itstartedwithalex

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#ouch

[itstartedwithalex]

So. Basingstoke Comic Con.

This is going to be a rant. I'm German, so I have a PhD in a) complaining and b) being blunt. Perfect combination for this post. It's going to be long, so buckle up.

I give explicit permission to repost, reblog, screenshot and post to other websites, comment, tag, and add to this in any way you see fit. Feel free to write your own experiences and criticism.

It's a modified version of the feedback email I sent them. Since then, they have put out a statement which directly contradicts some of the stuff other people have told us (and have evidence for) and which blames everyone from attendees to guests to staff to the weather.

First of all, despite all the mess with the actual con, I had a ton of fun. I hadn't seen some of these people in 20 years. I hadn't met some of y'all before, and I talked to so many people this weekend. I don't regret a single meeting, hug, smile, or laugh. I do wish however for the organizers to step on legos for the rest of their lives.

Frankly, they had a huge business opportunity and they blew it. They could have established themselves as THE Stargate convention in Europe. People were taking 15-hour flights to be there. We were willing to spend hundreds, in some cases thousands of pounds. With that lineup, they blew every other current convention out of the water. If they had done this right, this would have been a huge success and an absolute no-brainer for years to come. They could have been one of those cons that sell out in minutes. 

Instead, they let greed and poor organization guide them. They severely underestimated the size of the Stargate fandom. They didn't bother to learn about what the fans wanted and who the guests actually were.

A few things stood out for me:

Health and safety at the venue. No a/c, running heaters (!!) in some rooms, not enough opportunities to get water, way too many people for this size hotel. We are lucky there wasn't a panic or more severe injuries. Crowd control was non existent.

An impossible, ever-changing schedule. You can't put talks back to back, or meet&greets, or photo ops. Everybody knows you will run overtime and then the whole thing collapses. Changes were not communicated. Nobody knew what was going on.

Poorly trained staff. No staff meetings beforehand. Staff had no way to communicate with each other. Seriously, give them radios! Some of them didn't now the names of the guests or in which autograph group they were.

People could not get the things they paid for. Out of all the autographs included in my pass, I only got one, and only because a friend got it for me. [Marion, you're a fucking rockstar] I don't even want to know how many people will be attempting chargebacks on their credit cards in the coming days.

And the most important thing, the one that makes everyone I talked to the angriest: The way they treated the guests was appalling. They are such generous, hard-working people, and BCC shamelessly took advantage of that. Richard Dean Anderson was signing until after 1 am. A 74-year-old man who just wants to make his fans happy.

[BCC are now saying they were told he was a „slow signer“, aka someone who actually takes their time by talking to fans when signing autographs. Oh really? Then why did you continue to sell autographs well into Sunday when it was clear that there was no way he could get through them all in a reasonable time??]

David Blue was setting up his own autograph table. Several Atlantis actors went and got more of their headshots (by taking pictures in the photo room and printing them) because they ran out. Joe Flanigan tried to bring some order to the chaos more than once. He went full John Sheppard in the photo op room and took charge. We are lucky they're such sweet souls and didn't raise hell then and there. Nobody would have blamed them.

Staff were amazing and tried to make the best with what little support they were given. Kathleen, Finn and Nick (with the Stick!) especially, and so many others whose names I sadly didn't get. They worked so hard, never lost their humor, and tried to help as much as they could.

This disaster is entirely on management. It's a failure of leadership and an example of what not to do when you're running an event.

If you want to put on a convention, you need to go to people who have experience and listen to them. You need to attend several cons before even thinking about doing one yourself. And before, during and after, you need to take care of your people. You need to take care of your staff, of your guests, of the fans. You need to adjust the size of the event to the size of the venue, or vice versa. You need to actually be interested in this event beyond the money it will earn you. You need to know when you bit off more than you can chew.

I'm not hoping for a better one next year, because all of us said we won't be back. What I do hope is that hey sincerely apologize to the guests and at least double what money was raised for charity.

#stargate atlantis #basingstoke comic con

[itstartedwithalex]

(girl with adhd voice) yeah i just love in fiction when a character has a superpower thats also a disability. like a power that changes how they interact with the world in exciting ways but also has terrible drawbacks to their daily life. no real reason why

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Embroidered Architecture Stephanie K. Clark

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Stargate Atlantis "The Queen"

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Aw, a walk alone in the forest ♥

daily_mcshep

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[itstartedwithalex]

u know what, even if my writing isnt the BEST, i still made it all on my own. like there was a blank word doc and i filled it up with my own words, my own story. i took what was in my head and i made it a real thing. idk i feel like that alone is something to be proud of.

[itstartedwithalex]

John Sheppard Stargate

He's asexual. I just know it. Here's the thing, he's chronically single, he only flirts with women to keep McKay from getting laid, they could not FORCE sexual tension between him and Weir (and they tried). He sees Teyla in the first episode and comphet grips him for literally one second before she's not remotely interested and he can relax. The only time he makes a move on her is when the wraith stuff is in him making him all horny and weird. He apologizes later for his "out of character" behavior. The picnic with the Ancient woman from season 1 episode 14 is another excellent example of him trying to cockblock McKay and also comphet again. A devastating combo. And I think we can all agree that a cute picnic on the balcony and one kiss is not oozing sexuality. I never said aromantic. Although I do think if he's any bit romantic, it's homoromantic (I am also a McShep truther).

[itstartedwithalex]

John: Oh, hey, there you are. Been looking all over for you.

#hilarious

[itstartedwithalex]

Teylabeth Week goes into its third round!

For everyone who is new to this or unsure what this is about, let me clear things up:

What is Teylabeth Week? Teylabeth week is a week during which we celebrate the ship of Teyla Emmagan/Elizabeth Weir more than usual, a week where we show our love and appreciation of this ship.

When is Teylabeth Week? Teylabeth Week 2024 will take place between June 3.-9.

How can I participate? There are many ways you can participate! By writing fanfic, making fanart, writing meta, editing, collaging, cosplaying, giffing, whatever seems right to you to celebrate this ship!

I don’t really write/make art/feel comfortable with sharing anything, can I still participate? Of course! This week lives through people who engage with the contributions! Go through the Teylabeth tag, engage with posts and fanart, comment on fics, the sort of things that keep fandoms alive!

Are there rules to the contributions? No rules! Everything is allowed! But please make sure that your contributions are tagged accordingly (ratings on ao3 as well as content warnings) so people can filter them out! Also, since this is Teylabeth week, the contributions should center around Teylabeth <3

Is there going to be a fic exchange? No, there isn’t.

Are there going to be prompts? Yes, indeed! You can find the prompts below.

Are the prompts binding? Absolutely not! They are meant as inspiration should you need it! You can do as many or as few prompts as you like, or none at all if your ideas are taking your elsewhere!

Is there going to be an ao3 collection? Yes! I will share the link in time!

Anything else I should know? Please tag your posts on social media with “Teylabeth Week 2024” so they can be found by everyone!

I still have questions, where can I direct them? To me! Simply sent me an ask or a message :)

Thank you so much for your help with coming up with these prompts @kira-nerys-rocks and L.

Happy creating!

Reblogs are super duper appreciated!

[itstartedwithalex]

So, we did a little thing at the con... and some terrific fics have emerged! Enjoy : )

A small collection of fics written to the apt prompt "Nothing is fucking going to plan” (courtesy of @Logicgunn) in honour of Basingstoke Comic Con 2024. You don't have to have been there to add a fic, but some of us wrote these or at least started them on a sunny, slightly damp lawn with an unreasonable number of buttercups while escaping from queues only exceeded by dead royals.

Oh and this was where we wrote:

contributors so far: @sgatazmy @wonkyelk @acrowbyanyothername @logicgunn @alienfuckeronmain

We'd love to see others add to this!

[itstartedwithalex]

how on earth does Lieutenant Colonel War Crimes himself on the Space War Crimes Show think he's going to get out of being on trial for war crimes

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Zum Geburtstag bekam ich einen Stargate Teppich. Ohne Tor-Anwahlgerät lässt sich so ein Stargate nicht aktivieren, darum hab ich uns dazu ein DHD gemalt ^_^

[itstartedwithalex]

somehow instead of saying "as a treat", I've started using the phrase "for morale", as if my body is a ship and its crew, and I (the captain) have to keep us in high spirits, lest we suffer a mutiny in the coming days.

and so I will eat this small block of fancy cheese, for morale. I will take a break and drink some tea, for morale. I will pick up that weird bug, for morale.

I'm not sure if it helps, but it does entertain me

[itstartedwithalex]

City of Atlantis

Seen through the eyes of my daughter who created this digital painting for me as an amazing gift. 💙💙💙

#gorgeous #fan art #atlantis

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Gifs created by me, from original video by BrooklynNewsies1