Well, how's this for a first con tale? I was at MFF the night everything went crazy. It was my first con, and I only knew one person there. While they were busy somewhere else, and I was waiting for them, I grabbed some air. On my way to the back, I saw flashing lights, a couple emergency vehicles. I didn't think much of it, figured someone had partied too hard. I reached the smoking area out back and cooled down. Someone came by and started smoking, saying that it smelled terrible around the 8th floor. We chitchatted a bit before I went back inside. Shortly after, the alarms started going off across the hotel. Everyone was confused at first, but it quickly became apparent something was very wrong as staff started screaming at people to evacuate immediately.
At this point I'm freaking out, trying desperately to get a hold of my friend and make sure he made it out of the building. It's cold and windy outside, maybe below freezing. People in all states of dress are ushered outside, including someone wearing only booty shorts and a harness. People begin huddling together for warmth as the place swarms with emergency vehicles. Being dressed in layers, I take off my coat and cover up a guy in a short sleeve shirt who is cuddled up to other people to warm up. Everyone was looking out for each other and banding together to fight off the cold. Fursuiters were making wind shields to protect people who were underdressed. There was a lot of confusion and anxiety, but people still had a sense of humor. "This is why furries can't have nice things," someone said, and "It wouldn't be a furry convention without something going horribly wrong."
It takes over an hour to locate my friend and meet up with him, due to the hundreds, maybe thousands of people outside. Maybe 45-60 minutes into this, they open up a nearby convention center so they can get people out of the cold. The convention center is holding a dog show, at the time; the jokes wrote themselves.
By this time, I see more emergency vehicles in one place than I've ever seen before. Dozens, easily, including a number of vehicles from nearby towns. No one knew what was going on still, at this point. I'd later hear the nearby airport was shut down due to this incident.
Inside the convention center, the mood lifted as people warmed up. People sat around talking, people brought out food and booze and passed it around as needed, and tried to make the best of it. My friend and I managed to meet up with people he knew, and we confirmed everyone from that circle of people was safe.
It's now been several hours, and we're exhausted. At 3 or 4 in the morning, with the hotel still off-limits, we left for the night.
The whole day at the con was a surreal, overwhelming experience; a sensory overload that I could barely process, for reasons that are deeply personal and I have no interest in sharing. This was just the bizarre capstone to an already strange day. But, to someone closeted, being open about my sexuality and my interests in a welcoming, safe environment felt... well, it felt liberating, and I no longer felt so alone.
I guess, at least, when people ask what my first con was like, I'll have a hell of a story. Certainly, it will be a day I never forget.