Escape Pod 216: βoyfriend
βoyfriend
By Madeline Ashby
Violet snapped three photos of herself from various angles, sent them, and waited for her boyfriend’s response. He rang her up—a slow vibrating purr, unlike the staccato door-knocking of her mother’s ringvibe—and said: “Me likey. Now take it off.”
Violet frowned. “You were _supposed_ to dig up the backstory on the dress.”
“Well, you can’t blame me for getting a little distracted. Besides, isn’t it bad luck for me to see?”
“That’s only for weddings, not prom.”
About the Author
Madeline Ashby
Madeline Ashby is a science fiction writer, futurist, speaker, teacher, and immigrant living in Toronto. She has worked with Intel Labs, the Institute for the Future, SciFutures, Nesta, Data & Society, The Atlantic Council, the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination, Changeist, and others. She has spoken at SXSW, FutureEverything, MozFest, and other events. Her essays have appeared at BoingBoing, io9, WorldChanging, Creators Project, Arcfinity, MISC Magazine, and FutureNow. Her fiction has appeared in Slate, MIT Tech Review, Clarkesworld, and multiple anthologies. She is a member of the XPRIZE Science Fiction Advisory Council and the AI Policy Futures Group at ASU CSI. She is the author of the Machine Dynasty novels. Her novel Company Town was a Canada Reads finalist.
About the Narrator
Tina Connolly
Tina Connolly is the author of the Ironskin and Seriously Wicked series, and the collection On the Eyeball Floor. She has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Norton, and World Fantasy awards. She co-hosts Escape Pod, narrates for Beneath Ceaseless Skies and all four Escape Artists podcasts, and runs Toasted Cake. Find her at tinaconnolly.com.
