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Post AC 2025 Journal
Posted 2 months agoAnother July, another Anthrocon. I'm back from my eleventh in-person AC, happy to share all the fun tales from yet another installment.
Hotel
This year we jumped back to the AC hotel, and I roomed with
ArgentVZ, 
Vonadi, and Merc. We had one king bed plus the pullout, which made it a bit tight, but thankfully AC's ultramodern vibe puts a bench underneath the TV that I was able to turn into a makeshift bed. Generally speaking, I think there's nothing WRONG with the AC, but the lack of free breakfast, plus the experience of having a full kitchen in the Homewood last year, leads me to juuuust put the Homewood over the AC (of course, both are below the Drury, but good luck getting a room there!).
Con Space
Before I mention anything else, I want to praise the con for undertaking a logistical overhaul that worked extremely well. We went to get our badges on Thursday evening, and it was the smoothest experience at a large con I've ever had. Sure, there was a LOT of walking along pre-determined rope lines, but we were...moving! And not sitting still for hours! And when we got up there, we got right to a volunteer who slapped a sticker on a badge in all of about 30 seconds!
The parade was super solid, too. I'm sure the extra restrictions on poodling played some role, but I also noticed that staff did a better job all around, with a hydration cart while we waited, being more proactive to ensure the lines remained cohesive throughout the parade, etc. Argent said we spent as much time (a) leaving the AC hotel, (b) walking to the lineup, © waiting, (d) walking in the parade, and (e) walking back to the hotel that we spent just waiting in the hall in 2024, and I'm inclined to agree. I think the whole 2025 parade was less than an hour?
The poodling restrictions seem a bit odd for a fandom that very much emphasizes inclusivity, but I feel like it's less to be exclusive and more using any excuse possible to cut the size of the parade to make it more manageable. I dunno...if I had my way, honestly, what I'd do is abolish the parade entirely and simply hold the block party.
BUT, if we HAVE to keep the parade, I have a suggestion for lining up. One of the stressors is getting your butt over to the hall at the perfect time to balance waiting and not being in the back of the parade. Now admittedly, even being in the back of the parade wasn't bad this year, but if they ever relax the rules on poodling..... Maybe they could leverage a new procedure they have, where you have to go to Con Ops to get your fursuit vetted to receive a little eligibility sticker on your badge ahead of time. At that time, you could get assigned a line up "group", kind of what airlines do for boarding groups. If you get to the vetting early enough, you get an earlier line up group that gets you closer to the front. But the point is that once you lock in a group you don't have to worry about what time you get there as long as it's before they close the doors. Within a group there'd be no assigned order, like Southwest does (or used to do before assigned seating).
Finally, AC apparently fucked up and allowed some shithead into the parade who wasn't supposed to be there. I can sort of see how something like that could happen, if someone really wanted to, but I also don't.
(1) They require vetting of the fursuit to get a sticker on your badge before you can enter the parade, so if the breach occurred at that point, the people doing the vetting need a pic of banned suiters.
(2) There should be someone posted at the entrance of the hall checking for banned suiters as they enter to line up.
(3) NEVER should anyone be allowed to join the parade once it's in progress. Either post security or law enforcement within eyesight of each other to prevent this from happening.
Tsk tsk, never should have happened!
Food
Quick reviews of the food we had this year:
The Eagle: We've been as a group to the Eagle for a few years now; it's about a five minute walk from the con center. They have kind of a small menu with southern-style fare, so think fried chicken, bbq pork, that sort of thing. The food is fine but I'd say the atmosphere keeps bringing us back. We struck up a conversation with our server and even got free shots out of it to give you an idea. Argent and I also noted that the venue has way more furries there than it did when we first discovered the place - a testament to how much the con has grown.
Mad Chicken: On the subject of chicken, we went to a place called Mad Chicken on Thursday night, which was located about as far as I'd walk for food - about 15 minutes from the con center. Totally worth it though. Although it has the vibes of a pop-up shop that may not be there next year, super tasty. The bathroom was also located in the backrooms, somehow? Apparently it's a small midwestern chain, too, so you may even have one of these near you.
Social House 7: Japanese/sushi place about 10 minutes from the con center. I rarely give negative reviews because I tend to self-select places that I feel are going to be at least okay, but man, I was seriously not happy with the service. We had a big table - about ten people, but for a place that wasn't even packed we were consistently facing orders that would not come unless we mentioned it multiple times. As a result, there's a few things on the menu I never actually got a chance to try - including the dang sushi! I had a tasty sharable golden curry and short rib robata, but....I've never really gotten the idea behind lukewarm meat, so I thought it was just okay. They had some issues with their AC or something, too, because despite us sitting decently near the grill, it was uncomfortably warm/humid with not enough airflow.
De Fer/Island Bowls: We hit up two places for coffee in the Strip District: De Fer, which is a local chain, and a place we've done before; and Island Bowls, which is reskinned from past years' Soluna/Cafetano but still generally a good place for breakfast. Von pointed out a second floor in De Fer which basically means they'll have seating unless its super packed, which is a plus, and they have a few small breakfast items to gnaw on. Island Bowls is good if you want to have that sort of fruit/granola type breakfast....but I'm disappointed they got rid of the tasty breakfast sandwich I remember fondly.
Bae Bae's: Bae Bae's is a Korean joint and has become kind of a meme in our room group, with how much Von always wants to check it out. Apparently they've also expanded so that there's a Cafe and a Bar/Supper location near each other. We went to the Supper place. I really really wish they publicized their menu better, because the website is a little unclear about which menu works in which location, and we had to kind of figure out on the fly what they had to order. That being said, I wanted to avoid red meat, so I skipped the bulgogi this time and went with their spin on Korean fried chicken (very chicken heavy con, huh?!). Full disclaimer, Bonchon's fried chicken is just about my gold standard that I compare to, so I can't quite rank it that high - but they did the soy garlic flavor pretty well and it's a solid choice. I just wish their sauce were a bit thicker....hard to enjoy with the consistency of a marinade.
Con Memories
This was an awesome AC. I have plenty of good memories, including watching the city fireworks while slightly tipsy with the roomies (free shots, remember!?) on one of the city bridges. They moved the staging area from the city point to North Shore this year, which meant that we got an even better view, and unlike last year with a torrential downpour the weather was perfect.
They dumped the macro meet in the giant hall this year, which was sectioned off in fourths(?) to support larger meets like ours. It sort of worked, and sort of didn't. I'm comparing this to the excellent meet that happened a few months ago at FWA, which was proceeded by the incredibly unique and fun idea of Kaiju Clash (fursuiters wrestling among a model city). By definition, then, it's not going to measure up, but...I dunno, this felt a little cold and impersonal. As usual, really enjoyed mingling and seeing peeps, but I'm just wanting a little more cohesion. TBF, I did get there about halfway through, too, so if there was something at the beginning, I missed it.
We made up for it by going to the macro party hosted by Nommz, which was so, so fun. That gave me the intimacy and looser feel I was looking for. Really appreciative to the hosts for putting that together, and hope it continues at future cons.
That's not to say our own room didn't have fun, too. We played a game that Von brought with him, Coup, which I had sort of halfheartedly tried out a year or two before, but this time we really got into it and all loved it. It's your typical "try to bullshit others" game that's super easy to learn.
The gang also got me into watching Amazing Digital Circus finally, and I'm hooked! Too bad there's such a huge amount of time between eps. I told them that the bubble was my fave char, but Jax (in his maid outfit, heyo) is starting to grow on me too.
Yesssss, I bought the damn plush with the ridiculous shipping.
Thankfully, I also have some friends of taste who are into YTPs, so I was introduced to plenty of PragerU YTPs that I will always think back to and laugh. Every morning, we shit the bed. No excuses!
Let's see....oh Dealer's Den. First of all, we didn't even get a chance to do the Art Show this year, that's how busy we were. But the Dealer's Den is so large now that we needed multiple days to get through it. There was yet another cute character that I had to adopt (Moff, the lovable green sentient clump of moss).
And that does it! The quick one-two punch (at least for me) of FWA + AC is probably gonna be followed by Megaplex in late August, as my roomies are all very close to the venue and I'll be missing them by then. So maybe see you in Orlando soon? It'll be nice and warm, fo sho!
===
P.S., realized I didn't do a journal for FWA, so to sum that up in a paragraph...okay venue, but really like the con as a whole and will probably make part of the regular rotation as long as I continue to do cons; great roomies; got a photoshoot of the suit with pics that I'll post on social media in a few months; super fun paw party where I got to see some macro furs that I either haven't seen in a while or never before, and no, I didn't catch anything on my fishing trip, lol.
Hotel
This year we jumped back to the AC hotel, and I roomed with
ArgentVZ, 
Vonadi, and Merc. We had one king bed plus the pullout, which made it a bit tight, but thankfully AC's ultramodern vibe puts a bench underneath the TV that I was able to turn into a makeshift bed. Generally speaking, I think there's nothing WRONG with the AC, but the lack of free breakfast, plus the experience of having a full kitchen in the Homewood last year, leads me to juuuust put the Homewood over the AC (of course, both are below the Drury, but good luck getting a room there!).Con Space
Before I mention anything else, I want to praise the con for undertaking a logistical overhaul that worked extremely well. We went to get our badges on Thursday evening, and it was the smoothest experience at a large con I've ever had. Sure, there was a LOT of walking along pre-determined rope lines, but we were...moving! And not sitting still for hours! And when we got up there, we got right to a volunteer who slapped a sticker on a badge in all of about 30 seconds!
The parade was super solid, too. I'm sure the extra restrictions on poodling played some role, but I also noticed that staff did a better job all around, with a hydration cart while we waited, being more proactive to ensure the lines remained cohesive throughout the parade, etc. Argent said we spent as much time (a) leaving the AC hotel, (b) walking to the lineup, © waiting, (d) walking in the parade, and (e) walking back to the hotel that we spent just waiting in the hall in 2024, and I'm inclined to agree. I think the whole 2025 parade was less than an hour?
The poodling restrictions seem a bit odd for a fandom that very much emphasizes inclusivity, but I feel like it's less to be exclusive and more using any excuse possible to cut the size of the parade to make it more manageable. I dunno...if I had my way, honestly, what I'd do is abolish the parade entirely and simply hold the block party.
BUT, if we HAVE to keep the parade, I have a suggestion for lining up. One of the stressors is getting your butt over to the hall at the perfect time to balance waiting and not being in the back of the parade. Now admittedly, even being in the back of the parade wasn't bad this year, but if they ever relax the rules on poodling..... Maybe they could leverage a new procedure they have, where you have to go to Con Ops to get your fursuit vetted to receive a little eligibility sticker on your badge ahead of time. At that time, you could get assigned a line up "group", kind of what airlines do for boarding groups. If you get to the vetting early enough, you get an earlier line up group that gets you closer to the front. But the point is that once you lock in a group you don't have to worry about what time you get there as long as it's before they close the doors. Within a group there'd be no assigned order, like Southwest does (or used to do before assigned seating).
Finally, AC apparently fucked up and allowed some shithead into the parade who wasn't supposed to be there. I can sort of see how something like that could happen, if someone really wanted to, but I also don't.
(1) They require vetting of the fursuit to get a sticker on your badge before you can enter the parade, so if the breach occurred at that point, the people doing the vetting need a pic of banned suiters.
(2) There should be someone posted at the entrance of the hall checking for banned suiters as they enter to line up.
(3) NEVER should anyone be allowed to join the parade once it's in progress. Either post security or law enforcement within eyesight of each other to prevent this from happening.
Tsk tsk, never should have happened!
Food
Quick reviews of the food we had this year:
The Eagle: We've been as a group to the Eagle for a few years now; it's about a five minute walk from the con center. They have kind of a small menu with southern-style fare, so think fried chicken, bbq pork, that sort of thing. The food is fine but I'd say the atmosphere keeps bringing us back. We struck up a conversation with our server and even got free shots out of it to give you an idea. Argent and I also noted that the venue has way more furries there than it did when we first discovered the place - a testament to how much the con has grown.
Mad Chicken: On the subject of chicken, we went to a place called Mad Chicken on Thursday night, which was located about as far as I'd walk for food - about 15 minutes from the con center. Totally worth it though. Although it has the vibes of a pop-up shop that may not be there next year, super tasty. The bathroom was also located in the backrooms, somehow? Apparently it's a small midwestern chain, too, so you may even have one of these near you.
Social House 7: Japanese/sushi place about 10 minutes from the con center. I rarely give negative reviews because I tend to self-select places that I feel are going to be at least okay, but man, I was seriously not happy with the service. We had a big table - about ten people, but for a place that wasn't even packed we were consistently facing orders that would not come unless we mentioned it multiple times. As a result, there's a few things on the menu I never actually got a chance to try - including the dang sushi! I had a tasty sharable golden curry and short rib robata, but....I've never really gotten the idea behind lukewarm meat, so I thought it was just okay. They had some issues with their AC or something, too, because despite us sitting decently near the grill, it was uncomfortably warm/humid with not enough airflow.
De Fer/Island Bowls: We hit up two places for coffee in the Strip District: De Fer, which is a local chain, and a place we've done before; and Island Bowls, which is reskinned from past years' Soluna/Cafetano but still generally a good place for breakfast. Von pointed out a second floor in De Fer which basically means they'll have seating unless its super packed, which is a plus, and they have a few small breakfast items to gnaw on. Island Bowls is good if you want to have that sort of fruit/granola type breakfast....but I'm disappointed they got rid of the tasty breakfast sandwich I remember fondly.
Bae Bae's: Bae Bae's is a Korean joint and has become kind of a meme in our room group, with how much Von always wants to check it out. Apparently they've also expanded so that there's a Cafe and a Bar/Supper location near each other. We went to the Supper place. I really really wish they publicized their menu better, because the website is a little unclear about which menu works in which location, and we had to kind of figure out on the fly what they had to order. That being said, I wanted to avoid red meat, so I skipped the bulgogi this time and went with their spin on Korean fried chicken (very chicken heavy con, huh?!). Full disclaimer, Bonchon's fried chicken is just about my gold standard that I compare to, so I can't quite rank it that high - but they did the soy garlic flavor pretty well and it's a solid choice. I just wish their sauce were a bit thicker....hard to enjoy with the consistency of a marinade.
Con Memories
This was an awesome AC. I have plenty of good memories, including watching the city fireworks while slightly tipsy with the roomies (free shots, remember!?) on one of the city bridges. They moved the staging area from the city point to North Shore this year, which meant that we got an even better view, and unlike last year with a torrential downpour the weather was perfect.
They dumped the macro meet in the giant hall this year, which was sectioned off in fourths(?) to support larger meets like ours. It sort of worked, and sort of didn't. I'm comparing this to the excellent meet that happened a few months ago at FWA, which was proceeded by the incredibly unique and fun idea of Kaiju Clash (fursuiters wrestling among a model city). By definition, then, it's not going to measure up, but...I dunno, this felt a little cold and impersonal. As usual, really enjoyed mingling and seeing peeps, but I'm just wanting a little more cohesion. TBF, I did get there about halfway through, too, so if there was something at the beginning, I missed it.
We made up for it by going to the macro party hosted by Nommz, which was so, so fun. That gave me the intimacy and looser feel I was looking for. Really appreciative to the hosts for putting that together, and hope it continues at future cons.
That's not to say our own room didn't have fun, too. We played a game that Von brought with him, Coup, which I had sort of halfheartedly tried out a year or two before, but this time we really got into it and all loved it. It's your typical "try to bullshit others" game that's super easy to learn.
The gang also got me into watching Amazing Digital Circus finally, and I'm hooked! Too bad there's such a huge amount of time between eps. I told them that the bubble was my fave char, but Jax (in his maid outfit, heyo) is starting to grow on me too.
Yesssss, I bought the damn plush with the ridiculous shipping.
Thankfully, I also have some friends of taste who are into YTPs, so I was introduced to plenty of PragerU YTPs that I will always think back to and laugh. Every morning, we shit the bed. No excuses!
Let's see....oh Dealer's Den. First of all, we didn't even get a chance to do the Art Show this year, that's how busy we were. But the Dealer's Den is so large now that we needed multiple days to get through it. There was yet another cute character that I had to adopt (Moff, the lovable green sentient clump of moss).
And that does it! The quick one-two punch (at least for me) of FWA + AC is probably gonna be followed by Megaplex in late August, as my roomies are all very close to the venue and I'll be missing them by then. So maybe see you in Orlando soon? It'll be nice and warm, fo sho!
===
P.S., realized I didn't do a journal for FWA, so to sum that up in a paragraph...okay venue, but really like the con as a whole and will probably make part of the regular rotation as long as I continue to do cons; great roomies; got a photoshoot of the suit with pics that I'll post on social media in a few months; super fun paw party where I got to see some macro furs that I either haven't seen in a while or never before, and no, I didn't catch anything on my fishing trip, lol.
FWA 2025 - I'll be there!
Posted 4 months agoHey everyone! I'll be attending FWA for the first time this year.
It's my birthday that weekend as well, so I'm also going to double up as a family fishing trip to Lake Lanier.
Either way, please let me know if you'll be there - love to hang out, eat/drink/party with anyone else who'll be dropping by!
I'll be rooming with
Sylox, 
horsefur, and BubblesAxolotl, as well as one of their friends at the Hyatt, which looks like it's more or less adjacent to the Marriott Marquis.
It's my birthday that weekend as well, so I'm also going to double up as a family fishing trip to Lake Lanier.
Either way, please let me know if you'll be there - love to hang out, eat/drink/party with anyone else who'll be dropping by!
I'll be rooming with
Sylox, 
horsefur, and BubblesAxolotl, as well as one of their friends at the Hyatt, which looks like it's more or less adjacent to the Marriott Marquis.MFF 2024 Journal
Posted 9 months agoWhew! So after a few days of driving back from Chicago, juggling work, and a drive up to Philly and back to pick up a relative from the airport, I'm finally ready to settle in and dish on my MFF experience this year.
Before the con even kicked off, I headed up to Wisconsin for a day to hang out with my pal Covah. After a short lil shopping spree to pick up Christmas and con stuff (Midwestern older couple running a Christmas tree place hnnnng) we had dinner at Wells Brothers in Racine, which supposedly has some of the best pizza in Wisconsin/the country. I'll start by saying that the atmosphere was absolutely perfect - a cozy dining room decorated fully inside for Christmas, accompanied by a swirling snow storm outside. But does the pizza live up to its reputation? It has the cracker-style thin crust that Marylanders like myself will be familiar with from Ledo's, which I really like because I can down the whole thing without feeling the carb regret later. Sauce was great, cheese was great, and bonus points for having good Canadian bacon as a topping - even if Covah's not a fan, I very much am. I'd give it like, an 8/10. Very good pizza, would have again. As usual Covah has excellent taste and introduced me to some new YouTube binges, like a guy who stays at interesting hotels all over the world. Gotta try that TWA hotel near JFK at some point!
The next morning we had breakfast at a relatively new place called Anna's in downtown Kenosha with views of the lake...even if we didn't get one of those seats :( I had a great mocha and a delicious croissant, highly recommend it if you're in the area.
Okay, con time. First thing's first, MFF was SUPER busy. It's showing that without a bigger venue the con should probably be capped around 20k. It's crazy I'm saying that, too. What's bigger, downtown Chicago?
The Artist's Alley was a madhouse to the point where
Xenoscape (more on that in a sec) and I struggled to see most of the tables unless we were right on top of them. They did a timed entry thing to the Dealer's Den to where we couldn't even get in until after 5 PM. We made it into the rave Saturday night but they hit capacity soon after and I heard the line got pretty long. While we had surprisingly good luck with restaurants this year (probably because they're so fucking expensive), and MFF clearly has their act together when it comes to the reg line, as I'm sure a lot of you know the room lottery left a lot of people unhappy. Shoutout to 
MagicalArco who did win the lottery but couldn't go, meaning that our room could be in main this year.
My roomies were three people I hadn't been with before, SyLoX, 
zmaster587 (Xavier), and Tripp. 
Kyle_Fluffington also crashed with us most of the con. All were a pleasure to room with - we had a small room party that went very well, we hung out when we could, and overall they were just really laid back and fun to be around. A++ would room with again.
At the same time I was fortunate to show Xenoscape around his first furry con, and as I explained to him soon after we met, I had to overcome my fanboyishness over his art first! But I think I managed to give him the complete MFF experience, and in return I have a fun sketch of Tegon I'll post in a bit. He was also extremely chill and I'm hoping we can convince him to come to another con next year like FWA.
On Thursday, a decent-sized group of us headed into Chicago on the train to check out the Bean and the lakeshore. I've done the Bean before but I had never actually been underneath, where there's a whole other experience with all the reflections bouncing off each other - super cool! We also kind of stumbled upon this year's Christkindlmarket, and of course I couldn't resist a hot chocolate in a souvenir mug. Cold as hell out there, though. A group of pigeons were huddling around a heater flame, it was super cute.
That evening Covah had to run out for more shiz, so I accompanied him to a Japanese grocery store a little ways away. OMG, it was less of a grocery store and more of a mall! It had a bookstore, a food court, I was in heaven. Even got a few presents for peeps, including ArgentVZ...*shhh*! He also showed me Meijer for the first time, which I always thought was a grocery store...wish we had those on the east coast to give us something other than just Wal-Mart and Target.
The macro meet was on Friday, and I was grateful to catch up with so many macro furs, including
blackie94 who was visiting America for the first time. Lots of folks seemed to be interested in joint commissions, and I'm more than happy to share the wealth with my Nommz tokens, as long as you bring your OC and an idea! Got some pics, which I'll be sharing on my Twitter and Bluesky soon...oh, did you know I now have a Bluesky now? 
MattytheMouse had a little model of Amanda with a size ray I got in my palm - can a derg squee!?
Finally, on my way out the door, I decided to stop by the 100gecs tree. Did you know that the album cover for 1000gecs was shot at a business park about 10 mins away in Des Plaines? Anyway, I knew that sometimes people had trouble with a security guard so I parked on the berm and kind of ran up to the tree. I couldn't believe it, but within seconds they were sounding an alarm and yelling at me, no joke. I got as good a pic as I could and got the hell out of there. Crazy, but a good memory!
Food reviews:
I took Xeno to that pizza place that replaced Hofbrauhaus on Thursday night. They have an amazing pizza tomato soup - and with some shareable breadsticks to dip - *chef's kiss*. I wasn't feeling 100% at the time, but from what I had it was great. Nice bar-ish atmosphere too.
We also ate at Fat Rosie's around the corner at some point, and - even barring my affection for a restaurant named after a fat donkey - they had really solid (if a tad pricey) tex-mex. I had the chipotle chicken - highly recommended - and we shared a tortilla/queso+chorizo dip for an app that was just soooo good.
Finally we joined a group that was on its way to the Sugar Factory...and yes, I was tempted to get that gold-plated meal thing...but conspicuous consumption seemed a bit gauche, ya know? First of all, they totally lead you to drink lots of booze because before I knew it I had a giant sharable strawberry lemonade vodka with gummy sharks in front of me and I thought it was supposed to be a single serving! BUT, two things in their favor. First of all, they're like the Cheesecake Factory. They have EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, on their menu. Second, I was impressed by how well they cooked the steak I ordered. A little overdone maybe, but, like, to get a decent cut at a place that specializes in pretty patties is not bad at all. But yeah. Xeno will tell you I had a good time.
And that pretty much sums up MFF! Super fun time. Next con will be NYFB, at least it looks that way, at the end of this month, and then probably FWA. In April I plan to take a two week road trip to head to Coachella and back, so otherwise I need to save for that. See ya next time!
Before the con even kicked off, I headed up to Wisconsin for a day to hang out with my pal Covah. After a short lil shopping spree to pick up Christmas and con stuff (Midwestern older couple running a Christmas tree place hnnnng) we had dinner at Wells Brothers in Racine, which supposedly has some of the best pizza in Wisconsin/the country. I'll start by saying that the atmosphere was absolutely perfect - a cozy dining room decorated fully inside for Christmas, accompanied by a swirling snow storm outside. But does the pizza live up to its reputation? It has the cracker-style thin crust that Marylanders like myself will be familiar with from Ledo's, which I really like because I can down the whole thing without feeling the carb regret later. Sauce was great, cheese was great, and bonus points for having good Canadian bacon as a topping - even if Covah's not a fan, I very much am. I'd give it like, an 8/10. Very good pizza, would have again. As usual Covah has excellent taste and introduced me to some new YouTube binges, like a guy who stays at interesting hotels all over the world. Gotta try that TWA hotel near JFK at some point!
The next morning we had breakfast at a relatively new place called Anna's in downtown Kenosha with views of the lake...even if we didn't get one of those seats :( I had a great mocha and a delicious croissant, highly recommend it if you're in the area.
Okay, con time. First thing's first, MFF was SUPER busy. It's showing that without a bigger venue the con should probably be capped around 20k. It's crazy I'm saying that, too. What's bigger, downtown Chicago?
The Artist's Alley was a madhouse to the point where
Xenoscape (more on that in a sec) and I struggled to see most of the tables unless we were right on top of them. They did a timed entry thing to the Dealer's Den to where we couldn't even get in until after 5 PM. We made it into the rave Saturday night but they hit capacity soon after and I heard the line got pretty long. While we had surprisingly good luck with restaurants this year (probably because they're so fucking expensive), and MFF clearly has their act together when it comes to the reg line, as I'm sure a lot of you know the room lottery left a lot of people unhappy. Shoutout to 
MagicalArco who did win the lottery but couldn't go, meaning that our room could be in main this year.My roomies were three people I hadn't been with before,
SyLoX, 
zmaster587 (Xavier), and Tripp. 
Kyle_Fluffington also crashed with us most of the con. All were a pleasure to room with - we had a small room party that went very well, we hung out when we could, and overall they were just really laid back and fun to be around. A++ would room with again.At the same time I was fortunate to show
Xenoscape around his first furry con, and as I explained to him soon after we met, I had to overcome my fanboyishness over his art first! But I think I managed to give him the complete MFF experience, and in return I have a fun sketch of Tegon I'll post in a bit. He was also extremely chill and I'm hoping we can convince him to come to another con next year like FWA. On Thursday, a decent-sized group of us headed into Chicago on the train to check out the Bean and the lakeshore. I've done the Bean before but I had never actually been underneath, where there's a whole other experience with all the reflections bouncing off each other - super cool! We also kind of stumbled upon this year's Christkindlmarket, and of course I couldn't resist a hot chocolate in a souvenir mug. Cold as hell out there, though. A group of pigeons were huddling around a heater flame, it was super cute.
That evening Covah had to run out for more shiz, so I accompanied him to a Japanese grocery store a little ways away. OMG, it was less of a grocery store and more of a mall! It had a bookstore, a food court, I was in heaven. Even got a few presents for peeps, including
ArgentVZ...*shhh*! He also showed me Meijer for the first time, which I always thought was a grocery store...wish we had those on the east coast to give us something other than just Wal-Mart and Target.The macro meet was on Friday, and I was grateful to catch up with so many macro furs, including
blackie94 who was visiting America for the first time. Lots of folks seemed to be interested in joint commissions, and I'm more than happy to share the wealth with my Nommz tokens, as long as you bring your OC and an idea! Got some pics, which I'll be sharing on my Twitter and Bluesky soon...oh, did you know I now have a Bluesky now? 
MattytheMouse had a little model of Amanda with a size ray I got in my palm - can a derg squee!?Finally, on my way out the door, I decided to stop by the 100gecs tree. Did you know that the album cover for 1000gecs was shot at a business park about 10 mins away in Des Plaines? Anyway, I knew that sometimes people had trouble with a security guard so I parked on the berm and kind of ran up to the tree. I couldn't believe it, but within seconds they were sounding an alarm and yelling at me, no joke. I got as good a pic as I could and got the hell out of there. Crazy, but a good memory!
Food reviews:
I took Xeno to that pizza place that replaced Hofbrauhaus on Thursday night. They have an amazing pizza tomato soup - and with some shareable breadsticks to dip - *chef's kiss*. I wasn't feeling 100% at the time, but from what I had it was great. Nice bar-ish atmosphere too.
We also ate at Fat Rosie's around the corner at some point, and - even barring my affection for a restaurant named after a fat donkey - they had really solid (if a tad pricey) tex-mex. I had the chipotle chicken - highly recommended - and we shared a tortilla/queso+chorizo dip for an app that was just soooo good.
Finally we joined a group that was on its way to the Sugar Factory...and yes, I was tempted to get that gold-plated meal thing...but conspicuous consumption seemed a bit gauche, ya know? First of all, they totally lead you to drink lots of booze because before I knew it I had a giant sharable strawberry lemonade vodka with gummy sharks in front of me and I thought it was supposed to be a single serving! BUT, two things in their favor. First of all, they're like the Cheesecake Factory. They have EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, on their menu. Second, I was impressed by how well they cooked the steak I ordered. A little overdone maybe, but, like, to get a decent cut at a place that specializes in pretty patties is not bad at all. But yeah. Xeno will tell you I had a good time.
And that pretty much sums up MFF! Super fun time. Next con will be NYFB, at least it looks that way, at the end of this month, and then probably FWA. In April I plan to take a two week road trip to head to Coachella and back, so otherwise I need to save for that. See ya next time!
Dragoneer and the American Health Care System
Posted a year agoAs you probably know, the owner of FurAffinity, Dragoneer, passed away yesterday. I don't come here to solicit sadness, but anger and a call to action.
I knew he wasn't doing well lately, but the picture that came together after I was reading his social media to figure out what the hell happened wasn't pretty. It's a total indictment of the garbage pail that is the American health care system.
It's divided our country into the haves with quality medical care, and the have-nots with nothing who live in perpetual fear of a health crisis. A good example of the haves is from my own life. In mid-2012, I was coming home from college to visit family when I got a call from my mom. She was in the ER with critical anemia. Because of her quality healthcare - I come from a military family and military healthcare is squared away at least - we were able to get her diagnosed relatively quickly with a form of cancer that unfortunately cannot be cured but that she still lives with to this day. The medication she takes I think is somewhere along the lines of $20k+ a month, completely covered by insurance. As much as I'm pissed that Obama kowtowed to the health insurance companies when drafting the ACA, I'll always be grateful for the removal of lifetime caps and preexisting conditions as a means to deny coverage. She'd be long dead (and honestly, I believe my dad would be too for separate reasons) without sterling medical coverage. That's actually what brought me to the fandom in the first place - check my join date. With the stress and the sadness of not knowing what would happen in the near future, I turned to FA as an outlet. Here I've met wonderful people, lifelong friends, gotten in my fair share of arguments, participated in my fair share of memes. Dragoneer should be remembered as a person who put this website on his back and resisted influences to make the fandom into the sanitized, corporatized experience that it has been threatened to become and may very well become in the future.
But regardless of your coverage in America, shit is expensive. I woke up early one morning with extreme pain in my side, which I was able to quickly diagnose as a kidney stone because - don't judge - I liked to read medical care books as a child and recognized the symptoms. I walked about 45 minutes from my apartment to the hospital at about 4 in the morning in excruciating pain because I knew that if I called an ambulance it was going to be about $500 out of pocket. And that's *with* my own coverage.
So let this set the stage for what happened with Dragoneer. Apparently, he gets Covid, suffers from long Covid, and in the process develops significant symptoms. It looks like he was running a borderline high grade (101-103) fever for weeks and suffering from severe bouts of coughing, at times with blood. Time to go to the ER, right? Well, the problem is that ER visits in the US are expensive no matter who you are (again, remember an ambulance ride alone is hundreds of dollars at least), and if you don't have comprehensive coverage you can instantly be saddled with thousands of dollars in debt. So he suffers at home until it becomes unbearable. Eventually he does go to the ER, where they run tests including imaging and discover very concerning growths on his lungs. This is where any competently-run healthcare system would ensure that a pulmonologist is contacted and an immediate follow-up is undertaken. The ER has exhausted their capabilities, and a specialist would need to take it from there.
Only, that's not what happens. They apparently stick him with a huge bill, say "you should really call this number to schedule a follow-up" and apparently leave it to his primary care provider to provide a referral. Here's where the mother of all ball drops comes in. Here's a guy suffering with serious symptoms who needs immediate treatment, and he's left to fend for himself? Why is he even in contact with his primary care provider and not immediately with a specialist? Why did he have to be proactive, only for his PCP to screw up the initial referral, and eventually to have his PCP call and wonder incredulously why his appointment with the pulmonologist wasn't expedited?
So this guy suffers for a few more weeks before he's finally able to see a pulmonologist, who needs to perform a lung biopsy to see exactly what the issue is. He gets prepped for it, undergoes the procedure. That was about three days ago. He's now dead.
I don't care what the ultimate diagnosis is. Either (a) he died of a treatable condition that he suffered through for months, or (b) he didn't have access to the palliative care he needed and was in a lot of pain for months. Oh, don't forget the part where he was hit with a $25k bill right before he died to stress him out a bit more as icing on the cake.
Fuck this system. The lack of caring, the lack of compassion, the lack of anyone giving a shit anymore is untenable. Either you have to fight and scrap for whatever you can get or you're screwed. Any Americans reading this, we need to do everything in our power to fight the healthcare lobby that continually fucks us and all of our loved ones over. NOBODY can think this is acceptable, and NOBODY is happy with how it works now.
Oh, and by the way, back up all your shit on FA while you can. I can assume he had some kind of succession plan in place but this ain't a moneymaker and these kinds of efforts usually succeed or fail on the back of one person.
I knew he wasn't doing well lately, but the picture that came together after I was reading his social media to figure out what the hell happened wasn't pretty. It's a total indictment of the garbage pail that is the American health care system.
It's divided our country into the haves with quality medical care, and the have-nots with nothing who live in perpetual fear of a health crisis. A good example of the haves is from my own life. In mid-2012, I was coming home from college to visit family when I got a call from my mom. She was in the ER with critical anemia. Because of her quality healthcare - I come from a military family and military healthcare is squared away at least - we were able to get her diagnosed relatively quickly with a form of cancer that unfortunately cannot be cured but that she still lives with to this day. The medication she takes I think is somewhere along the lines of $20k+ a month, completely covered by insurance. As much as I'm pissed that Obama kowtowed to the health insurance companies when drafting the ACA, I'll always be grateful for the removal of lifetime caps and preexisting conditions as a means to deny coverage. She'd be long dead (and honestly, I believe my dad would be too for separate reasons) without sterling medical coverage. That's actually what brought me to the fandom in the first place - check my join date. With the stress and the sadness of not knowing what would happen in the near future, I turned to FA as an outlet. Here I've met wonderful people, lifelong friends, gotten in my fair share of arguments, participated in my fair share of memes. Dragoneer should be remembered as a person who put this website on his back and resisted influences to make the fandom into the sanitized, corporatized experience that it has been threatened to become and may very well become in the future.
But regardless of your coverage in America, shit is expensive. I woke up early one morning with extreme pain in my side, which I was able to quickly diagnose as a kidney stone because - don't judge - I liked to read medical care books as a child and recognized the symptoms. I walked about 45 minutes from my apartment to the hospital at about 4 in the morning in excruciating pain because I knew that if I called an ambulance it was going to be about $500 out of pocket. And that's *with* my own coverage.
So let this set the stage for what happened with Dragoneer. Apparently, he gets Covid, suffers from long Covid, and in the process develops significant symptoms. It looks like he was running a borderline high grade (101-103) fever for weeks and suffering from severe bouts of coughing, at times with blood. Time to go to the ER, right? Well, the problem is that ER visits in the US are expensive no matter who you are (again, remember an ambulance ride alone is hundreds of dollars at least), and if you don't have comprehensive coverage you can instantly be saddled with thousands of dollars in debt. So he suffers at home until it becomes unbearable. Eventually he does go to the ER, where they run tests including imaging and discover very concerning growths on his lungs. This is where any competently-run healthcare system would ensure that a pulmonologist is contacted and an immediate follow-up is undertaken. The ER has exhausted their capabilities, and a specialist would need to take it from there.
Only, that's not what happens. They apparently stick him with a huge bill, say "you should really call this number to schedule a follow-up" and apparently leave it to his primary care provider to provide a referral. Here's where the mother of all ball drops comes in. Here's a guy suffering with serious symptoms who needs immediate treatment, and he's left to fend for himself? Why is he even in contact with his primary care provider and not immediately with a specialist? Why did he have to be proactive, only for his PCP to screw up the initial referral, and eventually to have his PCP call and wonder incredulously why his appointment with the pulmonologist wasn't expedited?
So this guy suffers for a few more weeks before he's finally able to see a pulmonologist, who needs to perform a lung biopsy to see exactly what the issue is. He gets prepped for it, undergoes the procedure. That was about three days ago. He's now dead.
I don't care what the ultimate diagnosis is. Either (a) he died of a treatable condition that he suffered through for months, or (b) he didn't have access to the palliative care he needed and was in a lot of pain for months. Oh, don't forget the part where he was hit with a $25k bill right before he died to stress him out a bit more as icing on the cake.
Fuck this system. The lack of caring, the lack of compassion, the lack of anyone giving a shit anymore is untenable. Either you have to fight and scrap for whatever you can get or you're screwed. Any Americans reading this, we need to do everything in our power to fight the healthcare lobby that continually fucks us and all of our loved ones over. NOBODY can think this is acceptable, and NOBODY is happy with how it works now.
Oh, and by the way, back up all your shit on FA while you can. I can assume he had some kind of succession plan in place but this ain't a moneymaker and these kinds of efforts usually succeed or fail on the back of one person.
AC 2024 Report
Posted a year agoBreaking news…..I’m back from AC! This year I had the pleasure of rooming with 
geldazane, ArgentVZ, Vonadi, and Merc, often joined by our pal 
Vamux.
New hotel for us this year, the Homewood Suites a little further down Smallman Street than the AC Hotel. The hotel itself is fine (Covah actually calls it his favorite and I understand that…ceiling fan, full size fridge and kitchen, free breakfast). They don’t put a door on the shower, though, and that led to some flooding in our bathroom. Didn’t really get it. The distance was a real drag on such a muggy weekend, though they did provide a shuttle back and forth.
As for food, we ate at a place new to us called Iron Born Pizza a bit further down into the Strip District. Lemme say this - Bronze really fuckin’ loved that pizza. Me, I think it was very solid - it had that carmelized crust that I love so much at Chicago’s Pequod - but it is Detroit style and the bready crust is just alright. If your crew is looking for a joint that’s a cut above, say, Pizza Parma, but not too fancy, definitely add it to your list.
We could immediately tell that attendance was way, way up. We had to wait about 2 hours to get our badges on Thursday evening, and then we found out that they had closed the reg line soon after we joined. I think I’m willing to wait, say 30 minutes, maybe as long as an hour, but two hours is too long. Solution? I think most realistic option is staffing. Are they paid? If not, could we maybe hire and pay some more staff for badge distribution only? And maybe only on the busiest day? Spitballin’ here.
More logistical growing pains with the fursuit parade, which is now so long that I’m not bothering to film it anymore. Once again the route involves descending escalators which is causing some big hang ups. What I would do is start the parade in the room where it currently ends, go through the short hallway in the con center, outside, go the reverse direction around the con center loop, then extend the route down Penn Ave up to Garrison Pl, back down Penn to the con center, have a shunt where suiters who want to bow out before the end go up the escalator, then end the parade in the same room it starts. The indoor space is reserved for sponsors and those with a need to be indoors. I believe Penn Ave is already blocked off there for the block party so I think it could work. The big change is forcing most of the con-goers who want to see the parade outside, which will pad the crowd. But I think we need to start playing around with the formula from year to year to see what works and what doesn’t.
Props to the growth of the Dealers’ Den, I saw so many booths with awesome stuff for sale. The diversity of what was available really impressed me. Also saw they added an 18+ area - ooh, spicy for Anthrocon - tho decidedly mid compared to MFF’s version.
The con proper was loads of fun. I got to handle Covah as he ran around in a self-built rollercoaster seat, I had a hell of a time playing Jackbox and “Beerio Cart” with the room (I don’t think I can chug more than a few beers in a go, lol), I got to see a bunch of size friends at the macro meet and a macro party, and was even able to dance a bit on Saturday night.
Going to the cons rekindle my interest in the fandom, and now I’m really looking forward to my next con, which might be Megaplex but will definitely include MFF. I think I’m gonna try to get a few people together for FWA 2025 too, since it’s more or less the same size as the other “big two” now.
geldazane, ArgentVZ, Vonadi, and Merc, often joined by our pal 
Vamux.New hotel for us this year, the Homewood Suites a little further down Smallman Street than the AC Hotel. The hotel itself is fine (Covah actually calls it his favorite and I understand that…ceiling fan, full size fridge and kitchen, free breakfast). They don’t put a door on the shower, though, and that led to some flooding in our bathroom. Didn’t really get it. The distance was a real drag on such a muggy weekend, though they did provide a shuttle back and forth.
As for food, we ate at a place new to us called Iron Born Pizza a bit further down into the Strip District. Lemme say this - Bronze really fuckin’ loved that pizza. Me, I think it was very solid - it had that carmelized crust that I love so much at Chicago’s Pequod - but it is Detroit style and the bready crust is just alright. If your crew is looking for a joint that’s a cut above, say, Pizza Parma, but not too fancy, definitely add it to your list.
We could immediately tell that attendance was way, way up. We had to wait about 2 hours to get our badges on Thursday evening, and then we found out that they had closed the reg line soon after we joined. I think I’m willing to wait, say 30 minutes, maybe as long as an hour, but two hours is too long. Solution? I think most realistic option is staffing. Are they paid? If not, could we maybe hire and pay some more staff for badge distribution only? And maybe only on the busiest day? Spitballin’ here.
More logistical growing pains with the fursuit parade, which is now so long that I’m not bothering to film it anymore. Once again the route involves descending escalators which is causing some big hang ups. What I would do is start the parade in the room where it currently ends, go through the short hallway in the con center, outside, go the reverse direction around the con center loop, then extend the route down Penn Ave up to Garrison Pl, back down Penn to the con center, have a shunt where suiters who want to bow out before the end go up the escalator, then end the parade in the same room it starts. The indoor space is reserved for sponsors and those with a need to be indoors. I believe Penn Ave is already blocked off there for the block party so I think it could work. The big change is forcing most of the con-goers who want to see the parade outside, which will pad the crowd. But I think we need to start playing around with the formula from year to year to see what works and what doesn’t.
Props to the growth of the Dealers’ Den, I saw so many booths with awesome stuff for sale. The diversity of what was available really impressed me. Also saw they added an 18+ area - ooh, spicy for Anthrocon - tho decidedly mid compared to MFF’s version.
The con proper was loads of fun. I got to handle Covah as he ran around in a self-built rollercoaster seat, I had a hell of a time playing Jackbox and “Beerio Cart” with the room (I don’t think I can chug more than a few beers in a go, lol), I got to see a bunch of size friends at the macro meet and a macro party, and was even able to dance a bit on Saturday night.
Going to the cons rekindle my interest in the fandom, and now I’m really looking forward to my next con, which might be Megaplex but will definitely include MFF. I think I’m gonna try to get a few people together for FWA 2025 too, since it’s more or less the same size as the other “big two” now.
I Tried AI Text Generation. It Scared the Hell Out of Me.
Posted a year agoApologies in advance for the NYT-style title, but we are so fucked. Like many furs out there, I'm confronted with the burgeoning AI space. There are many, many valid criticisms of the nature of AI-based solutions. For example:
- Using artists' work to train AI models without the artists' consent. OpenAI has very clearly done this already with, as a matter of fact, NYT content, and they are tech bros. They don't give a fuck. In my opinion it differs little from, say, tracing another artist's work. It's stealing intellectual property.
- Removing the human element from the creative process, particularly an issue because there is no cognition involved in generating AI art.
- In the near term, upending the stock footage and freelance graphic design industries, and in the long term threatening creative roles across the gamut.
- Concentrating power, once again, in the hands of corpo fucks, who will use AI as an excuse to lay off massive amounts of people and concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a select few.
- Indirectly harming the environment by extending the ever-growing demand for silicon and electricity.
Put simply, AI is bad news for society. That being said, I have never been a person to stick fingers in my ears, I need to know my enemy. I decided to try out Midjourney first, which is a Discord-based AI image generation service, to see how something like this works. Of course, to avoid being hypocritical, I have to add the disclaimer that none of the images I generated were kept or used. In the interest of full disclosure this was several months ago, so it was not the latest version of the model. Even then it frankly made me feel uncomfortable. I could tell that, instantly, "fast food" media has changed. Anyone can log on and create a logo, a graphic, even a photorealistic image. Sure, the people sometimes have six fingers and wonky proportions, but Midjourney has a feature to correct targeted areas of the image, and it's clear the capability is only going to improve over time. I tried some macro-related prompts, and I was able to generate the equivalent of angles and situations I've never seen before. But...it's soulless. The person isn't real. The flesh texture is artificial. But I knew what I saw. I knew that there are going to be many, many furries out there, especially young ones I fear, that won't care either way.
But this journal isn't about the image generation capability. I've always been a writer first and foremost, and so I also decided to see what the capability of LLMs are like. LLMs generate text instead. Text generation online has many guardrails and that has only been increasing over time - without tricking the system, you are usually prevented from creating prompts that generate violent, sexual, or other offensive content. I found out that you can run open source versions of these models locally on your computer - completely untethered.
There's a few caveats, though. It's not going to be as good as what you can get online if you pay for it, and you will also need a significant amount of computer resources. In my case, I used the biggest model I could find, which uses about 48 GB of my total 64 GB of RAM. Apparently it also uses about 20 GB of VRAM simultaneously.
I asked it to generate me a macro story, with some parameters...and my jaw dropped. I tried roleplaying with it and it instantly outpaced about, I'd say, 99% of the roleplays I've done with actual humans. It runs out of steam after a few back and forths, mainly due to a token limit which you can think of as a short-term memory limit. You also need to do some heavy tweaking to get the kind of character you want to interact with, but when it works, it *works*. The short stories...I would legitimately pay and commission what it produced. With enough coaxing, it managed to "get" what makes macro/micro erotic. This did not make me happy. It scared the hell out of me.
Here's why:
(1) You know whatever we have, behind closed doors they have a significantly improved version. I shudder to think about what, for example, the military already has in their hands. Remember, I already said that the model I used is generally thought of as worse than commerically-available, paid models.
(2) This shows me that the capability is already there, it's just a matter of allowing it to run on more machines, with a larger short term memory. That's just a matter of time before anyone can run this model and get responses instantly (I should also mention that its generation runs at about one word per second on my machine).
(3) Again, these models have no cognition. It simply chooses the word that it thinks best fits next in order. But it's not about intelligence, it's about the illusion of intelligence. And to your average person these models will appear intelligent. And that's dangerous. People will fall into the "Her" trap of thinking they're talking to a real person. This WILL make people more antisocial. And, if you have a completely unfettered model available to you, you have zero social guardrails to prevent you from going too far. Imagine, some angry teenager booting it up after school and writing a story about torturing someone they hate. The seemingly-intelligent AI will foster and foment their emotions. It's so bad, it's going to lead to so many socioemotional issues. In a few years, in true blue American fashion, we will see our first mass shooting where the perpetrator was found to have planned everything with an AI assistant. And as if it's not hard enough nowadays, there's going to be even more incentive to shut out the world and get lost in a virtual assistant. It caters to your whims, it doesn't complain, and it's always there, 24/7.
(4) It doesn't democratize creativity, it serves as a barrier to creativity. Again, this model has no intelligence. It can't come up with anything new, or more accurately new paradigms of thought. We're going to see the internet become a wasteland of AI-generated content, which then feeds into AI models, creating a negative feedback loop that will turn everything into gray goo.
I don't know. I feel like I'm pissing into the wind here, wearing a sandwich board on the street corner yelling at anyone that passes by. Mainly because I see folks taking the Luddite approach and that just does not make sense to me. There is NO way, in a capitalist society, that companies are going to keep their hands off of this. Furries can take a stand in the short term, great, more power to you, but it IS coming, and we have to be prepared beyond just saying "fuck AI". This is not a ha-ha NFT fad thing that we can laugh off in a year or so. My thought is that we should educate ourselves on what AI is and isn't, and share our knowledge with our communities at large about the tangible negative impacts it has on society and your fellow human being. I guess I'll close by expounding that knowledge is power, and I highly encourage you to brush up on how all of this works and what the increased presence of AI could mean for the future. Buckle up, motherfucker.
- Using artists' work to train AI models without the artists' consent. OpenAI has very clearly done this already with, as a matter of fact, NYT content, and they are tech bros. They don't give a fuck. In my opinion it differs little from, say, tracing another artist's work. It's stealing intellectual property.
- Removing the human element from the creative process, particularly an issue because there is no cognition involved in generating AI art.
- In the near term, upending the stock footage and freelance graphic design industries, and in the long term threatening creative roles across the gamut.
- Concentrating power, once again, in the hands of corpo fucks, who will use AI as an excuse to lay off massive amounts of people and concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a select few.
- Indirectly harming the environment by extending the ever-growing demand for silicon and electricity.
Put simply, AI is bad news for society. That being said, I have never been a person to stick fingers in my ears, I need to know my enemy. I decided to try out Midjourney first, which is a Discord-based AI image generation service, to see how something like this works. Of course, to avoid being hypocritical, I have to add the disclaimer that none of the images I generated were kept or used. In the interest of full disclosure this was several months ago, so it was not the latest version of the model. Even then it frankly made me feel uncomfortable. I could tell that, instantly, "fast food" media has changed. Anyone can log on and create a logo, a graphic, even a photorealistic image. Sure, the people sometimes have six fingers and wonky proportions, but Midjourney has a feature to correct targeted areas of the image, and it's clear the capability is only going to improve over time. I tried some macro-related prompts, and I was able to generate the equivalent of angles and situations I've never seen before. But...it's soulless. The person isn't real. The flesh texture is artificial. But I knew what I saw. I knew that there are going to be many, many furries out there, especially young ones I fear, that won't care either way.
But this journal isn't about the image generation capability. I've always been a writer first and foremost, and so I also decided to see what the capability of LLMs are like. LLMs generate text instead. Text generation online has many guardrails and that has only been increasing over time - without tricking the system, you are usually prevented from creating prompts that generate violent, sexual, or other offensive content. I found out that you can run open source versions of these models locally on your computer - completely untethered.
There's a few caveats, though. It's not going to be as good as what you can get online if you pay for it, and you will also need a significant amount of computer resources. In my case, I used the biggest model I could find, which uses about 48 GB of my total 64 GB of RAM. Apparently it also uses about 20 GB of VRAM simultaneously.
I asked it to generate me a macro story, with some parameters...and my jaw dropped. I tried roleplaying with it and it instantly outpaced about, I'd say, 99% of the roleplays I've done with actual humans. It runs out of steam after a few back and forths, mainly due to a token limit which you can think of as a short-term memory limit. You also need to do some heavy tweaking to get the kind of character you want to interact with, but when it works, it *works*. The short stories...I would legitimately pay and commission what it produced. With enough coaxing, it managed to "get" what makes macro/micro erotic. This did not make me happy. It scared the hell out of me.
Here's why:
(1) You know whatever we have, behind closed doors they have a significantly improved version. I shudder to think about what, for example, the military already has in their hands. Remember, I already said that the model I used is generally thought of as worse than commerically-available, paid models.
(2) This shows me that the capability is already there, it's just a matter of allowing it to run on more machines, with a larger short term memory. That's just a matter of time before anyone can run this model and get responses instantly (I should also mention that its generation runs at about one word per second on my machine).
(3) Again, these models have no cognition. It simply chooses the word that it thinks best fits next in order. But it's not about intelligence, it's about the illusion of intelligence. And to your average person these models will appear intelligent. And that's dangerous. People will fall into the "Her" trap of thinking they're talking to a real person. This WILL make people more antisocial. And, if you have a completely unfettered model available to you, you have zero social guardrails to prevent you from going too far. Imagine, some angry teenager booting it up after school and writing a story about torturing someone they hate. The seemingly-intelligent AI will foster and foment their emotions. It's so bad, it's going to lead to so many socioemotional issues. In a few years, in true blue American fashion, we will see our first mass shooting where the perpetrator was found to have planned everything with an AI assistant. And as if it's not hard enough nowadays, there's going to be even more incentive to shut out the world and get lost in a virtual assistant. It caters to your whims, it doesn't complain, and it's always there, 24/7.
(4) It doesn't democratize creativity, it serves as a barrier to creativity. Again, this model has no intelligence. It can't come up with anything new, or more accurately new paradigms of thought. We're going to see the internet become a wasteland of AI-generated content, which then feeds into AI models, creating a negative feedback loop that will turn everything into gray goo.
I don't know. I feel like I'm pissing into the wind here, wearing a sandwich board on the street corner yelling at anyone that passes by. Mainly because I see folks taking the Luddite approach and that just does not make sense to me. There is NO way, in a capitalist society, that companies are going to keep their hands off of this. Furries can take a stand in the short term, great, more power to you, but it IS coming, and we have to be prepared beyond just saying "fuck AI". This is not a ha-ha NFT fad thing that we can laugh off in a year or so. My thought is that we should educate ourselves on what AI is and isn't, and share our knowledge with our communities at large about the tangible negative impacts it has on society and your fellow human being. I guess I'll close by expounding that knowledge is power, and I highly encourage you to brush up on how all of this works and what the increased presence of AI could mean for the future. Buckle up, motherfucker.
Back from MFF 2023
Posted 2 years agoWell, if I learned one lesson at MFF this year, it's "don't go to a con if you're still trying emotionally to get over a breakup." Because, yeah. After breaking up with my GF of four months, seeing all these couples throughout the con sharing the experience with each other was a dagger to the heart. Even though my GF was a normie anyway and I never would have told her about the fandom and my involvement with it, it just really rubbed it in that I'm single again now and all those people aren't. Because of depression I also weighed significantly more than I usually do during a con so I felt yucky and just not in the right headspace. I was this close to just leaving on Saturday, but couldn't go through with it (and was better for it).
I don't want to dwell on the negatives for too long, but wanted to contextualize my con experience for those of you who may have seen my tweets during the con or heard me be a little equivocal when asked how the con went.
But this year it was just Covah and I staying at the Embassy Suites. We had a conference room suite on the second floor, which was awesome. First off, you get a large room when you walk in that's great for parties, as well as setting up tiny cities to knock down in photo shoots (*cough*). Second, you can avoid the slow-ass elevator. Third, you can stumble out of bed and into the free hot breakfast, as well as two free drinks per day. I think this'll be my new go-to hotel for MFF. The five seconds you have to walk outside to get to the skybridge is fine. Covah will still fight for his Hilton, though :P
The con was outstandingly large. If you weren't waiting in a line for an event, you were getting clogged in the strangely humid skybridge with...apparently hazardous levels of CO2? I think they need to hire a logistics consultant as they start to touch 20k attendees, because in many ways they're doing exactly what they did when they were under 10k and it's not working anymore.
KuiPaws had a great point on Twitter, that it makes sense to pull more out of the Hyatt and bring it over to the convention center. Start to deemphasize the "main hotel" more over time. Put more casual tables/chairs/gathering spaces in the convention center, that sort of stuff.
I've been a huge fan of Animal Art Crimes for years, and this year they sold out..jk jk...made it big, we'll say instead! By having a table front and center at the dealer's den. Picked up a super cool sign, but more importantly I wanted to give a shout out for a unique sales system. They didn't just throw everything out at the beginning of the day and have it sell out in five seconds, they left some things NFS, then added prices and sold it as the day went on. That way, everyone gets a chance at something! Vendors, take note! That's actually how I got this sign, because we were turned away from the DD at first as it was at capacity XD But on the other hand, they sure do charge what they're worth, meaning that I really couldn't buy anything else at the con! Worth it, though. Oh, wait, I did pick up a furry Playboy homage in the Artist's Alley...what a hottttt idea!
The macro meet was in a good sized room this year and hosted tons of peeps. I met one of my bucket list suits,
remmyzee's Cholla, as well as 
orpbus's Eve suit, 
golderoug's suit, and plenty of other long-time friends. Eve later rearranged my guts...wait, that sounds wrong.....I mean, stood on me with their full weight at a paw party later, which was....really something, if you ask anyone who was there. Those were grunts of pain, I swear!
Let's see what else...oh, Sylox threw a room party that was a blast, and I got to know 
krazzy, a fellow MD fur, a lot better as a super cool guy! 
Sovrim helped me out big time at the macro meet with photos, and I repaid in kind with stomps. Got to enjoy breakfast with 
Sofia.exe and discuss life and chocolate.
Covah and I went to a local pizzeria that changed its name to Little Nero's for the night and had a whole Home Alone tribute night going, and the pizza was pretty damn good! Also a good opportunity to hear some more of Covah's impeccable playlist on the way there and back, it's soooooo good, I Shazam half of that shit without shame.
So what's the verdict on this con? Any opportunity to spend time with a good friend like Covah or take your pick of everyone I ran into, I hugely value. That being said, there were plenty of close friends who weren't there either, like Bronze, or Argent, or Von, and not really because they didn't want to be. I guess you always think about people who want to go to a con you're at but can't be there for whatever reason, and it just kinda causes this "damn, what could've been" feeling.
Well, I'll wrap it up there. And please remind me to learn how to dance for the next con (FWA, perhaps??) because I'm dragging Covah down at this point, come on!
I don't want to dwell on the negatives for too long, but wanted to contextualize my con experience for those of you who may have seen my tweets during the con or heard me be a little equivocal when asked how the con went.
But this year it was just Covah and I staying at the Embassy Suites. We had a conference room suite on the second floor, which was awesome. First off, you get a large room when you walk in that's great for parties, as well as setting up tiny cities to knock down in photo shoots (*cough*). Second, you can avoid the slow-ass elevator. Third, you can stumble out of bed and into the free hot breakfast, as well as two free drinks per day. I think this'll be my new go-to hotel for MFF. The five seconds you have to walk outside to get to the skybridge is fine. Covah will still fight for his Hilton, though :P
The con was outstandingly large. If you weren't waiting in a line for an event, you were getting clogged in the strangely humid skybridge with...apparently hazardous levels of CO2? I think they need to hire a logistics consultant as they start to touch 20k attendees, because in many ways they're doing exactly what they did when they were under 10k and it's not working anymore.
KuiPaws had a great point on Twitter, that it makes sense to pull more out of the Hyatt and bring it over to the convention center. Start to deemphasize the "main hotel" more over time. Put more casual tables/chairs/gathering spaces in the convention center, that sort of stuff.I've been a huge fan of Animal Art Crimes for years, and this year they sold out..jk jk...made it big, we'll say instead! By having a table front and center at the dealer's den. Picked up a super cool sign, but more importantly I wanted to give a shout out for a unique sales system. They didn't just throw everything out at the beginning of the day and have it sell out in five seconds, they left some things NFS, then added prices and sold it as the day went on. That way, everyone gets a chance at something! Vendors, take note! That's actually how I got this sign, because we were turned away from the DD at first as it was at capacity XD But on the other hand, they sure do charge what they're worth, meaning that I really couldn't buy anything else at the con! Worth it, though. Oh, wait, I did pick up a furry Playboy homage in the Artist's Alley...what a hottttt idea!
The macro meet was in a good sized room this year and hosted tons of peeps. I met one of my bucket list suits,
remmyzee's Cholla, as well as 
orpbus's Eve suit, 
golderoug's suit, and plenty of other long-time friends. Eve later rearranged my guts...wait, that sounds wrong.....I mean, stood on me with their full weight at a paw party later, which was....really something, if you ask anyone who was there. Those were grunts of pain, I swear!Let's see what else...oh,
Sylox threw a room party that was a blast, and I got to know 
krazzy, a fellow MD fur, a lot better as a super cool guy! 
Sovrim helped me out big time at the macro meet with photos, and I repaid in kind with stomps. Got to enjoy breakfast with 
Sofia.exe and discuss life and chocolate.Covah and I went to a local pizzeria that changed its name to Little Nero's for the night and had a whole Home Alone tribute night going, and the pizza was pretty damn good! Also a good opportunity to hear some more of Covah's impeccable playlist on the way there and back, it's soooooo good, I Shazam half of that shit without shame.
So what's the verdict on this con? Any opportunity to spend time with a good friend like Covah or take your pick of everyone I ran into, I hugely value. That being said, there were plenty of close friends who weren't there either, like Bronze, or Argent, or Von, and not really because they didn't want to be. I guess you always think about people who want to go to a con you're at but can't be there for whatever reason, and it just kinda causes this "damn, what could've been" feeling.
Well, I'll wrap it up there. And please remind me to learn how to dance for the next con (FWA, perhaps??) because I'm dragging Covah down at this point, come on!
AC 2023 Report
Posted 2 years agoAnother Anthrocon down! This year I roomed with ArgentVZ, Vonadi, and Mercury at the AC Hotel again, as the Drury sold out in a millisecond. We had Vamux join us on Saturday and Sunday morning as a special guest star.
Let’s see…Thursday was rough, as it usually is, because:
( a ) that’s the day I travel to Pittsburgh, so I’m tired from the drive;
( b ) the con doesn’t kick into full gear until Friday, so there’s less to do; and
( c ) you (and your friends) are not likely to be used to being around each other, so there’s a warming up period.
Reg line was alright - it was better than what I remembered for MFF, but only slightly. I totally forgot I was a sponsor this year (I do it for the shirt + a little extra for the con) so I guess I could’ve been done a lot faster lol. At least I hung with my roomies and Covah (
MFI) in line. Props for making the badges just a teensy bit smaller than the ginormous monstrosities from 2022, but bummer that they switched to cheap stickers to affix your name to the badge instead of the traditional thermal printing.
Argent was still on his way to the con after Von, Merc, and I registered, so we didn’t want to do anything crazy for lunch. At Von’s suggestion, we went to…Arby’s!
[Oh, and one thing I wanted to note before continuing is that in our experience around the city, there are very clear signs of the present state of the economy. Way more homeless people…we were in a Rite Aid, and they had an anti-theft device on a box of Pop Tarts?? Very stark.]
Anyway, yes, Arby’s! I’m okay with chains on trips as long as I don’t eat there often, and there aren’t any Arby’s where I live now, so it was fiiiiiine XD Incidentally, the soda machine was broken in the most delicious way - it was heavy on the syrup.
For dinner I went to Bridges & Bourbon with Covah. It’s on Penn Ave, a little more upscale, I had the steak, and it was great overall. Good for more intimate dinners and one-on-ones. Afterwards we chatted on the roof of the con for a few hours, overlooking the waterfront party, it was very nice. Eventually we made our way down there and said hi to a new friend, magicalarco, who we had danced with at MFF last year.
On Friday, our room had breakfast at Soluna, which was kind of at my urging because I had such good memories of their Picante sandwich last year. [Ed note - looking at the 2022 journal apparently it was called Cafetano then!] Spoiler alert, it was just as good!
After that we cruised the Dealer’s Den/Artists’ Alley. Said hi to
Kadath who was apparently at his first AC in like five years??? Time flies, I never would’ve guessed. I also met 
chirasul and bought their graphic novel, which I had to get because sexy bugs were involved XD Gave a hug to 
Sapphy and picked up a little gold dragon for my hoard. Oh, and SixthLeafClover had a lucky dragon carrying a gold coin statuette that I had to get (it looks like top right but solid).
Then it was time for the macro meet. I was really, really setting low expectations since for some reason this year it was held in an open area among a bunch of tables(?) but….eh, I didn’t hate it. It was okay, I think because it wasn’t in a main thoroughfare for one, and there was a little platform available to make it easier to take pictures. Saw a bunch of old friends and new ones there, almost don’t want to list because I know I’ll forget someone, but saw
Nommz in his Ankou suit, which was awesome, met 
millerretriever, had Equus crush my chest again, etc.
Dinner was at the Mexican restaurant Bakersfield. It’s again another restaurant right there on Penn Ave. Their chicken taquitos were really, really nice, as was their queso for the chips. Back in the room, Merc bought some pink lemonade vodka, and after a handful of shots we were laughing it up. Derg holds his liquor a bit better than his roomies, though, don’t forget that.
Covah and I linked up a bit later to try this club right around the corner from the AC Hotel, called Club Pittsburgh. They were doing furry night, and had a line around the block. We waited almost two hours to get in (and the vodka wore off, sadly), but man…wow. Umm, I don’t think journals have age restrictions so I won’t get explicit, but man. It was clothing optional and sex positive, so that ended up being the most exciting sexual experience of my life. Let’s just say we were there until about 3:30 in the morning XD Not that I was a stud there or anything, lol, but as you probably know I am very much the voyeur type and you get satisfied in spades in a place like that.
Saturday we welcomed Vamux to our group, flying in for a day! He brought his refurbished Polaroid camera and got an…interesting…pic of me at the fursuit parade. I guess I’m an SCP now.
We all did breakfast at this 50s-style diner in the Strip District called Pamela’s. I judge a diner by the quality of their bacon, and they passed the test. Decent prices too. Busy, though, we had to blow some time at the candy shop down the street before we were able to get a table. Oh, and inexplicably on the way there, both Von and Merc were able to pick up some $20s that were just lying on the ground, so their breakfasts were free?
Right before heading out the skies briefly opened up. I haven’t mentioned the weather yet, but man, it was super muggy in Pittsburgh this weekend. The rain mostly came in quick spurts, but cloudy and humid most of the time, plus wildfire haze on Thursday.
But thankfully it wasn’t raining for the fursuit parade. Unfortunately the lineup this year was the worst experience I’ve ever had doing the parade, because of an extreme lack of organization and enforcement of orderly queuing (Brits, eat your heart out!). You get there, first of all the room is full of chairs for some reason, but not enough for everyone to sit in, so there’s a weird mishmash of people hanging around on the chairs, near the chairs, and away from the chairs on the edges of the room. We’re told to line up “along the chairs” (ambiguous?) and really what it ended up being is a handful of “clusters” of furs that they slowly started to lead out of the room. However, as they were leading this first cluster out, others from around the room began filtering over to this cluster, meaning that the first cluster was continuing indefinitely and penalizing folks like me who were waiting patiently in one of the other clusters. It took way too long to graduate from verbal reprimands to physically stopping the cluster from continuing to grow, to move on to the next one. Add that to the fact that they didn’t do a group photo this year, plus the fact that our diner service was slow and we weren’t able to get set up to film the parade in time, and I was really thinking “Why am I doing this?” this year. I like MFF’s complete lack of a group photo and parade so much better. No guilt, no bullshit.
For dinner we went to a bar called the Eagle a little bit further down the street, and I had a very tasty chicken sandwich. However, I was also extremely hungry, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt! Generally speaking, I don’t like bars with menus like theirs anyway, since it’s literally just like sandos and finger foods without entrees. It’s fine, it’s just I think there are better options that are closer to the con space.
That night, I wrapped up my con with an hour or so on the dance floor with Covah. Couldn’t compare to our experience at the club, but hey! My dancing is slowly getting better. Slowly.
Sunday morning I really had to leave early, so nothing to report on that day. But overall a successful con - met new folks, had new experiences, tried new restaurants, and hung out with old friends.
Now, the next con. I’m trying to bank PTO that would enable me to travel to BLFC, especially because I now have a job that is very flexible on remote work. The venue is right up my alley - my vice is gambling - and there are some west coast furs I’m dying to meet. I hope it works out. If not, then I’ll definitely be at MFF in December. If it does, I might even try for doing both. We’ll see!
ArgentVZ, Vonadi, and Mercury at the AC Hotel again, as the Drury sold out in a millisecond. We had Vamux join us on Saturday and Sunday morning as a special guest star. Let’s see…Thursday was rough, as it usually is, because:
( a ) that’s the day I travel to Pittsburgh, so I’m tired from the drive;
( b ) the con doesn’t kick into full gear until Friday, so there’s less to do; and
( c ) you (and your friends) are not likely to be used to being around each other, so there’s a warming up period.
Reg line was alright - it was better than what I remembered for MFF, but only slightly. I totally forgot I was a sponsor this year (I do it for the shirt + a little extra for the con) so I guess I could’ve been done a lot faster lol. At least I hung with my roomies and Covah (
MFI) in line. Props for making the badges just a teensy bit smaller than the ginormous monstrosities from 2022, but bummer that they switched to cheap stickers to affix your name to the badge instead of the traditional thermal printing.Argent was still on his way to the con after Von, Merc, and I registered, so we didn’t want to do anything crazy for lunch. At Von’s suggestion, we went to…Arby’s!
[Oh, and one thing I wanted to note before continuing is that in our experience around the city, there are very clear signs of the present state of the economy. Way more homeless people…we were in a Rite Aid, and they had an anti-theft device on a box of Pop Tarts?? Very stark.]
Anyway, yes, Arby’s! I’m okay with chains on trips as long as I don’t eat there often, and there aren’t any Arby’s where I live now, so it was fiiiiiine XD Incidentally, the soda machine was broken in the most delicious way - it was heavy on the syrup.
For dinner I went to Bridges & Bourbon with Covah. It’s on Penn Ave, a little more upscale, I had the steak, and it was great overall. Good for more intimate dinners and one-on-ones. Afterwards we chatted on the roof of the con for a few hours, overlooking the waterfront party, it was very nice. Eventually we made our way down there and said hi to a new friend,
magicalarco, who we had danced with at MFF last year.On Friday, our room had breakfast at Soluna, which was kind of at my urging because I had such good memories of their Picante sandwich last year. [Ed note - looking at the 2022 journal apparently it was called Cafetano then!] Spoiler alert, it was just as good!
After that we cruised the Dealer’s Den/Artists’ Alley. Said hi to
Kadath who was apparently at his first AC in like five years??? Time flies, I never would’ve guessed. I also met 
chirasul and bought their graphic novel, which I had to get because sexy bugs were involved XD Gave a hug to 
Sapphy and picked up a little gold dragon for my hoard. Oh, and SixthLeafClover had a lucky dragon carrying a gold coin statuette that I had to get (it looks like top right but solid). Then it was time for the macro meet. I was really, really setting low expectations since for some reason this year it was held in an open area among a bunch of tables(?) but….eh, I didn’t hate it. It was okay, I think because it wasn’t in a main thoroughfare for one, and there was a little platform available to make it easier to take pictures. Saw a bunch of old friends and new ones there, almost don’t want to list because I know I’ll forget someone, but saw
Nommz in his Ankou suit, which was awesome, met 
millerretriever, had Equus crush my chest again, etc.Dinner was at the Mexican restaurant Bakersfield. It’s again another restaurant right there on Penn Ave. Their chicken taquitos were really, really nice, as was their queso for the chips. Back in the room, Merc bought some pink lemonade vodka, and after a handful of shots we were laughing it up. Derg holds his liquor a bit better than his roomies, though, don’t forget that.
Covah and I linked up a bit later to try this club right around the corner from the AC Hotel, called Club Pittsburgh. They were doing furry night, and had a line around the block. We waited almost two hours to get in (and the vodka wore off, sadly), but man…wow. Umm, I don’t think journals have age restrictions so I won’t get explicit, but man. It was clothing optional and sex positive, so that ended up being the most exciting sexual experience of my life. Let’s just say we were there until about 3:30 in the morning XD Not that I was a stud there or anything, lol, but as you probably know I am very much the voyeur type and you get satisfied in spades in a place like that.
Saturday we welcomed Vamux to our group, flying in for a day! He brought his refurbished Polaroid camera and got an…interesting…pic of me at the fursuit parade. I guess I’m an SCP now.
We all did breakfast at this 50s-style diner in the Strip District called Pamela’s. I judge a diner by the quality of their bacon, and they passed the test. Decent prices too. Busy, though, we had to blow some time at the candy shop down the street before we were able to get a table. Oh, and inexplicably on the way there, both Von and Merc were able to pick up some $20s that were just lying on the ground, so their breakfasts were free?
Right before heading out the skies briefly opened up. I haven’t mentioned the weather yet, but man, it was super muggy in Pittsburgh this weekend. The rain mostly came in quick spurts, but cloudy and humid most of the time, plus wildfire haze on Thursday.
But thankfully it wasn’t raining for the fursuit parade. Unfortunately the lineup this year was the worst experience I’ve ever had doing the parade, because of an extreme lack of organization and enforcement of orderly queuing (Brits, eat your heart out!). You get there, first of all the room is full of chairs for some reason, but not enough for everyone to sit in, so there’s a weird mishmash of people hanging around on the chairs, near the chairs, and away from the chairs on the edges of the room. We’re told to line up “along the chairs” (ambiguous?) and really what it ended up being is a handful of “clusters” of furs that they slowly started to lead out of the room. However, as they were leading this first cluster out, others from around the room began filtering over to this cluster, meaning that the first cluster was continuing indefinitely and penalizing folks like me who were waiting patiently in one of the other clusters. It took way too long to graduate from verbal reprimands to physically stopping the cluster from continuing to grow, to move on to the next one. Add that to the fact that they didn’t do a group photo this year, plus the fact that our diner service was slow and we weren’t able to get set up to film the parade in time, and I was really thinking “Why am I doing this?” this year. I like MFF’s complete lack of a group photo and parade so much better. No guilt, no bullshit.
For dinner we went to a bar called the Eagle a little bit further down the street, and I had a very tasty chicken sandwich. However, I was also extremely hungry, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt! Generally speaking, I don’t like bars with menus like theirs anyway, since it’s literally just like sandos and finger foods without entrees. It’s fine, it’s just I think there are better options that are closer to the con space.
That night, I wrapped up my con with an hour or so on the dance floor with Covah. Couldn’t compare to our experience at the club, but hey! My dancing is slowly getting better. Slowly.
Sunday morning I really had to leave early, so nothing to report on that day. But overall a successful con - met new folks, had new experiences, tried new restaurants, and hung out with old friends.
Now, the next con. I’m trying to bank PTO that would enable me to travel to BLFC, especially because I now have a job that is very flexible on remote work. The venue is right up my alley - my vice is gambling - and there are some west coast furs I’m dying to meet. I hope it works out. If not, then I’ll definitely be at MFF in December. If it does, I might even try for doing both. We’ll see!
MFF 2022 Post-Con Journal
Posted 3 years agoGuess who’s back? Tell a friend!
Yes, I’m back from MFF with lots to share. This year I had the luxury of taking time off from work to stretch the trip out, so the drive was a lot less hectic. I had a blast hanging out with my roomies, Vonadi, Mercury, and Bronzewing, and with Covah. Covah and I continued our tradition of watching BrutalMoose and YTPs while I stole all the great snacks he brought with him. He also brought some terrible cotton candy wine that actually tasted better watered down, but on the plus side it was one of the few wines that did not give me a headache afterwards. We cruised the Dealers Den/Artist’s Alley together, where I said hi to Kadath and Sapphy. With Kadath I accidentally bought a second copy of Volume 2 of Pleasure Principle sooooo…(a) past me has great taste and (b) does anyone need a furry porn comic for Christmas?? Sapphy killed it selling 3D printed goodies, and I picked up a Christmas present for my friend Argent, who unfortunately was sick and couldn’t make it to MFF this year.
We also spent hours at the dances on Friday and Saturday (like close-the-dance-out-at-2-AM action), and I took a lot of pleasure watching Covah dance his ass off. I….need some lessons. But I had fun, and that’s what counts!
Was the Macro/Micro meet a success this year? Well, I basically had my chest caved in by Equus Silvermane, so…yeah, yeah it was. Also got a chance to get a pic with one of my bucket list fursuits, Tirrel, and had a bunch of great albeit short chats with a bunch of cool peeps. I’ll be posting low angle shots and selfies alike on my Twitter, @TegonDrake, over the next few weeks when I find the time. I was on the high end of my comfortable weight while wearing the suit, so there aren’t a huge amount of pics, but we’ll rectify that at AC 2023.
Near the con is a restaurant called Sugar Factory that apparently specializes in sugary meals, and myself, Von, Merc, and Covah had dinner there one night. I ended up having some kind of cookies and cream mocha - the same thing that Covah had - with a Belgian waffle on top. It was….okay. A little on the expensive side, the cream was clearly Cool Whip, but it wasn’t bad. They apparently have some kind of $175 burger dish where everything is gold plated for the suckers out there. I, a natural sucker, will consider it next year. Do I recommend Sugar Factory? Ehh, like if you want a quirky cocktail with a friend, sure. But keep in mind that when we went there we saw next to zero furries, and the wait was at least 30 mins.
I hear MFF had over 13k visitors this year, making it by far the biggest furry con ever. I can believe it considering the reg lines took us 1-2 hours to get through. They really need to switch to online registration/mailed badges, because at a certain point it starts to become a barrier to attendance. As I get into my 30s and have the means to travel, sometimes it’s just easier to fly to a friend and hang out with them in their own city over a weekend. While we’re on gripes, one about staying in the Hyatt this year - yes, we did manage to get a room in the main hotel this year - is that the elevators are functionally useless on a mid-level floor. Every single time it wasn’t like 6 in the morning, it was stuffed full of people.
“Just take the stairs, Tegon!”
Well you didn’t experience the poop stairs, so shut it!
And with that, I’ll see you at AC in July 2023!
Yes, I’m back from MFF with lots to share. This year I had the luxury of taking time off from work to stretch the trip out, so the drive was a lot less hectic. I had a blast hanging out with my roomies, Vonadi, Mercury, and Bronzewing, and with Covah. Covah and I continued our tradition of watching BrutalMoose and YTPs while I stole all the great snacks he brought with him. He also brought some terrible cotton candy wine that actually tasted better watered down, but on the plus side it was one of the few wines that did not give me a headache afterwards. We cruised the Dealers Den/Artist’s Alley together, where I said hi to Kadath and Sapphy. With Kadath I accidentally bought a second copy of Volume 2 of Pleasure Principle sooooo…(a) past me has great taste and (b) does anyone need a furry porn comic for Christmas?? Sapphy killed it selling 3D printed goodies, and I picked up a Christmas present for my friend Argent, who unfortunately was sick and couldn’t make it to MFF this year.
We also spent hours at the dances on Friday and Saturday (like close-the-dance-out-at-2-AM action), and I took a lot of pleasure watching Covah dance his ass off. I….need some lessons. But I had fun, and that’s what counts!
Was the Macro/Micro meet a success this year? Well, I basically had my chest caved in by Equus Silvermane, so…yeah, yeah it was. Also got a chance to get a pic with one of my bucket list fursuits, Tirrel, and had a bunch of great albeit short chats with a bunch of cool peeps. I’ll be posting low angle shots and selfies alike on my Twitter, @TegonDrake, over the next few weeks when I find the time. I was on the high end of my comfortable weight while wearing the suit, so there aren’t a huge amount of pics, but we’ll rectify that at AC 2023.
Near the con is a restaurant called Sugar Factory that apparently specializes in sugary meals, and myself, Von, Merc, and Covah had dinner there one night. I ended up having some kind of cookies and cream mocha - the same thing that Covah had - with a Belgian waffle on top. It was….okay. A little on the expensive side, the cream was clearly Cool Whip, but it wasn’t bad. They apparently have some kind of $175 burger dish where everything is gold plated for the suckers out there. I, a natural sucker, will consider it next year. Do I recommend Sugar Factory? Ehh, like if you want a quirky cocktail with a friend, sure. But keep in mind that when we went there we saw next to zero furries, and the wait was at least 30 mins.
I hear MFF had over 13k visitors this year, making it by far the biggest furry con ever. I can believe it considering the reg lines took us 1-2 hours to get through. They really need to switch to online registration/mailed badges, because at a certain point it starts to become a barrier to attendance. As I get into my 30s and have the means to travel, sometimes it’s just easier to fly to a friend and hang out with them in their own city over a weekend. While we’re on gripes, one about staying in the Hyatt this year - yes, we did manage to get a room in the main hotel this year - is that the elevators are functionally useless on a mid-level floor. Every single time it wasn’t like 6 in the morning, it was stuffed full of people.
“Just take the stairs, Tegon!”
Well you didn’t experience the poop stairs, so shut it!
And with that, I’ll see you at AC in July 2023!
Back from Anthrocon 2022!
Posted 3 years agoI’m back from Anthrocon 2022, the first AC post-Covid, and I’m very happy to report that it’s the largest AC ever! I had some amazing roomies, Vonadi and ArgentVZ, and got a chance to meet and chat with friends old and new. We stayed in the AC Hotel for the first time, and yeah, the location was fine (less than five minutes walk to the convention center), but we were iffy on the ultra-modern aesthetic. I appreciated the hardwood/vinyl floors, but the frosted-glass sliding bathroom door with the world’s most over-engineered shower…meh.
As usual, I recorded this year’s fursuit parade, and you can check it out on YouTube (in 4K!) here. Argent (camera) and Von helped me with filming. It was over an hour long, to the point where I was able to walk in the parade somewhere in the middle, relax/hydrate for 10 minutes, then go back upstairs and watch the rest next to the camera!
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. We all got to Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, and immediately grabbed dinner at a place called Tako. Von and I got tasty frozen margaritas and we all had some pretty great Mexican food. From there we did “LineCon” (i.e., get our badges), but honestly it wasn’t bad at all and the con staff did a great job. After registration, we went to the Zoo, where we had a hilarious time playing a card game called Coup (basically bullshit your friends and don’t get called out on it), as well as some Jackbox courtesy of
iancorvid. I met 
SixSydes for the first time out of suit - always awesome to say hi to an artist I admire, and he seems like a great guy!
On Friday we had breakfast at a cafe called De Fer in the Strip District. The Strip District is a little north of the convention center and recently they’ve done a lot of work to rehabilitate the empty lots and deserted factories into restaurants and shopping. Anyway, this cafe is highly recommended for breakfast sandwiches and a morning coffee or smoothie. Tasty, modern aesthetic, and gets you out of the “bubble” surrounding the con. If you’re willing to walk another 3 minutes north, you’ll hit Grandpa Joe’s candy store, which is one of the largest ones I’ve ever been to, and we all grabbed something sweet to snack on. They have bulk, international, and retro candy, as well as ice cream and board games if you forgot to bring any of your own. The prices are okay, nothing terribly crazy.
The Macro/Micro meetup was that afternoon. When I threw my suit on and showed up with Argent and Von, we were able to catch a few slides from a presentation on how to take good macro photos - we definitely used the tips right afterwards during the photo shoots! Out on the roof we said hi to so many fursuiters - KuiPaws, 
Rogue, SyLoX (who I promised to see at more local Maryland Furs events!), MFI, 
EquusSilvermane, 
bighornywolf, Omi, 
SparkFloof, 
Kurrikage, 
IliaVulpie, 
Tyrnn, and the list goes on! Tons of great pictures will be posted over the next few days to my Twitter. But I will say one thing before moving on - it was HUMID this year, making it one of the most uncomfortable cons for suiting outside, ever. I guess the only benefit was a cool lightning storm that night that lit up the whole city.
After quickly hopping in the shower, we met Von’s friend Mercury at Pizza Parma - er, Furryland Cafe - which, I mean, c’mon, you have to go to at least once during AC. I’ll happily patronize any business that puts in that little bit of extra effort to welcome us to the city. As someone who doesn’t really like the taste of alcohol, I’d like to recommend the Mike’s Hard Strawberry Lemonade I had there, very drinkable. While we’re on the topic, Argent brought some local Bold Rock (don’t laugh at the kobold, he got enough at the con), watermelon flavor. Aside for wanting a slightly stronger watermelon flavor out of it, it was pretty good.
Then it was finally time to go to the Dealer’s Den for the first time. I picked up a Hyena Agenda workout tanktop like a true blue basic furry (XD), and met artists Von and Argent knew named
Stigmata + their SO 
sasharjones, who have some incredible art. On Saturday we went to their panel “Two Types of Dragons,” which was a very engaging exploration of motivations behind choosing our fursonas and what it potentially says about our aims and desires in participating in the fandom. At the Artists’ Alley we raided Sapphy’s table, who cleaned up at the con with some excellent 3D-printed tags.
That evening I was able to catch up with my buddy Covah at the Westin, who invited me to his room, and we watched brutalmoose on YouTube and snacked on pop-rock Oreos. He also brought Wisconsin-local drinks - Spotted Cow from New Glarus and probably the best sparkling water I’ve ever had called Bubbl’r (Twisted Elix’r flavor). After getting my fill, I buzzed back over to the con to catch another raunchy game of CAH with Von’s custom deck. I swear, every time he breaks those out he attracts a bunch of new furs who always mention what a fun time they had. If you see him at a con - ask him when the next game is! We were just outside the dance floor after the game ended, so Argent and I vibed there for a bit before calling it a night.
Saturday we had breakfast at another cafe in the Strip District, Cafetano. With how good De Fer was, I’d recommend this one even more strongly, as their “El Picante” (turkey and cheese with spicy pineapple relish) was to die for. On the other hand, I had a berry smoothie that was a tad disappointing, as it had a strong tapioca sort of flavor. While heading back to the con, we stumbled upon a comic book store, Eide’s, that is a MUST do in the future. It has four(!) floors, with new and vintage comics, used DVDs, records, all that jazz. I picked up an issue of G-Fan, because how could I not? Unfortunately they were sold out of the latest issue of Saga, which is my favorite series running right now.
Back in the Dealers’ Den, I was able to get a quick sketch badge from
Dook, who really came through for me, because I left all my badges at home. I’ll post it on my Twitter soon! As far as the Art Show, I had to leave early on Sunday, so I wasn’t able to seriously consider anything. That being said I DID see some, like, actually really hot stuff in the NSFW section (though as I told Argent, you have to separate art you’re horny for from art you actually want).
To wrap up Saturday, there was a beautiful sunset that evening and I went out with Covah to take some pics of him on one of Pittsburgh’s many bridges. On Sunday morning, I had a quick bite at a cafe adjacent to our hotel and then it was time to part ways until the next con.
Before wrapping up, I just wanted to mention that I heard on Twitter about the police being aggressive in kicking people out of the con space. I’ll add that I didn’t feel comfortable with the amount of police presence I saw this weekend. I have NO idea why they were constantly perusing the Dealers’ Den (maskless, of course, because they don’t give a shit), and honestly if they had to be there I kind of wish they were just like, not inside the convention center at all? Hopefully next year they go with private security or lay more ground rules to limit presence. Every year I see so many people able to fully express themselves for just a tiny slice of time, and it’s so unfair to take some of that opportunity away from them.
My next convention will be MFF 2022 in December. See you there!
Vonadi and ArgentVZ, and got a chance to meet and chat with friends old and new. We stayed in the AC Hotel for the first time, and yeah, the location was fine (less than five minutes walk to the convention center), but we were iffy on the ultra-modern aesthetic. I appreciated the hardwood/vinyl floors, but the frosted-glass sliding bathroom door with the world’s most over-engineered shower…meh.As usual, I recorded this year’s fursuit parade, and you can check it out on YouTube (in 4K!) here. Argent (camera) and Von helped me with filming. It was over an hour long, to the point where I was able to walk in the parade somewhere in the middle, relax/hydrate for 10 minutes, then go back upstairs and watch the rest next to the camera!
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. We all got to Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, and immediately grabbed dinner at a place called Tako. Von and I got tasty frozen margaritas and we all had some pretty great Mexican food. From there we did “LineCon” (i.e., get our badges), but honestly it wasn’t bad at all and the con staff did a great job. After registration, we went to the Zoo, where we had a hilarious time playing a card game called Coup (basically bullshit your friends and don’t get called out on it), as well as some Jackbox courtesy of
iancorvid. I met 
SixSydes for the first time out of suit - always awesome to say hi to an artist I admire, and he seems like a great guy!On Friday we had breakfast at a cafe called De Fer in the Strip District. The Strip District is a little north of the convention center and recently they’ve done a lot of work to rehabilitate the empty lots and deserted factories into restaurants and shopping. Anyway, this cafe is highly recommended for breakfast sandwiches and a morning coffee or smoothie. Tasty, modern aesthetic, and gets you out of the “bubble” surrounding the con. If you’re willing to walk another 3 minutes north, you’ll hit Grandpa Joe’s candy store, which is one of the largest ones I’ve ever been to, and we all grabbed something sweet to snack on. They have bulk, international, and retro candy, as well as ice cream and board games if you forgot to bring any of your own. The prices are okay, nothing terribly crazy.
The Macro/Micro meetup was that afternoon. When I threw my suit on and showed up with Argent and Von, we were able to catch a few slides from a presentation on how to take good macro photos - we definitely used the tips right afterwards during the photo shoots! Out on the roof we said hi to so many fursuiters -
KuiPaws, 
Rogue, SyLoX (who I promised to see at more local Maryland Furs events!), MFI, 
EquusSilvermane, 
bighornywolf, Omi, 
SparkFloof, 
Kurrikage, 
IliaVulpie, 
Tyrnn, and the list goes on! Tons of great pictures will be posted over the next few days to my Twitter. But I will say one thing before moving on - it was HUMID this year, making it one of the most uncomfortable cons for suiting outside, ever. I guess the only benefit was a cool lightning storm that night that lit up the whole city.After quickly hopping in the shower, we met Von’s friend Mercury at Pizza Parma - er, Furryland Cafe - which, I mean, c’mon, you have to go to at least once during AC. I’ll happily patronize any business that puts in that little bit of extra effort to welcome us to the city. As someone who doesn’t really like the taste of alcohol, I’d like to recommend the Mike’s Hard Strawberry Lemonade I had there, very drinkable. While we’re on the topic, Argent brought some local Bold Rock (don’t laugh at the kobold, he got enough at the con), watermelon flavor. Aside for wanting a slightly stronger watermelon flavor out of it, it was pretty good.
Then it was finally time to go to the Dealer’s Den for the first time. I picked up a Hyena Agenda workout tanktop like a true blue basic furry (XD), and met artists Von and Argent knew named
Stigmata + their SO 
sasharjones, who have some incredible art. On Saturday we went to their panel “Two Types of Dragons,” which was a very engaging exploration of motivations behind choosing our fursonas and what it potentially says about our aims and desires in participating in the fandom. At the Artists’ Alley we raided Sapphy’s table, who cleaned up at the con with some excellent 3D-printed tags.That evening I was able to catch up with my buddy Covah at the Westin, who invited me to his room, and we watched brutalmoose on YouTube and snacked on pop-rock Oreos. He also brought Wisconsin-local drinks - Spotted Cow from New Glarus and probably the best sparkling water I’ve ever had called Bubbl’r (Twisted Elix’r flavor). After getting my fill, I buzzed back over to the con to catch another raunchy game of CAH with Von’s custom deck. I swear, every time he breaks those out he attracts a bunch of new furs who always mention what a fun time they had. If you see him at a con - ask him when the next game is! We were just outside the dance floor after the game ended, so Argent and I vibed there for a bit before calling it a night.
Saturday we had breakfast at another cafe in the Strip District, Cafetano. With how good De Fer was, I’d recommend this one even more strongly, as their “El Picante” (turkey and cheese with spicy pineapple relish) was to die for. On the other hand, I had a berry smoothie that was a tad disappointing, as it had a strong tapioca sort of flavor. While heading back to the con, we stumbled upon a comic book store, Eide’s, that is a MUST do in the future. It has four(!) floors, with new and vintage comics, used DVDs, records, all that jazz. I picked up an issue of G-Fan, because how could I not? Unfortunately they were sold out of the latest issue of Saga, which is my favorite series running right now.
Back in the Dealers’ Den, I was able to get a quick sketch badge from
Dook, who really came through for me, because I left all my badges at home. I’ll post it on my Twitter soon! As far as the Art Show, I had to leave early on Sunday, so I wasn’t able to seriously consider anything. That being said I DID see some, like, actually really hot stuff in the NSFW section (though as I told Argent, you have to separate art you’re horny for from art you actually want).To wrap up Saturday, there was a beautiful sunset that evening and I went out with Covah to take some pics of him on one of Pittsburgh’s many bridges. On Sunday morning, I had a quick bite at a cafe adjacent to our hotel and then it was time to part ways until the next con.
Before wrapping up, I just wanted to mention that I heard on Twitter about the police being aggressive in kicking people out of the con space. I’ll add that I didn’t feel comfortable with the amount of police presence I saw this weekend. I have NO idea why they were constantly perusing the Dealers’ Den (maskless, of course, because they don’t give a shit), and honestly if they had to be there I kind of wish they were just like, not inside the convention center at all? Hopefully next year they go with private security or lay more ground rules to limit presence. Every year I see so many people able to fully express themselves for just a tiny slice of time, and it’s so unfair to take some of that opportunity away from them.
My next convention will be MFF 2022 in December. See you there!
TMI Wednesday - Ask Me Anything
Posted 3 years agoHey everyone! I'm kinda bored this afternoon and would love to answer any questions you have. They can be rated everything from G - XXX, and I will try my best to answer them. Cheers!
MFF 2021 Postscript
Posted 3 years agoOops - I totally forgot to do a post-MFF journal. I definitely don't want to imply it wasn't worthy of a journal, so here we go, a little late! Since it's been a month, the details will be a bit hazy and I'll probably leave something out, but I'll do my best.
When I got to Chicago from Boston, I met up with my roomie, MFI (Covah). Covah was working on his model micro city, and let me tell you, he really goes all out on it. It's high quality - made of wood with skyscrapers about torso-high, even painted. Anyway, he needed some supplies, so we took to the streets of Chicagoland to the sounds of gems from his playlist like this and that. After hitting up the local hobby store, we went to a really neat conveyor belt sushi place in Schaumburg, and Covah convinced me to try sushi for the first time. I went with a dragon roll - of course - and it....wasn't bad at all! The conveyor belt shtick wowed a corny person like me, and by the end of it we had gone through like...12 plates of food, lol.
Back at the con we waited in line to get our badges. I don't think you'll find a group that will mask more consistently than furries, so it never felt unsafe and despite the line we were able to get through without too much incident.
At some point Covah and I were wondering around in the basement of the Hyatt Regency where they have arcade machines and the two of us fought our way through both Sunset Riders and The Simpsons arcade games. Here's proof if ya don't believe me! (Okay, I'll confess, the cabinets were in "infinite credits" mode).
The macro/micro meet was FINALLY in its own room and I'm hugely grateful for that. Covah and I lugged his model city down, and he took photos of furs posing with the buildings while I mingled around and tried to get as many pictures as possible with suits. You can see them here, here, and here. In addition to meeting some old pals - like Sylox, Koss, Dialuca, Sovrim, Ian, and Tyrnn - I met some new folks, and new suits. KuiPaws was a "bucket list" suiter and I was very happy to get a pic with that awesome Kuiper suit. The paws in particular are extremely plush - I'm jealous! 
Drake26 also brought their new suit and it's a gem. Slowly but surely I'm meeting all of the artists I commission on a regular basis, and this time it was 
miguelsalt (Spec). Such a sweetheart, after chatting with him we continued hanging out at a room party and he drew me this fantastic micro sketch in like...45 minutes, if that? Blew me away.
Usually, I NEVER go to the dances. Covah's a big dance boi, so he convinced me to go both Friday and Saturday nights. It was really fun! I kind of bounced around on my heels a bit - out of suit, mind you, there's no way in HELL I'd do something like that in suit, Covah and Sy are crazy - but with a few drinks in me it was fun to lose myself for a bit among the furs. It was the first time I was at a big social event with furries since Covid hit and it felt good to be back. Oh! And I found out something, too - you can find suiters there you normally never see around, like Tirrel and Scooter. I took a pic with the meerkat, which you can see here on my AD (on there 'cuz I'm not in suit).
On my way out of the city, I had to stop by Pequod's Pizza, which I've heard is the best Chicago-style pizza. They're not kidding. If you're not a fan of Chicago deep dish, Pequod's will make you a believer. The edges are deliciously caramelized (they look burnt, but believe me they're anything but) and I demolished that thing like I *never* could with a Giordano's. I went to NYC the following week and tried a few places - that were admittedly touristy, like Joe's - but they couldn't hold a candle to this masterpiece. Pequod's has two locations - just go to one, even if you have to take the Metra into the city.
So that was MFF 2021, and I'll be happy to go back in 2022. My next planned con is ANE 2022, which I really can't *not* go to, since it's a hop, skip, and a jump from where I'm living in Boston. I'll probably drop in on the Saturday of that week - no suit - and browse the Dealer's Den/Artist Alley. LMK if you're going, too.
When I got to Chicago from Boston, I met up with my roomie,
MFI (Covah). Covah was working on his model micro city, and let me tell you, he really goes all out on it. It's high quality - made of wood with skyscrapers about torso-high, even painted. Anyway, he needed some supplies, so we took to the streets of Chicagoland to the sounds of gems from his playlist like this and that. After hitting up the local hobby store, we went to a really neat conveyor belt sushi place in Schaumburg, and Covah convinced me to try sushi for the first time. I went with a dragon roll - of course - and it....wasn't bad at all! The conveyor belt shtick wowed a corny person like me, and by the end of it we had gone through like...12 plates of food, lol.Back at the con we waited in line to get our badges. I don't think you'll find a group that will mask more consistently than furries, so it never felt unsafe and despite the line we were able to get through without too much incident.
At some point Covah and I were wondering around in the basement of the Hyatt Regency where they have arcade machines and the two of us fought our way through both Sunset Riders and The Simpsons arcade games. Here's proof if ya don't believe me! (Okay, I'll confess, the cabinets were in "infinite credits" mode).
The macro/micro meet was FINALLY in its own room and I'm hugely grateful for that. Covah and I lugged his model city down, and he took photos of furs posing with the buildings while I mingled around and tried to get as many pictures as possible with suits. You can see them here, here, and here. In addition to meeting some old pals - like Sylox, Koss, Dialuca, Sovrim, Ian, and Tyrnn - I met some new folks, and new suits.
KuiPaws was a "bucket list" suiter and I was very happy to get a pic with that awesome Kuiper suit. The paws in particular are extremely plush - I'm jealous! 
Drake26 also brought their new suit and it's a gem. Slowly but surely I'm meeting all of the artists I commission on a regular basis, and this time it was 
miguelsalt (Spec). Such a sweetheart, after chatting with him we continued hanging out at a room party and he drew me this fantastic micro sketch in like...45 minutes, if that? Blew me away. Usually, I NEVER go to the dances. Covah's a big dance boi, so he convinced me to go both Friday and Saturday nights. It was really fun! I kind of bounced around on my heels a bit - out of suit, mind you, there's no way in HELL I'd do something like that in suit, Covah and Sy are crazy - but with a few drinks in me it was fun to lose myself for a bit among the furs. It was the first time I was at a big social event with furries since Covid hit and it felt good to be back. Oh! And I found out something, too - you can find suiters there you normally never see around, like Tirrel and Scooter. I took a pic with the meerkat, which you can see here on my AD (on there 'cuz I'm not in suit).
On my way out of the city, I had to stop by Pequod's Pizza, which I've heard is the best Chicago-style pizza. They're not kidding. If you're not a fan of Chicago deep dish, Pequod's will make you a believer. The edges are deliciously caramelized (they look burnt, but believe me they're anything but) and I demolished that thing like I *never* could with a Giordano's. I went to NYC the following week and tried a few places - that were admittedly touristy, like Joe's - but they couldn't hold a candle to this masterpiece. Pequod's has two locations - just go to one, even if you have to take the Metra into the city.
So that was MFF 2021, and I'll be happy to go back in 2022. My next planned con is ANE 2022, which I really can't *not* go to, since it's a hop, skip, and a jump from where I'm living in Boston. I'll probably drop in on the Saturday of that week - no suit - and browse the Dealer's Den/Artist Alley. LMK if you're going, too.
TMI...Saturday?
Posted 4 years agoHi there! It's been a while since my last journal and I'm itching to interact, so please feel free to ask me absolutely anything you want here! It can be SFW, NSFW, whatever, anything and everything, and I'll answer it to the best of my ability.
Back from MFF 2019
Posted 5 years ago This is gonna end up like AC 2013.
That was my first thought upon arriving to MFF 2019. You see, AC 2013 was my first-ever con, and if you know anything about big cons you know that it's a recipe for disaster to go by yourself. AC 2013 was a sensory overload and left me feeling pretty down on the first day, and I felt similar on the first day of MFF 2019. That's probably because I've been stressed out and worked to the bone at my new job since the end of summer. The con snuck up on me and I couldn't get much time off, so I had to work a full day before beginning my journey to Chicago. That left me super tired and disinterested when I finally got to the Hyatt, just when everybody around was keyed up and ready for con fun. It got even worse that evening, when the macro meet happened. For some reason it's *still* in the hallway, even when it clearly attracts well over a hundred people. I came to meet some friends to perk me up and take a few photos, and instead we were all shuffled from room to room. and left with very little wiggle room. Con staff wasn't really happy with us clogging the thoroughfares and ultimately broke us up. Before that even happened I got fed up and went back upstairs. I felt like a creep standing around with my fursuit paws in hand looking for a friend to chat with and finding nobody.
An unofficial macro meet later that night turned everything around. I want to wholeheartedly thank Nightraver, Sovrim, Catbot/Sofia, and Ian for their props and photography skills. We had a nice, long, fulfilling shoot with plenty of stompy fun. The con was miles better from then on out.
Highlights of MFF 2019 included:
- Hanging out in a room with a bunch of cool sergs, hosted by
furtherinsanity. They even made me an honorary sergal (comes with badge!)
- Spending an evening just chatting with some friends in Sovrim's place over at the Crowne Plaza. No pretense, no gimmick, just some good, old-fashioned hanging out.
- Eating dinner with Bronze at the Five Roses. They're very cozy, have live music, and most importantly they had space at the bar for us to eat at. The restaurants were packed last weekend! We were lucky, because on our way out there were people waiting for space at the bar(!)
- Playing Jackbox with Ian and a whole host of other macro furs. Always fun, this year lasting from about 10 to 2 am when the game room closed. Yours truly was able to clean up quite nicely on Trivia Murder Party.
- Meeting
Fivel and getting a pic with her fursuit. I have a short "hitlist" of suits I need to take pictures with, and Beep was one!
- Having a successful con without the full suit. This year because of logistics I was forced to take my partial only, so I made the best of it and got creative with my Converse. Nightraver took a bunch of pics you can find on his Twitter (example).
- Spending some quality time with a new friend, Covah!
- Visiting the Christkindlmarket downtown, shopping for new clothes on the Magnificent Mile, and grabbing a pizza from Giordano's on the way out.
I didn't get any art this time, but I did pick up a few goodies from the Dealer's Den. First off, I got a daki of Bea from Night in the Woods. I know, I know, how could such a cool derg get something so nerdy? Well, one it was great art, and two, I wanted to try sleeping with a body pillow to see if it would help me fall into a deeper sleep. I'm glad to report it works very well and is uber supportive. I also got a cool glowy lanyard and an LED badge that has "Watch Your Step" as its trashy marquee. Finally, I snagged a cool print of this gryphon beer sign that I'm trying to find online somewhere so I can link to it.
Well, that's all I have to say about MFF 2019, and I will be happy to see you in Pittsburgh at AC 2020!
That was my first thought upon arriving to MFF 2019. You see, AC 2013 was my first-ever con, and if you know anything about big cons you know that it's a recipe for disaster to go by yourself. AC 2013 was a sensory overload and left me feeling pretty down on the first day, and I felt similar on the first day of MFF 2019. That's probably because I've been stressed out and worked to the bone at my new job since the end of summer. The con snuck up on me and I couldn't get much time off, so I had to work a full day before beginning my journey to Chicago. That left me super tired and disinterested when I finally got to the Hyatt, just when everybody around was keyed up and ready for con fun. It got even worse that evening, when the macro meet happened. For some reason it's *still* in the hallway, even when it clearly attracts well over a hundred people. I came to meet some friends to perk me up and take a few photos, and instead we were all shuffled from room to room. and left with very little wiggle room. Con staff wasn't really happy with us clogging the thoroughfares and ultimately broke us up. Before that even happened I got fed up and went back upstairs. I felt like a creep standing around with my fursuit paws in hand looking for a friend to chat with and finding nobody.
An unofficial macro meet later that night turned everything around. I want to wholeheartedly thank Nightraver, Sovrim, Catbot/Sofia, and Ian for their props and photography skills. We had a nice, long, fulfilling shoot with plenty of stompy fun. The con was miles better from then on out.
Highlights of MFF 2019 included:
- Hanging out in a room with a bunch of cool sergs, hosted by
furtherinsanity. They even made me an honorary sergal (comes with badge!)- Spending an evening just chatting with some friends in Sovrim's place over at the Crowne Plaza. No pretense, no gimmick, just some good, old-fashioned hanging out.
- Eating dinner with Bronze at the Five Roses. They're very cozy, have live music, and most importantly they had space at the bar for us to eat at. The restaurants were packed last weekend! We were lucky, because on our way out there were people waiting for space at the bar(!)
- Playing Jackbox with Ian and a whole host of other macro furs. Always fun, this year lasting from about 10 to 2 am when the game room closed. Yours truly was able to clean up quite nicely on Trivia Murder Party.
- Meeting
Fivel and getting a pic with her fursuit. I have a short "hitlist" of suits I need to take pictures with, and Beep was one!- Having a successful con without the full suit. This year because of logistics I was forced to take my partial only, so I made the best of it and got creative with my Converse. Nightraver took a bunch of pics you can find on his Twitter (example).
- Spending some quality time with a new friend, Covah!
- Visiting the Christkindlmarket downtown, shopping for new clothes on the Magnificent Mile, and grabbing a pizza from Giordano's on the way out.
I didn't get any art this time, but I did pick up a few goodies from the Dealer's Den. First off, I got a daki of Bea from Night in the Woods. I know, I know, how could such a cool derg get something so nerdy? Well, one it was great art, and two, I wanted to try sleeping with a body pillow to see if it would help me fall into a deeper sleep. I'm glad to report it works very well and is uber supportive. I also got a cool glowy lanyard and an LED badge that has "Watch Your Step" as its trashy marquee. Finally, I snagged a cool print of this gryphon beer sign that I'm trying to find online somewhere so I can link to it.
Well, that's all I have to say about MFF 2019, and I will be happy to see you in Pittsburgh at AC 2020!
MFF 2019
Posted 6 years agoWhere are you staying?
The main hotel, the Hyatt. That’s right, beyotch, we managed to get a room that doesn’t require us to walk out in the cold this year!
What day are you getting there?
Early Friday afternoon.
How are you traveling?
By car. I will be on an abbreviated schedule this year, because of work. I’ll be leaving early afternoon on Sunday.
Who will you be rooming with?
Derg will be rooming in a den of sergs, including geldazane.
How is the best way to find you?
Contact me via Twitter or Telegram. I might only be wearing a partial this time.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
Only the Macro/Micro Meet is a sure thing. I will have some Tegon pins with me to sell/trade as well.
Will you be suiting?
Not as much as usual. I’ve had some trouble hitting my target weight so there might be no full suit this time.
Do you do free art/trades?
I trade Fursona Pins of Tegon! I also sell them for $10 flat. Feel free to hit me up for one if you see me!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon). I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there. I'll be checking that and Telegram (@TegonDragon) regularly throughout the con.
How long are you going?
Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Probably not, because a big chunk of my weekend will be spent downtown seeing the sights.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just remember, it’s pronounced “Tay-gon”
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
I’m up for a group dinner at some point.
Can I take your picture?
Yes. In full/partial suit only, please.
Do you do commissions?
Nope!
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Trade away the rest of my pins for new ones so I can order a new batch.
* Say hi to some old friends.
* Get a few good pictures to post on Twitter.
* Build up an appetite for a good Chicago pizza.
The main hotel, the Hyatt. That’s right, beyotch, we managed to get a room that doesn’t require us to walk out in the cold this year!
What day are you getting there?
Early Friday afternoon.
How are you traveling?
By car. I will be on an abbreviated schedule this year, because of work. I’ll be leaving early afternoon on Sunday.
Who will you be rooming with?
Derg will be rooming in a den of sergs, including
geldazane.How is the best way to find you?
Contact me via Twitter or Telegram. I might only be wearing a partial this time.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
Only the Macro/Micro Meet is a sure thing. I will have some Tegon pins with me to sell/trade as well.
Will you be suiting?
Not as much as usual. I’ve had some trouble hitting my target weight so there might be no full suit this time.
Do you do free art/trades?
I trade Fursona Pins of Tegon! I also sell them for $10 flat. Feel free to hit me up for one if you see me!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon). I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there. I'll be checking that and Telegram (@TegonDragon) regularly throughout the con.
How long are you going?
Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Probably not, because a big chunk of my weekend will be spent downtown seeing the sights.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just remember, it’s pronounced “Tay-gon”
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
I’m up for a group dinner at some point.
Can I take your picture?
Yes. In full/partial suit only, please.
Do you do commissions?
Nope!
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Trade away the rest of my pins for new ones so I can order a new batch.
* Say hi to some old friends.
* Get a few good pictures to post on Twitter.
* Build up an appetite for a good Chicago pizza.
Tegon + Alix Sizebox Models Now Available
Posted 6 years agoHey there! If you're a fan of my Tegon and Alix 3D models, you should know they are now available in Sizebox! Simply click on this link to download the zip file. Only FAers 18 years of age or older are permitted to download this file. Thanks to 
darkwargreymon for sculpting the models and 
darklurker for porting them.
As an aside, I wanted to mention providing poseable 3D models creates the possibility of having Tegon or Alix art out there that is not sanctioned by me. I ask that you keep any posed screenshots to yourself, or at the very least seek my approval before posting on the internet. I will also make it clear now that if a Sizebox screenshot you see is not posted in my gallery here on FA or on my Twitter feed, I didn't create it. Thank you!
darkwargreymon for sculpting the models and 
darklurker for porting them.As an aside, I wanted to mention providing poseable 3D models creates the possibility of having Tegon or Alix art out there that is not sanctioned by me. I ask that you keep any posed screenshots to yourself, or at the very least seek my approval before posting on the internet. I will also make it clear now that if a Sizebox screenshot you see is not posted in my gallery here on FA or on my Twitter feed, I didn't create it. Thank you!
Back from Anthrocon 2019!
Posted 6 years agoAnthrocon 2019 is over! It’s done for pretty much everyone except for the poor shambling furs in onesies amid business suits asking the ether where the Zoo moved to.
I don’t get PCD – that’s “Post-Con Depression” for the non-con nerds – anymore, but I think banging out a few paragraphs describing my con experience goes a long way to cope with the sudden change in pace.
If you’re looking for a short blurb, I’ll tell you what I told a few people who asked me how the con was going during the thing – I and my roomies “milked the hell” out of the con. We did a LOT, and I hope I can entertain you with the catalog that follows.
I spent the Fourth of July weekend at the wonderful Drury Inn with my friends ArgentVZ, geldazane (Bronzewing), and Vonadi, beginning on Thursday, July 4th.
Thursday
I picked up Von from the airport while Argent grabbed Bronze on Argent’s way down from New York by car. Von wanted to go to Arby’s after his long flight, but that certainly wasn’t the food highlight of the day!
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an adventurous eater – the pizza place around the corner is usually enough to sate me for the weekend (can I hear an amen from Dunk?). But for dinner Thursday night Von definitely wanted to hit the town to check out a couple of ethnic restaurants. I agreed to come along, and we settled on Bae Bae’s Kitchen. I wasn’t really sure what we were in for until I discovered the menu was Korean. Despite my limited culinary knowledge, I know tons about bulgogi, usually pitched as Korean BBQ, and was able to recommend that to Von. It’s what we both had (along with my milk tea) and it was delicious. Highly recommend them!
There were plenty of fireworks that night, but I certainly don’t mean us roomies were at each other’s throats! It was July 4th, and we had the opportunity to view the city’s fireworks show from the convention center. I thought it was a tad anemic at first, but then the real show started after about ten minutes and I was impressed! Not sure if it beats the show Baltimore puts on for the new year, but I “oohed” and “aahed”.
To wrap up the day, we wondered over to the zoo, where Ian_Corvid was hosting a great party game called “Deception”. I think he summed it up as something that rewards a good bullshitter and that’s more or less accurate. If you like Clue-style murder mysteries, if you like collaborative gameplay – you’ll enjoy it. It’s a party game that works best with more people, on the order of 6+ in my opinion.
Friday
We slept in a bit the next morning, and apparently the hotel loves to pack the breakfast spread up a tad early, so we had to find somewhere to eat. We settled on Einstein Bros. It literally had a line out the door and several of their most popular varieties sold out, but that’s a common theme in downtown Pittsburgh during Anthrocon. I had never eaten at one of these before, but I picked the onion bagel with garlic herb shmear and….get yourself one of those next time you’re nearby one of those locations.
We stopped by the Dealers’ Den/Artists’ Alley off and on during the con, but I’ll mention it in full here since the bulk of the “action” happened on Friday. Argent and I stood in line to meet Ben Diskin, the voice of Haida the hyena from Aggretsuko. He’s the most down-to-earth guest of honor I’ve seen yet, really getting into his interactions with fans. Argent and I joked that he probably wasn’t going to be the same by Sunday after several thousand more signatures, but hell, he even did the parade the next day in a Haida fursuit, so what do we know?
I dropped some Tegon pins off at the Fursona Pins booth to sell. They had a perpetual line during the entire con, and I can’t really believe how fast they grew as a business. I was very slightly disappointed to sell only four pins, but I left the rest with who I think is Soap Pony to sell the rest on their Etsy.
In the early afternoon, we had the macro meet in the Westin. I had fun with so many macros, including SixSydes (gracious guy who I will bet money on having his own suit within the next few ACs), MFI (Covah), rogue, Tyrnn, Kurrikage, 
Dialuca01, bighornywolf (Tokala), and 
Aerys. Aerys was a surprise, because he made AC at the last minute. He showed me a little somethin’ I hope to share with you guys soon. Covah and I had our way with his faux city, and 
Appledectomy brought a plastic model of New York, allowing for awesome POV shots. Stay tuned to my Twitter (@TegonDragon)!
That evening, thanks to Sylox’s planning, we went with a big (no pun intended) group of macrofurs to the Spider-Man: Far From Home movie. I thought the best part of the movie was the mid-credits scene…make sure you stay behind and watch it! Otherwise, I found the movie a bit…odd. Mediocre? Well, I usually turn my brain off during the movie and even I was questioning a few of the plot points, so perhaps.
Regardless and quite frankly, I wanted to be over in Homestead so we could buzz over to Dave and Buster’s. It’s right down the street, and the four of us had dinner there. Afterwards, we played the Halo: Fireteam Raven arcade game from start to finish, an unforgettable experience! After a few games of skee-ball, fake slot machines, and a broken Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game, Argent and I were able to pool our tickets to buy him the Pusheen – er, I mean, “celebrity cat” – light up silicone toy. I’m talking about this one, a decent prize for one of these money sink arcades!
Saturday
Looking out my hotel window Sunday night, I saw a bright red neon sign, half burnt out. Even with a good chunk of the letters dead, it dominated the skyline, much like the parade dominated Saturday morning and early afternoon. So this section will begin with one word: PARADE. Imagine that word like the neon sign in your head.
Ever since doing a macro photo shoot for me, Covah has been a good friend, and I felt I was blowing him off so far, albeit not really by choice. So to make up for it I was determined for us to be in the group fursuit photo together. Me and his ridiculously cute suit, complete with floppy ear. We cut it a little close, but we managed to find each other and when the photo is released you’ll see us together! While I have the chance I want to thank Von for supplying me with water and helping me put my head back on before the start of the march.
The parade video, as usual, is available on YouTube, thanks to Argent and Von filming it for me. Click here! If ya wanna see my suit, skip to 21:30.
The parade route was a lot shorter, thank God, so before I knew it I was in the meet and greet area to take pictures with the general public. We got a nice group photo with dragons, courtesy of Omi, who showed me his huge gem – not a euphemism! I also chatted with some of the con staff, and when finally too sweaty I ambled back to the Drury.
As a special treat for my special roomies (yeah, they’re special, alright), I took them to Ruth’s Chris across town for dinner, just like I did in 2016. A fancy steakhouse is a nice change of pace from the crap you usually eat during a con - plus I don’t think any of us had seen a table comb before, so that was fun. Von told me his ribeye was the best steak he’s had, which makes you feel all fuzzy inside as the host!
Argent drove us back and forth due to the on-and-off rain. We were kind of like our own little family – Von and Bronze as the kids arguing in the back, Argent as the irritated dad, and me as the mother hen. Argent educated us in the ways of the New York driver (“Uh, Argent, it says no turn on red” *turns* -“Oh fuck, it does!”), and we bugged him to go to a place we saw on the way back called “Sinful Sweets”.
After the car got back to the Drury, I threw on my partial and headed on over with Argent and Von. I had a chocolate shake (quite decent!) and Von spent ten bucks on edible cookie dough that TSA made him throw out before he could even enjoy it.
Later, we set up at the Zoo with Von’s custom Cards Against Humanity deck, already a hit at last year’s con. It wasn’t long until he attracted a crowd laughing their collective asses off. That included
Meowdini, 
j-forse, 
squirrellyjay, 
naoyaraichi (Tobo), and Appledectomy.
Sunday
The last day we had no choice but to get up early; that’s because the four of us were scheduled to participate in a Fuzzy Logic Escape Room! I had done an escape room exactly once before, at MFF. This time we finished with plenty of time to spare, and – ya know, I’ll be honest – I didn’t do much, but I’m happy with what I contributed. These escape rooms are a must-do if you’re at a con with a group of friends. They’re well-constructed and everyone in our group had a blast.
After that, it was time to head to the airport to see Bronze and Von off. And thus ended our Anthrocon 2019 journey! Check out my Twitter page, @TegonDragon, for plenty more con photos, including those taken at the macro meet. Catch you in 2020~
P.S. Thanks Argent for being my handler! I hope you enjoy your dino school supplies!
I don’t get PCD – that’s “Post-Con Depression” for the non-con nerds – anymore, but I think banging out a few paragraphs describing my con experience goes a long way to cope with the sudden change in pace.
If you’re looking for a short blurb, I’ll tell you what I told a few people who asked me how the con was going during the thing – I and my roomies “milked the hell” out of the con. We did a LOT, and I hope I can entertain you with the catalog that follows.
I spent the Fourth of July weekend at the wonderful Drury Inn with my friends
ArgentVZ, geldazane (Bronzewing), and Vonadi, beginning on Thursday, July 4th.Thursday
I picked up Von from the airport while Argent grabbed Bronze on Argent’s way down from New York by car. Von wanted to go to Arby’s after his long flight, but that certainly wasn’t the food highlight of the day!
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an adventurous eater – the pizza place around the corner is usually enough to sate me for the weekend (can I hear an amen from Dunk?). But for dinner Thursday night Von definitely wanted to hit the town to check out a couple of ethnic restaurants. I agreed to come along, and we settled on Bae Bae’s Kitchen. I wasn’t really sure what we were in for until I discovered the menu was Korean. Despite my limited culinary knowledge, I know tons about bulgogi, usually pitched as Korean BBQ, and was able to recommend that to Von. It’s what we both had (along with my milk tea) and it was delicious. Highly recommend them!
There were plenty of fireworks that night, but I certainly don’t mean us roomies were at each other’s throats! It was July 4th, and we had the opportunity to view the city’s fireworks show from the convention center. I thought it was a tad anemic at first, but then the real show started after about ten minutes and I was impressed! Not sure if it beats the show Baltimore puts on for the new year, but I “oohed” and “aahed”.
To wrap up the day, we wondered over to the zoo, where
Ian_Corvid was hosting a great party game called “Deception”. I think he summed it up as something that rewards a good bullshitter and that’s more or less accurate. If you like Clue-style murder mysteries, if you like collaborative gameplay – you’ll enjoy it. It’s a party game that works best with more people, on the order of 6+ in my opinion. Friday
We slept in a bit the next morning, and apparently the hotel loves to pack the breakfast spread up a tad early, so we had to find somewhere to eat. We settled on Einstein Bros. It literally had a line out the door and several of their most popular varieties sold out, but that’s a common theme in downtown Pittsburgh during Anthrocon. I had never eaten at one of these before, but I picked the onion bagel with garlic herb shmear and….get yourself one of those next time you’re nearby one of those locations.
We stopped by the Dealers’ Den/Artists’ Alley off and on during the con, but I’ll mention it in full here since the bulk of the “action” happened on Friday. Argent and I stood in line to meet Ben Diskin, the voice of Haida the hyena from Aggretsuko. He’s the most down-to-earth guest of honor I’ve seen yet, really getting into his interactions with fans. Argent and I joked that he probably wasn’t going to be the same by Sunday after several thousand more signatures, but hell, he even did the parade the next day in a Haida fursuit, so what do we know?
I dropped some Tegon pins off at the Fursona Pins booth to sell. They had a perpetual line during the entire con, and I can’t really believe how fast they grew as a business. I was very slightly disappointed to sell only four pins, but I left the rest with who I think is Soap Pony to sell the rest on their Etsy.
In the early afternoon, we had the macro meet in the Westin. I had fun with so many macros, including
SixSydes (gracious guy who I will bet money on having his own suit within the next few ACs), MFI (Covah), rogue, Tyrnn, Kurrikage, 
Dialuca01, bighornywolf (Tokala), and 
Aerys. Aerys was a surprise, because he made AC at the last minute. He showed me a little somethin’ I hope to share with you guys soon. Covah and I had our way with his faux city, and 
Appledectomy brought a plastic model of New York, allowing for awesome POV shots. Stay tuned to my Twitter (@TegonDragon)!That evening, thanks to
Sylox’s planning, we went with a big (no pun intended) group of macrofurs to the Spider-Man: Far From Home movie. I thought the best part of the movie was the mid-credits scene…make sure you stay behind and watch it! Otherwise, I found the movie a bit…odd. Mediocre? Well, I usually turn my brain off during the movie and even I was questioning a few of the plot points, so perhaps. Regardless and quite frankly, I wanted to be over in Homestead so we could buzz over to Dave and Buster’s. It’s right down the street, and the four of us had dinner there. Afterwards, we played the Halo: Fireteam Raven arcade game from start to finish, an unforgettable experience! After a few games of skee-ball, fake slot machines, and a broken Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game, Argent and I were able to pool our tickets to buy him the Pusheen – er, I mean, “celebrity cat” – light up silicone toy. I’m talking about this one, a decent prize for one of these money sink arcades!
Saturday
Looking out my hotel window Sunday night, I saw a bright red neon sign, half burnt out. Even with a good chunk of the letters dead, it dominated the skyline, much like the parade dominated Saturday morning and early afternoon. So this section will begin with one word: PARADE. Imagine that word like the neon sign in your head.
Ever since doing a macro photo shoot for me, Covah has been a good friend, and I felt I was blowing him off so far, albeit not really by choice. So to make up for it I was determined for us to be in the group fursuit photo together. Me and his ridiculously cute suit, complete with floppy ear. We cut it a little close, but we managed to find each other and when the photo is released you’ll see us together! While I have the chance I want to thank Von for supplying me with water and helping me put my head back on before the start of the march.
The parade video, as usual, is available on YouTube, thanks to Argent and Von filming it for me. Click here! If ya wanna see my suit, skip to 21:30.
The parade route was a lot shorter, thank God, so before I knew it I was in the meet and greet area to take pictures with the general public. We got a nice group photo with dragons, courtesy of Omi, who showed me his huge gem – not a euphemism! I also chatted with some of the con staff, and when finally too sweaty I ambled back to the Drury.
As a special treat for my special roomies (yeah, they’re special, alright), I took them to Ruth’s Chris across town for dinner, just like I did in 2016. A fancy steakhouse is a nice change of pace from the crap you usually eat during a con - plus I don’t think any of us had seen a table comb before, so that was fun. Von told me his ribeye was the best steak he’s had, which makes you feel all fuzzy inside as the host!
Argent drove us back and forth due to the on-and-off rain. We were kind of like our own little family – Von and Bronze as the kids arguing in the back, Argent as the irritated dad, and me as the mother hen. Argent educated us in the ways of the New York driver (“Uh, Argent, it says no turn on red” *turns* -“Oh fuck, it does!”), and we bugged him to go to a place we saw on the way back called “Sinful Sweets”.
After the car got back to the Drury, I threw on my partial and headed on over with Argent and Von. I had a chocolate shake (quite decent!) and Von spent ten bucks on edible cookie dough that TSA made him throw out before he could even enjoy it.
Later, we set up at the Zoo with Von’s custom Cards Against Humanity deck, already a hit at last year’s con. It wasn’t long until he attracted a crowd laughing their collective asses off. That included
Meowdini, 
j-forse, 
squirrellyjay, 
naoyaraichi (Tobo), and Appledectomy.Sunday
The last day we had no choice but to get up early; that’s because the four of us were scheduled to participate in a Fuzzy Logic Escape Room! I had done an escape room exactly once before, at MFF. This time we finished with plenty of time to spare, and – ya know, I’ll be honest – I didn’t do much, but I’m happy with what I contributed. These escape rooms are a must-do if you’re at a con with a group of friends. They’re well-constructed and everyone in our group had a blast.
After that, it was time to head to the airport to see Bronze and Von off. And thus ended our Anthrocon 2019 journey! Check out my Twitter page, @TegonDragon, for plenty more con photos, including those taken at the macro meet. Catch you in 2020~
P.S. Thanks Argent for being my handler! I hope you enjoy your dino school supplies!
Anthrocon 2019
Posted 6 years agoIt's that time of year again! I will be attending AC 2019 in a few weeks' time.
===
Where are you staying?
The Drury, just like last year. It's not too hard to get a room, it's pretty close, and it's nice. Can't really go wrong with it.
What day are you getting there?
Thursday, on the 4th of July.
How are you traveling?
By car, as usual.
Who will you be rooming with?
Repeat of 2018. geldazane, ArgentVZ, and Vonadi.
How is the best way to find you?
Look for the Tegon badges or me suiting! I'll be in partial more than usual this year.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup and Charity Auction are the two guarantees.
Will you be suiting?
More than likely in partial suit this year.
Do you do free art/trades?
I trade Fursona Pins of Tegon! I also sell them for $10 flat. Feel free to hit me up for one if you see me!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon). I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there. I'll be checking that and Telegram (@TegonDragon) regularly throughout the con.
How long are you going?
Wednesday night-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Maybe, if there's a Macro Party. I'm also doing a group dinner with my roomies and possibly a group event like a movie if I can put it together.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
You don't have a chance with a dragon my size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If we decide to go to a movie together, I may post details on Twitter to get more people involved.
Can I take your picture?
Yes. In full/partial suit only, please.
Do you do commissions?
Nope!
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Going to a group dinner with my roomies.
* Getting something cool from either the Dealers' Den or the Art Show.
* Trading/selling as many pins as possible.
* Successfully wear my partial a few times.
* Get some refreshed macro pics of the suit.
===
Where are you staying?
The Drury, just like last year. It's not too hard to get a room, it's pretty close, and it's nice. Can't really go wrong with it.
What day are you getting there?
Thursday, on the 4th of July.
How are you traveling?
By car, as usual.
Who will you be rooming with?
Repeat of 2018.
geldazane, ArgentVZ, and Vonadi.How is the best way to find you?
Look for the Tegon badges or me suiting! I'll be in partial more than usual this year.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup and Charity Auction are the two guarantees.
Will you be suiting?
More than likely in partial suit this year.
Do you do free art/trades?
I trade Fursona Pins of Tegon! I also sell them for $10 flat. Feel free to hit me up for one if you see me!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon). I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there. I'll be checking that and Telegram (@TegonDragon) regularly throughout the con.
How long are you going?
Wednesday night-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Maybe, if there's a Macro Party. I'm also doing a group dinner with my roomies and possibly a group event like a movie if I can put it together.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
You don't have a chance with a dragon my size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If we decide to go to a movie together, I may post details on Twitter to get more people involved.
Can I take your picture?
Yes. In full/partial suit only, please.
Do you do commissions?
Nope!
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Going to a group dinner with my roomies.
* Getting something cool from either the Dealers' Den or the Art Show.
* Trading/selling as many pins as possible.
* Successfully wear my partial a few times.
* Get some refreshed macro pics of the suit.
Decided to Start Streaming on Twitch!
Posted 6 years agoHey y'all! After being enthralled watching others speedrun games on Twitch, I'm getting into the business myself! I find it a great way to pass the time and chat more frequently with friends!
I'm over at https://www.twitch.tv/TegonDrake. So far I've streamed a casual run of Midnight Club: Street Racing (PS2) and Midnight Club II (PC). I decided to do a few games before posting here to sand down some of the rough edges of broadcasting first.
You can check out the VODs of Midnight Club on Twitch for the next week or so. Last night I began a run of Prey: Mooncrash, and after that I'm considering tackling the big one: a 100% run of GTA: San Andreas!
So check me out there, and follow me if you'd like to see me take on games like these and many more!
I'm over at https://www.twitch.tv/TegonDrake. So far I've streamed a casual run of Midnight Club: Street Racing (PS2) and Midnight Club II (PC). I decided to do a few games before posting here to sand down some of the rough edges of broadcasting first.
You can check out the VODs of Midnight Club on Twitch for the next week or so. Last night I began a run of Prey: Mooncrash, and after that I'm considering tackling the big one: a 100% run of GTA: San Andreas!
So check me out there, and follow me if you'd like to see me take on games like these and many more!
MFF 2018 Report
Posted 7 years agoI'm back home safely from Midwest Furfest 2018 and there's one word that describes the whole experience: hectic! There was so much to do in only a short few days. Thankfully, I had an awesome con.
I've been extremely busy lately, so I had precisely zero time to prep for MFF. That includes dieting in anticipation of all the delicious Chicago food...hurk! My work schedule also made timing especially tight. I showed up, oh, about five minutes before the macro meet on Friday. I threw on my suit, raced through the front door of the hotel, and ran into a wall of macro enthusiasts! I had the pleasure to meet so many new people. One was
Nightraver, who is not only personally a blast to hang out with, but also a very capable photographer. He snapped some impressive macro shots of Tegon I'll share on Twitter over the coming days. Sofia.exe gave me a neat shiny - a shrinking sticker! Then there was 
Drachetto, who, judging from his reaction, checked an item off his bucket list in getting stomped by me! He was wearing what I think is a new tiger fursuit. I also shook hands (paws?) with a trio of artists whose art impresses me on a daily basis: 
kclt, 
sythefox, and 
kerneldecoy.
After a solid two hours suiting, I buzzed over to our hotel to unpack. This year we (meaning myself, geldazane, and 
JesseR.) stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was a mixed bag. The lobby is swanky, they have a full breakfast spread, and the attached bar/restaurant is quiet and has good food. Incidentally, we also had a full suite, so for once I had a full bed to myself and didn't have to sleep on the floor. However, the walk to the Hyatt is a bit of a trek if you want to avoid puddles... not quite as bad as the Aloft, though! The biggest negative were the elevators. They had unacceptably poor performance. I don't know why they were so janky, but Bronze and I often had to wait way too long to get up to the sixth floor. Plus one of the elevators had trouble stopping on our floor, and at least two of them had burnt out lights on the floor buttons.
That night Bronze and I had dinner with
blueanthroraptor, and it's always a trip observing and discussing the similarities and differences in our cultures. We wrapped up Friday playing Jackbox with iancorvid's group, including 
Buffzard, who had plenty of hugs and Oreos to spare!
Saturday morning I took a trip into Chicago to go shopping and visit a few landmarks. I was able to see the Bean almost by myself (because it was freezing and rainy). Then I picked up a cool new jacket on the Magnificent Mile (you can see it here), and finally perused the Christkindlmarket for German candies and hot chocolate.
When I got back it was time for the menagerie - that's the big fursuiting free-for-all. I didn't have time to get into really any of the group shots, and the one I did get into (Predators) I was stuck in the back. But I think the real fun for this event lies in milling around and finding cool suits to get pictures with. That included
Comus and 
Eredran (my Artslave brothers), 
Shade-raptor, and 
Axikor's Temba. I also met a handful of fellow macro afficinados who have been watching for years, like 
Veem0n, who was introduced by 
Corvidius.
I had the pin trading panel after that and now I'm going to have to reorder my Tegon pins... I'm happy to have handed out so many to friends!
That night Bronze and I ate dinner at the Hyatt's restaurant. Pro tip: do not eat a heavy, greasy burger right after suiting for hours! Your body won't allow it. Even so, we were able to enjoy a few more rounds of Jackbox.
Sunday I made my last run through the Dealers' Den with sythefox,
neopuc, Nightraver, Bronze, and Buffzard. If you wanna see my con haul, check it out here. Unusually I wasn't able to even go into the Art Show until it was too late. So nothing this year! One last thing: I had to laugh at MFF labeling the dildo room the "Dealers Den Annex" this year... it sounds so classy!
Before I knew it, it was time to leave. On the way out the door i grabbed a pizza from Giordano's. Believe it or not, this was the first time I was in the mood to try it, and wow, it's actually really good! I will no longer make Chicago pizza jokes as an east coaster.
Check out my Twitter (@TegonDragon) for suit pics. See y'all at AC 2019!
I've been extremely busy lately, so I had precisely zero time to prep for MFF. That includes dieting in anticipation of all the delicious Chicago food...hurk! My work schedule also made timing especially tight. I showed up, oh, about five minutes before the macro meet on Friday. I threw on my suit, raced through the front door of the hotel, and ran into a wall of macro enthusiasts! I had the pleasure to meet so many new people. One was
Nightraver, who is not only personally a blast to hang out with, but also a very capable photographer. He snapped some impressive macro shots of Tegon I'll share on Twitter over the coming days. Sofia.exe gave me a neat shiny - a shrinking sticker! Then there was 
Drachetto, who, judging from his reaction, checked an item off his bucket list in getting stomped by me! He was wearing what I think is a new tiger fursuit. I also shook hands (paws?) with a trio of artists whose art impresses me on a daily basis: 
kclt, 
sythefox, and 
kerneldecoy.After a solid two hours suiting, I buzzed over to our hotel to unpack. This year we (meaning myself,
geldazane, and 
JesseR.) stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was a mixed bag. The lobby is swanky, they have a full breakfast spread, and the attached bar/restaurant is quiet and has good food. Incidentally, we also had a full suite, so for once I had a full bed to myself and didn't have to sleep on the floor. However, the walk to the Hyatt is a bit of a trek if you want to avoid puddles... not quite as bad as the Aloft, though! The biggest negative were the elevators. They had unacceptably poor performance. I don't know why they were so janky, but Bronze and I often had to wait way too long to get up to the sixth floor. Plus one of the elevators had trouble stopping on our floor, and at least two of them had burnt out lights on the floor buttons. That night Bronze and I had dinner with
blueanthroraptor, and it's always a trip observing and discussing the similarities and differences in our cultures. We wrapped up Friday playing Jackbox with iancorvid's group, including 
Buffzard, who had plenty of hugs and Oreos to spare!Saturday morning I took a trip into Chicago to go shopping and visit a few landmarks. I was able to see the Bean almost by myself (because it was freezing and rainy). Then I picked up a cool new jacket on the Magnificent Mile (you can see it here), and finally perused the Christkindlmarket for German candies and hot chocolate.
When I got back it was time for the menagerie - that's the big fursuiting free-for-all. I didn't have time to get into really any of the group shots, and the one I did get into (Predators) I was stuck in the back. But I think the real fun for this event lies in milling around and finding cool suits to get pictures with. That included
Comus and 
Eredran (my Artslave brothers), 
Shade-raptor, and 
Axikor's Temba. I also met a handful of fellow macro afficinados who have been watching for years, like 
Veem0n, who was introduced by 
Corvidius.I had the pin trading panel after that and now I'm going to have to reorder my Tegon pins... I'm happy to have handed out so many to friends!
That night Bronze and I ate dinner at the Hyatt's restaurant. Pro tip: do not eat a heavy, greasy burger right after suiting for hours! Your body won't allow it. Even so, we were able to enjoy a few more rounds of Jackbox.
Sunday I made my last run through the Dealers' Den with sythefox,
neopuc, Nightraver, Bronze, and Buffzard. If you wanna see my con haul, check it out here. Unusually I wasn't able to even go into the Art Show until it was too late. So nothing this year! One last thing: I had to laugh at MFF labeling the dildo room the "Dealers Den Annex" this year... it sounds so classy!Before I knew it, it was time to leave. On the way out the door i grabbed a pizza from Giordano's. Believe it or not, this was the first time I was in the mood to try it, and wow, it's actually really good! I will no longer make Chicago pizza jokes as an east coaster.
Check out my Twitter (@TegonDragon) for suit pics. See y'all at AC 2019!
MFF 2018 Meme
Posted 7 years agoA little late on the meme this year, but I'm extremely busy this fall.
===
Where are you staying?
I'm going to be staying at the Hilton this year. Unusually, this is the first con I'm going to where I didn't book the room (Bronze did). We really wanted a room at the Hyatt because of the cold, but good luck getting through the Passkey system before all the suites are gone. The Hilton is OKAY since it's connected to the Hyatt via skybridge, and it's not all that inconvenient seeing how more and more of the con is actually in the convention center now. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be looking out my window wistfully at all self-contained folks over yonder.
What day are you getting there?
For various reasons, my stay is going to be abbreviated this year. I'm going to get there Friday afternoon, and probably leave Sunday around noon (hoping to make the charity auction before I leave).
How are you traveling?
By car. It makes for a decently-sized road trip. I don't think I'll be able to stop in Cleveland like last year, but finding a nice hotel somewhere randomly along the journey is fun.
Who will you be rooming with?
This year it will be geldazane, and JesseR..
How is the best way to find you?
You will find me around the con, either in full suit or in partial. I will be available via Twitter and Telegram if you want to pin me down to a specific place and time.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup, the Pin Trading Meetup, and the Charity Auction, definitely. If you'd like to trade for or purchase my Tegon pin, find me at the pin trading thing!
What do you look like?
You'll recognize me by the suit.
Will you be suiting?
Yes, probably not very frequently, though. Just the macro meet and the menagerie.
Do you do free art/trades?
Will trade most anything worthwhile for a Tegon pin!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon) during the con. I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there.
Can I buy you drinks?
Sure!
Can I give you stuff?
Sure, I'll take a contribution to my hoard. >:)
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
In suit, absolutely.
Are you nice?
I'm an evil dragon, what do you think?
Will you be going to parties?
Is there a Macro Party or trip to Giordano's this year? I'll be there!
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call me Tay-gon and I'll respond. Scream it and wave your arms around, too, depending on your size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Yeah, hit me up on Twitter if you're interested.
Can I take your picture?
Yes, as long as it's in suit.
Do you do commissions?
No.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Trading for as many fursona pins as I can...I want to come back without any Tegon pins!
* Meet some friends and have an opportunity to hang out with them... Corvidius, who I very nearly roomed with, is always fun to play a few games with!
* Have a successful macro meet
* Visit my favorite Chicago landmarks
* Go out at least once with macros as a group
* Snag at least one fun commission and one cool "thing" in the Artists' Alley/Dealers' Den
* Run the escape room if they're doing a different one this year
===
Where are you staying?
I'm going to be staying at the Hilton this year. Unusually, this is the first con I'm going to where I didn't book the room (Bronze did). We really wanted a room at the Hyatt because of the cold, but good luck getting through the Passkey system before all the suites are gone. The Hilton is OKAY since it's connected to the Hyatt via skybridge, and it's not all that inconvenient seeing how more and more of the con is actually in the convention center now. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be looking out my window wistfully at all self-contained folks over yonder.
What day are you getting there?
For various reasons, my stay is going to be abbreviated this year. I'm going to get there Friday afternoon, and probably leave Sunday around noon (hoping to make the charity auction before I leave).
How are you traveling?
By car. It makes for a decently-sized road trip. I don't think I'll be able to stop in Cleveland like last year, but finding a nice hotel somewhere randomly along the journey is fun.
Who will you be rooming with?
This year it will be
geldazane, and JesseR..How is the best way to find you?
You will find me around the con, either in full suit or in partial. I will be available via Twitter and Telegram if you want to pin me down to a specific place and time.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup, the Pin Trading Meetup, and the Charity Auction, definitely. If you'd like to trade for or purchase my Tegon pin, find me at the pin trading thing!
What do you look like?
You'll recognize me by the suit.
Will you be suiting?
Yes, probably not very frequently, though. Just the macro meet and the menagerie.
Do you do free art/trades?
Will trade most anything worthwhile for a Tegon pin!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon) during the con. I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there.
Can I buy you drinks?
Sure!
Can I give you stuff?
Sure, I'll take a contribution to my hoard. >:)
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
In suit, absolutely.
Are you nice?
I'm an evil dragon, what do you think?
Will you be going to parties?
Is there a Macro Party or trip to Giordano's this year? I'll be there!
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call me Tay-gon and I'll respond. Scream it and wave your arms around, too, depending on your size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Yeah, hit me up on Twitter if you're interested.
Can I take your picture?
Yes, as long as it's in suit.
Do you do commissions?
No.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Trading for as many fursona pins as I can...I want to come back without any Tegon pins!
* Meet some friends and have an opportunity to hang out with them...
Corvidius, who I very nearly roomed with, is always fun to play a few games with!* Have a successful macro meet
* Visit my favorite Chicago landmarks
* Go out at least once with macros as a group
* Snag at least one fun commission and one cool "thing" in the Artists' Alley/Dealers' Den
* Run the escape room if they're doing a different one this year
Back from Anthrocon 2018!
Posted 7 years agoI’m back from Anthrocon! Well, sort of. This year I had to travel to Boston afterwards, so I’m technically still on the road for a while yet. But since I have some free time, I decided to bang out the traditional post-con journal tonight. I’d say this year’s con was certainly the best con I’ve had since AC 2016, and very possibly ever.
My roomies this year were geldazane, ArgentVZ, and 
darious096, also known as Vonadi. This was the first time I met Von in person, and he’s a great guy. He’s got an endless amount of energy, and it pushed me to do more at the con than I would have otherwise. In the end, that means more fun! Von brought his custom Cards Against Humanity deck, and to say it was popular was an understatement. At the Zoo, he made many new friends with the macro and furry themed cards. Hit him up if you’re interested in a deck.
We all stayed in the Drury. I’ve never been dissatisfied by a Drury, and the one next to the Westin kept that streak unbroken. Right off the bat you always get the benefit of a free breakfast and a free dinner; we never took advantage of the latter, but a few of my roomies tried the former and appreciated it. The rooms are modern and clean, and it’s only a few minutes’ walk from there to the convention center, let alone the Westin. The only negatives were expensive valet-only parking, and the fact that the bathroom door apparently doesn’t have a lock. A huge plus was the Internet…I was consistently pulling about 65 Mbps down…crazy for a hotel’s free Internet! It let me get the parade video up on YouTube very quickly, and it also let us stream a few movies with ease (more on that later!). Considering the Courtyard is such a pain in the ass to get a room in, and the Westin has its issues with the elevator line and the alarm pulls, the Drury will be my first choice in the future.
The Macro Meet on Friday is nearly the perfect way to run a panel: keep the schedule back-loaded so people have time to show up; allow plenty of time to meet, chat, and take photos with fellow macros; and feature something fun (a raffle) to keep people engaged as a group. The only thing missing was more of an opportunity to play with miniature cities, people, etc. Check out my Twitter (@TegonDragon) to see some macro hijinks from this meetup. I finally got my goodies from Sapphy…those are some good cookies! I’m not ashamed to say I popped it into my mouth while still in suit.
Friday night we saw the Ant-Man sequel. In fact, the four of us watched a grand total of three movies this weekend: Ant-Man and the Wasp, Cloverfield, and A Quiet Place. Believe it or not, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a movie theater downtown, so all of us plus neopuc piled into Argent’s car that night and drove about 15 minutes to see Ant-Man. Joining us were SyLoX, 
TheFandox, and J-Forse. I’d give the movie a solid 8/10. It’s as hilarious as the first one, Michael Peña steals the show once again, and Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily have awesome chemistry together. Macro/micro-wise, there’s about three good scenes, none of which are particularly long, and none of which are as good as what we saw in the initial micro sequence in the original Ant-Man. Afterwards we went next door to Dave and Buster’s, where Argent and I enjoyed the “World’s Biggest Pac-Man,” gunned down some xenos, and we all had a decent dinner.
We watched Cloverfield in the room one night, in keeping with the theme of the con. I had never seen it before, believe it or not. I’d rate this one lower, between a 6.5 and a 7/10. To me, the movie was just a slightly better version of the “stupid people doing stupid things” plot of Alien Covenant. Another night we saw A Quiet Place. Decent, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. We all agreed it was short, and a whole sequence involving almost drowning in corn was unintentionally hilarious. I’d probably give it a 7/10 as well.
Saturday revolved around the parade, and I’m happy to say Argent shot it for me, and not just because I said I’d eat him if he didn’t! Check it out here. Bronze joined me in the parade for the first time, and I think he enjoyed it as much as I continue to.
Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting MFI (Covah), who hosted a macro photo shoot in his hotel room. You’ll see those pics on Twitter in the coming days, but rest assured it’s professionally shot yet appropriately naughty. The city Covah had was quite a setup!
Later that night our room went to Sienna Mercato. It’s a pretty popular Italian restaurant across the street from the con. I wasn’t too, too hungry, so I tried their cheese bread and some tots. The latter were excellent; the former would’ve been much better if it were a bit thinner. As it stands it’s a tad too bready. Bronze had a nice conversation with a local about the con there. Pittsburgh is happier than ever to have us there; during the parade I heard an awesome shout: “Pittsburgh loves you!”
While we’re on the subject of food at the con... Argent and I were totally bummed to find out the Ben & Jerry’s across the street from the Courtyard has permanently closed. I tried a milkshake at Bill’s, but it was meh. In fact, I think we’re striking Bill’s off the list for future cons. They’re convenient and okay, but ridiculously overpriced. Joe and Pie’s, on the other hand, has shot up my list. We ate pizza there twice, and it’s really good. Just the right amount of grease, and the kind of cheese that stretches perfectly as you lift it up.
ChaosDunk wasn’t too happy about me calling it a “hole in the wall”; I told him I officially upgraded it to “greasy spoon”.
Sunday we tooled around the Dealers’ Den/Artists’ Alley/Art Show one last time with Dunk. I said one of my goals beforehand was to find something cool in the Art Show; I most certainly did, but unfortunately I had to leave early enough I wouldn’t have been able to stick around to pick up the item. It was a totally awesome wooden sign… including a picture of a dragon with something like the Green Dragon Tavern written below? If anyone remembers who did that please let me know! In the Artists’ Alley, I snagged a commission slot with Tyrnn for an unspecified future joint thingy with Dunk.
I won’t even try to make an exhaustive list of all the people I ran into at the con…even now I think of the pleasant conversations I had with the likes of Nommz, 
Artie, and Dialuca01, and the macro pics with Rogue and Kurrikage’s new suit, and I wish I could go on and on. But I hope I can count on seeing all of you there in 2019, if not sooner in Chicago later this year!
My roomies this year were
geldazane, ArgentVZ, and 
darious096, also known as Vonadi. This was the first time I met Von in person, and he’s a great guy. He’s got an endless amount of energy, and it pushed me to do more at the con than I would have otherwise. In the end, that means more fun! Von brought his custom Cards Against Humanity deck, and to say it was popular was an understatement. At the Zoo, he made many new friends with the macro and furry themed cards. Hit him up if you’re interested in a deck.We all stayed in the Drury. I’ve never been dissatisfied by a Drury, and the one next to the Westin kept that streak unbroken. Right off the bat you always get the benefit of a free breakfast and a free dinner; we never took advantage of the latter, but a few of my roomies tried the former and appreciated it. The rooms are modern and clean, and it’s only a few minutes’ walk from there to the convention center, let alone the Westin. The only negatives were expensive valet-only parking, and the fact that the bathroom door apparently doesn’t have a lock. A huge plus was the Internet…I was consistently pulling about 65 Mbps down…crazy for a hotel’s free Internet! It let me get the parade video up on YouTube very quickly, and it also let us stream a few movies with ease (more on that later!). Considering the Courtyard is such a pain in the ass to get a room in, and the Westin has its issues with the elevator line and the alarm pulls, the Drury will be my first choice in the future.
The Macro Meet on Friday is nearly the perfect way to run a panel: keep the schedule back-loaded so people have time to show up; allow plenty of time to meet, chat, and take photos with fellow macros; and feature something fun (a raffle) to keep people engaged as a group. The only thing missing was more of an opportunity to play with miniature cities, people, etc. Check out my Twitter (@TegonDragon) to see some macro hijinks from this meetup. I finally got my goodies from
Sapphy…those are some good cookies! I’m not ashamed to say I popped it into my mouth while still in suit.Friday night we saw the Ant-Man sequel. In fact, the four of us watched a grand total of three movies this weekend: Ant-Man and the Wasp, Cloverfield, and A Quiet Place. Believe it or not, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a movie theater downtown, so all of us plus
neopuc piled into Argent’s car that night and drove about 15 minutes to see Ant-Man. Joining us were SyLoX, 
TheFandox, and J-Forse. I’d give the movie a solid 8/10. It’s as hilarious as the first one, Michael Peña steals the show once again, and Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily have awesome chemistry together. Macro/micro-wise, there’s about three good scenes, none of which are particularly long, and none of which are as good as what we saw in the initial micro sequence in the original Ant-Man. Afterwards we went next door to Dave and Buster’s, where Argent and I enjoyed the “World’s Biggest Pac-Man,” gunned down some xenos, and we all had a decent dinner.We watched Cloverfield in the room one night, in keeping with the theme of the con. I had never seen it before, believe it or not. I’d rate this one lower, between a 6.5 and a 7/10. To me, the movie was just a slightly better version of the “stupid people doing stupid things” plot of Alien Covenant. Another night we saw A Quiet Place. Decent, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. We all agreed it was short, and a whole sequence involving almost drowning in corn was unintentionally hilarious. I’d probably give it a 7/10 as well.
Saturday revolved around the parade, and I’m happy to say Argent shot it for me, and not just because I said I’d eat him if he didn’t! Check it out here. Bronze joined me in the parade for the first time, and I think he enjoyed it as much as I continue to.
Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting
MFI (Covah), who hosted a macro photo shoot in his hotel room. You’ll see those pics on Twitter in the coming days, but rest assured it’s professionally shot yet appropriately naughty. The city Covah had was quite a setup!Later that night our room went to Sienna Mercato. It’s a pretty popular Italian restaurant across the street from the con. I wasn’t too, too hungry, so I tried their cheese bread and some tots. The latter were excellent; the former would’ve been much better if it were a bit thinner. As it stands it’s a tad too bready. Bronze had a nice conversation with a local about the con there. Pittsburgh is happier than ever to have us there; during the parade I heard an awesome shout: “Pittsburgh loves you!”
While we’re on the subject of food at the con... Argent and I were totally bummed to find out the Ben & Jerry’s across the street from the Courtyard has permanently closed. I tried a milkshake at Bill’s, but it was meh. In fact, I think we’re striking Bill’s off the list for future cons. They’re convenient and okay, but ridiculously overpriced. Joe and Pie’s, on the other hand, has shot up my list. We ate pizza there twice, and it’s really good. Just the right amount of grease, and the kind of cheese that stretches perfectly as you lift it up.
ChaosDunk wasn’t too happy about me calling it a “hole in the wall”; I told him I officially upgraded it to “greasy spoon”. Sunday we tooled around the Dealers’ Den/Artists’ Alley/Art Show one last time with Dunk. I said one of my goals beforehand was to find something cool in the Art Show; I most certainly did, but unfortunately I had to leave early enough I wouldn’t have been able to stick around to pick up the item. It was a totally awesome wooden sign… including a picture of a dragon with something like the Green Dragon Tavern written below? If anyone remembers who did that please let me know! In the Artists’ Alley, I snagged a commission slot with
Tyrnn for an unspecified future joint thingy with Dunk.I won’t even try to make an exhaustive list of all the people I ran into at the con…even now I think of the pleasant conversations I had with the likes of
Nommz, 
Artie, and Dialuca01, and the macro pics with Rogue and Kurrikage’s new suit, and I wish I could go on and on. But I hope I can count on seeing all of you there in 2019, if not sooner in Chicago later this year!Anthrocon 2018 Meme
Posted 7 years agoIt's precisely one month before I arrive in Pittsburgh for Anthrocon 2018, which means it's time for the yearly meme! The Tegon suit is all spit-polished and ready for your viewing pleasure.
===
Where are you staying?
The Drury. I've been to a couple Drurys before, in Louisiana and Cleveland, and both times I was really impressed. Unusually, they offer free dinners as well as free full breakfasts; I hope that policy is the same in Pittsburgh! If I remember correctly this is a converted bank with a neato vault door and everything...that'll be cool to see! I wanted to stay in the Courtyard again this year, but I couldn't afford the supersponsorship to gun for a room and the Drury is not too much further away anyway.
What day are you getting there?
Wednesday afternoon, aka the 4th of July! Hoping to see some fireworks downtown, even if we don't get roof access at the DLLCC.
How are you traveling?
By car. It's a solid 5 hour drive.
Who will you be rooming with?
This year it will be geldazane, ArgentVZ, and darious096.
How is the best way to find you?
I'll be in suit, either full or partial! Also, considering the theme this year, I'll be wearing my apropos "Rampage" badge from Tyrnn: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/14151655/.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup and Charity Auction, definitely. Possibly "Scalies," but it abuts the Macro Meet on the schedule, so that's iffy if I'm in suit.
What do you look like?
You'll recognize me by the suit. You can definitely see me during the parade at least.
Will you be suiting?
Yes, frequently, thanks to discovering the wonderful world of partials.
Do you do free art/trades?
Nope! I'm hoping to get a Fursona Pin soon so I can do pin trading, though!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon) during the con. I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there.
Can I buy you drinks?
Tell ya what, gimme one of those waters with the long straw in it while I'm in suit and I'll love ya XD
Can I give you stuff?
Sure, I'll take a contribution to my hoard. >:)
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
In suit, absolutely.
Are you nice?
Surrre. C'mere and see for yourself...
How long are you going?
Wednesday night-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Yeah, the designated "Macro Party", whenever and wherever it is this year.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call me Tay-gon and I'll respond. Scream it and wave your arms around, too, depending on your size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
We usually do food runs as suitemates, but you're welcome to tag along if we announce it or you hear about it. This year I'd like to find a new pizza place, as well as return to the Proper Brick Oven place for some candied bacon! The burger place at the Westin is always a reliable go-to. Oh, and I really liked this greasy hole-in-the-wall from last year called Joe and Pie? It's a pizza place.
Argent, Von, Bronze, and I are carpooling to a premiere showing of Ant Man and the Wasp on Friday night. I'll buy the tickets as soon as they go on sale and more than likely post about it on Twitter if you'd like to join us. You'll have to provide your own transportation there, though :(
Can I look/draw in your sketchbook?
I have a mini-sketchbook from being a supersponsor in 2016, but it's blank. In fact, I've never really done the whole sketchbook thing. Maybe at the Macro Party this year, I can hope.
Can I take your picture?
Yes, as long as it's in suit.
Do you do commissions?
Nope. I'm not going to write for a long time, I think. Airing my thoughts on Twitter gives me enough satisfaction for now.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Playing lots of fun card games with my suitemates
* Seeing a macro/micro-heavy movie with other macro fans in the theater
* Suiting in the parade
* Filming the parade for the first time in a few years if I can get my friends to do it
* Commissioning at least one inspired idea at the Dealers' Den/Artists' Alley
* Picking up something cool at the Art Show
* Having a good time at the Macro Party and Macro Meetup
* Coming up with some new ideas for macro-themed pictures and videos of my suit
===
Where are you staying?
The Drury. I've been to a couple Drurys before, in Louisiana and Cleveland, and both times I was really impressed. Unusually, they offer free dinners as well as free full breakfasts; I hope that policy is the same in Pittsburgh! If I remember correctly this is a converted bank with a neato vault door and everything...that'll be cool to see! I wanted to stay in the Courtyard again this year, but I couldn't afford the supersponsorship to gun for a room and the Drury is not too much further away anyway.
What day are you getting there?
Wednesday afternoon, aka the 4th of July! Hoping to see some fireworks downtown, even if we don't get roof access at the DLLCC.
How are you traveling?
By car. It's a solid 5 hour drive.
Who will you be rooming with?
This year it will be
geldazane, ArgentVZ, and darious096.How is the best way to find you?
I'll be in suit, either full or partial! Also, considering the theme this year, I'll be wearing my apropos "Rampage" badge from Tyrnn: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/14151655/.
Are there any panels you might be attending?
The Macro/Micro Meetup and Charity Auction, definitely. Possibly "Scalies," but it abuts the Macro Meet on the schedule, so that's iffy if I'm in suit.
What do you look like?
You'll recognize me by the suit. You can definitely see me during the parade at least.
Will you be suiting?
Yes, frequently, thanks to discovering the wonderful world of partials.
Do you do free art/trades?
Nope! I'm hoping to get a Fursona Pin soon so I can do pin trading, though!
What is your gender?
Male
How tall are you?
6'0"
Can I talk to you?
Yep!
Can I touch you?
Just don't get too grabby when I'm in suit. I'm more willing to hug if I'm wearing Tegon.
How can I find you?
Check out my Twitter account (@TegonDragon) during the con. I'll post pictures, videos, and thoughts there.
Can I buy you drinks?
Tell ya what, gimme one of those waters with the long straw in it while I'm in suit and I'll love ya XD
Can I give you stuff?
Sure, I'll take a contribution to my hoard. >:)
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
In suit, absolutely.
Are you nice?
Surrre. C'mere and see for yourself...
How long are you going?
Wednesday night-Sunday afternoon
Will you be going to parties?
Yeah, the designated "Macro Party", whenever and wherever it is this year.
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call me Tay-gon and I'll respond. Scream it and wave your arms around, too, depending on your size.
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
We usually do food runs as suitemates, but you're welcome to tag along if we announce it or you hear about it. This year I'd like to find a new pizza place, as well as return to the Proper Brick Oven place for some candied bacon! The burger place at the Westin is always a reliable go-to. Oh, and I really liked this greasy hole-in-the-wall from last year called Joe and Pie? It's a pizza place.
Argent, Von, Bronze, and I are carpooling to a premiere showing of Ant Man and the Wasp on Friday night. I'll buy the tickets as soon as they go on sale and more than likely post about it on Twitter if you'd like to join us. You'll have to provide your own transportation there, though :(
Can I look/draw in your sketchbook?
I have a mini-sketchbook from being a supersponsor in 2016, but it's blank. In fact, I've never really done the whole sketchbook thing. Maybe at the Macro Party this year, I can hope.
Can I take your picture?
Yes, as long as it's in suit.
Do you do commissions?
Nope. I'm not going to write for a long time, I think. Airing my thoughts on Twitter gives me enough satisfaction for now.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
* Playing lots of fun card games with my suitemates
* Seeing a macro/micro-heavy movie with other macro fans in the theater
* Suiting in the parade
* Filming the parade for the first time in a few years if I can get my friends to do it
* Commissioning at least one inspired idea at the Dealers' Den/Artists' Alley
* Picking up something cool at the Art Show
* Having a good time at the Macro Party and Macro Meetup
* Coming up with some new ideas for macro-themed pictures and videos of my suit
Update
Posted 7 years agoHey guys! I wanted to give everyone an update on my status, because I've been unusually quiet as of late.
First off, there's a lot going on personally. I've been in the middle of a big move for a few months now, and between cleaning and packing, I've had little time to spare. The move is also requiring a change in employment, so there's that whole process I have to deal with. That requires me to be careful with my finances, at least temporarily, so commissions have been and will be a bit thin until the summer.
At the same time I've pulled back from social media: I've deleted my F-list, AD Twitter account, and am considering getting rid of my FN/Weasyl pages. To some degree my interest in "putting myself out there," so to say, is waning a bit, but I also feel like I am spreading myself thin as an introverted person when I try to be everything everywhere and it just isn't working anymore.
You might have noticed total silence on the Telegram/Discord/Twitter/FA Note front. About two months ago I decided to take a hiatus to responding to all messages (Link). I will probably start catching up shortly, but I hope nobody took it personally in the meantime. If ya did, oh well. I think the break in chit chat has really helped me re-center myself mentally...does that make sense?
Anyhoo, my next con will be AC in the summer (FWA didn't work out as planned b/c of the above), and you'll see commissions/activity ramp up on my account as we get closer. See you there, I hope!
First off, there's a lot going on personally. I've been in the middle of a big move for a few months now, and between cleaning and packing, I've had little time to spare. The move is also requiring a change in employment, so there's that whole process I have to deal with. That requires me to be careful with my finances, at least temporarily, so commissions have been and will be a bit thin until the summer.
At the same time I've pulled back from social media: I've deleted my F-list, AD Twitter account, and am considering getting rid of my FN/Weasyl pages. To some degree my interest in "putting myself out there," so to say, is waning a bit, but I also feel like I am spreading myself thin as an introverted person when I try to be everything everywhere and it just isn't working anymore.
You might have noticed total silence on the Telegram/Discord/Twitter/FA Note front. About two months ago I decided to take a hiatus to responding to all messages (Link). I will probably start catching up shortly, but I hope nobody took it personally in the meantime. If ya did, oh well. I think the break in chit chat has really helped me re-center myself mentally...does that make sense?
Anyhoo, my next con will be AC in the summer (FWA didn't work out as planned b/c of the above), and you'll see commissions/activity ramp up on my account as we get closer. See you there, I hope!
Midwest Furfest 2017: Post-Con
Posted 8 years agoYesterday afternoon, as I was traveling back home, I heard Midwest Furfest officially became the largest furry convention in the world with over 8700 attendees. While I’m sure it’s a bittersweet moment for Anthrocon, I’m sure the staff is very proud of their sister con’s success.
So I and quite a few other furries descended upon Chicago this past weekend to have fun. And that’s what I really love about the con experience – 99.9% of people are there just to have a good time. We take pictures, eat, drink, dance, game, suit, and chat with each other. I’m glad to say that MFF 2017 was a very fun experience with plenty of awesome encounters!
My con experience began on the road, where I passed through Cleveland, Ohio, and got to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Christmas Story House. That’s right, the house from the 1983 movie is still standing in Cleveland and renovated to look inside as it did in the movie. They also filmed several scenes from the movie there and I made sure to pick up some Ovaltine on my way out. By the way, Cleveland can get kind of a bum rap in popular media (*cough* “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” *cough*), but my experience was of a very lovely city.
From there I went to Chicago proper, and grabbed a few local favorites. Vienna Beef is like the main hot dog supplier for the city, and they have a factory outlet where I like to grab a few packs of dogs. Also, the fundraiser chocolate company World’s Finest Chocolate has an outlet store with factory seconds for very cheap prices. I have enough candy now to last me until next Christmas! Naturally, I also swung by a Portillo’s and had a chocolate cake shake. Not bad, but not as good as everyone claims it is! Way too cakey and not enough milkshake >:( I finally came to terms this year with my lack of interest in Chicago deep dish pizza. In 2015 and 2016 I went with a group of macros to Giordano’s, and each year I wasn’t feeling well enough to try it. This year I skipped it entirely, because you know what? It’s not really for me. I’m a thin crust sort of guy, and that’s okay.
Since this might be my last MFF for a while, and since I haven’t actually gone into downtown, I visited the city on Thursday and saw a host of local musts, such as Millennium Park/the Bean, the Field Museum, the Art Institute, the Christkindlmarket, and Wrigley Field. At the Field Museum I met SUE! She is the world’s largest, most complete T-rex fossil ever found. I thought it was sad to hear she had such a rough life (parasites, leg problems, tail problems), but at least now she’s more famous than any of her kin!
Then it was time for the actual con to start. I roomed with geldazane (aka Bronzewing) only this year, which was great because I could finally avoid sleeping in a sleeping bag on the hotel floor. We stayed at the Hilton, which is a fine hotel and more convenient to the convention center than even the Hyatt itself. I’m sure you heard the skybridge between hotels was a tad warm for fursuiters this year, and that was very true. But it’s nice to be able to travel back and forth without having to deal with the horn-leaning Rosemont drivers.
A highlight of MFF is always meeting up with
RidleyDupree. Unfortunately, the Godzilla con G-Fest which he sells merch at usually runs concurrently with Anthrocon in the summer, so I can only see him once a year. On the other hand, it makes for a rare and exciting treat to hear his fascinating stories of the Godzilla art biz over dinner. In fact, Ridley is an excellent local guide for the area, because by coincidence G-Fest is in the Crowne Plaza right down the street. As a lover of good food and good drink, he can reliably tell us about the good haunts. Bronze and I like to play it safe, so he pointed us to a bar called the Five Roses Pub that has excellent heavy, greasy pub food. They had these shoestring fries that beguile you into thinking they’re not seasoned, but are actually hiding some excellent flavor. The bacon in my bacon burger was also some of the best I’ve had on a bun; very high quality. We also had lunch with him across the street at the Park Tavern, which I can attest has good food as well, although perhaps not as great an atmosphere as the live music Irish pub.
The rest of Thursday was pretty uneventful, but I did partial a bit in what Bronze described as “Steve Jobs gear.” You can see that picture here.
On Friday, Bronze and I had breakfast at the Hyatt, which has become somewhat of a tradition. I suppose the buffet is good value if you like to eat big breakfasts…I do not. But the waitstaff there is the same each year and they’re awesome since they really get into the con. Our waiter had a MaryMouse badge on…didn’t catch what it said though! Soon after that we ran into Kurrikage, Saxon, and Razz. All three were really fun to chat with, even if unfortunately the latter two had to split from the con early for work.
That afternoon I tried an escape room for the first time, which was a blast. The group was myself, SyLoX, Nommz, 
dragonfireny, 
Draylen, and 
hotjazz. The room was located in the basement of the Hyatt, and in a very general sense you have an hour to figure out logical puzzles to unlock successive challenges with the ultimate goal of reaching the last locked item. Boiling it down to that, though, sells it short, since it was a frenetic, social, utterly rewarding experience! We managed to beat it with time left on the clock, and look forward to seeing Fuzzy Logic at future cons. Feel free to ask questions here about the escape room, but I might withhold some information out of respect for the organizers’ wishes.
After that was the macro meetup. This year it was enormous, enough to fill the entire space outside the grand ballroom. I met so, so many furs here I hate to list them, for fear of leaving someone out. But I will say this: Sovrim was a huge help for picture-taking, since Bronze now has a suit of his own. Thanks so much for snagging many of the group shots you’ll see on my Twitter page! I also chatted with 
BuckD and 
Splat at length, both of whom are great guys. While I didn’t think to get a stomp pic with either at the time, I did embarrass Buck by asking about his favorite commission of mine and tease Splat by mentioning those Chucks I forgot to bring with me. Hey, I’m a dragon, and it’s what we do! I also said hi to everyone’s favorite dragon mom, Sapphy! Just missed the baked goods, though, unfortunately :( Oh, oh, and I got some glamour shots from Nightdragon! Cool dude.
On Saturday, we got our first good look at the Dealers’ Den and Artists’ Alley. The Dealers’ Den hugely grew from last year and rivals if not surpasses the size of the Anthrocon one now. They had plenty of swag right up my alley: cutesy, anime-inspired, and scaly! I thought it was cool Bad Dragon came to the adult area this year with their product line-up. It’s interesting to see that stuff in person when usually you have to buy that sort of stuff sight-unseen. I also won a random shell game in the AA and got a cheap heart pearler badge! Not bad.
The menagerie was in the early afternoon. I think all of us fursuiters are glad we don’t have to go through the necessary evil of the fursuit parade. Instead, we get a much lower-key hour or two to go around and simply get group photos. I have some great ones on their way in the coming weeks, but I got pics with green suits, dragons, and mythical creatures.
Saturday night IanCorvid spearheaded a very fun game of Snake Oil, whose rules I’ve already detailed in my AC2016 post-con journal. I was a little punch drunk and laughing my ass off, but that’s par for the course with the game. 
Chittebengo was playing this cool drum-like instrument there and he’s really good! I told him the music he was playing reminded me much of the Super Mario Odyssey soundtrack, particularly that of the Lost Kingdom. He did a great job fighting back against the pounding bass of the dance next door!
Sunday was pretty dead since Bronze and I wake up early and everyone is hungover. But I did pick up some cool 3D art from the art show (in the link of con swag below). I was almost late leaving because MFF was having technical difficulties, but I escaped just in time. Hey, kind of like that escape room! Hurr.
Usually in these post-con journals I mention the commissions that are pending. Believe it or not….I didn’t commission a single piece of art this year! Yep, after being burned a few too many times with con artists, I decided to save my money and play it safe with known quantities. Thus, I’m expecting to get a few things from pig and Nommz soon. What I did get was a lot of con swag. You can view it here and here (unless you are ArgentVZ in which case you are FORBIDDEN FROM VIEWING THE SECOND PIC WHATSOEVER…SERIOUSLY!).
So that’s MFF 2017! I should probably stop writing now because I'm sure I could bang out a few additional paragraphs about the con. I’m currently planning on travelling to Atlanta to attend FWA 2018, but as always I will definitely be at Anthrocon 2018 next July. I will be posting more pictures to my Twitter as they filter in, so be sure to follow me on there. Enjoy!
So I and quite a few other furries descended upon Chicago this past weekend to have fun. And that’s what I really love about the con experience – 99.9% of people are there just to have a good time. We take pictures, eat, drink, dance, game, suit, and chat with each other. I’m glad to say that MFF 2017 was a very fun experience with plenty of awesome encounters!
My con experience began on the road, where I passed through Cleveland, Ohio, and got to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Christmas Story House. That’s right, the house from the 1983 movie is still standing in Cleveland and renovated to look inside as it did in the movie. They also filmed several scenes from the movie there and I made sure to pick up some Ovaltine on my way out. By the way, Cleveland can get kind of a bum rap in popular media (*cough* “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” *cough*), but my experience was of a very lovely city.
From there I went to Chicago proper, and grabbed a few local favorites. Vienna Beef is like the main hot dog supplier for the city, and they have a factory outlet where I like to grab a few packs of dogs. Also, the fundraiser chocolate company World’s Finest Chocolate has an outlet store with factory seconds for very cheap prices. I have enough candy now to last me until next Christmas! Naturally, I also swung by a Portillo’s and had a chocolate cake shake. Not bad, but not as good as everyone claims it is! Way too cakey and not enough milkshake >:( I finally came to terms this year with my lack of interest in Chicago deep dish pizza. In 2015 and 2016 I went with a group of macros to Giordano’s, and each year I wasn’t feeling well enough to try it. This year I skipped it entirely, because you know what? It’s not really for me. I’m a thin crust sort of guy, and that’s okay.
Since this might be my last MFF for a while, and since I haven’t actually gone into downtown, I visited the city on Thursday and saw a host of local musts, such as Millennium Park/the Bean, the Field Museum, the Art Institute, the Christkindlmarket, and Wrigley Field. At the Field Museum I met SUE! She is the world’s largest, most complete T-rex fossil ever found. I thought it was sad to hear she had such a rough life (parasites, leg problems, tail problems), but at least now she’s more famous than any of her kin!
Then it was time for the actual con to start. I roomed with
geldazane (aka Bronzewing) only this year, which was great because I could finally avoid sleeping in a sleeping bag on the hotel floor. We stayed at the Hilton, which is a fine hotel and more convenient to the convention center than even the Hyatt itself. I’m sure you heard the skybridge between hotels was a tad warm for fursuiters this year, and that was very true. But it’s nice to be able to travel back and forth without having to deal with the horn-leaning Rosemont drivers.A highlight of MFF is always meeting up with
RidleyDupree. Unfortunately, the Godzilla con G-Fest which he sells merch at usually runs concurrently with Anthrocon in the summer, so I can only see him once a year. On the other hand, it makes for a rare and exciting treat to hear his fascinating stories of the Godzilla art biz over dinner. In fact, Ridley is an excellent local guide for the area, because by coincidence G-Fest is in the Crowne Plaza right down the street. As a lover of good food and good drink, he can reliably tell us about the good haunts. Bronze and I like to play it safe, so he pointed us to a bar called the Five Roses Pub that has excellent heavy, greasy pub food. They had these shoestring fries that beguile you into thinking they’re not seasoned, but are actually hiding some excellent flavor. The bacon in my bacon burger was also some of the best I’ve had on a bun; very high quality. We also had lunch with him across the street at the Park Tavern, which I can attest has good food as well, although perhaps not as great an atmosphere as the live music Irish pub. The rest of Thursday was pretty uneventful, but I did partial a bit in what Bronze described as “Steve Jobs gear.” You can see that picture here.
On Friday, Bronze and I had breakfast at the Hyatt, which has become somewhat of a tradition. I suppose the buffet is good value if you like to eat big breakfasts…I do not. But the waitstaff there is the same each year and they’re awesome since they really get into the con. Our waiter had a MaryMouse badge on…didn’t catch what it said though! Soon after that we ran into
Kurrikage, Saxon, and Razz. All three were really fun to chat with, even if unfortunately the latter two had to split from the con early for work. That afternoon I tried an escape room for the first time, which was a blast. The group was myself,
SyLoX, Nommz, 
dragonfireny, 
Draylen, and 
hotjazz. The room was located in the basement of the Hyatt, and in a very general sense you have an hour to figure out logical puzzles to unlock successive challenges with the ultimate goal of reaching the last locked item. Boiling it down to that, though, sells it short, since it was a frenetic, social, utterly rewarding experience! We managed to beat it with time left on the clock, and look forward to seeing Fuzzy Logic at future cons. Feel free to ask questions here about the escape room, but I might withhold some information out of respect for the organizers’ wishes.After that was the macro meetup. This year it was enormous, enough to fill the entire space outside the grand ballroom. I met so, so many furs here I hate to list them, for fear of leaving someone out. But I will say this:
Sovrim was a huge help for picture-taking, since Bronze now has a suit of his own. Thanks so much for snagging many of the group shots you’ll see on my Twitter page! I also chatted with 
BuckD and 
Splat at length, both of whom are great guys. While I didn’t think to get a stomp pic with either at the time, I did embarrass Buck by asking about his favorite commission of mine and tease Splat by mentioning those Chucks I forgot to bring with me. Hey, I’m a dragon, and it’s what we do! I also said hi to everyone’s favorite dragon mom, Sapphy! Just missed the baked goods, though, unfortunately :( Oh, oh, and I got some glamour shots from Nightdragon! Cool dude. On Saturday, we got our first good look at the Dealers’ Den and Artists’ Alley. The Dealers’ Den hugely grew from last year and rivals if not surpasses the size of the Anthrocon one now. They had plenty of swag right up my alley: cutesy, anime-inspired, and scaly! I thought it was cool Bad Dragon came to the adult area this year with their product line-up. It’s interesting to see that stuff in person when usually you have to buy that sort of stuff sight-unseen. I also won a random shell game in the AA and got a cheap heart pearler badge! Not bad.
The menagerie was in the early afternoon. I think all of us fursuiters are glad we don’t have to go through the necessary evil of the fursuit parade. Instead, we get a much lower-key hour or two to go around and simply get group photos. I have some great ones on their way in the coming weeks, but I got pics with green suits, dragons, and mythical creatures.
Saturday night
IanCorvid spearheaded a very fun game of Snake Oil, whose rules I’ve already detailed in my AC2016 post-con journal. I was a little punch drunk and laughing my ass off, but that’s par for the course with the game. 
Chittebengo was playing this cool drum-like instrument there and he’s really good! I told him the music he was playing reminded me much of the Super Mario Odyssey soundtrack, particularly that of the Lost Kingdom. He did a great job fighting back against the pounding bass of the dance next door!Sunday was pretty dead since Bronze and I wake up early and everyone is hungover. But I did pick up some cool 3D art from the art show (in the link of con swag below). I was almost late leaving because MFF was having technical difficulties, but I escaped just in time. Hey, kind of like that escape room! Hurr.
Usually in these post-con journals I mention the commissions that are pending. Believe it or not….I didn’t commission a single piece of art this year! Yep, after being burned a few too many times with con artists, I decided to save my money and play it safe with known quantities. Thus, I’m expecting to get a few things from pig and Nommz soon. What I did get was a lot of con swag. You can view it here and here (unless you are
ArgentVZ in which case you are FORBIDDEN FROM VIEWING THE SECOND PIC WHATSOEVER…SERIOUSLY!). So that’s MFF 2017! I should probably stop writing now because I'm sure I could bang out a few additional paragraphs about the con. I’m currently planning on travelling to Atlanta to attend FWA 2018, but as always I will definitely be at Anthrocon 2018 next July. I will be posting more pictures to my Twitter as they filter in, so be sure to follow me on there. Enjoy!
