Octothorpe

156: Surprisingly Well-Adjusted Young Gentlemen

John has a headache, Alison has a cold, and Liz is fine, thanks for asking.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Liz said “RoboCup world championship” not “RoboCop world championship”
    • RoboCup Germany
    • RoboCup Federation
    • RoboCup on Wikipedia
  • Alexandra Lanes (Bluesky)
  • Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)
  • Ang Rosin (Facebook)
  • Ed Morland (Bluesky)
  • Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)
  • Fredrik V Coulter (Facebook)
  • Juan Sanmiguel (email)
  • Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
  • Neil Ottenstein (Facebook)
  • Paul Weimer (Bluesky, email)
  • Phil Dyson (Facebook)
  • Renay (email)
    • Hugo Award Recommendations!
  • We also heard from Alex Holden, Finbarr O’Reilly, Kev McVeigh, Roseanna Pendlebury, Shi Lala
• GUFF result
  • Farah’s Facebook group: From Perth to Perth!
• Nebula Awards
  • The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association
  • This year’s nominees
    • “How SFWA Is Administering the Nebula Awards Policy Against LLM-Use” on File 770
    • “Indie Game Awards rescinds Clair Obscur’s GOTY wins over use of generative AI” on Polygon
  • G Willow Wilson’s thoughts on the Best Comic category
• Locus
  • 2026 fundraiser
• Eastercon 2026: Iridescence
  • The program is out
  • You can find John here and Alison here and Liz here
  • “Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names – With Examples”
• Picks
  • John: Vantage
  • Alison: Slay the Spire 2
  • Liz: Formula 1: Drive to Survive
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Eastercon Planning” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: A black-and-white cartoon. John is behind a stack of games, saying “Games Room”; Alison is behind a stack of printers and paper, saying “Newsletter”; Liz is on a beach reading with sunglasses and a cocktail. In purple, the words “Octothorpe 156 Eastercon Planning:” appear at the top and “questioning our life choices” at the bottom.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

155: Ed! Ed! ED!

John is a bit rum, Alison is taking a drink, and Liz is buying beer.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

• Letters of comment
  • Abigail Nussbaum (email)
    • Neon Hemlock
  • Brian Nisbet (Facebook)
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Ed Morland (Bluesky)
  • Elias Helfer (email)
    • Roseanna Pendlebury on fan writer
  • Florian Bailey (email)
    • Nuremberg in 2028
  • Paul Weimer (email)
    • Down Under Fan Fund (DUFF)
    • Going Under Fan Fund (GUFF)
    • Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF)
    • European Fan Fund (EFF)
  • Scott Edelman (email)
    • Eating the Fantastic
    • Chicken Shop Date
  • Tammy Coxon (Bluesky: convention sports, deduplications, staff rates)
  • Trish E Matson (email)
    • The Skiffy and Fanty Show
  • We also heard from DC, Farah Mendlesohn, Jonathan Baddeley, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott, and Neil Ottenstein
• British Science Fiction Association
  • BSFA members and Eastercon members can now vote on the shortlist
  • Nicholas Whyte writes on this topic
  • The Incompleat Register
• Eastercon 2026: Iridescence in Birmingham
  • Lucky for None
  • Lucky for None in Space
• Eastercon 2028: Bid for Birmingham by Marcus Streets
• Picks
  • John: Alien and Aliens
    • they’re small indie movies you probably haven’t heard of them
  • Alison: Small Prophets
  • Liz: Dark Winds
• Credits
  • “Homunculeeses” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Three homunculi in jars with cork toppers who look reminiscent of John, Alison and Liz. Alison’s has a little stick with a moose head on it and a cup of coffee. The jars are on a shelf. The words “Octothorpe 155” appear at the top and “Small Podcasters” at the bottom.
• Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

154: At Least I’m Not Just Internet Shopping

John is nominating board games, Alison should read more, and Liz bought two memberships.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Andrew Hogg (Discord)
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Ivan Sinha (Facebook)
  • Kev McVeigh (Facebook)
  • Phil Dyson (Facebook)
  • Esther MacCallum-Stewart (Facebook)
  • Jonny Harden (Mastodon)
  • Paul Weimer (email)
  • We also heard from Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, Els, Farah Mendlesohn, Kin-Ming Looi
• Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA
  • Staff memberships are $100
  • Hugo nominations are open
    • Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom
    • We’re not recusing this year!
    • Best Novel:
      • On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J Haveland
      • A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
      • Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
      • Every Version of You by Grace Chan
      • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
      • The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
      • The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
      • Slow Gods by Claire North
      • Luminous by Silvia Park
      • There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
        • We believe this is eligible because (a) the version published in 2025 is different to the previously self-published version and (b) there is precedent through Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
      • When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift
      • The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
      • The Singing Hill Cycle by Nghi Vo
      • The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson
    • Best Game/Interactive Work:
      • Newfangled electric games:
        • Blue Prince
        • Hades II
      • Good old-fashioned games:
        • The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
        • Galactic Cruise
        • The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
        • The Old King’s Crown
        • Star Trek: Captain’s Chair
        • Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
        • Take Time
        • Vantage
  • Niall Harrison’s list of Best Translated Novels
• Fan funds
  • Eurocon 2026: Metropol Con Berlin
  • Natcon/Swancon 2026: Swancon 50 in Perth, Australia
  • The TAFF candidates are Lisa Hertel and Kat Templeton, to Metropol Con
  • The GUFF candidates are Farah Mendlesohn and Misha Sumra, to Swancon 50
  • EFF nominations close on 15 March, to Metropol Con
• Picks
  • John: Murderbot
  • Alison: The UFO 50 soundtrack
    • VVVVVV
  • Liz: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Alison forgot she had to do the cover” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Text reading “OCTOTHORPE 154* *See, it’s like this. This is the first day of 2026 that hasn’t been cold, or wet, or both, so instead of doing the Octothorpe cover I went for a nice walk. And bought no board games, but a jigsaw. And did the jigsaw. Sorry.” The text is on top of a photograph of a bridge and some trees underneath a blue sky.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

153: Bowling Captain Kirk for a Duck

John is volunteering, Alison is saying “no”, and Liz read her first book!

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Alexandra Lanes (Bluesky)
  • Ali Baker Brown (Bluesky)
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Fiona Moore (Facebook)
  • Ivan Sinha (Facebook)
  • Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
  • Kev McVeigh (Facebook)
  • Paul Weimer (email)
  • Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky)
  • Scott Edelman (Bluesky)
    • The convention never ends
  • Tommy Ferguson (Facebook)
  • We also heard from Farah Mendlesohn, Fredrik V Coulter and Mike Scott
• SMOFcon 2026: SMOFcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal
• Worldcon 2028: Bid for Nuremberg, Germany
  • “Nuremberg in 2028 Worldcon Bid Unveils Website” on File 770
• Worldcon 2028: Bid for Kigali, Rwanda
  • They are withdrawing from the process
  • Join the “Worldcon in Africa” mailing list
• Worldcon 2029: Bid for Dublin, Ireland
• Fan funds
  • Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF)
    • Kat Templeton has announced her candidacy
    • Ansible #463 reported that the ballot would be online “soon”
  • Going Under Fan Fund (GUFF)
    • Nominations are now open and close on 18 February!
• Picks
  • John: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
  • Alison: Anbernic RG 34XXSP
  • Liz: There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
    • The SCP Foundation
    • Antimemetics FAQ
    • ROT13
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Alison the White” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: A picture of Alison with white hair, wearing a white dressing gown, and wielding a staff with a moose head. John and Liz flank her. She says “Behold! I am reborn as Alison the White!” John says “That’s a bit dramatic… it’s only a haircut” and Liz says “Pretty sure that’s a dressing gown… and are you standing on a box?” The words Octothorpe 153 are at the top.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

152: Slap That Fish More

John is summarising, Alison is eating, and it’s all Liz.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

• Letters of comment
  • Ali Baker Brooks (Bluesky)
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Duncan MacGregor (Bluesky, Mastodon)
  • Farah Mendlesohn (email, Facebook)
  • Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)
  • Henry Balen (email)
  • Ivan Sinha (Facebook)
  • Kev McVeigh (Facebook)
  • Mike Scott (Facebook)
  • Raj (Mastodon)
  • Ron Payne (Bluesky)
  • Scott Edelman (Bluesky)
  • Shi Lala (Facebook)
  • We also heard from Kin-Ming Looi and Steve Lockley
• Worldcon 2028: Bid for Brisbane
  • They have a sweet new logo
  • The land acknowledgement at the 2022 Hugo Award ceremony from the Chi Nations Youth Council
• Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast
  • Financial report
• Greg Ketter of DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis has gone viral
• Picks
  • John: Miniature Worlds: Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter
  • Alison: Titan
  • Liz: Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Be Prepared” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: John’s head and shoulders appear behind a pinkish desk as if he is the puppeteer of Sooty and Sweep (Americans, ask your British friends). Sooty is pulling on Sweep’s ear. Text at the top reads “Octothorpe 152: John is preparing for the big dust-up”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

151: Only Ding-Dong for Good and Not for Evil

John is trying, Alison is watching a video and Liz is humming.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Global inequality (letters of comment), harassment (Montreal discussion)

• Letters of comment
  • Christopher J Garcia (email)
    • “Kenya: Where Can You See Lions?”
  • Darin Briskman (see below)
  • Fredrick V Coulter (Facebook)
  • Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)
  • Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky) and España Sheriff
    • “Barbarella Meets the Matmos”
  • Lilian Edwards (Facebook)
  • Meg MacDonald (Facebook)
  • Paul Weimer (email)
  • Renay (see below)
  • Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
  • Tommy Ferguson (emails)
  • We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Brina Nisbet, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott
• Smofcon 42
  • I’ve mirrored all the Q&As on my own Dropbox because I’m grumpy
• Worldcon 2027: Montréal
  • They got a website!
  • The organisation chart
    • A list of blogs on the René Walling harassment incident
    • Genevieve Valentine’s original report
• Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles
  • Join by 31 January to nominate in the Hugo Awards
• Hugo Awards
  • Renay (of the fanzine Intergalactic Mixtape) has written a great guide on how to participate in the Hugo Awards
  • “Anyone Can Vote in the Hugo Awards — And Here’s How” by Molly Templeton on Reactor
  • “I Bet You Didn’t This Was Hugo-Eligible: Some of My 2025 Picks” by Kat Kourbeti
    • The Last War in Albion
• Picks
  • John: The Umbrella Academy
  • Alison: KPop Demon Hunters
  • Liz: Astronomy Photographer of the Year
    • The winning photograph
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Three Lions Relaxing” by Liz Batty
    • Alt text: Three lions photographed on a safari in Kenya, with glasses photoshopped onto two of them to make them look very slightly more like John and Alison. The top has words reading “Octothorpe 151” and the bottom has words reading “Definitely not about the cricket”. It is unclear why, because John edited all the cricket out.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

150: I Would Describe Them As European

John doesn’t want to pass out, Alison is a wuss, but Liz doesn’t think it’s gratuitous.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Gore and vampirism (Liz’s pick)

• Letters of comment
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Fredrik Coulter (Facebook)
  • Ivan Sinha (email)
  • Nicholas Whyte (email)
  • Paul Weimer (email)
  • Roseanna Pendlebury (email)
  • Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
  • We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Farah Mendlesohn, Kev McVeigh, and Mike Scott
• Chris Barkley got his Hugo Award!
• Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden
  • The Q&A
    • Videos of the Q&A on YouTube
      • Kayla Allen notes on File 770 that the sound is very poor in places
    • Smofcon 2026: Smofcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal
    • The Worldcons that presented:
      • 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA
      • 2027: Montreal, Canada
      • 2028:
        • Brisbane, Australia
        • Nuremberg, Germany
        • Kigali, Rwanda
      • 2029: Dublin, Ireland
      • 2030: Edmonton, Canada
      • 2031: Texas, USA
      • 2032: Nantes, France
        • Nantes Utopiales
      • 2033: No interest
      • 2034: Glasgow, Scotland
        • Vision statement
      • 2035: Poland
      • Unknown: Czechia
        • Festival Fantazie
• Picks
  • John: Your Wish is My Command by Deena Mohamed
  • Alison: The Lost Nose by John Sladek
    • Sort of collected in Maps: The Uncollected John Sladek by John Sladek
  • Liz: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Alison is Still Obsessed with Ukuleles” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: A Mahalo Flying V, an Uma Blue Pineapple, and a Brunswick soprano are hanging on a Christmas tree beneath the words “Octothorpe 150”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

149: Real-Time Toilet Monitoring

John is going to Smofcon, Alison has FOMO, and Liz is a horrible person.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Andreas Davour (email)
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Ed Morland (BlueSky on 147, 148)
    • Cyclo-cross
    • Mathmo.org
  • Emily January (email)
  • Karen Schaffer (email)
    • Literal antivirus
  • Paul Weimer (email)
    • Centrale Montemartini
  • We also heard from Alan Fleming, Ali Baker Brooks, Andrew Thompson, Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, DC, Duncan MacGregor, Ivan Sinha, Jan Harley, Kev McVeigh, Malcolm Hutchison, Mike Scott, Neil Ottenstein, Shi Lala, and Tommy Ferguson
  • Famous Belgians: Simon Stevin
• Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Smofcon Q&As
    • Salute of the Jugger
    • How to stream it in the UK
  • John would like to thank Glasgow 2024 for a travel bursary allowing him to attend!
• Novacon 2026: Novacon 55 in Buxton
  • Una McCormack
• Picks
  • John: The Truman Show
  • Alison: Pluribus
  • Liz: The Summer War by Naomi Novik
• Credits
  • Cover art: ”Archaeologists“ by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: John and Alison, dressed in clothes reminiscent of The Mummy, look down some stairs upon Liz’s tomb, in which her skeleton still holds her Hugo Award, framed by stonework. The words “Octothorpe 149” appear at the top of the image.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

148: I’m With Liz

John, Alison, and stunt Liz Emily Tesh are live from Novacon 54!

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: It’s a live recording!

• Thanks to Emily Tesh for being our stunt Liz!
  • You can find Emily at her website, with links to socials at the bottom of the page
  • Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones
• Visit Stow Shirts for all your Octothorpe merchandise needs
• Picks
  • John: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
  • Alison: Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler
  • Emily: The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Live from Novacon” by Steven Cain and Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Emily Tesh, John, and Alison stand in front of a suspiciously purple background which may indicate that the real background has been subtracted by nefarious photo editing. The words “Octothorpe 148 Live from Novacon” are overlaid.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

147: What? What?! No!

John is ready, Alison had forgotten, and Liz is surprised.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Animal torture (letters of comment)

• Letters of comment
  • Chris Garcia (email)
  • Ed Morland (BlueSky)
  • Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)
    • Pictcon 2026: PictCon 2 in Perth, 17 October
  • Finbarr O’Reilly (email)
  • Kev McVeigh (Facebook)
  • Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
  • Paul Weimer (BlueSky, email)
  • Tammy Coxen (Facebook)
  • Terry Gibbs (Facebook)
  • Raj (Mastodon)
  • We also heard from Mike Scott, Neil Ottenstein and Tammy Coxen
• 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach on the red carpet
  • Event broadcast on YouTube
• LAcon V opens Hugo Awards Base Contest
• 36th Galaxy Awards
  • Roderick Leeuwenhart
• Tianwen Awards
  • Ersatz Culture on Mastodon
• BKK Comics Art Festival #4
  • The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF
  • Belgian comics
• Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF)
  • “Walking The Walk With RPGs In Malaysia” (paywalled on Rascal)
• Picks
  • John: The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
    • Shut Up & Sit Down’s review
    • Board Game Arena
    • The dice tower
  • Alison: The Word for World exhibition at the Architectural Association
    • Secret Maps at the British Library
  • Liz: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Star Wars is being properly remastered?
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Nepal Spotter’s Guide” by Paul Weimer (text by Alison Scott)
    • Alt text: A photograph of the mountains of Nepal with text overlaid, reading “Octothorpe 147 Official Octothorpe Nepal Identification Guide* (*apparently never gets old)** (** Liz might like to go to a comics con there)”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)