Bloom Con

Tyrone eyed the convention center, wearing an expression on his face that translated to anything but excited. His boyfriend, Alfie, on the other hand, had been waiting for this event since last year.

 “You can drop us off across the street right there, Abuelita,” Alfie told his grandmother as they reached their destination.

“Have fun, Alfonso! You’ll be home for dinner, right? I’m making my famous pozole,” she responded, slowing the car down.

“We’ll be done after seven, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

The boys waved to her as she drove off, mentally preparing themselves for the day ahead. Alfie strutted across the street with excitement, while Tyrone trudged along, questioning everything.

As they got closer to the convention center, Tyrone grew more and more uncomfortable, noticing everyone’s strange outfits and complete lack of spatial awareness.

People were stopped every couple of feet, posing for pictures and talking about things that Tyrone couldn’t possibly begin to understand—or want to, for that matter. 

Getting up to the front of the line, Alfie greeted the woman at the booth, receiving his badge for the weekend, as well as the one he bought for his boyfriend. 

Tyrone was beginning to regret agreeing to this, but he wanted to be there for Alfie.

“So, what exactly is going on here?” Tyrone inquired, examining his badge to find a tiny flower stamp next to his name.

“Welcome to Bloom Con!” Alfie cheered, waving to similarly dressed strangers.

“Yeah, what is Bloom Con? What’s with the whole getup? Why are you covered in daisies?”

“I’m part of the Daisy Bunch.”

“What now?”

“I’m dressed as my daisy florasona,” Alfie explained.

“Florasona?” Tyrone echoed.

“My flower persona.”

“Start from the beginning, please.”

“Bloom Con is an annual convention for petalphiles.”

“Excuse me?”

“Petalphiles.”

“That can’t seriously be what you call yourselves.”

“What’s wrong? We’re all petalphiles here,” Alfie shouted, gesturing to the crowds of people hurrying inside of the exhibit hall dressed as different types of flowers.

“What? I can’t be the only one realizing how wrong that name is?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Fine, we’ll play this game. What is a… uh…”

“Petalphile?”

“Yeah, that.”

“A petalphile is someone with a strong interest in anthropomorphic flowers. Anthropomorphic means that the flowers have human traits, characteristics, emotions, and intentions.”

“I know what anthropomorphic means, I play Animal Crossing. I just didn’t realize it also could apply to flowers.”

“Yeah, anything non-human. Animals, objects, plants,” Alfie continued. “We have Bloom Con so that the petalphiles can come together and dress up as their florasona and feel accepted in each other’s presence.”

“Is this at all sexual, because I don’t know how I feel about my boyfriend dressing up like a flower to bang another flower?”

“For some, it can be sexual. That’s not the main focus for me. I just appreciate the flora of the world.”

“So, in a way, you’re kind of like furries, but with plants?” Tyrone questioned.

“Don’t you dare compare us to them!”

“Alfie, there’s nothing wrong with furries.”

“They think they’re so much better than us because they are more well-known and everyone thinks animals are cute. Plant-life can be adorable too!”

“Alfie, you’re raising your voice.”

“My apologies. I just get very heated whenever that discussion comes up. But yes, we are somewhat like furries.”

“Well, that sounds like an interesting hobby to have.”

“It’s not just a hobby, it’s a way of life! You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then help me understand. You said you’re part of the Daisy Bunch or something? What does that exactly mean?”

Alfie’s eyes lit up in response to his boyfriend’s question. It truly seemed as though he wanted to learn about the community, save for a few jokes and laughs. 

He started by explaining to Tyrone that you were able to choose which group your florasona belonged to. Whichever flower you believed spoke to you from the heart would place you with your chosen family. 

Alfie was with the Daisy Bunch, but he explained that there were many others: the Sunflower Squad, the Tulip Patch, the Rose Buds, the Blossom Bros, the Gardenia Gals, and many more. New groups seemed to emerge every year, due to the slightest increase in popularity over time.

Throughout the year, when it wasn’t convention time, members would chat in online communities dedicated to petalphiles. Fanfiction and fanart of florasonas would be one of the many ways to maintain excitement during the Bloom Con offseason.

Every so often, there would be local meetups that Alfie would sneak off to attend, bringing together flower lovers to dress up and discuss their obsession with lesser numbers. 

With all that being said, everyone still looked most forward to the main event, Bloom Con. Bringing petalphiles from around the world into one spot for a weekend, strutting around in their florasona and sharing their works with the world. 

Flower breeders were in attendance, fully aware of the demographic, as well as highly regarded sculptors and artists who were known for their botany related works.

Tyrone tried listening to Alfie’s explanation of the whole thing with open ears, but inside he couldn’t help but giggle. The idea of all of this being some sort of fandom that his boyfriend was a part of was too hilarious to him. 

He and Alfie had been together for a little over a year, meaning that early into their relationship, when they were still getting to know each other, Alfie had gone off to this convention and acted as if nothing happened.

Alfie finally told Tyrone a few months ago, when the tickets for Bloom Con went on sale. He thought Alfie was joking about this sort of thing and brushed it off, but his boyfriend insisted and offered to buy his ticket, and so the story goes.

After grabbing lunch at the noodle house down the street, they returned to the convention, finding the main conference room. Everyone gathered around, seated before a large stage decked out with floral arrangements.

The different types of flowers appeared to be seated together, easily finding a spot for Tyrone and Alfie. Searching the room, Tyrone concluded that he was the one person in the building not dressed up as a flower, making sense of all of the strange looks he was getting.

He watched as everyone shared compliments about each other’s florasona and passed around notebooks to sign, as well as disposable cameras to commemorate the occasion. He sat in silence as Alfie talked with the rest of the Daisy Bunch, displaying understated confidence that Tyrone enjoyed witnessing.

He continued to be quiet, choosing not to ruin the moment—Alfie was in his element here, and it was very nice to see.

Soon the lights dimmed down, causing the room to end its chatter. Overproduced pop music began to play over the speakers, as a woman emerged from behind the curtains. 

The crowd went wild at the sight of her, resulting in a standing ovation. Tyrone had no choice but to follow suit, watching his boyfriend cheer this woman on for doing nothing but existing.

With incredible poise, she stopped at the podium at the front of the stage, waving softly at the audience. “Greetings, my fellow petalphiles!”

Another applause sounded from the crowd, this time not including Tyrone. “No one else is hearing it? Really?”

“I am your humble leader, Drew Magnolia—founder and creator of the fabulous Bloom Con. But I’m sure you all knew that. How is everyone doing on this glorious day?”

More cheering and applause filled the room, and Tyrone was already sick of it. He figured this woman could proclaim that pineapple belongs on pizza and the crowd would agree, despite it definitely not being the truth.

“Bloom Con came to me at such a young age—yes, I know, I’m still pretty young,” Drew giggled, receiving similar giggles from the audience.

“You doing alright?” Alfie whispered to Tyrone, noticing that he hadn’t physically reacted to any of Drew’s nonsense.

“Uh-huh,” he lied.

 “I was just a girl in my mother’s garden picking flowers and using them as my dollies,” Drew continued. “I know, embarrassing, but it helped me realize that plants could be more than just plants. They could be our friends, they could be our lovers, they could be us. When I created my first florasona on the web, I wasn’t sure how the world would react. Yet, here I am standing before a room full of flower fanatics who have helped to increase the petalphile fandom and give us the space that we deserve. Bloom Con would be nothing without the lot of you. Give yourselves a hand.”

Once again, the audience did as she said, giving all of their energy to this one woman. Tyrone decided to join in, realizing that this was a good time to participate so that Alfie wouldn’t get upset with him.

As the applause calmed down, Drew stepped over to the side. “And now, if you’ll take your seats for the cross-pollination ceremony.”

“What now?” Tyrone asked, with genuine concern.

“Cross-pollination, that’s when-”

“It’s when flowers do the nasty, I’m aware of that. Am I about to watch two people get it on in their flower suits?”

“The cross-pollination ceremony is a performance, selecting one member from each floral group to do an interpretive dance with the others, symbolizing the coming together of the different flora as one,” Alfie elucidated.

“It’s honestly quite remarkable,” some random girl next to them chimed in.

Tyrone kept quiet for another second, hoping that this next part wouldn’t be as bad as it sounds. 

It started off very nicely. The performance began with a gorgeous piano score and a stunning lighting configuration, with the dancers coming in not too long after. One by one, the different groups of flowers took the stage to be represented. 

As nice as it was to be so inclusive, the stage was rather crowded. The dancers were mere inches apart from each other, trying to stay in rhythm. 

Then it got worse.

A line of florasonas soon took to the floor, opening their legs wide toward the audience. The remaining group selected a flower on the ground, completing the suggestive formation. As the music picked up, they began gyrating parts of their body, making Tyrone extremely uncomfortable, and causing him to jump up and head for the exit.

“Tyrone!” Alfie called, chasing after his boyfriend. “Tyrone, wait up!”

“What the hell was that?” He inquired, stopping in a nearby hall.

“That was the cross-pollination cer-

“I know what it is, Alfie. I just don’t understand all of this. I tried, I really tried.”

“Well, you didn’t try hard enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We always have to do stuff that you like. Whenever one of those boring superhero movies comes out, I’m right there with you opening night. If you’d rather go to laser tag than karaoke night, I’m always right by your side. And you know why? It’s because I love you and care about you and want to support the things you like,” Alfie sobbed. “I’m just asking you to try and be there for me this one time. Just this one time—for this thing that is super important to me. If you can’t do that, then there’s the door.”

Tyrone was silent, knowing that anything he’d say next would be said in anger. There was no use in making things worse than they already were.

Alfie took Tyrone’s lack of a response as a way of saying that he didn’t want to be here to support him, so he told him that he would be in the main conference room if he ever changes his mind. 

Watching him walk away, Tyrone felt like the most horrible boyfriend in existence. He wandered the halls trying to find the correct words to use for when he saw Alfie again, but even he didn’t know if he’d be able to face him.

Continuing his aimless stroll, he caught a familiar scent that he hoped he wasn’t hallucinating. He followed the smell, stumbling upon a group of flower-headed stoners, leaning against a wall. The scent, of course, was Tyrone’s very good friend, cannabis.

He received a welcoming gesture from the pair of women sitting near the end. “Good tidings, friend!”

“Mind if I get some of that?” Tyrone asked, taking a seat next to them.

“No problem,” the first woman spoke up, dreadlocks trailing behind her. “I’m Stevie, and this is Kenna.”

“Welcome to our sanctuary, man,” Kenna greeted.

“I’m so glad to find you guys. I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t take that strange ritual.”

“Oh, we missed the cross-pollination ceremony?” Stevie asked, looking visibly confused. “What time is it? How long have we been out here?”

“I don’t know, dude. I’m having a hard time remembering where I am right now,” Kenna chuckled, focusing her attention back on Tyrone. “So what’s your story? Who are you?”

“My name is Tyrone,” he responded, taking a puff. “I’m here at this stupid flower convention because Alfie—my boyfriend—wanted to come and then we got in a big fight because he says that I don’t like to do things that he wants to do.”

“Well, is that true? Do you not like to do things that Alfie likes to do?” Stevie interrogated.

“I mean, if I think about it, we do end up going to the places that I like more often.”

“Relationships are meant to be equal. Do you think it’s fair to Alfie that your activities gain favor over his? That doesn’t sound equal to me.”

“I guess you’re right,” Tyrone admitted. “But I’m here, isn’t that something?”

“Are you having fun?” Kenna asked, lighting up another one. 

“I’m doing my best. It’s just all very weird and new to me. I’ve never really seen this side of him before.”

“Does it turn you off to see this side of him?”

“The opposite, actually. I like to see him happy and enjoying himself. I like knowing that he has something that makes him feel safe and confident.”

“Then you should tell him that,” Stevie said to him, passing the joint around.

“And you should really give Bloom Con another chance. It’s much cooler than you’d think,” Kenna added. “The first time Stevie dragged me here, I hated it, but over the years, I grew to love this community. Now I’m a petalphile.”

“Y’all should really consider changing that name.”

“Regardless, it’s important for you to see things from Alfie’s perspective. It’ll help make things clearer and lead to success between you guys.”

“Wow, you two seem to have such a successful relationship,” Tyrone commented. “Goals.”

“Oh, we’re not together in a romantic way,” Kenna clarified. “We’re life partners destined to be there for each other in a platonic manner. Sure, we’ve crossed the line a few times, but we know we’ve always got each other for support when it matters. She’s my person and I’m hers, ya know?”

Finishing one last puff, Tyrone bid them farewell, seeking out where Alfie had run off to.

He entered the main conference room, noticing the performance was over and the stage was unoccupied. Gazing around, Tyrone could see that all of the groups were still loitering about in the room, lost in their discussions.

Without a second thought, Tyrone leaped on stage and headed toward the podium. He grabbed the microphone, taking a deep breath.

“Uh, hi. I’m Tyrone.”

He could see Alfie turn away from his conversation, almost dropping his jaw. 

“So, my boyfriend brought me here today to show me this wonderful community that has changed his life, giving him happiness and security, and all day I have been treating him like crap. I’ve been so horrible and rude while he has been so sweet and welcoming,” Tyrone divulged. “Alfie, I’m so sorry for the things I’ve said and for the way I’ve acted in our relationship. I’ve been selfish and I need you to know that I love you. I want to know about your interests and your dreams, and I want to be a part of those things because we’re in this together. You’re my person. Could you ever forgive me?”

The crowd was silent as Alfie ascended the stairs, heading straight for Tyrone. His expression was rather hard to read, keeping the mystery until he got face to face with Tyrone.

“Duh.”

Their lips were soon touching, as they held each other in a soft embrace. Flower petals began to fall around them—because of course, they had several to spare. 

The crowd applauded, as the couple exited the stage, reuniting with the Daisy Bunch.

“Hey, everyone. Tyrone was wondering if he could join us, so I’d like you all to give him a warm Daisy Bunch welcome,” Alfie said to the group, resulting in cheering and unnecessary hugging. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a cosplay, so we were hoping y’all could spare some parts.”

“Yes, cover me in daisies!” Tyrone chanted, receiving buttons, hairpins, necklaces, and more from the group members. 

As the first day of activities drew to a close, the boys waited for Alfie’s grandmother to pick them up. Alfie was leaning his head on Tyrone’s shoulder as he marveled at all of the cool collectibles he received during the day.

“Did you have fun?” Alfie asked, smiling in the cheesiest of ways.

“I honestly did. I’m so glad you invited me,” Tyrone replied, smiling back. “It was a nice experience. Perhaps, I’ll consider going again next year.”

“Yay! We can do a couple’s cosplay. Those are the best ones.”

“Okay, but we’re not gonna do any of that cross-pollination ritual stuff—at least, not in public.”

“I’m so happy that I got to introduce you to the magic of Bloom Con. Now, you’re officially a pet-”

“Don’t you dare call me that.”

“Right, sorry.”