...and I realise how long it has been since I have used this profile page...


So it's time to start talking about MiDFur I guess
Here is a meme

So where am I staying? Can we hang out? I filled out this questionnaire to answer all these pressing questions. Feel free copy/paste this and fill this out yourself on your own journal too!

Where are you staying?

Arrow On Swanston


What day are you getting there?

Sunday 2nd December

Where will you be most of the time during the days?

At the Convention :D

Where will you be most of the time during the nights?

Probably visiting some room parties on the Wednesday and Friday nights, and Down in the Dance Parties on Tues, Thurs and Sat nights

Who will you be hanging out with?

EVERYONE!!!


Who are you hoping to meet?

Im really looking forward to meeting dreamsong finally, as well as seeing old friends kagemushi tallyhawk 2Gryphon and bigbluefox

What time do you get up/go to bed?

Bed? What the heck is that?!


What's the best way to get a hold of you?

You will see me around. It doesn't hurt to lure my attention away with something with Vodka in it... Or a nice Moscatto too :P

Do you do free art?

Alas no.. I don't -do- art

Do you do trades?

I will gladly trade you a great week, for a glass of wine. Deal?

Are you selling anything at MiDFur?

Just the official MiDFur Merch. Check out MiDFur.bigcartel.com for more info

What do you look like?

I'll be wearing a suit and tie. You can't miss me.


Do you have a fursuit?

I have a business suit? Does that count?

Hugs?

Hmm... Only if you ask nicely :D

Can I talk to you?

Without a doubt!!

Can I look in your sketchbook?

I don't have one at the moment... I really should get one though huh

Can I draw in your sketchbook?

See above.

Can I buy you a drink?

Without a doubt!

Can I take your picture?

Say Cheese!!!!

MiDFur, Australia’s largest furry convention, is happening very soon! It’s on in Melbourne at Rydges On Swanston from December 2nd to 6th.

You can find more about MiDFur on the website – www.midfur.com.au

So where am I staying? Can we hang out? I filled out this questionnaire to answer all these pressing questions. Feel free copy/paste this and fill this out yourself on your own journal too!

Where are you staying?

What day are you getting there?

Where will you be most of the time during the days?

Where will you be most of the time during the nights?

Who will you be hanging out with?

Who are you hoping to meet?

What time do you get up/go to bed?

What's the best way to get a hold of you?

Do you do free art?

Do you do trades?

Are you selling anything at MiDFur?

What do you look like?

Do you have a fursuit?

Hugs?

Can I talk to you?

Can I look in your sketchbook?

Can I draw in your sketchbook?

Can I buy you a drink?

Can I take your picture?

Hey there Australian Furry Fandom.

MiDFur is 7 weeks away!

With that said, there is still a lot of people saying they plan to attend, but have not registered. Some are planning on registering on the day.

Aside from an administration fee of $20 that will be charged for on-the-day registration, I would like to discuss the financial situation of the convention with you all.

I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the reason for us requesting your registration and payment as soon as possible.

MiDFur is a not for profit event. It is run entirely on the funds of registrations from you, the awesome attendees that make MiDFur the world class event that it is. At the time of writing, less than half of those registered for MiDFur have paid, and a lot of others who plan to attend, and have even booked their flights, but are yet to pay.

With fees due to Rydges due before the event, this will leave us in quite the difficult position of having to consider shortening the convention in order to be able to pay for it. Naturally this is a worst case scenario, but with 7 weeks until MiDFur, it is something we are finding that we have to begin considering.

We would ask that you please pay special attention to considering finalising your registration and making your payment as soon as possible. Even a 50% deposit at this stage will improve our circumstances.

That said, we understand that people have other financial commitments and that paying for a furry con has to come after paying the bills and such.

Just know that your support doesn’t go unappreciated; MiDFur is here because you’re here.

Please feel free to contact Foxen on finances[at]midfur.com.au to arrange payment or discuss other payment options.

Thanks again for your support. MiDFur would not happen without you!

Calling all furry artists: Australia's furry convention is seeking art
to put in its con book.

MiDFUr is held in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) at Rydges Hotel on
December 3rd to 6th, 2009. After making history as Australia's first
furry convention, we're looking to take MiDFur to the next level - and it all starts with having a snazzy con book. In addition to receiving our gratitude, having your art in the con book means it will be admired and seen by a couple hundred of your furry peers - including our guests of honour: animator Tim Albee and comedian 2, the Ranting Gryphon.

To submit, please either attach the art or provide a link to the art and send an email to: conbook[at]midfur.com.au

Also note the following:
* Pieces inside the con book will be printed in black & white
* Cover art will be printed in colour
* Artworks that tie into MiDFur's convention theme of "At The Movie" are encouraged.
* For printing we'll require the artwork to be at least at 300dpi
* Please submit your art before Nov 1st (to give us time to actually print the con book)

For more information about MiDFur, visit www.midfur.com.au

BY: Fursociation Design has released the next five shirts in the "Villainous" t shirt clothing line as of right now!

These shirts are available to view on my FA, and to purchase on the BFD website

visit www.byfursociation.com/designs.php

Remember, support your furry atists, and wear their shirts proudly. Every shirt sold thru the BFD site is extra money in the artists pocket to keep going!

Greetings all.

After the huge sucess that was the first release of the B:FD
"Villainous" range, we are releasing the 2nd shirt in the series.

Check out this icy character >
http://byfursociation.com/shop/prev.....ainous/ice.php

This shirt, as well as the previous release is available now at the BY:
Fursociation Shop.

http://byfursociation.com

We are live, and ready to take orders...!

visit www.byfursociation.com

The shirt looks great!
cant wait to see you wearing it!
:P

Well, I have been thinking... a lot of people are interested in what happens behind the scenes at MiDFur.

We get questions often about how things are going, and a lot of people have put forward some awesome ideas that have truly made MiDFur so much more exciting this year.

So, I pose the question to you...

If you were running your own furry convention, how would you run it?

What panels would you run?

Who would you invite as a guest of honour?

Id love to hear what you all have to say

<3

Well, i figured its time to get to know more furs from outside Australia!!

I love the Australian Fandom! There are so many wonderful furs to talk to. Surely it cant be confined to just Australia tho right?

Well, if you want to chat with me, feel free to add me on AIM.

Im Arcticpete82

talk to you all soon!
<3

By: Fursociation was created in 2007 as a furry owned and opperated clothing label.
Its primary function is to provide the world wide furry fandom with top quality clothing and merchandise for a reasonable price, With art work designed by some of the biggest and best Furry artists in the world.

It is with great pleasure that BY: Fursociation Design releases the First of 8 designs in a line entitled "BY: Villainous". The design, titled "I can make you laugh...", will officially go on sale on July 1st, at MIDNIGHT EST, and draws influence from perhaps one of the most famous, and popular villains of all time.

You can preview the design by following this link.
http://byfursociation.com/preview/v.....nous/laugh.php


With a new shirt to be released every 3 weeks, we are extremely excited about this line of shirts.

Based in South America, JAEH is an exceptionally talented artist, with a keen eye for the Anthro style.

JAEH is a Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Comic Book artist, and has found himself overwhelmed by the support of his fellow Anthro Artists and Fans on Furaffinity, one of the top 5000 websites on the internet (as of November 2007)

Known for his busty designs, JAEH came to the attention of B:FD 6 months ago, during a release JAEH refered to as "Badder". Popular villains from the comic world, with an edgy furry twist.

While you are on the site, be sure to check out all of the other designs available from some of the great Anthro Artists today, including Firey, KaelidescopeKat, Kraden, and of course Blotch.


BY: Fursociation
Get Fursociated... Visit http://www.byfursociation.com

Oh yea...

add me on twitter, if ya wana kow more useless stuff about what im doing RIGHT NOW!!!

arcticpete

Well, It has been a very long time coming, but im finally back at it, and here to update everyone (anyone?) that cares.

So, the last few months have been quite the experience.

Ben Raven and I had the amazing opportunity to visit some of the beautiful furs in Perth about 6 weeks ago!

We had the most amazing time. Arriving late thursday night, we went for a nice trip into the heart of Perth city. Such an awesome city. Small but packed with so much to do.

After purchasing some new clothes... (yea, I forgot to pack clothes AGAIN! (ala MiDFur X)) we went to some nice cafes, had an awesome lunch, and enjoyed the golden warmth of a beautiful Perth day.

Friday night we ventured to the Perth Furs favourite watering hole, where we got to meet even more furs. Furs everywhere I say!
Only half way through the night did my raven turn to me and ask if the bar we were at was, in fact, a gay bar. (For those who dont know, my new partner Ben Raven is not only new to the furry scene, but to the gay scene as well. Having never been to a gay bar, it came as some what of a shock seeing 2 dudes making out in the middle of the dance floor...

So, much alcohol was consumed, and then a walk into the city for post-drinks kebabs. From the city, we walked home. Now, to me, this walk seemed like it went for over an hour! Slightly (yea right) drunk, and happily enjoying playing catch up to the sober people, and every five minutes, asking my raven where my phone and sunnies were (he had told me a number of times that he had them and was holding them so i dont loose them).
Finally home... crash time.

Day 2 was fun! We went to the first ever Perth Fur gathering.

It was great seeing so many furs in attendance. Catching up with old friends... making some new ones. In particular, it was awesome to catch up with Paul Kidd, and Brainsister, and PharWarner!

Brain, Phar, Ben and I all went out to dinner that night. Sitting at the chinese restaurant, a small chinese girl came out to take our order. After commenting on Phars tail (he was wearing a horse tail), she asked where he got it from.

In the heat of the moment, i quipped "Well, the last place we went, the waitress didnt take our order in time, so we cut her hair off and turned it into a tail."

the morbidly curious, yet horrified look on her face as she darted to get away from us was priceless! At least I thought so. (evil stares from the rest of the group indicated that perhaps I was a little too harsh... )

So, Sunday had come around. Ben and I went into the city again this time for an early morning Iced Mocha and Croissant from breaky.

We went and saw Watchmen with Brain, Phar and Sexy Mel. Then went to dinner at an awesome bbq Korean Restaurant. (The waiter there -did- in fact serve us hastily.)

Back to Bastetts house, a few drinks, and a couple of hours of talking, and we were ready to jump the plane and head back to Melbourne.

Thanks so much guys, for what was an awesome weekend. Kudos to JM, Jack and Ronyo for an amazing Perth FurGathering. If you get the chance to go to one of these awesome gatherings, please do! They are just an awesome opportunity to get to meet people who you otherwise never would have known about, hang out with like minded people, and enjoy a great weekend in some awesome company.

Again, to JM, and Bastett, thanks for putting us up for the weekend! Love the attic! Nearly broke my ankle going into that bathroom in the middle of the night tho. LOL.

Brain, Phar, and Paul... fantastic to catch up with you guys again. I love you all so very much.

Vulpy, Ronyo, Kyras, Sirukie, and everyone else I caught up with again this weekend, you are the best!

So, back in Melbourne, we went and saw NINE INCH NAILS!
Yep! Jealous? Dont be. They were shite! THEY DIDNT EVEN PLAY "CLOSER!"

Last week, we went and saw Mindless Self Indulgence! I love MSI! They put on the best show, and the venue was just perfect for the show.

Last night we went and saw Tim Minchin! This dude is the funniest guy evar! You gotta check it out!

click here to see a youtube vid of Tim Minchin in Anger Management therapy! ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lktd1OBHVI )

So, things with the Raven are going really well. In fact, so well that he asked me to move in with him and his mum! So, last thursday, I moved in with mah Benny Raven! Southern Melbourne is great. Close to everything. It takes a little less time to get to work now too. So instead of waking up at 5:30am, i can wake up at 5:40am!! How wicked!

So, this week, we are going to see Dylan Moran! He had better be drunk. Cos put simply, sober Dylan Moran is just NOT FUNNY! (Oh, and I hear some of his new material involves Furries...

We are planning for our trip to the US in a couple of months time, and im also planning a big surprise for Ben for his birthday!

As for MiDFur... well... I have a special sneak peek for you.

As you may or may not know, we are releasing special limited edition MiDFur Movie Posters in the lead up to this years "MiDFur at the Movies"

Be sure to check the new movie poster out soon.


MiDFur regos are going exceptionally well. For this time of year, Im overwhelmed by the ammount of people already registered to attend our little convention.

We have announced both 2 Gryphon's return to Oz, and Timothy Albee's attendance as guests of honour, but there is still more! We have another 2 guests of honour from the US to be announced shortly! Im stoked to have these guests attending!

Anyway, Thats all from me. The raven has just arrived back home, and i think its time to play Resident Evil 5!

Til next time,

AP!

Its up!

Check out www.ausfa.org

Make a bid.

There is more art coming over the next few days

At this, it has been six long days in which we have has seen over 50 bush fires claim the lives of nearly 200 people.

There have been over 750 homes lost and nearly 4000 people displaced by these ravenous bushfires. This unfortunate disaster has now superseded the infamous 2002 Bali Bombing and the 1983 Ash Wednesday disaster in both severity and in damage.

Its heart breaking to say that some of these fires have been deliberately lit by arsonists – our fellow Australian’s - which only sharpens the blow.

On behalf of its members, guests and Board of Directors, MiDFur offers its condolences and deepest sympathies to those who have been affected or experienced loss as a result of these bushfires.

All across the country the support for those affected has been tremendous. Now I would like for the furry community – a community known for its kindness and support – to come together in a show of strength and unity, to help our fellow man. Many of us are not fire-fighters, or veterinarians, or police officers – but we want to help in any way we can. There are a number of drives, appeals and fundraisers taking place – and we want to contribute. And I know we can do this, because we’ve done it before.

At MiDFur last year, we successfully held perhaps one of the most exciting and memorable moments in Australian furry history. With little more than a half an hour's notice, we, the Australian Furry Community raised a little over $4,000 for the RSPCA! What a surreal moment. To those who were there, you know what I’m talking about. The thrill of seeing a notoriously "broke" community band together to support something they believe in. The high of watching people unite to save a piece of history. The raw emotion of such an experience still lives in the hearts and mind of all those in attendance.

And because of this, I know we can do this again. Not only that, I know we can outdo ourselves.

On Feb 21st, The Australian Furry Association will be holding a National Fundraiser, with events taking place in every major capital city. The event will be a charity art auction – but we will also be accepting donations both at the event and via the website, which is www.AUSFA.org.

Our target for this fundraiser is $10,000. I ask you... I implore you, please dig deep.

When you click onto the Australian Furry Association website
(http://www.ausfaa.org) you will find a bushfire appeal forum. On Feb 15th at 9pm EST, the forum will be opened to the general public. On this forum, will be over 100 pieces of art work from artists all over the world.

To place a bid on one of these items, simply reply to the post featuring the piece of art work you wish to obtain, declaring how much you wish to bid. (Your bid must be greater than that of the previous bid).

Out of respect to the victims lost in these tragic events, this auction, unlike the one at MiDFur, will be a silent auction.

Then on Saturday the 21st of February, live events will be held in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. These local meets will be the culmination of the week of online bidding.

Bidding will end on that night – Saturday 21st – at 9:30pm EST. All of the local meet details will be posted up on the auction forum at www.AUSFA.org. RSVPing to these events will be appreciated.

I implore you over the next few days, please take the time to consider the amount you can give to this appeal.

Remember, we’re not just furries, we’re people. A number of us are artists – and I believe all of us are good people. We just want to use what we have to help. Together, we can make an impact.

Evil can only ever prevail, when good people do nothing!

So, MiDFur has come and gone.

So much to talk about, so many memories made, and so many people met.

To coin a phrase from my very good friend Paul Kidd,
"It’s a good con when I can reconnect with old friends! It’s a great con when I can walk away with 3 or 4 new ones! But I just went to MiDFur, and have made 200 new friends!"

Whilst MiDFur was not perfect, it certainly was worth it! To put faces to names, to reconnect with old friends, to embrace those who I may not have seen eye to eye with for the last 12 months, and to have an incredible group of people come together for one reason, to celebrate our similarities, whilst respecting our diversities, that, my friends is what this was all about!

And for allowing me to be apart of that, I thank you!

So, a few highlights to my week that was MiDFur:

Thursday: Dinner with the Guests of Honour. Lygon Street still has the best Pizza in Australia! If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend you visit the cafe and pizza district in Lygon St. (And don’t forget to invite me!)

Friday: The Furries Invade!
*The Mezzanine Level at the Vic Hotel was inundated with beautifully colourful and oddly attractive furs from all over the world! It was surreal
*Walking up the stairs of the convention centre, about to officially open the doors to the convention. The emotion... the vibe... the electricity...
*"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to MiDFur!" Doors open to cheers and squeals of delight as a cascade of Furries stream down to the convention centre! Listening to everyone as they caught a glimpse of our "ground zero" for the weekend... I almost cried!
*Meet the Guests!
"MiDFur, Please welcome your guests of Honour, 2 the Ranting Gryphon, Dr Samuel "Uncle Kage" Conway, and Paul Kidd!
*The house red! The best house red I have had for years!

Late Friday night:
Listening to a beautiful 86 year old woman play the most sound, and emotionally charged rendition of "Memories" fro the musical "Cats!"

Saturday: Rain Rain Go away...
*Waiting 2 hours for Pizza (Thanks Pizza Hut!)
*Walking down Little Collins St, and seeing Furries everywhere!
*The Gala Ball! Wow the Gala Ball was electric!
With the introduction of Zaen Kreecha, Our 4th Guest of Honour, The First ever Furry Hall of Fame induction (Thank you Goldfur, Anthrocon (Uncle Kage)), beautiful food provided by the wonderful Hifi Bar and Ballroom, an explosion of colour as the dance got underway, and the free flowing wine and photo opportunities in the Mezzanine Level, This event was certainly by far the most memorable to me! 2 and Kage put on an awesome "Unplugged, Uncensored" show. I didn’t want the night to end!

Sunday: The con with More MON!
* The Panels! 4 awesome panels, filled with interesting insights into the furry life. From fur suiting, to Costuming, to defining ones furriness and general chat about furry life with the Guests of Honour. These panels were awesome!
*The No Talent Night! Marko the Rat playing air guitar! GOLD! Nightfur singing my very favourite song in he whole world... Dude, that took fuck loads of guts! Kudos to you! The puppet show... our very own puppet show! Loved it. The Wolf Growls... Anthrax, no one is more metal than you brother! Rock on!
*2 and Kage... the show that never ended... at least, we didn’t want it to! Are these 2 guys the best of what?! And we have videos of ALL of it! (Its true... we really do!)

*Monday: Can it truly be almost over?!
*More panels! The Art panel was AWESOME! So much information, demonstration... the audience seemed captivated! And to have the creator of Doc Rat, Jenner as apart of this panel, as well as one of my personal favourite artists, Ashiland, Plus Con Book cover designer Carnival, and Vice Chairman Kraden all on one table... it was like learning from the gods!

*The MiDFur Committee: Tell us what you think Panel! Having a group of your peers tell you that you have done a great job, and that they want to input to help make it better next year... that was awesome! Every single thought, question and queries were noted, and we will be doing our best to ensure we step up even more next year!

*The Art Auction!
I have never been so proud, so emotionally struck to call my self an Australian! To watch over 150 ppl pull everything they had together to make sure that a piece of AUSTRALIAN furry history STAYS in Australia, and not in America... What an incredible... mind numbing experience! This one moment will live on in my memory.

When the American bidder placed a bid of $550, and then the Aussies all pooled together, throwing more and more money in, long after the former bidder pulled out... to watch the Aussie furs count the money, and keep calling out how much money they had, long before there was no more competition... and then to be handed the historical Poster, and asked to look after it, preserve it, ...

Words cannot express the deep sense of patriotism, honour, and humility I felt!

The poster is in the process of being framed. Once framed, it will be put on display at every single MiDFur convention from here on. It will serve as a memory to us all that we were there... we made history... and no amount of money can take that away from us!

To then get the final count... over $3800 raised for the RSPCA (Yes folks, that money will go directly to the RSPCA. We will have a photo of me handing the cheque over put us as soon as we can make the appointment to meet with the National Director of the RSPCA)

MiDFur, all in all, was a huge success! To all of those who made it possible, from the bottom of my heart, I am for ever indebted to you!

Kraden, I love you man! Thank you for your support!

Kaz, Thanks for keeping my feet on the ground! I love you!

Firey, you truly are an incredible dude! You were there with me for all of it. The highs, and the lows. Thank you for everything you have done, but even more than that, for being loyal to me, even when I was being difficult. Thank you for who you are!

Fala, your job was tiresome, and some what stressful. So much was riding on you being able to pull figures together, and make it happen and you did a firkin awesome job my friend! Consider this a refusal to accept your resignation!

To the rest of the committee... Past and present, you are all my heroes! Thank you for being there... all year!

To our wonderful volunteers without whom MiDFur would not have been possible, for your tireless efforts, I give you my thanks, and respect! Thank you, every single one of you!

Kelthoran, Thanks for helping me out all weekend mate! You kept me sane!
Barbary, you scrub up nicely! Thanks for your work at the Gala Ball
Jenera, Wicked job kitten! Love you to bits!

To all those I have forgotten, please understand that with out each and every single one of you, this would never have happened!! Thank you and I can’t wait to speak with you through out the year!

To 2, Uncle Kage, Paul and Zaen..... Imp speechless!
2, I fell in love with you! You are a credit to the fandom. It was truly an honour to have you here! Can’t wait for July!
Uncle, I near on cried when I said good bye to you. Your words of advice, wisdom, and encouragement did not fall on deaf ears! We will make you proud! Thank you for being apart of this!
Paul, you are the strangest, zaniest, wackiest person I have ever met! Where have you been all my life?!
Zaen, YOU... SCARE... ME...! You must have some F*CKED up dreams! But geez, you and Allen added that extra special touch... it was pure magic!

And finally, to everyone single person who attended... Please, take a bow, pat yourself on the back, buy yourself a drink, and know that you did something special last weekend! You made history! For allowing me the honour of travelling with you, I thank you!

I will now leave with you perhaps the most remarkable comment I received from one of my very best friends in the world, just after MiDFur ended!
"It’s a good Convention when I reconnect with old friends! It's a great convention when I make 3 or 4 friends. But I just came home from MiDFur, with over 200 new friends!"

Peace, I love you all!!!

Onward to 2009!