Somethings gotta give, but it ain't gonna be me

to draw this was a very impulsive decision

Every single person has the power to make a meaningful impact on the planet. I had the most fireflies in my town this summer simply because I have a large area where the grass is never cut.

It also includes these fascinating paragraphs about the role of estrogen in different types of physical activity, directly debunking the widespread notion that estrogen is the weak human's hormone and only does weak human things:

Given the fitness world's persistent touting of the hormone testosterone for athletic success, you'd be forgiven for not knowing that estrogen, which females typically produce more of than males, plays an incredibly important role in athletic performance… The estrogen receptor—the protein that estrogen binds to in order to do its work—is deeply ancient. Joseph Thornton of the University of Chicago and his colleagues have estimated that it is around 1.2 billion to 600 million years old—roughly twice as old as the testosterone receptor. In addition to helping regulate the reproductive system, estrogen influences fine-motor control and memory, enhances the growth and development of neurons, and helps to prevent hardening of the arteries. Important for the purposes of this discussion, estrogen also improves fat metabolism. During exercise, estrogen seems to encourage the body to use stored fat for energy before stored carbohydrates. Fat contains more calories per gram than carbohydrates do, so it burns more slowly, which can delay fatigue during endurance activity. Not only does estrogen encourage fat burning, but it also promotes greater fat storage within muscles… which makes that fat's energy more readily available. Adiponectin, another hormone that is typically present in higher amounts in females than in males, further enhances fat metabolism while sparing carbohydrates for future use, and it protects muscle from breakdown. Anne Friedlander of Stanford University and her colleagues found that females use as much as 70 percent more fat for energy during exercise than males. Estrogen's ability to increase fat metabolism and regulate the body's response to the hormone insulin can help prevent muscle breakdown during intense exercise. Furthermore, estrogen appears to have a stabilizing effect on cell membranes that might otherwise rupture from acute stress brought on by heat and exercise. Ruptured cells release enzymes called creatine kinases, which can damage tissues… Linda Lamont of the University of Rhode Island and her colleagues, as well as Michael Riddell of York University in Canada and his colleagues, found that females experienced less muscle breakdown than males after the same bouts of exercise. Tellingly, in a separate study, Mazen J. Hamadeh of York University and his colleagues found that males supplemented with estrogen suffered less muscle breakdown during cycling than those who didn't receive estrogen supplements.

I wanted to buy this print but last I checked on his site it was sold out. Here’s his shop though:

Also Triangle is one of my favorites

Gotham Knights #22

I also like whenever his sense of humour is him making a joke with a straight face, completely out of the blue. (The "The warmth is overwhelming." "Unseasonably so." scene from UTRH comes to mind.) (Bonus points if he's surrounded by people who don't know him well and can't comprehend him making a joke, so they just stand there, questioning reality.)

Anyway.

I was thinking about Batman (2016) #55 again, in this context. You know, that one:

and:

(The banter goes on through almost the whole issue. It's great.)

So, headcanon time:

Dick loved to banter ever since he was a kid. But since Batman's stoic persona is in large part to keep his image as the Scary Bat That Criminals Fear™ - a valid and effective way to discourage crime - he couldn't really match Dick's energy while out on patrol, where people could see them. So, they compromised. And the compromise resulted in The Game.

The goal of The Game was to crack the other up while not breaking character - Dick would have to keep the quippy, chatty persona, Bruce would have to stay serious and say as little words as possible, in the flattest voice he could manage.

Both of them are immovable objects - Bruce may have a lot of practice staying collected and serious, but Dick has been a performer since he could remember - he can keep a straight face if he wants to, no matter what is happening around him. And The Game only made them better at staying composed.

Dick's strategy includes, among other things, making the lamest puns he can think of (the less sense they make and the more inappropriate they are, the better).

Bruce likes to just answer most things with a "no." (while going along with things anyway - also for comedic value), and then break the pattern by saying the most out of pocket thing to trip Dick up. Or he likes using his authoritative voice to suddenly say things both of them know very well are untrue. ("I don't think I've ever actually called you [the nickname I've been calling you forever]" brUCE-). The more unexpected and ridiculous they are, the better chance they have of startling a laugh from Dick.

The amount of times they actually succeeded in making the other laugh out loud is super low, because they both are very good at controlling their reactions, and are very competitive. But the banter is very fun anyway, and they're both cracking up on the inside.

Batman and Robin: Year One - Dynamic Duos #1

Bitches!!! Several co-workers and I all just left a very unhealthy job (at least 5 of us all left lol). I sent your article ‘The Resignation Checklist’ around to everyone before we did. This is a message my co-worker sent me- she went over the checklist and realized she had PTO that wouldn’t have paid out and used it before she left!!! I used the checklist myself and before I left: quit at the beginning of the month to get an extra month of insurance, am going for a physical and dental cleaning, went and got an eye exam and new glasses through my vision insurance, made sure my 401k was vested, and redeemed some company rewards points for a gift card! I especially would never have thought about new glasses without your list and am so excited for them. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you and that your article was a hit with my work friends- thank you!!! <3

OH HONEY!!!! Damn this brings tears to our eyes. We're so thrilled for you and your coworkers!!! It's a huge honor to know that we helped you guys out in your quitting journey.

For everyone who still needs it, here's our resignation checklist:

The Resignation Checklist: 25 Sneaky Ways To Bleed Your Employer Dry Before Quitting

I would say that recreating the characterisation, mood and general vibes of an existing work of fiction is in fact a skill in and of itself that's acquired via practice. A common compliment delivered to fanfiction writers is how well they have captured the spirit of the original work. Inexperienced fanfiction writers fail to do this.

When creating an original character you can, ultimately, say anything about them and now it's canon bcos you created them and you said so. conversely, well, if you are covering a well known song and start playing the wrong notes people will notice immediately.

In addition: a lot of fanfiction, IMO, is in actuality a form of metafictional literary analysis. a story where two characters sit down and talk about their feelings about a canonical event? literary analysis, which is of course a skill. Sometimes fanfiction is bad bcos the writer is not good at interpreting texts.

sleepy jason + damian cameo :p