Part 1: https://www.weasyl.com/journal/114349/2016-was-my-best-ever-year-3-part-1

I realized that after that, I wanted to start going to conventions. I wanted to get my own Fursuit and get into the Fursuiting scene. I wanted far heavier involvement in the Furry Fandom than I do now. I wanted to open more connections in my local area. I wanted to become famous. I considered a YouTube career and publishing, and eventually cosplay too, and all of these things are in their planning stages right now. But then I was dealt a cruel blow - a rent increase. This destroyed the euphoria that had formed inside me, and led to me withdrawing again. I found myself even more infuriated upon learning a friend was going to an anime con the following day, and my jealousy returned, since I'd felt that he was living out something that I felt had been taken away from me. I was convinced I would end up losing my home, and even attempted to join a friend who himself was having to move home, but this fell through. I spent two weeks unable to connect to the Internet, and during this time, I cleared out my whole house, throwing out a massive amount of clutter that I'd collected over my life. I realized how much useless crap I had in my home, and how much of it reminded me of that piece of shite I used to call a stepfather. In all, I threw out half of all of the possessions I had, leaving only two remnants of my past left - an album he had once given me, and the hard drive from the laptop he used to have. I even chucked out almost my entire hoard of computer hardware, since I would never use any of it or have any chance at selling it, and kept only the hardware I needed. And around the time I was able to get back online, another realization reached me.

April 14th was the day I returned. That was the day I saw that I had missed out on so much in my adult life by closing myself away from the world. And I was not only driven to get myself out there - I was determined to take back everything I had been deprived of. To begin with, my desire to go to anime and Furry conventions was so strong, it was the only thing I was able to think about, and the one thing I yearned for in my life was my very own Fursuit. But I knew none of this would be possible without the income from a job. And ten days later was my big break. That week, I received a letter from the convenience store in the next estate that they had given me the job of Customer Team Member. As well as the wage from the job, I was also in receipt of Working Tax Credit, both of which enabled me to pay my bills and build up my savings each month. With this, I approached CodexWolf CodexWolf and decided to pay her for a Partial Fursuit of Sharp. As of now, I've paid the deposit, although because of the large number of projects she has to get through beforehand, mine hasn't been started yet. But as I always say to any artist who is scared they're taking too long to make their art, good things come to those who wait. And when this Fursuit is completed, I can see it being worth every last penny I paid for it.

Just before starting the job, I discovered a series of anime conventions that ran across the country on a frequent basis, and also heard through Club Culture Live that the Electric Daisy Carnival was coming to my city. I paid for places at both events, and eagerly desired both of them. The days came and went and I saved more and more money, and finally, my first anime con was here. All three days of ths event were truly astounding, and they showed me just what I had been missing, both as an anime fan, and as a Furry to a lesser extent. Even before the first day had come to an end, I knew that going to anime conventions was something I wanted to keep doing no matter what. But the more I witnessed, the more my desire to cosplay came. I had decided not to do it for my first foray, since I wanted to learn more about it, and I found myself wishing I had got started years and years ago. During the first day, I pondered who to cosplay as, and then I made my decision - I'd brought my netbook with me, so I ordered outfits of Spike Spiegel (which later had to be sent back due to being too small) and Nick Wilde. But on the third day, I noticed a couple who were dressed as Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps of Zootopia, and they gave me permission to take a photograph of them. At that moment, I decided I also wanted an outfit of Judy, leading to me ordering one once I returned home. Determined to get into cosplay before the end of the year, I booked my places at another convention in October, and one I will be attending in February.

Soon afterwards, my Facebook page went online, although my YouTube channel still has yet to be launched. I haven't yet got over my stage fright, but I finally gained the courage to upload my convention footage to a public forum. My reason for launching the Facebook account is simply due to my own desire for fame, and my own yearning to have another means of staying in touch with my closest friends. And with this method, I cannot fail. As well as that, I was so sick of there not being any Furry groups in my local area that, instead of waiting for someone else to do it, I chose to launch the group myself that covered not only my own town, but the entire county, and two more surrounding it as well, since these three counties are often linked together and referred to as the Three Counties, especially on radio. Although this group has so far attracted only a minimal amount of attention, I aim to have it become as large as many of the other Furry groups in my country already are, so keep your eyes out.

It proved a different experience at the Electric Daisy Carnival, however. I've been a devoted fan of Trance music since December 2002, and had wanted to attend a Trance concert for many years. But I found it wasn't as enjoyable as the anime convention had been. Namely, I was one of the only people there who wasn't drinking or smoking, and I felt that the other partygoers had come to get as drunk as they could, instead of appreciating the music like I was. Ultimately, it led to my decision not to attend the EDC next year.

However, this slump didn't last, for my next big break came when Saetia Saetia announced just before my second convention that she was selling her red panda Fursuit. It instantly caught my eye, since I could see myself wowing the crowd with it and really relating to the character behind it, so I made a bid for it, which she graciously accepted, even agreeing to give me the character it was of free of charge due to having reached the Grand Final of her writing contest back in 2013. Presently I'm having some foot paws made for it by a friend of mine, and am drawing up plans for how to use the character, so you can expect to see some photos of me showing the Fursuit off in the next few weeks. I hope to do Jinx justice when I start developing her. (I've kept her original name, but Jinx will now be used as her nickname, being given the first name Elizabeth.) Now that I had a Fursuit in my hands, it meant that I could finally live out the fantasy I had dreamed about for so long - go to a Furry convention. I now have a place at next year's Confuzzled, and can hardly wait for the time it takes place to arrive!

At my second convention, I wore my Judy Hopps outfit, and despite having to keep readjusting my wig due to the weight of its braids, I had so much fun there. Sure, it only ran for two days and the venue was smaller, but it was still a blast nonetheless. (I've now replaced the wig and the bunny tail, so hopefully I shouldn't have that problem the next time I wear it.) It surprised me how many people approached me for photographs, and I even found a young lass showing off her Fursuit as well, though I missed an opportunity to have a photo taken with someone who was dressed as Nick Wilde. I attended the classes on the right way to cosplay and stuck around for another one that dealt with the Yakuza, since I felt this would be vital to the stories I intend to write about Sharp about her teenage years, in which she worked for a Yakuza organization with the aim of hunting down and killing the five human Cartel men who murdered her uncle, and also her young cousin when she attempted to stop them. During the ride home, I decided who I would cosplay as next. And I have pondered the possibility of attaining a reputation for crossplaying. Now I just need to work on my acting.

I've also been able to return to writing stories after a long period of time in a slump due to having slipped out of the routine I had set for myself. Now, I'm well on my way to completing the past projects that are the only thing holding me back from opening back up for commissions again. Additionally, I've got my debut novel in its planning stages, and I hope I'll be able to complete it and get it published sometime in 2017, during which time I will look for an artist to make some illustrations for me. With the kind of year I've had, I can see 2017 being my year. I've completely transformed in 2016 - I know exactly what sort of person I am and who I want to be now. Forward the light of my desires - the fire burns within me, torching everything that held me back! Bring on 2017, and may it be everything this year was for me and so much more! <3

BKT