Get Together (New Zealand slash con)
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | get/together |
| Dates: | 2005 - current |
| Frequency: | annual |
| Location: | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Type: | fan-run |
| Focus: | slash fandom |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | arysteia and china_shop |
| Founding Date: | November 2005 |
| URL: | https://get-together.dreamwidth.org/ http://get--together.livejournal.com |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Get Together (generally branded as get/together, or g/t) is a multifandom slash convention held annually in Wellington, New Zealand.
The first get/together was pitched at SinpOzium in June 2005, and held just five months later in November 2005. It rapidly outgrew its roots as a slumber party held in one of the organisers' homes and is now a hired hall based gathering.
It took its name from an early conversation between founders arysteia and china_shop about how it was not big enough or formal enough to count as a convention, but was rather a get together of friends (for a definition of friends that included LiveJournal friends lists).
Relationship with SinpOzium
Born out of friendships made and discussions held at the 2005 Sydney event, get/together was originally considered a daughter con of SinpOzium, but in fact that was the last time the original iteration (run by iibnf and erilyn) was held, leaving get/together to fly the flag alone for several years.
SinpOzium Mark II was relaunched in 2011 by erilyn and alasen, with get/together co-founder arysteia and stalwart attendee and presenter blademistress in attendance, prompting arysteia to remark that it had become its own granddaughter, but that that was entirely appropriate for fandom. The two are nowadays considered sister cons, and continue to share several long time organisers and attendees.
Regular Activities
Slash Pictionary: invented by iibnf, brought to New Zealand by china_shop, and taken to new heights (or lows) by shihadchick; as the name suggests the game involves increasingly more complicated and unlikely fic or porn scenarios being drawn on the whiteboard for all to boggle at and attempt to guess.
Pub Quiz: pioneered by arysteia; questions can include anything from famous (or infamous) fics to notorious wanks and wankers to AO3 (and other archive) trivia to fannish history.
Fandom Pimps: originated as "Fannish Primers" to get people from widely varying fandoms meeting for the first time up to speed quickly and act as a general GTKY and icebreaker; these days a great way of propagating new followers for your fandoms/finding a new fandom for yourself.
Discussion Panels: lightly moderated group discussions; topics have varied from the rise of incest pairings to new fannish platforms to OT3s and moresomes to the role of female characters in "slash" (ie male character and pairing dominated) circles to the genesis and rise to glory of A/B/O.
Vid Shows: curated by many different people over the years, though often and particularly by meelie; themes have varied wildly, and included one year a nominated and voted upon by members Fanvid Oscars.
History
In 2005, arysteia and china_shop attended SinpOzium and met several prominent Sydney fans including organisers erilyn and iibnf, meelie, alasen, and others. They hit it off to the extent that the idea of running a similar mini-con in New Zealand was raised, enthusiastically supported, and in fact almost half those attending the inaugural get/together later that year were Australian. Over the years, and as attendance has grown, the balance has shifted decisively in favour of New Zealanders, and Kiwis now attend regularly from Auckland and the South Island as well as a dedicated contingent from Wellington and the Wairarapa.
Following the 2013 gathering, china_shop stepped down as an active organiser but still attends part-time as a guest and emeritus founder. arysteia has continued to run get/together since then, with the assistance and support of longtime attendees.
2005
The first get/together was held at Stately Luthor Manor, a palatial home arysteia was long term house-sitting, which contained a full media centre and projection room as well as multiple living spaces. With the realisation that the bulk of attendees were coming from out of town an invitation to stay at the Manor was extended and eagerly accepted, leading to a slumber party format.
Fannish Primers, as they were then known, included: Smallville, Due South, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Sentinel, and Pop Slash.
2006
The second and final time get/together was held at Stately Luthor Manor, again with a slumber party format.
A shift away from primers saw an acceleration in what would henceforth become a con standard: "pimp reels" or videos cut to showcase new (or sometimes old) shows in their best and slashiest light. Fandoms pimped this year included: Boston Legal, Fastlane, and The Daily Show.
This year saw the introduction of powerpoint presentations and led discussions, with the inaugural "Incest Fandoms: Where do we Draw the Line?" by arysteia.
There was also a valedictory to VHS-era vidding, with erilyn bringing her sizeable collection of Media Cannibals and other collectives' tapes for a last hurrah, paving the way for formal vid shows to follow in subsequent years.
2007
The sale of Stately Luthor Manor brought about the end of the slumber party format. Held instead at china_shop's home, with borrowed AV equipment, the lack of break-out space also brought a realisation that if numbers of attendees continued to grow, and in the absence of unwitting millionaire playboy hosts, a hired venue must henceforth be sought.
Presentations included: Doctor Who and Torchwood, Football RPF, Pegg and Frost, and Bandom.
Discussions included: "Our Boys: Handsome or Just Loved?", "Online Friendship vs 'The Real Thing'", and "Fanservice, Friend or Foe?".
erilyn put together the first formal vid show, following up on the previous year's presentation of VHS classics with two selections of digital contemporaries. Notoriously the playlist stalled on a Sam/Dean vid, prompting a cry of "My laptop doesn't approve of Wincest!"
2008
Held at a downtown community centre, the extremely audible presence of a capoeira drumming group in one of the adjoining spaces brought the further realisation that A Venue of Our Own was necessary for future peace of mind.
Presentations included: Classic Who for New Who Fans, The Professionals, and RPS and the Media.
arysteia put together the vid show, which was split into three parts over two days, with themes of "Humour", "Porn", and "Fandoms of Yore". She unknowingly kicked off a minor kerfuffle by promising that there was one vid included for every fandom an attendee had listed as their primary active one, without realising that one fandom had a rival OTP. No such promise was ever made again.
2009
A suburban bowling club provided both sufficient space and privacy, though an appalling cold snap led to some discomfort.
Presentations included: Classic Star Trek for New Trek Fans, Supernatural, DC Comics, American Idol, Fast and Furious, and Generation Kill.
Discussions included: "Changes in Slash Fandom's Dominant Writing Styles Over the Decades", the very topical Racefail and Warnings Debates, and "Is there another Megafandom on the Horizon?"
Future mainstay meelie curated her first vid shows.
2010
Presentations included: Captain America/Iron Man (Comics), Sherlock Holmes, White Collar, and Starsky and Hutch.
Discussions included: the proliferation of kink memes, and OT3s and Het Fandoms.
arysteia ran nominations, polls, and voting for a "Vid Oscars" themed vid show. Categories included: "Best Encapsulation of an Entire Fandom in One Vid", "Best Character Study", "Best Use of Effects", "Best Meta", and "Best Multi-Fandom Vid".
2011
Presentations included: The Avengers (MCU), X-Men: First Class, Hawaii 5-0, Hockey RPF, and Original M/M Fiction.
For the first time a new format was experimented with, namely a co-ordinated series of five minute mini-presentations. This year's featured Favourite Female Characters, including: Lois Lane, Dana Scully, Cass Cain, Steph Brown, Aeryn Sun, and many more.
Discussions included: Man Pain, Rare Pairs, Ship Naming Conventions, "The De-Butching of Strong Women", the fracturing of fandom following the exodus from LiveJournal, and the perceived weakening of the fourth wall via interaction with creators on Twitter.
meelie again ran the vid shows.
2012
Presentations included: Marvel Comics for MCU Fans, "The Powers that Suck, or, What has DC Comics Done Now?", Teen Wolf, a LotRiPS Retrospective, Common Law, and Maiden Rose.
Discussions included: "The Fannish Id", and the existence or otherwise of Queerbaiting.
china_shop and labellementeuse put together the vid shows this year.
2013
A suburban church hall/community centre provided get/together's latest, and most comfortable, hired venue to date, compensating for increased travelling time with multiple breakout spaces and a beach within walking distance.
Presentations included: a comprehensive survey of canonical gay couples in comics (in two parts, Marvel and DC), Western Gaming Fandoms, Phoenix Wright, Arrow, Person of Interest, "How to Build a Better Beta", and Les Miserables.
Discussions included: the origins and ascendancy of A/B/O, Sentinel/Guide AUs, and a newbie's guide to Tumblr.
maudlinrose put together this year's vid shows, with the themes "Bouncy" and "Kickass".
2014
Presentations included: a Harry Potter retrospective, a valedictory to the Star Wars Extended Universe, Hannibal, The Fast and the Furious, "30 Years Before the Mast" (a reminiscence about the early days of fandom in New Zealand), and a special guest presentation from talitha78, visiting from Chicago, on vidding.
Discussions included: Alternate Universes.
2015
Presentations included: a celebration of a decade of get/together, Daredevil, Dragon Age, Miss Fisher’s Mysteries, Sense8, and The Man from UNCLE.
Discussions included:
2016
Presentations included: Critical Role, Versailles, Hamilton, and the Bloomsbury/Cambridge Set.
Discussions included: the ongoing fracture of fandom, and the viability or otherwise of Imzy as a fannish platform.
mific pioneered two new additions that were popular enough to become fixtures: a curated art show, and an introduction to the varied forms of audiofic.
meelie and maudlinrose split the vid show duties.
2017
Scheduled for 6-9 October 2017.