This Is A Friendly Reminder That None Disabled People Often Do Benefit From The Same Accommodations Disabled

This is a friendly reminder that none disabled people often do benefit from the same accommodations disabled people benefit from.

“Are you the witch who turned eleven princes into swans?”

The old woman stared at the figure on the front step of her cottage and considered her options. It was the kind of question usually backed up by a mob with meaningful torches, and the kind of question she tried to avoid.

Coming from a single dusty, tired housewife, it should’ve held no terrors.

“You a cop?”

The housewife twisted the hem of her apron. “No,” she muttered. “I’m a swan.”

A raven croaked somewhere in the woods. Wind whispered in the autumn leaves.

Then: “I think I can guess,” the old woman said slowly. “Husband stole your swan skin and forced you to marry him?”

A nod.

“And you can’t turn back into a swan until you find your skin again.”

A nod.

“But I reckon he’s hidden it, or burned it, or keeps it locked up so you can’t touch it.”

A tiny, miserable nod.

“And then you hear that old Granny Rothbart who lives out in the woods is really a batty old witch whose father taught her how to turn princes into swans,” the old woman sighed. “And you think, ‘Hey, stuff the old skin, I can just turn into a swan again this way.’

“But even if that was true – which I haven’t said if it is or if it isn’t – I’d say that I can only do it to make people miserable. I’m an awful person. I can’t do it out of the goodness of my heart. I have no goodness. I can’t use magic to make you feel better. I only wish I could.”

Another pause. “If I was a witch,” she added.

The housewife chewed the inside of her cheek. Then she drew herself up and, for the first time, looked the old woman in the eyes.

“Can you do it to make my husband miserable?”

The old woman considered her options. Then she pulled the wand out from the umbrella stand by the door. It was long, and silver, and a tiny glass swan with open wings stood perched on the tip.

“I can work with that,” said the witch.

Gremlin energy

The way this episode’s opening shows off the group dynamic is so fascinating to me bc it’s the first time we’ve seen them all interact in a more relaxed setting and the differences are staggering. Jax's teasing is more playful than antagonistic, Ragatha is relaxed, Gangle is left alone to doodle, and Zooble appears far more comfortable participating here.

Then Caine shows up and all of that goes out the window. Jax is back to glowering, Ragatha looks tense, Pomni doesn't look like she wants to be there at all, and Zooble is just gone.

This seems to imply that the main thing causing so much group dysfunction is Caine and his adventures. When left to their own devices the cast is calm and supportive but the stress of Caine's adventures causes them to lash out (Jax), overcompensate (Ragatha), fall apart (Gangle), or disassociate entirely (Pomni, Kinger, Zooble.)

the only good ai generated art i've ever seen