The Chemist's Preemptive Defense

The universal experience of being a chemist at parties! The moment you reveal your profession, everyone suddenly thinks you're Walter White's lab assistant ready to synthesize something illegal in their kitchen. That preemptive "NO" is basically the chemist's reflexive defense mechanism after years of people asking if you can make explosives, drugs, or "just a tiny bit of something fun." Chemists spend years mastering complex molecular interactions only to be reduced to potential accomplices in sketchy basement operations. The yellow character's expression in the last panel is the perfect encapsulation of professional dignity mixed with mild irritation—the face of someone who just wants to talk about hydrogen bonding without being asked to break the law.