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What's like after all these years? by Volt Siano

What is it like after all these years?

You may or may not know this, but I’ve been waiting to make a fursuit for about three and a half years now. That’s a fourth of my life, and only about a third of my remembered life. To think that this goal has finally been accomplished is... well, not all that shocking, if I’m honest. I guess it just came on so gradually that my excitement was spread out over the last six months.
I know you’re probably expecting me to say something like, “It’s everything I’d hoped for and more!” Honestly, though, the feeling I have right now doesn’t quite meet the expectations that fourteen-year-old Voltaire had. I think that after waiting for so long I lost a bit of fire for this goal, to the point where I don’t care quite as much about whether or not I have this.

That’s okay though. I met a goal in life; I devoted time, money, and energy to a project, and it’s completed! Surely at least something good has been gained from this. Every now and then, whenever I see the head resting over the bowling pin on my dresser, I grin.

What will I do differently next time?

Throughout the making of Voltaire, I learned a good few things, and I’ll be sure to take them into consideration if I ever make another suit.

  • Cut the fur after it’s on the suit. Doing so beforehand, while being much easier, does not work towards a smooth blending of the fur pieces. Take my left foot paw for example: see all those creases? That happened because I trimmed the fur before gluing it to the foam, whereas the fur on the right foot paw, which I cut after attaching it, looks much better. So, if you see somebody with creases in the fur on his left foot paw, that’s probably me.
  • The eyes need to be larger than I think. It’s clear to see that mine look awkwardly small.
  • Do not trust ventilation to come naturally! I designed the current jaw to remain closed, and even though it’s just foam and fabric, it still traps all the hot and humid air I breath out. That’s definitely one of the things I plan to change—I want to make an open mouth next time; best start my research on tongues and jaw sets.
  • Another thing that won’t come naturally is muzzle shape. The shape I currently have isn’t terrible, but it could be better; if nothing else, I’ll be sure to create a better transition between the muzzle and the face next time.

Any plans?

Sadly, there’s some sort of “No Mask Law” where I live, so anybody sixteen and up isn’t allowed to wear a mask, hood, or other face-covering object in public places. And this is completely understandable, especially in a town as tame as mine. However, I might try wearing it at an upcoming public event; hopefully the law will be a bit more lenient when joyful festivities are going on. Of course, there’s always Halloween, every fursuiter’s favorite holiday (I’d really like to show my youth group, especially if we have another Halloween party). Beyond these, I’m hoping to go to a con someday, though I’m not sure when. I’ve also shown my friend over Skype, which, as told by one of my recent journals, went over quite well!

What's like after all these years?

Volt Siano

Comments

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    Hey guys, just posting this as a little something to tide you over (if you were waiting for my next submission; but if you weren't, that's, y- you know, tha's- that's fine, I guess...).
    Anyways, I do have something in the works, and though motivation has been a bit low as of late, I'll try to finish this piece up as soon as possible. Until then, here's an inspirational song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZVx9m1kh8

  • Link

    I can agree; I've had some projects that took many many hours; I would start out excited to see the end result, but by the time I got there, I was ready to be finished. The pic I was streaming the other day is a good example; I just wanted to be done with it. It still turned out nice, but there are definitely things that could be improved.

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      I'd like to say that as I got near the end, it wasn't that I just wanted it to be done. Rather, I was eager to finally see the end result of all my hard labor. While the excitement I felt wasn't quite as strong as I had hoped it would feel, there was still a certain level of excitement.
      But yeah, there are some things that are finished just for the sake of finishing, with more relief than excitement as an end result. Even so, completing these tasks shows perseverance, something that I personally could use more of.