Fall 2025
Fall 2025
It's finally happening. After a summer that's been too hot in the PNW, autumn is finally here. I'm sitting in one of my favorite coffee shops, listening to Johnny Cash singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and somehow it's surprisingly beautiful. And just now the vocal accompaniment came in: Fiona Apple. Which is just so good.
I saw this album in an antiques store here yesterday, a CD selling for $25. I balked at it, and went to my streaming service of choice to listen to it first. As of right now the vinyl is on sale on Amazon for $20. That's a fucking miracle.
Anyway the album slaps so far, it's nice outside, and I've got things to look forward to, which is so important in this shit-hole timeline we live in.
Furlandia
Furlandia 2025 was a blast. I volunteered, and watched people have a great time. Which is not to say I didn't, but I have feelings about that, I suppose. Something that's stuck in my head was a Bluesky post I saw, someone saying that furs my age, elder millennials, don't go to cons anymore because they've found their friend group, they have their people, so there's no need. The paradox of this, though, is that the people that run these cons are often older than me, if not the same age. They've been doing these for a decade or more. I feel like I'm in this limbo state where I can finally get to the cons I want, but I missed the window to make lasting friends.
The trick, I suppose, is to keep showing up.
Furlandia 2026 is still 8 months away, but I'm so ready for it. If I can't make friends, then I want to help make this space safe for people who want to. I can do that, and that makes me happy.
The funny footnote in this is that I met someone I had previously had contact with on Tumblr, a kid who got into Blaseball early last year and like many of us lost their absolute mind about it. They showed up in a line I was minding wearing a Garages shirt, and we ended up chatting for like half an hour. How funny is that?
MMF 2025
(I just got done with Cash's cover of "Personal Jesus," and now he's on "In My Life," which he managed to make just a little sad. It's wonderful.)
I spent time going back and forth about MFF 2025. Having moved away from St. Louis, a trip to Chicago is a much bigger commitment. The flight is about the same time from the PNW to Chicago as a train trip from St. Louis to Chicago, but it's about 8 times more expensive. And that's to speak nothing of hotel costs. But several things are different this year:
- I can afford it, despite still not having a job
- My partner encouraged me to go. We're both proponents of having a solo trip. It's nice getting to be somewhere and not be on anyone's schedule.
- I really like Chicago
So I'm biting the bullet, and going in lieu of going to Anthro NW. But it might be the last year, just because of the cost and location. Still, I'm looking forward to it. I'm working on a costume, my boy witch sona (though not a fursuit, I cant even imagine). I plan on picking up a set of ears and a tail for it too while I'm there.
I'm facing the same problem I have with Furlandia, re: making friends, though I actually know people going this year, at least acquaintances. I'm going to try to be brave and say hi. I'm also going to do my best to get to the raccoon meetup, especially since I haven't seen one at any other con I've been to.
Rose City Comic Con
On the flip side, as cool as Rose City Comic Con was, I wonder if that chapter of my life is coming to a close. I mostly don't care about the panels anymore, though I did a see a few (Kelly Sue DeConnick, and Christopher Eccelston and Billie Piper); mostly I care about artist alley and, to a lesser extent, the exhibitors. Right now, it's a slog for me and my partner to get from where we live to the Oregon Convention Center, though it is only a one seat light rail ride, which, all things considered, isn't terrible. The con even gave us a three day transit pass with out weekend tickets, which ruled.
I'm just not finding the joy I used to find at comic cons anymore. And that's fine. Like I said, this isn't a death, it's a chapter coming to an end. It might even be temporary. Who knows.
I did, however, take my Game Boy Camera with me and grabbed a few quality pictures
I just noticed that my pics get converted to webp. gross
(Cash: American Songs IV conclusion: Wonderful, it's on my list now)
In other news
The comic is going well, I'm stacked up in the queue until December, which is a good feeling, and I've gotten some good feedback about it. You can find WTCH here and its Tumblr backup here.
Lunatic Obscurity has a great article about a Japanese FMV train driving game that used N Gauge trains as its graphic set, N-Gauge Unten Kibun Game Gatan Goton. I'm kind of in love.
anyway, until next time, stay safe, and keep making good things.
-kosmo