Bronycon: A Tragicomedy in 5 Acts — Introduction

Lo! Behold the Bronycon 2019, most majestic of all Pony conventions, last of its kind and most crowded of its name. Witness as it fights for space with the Rubik’s Cube convention [1]. Be amazed at the crowds of people attending, and all the panels they didn’t get to attend. And don’t mourn for it being gone, but celebrate the fact it happened at all.

This is the first of a series of 5 blogs which I will publish over the next few days, talking about my experiences at Bronycon. I’m not interested in a travelogue, so these are not chronological, but more of an overview of various aspects of the convention. And while it is non-linear, this format is meant to create a narrative [2]. Follow me, and you will see.

Overall, Bronycon was a blast. However, look a bit closer and you will see that the moments of intense joy and wonder are actually inextricable from smaller ones which aren't quite as positive. It is intense, and it is no wonder that so many people seem so out of it at the end, that the post-con depression is a real phenomenon. By bringing our lovely online hobby into the meatspace you get confronted with a lot, not least of which is the reality of the way we spend our time, of the things we contribute, hell, even our place in the tapestry of life — in a sense.

I can’t help but remember that 8 years have passed since I first saw a Pony episode, and that I’m a radically different person now. The show doesn't mean nearly as much to me as it does to some other fans, but it certainly became a significant part of my life. But what is really shocking is that Bronycon 2019, specifically, made me grow as a person in very tangible ways, some of which I have yet to learn. That for me is the highest goal we can hope to achieve in any of our endeavors. And how fitting for it to come out of Friendship is Magic, a show firmly rooted in nostalgia, and yet fully committed to the idea of growing up and maturing as an individual. I went to Bronycon, and all I got was this lousy epiphany.

But more on that later, I have to leave something for the other posts. The show will soon be over, but the fandom will endure. And yes, Bronycon may be over, but its memories will remain, unlike tears in the rain. I hope to have you join me in my little journey, I promise it will be an interesting one.

Oh, and whoever manages to guess the reference on the titles gets a special prize.[3]

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[1]: The whole con I kept trying to think about a pun involving us getting more space by crossing the RubikCon, but to no avail. I guess I should had brought some dice with me.
[2]: It is also an excuse for me to get back into blog writing, something I have long neglected.
[3]: There may or may not be an actual prize, but this reference is beyond obscure, and it will make my day if someone gets it right.

Comments

[PresentPerfect]

crossing the RubikCon

okay, but I wish you'd been able to work this out XD

[forbloodysummer]

I guess the Rubiks crowd were just too square to get it?

[Chinchillax]

I went to _______, and all I got was this lousy epiphany.

I think you just summed up all of life in a fill-in-the blank phrase

[Csquared08]

The whole con I kept trying to think about a pun involving us getting more space by crossing the RubikCon, but to no avail. I guess I should had brought some dice with me.