In The Flesh · 2:48am Apr 22nd, 2014
I'm stealing this from totallynotabrony so that I can show it to y'all.
Why, just look at that picture! It's chock full of talent. And me. I'm in there, too.
So, just to let you guys know who is who, let's break it down:
Left, front with the black and green hair - It's Super Trampoline.
Behind him and to the right a bit - Me, looking like I could use fewer snacks.
Behind me, in plaid and looking for his escape from this madness he's found himself in - Pen Stroke.
To my right is the very nice electreXcessive.
Behind electreXcessive and me is totallynotabrony. He's busy plotting. Shhh.
Behind electreXcessive's shoulder is Andrew Joshua Talon, who is both very knowledgeable and very serious.
The very tall guy behind Andrew is horizon. He's awesome and a member of The Royal Canterlot Library, as well as a poet.
Standing to the right of Andrew in the red shirt is Ebon Mane, who I liked immediately. Free with his laughter and very laid back. He also spent some time at a panel just helping to make sure a mic stand was adjusted properly every time it needed to be moved. Little things like that impress me.
The smilin' guy is Xepher. I had a lengthy and engaging conversation with him on Sunday.
And all the way in the front looking super chill is Leonzilla. I didn't get to talk to that guy much, but he was friendly for the short time that I got to speak with him.
It really is amazing that we could have this many people get together and have it be as pleasant as it was. Actually, there were a lot more people than this. It's just that some left before this picture and a few came after. Generally, when more than a few people get together, there will be at least one that I can't stand, but everyone here was pretty great. I'd have gladly hung out and talked with any of them. That's a rare experience.
I'm so jealous. I wish I could have been there. Darned reality.
Why do none of you look anything like my imagination said you would? Juggy, didn't you know you were supposed to look like Bob Ross?
2033690 That's the frustrating thing. There are so many amazing people in this fandom that I will probably never meet face to face. That sucks, especially when you consider how much fun this one little gathering had.
2033694 Well, if it help any, my hair will grow into an afro. Well, a really weird afro. I have super thick hair, but it's arrow-straight. So it will grow out in this ball around my head and it looks like I'm really surprised. That's one reason I had a mohawk for about fifteen years. My hair just stands up naturally.
Also, Bob Ross smiled more in one episode of his show than I have my whole life.
You're a little older than I expected, but not by that much.
Also, I hit the top of the featured box while you were away, in case you didn't see my blog post about it.
2033770 No, I didn't see that. Congrats! Imma go look now.
And yeah, I'm nearly forty… Sigh.
2033774 The fic is called "Opening Twilight's Heart". It is a ship fic, but of a type more like Cheerilee's Thousand. You'll see.
2033776 Ooh, a collab with The Abyss. Nice job! I'll have to see about giving this a look in the next few days.
2033799
I remain impressed with how social and generally cool y'all are.
Even if I'm not quite so good at it myself.
2033690
2033702
I feel you. It sucks that I'll likely never meet any of you in the flesh.
2033917 I'm bad at social in the complete other end of the spectrum. I'm not at all shy but I can be sort of in your face, be that aggressive or friendly. I tend to try and dominate conversations because I always have opinions that I want to voice. It can be off-putting for people. I'm TOO social.
2033958 Just once, we need a mega-con that meets in, oh, Kansas. Someplace central. That way its easy for all of us. Well, "easy." Still, it'd be a lot easier for me to buy a plane ticket and hotel board for Topeka than the super expensive east coast.
2033974
I find that more understandable than you might think. Get me talking about statistics, which is what I do for a living, and I'm usually more than happy to do that myself. Or any number of academic subjects. Writers, though? Writers scare me. Blog post evidence to the contrary, I've got very little idea how we all work, and for the life of me I'm unable to hold strong opinions about it, even if I can figure out what works for me.
Anyway, I thought you were perfectly nice (not to mention having amazing taste in suits), and I'm very glad I got the chance to meet you.
2033981 How close to Topeka do you live? I'm about an hour away :)
2034004 The feeling was mutual. I liked talking with you for the time that we had together.
And, yeah, I feel strange about being with a bunch of accomplished writers. I feel like I barely know what I'm doing most of the time, and here I am talking with Pen Stroke about writing… I kind of kept thinking someone was going to turn and go "wait, why is xjuggernaughtx here?"
2034047 Not very. I live next to San Francisco. And I don't mean San Francisco, Kansas.
2034057 Heh. We actually have a Reno, a Washington, a Lincoln, and of course, a Manhattan. We're very center-ish
Well aren't you a jolly fellow, with your ginger muttonchops. You look way British is what I'm saying.
Also horizon is tall and skinny whaaaat
2034602 If my family tree is to be believed, I'm almost exclusively the stock of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestors. Not sure if that actually reflects reality, but it's what I've always been told. I did look at some family tree of ours once and the names on it were very UK sounding for many generations.
And yeah, I come up to horizon's sternum...
2034004 2034054 Funny how much a single number on a website can influence your view of someone, isn't it? I mean, if Pen Stroke was just some other author who you personally had read/liked stories from, but only had like 100 followers, it'd feel a lot different, wouldn't it? Yet some magic horse-famous number changes that? Why?
That said, I really had a great time talking with everyone, the two of you, Pen Stroke as well as everyone else in that room.
2037605 Yup, I definitely would feel differently about having a conversation with Pen Stroke if he was just some other author. It's the assumption of skill being proportional to popularity. Logically, I know that's ridiculous. I can think of many authors who are much more popular than I am, but have worse stories. I also know quite a few people who are amazing but haven't built an audience for whatever reason. Yet, I still default to being awed by people with high numbers of views/fans. I don't know why. The answer lies somewhere within the struggle between the mind and the heart. I guess I just feel like you don't become in the number one author on the site, with an actual physical copy of your work, without some serious writing chops.
The fun I had in that room makes me yearn to go to Everfree NW. I don't really see that happening, but I want to, wereas I wasn't all that interested before BABScon.