#speculative future

[whatisenough]

[sl-walker]

Prompt: Darth Maul painting, knitting, or gardening with help.

Oh boy.  So, this would probably take place in early Year Two, so spoilers?

The kitchen garden had long since gone to weed and seed.

The Organa’s summerhouse in the First Range didn’t get the use it once had; the last time anyone had been there, it had been Maul and Obi-Wan and Bail and Queen Breha a year before.  The last time anyone had maintained the kitchen garden had been decades before that.

Still, the clearing it was set in hadn’t grown up too much; some saplings had intruded on the space over the years and some brush needed cleared, but Maul took to it with a dogged sort of determination.  Even though he was supposed to be recovering – and was still working out from what exactly – he had gotten so restless and frustrated that he had finished splitting every piece of firewood on the property and stacked it neatly and needed something besides recovering to do with himself.

Bail had mentioned off-handedly that his mother and father used to keep a kitchen garden, about a kilometer and a half away from the summerhouse itself, and that the ground-staked energy shields to protect it from wildlife should still work, but he hadn’t been up there in quite awhile.  Since Maul was now sans projects (besides healing, resting, other things that he couldn’t seem to do quickly enough) and stir-crazy, he took it as a challenge.

He had never gardened before, and he had no idea how to go about it.  But he made ample use of the HoloNet to research and then dug out the old-fashioned gardening tools and carried them off.  The first day, Tally and Shiv both shadowed him, presumably in curiosity; the second day, Tally was notably absent, having decided that gardening wasn’t really for him right now, and it was just Maul and Shiv, working under the early summer sun.

They mostly worked in silence; Shiv’s already dark skin growing darker, Maul’s mind settling somewhat, lost in the effort of turning soil, of planting packets of seeds, meticulously placing them, watering them.  He wouldn’t be here to see his work bear out, or even if it could bear out, but he worked anyway.  They took a break in the afternoon for lunch, then worked to sundown; muscles Maul forgot he even had were sore, his hands were a little blistered, but he slept like the dead that night, unfettered from nightmares and anxiety, at least for awhile.

“You’re not trying to obliquely pay me back or something, right?” Bail asked, brow furrowed, after Maul had sent him some images of the work in progress a handful of days into it. “I mean, you’re actually enjoying it?”

Part of it was trying to pay Bail back.  Maul could never do so, he knew that, but that didn’t stop his deep need to try.  So, he rather artlessly ignored that part of the question and just answered the second part: “I like it.  It–” he gestured to his own head. “–gets me out of my thoughts.”

Bail never really pushed him, and that held true now just the same. “What are you putting in?”

Maul kept a running list of the various plants in his memory, especially since he’d had to look up how to plant them, and rattled them off.  Bail had grinned back at that and then added a few requests.

“I don’t know what good it does; no one will be here to tend it,” he finally said, towards the end, maybe feeling sheepish for taking on a project he wouldn’t be able to see through, even if he did like it.

“I’ll see what can be done about the tending part,” Bail answered, then rested his chin on his hand and smiled. “But I’d say the good is already being done.”

[1000daysof]

Of course, there have been count- -less attempts by The Artist to create an authentic connection with an audience—all of them failures—but none more spectacularly than one: The performer who turned them- -selves inside out, mid-performance, so that the audience were not only treated to a sensory experience, but a somatic one. The Process was completely visible. All of the phenomenological functions of the body were on display. Twinging muscles. A buzzing nervous system. Moaning organs. The illustrious brain, with every creative crevice and neural pathway shimmering under spotlight. Even the digestive tract had collapsed and folded outward. The remnants of breakfast, disease, childhood trauma, years-old swall- -owed gum; all exposed and factored into an immense calculation that culminated in a performance which was, of course, a spectacular failure. Not because it had result- -ed in death, but because the language of the soma—the stringy fibers, hard wet bone, indinstin- -guishable sacks of pulsating pink flesh—were not decipherable to an audience of outside-in observers processing stimuli with their organs inside. Perhaps if they were inside-out they may have, at least moment- -arily before death, experienced an authentic connection with The Artist

[absurdlakefront]

HYPER-REALITY by Keiichi Matsuda

Hyper-Reality presents a provocative and kaleidoscopic new vision of the future, where physical and virtual realities have merged, and the city is saturated in media.

One horrifying vision of the future of augmented reality technology.

[1000daysof]

-j.ed

[knowmeornot21]

The Human of 2104: A Species Transformed by Extinction and Adaptation

By 2104, humans are no longer the same beings they were 80 years ago. The combined crises of climate change, resource scarcity, and extreme reliance on digital technology have reshaped our bodies and minds. This future isn’t just about new technologies but about how humans have evolved to survive a radically altered planet.

The New Human Form: Adaptation Through Extinction

As the natural world around us dwindled, so did many of our conventional resources. The extinction of familiar foods, the scarcity of fresh water, and the collapse of ecosystems have forced our bodies to adapt in ways we could have never imagined.

🍽️ Food Extinction and Digestive Changes

By the 2080s, traditional agriculture became almost impossible due to severe climate shifts. With soil degradation and the collapse of pollinator species, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and meat became scarce. In response:

Digestive Shrinkage: The human digestive system has become smaller and more efficient. We no longer consume solid foods in the way we used to. Instead, synthetic nutrient solutions and lab-grown food gels are the primary sources of sustenance. The stomach, once a large organ designed to break down varied foods, has shrunk, evolving to process these pre-digested, nutrient-dense substances quickly.

Loss of Taste and Appetite: As food became standardized and artificial, the human sense of taste dulled. The pleasure of eating, once a significant part of life, has diminished. Most people now consume for necessity rather than enjoyment, relying on AI-recommended nutrient packs based on real-time health data.

Physical Appearance: Humans are slimmer, with less body fat. The caloric intake is optimized, leading to leaner physiques. Muscle mass is maintained through electrical muscle stimulation rather than physical exercise, as most labor is automated.

💧 Water Scarcity and Dehydration Resistance

With freshwater sources dwindling, humans had to evolve:

Dehydration Adaptation: The body has become more efficient at retaining water. Sweat glands have reduced in number, making the human body less prone to sweating. Our kidneys have become more efficient at filtering and recycling water, minimizing waste.

Skin Changes: Human skin has become thicker and slightly waxy, designed to minimize moisture loss. The skin's texture is smoother but feels more like a protective membrane, evolved to withstand harsher UV rays and the arid conditions of a hotter Earth.

🏠 Housing and Physical Space Evolution

The disappearance of natural resources has transformed how and where humans live:

Adaptation to Smaller Spaces: As urbanization increased and space became limited, the human form adapted to a more compact lifestyle. People are generally shorter, with a smaller frame, making it easier to navigate confined spaces and consume fewer resources.

Sedentary Adaptation: The rise of virtual living means people move less in their physical environment. Legs and feet are less muscular, and the skeletal structure has evolved for comfort in sitting or lying down, as standing for long periods is less common.

🧠 Education and Cognitive Shifts

With knowledge instantly accessible via neural implants, the human brain has undergone significant changes:

Reduced Memory Capacity: The reliance on AI for information storage has caused a decline in human memory. The brain no longer needs to retain vast amounts of knowledge, as everything can be accessed on demand. Instead, the brain has adapted to excel in pattern recognition and creative problem-solving, the last strongholds of human cognition.

Decreased Attention Span: Constant digital stimulation has shortened the human attention span. People struggle to focus for extended periods, and tasks are designed to be brief and immediately rewarding, catering to this new cognitive pattern.

⚕️ Healthcare and the New Human Body

Human healthcare is now centered on preventative measures and body augmentation:

Integrated Biotech: Tiny biotech implants and nanobots circulate through the bloodstream, constantly monitoring health and making adjustments in real time. This has led to a decline in the human immune system's natural strength, as artificial immunity has taken over.

Cyborg Evolution: Physical enhancements are common. Many people have bionic limbs or sensory upgrades, like enhanced vision or hearing. The boundary between human and machine is blurred, and the human form now includes metal, plastic, and synthetic tissue as much as flesh and bone.

🌍 Environmental Impact and Physical Adaptation

The effects of climate change have reshaped the human body:

Heat Adaptation: Humans are now more resistant to extreme temperatures. The body has adapted to maintain a stable internal temperature despite external heat, thanks to changes in metabolism and genetic engineering for heat resistance.

Air Pollution Resilience: Lungs have evolved to filter out fine particulate matter. City dwellers have developed stronger respiratory systems, and many have artificial lung enhancements to help process polluted air.

🏳️‍🌈 Social Changes and Gender Fluidity

The evolution of social norms and technology has reshaped human identity:

Gender Fluidity: Biological gender distinctions are less emphasized, as hormonal modifications and gene therapy allow people to transition seamlessly between genders. The human body has adapted to be more androgynous, with features that can easily be enhanced or minimized based on personal choice.

Self-Expression: Physical appearance is now seen as highly customizable. People can change their skin color, hair texture, and body shape at will using biotech enhancements, making the concept of a "fixed" human form obsolete.

♿ Accessibility and New Human Abilities

In a world where the human body has merged with technology:

Enhanced Senses: People with disabilities are often given superhuman abilities through implants and neural enhancements. Blind individuals can "see" through echolocation devices, while those with mobility issues use exoskeletons that enhance strength.

Universal Communication: Neural interfaces have made verbal language almost obsolete. People communicate directly through thought-to-text transmission, bypassing the need for spoken words.

🌱 Sustainability and Human Ecology

The human body has adapted to be part of a closed-loop system:

Biodegradable Implants: Most biotech enhancements are designed to be biodegradable, reducing the waste produced by human bodies.

Symbiotic Relationships: Humans now host a variety of engineered microorganisms that help with digestion, air purification, and even energy production. These tiny symbionts help maintain the body in environments where traditional resources are scarce.

Final Thoughts: The Fragile Balance of Humanity

The humans of 2104 are not necessarily stronger or more intelligent than those of the past. Instead, they are hyper-adapted survivors, molded by a world of scarcity and digital excess. Their bodies are leaner, more efficient, and augmented by technology, but they have also lost many of the innate abilities their ancestors took for granted. The future human is a blend of biology, technology, and adaptation—proof that, no matter the challenges, the will to survive shapes the very essence of what it means to be human.

[erika-jpeg]

Knowledge Navigator (1987), Apple

In Apple Computer's 1987 vision of the future (approximately 2011), industrial design has not changed for over two decades, we stand around drinking coffee while a computer-generated guy in a bow tie encourages passive-aggressive family avoidance tactics. They should have called it Knowledge Aggravator.

[angelbliss15]

A message to our world leaders. My view of the world.

Where in the hell do I plan to be after college? Well let’s see, with the world as it stands right now to be honest I’m not too sure. I know that after college my biggest goal is to become an elementary school teacher and as it looks right now I’m not entirely sure how our world will look so I’m going to make something up because that’s just the kind of writer I am.

The year is 2030 and our country is no longer being run by someone who is considered to be an American version of Adolf Hitler, instead we are being governed by RuPaul who was born with the name Andre Charles and there would be peace between our countries and our economy would be thriving, people like me in the lower class would be able to provide for their families on a single income instead of living from paycheck to paycheck. I am a first grade teacher and have been for the last four years with not two but now three beautiful children who will never have to worry about the world around them and will never want for anything. I am running for senate in order to help President Charles keep our country running smoothly. Our teenagers and children will no longer depend on technology as they have in recent years because the world will finally be better than the worlds they create on the internet, yes of course there will still be crime but it will be much easier for police and they will be far more efficient then they have been because our advances in technology will help them identify perps faster and make it easier to catch the true suspects. We will become more reliant on nature, instead of mass producing food products the way we have been, and people will learn to hunt and scavenge again and some of our natural resource will thrive once more because we will be able to stop polluting our world and because we will finally understand how important our fantastic planet is, we will have cured cancer and any other terminal diseases. Yes, our future looks bright and you may see this as just pipe dream but I am hoping it’ll be much more than just a dream I’m hoping this is how our country and even our world will be.

As it stands right now our future is looking dim, our president is a tyrant and we are taking our planet for granted, so what if some of my ideas are unrealistic and who gives a shit if I seem crazy, at least I’m hoping for us to learn from our mistakes and fix our world so that we don’t have to worry about fear any more, right now I worry about the future my babies will grow up in and I’m fucking tired of worrying about how to get a job that will pay me enough to survive and not be homeless. At this very moment as I write this essay, my family is staying with my daughter’s god mother because even with one income we cannot find an apartment or any sort of living arrangement the we could even come close to affording. I am tired of not having our voices heard by the very leaders who swear on a Bible, that they will do what is best for our country and then turn around and screw us over because the power has gone to their heads and they choose to not give a damn about the country they swore to protect. If this is the future that we are coming in to than I don’t want to live here anymore because one day we are going to find ourselves digging our own graves because we have beyond fucked our world up.