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MFF 2016 Review
9 years ago
This con certainly had its ups and downs, but that is the way of most furry conventions I've been to. I'm sure I'm going to forget certain moments in this review; there was just so much going on almost all the time ^.^
Sadly none of the Denver-area furs that I normally fly out to MFF with could make it this year so I had to fly solo. DIA is tricky to navigate and the freaking escalators are a nightmare. I don't like escalators and its as if there is one every twenty feet in that airport.
I did meet a few other furs while waiting to board the plane but we didn't get to sit anywhere near each other. The flight itself wasn't bad at all. I highly recommend "earplanes" earbuds to help relieve the ear pressures during ascending and descending in a plane. The first year I went to MFF I could barely hear anything for most of a day because my ears barely popped during the descent into Chicago. With earplanes I have no problem with that anymore.
I had almost cancelled going to the con this year after finding out that Marko wouldn't be able to make it. That rat is the main reason I go to MFF since it is the only time I get to spend with him.
But I did want to see Dittman again along with some other furs that I only get to see at cons. So when I arrived on Thursday it was with mixed feelings about the con.
At least until I stepped through the revolving door and into the lower lobby.
Seeing those familiar escalators and the glass stairs between them, seeing so many people already out and about, seeing several already roaming around in fursuit made all my memories of past MMFs come flooding back.
I was home.
I was the first of my roommates to arrive at the hotel despite being the one that traveled the furthest. After checking in and dispensing key to roomies as they arrived, I went exploring the con. Some of the first furs that I saw out in the con area were Arid, Loomy and Scruffy.
Despite the con boasting it would run Thursday through Monday, there was really not much to do on Thursday except wander about until the dance started. The board game room also opened for anyone that brought their own games. I spent most of my time wandering, taking in the sights and sounds of MidWest FurFest.
Friday the con was in full swing and I was finally able to fully suit up. I had sent my fursuit head off to MoreFurLess for some minor repairs weeks before and they shipped it to the hotel on Friday. Though the repairs were not major, Nodd's head looks a lot better now.
It was also on Friday that I saw a familiar cat for the first time. Someone was wandering about as Sylvester the Cat. It was a full fursuit and really well made. I grew up watching Sylvester & Tweety cartoons and I was pleasantly surprised someone would make a fursuit of such a well known character. It has inspired me to consider getting a Dale fursuit made: A Rescue Rangers Dale, complete with a gaudy orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt. If or when I do go for it, I will almost certainly commission MoreFurLess to make the suit.
Saturday was the fursuit menagerie, which replaced the parade this year. I think it went very well, and was certainly better organized than the parade. As furs were showing up for it, someone had a huge beach ball and was tossing it around. I found myself chasing after it along with a lot of other furs, each of us trying to grab onto it while yelling "Ball!" or "Mine!" xD
The menagerie itself was divided into several different photo shoots based on fur color, species, fursuit maker, etc. So I was able to get in on the rodent photo shoot, the grey photo shoot, and the MoreFurLess photo shoot. Pictures of all the shoots should be available on Flickr in the coming day.
Also on Saturday I went to a Bingo "panel" that was just that: a lot of furs playing bingo. The hosts of the panel were overwhelmed by how many folks showed up for the event, but it was a lot of fun. Afterward I attended a pagan furs panel that mostly delved into the history of paganism. A lot of it was stuff I already knew but I came away with a few new insights as well.
Our rodent room party was on Saturday afternoon and it was a lot of fun. Got to see Barkley, Tiptoe and Syn again along with some other rodents I knew plus some new ones as well.
Later that evening as I was fursuiting I saw Sylvester again. I called out "Suffering succotash!" just to see how he would react. I figured he would just wave, give me a thumbs up or the like. Instead he rushed over and hugged me, and pretended to be nibbling and nipping on my neck and ears. I was a mouse after all.
Getting so much attention from one of my childhood favorite cartoon characters just made me mellllllt. I have a new fursuit crush, for sure. I hugged and cuddled him for quite a few minutes before we parted ways.
Sadly I didn't catch a glimpse of his badge to get his name. But later I posted to Twitter about how getting to spend time with Sylvester was definitely one of the best parts of the con for me.
On Sunday it snowed, so there were a lot of fursuiters roaming about and having a good time out in the white stuff. Someone even built a little furry snowman, and I heard there were other.. ahem.. things, built out of the snow as well. xD
I also heard that Scruffy fell in the snow and hurt his wrist, and he later found out it was broken >.< Poor guy; I hope he recovers quickly!
Later that evening I was wandering about in fursuit when someone walked up to me and said "Hello! I want you to see something." He then held his badge up close to my eyes since he knew it would be difficult for me to see through my fursuit eyes. His name was PuddyCatUS. "Oh, its you!" I exclaimed, and gave him a big hug. He was my Sylvester! He told me he had seen the message I posted on Twitter and it meant a lot to him. Turns out he is an English fur and is soon moving to the United States. Wish I had asked him what part of the country he's moving to. After the recent election now is not the best time to move to this country, but he's likely had the move planned for quite some time. I wish him all the best and I fervently hope to get to see him again some day.
And just like that, the weekend was over with. It was time to fly back to Denver, and I was getting depressed. At least there were still a lot of furs wandering about the lobby, chatting, saying their goodbyes, etc. It was so active when I left that it still felt like the con was going on in some ways, which helped me pretend like it wasn't really over. Plus I had certain moments to remember and cherish, most of which involved that black and white cat ^.^
Jeez, here I am a mouse fawning over a cat! What is the world coming to?!
Shoutouts to: PuddyCatUS, Loomy, Arid, Dittman, Cleo, Growly, Barkley, Tiptoe, Syn, and likely several more that I either can't remember the names of or didn't catch their badge names.
MidWest FurFest had just a couple hundred fewer attendees than Anthro Con this year. Here's hoping that we become the biggest fur con in America in 2017!
Sadly none of the Denver-area furs that I normally fly out to MFF with could make it this year so I had to fly solo. DIA is tricky to navigate and the freaking escalators are a nightmare. I don't like escalators and its as if there is one every twenty feet in that airport.
I did meet a few other furs while waiting to board the plane but we didn't get to sit anywhere near each other. The flight itself wasn't bad at all. I highly recommend "earplanes" earbuds to help relieve the ear pressures during ascending and descending in a plane. The first year I went to MFF I could barely hear anything for most of a day because my ears barely popped during the descent into Chicago. With earplanes I have no problem with that anymore.
I had almost cancelled going to the con this year after finding out that Marko wouldn't be able to make it. That rat is the main reason I go to MFF since it is the only time I get to spend with him.
But I did want to see Dittman again along with some other furs that I only get to see at cons. So when I arrived on Thursday it was with mixed feelings about the con.
At least until I stepped through the revolving door and into the lower lobby.
Seeing those familiar escalators and the glass stairs between them, seeing so many people already out and about, seeing several already roaming around in fursuit made all my memories of past MMFs come flooding back.
I was home.
I was the first of my roommates to arrive at the hotel despite being the one that traveled the furthest. After checking in and dispensing key to roomies as they arrived, I went exploring the con. Some of the first furs that I saw out in the con area were Arid, Loomy and Scruffy.
Despite the con boasting it would run Thursday through Monday, there was really not much to do on Thursday except wander about until the dance started. The board game room also opened for anyone that brought their own games. I spent most of my time wandering, taking in the sights and sounds of MidWest FurFest.
Friday the con was in full swing and I was finally able to fully suit up. I had sent my fursuit head off to MoreFurLess for some minor repairs weeks before and they shipped it to the hotel on Friday. Though the repairs were not major, Nodd's head looks a lot better now.
It was also on Friday that I saw a familiar cat for the first time. Someone was wandering about as Sylvester the Cat. It was a full fursuit and really well made. I grew up watching Sylvester & Tweety cartoons and I was pleasantly surprised someone would make a fursuit of such a well known character. It has inspired me to consider getting a Dale fursuit made: A Rescue Rangers Dale, complete with a gaudy orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt. If or when I do go for it, I will almost certainly commission MoreFurLess to make the suit.
Saturday was the fursuit menagerie, which replaced the parade this year. I think it went very well, and was certainly better organized than the parade. As furs were showing up for it, someone had a huge beach ball and was tossing it around. I found myself chasing after it along with a lot of other furs, each of us trying to grab onto it while yelling "Ball!" or "Mine!" xD
The menagerie itself was divided into several different photo shoots based on fur color, species, fursuit maker, etc. So I was able to get in on the rodent photo shoot, the grey photo shoot, and the MoreFurLess photo shoot. Pictures of all the shoots should be available on Flickr in the coming day.
Also on Saturday I went to a Bingo "panel" that was just that: a lot of furs playing bingo. The hosts of the panel were overwhelmed by how many folks showed up for the event, but it was a lot of fun. Afterward I attended a pagan furs panel that mostly delved into the history of paganism. A lot of it was stuff I already knew but I came away with a few new insights as well.
Our rodent room party was on Saturday afternoon and it was a lot of fun. Got to see Barkley, Tiptoe and Syn again along with some other rodents I knew plus some new ones as well.
Later that evening as I was fursuiting I saw Sylvester again. I called out "Suffering succotash!" just to see how he would react. I figured he would just wave, give me a thumbs up or the like. Instead he rushed over and hugged me, and pretended to be nibbling and nipping on my neck and ears. I was a mouse after all.
Getting so much attention from one of my childhood favorite cartoon characters just made me mellllllt. I have a new fursuit crush, for sure. I hugged and cuddled him for quite a few minutes before we parted ways.
Sadly I didn't catch a glimpse of his badge to get his name. But later I posted to Twitter about how getting to spend time with Sylvester was definitely one of the best parts of the con for me.
On Sunday it snowed, so there were a lot of fursuiters roaming about and having a good time out in the white stuff. Someone even built a little furry snowman, and I heard there were other.. ahem.. things, built out of the snow as well. xD
I also heard that Scruffy fell in the snow and hurt his wrist, and he later found out it was broken >.< Poor guy; I hope he recovers quickly!
Later that evening I was wandering about in fursuit when someone walked up to me and said "Hello! I want you to see something." He then held his badge up close to my eyes since he knew it would be difficult for me to see through my fursuit eyes. His name was PuddyCatUS. "Oh, its you!" I exclaimed, and gave him a big hug. He was my Sylvester! He told me he had seen the message I posted on Twitter and it meant a lot to him. Turns out he is an English fur and is soon moving to the United States. Wish I had asked him what part of the country he's moving to. After the recent election now is not the best time to move to this country, but he's likely had the move planned for quite some time. I wish him all the best and I fervently hope to get to see him again some day.
And just like that, the weekend was over with. It was time to fly back to Denver, and I was getting depressed. At least there were still a lot of furs wandering about the lobby, chatting, saying their goodbyes, etc. It was so active when I left that it still felt like the con was going on in some ways, which helped me pretend like it wasn't really over. Plus I had certain moments to remember and cherish, most of which involved that black and white cat ^.^
Jeez, here I am a mouse fawning over a cat! What is the world coming to?!
Shoutouts to: PuddyCatUS, Loomy, Arid, Dittman, Cleo, Growly, Barkley, Tiptoe, Syn, and likely several more that I either can't remember the names of or didn't catch their badge names.
MidWest FurFest had just a couple hundred fewer attendees than Anthro Con this year. Here's hoping that we become the biggest fur con in America in 2017!
I had that same sense of apprehension every time I head to a con, and you're right, once you walk through those doors, everything changes. I was really bummed to not make it this year, and the idea of just jumping ship and heading down kept nagging at me. :) Interesting that Thursday was so lackluster--I wonder if next year will be the same way as people get used to the con being a day longer.