Tevun-Krus #86 - International V: LovePunk

Loveless in The Leo Republic - A Short Story by @GlennLeung

The government made the Passion Act because of a dire need for love energy. We, as citizens of The Leo Republic, have a duty to find a faithful partner and make regular love. I think this petition only reflects the selfishness of its initiator.

Several studies have shown that polygamy and masturbation do not produce the required energy needed for our society. I recommend the initiator do his research before brazenly making such claims on the internet.

It is such selfishness and denial that had left humanity unprepared for the invasion. Our government made some hard choices and that's why we survived while the rest of the world fell. We must put our trust in the Passion Act and carry out our duties as good citizens. I'm going to have sex with my wife right now.

I had decided to save the letter for later because I'd thought the contents would be more palatable to read. I wasn't wrong, but I hadn't expected the internet to actually care about the quality of their writing. No doubt another sign of the government's successful social engineering efforts. Still, there were 10 signatures on my petition, twice the number from a week ago. Only 9,990 more to go before someone has to say something!

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Dear Jacob Loveless Tan,

Congratulations on turning 21! We are delighted to inform you that you have reached the legal age of marriage. If you already have a faithful partner, you may marry them at your earliest convenience. After your marriage, you and your partner are required to produce a minimum of 4 vials of primed Phero-Dopaxine a month. This is to help ensure our nation gets the love energy it needs.

If you do not have a faithful partner, please be reminded that you are required to begin making efforts to find one. As per the Passion Act, it is illegal to remain unmarried by the age of 26. If you require assistance, you may make use of the SDU's love-finding programmes available to all citizens aged 21 years and above.

Yours Sincerely,

Shirley Lim

Associate Dean, Social Development Unit

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It was pretty much what I'd expected from the SDU's authoritative fantasies. I knew most people who found 'love' through them only did so to get out of their tedious hijinks. Many eventually ended up with a different partner from the one they had been paired with. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a little panicky. I had already gotten a few letters from the police, and with the SDU joining in, there were more eyes on my back. I thought about accessing the remote desktop at the University to check on my experiment, but I decided that I had had enough for the day. I laid down on my bed to think about the next steps. No way in hell am I going to give in to the government!

Present Day

Everyone's attention was half-tuned to the woman on the stage as she reached into the large grey metal container. From the back row, it looked like she was fumbling, lips contorted as if struggling to get an animal to behave. Then, with an audible breath and a quick jerk, she pulled out the cylinder of bright blue liquid and held it up for all to see.

"This is an unprimed vial of Phero-Dopaxine," she said, still panting from the earlier effort. "When it comes into contact with the chemicals your body releases during romance, it becomes primed..."

She placed the vial on the centre table and forced out another one from the container, this time filled with a clear red liquid.

"... and turns a hot, passionate red. When water is added, this primed state undergoes a massive exothermic reaction which can then be used to generate energy. By the time you all graduate, you should be producing a minimum of 3 vials a month... "