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FWA 2013 Report
13 years ago
General
Writing this report of FWA 2013 is probably the hardest one I've ever written, simply due to the sheer fact I've never been to a con where I've experienced such a broad range of emotions. I went through the highest of highs and one moment where I felt downright broken. Either way, this was a very memorable con to start off my year, so let's recap.
The Hotel
Let's start off with the obviously bad, I'd say just about everyone knows that the elevator situation really sucked. With a bank of elevators only serving the lower floors, and another bank only serving the convention space and the upper floors of the hotel, it caused a lot of issues for everyone.
Now personally it wasn't as bad for me since I was on the 17th floor, so whenever I had to go down (Be it in or out of suit), I just took the stairs and quickly made it onto the convention space. However I know many didn't have that luxury and had to rely on the elevators.
Another irky thing about the elevators was it felt like a game of chance on what floor of the convention space to try and get on the elevators, especially since some of the elevators skipped floors.
Another issue I noticed with the hotel was the poor cell phone reception, I couldn't get any reception in any hotel room. The only time I could was when I was in the convention space or lobby, though I think some had issues there as well.
Now besides the two glaringly obvious issues, I was fine with the rest of the hotel. Now I've heard the con will be returning to the Westin for one more year, and they will be addressing the elevators with more people staffing them etc. I do have a feeling it can be fixed here and there, though I know a good chunk of people who won't be returning to the con as long as it's at the Westin because the issues were so bad.
I think for next year I'll try to get a room on one of the very upper floors, since I noticed a lot of people really didn't have a problem being on those floors since they're more of a express elevator due to skipping floors 16-45. I also noticed the elevators for the upper floors usually arrived faster and more frequently then the elevators for the lower half of the hotel.
The Convention
As for FWA itself, I enjoyed the hell out of it! I really felt they do certain things better then other cons, case in point.
- The Swag
One thing I noticed right off the bat at registration and the con store is they make some pretty damn awesome swag for the con-goers. All the T-Shirts and posters of various years look great, and the fact they also make shot glasses? Boss.
The God Level Duffel bags were also really nice as well, and I have to give a big shout out to
Hibbary on doing a kick-ass job with this years poster and t-shirt/hoodie designs. The t-shirt/hoodie design is probably one of/if not my favorite con shirt.
Another great piece of swag was the custom water bottle given after the fursuit parade, while I've seen other con's do this. This one is a bit more heavy duty then others.
The Video Game Room
Out of all the conventions I've been to, I probably spent the most time in FWA's video game room then any other. A big factor was the various arcade cabinets they had, each one having a crapload of games on them. I was so happy I was able to play Strider 2, and I even played Aero Fighters 2 in suit. (A very amusing task considering I'm mostly blind in suit.)
The Dance Events
FWA is a dance con. Period. I'll tell more about it in the highlights.
The Food
The food around Atlanta is pretty good, certainly a good amount of eats around the hotel. Though there's one place I'm going to shine a spotlight on. It was a joint I've heard so much about, even before I saw it on tv specials. I've kept hearing from friends that this is truly the place to go for burgers, and I was so hyped that I was totally fine buying a 7-Day Marta Pass to travel up to the Midtown station to go to it.
This is the THE VORTEX , and I can truly say without a single doubt, that it lived up to the hype and is now my favorite burger joint, period.
The Vortex is a unique joint which looks like a demented roadhouse, the decor is a crazy mis-match of junk. Hanging from the ceiling are things like a toxic waste barrel, a vacum cleaner dressed up as a flamingo...also around the place are two skeletons riding motorcycles, a coin opertated horse ride painted as a zebra etc. Totally bizarre, but it fits perfectly.
The place is also known for it's menu which is totally irreverent and full of snark, if you ever go you'll want to read the whole menu. The place states it's a "Idiot-Free Zone" and has a "The customer is NOT always right" additude. But don't be afraid, it's all part of the charm and the staff is really friendly.
Now then, the burgers. I went there twice and here are the ones I had.
Big Bad Voodoo Patty - A burger with a chipotle cream cheese spread, four slices of bacon and a green pepper jelly. That green pepper jelly was so good I was dunking my tater tots in it.
Four Horsemen - A blackened patty with Horseradish sauce, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and jack cheese. At first I wasn't too sure about the Horseradish sauce, but one bite and I knew it all worked. It was probably my favorite of the two, though I loved both of them.
While I only went there twice, there were still several burgers and plenty of appitizers which looked freakin' awesome. If you ever can, make a trip up there.
Highlights
- Arriving super early in Atlanta, almost throwing up as I was checking in, and then getting a "Sister Hug" from the staff after I checked in. XD
- Winning a God Level Duffel bag at opening cerimonies.
- Encountering
several times, and it looks like he's keeping a close eye on me due to my recent badge. XD
- Finding out I could fit my fist in
mouth. XD
The Elitist Party
Mad props to
and all the DJ's for putting this together. An' a very special shout out to 
foxdude for allowing his suite to be used for it. The party was a lot of fun, I really liked the main drink they had and 
and 
outclassed the fuck out of everyone there.
The Dances
The dances were pretty rockin' at FWA, with a crazy lighting setup and the DJ's putting on a whole lotta' great tunes, each night was a whole lotta' fun. Major props to all the DJ's and A/V crew.
The Fursuit Dance Comp
FWA is known for starting this, and it truly is one of the wildest ones out there. Everyone just brought it hard and put on one hell of a show. Congrats to all that performed and all those who tried out since you are what makes this event so damn good.
The Dead Dog of absolute insanity
Normally at other cons the Dead Dog Dance's can be on the so-so side, but not this year at FWA. The Dead Dog dance was flat out great! I'd say a big factor was they were able to have the Dead Dog in the main events room with no downgrade of lights and sound, it certainly helped with the atmosphere and I ended up staying to the very end till we all had to leave the room.
Even after I left the room I hung out with a whole bunch of friends in
Kwik room, and honestly that was a awesome way to spend the last night.
A couple highlights of that chill hangout were
-Watching act out how Haku would dance robotically, to which I made a comment where I almost got smacked by 
XD (It was a Jack Sparrow "I deserved that one" comment)
-All of us watching
video of his performance in the dance comp and all of us exploding outwards when he landed on his head/neck.
Shout Out
I have to give a special shout out to my DancerFurs family, it was a total blast hanging out with you all and the memories I had cannot be forgotten or replaced. You all know who you are, and you also brought me up from a particular moment....
The Breakdown
One thing I didn't mention yet is I tried out for the dance comp as usual, I knew this was going to be hard and I practiced like crazy throughout the con leading towards the second audition. The second auditions came, it was my turn, the music played and....I went scatterbrained. My choreo went haywire, my rhythm was off, and I was frantically moving around to try and save it. After the audition, it gradually sunk in I screwed it up.
Now this isn't the first time I didn't make it into a dance comp, I didn't make it into AC's in 2011 or MFF's of 2012. But I was fine with it, for AC is just performed my dance in the Masquerade, and with MFF I simply joined the group choreo for the opening.
But this one hit me differently like all the rest, there was no second option. This is my last con for a while, I had one chance and I fucked up. A interesting thing about suiting is it never shows your tears, since I ended up going to the back of the room and cried til long after the auditions were over.
I really love to perform, I don't care about placement or rank...all I care about is dancing and putting on a good show. This really hit me hard, and I thank my friends who helped bring me back up. Thanks
Skroy and several others for the kind words, and thank you Doryuu for the inspiring words, you have no idea how much it ment to me.
Closing Thoughts
Even with the hotel issues, I really enjoyed FWA. It was a fun con which is a good thing since this will be my last con for a while, I don't think I'll be able to hit up AC, but I know for certain I'll be at RF. Thank you all, my friends. You're the reason why I love this fandom and I wouldn't have it any other way. <3
Oh yes, if you have any pics or videos of me, be sure to send them my way!
The Hotel
Let's start off with the obviously bad, I'd say just about everyone knows that the elevator situation really sucked. With a bank of elevators only serving the lower floors, and another bank only serving the convention space and the upper floors of the hotel, it caused a lot of issues for everyone.
Now personally it wasn't as bad for me since I was on the 17th floor, so whenever I had to go down (Be it in or out of suit), I just took the stairs and quickly made it onto the convention space. However I know many didn't have that luxury and had to rely on the elevators.
Another irky thing about the elevators was it felt like a game of chance on what floor of the convention space to try and get on the elevators, especially since some of the elevators skipped floors.
Another issue I noticed with the hotel was the poor cell phone reception, I couldn't get any reception in any hotel room. The only time I could was when I was in the convention space or lobby, though I think some had issues there as well.
Now besides the two glaringly obvious issues, I was fine with the rest of the hotel. Now I've heard the con will be returning to the Westin for one more year, and they will be addressing the elevators with more people staffing them etc. I do have a feeling it can be fixed here and there, though I know a good chunk of people who won't be returning to the con as long as it's at the Westin because the issues were so bad.
I think for next year I'll try to get a room on one of the very upper floors, since I noticed a lot of people really didn't have a problem being on those floors since they're more of a express elevator due to skipping floors 16-45. I also noticed the elevators for the upper floors usually arrived faster and more frequently then the elevators for the lower half of the hotel.
The Convention
As for FWA itself, I enjoyed the hell out of it! I really felt they do certain things better then other cons, case in point.
- The Swag
One thing I noticed right off the bat at registration and the con store is they make some pretty damn awesome swag for the con-goers. All the T-Shirts and posters of various years look great, and the fact they also make shot glasses? Boss.
The God Level Duffel bags were also really nice as well, and I have to give a big shout out to
Hibbary on doing a kick-ass job with this years poster and t-shirt/hoodie designs. The t-shirt/hoodie design is probably one of/if not my favorite con shirt.Another great piece of swag was the custom water bottle given after the fursuit parade, while I've seen other con's do this. This one is a bit more heavy duty then others.
The Video Game Room
Out of all the conventions I've been to, I probably spent the most time in FWA's video game room then any other. A big factor was the various arcade cabinets they had, each one having a crapload of games on them. I was so happy I was able to play Strider 2, and I even played Aero Fighters 2 in suit. (A very amusing task considering I'm mostly blind in suit.)
The Dance Events
FWA is a dance con. Period. I'll tell more about it in the highlights.
The Food
The food around Atlanta is pretty good, certainly a good amount of eats around the hotel. Though there's one place I'm going to shine a spotlight on. It was a joint I've heard so much about, even before I saw it on tv specials. I've kept hearing from friends that this is truly the place to go for burgers, and I was so hyped that I was totally fine buying a 7-Day Marta Pass to travel up to the Midtown station to go to it.
This is the THE VORTEX , and I can truly say without a single doubt, that it lived up to the hype and is now my favorite burger joint, period.
The Vortex is a unique joint which looks like a demented roadhouse, the decor is a crazy mis-match of junk. Hanging from the ceiling are things like a toxic waste barrel, a vacum cleaner dressed up as a flamingo...also around the place are two skeletons riding motorcycles, a coin opertated horse ride painted as a zebra etc. Totally bizarre, but it fits perfectly.
The place is also known for it's menu which is totally irreverent and full of snark, if you ever go you'll want to read the whole menu. The place states it's a "Idiot-Free Zone" and has a "The customer is NOT always right" additude. But don't be afraid, it's all part of the charm and the staff is really friendly.
Now then, the burgers. I went there twice and here are the ones I had.
Big Bad Voodoo Patty - A burger with a chipotle cream cheese spread, four slices of bacon and a green pepper jelly. That green pepper jelly was so good I was dunking my tater tots in it.
Four Horsemen - A blackened patty with Horseradish sauce, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and jack cheese. At first I wasn't too sure about the Horseradish sauce, but one bite and I knew it all worked. It was probably my favorite of the two, though I loved both of them.
While I only went there twice, there were still several burgers and plenty of appitizers which looked freakin' awesome. If you ever can, make a trip up there.
Highlights
- Arriving super early in Atlanta, almost throwing up as I was checking in, and then getting a "Sister Hug" from the staff after I checked in. XD
- Winning a God Level Duffel bag at opening cerimonies.
- Encountering
several times, and it looks like he's keeping a close eye on me due to my recent badge. XD- Finding out I could fit my fist in
mouth. XDThe Elitist Party
Mad props to
and all the DJ's for putting this together. An' a very special shout out to 
foxdude for allowing his suite to be used for it. The party was a lot of fun, I really liked the main drink they had and 
and 
outclassed the fuck out of everyone there.The Dances
The dances were pretty rockin' at FWA, with a crazy lighting setup and the DJ's putting on a whole lotta' great tunes, each night was a whole lotta' fun. Major props to all the DJ's and A/V crew.
The Fursuit Dance Comp
FWA is known for starting this, and it truly is one of the wildest ones out there. Everyone just brought it hard and put on one hell of a show. Congrats to all that performed and all those who tried out since you are what makes this event so damn good.
The Dead Dog of absolute insanity
Normally at other cons the Dead Dog Dance's can be on the so-so side, but not this year at FWA. The Dead Dog dance was flat out great! I'd say a big factor was they were able to have the Dead Dog in the main events room with no downgrade of lights and sound, it certainly helped with the atmosphere and I ended up staying to the very end till we all had to leave the room.
Even after I left the room I hung out with a whole bunch of friends in
Kwik room, and honestly that was a awesome way to spend the last night.A couple highlights of that chill hangout were
-Watching
act out how Haku would dance robotically, to which I made a comment where I almost got smacked by 
XD (It was a Jack Sparrow "I deserved that one" comment)-All of us watching
video of his performance in the dance comp and all of us exploding outwards when he landed on his head/neck.Shout Out
I have to give a special shout out to my DancerFurs family, it was a total blast hanging out with you all and the memories I had cannot be forgotten or replaced. You all know who you are, and you also brought me up from a particular moment....
The Breakdown
One thing I didn't mention yet is I tried out for the dance comp as usual, I knew this was going to be hard and I practiced like crazy throughout the con leading towards the second audition. The second auditions came, it was my turn, the music played and....I went scatterbrained. My choreo went haywire, my rhythm was off, and I was frantically moving around to try and save it. After the audition, it gradually sunk in I screwed it up.
Now this isn't the first time I didn't make it into a dance comp, I didn't make it into AC's in 2011 or MFF's of 2012. But I was fine with it, for AC is just performed my dance in the Masquerade, and with MFF I simply joined the group choreo for the opening.
But this one hit me differently like all the rest, there was no second option. This is my last con for a while, I had one chance and I fucked up. A interesting thing about suiting is it never shows your tears, since I ended up going to the back of the room and cried til long after the auditions were over.
I really love to perform, I don't care about placement or rank...all I care about is dancing and putting on a good show. This really hit me hard, and I thank my friends who helped bring me back up. Thanks
Skroy and several others for the kind words, and thank you Doryuu for the inspiring words, you have no idea how much it ment to me.Closing Thoughts
Even with the hotel issues, I really enjoyed FWA. It was a fun con which is a good thing since this will be my last con for a while, I don't think I'll be able to hit up AC, but I know for certain I'll be at RF. Thank you all, my friends. You're the reason why I love this fandom and I wouldn't have it any other way. <3
Oh yes, if you have any pics or videos of me, be sure to send them my way!
You should try making some dance videos! I know it's not the same as performing live, but I bet lots of people would still love to see your routine. ^^
*hugs*
Unfortunately I don't got the equipment/space for something like that yet. But hopefully in the future. As for my routine, I still love the heck out of the song so there's certainly a chance I'll try once again for a upcomming con. Probably RF or FC since they have the same time limit as FWA's.