A JAMAICAN DYSTOPIAN ROMANCE: It's the year 2301 in Jamaica. Yeah you read that right. But what happens when all the roles have switched? When women are the leaders? When the standard of beauty is onyx dark skin and kinky hair? When that same standard determines your societal class? When tiny technological assistants can speak and feel what you feel? Or when the daughter of the High Command Ruler finds herself more than in love with the leader of 'the resistance'? Wish me coulda tell yuh lol, but yahfi just read it.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙" May 2023 - June 2023

At age 30, publications editor Kelsie Taylor is slowly losing hope in finding her fairytale romance. The stories of the women around her who experience abuse and heartbreak along with her own experiences have made her cautious about entering a relationship. Her dream of finding forever love as a young adult is yet to actualize because none of the suitors she encountered so far have made a striking first impression. "I know that with Jamaican men I might have to kiss a few frogs before I find a prince but right now mi feel like a only frog deh here. Most of dem nuh worth more than a hi," she says to a man she only had brief, casual interactions over the past few weeks. He chuckles at her disclosure. "Yuh mean yuh just nuh kiss di right frog yet. And why yuh feel like yuh need a prince or a knight? You are no damsel in distress. You don't need saving." She shrugs at his observation, not sure how to respond. "You just need to get out of your way. I can bet you have written off men with a lot of potential with just one glance. But people are multilayered. You have to peel back the surface to get a better look at what's underneath before writing off a person," he adds. His advice might be just what she needs to guide her past the hurt she's witnessed and take the leap of faith to find true love. ⚠️Trigger warning: This story contains acts of violence and sexual abuse.