Where does one start with their first ever furcon? This was FE's second year running, and the theme was Wild Magic. I have to say, there was certainly something at work that helped everything work out as smoothly as they did for me! Forgive me if this seems long winded, but following is a blow by blow account of my phenomenal weekend at Furnal Equinox~!

I was just all a flutter with excitement and anticipation as the day of the con drew nearer. I had everything originally all booked and sorted out. Room, ride, money, etc. And then was planning on just kickin' back and waiting for the day to arrive. Then at the end of February I was hit with a couple surprises and decided, with a heavy heart, that it was best to bail on the idea of going. Not two days later, did I receive an email from Scani, feathery fur, and head of publicity / business relations for FE. I had mentioned in my introduction post on their forums that I was a photographer, and he was asking if I wanted to be one of the official photographers for the convention. I was thrilled!

But of course, this came a mere ten days before the convention itself, and I had already canceled all my previous arrangements! I took to the forums again with a fervor and determination, I would make it there at all costs! (within budget of course ;p) I found a new room with some other furs at the con with surprising speed. Hiro Fox, a great guy, if a little quiet at times. We hit up a lot of the con together. Eevachu, who was one of the dealers against the far wall. She had a good sense of humor and made me possible one of the cutest fox-buttons ever. I gave her a real simple commission, a super-happy red fox. What I got back was a little gleaming bundle of joy and the words, "he's so happy he sparkles!" I may post a picture of it sometime soon. The last member of our quad-squad was Sateva, a rather elusive scalie, as I could count all the times I saw her on one paw. Even so, she always came back to the room with a story of some outrageous party/dancing-related accident. Good times.

Part of the magic for me was the getting there. I did a search and all the necessary mapping of routes to get to the Doubletree hotel where the con was ahead of time. But in spite of all that, once I arrived at Union Station on Friday, nothing resembled any map and I was at a loss how I was to get to the other side of the city. So, I asked for directions. No one, at Union, not even the staff, had seemingly ever even heard of the Doubletree hotel. So I shot for the next best thing. The airport, which was near enough to the Doubletree to at least get me going in the right direction. And so I was off! As I got nearer and nearer to my destination, the people were more and more familiar with the hotel and were able to give me ever more specific directions. As I was riding down dixon on the TTC; there it was, a tall, narrow, almost burgundy building that sprung up out of nowhere. Had I not known there was a furry convention going on, I'd have never guessed this unassuming building would hold a weekend of endless fun.

I jumped off the bus and began running full steam down the sidewalk, my suitcase bumping and rolling on behind me. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I couldn't believe my good fortune; I had arrived! My first furcon! I could hardly contain my excitement! <3 After tearing my eyes away from the hotel, I noticed some of the nearby restaurants. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started laughing out loud. The very first one was called the Fox Bistro. After that I saw Dragon Sushi, and then there was the Palomino Bar. Giggling, I said to myself, "Oh jeez~ x3! Do these people realize just how much business they're going to be getting?!" All smiles, I took off again to the hotel.

A quick zig-zag across an intersection and I was at the base of the hotel, trying to find an entrance. As it happens, I came into a side door. My spirits were a little dampened not to find the place already thronged with fursuiters, and ear-totting enthusiasts. I didn't know then, that I was on the opposite end of the hotel. Left feeling a little somber, I strolled down the tiled hallway, keeping my eyes peeled for -any- sign of the promised convention I had traveled so far to see. So far, nothing. I rolled up to the front desk to ask if they had a phone I could use to call my roommate, Hiro, who had given me his cellphone number so we could meet up once I arrived. As it turns out it would have cost over 5$ to make the 20 second phone call so we could meet up. I didn't pay. Heart beginning to sink, I wheeled my luggage away from the phones and I looked down the long hall to my left... was that a... SERGAL!?! All at once, every ounce of hope, fear, excitement, half a dozen other ecstatic emotions hit me like a wall. They were here. They were real. Honest to goodness furries.

You should understand something, this wasn't just my first furcon, this was my first encounter face-to-face with other furries, and believe me, it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. I went -flying- down the hall and came around the corner straight into Furnal Equinox. The very first thing I did was snap a picture of the Sergal (who I later learned was Fuzzy D) and his wolf friend. The second thing I did was register. And that was that. After that moment, I completely left my day to day self behind. I was for all the world to see Iaru Embyr for the next three days. And it felt GOOD. Giddy, and not terribly certain what I was to do next, I immediately sought and borrowed the cellphone from a wolf fur waiting by the registration forms. Never did catch your name, sir, but thank you! I quickly got in touch with Hiro, found my room, dropped off my luggage, got my room key, and a complimentary chocolate chip cookie from my fellow fox. Armed with my camera I returned back to the central con area, the Zoo. From here I met with Scani in per--forgive me, in ~furson~ hehee, where I got my volunteer badge (oh so cool) and green bandanna. I remembering fretting over the stupid thing, how to wear it without looking like a complete tool imo. About a half hour later, I had settled on a 'around the neck, boy scout style'. I won't lie. The extra button made me feel important.

Indeed! I spent the next hour or so in the Dealer's Den, long before it opened up to the public. I was after all, a volunteer now, and had some extra privileges not given to the average con-goer. I got to meet the guests of honour (that's right, o -U- r, Canadian spelling, suckas!) ahead of most of the con. That was pretty sweet. I got some great photos of Zen and Firestorm6, both being just great guys. I wondered around the dealer's space for a bit, just in awe. It was still mostly empty, but there was something in the air that was charged with excitement, anticipation, and maybe, even a little bit of magic. As I strolled up and down the aisles, I was all a quiver. These were artists I had known about for years. Each famous in their own right. I thought about how first time dealers would feel. Sitting side by side people like Max Blackrabbit. Or other furs who would be coming here for the first time. Furs like myself who are just getting their feet wet now. I looked out across all those white tables, a few of the many artists to come rolling out their wares, setting up their little shops... This was a defining point of furry, the convention. And here I was, a fox in public for the first time, at the heart of it all. Watching it all come together before the doors opened.

I remember how nervous I was, going in for my first conbadge. Karine Charlebois was the artist, I remember. She had a rather impressive booth, and had come in early to set up. Besides the usual portfolio and small jewelry stand that many dealers there had, she also had a 7 foot banner featuring an equally tall vixen. Very eye catching. Looking back I can say I was definitely flustered. I gave her what details she could string out of me, and scurried away as soon as the deal was made to compose myself. Whew! There was something intimidating about describing what's been in your head for years, but having no supporting art to help describe it.
"A commission? Sure, have any reference art I can work off of?"
"A reference? Sure, have any commission art I can work off of?"
That was the hard part for me. But by my third commission, all trace of the my nervousness had melted away, and I was able to very clearly lay out what I wanted. Very true what they say, that practice makes perfect.
Even so, I was far too elated/relieved to have my first conbadge to even notice Karine had misspelled my name until the last day of the con, oh well.

There was never enough time to see and do all I wanted. Often, panels I wanted to see were happening simultaneously and so I had to choose one or the other, sometimes neither if something else was happening. Not that this was a bad thing mind you! I always had something new and exciting to see. Between running back and forth from one event to the next I was always on the go! The games room was a real treat to see. Mutiple Xbox360 and PS3 consoles, all rigged up with Left 4 Dead, Capcom Vs. Marvel, Army of Two, Bloody Roar 4, and DDR (of which I failed horribly at ¦D ) There was also an old SNES setup with what looked like the original Street Fighter, a vintage pinball machine, and a table that played host to a veritable mountain of various board games, including such favourites as Settlers of Catan. People were always on the go, always on the move from the early morning, right into the wee hours of the night. Someone, somewhere, was always doing, something.

I made myself known pretty quickly as the con's 'foxtographer', and was getting some really great shots the whole time I was there. I just wanna give a shout out to all the fursuiters who posed for me, you guys are the greatest! Every night, after the Dealer's Den was closed, the panels shutdown, and the room parties just starting to open up, there were the dances! Full on light shows with blaring beats and and glow sticks to swing about. I'm not going to try and capture the ENTIRETY of the con and my experiences here in this journal, really, this is just a sampler of my awesome time there. I made so many wonderful friends, I got to meet some really great people and never, have I been in buried by so many different, and awesome fursuits! I couldn't see for all of them! I'm a little saddened to see it all end so soon, but as the wheel of the year turns, I know this magical time of year will be reborn again, in the spring of 2012.