Original Usenet thread from alt.ascii-art, started 4 Sep 2001.
Nerd Boy, episodes 27-33
alt.ascii-art
· 1 message · 4 Sep 2001
It's that time again... Here's a complete plot: THE RETURN OF THE ROBOT.
Yep, that's probably what I'll call the book I'll be selling later...
---
I probably disassembled it and put it in
Whatever happened to a box somewhere in a closet or something
that robot of yours? with all the other old stuff... I dunno.
` , ,--.
~.. ,---------- OO . | \ \ *bloop*
.>>. |`-._______||o. `-. +-+-+ *bleep*
|\ |__|________bb \_||___,| | |
Did you remember to turn
it off? I always forget
turning stuff off. *G.. G-G-GAME*
` * ,--. / *OVER*
,--- ~.. -- OO . | \ \
|`-.__>>___||o. `-. +-+-+
|__|__\\____bb \_||___,| | |
MEANWHILE, IN A BOX SOMEWHERE IN A CLOSET OR SOMETHING,
A LONE DISILLUSIONED ROBOT HEAD PLANS A DARING ESCAPE...
*Destroy* WILL THE ROBOT HEAD ESCAPE
*Nerd Boy* DESPITE ITS TOTAL LACK OF
*meep* LOCOMOTION? WILL IT DESTROY
` NERD BOY?
~== ...stay tuned... jg
---
"Daring escape", "stay tuned". I love that kind of stuff. Here's a good example
of how a strip can be tweaked if you get good feedback. Originally, Mandy said
"Ok, I'm no expert, but shouldn't you have turned it off first?" but my brother
thought it was silly that she just assumed that Nerd Boy hadn't turned off the
robot. Then llizard thought that NB's line was too wordy, so I changed that. The
end result is a slim, fun, consistent strip. :)
---
Look! Turns out I hadn't deactivated *Nerd Boy is
the robot before disassembling it. It's a jerk!*
been lying there alone for a week! *meep* And how!
` , ,
OO ~== ..~
.||- .]]. .<<.
bb || ||
We should really get to know
each other better, robot! How
about stealing some wheel chairs?
`
OO ~== ..~
.||. .]]. .<<.
bb || ||
Whaddaya think, Nerd Boy? Hello?
,
OO ..~ ==~
.||. .<<. .[[.
bb || ||
/ I could run for the hills, \
| but I probably wouldn't make it. |
\ Suicide, on the other hand... / Blah blah?
o . ,
OO ..~ ==~
.||. .<<. .[[.
bb || || jg
---
Note how, when you've read the last panel, you can go back and see that Nerd Boy
actually freezes in fear in the second panel.
---
/ By antagonising the robot, I created \
| a perfect clone of Mandy; the robot |
*blah* | not only shares her stunning looks, |
*blah* \ but her vile personality as well! /
*meep* o
` *giggle* .
~== ..~ OO
.]]. .<<. .||.
|| || dd
/ I've unleashed a great evil upon the \
| world; the evil that is Mandy. The |
| blame is all mine; I've misused the |
*blah* \ powers of technology! Oh, woe is me! /
*meep* Blah? o
` , .
~== ..~ OO
.]]. .<<. .||.
|| || dd
The robot decided to OK, now I'm
call itself "Dandy". TOTALLY GOING
Isn't it cu.. TO HELL!
` ` ' ,
~== ~.. - OO
.]]. ->>. -||-
|| || dd jg
---
This is sort of a standard gag, so I actually don't think it's all that funny. I
hope other people do though. :\ Some people did.
---
/ I've created an evil robot. Should I \
| destroy her for the good of mankind? |
\ She hasn't actually done any harm. /
o .
OO . ~==
.||. o .]].
____ bb _________________________ || ____
.--.___ O_ __ _.-.._ __ _
,' `--( )-._( `-' `,' )-._ ( '.
( DESTROY HER! No, be nice! `-' )_
_) ` , I'm sure there's )
( ( ) <> some peaceful way (
`, (|)OO ._OO_. to solve this. `.
( |-|| (_/\_) ._)
) | db`-> /db\ __) __
__ ,' '._ _.-(
_( ' Hey, remember that )_.-'
_.( time in Vegas?
-' ` You shut up!
( ) <> ,
(|)OO OO_.
|-|| -|\_)
<-+'bb dd
I have photos...
` DESTROY HER!
( ) <> ,
(|)OO ._OO_.
|-|| (_/\_)
<-+'bb /db\ jg
---
This is another standard gag, but at least it's cute. :)
---
/ I know! I'll have to reprogram the \
| robot's corrupted personality routine |
ow! \ in order to make her nice again! /
*punch* , . . o
~== xx / Where'd she \ o OO
o]]-o)) | get those | .||.
____ || cc ______________________ \boxing gloves?/ ____ dd ____
/ But how? She has superhearing, so I \
| can't sneak up on her, and she's a |
oww.. \ robot, so she never sleeps! Hmm... /
` . . o
xx ~== / Hey! Is she \ o OO
)) o]]o \ coming here?! / .||.
____ cc ________ |\ ________________________________ dd ____
*Prepare to die, Nerd Boy. . o/Think,\
After much practicing, I ` ~== OO' \think!/
will now destroy you most o]]o .||.
painfully.* *meep* ___ || ________ dd ____
*So this new routine makes
punches more painful? It A lot!
speeds them up?* *meep* _ ,
==~ (_| O'
[[. ,[__]_.))_|
|| `.__.' | |d | | jg
---
This one I like. Apparently, the evil "Dandy robot" is kind of stupid, and Nerd
Boy can think quite fast when he has to.
---
Resetting its
Whatcha doing? _ , personality code.
` ~.. --~ (_| O
.>>. [[. ,[__]_.))|
|\ || `.__.' | |d| |
You're changing it Yep.
back to a wuss? _ ,
` ~.. --~ (_| O
.>>. [[. ,[__]_.))|
|| || `.__.' | |d| |
Its personality became very similar
Why? _ , to yours, with one subtle
` ~.. --~ (_| O difference; it wanted to
.>>. [[. ,[__]_.))| kill me.
|| || `.__.' | |d| |
How do you mean,
"difference"? _
` ~.. --~ (_|
.>>. [[. ,[__]_ _
|| || `.__.' | | _|_ jg
---
I tweaked this a lot. Originally, Mandy said "So?" in the last panel, and I kept
trying to come up with a good "I rest my case" type line for Nerd Boy. I just
couldn't make it funny, so I had to exaggerate Mandy's indifference. There's
humour for ya. Hyperboles. That's the funny.
---
Yoohoo! Nerd Boy, where are you?
I won't kill you, I was kidding! / Oh no! She's \
` ~.. ,--------------. . o\ getting closer! /
.>>. .-'____________.-'|O
|\ ||_____________|__|\b
I'll just wait here for him.
He's bound to turn up.
`
,-- ..~ -------. !
.-'____<<______.-'|O
||____ //______|__|\b
*Reprogramming Hi, I'm waiting for Nerd Boy.
completed.* Why don't you join me?
, *meep* ` / I'll be OK as \
~== ,-- ..~ -------. . o| long as I |
.]]. .-'____<<______.-'|O \ don't breathe./
|| ||____ //______|__|\b
*NB-sama! Why are you
behind the couch?*
, *meep*
? ~=
,- ~.. ---'[]'-. . o(Crap.)
.-'____<<____//.-'|O
jg ||____ //______|__|\b
---
Here's the end of the story arc. Although some people seem to find it funny, I'm
not sure I do, in retrospect. The drawback of story arcs, as the author of Bob
the Angry Flower points out, is that you sometimes have to sacrifice the joke in
order to make a consistent story. This strip has no real punchline (save
"Crap."), which makes it a bit weak. But it rounds off the story, so it's in
anyway. It's all a matter of priorities. (And I'm full of shit, but that's a
whole other story.)
--
http://www.ite.mh.se/~joaal98/ascii ___
__ _ _ _ ________ _ / \\\ And I won't tell it.
\ \| `.| `.| `\ \ \ \ `.' \ [.[.]-\\ ,
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ _, \ /_ /|/
/\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ (jg) {-} |=
\__/`._|\_\_\_,_\__|\_\_\ \_\ #// (\
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