Heh, I know I should posted this when it was more immediate in my mind…but I’m still really the elation of the time I was there. Now are my thoughts on…
Fursuit Bowling!
Yeah, I’m fairly new to this whole furry thing. Very new. I mean, its fascinates me to no end, and I do share a lot of commonalities with the group, so I figure – why not jump in and experience the whole thing first hand?
Bowling overall is a very good “in” for me…after all, its something I’ve always really enjoyed, and can be at least do reasonably well. Of course if I wanted to do it seriously, I’d need a hell of a lot more practice…but that’s a post for another day. I’ve never really delved into a community this way. I mean, this was an event for this group, one where they were going to go out and celebrate who they are, and I think that’s all the more reason why Ifelt I needed to be part of it. Like I’ve been telling others…a lot of my life has been spent online…I know a lot of people virtually, but know very few personally. I was talking to my friend James recently, and again he posed the question “how many people around here do you know?” And the answer is, except him, none really. So yeah, the whole Furry thing is an attempt to really stretch out, and meet people locally, and maybe, just maybe make a connection or two that will last a while. And yeah, the internet is still a pretty big component of that, but these people regularly meet with each, so the internet isn’t the only means of contact, unlike most other communities I’ve been a part of, but rather it acts as a catalyst for real meaningful activities.
Okay, enough of that! How did it go?
Shit..to be honest….I haven’t had that much fun in a LONG LONG time. It was AMAZING fun. I learned a lot about fursuiting in general…I of course didn’t don one, but observing how to act was fascinating in of itself. For example….while most don’t talk in the suit, you don’t necessarily have to remain silent. However, you should remain “in character” as much as possible; after all, with just a fixed expression on your face, and without speech, body language is important. Be animated and extroverted! Touching is more than encouraged…hugging is the norm when greeting someone, but leaning on people patting them…whatever…its all good. And as expected…kids go fucking nuts! It’s a total party for them…of course some are afraid too, and that’s to be expected. In fact it’s a total party overall, and that was really the big reason why I enjoyed it so much…I’ve NEVER been a part of such a spectacle before. And it was amazing! I loved it so much!
At their core though, this group was no more different than any other group I’ve ever been with…left of center, nerdy, quirky, whatever…I mean, these are people I’ve associated with all my life, they are just into furry art and dressing up as animals, as opposed to say music, or whatever.
Afterward I went out to dinner with much of the group, and that was a good ice breaker as well. Although I didn’t talk much, it was great to really listen into the conversations and see what these people were all about and what they were like. Like I said…they aren’t any different than those I’ve associated with before. It also helped that many of the people there were around my age and older…an older group is obviously going to be more mature and more experienced, and ultimately more useful to learning about a scene as a whole.
I wanna do it again! I want a fursuit, dammit. However, they are pretty expensive, and they take a long time to create…however, a tail and a pair of ears might not be too far off in my future. I was brainstorming a crazy idea…I have tickets to CVB’s 25th anniversary concert in June…wouldn’t it be hilarious if I showed up with a tail to match the collie on the Michael Wertz poster I got a few months back? Of course my “fursona” is a weasel, so I don’t know if I’d be breaking some kind of furry code there or something by going cross-species.
Or maybe not, heh.
But the whole fursuit thing just drives me bonkers and I can try and rationalize it all I want, but I still love it, and I still want one. Hopefully if I can start working soon, that could be something I could save towards; either that, or gain the skills to actually be able to build on (wouldn’t that be a crazy accomplishment!!);.
I met up with another group tonight, this time much smaller and much more low key. This group does a meet-up every now and then at a restaurant in downtown Berkeley. This was a much better opportunity to get to know people individually, which I did…even though I mainly talked to one guy for nearly 2 hours, I did show up and make conversation (and of course jokes). Once the ice was broken…I felt pretty good. Of course that initial contact is still a problem for me…I sat at another table in the middle of the room for 5 minutes figuring out exactly who I had to go meet with, because I didn’t have any names or photos to go by. Next time, I’ll at least recognize faces. I still suck with names, but that will come in good time.
Shit I may even have to pick up drawing again…that’s going to take some work though. I never was any sort of character artist in the first place.
But since I’m still out of work for the time being, I’m going to go another meet on Thursday night. From what I understand this is one of the longer running meets, and a pretty big deal to the regulars. This could be a great chance to really make some connections.
I mean yeah, as weird as this sounds, me, Mr Hermit Weasel who never leaves the bedroom except to go buy some CDs or get some food, is actually going out and meeting people, and going way out of my way to do so! I guess that’s what actually counts here the most…the reason for the scene is fun, but the people within are what counts.
I’m just totally excited right now. This is all such a new thing for me, and I have no clue where its going to lead, and I LOVE IT!
Also, I’d like to give more news on the job front, but I don’t want to jinx anything. I may know by tomorrow what my employment status in the near future will be…
