This thesis functions as a short story collection that contends with the tension between realism and escapist fantasy in order to explore the anxieties of exiting adolescence. Furthermore, this thesis examines what it means to be living in a polarized moment defined by issues of wealth inequality, the United States healthcare crisis, climate change, oppression, and austerity. The work is inspired by a wide range of art including but not limited to work by Michael Chabon, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ursula K. Le Guin, China Mieville, Maggie Nelson, Frank Oz, Philip Roth, and Jeff VanderMeer.