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Pop Culture

Disneyland's Evil Queen hailed one of the good guys for making an autistic boy feel welcome

The park's most notorious villain is a pretty great human.

disneyland
@magicwiththomas/TikTok

Not so evil after all

Disneyland is coined “the happiest place on Earth” thanks in no small part to people who work there—particularly the performers. Sure, the rides are fun, but a lot of the magic comes from being able to interact with real life versions of characters we’ve fallen in love with from the movies.

That’s why people are hailing the Evil Queen, who had a very special encounter with an autistic teen boy, as the park’s true hero. She is one of many performers going out of their way to make sure everyone gets to be part of the fun, reminding us of what makes Disney so special in the first place.

A now-viral TikTok video shows the Evil (or maybe not-so-evil) Queen approach 15-year-old Thomas to offer a feel of her soft cape.


“Sensory QUEEN🤌🍃💜😍” one person commented.

“She understands he likes to touch and feel things,” another user wrote.

Then, gently taking his hand, the two take a quick stroll through the kingdom while shooing away the peasants. She is a Queen, after all.

Watch:

@magicwiththomas The not so Evil Queen offering him to feel her cape #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #asd #specialneeds #disney #disneyparks #disneyland #disneytiktok #disney100 #snowwhite #evilqueen #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Magic With Thomas

By the looks of the follow-up video, Thomas and the Evil Queen became fast friends, as she showed off a “better angle” of Sleeping Beauty's castle and suggested they take a picture together.

Thomas’ video got a lot of love online, including other parents who have had similar positive experiences, and those who had still been on the fence about taking their own autistic children to the park.

‘Why do you love Disney so much? This. This is why. I can take my autistic son, and he is loved and not an inconvenience to them,” one parent wrote.

Another added, “I haven’t taken my kids to Disney yet because I’m worried my autistic son will get overstimulated. I love [that] the cast members are so kind.”

Thomas’s TikTok account, which is run by his dad, is filled with all kinds of Disney characters making him feel welcome. The content is so pure and wholesome and leaves people with nothing but praise for the performers.

If you want to see Thomas chatting it up with the likes of Jack Sparrow, Winnie the Pooh, Cruella Deville and more, you can find his TikTok account here.

Pop Culture

Airbnb host finds unexpected benefits from not charging guests a cleaning fee

Host Rachel Boice went for a more "honest" approach with her listings—and saw major perks because of it.

@rachelrboice/TikTok

Many frustrated Airbnb customers have complained that the separate cleaning fee is a nuisance.

Airbnb defines its notorious cleaning fee as a “one-time charge” set by the host that helps them arrange anything from carpet shampoo to replenishing supplies to hiring an outside cleaning service—all in the name of ensuring guests have a “clean and tidy space.”

But as many frustrated Airbnb customers will tell you, this feature is viewed as more of a nuisance than a convenience. According to NerdWallet, the general price for a cleaning fee is around $75, but can vary greatly between listings, with some units having cleaning fees that are higher than the nightly rate (all while sometimes still being asked to do certain chores before checking out). And often none of these fees show up in the total price until right before the booking confirmation, leaving many travelers feeling confused and taken advantage of.

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