Domino is a set of blocks with one or more identical pips on each face. The pips are used to identify the domino’s position in a game and to determine how it should be displaced, either by moving another domino or by adding a new domino to a chain. Dominoes can be arranged to form linear arcs, curved lines, grids that make pictures when they fall, or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. A domino can be flipped over with a finger or pushed by a hand, but the real excitement comes from watching a chain reaction of dominos cascade over each other.
Like the game itself, the word “domino” has an obscure history. The first use of the term in English dates from about 1750, but it may have a much earlier etymological root. In French, it originally denoted a long hooded cloak worn together with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade. Later, the word became associated with a particular kind of game or event where players arranged dominoes in order to knock them over. The word has also been applied to any event or activity that triggers a similar effect, such as a car crash or rocket launch.
In Marvel Comics, the character Domino is a mutant with the ability to subliminally and psionically initiate random telekinetic acts that affect probability in her favor. These acts, known as her “luck” powers, can range from disrupting machinery to stopping a nuclear reactor explosion. In addition to her mutant power, she is a skilled mercenary and fighter.
She is the result of a top-secret government breeding program designed to create the perfect weapon. Her mother abandoned her and joined a fanatical group of quasi-priests who opposed the project. After Domino escaped the church, she partnered with Cable in his search for the secret Weapon X base.
After a run with the Punisher, Domino rejoined X-Force and was recruited to track down and destroy the mutant-powered rogue Vanisher. She helped fend off a trap set by Halloween Jack, who was trying to snatch her from the alternative timeline. During the fight, her reflexes and luck powers were not enough to stop him from shooting her.
When writing a story, it is important to remember that the best scenes are those that advance the plot by causing dominoes to fall, or at least appear to. This means that writers must ensure that their characters’ actions are logical, especially when they go against societal norms or do things that most readers would find immoral. To keep the reader’s interest, these types of scenes must be tightly spaced or else the story will stall out and lose momentum. This is why it is critical for writers to know the pacing of a scene. They must have a clear idea of how many dominoes they want to tip over in the scene and the order in which they will fall.