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My First Con!
12 years ago
Since this past 4-day weekend marks my first convention ever (Anthrocon), I figured I would jot down a couple of thoughts about the whole thing on the way home, a few memories I wanted to keep and things I wanted to share about the experience.
I went into it not knowing what to expect, besides of course an interminable, 9-hour train ride from New York City all the way to Pittsburgh. So, after 9 hours of sitting on my thumbs and staring at various stretches of farmland and hills, I arrived at 8 PM in a strange city having met exactly two people out of seven thousand. To date, I had only met a single fursuiter in NYC. But that didn't last for very long at all. In the span of that first evening, and perhaps the next, I met and made more friends than in the entirety of my sophomore year of college, and probably consumed a comparable amount of alcohol, not counting initiations (Certo makes this amazing concoction he calls a razzmatazz, it's deliciously deadly). I saw furries of all shapes and sizes, in various degrees of costume, and it was probably almost as overwhelming to me as it was to the residents of Pittsburgh, who seemed curious, perhaps even a little bit perturbed, but not openly hostile. Still, getting lost by myself while walking to the con alone at night from the Omni William Penn hotel was made a little more frightening by a) my size and b) my badge, which, though I love it dearly (Thanks Adren <3) was a clear sign to anyone I walked past that I wasn't familiar with my surroundings. Another con-goer thankfully came to my rescue, and there was much rejoicing when I finally reached the Westin.
The absolute best thing about my first experience at Anthrocon was, hands down, the people I finally got to meet after all those years of skype, of YIM, of baring my soul and sharing my experiences with people I never imagined I'd eventually see face-to-face. You guys, and you know who you are, are the number one reason why I left this con feeling sorry that it had ended, and wishing that I could stay just one more day longer to squeeze in a little more time with each and every one of you. At Anthrocon, more than anywhere else in the world, I felt like I was surrounded not just by friends, but by people who understood me, people I could be honest and open with in a way that I could never have been before. I keep this part of my life hidden, but for about two and a half days, I could finally let it out, and it felt absolutely amazing.
At the con itself, I was blown away for a second time by the sheer number of people I saw, and the considerable variety in their characters. Mostly, I kept out of the way of suiters, though as a huge cuddle slut I had to sternly suppress the desire to leap at several of them. I'm one hundred percent sure that for the first day, I stared at almost every single one that passed by. The dealer's den was the same way - I saw things I wanted but couldn't afford, I saw things I could afford that I still wouldn't buy because it'd be a shame to have to hide them. In any case, I did my best to look at every single thing I could, which resulted in a number of occasions where I wandered off for hours at a time as the group passed on and I was left staring at something that caught my-SHINY! :D Ahem, anyhow. As for art, of course I found out that -gasp- artists, even 'famous' ones, are real people! And they do some truly amazing things. I was utterly blown away by the talent I saw at the art gallery, to the extent that I made sure to visit every single piece on display at least once.
I feel like the two things I missed out on at my first con were the panels and the dance parties. I should have at least gone to the NE Furs Panel, but I spent all of my time hanging around instead of digging through the con book for potentially interesting events. Not that I regret the time I spent bonding with friends I'd had for years but never seen face to face, but for next time, it would be something to think about. And as far as the dancing goes, I like to dance, but I can't do it by myself. Somehow, it turned out that I never made it to the dance floor with a big enough group to feel comfortable letting loose. Again, something to think about for next time.
To bring this memento of sorts to a close, it feels like this is another one of those defining moments in my relationship to the furry fandom. Those moments where, instead of letting myself hide behind a screen of anonymity and secrecy, I take a bit of a chance, a bit of a risk, poke my nose into something else and see how my perspective changes. I like this change, and I hope to see many of you at future cons further down the road.
I went into it not knowing what to expect, besides of course an interminable, 9-hour train ride from New York City all the way to Pittsburgh. So, after 9 hours of sitting on my thumbs and staring at various stretches of farmland and hills, I arrived at 8 PM in a strange city having met exactly two people out of seven thousand. To date, I had only met a single fursuiter in NYC. But that didn't last for very long at all. In the span of that first evening, and perhaps the next, I met and made more friends than in the entirety of my sophomore year of college, and probably consumed a comparable amount of alcohol, not counting initiations (Certo makes this amazing concoction he calls a razzmatazz, it's deliciously deadly). I saw furries of all shapes and sizes, in various degrees of costume, and it was probably almost as overwhelming to me as it was to the residents of Pittsburgh, who seemed curious, perhaps even a little bit perturbed, but not openly hostile. Still, getting lost by myself while walking to the con alone at night from the Omni William Penn hotel was made a little more frightening by a) my size and b) my badge, which, though I love it dearly (Thanks Adren <3) was a clear sign to anyone I walked past that I wasn't familiar with my surroundings. Another con-goer thankfully came to my rescue, and there was much rejoicing when I finally reached the Westin.
The absolute best thing about my first experience at Anthrocon was, hands down, the people I finally got to meet after all those years of skype, of YIM, of baring my soul and sharing my experiences with people I never imagined I'd eventually see face-to-face. You guys, and you know who you are, are the number one reason why I left this con feeling sorry that it had ended, and wishing that I could stay just one more day longer to squeeze in a little more time with each and every one of you. At Anthrocon, more than anywhere else in the world, I felt like I was surrounded not just by friends, but by people who understood me, people I could be honest and open with in a way that I could never have been before. I keep this part of my life hidden, but for about two and a half days, I could finally let it out, and it felt absolutely amazing.
At the con itself, I was blown away for a second time by the sheer number of people I saw, and the considerable variety in their characters. Mostly, I kept out of the way of suiters, though as a huge cuddle slut I had to sternly suppress the desire to leap at several of them. I'm one hundred percent sure that for the first day, I stared at almost every single one that passed by. The dealer's den was the same way - I saw things I wanted but couldn't afford, I saw things I could afford that I still wouldn't buy because it'd be a shame to have to hide them. In any case, I did my best to look at every single thing I could, which resulted in a number of occasions where I wandered off for hours at a time as the group passed on and I was left staring at something that caught my-SHINY! :D Ahem, anyhow. As for art, of course I found out that -gasp- artists, even 'famous' ones, are real people! And they do some truly amazing things. I was utterly blown away by the talent I saw at the art gallery, to the extent that I made sure to visit every single piece on display at least once.
I feel like the two things I missed out on at my first con were the panels and the dance parties. I should have at least gone to the NE Furs Panel, but I spent all of my time hanging around instead of digging through the con book for potentially interesting events. Not that I regret the time I spent bonding with friends I'd had for years but never seen face to face, but for next time, it would be something to think about. And as far as the dancing goes, I like to dance, but I can't do it by myself. Somehow, it turned out that I never made it to the dance floor with a big enough group to feel comfortable letting loose. Again, something to think about for next time.
To bring this memento of sorts to a close, it feels like this is another one of those defining moments in my relationship to the furry fandom. Those moments where, instead of letting myself hide behind a screen of anonymity and secrecy, I take a bit of a chance, a bit of a risk, poke my nose into something else and see how my perspective changes. I like this change, and I hope to see many of you at future cons further down the road.
*hugs*