The con theme was "Swords and Sorcery."

RainFurrest 2015...the final RF, now infamous not only within the fandom, but also with anyone who enjoys a bit of juicy internet subculture drama. When my friend Hazel and I decided to attend RF together for our second consecutive year, we had no idea we'd soon be witnessing furry convention history in the making. And frankly, we had no idea of that at any point during the con, either. Tragically, we saw nothing shocking whatsoever...it was a relatively calm and normal event, as far as furry cons go. While some of the reported 'incidents' from RF'15 are surely exaggerated or completely fabricated, the fact remains that by the end of the con, the relationship between the Seattle Airport Hilton and RainFurrest was damaged enough to ensure the con would not be held at that venue again. And when the Hilton spread the word to other hotels in the area, RF completely ran out of options, as no one was willing to host them. RF'16 was not meant to be...RF'15 was the last hurrah.

A meal fit for a king.

This year, Hazel and I decided to kick things up a notch and get a hotel room. However, we were broke, and the main hotel was not an option. We ended up getting the cheapest, shittiest motel we could find near the Hilton, and sustained ourselves largely on inexpensive groceries. Some of my clearest and fondest memories from the weekend were moments like trying to fall asleep with the bedside table lamp incessantly flickering and buzzing next to me, and making boxed mac n cheese in the motel room, eating it out of the plastic ice bin.

Visits from fursuiters during the art jam were a big highlight.

At this point in time, I still had yet to develop friendships with local Seattle-area furries, so there was no one to hang out or meet up with at this con - it was just Hazel and I, striking out on our own and occasionally having a conversation with some random character or another. I was unaware of any means of getting an “in” to experience RF’s room party culture, which certainly must have contributed to my memory of the convention being pretty tame.

Much of our time was spent at the art jam, drawing (occasionally in other peoples' sketchbooks), making small talk with strangers, and eavesdropping on other groups nearby. I had purchased a VHS-C camcorder the previous year in hopes of reviving my childhood hobby of filming VHS home movies, so I brought it along and caught some snippets of events like the dance competition, the fursuit parade, and a Nerf war.

Man, I could really go for a FurrBurger right now...

Notably, we attended one of the morning Cartoons and Cereal sessions. This felt like a big deal to me because I'd often heard mention of these events back when I would obsessively read other peoples' furry convention reports online as a kid. And here I was, finally spending a morning watching cartoons and enjoying a bowl of cereal in a dimly lit conference room.

This year, I was without a fursuit. I'd sold the fursuit head I made for RF'14 and hadn't gotten around to making a new suit for myself, so this was my first fursuit-free furry event ever. A real tragedy. But it was fun to be on the viewing end of the fursuit parade this time around.

Ultimately, RF'15 was very chill and largely uneventful. We had a good time drawing and people-watching and takin' it easy. Who would've thunk we were actually attending one of the most controversial and legendary events in the fandom's history?

The 7-11 near the hotel was a popular haunt.

RainFurrest 2015 Links

A Letter to our Attendees - The original letter from RF'15 con chair Rex Wolf, announcing the need for a new venue.

Whatever Happened to RainFurrest? - A good write-up on the demise of RF. Includes embedded videos from former con staff explaining what went down.
Con Case Study: RainFurrest 2015 - Another write-up on the convention's downfall.

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