lions
Original: lions on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Person (a man): AAAH! WE'RE BEING CHASED BY LIONS!
A small face/figure perched on his head (his brain): NO! WE AREN'T, BRAIN. I'M JUST STRESSED OUT DUE TO SOME GRUELLING STUFF AT WORK.
Panel 2:
Brain: WRONG! THERE IS NO WAY OUR HEART RATE WOULD BE THIS HIGH JUST BECAUSE YOU DOUBLE-BOOKED A 10AM APPOINTMENT. THERE MUST BE AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT!
Man: NO! STOP!
Panel 3:
Brain: IT IS LIONS! LIONS BY GOD! MUSCLES! HORMONES! GIDDY UP!
Man: FOR GOD'S SAKE.
Panel 4 (caption: 30 MINUTES LATER):
Man (now running/exhausted): I HATE HOW GREAT JOGGING MAKES ME FEEL.
Brain: I THINK WE'VE OUTRUN THEM! I THINK WE ARE SAFE!
Votey:
Brain (in a speech bubble, sitting atop the figure): PROBABLY MORE LIONS TONIGHT, THOUGH.
Person (a man): AAAH! WE'RE BEING CHASED BY LIONS!
A small face/figure perched on his head (his brain): NO! WE AREN'T, BRAIN. I'M JUST STRESSED OUT DUE TO SOME GRUELLING STUFF AT WORK.
Panel 2:
Brain: WRONG! THERE IS NO WAY OUR HEART RATE WOULD BE THIS HIGH JUST BECAUSE YOU DOUBLE-BOOKED A 10AM APPOINTMENT. THERE MUST BE AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT!
Man: NO! STOP!
Panel 3:
Brain: IT IS LIONS! LIONS BY GOD! MUSCLES! HORMONES! GIDDY UP!
Man: FOR GOD'S SAKE.
Panel 4 (caption: 30 MINUTES LATER):
Man (now running/exhausted): I HATE HOW GREAT JOGGING MAKES ME FEEL.
Brain: I THINK WE'VE OUTRUN THEM! I THINK WE ARE SAFE!
Votey:
Brain (in a speech bubble, sitting atop the figure): PROBABLY MORE LIONS TONIGHT, THOUGH.
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic about a man whose brain (drawn as a tiny figure sitting on his head) overreacts to work stress. Panel 1: The man shouts 'AAAH! We're being chased by lions!' and his brain replies 'No! We aren't, Brain. I'm just stressed out due to some gruelling stuff at work.' Panel 2: The brain insists 'Wrong! There is no way our heart rate would be this high just because you double-booked a 10am appointment. There must be an existential threat!' as the man says 'No! Stop!' Panel 3: The brain declares 'It is lions! Lions by God! Muscles! Hormones! Giddy up!' and the man sighs 'For God's sake.' Panel 4, labeled '30 minutes later': the man is jogging, exhausted, saying 'I hate how great jogging makes me feel,' while his brain announces 'I think we've outrun them! I think we are safe!' The joke: anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight stress response, and burning it off through exercise feels good. Votey: A back view of the man's head and the brain figure, the brain saying in a speech bubble 'Probably more lions tonight, though' — implying the anxiety will return.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.