scifi

<p>Smashwords - Free Scifi Summer - My short stories are FREE from Smashwords July 1-31, 2025! Grab a free story from any of the eighteen below:</p><p><a href="https://inkican.com/smashwords-free-scifi-summer/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="inkican.com/smashwords-free-scifi-summer/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">inkican.com/smashwords-free-sc</span><span class="invisible">ifi-summer/</span></a> </p><p><a href="/tags/freestuff/" rel="tag">#freestuff</a> <a href="/tags/free/" rel="tag">#free</a> <a href="/tags/freebies/" rel="tag">#freebies</a> <a href="/tags/giveaway/" rel="tag">#giveaway</a> <a href="/tags/frugal/" rel="tag">#frugal</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#Sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/booksforkids/" rel="tag">#booksforkids</a></p>

<p>My novelette All Rights Reserved is now available IN PRINT! Order direct from your favourite online storefront, request it from your local bookstore or library, or get a signed copy when you join the Patreon at the Posthuman tier or above!</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Rights-Reserved-Xauriel-Zwaan/dp/B0GKBMZXPP/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.amazon.com/All-Rights-Reserved-Xauriel-Zwaan/dp/B0GKBMZXPP/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.amazon.com/All-Rights-Rese</span><span class="invisible">rved-Xauriel-Zwaan/dp/B0GKBMZXPP/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a></p>

<p>I have a new patron-only post up on Patreon! New schedule, same brilliant repartee! Gain access to free copies of three short ebooks for as little as $1USD/month! <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/writerslife/" rel="tag">#WritersLife</a> </p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/september-2025-138174175?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.patreon.com/posts/september-2025-138174175?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.patreon.com/posts/septembe</span><span class="invisible">r-2025-138174175?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link</span></a></p>

<p>Discover Our Bestselling Creations at &quot;Malcom Designs&quot; Shop:</p><p><a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/malcolmdesigns?sort=popular" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.teepublic.com/user/malcolmdesigns?sort=popular"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.teepublic.com/user/malcolm</span><span class="invisible">designs?sort=popular</span></a> <br><a href="/tags/decals/" rel="tag">#decals</a> <a href="/tags/tees/" rel="tag">#tees</a> <a href="/tags/throwback/" rel="tag">#throwback</a> <a href="/tags/miamivice/" rel="tag">#miamivice</a> <a href="/tags/quantumleap/" rel="tag">#quantumleap</a> <a href="/tags/timetravel/" rel="tag">#timetravel</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/ateam/" rel="tag">#ateam</a> <a href="/tags/y2k/" rel="tag">#y2k</a> <a href="/tags/millenniumbug/" rel="tag">#millenniumbug</a> <a href="/tags/aesthetic/" rel="tag">#aesthetic</a></p>

<p>Chapters 27 and 28 of &quot;A New Faith&quot; are up on the website at <a href="https://tinjar.ghost.io/a-new-faith" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>tinjar.ghost.io/a-new-faith</a></p><p>Parts 1 and 2 are available to <a href="/tags/download/" rel="tag">#download</a> (or read online) for <a href="/tags/free/" rel="tag">#free</a> in <a href="/tags/drmfree/" rel="tag">#DRMfree</a> <a href="/tags/pdf/" rel="tag">#PDF</a> and <a href="/tags/epub/" rel="tag">#EPUB</a> formats</p><p><a href="/tags/solarpunk/" rel="tag">#solarpunk</a> <a href="/tags/hopepunk/" rel="tag">#hopepunk</a> <a href="/tags/clifi/" rel="tag">#clifi</a> <a href="/tags/book/" rel="tag">#book</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/novel/" rel="tag">#novel</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/climate/" rel="tag">#climate</a> <a href="/tags/adaptation/" rel="tag">#adaptation</a> <a href="/tags/migration/" rel="tag">#migration</a> <a href="/tags/mystery/" rel="tag">#mystery</a> <a href="/tags/thriller/" rel="tag">#thriller</a> <a href="/tags/booksky/" rel="tag">#booksky</a> <a href="/tags/amwriting/" rel="tag">#amwriting</a> <a href="/tags/authorsky/" rel="tag">#authorsky</a> <a href="/tags/writerscoffeeclub/" rel="tag">#WritersCoffeeClub</a> <a href="/tags/wordweavers/" rel="tag">#WordWeavers</a> <a href="/tags/scribesandmakers/" rel="tag">#ScribesAndMakers</a> <a href="/tags/pennedpossibilities/" rel="tag">#PennedPossibilities</a> <a href="/tags/writingcommunity/" rel="tag">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/climatefiction/" rel="tag">#climatefiction</a></p>

<p>My novelette All Rights Reserved is available now for 50% off in the SmashWords End-of-Year Sale! An uploaded consciousness is appropriated as intellectual property and enslaved in a far-future corporate dystopia. If that sounds like your jam, it&#x27;s going for only $0.99USD!</p><p><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1083479" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smashwords.com/books/view/1083479"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smashwords.com/books/view/</span><span class="invisible">1083479</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/labourrights/" rel="tag">#LabourRights</a></p>

<p>Thousands of years from now... humans have long since left a depleted Earth, and much of what we know about it is forgotten or confused.</p><p>But the arts are thriving, and two drama graduates find something unexpected when they make a pit stop to find parts to fix their tea machine...</p><p>An Unscheduled Stop: a short story inspired by Orford Ness<br><a href="https://www.draliceviolett.com/an-unscheduled-stop/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.draliceviolett.com/an-unscheduled-stop/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.draliceviolett.com/an-unsc</span><span class="invisible">heduled-stop/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/shortstory/" rel="tag">#ShortStory</a> <a href="/tags/writersofmastodon/" rel="tag">#WritersOfMastodon</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/hopepunk/" rel="tag">#Hopepunk</a></p>

<p>Palisade Green, sequel to Atraxian Blue available as ebook <a href="https://books2read.com/u/3RrNwn" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/u/3RrNwn</a> or print <a href="https://books2read.com/u/m0XB6y" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/u/m0XB6y</a></p><p>Renny thought he&#x27;d escaped from his father. He thought he had his addiction under control. Then a bot turns up on his doorstep with a message that changes everything.</p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a></p>

<p>You are walking at a nearby park when suddenly a beautiful being with pointy ears asked you question in a language that seems alien. What will be your first thought or yoyr first words?</p><p>Tags: <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#Fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/elf/" rel="tag">#Elf</a> <a href="/tags/vulcan/" rel="tag">#Vulcan</a> <a href="/tags/warcraft/" rel="tag">#Warcraft</a> <a href="/tags/dnd/" rel="tag">#DnD</a> <a href="/tags/startrek/" rel="tag">#StarTrek</a> <a href="/tags/lordoftherings/" rel="tag">#LordOfTheRings</a> <a href="/tags/fae/" rel="tag">#Fae</a></p> <div class="poll"> <h3 style="display: none;">Options: <small>(choose one)</small></h3> <ul> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="2 votes">18%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">ELF! Can you show me some elven magick?</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="6 votes">55%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">VULCAN! Live-long and prosper.</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="3 votes">27%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">FAE?! Run!</span> </label> </li> </ul> <div class="poll-footer"> <span class="vote-total">11 votes</span> &mdash; <span class="vote-end">Ended 253d ago</span> <span class="todo">Polls are currently display only</span> </div> </div>

<p>You finished your lunch meeting and on your way back to your office when suddenly a handsome being with pointy ears asked you question in a language that sounds elvish and a voice that is soothing to your ears. What will be your first thought or your first words?</p><p>Tags: <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#Fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/elf/" rel="tag">#Elf</a> <a href="/tags/vulcan/" rel="tag">#Vulcan</a> <a href="/tags/warcraft/" rel="tag">#Warcraft</a> <a href="/tags/dnd/" rel="tag">#DnD</a> <a href="/tags/startrek/" rel="tag">#StarTrek</a> <a href="/tags/lordoftherings/" rel="tag">#LordOfTheRings</a> <a href="/tags/fae/" rel="tag">#Fae</a></p> <div class="poll"> <h3 style="display: none;">Options: <small>(choose one)</small></h3> <ul> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="9 votes">23%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">ELF! Can you show me some elven magick?</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="20 votes">51%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">VULCAN! Live-long and prosper.</span> </label> </li> <li> <label class="poll-option"> <input style="display:none" name="vote-options" type="radio" value="0"> <span class="poll-number" title="10 votes">26%</span> <span class="poll-option-text">FAE?! Run!</span> </label> </li> </ul> <div class="poll-footer"> <span class="vote-total">39 votes</span> &mdash; <span class="vote-end">Ended 253d ago</span> <span class="todo">Polls are currently display only</span> </div> </div>

<p>Hydra&#x27;s Wake is back!<br>Come crash land into the best creature feature around!<br><a href="https://books2read.com/u/mZMOBe" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/u/mZMOBe</a><br>Available today from your favorite bookstores!</p><p><a href="/tags/kaiju/" rel="tag">#Kaiju</a> <a href="/tags/hydra/" rel="tag">#Hydra</a> <a href="/tags/steampunk/" rel="tag">#Steampunk</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#Scifi</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#Fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/horror/" rel="tag">#Horror</a> <a href="/tags/monsters/" rel="tag">#Monsters</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#Bookstodon</a></p>

<p>This photo reportage is genuine, created in a real Homo sapiens brain, and produced without any AI rubbish: an <a href="/tags/expedition/" rel="tag">#expedition</a> to a distant <a href="/tags/planet/" rel="tag">#planet</a> where strong evidence of life had been found: the planet Elder 0815, part of the famous Mosslich-system. <a href="https://steady.page/en/naturematchcuts/posts/d242349d-fa59-4af8-a834-c93d580a4039" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="steady.page/en/naturematchcuts/posts/d242349d-fa59-4af8-a834-c93d580a4039"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">steady.page/en/naturematchcuts</span><span class="invisible">/posts/d242349d-fa59-4af8-a834-c93d580a4039</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/naturematchcuts/" rel="tag">#NatureMatchCuts</a> <a href="/tags/mosstodon/" rel="tag">#mosstodon</a> <a href="/tags/lichensubscribe/" rel="tag">#lichensubscribe</a> <a href="/tags/moss/" rel="tag">#moss</a> <a href="/tags/macrophotography/" rel="tag">#MacroPhotography</a> <a href="/tags/naturephotography/" rel="tag">#NaturePhotography</a> <a href="/tags/naturewriting/" rel="tag">#natureWriting</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#sciFi</a> <a href="/tags/spaceflight/" rel="tag">#spaceFlight</a> <a href="/tags/reconnectwithnature/" rel="tag">#ReconnectWithNature</a> <a href="/tags/biodiversity/" rel="tag">#biodiversity</a> <a href="/tags/dinosaurs/" rel="tag">#dinosaurs</a></p>

I&#x27;m thinking I&#x27;ll get myself a copy of Samuel Butler&#x27;s Erewhon. It&#x27;s on <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1906" rel="nofollow">Project Gutenberg</a> but lately I&#x27;ve been acquiring paper books and this seems like a good one to have in hard copy. I feel vaguely embarrassed that I&#x27;ve never read it, given how closely it relates to what I&#x27;ve researched in computer science (evolutionary algorithms and artificial life) and what I spend my time thinking about these days (clarifying why I believe machines cannot be alive or intelligent in the way we usually mean these words).<br><br>Apparently Giles Deleuze and Felix Guatarri were influenced by this book and Butler&#x27;s other writings on machine life. The Butlerian Jihad of Dune is possibly named after him (so far haven&#x27;t found a definitive statement of this, though a very similar event happens in Erewhon). Even Alan Turing references it. Butler, in turn, was heavily influenced by Darwin&#x27;s On the Origin of Species. So there is a fascinating confluence around this book.<br><br>Without spoiling it, does anyone have thoughts about Erewhon?<br><br><a href="/tags/erewhon/" rel="tag">#Erewhon</a> <a href="/tags/butler/" rel="tag">#Butler</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/evolution/" rel="tag">#evolution</a> <a href="/tags/machineintelligence/" rel="tag">#MachineIntelligence</a> <a href="/tags/ai/" rel="tag">#AI</a> <a href="/tags/artificiallife/" rel="tag">#ArtificialLife</a> <a href="/tags/computerscience/" rel="tag">#ComputerScience</a> <a href="/tags/evolutionarybiology/" rel="tag">#EvolutionaryBiology</a><br>

<p><a href="/tags/introduction/" rel="tag">#Introduction</a> that I&#x27;m never happy with:</p><p>I joined Mastodon during the Second Great Twitter Migration of 2022, if that&#x27;s what we&#x27;re calling it. </p><p>You may know me from:</p><p>@[email protected] (Oct 2022-Sept 2023)<br><a href="https://firefish.lgbt/@alex" rel="nofollow">@[email protected]</a> (RIP) (Aug 2023)<br><a href="https://xim.ca/@alex" rel="nofollow">@[email protected]</a> (Sept 2023-May 2024)<br>@[email protected] (May 2024-Oct 2024)<br><a href="https://anarres.family/@alex" rel="nofollow">@[email protected]</a> (Oct 2024-Aug 2025)</p><p>I&#x27;m a neurodivergent (AuDHD / GAD / cPTSD[?] <img src="https://neodb.social/media/emoji/pawb.fun/neocat_thinking.png" class="emoji" alt=":neocat_thinking:" title=":neocat_thinking:">), ace/aromantic pan/aegosexual, 40s year old from <a href="/tags/ottawa/" rel="tag">#Ottawa</a>, <a href="/tags/canada/" rel="tag">#Canada</a>. 🇨🇦 </p><p>Interests include: <br>• <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> (including <a href="/tags/startrek/" rel="tag">#StarTrek</a> &amp; <a href="/tags/doctorwho/" rel="tag">#DoctorWho</a>) <br>• <a href="/tags/linux/" rel="tag">#Linux</a> <br>• <a href="/tags/history/" rel="tag">#history</a><br>• <a href="/tags/genealogy/" rel="tag">#genealogy</a> <br>• <a href="/tags/politics/" rel="tag">#politics</a> <br>• <a href="/tags/travel/" rel="tag">#travel</a> (when I can afford to)<br>• ....way too many special interests.</p><p>(Please don&#x27;t reply to the introduction post. Mentions or DMs are OK.)</p>

<p>I have a new patron-only post up on Patreon! This holiday season, why not give the gift of Xauri&#x27;EL Zwaan? Pledges start at just $5USD and include free copies of three short ebooks!</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-update-145733009" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.patreon.com/posts/patron-update-145733009"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.patreon.com/posts/patron-u</span><span class="invisible">pdate-145733009</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/amwriting/" rel="tag">#AmWriting</a></p>

<p>👋I’m K. Llewellin</p><p>I’m a marine scientist turned sci-fi author &amp; I write futuristic space opera. My stories dive into politics, war, &amp; what happens when humans aren’t the good guys. I love creating strange &amp; unusual races, so expect plenty of alien intrigue alongside starships &amp; battles.</p><p>I’ve published 3 novels so far:<br>*A Candle Amongst the Stars<br>*Warriors Made of Glass<br>*Sins of the Gods</p><p>If you’d like to check out my first novel👉 <a href="https://books2read.com/u/38vVwB" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>books2read.com/u/38vVwB</a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#IndieAuthor</a></p>

<p>My story &quot;ReproTech RealWomb User Manual&quot; is live on the Baffling Magazine Patreon! Just a quick meditation on platform capitalism, bodily autonomy, and the industrial progenesis of the next generation. The full issue drops for free on the 31st, but if you just can&#x27;t wait and would be willing to donate a few simoleons to the cause of queer speculative fiction, go on over and give it a read!</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/neonhemlock" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.patreon.com/neonhemlock</a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a></p>

<p>Hallelujah Baby Klaus! </p><p>Lust auf Sauerkrautfelder, Lauerschweine und insgesamt schönen Quatsch...but in space?<br> <br>Es gibt jetzt eine neue Folge von <a href="/tags/raumschiffpaprika/" rel="tag">#RaumschiffPaprika</a> auf allen Streamingdiensten. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mLsaBmr8b54H3xZhdKz2NxwXSZvzUt9Kg" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mLsaBmr8b54H3xZhdKz2NxwXSZvzUt9Kg"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.youtube.com/playlist?list=</span><span class="invisible">OLAK5uy_mLsaBmr8b54H3xZhdKz2NxwXSZvzUt9Kg</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/comedy/" rel="tag">#Comedy</a> <a href="/tags/hörspiel/" rel="tag">#Hörspiel</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a></p>

<p>Fresh newsletter incoming in one week! Want to catch up on past missives and get a sneak peek at what you&#x27;re missing? Check out the archive and subscribe today for a free ebook!</p><p><a href="https://xaurielzwaan.ca/NewsletterArchive" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="xaurielzwaan.ca/NewsletterArchive"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">xaurielzwaan.ca/NewsletterArch</span><span class="invisible">ive</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a> <a href="/tags/amwriting/" rel="tag">#AmWriting</a></p>

<p>Time for a new <a href="/tags/introduction/" rel="tag">#introduction</a> post after the move!</p><p>I&#x27;m Sar, a 50yr old nerdy guy from Northern Ireland. I love IT, and am into tech and all things computing.</p><p>My hobbies include playing <a href="/tags/worldofwarcraft/" rel="tag">#WorldOfWarcraft</a>, reading about World Of <a href="/tags/warcraft/" rel="tag">#Warcraft</a> and thinking about <a href="/tags/wow/" rel="tag">#WoW</a></p><p>Seriously though, my *other* hobbies also include:<br><a href="/tags/astronomy/" rel="tag">#Astronomy</a><br><a href="/tags/linux/" rel="tag">#Linux</a> (alternating between <a href="/tags/bazzite/" rel="tag">#Bazzite</a> &amp; <a href="/tags/archlinux/" rel="tag">#ArchLinux</a>)<br><a href="/tags/gaming/" rel="tag">#Gaming</a> on <a href="/tags/steam/" rel="tag">#Steam</a>, <a href="/tags/ps5/" rel="tag">#PS5</a> &amp; <a href="/tags/switch/" rel="tag">#Switch</a> (mainly on PC though, see above!)<br><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> such as <a href="/tags/starwars/" rel="tag">#StarWars</a>, <a href="/tags/startrek/" rel="tag">#Startrek</a>, <a href="/tags/babylon5/" rel="tag">#Babylon5</a>, <a href="/tags/marvel/" rel="tag">#Marvel</a> &amp; <a href="/tags/dc/" rel="tag">#DC</a> etc<br>Also a screenshot junkie <a href="/tags/virtualphotography/" rel="tag">#VirtualPhotography</a></p><p>I&#x27;m also awaiting the results of my <a href="/tags/autism/" rel="tag">#Autism</a> diagnosis as I write this, and am also fairly confident I have <a href="/tags/adhd/" rel="tag">#ADHD</a> as well, giving me the <a href="/tags/audhd/" rel="tag">#AuDHD</a> super-deluxe wombo-combo 😂 </p><p>I decided to make the jump to this self-hosted instance at the end of 2025 after many happy years on masto.ai/@sar, and have no regrets.</p><p>Yet.</p><p><img src="https://neodb.social/media/emoji/social.elderlogs.net/kekw.png" class="emoji" alt=":kekw:" title=":kekw:"></p>

<p><a href="/tags/introduction/" rel="tag">#introduction</a> <br>Hi, I&#x27;m Marianne, AKA Noodlemaz!</p><p>I&#x27;ve actually been here since 2022 but my old instance just got shut down (med-mastodon refugee). Please follow me again here 🙃 </p><p>I&#x27;m a science communicator based in London, UK.</p><p>I&#x27;m in London&#x27;s nerdiest choir, Ready Singer One - we do music from video games, film and TV!</p><p>My PhD was in cancer biology; molecular pathology of cancer.</p><p>I love games, nature, SciFi friends (hi!), music etc. and look forward to chatting here <img src="https://neodb.social/media/emoji/mstdn.games/blobcatbounce.gif" class="emoji" alt=":blobcatbounce:" title=":blobcatbounce:"> </p><p><a href="/tags/videogames/" rel="tag">#videoGames</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#sciFi</a> <a href="/tags/london/" rel="tag">#London</a> <a href="/tags/choir/" rel="tag">#choir</a> <a href="/tags/choralsinging/" rel="tag">#choralSinging</a> <a href="/tags/music/" rel="tag">#music</a> <a href="/tags/cancer/" rel="tag">#cancer</a> <a href="/tags/scicomm/" rel="tag">#scicomm</a> <a href="/tags/videogamesmusic/" rel="tag">#videoGamesMusic</a> <a href="/tags/birds/" rel="tag">#birds</a> <a href="/tags/medmastodon/" rel="tag">#medMastodon</a></p>

<p>Wow, is it time for the year-end roundup already? But I only just did the last one! Anyway, this year I published 4 short stories, mostly flash, and self-published one. I&#x27;m calling that an &quot;equals&quot; for my previous record until I see significant sales on the ebook. As of today I have one story scheduled for publication next year.</p><p>I&#x27;ll go in reverse chronological order this time, because my final publication of the year is also a release announcement! &quot;ReproTech RealWomb User Manual&quot; is now available to read for free in Baffling Issue 22. A quick little meditation on platform capitalism, bodily autonomy, and the industrial progenesis of the next generation. And the most exciting news of the year: the gorgeous cover art for this issue was inspired by my story! Go check it out, I&#x27;m very proud of what my editor and I created together.</p><p><a href="https://www.bafflingmag.com/issue-twenty-two" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.bafflingmag.com/issue-twenty-two"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.bafflingmag.com/issue-twen</span><span class="invisible">ty-two</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#ScienceFiction</a></p>

<p>The thing about a base on the moon is that everyone underestimates the amount of support the Earth provides. Even with a so-called sealed environment, there is considerable support provided by the outside. </p><p>So when they established the first moonbase, it was very short lived. To be fair, it was only really intended as a temporary establishment, but it only lasted just over one and a half times the design life. Which for a NASA project is abysmal. So 36 months after being established, it was abandoned. The next one, an ESA project, lasted about the same.</p><p>The third was a Chinese military one. It was meant to be permanent, but they abandoned it after two years because of the cost of resupply.</p><p>The fourth one was an attempt at a lunar hotel. It lasted three months before the company running it went bust, and a joint NASA/ESA rescue mission had to be sent to bring the staff home.</p><p>The fifth one was a genuine attempt at colonisation, headed up by a multi-billionaire. They were well funded, and established a large semi-underground city space. Several hundred people moved there. Most of them died there. The oxygen plant worked, the CO2 scrubbers worked, but the small population did not have enough depth in skills to keep it running safely. Eight people survived the catastrophic cascade that destroyed the biome and the containment. Only seven of them made it back to Earth. The last one remained behind to manage the launch of the one remaining earth-return ship.</p><p>The sixth and seventh ones followed similar patterns, at great loss of life.</p><p>This cooled the idea of a permanent moon base for several decades.</p><p>Eventually someone tried again. This time it was an international consortium of space agencies. Their objective was to try and determine what would be needed for any sort of permanent non-terrestrial colony. </p><p>The answer was shocking to everyone. </p><p>Over thirty thousand people ended up needed to provide the required depth of skills. And for each of them approximately two hectares of wild space was needed, in addition to the farmed areas.</p><p>What was the extra space for? It provided sufficient complexity to the support biomes to ensure that they could not easily go into a systemic collapse. It provided for pollinators to breed, for detritus processors to grow, and all the millions of little things that were needed for an actual ecosystem.</p><p>It took them nearly thirty years to build it. And it remains the only one that Earth has ever successfully built. </p><p>The Selenites, as they call themselves, have, however, built two more as their population has grown. </p><p><a href="/tags/sf/" rel="tag">#SF</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#SFF</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#SciFi</a> <a href="/tags/spaceopera/" rel="tag">#SpaceOpera</a> <a href="/tags/microfic/" rel="tag">#microfic</a> <a href="/tags/microfiction/" rel="tag">#microfiction</a> <a href="/tags/tootfic/" rel="tag">#tootfic</a> <a href="/tags/iamwriting/" rel="tag">#IAmWriting</a></p>