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Megaplex con report
11 years ago
General
(A slightly different version of this journal was sent into 
knotcast)
This past weekend I attended Megaplex 13 in Orlando. The con had 1,281 attendees, which was a 50% increase over last year.
For me, it was my first furry con after 16 years - mostly spent lurking - in the fandom. Yes, I know that going to a large con as your first is a bad idea. And I didn't know anyone else who was going, which made it a doubly-bad idea to go. But with that said, I had a great time. The hotel was large and well air-conditioned, with plenty of amenities and food options within walking distance. The con staff were well-organized and effecient. And the attendees were super friendly, even to a newcomer like myself.
I have to admit, the first hour was overwhelming. Up until then, furry had been an 'internet only' thing for me. Yet here were hundreds of people openly talking about it. Acting it out! Wearing tails! And for someone not accustomed to their presence, the fursuits were almost surreal.
One of the first things I did after checking in was to head over to the "Coming Out of the Suitcase" panel. It was a support group, of sorts, for people who keep their furry life separate from their real life. The panel was a cathartic experience. One person there compared lurking in the fandom to being outside the window of a fun party looking in. That comment struck a chord with me. The panel was also a great way to meet other new con-goers. I became fast friends with
StarDustFur and 
JennaBradford, the two panel hosts. We had dinner together afterwards.
I also got to meet
bucktowntiger. He's super friendly, and he put on a great musical performance while in suit. It was damn funny seeing the reaction after he started playing 'Be Prepared' from the Lion King. Audience members quoted the entire scene verbatim, precisely imitating the characters' voices and inflections. "Only at a furry con," someone commented amusedly.
Uncle Kage was on hand to run the charity auction and to do his namesake story hour. The Japanese gameshow and fursuit games were a blast.
In no particular order, the other con highlights for me were:
* The amazing character sketch I got from
FinalFlight.
* Getting to hold a baby bobcat at the charity presentation.
* One of my new friends showing me how a fursuit is constructed, and letting me try on his parts of his suit.
On the flip-side, I didn't see any major problems worth criticizing. Just a few nitpicks. The main parking lot was very tight, although there was plenty of space in the overflow lot. The con had literary panels, but no lit vendors were in attendance (I'm looking at you, Fuzz!). And the Smash Bros tournament (which hit its 32-player limit) only had 5 or 6 gamecube controllers. But all of these are minor problems. It was, as I said, a very well-run con.
All told, I had an amazing experience at Megaplex. I highly recommend this con.
knotcast) This past weekend I attended Megaplex 13 in Orlando. The con had 1,281 attendees, which was a 50% increase over last year.
For me, it was my first furry con after 16 years - mostly spent lurking - in the fandom. Yes, I know that going to a large con as your first is a bad idea. And I didn't know anyone else who was going, which made it a doubly-bad idea to go. But with that said, I had a great time. The hotel was large and well air-conditioned, with plenty of amenities and food options within walking distance. The con staff were well-organized and effecient. And the attendees were super friendly, even to a newcomer like myself.
I have to admit, the first hour was overwhelming. Up until then, furry had been an 'internet only' thing for me. Yet here were hundreds of people openly talking about it. Acting it out! Wearing tails! And for someone not accustomed to their presence, the fursuits were almost surreal.
One of the first things I did after checking in was to head over to the "Coming Out of the Suitcase" panel. It was a support group, of sorts, for people who keep their furry life separate from their real life. The panel was a cathartic experience. One person there compared lurking in the fandom to being outside the window of a fun party looking in. That comment struck a chord with me. The panel was also a great way to meet other new con-goers. I became fast friends with
StarDustFur and 
JennaBradford, the two panel hosts. We had dinner together afterwards.I also got to meet
bucktowntiger. He's super friendly, and he put on a great musical performance while in suit. It was damn funny seeing the reaction after he started playing 'Be Prepared' from the Lion King. Audience members quoted the entire scene verbatim, precisely imitating the characters' voices and inflections. "Only at a furry con," someone commented amusedly.Uncle Kage was on hand to run the charity auction and to do his namesake story hour. The Japanese gameshow and fursuit games were a blast.
In no particular order, the other con highlights for me were:
* The amazing character sketch I got from
FinalFlight.* Getting to hold a baby bobcat at the charity presentation.
* One of my new friends showing me how a fursuit is constructed, and letting me try on his parts of his suit.
On the flip-side, I didn't see any major problems worth criticizing. Just a few nitpicks. The main parking lot was very tight, although there was plenty of space in the overflow lot. The con had literary panels, but no lit vendors were in attendance (I'm looking at you, Fuzz!). And the Smash Bros tournament (which hit its 32-player limit) only had 5 or 6 gamecube controllers. But all of these are minor problems. It was, as I said, a very well-run con.
All told, I had an amazing experience at Megaplex. I highly recommend this con.
StarDustFur
~stardustfur
Yay. Friends!
