03/22/09 [DMFA #985] - New levels of disgust

[thegayhare]

Any bets that Amber will make caricatures of the people who've annoyed her most for Dan's targets during the training montage? Also, the montage music from Kung Fu Panda would be just perfect. Screw that song from Rocky. Eye of the Kitten or whatever it's called.

Actualy at the thought of a training montoge I get the music from chowders training montage stuck in my head...


It might be apropriate considering how goofy dan can be sometimes

[Achronycal]

Odd. I actually suspect this may be one of those jokes that turns out to be not quite so much of a joke.

Lorenda's ideal boyfriend, from back in the ye olde Perfect Date arc, isn't so far removed a description from Dan, if you think about it...

It depends on what Lorenda may have meant by "beefy" as someone mentioned, but I still say they'd fit nicely:

So far, their lives are strikingly similar. Lorenda outwardly copes better with her demonic heritage and distancing herself from what is usually expected of a demon, which is something Dan might be relieved for himself to recognize if he'd just notice it. At the same time Lorenda might appreciate having someone understand the difficulty that is dealing with her demonic mother, despite loving her all the same (as I'm fairly certain Dan will have to confront the idea that his mother was once a horrible monster, but is probably not going to be able to hate her for it). For all we know, Lorenda could be a little emotionally torn herself and we merely have yet to see it. It'd be an interesting support system, if nothing else  It'd be fun to see them at least spend a little more time together.

[inuhanyo]

So far, their lives are strikingly similar. Lorenda outwardly copes better with her demonic heritage and distancing herself from what is usually expected of a demon, which is something Dan might be relieved for himself to recognize if he'd just notice it. At the same time Lorenda might appreciate having someone understand the difficulty that is dealing with her demonic mother, despite loving her all the same (as I'm fairly certain Dan will have to confront the idea that his mother was once a horrible monster, but is probably not going to be able to hate her for it). For all we know, Lorenda could be a little emotionally torn herself and we merely have yet to see it. It'd be an interesting support system, if nothing else  It'd be fun to see them at least spend a little more time together.

Character development! 

Destinia seems to have undergone a genuine change of heart, though a fierce protectiveness towards her own remains.  Which trait Dan should understand, since he seems to have inherited it.

[Indy]

Good point, though Abel is going to have to explain to Dan the importance of keeping his clan mark concealed for other reasons.

But so far as we know, only Pyro, Fa'Lina, Biggs and Destania know about that mess. Future story arc?

Though demons seem to provoke fights with other creatures fairly often

While most of the creature races get along well with eachother, arguments and battles over a rogue demon intruding on another creatures area and messing it up isn't uncommon.

It seems to be more serious when it's a Cubi or another Creature rather than a demon doing the terrorizing... For example, Kria just pays off the Creature Council whenever she kills anyone, but Aniz freaked out because he accidently killed a mythos, not to mention Devin's remark about Aliph making "more enemies than he can outrun," implying Cubi are a more serious breed of foe. Demons treat politics and killing much more loosely than Cubi, and angering Cubi looks like it's much more hazardous than normal Creature disputes.

[Shadowcatcher]

I wonder if the fight would have ended differently if Dan shaped his wings into sporks instead of tentacles.   

[icarus]

i'm not catching the whole reason for hating on dan losing, really.

i mean think about it. yes, he may have more raw power. but it's completely untrained.

that's like, say...say we discovered that in reality, tapewolf's grandfather was a prize martial artist. the potential for the martial arts is there in tapewolf, but it hasn't been tapped.

so he gets a few lessons in karate, and doesn't turn out to be too bad. he has a lot of raw potential there, but it's completely untrained. he's better than you'd expect from a white-belt, but there's no way he's awesome yet.

then out of the shadows steps some guy who...i dunno. lights tapewolf's car on fire. so tape gets mad. so mad he can't even think that clearly, and runs after the guy.

sure, he may remember a few moves and use them in fighting. but if that guy is a thug with a knife, the chances are that being driven purely by adrenaline and emotion are going to actually lessen tape's fighting ability, even if he's started to tap into a well of natural talent. that talent is still unpolished - it hasn't become second nature to use these skills in a fight yet.

dan was thinking clearly the last time he defeated DP - and he did it without any cubi powers. this time he was just in an irrational frothing rage, and got his ass wooped.

it's really no secret. if you want to win a fight, or a war, or a battle - you keep a cool head on your shoulders. dan wasn't. so he lost, despite the new talent he was coming into.

a perfect example of this:
how many times have you seen on the internet, someone gets really really mad arguing ...and their argument begins to fall apart? they can't hold their own because they can't think straight. emotion is no good for winning a lengthy fight. it's good for a quick intimidating burst, good for the initial fight-or-flight...but if someone's prepared for that, you better have something more substantial up your sleeve.

for all intents and purposes, if the battle that just transpired were a flamewar on the net, it'd look like this.

regina: *trolling dan* u suk hahahaha ur friends suk i beat them all up
dan:  you did not, oh my god
regina:  i did i did i did lol wildy cried
dan:  SHE DID NOT
regina:  she did rofl u wuss
dan:  FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF JLKSJFLKSDFL I WILL KILL YOU REGINA I WILL KILL YOU EVERYONE I HAVE A SWORD IN MY HOUSE OMG I WILL KILL YOU FFFFLAKRLAR I AM GOING TO EMAIL YOU VIRUSESSSSSSSS
regina:  oh frick uh admin help
DP:  dan you're a huge crybaby
dan:  AAAAAAAA I AM NOT YOU ARE I HATE REGINA I HATE YOU I HATE EVERYTHING GET OFF THE FORUM YOURE LIKE THOSE GIRLS IN HIGHSCHOOL YOU NAZI
DP:  loooooooool

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Something odd I just noticed. (And if it's been dealt with beforehand, my apologies.)

DP says, and I quote "Just when I thought I couldn't despise him anymore...."

The whole shtick of DP has seemed to be this cold, impassive, totally nonpersonal villian. He's even giving a lecture to Dan as he runs his claws through his chest. He certainly doesn't seem to despise Dan, acting out of more a sense of professional opposition, and even if he did, he'd be going against his own philosophy to vocalize it so vehemently.

[jeffh4]

I'm going to say this much:  From the little bits we do know about Cubi and Demons your average cubi (power level wise) is no match for a demon.  HOWEVER the most powerful cubi far outstrips the power of the most powerful demon.  Think on that a bit.

However Dan was (supposed) to be a competant adventurer who has already beaten DP several times before. I guess the lack of a sword does have something to do with this, Dan wouldn't have gotten into a grapple if he had one. However, this does rasie the question of why he didn't have a sword with him in the first place, before he even went over there, as Cog pointed out. Either way...it's beginning to feel like Dan's adventuring competance may be an informed ability.

From Alexi's profile, we know that Dan can summon swords.  I think it's logical to assume that Dan thought 4 razor sharp extensible tentacles was more powerful than one or two swords, so there was no need to summon any. Plus, he might not yet have the control needed to expertly wield a sword (or two) and his tentacles simultaneously.

The modern analogy for Dan choosing swords over tentacles might be dropping your M-16 full-auto rifle with laser scope, instead going back the trusty Bow and Arrow combo that worked well in your last few encounters.  I'd say Dan's mistake was tactics, not weapon choice. 

[inuhanyo]

As icarus points out, Dan's fundamental mistake was losing his head, letting anger rule him.

From the time he finished screaming "I will destroy you!", until Lorenda started to help him up, Dan said not a single word.  And Dan is normally fairly verbose and witty.  Against Regina he can get away with going enraged, because he out classes her.  But not against DP.

Though DP is going to want no small amount of healing magic himself.

[AmigaDragon]

You wouldn't want Dan to be a Gary Stu now would you?

Is this another obscure TV show reference? I've never heard of Gary Stu.

[Turnsky]

You wouldn't want Dan to be a Gary Stu now would you?

Is this another obscure TV show reference? I've never heard of Gary Stu.

male version of the "mary sue" thing.

as for DP's wounds, i'm sure some salt or lemon juice would suffice   

[icarus]

You wouldn't want Dan to be a Gary Stu now would you?

Is this another obscure TV show reference? I've never heard of Gary Stu.

just in case you've never heard of a mary sue either...

a gary stu/mary sue is a really poorly characterised character. they're basicly super perfect with super awesome abilities, totally untouchable. a lot of the time they're also a self-insert.

like, say this little girl named tammy really really loves harry potter so she writes a harry potter fanfic.

and creates a character in the fanfic named....Tammi.
who has rainbow hair
and knows all the magic ever
and is half siren
and who draco malfoy AND harry potter AND ron weasley all fall in love with
who wears hot topic clothing
and single-handedly defeats voldemort with a secret spell no one ever heard of before
and can heal all wounds with her tears

etc etc etc etc...

actually, the characters in "Twilight" are pretty good examples of mary sues/gary stus...

[Tapewolf]

i'm not catching the whole reason for hating on dan losing, really.

May I just ask that people stop blowing this out of all proportion?  I said that it was a shame he lost.  I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.

[Janus Whitefurr]

i'm not catching the whole reason for hating on dan losing, really.

May I just ask that people stop blowing this out of all proportion?  I said that it was a shame he lost.  I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.

Insert apropos Monty Python quotation here.

[Mao]

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise...


err..

Anyway.  To kinda echo what Tape said, I merely said that it wouldn't be right if Dan won all the time.  In fact, I think it would ruin the story if he did.  I think that even though he's losing a lot, it's a build up to a comeback.  Not necessarily against DP or Regina.  Maybe just a revelation on his own part or an evolution of his personality or something, who knows?  If he were to win now, I don't think he'd really learn anything from all of this.



Edit:  Curse you frrt!  Daww I just can't stay mad at you.

[Janus Whitefurr]

Edit:  Curse you frrt!  Daww I just can't stay mad at you.

(I'm wisely keeping my opinions re: Dan out of the public arena. :b)

[Tapewolf]

(I'm wisely keeping my opinions re: Dan out of the public arena. :b)

I'm thinking you were onto a winner there 

[icarus]

i just picked your name as an example, tape :B it was honestly the other posts saying stuff like "I HATE THIS COMIC" that made me try to spell out the logic behind it.

i just figured it'd be a funny mental image. TAPEWOLF, GRANDSON OF THE GREAT KARATE MASTER. WITH A CAR ON FIRE >:O DOING BATTLE IN A DARKENED ALLEY

[Tapewolf]

i just picked your name as an example, tape it was honestly the other posts saying stuff like "I HATE THIS COMIC" that made me try to spell out the logic behind it.

I thought it probably was that.  I've known for a long time that Amber writes the basic storyline in advance and I can appreciate that Dan does have to lose from time to time.  I was just hoping it wouldn't be one of those times.

i just figured it'd be a funny mental image. TAPEWOLF, GRANDSON OF THE GREAT KARATE MASTER. WITH A CAR ON FIRE DOING BATTLE IN A DARKENED ALLEY

Heh.  Actually I used to do Tae Kwon Do.  I wasn't much good at it, though...

[icarus]

...clearly, i'm a prophet!

better keep a fire extinguisher in your car, just in case...

[Turnsky]

i just picked your name as an example, tape it was honestly the other posts saying stuff like "I HATE THIS COMIC" that made me try to spell out the logic behind it.

i just figured it'd be a funny mental image. TAPEWOLF, GRANDSON OF THE GREAT KARATE MASTER. WITH A CAR ON FIRE DOING BATTLE IN A DARKENED ALLEY

I used to be the master of rolling marbles..

but i lost them all.

now i just set ninjas on fire.

[Alondro]

Another rason Dan maybe lost is maybe DP maybe gets, like, you know, more powerful, maybe like you know when he totally like comes back from like he dead and stuff, you know, and is like filled with like demon powers of the undead and stuff.

*heard someone on a phone talking this way... wanted to kill*

[Tapewolf]

*heard someone on a phone talking this way... wanted to kill*

Rumour is that's how Regina talks.

EDIT:  If said person was female, are they available for voice work?   

[Turnsky]

actually, i know precisely why Dan lost.

he was angry.. he prolly lost a lot of focus, and was instead relying on savage instinct.

[N-Cat]

Yeah...er...I was sorta the one who said that they hated this comic.  And then I sorta kinda said that I agreed with Tapewolf...So I might sorta kinda be the one responsible for what Tapewolf has been taking the blame for, sorta kinda...And then I sorta kinda ruined the internet...And sorta kinda killed all world leaders...

In all honesty, I don't hate the comic.  The artwork is amazing, the character portrayals are good, but the way it's going to draw the storyline I really dislike.

[Baal Hadad]

This may not be the right place for this, but the missmab site appears to be down....

Anyone know why?

[Tapewolf]

This may not be the right place for this, but the missmab site appears to be down....

Since Project Future, Ariannia, Last Resort etc were also down, I guess xepher.net was on the blink again.  It seems to have recovered as I write, but they have been down for some time.

[Baal Hadad]

This may not be the right place for this, but the missmab site appears to be down....

Since Project Future, Ariannia, Last Resort etc were also down, I guess xepher.net was on the blink again.  It seems to have recovered as I write, but they have been down for some time.

Ah, thanks!

[Tapewolf]

Ah, thanks!

http://xepher.net/forum/index.php?topic=859.0

[joshofspam]

Take care of the hand Amber and don't worry. I wouldn't rush you to do the comic. so take your time and give your hand a rest. Wish you luck.

A few things I've wondered about DP are the resurrections, his connections to Dan's mom, and his big god.

For the resurrections, I thought if it where a demon god wouldn't it be the same type of ceremony. If it is different then maybe he's something with less of a dark element alignment then a demon. But maybe just being a God means you need having more. For DP ceremony I wonder if you just need the blood and not the sacrifice.

Kria: Oh stop crying will you. After I take the blood I'll let you go.

Princess: (Sniff) You promise?

Kria: Yes. Their done, see you next week when I rampage through your kingdom.

Princess: Eeeep.

Kria: Regina. Please show the the way out.

Regina: Yes master.

For Dan's mom  and the big bad god. I wonder if this is a dragon that might have been responsible in part for the clan war between the cubi. If that's the case wouldn't keeping him or her in the ground be one of Dan's moms more important agendas?

Man. I wonder what kind of god were talking about here. A cute small but deadly god or big bad boss battle god?