JFTW - Pier Pressure
Over Easter Weekend, Wolfie and I were down in Bristol to attend our second successive JFTW. We had registered on opening day on the promise that a large number of our friends would also be going, but this didn't materialise as many were put off by the higher convention pricing. This saw numbers slashed by a third. This wasn't to say that we had a bad time though, indeed it was great catching up with a number of our friends and it's fair to say that we had a very enjoyable three days.
The difference with this con was our liberal approach to it, with Wolfie and I agreeing we could experiment more kink-wise during the weekend. This saw us host a number of fetish related parties, all of which was successful, while we were also able to indulge in a few other things that may have taken our fancy. I had a private gunging session with bright pink gunge for example, during which the awkward subject of Brexit reared its head. I was in no real position to argue. The other positive aspect of the con was that I felt more relaxed wearing skirts, indeed I was wearing female clothing for the majority of the weekend encouraged by some kind words by Lapres and Gothicat. It was great seeing both of them again and their kind words really boosted someone who is lacking in self-confidence, particularly regarding my physical appearance (my arse and legs were quite popular). In the end, wearing such attire made me feel incredibly relaxed around the con and for me it was an incredibly liberating experience. Talking to Lunar Belle was also a fantastic experience as we have so much in common, even if the fire alarm going off at 3:30am prolonged our conversation far longer than we had initially intended.
Due to the nature of our activities, I didn't get much chance to fursuit. This wasn't helped by the terribly poor weather on the morning of the fursuit walk, with a persistent drizzle hanging in the air. It seemed to put off a fair number of us, which was a shame, but I didn't fancy walking on a sandy beach which had been saturated by over twenty-four hours of rainfall. The 10:30am start also put me off, so I gave this a miss. Indeed, I don't think I went into any of the panels at all, instead favouring socialising in the bar or at room parties. I felt more relaxed around the kink side of things, particularly at the main NSFW party on the Friday night, while on the Saturday we also found time to go around Bristol with Entei-rah and Patter. We wanted to get our BrewDog stamp, which we did pretty quickly, while Patter wanted to have a look at the SS Great Britain - at least he did until he found out you had to pay £16.95 for it and so he settled with just taking a photo of the famous ship from over the fence. Still, it was an impressive looking piece of engineering, even if we only did catch it from its arse-end, and perhaps we'll go back and look at it properly next year.
The price of the convention may have been high, but with breakfast and lunch included - and beers being of a reasonable price - we didn't spend an awful lot overall. I enjoyed a delicious chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich every day, while Wolfie swore by the pizzas. Granted the bed wasn't overly comfortable and the room had an annoying draft as we couldn't quite close the window, but in the main I do like the hotel. Aside from this, we just chilled, popping in and out of parties and generally catching up with old friends. The after dark disco on the Saturday night, impromptu and away from the main dance, was one such example and it was here I met quite a drunken Gothicat. She is always great company and so it remained, so there were quite a few late nights too. So in the end, despite the expense, it was a great three days. Whether we go back again next year, I am as yet unsure, but it's definitely one to consider. Hopefully it'll be a little more popular next year.
The difference with this con was our liberal approach to it, with Wolfie and I agreeing we could experiment more kink-wise during the weekend. This saw us host a number of fetish related parties, all of which was successful, while we were also able to indulge in a few other things that may have taken our fancy. I had a private gunging session with bright pink gunge for example, during which the awkward subject of Brexit reared its head. I was in no real position to argue. The other positive aspect of the con was that I felt more relaxed wearing skirts, indeed I was wearing female clothing for the majority of the weekend encouraged by some kind words by Lapres and Gothicat. It was great seeing both of them again and their kind words really boosted someone who is lacking in self-confidence, particularly regarding my physical appearance (my arse and legs were quite popular). In the end, wearing such attire made me feel incredibly relaxed around the con and for me it was an incredibly liberating experience. Talking to Lunar Belle was also a fantastic experience as we have so much in common, even if the fire alarm going off at 3:30am prolonged our conversation far longer than we had initially intended.
Due to the nature of our activities, I didn't get much chance to fursuit. This wasn't helped by the terribly poor weather on the morning of the fursuit walk, with a persistent drizzle hanging in the air. It seemed to put off a fair number of us, which was a shame, but I didn't fancy walking on a sandy beach which had been saturated by over twenty-four hours of rainfall. The 10:30am start also put me off, so I gave this a miss. Indeed, I don't think I went into any of the panels at all, instead favouring socialising in the bar or at room parties. I felt more relaxed around the kink side of things, particularly at the main NSFW party on the Friday night, while on the Saturday we also found time to go around Bristol with Entei-rah and Patter. We wanted to get our BrewDog stamp, which we did pretty quickly, while Patter wanted to have a look at the SS Great Britain - at least he did until he found out you had to pay £16.95 for it and so he settled with just taking a photo of the famous ship from over the fence. Still, it was an impressive looking piece of engineering, even if we only did catch it from its arse-end, and perhaps we'll go back and look at it properly next year.
The price of the convention may have been high, but with breakfast and lunch included - and beers being of a reasonable price - we didn't spend an awful lot overall. I enjoyed a delicious chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich every day, while Wolfie swore by the pizzas. Granted the bed wasn't overly comfortable and the room had an annoying draft as we couldn't quite close the window, but in the main I do like the hotel. Aside from this, we just chilled, popping in and out of parties and generally catching up with old friends. The after dark disco on the Saturday night, impromptu and away from the main dance, was one such example and it was here I met quite a drunken Gothicat. She is always great company and so it remained, so there were quite a few late nights too. So in the end, despite the expense, it was a great three days. Whether we go back again next year, I am as yet unsure, but it's definitely one to consider. Hopefully it'll be a little more popular next year.