Romeo Wolf
Super Member
Just this weekend (Feb 7th & 8th) I went to my first actual furry convention called "Get Out The Float" in Seaside OR where I attended the convention. Registration was done online several weeks in advance, and was $85 per-person for a 4-day convention. You could register at the door but it would be more expensive. I went with my father who did not register (but she is very supportive) and did her own thing; which was relax in the jacuzzi tub and explore the vicinity of Astoria as well as Astoria itself. Both of us had a great time.
For context a Furry is a person who has an interest in anthropomorphic animals. That's the very baseline definition of it, but it can go much further than that. A furry convention is a 3-4 day weekend event where literally hundreds or thousands of furries get together at a convention center or hotel and party, make & sell art, participate in lecture panels, podcasts, games and concerts, and not to mention the furry parade (which is where we all get out into the public and walk around the town or city). It's basically like fantasy land where you can wash your worries away for a few days. Pictures and video of my experience will follow!
Friday
For my experience, my father and I loaded up Friday morning and drove through I-26 to get to the con by 10AM. She dropped me off and registration came & went with no issue - in fact there was no line at all! Then I went to the trading panel where I'd hoped to trade a few of my unwanted digital cameras for something cool, but their selection was pretty bare and none of it was of real interest to me. So I hung around, talked to a few folks, wandered around wearing my $12 watermelon tail (hence my badge name, "wandermelon" - which I actually got quite a few compliments for) until about 1:30PM when I headed upstairs and snapped a few photos and took some video of the fursuit games for a bit, then had my father pick me up to go out for lunch and check in at the hotel around 3:30PM (which was conveniently located across the bridge from the convention center).
4:30PM I went back to the convention center for a panel lecture about fursuiting in public (the do's and dont's, where to find some, dealing with children and pets, starting a meet, etc.) which was pretty interesting and humorously entertaining. Around 5:30 I walked into the inflatable games room to see one of the fursuiters wearing this HUGE inflatable ball suit which I thought was hilarious (I did snap some photos). At 6PM I attended the panel for Taebyn's "Bearly Furcasting" Podcast which I thought for the most part was interesting and funny, though I walked out when they got to the topic of (unbearably) bad jokes.
I hung around the con space for about an hour and snapped a few photos with some of the fursuiters (with permission) until 8PM when it was time for the "Furries Of Color" panel, which started with the host getting our background info but then quickly evolved into 2 hours of discussing topics on furry drama, which I found strangely interesting and fascinating considering the host knew so much about the details of these issues. At 10PM I went back to the hotel, ate a very late dinner and tried to sleep in the most uncomfortable fold-out couch bed I have ever slept on. It was miserable.
Saturday
I wake up at 8:30 in the morning and eat breakfast with my father around 9:30 at Pig n' Pancake (which I thought was ok, nothing special). Dropped off at the convention around 10:15AM, hung around for a few hours and made some new friends, then at 1PM it was time for the furry parade - but first a group photo!
(Might post an official photo later)
After that, the actual parade started where we all got into a single-file line. Interestingly I was towards the front of the line, which got me into an interesting experience later. We walked straight through 1st Avenue then turned onto the beach boardwalk (?) until we got to the roundabout where we stopped for a 2nd group photo. I took a few pics as well, and this is where I met the host from Friday's "Furries of color" panel, in full suit. She recognized me and said hi, and we chatted about things while pedestrians were taking pictures of the parade. Eventually as we were walking along Broadway st. said host told me there was a cool coffee shop called "Controversial Coffee" that we could do a photoshoot in, and I happily obliged since I've always wanted to do an actual photoshoot- but either didn't get the chance or never bothered to ask. So usually I'd just do photoshoots of my own plush animals, in my bedroom (which is where I have my plush account, "sheplittlelondon" on Instagram).
Anyways, we walked along Broadway and into the Seaside Carousel Mall where they have a New York style Carousel (according to aforementioned host friend). And because I was towards the front of the line, the host and I actually got to ride on the carousel, which I honestly thought was slightly terrifying but fun! After that we did our photoshoot (I was the photographer since I don't have a full suit), and eventually re-joined the parade walk. I'll attach a few photos from the shoot.
After that we went back to the convention, took a break then at 3PM it was time for this concert I'd thought was mildly interesting - but it got way more interesting (and enjoyable) than I thought when I walked in. Because you see, it was the same host person I'd made friends with during the parade, in suit except without the head. Her name is Cassidy Civet! I knew she was a good singer since I heard her sing some of the verses of the original 1893 song, "The Cat Came Back" (she's a big fan of old Americana music from the 20th century to 1940's jazz), but I wasn't expecting to be impressed, especially in modern pop music! (She is a Canadian pop star, independent musician and songwriter, after all) Here I've included a few songs from the concert, though the lousy ceiling speakers really doesn't do the music any justice
For whatever reason this has been stuck in my head since Saturday
I did actually buy two of her albums on CD at the end of concert (and had them signed too!), and after that we ate Seafood at Norma's (which was excellent! Will definitely be returning). Walked back to the convention and stuck around her next unrelated panel for 2 more hours of...you guessed it, discussing furry drama! Eventually I waved bye, went back to the hotel room, transferred pics & video to my phone, and tried miserably once again to get some sleep in the world's most uncomfortable sofa-bed. Next time I will sleep on an actual bed...
With that said, you may be wondering why I stuck with a friend who talks so much about such drama? It's not about the drama itself. It's because I realized during the convention that I actually admire people who aren't afraid to speak up and call people out for their bullshit and actions. My friend (Frank) is the same way, and so is my mom to a bigger extent, but Cassidy is a prime example IMO. Regardless, I'm very happy to have spent time with her as much as I did (much longer than I usually would anyone else) and hope to see her again next year.
For context a Furry is a person who has an interest in anthropomorphic animals. That's the very baseline definition of it, but it can go much further than that. A furry convention is a 3-4 day weekend event where literally hundreds or thousands of furries get together at a convention center or hotel and party, make & sell art, participate in lecture panels, podcasts, games and concerts, and not to mention the furry parade (which is where we all get out into the public and walk around the town or city). It's basically like fantasy land where you can wash your worries away for a few days. Pictures and video of my experience will follow!
Friday
For my experience, my father and I loaded up Friday morning and drove through I-26 to get to the con by 10AM. She dropped me off and registration came & went with no issue - in fact there was no line at all! Then I went to the trading panel where I'd hoped to trade a few of my unwanted digital cameras for something cool, but their selection was pretty bare and none of it was of real interest to me. So I hung around, talked to a few folks, wandered around wearing my $12 watermelon tail (hence my badge name, "wandermelon" - which I actually got quite a few compliments for) until about 1:30PM when I headed upstairs and snapped a few photos and took some video of the fursuit games for a bit, then had my father pick me up to go out for lunch and check in at the hotel around 3:30PM (which was conveniently located across the bridge from the convention center).
4:30PM I went back to the convention center for a panel lecture about fursuiting in public (the do's and dont's, where to find some, dealing with children and pets, starting a meet, etc.) which was pretty interesting and humorously entertaining. Around 5:30 I walked into the inflatable games room to see one of the fursuiters wearing this HUGE inflatable ball suit which I thought was hilarious (I did snap some photos). At 6PM I attended the panel for Taebyn's "Bearly Furcasting" Podcast which I thought for the most part was interesting and funny, though I walked out when they got to the topic of (unbearably) bad jokes.
I hung around the con space for about an hour and snapped a few photos with some of the fursuiters (with permission) until 8PM when it was time for the "Furries Of Color" panel, which started with the host getting our background info but then quickly evolved into 2 hours of discussing topics on furry drama, which I found strangely interesting and fascinating considering the host knew so much about the details of these issues. At 10PM I went back to the hotel, ate a very late dinner and tried to sleep in the most uncomfortable fold-out couch bed I have ever slept on. It was miserable.
Saturday
I wake up at 8:30 in the morning and eat breakfast with my father around 9:30 at Pig n' Pancake (which I thought was ok, nothing special). Dropped off at the convention around 10:15AM, hung around for a few hours and made some new friends, then at 1PM it was time for the furry parade - but first a group photo!
(Might post an official photo later)
After that, the actual parade started where we all got into a single-file line. Interestingly I was towards the front of the line, which got me into an interesting experience later. We walked straight through 1st Avenue then turned onto the beach boardwalk (?) until we got to the roundabout where we stopped for a 2nd group photo. I took a few pics as well, and this is where I met the host from Friday's "Furries of color" panel, in full suit. She recognized me and said hi, and we chatted about things while pedestrians were taking pictures of the parade. Eventually as we were walking along Broadway st. said host told me there was a cool coffee shop called "Controversial Coffee" that we could do a photoshoot in, and I happily obliged since I've always wanted to do an actual photoshoot- but either didn't get the chance or never bothered to ask. So usually I'd just do photoshoots of my own plush animals, in my bedroom (which is where I have my plush account, "sheplittlelondon" on Instagram).
Anyways, we walked along Broadway and into the Seaside Carousel Mall where they have a New York style Carousel (according to aforementioned host friend). And because I was towards the front of the line, the host and I actually got to ride on the carousel, which I honestly thought was slightly terrifying but fun! After that we did our photoshoot (I was the photographer since I don't have a full suit), and eventually re-joined the parade walk. I'll attach a few photos from the shoot.
After that we went back to the convention, took a break then at 3PM it was time for this concert I'd thought was mildly interesting - but it got way more interesting (and enjoyable) than I thought when I walked in. Because you see, it was the same host person I'd made friends with during the parade, in suit except without the head. Her name is Cassidy Civet! I knew she was a good singer since I heard her sing some of the verses of the original 1893 song, "The Cat Came Back" (she's a big fan of old Americana music from the 20th century to 1940's jazz), but I wasn't expecting to be impressed, especially in modern pop music! (She is a Canadian pop star, independent musician and songwriter, after all) Here I've included a few songs from the concert, though the lousy ceiling speakers really doesn't do the music any justice
For whatever reason this has been stuck in my head since Saturday
I did actually buy two of her albums on CD at the end of concert (and had them signed too!), and after that we ate Seafood at Norma's (which was excellent! Will definitely be returning). Walked back to the convention and stuck around her next unrelated panel for 2 more hours of...you guessed it, discussing furry drama! Eventually I waved bye, went back to the hotel room, transferred pics & video to my phone, and tried miserably once again to get some sleep in the world's most uncomfortable sofa-bed. Next time I will sleep on an actual bed...
With that said, you may be wondering why I stuck with a friend who talks so much about such drama? It's not about the drama itself. It's because I realized during the convention that I actually admire people who aren't afraid to speak up and call people out for their bullshit and actions. My friend (Frank) is the same way, and so is my mom to a bigger extent, but Cassidy is a prime example IMO. Regardless, I'm very happy to have spent time with her as much as I did (much longer than I usually would anyone else) and hope to see her again next year.
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