Chr1-5t05 - CHR15T05

The Shirley Exception

I just saw a kink meme prompt whose "will not draw" list specifically included clowns. It fascinates me that we've reached a point where this needs to be specified up front.

canceled my prime membership today

“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.

Experiment:

Reblog this post and add a poll of your own to the reblog. You can make it a poll about anything. Let's see how far it goes.

I work in a small bookstore in Hudson Wisconsin and ordered a copy in.

Will the physical comic be available in local comic shops? Will the comic book distributors (ie Diamond) carry it?

I expect that strongly depends on your local comic shop and, on the macroscale, how well the book does in preorders. I just make the thing, I don't get to control who wants to stock it.

look, it's easy, okay? High Fantasy has An Hero whose Destiny is Sword, and Low Fantasy has Some Schmoe whose Job is Sword.

my only 'gaming opinion' is that duke nukem gordon freeman doomguy and master chief all live in a big house together with matching pyjamas and nightcaps and they all tell each other goodnight 1 at a time before going to sleep in a big bed

like this. bffs

If you like frogs. Or possums. Or cool builds. Or happiness. This is the video for you.