wait, WHAT?!

[oloriel]

Oh Gods, the only guests confirmed for Ring*Con this year are Twilight people (except for one lovely Newzealandish lady, who has, however, been to the Con three or four times before).

*sighs* Well, I suppose this is the year where I have to do what I told the people who didn't like Pirates of the Caribbean two years ago, or Harry Potter last year: Just go to the panels you care for and let the fans of the "other" fandom have their fun even if you don't understand it.
At least the Alice and the Laurent are hot.
And hope that some LotR guys who played more than "third elf on the left in the second row" show up. Because although I like PotC and HP, some actual guests from the original fandom that helped build Ring*Con would be kinda nice.

Good thing I won my ticket for this year, because so far I wouldn't have bought one. >_>

And good grief, why can people not offer differing opinions on the forums without being sniped at for "bitching"? Forums are for discussion, Erudamnit.

The worst thing is that I can see both sides of the argument, and thus keep explaining them to the ones who didn't get them. Not sure yet whether or not it helps. It feels odd, though; diplomacy is not usually my job. I have done more face-saving in the past few days than I normally would in a year. Next thing is probably keigo...

Wondering whether I should attend the Pirates' Gathering. It sounds kind of like the Middle-earth Festival, only for the Pirates fandom. Which would be a good thing.

Comments

[satismagic.livejournal.com]

Actually, the Twilight people are the ones that make me want to go! Somehow I just can't get into LOTR anymore for the time being...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Go ahead! (http://ringcon.de/pages_de/rc_09/anmeldung.php)

That is just fine, and I'm sure there are others like you. But there are also people who never got "out of" LotR and thus would like to see at least one or two LotR faces - faces that haven't been to Con five times in a row and don't have anything to tell anymore, even though they may do fantastic comedy shows. And since this is Ring*Con, the uniting element for most people who've gone there so far is, well, the Tolkien fandom, even though most are generally open to other fandoms.

There are basically three options. The first - which has been discarded already - would have been to stick firmly to LotR, and probably lose all but the die-hard LotR fans because "there's nothing new".

The second would be to change everything, get rid of the LotR surtheme, and invite only big names of whatever fantasy film happens to be the most hyped at the moment. That would doubtlessly invite many new guests, but just as doubtlessly put off many of the old Ring*Connies. This bears the risk that more "old" visitors will no longer buy a ticket than "new" visitors come in.

The third - in my opinion, the most wise, and this is what the organisators are trying to do, except they don't manage to bring it across properly - would be a compromise: Keep the LotR surtheme, but also invite guests from other fandoms. That way, new people from other fandoms come in, those who are no longer into LotR have something new as well, and those who are still into LotR and remember that it was LotR that brought the Con to life in the first place are happy as well. The awesome part is that this is perfectly possible.

Now as I said, I am actually convinced that the third option is what the organisators are trying to achieve. The question is just whether saying "We've got three major characters from Twilight coming, and Lori will do her comedy thing again, you all love Lori, right" is a good way to do it (I doubt the discussion would be quite so dire if the information had been, for example, "We have three major Twilight actors and Hugo Weaving/Karl Urban/[insert major LotR actor here]"). Yes, perhaps that's all the information they have so far - but then I think it would be wise to say "Don't worry, we're still talking to a lot of other people, for example from ____, ____ and ____". Or at least, when people say on the forums "Meh, Twilight is not my thing and Lori has been there three times already, I hope there will be someone else from LotR", NOT react by "YOU PEOPLE ALWAYS BITCH! THERE ARE MANY TWILIGHT FANS WHO WILL BUY TICKETS NOW, SO STOP WHINING! YOU CANNOT ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT!!!".
Because that happened (and not just in this context), and no matter what your personal opinion on Twilight, LotR or conventions in general, that's just bloody unprofessional. ;)

[satismagic.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that hearing there's already such a kerfuffle going on over that issue puts me instantly off the idea of attending.

I'm really sick of all that bitching going on over Twilight. So you hate the books and the movie? Get over it. I'll never understand why people devote hours and hours on hating and dissing something. And additionally getting into the middle of an argument about what Ring*Con should be or not?

That's nothing I'm willing to put up with just because I found a series of books and a movie mildly entertaining.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

What, it was the information about the kerfluffle? I'd have thought the 90€ for some actors from a movie you only found mildly entertaining would be the off-putting part. ;)

See, the thing is that without the obsessed fans, Ring*Con would be just the kind of convention you see in Galaxy Quest: Lots of merchandise and a few stars who come on stage for a moment, sign autographs, and have their pictures taken.
Thanks to the obsessed fans, there are also workshops, lectures, plays and projects. Ring*Con's got a special atmosphere, and because it is so special and word got around, people have been visiting from all over the world, although they could have seen the same guests (or bigger names) at other events closer to home.

Of course, that means that the obsessed fans put a lot of thought and effort into the whole thing, and that also means that they are opinionated. They are not going to put a lot of thought, money and effort into an event that keeps telling them they don't actually matter one bit.

The discussion is not, in fact, about Twilight. Some people love it, some people hate it, some people don't care either way. Even on the forums.
The discussion is about whether the Con will be entirely Twilight-oriented. That actually is a valid question, because why should someone who hates Twilight buy a ticket for a Con that has only Twilight guests? As the organisators pretty much told us "You have to buy tickets or I can't get big names", all the people who thought they'd get the usual deal - mainly LotR, with perhaps some pirates, wizards or vampires thrown in - are now slightly worried they'll get mainly Twilight with a two-minute screen time in the SEE Hobbit thrown in. Which is all fine and well for those who like it, but it is not what they paid for. See the problem?

The most beautiful thing is that nobody has to get into the middle of an argument. The argument happens on the forums, which anyone who doesn't care for the discussion can avoid. It does not happen at the Con - after all, it's already been discussed on the forums. So unless you're a glutton for punishment and start hanging out in a forum you have never visited so far, I wouldn't see how you'd have to put up with the argument.
(And yes, I can safely say that - we've had the same discussion on the forums two years ago when there were a few PotC guests, and there was no war going on at the Con; and we've had the same discussion on the forums last year when there were a few HP guests, and there was no war going on at the Con. This year people are more tired about the organisators' ways of handing out information in scraps or only after weeks of nagging, but still the discussion is going on at the forums, among maybe 20 people, and it is highly unlikely that the other 1980 people who (hopefully) come to the convention will suddenly get swept up in it.

[meril.livejournal.com]

There's a saying in English-language sf fandom about conventions; you go there for the other people, for the most part, and then for the programming (usually fan-run and fan-created,) and last for the special guests.

However, if all your friends are into LOTR but the entirety of the con programming including the fan-run stuff is Twilight, why would you spend 90€ to go?

(It really sounds like this is turning into the European Dragon*Con, to be honest.)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

(It really sounds like this is turning into the European Dragon*Con, to be honest.)

*nods* And THAT is precisely what the obsessed Ring*Connies are afraid of, and why there is so much of an argument.

[yoodi.livejournal.com]

Actually, aragorna asked me if we should got to that pirates thing. She has an awesome costume for which she needs an occasion to show it off. (Agh! Grammar!) And she needs my help to put it on. *MUHA*

I looked at the site and I don't really understand how the Con² (fan convention plus LARP con) would work, unless you really want to take part in just one side. And for just one side and it being a JuHe, I think it's simply too expensive. Particularly because there'd be another 100€ on top for travelling expenses for me.

So,..... naaaah....

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

It might not work in a small LARP setting like at the Rohan LARP, but with something like the Drachenfest it would work very easily. Nobody is playing all the time and people keep disappearing for hours to sit in a tavern, meet friends or shower. Last time the golden Avatar - a major character in the Drachenfest mythology - had to go missing for one and a half days because he was best man at somebody's wedding, and that was solved by some magic and an in-character explanation for his absence. So if there are enough people, some people going off to attend a lecture for a while, or to have a good look at the market, and later returning would be no problem. If everybody wants to attend the same lecture, well, the game is paused, everybody goes OOC, listens to the lecture, and then returns IC.
It may take some creativity, but it could be made to work.

Actually I was surprised by the prices. Two nights at a Youth Hostel with full board costs around 55 - 60 € these days. More if you want to have a barbecue, more if you need more than one common room, and more if you are older than 27 years. With the cheapest option - only lectures, market and taverns - at 60 €, I can only assume the lecturers don't get paid, or only if there are enough people who don't sign up before the Ides of March, or some money is left over from the LARP preparations.
It may be a lot of money, but it's hardly "too expensive" for what you get. ;)

Not sure whether I can afford it myself, but I'm sorely tempted.

[yoodi.livejournal.com]

As for the money, I see your point now. Hmmm....

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I admit it - I facepalmed at the Twilight guests, but I facepalmed more at the discussion in the forum (without even looking). We've talked about it enough that you know my stance and I don't have to elaborate, and yes, I would be disappointed if nobody but Lori showed up, but there's always the Tolkien Society panels, art contest, (maybe even choir), etc. and time to meet people. Hell, in 2007 we did spend more time there than in the great hall, no? But yes - 90€ (+travel) just for meeting people are a problem. -_-

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

The discussion was actually pretty harmless bordering on the constructive until one or two saviours of the forum jumped in to say "Nooo, not again, will you stop whining".

And - yes. Last year I'd decided not to go to Con next year, because I only went because of the Choir, and although it was nice, it was no longer worth so much money. Then I won the ticket, so, yeah...
But at any rate I can meet people at various other events. If the Con is no longer what I go there for... well. Time for change.
Right now I'm fairly disillusioned.

[arwensommer.livejournal.com]

I think that maybe the organisers are a little frustrated about doing this job for the howmany-th time in a row now? And while it's no excuse, it would also explain the crabbing and bitching. I'm not into Ring*Con (somehow it never worked, timing or money wise), I'm -not- a Twilight Fan, but I can see your point that Option 3 is the best. I think that by now the people attending Ring*Con are probably the die-hard fans... and exactly the ones you'd lose if you stepped away from Tolkien :) Don't know if the "latest fad" (or whatever you want to call it) would bring in enough visitors from around the world (!!) to make up the difference. I don't think I'd spend $1,000 to go to a Con where I could see an actor from this year's hit movie, that I could see for $200 somewhere closer ;) (Then again... I can't imagine spending $200 to see ANY actor... *G*)