so one time i got bit by a brown recluse which is one of the only types of spider in my area that's actually dangerous and at first i didn't know what had happened to me, only that it was nasty. the swelling wasn't going down and the wound started to get ugly. i don't want to like get into the details because that's gross but it got to the point 2 weeks later that i was worried enough to go to the doctor, which i hate doing.
i am not afraid of spiders but other people are so i'd been covering it with this big ole square bandage (i needed more landscape coverage than a simple bandaid) and sat in the university medical waiting room, kicking my heels and playing BOTW. the nurse who admitted me was like, oh, we have got to get Tom to cover this one. she wrote spider bite under my ticket.
i waited in the near-empty building for like an hour and then nurse tom shows up in spiderman scrubs, out of breath. "sorry," he says, "i saw - your slip - and I had," he heaves in a breath, "to run home and. get. these scrubs. i literally. ran. felt like a job. for. spiderman."
i laugh. he puts his hands on his knees, thumbs-ups at me. fishes a pamphlet out from under his clipboard that basically says spiders can be scary but you don't need to be scared, there's very few dangerous spiders in new england. "honestly," he wheezes, "we probably don't need to get you into an exam room. just..." he waves his hand at the pamphlet, "read that."
i look down at my arm. then back at him in his scrubs. and then down at my arm. i like that he made an effort to make a joke, but now it does not feel like a good joke, because they are mistaking my calm for a lack of injury. "can i. like. at least show you the bite?"
he gives me kind of a weird look, which is fair, but then says. "if. i mean, if you have to."
i peel the bandage off. his face goes green.
"oh," he says.
"yeah, man."
"a... spider bit you?" his voice is high and tight and trembling. he backs up a few steps.
"i think a brown recluse," i offer. "i know it's nasty, sorry."
"excuse me for a moment." he looks over to the administering nurse on the other side of the small room. "i need to find someone else to take care of you."
the administering nurse smiles over to us with a degree of pleasure that is almost salivating. for a moment, like a window opening, i am briefly aware of what must be a psychic message floating amongst the in-between. her jaguar teeth all say this is like a party for me and i know exactly what i'm doing.
"oh no, tom," she says, grinning. "i gave her to you specifically."
in my heart of hearts mike wheeler is absolutely an athena kid but i also have to offer up a concept that i think has extreme comedic and dramatic potential aka: repressed gay teenager mike showing up at camp half blood unsure of who his godly parent is and feeling insecure about not having powers and one day when he’s making not-so-secret heart eyes at his best friend and son of apollo will byers is when a bunch of glowing floating hearts show up above his head. and that’s how mike gets claimed by none other than aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexuality, and is in full denial about it for three days because he thinks it’s some kind of sick and twisted JOKE
(on aphrodite’s end, she’s upset mike is throwing away the gift of true love and keeps trying to trick him out of repression by making more and more improbable and hilarious gifts appear when he and will are hanging out. mike hands will a book and it turns into a box of chocolates and he has to fling it away like a frisbee before will sees it. they’re having lunch and romantic music starts playing. she gives mike the same blessing she used to claim piper and will can’t even look in his direction for a full day because he starts blushing so hard. fifty bouquets of flowers show up at the apollo cabin’s doorstep with a note that says love, mike and by the end of it, mike isn’t even repressed and unsure about his sexuality anymore — he’s just trying to not throw himself into the bonfire out of sheer embarrassment)
One of our neighbors is this nosy lady with an awful little chihuahua that comes up and barks at us and shits where it wants because she never has it on leash. It makes me furious.
She saw me taking Wyvern out and asked if he was new. I said yes, he’s still getting the hang of things. She asked his breed and he’s honest to god the muttiest mutt I’ve ever seen. Big time dog people in my life are stumped when they see him because he’s honestly bizarre and doesn’t harken very strongly to any established breed.
When I said he was a mutt though she said, “Probably a pit bull, look at that face!”
And I looked at Wyverns face and was frankly shocked anyone would think he looked like a pit bull. But from her tone and body language I was wary of her spreading it around and said truthfully, “Well, the only thing all the siblings in his litter looked like was border collie, so probably the most of that.”
She wandered away unconvinced and I told my betrothed later, “Okay, I need you to practice this lie with me.”
“Okay?”
“When people ask what Wyvern is you’re gonna say he’s a border collie, akita mix, okay?”
They laughed but agreed. It’s a weird enough mix that I doubt he’ll raise eyebrows and his coloring could be Akita for all I know.
There’s way more mistrust and legislation against pitbulls that I feel is undeserved, but we’ll certainly be worse off if she starts spreading around that he’s a pibble.
I wish I could tell the original artist that this drawing permanently changed the entire direction of my life in 2009. I want to shake their hand, look them in the eye, and admit I would not be who I am today if this drawing didn’t exist.
So I rewatched the confrontation scene between Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Zhan in the Jiang Ancestral Hall.
In the novel, Jiang Cheng mocked the fact that what Wei Ying and Lan Zhan have for each other is romantic and not just that of friends. And people kept saying that this scene in the novel has more impact etc etc… because Jiang Cheng really insulted them that they’re in love. I’m not going to invalidate that… but I’m just going to explain why this scene in the drama has a great impact too.
In the drama, Jiang Cheng insulted their great friendship. I haven’t seen people point this out… but what Jiang Cheng really said didn’t mean the usual “friendship.” He could have said “友誼” or “交情” which means the type of friendship we’re all aware of.
But Jiang Cheng didn’t say any of those! He said “知己 (zhiji)” or “confidant” or “soulmate”— the very word that both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan say lovingly to each other (in the drama).
Jiang Cheng said: “为什么要道歉?为侮辱了你们这段伟大的知己之情吗?”
为什么 - why ; 要 - will (I) ; 道歉 - apologize ; 为 - for ; 侮辱 - insulting ; 了 - indicates past tense ; 你们 - your (plural) ; 这段 - this ; 伟大 - great ; 的 - of ; 知己 - confidant/intimate friend/soulmate ; 之情 - feeling/emotion; 吗 - indicating a question.
If we translate Jiang Cheng’s words directly, it would say, “Why will I apologize? For having insulted this great soulmate thing of yours?”
Note that 知己 isn’t commonly used in spoken language. It’s mostly seen in written texts only. But Wei Ying and Lan Zhan made 知己 their endearment for each other. Jiang Cheng used that very special and emotional word and tarnished it with his acrid mouth. He wasn’t just insulting their love but he insulted what they are to each other— the very nature of their relationship. (He wasn’t insinuating that they might be in love. He was outright attacking them for what they are.) He even emphasized the insult by adding 偉大 or ‘great’ sarcastically.
That’s why Wei Ying immediately lashed out. Because how dare Jiang Cheng ruin that special word he has with Lan Zhan?!