I was on a direct flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan during the global health crisis, which is quite a long flight but was quite empty due to air traffic being almost nonexistent in 2020.

My mom flies so often for work that she usually manages to get upgrades to business class, which is what happened this time, as well. Because of how strict Taiwan was at the time (only allowing people with a visa or passport from Taiwan into Taiwan), the business class was also quite empty; there was maybe one other person besides us.

I draw a lot, and I was working on a particularly complicated piece when one of the flight attendants came by and asked if I wanted another bottle of water.

I’m consistently thirsty most of the time on planes, so I said yes and took it, though I felt bad because I assumed they thought I’d already drunk my other bottle of water and were offering another one for that reason.

It wasn’t until we were past customs that my mom noticed the extra bottle and asked me in confusion where I’d got it, having drunk hers and not received an extra. We pondered over it before she laughed and told me what had happened.

I apparently was so busy drawing that I never noticed the flight attendant standing just behind me slightly, watching me draw.

They apparently enjoyed watching enough to give me an extra water. We’re pretty sure this was the reason, as it didn’t seem like any of the other business class passengers got an extra water at any point.

(For some reason I can’t access my voicemail. It rarely tells me I have any, and there are plenty of messaging options, which is pretty much always the first alternative if I don’t answer, so I never bother to get it fixed. The past few days, I’ve had at least two voicemails a day, which is extremely unusual. I go to my provider and ask about it. They don’t have an immediate solution. The next day, I answer my phone at my office, with my boss’s permission.)

Bank: “We’ve been trying to reach you, but you never answered and never called back. We left voicemails.”

Me: “Sorry, I can’t access my voicemail.”

Bank: “That’s not an excuse.”

Me: “I’m sorry? It is a technical issue.”

Bank: “Fix your voicemail, so you can get your messages properly.”

Me: “Sorry, but I never needed it before. People rarely attempt to use it, as there are other options. The number of voicemails you left the past few days is more than I’ve gotten in the past two years.”

Bank: “Not my problem. Maybe you need to give us another method of contact.”

Me: “I have my email listed. Use that if I don’t answer.”

Bank: “What about phone?”

Me: “This one.”

Bank: “But it doesn’t work.”

Me: “No, only the voicemail doesn’t work. I will answer if you call and I am available, but you have been calling while I’m at work.”

Bank: “Not my problem. Do you want to remove the mobile number or change it?”

Me: “No. It is my mobile.”

Bank: “But it’s not functional.”

Me: “Yes, it is. Only the voicemail doesn’t work, as I’ve said.”

Bank: “That’s not functional, then. We wouldn’t know that.”

(This bank has sent me emails before when I didn’t answer. I had to ask another bank representative who understood.)

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(Some of my friends are creating a board game, and they’ve asked if I could draw up their characters. I am not given a lot of physical characteristics, so I’m going by their background and storyline, as well as props they use, such as a sword. None of us are LGBT, but one character is a lesbian.)

Friend #1: “This is Sharon?”

Me: “Yeah. How do you like it? Anything you want to change?”

Friend #1: “She’s a lesbian.”

Me: “Okay. Do you want to show that, like by giving her a rainbow bracelet or something?”

Friend #1: “You can, but she still doesn’t look like a lesbian.”

Me: “What do you mean?”

Friend #2: “She means give her short hair or something.”

Me: “Lesbians have all kinds of hair lengths and styles.”

(I pull out the drawing for Ava, a warrior character, whom I’ve drawn with short hair, and less busty.)

Me: “You mean, like Ava?”

Friend #1: “That looks like a lesbian!”

Friend #2: “Yeah. Switch the hair around.”

Friend #1: “Actually, why don’t you just use this drawing for Sharon, and remove the sword.”

Me: “Um… All because of the hair?”

Friend #1: “And boobs. Big boobs attract men, so lesbians want to look flatter.”

Me: *long pause* “You have stupid, stereotypical ideas!”

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