Times Change

[slycat]

Seems like a lot has changed over the 15 odd years I've considered myself part of the furry fandom. In the old days if the Londonfur meets, I used to know pretty much everyone who attended and likewise, most people knew who I was. These days, I don't know the majority of furs who attend the Londonfur meets and even if I put on a conbadge, the only people who know me at meets are those from times of old. I suppose what I have to realise is that I'm just not as popular as I used to be. That said, I don't know what I did to gain popularity back in the day but it did seem that even people I hadn't met before had heard of me. I should be content with how things are but I do miss the times when I had lots of people to talk to.

I suppose it's ironic that I know or have known so many people but I could only count a very small number of them to be actual friends who I can chat with freely. I'd really like to have better friendships with the people I know as I suppose it can feel rather lonely at times. I would initiate conversations with folk I used to know but I don't know what to say or why we stopped talking in the first place. Maybe it's something I've done or someone I've associated with that's changed people's opinions of me or maybe people have just moved on.

Anyway, I'm not really sure what the point of this post is, so I'll wrap it up now. But what would be nice would be for people to let me know that they'd still like to keep in contact with me, it'd be nice to get in touch with more people again :)

Comments

[whitepaw.livejournal.com]

I know exactly how you feel (though in my case it's Cambridgefurs instead of Londonfurs, and 5 years instead of 15). I don't know what to talk about, with anyone, old or new.

I'd certainly like to stay in touch!

[rasetsugalford.livejournal.com]

I'm always 'around' in one way or another and I enjoy chatting to you when I can get to meets. People are as inexorable as the tides, whenever there's an ebb, there'll always be a counter-flow somewhere.

That said, I'm glad to keep in contact. I just need a nudge myself once in a while. :)

[slycat.livejournal.com]

It's always a pleasure chatting with you, it just seems meets aren't really the best place as you seem to have your attention pulled at from all directions during meets :P

Don't think I have you on any messengers, would be handy to chat a bit more if you're online :)

[rasetsugalford.livejournal.com]

Being pulled at from all directions?

Yeah, that's me alright... small amount of time, only so much of me to go around! My contact details are all on my profile here on LJ, although it's mainly MSN that I use (Which uses my main email addy too).

Feel free to drop me a line!

[slycat.livejournal.com]

Seems your contact details are absent from your LJ profile and the URL used seems to go to a holding page :P

[rasetsugalford.livejournal.com]

Whoops! shijyou.com is my website, galford@shijyou.com is both my email and MSN. I wondered why no one contacted me these days! :P

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Most people I want to talk to, I am already around outside of meets these days.

[pippinbear.livejournal.com]

I think what you did was be visible online (you had your web site(s) back then, I think?) and, perhaps more importantly, had a fursuit and pictures of it online! Just having fursuit photos on your web site was enough to get you quite a bit of popularity back then (and even now)! Also helps that you're a nice chap ;)

[slycat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I imagine that had something to do with it. Just coming to terms with the fact that I'm now old in the eyes of the furmeets these days. *shakes walking stick*

[keefur.livejournal.com]

I can't keep up with the furs entering the fandom, and I've only been a fur for about three years. My guess is that it is just getting more and more crowded in the Fandom. I know what you need.

*hugs*

[slycat.livejournal.com]

*smiles and hugs* Thanks :)

[krakendwaggin.livejournal.com]

I'd always want to keep in contact with you!

It's been quite some time since I was in Southampton and all that jazz, I still see you as a friend!

Having been in the fandom 12/13 years, I do feel out of sync with meets, especially the Manchester meets or just general Northern Fur ones and these days being here in Germany has halted that, people do seem to know but but again it's only the guys I remember from the times I used to attend, I'll get the VERY occasional 'oh it's -you-' but even then the majority of folks don't remember me until I break out the art book *facepalms*

Also I sympathize with you feeling lonely, I get it alot here, I live with the people I work with, hardly any furries around, tends to end up me and my internet most of the time.

But yes sliding back onto topic, I for one would like to keep in contact and perhaps get to know you better!

[slycat.livejournal.com]

It's great seeing you when I can but that seems to be somewhat restricted to conventions you attend as you're in Germany now. Are you planning to stay there or look for work back in England sometime in the future?

[krakendwaggin.livejournal.com]

Hopefully I want to move back to the UK at some point and look for work back there, it's just finding a place to live, if I had that I'd come back in a flash!

[slycat.livejournal.com]

I can imagine trying to get work in another country would be difficult as you can't exactly just go for an interview. Though I imagine some would do a telephone interview if your application got that far.

[krakendwaggin.livejournal.com]

That's my problem in a nutshell!

[shep-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I'm still very much around, although I don't bother with furmeets any more, as like yourself, I don't know most of the attendees nowadays and most of them don't know me. One to one visits and small gatherings are more my thing nowadays :)

[slycat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I prefer smaller, more personal gatherings too. Sadly, I've lost contact with many of the people I used to know from times of old

[shep-shepherd.livejournal.com]

So have I. I hope to meet up with most of them again one day.

[pegla.livejournal.com]

We only met once, at MMD, but by all means, feel free to drop a line.

[slycat.livejournal.com]

I had heard of you before through Skunki many years ago but I never really chatted with you until MMD. I was happy I did as you're a great guy. Just a shame we hadn't been friends sooner :) Am looking forward to seeing you again at CFz and EF :)

Where can I chat to you online anyway? I've never seen you about :P

[pegla.livejournal.com]

I added you on aim and skype :)

Cheers!

[hrrunka]

I've been to a couple of LF meets this year, and had reasonable chats with a dozen or more folk, but most of the folk at them are unfamiliar. Not entirely surprising, as the previous meet I'd been to was in 2010. Mostly meets make me feel old..

[slycat.livejournal.com]

It's weird that back in the day, I used to be one of the young ones but now I'm one of the older furs. I don't go to meets anything like as frequently as I used to. Can't afford to anyway! It's always nice to meet up with old friends though :)

[hrrunka]

They're not (apart from the bar prices) that expensive for me, but they do seem to clash with other events more often than not, for some reason. I might be able to make the one in May...

[giro-batol.livejournal.com]

It happened to me in Anime Fandom, i think what happens is as the fandom increases you can't be friends with everyone and then people start fragmenting into more specific interest groups

[eldabion.livejournal.com]

I've been saying exactly the same thing for a while. Much as it saddens me, I do think that (specifically) London meets are moving on an it is not the same beast that we remembered. The sheer size alone makes it difficult I think to have the same community feel.

It doesn't help that we are older and... more battle scarred than we used to be. I just had a wonderful weekend with a couple of old timers but generally I actually feel a bit cagey at London meets these days.

So yes, keep in touch! Us grey muzzles need to stick together. In was even thinking that we should have a "blast from the past" at the ye old London at some point.

[shep-shepherd.livejournal.com]

A greymuzzle meet sounds like a great idea :)