Domino – A Gamer’s Guide
Domino is a mutant with the ability to influence the laws of probability to shift odds in her favor. She also has superb athleticism, martial arts skills and is an accomplished linguist. As a weapon expert, she can fire projectiles from her staff. She can also teleport through solid objects, and she has an innate sense of how others feel around her.
Domino was born Neena Thurman, an albino girl who was the subject of genetic experiments conducted by the U.S. government as part of the secret Project Armageddon. Neena was rescued by a Chicago priest and raised as his daughter, but her mutant powers manifested at age 13. She is able to affect the odds of events, from having an enemy’s equipment malfunctioning to making improbable things happen within her line of sight.
When her powers are activated, Domino creates a psionic aura that alters the probabilities of events, granting her good luck and bad for her opponents. This can be anything from making an opponent’s staff malfunction to hitting just the right button to shut down an overloading machine. Domino has a subconscious connection to this aura, and she can trigger it whenever she is in danger.
She joined a mercenary team led by the mutant soldier Cable and became his co-leader. She has also served on Storm’s security task force and been a member of an alternate reality X-Force. On the eve of Earth being overlapped with Reality-295, Domino confessed her love for Cable and they kissed.
Domino has a talent for predicting future outcomes, which makes her a valuable asset to any team. She is an innate leader who can motivate her teammates and make sound tactical decisions in combat. Domino is also a skilled weapons expert and can create improbable weaponry at will.
One of the most important things about domino constructions and stories is timing. When the first domino is tipped over, it sets off a chain reaction that continues until all the pieces have fallen over. The trick is to set the dominoes up so that they fall over at just the right moment.
In writing, the same principle applies to scenes in a story. A scene needs to advance the story (move the hero closer or farther from his goal), but it should not be overlong or too short. Long scenes can be boring, and too many short scenes can feel superficial. Just like dominoes, scenes should be spaced correctly so that they can be tipped over at just the right moment. Then, the cascade of events can continue. This is how a story grows from one simple act to something much greater. It’s a principle called the domino effect, and it’s what gives stories their dramatic impact.