Lately I have been busy and not checking the forest every day. I mean- most days I open it- but the poor website just stays open and I never get to visit it.

my email is bogged down with  84 updates that I haven't read. AND I have read my favorites already.

I just have no energy to read anymore.. some stories are becoming predictable. Some stories have spun off into their own characters....

I need to have faith in fanfic again!

help!

Has anyone else gone through this?

Ok, This is it - the thing I've been waiting for - that moment that captures the magic that is Twilight.

http://www.imagebam.com/image/91e10b85383529

It's not pretty, it's not sexy - but it is that image that says - Edward loves Bella more than anything...In spite of his controlling, his jealousy, his whatever....this (for me) is why I love these stories.

SO, INTERACTIVE TIME -  What is that moment for you - what picture, what scene, what bit of dialogue (either canon or fanfic) that reminds you why you are here.  SHARE

AND YES - I ACCEPT COMPLETELY  ROMANTIC AND CLICHED. but I figure, Life is hard - grab on to the things that make you happy.

p.s. - hope I've done this correctly, this is my very FIRST campfire.

PLEASE NO PROFANITY IN THE MAIN POST OF A CAMPFIRE

A Different Forest does not condone censorship, but there is a certain structure in place to keep the site rolling around the world.

There's a reason why ANYONE can see the front page of the site, but everyone must LOG-IN in order to read comments or post.

Please don't undermine the structure, which includes age-verification (on the honor-system, people).

Thank you.

see inside for more.

Do you have any fanfic(s) you shouldn't read or should just never look at again, but cannot stop reading?  What are they?

Yes, in general, I spend way too much time reading fanfics, probably like one or two of you others out there.  But, there are some fics that really nobody should read, but I just cannot stop.  Maybe, the writing is just bad, but the characters are dipped in AWESOMESAUCE, you just want more?  Maybe the characters are annoying but the plot is so amazing, you HAVE to find out what happens next?  Maybe everything about the fic is generally mediocre, but the lemons are... well, LEMONY.  Maybe the whole fic is just horrible, but something about the fic is so compelling and touches you on a personal level, you keep coming back for more.  Or, maybe it's just really bad, but you've already read a gazillion chapters, you feel you have to finish it?

Time to come clean!   Which fanfics are your guilty pleasures?

Mine are:

Falling For You, by GreenEyedGirl17 http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4946293/1/Falling_For_You:  Seriously, Edward is this fic is constantly saying sorry, and Bella is constantly forgiving him calling herself a big ass baby.  The pattern is the same for every conflict, and downright annoying.  But, alas, I keep on reading.  I have to know how it ends - mostly because I want to see how Edward's oldest child deals with Bella - I just have to know.  This one has lots of reviews, but the reviews indicate lots of people feel the same way I do about the characters, so this one has to be a guilty pleasure for some of you. . .

Like a Moth to a Flame, by CitizenCullen http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5373224/1/Like_a_Moth_to_a_Flame: Well, this one also has lots of reviews, so I am not alone here.  It is so lemony and when Edward says "babydoll" - it's something else!  But, sometimes I just want to slap the characters and bring out my red pen.

This post isn't meant to offend anybody- in fact, there is something about the fic that is so compelling that keeps us reading - like a guilty, sinful pleasure. 

I have no one to talk to here so I have to make campfires....

Let me explain this hotel situation.

The purpose of this trip is the freaking dance competition.  And the hotel in Florida we're staying in is like $867564545 a night, so my friend and I decided to split to cost and share the suite.  Her daughter is also a dancer, plus she's bringing along another girl (who dances) who's family couldn't make the trip for whatever reason.... which makes SEVEN of us in this hotel.

With me so far?

Here's the thing....

My friend is fairly conservative, and her daughter is REALLY  SWEET AND NICE.  The girl they have with them is TOTALLY SHELTERED, homeschooled....she's 15, seems to have the hots for my son, but until yesterday, the poor child had NO idea what oral sex was. (I swear it wasn't me who told her---but she was aptly mortified, nonetheless)

Meanwhile, these nice, sheltered people are stuck in the hotel for a week with me.  AND MY KIDS WHO ARE INSANE. 

I've learned a few things since last night:

~Chanel is the loudest person on the planet (my 12 yr old)

~my children are pervs

~I didn't bring enough wine

~my family clearly has boundary issues

Here are some of the memorable quotes from last night.... (made mostly by my children)

"Are you wearing any pants?"

"Don't lick the hotel bedspread, stuff shows up under a blacklight.  My mom watched Dateline."

"I have to stick my feet down the back of your underwear while I sleep"

Me to Chanel: "Stop it, you're in public!"

Chanel to me: "What?  I don't do this when I'm alone!"

when the toilet got clogged at 11pm...

Me: "Does anyone have to take a crap in the next 10 hours?" .... four kids raise their hands.... and we proceeded to switch hotel rooms.  With 7 people.  And all our stuff.  In the middle of the night.

And this was only the first night, people.

Song for today (I shoulda posted these last night):

Ive just recently learned of the unfortunate accident of one of my most favorite authors, Lasmke I wanted to re-read small town gossip and that's when I found out. It breaks my heart that such a creative individual was taken so suddenly and while I truly respect what her family decided to pulling her stories it would have been a great legacy if people continued reading them. With that in mind can anyone help me contact any one of her family via email so I can get a copy of her work for reading? Or if anyone has a copy of Small Town Gossip or Expectations of Success, the author, Lasmke I would truly appreciate it. Thanks!

Ever see a fic with a handful of reviews and think to yourself, "There's no justice in this fandom."

I have.

I'm a pretty picky reader, but these two stories by YellowGlue just get to me. Guh.

"The Worst of Weather" is a COMPLETED fic written entirely in BPOV. It's EPOV counterpart, "Rose Like Thunder" is almost finished, and just as good. If you love you some angsty-schmangsty, do yourself a solid and give these a try.

Who are your unsung ficsters?

FYT:

So, even the "geeks" are getting in on Twilight-related things.

I check Mental Floss every day, and saw this today:

I had to giggle.... even though it's not our resident sparkle vamp, I do have to say it's pretty funny.

I also own this shirt, and I have to explain it almost every time I wear it.

What's your favorite shirt?

I read this today:

http://www.twilighted.net/viewstory.php?action=printable&textsize=0&sid=11175&chapter=all

It made me LOLZ.

Anything you read recently that made you LOLZ?

Omg you guys... I'm in Alabama.

I drove today for 10 hours with three kids.

And somehow... we all made it here alive.  I'm glad to report there are no abandoned children at any rest areas along I71 or I65.

A few things I learned today:

~It is impossible for a 7yr old to NOT speak for more than 4 minutes at a time...unless she's asleep, in which case she will either talk in her sleep or grind her teeth.

~The movie Elizabethtown depicts a lovely southern town in Kentucky.  In reality... Elizabethtown, KY has the most ghetto WENDY'S I have ever been to.  And Chanel did not approve of all of the flies.

~A 7yr old girl will take credit for ALL farts, even those made by a disgusting 14 yr old boy......just for the laughs.

~A 12 yr old dancer is NOT able to sit still for long periods of time.  It's important to be prepared for front seat dancing and TAPPING on the windshield.  (there are footprints on my windshield!)

~82mph is not fast enough for the a-hole who RODE MY ASS for nearly 20 miles in Tennessee.

~Robert Pattinson is trying to kill me by allowing photos like THIS to be released and sent to me while I'm DRIVING...

~My mothers new GPSsucks (I borrowed it, I hate it!)

~For some strange reason, Alabama has a rocket....

We're stopped for the night in Alabama, and tomorrow we continue our trip to Panama City Beach.  I've got a slow internet connect and 5 bottles of wine.  We're sharing a SUITE with my friend and her 2 kids...one of whom is a 15 yr old girl who is awfully flirty with my 14 yr old son.  AND... we're rooming with these people all week.  Things might be interesting. 

If you wanna see of the pics I tweeted from the road, click HERE.

for a frand. I never read it. The deets she told me are as follows: Bella is a tourist - she went with Rose to some country - they are in a bar and somehow she prevents someone from shooting Edward, who is a prince or something. He then feels obligated to show her a good time. She said there is a sequel to it as well. In the sequel E/B are in a race for the crown with Tanya - who has the first bb gets the crown.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Nobody seems to want to rec me some Blackwater....

So just post funny videos, gifs, pictures etc..

I promise not to pornfail.. ;)

FYT:

tag, you're it

so you may have some PMs waiting for you.  how do you check?  your forest taskbar, upper right hand corner.  if the envelope has a number on it, you've got a message!

and if you don't know what i'm talking about, you'll find out if you post in this campfire.

tag/chat post

what're you reading today?

what update do you need to happen like, right now?

if you're standing in line for the eclipse premiere, tell us what meds you take to make it through the day

and use this post to troll for people to tag back.

butternut reduction for your time:

What scenes in Eclipse are you hoping to see?

I have to say there are scenes that I know from seeing the trailers and picture that are going to be in it.  But the one scene that I'm not sure of but I really want to see is when Bella see's her wedding dress for the first time.

So how about you what do you want to see

I forgot to favorite this fic! All I can remember is that Bella DIDNT go to the Ballet Studio in Twilight, Edward caught her at the hotel/airport.  Nothing else clicks, so I do not have a lot to go on about it.

So anyone have stories when Bella didn't get manipulated/tricked/wrangled by James?

This is a pic from Twifans of the "tent city" that has been set up for the Eclipse premiere.  Who has the time to do this for 5 days and who would want to?  Thoughts???

I've been watching ESPN non-stop since the World Cup began because I want to support the ratings of a US channel in a sport that is under-represented in this country. And at first I was excited about the coverage, but now . . . my frustration level has reached it's peak.

The fact of the matter is Americans DON'T get soccer. They just don't. I've heard SO much whining over the goal that was taken from the United States team in the second half against Slovenia. Yes, it was a bad call. WE ALL KNOW this, BUT when is EVERY call in soccer NOT questionable? Seriously . . . it's subjective. It always has been. What about Kaka's red card or the countless yellow cards over the years that really weren't warranted. If I hear one more American sportscaster talking about how we need replay discussions or twelve refs running the field I'm going to blow a gasket.

STOP trying to change the sport United States, just because it doesn't suit you. (rage, me)

So to make this interactive . . . let's talk more World Cup. Come share your opinions on the argument of accepting "replay discussions" or more refs in the game. Talk about the caliber of ref'ing this cup . . . who's done it right, who's done it wrong?

And to make this even "funner", I want you guys to tell me the ref call that to this VERY day makes you rage! That's right, what call had you screaming at the TV and the ref and swearing that if you had the opportunity to seek revenge you would make that ref pay for their ridiculous judgement.

*approved by Jennyfly*

So says Melissa Rosenberg below.  How do you think she'll do it?

updated!  Fantastic Monday.

Read and lets discuss

http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=7061&chapter=22