A call for escapist fanfiction... again!

Some of you may remember when I made a call for escapist fan fiction, a year and a half ago in the wake of September 11. I'm sending that call out again now.

In the last several days I've watched as many people I care about have fallen prey to depression and anxiety attacks, either triggered or worsened by the war. I think we're all feeling it. It's hard not to feel helpless when the news is unavoidable on television and radio, and always dreadful.

So here's the idea.

Everybody turn off the TVs and the radios for a while, and do this instead. Write a story. A special kind of story. One that drives back the darkness. Whether your "thing" is comedy (yo, CCL and HazeLavendar, I'm talking to you!), erotica, or something else entirely (Goats, VG and Fr0sch? Or maybe sheep, Chicky and Artemis? LOL!), we could all use a boost.

Take Riddick and Jack shopping for her school wardrobe and torment Riddick comically with her choices. Have Xander save the world. Have Dom and Letty play strip poker... or, if you prefer, Taylor and Matty. Have Mike audition for a role and actually win it. Do a crossover with the Iron Giant and the Man From Mars from the Blondie song "Rapture," as they dine on cars together and discuss how crazy Earthlings are. Have the little girl in Saving Private Ryan discover that Caparzo isn't dead after all, and have her family nurse him back to health. Reinstate Dom's ability to race, and have him win the Indy 500. Give us all a big Happy.

No, your story doesn't have to be so treacly that your readers need insulin, and no, it doesn't have to be plotless or conflict-free. But whatever conflicts you introduce, have them resolved by the end of your story, in a way that satisfies and empowers both you and your readers.

There's so much angst and darkness in the world right now. Let's have some fics that cast a bright, joyous light in answer.

We'll all feel better for it. So let's get writing!