This isn't the first steps of a journey, but it is the beginning of an era. For many years I have heard of furries being mocked and ridiculed as the scum of the Earth. A cesspool of sexual deviants who post mature art and nothing more. But at the same time I saw many amazing artists, even kids, excel and thrive in this fandom. Certainly these two truths cannot possibly coexist.
On paper, I do not fit the bill of the "average" furry. Only 25% of furries are Christian, but I am a senior acolyte in my Greek Orthodox church, and I have no intention of diminishing my faith (truth be told, Jesus preaching forgiveness was radical). Only 20% are straight, 8% are asexual, and I find myself somewhere in-between. But we should not use statistics to regress to the mean. I loved animation, cartoons, and anthro characters my whole life, but the negative reputation always kept me from participating in the fandom. I lurked on the outside, looking in.
That changed in 2020 when, during lockdown, Youtube recommended me a video of Jonah Scott, VA for Legoshi in Beastars, being interviewed by Fluke the Husky, a furry. I came for the voice actor, but stayed for the furry. That single video introduced me to personalities like Fluke, Majira Strawberry, Odin Wolf, Adler the Eagle, BetaEtaDelota, and countless others. While I digress, they do have their quirks, I found I very much enjoyed their largely SFW content (which was very SFW throughout 2020). I watched hundreds of videos by furries all throughout 2020 and 2021. For someone so afraid of actually joining the fandom proper, this helped me understand the community a little bit more.
Flash forward a year later to 2021. I left a toxic gaming community I had been in for many years, the one from which I derived my previous alias, and found a better one amongst furries. I also deactivated my old DeviantArt account, which was just full of drab photography, nothing happy or colorful. It was the vent space of a sad child that no longer represents who I am. I joined not one, but two furry Discord servers, and chatted regularly with people who were a little further along on this journey than I was. Everyone was talking about Megaplex... Everyone kept talking about Megaplex... and eventually, I had to be peer pressured into getting tickets for Megaplex myself. What happened over these three days was nothing short of amazing.
The hotel and convention space itself are unbelievably beautiful. The Caribe Royale has some of the cleanest, high-class, and best-kept spaces you'll find in Orlando. This is certainly not the Bradenton convention center or ball park. As I waited in line to register, I struck a conversation with the people waiting in line right behind me. Turned out she was a fursuit maker! I commented on how nice their suits looked, and pondered if they could make a suit of my character, Tyler the alligator. They said they always wanted to make an alligator and were genuinely excited at the prospect. We exchanged contact info. We'll see if anything comes of that.
https://www.instagram.com/ichigoalien/
I arrived at my first panel, the Wild Abandon Meet and Greet. Sadly, Foxinthefedora was not present, and actually the panel ended as soon as I arrived. Not knowing a single person, I sat with a group of people and started up a conversation anyways. I spoke with a girl in her late teens. She whipped out her sketchbook and started drawing Tyler to an amazing degree of character, detail, and refinement all in about... 4 minutes. Coming from 2, 1/2 years of art school and decades of drawing, I was shocked. Turns out she had been drawing since she was two, while I perhaps started in the eighth grade. She made this for me and tore it out from her sketchbook... for free. IchigoAlien, I promise you my drawing of your frog...
...Will be nowhere near as good.
When I left the panel I met and hand-delivered a printed commission for one of my Discord friends. The previous failed to arrive via USPS, so the reprint was hand-delivered. Seeing someone witness a digital vector pigment print on glossy metallic paper for the first time is truly magical. Greater-than-4K quality every 2 inches, and the colors were gleaming. He was awaiting this for several weeks, and finally seeing it in his hands gave him tears.
Peering just down the hallway, lo and behold, one of my idols. I saw him interviewed by Anthony Padilla (of Smosh fame): Shoutmilo, donning his fursona, Tiki! For a minute I thought he was simply a fan. "Are you really Milo?" Yes, this was the real Milo. He flew all the way from San Diego, California to come to this convention in Orlando, Florida to show up Friday morning. He was a super nice guy. Made his suit himself when his parents said if you want it, you have to make it, and started doing it for others. It's part of what inspired me to get back to making things myself. I basically welcomed him to Florida and told him to enjoy the convention. Part of the magic of these things are the people you get to meet.
Had lunch with some friends by the pool at Caribe Royale. And now I know exactly how these creepy pictures crop up. The guy on the right got a suit that was quickly put together. When we went to take the picture, he was unsure if he wanted to put it on. I don't think he saw the suit in person, and neither did we when we cheered him to put it on for the photo. He removed it as soon as the picture was taken and we never saw what it looked like. Until now. Now that I'm writing this blog and posting it on the internet. I'll take the blame for this one, guys. Don't worry, I can... I can edit that in post...
...Or not...
After lunch, there was plenty of time before the panel, so we decided to take a TON of photos with suiters. One cosplayed as a Star Wars rebel fighter. I pressed a button on a small round device. I don't remember what happened afterward... but we did have a blast!
I remember seeing a couple take a break from their vacation to see what the heck was going on. They peeked their head in and found we humans were having a convention and were amazed by my costume. They asked if they could take a picture with me, and I said "certainly!" They were surprised to find human creatures quite affable. I bid them farewell, and they went on their way. If the design thing doesn't go well, I can always be an ambassador for our species.
Found this guy who I swore looked like Beta Eta Delota's alternate character, Levi. Nope. Most of these conversations are usually "Mind if we take a photo?" "Sure!" Then awkwardness as we wait for a random passerby to figure out how to use a digital SLR for the first time in their life. Names aren't often exchanged, so if you know the name of this person, please let me know! Dujo H something.
^ Mood
If you want to talk about the less desirable traits of furries, I can only report what I saw, which wasn't much. Most of the panel discussions were for all audiences. 18+ discussions are clearly labeled as such, and I attended none of them. No one was in their underwear (from what I saw), no one was naked. And despite what old media articles would lead you to believe, it definitely wasn't an orgy. I don't think the Caribe Royal hotel, which sits adjacent to Disney property, would ever voluntarily sponsor an orgy in their convention halls.
A friend cautioned me I might see some weird things. Here's what I saw: there was one guy dressed in a full-body skintight Zentai suit. There were a few booths selling dakis displayed prominently in the Dealer's Den, which tend to depict characters in lewd expressions (bedroom eyes). There were also mousepads with boobs for wrist rests, which I found to be in very poor taste. There was also a panel on pup play, and people wore the puppy masks and walked around the convention floor, thankfully not in play. Apparently including them in the convention continues to be a point of contention for many furries as it is a very separate thing. But the rule of thumb for all furries, if it's not your thing, don't fight it, or shame people, or get into arguments. Just walk away. The Megaplex event was overall intended to be a family-friendly event, and for the three days I attended, it was.
One of my friends really wanted to attend a panel on the history of transformation. I was really not into this, but went along for the ride. Turns out we were getting a lesson in Ancient Greek history... I mean, mythology, and we were asked who was the saint who turned a village into wolves. When no one had an answer, I shouted "MOTHER TERESA!" Everyone snickered for a while. I flunked out. A panel I thought was going to be risque ended up being very informative and educational.
Yes, NSFW artwork does exist, and it was being sold in the Dealer's Den. But they were kept in closed binders with the genitals censored. Most of what I saw was actually really good art that would be nice to display in a home. I think photography is forbidden in the den, and out of respect of the artists I did not take photos. But I did purchase some for my own. Someone I spoke with sold melted glassworks and made an alligator Loki in stained glass. Someone else made amazing silicone mold cast sculptures and hand-painted figures. And an illustrator sold very detailed graphite (fancy art language for pencil) sketches. Some of the stuff I didn't buy included very well made and detailed enamel pins, gorgeous digital illustrations, and 3D prints of posable dinosaurs.
If you were hoping to see something worse than this, I'm sorry, but most of what I saw was great art in great taste, and stuff that interested me. Nothing explicit. There is presence of sexually suggestive materials in certain areas, like the Dealer's Den, but a parent accompanying their child can definitely guide them to safe panels and discussions very easily. There is also a parent lounge, and an amusing story to go with it: the child goes to college and stops attending conventions, but the parents continue to go to the lounge to talk about their kids.
By far the most devious, evil, and frankly disturbing thing I encountered during the convention was the ice cream social. Cookies, ice cream bars, cookie sandwiches, and cupcakes a-plenty catered in the exquisite banquet hall. This is perhaps the most controversial image I have ever posted to my blog, but frankly, doctor, if you can't accept me for what I eat, then perhaps I should find a different doctor who will accept my choice of dinner.
Ironically, my blood sugar was fine after this. I had a much bigger issue with the beef empanadas and rice for lunch served at the con on the following day.
I attended several talks by the man, the myth, and the legend himself! Affectionately known as Uncle Kage, Dr. Samuel Conway, who specializes in organic chemistry and worked for the FDA, reccounted horror stories of events gone past. People seemed more interested in his con horror stories, I was more interested in how he had the patience to obtain a doctorate in chemistry. Must've been the wine. I actually suggested he try St. John Commandaria, the oldest named wine in the world, and certainly the sweetest, the richest, and the best beyond a shadow of a doubt. His favorite is, allegedly, Riesling. He told us Riesling is his favorite, but I say allegedly because Commandaria is objectively better. Dr. Kage, next time you're in town, take a train stop to Tarpon Springs and pick up a bottle. You'll thank me later!
He has my business card. I'm sure he'll read this eventually.
Also ran into this very abnormally tall, and abnormally sweet strawberry. If Uncle Kage is our Abraham Lincoln, Majira is our Fred Rogers. There is really no one to compare with Marjira. He is simply selfless, and very kind. Of course I didn't want to take too much of his time, but Mr. Strawberry, you're always welcome in our neighborhood.
One of my friends had previously slept in a car. Well, that won't do. I invited him to bunk in my room. We played Smash Bros. and I practiced my Iggy for the upcoming tournament. Auto HCP took me to 100% damage, and we had a few matches testing 300%. It was pretty tough. But it was nice to use the Switch stand the way they advertised.
The day of the tournament I made it past the first two rounds without much trouble. Then I got my butt seriously kicked by Komdog's Yoshi in the third round. Could not even move. I played friendlies with many people, and also found someone with a killer Megaman. Not so much the strongest attacks, or even the fastest, but she always did the right move at the right time. Those people are the most dangerous. But the real comeback story has to be Komdog's comeback for 3rd place. While the first three rounds were the best 2 of 3, the semifinals onward were best 3 of 5. He lost the first two matches in the battle for 3rd place, and thought he lost. When he was told it's 3 of 5, he was able to crawl his way to victory in an epic drawn-out comeback stretch. One match after the other he was just barely making it out on top. Both competitors were neck and neck. In these things, it sometimes just comes down to one mistake. His opponent's Link fell to oblivion, costing a single life in the final match, which sealed his fate. Komdog won with over 100% damage for a chunk of time that had everyone on edge. The finals match did not get nearly as much attention as this victory. The evenly matched competitors are way more interesting than brutal beatdowns.
Then the final day came to a close. Megaplex donated to the CARE foundation, an organization that helps care for wild animals that can't be returned to the wild. These include creatures purchased as exotic pets, or domesticated or captured in some fashion and have disorders or certain issues and can't return to the wild. One liger has to eat 20 lbs of meat every day. And many animals need veterinary assistance.
The director had tears in her eyes seeing the money come in. Pictured is her initial reaction seeing the check for the first time. Her organization has partnered with Megaplex over the years. They bring some of the animals to show and give presentations, and the convention organizers generously donate and drum up support. Our society is really not set up to give animals the care and attention they deserve, and this organization relies on the continued donations to continue operations.
It's very easy to look at the weird costumes and gawk, or come across sexually explicit art and make a thousand assumptions, but if you really want to know more about furries, you needn't look far to find local conventions, communities, and meetups. It was very easy for me to walk on the convention floor, talk with anyone, and leave making a whole bunch of friends. The people are some of the warmest and nicest I ever met, and the convention atmosphere was incredibly positive and friendly. I never felt uncomfortable during my visit, or forced or expected to do something I wasn't supposed to do. I look forward to attending once again next year and continuing my engagement with this community. My name is Sotalo, and I'm proud to call myself a furry.
And with the hanging of the 19th poster, Megaplex 2021 officially comes to a close! I look forward to seeing all of you next year!
Your friendly neighborhood alligator,
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