get/together

All old friends this year, though one new-old venue. Thanks very much to archiesfrog for the recce and reservations.

Friday October 2

Yum Cha at Dragons
25 Tory Street
11am-1pm

Dinner at Phu Thai Esarn
38 Cambridge Terrace
6.30pm

Saturday October 3

Main Festivities at St Christopher's
Ventnor and Forres Streets
Seatoun
10am-8pm

Sunday October 4

Main Festivities at St Christopher's
Ventnor and Forres Streets
Seatoun
10am-6pm

Dinner at Spirit House
1 Park Road
Miramar
6.30pm

Monday October 5

Brunch at Superfina
232 Cuba Street
11 am
[This is the old Fidel's site, we have the back courtyard reserved for us]

No time to check but at three and a half weeks I think we've just beaten the previous four week record for officially launching the season. Good thing you all know where and when, ie exactly the same as always.

Sign up post will follow but can you please confirm your attendance in a reply to this post, as well as your intentions to present and to come to dinners. Anonymous is fine if you don't have a DW, but remember to put your name on it if so.

Name
Presentation and timing
Yum Cha Friday Y/N
Dinner Friday Y/N
Pizza Saturday Order and Cost
Dinner Sunday Y/N
Brunch Monday Y/N

Confirmed Attendance (Who will be last? -- Me! Turns out it's me!)

shihadchick
gayhawke
blademistress
dreamier
sixthlight
jamethiel
lou
stickmarionette
meelie
ozlyn
chruskit
owlbeer
dewey
ferritin4
labellementeuse
dazyndara
pseudo_tsuga
nu_breed
frankles
the_antichris
tamarillow
hazel
mermaid
nmarlow
archiesfrog

Thanks so much to archiesfrog who has masterfully managed this quest, including finding a secluded courtyard for us to monopolise on Monday! A thousand times kudos.

Friday 26th September

Brunch: Dragons for yum cha 11am-1pm
25 Tory St
https://www.wellingtondragons.co.nz/

Dinner: Phuthai Esarn 6-8pm
38 Cambridge Tce
https://phuthaiesarn.co.nz/

Sunday 28th September

Dinner: The Spirit House in Miramar 6.30pm
1 Park Rd
https://www.spirit.house/spirit-house-wellington

Monday 29th September

Brunch: SaMick Cafe and Bar
136 Cuba St Te Aro
We have their back courtyard from 10am until close (3pm) if we want to stay that long

From M: "I will collect all attendance responses from the original dreamwidth post, but would appreciate it if people change their rsvps (either to attend or not) they DM me (archiesfrog) on discord so I don't miss it."

I've turned off commenting on this post so all RSVPs stay on the original.

Something a little bit different this year. For starters I'm screening comments because I want to do a thing with these and it'll be funnier if it's a surprise. I think. I'll unscreen them later for the permanent record so don't be *too* indiscreet.

1. Chain of fannish/social pseuds

B, I don't need your twelve AO3 pseuds, and I will not be tricked into revealing my porn sock (your curiosity will remain unassuaged), but as a guide please put all the ones that have participated in g/t (your OG livejournal, your dreamwidth and/or main AO3 if it was different, and your discord and/or bluesky, whichever is your current main persona).

2. Your fandom origin story

How you discovered slash, how you discovered online fandom, how you hung around in alleys buying zines, any early cons you went to, clubs you belonged to, all that stuff.

3. Your g/t origin story

Lay out the actual chain. Whose lj flist were you on? What was the fandom or comm that got you on that flist in the first place? Who did you know in real life? Who suggested you come? Who did you come with? How long had you known each other?

4. Chronological magical mystery tour of your major fandoms

Not the ones you read three fics in based on a rec. The ones you were actually super into. And a little bit about why you liked them or what you liked most about them.

5. You're only allowed to keep three OTPs, OT3s okay if that's a thing, and why

Exam rules apply, I'll only record the first three so no cheating.

6. Three fics to put in the Seed Bank for preservation, and why

Okay, maybe I'll take five. But only if you've been in fandom twenty years.

7. Most memorable moments from g/t over the decades

The non-con? The broken chairs? The porn factory? The capoeira drummers? If you know you know. If not, you might hear about it. As many as you like, if you like.

Yes, these are the latest signups ever. Broke a record this year. We'll make it short though. :D

Please sign up for g/t24 in a comment to this post. Anon commenting is on if you can't sign in/don't have a journal, just put your twitter discord handle or whatever fannish name you're best known by in the subject line. If you haven't already answered the questions about brunch and dinner bookings in the previous post please go do so asap.

Subs are $35 again this year. You should all have my account details, but if you need a reminder shoot me a dm.

Registration Form 2024

Current favourite fandom:

Current OTP/OT3 etc:

Are you having a Renaissance (tm) this year (or every year!):

What was your very first fandom/gateway to the life:

Number one OTP/OT3 forever (Highlander rules, you can only name one):

I want to do a presentation on:

Food for Thought

I have an idea for something I would like us to discuss and I would like to run the discussion myself:

I have an idea for something I would like us to discuss and I would like it to get into the main panel section(s):

I would like to bring some stuff along for a jumble sale/swap:

I wouldn't mind rummaging through other people's dvds/lipsticks/fannish paraphernalia:

Actual Food

My Hell Pizza order for Saturday night is (please bold or ALL CAPS any allergies/intolerances):

It costs this much, which I will add to my subs when I pay those:

For reasons that don’t need exploring at this juncture I won’t be staying for the pizza party.

More crudites, more chips, more biscuits, or more lollies?

Hummus, salsa, or sour cream dips?

My preferred coke is:

Coffee or tea?

Whole fat, half, or trim milk?

Looking back I see that since covid it has been tradition to officially kick off get/together season 3-4 weeks out, so we're right on target. That's also when I typically get the invoice for renting the hall, haha, so it's definitely the season.

I actually did intend to send out an earlier announcement this year, not because the normal shenanigans need it (let's face it, after so long you all know exactly where and when without being told) but because I had something a bit special planned for the twentieth anniversary, and I kept waiting and hoping for various *cough*real estate related*cough matters to resolve themselves. Obviously that didn't happen...

Anyway, I won't get bogged down in that (see discord for vaguely hopeful but not terribly exciting updates) but suffice it to say after some long chats (extra special thanks to labellementeuse and archiesfrog) I've managed to shake off the slough of despond, and while we will be acknowledging the 20th anniversary this year, we will be celebrating the 21st next year. It seems fittingly old school, on reflection, to go imperial rather than metric. Or so I'm telling myself. ;-p

So, uh, next year you will get a much longer run up to festivities, and a few calendared items that might not be the usual. Or we won't have g/t at all because I will be in jail for arson and insurance fraud. One or the other.

As for this year, I am delegating a lot of tasks, and I thank those people for volunteering from the bottom of my heart:
-- blademistress is obviously still in charge of tech
-- erilyn is in charge of pub quiz
-- shihadchick is in charge of the pizza order
-- archiesfrog is in charge of restaurant reservations
-- labellementeuse is minister without portfolio and/or Alfred

I'm going to focus on the timetable and posting updates for now. Expect the usual flurry over the rest of this week. And in the interests of reducing stress levels when the weekend actually rolls round, two requests:

1) Please don't arrive early on Saturday and Sunday. Every year I post that doors open at 10am, and every year people start arriving earlier and earlier. Apart from the fact that I'd like to finish my breakfast, unpack my car, and have a quick look around, this made a real problem for me last year when I couldn't hand on heart tell the community centre manager that I had/hadn't seen what state the stage curtains were in when we arrived. Almost no one is at the mercy of the bus now, so please time your arrival for 10, and if you're early then please go get a coffee.

2) Please think about your energy levels and/or how much ~people~ you're going to have left in you, and be honest with yourself (and archiesfrog) about which group meals you are going to attend, and don't rush to answer "everything!". The last few years it's been getting worse, but last year was particularly bad with both Friday and Sunday night's dinner bookings made for 20 or 22 and then 15 people showing up. This is a great inconvenience to the restaurant, who on both occasions moved a lot of tables to accommodate us, and also embarrassing for the person making the bookings (traditionally me, this year M) who has to shamefacedly confess and face the music. So be mindful when RSVPing yes, and also if circumstances change, be proactive about letting M know so we can give the restaurants a heads-up.

That's it for now, further updates to follow shortly. You can confirm by replying to this post that you're coming if you want to, lol, but mostly I'm just assuming you are. :D

Thanks for your prompt attention to the attendance post, it certainly made things easier, as it is getting more difficult to make large bookings every year.

Please take the time to look at the menus beforehand, especially for the two dinners, so we can order promptly and then let the chips fall where they may in terms of service. (The lovely lady agreeing to take on 23 of us was very pleased I said we were happy for food to come out as it was ready rather than all at once.)

Brunch Friday 29 September:

Spruce Goose seemed to work well last year, so we'll go there again. Either Wellington will put on an unbeatable good day, or we'll get to see some high seas.

Spruce Goose
30 Cochrane Street, Rongotai, 10am

Cocktails Friday 29 September:

Apologies, there is literally nowhere that can take a large group Friday night, presumably a combination of WoW and the World Cup. See you at dinner instead.

Dinner Friday 29 September:

Trying something new this year, one of the few Asian cuisines that hasn't been a g/t staple, Istana Malaysia has a vegetarian section on the menu and seems to have vegan alternatives on quite a few of the classics.

Istana Malaysia
1 Allen Street, Te Aro, 6.30pm

Weekend Lunch Options Seatoun:

TBA

Dinner Saturday 30 September:

You've got a bit of time yet to confirm your Hell order, but please get your sign ups and orders finalised asap.

Tonight we dine in Hell.

Dinner Sunday 1 October:

Five year faves Spirit House remain the best set up to cope with chaos on a Sunday night...

Spirit House
Cnr Park Road and Miramar Avenue, Miramar

Brunch Monday 2 October:

It wouldn't be right not to go to Fidel's, but this year I actually booked the courtyard. They were quite grateful, hahaha. I said we'd hang around and order second breakfast as usual, and I imagine we'll lose exclusivity as numbers dwindle.

Fidel's
234 Cuba Street, Te Aro, 10am

Hey, it's almost four weeks to d-day, last year it was only two and a half, haha.

Everybody should know, you're all so good at working it out for yourselves now -- if there's anyone reading this to whom it comes as a shock, I apologise profusely -- that get/together this year is the weekend of September 30/October 1, with additional hangouts Friday 29 and Monday 2 as usual.

Doing signups on dreamwidth went pretty well last year, and I like the partial return to our roots -- comm of Theseus -- so we'll do that again. That post will go up shortly. (I'm procrastinating from exam marking, the best way to get fandom stuff done.) If you never had a dreamwidth you can use open id if you had a livejournal, or anon-comment with your username in the comment header while revelling in your youth.

Today's immediate business is:

1) reply to this post (even if you want to take a bit more time over your sign up) to lmk that you're coming
2) brunch Friday Y/N?
3) pre-dinner drinks Friday Y/N?
4) dinner Friday Y/N?
3) dinner Sunday Y/N?
4) brunch Monday Y/N?

I'm going to be firm on these numbers once I've made the bookings, so make sure you get your answers in to these questions by the end of this week.

Also include any intended presentations you wish to give, and any suggestions for games/activities you think might be fun. Tell me what you're doing, your witty title if you have one, and whether you're a 15 or 30 minute slot. Extensions by request, maybe, once we see how packed the timetable is.

That's it for now. Signups later today.

Crossposting: I will tweet about this shortly, but probably to a dead planet. I'll post to bluesky for the lols. I'll mention it in discord, but I might not be able to link it because I can't discord on my work computer. I'd like to copy posts to livejournal out of sentiment and so people who still track comms get reminders, but I can't do that at work either, and might forget before I get home. Comments there will be closed. You can ask questions on any of the casual/micro platforms, but your official attendance and sign ups have to be here.

ETA: We appear to have lost access to the g/t twitter account, so there will very likely be no further updates there. I have, however, made a handle at bluesky, for whatever it may be worth and however long it may last.