Being the Community Spotlight this year made for some interesting changes to my regular con schedule, the people I met/spoke to, and feelings towards it. I found myself attending more panels than ever before, despite commissions and dealers table chaos. More people I didn’t know, or didn’t normally talk to, approached me, sparking some fun stories and much-needed catch-up time. Even if the con was a month long I still wouldn’t have found the time to chat with everyone I needed to. It was very much a ‘social con’.

I don’t even know where to begin describing how amazing this con was this year. So I’m shaking things up this year with posting HIGHLIGHTS!

VF 2014 Highlights in no particular order

- Bawling my eyes out at the opening ceremonies when my name and quip about me was mentioned
- Arriving in the Dealer’s Den Friday morning to see every table sporting a cactus. Thank you WhiteFoot for adding this lovely touch
- Dancing for 4 hours straight Sat and Sun night with the gang
- Teaching Nirokia’s kid to dance early Sunday night and preventing future teenage awkwardness
- Sitting with the gang at the Guest of Honor Dinner sipping back sangrias and beers as the cake arrived… sporting all 6 GOH characters on top. Thank you Temrin, Temrin’s Mom, and Soulscape for the surprise!
- Werewolf card game in Elias’ room with Bundt, Tyins, Greyson, Drekian, Ph8L, RedDye, Daiten, Rollie, Wallen, Nath, and others
- Going through all my homemade port wine with Darkanine, Kadar, Nirokia, Dorn, and Reweth
- Chilling in the ‘snuggle party’ room with Lummox and Asynyra, flopped on fuzzy pillows and listening to some… interesting music
- (inside joke) Having sex with Jack from Jack In the Box
- Stinking up the hotel room with Sixel’s laminating machine as we rushed them out before dinner
- Attending FoxAmoore's panel and hear him play the piano. It was my first time hearing his work and I was blown away
- Rushing out for a few hours to help Haemish move during Dealer’s Den hours, then battle sore arm muscles all of Saturday. Totally worth it!
- Getting one of my first commissions at a con (I’m stubborn) from the wonderful Seylyn. I’ll post the badge a bit later
- Amazing pixel art from OrigamiDude, who did a great job at capturing the gang’s individual expressions!
- More art from the lovely Nirokia. I can’t stop looking at the huge ears and wicked background
- Sixel’s giant badge, which will forever stand out from the others. It’s beer and biking. My favorite things. I will probably make a shirt out of this later
- Catching up with Omi and meeting her guy Lucas. Much nerd knowledge was exchanged
- Getting to see the VF T-shirt in person for the first time. Every detail was captured. Every. Damn. Line. Oh god.
- Finally getting to put a face to Nbowa after more than 10 years of watching one another float around online
- My entire pup group swarming my dealer’s table once they arrived at the con
- Fatigue causing mischief at my table with bits of scrap paper, googly eyes on my cactus and other pictures, etc
- Seeing the faces of those who picked up their pre-badge commissions – BakuTatsu, Milo Braun, Vino/Darkanine, Sixel, and Daitenshi
- And, of course, having the wonderful Bundt along for the ride all days, despite him having 2 midterms over the weekend <3

In Conclusion

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who made this one of my favorite conventions ever. It was an honor to be your Community Spotlight. The amount of love, and general vibe left a very happy coyote in its wake. This past year I have been met with an incredible amount of support from you all. Whether it be struggling for donations for the Cancer Ride, pitching in for my new bike once the old one broke, lifting me up during my ruts… you were there.

I will continue to support the local community throughout the next year be it artwork, general support, or guidance.

A note to take-home commissions

I have all your contact information with me and should be starting up this week. I usually spend the first week after a con recovering and taking a small break, but expect to hear back from me soon with any updates or address confirmations before shipping out :)