EFNW 2019: Day 0 - Thursday: Socialization on an Epic Scale · 7:11pm Jun 15th, 2019
Cover Art by Dawnfire!
Bee’s all snug in my messenger bag, ready for her trip!
Thursday started even earlier than last year and for once, I didn’t go with the family. I did still give and get hugs and kisses from Painted, Sunny and Primary, but that was all. Because we had a different plan this year. If they took me to the airport, the fillies would be late for school.
As such, I had a new experience: my first Lyft ride in my hometown. I know that doesn’t sound like a bit deal, but I sorta see Lyft and Uber as unlicensed taxis? I’m okay taking them with a group, but they still creep me out a little bit.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to go alone. This year, I was accompanied by none other than Tsitra, the creator of Lunar Skysong and co-author of In Transit. Tsitra was wonderful during the entire trip, as we were also roommates. Both of us deal with anxiety, so both of us know how important it is to have a quiet place to retreat to.
Translation: sorry, but I’m never going to have the party room, folks.
Still, I admit that was strange. I haven’t slept in the same room as anyone else aside from Painted and the fillies for years, save for a rather awkward (for me) couch crashing at BABSCon 2017.
Bee, Twi, Sunny (the other Twi and Sunny) and Flutters down at the bottom, all guarding the payload.
Anyway, both of us got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, as we both were nervous about airport security and wanted to be sure we had plenty of time to get to our plane. I remember it actually rained as we were leaving as if Orange County wanted to prep us for going to Seattle. Thanks, OC. Now, just make all your rent prices lower and we’ll be totally fine together.
We lucked out and got the rave club plane!
The flight to Seattle was nice and friendly, save for some turbulence caused by the rain. For the last few weeks, I’ve been reading Crystal Wishes’s legendary romance Crystal’s Wishes for the second time, so I decided to continue that. The romantic slice-of-life story about a struggling author falling in love with a particular Guard is good for my soul.
In fact, this story would become critical during EFNW for my mental health.
The girls and I were super happy about the rain. It seemed fitting that OC would send us off to Seattle in the rain! Also, I love rain, so yay!
I love the view up here.
Welcome Back to Seattle
Time seemed to fly by on that plane, even if my legs were a tad cramped since we had a very full plane. Still, as much as I love flying, I was even more excited to be on the ground.
The girls were happy to be on the ground, too.
Upon arrival, we made our way down to the shuttles and managed to snag one within minutes. Always a plus, and believe it or not, we had another EFNW Attendee on the shuttle with us!
...and believe it or not, it was none other than FanofMostEverything!
After a round of introductions, talked a bit about a few other authors. I learned that Aragon is actually short. This shocked me. I always thought he was going to be super tall for some reason. It was wonderful to meet FoME in person (and yes, he’s just as personable as he is online!) and thankfully I got to spend a little bit more time with him through the rest of the con.
Of course, when we reached the lobby, that’s when everything went crazy.
The good kind of crazy!
Just a small piece of the people we would hang out with for the next few days!
Socialization on an Epic Scale
A great many people were in the hotel lobby and we found ourselves “accosted” in short order. Though I probably did a fair amount of the accosting. This year, I hadn’t done nearly the level of organization I had done in the previous two years. I sort of just let everything happen (well, for the most part.)
Best decision I ever made.
Now, here’s the thing. I met dozens upon dozens of people this year. Many of them I already knew through either the Nook or through the Enchanted Library Discord Server. I met some for the very first time, as well as seeing folks I’d seen at plenty other cons. I also met people, both new and old, attached to the Fallout: Equestria fandom (usually through Heartshine or Bubblegum Bomb (AKA Bubbles)).
There were so many people it’s hard to keep them all straight.
Now, a few people have asked to keep their identity confidential, both in photo and in name. As such, I’m going to be light on the details of people in these photos. Also, I did get some great shots I sadly cannot show as there’s no way to remove folks. But don’t worry, you’ll never know it!
Cursori being… I have no idea what he’s being. But he’s showing off the Enchanted Library’s “Enchanticon” T-Shirt!
Now that we had a nice big group, we decided to head over to Denny’s to get some much-needed lunch. Many people have already mourned the fall of “Dave’s” a diner-like restaurant across the street from Denny’s, but to confess something… I was never a huge fan of Dave’s. Then again… I’m even less of a fan of Denny’s, so, there you are.
I didn’t get much in the way of photos during our Denny’s trip (thankfully others did!) But it was a good 13-16 of us that made the short journey across the street to food. And, because it’s Seattle, we definitely got rained on! Which was wonderful. I mean, going to Seattle and not getting rained on? That’s just wrong. Good thing I checked the weather and brought an umbrella.
Okay, fine, the umbrella was overkill, sue me.
So many group photos, and this is just the first!
And here’s the second, courtesy of GaraTheAuthor
(AKA Kim)!
Registration Woes
After lunch, we all headed back to the Doubletree Hotel (and got rained on more! (I love the rain, deal with it) Yay!). Once inside, it was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I decided I wanted to get my badge out of the way. Only two problems: “Technical” and “Difficulties.”
I love how it says “Equestria Customs” & Registration. Thankfully, I know we’re not in a HiE story!
Now, before anyone bashed EFNW for having issues with their tech, I’m going to step up and tell you all that the staff of EFNW is amazing. They are beyond professional. They take professional to a whole new level. This is a My Little Pony fandomconvention. Hasbro doesn’t fund a single penny of what EFNW does. These are volunteers who put it ridiculous hours and insane amounts of effort for what they’ve done.
Every time I’ve ever been at a con, they’ve always had issues when everyone arrives with registration. The only exceptions have been the last two EFNWs and BC 2017 (and I think I had really good timing that year).
And while it wasn’t super fun just waiting in line, what was fun is hanging out with my friends in that line. I was joined first and foremost by Bookish Delight, who I spent a good amount of time just chatting about our various stories, how we’ve been doing and more. Bookish and I have both had a pretty rough road in the last year or so. It was great to see him and reconnect better.
However, eventually, the got the registration up and running. They started with their Patron+ Badges and I actually had one this year!
This was my consolation gift to myself when I missed a few deadlines for other things. It turned out paying for itself quite a bit! For one, I got to miss the line!
...except I just got right back into the line to hang out with Bookish some more. Seriously. Nothing changed. I just waited with him until everyone else was helped. And then, we all headed off, now properly badged and blessed!
Also? The quality of the merch this year was great. The cinch bag was fantastic, the lanyard for the Patron badge was nice and smooth (I usually have to swap my lanyard out for comfort). It was nice!
After that was all squared away, we slowly migrated to what would become one of our primary hangouts for the rest of the con: the little glassed-in seating area right next to the coffee shop/cafe.
It’s Been a Long Road
Some months ago, The Albinocorn and I were talking about the imminent printing of his book, Long Road to Friendship. When I mentioned I was going to buy one, he shot down that idea real quick and told me very plainly that he would hand-deliver one to me at EFNW 2019.
A few weeks before the con (or maybe a few days?), he made several comments as if he had forgotten it entirely. Not that I blamed him. Well, he’s sneakier than I gave him credit for because on his arrival, one of his first actions was to hand me a very well-wrapped parcel.
Inside contained a hardcover edition of his book, a story that I’ve read over five times front to back and is a direct inspiration for… well, my love of Sunset, shipping Sunset with Twilight and the reason I write horsewords.
Yup. It’s all his fault. It’s only fitting I get a copy of one of two books that drove me forward on my own long road to friendship (the other being his Sunset of Time).
Later that evening, he would sign it with the following…
Who am I to argue with the King of SunLight?
Mono Vs. Albi
So, if you’ve spent any time in the Nook, you’ve probably already seen versions of this where Monochromatic and The Albinocorn do their thing. Sometimes they’re acting like jilted lovers. Sometimes they’re like an old married couple. Sometimes they’re like neighbors arguing over the fence about the gardinas. But always, their drama is perfect.
Mono can be pretty damn dramatic when she wants to be. And Albi has a wonderful talent for not only playing off of Mono’s drama but also giving as good as he gets.
These two together are glorious.
The two of them live and in-person are divine.
And for the first time ever, you can actually see it for yourself.
I snapped a short 40-second clip of them toward the tail end of their “debate.” Now, the audio isn’t great (especially Mono’s because there were too many people and I couldn’t move in front of the two of them), but I did my very best.
Enjoy!
While the rest of our now-massive group dominated the entire cafe just outside the coffee shop, Albi and Mono performed their perfect little drama. The way they bicker… seriously, I wish I was as good at improv as these two masters. It’s beautiful.
Oh, and don’t worry, everyone else was having plenty of fun.
On the Dynamics of Social Groups
I want to pause here for a moment. I mentioned earlier that I was meeting a lot of people for the first time and quite a bit of people for the second or third time. There were also people who I see on a fairly regular basis, like Jykinturah, Swan Song and Mono. All of them were scattered through various groups, many of them established members of multiple groups.
There were four main groups with two smaller groups, I think. The first was, of course, the Nook and by extension, most of you! Plenty of you chatted with me over the course of the con, joined us for dinners, lunches or breakfasts or more. I met plenty of people for the first time here, such as UltraViolet Unicorn Laser! (AKA Violet), Rose Quill, Firimil and Cursori.
The second one was the The Enchanted Library server/Enchanticon. Now, there are many members of the EL server who are also members of the Nook. This isn’t a bad thing, of course. Far from it! The cool thing was I got to meet people from the EL Server I had never met before, such as Nat (AKA HyperBlossom7), DerpyStarlet (AKA Derpy) and Carabas, just to name a few.
The third was a little bit more scattered, and that’s the Fallout: Equestria group and this was led—for lack of a better word—by Heartshine. At least, that was the part I ended up spending time with. RoMS ended up joining us for quite a bit of time, as did Kaipony for a chat during one day.
The fourth main group was Adge’s Group. Now, I only really knew Adge, Sam Rose and Cal (AKA Deathscar, but he’s too nice to be called by that name, though I’ll do it here just to make it easy). Here, I eventually got to meet VerumTee (AKA Vee) of Sparkling Shimmer in addition to—for the first time ever—Princess Deadpool. Yup. Met the guy behind the mask (he’s not scary, I swear).
The first side group was the Jurists. Most of the Jurists are either in the Nook or in the EL Server, so to count all of them would be doubling people up. There are a few other lurking about, of course. And every time I saw a zippered Noble Jury hoodie, I grinned, knowing I was the one who got it to them. And I was behind the redesign. That felt great.
The second side group to all of this was, of course, the EFNW Writer’s Track team. I worked with them last year and the year before. This includes awesome people like Winston, Xepher, Somber and plenty more. I never actually got to chat with Admiral Biscuit or Titanium Dragon this year.
Also here’s a key thing: I didn’t cover everyone here. Not by a long shot.
So, you’re probably wondering if I’m just name-dropping like crazy for fun and giggles, attaching myself to their “horsefame.”
Nope!
The main point of this all is to give you an idea of just how many people we had (and I’m totally ballparking these numbers. I’m fairly sure a few of them are high). Something like 18 in the Enchanticon group (which I think includes most of the Jurists). Another 15 or so in the Nook group. Adge’s group had about 8 and the FO:E group fluctuated wildly, so we’ll estimate 5.
This is almost fifty people.
Why is this cool? Why am I taking so long to get to the point?
Context of course, because there’s one little detail I’d like to add.
Some time ago (I don’t remember the details), there were people in the EL Server and the Nook saying that the two servers should merge. Both Mono and I rolled our eyes at that. Yeah, we’re friends, but we’re both different people and have our own separate things (You know, like RariTwi and SunLight?). That wasn’t going to happen.
Ironically, I suggested to Mono the idea of doing a joint Nook/EL event at EFNW, like a dinner or something. We ended up deciding that it likely wouldn’t happen just because of the logistics of trying to get both groups together. And we were both fine with that.
And then, something totally awesome happened.
That “server merge” happened right before our eyes without doing a thing!
Last year, I felt like the groups were connected, but distinct and separate (or that I might have been because I was running around everywhere doing too many panels). This year, it was anything but.
For every meal or event, our group would split off and merge together. Sometimes, I’d be in a group with a bunch of people from FO:E and the Nook, sometimes it was EL and the Jurists. Tsitra, myself, Jyki and Adge’s group would hang out while the EL group had dinner just across the way from us.
We’d have card games like Red Flag or TSSSF where we’d just get a random selection of all the groups and just play.
There was no separation. There was no division. There were no lines where one group started and the other group ended. It felt like we were all part of the same massive group because that’s exactly what we were. We’re all radically different people. Our ages, backgrounds, lives and more couldn’t be more different.
And even though so many people met each other for the very first time that weekend, it came down to a fundamental truth. It’s a truth you already know, being part of an online community.
The truth is we were already friends. And we just got to take it to a whole new level.
There was no “NovelCon” like there was last year when I looked out and saw people connecting because of me. And I’m more than happy with that. I just got to enjoy it. Everyone did it themselves. They didn’t need me or anyone else save for the occasional introduction (or awkward “Hey, who are you?”)
Everything just happened organically, on its own as dozens of new real-life friendships were born, and they were born right there on Day 0.
That’s magic. That’s family. That’s philia love.
That’s Everfree.
Dinner Splits!
So, one of the EFNW traditions is to go to Sharps Roasthouse a little ways down the street from the hotel. The last two years, I spent it with the Writer’s Track team, though this time, I was so overwhelmed with the size of our group—and I was pretty freaking hungry—I decided to go early with people from all over.
I remember chatting with Winston and inviting him along for dinner, though he did eventually decide to go with the rest of the Writers for their dinner. It was a good thing I didn’t end up going, really, because I doubt I could have handled it without Albi to help me with what happened at the end of dinner.
Before we left though, I got to meet RoMS for the first time, a veteran editor for Heartshine’s story, Speak and an impressively knowledgeable Fallout: Equestria fan. After asking me about the current state of GoE, I did tell him about the single Fallout story I’ve partially written. Called Gardens of Equestria: Dances of Light and Shadow, the story would have served as the bridge novel between GoE 1 and GoE 2.
I ended up telling him the story slowly over the course of us heading to Sharps. However, the problem was our group was far too large for the place. I think we had two groups of 10-12? There were so many people to keep track of, so I’ll simply mention those who joined us at our table: Heartshine, Tsitra, RoMS, Kim, Jyki, Firimil, Voxaul (Firimil’s SO), Albinocorn and myself.
After finishing my story to RoMS, both Heartshine and Jyki decided to get the Magic Mai-Tai, which the menu described as “an enchantment of rums charmed by tropical juices and illuminated with magic ice.” When they eventually came, they did indeed look magical because PRETTY LIGHTS. (I’m a sucker for pretty lights, sue me). Heartshine even let me have a sip, and it tasted quite good, though with my various medications (and odd dizzy spell I’d been having), I didn’t have anymore.
As for the taste, Jyki described it as: “This tastes like a unicorn!”
Yup. He failed to specify which unicorn. And do yourself a favor and don’t think too hard about that statement.
Meanwhile, at the Writing Track Table...
The conversation around the table wandered and in this case, ended up splitting a little, though it was still plenty of fun. Albi and I woke with RoMS, Voxaul and Firi’s take on Canadian culture and politics, including why the province of British Columbia is being a jerk to Alberta.
I also got to enjoy Jyki slightly tipsy. He’s wonderfully hysterical like that. Even more so!
Albi and I had already caught up a bit, so we just screwed around until Tsitra ordered a whiskey flight (something I’d never seen before, or at least heard of, mainly because I don’t drink), tasted by all but me, I believe. Two of them were resounding failures, sadly, and Tsitra was not pleased about that! However, we did see some impressive work when Albi knocked back what was considered to be the worst of the bunch in one take, then Jyki took the second one.
However, at this point, something very odd happened. I was turning in my chair to speak to someone when it suddenly felt like the back of my chair vanished outright. For the record, I had a single tiny sip of Heart’s Mai-Tai, so that wasn’t the cause. At that point though, it was decided that maybe I should head back early and Albi was nice enough to help me back.
Unexpected Complications
So, time for the bad news. While I had been loving all the interaction with so many new people and old friends, all that came with a cost. Over the course of the day, I’d be getting minor dizzy spells that would usually pass quickly. I’d also get massive panic attacks (as in flight or fight responses) if I got surrounded by people I didn’t know in super busy areas (this would happen twice in the Vendor Hall).
However, the dizzy spells turned out to be a much bigger concern. The example I gave above of feeling like the back of the chair had just vanished happened several more times during the weekend. I’d also have what I now call “whiteouts,” where I briefly blank out and then come to a split-second later feeling very light-headed and dizzy.
That first night, Albi had to help me back to the hotel, though most of the symptoms faded fairly quickly, I admit I was stumbling out of there as if I were smashed. I was still coherent and everything, but… it was disconcerting. I’d never had something like that happen to me before, and it’s something I plan on bringing up with my doctors the next time I see them.
This only became a big deal after breakfast on Day 1, when we were walking back from Denny’s. I was too close to the side of the road and got slammed with one of these. I almost fell backward into the busy street. Thankfully, Corejo caught me long enough for me to get my balance again. A good thing too, because I’m fairly sure there were plenty of cars there.
I owe Corejo big time for this.
During the rest of the weekend, I handled the anxiety by taking semi-regular breaks, as I believed the dizzy spells and the anxiety were caused by massive overstimulation, both sensory and socialization. Dehydration, always an issue considering some of my medication, is also a contender. Still, I would go up to my room, read a little bit of Crystal’s Wishes and center myself before going back down.
Never be afraid to take some time to yourself during cons, folks. Quality is more important than quantity. Your friends want you at your best and you don’t need to constantly rug yourself ragged, especially if it’s just to socialize.
All Her Ducks in a Row
Albi and I ended up running into Mono and the Enchanticon crew in the cafe area outside the coffee shop. Albi got a nice little seat next to Mono and someone had come up with the bright idea to bring Mono rubber duckies. I came in late for the conversation, so I didn’t get the full origin story. However, Mono had a lot of fun stacking them on Albi’s head and doing a damn good job of it.
I got to finally speak to Cursori at length for the first time in person. It was great to finally have a face to connect with the guy who’s helped me through so very much. Cursori has been my rock in a lot of places, helping me with sanity checks so that I don’t overreact to situations. He also tackled the massive Teahouse Second Draft with me (it deserves capital letters, trust me). The guy’s amazing. And not just because he’s a Dane.
Cursori and I have some similar issues, so he decided to retire early with Carabas, another of Mono’s incredibly talented editors.
We sat around for a bit longer and chatted, I think until Tsitra joined us for a short time, but then eventually the party broke up because we were all exhausted from travel and a very long day.
TSSSF - The Shipping Picture
Albi, Tsitra and I headed up to our room for a single game of TSSSF. I told them off the bat that it would be what I call “House Rules,” where I’d change the goals if I felt they would be too difficult to do, along with some minor changes to points or card powers to balance out the game. I haven’t had time to make the cards I’ve wanted to or the changes (and I seriously need to do a con-only deck) but we had a good time.
We played for a good 45 minutes, making all sorts of crazy, crazy ships, some of which you can find below!
When I showed Albi, he immediately responded with “So... just Mono then.”
Finally, Tsitra destroyed us by snagging 3 points with either 2 or 3 goals in one turn! For the record, I wasn’t sad. I was thrilled. I’ve been playing TSSSF for so long that I’m used to winning most of the time. To have someone beat me felt fantastic! It means I had worthy opponents! Seriously. I was totally psyched. Happiest I’ve ever been to lose!
Yes, Albi is always that tall and imposing looking. And by the way, Bee is judging you to the left of my foot. Thought you should know. She loves me, so definitely judging you.
Bedtimes
The three of us just chatted late into the night until Albi realized he wouldn’t be able to make his train home if he didn’t get moving. So, as usual, I walked Albi down to the front door of the hotel, chatting and smiling all the way. He would only be able to join us for Saturday, sadly, so I made sure to make the most out of our time together.
Fun fact: That design of Rainbow Dash balloon I once put up outside in the very center of my workplace. I had to climb this metal thing to reach the highest point and get it on there. Always brings back fond memories seeing this balloon.
Finally, with Albi sent off and Tsitra asleep, I did some light reading from Crystal Wishes, wrote up my day’s journal (I knew I’d need it for this!) and finally shut everything off for the night, knowing that tomorrow, the real con started.
| Prologue: Welcome Home |
| Thursday: Socialization on an Epic Scale |
| Friday: On Psychopaths |
| Saturday: Perfect Friendships |
| Sunday: A Bright Future |
| Monday: Painters, Packing, Piers & Planes |
| Epilogue: Why It’s Worth It |
Front Page is a reporter for the Everfree Press. She began her newspaper career in 2013, covering the second Everfree Northwest convention event. Since then, she has continued to cover all of Everfree Northwest’s events. In her spare time, Front Page enjoys playing guitar, hiking, and spending time with her two foals. Her cutie mark is, appropriately, a newspaper page.
Cursori's hoodied-up photo is the best here!
5074770
It was rainy and bright! The hoodie and sunglasses seemed like the perfect response to that.
It's fascinating seeing you lay out the journey like this. I can point at bits and say "Hey, I was there!" or "Neat! I wish I'd been there." (For those keeping track, I'm the guy in the blue shirt with a death grip on an EFNW program.)
And yes, seeing Albi vs. Mono live and in person is a privilege.
5074778
The fact that it made you look like a dread cultist on vacation was merely a side benefit, I'm sure.
5074795
Concurred. Blow-by-blow accounts like this are stellar, especially the way Novel writes them.
Yay! I’m mentioned.
5074875
Oh sure Novel's allowed a blow-by-blow retrospect, but I write a blow-by-blow and suddenly it's against the fimfic terms of service.
Ugh...
Georg's Thursday: Get up, check out of hotel, go to Work Meeting With Everybody In State. Breaks at noon, leap into car, drive back to home office, fill out timesheet, check out, switch to personal vehicle, drive home, toss out dirty clothes, stuff clean clothes into luggage, drive to Kansas City International, jump onto airplane, switch planes in Phoenix, land in Seattle at midnight, wait 20 minutes for the plane to find a parking spot (apparently they didn't have a quarter for the meter), wait 20 minutes for the hotel shuttle, get to the hotel, collapse. (set alarm)
I wish I had your day :)
5074770
There's a lot of best up there! But yes, Cursori as Templar of the Dark Purple Girlfriends Cult is a big deal!
5074778
So that's your story? Not that you totally posed for it and I think put up your hood just for that moment?
5074795
You were there! I remember! I've met so many people on the shuttle... heh. This is me recalling through a combination of pictures, my own journal and people reminding me. It's fun! And exhausting!
If you ever stop by the Nook when they get into it, I've seen them go for over an hour!
Aside from being there just to enjoy it and his friends, he was there to see Mono and me! You say that like he's not a dread cultist!
5074875
You are terrifyingly good at a) compliments b) making me blush 3) doing both
5074884
Trust me, you're gonna be a LOT more than mentioned by the time I'm done!
5074926
...I've been thinking for days on this. I still can't come up with a good quip to counter this! You win!
5075071
Didn't last year you spent a good part of the start EFNW on a mountain?!
5075242
Yes. I’m married that can be used as an excuse for many things
5075350
More like "Married with a wife who can come with you to Seattle/EFNW"