Con Report: FCN ’10
This entry will probably be updated several times this week. There was a lot to soak in!
Last weekend my friends Rochelle and Andrea attended FCN, or “Furry Connection North,” all the way up in Novi, Michigan. It was a 6 hour drive each way, we slept about 4 hours each night there and are now left thoroughly sapped of energy. Though, I take that as the mark of a good convention. 
Per my last con report (and the first of many I hope to do!), here is a run-down on my experience along with some photos I took.
As a disclaimer, I want to note: Rochelle, Andrea and myself do not draw or distribute any unsavory materials, nor do we engage in any illegal or unsavory activities besides having a few too many now and then. 
And a particular highlight this blog has that I hope to continue at further conventions is a collection of furry license plates or car decals I found. I don’t know why I enjoy taking pictures of such things, but I guess after the first one I saw at MFF I found the concept absolutely hilarious.
Anyway, here’s a rough break-down:
Room + Roommates
I roomed with VooDoo, Dearc, Aheria and Kash, and the whole situation turned out absolutely wonderful and far better than I had expected. I met these guys at MFF and talked to them online, but of course rooming with someone is an entirely different experience. They brought lots of food, a toaster, extra blankets for us, showering equipment, and we were all awake and asleep at roughly the same times. It was just a perfect set up and more than I could ever ask for.
The first night I ended up falling asleep laying on only a towel. My back was destroyed for the first half of Saturday as a result. :’-( But other than that…and, well, getting only 4 hours of sleep each night…things were good.
Artist Alley
The artist alley greatly upset me at this con. Now, I don’t know if I’m ‘spoiled’ from landing a spot with no problems at MFF, but in my opinion the set-up at FCN was horrible. There were incredibly few tables and spots set up, which was especially frustrating when it was obvious many more tables could have easily been added. In fact, two table spots remained empty for hours until I got a little snippy and convinced those running the Alley to open them up and choose from the lottery of people waiting.
Rochelle and Andrea and I all got in on Friday (they got in first and then I got in after an hour’s wait). Friday Rochelle and Andrea again got in, set up and left me with really no one to talk to or anything to do. Although I had signed up the night before, people who had signed up that morning “won” a spot instead of me, and again people besides myself kept winning spots even though I kept checking in every half hour. I understand there is a high demand to get tables and not everyone can get a spot at every convention, but it was just all-around an extremely unfair and poorly set up situation that left me in a very sour mood for most of Saturday.
Although, there was some good to the situation. I set up my own spot with my supplies in the lobby with a mock “Back-Alley Commissions” sign and ended up getting a surprising amount of hits out there. A group of people stopped by and thought what I was doing was pretty funny and enjoyed my style, and they commissioned me there on the spot. Best of all, Venaul, whom I met at MFF and did a badge for, ran into me and sat with me for an hour or so and kept me company. He also did a great job of flagging people down to my table to check out my art. To the left is an ink I did for “Amma” of an 80′s hair femme husky. Strange request, but a lot of fun to do!
Unfortunately after a few hours of being out there I got yelled at by staff to take my sign down, but at least I was left with a enough to do and some people to talk to. A bit after that I finally got a table and a few “legit” hits while in the Alley.
Lobby
The lobby at this hotel was a blast to hang out in, and in fact I spent most of my time there. The set-up was pretty cool with lots of tables, some open space, some lounge area and a bar accessible on all sides. Rochelle, Andrea and I often found ourselves drawing our commissions or other doodles down here, attracting randoms to talk to us and buying a round of drinks at the end of the day to wind down. Best of all, lots of people in costume kept coming through giving us something amusing to watch. One guy in a bunny outfit had a giant speaker attached to his back and was playing hits from the 80′s on the first night.
Dealer’s Room
This was also a disappointment compared to MFF. This was a small, cramped room that felt more like an Arabian Bazaar than a convention dealer’s room. Nonetheless, there were some interesting wares there, including a comic salesman who had a used copy of BlackSad sketchbook, which I eagerly shelled out cash for. I first discovered BlackSad when it was on display at my college’s library during their comic theme month and fell in love with the art.
Dance
The dance at this convention rocked the socks off MFF’s, and I only went to the Friday night one! (I heard Saturday’s was even better, unfortunately I missed it) The music was great, there were lazer lights, a fog machine and all kinds of neon light graphics. My only gripe was that it was a tad too dark to really see…well, anything! But it was still a lot of fun.
Unfortunately I didn’t take many pictures, but there’s me dancing with Fuego!
Oh yeah, after the dance we took advantage of this abandoned dry-erase board. I mean, that’s what happens when you leave a dry-erase board, complete with markers, at a convention full of artists! The next morning I found the woman running the actual massages and she actually enjoyed the artwork for her sign. She erased the rather, uh, profane parts, but felt the art helped attract more people to her set-up. Hey, it was fun to do! Feel free to request it anytime!
We noticed the next night that even more artists caught on and violated the board! They should definitely put up more of these at cons, it was a lot of fun. We wrote and drew some ridiculous stuff and had laughs all around.
Parties
After Artist Alley and hanging out in the lobby getting commissions done for a few hours, we were invited to a room party in 337 that apparently drew in a lot of people. They had a cooler full of a mixed drink they named “Slurm” (just alcohol and Mountain Dew, this wasn’t that kind of party!) and it was delicious! We met even more awesome people and had a blast.
A handful of guys we spent most of our time with (until, gawd, 4 a.m. I think!) were particularly awesome. They had hilarious stories to tell and I learned a lot about web design from one fellow continually breaking out in a British Accent. I really wish I captured their stories on camera, because I was simply dying. I can’t really elaborate too much of what they said here, but uh…just take my word for it.
This costume was amazing with the LED lights. Very cool effect, especially outside in the dark.
Instead of partying, Rochelle found it imperative to work work work on commissions. So, any of you people out there looking for an intensely dedicated artist, definitely check her out!
Overall
Overall, amazing experience. Much more social than MFF; I can’t remember a time I heard more hilarious stories and laughed harder in my life. It was great meeting new people, seeing all the artwork and costumes and hanging out until 4 a.m. like I used to in college. Definitely a great break from things, although I am beyond exhausted now from the lack of sleep! So, my apologies for not writing this with a more dramatic flair!
Thank You!
I am sending a formal e-mail to everyone who commissioned me, but to those and anyone who talked to me, told me a story or joke, commented on my art, danced with me, let me room with them, partied with me, hugged me or just hung out, THANK YOU! This con was definitely a blast, and I hope to attend many many more.
I was to give two particular shout-outs: First of all, the fellow who bought me a few drinks and showed me his web design stuff, please send me an e-mail! I want to hear more about your design and learn more tricks of the trade.
And to the person who asked for an autograph from me (haha, I’m “known” in this fandom?), please leave a comment or send me a note! I’d love to make an icon for you! Asking me for my signature totally made my day!
Alright, and without further ado, FURRY LICENSE PLATES!
Furry License Plates
“Con Report: FCN ’10”