This will be fun. Last year was my very first furry ANYTHING and was mainly trying to figure things out with both myself and better understand how other furries are. This time I'm more confident and ready to just have fun.

Convention Name:
Arizona Fur Con

Website:
http://www.arizonafurcon.com/

Transportation type:
Driving

Hotel you're staying at:
Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch

Dates:
October 16-18

Rooming with:
Just me

Gender:
M

How tall are you:
6'1"

Description (out of suit):
Uh, very short dark brown hair & decent length Van Dyke (the guy on the right)

Fursuit(s):
WulfBane (both w/ and w/o steampunk arm)
Foxy the Pirate

Who will you be with a majority of the time:
Unsure. Probably on "free roam" but willing to Voltron up with others

Are you cliquey:
Nah

Main purpose for attending:
Excuse to suit and interact as my characters, but also check out cool stuff others do too.

Parties:
Sure, maybe?

Daily activities:
Panels, browsing dealer's den, roaming around checking out stuff. Oh, and plenty of Foxy shenanigans (including a Masquerade performance Saturday evening)

Nightly Activities:
Whatever

What time I usually go to bed and get up:
Head towards bed probably 11-1 depending on how active the evening is. Up around 7-8

Do you talk out of suit:
Yep

Do you talk in suit:
WulfBane is a talker (getting him to shut up is the problem). Foxy doesn't so much talk as screeches simple phrases...

Rules of engagement out of suit:
Eh, I tend to just be "normal" but I'm also willing to play along with you're character's story.

Rules of engagements in suit:
Obviously no "blind grabbing." And for Foxy, be aware that if you stare at him too long, he may try to jump scare you (though other suiters are usually "safe" because he sees them as another animatronic)

Can I talk to you:
Sure

Can I tag along with you:
Sure

Can I give you hugs or snuggles?
Just be careful if I've got my steampunk arm on.

Can I dance with you:
It would help if I could dance myself

Can I take pictures with you:
SURE!!!

Can I buy you a drink:
I'll politely decline you buying, but I wouldn't be against joining you

Can I buy you things:
I feel weird accepting gifts (but if you insist)

Best communication medium to reach you:
Facebook or text if you know my contact info those ways, though sometimes I may not be able to easily check.

YEAH!!! Someone put it on youtube and a friend found it!

Oh, sorry. Let me back up a bit. Last weekend was Phoenix Comicon and for Saturday & the start of Sunday, my Foxy the Pirate was roaming the halls of the Phoenix Convention Center. Not only that, but I entered the Masquerade because I REALLY wanted to do a performance routine.

So here we go, Foxy the Pirate singing Dr Steel's "Lullaby Bye" (or at least attempting to)
https://youtu.be/W1D5iSYc0KI

While I didn't win, you can hear how much the audience was into it. Heck, hearing them get loud at the start got me to throw some extra mustard on my actions during the singing portion. It was a blast.

I entered in the Journeyman category and I say they got the correct winners. In that category, 3rd place went to Paizo Gnome, 2nd place was Historically Accurate Disney Princesses, & 1st place was "Princessified Avengers".

Whoever took these videos currently doesn't have the Master category entries uploaded, but 1st place in Master went to a pair of friends of mine who made Transformer Prime Starscream and Knock Out and the Best In Show went to a big group that did a HUGE Mulan "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" routine. But they do have the 2nd place Novice winner of a giant Claptrap as well as a really cute Poro that bopped around on stage (I must warn you, you may suffer a cuteness overload from Poro). You should probably check out some of the other videos they have too.

Edit: Here's my friend's Starscream and Knockout skit.

I have fun being a performer with my cosplay. So when I built Wulfy, I came up with a routine for him to perform to Dr. Steel's "Lullaby Bye". It was almost too perfect because the song is about a robotic boy that was programed only to sing.

This is the "Full Routine" version of the performance where everything works fine. (Though I forgot how tall Wulfy ends up being so his ears are cut off)
https://youtu.be/CB_5sPutde8

But for a live Masquerade performance, well you know how things tend to go wrong when you least expect it? I have an alternate version for when things don't go quite right. (I'm NOT going to be making a video of that to save the surprise of where it diverges)

Now that I have Foxy the Pirate though, I'm probably going to be entering him in costume contests & masquerades instead. But I still have another alteration in mind for how Foxy's Lullaby Bye performance would go that isn't too far off from Wulfy's "live" performance.

<Yeah, I think this is gonna be another self-therapy "let me just type something out to maybe let me worry about it less" post. You're free to stop reading at any time.>

It's something that I think I'll always have to a degree, kind of a form of self doubt & anxiety. But the more I do things, the less I worry. And that I figure is just normal for life and living anyways.

But yeah, I think I'm basically comfortable with various things I do. I'm well aware that I'm a dork and a nerd. I embrace the fact that I'll just get urges to just "make" things and proudly identify myself as a "Maker". I enjoy the time I spend making my various props, gear, costumes, and such since it gives me the sense of creativity, problem solving, and a sense of accomplishment (or just a chance to laugh at some of my failed attempts). And of course, going out to "Cosplay" gives me a great chance to show off the stuff I've made and inspiration for new projects.

And yes, I figure at this point I'm fine considering myself a furry and hanging w/ them. So what the hell am I still anxious about?

I guess I'm still stuck in a "am I a Fursuiter or is it just cosplay that happens to be fuzzy?" loop. And to be more specific, it really only flares up when thinking if I can hang as part of a group of furs while at a public event. I don't have any problems suiting up as Col. WulfBane, Wulfy, or Foxy at things like comic con or the Ren Faire. And I've been to a few fur meets and a fur con and I'm totally cool there both in and out of my gear.

The doubt is specifically when they combine. "Am I REALLY able to try to add myself to this group? Should I? I can't really tell and my stuff feels so different that I'm not sure if I fit in when other people would see us." That's the sort of thing that goes running around in my head. Att best, it causes me to simply hang back and follow the group, not trying to put myself into too many of the photos people try to take of the group. But more often, I tend to fall back on my "solo act" where I let myself drift away and resume wandering by myself.

Sure, the fact that most fursuit characters are mute while at public events and I can't even get a read on facial expressions makes it harder for me to catch the vibe. But I think the nature of my gear does it more. To me, Col. WulfBane's look is more focused around my clockwork arm, the leather mask & top hat, and other steampunk gear I've been wearing for going on four years, but he just happens to also be a werewolf. And then Wulfy feels like he goes further away from a furry character by being a "broken FNAF robot" version of WulfBane. He's fun for cons, but he just doesn't feel very "furry" to me.

And that I guess is also a long roundabout way of justifying why I'm making a proper Foxy. I intend to ONLY take Foxy to public events like comic con where he's a pop culture videogame cosplay character and keep him away from the furry meets. The last couple "party meets" I took out Wulfy, who while I had some fun moments, I still felt like it was "cheap heat" to be pulling him out.

It just feels like at a meet, I should "be myself" and really, that should be WulfBane. The way I portray WulfBane as a "civilized were" basically means I'm able to act fairly natural but with a few extra touches. It has always seemed that there was parts of me in WulfBane as well as a bit of WulfBane in me, but a few months ago, I realized that we were closer than I thought. In contrast however, Wulfy (and now also Foxy) is a very particular type of character that is fun to play as, but doesn't really feel like "me".

And now I'm just rambling. But it felt good to tap this out before going to bed.

So not only was putting the "Wulfy" together a fun project, but I gave me an excuse to start playing around with installing processors into some of my projects. The current setup will blink the eyes with various patterns I've titled "Boot Sequence", "A-Code Message", "M-Code Message", and "Mixed Message" and they can trigger randomly on their own (or I can tap a button to force one to play).
https://youtu.be/4gdTBEqgXlI

The current source code is posted here, but I'm sure what people would want to know is what the "Messages" say. For the curious,
the "A-Code" message is: 0x49, 0x54, 0x27, 0x53, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x45
the "M-Code" message is: 0x51, 0xD7, 0x77, 0x74, 0x54, 0x07, 0x71

The two messages use different encoding schemes. One shouldn't be too hard for people to guess, but the other... I'll give a hint that the name is important and to think of HOW I'm sending the message.

I know what will really sell the character is how I move. Walking around will be fairly slow & deliberate with a mix of Baymax, C-3P0, and Robocop depending on the mood & situation. But when I'm standing, its going to be bigger, broader motions of the arms & head (much like a fixed location anamatronic) that will "snap" into various key-frame poses (with small shakes as the limbs "bounce" into place). And of course, jump scare poses & actions. :D I AM going to make sure that I only attempt scares at people who are aware of me, they are aware of me being aware of them, and they are willing for me to "attack".

It's gonna be fun to see how people react. He should be making his debut at Arizona Fan Fest on Friday, Dec 12th & Sunday, Dec 14th (I'm skipping Saturday because that is Tucson Steampunk Society's 3rd Annual Dickens Tea that I'll be at instead).

After AZ Fur Con last weekend and Tucson Comic-Con ending today, con season is finally over for me. Sure, I've still got a few more outings planed with other Steampunks coming up (including a Steampunk dinner invasion NEXT weekend), they can fit more in the "outfit" category for me instead of my fully involved "costume" events.

Anyways seeing as AFC & TCC were the first two events where I donned a "furry" version of my character, I kind of want to type out my reactions to how things went for me.

 AZFurCon was my first furry con and the debut of "were-"WulfBane. And kind of like I figured, it really just felt like any other con I've gone to. Hell, even some of the panels like the FNAF play-thru, Uncle Kage's Story Hour, & 2 The Ranting Gryphon's comedy session were basically on the line of things I would have seen elsewhere (just with a few "because furry" moments sprinkled in there). And a few people did do a "hey wait, I think I have seen you before..." when they recognized either the human form of WulfBane or upon learning of my Gaslamp Green Arrow.

Still, my favorite thing was participating in the Masquerade. I've done costume contests at cons before with human WulfBane & Gaslamp Green Arrow, but never "big contests" or having to do a full routine. I knew that my wolf head ended up kind of derpy, but I stuck with it because I REALLY wanted to go out and do my "Banson's Aria" routine. And it did exactly what I wanted. The slow dramatic open let me do some stalking around & "combat" poses with my claw. But when the opera kicked in, I went in 120% with my arm movements and pantomiming my singing and just overall moving around the stage to the music.  kahluafennec got a good recording of The Masquerade and it was great hearing people say "hmm, he's just posing wait now its Opera!". So while I knew I wasn't going to win, I was proud to get a Judges Award for catching them off guard like I did. I fully intend to do this routine again at the Phoenix Comic-con Masquerade, though it will probably be in "human" form to avoid costume mash-up overload and I'll edit out a stanza or two from the opening portion.


Then this weekend was Tucson Comic-Con. The Tucson Steampunk Society was part of the "Costuming Group" section of the show floor, so I was basically just working our booth space for the weekend. But the big shock was just how much space we had. Last year, TCC had about half the floor space it did this year and all the costuming groups were actually on the upper entrance level to the convention center and as such, we had just a single table and a small amount of space to fill with our gadgets & decorations. But this year with their ability to expand the show floor, we ended up with a roughly 15'x25' space to fill and we kind of were panicing when we actually saw how big it was. But I had brought down the Copper African Elephant for static display (& photo ops) and other members also answered the call by bringing more table space and tons of props, outfits, & art to put on display. And it helped because we were also on the very end of the aisle near the concession area and had the Tucson Star Trek group with a TOS Captain's chair on a green screen backdrop. So yeah, it was a fairly high traffic, high visibility location.

Saturday, I was geared up as "human" Col. WulfBane and was rotating between my mechanical claw, drill hand, & regular-hand (glove) attachments on my clockwork arm. Our job was to introduce people to us as the Tucson Steampunk Society, talk about a few of the things we have done & are going to be doing, talk about some of the things on display from our various members, and even help tell people what "Steampunk" really is. And of course, we had to be ready for pictures. We had a few ladies in lovely dresses and gentlemen in dapper outfits, but we also had a few of us with more stand-out costumes like mine as well as a guy with a Steampunk Wolverine with brass tinted claw blades and an outfit that evokes the yellow & blue version of Wolverine (the inner lining of his jacket was an exact match of the shade of the comic book blue X-Men uniform).

Saturday night was the 2nd Annual TCC Costume Contest. Last year I got runner-up in the Intermediate category for my Gaslamp Green Arrow. This year, I was wearing the full (human-form) Colonel WulfBane outfit complete with scar makeup, yellow contact in the left eye, and my articulating mechanical claw. Man that thing can get uncomfortable and they didn't really have any place for us to sit while waiting around (both during the pre-judging as well as during the actual event). The Steampunk Wolverine also entered. All told, there were 56 entries (some were groups) and there were plenty of great costumes. One of my personal favorites was a guy as Queen's Freddie Mercury complete with a crown, 15 foot robe, & mic-cane that he made all himself. Plus, when he was on stage (the contest was all just "walk-on" type only) he was doing FULL dips to the ground TWICE as he performed along with the music. But the highlights of the winners included the Intermediate winner who spent 13 months building a "chain mail" style outfit made from soda can tabs and all colored in the style of Iron Man as well as the Advanced runner-up who built a Matter truck and put it so he was driving on a road over a hill that acted like a skirt to hide his legs (and would collapse down when he would go down to kid level for pictures).

Then on Sunday, I felt it was the right time to come out as "were-"WulfBane. They were having fun with "no pets on the furniture" & "we made sure to give him a flea bath" jokes and I even played along when Wolverine would scratch my belly with his claws by shaking my leg. But despite being in werewolf form, I still gave the same "Welcome! Feel free to look around. Do you have any questions?" greetings I was doing Saturday (he IS a civilized werewolf). It was funny when someone recognized me as the same human from the day before but thought the wolf was the human's adversary or even a "assistant" and I had to tell them that both costumes are just different incarnations of the same character. And I did manage to get my picture with the AZ Avenger's Rocket Raccoon taking a part of my clockwork arm (And as they realized I had a removable section of arm to do such a pic, they wanted to get their on pic of it too)

But I couldn't do the full day in the werewolf costume, but it wasn't even my intent. Aside from "taking myself for walkies" to roam the show floor in the werewolf costume, I was basically in standing at the TSS booth in werewolf form from 10am (plus an hour in costume before the show opened up). And as a cosplayer on Arrakis, Water is Life and my water bottle was my best friend. And I knew I had done enough as the werewolf around 1:30 when I finally shed the outfit completely and just put on a regular two sleeve shirt, my safari coat, & pith helmet. But I still made sure I was looking good until the 5pm close. Overall, it was fun participating in the booth for our group and helping guide people around our various display pieces.

 AZFURCON is next weekend. I'm all packed up and a total bundle of nerves about it.

I see myself a veteran of a thousand psychic wars. Wait, no. I think I miscounted. But I HAVE been to a BUNCH of comic, gaming, & other "nerd cons" & events for a while. Hell, not counting the Ren Faire, my first convention/event was 8 years ago with the big San Diego Comic Con and I even cosplayed as my Shaman at that, so I guess I started big and have been cosplaying ever since. I've now been to 8 SDCCs, 5 PhxCCs, all three Wild Wild West Cons, and a bunch of other cons, events, & meetups, cosplaying at them all.

But AZ Fur Con will be my first furry ANYTHING. First furry con. First time meeting up with furs in a very direct fashion. First time debut for the true "werewolf" form of Col. WulfBane (previously, I simply had subtle hints like contacts, makeup, & how I answer questions to tease that the character may not be 100% human). Hell, this is the first time where I'll actually say "Yes, I guess I'm a furry" considering even last May at PhxCC, I was still answering those sorts of questions with "No, I'm not really a furry. I just like wolves. But I TOTALLY admire the dedication required to put together those suits and what it takes to wear them to express your fandom."

So yeah, I'm a bundle of nerves. But unlike in the past, it isn't the "am I really a furry?" self doubt. No, it is more "what is going to be new & different at a furry con that I need to get ready for?". But I guess thinking about it, it is gonna be just like a regular con but with a more singular theme & focus. Seeing the schedule reenforces it. And like I said, I've been cosplaying for 8 years, so I KNOW all about keeping myself alive with water & snacks to the point that I ALWAYS have some sort of easy to access water container worn on my costumes, even when I can't find a way to make the item "in character" (I've worn my wolf mug on my Portal costume) and it is one of the first things I tell other people who want to get into costuming.

Enough rambling. I've seen others post these so here is a journal w/ info about me attending AZ Fur Con.

Where are you staying?
- The con hotel (Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort)

When are you going to be there?
- Arriving Thursday evening, there through the end on Sunday

WHAT are you going to be there?
- Friday & Saturday I'm gonna be geared up as Col. WulfBane in his werewolf form. Look for the brown werewolf in a top hat & red vest & pants. Oh right, he'll also have a big steampunk robotic left arm.
- Sunday I'm not sure. Maybe WulfBane's human form, maybe a 3rd day as the wolf, or I may even throw on my olde timey swimsuit if the weather is right.

Can I talk to you?
- Hell yes! I LOVE interacting at cons both in character and even out of character talking about how things were made. In fact, can I talk to YOU? Because this is my first time out at a furry event, there are a few things I've noticed that I'm kind of curious about hearing the "Why?" behind them. I'll also totally respect WHEN and HOW I ask my questions to avoid making someone break character if they don't want.

Can I touch you?
- That will depend since Col. WulfBane isn't the most "hug-able" character. Not because of the character himself, but more because of the clockwork left arm I wear. So side hugs, pics with arms around the back, and things like that are probably fine. But no big squeezes (I'm not an orange) and be careful around the left arm especially if I've got one of my attachments on.

What about pictures?
- I love pictures. Years of comic-cons has made me very aware when cameras are out, including when to do an "anti-photobomb" by stepping back and out of frame when someone else is getting their picture taken. In fact, I've got two main "photo-goals" I want to see if I can achieve. First is if there is a Rocket Racoon, get a pic of him taking a part of my "arm". The other is to get a pic of my "Werewolf Locator" on my arm saying "werewolves only appear with a full moon" while there are a few wolves standing there looking at it and/or me (I figure the canine meetup would be a good spot)

Do you do any sort of artwork?
- No, not really. I'm more of a "maker" and I tend to make props & accessories for my various costumes or other things to show off. But I will have my "Crafty Hunter" & "Gaslight Justice" badge ribbons and may pass them around. I might also have some of my old patches, but not sure.

What are you gonna be doing at the con?
- So like I said, I'll be suited up as WulfBane for most of the con. Various panels look interesting. I might also try to get some sketches for my "Monster Hunter Field Guide" or art for inserts into the back of my iPad case. Oh, and I'm going to be performing in the Masquerade on Saturday. My first full up Masquerade, but I have done costume contests & fashion shows with some of my "human" outfits in the past (including some wins & runner-up awards) and I think I've got a fun routine.
- But in the mornings when I'm out of costume, I'll try to make myself recognizable by wearing my leather top hat with the wolf-ear hat band & wolf medallion.

Anyways, this should be a fun weekend. I'll be going in knowing NOBODY there but hope to change it in the end (or at least introduce the character to the other AZ Furs so they know his "truth" if they see his human form at another event)

Even though most of the big events are winding down for the year, it feels like I've got a bunch of things still coming up. This post is probably mostly for me to actually type these out and actually see what all I have.

(When I started typing this, I had cons & events first, but it got WAY too big so it's last)

So some of the projects I have in mind are...
> Finish my wolf toe claw boots.
> Build a mini-Gattling Gun attachment to go onto the drill arm attachment base.
> Add some ventilation (both practical & decorative) to the drill arm attachment base as well as some lighting effects. (mainly holding off until the holidays when they start selling the larger Pepperidge Farm Pirouette cans I used again so I can have spares)
> Make a wolf head themed Steampunk gas-mask and/or full helmet. Not sure if it will be big enough to fit over my werewolf head (or at least look like it would fit on his head) or if will be sized for my human head and just have a shorter snout that just evokes the thought of wolves.
> Make a more "techy" looking bow for Gaslamp Green Arrow. This is both so I have some extra Steampunk gadgets built into a bow for the character (such as a spool of rope for grappling hook arrows) as well as an obviously fake bow should a con eventually say "no" to my real bow. (It will still be more of a short bow style as I want to avoid an olde timey GA using a compound bow)
> Probably other things that catch my fancy along the way... (add some color to the WulfBane head & torso... maybe a more robotic & broken looking WulfBane head like in my Five Nights sketch?)

Not too many special goals for things I want to try to do for the next few events, but here is what I do have...
> FIND A ROCKET!!! After GotG, I really think it would be funny to find a Rocket cosplayer/fursuiter and get a picture w/ him trying to get my clockwork arm. Even better, I do have the wooden hand that is supposed to be what I detached when I'm wearing one of my other attachments. The lower arm bracer w/ the iPod is easily removed, so I could take that off, but the wooden hand in the end, and have the Rocket "taking" my arm because he said "he really needs it" (and if there is a Star Lord in the group, maybe he's the one in the picture handing it over to Rocket)
> Get a pic w/ Stephen Amell with me in my GGA gear. I'm not much of a celebrity picture or autograph person, but I think that would be a fun one to secure and it is such a fun costume at comic book cons. I almost had a chance to do it at PHXCC, but the one day he had photo-ops was the one day I HAD to be in the Col. WulfBane costume. Next year...
> Perform in a Masquerade. I actually have a couple of songs I have some fun routines I could do to them. One of the issues is I can really only do one per event!
> Look into some more drawings of werewolf form of Col. WulfBane. I like the teaselbone sketch I got and was exactly what I asked for (I even told him that it would be a humorous tone). But I kind of want to also see a more dramatic & intimidating "action pose" drawing or two of WulfBane showing off the clockwork arm & mechanical claw. One time when I tried it in the past, the artist understandably had to decline because they were unsure of their ability with creating the mechanical arm.
> And I always have my eyes open for cool artists at events to get a creature sketch for my Monster Hunter's Field Guide

Finally, in terms of scheduled events I'm doing some form of costuming...
> This Saturday is "Can't Stop the Serenity" - If I costume up, it will be a "lite" version of human WulfBane, which is to say I'll be wearing the Steampunk robot arm & mask, but no scar makeup or special arm attachments (yes, enough Steampunk people among our local CSTS event organizers that we get a special Steampunk costume category in addition to the Firefly & Wheaton-verse categories)

> Oct 19th - Helldorado Parade in Tombstone. Not so much a full character/costume for this, but our group's entry this year is themed as a "Victorian Circus" and I'll be driving my Copper African Elephant vehicle. Costume for that is just going to be a Khaki "safari coat" outfit & pith helmet because I recognize the C.A.E. is what people would want to see.

> Oct 31-Nov 2 -  AZFURCON - My first fur convention and the official debut of the werewolf form of Col. WulfBane. It's weird. I've been going to various comic & gaming cons for 8 years now (including 8 years of SDCC), cosplaying in some form for almost all of them, but I'm still a bit nervous about this one. Not only is it my first furry specific thing, but it is also the first time I'll be out doing something obviously furry in public. I'm basically gonna be there by myself, which is both good (I won't have to worry about people I know reacting oddly to me in a werewolf costume) and bad because I'm horrible at introducing myself to people. It should still be fun.

> Nov 8-9 - Tucson Comic Con - At the very least, I'll be there with the Tucson Steampunk Society with the full Col. WulfBane gear (arm, makeup, various attachments) and most likely entering the costume contest again (last year my Gaslamp Green Arrow got runner-up in the Intermediate category). What I don't know is if I'll be able to build up the nerve to go in werewolf form, or if I'll just go back to human form. (This event WILL have tons of people I know and I'm not sure if I'm ready for pics of me as a furry to show up on Facebook)

> March 6-8th - Wild West Con 4 - While there are a few other things like Steampunk dinners, Dickens Tea, and even going to the Ren Faire once or twice before this, Wild West Con is the next HUGE event for me. Again, Col. WulfBane will be there in full force (as well as there likely being a day Gaslamp Green Arrow shows up). I'd also really like to have a were-WulfBane day there, but unlike TCC, this is more up to the weather. The event itself is at Old Tucson Studios which is AWESOME for the setting being in and around old west buildings, but it also means it is an outdoors event. It may only be March, but it is still Arizona.

It's alive. It's ALIVE!!!

So just to put an extra wrap-up on the work I made to my Copper African Elephant vehicle, I did a little test drive video.

https://youtu.be/tj-H3SXAv7w

Music is Brass Goggles by Steam Powered Giraffe (and the inspiration for the Copper African Elephant)

This is kind of a draft of both a bio/backstory for the Steampunk version of my Col. WulfBane character and a brief setup for the type of world he is from. I figure I'll eventually flesh it out into a proper story format, but something in me wanted to type out something here to have a "Who is this WulfBane fellow?" thing in writing. It also will help me because while I've had the (human form) character out at various cons & events for nearly 3 years, there are some gaps I never challenged myself to answer definitively, including if WulfBane was always a werewolf or if it wasn't until the Human WulfBane was ambushed that he got infected and was turned.

---

Unbeknownst to Man, the creatures, spirits, and supernatural forces they would wave off as fiction had their seeds of truth. The world was simply better about keeping its Secrets from Man. That was until the inventions like the steam engine allowed for Man's rapid expansion into new territories where these things that wished to remain Unknown would often retreat.

To put it simply, Man discovered that Monsters do exist and they must be dealt with if we are to maintain our modern society. They needed Monster Hunters.

In the American West of the late 1900's, one of these hunters was Colonel Michael WulfBane. He would travel to the various towns on the Frontier, offering his services to rid them of the creatures that were terrorizing the citizens. While "Colonel" was more an honorific title, it was hard to argue with his results.

He was originally made a name for himself with two things. First, he specialized in finding non-lethal was to subdue the threats, including finding ways for allow the townsfolk and their "local inhabitants" to form a mutually beneficial bond. It isn't to say that he was afraid to get his hands dirty. He could also easily recognize when a situation was too dangerous and in the battle of Man vs Monster, he knew what must be done for society to survive.

The second thing he was origionally known for was his exceptional skills with werewolves. He knew ways to track them down. He understood how lycanthropy was spread. He developed techniques to flush them out when hiding among humans. And he was nearly flawless when battling these beasts.

Nearly flawless.

Which is how he eventually gained a third, and most prominent, feature he was known for. On one foggy moonlit night, WulfBane's guard slipped. It was only the slightest moment, but it was just enough for his prey to turn the tables on the famed Werewolf Monster Hunter. The beast made a lucky lunge and managed to bite onto WulfBane's left arm, refusing to let go. The two struggled and fought in a battle for life or death. Eventually the hunter was able to come out victorious over the feral creature, but not before the wolf was able to get in a swipe with his claw against the face of WulfBane and completely rip WulfBane's left arm completely off. Showing that he was stronger than most mortal men, as well as being a damn lucky fool, he was able to make it back to town and get the aid that saved his life.

Undeterred by his injuries, WulfBane retreated to his private laboratory during his recovery. While his strength was returning, the Crafty Hunter was building and inventing. When he finally came out of hiding, he now had a replacement mechanical left arm driven by clockwork and "cold steam" and incorporated various inventions designed to aid his Monster Hunting endeavors.

He also retained three scars on the left side of his face that refused to fully heal due to their supernatural origins. As a result, WulfBane also started wearing a half mask made of a mixture of leather and metal plates to both cover the scars from view of civilized society, as well as added protection on a sensitive part of his body.

People also talk in hushed tones concerned about Col. WulfBane's humanity after the near fatal encounter with the werewolf. WulfBane insists that there is nothing to fear as while lycanthropy can be transmitted via a bite from a feral werewolf, his arm came free before it could spread and the claw wounds are not infectious. And while his left eye now seems to have taken on a yellowed, wolf-like appearance, WulfBane ensures the public that he is as much of a man now as he was before that fateful night.

Sigh.

When I finally decided to actually post stuff to a FA account, it included this journal where I kind of spewed about how I'm not sure about calling myself an actual "furry". And while my "maker" side of me means I still make "normal" updates to my costume & props for my Steampunk Werewolf Monster Hunter character "Col. WulfBane", I also spent time working on stuff to show him in his werewolf form to the point that last weekend, I'm basically done (and even had some fun w/ the title of one of the pictures!)

So why is it when I went to the AZ Fur Con site intending to actually get tickets & hotel reservations, I'm just sitting here w/ the page open and typing this instead. Heck, I even put myself into "convention ticket buying mode" by first making my hotel reservations for next year's Phoenix Comicon to make sure I'm in the MAIN main hotel even when I see they aren't even selling PhxCC 2015 badges yet.

Maybe it is that I'm still having trouble coming to terms with committing to actually wearing the werewolf outfit. I fully recognize the stigma of being seen as a furry and I'm still trying to make the excuse that the werewolf head & torso is simply an evolution/expansion of my "cosplay costume" for that character. Yet I admit the contradiction that in WulfBane's back-story he has ALWAYS been a werewolf, but would try to avoid showing that part when going from human town to human town to take care of their local monster problems (and yet, playing up the character, I would intentionally let it slip that he really is a werewolf especially with the yellow wolf contact I would wear in my left eye and the black fox tail I'd make sure is centered up on my belt)

I also recognize that I'm a MAJOR introvert and set up lots of barriers to block people seeing the real me. And I think that may even be one of the reasons I'm so fascinated with cosplay. I recognize in myself that I NEED to get out more, meet more people, and have healthy social interactions, but I can't seem to do it. But if I go out to various comicons, ren faires, and such, I'm able to loosen up a bit w/ talking to people because they are just "randos" that it isn't like I'm going to actually see them again (but never in a sexual "casual encounters" sort of manner). And having a costume makes it even easier for me since it is ANOTHER layer of "I'm representing this character for them or at least some person dressed like this character". Getting into the AZSPS & Tucson Steampunk Society was kind of an effort I made a couple years ago to make some longer term friendships, which I think has helped.

But I know I really should just bite the bullet and make my reservations. I was telling myself that a furry con would probably be the only REAL place I'd feel good about going out with "Were-WulfBane". I MIGHT be able to get the nerve up to wear the full werewolf version at Tucson Comic-con, but I think my fear of knowing there are people I know a bunch being there is putting me off. And it isn't so much that THEY would react negatively (because it would be other TSS people who know the character is a werewolf and could probably see it as just an evolution of it). It is more that many of them are the type to tag pics of me on Facebook and THAT is where I'm EXTREMELY nervous about showing up in a werewolf outfit. I mean, yes I've kind of been able to become comfortable w/ pics of my various Steampunk costumes up there, even the olde timey bathing suit.

Eh...

Sigh...

Again, I don't really know what I'm doing. I guess at least typing this out helps get some of the nerves off of my chest. Maybe it especially helps since I feel like it isn't really going to be seen since I don't actually advertize that I have this and consider this account a semi-secret outlet for things I make.

The profession of a werewolf monster hunter is a dangerous one in deed. After losing an arm one night from a werewolf attack, Colonel Michael WulfBane was not deterred. Instead he constructed a clockwork arm powered by cold steam and featuring a Silver Bladed mechanical claw to thwart those unwanted beasties!

---

This is a mini-intro I wrote for Col. WulfBane for the character introduction for a Steampunk Fassion Show at Phoenix Comicon. For this show, it was my usual a "human form" incarnation though I always play him as truly being a werewolf just in his human form. Even then, I always wear a black fox tail from the Ren Faire attached to my belt. When I get asked about my scars on my face, I mention they came from a werewolf attack and then refer to the tail and say "I also got this from it too." Let's them think if it is a trophie from that night or if I may have turned. And those who look closely see that my left eye (same side as the scars and clockwork arm) is a yellow wolf eye while the right is "normal".

Not really sure why I'm doing this. I guess typing this out may at least get it expressed in some way. No, this isn't some weird call for attention or anything either and I figure anybody who is reading this is seeing it a ways after I wrote it as well (no, I'm not going to be hurting myself either, don't worry)

Anyways, I've always told myself and anybody who asked that I'm not really a furry. I've been a fan of wolves & werewolves & stuff for the longest time. I'll often gravitate to a wolf theme in games and characters. Hell, my Ren Faire & Steampunk costumes have a TON of wolf themed pieces (wolf bracers, wolf bowie knife, wolf flask, TWO wolf mugs... The list goes on). But no, never an actual furry.

I've been going to various comicons, Renassance & Steampunk events, & other nerdyetchings for years, often with various costumes I've made. But to date, the only time I worked w/ faux fur was for a Warcraft 3 Shaman costume that had pelts & a wolf head cowl.

I guess a part of me is aware of the general typical reaction people have is "Eww, furries are weird!". To be honest, I've seen a couple individuals that I have a cringe reaction to, but it is only in the context that I've seen non-furry costumes that I have a cringe reaction to. Hell, I actually COMMEND many of the fursuiters for their dedication especially since I live in Arizona and typically it's a hot climate for being covered head to toe in ANY costume. (STAY HYDRATED is my number one mantra for anybody who goes out cosplaying.). In my view, many people who cosplay are doing it because they love something and it is their way to express their fandom by making something & showing it off.

So yeah... Like I said before, if asked I would reply that while I'm not a furry, I do admire their dedication to what they do to express themselves. And even though one of my two primary costumes/characters is a Steampunk Werewolf Monster Hunter (by which I mean he is "secretly" a werewolf who is a monster hunter by trade with a Steampunk style), I still don't think I want to say that I, the human typing this, is actually a furry. With as much as I let myself gravitate to wolves and such, I don't self identify as a wolf or anything. Just someone who sometimes goes to events and has a character that is secretly a werewolf (I wear a yellow wolf eye contact and answer questions that hint at his truth). Hell, I originally created this account when I wanted to see about getting a drawing of Col. WulfBane in a werewolf form.

But this last weekend, I kind of think I may have to start admitting that maybe I am a bit more of one than I want to admit. Apart from the gadgets I add & update for the Col. WulfBane costume, the only other way I can really progress with the character is to actually make a "werewolf form" incarnation of my costume. So with some faux fur, I made a "werewolf pelt shirt" and started trying to make some sort of werewolf head piece before SDCC. Of course, that thing is currently looking more like a brown hairy blob (which is probably good in terms of the whole heat management issue of attending SDCC). But yeah, as I was working on it, I kept thinking "Maybe I am one... sigh..."

So yeah, this was overly long. But something in me wanted to actually type this out and put this somewhere. Also much like what I did w/ my DA account, I figure I can use this account to post up some of the things I've made that are thematically appropriate for this site. In addition to the costume & prop stuff I added so far, I actually have a bunch of fictional partial explanations on how lycanthropy works. One of them I like is the notion of "Civil Weres" and "Feral Weres" where the feral Weres are the evil monsters with an insatiable bloodlust and loose control under the full moon and Civil Weres are the civilized ones who are well behaved and are just out at events to have fun like everybody else (you know, the furries out there).