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I had a fantastic time at AC for a change! Fortunately Steve had to deal with the dealers' room schenanigans (what a weird bureaucracy), leaving me free to camp or go as I pleased.

This con didn't start out well: I arrived with the early stages of a sinus infection...which blossomed into nastiness by Friday. Fortunately, staying mostly bedridden all day Thursday and much of Friday (along with doses of colustrum and msm and "C") had the bugger under control most of that time and I felt well enough Saturday to actually suit up in Talbain.

[livejournal.com profile] martes asked for con reports (and I'm late as usual), but [livejournal.com profile] skorzy had a good point: a con is like an elephant-- different for everyone. For me, a good convention is one where I get a chance to talk at length with people I only see once or twice a year. Last year was a bad con: everyone was in huge groups: I didn't get to see anyone for more than a passing "Hey~!"

This year was a lotto winner! First off was dinner with Crocutta and his interesting posse. The discussions were lively and ranged from hyena biology to how useful a non-staining fake blood would be for the special effects industry.

Next up was a biggie: I *finally* got to meet [livejournal.com profile] spunkywulf in the flesh! I've admired her art for years and she's one of a few artists whose style dovetails with the type of costumes I like to make. In a way it was an opportunity to give something back and show her what I could do, as well as to let her see first hand some of the costumes/puppets I'd made based on her designs. Pics and mayhem will follow in a subsequent post...

Dinner with Spunkywulf was fun and lively. As mentioned before, she's a whirlwind of activity and motion and is great fun to talk with. Great conversations about art, characters and what-we-do, Boston and her first-time-con impressions.

Sunday was lunch with Carey and Erin, which consisted mostly of catching up on gossip, our respective work/projects and learning more about Erin (my first time meeting her-- Carey's lucky to have found her: she's cool and easy-going).

Dinner Sunday was an unexpected delight: Skorzy, [livejournal.com profile] beerhorse, her friend (whose name I'll remember someday..."Fred" for now), Skorzy's friend (Will? Damn this spongiform brain of mine!), Cara, and [livejournal.com profile] bluewyrm (who I got to meet for the first time again...and again...[hits brain]).

I had really hoped to have a meal* with Beerhorse and Skorzy: I'd known of them mostly through Martes and her friend list. Since Redstorm couldn't make it out, I was looking forward to hearing Beerhorse educate me about LARP'ing (live role playing). What I learned is that I'm likely to get my arse smushed in... maybe I can play an omega Gnoll and stay back from the battle and clean the potties or something.

Skorzy is a hardcore birder (at least with respect to Martes and I) and I enjoyed hearing about his experiences. If he ever makes it out to the north part of L.A. we can show him our sad hiking areas (they're beautiful, but kind of short...).

Bluewyrm and Cara were a huge bonus: Cara because I gave up hope of talking to her (popular artist+great piles of sketchbooks+tons of people wanting to meet her=no chance!) and Bluewyrm because I didn't even know she was at the con (I keep not-recognizing her new hair... and it's usually halfway through a conversation that she takes pity on me and tells me who she is).

The-person-I-think-is-named-Will and Fred (Beerhorses' proto-fannish friend) just added to the fun. Fred isn't a fan, but has all the trappings of one (no, she doesn't wear cat ears...): very much the artist-type in dress and wildly eclectic interests. Will was one of those conversationalists who can pretty much fit in anywhere, adding interesting/knowledgable commentary.

What a great group! And the dinner at a brewhouse was *excellent*. Conversation ranged from LARP'ing to birding hikes to the Mutter Museum (*squirms*) to beer-making and beyond. What a great group! No one wearing fox ears or yerfing... just a terrific meal and non-stop conversations.

Add to that the running conversations with the likes of [livejournal.com profile] diadexxus and [livejournal.com profile] frysco and a bunch of other costumers and the weekend was pretty excellent!


*When most of your friends and such are artists or dealers (or both), it's nigh-on impossible to talk during the day: customers, table-manning, fans, etc. Meals are an escape to quieter fields...

Date: 2003-07-24 01:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] spunkywulf.livejournal.com
I was so thrilled to finally meet you in person! You are a gentleman, and a very intelligent and interesting individual as well. You're a lot of fun to talk to, and it's really nice to be able to just sit down with someone and have a good conversation about everything ranging from what we have in common (art and bitey things) to things that are new to each other (romps through Boston, the LA sunshine and squid-fishing). I apologize once again for what happened at dinner this past weekend... oh GOD... even I was about to lose my cool when I found out what it was gonna be like! I wanted to cry and disappear. But... I didn't. I kept my cool, and I vented afterwards when no one was around ;) LOL.

You were a joy to meet and talk to though, and thank you so much for letting me see ol' Talbain in the flesh, and wear his head around even! You do such faithful translations of my sketches into full-body costumes that it's astounding. I'm very proud to be one who's been "assembled" by the Great Lance Ikegawa ;)

I hope to see you again next year!

Hey

Date: 2003-07-24 01:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] starbiter.livejournal.com
Now that I've seen your work, Spunky, and Lance's, I can make the connection - and it does seem like a really good match! Hope you two can collaborate more in the future! :D (like on a nice sheepy suit for Jen! Or a Spunky suit with a string of toy sheepies....)

Date: 2003-07-24 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sushimare.livejournal.com
It was so cool to hang out with you Lance! That small Sunday night dinner far from the con has become a tradition for our group, I'm glad you could join us! Oh, and Fred's name is Megan. When ever I mention her folks always think I mean Megan Giles and I have to tell them, "Nono, MY Megan!"

Meg is actually indirectly responsible for my being in the fandom. At NERO she played my daughter, Brynn, a morphic cheetah. I used to love to do her makeup for her and it was in looking for a mask for her (and potentially myself) that I discovered this crazy thing called furry.

Oh, and NERO is the LARP I play, http://nerohq.com.

Anyhow, it was wonderful to spend time with you! I hope the opportunity arises for us to do so in the future outside the convention setting. :) *prays silently for a job with vacation pay*

Date: 2003-07-24 04:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] diadexxus.livejournal.com
Yeah! Sorry to hear you weren't feeling 100% I SWORE it was someone else wearing Jon Talbain when I saw you in Vortex! You totally sounded different with your head stuffed up! (giggle) I will send you those pics we got together as soon as I get them!

Sounds like you had a great time none-the-less!

The Red XIII suit was definately a winner. EVERYONE loved him! Tons of pics here (kinda dark but there are more around):
http://alpha.allwolves.com/~snowwolf/gallery/album27

Hope to see you some time before FC. Maybe I will come down to LA before then to visit friends and possibly do dinner with ya?

-J

Date: 2003-07-24 05:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furtech.livejournal.com
Wow! Such ego-puffery: I gotta find some way to sneak this onto a resume...

*Smacks forehead*

Date: 2003-07-24 05:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furtech.livejournal.com
That's right-- how could I forget the two Megans! Megan-East and Megan-West. As for how you found the fandom: I guess all interesting roads eventually lead to one fandom or another. I know of people who've found (for instance) furry fandom via anime, the SCA, sf/f fandom, comics and even zoology. Definitely give us a call if you make it out west!

I'll check out NERO: I'm still a bit timid about LARP'ing. My asian roots (quiet and polite) are wrastlin' with my wide-eyed interest in dressing in outrageous costumes and getting my brains bashed out.

The Voice

Date: 2003-07-24 05:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furtech.livejournal.com
Yeah-- if only I could keep the voice and lose the cold. If I don't get too stuffy, I have a nice gravelly smokers drawl when sick that way. I'm psyched that Red went over so well: when someone pays for a commission I stress over whether they'll get their props. And yeah: visit and dinner! Here or up there!

Re: *Smacks forehead*

Date: 2003-07-24 05:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sushimare.livejournal.com
I'm not sure what the west coast chapters are up to, but the Mass chapter has a race of Elves based on Chineese culture, and the PA Darkelves are based on the Japanese. Both of those races tend to keep to themselves and be all quiet and reserved. LARPS tend to have a nice variety of races and cultures to play so you don't have to be the loud warrior Orc if you don't want to be. :)

Re: The Voice

Date: 2003-07-24 05:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] spunkywulf.livejournal.com
OMG! YOU made the RedXIII?! I had no idea!!!! I saw photos of that thing and was astounded, but never got to see it in person sadly. But now that it's mentioned, I can totally see your styling and craftsmanship in it. That's really incredibly kick-arse. Beautiful work! Next year you have to bring the full gray werewolf costume so I can see :)

OOPS! And I almost forgot... I was gonna give you the master print of the gray werewolf itself that I had in my print book, but completely forgot. I'll make one up and have it mailed to you :)

Date: 2003-07-24 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] spacehyena.livejournal.com
I *LUB* you, Mr. Talent! :D Dinner was faboo. I wish ye lived closer.

Date: 2003-07-25 05:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furtech.livejournal.com
Getting together with you and the Professor and the rest was definitely a great end to the con. I'm still laughing over the team name, "Fat Boy Likes Cake" on the whatevertheywereplaying board.

You could always move out west! We have better Mexican food out here!

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