Bucktown Tiger first feline to win Fursuit Fracas

Bucktown Tiger's fans, who go by the name of Shopwreckers, have reason to celebrate. The piano-playing fursuiter has become the first feline to win the Fandom's Favorite Fursuit Fracas, vanquishing opponent Twitch Da Woof in one of the most highly contested finals the competition has witnessed. Both furry musicians were underdogs in their own right, and neither were expected to make it as far as they did.

The Saturday Beat Box

As the weekend came with no clear winner, a hurricane bore down upon the communities of LiveJournal, Fur Affinity, and Twitter; the first two suffering temporary service outages. Lines were drawn in the sand, as both fanbases bore down in their push for more votes from other furs.

I personally witnessed my social box start to fill with friends on both sides of the fence canvassing for their candidate of choice. My vote was set, though, and I mainly kept my head down as both sides made their case; for I wanted everyone's vote to be their own, not born from my views. In the end, I felt that if my candidate was worthy, others should feel the same without my words.

Both Bucktown and Twitch felt the strain. Both had overcome opponents that were supposed to have stopped them. Both had come so far down a long and difficult road, with only a final obstacle remaining. Both started to see how unfair a competition of democracy could be; Bucktown said some were using species as the motivation to vote for Twitch, while Twitch claimed some of those who tried to sign up to vote for him were unsuccessful before the final polls came in, and saw bias on the part of a tournament organizer. You could feel the passion and intensity in both finalists as the final hours ticked by.

Rivals, not enemies

But despite the shortcomings they perceived of voters and tournament-runners, the two underdogs joined together on many occasions during the finals. They both interviewed on the Funday PawPet Show, answering questions as the final week of voting opened.

On Tuesday, Bucktown invited Twitch to co-host the weekly show he runs for his fans on UStream. Of Bucktown, Twitch said:

He was nothing but a good sport and earned why he made it so far along with one of the tightest freaking battles in the FFFF.

Bucktown also talked of the great fortune that both finalists were dedicated musicians, mentioning that he was happy to have a fellow performer in the finals. He hoped that the event would truly increase people's appreciation for the musical arts in the fandom.

What comes next?

Both contestants walked away knowing they have brought attention to the music world in the furry fandom, and a greater appreciation for the need for friendship amongst competing rivals. In the end, though, there could be only one winner.

Bucktown has yet to speak extensively of his victory, saying only that will make a full statement on his weekly UStream show. He has invited all - including those who voted for Twitch - to watch him this Tuesday evening as he gives his piece on the tournament results.

In hopes of giving others a chance to shine, Twitch had announced his retirement from the fursuit tournament, taking this as a message to focus on his music and his works for his fans:

All said, I'm making this my last year competing. I beat a lot of people that deserved a spotlight and a chance to shine, and with all the people that came out of the woodwork to tell me they're a fan of mine and supporting me? I can comfortably say I'm happy where I'm at and I feel like I'd be very unfair by continuing to run in the tourney. I want to see some more awesome performers come out and more than happy to step aside to give the FFFF spotlight to someone who can perform their ass off. Hope to see Clementine and Doryuu push their way to the top!