10-20-01 @ 8:02 pm EDT

The FanFictionNetWriters Group at Yahoo! (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fanfictionnetwriters) generates some interesting posts. I'll have to reply to some more often and maybe even share them, since the Group is moderated and your posts don't show up for a while, as I learned the hard way. :) With Yahoo!, who knows if they'll show up at all? Still, I saw an interesting off-topic post there today and decided to answer. Hope it goes through. If not, here it is, with a few identifying details from the original e-mail omitted (author, if you see this here, no harm meant in posting your e-mail, I post it because I found it intriguing!!)...

--- In fanfictionnetwriters@y..., "M." wrote:

Hello. I haven't shown my face for a looooong time here. And sorry this isn't about fanfiction. Well... This actually does involve writing, just not fiction.

I'm part of our school paper and the feature section. Our editor wanted us to write an article for our Christmas edition about the effects of the Sept. 11 incidents on Christmas as a way to show our support to the victims. Since we live half-way around the world away from New York and US in general, we thought we could ask some help through e-mail and the internet and.... And get some factual reactions from people who are affected by this. Not necessarily those that were involved in the tragedy itself. I think all the people were affected by what's going on now. So we just need some comments on how do you think Christmas would be affected for you Americans because of this. Please?

Thank you very much. And I hope I am forgiven for this presumtuous e-mail.

~m.

My response:

How will Christmas be affected? Well, if you'll allow a lowly person from Michigan to answer... :)

Already they're saying the economy will go into a recession, so there might be a change in the number of toys/gifts bought. The thing is it seems this could go either way--people will buy a lot more, or a lot fewer. I don't know enough about the economy to be sure. (I say more because perhaps some people would buy toys to donate to children of the victims?)

Travel will likely be slowed, at least by plane. Aren't the holidays a major travel season? Seems to me more people would think of driving or riding rather than flying this winter. Perhaps some will forego travel altogether, and keep in touch by e-mail or snail mail.

Of course, plenty of families will be missing some people this Christmas. :(

What else, what else...

I think the other reply to this brought up the point that perhaps there will be more prayers for the victims this year. Something I wouldn't have thought of on my own (not being particularly religious, even though I pray for the people of New York and Afghanistan every night). People will have a few more things and people to think of this Christmas.

Charity may be greater. (I suddenly want to quote George Michael here, gah!!) I noticed the Salvation Army bucket (well, whatever that thing is) standing in our local Glen's in September asking for donations. September? As my mom said when I asked for a dollar to put in it (left my money at home, drat), "Isn't it kind of early in the year for that thing to be out?" I had to point out the sign on top: RELIEF FOR NYC. Charity started earlier this year, and I have the feeling it may be extending for some while. At least, I HOPE it will.

People may not be as willing to gather in highly public areas like malls and such. I'm not saying there's a valid reason, but some people are frightened. Plus they just might not feel like going out on the town as much.

An effect that extends beyond Christmas is simply how people feel in general. I took a look at the headlines in the store yesterday. BOMBS FALLING ON AFGHANISTAN and ANTHRAX INFECTIONS RISE TO SIX. "I can't believe these headlines," I said to Ma. "Anthrax scares and bombs on Afghanistan. This is just so surreal."

"They should expect bombs for doing something like that," she groused.

She missed my point: What I had meant was, these headlines were simply WEIRD. Back in easygoing August I never would have expected such things to happen in the next couple of months. Even while watching the North Tower collapse on live television I had no idea it would get any stranger than this. How did things change so quickly? If I went back in time to talk to myself a year, five years, ten years previously, and told myself about this, what would my younger self think?

Bla bla, babble! To get back to the point, people's entire perceptions have changed. It may be harder to take certain things for granted, or to assume that things will just be one way always. Things can change in an instant, and they did. At this point in time, it's not a matter of wondering IF something will change, it's a matter of wondering WHAT and WHEN.

(Apologies that this is so very off topic, moderator(s), I'm wandering off now! :) )

Whoops!! I accidentally omitted my sigs!! Stupid me. Anyway that's what I just spent the last ten minutes doing.

((wanders off topic again))

I'm juggling at the moment. Proofreading MI:41 (hey, that sounds cool), letting "A Crack Of Light" (Kristeva's abuse) and the Rats hang in limbo, and working on "Random Scene 3," which is about the aftereffects of my character Brooks's rape. I could never post the actual scene itself publicly. (Um...yes...well...I guess that gives it away that I wrote it... :( ...but no, I can never post something like that publicly.) In the aftermath scene Kristeva and Devetko are paying him a visit to find out why he hasn't been keeping in touch lately, and they find out the truth of what happened...well, if anyone who reads this journal then reads the scene, I just gave it away, sorry. :)

That was another good post brought up in the Group, about rape fics and rape fantasies. Lotta debate there. Someone mentioned that while many rape fics are TRULY lousy (example given, Scully is raped by Krycek, then Mulder shows up and they have sex--puh-leeze), if done right, a rape scene can do a lot to illustrate character strengths and weaknesses. I think that's why I batter my characters so very much. (I mean it, these guys get the S**T knocked out of them CONSTANTLY! And I don't even feel sorry for most of 'em, little sociopath that I am! :) ) I think my characters Brooks and Silver Rat (only two of my many victims) can only show how vulnerable and yet strong they are by being forced to overcome something like this. No, no, I know, they'll never completely "just get over it"; the effects live with these two for a LONG time.

I don't really believe it as it concerns myself personally, but I think in fiction struggle really CAN make you stronger. Or at least make for a far more interesting story.

Here's hoping Brooks and Silver agree and decide not to retaliate on me. Poor guys!! ^_^