From Newsgroup: rec.arts.comics.creative

Original message: https://lists.eyrie.org/mailman3/hyperkitty/list/racc@lists.eyrie.org/message/G5OJYR3HL5RCNXQAUO3CWBXYC3V2WF2D/
On Sun, Jun 8, 2025 at 5:01rC>PM Arthur Spitzer <arspitzer2@gmail.com> wrote: <snip>

Is it time for Prof. Esoteric's roommate to have some
thoughts about getting comics or studying for Finals?!
And is time for everyone to kill GrimSloth?!!!

Murder time! \o/

"I have to admit," the Netromancer said to himself, "taking care of the NTB is easier than I expected. These fools are all falling for the forged message. Perhaps they're not the threat I thought they were." He shuffles papers for a moment, looking for his hit-list. "Ah, Professor Esoteric is next. Not even his fabled luck can save him from my wrath! Bwahahahaha!"
But just as he starts to type the command to send the message, the keyboard shimmers brightly and crumbles into dust. The Netromancer looks startled for a moment and then grins savagely. "If destroying a keyboard is the best he can do, his fate is sealed." He begins to fill out the forms necessary to requisition a new keyboard...

That's a good back-and-forth, showing off the main character's power
but also not letting that automatically overcome all challenges.

"Ha! When you control the bureaucracy, it's simplicity itself to get equipment. You're nothing Esoteric!," he continued to explain to the surrounding air.

heeheehee

"I know how your luck works! It can never do the same thing
twice in a day!" With that, he started to type the command again.
He looked quite startled when he smelled smoke and realized his computer was on fire.
"I'll get you yet!" he screamed, as the sprinkler system came on and ruined all the paperwork he had scattered on his desk.

X3

"Now I've got you!" the Netromancer yelled. "I have a new computer now! I've dried out my paperwork! There's nothing you can do to stop me! You're doomed!" With a final flourish, he entered the command to send the message
a third time...

* * *

At Northwestern Technology Group's central (and only) switchboard, a cup of coffee inexplicably pours itself on the main transformer. The resulting electrical fire takes down communications all over campus. A freak electrical spike on one of the lines causes the phrase "Message sent" to appear on every system connected to the network, just before the connection breaks.

Or maybe it does just overcome all challenges. X3; But in a more fun
way, at least

"What do you mean the network is down?!?"
The consultant looked nervously at the strange man wearing the trenchcoat. "Well, you see, this fire, well not a fire really, just a lot
of sparking, the transformer blew, um, was slightly damaged, and the campus is isolated, um, can't call out or anything."

And it does at least have consequences~

Esoteric looks at the consultant for a moment, then turns to the Stranger and sighs. "You can never just use the door, can you. What's up, Dave?"
"I am Dave no more... Once I answered to that name, but now..."
"Yeah, I know, 'Now you must remain a Stranger' and all that.

heeheeheehee, making fun of Dave is what unites us~ <3

"Wonderful. Now try it in English."
The Stranger sighs. "The NTB is gathering tonight in a bar called Bucket's. You must be there. A matter which concerns you all will be discussed."
"So how come nobody invited me?"

X3 Okay that's pretty good.

The man looks confused. "Where'd everybody go?"
"Where'd who go?"
"The Trenchcoaters! I saw them! Hundreds of them!"

And of course he arrives late. X>

Esoteric and the man, who had turned out to be the Jellomancer, were standing across the street from the bar.

Wasn't the bar in the city that got sucked into the-- you know what,
don't worry about it

"Right about now. See the woman in the trenchcoat? The one walking in to the bar? That's Lady Johanna Constantine. She's not in charge," he adds as an afterthought. The Jellomancer only looks confused.

...OH OKAY. He didn't arrive late, he arrived *early* but the
Jellomancer was seeing the future again. It's a lil confusing. X3

"So you're getting the NTB together? *Not* a good move," JC comments dryly.

* * *

Esoteric and the Jellomancer were watching the Constantines from the bar. "Oh look, they've been talking for 20 seconds and they're just now starting to argue. I think we have a record here," Esoteric noted sarcasticly.

Riffing on the story you're in, huh

Further conversation is cut off by the bartender, who, while delivering both drinks, asks a rather dangerous question. "By the way, who's going to be paying for all this?"
LJ looks startled. "Well, you see..."
Esoteric glares at the bartender for a minute and says "Drinks are on the house."
The bartender turns to him. "Why the hell would..." Whatever he was going to say is lost. His eyes glaze over, and he says in a monotone "Drinks are on the house. Have a good evening." He shakes himself, shrugs, and goes to get another round of drinks.

These are not the drinks you're looking for.

The warning, however, comes too late. He sees, as if in slow motion,
a burst of light expanding from the flying luggage. He watches as Trenchcoaters start disappearing.
But just before the light reaches him, he falls through a hole in the floor that suddenly appears...

* * *

After what feels like several hours of falling, he lands in a room that he *KNOWS* is not under the bar. Everything is blindingly white, and no detail about the place can be made out.
"YOU HAVE PLACED YOURSELF IN DANGER ONCE AGAIN."

Huhhhhh interesting.

"FORCES ARE CONVERGING..."
"Hold it, I already got that speech from the Stranger." A bolt of lightning strikes the ground just in front of him. He looks nervously at the figure before him. "Right, sorry. Go on."

Heeheehee

Rounding the corner, he sees the NTB, assembled once again, but this time they look like they're ready to kill somebody. And that somebody happens to be GrimSloth.

DUN DUN DUN!

For a moment, Esoteric thought that GrimSloth had climbed on
top of a filing cabinet, but that made no sense. What would a
filing cabinet be doing on a sidewalk in downtown Chicago? No,
wait a second, he thought, it's just a phone booth.

Oooooh interesting.

On top of the phone booth, GrimSloth held up the briefcase
to shield himself from the staplers and the hole punchers and the
rolodexes. He seemed to be doing okay for himself; most of them
were getting sucked into the briefcase. But his face seemed
drained. His whole body seemed drained, as a matter of fact.
Drained of color. And his reactions were slowing. Sooner or
later, one of the staplers would crack against his skull, or an
unbent paperclip would reach his eye.

Fascinating. :o

The Jellomancer didn't hear him. He just kept looking back
and forth between the paperweight to GrimSloth. "Weevil?"
Esoteric reached out to tap the Jellomancer on the shoulder--
--and his hand passed right through him. "What the-- oh.
Oh yeah. A vision. That explains it." Might as well quit
talking and start watching, he thought.

Ahhhhhh, okay. X>

Esoteric blinked once, and it was gone. GrimSloth, the NTB,
gone. The Chicago streets were gone as well, replaced by a well-
ordered office floor that stretched out in all directions.
Filing cabinets, desks, and water coolers stretched off into the
distance under the pale, flickering fluorescent lights.
He blinked again, and looked at the filing cabinet which had
been a phone booth a moment earlier. Wonder what that was all
about, he thought.

Very interesting.
Drew "but does it lead anywhere" Nilium
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