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lupestripeI was feeling somewhat apprehensive going out to Poland last Wednesday for Gdakon, largely because I hadn't really put enough effort into meeting people on the Telegram groups. I had tried during the preceding week, but felt I was getting little traction, while it wasn't until we were at the con itself that we joined the NSFW chat, which proved to be something of an abberation.
I was worrying unduly however, as the con turned out to be the best of all the ones I have been to. The tone was set on Wednesday evening, with the barbeque following the opening ceremony being a perfect ice breaker. There was talk of having a few free kegs of beer like they had done at their previous hotel three years ago, but I didn't see any of these in the end. With beer coming in between nine and twelve zloty though, it was exceptionally cheap and the first evening turned into a hugely social event. It was incredibly easy to meet people and I found myself in a very comfortable zone, meaning I was able to accost people and chat to them as they were walking past me in the corridor, let alone in situations where meeting people was more structured. I was also delighted to see far more friends there than I had expected, with a huge Russian contingent present, including my fursuit maker Taffka, who was delighted to see her work of art again. She has also agreed to do a plush version of my suit and I cannot be more excited about receiving this in future.
We were sharing a room with Tuxedo, having conspired to go to this con during our US road trip last summer, and although I had my doubts (like I admittedly did going to the US), these also proved to be unfounded. Tux was a great roommate and it was great catching up with him again, with him even delivering the fleece jacket that I had inadvertently left in the boot of his car when we said goodbye to him last time at Phoenix airport. The five days with him were incredibly relaxing and I am glad he had a good time at Gdakon too, with me recommending it to him as he had intended to be in Europe at this time anyway for Nordic Fuzzcon this week. He had spent a number of days in Warsaw before coming up to Gdansk, and we played a little Top Gear style game of who would get to the hotel quickest - us with our flight from Leeds or him with his train from the Polish capital. In the end, it turned out to be him by a narrow margin so we were forced to buy him a drink, which we consumed in the hotel bar on Wednesday afternoon as we waited for our room to be ready.
Thursday and Sunday were both days out of the hotel, with us visiting Sopot/Gydnia on the former day and downtown Gdansk on the latter. I may write a little more about these days later in the week, suffice to say that Thursday was the weakest day in the con schedule while Sunday was really a lax day ahead of the Dead Dog Party in the evening. Friday was possibly the strongest day for events, but in the end, I didn't really go to any of them. This was for a number of reasons - I couldn't find the Balloon Sculpting panel room until it was far too late to attend, something I regretted when I saw the numerous octopuses and sausage dogs littered around the hotel lobby. I was given a yellow sword which I initially mistook to be a penis by one fursuiter. Later on in the day, I completely forgot about the bartending class due to fursuiting my ass off, while I didn't really have the courage for the swordcutting workshop, which was a shame. As is usual at cons, I spent an awful lot of time socialising, particularly in the lobby/bar area as well as the smoking area, which is indeed where I spent an awful lot of time. There were also a range of other private things going on too - Kamisirus's balloon popping party was great fun as ever, while I kept popping into the karaoke contest as they were singing along to metal and punk songs, which is certainly my kind of music. And of course there were room parties aplenty, some of them just drinking and others more kink orientated. Frustratingly, we hadn't packed much kink gear as there hadn't been much talk of this going into the con, only to regret it as the con progressed. Still, this didn't stop me from turning up to a few kink parties in suit and we had various bits of fun tying people up, both in our room and at the events. FoxB's room 203 was where the majority of the action was as this was the designated party room. The main event on the Friday night was a 'wear what you feel comfortable in' deal, but seemed to be just loud terrible music, which was as far away from my comfort zone as possible. Still, the kink night on the Thursday night was great and it would have been good to have done more in all honesty.
Speaking of this, I have learned this week that my lack of self-worth is preventing me from engaging in such activities. Before the con, I was toying with asking one of my pup play friends from Finland whether he was bringing gear but bottled it as I hadn't seen him in nine years. It turned out that he had indeed brought stuff and wanted to play with me, which was frustrating (we are going to arrange something for later in the year though). The same is the case for two other Norwegian furs I met at the con, who both admitted to me today that rhey wished we could have played and yet I didn't read the signs (or in one case, was too chicken to act on them). I really should let my inhibitions go at these things as I really wanted to play with these people too, so it's something I am going to have to address.
Snow started falling on Friday evening, with the temperature plummeting to -7C, putting the fursuit walk on the Saturday into doubt somewhat. However, upon awaking and despite the icy conditions, it was announced that it would go ahead. After taking the group photo at 11:50am precisely, we boarded onto two buses, with the cute black wolf Riondose sticking with me for the whole of the trip. The bus journey was surprisingly long and certainly the hottest part of the walk, as the Baltic climate made fursuiting incredibly easy. Indeed, when I got back from the walk, my under armour was barely wet at all, demonstrating just how cold it was. I felt a little sorry for non-suiters like Wolfie though as the windy coast in Sopot along with the bitter temperatures were far from pleasant. Despite this though there were a fair number of people out and about, including many kids, all of whom were overawed at the spectacle of so many fluffy animals coming towards them. Meeting them all was great fun, as was dancing with a busker, while the group also accosted a sorry looking guy in an Elmo suit advertising one of the pier-side cafes. I guess we upstaged him a little. I got told off for trying to order ice cream from a concession, going away from the group to do so, with the rigidity of such walks being a source of frustration for me (although I understand why they need to be thus). Due to the slippery conditions - with the main boulevard being covered in delightful slush - we weren't permitted to go onto the pier, meaning the walk was slightly shorter than it had been in 2015, when it was decidedly warmer. This meant that after taking a photo outside the rather grand Sheraton hotel building, we looped around and headed back to the buses.
As I didn't go to any events, I didn't get any lottery tickets, meaning the closing ceremony was a little bit of a waste of time for me to attend. I was expecting a grander closure than a mere lottery draw, but I had beer and thus was happy. The con closed on Saturday evening, with the dance not being particularly well-populated, as parties were commonly held. The best thing about these was that they were largely open invite and advertised, meaning meeting new people was far easier than it is at larger conventions. Indeed, at 2am I was invited personally to come down to a Torfrock party in honour of the Eighties German pop band by a group of Sachsen furs I had never met before. Speaking to them for forty-five minutes was fantastic and new friends were made, even though I had never spoken to the sextet before. Rain, the fur who had invited me, kindly talked about the Sachsenfurs and even introduced me to their mascot, a green tiger, who was hanging up near the door.
If this was an unexpected bonus then the highlight of the con was probably the Dead Dog Party on the Sunday. These tend to be a bit of a damp squib, but not this one. Firstly, it was moved to the basement nightclub, a smaller venue which suited perfectly the sixty or so people who were left. Also, all drinks and snacks which hitherto hadn't been consumed were allowed to be brought down, which resulted in a huge picnic and a fantastic shared experience. There were sofas for snuggling and some good tunes being played by DJ FoxB and Petephin, a Portuguese fur I had the pleasure of meeting at the con too. There were also plates of cheese presumably offered by the hotel while Valksar brought a Dutch flag with him, which I spent an awful lot of time waving for some reason. After all of the fuss, particularly from Kharos, I got to try one of the flavours of Tatratea but at 67% proof it was probably a little too strong for me. I fursuited for a little bit before wanting to focus on the social as this was to be the last night for a while with dear friends whom I rarely get chance to see. Indeed, the likes of Moongwa and Shadow Panther were great to talk to, as was Pippin, a London-based fur whose room party I gatecrashed on the Thursday evening and who, since then, has urged us to come visit him when we are next in the capital. I also spent a lot of time tickling him under the table for some reason. Nighthoof, a friend from last year's cons was also great company, as was Pazuzu, a beer-loving German fur who is now part of our Furry Brew Crew community. We got to know him as, when he was walking past a conversation I was having with Jaywuff, I said that I didn't know many German furs and he started a conversation based around this incredulity. It was one of those cons.
The con was rather small, meaning that there wasn't as packed a scheudle as you would find at larger events, but I was very rarely bored during the five days here. Indeed, if anything, I ran out of time to do everything, not even going to the sauna or swimming pool despite packing my swimgear. The art show and dealers' den were modest, but I still won three pieces in the former and got to make some good contacts in the latter, including meeting with Taffka again. The hotel was great with a wide range of things to do, one of which resulted in Jaywuff, Teraku and I playing pool in the same room as where they have the bowling alley (I missed the free fursuit bowling too due to other commitments). I was terrible at this, the combination of being shit at pool, the dark lighting and wearing a fursuit meaning that often I could barely hit the cue ball let alone launch it in the right direction. As we were here, three Poles turned up and wanted to hire us for something, but this request was swiftly declined.
So all in all, I cannot think of a better con experience than Gdakon 2018. I met so many old friends and made so many new ones largely because it was such a friendly atmosphere. I've never felt as connected to the community as I did this last week, and the fact there were people here from so many different countries really only strengthened this. I rarely get PCD but I felt really emotional leaving the hotel today and that has only strengthened during the course of the day. It was a truly fabulous event and one we are considering making a regular thing every year. I feel lucky to know so many good people and be part of such a great community so thanks to everyone I met, to the Gdakon committee for organising the event and to the Hotel Faltom for hosting us. I hope to see you all next year.
I was worrying unduly however, as the con turned out to be the best of all the ones I have been to. The tone was set on Wednesday evening, with the barbeque following the opening ceremony being a perfect ice breaker. There was talk of having a few free kegs of beer like they had done at their previous hotel three years ago, but I didn't see any of these in the end. With beer coming in between nine and twelve zloty though, it was exceptionally cheap and the first evening turned into a hugely social event. It was incredibly easy to meet people and I found myself in a very comfortable zone, meaning I was able to accost people and chat to them as they were walking past me in the corridor, let alone in situations where meeting people was more structured. I was also delighted to see far more friends there than I had expected, with a huge Russian contingent present, including my fursuit maker Taffka, who was delighted to see her work of art again. She has also agreed to do a plush version of my suit and I cannot be more excited about receiving this in future.
We were sharing a room with Tuxedo, having conspired to go to this con during our US road trip last summer, and although I had my doubts (like I admittedly did going to the US), these also proved to be unfounded. Tux was a great roommate and it was great catching up with him again, with him even delivering the fleece jacket that I had inadvertently left in the boot of his car when we said goodbye to him last time at Phoenix airport. The five days with him were incredibly relaxing and I am glad he had a good time at Gdakon too, with me recommending it to him as he had intended to be in Europe at this time anyway for Nordic Fuzzcon this week. He had spent a number of days in Warsaw before coming up to Gdansk, and we played a little Top Gear style game of who would get to the hotel quickest - us with our flight from Leeds or him with his train from the Polish capital. In the end, it turned out to be him by a narrow margin so we were forced to buy him a drink, which we consumed in the hotel bar on Wednesday afternoon as we waited for our room to be ready.
Thursday and Sunday were both days out of the hotel, with us visiting Sopot/Gydnia on the former day and downtown Gdansk on the latter. I may write a little more about these days later in the week, suffice to say that Thursday was the weakest day in the con schedule while Sunday was really a lax day ahead of the Dead Dog Party in the evening. Friday was possibly the strongest day for events, but in the end, I didn't really go to any of them. This was for a number of reasons - I couldn't find the Balloon Sculpting panel room until it was far too late to attend, something I regretted when I saw the numerous octopuses and sausage dogs littered around the hotel lobby. I was given a yellow sword which I initially mistook to be a penis by one fursuiter. Later on in the day, I completely forgot about the bartending class due to fursuiting my ass off, while I didn't really have the courage for the swordcutting workshop, which was a shame. As is usual at cons, I spent an awful lot of time socialising, particularly in the lobby/bar area as well as the smoking area, which is indeed where I spent an awful lot of time. There were also a range of other private things going on too - Kamisirus's balloon popping party was great fun as ever, while I kept popping into the karaoke contest as they were singing along to metal and punk songs, which is certainly my kind of music. And of course there were room parties aplenty, some of them just drinking and others more kink orientated. Frustratingly, we hadn't packed much kink gear as there hadn't been much talk of this going into the con, only to regret it as the con progressed. Still, this didn't stop me from turning up to a few kink parties in suit and we had various bits of fun tying people up, both in our room and at the events. FoxB's room 203 was where the majority of the action was as this was the designated party room. The main event on the Friday night was a 'wear what you feel comfortable in' deal, but seemed to be just loud terrible music, which was as far away from my comfort zone as possible. Still, the kink night on the Thursday night was great and it would have been good to have done more in all honesty.
Speaking of this, I have learned this week that my lack of self-worth is preventing me from engaging in such activities. Before the con, I was toying with asking one of my pup play friends from Finland whether he was bringing gear but bottled it as I hadn't seen him in nine years. It turned out that he had indeed brought stuff and wanted to play with me, which was frustrating (we are going to arrange something for later in the year though). The same is the case for two other Norwegian furs I met at the con, who both admitted to me today that rhey wished we could have played and yet I didn't read the signs (or in one case, was too chicken to act on them). I really should let my inhibitions go at these things as I really wanted to play with these people too, so it's something I am going to have to address.
Snow started falling on Friday evening, with the temperature plummeting to -7C, putting the fursuit walk on the Saturday into doubt somewhat. However, upon awaking and despite the icy conditions, it was announced that it would go ahead. After taking the group photo at 11:50am precisely, we boarded onto two buses, with the cute black wolf Riondose sticking with me for the whole of the trip. The bus journey was surprisingly long and certainly the hottest part of the walk, as the Baltic climate made fursuiting incredibly easy. Indeed, when I got back from the walk, my under armour was barely wet at all, demonstrating just how cold it was. I felt a little sorry for non-suiters like Wolfie though as the windy coast in Sopot along with the bitter temperatures were far from pleasant. Despite this though there were a fair number of people out and about, including many kids, all of whom were overawed at the spectacle of so many fluffy animals coming towards them. Meeting them all was great fun, as was dancing with a busker, while the group also accosted a sorry looking guy in an Elmo suit advertising one of the pier-side cafes. I guess we upstaged him a little. I got told off for trying to order ice cream from a concession, going away from the group to do so, with the rigidity of such walks being a source of frustration for me (although I understand why they need to be thus). Due to the slippery conditions - with the main boulevard being covered in delightful slush - we weren't permitted to go onto the pier, meaning the walk was slightly shorter than it had been in 2015, when it was decidedly warmer. This meant that after taking a photo outside the rather grand Sheraton hotel building, we looped around and headed back to the buses.
As I didn't go to any events, I didn't get any lottery tickets, meaning the closing ceremony was a little bit of a waste of time for me to attend. I was expecting a grander closure than a mere lottery draw, but I had beer and thus was happy. The con closed on Saturday evening, with the dance not being particularly well-populated, as parties were commonly held. The best thing about these was that they were largely open invite and advertised, meaning meeting new people was far easier than it is at larger conventions. Indeed, at 2am I was invited personally to come down to a Torfrock party in honour of the Eighties German pop band by a group of Sachsen furs I had never met before. Speaking to them for forty-five minutes was fantastic and new friends were made, even though I had never spoken to the sextet before. Rain, the fur who had invited me, kindly talked about the Sachsenfurs and even introduced me to their mascot, a green tiger, who was hanging up near the door.
If this was an unexpected bonus then the highlight of the con was probably the Dead Dog Party on the Sunday. These tend to be a bit of a damp squib, but not this one. Firstly, it was moved to the basement nightclub, a smaller venue which suited perfectly the sixty or so people who were left. Also, all drinks and snacks which hitherto hadn't been consumed were allowed to be brought down, which resulted in a huge picnic and a fantastic shared experience. There were sofas for snuggling and some good tunes being played by DJ FoxB and Petephin, a Portuguese fur I had the pleasure of meeting at the con too. There were also plates of cheese presumably offered by the hotel while Valksar brought a Dutch flag with him, which I spent an awful lot of time waving for some reason. After all of the fuss, particularly from Kharos, I got to try one of the flavours of Tatratea but at 67% proof it was probably a little too strong for me. I fursuited for a little bit before wanting to focus on the social as this was to be the last night for a while with dear friends whom I rarely get chance to see. Indeed, the likes of Moongwa and Shadow Panther were great to talk to, as was Pippin, a London-based fur whose room party I gatecrashed on the Thursday evening and who, since then, has urged us to come visit him when we are next in the capital. I also spent a lot of time tickling him under the table for some reason. Nighthoof, a friend from last year's cons was also great company, as was Pazuzu, a beer-loving German fur who is now part of our Furry Brew Crew community. We got to know him as, when he was walking past a conversation I was having with Jaywuff, I said that I didn't know many German furs and he started a conversation based around this incredulity. It was one of those cons.
The con was rather small, meaning that there wasn't as packed a scheudle as you would find at larger events, but I was very rarely bored during the five days here. Indeed, if anything, I ran out of time to do everything, not even going to the sauna or swimming pool despite packing my swimgear. The art show and dealers' den were modest, but I still won three pieces in the former and got to make some good contacts in the latter, including meeting with Taffka again. The hotel was great with a wide range of things to do, one of which resulted in Jaywuff, Teraku and I playing pool in the same room as where they have the bowling alley (I missed the free fursuit bowling too due to other commitments). I was terrible at this, the combination of being shit at pool, the dark lighting and wearing a fursuit meaning that often I could barely hit the cue ball let alone launch it in the right direction. As we were here, three Poles turned up and wanted to hire us for something, but this request was swiftly declined.
So all in all, I cannot think of a better con experience than Gdakon 2018. I met so many old friends and made so many new ones largely because it was such a friendly atmosphere. I've never felt as connected to the community as I did this last week, and the fact there were people here from so many different countries really only strengthened this. I rarely get PCD but I felt really emotional leaving the hotel today and that has only strengthened during the course of the day. It was a truly fabulous event and one we are considering making a regular thing every year. I feel lucky to know so many good people and be part of such a great community so thanks to everyone I met, to the Gdakon committee for organising the event and to the Hotel Faltom for hosting us. I hope to see you all next year.
