Eurofurence was, as always, absolutely wonderful, and most importantly served as the début event for a new fursuit, which you can find out more about in my gallery. But why make another personal suit so soon after Pox the rat? Is this interfering with commission work?

Well, firstly, I was basically working on this suit instead of having free time. I didn't really go out anywhere for the whole of August. I made sure I left plenty of time for my EF commission deadlines. Secondly, my reasons for making this suit in particular were largely constructive.

I have been noticing a growing demand for cute anime-style fursuits, and with that, a growing gap in the market. Rady Wolf is pretty much the only person who takes commissions for suits in this style, and being based in Japan with only a basic grasp of English can make things awkward for potential customers. So, a while back I sculpted a chibi-style base with the intent of using it for commissioned suits. I've already got one commission in my queue for which I'll be using this base. However, I resolved to make a head for myself first, in order to test its wearability.

My reasons for deciding to make Moriko for EF in particular were originally due to albrecht_fur's plans. He was building an extremely complex costume, so in contrast I wanted to create a very straightforward, easy-to-wear suit, so as not to interfere with his plans.

Unfortunately, Albrecht was unable to get his project completed in time, but I kept on with mine, figuring that at least, with Moriko, I could be largely independent at the con and give Al a break from having help me suit up, spot for me, etc.

Well, my ideas of independent suiting didn't go quite to plan, at least not at first. Upon my first wearing of Moriko, I quickly discovered that the small muzzle and small mouth made breathing very uncomfortable. There was adequate airflow, sure, but the air building up inside the mask would become thick and hot, leading to feelings of not being able to catch my breath, which led to panic, which led to very short and uneventful fursuiting sessions. As someone who likes to be very active in fursuit, this was incredibly frustrating for me.

It quickly became apparent that what I need was a fan inside the head to cool down the air that I was breathing. So Albrecht and I took a walk into the lesser known areas of Magdeburg and managed to find a computer shop which sold little fans. Albrecht (my hero), hooked up the fan to a 9V battery and installed it inside the head.

Now, I think I had been spoilt for fursuit breathability up to this point because the need for a fan never crossed my mind. But let me tell you, with Moriko, that little puff of cool air on my face made all the difference. Were it not for that, I would have had to skip the parade, the Big Blue dance, pretty much everything. Towards the end of the con I was able to happily wander about in suit by myself, which was awesome.

So, in conclusion, very glad that I tested this style of fursuit head out on myself first. Needless to say, anyone who should want to commission me for a chibi-style head will have a fan installed as standard. :)