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Post by devilinthedetails on Jul 21, 2021 6:11:30 GMT 10
Title: Normal Eyes
Rating: PG-13 for racism and prejudice.
Word Count: 100
Summary: Neal and Yuki's daughter wishes for different eyes.
Notes: Mai is my headcanon name for Neal and Yuki's daughter. Her grandfather here is Duke Baird.
This story is inspired by the surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans that has sadly occurred in the US recently.
Normal Eyes
“I want normal eyes.” Mai stared miserably up at her grandfather, the best healer in the realm. The memory of being called Squint Eyes echoed in her ears. Seared into her mind, the other children stretching out the skin around their own eyes. Trying to make their eyes like hers, and not in a flattering way.
“Normal eyes?” Grandfather frowned.
“Like you have.” Mai ducked her head. “Like Father has. Not like I have. Not like Mother has.”
“Your mother’s eyes are beautiful and so are yours,” Grandfather said, but all Mai heard was that he couldn’t fix her eyes.
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Post by mistrali on Jul 21, 2021 9:46:24 GMT 10
Ouch! Poor Mai
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Post by devilinthedetails on Jul 22, 2021 2:23:58 GMT 10
Thanks so much for commenting, mistrali! My heart did break for poor Mai as I wrote this. I was speaking to an Asian-American co-worker who described getting teased about her eyes as a kid and how basically all Asian-American children experience that sort of bullying, and I got to thinking if the US in the twenty-first century is so bad at handling diversity, that quasi-medieval Tortall will definitely be even worse and more ignorant. And thus this story, sad as it was, was born.
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