Need advice for new people

Thank you for answering my questions ^_^. I will post more of my friends worries as soon as I know them....

"Very cute... But shouldn't you be wearing pants?"

Don't get me going on the furpile business...

http://www.ultimategamers.org/anthrocon/06-18-2006/DCP%5F1037%2EJPG

You will not ask me where I took this photo.

> For example, if a fan wears ears and a tail, will random
> people poke, prod and pull?

Nope. If were to get any complaints along those lines, it would be treated as "disorderly conduct" under our Standards of Conduct and dealt with accordingly by our capable security crew.

> As strange as this sounds, are there "quiet areas" anywhere
> in the convention center?

Oh yeah. The convention center is HUGE.

> Any advice for a non-furry (likes the artwork, but not in
> the fandom) that has never been to AC before?

Um, be considerate of others?

Pardon my belated response, but as a non-fur who has a great deal of fun at Anthrocon, please allow me to offer my perspective.

Is personal space respected on the floor? For example, if a fan wears ears and a tail, will random people poke, prod and pull?

Yes, it is respected most strongly. Furs (IMHO) are very considerate of each other, and usually go above and beyond what the code of contact calls out. Those who don't respect it find themselves followed around by the security staff, such as me. I'm happy to say that after four years of security work at Anthros, the proportion of people we have to get after is very, very small. It's one of the things that keeps us coming back to work Anthrocon year after year.

As strange as this sounds, are there "quiet areas" anywhere in the convention center?

Not designated as such, and on the busy days (Friday and Saturday) things can be durned hectic. If you (like me) need some regular periods of near-silence, getting a room with some like-minded folks is a must.

Any advice for a non-furry (likes the artwork, but not in the fandom) that has never been to AC before?

If your friend is primarily a fan of the art, he or she will find a large number of like-minded folks. Anthrocon has a thriving art community in and around both the art show and the dealers room, and they run the full range from those who simply enjoy that style of art to those who fully embrace fur as a lifestyle.

Furs are simultaneously very much their own breed while being as widely variable as any similar-sized group of humans (sorry, furs, don't beat me for that line). Which is to say there are some who are simply fans of the anthropomorphic art and characters, while others assume the full persona of the breed they've chosen.

Within that range, they come in all kinds. There are loud ones, shy ones, smart ones, naive ones - the whole gamut. But my experience has been that the average fur is nicer than the average person. We (the Dorsai Irregulars, the security staff) find them kinder, more polite, more helpful, and less full of themselves that the average attendee at a number of other functions we work. The furry community has charmed us since day one, and I don't expect that to change.

Um... we are talking about the same convention, right? What would prompt her to ask those sorts of questions?

That's understandable. Feel free to point her to my pictures from Anthrocon 2006. They'll also help give a perspective on the size of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

She also might be interested in checking out WikiFur, which is a community-edited Furry Encyclopedia.

There is a separate area for mature and non-mature art, in case she is concerned about seeing adult works.

Here's a fun site:
http://www.furry-info.com (web hub)

I wouldn't say that her previous concerns should be about furries, but the personalities of the actual people. They just happen to be furries.

We take great pride in the fact that Anthrocon is meant for people of all ages and all walks of life. If people are interested in seeing mature-themed artwork or performances, they may, whereas people who do not wish to see such things do not need to.

And Anthrocon is no different from any other social function. If someone were to walk up to your friend at the county fair and make rude comments, the local roustabouts would see to that person. It is the same at our convention, only our roustabouts where red shirts and black berets.

The curtained-off area is the whole Art Show, actually; the Mature Gallery is a separate section within.

--
PeterCat
Anthrocon Art Show Director

It's the latter. If your conbadge does not say "MINOR", then you may enter the mature section of the art show.

We accept Visa and Mastercard.

The convention center has food, but (as with most convention centers), it will be more expensive than anything outside.

However, since we are in Center City Pittsburgh, there are a number of shops nearby, including the world's only Kwik-E-Mart, located directly across the street from the Westin.

When volunteering, you get to decide your own level of commitment. You can put in as many or as few hours as you like. Those that put forth a significant amount of effort can get t-shirts or even be punished by being invited back for staff the following year.

We'll have more detail on volunteering opportunities starting about 1 month before the convention.

>What will that entail if we choose do it and will I still
>have time to do all the frivilous things I plan to?

I always have. In the past, how it has worked is this: They give you a timesheet when you first offer to volunteer (at the gather, after registration, unless you've promised to help with some setup stuff; they've got enough to worry about when everyone's arriving), as well as a pretty conbadge ribbon.

When they need folks to fill in, they put out the bat signal, and ppl who want to help check in to see where they're needed. You keep track of your own hours (or not, if you're evil like me), and at the end, you turn in your sheet; those who've been working especially hard are given shirts or occasionally given the invisible 'AC staff' butt-brand. So really, you work when and how much you feel happy with. And the staff have always been very appreciative of however much of my time i can give them.

Insofar as the earlier harassment thing goes...i've never had any problems with it in the times that i've attended, nor do i know anyone who has. AC furries, in my experience, are pretty good at saying (essentially) 'hey, you look cute' in the same spirit that others might say 'hey, nice shirt', and since 2/3 of the gather has ears and tails (if not more) on, nobody fusses over them at all. The only thing i've ever noticed is that a few furries have a different understanding than i about the difference between sexual and nonsexual flirting - ie, the flirting i do with someone i'm attracted to because he's cute and the flirting i do with my friends because it's funny or that's not really flirting at all because we're just cuddly people with loose boundaries. And even that is rare, and mild; nothing to worry about. As long as i'm aware of it, i don't get into trouble. And i have weird ideas about personal space anywayz, so i probably have a lot to do with it. I don't imagine your friend will run into any trouble at all.

*smiles* Hope that helps.

What they've done in the past, during those years that i was aware of it, was put up a big pole with a flashing red light that goes off when they need folks to check in at con ops. Of course, i don't know if they brought it with them this past year; i got sucked into the world of artshow work, and never did figure out what method they were using for batsignals now. They make an effort to make it nonintrusive but obvious, in general.

When you check in at registration, ask them if they know how you can sign up to volunteer; they'll direct you to con ops, i daresay, and con ops will tell you how they're signalling for volunteers. Also, once you've worked one shift, you can ask the staff in charge there if they have any idea when they expect to need help again, and then just make plans to come back.

There are even groups like registration and art show who like it if you offer to come help with setup. Getting those pegboards up and aligned takes forever, even with the union folks covering some of the work. The trick is to tell those staff well before the gather that you're gonna be around (if you are) and you're happy to help out if they'd like folks to lend a claw with anything. No stress. *smiles*

If you're so happily involved in stuff that you don't happen to notice the volunteer signal, though, i don't consider that a bad thing, unless you're sufficiently hard-up for cash that you're saving up for next year. *grin* That just means you'e having a good time. We like that.

Wow, i really need to relearn the fine art of the short post.

dester'edra - little dragon. Big mouth.

There would be no problems at all with Cosplayers.

I have gone to Furry Conventions wearing knit shirts, work trousers, comfortable walking shoes, and a broad-brimmed hat. People have told me that I am cosplaying David Bliss.

(That's sort of an inside joke - when wearing my hat, I look a lot like the furry artist David Bliss. I have also been mistaken - often - by people who are convinced that I am with some musical group called "Blues Traveller". I tell them, no...no, I am not.)

The point is that you don't _have_ to wear anything animal-related, or connected to our favorite books, movies or videos; tasteful daily dress is quite acceptable! But as there is a certain degree of cross-over between Anthropomorphic Media and many popular Anime series, you might be surprised at the number of Furfen who will recognize your cosplay character. In fact, two of the best-known publishers of Furry-related comicbooks are also heavy publishers of Manga - these would be Antarctic Press and Radio Comix.

Please remember, though, that there are also Furry Fans who know little or nothing of Anime or Manga - and if the character whom you cosplay is from a story with no furry content _whatsoever_, you might get a lot of very confused looks. After all...it _is_ a "Furry Convention"!

PS - If I take off the hat and undo the band holding together my diminuitive ponytail, I look like I'm cosplaying Benjamin Franklin...

Purchase it from the artist directly?

Some artists who can't attend do send artwork to the Art Show with someone else who is attending. Terrie Smith didn't attend for several years but sent artwork with her husband/agent Glen Wooten.

A few weeks before the convention, the Art Show section of the web site here will have a lists of artists who have made reservations to participate in the Art Show. Those who won't be attending will be indicated as participating via agent. Last year's list can be seen at [http://www.anthrocon.org/artshow/artists].

--
For faster answers to any Art Show question, please e-mail <art.2007@anthrocon.org>. I visit the discussion boards here only a couple of times a week.
--
PeterCat
Anthrocon Art Show Director