[Fic] "'Differently Abled'" -- X-Men
I was digging through my works in progress tonight and I found this 3-sentence ficlet from 2019.
I think I saved it as a separate file -- and then never posted it -- because I wanted to do something more extensive with the prompt... but you know, it's a reasonably complete thought as-is and I honestly don't recall how I was planning to expand it, so I will call it good enough and let it go.
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For anonymous: X-men, any, For decades Xaviers was the only wheelchair accessible foster care facility in rural New York, written January 2019
'Differently Abled' (142 words)
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Charles hesitates at the first request, unsure whether he's ready to take such a drastic step toward building acceptance between mutants and others -- but then, what breathtaking hypocrisy, even for him, if he turned away other children whom "normal" society wishes to throw away and make disappear.
He never officially tells any of the other foster children about the X-Men, but they're bright and wary and would have to be telepathically nudged into complacent ignorance a dozen times a day to stop them from noticing; they never mention anything to their case-workers (he eavesdrops, naturally), and so he considers it a tacit bargain of silence.
He's never quite sure whether linking mutant rights to disability rights was a wise or foolish tactical move, but in his long history of ethical tightrope walking, this is one choice he never looks back and regrets.
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Please note the quotes around the title. *wry* If you want to comment on this post, you can do so over here on Dreamwidth, where there are currently (
comments)
I think I saved it as a separate file -- and then never posted it -- because I wanted to do something more extensive with the prompt... but you know, it's a reasonably complete thought as-is and I honestly don't recall how I was planning to expand it, so I will call it good enough and let it go.
---------------
---------------
For anonymous: X-men, any, For decades Xaviers was the only wheelchair accessible foster care facility in rural New York, written January 2019
'Differently Abled' (142 words)
-----
Charles hesitates at the first request, unsure whether he's ready to take such a drastic step toward building acceptance between mutants and others -- but then, what breathtaking hypocrisy, even for him, if he turned away other children whom "normal" society wishes to throw away and make disappear.
He never officially tells any of the other foster children about the X-Men, but they're bright and wary and would have to be telepathically nudged into complacent ignorance a dozen times a day to stop them from noticing; they never mention anything to their case-workers (he eavesdrops, naturally), and so he considers it a tacit bargain of silence.
He's never quite sure whether linking mutant rights to disability rights was a wise or foolish tactical move, but in his long history of ethical tightrope walking, this is one choice he never looks back and regrets.
---------------
---------------
Please note the quotes around the title. *wry* If you want to comment on this post, you can do so over here on Dreamwidth, where there are currently (
comments)