Saturday: Though we got to bed a bit late, we got up at roughly the same time as Friday and made our way to the Steel City diner with the hope that it wouldn't be hopelessly packed. To our surprise, it wasn't and Juki, Tef, Ael, and I took advantage of that fact. Mmm, chocolate chip pancakes...

We took our spot by the window in front of the dealer's den after breakfast where I worked on inking some pieces, including the Engineer from the Anthro Fortress 2 series I've been away from for a while.

I got to catch up with some folks I forgot to see in the Dealer's den, picked up a few comics, and met the creators of Codename: Hunter, where I learned of an ambitious plan to get furry web comics into a gregarious new community. I'm thinking of getting on board- if not with JV, then with Fred Savage.

I didn't commission anyone, but gathered up the previous day's pieces, which you've thus far seen except for a little con badge of my character. I've never really been into fursonas and feel comfortable enough with my personality that I don't need an alter-ego to go by, but since I like the idea of con badges and wanted something catchy, I went for it.

Aelius and I went through the art show together, something I oddly hadn't done before, and found a bit of everything- some spectacular, some cute, some hilarious, and some... uncomfortable. It was fun bouncing commentary off each other and I have to admit I feel a little guilty for not bidding on any of the works, even Eric Schwartz's stickvixen which I hear fetched a whopping $15 after a starting bid of just $1! There was some excellent sculpture, some of Spunky's brilliant paintings, a skateboard deck with a vixen painted on it, and much more.

In the afternoon I sat in on a panel about Small Arms illustration and concept design, something new at Anthrocon and something I'd find interesting since I'm into weaponry, both contemporary and sci-fi. In addition, the panel was run by Beowulf Kennedy and Strype, two awesome artists with a great eye for detail. The panel was informative, and I learned a few things about realistic gunplay that I hadn't really considered before, but found there were a couple kinks. For one, when you have two famous artists there should be more art and example, and for second... it might have been a bad idea to take 'questions' from the audience because when it comes to small-arms there are a LOT of gun nuts out there aching to spout off everything they know about firearms, no matter how irrelevant that information is to the topic at hand.

I feel a bit sorry for Beowulf and Strype because they're trying to make a presentation to satisfy both the knowledgeable and the novice to firearms and they instead had to spend most of their time on crowd control. If I had any suggestions, I would first off limit questions to certain turning points in the presentation, have some spiffy artwork to demonstrate some of the concepts, and maybe have an actual live firearm to dispatch some of the blowhards while providing a live demo of gun mechanics at the same time. Seriously, how many weapon enthusiasts out there are tired of the folks who regard their knowledge of firearms as a vital extension of their libido to be shown off at every opportunity?

Regardless, I did get to meet both Beowulf and Strype, finding them both to be really cool guys, both approachable and sensible.

Juki, Tef, Ael, and I hooked up in the lobby and headed out for dinner at an Irish restaurant we'd heard about that was nearby, but unfortunately it was closed. On the advice of a couple of fellow congoers, we went to the hotel and sought out alternative dining, which, as we found, was also closed. Hungry and a bit frustrated, we decided to try out a nearby Chinese buffet which, as it turned out, was a solid choice. The food was good, there was plenty of it, the service was good, and the staff even helped out Tef, who has a condition called Celiac which essentially prohibits him from eating wheat products (or anything with gluten).

Afterwards, with time running out before 2 the Ranting Gryphon's comedy show Ael, Juki, and I ran uncomfortably to the convention center and got a good spot in line. Unfortunately, as we found out way too late, it was the wrong line- for sponsors only. The rest of the peanut gallery was in a line stretching literally a quarter of a mile to the other side of the convention center. The three of us waffled over the idea of skipping the show, skeptical that the auditorium could fit everyone, but I was gladly proven wrong as people shuffled forward and we got seats somewhere in the middle. On the way we had a conversation with someone who was not only a first timer at Anthrocon, but also only involved in the fandom for a couple of months.

The opener was... risque, but that's not unexpected when you go to one of 2's shows. What surprised me about this show was that, on top of breaking out a lot of new material, he really connected with the audience in a big way and, to me, was a total laugh riot. His subject matter was largely apolitical and a lot less cynical than normal, and I think he's improved over his previous acts... or maybe his brilliance was just because he has a soft spot for furries.

He paid homage to George Carlin, suggested that someone make a pill to stop the asshole problem, wondered at the European furry scene, and finally, with a message that I think will endure, confronted the big issue of the whole idea of anthropmorphics: The wierdness of it all.

Let's face it, anyone who has ever been involved in the furry fandom or made some contribution to it has been accused of the wierdness of it. We struggle relentlessly to try and find some way of explaining this to legitimize our odd tastes to our peers and family, and it always comes out awkward. So you draw furry art because you used to like Ninja Turtles? Then why do they need tits? Is there really an answer that makes sense of it all? No, the very discussion is the embodiment of awkwardness.

2's advice was simple. The reason it feels wierd and it's always awkward to talk about is because it IS wierd. Maybe being a 'furry' or whatever badge you choose to go by is so difficult to legitimize because it's fundamentally wierd. And yet... that's not a bad thing. It's a variety of wierdness that's mostly harmless and, strangely, humanizing. Like any quirk or disorder you have two choices: obsess about it as though it were a problem and shave a few years off your life, or admit it and adapt to it. It's wierd, so what? We owe it to ourselves to admit that it is wierd, but despite that it's part of our identity. There are many equally good, but wierd things out there. It's not necessary to be ashamed.

2's narrative may have been more brief, pointed, and hilarious, but it struck a chord, I think, and the show may well have been the high note of the entire convention.

That evening we retired to the Zoo, plopping down near Shawntae Howard. Juki suggested that I put my Team Fortress 2 fan art on display, so I obliged. I figured that they were pretty popular and might catch a few glances, but I didn't expect 26 people to stop by and shake my hand! I managed to finish off my commissions, so Juki and I decided to do a little exchange, one of the results of which I've already posted. It came out so well, I'm afraid, that I feel a little guilty that I didn't put in a lot more effort into his piece, which I'll post along with the Engineer when they're ready. I traded lots of goofy stories about Team Fortress 2 and for a second it was almost like we had a TF2 mini convention in the center of the zoo!

I also managed to bump into Strype, who I quickly found out was also a fan of TF2. We had a conversation about the game and exchanged gamer profiles. Hopefully I'll be able to bump into him online sometime.

Alas, it was getting late, and with mere hours before the end of the convention Juki and I decided now was the moment to embark upon the bloody lung challenge. It was ambitious, more than twice the distance we had travelled upstairs thus far at the convention. We had two choices: summit the 26-story Westin Hotel, braving a flight of stairs rife with fur suits and local traffic, or try the neighboring, identical Federated office tower, which we reasoned would be a lot faster since security would be shooting at us.

In the end, we chose the Westin. Bullet wounds are rather uncomfortable, after all. I opted for a steady, but brisk hike up the 26 floors, and despite becoming quite winded towards the end, both Juki and I made it with style to spare. We got a wonderful view of the city at night and, dismayed that there were no drink machines on the top floor, slaked our thirst with some ice while waiting for the elevator, which showed up sometime in the next millenium.

Content that we had a good day, sitting on a pile of swag and laughing at all that had happened, we turned in, preparing for that condition that sometimes hits, Sunday Dismay- a premature case of post-con depression.

Sunday: After getting up we had a brief breakfast at McDonalds and made our way back to the dealer's den. I had no more business there and didn't really buy anything. We bounced back and forth between our room and the den for most of Sunday morning, packing up and getting ready to move out. Ael was supposed to go first, but by the time we checked out and everything his shuttle had left and the next wouldn't come for another hour. It wouldn't have mattered much anyway- he had accidentally left his shuttle ticket in the room! Despite the stress and fear that he may miss his flight, the two of us managed to catch the same shuttle and had a good chat on our way to the airport, where I understand he made his flight in good order.

My flight was uneventful. Everything was on time, I met a nice lady on the plane who was on her way to meet her son in Italy, and so on. I was transitioning back to a more mundane state of mind- no longer surrounded by furries, I didn't feel sad or withdrawn... I felt sort of mischievous and accomplished, like I'd gotten away with something and no one was any the wiser.

The Dulles Super Shuttle was dreadful. Don't get me wrong, the ride is just fine, and the driver was nice enough- it's the hour long wait inside a blistering hot van with cranky elders that gets really old really fast.

So that's the story of the con! Not spectacular sounding, I suppose, but I sure had a good time. Will I do it again next year? Money willing, hell yes.