Morphicon Miscellanea - December 2010 Edition!
Foxx (in a box)
-= That Time of the Year =-
Yep, Winter is here again in Columbus. The snow's blowing, folks are
travelling, and everything's just plain cold. For you thinner furred
among us, there is no better time to use the weather as an excuse to
cuddle up next to your other half. For those with thicker coats, see
you on the snowball field!
-= This Year's Theme - An Interview=-
Just because we're huddled in our homes trying to keep warm doesn't
mean your dedicated staff isn't diligently working on Morphicon 2011.
This month, your publicity fox cornered, *ahem*, sat down with our Con
Chair Jewel and asked a few questions about this year's theme.
- Why Furries in Wonderland?
The movie coming out was definitely a consideration, it adds a bit of
timeliness to the choice. Another factor was that Alice In Wonderland
is an excellent source to mine for inspiration. I think it's important
for a convention theme to be visible to the con attendees. The theme
should manifest itself in many ways throughout the convention. It
should add a noticeable flair to aspects of the convention, things
like decorations, content of performance events, t-shirts, etc. Alice
in Wonderland is a great source for inspiration. There's so many
iconic characters, places, and things from it. Everyone recognizes the
phrase "Off with their heads" and understands the context that it
comes from. In that sense Alice in Wonderland adds a lot of symbols
that we can draw from to communicate the theme to the attendees.
- Hasn't it been done before at other cons?
It has, but that shouldn't stop us from revisiting a good theme.
Besides, we at Morphicon are going to do the theme in our own special
way. Hopefully even better than when it was done in the past! There's
also the issue of the sheer number of conventions now, it's
practically impossible to avoid repeats. I believe the year before we
did Inner City Critters that another nearby convention did Urban Furs.
- Any ideas on what special events (outside the norm) we may have?
Well Morphicon always has the Atomic Battle of Doom, which is a nerf
and foam boffer melee like none other. It's really kind of crazy to
watch, and every year it gets bigger. There's also the free food which
is always popular, and we might do something with an 'unbirthday'
event, but there's nothing set in stone for that yet. We are still
quite a ways out from the convention proper.
- Is there anything else you'd like to add while I have you here?
I would definitely recommend the Spectacle of Doom to anyone who likes
adult humor. It's a bit raunchy, but always a ton of laughs. Trickster
does the writing every year, and I honestly think it only gets better
each time.
I'd also like to point out the charity quiz show that Trickster hosted
last year. We'll be doing that again, and it was a big smash, so I'd
encourage everyone to attend. Even if you don't get selected to play
the audience can participate in the game. Besides, there's nothing
more funny than seeing some poor confused fur try to remember what
species Zig-Zag is.
As a last bit, and we haven't 100% finalized this yet, we should be
having Frozen Oasis as an official convention event in place of the
Friday dance. There's still some scheduling considerations that we
need to figure out, but chances are they'll have the entire Adam's
room (yes the far one near the lobby that nobody can find) for the
party.
-= Tips for Travel =-
Seeing as more than a few of us will be on the move this season, and
don't have a pack of sled dogs living next to us, we would like to
offer a few tips for travelling. Please don't use this as a
comprehensive list, this should just be used as a heads-up. To see a
complete list of recommendations, please see www.TSA.gov if you plan
to fly or www.Ohio.gov for trips by auto.
If travelling by plane, please arrive at the ticket counter at least
90 minutes early. The closer we get to Christmas, the longer the wait
to pass through security. Also, you will need to remove your shoes and
empty your pockets before passing through to the boarding area. If you
plan on bringing a laptop it will need to be separate from other
carry-on baggage. Lastly, you will not be able to bring your own
beverages past the screening area. Bottled water and other
refreshments should be available on the other side.
If travelling by car or truck is more your thing, keep in mind any,
and every, thing can happen. In addition to your usual gear (jack,
properly inflated spare tire, etc), you'll also want to add a nice,
warm blanket to the list. A warm set of sock and waterproof boots
aren't a bad idea if you have the room. A small amount of food and
water is recommended in the event you're in less travelled areas.
Lastly, if you have one, make sure your cell phone is properly
charged.
Hopefully these recommendations will all be unnecessary. In the event
they are not, however, we hope they will help to ensure you and yours
have a safe and happy holiday season.
-= Panels, Here! Get Your Hot Panels! =-
With Morphicon only being a three day event, and with the large number
of panels to choose from, we, your staff, would love to have your
opinion on what you would like to see or attend at this year's con. We
want to make Morphicon 2011 the best we can and, for that, we require
your input. Art and gaming panels will again be present, as will
writing and crafting panels. Spirituality and SIG's are both good
bets, also. The question is, what would you like to see? Give us your
raves and rants for panels past and tell us what you would like to
include if we don't have it already. Until the new website is up and
running, feel free to send your comments and ideas to
Programming[at]Morphicon.org and we'll make sure they get to the
correct Track Head.
-= Frozen Fur Balls Con't =-
We are still working on having a fursuit bowling event. Though we
would like to have it in January, it appears we will be shooting for
sometime in February. A poll will be posted online soon so a date can
be decided and registration will be necessary so we can get an
accurate number for a group rate. Unlike the picnic, this will not be
a free event. That's not to say something special might not be done,
however. Stay tuned for more information or contact
Publicity[at]Morphicon.org if you have any questions or ideas.
-= Still Searching for Artists - Now With Incentives! =-
Woohoo! We're getting art! But a few pictures doth not a conbook make.
As always, we are looking for art for the various publications we put
out and would love to see what you can come up with. Any donated art
will have that artist's name put into a random drawing for a Morphicon
t-shirt from years past! Your contribution will be appreciated and
mentioned, but now you could also get some cool swag! Send any and all
submissions to Publicity[at]Morphicon.org!
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