So I made a thing (be kind)

[Kara]

I'll probably post this in the Art board, but I figured I'd do it here first because that's where the idea was born. A couple weeks ago I made a comment about Sucky Charms (thread linky: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ead.php?t=9851 A couple people ran with the idea, and, well, I was bored the other day at work and so I sketched a thing. I'm a far better writer than an artist, but I thought it was kind of cute.

Nothing fancy. I used watercolor pencils, a little good-old fashioned Crayola Marker, and a little image editing (not to mention copyright infringement, my apologies to the nice folks at General Mills).

The characters are the SC, a grocery store clerk (or stockman), a customer service girl (who looks awfully familiar...), a salesman (a little too small, but he was an afterthought as I was trying to include as many faces of customer service as I could think of), and a waitress (who wound up being too big). The "Sucky Charms" themselves are Blue pulsing forehead veins, Red eyes, Green bile, Yellow curse words (it didn't come out as clear as I hoped, but I was just goofing off), White fangs, Orange flames, a Black soul (not visible but evidenced by the skull t-shirt). There's no Purple or Pink anything (like the real Charms) because those aren't evil colors. So the waitress has pink hair and purple eyes. The logo is a little squished, but if I fix it I'm going to doctor this thing again and again until I decide it's worthless and trash it completely (You have no idea the willpower it took to post it as-is).

[Velfarre2001]

I....... Um..... Uh..... Hmmmm.... well..... it is interesting....... I..... really am kind of speechless.... well, as far into speechless as I get.....

Well, as long as it ends with the SC dying in an excruciating, painful, and terrifying way, then with him forced to work in CS with no break and an endless line of SC's and spineless managers while physically unable to do anything but play nice externally while he dies inside more and more with the endless suck till he is driven irrevocably insane for the rest of eternity to the point he dreams about SC's tormenting him in hell for the rest of forever, It ......................... Sorry, kinda got away from myself there

But seriously, pretty good picture, funny idea, and certainly better art then my stickmen....... closest I come to art is my scribble monsters in Magic Pengel...... I have the artistic bent of a... oh who am I kidding, I have no artistic bent.....

[WSDuckie]

I'm in absolute love with the phrase... "They're tragically malicious"... If it weren't so true, it'd be funnier...

Kudos and cookies to you for your art!

[Kara]

I can't take the credit for the slogan. A few ideas were kicked around. That came from XCashier, who I didn't ask for permission before using it(oops).

[Noelegy]

I detect a definite Anime influence!

I love all the tiny servicepersons fleeing in terror.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I love it!

[CurlyLocks]

Very nice, Kara! Keep 'em coming.

[OfficeSlug]

Personally, I find the customer emerging from the flaming hole from hell HILARIOUS!!!!!!

Run, employees, RUN!!!!!!

[Kara]

Thanks for the nice comments, guys. I was hesitant to post it at all. I'm my worst critic, all the little touchups I restrained myself from doing are still nagging me, but I guess it's not total garbage.

Keep 'em coming.

Don't say that! I was starting to envision a type of series featuring chibi-customer service reps (that's the Japanese anime/manga style of making tiny, cute versions of full-size characters, for those not in the know) and their day-to-day encounters with SC's. Not really like in a Sailormoon or Ultraman "monster-of-the-day" kind of thing (though it would be one of many possibilities), but more like just random adventures. Small things, little one-page spreads. Anyway, I dismissed the idea as silly. Now my creativity lobe is getting all itchy.

[XCashier]

I can't take the credit for the slogan. A few ideas were kicked around. That came from XCashier, who I didn't ask for permission before using it(oops).

That's quite alright. I like the cereal box. I think I served that customer once...!

Well, as long as it ends with the SC dying in an excruciating, painful, and terrifying way, then with him forced to work in CS with no break and an endless line of SC's and spineless managers while physically unable to do anything but play nice externally while he dies inside more and more with the endless suck till he is driven irrevocably insane for the rest of eternity to the point he dreams about SC's tormenting him in hell for the rest of forever, It ........

Perhaps the Sucky Charms cereal is slightly poisonous, making the sucky consumer die a slow, painful death, drowning in his own toxic bile?

[CurlyLocks]

Don't say that! I was starting to envision a type of series featuring chibi-customer service reps (that's the Japanese anime/manga style of making tiny, cute versions of full-size characters, for those not in the know) and their day-to-day encounters with SC's. Not really like in a Sailormoon or Ultraman "monster-of-the-day" kind of thing (though it would be one of many possibilities), but more like just random adventures. Small things, little one-page spreads. Anyway, I dismissed the idea as silly. Now my creativity lobe is getting all itchy.

C'mon, you know you want to!

[Gravekeeper]

C'mon, you know you want to!

(Glances at the bulletin board full of comics he's drawn that sit in the break room to amuse the staff)

You saw nothing! Shhh....

I've been drawing things like that for some odd 5 or 6 years, but you have to work here to see them. Or be a client...I don't think they hide them from clients. I always wondered what our clients thought when they toured the operations floor and saw them. I try to avoid drawing ones about clients...well, here anyway. At the old office I was a tad more malicious but clients never toured the back office there.

The term "tragically malicious" does have a nice ring to it.

[MrSunshineState]

awesome! I love it!

[Kara]

At the old office I was a tad more malicious but clients never toured the back office there.

I can't imagine how terrible things would be if we allowed customers in the building. Well, they can come in, but they get no farther than the security desk. After that, it's all keycard access only.

I have been unfortunate enough to be coming in or going out when a customer has been screaming at the receptionist or the guard about their bill or service. I just duck my head, avoid eye contact, and keep moving.

C'mon, you know you want to!

Oh, I know I do, that's the scary part. But what what would I do with it if I did? And if I did find an outlet, how long could I commit to it? As it is, I'm headed for the home stretch in a serial adventure I've been toying with for years. Then there are several other ideas backlogged that are dying to be released. Plus, recent conversations with our dear friend Gravekeeper has already spawned an idea about a person who finds out about their "double" in another part of the world and the unseen bond they share, all coming down to a desperate struggle for him or her to keep their other self alive or they'll both die. This is complicated by the fact that the doppleganger is a suicidal madman (GK - that part was not inspired by you ). Then there's the logical conflict that keeping the double alive could be worse than keeping him alive to save him/herself. Or something. The backbone of the story is there, the rest can be fleshed out later.

[Gravekeeper]

I can't imagine how terrible things would be if we allowed customers in the building. Well, they can come in, but they get no farther than the security desk. After that, it's all keycard access only.

I have been unfortunate enough to be coming in or going out when a customer has been screaming at the receptionist or the guard about their bill or service. I just duck my head, avoid eye contact, and keep moving.

Our major clients are allowed to tour the floor so to speak ( With notice of course ). But normally no one's allowed past the front office. At night you need to be buzzed in by us, then a key to the elevator then a door code to get to the operations floor. But we have no security desk. -.-

At my old office/company we never had clients in back. So when one our clients, a particularly rude, unrelenting, sexist, aggravating hideous ogre of a man who I had dubbed a "puppy eater", had annoyed me for the last time....

Well his portrait (which truly brought out his...qualities) mysteriously appeared on the bulletin board in back with a dog leash hanging out of his mouth <cough>. Management took it down a couple of times but every time they did someone put it back up again

(Oddly enough it was rarely me that put it back up too, hehe)