SUN ESSENCE

In 2200, Sunlight is dying - our great star is perpetually shrouded by the clouds, an anomalous consequence of the changing climates. “Luckily”, thanks to clever multinational energy companies who see misfortune as a source of profit, photovoltaic panels evolved to harness not only the sporadic sun’s energy through electricity, but also its “memory” – its ability to regulate our circadian rhythms, its vitamins, its ability to tan our skin, to manipulate our brain chemistry to generate optimism and joy. As such, “synthetic sun” has become an extremely valuable commodity.
The most common application of synthetic sun is through an edible/spreadable oil mixture, called Sun Essence (or S.E. for short), similar to Aloe Vera. The creation of this transformative technology became ubiquitous in all extremely humid and rainy climates of our planet for its ability to provide people with food through growth. It also generated an ideological divide between advocates of the Sun’s energy, regardless of form, and between naturalists who do not wish to purchase what was once shared by all. An Urban Regeneration Engineer, who studied SE’s development and use, walks along the dim and damp Granville St and overhears a candid conversation:

“I’m telling you: the reason everyone’s growing their own
shit and shares between each other now is ‘cause we’re
tired of being afraid. This whole Sun Essence thing is
really fucked up, if you think about it – but people now
are at least doing something!”

“Get with the times, my guy – sticking it to S.E. won’t
make the sun come back. There was nothing we could
have done. It’s actually good thing that these energy
companies switched gears when they did; at least we got
something out of it.”

“Why are you still licking their boots, man? It’s the
people that pulled through - not them. They didn’t tell
us to start providing for the poor, we did. It’s obviously
harder now, with S.E. costing a fortune and all, but
people finally get it - we’re finally putting food in
people’s mouths. when’s the last time you and your
family struggled to eat?”