tragedy are enhanced by ass shots. The more you know!

Balloon Boobs
A sexual ideal. Albeit I don't want to know for whom.

Callan
Basically the US in a supposedly (but not really) medieval setting, this unfortunate realm has drawn the relentless wrath of the Dominus upon itself. Therefore, it's failings must be pointed out and despised (instead of tolerated, accepted and embraced, as would be the case with other nations).
The population consists of either mindless sheep (see Deegandrug) or ignorant racists (who happen to be 100% spot on with their prejudices).
It is also hated by everyone else.
Because.

Caste
See Caste System.

Caste System
The Deeganverse has a simple caste-system, with five castes with a strict hierarchy.

The First Caste is the Deegan Family; they have practically a monopoly on good karma in the Deeganverse. They are good, perfect, always right (including and especially if they are not), and ultimately always win. Association with Dominic is more important than the Deegan name, in this regard: Luna is First Caste, Jacob is not.
Examples: Dominic, Gregory, Luna.

The Second Caste are the Deegan Friends. They, too, are good and (save for occasional moral slips, like Pam's Incredibly Unjust Punishment of Dominic) moral, but lack the power to overcome anything on their own, and therefore need the Deegans to help them. With everything.
Examples: Pam, Milov, Jayden

The Third Caste are the Anti-Heroes. These are morally wrong, but are handsome, powerful and therefore worthy of being saved. The major difference between them and the Fourth Caste is that, while both often exhibit the very same negative traits, the Deegans arbitrarily decide that members of the Third Caste can be forgiven, whereas those of the Fourth Caste cannot. Even if the Third Caste members do things actually much worse.
Examples: Siegfried, Szark, Snowsong, probably Karnak, maybe Celesto

The Fourth Caste are the Enemies. They are precisely the same as the Third Caste, except that they are not redeemable. The reason is: Because. Yep, that's the entire reason. Fourth Caste is often, though not always, ugly, and almost comically over-the-top in their negative traits, prominently racism, and hating gays, (like Szark, who's gay).
Examples: Taggerty, Boris, any infernomancer

Fifth Caste is all the non-magical people who live their lives without any relevance to the plot.
Examples: per definition, Fifth Caste members do not have a name.

The Caste a character belongs to is determined at his birth and, save for a few exceptions, usually does not change. The actual deeds and alignment of a character do not matter: First and Second Caste characters can do things as evil as they wish to, and will be praised for that.
The only Caste-change which occurs often is from Third to Second: redeemed Anti-Heroes ultimately become Deegan Friends. The most prominent examples of this are Szark Sturtz and Bumper. A rarer case might have occured with regard to Celesto: arguably, by blowing Dominic's leg away, the fool might have sealed his fall from Third to Fourth Caste.
Another Caste change could be observed rather recently with the initiation of Nimmel's ascension to First Caste.

Cave-Garland
A just-discovered vine that mimics tinsel. Just why it mimics tinsel is unknown; some Domiologists have speculated that they may have some modicum of movement and originally come from the Winter Archipelago, where they strung themselves in the glasswood trees to mimic decorations during Christmas Wolfmas. A-whoo.[/QUOTE]

Celesto 5
Our last best hope for Dominic's fall.

Cheap
See Death.

Cheekmouth
A common affliction in the Deeganverse, this horrible disease causes the victims to mutate into horrible things with a seperate mouth on both of their cheeks. Other side effects include a higher willingness to worship the Dominus, racism and inconsistency.

Chimney
Since glasswood is the only kind of lumber that has been positively identified by the people of the Deeganverse as such, they are forced to use it for the purpose of warming their houses. Burning glasswood produces a smoke so thin, so volatile that it can pass through solid bricks, allowing the Fifth-Casters to not build hollow chimneys in their fireplaces. Instead, they build solid brick columns. However, while glasswood smoke can pass through bricks, it doesn't pass through cloth. For this reason, people wanting to look all badass and cool often prowl atop these chimneys, so that their capes will billow out dramatically, lifted by the fumes.
A side-effect of glasswood fumes is terminal stupidity.
Possibly the source of the Deegandrug. See Deegandrug, Glasswood.

Churchspace
A place for holding currently unused characters, while redeeming them if necessary. See also Aberthast Cathedral.

Dancing
An awkward ritual whose primary function is to be a source of ass shots. Except in Semash(i), where it is a substitute for debates, brawls, and warfare. It doesn't seem to involve a lot of motion, though: See "Ass-shot, Inappropriate".

Death
An event which, if directed against higher Caste members, is tragic enough for The Dominic to be sad. Possibly even for as much as ten minutes. But don't worry, it is a highly temporary affliction, since deceased higher Caste members can reincarnate to keep protecting the main characters. Even if it includes dying again.
See also Cheap.
If applied to Fourth Caste members, on the other hand, it is a reason to celebrate. These tend to be gone permanently, too.

Deegandrug
An air-born substance released by the First Caste into the air. Causes sheep-like obliviousness to the First Caste's failings, blind following and deep admiration for all of the First Caste's deeds. Only few remain immune to the Deegandrug's effects.

Demonic Badass Leadership Disfunction
A law of nature states: The bad-assness of a demon lord is inversely proportional to his skills as leader. The stronger and combat-capable any given demon lord is, the more unlucky he will get with his followers: They will upstage, overthrow, betray and ridicule him. Thus any sense of bad-assness is drained from the comic again, and natural order is restored. All bad-assness to the First Caste!

Diplomacy
Prolonged acts of violent subjugation or subjugation through demeaning yourself in order to pass yourself off as nonthreatening.

Disfigurement
A thing of beauty, which must under no circumstances be removed. But who would want to do that, anyway? Other girls and boys love hideous disfigurements! Isn't that good to know, kids?

Dominic
The immaculate self-insertion character, the All-Seeing Eye who is never wrong and solves any problem before the problem even knows it is about to occur. His morals are not to be questioned (even if questionable), he is always right (especially when he is wrong), and his defeats can be but temporary. His mind is superior to demon lords, his perfection knows no bounds. Lord of the First Caste. The Dominus. Loved by all, particularly by Szark (he's a gay who loves other men).

Dynamic Panel Layout
A way to put the plot on hold for a week. Means that the same layout will be used throughout that week each and every day, but it's a different layout than usual. Yay?

Evil
A rare condition found only in fourth casters, despite allegations about the third caste. To be evil, and remain a persistant threat, you have to arbitrarily kill everyone to show how evil you are, and express a particularly graphic ammount of petty cartoonish villainy.
The moment one develops an actual plan, and tries to achieve something rather then murder for murders sake this trait leaves you and you cease to have any meaning, beyond being curbstomped by previously minor characters.
The best plan is to have no conceivable plan. The best motivation is to have none explained. Villains in this webcomic exist only to be first touted as deadly threats with absolutely no traits beyond violence and the ability to shoot lazers. Should they try to be anything more, they will cease to be a threat. See: Jacob.

Face-Meld
A nefarious mental technique, most common amongst Orcs and Orc-like puppets. So far only observed in the Second Caste and above, indicating it is probably fueled by Deegandrug. It allows the user to meld half of her or his face with half of the face of the victim, in doing so transferring thoughts and emotions, causing them to automatically win any argument. Commonly used in conjunction with long, self-righteous speeches. Tradition dictates that all logic and sense have to be abandoned in these speeches.

FaRIA
The land of elves, where nobility is decided by whether trees like you. These guys are so amazing they can pronounce certain letters in lower case. The magic of FaRIA protects its residents from plot.

Fairies, Nipple
Nefarious creatures who steal the nipples of sentient creatures, and are largely responsible for the lack of nipples in Dominion. Merfolk are particularly badly-afflicted. Some say the fairies steal nipples for food, others for construction materials, while some insist that they are merely thralls to some greater power (see "Progenitor").

Fangly
A cute little symbiote that resides upside down under Luna's nose, this delightful parasite feeds on Luna's emotions but inverts them. In layman's terms, when Luna is happy, Fangy is sad, and vice versa. It is likely that the Travorias knew of Fangly's existence, and tormented Luna in order to cheer Fangly up.

Foliage, Color-Draining
Recently discovered aberrant floral growths that seem to drain the color from their surroundings, possibly as some sort of sustenance (however illogical that is). Examples include grass and small mushroom clusters (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-30).
See also: Cave-Garland

Forsaken
Characters meant to appear in the strip and then forgotten for such long periods of time readers had already given up hope of seeing them ever when they finally arrived. Include the Oracle Hunter and Huk Thak. See Trailer.

Galloping Orc-Hunter
Ravenous quadrupedal carnivorous plants that bear a vague resemblance to a similar breed of creature from a planar expanse guarded over by a demigod known as the Red Plumber; while some Domiologists argue that these are a planar drifting evolutionary offshoot of said creatures, this can neither be confirmed nor denied. Galloping orc-hunters were killed by orcs for their decorative leaves in times past, but are now presumed extinct due to Plot Contrivance those dastardly spoilers of Maltak.

Glasswood
This curious tree is the main source of building material in the Deeganverse - probably, because the inhabitants have not figured out that the green triangular mountains surrounding them are trees as well. They are hardly to blame for that. Unfortunately, glasswood has very poor properties as building material, for, true to its name, it is prone to shattering in a glass-like manner. For this reason, higher Castes prefer to live in stone-houses, while listening gleefully to the painful screams of the lower Castes as those are slashed to shreds by their walls and furniture. See Trees.
A second theory persists, however, which maintains that glasswood is actually not wood at all, and that lower Castes instead choose to build their houses out of baked pottery painted to appear like wood. Which, again, would be well within the limits of their stupidity, lacking a First Caste character to lead them.

God
Whatever is going on, he has nothing to do with it.

Gregory
A brainwashed god.

Hobgoblins
Unpredictable creatures who act based on the results of a D20. Little is known about their language, but attempts to communicate have revealed that the hobgoblins are in possession of a large supply of babel fish. Those who do communicate believe that the word "Arf" roughly translates to "Hail Dominus". Very susceptible to the Deegandrug.

Homosexuality
There are gay people in Dominion. They are not to be considered inferior in any manner to heterosexuals, which was elegantly expressed by homosexual relationships being only played for laughs and consistently portrayed as shallow and meaningless. See Szark (he's gay)

Hope
A strange substance often held in abundance by Dominic Deegan fans, but which we snarkers syphon off using agressive cynicism to use as fuel. Typically found in abundance at the beginning of every new arc, but wanes as time goes on.

Huk-Thak
A sacred orc weapon whose use is outlawed by most governments as a breach of human rights. While nominally a simple double-bladed spear, this weapon, when used properly, actually makes an indiscriminate attack on the mental faculties of those around it, leading to horrific trauma caused by bad dialogue. Because of this, this weapon is very adept at killing. It is believed that the weapon may in fact have a crude form of sentience as it has expressed in the past a desire to kill Melna.

Ilka Tuk Tak
Ilka Tuk Tak is the most excessively overused expression in the Orcish language, featuring in just about every second Orcish sentence. Long time presumed a swearword, it is now theorized that, due to the limited expressiveness of the orc facial features (in no small part to be blamed on the excessively unwieldy cheek-mouths and prominent snouts), Ilka Tuk Tak is an auditory indication that the speaker is undergoing an emotional state of surprise or disbelief. The reason it isn't translated is simply because there isn't an equivilant word or phrase in human dialects.
Alternately, the entire Orcish race suffers from a particularly nasty case of Tourette's Syndrome.

Illusions
Problem solvers. No, really! There's no problem a well placed illusion could not solve! One might kinda call them Deus Ex Machinas, but that would be mean, right?
They are also well suited for fun activities, like children birthday parties or horribly traumatising friends. Fun times!

Infernomancer
Unlike other noble wizards, infernomancers are not nerds; they are just jocks who purchase (magic) steroids from shady demon dealers.[/QUOTE]

Inquisition
Prominently lead by h_v, the Inquisition serves to cart off all the heretic posters on this thread who dare to speak the name of Our Lord Dominus, Who Sees Everything, The Great Manipulator, The One Behind The Strings without proper reverence to Aberthast Cathedral. Main enforcer of the Dominus' control.
Noone expects the Deegan Inquisition!

Invisible King
The evil ruler of Callan who never appears or does anything in the strip, lord of the government. Which is evil. And never seen either.
We do not know why the government or the king are evil or why they do what they do, because they never actually appear in the strip to present their case, but since they are a government, they obviously must be evil. This is political sophistication for you.
Alternately, them being evil might be only propaganda, for they seem to be one of the last groups not yet under the Dominus' manipulative control.

Jacob
A sad example of what happens to those who are Evil when they develop motives (or "reveal," if we suspend disbelief and presume that they were designed with these goals in mind). Initially capable of doing many scary things, Jacob's newly acquired actual goals soon neutered him of Evil, and thus, competence. His greatest accomplishments include, in chronological order:
-Telling some poor misguided idiots that Vilrath died three days ago - he killed him himself.
-Creating a cross between Forrest Gump and Frankenstein.
-Combining necrophilia and narcissism via attempting to turn himself into a "zombie alive."
-Creating zombie hookers.
-Being pimp-slapped by a spear that is highly adept at killing after trying to take it without saying please.
-Becoming the first person to recieve a full bill of payment for his Outrage, after beating up a cripple that attacked him first.

Jocks
People who mocked Mookie in school, and therefore are Fourth Caste material destined to die horribly.

Klo-Tark
Why won't he die?! WHY WON'T HE DIE?!

Legs
Biological symbiotes that fuse with Dominion Apes at or close to birth, and usually remain present throught said ape's life. However, atmospheres of extreme stress or inappropriateness can sometimes cause one or more to camouflage themselves for protection, or even detach from their owners temporarily to seek refuge. This has no noticable effect, as best evidenced by the Dominus himself, who got bored of one of his legs and guided Raf Maliksh into getting him rid of the damn thing.

LiveJournal
Basically Evil Twin Universe us. I can only assume there's each and every one of us represented there, with a goatee, babbling genuine praise towards Mookie and Lord Dominus. Also known as sheep.

Luna
The First Puppet. Tusks.

Lynn's Brook
The little town of Lynn's Brook is a most wretched haven for jocks and other worthless Fourth Caste scum, cursed with the Dominus' uttermost contempt. While this was formerly believed to be mere happenstance, newer research hints at a much darker nature of this accursed trap. Lynn's Brook harbour a malicious source of evil power which corrupts everything in the town's vicinity, lowering intelligence and Caste status of everyone who stays in it for too long. Many of the town's inhabitants may well have formerly been innocent Fifth Caste or even good-hearted Third and Second Caste members, before the Horror of Lynn's Brook changed them into the monsters they are now. Sometimes single positive character traits they used to have before Lynn's Brook devoured them can still shimmer through. Even a short stay in this accursed region suffices to bestow a character with horrid deeds in his past. This is also what kept the Dominus' power in check while he still lived there, depowering him and greatly lessening his Sueness.
Even though it might appear Lynn's Brook was destroyed by TIM and Celesto, it still lives on, for Lynn's Brook is far more than just a town; it lives, it feeds... it grows.
A rumour says that if one speaks the town's name with the order of the two words inverted, one's brain will explode.

Magic
...sometimes is just Magic.

Maltak
A land that is a phenomenon even by Dominion's standards. It allegedly used to be a grassy plain, but nowadays it's a desert. It's a very curious desert, however - it's unique properties allow old friends, raiders, and enormous mountains to hide and attack from ambush despite the area being completely featureless. One possible explanation is that in Maltak, Dominion's poorly defined laws of nature turn to those of a JRPG, where invisible random encounters stray loose. Also, it might be theorized that before it was turned into a desert, vegetables grew on Maltak in a matter of days, as it's the case on the magically restored pieces of grassland.
Further evidence also indicates that due to some strange planar inconsistency, the warped sense of reality of whatever gods created the plains, or those that named the area the "Plains" of Maltak being in a drunken stupor, the Maltak Plains are grotesquely distorted spacially, stretching for over a thousand miles in each direction, giving it a total land area of approximately twelve square feet.

Manipulation
Desirable.

Mavpel
Long thought a relatively harmless (if addicting) candy, this substance is in fact the foundation of the First Caste’s powers. Using specialised glands, they transform Mavpel into the chemical known as the Deegandrug and expel it as a gas (see “Deegandrug”). Mavpel deprivation can lead to psychological breakdown in the First Caste, with symptoms including outbursts of berserk rage, drastically-lowered Mary-Sue levels and a higher-than-usual drive to mind rape. Ambitious lower-caste members can use this to their advantage, as when Cassafin usurped Dominus’ rightful position as headteacher.
The only known location of Mavpel plantations is the Winter Archipelago, increasing its importance to the First Caste and explaining the teleportation ban there. The supply of Mavpel was cut off by the Archipelago recently, possibly as part of a werewolf rebellion, but the crisis was resolved when the “archtraitor” Milov broke the embargo and granted the Dominus his own personal Mavpel supply.

Merfolk
Deceptive jerks who deserve whatever they get. Whatever they get.

Miranda
The heavy artillery. As long as Dominic's mother remains around, we can rest assured that even if something should go awry, the good guys can always call on this Deus Ex Momina support. That helps to not make things too exciting.

Mirror
The perfect psychological instrument, heals any depression, insecurities, mental trauma and shyness, may also induce a complete 180 degree personality flip. This occurs by the character taking 5 minutes to remind her or himself of their successes or the necessecity for them to behave that way.
It is unknown why Mookie has not yet patented this method, since it would easily replace all psychiatrists on the planet.
Note that a physical mirror is not necessarily required; it's the 5 minutes reflection that counts.

Mookie
See Dominic. Sans perfection.

Mookinsertion
A strange creature, of which two races, mookius vulgaris and mookius nobilis, have been identified so far. Distinguished for their intellect and flawlessness, Mookinsertions are living avatars of the Mookie on the physical plane, and are, as such, immortal - the most lethal weapons will cause only minor injuries to a Mookinsertion, which will (of course) be forgotten as soon as the arc is over. Typically, a Mookinsertion lives in human disguise for up to thirty years, before it begins its metamorphosis to a fully grown Mookie Sue. This process can be easily observed in a rapid rise through the Castes - within only a few years, a Mookinsertion can grow from Fifth Caste to Second, bordering First.
A mookius vulgaris is lauded for its intellect and skills at all times, and may even every now and then save the day.
A mookius nobilis is Dominic Deegan. 'Nuff said.

Mooklone
A humanoid that looks just like all the other humanoids in its vicinity. While all Dominion Apes are Mooklones to an extent, as often only cosmetic details (such as hairstyle or their choice of clothing symbiont) can tell them apart, the true Mooklones are identical even in these aspects. While common enough amongst humans, Mooklones are very widespread amongst orcs. The Bikta clan in particular seems to be a colony (or maybe quarantine zone) for these creatures.

Moon
A huge, gargantuan round orb that is always in the background. How it accomplishes that feat is unknown yet.

Murder
Minor infraction. May cause Death. Easily redeemable (see Caste System, Redemption).

Mustache
A strange form of parasite, the mustache will attach itself to the face of an individual, and allow them to become successful in their chosen field. Feeding off negative emotion, it often causes its host to deliberately antagonize nearby people in effort to provide for their symbiont.
The larger the mustache, the more poignant its effects. Also grants the host total immunity to consequences of their actions, partial immunity to Deegandrug and the ability to wholesaley slaughter individuals of a higher caste with relative ease.
Is believed to have some strange charisma boosting effect, as mustache hosts tend to be found in high ranks or influential positions.
How it has evolved is unknown. Perhaps some relation of Fangly.
Individuals known to have Mustaches: Warlord Sandor Damaske, Runcible Spoon, Arcangelo Scarlatti.

Nagastrali
Home of four-armed fish people and the world's only dragon.

Nineteen Eighty-Four
Main inspiration for Dominic Deegan.
Okay, not really, but for a major part of our MST3King anyway.

Orcs
Noble savages. Can save by rape.

Perspective
Is a lie told by Mookie's stupid art professor who didn't even like his awesome anime drawings.

Plan
Put simply, a plan is typically any procedure used to achieve an objective. Though planning can occur in any caste, only members of the First Caste are seen to formulate plans which achieve their desired objective. All other castes require the assistance of the First Caste in order to successfully complete their own plans. For the same reason, the creation of a plan is a sure way to ensure failure for anyone of the lower castes. One notable exception is the necromancer Rillian, who is able through unknown means to complete plans without the assistance of the First Caste.

Plot
A psychological disorder, leading to people behaving temporarily or permanently in a way completely inconsistent with their character as established previously (see Mirror).

Progenitor
Far removed from the turmoil of civilisation, just beyond the Edge of the Dominus' sphere of influence, lives a creature that is above time, nature, and even the Caste System itself. Few know of its existance, and whisper its many titles with fear and adoration: The Alpha. The Progenitor. The Anchor of Dominion. For none dare to call upon it by its true, world-shaking name: Bort.
First being to be shaped by the Mookreator's hand (and, admittedly, his shape does reveal a certain... lack of experience on this omnipotent god's part), the Progenitor is capable of re-writing reality on a whim, break continuity and drain any sense from his surroundings - clearly attributes he shares with the Mookreator himself and signs of his divine descent!
The Progenitor stands above the castes, and even the Dominus himself felt the need to bow down and do hard physical work for the Progenitor, which the latter could have easily accomplished in seconds - the grand manipulator finally found his master. Whether this was for fear of drawing his elder brother's wrath upon him, or whether the Dominus fell victim of the powerful Deegandrug that forced him to accept the superiority of a being of an even higher caste than his own remains a mysterium of Domiology.

Puns
The highest form of humour, and don't let anyone who isn't Mookie tell you differently! Perfectly suitable to any situation, be it everyday conversation or severe and traumatic loss of loved ones, because they do not harm drama! At all!

Races
There are two kinds: Callanians and Non-Callanians. The former are mostly individuals, but pay for this by having much more severe moral standards applied to them (see Callan).
Non-Callanians, on the other hand, are defined by single traits. Which is not racist at all. Obviously.
Of course, there are still single individuals who break with their races customs and redeem them that way, because, even though other cultures' traditions are great, they can't possibly be as great as our own, right?

Racism
See Death.

Rape
Salvation, if administered by a noble savage, preferably of Orcish heritage.

Rays, Manta
Ridden on saddleback despite all blatant safety hazards. Possibly immune to the Deegandrug.

Redemption
Handed out arbitrarily. Minor crimes, like murder, are redeemed easily, rendering everyone completely oblivious to them. Worse crimes, like speaking badly about the Deegans or thinking about other cultures in a somewhat critical way, however, cannot be redeemed (see Caste System). Even if they are, they still may lead to Spontaneous Fourth Caste Reemersion Syndrome.

Red Shirt Soup Wench
A very special specimen of the Fifth Caste species, this curious creature can live for as long as thirty years apart of the protagonists. However, sooner or later, in a fashion similar to lemmings' mass suicide, these beings are drawn into the proximity of First and Second Caste members, where their function is to serve them soup (though rarer sub-species have been observed to secrete other liquid beverages instead). When they do so, they produce special pheromones, which can be perceived by the current story arc's antagonist and throw him or her into a murderous frenzy, which does not end until the Red Shirt Soup Wench has been slaughtered horribly. Considering how unlikely it is that such a creature would have evolved on its own, it is probable that Red Shirt Soup Wenches have been genetically engineered by the First Caste to make their opponents look more bad-ass, and thus enhance the glory of the First Caste when they defeat them in the end.

Rilianization
The act of producing reason through a contrivance of logic brilliant scheme in a time after the fact. Such acts seem to be a common occurance in Dominion, as if crafted by some deity playing with the universe as their play as a way to cover up inconsistencies with further inconsistencies and/or fallacious logic.
Summed up in one sentence: there is always a logical course of logic, despite the illogical illogicity of said logic...logically!

Semashi
A mysterious people who steal beauty from other cultures and resolve any and all disputes with dance-offs. Their skin tone, like their country's name, varies from day to day. Being humans, some Semashi are allowed personalities even though they're not Callanian.

Seer
Apparently some other term for 'deity', albeit much less likeable due to its scheming, manipulative ways.

Sheeta Plant
Apparently named by a botanist with a sick sense of humor and knowledge of the orcish language, the sheeta plant is able to move its entire girth through the ground like a great phytoformian mole (just HOW it does this act is up to debate by many domiologists). An ambush predator, the sheeta sits perfectly still beneath the soil, waiting for an unlucky (or improbably short-sighted) gathering of creatures or beings to nest upon its designated patch of soil. Prey items are then lovingly caressed by its tentacles like a hentai monster octopus before being pulled into its maw for a meeting with its digestive enzymes. The fine, invisible spores of the Sheeta Plant are known to affect the brain, loosening the victims' control over their speech and dragging irrelevant trivia into their minds, causing them to compulsively give exposition or describe what is happening around them. This, presumably, serves to prevent them from escaping, as the primitive brains of Dominion Ape are unable to focus on talking and fleeing/fighting simultaneously. It is currently unknown as to how biologically close the sheeta is to the galloping orc-hunter plants of Maltak's olden plains.

Snout
The horrible malformation of the nose/mouth-region, implanted into prisoners in Aberthast Cathedral and into any new-born child. It probably serves to improve the inhalation of the Deegandrug.

Sn'gl'euth'u ("Snuggly" for short):
The "avatar of snuglyness" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5451070&postcount=780); a being of purity and innocence from the planes beyond all reason and imagination (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-04-14), resembling an amoeboid eyeball surrounded by a mass of tentacles.
Though his exact motives are unknown, Snuggly is a kind and simple creature who just wants friends and hugs. As a being from an isolated plane, Snuggly was very lonely. He befriended Tim when the latter was cast into his dimension by Miranda Deegan. He tried to befriend Celesto, but Celesto--being the loner that he is--rejected Snuggly's offer and fled. After the attack on Lynn's Brook, Dominic met Snuggly during his attempt to scry on Celesto. Unfortunately, Snuggly's strangely cute appearance did not conform to Lord Dominus' standards of goodness; naturally, Dominic blamed Snuggly for the recent troubles and attacked him.

Soul Displacing Mookie Possession Syndrome (SDMPS)
Even the existance of self-insertion Mookie Sues and the wide spread of the Plot plague do not suffice sometimes for Mookie's broadcast of his enlightened world-view and ethical opinions. In such cases, the force of Mookie can temporarily take possession of a character to force him to do Mookie's bidding. The character completely turns into a mouthpiece for Mookie's messages. A much more dangerous mutation of this affliction is the Karma Balancing Soul Displacing Mookie Possession Syndrome (SDMPS-KB), where Mookie specifically possesses Third and Fourth Caste characters to force them to deal completely just and not at all exaggerated punishment on other Fourth Caste characters, such as womanizers and people who happen to be athletic, who may spontaneously pop or be mutilated to a never-ending unholy existance of eternal torment and agony. In spite of its dangerousness, this is a very important thing to the ecological balance of the Deeganverse, for it keeps the hands of First and Second Caste members free of blood, while dealing appropriately with people Mookie finds somewhat unsympathetic. See also: Mookinsertion, Plot.

Spine
Overrated. Noone in the Deeganverse uses these anymore.
Same goes for all anatomy, really.

Spontaneous Fourth Caste Reemersion Syndrome
A highly dangerous condition, lethal in 100% of all cases, so far incurable. It may occur in redeemed Third Caste members if their previous failings were grave enough (i.e. murder would not induce SFCRS, but being displeased with another culture's murdersome traditions might). The effect is an aura of Fourth Castiness in an otherwise Second Caste character, which may resurface at any time, thus causing the Deeganverse to believe the character is evil and must be purged.

Strip Slays
Pure awesomeness. averagejoe, ElfLad, Mewtarthio and Turcano are just a few of the grandiose artists who turn meager B-strips into victory with win on top.

SuperGreg Aardvark
An abomination that must not be spoken of.

Szark
A gay man, gay in a gay way, he's skilled in swordfighting, maintaining position as Third Caste, and being gay. For more information on gay people (including Szark), See Homosexuality, for information on the man Szark loves (because he's gay), See Dominic, for information on the scum who hate Szark, and other gays (like Szark), See Fourth Caste.

Tentacle Rape
Umm... let's change the subject, shall we?

That Which Is Quoted
Attention duelists! My hair wants to warn you of the dangers of reading this thread if you have not watched Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series. If you ever want to watch this series without having every joke spoiled pre-emptively, my hair reccommends you watch it now or stay away from the thread... In America!

Time
Changes everything. Time is believed to be roughly sixty years old; its first documented effect was the breakup of the Kelsheen. Note that some scholars believed that the elves invented Time first, but discarded the idea after it caused the Raf Malkish War and created the Chosen. No further evidence of Time has been uncovered in any other era of history.

Trailer
Mookie's attempts to make it seem that something is happening, or at least will happen at some point in the future. A good bunch of trailers were forgotten, thus creating the Forsaken.
Might also be a genuine attempt of Mookie to find out just what the hell he is doing. This might explain such questions like "Who is XXX?" or "What does YYY want?".

Trees
Green mountains with snow on top. Weird.

Tucklebruck Island
A place so idyllic that its occupants, dwarves and halflings, have nothing better to fight about than what type of alcohol the others like. Major exporter of bizarre, sometimes toxic beer, teddy bears, and pictures of the Dominus being punched in the balls.

TVTropes
The lifetime stealing device employed by Oracle_Hunter to fuel his ingenious evil plans (I'm on to you, pal!). Contains all the wisdom of mankind and the explanation for every dumb turn the comic takes - if you can find them.

Violin
A strange, flat, solid instrument played with the wooden back of a bow.

Wall, Inappropriate
A recently introduced (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-01-20) character, originally mistaken for a chimney despite the lack of a fume outlet, the Wall has since reappeared in FaRIA (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-06-03), land of the elves, and followed Dominic and Luna around the world, apparently drawn to exceedingly absurd and/or clichéd situations.
Its evident purpose is best explained by its inanity: always spotted where it is obviously useless, yet seeming to be a natural part of its surroundings as well. It also has to be noted when it was shown: The first time, a stereotypical mysterious cloaked assassin knelt on it. The second time, it was embedded in the structure of a clichéd elf village. Afterwards, it showed up in the Wild Edge Territories (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-09-04), in a compound otherwise surrounded by wooden palisades (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-09-05), when Luna and Dominic heroically saved Stunt from getting fired by telling his employer how he risked their lives and contravened her instructions. Its last sighting (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-10-05) was in Semash, directly after Scarlatti’s rather peculiar behavior which probably attracted it.
This character is obviously meant to illustrate that behind the cliché, behind the generic fantasy tale, behind this mask that appears almost too familiar lies a world of absurdity.
The fact that this is achieved by randomly placing an everyday object like a brickwall inmidst a city or other settlement, where it would normally belong yet doesn’t truly makes it a dadaist masterpiece.

Werewolves
Schrödinger beings, fluctuating between people in furry suits and raging racists prone to murderous frenzies. Best left alone, which fits well with the theme of them wanting to be left alone, being an isolationist, territorial species. Except for 90% of them, who are open-minded towards strangers.

Winter Archipelago
In Winter Archipelago, Mookie mocks you!

Notable Snarky Articles
Melna: A Study of Murder, Rape, Violence, and an Insane Culture and its Effects on an Orc Girl (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6769015&postcount=631), by TheArchivist

The Descent of Man (into Madness and Mookie) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4177568&postcount=7472), by Johnny Blade

On the Psychotropic Effects of Crone Exposure (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7216527#post7216527) by Mewtarthio

[Johnny Blade]

Why We Snark - Collective Responses of a Thread of Snarkers
Since every few weeks somebody comes around and asks us why, if we apparently hate the Dominic Deegan comic so much, we still keep reading it instead of deleting it from our bookmarks. This post shall serve as a collection of all our stances on the comic and why we keep reading it after all, so that we can refer the person asking to this post (or just quote it), and be done with it.

Anyone who wants his opinion mentioned here - or who wants his previous statement changed - shall tell me so, so I can edit this post.


rubakhin
Honestly? I get more entertainment out of all the snark than I would probably get from Dominic Deegan if it were a good strip.

Also, it's interesting to read as a writer. For the same reason why in writing groups you're encouraged to listen to the critiques directed at other members as well. You learn a lot whenever you see the flaws in a work of fiction being dissected like this. You get a better feel for what works, what doesn't, and why.


Winterwind
Most (all?) of us used to enjoy reading DD and, when it went bad, stayed in the hope it might recover. Meanwhile, we kept discussing the comic, which invariably ended in mocking its failings. Over time, we found that mocking the comic is far more funny and enjoyable than the comic ever was even before its great fall. I presume you did not read this thread, else you would have noticed what this thread has spawned. There were many sides long parodies of Dominic's over-manipulativeness comparing the comic to 1984. There were parodies on his Mary Sue'ness, drawing an analogy to the Inquisition. There were such things as the Encyclopaedia Dominica, or just utterly bizarre and mind-blowing stories and explanations for the comic's logical fallacies. The strip slay thread, undeniably funny, is just the other side of the same coin, where this thread is the other - more of the same parody, except now in words, not in images.
Delete it from our bookmarks? Are you freakin' kidding me? Why the hell would we want to block ourselves from the fun which is this thread?


MReav
Originally I read DD because at first it was kinda cute and funny, and the consistent updates were a welcome change from some of my more favoured webcomics at the time (namely, Captain SNES). Yeah, the preachiness was annoying, as was the constant portrayal of common people as ignorant thugs, but I could skip those comics by and large. But it got a lot worse.

Now I read DD because it's kinda like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. It's entertaining in a MST3K sort of way now, going over with fellow mockers the incredible amounts of Mary Sue-ness, the idiot plots, the poor art, the attempts at the fetishistic, the rampant anti-jock sentiment (which I really think was derived from watching college films than any real human interaction), the Deus Ex Machinas, the gobs of poorly-thought-out Fantastic Racism, and all the other entertainingly bad actions of the comic and its writer.

I won't bash Mookie too much, since I don't pay for his comic nor is anyone making me keep the bookmark, but since his comic is on the web for all to see, I'll enjoy snarking about it over here.


averagejoe
If I could appreciate this thread, and strip slays, without reading the strip, I probably would. I've tried to quit several times, but these guys keep drawing me back!


M0rt
I can already say that I'm reading DD primarily out of curiosity- I want to see what will author screw up this time. But reading strips to them being mocked here is fun as hell too.


Oracle_Hunter
As I've said before, DD is compelling for me because of Mookie's guileless writing style. He is probably well read, and is in any case well familiar with a wide variety of Tropes, and he can even put a plot together in a Fridge Logic kind of way.

Yet, despite all this apparent sophistication, the man writes Eragon-level stuff. Vastly derivative and often very loopy... yet he is not like the average attempted webcomic writer. He occupies a twilight realm between Total Crap and Graphic Novel Writer and that makes him unique, and worthy of study.

Nobody else can do what Mookie does, for better or for worse.


CrazyFatGoblin
I personally read DD for literary ideas, for Mookie *does* have some good ideas, but really sucks at execution. Well, if he *did* have execution, it'd be awesome, but thats not the point.
I read DD to try and wonder what it would be like if such and such happened, or if Mookie was actually good at writing.
I read DD because Mookie is a *genius*, transporting his readers in a masterpiece of suffering so powerful, a few weak-willed ones do not even realize they are suffering, and ask for more. I read DD because I cannot look away, same as if a trainwreck was shown on constant loop.
I read DD because the madness that is Mookie is fascinating, like a book that cannot abide, yet still read to find out what happens in the end.
In short, I read DD because, quite simply, I desire what twisted knowledge Mookie has at his disposal to make us suffer so. What could I do with that knowledge?


Spiryt
The whole problem is that we (or at least I) don't hate that comic. I, in fact, think that it will be rather silly thing to hate damn poor internet comic.

I just recently discovered that making fun of it is good entertainment.

I however had Stoped Reading : some strips appeared so horrible to me (Sword of Centuries... Arghhh) that I literally hadn't dared to read them.


kukn
The reasons are varied. Mostly, I wouldn't call it hatred, at least not for me. The posts here are mostly an intellectual excersise in criticism and satire. Which is fun. (It can get a bit too much at times, a negative stance makes people see only the negative side of DD, often twisting neutral or even good aspects of a strip into yet more negativism.)

We can get a bit full of ourselves here, to be fair. But then, we're only human.


Johnny Blade
It all starts with the author, here, because you must think of DD not only as a webcomic that tells a story or tries to be funny, although it briefly (for the first few arcs) fell into the latter category. No, DD also serves as a means for Mookie to preach his opinionated world-view and show the greatness of his self-insertion, the namesake of this train wreck.
Well, I guess it’s unnecessary to discuss why a blatant Mary-Sue who knows everything about the setting, is always right, served as the chosen savior of the world and can solve almost every problem with his convoluted, logically questionable plans is not a sign of good writing.

So on to Mookie whoring out his opinions. First, it is done in a totally obvious way – the villains seldom let a chance to say how racist/sexist/homophobic they are pass, and don’t get me started on the “Nerds always get their revenge.” thing.
Second, it gets creepy from time to time. Well, often. Examples include Mookie using Celesto, one of the Third Caste (arguably) villains, to brutally kill Brett Taggerty as punishment for being a jock (by the way, there’s only one jock who isn’t stereotyped) and Mookie using Jacob, another Third Caste member, to torture Neilen as punishment for being a womanizer trying to get into Luna’s pants.
Third, Mookie is a pseudo-liberal hypocrite, though I don’t even know if he’s truly aware of this. Yes, racism is bad, but the cultures besides the United States of Wapan/Callan that he has shown us consist of noble savages oppressing their women and living in barbarism or bipolar nudist werewolves who are racists themselves. And yes, homophobia is bad, but yet Szark-who-is-gay’s sexuality is played for laughs where nobody else’s is (exception: Gregory, who now has a girl) and he is apparently unable to have any romantic feelings besides those for Dominic, shown by his reaction to Alseltio’s death. And yes, sexism is bad, too, but even though Mookie seems to be careful here, just take a look at Luna. A wonderful, intelligent, caring and whatnot woman, blah blah. Yet she obsesses about a (minor) physical detail and needs Dominic to save her from herself. Granted, this type of female character is an archetype in and of itself, but it really is a sort of damsel in distress who had the dragon holding her captive replaced by society and a bad childhood.
Fourth, Mookie likes to bash the United States in a way resembling Michael Moore. Callan is full of idiots, tries to invade another country every now and then and is run by an evil government of some sort. The Encyclopedia lists this as the Invisible King, but I guess it really is a president who came into office through election fraud by devising a system that didn’t count the votes of all Orcs in the country.

Then, there’s Mookie’s inconsistent world-building. Not only does it seem to be a really small world, given how at least Dominic apparently has friends everywhere. No, it’s also full of anachronisms which aren’t explained anywhere. It is generally assumed magic does the trick here, although we interestingly don’t get to see too many wizards besides the protagonists and the populace of Lynn’s Brook (GAH!) were quite easily scared by magic.
This leads to another point: magic in general and illusions in particular can solve everything. Everything, I tell you. Drive away an angry mob, trick extremely powerful enemies even if they know about magic, fake your death (to calm down loved ones in a frenzy, for example) and whatever else it is you want – illusions can do it.

Add in horrible writing, best shown by the recent proposal: So, we have Luna, who actively helped Dominic manipulate everyone back during the Snowsong arc, even if it meant risking the life of Greg and the rest of Barthis. And then there is Dominic, who as always been really patient when it comes to Luna being the emo crybaby she often was. But all of a sudden, Luna is pissed off by Dominic’s puppet-mastery and Dominic finds Luna’s emotional problems annoying, although they weren’t actually significant as of late – all we had was Luna running around babbling about how she feels inferior, which probably was done by Mookie to signify she still has these problems. Great. So they tell each other how annoying they are, bicker around a little, don’t resolve their problems at all, and then…marry! Yay!
I won’t even comment on the Snowsong arc with its downright bizarre jump-the-shark moments and yet another instance of Dominic saving the day with an overly complicated scheme.
Mookie’s laughable art also has been mocked to an overdue death and I wholeheartedly recommend reading the Encyclopedia entries on Balloon Boobs, Glasswood, Snout and Trees on this subject.
Actually, one Encyclopedia Dominica article is enough to prove why Dominic Deegan is bad, so I’ll just stop here. I forgot what I was going to write, anyway. Hopefully, more will come later, though.

But you shouldn’t think I hate Dominic Deegan. Most of those who post here don’t. I actually find it one of the most entertaining webcomics around, because no one can do what Mookie does. Yes, there are other webcomics which are so bad they’re funny, but Dominic Deegan actually has a setting created for it, relatively complex arcs, an extensive cast etc., yet it is a horrible train wreck that just keeps going on and on. Like Ed Wood producing comics with the subtlety of Ayn Rand’s works instead of movies.
Seriously, just look at a random DD strip, sit back, and think about it for two minutes. It may drive you insane, but it will make you giggle in a fashion implying you are in any case.
Oh, and this wonderful thread here is a great reason to love Mookie’s stillborn brainchild, too.

___________

Not exactly part of our declarations why we keep reading the comic, but, as I feel, an important message to newcomers into this thread nevertheless:

Jerthanis
If you like the strip, don't read this thread. I'm serious and am not being a jerk... this thread will indoctrinate you if you're not careful. You'll come to realize things about the writing, characters, art and so on that you would have never noticed, but once you see them, you can't stop thinking about them.

Basically, if you enjoy the comic, please continue enjoying it and don't let us ruin your fun. If, at some point, you find yourself scratching your head, dry heaving, or the like, remember that lambasting it here is still a way to enjoy it still. The sad fact is that while it would be nice to have an alternate opinion around these boards, we've all been burned by the comic, and to varying degrees we're all stubborn about our reasons for not liking it. Either way, good luck.
___________
Listen to Jerthanis here, for his words are distilled truth.


The Snarker Index

Here is an alphabetically sorted collection of all posters on these threads who posted when we made a call to see how many snarkers we have actually have around here. If you want your name added to the index as well, feel free to post your snarking details at any time.

The form for that is here:

Name:
Started Reading:
Joining GiTP Thread:
Starting Disposition:
Time to Convert:
Current Stance:

A very big thanks to Webox, who took the effort of going through the thread where we had our initial tally and copying out all the responses there out of it upon himself. :smallsmile:

Posters who, by their own declaration, are not snarkers (or at least still consider the comic to be good) are in blue. Considering the corruptive quality of these threads, it cannot be guaranteed this is still up to date at any given time. :smallwink:

A-J

Name: accountingninja
Started reading: From the beginning!
Joined GitP thread: Lurked a long time before jumping in just a few pages ago.
Starting disposition: I actually heard about DD from "Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad". I just had to see what rankled Solomon so. But in the beginning I didn't think it was THAT bad, except the puns, which I hate. So call me: Groaning a bit, but still engaged.
Time to convert (if applicable): During Battle of Barthis I began thinking, "This is stoopid!" But I may have been pre-biased because I'd already discovered this site.
Current stance: Oh, who could pass this up? It's just magnificently BAD! It's a GOLD MINE of laughs! I've always been an MST3K fan.

Name: AgentPaper
Started Reading: Heard about it a few years back, decided it wasn't worth reading at about strip #6 or so.
Joining GiTP Thread: Somehow found the strip slay thread a while back, around when the maltak arc started I think, and then had to go through an archive trawl to catch up.
Starting Disposition: Thought it was a worthless webcomic, didn't read it past the first few strips.
Time to Convert: As soon as I saw the strip slays, which were the first time I really got any enjoyment out of the comic. I didn't even start reading the comic until after I was a snarker, really.
Current Stance: Mostly bile fascination with the comic itself, as well as true fascination with the snarkers and the Domiverse we've built up over the years.

Name: Akedhi
Started Reading: I don't honestly remember. I think it was somewhere around the end of Battle for Barthis, because I remember reading through most of that in a sitting.
Joining Thread: Posted once during Shadows, and one other time during the vacation arc, but I read the thread daily after reading the comic.
Starting Disposition: I thought it was cute and kind of entertaining, and it made me smile. The orc rape storyline didn't bother me at first - even now, doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother a lot of people - because the situation could have been fascinating, if Mookie had handled it well. (Which, you know, he can't. So.)
Time to Convert: I think it was around the beginning of Snowsong, though I still hoped that Mookie might improve.
Current Stance: I've about given up on DD, but the thread is interesting enough to keep me reading.

Name: Aidan305
Started Reading: Battle for Barthis
Joining GiTP Thread: Same Time
Starting Disposition: Contentment
Time to Convert: First sighting of Aardvark, though hope was retained until Zombie Dex
Current Stance: Were it not for this thread I would have given up on DD long ago.

Name: Amazed
Started Reading: hmm, *strums lip* actually around the war in Hell stage
Joining GiTP Thread: I believe I started lurking around say the current arc, as we all know was a long time ago.
Starting Disposition: A fan more or less, but I was diddling around on here one day, and once I started reading the reads, I realized what everyone said was more or less right, and the plain crazy that is dominic deegan was revealed to me in one crashing moment
Time to Convert: Geez like a couple seconds after processing the thread, I think I was pretty much prepared to snark, I just wasnt really thinking about it, since at the most I was only a casual deegan fan
Current Stance:Snarker ready and willing

Name: Arakune former ryuan
Started Reading: Around Snowsong, don't remember now
Joining GiTP Thread: In the EPIC THREAD!
Starting Disposition: Neutral, I didn't know the comic existed
Time to Convert: When I finished all the archive. Oh.. boy, the supergreg...
Current Stance: A proud snarker.

Name: Artevoi
Started Reading: About the end of the dreaded "Snowsong" arc. (During the big exposition week).
Joining GitP thread: Started reading thread after I heard about it at TV Tropes. Just now started posting. (I think the comic was just before "World Tour" by then)
Starting Disposition: Meh.
Time to convert: I gave the comic a pass during my Archive Binge, Snowsong (I assumed Terracciano was trying to be funny), and Shadows (Bad breakup, I assumed) but drew the line during the Oracle Hunter arc (especially when the Dominus was "redeeming" the unrepentant murderer, just because she told a sob story that made no sense).
Current Stance: I read only for the snark at this point.

Name: averagejoe
Started Reading: I read from the first page. I think at the time the comic was at "Wrapped up and Returned." I dunno, I don't feel like checking. The most current comics were the ones where Szark (who is gay) was being accused of trying to turn his students gay.
Joining GitP thread: Lurked for awhile, but I was dissapointed to find actual fans and thought it would be kind of a jerk move if I just went in and was like, "This comic sucks, guys."
Starting Disposition: Curious, and somewhat fascinated. There was a lot I didn't like about it, but it was charming in its way, and somewhat exciting. (The Knight Vision strip still makes me laugh.)
Time to convert: It was more of a slow process, really. For example, I was bothered by the whole, "It's wrong to kill all people because then you might kill some people who are worth saving," philosophy present in the Storm of Souls, but this wasn't enough to push me over the edge, it just added to the pile, to mix metaphors. At the orc rape storyline, though, I knew I had to snark the strip. I knew there were probably people who thought this made a good or interesting story, and I knew it was my job, nay, my sacred duty to set them straight.
Current Stance: Still fascinated but getting increasingly irritated and bored with the comic.

Name: busterswd
Started reading: "Taggerty is an ******* part 1" storyline
Joined GitP thread: After Siegfried died
Starting disposition: Daily updates on a fantasy story with magic? Not a bad way to waste a minute or so.
Time to convert (if applicable): ...did he just justify raping a little girl...?
Current stance: "Let's see if there's any new strip slays... what are they talking about? Oh right, I didn't check for a new comic on the actual site yet."

Name: Clockwork Seal
Started reading: I can't give you a day at the moment. I started reading it when someone in my IRC channel shouted CURSE YOU RUNCIBLE SPOOOOOON! and linked it, which would give a rough estimate if I remembered when he showed up (IE it was a little bit past that point).
Joined GitP thread: During 'Shadows,' got linked to this thread (well, the then 200-something page mk2 thread) while *****ing about the comic in the very same IRC. Read thread. Registered Account. Joined in.
Starting disposition: I enjoyed it, mostly because of the puns and because it actually kept updating regularly. And it managed to not offend my sensibilities at every turn (often, but not EVERY turn).
Time to convert (if applicable): I was peeved when the comic kept going after SoS. Battle for Barthis was incredibly stupid, but not bad enough. Orc Rape was awful, but not enough. The War in Hell was a terrible arc with no redeeming qualities (It is actually the worst pre-supergreg full arc). Urban Eddie was a lot worse than Orc Rape (And a lot worse than Supergreg, too, but I'm not there yet), but Bumper actually managed to be the comic's first character during Two Thief so it was forgiven. Even Supergreg wasn't intolerable (though it was, of course, incredibly stupid.) Ultimately, it was this exact moment that I started to hate the comic a far as its ability to provide entertainment on its own merit. Terracciano had the best ending for an arc that he ever had two pages prior, and then used this awful setup to spend two weeks telling the reader what they already knew (because said ending actually revealed that Dommykins had said hand in everything), and only making the resolution look worse in the process.
Current stance: The comic is a waste of bandwidth, which is unfortunate, but the community that has sprung up around mocking it is wonderful.

Name: Colonelslime
Started Reading: Into the Woods (the one with the Dryad and Dirk the Mighty)
Joining GitP thread: When the Aardvark showed up, because I was so mad at Mookie's stupidity
Starting Disposition: I actually like it early on, though there were a few minor issues that bugged me.
Time to convert: I started getting miffed after the Storm of Souls. The Battle for Barthis seemed too silly and out of place, hated the Orc Rape sub-plot, and found the War in Hell extremnely melodramatic for something that would end up having almost no effect on the story. I actually kinda liked Two-Thief, Stunt and Bumper being my favorite characters. I only really started hating the comic (and lurking here) during Snowsong, not because of the Aardvark (though that sealed the deal), but because we found out that snowsongs big pain was that she was boo-ed off open mike night in some medieval comedy club. Also the cake thing. And how for the entire arc I was saying to myself "Mookie can't be going with a Superman parody here", only to have all my hopes crushed. Snowsong was pretty much one big draught of Snark for me.
Current Stance: I watch with a morbid fascination, thinking everyday,"no Mookie, you cannot possibly be doing this, 10 year-olds come up with more cohesive and thought-out narratives." And then he does... and I am filled with the urge to either laugh at the stupidity, cry that this can even pass for writing, or yell at my screen at the sheer god-awfulsness. Mookie's work excites my emotions in a way good stories rarely do. So I guess that soemthing in DD's favour.

Name: Cthclain
Started Reading: Battle of Barthis
Joined Thread: Followed since a little past Snowsong only joined in towards the end of the last.
Starting Disposition: Found it interesting, at least as passing entertainment
Time to Convert: Faltered with the End of Snowsong, switched entirely with Shadows
Current Stance: A failing B-movie level webcomic, it's still great snarking material (especially with this community) and because of this is still entertaining. Theoretically still has a chance to recover most of its ground, though it's unlikely.

Name: Death Dragon
Started Reading: Beginning of this arc. Maybe three weeks ago? A month?
Joined Thread: As soon as I was done with the archives.
Starting Disposition: Thought that it was pretty good, funny at best and not a waste of time at worst.
Time to Convert: Still a fan. YES, I come to the thread anyway. I can be a snarker and a fan!
Current Stance: Was a lot better before Aardvark showed up again, but I still like it, and would read it with or without the snarking.
Update: I might still be able to enjoy the comic without snarking, but testing that would mean not reading the thread for at least a month, and can you imagine how long it would take to catch up on all that?

Name: Deus_e_Machina
Started Reading: About three or four years ago? I don't recall exactly when, but I archive binged on my first go anyway.
Joining GitP thread: Started lurking in the Epic Thread. I don't quite remember where; somewhere in the early 100's. I went through the slowest archive binge ever to stay on the current comic as I read through all 100 pages. By the end, I was long since converted.
Starting Disposition: Somewhere between amicable and obsessive. Wait, towards the comic? I liked it - protagonist who uses cleverness and manipulation to do the hero schtick, without ever crossing the line on the manipulation to seem like an evil bastard instead of a chessmaster (at the time, mind).
Time to convert: Not far into reading the Epic Thread.
Current Stance: I love the snark community - the strip slays and this thread make reading the comic tons of fun.

Name: Domochevsky
Started Reading: Years ago
Joining GiTP Thread: After weeks of lurking and thinking that id never reach the end of the most current thread. Damn, you move fast.
Starting Disposition: When Teh Drama entered.
Time to Convert: I remember the exact strip when i stopped to read DD. It was when the planes of... Maltak was it, were done with the storms and everyone rushed in to find nearly everything was dead. Then blame started to get passed around again.
Current Stance: Neutral. Humor is what drew me to DD in the first place. Now humor is it again what draws me to it. Weird how these things work out sometimes. :smallamused:

Name: DoubleBlackbird
Started Reading: The one where Pam says she has to fire Garrit. But I actually starting reading the Strip Slays before reading Dominic Deegan proper, so I had known about the main characters for some time (I was actually surprised, once I convinced myself to read DD, to get to the Siegfried's Dead part of the story and find that his final speech was not 'Tell everyone my last word was... *lastword*').
Joining GiTP Thread: The one where Spark inexplicably hires a guide (but we do not know who it is). I guessed Stunt, but the correct answer was Hansi, putting me at 0% correct predictions (a figure comparable to Dominic's in recent weeks). Unfortunately the shame was so intense that I ran far away, never to be seen again. So you could say I only just joined the thread. hi every1, im new, wat is a 'supergerg'
Starting Disposition: Not applicable. I already knew it was going to be awful. I just didn't realise how awful.
Time to Convert: From 'non-reader' to 'snarker'? About as long as it took me to type in the URL.
Current Stance: It is a bad webcomic, but it is the best bad webcomic, and even though the current arc is ultra-boring, I can't and won't stop reading. Mookie's got himself a reader for life here.

Name: Elhana
Started Reading: I can't remember, but I've been reading it a couple of years at least. I'm pretty sure I started reading before Storm of Souls. I'd guess...somewhere around Ecstasy & Evil.
Joined GitP thread: Oh that's easy. I posted my first post in this thread...not that long ago. I lurked for like...a year. Maybe more. I just checked...I joined a year ago. Man, I am a profession lurker. Ok, I probably lurked for two years then. *cough* I only really started posting...um...a couple of weeks ago.
Starting Disposition: Well, when I first started reading I thought it was pretty good.
Time to convert: Probably a couple of years. Once I started reading this thread I think. The Aardvark was when I really started questioning why I read this comic...every day.
Current Stance: Sometimes I can't even stand to look at the comic. I dread looking at it knowing that I will read the comic and go "WHY! Mookie! WHY!" And yet I do it anyway. I think there is something wrong with me.

Name: EvilDMMk3
Started Reading: Late Oracle Hunter
Joining GiTP Thread: A while back, got really annoyed and gave up snarking during the "holiday of tedium" arc.
Starting Disposition: :smallyuk:
Time to Convert: 0.00002 seconds
Current Stance: :bigyuk:

Name: Face of Evil
Started Reading: Oracle Hunter arc
Starting Disposition: I'm an unusual case, because what actually got me into Dominic Deegan was reading the Strip Slays thread. I didn't understand the context, but I found a lot of the Slays were hilarious on their own. As such, I had some shockers like Siegfried's Dead and Melna Rape already spoiled for me when I finally started reading the comic. (I also thought Melna was a vampire and Dominic was secretly evil.) I felt that the comic in its early days was good, but I find the turning point is the introduction of Mama Deegan, whose amazing Deus ex Machina powers would rob the comic of a lot of its tension.
Current Stance: I'm mildly interested in seeing where DD is going, but mostly I'm just in it for the snarks.

Name: Falco
Started reading: Sometime before the Deegan Parents appeared.
Joined GitP thread: Right now. I figured I've been lurking long enough.
Starting disposition: A fan.
Time to convert (if applicable): Sometime during Storm of Souls after too many "Is he dead? Nope, I missed/it was an illusion!" moments. Got bored, then came back to it awhile ago thinking maybe it got better. How wrong I was...
Current stance: Morbid curiosity, and this thread is funnier than the comic *ever* was.

Name: Friv
Started Reading: Mob Mentality, I think
Joining GiTP Thread: Really not sure. Class Action-ish?
Starting Disposition: Thought it was a lot of fun
Time to Convert: Two Thief or Not To Thief (yeah, my optimism survived the War in Hell)
Current Stance: It's so beautifully awful.

Name: Frogwarrior
Started Reading: A long time ago... best I can figure is the "Evil and Ecstasy" arc or thereabouts... dang it's been a while
Starting Disposition: Favorable. It had some obvious flaws from the start, and I would not have let anyone else see that I read it, but I was able to wave them aside as forgiveable errors.
Said errors compounded and multiplied, and my appreciation waned, as Dominic and crew turned from barely powerful (ooh, I can find your keys!) to godlike (I can rape you WITH MY MIND! And my brother is Superman! And my dad is a powerful swordsman who negotiated some important orc thing, and my mom is an archmage!). Yet even that wasn't enough to get me to admit that it sucked.
Time to Convert: Happened at about the Snowsong or Shadow of Siegfried arc. By then, I had kinda lost excitement about DD, even to the point of forgetting to check it often (this was before I gave in and put my favorite comics in bookmarks). But at about that time, I read John Solomon's absolutely brutal saving of Mookie's work. It broke down the inappropriate walls in my brain, punching my esteem for DD in the balls, guiding me to the truth: DD sucks.
Current stance: Even some of the arcs that sucked were fun to read. That was long in the past. There is nothing about it that I enjoy other than mocking it and making slays. And yet... I can't stop reading... not just because it's fun to mock, but because I actually want to see what happens in the story. I hate myself.

Name: Snoogums, you stooge. (Ganurath)
Started Reading: Snowsong's stomach rumbling.
Joining Thread: Some point in the epic-ness of the first thread.
Starting Disposition: Some points of moral inconsistency, and... What the fork have you done to my orcs, Mookie?!
Time to Convert: Nevrmore was my first exposure to other people's opinions. Parts of me die inside when he talks for a different reason now, but he really killed it for me.
Current Stance: Word of God says he'll be ending it soon. Let there be much rejoicing.

Name: I'm Batman. (Gez)
Started Reading: I think it was during the Battles for Barthis arc.
Joining Thread: Page 40 of the first thread.
Starting Disposition: At first it was "okay, a very D&Dish webcomic, let see what ideas I can mine from it." I liked Acibek's Principle, or at least the idea of having wizards giving their names to principles of magic rather than just to a few spells, à la "Mordenkainen's Magnificient Mansion".
... I think that was the only idea I thought was worthy of being taken, though.
Time to Convert: It was a gradual process. I never thought it was a great comic, but I saw potential in it. For a long time I cut Mookie some slack: "okay, this is bad but it can be justified this way". Eventually, though, I had the Revelation: what Mookie was really trying to do was an Encyclopedia of Failure in webcomic form. This gave me a new appreciation for the comic and the amount of thought and work put behind. Mookie will explore, with an admirable and painstaking meticulous devotion, each and every way to sabotage his webcomic. At least, the non-meta ones: he hasn't pulled crap such as surprise hiatus, access restricted to only paying readers, and other such silliness.
Current Stance: Eager to see how long Mookie can manage to sink his webcomic ever further without making it really awful (like some other comics I don't even want to talk about).

Name: HellfireLover
Started Reading: DD was one of the first webcomics I discovered. I started reading it when Luna was the current arc. So Yeah.
Joining GiTP Thread: Lurked since the Epic Thread, joining now.
Starting Disposition: Hmm, the art is pretty weak, but the premise is promising.
Time to Convert: Started having doubts at Storm of Souls. Champion of Balance? Laaaaaaame. Converted at Battle for Barthis. Medieval fantasy rock benefit concert was the clincher. Gave up reading in disgust. Now read only for teh snarkz (not to be confused with Gay Szark the Gay man who is Gay, oh did I mention he is Gay?)
Current Stance: Learning the way of the Snark and longing to snatch the idea whole-cloth off'f Mookie and do it properly. :smallannoyed:

Name: Hell Puppi
Started Reading: Around the start of the second GiTP thread, I decided to slog though DD to see what it was all about
Joining GiTP Thread: Somewhere near the middle of the second thread after I had finished my archive trawl
Starting Disposition: Interested
Time to Convert: When I got to the part where Siggy was beating on Dom and NO ONE HELPED. No, not even the healer/cleric girl. I noticed from that point on that pretty much everyone was a jerk.
Current Stance: I haven't read DD in months and there would be no force on earth that could make me...aside from my desire to snark. And my hope that at some point Dom gets eaten.

Name: High-chancellor (One of many!)
Started Reading: Round abouts Erossus I think, actually. shortly before or after.
Joining GitP thread: First thread baby, yeeeeeaaaah. *random other punk elitist stupid stuff*
Starting Disposition: First started... I was mostly bored, and was amused before... well... it seems to me the stupidity of DD is like one of those poisons that builds up over time, in the beginning. Both in the way that it's gradual so I didn't notice it till it was bothering me, and in the way that low levels accumulated to drive me insane. I always had a sort of love-hate relationship. (Well, after it started trying to take itself seriously with this "plot" nonsense. I'm looking at YOU "chosen of balance". I think I'd seen that coming from so far away it hit me in the back of the head and gave me a savage headache.)
Time to convert: Truly converted... combination of Szarks flanderization as a flamboyant gay who was in love with dommie-chan, YES the orc rapesez, aaaand... Mookie. Srsly.
Current Stance: Really, I find the comic to be the literary form of a train wreck involving one freight train full of rubber chickens and perhaps a secret military unmanned spyplane. One really feels like he should stop watching it, but he just can't! It's at the same time monstrous, bizarre, and strangely entertaining in a horrific way.

Name: Humbug
Started Reading: 2 years ago, when the Neilen arc started.
Joining GiTP Thread:Some time later, it was because the Comicgenesis snark thread got closed and I eventually stumbled onto this one.
Starting Disposition:I thought the earlier parts of DD were okay, I was indifferent to the Orc Rape arc at first, but the comic really started getting bad for me after the Thief to Thief arc.
Time to Convert:From the beginning when the Comicgenesis thread was started, that's what got me reading DD in the first place.
Current Stance: Mookie obviously breaks all the writing rules, but the greatest offender to me is how he handles his artwork, awful anatomy, boring composition, hardly improving after 5 years, etc.

Name: h_v
Started Reading: About halfway through 'Two Thief or not Two Thief' after mention on Websnark.
Joined GitP thread: About halfway through the 'Class Action' storyline, I think. It was a while ago, so I'm not too clear on the details.
Starting Disposition: Thought it was a little unsubtle, but overall positive.
Time to convert: Opinion started to turn two thirds of the way through 'Class Action', 'Snowsong' put the nail in the coffin.
Current stance: Ironically, I'm reading it far more regularly for snarkage than I ever did when I semi-liked it. I don't post as often as I should, but I always keep up to date on the thread.

Name: Ichini Sanshigo
Started Reading: Started during the Vacation Arc, but i went back through the archives before I started on the current strips. I was releuctant to start because it looked tacky compared to other webcomics, like crap I doodled in my notebook during Trig class.
Joined GitP Thread: I actually found out about the comic through TV Tropes. I think it was in the "So Bad it's Horrible" webcomic section. For some reason I love bad media ("Earth: Final Conflict" comes to mind), so I bookmarked the comic and said I'd get around to it. After slogging through Mookie's awfulness, I decided to look for a place to snark. I noticed that TV Tropes has a lot of references to GitP comics, so I checked out the forum here and lo and behold, the Dominic Deegan thread was a shiny beacon unto snark.
Starting Disposition: From the get-go I realized that this comic was at best mediocre. To me at least, it was never very funny. Everything about it was weak: weak jokes, weak dialogue, weak characterization, weak setting, lame plot... but I figured it might improve. I was wrong.
To be absolutely honest, I agree with many of the criticisms of that dude from Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad. He's kind of a jerk, and his reviews are often marred by needless ad hominems and a tendency to take some scenes out of context, but he was right on the mark with Dominic Deegan.
Time to Convert: Like, when I first started reading.
Current Stance: The only reason I read the comic is for this thread.

Name: InkEyes
Started Reading: I started reading during the Shadow of Siegfried arc, thanks to this site.
Joining GitP thread: I was browsing this site one day and I noticed the epic thread here and I had to find out what could create such a thread. I lurked for a few pages before doing a short archive binge and jumping in the epic thread around halfway through it.
Starting Disposition: The comic as a whole isn't really my cup of tea. The psuedo-anime art and the rather forced humor overrode the story-driven aspects of the comic that I would normally be drawn to.
Time to convert: Right off the bat I didn't think the comic was great, but this thread has helped me realize that there is just so much more to it. I don't hate the comic, in fact I'd probably be completely indifferent towards it if I hadn't found this place, and I've always felt the mockery was all in good fun.
Current Stance: My opinion is that, overall, the comic isn't immensely terrible, but I don't think there's much more that can be done to 'fix' the comic short of starting a new one taking into account the lessons learned from this one. When Mookie pulls out comics that really bother me, then it can get my bile going, but most of the time I think he's just an okay guy who's really bad at articulating his point in any sort of graphic or written medium. It's a shame given the following he was able to create with his minimal skills, I think the comic had the potential to be good if Mookie had tried different things more often and taken time to improve himself.

Name: Jahkaivah
Started Reading: Think it was when Milov was in the Werewolf place thingy.
Joining GiTP Thread: I started reading this thread during Oracle Hunter Arc, I made my first post during the Vacation Arc.
Starting Disposition: I liked the old grumpy kickass Dominic and how his only strength was second sight, also enjoyed that it was very humble in its scope.... yeah
Time to Convert: Dominic's trademark character writing bothered me right from the begining but I lost all interest in the plot during Storm of Souls when random characters were suddenly being told they were a chosen one and stupid villains was sprouting out of every orifice. I read the whole comic ignoring the stupidities, including that one, simply put as soon as I read this thread and realised how much fun snarking Dominic Deegan was I swtiched.
Current Stance: Bloody awful writing, poorly done art, and thats why I love it.
PS: I just noticed that I refered to Mookie as Dominic, I think that is so perfect I am not going to change it

Name: Jayngfet
Started Reading: About a year ago
Joining GitP thread: Two days later
Starting Disposition: I wondered what J Soloman was complaining about, loved it for a bit.
Time to convert: A week and a half.
Current Stance: I like some of the stranger ideas(medieval rock concert? Awesome), and some of the overlooked bits mookie go right, but I stay to work on dominoligy and point out details missed by everyone else.

Name: Jerthanis
Started Reading: Middle of Battle for Barthis
Joining GitP thread: I actually started a Dominic Deegan thread sometime around the middle of War in Hell, it went about 16 posts and died out. It was mildly praiseful towards the comic. I've been around these threads since before they became snark threads.
Starting Disposition: I liked it a lot at first. Clever writing made a nonstandard hero archetype really successful I thought, and while nothing after Storm of Souls really quite clicked as anything before, I maintained hope.
Time to convert: .035 seconds after seeing this That was when I knew for sure it was never going to be good again.
Current Stance: The comic is infested, infected with suck. Right now it's circling the drain, winding down towards oblivion, collapsing in upon itself. The only thing left to do is watch in pity as it gasps its last. Meanwhile we get to commiserate and share a laugh, like we're attending a loved one's funeral and we're telling embarrassing stories about them.

Name: Johnny Blade
Started Reading: I found the comic through the epic thread, when The Shadow Of Siegfried was about to end, and, since the thread had more than 100 pages at this time, went on an archive binge to see what it was all about.
Joining Thread: During Endings And Annoyances, after I posted my first strip slay. I lurked for some time before, however.
Starting Disposition: There were some things I disliked, but Spark, as well as Stunt and Bumper, made up for it. And The Curse was actually great.
Time to Convert: When Luna appeared, I realized that, from then on, Dominic Deegan wouldn't be a comic I could ever like. After that, it got gradually worse, but it wasn't until Storm of Souls started that I found the comic actually bad.
Current Stance: I love the comic's hilarious badness, as well as this thread and our mini-community here. Granted, the comic is boring sometimes, but Domiology carries me through those periods.

Name: Joro
Started Reading: Around the end of the Vacation Arc, I believe.
Joining GiTP Thread: Now! (February '09)
Starting Disposition: I was vaguely aware of the existence of Dominic Deegan through webcomic cultural osmosis, but I never actually knew any specifics until I read the Your Webcomic is Bad writeup. This prejudiced me unfairly against it at the start. Next, I discovered the strip-slay thread here, which was awesome enough to make me abandon my blind dislike in favor of a healthier, snarky appreciation. I read the entire archive just to properly enjoy all the happy-fun snarking.
Current Stance: I mentally maintain a long list of things not to do unthinkingly in my own writing, and Dominic Deegan is endlessly helpful.

[Johnny Blade]

K-Q
Name: Kaisuteknon
Started Reading: Right from the beginning.
Joining GiTP Thread: I've been a lurker here for a few months before deciding to join in
Starting Disposition: When I started reading this comic I actually enjoyed it. It definitely wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it was still delightfully campy and even amusing.
Time to Convert: I can't quite remember, but the rock concert and the thing known to some as The Aardvark was definitely amongst the deciding factors
Current Stance: Everything about Dominic Deegan truly fascinates me. Never in my life have I seen something that manages to be constantly appalling that it inspires mockeries and snarkdom of the highest degree. It would be a great honor were I to be accepted within this prestigious league of snarkers.

Name: Kasrkin
Started Reading: Late Snowsong Period (i.e. The Aardvark apocalypse)
Joined Thread: Pretty Recently. Vacation Arc, I think.
Starting Disposition: !?!
Time to Convert: Almost immediately.
Current Stance: The aberrancy of FATAL combined with the ineptness and general lameness of Ishtar. Fun to riff, though.

Name: Khosan
Started Reading: Way, way back. I think some time around Visions of Doom when they arrived in Barthis.
Joining GitP thread: I think I was here as early as the first thread, but I didn't start posting until the second.
Starting Disposition: I was...13 or 14 at the time. I thought it was pretty good, considering I really didn't have much concept of what was good writing/art.
Time to convert: Second thread or Supergreg. Whichever came first. It was a pretty slow and gradual decent that started around Storm of Souls. The "Tension! YOINK! Nope!" (Luna cringing away from her death in panel 8 one day, eyes open looking confused panel one the next day) deal bothered me. I suppose that's when I caught on to the characters being Mary Sues and being surrounded by ultra-plot armor. Supergreg was the real killer though. Up until then, it had been my line of thinking that the quality wasn't quite how I remembered it and maybe the comic was just in a slump after the Epic Hijinx™. Then I saw Supergreg and his Superbulge and any hopes went out the window.
Current Stance: Tenuous. The comic manages to hit such depths of bad now that not even snarking can make me look forward to reading it. The vacation arc and the mindbreak arc in particular broke my spirit.

Name: KillerSquid
Started Reading: Vacation Arc. I didn't like it, but found the thread and loved snarking.
Joining thread: The second thread, near the end, too many pages to remember.
Starting Disposition: Disliked the later comics, but reread quite a bit of the earlier ones, and found a charm, if lacking in artwork.
Time to convert: Started as a snarker.
Current Stance: Pessimistic of Mookie's writing future, optimistic for snarking.

Name: Kizor
Started Reading: Way back during the early Shadows of Doom. I've been around long enough to write some of the tropes that are often mentioned here. I can also shoot a laser from my mouth and bend girders.
Joining GitP thread: During the Vacation Arc.
Starting Disposition: I loved the comic! The idea of a mage protagonist without the fireballs was one of those great, fresh inventions that are only obvious in retrospect. Dominic Deegan was a seriously underpowered character who got by with creativity and good thinking, not the ability to rend threats out of reality with mageeeek. His foresight was a vague aid to a more important tool, his intellect. I didn't think of this at the time, but a cynical misanthrope forced to be a puppet-master fit like a glove where a straightforward hero would've been (and now is) repulsive. The plot was interesting. The puns were truly atrocious. I was a forum member. I filked. I'm not a native English-speaker, so the results were unspeakable.
...Brett's now inside-out - goin' to Elemecca...
Time to convert: I'm easy to please with entertainment. The Storm of Souls was neat, though the comic could've explained what it actually does. Medieval rock concert? Sure, it's silly fun and characters I like are really enjoying themselves. Orc rape? A honest attempt to tackle difficult themes that didn't work out. All doubts I had and more were abruptly confirmed on the day of the Aardvark.
Current Stance: I don't hate the comic or its author. That's silly. I simply wouldn't be able to enjoy it anymore. Because of that, I find the Strip Slays - and to a lesser extent, this thread - to be genuinely funny, not lol-funny as is too common on the Internet or even, Heaven help us, lulz-funny. I like hanging out here. From time to time the discussion gets too hostile or mean towards Mookie, and I wonder if the strip is genuinely bad after all, but then we receive a He-Dom or a Dulk or wondrously resurrecting/legless Dex, and I abandon those thoughts in good conscience.

Name: kukn
Started Reading: At the first coming of the dread Aardvark. I actually started reading because I wanted to see what was so funny about the Strip Slays.
Joining GitP thread: Sometime during the epic thread (Mk. II), towards the start of it. I wanted to see what other people thought about DD, I was quite eager myself at that time I admit. Don't post much, only flit through the comments, as I don't have much time.
Starting Disposition: Well... I read through the whole archive in three days. I really enjoyed it the whole way through, I liked the original and non-cliché characters (a weak, grumpy, smoking seer; a wise-cracking cat; a disabled youngster capable only of healing others; a kick-ass evil necromancer brother; and the rest of the cast tbh, including Dom's parents, Siegfried, Luna, Stunt and Bumper, Szark)
Time to convert: After catching up with the Snowsong arc (then nearing the end), I still liked the strip. I continued to generally enjoy for its own merits, though starting to see its flaws, until around the start of Shadow of Siegfried, about here. From then on it's been downhill.
Current Stance: Somewhat sickened, in a bored and 'meh' kind of way. I personally haven't considered a single strip to be good since the plot and character depravity of Shadow started. Not single one (maybe a few have been just about okay, but that's it).

Name: Kyeudo
Started Reading: Shadow of Sigfried
Joined Thread: Two Thief or not Two Thief
Starting Disposition: Not impressed, but tolerable.
Time to Convert: Shortly after joining this thread.
Current Stance: Mookie could make this comic a masterpiece dispite his bad art, but he won't. There are so many wonderful possibilities in his characters, even the Aardvaark, that could be used, but he just doesn't seem to care enough anymore.

Name: Lenlalron.
Started Reading: Summer of 07. I think that was Snowsong. I'm pretty sure I heard about DD from this thread, but never really read the snark until now.
Joining Thread: I totally forget. Sometime in the first thread, though.
Starting Disposition: It's decent. The daily update makes it a daily checker for me, which is great since most of my comics are MWF or alternate days of that sort.
Time to Convert: Pretty sure when I finally read snowsong. (it took me awhile to archive binge!).
Current Stance: What hilarious mishaps in webcomicery do you have for us next, Mookie?

Name: Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins
Started Reading: Uh, wow. Damned if I know. Probably somewhere in the War in Hell. I always read archives obsessively before I read the newer stuff.
Joining Thread: Late first thread. I'd lurked a bit before that. I also made particualrily embarrassing comments in the later threads (turns out I'm someone who would say "Abrakaboom").
Starting Disposition: I liked it.
Time to Convert: Shortly after joining this(ese) thread(s). It was a long time ago.
Current Stance: I'm hear for the snark, dudes.

Name: Lord_Khaine
Started Reading: actualy not quite sure about that, belive it was around the end of the Storm of souls arc.
Joining GiTP Thread: I Made a few random comments before, but it belive its only around MK XV that i startet making regular comments.
Starting Disposition: I thought it was a decent comic, and i actualy liked Dominic, thought i still though the rest of his family was more interesting (especaly Gregory, Jacob and Donovan, you can keep the mother)
Time to Convert: Been lurking around since MK X or so, still havent managet to convert.
Current Stance: Less Than Proud Defender of Dominic Deegan, Oracle for Hire!!!
That aside, Dominic is a manipulative bastard, but i still like the rest of the family (you can still keep the mother)

Name: Just look to the left of my message to figure it out! Er, my name isn't "Just look to the left of my message to figure it out!" I mean you should look to the left of my message to figure it out.(Lord Seth)
Started Reading: During Shadow of Sigfried. I'm pretty sure that I started reading when this was the newest strip. I went through the archives really fast.
Joining GitP thread: Hrm, I read it a bit during Shadow of Sigfried, but I think I don't think I really posted until Oracle Hunter.
Starting Disposition: Thought the comic was pretty good. As dumb as it was, I still thought Supergreg was sort of funny, and while the orc rape was ineptly written, Mookie at least seemed to recognize that people hated it and quietly ended it. I really did like the strip, and was puzzled as to why so many people seemed to hate it...
Time to convert: I was wavering during Oracle Hunter; there were some good spots, but they were always followed by bad spots. I think I "converted" soon after He-Dom.
Current Stance: Deegan used to be a good comic, and we still on occasion get peeks of its former glory. But it's fallen horribly. Rather than trying to fix the problems the comic had (overuse of bolding, cheek teeth, etc.) Mookie now seems determined to top himself in badness in every arc. I'd say it's been declining ever since Storm of Souls ended. The only thing Mookie can do at this point to salvage it is to transplant his mind to when the comic was good, then bring up the lingering plot points (Jacob, for example) and use them all in an epic, climactic final arc. Then take a break, get his writing skills back to what they used to be (I'd say get them better than that, but one step at a time) and get his drawing better so we don't have the cheek teeth. If he wants to keep going with the Deeganverse, maybe he can make a new main character and relegate Deegan to Obi-Wan status.

Name: Lowkey Lyesmith
Started Reading: somewhere around the Visions of doom arc. But I always read comics from the beginning so not quite sure. But somewhere around there.
Joining Thread: During Oracle hunter, a friend( Doompuppi) told me about it.
Starting Disposition: Liked it. It was a funny story with some good drama.
Time to Convert: I found it irritating how big guys were always stupid and violent jocks. I'm big, I do like some sports, but I don't beat people up and I try to solve problems with my brain.
The time of convertion is hard to place. But the first time I got angry was this http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-03-01
Reason? Why must he be the champion of balance? The strip before had Klo tark saying that he was'nt the champion of law. I was happy then, wondering, who could it be?
After that, I disliked Dominic and around Snowsong, I got enough.
Current Stance: Hmm, I find myself hoping at times. But to be honest, the snarking is better then the comic ever was.

Name: MacPuck
Started Reading: Two Thief
Joining GiTP Thread: Tail end of XIII
Starting Disposition: Not too bad, but the Keenspot slays were much more fun.
Time to Convert: SNOWSONG. Didn't look back at the site until, curse my timing, Oracle Hunter.
Current Stance: Pretty firmly on the snark side.

Name: Magnax
Started Reading: Partway through Storm of Souls.
Joining GitP thread: Around this time last year, though I lurk a lot more than I post.
Starting Disposition: This used to be one of my favorite webcomics.
Time to convert: Around War in Hell the comic started going downhill for me. Then I read John Solomon's blog, and while my initial reaction to it was unfavorable, I realized he had a few good points. The Snowsong arc finally clued me in to how bad the comic really was.
Current Stance: I read it to see if Mookie can somehow recover this train-wreck of a comic, but usually I'm just amused at the new ways he finds to screw up and offend people.

Name: Mauve Shirt
Started Reading: War in Hell
Joined the thread: In the middle of the epic thread, during the Oracle Hunter arc.
Starting Disposition: I really loved the comic up through the War in Hell, and I had no problem with the following arcs until I started reading this thread and realized you all were right.
Current Stance: I keep up with it for the purposes of following this thread. I have no problem with the arcs up until the end of War in Hell.

Name: MeklorIlavator
Started Reading: Around the start of the First Thread? I don't really remember, and it could have been a bit later, maybe in the next January or February. In any case I read it over the course of 3 days(one reason that I thought it was really good as long as I did, as you miss alot when reading it that fast).
Joined Thread: First post was in the Original thread, during a discussion about how the words species/races applies to fantasy worlds, though I had been a lurker for some time in that thread.
Starting Disposition:
Time to Convert: I forget. I know that I was originally a fan and supported some of the Defences put forward in that thread, but I know that at the very latest I had changed my mind in the early parts of the Legendary thread.
Current Stance: (For very different reasons. Mainly, MST3K value)

Name: Mewtarthio
Started Reading: Archived binged up through "War in Hell," which was the limit of the archives at the time. I did not continue to follow the comic, however, until reading the giantitp Strip Slays thread, at which point I archive binged again and got up to around the end of the Nielen arc.
Joined GitP thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...32#post2274832
Note that this is several days after I posted my first Strip Slay. I only joined the main thread because I was already reading the comic and wanted to... "discuss" it.
Starting Disposition: My first post says it all, really. I thought everything before Storm of Souls was decent. Storm of Souls itself made Dominic a bit Mary Sueish (I didn't know the term "Mary Sue" at the time, but I immediately thought of that arc once I learned it), particularly given that magical blasty powers seem a bit incongruous on a seer.
Time to convert: I did not deem the comic worthy of a single minute of my attention each day after the archive binge. The thread actually had to convert me from the other direction: In fact, I nearly quit the thread entirely following the Snowsong debacle. Morbid curiosity drew me back to the comic, and then the snarking began in earnest on the main thread.
Current Stance: Dominic Deegan died long ago. At this point, Mookie is simply churning out comics because he feels like he has to.

Name: Minion992929
Started Reading: Midway March across Maltak:
Joining thread: Immesurable speed that disproves physics.
Starting Disposition: Disbelief - (i.e Nothing can be that bad...)
Time to convert: Ten minutes before I started reading
Current stance: Resigned, but I rant about it because misery loves company (as you all no doubt agree.)

Name: M0rt
Started reading: Around the end of Snowsong arc.
Joining thread: Shortly after starting to read the comic, after finishing Battle of Barthis arc.
Starting disposition: First, I thought it was mildly amusing. Then, I deemed it mediocere. After Snowsong, the slippery slope to the snarking was short.
Time to convert: See above. When I started reading, the comic was already in its mind-numbingly bad status.
Current stance: Morbid curiosity that can be compared to pushing the red buttons with warnings over them or reading Necronomicon to see if there are pictures inside.

Name: MReav
Started Reading: Forget when... before the Battle of Barthis I think.
Joining GitP thread: Shortly after Oracle Hunter, but more because I started perusing the GitP boards more.
Starting Disposition: Interested because of the constant updates and overall cuteness of the series.
Time to convert: Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad planted a few seeds of doubt, but the SuperGreg plotline definitely threw this into guilty pleasure, mostly because I tried to not to think about the rape storyline.
Current Stance: I enjoy the Strip Slays more than the actual strip, but I still have respect for Mookie because he makes a comic consistently. That doesn't make him immune to criticism, his world building is atrocious, some of the swerves make me want to head bash a wall, the stereotypes that permeate are outright offensive at times, but it's got a small amount of charm that doesn't make me drop it.

Name: Mr. Scaly
Started reading: Midway through the vacation arc, though I began with an archive binge.
Joined GitP thread: Late into the Vacation arc, mostly through random forum surfing for interesting topic. Saw the massive amount of posts and took a look see.
Starting Disposition: Interested. Had seen a lot of references to DD in TVtropes and was looking for a new webcomic to read so I thought I'd take a look. Was pleasantly surprised at how the early humour kept making me laugh and the interesting plot lines, and enjoyed the continuing story arcs.
Time to convert: Haven't yet (and probably won't) but first started getting ill during the "Snowsong arc." I liked most of it but The Abomination's first appearance and undeniable proof that Dominic is a manipulative bastard, if not an anti-hero.
Current stance: Have honestly enjoyed most of the most recent arcs (though Dominic in a loincloth is scary as Hell...) The orc rape didn't phase me, the vacation arc was interesting and I'm willing to give Mookie the benefit of the doubt on most of his goofs. It's in this most recent 'death to all' arc that's making me bitter and resentful...turning Celesto into a jerkass, TIM into a pansy, Gregory into a comic book superhero with no personality and Dex and Rachael into mindless drones.

Name: Mr. Silver
Started Reading:First began my archive Binge towards the end of Two Thieves. Predates my joining this forum by a fair while.
Joining GiTP Thread:Misery loves company?:smallwink:
I'd kind of given up on DD before I stumbled upon this forum and the thread. The mentioning of Snowsong in it re-awakened my curiosity and I went back to the archives. As a result, I felt an overpowering urge to take the piss as a form of cathartic recovery for the 'saving' of my senses the re-exposure had inflicted. So I signed-up. Rest, as they say, is history.
Starting Disposition: Ooo, big archive. Seems interesting anyway, if the artwork is a bit poor I'll give it a go.
Time to Convert:Don't think conversion is quite the right word on account of the whole finding there before here. I guess my first misgivings started with the death of Amelia way back in Ecstacy and Evil and started to grow from then on. Finally went past the point of no return into outright hatred with The War in Hell for the huge character derailment, the rape etc.
Current Stance: Drift back in and out depending on how busy/bored I am and/or my tolerance levels for mindbreakingly bad comicry (is that a word? It should be). My actual relations to this thread are somewhat linked towards my interests in the rest of the GITP forums (sometimes inversely, for some reason).

Name: Myrdhale
Started Reading: End of the Soul of Storms arc, But I went through the archives first.
Joining GiTP Thread: Lurked During the war in hell, actively joined at the unholy sight of the Aardvark. I have yet to forgive Mookie for the Terror seeing it caused.
Starting Disposition:I genuinely enjoyed DD during the first few arcs. I was a little put off by the erossus arc; the overly sexual jokes, in really childish ways, struck me really as a very immature attempt to make a comic 'more adult'. But I went with it, and had a great time right up until the Battle for Barthis.
Time to Convert: Started having my doubts right after the Storm of souls, but only truly began doubting at the Snowsong arc. From there on in, its just kept getting worse.
Current Stance: Morbid Fascination. I have some aspirations of writing a webcomic and novel, so I also take Mookie as a cautionary tale. Not just his writing and story, but his disposition towards fans and critiques. I'm sure he's a very nice person, but as an Artist, he is everything I wish to avoid. So at least he serves some purpose.

Name: Neoriceisgood
Started reading: Somewhere around the Battle for Barthis
Joined GitP thread: Around last week I was reading Dominic Deegan, and suddenly the question popped up; "why am I reading this?"
Realising that I was only reading it because it was like a bad B movie, I suddenly realised that I had absolutely no excuse to read this comic unless I actually knew people I could bitch at about how hilariously contrived this comic is.
The next thing I did was googling "Dominic Deegan + Terrible" to see if I could find any place dedicated to active bitching, and one of the top results was the current active thread on giantitp.
As I was already registered I made it my new DD place for bi-snarking.
Time to convert (if applicable): Hard to say, I started reading Dominic Deegan based on one of my general rules by just looking at a few facts.
1. is it readable? - yes
2. does it update often enough to be worth bookmarking? - yes
3. is the last comic updated something I'd read? - yes
4. is the first comic posted "clean" enough to bother reading a few pages of it? - yes
5. [if the art is subpar] is the improvement from the first to the last page significant enough to expect the comic to move into the realm of comics with actual good art? - yes
I never really saw DD as a great or ingenious comic art/story and dialogue wise, but it passed a few of the basic rules that make reading a comic okay for me, I became a "snarker" during the holiday arc, as it triggered my inner conscious asking me why I was still reading it to begin with.
It's not that the comic wasn't bad before that moment, but it was more a calm collected realisation that the comic's "improvement" hardly went in the right direction, It just made me realise I honestly shouldn't expect it to ever get any better, and allowed me to realise that I'd have to settle with humouring myself by the notion of how bad it was.
Current stance: As said before, It's like watching some sort of bad B movie, I managed to salvage the fact that it wouldn't become good by fully embracing how terrible it'll always be, and in that will glorify each and every step the comic makes in it's negative spiral of being terrible.
Right now I'm completely indifferent about where the comic will go, if it improves I may regain some respect for it once more, though this path seems unlikely, if it stays bad I'll be actively laughing at it from the comfortable boundaries of this thread.

Name: Nerd-o-rama
Started Reading: Battle for Barthis, just before the concert
Joined Giantitp thread: around that time. I think the thread might have been how I found it, actually...
Starting Disposition: Enjoyed it, thought it was cute and clever during archive binge. Thought it lost something after the Storm of Souls climax, but figured it'd get it back. Neeewp.
Time to Convert: I think orc rape did it fully, so a couple months.
Current Stance: A genius of badness, but not something I read every day, even just to mock it.

Name: Ninja_penguin
Started reading: First Errosus arc, I think
Joined GitP thread: Difficult to pinpoint. I did a significant amount of lurking.
Starting Disposition: Was okay, I'm a bit of a webcomic junkie, and something that updated daily and wasn't lame pixel art worked for me
Time to convert (if applicable): When Klo Tark couldn't stay dead. or alive again, either, during the War in Hell arc. I really liked Klo Tark as a character the first time around, and thought that he had a good run. Bringing him back was iffy, but I was hoping that he was actually some sort of angelic version of an infernomancer, empowering the human form that we'd originally seen. He pointless re-death by Siggy, and the equally pointless death of Siggy directly afterwards tore it for me.
Current stance: I read to keep up with the strip slays. if not for that, it'd have dropped off my radar long ago. I still miss the updates randomly as it is.

Name: nooblade
Started Reading: ~Oracle Hunter
Joining GitP thread: Sometime around then. Actually read strip slays first, then went to comic, then these series of threads.
Starting Disposition: The first ones (up to the sixth comic?) were great. Just like the strip slays, short and witty. Then the plot started to creep in behind my nerves (actually, plot kicked down Dominic's door, and I kinda laughed, but looking back, all I have to say is that that was a miserable day). I also resented the way the upper castes got so much attention when they aren't even funny half the time, it'd be more funny if we saw random people in action too for some pun-age for no good reason. Before I knew it, I went through the whole archives, thinking only about strip slays and hoping to find some more of the funny stuff...
So I dunno what to call it. Expectant, you might say.
Time to convert: Instantaneous
Current Stance: Now I think I'm done. There's nothing more to talk about, no new brilliantly witty jokes to make, really. Making fun of the art would be beating a dead horse. Expounding on character development would be dull, since I've lost respect for any of them long ago. And the fifth caste is dying out. It's so sad.

Name: Oracle_Hunter
Started reading: The beginning of "Shadows" though I Archive Binged before reading the current comics
Joined GitP thread: Around the same time I joined the GitP forum I had been lurking briefly, and was unsure of a good handle when Winterwind popped a link to the then-unresolved "Oracle Hunter" Arc, which tickled my sense of irony. Oh, specifically in Thread II, Page 46.
Starting Disposition: I was fascinated by Mookie's guileless application of Tropes, and while I could see that the comic was weak in many places, it certainly seemed better than some of the other comics I've read.
Time to convert (if applicable): "Snowsong" was pretty dumb, but to be honest it wasn't until Jayden was derailed in "Shadows" that I was truly outraged by Mookie.
Current stance: I've become increasingly embittered since the Derailment of Jayden. I still have fun with the snarking, but since "The Neverending Arc" it hasn't been as pure a joy. Mookie is finally getting to me.

Name: PaladinFreak
Started reading: Around the beginning of the Oracle Hunter arc
Joined GitP thread: Almost as soon as I started reading. I mostly just lurk though.
Starting Disposition: I found it moderatly funny in the beginning, and liked Storm of Souls, but started WTFing around War in Hell.
Time to convert (if applicable): Very little.
Current stance: I read the strip to keep up with the thread. I lurk, lurk, lurk. Every so often I'll jump in.

Name: Simon/Darth Graphite (Paragraph)
Started Reading: Vacation arc was well underway , and I saw the latest page (something with Hobgoblins, I think) at a friend's at sunday. I remembered seeing a DD thread in the forums, so I told my friend that a lot of people seemed to hate DD; he said he loved it and I should check it out, so I did, reading the archives first and ending when Bort came to.
Joining Thread: About a month later, after being surprised how many flaws you reallly could find in the single strips. I thought most people here were kind of overreacting and thought it my duty to bring in fresh opinions and some of my legendary optimism.
Starting Disposition: I had liked most of the archive, and had not yet to experience day-by-day vacation, so apart from the art, I definitely enjoyed DD so far and loved the daily updates.
Time to Convert: Monday this week (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-11-17), when after Aardvark returned, just about nothing happend but a splash page which had been wasted...
And Dex' by now famous expression summed it all up: This is the end of optimism. It can't get any better, it will only get worse. I had waited and hoped so long for action after only experiencing the dying throes of dreadful vacation, then THIS sorry excuse for a battle came along and something died inside of me - to be replaced by someONE different.
Current Stance: I'm in a win-win situation. Either Darth Graphite will get a chance to work his snarky ways, or Simon will not have hoped in vain if a good comic comes about.
To indicate this, I will differentiate who wrote which post of mine by changing the signature at the end . Also, if Graphite wants to say something in Simon's posts, he will do so in Firebrick, Simon can post in Graphite's posts with Green.

Name: Penquin47
Started Reading: Thanks to a link from here. I really don't remember exactly where I came in, but it was less than a year ago while still before the Vacation From Hell.
Joined GitP thread: To see what the buzz was about. Don't post much but I read it.
Starting disposition: I love stupid puns! The alliteration sucks. And I like the silly lazy anime art.
Time to convert: Still haven't fully, although it's really getting hard not to. I can even somewhat defend the Orc Rape as just part of the ZOMG DRAMA!!!111!!one!!!1!! turn the strip took.
Current stance: I still read it, and I'm the one person who still somewhat likes Luna... although I miss old actually-getting-better Luna and her relatively healthy relationship with Dominic... dang, I think I just fully converted.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT EQUAL DARTBOARD PERSONALITIES! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Name: PhantomFox
Started Reading: Shortly after Snowsong
Joining GitP thread: Perused it for a while and make a comment here and there when appropriate
Starting Disposition: I liked it after doing an archive binge. This soon turned when the flaws were pointed out to me and I actually started thinking about it.
Time to convert: Once I started thinking about it critically
Current Stance: The strip is slowly devolving, giving me more wallbanger moments as they go on, and being horribly susceptible to fridge logic. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes. It's mostly like comic junk food.

Name: Phase
Started reading: Around this (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-05-10) strip.
Joined GitP thread: As soon as I found it.
Starting disposition: Thought it was a really great comic... when reading the archives. I didn't realize what daily reading was like until I had found other, better webcomics.
Time to convert (if applicable): About a page. Thoughts went from "Hey, these guys are ragging on a great comic! What are they doing!" to "Wait, a cheek-what now?"
Current stance: Crappy comic, great riffing.

Name: Quayleman
Started reading: 2007
Joining the GITP thread: started lurking the tail end of Snarke on a plain
Starting disposition: I thought it COULD have been developed into a good setting, you know, BEFORE everyone became a racist.
Time to convert: Snowsong
Current stance: Mookie needs to go all or nothing. Either start slaying your own ideas, or start writing a story again.

[Johnny Blade]

R-Z
Name: Radar
Started Reading: About the end of vacation arc. Generally because of Strip Slays thread, to get all the jokes.
Joining GitP thread: When the TIM/Celesto/Greg random fight begun (as i recall). Lurked in the Strip Slays thread much longer (beginning of the second one i think).
Starting Disposition: Strip Slays fan.
Time to convert: Started here, so it is no concerne of mine.
Current Stance: I like the wild slays and reading bizzare theories in DD thread. What's more fun, these theories make more sens, then the DD itself. Somehow the entertainment from reading a bad comic remindes me of this.

Name: Rappy
Started Reading: The Battle of Barthis...I think. Archive binging fried my brain and sense of space-time.
Joining GiTP Thread: I lurked in and eventually joined Thread IV.
Starting Disposition: It's bad, but in a good way.
Time to Convert: About two days of lurking.
Current Stance: Call out Joel and the 'Bots, because this is constantly striving for new levels of "so bad it's good".

Name: Raroy
Started Reading: The first thread. A few pages in.
Joining GitP thread: Lurked for a long long time. Two years? Made a dumb post. Hid while I was in shame. Rinse and repeat.
Starting Disposition: War in hell. It was a question of, "Why do I even care anymore?"
Time to convert: Pretty early, class action I believe.
Current Stance: It's just a fantastic time waster.

Name: Raz_Fox
Started Reading: Around the time Pam broke up with Greg, took me several days to read through the entire thing.
Joining Thread: I decided to make a post about how I actually liked DD... on the day of Catboy Celesto.
Starting Disposition: It's alright. I like some of the characters, and it has room for improvement.
Time to Convert: I haven't yet. I enjoy both the comic and the threads about it. Collateral Damage Man... hehe.
Current Stance: Wait and see is my current stance.

Name: RedScholarGypsy
Started Reading: Roughly here in VoD http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-05-31 I saw it on keenspot and gave it a whirl.
Joining GiTP Thread: I saw 9th just as it was ending and was curious, and followed to X.
Starting Disposition: Puns are my crack. So bad for me, but I just need them. So DD seemed like another good source. Plot's also good, and if it's somewhat coherent I'll follow. Since it's hard to make me laugh, any comic that gets even a chuckle out of me I'll follow for a long time.
Time to Convert: Orcrape didn't affect me really, and Dejah calling it out was nice. But WiH continued...and continued... and am I the only one who thinks D deserved, if not that much beatdown, just a bit? Then Supergreg happened...and more bad comic book hero shtick...and instantly forgiving a mass-murdering oracle hunter? Plus alcoholic dwarves (But you better not stereotype orcs!) and every other tolkien race popped up, plus others. Next the cows will have a secret society. Hmmm...Dom in the secret cow level. Run gimpy! Yeah, i feel the snark.
Current Stance: Still somewhat a fan despite all. I usually read anything at the level it's presented. I don't expect sirloin steak when I buy a Hershey bar, but even I got pissed when cadbury shrunk the egg size, and that's kinda how I feel.

Name: rubakhin
Started Reading: Hrm - after my archive binge, I think I ended on the very day of SuperGreg. Jesus.
Joining GitP thread: When I finished it. I joined up just to read the snark thread. Now I am a marginally productive member of the GitP community!
Starting Disposition: The week I read it I was sorta nostalgic for when I was still in the single digits and liked watching kid's fantasy anime on TV (for some ungodly reason). It hit the spot at the time. I knew it wasn't fantastic or anything, but I got what I wanted out of it. And I liked that the love interest suffered from depression and a bad home life, and that earlier Dominic was a cranky reclusive bastard. Not so much heroic Dominic later on.
Time to convert: About a week after I finished it. I had thought the whole Snowsong arc was ridiculous and was having some issues with the protagonist and the condescension by then, but was willing to overlook all this. Only by then I had wandered on the snark threads and was digesting what I had read. After which I rapidly went from "That was flawed, but pretty satisfying" to "Wait a minute ... Goddamn it, that was awful!"
Current Stance: I think Mookie has some potential, if he just tried. Like the one time he drew a violin bow upside-down. (I still do not forgive. :smallmad:) It would have taken him thirty seconds to Google or YouTube a guy playing a violin and based his drawing off of that. Also, his experiments with a different facial style look markedly better than the snouts and cheek teeth we're used to, and I think a lot of the pacing problems and other kinds of things would clear up and evolve into something better if he switched to a typical comic/manga panel layout instead of adhering strictly to the four squares thing. Also, he'd benefit from an editor who can look over his scripts and point out when something doesn't make sense. He's never going to draw The Brothers Karamazov, but he could probably put together a nice way to kill time.

Name: Schlega
Started Reading: Some time around 2006 or 2007
Joining GiTP Thread: I don't recall exactly when I started lurking, but when Snarks on a Plain came around and no one was willing to make the obligatory slay, I had to step in.
Starting Disposition: I initially thought it had potential.
Time to Convert: About half way through the archive binge it turned into "Gah! It's a train wreck but I can't look away!"
Current Stance:

I read it with thimbles, I read it with care;


I peruse it with forks and hope;

I threaten its life with a railway-share;


I slay it with smiles and soap.

Name: SnowballMan : Arch-Nemesis to Johnny Blade
Started reading: No clue. I was looking for a new good comic to replace a few that had stopped being worth reading. And as with all new comics, I jump straight to the beginning and start archive binging until I decide it's not worth it or I come up to the current one.
Starting Disposition: I like really bad puns. So I liked the way it started out. I think I stopped reading it when they got to Sin City. The only thing that got me back into reading through the whole of the archives was the Strip Slay thread. I used to do that a lot with another comic, and when that comic ended I was going through withdraw. (of course, we were a lot less critical of the source material there)
Current Stance: Partly snarky with a chance of cynicism later in the day. Honestly, if it weren't for the Strip Slays I wouldn't still be reading.

Name: Spectralphoenix
Started Reading: Around the Orc Rape section (somebody linked to it to start a paladin debate on the Wizards boards.) Didn't seem as bad (writing-wise) without the thousand comics worth of context about how awesome the orcs were and how everyone who didn't like them sucked, and all the attempts to justify it later on in the arc.
Joining Thread: Now (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5333081&postcount=883).
Initial Stance: Started out kind of cool (the beginning of the comic, not the Orc Rape section,) then went downhill as the archives went on. Surely things were going to turn the corner and start improving again, right? RIGHT?
Time to Convert: I'm not sure if there was a single moment of insight when I realized just how bad the comic was or just a slow, steady march downward. It was probably around the Storm of Souls arc where things passed the Lameness Event Horizon.
Current Stance: So the last arc was basically a conspiracy by a dozen unrelated B-list characters to get together and talk about how awesome and important the Mary Sue is, and now we're in another never-ending battle sequence. Next up: Aforementioned Sue comes up with a ridiculous scheme to get rid of TiM and return Greg's superpowers (and possibly his ex-girlfriend.) Bonus points if this scheme gets Dex back with his ex. He only hit her instead of making misogynistic remarks like Taggerty did (and got killed for,) so he still has a chance.

name: starburst98
started reading: i think it was when dom slapped luna's mom with a fish.(i have lurked for EVER)
joined thread: finally see what was gong on in here
starting disposition: oh, another webcomic, i'll just read this
time to convert: think i finally said "screw it" around war in hell
current stance: hahaha, i can't believe i ever thought this was good!

Name: St. Salieri
Started reading DD: Around "Into the Woods" (the arc after Luna's introduction).
Joined GitP thread: I've followed the GitP DD discussion since late in the first thread, but only joined in a few pages ago.
Starting Disposition: When I started reading DD, I found the art charming, the writing clever, the characters engaging, and the puns deliciously bad. Little did I know that each of those qualities would be reversed in the years to come (except the puns, which just became stupid).
Time to convert: Medieval Rock Concert"Battle for Barthis" was one extended "WTF" for me (especially "salvation by rape" and the ensuing "in love with the rapist"). "War in Hell" slowed the descent somewhat, but not for long.
Current stance: This thread has grown steadily more entertaining in proportion to DD's increasing failure, and I now rely on it for my daily MST3K fix.

Name: Steilos
Quest: To snark Dominic Deegan.
Favourite Colour: Red! No, wait blu-Aaaahhhhhh
Started reading:..I don't even remember. I don't want to either.
Starting Disposition: To my everlasting shame I found the first bits of this comic to be actually funny. I liked it. I was thinking that there was no way in heck that this train could derail this far. It's like boarding a train in Bristol then sliding uncontrollably into Austrailia.
Time to Convert: The snowsong arc got a chilly reception from me (......dear god it's catching) and then the Aardvark came into the equation. At that point I just went to hell with it and drew obtuse-angles-that-are-really-acute on the walls, got myself a nice comfy sleeping bag and worshipped the elder gods for a week or two. After my belated recovery I came here to snark 'er up. even to this day I reassure my self that the bad blonde underpants man isn't coming back but he does he does he does he does he d0es
...
Current Stance: Sorry about that small hiccup there. I am sane now. I hope. Anyways, my current opinion is of slight curiosity couped with massive jadedness. I know this is going to get worse. I know we ain't scraped the bottom of the barrel yet. I know I am freqeunting fanfics to toughen up my mental defenses- Wait, why am I telling you this? All you need to know about my opinion is that just because we've fallen off of the bottom of the slippery slope, don't mean it's over yet. The seabed's slippery too. We ain't stopping till we hit a subduction zone and fall into the mantle.

Name: Tackyhillbillu
Started Reading: Since the first year, on and off. Took a sabbatical for a while, started up again when I got sucked back in.
Joining GiTP Thread: 9/20/09
Starting Disposition: Hmmmm, mildly approving.
Time to Convert: A couple of years. I was young and stupid.
Current Stance: I think I enjoy it more now then I did when I actually liked it. I enjoy watching failure, and Dominic Deegan is that in almost it's purest form.

Name: Textual Predator
Started Reading: Somewhere around the end of Erossus/the start of Storm of Souls.
Joined GitP thread: Just now. I've been lurking for a while, though. The roll call seemed to be as good a time as any to jump in. Er...hi? (Editor's note: Hi )
Starting Disposition: Initially, it seemed pretty good. Not brilliant, by any stretch of the imagination, but I liked the fact that most of the characters had support abilities rather than openly offensive ones. It was like they were a low-level running a fantasy comic.
Time to convert: First came Mama Deegan. Then came the DBZ beam-trading antics of the Storm of Souls finale. The characters seemed to have suddenly power-levelled. With most of what I'd enjoyed about the strip stamped flat and left to die in the desert, I began to drift away, reading only out of inertia. Then came Orc Rape 2006, and a macabre fascination took hold of me. I may have gotten bored and wandered off a few times, but ultimately I couldn't stay away. I had to see what perversions of writing Mookie would attempt next. I never could have guessed just how deep the rabbit hole goes. These threads help soothe the madness, or at least to quantify it.
Current Stance: Horrified bemusement.

Name: Thalraxal
Started reading: Beginning of the Ecstasy and Evil arc (right whenever Stunt and Bumper ambushed Dom and Luna on their way to Erossus)
Joined GitP thread: Right now, have been an avid lurker since the Legendary First Thread
Starting disposition: Huge fan! DD was for a while one of my favourite comics, and one of the comics I suggested the most to my friends.
Time to convert (if applicable): Sometime during the War in Hell arc. I was surprised by Mookie's descion to go into the War in Hell so soon after SoS, and felt it would have been a better choice to give his cast a longer break instead of trying to one-up his last epic arc. I was also really worried about his habit of bringing back villains all the time, and didn't want to see the one villain he killed off for real (Helexia) come back again. The comic dropped off my regular reading list during the War in Hell, and I read it on and off throughout Two Thief or Not to Thief? and I probably would have dropped it completely before Snowsong if it weren't for this thread. Thanks alot guys.
Current stance: Everytime a storyline starts, I'm hopeful. I had the same feeling at the start of Snowsong, Shadow of Siggy, The Oracle Hunter and the current arc. It starts off good, and I get the feeling that this is going to be the story where Mookie gets good again... but he doesn't... and my hopes are dashed everytime. I keep reading partly because of this thread, partly because I do hope to one day have a webcomic of my own and I would like to avoid making the same mistakes Mookie has.

Name: Thanqol, Grey Seer Thanqol
Started Reading: I picked up Dominic Deegan... heck, during Storm of Souls' early days.
Joining GiTP Thread: Friday 16th September, 2009
Starting Disposition: Somewhere between stunned apathy and genocidal rage.
Time to Convert: I'd been sort of figuring DD was 'allright' for a while. But the latest arc had me wondering... "Is it just me who thinks the author is off his nut?" Sometime around the utter schooling of Jacob I realized that I was only reading out of habit, because this was a comic that updated regularly. I hadn't thought about it because it was vaguely interesting. But then I started wondering if the comic was even worth the minute or so a day I took to read the damn thing.
And when you start asking yourself that question regarding a free webcomic, you're in a bad spot.
The snap came when 'light' and 'darkness' were revealed as 'twins that wanted to be reunited'. Welcome to Some Idiot's Philosophy Lecture...
Current Stance: After reading a few back archives, including the utterly magnificent Slay threads and a few iterations of this thread, I realized that I'd only tolerated DD this long because I'd never spent the time to analyze it, never spent the time to think about what I was reading. And given my attitude to the comic, as long as it provided a pretty picture and a chance of getting a chuckle, it's unlikely I would. But this orc arc has so much goddamn suck in one place that it's retroactively poisoned the entire archives for me.
Now I see what I thought was mediocre writing stands revealed for the moralizing ass it is. If there's anything that gets my blood up it's sermonizing in fiction. Invariably, it's a weak attack on strawman opponents which compromises already weak characters with sloppy writing as their mouths are distorted to preach the author's poorly thought out morality. And they write reality around them to fit their simplistic ideas.
And none of them ever has an idea on how to do things better.
And Dominic Deegan has been that for a long time. And Maltak is such a vile example of uneducated philosophy that I just couldn't take it any more. The moral terms affectionately called 'light' and 'darkness', and Deegan's role as champion of 'balance' is a high school grade bastardization of Taoist philosophy. Issues are set up just to be blundered through with what a self-important snob regards as the right answer - like setting up a tissue paper and then slashing it with a steel ruler. Moral situations have consequences. Things go wrong. Bad things happen to good people and never get resolved.
And yet, everything always gets wrapped up in a neat bundle as the author tells us the 'right' way to deal with problems complex enough to ruin lives and break minds. And it happens so easily.
And thus, the rage came. And from rage, flowed Snark. Let it be so now; let it be so ever forth.
If you gentlemen will accept a humble Philosophy major amongst your holy brotherhood, I will be glad to join you.

Name: The Archivist
Started Reading: The March Across Maltak
Joining GiTP Thread: The March Across Maltak…three months later…
Starting Disposition: I first heard about the strip here on the OotS forum and “Your Webcomic Is Bad and You Should Feel Bad”. I thought people might have been exaggerating the badness of the webcomic, and decided to give it a shot. If worse came to worse I would understand the context of the strip slays.
Time to Convert: I believe my first thought on the comic amounted to “Seers catalogue? Really…Really?” It was gradually downhill from there with a few ups such as during points in the Storm of Souls arc (where it could have really been good, but instead swerved into a number of inappropriate brick walls near the end) until it just became awful during the Snowsong arc.
Current Stance: Dominic Deegan is a special kind of failure. It is the type of failure you can read and laugh at, but not so horrible it is unreadable like some webcomics. Reading Dominic Deegan is like watching a train wreck, a train wreck with puppies, kittens, nuns, orphans, and radioactive waste. You don’t want to watch, but you cannot help yourself and have a certain amount of guilty pleasure watching.

Name: TheCheshireHat
Started reading: I don´t quite remember, but I think it was sometime prior to the Storm of Souls arc
Starting Disposition: I liked it. Mostly, I think, this was a hangover from the archives but I still enjoyed it a fair deal. I couldn´t point to a precise moment, but eventually reading DD became a thing of habit.
Current Stance: I read it because otherwise I would miss out on the entertainment provided by this thread. I generally end up laughing at things that Mookie didn´t put in as jokes, and groaning at the jokes.

Name: Tom Violence
Started Reading: Archive-binged my way up to somewhere towards the end of the Storm Of Souls arc (which was current at the time) over the course of only an evening or so, but then stopped reading completely for quite a long time (I blame all the pictures of Mookie's greasy head that are wantonly bundled in with the strip). I then discovered this thread, thinking at the title "Yeah, I quite like that strip too", but on discovering all the snark within I had to know what inspired such bile.
Joining GitP thread: No frigging idea, really.
Starting Disposition: As mentioned, initial fan.
Time to convert: In a flash. I have a vague inclination that I found this strip around the War In Hell arc, so not only was I confronted by the horrors of the Orc Rape Is All Great bit, but also references to the wall of cheese that was the Rock Concert In A Fantasy Setting
Current Stance: This strip has made me vomit appear in my mouth, and this thread made me laugh my hole off, too many times for me to ever think of looking back on the days when I enjoyed the strip with anything other than confusion and embarrassment.

Name: Trazoi
Started Reading: Half-way through the Oracle Hunter arc. Archive binged at the end of the vacation arc.
Joining GitP thread: Somewhere in the middle of the epic thread. It started as just a few questions and small comments until I figured out the nuances of the comic.
Starting Disposition: I was one of those people who started reading because of the monster threads here. I couldn't help but be curious about this webcomic that caused so many posts. So I started reading through an already jaded lens.
Time to convert: If anything, archive binging caused me to convert the other way. Once I'd read all the background I can see why so many snarkers were once fans. I liked the early arcs of cranky Dominic getting cursed with fish on his head - then it started to fall apart as Luna stole more page time and everyone gained ridiculous powers.
Current Stance: The comic teeters on an edge between good and bad. Or perhaps good and dull. There's a spark of a great comic in here. I think if Mookie listened to a few critics, got a friend to act as editor to his ideas and put some effort into self development, I'd think this comic could really shine. But since it's been several years of this, I suspect he's in a rut and it's only going to devolve from here. As it stands, Dominic Deegan is the webcomic equivalent of a soap opera; silly fluff you can't take seriously but is yet somehow strangely compelling. Strangely, that makes it a better read than about three quarters of all webcomics out there...

Name: Turcano
Started Reading: Here (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-05-15).
Joined Thread: I started reading out of curiosity as to why the comic was generating such a large thread, so I entered the thread the day after I finished the archive trawl (around page 50 in the first thread).
Starting Disposition: I thought it was okay, but not that great; I particularly noticed the preachiness and the fact that Mookie apparently hadn't gotten over how he was treated in high school and was using the comic to hash these issues out vicariously.
Time To Convert: Almost immediately.
Current Stance: The comic is a joke of the unintentional variety; unlike lazier webcomic hacks like Tim Buckley, Mookie goes to great lengths to make his work as terrible as possible. However, the joke is not that funny on its own; if it weren't for this and the strip slay thread, I probably would have stopped reading over a year ago.

Name: uncool
Started reading: I think it was during the vacation arc, though I honestly can't remember. Hey, what's that saw doing there?
Starting position: I started by seeing these threads, and looked up the comic. At first, during the archive trawl, I liked it, especially for the puns (to be continued in the next section)
Time to convert: When I reached the end of the archive trawl, I was getting tired of a good amount of it. Then, when I saw the threads discussing all that I had missed that was bad (see current stance)
Current stance: It's hilariously horrible. When you have a thread of snarkers coming up with theories as to how something can be that bad...well, you've created a one-of-a-kind thing.

Name: Vael
Started reading: Around 'Class Action,' I believe. I archive binged.
Joining GitP thread: I lurked for a time, then posted on page 24 of the first thread.
Starting Disposition: I didn't really pay close enough attention to the comic until I started lurking, so I was initially disposed to be nice to it, but when I first posted in the thread, I had been convinced.
Time to Convert: Uh... difficult to pinpoint. I think I was most of the way through my archive binge when I looked at the thread, then as soon as I caught up I was a snarker.
Current stance: This comic is grotesque and yet somehow grand, sinking to magnificent depths that describe an almost artistic level of failure. It is not for someone such as I to perceive it fully- it is too alien and strange- but to even grasp a facet of its terrible splendor of ineptitude broadens my mind.
It's like if you converted Cthulhu to a badly made webcomic. This is what would happen.

Name: Webox
Started reading: Around the Oracle Hunter Arc.
Joining GitP thread: Lurked since the middle of the third thread.
Starting Disposition: Well... you hear a lot about DD in various places i check(TvTropes, GiTP, others) and I was curious what all the fuss was about. It didn't strike me as a good comic from the start, but it wasn't awful then, either.
Time to Convert: The main reason I wanted to read the whole comic was so I could understand what was going on in these DD threads, so almost as soon as I finished the archive binge(wich I often had to stop due to boredom, in various separate attemps) I started enjoying the snark here, but mostly lurked... then started actively snarking in the middle of the vacation arc.
Current stance: Im in a So Bad Its Good stance.

Name: Whoracle
Started Reading: Here (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-09-12), then went on an archive binge.
Joining GiTP Thread: Dunno when my first post was, and I don't post all too often, but I joined before I first looked upon DD.
Starting Disposition: "Let's see what this is about." -> Binge.
Time to Convert: Two days later, when I hit this (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-01-25) during my binge.
Current Stance: I've pretty much given up on the comic, but it's worth reading for the snark here alone.

Name: Winterwind
Started reading: During Storm of Souls
Joined GitP thread: ~page 50 of the First Thread (beginning of Snowsong arc)
Starting disposition: Optimistic if critical fan
Time to convert (if applicable): About 40 pages of GitP thread (end of Snowsong arc)
Current stance: Likes Dominic Deegan... because nothing is so very, very bad in so many, many ways. It's hilarious! I wouldn't want it to turn better even if it was, somehow, possible for Mookie!

Name: Wraith
Started reading: Somewhere around the apex of 'Into The Woods' and 'Couch Forts & Crying' (and mildly surprised that seemingly few people have been reading it for longer).
Joined GitP thread: February 14th, 2008 (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-02-13), midway through the Oracle Hunter arc and out of coincidence rather than seeking out like-minded souls.
Starting disposition: Mildly entertained by a value-for-money Gag-A-Day fantasy webcomic, and read out of habit more than anything else. DD was little more than a gentle distraction over lunchtime websurfing.
Time to convert (if applicable): After 2 pages of binging the contemporary Snark Thread, and realising how much more sense (and fun!) was to be had than contained in the actual comic.
Current stance: Reading DD occurs almost exclusively to understand the context behind the Snark, which itself is revered as though it were part of a much better comic about a similar subject. If I were to put it into Video Gaming terms, the Snark is our 'Zero Punctuation' compared to Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire's 'Ctrl+Alt+Del', if you will.

Name: I'm just that guy. (YeahThatGuy)
Started Reading: Reply Hazy, try again. My first memory of Dominic Deegan was in a thread somewhere when another member posted something along the lines of "LOLOL TEH NOES DIS BE TEH WURST PUN EVARZ". The look of the webcomic immediately killed any curiosity I had. Later, I remember seeing the thread here for Dominic Deegan. I read, found it humorous, and occasionally read a few of the most-current strips ( at the time it was Snowsong but before SuperGreg ) to know what the hell you people were muttering to yourselves about. When SuperGreg appeared I found the reactions to it quite amusing.
Joining GitP thread: Recently, as obvious by the date I joined.
Starting Disposition: Bland, uninteresting.
Time to convert: When people took note of how manipulative Dominic looked during the talking-heads ending of Snowsong, I discovered a new outlook of the world. Suddenly, instead of finding Dominic Deegan bland, I found it to be a rich lode of dark, disturbing humor ( my favorite ).
EDIT: By the way, actually analyzing old cartoons will net the same reaction as analyzing Dominic Deegan. I never cared for the Jetsons but after watching the episode that Mac is built on Boomerang again gave me the chills at how horrific such a future would be.
Current Stance: I read the current strip when I can, cry, then come here to make the burns from my acidic tears worth it. I have not gone through the archive and read through it all, although I usually read whatever strip is linked-to in this thread ( which, over the time period that I've visited this thread, is a lot ) and I will admit that Mookie has created ( or "borrowed"? ) many ideas that ( could ) have been very interesting and/or good. I think the format he uses has crippled him, preventing any of those ideas from actually reaching their potential.

Name: Yhuntresse
Started Reading: It was for a review I was doing of the webcomic where I started from the begining and ended near the begining of the Oracle Hunter arc.
Joining GitP thread: Mid-Oracle Hunter
Starting Disposition: The early stuff was mediocure with over-reliance on horrid puns and a writer who writes like a teenager who watches too much anime (and not the good kind). It just got worse as Dominic became more of a Mary Sue, the lack of subtilty, the stupid puns, bad art, too much of the ol' illusion trick, and character derailment that I skipped a few storylines to get my review done.
Time to convert: Instantaneous
Current Stance: DD is the comic I love to hate and mock. It's a perfect guide for aspiring writers on what not to do and a source of rage as to why such a hack can still have fans (I even met one once.)

Name: zvbxrpl
Started Reading: Just at the end of Storm of Souls
Joined GiTP thread: Oct 2009, after being an unregistered viewer for a few months. I wanted my strip slay fix after the keenspot forums went poof.
Starting Disposition: I liked the comic. I thought it was pretty campy, but it didn't pretend otherwise, and was fun.
Time to Convert: The last arc I remember really liking was Two Thief. I continued reading out of habit, but only winced at the real Wall Bangers (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WallBanger) such as supergreg. I still genuinely liked some stuff, such as Quilt, but I think I was aware of a decline on some level. Around the vacation arc I started wondering why I still gave a damn, and slowly turned into an anti-fan.
Current Stance: This comic is a Franchise Zombie (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FranchiseZombie). The war in hell seemed like the setup for an even bigger conflict. Karnak played Dominic for a Xanatos Sucker (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosSucker), and TiM and Celesto were back. S*** looked like it was going to get real, and instead we have a series of halfhearted arcs that only vaguely touch on anything set up with the last two epic arcs, and when they do, they do so in artless and boring ways. By now, we should have had a final showdown and then the comic should have ended. Mookie does not seem to have an endpoint in mind, and that is a problem, even for a writer of serialized stories.

[Johnny Blade]

Snark Art

Dominic Deegan's art is garbage. However, some people may at times believe, possible after being exposed to it for way too long a time, that it's not that bad.
Well, here's something to guide the lost souls back to the light.


Domo's Beef:

http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_1.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_2.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_3.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_4.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_5.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_6.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_7.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_8.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_9.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_10.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_11.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_12.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_13.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_14.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_15.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_16.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_17.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_18.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_19.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_20.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_21.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_22.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_23.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_24.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_25.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_26.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_27.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_28.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_29.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_30.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_31.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_32.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_33.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_34.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_35_p3p4.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_36.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_37.png
http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_38.png

Domo's Reenvisioning (of the Melna vs Taran fight scene and Luna's entrance at the Bikta camp):

http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/ReenvSketch.png

http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/ReenvSketch_2.png

http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/ReenvSketch_2b.png



http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/ReenvSketch_3.png





So, that's that. Snark away.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Good lord. Are half of the DD threads really dedicated to the Maltak arc now?

[Morty]

Good lord. Are half of the DD threads really dedicated to the Maltak arc now?

To be fair, the Epic Thread had over 300 pages and OVER 9000 posts.

[Wraith]

Yes, but in all fairness that's more to do with us meandering further and further away from the civilisation of reasonable thought, than the fact that the Arc has been going on forever. And a bit.

I'd also like to ask - since it's still on the page and within context - what is the reference from which we get "Celesto 5" ? For some reason it makes me think of a Superman/comics joke, but I'd just like to check in case I'm missing something funny.

Oh yeah, before I forget: Today's Comic (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/comic.php?id=2311&save-as=20091020.gif), sans MySQL errors. Hopefully.

[Johnny Blade]

Ah, yes, good idea posting that. :smallredface:


To be fair, the Epic Thread had over 300 pages and OVER 9000 posts.
Of course, if this arc manages to go on for five more threads after this one...

[Clockwork_Seal]

I like that he continues to pass this off as a mountain despite the slope being MAYBE thirty degrees on Dom and co's side.

Hansi is an ostensibly fit man. 'Being a climber' or not is no excuse.

At least Hukthak appears to be climbing a pile of boulders, which would require at least some effort.

[Haven]

So I think Spark as Batman works a lot better than...you know. (It's weird, but when I first read it I totally missed that 5th panel somehow.)

[Frogwarrior]

Did anyone notice my expounding on the Rite of Closure? Near the end of page 49 of the previous thread. And right before the Punchy pic. I should learn to time such things better. :smalltongue:

[Tavar]

I think the Rite of Closure should be added to the The Encyclopedia Dominica.

Here's a repost.

Oh snap. I think this needs to be canon. Maybe...



Closure: A ritualistic method of achieving inner peace through the vanquishing of ones demons. This ritual consists of two steps. The first is to blame all of ones woes and life struggles on a single individual. The more obscure the choice is, the better it is for the ritual of Closure. Why this is is a matter of some debate, but one strong theory is that the ritual of Closure is powerful enough that it actually rewrites history through a process called "retconning" to make the target at least connected to one's traumatic past, and it is easier for the ritual to retcon and for oneself to become convinced of their wrongdoing if it is not in violation of established facts or personality traits. See also the case of Melna, who had many different individuals who she could reasonably have blamed for her trauma, making it much more difficult to perform the ritual of Closure on any one of them. To overcome this, she chose a previously unknown individual, but she had to resort to extreme measures (see Facemeld) to convince herself to blame him for everything.

The second step of the ritual is to seek out and defeat this nemesis, usually by killing them. Theoretically, one could defeat the nemesis through less violent means such as convincing him of his errors or exposing his wickedness to the public eye (as in the case of Serk Brakkis); most likely, the decision of how to defeat one's nemesis depends at least partly on whether or not he deserves death for being a jock.

This ritual can even be performed in the reverse order, such as the case of Amelia Sturtz - it was only after her death that previously unhinted-at information was "discovered" showing that she was heartless and evil.



Bit long, but I can never do anything by half measures!

Also, can someone remind me of the timeline regarding Serk Brakkis? As my shaky memory recalls, he showed up and tried to buy/raze Barthis, so Luna decided to perform the ritual of Closure and information was "discovered" showing that he had cruelly misused her; after that, Brakkis was defeated (but not killed) in a sword duel and exposed and dishonored - did anything happen to him after that? I forgot where we last saw him. Did Celesto make him explode or something? I know he performed Closure on Taggerty, but other than that my memory is vague.

@Garland:
BAD.
ASS.
DOMOREDOMOREDOMORE! :smallbiggrin:

[FoE]

Spark proves yet again that he's ****ing useless.

[Johnny Blade]

Well, I agree that the Closure article should be added...and it seems like that's to be done by me now.

But let me abuse my newfound power for a second to raise a few points:
I think the only attempts at performing the Ritual of Closure were the two obvious ones - Melna/Doma Chief and Luna/Serk - and the failed and ultimately abandoned (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-06) one where Danika tried to do it to Dex.
In Melna's and Luna's (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-10-07) case, it's even referenced in the comic. :smallamused:
Notably, guidance was involved in those two successful cases.
However...

...blame all of ones woes and life struggles on a single individual...
That was only ever done by Melna.

The example with Amelia simply doesn't work at all, to be honest, and I wonder why that was even included. The whole point of that part was, pretty much, that Celesto got no closure, capitalized or otherwise, from it. I guess it's up to debate whether Brett Taggerty's death counts, though.


Also:

The second step of the ritual is to seek out and defeat this nemesis, usually by killing them.
I think this depends entirely on Caste etc.
For instance, it's an universal law that Dominic and Luna don't kill people. Similarly, Danika, barely above 5th Caste, could never show such...activity.
Melna, on the other hand, was all but destined to achieve Closure as she died.

[Winterwind]

Yeah, sorry for not starting the thread, got kinda... distracted yesterday. :smallredface:


So how come Dominic can see Hukthak and not Donovan?

You know what, don't answer that. I don't want to know.I will anyway. :smalltongue:

He doesn't see him, he justknows him. :smallwink:

[Tackyhillbillu]

I should probably post my Snarking details, since you guys have managed to suck me in.

Name: Tackyhillbillu
Started Reading: Since the first year, on and off. Took a sabbatical for a while, started up again when I got sucked back in.
Joining GiTP Thread: 9/20/09
Starting Disposition: Hmmmm, mildly approving.
Time to Convert: A couple of years. I was young and stupid.
Current Stance: I think I enjoy it more now then I did when I actually liked it. I enjoy watching failure, and Dominic Deegan is that in almost it's purest form.

---

In other news, how the hell is this supposed to be difficult to climb? It looks like they are walking up a Handicap Accessible Ramp. Definitely doesn't require the whole, pulling someone up a mountainside thing they have got going on.

Or maybe Dominic and Hansi have gotten closer after their night in the tent, and they just happen to be holding hands.

[Rappy]

Space reserved, i. e. for that vote I have yet to fully count. Also if Rappy et. al. get busy with the encyclopedia articles again or something.



So, that's that. Snark away.
There's not exactly much material to go on for new encyclopedia articles based upon my specialties...unless you want me to wax on about scarf-symbiotes or Melna's apparent Neanderthalitis in hte past weeks.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I should probably post my Snarking details, since you guys have managed to suck me in.
Welcome aboard!


In other news, how the hell is this supposed to be difficult to climb? It looks like they are walking up a Handicap Accessible Ramp. Definitely doesn't require the whole, pulling someone up a mountainside thing they have got going on.
That is... a very good point.

Maybe Dominic was referring to it being slow to climb - which it is, with all the uneven terrain. Since Huk Thak has a +2 Circumstance bonus to his Climb check for Advancing the Plot, Dominic couldn't afford to sit back and Take 10 all day :smalltongue:

[AgentPaper]

Oh, fine, I guess I should probably do one of these.

Name: AgentPaper
Started Reading: Heard about it a few years back, decided it wasn't worth reading at about strip #6 or so.
Joining GiTP Thread: Somehow found the strip slay thread a while back, around when the maltak arc started I think, and then had to go through an archive trawl to catch up.
Starting Disposition: Thought it was a worthless webcomic, didn't read it past the first few strips.
Time to Convert: As soon as I saw the strip slays, which were the first time I really got any enjoyment out of the comic. I didn't even start reading the comic until after I was a snarker, really.
Current Stance: Mostly bile fascination with the comic itself, as well as true fascination with the snarkers and the Domiverse we've built up over the years.


There, you happy now? Anyways, whatever happened to that piece I wrote about the history of maltak, and especially about the stickwood that grows there? I remember I tied together a lot of the really, really strange things we've seen thus far, and I wonder if any of that still holds up after all this time.

[Jahkaivah]

Surpised no one's mentioned this yet:


And so I come to you, my readers, who have shown me some incredible displays of love and compassion

:smallbiggrin:

[Johnny Blade]

In our own way, we love him.

Not really.



There's not exactly much material to go on for new encyclopedia articles based upon my specialties...unless you want me to wax on about scarf-symbiotes or Melna's apparent Neanderthalitis in hte past weeks.
Eh, I just happened to think of your name when it came to this because you've done a lot of articles in the more or less recent past.


Adding the new index entries now.
No other opinions on Closure?

[Trazoi]

Today's comic: Nothing strikes me as too bad today, and by that I mean there's nothing that makes me cry "This makes no sense!" Spark is well established as a loose cannon, so him doing stupid ineffectual stuff is pretty in character. My only complaint is that all this Spark stuff is padding out the point where they get to the top of the mountain and presumably explain what the heck is going on. Having a mountain appear and then have everyone "just know" they need to get the top needs to be explained soon, as there's absolutely no tension.

Also, apparently orcish has another phrase said in surprise, unless Ilka Tuk Tak means "What The --?".

[Steilos]

Yeah. Doesn't seem too b- Wait a minute.
How big is this mountain? I mean, if Spark was supposed to go to the summit, and he's therefore at the top and- how did he get there in one comic!? How can Stonewater see the cat at the top of the mountain? How can Spark jump that far!? This is the smallest, wimpiest mountain ever! It's not even a mountain! It's a rocky hill! Maltak even fails at mountains!!!!
Ah, got it.
Maltak is in fact a failure factory. It, and it's inhabitants, fail so hard that they export the failure for glasswood seeds and intelligence to other areas, so that Callan and the like may keep their competence levels down to avoid the ire of the Dominus. With the war between Maltak and Callan, failure was boycotted, sealing Callan's fate as unfavourable to the Dominus. Makes sense now. Sort of. In a totally not at all way.

[Jerthanis]

Surpised no one's mentioned this yet:



:smallbiggrin:

It's strange, but many of us are bigger fans of Dominic Deegan than of Order of the Stick, in our roundabout way.

I know I wait up at midnight to see the next comic of Dominic Deegan, but when OotS updates, I'm more like, "Oh, I guess I might as well read it, since it's there..."

[Frogwarrior]

Well, I agree that the Closure article should be added...and it seems like that's to be done by me now.

But let me abuse my newfound power for a second to raise a few points:
I think the only attempts at performing the Ritual of Closure were the two obvious ones - Melna/Doma Chief and Luna/Serk - and the failed and ultimately abandoned (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-06) one where Danika tried to do it to Dex.
In Melna's and Luna's (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-10-07) case, it's even referenced in the comic. :smallamused:
Notably, guidance was involved in those two successful cases.
However...

That was only ever done by Melna.

The example with Amelia simply doesn't work at all, to be honest, and I wonder why that was even included. The whole point of that part was, pretty much, that Celesto got no closure, capitalized or otherwise, from it. I guess it's up to debate whether Brett Taggerty's death counts, though.


Also:

I think this depends entirely on Caste etc.
For instance, it's an universal law that Dominic and Luna don't kill people. Similarly, Danika, barely above 5th Caste, could never show such...activity.
Melna, on the other hand, was all but destined to achieve Closure as she died.

Naturally my 3 AM first draft could use some revision. :smalltongue:

Regarding blaming someone for everything; I may have exaggerated the general case, but at the very least the victim is blamed for some major trauma - in Melna's case, it just happens that it's responsible for a fairly large part of her screwed-up life. In Serk's case, he called her ugly and slept with her sister instead, so he was at least partly responsible for he depression.

Naturally, the wording of the second stage needs to be rewritten, since only one incident of Closure involved killing. (The others were smaller.)

Regarding Melna, I think it could very well be understood that in the pain and anger after her traumatic incident, she lashed out and attempted to perform Closure on Stonewater. However, he was only one responsible party, and she was quite confused and unbalance by the tumultuous events of the day, and possibly the attempt was too soon after the trauma, that she was unable to muster the mental convictions required to properly perform Closure.

Regarding Amelia, I'm kinda going on a bit of a shaky memory here, but I was thinking not that Celesto was receiving postmortem Closure, but that Szark was - I'd have to reread the relevant strips to be convinced without facemelding myself though. Which arc was that in again?

Also, one might say that Closure was performed on Amelia at the end of E&E, after it was "revealed" that she was not just a slut, but an EVIL slut. (In which case, it might be worth noting that Closure was carried out by proxy.)

And, I think this may possibly provide an explanation for why Melna has to kill the Crone - the Plot has dictated that she perform Closure on the Crone for attacking her, and Dominic and Co are trying to workaround the infernomancer-poison-retconning that made her death necessary. The results of interfering with the ritual are open to speculation.

I'm guessing even if Melna doesn't perform Closure on the Crone, Closure will be performed at least once more this arc in dealing with Big Bikta. And if we REALLY want to get meta, one might even suggest that Big Bikta is ultimately responsible for this entire arc because of the Sanctuary... thus meaning that when he goes down, the entire snarking community may be able to heal their psychological torment, if we can only convince ourselves that it's all his fault!

Any of this make sense?

[Fawkes]

I know I wait up at midnight to see the next comic of Dominic Deegan.

You do?

Good god, what's wrong with you people?

[Thanqol]

You do?

Good god, what's wrong with you people?

The Internet.

The Internet is what's wrong with these people.

[The Linker]

Yeah. Doesn't seem too b- Wait a minute.
How big is this mountain? I mean, if Spark was supposed to go to the summit, and he's therefore at the top and- how did he get there in one comic!? How can Stonewater see the cat at the top of the mountain? How can Spark jump that far!? This is the smallest, wimpiest mountain ever! It's not even a mountain! It's a rocky hill! Maltak even fails at mountains!!!!

I never thought Spark was at the top of the mountain. He's just on a higher ledge than Hukthak and turned around to stall him. You can even see more mountain in panel 4. :smallconfused:

[YeahThatGuy]

I never thought Spark was at the top of the mountain. He's just on a higher ledge than Hukthak and turned around to stall him. You can even see more mountain in panel 4. :smallconfused:But isn't he on the other side...?

[The Linker]

But isn't he on the other side...?

Not if panel 8 (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-19) has anything to say about it. :smalltongue:

This really is quite ridiculous. I mean, the two groups already should have been able to see each other on the vast featureless plain, no matter how big the mountain is, before the thing erupted out of the ground. But that angle suggests they're on the same side, too!

Unless Spark is mostly zooming horizontally around the mountain, looking for the other climber, but there's nothing to suggest that.

[Trazoi]

This really is quite ridiculous. I mean, the two groups already should have been able to see each other on the vast featureless plain, no matter how big the mountain is, before the thing erupted out of the ground.
If they were on opposite sites of the mountain, it would be understandable if didn't spot each other. Mountains are quite wide. It could be hard to see a couple of travellers from several kilometres away. Heck, if Dominion is a spherical planet the size of the Earth, that's about as far as you can see on a flat plane/plain anyway.


But that angle suggests they're on the same side, too!
...yeah, it breaks down if Spark can be spotted by Huk Thak nearly instantly. They must have been practically bumping into each other. I guess they're all just really, really bad at making Spot and Listen checks.

[Phase]

IIt could be hard to see a couple of travellers from several kilometres away. Heck, if Dominion is a spherical planet the size of the Earth, that's about as far as you can see on a flat plane/plain anyway.

There isn't that much Maltak. Maltak's the size of a very dirty football field, outside guess.

[Jerthanis]

You do?

Good god, what's wrong with you people?

What? Dominic Deegan is more entertainingly bad than Order of the Stick is entertainingly good. I'm up late anyway as I'm still a student, and I always check for Dominic Deegan before I get to bed. I know for a fact I'm not alone because by the time I come to this thread, three people will inevitably have posted their comments already.

[Cracklord]

In Serk's case, he called her ugly and slept with her sister instead, so he was at least partly responsible for he depression.

And made her mother torture her with the intent of her killing herself.


Regarding Amelia, I'm kinda going on a bit of a shaky memory here, but I was thinking not that Celesto was receiving postmortem Closure, but that Szark was - I'd have to reread the relevant strips to be convinced without facemelding myself though. Which arc was that in again?

Sin city.
Also, once she died, Szark (who is gay) stopped killing people to get himself off.
And Bumper became a good person who never wanted to hurt anyone, rather then the guy who leers in the background when Stunt is doing things.

[Frogwarrior]

And made her mother torture her with the intent of her killing herself.



Sin city.
Also, once she died, Szark (who is gay) stopped killing people to get himself off.
And Bumper became a good person who never wanted to hurt anyone, rather then the guy who leers in the background when Stunt is doing things.

Ooh, double Closure!
Maybe... Bumper killed Amelia, thus getting Closure for himself and purging himself of imperfection... but since Szark wasn't there, perhaps he couldn't achieve complete Closure without a further retconning? Who knows.

Also, my question was when the further information was uncovered regarding Amelia, that she was ripping off the people working for her. I'm pretty certain that happened a while later.

[zvbxrpl]

So, um, I looked at the first post. Has Maltak really been going on since thread 9, because, um, WTF, Mookie?

[AgentPaper]

So, um, I looked at the first post. Has Maltak really been going on since thread 9, because, um, WTF, Mookie?

To be fair, we have been snarking at an increasing rate as time goes by, but yes, this arc has been going on for almost a year now.

[uncool]

I'm juuust a bit confused. In this comic, Dominic says "Have you ever tried to change a cat's mind?" and Hansi accepts it. But isn't that exactly what Dominic and Hansi did last comic? They made him go to the top even though he didn't want to? (see panel 8, last comic).

Any of you have a good explanation for this?
=Uncool-

[AgentPaper]

I'm juuust a bit confused. In this comic, Dominic says "Have you ever tried to change a cat's mind?" and Hansi accepts it. But isn't that exactly what Dominic and Hansi did last comic? They made him go to the top even though he didn't want to? (see panel 8, last comic).

Any of you have a good explanation for this?
=Uncool-

Even with the DeeganDrug, you still have to say something that sounds similar to a reason sometimes.

[uncool]

Even with the DeeganDrug, you still have to say something that sounds similar to a reason sometimes.

But usually it's not that blatant (from one panel to the next, chronologically), right?

Right?

Anyone?Bueller? Bueller?
=Uncool-

[Cracklord]

Listen, there is no continuity in Mookieverse. Each strip takes place in a consecutive parallel universe, different in a few key respects.
Everyone knows that.

[uncool]

Listen, there is no continuity in Mookieverse. Each strip takes place in a consecutive parallel universe, different in a few key respects.
Everyone knows that.

But there can only be one Dominus. How does that work?
=Uncool-

[Cracklord]

...I...
Don't have an answer.
Dammit, I thought I had finally solved the great riddle. But...
no.

[Trazoi]

But there can only be one Dominus. How does that work?
=Uncool-
He has many *fingers*.
(There can never be enough Star Control 2/Orz references in a Dominic Deegan thread. In fact, let's have another!).
Hansi:
"Uh... hi there. Nice to see you again... I think."

Dominic:
That is *funny*. You think you *see* Dominic but Dominic are not *light reflections*. Maybe you think Dominic are *many bubbles* too. It is such a joke.
Dominic are not *many bubbles* like *campers*. Dominic are just Dominic.
I am Dominic. I am one with many *fingers*. My *fingers* reach through into *heavy space* and you *see* *Dominic bubbles* but it is really *fingers*.
Maybe you do not even *smell*? That is sad. *Smelling* *pretty colors* is the best *game*.

[uncool]

...I...
Don't have an answer.
Dammit, I thought I had finally solved the great riddle. But...
no.

The only way where multiple universes could work, I think, is if the Dominus acts as a kind of "anchor" between the universes - there is still exactly one Dominus, just multiple ways that the universe unfolds around him. In fact, I think that this works out better than expected - we're only seeing the universe where this works out for him. In fact, there are universes where everything fails somehow, but we never get to see them...
=Uncool-

[Cracklord]

They all fail. Only, we see each progressive bit where it works. Dominic Deegan, as it is presented, does not make sense. However each separate universe where it follows a different continuity will eventually produce the relevant strip, at which point it will go down hill as expected.
I feel liberated.

[Trazoi]

The only way where multiple universes could work, I think, is if the Dominus acts as a kind of "anchor" between the universes - there is still exactly one Dominus, just multiple ways that the universe unfolds around him. In fact, I think that this works out better than expected - we're only seeing the universe where this works out for him. In fact, there are universes where everything fails somehow, but we never get to see them...
=Uncool-
I admit, it does explain some of the kooky inconsistencies if the Dominus is making a conscious effort to weave realities together.

Reality weaving is probably what Dom is doing in the silent panels in this strip. (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-08-20) That's the best reason I've heard to explain how Melna goes from "I just can't hit the Doma Chief" (third panel) to Maxwell's Silver Hammer Solution. (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-09)

[uncool]

Also, since I forgot to do this in the last thread:

Name: uncool
Started reading: I think it was during the vacation arc, though I honestly can't remember. Hey, what's that saw doing there?

Starting position: I started by seeing these threads, and looked up the comic. At first, during the archive trawl, I liked it, especially for the puns (to be continued in the next section)

Time to convert: When I reached the end of the archive trawl, I was getting tired of a good amount of it. Then, when I saw the threads discussing all that I had missed that was bad (see current stance)

Current stance: It's hilariously horrible. When you have a thread of snarkers coming up with theories as to how something can be that bad...well, you've created a one-of-a-kind thing.

ETA: Best use of a Beatle's song reference that I have ever seen. You're making me stay up too late...
=Uncool-

[Cracklord]

New comic is up.
Someone else link it, I refuse to acknowledge its existence.




Hey look, it's the Australian fast bowler!

[Castel]

New Comic... (http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-21)

Maybe Spark will finally die! :smallbiggrin:

[Trazoi]

Hey look, it's the Australian fast bowler!
Is that a skitHOUSE reference? Are you trying to make me feel better about posting obscure Star Control 2 references by making ones that virtually no-one in the thread could possibly get? :smallbiggrin:

Are we ever going to find out why Dominic needs to stop Huk Thak from climbing the mountain to meet his true love, because at the moment it just looks like Dominic has the innate ability to be a total bastard.

[AgentPaper]

Star Control? skitHOUSE? What is this gibberish? :smallconfused: :smalltongue:

[Cracklord]

Your knowledge of my subject matter fills me with shame...

[AgentPaper]

Are we ever going to find out why Dominic needs to stop Huk Thak from climbing the mountain to meet his true love, because at the moment it just looks like Dominic has the innate ability to be a total bastard.

Hey! He practices REAL HARD to be that much of a ****! The least you can do is appreciate all his hard work, and smile when he "guides" you into "saving" your sister. :smallannoyed:

[FoE]

A fastball special (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FastballSpecial). Mookie, you nerd. :smallamused:

[Trazoi]

Your knowledge of my subject matter fills me with shame...
Hey, I'm pleased that Tripod references are now fair game. :smallwink:


A fastball special (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FastballSpecial). Mookie, you nerd. :smallamused:
I'm sorry, but Cracklord has claimed this strip in the name of cricket. Leave the baseball references alone.

[Cracklord]

A fastball special (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FastballSpecial). Mookie, you nerd. :smallamused:

Lord no, Face of Evil, that's cricket. Marvelous sport.
Very slowly paced and difficult to follow.

[lord_khaine]

Well, decent strip, i guess Donovan knows by now that Huktak wont be delayed by words, so he is forced to use force instead.

And throwing a enraged cat at someone who is busy climping does sound like a very good distraction.

There is only one fault with todays comic, and im surprised that noone else noticed it, cats allways land on their feet whenever they fall more than a couple of meters, so it should not be possible for Donovan to cach Spark in that angle.

[FoE]

Cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket! :smalltongue:

[AgentPaper]

Lord no, Face of Evil, that's cricket. Marvelous sport.
Very slowly paced and difficult to follow.

Sounds like baseball. That sport bores the sh** outta me even more than golf. It seems like all games designed by rich people to pass the time are just incredibly boring by law or something. :smallsigh:

At least in basketball people are moving more often than not. Not that I'm a huge basketball fan either, but that's just because I dislike sports in general. (especially watching them)

[Trazoi]

Cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket! :smalltongue:
I'll explain the plan in cricketing terms for you: Donovan bowled a beamer with Spark, left arm very unorthodox style. He's now appealing for LBW (leg before wicket). It's clearly too high a delivery, but since Dominic is the umpire, it's most likely Huk Thak will be declared out and sent back down the mountain back to the Pavillion.
(Pedantic: left arm orthodox is actually spin bowling, but it's a funnier term. You do not want to spin bowl a cat.)
Did Huk Thak bring his Huk Thak with him? Did he actually have anything wooden to defend his stumps against fast bowled cats?

[Johnny Blade]

I don't even actually know how Cricket is played, so I'll just comment on the strip...


Well.

So, yesterday I thought it was kinda pretty pretty/kinda funny. Today, it wasn't. Tomorrow, it'll suck. REALLY HARD!


Eh, I've got a bus to catch anyway.

[Arakune]

Name: Arakune former ryuan
Started Reading: Around Snowsong, don't remember now
Joining GiTP Thread: In the EPIC THREAD!
Starting Disposition: Neutral, I didn't knew the comic existed
Time to Convert: When I finished all the archive. Oh.. boy, the supergreg...
Current Stance: A pround snarker.

So far the only consistent character in this comic is spark. Sure, at this point he looks like an unidimensional character,but in a comic where character derailment is the norm a consistent character is a good change of pace.

[Rappy]

So, Donovan turns face on Huk Thak of the Hukthak as soon as his son tells him to.

This...somehow makes perfect sense. And that's terrible. :smallfrown:

Cakes! 40 of them!

[Cracklord]

Well, I'd like an explanation, but I'm sure Donovan is savvy enough to realis his son is always right.

[Domochevsky]

What is it with all the people recently changing names around here... :smallconfused:

Also just this about today's comic: Panel 7. Smacked into him like shot out of a cannon.
No further comment, even if the art deserves it. I've got other stuff to do. :smallannoyed:

[Jahkaivah]

Given there are questions on how Cricket is played, this old joke seems very relevent. (http://static.cricinfo.com/db/ABOUT_CRICKET/EXPLANATION/WHAT_IS_CRICKET.html)

As for the strip:

So I'm figuring it's important that Dominic gets to Azazia first because she's been corrupted by evil™ and he knows how to save her. Where as Hukthak might wind up killing him.

Which just makes me think, why would Luna let Hukthuk know his "just knew" dead love was alive (certainly puts a dent on the authenticity of the "just knew" philosphy), when she already knows said orc is prone to randomly attacking people, stupid Luna!

Also how could Mookie go this long without properly achiving this work? Seriously I can't wait till he gets round to it, it should be a good reality check.

(yes that was intentional)

[Epsilon]

Wouldn't asking Huckthatk to wait a moment be more pragmatic than throwing a cat at him? Or maybe throw a rock if he thinks Hukthak is beyond reason? The things that must go through these peoples minds!

[lord_khaine]

Wouldn't asking Huckthatk to wait a moment be more pragmatic than throwing a cat at him? Or maybe throw a rock if he thinks Hukthak is beyond reason? The things that must go through these peoples minds!

Thats only if you assume he is in a state to listen to reason, and its not even like Donovan got a good reason for him to wait.

[ichini_sanshigo]

Pretty much. When have you ever seen an orc listen to reason? Ever?

[Fawkes]

Wouldn't asking Huckthatk to wait a moment be more pragmatic than throwing a cat at him? Or maybe throw a rock if he thinks Hukthak is beyond reason? The things that must go through these peoples minds!

Also, Donovan wend probably end up shouting something like "Look out! Pineapple tacos!"

[Arakune]

Also, Donovan wend probably end up shouting something like "Look out! Pineapple tacos!"

Huktak: Where? I'm look for ages for that delicacy!

[Wraith]

I don't even actually know how Cricket is played.....

Imagine Baseball with a flat bat instead of a rounded one, no Strikes (you can keep swinging at nothing forever, if you like) and instead of running around a Diamond you just run to the Pitcher's Mound.
If you can't make it there and back, don't worry - you have a friend stood waiting at the mound who will switch places with you when you run. Then he will try to hit the ball, and when he does you switch places again.

Now do this forever, score 400 points, and still manage to lose. That's Cricket, in a nutshell. :smallbiggrin:

@Today's Strip: Wherein Donovan reveals that he has been throwing Spark, over-arm, at stationary objects long enough that the poor creature knows what's coming without even having to be told.

On a scale of 1-to-Racist, where does Cruelty To Animals fall on the Dominion Hierarchy of Sins, do we think?

[Valencia]

Given that the Spark seems kosher with this, I'd say we don't want to know.

Also, hello! Long time lurker, first time poster and not only do you have the snarkiness of the comic to blame but also...


Cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket! :smalltongue:

:smallbiggrin: Can I profess my love for you?

:ehem: Anyway...

[kaisuteknon]

Name: Kaisuteknon
Started Reading: Right from the beginning.
Joining GiTP Thread: I've been a lurker here for a few months before deciding to join in
Starting Disposition: When I started reading this comic I actually enjoyed it. It definitely wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it was still delightfully campy and even amusing.
Time to Convert: I can't quite remember, but the rock concert and the thing known to some as The Aardvark was definitely amongst the deciding factors
Current Stance: Everything about Dominic Deegan truly fascinates me. Never in my life have I seen something that manages to be constantly appalling that it inspires mockeries and snarkdom of the highest degree. It would be a great honor were I to be accepted within this prestigious league of snarkers.

Am I missing a strip here or we've never received any explanation why Dominic is trying to prevent Huk Thak from reaching the top of the glorified stalagmite? (I refuse to call it a mountain)

[FoE]

Deeply swayed by FoE's manliness and cologne, Valencia has joined the group! I am in honoured to have a hand in ending your lurkerdom.


Can I profess my love for you?

Just shut up and kiss me, OK? I got a report to do. :smalltongue:


Am I missing a strip here or we've never received any explanation why Dominic is trying to prevent Huk Thak from reaching the top of the glorified stalagmite?

He "just knows" that Huk Thak can't reach the top. His Mary Sue senses are tingling.

Oh, and welcome, Kaisuteknon. We welcome you as we plumb the depths of depravity and failure that is Dominic Deegan.

[MacPuck]

(I refuse to call it a mountain)
How about a molehill?

On the comic...what kind of cat enjoys being thrown as a javelin? And given the very different shapes of cats and javelins, how did throwing him like that even make it to Huk Thak?

[Valencia]

Deeply swayed by FoE's manliness and cologne, Valencia has joined the group! I am in honoured to have a hand in ending your lurkerdom.

Hee, sure that and TMNT quotes. :smalltongue:

[chiasaur11]

Cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket! :smalltongue:

Even then, no-one understands real cricket.

Even higher dimensional beings, and they play the bally thing! (Mainly it's an excuse to hit each other.)

[lord_khaine]

How about a molehill?

On the comic...what kind of cat enjoys being thrown as a javelin? And given the very different shapes of cats and javelins, how did throwing him like that even make it to Huk Thak?

If you dont accept it as the last mountain then you run the risk of the arc dragging even more out as the seach continues.....

As for what kind of cat, well to start with if you can find me a real life cat thats about as smart as your average snarker, and that can talk at the same time, then i might be able to answer that question.

[Johnny Blade]

Imagine Baseball with a flat bat instead of a rounded one, no Strikes (you can keep swinging at nothing forever, if you like) and instead of running around a Diamond you just run to the Pitcher's Mound.
If you can't make it there and back, don't worry - you have a friend stood waiting at the mound who will switch places with you when you run. Then he will try to hit the ball, and when he does you switch places again.

Now do this forever, score 400 points, and still manage to lose. That's Cricket, in a nutshell. :smallbiggrin:
Thanks. I can sort of see why today's strip was claimed in its name now.


Also, added new entries to the snarker index. And realized that I forgot to bold the names so far along the way.

The character poll will probably be counted tomorrow. Anyone who still wants to vote?
Here's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7139343#post7139343) how it looks like again. Note that only relevant characters should be named in the non-snark categories. I don't have any clear concept of what exactly makes a character relevant, but if you had a traumatic experience with a horde of rabid squirrels and hate Ernie (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-05-28) as a result, that's what the fourth vote is for.


Lastly:

Sin city.
Also, once she died, Szark (who is gay) stopped killing people to get himself off.
And Bumper became a good person who never wanted to hurt anyone, rather then the guy who leers in the background when Stunt is doing things.
Szark (who is gay but was bisexual back then) stopped killing people because of Dominic's exorcism by lazor. His reaction to the sight of his dead wife was rather indifferent.
Bumper killed Amelia as a response to her actions immediately before, and became a good person because he deeply regretted having done this. Not because of anything like achieving Closure.

[Whoracle]

I just had a strange yet somehow interesting train of thought:

If we translated Deeganverse terminology to D&D, what exactly would a "saving throw" entail? :smalleek:


And Szark definately had closure. Because he's gay! Get it? His ... tailing nether regions got closed! MWHAHAHAHA! MWHAHA! HAHA! HA! Haha. Ahahaha. Aha. Ha.

Oh man, sometimes I hate myself...

[Khosan]

Panel 1 is extremely awkward.

Panel 3's dialogue sounds extremely weird.

Panel 5 is fun. Subsequent panels are okay.

[Johnny Blade]

I didn't mind panel 1. It was more or less obvious that the reference (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-01-30) was coming, and it's in character and only took up one panel that had to be used for the landing anyway.

After that, though, well. Kinda boring. I blame the panel layout, mostly.



If we translated Deeganverse terminology to D&D, what exactly would a "saving throw" entail? :smalleek:
Improbable physics.



Oh man, sometimes I hate myself...
And is there a reason for this or did you just want to let it out?

[Khosan]

I didn't mind panel 1.

What's irking me about panel 1 is the way it's put together. Having the speech bubble in there makes it feel like Spark was falling in some extremely slow fashion with the motion lines. Had we had a frame of 'Spark lands' and then 'Spark holds his eyes shut looking fearful while Donovan delivers cheesy line' it wouldn't feel quite so awkward to me.

[AgentPaper]

I didn't mind panel 1. It was more or less obvious that the reference (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-01-30) was coming, and it's in character and only took up one panel that had to be used for the landing anyway.

Speaking of which, why would falling through a portal change how fast he's falling? Shouldn't he have just gone splat on the floor under the portal exit? :smallconfused: I mean, if it was a teleport spell, I might have let it slide that it changes acceleration and velocity as well as location, but a portal doesn't seem like it would do that. Though I suppose he might have cast some type of "feather fall" spell on him as well, but it doesn't look like it...hmm. :smalltongue:

Edit: @panel 1
The way it's laid out, it also seems to imply that donovan started speaking as spark was in the process of landing on him, which is just an odd thing to do.

[Sucrose]

Well, they could have just cast it when he hadn't fallen very far. Granted, that assumes that Szark and company wouldn't pay Spark any attention once he'd started falling, but that's the most sensible way he could have survived.

[Tackyhillbillu]

So... I have come to a decision. There is no way Mookie can believe that his puns are funny. There is no possible circumstances in which they would remain fresh for this long, even given them being funny originally (which they weren't.)

I have no idea why he keeps going... maybe sheer hatred of the world, but it can't be because he actually thinks it is funny.

[The Linker]

He's said that he only did them becuase his friends and fans found them hilarious (the same people who found the alliteration-filled punchlines funny). So, in essence, you're right -- HE doesn't find them very funny, but (he thinks?) everyone else does.

[Fawkes]

In all fairness, catapult isn't that bad.

[Frogwarrior]

Bumper killed Amelia as a response to her actions immediately before, and became a good person because he deeply regretted having done this. Not because of anything like achieving Closure.

Unless his deep regret for having done it was BECAUSE he achieved Closure, thus purging himself of imperfection... :smalltongue:

[YeahThatGuy]

Bad puns and disgruntled looks at the camera are the only things keeping this comic going.

[Mewtarthio]

This comic "goes"?

[Penquin47]

You know, my dog ran away a few times.

When I say "ran" away, I suppose I should say "ambled" away. This dog is old, fat, and lazy.

We now add blind and potentially losing his hearing to that list, thanks to his diabetes.

Should he ever find his way out of the back yard again - yeah, he'd probably STILL move faster than the plot of this arc.

[FoE]

You know, my dog ran away a few times.

When I say "ran" away, I suppose I should say "ambled" away. This dog is old, fat, and lazy.

We now add blind and potentially losing his hearing to that list, thanks to his diabetes.

Should he ever find his way out of the back yard again - yeah, he'd probably STILL move faster than the plot of this arc.

You're a terrible person for making me laugh at that. :smallannoyed: :smallbiggrin:

[Shadowtraveler]

This comic "goes"?
In the sense that it is moving at a speed that is not "dead standstill", yes.

I for one am not going to complain about all these recent instances of Just Knew, if only because I wish this arc to end.

[AgentPaper]

Don't worry, Mewth, my computer keeps telling me that DD's speed is exactly 0 all the time because of rounding errors too. :smallwink:

[Gez]

Help you? I'm doing just fine doing it all alone! (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-22)

[FoE]

NOOOOO! NOT AN X! ANYTHING BUT AN X!

Naaaaarrrrmmmmm.

I will admit, however, that I am surprised by this turn of events.

[AgentPaper]

So, what, now the crone is some evul villainess who plans to destroy the world from atop her doom-y mountain? Hmm, that might actually be cool...if we knew absolutely nothing about her until now. :smallannoyed:

[The Linker]

Dom's face in panels three and seven are oddly similar.

Try switching your view between the two panels really fast and see how long it takes for you to have a seizure.

[Johnny Blade]

Mwahahahahahaa!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

MWAHAHAHA!


(Evil.)

[Whoracle]

Todays comic was surprisingly good. I, with my limited knowledge, haven't seen any major art failures, the last panel works well with me.

I think this may well be the best strip of the entire arc for me.

[Trazoi]

I for one am not going to complain about all these recent instances of Just Knew, if only because I wish this arc to end.
I'm still going to nitpick, because pattern recognition indicates that the next arc isn't going to be better. :smalltongue

Besides which, we've reached a critical mass of Just Knews. I know with the whole seer thing there was always a bit of that, but just look at where we are:

Dominic who Just Knew he had to go visit the Crone, has reached the spot where the Magic Mountain was meant to be at the same time as Huk Thak, who Just Knew he should be walking in that direction. Dominic Just Knew he was at the right spot, and Huk Thak Just Knew he had reached the spot where he got his Huk Thak stick, which he both Just Knew he had to wield and upon wielding he Just Knew his lost love Azazia (who Just Knew she had to go out into the storms) was dead.

(Note that Dominic and co don't see Huk Thak and vice versa. Or that Huk Thak noticed the mountain the first time he was here. I guess that had to Just Not Know that?)

Huk Thak Just Knew he had to return his stick, and the Magic Mountain Just Knew it had to appear. Huk Thak then Just Knew his love Azazia was up the mountain. Dominic Just Knew someone was there and he Just Knew he had to beat him to the Crone. And all his comrades Just Know they have to help him stop Huk Thak, although I'll give a pass on that one. :smallwink:

Honestly, if he wants to end the arc like this, just have the Spiritfather surrender because he Just Knows he'll lose at the end. :smallsigh:

I'm curious though as to exactly why there's this big rush to get to the mountain first, because I can't think of any reason to stop Huk Thak that isn't in some way inadvertently hilarious.

Edit: New Comic! (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-22)

You know, if it turns out Azazia is the real Big Bad and has been playing everyone for suckers, it might go some way to redeeming this arc.

[Ganurath]

Azazia is in luck! Dominic is great at ruining things! She has chosen... wisely.

[Johnny Blade]

You know, if it turns out Azazia is the real Big Bad and has been playing everyone for suckers, it might go some way to redeeming this arc.
I'd bet on her just being possessed again, although maybe Snuggly has his huggable tentacles in this.

Either way, I'm surprised by this. I'm also a bit surprised nobody called it.

Oh, and nice going, Hukthak. You managed to lose the only weapon around.
On that note, good thinking, Hansi. Great preparation.


I'd wonder why Crone Magic still works when the Crone is possessed, but one thing that doesn't surprise me anymore is the incompetence of orcs and orcish gods. :smallamused:

[EvilRoeSlade]

I actually like todays comic quite a bit, as it's provided me with Fridge Brilliance (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FridgeBrilliance) for the first time since I started reading this comic.

Azazazazazalolwtfbbqia didn't send Luna out on her own because she was the "Chosen One" she did it because she knew damn well that Luna was an idiot who would make things worse for everyone if she was left unsupervised.

[Cracklord]

Wow. Exactly what I had planned to do in the roleplay.

Best. Comic. Ever.

[Trazoi]

I'd bet on her just being possessed again, although maybe Snuggly has his huggable tentacles in this.

Either way, I'm surprised by this. I'm also a bit surprised nobody called it.
Oh, I'm fairly sure she's possessed by some nasty. I suspected she'd be in her stranGlE STraNglE sTraNgLE! phase, as that's the only semi-plausible reason why something terrible would happen. The only snafu is that Huk Thak's probably the best person to snap Azazia out of it, but that's not the kind of logic that this arc runs on.

Still, I'd like to think that either Azazia really does want the prophecy to fail or that she did actually die back then and someone took her place. It would be delicious if she explains how Luna and Dominic were so thick that they were so easily "guided" into setting up Maltak: Total War.

Maybe when Azazia died she was possessed by Warlord Moustache, who has set in motion the destruction of the entire orcish race. Now Dominic has brought Hansi, a suitable muscular knight vessel, he can free himself of his disgusting orc flesh prison and regain his full Callanian strength.

[Cracklord]

So.
Winterwind.
You have claimed you are not Mookie, and we have taken it on faith, and then something like this shows up. Explain yourself.


Maybe when Azazia died she was possessed by Warlord Moustache, who has set in motion the destruction of the entire orcish race. Now Dominic has brought Hansi, a suitable muscular knight vessel, he can free himself of his disgusting orc flesh prison and regain his full Callanian strength.

If this happens, I now proclaim my fealty to Mooke, and if Warlord Mustache somehow wins, next time Mookie is at a Con I will buy everything on his table.

[Johnny Blade]

Maybe when Azazia died she was possessed by Warlord Moustache, who has set in motion the destruction of the entire orcish race. Now Dominic has brought Hansi, a suitable muscular knight vessel, he can free himself of his disgusting orc flesh prison and regain his full Callanian strength.
He'll be pretty disappointed, then. There are barely a hundred orcs left.

Still, maybe killing the chosen people of the Dominus would allow him to become a demon lord, overthrow the almost-piggart that's currently in charge of hell, and butcher happily ever after, reunited with his son.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The demon lord of Racism!

[Cracklord]

Awesome you mean.
Honestly, the one time Mookie manages to make a worthwhile antagonist, he makes no use of him whatsoever. It's not right.

[EvilRoeSlade]

It's better this way. He could only become less awesome if Mookie DID use him.

[Cracklord]

It's better this way. He could only become less awesome if Mookie DID use him.

How can you screw that up? His entire personality is charge blindly in, and win due to sheer awesomeness

He would, in fact, be the exact opposite of Dominic, A physical paragon good at making things up as he goes a long and taking advantage unexpected opportunities, but never thinking long term, with a penchant for physical torture and overcoming problems by being just that badass. Whose jokes are inappropriate one liners instead of inappropriate puns (only, actually funny).

Exact opposite.

[AgentPaper]

How can you screw that up? His entire personality is charge blindly in, and win due to sheer awesomeness

He would, in fact, be the exact opposite of Dominic, A physical paragon good at making things up as he goes a long and taking advantage unexpected opportunities, but never thinking long term, with a penchant for physical torture and overcoming problems by being just that badass. Whose jokes are inappropriate one liners instead of inappropriate puns (only, actually funny).

Exact opposite.

Mookie would find a way. Actually, it's easy: He would be "redeemed". :smallyuk:

Most likely by performing the rite of closure on someone, maybe that king we still haven't seen anything of?

[EvilRoeSlade]

I'd like to write a novel where an expy of Warlord Mustache is the protagonist whose grim but necessary goal is the extermination of a race of backward, insane, and excessively violent creatures. His villainous counterpart would be a guy who believes that all races should be treated equal, the genocide that he's attempting to commit is a horrible, horrible thing, and that the creatures are really just misunderstood. The orcs creatures would revere this man as a god, not because he treats them with respect (though he mistakenly believes that's the reason) but because they're just freaking insane.

It would be a tremendous personal catharsis.

[YeahThatGuy]

Dominic is incredibly ugly. Maybe it's the neck, maybe the nose and hair, or maybe the v neck turtle-neck, but whatever it is, he looks like he's been punched one too many times.

[Silverblood]

Bad puns and disgruntled looks at the camera are the only things keeping this comic going.

rather than collapsing in despair? :smallbiggrin:

...and yet it still can't escape

Also, regarding today - uh. Why does everyone think this is GOOD? By 'ruin' she obviosuly means the status quo (e.g. tradition, tribe set up etc)/sacrifice chief's plans/break the pattern in order to allow it to reform...

[kaisuteknon]

Reading today's comic got me thinking that perhaps it's time for Karnak or a certain tentacled (but adorable) eldritch abomination to finally join in this whole Maltakian madness. That is, if Mookie still remembers them.

[Cracklord]

I'd like to write a novel where an expy of Warlord Mustache is the protagonist whose grim but necessary goal is the extermination of a race of backward, insane, and excessively violent creatures. His villainous counterpart would be a guy who believes that all races should be treated equal, the genocide that he's attempting to commit is a horrible, horrible thing, and that the creatures are really just misunderstood. The orcs creatures would revere this man as a god, not because he treats them with respect (though he mistakenly believes that's the reason) but because they're just freaking insane.

It would be a tremendous personal catharsis.

I would write that if you beta me. Full length chapters and everything. Lets also include his relationship with his son (being good with children is the hallmark of the heroic sociopath). Still, I wouldn't include Dominic. I would include Donovan, Miranda and Karnak.

God, I was just hit with an inspiration.

[Gez]

Dominic is incredibly ugly. Maybe it's the neck, maybe the nose and hair, or maybe the v neck turtle-neck, but whatever it is, he looks like he's been punched one too many times.

"Dominic Deegan has been punched too many times."

What does it mean? I can't parse it. Each word makes sense individually, but the whole sentence is gibberish.

[Wraith]

Dear Gods! The Crone is attempting to Face Meld with the edge of the panel! She's absorbing power from the Real World itself!

STOP, YOU FOOL! YOU'LL KILL US ALL! LOOK, IT'S ALREADY MADE YOUR LOWER JAW GROW WIDER THAN YOUR FACE AND THEN DISLOCATE! STOP, BEFORE IT'S TOO LAT-*blam*

[Domochevsky]

...
Still, I'd like to think that either Azazia really does want the prophecy to fail or that she did actually die back then and someone took her place. It would be delicious if she explains how Luna and Dominic were so thick that they were so easily "guided" into setting up Maltak: Total War.
...

Now that's just asking for it. :smallbiggrin:

http://nudecreator.org/Domochevsky/Mookster_37.png

How he went from Chief Outrage's son to her? Because of the hood/scarf/magic, that's how!

[ichini_sanshigo]

So, yeah. This arc may be partially redeemed after all. Azazia actually being the primary antagonist would be pretty cool, but I'll wait and see what happens. It's more than likely that she's possessed. Also, Mookie wouldn't have his Sue **** up in such an insane manner (leading the already dwindling and resource-starved orcs to an unnecessary war with the Bikta). So, yeah.

[Kerlyssa]

Nah, she's just gone bad again without Lunasue to slap the little woman back into line. Then she tells him she wants him to help her boop stuff up, which means they'll be fighting in time for mr big stick to walk in on them. Hilarity ensues.

[EvilRoeSlade]

I would write that if you beta me. Full length chapters and everything. Lets also include his relationship with his son (being good with children is the hallmark of the heroic sociopath). Still, I wouldn't include Dominic. I would include Donovan, Miranda and Karnak.

God, I was just hit with an inspiration.

I'd try it.

[Epsilon]

I imagine that if Huk Thak got up there first he would have been all "You want to wreck everything? Then I want to wreck everything!" Then he'd go on a rampage killing everything and then bringing it back to life.

[Arakune]

I'd like to write a novel where an expy of Warlord Mustache is the protagonist whose grim but necessary goal is the extermination of a race of backward, insane, and excessively violent creatures. His villainous counterpart would be a guy who believes that all races should be treated equal, the genocide that he's attempting to commit is a horrible, horrible thing, and that the creatures are really just misunderstood. The orcs creatures would revere this man as a god, not because he treats them with respect (though he mistakenly believes that's the reason) but because they're just freaking insane.

It would be a tremendous personal catharsis.

That would be awesome. But why it looks like a lot Warhammer 40k ?

[Clockwork_Seal]

I, with my limited knowledge, haven't seen any major art failures

Knowledge be damned. You're typing so I'm fairly certain that you have hands. And anyone with hands can see that your thumb is not your longest finger.

I can't care about the rest of the comic at all because of panel 5. Terracciano already knows that he can't draw hands, so why would he include a close-up of one? =|

[Whoracle]

Oh, right, overlooked that one. Still, on the whole this strip was good for DD standards, methinks.

[Domochevsky]

Yeah, the art is kinda mediocre and the surrounding parts senseless, making it a default DD.
But i like todays strip overall for its recall of the (good) start of the arc and the subsequent "twist" on it. :smallsmile:

(And if anyone else than Mookie had done this i could actually believe that this was done intentionally all along)

[Valencia]

Agreed with Domo above, I was pleasantly surprised to see this "twist". I can only hope he decides to actually do something with it instead of the possibility of snapping Azazazazazaazaia-whasis out of it with some Dom-sue instead of Luna-sue.

[lord_khaine]

Knowledge be damned. You're typing so I'm fairly certain that you have hands. And anyone with hands can see that your thumb is not your longest finger.

I can't care about the rest of the comic at all because of panel 5. Terracciano already knows that he can't draw hands, so why would he include a close-up of one? =|

So this means that all those without a compulsive fingermeasuring habbit can continue to enjoy todays comic.

[Fawkes]

Dom's face in panels three and seven are oddly similar.

Try switching your view between the two panels really fast and see how long it takes for you to have a seizure.

Okay, that doesn't seem too- HRRRGGKRRRHRKKK

[Johnny Blade]

Agreed with Domo above, I was pleasantly surprised to see this "twist". I can only hope he decides to actually do something with it instead of the possibility of snapping Azazazazazaazaia-whasis out of it with some Dom-sue instead of Luna-sue.
Yeah, uh...

See (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-05-04) the (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-02-02) Truth! (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-11-23) :smalltongue:


I'm assuming that there's Tox'xel - or whatever the poison demon lord who was all about corruption according to Bulgak Adrak, brother of Adrak Bulgak, was called - at work here, or at least some demonic influence. If it's Snuggly, nothing changes, but I find the relevant strips too agonizing to link to. Poor Snuggly.

[Valencia]

Yeah, uh...

See (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-05-04) the (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-02-02) Truth! (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-11-23) :smalltongue:


I'm assuming that there's Tox'xel - or whatever the poison demon lord who was all about corruption according to Bulgak Adrak, brother of Adrak Bulgak, was called - at work here, or at least some demonic influence. If it's Snuggly, nothing changes, but I find the relevant strips too agonizing to link to. Poor Snuggly.

...yeah... that. I'm going to cross my fingers but we all know Dom was angsting over not being a sue this arc, I think his "SEE THE TRUTH" must be a "In case of suedom loss break glass" sort of thing.

[T-O-E]

I just read 1984.
Not sure if anyone's done this before in this forum...

"Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Dominus could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary."

"If there is hope... it lies in the fifth caste."

"I tell you Reinholdt, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Dominus, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Dominus holds to be truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Dominus."

"The ideal set up by the Dominus was something huge, terrible, and glittering—a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons—a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting—three hundred million people all with the same face."

Don't open if you haven't read the book but intend to. Major spoiler.
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved his Big Brother. "

[Frogwarrior]

HOLY CRAP! She's trying to facemeld Dominic! :smalleek:

[Johnny Blade]

"The ideal set up by the Dominus was something huge, terrible, and glittering—a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons—a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting—three hundred million people all with the same face."

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/2862/lustylunasft5.jpg
:amused: This is text. It's white.

[Valencia]

Oh God indeed! :smalleek: It cannot be unseen.

[Zanaril]

The one top left seems to have a beard...

[MReav]

The one top left seems to have a beard...

I think it represents Dominic's Ho Yay relationship with Celestro.

[Frogwarrior]

:amused:

Wait... I just realized.
That ass in the bottom right... where's the top half of her??

[Johnny Blade]

Wait... I just realized.
That ass in the bottom right... where's the top half of her??
Every Luna...or Dominic, now...is missing at least a limb. Really, every one of them. I mean, it's a dream and all, but...every single one of them.


Also, yeah, Celesto managed to sneak in there.

[Gez]

Wait... I just realized.
That ass in the bottom right... where's the top half of her??

Let's play "Who Wants To Be A Domochevsky?"!
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6609/slaymissingparts.jpg (http://img94.imageshack.us/i/slaymissingparts.jpg/)

[Winterwind]

Why does everybody say something about Azazia being possessed, or it being somehow strange she would act this way? We know all too well that she is still suffering from the demonic poisoning - in fact, it's the entire reason why Melna is supposed to kill her. The poison has caused her to attack Luna before, just as it made her previous incarnation try to kill Melna (and die herself). Just where do you get the idea it could be anything else or that this is somehow an unexpected twist? We were told and shown and told again that she is evil and just barely struggling to keep it in control! :smallconfused:

One could complain that the times when she can control herself and when the poison overcomes her seem to be entirely tied to what the plot requires at the moment, but I guess that's a very minor contrivance compared to the ones we've already had in this arc and would be perfectly acceptable in a less contrivance-ridden comic.


So.
Winterwind.
You have claimed you are not Mookie, and we have taken it on faith, and then something like this shows up. Explain yourself.What does this have anything to do with anything I suggested should happen? :smalltongue:

[Khosan]

So, kind of random thought here. Why hasn't Mookie ever tried using photoshop or paintshop or something for the comic?

I mean all things considered, I think I'd prefer him pulling a B^Uckley than crayons and markers.

[AgentPaper]

So, kind of random thought here. Why hasn't Mookie ever tried using photoshop or paintshop or something for the comic?

I mean all things considered, I think I'd prefer him pulling a B^Uckley than crayons and markers.

Because he's a hippie.

[YeahThatGuy]

"Dominic Deegan has been punched too many times."

What does it mean? I can't parse it. Each word makes sense individually, but the whole sentence is gibberish.Generally, after someone has gotten their nose broken a few times they aren't very pretty. Broken noses are popularly associated with boxing, which involves punching. Dominic gets punched a lot. Dominic is also ugly.


Because he's a hippie.
A metal nerd hippie.

[Helanna]

I really, really hate that last panel. The face-meld is just completely unnecessary and distracting. What was wrong with showing her entire face, Mookie?!


Overall, I liked the strip (as much as any DD strip, I guess . . .). Maybe things will start happening now . . .

[Johnny Blade]

Why does everybody say something about Azazia being possessed, or it being somehow strange she would act this way? We know all too well that she is still suffering from the demonic poisoning - in fact, it's the entire reason why Melna is supposed to kill her. The poison has caused her to attack Luna before, just as it made her previous incarnation try to kill Melna (and die herself). Just where do you get the idea it could be anything else or that this is somehow an unexpected twist? We were told and shown and told again that she is evil and just barely struggling to keep it in control! :smallconfused:
Yeah, but that only made her go berserk. Whatever is going on now is different. Of course, the cause may be the same, but I've just got this feeling that there's more to it.
Especially since Dominic needs to do something Sueish, and a demon lord would be better than just a simple See the Truth! moment.

[Gez]

Generally, after someone has gotten their nose broken a few times they aren't very pretty.
Okay.

Broken noses are popularly associated with boxing, which involves punching.
Okay.

Dominic gets punched a lot.
A lot maybe, but not enough, and not often enough.

Dominic is also ugly.
Yup.


A metal nerd hippie.
A (vegan) metal nerd hippie.

[Trazoi]

Yeah, but that only made her go berserk. Whatever is going on now is different. Of course, the cause may be the same, but I've just got this feeling that there's more to it.
Especially since Dominic needs to do something Sueish, and a demon lord would be better than just a simple See the Truth! moment.
That's my thinking too. Whenever a "good" character acts all evil, there's always some kind of puppetmaster pulling their strings. If there wasn't, then who does Dom get to defeat in order to win?

Of course, it is possible that Gollum-Azazia is just crazy, and giving her a beat down will cause her to snap back. It's pretty weak even by this arc's standards though, and it doesn't explain why Gollum-Azazia is acting intelligent here instead of just KILL KILL KILL like before.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Man, this turn of events writes the fanon for this Arc so easily.
As has been noted, Luna is the worst possible choice for Messiah of the Orcs ever. First of all, she's dumb as a post. Secondly, her fangs enrage every Fifth Caste Orc that sees her. And finally - she's really, really lazy. I mean, she doesn't even try to fulfill the prophecy; she has to be literally pushed from place to place to get off her lazy ass.

But also consider the Crone's role in getting Melna to Maltak. What has Melna done since she arrived? Killed the leader of the (theoretically) most dangerous Clan! Now the leaderless clan cannot oppose Her Plan.

And, best of all, Evil Crone resolves all the Just Knew stuff - Maltak is her domain, so she's been implanting thoughts and urges into Our Heroes' heads all along! Those bogus prophecies Dominic got - sent by the Crone. Sending Dominic up first, so that he can't Xanatos his way out of his Doom? Crone again.

Hell, if Huk Thak showed up first, he could have shouted "I Know You're In There Somewhere" (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitleb2n8x0k6?from=Main.IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhe reFight) and provoked a Fighting From The Inside (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FightingFromTheInside) sequence. If Dominic & Co. showed up with all that going on, she might not be able to kill them all.Of course, this isn't true. Mookie is going to blow it all to hell with some Narmful (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Narm) interactions with Dominic, Azazazaza, and Huk Thak with Melna arriving with the Doma before Stonewater arrives too late to do anything. Then people will dance around the Last (and only!) Mountain - Crone Cave Peak - and the Arc will be over.

Aside from a couple of months of background exposition we totally don't need :smallsigh:

[Silverblood]

Why does everybody say something about Azazia being possessed, or it being somehow strange she would act this way? We know all too well that she is still suffering from the demonic poisoning - in fact, it's the entire reason why Melna is supposed to kill her. The poison has caused her to attack Luna before, just as it made her previous incarnation try to kill Melna (and die herself). Just where do you get the idea it could be anything else or that this is somehow an unexpected twist? We were told and shown and told again that she is evil and just barely struggling to keep it in control! :smallconfused:

One could complain that the times when she can control herself and when the poison overcomes her seem to be entirely tied to what the plot requires at the moment, but I guess that's a very minor contrivance compared to the ones we've already had in this arc and would be perfectly acceptable in a less contrivance-ridden comic.

What does this have anything to do with anything I suggested should happen? :smalltongue:

And why does everyone assume she's actually becoming an antagonist? Crossing out the tribe marks just looks symbolical of ending the tribes (and therefore saving the orcs to make them one, so they can do the horizontal dance in the lee of the great Innapropriate pointy thing)

[ichini_sanshigo]

Why assume Azazia's an evil mastermind? It's just that it's the logical conclusion one would jump to if this were a story written by a more competent author. And honestly, the story where this is all part of the Crone's gambit to become the sole power in Maltak is much much much more entertaining than what we're going to be subjected to.

Also, I miss my avatar and I want it back.

[YeahThatGuy]

Why assume all of the Orcs dancing is a good thing?

EDIT: Hell, all visions/prophecies in this comic are seen and prevented. :smallannoyed:

[Valencia]

Assuming Azazzzia is the evil mastermind makes me happy, the story could go some neat directions from there, which would help this horrid arc.

[AgentPaper]

Assuming Azazzzia is the evil mastermind makes me happy, the story could go some neat directions from there, which would help this horrid arc.

Ah, innocence. I was that naive once. :smalltongue:

[Valencia]

Reality is going to come crashing down on us hard, eh? Tomorrow is Cliffhanger Friday...

[Oracle_Hunter]

Reality is going to come crashing down on us hard, eh? Tomorrow is Cliffhanger Friday...
Oh my yes. Mookie never fails to disappoint :smalltongue:

Seriously. Anything that looks awesome will be -awesome within 1d20 strips.

I think the last time I had hope for Mookie was during the Oracle Hunter Arc... just before the "Brother! In Law" Shocking Swerve (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShockingSwerve).

I mean, the premise of Oracle Hunter is perfect - an assassin that stalks those who are smugly certain of the future. Better yet were the Depowering Knives; losing omniscience is a Fate Worse Than Death (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FateWorseThanDeath) for someone like Dominic - and it would handily serve to depower him to a more plot-manageable level. Unlike every other villain in DD, Oracle Hunter was prepared for facing down magical defenses and actually competent in her practice.

But then the depowering spell became a "virus" that Dominic's Plot Armor (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor) could deflect, and Oracle Hunter became Barnett - a stupid pawn in an even dumber plot.

I literally could not imagine how Mookie would screw that up. Now I don't even try to out-guess Mookie - I just assume he will inject massive amounts of Fail into everything that is Pure and Good :smallannoyed:

[Khosan]

But then the depowering spell became a "virus" that Dominic's Plot Armor (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor) could deflect, and Oracle Hunter became Barnett - a stupid pawn in an even dumber plot.

On the note of interesting things TVTropes will lead you to:

Bam (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami)

I'm hesitant to call that one worse than 'The Girl Who Lived (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheGirlWhoLived)' but it's certainly in the running for second place.

[Twin2]

Reality is going to come crashing down on us hard, eh? Tomorrow is Cliffhanger Friday...

I'd say this will actually extend the arc a bit since we now have to deal with the crone doing something else besides saving maltak ect ect.

[The Tygre]

I had three hours of free time tonight. I tried to get through 2003. I couldn't make it I COULDN'T MAKE IT. It broke meeeee! I'm so weak. I just have to try again. I'm almost through 2003. Groan levels reaching critical mass. Stupidity almost at event horizon. Marty Stu effect manifesting as tumors over my brain and skin. So much bad webcomic, so little time. IT'S JUST SO HORRIBLEIASHUBNIGGURATHGREATBLACKGOATOFTHEWOODSICA LLTHEEFORTH! I need to keep a journal to record my spiral into madness. Soon the blackness will consume me and I will be one the hideous Qliphoth for whom I have borne so much hatred for over the many years. I will become a vessel of darkness. And blood. Oh, so much blood.

[AgentPaper]

I had three hours of free time tonight. I tried to get through 2003. I couldn't make it I COULDN'T MAKE IT. It broke meeeee! I'm so weak. I just have to try again. I'm almost through 2003. Groan levels reaching critical mass. Stupidity almost at event horizon. Marty Stu effect manifesting as tumors over my brain and skin. So much bad webcomic, so little time. IT'S JUST SO HORRIBLEIASHUBNIGGURATHGREATBLACKGOATOFTHEWOODSICA LLTHEEFORTH! I need to keep a journal to record my spiral into madness. Soon the blackness will consume me and I will be one the hideous Qliphoth for whom I have borne so much hatred for over the many years. I will become a vessel of darkness. And blood. Oh, so much blood.

You can do it! We believe in you! :smallbiggrin:

[Trazoi]

I'd say this will actually extend the arc a bit since we now have to deal with the crone doing something else besides saving maltak ect ect.
If the arc gets extended any further then (shudder) it's going to extend into 2010. There's only nine weeks of 2009 left, loads and loads of dangling plot elements, and we just had one week just to meet the Crone.


I had three hours of free time tonight. I tried to get through 2003. I couldn't make it I COULDN'T MAKE IT.
Is it a comfort if I tell you that I consider 2003 to be the best year of Dominic Deegan, and you've got six worse years to read? :smallbiggrin:
(Okay, 2004 is roughly on par with 2003 as well. But after Storm of Souls it goes steadily downhill).

[Cracklord]

On the note of interesting things TVTropes will lead you to:

Bam (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami)

I'm hesitant to call that one worse than 'The Girl Who Lived (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheGirlWhoLived)' but it's certainly in the running for second place.

My brain...

WHY? OH DEAR GODS WHY?
I cannae dae it, captain. Ah dinnae got ta poower.


I had three hours of free time tonight. I tried to get through 2003. I couldn't make it I COULDN'T MAKE IT. It broke meeeee! I'm so weak. I just have to try again. I'm almost through 2003. Groan levels reaching critical mass. Stupidity almost at event horizon. Marty Stu effect manifesting as tumors over my brain and skin. So much bad webcomic, so little time. IT'S JUST SO HORRIBLEIASHUBNIGGURATHGREATBLACKGOATOFTHEWOODSICA LLTHEEFORTH! I need to keep a journal to record my spiral into madness. Soon the blackness will consume me and I will be one the hideous Qliphoth for whom I have borne so much hatred for over the many years. I will become a vessel of darkness. And blood. Oh, so much blood.

Clearly you are weaker then me. It made you degenerate into A Lovecraftian victim, where it has made me degenerate almost exactly like Rorschach.

No, really. It has made me loose all faith in humanity, and expression, and convinced me that people need to be controlled. The difference is, I can't actually kill the subjects of my ire, so instead I write hate fic that I never publish.

[Arakune]

I had three hours of free time tonight. I tried to get through 2003. I couldn't make it I COULDN'T MAKE IT. It broke meeeee! I'm so weak. I just have to try again. I'm almost through 2003. Groan levels reaching critical mass. Stupidity almost at event horizon. Marty Stu effect manifesting as tumors over my brain and skin. So much bad webcomic, so little time. IT'S JUST SO HORRIBLEIASHUBNIGGURATHGREATBLACKGOATOFTHEWOODSICA LLTHEEFORTH! I need to keep a journal to record my spiral into madness. Soon the blackness will consume me and I will be one the hideous Qliphoth for whom I have borne so much hatred for over the many years. I will become a vessel of darkness. And blood. Oh, so much blood.

And here comes another one. Welcome to madness!

[Frogwarrior]

And why does everyone assume she's actually becoming an antagonist? Crossing out the tribe marks just looks symbolical of ending the tribes (and therefore saving the orcs to make them one, so they can do the horizontal dance in the lee of the great Innapropriate pointy thing)

I dunno, maybe because most non-antagonists don't have evil grins on their faces while they talk about "ruining everything?" :smalltongue:
But more seriously, as I recall, the image doesn't just contain the five clan marks, but the entire prophecy of the five clams prancing on the elbow of the basted titan. So her crossing out the prophecy means that she's planning on canceling the dance. Even ruining it, maybe. :smallwink:

And as for how we know the Dance is GOOD, well, remember, it wasn't just Azazazia that told Luna... the DRAGON did too. And we know the dragon is in league with the Good Guys - its first appearance was making Luna into the Waterbender. And, it was in league with Rilian, who is in league with our hero Mr. Stonefist, so it's GOTTA be on the good side. :smalltongue:

[Silverblood]

. So her crossing out the prophecy means that she's planning on canceling the dance. Even ruining it, maybe. :smallwink:


...obviously they're switching to plan D. then.

What, you thought Luna was plan A?

[Khosan]

...obviously they're switching to plan D. then.

What, you thought Luna was plan A?

Nothing in this arc is planned. It's all just kind of happening.

[AgentPaper]

Oh no! Orc prom will be ruined!
It'll probably rain, too.

[Cracklord]

I swear, Domnics face is all wrong It doesn't say shocked, it says kiss me.

[AgentPaper]

I swear, Domnics face is all wrong It doesn't say shocked, it says kiss me.

I thought he was making that face because he was trying to squeeze out more DeeganDrug. I guess he's running low, which is frankly unsurprising.

[The Tygre]

I swear, Domnics face is all wrong It doesn't say shocked, it says kiss me.

He has a face? I just assumed it was like a Fae from Exalted; just kind of a conglomeration of eyes, ears, and a mouth to blather tyranny.

[Khosan]

He has a face?

He doesn't have just a face.

He has the face. Which, for the life of me, I can't remember where it is. I thought it was in Shadow of Siegfried, but apparently not.

[AgentPaper]

New comic. (http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-23)

Oh hey look, the crone is completely ineffectual. Again. I wonder how many panels until huk smash is turned into dominic's eternal best buddy and mind slave? Yes, panels, not strips. I'm trying to be realistic here.

[Cracklord]

Hansai hit a women! Sexism! You All saw it! Kill him dead! Kill him with fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/Mookie]

And everyone who said we were wrong to get our hopes up? You were right.

[Castel]

Not much to say about this one, huh?

... Hansi's face in panel 3... I know we saw that before, and it was just as ugly, but I can't remember when.

Seriously, how could Mookie think that resembles any sort of face? :smallconfused:

Edit:
I just noticed that the Dominic face in the last panel looks pasted; like The Fangman in the Strip Slays.

[Kerlyssa]

Yeaaah, called it. Time for more stick thumping. Wonder if it'll turn one of them into a pigeon or something this time.

[FoE]

Do orcs have some kind of special magical power that enables them to always walk into situations at the exact moment where they'll get the wrong impression?

And does Hansi Reinholdt need to choke a bitch? :smalltongue:

[EvilRoeSlade]

So her plan to ruin everything amounted to what... eating Dominic's face? What did she want his help with? Did she want him to sit still?

[FoE]

So her plan to ruin everything amounted to what... eating Dominic's face? What did she want his help with? Did she want him to sit still?

I think she was attacking Hansi there.

I suspect the reason why Dominic "just knew" he had to get to the top of Candy Mountain first was because Gary Stu Huk Thak wouldn't have defended himself from his possessed girlfriend and Azazazazia would have killed his ass. Clearly, Gary Stu Huk Thak's destiny still has much in store for him.

[AgentPaper]

I think she was attacking Hansi there.

I suspect the reason why Dominic "just knew" he had to get to the top of Candy Mountain first was because Gary Stu Huk Thak wouldn't have defended himself from his possessed girlfriend and Azazazazia would have killed his ass. Clearly, Gary Stu Huk Thak's destiny still has much in store for him.

Well, of course, he's an orc. As soon as he saw someone angry and hostile, he would have instantly fallen to the ground and begged for his life. It's just his nature. :smallwink:

Also, apparently hukthak arrived at just the absolute perfect timing, so that he saw Reinholdt smacking the crone, but just barely too late to see her flying at him like a crazed banshee, or screaming...uh, whatever HRARGH is supposed to be. I mean seriously, is she constipated or something? :smallconfused:

[FoE]

As I noted in my first post on this page, I suspect that horrible timing is one of the special abilities of orcs. Hence the reason their society is so violent.

[EvilRoeSlade]

As I noted in my first post on this page, I suspect that horrible timing is one of the special abilities of orcs. Hence the reason their society is so violent.

He could have been standing their for any amount of time. His orcish brain just refuses to process information that doesn't lead to a conclusion involving violence.

[FoE]

That would imply that Huk Thak Gary Stu is at fault. Which is unpossible.

@V: You are correct. In Winter Archipelago, Face makes you!

[tyckspoon]

He doesn't have just a face.

He has the face. Which, for the life of me, I can't remember where it is. I thought it was in Shadow of Siegfried, but apparently not.

The Vacation, I think, when Milov surprises him with a table of food made entirely of maple mavpel.

[kaisuteknon]

I swear, every time I see a glimmer of hope in this comic, Mookie promptly snuff it out and left me convulsing on the floor with a maddening revelation that this comic will NOT get any better.

The fifth panel seriously bothers me. How does Dominic know that the Crone is being infected by the poison?

I can't figure out Dominic's face in this comic. Aside from his mouth, nothing suggests an expression.

What exactly happened to Hansi's eyes in panel 3?

And why did Mookie bold the word didn't?

[The Linker]

I like how in the newspost, Mookie reminds us how Dominic knew that she was infected with the poison.

By this point, I'm much more surprised to find pre-existing knowledge than to find the absence of them. :smallamused:

I will say, though, that the art looks pretty good in this one, I think. Barring panel 3, and possibly 2. Hukthak looks pretty badass, and the facial expressions in all but the panels I've already mentioned are fairly decent and expressive. I like Dom's expression in panel 8 in particular. :smallbiggrin:

[Johnny Blade]

Yeaaah, called it. Time for more stick thumping. Wonder if it'll turn one of them into a pigeon or something this time.
Yeah, I guess Azazia, possessed or not, decided that the best way of ruining everything was making Hukthak huk Dominic a thak or two.


Also, disappearing pupil syndrom makes it impossible for me to tell whether Hukthak is also supposed to be under the effect of the poison or not.

[Trazoi]

That was, sadly, what I expected to be awaiting at the top of the mountain earlier in the week; a killcrazy Azazia who goes beserk, has to be stopped by Hansi (he's the only one who could), and an angry Huk Thak. And yesterday hinted at so much more... :smallfrown:

I'm still hugely in the dark as to why it was so critical to reach the mountain first, because all it seems to have done is allow Dominic to be attacked twice. Not that I don't mind seeing that, grant you. :smallwink:

[Ganurath]

Clearly, Crazazia used her Crone powers to guide Dominic toward thinking they needed to get there first, so that Huk Thak would be delayed until after the Callanian Knight was beating the crap out of his girlfriend. She knew she wouldn't be able to retain a dominant position if Huk Thak arrived first, but if he's fighting for Azazia she might be able to gain an edge in the chaos of the brawl.

[Slayn82]

So, i guess the Crone tried to facemeld Dominic and poison him, but missed and got Huk Thak instead? Or is Huk Thak wanting to kill DD because as thanks for the joy of escalating a mountain with a cat scratching his back?

[Jahkaivah]

In which we are reminded why sending Huk Thak into the situation was a really dumb move.

Way to go Luna.

[Thanqol]

Aw man. Weak. She jumps at him and gets punched down without a fight. Nice going there, for someone who knew they were coming and had time to plan for it.

Also: The crone is too 'pretty' to die. You'll notice that Mookie's serious villains are drawn distinctly different from his good guys, and the crone has, er, "facial features consistent with characters previously identified as being portrayed as 'cute'" (yes, it would have saved time to say that she was 'pretty' there, but that would be at the expense of accuracy!). And those characters never die.

I'm sure one of our DD Zoographers can verify this for me. I don't know, it's just easy to tell visually who belongs to what caste.

She's going to be healed by the end of this and tearfully wave Dominic on his way home, while holding hands with HukThak.

EDIT: NOT THAT THERE'LL EVER BE AN END

[Shadowtraveler]

Wait, when did Hansi become competent at his job/profession? :smallconfused:

[Haven]

Hansi reminds me of Wonderella in the fourth panel. I like it.

[Cracklord]

Wait, when did Hansi become competent at his job/profession? :smallconfused:

He was trained by the best (Warlord Mustache), allowing him to recognize Luna for what she was at their first meeting and respond with contempt rather then gushing adoration (heh heh, Piggot-lips). It has taken many strips of experimental brain stimulus and mindrape on the part of Dominic (hail Dominus) to make him into another slave who sees orcs as desirable despite their legs that bend the wrong way and facial protrusions. Clearly he is regressing, with this scene that brings back memories of his time during the war.

With any luck, he'll go all 'flippy' and act appropriately. I would love to see that.


* * * * *

Also, I have resolved to write Mookie an email begging him to bring back Warlord Mustache. I suspect it will be ignored, but if enough people do it, perhaps he'll cave in.
So, all snarkers, please do this. For Science.

[Trazoi]

Also, I have resolved to write Mookie an email begging him to bring back Warlord Mustache. I suspect it will be ignored, but if enough people do it, perhaps he'll cave in.
So, all snarkers, please do this. For Science.
The best you'll achieve is convincing Mookie that he hasn't made Warlord Moustache villainous enough, so he'll add in more eeeeevil backstory flashbacks. That won't be so bad for Warlord Moustache fans by itself, but push it too far and he'll become a Shieldface, and another member of the Legion of Villains with No Personality. That's the kiss of death for Fourth Caste fandom.

[Wraith]

Say what you want: Hansi Reinholt has finally justified his presence in this storyline. Unlike the vast majority of the caste, he has at least achieved something productive and ended a fight without letting his opponent kick the crap out of him first.

I live in hope that next week he has to fight Huk Thak while Dominic does.... whatever.... and spontaneously grows a mustache before handing out the biggest Smackdown this wretched comic has ever seen. Then he gives a rousing rendition of a certain scene from "Network" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WINDtlPXmmE&feature=related) and goes off to continue his productive streak.... :smalltongue:

[Rappy]

Also: The crone is too 'pretty' to die. You'll notice that Mookie's serious villains are drawn distinctly different from his good guys, and the crone has, er, "facial features consistent with characters previously identified as being portrayed as 'cute'" (yes, it would have saved time to say that she was 'pretty' there, but that would be at the expense of accuracy!). And those characters never die.

I'm sure one of our DD Zoographers can verify this for me. I don't know, it's just easy to tell visually who belongs to what caste.
*Puts on her biologist glasses*

Well, from a magizoological perspective, it's possible that the demonic poison is actually a genetic retrovirus. This may be why when angered, people like Huk Thak, Melna, and the Crone seem to contract Neanderthalitis. They literally are transforming, Hulking out, as it were. The innocent faces are also part of this two-faced scheme; who could hit a face like that? (Well, besides us...) The innocent face is designed to help the orcs survive in the face of those that cannot see through the charade. Of course, when people like Warlord Mustache are around, it doesn't do them much good.

[Johnny Blade]

Say what you want: Hansi Reinholt has finally justified his presence in this storyline.
He knocked out a sick woman. :smallamused:
Although, that's better than what Jacob managed to achieve, at least.

However, I think any ensuing fight between him and Hukthak will be ended by either Kiya or Dominic. I actually believe it'll be Kiya. If there is a fight. Anticlimaxes seem to be the failure of the hour, after all.

[Whoracle]

[...]And why did Mookie bold the word didn't?

Because Dom said something terrible would happen IF they weren't the first up that "mountain". This one is actually valid, methinks.

[Psychonaut]

However, I think any ensuing fight between him and Hukthak will be ended by either Kiya or Dominic. I actually believe it'll be Kiya.

Me too. If only because she hasn't said or done anything since the previous night and has been suspiciously absent from any panel ever since they entered the crone cave (although that could just be Mookie's laziness minimalism). I suspect Huk Thak will attempt to huk Hansi's thak, and Kiya will show up to save him by attacking from behind.

Yes, that was intentional.

[ichini_sanshigo]

"Okay, now this is so bad after all."

Seriously? He couldn't have taken 20 seconds to find a less unwieldy construction for that sentence?

[Morty]

I can see why Hukthak is so pissed off. Hansi just did the orcish equivalent of making out with his girlfriend.

[Domochevsky]

I can see why Hukthak is so pissed off. Hansi just did the orcish equivalent of making out with his girlfriend.

Are you saying that he hit on her? :smallwink:

[Johnny Blade]

He's a hit with the ladies.

[Valencia]

Got up this morning to have a look and.... my levels of apathy for this arc continue to rise. Punch to the face and then DUN DUN DUN Huk-Thak sees Rrrrrrrrrieenholdt doin' the orcish sign for "I love you" on his girl. Cliffhanger Friday and likely and extended fight next week (because the arc must go ON!:smallsigh:).

[General Valter]

This strip would have been better as only four panels. I must admit that I giggled at the punch out.

[Morty]

Are you saying that he hit on her? :smallwink:


He's a hit with the ladies.

*3d10 pun damage*
Another thing I'd like to point out, if someone hasn't already, is that Mookie once again deemed it prudent to remind us about the old strips the new ones reference. Way to think of your own fanbase, dude.

[Clockwork_Seal]

Yeah, I don't get why people are upset about Hansi. It's pretty much the first time anyone in the entire arc has responded appropriately to a situation, and it may well have been the best fight seen Terracciano ever drew.

Also, as mentioned, there's finally a damned REASON for him to be here. You can call it anticlimactic all you want, but a trained fighter SHOULD be able to completely dismantle a sick and not terribly physically active woman in a fight. And, for once, there was no 'but maybe it's wrong to hit her when she's trying to kill us!' nonsense.

[Valencia]

Oh I'm cool with "Hanzi gonna knock you out", but the Huk Thak just happening to witness that but not the initial crazy that was Azazzzzzzia charging into it.

[MReav]

Are you saying that he hit on her? :smallwink:

There is a special layer in hell for people like you.

But with my "Sue them" line, I'm going there with you.

[T-O-E]

"I was right, the Crone of Maltak is effected by the last of of the land's demonic poison."

I think it would be amusing if the Crone was actually anchoring the demonic poison to the land, preventing it from healing.

[Arakune]

How dominic was 'right'? Since when he had that theory in the first place?

[lord_khaine]

Oh I'm cool with "Hanzi gonna knock you out", but the Huk Thak just happening to witness that but not the initial crazy that was Azazzzzzzia charging into it.

Who says he has not seen it but just dont care?

[Morty]

How dominic was 'right'? Since when he had that theory in the first place?

He's had it forever for the last few seconds.

[T-O-E]

How dominic was 'right'? Since when he had that theory in the first place?

It's linked in the newspost.
Here. (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-10)

[averagejoe]

Ahhhh... I love the smell of disappointment in the morning. Smells like... Mookie. :smallcool:

Wait, I don't like that smell at all. :smallannoyed:

[Arakune]

It's linked in the newspost.
Here. (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-10)

Normaly you don't forget those plot relevant stuff...

[Tackyhillbillu]

"My God, what is that smell? Oh."
"That's the smell of desire my lady."
"God no, it smells like, like a used diaper... filled with... Indian food. Oh, excuse me."
"You know, desire smells like that to some people"
"What is that? Smells like a turd covered in burnt hair."
"Smells like Bigfoot's d*ck."

[Johnny Blade]

Smells like orc spirit.

[T-O-E]

Smells like orc spirit.

What does orc spirit smell like?
We should ask Jacob.

[FoE]

What does orc spirit smell like?
We should ask Jacob.

Oh, you're good. :smallamused:

[VanIsleKnight]

So... er... is someone going to pay for this outrage?

[Oracle_Hunter]

So, I too was curious by Dominic's claim of having read the archives knowing about the demon poison. Then I read Mookie's newspost and followed the link. (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-10)

Obviously I wasn't paying attention back in June, because I am not retroactively filled with rage. :smallfurious:

(1) The Demon Poison is common knowledge? Hell, the Callanian Infernomancer Division isn't even common knowledge! (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-11-17) Aside from the questionable practice of the Luanian Church suppressing this information (only trained priests, orcs, and Dominic know, apparently :smallyuk:) isn't the Crone supposed to be the only person with this information? (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-04-21)

(2) If the Demon Poison is common knowledge, why didn't anyone tell the orcs? Maybe the Luanians hate the Orcs, but Dominic knew. He didn't even tell Melna that her people had been infected (for 20+ years!) with Rage Poison. I just checked the War In Hell and nowhere did anyone mention that Maltak was poisoned. In fact, Dominic first mentions this fact here (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-05-02) - not as knowledge gained from the Death Rock, but as something he already knew.

Goddamnit Mookie, how can you be so bad that you anger me across temporal boundaries :smallmad:

:smallsigh: At least we've gotten this far without anyone saying "God has nothing to do with this." Without the Crone sucker-punch, I'm certain that would have been the next thing she would have said.

EDIT: and yes, who is going to pay for this outrage? Because someone is, let me tell you! :smallmad:

[T-O-E]

When the arc finishes (if ever) and Mookie's ready to make a printed collection of it, its title should definitely be "Someone is going to pay for this outrage!".

EDIT:
Same idea.
http://imgur.com/5M4Sh.png

[Oracle_Hunter]

When the arc finishes (if ever) and Mookie's ready to make a printed collection of it, its title should definitely be "Someone is going to pay for this outrage!".
I'd buy it - if someone else would do the cover art :smallamused:

I mean, it'd obviously have a dramatic rendering of the namesake panel - and for that, I think you'll need to use something better than ballpoint pens and markers :smalltongue:

[Morty]

You know, I've been wondering and I stumbled upon an interesting thought: am I the only one who can't think of a worse Chosen One than Luna? I'm not that well-versed in fiction admittedly, but I can't think of any who wouldn't be intentionally inept, like Rincewind or Jig the Goblin.

[Jerthanis]

You know, I've been wondering and I stumbled upon an interesting thought: am I the only one who can't think of a worse Chosen One than Luna? I'm not that well-versed in fiction admittedly, but I can't think of any who wouldn't be intentionally inept, like Rincewind or Jig the Goblin.

Anakin Skywalker?

Well, he succeeded after a fashion, anyway.

[Morty]

Anakin Skywalker?

Well, he succeeded after a fashion, anyway.

Good point. But at least Anakin said "screw you guys, I'm going evil" and was called evil rather than blunder around while still being lauded as a savior and hero.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Hey, give Luna a break. Shes used to being the one saved. Having to do the saving oneself is hard work.

[Turcano]

When the arc finishes (if ever) and Mookie's ready to make a printed collection of it, its title should definitely be "Someone is going to pay for this outrage!".

EDIT:
Same idea.
http://imgur.com/5M4Sh.png

The Man Jesus is that a lazy book cover. It's like he didn't even try. (Yeah, I know, Mookie.)

[Gez]

(2) If the Demon Poison is common knowledge, why didn't anyone tell the orcs? Maybe the Luanians hate the Orcs, but Dominic knew. He didn't even tell Melna that her people had been infected (for 20+ years!) with Rage Poison.

Well, you can guess what would have been Melna's reaction. So, even though I firmly disapprove Dominic's decision because I would have liked to see said reaction, I understand why he remained silent. :smallwink:

[The Tygre]

Dominic Deegan:
Dissecting the Darkness

My hatred for the Qliphoth has not diminished with time. Indeed, it has only increased with my ever-mounting perplexion over the hideous and deformed creatures. Mockeries, cruel mockeries, parodies and caricature marionettes of fair lady Muse. But what drives them? What compels them? What makes them bind their minds? Where does the sickly sweet worm of mediocrity burrow into them and calcify them, turning them into the corrupt, chalky-white stone of confined will? What falling angel lands on the rising ape and refuses to move for either. What coerces perfectly rational writers to rip off the wings of a bird, to tame the wild beast of Wonder into a pet instead of ride it into the undiscovered country? How do their own tacky and used ideas emerge? And how do they look about, see thousands exactly like them, and still make no effort to better themselves?

I have to understand. I have to know. I must observe this phenomena, this mutation in its most undiluted form. I must stare an arch-Qliphoth in the eyes and know not to walk away.

I briefly considered reading Twilight. I then realized that this meant I would have to 'buy' Twilight, and then 'carry' it 'around' with my 'hands'. The next step would then be burning my hands off, and I'm rather fond of my hands They seem to have a multitude of uses. Besides, Devil his due, parts of Twilight can be called 'original', in the same sense that Jack the Ripper's victims were.

No, I needed something more distilled. More heinous. More evoking of the Qliphoth. I needed something that had unlimited potential and slammed every door of opportunity closed with absolute glee. I needed a landscape that was little more than a cartoonish paradigm drawn on a wall in a cruel attempt at vision. I needed something worn, tired, recycled, over and over again, with absolutely no tread left. But more so. It had to be so predictable it was crass, so stupid it was offensive, writing so weak a child could mock its simplicity. It had to be in some kind of creative Uncanny Valley, mimicking plot and story so jerkily and unseemly it was horrifying. I needed Dominic Deegan.

I had heard rumors. Legends. A webcomic tyrant, mythical in its vast meretriciousness and failure on every possible account.

(A/N: Except, unfortunately, for update schedules. Evil never sleeps and such. Devil his due again, at least give Mookie credit for being timely. But I digress.)

The horror.

Oh, the horror.

I thought I could take it. I thought I could walk through it and come out a man. I had squirmed through Summer of My German Soldier, I had endured Toni Morrison, I had comprehended The Sound and the Fury, I had even mastered Warmage. Surely, I could reign this rough beast.

The folly. The vanity. The arrogance.

I started at the beginning, and managed to make it a little into 2003 before it broke me. I was a shell of what I was when I entered, a shadow of a man. Even today, I can clearly remember the feeling. The callousness, the hard indifference, the willingness to embrace failure as genius. That feeling was the purest Qliphoth yet, the hollow monster devoid of meaning or thought. Already I could feel my thoughts turn;

"Fly? But why? Right here is good enough! Why settle for anything else? Beyond the next mountain might be danger and pain. In fact, bring me that horizon; I hate its potential, mocking me. I will pluck the gold from the sun and the diamonds from the stars so I may at last have an excellent carpet to wipe my feet on." It was only with much discipline that I remembered why a bird must soar with his own wings.

I have to go back. I ran in fear. I still don't understand. I have to know the how and why. I must observe this primordial Qliphoth first-hand. I must know, I must understand.

To that, I have endeavored to record my progress in this journal. My fellow Play-Grounders support me. It is entirely possible that the madness will consume me body and soul, that I will become a vessel for the darkness which I so loathe. But I must know. If my heart is pure and strong, then perhaps I can let it contact the darkness and grasp this lunacy. And with that, there is hope. I shall update as I see fit, and accordingly.

Cruachan!

- The Tygre,
October 23, 2009
(Deegan Date [DD] October 24, 2003)

[Oracle_Hunter]

Well, you can guess what would have been Melna's reaction. So, even though I firmly disapprove Dominic's decision because I would have liked to see said reaction, I understand why he remained silent. :smallwink:
Which makes Melna's actual reaction (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-10) all the stranger.

Also: The Church of Luan - Covering Up Infernal Activity Since [Redacted]

[Thanqol]

Cruachan!

- The Tygre,
October 23, 2009
(Deegan Date [DD] October 24, 2003)

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

[Steilos]

I give him three weeks. Any takers?

[Khosan]

You know, I've been wondering and I stumbled upon an interesting thought: am I the only one who can't think of a worse Chosen One than Luna? I'm not that well-versed in fiction admittedly, but I can't think of any who wouldn't be intentionally inept, like Rincewind or Jig the Goblin.

The "protagonist" from "The Girl Who Lived" fanfiction was pretty bad (literally and in any metaphorical sense you can think of). That really depends on whether or not you count fanfiction though.

[Frogwarrior]

Oh man, I can't wait to see how this turns out. I just wonder what'll happen when he sees the Aardvark... :smalltongue:

[The Linker]

"You're "saving" me without your glasses?" (http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20091023.html)

Mike has learned saving's new meaning, and knows he must use quotation marks to signify the less-common definition of 'resucing someone'.


Edit: OH GOD

"You're saving me without your glasses?"

"I can see the giant brown blurry thing just FINE, thank you!"

I feel so dirty.

[Humbug]

I've been thinking, Mookie is always harping about his Marvel and DC comics, but his art style is obviously animu and he's never said a word about what anime or manga he likes. So where did his inspiration (before falling into stagnant limbo) come from? Does he still even like them?

And for Mookie saying how awesome some of Marvels and DCs are, I can think of at least 3-4 mangas that'll easily trump any of his favorites in terms of emotional impact, storytelling draw and character development. But Mookie will hate them because they are too depressing, because guess what, people die in those mangas! :smallannoyed:

[The Tygre]

Okay. I can do this. I can do this. Get back on that horse. Initiating Ecstasy of Evil arc.

10/23/03 - Oh God, it's already terrible. Dread grips my heart.

10/31/03 - WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHY? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ART! OH LIVING GOD WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS TO HALLOWEEN?!

11/07/03- Sweet Arioch, there's Fan-Art... Why?

11/22/03 - Oh crap, I think I might have laughed at that one.

12/18/03- Oh God. We're in sex country now. Nothing good can possibly come of this. I fully submit myself to the Twins of Shub-Niggurath, Nug and Yeb.

12/24/08- Up yours, Mookie. Up yours and your retarded Mary Sue with IA sword.

01/01/04- Oh, I'm foppish and evil! How delightfully droll!

01/05/04- I'm evil! With breasts! Oh, how delightfully droll!

01/15/04- KILL ME. Incidentally, UP YOURS SPARK, UP YOURS. I HOPE YOU DIE YOU FUZZY LITTLE BASTARD. I HOPE I WATCH YOU BURN IN HELL. I HOPE YOU GET NEUTERED FOR FALLING BACK ON ALLITERATION THIS MUCH. I WANT TO WATCH A CHUPACABRA EAT YOU ALIVE.

01/21/04- END ME PLEASE. THE CUPCAKE IT DOES NOTHING.

02/18/04 - WHY IS THIS IN COLOR?! LUNA IS ONLY BEARABLY HOT IN BLACK AND WHITE. CAPS RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!

02/20/04- Who the Hell are you? How am I supposed to feel dramatic tension from someone I don't know?

02/25/04- The knife looks like it's made of cardboard. Bad art or literary metaphor or Dominic's linear invincibility? Must research further.

03/01/04- Y'know, y'keep tossing the term 'Misogynist' around, and I'm not entirely sure it means what you think it means. Dominic speaks of Deus Ex Machina. Freak, you're your own Deus Ex Machina. Deus Ex Machina just happens around you. Deus Ex Machina is the driving plot, writing, character development, art, and introspection of this facade. Y'want a Deus Ex Machina? FINE. I retract my earlier statement of 'Up yours with a sword'. Up yours with Mother-Frugging STORMBRINGER.

03/03/04- Wow. This strip is so up on prejudice, man. Seriously, this is like, Martin Luther King or Malcolm X or some crap man. This comic has its hand on the pulse of Civil Rights.

03/25/04- "Good. Now pout a little, you dirty, dirty boy..."

04/12/09- IA YOG SOTHOTH THE KEEPER AND THE KEY THE GATE AND THE ABYSS IA IA YOG SOTHOTH

04/14/09- Well I'll be damned... I was right.

04/22/09- God, all this guy needs is a fracking mustache to twirl with an old timey-piano. In fact, that's all -any- Dominic Deegan villain needs.

04/26/04- Death should have taken you stillborn, Mookie. You should have been Lillah's un-born child. You -deserve- to be trapped in that insipid plot, one terrible webcomic consuming another.

05/04/04- First off, you had to come from somewhere, D. I know it's horrifying, but it's an unfortunate fact of life that everyone's parents have had sex at least once with somebody. Second; IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZORS!

05/13/04- Amelia. She died as she lived. In a compromising position.

05/20/04- I'M ACTING! Seriously, that would have been good to know earlier. Like when she was first mentioned. Or ever.

05/27/04- "My God... Vaginas are horrifying."

06/07/04- Stop coming back to the chaps. I don't need to hear about the chaps.

06/14/04- Guest appearances by Shredded Moose (without the good artwork) and we're off.

06/30/04- This douche has emo-hair. I'm immediately calling him as a main character. Incidentally, I laughed again, soZARIATNATMIXJANNAETITNAMUSSONsOFSHUBNIGGURATHICA LLTHEEFROMTHINETOMBS.

07/01/04- GOTDAMMIT WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT THE CHAPS?!

07/05/04- Seriously, I don't know who this mook is, but he just keeps making me laugh. It feels wrong.

07/08/04- "My boob-rage has been averted. But for how long, America? For how long?"

07/15/08- "Why did my mother never hug me?!"

07/21/04- "Kame-hame-ha, ******."

07/26/04- Okay, so he's a sue. That's all you need to be a cast member here. Welcome aboard the Vicious Cabaret.

08/02/04- Death will take you running, Mookie. I will make sure of it.

08/19/04- But he could never tell Taggerty how he really felt. That those were the happiest and most magical three weeks of his life.

08/09/04- All right, I'm calling it a night. Greg has hooked up with Nurse. Whoopee. The extent of the relationship has been laid out in a single panel and I feel confident of that hypothesis. I've gotta' say, this journal really helps. Last time I tried to read DD, I had to hold it all in. It was awful. But being able to let it out as I go really makes it more tolerable, like I'm watching a bad movie with a bunch of friends. See ya' next time.

Current SAN: Fractured, but still mostly intact. Apparently, I'm now a Witch of Shub-Niggurath. Go figure.

[averagejoe]

I've been thinking, Mookie is always harping about his Marvel and DC comics, but his art style is obviously animu and he's never said a word about what anime or manga he likes. So where did his inspiration (before falling into stagnant limbo) come from? Does he still even like them?

And for Mookie saying how awesome some of Marvels and DCs are, I can think of at least 3-4 mangas that'll easily trump any of his favorites in terms of emotional impact, storytelling draw and character development. But Mookie will hate them because they are too depressing, because guess what, people die in those mangas! :smallannoyed:

Just out of curiosity, which ones? I keep trying to read manga, but all the ones I've read have come off as terribly mediocre. Maybe it's my fault for reading the manga upon which my favorite anime were based, but of manga outside of that people won't stop recommending things like Berserk and Bleach.

[PhantomFox]

I don't know if it's just a quirk of mine, but DD seems like the comic equivalent of McDonnald's. Cheep and not good for you, but you only notice if you actually pay attention.

[Trazoi]

@Tygre: If you're having this strong a reaction with 2004, I suggest pacing yourself through 2007. :smalleek:

(Historical footnote: I think 2007 was the year that converted most of the former fans here to snarkers. If you read through the archive of the very first Dominic Deegan thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26550) you can see the conversion taking place as the year unfolds.)

Edit:

I don't know if it's just a quirk of mine, but DD seems like the comic equivalent of McDonnald's. Cheep and not good for you, but you only notice if you actually pay attention.
I can see DD being like that up to about 2006; it's got enough fun energy that you're happy to ignore the rough edges to enjoy it. But from 2007 onwards the flaws start to become overwhelming, and there's some really bad plot choices. Snowsong is the arc that most people seem to point to as the crowning Jump the Shark moment for a large number of reasons, where they only could enjoy the comic for snarking. (I agree, although I only read the archive in 2008).