[ALL COMMENTS WELCOME] FF-UK North: The future.....

i don't think there's anything that is right for EVERYONE. and i don't find that terrible in the least.

when we split up in york, either group was happy pursuing what they wanted and many other things aside, it's a lot better than having to tag along to a night of bowling in some mall that takes hours and gives me a massive headache just because i'm meant to conform with some vague idea of what should make me happy.

i'm, too, usually quite happy walking around sites and getting to know places and doing touristy bits. not always, granted, not in any weather, but generally i find it a waste to go somewhere without actually having seen any of it. and i find that if i can do this with friends around, it's great. if others don't appreciate my low-key entertainment, that's fair, completely, but i don't see that what i like is basically being disqualified because it's not of interest to someone else. i am, too, part of fanforce.

if more people would bother to come up with meets, i think there is a better chance for people to choose what they'd like to do and not having to go to this one offering cinema or whatever. but i have the feeling that so far we rely on the respective other to do the work.

and so on and so forth. a good thing we are talking tho.

and so on and so forth. a good thing we are talking tho.

Definitely. It's a lot more constructive than vague complaining and then running away.

Doesn't it come down to one thing at the end of the day? Money. What people are willing to pay to go somewhere to meet up. Edinburgh is a great case in point. Some of us had paid quite a lot to go up there and stay - I love wandering round places as much as Martina and Suzi, so I can't see me sitting in a Subway or a pub all day Sie for a meet in a place I have never visited before. It's a waste of a trip for me, and wasted money spent on going up/staying. I fully agree with you on the historical places - it's not for everyone and no one should be forced into going to them. I also see this splitting up on such a meet for a while as the ONLY way to do it now. After you had left in the evening, some of us went into the tunnels below Edin and had a great time. A great shared experience.

Spliting means that everyone gets full enjoyment out of their own trip. Also means we can focus on aspects of meets that we personally enjoy - I enjoy just the socialising as much as also seeing new things with people who share the same interests. I can do all of the latter on my own, but part of the reason I stuck with FF is that I have found likeminded people outside of the shared SW interest.

Most of the above talk about smaller meets means one thing - localised. I don't see Coz, Martina or myself affording a trip over to the NE to go to a pub one day, nor have we seen NE people do likewise. I can't remember fully, but so far only Jase has come over here to the NW for a FF non-convention/costume troop like meet.

Big thumbs up for the two local sections of FF-UK North if we can get our small local meets running, but if you are talking about having NW and NE in same place then it'll have to have a reason for the expense - as far as I can see, that means a convention or a costuming event where FF takes part as crew. Midlands had a good ice skating/cinema meet because most of the people attending were new and local (aside Lil Dave, Hal and myself) - we have a good paintballing venue between Liverpool and Manchester (I have all the contact details already), Sie would you come over for that? Or would you stick to NE? I'm up for it if people want to do it, I posted a thread ages ago on paintballing.

I've put the money where my mouth is on many many ocassions, I've travelled far to meet people for purely social events.

And Suzi, don't be blaming yourself for anything. You always get off your arse and get us moving. You are the right person for the job.

Thinking back on where I know FF did great - it was the meet-and-greet pre-CE - a whole load of people met up on arrival day, spent the day getting to know each other, and really seemed to enjoy it. They did various things (and no, I wasn't in charge of what they did, all I did was make sure people who had asked were picked up at certain times, and then went with the flow of the group). That group stuck together for the most part during and after CE. Jedi Con was a totally different experience, aside for the obvious struggle with Anna being ill, there wasn't the same feel to it. At CE we also randomnly met Anne from Luxembourg whilst outside FP during the meet-and-greet, she has since become a close friend, and someone who has helped me a lot through losing Anna. That is what FF is about. That is where it works.

There are things I am very much up for that have been already discussed - Ireland/Dublin, Blackpool around the time of the lights, camping (I am 100% behind Dave on this issue - Sie, not every meet is for you, but I bet I can find 3-4 people who want to do a camping trip, and thus there is good reason for us to do it), etc etc. FF is a shared experience, shared fandom, and doing stuff together, whatever it be. I am up for all of it.

Think Suzi and myself have said plenty of times - you have an idea for a meet, post it, get people interested in it. That posting doesn't always happen on here, people hold back. Why? Just do it. My friend lost her life at 21. There was so much she wanted to do, so much she had to give this world. Don't hold back on the things you want

welcome back to the fold, dear