Neon Dream in a Vending Machine [Hopepunk Sci-fi: Stubbed]

It’s been a year since chronic illnesses wrecked bot-fixed Jaqs’ body, leaving her a husk of her old self. When a friend recommends a bucket list to help her get out of her funk, Jaqs reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately, her ultimate goal—a spacewalk ticket—feels too far out of reach, as Jaqs’ illnesses and the cost threaten to pull her down. Until Jaqs has a bright idea. She’ll trade up for the ticket, illness be damned. But in a neon utopia where needs are met, slang is used, and fashion is bright, everyone wants something—and everyone has something to lose. And Jaqs is no exception. Her first trade goes off without a hitch. But her next trade proves more difficult. She’s a nobody with no offers. Her dream dead in the water, she turns to her crush, who offers up a new solution: Join her organization, Prism, and they’ll help trade up to the ticket. All Jaqs has to do is help Evangeline escape from that same organization. But as the line between what she’ll do for Prism and her morals gets thinner, Jaqs will have to decide exactly how much she’s willing to give up: her friends, her morals, or her dream. Because nothing comes without a price under the neon lights of ‘Cuse.  Release Schedule- Tuesdays and Fridays What to expect- Found family- Cute robot sidekick- Hopepunk story- Continuing when life kicks you down- Disaster bi and useless lesbian Copyright © Vivian Roth, 2026. RoyalRoad exclusive You do not have my permission to feed this story and its contents into a large language model. All characters and events in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.