#the guy is lee tockar

[eepop-stuffs]

These two are voiced by the same guy btw

[causetheturtle]

Breaking my silence

[hyperfixated-fan]

Hello, Ninjago fandom, while we impatiently wait for the second half of Crystalized to be released, may I interest you in some good old nostalgic shows with familiar Canadian voice actors to pass the time. Ironically, Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA) is in every single one of my suggested shows and in 3 of the 4, he’s got a lead role. XD

Also, I need more people to revive some of these old fandoms! Please hear me out while I info dump! The options get better as we go along since I firmly believe in saving the best for last. I hope you like my long ramble.

First off, we have Slugterra:

This show had a pretty good run with multiple seasons and specials. It’s a good action show and enjoyable for passing the time. I binge watched it while reading through my driver’s training stuff. A solid Saturday morning-esque show.

As far as notable characters and voice actors go, we’ve got:

Eli Shane voiced by Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA): he’s the main guy and very comparable to Lloyd since he’s got daddy issues. Poor guy spends forever trying to locate his dad while at the same time filling the role as hero and protector of the Caverns. Also, he’s the reason this show got so many female viewers. Those simps.

Dr. Thaddeus Blakk voiced by Mark Oliver (Garmadon’s VA): he’s the typical big bad villain type. A bit bland but it’s hilarious to listen to if you’re a Ninjago fan because all you end up hearing is Lloyd vs. Garmadon half the time.

Kord Zane voiced by Andrew Francis (Morro’s VA): he’s a troll and the muscle and mechanic of the main group. Not much to say about him. He’s a sweet, protective dude. Also, I just like that he’s got the name Kord Zane since I’m a huge Zane fan.

Trixie Sting voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent (Racer Seven’s VA): she’s neat and seems to be the second in command to Eli. She’s you’re typical strong female character type. Good news is that there’s no annoying trope that she is in love with the main guy though.

Pronto voiced by Lee Tockar (Borg’s VA): he fits the comedic relief trope really well. Unfortunately, he’s borderline annoying for me. I don’t have anything really notable to say about him. You just gotta tolerate him. Occasionally he has his uses.

Junjie voiced by Vincent Tong (Kai’s VA): he’s not a main character but I really love him and the Asian influence the show goes through when he’s around. Cool dude that also has so much trauma packed into him when you think about all he went through. You’ll understand if you watch.

Burpy is the iconic slug of the series. A 10/10 character. Loyal as ever and super adorable. Sassy when he wants to be.

Pros of this show:

Adorable side character slugs with awesome powers

Elemental slugs!!

a whole arc about trying to free a place from an evil emperor (sound familiar?)

Teaches against animal cruelty.

Shadow creatures that for once aren’t evil villains.

So many other familiar side characters with Ninjago VA’s. It’s honestly just fun to see how many familiar voices you can pick out.

Interesting concept, lore, and world building if you dig deep enough and overanalyze everything.

Cool fights and slug shootouts.

Action with a side of found family is always a plus.

Solid team dynamics and brotherly teasing.

A bonus is that there’s very little romance in this show. Very refreshing to see.

Next we have a forgotten classic, Class of the Titans:

This show had two seasons and had a decent ending. It definitely deserved more run time because there really aren’t that many animated shows about Greek Mythology that are kid friendly. A big main crew with a few familiar Ninjago voice actors sprinkled in for the fun of it. Another Saturday morning-esque show but with a better feel of having an overarching plot than Slugterra did in my opinion.

They have so many character tropes that create the whole main crew so I’m going to try to go through them quickly.

Jay voiced by Kirby Morrow (Cole’s VA): the level-headed leader. Very similar to how Cole started out as team leader. Also, it’s just funny for Ninjago fans to see a character named Jay be voiced by Cole’s voice actor.

Theresa voiced by Kelly Sheridan (Gayle Gossip’s VA or better known for playing Barbie): a psychic seer who is Jay’s love interest (reminds me of Barbie and the Nutcracker solely bc of the voice actors). I wish I liked her more, especially since she’s a seer like Zane. Honestly, neither girl characters really stand out to me but they’re nice to have around.

Atlanta voiced by Meghan Black in season one: the action archer girl who has super speed. She’s neat and very strong-willed. (Side note: I find it funny that every main character girl I’ve mentioned so far are all redheads.)

Odie voiced by Doron Bell Jr. (Griffin’s VA): the smart tech guy. He has his uses and sassy moments. It’s also funny to see what was considered high tech back in the mid 2000s.

Herry voiced by Ty Olsson: your typical strong, protective, big brother guy trope. He’s got a really awesome, scrappy grandma.

Neil voiced by Ted Cole: the self-absorbed guy who serves as comedic relief a good portion of the time. Some might find him annoying but he has his high points and is genuinely funny. He’s not a fighter at all and is dubbed “the lucky one.” And boy, is he lucky indeed.

Archie voiced by Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA): my personal favorite. He’s an occasional jerk but he’s genuinely an adorkable guy. I relate to his whole “wonky ankle” thing, but he’s a great warrior regardless (and the second fastest on the team? How?). He’s got a huge crush on Atlanta which is amusing and sometimes cringy to watch.

Cronus voiced by David Kaye: the main villain of the show. Typical wicked guy who wants to end the kids who are prophesied to defeat him. I know there’s a good number of simps for him. It’s hilarious how much this god loathes this group of kids but is also genuinely terrified of them, especially Jay.

Pros:

If you’re missing Cole’s voice actor, this is the show to watch.

The entire show is free on YouTube Very imaginative spin on some of the Greek gods like Dionysius to make it kid friendly. And wait til you see Hades.

Still, they aren’t afraid to show the gods can be petty and vengeful.

Greek mythology! What more could you want?

I personally love the way they showcase so many Greek characters and creatures. Is it sometimes off? Yes. Is it still enjoyable to watch? YES!

Interesting battles and solutions.

Will show death and the occasional bloody injury. (Not overtly graphic though so don’t worry.)

The poor kids, similar to Lloyd, are prophecy bound to defeat the evil villain and thus have their lives turned upside to become heroes fighting monsters. Theresa eventually throws a somewhat justified hissy fit over this.

Enjoyable characters and team dynamics. So much sibling teasing between everyone and it’s so relatable to watch.

Also, they’re just teens being teens so they do stupid stuff sometimes and that just makes it all the more fun to watch.

A bonus, there’s two girls on the team rather than your stereotypical one main girl trope.

A big favorite of mine, Storm Hawks:

Oh look, another red head character with green eyes. And he’s the lead character voiced by Sam Vincent! XD Here me out though, this show is actually great. If you can get past the funky character designs and animation, it’s a genuinely fun show. It’s so imaginative and for me, it ticks all the right tropes. I would like to say that if you’re a Ninjago fan, you just might be able to like Storm Hawks. It’s a show that I rewatch again and again and still enjoy it. Fans of it will say it ended to soon with only two seasons and an open conclusion that leaves room for more adventures. I wish there was more. The flow was good and I felt it followed a decent overarching plot with quirky filler episodes thrown in to establish the characters more.

Now as far as main characters go, we have a good mix of interesting ones. Yes, they fall into stereotypical archetypes but for some reason, I really like them:

Aerrow voiced by Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA: the young, ambitious Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks. He’s your typical, altruistic hero/leader/chosen one. I love how you can really see how much he cares for his team. He’s got a big legacy to live up to and you know what, he’s absolutely demolishing everyone’s limited expectations of him. This boy survived multiple fights with the supposedly deadliest warrior in the world.

Piper voiced by Chiara Zanni: she’s the intelligent one of the bunch and typically possesses the one brain cell they all share. She’s the navigator, crystal expert, and the second in command. In short, she’s an adorable nerd and my favorite despite having some out of character moments. I also like the little something something she’s got going on with Aerrow. Yes, it’s cliché but it’s open enough that you can interpret it romantically or platonically. And honestly, the way Piper is written, you could almost say she’s bi. But holy cow, that finale with her and Aerrow was everything! Love it.

Junko voiced by Colin Murdock (Ed’s VA aka Jay’s dad): the stereotypical gentle giant type. He’s sweet and strong but constantly doubts his ability because he was bullied. He’s similar to Kord from Slugterra in that he’s got muscle but also serves as the airship’s mechanic. He has a couple of spotlight episodes that do his character justice.

Finn voiced by Matt Hill (Hyper-Sonic’s VA aka that random disco head racer from Prime Empire): on the outside, when paired with Junko, they typically serve as the meat headed comic relief. However, when it comes down to it, Finn is selfless and will make the right choice as episodes have shown. He can get annoying but I highly appreciate that he knows how to buckle down and get a job done and he truly is a great sharpshooter.

Stork voiced by Scott McNeil (VA for many villains in Ninjago): one of the fan favorites for his doom and gloom sort of attitude. He’s the pilot and gives off emo vibes to me. A very relatable character for most pessimists. He’s the oldest of the crew full of kids but he sticks it out through all their wild adventures even if he is completely terrified while trying to survive. Still, he’s got a beserk button so don’t you ever think of touch his precious ship, the Condor. He can and will take out a complete armada.

Radarr voiced by Asaph Fipke: he’s Aerrow’s co-pilot and animal companion of the show. He’s very scrappy and has good intuition. A valuable member of the Storm Hawks. He even gets a couple of his own episodes to shine in.

Now, I gotta mention the villains too since there is a quirky handful of them:

Cyclonis voiced by Lenore Zann: she’s the lead villain and ruler of her kingdom at just 14 years old. She’s very powerful and very intimidating when she wants to be since she’s got a bunch of wacky crystal powers like Piper. I find her interesting just because she’s a young girl who serves as the main big bad villain versus previous shows where it’s a broad-shouldered middle aged guy in a black suit. I wish they showed more on her backstory but a decent villain nonetheless. Comparable to Harumi in that she’s a female kid villain who is deep down broken and lonely and in desperate need of therapy and a friend.

Dark Ace voiced by Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA): is the second in command to Cyclonis and is extremely loyal to her. He’s constantly getting beat by Aerrow and can never manage to exterminate him much to his annoyance. It’s hilarious watching their fights because it’s just Sam Vincent alternating between tones. He’s got cool red eyes and I do believe he also has a bit of a following among the female fans.

Ravess voiced by Cathy Weseluck (Patty Keys VA aka that random sales lady): she’s an archer who has a penchant for the violin. I love her leitmotif whenever she comes onscreen. Ambitious but still scared to turn on her 14 year old boss. She does play a helpful role I towards the finale.

Snipe voiced by Colin Murdock (Ed’s VA): he’s the brother of Ravess and serves as the big dumb muscle guy. I don’t really care for him but his sibling interactions with Ravess are funny.

Raptors voiced by a bunch of familiar VAs: I just had to mention this reptilian group because they are reminiscent of the Serpentine from Ninjago.

Pros:

Great side characters and fun episodes.

Good action and adventure vibes

The whole show is free on YouTube.

Again, world building and lore is very imaginative. It deserved a larger budget and more seasons.

Has your typical chosen/prophesied one narrative that we’ve all come to either love or hate.

Crystal magic (kinda like how we’re now on the season Crystalized)

Adorable main cast who all get a chance in the spotlight, and even the annoying ones do have their high points like I mentioned.

Ninjago VA’s are everywhere in this show too. And with the limited voices they have, they really make the most of it but it’s hilarious to see VA’s essentially talking to themselves onscreen.

And once again, there’s top notch team dynamics in this show with good sibling-like interactions between characters. They squabble but still make up and really care for each other’s wellbeing.

Found family trope is in this and it’s great and I’m a sucker for it. It’s heavily implied the three human kid heroes are orphans so there’s that lovely dose of angst I always love.

Something about Aerrow being a leader just hits right. He’s a great one even if he is just 14 years old.

Good balance between high stakes and humor. The main characters are kids and heroes and it shows with all the shenanigans they manage to throw themselves into.

Great finale. Trust me. The show gets better as you continue to watch it and the episodes get less disjointed.

Friends to lovers or just really close friends trope between Aerrow and Piper. I cannot stop gushing about how natural their dynamic feels and how they play off each other’s energy beautifully. They communicate openly and really well with each other. And if romance isn’t your thing, their bond can totally be seen as platonic.

Cyclonis is a curious villain character that is different from your stereotypical guy cartoon villain. I like her and her powers.

Huge bonus that Ninjago has struggled with doing well, love triangles. Storm Hawks has no place for that. In fact, it subverts that trope entirely! Piper does not act all jealous whenever there is another girl character around and this is a huge breath of fresh air from the pettiness many shows contain. Aerrow occasionally acts wary and annoyed when Piper gushes over stuck up guys, but it’s proven justified and he isn’t overprotective or obnoxious about it. Just cautious and comforting when things do go south.

And lastly, this underrated masterpiece, The Deep:

Great news, this show is still ongoing and recently released their 4th season. It’s got a decent overarching narrative of searching for a lost underwater city Lemuria. There are many filler episodes, but trust me, they are fun. Not gonna lie, I’m a huge sucker for any ocean animated shows. This one is just so funny and relatable. It’s got great family dynamics with many familiar Ninjago voice actors. The adventures and creatures are all so cool! It ties myth, mystery, and science all into one great show. The sci-fi fantasy vibe is amazing. But basically, my liking of this show is hugely centered on not just the creativity of it but the strong family dynamics that glues the entire show together. Unlike most shows where parents are absent or there’s only one, this cartoon portrays a lovely married couple and their kids. Seriously, how often does the chosen one/protagonist of the show actually get a decent childhood with loving parents?!

With characters, we have a small main cast with a handful of recurring side characters. This means, you gotta love the main characters:

Antaeus Nekton aka Ant voiced by Vincent Tong (Kai’s VA): he’s the excitable main protagonist child and chosen one of the family. He’s extremely curious and gets into trouble often, but fortunately for him, he’s got an intelligent engineering mind that helps him get out of trouble… most times. Fortunately for him though, he’s got a great family backing him up. I find him to be a likable character as far as protagonists go and good representation of annoying younger siblings.

Fontaine Nekton voiced by Ashleigh Ball (Sally’s VA aka that pink-haired girl from Crystalized): she’s the older sister character. Sometimes she acts as the only voice of reason onboard the ship. I find her extremely relatable. It’s clear that although Ant annoys her, she still very much loves him and will do anything to protect him and that is so wholesome. She’s got a crush on Finn who’s a slick teen pirate voiced by Sam Vincent (Lloyd’s VA) and most of the fandom really loves the flirty dynamic they have. I gotta admit, they are pretty cute together.

William Nekton aka Will voiced by Michael Dobson (VA for many Ninjago side characters): he is the dad and the muscle of the crew. Still, like everyone else, he’s smart. He’s super reasonable and a really great example of a good father and husband. He has his funny moments and craziness too though.

Kaiko Nekton voiced by Kathleen Barr (Misako’s VA): this woman is my personal favorite and I could gush on and on about how totally awesome she is. Unlike Misako, Kaiko is the most awesome mother ever to her kids and is fiercely protective of them. She has a wide skill set from being a submarine pilot, mechanic, and marine biologist. In short, she’s amazing and I’m a huge simp for her.

Jeffrey: he’s the adorable animal sidekick. He’s an intelligent, expressive fish and has helped saved the Nekton family on multiple occasions. Very relatable because he is cookie-motivated. Smarter than your average wannabe pirate.

Nereus voiced by Lee Tockar (Borg’s VA): he’s your typical mystical old dude with a long white beard. Essentially he’s the Wu of this show. Funny but infuriatingly cryptic at times.

Pros:

This show was based off comics so you can go read those. (Kaiko gets an awesome moment in those that I really wish they would have kept in the tv show.)

Vaguely based off the Incredibles.

Non-absent parents who are top notch and actually parent their kids fairly.

Submarines and marine life are always a plus in my book.

Family dynamics are on point. Seriously, this is top notch stuff right here. Also, sibling dynamics are so sweet.

Representation of a good solid marriage. Bonus points because it’s interracial, making their kids mixed. All-round good representation.

Good musical score. (Not as good as Ninjago’s but still pretty good.)

The whole family is smart and super skilled but it shows that they still make mistakes and are flawed humans just like everyone else. Even the parents aren’t shown to be completely infallible and land in their own sticky situations plenty of times and I find that super neat and good of the writers to do.

Great mind-boggling adventures.

The villains are wacky yet endearing sometimes.

There’s villain that is reminiscent of Morro. He’s even got the same voice actor and goes through the same arc of being all jealous of the chosen one.

”Have faith in the fish.” Jeffrey is great animal companion. Who knew you could actually make a fish work as a good character.

Just huge bonus overall with this show because of the solid family representation we’ve got going on here.

Basically, to sum everything up, GO WATCH THESE SHOWS! And let me know if you enjoy them, I would love to hear your thoughts on them.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Bling-Bling Boy

(WARNING! This analysis contains AN INCEL!)

From the animated masterpiece that is Johnny Test hails what may be the single greatest villain of all time: Eugene Hamilton, AKA Bling-Bling Boy. Just look at the image up there; can you look at my man Euegene and tell me with a straight face he isn’t the single greatest character of all time?

Okay, okay, it’s not April Fools so I’m not keeping the irony up the whole time. As we all know, Johnny Test is pretty much a ripoff of Dexter’s Lab, except instead of a redhead scientist boy and his annoying blonde sister, it’s twin redhead scientist girls and their annoying blonde brother. But one thing that didn’t change is the Mandark character, the evil genius villain creepily obsessed with the scientist’s sister. That’s our man Eugene here, though he is different than Mandark in that instead of being a scrawny, big-headed nerd, he is a fat, pimply nerd. It’s brilliant character decisions like these that helped set the show apart.

But if you think I’m going to just make fun of him the whole time, you’re sadly mistaken! BBB here is genuinely amusing at times, kind of like the show he’s in. I mean, if you’ve got a show that’s so bad it’s good, wouldn’t you want a villain who is just as so bad it’s good as the show itself? In that regard, I think BBB succeeds in spades.

Motivation/Goals: Bling-Bling here concocts numerous evil schemes over the course of the show, much like Mandark did, but where Mandark genuinely wanted to show up Dexter and his attraction to Dee Dee was secondary, BBB’s attraction to Susan Test is a major motivator in just about everything he does. There are schemes where he actually snaps and manages to be a genuine threat, but usually he’s just a complete

Performance: Bling-Bling sounds as whiny, nasally, nerdy, and obnoxious as you could hope. Like, look at that image again, and imagine what he sounds like. There is a high chance that whatever you imagined is the exact voice Lee Tockar gave him. Who is Lee Tockar, you may ask? Well, he played Snips on Freindship is Magic, so at least we know he has a consistent character type he plays. Oh yeah, I guess he played this guy too:

Final Fate: So given this is an episodic cartoon, I’m pretty sure you can guess BBB is always thwarted by the heroes, and he also never gets a date with Susan. I don’t exactly feel bad for him though, because he’s rich; just go to the strip club, dude.

Best Scene: I present this to you with no further comment:

Final Thoughts & Score: Much like the show he’s in, Bling-Bling Boy is a shoddy, obnoxious ripoff of something better. But frankly? I don’t care. Bling-Bling Boy is an absolute riot… usually.

Like this guy is the most painfully white antagonist possible. He’s a fat, basement dwelling loser, he’s rich, he dresses in bling to try and look cool, and he pretty much invented being an incel. If this character were created by someone more competent, I might find him more tasteless and offensive, but he’s so hilariously cringey that the hilarious part stands out more.

Like, he’s not a particularly deep character, considering the show, but at the very least he is kind of chummy with Johnny at times, and even helps him on a few occasions. I always like seeing villains who are okay with setting aside their differences to help out or just chill with a hero. Sure, he’s no Dr. Doofenshmirtz… But who even is besides the man himself? Still, nice bits aside, he’s still a character on Johnny Test, and every character on this show is obnoxious at some point, so as funny as BBB can get, he has a pretty equal chance of being a frustrating character to watch.

Bling-Bling gets a 3/10, as he is peak so bad it’s good villainy. Just the sheer concept, the execution, the voice, the style… Bling-Bling is what crappier villains wish they could be. Obviously he can’t go higher because by all accounts he’s not a very good or deep villain, but you can mine some laughs from him, and sometimes that’s all you need.

All hail the god of incels! 

[infinityzilla]

These guys are the dinosaurs from the beast realm that went extinct. From left to right: Falconer, Celtic, Vezoth, Rex, and Chopper. They were strong warriors and were soon revived by Ven's magic once Tensio killed Akira to use the many souls that were in him. Vezoth is a Dragon and the leader of the dinosaurs. Before going extinct his species rose to power taking control of the dinosaurs. He now serves Tensio after losing to him a challenge for the thrown.

(Voiced By Neil Kaplan) Rex is a T-Rex and is quite fearsome. Before going extinct he was king of the dinosaurs but lost the title to Vezoth who he followed. He now serves as one of Tensio’s enforcers.

(Voiced By Michael Sorich) Chopper is a Velociraptor and the fastest. Before going extinct he lead a pack of raptors to hunt down anything that was a threat to his kind. He now serves as one of Tensio’s hunters.

(Voiced By Scott McNeil) Falconer is a Pterodactyl and can out fly other flyers. Before going extinct he lead an army of his kind to prey on anything to look yummy to eat. He now serves as Tensio’s eye in the sky.

(Voiced By Lee Tockar) Celtic is a Triceratops and is very strong. Before going extinct he lead a herd of his species to battle against anything that looked tough. He now serves as one of Tensio’s brutes.

(Voiced By John Swasey)

[theghostlymuse]

Dear Drinkers,

Thank you to everyone at Trotcon and beyond who helped make this happen! The original email might have been addressed to me, but I thought I’d make a couple key changes with some simple photoshoppy cantrips to honor everyone who took part in the event and preserve the privacy of our dear friend. 

It started as an idea to honor Rusty Nail in a way that felt sincere to him and grew and fell together in a way that I couldn’t have expected. This little ‘Drink Auction’ of cocktails he created turned into two hours of nonstop fun. I went into this hoping at the very least to raise enough money to offset the cost of the ingredients for the auction and instead we all were floored by the amazing acts of generosity that the patrons of the Pony Keg offered. In the end, we raised $1,400 to donate to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!

So once again, I’d like to thank everyone who helped here, both those who came to the event and some very special people who went above and beyond-

@acaciaride @theamishpirate @llimus @captainhoers  -For Donating ahead of time to the panel funds to help offset the cost of the ingredients we needed! That helped a TON guys, more than you know!

@ask-wiggles - For offering her art as an incentive to have others donate to the cause, many thanks friendo!

@black-onyx-star -For going completely out of his way during the first day of the con to shop for and donate a TON of ingredients for the panel AND for donating during the event. You rock dude!

Lee Tockar (Twitter- @leetockar) -The man himself! For not only coming to the panel, but for being an all around good dude, interacting with the livestream guests, donating to the cause, and doing a fantastic toast for our dearly departed.

THOSE GUYS AT THAT ONE TABLE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE (Twitter- @BerryTube) -You all were the life of the party and I’m still not entirely convinced that you weren’t a group manifestation of the Greek god Dionysus on the mortal plane come to pay respects to a Premier Bartender because REALLY.

AND last but definitely not the least, 

@techmomma - Rusty’s dearest, an excellent panel host, and someone who I’d put in my best friend category and cover in affection whenever it’s needed. Your hard work and dedication, not only as a friend and to this event, but to Rusty is really what made the sincerity of it true in every aspect. 

@kajeaynart - Another dear bestie who I’ve come to love. An absolute joy to be around and another excellent panel host. From what I’ve heard, Church attendance has skyrocketed thanks to you because of your advice to those sinners during Quiplash. Y’all need Jesus.

@piratedashmod - For helping to secure the time and space for the panel, giving us time to speak during both the opening and closing ceremonies, for the transportation of delicious drink ingredients and your work in purchasing them, and of course, for being a good sport and host when the going got tough and the tough got roasted. Lots of laughs were had, and we wouldn’t have had them without you.

Plus,  Batender for the night, Jay. You did Rusty’s recipes the justice they deserved and this event wouldn’t have been the same without you. Thank you so much for lending us your time and experience!

And definitely for all of those who donated during the panel and afterwards, one big giant THANK YOU to all of you! We’ll see you next year!

[derbythemuffin]

BIG RED HORSEEEEEEEEEE. xD Trotcon 2k17 is over for your friendly neighborhood muffin, since I work the last day D: Compiling my experiences and thoughts into one big post, woo. Ended up going alone, I usually have a Trotcon squad but one didn’t have money, one just didn’t show and never let me know, and one I am super concerned about as I have not heard from them in months, nothing on their social media in months, and their phone does not seem to be working? He was usually a top tier sponsor for the past few years so I have reasons to be legit concerned ;__; So yeah. But still had a good time even without my friends.

This year I did a cosplay filled with things I don’t normally wear (or had never worn before in my life) so was really really weird. I did RD, was supposed to be a RD/ Gyro Captain crossover but was ok with it being considered a classic pilot Wonderbolt RD as well. Not everyday you see me in a wig, tank top, a really tight jacket, and pants xD If anyone sees this and has pictures, let me know-since I did not have my squad I did not get any pictures of it for myself and would love to see them. I also obviously fursuited, did for a few hours Saturday. Did not bother suiting Friday due to how late things kicked off.

Trotcon started off rough. Due to miscommunication somehow? (this venue was planned to be at that location a year in advance and has been here for years, how that happens idk. Weird.) The con did not have access to all the rooms so there was basically nothing except non-VIP panels and autograph sessions until nearly 8 at night. Vendors, felt bad for them since they could not set up until very late, were not given much time to set up, and then had to stay open later to make up for it all. Because of that, I did not go to the con myself until later in the afternoon-can’t complain at the chance of taking a nap beforehand I guess lol. Still felt like we were jipped a whole day.

Opening ceremonies were fabulous, BIG RED HORSEEEEE in a super high pitched voice is now going to be the new Trotcon thing, Peter New is fantastic. M.A. Larson sat in the row behind me for the opening ceremonies which was cool. The con intro animation was really neat as well. Since they were behind schedule, they had to cut the raffle short but that’s ok. I then stayed for the Peter New + Lee Tockar panel, they were both drunk which led to very entertaining subjects which I will not mention on here due to being super inappropriate although some serious topics regarding anything from the LGBT aspect of voice changing to general VA topics were covered as well.

Day 2 was a whole lot smoother, everybody seemed a whole lot more relaxed and made for a fun environment. Attended a lot of panels, the fursuit meet, and did a mini parade with a few of the other suiters around the area. I only have the one photo of me with the RD suiter for now, hope some more surface. The highlight of the day was Twi’s head getting autographed by M.A. Larson! Story behind that: So, was walking around in fursuit...this group of dudes called me over.  (I recognize the guy who seemed to be the main leader of the group, he’s a popular fanfic writer if memory does not fail) They said they had a autograph voucher and they had no idea what to do with it so offered it to me to get an autograph. Long story short, went in there, plopped Twi's head on the table and explained how I got the voucher and asked for the head to get autographed. M.A. Larson flipped out, he was like “REALLY!?” and was way too excited over it. Hence there are now a bunch of YESses on her head xD going to confuse so many people in the future should I so choose to continue wearing it, which as of now I will just because I have no other fursuit options and I don’t want to stop suiting for one little thing. So yes, my suit is now super official thanks to the dude who gave Twi wings and made all of us brony cry xD

Two of the photos were results from PirateDash’s Sketchy Friends panel. I wanted to kill some time, have not drawn in a long time so was like you know what, why not. Prompt #1 was draw pony/ponies with random garbage as armor, Prompt #2 was team up with someone and exchange prompts, and Prompt #3 was draw a pirate or ninja pony. It ended up being really relaxing and the person who sat with me was a loner herself and was fun to work and talk with. We exchanged our sketches for prompt #2 after the panel was over, so I got a cute Twily sketch out of it :) and a pink pencil I guess since PirateDash let us keep the pencils. Souvenirs, eh?

I think that’s it, other than minor things like Peter New walking by and saying hi to me twice-once while in cosplay and once while in fursuit. I nerd out over stupid stuff, I am a dork and I know it. x.x I also bought every Twi badge I saw except the waifu one...should I have went ahead and bought it for the heck of it? Who knows xD I look forward to attending again next year, there is no con like Trotcon even if I was alone and even if the con had issues starting off. BIG RED HORSEEEEEEEE.

[trotcon]

Announcing G.M. Berrow and *many* Community Guests

More news out of the wastes:

Guest announcement time! Try to imagine, like, six siren emojis accompanying this sentence.

“Six of us?!” - The Dazzlings, probably

At last check, we had announced three VIP guests and one community guest for TrotCon 2017, right? Well, get ready to bump up the numbers in both of those columns.

Like, quite a bit. Today’s a doozy, particularly on the community guest side. Let’s waste no more time.

First and foremost: once again, we’re pumped to have G.M. Berrow coming out to TrotCon!

This marks the third straight year we’ve brought Berrow to TrotCon, which is a testament to the amount of high praise we receive about her from you guys at the end of each year. Might as well keep this party going, right?

Berrow, for the uninitiated, first became involved in the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic universe as the author of the chapter books published by Little, Brown and Co., including “Princess Luna and the Festival of the Winter Moon,” Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell” and more. That’s a role she continues to hold today, but in addition, she’s also worked as part of the TV series’ writing staff. Berrow has also worked as part of the crew on TV shows such as Law & Order: SVU and The Good Wife.

Cool stuff, eh?

So, she joins a group of folks we’re already enormously excited about: M.A. Larson, Peter New and Lee Tockar. We’re digging this list, y’all. Hope you are too.

OK, community guests. Deep breath, because there’s a lot of ’em.

That said, like G.M. Berrow, many of these are return guests. Again: we like them, they don’t seem to hate us, you’ve had nothing but great things to say about them AS guest. Git some.

Actually, funny story: we announced TheBronyCritic last year within the same announcement as G.M. Berrow. How about that? Anyway, yes, TheBronyCritic will be returning to TrotCon 2017 after first attaining community guest status with us last year. He’s one of our local boys, a critic and analyst who creates videos reviewing the MLP TV series as well as audioplays, fanfiction readings and more.

We’re also proud to welcome back ChocolatePony, known also as SouthParkTaoist, who’s best known in the fandom for some fantastic artwork, tarot cards and pony card games who also offers some of the coolest MLP-related panels you’ll see on this or any continent. He’s also recently published a book entitled The West Point of the West and hosts a Zootopia-related podcast called Zootopia Minute. You know how we feel about Zootopia here at TrotCon HQ, so we’re sold. Soooold.

In the same returning-guest vein, welcome back TJ Carson to TrotCon 2017! He’s been with us for the last few years as well, as the moderator of multiple ask blogs on Tumblr including Ask Pirate Dash, Ask Mic Boom and more. This is his fourth year as a guest here. FOURTH. That’s crazy, yeah?

We’ve got some new folks to announce, too. Welcome the podcast Pony 411 to TrotCon 2017!

Pony 411 has been helmed by hosts Nemesis Prime and Alca7raz for multiple years now, presenting frequent episodes that tackle the MLP fandom from all sides, from the TV show to its comics and everything in between. They’ve been featured as part of Ponyville Live for a few years as well. Come hear them talk about podcasting — the dos and don’ts, how they got started, the history of a podcast that’s been around for almost five years now.

They join Harmony Studios as our community guests announced so far for 2017, and we’re far from done announcing folks, no worries.

Sound like fun? Cool! Come on out to TrotCon 2017, which will be held July 14-16, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North in Columbus, Ohio!

Registration is open until June 25th!

That wraps this one up. Stay safe, wasteland!

[trotcon]

Thanks, M.A. Larson!

Hey there, Wasteland. We’ve got more news to dispense to your eager minds.

Peter New? Check. Lee Tockar? Check.

Hm. How about a third?

Yep, that sounds good, and we won’t delay the suspense any further than three paragraphs in: we’re happy to announce that M.A. Larson will be attending TrotCon 2017!

Look, if you’ve been to TrotCon in the past, chances are you know the guy. After all, he attended our 2014 and 2015 conventions, and when he didn’t show up for 2016, we heard ya loud and clear via email and on social media: you needed more M.A. Larson in your lives in July in Columbus, Ohio.

If you’ve been following along on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic from the start, you know his name. Larson was one of the chief writers on the show for a few years, working his way up to the role of story editor for season five. He’s since left the show, but nonetheless maintains a strong presence at pony conventions all over the world (ours included!).

My Little Pony is far from his only entertainment credit. He’s written for Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Gravity Falls, Littlest Pet Shop, and more, and even has his own novel, Pennyroyal Academy, that you should definitely check out if you haven’t already, because it totally rules. 100 percent. We aren’t messing around with this recommendation, y’all. As it happens the second book in the series, The Shadow Cadets of Pennyroyal Academy, just came out earlier this month. Timing!

Larson will join Peter New and Lee Tockar as special guests at TrotCon 2017, and you’ll get to hear his thoughts on his book series, ponies, and much more at multiple panels throughout the weekend, as well as get a chance to meet him and get an autograph or five. We know you want ’em, and we hear he’ll sign just about anything. Anything.

But hey, guess what? We’ve got more than just one guest announcement to do today.

Just some housekeeping stuff, but we think you’ll wanna hear: for the first time, we’re offering something we’re calling a Spirit Badge for TrotCon 2017. What’s it entail? Well, check it: you’re a fan of TrotCon, but you can’t make it out for this reason or that. Yeah, sad face. We’re bummed, too. But wait! What if we told you that you could still support your good ol’ Ohio pony con friends? Get a Spirit Badge, then, dummy!

For $40, you’ll be supporting TrotCon, helping us to put on some great programming and to snag even more guests of honor (because they ain’t cheap!), while also getting a few spoils for your troubles, including:

a con book

a limited-edition pin

a poster

a special Spirit Badge

We’ll shoot those goodies over to you via mail, you’ll open ’em up, it’ll be like Christmas in July or August or whenever it actually arrives. Donate more? We’ll throw in more goodies. They’ll be so good, you’ll wanna call them greaties. No? Terrible? Yeah, true, sorry, that was bad.

One last thing: if you want to pre-order merchandise for the convention in 2017 — shirts, pins, that sort of thing — then you can ALSO now do that on our Eventzilla page! Scroll down to Merchandise Pre-Order and do your thing.

That does it, then. Time to roll the hype train on out of the station. In the meantime, weekend badges (Friday-Sunday) for TrotCon 2017 are $50 through June 20, and kids 12 and under get in free with a regular badge purchase! We’ve also got sponsor badges available, in case you’re attending but want to toss some extra money our way to help us give you an even better time (and so you’ll get more stuff, which is the real prize). Applications for EVERYTHING — staff, musicians, artists, panels, you name it! — are now on the site as well!

That’s all for now. Stay safe, Wasteland!

[trotcon]

Lee Tockar & Harmony Studios

Hello Wasteland! It’s a new year and the clock is ticking ever closer to that important 17.7.14 date. July. This year. TrotCon. A time for everypony, neigh, everyone out there to meet up and, well, do better. Better than whatever led to this wasteland. Better than petty disputes and bitter rivalries. A time to rediscover harmony.

For those who might have been worried about our lack of updates as of late, don’t. We’re still around — just a lot of behind-the-scenes work since our last announcement. We’ll be bothering you much, much more from here on out; you’ll be sick of us again before you know it!

One VIP and one community guest to reveal today. Y’all ready?

Let’s start with the former. Our guy has actually never been with us before, but he was… supposed to be. It’s complicated. TrotCon veterans (aka, anyone who’s been around since 2013) will remember that we announced him as a special guest, only to have an unfortunate semi-last-minute cancellation keep him from visiting Columbus — even though he ended up phoning in for a panel. So, you know, little victories.

Second time’s the charm, we hope: we’re happy to announce Lee Tockar for TrotCon 2017!

*ravenous applause*

Tockar’s a veteran of the scene, of course. He appeared in the first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as fan favorite Steven Magnet. You’ve since heard him in a number of smaller roles on the show, including Snips, Spot (one of the Diamond Dogs), and in a truly magnificent turn as Gummy in the 100th episode. We’re still reeling from the existential crises brought about by his monologue in that last one. Keeps us up at night.

As with pretty much any actor out there, Tockar has much more on his resume than My Little Pony. You might recognize him as the titular character in season one of George of the Jungle, as Roach in the current DHX production Supernoobs, Urp in YTV’s Nerds and Monsters, Yakkity Yak in Nickelodeon’s Yakkity Yak, plus much, much more. You could spend a day in his IMDB page.

Additionally, Tockar is the founder/CEO of FanBuilt Productions (which, if you attended in 2013, you’ll recall as the topic of his panel).

He’ll be in attendance at TrotCon 2017 to answer your burning questions about voice acting, working in television and film — the whole nine yards, y’all. Panels, meet-and-greets, autographs, you’re gonna be s-e-t.

Now… how about a community guest?

You might already know a little bit about them from some of our teasers of their work. Well, let’s make it official: we’re excited to have Harmony Studios at TrotCon 2017!

Harmony Studios, founded by Victor Vortex in 2014, is an animation collective creating videos for the MLP community, from shorts to PMVs and everything in between. In fact, they’re actually creating a bit of a special video for TrotCon, which you’ll see at the convention this year. You like our comic, drawn by convention artist AylaStarDragon, we’ve been putting up? Then you’re gonna love this, too. Trust us.

They’ll be on hand (on… hoof? After six years, you’d think we would’ve figured this out by now) for panels as well! If you want to learn a little bit about how to do your own animation, they’re gonna be a great resource.

Lee Tockar and Harmony Studios join Peter New as the guests announced so far for TrotCon 2017. And since we’re just a few days from being six months out from our 2017 date, you can bet we’re going to be ramping up our announcements going forward.

In the meantime: we’ve got applications for staff, musicians, vendors and panelists live on the site. There’s also badges to buy — and prices are gonna go up on Jan. 31, so if you want a weekend pass for $40, you should probably get to it soon.

Stay tuned for more, and, as always - stay safe, wasteland!