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''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire]]'' is a [[{{Webcomics}} webcomic]] started by Michael "Mookie" Terracciano in 2002. It follows the life and times of Dominic Deegan, a [[MessianicArchetype messianic]] yet pessimistic seer who travels about with Spark, his [[WeaselMascot feline comic relief]] and assorted companions. Originally a lighter strip based on puns and wordplay, it came down with an in-/famous case of CerebusSyndrome, arguably starting with the "Visions of Doom" arc. Though some fans have [[FanDisillusionment bemoaned]] subsequent MoralDissonance and the {{Flanderization}} of characters, DominicDeegan has always maintained some level of its earlier whimsy.

The "Storm of Souls" story arc is a notable example of [[DominicDeegan Dominic Deegan's]] CerebusSyndrome. It deconstructs OrderVersusChaos while also providing expanded CharacterDevelopment. Additionally, it was rife with {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s and someone being KilledOffForReal - though all except for [[spoiler:Dominic's teeth and leg]] were eventually reversed, resulting in BattleRoyaleWithCheese... making future {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s liable to result in {{Narm}}.

Opinions are [[BrokenBase deeply and sometimes loudly divided]] about the quality of the comic. The three main fan forums are classically characterized as [[http://community.livejournal.com/deegan_fan/ cheerleaders,]] [[http://ddfanforum.forumotion.com/ critics,]] and [[http://forums.keenspot.com/viewforum.php?f=73 snarkers,]] and the comic has a substantial {{Hatedom}}. For an illustration of the difference, consider [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-08-05 this comic]]: from the intended viewpoint, cartoon slapstick violence. Creatively misinterpreted, a main character spurned by a trickster murdering him and a number of bystanders, which she has every right to do because she's a main character. As this is a polarizing subject, please allow the page to be somewhat neutral and refrain from making a JustifyingEdit.

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List of [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/contents.php Major Arcs]]
* Visions of Doom - The CerebusSyndrome begins
* Ecstasy and Evil - DeusSexMachina
* Storm of Souls - OrderVersusChaos
* The Battle for Barthis
* The War in Hell
* Two Thief or Not Two Thief?
* Class Action
* Snowsong - XanatosRoulette
* Around the World - WorldBuilding (/[[spoiler:SecretTestOfCharacter]])
* Built To Resist
* March Across Maltak - ArcFatigue
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'''Tropes used include:'''
* AerithAndBob
* AloofBigBrother - Jacob. Because Gregory is the youngest of the three Deegan boys, Dominic sometimes comes off as this to Gregory.
* {{Animesque}}
* AttackHello - Luna admitted their first encounter with Jacob scared the hell out of her. Their (rather, [[spoiler: his]]) last meeting together, [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-26 well...]]
* AuthorAppeal - In his news posts, Mookie's often admitted his love for certain elements in the comic.
** He's more recently admitted that he likes drawing muscular orc girls because, well, he likes muscular orc girls.
*** Also, he is unapologetically a child of TheEighties.
* AnnoyingArrows - Dominic gets an arrowhead embedded into his arm without even flinching. He sports a dressing that afternoon, and walks with a cane using that arm the following day.
* ArcFatigue - The Maltak arc. To the point where the forums have started a small scale meme replacing "Are They Still On Namek" with "Are They Still In Maltak".
* ArrowCatch - Melna pulls this off, to the shock and amazement of her companions in [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-07-29 this strip]].
* AuthorAvatar - Not Dominic, as you might have thought; Many have asked Mookie if Dominic was supposed to be him; Mookie has stated (in his third book) that Dominic's father Donovan is who he considers to be most like himself.
** The confusion largely stems from the fact that, when he draws himself, Mookie's self-portrait is virtually identical to Dominic. This is partly due to a serious case of OnlySixFaces.
* BadassNormal - Rachel.
* BeatPanel - A pun will frequently be followed by the victim [[BreakingTheFourthWall staring at the "camera"]] with a sour expression.
* BehindTheBlack - One of the greater problems voiced about the plains of Maltak is that they have a visibility of five meters. Characters in this vast, featureless wasteland run into each other by accident and don't hear conversations and see events until they enter the scene. This was taken to be because the plains are the size of a sandbox or because of RandomEncounters. The current explanation is just AlienGeometry: when two guards do spot a character as a speck in the distance, she walks past them before they recognize her and decide to do some guarding. There's no evidence of sonic booms. (Incidentally, the movie ''Lawrence of Arabia'' has a scene where a rider approached from a desert for minutes on end. It's a marvellous way to establish the scale.)
* BerserkerTears - Used fairly regularly, most notably by Sigfried in the War in Hell story arc.
* BlessedWithSuck - Being a Resistant (immune to ALL magic) sounds cool, but remember that while they can't be hurt by magic, they can't be healed by magic either.
* BloodFromTheMouth - Used in its most classic sense, as visual shorthand for a fatal injury when the character[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-07-03 hasn't injured her GI tract, head or lungs.]]
* BreakTheCutie - Inverted; Luna is introduced at the climax of her mother's year-long campaign of breaking her, and saved from suicide by Dominic. We learn more about the process in various flashbacks. Most of her character development revolves around the slow recovery of her sense of self-worth. Gregory is also somewhat subject to this trope, particularly in a couple of the later story arcs.
* BreatherEpisode - Rather, a breather ''story arc'' -- the "Around the World" arc, to be precise.
-->''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-05-25 "...let's just say that it's really good we're going on vacation.]]''
* CallARabbitASmeerp - "Mavpel" candy, the sap of a mavpel tree allowed to solidify. It's directly based on real life candy made from maple sap.
* CanonSue - Several characters have mutated into this over the course of the comic, most strikingly Dominic Deegan himself and his lover Luna Travoria, who alternate between CanonSue and AntiSue.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Rachel's face > magical steroids.
* CheekyMouth
* ChosenOne - Observing Luna in the Maltak Arc could help in understanding why many people dislike the trope. Are you ready, class? She's been Chosen because of something that was done to her, giving her great powers that she hasn't had to work for. So far, so good. These powers are gracious: they work without any tension from making her master them, risk of going out of control, or cost to her. The vague elements/spirits/magics who Chose are keeping such a close eye on their investment that if we disqualify "hitting back," her count of independent acts during the arc may stand at 0. Even her mentor figure drugs her into having a vision without asking, and one of those magics taints her so that she's NotHerself during the heroics. Luna is a puppet. A potentially horrifying situation, and the comic might get some EmotionalTorque out of the fact that being Chosen means not being asked if it dwelt on her reactions for more than three panels, total. The active characters in this plot are the unspecified, unpersonified and certainly uninteresting larger forces enacting an unknown master plan. The person under the bundle of power and Destiny has not been shown to matter.
* ChristianityIsCatholic- There is only one true church and all of the Kingdom of Callan appears to fall under its banner. Like DungeonsAndDragons with racial religions.
* ContractualImmortality - Celesto, [[strike:Klo Tark]], The Infernomancer. In the Infernomancer's case, this is ''literal'' as his contract with Karnak makes him immune to all wounds.
** Cept them giant holes in his face.
* CrossingTheDesert - The Maltak arc consists of trekking through a vast, featureless wasteland, in the daytime, without pack animals and with no more consumables than what the party can fit in one, ordinary-sized backpack per person, and they apparently keep their tents in those as well. ([[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-04-29 Bags of holding]] have been mentioned once -- the wind kind of went out of this argument when one gag hinged on a character being able to turn on a torch.) They're also not taking care to cover their heads, and one character is in a dress. They do hire an experienced guide, but this guide is the same one who would've gone through and okayed all of that, and who [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-03-11 built a stone fire ring miles upon miles from plant life.]]
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome - Man on his deathbed finding the willpower to keep from dying... [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-04 'nuff said.]]
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming - Dominic and Luna tend to share one of these at the denouement of each major story arc. (See [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-10-21 here]] for one of the best examples.) As always with this trope, YourMileageMayVary; this troper happens to have something of a sweet tooth for geek romance, and sees enough parallels in these characters to his own two long-term relationships that he still finds them heartwarming rather than [[{{Narm}} Narmful]] or [[TastesLikeDiabetes diabetes-flavored]].
** Stunt, of all folks, gets one [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-09-05 here.]]
* CurbStompBattle - In this corner, Jacob Deegan, necromancer and mad scientist who's in the past slaughtered several of the Chosen, beat a spellwolf in single combat, and has been a serious antagonist throughout the comic. In ''this'' corner, is the Shintula Chief, [[PapaWolf whose son Jacob just brutally attacked]]. [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-08-31 Jacob didn't stand a chance]].
* CurseCutShort - Subverted in [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-12-27 this strip.]]
* CursedWithAwesome - Dominic has complained since the very first strip about the burdens of being a seer.
** It's not so much being a seer, it's that his gift of random visions (coupled with [[spoiler:he and his family attacked right in their home by one of mom's old nemeses]]) which led him to focus on studying Second Sight. He wanted to help people with his gift; instead the comic opens InMediasRes with him being a fortune teller for a town of [[ApatheticCitizens complete idiots]].
*** Another example: Dex Garrett. He's a resistant, a 1/200,000 condition which is completely immune to magic (good and bad). It also makes it very difficult for him to find stable work, because employers have to pay heavy taxes and rifle through ridiculous amounts of paperwork to hire one.
* DarkerAndEdgier - Spoofed with Dominic's favorite comic being {{Ret Con}}ned into the character "discovering" he's half demon...much to Dominic's dismay.
* DarkIsNotEvil - Klo Tark's companion, Rilian, who is a walking skeleton and a master necromancer.
* DealWithTheDevil - Infernomancers
* DeathByMaterialism - Amelia
* DeathIsCheap - Death is always dramatic, as the trope requires, but doesn't ever seem to stick for major characters. Unless [[DeaderThanDead your soul gets destroyed]], in which case you're pretty much fucked. This could be a result of the comic spending so much time in dreams and mindscapes. Also, Necromancers as a general rule tend to come back when they die, so you have to make sure they're ''[[DeaderThanDead really]]'' dead.
** At least one character doesn't seem impressed by death anymore. [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-09-01 Deadpan=Hilarity.]]
* DeliberatelyMonochrome - When the strips are released in print collections, colorized strips are made gray scale. As Mookie notes in the 4th collection, [[JustifiedTrope "Color printing is expensive. Very expensive."]]
* DepravedBisexual - Szark, Celesto. Szark even comes out as gay rather than bi after his HeelFaceTurn.
* {{Determinator}} - [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-05 Dex Garrett]]
* DesignatedHero - Dominic has some, ah, interesting methods at his disposal. And for that matter, some rather dubious motives at times.
* DidNotDoTheResearch - On all kinds of subjects, even trivial ones; this is how, for example, a wooden door gets cracked like glass or clay by a dagger stuck in it.
* DiscretionShot - Various, including ShadowDiscretionShot.
* DisContinuityNod - Quilt, the necromantic golem; before he was given a name, forum regulars named him "Patches." Quilt himself rejected it, saying it made him sound like a dog.
* DisproportionateRetribution - See the fireball strip linked above. For those who subscribe to the latter interpretation, that sort of thing happens all the time.
** Given that Luna's fireballs have been shown to cause nothing worse than blown-back hair and a sooty face several times over the history of the strip, that interpretation is untenable. [[spoiler:It's also conclusively disproven at the end of that story arc, when the target of the fireball is seen alive and well consulting with Rilian.]]
* DracoInLeatherPants - Lord Siegfried "Siggy" Damaske.
** The [[CompleteMonster murderous racism]] coming practically out of nowhere was a likely cause of this. Some argue he would have treated Luna a whole lot differently earlier when he met her.
** WriterRevolt - Siegfried's involvement in The War in Hell and Shadow of Siegfried arcs.
* DropWhatYouAreDoing - Upon harsh shocks, things get dropped.
* EvilEye / DeathGlare - Miranda Deegan's willpower-eroding, thought-derailing gaze, which has a range of half a mile and can strike targets around corners.
* EvilIsSexy - Many lowcut bustiers and skintight outfits for the female villains in particular, but men get their share as well.
* EyeScream
* {{Fanon}} - Many [[{{hatedom}} anti-fans]] devote more attention to extensive [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Alternate Character Interpretation]]s than to the actual canon. Some examples: When a halfling is smitten by a main character right after meeting her, they claim that the halfling was BrainWashed by a "Deegandrug" that her body releases into the air--and that it is not a neurotoxin, as the enslavement's speed is affected by body mass. NonMammalMammaries led to the coining of the "nipple fairies," then to speculation about their life cycle and effects on civilization. The newest threat, a writhing mass of tentacles around a giant eye, is instantly declared the cutest thing ever, named Snuggles (Full name Sn'gl'euth'u [=McCornia=] the Third, AKA Sightless [=McHuggingtons=]), and explained as being a childlike being who just wants hugs.
* FantasticRacism - Whom Mookie destroys, he first makes racist. This first came to light when Siggy, a dark-but-troubled knight, was revealed to be a serial murderer and lyncher of Orcs in order to make him killable. Then Jacob, a necromancer with an established dispassionate attitude towards everything but his work, started spouting supremacist propaganda and was killed off two strips later. This was dubbed a GenreSavvy form of suicide and an attempt to escape the comic.
* FantasyKitchenSink - Previously the comic featured knights, wizards, dryads, werewolves, undead, slimes, orks, dragons etc., but ever since the Dominic's and Luna's 'round-the-world trip story arc, this trope has gone into overdrive, with the author showing a ton of new races, i.e. merfolk, sea monsters, hobgolins, halflings, dwarves, mongrelfolk and whatnot in [[MonsterOfTheWeek rapid appearance]].
* {{Flanderization}} - Szark's [[NoBisexuals crush on Dominic]]. Siggy's racism. Quilt's stupidity. Dominic's ability to plan ahead. Luna's bids for independence. Dex's timing for [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]] moments, heck, pretty much everyone.
* {{Filler}} - The Vacation arc is considered this, also one of the main criticisms of the current Maltak arc (It's been going on for a year afterall)
* FunWithForeignLanguages - Donovan Deegan speaks [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-02-26 comically bad orcish]]. Also a direct {{Homage}} to the MontyPython "Naughty Hungarian Phrasebook" sketch.
* GenderBender - Male misogynist Stunt was subjected to a (very brief) gender bender in the Wild Edge territories story arc, before being turned into a half dozen other critters, and eventually changed back.
* GeniusBonus - In the form of [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-06-01a knock-knock joke]]
** Also, there is a professor at Miranda Deegan's academy named Runcible Spoon. 'Runcible Spoon' is the original name for a ''spork''. Doubles as a PunnyName. Runcible is also kind of 'spoony'.
* GenreSavvy - Donovan, [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-05-22 though it's not always appreciated.]]
* GetOutOfJailFreeCard - No HeelFaceTurn is complete without one (lampshaded at least once, by Celesto regarding [[spoiler: Amelia's brutal murder vs Szark's redemption]], but even still...)
* GreenRocks - Illusion spells, good for trapping all-powerful foes and calming friends by faking your death at their hands!
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-04-18 Donovan and Miranda Deegan]]
* GoodScarsEvilScars - Subverted with Nimmel, a good-natured graduate of the School of Arcane Arts. His scar (encompassing his right eye and a good chunk of flesh around it) was deliberately made to look as nasty as possible.
* GroinAttack - "There's no need for -- " [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-07-09 Yes there is.]]
** And earlier than that...[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-07-31 right in the "knighthood."]] Ouch.
* HardHead: Rachel Hart. ''"I break things with my face."''
* {{Hatedom}} - So much so that [[ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow "If you don't like it, then don't read it"]] arguments ''will'' get turned around to [[DuckSeasonRabbitSeason "If you don't like us complaining, then don't read the forums,"]] and "We snark because we care."
** ScapegoatCreator - The [[DeadpanSnarker snarkers]] don't just go after the webcomic--they go after Mookie himself. Some of the things said on the classic "snarkers" forum (ironically the once-official Dominic Deegan forum) get downright ''nasty''.
* HeadTiltinglyKinky - Hobgoblin mating season sex.
* HollywoodHomely - Aside from the tusks, Luna is really not a bad-looking girl, yet everyone acts as though she's thoroughly hideous.
** It's only ''because'' of the tusks that anyone has ever called her ugly. Recall Siggy's first reaction to seeing her before she took off her veil.
* HurricaneOfPuns - Lots of them. Sometimes one-sided, sometimes a volley between two characters, and sometimes the entire on-panel cast will join in.
** IncrediblyLamePun - Most, if not all, of the hurricaned puns, at a bare minimum, make people rolls their eyes. In other cases...
* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat (see image above)
* [[IAmNotLeftHanded I Am Not Right Handed]] - Szark
* IceCreamKoan: "Crying is like puking for the soul."
* IGotBetter [[spoiler: Dex]], though a reason as to why could still emerge.
** [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-01 Spite,]] [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-02 probably.]]
* [[{{ptitlev7j92pykrb48}} If I Can't Have You]]
* IJustKnew
* ImprobableAimingSkills - The Rhazgala are apparently such good archers that they can fire volleys into the air and into a melee with such accuracy as to only score non-lethal hits. The observant may note that Movie![[LordOfTheRings Legolas]] never attempted this sort of thing.
* InsistentTerminology (Inverted. Brett Taggerty called Gregory a faggot and Rachel a dyke at about every opportunity. Neither, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome especially Rachel]], would put up with his crap.)
* {{Jerkass}} - Lord Siegfried Damaske, Stunt
* JumpingTheShark - Depending on who you ask, the comic has already [[WallBanger jumped long ago]]--but those who say it has are divided over the exact point, citing a specific story arc or even a specific comic strip.
** The current interminable Maltak storyline is causing even more actual fans to give up and become snarkers.
* KickTheDog - Often invoked to prevent the protagonists from looking too gray. Unless a villain is immediately painted as sympathetic and merely confused, expect some detail to turn up that justifies doing horrible things to them.
** ObviouslyEvil - A common accusation leveled at the series is that every antagonist that doesn't do a HeelFaceTurn and embrace Dominic and his {{Nakama}} within the course of a StoryArc will devolve into this.
* MadScientist - Jacob Deegan the necromancer.
* MadeOfIron - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-08-10 Rachel "I Break Things With My Face" Hart]]
* {{Magitek}} / FunctionalMagic - What starts out as a pseudo-medieval fantasy world turns out to be a world with advanced arcane laboratories, magical electric guitars, heavy metal bands ... and, apparently, spandex.
* ManipulativeBastard - Dominic gets dangerously close to being one during the Super-Greg arc. He's far from the worst example though.
* MamaBear - Go ahead and piss off Miranda Deegan. [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-04-12 See]] [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-03-16 what]] [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-05-24 happens.]]
* MarySue - One of the criticisms most often levied against the strip is that the protagonists are all Mary Sues.
* MeaningfulName - Donovan's orcish name, for one. For two, [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-06-26 Stonewater.]]
* MemeticBadass - ''Scarf'', Dominic's scarf.
* MemeticMutation - Among anti-fans, Dominic Deegan is referred to as "Lord Dominus," an amoral overlord who uses his second sight to control all of his friends and loved ones.
** "Curse you Runcible Spoon!"
*MessianicArchetype - Luna has become this in the newest arc, becoming essentially the Jesus of the orcs. She sprouts plant life wherever she walks, can pull water from nowhere, and is literally powered by the gods of Maltak.
* MightyWhitey - Luna, saving the orcs from themselves, with Dominic now taking her place.
* MindRape - And they may not be so far off the mark. Very little of this is perpetrated by the villains, and there's plenty to go around.
* MoralDissonance - See the fireball at the beginning of this article.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels - Donovan's attempts at speaking orcish.
* {{Narm}} - Klo Tark's ''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-06-18 second]]'' death and also [[spoiler: [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-07-19 Siegfried's death]]]]
* {{Nerd}} - Dominic was a ''huge'' nerd as a kid. So is Prento Fallin, one of Dominic's students. Mookie proudly proclaims he is one in real life.
* NeverLiveItDown - For Mookie, the {{Hatedom}} will make sure that ''nobody'' ever forgets the [=SuperGreg=] or War in Hell arcs.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero - Several examples, including:
** Jacob tries to kill Gregory by ripping the Blight of the Undead out of Gregory's body (through his unaffected parts). Turns out he just removed the RestrainingBolt [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-08-13 that hampered his white magical abilities.]]
** A twofer NiceJobBreakingItHero, involving Gregory and [[JerkJock Brett Taggerty]]. First, a wasted Brett punches out Pamela, whom Gregory has a crush on, and dares him to fight back using his white magic. [[BerserkButton Gregory erupts into a geyser of white fire]]. ''Oops.'' The resulting tidal wave of WhiteMagic heals everyone in the hospital...with the unintended side effect of powering up Brett and the rest of his Slaughterball team, ''and'' sobers them up, too. ''Oops.''
** Overlapping with OhCrap: The Infernomancer's response when Dominic tells him the demon lord he was supposedly bound to serve didn't have control over him: "Now I get to kill you the way I've always wanted to -- ''slowly!''"
** Something the Shintula Chieftan is experincing right now in the form of Luna's above mentioned MightyWhitey apperance, which would never have happened if he hadn't cursed the Callanians with the affliction that would lead Luna to being born with 'Tusk-Mouth' in the first place.
* NobleDemon - Averted. WordOfGod is that incarnations of evil are actually evil for once.
* NobleSavage - Orcs.
* NonLethalWarfare - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-11-16 They're beating us up with their arrow volleys!]] The idealism is adorable. Apparently the idea is the orcs were shooting to wound but...well, Arrow Volleys Do Not Work That Way.
* OffhandBackhand - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-01-24 With plants]]
* OhCrap - The Shintula Chief tells Luna to choose her words carefully...[[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-29 She does indeed.]]
** And the Shintula gives Jacob a good one [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-08-28 here]].
* OnlySixFaces - {{Lampshaded}} [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-05-01 here.]] There are other occassions where it's clear the authors aware of it. Dex Garrit and Dominic Deegan look alike because they share similar hair. And in the Oracle Hunter arc, it only worked on keeping the reader guessing because of this trope.
* OmniscientMoralityLicense
* OpenTheIris - They're [[{{Animesque}} anime style]] characters. The sizes of their irises/pupils change with their emotions.
* PapaWolf - Though not as rabid as Miranda, when you're around Donovan, it's really not a good idea to screw with Dominic or [[ChipOffTheOldBlock Gregory]].
** Also, the Shintula Chief, as Jacob [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-08-31 learns the hard way]].
* PardonMyKlingon - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-02-04 Ilka Tuk Tak]], as well as "Kegak," which seems to be more of a direct insult.
** [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-04-18 This strip]] gets funnier if you imagine the phrase means "motherfucker", although anything with fuck in it is probably broad enough for the number of places "Ilka Tuk Tak" get's used.
* ParentExMachina - Miranda, somewhat exceptional in that the main character is (ostensibly) no longer a child. Actually lampshaded at one point when Miranda refers to herself as "Mama ex Machina"...or at least tries to, but can't get the wording right and eventually settles for, "I'm his mother, and I'm going to fix everything."
* PimpedOutDress - Amelia's dresses
* PornStash - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-02-28 You never guess WHOSE porn stash it's referring to...]]
* PrettyInMink - One of Amelia's dresses. Miranda's mother had a fur muff.
* PsychicNosebleed - Dominic gets one after [[spoiler: banishing a demon overlord with his mind]].
* PutOnABus - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-05-21 Szark]] and [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-08-18 Snowsong]] are sent to the "Aberthast Cathedral" to await their HeelFaceTurn.
* RapeAsComedy / RapeIsOKWhenItIsFemaleOnMale - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-07-22 Here]].
* RapeIsLove - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-01-13 Melna was raped by Stonewater]] (as a child!) to save her life, but after meeting him again some years later, [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-02-12 she realized that she loves him.]] On further rumination, Melna loves what Stonewater has come to stand for... which is not that surprising given Stonewater tried to model himself after Melna's father, horrible traumatization aside.
* RealMenWearPink: Dominic's father, Donovan, is the TropeNamer.
* RuleOfCool: Why does [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-10-09 Melna's hammer]] have lightning coming from it (as opposed to other possible elements) when she [[spoiler:kills the Doma chief]]? Because "it's pretty f*cking metal."
-->'''Mookie''': Okay, I know in yesterday's strip that the Rhazgala archers all had their bows pointed up and today those arrows are flying horizontally past Suyan's head. This "continuity error" is just a dramatic choice on my part because I felt the arrows flying straight on past him looked cooler.
* SadistTeacher, subverted. During his tenure as a teacher, Dominic gained a reputation of being a hardass before the first day of class even began. He admits that Second Sight (the course he was teaching) would be hard, as there is a lot of history and heavy reading involved. Despite this, he has a positive relationship with his students, and vice versa.
* ScarfOfAssKicking - Dominic's never without his scarf, not even in psychic battles.
* ScryVsScry - Dominic and Celesto, several times.
* ShoutOut - A few [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-09-13 visual]] references to GuiltyGear, among others.
* ShutUpAndSaveMe - The TropeNamer, [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-08-14 here]].
* SnarkBait - ''[[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113899 And how.]]'' Most of the major forums are now dominated by people who are in it just for the snark.
* SnarkyNonHumanSidekick - Spark
* SophisticatedAsHell - Dominic and Luna, during their vacation after meeting a dragon:
-->'''Luna's narration''': ''Dominic and I, having just been in the presence of such a majestic creature, reacted the way any pair of intellectuals would have...''\\
''(Dominic and Luna stare at each other)''\\
'''Dominic and Luna''': ''(bouncing up and down)'' DRAGONDRAGONOHMYGODDRAGONOHGODOHWOWDRAGONDRAGON!
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike - In the first story arc, both Sigfried and Spark use the phrase, "In my defense, it had tusks" to describe Luna (which Dominic catches right away when Spark says it). The two instances occur [[ComicBookTime several days apart]]. Subverted in the second case, as it turns out Spark ''wasn't'' referring to Luna, but to a seamonster that ''also'' had tusks.
* StrawmanPolitical - Heavily abused, to the point of being {{Anvilicious}} more often than not. If you don't embrace multiculturalism and tolerance, not only are you a idiotic bigot incapable of reading or thinking for yourself, but you're also [[ObviouslyEvil just plain evil]], going to die, and going to Hell.
* SuperheroEpisode - [[WallBanger SuperGreg]]
* [[SuspiciouslyIdleOfficers Suspiciously Idle Knights]] - The knights on Serk's take during Scarlatti's duel with Sturtz.
* TalkToTheFist - The only thing stopping [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-06-26 this]] from being a ClickHello moment is that there's no guns in this world. But it's still awesome.
* TedBaxter - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-09-23 "Look, ball-for-brains, just use your vision to tell me how awesome I am.]]
* ThatNightFeltLikeMonths [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-01-08 This early strip]], among other [[http://dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-01-11 times]].
* TheChessmaster: Dominic, especially during the Super-Greg arc. This is one of the reasons Dominic sometimes comes off as a DesignatedHero. It's hard to come off as completely heroic when manipulating people, even if it's for the Greater Good and with the power of foresight.
* TheMasochismTango: Dom and Luna.
* TookALevelInBadass: Luna's taken a few over the course of the strip. Starting with this exchange: [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2004-02-11 When the hell did *Luna* gain self-confidence?!]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dom's "[[CallARabbitASmeerp Mapvel Candies]]". Also, Spark really loves fish. But he is, after all, a cat. [[SoYeah And, uh...yeah.]]
* UnpleasableFanbase - Although there are plenty of legitimate objections to raise, sometimes the critics and snarkers get a little too into it, as seen when [[spoiler: Celesto kills Serk Brakkis shortly before he skips out of jail]]. A man exploding from chaos magic is probably just as likely to have three spines as one, and gratuitous gore + SmugSnake KarmaHoudini getting pasted = beautiful.
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee - Constantly.
* UnusualEuphemism - Dominic's term for large breasts is "lower back problems." Luna also wrote about her crush on Sigfried in her journal, and [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-07-25 makes mention of his "great big sword".]]
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans - Celesto.
* ViolationOfCommonSense - [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-06-08 "I think we should stop trying to rob someone who can see the future."]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Celesto Morgan, who first wanted to cleanse the world with Chaos after deciding the people in it were all assholes, and who now says he's trying to save the world from The Infernomancer while incidentally destroying Lynn's Brook, which he calls "a small price to pay."
* WallBanger: Several moments qualify, depending on how long you've followed the comic. Some really dislike the aforementioned RapeIsLove scenario ([[ValuesDissonance due to the misogyny of orc culture]], Stonewater ''had'' to rape Melna to save her from being outright killed as her mother had just been), but the [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-08-12 Super-Greg]] storyline gets a ''much'' more intense reaction from its detractors.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous: To listen to some people, the Super-Greg arc is the worst thing to ever happen, and is so clearly and utterly ''wrong'' that just mentioning the name is explanation enough for how bad it is. [[YourMileageMayVary Others, however,]] don't see what the big deal is.
* WhatTheHellHero: Invoked (and promptly dismissed) on occasion--except for Pam at the end of the Snowsong arc. She actually [[spoiler:called out Gregory and Dominic for their actions. And punished them for it.]] The fact that this almost never happens with any of the other characters made that instance rather refreshing.
* WhiteMagic: White magic can manifest in white mages in the form of light, or in more exceptional mages, (e.g. Gregory) white fire.
* WhoWantsToBeASuperhero - Gregory's alter-ego Super-Greg, and Dominic's childhood love for The Adventures of Mighty Man.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The Aliak
* XanatosGambit / XanatosRoulette: Dominic uses his Second Sight to pull off Gambits that would be Roulettes for anyone else. Other characters comment on it -- but they're not being GenreSavvy. Dominic likes to do TheReveal when his plans have come to fruition -- or is occasionally forced to reveal his intentions when one of his plans goes awry. It's the major source of friction in his relationship with Luna (who spent most of her life getting abusively manipulated by her mother and sister).
** Some of the villains like to pull gambits of their own, leading to insane {{Thirty Xanatos Pileup}}s in at least two story arcs.
*YinYangBomb: Luna in the current story arc. Also a case of LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil.
** Earlier, there was Dominic as the Avatar Of Balance in the "Storm of Souls" arc. It seems to be a recurring theme in the comic.
* YouKnowWhatYouDid: Neilan attempts to pull this on Dominic and Luna. It fails miserably.
* YourMileageMayVary: Other webcomic writers such as [[GirlGenius Phil Fogilo]], [[CtrlAltDel Tim Buckley]] and [[EightBitTheater Brian Clevinger]] enjoy ''Dominic Deegan'' (with the latter two friends with Mookie himself). Others, not so much.

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