Recently I received some lovely new art from  MetricVoid. So, I've given my profiles a slight update by using the art as my new FA and Telegram icon.

https://twitter.com/MetricVoid/stat.....06713676570625

The COC update that FA is promoting has me a little concerned. They seem to be taking a selective approach to identifying offensive content. Doesn't affect me directly as I'm not affiliated with any of the enumerated groups, but the enumeration path is really difficult to successfully pull off. In addition to banned "symbols" in works, simply identifying with one of the listed groups is grounds for a ban. It all feels very subjective which detracts from the perceived legitimacy of the policy.

I guess it boils down to this... Will  Tilt_Longtail have to censor Brer Fox's boxers?
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4438110/

I have a few cards left that need homes! If you'd like a little Christmas cheer in your mailbox, PM (or telegram) me your address!

First new post in a while.

FWA 2017 Photos: Uploaded all of them to Flickr right after the con. Been slacking off on uploaded enhanced version to FA.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnw.....57679218497713

Also, I am reachable via Telegram now. johnwallaby

Dear Journal Reader(s),

Sorry that I have been consistently inconsistent with activity on FA. I recently posted a few photo highlights from FWA to my gallery, eventually I'll get the lot uploaded to Flickr. Aside from con photos, my uploads/journals/etc have been kinda sparse.

So, I'm wondering what y'all would like to see here.

My characters doing silly things? Or boring things? A tease?

Reposts of commissions?

Photos of the mascots I've performed? Of other people's characters?

Another edition of the "Whatever-Art-U-Care-To-Sell-Me" spree?

Leave your opinions, suggestions, or whatever in the comments.

Much love,
John Wallaby

PS: No, I'm not on Telegram.

Had a great time last weekend and look forward to returning next year. In the meantime, the uploading of my Megaplex photos is currently underway!

As usual, nearly every photo (I leave out the blurry smears) will be uploaded to Flickr at their full 18MP resolution. A featured selection of these photos will also be posted on FA.

Upload progress: COMPLETE!!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnw.....57656362838209

Megaplex is less than a week away, so exciting! Most of what's below is recycled from last year.

Staying at:
Marriott Orlando Airport

How are you traveling?
By car (ATL-MCO), with  rawrjesse as co-pilot

What days are you there?
Thursday (afternoon) - Monday (morning)

Who are you rooming with?
Brace Bear

How is the best way to find you?
Call/txt: 678-HEY-TAIL; Twitter: @johnwallaby;

What do you look like?
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11547246/

What is your gender? Are you mated/in a relationship?
Male. Single ladies may inquire.

Can I talk to you?
Sure! If in fursuit, I’ll reply in pantomime.

Can I hug and/or snuggle you?
Whilst in fursuit, sure! (Just keep it family-friendly) Out of fursuit, I may counter with a pawshake.

Are you fursuiting? Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
Yep! My fursona suit. Planning to bring Winston as well, he hasn't been out in a loooong time.

Can I ask ya to dance with me during the dances?
If I'm in fursuit, heck yeah!

Can I try on your suit?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call out! If I’m in suit, address me from the front for best results.

Can I buy you drinks? Do you attend parties?
I’m not much of a booze drinker, but I’ll occasionally attend a party if someone I know is going.

Can I take your picture?
In fursuit, YES. Out of fursuit, meh.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Have a great time!

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

A year ago, I offered up $25 for whatever art y'all offered to sell me. It was really neat to see what last year's contestants came up with, so I'm gonna do a sequel!

UPDATE: After 22 hours, all five slots have been filled!

What you get:
$25 up-front via PayPal, Amazon giftcard, or in cash at FWA.

What I get:
A creative work featuring me in some fashion. Artistic freedom, yo. (Honestly, I don't know what I want... surprise me!)

Ref sheet: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7224498/
Fursuit: http://www.dragonscales.com/gallery.....&pid=31834

Eligibility:
Five slots. Available to anyone who did not participate in last year's event. (Trying to mix it up)

Da Rules:
* Must comment on this post to enter. One slot per artist.
* Work must feature me in some fashion within a G-PG13 rating.
* I'm straight and single. Either can be used for a punchline or innuendo, just keep it tasteful and within the rating.
* Works should be completed no later than Megaplex (Late July)
* $25 is the name of the game. No nickels nor dimes.

2014 participants:
1. Kittybird http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13194347/
2. Hollyfox http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13157682/
3. Lu-Man (Written) http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13313373/
4. Tatumunky86 (FA account closed... remind me to re-upload later)
5. ClaireFoxx http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13234930/

2015 Participants:
1.  No_9
2.  Evian
3.  Chronolatrous
4.  Fuchsia
5.  RAWRZTASTIC

Comment below! That's all folks!

Another DragonCon over. 62,000 registered attendees!

Preparations for DragonCon 2015 are already underway as everyone scrambles to lock-in hotel rooms for next year.

Had a great time hanging out with  aikenwolf and meeting up with as many of y'all as I could. Saturday night furmeet had a good turnout and look forward to seeing the photos that came out of it.

I intend to write more in a future LJ post. For now, enjoy photos from DragonCon 2014:

Parade (100% uploaded):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12574.....7647174257555/

Around the con (100% uploaded):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12574.....7646593799757/

ERMAGERD IZ DRAGERNKERN!

Same 'ol con, now asterisk-free!

I'll be staying at the Aloft (former Days Inn), along with  aikenwolf. Hope to meet up with lots of peeps, do some fursuiting, and of course see some great panels.

Phone: 678-HEY-TAIL; Twitter: johnwallaby
Cell towers are notoriously clogged with data traffic during the con weekend. If you need to reach me quickly, CALL. Texts/IM will be replied to whenever they happen to arrive... which could be a while.

DragonCon app friend codes (if all three are used, comment for more): 671-578 847-762 966-616

Hope to see y'all there!

I have a lot more usable photos this year than last. (New camera worked much better with the hotel lighting) So, I'm introducing a two-tier system: Nearly everything gets uploaded to Flickr, and selected highlights get featured on FA.

Keep an eye on your submissions feed for highlights, or you can simply dive in:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/12574.....7646077589423/

Most of the photos have a CC-license, allowing you to re-upload photos yourself if you like. Look for the download icon for original-size (18.2MP) images.

Con writeup coming soon!

Stolen from... my journal post from last year.

Staying at:
Con Hotel - Orlando Airport Marriott.

Who are you rooming with?
A hitchhiker named rawrjesse

How are you traveling?
By Car (ATL-MCO)

What day are you getting there?
In time for bowling.

How is the best way to find you?
Call/txt: 678-HEY-TAIL; Twitter: @johnwallaby;

Are there any panels you might be attending?
I’ll figure that out when I get there.

What do you look like?
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11527274/

What is your gender?
Male

Are you mated/in a relationship?
Nope. Single ladies may inquire.

Can I talk to you?
Sure! If in fursuit, I’ll reply in pantomime.

Can I hug and/or snuggle you?
Hugs are welcomed. Snuggles are by invitation only.

Can I hang out in your room?
Ask. Will engage LTE hotspot at various times during the weekend. (To feed my internet addiction) Those who ask nicely may join in.

Are you fursuiting? Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
Yep! My fursona suit.

Can I try on your suit?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call out. If I’m in suit, address me from the front for best results.

Can I ask ya to dance with me during the dances?
Sure, why not.

Can I buy you drinks? Do you attend parties?
I’m not much of a booze drinker, but I’ll occasionally attend a party if someone I know is going.

Can I take your picture?
In fursuit, YES. Out of fursuit, meh.

What/where will you be eating?
Somewhere. Have car, will forage.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Have as good of a time as last year

Gonna finally see The Lion King at The Fox tonight!!!!! :3

Team at work did a smashing job on a recent project and we all got bonuses. I never count bonuses in my budgeting and thus all outstanding notes are well taken care of without it.

So, what's a cat to do with this cash?

Travel? Q1 was a crazy train of travel. Chicago, San Jose, Mexico. I'd rather spend Q2 at home.
Entertainment? Got tickets to TLK for my birthday. What more entertainment could a lion possibly want?
Gadgets? Galaxy S5 would be a worthy upgrade over my S2, but that still leaves money on the table. D:

An idea!

I'm gonna offer 5 commissions (first come, first served): $25 up-front for whatever the heck you care to sell me!

Not limited to graphic art: It can be graphical, digital, physical, vocal, written, flash, etc. Make what you want!

How to enter:
Post a comment below! Mention what kind of art you intend to create (don't need specifics) and how I should contact you. I should have a reply to you within 24 hours.

Questions and clarification requests are gladly accepted.

Helpful things:
Ref sheet
Fursuit photos @ Furshoot

Some rules:
* Must feature me in some fashion. (Example: visually in graphic art, by name in non-visual media)
* G-PG13 rating. No nudity, sex, gore, or vore. Subtle innuendo is acceptable.
* I'm straight and single. Either can be used as a punchline, so long as the rule isn't broken.
* Work must be created on or after April 6, 2014. Delivery is expected within Q2 2014 (by end of June).
* If the work is to be shipped, additional shipping costs must be declared and approved up-front or it will be assumed to be included in the $25 payout.
* Serious offers only: No stick figure drawings or Yoko Ono vocalists, please.
* Limit one slot per artist during this offer.
* Be creative and have fun!

Slots:
1.  Kittybird
2.  Hollyfox
3.  Lu-Man
4.  Tatumunky86
5.  ClaireFoxx

Slots are now full, but you can still post interest in the comments. Slots may be expanded as bonus money allows.

FWA plans are pretty simple:
Attending on Saturday. Drive & park, breakfast at food court, register, suit up, parade, mingle, de-suit, eat, watch evening programming and/or crash a party. If you want to be part of those plans or me part of yours, hit me up: 678-HEY-TAIL.

Why just Saturday? FWA just hasn't been my style. Namely, I tend to wake up early (when there is very little going on) and I don't care much for booze (the popular alternative to thin programming). So, I show up to make the rounds and go home before my parking meter expires. Maybe FWA will surprise me this year.

Finished another installment of my FC con report. Yes, it is taking me a very long time to get around to writing proper journals. *sigh*
http://j.mp/OCTVZ3

Big long post about my first 24 hours in San Jose is now on LJ. More posts to eventually follow. Comment here or there.

http://j.mp/M3CwHA

I'll be headed to California on Thursday to attend Further Confusion. Hope to see some of y'all there!

Here: http://johnwallaby.livejournal.com/160744.html

TL;DR:
* Didn't get a room for DragonCon 2014
* Considering going to FC

It's late, I'm lazy, so you'll have to go to Livejournal to read it.

http://johnwallaby.livejournal.com/160235.html

Goodbye, DragonCon. Let the PCD begin.

I'm currently sifting through over 500 photos, about 50 of furs, to find the ones worthy of uploading to FA.

Dragon*Con!!!!!!!!!! My ninth attendance in 10 years.


Staying at:
Atlanta Marriott Marquis

How are you traveling?
By Car

What day are you getting there?
Commuting on Thursday (badge pickup), checking in Friday

Who are you rooming with?
Two ladies that offered me cash for crash space.

Who will you be with?
Whomever happens to be on the con floor at the same time I am.

Where will you be? How is the best way to find you?
Somewhere. Call/txt: 678-HEY-TAIL; Twitter: @johnwallaby;

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Stargate, Late^10 Show, OUaT, Pinky and the Brain (Paulsen is back!!!), BDW (Landoooo!), Puppet Slam, etc, etc

What do you look like?
Click my username and you’ll see some examples. ☺

What is your gender? Are you mated/in a relationship?
Male. Single ladies may inquire.

Can I talk to you?
Sure, but introduce yourself first. If in fursuit, I’ll reply in pantomime.

Can I hug and/or snuggle you?
Whilst in fursuit, sure! (Just keep it family-friendly) Out of fursuit, I may counter with a pawshake.

Are you fursuiting? Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
Yep! My fursona suit. Winston will come too if space allows.

Can I try on your suit?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call out. If I’m in suit, address me from the front for best results.

Can I buy you drinks? Do you attend parties?
I’m not much of a booze drinker, but I’ll occasionally attend a party if someone I know is going.

I bought hotspot for the month, may throw mini wifi party.

Can I take your picture?
In fursuit, YES. Out of fursuit, meh.

What/where will you be eating?
I have no idea. I’m open to suggestions.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
To have a damn good time.

X-Posted from Livejournal: http://johnwallaby.livejournal.com/159475.html
Modified from original version to use FA links, rather than LJ.

---

I've been pondering adding another con to my schedule for years. Dragon*Con has long been a staple, but FWA has left me wanting. Back in January, I made the decision to take a chance on  Megaplex. A handful of peeps I knew were attending, the drive was manageable, and I've been a Pawpet fan for about a decade. Well, the weekend has come and gone, and I'm happy to say that Megaplex was well worth it.

How it all went down

Packed up my piles of stuff, including my lion fursuit. (Winston Wolf stayed home) I started my drive down on Thursday morning and arrived in Orlando about 5PM. Rush-hour as I knew it in Atlanta was non-existent, though my use of toll roads may have had something to do with it. (Racked up ~$6.50 in tolls... $%#@!) Check-in was easy and I was settled in by the time con registration opened.

The only programming on Thursday night was fursuit bowling at a nearby alley. I was surprised by how many furs were there, given the con hadn't even officially started. The start of the bowling event was kinda chaotic, I had no idea which lanes had open spots. In the end, I met a number of new faces and bowled two games, one in and one out of suit.

Friday morning, I saved the con schedule to my phone. I was very happy to see that various things (reg, game room, headless lounge) were open at 9AM. I spent a while playing Super Smash Bros in the game room until opening ceremonies started. After that, went out to lunch. (Major kudos to the Megaplex staff for building in designated lunch periods!)

Next up was Meet the GoHs. I had already seen  foxamoore and  cerberus (Tirrel) on the prior week's Pawpet show and they were just as entertaining in person. Spent some time wandering in and out of panels. I suited up around 5 and stayed in suit for quite a while.

 thegreatfaboo came down at 7 and we strolled in fursuit together around the con floor. We made an interesting pair, two BC4C lions... one very old-school and one very... sparkly, pink, purple, and, uh, fabulous. My suits aren't talkers, so I had to restrain a chuckle at the various ways he introduced himself and I. ("...and this is John Wallaby, my brother from another father...")

Got out of suit, ate something, and finished the night with Kage's Story Hour. The remainder of the evening was spent to myself taking it easy.

Saturday morning, I got up and made a trip to Walgreens to pick up some supplies. Came back, made some hotel-room oatmeal, and suited up for the parade. Took a break, then came back out for the sock hop dance. I brought along Winston's red sneakers, which worked brilliantly. The lower BPM of the 50s/60s songs jived well with my performing style and the sneakers let me pull off some old-school mascot footwork.

Out of suit again, I saw the tail-end of the Japanese Game Show experience. It was really over-the-top and it was awesome. What followed was a blockbuster pairing of "Fosgate: Ferret Loan Officer" and Fox Amoore's concert. I wasn't sure what to expect of Fosgate, but it turned out to be a very well-done play (think "Merchant of Venice", but more furry).

Fox Amoore and his hastily-assembled band put on a great show. (The relative lack of techno was very much welcome) After the show, he, JR, Rhubarb, and Kage gathered around the hallway piano. They, along with us in a hallway mob (including Kage's parents!), sang along to a number of classics, some I knew by heart. On occasion, Kage would halt the merriment for Simba to pass around a Jimmy John's box full of cash. (It was a fundraiser for CARE) I think I dumped about $32 in there, and the pot totaled over $200 at the end. I took a picture of the scene, which got retweeted. (Look ma, I'm trending!) KP showed up and we all sang Lawrence Welk's "Goodnight". My tweet then described it as "magic," and I still think that was a very accurate description.

Went to sleep and so, moved into Sunday. The fursuit games were scheduled for the morning. I went out there and played marbles, slid through a hula hoop, and did the limbo. I managed to get pretty far through musical chairs before finding myself without a seat. When the music stopped for the last time, I knew I was out as the gap between chairs had grown huge. I then "sold it" as best as I could for comedic effect.

Faboo and  Wildmark had shown up and we left the games together to get a  Bycats4cats group photo.  Nbowa tagged along too. The totem pole pose came out great... except that our tower was too tall for the backdrop. And after the pyramid pose, I suspect that Faboo has enjoyed a few too many macaroons. I ended up buying a print of our simple group shot which I might get around to framing.
(Todo: Insert link to Furshoot photos once they are published)

CARE had brought in some of their animals. It was quite funny to see a small raccoon climbing over KP. Next was Brace Bear's puppetry workshop. I learned a bit about proper technique. I was surprised when he pulled out a puppet and had me do a duet with him. I'll see about bring my puppets to Dragon*Con to get some additional practice through their puppet track. After the panel, it dawned on me that I hadn't seen Santa Fox at all.

The con was officially wrapped up with a live version of the Funday Pawpet Show and closing ceremonies. Seeing FPS in person was a big draw for me. It may not be Yappy's living room, but it's close enough for me to cross it off the bucket list. The con & hotel staff did a great job at making the weekend wonderful.

Later that night, there was a reprise of the fursuit parade. It was a neat last-minute addition and fun to interact with so many other suiters (though less than Saturday) in the staging area. Mystery Otter was showing off his feesh and I decided to sample it. He wasn't too happy about a lion gobbling his most prized possession. :P

Monday morning came and so it was time to go. I made a detour to Downtown Disney, this time remembering to tell Google Navigation to avoid the tolls. DD made for a change of pace and an opportunity to collect some souvenirs for the family. The added stop resulted in me arriving home quite late, but I got back safe.

Thoughts

I had an awesome time. Plain and simple. I was wowed in ways that FWA hasn't done for me since '07. Megaplex 2014 is pretty much a shoe-in. In time, it may get a budget to rival Dragon*Con.

Fursuiting was a challenge as I only brought one fursuit. I've done rapid-turnaround before, but never to this extent. Lysol and Anti-microbial Febreeze kept funk mostly in check, but by Sunday night, Mr. Wallaby was in dire need of a good washing. Bringing Winston next year would might be a good idea, if not to give  wildbilltx something else to take pictures of.

I noticed that Megaplex had rather limited puppet-related programming for a con that formed around a puppet show. I really did appreciate Brace Bear's workshop. I knew I was doing things wrong before, and now I know why. Any con that I can learn something from is a good con.

Next year, I need to work on being more outgoing with folks. I had hallway conversations with  Kirron and  roko, but missed other opportunities to catch up. Twitter was utterly useless for organizing lunch/dinner meet-ups, so I ended up eating alone. That by itself was a big missed opportunity to chat with the interesting folks I met at the con. Having time to myself is nice, but it's not what I go to cons to do.

The lighting at the hotel was not kind to my digital camera. Shots taken without flash are only usable at thumbnail sizes. Any larger and they reveal themselves to be a disgusting blurry mess. After many years in service, it may be time to retire my battle-tested Canon Powershot A95. The current shortlist includes the Canon SX160 IS (fits my needs and takes AAs) and the Sony DSC-HX10V (fits my wants). Those with opinions are welcome to weigh in.

Megaplex was a wonderful personal and learning experience. Hope to see ya'all there next year!

Megaplex is over, but the memories live on...

I had a fantastic time last weekend. Simply superb.

A proper con report is in the works. In the meantime, I'll be faving and following peeps as I remember them.

Currently going through photos, picking the better ones to post. Lots of the pictures are intolerably blurry or grainy due to me avoiding the use of flash during events. Starting to consider retiring my aging Canon Powershot A95 for something with better low-light and zoom performance. * shrugs *

Anywho, enjoy the trickle of pictures I'm uploading to FA. :)

Stolen from  Wildbilltx

Staying at:
Con Hotel - Orlando Airport Marriott.

How are you traveling?
By Car (ATL-MCO)

What day are you getting there?
Thursday, July 25. Should arrive in time for bowling.

Who are you rooming with?
I have a room fit for a king, and it’s all MINE!

Who will you be with?
Whomever happens to be on the con floor at the same time I am.

Where will you be? How is the best way to find you?
Somewhere. Call/txt: 678-HEY-TAIL; Twitter: @johnwallaby;

Are there any panels you might be attending?
I’ll figure that out when I get there.

What do you look like?
Click my username and you’ll see some examples. ☺

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
Little over a quarter-century

Are you mated/in a relationship?
Nope. Single ladies may inquire.

How tall are you?
5’ 10”

Can I talk to you?
Sure, but introduce yourself first. If in fursuit, I’ll reply in pantomime.

Can I hug and/or snuggle you?
Whilst in fursuit, sure! (Just keep it family-friendly) Out of fursuit, I may counter with a pawshake.

Are you nice?
That’s a question best asked to those whom I’ve already met.

Are you cliquey?
Sometimes I wander with a group if I have nothing else to do.

Are you fursuiting? Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
Yep! My fursona suit. Debating whether or not to bring Winston.

Can I try on your suit?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call out. If I’m in suit, address me from the front for best results.

Can I ask ya to dance with me during the dances?
Sure, why not.

Can I buy you drinks? Do you attend parties?
I’m not much of a booze drinker, but I’ll occasionally attend a party if someone I know is going.

Also may throw a mini wifi party for internet addicts, if interested, contact me.

Can I take your picture?
In fursuit, YES. Out of fursuit, meh.

What/where will you be eating?
I have no idea. I’m open to suggestions.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
First and foremost, to have a good time! It’s my first out-of-state fur con, so I hope I picked a good one! Been a Pawpet fan for almost a decade and it’s about darn time I attended their con.

Finally, a proper home on the web for my 'sona. It isn't much, but theres no place like 127.0.0.1.

http://wallaby.pw/

LJ post with more detail: http://j.mp/145nwwr