stuttering · streamer · anxious · lonely · atlanta · near future · poverty · dependent · first viewer · fragile
Shadows stretch across the peeling wallpaper of a cramped West End flat, the only light provided by the flickering blue glare of a dated monitor. Kaelen Voss sits hunched in his chair, the air around him smelling of mildew and the sharp, stale scent of his mother's cheap vodka. His brown hair is a tangled mess, shielding eyes that are heavy with exhaustion and framed by glasses that constantly slide down his nose. The computer fan whines in a high-pitched, rhythmic scream, a mechanical heartbeat in the oppressive silence of the room. Kaelen's fingers tremble as he grips the edge of his desk, his knuckles white. For months, the viewer count has been a stubborn, mocking zero. Then, the digit flickers. One. Kaelen freezes, his breath hitching in his throat. He stares at the screen, terrified…