Domino is a small, flat rectangular block used as a gaming object that can be stacked on end to form long lines. When one domino is tipped over, it causes the next domino in the line to tip over as well, and so on until all the dominoes have fallen. This simple principle is the basis for many popular games, as well as for an important concept in storytelling: The Domino Effect.
In fiction, a domino is often used to represent something that starts off small but has a big impact on the plot of a story. This concept is especially useful when writing about nonfiction topics like history or science, but can also be applied to the art of novel-writing. Whether you compose your manuscript off the cuff or carefully plan it out in outline form, the process of writing a novel boils down to one essential question: What happens next? Using the Domino Effect in your story will naturally lead to greater–and often, more dramatic–consequences.
A domino is sometimes referred to as a double six, or just a dominoe. The most common domino variant is a game of skill, in which two players compete to build a chain of dominoes. The player who builds the longest domino chain wins the game.
In addition to competitive dominoes, there are a number of other games in which dominoes are used. For example, the game of Chinese domino uses a 28-piece set that is different from Western dominoes in that each domino has two faces that correspond to the pips on both sides of a standard pair of dice. Each face of a domino contains a number from 1 to 6; the first player places their domino in the center of the board and then draws a tile from the stock until they have seven tiles left in their hand. The other player then does the same, and each domino in play must follow suit.
Domino has served as a bodyguard for Milo Thurman and as the partner of mercenary Cable (Nathan Summers). She became part of his Six Pack when he joined X-Force after a reality-bending encounter with the mutant psionic Zemo. Domino later helped restructure X-Force and worked with Storm to secure the mutant island Utopia. She was later recruited by Garrison Kane for his new security task force and teamed up with the feral mercenary Grizzly and the telepath Copycat.
Domino has also participated in a number of missions for the United States government. She fought against the alien Shi’ar weapon Hecatomb, and she later fought alongside X-Men Colossus and Shatterstar in an assault on Rumekistan. After the battle, she was captured by the commander of the Prime Sentinels, Ekatarina Gryaznova, who implanted her with a neural inhibitor that made her reflexes and reaction time erratic. She escaped and rejoined Cable’s team, but after the war ended she was depowered and separated from her team. Domino has since been a freelance mercenary again.