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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 35m

Rejoice, sophont observers: part 2 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social is now live for all your cliffhanger-resolution needs!

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Elizabeth Bear @matociquala.bsky.social · 3h

Hey guess what? My 2023 novelette "Here Instead Of There" is available at @escapepod.org in two parts!

It's about ethics, meteorology, crony capitalism, and some courageous dirtbags.

escapepod.org/2025/10/02/e...

escapepod.org/2025/10/09/e...

Escape Pod 1013: Here Instead of There (Part 1 of 2)

Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody so I don’t know why it always came as a surprise to me. My head throbbed so bad I couldn’t tell the difference between the hangover…

escapepod.org

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 7d

Sure, we all know Buckaroo Banzai's wisdom: "no matter where you go, there you are." In case you'd rather be somewhere else, this week we bring you part 1 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social, complete with grade-A cursing! Great for wherever in spacetime you find yourself.

Escape Pod 1013: Here Instead of There (Part 1 of 2)

Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody so I don’t know why it always came as a surprise to me. My head throbbed so bad I couldn’t tell the difference between the hangover…

escapepod.org

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Fiasco the cat @fiascothecat.bsky.social · 3d

SQUIRL OUTSIDE

I CAN HEAR HIMS BUT NOT SEE HIMS?!!?? WHAT IS HIDING

PROLLY STOLEN GOODS

me, fiasco, a fluffy grey tabby with a white bib and white toes, on very high alert, lying in a rectangular grey cat bed with my front paws over the edge, looking to the left.

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Fiasco the cat @fiascothecat.bsky.social · 5d

Fiasco am on the Fiasco colour blankie

NO ONE CAN FIND HIMS HERE

Fiasco am... incog... uh... inog... cog... u know. Eggnogito.

me, fiasco, a fluffy grey tabby with a white bib and white toes, sitting on a faux-fur blanket of various shades of grey.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 7d

Sure, we all know Buckaroo Banzai's wisdom: "no matter where you go, there you are." In case you'd rather be somewhere else, this week we bring you part 1 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social, complete with grade-A cursing! Great for wherever in spacetime you find yourself.

Escape Pod 1013: Here Instead of There (Part 1 of 2)

Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody so I don’t know why it always came as a surprise to me. My head throbbed so bad I couldn’t tell the difference between the hangover…

escapepod.org

4 13

Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 8d

Dear Patreon subscribers: we’re aware of the multiple Patreon notifications/emails. We’re working on it. We recommend you turn off notifications for the moment and, if you can, set up a filter for emails. Please bear with us while we chase down the trilobites chewing on the wires!

{{}}<

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Fiasco the cat @fiascothecat.bsky.social · 8d

FIASCO WAS IN JAIL

HAD TO YELL

IT CARCERAL STATE

me, fiasco, a fluffy grey tabby cat inside a soft sided fabric carrier. i am just visible through the mesh, yelling.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 11d

If you're not a supporter of Escape Pod and you're looking to be, lock in your subscription before October 1st, lest you hear the ads crackling against the cosmic microwave background. More details here! www.patreon.com/posts/lock-i...

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GUINNESS @guinnessisacat.bsky.social · 11d

HELLO

WHO WILL COME TRICK-OR-TREAT AT MY HOUSE?

Guinness the black cat peers out the window of a cardboard scratch house for cats. The house is Halloween themed, purple with witch and pumpkin motifs. Guinness’s face fills the window, so only his round yellow eyes can be seen peering out of the darkness.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 11d

If you're not a supporter of Escape Pod and you're looking to be, lock in your subscription before October 1st, lest you hear the ads crackling against the cosmic microwave background. More details here! www.patreon.com/posts/lock-i...

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GUINNESS @guinnessisacat.bsky.social · 12d

HILL HOUSE, NOT SANE, STOOS BY ITSELF AGAINST THE HILLS, HOLDING DARKNESS WITHIN…

Guinness the black cat in a Halloween themed cardboard house built for cats. Only his round yellow eyes are visible against his face.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 14d

Now that the northern summer has ended and the southern summer is still months away, it's perfect timing for this week's Escape Pod original: "Hot Bot Summer" by @jrdewitt.bsky.social. Experience this story with C&C Music Factory's advice in mind, and sweat!

Escape Pod 1012: Hot Bot Summer

“God, these bots are gorgeous,” says Sergei as he snaps another photo. And even though Aura’s just met him, she knows the guy means it. She’s standing on one of Sergei’s beaches, her hair tied back in...

escapepod.org

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Fiasco the cat @fiascothecat.bsky.social · 16d

No srsly when are we giving her back

Fiasco cannot see out of hims preferred seeing spot

U kept receipt right

U keep receipts for EVERYTHING

me, fiasco, a fluffy grey tabby, suffering horribly, sitting on the second level of a beige carpeted cat tree and looking imploringly at the viewer. my sister, a huge fluffy black kitten, is behind me and staring fixedly out of the window at an apple tree.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 15d

🎉🎉🎉

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GUINNESS @guinnessisacat.bsky.social · 22d

THE VOID CALLS

Guinness the black cat flopped on a blue duvet, looking like he was not assembled correctly. His expression is haunted.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 21d

Rejoice, sophont observers, as it's time for story! This endweek we have for you a tale about the relevance of the Goldilocks zone in astrobiology: "Once Upon a Planet" by Kelsey Hutton. Perceive it as you wish!

Escape Pod 1011: Once Upon a Planet

Once upon a time, there were three boring, totally normal planets lazily circling their sun. One was too hot. It spewed out venomous flames like a firebreather with something pokey stuck in her teeth…

escapepod.org

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Fiasco the cat @fiascothecat.bsky.social · 26d

Catsitter am gone for the day... Fiasco am once again solitary ruler of hims domain... king of castle.

Only problem is, all hims subjects consist of fluffy clown with boundary isues

me, fiasco, a fluffy grey tabby looking very very majestic, sitting on the top level of a beige carpeted cat tree with paws hanging over the edge, looking into the distance

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 25d

One reprint at a time! No restrictions as to how many, since the doors will stay open until close to next summer, I think.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 25d

Dang, it looks like our first story of this window was sent in five minutes after the pod bay doors opened. Good show, author!

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 25d

ALSO: do you have a holiday story in mind, or already written? Good news! We'll be releasing a story on December 25th this year, so if you have a story in that idiom, definitely send it along!

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 25d

Attention, sophonts! We've finished changing the locks and Escape Pod is now OPEN to all your amazing, amazing submissions!

Consult our submissions page if you want to refresh your minds on what we're looking for - ignore that "CLOSED" bit at the top - and we hope to see rad work from you all!

Short Fiction | Escape Pod

Escape Pod is open to submissions of science fiction short stories from September 1 - May 31.

escapepod.org

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · 27d

Scams and grifts: they're not just for humans anymore! Please welcome the endweek with this new original story about just that: "Grifting the Zaxonite" by Cooper C. Wilms for episode ten-ten.

Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite

Of all the cons in his little black book, Trevor McKay liked his current grift the best. Small-fish stunts like his Spanish Doubloon gambit were always foolproof and reliable for a week of food and…

escapepod.org

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GUINNESS @guinnessisacat.bsky.social · 27d

ONE OF MY LOVE LANGUAGES IS “FISH” AND ANOTHER IS “CHIPS.”

Guinness the black cat sits on a wooden kitchen chair, staring directly at the camera with an all-consuming gaze.

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Escape Pod @escapepod.org · Sep 5

It's a new month, and with it a new story, but really we'd have a new story for you even if it was August 36th. Today we have for you "The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary" by @absenceofgravitas.bsky.social, and like any given dictionary, it's full of words!

Escape Pod 1009: The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary

Boot Rookie pilot. See also – nugget. You called us ‘boots’ when we turned up to the flight deck that first morning I laid eyes on you. The halogen lighting shone down onto the makeshift parade ground...

escapepod.org

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