My Adventures at BLFC 2022

Biggest Little Fur Con 2022, my 6th BLFC, I’ve been attending every edition since 2016, and…despite I never like to compare one to another convention, or one to another edition, I try not to think which was better or the best… for sure that I can say that BLFC is my most favorite furry convention in the United States (I specify the country since my most favorite one is NordicFuzzCon, in Sweden). It is definitely a convention I never want to miss.

This year it brought me down the fact that I was not selected to have a table for the Bazaar (Artist Alley), but then I thought it was going to be a great chance to finally enjoy an entire convention with no vending, no staffing, no volunteering, just enjoying it. Something that I hadn’t done since my very first furry convention ever (Anthrocon 2015).   Fortunately, I could get a spot for the Art Gallery, so I could bring some pieces with me, but that was just about checking my pieces in and then at the end of the convention checking out, so it was still like not working at all.

Definitely it was a very new experience to me to live a convention like that. At Anthrocon 2015, that was the first and only one I had just attended without working nor volunteering, I was just discovering how was a furry convention, everything was so new to me, I didn’t know anybody, I barely hanged out with some people I wanted to meet back then and that was it. But 7 years later after my first experience, now I know so many people, I want to hang out with many friends, I’m always making plans, and with an Artist Alley schedule in the middle those chances were always shortened. This time I had a lot of free time despite I was hanging with people, I could attend panels, I could check concerts out, I could sit and draw at any time without rushing that I need to finish those drawings (I would have said “just for fun”, but to be honest… it is always fun!).

I’m gonna try to tell day by day how was my convention.

Wednesday, June 1st, 2022

I’m very lucky that I always have a very convenient flight to Reno. The only international flight that airport has is to and from Guadalajara, the city I live, so I always take a direct flight (and most of times very affordable) to arrive to Reno. But since it is also one of the few and more convenient ways to arrive from any part of Mexico to Reno, and it is a convention that many Mexican furs attend, when I arrived to the airport I could see many known faces who were also taking that flight. It was funny that most of us met without planning it at the waiting line of one of the Starbucks of the airport. We all arrived together to Reno and we filled the shuttle bus to the Grand Sierra Resort of Mexican furs.

At our arrival, we went to buy groceries at Walmart, and then Koidel and I were invited to have dinner with some friends to a very fancy restaurant, we even were warned to be wearing at least a nice collared shirt. I went pretty formal except for wearing sneakers, because I don’t own formal shoes.

Thursday, June 2nd, 2022

Long ago I hadn’t hanged out with my friend Oselotti, there was a time back in 2014 and 2015 that I was going very often to Mexico City to visit him, but then he moved to a further town and it was more difficult to me to visit him. So I was very happy to see him again and we could hang a lot like in old times. We went with Targus to Reno downtown, walking around the streets and along a river. Then we went to the very classic Ijji 2 to eat sushi, and then to an art shop that was nearby, we were 3 artists and we felt like in a toy store, we bought lot of art materials.

Back to the hotel I could check in the art gallery, and then give my friend Panda a gift I had prepared for him, it was a traditional drawing in a green frame that looked like bamboo. I got to be handler of Y u r i , the mascot of Confuror, while I was taking them pictures around the place and with other fursuiters. That day I was not in fursuit, I wanted to take it easy since it was the first complete day at the convention.

We made the very “bad decision” (no regrets) of going to the pool party that night, it was very windy and cold, the pool was not warm, I was just shaking my body and the only thing I was enjoying at that moment was the company of good friends, like Kazan, Flurrabell, Koidel, Targus, Cross and more. The worst thing was when we went out the pool and it was freezing cold while we were trying to dry ourselves, good thing we could get some spots at the fire place, it felt very cozy.

That night I was invited to a beer tasting chill out party, I don’t drink too much but they also had soda tasting, I enjoyed that moment too much, I’m so much more of chill out parties, with calm music, just good talking (or at least I try, I tend to be very quiet). But then I found out that in other party they had made a cake with drawings printed of many of the Hispanic furs we had attended to the convention, and they included me in the cake. I felt so nice I was included that I really wanted to go to that party to cut the cake to thank them, it was very flattering. When we arrived to that other party, the first thing I noticed is that they were giving tequila shots to everyone who had just joined the room, I had to hide because I didn’t want to get a shot, and I’m so glad because it seemed that they chose the cheapest tequila they could find (in purpose, of course!), I saved myself from that shot, and then I found out the cake cut was not going to be that night, because they were waiting for more people to cut it and make it special.

Friday, June 3rd, 2022

It was weird to me because Friday is usually the day I need to wake up very early since it is the day of Artist Alley, but I didn’t have to wake up early…. And I did anyway! But it was good because I could use my time for taking advantage of the convention from the morning. I went to a panel about publishing, funny thing is that the panelist ended up asking me questions to me, since I had self-published my comic, and he recognized me for the Cats Kingdom comic. He even had made great jobs and it was a very interesting panel, I learned too much.

There was a time of the day, after wandering around Dealer’s Den, that I had nothing else to do, and I missed the fact of drawing at a convention for others, I really enjoy the moment of delivering the drawing and seeing their expression when they see it for first time. So I decided to make a very quick activity. I posted on my Telegram channel where exactly I was at the convention, that I was going to be there for only 10 minutes, and I was going to draw anyone who arrive there in that time with their ref sheets. In less than 5 minutes I already have 3 guys with their references, so I had to delete that message, since I found 10 minutes was a really lot, and I didn’t want to feel like that was again part of the work, I didn’t want to feel committed of making many drawings when it was supposed to be my vacation con. I felt so bad for a guy who found me at the elevator before that happened and I decided to make that activity, because he asked me if I was going to take commissions at the convention and I said no, that the convention was like vacations to me. I should have told him “YES! But it is for free because I want to draw someone!”. So…if you were that person and you are reading this, I’m really sorry, I was not sure until then I was going to do that activity, it was out of the blue.

The lucky ones were Danny Dumal, Serule and Doddsie. It was also awesome that, since those were not paid commissions (they gave me tip, tho, thank you!), I didn’t feel the pressure of giving them something that was worthy what they paid. I think I did a great job with their drawings, anyway, I really like the result, but when I’m usually doing commissions at conventions and they paid me, I feel committed to do something that is really worth the price they are paying, and while I’m working on their drawings I’m always thinking “Would I be happy if I receive this drawing for the amount I paid?”, and I always have that question in my head. But this time, with these three guys, I didn’t have that pressure and that was a big relief. And I really like what I did to them anyway. It was really fun to do that!

It was time for the Fursuit Festival, and it was my first moment of the convention I went out in fursuit (I always say: “My real form!”). The Fursuit Festival is usually an event that happens in main stage, with many fursuiters wandering around, and attendees looking for photo opportunities or just an excuse to hug fursuiters, and also being silly with other fursuiters. It is very simple but fun. But another feature it has are the photoshoots, themed group photos categorized by colors, species and makers. Unfortunately, I didn’t fit in many photoshoots, I usually fit on the black and whites, but this time black furs were separated from the white ones, and at the very same time! But I didn’t make it to any of those anyway, because I arrived a little late when those photoshoots were over. Then the other one I could have fit was the Self-Made fursuits, but so many people were wanting pictures with me or saying hi, that it was also missed. I really didn’t mind about photoshoots, I preferred to hang out with people, to hug and to take pictures with those who wanted pictures with me (Thank you, I really appreciate all the love), also I was hunting hugs by fursuiters who I like so much. So it was a really fun event despite not participating in any photoshoot. There was no panda bear or bears photoshoot, boo! And I saw many bears around the event. Also it would have been cool a Hispanic furs photoshoot, I think we need to suggest it next time, because we are always a lot of us at BLFC. I was thinking on sneaking in the raccoon photoshoot, but it was at the same time than a panel I didn’t want to miss: Taebyn’s story time. It’s always funny and nice to hear Taebyn reading us stories and singing us his classic “12 days of pupness” song, despite it is not Christmas.

It was a big night of being in fursuit, I spent so many hours being a panda, after it I went to a party in fursuit, it was again very chill out but there were so many people, and it was very warm, but despite that I lasted around 1 hour or a little more in it, then Kazan and I went to dance.

Originally I was planning to attend that party of the cake that I had mentioned before, it was really part of my plans, but when I saw on the group chat what was happening on that party….. well…. Definitely not my kind of parties, I’m such a vanilla bear. So I preferred to go dancing.

Saturday, June 4th, 2022

Again I attended some panels in the morning, it was very new to me to be attending so many panels at a furry con, but I had the time for it, yay! I went to see Tonya’s and Swinging’ Tails concert while I was drawing those promised free sketches.

I was in a very interesting panel by Jonathan and Sasha, titled “How Can We Organize the Furry Fandom?”, they shared very interesting opinions about what we do as furries, how we are as a community, and what we can do to make a real change. I could agree most of the opinions they shared. But I had to leave the panel when the Q&A started, since I had agreed to go for dinner at that time.

That day we decided to go to the Grand Buffet, I hadn’t been there since my first BLFC in 2016, it was too much food, I regretted serving a second plate but it is the thing of going to buffets: wanting to take advantage you can grab more food. And I am one of those people who feel bad of wasting food, so I ate all I served. So full the rest of the night! I thought “okay, tonight I’m not going to suit up, I’m so full for it”. But… it was Saturday night at a furry convention! How in the world I was not going to be in fursuit! I don’t know where I took energies to be in fursuit and go out. Our plan was to go to the bowling, but it was completely full and there were not lanes available, so we went to dance instead, we kept dancing until very late, I was not aware of the time. Too much fun!

Sunday, June 5th, 2022

Last day of the convention, and it started so well. I don’t know how the heck I achieve to wake up very early when I’m at conventions, that I slept at 4 in the morning but at 8:30 am I was awake, having breakfast and being ready in my panda form for the fursuit games.

It was one of the most fun fursuit games I’ve been in. At least some games that I will remember. As it always happens… I chose to be in the team that always loses, but I never mind about that because, it may sound cheesy and like a cliché, but very true in my case, the most important is having fun, not winning. At least here at the fursuit games that are truly just for having fun, there is never a real prize. But wow, this time I was about to win at two games, I got to the final at the two last games, the one where we were catching items, and the classic musical chairs. I had really never been that far at the musical chairs, I’m always out at the very firsts rounds.

I’m very happy that those fursuit games were recorded from the beginning to the end, I already watched the whole video today just to revive the whole experience, you can watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/RO_NQuQuiM0

Thanks to Kite for recording and uploading the whole video. And thanks to Panda and Muffles for hosting the games! They were too much fun! And congratulations to Sparky for winning the musical chairs, I was truly happy for her, she seemed extremely happy to have won!

After it, I went to check out the Squeak N Greet, the pooltoy party. I found some friends in fursuit there, we took lots of pictures with the pooltoys.

And from this moment is when we had a streak of bad luck of the 30 minutes before events were scheduled over. My plan was watching the Dance Competition from the second stage with my friend Kazan, it is usually longer than scheduled, but not this time, we arrived 30 minutes before it was over but they were already naming the winners, oh and it was not being streamed on the second stage as it was every year before. Then we had planned to go back to the Squeak N Greet, but when we arrived to the room, all the pooltoys were already flat, they were taking down the event, despite we arrived 30 minutes before it was over according to the schedule. Then we decided to go to a panel that Kazan was interested in checking out, we arrived 30 minutes before it was over…. And it seemed like everyone was already going out, or they were just talking like, precisely, a meet and greet… but all the interesting part was taken down. And we almost got to happen the same at the Dealers Den, we went to check it out for last time, we arrived 35 minutes before they closed it, and we could enter, and we knew that they were not permitting to enter more people to the room 30 minutes before they closed. We also tried to go to the mini-golf, but we arrived 30 minutes before they closed it and we were not allowed to get in.

But…. good thing, they allowed us to ride the go-karts, and we made two rounds before they closed it, we were the very last ones of the day. It was very fun!

By our back to the hotel from the go-karts, we went to have dinner to Johnny Rockets, I didn’t remember how greasy those burgers are, I kind of didn’t like them so much, also that smell that place has is too strong!

We got the chance to check out the gaming room for first time, Targus and I played a cup on Mario Kart 64, and it seemed that long ago we hadn’t played it because in our first track we were too bad, but then we managed to play better.

After it, we sit down once again in a table to make some art jams, I got to do an art trade with Oselotti, he made my panda incredibly hot in a way I had never seen him before, and of course I drew his cat very cute. I had some extra time to start making a random gift to a fursuiter I had seen around the convention that I had liked them incredibly much, a red toony cute penguin named Pepper, I had taken some pictures to them, and made me want to draw their character.

When I finished that drawing, I texted them on Twitter to check out if they were still at the convention, so maybe I could deliver it in person, and surprisingly they were, and they told me they were in the bowling. So I went, and they were in fursuit!! I got to take some videos and photos of this beautiful penguin at bowling, and they were so happy to see this drawing in person.

Koidel and I took advantage we were in the bowling to play some matches. I always consider myself so bad at bowling, and indeed at first I was sending the balls to the gutter, but then I started realizing how I had to throw the ball to send it around where I wanted, and that’s when I started having fun at bowling, after so many years attending BLFC and Furry Bowling Meetings, and finally I found the way until now. More friends joined us and after many rounds I could win the last one, for the first time in my life I won a bowling match!

Problem is, when we are having fun, time is running in a very incomprehensible way. Suddenly it was already 4 in the morning and we still needed to pack our stuff in our room. So we had to go back.

Monday, June 6th, 2022

When we finished packing, it was already dawn outside, it was definitely we couldn’t sleep or we were going to miss our flight, so I just took a nap, setting a very loud alarm clock, but it was not necessary because surprisingly I woke up at time. That morning I didn’t get to see many friends to say goodbye, I learned from previous years that I need to try to get out the hotel with lot of time of anticipation because I tend to see many friends and they all want to say properly goodbye, but this time was not the case, I went early to take the shuttle bus, I just could say goodbye of Flurrabell and his friends, but then I didn’t see anyone and I was already in the shuttle bus, which arrived very soon and I was sooner than I expected at the airport, where I found more of the Mexican furs I had shared the arrival flight, and we were all returning together back to Mexico.

Many things happened on our back to Mexico, but the one I want to share on this journal was when we were about to land at the Guadalajara’s airport, and we got to live one of the worst turbulences I had never lived, and even that I’ve flown…. I could dare to say…more than 100 times in my life. If you ever been to one of those drop rides at theme parks, like those dropping towers kind of Tower of Terror… it felt like that, we could feel around three times those freefalls and people in the plane were screaming. Of course it was very scary but I was very confident there was no danger at all, it was just very shaky, but we landed with no problems. We just got to live something we will be telling. Those who had another flight after it were not wanting to go in a plane that night again, I don’t blame them, I was lucky I was already home.

If you want to see my pictures of this trip and to check many of the things I was talking about on this journal, check them out here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bwvv1hbhskym2mx/AAA1Qb2Xv34uqdRwoPKuCr8la?dl=0

Comment “I love Penguins” if you read until this part!! Thank you for reading my silly adventures, I really appreciate it! I always write these journals to leave some memory of my adventures, and to share it to those who want to read it, I’m always surprised how many people get to read them!

It was definitely one of my favorite conventions, it was worth the experience of having a vacation con, not working not vending not volunteering. I would definitely repeat such an experience! But I know it is something I won’t be able to do at every convention I attend, especially since I’m staffing and volunteering at more conventions. It is always a pleasure to me to help those events that do a really lot for our fun and are made just of love to the fandom, which is a community that changed my life for good and I’m so glad to be part of it.

My next convention is until October, that is Confuror, in Guadalajara, México. Yes! A local convention to me, and where I volunteer to help them with many things, so I’ll be very busy at it, it will be another working convention to me and not precisely for vending. But if you can, try to check it out, it is a really fun convention: http://confuror.org/

My next American convention is very likely to be Midwest FurFest in December.

Hope I get to see you at any of those, and never hesitate to say hi, hug me, take pictures, or just to talk!

Thanks for reading! And see you in the next adventure!!