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Tales from the hoof...
14 years ago
It's now the morning after Anthrocon, and first thing I'm going to say is, it has been an experience, both good, bad, and ugly.
The convention itself absolutely rocked as always; the Dealer's room was packed, though I heard pretty much across the board that sales were slower than expected/ usual. I only actually commissioned one piece of art (which still makes me squee everytime I look at it, it's just that awesome), along with my usual T-shirt fixation, and somehow, Kria's own button fetish seems to have rubbed off on me. Seriously. I bought like a dozen of the damn things.
I also finally have my first new tail in almost a decade (tenkyu Jessica!); it felt wonderful to not feel 'naked' at a furcon/ meet for once, though that's a story in itself.
I got to actually hang out with Mab and crew for once; She is one of the most incredible people you'd ever want to meet, and a crazy, super-talented artist. As are her friends, and the people from the forum. As a group however, I still feel like a huge outcast, as I was away from the fandom for many years...I missed a lot of the bonding moments that brought this group together, and as such may never quite fit. Faded blue-collar ponies need not apply I guess *sigh*
We did happen to meet up with Odela (from Furcadia) on the roof of the convention center; It was wonderful to finally put a face to a name, as well as talk nostalgia with another member of the 'old guard'. Her reaction to seeing the two of us was one of the few truly high points of the weekend, and I wished we could have chatted longer.
Kria herself arrived on Friday night, and it was beyond obvious from the word go that she was personally NOT comfortable there. Technically, she's not a furry, and never was; I made the mistake of assuming that since she has a highly artistic background, plus her love of dragons, fairies, and all things mythical would help her settle right in. All I'm going to say is, I seriously screwed the pooch on that one. She wound up hanging out downtown and exploring away from the con; This after being snubbed by several people who I'd have thought would know better than to treat someone's mate like that. Stay classy guys.
Leaving Anthrocon to me has always been like leaving a far off world or even another planet; as you drive away, the signs of 'our' little civilization fade from view, and eventually all you're left with is the empty blackness of space, or in my case, the PA Turnpike. That kind of loneliness would drive anybody down, that's why there's a thing called PCD, and it hit me hard this year..... In my case, overall, this year's AC was a megawfulnormous (thanks Mab) failure. I have completely lost my motivation/ inspiration to attempt new arts, felt like I was in someone's way all the time, and had an even bigger social/ emotional wedge driven between my mare and I, on top of all the other crap we're handling in real life. It's at the point even an old greymuzzle like myself, has been driven to the point...I'm pondering hanging up my tail for good...
D'ymkarra
The convention itself absolutely rocked as always; the Dealer's room was packed, though I heard pretty much across the board that sales were slower than expected/ usual. I only actually commissioned one piece of art (which still makes me squee everytime I look at it, it's just that awesome), along with my usual T-shirt fixation, and somehow, Kria's own button fetish seems to have rubbed off on me. Seriously. I bought like a dozen of the damn things.
I also finally have my first new tail in almost a decade (tenkyu Jessica!); it felt wonderful to not feel 'naked' at a furcon/ meet for once, though that's a story in itself.
I got to actually hang out with Mab and crew for once; She is one of the most incredible people you'd ever want to meet, and a crazy, super-talented artist. As are her friends, and the people from the forum. As a group however, I still feel like a huge outcast, as I was away from the fandom for many years...I missed a lot of the bonding moments that brought this group together, and as such may never quite fit. Faded blue-collar ponies need not apply I guess *sigh*
We did happen to meet up with Odela (from Furcadia) on the roof of the convention center; It was wonderful to finally put a face to a name, as well as talk nostalgia with another member of the 'old guard'. Her reaction to seeing the two of us was one of the few truly high points of the weekend, and I wished we could have chatted longer.
Kria herself arrived on Friday night, and it was beyond obvious from the word go that she was personally NOT comfortable there. Technically, she's not a furry, and never was; I made the mistake of assuming that since she has a highly artistic background, plus her love of dragons, fairies, and all things mythical would help her settle right in. All I'm going to say is, I seriously screwed the pooch on that one. She wound up hanging out downtown and exploring away from the con; This after being snubbed by several people who I'd have thought would know better than to treat someone's mate like that. Stay classy guys.
Leaving Anthrocon to me has always been like leaving a far off world or even another planet; as you drive away, the signs of 'our' little civilization fade from view, and eventually all you're left with is the empty blackness of space, or in my case, the PA Turnpike. That kind of loneliness would drive anybody down, that's why there's a thing called PCD, and it hit me hard this year..... In my case, overall, this year's AC was a megawfulnormous (thanks Mab) failure. I have completely lost my motivation/ inspiration to attempt new arts, felt like I was in someone's way all the time, and had an even bigger social/ emotional wedge driven between my mare and I, on top of all the other crap we're handling in real life. It's at the point even an old greymuzzle like myself, has been driven to the point...I'm pondering hanging up my tail for good...
D'ymkarra
It's good seeing you guys at the bowls. Good luck whichever way your travels take you, D'ym.
Truth be told, I've noticed how much fun you have at AC in particular depends directly on how many people you're already friends with before the con who will be there. If you're bringing n00bs, start at a smaller con where people have an easier time of being friendly.
You know that we can all hang out in our little local group And Kria is welcome...
I am not sure how I feel about the big cons like AC...its a hard thing
The general lack of social skills and consideration of others is a problem in the furry world...I only luckily found a little safe space with the puppeteers....THANK HEAVENS for Jim Martin!!!!
As little consolation as it may be, I've always found you pleasant and friendly. If it is the case that you feel unwelcome around me or that you don't fit in, I want you to know that it is not the case. Further to that, Mab spoke very highly of you as well. This, to me, is a prime indicator of the quality of your character. She and I may not always agree, but the vast majority of the time if she speaks well of someone, there are some seriously valuable qualities to be found in them.
I hope that, despite the lateness of this post (with relation to the goings on of the convention), you'll cheer up about the matter some. Though we don't talk much when we do meet up (something I'm going to blame on myself, as I tend to be very distracted at conventions), I do enjoy it and would be sad if it wasn't going to happen again. Particularly since I was incredibly flattered that you had considered giving me that custom made Kria pony. That was a huge surprise to me! I think though, it found a slightly more appropriate owner, though. :)