Octothorpe

78: Sqrrl Grrl

John is chuckling, Alison is conversing, and Liz is critical.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Twitter or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Immigration (chapter 2), COVID (chapter 3)

• Letters of comment
  • Ang Rosin
  • Dave Coxon
  • Raj
  • Chris Garcia
    • Fempire by Honora Talbot
    • Lost Beyond the Stars by Kayla Arend
    • Bean Feasa by Daniel Butler
    • AlieNation by Ray Raghavan
    • I XXXX My Sex Doll by Fay Beck
• Chengdu is a shower
  • PR1
  • The USA says “reconsider travel”, which is level 3 of a 4-level alert, partly due to COVID which may change before October. They have level 4 alerts which are “do not travel”
• Conversation COVID policy
  • Liz thinks Boskone has a nice, straightforward policy
• Picks:
  • John: Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring (only available in the US: ebook, Amazon)
  • Alison: Spider-Man: Far From Home (Disney+)
  • Liz: The Owl Job
• Credits
  • Cover art: Sqrrl Grrl by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: John and Liz are squirrels with acorns and Liz is Squirrel Girl, sitting in a tree under the words “Octothorpe 78”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

77: Slightly Less Troglodyte-y Than You

John has trauma, Alison has poetry and Liz hasn’t got Paramount+.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Twitter or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Raj on Mastodon
  • Hugo, Girl! on Twitter
    • Whisper.cpp
  • Chris Garcia
• Chengdu is a shower
  • Dave McCarty on Hugos
  • Since we recorded, people are reporting seeing emails about Hugo voting – they seem to be landing in spam folders. John posted more info on Mastodon.
• Hugo handicapping
  • The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom
  • Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form
    • John
      • The Expanse: “Babylon’s Ashes”
      • Severance: “Defiant Jazz”
      • Star Trek: Strange New World: “Spock Amok”
      • Moon Knight: “Asylum”
      • The Boys: “Herogasm”
    • Alison
      • Severance: “The Way We Are”
      • Ghosts: “It’s Behind You”
      • Mythic Quest: “Across the Universe”
      • Harry Josephine Giles’ performance of Deep Wheel Orcadia at the Edinburgh Book Festival
      • Severance: “whatever other episodes, they’re all great”
    • Liz
      • Andor: “One Way Out”
      • Star Trek: Lower Decks: “Hear All, Trust Nothing”
      • What We Do In the Shadows: “Go Flip Yourself”
      • For All Mankind: “Stranger in a Strange Land”
      • Stranger Things: “Chapter Four: Dear Billy”
• Picks:
  • John: The Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist
    • The official website for the award doesn’t have historic shortlists on it (why) so have a Wikipedia article instead
  • Liz: Strange Horizons’ 2023 criticism special
  • Alison: More print and play games
    • In lieu of a list of games, you can browse Alison’s post history on the BoardGameGeek forums to get an idea for what she’s playing
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Denizens” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: In black and red, three fantasy creatures resembling John, Alison and Liz.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

76: Does It Matter What We Think?

John is watching movies, Alison is making games, and Liz isn’t picky.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Twitter or on The Wandering Shop) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: China (chapter 2), death of a parent (chapter 4)

• Letters of comment
  • Claire Brialey
  • Tammy Coxen
  • Chris Garcia
    • Journey Planet on Chinese Science Fiction and Space
  • Irwin Hirsh
• Chengdu is a shower
  • Tip of the hat to File 770 for some sterling reporting on this
  • Chengdu Worldcon changes dates, site
    • Mockups appear to show buildings permanently branded with Worldcon/WSFS marks
  • Images of the proposed Chengdu Science Fiction Museum
  • Chinese fans are not best pleased
    • It’s no longer in the summer so students will be in school and not able to go, and the students are the ones who brought the con to China
  • But, Chengdu can take credit card payments now
    • Fiona Moore confirms
• GUFF
  • Alison announced in Octothorpe 73 that she was going to go after the coronation
  • But there’s now an Australian Natcon (Conflux, 29 September to 2 October) with which Alison is aiming to intersect
• Picks:
  • John: Prey (Disney+) and Invasion of the Body-Snatchers (1956, MGM)
  • Alison: Print and play games
    • [Alison went out for the day and did not give me links to the games, listeners! I’ll try to fill this in before next episode – John]
• Credits
  • Cover art: Groundhog Day by España Sheriff
    • Alt text: Three groundhogs in the general shapes of John, Alison and Liz regard their shadow, in the shape of an octothorpe, beneath the text “Octothorpe 76”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

75: Optimus Prime But for Books

John wants to play, Alison has met lots of authors, and Liz is a womble.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on wandering.shop) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Capitalism (chapter 3), China (chapter 4)

• Letters of comment
  • Sandra Bond
  • Lilian Edwards
  • Chris “The Legend” Garcia
  • Duncan MacGregor
  • Dave Mansfield
  • Curt Phillips
  • Kevin Standlee
  • Raj on Twitter
• Magazines
  • The Locus fundraiser is well over target
  • Amazon are stopping doing Kindle Periodical magazine subscriptions
  • Interesting numbers on subscribers/supporters from Michael Damien Thomas
• Chengdu is a shower:
  • Chengdu are finally taking non-Chinese memberships
    • A mere 22 days before the deadline for Hugos
  • Chengdu have not yet produced PR1
  • There is another petition against Sergei Lukyanenko
• Liz is going to do the runalongwomble TBR challenge
• Picks:
  • John: The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta (paperback, epub, audiobook)
  • Alison: Europe in Autumn by Dave Hutchison (paperback, epub, audiobook)
    • Please recommend me (and everyone else) one fantastic 2022 book to read
    • Recommend me one science fiction or fantasy thing from 2022 that you’ve particularly enjoyed that is not a novel
    • Strange Horizons’ 2022 in Review
  • Liz: A Game of Birds and Wolves by Simon Parkin (paperback, epub, audiobook)
• Aftershow:
  • If I Ran the Zoo…Con (NESFA Press, The Book Patch)
• Credits
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

74: Great Cthulhu

John and Alison read a poem by Sandra Bond.

• Credits
  • Cover art: The Great Cthulhu and John Coxon by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Liz and Alison (dressed in their Sunday best) take John (dressed in Star Wars cosplay but with short trousers) to see Cthulhu, depicted in a cage at the zoo.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

73: A Magic Cave Full of Games

John is going to Sweden, Alison is going to Australia, and Liz isn’t moving back to Europe.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on wandering.shop) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Capitalism (chapter 1)

• Letters of comment
  • Phil Dyson
  • Chris Garcia
    • There Has Always Been Locus
  • Perrianne Lurie
  • Mike Scott
  • Duncan MacGregor
  • Raj on Twitter
• Graphs!
• European Fan Fund (EFF)
  • European Fan Fund rules
  • European Fan Fund announcement
• TAFF race in 2023 now open - GUFF stuff
• Smofcon goes to Providence, Rhode Island (not Sweden)
  • But Eurocon is in Sweden
• We are on Mastodon:
  • Octothorpe
  • John
  • Alison
  • Liz
• Picks
  • John: Star Wars: The High Republic
  • Alison: Dragonmeet
    • Beans dice
  • Liz: It by Stephen King (Amazon, paperback, epub, audiobook)
• Credits
  • Cover art: Visions of St Octothorpe
    • Alt text: Three rodents stand under a mantlepiece covered in holly above a roaring fire. John’s stocking has dice and is orange; Alison’s has moose and is green; Liz has molecules and is blue. Rodent John is holding a B2-EMO coffee mug and wearing entirely Gregg’s-themed Christmas wear. Alison has her knitting, and is wearing red, orange and green Christmas wear. Liz is crocheting and is decked out in tasteful indigo. Each of the rodents is having a thoroughly lovely Christmas and wishes you the same!
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

72: I’m Not a Fan in the Way John Is

John isn’t gambling, Alison isn’t reading, and Liz doesn’t care.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Capitalism (chapter 3)

• Letters of comment
  • DC
  • Mark Plummer
  • Karen Schaffer
  • Curt Phillips
  • Christopher J Garcia
  • Hugo, Girl!
  • Duncan MacGregor
• Beneath Ceaseless Skies recuses from the Hugo Awards
• Locus is crowd funding
• Picks:
  • John: Andor (Disney+)
  • Alison: Andor (Disney+)
  • Liz: Andor (Disney+)
    • With a 70s-style intro sequence
• Credits
  • Cover art: Ictithirpe by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: The text “# Octothorpe” written in fonts that make it look like the Andor logo, and “Seventy Two” written in the Star Wars logo, in a golden colour on black.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

71: Just Nearly Froze to Death

John is on the Holodeck, Alison is in the past, and Liz is at school.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: COVID-19 (chapter 5)

• Letters of comment
  • Chris Garcia
  • Jonny Baddeley
  • Farah Mendlesohn
  • Peter Sullivan
  • Raj
• Locus fundraiser
• Novacon
• Satellite 8
• Picks:
  • John: Star _Wars Trek: The Next Generation
  • Alison: Genre Fiction: The Roaring Years by Peter Nicholls
  • Liz: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
• Credits
  • Cover art: Cat Detectives by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: John, Alison, and Liz are depicted as cats wearing the clothing of noir detectives by a door marked “Octothorpe Detective Agency”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

70: Oh

John is logging in, Alison is getting emails, and Liz is collecting Pokémon.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: War in Ukraine (chapter 5)

• Letters of comment
  • Chris Garcia
  • Esther MacCallum-Stewart
  • Mark Plummer
  • Nicholas Whyte
  • Karen Schaffer
  • Peter Sullivan
  • Raj
• Arthur C Clarke Award winners
• First Nations Travel Fund
• World Fantasy Con will be in Birmingham in 2025
• Chengdu Worldcon
• Picks:
  • John: Moon Knight vol. 9 (Marvel Unlimited) and Werewolf By Night (Disney+)
  • Alison: Swimming in the North Sea
  • Liz: Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin
• Credits
  • Cover art: 2024 NASFiC bid by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: A drawing of a Canadian Consulate, adorned with Scottish and Canadian flags, and a banner which says “Edinburgh NASFiC 2024: Presupports $60 inc. free T-shirt”. A mountie is in front of the building, which is in the Greco-Roman style. OCTOTHORPE 70 is written at the top, on a light purple sky above the building.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

69: Hugo Thunderdome

John is Chris Garcia, Alison is Chris Garcia, and Liz is Chris Garcia.

Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Hugo statistics by Nicholas Whyte and Kat Jones
  • E Pluribus Hugo
    • It was up for reratification at Chicon 8
    • Nicholas Whyte wrote about EPH in 2015
• Credits
  • Cover art: What If…? by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Three figures with long brown hair and brown bears are central in the image. They look eerily like Chris Garcia. The left Chris Garcia is wearing John’s glasses and a Flintstones shirt with his arms folded; the central Chris Garcia is wearing Alison’s glasses and a black shirt with his (her?) arms outstretched and fingers doing horns; and the right Chris Garcia is wearing a stripy blue-and-white top and appears to be doing a wrestling move in a downward fashion. The left Chris Garcia has a speech bubble saying “WELCOME TO THE VERY 69TH EPISODE OF OCTOTHORPE. I’M CHRIS GARCIA”. The central Chris Garcia has a speech bubble saying “I’M CHRIS GARCIA”. The right Chris Garcia has a speech bubble saying “AND I’M CHRIS GARCIA. IN THIS EPISODE I REVEAL MY MULTITASKING TIPS”. The text “What if… all three of us were Chris Garcia? appears in a typeface reminiscent of classic Tintin covers in the top-centre of the artwork. The top-left corner has “Octothorpe 69 Nov 2022” written in the style of a comic cover; the top-right corner has “Rejected by the Comics Code Authority”. In the bottom-right hand corner the words “You can catch Chris Garcia every month in Journey Planet and the Drink Tank” appear. A barcode in the bottom-left hand corner is actually cunningly-disguised text that reads (ROT13 to avoid spoilers) “Lbh ner Puevf Tnepvn naq V pynvz zl svir cbhaqf”. The background is two shades of purple.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)