FA+
Shop
PDFC 2025 Con Journal
8 months ago
Well fans, I've wanted to write this journal sooner after coming home from Painted Desert Fur Con, but someone at the con or its surroundings managed to make me come down with an illness SO HARD that for two and a half days this week it felt like I had to put conscious deliberate effort behind all my movements on top of not being able to sleep at all and actually made me schedule a doctors appointment because I honestly did not know what was wrong.
This is no easy feat; I do not go down easy when it comes to any illnesses, as more often than not I'll muster the fortitude to power through whatever is trying to keep me down and carry on, so for something to just take me out has to land a ferocious blow.
Monday January sixth after coming back I made macaroni and cheese and used some portion of milk which was slight past the expiration date but a spoon test hinted it still tasted fine so I proceeded, but by Tuesday afternoon at work I was feeling off and maybe dreading my previous days choice and thinking I'd given myself a minor case of food poisoning.
Off in the way that I was finishing out my shift feeling like time was dragging by because I could just feel myself deteriorating in spirit and I just wanted to go home.
And I made it home. My thought was that I'd just chill in my room watching gaming streams and last the night, and my body was like "you have thirty minutes, and you're going to bed with a pounding headache and raging fever". Damn I was under the blankets that it felt like they were heated I was so hot and my headache just made me not want to think about moving. Hours later, the headache and fever broke and I thought I was over it. Oh no.
Tuesday and Wednesday followed.
No hunger for food; just trying to eat breakfast I'd have to force myself to consume something, and for lunch the best I could do was eat a banana because anything else seemed a bad decision.
Sleeping under the blankets I'd feel too warm; shedding them I'd feel too cold.
I'd be at work or home in a room that was supposedly warm but yet I'm feeling cold squeezing my sweatshirt tight and hood over my face.
Changes in temperature would just send me shivering from indoors to outdoors.
Nose being a stupid snot factory so I'd be coughing because of that.
Unable to get any sleep at all because my brain would just not stop racing.
It was concerning enough that by Thursday afternoon I felt that something was seriously wrong and I'd need help with whatever this was. I just do not ever get sick like this.
Friday when the appointment was, well, my head was still a little off, but for the first time in half a week I actually felt like eating food again and my movements didn't need to be deliberately calculated. Seems the diagnosis was a common cold. Holy fuck if that's the case this was a particularly disgusting nasty virus to take me out like that.
I doubt that the slight expired milk had any play in it because discussing things with
Strega Strega who I shared the con room with he fell ill with the exact same symptoms and time frame as I did when we got back and is making a similar recovery afterwards.
Phew. Well, now that's over what about the actual convention itself?
Painted Desert Fur Con was a definite mixed bag experience.
Never before have I had such a damn difficult time finding roommates for a con. Initially the room was to be three of us, but then WhiskeyFoxtrot had to back out. He'd have been the sole reason we'd have only three to the room so his absence meant I could fill two more spots.
And I put the call out.
And...no one came. Sure there were furs that answered and said they were interested, but the two available spots in my room went unfilled for the entire weekend.
I thought I'd secured two roomshares by the "luther" and "spark"? I honestly don't remember the second guys name so don't quote me on that because it doesn't ultimately matter. Spark was trying to go to the con on a negative budget with no job or anything to his name and ultimately saw reason and backed out but at the same time was such an autistic basketcase that removing him from the roomshare group made him freak the fuck out and he desperately wanted to be back in just to lurk even though he wouldn't be at the con. I swear I don't understand furs sometimes.
Luther messaged the first day of con saying he'd gotten sick and wouldn't be attending.
So suddenly its just me and Strega to the room. Again.
And then another fur Ruchiyoto messaged me Saturday asking if the room offer was still open. Yep, sure is, he'd like to join in after he gets off work at 3a Saturday morning.
And I did wake up at that ungodly hour and await messages that never came because even though having solid plans in place this fuck went home and fell asleep and never bothered to message me until later in the day to then say he wasn't going to come to the con.
I'm fucking sorry am I being trolled now or something? So in a move that's a first for me I closed down the roomshare Telegram chat early before the con even ended because there was zero point in keeping it open; no one's going to seek a con room for one night at the tail end of a tiny furcon.
Beyond that disappointment, the rest of the event seemed to go okay. I got two art pieces in my sketchbook from
otherwords OtherWords , I just haven't gotten around to scanning them yet because I've been sick the last three days. At this con I actually decided to host some panels; a Multifur Meet and a 'Taur Meet. The multifur meet was because in previous years at the con I've noticed quite a few fursonas and fursuits bearing multi- traits and so I figured I'd throw that onto the schedule and see if there was any active interest in it. Turns out, yes.
The panel was put into quite a huge room with theater seating which wasn't exactly ideal for a "meet and greet", and was hijacked by some friends
Tabbicus Tabbicus and 
KartFox KartFox as they decided to sit at the front and command the microphones. The convention says that at some point there were thirty-ish attendees in here but I think more realistically I'd have counted seventeen.
The 'taur meet was met with similar attendance. Housed in a more appropriate room with round tables even with being the very last panel in the schedule there was still a welcome amount of thirteen attendees in there.
The convention seems to think that similar panels should be hosted again next year, so...know what? I'll keep that into consideration.
I'll just remember to file my panels earlier this time than waiting until the "late submission deadline" so they're actually given proper listing in the convention book and schedule.
I'd like to think that I made a positive difference in the outcome of Painted Desert Fur Con this time around, because without my two panels I believe the schedule would've been somewhat lackluster in content. For some reason there was no Fursuit Parade or Art Show room at this con this time around, and largely that was due to the shortage of con staffing, and maybe some behind-the-scenes bickering about certain staff members being relieved of positions.
Furs, I cannot stress this enough...step up to steer the ship that is your local cons because they do not operate on their own. If you've got a passion for some topic and think you can put together some content for it, host a panel for it.
My two panels may not have amounted to much in the rooms they were in, but just imagine hosting a house party and seventeen furs come and join you. That'd be a pretty decent event so don't feel like you have to fill a room to make an impression.
And quit letting stupid fucking furry politics creep into focus, if that's genuinely the reason that PDFC was understaffed as this year was. You'd think as a fandom we'd get over this by now.
--Mozdoc
This is no easy feat; I do not go down easy when it comes to any illnesses, as more often than not I'll muster the fortitude to power through whatever is trying to keep me down and carry on, so for something to just take me out has to land a ferocious blow.
Monday January sixth after coming back I made macaroni and cheese and used some portion of milk which was slight past the expiration date but a spoon test hinted it still tasted fine so I proceeded, but by Tuesday afternoon at work I was feeling off and maybe dreading my previous days choice and thinking I'd given myself a minor case of food poisoning.
Off in the way that I was finishing out my shift feeling like time was dragging by because I could just feel myself deteriorating in spirit and I just wanted to go home.
And I made it home. My thought was that I'd just chill in my room watching gaming streams and last the night, and my body was like "you have thirty minutes, and you're going to bed with a pounding headache and raging fever". Damn I was under the blankets that it felt like they were heated I was so hot and my headache just made me not want to think about moving. Hours later, the headache and fever broke and I thought I was over it. Oh no.
Tuesday and Wednesday followed.
No hunger for food; just trying to eat breakfast I'd have to force myself to consume something, and for lunch the best I could do was eat a banana because anything else seemed a bad decision.
Sleeping under the blankets I'd feel too warm; shedding them I'd feel too cold.
I'd be at work or home in a room that was supposedly warm but yet I'm feeling cold squeezing my sweatshirt tight and hood over my face.
Changes in temperature would just send me shivering from indoors to outdoors.
Nose being a stupid snot factory so I'd be coughing because of that.
Unable to get any sleep at all because my brain would just not stop racing.
It was concerning enough that by Thursday afternoon I felt that something was seriously wrong and I'd need help with whatever this was. I just do not ever get sick like this.
Friday when the appointment was, well, my head was still a little off, but for the first time in half a week I actually felt like eating food again and my movements didn't need to be deliberately calculated. Seems the diagnosis was a common cold. Holy fuck if that's the case this was a particularly disgusting nasty virus to take me out like that.
I doubt that the slight expired milk had any play in it because discussing things with
Strega Strega who I shared the con room with he fell ill with the exact same symptoms and time frame as I did when we got back and is making a similar recovery afterwards.Phew. Well, now that's over what about the actual convention itself?
Painted Desert Fur Con was a definite mixed bag experience.
Never before have I had such a damn difficult time finding roommates for a con. Initially the room was to be three of us, but then WhiskeyFoxtrot had to back out. He'd have been the sole reason we'd have only three to the room so his absence meant I could fill two more spots.
And I put the call out.
And...no one came. Sure there were furs that answered and said they were interested, but the two available spots in my room went unfilled for the entire weekend.
I thought I'd secured two roomshares by the "luther" and "spark"? I honestly don't remember the second guys name so don't quote me on that because it doesn't ultimately matter. Spark was trying to go to the con on a negative budget with no job or anything to his name and ultimately saw reason and backed out but at the same time was such an autistic basketcase that removing him from the roomshare group made him freak the fuck out and he desperately wanted to be back in just to lurk even though he wouldn't be at the con. I swear I don't understand furs sometimes.
Luther messaged the first day of con saying he'd gotten sick and wouldn't be attending.
So suddenly its just me and Strega to the room. Again.
And then another fur Ruchiyoto messaged me Saturday asking if the room offer was still open. Yep, sure is, he'd like to join in after he gets off work at 3a Saturday morning.
And I did wake up at that ungodly hour and await messages that never came because even though having solid plans in place this fuck went home and fell asleep and never bothered to message me until later in the day to then say he wasn't going to come to the con.
I'm fucking sorry am I being trolled now or something? So in a move that's a first for me I closed down the roomshare Telegram chat early before the con even ended because there was zero point in keeping it open; no one's going to seek a con room for one night at the tail end of a tiny furcon.
Beyond that disappointment, the rest of the event seemed to go okay. I got two art pieces in my sketchbook from
otherwords OtherWords , I just haven't gotten around to scanning them yet because I've been sick the last three days. At this con I actually decided to host some panels; a Multifur Meet and a 'Taur Meet. The multifur meet was because in previous years at the con I've noticed quite a few fursonas and fursuits bearing multi- traits and so I figured I'd throw that onto the schedule and see if there was any active interest in it. Turns out, yes.The panel was put into quite a huge room with theater seating which wasn't exactly ideal for a "meet and greet", and was hijacked by some friends
Tabbicus Tabbicus and 
KartFox KartFox as they decided to sit at the front and command the microphones. The convention says that at some point there were thirty-ish attendees in here but I think more realistically I'd have counted seventeen.The 'taur meet was met with similar attendance. Housed in a more appropriate room with round tables even with being the very last panel in the schedule there was still a welcome amount of thirteen attendees in there.
The convention seems to think that similar panels should be hosted again next year, so...know what? I'll keep that into consideration.
I'll just remember to file my panels earlier this time than waiting until the "late submission deadline" so they're actually given proper listing in the convention book and schedule.
I'd like to think that I made a positive difference in the outcome of Painted Desert Fur Con this time around, because without my two panels I believe the schedule would've been somewhat lackluster in content. For some reason there was no Fursuit Parade or Art Show room at this con this time around, and largely that was due to the shortage of con staffing, and maybe some behind-the-scenes bickering about certain staff members being relieved of positions.
Furs, I cannot stress this enough...step up to steer the ship that is your local cons because they do not operate on their own. If you've got a passion for some topic and think you can put together some content for it, host a panel for it.
My two panels may not have amounted to much in the rooms they were in, but just imagine hosting a house party and seventeen furs come and join you. That'd be a pretty decent event so don't feel like you have to fill a room to make an impression.
And quit letting stupid fucking furry politics creep into focus, if that's genuinely the reason that PDFC was understaffed as this year was. You'd think as a fandom we'd get over this by now.
--Mozdoc
