once my flame, twice my burn

1. Jon and Martin are indicated as “walking to train after work.” Martin bends down and says “Oh! Look!” to Jon. He resurfaces holding a pebble marked as “pretty pebble” and Jon says, “oh, wow how pretty.” Martin hands it out to him and says, “Here, you take it! It matches your coat” and Jon looks shocked and flustered.

2. Five drawings of Jon looking shocked and flustered in various locations, still staring off into the distance. He is shown sitting at a meal, brushing his teeth, showering, reading, and lying in bed.

3. The panel is marked “The next day...” Jon comes into work unseen by Martin and slams a dead fish down onto the table in front of him. Martin jumps back and yells “AIEE!” With a determined look, Jon says without looking at Martin, “Martin. Your subpar reports show progress and determination. You are kind and will likely be a good provider. I’ll need your report done by the end of the day. Here is a fish. Goodbye.” Martin looks overwhelmingly confused and thinks “why...”

4. Martin stares down at the fish, tears dripping out of his eyes, as Sasha and Tim stand on either side of him, looking at the fish too. Sasha asks, “Is this... hazing? Is this what hazing is?” Tim glares and says, “No, it’s blatant favoritism! where’s MY fish?”

Character designs: Martin is a fat white man with curly hair and circular glasses. Jon is a thin Indian man with long dark hair. Sasha is a Black woman with natural hair in a bun. Tim is a thin biracial Black and white man with natural hair in an undercut.