[quarion]

Since becoming a brony, I've only had the fortune to meet one other brony where I live, but I'd love to meet others who share the same fandom. I figured that Acen would be a great place to potentially find others who love the show as much as I do.

I'd appreciate it if you would leave a post if you are interested or have any ideas for the gathering. Having never started a thread like this and having never even attended a gathering at a convention before (I'm actually quite a timid person), I would appreciate any help for organizing the thread/gathering that anyone is willing to offer.

For those who see this thread and don't know brony is, brony is typically used to refer to an adult male fan of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; however, it may also be used to refer to female fans, who are sometimes referred to as pegasisters, or fans of the show in general. I'd be happy to answer any questions about bronies to the best of my ability, but I am still a relatively new brony so there is still much of the brony culture that I do not know.

Thank you to everyone who expresses interest. I sincerely hope that I'm not getting in over my head trying to start something like this. ^^;

I suppose I should have been clearer earlier that when I say "Brony Gathering," female bronies (or pegasisters if you prefer) are included and most certainly welcome to join us.

This post has been edited by quarion: 27 October 2011 - 12:25 AM

[-JUNK-]

Brony/ Pegasister~ I give you a LINK!
http://www.acen.org/...ic-meetup-2012/

[quarion]

Thank you for the link. From what I understand, that is primarily a gathering for cosplayers, while this gathering was targeted at a more general group of fans. I would most certainly be willing to work around the photo shoot so that those interested in both would be able to attend both. That being said, I'd love to come see the photo shoot as well.

[rondo]

How long before a BronyCon? Seriously though, the whole phenomenon amazes me.

[Normandy]

*brohoofs @ thread*

But seriously, I'd be down for a non-photoshoot gathering of some sort.

[quarion]

I'm glad to hear that someone else is interested. Hopefully we'll get some more people as it gets closer to Acen.

[linlindesu]

Why not directly before or after the shoot ( so that the bronies cosplaying ponies can easily make it : x )?

[Mari_Queen_of_Fools]

linlindesu, on 03 November 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

Why not directly before or after the shoot ( so that the bronies cosplaying ponies can easily make it : x )?

Agreed! And maybe in the same area if possible, so no one has to rush from one side of the con to a totally different area?

[dorkatlarge]

A non-photoshoot gathering would be nice. Perhaps a meetup somewhere in Chicagoland that would happen before the insanely busy ACen weekend?

Thanks to Bronies.com and Facebook, I learned of a local group called Midwest Bronies. I haven't been to any of their events yet, but I'll strongly consider attending one soon.

[quarion]

linlindesu, on 03 November 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

Why not directly before or after the shoot ( so that the bronies cosplaying ponies can easily make it : x )?

That's actually a great idea if there is a time and place nearby that works for everyone.

dorkatlarge, on 03 November 2011 - 07:12 PM, said:

A non-photoshoot gathering would be nice. Perhaps a meetup somewhere in Chicagoland that would happen before the insanely busy ACen weekend?

Sadly I live in Wisconsin and will only be in the Chicago area for Acen weekend so that will not be an option for me.

[Mr.Shishio]

I am for this as well. We can sing the winter wrap up song and do the pony pokey!

[dorkatlarge]

You know what? I used most of my time at ACen 2011 running from one photoshoot to the next, trying to get as many awesome photos as I could. It was exhausting. So if the best/only time for a meetup would be during the con, then I think I'd be okay with that.

Mr.Shishio, on 12 January 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

I am for this as well. We can sing the winter wrap up song and do the pony pokey!

I only started listening to MLP:FIM music recently, and so I wouldn't have understood those references until a few days ago.

[Sir Viver]

Brohoof.

Also,
>2012
>not singing "At The Gala" while walking into the Hyatt

I seriously hope you guys don't skip doing this.

[quarion]

Hey guys. I wanted to ask you all what you would like to see happen at the gathering. Personally, I would be happy just to be able to meet and talk with some fellow bronies, but I'd like to know what you all would like to see to make this a successful and fun gathering.

I'd definitely be up for some singing as Mr.Shishio suggested though I'm not sure if I'd be on board with Sir Viver's proposal of walking into the Hyatt while singing "At the Gala." I only say this because I know that the entrance to the Hyatt is a very popular and crowded area and, pending on the size of our group, we could cause overcrowding of the pathways and just make it difficult for everyone to move around. Also moving through an area where other groups are meeting while singing (in all likelihood loudly) could be considered disruptive, rude, or just plain annoying to all the other people trying to meet with their groups. I'd rather not potentially upset other groups, but I'd certainly like to hear other people's opinions on the matter.

[dorkatlarge]

I've been in the Hyatt area during important hours of the con. It will definitely be crowded. Con staff are always making sure no one blocks off escalators. And I've seen at least one person get injured there.

Thinking about open space, it's rare to find a section of the con where you can fit a number of people without having to compete with lines, photoshoots, or various activities... There has been decent amounts of open space inside the actual convention center, but it's hidden between the registration line and artist alley / dealers room.

Anyone have more suggestions?

[Unka Josh]

Mr.Shishio, on 12 January 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

I am for this as well. We can sing the winter wrap up song and do the pony pokey!

Pssst! Note what I posted earlier-- sing by all means, but to be absolutely clear, <i>not at the photoshoot.</i>

[quarion]

So it seems that there are two MLP photoshoots scheduled now. If we are going to try to meet nearby and before or after the photoshoot to accommodate cosplayers, we need to decide which photoshoot we should schedule around and whether to meet beforehand or afterwards.

From what I saw on the photoshoot thread, it looks like at Mari at least is planning to attend the Friday photoshoot. I'd like to hear from anyone else who is planning to be involved in either of the photoshoots so that we can find the best solution. I'd also like to hear if you'd prefer to meet before or after the shoot. I don't have much experience with cosplay so I'd appreciate your input so I don't cause people to make a mad dash across the convention in potentially fragile/complicated/bulky costumes.

As for locations, I have a few ideas that may or may not work out. First and foremost, we will need to find a location that is not near convention programming, offices, etc. in case we decide to sing some songs or otherwise make noise. We'll also need a fair amount of room to accommodate the group, which may or may not end up being large. Ideally it will also be near the photoshoots so those involved won't have to run across the convention.

My first potential location is here.

It is just outside the Hyatt and right next to the Tree Patch cosplay meeting area. It is near both photoshoots and I think it would accommodate a fair number of people, but it is also a popular spot for cosplay groups in the event of rain, especially those at the Tree Patch and both Loading Docks locations.

The second potential location is here.

This one isn't as close, but still only takes a few minutes to reach by going around the convention center or taking the skywalk and coming out the convention center main entrance. This area definitely has plenty of room, but it has been listed as a backup for cosplay groups in case of rain so we would have to keep that in mind.

I don't have a convenient picture of the third potential location, but it is right through the doors in the second location picture. The big room just before you enter the exhibit hall.

This one is pretty much as far from the photoshoots at the second location, but it is a large room and we won't have to worry about any official cosplay groups. There are usually some scattered groups in this area, but there usually seems to be plenty of room when I see it so we should be able to find a decent spot where we don't block the flow of traffic.

Anyways, these are just a few ideas that I have based on my limited knowledge of locations big enough for a gathering. I'd love to hear any ideas if anyone knows of a good location.

My apologies for the wall of text. I just wanted to get this discussion started so that things can be planned out before its too late.

[Iris]

Without seeing the official and complete schedule it's hard to commit to something for me. But if I had to guess, I'd say definately after the photoshoot (there is enough rushing to try and get there on time anyway). I'd also suggest Saturday instead of Friday because there always seems to be more people there the second day (perhaps some people can't get off work or school for Fri, I don't know).

Any of the three locations work, but the first is probably the best for lighting if we decide to take more pictures.

[slrphebos]

As a female Brony (no calling me a pagasister since I have no idea why that a good idea, but I digress), and someone who has had a lot of Acen experience, the first location would be best. The second one if done on Saturday is going to be all sorts of crowded since that is a MAJOR hang out spot in general. So perhaps a sign would be best to bring to announce that this is the place for the Brony meetup. Also perhaps doing the meetup on both days (maybe slightly different times each day) would be the best way to get all the Brony love we can during the con. Saturday evening would be fun especially if the show plays the second part of the season finale the Saturday of Acen (but we have to wait for that info).


I know I can make any and most likely all of these since I don't have a lot to do as far as the current schedule shows. If we decide I can get info posted up on the Midwest Brony Division group page on Facebook to make sure it gets out to everypony that wishes to show.


Oh and I can I request another song we can sing? At The Gala is a wonderful one with all the parts, but what about Smile too? That be an awesome song if sung in a big enough group.

This post has been edited by slrphebos: 20 March 2012 - 11:39 PM

[JawdyBawdy]

as a brony (not a damm pegasister xD), i'm all for this!
i will be cosplaying DJ PON-3 (or Vinyl Scratch, to some) and will be attending both of the photoshoots.
personally, i think the meet up would be better after the photoshoot, regardless of which photoshoot.
if there's a chance of the meet up being a bit of a walk from the photoshoot, as a cosplayer, it's best to not be late to your shoot.
things tend to get hectic when a cosplayer arrives late and they missed their slot... this made quite a hullabaloo at the pokemon shoot in 2011 xD

as for what we would do..
like i said, i'll be cosplaying DJ PON-3.
this cosplay involves a boombox and plenty of pony music, pony remixes (plenty of Living Tombstone mixes), and techno.
who's up for a dance party?

[MasterHavik]

I wouldn't mind meeting up with some fans of the show.

[quarion]

Alright, alright. I get it. "Brony" seems to be the preferred gender neutral term as opposed to something like "pegasister." You'll have to remember that when I wrote the initial post almost 6 months ago, I was still quite new to the fandom and, from what I saw, there was still some debate as to the gender neutrality of the word "brony." I was simply trying to include everyone regardless of what they prefer to call themselves.

Anyways, on to business. Pending the final schedule, it may be possible for me to try for a meetup after both of the photoshoots, but the Friday meetup would also depend on the dinner plans of the group I'm coming to Acen with. I suppose any further scheduling details will likely have to wait until the final schedule comes out.

Also I have recently acquired a laptop that I can bring to Acen. This means that we will have access to pony related music and even episodes of the show (which I do own properly through iTunes).

[MasterHavik]

Cool. I'll be waiting.

This post has been edited by MasterHavik: 02 April 2012 - 03:45 PM

[JawdyBawdy]

so, just to be on the safe side, are these meet ups a maybe for after the photoshoots?

and again, i'll mention i have a boombox that is loud as hell and an ipod with a large expanse of music? xD

[MasterHavik]

Won't be hard to spot you.

[quarion]

I had really hoped that they would have a complete (or at least more complete) schedule by now, but considering there are less than two weeks until the convention, I don't want to wait any longer to post details on time and location.

I would like to have a meetup immediately following each of the photoshoots on both Friday and Saturday to allow cosplayers to attend in costume. Since I plan to be at the photoshoots, there will need to be time for those of us at the photoshoot to get to the location and take care of any setup. This would mean 7:15PM on Friday and 3:45PM on Saturday.

For the location, I would like to go with this location that I had mentioned in a previous post. It is located just outside of the Hyatt and just east of the Tree Patch cosplay gathering location as seen on this map. It is quite close to both photoshoots and located outside so we should be able to sing and such without disturbing any programming or any of the Acen offices.

I don't have too many specifics planned for activities. I figured we could do some simple introductions to each other, sing some of our favorite pony songs, and perhaps watch an episode or two. Perhaps some pony-related discussion as well. I am certainly open to suggestions that anyone has.

I do have one concern with the Friday meetup. Sunset on Friday is expected to be around 7:46PM. I don't know what the lighting situation in that area is, but it could get dark on us. At the very least people should get any pictures that they may want to take early on.

In summary:

Times
Friday: 7:15PM
Saturday: 3:45PM

Location: here (located east of the Tree Patch gathering location as seen on this map)

[quarion]

JawdyBawdy, on 01 April 2012 - 11:28 PM, said:

this cosplay involves a boombox and plenty of pony music, pony remixes (plenty of Living Tombstone mixes), and techno.
who's up for a dance party?

If you do attend one or both of the meetups, I would be most appreciative if we could make use of your boombox for any pony music we play as I'm sure it has much higher sound quality than my laptop speakers. If there is any way for me to run my laptop's sound through it, perhaps it could enhance the sound of our episode viewing as well. In any case, I don't want to go commandeering your boombox if you aren't comfortable with it and I don't want to go running down your batteries(assuming it runs on batteries of some sort).

As for a dance party, I'm not one for dancing myself and I don't really know what a "dance party" consist of, but if you guys want to dance to some pony music, I'm sure we could work something out.

On a final note, I just wanted to make sure that you are aware of the posts that Unka Josh from Video Programming has made about music at the photoshoots if you are planning to attend any of them, especially when you describe your boombox as "loud as hell."

[dorkatlarge]

The location that Quarion suggested is a good place to gather, even if the weather is bad. It's right outside the Hyatt, and (unless things have changed) it will not be near any long lines.

Looking forward to this! Will hope to meet people at the gathering.

[JawdyBawdy]

quarion, on 15 April 2012 - 03:28 AM, said:

If you do attend one or both of the meetups, I would be most appreciative if we could make use of your boombox for any pony music we play as I'm sure it has much higher sound quality than my laptop speakers. If there is any way for me to run my laptop's sound through it, perhaps it could enhance the sound of our episode viewing as well. In any case, I don't want to go commandeering your boombox if you aren't comfortable with it and I don't want to go running down your batteries(assuming it runs on batteries of some sort).

As for a dance party, I'm not one for dancing myself and I don't really know what a "dance party" consist of, but if you guys want to dance to some pony music, I'm sure we could work something out.

On a final note, I just wanted to make sure that you are aware of the posts that Unka Josh from Video Programming has made about music at the photoshoots if you are planning to attend any of them, especially when you describe your boombox as "loud as hell."

I do plan on attending both photoshoots/meetups, though I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. My group has a child in it this year and if he also attends the shoots, when he's ready to go back to the room, that's that. For the time that we are able to attend, I can supply music for singing and what not.

My boombox does run on batteries and I am aware of the music and photoshoots rule. I attended the pokemon shoot and ran an impromptu Avatar shoot last year. When shoots start, the music stops; simple as. The boombox is more for my cosplay (DJ PON-3) around the convention and for dancing, as my cosplay group is also a dance group. Photoshoots are a no-no, I am aware.

[quarion]

Well, it seems no one showed up for the gathering today. I'll chalk it up to the cold temperature and my lack of a sign. Hopefully it will go better tomorrow. I did find some random paper and a pen so I can make a basic, small sign or something.

I'd be open to a fallback indoor location to meet tomorrow if it is too cold again if anyone has any suggestions.

In any case, I had a lot of fun at the photoshoot today. Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you tomorrow.