[Axis Powers Hetalia] A Gathering of Dust (America-centric)

[lenarix_klinde]

Title: A Gathering of Dust
Author/Artist: halflight007/lenarix_klinde
Character(s) or Pairing(s): US/UK
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, trauma, heroic BSOD, YMMV characterization, dealings with the 9/11 attacks
Summary: Alfred tries to hide himself away; Arthur will not let him. Done for mithrigil’s Whatever Happened to Alfred Jones? for hetalia_remix.
Disclaimer: Himayura-sensei

Comments

[mithrigil]

The very first thing I should do is thank you for approaching this story at all; for your maturity in interpreting my story and coming up with this, for dealing with the subject matter with delicacy, and for not overemphasizing the points that you and I were trying to make.

That said, I have a few other things to work out after reading this story.

When I first signed up for the challenge and was given the option of protecting a story, I jumped on No Such Place because, well, duh, but I did have serious issues about letting this one out there to be remixed. But I believe what I said was "And if someone chooses to play with Whatever Happened, I suppose I'll get what I deserve for writing it. I think I did. Because while some aspects of your interpretation are counter to mine--the fact that there was any blood involved at all, most notably--you still got, and conveyed, the real point of the story, which was that this subject matter can and should be dealt with respectfully, even in a medium such as fanfiction, and even within the scope of something like Hetalia.

So thank you also, for reminding me in a visceral way that the themes I touched on are still sound, and can exist outside of my own headspace. I am glad I trusted Miaou to give me someone who wouldn't harm this story, and that it turned out to be you.

[lenarix_klinde]

Honestly, thank you for writing it. Part of me was so worried that I'd mishandled your topic - when I first read that fic so long ago, I really did miss the fact that it was a critique of America's reaction to 9/11. (I was in junior high when it happened - can't remember what grade - and there's honestly very little that I remember about it.) What struck me most was Alfred's pain there at the very end of it, because that panic was something that stuck with me through that day and the ones that followed.

Thank you for writing it, and for trusting me to remix it. I'm so glad that I ended up writing something that you can be proud of.