Everfree Northwest 2018: Friends, Magic and Connections - Introduction · 4:17am May 25th, 2018
After a great deal of debate, I've decided I'm going to post this entire thing in 5 parts. This entire Retrospective is huge and I've had the help of dozens of people to get details and timelines right. Why? Because I wanted to make sure I captured every moment.
Today's post... today is about just how powerful something like EFNW can be.
Everfree Northwest was everything I wanted and more.
So much more.
Part of me wants to do this Retrospective chronologically, but it doesn’t feel right. Heartshine and Titanium Dragon have done these. So has The Albinocorn, Bookish Delight, Oroboro, DrakeyC and I’m sure a bunch of others (I can’t track all of them!). Some are emotions, some are events.
I want it all.
So get ready folks. We’re about to go on one hell of a ride.
There were so many amazing moments. So many incredible memories that they’re tumbling over each other in my head. So many dreams got realized. So many people were inspired and fired up.
Okay, I’ve been wrestling with myself about this for days, so I pray you’ll forgive me if this sounds egotistical or if I’m taking more credit than I should… but I know my favorite part of this con. My favorite part of this con is seeing the people interact.
Somehow, I’ve got a chance to build up this amazing community called “Novel’s Nook.” The Nook has become a nexus for so many different people from all walks of life and all parts of the fandom. And the best part of the con were the moments where I took a step back and realized that a fair amount of these people wouldn’t be here… and maybe wouldn’t even be friends if… well, if it hadn’t been for me.
I know, I know. This smacks of egotism. It even smacks a little of #horsefamous. I don't see it that way. I really don’t!
I am so intensely proud of the people I am honored to call friends and in truth, they deserve the credit. They’re the ones who stepped up and were willing to engage with others. They’re the ones who made the connections. It’s so easy to hide in times like this. I wanted to so badly so many times during the con, but I forced myself to stay engaged (partially because I didn’t want to face what was waiting for me when I was alone)
In reality, all I did was provide a platform for people to connect and engage. I set up some rules, guided that development, invited my pre-existing friends and also invited people who I admired greatly.
Albi, Oro, Overlord Neon, Adge and so many others… they all intimidated the hell out of me at the start. I still believe I’m the new kid on the block. I’ve been serious about FimFic for less than two years. And here I am, coming in and… somehow building a new community that connects all this wonderful talent.
And somehow… they've now become my closest friends. Closer than anyone within fifty miles. It’s… amazing.
More than one has saved my life. And I mean that quite literally. They didn’t know what’s what they were doing at the time. They were just being themselves. But through that… they prevented me from making what would have been a fatal mistake at a very bad point in my life last year.
I honestly can never repay the debt. But I’ll never stop trying.
The knowledge that I helped friendships… and even real-life romances actually happen… it’s…
Well, let me give you an example.
On Saturday night, after talking with EbonQuill, I went downstairs from the Writer’s Hangout to the restaurant/bar to chat with Monochromatic and Adge. I come there to find a fair number of Jurists (Hap, Fourths, Jeryn… and a few other people I can’t remember right now) sitting around the table chatting with Loofa and Sylvian while Mono is “holding court” with Adge, Below_Depth, Sam Rose and their group.
Eventually, Albinocorn, Corejo, RedSquirrel and a few others come down to join us. So do Swan and Autumn, along with Justice3442. I yank Adge over and introduce her to Albi (because Albi was nervous about meeting her, just like I had originally been terrified of even talking to Adge over Tumblr chat!) and I mention that Albi has always wanted his OC drawn (Little did I know that Ebon had set things in motion for that by telling Adge that earlier). Adge is super excited for the chance and they immediately go over to a table and Adge does her magic.
I remember stepping back from all of this… and just looking at all these people.
I’m pretty sure Below_Depth and Sam Rose are there because of Adge and she has a great community around her. I got to know Adge during SunLight Sliders 1. Mono—who I met at Babscon last year and instantly connected with—has been close to the Jurists forever, since Swan Song is such a key member of the Jurist group (Noble Jury is the name of fans of Austraeoh). Hap is an old-school Jurist, and the one behind the original Jurist Hoodie. Sylvan’s hanging out there because of Mono, of course. Loofa’s become a mainstay in both my server and Mono’s. I met Corejo and RedSquirrel last year at EFNW. Albi and I know Justice from his crazy Sunset stories. Albi I pretty much verbally dragged to this convention. Heartshine and Ebon are off together (I think) in another part of the con. Maybe they were having a date? I really hope so. (Okay, fine, Heart was doing FOE questions and Ebon was doing Iron Author, but they got together later that night and I like my idea of a secret date better so nyah!)
And I realize that the only reason these groups already had the bonds of friendships which they got to strengthen this time… well, I’m the common denominator.
I can’t describe the warmth in my heart at that part. My entire chest was filled with it. Not the heat of a bonfire, but the soft and comforting power of a soft campfire. I was so proud to get to be a part of their lives. So proud to be the one who helped build these bridges.
There’s nothing like it in the world.
All throughout the weekend, I saw people moving between these groups. Heartshine, Silver Flare, Somber, Titanium Dragon, RedSquirrel456, Loofa and so many others. The Ducklings, the Jurists, the Writers, Adge’s Artists and whatever the people on the Nook should call themselves…
Quick Aside: While writing this, I decided that the citizens of the Nook should actually have a name. So, I did a poll on what the name should be. After a fierce bout of emoticon wars, we ended up with the name “Archivist,” which is perfect, since that’s actually the role on the Nook for people to get updates about stuff from me! So, squee!
Anyway, the Archivists and everyone else, people just moved from group to group and I got to see it and it was so freaking wonderful. I love the idea that I got to play a role in these friendships. I’m a part of what made them happen.
Heck, I’m super thrilled that the Nook was the place where Heartshine and EbonQuill got to know each other and (after flailing around for a while) finally got together!
More than anything, this is what I love about these cons. People connecting. Seeing these communities come together. Seeing new people join and make new friends (at least 5 new people joined the Nook during the course of the Con). Getting to engage people… to make new friends, friends who actually understand what it’s like to be as socially awkward as I am and to understand the passion and fire that comes from this amazing group of people...
It’s… beyond words.
But if I were to be truthful, I’d have to tell you all that—despite evidence to the contrary—I am very much an introvert. And in case you’re wondering, being an introvert or extrovert has nothing to do with how you interact with people. It has everything to do with how you recharge. People who are extroverts regain emotional energy through socialization. People who are introverts regain emotional energy through solitary activity.
Despite this...I ran myself ragged, doing social interactions pretty much 18-20 hours a day for 4 days.
Why would I do this?
Well, first and foremost, because I wanted to enjoy every second I could with my friends. This is probably the one time I’ll get to hang out with them all for the rest of the year. And I wanted to make new friends. I wanted to help those I could. I wanted to enjoy it all. And sleep is sorta the enemy of that.
Second, well… I have some pretty intense things waiting for me in Real Life after the con. I’m starting to deal with them now. Things like me not being sure where I’m going to live in a year and a half with my family. Things like critical doctor’s appointments, medication problems, huge steps I need to make to get my career on track to smaller things like getting the Jury Hoodies done, getting the next parts of Chaos Theory done and so much more.
...whenever I was alone and not engaged with someone, I would go into panic attacks within 2-3 minutes. My chest would hurt. I would be unable to breathe. I would stumble and barely be able to walk.
Yeah, I know. Not the healthiest state to be in. I’m hoping most of you didn’t know or notice… or at least didn’t worry you.
But at least you know why I kept pushing myself on Sunday.
So yeah, I may have done exactly what Heartshine told me not to do and done 8 panels. I may have socialized more in 4 days than I had since BronyCon (It was probably a hell of a lot more than BC of last year). I may have pushed myself beyond my limits and then some.
I knew there’d be a price to pay… but it was worth it.
I did a lot during this con. I got to...
- Sit side-by-side with Monochromatic, both of talking about our passion for Characters, World-Building, Shipping and more.
- Be on the panel where Oroboro, The Albinocorn and myself were together for the first time.
- Finally shake hands with Oroboro.
- Introduce Albi and Adge for the first time and helped facilitate the creation of Albi’s OC.
- Have a massive round of applause after Somber when we talked about how writing FanFics can definitely change lives, both yours and people you’ll never meet in ways you can’t even imagine.
- Stand on the Mane Stage at Opening Ceremonies with Mono, Albi, the EqD Team and more.
- Sit beside the EqD Staff—and finally meet Sethisto—and encourage other authors who’d been turned down by the Pre-Reader Process (as I have been).
- Meet Georg, Bookish Delight, Czar_Yoshi, Sun Sage, Loofa and so many others.
- Get convinced that I can trust Bookish not to emotionally destroy me by not having a sad tag on a story only by techniality (at least for now).
- See Jyki get an honorable mention in Iron Author, proving once and for all that yes he can write no matter what he says.
- See Heartshine and Ebon have a quiet dinner off to the side of the Writer’s Dinner.
- Hang out with The Albinocorn for most of the con, who I have only had the pleasure of meeting once before for half a day.
- Bicker with Somber about AUs/ATs and the difference between changing the character to fit the narrative or changing the narrative to fit the changes of the character.
- Have the chance to moderate a bunch of panels and got numerous compliments on how well I did.
- See Arcshod do an epic pony version of the “Fresh Princess of Bel-Mare” and play two massive games of TSSSF.
- Talk to BlazzingInferno and his wife about their kid and about just how much of an adventure it is to deal with crazy, crazy kids.
- Introduce Blazzing to a larger circle of friends (and apparently helped be part of the fandom that was so good that his wife to joined us on FimFiction as Epic Yarn!)
- Talk late into the night with Corejo and Monochromatic about serious topics from imposter syndrome to handling extremely volatile topics in fanfiction.
- See other people react to EbonQuill and Furled Scroll’s amazing acts of Generosity (and got to be the subject of them once again… something I will never really get used to).
- See just how passionate Heartshine is about her causes and protecting those she cares about.
I saw new friendships form. I saw people having fun. I got to be a part of making it all happen. Over 2,700 people attended Everfree Northwest… and I helped make that a reality in a small way.
At the end of Sunday (and most of Monday), I may have been so exhausted I was nearly stumbling punch-drunk, had splitting migraines and be half-incoherent and doing my best Kermit flailing impressions nonstop… but the price was worth it.
All of these were worth it.
And that’s not something I’d trade for anything in the world.
So, originally, I was going to do this in one massive blogpost, but I simply don’t have the bandwidth to do that all. So we’re going to break things up day-by-day.
Expect Day 0 - Thursday tomorrow!
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It's 12,000 words and I'm not even done with Saturday yet! HAVE MERCY!
Whooohoo I might actually be able to go to this
It was truly an honor and a lot of fun to meet you, Novel!
Honestly, being an introvert myself, I've spent the better part of this entire week recharging slowly. Partway due to all the socializing I did, and partially because I am unsure if I got allergies or con crud muddling me up...
But, hey, I wouldn't trade the EFNW weekend for the world, was one of the best weekends of my life.
Look forward to the next few blog posts!
Cool start to the recap!
Much jealousy as well, of course; sounds like you got to meet and hang with some awesome people.
It was an honor and a pleasure to meet you and Albi and Oroboro. My regret now is realizing so many other people were there and I didn't even notice them or introduce myself, spending my time on my laptop reading or playing in the game room instead of going out and meeting people. Introvert supreme here.
I blame the inconspicuous badges with the small black text names.
Looking forward to the rest of this retrospective.
PS - is "Novel's Nook" an actual group or some such I feel I ought to be a member of, or just what you call your circle of friends?
And so it begins... though it has ended... The one who was, is, and will be. Okay that's enough B5...
Seriously, you are very right about bringing so many together, one way or another. The con was the amazing experience that it was because of the group that you were instrumental in bringing together. It's a step into another world, for just a few days. Because of you, it was a step many of us took together, and that made it all the better.
And yes... I was worried about you Sunday.
Looking forward to part 2!
Well! Certainly sounds like you all had a blast. And also a lot of stress? Ah... well, at any rate, I look forward to reading more about your experiences
I came out to have a good time and I feel so attacked right now.
Dude, I have to say this.
Getting to meet you, and then getting to know you a bit and talk. A chance to hear your views on things, and taking time to just kick back and talk about all the BS in the world...was one of the highlights of the con for me.
I have been so disillusioned with cons, the fur fandom really sucked the life out of them for me. I almost considered EFNW 2018 to be the last con I would ever attend after 30 years of going to various types. Then, I got to talk to guys like you, and some others and I was reminded why I go to them.
Thank you for that.
Stuff like this makes me want to attend, and then I remember that I am a misanthrope
Hey, Novel! I actually saw you there! I waved and shouted to you that Cinnabar said hi, but I guess you didn't hear me. ^^
I was going to say something during one of the panels, but I felt like it would be wrong to interrupt you guys. You looked-no, you were, in your element up there on the Mane Stage, side by side with your fellow writing geniuses. It was just an honor to finally get to meet you in person! Anyways, thank you once again for being such an inspiration to us all. And Cinni says hi!
Oh! And just for fun, I'm not going to tell you which one of those fans that came up to you was me. I'm sure you can figure it out.
Thank you again, and I hope to see you again next year!
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Dude, I had so much fun geeking out about airships with you! It was a total blast! Very few people get just how AWESOME they are!
And yes, introverting is crazy hard (understatement of the century)
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Normally, I'd be right there with you hiding out in gaming rooms and such. I remember for my first con I did that a lot. It's freaking hard to socialize!!! I wanted to curl up and hide in my room so many times...
It is a Discord Server! If you seek access, the first RITE OF PASSAGE is to find THE GATEWAY. Your search should start upon my homepage!
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Seriously, thank you. I hate taking more credit than I should. I'm terrified of it (the balance of pride and humility is a constant war with me). So thank you so much for this. ^^;;;
Not dead yet! Ow. STILL NOT DEAD!
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You've been hanging out with Mono too long.(Okay fine, no such thing).YOU'RE A GOOD WRITER AND A GOOD ARTIST, ACCEPT IT ALREADY!
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Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that! The one thing I kept asking people during panels or conversations is if what I said helped them (or was at least entertaining). I'm so glad that it helped!
THIS. This is why I love this con. I've never actually done a Furry con (even if I've danced at the edge of that fandom before), but I can say that every MLP con has always shown some of the best the fandom has to offer! I'm so thrilled it energized you!!!
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I mean, you're not WRONG... but you should come anyway.
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I'm sorry! I honestly met so many people... basically, if I didn't have a con badge to lock onto (or knew them already), it was so hard to keep track of them!
If you had a writing question during the writing panels, you totally should have said something! At the Mane Stage... well, I was only up there twice! Far greater people than I were up there! (And Hi Cinna!)
Either way though, I'm glad I helped!!!
I met so many people... I'm sorry... I... I can't remember (seriously, I've had to bother so many people about remembering this at this con. This is a freaking collab project at this point!)
4869056, 4869009, 4869004 Thank you! It was a great time and I strongly encourage everyone to come next year!
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Looked all over your userpage but can't find it.
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You have to be on a Tablet or Desktop. Mobile devices are too small for the FIRST RITE.
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I am on desktop?
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Crowdfund me a plane ticket or something, maybe! :P can't really afford it otherwise
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I had a blast talking airships with you! I don't know enough who'll talk about them seeing as my editor is usually busy with her day job and the only other person who talks about them leans more towards like Castle in the Sky sort of airships. So it was a real blast and just a whole ton of fun talking airship and stuff with you!
Now I just need an excuse to write more about them, too.
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It's alright, Novel. Just be sure to let Cinnabar know I told you she said hi, whenever you get the chance. She wanted to go too, but wasn't able to make it this year. So, she asked me to say hi to you for her. I know she would love to hear it from you.
Plus, now that I think of it, I wasn't even wearing my badge at the time. I clipped it onto the side of my extremely large backpack I was lugging around the whole con. (I guess if you remember anyone extremely handsome, with a rainbow dash hat and carrying a black backpack ten times their weight, that was probably me!)
Huh, didn't get a chance to meet you. :/
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They're AIRSHIPS. That's all the excuse you need.
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Awwww! Sorry. Like I said, I was running myself ragged the entire con, so if you saw a confused looking individual looking almost-but-not-quite-drunk, it was me.
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You're right, how could I have been so blind!
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And if you saw some staffer running around looking pissed all the time who was also sitting at Richard Newman’s autograph table, that was me.
One of the odd things about the fandom is how segmented it is. I met Bookplayer early on, which led me to hang out with the Intelligent Shipping Discussion people, who have a lot of overlap with (okay, frankly, mostly were just a subset of) who I sometimes call the "literati" - who ended up being the Writeoff people, and some other people in that general environment. Present Perfect, Horizon, Cold in Gardez, GAPJaxie, Bookplayer, myself, Ghost of Heraclitus, Bad Horse, TheJediMasterEd, ect.
Which led me to meet Xepher and Thornwing, who invited me as a community guest to EFNW in 2016, where I met a whole bunch more people, and have met more people in 2017 and 2018.
I actively tried to spend time this con getting to know some people outside of my regular social circle, and spent time hanging out with some artists, as well as with Monochromatic, who, despite being a fellow shipper, is someone I actually only barely interacted with on FIMFiction.
And of course I hung out with people like Xepher, Winston, Ruirik, and the like, who I knew from years past as well.
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Yeah, this is definitely something I've noticed and it depends a lot on how you first entered the fandom. I first entered looking up to legends like The Albinocorn, Eakin, Oroboro and JetFire. Eventually, those turned into actual friendships, which led me into meeting Monochromatic and through her, Swan Song and the Jurists. A series of chance meetings (or me just being crazy and going up to say hi either online or offline) turned into some of my closest friends.
That being said, yeah, I do often feel there are a lot of FimFic factions, not to mention the factions of FimFic vs. say, EqD or something. On that last front, it's something I'm actively trying to heal, at least a little.
And this is exactly how you link up those factions!