Ha, it happened. 1000 favs for somebody who isn't an artist per say. Just a suiter and avatar modder!

Something good in the otherwise seriously fscked up year of 2020....

Thank you to everybody!

<winghugs>

Ah, back at home. Eurofurence has been very nice for me. I was getting some really extraordinary feedback, calling my looks in suit epic at more than one occasion. I am not one who likes to be in the limelight, and I kind of expected to become a more usual look over the years.

But...well, the majority likes to remain toony. Fine, so I'll stand out even longer. ^.^

Aherm, and let's not mention that the dealer's den of cons is working like a magnet to my banknotes...

You know the feeling, right?

The only downside of EF wasn't to blame on the con, the weather plain tried to fry us suiters over the cause of the first three days. Thermometers hit up to 32C and high humidity, which put the air condition to the limits.

Luckily the Post Con depression is sparing me and the memories are making me smile!

Hello fellow furs...I am not posting stuff here frequently. And this time I have to give a little heads up that this is going to be a bit of a ranting. I hope this is going to put a few fursuit discussions tor est that have been spinning out of control.

In my last four years as suiter I was confronted with furries who seemed not to be able to accept other people's opinions. Only recently, in a german furry telegram group, a canine fur joined and kind of apologized for not having a suit yet. So I was giving my usual bit of advice to take time and get something well thought through and gave examples of what I find boring about 80% of all suiters...namely unidientifiable canines/vulpines with yet another combination of "fashionable" (or eye-cancer) colors that I will surely have forgotten the next day. Or other mascot suits where I seriously have to wonder what the species is. The repetitiveness gets bloody obvious in group shots of certain suit makers.

Over the time of the discussion I was blamed to have called most fursonas to be "sh*t"...which I never did. Apparently Instant messengers (not only them tho) are the totally wrong medium to try and discuss properly, because some douches and usual suspects tend to get enraged before they know what it is about and not scroll up to read the rest....

Makes you wonder, right? WHY do those people act like their happiness about their suit depends on ME? Love your suit, PERIOD. It does not matter what I am thinking of it. I am still suiting with those people. I am even helping them with their suits, so what's the freaking point?

To sum it up: If YOUR reasoning boils down to "You are entitled to your opinion but SHUT UP ABOUT IT!", you'll get my clear response to it. Grow up and realize that 95% of the passers-by are just ignoring you because they don't care...they just don't say it!

And if you think I insulted your fursona... most likely NOT. YOU are responsible for YOUR fursona. If it is so precious to you, then you owe your own fursona to do your damnedest to do it justice, i.e. background story, suit, acting. NOT I! And get REAL. I am still suitwalking with you and a lot of others that I am not exactly enthralled about, and I am having a good time.

It is just really, REALLY SAD and a SHAME that I have to clarify here that it is my red line when I cannot tell my opinion anymore without pissing somebody off.

Live and let Live...And make the best of yourself.

As promised, I updated  wolfgryph 's scan with mine, to make it a bit more contrasting and to make the details more visible. Check it out:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/21023534/

It's almst hard to believe that these 6 days of joy and fun are almost over. Only one night to go before the departure.....

Frankly I have no idea yet how I will get into all days life, I guess it'll simply happen...

Anyway, I will submit stuff when I am back tomorrow and in the next couple of days.

<winghugs all!>

...and I am finally getting what you could call a positive high!

I am looking forward to this, and it gets me almost as antsy as a kid on XMas day. Heh, everybody needs positive things, right? Anyways, I am ready to meet everybody who coems my way. Old friends, new ones, and maybe I'll watch Jackrow and Scale drawing something.

Oh yes, watch out for an upcoming submission. I lost a scale on my suit's foot that I somehow had to imitate. It was a bit of a nasty challenge, but it feels good when you're done.

Want to meet me at EF22? Feel free to send me a message.

Whee. I think I never hugged so many suiters like this year. A couple of things in my life have changed, so I am feeling differently now.

I think I made a few really good friends at EF this year. Beyond them Zuzufur, Jazzbadger and especially Jackrow, the artist, from Hungary. Aside from two sketches by Scale and Jackrow (which are totally great already) I am looking forward to a fully blown commission done by Jackrow. :)

Also I was participating in a EF photoshoot, one of the shots was done with a very realistic demon suiter. THAT should turn out great. :)

My digi-leggings and suit feet have arrived in january, so this year I could show them off along with the rest of the suit. Also I was approached by some press person on how much my suit caught their attention and that they would like to interview me about the design.

I refused however, since I could not make out what they wanted it for, besides saying that it is for a 'film' about Eurofurence. Sorry but that was too vague to take a risk, we all know how such things CAN turn out.

I will upload the two images in a bit! So keep your eyes peeled!

Only 8 days to go for THE HIGHLIGHT of the year, Eurofurence. I wish tho it was all happiness, if it wasn't for a very persistent cough and even worse, my suit legs.

I am getting a pair of digitigrade leggings and dragon feet. My suit maker is working hard to make it happen,y et while it all looked like it was no big problem two months ago, he's now working hard to finish them in time.

Chances are looking bad, however, shipping to Germany by normal means is as good as out of question and prolly pretty expensive UPS shipping could be the only solution. IF they get finished at all.

Cross fingers. This surely has me unsettled...

Sometimes things change very unexpectedly...the suitwalk tomorrow wasn't even planned for me a week ago. Now I got a walk and out of the blue the guy who organizes it tells us there will be a TV team filming us. It's not quite the nice way to not tell us from the start.

I just know at merely 4 spotters and 4 suiters I am going to stand out like crazy.

The station will be PRO7 and http://brand-rocker.tv/ ... PRO 7 doesn't exactly have a reputation for well researched reports and the stuff. It's all entertainment, commercials and even a show with dubbed and selected "Worst of" of some american punch ya in the face drama talkshows like Oprah Winfrey.

Please don't ask me what to think of whats going to happen tomorrow. Problem is if the drift of the report is wrong the furs at furbase.de forum might just bash us like crazy. But then again such controversial things like such a walk also get me highly curious BECAUSE of the controversity. It makes me want to see and judge myself.

I kinda wish Donta or Rin were there to hold my hand... not like I needed a babysitter, but it would just feel good.

Ah well, looks like things are coming together. A couple of small details of my suit and costume are fixed now. For example the threads of the Hakama that just began losing the fuzzy things at the end from the start (Talk about quality, heh). A DIY store had jade pearls that I use as new and very nice looking decoration for it. Also I painted one two spots of the mask.

Now, the new thing will be my DRAGON LEGS to be finished very soon by Lionel. I am curious to see what he came up with for the dragon look ^.^. Actually they're overdue already for a month. But better wait than rushing it.

Soo, here I am again. EF20 seems to be organized concerning me. I've got a roommate whom I spent some time with at EF18 and 19, and I think we both had fun.

Certainly no word from Puma...but at least I got a smartphone now. Despite being a die hard IT person I was never fond of smartphones or of being permanently available. Have you ever noticed how people with such devices behave, getting lost in messaging, almost being run over by a car or blocking the exit of a tram? ... ;) evolutionary selection the high tech way. The *really* smart ones survive.

Well either way, a smartphone is useful as snapshot camera, mobile photo archive, MP3 player, FM radio...chat terminal. That's what I need. ^.^ Mine is a little S3 Mini....

Want my phone number for Whatsapp? Let me know!

It's that time again. I am registered for EF20, but this all has a bitter aftertaste.

The guy I shared my room with at EF18/19, a long term friend and a (formerly) reliable one at that...so far...has cut off contact with me two weeks after he left my place at the end of September. After saying "I'm going to miss you" on the porch. Nothing happened, totally nothing. And this is the third time in a year that he did. No word, nothing for Xmas, but he had the time to update his d*mn plushie log at www.followsimba.com.

Thank you. Now I most likely have to look for someone else...This leaves a lot of broken trust behind. Not only in him but...do you know the feeling when these things also leave you quite a bit paranoid with your friendships to others when this happens for totally no reason?

There is one simple rule and question for me: If someone does not even bother spending 5 minutes to give you a lifesign, what are you worth in their eyes? I'm inclined to say: NOTHING. Even if it sounds harsh.

Excuse me. It's a real "FSCK U!" time for me....

<sigh> What a con to behold. And almost over already. Boy why must the good ones be so short?

I never dreamt that Psistorm, Rin and I could rock the suiter parade/community as we did. Psistorm's dragon suit and my Ranari tiger-dragon hybrid were the talk beween us and interested other suiters in the suiter lounge and about the furries at the hotel when we were stopped for shots and cuddles.

Psistorm and I being first-time suiters at EF and Rin and I being such a perfect in-suit couple at the suiter parade through Magdeburg

Also I want to say the people in magdeburg welcomed us very well for years, and prolly gave us extra attention this year since EF will move to Berlin in 2014.

A bit of a pity...

Hmkay, so my gloves took 9 days to get across the pond and now they are stuck in Frankfurt due to the customs. According to DHL the custums can keep them up to 12 days...

OK just what do they mind this time?
<sigh>


While I am waiting it is time to take the last step to order a costume.
My idea was to wear a Yukata (Men's Kimono) and an Obi (broad traditional japanese belt) along with my partial suit, however one that's NOT having a typically japanese pattern, be it dragons (redundant!) or japanese icons. Ranari are aliens after all. I have found a mail order company in Japan, but I am always open to suggestions for either costume styles or websites to order respective costumes/pieces of clothing.

Fire away, folks!

PS: My dream would actually be a Minbari costume, but since they're nowhere to find, they'd be way beyond my budget if I have to have one tailored.

I guess the subject alone is an oxymoron to begin with.

My mask took from monday to friday to get from Atlanta to my town in Germany. Fine. So I thought I'd have my paw gloves rather quickly. Yeah right. After breaking the horns they decided apparently to take it slow on something that can't be really broken. (Don't quote me on this, who knows what I'll find once I get them)

The mail tracking told me today that they shipped them from Atlanta to MIAMI, taking four days. And according to tracking they are still in transit to Germany since the 14th.

Yes right Atlanta is a darn redneck village that happened to get the Olympics thanks to an ominous brown soft drink company and doesn't have an international airport...

<facepaws!>

That's what you get for 60US$ priority postage.

I was lucky today and caught Lionel on Second Life.

His plans for the gloves are that he wants to make them overall furry, with scales on the outside of my lower arms, handpaws and dragon/gryphon talons instead of feline claws.

He already made the pawpads a few weeks ago. Apparently the tactile feedback will be good enough to do normal things like opening your wallet, turn pages, etc.

Have you ever had to take gloves off all the time in winter to pay an ATM machine or so? It's annoying...and you certainly can't do that on a suitwalk.

Looking forward to this!

Folks,

Friday was supposed to be a great day in my life, since my mask arrived after only 4 days in the mail from Georgia to Germany. I was stunned at the speed.

So I Made it a bit of an event to unbox it. And then it hit me.
The horns of the mask were broken off midway.

WHAT THE HELL DID USPS AND DHL DO WITH THAT? PLAY BASKETBALL?

Thats what Lionel wrote me when he read my email. Not in all caps but I am sure he meant it that way. How well I understand an artist seeing his work and heartblood being maltreated like this.

Heaven knows I want to find the mail idiot who must have jammed an edge into the box and the side of one horn....the box must have been pressed together by ~5 inches/12.5 cm or more.

The good thing is I will be able to fix it, most likely to a level where it will be invisible to anyone unless you tell them.

I am using a special exmpanding PU glue, The Green Stuff ™ by Citadel and Revell acrylic paints...I am going to upload a shot of the damage.

Yet it's quite a challenge to do right, THIS a first for me.

PS: Gonna upload a shot of the mess... and how I am fixing this

Okay, it is truly time now. My mask is going to be done tomorrow, so this is the great moment. Her eis a series of WIP shots, the last ones (WIP 4 and 4a) being the newest and being the final look.

To my very big surprise, the dragon eyes and the jewel having been the last features really did the trick for the perfection that I hoped for all those months since september! It is the magic that the right amount of detail does ^.^

I wonder if anything like this has ever seeen the light of Eurofurence. If not...beware, the Ranari is coming to have a hell lot of fun with all of you!

--- WIPshots, Shot 4 ---

Sooo...things are progressing. I have gotten the first two shots from Lionel, of the mask without fur, but with horns. It looks VERY promising. So far it weights just under two pounds, he wrote.

Sorry to not post those shots here, he said he does not like taking shots that early in the process, so I'll not do it. Yet.

The face looks a bit more streamlined than a regular tiger head to bring out a bit more of the draconian character, without neglecting the tiger character at all.

Quoting him: "This is going one hell of a show piece when it is done".

^.^ Cross fingers, peepls.

Hello folks,

I really did not expect things to go that well. My upfront payment for the gryphon/dragon forearm gloves was made 10 days ago, and I have the needed funds for the mask, EF19 (including an extra day) and the gloves save for a few bucks.

I am getting some shots soon, Lionel wrote. I just have to amke sure to get a bit more involved in details...but it is hard to tell if it's the time yet. The airbrushing, fur and painting is as far as I know the last step...I just hope he sculpted everything right so far.

Hm, I think I have to be more straightforward...

Americans, Oy! ;)

Hey people,

I got word from Lionel of Lion of the Sun Productions. My mask is in the making now. No pictures yet but it is time, finally. ^.^

You know if someone believes in their animal self, as we Otherkins do, that an artist- be is a suit maker or furry artist, knows your true look first before you do? <g> A bit eerie, isn't it?

Okay one can say it's only an approximation anyway and in the end noone truly know you but yourself...yet, that's a bit fatalistic, isn't it?

Hm, I hope you catch my drift.

So, as it looks now I will also be able to afford the gryphon/dragon foretalon gloves.

Well, there I was. Back at home and facing the task of finding a REALISTIC and at the same artistic fursuit maker. Intoxicated since EF17, and now...after I had my tail done by Mystifur, I saw a reasonable chance to have a partial suit made to actually make Amurtigress visible and touchable.

I talked with a few suiters in the last months at our local furmeet and got the usual replies: It takes months to find the right maker and get a commission slot. Then even more months to have the suit or mask finished. Cool prospect isn't it? Anyway I had to tackle the problem ASAP if I wanted to get serious about it.

On top of my list was Clockwork Creatures/Quarrezel. For a premium price certainly. I also approached Lance Ikegawa asking for advice.

Here's where my fate somehow laughed in the face of the almighty odds. I am pretty sure if you find a rundown dude somewhere out in the streets, it's my personal Murphy shot dead right between the eyes.

I came across the page http://www.lionofthesun.com and approached Lionel.

He was really interested in my idea of making a realistic dragontiger mask and offered me a commission slot for a special price, delivery due in february.

I'm not kidding you. It took me 48h to find a good maker AND get a slot with him. I paid the 50% upfront payment on monday and now we're already tossing ideas around. Gonna keep you updated as the first work in progress shots come in.

Okay fuzzballs, I need your help. I could use suggestions and contact info on fursuit makers that can do reasonably realistic suits. Any recommendation welcome, preferrably makers in Europe and North America.

I am aiming for having a mask/head made of my original Amurtigress character or the newer Ranari half dragons, and appropriat foretalon gloves to cover up the most prominent human features. Full suit not excluded but certainly a question of the pricing.

So far in the race:

Lance Ikegawa (need contact information! Not sure the email I have is up to date)
Clockwork Creatures
Mystifur (Plans on investments to be able to make more realistic suits)

Ruled out:

Beetlecat (Only does full suits anymore)
AtalonTheDeer (Pricing, potentially style)

Here I am back in my stupid old real life. You know how that is when that happens, it's a struggle to feel normal again.

Eurofurence 18 was a real experience. Such a positive attitude, almost at the verge of euphoria. I met so many people and talked to dozens, and even met some I did not expect to in my wildest dreams. Let me mention first in line:

2TheRantigGryphon, Uncle Kage, Psistorm Ikura, Rin The Dragon, Camrath the lion, Tzu Pei Chen...ah too many to list really. And a lot of stories to tell!

Back. A bit down. but with refreshed spirits.

Next year for EF19 I am going to try and have my Clockwork mask ready for a part suit.

Hi friends,

only a bit more than 2 weeks until EF18 so it's about time.

If anybody wants to meet me and Puma there, please send me a noti
e!

I am going to give you my mobile number so you can call or SMS me. After all we only get the room numbers once we're there, AFAIK.

Alternatively you can let me know where else to meet at EF/Magdeburg.

Looking forward to hearing from you!