The Legacy of Dominic Deegan: The Unending Snark

[Kantaki]

Well, I guess I got my wish. It seems like he learned a new language in less than that. We didn't even get a single panel of him struggling. Makes it look like he just instantly picked it up.

Of course not. He had dictionary. All he had to do was to look the words up. I mean it's not like he has to take grammar or something like that into account.

Also, „Moon“ has to be one of the laziest possible names for a water mage.
Besides „Water“ obviously.
At least I assume it's a name and not the literal moon.

[Traab]

Of course not. He had dictionary. All he had to do was to look the words up. I mean it's not like he has to take grammar or something like that into account.

Also, „Moon“ has to be one of the laziest possible names for a water mage.
Besides „Water“ obviously.
At least I assume it's a name and not the literal moon.

Its Domincs wife. Yes her name is Luna. Also known as tuskmouth mcgee to her friends. Ok mainly only to her mother. It wasnt a dictionary, it was a learn to read primer! Totally fine to go from a childs first effort to learn the language straight into deep mystical lore. Because once you learn "Run Spot, run." of course the next step is reading post grad school textbooks. Everyone knows this.

[Vinyadan]

Of course not. He had dictionary. All he had to do was to look the words up. I mean it's not like he has to take grammar or something like that into account.

Also, „Moon“ has to be one of the laziest possible names for a water mage.
Besides „Water“ obviously.
At least I assume it's a name and not the literal moon.

Better than for a blood mage

I wonder if Mookie even considered what it means to learn a language at this speed. But maybe I'm being ungenerous, and Ink & Ork will marvel at his skill as something utterly abnormal.

[halfeye]

I sure hope Snout isn't about to learn a new language in a couple hours.

In the real world that would be silly, but is that what he's doing? I don't remember how long it took me to learn the runes from The Hobbit, but it was nothing like as long as learning a language would have been (and only a bit longer to forget them again).

[random11]

First, I thought the Vine lady screams of pain is smart since it explains her anger issues, I would also want to punch someone if I screamed all night and he didn't even notice.
Then I remembered about this page...

Even if someone is deaf, there is no way he can ignore screams in this position, and I can only assume she was in pain the same night because the wall breaking punch came right after this night.


As for the lack of tension, what's missing is some sort of deadline.

What would happen if they just decide to delay the search for DD and dedicate the next few months just to help Vine lady?
(Actually, Snout is pretty much an A-hole for not suggesting it himself)

If there is a ticking clock, we are not aware of it.
If there is a rival scholar we are not aware of one or even what would happen if they get it first.

[Traab]

Its possible that was the only night she slept well seeing as she wasnt alone. /shrug. I suppose the other possibility is the dream magic was too strong to wake him as snout got his message.

[Silly Name]

In the real world that would be silly, but is that what he's doing? I don't remember how long it took me to learn the runes from The Hobbit, but it was nothing like as long as learning a language would have been (and only a bit longer to forget them again).

Yeah, but that's because the runes in The Hobbit were a simple substitution cypher - the message was actually written in plain English, just with different characters. They were not an actual constructed language like Sindarin or Klingon.

I actually sort of hope this is Snout's superpower. Right now he has nothing interesting about him, nor is he actually useful to the research since he's completely ignorant of... well, everything. If he can learn information super-fast that would at least sorta justify him tagging along two wizards in this magical quest for hidden knowledge.

[Kantaki]

New comic

So, I guess the note says something like „Dear Anorak, I'm off to join the wacko orcs, Katya.“?

[Silly Name]

So, wait, do they have cameras in this world? Because I went back to check what Snout was remembering, and that looks like a photo.

[random11]

What is he even researching?
How did we reach from DD to random Orc history?

[Kantaki]

What is he even researching?
How did we reach from DD to random Orc history?

Well, our protagonist doesn't know which books are relevant to that weird dream place the previous protagonist broke, so he has to look into all of them to find the one he needs.
So he starts translating, something sounds kinda interesting and he keeps going.

Meh, there's definitely worse ways to include this exposition.
Compared to most other expo sessions in this comic this one actually feels somewhat natural.

[Shogo]

Hmm. They invoke the name of the evil one. Truly the orcs have remained monstrous.

To be mildly more serious . . . Gotta love some of the stuff talking about what happened to Maltak.

The orcs were on the verge of extinction. They're still recovering from all that's happened. And one of them is just like, "We can totally take Callan in a fight now."

At least enough disagreed that maybe they fought a civil war over it.

[Gez]

So Artifact's wife left him to go fight for the Stormcloaks? And probably got killed stupidly as a result?

[Celestia]

Well, our protagonist doesn't know which books are relevant to that weird dream place the previous protagonist broke, so he has to look into all of them to find the one he needs.
So he starts translating, something sounds kinda interesting and he keeps going.

Meh, there's definitely worse ways to include this exposition.
Compared to most other expo sessions in this comic this one actually feels somewhat natural.

That's a bad argument. Snout can just look at the titles and see "Oh, this one is about Orc history, that's not relevant." You don't have to read an entire book to figure out whether or not it's important.

[Gez]

That's a bad argument. Snout can just look at the titles and see "Oh, this one is about Orc history, that's not relevant." You don't have to read an entire book to figure out whether or not it's important.

Yeah but his friend Artsandcraft is an orc, so orc stuff has to be relevant, otherwise he wouldn't have met and befriended Artillery.

[Kantaki]

New comic

That sunflower person looks dumb enough I almost want to side with the Wacko Orcs. On the other hand they don't look very tasty.

Also, it's kinda hilarious that vegetarian orcs found a way to become people eaters. That weird magic cataclysm causing some vegetables to talk back must've been a godsend for all orcs that wanted to be more cliche.

[Gez]

Here comes Flowey. He's gonna teach Snout a little game where Snout has got to catch all the balls.

[random11]

Update

When it comes to picking books from the library, I would stick with with titles containing words like dream or prophecy, with the exception of pornographic books (Can't believe I have to state it in a comment about a comic, and yet here we are)


Anyway, did Snout just bump into the mutant plant people he was just reading about?
Convenient.

[Traab]

Do we even know exactly where snout is staying now? Like, is this arduaks personal tower? Is it a small school or library? For all we know the ink witch and orc lad have been calling in the cavalry of like minded researchers and they didnt get the chance to inform snout because they were too exhausted from plant lady and her screaming to think straight. Also, maybe flower boy here can talk to vine lady and figure out whats going on?

[Vinyadan]

Will the Geranian get naked, too?

[Kantaki]

Will the Geranian get naked, too?

I mean, assuming how flowers work applies here, technically their naughty bits are already exposed.

[Welf]

Also, it's kinda hilarious that vegetarian orcs found a way to become people eaters. That weird magic cataclysm causing some vegetables to talk back must've been a godsend for all orcs that wanted to be more cliche.

Mookie invented cannibal vegans. That is novel, that is objectively funny.

[Celestia]

Mookie invented cannibal vegans. That is novel, that is objectively funny.

I didn't laugh. It's more dumb than funny.

[lord_khaine]

Its neither dumb nor funny. The fitting word i think is horrorfying.

[halfeye]

Mookie invented cannibal vegans. That is novel, that is objectively funny.

I don't think that's so. Cannibals eat members of their own species, e.g. cannibal trout eat trout.

There are plants that attack plants, mistletoe and dodder for two, and some fungi which are maybe plants by some definitions eat all sorts of things, live and dead, animal and plant, but I don't remember one plant that attacks it's own species.

[Gez]

I don't think that's so. Cannibals eat members of their own species, e.g. cannibal trout eat trout.

That's where you get into semantic issues between the scientific definition used in biology and the common definition used everywhere else.

Like I could tell you that strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and mulberries are not berries; while avocado, bananas and pumpkins are. Botanically exact, but in common parlance nobody uses the term this way.


In fantasy settings with multiple civilized sapient species, cannibalism is used to mean people eating people, even if they're not the same race.

[Kantaki]

I don't think that's so. Cannibals eat members of their own species, e.g. cannibal trout eat trout.

Strictly speaking yes, but in (fantasy) settings with several sapient species it is a good enough word to say "those guys eat people".
Not exactly scientifically correct, but close enough in my book.
Sure, you could make up a new word, but I think it's close enough "this is wrong" wise that at least in layman's terms cannibal is good enough.
I mean, there are people who use cannibal to mean "eats humans", which is completely wrong.
At least with "eats other people" both parties fall under the same umbrella.
Now in most fantasy settings almost everyone is compatible with each other anyway, so the extension makes sense, and plant people are kinda an outlier (I hope so. I really hope so.), but I think they can be put under the same "food that talks is no food"* taboo as meat people.

*No, that doesn't mean Snout is okay to eat.

[Traab]

Im honestly unsure what just happened, did mister illusion guy basically force his way into the introduction between snout and plant man? Was the plant man an illusion?

[Shogo]

The whole thing with there being vegan orcs that eat plant people is amusing but not wholly unexpected. We're talking about the guy who already had quadrupedal plant monsters that were to the orcs as the buffalo were to the Native Americans just so that he could have his cake and eat it too by having these vegan orcs also be great hunters.

[Vinyadan]

Im honestly unsure what just happened, did mister illusion guy basically force his way into the introduction between snout and plant man? Was the plant man an illusion?

Nah, the illusionist is the illusion. Snout is already succumbing to the flower's hallucinogenic gas, after which he will be devoured.