BronyCon

Well, this time last week I was headed to Day 2 of BronyCon. I have to say, those three days were some of the fastest of my life. I went to Baltimare Baltimore unsure of what to expect. In case I didn't enjoy BronyCon, I had backup plans: the USS Constellation, Hampton NHS, the US Naval Academy. But in the end, I was at BronyCon from the 10:25 Opening Ceremonies Friday morning to the 4:30 Closing Ceremonies Sunday afternoon. I had a blast!!!

Things that I did:
1) I went to a bunch of writing panels. Some things I already knew, some I learned and will take so I can improve my writing.
2) Went to the CMC panel. It had the first four CMC members (poor Brynna Drummond! Babs Seed has only been in 2 episodes. She needs to make a return!).
3) Went to the premiere of PONIES The Anthology VI
, which was amazing.
4) Went to the Marketplace. Bought some shirts and plushies and some miscellaneous other things.
5) Went to the Hooves Line is it Anyways? Awesome show!
6) Went to The Ponies Court. Also awesome!
7) Got the autographs of the voice actors of the three CMC. I was also going to get Brynna Drummond and Cathy Weseluck, but they ended up leaving early.

So, for my first Con (as in, first Con of anything, not just BronyCon), it was an amazing experience. Assuming I can get the leave, I totally want to go next year!

So, before I forget them, a couple of lessons I learned during my time at BC:
1) Ask every BC veteran what they'd recommend. I never would have gone to see Anthology or the Ponies Court unless someone had told me about them.
2) Go to the Marketplace early. Stuff sells out early, so the sooner you get there, the better chances you have of getting what you want.
3) Be prepared to spend some money. I only spent ~$200. But I talked to some folks who had spent close to a thousand, and it was only mid-way through the Con.
4) Know what you want at the Marketplace. Generally, have an idea what you want, which will help you budget and get what you want.
5) Don't be afraid to talk to folks. It's good to network and get to know more people in the fandom.
6) Stay at a hotel close to the Con. Everyday I ran home mid-way through to drop of my purchases or get something I'd forgotten.
7) Know what else is going on in Baltimore. I ran into Ravens traffic as I was driving in. It took over an hour to drive the last three miles.
8) Know where the closest Post Office is, so you can mail your packages home. At least for those who are flying.
9) Drop by Quills and Sofas. There's always other writers hanging out in there.
10) Buy a piece of art for the VAs to sign. They have cards to sign, but someone I met had a nice CMC picture that he had every VA sign, and it looked great.

Some things I saw other folks doing that should be avoided:
1) Shower. Should be obvious.
2) Wear deorderant. Yeah, some folks really needed it.
3) Meeting the voice actors and then pitching story ideas or telling them some long story about their personal life. The voice actors are people too, and it's a long Con for them.
4) Overspending at the Marketplace then needing to borrow money from friends or drain the ATM.
5) Bringing children to events that everyone knows will be more adult-oriented.

So, if you get the chance, go to BronyCon 2018. It will be an awesome experience!

Dreadnought