I just got back from seeing The Dark Knight Rises and while it was great and I really enjoyed it (I’ll probably ramble more on that later) it’s really kind of surreal to see all that destruction and action and be like “Oh I was just there yesterday :V “

A week from tomorrow, everyone’s going to be arriving in town for Anthrocon, and the furries will once again take over Pittsburgh.

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Okay, I was waiting for this to make the news… sadly, I was unable to attend due to work but way to go everyone!

For those unable or unwilling to watch the video the story is this:  Fernando’s is a sub shop in downtown Pittsburgh, right next to the convention center.  This is the same convention center where Anthrocon, the largest furry convention in the world, is held every year.  Fernando’s was the first local business to really welcome the convention by drawing paw prints leading to the door, offering deals to people with con badges,  making tshirts that read “Furnando’s” and had a pawprint instead of the normal logo and generally being really cool with everyone.

So when convention staff learned that Fernando’s was going to have to close before the next convention due to the slow economy they decided that there should be one last furry meet up at the sub shop.  Oh, and they raised money.  And not the $10,000 mentioned in the video.  $21,000.  Now a local business gets to stay open for at least a little longer and Anthrocon gets its favorite restaurant for another year.

I also feel like I should mention that every year Anthrocon raises money for a local charity.  This year it’s Hello Bully

Okay, so, Tekkoshocon X

I’ve attended every Tekko since the second (except for one year).  It’s my hometown con.  This is the first year I haven’t gone the full weekend.  Mostly because of work, but partially because of meh.  I just feel like the average con-goer age keeps dropping while I keep getting older.  That’s part of the reason I look forward to AC more and more and Tekko less and less.

And the location.  God.  Dammit.  I was there Friday, which is usually a slower day but it was already nearly impossible to navigate the convention because of how small and unsuited the hotel was. Just a few years back this con was at the convention center, and everything was nice.  But now aaaaaaugh no thanks.  I heard that the hotel attached to the convention center won’t let Tekko back because of the behavior of attendees, but I’ve never heard any confirmation of that from any sort of official source.

And Tekko… why do you still insist on being the only convention I’ve ever attended that forces you to put your full legal name on your badge.  Screw you, everyone I ever met at a con knows me as TimeChaser, Toki, or TC.  People I want to meet will have known me from online as TimeChaser, Toki, or TC.  You have my legal name on file along with my badge number, why the hell does everyone else need to know it?

You’re also the only convention that’s ever told me I HAD to wear my badge around my neck and not clipped somewhere else.  Oh, and the lack of one-day passes really sucks too.  Some of us do have jobs that are busy on weekends.

It wasn’t all bad though.  To all the Homestucks from Friday’s photoshoot: you’re all awesome. 

#1 cosplay this year had to be ponies.  Ponies everywhere.  Lots of Hetalia, a bunch of Homestucks and Soul Eater and still a lot of Kuroshitsuji cosplayers. I only saw two Madoka Magica cosplayers, and no Mawaru Penguindrum or Hatoful Boyfriend or Sound Horizon.  But then, it was only Friday.

Anyways.  To sum it up: Tekko, you’ve fallen really far and if you weren’t so close to me I wouldn’t attend any more.  Pittsburgh Homestucks, you’re adorable and I’d have loved to hang out with you more.