All-Followers Survey: The 2023 Convention Ko-Fi Drive & Destination, plus Choose Harwick's Next Cover Art Story! (Also, Site Art Debut!) · 7:40pm Mar 2nd, 2023
This is obviously going to be a somewhat crowded blog. So before we get started, let me hit a bullet point list of events.
* Patreon issues update. (Minor, quick, and didn't need to be in the title.)
* The fate of my jury duty service. (Same.)
* The official launching for the 2023 convention drive on Ko-Fi. Everyone gets to pick exactly where I'm going via Google Survey, and I'll deal with a few Never-Asked Questions.
* You will have a chance to choose the next story to receive Harwick cover art, also through said survey.
* And finally, we'll have a reveal of the newest cover.
Shall we begin?
When it comes to the Patreon issues, I can sum it up very easily.
If you were a sponsor in January and never received a receipt for February's collection, please check your payment method and consider restarting your pledge. Because it's March now, and I'm pretty sure that means you ain't gonna receive a February receipt. Making up for payment on any uncollected pledge through Ko-Fi is at your discretion. If you already did so for February, please don't do it twice.
If you were a sponsor in February and have not yet received a receipt for the March collection, please check your payment method. If it's expired, update it and consider use of the tip jar. Otherwise, WAIT. I have at least three people whose pledges have yet to come through -- but this may simply be a case of bank communication issues. I don't want anyone putting their uncollected March pledge for a valid payment method into the tip jar until we know that Patreon wasn't able to collect. Otherwise, we risk the Dreaded Double-Dip. And as there's twenty-nine days left in March... please just wait it out for a while.
I've officially been excused from jury duty service.
I actually found out via email, and that came a couple of weeks ago. My response? Was to promptly not quite trust it, because the system had informed me that I wouldn't learn my status until, at the earliest, March 1st. I was fully prepared to take the train(s) to the courthouse today, because I was concerned about one part of the computer having hiccuped. While not having any other parts say "Excuse you. Or the juror."
The penalty for not answering a jury summons is an arrest warrant. I really didn't want to risk that.
However... as it turns out, my state is doing all grand jury selections without having the people in that pool actually attend. Calling the verification number last night just gave me instructions to log in online. Doing so confirmed that the email was, in fact, the only notice I was going to get. I'm out of the pool.
Why was I rejected? One theory proposed in the chat server is that it's because I have a civil case under way. That would be registered with the system, and there might be a legitimate concern about conflict of interest and non-neutral perspective. Or... I just lost the draw. Too many candidates: you stay home.
Either way, I'm clear. And knowing I'm in the clear is what allows me to start this year's convention Ko-Fi drive, especially as the computer drive is over. Because before this, I was looking at one day a week of jury service, for sixteen to twenty weeks. I didn't know which day. And if it was a Friday or Monday... well, so much for convention travel.
Which means y'all are about to tell me where to go -- via Google survey. (When it comes to story comments, you do it all the time.)
Your voting results dictate my potential destination, and I WILL abide by the final tally -- if I can pay for it. Because the total number of Ko-Fi tips determine whether I get to travel at all.
We never reached a final conclusion for a destination with the previous survey. This one has fewer options and this time, the decision is final.
There are five possibilities. I'm going to list all of them below. Whichever gets the most votes is what I try for -- with one qualifier: the Ko-Fi goal would obviously need to be reached before the convention began. Ideally, I'd need at least two weeks warning, and a month or more would be better: as we learned with EFNW last year, hotels book fast. So if, say, an August convention winner doesn't see the goal reached in time and the total is on track to possibly reach 100% in September, a late-summer/fall second-place finisher might go on the board.
Regardless of destination, I will blog about the trip. Part of my end for the deal, right? Share the pain...
Here are the candidates, listed in temporal order: names, geographic location, and dates.
Seaquestria Fest: Ocean City, Maryland (May 19th through 21st)
Pros: The closest convention. I can actually get there via bus: there's a Greyhound line which goes directly into Ocean City. Being a second-year gathering means it survived the first. It's a beach town, so there's a little bit available in the way of Other Activities -- but most of that is going to be standard boardwalk fare. However, food shouldn't be a problem. (Also standard boardwalk fare.) This should be the single least expensive convention to attend and if chosen, I'll bring the Ko-Fi goal total down accordingly.
Cons: I'm not sure this is a particularly large gathering: the convention itself may not have a lot going on, and I probably shouldn't expect much in the way of guests or familiar faces. Will be utterly stuck in a fairly small area and shore towns can get boring fast. Have to take a bus. Also -- and this is a big one -- in terms of time, we're just about right on top of this. There may not be enough calendar to make this work.
Everfree Northwest: Bellevue, Washington (August 11th through 13th)
Pros: The largest American gathering. There will be guests, panels, and known presences. This is now semi-familiar territory for me, which means I know some of the problems to avoid. (DO NOT GET A FLIGHT WHICH LANDS JUST BEFORE THE LAST BUS OUT.) I can pick a few new things to look at around the Seattle area -- if my flight lets me go for an extra day. Maybe a Mariners game this year? And I could potentially get a ginger beer on the way out.
Cons: We now know that food is a major issue. I can't count on anything to be served in the hotel, there isn't much around it, and costs are high. FOME told me about the 6:2:1 daily rule for cons: six hours of sleep, two meals, one shower. I managed the shower. (Insomnia struck deep.) I lived off a bag of Trader Joe's trail mix which I carried cross-country, and I no longer have access to the store. Also, I have to be very careful about my arrival and departure times or this happens again.
Galacon: Waiblingen, Germany (September 16th and 17th)
Pros: The largest European gathering. I'll see things which have never come up before, experiencing a brand-new side of MLP life. This gets me out of the country and dear gawds, do I ever want to leave the borders again. (Yes, I have a passport.) Things to see and do around the convention? EVERYTHING. I haven't been to Germany since I was six, and... most of what I remember is the concentration camp. I'd kind of like to have a few better memories. Also, I will be a single extra flight away from home. Not that I'll probably get to try for it, but... Also, I have about 30 Euros. Spending money already has a ground floor.
Cons: Let's open with the big one: there's gonna be a language barrier. I don't speak German. I can bring the tablet and try to run a translation program on everything, but there are going to be times when I won't be able to track what's going on. (If you've personally been to Galacon, please tell me how much I can hope to manage or enjoy via speaking English.) Also, this trip is definitely on the high end for costs: dealing with an international flight just about guarantees that. Getting stuff home may be a challenge: even mailing items to myself might be mega-postage.
Mare Fair: Orlando, Florida (September 29th through October 1st)
Pros: Shortest flight with a relatively low cost. Probably has the largest number of options for places to stay. As for other activities in the area: if I can't find something to do in Orlando, it is time to give up on life. Staying an extra day might get me access to Universal Studios and if that's out of my price range, Georg has assured me that I can fire off tommyguns at $50 per ammo drum. Also, I'll be in the very rough area for GGA. Maybe we can meet up.
Cons: First-year convention. Do you know who's going to show up? It could be me and -- well, me. Going in on the ground floor is always taking a chance. Orlando is a tourist city: hotel prices may be very high. (I cannot stay with GGA. Cross-state travel in Florida, without a car, is just about impossible. We might be looking at six hours in mass transit per day. Each way.) There's a chance that I'll wind up in the state at the exact moment when they secede and be targeted as a traitor. If so, let's hope I'm at the tommygun place when it happens. More fun!
UK PonyCon: Nottingham, UK (September 30th and October 1st)
Pros: Once again, gets me out of the country -- and this time, there's no language barrier! (Well, other than that they speak English and I speak Whatever The @$#% 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. Finally, as the latest convention, it provides the most time to reach goal.
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.
Never-Asked Questions
You're seriously trying this again?
Afraid so.
Do you have a self-torture limit?
Haven't found it yet. And honestly, I really do get some enjoyment out of it. Just seeing the new, or being somewhere else. Travel broadens the mind. And I do bring back story ideas, right?
I was sort of tempted to tag this blog for The Firries. For irony. And because this is about a convention.
Maybe I still will.
Okay: more seriously. You don't know where you're going. Why do you already have a goal amount set?
Because I wanted to launch today. The number is based on last year's costs, and I can adjust up or down once a destination is chosen. Once we have a winner, I'll break down the total in a blog entry.
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.
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...
If you go over?
Initially, it'll be extra funds for the convention. More flexibility. If I come home with unspent cash, see above. I finished Everfree Northwest with some degree of overage last year, and that's what happened: cash frozen, MLP-related use only. The results can be seen near the end of the blog.
How are Vinylshadow's 'verse music tracks coming along?
Do you have a personal preference among those five?
Not saying. I am marching to the orders of the group.
Do you really expect people to vote on this?
It's an international group. Don't you know that it's only the Americans who won't vote?
...just get to the next step already.
As you like. But if you have any other questions, please place them in the Comments.
So what's the next step?
You vote.
But that's not the only thing you'll be voting on...
The time has come for determining the next story to receive cover art. And as with the convention, I will be marching to your orders. Because those are the other questions on the survey.
I didn't want to put the entire catalog onto a Pick One list. So I did this two ways. I chose ten stories from the catalog: pieces which I've either heard some queries for, or ones which I felt might make for a good render. If your favorite is on that list, choose it.
But it may not be. So after that? There's a fill-in-the-blank question. You get to list the three stories you'd most want to see with a cover, ranked from first to third. (Please do not vote for any story which already has a Harwick cover.) Here's the link for my full story catalog, if you need to review.
I'll tally at the end of the voting period. And whichever story has the most votes wins. That will be the piece which Harwick works on next.
It's up to you.
All of you.
Some things to keep in mind:
* Price is partially determined by the number of rendered characters. The more crowded it is, the more expensive it gets.
* Mature-rated stories could be chosen, but I'm not going to ask Harwick to work blue. If, just by way of example, Bangception were to somehow win, I'd probably request a scene of Barnum and Bayleaf setting up the bedroom for every superstition.
* A few of you may want to see specific 'verse characters done in Harwick's style. As such, here's a reminder on who's already appeared:
* Mane Cast: Applejack, Twilight, Rarity (adolescent), Pinkie, Fluttershy.
* Sisters: Celestia and Luna
* Extended Cast: Fleur, Snowflake, Mr. Waddle
* OCs: Nightwatch, Doctor Gentle
* If you really want to, you can commission Harwick yourself. (This has happened before. Contact details are further down the page.) Obviously you'd be calling all the shots. And paying the bill. But you have to give me permission to use the result. And please don't ask him to work blue.
And that brings us to today's art reveal.
As said, I came home from Bellevue with some budget left over. This was locked down, because that money is dedicated to Pony. Which allowed me to approach Harwick again...
We talked about this in the chat server. Harwick deliberately alters his style somewhat when doing 'verse work. He leans more into the equine aspects of the characters, and extends that into how they need to interact with the world. They're a little more realistic. And...
...that can be a problem.
Celestia's proportions? Render them closer to that of a horse. Picking things up with hooves? I will only write a magnetic hooves story on a day when I am very angry, and you may not like how it comes out. Tails and ear positions... it can all be managed.
But what happens to pushing for a little more realism when you get a character who, as depicted in their original show incarnation, could not exist?
We needed some time to talk it out. Because... I can have the easy part of the job. I just provide a few words. Harwick has to imagine what they mean. And then we go back and forth for a while. Trying to harmonize our concepts.
To give Harwick his honors, go to his DeviantArt page: upvotes and badges belong there. It would be nice if he had a few more patrons, and his own Ko-Fi jar needs filling. But if you want to commission him directly, you can contact him via PM through his FIMFic page. Or just come into the chat server and page him. He'll respond in time.
What will he work on next?
That's still up to you.
Voting is now open.
The 2023 convention Ko-Fi drive is hereby officially launched.
Where am I going?
I don't know. It might not be anywhere at all. Or... Ocean City, Nottingham, Bellevue, Orlando, Waiblingen...
The winning destination will be announced on March 11th.
Stay tuned.
Now I'm imagining a stallion ranting about Equus superior while Fancy Pants wonders where he went wrong.
Made my two cents known on the poll, and ready to chip in significantly more than that when able. Here's hoping it goes better this time. (I'm not sure how much worse it could get without permanent damage.)
You, the Seapony Denier in Chief, want to go to Seaquestria?
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I WAS WAITING FOR THAT.
I WAS TIMING THAT.
KIRTAI POSTED IT IN THE CHAT SERVER FIRST.
LESS THAN ONE MINUTE.
...perhaps I would only go to destroy their dreams.
English is universally taught at German schools, so most Germans - and especially most Pony fans! - will undoubtedly be quite capable of understanding and speaking English. Of course there will be people speaking German and things written in German at Galacon, but I'm sure anything indended for attendees will have translations so I doubt you would encounter much difficulty. And polite people generally try to hold conversations in languages understood by as many participants as possible.
Voted, both on the con and the art. Let's see how our fickle desires make you dance!
To speak for the home team
Travel from London to Nottingham is about 1.5 to 2 hours leaving every half hour or so although it's fairly expensive at £35-£40 one way. There are probably also Coaches. There are frequent strikes at the moment but things may change in 6 months time.
Given my limited experience of hotels (UK, America (DC and Florida), Ethiopia) I wouldn't say UK hotels are all that bad. Nottingham is not exactly a tiny place, there should be quite a range of places to stay and a bus and tram system to get from them to the convention centre,
I don't think you will have all that much problem bringing things back to the US.
Good news, it looks like my Patreon is not only working like it should, but also worked in January and February, yay! I'll keep an eye on it to make sure things are going like they should
Con-wise, I was at Seaquestriafest last year. Maybe 180 attendees, tops, and I think the only show guest was Elley Ray. The plus side was that they didn't have handlers for her, so she just hung out and mingled with us mere mortals. Only five vendors at the vendor hall. Limited panels . . . I probably spent as much time not at the con as I did at the con. The hotel's right on the beach which could be a plus or a minus for you, I dunno.
I've been to Holland Ponycon, despite not speaking a single word of Dutch. It wasn't a problem at the airport, on the train, or at the con, or the hotel or restaurants. Practically everybody could speak English. I suspect the same would be true at Galacon, although I haven't been to Germany for many, many years, so I can't say for sure (I didn't have trouble back then, but I was in the company of two German speakers). I wouldn't worry too much about a language barrier. If you are going to an overseas con, make sure your passport is good and shiny and you don't have a criminal record you don't know about; it's really unfortunate when you discover that at your destination.
Speaking of ginger beer did you get and enjoy some for Christmas?
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Yes, but that's because I got some from a cousin. (I made the mistake of mentioning it at Thanksgiving. I also mentioned my car issues and, when I called her after, said she'd picked the wrong one.) Because the drink has a shelf life and I didn't want to risk anything going bad in the fridge, the package made me effectively postpone spending the dedicated Ko-Fi tips. My current plan is 'check Rachel's website every two weeks and wait for cherry to come back.'
I swear I'm going to order it, I am still grateful for the tips, and those funds have been purpose-locked for a while. But I wasn't expecting to be undercut through overstock.
Just checked. The current special flavor is Passion Fruit With Vanilla. Two more weeks.
My life is weird.
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So Seaquestria Fest is cheap, close, and limited. They may see more people just from reaching Year 2, but that's a long trek up to Can Spend Three Days Here. I know shore towns. There's a lot of activity cloning.
Thankee for the voice of experience.
I didn't put the Dutch gathering on the list because I had to do some pruning. (For those who are wondering, it's October 21st and 22nd.) I won't add it to the vote list -- but it might be Ultimate Fallback Position. "Well, they voted for UK, and I reached the goal two days after the last flight and hotel sold out. Guess we're going to Ultimate Fallback."
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Oh, no worries about it, I know you're the sort of use the money for what it was given to you to be used for. I'm just happy to hear that something good happened in your life.
In my experience (mostly business travel) UK Hotels tend to be basic, but OK.
I wouldn't recommend going to Thirsk - A quick look gives Nottingham to Thirsk between £68 and £117, and the prices vary wildly depending on how far you book ahead, when you travel and which route/train operator you use. The durations I have seen look to be between two and four hours, with anywhere between one and three changes en route. Going to/from London should be a direct train, or at worst one change. In London you can get a travelcard to cover the area you want to cover - prices vary, but it will be cheaper than taxis.
Nottingham should have a range of hotels from very nice (read: expensive) hotels in the city centre to "enjoy the view of our bin storage area from your window and try not to get mugged on your way out" kind of establishments.
In general, Premier Inns and Travelodges tend to be cheap and reasonably comfortable (for the price point: don't expect 5 star fixtures or treatment) but tend to be in less desirable spots.
One thing I can tell you is that the M1 motorway into Nottingham has a distressing habit of turning into a car park and trains in the UK are notoriously unreliable at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. Be wary, therefore, of any plans to stay out in the sticks and travel in.
Nottingham to London is not an unreasonable day trip with an early start, but be wary again of potential train strikes. Also consider your budget before planning. London is very, very expensive.
Hope this helps.
Wow, that's a beautiful piece of art. I really like that Harwick has Snowflake traveling through a cut in the earth, below the surface and Applejack. Nice inversion of the expected land/sky pairing.
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"Don't be silly, Twilight Sparkle! There's no such things as seaponies!"
Ah, decided not to consider Ponyville Ciderfest after all? Oh well. I mean, not that I expect I'd have recognized you even if it did win and you did attend, of course. And it's understandable, given the other cons on the list and a presumed desire to keep the list shorter for a clearer vote.
(Also, I suppose, since PVCF 2023 is November 17-19, it might still serve as a fallback option if somehow none of the others work out -- but I hope things go well for you and you don't have sudden unexpected convention-trip-cancelling problems.)
Anyway, though, votes submitted! Despite being American. :)
You should be fine language wise in Germany. The con is in a large city close to an even larger city, where English speakers are usually very common, especially surrounding an international convention. Older generations, tiny hole in the wall stores and some public offices and doctors might not speak English comfortably, but for tourist and convention related things you'll probably do just fine. If the convention wins and you need some pre-translated (pony related or not) sentences, feel free to ask.
let's add Chinese bronies to that list, most of us can't even use google, let alone vote for a survey on it.