Megaplex '25: House of Pounce

[sertimus]

It's less than a week away! How many of you are going? What are some interesting things you plan on doing at the convention? Or around the general area, even?

I've been an attendee since 2018 when it took place at the DoubleTree by SeaWorld; it's been a life-changing experience for me since, especially considering it's the only furry convention I've been to as a Florida local. Seeing it grow to the point where it found a home at Hyatt Regency Orlando is pretty cool. I think this year I would like to focus even more on the convention experience, as fulfilling as last year's was. There's also a 4DX movie I plan on watching (JAWS) on day 0, but aside from a handful of panels and DD/AA everything else is probably going to be on a whim. X>

[Ribbon]

Thank you for making this topic! We'll be going as it's our local con too. Haven't yet checked the panel schedule as it tends to change day-by-day but we always love the general stuff like the Dealer's Den and the gaming rooms where we got to play stuff like Steel Battalion and Taiko Drum Master that we probably wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. - Finn (fae/she)

[Ribbon]

We're all packed and ready to go! Figured we'd also share the batch of badges we made for the con. We couldn't think of any cartoons to fit the con's theme and instead went with contemporary video game boxarts. - Rachel (she/they)

Dragon Warrior/Quest

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Shining Force

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WCW/NWO Revenge

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DOOM II

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[Sugar Meowth]

Those are some excellent badges!

[sertimus]

We're all packed and ready to go! Figured we'd also share the batch of badges we made for the con. We couldn't think of any cartoons to fit the con's theme and instead went with contemporary video game boxarts. - Rachel (she/they)

Dragon Warrior/Quest

Hidden text.

Shining Force

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WCW/NWO Revenge

Hidden text.

DOOM II

Hidden text.

Those are sweet! Hope you have a good time here~

I got to the hotel no problem, though it was a little late in the day that my standard room wasn't available and had to move to a diff, slightly costlier one. 9v6 And the reg line, whoof..... I had the movie going on yesterday night so I had to pre-emptively exit in order to not miss it, so I'm trying again this morning.

[sertimus]

Hope double-posting is alright to do a follow-up. The convention was awesome as always. I made a visual journal which will eventually be posted in an art thread, but here's the summary!

I got to the hotel rather late on day 0, so of course a lot of the standard Queen rooms got snatched up and I had to pay a slight upcharge for pool view.. Also the line was like, 4 hours long so I ended up saving for next day at the expense of missing the opening ceremonies. I got to have a nice (but pricey) dinner nonetheless and I caught the 4DX JAWS movie which was less than a half-mile away from the hotel. Not a fan of the AI upscaling they did with the original film, but the overall experience was pretty fun.

A photo of a JAWS 50th Anniversary poster underneath a light-up frame advertising the 4DX technology. Photo taken at Regal Orlando Pointe on August 29th, 2025.

Next day.. Oh, and it was my birthday too! I did quite a bit and couldn't be any happier. Went to some meetups (including VRC meetup) and just danced my butt off with DJ Goofy at the Main Stage. Got to meet some new + old friends there too! Got a significant DD/AA haul in one day, too. Day 2 was pretty much more of the same and longing to go to the Grotto Pool but my volatile schedule + inclement weather did not mix well. I also caught the parade, so many cool suiters.. *v*

Photo of the Day 2 fursuit parade at Megaplex 2025.

Day 3... This one was where I wanted to go see Charlie Adler in person at his Q&A session; he's very funny, genuine and kind. I felt like stopping by his booth afterward and ended up getting a Rocko print signed by him since it's the cartoon that comes up the top of my head whenever I think of him. I did watch Tiny Toon Adventures as well, though my exposure to that cartoon has been rather limited despite recognizing his role as Buster Bunny.

Other than that, well, I just played it by ear! I definitely.. Made a lot of responsible decisions in Artist's/Dealer's, haha. Overall pretty good though; was within budget too. I'm a little disappointed in missing out on the sketchbook swap but I did plenty of drawing in the Zoo while Art Jam was going on and then lined up for closing ceremonies about 30 mins before. It's cool seeing how this convention went from a little over a hundred attendees in 2002 to over 10k this year. It goes to show how much the fandom has grown in recent years compared to then.

Photo taken at the closing ceremonies at Megaplex 2025. On the projection screen shows the total number of attendees for the event (10,038).

While I feel like I could've done more panels and it was the 2nd year in a row I've missed the pool I thought this was a pretty good year for Megaplex! The theme is very up my alley too. Might be able to tell with the haul I brought back home, haha. I wish I got to do these events more often! With that said, here's the photos of my haul:

Photo of a majority of merchandise purchased at Megaplex 2025 Dealer's Den and Artist Alley. Some items may include raffle prizes and a badge of Sertimus' own.

A Chao tote bag purchased at the Megaplex 2025 Dealer's Den. Made by Lava Alley.

A Dragonite sticker purchased at the Megaplex 2025 Dealer's Den. Artist unknown (help appreciated).