Here they are: all my photos of Midwest FurFest 2013 ... including:

The "Size Matters" podcast...
The 2nd annual Pizza Smackdown...
Fursuits...
Friends...
Hot dogs...
Snow...

Damn: I miss it already.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/147643.....7637725137873/

Midwest FurFest is over, again, for another year. Time to drive home to Minneapolis and see how the weather has been. (That's what Minnesotans always think about when returning home after a holiday.)

Just remember: post-con depression is just your brain's way of saying "You had a great time! Just wait until next year!"

#mwff

Yours,
Sylvan

I'm not a party person. I get very tired in groups of people. Unless those people are the type to whom I am closest, they drain me.

Not so the party that  rexxwolfe just hosted at Midwest FurFest.

I cannot say enough just how perfect this gathering was. There were some wonderful board and tabletop games (in part brought by  Rozberk) and others in attendance. There was the honest attempt to find alcohols I would not only tolerate but actively like. There were several folk who wanted to meet me, me of all people, to thank me for writing my stories "Indelible" and "A Little (More) Oral Action". There was good conversation with old friends like  Seritaph and  Tauros as well as the company of relatively new friends like  Dragonien and  Kwandry.  Kenson was dynamic and excited just to be alive, while  cinnablackwood was his charming and friendly self.  Freder was drawing and chatting with folk (such a quiet, kind man) and  Rogue showed up to nom a few people.  Geemo dealt some hands of "Cards Against Humanity" and...

Well, everything happened.

The bartender (I wish I could remember his name; he was fantastic!) came up with a mixture to Rexx's specifications to help me meet my goal of finding a drink I would like. It worked. Essentially an O.J.-heavy screwdriver with a decent amount of grenadine was the intoxicant of choice and it was amazing!

Before this party, I'd had the pleasure of meeting two new friends and reminiscing with three dear, close friends: Rozberk,  JoMo, and  Seph. How else do you have such a good time?

I really don't know how.

I was blown away that so many people wanted to just meet me, to thank me for writing my little stories. I felt truly happy for the first time in so very long.

I felt really whole.

This is the fandom I remember from years ago. This is how it should be: the happiness, the togetherness, and the shared friendship. This is the core of our fandom: the creativity. It made my day, my weekend, my con, and my year. It was ... perfect.

Thank you, all: I'm not sure I believe I'm still all that worthy of praise over my writing (I get nervous and make innuendo or self-deprecating jokes when I feel so flattered) but I'm terribly honored by everything!

Just ... wow.

Good night, Midwest FurFest: I'm going to sleep very well tonight and never forget this.

Yours,
Sylvan Scott

I finally got another cell phone (for con-use only).

Note me for the number.

Yours,
Sylvan

For all interested parties, I am in Room 443 at the Hyatt O'Hare while at Midwest FurFest.

This is where the Pizza Smackdown will be on Saturday at 12:30 in the afternoon.

See ya all at the con!

Yours,
Sylvan

I'm on the road (in about 30 minutes) to Midwest FurFest.

Driving down with me will be  Sorien and  PickleJuice. See ya'll there!

Yours,
Sylvan

Last year, I ran a pizza party for some friends. You see,  Sorien, told me that there was a better deep-dish pizza in Chicago than Gino's East. I disagreed. So, we invited some friends to my hotel room and pitted the two challengers against each other.

Gino's East won.

This year, we're doing it again!

Last year's winner, Gino's East, will go up against a new contender: Giordano's. We'll pit sausage against sausage and a non-sausage against a non-sausage.

This will be held in my hotel room at the convention on Saturday, November 23rd at Noon-thirty (depending on if the pizza can arrive by then).

All you have to do is chip in $15.00 for a slice of each pizza from each contender. This will get you a total of 4 slices of pizza! Voting will commence immediately afterwards. I'll also have some lefse, butter, and pumpkin-chocolate-chip cookies.

I just need to know how many are coming so I can order the right amount of pizza!

You MUST RSVP! If I've already heard from you via email, you're on the list! If you catch me at the con, ask if there is still room left in the queue! I'll put my room number on my FA Journal (and Tweet it) from the con.

Feel free to invite others ... just let me know before-hand how many will be chipping in their $15 so I can order the right amount of pizza and confirm that we'll have space in the hotel room for everyone!

TL;DR:When: Saturday, November 23rd
Time: 12:30 in the afternoon (or whenever the pizza arrives, thereabouts)
Cost: $15.00 USD per person (payable in cash)

See ya at the con!

Yours,
Sylvan Scott

Okay, who comes up with these questions and how do they get so modified? I've seen so many versions of this, out there, this is a combined version...

How do you want to be addressed?
"Sylvan" works just fine.

Where will you be?
Chicago, IL. I'll be arriving on Wednesday afternoon, picking up  Kwandry and  Freder at their respective airports, going for hot dogs at "Hot Doug's", and then heading back to the hotel. I'll be hosting the Second Annual Pizza Smackdown in my room around 12:30pm on Saturday. For only $15 you can join in the taste-test (tell me, ahead of time, though) of deep dish pizza. This year's contestents will be last year's winner, Gino's East, and Giordano's.

Other than that, I'll be at the "Size Matters Podcast" panel event and tons of other places throughout the con.

Watch for me!

Where are you staying?
The main hotel: the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.

Who will you be rooming with?
Some furs.

What is your gender identity?
Male

What is your orientation?
Mostly Gay (I prefer th' dudes)

How old are you?
46: I am a grey-muzzle.

How tall are you?
5'10"

How much do you weigh?
258 pounds (gettin' kinda personal here, eh?)

What do you look like?
I have a salt-and-pepper VanDyke, rectangular glasses, shoulder-length dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and am a bit pear-shaped. Any further details will require a doctor's written permission.

What suits will you have?
I have a gunmetal grey business suit.

Can I talk to you?
Sure! Just try to have something to say.

Can I buy you a drink?
I don't drink ... wine.

Or any other kind of alcohol, really, except the occasional Long Island Ice Tea (with plenty of Coke) or the sometimes Mimosa or Screwdriver.

But, sure: buy me a pop! (Or a "soda" for those of you not from Minnesota.)

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
I am not taken, but I am seeing someone long-distance. As such, I don't mind getting to know folk. But let's start as friends ... we'll work up to the "benefits".

Can I touch you?
Uh, yes?

Can I touch your friends?
If they'll let you...

Okay, this is getting weird.

Can I hug you?
Sure. I love hugs!

Can I "have my way" with you?
Ack! Buy me dinner, first!

Are you nice? Or do you think so (no personal references needed)?
I try to be polite, kind, and nice. I greet many people with hugs and a kiss on the cheek. Ask around: I try to be the nicest guy in the fandom; it's, like, a goal of mine.

Are you friendly?
I try to be. Non-sequitors put me off, I suppose, when I'm just getting to know someone. And excessive snark is off-putting, but I try to remain friendly and approachable.

Are you?

What days will you be attending?
I will be attending Midwest FurFest from Wednesday, November 20th (in the afternoon) until Monday, November 25th (in the morning).

Do you do commissions?
For short stories? Probably not. But if you want to drop $20 on me, I suppose I can write a 500-word scene for you. I reserve the right to be creeped out by it, though, if it's not within my comfort zone.

Can I talk about/do drugs in front of you?
I'd prefer it if you would not. If we were in a city where drugs were legal, or if I know you well, then maybe.

But what's illegal outside the hotel is still illegal inside the hotel and I'd rather not be a party to anything illegal.

But talking about drugs is okay. I mean, I won't have much to say on the subject, but as long as it's not all about drugs, I can converse about anything.

Can I invite you out for food/fun/etc?
Sure! I love food! I love fun, too! How about finding a Brazilian steakhouse or Mongolian BBQ?

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Possibly. See my afore-mentioned note about the Pizza Smackdown on Saturday.

Can I take pictures with you?
Sure. Just ask, first.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just walk up to me, say "hi", and tell me you either saw this post or read one of my stories. That should be a good ice-breaker. Then, I can ask you about yourself and the conversation can start.

I'm not the sort of furry who regularly daydreams about becoming his fursona. I know it's not gonna happen. But right now, as I wake up with chills and exhaustion, I really, really wish I had a layer of fur on me.

Yours,
Sylvan

Since I've been asked a few times, I figured I'd try to synopsize what I'm writing for this year's National Novel Writing Month (aka "NaNoWriMo").

I'm working on the fourth and final book in a series.

The first in the series is called "filk". The second is called "furry". The third is called "fest". This one is called "fen".

The idea is that the myths of old, the folklore and tales we've told each other since the dawn of time, are real entities. Most cannot see or interact with them. But they are forged by human expectation and belief. These are the Legends.

But there are other beings: faceless monsters that feed on imagination and creativity. These things, called the wertham, are monsters who, every few hundred or thousand years, return in mass to try and corral creativity in mortal-kind, destroy the Legends, and make the world ... safer (if a lot more boring and predictable).

The story starts with a single human, very withdrawn and shy, discovering fandom at the same time as the wertham are returning. It is the story about how he becomes a herald for the coming war and alerts others around him about the threat. "filk" takes place mostly within the filk fandom.

The second story is about the first mortal soldiers drafted into the war. They are furries and the Legend who recruits them is the French folklore hero, Reynard the Fox. It is a story about training for battle and fighting a war.

The third story is about the mortals who are getting tired of taking orders from the Legends and who take up the Generalship of the battles. It centers on a group of fans who are part of the renaissance festival circuit and follows the themes of leadership and politics.

The fourth and final story, "fen" takes its name from the old fandom word for "a group of fans". It's a term used only within the fandom. A group of fans is "fen". And it deals with a group of fans, at the end of the war, having to find a way to end it as they grow tired and worn down by the years of conflict that have gone by.

---

Occasionally, this month, I'll LiveStream my progress. So far, so good. As of Noon, today, I've completed 10,182 words. While it varies widely by printing format, a rule-of-thumb is that there are (very roughly) 250 words/page in a paperback.

Yours,
Sylvan Scott

Good day, one and all: Happy Samhain and Happy Hallowe'en!

In honor of this lovely day of looking the unknown square in the face (and not truly understanding what it is we're seeing), I'm making a humble request.

This year, I wrote the short horror story, "Nightlights". I think it's a good one for this season. I put it up, for free, in a few furry places but have put it up for a mere 99 cents on Smashwords. I would love it if folk could share the link and encourage others to give it a read.

On Smashwords, it's here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/369757

I think it's the sort of tale that folk would like. What do you think?

Could you encourage others to download, rate, review, and re-blog it?

"Nightlights" takes place in a house surrounded by perpetual night, where the lights are going out. A simple, short horror story that stands between the memories of childhood and the darkness of a world that may no longer be there. Just right for Hallowe'en night reading it's a faerie tale ... of a sort.

Enjoy, and thank you.

Keep those lights burning.

Yours,
Sylvan

My little self-publishing experiment, selling "Nightlights" for a mere .99 (as an eBook download) at Smashwords, has come into greater fruition.

If you would like to pay just .99 for it, you can download the eBook from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/369757 .

Think of it as paying to be disturbed by your own favorite faerie tales and nursery rhymes.

Enjoy ... and keep the lights burning.

Yours,
Sylvan

I've been trying to take my writing more seriously despite a long history of just dabbling. I have been trying the general path of, first, distributing some short stories as free eBooks via Smashwords and its partners. Step 2 involves charging for some and also working to get any audience I create (with Step 1) to support larger efforts.

I was wondering if anyone else has tried this, yet.

One tale I posted has gotten some nice reviews on B&N but, honestly, it's only five. Still, it feels good. Am I being foolish for taking this as an indication that my general approach is working, so far?

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bea.....ott/1110360987

Yours,
Sylvan

I have something to share with the world.

It was given to me, first, by the incomparable  JamesFoxes ... a man I got to know very well over the past year and someone who has completely and totally won my heart. He gave me a gift, today, and it's truly beautiful. I have collected many pieces of anthro-art over the years but I can't think of any that's made me swoon quite like this.

This is my new icon; this is who I am.

This was the gift given to me by a man I am proud to say I love.

My dear, James: you are a king and your skills are amazing.

Thank you, my dear! Thank you!

Yours,
Sylvan

This is a very serious issue; one that furry fandom has been dealing with for a long time as well.

Take a look: http://lisacongdon.com/blog/2013/10.....-you-can-help/

Yeah, spread this around. Theft is theft.

Yours,
Sylvan

I awoke at 3:30 after having drifted off to sleep about 10pm last night, here at the Superior Shores Resort on the coastline of Lake Superior in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Outside, the rain is falling in sporadic sheets and the raging sound of powerful winds is mingling with the not-too-distant crash of waves to create a sussurus roar that puts me in the mind of the vast wilderness that once wrapped this portion of the world. I've propped the window open, just a bit, to better listen to the rushing sounds while I write.

This is what I needed; this is, I'm happy to say, what I've got.

Yours,
Sylvan

I've got to back off on the erotica just a bit.

The story I just finished for the APA'zine I belong to, was not at all erotic. But I still have too much sex on the brain. I have two story commissions to finish (one of them, the second of the two, erotic) and both are long overdue.

Mostly, I'm so busy I can't find time to write. So, the answer to that is: make the time.

I'm going to cut out a few things: television and YouTube are going to be the first to go.

I wake up so early and, yet, I can't seem to get things done before going to work. That's usually because I take all my time catching up on emails, social media and the rest.

So maybe that's also on the chopping block: no Facebook or g+ for a while. Perhaps. Maybe.

This coming weekend, I intend on getting out of town and unwinding.

I want to continue on my "intentional living" plan so that will be a part of it. I will intentionally get out of town and write while exploring northern Minnesota.

That's enough for now...

Yours,
Sylvan

I've done these a million times and don't really get many responses. But I believe in the "pay it forward" element of these types of surveys. While they pander to getting "warm fuzzies" that's not really a bad thing. Everyone wants to feel good and, really, why not encourage that. So, despite having done this a million times before, I'm doing it again. Plus, I answered  Tigjah's version in his journal, so I'm gonna pay-it-forward, here, and put it out there.

1. Who are you?

2. Are we friends?

3. When and how did we meet?

4. Do you love me?

5. Give me a nickname and explain why.

6. Describe me in 1 word.

7. What was your first impression of me?

8. Would you hug me?

9. What reminds you of me?

10. If you could give me anything, what would it be?

11. How well do you know me?

12. Are you gonna put this in your journal and see what I say about you?

13. Would you meet up with me?

14. Do you enjoy having me as a friend?

15. Would you spend some quality time with me?

Yours,
Sylvan

Wow...

I wrote my first "A Little..." story as an example of what I could do with a short, short tale with a shrinking/sexual narrative. Little did I know it would get me two commissions to further the events of the tale and, now,  Freder has decided to illustrate those tales. Just ... wow!

In general chronological order, the story illustrations go something like this:
http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11691998/

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11692023/

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11691971/

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11692064/

And my stories that inspired him are here:
A Little Oral Action
A Little (More) Oral Action
A Little Group Action

Please: go! Fave! Spread the shrinky-love!

Yours,
Sylvan

1. Why did you join FurAffinity?
Mostly it was because several friends were doing it and I'd fallen out of the habit of visiting FurryMUCK, Tapestries, and Faibanx MUCK. FA seemed like a social place to go that was a well-indexed place to find and share artwork.

2. What does your username have to do with you?
I've used the name "Sylvan" for years ever since working to discover my "craft name" within my Wiccan tradition. It has quite a bit of meaning for me. As for my surname, that has changed over time with "Scott" being my surname because, on my father's side that was the family name from the Old World that I was quite proud of: Clan Scott from Scotland.

3. What is your current avatar of?
My avatar has always been the same: a small, serene wolf playing a sort-of flute. It was drawn, as a commission, by my long-time friend,  wom-bat. It's both an image of how I wish I was as well as that of a character I once played in Werewolf: the Apocalypse. He was a quiet-hearted galliard of a wolf who loved his music and quiet times.

4. How many watchers do you have, and how many do you watch?
I have 282 Watchers and am Watching 294.

5. Do you have more than one account?
No.

6. Name 3 of your favorite artists on FA.
Only 3? Seriously? Uh, okay ... I'll go through my gallery and take the first three I see who put something up that I simply loved, most recently, and factor in (to my memory) who I've fav'ed the most, out of those:
 Rukis,  Cougr, and  Nimrais.

But there are so many MORE!

7. What artist do you admire because of their personality?
 Jakebe: he's centered, creative, kind, engaged, and really positive.

8. Do you comment, fave, or both?
Both, but I comment rarely because I don't care to draw attention to myself in someone else's forums. Mostly, I comment either when I'm totally blown away by a piece of art or when I feel I have something to add in terms of conversation about a piece.

9. What do you typically post on FA?
Stories and art commissions. My stories are mostly erotica and porn, although I've been moving away from that of late, and most of the artwork I post comes from my good friend,  Wom-Bat and/or arises from various tabletop Role-Playing Games I run as a GM.

10.What's your favorite submission in your gallery?
For written stories, I am very proud of my tale "Christmas in NeverEarth" while, for commissioned artwork that I've posted, the recent image "Vanguard: Synthesis by Louis Frank" (aka by  Wom-Bat) is definitely my favorite.

11. What are the things you wish you could draw better?
I wish I could draw anything better. I have a comic I've wanted to do for years, now, but don't have the artistic talent to pull it off.

But if this question is about what I wish I could create better than I do, now, I would say I wish I could write short, succinct scenes of simple beauty and emotional impact much better than I do, today. I tend to write in a verbose style, setting up and building into description. I wish I could bring the reader in more swiftly and deeply than I do, today.

12. How many hours a day do you spend on FA?
About 2; maybe 3.

13. Are you a fast, slow, or medium typer?
Fast (about 95 wpm).

14. What is the most annoying thing people ask you?
"How's the story commission going?"

This is annoying because, usually, I'm behind because I'm a slow writer with a day job, house to maintain, games to run, and volunteer work with conventions to look after in addition to my personal writing to do.

But it's also annoying because I hate myself for being so slow and unable to finish things quickly. I always, always, finish. But it makes me feel ashamed when it takes so long to finish something.

And feeling completely justifiable shame annoys me.

15. What is the most annoying/offending comment you've received?
"I've seen it before" from someone who'd not read what I wrote but was going off of a title and general description. Nothing is "original"; what matters is how you interpret it.

16. What/who inspires you?
The Great Outdoors. I'll go for a walk over my lunch break at work and take photos of the sky, of trees, of animals I encounter ... I'll take a trip, just pointing my car in a direction and driving until I have to stop at a cheapass motel for the night. The National Parks (mostly Roosevelt and Yellowstone) have blown me away and encouraged me to write and create game settings unlike anywhere else. One of my favorite places in the world are the South Dakota Badlands.

17. Everyone has considered leaving FA once or twice. Have you? Why?
I got really bothered by the in-fighting over who's being discriminated against, how much, and by which admin. But even that never made me want to leave. What occasionally wants to make me leave is when I see more features on other sites that better support my submitted art. Sure, I wish I could click "Like" instead of "Fave" (to have separate listings for a "Favorites" gallery in addition to having a listing of things I've really enjoyed) or the ability to upload Word docs or RTF files and just have them incorporated into a formatted text display; I wish I could change the background/text color of pages so my eyes (I wear bifocals, now) could more easily read text.

But none of that has made me want to rage/quit or leave.

They do a good job, here.

I have finally gotten things together and reached my recent goal of how many sample stories I would have up on both my FA account and over on Smashwords.

To help keep this all threaded, I have set up my new Twitter account from which I will talk, strictly, about my writing. Please go ahead and follow me. It would make me smile ... and I like to smile!

@sylvan_scott.

Yours,
Sylvan Scott

I'm kicking the ass of this cold, I'm back on my diet, I've cancelled some online dating accounts that were frankly bad for me, I wrote 2,000 words in some new fiction, worked on my tabletop gaming world, did some gardening, put together the final parts of my computer desk, and did the dishes (most of 'em).

I need to stay honest. I slipped up, here and there, today. But like the slip-ups I've had in the past 6 months, they're only slip-ups. They can be fixed.

I just need to remember this, going forward, and keep honest.

Yours,
Sylvan

Crap.

I think I just accidentally wrote epic porn.

...I've got to think on what this means...

-Sylvan

I hate it.

I'm sick ... again. On a weekend when I'd hoped to get so much done.

I can't think well enough to write on my commissions or anything else. The best I've managed is to browse the web, clicking "like" and "+1".

Why do I have to get sick when I have so much to catch up on?