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)