January 30, 2025

127: Hello Buoys

45 minutes

John is incoherent, Alison is excited, and Liz is romantic.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], 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: None

Letters of comment

Abigail Nussbaum

Ali Baker Brooks

Andy Openshaw

Chris Garcia

Claire Brialey

David Salter

Ed Morland

Farah Mendlesohn

Irwin Hirsh

Jonny Baddeley

Neil Ottenstein

Roseanna Pendlebury

We also heard from:

Fiona Moore, Ivan Sinha

Readers’ recommendations

Best Novel

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle

Metal from Heaven by August Clarke

In Universes by Emet North

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček

Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley

Someone You Can Build a Nest in By John Wiswell

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)

Deadpool and Wolverine

Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox

Best Game or Interactive Work:

Tactical Breach Wizards

Best Fancast

Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones by Emily Tesh and Rebecca Fraimow

Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow

Astounding Award

The End of Nobility by Michael Green

Briardene Books

Preorders for Colourfields by Paul Kincaid are now open!

Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast

Picks

John: Sliding Doors

Alison: Three Men in Orbit by Sandra Bond

Liz: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Credits

Cover art: “Availability Flowchart” by Alison Scott

Alt text: A flowchart entitled “How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon”. The boxes culminate in “console yourself with Octothorpe 127”, and the various options are listed below, but the original file is here in case that’s more helpful to the partially sighted.

How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon

Are you going to Reconnect?

Of course!/Not sure

Oh go on it will be a laugh

Oh all right then/No…

Are they in the bar?

Yes!

I can’t see them

Are you quite sure? Check again

Oh wait… there they are

No sign

Is there another bar?

Yes!

Nope

Are they on programme?

Yes!

Wait till the moderator asks for questions

But it’s Octothorpe Live!

Is your joke very funny?

Obviously!

Excellent! Good to know.

COME AND SAY HELLO

until then…

Are they asleep or on the loo?

No, they look chill

Er, yes?

Oh, that’s a shame

Console yourself with Octothorpe 127

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

...more

View all episodes

By John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty

66 ratings

January 30, 2025

127: Hello Buoys

45 minutes

John is incoherent, Alison is excited, and Liz is romantic.

Content warnings this episode: None

Letters of comment

Abigail Nussbaum

Ali Baker Brooks

Andy Openshaw

Chris Garcia

Claire Brialey

David Salter

Ed Morland

Farah Mendlesohn

Irwin Hirsh

Jonny Baddeley

Neil Ottenstein

Roseanna Pendlebury

We also heard from:

Fiona Moore, Ivan Sinha

Readers’ recommendations

Best Novel

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle

Metal from Heaven by August Clarke

In Universes by Emet North

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček

Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley

Someone You Can Build a Nest in By John Wiswell

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)

Deadpool and Wolverine

Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox

Best Game or Interactive Work:

Tactical Breach Wizards

Best Fancast

Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones by Emily Tesh and Rebecca Fraimow

Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow

Astounding Award

The End of Nobility by Michael Green

Briardene Books

Preorders for Colourfields by Paul Kincaid are now open!

Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast

Picks

John: Sliding Doors

Alison: Three Men in Orbit by Sandra Bond

Liz: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Credits

Cover art: “Availability Flowchart” by Alison Scott

How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon

Are you going to Reconnect?

Of course!/Not sure

Oh go on it will be a laugh

Oh all right then/No…

Are they in the bar?

Yes!

I can’t see them

Are you quite sure? Check again

Oh wait… there they are

No sign

Is there another bar?

Yes!

Nope

Are they on programme?

Yes!

Wait till the moderator asks for questions

But it’s Octothorpe Live!

Is your joke very funny?

Obviously!

Excellent! Good to know.

COME AND SAY HELLO

until then…

Are they asleep or on the loo?

No, they look chill

Er, yes?

Oh, that’s a shame

Console yourself with Octothorpe 127

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

...more

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127: Hello Buoys

127: Hello Buoys

More shows like Octothorpe

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - A Science Fiction Podcast

Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro

Backlisted

The Coode Street Podcast

Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics

Hugos There Podcast

Our Opinions Are Correct

Shedunnit

Hugo, Girl!

Worldbuilding for Masochists

If Books Could Kill

The Rest Is Politics: US

Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones

A Meal of Thorns

Starship Alexandria