The final BronyCon is currently in full swing over in Baltimore. As far as I can tell from various people's reports, it seems to be going pretty well. It's always interesting to read these – especially those on Fimfiction, where for the most part the blogs are well written and have a depth that Twitter posts do not afford their writers.
I've mentioned before that I regret that I'll never experience a fan-script reading or real-life ponyfic writer gatherings, but BronyCon 2019 has added a new item to the list: the Golden Oaks Bookstore. This is an actual, physical place filled with actual, physical copies of ponyfic stories. Which are apparently selling really well. While I'm generally quite content with reading fics in electronic format, I can't deny that to experience a genuine ponyfic bookshop would be something remarkable
Mind you, it's also fair to say that the sheer size of BronyCon (and I await the official attendance figure with interest) might not be to my tastes anyway. I've noticed a considerable number of people this year mentioning having waited long periods in queues, then not getting into the events they're queueing for anyway as the relevant rooms have already reached capacity. That sort of thing certainly does not appeal.
I wonder occasionally whether I'd actually be a regular BC attendee if it were held in this country. I can never know for sure, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I'd have ended up going once or twice, just for the experience, and then set it aside in favour of the smaller cons. After all, I didn't strain every sinew to get to the last BUCK in 2016, but I did make absolutely sure I was at UK PonyCon the same year.
On which note, please don't take my comments about BC as whinging. I count myself very lucky to live in a country which has its own Pony
conventions, and even luckier to have been able to have attended them. All being well, UK PonyCon in October will be my ninth. Of
course, the end of FiM brings uncertainties to us, as it does to
everyone else, but I'd certainly like to get my con count into double figures before it's all over.
Right – I think that's quite enough disjointed rambling. I need to save some for my next few posts! To those who are reading this at BronyCon, I hope you're having a sensationally good time and that your memories of the convention will all be happy ones. To everyone else... well, I hope you're having a great time, too!
I had a very memorable encounter at the Bronycon Bookstore* on Friday when I went back after the Thursday rush had died down. I was looking at the display copy of Cold in Gardez's book when the man to my left said to me "You don't want that book, you want this one" and pointed to Bad Horse's book. It turned out he was Bad Horse and Cold in Gardez was standing immediately to my right without my having realised. I was sadly too awkward to say anything much but it was still a very pleasant surprise to run into them without realising.
ReplyDeleteOn another note online orders were available for some of the books they were selling, so you'd probably be able to order yourself a physical fanfiction book if you wanted to. (I took details I can dig out if you're interested.)
*I didn't notice the name Golden Oaks being used at the con, but all that proves is I'm not 100% observant.
Okay, but if it's The Stupid Unicorn, you definitely want Bad Horse's book. :D
DeleteIt turned out he was Bad Horse and Cold in Gardez was standing immediately to my right without my having realised.
DeleteOh, wow. :D
I didn't notice the name Golden Oaks being used at the con
I don't know how official that was, but I saw it on a couple of people's Fimfiction blogs so assumed it was fairly widely used. Maybe not.
so you'd probably be able to order yourself a physical fanfiction book if you wanted to
Yeah, I'm very tempted by Cold in Gardez's book, for three reasons:
1) He's a stupidly good writer -- as if that needed saying!
2) I prefer short stories to novels on the whole
3) It's a Lulu paperback, and those (unlike hardbacks) are printed over here, which means hugely reduced shipping costs
To my understanding, Golden Oaks was supposed to be official, because Bronycon asked them not to use their name in the title, then they went ahead and called it "Bronycon Bookstore" in the con book anyway. <.< Bronycon gonna Bronycon.
DeleteWell, that's, um... yeah. What you said.
DeleteI've already ordered a copy of CiG's book from Lulu to be delivered home to the UK (since they'd sold out at the con), which I can technically say I bought at the con (on my phone!)
ReplyDeleteRe: the name, the con book lists the stall as "The BronyCon Bookstore", but the bookmark I picked up says "Welcome to the Golden Oak Bookstore", so that name was being used, but not as widely as it might have been. Not that it really matters.
Ok, Present Perfect commented while I was writing there. That explains that then.
Delete