Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~!

(More news on this as it develops)

EDIT: Recovering from nasty illness, will be gearing up to continue these shortly


I'll do ten (10) penciled commissions* of whatever you guys want. I'll do my best to get them to you as soon as possible and to the best of my ability, but your mileage may vary.

1.  Aescula Done!
2.  Krazylegz624 Recieved Refs
3.  saberwulff Working on~
4.  ampridaux Recieved Refs
5.  arandus Recieved Refs
6.  trinawolfpup Recieved Refs
7.  mysticpanther (Working on a 5-at-a-time basis)
8.  snow--husky
9.  cerby9
10.  Charlamayne

*Limit 1 per customer

Oh, and advertise in your own journals. I could use the extra traffic.

All full! Wow, that didn't take long at all. Those got in, I'll be noting you for details on what you want.

Those who didn't make the cut, I'm sure I'll do this again in the near future. +Watch and wait. ^-^

Extended waiting list: (Why am I doing this to myself D: )

zachi2
robert_strongfox
the_art_teams_gallery
bpetersxx
transformer83
AceDaimon
Shaw-kun

Okay, absolutely full now, until next time.

Ninja-tagged by  Cadrien

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE
- Name: Iaru damnit! >:c
- Eye Color: They've been turning green
- Hair Style/Color: Dark brown and naturally wavvy with sexiness
- Height: 6'
- Clothing style: Skinny jeans now that it's sunny and lovely out, Favours long-sleeves shirts. Black runners. Necklace on occasion. No piercings or tattoos
- Best physical feature: Hair. I've had strangers compliment me on it, and some friends ask to twiddle it.

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE
- Your fears: No longer afraid of spiders :3 That used to be a big one. Being alone, I'll say.
- Your guilty pleasure: Playing up the gay.
- Your biggest pet peeve: Impatient people.
- Your ambitions for the future: Be a great artist! Have a good job I love and place of my own. And go visit  steelthewarrior asap! <3

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS
- Your first thoughts waking up: Bugger. My Terraium (Like an aquariam but for plants) is dying on me.
- What you think about most: Lately my future. A lot is in flux at the moment.
- What you think about before bed: Mm. I totally kicked his ass. (Starcraft II)
- You think your best quality is: Being understanding and supportive of others.

LAYER FOUR: WHAT'S BETTER?
- Single or group dates: Uhm. Non-applicable x.x
- To be loved or respected: Trick question imo! But if given the choice, Respect. Love without it leads to fighting and heartbreak.
- Beauty or brains: Brains. Airheads irritate me waaay too much.
- Dogs or cats: Dogs.

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?
- Lie: I'm good at it, but I find I do it rather instantly as a defensive. Trying to fix that.
- Believe in yourself: Even when others don't.
- Believe in love: Absolutely.
- Want someone: Only one. You know who you are. <3

LAYER SIX: EVER?
- Been on stage: Yus.
- Done drugs: Pretended to do pot once. I was young and stupid. But I've never done drugs, nor will I.
- Changed who you were to fit in: No, and sometimes it's done more harm then good, but I stayed who I was, and I prefer it that way.

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES
- Favorite color: My favourite tends to change with the seasons, but I love dark shades of colours.
- Favorite animal: Vulpes Vulpes
- Favorite movie: Many. Last pair of good ones though were Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and 11:14,
- Favorite game: Starcraft II, Bioshock II, and WoW (though interest there has been waning)

LAYER EIGHT: AGE
- Day your next birthday will be: October 20th, 2011
- How old will you be: 22
- Age you lost your virginity: 19 I think, It's been so hard to keep track~ (lol, no)
- Does age matter: In terms of dating? I think over 5 year difference starts to get awkward. Case by case situation I guess.

LAYER NINE: IN A BOY OR GIRL
- Best personality: Similar to mine, able to stand on their own, be supportive, laugh, seek things out.
- Best eye color: Green, though I've seen silver before, and that was something!
- Best hair color: Au Naturale, Not opposed to coloured highlights though.
- Best thing to do with a partner: Enjoy life. (and everything that entails)

LAYER TEN: FINISH THE SENTENCE
- I love: my life for the friends I've met and the things I've seen and done and felt.
- I feel: cold. (Stupid computer in the stupid basement)
- I hide: myself from myself.
- I miss: the carefree days of childhood, but I'm quickly learning to get over it.
- I wish: for more wishes.

LAYER ELEVEN: I TAG
- You =3

Where does one start with their first ever furcon? This was FE's second year running, and the theme was Wild Magic. I have to say, there was certainly something at work that helped everything work out as smoothly as they did for me! Forgive me if this seems long winded, but following is a blow by blow account of my phenomenal weekend at Furnal Equinox~!

I was just all a flutter with excitement and anticipation as the day of the con drew nearer. I had everything originally all booked and sorted out. Room, ride, money, etc. And then was planning on just kickin' back and waiting for the day to arrive. Then at the end of February I was hit with a couple surprises and decided, with a heavy heart, that it was best to bail on the idea of going. Not two days later, did I receive an email from Scani, feathery fur, and head of publicity / business relations for FE. I had mentioned in my introduction post on their forums that I was a photographer, and he was asking if I wanted to be one of the official photographers for the convention. I was thrilled!

But of course, this came a mere ten days before the convention itself, and I had already canceled all my previous arrangements! I took to the forums again with a fervor and determination, I would make it there at all costs! (within budget of course ;p) I found a new room with some other furs at the con with surprising speed. Hiro Fox, a great guy, if a little quiet at times. We hit up a lot of the con together. Eevachu, who was one of the dealers against the far wall. She had a good sense of humor and made me possible one of the cutest fox-buttons ever. I gave her a real simple commission, a super-happy red fox. What I got back was a little gleaming bundle of joy and the words, "he's so happy he sparkles!" I may post a picture of it sometime soon. The last member of our quad-squad was Sateva, a rather elusive scalie, as I could count all the times I saw her on one paw. Even so, she always came back to the room with a story of some outrageous party/dancing-related accident. Good times.

Part of the magic for me was the getting there. I did a search and all the necessary mapping of routes to get to the Doubletree hotel where the con was ahead of time. But in spite of all that, once I arrived at Union Station on Friday, nothing resembled any map and I was at a loss how I was to get to the other side of the city. So, I asked for directions. No one, at Union, not even the staff, had seemingly ever even heard of the Doubletree hotel. So I shot for the next best thing. The airport, which was near enough to the Doubletree to at least get me going in the right direction. And so I was off! As I got nearer and nearer to my destination, the people were more and more familiar with the hotel and were able to give me ever more specific directions. As I was riding down dixon on the TTC; there it was, a tall, narrow, almost burgundy building that sprung up out of nowhere. Had I not known there was a furry convention going on, I'd have never guessed this unassuming building would hold a weekend of endless fun.

I jumped off the bus and began running full steam down the sidewalk, my suitcase bumping and rolling on behind me. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I couldn't believe my good fortune; I had arrived! My first furcon! I could hardly contain my excitement! <3 After tearing my eyes away from the hotel, I noticed some of the nearby restaurants. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started laughing out loud. The very first one was called the Fox Bistro. After that I saw Dragon Sushi, and then there was the Palomino Bar. Giggling, I said to myself, "Oh jeez~ x3! Do these people realize just how much business they're going to be getting?!" All smiles, I took off again to the hotel.

A quick zig-zag across an intersection and I was at the base of the hotel, trying to find an entrance. As it happens, I came into a side door. My spirits were a little dampened not to find the place already thronged with fursuiters, and ear-totting enthusiasts. I didn't know then, that I was on the opposite end of the hotel. Left feeling a little somber, I strolled down the tiled hallway, keeping my eyes peeled for -any- sign of the promised convention I had traveled so far to see. So far, nothing. I rolled up to the front desk to ask if they had a phone I could use to call my roommate, Hiro, who had given me his cellphone number so we could meet up once I arrived. As it turns out it would have cost over 5$ to make the 20 second phone call so we could meet up. I didn't pay. Heart beginning to sink, I wheeled my luggage away from the phones and I looked down the long hall to my left... was that a... SERGAL!?! All at once, every ounce of hope, fear, excitement, half a dozen other ecstatic emotions hit me like a wall. They were here. They were real. Honest to goodness furries.

You should understand something, this wasn't just my first furcon, this was my first encounter face-to-face with other furries, and believe me, it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. I went -flying- down the hall and came around the corner straight into Furnal Equinox. The very first thing I did was snap a picture of the Sergal (who I later learned was Fuzzy D) and his wolf friend. The second thing I did was register. And that was that. After that moment, I completely left my day to day self behind. I was for all the world to see Iaru Embyr for the next three days. And it felt GOOD. Giddy, and not terribly certain what I was to do next, I immediately sought and borrowed the cellphone from a wolf fur waiting by the registration forms. Never did catch your name, sir, but thank you! I quickly got in touch with Hiro, found my room, dropped off my luggage, got my room key, and a complimentary chocolate chip cookie from my fellow fox. Armed with my camera I returned back to the central con area, the Zoo. From here I met with Scani in per--forgive me, in ~furson~ hehee, where I got my volunteer badge (oh so cool) and green bandanna. I remembering fretting over the stupid thing, how to wear it without looking like a complete tool imo. About a half hour later, I had settled on a 'around the neck, boy scout style'. I won't lie. The extra button made me feel important.

Indeed! I spent the next hour or so in the Dealer's Den, long before it opened up to the public. I was after all, a volunteer now, and had some extra privileges not given to the average con-goer. I got to meet the guests of honour (that's right, o -U- r, Canadian spelling, suckas!) ahead of most of the con. That was pretty sweet. I got some great photos of Zen and Firestorm6, both being just great guys. I wondered around the dealer's space for a bit, just in awe. It was still mostly empty, but there was something in the air that was charged with excitement, anticipation, and maybe, even a little bit of magic. As I strolled up and down the aisles, I was all a quiver. These were artists I had known about for years. Each famous in their own right. I thought about how first time dealers would feel. Sitting side by side people like Max Blackrabbit. Or other furs who would be coming here for the first time. Furs like myself who are just getting their feet wet now. I looked out across all those white tables, a few of the many artists to come rolling out their wares, setting up their little shops... This was a defining point of furry, the convention. And here I was, a fox in public for the first time, at the heart of it all. Watching it all come together before the doors opened.

I remember how nervous I was, going in for my first conbadge. Karine Charlebois was the artist, I remember. She had a rather impressive booth, and had come in early to set up. Besides the usual portfolio and small jewelry stand that many dealers there had, she also had a 7 foot banner featuring an equally tall vixen. Very eye catching. Looking back I can say I was definitely flustered. I gave her what details she could string out of me, and scurried away as soon as the deal was made to compose myself. Whew! There was something intimidating about describing what's been in your head for years, but having no supporting art to help describe it.
"A commission? Sure, have any reference art I can work off of?"
"A reference? Sure, have any commission art I can work off of?"
That was the hard part for me. But by my third commission, all trace of the my nervousness had melted away, and I was able to very clearly lay out what I wanted. Very true what they say, that practice makes perfect.
Even so, I was far too elated/relieved to have my first conbadge to even notice Karine had misspelled my name until the last day of the con, oh well.

There was never enough time to see and do all I wanted. Often, panels I wanted to see were happening simultaneously and so I had to choose one or the other, sometimes neither if something else was happening. Not that this was a bad thing mind you! I always had something new and exciting to see. Between running back and forth from one event to the next I was always on the go! The games room was a real treat to see. Mutiple Xbox360 and PS3 consoles, all rigged up with Left 4 Dead, Capcom Vs. Marvel, Army of Two, Bloody Roar 4, and DDR (of which I failed horribly at ¦D ) There was also an old SNES setup with what looked like the original Street Fighter, a vintage pinball machine, and a table that played host to a veritable mountain of various board games, including such favourites as Settlers of Catan. People were always on the go, always on the move from the early morning, right into the wee hours of the night. Someone, somewhere, was always doing, something.

I made myself known pretty quickly as the con's 'foxtographer', and was getting some really great shots the whole time I was there. I just wanna give a shout out to all the fursuiters who posed for me, you guys are the greatest! Every night, after the Dealer's Den was closed, the panels shutdown, and the room parties just starting to open up, there were the dances! Full on light shows with blaring beats and and glow sticks to swing about. I'm not going to try and capture the ENTIRETY of the con and my experiences here in this journal, really, this is just a sampler of my awesome time there. I made so many wonderful friends, I got to meet some really great people and never, have I been in buried by so many different, and awesome fursuits! I couldn't see for all of them! I'm a little saddened to see it all end so soon, but as the wheel of the year turns, I know this magical time of year will be reborn again, in the spring of 2012.

Oh jeeze... I wonder if I just invented quarter-life crisis? Twenty one seems like a big deal to me, I mean, yeah it is, but I feel like I've fallen a little bit short of the mark sometimes. Have/Am I living these years the best that I can? So I say no time like the present to start! In a few weeks time I will be 21 on 20/10/2010. Do I detect a hint of cosmic alignment there? :3

So I call on you my watchers and random passer-byers to help make this special day truly awesome! B-day arts, well wishes (or both!), anything at all that you can think to bring out the special in... in.. actually let's make that the 'awe' in awesome. Yeah, that works.

^-^

It's a furcon that'll be going down on March 7th-8th, and as much as I'd love to go to Anthrocon, (If you're willing to take me, I might go there instead! 83) but realisticly I see Furneal as a more likely con I could get to. So! The calls been put out, anyfur out there in the southern Ontario area willing to take me along?
I don't drink/smoke/spit/etc, at worst, I might cuddle.

Room and board would also be appreciated, but far from required. I could pay my own way, if need be. Just need a ride.

PM for further details/clarification

Happy New Years one and all!
*raises a glass of eggnog in cheers*