Current Post On Trae’s Blog:
So I'm just going to come out and say it: My favorite episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation is "Conundrum." It's episode fourteen of season five, and I just deeply love it.
I don't know if it's because I literally just assumed Erich Anderson's Commander McDuff was a random Enterprise officer of the week (which we saw quite often during the show) when I watched it as a kid during the original run, so the twist actually worked on eleven year old me. I don't know if it's because I just like a good "everyone has amnesia" story. I don't even know if it's just because it's a good Ro Laren episode. I don't know if it's just because we learn that Starfleet doesn't give a crap about lasers.
I just like it. It's neat.
And I rewatched it last night, and feel that it holds up -- which is why I found it deeply weird that the folks who wrote the episode actually think it's not that good. My favorite episode of the entire seven season run of the show was a failure according to the folks who wrote it.
And maybe, as a writer and creator, I should remember that.
Like the hardest part of releasing creative works to the public is that often, after a while, I'll start to judge those things far more harshly than when I first made them. Or I'll compare it to the potential I thought an idea had in my head. And if I don't reach that potential, I'll think of it as "bad" -- when it might just be slightly different than that idea. I have one hundred percent published stories that I thought were just sort of okay and later had someone tell me how much it meant to them to read it.
*cough*I Hate November*cough*
So I should make sure I remember Conundrum. That one of my favorite things to rewatch is considered one of those failures by its creators. That the things I make might have value, just not in the way I originally thought they should.
It's just sort of how things work out.
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Duh duh dum!
Just realized that is the Lismore formerly known as Ramada used for the building…
Is that restraining order still in effect?
More than likely yes. It’s only been a year (maybe two?), and I’m pretty sure they don’t just end that quickly. Which makes it interesting that he even approached the desk in the first place since Ruth is clearly visible right there.
It would very much depend on the state and jurisdictions: for example a TRO in Florida is initially good for only 15 days, pending a judicial review for renewable extension or conversion to a PRO. Extensions or conversion very much depend on demonstration of an ongoing threat of violence or harassment beyond the initial incident(s). Terrence badmouthing the convention would be unlikely to be a demonstration of that harassment; directly badmouthing, harassing, or having contact with Ruth and Sara during the TRO would clearly be demonstration. Unless Ruth or Sara filed a complaint against Terrence for violating contact during the whole “Nazi cosplay” incident, the court would not have that incident to work off of. If they had, he’d probably have been or still be in jail.
Ultimately, it’s up to Trae and the power-of-the-plot as to whether the restraining order is still in effect: could be ongoing, could have lapsed.
However, Lynn is pretty much in the clear to tell Terrence to pound sand, right to refuse service. If Terrence has rented a room, it would be up to the hotel to decide if he should leave the physical hotel property. If he has not rented a room, the hotel is free to ask him in no uncertain terms to leave or suffer trespass.
So now the question is can Lynn maintain her anti-Jim professionalism? I mean, Terrance is a pretty unabashed dick.
I’m not even sure why there’s a question – I’d just invoke the refuse service to anyone rules and call him banned, now GTFO. Why even engage with a moron like that – call venue security now and have him 86’d out of all event spaces at the very least. Have yet to see a venue that’ll argue about that one – some will even flat out find the person another room somewhere else, as it’s obvious they’re trying to get around a ban with cause that’s going to end in liability issues for the venue when it all inevitably goes south – restraining order or not. It usually ends up amounting to a slightly less version of, “This event is paying more for the venue than you are for a room – they win.”