The upcoming Universal theme park entitled, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has fans from all over anxious for the finished product. On the Blu-ray disc of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince viewers are given a sneak peek at the Orlando theme park before it makes its debut next spring. Over at Attractions Magazine they’ve managed to get a rundown of the latest additions to Potter’s Wizarding World, and some of them sound too good to be true.

Here’s the breakdown of the latest updates to the theme park.

• From the Three Broomsticks restaurant you’ll be able to cross over into Hog’s Head pub where you’ll experience a hog’s head growling and sniffling.

• You’ll be able to buy a butterbeer, which looks just like a real beer with the froth on top, but it’ll be non-alcoholic. J.K. Rowling was at a butterbeer tasting and loved it. Steve Jayson, executive chef with Universal Parks and Resorts said, “The flavor of this is great, real comforting, nice and smooth going down – and you get a mustache.”

• In Honeyduke’s Sweetshop you’ll be able to buy Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cakes and Treacle Fudge.

• Ollivander’s Wand Shop will be an exact replica from the film.

• To get to the Dragon Challenge ride (high speed roller coaster), you’ll walk through Champion’s Tent and see various artifacts such as the Goblet of Fire.

• The Flight of the Hippogriff ride (family friendly coaster) will center around The Care of Magical Creatures Class. Hagrid will give instructions on how to properly behave and approach a hippogriff. You’ll need to keep eye contact, bow and it will bow back. Then you can get on the ride.

• Hogwart’s Castle will feature the queue to the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. The queue will feature a lot of moving portraits and will take you by or through the Defense of the Dark Arts room, the Common Room and the Great Hall.

• Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) described the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride as a condensed form of the chaos of Harry’s life. Emma Watson (Hermione) described it as the best moments from all the films.

• The actors filmed scenes specially for the new ride in the summer of 2008. A movie clapboard reveals the name of the filming as “Strongarm.” Some have speculated that refers to Universal’s partnership with RoboCoaster Ltd. and that Forbidden Journey guests will ride on some sort of robot arm, such as the one featured in the new Sum of All Thrills ride at Epcot.

• The ride will feature a life-size Whomping Willow tree and the large spiders from the movies will make an appearance.

Is it just me or does this sound line a Harry Potter fan’s biggest dream? Here’s the preview video featured on the DVD.

What do you think? Are you excited? Will you go?

I am in the process of creating an outline and character development for a story that I will be writing after I get grades turned in next week.  I'm trying to decide if I want my Edward to be a Masen or a Cullen.  Does Edward's last name make a difference to you?  Are there characteristics you might associate with one more than the other?  Do you expect Edward Cullen to be more in canon than Edward Masen?  Do your expectations depend on the type of fic?

Masen?                                                                                    Cullen?

This is my first campfire (*deep breath*) and I have a question for you all.

I've been reading some angsty books in RL and I think I am going to need something light and fluffy when I finish the book I'm reading currently (The Lovely Bones).  Usually my "go to" books for oooey gooey goodness are the Twilight books, but I haven't really read them since I got into fanfiction.  Here are my concerns: the first is that since I've read some really great ff the books will, how shall I say it, have lost there magic and I won't be able to get past the lackluster writing.  My second worry is that I'll insert traits from my favorite fanfics into the books.  For example, Bella will be la Bella (SG&tNG), I will be thinking of Edward from AiC and relating his resistance of Bella's blood back to that, broody Jasper from Salacious Behavior and Earnest Speaking, Embry, Jake, and the gang...well LBO has ruined me for them, etc.  I could go on all day (Preistward anyone?).

So...my questions for all of you lovely campers are have you read Twilight since getting into the wonderful world of ff?  And if so, did it effect how you felt about Twilight and your experience reading it?  Talk to me, bbs!

And here's a little Rob porn for your time.

Can anyone recc any good fics with infidelity?

Edward cheating on Bella

Bella cheating on Edward

Or E/B cheating on their spouses with each other

But...I don't want the cheatee (is that a word?) to be spinless and instantly forgiving. The cheater has to suffer some kind of consequences.

Argentina – April 8
Belgium – March 11
France – April 7
UK – April 2
USA – March 12

I am so excited!!!

This is my first time posting a campfire, so I'm a little nervous. I'm not really up to date on what has been going on in the twific universe but I've been looking for some of my favorite fics to find that they have disappeared? Does anyone know what's been going on? Sorry if this has been asked before but I miss my fic!

and if they are permanently deleted, does anyone have any good recs?

I definitely do not take Twilight fanfiction seriously. I don't think I know anyone who does. Well, I don't know them personally.

It's bloody Twilight Fanfiction. It is not anything serious or anything to get all up in arms about when someone "bashes" it.

So, What are your most wtf moments in twific?

And, what has been the most hilarious circumstance when someone has taken twific way too seriously?

and just because I made this a while ago for a laugh and want to use it:

In this fandom, we talk about our love, our sighs, our swoons...

I wanna know: What's the one thing that would completely turn you off for (Edward/Jacob/Alice/Rosalie...etc, any other characters you can think of)? It just has to be someone you love in the series/movies/fandom/whateverelseyoucanthinkof, kay?  ya?

Pick one, pick a few (idk, idcare) and answer and comment and let's keep this campfire going!

Mine is:

Edward: incest

Alice: her shopping obsession fairie whatever... like, srsly, back off.

Discuss, discuss.

Hi Ladies and John,

I've been thinking. Sometimes that happens....

Do you think Twilight will be remembered as a work of literary genius  in years to come? Will it influence a whole era of kiddies to take up pens and write? Or do you believe as I do it'll be remembered as a pop culture flash in the pan phenom?

I think Harry Potter will have an influence. Twilight - not so much. This is reflective in the fanfic in both fandoms, imho. There seems, well, more quality fic in the HP fandom. Likewise the Austen fandom.

FYT Manic Monday by the Bangles, a song I used as a basis of a pastiche I wrote for my postmodern literature course at uni lol. yes, I believe the bangles have more staying power than twilight:

 Hey, Campers, I have a question for you.  A comment a while back got me thinking - Do you enable anonymous reviews on FF.net?  What are the pro's and con's to allowing for anonymous reviews?  

When I first started writing my story (shameless plug: "Unto a Heart of Stone"), I just automatically disabled anonymous reviews because I always sign in when I review and want reviews to be an opportunity to dialogue with the writer.  But then I got to thinking - are people more likely to give me criticism (which, believe it or not, is actually what I want) if I enable anonymous reviews?  I don't care so much for review count, but I do want people to feel like they could be critical without being judged (particularly in light of some intense "call outs" for negative reviews that have taken place in our fandom in the last couple months).

So, writers: do you enable anonymous reviews?  Why or why not?

Readers, if you take the time to leave a review, do you care if it's anonymous?  Are you more likely to be honest if you can hide your identity?

OK! So I've read enough fanfiction to know that Edward ALWAYS has the right things to say when it's time to get down to 'business'.

I want to know what REAL LIFE sweet nothings you've been told or wish someone would tell you.

And I want to know the WORST things you've been told or even read in FF!

For instance, today my sweet and romantic husband said, and I quote, "Hurry up, I just want to fuck."

Real charmer, aint he?

SO PLEASE, INDULGE ME WITH YOUR STORIES OF BOTH GOOD AND BAD.

And for my charmer of a husband- here's to you baby:

ok, I guess I have to give my husband some credit- he's also the guy who once told me that the word wife is actually two words combined - 'whole- life' -  it's corny and he may have heard it somewhere that I don't know of, but for him, it was sweet.

EMBARRASSING CRUSHES

All right, ladies (and gentlemen?).  Embarrassing crushes - we've all had them.  Well, everyone but wolvesnvamps apparently, who told me to make this post because she couldn't think of anyone.  WTF?

Anyway.  We all have that one person (or ten) who is ugly, idiotic, or just plain embarrassing to love.  So embarrassing, in fact, that you'd only admit to said crush when you're off your ass drunk, or if you've lost some kind of a bet.  Well, I've got absolutely no shame, so I'm airing my embarrassing crush on the internets so that we can bond.  Or you can make fun of me, whichever.

So, I'll start the festivities.  

I love Uncle Joey, AKA Dave Coulier of Full House fame.  That show was stupid, and he was ridiculous on it.  Still, I'd let him nail me to a wall.  Come, let us gaze upon this fine specimen of man:

EXHIBIT A:  HE'S GOOD WITH CHILDREN

EXHIBIT B:  HE MAKES ENDEARING GESTURES WITH HIS HAND AND ROCKS A MIGHTY FINE MULLET

EXHIBIT C:  HE IS A STONE FOX

EXHIBIT D:  HE'S GAINFULLY EMPLOYED AND AN EXCELLENT LIST MAKER

DOWNSIDE:  ACCORDING TO ALANIS MORISSETTE, HE'S A BIT OF AN A-HOLE.

Now, it's your turn.  Go!

Hmm... its a S L O W day in the Forest.

I guess everyone is doing their Eddies and Bellies Nominations. Have you done yours????

Soo... Lets talk about WHY WE LOVE THE FOREST!!!!!!! YES? YES?

I love the forest because its run by some of my favorite authors in the twi-fan-fic-dom!!! Woot Woot!

aaannnddd... I love it because its for the fans by the fans... and us little people can post too!!

ADF = PROCASTINATION LOVE

p.s. What's your favorite Twilight Saga Quote??

"I coveted you." His smile darkened. "I had no right to want you- but I reached out and took you anyway. And now look what's become of you! Trying to seduce a vampire." He shook his head in mock horror." - Edward Cullen - Eclipse

"I may not be human. But I am a man." - Edward Cullen - Twilight

p.p.s.s What should you be doing right now??

I should be studying for finals!!!!

Guess what all of my non-twilight friends are getting for a gift this year? You can go here to get your own

www.regretsy.com/2009/12/04/helen-back/

This Cullenary Coupling story?  It's 48 chapters currently and sitting at a word count of: 651762.  (I was looking at Twilighted Top Tens lists.)  

I mean. Hot Damn. That's a lot of words.  From the summary it's an AU of all 4 books.  I have to admire an author that is in it for the long haul like that.   

Linky: http://www.twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=1237

What's the longest story you've read? 

Me: In the Blink of an Eye, which I dearly love.  I think it's 52 chapters?  Somewhere around 280k words.  I remember I wanted to nom it for an Eddie but it was too long. 

Hi,

This is my first post . I'm in desperate need of some good new fanfiction to read all human please.

I've read most of the more well known ones and spent a good 2 hours searching for something new and came up with nothing.

Please help, any recommendations gratefully received.

Thanks guys x

today is the last day to turn in your nominations for the eddies & the bellies.

you have until 6pm pacific.

om nom nom nom

Lupe Fiasco's bonus song Solar Midnite has a video now... it's awesome and better then meet me at the eqinox

All I Want For Christmas Is...
Fill In The Blank Ladies.
What Do you Want For Christmas?

I Want Me Some Lovely Aro Volturi :D
SLURP! You Know How I Do!

Just Let Us Know & Maybe Santa Edward Will Bring You It  ;) LOLZ!


So, Discuss Ladies - What Do You Want For Christmas?

**Big thanks To My Friend James The Beard For the Picture!

Self-Insertion?  I always hear read about people who assume that writers insert themselves into their stories.  

I don't.

But that being said...

I thought it would be fun today, to consider which of our favorite fanfic stories we WISH we could insert ourselves in to?

Now... I don't mean  "I want to be Bella in (insert any story here) so Edward can pound me hard."   I'm more interested in which "side characters" we could become, in order to witness a certain event first-hand... or maybe even gain some insight about a certain POV that we weren't given in the original story.  Maybe our new presence in the story would even change an event that took place?  idk  idk.  

For instance,

I would love to be a side character in Mutually Assured Destruction.  I would be Kat (keeping my own name.)  But Edward would probably call me "Becky" or some crap... just cuz he wants to.  And maybe I'd often hang out down at the park on a bench near the pond, where i eat lunch and write little pieces of stories in my notebook.  Edward would stop by once every two weeks or so, and we would pinch the crust off my sandwich to throw to little duckies.  And Edward would often take my pen and scribble his own little notes along the margins of my paper.  We'd be pals... Edward and I.

Okay.  So maybe I wouldn't change the story all that much.  But it would be fun to be a part of it, and get a glimpse into the wonderful and magical mind of that character.

Now you try.     (Or take the time to stop in and tell me I'm on crack.  Whatev.)  :D