anthrocon blah
Yes I am home from Anthrocon!!! I went to Anthrocon, btw, if you hadn't caught on by my anthrocon related uploads way back when.
So, Anthrocon. It used to be the largest anthro convention in the world, though I hear that Further Confusion out in Cali is catching up to it. I don't know how many furries there are out there. As far as cons go, it was somewhat small to medium sized. There weren't many events at all. The biggest attraction seemed to be the Dealer's room/Artist Alley/Art show, which was where I had been situated for most of the time, being that I went there to sell art.
People who have been to fur cons already know what it's all about, and people who are furries, or who are intimately acquainted with the furry community already know what it's all about. For those of you who don't, I'll give something of an overview, or at least some information I've collected. And I'll be unbiased, even at the risk of making some oversensitive furries cry. XD
Where to begin.... I suppose one would have to define what a furry is. That's pretty impossible, because they can't even seem to agree upon a definition. I'm sure you've all got your own notions. Anyway, a lot of people seem to think that ALL furries are this, and ALL furries are that, but it only proves their own ignorance and inability to investigate something further than a vague hunch or first impression, particularly if it's a bad one. In the furry fandom, I have met some of the nicest, most generous, morally grounded people I could hope to spend time with. I have also met some of the most depraved, ignorant, disturbing individuals as I could ever hope not to prod with a ten foot pole. It seems like the fandom has more extremes than most demographics, probably because everyone who goes to a furcon is a little bizarre in some way or another.
Do you remember back in highschool, how everyone of a kind sort of stuck together except for a few oddballs? The athletic people all did their thing, the valley girl types all had their cliques, whatever. And then there were the fringers, the wierdies who either hung out together or just stayed by themselves. Some of these outcasts did so just because they didn't fit exclusively in any other group, and they kept friends in all of them. Maybe they were just not interested in labeling themselves, or maybe they were too mature for their twittering, gossiping schoolmates, and actually WANTED to learn, which set them at odds with the rest of the highschool populous. Then there were the ones who never bathed, or were too loud and nasty, or couldn't talk quite right, or just didn't GET it. The anthro community seems to be composed of these people. We are the wierdies, for good or for ill.
I have heard some evidence that the one thing furries and anthrofans seem to share is some kind of social disorder, however mild or severe that may be. I know that I, myself, have some amount of social anxiety where I don't really like to talk to strangers. I don't feel it makes me especially depraived or hard to get along with. It just makes me shy. But I wonder at the connection. Is it because it's easier to like cartoons than people for someone who has social disorders? Is it because non-human animals have a much purer, more understandable kind of socialization, whereas humans have become so convoluded as to turn out a considerable quantity of socially maladjusted individuals?
All this is only if the hypothosis is correct. I don't have any kind of hard data supporting or disproving it. It would require research. I have seen a lot of furries who have an extreme inability to behave in a socially acceptable way. I don't mean just being wierd. That's cool. I mean being way too loud and totally obnoxious and disturbing. I have also met a lot of con goers who are perfectly friendly and 'normal'. Like I said, they run the gamut.
One very unfortunate thing about a fur con is that it's like being magically transported back to highschool. Or even earlier. Middle school. Whenever you get a lot of human beings who all know each other, or at least know of each other, it turns into drama central. This seems to be a standard for our species, and certainly isn't exclusive to the fandom. Anyone who has lived in a small town, or has gone to a large family reunion knows all about this mentality. I'll call it the village mentality. It spawns gossip and drama like nothing else. If it is true that furries are inclined to have some kind of social/emotional hangups, that makes it all the worse.
Thankfully, the people I went there to hang out with were all friendly wierdies. They were funny, charming, hard-working, sane individuals, and I am glad for it.
Here is the story of my journey.
Well, the eastern side of Southern Illinois to Pittsburgh is rather a long drive. I'm sure you can imagine. And there was a lot of construction on highway 70. Had there not been, it would have been a nine hour drive, but I am sure it came out to around ten, once everything was said and done. For all that, it wasn't so bad. The first six hours or so was like driving perpetually through southern illinois. The landscape was all the same, and seemed to be dotted with the same old standard commercial shit one always sees. I should have done a count of McDonald's restaurants. It might have gone into the hundreds. Disgusting.
Well, anyway, once we got near the Ohio Valley, it became more interesting and enjoyable. I love hills and mountains. We found our hotel, and then went to find the convention, which we did with very little trouble. If you've never driven into Pittsburgh from the east side, you're missing something really grand. First you're in all these green hills with houses and things, trucking along the highway. Then, up ahead, Fort Pitt Tunnel. After a brief duration underground, where you feel as if you are warping through space and time, due to all the lights, you come out right in front of the city on a bridge going over the river. It's very cool. The city just kind of appears out of nowhere!
So we hunt down the convention center. At this point in time, I would like to tell you how poorly the convention was set up. Really, the whole thing was pretty screwed up. The art show was the only thing that made a lot of sense, but they had to deal with some really bizarre, nonsensical union rules that the convention center had involving how much stuff you could carry into the convention hall. Nobody was allowed to roll anything in. And nobody could come in unless authorized. They were extremely strict and suspicious for no real reason. I wonder if they've had problems in the past with freaks sneaking in and burning artwork, or something rediculous like that, or if they just felt the need to be tempermental over the whole thing. It gave the whole con an unfriendly, stressed out vibe that I didn't appreciate in the least. On top of that, they scheduled the art show setup and the signup for the artist alley at the same time, and because they would not allow my brother to help me set up my show, I couldn't get into the artist alley at all on friday. That's fucking screwed up, and they are going to get some angry mail from me. I hear they've done a pretty piss poor job of coordinating in the past as well, scheduling the parade or closing at the same time as checkout and stupid shit like that.
The highlight of the whole first day was getting to talk to Skulldog.
Skulldog is the very first person I've ever had the pleasure to converse with in person at a convention for any length of time. She's extremely nice and friendly, and made me feel welcome and not quite so stressed at my first furcon back in November. She also gave me a lot of tips and tricks involving conventions. I love her artwork, and I am glad every time I get to see her at a con and have a bit o' chat. She tries to hide her identity with chameleon-like ability to change the color of her hair about every time I see her XD Because she is so awesome, I have written for her a haiku:
Skulldog rainbow head.
Her hair always changing.
What color next con?
Right, so, I got to do absolutely nothing of value friday but chat a bit with Skulldog and hang up my show. Once I got set up, and realized I couldn't get into the artist alley for anything, we left and drove around Pittsburgh to get a feel for the land and find something to eat. Pittsburgh is kind of a neat place, with the old buildings and all, but the driving is TERRIBLE. Like the streets were planned by a retarded monkey. And there is very little around the convention hall in the way of good eats. There were a few nasty little greasy places, but we weren't interested in those. Luckily, we found our way to a really lovely whole foods market were we bought all types of organic swag and had lunch. Unfortunately, at this point, I was pretty much depressed as hell because everything seemed to be going wrong, and the people I had come to AC expressly to meet for the first time were very busy and frazzled, and it made them seem terribly unfriendly. By the end of the day, I just felt like shit and was beginning to regret coming at all.
The next day was completely different.
I got into the artist alley (YAY!) but was still feeling stressed and unhappy from the day before. Luckily, I had the luck of sitting next to two of the friendliest, goofiest people I've ever met at a con: Koalakitty23 and Silverpoot. KoalaKitty I'd conversed with once or twice, and made a journal for her keyblade competition. Silverpoot I'd visited on DA a number of times, but was always afraid of her because I am a borderline vegan and her webcam image frightened me off. But they were a helluvalotta fun at the con, and invited me into their banter right out, and made me feel happy where I'd been feeling really shitty before. I can honestly say that sitting next to them proved to be the turning point of my convention experience, and whatever cosmic entity responsible for deciding that kind of thing has my thanks.
I also got to meet Xipoid for the first time, and we dragged him to dinner.
Now...... this Xipoid guy..... he's a peculiar one. He first contacted me with an icon commission for a friend of his. That seemed relatively normal. It started to get peculiar, however, when he approached me with several more commissions, all of them for other people, some of whom he hardly knew. There are two kinds of people who are inclined to give a lot of expensive gifts: the kind who want something from you, and the kind who are just really nice. And when you meet someone who wants to give you things for no reason, sometimes it can be an uncomfortable experience trying to figure out which they are. Consequently, when we finally had Xipoid in our clutches, we plied him with all sorts of questions about himself. In the end, I decided that he was just a really strange, really nice guy. And that's awesome. A philanthropist! He gave me this really beautiful quilt that I love to death! And also $102 for me to spend in whatever way I pleased, so long as I didn't give it back to him. And I know just what to do with it. There is this awesome site called Kiva which arranges loans. You act as an international 'bank' of sorts, and loan money to small business around the globe. It's awesome, because these poor people are just trying to make a living, and their own countries usually have really crooked banks and loan sharks who completely screw them over. But you can loan them $ with no interest. So far, they have had a 100% return rate. Well, I'm going to go invest $100 in some small business someplace :3 The $2 I spent on a bottle of Gatorade, after a particularly grueling bike ride >_>;;;;;;
I also got to hang out for a little while with my sort-of-friend, Nick. A.K.A. Tau. Now, it's really peculiar, talking to someone for a really long time on the internet, and finally meeting them in person, because you ALWAYS form these really wierd imaginins in your head that get totally screwed once you really meet them. That is, you get an impression of who they are, but it is always just a little scewed in real life. I suppose it is because body language makes up 95% of our communication, and that is completely lacking through text, save emoticons, which are an apalling substitute. Well, long story short, I found Nick a perplexing duck IRL. Had I not known him online before, known that he could have been a pleasant person, I don't think I'd have talked to him for any length of time. Being at the con stressed him out and made him prickly, it seems. As well as Ana, otherwise known as Balaa. The beginning of the con made them both stressed and unfriendly-seeming. I'm glad I could unwind with KoalaKitty and Silverpoot, or I might never have bothered them enough to hang out XD
Well, so, the second day passed alright. I made some $ in the alley and agreed to sit with Koalakitty the next day, as Silverpoot was leaving. I got in the AA the third day as well (awesome!) and we twittered together. X3 On the third day, something rather fascinating happened. We were sitting at the table (my brother and I) when he pointed and said: "Do you see that guy over there? He's wearing a costume just like a plague doctor!!" Well, we were most amused. We only found out later, when he wandered over, that it was, in fact, a plague doctor costume. And not only that, the person who made it had been inspired by my very pictures!! Wow, was I thrilled! :D It was really interesting, too! I loved his coat especially. He asked if he could take more time and try to reproduce the mask I had designed in my images (he had very little time to create the costume for the con) and I said, "Certainly!!!" It was really awesome :D
The last day was definitely the most entertaining. I hung out with Winged Siamese and her manfriend, both of whom I'd had the please of conversing with at their table. I also got to hang out with Daroneasa, whom I'd met at MFF last year, Balaa, whom finally came out of her snail shell to destress with us, Nick, Maggock, Bagheera, and Autumn Sunrise. Maggock and Autumn Sunrise I've never talked to before, and Bagheera I've only ever heard about. They were all very nice, and I had a helluva time with them. I laughed so hard my throat hurt the next day XD Meezer told the most HILARIOUS stories and horror stories from conventions past. And I did a few fun little sketch trades with Daroneasa, Meezer, and Ana. It was awesome.
OK, here is my edit. My shameful edit. D: I totally forgot to mention that I got to meet Trish as well. Nanook. She ran by my table on the second day for some chat, and wore her very cool Sid costume (I love, love, loved the ears!)on the third day. I wish she could have come to the zoo with us sunday. It would have been awesome. But she had to leave early.
Monday, I and my brother ate Breakfast with Bagheera and Ana, we all reconviened for a final horrah before we left, and then we drove home. It seemed an even longer drive on the way back, but we finally got home and collapsed in bed.
And that was my trip. I met some other people, but unfortunately do not remember their names. I feel badly about it, too. It reminds me of a conversation I overheard at the con. Someone was complaining that people flocked to the artists who were recognizable, and popular on the internet. It's terribly unfortunate, but seems unavoidable. I have a hard time remembering names, unless I've encountered the person on several ocassions. More popular artists pop up in more places, and so I tend to recall who they are better than people I don't see around too often. It isn't because I'm not interested in knowing lesser known artists, and non artists. I like to talk to anyone, no matter their skill level. I think the vast majority of artists are that way. So never be afraid to approach me at a con. I am happy to answer any questions and have a bit of chat :3