I decided after I had my partial done, that I wanted to go out in public with him and interact with random people. But I was a little nervous about it. So I did some research on the do's and don'ts of public fursuiting.
Do's
Always have someone with you; reasoning behind this rule? Because when in suit, you have Very limited vision, so you may not see that random guy sneaking up to tackle you from behind.
Keep your cool, and stay in character. You may have some bozo tugging on your tail, but that doesn't mean you can sock her in the face. Just turn around and give them a scolding, or act like it hurts. Most of the time, kids will respond to the pain act more than the scolding, but with adults, it's reversed.
Stay hydrated. This is a big one. Those suits get up to 110 degrees and will make you sweat a ton! Have someone keep a bottle of water with them, and have a signal for "I need a drink." If you think your getting overheated, please go take a 5 minute break, get out of the head at the very least, and get some water.
Have signals for the people your with: AKA Handlers. Keep in mind, most fursuiters do not talk in character. So it is very important to have hand signals that you both understand, so that you can remain safe. If you need some references, go to youtube and look up "How to be a Fursuit Handler" The quality isn't the best, but you'll get alot out of it. Also look up "Learn fursuit sign language" and watch the first two (Beef Jerky and Damon Husky)
Step Big but Light. This is to avoid punting small children down the aisles of Walmart. It's no fun for the kid, or your feet. And I'm sure you don't want grief from the parents of said kid you just kicked down Aisle 2.
Use BIG gestures and body language. Over-exaggerate your movements. If you're laughing, throw in a good knee slap, and move your whole body with it! If your 'scared', cower and shake, hide behind someone. Over all just make it BIG.
Don'ts
Chase after people. It looks bad, and kind of scary. Especially to small kids, who are going to be your main crowd. Chasing them will make most scream and cry, not to mention the harassment lawsuit you'll get, along with the restraining order and possibly jail time. (This is of course worst case scenario)
Scare kids This kind of ties in with the first one. Growling, chasing, acting like your going to eat them...all bad ways to get hugs or pictures. If you see a kid is scared of you, pretend to be scared back! Hide behind your handler, or play peek-a-boo with them. It isn't a 100% thing, but most of the time, you can at least get a paw shake from them.
Talk if your character doesn't This goes for suiters with static jaws, or who just don't talk. If the character you're portraying doesn't speak, neither should you. unless it's an emergency. That means yelling at the wanker who just smacked your ear, or tugged your tail.
Hopefully this will help a few of you out, and if I get questions or comments i will definitely respond. Please feel free to talk to me! If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to update.
