Below is the schedule for Escapade Online 35.5! Please note that all times are in PDT (UTC-07).
Ready for the convention to begin? Check out our Info Hub.
FRIDAY — JUNE 27, 2025
6:00 PM
Welcome to Escapade Online
Opening ceremonies! Join us as we welcome back old friends and say hello to new attendees. Plus, help us choose topics for the Wildcard and Wayback panels.
Track: Meta Hosts: Nevertheless, fashes Time: 6:00 PM PDT on Friday
7:00 PM
Why Slash?
Why do we write and read slash? Is it just the inversion of “guys like to watch lesbian porn?” Is it unconscious misogyny and imposter syndrome–or does the Bechdel-Wallace test explain it? (This topic has been done many times, in many settings—but maybe it’s time to discuss it again with a new crowd.)
Track: Meta Mod: glymr Time: 7:00 PM PDT on Friday
Tea, Tea, and Tentacles
Tea: Ceylon. Tea: Fannish. Tentacles: Tender. Nev is forcibly ejected into a Discord Talk Show. Join Nev to Brew, Cook, and Dish!
Track: Fandom Host: Nevertheless Time: 7:00 PM PDT on Friday
8:00 PM
Who’s Writing and Why?
Fanfiction is often written by demographics that are underused and often unseen in professional writing rooms. How does that affect the culture? For example, do fans of m/m stories come to fanfiction because they like m/m stories, or does the culture of fanfiction let them discover these stories that they enjoy? What about other types of fanfiction? Who are the creators of m/f and f/f fanfic and how do they differ from other fans of the same material who are not involved in the fandom?
Track: Meta Mod: Vex Verlain Time: 8:00 PM PDT on Friday
Tea, Tea, and Tentacles (continued)
Second and final hour of Tea, Tea, and Tentacles.
Track: Fandom Host: Nevertheless Time: 8:00 PM PDT on Friday
9:00 PM
The Kink Tomato, or, Dead Dove is Not a Bird
Your Kink Is Not My Kink (And That’s Okay)–“YKINMKATO”–aka the Kink Tomato, has long been a staple of slash fanfic community. (Today, the tag “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” is more popular.) Recently, this principle has come under attack. Let’s talk about the history of “taboo” topics in fanfic and how and why that acceptance is being challenged.
Track: Meta Mod: Nevertheless Time: 9:00 PM PDT on Friday
SATURDAY — JUNE 28, 2025
7:00 AM
Recap: Welcome to Escapade Online
Opening ceremonies—again! (Please note: topics for the Wildcard and Wayback panels are chosen during the official welcome panel on Friday evening.)
Track: Meta Hosts: Nevertheless, fashes Time: 7:00 AM PDT on Saturday
8:00 AM
Wildcard Panel
Voted on during opening ceremonies, this panel is our chance to discuss the current thing everyone’s talking about.
Track: Meta Mod(s): TBD Time: 8:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Happy Bits of Fluff
Anime to watch when you just want something silly and cute. Life is full of things that give us anxiety. Let’s come up with a list of shows that will let us briefly forget the world is burning.
Track: Tech/Alt Mods: Kerguelen, aaronantium Time: 8:00 AM PDT on Saturday
9:00 AM
Smut for Fun, Not Profit
Let’s talk about the tropes and styles of kinky and erotic topics change when they are written by and for a shared community. We’ll discuss how kinky writing changes when there’s no potential for commercial activity, and the only purpose is “what gets you hot, and what gets your readers hot?”
Track: Meta Mod: glymr Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Babylon 5: 30 Years and Still Hitting Home
Discussion of Babylon 5’s ongoing themes and how hard they resonate with today’s world.
Track: Fandom Mod: sprocket Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Organizing Your Media
An introduction to various software options for storing and organizing your vids, movies, source, etc.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Seperis Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Saturday
10:00 AM
What Tropes are Trending? What Trends are Tropetastic?
What’s new, what’s making a comeback, what needs to die in a fire and never see the light of day again? Come share what you’re seeing in recent fanfic readings, your likes and dislikes. Bring examples and recs!
Track: Meta Mod: Teresa Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Andor And/Or the Rest of the Galaxy Far Far Away
Andor season 2: thoughts?
Track: Fandom Mod: Hannah Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Getting the Most Out of Discord
We’re all on Discord, but do we utilize it to its fullest? What features and functions should we be using that we might not even know about?
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Kerguelen Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Saturday
11:00 AM
Alternate Universes, or, My Heroes Are Baristas
AUs in fanfic – What’s the difference between an AU story, and an original story that uses the character names and descriptions from canon? What kinds of AUs do we like; what goes too far? Where do we draw the lines between AUs, canon divergence, crossovers, and fusions?
Track: Meta Mod: Seperis Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Murderbot: Strife in the Galaxy?
Murderbot is finally getting a TV series! The first episode(s) should be out by the convention. Let’s talk about what we are hoping to see, what we think about the casting, how it stacks up to the books, and more.
Track: Fandom Mod: Kadymae Devilc Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Saturday
Fannish Podcasts
Have you never thought to look for a podcast about your fandom(s), or do you collect them like playing cards? Have some great ones to recommend, or want to learn about what’s out there? Do you have a great idea for one, but don’t have what you need to make it happen? Let’s compare notes about the rapidly growing trend of fannish podcasts.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: killabeez Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Saturday
12:00 PM — NOON
BIPOC Meetup
A casual meetup of BIPOC Escapade members.
Track: Meta Host: Drea Time: 12:00 PM PDT on Saturday
1:00 PM
Keeping Older Fandoms Relevant
Some shows are limited by the time in which they were created or the period they’re based on. How do we get new fans engaged with dated (sometimes cringeworthy) shows? Do you move the show to a new time period? Age characters up? AU’s only? How much of your fandom are you willing to change in order to get new fans?
Track: Meta Mods: Tayrin Roo, Teresa Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Saturday
[MXTX] Heaven’s Untamed Scum Villain
MXTX still has a chokehold on western danmei fandom. What’s so enduring about her works?
Track: Fandom Mods: Saphire Dance, Franzeska Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Saturday
Pimp Your Fandom: Show and Tell
Bring visual aids (powerpoints, pictures, printouts) to help pimp! Your! Fandom! In five minutes or less. Plan to share your visual aid(s) on Zoom.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: sprocket Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Saturday
2:00 PM
Contractually Obligated Monster Fucker Panel
What’s new in monster fucking? Dragon shifter orgies? Werewolf fated enemies to lovers? Tentacle caresses? Minotaur milking? Orcs at the office drawing up arranged marriage contracts? HR will not be attending this monster fucking panel.
Track: Meta Mods: fashes, glymr Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Saturday
By Leaps and Bounds: How Quantum Leap Was Ahead of Its Time
It’s been over 30 years since the original Quantum Leap ended. It continued with books, a comic, and a reboot. Why has the show endured? What are the problems and benefits of writing slash for it?
Track: Fandom Mod: Kylara Ingress Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Saturday
The End of Rec Sites
We used to find fic on rec sites. People used to host rec sites, or at least rec fics on their blogs. Fanlore lists over 100 slash rec sites: Crack Van, Painless J’s lists, etc. Let’s talk about what makes a good rec site or blog, and how we can share the fic we love with each other today.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Amalthia Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Saturday
3:00 PM
Really Most Sincerely Dead
Ned Stark, Tara Maclay, Lexa, Lilia Calderu, Natasha Romanov, Jenny Calendar, Rue… Character deaths are a staple of fiction. Sometimes we cry, sometimes we yell at the screen, sometimes we yell at the writers, sometimes we cheer. But what makes a great character death, and what makes a terrible one? How do you write something you know your readers/viewers are going to be upset about? And is there a way to turn a terrible character death into a powerful, meaningful one?
Track: Meta Mod: Airawyn Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Saturday
The Old Guard: Let’s Hype It Up!
The Old Guard 2 drops July 2nd. How hyped are we? Hyped enough to have a panel!
Track: Fandom Mod: Charlotte C. Hill Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Saturday
Sailing the High Seas 101
Show up planning to download software and try it out in order to get that obscure, out of print media. (Or not so out of print…) A small portion of time will also be dedicated to life skills, such as sharing a streaming account with your long distance life partner.
Track: Tech/Alt Mods: Nora Bombay, fashes Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Saturday
4:00 PM
Reclaiming a Universe
Fanfic ignores canon relationships and sometimes the world itself. But can it ignore the author? From Lovecraft to Rowling to Whedon to Gaiman–many authors of beloved works are later discovered to be prejudiced or predatory or both. Can we use fanfiction to take back some of these works and put distance between the author and the art? Or does that just reinforce their popularity?
Track: Meta Mod: Vex Verlain Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Saturday
We Provide… Leverage
Leverage: Redemption season three–are we still avoiding Plan M?
Track: Fandom Mods: Kylara Ingress, fashes Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Saturday
Bookmarks, Archives, and Fanfiction Downloader: Ways to Save and Preserve Fic
A review of various websites and ebook systems for saving, storing, and tracking all your favorite fics.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Amalthia Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Saturday
5:00 PM
My Ship is a Pool Noodle
What to do when you are in a fandom with almost no fanfic (like a single author and a dream) or the ship you love has a page or less on AO3? Let’s talk about being fans in small fandoms…and what happens when that fandom/ship blows up years later and your once-obscure fic is found again.
Track: Meta Mod: Kadymae Devilc Time: 5:00 PM PDT on Saturday
Arcane
Arcane is complete. What do we think about the relationships between Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx? How do we feel about the ending? And what, if anything, comes next?
Track: Fandom Mod: Drea Time: 5:00 PM PDT on Saturday
Vids as Fanfic
Let’s watch and discuss a handful of vids that tell a story that’s not part of canon: I Swear, Hurricane, Papa Don’t Preach (Dr Who/Rose), Gettin’ Bi, and possibly others.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Elf Herself Time: 5:00 PM PDT on Saturday
6:00 PM
All About the Italicized “Oh”
Themes and tropes in fanfic–what makes it a literary genre of its own? What creates the emotional impact that keeps people writing and brings readers back?
Track: Meta Mod: Seperis Time: 6:00 PM PDT on Saturday
8:00 PM
Escapade Online Vid Show
Saturday night wouldn’t be complete without the songvid show! Stream on Vimeo to see what awesome new vids everyone’s been making this year. During the show, be sure to join us on Discord, where you are free to squee in the “quiet” text chatroom or the “loud” voice chatroom. Total run time is 1 hr 32 min 12 sec, including a 15-minute intermission.
Streaming: Vimeo Discussion: Discord Time: 8:00 PM PDT on Saturday
SUNDAY — JUNE 29, 2025
5:00 AM
Rerun: Escapade Online Vid Show
A rerun of the previous night’s vid show. Run time is 1:32:12, including a 15-minute intermission.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: aaronantium Time: 5:00 AM PDT on Sunday
7:00 AM
Fandoms of the Vid Show
Let’s go over the fandoms from the vid show–what are they, how can you watch them, which ones are relevant to your interests?
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: aaronantium Time: 7:00 AM PDT on Sunday
8:00 AM
Victoria Goddard’s Nine Worlds series: Love! Fealty! UBI!
In these trying times, what could be more soothing than over two million words of feel-good worldbuilding and people doing their best for the common and ordinary good? A challenge-song: let me convince you to read The Hands of the Emperor!
Track: Fandom Mod: kerithwyn Time: 8:00 AM PDT on Sunday
Vid Review
If watching the Escapade Online Vid Show isn’t enough, and you want to dig into why a vid did or didn’t work, analyze technique, and basically geek out over vids, this is the panel for you!
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: aaronantium Time: 8:00 AM PDT on Sunday
9:00 AM
Not Just Training Wheels
Fanfic is often claimed to be “good for practice” on one’s route to becoming a professional author, but this is not the only reason people write fanfic. Let’s discuss some of the others: bonding with a community, exploring story concepts with very niche appeal, enjoying a personal fantasy, and more.
Track: Meta Mod: Seperis Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Sunday
DC Comics
Spandex and slash, come and get it.
Track: Fandom Mod: Greenygal Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Sunday
Vid Review (continued)
Second and final hour of Vid Review.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: aaronantium Time: 9:00 AM PDT on Sunday
10:00 AM
Children of the 20th Century
When the 1990s are period pieces and you have to tell people cell phones didn’t have touchscreens…when you have to remind people what progress looked like…when you have to explain the good old days were terrible and realize you have good old days to remember…this is the panel for you.
Track: Meta Mod: Kadymae Devilc Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Sunday
2025 Anime Releases
What has come out already and what are we still waiting for this year?
Track: Fandom Mod: aaronantium Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Sunday
Tea Panel
Drink your cuppa while discussing best brew techniques, best leaves, water hardness and minerals, acceptable and anathema additions (cream, alternative milks, sugar, jam, stevia) and whether some tea fans are just making this stuff up. Featuring screenshots from r/tea and Orwell’s A Nice Cup of Tea if boiling needs to happen.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: sprocket Time: 10:00 AM PDT on Sunday
11:00 AM
Old Man Yaoi and Old Woman Yuri
Fandom tends to circulate around actors in their 20s and 30s, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But “old man yaoi” has also become popular lately. Shows like Our Flag Means Death, Agatha All Along, Squid Game, and Severance are giving us both canon and non-canon queer pairings centered around characters in their 50s and older. Who do you like? Who has surprised you? Who do you want people to love? And who would you put in your shows and movies, if you had the choice? Whether you’re looking at potential adaptations, original characters, or popular tropes, we can always use more mature characters in love (or hate!).
Track: Meta Mods: kerithwyn, Airawyn Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Sunday
Supernatural: Thursday Nights are Still Spooky!
Supernatural! Is it horror? Is it camp? Isn’t Dean the most beautiful man on the spookiest night?
Track: Fandom Mod: fashes Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Sunday
How Fans Can Protect Their Identities Online
Join us for a presentation on how to keep your wallet name safe and separate from your fannish identity, and share your own tips if you have them!
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Vex Verlain Time: 11:00 AM PDT on Sunday
12:00 PM — NOON
LGBTQIA2S+ Meetup
A casual meetup of LGBTQIA2S+ Escapade attendees.
Track: Meta Host: D20Owlbear Time: 12:00 PM PDT on Sunday
1:00 PM
It’s Not on Netflix
How do you get people into your fandom when it’s not as easy to access?
Track: Meta Mod: Kerguelen Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Sunday
The Expanse: You’re Not That Guy, I’m Rescuing Myself From The Earthers
What were some spectacularly good adaptation decisions? What didn’t make it from the books that we miss?
Track: Fandom Mod: sprocket Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Medical Review of Post-Presentation Sexes (𝛂/𝛃/𝛀)
Think of this panel as one step past the general sex ed. How do our bodies work? What makes us alphas or betas or omegas? What does intersex or transitioning look like? We’ll review changes and then hold a Q&A.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Nevertheless Time: 1:00 PM PDT on Sunday
2:00 PM
Fanfic Community as Gift Economy
The pros and cons of an artistic community with a strong non-economic, even anti-commercial bias. How fanfic works outside of writing markets, and what happens when fanfic writers go pro.
Track: Meta Mod: D20Owlbear Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Sunday
It’s Ineffable: Good Omens and the Ultimate Slow Burn
Heaven and Hell collide in this divine/devilish deep dive into Good Omens! Join us as we unpack the angel/demon dynamic, the apocalypse-that-wasn’t, and the ineffable chemistry between Aziraphale and Crowley.
Track: Fandom Mod: Kylara Ingress Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Manage Your F’ing Money
Personal finance for fandom! Have too much month at the end of each money? Feel like retirement savings is made of unobtainium? Your hostesses may not have the mostess, but we know how to cat-herd our paychecks.
Track: Tech/Alt Mods: Kadymae Devilc, Amalthia Time: 2:00 PM PDT on Sunday
3:00 PM
Found Family
Finding your place, finding your people, finding your purpose is a powerful theme in books, movies, as well as fandom. Why is this such a pivotal theme that we are drawn to it again and again? Where in fandom did you find your place, your people, your found family?
Track: Meta Mod: Tayrin Roo Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Thunderbolts* (*some assembly required)
The latest Marvel movie–both a step away and return to form.
Track: Fandom Mod: Greenygal Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Demystifying Hardware
Learning what you need and doing it on a budget!
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Seperis Time: 3:00 PM PDT on Sunday
4:00 PM
Wayback Panel
Voted on during opening ceremonies, the Wayback Panel is our chance to revisit something we talked about at a previous Escapade.
Track: Meta Mod(s): TBD Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Old Man YAOI (And Other Gifts from The Pitt)
The Pitt has gifted us with so many cool things: multiple kinds of representation (Dr King! Dr. Abbot!), a mean girl with a heart of gold, Filipina nurses, all sorts of medical professionals, glorious instant Karma, the most epic day in any ER, EVER! And the DILF-tastic duo of Robby and Abbot. Let’s talk all that and Old Man YAOI!
Track: Fandom Mod: Kadymae Devilc Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Sunday
Arts & Crafts
Join us for a relaxed hour of creativity and comradery! Bring your papercrafts, knitting, crocheting, quilting, drawing & painting, mixed media art, jewelry making, and other crafts.
Track: Tech/Alt Mod: Umber Time: 4:00 PM PDT on Sunday
5:00 PM
Escapade Online Closing Ceremonies
Closing ceremonies, and your chance to discuss what we did well and what we could do better next time. Come and say goodbye!
Track: Meta Host: TBD Time: 5:00 PM PDT on Sunday
6:00 PM
Dead Dog Party
Once the closing ceremonies are over, take a load off and relax!
Track: Meta Host: TBD Time: 6:00 PM PDT on Sunday