Seven years ago...9/11 at Armageddon Games

[Zaphod Q. IX]

Seven years ago, almost to the minute, I started a topic here that I believe was the first truly epic thread in AGN history. Entitled "Oh my gosh, two jets just flew into the World Trade Center", it was understandably a magnet for activity. I stayed home from work that morning, so I had a very unique perspective on the event itself, as well as our community's reaction. I watched both live.

Don't get me wrong, I take absolutely no credit for the epic nature of the thread...all I did was get it started with a few sentences. It was, indeed, epic...garnering a thousand views and a couple hundred replies in a few hours. At one point, over fifty people were viewing that topic alone. I've not seen "who's online" that crowded since then. And they were all viewing the same thread...that was weird. Rumors and speculations ran wild, as did arguments as to who was right about what detail...but through it all we came together...it was a scary time, and it helped to be able to talk about it with our "family" here.

I know that alot of you weren't here way back then, and never even saw that thread, since it's been lost in the mists of time...but I truly believe that it was an important moment in AGN history. Hell, it was the first archived thread! ;)

As I sit here and watch a minute-by-minute replay of newscasts from that day, I am still saddened and angry about the attacks. I'm also feeling an odd sense of deja-vu...I'm off work this morning, and watching the exact same newscasts seven years later makes me almost expect to pick up the ringing phone to find cyberkitten on the other end, asking me what the hell was going on in New York. :(

Now I think I'm just sad.

[Lilith]

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[rock_nog]

My God, I still can't believe it's been seven years. I remember that thread, too - it's a real shame we don't still have it. You know, it'd be so interesting to go back and look at our reactions from seven years ago.

[Masamune]

I was around for that, and I remember it. I was in 6th grade at the time.

[bigjoe]

That day kind of shook me. I had taken a flight to New York a few months earlier, and I thought "holy shit, If this would have worked out differently I might have been there when that happened!" I was so terribly nervous that day. And for upwards of a year after there was always a lingering fear. Id observe dates and think "This could be it..."

For some reason, though, I was a lot more unsettled by the Iraq invasion. It all didn't add up. Flexing military strength for the wrong reasons is never good, especially with an already dangerous situation

[Pineconn]

Well... if and when a similar event happens to us, then you can be "happy" that there will likely be another bustling thread like that. (And you'll, of course, also be very upset of such an event. Give-take.)

My only recollection of 9/11 is that I came home from the 5th grade wanting to play Sonic 3. Then my mom told me the news.

[cbailey78]

All I can do is present you this:
http://renaissanceguy.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/american-flag1.jpg
Please view it for rememberance!
*Hugs*

[Brasel]

I get incredibly angry when I see stuff on 9/11 and it makes me want to take a ride out in a convoy and blast some mother fuckers to hell. It also makes me sad to think of all those people who lost loved ones...it still shakes me to this day...

Oh, and I remember the thread as well. I was pretty new here at the time if I remember.

[The_Amaster]

Yeah, I remember heading into my classroom in 5th grade and just seeing everyone standing in a cluster talking, and I asked what happened, and some kid said "two planes just hit the tallest towers in New York"

Our class basicly spent the day watchign the TV and waitign for updates.

[Aegix Drakan]

Wow, it's already been seven years?

I was pretty surprised when I heard the news over the PA at school in grade 8. When I heard, I thought it was just a small convention center, or something like that (having never heard of the WTC).

Then, I got home, and saw it on the news. ...I was...shaken. I just stared at the TV screen as they replayed footage of it over and over again, shaking my head and saying "I don't believe it....I just don't believe it". The question that I could not stop asking myself was WHY?. Why the hell would someone want to kill so many innocent people, and kill yourself doing it too?

Of course, I got my answer to that later. *rolls eyes disgustedly* And honeslty, I hope the people responsible feel the full brunt of Karma, whether in this life, or another.

:( It really left a scar. My little ideal bubble of protection that kept telling me that the world was really a nice place (already under strain from the assholes at school) finally burst. I learned that the world (although it has some nice things and people) is predominantly harsh.

It's something I can't forget, no matter how much I'd like to.

[moocow]

I remember it. Senior in high school. My sister's 10th birthday. Worst birthday party ever.

Today, she's 17. She's a senior now. So weird.

I hate the feeling I get on this date. Supposed to be a good, happy day. We haven't celebrated my sister's birthday on her actual birthday since then. We're all too sad.

[Dechipher]

I was in 8th grade. I hadn't heard anything about it, and I was sitting in math class and the principal came over the intercom. He said "Good morning, Madison Middle School" and my dumbass remarked that he sounded like his wife had just died and I started laughing and then he made the announcement and I was like "Shit I'm a chode."
I do that a lot :/

[Icey]

Yeah, I was in 7th grade. I remember the thread, although I didn't post in it. I remember a lot of things from that day. My dad was on a flight that morning that got grounded before it left LAX because of the attacks. A bunch of stupid 7th grade classmates making speculation on what happened and why... the news of what really happened. But mostly, among all that sadness, I remember the unity that permeated all of us.

Difficult to express what I want to say, I guess. I'll never forget what happened on that day, nor those who were lost.

[Russ]

I remember it. I was really young though. I woke up, and my mom said, "Russ, come look at the TV!" I went in there right as the second jet hit. The first thing that came to mind was "World War 3". :)

[Pineconn]

The first thing that came to mind was "World War 3". :)

Oh yes, WWIII would be a thing to be happy about...

[ZTC]

Such a long time ago now... I was in the family room watching the news before I started my classes for the day that was sometime after the first plane hit. Shortly after the second plane struck. I was going to start my sophmore year of homeschooling that day, but that never happened. Most of the news coverage that day was taped and I think we still have it.

What's really sad is that a number of people I've talked to about it yesterday has already forgotten about it; except for a nutty coworker that thinks that the government staged the whole thing :/

[MasterSwordUltima]

Weird. Since this is a whole "where you where when it happened" thread now, might as well. I was in lame music class in 8th grade, when the teacher was told about it, and was all "calm down, don't worry about it" and some of the kids started saying how a plane hit the towers.

First thing I thought was "So...? A plane crashed, I don't get why its such a big deal." "Whats so important about this tower building?" Then another kid and I were thinking that there was a plane sticking out of a building or something, and thinking how funny that would actually look. Absolutely none of my classes that day were anything more than lets have a TV on and talk about it. Over the PA system was nothing but constant "If you need to talk to a counselor, come on down" and I thought "WTF, because a plane is hanging out of a building, far away from here?"

I've been to New York City twice in my life. I don't really remember anything too Hoo-rah about it. I don't even really remember the statue of freaking liberty, other than that there are a ton of pennies shoved into the base. The whole mess of things never really affected me so much. I guess I just don't care much for the city or something.

Sure people have died, I understand that. I realize now how important economically the twin towers were, sure. I still don't see them as an icon though, nor will I probably ever. Building that tower of freedom or whatever seems like another building to fly into if you ask me though. [shrug] I kinda feel like "America" is stuck in this seriously emo state of things.

Maybe its just the way things are. Pearl Harbor was just as big of a deal, and you can play video games nowadays where your mission as a Japanese pilot is to blow up ships in Pearl Harbor. And don't tell me that in Battlefield 2 the Chinese side isn't supposed to be freaking Iraqi's.

[PatrickSig]

I was waiting for the bus to my high school culinary arts class when it happened. When I heard about it, I was like "WTF???" I too can't belive it's been 7 years.

[Pryme8]

I was in high school at that time, and i remember the whole school stopped just to watch the news all day, we never changed channels...

We actually started watching before the second airplane hit.

I remember looking up at the live feed of the second air plane, and thinking hey that's weird. Then about 3 seconds later i realized what had just happened. VERY sad day in America.

[SUCCESSOR]

I remember reading that thread. I was sitting in a University computer lab probably looking at porn or playing ROMs while looking through these forums. It was my only feed on what was going on. I didn't care. I understood but I didn't really know what the twin towers were. I was also very unaffected by the world around me. That day my sister came to the lab to tell me she was going to T or C, a town an hour away, for an indefinate amount of time. She was supposed to be watching me while our mom was out of town. I was living alone at 15 with no friends, no school, no food, and no money. I didn't care about the world.

[Breaker]

Yeah, and you probably never tried to make friends, do good at school, find food, or make money. Things don't just magically happen. You have to make them happen.

[Lilith]

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[King Aquamentus]

Freshman High School, I was my second hour art class, and we were all listening to the radio. Someone said "A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" and I was like "Why does that sound like something out of Die Hard?" and he was like "No, this is for real!"

They dismissed school shortly after, and I got to see some of the damage when I got home. Pictures of people freaking out... New Yorkers, of all people. No offense, but something about that particularly hit me harder than anything else that day. Now, I can't give you a whole lot of facts about New York, but just seeing everyday New York people doing that sort of thing really put things into perspective.

There's also a stereotype about them that broke that day, too. They united and came to help.

[SUCCESSOR]

world's tiniest violin. do you realizing you're posting in a 9/11 thread?

yeah this is sap city right?


Yeah, and you probably never tried to make friends, do good at school, find food, or make money. Things don't just magically happen. You have to make them happen.

Awww! Now you are criticizing the me of seven years ago. Good job Breaker! You are a man of great stature!

[Rijuhn]

I remember that I slept in that Tuesday morning. I was 14 at the time, and I was homeschooled. My parents usually woke me up around 8, but every now and again my parents would let me sleep in til around 10 or so, and this was one of those mornings. I got myself out of bed and went into the kitchen only to see my parents watching the TV of the two WTC on fire.

They told me about the planes crashing into the towers, and then I went to go take a shower. When I came back from my shower both towers had collapsed, that a plane had hit the Pentagon, and that a plane went down in PA. After hearing all that I was scared and shocked. It was only later throughout the day did we all find out the severity of the whole ordeal.