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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I gotta wonder when was the last time this guy made it into Artist Alley by actually getting a table (vs. just making camp like he did previously)… Cause those display things have been the norm for artists for a few years now… At least they are at the conventions where I’m from.
Although…it’s also possible he’s set up at a table he didn’t reserve yet again.
Yep and I think he chose the table right next to the table of the business whose table he claimed back at the other convention, this should be good.
Holy crap, you’re right! I completely missed that! This just got a whole lot more interesting…
That’s the last thing people like Crazy Paul will ever do….stop talking.
Okay Crazy Paul, I understand you’re crazy, but let’s for a moment assume you’re not. For the sake of argument, let’s say they really did put of an improper display that blocks other tables. You asked nicely, they refused. STOP TALKING. Talking more will not help to any degree. Get a staffer. It’s their job to deal with it. And in this specific case, ‘deal with it’ means ‘deal with you.’
Asking once politely would be within reason, usually. More than that, yeah – you’d be out on your arse for starting crap most places I’ve seen. Hell, been to two where you quite specifically, by contract, were to bring any and all disputes to staff, and not say a single word to the person yourself. Policy derived from dealing with 2 attempted fistfights one year, and a table sabotage 2 years later. They were quite serious about that too – saw one artist get the boot for figuring that rule did not apply to them.
Pushing it beyond an initial “Ok” or “Nope” response yourself isn’t liable to end well in any venue I’ve seen.
Not saying a word seems a bit much, but I can see where it might be for the best. Any place with such a rule would need to make certain there are staffers around, but beyond that, I can see it working.
It was extreme, yeah. Fully admitted etc. when they made the policy, but they were getting rumblings from the venue of “If this kind of crap happens again we’re not gonna be available as a venue next year.” That being the case, they went with “Ok, we’re gonna make REAL DAMN SURE this won’t happen again.” They were not spoiled for choices as to where, bit out in the boondocks so… yeah.
Also, to be fair the 2 near fights involved a lot of loud horrible behavior that was pretty ugly – and the sabotaging actually ended up busting up part of the wall near the table when a monitor smashed into it. Pretty much everyone admitted that it was not unreasonable for the venue – and the con staff in turn – to get draconian.
I totally need to get that “Kikaider” print!