Back from Furry Fiesta 2022.

It was a new hotel this year (and we had 5500 in attendance, rounded up) which got to learn first hand how a fur con can affect a hotel. Long story short, it turned into long elevator lines by Friday night, parking was out very soon, and at one point my companions decided to abandon suiting due to not wanting to fight the crowd. That said, there was a lot of positive.

The trip was fairly sedate, and parking wasn't too rough. I did pay about $91 USD to get back on Monday. However, most everything was in walking distance which had its own advantage – I got to enjoy mixed beverages at meals. It's a tradition between Shrag and I to do so, and usually I am a driver so no such things for me.

Setting up in the den Thursday night wasn't too bad. We got to avoid the long registration line due to dealers getting their badges early. However, don't vend just for this benefit. Being a dealer or artist in the sales area does come with a commitment and time factor.

I got three suits out at the convention. Zig Zag, who I always try to take out of tradition (She is known to show up there.), Ceana Aumakua (my new sharkfox – manokit if I can get the right upper torso bit done), and the rebuilt version of Holo with longer hair and a more elegant appearance.

Zig Zag was herself as always and once again ran into fans who had not gotten to see her yet, so it was always positive. With Ceana, she's still fairly new but gets a lot of positive reactions. Holo is a different story, but an anime character at a fur con is always a gamble – some furs have difficulty handling the static face. However, when she was made, Ride the Pig installed a fan in her. I cannot say enough how beneficial that was while I traveled around.

Also got to see several other suiters (Anne Bramble, Thorginunya, ThiccMomma to name 3) and their suits were amazing. Photos don't do justice for some of these. Also, the sheep suiter with Anne, I recall that one. You looked great too!

If you're a new fur who balks at not having a full suit, by the way, keep in mind that Ceana Aumakua is a partial (even though I want to make her potential full) and I saw many wonderful suits that were a combination of outfit, paws, tail, feet, and head. You don't need to be super fancy.

I got to eat at 3 wonderful restaurants for our dinner outings – Press Box Grill, Campisi's, and Sapa House. In order, grill/diner, Italian, and generalized Oriental fare. The last one was the most memorable to me. In watching a comedy group called Gaki no Tsukai, they have a special joke episode called Sushi He. It's funny for its own right, but I got tuna tataki (a sushi) there at Sapa. It was amazing, as well as the sesame chicken.

I wanted to go out and suit one last bit on Sunday night, but it was closing down early so we ended up playing a board game instead. Fortunately, we had a table in the room. For an odd reason, the gaming area was on floor 37 of the center tower, so you had to go far out of your way to get up there. For what it's worth, it was quite a bit of space and a lot to work with, just far out of the way when elevators are a fight.

Sadly, I have 3 suit/costume bit repairs awaiting me. An LED tail I bought had the battery de-solder from the LED strip, so I'll need to get it resecured. Zig Zag's downward tail started to come off of its connector, but it's a matter of thread; and lastly, Ceana's left front lower tooth got wobbly. No worries, I'll get them back in order. Only the soldering job is a semi-nervous bit for me.

Unfortunately, my roommates and I do not know if we'll be returning to TFF. That's a pretty big crowd, and we prefer moderate to smaller cons for the considerations of space, transit, and getting around. But it was not an unpleasant visit – just really busy. I guess I can attribute it to that Star Trek episode (Cause and Effect) where they play a sound of many voices talking at once. When I hear that in a crowded room, it's a bit of a turnoff for me.

My next con is TTFC, where I will be running Artist Alley again and putting that magic to work. It's closer to home and I look forward to it.

And finally, my safety con travel tip of the day. If you drive in a storm and visibility is low, turn your lights on! I had a small black coupe roll in front, disappear in the sheets of rain, and morph into an 18 wheeler when I saw it again.