Fandemonium 2013: A New Beginning

A New Beginning

AN INTRODUCTION AND A MOMENT

When I first began this odyssey of covering conventions at FurIdaho 2012 I wanted to be a general entertainment events journalist who covered everything from the county fair to Comic-Con. A lot has changed since then, and I've grown a bit older and hopefully wiser. Before delving into the heart of this editorial, and I say editorial and not review for reasons I'll get into later, I wanted to share a story about myself and the geek community/fandom that I've come to be a part of. Don't worry, I'll keep it brief!

Yep, it's a convention.

When I moved back to Idaho from Florida in 2008 I was going through a lot -- a divorce, trying to join the military, wondering what I really wanted to do in life, and coping in a place I hadn't lived in since 2002. After moping around for a bit I started college and found out about MONAC, Middle of Nowhere Anime Club. After getting into MONAC I attended Boise State's anime club and discovered Anime Oasis, Fandemonium, Tomodachi Fest, and the rest is history. Fast forward to 2013 and I'm now covering my 2nd consecutive Fandemonium and gaining experience in a field I love. And then it happened.

Bro-ing it up.

I was standing in the middle of the "Scrap Cosplay" competition (think Iron Chef but with cosplay) and I saw groups of people all working together to create. Not just to create a cosplay, but to say something about themselves as well. And as I said, it happened. I looked around at all of my fellow geeks and thought about why we were all there. Of course I had other reasons for being there, but there is a reason that I cover conventions and not politics. And then, I smiled like an idiot in the middle of Fandemonium and may have had to hold back a single dramatic tear of pride. It was a beautiful thing to see; people of different backgrounds coming together with the single purpose of being creative amongst friends, and all of it just for fun. If I could encapsulate a single moment that made me realize I'm going into the right field, I think it might be that little moment right there in the Alternative Events room at Fandemonium.

Anyhow, enough of that business! On with the show!

"THAT'S A PRETTY MATHEMATICAL COSPLAY, GIRL!"

Adventure Time!

As I stated above, my primary focus this year wasn't about "reviewing" Fandemonium so much as it was and is about highlighting certain aspects of the convention. That isn't to say that I will not bring up aspects of the convention that I liked or didn't like, because I will. In the past, I had often viewed cosplays as backdrops to the conventions themselves; pretty, visible, but just par for the course of a convention. It wasn't until recently that I started to think about cosplay and cosplayers more seriously. In fact, I plan to delve into the world of cosplay one day myself, but that won't be for a little while. However, when I finally do, I can assure you that my cosplay will be very "lumpy" if you follow my meaning.

Hey, listen!

Indeed hundreds of cosplayers flocked to the convention center in Nampa. Walking displays and tributes to works of art, these cosplayers often spend hours, days, weeks, or even months on perfecting their cosplays. Fandemonium had a number of events in which attendees could show off their cosplays on stage. One such event was more or less a "parade" of cosplays in which each cosplayer took a few moments to display their work on stage, allow the judges to deliberate, and then depart so that the next cosplayer could enter and do the same.

"You made a better horse than you ever made a man..."

After the costume display, a cosplay skit contest took place after a few delays during rehearsals (more on that below). There were a number of good skits, with my favorite probably being one based upon the video game series Far Cry involving a couple of unfortunate hostages and a murderous bounty hunter (seen above). The work and dedication that is put into some of these performances really shows in the final product. Being able to combine excellent cosplays with a good performance really adds to the overall experience and suspension of disbelief that one has to have when enjoying a performance, be it comedic, dramatic, or otherwise.

I don't really have anything witty to say about this other than just look at it.
FREAKIN' LOOK AT HOW AWESOME THAT IS!

CONTESTS AND COMBAT

Cosplay Olympics

Cosplay is more than just something cool to wear and look at -- it's something to play around in! Before your minds delve to deeply into the gutter, bring them back to surface level for just a moment. This year there were a few events that actually involved cosplayers competing with and against each other. One such event, Cosplay Olympics (pictured above), saw cosplaying attendees attempting to toss hoops over an opposing teammate not unlike a game of horseshoes. It really was something to see The Doctor trying to get a ring around a Starfleet ensign, I can assure you.

Gotcha!

The Cosplay Olympics event was put on by the local fan group Animatics, who have maintained a presence at local conventions in the area for some time. The group meets on most second Sundays of the month, with special exceptions for things like conventions and other events, so check 'em out.

A TARDIS and a redshirt. Chaos ensued.

Another fantastic event involving cosplay was the Battle Cosplay competition. Although it had to start late due to some delays (more on that below) it ended up being one of my favorite events and might even trump Anime Oasis's battle cosplay in terms of entertainment value. In the Battle Cosplay, each team of three cosplayers is allowed a certain amount of life points and summons. Whoever wins each individual fight isn't necessarily the winner of the contest, as the judges' base their decisions on how entertaining each team actually is. We saw it all: from Power Rangers, to King Candy, to ninjas, and more. In the end, the Power Rangers won the day and the contest, but it was a good showing by almost every team. I certainly look forward to seeing this event expanded upon in future years.

"I'm not a glitch!"

Homestucks assemble!

Cat vs Ninja. Battle of the Ages.

Finally, I want to talk about my overall absolute favorite event of the convention: Scrap Cosplay. I will preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Iron Chef Japan (get out of here with that Americanized crap) and love to see the creativity that each chef puts into their dishes. If you take that idea and put it into the realm of cosplay, you get something magical. The way it worked was each team was assigned a number and a workspace. All competitors had access to the various bits and bobs lying around the room, including fabric, glue guns, sewing needles, wire, etc. Each team had one hour to create a cosplay of their choosing while incorporating the secret ingredient: packing peanuts.

Scrap Cosplay preparation.

When the clock started, teammates had to choose a model for their cosplay as well as a scramble for ideas of what to make in such a short amount of time. As mentioned before, cosplays can take an extremely long time to come up with, let alone execute, making this competition even more challenging. There were eight teams in all, and each of them had very unique cosplays by the end of the competition. This sort of event is something I would like to see more of at more conventions if possible, as it really brought people together and it gave them a chance to show off their individual and group creativity.

Scrap cosplay in action.

When the clock stopped and the glue guns had finally cooled, we were presented with eight fantastic cosplays. From robots to cats, to Lumpy Space Princess to Poseidon, the creativity was definitely flowing during this event and it showed in spades. If there is one event that returns next year, I certainly hope that it is this one.

Scrap cosplay completed.

Cosplay is something that many people outside of the convention scene might not understand, but it is an art form that is growing more and more every year. Whatever the reason and whatever the character, creature, or anything in between, it is obvious that cosplay is an ever evolving art that takes talent, dedication, and a bit of money to make it all come together. Assuming that this event returns next year, and I believe I've heard that it will, I highly recommend checking it out or even entering the contest yourself.

Now that's what I call lumpy!

ALWAYS EVENTFUL
If there's one thing that Fandemonium shines at, it is all of the events that it puts on every year. While it would be physically impossible to attend every single event at the convention, it is highly possible to make it to a number of great events and panels. This year I had the pleasure of attending a handful, but my favorites were definitely the bad fanfiction reading event/panel and the Hentai 18+ panel. The bad fanfiction panel featured the panelists reading horrific fanfics from around the net. Some of my favorites were the Adventures of Lunk in Hyrule, and Love Beyond Flesh and Circuits featuring Optimus Prime and Princess Leia. The horrors that were spoken of in that fanfiction will forever remain buried in the darkest recesses of my mind... but other than that it was pretty great.

Bad fanfiction readings so bad you'll wish you could apparate to another universe.

Another panel of note was the 18+ Hentai/Adult Entertainment panel. Essentially everyone discussed their favorite, least favorite, creepiest, and downright raunchiest porn and hentai they had ever seen. As it is an 18+ event I can't really talk about all that was said in there, safe to say that I don't think I'll be wanting to eat any calamari any time soon.

The greatest of all 18+ events, Cosplay After Dark, was definitely recharged this year. Last year's effort seemed to be more in the PG-13 vein, whereas this year was a straight up (no pun intended) hard R rating. Again, I can't really say what happened in there but I will say this; I will never view Elmo the same way again.

Fancy people playing fancy games.

An event I can talk about, however, is the Mafia Ball. The Mafia Ball is essentially a party where cards are played and dances are danced, all in the theme of a 1920's mafia casino. A highlight of this for me was being served punch by a Danny Phantom cosplayer. Drinking punch in a mafia ball with Danny Phantom... You know what I take it back, that was the moment I knew my career was on the right track.

Dancing the night away!

The Boffer Grand Melee was another event that I attended this year and once again it was a lot of fun to watch. Basically the rules are simple: a bunch of people get foam sticks and hit each other with them 2-3 times causing elimination. Whoever is left standing wins the competition and the honor of being Boffer Champion. Unfortunately, lighting conditions weren't exactly optimal for shooting pictures of the event so the majority of the ones I took didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but I did manage to snap a couple of decent pictures during the competition.

Fight on, brave warriors!

Staff on hand to make sure people play by the rules.

THAT'S LOGISTICS

Gotta move that gear up!

When it comes to getting things done and done right, Fandemonium is generally the convention that I believe handles their business the best. Upon arriving at the convention I was able to get in pretty easily after talking to Jamie Parker, the head muckity muck at Fandemonium. It's nice to have access to staff when you need them, although I always try to give them their space and allow them to do their jobs.

One of the things that amaze me every year that I have attended is how smoothly everything seems to run. Now granted, that is from an outsider's point of view and there very well could be mass chaos and destruction happening behind the scenes. The point is, however, that I never noticed any of it, which is what counts.

Fighters assemble!

One thing that didn't necessarily go very smoothly was the rehearsals for the cosplay skit contest. For whatever reason, the rehearsals went nearly an hour over schedule. I was able to observe the rehearsals and I cannot guess as to why the delay occurred. The problem that this created was twofold: 1) The actual cosplay skit contest was delayed and didn't start until around 7PM as opposed to 6PM. 2) The battle cosplay competition was almost cancelled due to this delay. The competition and skit contest both took place eventually, but the delays caused a few attendees to leave and seek out other events to participate in. The actual events themselves were very enjoyable, particularly the battle cosplay contest wish is probably my favorite or at least second favorite event at Fandemonium.

Load it up and move it out.

On the final day of the convention I observed the tearing down and packing up process that the Fandemonium staff has to endure every year. Yards of cable, televisions, monitors, surge protectors, microphones, tripods, and more are all packed into the back of a U-Haul truck as soon as the convention is over. Not does the staff have to be quick and thorough for their own sake, but they also have to contend with the midnight deadline that the convention center imposes upon them. If everyone and everything isn't out of the convention center by midnight, convention management is charged for another full day. An expense like that looming over one's head is enough to motivate anyone to be expedient, and expedient they were.

GAMING IT UP

Four player deathmatchin'.

Video game rooms and I have had a troubled relationship in the past (AO 2012 and 2013), but I always hold out hope for conventions to get it right. What I mean by this is, I want to see a video game room that has a menagerie of multiplayer games that con goers can plop down and play to their hearts' content. Last year hopefully started a trend for Fandemonium's gaming room, and that is having games that people actually want to play and enough controllers and television for them to do it. This year's room featured some new, high quality LED televisions that made the playing experience a joy. There were still quite a few fat tube CRT monitors and TV's around the room, but the LED's were the centerpiece. The room's entrance also had some changes. Previously, to gain entry into the video game room an attendee would simply be able to wander from the artists' alley and commence gaming. This year, the room was walled off and had two open doors leading inside. This walling off of the room served two purposes in my mind: 1) It kept people from randomly stumbling into an area with food and drink (a big no-no in the game room) and 2) It helped to somewhat keep the noise levels down throughout the main hallway.

Shiny new LEDs!

With all good things, there is always at least a little bit of bad. Unfortunately, not every system that was running tournaments had memory cards and indeed a few controllers were not in the most pristine condition. The controller issues were handled relatively quickly, but when a tournament for Smash Bros. Melee has to proceed with none of the cast unlocked, something isn't quite right. Other than those two issues I thought the game room was a big success and I look forward to it improving even more next year.

THE MADNESS OF FANDEMONIUM

Don't call them, they're already here.

Fandemonium 2013 was Fandemonium's 10th birthday, which is quite the feat for a convention held in what some would consider to be the middle of nowhere in Idaho. The fanbase continues to grow and the staff and sponsors are able to put on an entertaining convention every year. Of the three years that I have attended the convention I would have to say that this is my favorite of the three. The best part about being a journalist who covers these kinds of events is that you have a journal of pictures and words to go back and relive moments from conventions gone by, which is something I don't think I appreciate enough right now but I am sure that I will in the future. Suffice to say, each convention is like a feature film: there's a lot of noise and a lot of action, and sometimes people show up wearing weird costumes and tell bad jokes and talk about porn and video games. If that isn't enough to get people to come to a convention, I don't know what is.

Good ol' tabletopping

Despite this being more of an editorial and less of a review, I suppose I should at least mention what I thought of the convention overall. The experience, as I stated previously, was the best that I have had at a Fandemonium thus far. I can definitely recommend attending because they are consistently entertaining events and the staff gives everything they have to make it so. For a convention to be able to say it is entering its 10th year in an extremely conservative and in some ways backwards state like Idaho, it has to be doing something right.

Take a bow.

And that was Fandemonium 2013. It was a lot of fun, but now is the time to look to the future. This blog is and always has been a way for me to gain experience in the world of journalism. Whatever happens after I graduate is uncertain, but I think that I will always maintain this blog in some small way even after graduating and (ideally) entering a career in professional journalism. Having said that, this was probably the last Fandemonium that I am going to cover for this blog, or at least in this way. I love writing these articles, but I also believe that pictures (well, the moving kind) speak louder than words and I might turn to the medium of film documentaries. I feel that a documentary about small town conventions would be interesting, particularly from the perspective of a journalist who's seen the conventions grow up around him. It's a though for now, but everything that's anything only started as one, after all.

I am also going to be collaborating with RedZone Fandom soon with articles and photoshoots. Check 'em out!

Next Convention: Tomodachi Fest (as a fan; I'm taking a break)

P.S. If you couldn't tell I didn't manage to cover EVO this year. Next year though, next year... Maybe.

Anime Oasis 2013: Fever

Anime Oasis Fever!

The end of May saw the 2013 edition of Anime Oasis, this year titled "Fever", take over The Grove Hotel in downtown, Boise, ID and I had the pleasure of once again being allowed to cover the proceedings. The convention, as always, was home to many elaborate costumes, guests, and vendors. This year's event opened doors early in the morning on May 24, a Friday, as opposed to opening on a Thursday as in previous years. The strategy, I believe, was to capitalize on the extended Memorial Day weekend, whereas beforehand the convention would end just shy of that Monday. So what was new and/or exciting this year? Read on.

Evening, madam.

LOGISTICS
What could possibly be a more exciting topic to start things off with than logistics? I can think of at least 38. But in this case, I feel like mentioning some of the logistical changes and problems at this year's AO might be a good place to start.

One of the biggest changes to this year's con was the location of the dealers' room. The dealers' room had been moved from one of the second floor ballroom's to a new, sectioned off area on the arena ground floor. This would in turn create three primary events areas that could all host events simultaneously.

Of the convention goers that I spoke to about this change, it was about a fifty/fifty split on how they felt about the new vendor location. I personally was fine with it, as I feel having more rooms for events to run is a good thing. Getting the right events to run on time, however, is something different.

Hangin' out on the balcony.

One day two or three (the middle of cons tend to blend together) I attempted to attend one of the tea parties, this one of the lolita variety. I don't know if I had a screwed up schedule or if something had to be cancelled, but when I arrived in the tea party room, which was relocated and in a much smaller location than the previous year, I had unknowingly stumbled into Fandemonium's Minute to Win It competition. My schedule had told me that the tea party was in another room, but then a sign on that door told me it was in the (get this) tea party room, but so was the Minute To Win It competition. I don't know how that happened, but it was confusing and frustrating because frankly I wanted some tea and maybe a brownie.

The only other confusing mix-up had to do with a late night "fire dance" show that was supposed to occur on the balcony around 10pm on Sunday of the convention. Reportedly, due to the city's noise ordinance or some other such rule, the fire dance had to be moved to the fountain just outside of the hotel. After a long delay, the fire dancers were able to perform for approximately seven minutes before being rained out. I had actually skipped the formal ball this year to see what the fire dancers were all about, and was somewhat disappointed by how things turned out.

All in all, I'd say that while a few things got mixed up (this happens at every convention I've been to and is nothing new), I'd say that overall things appeared to be running smoothly. Then again, it could have very well been a chaotic mess behind the scenes that was ready to let loose at any moment, but if so it was well taken care of.

GUESTS

Now there's some classy gents.
From left to right: Curtis Arnott, Me, Christophr Sabat

Returning to Anime Oasis once again were perennial favorites Michael Coleman (Once Upon a Time), Sonny Strait (Dragonball Z), and Tonya Adolfson (Author/Souls of the Saintlands series). Newcomers this year were The Slants (dance rock band), Curtis Arnott (DBZ Abridged), Lisle Wilkerson (Tekken), and Christopher Sabat (Dragonball Z).

Every guest had Q&A panels and signed autographs for fans as per usual. During one such autograph signing, Michael Coleman could not make it down to the arena floor, as he had a panel scheduled during that time. I had set up shop in his empty chair so that I could go over the photographs I had taken that day. My friend and convention guest Tonya Adolfson was sitting next to me and we concocted the plan that I would sign autographs for people. Not as myself, oh no, but as the Fake Michael Coleman. I told her that I had been waiting my entire life to impersonate Michael Coleman, so why not start now? So, for about a half an hour, a lucky few received the autograph of me, the Fake Michael Coleman*.

*Note: And before any lawyers or you legal types bomb my inbox with forgery notices, take note I literally signed them as "THE FAKE MICHAEL COLEMAN". Although, to be fair, a few "Fake Mikey"s might have made it into the pile, too. Anyways, relax.

Sonny Strait (right) addresses convention chairman Jeremy (left) about his bio in the convention program.
"I am in fact not Vic Mignogna."

Every guest I talked to was cordial and receptive to conversation and questions. Curtis even took some time out to talk to me after Chris Sabat's panel and helped me get that amazing picture a few paragraphs above (PS. I owe ya' one). This was my fourth time meeting Sonny Strait, so it that wasn't as intimidating as it was the first few times. I always advise people when meeting people you admire or respect; just remain calm and talk to them nonchalantly and respectively. It's okay to fanboy/fangirl on occasion and lose your mind, but most of the time it's a better idea to play it cool and not assault guests with awkward stares or barrages of questions they have no doubt been asked hundreds if not thousands of times. The day I go to a convention where I don't have to hear "What was your favorite character to play?" will be a great day indeed.

Artist alley artists.

EVENTS
Anime Oasis is always host to a large variety of events and this year featured many old favorites, both big and small. One major event that has become a mainstay at Anime Oasis is Dead Town, an interactive zombie survival RPG. The event is hosted by COO-IE, an entertainment group based out of the Boise area. The group also puts on Karaoke Quest, an anime themed journey through a story filled with singing and much frivolity.

One of the challenging things for me is staying in one place to actually enjoy these types of events, as I always want to be on the move and getting the best coverage of the overall convention possible. Because of this, I wasn't able to fully experience some of these events but I was able to talk to attendees that had participated in COO-IE's games and the general consensus seemed to be that they were worth checking out.

Want some caaaandy?

Other events included the aforementioned tea parties, Fandemonium's Minute to Win It, guest panels, interactive game and discussion rooms, and more. Anime Oasis isn't a "24 hour" convention (with some exceptions) like some others, but there is usually always something going on to take a look at. One such event was the vaunted cosplay contest that takes place every year, and one that I was able to be a judge in both this year and last year.

Judging the cosplay contest was a lot of fun this year, and the seating arrangements were located much closer to the performance area where the cosplayers would be showing their stuff. Performances ranged from elaborately scripted  short plays to simply walking across the stage and showing off the cosplay. My number #1 overall for best in show, although it did not take home best in show when all the votes were counted, was a phenomenal Howl's Moving Castle cosplay that included moving parts and had to be the size of a go-cart.

Fire emblem cosplayers on the balcony.

Despite any reservations I may have had about the actual placement of the top five cosplay competition winners, they call deserved to be there nonetheless, and I was glad to see people's hard work paying off. Interestingly enough, I think every single one of the top five winners with perhaps the exception of one was from Utah. Come on Idaho cosplayers, we've got to step it up and take first place next year! But in all seriousness, the cosplay contest is always one of my favorite parts of Anime Oasis and I was honored to be able to assist in judging once again. (For pictures of the competition, check out my Facebook fan page here).

Want some candy, stanger? Hoo hoo!

Another event that I found highly entertaining was the Battle Cosplay competition. Cosplayers entered in teams of two and had to roll the dice (literally) to see if they could best their opponents. Hit points and strength were, so I am told, determined by the cosplayer's character. Each team was able to store up three levels of "super moves" that they could unleash on the opposing team. I believe there were about 32 teams in all and the final battle came down to a team of Wreck It Ralph cosplayers, King Cybug (King Candy post-transformation) and Venelope, versus another team that I unfortunately can't remember the origins of, but I want to say some that they were some kind of ninjas. In the end, King Cybug and Venelope were bested by the other team and left defeated on the cold arena floor. What better way to end a convention, right? In the end, it was a fun event to witness and I was able to grab multiple shots for the Facebook page linked above and below.

Con. chairman Jeremy Lopett at closing ceremonies.

Later on in the evening of the third day of the convention, the traditional slumber party took place in one of the ballrooms on the second floor of the hotel. I had never actually attended one before so I thought it would be fun to check out. I think I may have very well picked the best year ever to attend it. The slumber party was really less about sleeping and more about karaoke, dancing, and having fun. Halfway through the slumber party, COO-IE member and local rock station DJ Adam took the microphone and told us that someone in the crowd had something special to announce; a proposal. Yes, the AO2013 slumber party had a marriage proposal, and not only a marriage proposal, but an in-cosplay marriage proposal at my hometown anime convention. How freakin' cool is that? I didn't remember to get their names, but in the off-chance that they happen to read this: Best of luck to you ladies, and congratulations again.

Whatchu lookin' at!?

THE REST
In addition to scheduled events, the convention also featured a video viewing room, trading card and board game room, photography room, cosplay repair room, video game room, tattoo artist room, and of course the artist's alley and dealer's rooms. I managed to visit every single room at the convention this year, something that I always attempt to do at every convention but sometimes don't manage to in a timely manner. My dear friend, the aforementioned Tonya Adolfson, was in charge of the cosplay repair room once again. I personally witnessed her turn a bundle of tinfoil into a masquerade mask for the formal ball that evening using nothing more than the tinfoil and her imagination. If anyone ever has problems with their cosplay or needs ideas on how to make something work, seek her out if she's available at your convention. Trust me, given enough duct tape and safety pins, anything is possible in cosplay repair.

I didn't spend a great amount of time in the dealer's room/sectioned off area this year nor artist's alley, but I seldom do until the last day of any given convention, although there are exceptions. This year I saw many great crafts and pieces of art on sale, and as always I hope that every vendor and artist did well and sold plenty of merchandise. Alas, a poor journalism student such as me has to think of other things before purchasing anything from the convention; things like gas station hot dogs, ibuprofen, and energy drinks -- you know the finer things in life.

Give us back our Smash Bros.!

One bone I still have to pick with Anime Oasis is the lack of a proper game room with console games set up for attendees to play. A good game room is a life saver for when you're bored, tired, psychotic, a journalist, or some combination thereof. This year, much like last year, the game room consisted purely of arcade machines with nary a single console in sight. Most conventions I've attended have some consoles set up and even tournaments (see Fandemonium 2012). Sadly, Anime Oasis seems to want to keep things as they are as it pertains to the video game room. While I love arcade games, and I do, I would have loved to have seen some Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur, Tekken, or even Smash Bros. C'mon, AO, I know you can do better than that!

FINAL THOUGHTS

"Guys no really, I'm.. I'm trying to wrap the convention up. Guys... hey c'mon now..."

Overall, I enjoyed Anime Oasis 2013 quite a bit and, while there were some logistical problems that even the convention chairman admitted needed to be fixed, I feel that things are getting better every year  and attendance figures seem to be reflecting that. At last count, and this is from memory at closing ceremonies, the convention drew over 1600+ this year, which was more than last year by about 200 or so.

Chairman Lopett gave a passionate speech at the end of the convention about wanting to grow the convention and not have a ceiling on how great it can be or how big of guests they can get, and I think that's a good message to go out on. And speaking of not having a ceiling on guests, if Anime Oasis were to land Sean Schemmel of Dragonball Z fame, I'd probably go back on my own advice given earlier and descend into a fanboy induced frenzy, never to recover. But in all seriousness, every year seems to be bigger and better to me, which is why I always try and make the time to set aside a few days every year at the end of May to be at AO.

Final goodbyes at closing ceremonies.

AO will always have a special place in my heart, especially because it was the first convention I ever attended four years ago. I want to see it do better every year, and I hope that the problems, big and small, will be ironed out in time for next year's convention. Every time something major changes at an event of this scale, there's bound to be some problems, and that is understandable. I enjoyed the convention despite a few of the bumps in the road. Had fun, no drama, good memories, can't complain.

See you all again next year!

-Jeff

NEXT PLANNED CONVENTION:
Evo 2013, the largest fighting game tournament in the world.
Las Vegas, NV July 12 - 14

Be sure to check out the new Facebook fan page and give that a look here!
Like video games? Like to watch people play video games? Check out my Let's Play page here!

Pre-Anime Oasis 2013 Update

Just a quick heads up, I will be at Anime Oasis 2013 this weekend covering it for all four days once again. It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I started this project, that is independently covering as many conventions as I possibly can before graduating and going on to be a small cog in a bigger machine like the Statesman or maybe something better and better elsewhere. I want to thank everyone for the continued support I've received over the past year from the staff and attendees; I can't do this without your help! Thanks!

Anyways, I'll be uploading plenty of pictures to my new ILikeConventions Facebook page! You can find that by clicking here. I'm currently in the process of adding links to all of my old photos from me personal page to this new page. Make sure to like it for more updates!

-Jeff

FurIdaho 2013: Furries in Time & Space

FurIdaho 2013 was Idaho's second annual furry convention and once again took place in the Boise Hotel and Conference Center over the weekend of March 8th, 2013. This was my second time attending FurIdaho, as I was lucky enough to be at the inaugural event last year (which you can read all about on this very blog). A convention's second year is always going to be held to a higher level of scrutiny than its first year I think, mostly due to the fact that we as people always want to do better than we did last time. Be it in business, sports, or entertainment, people always strive to top themselves. Did FurIdaho top its first year? Let's dive in and find out.

Friendly furries showing off their suits.

The first thing I need to mention is that I almost didn't make it to FurIdaho at all. When I set out on March 8th I felt good. I had my trusty camera, press pass, and a belly full of coffee. This, I thought, would go flawlessly. I stopped by the local Jack in the Box to ingest some unhealthy but tasty food when suddenly disaster struck. When I attempted to leave the restaurant and start my car, all I heard was a whirring/spinning sound. My car's starter had died. "What perfect timing," I thought. I was determined not to let my minor setback keep me down on this big weekend.  So, after a few phone calls, a tow truck, and a ride to the convention from a friend, I finally arrived at FurIdaho.

Talkin' 'bout furries, dude.

The first thing I do at every convention (or try to do) is check in with the registration staff at the front desk. Being a member of the press, and in my case a blogger, I had to contact the staff beforehand to assure that I would have a press badge waiting. Because it was primarily Fandemonium staff working the convention, they pretty much had everything down to a science. The process went smoothly and within a few minutes I had my badge and was ready to get going and start taking photos and observing the culture of furries. Yes, this year I had an ulterior motive. Not only did I want to cover the convention, but I wanted to spend some time getting to know the people themselves. I wanted to know why some people joined the fandom, what sparked their interest, and why they continue to attend conventions and participate.

Sup.

Before delving into the culture I observed at the convention, it's important to talk about the convention itself; the events, the people, the good, and the bad. Every convention has events, dealers, and fans -- you pretty much have to have these three things to be successful in my estimation. FurIdaho had all of these things in its first year, but there were some changes in its second outing. Firstly, the video game room had been significantly expanded upon. Previously, there had been maybe 4-5 televisions with a few games set up in a small room. This year, it had a much bigger setup and featured several multiplayer games for attendees to have fun with. This room ended up being my "pit stop" area where I would go to hang out and unwind after a few hours of shooting photos and talking to attendees. I'm really glad to see they are taking the video game part of their convention seriously, as it really is nice to have a place to just go and relax while bopping people with fireballs and/or turtle shells.

Super serious fightan' games.

Next up, I'm going to bring up my old nemesis: the dealer's den (kidding of course). I didn't get to spend much time in ye olde den this year because I was pretty busy trying to get photos of all the colorful fursuits. There was a bevy of merchandise on display, including tails, ears, hats, knit caps, buttons, and more. As always, I ask permission to shoot people's work, particularly if it's risqué of highly detailed. I didn't have any troubles this year (to date, I've only had one person complain about me taking a picture of their stuff, and it wasn't at FurIdaho). The layout of the dealer's den seemed to be relatively the same as last year, but I could be mistaken. It was only open until 6pm each day of the convention, and a few attendees I spoke with weren't happy about the early shutdown time. I meant to inquire about the reason for shutting down so early each day but I decided to dedicate more time to interviews and events instead.

A den for dealings.

The guest list this year featured returning guest of honor and famed artist Mokusei Kaze, the always funny Fine Young Deviants comedy troupe, the Fur What It's Worth podcast team, and DJ's CaBot and Househead.

Fur What It's Worth pretend not to notice Wreck it Ralph, lest they anger the mighty gaming villain.

I had been meaning to attend an FYD sketch and I finally did this year (unfortunately, I was not allowed to record or photograph the event, more on that later) and I have to say it was worth my time. The group has comedic timing, good improv skills, and encourages audience participation in some of their bits. It was a lot of fun and if you have a chance to experience the Deviants, I would definitely make time for it.

Yo dawg.

There were a large number of events taking place over the course of FurIdaho weekend, including "Fursuit Etiquette", a cookie social hosted by Fur What It's Worth, "Let's Make a Character!", a live rock performance by Angus and ScarredEyes, dances, art panels, FWIW Live, and more. I was able to make it to a number of panels this year, which is really rare for me as I'm usually too busy snapping photos or talking someone's ear off to make the time. Going to panels and events is definitely worthwhile, I think, as you never quite know what may happen when people have live microphones and an audience. Also, I could be mistaken, but it felt like there were more events this year than last year, which is definitely a good thing when it comes to growing a convention.

Moku doing her thing.

I usually don't have the time to go to a lot of panels, but this year I wanted to make sure and check out the Fur What It's Worth live podcast. The panel mostly consisted of stories from the furries in attendance as well as from the FWIW guys, as well as some Q&A and twitter interaction. They had a pretty cool setup going, with a live stream of their twitter feed being shown via projector next to the stage. There were laughs and tears, heartwarming stories as well as some that made me want to give the storyteller a hug and say "There there, it'll all be ok." In any event, it was definitely something I'm glad I went to this year, as I had meant to go last year but wasn't able to make it. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to record any of this or even take pictures, as there were strict rules in place about that this year during some panels and events.

One of the cutest tats you'll ever see.

Not being allowed access to certain events was something that I had concerns about going into the convention early on. Last year I had pretty much free reign to go wherever I wanted, minus the "headless lounge" where fursuiters and their handlers went to relax and take a breather. I respected that rule last year, and did so this year as well. In any event, I brought my concerns to convention management and asked what the deal was with being unable to record certain events. I was told that due to my coverage last year not breaking any rules, and the fact that I'm not there to try and be "controversial" or show furries as monsters, I wasn't being lumped in with certain other journalists and that I was able to proceed basically as normal.

Girl, look at that body

I inquired about the other journalists and what they had done and was told that some photographers from a local paper had snuck in and gone to places they shouldn't, including taking pictures in the headless lounge. After having this explained to me, I understood the reason for the increased security measures this year. Furries are often misunderstood and demonized by outsiders, particularly in the media. Part of the reason for my coverage of conventions (furry or otherwise) is to explore the sub-culture(s) that make up a particular fandom, and I think FurIdaho is an excellent place for people to get a glimpse into the world of furries.

Smashing!

When delving into a particular sub-culture, it's often best to do so by immersing yourself completely; learn the language, observe the people, embrace the rituals, etc. When it comes to the furry fandom, it's a bit more complicated than simply observing fursuiters or speaking to one or two people. At FurIdaho 2012 I discovered what it was like to cover a convention, and at FurIdaho 2013 I discovered what it was like to learn more about the people in a fandom/sub-culture. One thing that we all bring with us when discovering new things is our prejudices and misunderstandings. Many people believe (and I did too) that all furries dress up in fursuits, but I've discovered that it isn't always the case.

Just a badass bunny.

True, many furries at the convention were in fact dressed in elaborate costumes/fursuits that probably took quite a bit of time and money to make, but not the majority. When I asked different people about why this was, the majority of the time I got similar answers: cost, time, comfort, etc. Some people would love to dress in a fursuit and gallivant about the convention, but unfortunately most suits cost quite a bit of money, even into the thousands of dollars for materials and equipment. Others still mentioned that they simply aren't comfortable putting on a suit because it makes them claustrophobic, or they can't use certain materials because they are allergic. I had never really considered these reasons before, but it makes a lot of sense; not everyone is going to have the same tolerance for fursuiting as another.

Strutting their stuff.

Of course, when it comes to furries, the inevitable sexual questions begin to pop up. This was something I definitely wanted to tackle, and I was able to get some pretty interesting responses from people I talked with. From what I was able to gather at the convention, the majority of furries do not see their interests as sexual, although some do. Due to misrepresentation in the media (lookin' at you, CSI), it has become more difficult for people to be honest about their furry interests. True, there are those who enjoy sexual intimacy from behind the comfort of a first, and that is certainly fine if that's what they're into, but I didn't get the sense that the majority or even a large number of furries were into the fandom for sexual reasons. Most I talked to simply felt an affinity for animals, or enjoyed the artwork (be it risqué or not), or simply thought it was fun to dress up as an animal because "why not?” Not all fursuiters wore full suits, and some opted to wear the cheaper and more accessible partial suits, or "partials", to conventions.

H-hello...

Sexuality within the furry community is probably about as varied as it is in any other sub-culture or fandom. When asked, one source told me that he believes it's about an even split between heterosexuals and LGBT individuals in the furry fandom. When I brought up the large amount of openly gay members of the fandom, he and others believed that due to the furry fandom's accepting nature it was probably easier for LGBT people to feel accepted for who they are in the furry community, even if others may ostracize them outside of it. I found it pretty remarkable that people of all different backgrounds could come together and cast aside differences in the name of this unique sub-culture.

Tails, pups, ears, and more.

I think the most touching moment for me at FurIdaho wasn't any one "event", but rather the combined stories and testimonials of people who poured their hearts out to friends and strangers alike. One story in particular touched me. A young man said that he had come out as gay to his very religious parents, and that they did not want to accept him, but his furry friends did. It was at that moment that I realized that one of the biggest and most powerful ways this community impacted people was in its acceptance of differences within its members. Whether they be fursuiters, artists, crafters, or simply fans of the furry fandom, all seemed welcome under one accepting umbrella.

"What're you lookin' at, bub?"

The last day of the con I felt pretty miserable due to a lack of sleep (seems to be a theme with me at the Boise Hotel) so I decided to take off early. I feel that I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish at FurIdaho this year. I had fun and learned more about the unique individuals that make up the fandom. The majority of the attendees I spoke with seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. I did, however, speak to a few attendees who were somewhat intimidated by the pseudo-military garb of the security staff. One told me they didn't understand the need for "guys dressed up like soldiers" to be running security. One answer I received was that the vests they wore allowed security members to carry radios in addition to other gear. I can understand the attendees' concerns. Security team members patrolling the convention like armed guards don't exactly exude an air of "friendliness" just by looks alone. I suppose the reasoning behind the fashion choice would be that if people see lots of security that look like they mean business, they'll be less likely to do something stupid. This is all guesswork on my part, however.

So long!

FurIdaho 2013 was a good experience, and I feel that I came away with a better understanding of the furry fandom than what I walked in with. I do wish that the convention could have been held on Spring Break as (I believe) it was last year, but apparently there was miscommunication between the hotel staff and the convention runners. Be that as it may, I feel that the attendance numbers were strong and, although I didn't get an exact number, I feel it was comparable to last year's event if not slightly less. I give FurIdaho 2013 a favorable review, and I do hope that the convention will be returning next year, although preferably during Spring Break if at all possible.

That's it for FurIdaho, I'll be seeing you guys again in a few months at Anime Oasis 2013!
For more FurIdaho 2013 pictures, click here!

-Jeff