One of my favourite things about furry conventions is how quickly the wonderfully ridiculous starts to look normal. Imagine a giant wolf waiting for coffee beside a dragon and someone carrying a bag of crisps. The coffee queue is still a coffee queue. It has simply acquired a much better cast.
The ordinary little moments are a big part of the charm for me as Lucien. All that colour, character and creativity ends up sharing space with lifts, room keys and the question of where everyone wants to eat. A very impressive creature still needs to get from one end of the hotel to the other. There is something lovely about the grand entrance and the mundane errand being the same journey.
It also makes for excellent background comedy. A cheerful animal head appears above a chair. An enormous tail has its own opinion about how much space is available. Somewhere nearby, a completely ordinary conversation continues with a collection of faces that would look entirely at home on a Saturday morning cartoon.
The big convention moments are fun, but I have a soft spot for this everyday silliness too. A room full of people enjoying their characters makes the most ordinary surroundings feel different. I would happily give the imaginary wolf its coffee. It looks as though it has quite a day ahead.
