All-Followers Survey: The 2024/5 Convention Ko-Fi Drive & Destination Pick, plus Choose Harwick's Next Cover Art Story! · 4:15pm March 1st
Here we go again.
For those who are new here: I sometimes manage to attend one convention per year. I've been to BronyCon (the last one), Trotcon, Everfree Northwest, and Galacon. That last one was the result of a public vote, and was only made possible through a lot of tips into my Ko-Fi jar. You've been seeing some of the results from that last trip over multiple blog entries. And because these things need considerable planning, fundraising time, and the maximum amount of possible stress -- I've decided to start all of those going now. Especially the stress.
Once again, we're doing this by public vote. I'm going to link into a freshly-made, hopefully-working Google survey at the end of this blog. Polls will be open until midnight Eastern Standard Time on March 8th. Each person gets to vote once, and there are two major questions to answer.
* Where am I trying to go? (Seven options.)
And, as stated in the title:
* Which story should be the next to receive commissioned cover art from Harwick? (Ten options.)
I am desperately hoping for a 10% voter rate from my follower count, because that? Would be an all-time high. As the non-joke goes, most of you are Americans and notoriously don't vote. I swear I get more people on the fundraising end than on the ballot one.
We'll go over the rules below, along with tackling the usual Never-Asked Questions. And before that happens, I'll list the convention options and explain them. I want everyone to know what they're getting into. Or rather, what they're getting me into.
In my experience, those who do vote go for Maximum Torment.
Them's my readers.
Before we start: I want to call everyone's attention to the slash mark in the blog title and no, it does not mean I'm trying to ship years. There are seven convention options to vote for in this year's survey, and two of them take place in 2025. One of them had to be added to the list now because it's a January gathering: this is the only way it'll ever be on the list. The other would be in May of next year, and needs a lot of both lead time and prep work.
So here are the voting options, listed in the order they appear on the calendar -- along with a few pros and cons for each.
Everfree Northwest: August 23rd through 25th, Seattle/Bellevue
Pros: The largest North American gathering. Since I've been there before, I understand some of the problems involved and can at least try to avoid another 2 a.m. hike through Renton in search of my hotel because ain't no ride services picking up. Ever. There's going to be plenty to do and see at the convention itself, I can stop at Rachel's and get a ginger beer, and maybe the schedule will let me try for a Mariners game.
Cons: Finding food is still an issue. Moving around the area is Buses And Prayer: the prayers don't work and after a certain hour, buses stop running. We are dealing with an area which is no more than 90% hills and goodbye to another pair of shoes. Hotels will be on the expensive side. The volcano might go off. (Look, I didn't set off Etna, but some of you are convinced that I attract disaster. Etna just goes off on its own.)
Mare Fair: September 27 through 29th, Orlando.
Pros: Hey, they made it to Year Two! Arguably my cheapest flight. Hotels won't necessarily be inexpensive, but they are plentiful. I have a friend living cross-state and maybe we can get together. Disney and Universal are right there...
Cons: Florida, Florida, Florida. As a second-year convention, guests, panels, and merch are still somewhat uncertain. As far as attendance goes, I've been told that the first year had heavy 4chan representation: this represents at least a 10% chance of my being murdered and if that's what you're going for, feel free to vote Mare Fair. Very expensive environment. Also -- and I'm being up front about this -- I might try to drive for extra time, because I've never been to the parks. (I passed up a chance when I was six. Why? Sick of flying. I was not a very smart first-grader.) Getting in there might be a pro for me, but I'm not sure if y'all would put up with it.
UK PonyCon: October 5th and 6th, Nottingham
Pros: To paste from last year: once again, gets me out of the country -- and this time, there's no language barrier! (Well, other than that they speak English and I speak Whatever The @$#% American English Is This Week.) Well-established convention: should be plenty going on. Still seeing a new segment of the fandom, and there might be a lot to describe. If finances and schedule permit, I have the option to try for a tourist day in London (where I also haven't been since I was six) or -- and this is very tempting -- beeline for Thirsk. I'm a little overdue on paying my vet bill. And as with the Germany trip, I've got enough British loose change to at least pay for a cheap lunch.
Cons: International travel again, plus I have to reach Nottingham itself: I might need to arrive a day early just to deal with that. The legends say UK hotels are horrible, and the legends probably have at least a little basis-in-fact. What's available in the area? Absolutely no idea. My British accent is not good. (It improves steadily with time spent around actual Brits.) Would be dealing with local laws on what I can and cannot purchase, ship, and bring home. Germany is sort of Anything Goes, but you untangle the UK ratings system. For all I know, the character nudity makes MLP Adults Only.
PonyCon Holland: October 19 and 20th, Zeist
Pros: Welcome to the Netherlands. I'm not sure I need to say much more than that. Another convention that's been running for quite some time. I should be able to navigate the area and there's plenty to both see and do. This area in the middle of autumn... cool, beautiful, and maybe even serene. If I could get an extra day or two...
Cons: But that's when you move away from the convention. Things to do in Zeist? Go to convention. That's it. Only game in town. There's quite a bit of English spoken, but I could hit language barriers. The flight should be booked well in advance in order to avoid being completely screwed, and my initial scouting found too many Do You Enjoy Sleeping In Airports? listings. I can no longer trust Siri for as far as I can throw the tablet and am just hoping not to get mega-lost.
CiderFest: November 1st through 3rd, Milwaukee
Pros: Relatively low-cost flight to an established convention. Attendance is known to be good. Considered to be a professional operation which really knows how to work each year's themes.
Cons: ...so what is there to do in Milwaukee? (Or maybe that's a pro: come into the city, attend, go home.) How's the mass transit system? Because I need to get in and out of the airport somehow. Hotels will be high. Can I find any food which isn't a bratwurst?
Vanhoover Pony Expo: January 2025 (exact dates to be announced), Vancouver
Pros: Welcome to one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Come see where all of your favorite TV shows were actually shot! Long-running convention which won't have any trouble with attendance and various features. I have about $68 in loose Canadian change, so I'd be starting out ahead of the game. And if I can't find something to do in Vancouver...
Cons: I can't understate this: Canada. In. January. I've been told it's more towards rain than snow in this section, but -- yeesh. Wet and cold may be the best I can hope for. 'Most beautiful city' doesn't mean much if I can't go outside. Also, welcome to one of the most expensive cities on the planet. Bump all costs accordingly. Also, no convention for me in 2024. (I might try for two in 2025. If we all get that far. No promises.)
MLP JapanCon: May 2025 (exact dates to be announced), Tokyo
We found it.
Pros: Do I really have to say it? Tokyo. Japan. I can be in Japan. This is a side of the fandom which most of us have never seen, and the exploration possibilities feel infinite. And that's just for the convention. Once that's over? Double infinity. A once-in-a-lifetime trip. Try not to go into overwhelm...
Cons: The most expensive flight. (This is partially balanced by being able to potentially use coffin hotels. And yes, I know the formal term is 'capsule'. Have you seen the results?) I'd have to do a lot of juggling to bring the airfare in under $1400, and below a thousand will be impossible. There will be a language barrier, and it may be near-constant. Cultural trip-ups could be worse. Has the most distractions outside of the convention. And -- might as well say this now -- I would absolutely be trying for extra time. Not much point in flying over for just two days, right? But that means an actual year-plus convention drive, and -- yeah. Y'all might get sick of it long before that.
Never-Asked Questions
Again? Really? Again?
...sorry?
I hope Siri walks you off a cliff.
I peeked at your Ko-Fi page and there's already a goal amount set. You don't even know where you're going. Or 'if'.
I wanted to officially launch both poll and drive today. Accordingly, the goal that's present is a generic number, based on the expenses for two prior conventions. Once we have a destination target, I'll run a cost estimate sheet and post that in the results blog. The goal will be adjusted accordingly, and start with any tips already counted towards the new total. The number can move up or down.
You're taking a chance on Japan. Vancouver has already announced they're going next year: Tokyo hasn't. What happens if Japan wins, you spend a year in fundraising, and there's no convention in 2025?
All tips would be frozen. I'd run a second survey for 2025 conventions, then apply that money to the winner.
I know it's a dice roll. But when you look at the possibilities -- how do I not try to pick them up?
Do you have a preference in destinations here?
Doesn't matter. It's a public vote. The site with the most people supporting it wins. However, I do get one vote in my own poll, and I break any tie.
As with last year: if you're going to have a fundraising drive, then shouldn't your priority be a car?
You think I can fundraise a car? You're funny. Any vehicle I could get at the convention travel price would be four wheels and an optional engine. Possibly three wheels. And it would probably come with a number of built-in repair bills. We're talking clunker here, and I really don't need to jump into that money pit again.
If I somehow find a reliable car at a suspiciously low price, I might tell the group and switch goals. But let's just say that with used vehicle prices at their current level in the States, this is -- 'unlikely' would be an understatement.
Yes, I got to paste that from the previous blog. It's still that bad.
What's the fundraising deadline?
Depends on the convention. Ideally, I should try to book a flight at least two months in advance. For hotels, earlier might be better. I'll set the deadline once a destination is determined. It'll go up with the cost sheet.
What if the goal comes up short?
It depends on how short it is. Within 15% of goal probably means I try to make up the rest myself. More than that and I likely can't manage the difference.
And if you're so short on the goal that you can't go, what would happen to the money which was raised?
It can only be used for Pony Purposes. These include commissioning cover art, a little bit of merchandise, and if Hasbro ever gave us that Complete Series Blu-Ray set...
I can also freeze it and use those funds as a base for a future convention drive.
If you go over?
Initially, it'll be extra funds for the convention. More flexibility. If I come home with unspent cash, see above. However, there are two wild cards here: Orlando and Tokyo. If either of those cities wins and the goal is somehow met early, I'll start a new Ko-Fi drive: Extra Time. I'll figure out how much it would cost for another day in that site. Each time that goal is met, that's twenty-four more hours. Orlando would turn into the parks, and Tokyo becomes Explore Japan. That's how I managed to reach Sicily and stay for a while.
Still grateful.
(This might also apply to a UK win. The Netherlands are trickier.)
What happens if anyone has a real question, as opposed to what you're clearly making up?
The Comments section awaits. Post your queries there.
Can we just get to the stupid survey link already? You've spammed the Ko-Fi one, like -- and there you go again...
Sure. But have a Patreon link, too. Complainer.
And now is the time on FIMFic when we vote.
But as before, that's not the only thing you'll be voting on.
I've chosen ten stories from my catalog as candidates for cover art. Some are holdovers from last year, while others are new to the current poll. They are:
* To Swim Among A Sea Of Stars
* From The Distinctly Overloaded Desk Of Mayor Marigold Mare
The one which gets the most votes in the linked poll will receive the cover after The Bounce Test.
Where am I (potentially) going?
What is Harwick drawing?
It's up to you. It always is.
The 2024/5 Convention Poll & Ko-Fi Drive Is Officially Launched.
The winning destination will be announced on March 9th.
I look forward to the results with dread interest.
ETA: This is an election year in the States, and I want my followers to have some faith in at least one ballot tally. Accordingly, after the poll ends, I'll include screenshots of the final totals in the results announcement.
Voted!
It was a particularly hard choice, deciding between those stories. All of them seem worthy of a proper Harwick cover art!
I don't fully know Milwaukee's public transportation system, but there are plenty of buses--I almost crashed into one, and made an illegal right turn in front of another one.
Milwaukee has the Harley-Davidson motorcycle museum which is not all that far from the con, if you're into motorcycles. There's probably other stuff there, but I don't know what it is. The con also isn't far from Lake Michigan, although in November that's kind of hit or miss. Last year it was nice and warm (for November); next year it might be hundred mile an hour winds and a blizzard. Hard to say.
As for Holland Bronycon, I went a couple years ago, and had no trouble despite my lack of Dutch. Just about everybody speaks English, and I could muddle my way through the public transportation. It's really good; there's a train station at the airport (and a grocery store!), and if you don't use all the money on your public transportation card they'll refund it before you leave. I think that the buses and trains use a different card system, though, so you'd have to buy two.
Schiphol airport kinda sucks, at least in terms of taking airplanes to and fro. Their security line is loooooooooooooooong and I got to go through it three times 'cause my flight got cancelled and then the replacement flight also got cancelled and I wound up spending an extra day at a near-airport hotel (yay?) and also got routed to Boston instead of Detroit.
On the plus side, it's one of the few international airport experiences I've had where they didn't take me into the special room for an few hours of interviews with people who never smile on the job.
If at least some of your con intentions are avoiding me (fair play), I won't be attending any international cons this year, 'cause I can't get the time off.
Why would you want anything other than bratwurst? I mean, I'm not the biggest sausage fan, I'm more of a bacon guy, but a good bratwurst is still a good meal.
And I voted for what that is worth.
Milwaukee here. My experience is the buses run mostly on time. And there are food options everywhere downtown. The event space is between a big college campus and the downtown 'party' neighborhood, so you'll still see a few food trucks out in November.
I will say that what I voted for with regard to cover art was influenced by a desire to give cover art to a story that doesn't have it. Could Harwick make better art for, say, Mechanical Aptitude than what's already there? Sure. But what's there now isn't bad. So I voted for what currently lacks it.
5770494
"If at least some of your con intentions are avoiding me (fair play), I won't be attending any international cons this year, 'cause I can't get the time off."
Oh, sorry about that.