Johnny Kerry: Live forever
By @Ezra BG
Thirteen-year-old Johnny Kerry ran away from the suffocating expectations of his classical-dynasty home, armed only with a cheap guitar and an impossible voice. He possesses a blistering, six-octave raspy tenor and a stage presence so magnetic it borders on mass hypnosis. Traveling across a gritty, neon-soaked, late-90s America, Johnny chases the ultimate high: live-forever moments where the music blocks out the noise of his fractured soul. He survives on insane performances, wild warehouse parties, messy road romance, and constant near-death experiences. But behind his gentle smile lies a desperate, self-destructive race against time. To truly live forever, Johnny must outrun the predators of the music industry and his own worsening physical burnout. As the road gets darker, he must decide if conquering the stage is worth destroying the boy behind the microphone. The crowd is screaming, the lights are blinding, and the next chords might be his last.
24
City of Stolen Hours
By @john1208
I packed a single bag to run away from my suffocating family dynasty, intending to lay low in a boring neighboring town. So waking up thousands of miles away on a first-class maglev train pulling into the blinding, chaotic metropolis of Vangkhon was a literal impossibility. I had a fake passport and a pocket full of cash. Someone had seemingly kidnapped me into a luxury vacation. Naturally, I decided to roll with it. In that labyrinth of night markets and neon arcades, I collided with Idris - a man wearing a bespoke suit like a straightjacket, desperate to escape his own corporate empire. We agreed to no pasts and no futures, just stolen weeks of shameless teasing, shared umbrellas, and a slow-burn connection that felt more real than my entire life. But reality always bites back. When a manufactured scandal cuts my trip short and forces me into hiding in a dreary apartment back in Galtier, I discover my miraculous 'escape' was actually a vicious framing orchestrated by my best friend and beloved cousin, Odalys. Stripped of my resources and cornered, I think it's over - until a familiar, soaking-wet billionaire knocks on my door in the pouring rain. Will our fleeting vacation romance survive the brutal daylight of my ruined life?
4