Right away, some guy gave me three SEGA-related Matchbox cars, just because I was wearing my Dreamcast t-shirt, then a girl gave me a rose for lending her the $40 for registration (she was waiting for a friend of hers to bring the money, but he was late), and another girl put a leash & collar on my neck and asked me if I wanted to be her pet for the convention. Now, at first I was nervous, since I had always thought the "pet" thing was kinda creepy, but I decided to try it out anyway, and it turned out to be quite different from what I thought it was. Before last weekend, I had thought 'why would someone want to be a pet and be 100% subservient to someone else?' As it turns out, being a pet is 90% subservient and 10% mischievous, and that little bit of mischief makes it a very rewarding roleplaying experience (plus, leashes work both ways, hehehe).

This little bit of fun turned into one of my favorite moments of the con. At one point, I was sitting outside in the parking lot in front of the hotel with my owner (still seems weird to say that) and another girl, when four people who obviously weren't part of the convention walked by. I was sitting there with a spiked leather collar around my neck, a leash held by my owner, and a toothbrush I was holding sideways in my mouth. We must have been quite the scene there, because they couldn't stop staring as they walked by. Since they found me so fascinating, I decided to wave at them, and one of them hesitantly waved back. It was all I could do to stop myself from bursting out laughing! I feel a little bad about looking so "extreme" to someone who doesn't know what's going on, but they were staying at the hotel anyway, and I wasn't the only one wearing a collar, let alone people in ears, tails, and full fursuits. In any case, I was having loads of fun.

And that was all just the first day.

As I mentioned before, I was also registered for PAX, but after my first day at RainFurrest, PAX just couldn't hold my interest. I mean, I've been playing videogames for 16 years now, so there isn't a lot in terms of new things to see. That, coupled with the fact that my friend couldn't make it to Seattle with me, and that we had lost one of our PAX passes, meant that after attending one panel at PAX that Saturday (Make a Sam & Max Scene with Telltale Games. It was great, and I even contributed to the scene, which you can watch here), I decided to spend the rest of my time at RainFurrest. I got there around 9 PM, just in time for the pet auction and Masquerade (I missed the fursuit parade though). There were only three acts in the masquerade, so it was pretty short, but the pirate skit was really fun. The dance that night was also full of awesome. At first not too many people were dancing, but once things got started, there were plenty of people and fursuits jumping about. We formed a conga line & a dance circle, I danced with a lion who was standing near the edge of the room until I pulled him onto the dance floor, I joined in a badgerbadgerbadger dance, and generally had one hell of a fun time.

Since I had decided to stay at RainFurrest, I needed to find a place to stay that night in the hotel, which leads me to the next thing that impressed me. During the dance, I was hanging out with tsuria, whom I had only met the day before, and when I asked if I could crash in his room for a night, he immediately said yes, just that I should check with his roomies too. They also said yes right away. I still cannot get over how friendly everyone was. It wasn't just the people I hung out with, either. You could walk up to just about anyone and strike up a conversation. Hell, once I even just poked my head around a corner and made a noise, and the people in the room made noises back at me. Furries are always talking about how laid-back and friendly they are, especially at smaller conventions like these, but it's still feels incredible to experience it firsthand.

On the last day I didn't do much, since staying up until 4 AM (did I mention that I enjoyed the dance?) left me pretty tired in the morning, and I had to catch the bus back to Seattle to get to the hotel I was actually staying at. I did manage to attend the "Fursuiting Beyond the Convention" panel though, which was very informative (I got a couple more pics too). So yeah, I had an amazing time, and I can't wait until my next con! I'm aiming for AC 2009, and this time I'll make sure I can make it there! :P


And now, pictures!

*****

There are these themed pigs all over Seattle. These three are just the ones that were on my way from our hotel to the bus stop; there are many more around downtown. No idea what their deal is...







A fox! ...I think! (I gave this guy my rose). His articulated fingers were pretty neat, but they meant that he had huge handpaws.



My owner had a stuffed ferret toy and went around asking people to "stroke her weasel"



More suiters from after the "Beyond the Con" panel. When someone asked who made their suits, they were able to mime "White Fox", which I thought was impressive.



I've posted more and higher-quality versions of the pics I took here.