see, and the reason it occurred to me first is because we feel very strongly about not hiding who we are from anyone we're interested in romantically. the idea of the girl in damascus being in a relationship with someone is fine, as long as she was open about who she actually was(a "character" made up by the guy in scotland).

for me the definition of "fictional" is a fluid one, and sometimes fiction can be more "real" than things that are called "fact". i think that's ok, and if this fictional person becoming "real" to everyone had been beneficial then it would be a completely different story.

i wonder if part of the reason why people are having such an emotional reaction to this story is because the border between "fact" and "fiction" is being blurred and it makes them uncomfortable. for the activists and people who cared deeply about the issues personally it makes sense, but this story wouldn't have the impact it seems to be having on less-involved people if it didn't strike some basic chord that makes it worth talking about.

~kat