I will be at Sonic Neon Summit, a new Sonic the Hedgehog convention held in Reno, Nevada this June. It's got the same venue, and some of the same staff, as Biggest Little Fur Con.

I've been a Sonic fan since childhood, and this is the first time I've had the opportunity to attend something like this. Thanks to  lucasvn for informing me that the con even existed, and helping to make the trip possible.

If this sounds like something that might be up your alley, keep an eye on https://sonicneon.org/

Anyone out there going?

I'll be at my hometown con, Furlandia, in Portland, OR over labor-day weekend (May 23-25). I plan to stay in the main hotel and bring two suits: Clopan 2.0 (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57784282/) as a "showpiece" fullsuit, and Lullaby (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/54966216/) as a more casual partial suit. To fit the time travel theme, Clopan will probably be in Ren Faire garb, and Lullaby will be in a late-80's neon outfit.

As usual, I'm playing it pretty loose. Hoping to make the Animorphs Meet-up, Fursuit Acting panel, and/or Sketchbook Swap on Friday; the fursuit parade, Trading Post, and Poketubers panels on Saturday; and the "Goth, Punk & Metal" and Improv panels Sunday afternoon. 

See you there?

This past February my husband and I staffed Get Out the Float, a small inflatables-themed furry convention held in Seaside, OR.

We got off to a pretty rough start. The universe threw every possible logistical SNAFU at us, including an ice storm that delayed or prevented some staff and attendees from coming. I started on-site work for the con on Tuesday, and it felt like things didn’t even begin to settle into a groove until Friday.

Despite the chaos and headache, ultimately things went well. 95% of my fellow staff were kind and helpful, and I genuinely felt like a welcome and respected part of the team—far more than I did when volunteering at other cons. I have a newfound respect for just how much hard work goes into planning and executing a convention.

Despite working my tail off, I had a better time than I did in 2024. I participated in events I had previously missed out on (like the fursuit parade and pool party), and got to draw doodles for charity donations while in fursuit.

Get Out the Float is continuously striving to grow and improve. It has a unique, intimate feel and offers things you won’t find at other cons. Even as someone with no particular interest in inflatables, I encourage anyone interested to check it out.

GOTF 2026 is scheduled for Feb. 12-15 (President’s Day/Valentines Day weekend): https://getoutthefloat.com

I will be staffing Get Out the Float, a small, friendly, inflatables-themed furry con held in Seaside, Oregon, Feb. 6-9. In recent years G.O.T.F. has grown from a large furmeet to a small convention. It has a unique vibe— it's held in the middle of a small, very walkable beach town with lots of tourist traps and funky little restaurants and shops. It's got bouncy castles, an all-day swimming pool party with huge elaborate pool toys, and a public fursuit parade right down the main drag, culminating in fursuiters riding a carousel at the mall.

Even if you have no particular interest in inflatables (I myself don't, outside of nostalgia and whimsy), I would recommend checking out this con: https://getoutthefloat.com/

-I will be at Furlandia (Portland, OR, May 24-26).
-I will most likely be running around in Lullaby (the purple skunk suit). Clopan's a classic and Summer's dear to my heart, but Lullaby's celestial motif fits the con's "Space" theme the best and she looks cute in an astronaut suit.
-I don't have any specific plans outside of participating in the fashion show.
-I will most likely be handling/supervising a newbie teen fursuiter, trying to keep him safe and entertained. This is bittersweet for me because I've watched him grow up, and his family are longtime close friends who will be moving away shortly after the event. It's sort of a "last hurrah."

I'm feeling pretty disconnected from the furry fandom lately. Maybe watching a youngster discover the scene for himself will help me see things with fresh eyes again. Furlandia's the kind of con where you often have to make your own fun, especially on a Sunday. Feel free to say Hi, grab a photo, etc. Just be respectful.

(TL;DR, I like fursuits with moving jaws. It’s hard to commission a moving jaw fursuit these days, for various reasons. If you’re in the market for one, I highly recommend  beastcub)

I have this weird fascination with fursuits with moving jaws. I think they were a big trend in fursuit making 10-15 years ago, but they’re not commonly demanded or offered anymore. Most fursuit makers dismissed them as a gimmick and stopped even TRYING to build them. It’s a shame, because I think hinged jaws REALLY add to the performance and “Wow factor” of a suit. The ONE thing all furry characters have in common is that they’re animals with the power of speech, so you’d think there’d be more demand for fursuits with the ability to “talk.”

I think moving jaws on fursuits fell by the wayside for two reasons:
1) It’s tricky to build sturdy, articulated jaws that work well and look good. Most fursuit makers just feel it’s more trouble than it’s worth, especially on a foam head base.
2) The norms of fursuit “performance” changed. A decade or two ago, fursuiters placed a large emphasis on “maintaining the magic” and trying to portray a character through immersive performance. You acted like an unpaid Disney cast member: You wouldn’t show skin, wouldn’t break character, wouldn’t take your head off in public, and wouldn’t speak unless you had an articulated jaw, because it broke the illusion of an anthropomorphic character.
Nowadays, people are WAY more casual about fursuiting. Fursuiters generally just act like they’re wearing a cool outfit, rather than portraying a character. Speaking through a static jaw has become totally normalized and expected, so nobody feels the that a moving jaw is important or necessary.

In 2018 or so, I wanted to commission a 2.0 version of my Clopan suit, and I was dead set on him having a moving jaw. I was startled to find out how few fursuit makers still offer them. It’s a short list.
If you remove the racists, predators and nutjobs, it’s even shorter.
If you remove the makers whose “moving” jaws don’t really work as advertised, it’s even shorter still. Buyer Beware: If a maker advertises moving jaws on their fursuits, but you can’t find any videos of their customers demonstrating the jaws, there’s probably a REASON for that.

I eventually landed on Beastcub as my maker for Clopan 2.0’s head, and I’m very fortunate that I got the opportunity to work with her. The suit came out wonderfully, and the hinged jaw is sensitive, expressive, and comfortable.
It works a bit differently than most maker’s hinged jaws—instead of the jaw being held closed with springs, and having you push it open with your own jaw, it works by having you bump a pad on the jaw with your chin. I find that the movement is “backwards”—if my jaw is wide open, Clopan’s is closed, and vice-versa. So it’s a little counterintuitive, but if you practice with it, you can get it to sync with your speech fairly well. I had a crazy amount of fun making TikToks with Clopan because of his ability to “lip-sync” and make expressive faces.

Do you have any thoughts on, or experiences with, fursuit moving jaws that you’d like to share?

I'm attending Biggest Little Fur Con in Reno, NV for the first time this Halloween. I'll be with my husband  atrayu and platonic other half  coffeehousedog, whom I haven't seen since 2020. I'm hoping to debut a new fursuit of Summer, my echidna fursona, made by  lizardlovesmustachecostumes. If she's not ready, I'll be there as Lullaby. Feel free to reach out to me here or on Telegram (@Clopan) if you'll be there and want to say Hi.

When I started this alternate account to my main ( doorintosummer) in 2011, it was primarily so I could follow as many fursuit makers as possible in order to find a maker for my first custom fursuit, Clopan. It was also a page focused on Clopan as a character in general (hence the user name).

Clopan is still around, but I feel less connected to him for a number of reasons and I'm choosing not to use him as my main character anymore. Summer and Lullaby resonate with me more these days.

This page is now less focused on fursuiting or Clopan, and more of a Toyhouse stand-in where I collect and display art of my characters drawn by other people (commissions, trades, etc.). For whatever reason, I barely draw my own characters, so you won't find much of them on my main art page.

I’m strongly considering commissioning U.K.-based fursuit maker 28 Paws Later (formerly Madcrafts) if/when they open. If you have any experience with their products or service I’d appreciate hearing about it!

I hope to have my fursuit character Clopan remade as a full digitigrade suit, and I'm currently communicating with a few potential makers. I may opt to have the head made by one maker and the bodysuit/remaining parts by a different maker.

Does anyone have experience commissioning a fursuit in this way? Would you recommend any makers who offer body suits and parts without requiring clients to commission a head?

I adore my Clopan fursuit from  Mischiefmakers and it's still holding up well after over four years, but I'm very interested in commissioning a toony suit with a moving jaw at some point. I've noticed that toony style moving jaws aren't commonly offered by fursuit makers, especially not on foam-based heads. I guess that's because it's a pain to build them and have them work properly.

I would really appreciate any recommendations for fursuit makers who offer toony-style moving jaw heads, especially if you have personal experience with their work.

[Cross-posted from my main account,  doorintosummer]

2017 was an eventful year for me. In April I married Atrayu, my boyfriend of four years. I was a nervous wreck in the months leading up to the wedding, but when the day finally came, I was serenely calm and happy. Atrayu is the best thing that could have happened to me. He is a steadfast partner, a hard worker, an innovative thinker, and never fails to surprise and amuse me with his quirky humor and unique outlook on life. His loyal, patient love keeps me grounded and his passion for life inspires me to become the best version of myself I can be.

In June I was permanently laid off from my job at SolarWorld, a German-owned solar panel manufacturer. Their parent company filed for bankruptcy because they couldn't compete with their cheaper Chinese rivals. The American factory let 300 of their 800 employees go. Some, like me, had only worked there a couple years. Some had worked there a decade. I really needed to leave that place anyway—the commute was way too long and working 12-hour graveyard shifts while standing on concrete wreaked havoc on my body.

In July I started working at a company that processes and cleans machine parts for semiconductor manufacturers like Intel. I basically stand in a cleanroom all day washing, drying, and inspecting parts. The pay is significantly higher, the commute is much shorter, the work is more mindful, and the swing shift is much easier on my body and brain than graveyard shift was. That said, the company has some cultural and administrative problems and they force us to work way too much overtime. I don't know how long I intend to work here. I feel like it would burn me out in the long term.

In November, Atrayu and I bought a home. It's in southeast Portland, OR, about a mile east from where our apartment was. It's awesome to have a place to really call our own. The location is easily accessible, with many amenities close by, but still in a quiet and pleasant neighborhood. We now have plenty of room for animals, arts and crafts, tooling and tinkering, and hosting gatherings without feeling packed in like sardines.

Next month I'll hit another milestone: turning 30. Here's to a happy and healthy 2018.

-I will be at Rainfurrest. It will be my only convention or big event of that sort in 2015.

-I won't arrive until Friday evening, because reasons. I'll be riding and rooming with my pal, "CoffeehouseDog" and my fiancé, "What's His Face." We'll be staying at the Rodeway, because we are cheapskates.

-Furry conventions are like college. Some people spend all their time going to classes (panels), others just party and get wasted and try to get laid. I'm the stick-in-the-mud panel-attending sort. That said, the only events that are non-negotiable for me are the fursuit parade and the fursuit games. Everything else I could take or leave.

-I will be running around as this goat:http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11829971/ , cosplaying as this schmuck:http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7292866/ , and combining the two (that is, Clopan the goat dressed like Clopin the human). You're going to hear me coming a long ways away, because I'll be wearing the most loud, annoying bells imaginable. Preceding me, you'll probably see a squirrel (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14032835/) and a pastel African wild dog (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16376409/), desperately running to try to escape the sound of the bells.

-To spot me out of suit: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/6519792/ I'm the one on the lower left here, and will probably be wearing the same paint-splatter hoodie. I'll have shorter, darker hair and squinty eyes that are trying to adjust to not wearing glasses.

-I will come prepared to do art and will probably attend at least one art jam, but I'm not selling anything. My general "No commissions, no trades, no requests" policy still stands.

-I won't be dancing much because I have no rhythm or stamina.

-I may drink a little, but caffeine will probably be my drug of choice. Alcohol tastes nasty, makes me sleepy, and seems to increase my self-consciousness instead of alleviate it. That defeats the point of drinking.

-I probably won't do much that you couldn't show in Saturday morning cartoons, except shower and use the toilet.

-It's hard to spend substantial, quality time with people at cons. A lot of my interactions with people are brief hallway encounters as we bump into each other on our way to completely different destinations. I feel like a ping pong ball bouncing from place to place, and that's going to be exaggerated at this con because I only have about two days to cram everything in. That said, I try to be very polite, laid-back and approachable. I'd love to meet some new people and see people I haven't seen in a while. So if you see me, please say Hi.

Like this: "Hi."

If someone treated me the way that I treat my friends and watchers, I would be mad at them. I have a tendency to leave messages unanswered for months (or for forever) when it should just take a couple of minutes to respond. I also haven’t updated my galleries for well over a year even though I have new stuff to post.

These habits cause me a lot of shame and embarrassment. Unanswered messages make me look cold, a stagnant gallery makes me look lazy.

It’s hard to explain why I do this. I seem to have some weird, OCD-like tendencies when it comes to online activity. For example, I feel like I can’t post new stuff if I don’t have it all properly sorted in chronological order and if I don’t have all my messages answered and my inboxes cleared (Guess what? They never are).

There’s also some social anxiety at play here. For most people with social anxiety issues, the internet is the one way they can communicate with others comfortably. That’s not true for me. I go through periods where I just avoid all social media because it provokes a lot of discomfort. If anything, speaking to people face-to-face is EASIER because I have the advantage of body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to convey and interpret meaning. If you take that all away and just communicate through text, I feel like I have to word things EXTREMELY carefully to avoid misinterpretation. It’s all too easy to shove messages aside and say “I’ll respond to those later when I’m in a better frame of mind,” then forget about them because that better frame of mind never comes.

If you feel I’ve given you the cold shoulder, please don’t take it personally. But if you say “To hell with it” and walk away, I’d understand. You wouldn’t be the first.

In the future, I’m going to try to make sure that I take no longer than a week to respond to messages, and go no longer than two months without posting something. If I can’t keep up that level of activity, then I really have no business being on this site at all.

How do you clean and wash your fursuit? I'm particularly interested in hearing from other Mischief Makers and/or people with Dreamvision Creations hooves, but any feedback on this would be appreciated.

I have a partial fursuit made by  mischiefmakers, with Dreamvision Creations hooves used on the hands and feet. I am very invested in keeping my suit clean and in good condition. Often I am concerned that I'm doing something "wrong" or not doing as good of a job as I should.

A while back I noticed that Clopan's ears, arms, and beard had a greasy, messy look. I'd brush them, but they'd revert to looking bad almost immediately. I figured they had accumulated oils from people's hands and general grime from the environment, so I contacted Mischief Makers for recommendations on cleaning. They recommended Folex, which helped some, but not as much as I had hoped. I wound up gently washing the visibly dirty parts with a water-Woolite mixture. This seemed to work better, but it was pretty awkward washing and rinsing the ears because I was so paranoid about getting the head wet.

I have yet to wash the feet. I really want to, because they're in contact with the ground and naturally they get the most dirty. They seem to be built on some kind of Croc-like shoes, with outdoor soles and Dreamvision Creations hooves.I can't tell if foam is used in them or not.

Halp?

...in case you were wondering.

I never planned on going to RF this year. I went to Campfire Tails in La Pine, Oregon instead. I sincerely didn't care about missing RF this year until very recently. Now I feel just a weensy bit of bitterness and jealousy. But I'm looking at a pile of student loan debt and I'd like to NOT live with my parents for the rest of my life, so I'm going to be more miserly with my money for awhile.

I'm really not sure what my con plans are for next year. I have sort of a personal policy of "only one con per year besides Furlandia." (Furlandia is practically in my backyard so it doesn't entail the travel costs that others cons do.) That "other" con could be Rainfurrest (Washington). Could be Biggest Little Fur Con (Nevada). Could be Rocky Mountain Fur Con (Colorado). Could be nothing. It all depends on my boyfriend's work schedule and my own employment situation (I am dying to get out of the ridiculous gas station deli I've worked at for three years).

I appreciate all feedback but I’m particularly grateful for watches, because they signal that you find me and/or or my work interesting and would like to see more. It’s a vote of confidence. Unfortunately I haven’t really done much lately to make watching worth your while. A very slow, unreliable internet connection and a long-running struggle with depression have been obstacles to keeping my FA pages updated. It’s a pain in the butt and just isn’t that high of a priority for me.

In my backlog of things to post, I have several cute photos from Furlandia (back in May) of Clopan dressed as Dionysus, and some photos of a plastic Clopan mask I created for Campfire Tails (in August) as an alternative to the full fursuit head. I also have some photos of a performance art thing starring my old wolf fursuit, Sheba, that might be worth a second look.

Thanks again to these beautiful individuals (the watches I have let accumulate in my inbox over the past 5 months, in reverse-chronological order):
 msblueraccoon
 goldy.pirate
 boxymcboxbox
dyingstarembers
 pinki-husky
the-stardog
 purrforn
 kazzar123
 troj
 steamysprinkles
 yaoiworld
 lycanwolfbane
 invaderros
 sunara
 polarisbeaver
 hotshotfur

...and anyone else reading this.

Quick and dirty version:

"Clopan" is the name of my goat fursuit character. "Clopin" is the human character I based him on. A LOT of people mix this up. It's my fault for giving my character a similar-but-different name. It also doesn't help that the two names are pronounced the same (“Clo-pan”).

tl;dr version:

My character Clopan is based on Clopin, my favorite character from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Clopin is NOT Esmeralda’s goat (several people have gotten this mixed up). He’s the leader of Paris’ vagabonds— if you’re familiar with the Disney movie, you know him as the bouncing-off-the-walls gypsy jester.

The name "Clopin" comes from "clopiner," a French verb meaning "to hobble" or "to limp." This is because in the novel, Clopin is a beggar who pretends to be crippled. “Clopin” can be pronounced as “Clo-pan” with a short “a” sound. This is how it’s usually pronounced in the English-language “Hunchback” movies. If you want to be more French about it, You can say it as “Clo-pahn.” If you want to be REALLY French about it, the “n” is almost silent, so it sounds like “Clo-pah.” I usually emphasize the first syllable, but I’ve heard people emphasize the second; I’m not sure which is more correct.

Clopin’s surname, Trouillefou (pronounced more or less as "twee-FOO"), translates as "scared crazy,” implying that his presence scares people crazy and/or that HE was scared crazy at some point. Both interpretations work because he can be dangerous and somewhat unhinged.

Clopan isn't meant to be a furry clone of a particular version of Clopin. He's a mashup of different versions of Clopin from page, stage, and screen, mixed together with my own personality and some traits that I just made up. To distinguish him as my own, I gave him a different name than the original character. "Clopan" is a mix of the names "Clopin" and "Pan." He's an anthropomorphic goat, so "pan" is a reference to Pan, the mythological Greek goat-man deity. Pan isn't a major inspiration for Clopan, but I like to work in allusions to him when I can. You might see Clopan playing a pan flute, for example.

Clopan’s surname is De La Rue, which just translates as “of the street.” He’s a streetwise guy who makes his living begging and performing in the street, so there you go. (It’s also a subtle tribute to a family friend with the surname Larue).

In Conclusion

This guy = Clopin Trouillefou
This guy (me) = Clopan De La Rue

To avoid spamming this page, minimize duplicate uploads on FA, and provide one catch-all place to find fursuit photos of me, I'm dumping all photos of myself as Clopan into a public Photobucket account. They'll be posted in (more or less) chronological order and I'll update it as more photos are taken.

http://s22.photobucket.com/user/ben.....%20of%20Clopan

So far I have attended four furry conventions: Campfire Tails 2010, Rainfurrest 2011, Furlandia 2013, and Rainfurrest 2013. Clopan (as a full costume) was only present at RF 2013, since I received him shortly before the con.

This coming year I plan to attend only the two Oregon cons: Furlandia and Campfire Tails. Furlandia is a new con in Portland Oregon, practically right in my backyard so I would commute to it rather than stay at the hotel. 2013 was its first year. I'm still deciding whether I'll volunteer again (and how much), or just go as an attendee. In any case I'll be there, and I'll be suiting.

Campfire Tails is a large furry campout near Bend, Oregon. It's less of a traditional con and more of a mini furry Burning Man. It has a special place in my heart as my first con, and I'd like 2014 to be my triumphant return to CFT. I've already decided not to suit there because it's a hot, dry, dusty area. A few people inevitably suit, but I know from experience that it's not a very fursuit-friendly event. I'll still be there as Clopan, but it'll be a more casual ears-and-tail sort of outfit.

This is a short chapter from a wonderful coffee table art book called The Art of the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Stephen Rebello.The book discusses the development of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and showcases its gorgeous conceptual art. The author does a good job of concisely and colorfully describing Clopin. Since he's my favorite character and the main inspiration behind Clopan, I thought I would share it here. To understand Clopin is to understand what I'm trying to convey with Clopan.

The Master of Ceremonies

Victor Hugo likens Clopin, the seedy, opportunistic, showboating beggar and charlatan Gypsy King, to “a caterpillar on an orange” and “a boar’s head amidst the snouts of pigs.” Clopin makes his first noteworthy appearance in the novel when he presents himself, alongside Quasimodo, as a nominee for King of Fools. As Hugo writes of Clopin in an aside, “God knows the intensity of ugliness his face was capable of attaining.” A withering mimic, a trickster, a pricker of the balloon of pretense, a light-fingered master of disguises, Clopin is another persecuted outsider who has learned to survive in the margins of society. Hugo characterizes him as one of the beggars at the Palace of Justice and the de facto lord of the Court of Miracles, that shadowy, sinister lair where gypsies, outcasts, and scoundrels rub elbows.

Equal parts narrator and entertainingly unsavory master of ceremonies, Clopin shares qualities with the duplicitous ringmasters played, respectively, by Joel Grey in Cabaret and by Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon. True to the tradition of commedia dell’arte, those 16th-to18th-century theatrical troupes in which largely improvisational actors specialized in such roles as “Arlecchino” or “Scapino,” Clopin skewers hypocrisy and class distinctions, is irreverent, even vulgar and farcical. The commedia tradition and spirit live in the character, just like they do in the Punch and Judy puppet shows, Charlie Chaplin, and various contemporary political and satirical European and American acting companies.

Another outsider and fugitive from society, Clopin moves and speaks with a freedom, a license, and a class-free ease that contrasts starkly with Frollo. Clopin, observes the character’s supervising animator Michael Surrey, “could have stolen the shoes off someone who just died in the streets. Although he belongs to the lowest group in society, he tries to keep himself a tad above the rabble and wants attention and respect. That’s what helps set him apart, and makes him believe he can change his fate.” For Surrey, Clopin’s indomitable spirit, quickness and resourcefulness is the gift that comes from his outsider status. “It’s always interesting when you see somebody who might not be as fortunate as others, but who just does incredible things with the little they have,” says Surrey. Clopin’s design reflects the litheness and agility necessary for Gypsy survival. “Where Frollo and his world are designed to be straight and vertical, Clopin and the Gypsies are curvy, rhythmic, featuring a lot more odd-looking shapes.” Actor Paul Kandel, who sings and voices Clopin, worked closely with animator Surrey to help add some of his own personal dimensions to the character. Kandel observes, “This is a story set in a time when people were stratified by their looks, clothing, race. Clopin and the gypsies, as a despised race, are a societal representation of where Quasimodo falls on the spectrum. That’s why he and the gypsies, both outcasts, become allies by the end of the film.”

I'm sorry to say I failed to meet up with fellow Mischief Makers at Rainfurrest 2013 aside from  Hogwash-Husky. My friends and I kept a sharp eye out for Eddy Roo ( atlas_rysios) and a few others, but we never crossed paths and me being an utter newb at Twitter made it hard to track people's whearabouts.

I'll upload some con photos shortly. I got stopped for quite a few photos, so please give me a heads up if you see some RF2013 photos of my gorgeous goat face floating around the interwebs.

I'm hoping to get anyone with  mischiefmakers suits together for a group photo at Rainfurrest 2013. I'm on Twitter (@ClopanDelaRue) but I'm new to it (and accessing it via SMS using a dumb-phone), so the best way to get hold of me is probably via my cell phone itself. If you want to participate, send me a message here and I'll PM you my number. I'm hoping to do it shortly before (or shortly after) the fursuit parade, since I figure that's when everyone's most likely to be in suit. If all else fails, look for this guy (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11578949/) hanging outside the main theater before the parade. Probably with some friend, acquaintance, or total stranger who I've nagged into taking the photo(s).

When I'm not busy being that guy, I'm this girl (on the lower left:http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6519792/) . Probably will be wearing the same black paint-spattered jacket, too.

On one hand, I don't really like P!nk. Her tough, swaggering persona and song lyrics just come across as artificial and goofy to me. But sometimes I do enjoy her music, especially when I need a burst of energy and want to laugh in the face of my troubles. I've found a few of her songs inspiring, particularly "Trouble," which I'm declaring an unofficial theme song for Clopan. I thought the lyrics were pretty cheesy at first, but after hearing the song a few dozen times, I've become fond of it and I think it fits my character pretty well. It talks about being forced to be self-reliant and wiley, being regal and glitzy, being played for the "fool," and generally being an infamous figure in a tough town.

Clopan may be based on an existing character (Clopin) but he's become a very personal character for me, sort of a self-empowerment symbol. He's an embodiment of a hidden part of my personality that I wish could come out to play more often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBLD2GUQl38

No attorneys
To plead my case
No orbits
To send me into outer space

And my fingers
Are bejeweled
With diamonds and gold
But that ain't gonna help me now

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I disturb my town

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

You think you're right
But you were wrong
You tried to take me
But I knew all along

You can't take me
For a ride
I'm not a fool out
So you better run and hide

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

If you see me coming
Down the street then
You know it's time to
Go (and you know it's time to go
'Cause here comes trouble)

No attorneys
To plead my case
No orbits
To send me into outer space

And my fingers
Are bejeweled
With diamonds and gold
But that ain't gonna help me now

You think you're right
But you were wrong
You tried to take me
But I knew all along

You can't take me
For a ride
'Cause I'm not a fool out
So you better run and hide

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I disturb my town

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

So if you see me coming
Down the street then
You know it's time to
Go (go-oh-oh..I got)

Trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

Trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

I got trouble in my town
I got trouble in my town

My kinda-sorta hometown, Portland Oregon, is having its first ever furry con May 10-12. www.furlandia.org

Where are you staying?
Probably with friends in Gresham, so I won’t have to A) Pay for a hotel room or B) Run off at midnight like Cinderella to catch the MAX train home.

What day are you getting there?
I’m planning to be there all three days.

Who will you be with?
I believe I’ll be working registration with  jaelisilverchanter, and I’m hoping to fursuit with  coffeehousedog Keep an eye out for these two schmucks, I’m the one on the right: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10266704/

Do you do free art or trades?
No, I’m not planning to do any anytime soon. I’m already backed up on old requests and commissions, and I’m going through a rough period where just drawing anything is a struggle. I don’t want to disappoint any more people!

Do you do commissions/badges?
Not right now. In the future I can maaaybe see myself opening for simple badge commissions.

Do you have prints/CDs?
Not to sell, but I’m planning to have some nice prints made of my digital art just for the sake of having a portfolio.

Do you have art in the art show?
No. I wanted to submit some new art to the conbook, but I didn’t find the time so I just recycled an older piece.

Can I dance with you?
If you’re courteous, yeah. That’s assuming that I’m energetic and uninhibited enough to actually get up and dance. For an example of my dancing, see Seinfeld: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQu_NLRvULM

What is your gender?
Female.

How old are you?
25

How tall are you?
5'6"? 5’7”?

Are you mated? in a relationship?
No. And I tend to friendzone everyone I meet by default.

Can I talk to you?
Yes, please, unless I’m obviously busy. I’m better at carrying on conversations than initiating them, although I seem to be a little more at ease initiating conversations with furries.

Can I hug you?
I was never much of a hugger until I started hanging out with furries. Now I’m used to hugging people as a way of saying goodbye.

Can I take photos of you/with you?
Yeah, especially if I’m in costume.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
No thanks, I can buy my own.

Do you drink Alcohol/Smoke?
I drink a little. I don’t like getting drunk out in public.

Can I give you lots of money?
Why would you?

Can we hang out?
Prob’ly!

Are you nice?
I really make a point to be friendly and respectful to people. I’m introverted so I can be standoffish at times, but I don’t think that’s going to be an issue here.


Where will you be most of the time during the con?
I really don’t know. Wandering around, looking around? The programming is largely still a mystery to me.

Attending any events?
As many as possible.

How can I find you at the con?
See that photo I linked to above? That’s my punk wolf fursuit, Sheba.
See the gal in the lower left? That’s me. http://www.furaffinity.net/full/6519792/
See these goat ears and horns? http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10453866/ That’s probably what I’ll be wearing when not suiting. I usually go by Summer, but I'd get a kick out of being addressed as Clopan.