omg, thank goodness it's still the ffa! i need forest doctors or those who just play one on the internet

so, in the middle of the night, i wake up and think HEAVENS, MY BABY TOE AND ALL THE SURROUNDING AREA REALLY HURTS. HMMM. then i fell back asleep.

this happened like, 3 times.

in the morning i wake up, toss the covers off and look at my little toe and foot. it's bright red, all bent up and mis-shapen and really swollen and stiff.

so, i stand and shout to j that his restless sleeping has finally left me with a broken bone. he disregards this entirely and resumes his shower.

it's hard to walk on and i'm like...well, how in the world did this happen? i'm too lazy to sleep walk. and so i think real, real hard and remember back to the previous evening, when my cat friend Kip got scared (he actually coined the term scaredy-cat) and clawed my foot.

sure enough, there is a small puncture right at the EPICENTER OF PAIN.

it's all red and swollen and stiff and starting to trail up my calf.

clearly, it's infected.

i know everyone will say go to the doctor--and look, maybe i will. but in the meantime, what do i do about this? is there some way to draw the infection out at home with like....bayleaf oil and hot stones or something?

i know we got homeopathic fans here, where ya at?

fyt:

If you don't watch The Discovery Channel, or haven't heard of this show, you're missing out.

Or maybe not. Honestly, if it's not your thing, then it's not your thing.

I've been meaning to make a campfire about this show since it started, but it always happens to slip my mind. While I'm thinking about, here's a basic summary of the show:

From the Discovery Channel website: Untrusting of outside law enforcement, some Amish in Lancaster County, PA have for many years regularly turned to a small organized group of men for protection and justice. A sneak peek of Discovery's new series Amish Mafia, which provides a first-ever look at the men who protect and maintain peace and order within the Amish community in Lancaster, will air Tuesday, December 11 at 10:30 PM ET/PT. The series will premiere Wednesday, December 12 at 9:00PM ET/PT.

Now, I don't know about you, but I've always been fascinated by the Amish, and how they live. I know that, personally, I wouldn't last a full day in a community. I've become spoiled, and I'll freely admit that, no problem.

from left to right: John, Alvin, Lebanon Levi, and Jolin (a Mennonite).
Not pictured: Esther, John's sister.

So, to make this interactive:

1. Do you watch the show?

2. Uh... IDK. Would you be willing to live the way the Amish do?

3. Jolin's hot, I'm not even sorry. ;)

Hiya peeps!

So today I was talking to a friend about books after going to B&N and using my Christmas gift card to buy several of them. Well, a couple years ago I had gotten rid of my copies of the Twilight books and lately have been yearning to reread them. So...out of the six books I bought, three of them are Twilight books. The friend and I proceeded to talk about literary snobs and what makes one. I told her I am somewhat of a literary snob, to which she replied, "But you read Twilight." Of course, I laughed. But it got me thinking....what do you think makes a literary snob?

OK campers, I have a personal dilemma and I could use some advice from the excellent advice-givers here in the Forest.  My dilemma is inside.

To make this interactive - Have you ever felt betrayed by a close friend/family member?  How did you handle it?  If you repaired the relationship, was it ever the same?

ETA:  Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to provide such thoughtful advice or share their own personal experience.  You've all given me a lot to think about, some great ideas, and made me feel so much better!  Thank you again!!

Ah, the Cullens.

So civilized.

Yeah, right.

Well, admittedly,  there are unfortunate lapses

from time to time

and Eddie had that little vigilante phase.

They are, after all,

VAMPIRES.

The Horror Fic List could use some updating.

Recommend your favorite scary fan fiction.

And, because we need more horror,

check out the prompts from last year's

DARKFEST

Adopt your favorite plot bunny!

Contribute a plot bunny!

SCARE ME!

GIMME SOMETHING

TRULY FRIGHTENING!!!

Excellent book alert!

"When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control."   (More)

Yes, it's another dystopian YA novel.  But it's very well done with some very likable characters (or, in the case of Liam, downright lovable).  As someone who can only suspend disbelief so far before I start aggressive eye-rolling, let me say this book isn't perfect.  There were some plot details that felt a little vague to me.  But it was still an engrossing read, and it will certainly get you thinking.  It reminded me of Hunger Games mixed with Divergent, to a degree.  This author also wrote Brightly Woven, which I loved.  Consider yourself warned however -- if you like a neat, tidy HEA and will settle for nothing less, this book won't be for you.  I'm not sure if it's going to be a series or not.  The ending could certainly go either way.

What books/music/movies are you looking forward to in 2013?  Please share any newly discovered treasures with the forest:  books, music, fics, movies.  They don't have to be NEW -- just new to you!

So Bro is out of the house now. He's gonna be staying with his godfather in L.A. G. is gonna be able to get hima  job at the place where he works and hopefully this will be exactly what Bro needs to get his life started. Meanwhile I'm gonna be gone in less than thirty days, and my Mom has started having "episodes." Today she sat in the car after shopping and burst out crying for a long time. Lately I've been feeling like this:

So tell me: how do YOU deal with change? Tell me about it, share your stories, or just fill this campfire with awesome Advenure time gifs. Whatever :p Others gifs are welcome as well.

P.s: And happy new year everyone! I love you guys and I'm gong to miss this place like crazy when I'm gone. <3

I tried looking in our tags list for a lemon vamp fic list but couldn't find one. Maybe I'm blind? Help me out if that's the case.

So anyway, I need vamp lemons. My life is kind of sucktastic right now so I find myself wanting to escape back into the old days of "Oh my God I can read about Bella and Edward doing it???" Go ahead and judge. I don't care. I need an escape plain and simple.

I'm pretty picky. Chances are if it's popular I don't like it so bonus points for little known fics. I don't care if it's new or old, complete or incomplete but it definitely has to be vamp and preferably fairly canon or canon au. I like a human Bella and vamp Edward. I can occasionally read Bella with Jacob, Jasper, or Alice or combinations thereof so long as the supernatural elements are there. Not looking for long drawn out UST but would still prefer something well-written. Asking for a lot, I know. It doesn't have to be happy or have a happy ending but I generally don't like cheating fics.

I'm probably making this way too difficult. Just give me some porn-y vampfic pretty please?

I tried to find a picture to post with this but if you Google Twilight porn the results are pretty much not safe for life.

Thank you!

We don't have any kind of sexy times tag, do we? Or am I blind on that too?

I was wondering if anyone had a PDF copy of Isabella After Dark?? It was pulled in 2010, but I can't seem to find a PDF of it!! If anyone could help me out, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Maggie

AvengeRanger Edit: Please contact this camper via Private Message.  

It is not a good idea to post your email address in a public forum.

Happy New Year and Happy Bowl Week.

WVU and Pittsburgh have both ended their seasons now, and I think my feelings on this season are best summed up by Eli

(Yes, Eli, I hear ya buddy)

So, who you watching this week, who's already suprised you, who do you think will win the big game (are you even watching the big game)? I would love to hear your bowl picks. 

happy new year's, darlings!

may 2013 suck slightly less than 2012.

feed a tree whilst you're here, won't you?

the freeforall continues. post whatever you like!

now, tell your dear uncle wtvoc how you're ringing in the new year. especially if it's tawdry.

Last Barman Poet

I am the last barman poet.
I see America drinking the fabulous cocktails I make.
Americans getting stinky on something I stir or shake.
The sex on the beach, the schnapps made from peach,
The Velvet Hammer,
the Al-La-Bam-A Slam-a!

I make things with juice and froth: the Pink Squirrel, the 3-Toed Sloth. I make drinks so sweet and snazzy:
The Iced Tea, The Kamikaze, The Orgasm, The Death Spasm,
The Singapore Sling, The Dingaling.

America you've just been devoted to every flavor I got.
But if you want to got loaded,
why don't you just order a shot?
Bar is open!

When I was a little girl growing up in Massachusetts my father was the owner and operator of Bob's Bar. Now mind you, this wasn't a real bar...at least... it wasn't governed by the state liquor board or anything, er, official. ( It was in my Dad's basement ...or "The Cell-aaah" as we called it in New England.) Regardless of it's legitimacy...it was as real as a friendly tap house could possibly be. Oh.... the parties my parents threw in that little house on Brookfield Street!

Now these party goers back in the 60's and 70's drank fun and frothy drinks like Pink Squirrel's or Brandy Alexander's. Sadly these type of plum-blower's delights have gone by the wayside and are practically extinct. Young adults today mostly drink beer, or if they are particularly adventurous, Patron. (At least as is evidenced by the amount tossed back by Bella and her peeps in the various fanfic's I have read over the years.) Back in the day though, girls like my mother knew what drinking was all about! If they wanted a good buzz then they drank Manhattans, Martinis, High Balls, Low Balls, Old Fashions, or...Stingers. A nightcap was the queen of the evening and was generally a grasshopper or the previously mentioned Pink Squirrel. 

If you're feeling a bit nostalgic tonight and want to try something different...why not mix up a retro cocktail and ring in the New Year with me? I'm feeling rather stay at homeish tonight and I can't think of a better place to hang than with my fellow campers in the forest.

So put on your fake pearls, tie on your grandmother's apron, and flip your hair...cuz tonight...it's time to get silly for cocktails!

What's YOUR favorite drink?

Oh..and lest I forget...this is for the over 21 crowd and please...if you do imbibe...then please drink responsibly!
 

Welcome to the Monday Morning Hot Guy Campfire. What better way to start your week than a hot guy?

Every Monday, I'm going to dedicate a CF to the Hot Guy of the Week. The catch? The CF can ONLY be about the current nominated guy.

We all have different tastes in men, so please don't yuck anyone's yum. If you have a man you'd like to see crowned for the week, PM or hit me up on twitter (@ffcherry) with his name.

So come on in and see who won the crown this week!

Happy New Year's Eve!  What are everyone's plans?  We are pretty low key and go over to a friend's house to drink and play cards while the kids run wild.  Not terribly exciting as we are old not so young anymore, but it is fun!  (We did have a NYE in NYC pre-kids so I have crossed that off the bucket list!)

Anyway, I want to take something new to eat tonight.  Something dippy.  What is your fav dip recipes? Mine are in the comments. 

Happy New Years!!

Do you write fan fiction?

Give us a little peek!

Post something about your upcoming chapters here!

excerpt / pictease / music / riddle / poem / banners

~ Don't forget to include a link to your story! ~

(This is what I got googling Rob Pattinson facepalm - overdramatic!)

In The Pilgrimage I have one character say (or, to be exact, think, in the third person) “At least they had finally arrived at their destination, the monk had said. Yes, the monk, Adso, a dirty faggot, not anything else.” A reader objected to this sentence, to the point of flouncing. Now, the character is a rather nasty woman, she has prejudices and of course she would say/think something like this (even if she was wrong about Adso)..

In the story I am currently writing (it will take ages to be posted), Edward, reflecting on the guy he has hired to be his stockbroker, says in his POV “The man I eventually choose was rather inexperienced, having just obtained his license and no clients to speak of. As he was black, he was further handicapped, and surprised that a white (very white) guy was going to entrust him his money.”(Unbetaed still, sorry)

One of my pre readers thinks that I should add an A/N to clarify that this is Edward POV, not mine, and, since he is a 200 yo vampire, raised by the Volturi, he will not be politically correct in his thoughts. How could he?

In my fic Our New World, Bella calls native Americans “Indians”. In the story she is Italian, living in the ‘40s, and there is no way in hell that an Italian of that time would use – or even know - the expression native American – even if, being a Jew and knowing persecutions, Bella is very sympathetic to the native Americans’ plight. A the time I was told by my pre reader to add a note on this, which I did.

The point I want to make is that, when you write a story, your characters should be realistic, speak as people of their time spoke and thought, and, particularly if they are nasty, they will say and think a lot of things that are not politically correct. Why should I be concerned to the point of adding a note, so that readers are not incensed/offended? How is it possible that they would think that those are my own thoughts and beliefs, when I am just being true to the characters I have created and trying to be realistic? Apparently it is the case, though.

Or am I wrong? (But that reader flounced). Please tell me what you think.

And happy New Year to all campers, of course (Rushing to cook – but I will be checking the campfire)

EDIT: IT IS NOW THE MORNING OF JAUARY Ist 2013, THANKS A LOT FOR PARTICIPATING (AND FOR TELLING ME A LOT OF NICE THINGS)