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LAFFBowl
10 years ago
This is going up real late, I know. Hanging with friends and work since then.
While my first furmeet was just a local, no-suits, drinks and burgers affair, this was kind of a big next step for me. LAFF (Lake Area Furry Friends) covers a huge catchment area of furries from all around the Great Lakes area. Also this was softball. I haven't played softball since Physical Education class in school.
But... fuck it. Why not?
So I drive up to my friends place in Ravenswood on Friday night and make my way over to the field. Had to stalk Twitter and walk around a bunch to find the field though because the handful of furries attending were dressed as civilians. I did find them, asked a guy what group this was and sat down on the bench. And I started introducing myself and holding out my hand to shake.
That was kind of a big thing for me. Old me never would have done that. In any context. And I did it again and again. To pretty much whoever was standing in line to bat. (And I was secretly writing down names, because I'm terrible with faces and names. Especially when everyone has furry versions of each.)
And then it was my turn to bat. Because someone swapped out. And holy shit. I'm swinging, I'm swinging, I'm out. Phew. Baby steps, baby steps.
I did eventually end up scoring a run. And following a bunch of furs on Twitter. And hugging a bunch of random sweaty dudes. So yeah.
Then there was bowling that night. And I was for the first time, in the same room as a fursuit. I'll admit I was at first a little uncomfortable. Not sure why. The anonymity? The uncanny valley? Internalized furryphobia? I've always been unaligned in regards to fursuits. But now? I'm much more comfortable around them. In fact, intensely curious. I'm not going to commission one tomorrow, but now I wouldn't say I'd *never* get one.
Started out just observing, then chatting with a couple of fursuiters. Had to get pretty close to hear each other. And that helped with the anxiety. It was probably the hugs that sold me. I ended up getting more hugs in that day than I did when my Grandma died.
So yeah. That was a success. I didn't make an idiot of myself. I didn''t sit alone in a corner. I made friends. Success.
While my first furmeet was just a local, no-suits, drinks and burgers affair, this was kind of a big next step for me. LAFF (Lake Area Furry Friends) covers a huge catchment area of furries from all around the Great Lakes area. Also this was softball. I haven't played softball since Physical Education class in school.
But... fuck it. Why not?
So I drive up to my friends place in Ravenswood on Friday night and make my way over to the field. Had to stalk Twitter and walk around a bunch to find the field though because the handful of furries attending were dressed as civilians. I did find them, asked a guy what group this was and sat down on the bench. And I started introducing myself and holding out my hand to shake.
That was kind of a big thing for me. Old me never would have done that. In any context. And I did it again and again. To pretty much whoever was standing in line to bat. (And I was secretly writing down names, because I'm terrible with faces and names. Especially when everyone has furry versions of each.)
And then it was my turn to bat. Because someone swapped out. And holy shit. I'm swinging, I'm swinging, I'm out. Phew. Baby steps, baby steps.
I did eventually end up scoring a run. And following a bunch of furs on Twitter. And hugging a bunch of random sweaty dudes. So yeah.
Then there was bowling that night. And I was for the first time, in the same room as a fursuit. I'll admit I was at first a little uncomfortable. Not sure why. The anonymity? The uncanny valley? Internalized furryphobia? I've always been unaligned in regards to fursuits. But now? I'm much more comfortable around them. In fact, intensely curious. I'm not going to commission one tomorrow, but now I wouldn't say I'd *never* get one.
Started out just observing, then chatting with a couple of fursuiters. Had to get pretty close to hear each other. And that helped with the anxiety. It was probably the hugs that sold me. I ended up getting more hugs in that day than I did when my Grandma died.
So yeah. That was a success. I didn't make an idiot of myself. I didn''t sit alone in a corner. I made friends. Success.
