Well, I've officially finished with my second Tails and Tornadoes FurCon. It was sort of fun, as always with furcons, but I have to say, overall, it was not great compared with last year. In 2024, I had an absolute blast. Between seeing lots of friends, participating in the fursuit parade (my first ever), and of course the raves, it is a might just be my favorite con experience ever.

By contrast, TTFC 2025 felt kind of disjointed and just a little anemic. I understand it had more attendees than last year, but it never really felt like it, other than perhaps a couple of major events Saturday. Even the dance comp and raves didn't seem full like last time. Maybe it is the new venue. Maybe like a lot of cons these days, it really is just suffering growing pains. I don't doubt that the staff is committed to creating the best con experience they can, and I'm sure next year will be better.

Don't get me wrong: I would still recommend TTFC as one to go to. And the fact that it is growing slower than other, equivalent cons elsewhere may be a good thing in the long run--they don't all have to be MFF or AC, after all. I probably won't be there next year, but I definitely still recommend giving it a try if you get a chance.

Hey, y'all! Hard to believe it's already September, huh? Seems like summer kind of flew by.
Anyway, it's been a month, lemme tell you. Between getting my life in order, returning to TFS after a couple years (more on that here: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/11204180/), and easing myself back into writing, I'd say for once it's been mostly positive--if also exhausting!
Now, looking ahead, I'm pleased to say I'm back in the game again. With the last ripples of the move finally settling down, I've been able to focus on my creative stuff once more. In addition, The Alar Saga is finally coming out as a complete anthology this fall! As if that's not exciting enough, the new book will feature all kinds of new stuff, including an alternative ending, a bonus short story by yours truly, and illustrations by my own dear mate! It's gonna' be amazing, trust me.
In the meantime, hope to see some of y'all at TTFC this weekend!

Howdy, y'all! Been a little while I know, but things are doing better now. Hard to believe it's been a whole week since my return from Texas Furry Siesta. And yet, it feels like forever ago. Either way, I'm glad to be back home and already preparing for my next excursion to Tails and Tornadoes!

Anyway, as some of you know, I first visited TFS in 2023, and it was without doubt my favorite con experience to date (though TTFC 2024 comes very close). I'm happy to say that my impression of the con is still very positive. Though it's grown by almost 1000 since my last visit and had to spread out a bit more, it nevertheless still felt like the cozy little Siesta I remember from a couple years back. This time, I tried to get a little more into the con itself since my accompanying friend group was way smaller. I also managed to take advantage of some of the hotel eateries I wasn't even aware of back in '23, and while pricey, I definitely recommend the Hyatt food. Top notch!
Now, there were a few things I didn't get to for one reason or another, and they are as follows:

-Content creators panel (I was actually there, but the host never showed)
-Reunion Tower tour (we didn't know you had to book tickets in advance Friday night, and they sold out well in advance Saturday)
-Hotel pool (I've stayed there three times now and still haven't used it!)
-Twisted Tails Escape Room (I've never done one before)

So, while it wasn't all it could have been, it was nevertheless a nice, easygoing experience in the horrendous knot of highways that is Dallas, and a much-needed reprieve from the chaos that was this summer. It's safe to say that Texas Furry Siesta remains my favorite furcon, and that I will thus be returning next year to check off all those boxes I missed. In the meantime, hopefully I'll see some of y'all at TTFC next weekend. Until then!

Howdy, y'all! Long time no see. These last couple months have been pretty darn hectic, hence the lack of journal updates.

For one thing, as I mentioned previously, I moved at the end of June. It was kind of a rough one, and I had to leave a lot behind, but suffice it to say, it was ultimately for the better. The new place may be more expensive, but it's so worth it for the space and the amenities available. Heck, I even have my own office and library room, now!
Also, my Dad had a bit of a health scare recently that added to the stress of it all. Thankfully, it's turned out to be nothing serious, but prayers for swift recovery would nonetheless be appreciated.

Finally, in between all the chaos, RJ's design finally got its long-awaited update! I'm super thrilled with how it came out, and have my beloved bf to thank for the redesign. Hope y'all like it, 'cause you'll be seeing a lot more of it from now on.

So, anyway, that's the big news here here. Not much time for my more creative pursuits, I'm afraid, though I will have an exciting announcement to make about The Alar Saga later this month. In the meantime, hopefully things will settle down now that it's August, and I'll be able to make some real progress once more...until I leave town again in a couple weeks, at least! Anybody else going to TFS, by the way?

Having finally recovered from two weeks on the road and another week of work and moving, I think I've had time to reflect on my first Houston convention.

StratosFur was kind of hard to describe. It felt a bit spread out, with panel rooms, Artist Alley, and Dealer Den set up on one side of the Marriott and the game room and main events stage set up on the other side with the lobby in between. The Den and Alley were nicely laid out, easy enough to navigate, etc. I only attended one panel (Scritch and Bitch), but in all honesty, it didn’t feel like the staff was taking the criticism very seriously. I've heard some things about this convention and the folks who run it, and unfortunately, that did little to assuage the rumors.

All in all, though, most of my con experience had to do with the company I kept (as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 my boyfriend bought and set up right before the con ;) . I probably had more people in my hotel room at one point or another than at any other convention I've attended thus far, and honestly, it made all the other activities ten times as fun. The venue itself was pretty great and quite amenable to their furry guests (hey even made furry baseball-themed room cards!), though the hot tub left a little to be desired.

I would also add that Houston is a hotbed of culinary activity. Any kind of cuisine you can think of can be found there from Greek and Italian to Japanese and Korean and everything in between. Now, would I go back? I don’t like to rule anything out, but it was an awful long way. So, while I'd say it's about the right size at 1697 attendees, I think I'll be sticking to cons closer to home henceforth...such as Furry Siesta in Dallas, which I will be attending this August! So, to all my Dallas furry friends, I'll see you in a couple months.

Now that I've finally had some time to sit down and think about my recent trip, I reckon I ought to put down some of my thoughts for those interested.

Despite everything, TFF only felt a little like a furcon to me. Sure, I stayed at the con hotel. Sure, I was out and about in convention space a lot. Sure, I went to see the dance comp. But I didn't get any photos of the actual con (nor any video, so needless to say, no vlog of this one). Nor did I go anywhere in Dallas or hang out with old friends (other than the bf and my dad--yes, I brought my dad to a furry convention). And don't even get me started on navigating that Dallas traffic!

So, yeah, this one had its ups and downs, but mostly downs. I was at TFF 2024, so I know it cam be better. But for me, this year’s Furry Fiesta was a bit of a bust. :/

Howdy, y'all! Hope you've had a good long month. Mine was pretty lazy, I'll admit--didn't really work on any new projects. Mostly just took a noce break after the long slog to get the Alar Saga manuscripts completed and ready to meet my publisher's deadlines (you can see the whole teilogy here, by the way: https://ashtreemedia.com/the-alar-saga ;) . Plus, of course, promoting them afterward.

For April, I reckon it's about time to get back to it and begin work on my next project. It won't see the light of day for a while, I don't inagine, but I've got some other stuff to throw out there in the meantime, don't worry. ;3

Oh, also, I'll be at TFF next week, for what it's worth. Hopefully see some of y'all there!

Howdy, y'all! Hope your 2025 is off to a decent start. Mine's certainly been fun. And I've got my resolutions firmly worked out. Among them is a project I've been eager to get started on for some time now: an illustrated history of the fandom! This isn't just goin to be a me project, though. I want this to be a work of, by, and for furries everywhere, so if you're interested in helping out, please check out my blog post here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/calli.....-all-119092334
Thanks, and have a blessed 2025! >^_^<

It's weird to think that it's basically one week since I began my return trip from TTFC in Tulsa, OK, and two weeks since I left DenFur for a resort in the mountains. What a whirlwind of a ride!
My experience at these two cons was very different. In truth, though it was almost 3 times bigger, DenFur did not feel quite as con-like to me. Don't get me wrong, I still had fun. I got to fursuit for the first time and sat in on my first ever fursuit dance comp. And I met several interesting people there as well. But something about the whole atmosphere just seemed a little anemic, like there was too much space for how little seemed to be going on. And what's more, I think everyone there felt it even at the time. I'll give the staff credit for doing their best with what they had, but the lack of reg line Thursday coupled with having to wrap everything up by 4:00 Sunday (a tad earlier for me) just made the whole thing feel foreshortened. I also can't deny that, while most eateries etc. were within walking distance (didn't have to move the car out of the parking garage once!), the city of Denver itself was honestly not my cup of tea. Perhaps it was just all the construction going on in the area that ruined the vibe, or perhaps DenFur was a foreshadowing of things to come. A sign that the golden age of furry is indeed behind us, never to recover despite the apparent growing numbers everywhere else.
My stay at the mountain lodge for a couple nights was nice. It was the first time I or my boyfriend had ever stayed at a nudist lodge, though I've been a naturist for over a decade now. But I would highly recommend it either way: Mountain Air Ranch is well worth the extra effort.
Then came Tails and Tornadoes, which felt like a breath of fresh (if not mountainous) air. Despite its smaller number of attendees, it felt like a proper con. I had a lot more fun there with the people I knew (including my dad!), and got to meet a ton of other interesting, friendly people, including one of the guests of honor. What's more, I got to participate in my first ever fursuit parade and group photo--2 things big con DenFur didn't even have this year! And the raves were great too. Whereas Friday night at DF was a little dead, Friday night at TTFC was happening, and of course, it didn't slow down Saturday or even Sunday for the dead dog dance. So, we are left once again with the old adage that bigger is not necessarily better.
Would I go back to TTFC again? Absolutely! I look forward to it next year, assuming the world doesn't come crashing down in the meantime. Would I go back to DenFur? Uhh...Maybe. If they can restore the confidence people had in them last year (when they had 600 more attendees) and AEIOU can settle down and stop having internal issues, it might be worth making the 10-hour sojourn again someday. In the meantime, though, my congoing will be focused southward and eastward rather than westward. That's all I got for now. Con vlog for DF and slideshow for TTFC will be coming sometime. Until then, as our TTFC GOH Finn the Panther woukd say, "Stay wild out there!"

Howdy, y'all!
I'm pleased to announce that my patreon is now up and running. If you're interested in me, my writing, or my video-making, please check it out. And even if you can't give anything right now, simply spreading the word to others would be a big help. Thanks, and have a great day! >^_^<
https://patreon.com/rjfiretail?utm_.....ntent=copyLink

Hard to believe it's been a week since TFF already, yet here we are.
Personally, my experience was a mixed bag. The fact is, I’d never been to such a massive con before, so the sheer size of it was a bit daunting. And the fact that there was so much going on at any given time was rather disorienting. That said, I did have a good time exploring the convention and surrounding area, and it was good to see old friends again throughout. Friday was particularly fun, as I got to meet several folks I've long admired within the fandom, including Kyell Gold, who was gracious enough to sign my entire Argaea series!
The other days I spent largely behind a booth in the Artist Alley, so there's not a lot to say there. But overall I will say the experience was definitely good for me, and with the lessons I learned this year, I will for sure be attending TFF 2025 if at all possible!

Headed to Dallas this Thursday! Hope to see some folks there.

Whether spent alone or with your special someone, I hope and pray y'all have a lovely day.

Howdy, y'all! Happy 2024!

I gotta' say, 2023 was all I'd hoped it would be and then some. Massively refreshing after the grand disappointment that was 2022. Without going into too much detail, I have made more progress personally and professionally these last 365 days than probably the last 10 years combined! It was nice, and hopefully it only gets nicer. For starters, this is the year I finally make my debut on the the furry scene proper. A little delayed, but better late than never, right? So, with that said, be on the lookout for more comin' from these parts sometime soon. I've got the momentum going now, and there ain't nothin' gonna' stand in my way!

Anyway, that's all for now, and I'll talk to you guys again soon!

I had no idea it had been over 2 years since my checking in here. My, how time does fly! But now that I'm planning to get more seriously into the furry swing next year, I shall be sure to return more frequently from now on.